An Unlikely Duelist, Chp. 5
Author's Notes: Hello, everyone! To make up for any lack of update for more than five months, this chapter is INSANELY long. Or is that my short attention span talking again, lol! As usual, there's warnings of shonen-ai and swearing, but hardly, hardly any in this chapter. Today, the focus is on dueling. And Tristan getting a butt whuppin', heh! To my pal, Nanashi… (shakes her hand) consider the deal delivered. (grin)
Hey reviewers and readers, I gotta say THANK YOU! Because of you, I have the material to write this chapter, and I've even stolen an idea or two from you guys! (Today's idea is from Peter Kim! Thanks, man! Thanks also to Von Stupor for the suggestions that helped me greatly! You ALL rock!).
Disclaimer: WHAT? I don't own rights to Yu-Gi-Oh? OR Kung Fu? NO-O-O!
And now, without further delay... Chapter Five!
OIOIOIO
Daybreak, days later, at the Taylor residence.
As Tristan Taylor opened the garage door, sunlight spilled forth into the garage, exposing it to the full glory of the early morning; the sunrise was gorgeous with its colors of pink, orange and gold; mingling birdsongs accompanied the view along with the cool, refreshing breeze.
And Tristan hated ALL of it. Mornings just didn't cut it for him, especially if it was a Saturday morning. But today, he had an incentive to be up at such an ungodly hour:
The day of the Tournament had arrived, much to Tristan's dismay.
And so, being a contestant and such, Tristan had to sign in early. Plus, he had to pick up Bakura, too. Tristan was immensely relieved that Bakura was coming with him, at least as a spectator. With Bakura, Tristan felt better. More confident. Confident enough to think he'd actually win the whole tournament! Or not... Oh, okay... he thought, smacking a fist into his palm. …Confident enough to win a round! Yeah, there we go!
His conviction somewhat restored, Tristan pulled out of the garage on his bike and headed for Bakura's apartment.
OIOIOIO
Once Tristan met up with Bakura, the two teens set off for the KaibaCorp Dueling Arena, aka... Kaiba Land. When Tristan and Bakura arrived there, there were already signs of activity, despite the early morning hours. The grand, sweeping complex stretched far across the area, with people scurrying about to get the vicinity ready for the tournament. Many people were climbing the stairs to the entrance, probably contestants checking in.
"I think I see other contestants over there," said Tristan, nodding at said people. He parked the motorcycle, and got off with Bakura to plant the kickstand.
Bakura took off his helmet. "Then shall we follow their lead?"
"Yeah, we'd better. I bet you can get lost for hours in that place!"
As they walked toward the complex, they admired the design of the place; the multi-storied building had blue-tinted windows, while the roofing spread out into a peculiar fan-like shape. A steep stairway began at the base of the building, with a huge dragon sculpture in the center. And on the roofing, displayed most prominently, were the words, Kaiba Land.
"I dunno (huff) how Kaiba can (huff) call this place 'Kaiba Land' with a straight face," said Tristan, climbing the stairway with Bakura. Why the HECK does Kaiba even have this damn stairway, thought Tristan, sullenly. And where are the escalators!
Bakura, meanwhile, seemed to have little problem with the stairs. "Bet you the name has a certain appeal to kids; Disneyland, Kaiba Land... If you want to make a profit, you better invest in the kids."
"Huh, never thought of (huff) that." Then Tristan groaned. "Great, now I (huff) have to look forward to having my backside (huff) handed to me by a buncha kids in this tournament."
Bakura laughed. "Don't worry, I'm sure the little rugrats will give you a chance."
Tristan nodded. He could only hope.
Once the two finished the stairway, they walked through the front doors into the Entry Area. Upon entering, Tristan could only stare at the fantastic scenery. It was immensely spacious, with blue-tiled flooring and high-rising walls. Numerous escalators criss-crossed the various levels in the vast vicinity (the elevators, in Tristan's opinion, should've been placed outside with the stairs). Meanwhile, lifelike statues of Duel Monsters were placed artfully throughout the area, and the crowning adornment was a HUGE Blue Eyes White Dragon statue that was suspended from the ceiling.
Bakura scanned the place sedately. "I'll say this for Kaiba -- at least he has an eye for interior design," he said, cracking a grin.
Tristan laughed in reply as they walked to the sign-in tables, which, as he just then noticed, were alphabetically organized. Furthermore, there was a LONG line stretching away from their sign-in table, causing Tristan to balk at the rather large number of contestants present.
"Eeg, this place is PACKED!" Tristan exclaimed, turning to Bakura.
"I'm not surprised; it's estimated that over 500 contestants are signed up," Bakura replied. "This tournament is regional and has one of the biggest cash prizes yet. I'm sure attendance will be higher than usual."
Tristan's eyes widened. "Dang." So much for any possible chance at victory.
Bakura patted Tristan's shoulder. "Don't let it get to you. You'll be all right."
"Yeah..." said Tristan, a little nervously. "But I'm not lookin' forward to getting creamed by competitors for however so many games straight," he said, faking a grin.
Bakura looked surprised. "You have such little confidence in yourself," he said. "In fact, you remind me of a certain duel monster. I forgot its name though, it's called... 'Something, the Iron Knight.'"
Tristan looked up with a thoughtful expression. "Gearfried the Iron Knight?" he suggested.
"That's it," said Bakura. "The legend tells that he sealed himself in armor to restrain his full ability. You're holding yourself back with your doubt, Tristan."
Tristan sighed inwardly, knowing he'd heard that song before. "Sure, but at least Gearfried had some talent to begin with," he replied, not meaning for it to sound as bitter as it did.
Bakura gazed at him with a rather despotic look. "Ah, but you forget that in order for Gearfried to become the Swordmaster (1), he always has to begin in his weakened state. That way, he has the opportunity to improve."
Tristan looked up at Bakura in a mixture of gloom and amusement. "But Gearfried can only become the Swordmaster when certain conditions are met. Let's say Gearfried needed to transform at THAT moment, when the game was most critical. What if he couldn't? What if he, y'know, never gets better?"
Bakura shrugged. "Then, to paraphrase Roosevelt, it's better to experience failure than nothing at all. It won't be the end of the world if you lose, Tristan." Then Bakura looked at Tristan's forlorn expression. "Or maybe it will. Whatever's on your mind, just know that there will be other opportunities out there if you look for them."
Tristan smiled reflectively. "Yeah, that sounds right..." he said. Suddenly he felt better again. A helluva lot better, in Tristan's opinion. Good ol' Bakura, thought Tristan. Misty-eyed, he decided to repay his friend with a full-blown noogie. "Thank you, buddy! NOOGIES!" he hollered, digging a fist into Bakura's head.
"ARGH!" Bakura scrambled out of the way with a scowl. "I deliver an inspirational speech, and THIS is what I get?" He rubbed his now messy and tangled hair.
Tristan's forehead scrunched in worry. "Aw, Bakura, I'm sorry," he whispered. He instinctively reached out to gently smooth down Bakura's hair. Then, realizing the magnitude of his actions, he pulled back, uttering a small "Meep!" in the process. "Er, sorry about... that... too," said Tristan, laughing nervously.
Bakura didn't seem to mind that sudden invasion of his space. He thumbed at the now available sign-in table. "It's... our turn," he said, bowing his head.
"Oh, already?" Well that was fast, thought Tristan. Then again, the time always didpass quicker whenever Bakura was around...
OIOIOIO
After signing in, Bakura and Tristan headed for the contestant's lounge for a quick meeting, mostly as a refresher for rules and conduct. Once that was done, there was little more to do than wait for the Tournament to start. And a bit more than an hour later (not nearly long enough for Tristan), it was time to go to the opening ceremony. Reluctantly, Tristan strolled down with Bakura to the Dueling Arena.
