Chapter 2 - Regionals
Lucien reached his table on time and waved above the crowd to Aliya and Raoul to make sure that they made it as well. With there timely arrival ensured, he sat down and looked at his opponent. This time it was someone that he recognized slightly.
"You're the duelist that has the perfect record here, aren't you?"
"Who else is this good looking?" his opponent who he know remembered was named Richard replied pompously.
"Well let us see if that trend will continue." I honestly don't think that I have ever met someone with this big and ego before. He is going down if I can do anything about it. They shuffled each others' decks; his new opponent was much more professional than the last.
"Here, I will flip the coin." He took out one of the coins that were often given out as a prize in smaller tournaments. "Heads or Tails?"
"Tails." The coin was flipped high into the air and landed on heads.
"You may go first." Lucien glanced at Richard with an eyebrow raised but decided not to question the decision.
"Ok, I draw." Lucien drew his first hand and then his 6th card. Not the best hand. But I should be able to do something with it."I set a monster and play Swords of Revealing Light! I set a spell or trap and end my turn."
"Hmmm… I will play Mystical Space Typhoon on your Swords. Now I summon Breaker the Magical Warrior and use his effect on the face down. I set 2 spells or traps and attack with Breaker."
"You just destroyed my Sangan. I will get Cyber Jar with the effect."
"I will end my turn." Now let's see if I can bluff him out. He thinks that I will set Cyber Jar. I set 2 spells or traps and a monster. That is all."
"I don't even know how you got to the second round with plays like that! I summon Shining Angel. I attack with Breaker."
"I chain. Gravity Bind. "
"I will get through soon. I end." Lucien drew.
"I flip my Magician of Faith. Now I get back Swords of Revealing Light."
"It wasn't even your Cyber Jar? Any decent duelist would have set that!"
"Now, who said that I was a decent duelist? I am insulted that you would consider me one!" Richard looked quizzically at him. "Interpret it as you like. I will set a monster. I end my turn."
"I draw." A look of consternation crossed Richard's face. "I will set a monster and end my turn."
"Is that all? Oh well, I have no right to complain. I draw." Looking at his latest card, Lucien grinned inwardly though maintaining his poker face. Night Assailant. You will have your time soon.
"I will flip my Cyber Jar!" After picking up 5 cards he continued, "I just drew Mask of Darkness, Assault on GHQ, Raging Flame Sprite, Mystical Space Typhoon, and The End of Anubis. I set the Mask of Darkness face down and Raging Flame Sprite goes to attack mode. What did you get?"
"Mystic Tomato, Magic Cylinder, Black Luster Soldier – Envoy of the Beginning, Spirit Reaper, Pot of Greed. Both monsters in defense."
"A Chaos deck! Bah. I should have known. Well, I have nothing against it other than its being wide spread. But it has its weaknesses. I will tribute Raging Flame Sprite for The End of Anubis. I set 3 face down spells or traps. End Turn."
"The End of Anubis? What on earth does that do?" Richard looked very puzzled as he drew his next card.
"It's simple. It negates all effects that target cards in the graveyard and all cards that activate in the graveyard. So our graveyards are effectively sealed."
"What! That means that I can't summon my envoy!"
"Of course."
"I play Pot of Greed to draw 2 cards."
"Fine."
"I play Graceful Charity."
"I chain with Forced Requisition. It doesn't do anything yet though." All of this drawing cards is helping me! He has drawn/discarded 19 cards so far. He probably only has 21 left.
"I discarded Airknight Parshath and Magic Cylinder. Now I will tribute both of my monsters for Dark Magician of Chaos! I don't get to retrieve a spell due to your monster but soon I will rid the field of it. I will flip Rageki Break and discard Magician of Faith to destroy Gravity Bind. Now I attack your The End of Anubis!" Lucien marked down the change in points.
Lucien: 7700
"You will pay, you know that right?" Lucien didn't look angry, despite the menace his tone conveyed.
"You couldn't beat me if your life depended on it."
"We shall see. Is that all?"
"Far from it. I activate my face down Call of the Haunted on Airknight Parshath. Now I attack your face down Mask of Darkness."
Lucien: 6200
"I take damage, but not enough to worry me. I get back my Gravity Bind. I also chain the destruction of Mask of Darkness with Rope of Life and discard all of the cards in my hand to revive my Mask with 1700 attack points. You now need to discard 3 cards from your hand because of Forced Requisition."
"What! You have accomplished nothing, your monster is weak and not worth reviving. I will discard D.D. Assailant, Ring of Destruction, and another Shining Angel."
"Oh, and did I mention that one of the cards that I discarded was Night Assailant? Now I get back Cyber Jar to my hand."
"You did all of that just to bring back one card to your hand? Pathetic. I end my turn out of pity." I have one turn to stop his envoy; or it will be the beginning of the end for me. I need a trap that will destroy it automatically… but I don't have any of those in this deck; or something to stop it from being summoned. My best bet is to make him discard though. He drew. Perfect.
"I will now set a monster. Now I play Card Destruction. I have no cards left in my hand, so this doesn't affect me, but you lose your envoy. I end my turn."
"I will attack your monster with Airknight Parshath."
"Hmmm… I can afford the damage. It is Cyber Jar."
Lucien: 5200
"I get Tribe Infecting Virus in attack mode, Mirror Force goes to my hand, and Mystic Tomato goes to attack mode, Spirit Reaper face down, and Lighting Vortex to my hand."
"You can't do much without your envoy can you? I get Morphing Jar, Needle Worm, Book of Tayou, Magician of Faith, and Null and Void. All monsters face down."
"I will attack the face down Needle Worm and Magician of Faith with my Mystic Tomato and Tribe Infecting Virus."
"I will retrieve Card Destruction with Magician of Faith. Do you end your turn?"
"I set a spell or trap. I end. Now make your move."
Lucien set down a spell or a trap and a monster.
"I will play Card Destruction. I now flip my long dormant Mystical Space Typhoon on your face down. I set a spell or trap. I flip Morphing Jar. Now you should draw out the rest of your deck!"
"But that is where you are wrong. I don't only have 40 cards in my deck. I have 50 or so. Your little strategy just went down the drain."
"We will see about that. I play my face down Book of Tayou on my face down Morphing Jar #2." It took 7 cards for Richard to get 3 monsters. Lucien didn't even look at his as he set them. "I set a final spell or trap and end my turn."
"I draw, and…"
"No, you don't. I activate both of my face down Attack on GHQ before you draw and sacrifice my 2 monsters and make you discard the last 4 cards from your deck. Hate to break it to you but I win."
Lucien cleared up his cards and proceeded to report the win and find Raoul and Aliya leaving a shocked and formerly undefeated duelist behind.
Had he cheated to win? Not quite. If his opponent didn't know how the card really worked, he didn't deserve to use it. Lucien knew though: Black Luster Soldier's summoning condition couldn't be negated by The End of Anubis. It was a cost, and costs couldn't be negated.
Lucien tried not to feel remorse as he reported his victory and Mr. Kiwasaki's eyebrows shot up. He had been given no other choice. Duelmonsters wasn't just a game of cards, it was a game of words, strategy and deceit, so much like life.
But it doesn't make it right.