The Duel Off: Part: 2 - A Hero's Struggle Against Vanity
It was still some time before his match, so Andrew was sitting on a bench in a locker room, going through his deck one more time. "Okay, Bastion used a card to cancel out Jaden's fusion summons. He might be planning to do the same to me since I'm using fusion monsters as well." He said thoughtfully. "But then again, I still have my Masked Heroes, and the way to summon them isn't exactly a fusion summon, and Bastion probably know that. Meaning, he must have something different up his sleeve."
As he looked through his deck, the spirit of Phantom Magician appeared. "Are you ready for this, partner?"
"I am." Andrew nodded. "As ready as I can be."
"You better be careful. Your opponent is a skilled one. Not to mention he's intelligent."
"I know. But I'll do my best, no matter what Bastion has in store for me. It won't be easy, but I know I can do this."
His spirit partner nodded in approval. "Then let's go." He then disappeared as Andrew left the locker room.
At the same time, everyone was waiting for the next duel to begin. Jaden joined Syrus, Chumley, Shiori, Matt and Michael. And additionally, Gerard decided to sit with them. While they were waiting, he shortly gave them an explanation to why he was at the academy and how's he changed. They all accepted it with ease. Well, Matt still couldn't trust him entirely, but decided to focus on the duel-off, for now.
"So, what do you think Bastion's gonna use against Andrew?" Gerard asked.
"Well, Andrew's biggest strength is the Masked Heroes." Michael said. "And the method to summon those monsters doesn't count as fusion summons, so I think Bastion's planning to use something against special summons."
"But didn't Jenny try to do the same when she dueled him?" Syrus asked.
"Not quite." Shiori responded. "Remember, her counter strategy was meant to limit his special summons, not neutralize them."
"I haven't seen Andrew duel yet. Is there anything you guys can tell what to expect?" Gerard asked.
"Well…" Jaden started, but was interrupted by a voice coming from the loudspeakers.
"Attention! Andrew Wilson and Bastion Misawa, please enter the arena for the duel. I repeat, enter the arena for the duel."
Jaden smiled at that. "Sounds like the duel's about to start. So you're about to see."
"Okay."
Bastion and Andrew stepped up on the platform from opposite ends, with their duel disk and decks ready.
"This duel should be good." Zane commented from his spot high up, accompanied once again by Alexis and Jenny. "Andrew may not have the same intelligence as Bastion, but he's been showing more than once what he's capable of."
"That's true." Alexis agreed. "He's been facing opponents with strategies that involved either powerful monsters, or destruction effects, and managed to pull it off."
"Not to mention he was able to defeat me, despite how well I did by countering his moves." Jenny added.
"But now we're about to see what Bastion's plan to counter his deck is." Zane said.
Crowler was about to make the announcement, but… "Crowler." Sheppard called out.
The Obelisk Blue Headmaster turned to the Chancellor. "Yes, sir?"
"Be sure to give them a proper introduction. Understood?" The Chancellor said with a calm smile.
But Crowler knew quite well how foolish it would be to do something to upset him. "Of course, Chancellor." He said forcibly. He then cleared his throat before speaking up. "Alright! It's time for the second match today! On one end, for a second performance, we have Bastion Misawa!" Everyone cheered for the intelligent Ra student, despite his loss against Jaden. "And on the other end, another student from Ra Yellow…" Crowler managed to not make a face with the introduction. "We have Andrew Wilson!" Everyone cheered for him as well.
"Well Andrew, this is it. It's time for you to see how this deck works against you. Jaden may have defeated my other one, but I assure you that the one I'm using now won't be as easy to defeat."
"Knowing you, I wouldn't be surprised. But whatever you have planned for me, I'll give you everything I've got." Andrew said with determination.
Bastion nodded. "I'd expect no less, coming from you. Now then, let's begin, shall we?"
Andrew nodded in return.
"Duelists, begin!" Crowler jumped off the platform, while both Ra students activated their duel disks and drew their hands.
"Let's duel!"
Andrew: 4000
Bastion: 4000
"My move." Just like in the last duel, Bastion took the first turn. "I summon Shining Angel in defense mode!" A man with short, blonde hair dressed in a white toga appeared. There were two pairs of golden angel wings sprouted on his back. (ATK: 1400 DEF: 800 LV: 4) "That's all for now."
"Shining Angel, huh?" Jenny mused. "It look's like Bastion's using a light deck. I wonder what else he's got."
"Alright then." Andrew drew his sixth. "I'll start by summoning Elemental HERO Blazeman in attack mode." The red armored hero with his fiery head appeared. (ATK: 1200 DEF: 1800 LV: 4) "And since he was summoned, I can take a Polymerization from my deck and add it to my hand." He took the named card from his deck and held it up. "And why keep it in my hand, when I can use it to summon a fusion monster? I combine Blazeman with Shadow Mist to form Elemental HERO Nova Master!" The red armored hero was sucked into a fusion vortex, along with the black haired and dark armored woman. And out of the vortex appeared the red and orange armored fire hero. (ATK: 2600 DEF: 2100 LV: 8) "And since Shadow Mist was sent to the graveyard, I can use her special ability to add a HERO monster from my deck to my hand, like Stratos." He held up the named card.
