Rae was getting worried over Seto's behavior and Dr. Kyjoui feared he was actually rabid.
"But, Vicky, he hasn't been around any other animals and he's so used to being out running. No wonder, he's so irritable!" Rae was trying to defend Zan when Vicky was explaining to her about the stallion's possible condition.
"You never know Rae, he could, he could not, but so far all his symptoms are pointing in that direction." Vicky said as she examined one of her books.
"Well, just give him a chance, until he get's better, I'm sure he'll be calmer once he's running and playing in the sunshine." Rae said.
"Well maybe you should try handling him some, it get's easy for injured animals to lose their trust in humans, especially sensitive one's like horses. You can try leading him on a longe line in the bull pen. I think it would even help in the healing process." said Vicky shutting her book.
Rae nodded. "That would be great only today's not a good day to do that."
"Why? Do you have to go somewhere later today?" asked Dr. Kyjoui.
"No, but I promised Jeff I'd duel him, I'd thought it would get my mind on something else for a change. I always feel so bored, there's like, no kids my age around here to hang out with and even if they're are, they live too far away." said Rae, "All my friends are back in Kentucky."
"Ah, so your in to duel monsters, isn't that a boy thing, shouldn't you be into shopping and music by now?" asked Vicky.
"My parents say the same thing, but it is fun, and it's cheap, unless you plan to order a genuine Kaiba Corperation Duel Disk, heh!" Rae said. "It just gives me something to think about, I notice girls that like all that stuff, get bored sometimes and then end up doing things they regret. I just don't want that to happen to me."
"Don't worry, you're such a good person, I don't think it will. You just gotta keep goin' at it and never give up."
"Your right, but, I do think Zan still needs a workout...maybe I'll postpone..."
"No, I'll work Zan for you, you do what you want, I'm not as busy today."
"Thank you Vicky!" Rae said. "I'll see ya!"
Rae and Rex galloped home and thankfully, her duel disk had been delivered. Her mother was standing in the drive way cleaning up the gravel path that was the entrance to their barn. She smiled and gave a wave at her daughter.
"Guess what, Rae, I had some people call wanting to know where to get riding lessons and I just thought that was wonderful and so I arranged some lessons for her daughter next month!" Katrina said.
"That's great, Mom, but I gotta get my deck!" Rae threw her mother Rex's reins and ran into the house. She got her deck out of a drawer on her nightstand. The case it was contained in was dusty for it had not been touched for several weeks. The only time she had taken it out before was when she was purchasing a new duel case. Hopefully, she still knew how to use them.
Rae came back to the Sanctuary on Rex and she was shaking from excitement, it was going to be so cool, dueling on the Nevadan desert where there was an exotic heat that stirred up the adrenaline in a duelist's spirit. A high, peircing neigh cried out from around the barn. Rae dismounted and turned Rex loose in one of the stalls before running around to see what was going on. In the bull pen, Vicky was longing Zan on a long rope. The horse was tossing his head and galloping around in fiery circles, his hooves pounding madley on the dust. Zan twisted and bucked and reared, avoiding the whip that Dr. Kyjoui was weilding. Vicky was laughing at Zan's antics. Rae smiled and watched them for a minute. It was surprising that aside from his wounds, the horse was alive and boisterous as ever.
Seto watched the whip the vet was holding warrily. The pain that had burned his cuts had faded as his energy burst fueled his amunition. Seto had never felt so glad to be outside in his life. The warmth of the sun bathed his neck and back and he ignored the enormous fences that kept him in the big circle was was running in. He gave an esatatic squeal and kicked up the red dust. A shower of hot, desert sand bathed his slim back limbs and satiny black coat. He blinked it from his eyes and reared high in the air. The longe line was the only thing that kept him from getting too rambuctious. He heard Rae laugh as she too got sprinkled with red dirt and he slowed with annoyance of her laughter. She thought he was being cute!
Seto neighed with outrage and charged Rae. The rope tightened as he lashed out with his teeth, although he would never touch her through the thick wooden boards. Rae looked amused and she backed away from the railings. Seto tossed his head and broke into brisk trot. He lifted his feet off the ground, his heels popping. His ears pinned to his finely sculpted skull and his teeth bared.
"Rae!" a voice called. Rae turned and saw Jeff his black bangs falling over his face. She saw he had a duel disk in hand. "Are you ready or not?"
"You bet!" she cried. Excitment filled Rae, she hadn't dueled in a long time. She sighed telling herself to relax and decided to start. Placing her deck in the duel disk. Jeff did the same and the duel began.
"You better be," he said, "Us so called "cowpokes" might surprise you. I'm not going to go easy on you!"
"I'm surely looking forwards to that!" Rae said and swallowed hard. "You go first." Seto paused, his ears pricked.
"First I summon Great Angus in attack mode!" said Jeff placing the card, Great Angus (1800/600) on the monster card zone. An enormous red beast hologram materialized in front of Rae. Its yellow eyes glared menacingly at her and its ear-splitting bellow shook the ground. It showed its long curved tusks that jutted out from its mouth full of sharp teeth and ropes of saliva hung from it. "And I'll place two cards face down!"
Rae sighed. Great Angus had 1800 Attack, hopefully she had a card that would finish it quickly and she had just the one. "I summon Slate Warrior in attack mode!" Then Slate Warrior (1900/400) appeared, towering above Great Angus. "Now attack with...,"
"Hold it right there!" Jeff said and flipped on of his face down cards. "I activate Reinforcements! Raising my Angus' attack by 500 making it 2300! But since its too late to call off your attack, your monster will fall! Now Great Angus! Attack, Berserk Slash!" Rae watched as her Slate Warrior dissapeared as Great Angus slashed his sharp fore-claws at the other monster.