"Hey, uh... I forgot to say, I... really appreciate the support," said Tristan, turning to Bakura.
"Not a problem," Bakura replied. "Besides, someone's gotta watch your back, you know?" he said, sideglancing Tristan with a smile.
Tristan returned the smile as he opened the back doors for the main arena. "Yeah, good thing you came, I'd be so screwed if you weren't... here... to..."
DEAR. LORD.
Tristan's eyes bulged when he saw the arena. Large as the arena was, it was JAM-PACKED with spectators. Numerous T.V. cameras dotted the arena to film the event -- or rather, his humiliating defeat. Tristan cringed at the thought: Hundreds, no, THOUSANDS of people will bear witness to my utter SUCKINESS.
I can't do this.
Tristan glued himself to the spot, stunned. Bakura noticed this and pushed him further into the arena. "Don't let the crowd intimidate you, Tristan. Just focus on the duel, and you'll do fine."
Tristan looked back at Bakura, puppy-eyed. "But, the T.V. cameras..."
"...Will be filming other duels, not just yours," said Bakura, cutting in. "Okay, some last minute tips: if you want to destroy an opponent's facedown m/t card, try to do it the instant they set it, but don't jump the gun too often. Also, make sure you don't fill up your Spell and Trap Zone with continuous m/t cards." Bakura finally pushed Tristan to his designated dueling machine. "Well, we're here. I better go. I'll be in the CC section."
"Cool, thanks Bakura," said Tristan, nodding. He clasped his hands, trying to quit his nervous shaking.
Suddenly, Bakura grabbed a handful of Tristan's shirt, pulling him down. "Just relax, Tristan, all right?" he murmured, close to Tristan's ear. Then he roughly shoved Tristan back. "Now kick some ass, grasshoppah!"
Tristan grinned giddily. "You can count on me, Mastah!" he said, bowing.
A rather young voice on the speakerphones interrupted them: "Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the Second Annual Duel Monster's Regional Tournament!"
Hearing the announcement, Bakura quickly departed the arena, giving a quick 'thumbs-up' to Tristan. With Bakura leaving, Tristan felt like he was stranded on an abandoned isle, with his only lifeboat floating away at sea (2).
Again, the speaker-phoned voice interrupted: "Duelists from many occupations have gathered here to meet strategy with strategy and skill with skill to determine the cream of the crop in Duel Monsters. Best of luck to them all!"
Tristan looked up at the source of the voice to find that the speaker was none other than Mokuba Kaiba! To Tristan, it was good to see that the little guy was doing fine, despite the crud he'd been through lately. Mokuba stood on a grand stage set in the middle of the arena.
"Roughly explaining the rules, contestants will playing in Swiss Format," said Mokuba, continuing. "Each duelist will face randomly selected opponents, and win or lose, each contestant may play each round through. However only eight players with the best records overall may advance into the final rounds, which are then single elimination, or Sudden Death (3). Also, each duelist should remember that they are playing for keeps -- the victor has rights to the loser's rarest card."
Tristan gulped at that last statement. He'd forgotten about that last detail, as some of the cards in his deck WEREN'T his to begin with...
"That does it for the guidelines. There's just one detail before the duels kick off..." said Mokuba.
A faint rumbling sound compelled Tristan to look up skyward, yes skyward, as there was no roofing for the "arena!" As a jet roared high overhead, Tristan was greeted with the spectacle of somebody free-falling, then parachuting down into the arena. Squinting his eyes, Tristan realized that somebody was Kaiba! Then, still up at a far distance in the air, Kaiba unbuckled his parachute and dropped gracefully to the floor (4).
Tristan could only look in disbelief. Then he shook his head. Sure, that was a little flamboyant for his tastes, but Kaiba was probably doing that for the kids. Plus, Tristan had to admit that the stunt actually looked kinda neat. Sorta.
"Welcome," said Kaiba, as his abandoned parachute floated down from behind. "As announced, there have been changes to Tournament plans."
(Hm, thought Tristan, Kaiba must've activated a microphone attached to his clothes or something.)
"Previously, the Battle City Tournament was hosted out in open territory. This tournament will now be confined here, in commemoration of the grand opening of the Dueling Arena. As always, the contestants will duel, besting opponents to determine the next champion of Duel Monsters."
Kaiba straightened his clothes and strode to the stage. "The first round of the Tournament will commence. Contestants will now ascend the dueling mechanisms to launch the match."
Whoop, that's my cue! Tristan mounted the stand, flipped some switches and was promptly lifted to the top of the dueling machine. Whee! thought Tristan, having a little TOO much fun with the experience. Once the movement stopped, Tristan turned around to look back at Kaiba.
"It's time to duel - let the games begin!" he shouted. And the crowd cheered wildly.
Just then, a shadow crept up over the floor of the stadium, as a ceiling
of sorts extended slowly from the upper side of the stadium and worked its way over until it covered the whole domain. Okay, NOW it's starting to look like an arena... thought Tristan. Then, abruptly, bright lights then flashed on from different locations, and suddenly everything seemed a little more INTIMIDATING. Tristan gritted his teeth. Damn Kaiba and his super-cool technology...
"... Oh man..." said Tristan, hunching over. The whole spectacle was starting to have its effect on him, and he had a serious need to hurl in nervousness. Things were different then; at least he had dueled with partners, or had his friends to watch over him. Without Tea, Yugi, Joey... even Bakura felt far away at the moment. He was on his own now. All alone.
Wait. Not alone, he thought. The Magician of Faith. Master Swordsman. Sangan. Slate Warrior. Hell, even the Dice Jar and Morphing Jar are with me! If my friends aren't there in physical proximity, then they're here in spirit!
In that dingus Heart of the Cards!
Tristan exhaled, feeling a little better. Besides, he knew he had to remember his reason for being there. At that, Tristan turned around to face his opponent. Hm, a woman, blonde. From the far distance, it was hard to tell much else about his opponent's appearance.
Amid the noise from the crowd, he heard a voice call out to him:
"Tristan? Is that you in there?"
Huh? Curious, Tristan looked around for the source of the voice. Then he realized it came from the speakerphones on his dueling console. It must be the voice of his opponent! Tristan always did wonder how duelists could hear each other talk from such a far distance...
Wait a minute, WHAT the! To Tristan, that voice sounded familiar...
"MAI? Mai VALENTINE?" Tristan cried, looking closely at his opponent.
"The one and only," said the woman. From a distance, Tristan saw her toss her hair in haughtiness.
Tristan grinned in reminiscence. Mai Valentine, ah the memories: her skill, her vanity, her nerves of steel... It's certainly been a while, he thought. And now, facing her in a match out of all the duelists here... Tristan didn't know whether to be restless or relieved at that. Still, it was good to see her. "So Mai, what brings you here?" he asked, smiling at her.
From a distance, he saw her cross her arms. "What else? For the challenge... and the cash prize, of course," she said in cheerful sarcasm.
Tristan had to laugh. "Looks like some things never change."
"Really now? Seeing you duel is a change of pace for me."
Tristan shrugged. "Duty calls," he replied, simply.
"Oh? Following in Yugi and Joey's footsteps, are we?"
Tristan froze at that remark. He knew he shouldn't let his insecurity get the better of him, but... Was that what he was - some watered-down coke in his soda-fountain of friends? "Yeah... I guess I am," Tristan replied, staring at the dueling console.
"Hmph. Tristan, get OVER yourself. Now let's duel."
Tristan straightened with a start. "Yes ma'am."
The two duelists inserted their dueling decks into the machine, which promptly made unnerving spectacle, humming loudly as it brightly lit up. Looking at his console, Tristan was notified that Mai would take the first turn. At that, Tristan drew his five cards from his deck, and waited for Mai to make her move. Hey, going second's not so bad, thought Tristan. Bakura said that you could make the best of going either first OR second...