Bastion smiled. "I see you're starting big." He noted.
"I sure am. And that's just the beginning. Nova Master, attack his Shining Angel! Burning Sphere Bomb!" The hero created a big fire ball and threw it. It then exploded when it made contact with the angel. "And now his special ability activates. After he destroys a monster in battle, I get to draw a card from my deck." Andew explained as he drew.
"Bravo. But my Shining Angel has a special ability as well. After he's destroyed in battle, I can summon one light attribute monster from my deck with up to 1500 attack points. And I choose Batteryman AA!" The angel was replaced by an orange battery with a head and limbs. (ATK: 0 DEF: 0 LV: 3)
"That's weird." Chumley said.
"Yeah, why would Bastion summon a monster like that?" Syrus added.
"If it's about its attack points, then you guys have forgotten what Andrew said." Shiori said. "Attack points aren't everything."
"Now, in case you're wondering, my Batteryman has a special ability." Bastion explained. "When all Batteryman AA are on my field in attack mode, he gains 1000 attack points for each one, including himself." Electricity coursed through the monster's body. (ATK: 0-1000)
'If that's true, then he must have two more Batterymen in his deck.' Andrew thought. "I place two cards facedown and end my turn." Two cards appeared behind his heroes.
"Very well." Bastion drew. "First I'll switch my Batteryman to defense mode." The battery monster crouched down. (ATK: 1000-0) "And next, I'll play a second Batteryman AA." A duplicate of the first battery monster appeared and crouched down. (ATK: 0 DEF: 0 LV: 3) "And since both of them are in defense mode, their defense points are increased by 1000 for every Batteryman AA I have in defense." Electricity was sparking between both monsters. (DEF: 0-2000) x2 "Then I activate the spell card Electromagnetic Shield." As soon as the spell card appeared, the batterymen were suddenly surrounded by an electric barrier. "As long as I have no monsters in attack mode, this spell card keeps all my level 3 or lower thunder type monsters from being destroyed in battle."
"Not a bad move." Gerard remarked. "That means Andrew can't get through those monsters."
"Don't be so sure." Jaden replied. "He just have to destroy that spell card. And that won't be a problem since he has Stratos in his hand.
Bastion, on the other hand, smirked. "I haven't forgotten about your Stratos, Andrew."
The Masked hero user widened his eyes.
"I activate the spell card Prohibition." Another spell card appeared right next to the first one. "When this card is activated, I must declare the name of a card. And as long as it remains on the field, that card and its effects can not be used. And I choose Elemental HERO Stratos."
Andrew gasped. And so did Jaden and the others. Michael turned to the brown-haired Slifer. "It looks like you just jinxed him, Jaden."
"Oops."
"Clever." Zane remarked. "Without Stratos, Andrew can't destroy any spell or trap card."
"And that will put him on edge." Alexis added.
"That won't stop him." Jenny said. "Andrew will win."
"I end my turn with a facedown." Bastion concluded as he inserted a card into his duel disk.
"Then here goes." Andrew drew a card and looked at it. He then smiled. "I might not be able to use Stratos, but I can still destroy your spell card."
"Is that so?" Bastion asked curiously.
"Yes, because I just drew the spell, Enemy controller." The familiar game controller appeared and let its cable attach itself to one of the batterymen. "This card has two effects, and I can use one of them. I choose its first effect, which lets me change the battle mode of one of your monsters. So I'll force one of your Batterymen to attack mode." The buttons of the controller were pressed: A, down, left, B, left, up. After that, the battery monster stood up. "And now when your monster is in attack mode, your shield is gone." The spell card in question was destroyed.
"Awesome!" Syrus cheered. "Now he can destroy those batterymen."
"But that's not all." Matt added. "Since both of them are in different battle modes, their special abilities are cancelled out."
True to his words, the battery monsters lost their power. (DEF: 2000-0) x2
"Impressive move, Andrew." Bastion praised.
"Thank you. And I'll continue by summoning Elemental HERO Lady Heat in attack mode." The white and red clad fire heroine appeared. (ATK: 1300 DEF: 1000 LV: 4) "And now Nova Master, attack the Batteryman that is in attack mode with Burning Sphere Bomb!" The red and orange hero created another fireball and threw it at the intended target.
Bastion: 4000-1400
"Lishus!" Chumley said.
"Nice!" Shiori added.
But Bastion just smirked. "Good show, but you just triggered my trap card." His facedown card revealed itself. "Damage Vaccine Ω MAX. When I take damage, this card lets me regain the life points I just lost." Bastion was then surrounded by a blue aura.
Bastion: 1400-4000
"Man, his life points are fully restored." Michael noted.
"Yeah, what a sweet card." Jaden added.
"Nice, but I get to draw a card, thanks to Nova Master." Andrew drew a card.
"Yes I know. But since my other Batteryman AA is alone, he gets 1000 defense points." (DEF: 0-1000)
"That's still not enough. Lady Heat, attack!" The fire heroine created her own fireball and threw it at the batteryman. "And now I think it's time to use the spell card Mask Change."
Bastion watched as the named spell card appeared. 'Hm, that means Andrew is about to summon one of his Masked Heroes. It appears they are as hard to stop as I predicted.'
