Tea's Time to Shine
Magicman: At last my rotation schedule has shifted back to my baby. (Cuddles fic, getting strange looks.) Anyway, now for the review answering section. First off, thanks to all who reviewed. You brightened my day considerably. To YPoC, it was a tough decision. I was originally toying with a threesome concept, but the story just drifted. You know how plots work out sometimes. To BECA, no need to worry. From what I've learned about Akumu in this fic, she's a bitter girl. No forgiveness for her. And I never really considered Ryou and Pegasus. I guess you could say that they were the odd men out. To Isumo, the FBGs, Seabreeze, and DoI, thanks. I'll do my best. To Linkin Phoenix, I got my information from the show, where Kaiba duelled Gozaburo. It sounded appropriate enough so I put it in. To HA, yep! I haven't quite decided who though. Maybe they'll fight it out…
Smokegirl: Okay, enough hogging the spotlight. I'll field the rest. To Jade, thank you! I AM incredibly awesome, if I do say so myself. And I agree about Akumu. I'd have flipped too. And finally John… -- Don't walk past your window anytime soon, because I'll be waiting outside with a sniper rifle.
Magicman: O/ Uh, she's not serious.
Smokegirl: Hmph!
Tea: (whispers) Wrap it up, wrap it up.
Magicman: Oh yeah. Well let's get the show on the road, eh? Oh, by the way BECA, I think you'll like this part. I've been working on this monster for years, and only now have I perfected it.
IIIIIII
The duel was causing some interest among the other contestants. Keiko winced at Tea's vicious wordplay, and even Julia raised an eyebrow at the anger Akumu was showing. Pegasus loved every minute of it, and had even forgotten about his fruit juice in the excitement of the moment.
Akumu chewed her lip thoughtfully, eyeing Tea. The brown-haired girl was grinning carelessly. She hated that grin right now. It brought up some bad memories for her. Shaking loose, she examined the situation. Tea had two monsters on the field, Maha Vailo (1550/1400) and Fire Princess (1300/1500), both in defence mode with no facedown cards just yet. Neither was much threat on its own but the right cards could make them very dangerous. She didn't have any backup cards right now, so she should take the chance and destroy them now. Unfortunately her Skilled Dark Magician had just been destroyed, so she had to watch her lifepoints carefully.
"Alright Tea, I set one card facedown then pass it on to you." Akumu crossed her arms and waited.
Tea drew. Her eyes widened. "Whoa! Good card. I summon Wingweaver (2750/2450) in attack mode!"
The light flashed and the giant angel made her appearance, her wings flapping gently. Tea eyed Akumu's facedown card suspiciously but decided to attack anyway. "Destroy her Mystic Caller (300/1800) with Light Ray!"
The fairy put her hands together. Light particles gathered together between them, readying for a massive blast of magical energy. But before she could fire, Akumu activated her facedown card, yelling "Go Compulsory Evacuation Device!" A small device flicked out at Wingweaver and attached to her upper arm. The fairy didn't seem to notice and continued to power her attack, but then she vanished without a trace. Tea's eyes opened wide.
"Wow! What was that?"
"Compulsory Evacuation Device. It's a handy little gizmo that allows me to send one monster on the field back to its owner's hand." Akumu stuck out her tongue. "I won't let you win that easily!"
"That's good to know. For a minute I thought you'd just roll over and fall apart. Your turn."
"Good." Akumu drew. "First of all I summon a second Skilled Dark Magician." The magic user materialised, his features twisted with fury. Akumu lay down another card to join it. "Next I play the magic card Nightmare Steel Cage!"
The arena flashed and blackened steel bars dropped from the ceiling. Before Tea knew what was happening, she and her side of the field were encased in the massive cage. Her monsters looked around them uneasily. She glared at Akumu. "What have you done?"
"I just locked you away for two turns. Now you can neither attack nor be attacked. You won't be able to screw with my plans now!" Akumu folded her arms and smirked. "Your turn now."
Tea drew and tried to puzzle something out. Akumu had summoned her Skilled Dark Magician before playing her magic card. But she hadn't destroyed either of her spell casters. Why? Obviously she was up to something, but she just didn't know what. Tea scowled. "You're obviously planning something."
"Yes, I am. But can you guess what it is?" Akumu teased.