Then Tristan saw Mai place a card down on her console. "Watch closely, rookie. I summon Cyber Harpie Lady in attack mode." With flashing sparks, there appeared a strange hybrid of a woman and bird. It sported purple armor and carried a whip in its hand.
Whoa. Tristan had to admit, Kaiba's technology looked state of the ART. The virtual simulation made Tristan almost swear the Harpie would actually swoop down to kick his ass!
"Now I activate the field magic card, Harpies' Hunting Ground," said Mai, setting down another card. Suddenly, the dueling field shifted and changed form, as it became dry and rocky earth. Dust even seemed to blow harshly around this new, virtual terrain.
"As long as this card's in play, all Winged Beast-Monsters on the field increase their attack and defense by 200 points. Not only that, but each time a Harpie Lady is summoned, I get to destroy a trap or spell card on the field."
Then Tristan saw Mai put down another card. "Finally, I'll set an m/t card on the field and end my turn," she said.
It was now Tristan's turn as he sucked in a deep breath. This was it! He looked at his hand of cards and frowned. To Tristan, that had to be the crappiest hand in all of Duel Monsters! In his hand was an Assault on Goblin HQ, a Mage Power, a Gorg the Strong, a Reversal Quiz and a Master Swordsman. And he couldn't use any of them in the duel yet! Crud.
Tristan gazed thoughtfully at the Master Swordsman card in his hand. Bakura said that the Master Swordsman always had to begin in his weakest state as Gearfried before he got any better as the Swordsman. So by the looks of things, he thought, trying to be the best before you even have the chance to improve... will get you nowhere. Heh, leave it to Bakura to provide the soul-searching epiphanies.
At that, Tristan drew a card and looked at it. A magic card. His eyes lit up; it was just what he needed!
"For my turn, I activate Card Destruction!" said Tristan. He placed the card on the dueling console. "We'll both discard our current hand of cards to the graveyard. Then we pick up from our deck the same amount of cards we discarded!"
Tristan fed his current hand into the Graveyard slot, and picked up five more cards from his deck. Then he took a look at his new hand of cards. Bwa ha ha. Much better.
"With my new hand, I summon The Hunter With 7 Weapons!" With a burst of light, a burly man, bald and tanned, appeared on the field. Hidden beneath the monster's billowing red cape was a host of assorted weaponry.
Mai seemed to be less than impressed. "A monster with 1000 points?" she said, skeptically. "You should get stronger monsters if you want to stay in the big leagues, kiddo."
Tristan grinned. "He may be weak now, but wait 'til you see his special ability. I can declare a type of monster for him, and whenever he battles with that type, he gets an attack boost of another 1000 points, baby!"
"Hm. I'll assume you'll declare a Winged Beast-Type monster then, for my Harpie Lady."
"Nah." Tristan waved a hand dismissively. "I think I'll go along with a WARRIOR-TYPE monster!"
"If you insist," Mai replied, in dry amusement.
"That I do. And now I'll see your Harpies' Hunting Ground and raise by activating the magic card, The A. Forces!" said Tristan. A huge multi-colored force field enveloped Tristan's side of the field.
"As long as this card's on the field, all my warriors get an attack boost of 200 for each warrior or spellcaster on my side of the field. That means my Hunter gets a cool extra 200 attack points!" Tristan smirked as he watched his monster's attack stats increase to a rather unimpressive 1200.
"Oh. Wow," said Mai, dryly.
"Aha, mock my hunter NOW, but I hope you're hungry 'cuz you'll be EATING those words later!" said Tristan, in a bold fashion. Then he laid down a couple of cards in the console's Spell and Trap Zone. "All right, I'll set two m/t cards and end my turn," he said. Two horizontal facedown cards materialized on the field.
"No battle phase, eh? My turn then," said Mai, drawing a card. "I summon Harpie Lady 1 in attack mode!" Another hybrid of a bird and woman appeared, looking almost identical to the Cyber Harpie Lady, just sans the armor. It had flowing pink hair, while green wings sprouted from its arms.
"Consider your Harpie Lady UNsummoned!" said Tristan. "I activate my trap card, Trap Hole! This card destroys a monster with 1000 points or more, the instant it hits the field." A huge chasm opened beneath the Harpie, forcing it down beneath the ground.
"Hold it, I can still use the effect of my field magic card! A Harpie Lady has still been summoned and is able to destroy an m/t card on the field. Harpie Lady 1, destroy Tristan's A. Forces magic card!" Before it disappeared into the deepening chasm, the Harpie procured a whip and used it to slash through the A. Forces Card, destroying it. As a result, the Hunter's attack points shrank back to its original 1000.
Tristan gaped. D'oh! Even if the Harpie is destroyed upon summoning, it's still considered summoned? Aw, I didn't know that!
From afar, Tristan saw Mai put a hand on her hip. "Not bad, Tristan. But let's see how you can handle an attack from my Cyber Harpie Lady, who, should I remind you, has 2000 attack points thanks to my field magic card. Cyber Harpie Lady, attack the Hunter with Driving Double Slash!" The Harpie rose into the air, and blazed towards the Hunter, preparing to strike.
"Your Harpie won't do so hot when I turn her into a Warrior-Type monster! Activate the trap card, DNA Surgery!" said Tristan. The trap card flipped upwards on the dueling field, revealing itself. "As long as this continuous trap card's active, all monsters on the field are the type that I declare, which is, of course, Warriors!" The Harpie, in mid-flight, suddenly shed its green wings, barely able to fly.
"Your Harpie's no longer a Winged Beast-Type monster, Mai," said Tristan, crossing his arms. "So now your field power bonus is out the window!" Tristan watched in satisfaction as the Harpie's stats blipped back to 1800 attack points. Mua ha ha! "Furthermore, I'd earlier declared that the Hunter would increase his power whenever he fought a WARRIOR-type monster. And you know what THAT means!"
"I already declared an attack..." said Mai. The Harpie, gliding rather wobbly from the loss of most of its feathers, zoned in on the Hunter. The Hunter's attack points, meanwhile, blipped up to a superior 2000. At that, he raised a crossbow and fired an arrow through the Harpie, soundly defeating it.
"First blood, Mai," said Tristan smugly, as he watched Mai's lifepoints dip to 7800. Heh, heh... Bet Bakura'd be proud, he thought with a grin.
"Hmph. That means nothing," said Mai, tone dripping with amusement. "Though I have to say, Tristan, nice work."
"Hah, well, I've got a great teacher," Tristan replied. Well, TEACHERS, really, Tristan thought. But that's not the point... "Hey Mai," Tristan called. "I bet you suspected something fishy from the start. Why didn't you destroy one of my FACEDOWN m/t cards?"
"Priorities, my dear Tristan. I'll set another m/t card, and end my turn here," said Mai.
"Priorities, huh? Okay, my turn," said Tristan, drawing a card. Tristan smiled at his current selection of cards. Lady Luck sure had it in for him today! "All right, first, I'll summon Gemini Elf--"
"Who gets destroyed due to my trap card, Torrential Tribute!" said Mai, cutting in. Suddenly, a savage torrent of water raged through the field, wiping out every one of Tristan's monsters. Tristan could have cried right there. No-o-o! Just when everything was going so well...
"I... guess I end my turn, then," said Tristan, finding no other options.
Mai drew her card. "This is where you learn the meaning of hard luck, junior. I activate the magic card, Monster Reincarnation! Using this magic card, I can discard a card to bring back to my hand a monster card sent to the graveyard." She fed a card into the graveyard slot, and picked up another card from the same slot. Gulp. That monster had to be important if she made such a sacrifice...