"Now Lady Heat, transform into Masked HERO Goka!" The fire heroine's body glowed and was then surrounded by a pillar of fire. Once it died down, she was replaced by the masked hero in red and black armor. (ATK: 2200 DEF: 1800 LV: 6) "I hope you're ready, because this monster gets 100 attack points for every HERO monster in my graveyard, and I count 3." The hero glowed brightly. (ATK: 2200-2500) "Now Goka, attack him directly! Inferno Kick!" The hero jumped in the air, ignited his right foot and landed a burning kick on Bastion who stepped back after he made contact.
Bastion: 4000-1500
"Sweet!" Jaden said.
"Way to go, dude!" Michael cheered.
"Wow, looks like Andrew is on a roll today." Alexis commented.
"No kidding. If it wasn't for Bastion's trap card, he could have already won by now." Jenny added.
"Well, Professor Sartyr was right about nominating Andrew." Sheppard said.
"Yes, Andrew is an excellent duelist." Banner agreed.
Crowler was grumbling. 'Just great. Jaden defeating Bastion was bad enough. But now his 'masked hero' friend has taken the lead. This is just not my day.'
"You okay?" Andrew asked.
Bastion rubbed his chest after the hero monster returned to Andrew's field. "I'm perfectly fine. Thanks for your concern though."
"In that case, I'll end my turn."
"Very well, I draw." Bastion drew a card. "And I'll start by activating Pot of Greed, allowing me to draw two cards." He drew two new cards and looked at them. He looked one of them in particular. 'Ah, just what I need to test him.'
"First I place one card facedown, and then I summon Jowgen The Spiritualist in defense mode." A facedown card appeared followed up by a new monster that crouched down. It was a mage in colorful robes, wielding a staff. (ATK: 200 DEF: 1300 LV: 3)
"Uh oh." Matt said.
"What? What is it?" Syrus asked.
"That monster Bastion just played. It's bad news for Andrew."
"Why is that?" Chumley asked.
"Just wait and see." Shiori replied, looking grim.
"Now I activate Jowgen's ability." Bastion announced. "By discarding one random card from my hand, he can destroy all special summoned monsters on the field."
"No way!" Andrew exclaimed.
Bastion shuffled his two remaining cards and discard one of them. After that, the mage muttered a few words, and a magic circle appeared beneath the two hero monsters. They were engulfed by light before they disappeared.
"My heroes are gone!"
"Indeed they are. But that's not all. As long as Jowgen remains on the field, none of us can special summon any monsters."
"No special summons?" Gerard asked.
"Whoa! Was that the big strategy Bastion had in store for Andrew?" Jaden wondered.
Michael looked thoughtful. 'That's kinda doubtful. Sure, that monster might be troublesome, but it has low defense points. I think bastion has something else planned for later.'
"I end my turn." Bastion concluded.
"My move." Andrew drew a card. "I summon Elemental HERO Ocean." The blue, aquatic hero appeared with his trident in hand. (ATK: 1500 DEF: 1200 LV: 4) "Now attack his Spiritualist!" The hero was about to dash forward...
"I activate my trap, Zero Gravity!" Bastion facedown card revealed itself. "This card makes all the monsters on the field to switch modes, which means your Ocean is forced to defense mode."
Andrew watched as his hero monster kneeled down while Bastion's monster stood up. "Fine, I'll end my turn."
Bastion drew his next card. "Ah, just what I needed." He said. "I activate the spell card Level Limit Area B." A spell card appeared.
"What does that do?"
"As long as this spell card is on the field, any level four or above monster on the field is kept in defense mode."
"Aw man. That means Andrew can't attack, unless he has a monster with a lower level." Syrus said.
"It's fine." Shiori said confidently. "He'll pull through."
"Then I'll switch Jowgen back to defense mode and end my turn." Bastion concluded as the mage kneeled down.
"In that case…" Andrew drew his next card. "I'll start by activating Ocean's special ability. During my standby phase, I can take a HERO monster from my field or graveyard and add it to my hand." One card in particular came out of the graveyard slot. "I choose Lady Heat, and I think I'll summon her to the field." The fire heroine appeared and kneeled down. (ATK: 1300 DEF: 1000 LV: 4)
"Not much of a move, considering the fact you can't attack." Bastion stated.
Andrew just smirked. "You're right, I can't attack. But that doesn't mean your life points are safe. You see, Lady heat has a special ability. During my end phase, you take 200 points of damage for every Elemental HERO on my field." The fire heroine created a fireball and threw it at Bastion.
Bastion: 1500-1100
"Yeah! That's it!" Michael said.
"Go get him, Andrew!" Jaden cheered.
"What do you know? Looks like Andrew is getting closer to victory." Alexis noted.
"Andrew is always coming up with something when he's at a disadvantage." Jenny replied.
"But the question is can he keep this up?" Zane wondered.
"Not bad." Bastion said as he drew a card. "But I know how to take care of your Lady Heat. I summon White Magician Pikeru in attack mode." The monster that appeared was a little girl in a white gown with a hat shaped like a sheep, holding a scepter. (ATK: 1200 DEF: 0 LV: 2)
"She's cute." Syrus said, blushing a little.