"No. But I can play a familiar card. Wingweaver! Return to the field in attack mode!" Tea played a card and the mighty fairy magically returned. She flapped her wings and glared at Akumu in annoyance. Tea nodded. "That's it for now. One of your turns is over."
"Of course it is." Akumu drew and grinned. "Perfect. I play Graceful Charity. This card lets me draw three cards and discard two more. Now I'll set one card facedown and end my turn."
Tea drew. The frown deepened. 'I have to break through and attack her.' She thought. 'But I don't have any cards that will do it. All I can do is increase my defences until I pull the right card.' She selected two cards from her hand and placed them facedown. "I play two cards down. Your turn. And your stupid cage disappears now."
Akumu drew as the iron bars faded away. "I pass this turn." Tea raised an eye as the creepy girl left both of her monsters undefended. The problem was that Akumu was no idiot.
"What do you think you're doing?" Tea said, scowling. "Are you taunting me or something?"
Akumu laughed and didn't answer. Tea scowled even further as she drew. "Then I call your bluff. Obviously that Mystic Caller of yours is special. So I'll destroy it first! Wingeweaver! Attack with Light Ray!"
Wingweaver powered up its ray and fired it at the defence mode monster. As the blast hurtled toward her monster, Akumu yelled out "Activate Rescue from the Grave!" A golden aura flashed onto the field and surrounded Mystic Caller. The Light Ray attack struck the aura with the force of a sledgehammer, yet even Wingweaver's awesome attack power couldn't force its way through. When the attack ended, Mystic Caller was still standing and Tea was getting ticked off.
"What was that! You didn't activate facedown cards!" she yelled. Akumu grinned, pleased that her opponent was losing it for a change.
"Rescue from the Grave is a magic card that can only be activated once it's in the graveyard" Akumu taunted. "It blocks any attack you make on my monsters for the turn. Ha! You just wasted an attack and gave me just what I wanted!" She snapped her fingers at Tea viciously.
Tea scowled for a second longer then resumed her careless grin. "Big words for someone whose been stalling for the last three turns. Haven't you drawn the card you've been waiting for yet?"
Akumu frowned. 'That grin again' she thought. 'It's really annoying. I know I've seen it before though. Heh. Let her grin. She won't be smiling for long.' The frown flipped. "I have what I need now. Prepare to lose your advantage." Akumu drew her card and selected another. "I summon Dark Magician Girl in attack (2000/1700) mode!"
Tea blinked in surprise as her favourite monster jumped onto the field with her customary adorable 'humph!' sound. "I didn't know you used a Dark Magician Girl."
"After our first duel, I made a few adjustments to my deck. This time I won't just tie with you!" Akumu continued. "Now I sacrifice my Skilled Dark Magician for his special ability!"
Tea's eyes widened. "His what!"
Akumu grinned wickedly as her monster shattered. "Skilled Dark Magician isn't as strong as a regular Dark Magician, but his power can grow with experience. After three magic cards are played, which I did, he can be sacrificed to bring forth a Dark Magician (2500/2100)! Ironic, isn't it? Yami's favourite monster will destroy his little girlfriend!"
The Dark Magician flipped forward onto the field to glare at Tea, who snorted. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but my Wingweaver outranks him by 250 attack points."
"I'm not done!" Akumu picked another card from her hand and slapped it down. "Next I play Sage's Stone!"
A glowing stone appeared in Dark Magician Girl's hand. Grinning, she threw it up into the air. It hung there for a few seconds, and the spell caster fired a magical blast at it. The energy reflected light in all directions, forcing spectators to avert their eyes. When the light faded, another Dark Magician stood next to his fellow.
Tea raised an eyebrow. "Yes, Sage's Stone lets you summon another Dark Magician from your deck, but he's still weaker than my Wingweaver."
"I'm not done." Akumu played another card. "Now I play Dark Magic Curtain! By paying half of my lifepoints, I can summon a third Dark Magician!"
Tea rolled her eyes as her opponent's lifepoints dropped to 650 and a third mighty spell caster was summoned. "Again, he's STILL weaker than my Wingweaver. Does all this have a point?"
"Yes you stupid bitch!" Akumu shrieked with laughter. "You were right to try and destroy my Mystic Caller! He will be the instrument of your destruction!"
"What?" Tea's gaze fixed on the small mage off to the side. The fire before him turned a strange blue colour. Tiny sparks of electricity were flickering in the smoke and billowing up to the ceiling. The smoke gathered into a thick smoggy cloud and the Mystic Caller stood up, thrusting his arms to the side. The firelight gleamed off his mask.