"Now I'll summon a very familiar friend to the field: My Harpie Lady 1!" A flash of light announced the arrival of the Harpie, back again. Tristan figured this must've been the card that Mai picked up from the graveyard. "A Harpie Lady has been summoned, Tristan. So that DNA Surgery card is history!" The Harpie, at the moment wingless, ran towards said m/t card and shattered it with a forceful kick. With the DNA Surgery card destroyed, the Harpie grew back its green wings and claws, able to fly de novo.
"My Harpie is a Winged Beast-Type monster again," said Mai, calmly. "So not only does she get her field power bonus back, but she'll gain an additional 300 thanks to her special ability." Then Mai pulled out a card from her hand. "Brace yourself, Tristan, because this will hurt. I activate the magic card, Shallow Burial! Paying 800 lifepoints, I can special summon a monster from my graveyard, and equip this card to it. And guess who I discarded to the graveyard earlier from Monster Reincarnation's effect?"
Aw, no, thought Tristan. This does not sound good...
Mai's voice had an air of complacency. "I'll now summon Harpies' Pet Dragon!" With a burst of sparks and a flapping of wings, a great crimson dragon emerged, roaring ferociously. It had a huge chainlink leash, which the Harpie seized possessively.
Tristan's eyes were sized to dinner plates. Well, DANG.
"With my Harpie on the field, her pet dragon gets a power boost of 300, PLUS her special ability which raises its attack strength to 2600! And with your field wide open for a full-scale assault, my Harpie Lady and her pet dragon will attack your lifepoints directly!"
The Harpie swooped down at Tristan and swiped its claws at him, cutting deep into his lifepoints. Then the Harpies' Pet Dragon reared back and breathed a huge blast of fire that shot at Tristan's direction.
Tristan winced. He knew this was gonna hurt. Badly...!
The flames poured upon him and the console, chopping his lifepoints down to 3900. The spectacle felt him a little shaken from the pseudo-reality of it all. Tristan thought that maybe Kaiba did a little too good a job with the VR imagery!
"That all you've got? Better get yourself in gear, Tristan," said Mai. "It's your move."
Tristan drew a card anxiously. Okay, so far so good, he thought. "I'll set a monster facedown in defensive mode, and that'll be it for me," he said, placing the card sideways on the console.
"Going on defensive, eh? Wise decision," said Mai, drawing a card. "Now I activate the magic card, Pot of Greed!" After drawing two cards from her deck, Mai seemed to be happy with her cards. "In the mood for exchanging cards, Tristan? I activate the magic card, Creature Swap! You take my Pet Dragon, and I'LL take your facedown card!"
"What the..." said Tristan, as he watched his facedown monster card get sucked up by the machine, only to have another card pop out of the same slot. It was the Harpies' Pet Dragon card, which was automatically summoned unto Tristan's side of the field. He crinkled his forehead in thought. Mai, giving him her currently most powerful monster?
"Hey, uh, Mai, I appreciate the help and all, but..."
"Oh, but whoever said I was helping you?" said Mai. Then she put down another card. "I summon the Amazoness Swordswoman, in attack mode!" A tanned woman garbed in spiked armor appeared on the field wielding a huge curved sword. "You'll grow to worry about this card as the game progresses, Tristan -- especially when I equip her with the cards, Heart of Clear Water and the Ring of Magnetism!" At that, a glowing green ring appeared the Swordswoman's finger, while a shower of red-colored rain enveloped her in a crimson aura.
"With the Ring of Magnetism, the Swordswoman's the only monster you're allowed to attack, Tristan," Mai explained. "Meanwhile, while she's equipped with Heart of Clear Water, the Swordswoman -- get this -- cannot be destroyed as a result of battle, NOR can she be destroyed by a specific card effect. But hey, at least battle damages are calculated normally. Good news for me, since I'm planning an all-out raid! Amazoness Swordswoman, attack the Pet Dragon with Sundering Slice!"
Wa-a-i-i-t a second here... thought Tristan, befuddled. Mai, sending a monster with 1000 attack points to charge a 2600 monster? True, it won't be destroyed because of Heart of Clear Water. But she'll still get battle damages... won't she?
The Swordswoman obediently rushed toward the dragon, her sword raised. Tristan watched helplessly as the Dragon automatically counter-attacked, breathing a current of fire at the Swordswoman. Suddenly, the Swordswoman used her sword to deflect the flaming attack -- right back at Tristan's direction!
Tristan's eyes widened at the sight. Aw, HECK.
The deflected flames licked at Tristan, lowering his lifepoints from 3900 to 2300.
"As you can see, Tristan, you're the perfect whipping boy for battle damages due to my Swordswoman's effect. All battle damages involving her are inflicted to YOU instead of me! I recommend you take care attacking me from here on in. Anyway, that ends my turn," said Mai, brushing back her hair.
So THAT'S what happened... thought Tristan. He drew a card in shock. What could he do? Mai's strategy was perfect. The Swordswoman was the only monster he could attack, and attacking only meant dishing out damage to HIMSELF. Tristan looked at the single card in his hand and found it to be of no help. Eventually he determined that going on defense would be the best move at that point.
"I'll switch the Harpies' Pet Dragon to defensive mode and end my turn," said Tristan, sliding the monster card sideways. The Pet Dragon crouched down and wrapped its wings around itself. This way, it won't counterattack the Swordswoman, he thought.
It was Mai's turn again, as she drew a new card. "Tristan," she said, "You DO realize that the Swordswoman also sustains damage from attacking a monster in defensive mode. And since the Dragon has higher defense points than attack points, you've kind of shot yourself in the foot."
What! Oh no... thought Tristan. Dammit, how could I be so STUPID!
"I'm sure you're aware of what's coming, Tristan. Amazoness, attack the Pet Dragon, AGAIN!" In response, the Swordswoman leapt up and jabbed her sword at the Dragon, who blocked the attack easily. Tristan grimaced as he saw his lifepoints thusly sink to 200.
"C'mon Tristan, shake it off. Focus!" said Mai, sternly. "Now I'll set one monster facedown in defense mode and end my turn," she said. A facedown card, placed sideways, appeared on her side of the field.
Tristan was really sweating it now. 200 lifepoints, he thought anxiously. There was no way I could make a comeback... Despite that, Tristan remained hopeful, drawing a card and looking at his current hand. There was nothing but tribute monsters and an otherwise useless magic card. Gee, choices, galore, he thought, dully. It looked like there was nothing he could do.
Then -- abruptly -- a mental twitch stirred in Tristan's head, convincing him otherwise:
The Axe, a voice argued. Use the Axe on the Swordswoman now.
Understandably, Tristan was really confused at that. Where'd that voice come from? he wondered. Certainly, he wasn't the one coming up with that crazy idea… Compulsively, he looked to the stands, and suddenly saw Bakura sitting up there, with crossed arms. Greatly relieved to see his friend, Tristan was about to wave to him, but then stopped, realizing something:
He saw Bakura instantly in a sea of spectators as if he'd known exactly where he was seated.
And furthermore, Bakura was staring at him intently. Fiercely. Scarily. Such a face suddenly looked familiar to Tristan, and come to think of it, the voice seemed recognizable as well…
Blahh! Tristan forced himself out of his musings. He decided to go along with that strange voice in his head, though skeptically, of course. Exactly how was this going to make a difference, he thought. Unless the Swordswoman is destroyed, I'm as good as toast... Then he realized something, grinning in giddiness and anticipation. If it's equipped with... Hey, hold the phone, this could WORK!
"I think your Swordswoman could stand some accessorizing, Mai! So I'll activate the equip magic card, the Axe of Despair!" An apparition of a wooden-handled axe then appeared and hovered in midair. At that, the Axe suddenly shot out to fit in the Swordswoman's left hand.