"I saw her first." Chumley argued.
"No, I saw her first!"
"What are you guys fighting about?" Jaden asked, oblivious to the magician's cuteness. Shiori, Michael and Matt shook their heads.
"That's an interesting monster." Andrew commented.
"Yes. This monster has a good purpose. Now let me show you how she destroys your Lady heat. Now attack Pikeru!" The spellcaster held up her scepter and fired a beam of magic energy.
"I activate my trap, Waboku." One of Andrew's facedown cards flipped up and created a barrier that blocked the attack. "For one turn, this trap card keeps my monsters from being destroyed in battle."
Bastion took that quite well. "Not bad. I think I'll end my turn."
"Okay then." Andrew drew. "I'll use Ocean's ability to take back Shadow Mist from my graveyard and summon her to the field in defense mode." The black-armored woman kneeled down next to Lady Heat. (ATK: 1000 DEF: 1500 LV: 4) "And with that, I'll let my Lady Heat wrap this up here." The fire heroine threw another fireball at Bastion.
Bastion: 1100-0500
"Whoa!" Matt gasped. "Bastion's almost out of points."
"And Andrew haven't lost any of his." Shiori added.
"Then it's over. Once Bastion's next turn has passed, he'll win." Syrus said.
Michael thought otherwise. "I'm not sure about that." He said, making everyone looking at him confused.
"What do you mean?" Gerard asked.
On que, Bastion drew a card and said… "Now I'll use Pikeru's special ability." The magician held up her scepter and made a blue aura surround him. "You see Andrew, during my standby phase, my magician gives me 400 extra life points for every monster I have on the field, including herself."
Bastion: 0500-1300
"I knew it." Michael said.
"Looks like Bastion's not gonna bite the dust just yet." Jaden commented.
"So you're still hanging in there, huh?" Andrew said.
"Indeed I am. And now for my next move. I summon The Calculator in attack mode." A red, robot-like monster appeared. On its chest were a bunch of number buttons and the kind buttons that would let someone use to add, subtract, etc. And its head was some kind of screen, showing the number 0. (ATK: ? DEF: 0 LV: 2)
"A monster with undetermined attack strength?" Andrew asked.
"Correct." Bastion replied. "You see, due to its special ability, The Calculator's attack points are equal to the combined level of my monsters and then multiplied by 300. Now, The Calculator itself is a level 2 monster, and so is Pikeru. And Jowgen is a level 3 monster. And… I'm sure you can count." And then, the robot's screen was showing the calculations in following way: (2+2=4) (4+3=7) (7x300=2100) (ATK: ?-2100)
"A level 2 monster with 2100 attack points!" Shiori exclaimed.
"Oh boy." Jaden said.
"Now, let's try this again. White Magician Pikeru, attack his Lady Heat!" The spellcaster fired another energy beam.
"I can't save my monster, but I can use this trap card." Andrew's facedown card flipped up. "I activate Elemental Recharge. This trap gives me 1000 life points for every Elemental HERO I control." His three heroes glowed brightly for a moment before he did.
Andrew: 4000-7000
That didn't stop Pikeru from destroying Lady heat. "You're going to need them." Bastion said. "Now my Calculator, attack his Ocean!" The Calculator held up a hand and fired a stream of electricity that zapped the water hero until he was destroyed. "I end my turn."
"Okay, my move." Andrew drew a card and looked at it. "I play a facedown monster in defense mode and end my turn." A facedown card appeared next to Shadow Mist.
"Is that it?" Syrus asked.
"What else can he do? He's stuck." Chumley said.
"Nah, I'm sure he's doing fine." Jaden replied.
"Let's see if you're right." Michael said.
"Now then…" Bastion drew. "Since there are three monsters on my field now, I gain 1200 life points, thanks to Pikeru."
Bastion: 1300-2500
"And it looks like I drew the spell card Big Bang Shot. And I think I'll equip it to my Calculator, giving him 400 extra attack points." As soon as the spell card appeared, the robot made another calculation. (2100+400=2500) (ATK: 2100-2500) "And here's another effect my spell card has; if my monster attacks a monster in defense mode, the difference between its attack points and your monster's defense points is dealt to you as damage."
"No way!" Matt exclaimed.
"Then Bastion can deal battle damage, no matter which battle mode Andrew's monsters are in." Gerard realized.
"This is not good." Shiori said.
"Now my Calculator, attack his facedown monster!" The robot fired another stream of electricity. The attack caused the facedown card to flip up and reveal a familiar brown potted plant. (ATK: 500 DEF: 500 LV: 3) Some of the electricity reached Andrew as well.
Andrew: 7000-5000
After the monster was destroyed, Andrew smirked after recovering from the attack. "Sorry Bastion, but you just destroyed my Fiber Jar, and therefore triggered its flip effect. Now we must take back all our card from our hand, field and graveyard, shuffle them up and draw 5 new cards." All cards on the field disappeared, and the cards in the graveyard slots came out. Both duelists gathered them and shuffled their deck.
"Looks like Andrew turned the duel around." Alexis noted.
"Of course he did." Jenny replied while smiling.
Zane just kept a straight face.
Once the duelists were done, they drew a new hand.