Tea changed her glare back to Akumu. "Okay, spill. What does your monster do?"
"It's quite simple really. Ever since he arrived on the field, Mystic Caller has been gathering magical energy." Akumu smirked gleefully as her monster began to wave its arms slowly in strange and arcane motions. "Only now after five turns have passed has he gathered enough to fulfill his purpose!"
Tea's glare turned slightly worried as the monster began to glow blue. "And what is its purpose?" she asked.
Akumu cackled evilly. "I can sacrifice him to summon a creature of ultimate power! She's so strong that she makes even Kaiba's Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon look pathetic and she's one of the rarest cards in the world!" The former slave threw he arms out to the side. "Now my monster, come out and show your power!"
Mystic Caller exploded in a flash of energy, magical sparks being hurled across the arena. One of them sparked against Tea's cheek and she jerked back, surprised to feel actual pain. Out in the audience, Yami shivered. He remembered this monster from the Shadow wars of ancient Egypt. She had served no side, instead using her immense power as she saw fit. Even the magic of the Millennium Items were barely able to contain her. "Be careful Tea" he whispered.
When the magical sparks died out, something stirred within the cloud of black smoke. Akumu closed her eyes in ecstasy. A smile spread across her face. At last, she could take her revenge on that pharaoh by crushing his girlfriend. And her monster could make her vengeance especially potent.
Akumu opened her eyes slowly, the smile fixed in place. "I summon Tasya, Mother of Magic."
Slowly the mystical smoke faded away. The being revealed to all did not appear threatening or powerful at all. She was a woman, barely taller than Akumu herself. Hair the colour of ripe wheat flowed down her back, framing a smooth and unblemished face. She wore a simple dress of pale green cloth, and she rested lightly upon bare feet. Her arms hung motionlessly at her sides. But the most curious feature about this strange being was her eyes. They were closed and showed no signs of opening, yet she seemed to know where everyone was without looking.
This being was Tasya, Mother of Magic.
Up on the balcony there were hisses and gasps of surprise from some of the duellists. Even Pegasus sat up straight and stared keenly at the monster.
Akki frowned and turned to Yugi. The young man was had frozen and his eyes were bugging out. She waved a hand in front of his face slowly and he blinked, snapping from his stupor. "Yugi? What's wrong?"
"That card has an evil reputation." Yugi shivered slightly, as though from a sudden icy breeze. "I've heard about it before. It's a legend among collectors. At least once a month someone stops by my grandfather's game shop looking for it. It was actually banned from the first World Championships. But I never really believed it existed."
"Really?" Akki tried to pay attention but her gaze kept drifting to her sister's prized monster. There was something almost hypnotic about the way it looked. "Why? It's just a card."
"Well, from what I've heard that card causes trouble. Someone is always hurt whenever it's played in a duel." Yugi glanced quickly at Akki. "A hologram shouldn't be able to hurt you, right? Well, in every instance the victims swore that the card actually attacked them. Like it was real." He paused to let that sink in. "Some people say that Tasya is really alive."
Akki rolled her eyes and scoffed. "Oh really! It's just a game, and they're just cards!"
Yugi didn't answer. He gripped the balcony railing so hard that his knuckles were turning white and waited for Akumu to make her move. Tea was in danger, whether she knew it or not.
In the duelling ring Tea eyed the monster with instant dislike. It gave her a bad feeling; she could still feel the spark against her cheek. "So Akumu" she said disdainfully, "Are you going to attack me with your big scary monster now? She doesn't look so bad. Certainly not as powerful as my Wingweaver."
"Looks can be deceiving. Not only is Tasya more than powerful enough to run you into the ground, she's also the one card that I might actually see as having a heart and soul. Allow me to explain." Akumu ticked off points on her fingers. "Number one. Tasya has 2000 attack and defence points naturally. But she also gains another 500 points for every spellcaster on the field, including herself." Akumu smiled sweetly. "Can you do the math?"
Tea's eyes shot wide open. "That thing has a 5500 attack and defence! That's why you didn't attack my Maha Vailo or my Fire Princess. You wanted a stronger monster!"