"Confused, Mai?" said Tristan, grinning. "Well, currently the Swordswoman's can't be destroyed because she's equipped to the Heart of Clear Water magic card, correct? Thing is, the Swordswoman can only be equipped to Heart of Clear Water as long as her attack points are under 1300," said Tristan, tapping his chin thoughtfully. "But! Now that the Swordswoman's equipped with the Axe, her attack points are raised from 1000 to 2000; far above the 1300 limit. So it's good-bye, Heart of Clear Water!"
Tristan watched in glee as the designated card thusly exploded on Mai's field. As a result, the Swordswoman lost her red aura, partly returning to normal. Now the Swordswoman can be destroyed, thought Tristan, and who am I to ignore a plus opportunity? Heh, heh.
"And by the way, I think it's time we get rid of this nuisance, don't you say?" said Tristan, nodding at the Harpies' Pet Dragon on his side of the field. "So I'll sacrifice it for a better monster -- say hello to HELPOEMER!"
At that, the Dragon disappeared into a black swirling vortex, to be replaced by a monstrous, blue skinned deformity that was nailed to an elaborately shaped gravestone.
"Whoa," said Mai, sounding a little disgusted. "Now that is one UGLY mother!"
"Ugly or not, there's more to this monster than you think," said Tristan slyly. Indeed, the card was special, as it wasn't his card at all...
OIOIOIO
It had been another night spent tutored by the spirit, a few days before the Tournament. Tristan had just finished a practice-duel with it. At the moment, a burning question had bothered Tristan for quite some time. He needed to know.
"Hey," he said, facing the spirit. "That fortune-telling shtick you did a couple nights back... Well, uh... you think you could do it again? Like, tell me if I would WIN the Tournament or something... please?" He tensed a little, not knowing what to expect.
The spirit smiled. "That's not for me to say."
"All right, that's cool," said Tristan, a little worried at the vague answer. "Well, in that case, you interested in joining the Tournament, too? You could be my trump card in case I lose, you know?" said Tristan. He grinned, meaning that as a joke, of course... but inwardly, he was hopeful.
The spirit put its elbows on the table, and steepled its fingers. "If I entered the Tournament with you, you'd never play at your best. Bakura declines contestant participation for the same reason."
"Oh..." He'd never thought of that... But since when was he determined to prove himself? He was simply trying to get the bucks for the Cabezas, that's all... Preoccupied with his thoughts, Tristan was suddenly startled when some cards slid across the table to him. Tristan gazed at the cards in front of him, and looked back at the spirit.
"For me?" he asked.
"Those cards should support your deck," it said, simply.
"Hey, thanks!" Tristan picked up the cards and flipped though them, impressed by the caliber of it: Spirit Reaper, Offerings to the Doomed, Helpoemer...
"Say, most of the monsters are either zombie or fiend-type," he said, curiously. "Do you think that it'll go with my warrior-themed deck?"
The spirit smiled again. "You'd be surprised with how well conflicting elements work to your liking."
OIOIOIO
"EARTH TO TRISTAN! Hurry up and make your move already!"
Huh? Er... Tristan shook his head. Right. "Well Mai, I've finally found a way to stop your Swordswoman," said Tristan with a mischievous look. "Check out my Helpoemer's attack stats."
"They're even with my Swordswoman's, at 2000," said Mai. "Thinking of using your monster as a shield, perhaps?"
"Heck no, I'm taking matters into my own hands! Helpomer, attack the Swordswoman with Flaring Fusillade!" In response, the blue-skinned creature developed a ball of Abaddon-based energy, and projected it at the Amazoness Swordswoman. The Amazon skillfully dodged the attack, and buried her sword to the hilt in Helpoemer's chest. With its dying breath, Helpoemer unleashed a last onslaught of dark bolts that, with a great explosion, took both monsters out from the field.
Tristan grimaced at the sight. Didn't want to do that to my own monster... but I was running out of options. He looked up at Mai expectedly.
"Okay, you did take out my Swordswoman," said Mai, a bit surprised. "But you've left yourself wide open for a direct attack from my Harpie Lady."
"That's what you think!" said Tristan, pointing theatrically. "Judging by the number of monsters you have on the field, you've activated the special effect of my other monster. Let me introduce you to The Fiend Megacyber!" With a burst of sparks, a huge, armored monster appeared on the field, crackling with purple-colored electricity.
"Since you've got three other monsters on the field (soon to be two, heh), I'm able to special summon this monster without any sacrifices!" explained Tristan, gleefully. "And it looks like I don't have to worry about your Harpie Lady doing me damage any longer! Megacyber, attack the Harpie with Electric Eruption!" A blast of voltage soon ended things for the Harpie, and Mai was down to 7400 lifepoints.
"And here I thought you did yourself in," said Mai, amused.
"Hah, well don't count me out so easily Mai -- 'cuz Tristan Taylor is BACK with a vengeance!" Whew, Tristan thought. Three cheers for that strange voice in my head... Then he looked up at Bakura in the stands. ...Or...
"Hm, and I should say that the Megacyber's an improvement from your Helpoemer monster," said Mai, dryly.
"Y'know, I wouldn't put Helpoemer outta the picture that quickly..." said Tristan deviously. "...But eh, that ends my turn."
"All right then," said Mai, drawing her card. "For my first move, I'll flip summon my facedown monster, the Magician of Faith!" The card flipped to reveal a pony-tailed woman dressed in pink and purple robes.
Tristan blinked in surprise. Tea's gonna have a field day with this one.
"Now I can pick a magic card from my graveyard; Pot of Greed should do nicely, WHICH I'll activate and get my two cards" said Mai. "And now it's about time I put YOUR card to good use too, Tristan," she said.
Yeah, my Mysterious Guard monster... The card that got switched with the Harpies' Pet Dragon, thought Tristan, remembering it all.
"I'll flip summon your Mysterious Guard," said Mai. "And use his effect to return my Magician of Faith to my hand!" At that, a simply dressed, hooded man appeared, and with a quick spell, sent the Magician of Faith flying back to Mai's hand of cards. "Then, I'll summon my Harpie Lady 3 in attack mode!" Another Harpie appeared, with spikey black hair this time. Suddenly, said Harpie whirled around and cleanly sliced through Mai's own field magic card.
"Wha -- why'd it destroy YOUR magic card?" said Tristan, confused.
"It's my field magic card's effect -- every time a Harpie's summoned, she HAS to destroy a m/t card on the field -- even if it means my own."
Oh, right... there's no m/t cards on my side of the field anymore. Then Tristan blinked again. "Doesn't that, you know, kinda suck for you?"
"All in the strategy, dear Tristan," said Mai, flippantly. "Now I activate Elegant Egotist on my Harpie Lady 3 to bring out -- you guessed it -- my Harpie Lady Sisters!" A beautiful pattern criss-crossed the field to reveal three separate Harpie Ladies (And all with different hair-do's thought Tristan, amused). "I end my turn."
Tristan drew his card. Upon viewing the card, his face lit up: Whoo-hoo, my luck's starting to turn around... "I'll activate Pot of Greed too, and get my two cards!" After drawing his cards, he looked at them thoughtfully. Heh, this'll do... "All right, I activate the magic card, Reinforcement of the Army! I can retrieve a level 4 or lower Warrior Monster from my deck to my hand. And I think I'll choose my Marauding Captain - who I'll SUMMON!" Tristan slapped down his card to reveal a man clad in spikey armor, wielding a sword. "Then," said Tristan, "using his special effect, I can special summon another warrior from my hand. And guess who I've got for the job? That's right -- ANOTHER Marauding Captain!" The Captain's identical twin then appeared on the field.
"And since my two Marauding Captains are too weak to do any real attacking..." said Tristan.