"Well then, Bastion, what are you going to do now?" Andrew asked confidently.
The answer that came out of the intellectual duelist's mouth was not what he expected: "What I'm going to do now, is to reveal my true strategy."
Andrew widened his eyes. "True strategy?"
"Indeed. You see, ever since this duel started, I was merely using my cards to see what you were about to do. To see what you were capable of."
Andrew and his friends who heard this gasped.
"So then, all this time…"Jaden began.
"You were just testing me?" Andrew finished.
"That's right. And now, thanks to your Fiber Jar, I have the cards I need to show you what I really wanted to reveal. First I summon Kaiser Seahorse in attack mode!" A blue and purple aquatic warrior with a double ended spear and a shield appeared. (ATK: 1700 DEF: 1650 LV: 4) "And next I activate the spell card Double Summon. This lets me normal summon a monster a second time. A very useful spell card for this situation. Because if I would summon a light attribute monster, I can use my Kaiser Seahorse as two sacrifices."
"Which means Bastion's about to summon something very strong." Michael said.
"But what kind of monster is it?" Chumley wondered.
"We're about to find out." Jaden said.
"I sacrifice Kaiser Seahorse in order to summon Vanity's Ruler!" The warrior was replaced by a man with fair skin and pointy ears. He had short green hair and was wearing long, silvery, glittering robes. (ATK: 2500 DEF: 1600 LV: 8)
"What is that?" Syrus asked.
"Something that's not friendly." Matt replied.
"Okay, I'm going to ask you once." Andrew said. "What does that monster do?"
Bastion smirked. "Since you asked, I'll tell you. From starters, Vanity's Ruler can't be special summoned. But that's not important, what's really important is that this monster prevents you from special summon any monsters."
"Say what!?"
"Is he serious?" Shiori asked disbelieved.
"So not only that monster has many attack points, it won't let Andrew special summon monsters." Gerard said.
"And that includes his fusion monsters, even the Masked heroes." Michael added.
"Talk about a comeback." Jaden commented.
"Well, Bastion may have lost to Jaden, but he certainly has Andrew cornered." Zane mentioned.
"No joke." Alexis replied. "Many decks depend on special summons, Andrew's got it worse in this situation."
"He'll still win. I'm sure of it." Jenny said confidently.
"Looks like Andrew is in a lot of trouble now." Sheppard commented.
"Indeed he is." Banner agreed. "Aye, this situation had become pretty grim."
Crowler was now pleased. "Well, this is more like it. Even after his loss on the first match, Bastion's still playing perfectly. Andrew's chance of winning is getting slim."
"And to end my turn, I play a card facedown." Bastion concluded as he inserted a card into his duel disk.
"Come on, Andrew! You can do this!" Jaden cheered.
"Thanks Jaden." Andrew said as he was about to draw a card. 'To be honest, I'm not sure what to do. Without being able to special summon monsters, I don't have so much to choose from.' He then drew a card and saw what he got. He smiled. 'Mirror Force. This could work. As soon as Bastion attacks, I can use this to destroy his monster, then I don't have to worry about its ability.' He inserted it into his duel disk. "I place one card facedown and summon Elemental HERO Woodsman in defense mode." The green-skinned wooden warrior appeared. (ATK: 1000 DEF: 2000 LV: 4) "I end my turn."
"I'll go." Bastion drew a card. "And now Vanity's Ruler, destroy his Woodsman!" The green-haired man raised his right hand shot a beam of light energy.
"Activate trap!" Andrew's facedown card revealed itself. "Mirror Force! Now I can destroy your monster since it's in attack mode." A glass wall appeared and absorbed the energy beam. After that, it was sent back to Vanity's Ruler.
"Nice try, Andrew. But I have a trap card of my own." Bastion countered as he revealed his own facedown card. "It's called Interdimensional Matter Transporter, and here's how it works: I get to choose a monster on my field. And then, until the end of this turn, that monster is removed from the game." At that, the green-haired man disappeared just before he got hit by his own attack. "So that means Vanity's Ruler is safe."
Andrew clicked his tongue.
"Aw man. Andrew almost had him." Syrus said.
"Ahh, I can't believe Bastion managed to dodge that." Shiori added.
"Looks like Bastion is serious this time." Michael commented.
"Yeah, he is. Still though, this duel is getting good." Jaden said.
"No doubt about it." Gerard agreed.
"I end my turn." As soon as those words left Bastion's mouth, Vanity's Ruler returned to the field.
"My move." Andrew drew. "And I'll activate Woodsman's ability. During my standby phase, I can take a Polymerization from my deck or graveyard and add it to my hand." He took the named card from his deck.
"I don't see what good that would do. Remember, Vanity's Ruler prevents you from special summon your monsters in any way." bastion reminded him.
'Maybe so, but I'm sure I can take him down. I just need some time to figure it out.'
"I play Swords of Revealing Light." Swords of light appeared, surrounding Bastion's monster. "Now you can't attack for three turns. And next I summon Elemental HERO Voltic in defense mode." The golden and purple, electric hero crouched down right next to the wooden man. (ATK: 1000 DEF: 1500 LV: 4) "With that, I end my turn."