"Bingo! And that's not all. Tasya's second special ability is quite simple. She cannot be affected my magic cards. It makes sense if you think about it. She's the mother of all magic. It came from her and she still controls it, even after thousands of years." Akumu's smile widened. "So you can forget about using those facedown cards to stop Tasya's attack. Speaking of which…" The smile vanished like the eye of a storm. "Tasya I command you to destroy her Wingweaver right now and win me this duel! Destroy her with Magical Spirit!"
Still without opening her eyes Tasya (5500/5500) raised one hand and slowly pointed it directly at the Wingweaver. There was perfect silence for about two seconds as the entire room held its breath. And then without warning, the monster launched her attack. A massive beam of swirling rainbow coloured energy blasted from her hand and streaked toward Wingweaver. The hapless fairy barely had time for her eyes to widen before the shot hit her, and Tea barely had time to activate her defensive trap.
"Wobaku!"
The familiar sages defended Wingweaver against the attack. The fairy sighed in relief and gave Tea a grateful look. Tea nodded in return and glared venomously at Akumu. "Is that all you've got?"
"Not even close!" Akumu waved her hand dismissively. "Take your turn so I can get down to finishing you off."
"Gladly!" Tea drew a card. "I'll start by switching Wingweaver into defence mode." She waited while fairy knelt down and curled her wings around her body. "Then I will play Card Destruction to change my dueling options." Both players discarded and redrew their hands. Tea eyed her new hand, chewing her lower lip thoughtfully. "Lastly I'll play Banisher of the Light (100/2000) in defence mode and another card facedown. That will end my turn." Her smirk returned. "You'll have to work hard to get to my lifepoints now."
"You'd like to think that, wouldn't you? I draw." Akumu drew. "Alright then smart aleck, it's time to show of Tasya's third special ability."
Tea's eyes widened. "Another one!"
"Yep! Isn't she great?" Akumu selected one card in her hand and played it facedown. "I play Smashing Ground! It automatically destroys the monster on your side of the field with the highest attack points. So if you can guess which one THAT is…"
"Not my Wingweaver!" Tea watched in horror as the ground around her fairy collapsed, dragging it down to destruction. But she had much more immediate concerns. Tasya had opened her eyes.
There were no pupils, nor were there any whites. There was only flickering rainbow-coloured energy, the source of the devastating attack she had launched earlier. Now those eyes locked onto Banisher of the Light. The coloured energy intensified and a hum filled the air. The hum became a roar and a blast of light blinded everyone in the room. There was a cry of pain from Tea's end of the arena that was quickly drowned out by the sounds of destruction.
Tea didn't understand what happened next. Being close to the action, she watched her Banisher of the Light engulfed in magical energy. The flaming debris from her monster swept back, and she caught herself engulfed in a small fireball. Luckily the debris dispersed quickly but Tea was badly shaken. 'That was no hologram' she thought, 'I actually felt that! That attack was real!'
"You look badly shaken up. Weren't you expecting Tasya's other special power?" Akumu gloated at her foe with much relish. "Whenever I play a magic card, Tasya can blow away one of your monsters. But that's not all! Did you notice anything different about that attack? Didn't it seem kind of…deadly for a hologram?"
"Deadly my ass!" Tea growled. "That attack was real!" She was singed, but not badly hurt. She had been lucky none of the flaming debris got into her eyes or throat. "What did you do? How come that actually hurt!"
Akumu smiled. "I knew you'd ask that. Do you remember during our first duel when I said that they were just cards with no life of their own? Well, I wasn't being entirely truthful. You see, Tasya here was the greatest of all monsters from the wars 5000 years ago. No other had greater magical power. Even the God cards were wary of her. So she obviously wasn't locked in the Shadowrealm willingly or easily. When our gracious host", she waved at Pegasus, "Recreated her in card form her spirit was released from the shadows and put in the card. She's VERY happy to be free."
"How do you know all that!"
Akumu's smile grew even wider. "Because she told me. And now, unless I'm mistaken, you are helpless. You have only two monsters left on the field. My Dark Magicians can fry them, leaving Tasya free to attack you directly." Now the smile turned wicked and hateful. "And what do you think will happen then! Finally, I can get my revenge on Yami and there's nothing either of you can do about it! Face it Tea! You are dead!"
IIIIIII
Magicman: Bleh. I've been brutally uninspired for a while. It's hard coming up with cool duelling moves.
Smokegirl: Don't forget to blame exams.
Magicman: BLEH!