"Which is a wonder why you even summoned them..." Mai muttered.
"I heard that! Anyway, since they're too weak, I'll attack instead with Megacyber!" Okay, thought Tristan, Mai's Harpie Lady and Harpie Lady Sisters are wide open to attack, and she knows it. She MUST have something up her sleeve in that m/t card she set; probably one of her Mirror Walls. The safest bet is to go after the much weaker Mysterious Guard… my own monster... Argh, not again…
"Megacyber..." said Tristan, hesitantly, "Attack the Mysterious Guard, now!" The monster obediently fired a swift electric shock to the hooded Guard, causing it to explode. And thusly, Mai's lifepoints shrank to 6000.
"Aanndd, that would do it for me," said Tristan, ending his turn. Heh, heh, just gotta take it one step at a time, he thought, with high hopes.
"You're coming along rather nicely, Tristan," said Mai, drawing her card. "I STILL don't know why you summoned those Marauding Captains, but whatever the case, my Harpies will quickly solve that problem! Harpies, put the Captains out of their misery!" The winged creatures rose up in unison and closed in to attack, when...
CLANG! Both Captains swung their swords to parry the attack of the Harpies.
"What's this?" said Mai, astonished.
"Hey, I'd put those Cap'ns on the field for a reason," said Tristan with a huge grin. "As long as they're both on the field, their special ability ensures that you can't attack any Warrior-type monster on my field -- and that includes my Megacyber! Heh, heh, now that's what you call TEAMWORK--"
"Save it, twerp," said Mai, brushing it off. "All right, then I'll -- AHH!" Abruptly, an apparition of a blue-skinned monstrosity rose out of nowhere, and pointed at Mai's hand of cards.
"Aw, don't tell me you forgot about Helpoemer already!" said Tristan, pretending to pout. "Well, let's be fair -- I forgot to tell you that his special ability involves you randomly discarding a card from your hand after your battle phase. Helpoemer, pick one out for her, won't you please?"
Hissing, Helpoemer stretched an arm and snatched a card away from Mai, sending the card to her Graveyard. Then, with a gust of wind, Helpoemer returned to Tristan's graveyard.
"Hrm... well, that was unexpected," said Mai, who seemed to be grinding her teeth in frustration. "I'll set a monster facedown in defensive mode, and set an m/t card. End turn."
Tristan couldn't help but hum a little to himself as he picked up his card. Mai had no more cards left in her hand, which led her to a great disadvantage... Which actually gives me a ghost of a chance! thought Tristan, giddily. He looked at his new card. Hey... this could help get out my specialty monsters... "All right, for my turn, I activate the magic card, Painful Choice! I choose five cards from my deck, and you, Mai, will choose one to go to my hand, while the rest go to my graveyard." Tristan shuffled through his deck, and brought out five different monsters. "Okay, Mai... which one should I keep?" he asked, holding out his selection.
Mai spent a minute looking at the selection that materialized on her console screen. "Go ahead and keep your Gorg the Strong," she said, nodding.
"Sounds good," said Tristan, inserting the rest of his cards into the graveyard slot. "Now, for the heck of it, I'll activate the magic card, Soul Release! I can choose up to five cards in my or your graveyard and remove them from play. And I know JUST the cards that I want..." At that, a ghostly figure of a woman rose up from the field in a gentle breeze, and swept away five of Tristan's cards in his graveyard.
Mai's eyebrows were slightly raised in curiosity. "Just what are you up to, Tristan?"
Tristan grinned in response. "You'll see! In the meantime, I'll set my Captains in defense mode, JUST in case. But I have different plans for my Megacyber, who'll attack your facedown monster!" The Megacyber charged up to the facedown card, grabbed it, and gave it a ferocious electric shock. The facedown card, before exploding in defeat, revealed itself to be the Magician of Faith. The same one that my Mysterious Guard sent back to Mai's hand, as suspected, thought Tristan with a frown. Now she can retrieve a magic card to turn the duel in her favor...
"Well, Tristan," said Mai, crossing her arms. "As per my Magician's special ability, I get to retrieve a magic card from my graveyard. Elegant Egotist should do nicely." Mai picked up her card, and then looked up. "Finished?"
Tristan nodded. "Yep."
"My turn, then. I'll draw!" Mai then looked at her two cards for a moment, frowning. "I end my turn."
"What, giving up already?" said Tristan, grinning.
"Just draw, dork."
"All right," said Tristan, his hand reaching for his hand of cards. Tristan knew that he needed to get more cards and fast if he wanted to win. It was likely inevitable that a pro like Mai would figure out how to break past his barrier of Captains. So if there was a time for The Heart of the Cards to show itself, thought Tristan, it was NOW!
He drew.
His eyes widened at his draw: The Magician of Faith. Holy Mackerel... thought Tristan, smiling. This Heart of the Cards thing DOES work! "I'll set a monster card facedown in defensive mode, and I'm done," said Tristan.
Mai drew her card, and smiled upon viewing it. "I'm afraid I'll have to bust through your little Captain blockade with the help of the magic card, Tribute to the Doomed!" said Mai. "By discarding one card from my hand, I can destroy one monster on the field. So consider one of your Captains CRUNCHED!" said Mai, smugly. At that, a huge mummy appeared on the field to swallow the poor Captain whole, before disappearing into the field. Only one Captain was left on the field now, who was looking rather bothered at the sight.
"Er, whoa," said Tristan, utterly shocked. "And you call my moves unexpected? That was just not your style, Mai."
Mai shrugged. "As a duelist, you always need to find ways to rattle your opponent and catch 'em off guard. Anyway, now I'll activate Elegant Egotist to special summon... My Harpie Lady 1!" With a flash of sparks and a flick of wings, another Harpie appeared on the field.
Tristan looked on, curious. "No Harpie Lady Sisters this time?"
"Nope. I wanted my Harpie Lady 1 for her special ability; she can increase the attack of any wind attribute monster on the field by 300 points," Mai explained. "That leaves my Harpie Lady Sisters at 2250, and my two Harpie Ladies at 1800 each! And without both Captains there to defend you, you can consider your monsters done for! Harpie Lady 1, put out the Captain with Barreling Tackle!" The Harpie rocketed forward, and slammed the Captain into floor, crushing him into defeat. "Now, with your Fiend Megacyber defenseless; Harpie Lady Sisters, attack the Megacyber with Kaleidoscopic Fury!" And with criss-crossing slashes, the Harpies sliced their target into ribbons.
"And finally..." said Mai, "Harpie Lady 3, destroy that facedown monster card!" The Harpie dove into the card, drilling through it. Said card materialized into the Magician of Faith, who temporarily blocked the attack. Before she let the attack through, she quickly sent a magic card flying to Tristan's hand, before being destroyed. And Tristan could've sworn he saw a look of encouragement on the Magician's face beforehand. Tristan couldn't help but feel bad at the sight. Yep, thought Tristan, scratching his head, Kaiba made this game WAY too realistic.
"Looks like you no longer have any monsters left on your field, Tristan," said Mai. "And since there's no cards in my hand, there's nothing for your little Helpoemer to discard. Shame. Well, that does it for me," said Mai, ending her turn.
"Okay," said Tristan. He looked down at the card that the Magician sent back to his hand. Pot of Greed. Just what the doctor ordered! "I'll draw! Then I'll activate the magic card, Pot of Greed, adding two more cards to my hand!" He briefly paused to look at his cards. "I'll set two m/t cards, and I'm done."
"Suit yourself," said Mai, drawing her card. "Your open field is just begging for an assault -- Harpies, attack his lifepoints directly and END this duel!" The Harpies rose into the air in unified formation, and barreled toward Tristan, their claws outstretched.