"My turn." Bastion drew. "And I play Graceful Charity. Now I can draw three cards, but then, I must discard two." He drew three new cards, looked at them and discarded two of them. "That's all for now."
"Alright then." Andrew drew a card and looked at it. "I play this monster in defense mode and end my turn." A facedown card appeared right next to Voltic.
"So he's not going add another Polymerization to his?" Syrus asked.
"Andrew probably think he only need one." Shiori assumed.
"Very well." Bastion drew his next card. He smiled at what he got. "Just what I was waiting for. I activate the spell card Battery Charger. By paying 500 life points, I can summon a Batteryman from my graveyard."
Bastion: 2500-2000
"And I think you recognize him." He said as he summoned back a familiar, orange battery monster. (ATK: 0 DEF: 0 LV: 3)
"Batteryman AA." Andrew mused.
"Correct. But that's not all." Bastion held up another card. "I activate the spell card Inferno Reckless Summon. Since I summoned a monster with attack points that aren't higher than 1500, I can summon all monsters from my hand, deck or graveyard that are the same as the one I just brought out. So I summon the two other Batteryman AA from my deck." The first battery monster was joined by two duplicates of him. (ATK: 0 DEF: 0 LV: 3) x2
"Uh oh. Now there are three of them." Syrus said.
"Not lishus." Chumley added.
"Not for Andrew, that is." Michael said.
"Now, as you know, their attack points are increased by 1000 for every Batteryman AA that I have on the field in attack mode. And you know what that means, don't you?" Electricity coursed through their bodies. (ATK: 0-3000) x3
"Three monsters with 3000 attack points!" Shiori exclaimed.
"Whoa! Talk about a battery charge." Jaden cracked.
"At least Andrew is safe from Bastion's attacks for now." Gerard said.
"Until the effect of Swords of Revealing Light expires." Matt replied.
"I end my turn with a facedown." Bastion concluded, inserting a card into his duel disk.
"Then here goes." Andrew began his next turn. "First I activate the spell card Pot of Greed, so I can draw two more cards." After he drew his two new cards, he smiled. "Alright, time to take down Vanity's Ruler. I sacrifice my Woodsman and facedown monster in order to summon Elemental HERO Bladedge!" The green-skinned man, along with the facedown card disappeared, and in their place, appeared the golden armored hero with jet wings. (ATK: 2600 DEF: 1800 LV: 7)
"Sweet! This is just what Andrew need." Jaden said.
"Got that right." Michael said while smirking. "With a monster with 2600 attack points, Andrew should be able to destroy Vanity's Ruler."
"And then his fusion monsters are back in action." Shiori added.
"Now Bladedge, attack his Vanity's Ruler! Slice and Dice Attack!" The golden hero flew forward, straight toward the green-haired man.
Everyone watched as the hero got closer and was about to slice his opponent...
"I don't think so!" As soon as Bastion said that, Bladedge stopped himself. Why? Because an electric barrier appeared, protecting Bastion's monsters.
"What the…?!" Andrew said surprised. "What happened?"
"Simple, when you attacked me, I used the ability of a monster that I just took from the graveyard. By doing so, your battle phase was cancelled." Bastion explained while holding up a card.
Even though he couldn't see the image, Andrew realized what that card was. "Don't tell me. Electromagnetic Turtle?"
"Correct." Bastion turned the card around to confirm Andrew's suspicion.
"So now you're using one of my tactics?" Andrew asked while narrowing his eyes.
"Well, to be fair, it is common that some duelists have same cards in their decks, even though the decks themselves aren't exactly the same."
Andrew thought about it and shrugged. "That's true. Anyway, I end my turn with a facedown." A card appeared behind Bladedge.
"Then it's my turn." Bastion drew a card. "And I activate the spell card Mystical Space Typhoon. Now I can destroy a spell or trap card, like your Swords of Revealing Light." The card created a whirlwind that blew away all swords surrounding Bastion's monster.
"Ah, my swords of light." Andrew grunted while holding his arms for protection against the storm.
"They're all gone, leaving your monsters vulnerable. "Now Batteryman AA, attack his Bladedge!" One of the battery monsters charged itself up and shot a stream of electricity. Just before the attack made contact, Andrew's field was surrounded by a familiar electric barrier. "What!" Bastion exclaimed.
Andrew chuckled as he held up a card. "Since you stopped my attack with your turtle, I may as well return the favor." He revealed his card and it was his own Electromagnetic Turtle.
Bastion smiled. "Of course. I should have known you had that one prepared."
"Well, it's too late for that. So how about to end your turn?"
"Not yet. There's something I need to do first." And it was then Bastion's facedown card revealed itself. "I activate the trap, Jar of Avarice. This lets me take five cards from my graveyard, shuffle them back into my deck and draw one card." He took five cards from the graveyard slot and shuffled them into his deck. After that, he drew a card and looked at it. "I end my turn with a facedown." A card appeared behind Vanity's Ruler.
"Then it's my move." Andrew drew a card. "Now Bladedge, let's try this again. Attack Vanity's Ruler!" The golden hero flew toward the green-haired man.
"You just triggered my trap." Bastion interrupted and revealed his facedown. And it was a familiar trap.
"Are you serious?" Andrew asked disbelieved.