Life Points: Jeff-8000, Rae-7600
"I'll lay one card face down before I end my turn." said Rae. "Your move," Rae looked at Jeff's beast. It seemed even more terrifying than before, then she remembered...
"Now I'll put one monster card face down and then I'll attack with Great Angus!" Jeff once again, commanded his beast to attack. Rae gasped as the red monster tore through her chest with it's claws.
Life Points: Jeff-8000, Rae-6300
Seto was caught up in the action. He knew that pump of adrenaline you got in the heat of a duel. He bucked but continued to watch. So far Jeff was winning. Rae's frustration was building but the secret was about to come out. "I summon Luster Dragon in attack mode!" An ugly blue dragon appeared in front of her, it's head looked deformed and it's wings were deprived of the leathery membran. It gave a screeching cry and took flight, whipping dust around them. "Now attack Great Angus!"
Seto pricked his ears curiously. What was she thinking! But the Great Angus did not strike back, instead it's image was blown in thousands of particles in front of Jeff's face. "What!" Jeff demanded. "My monster was much stronger than that mutilated thing!"
"Haven't you forgotten already?" asked Rae. "When you activated Reinforcements the effect only lasted for one turn only! Oh yeah and you remember my Slate Warrior? Thanks to his effect, your monster loses 500 attack and defense points!"
Life Points: Jeff-7400, Rae-6300
"You know, you Easterners are more clever than I thought." Jeff said. "You know, Rae, I thought all this time you just owned a few cards and a fancy duel disk to show off, but I see you have much more than what I expected. But I know one thing, ya'll never wipe me out!"
"Hey, I never said my turn was over," laughed Rae, "I still need to to destroy you're face down card. Luster Dragon! Attack with Luster Beam!" Luster Dragon attacked the face down card but it was not destroyed but the beam was blocked by spikes that emerged from a metallic colored beast.
"Ha! I told you, it'd take more than that to destroy my monsters!" Jeff said. Gear Gollum the Moving Fortress (800/2200) stood before Luster Dragon. Rae's heart sank as she took damage. He always had something up his sleeve to defend himself, why couldn't she be like that?
Life Points: Jeff- 7400, Rae-6000
"Okay, your turn." Rae sighed.
"I sacrafice Gear Gollum to tribute summon Ancient Gear Beast and equip it with Axe of Disspair!" Jeff had summoned Ancient Gear Beast (2000/2000) which looked like a mechanical Saber Toothed Tiger. Sadley Axe of Disspair raised it by 1000 making it 3000 Attack. Jeff commanded his beast to attack and it laid heavy damage on Rae. She felt so stupid already. Her life points were dropping like fawns in the spring time.
Life Points: Jeff- 7400, Rae- 3000
It was her turn again. She drew from her deck and almost discarded it. She looked closely at it's effect. "I lay one monster card face down and activate Swords of Revealing Light!" Perfect, it would give her her chance. Her hands were shaking with excitment.
"Okay...," Jeff said. He winked at Rae. "Don't give me that look, just have fun! It's no big deal." Rae rolled her eyes. He was just saying that to make her feel better. What fun was dueling when you were soarly loosing. Seto thought the same. Rae was definatly going to be beaten when her three turns were up.
"I guess I have no choice but to skip my turn, I've got nothin' to do now that I can't attack." Jeff shrugged and Rae's heart lept, now was her chance.
"I activate Aussa the Earth Charmer's Effect!" said Rae flipping her face down card.
"So?"
"So, when Aussa the Earth Charmer is flipped, I'm able to take control of one Earth monster on your side of the field and since your Ancient Gear Beast is an Earth monster, he goes to my side!" Rae said and the enormous machine monster joined on her side of the feild.
"Well, you know that I get him back after this turn you know." Jeff said.
"Who said I was using him for attacking you?" Rae asked.
"I sacrafice Ancient Gear Beast and Aussa the Earth Charmer to summon Black Luster Soldier-Envoy of the Beginning!"(3000/2500). Rae's heart was swelling with triumph as she called on her attack. Jeff whistled in admiration as his Life Points dropped.
Life Points: Jeff-4400, Rae-3000
I'm going to win! I'm going to win! Rae cheered in her head. She wasn't stupid after all! Seto looked up at the Black Luster Soldier, he was frozen by awe. Vicky too looked interested and was watching from in between the railing.
"Okay, Rae, I'll put a monster in defense for my sake and a face-down card. I guess it's your move." Jeff said bowing his head.
Rae grinned and she made her next move. So far all she had was a hand full of spell cards that she didn't need at the moment. That was when she felt sorry for Jeff. He looked so dissapointed, she knew how you felt when you were on the brink of failure. "I'll go easy on you this turn and skip my attack phase." But she had made a wrong move. Rae's heart continued to cheer. I am so going to win!
"Finally!" Jeff said lifting his head as the Swords of Revealing Light faded from the feild. "I'm sorry, but this has been a really nice duel."
"What? Are you going to surrender?" asked Rae.
"Surrender? From such a great challenge? Never!" Jeff threw back his head, causing his jet black hair to dramtically fall behind his shoulders. "But look what card I just drew!" Jeff whistled as he showed Rae the Change of Heart card. Rae's heart went from soaring in the heavens to hurtling down to earth.
"I take control of your Black Luster Soldier-Envoy of the Beginning and since you have no monsters to protect you! I'll attack directly!" said Jeff. The monster that had almost led Rae to victory was now going to defeat her. She could only sink to her knees as Jeff called upon his attack and her life points plummeted to 0.
Life Points: Jeff:-4400, Rae-0
to be continued...