"Not so fast -- I activate my trap card, Waboku! All battle damages get turned into zip during this turn!" At the declaration, three maidens clad in blue robes raised a barrier to block the Harpies' attack. "And gee, Mai," Tristan added, "you actually had a battle phase... Helpoemer, if you'll do the honors?" And once again, an apparition of said monster sent Mai's card to the graveyard, leaving her once again with no cards in her hand.
"Huh. I end my turn," said Mai.
"My turn, draw!" said Tristan, picking up a card. He looked at his card, smiling. "Get ready Mai, for the MOVE OF A LIFETIME! First, I'll activate a familiar magic card, The A. Forces! You remember that my monsters get 200 more attack points per each warrior or spellcaster I have on my field, right?"
Mai looked over at Tristan's empty field, and snorted. "WHAT monsters?"
"Right here! Activate the trap card, Return from a Different Dimension! Paying away HALF of my lifepoints, I can bring back as many monsters as possible to my field that were removed from play."
Mai's eyes widened. "The five cards that were Soul Released..."
"That's right!" said Tristan. A huge portal forcefully began to contort and swirl around above the dueling field. "You last saw those cards when I activated Painful Choice… but let's have a better introduction here, shall we? PRESENTING, the DREAM TEAM of Duel Monsters -- the posse of powerhouses, the ass-kickers of adversaries! Enter the DARK SCORPION BURGLARS!" Five monsters dropped from the portal, one after the other.
"Meet Don Zaloog!" And down dropped a well-muscled man sporting an eyepatch, a gray vest, wristlets, and baggy red pants. The monster smirked challengingly while brandishing a pair of sharp-looking gladii. He appeared to be the leader of the group.
"Cliff the Trap Remover!" Another monster dropped down, a bespectacled man wearing the same outfit as Don. He leered lecherously at Mai while tossing some lock picks in his hand.
"Gorg the Strong!" An extremely muscled man leaped down, again wearing the same costume, with a scar running down his right eye. He donned a HUGE metal mace, scowling grimly.
"Meanae the Thorn!" A woman descended, with a thorn-studded whip swirling about, a stern expression on her face. She also wore a similar costume as her teammates.
"And, last but not least, Chick the Yellow!" A young boy plummeted feet first to the field, holding an oversized mallet, grinning up at Mai mockingly. He too wore similar clothing, and, like all of them, had an image of a scorpion tattooed on his right arm.
"How… is that possible?" said Mai. "I sent your Gorg the Strong back to your hand!"
"That you did," said Tristan, smiling a bit. "But thanks to me Card Destructing my hand of cards earlier on my first turn, I'd sent another Gorg to the graveyard! A good duelist oughta have copies of the same monster, right?"
"Hm…" Mai could find no other retort.
Tristan smirked in spite of himself. That Return from a Different Dimension card had really come in handy... Tristan rolled his eyes a little when he remembered that the card had been one of Devlin's little presents that was given to him at the incident over at Jay's. As hard as it was for Tristan to say it, he'd have to thank the guy one day.
He looked up at Mai to explain the predicament: "By the way, take in mind that they're all warrior-type monsters, which means, due to the effect of the A. Forces, they all get a power boost of 1000 attack points each!" Both Mai and Tristan watched as Don's attack point stats went to 2400, Cliff's to 2200, Gorg's to 2800, Meanae's to 2000, and Chick's to 2000.
"But that's not all! I'll equip Cliff the Trap Remover with the equip card, Megamorph, doubling his attack power to 4400, JUST in case you were planning to use a Mirrorwall on me! Cliff, attack Harpie Lady 1 -- and then use your special ability to destroy Mai's m/t card!" The Dark Scorpion obeyed, procuring a set of daggers that with a quick throw, imbedded itself into the Harpie, destroying it. Once that was done, Cliff brandished his lockpicks and set to work on Mai's facedown m/t card, eventually disabling it. Before the m/t card was destroyed, it revealed itself not as a Mirrorwall, but as some magic card... Tristan strained to read it:
Triangle... Ecstasy... Spark...? Wait a minute...
Tristan remembered that card... it could raise the Harpie Lady Sister's attack to 2700, and prevent the opponent from using or activating trap cards...
Tristan looked down in shame. He knew Mai had no more m/t cards to protect her, and she and her monsters were wide open to attack from the rest of his Dark Scorpions. This game was over. But Tristan realized that Mai could've ended it long ago since.
"Hey, what's the HOLDUP!" said Mai, waving her arms.
"Uh... I..." stammered Tristan, still hanging his head.
"TRISTAN," said Mai, sternly. "FINISH IT."
Tristan looked up to find Mai smiling.
"I don't want this thing to last all DAY, believe it or not," she said.
Tristan managed to force a shaky smile. "You asked for it... Gorg and Chick! Take out the Harpie Lady Sisters and Harpie Lady 3! Meanae and Don! Attack Mai's lifepoints directly and end it!" Gorg and Chick charged ahead to bludgeon the Harpies with their clubs, while Meanae and Don leaped above their comrades to slice away at Mai's remaining lifepoints.
Once Mai's lifepoints hit 0, The machine's humming began to soften and slow down as it shut down the VR mechanisms of the duel. It then announced Tristan as the winner by keeping his side of the field lighted. The lifepoint scores were displayed:
Tristan Taylor: 50 LP, Mai Valentine: 0 LP
Finally, Tristan felt the machine lowering him down to the floor. He stepped off the machine, and walked over to Mai, who met him halfway.
"Good game, Tristan," said Mai, extending her hand for a friendly handshake.
Tristan accepted the handshake, his eyes still downcast. "... I'd agree, but... look, we both know you didn't play your hardest. Why'd you let me win, Mai?"
Mai frowned, her eyebrows raised. "You should give yourself credit for some of those stunts you pulled off. That was pretty impressive."
"Yeah, but c'mon, you could've knocked me out of the duel a long time ago. I mean, at least since your last turn, with your Triangle Spark card thingie..." said Tristan, grinning sheepishly.
Mai smiled, gazing off to the side. "Funny, I set that magic card down on the field so your Helpoemer monster couldn't steal it from me. Then I forgot all about it."
Tristan rolled his eyes, smiling. "Sure you did."
Mai sighed, shaking her head. "Tristan, you don't usually duel, correct? You must be doing this for a reason?"
"Yeah, I'm here for someone..."
"Then isn't it important that you've won? Every victory will count towards your end score. Besides..." said Mai, flipping her hair aside. "...I've won too many duels for my taste." Then suddenly, her confident aura started to fade. "...And if I'd won, it would just be another empty victory, anyway..." she murmured, trailing off.
Tristan stared at Mai in puzzlement. "Hey... you al--"
"Fine, fine," said Mai, waving it off. "Y'know, Tristan, for someone I've never seen duel, you did very well. I'm surprised I've never seen you play 'til now."
Tristan grinned, rubbing his head. "We-e-e-l-l, Bakura helped me out a TON. Wouldn't have made it this far without him!"
"Bakura!" Mai smiled in recognition. "Is he in the tournament?"
"No, strangely enough. He's up with the spectators," said Tristan nodding at the stands. Abruptly, he remembered the spirit's previous words: "If I entered the Tournament with you, you'd never play at your best. Bakura declines contestant participation for the same reason." Tristan found himself wondering at that declaration: really now, what use would trying his best be if he sucked from the get-go?
"I see," said Mai, interrupting his thoughts. "Well, anyway, let's discuss your deck. It has a lot of potential, though I have to say that it needs some work. You need a better offense or stall tactic before you can get your Dark Scorpions out, especially when you're looking at the caliber of the competition. I'd suggest you'd take out some of those useless cards in your deck, and replace them with the ones you win from opponents."
"USELESS?" said Tristan, twitching a bit.