"That's right. It's my Interdimensional Matter Transporter. So I can remove Vanity's Ruler from the field, again." And just like that, the man was gone.
"Come on. How many times can he keep that monster from being destroyed?" Syrus complained.
"This isn't good." Shiori said.
"It's not over yet." Jaden replied. "Andrew can still win this."
After Bladedge returned to his field, Andrew looked at his hand. 'I failed to destroy Vanity's Ruler, again. Bastion seems to be one step ahead. But there's still a chance for me to win this.' He glanced at one of the cards in his hands.
Flashback
Andrew looked at one card he took from the wooden box where he kept all his leftover cards 'This one could be useful.' He thought.
Flashback end
He took the card and inserted it into his duel disk, along with three other cards. "I place three cards facedown and summon Elemental HERO Ice Edge in defense mode." Three facedown cards appeared, along with the kid with icy outfit. ATK: 800 DEF: 900 LV: 3) "I end my turn." After that, Vanity's Ruler came back to the field.
"Then it's my move." Bastion drew a card.
"I activate my trap." One of Andrew's facedown cards flipped up. "Breakthrough Skill. With this, i can choose one of your monsters, and negate its effects for one turn. And I choose Vanity's Ruler." The monster in question grunted as a purple aura surrounded him, making him weaker.
"That's great." Gerard said. "That means Andrew can special summon monsters."
"That's true, but…" Michael began. "Why use it at beginning of Bastion's turn?"
"Beats me." Jaden replied.
"He must have some sort of strategy in mind." Shiori said.
"But what?" Matt wondered.
"Now for my second facedown card." Andrew announced as he revealed another card. "Just like you re-used your Transporter card, I'm gonna re-use Elemental Recharge. So with three Elemental heroes, my trap gives me 3000 life points."
Andrew: 5000-8000
"Wow! Never thought I would see him increase his life points that much." Alexis admitted.
"That's quite impressive." Jenny said while smiling.
"And now I reveal my third facedown card, Mask Change." The named card flipped up. "Now I can send a HERO monster I control to the graveyard and summon a Masked HERO. And I think I'll change Ice Edge into Masked HERO Vapor!" The icy kid's body glowed and grew bigger. When the light died down, he was now the warrior clad in blue and silver armor, wielding a double-pointed spear. (ATK: 2400 DEF: 2000 LV: 6)
Bastion smirked. "Impressive. But…" He then held up the card he drew. "That won't be enough, thanks to this card." He held it up. "I activate the spell card Short Circuit! When I have at least three Batterymen on the field, I can destroy all cards on your field."
"All cards!" Shiori exclaimed.
"Dude, Andrew is in big trouble now." Michael said.
"Come on." Jenny muttered worriedly.
The three batterymen pooled electricity together and shot it out at Andrew's field.
"I reveal my forth facedown card!" His remaining facedown card flipped up. "Blast with Chain. I can equip this card to a monster and give it 500 more attack points, and I'll give it to Vapor." The masked hero held his left hand and the familiar dynamite appeared on his palm. (ATK: 2400-2900)
And then, the hero was enveloped by the battery monsters electricity. But, the only card that wasn't destroyed, was Vapor. (ATK: 2900-2400)
"I see that your monster survived." Bastion noted.
"That's right, and it's all thanks to his special ability. He can't be destroyed by cards effects." Andrew then smirked. "Which is more than I can say about your monsters."
"What are you implying to?"
"I'm implying to Blast with Chain. Since it was destroyed by a card effect while equipped, it automatically destroys one card on the field. There goes one of your Batterymen."
Bastion gasped as the middle one of the named monsters exploded.
"Lishus!" Chumley cheered.
"He destroyed one of the batterymen." Syrus said.
"And with one gone, the other two gets weaker." Jaden added. (ATK: 3000-2000)
"I must say, I'm impressed by your skills, Andrew." Bastion said.
"Thanks Bastion." Andrew replied. "You have been playing great as well."
"And I'm going to keep doing it. I summon Theban Nightmare in attack mode." The monster that appeared between the two remaining batterymen was a blue, fiendish ghost. (ATK: 1500 DEF: 500 LV: 4)
"Okay, what's so special about that monster?" Jaden wondered.
"I don't know." Shiori replied.
Michael looked grim. "That monster is trouble."
Everyone looked at him.
"What do you mean?" Matt asked.
Before the dark duelist responded, they heard Bastion speak up. "This monster has a very special ability. If I have no cards in my hand and in the spell and trap card zones, he gains 1500 attack points."
Everyone gasped.
"No way!" Andrew exclaimed.
The fiendish ghost growled as it grew bigger. (ATK: 1500-3000)
"I'm afraid it's true, Andrew. And therefore, your life points are about to take a lot of damage. But first, Vanity's Ruler, attack his Vapor!" The green-haired man fired an energy beam and destroyed the masked hero.
Andrew: 8000-7900
"Now, Theban Nightmare, attack him directly!" The ghost flew across the field, and gave Andrew a punch that passed through him, making him grunt.
Andrew: 7900-4900
"And don't forget about about my two Batterymen!" The battery charged themselves up and fired a stream of electricity which struck Andrew.
Andrew: 4900-0900
"That's all for now." Bastion concluded. "You fought well, Andrew. But I believe victory is about to be mine."
"Don't be so sure." Andrew countered. "I won't stand down until the last life points expires. This is duel isn't over."
"That's the spirit!" Jaden cheered. "Go get him!"
"You can do it!" Shiori added.
"Come one, Andrew. I know you can win." Jenny encouraged him.
"You're really supporting him, aren't you?" Alexis noted.
"Of course I am. He's my friend, after all."
"Are you sure you aren't more than that?"
"Come on, Alexis! You're starting to sound like my mom!" Jenny developed a light blush on her cheeks at her friend's words. Alexis smiled a little upon seeing the state her friend was in, but focused on the duel again.
Andrew looked at his deck. 'Alright, time to end this. Please, give me what I need.' Andrew his next card and looked at it before he held it up. "I play Legacy of a Hero. When I have at least two level 4 or higher Elemental heroes in my graveyard, I can draw three cards from my deck." After drawing his three new cards, he looked at them and smiled. "Sorry Bastion, but I'm going to put an end to this duel, right now."
"Really? And how are you going to do that?"
"I'll start by doing this." He held up his duel disk and let a card appear from the graveyard slot. "I activate Breakthrough Skill."
"What!? How can you play trap card from the graveyard?"
"It's the second effect of my Breakthrough Skill card. When I have this card in my graveyard during my turn, I can remove it from play, and just like before, I get to negate the effects of a monster you control. So once again, I negate the effect of Vanity's Ruler." Just like before, the named monster grunted while a purple aura surrounded him.
"Wow, I never heard of a trap card that can be activated from the graveyard." Matt commented.
"There aren't many cards that can be used that way, but they're pretty useful." Michael said.
"Now let's see what Andrew's gonna do." Shiori said.
"Now I'm able special summon monsters again. And I'll start with the spell card Monster Reborn Reborn." Bastion watched as the images of three monster cards appeared in front of Andrew: Bladedge, Voltic and Woodsman.
"What's this?"
"This is the effect of my spell card. I choose three monsters from my graveyard. And then, You have to pick one of them. The one you choose will be summoned to the field. The other two will be removed from the game."
"In that case, I choose Voltic." The electric hero emerged from his card and landed on the floor. (ATK: 1000 DEF: 1500 LV: 4)
"Then I'll remove the other two." Andrew said as he put the two hero cards into his pocket. "And now I play the spell card Polymerization and fuse Voltic with Flash to form Elemental HERO The Shining." The electric hero merged together with the hero clad in blue outfit and silver armor. And then, in their place, the man in white suit and golden suit with the contraption on his back. (ATK: 2600 DEF: 2100 LV: 8) "This monster gains 300 attack points for every Elemental HERO I have removed from play. That's 600 more points." The hero glowed brightly. (ATK: 2600-3200) "Now Shining, time to destroy Vanity's Ruler and end this duel." The hero was about to gather energy from the contraption.
"I think you miscalculated." Bastion said. "Your monster may be strong enough to take down any of my monsters, but that won't be enough to wipe out my life points."
"Unless I have this card." Andrew replied as he held. "I play Battle Fusion. When my fusion monster is attacked or attacks, its attack points are increased by the same amount as your monster's attack points." The hero glowed even more brightly. (ATK: 3200-5700)
"Great Scott!" Bastion exclaimed while the whole crowd gasped.
"Now, destroy his Vanity's Ruler with Solar Burst!" The hero gathered all energy from his contraption to form a ball and threw it at the green-haired man, creating a massive explosion.
Bastion: 2000-0000
Everyone cheered for the two duelists battle. Well, except for one...
"Just my luck." Crowler grumbled. "Not just Jaden, but his hero companion defeated Bastion. This isn't my day."
"Impressive." Zane said. "Even with the strategy Bastion planned for Andrew, he still pulled it off."
"I knew he was going to win." Jenny said.
"Yeah, but I wonder how he's going to do against Jaden." Alexis added.
"The winner of the second match, Andrew Wilson!" Sheppard announced. "Congratulations! We'll have another 10 minutes break before the final duel, between Andrew and Jaden."
"Well done, Andrew." Bastion congratulated him as they met at middle of the platform. "You managed to pull out a victory despite everything I used against you. Truly remarkable."
"Thanks Bastion." Andrew replied "This victory wasn't easy. Your Vanity's Ruler was really troublesome."
"And yet, you outsmarted me. I never imagined you would use a card like Breakthrough Skill."
Andrew shrugged. "Just thought I could try something new. But we better duel again sometime."
Bastion nodded as both of them shook hands. They went to rejoin who were waiting for them.
"That was super sweet, you too." Jaden said.
"Awesome dueling." Syrus added.
"Totally Lishus!"
"You goth played great!" Gerard filled in.
"Nicely done!" Matt said.
"TotallY" Shiori added.
Michael gave them a thumbs up. "Congratulations."
Andrew turned to his upcoming opponent. "Well, Jaden? Are you ready for our showdown?"
The brown-haired Slifer grinned. "You bet I am! So you better get your game on!"
And that's it folks. Next time it will be a clash of heroes! Until next time.