Mai ignored the outburst by flipping through some cards from her deckbox. She held out two cards to Tristan, and when he took a better look at them, he found that they were her Amazoness Swordswoman and a Mirror Wall.
"Here. The Swordswoman is a great stall/burn tactic AND is warrior-type to fit with your theme. Meanwhile, the Mirrorwall is a good way to protect your relatively weak Dark Scorpions. Replace those two gawd-awful cards, that Hunter with Seven Weapons and DNA Surgery with these new ones."
Tristan couldn't help but grin in response. "Those cards are only bad 'cuz you got owned by them."
"Don't push it, Junior." She handed the two cards to Tristan, who hesitantly took them.
"Two cards? Are you sure?"
"Hah, don't worry, I'll be winning more cards from opponents before you know it."
"Heh..." There goes Mai with her confidence again. "Don't worry, Mai, I'll take good care of them, before I give them back."
Mai grinned back. "You'd better, punk."
Amused, Tristan was about to comment, when he overheard several people chatting a short distance away:
"Look guys, Mai Valentine just lost to some guy over there!" said a teenaged boy, pointing at the lifepoint scores.
"Eh, no surprise," said another fellow, impassively. "She's definitely not in the same league as Wheeler or that Yugi kid. I never did understand all that hype about her in Duelist Kingdom."
"Yeah. I'll bet you I can beat her quick," said a girl, boastfully.
None of the group saw a figure approach them from the side. "Psh, says you. In all honesty, Mai would wipe the FLOOR with ALL of your weanie a--"
"Easy DOES it, Tristan!" said Mai, dragging him away from the group. Said group was slightly shocked at the intrusion, but was charitable enough to let it go and walk away.
To say that Tristan was pissed was an understatement. He'd seen Mai slightly flinch earlier at the comments, and yet she was still able to keep a deadpan expression. He had a feeling that she was no stranger to all the negative buzz.
"Tristan, I appreciate you sticking up for me, but that won't accomplish anything," said Mai, looking a bit miffed.
"... I just don't UNDERSTAND it," said Tristan, jamming his hands into his pockets. "You're so damn GOOD, and yet you get put down!"
Mai shook her head, smiling a bit. "Don't worry about it. People can think all they want of me. I just don't let them change what I think of myself, understand?"
Tristan looked at Mai for a moment, before smiling in understanding. "Yeah! Who cares about popularity when you know you kick ass!"
Mai smirked with a slight nod. "Darn right. I'll see you around," she said, walking away.
"Cool... thanks," said Tristan, as he watched Mai disappear into the crowd. I owe you one...
Now alone, Tristan scanned the spacious arena. With their duel over, he knew that other opponents would be using the machine soon. He had to get out of here. There was only one problem...
WHERE, exactly, was the exit?
Continued...
OIOIOIO
Afterthoughts: Oogh, apologies for the LONG delay in updates ('Specially since I said "See you soon!" last chapter! -smacks head-) Blame the Writer's Block! Me SMASH Writer's Block! (or is it the other way around? Hehe)
(1) Gearfried the Swordmaster: When I originally mentioned the Master Swordsman, I was referring to a Waking the Dragons episode, when Joey was dueling against Rex Raptor. However, shortly after I wrote chapter 4 of Unlikely Duelist, Konami (the company that produces the Yu-Gi-Oh card game) released the latest series, Flaming Eternity, and what'd I see? Not a Master Swordsman, but rather a Gearfried the Swordmaster. Beauty of a name. I'll choose to switch over to that name from now on. You know, I've heard worse names for the Swordsman -- I heard from some friends that he was called NAKED GEARFRIED at one point? (grin)
(2) A lifeboat floating away at sea: I sorta stole that line from the book, Summer of My German Soldier, by Bette Greene. See, I give credit, dammit!
(3) Mokuba on Tournament Rules: Most of the stuff listed are actual rules for Yu-Gi-Oh Duel Monster Regional tournaments. I got all my info here: h t t p : w w w . dreamwizards . c o m / yugiohregionalfaq . h t m l (yeah, you gotta delete some of the spaces, argh)
(4) Kaiba and his l'il parachute: SPOILERS AHEAD - - - Kaiba pulls off a way cooler stunt than this in future episodes. Well, okay, that wasn't really a spoiler. Still.
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Thank you's: Man, seriously, you guys are really an inspiration to me, and I will honestly say that if it wasn't for you, this fic would have been so much more suckier than now. Thanks for the support and the opportunity to improve!
Nanashi: UWAAHH! (cries, collapses and does bicycle pedaling in air XD) Thank you, it means so much to hear praise from one of THE legendary Tristan-gurus of all time! But really, if you felt that way about my fic, you should have seen ME when I read yours! (faints) It was like, "Hark! A LIGHT, straight ahead in this dark cave," lol! Glad to hear that you thought that the relationships were all right - I was wondering if they were too over-the-top or not, heh! Ahh... (chases birds away from birdhouse) Shoo, shoo! MY shrine... no touchie... (growls, huggles shrine) 'Til next time, bananas, and CAHOOTS!
Peter Kim: Peter! Heh, I gotta say, your ideas really helped me along with this fic! It never occurred to me that I should actually use some original Yu-Gi-Oh characters as contestants in the tournament, until you brought it up! Thank you for sharin' the ideas, and letting me shamelessly steal them, bwahaha! I must ask you, though, do you play the Yu-Gi-Oh card game? You sound like a very good duelist yourself! By the way, though I've never seen the Pharoah's Memory series, I've checked up on it, and Yami Bakura's deck sounds pretty darn cool. No wonder he gave Yugi so much trouble with it!
Everyone's Anti-Valentine: Heh, heh, yeah I get that thing where I don't review for AGES, and I really freak out about if the author would hold it against me for that! But really, no worries, it's all good! And aw, thanks for the compliments on the duels! (blush) That means a lot, since I had a helluva time on this chapter - writing duels, ack, 'tis hard! Thanks so much for reviewing! (waves)
Kkwy: Gah, thanks much, I was getting a little worried about my portrayal of the Bakuras, wondering whether they were out of character or not! It's a relief to hear that they weren't so bad, heh! As for the question of if Yami Bakura is messing with Tristan, I wouldn't be surprised... hahaha!
Tailsmegawriter: Your wish is my command, though it took me long enuff! Thanks, it's real nice to find a reader that likes the fic that much! (grin)
gothy wolfie: I hear you! That duel with Duke and Serenity was NO real duel! We want to see Tristan duel on his OWN without any immediate source of help! Thus, this fic, heh, heh! And you know, I should be thanking you for your encouragement, AND for your appreciation of Tristan. Can't find too much of that... so it's good we show that he really DOES have spirit, ya know! (skips around)
Von Stupor: Dude! It's finally finished! (celebrates) Man, after writing this, I have yet even MORE respect for your fics! Not many stories are written based on duels, and I can see why! It takes a BUNCH of strategic planning to forethink of game moves, and you do that splendidly. Me... meh, lol! Anyways, I really appreciate all the constructive suggestions, it helped me out a BUNCH in this. As for the shonen-ai, I'm glad you're reading anyway, that does mean a lot!
Mangez Maltesers: Hehe, thanks a million! Hearing THAT from a very talented fellow Tristan fan affects me to no bounds! (beams) I'm so happy that you liked the interaction between Tristan and Yami Bakura - I try to make it nice, since it's one 'o my fave couples, heh! On the duels, YAY! I'm glad you found them interesting, since honestly speaking, duels can be boring. But I got the idea of style in writing the duels from Baron Von Stupor, who wrote a great fic involving dueling. Still, I had a buncha difficulty in writing this one, though (flops on ground) Whew… XD
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Next: Lost in Kaiba Land! -OR- Ninjas ATTACK!