"You want respect?
Then you are going about it all wrong. You believe that by gaining power, that by dominating others, you will gain their respect and admiration. This is a lie. It is the other way. You must first earn the respect of those around you, to prove yourself to your teachers and the great masters of your art…only then will they grant you the secrets to power.
Respect brings power, power doesn't bring respect"
-Geno Roads
The New MasterTressa sighed. This wasn't going well at all! Every time she managed to pull off a good combo, Bruno seemed to pull a perfect card.
Don't focus on winning. Her grandfather's voice echoed in her head. Focus only on the battle now, on survival. Focus on what is now on the field and how to defeat that…let the combos build on their own
Tressa nodded and looked at the field carefully. I have a 0/0 Behemoth, and he has a 0 defense Golem. I have three spell cards and a Blue Eyes…wait..that's it! She closed her eyes, focusing, remembering the breathing method her father had shown her to do when she was nervous. Come on…
"I will now summon Manju of Ten Thousand Hands. With his effect, I can search for one piece of a ritual, and place it in my hand. But I am not done. I activate White Dragon Ritual!"
Everyone looked up as the sky clouded. Manju faded, replaced by a green spirit with a sword. "By sacrificing Manju, I can summon my monster: Paladin of White Dragon!"
The sky cracked with lightning, and a small bellow was heard through domino as a baby blue eyes white dragon landed on the field. It roared, it's voice shrill, and the spirit mounted it.
"And now, attack my Paladin…White Bolt!" The baby roared, and a thunderbolt raced down, shattering the golem into pieces. "I end my turn with this card face down."
Bruno merely nodded. "I will now remove my Destroyer Golem from the graveyard to summon Gigantes." The horned monster bellowed as it appeared, swinging a tree trunk like a club. The baby bellowed at it and moved around it slowly.
Not one to mince words, now is he? Tressa thought.
Lilka frowned as she watched. "He's dragging this along to much. Tressa won't have a high score if she keeps up."
Kenji shook his head. "IF she doesn't win she will have nothing."
"She'll win" Lilka said softly. "She is my sister. She is stronger then I have ever been. She will win, trust me."
"It is useless to try and beat my monster. It is equal strength with yours, so there is no way to kill it."
Tressa shook her head. "IS that so? What about his second effect?"
Bruno chuckled. "That effect only works if you have a Blue Eyes White Dragon in your hand or your deck. It doesn't automatically become the Blue Eyes."
Tressa took out her deck and pulled out a card. "Lucky me I have three."
Everyone in the stadium laughed at the joke. They grew quiet when she held up a blue eyes.
Bruno turned to the judge, but Pegasus nodded, and the crowd all leaned in, waiting to hear if it was true. Pegasus cleared his throat.
"It's real."
The crowd sat stunned, in shocked.
Lilka looked over at Kenji. "This is it. This is where Tressa wins the duel."
Seto stood up, watching Tressa as she placed the card in her fingers. He touched the glass, a smile on his face as he whispered only to himself. He watched his niece, his own hand on his blue eyes white dragons. "And so it begins."
Tressa smiled as the wind blew around her. She reached up, the card in the sky. "I summon…." Her eyes began to glow gold, the power of the moment too much for her to stop it. "…the BLUE EYES WHITE DRAGON!"
The card flashed, and from it raced the neck, the body, the long wings, the claws…the white beast flew into the sky, it's mouth open as it bellowed it's birth to the world. Finally, it thundered onto the field, it's eyes open, watching Bruno and Gigantes. The storm rages, energy crackling along Tressa.
Bruno fell to his knees, staring up at the monster he had longed heard of. He had heard of this beast, the monster that had broken the very souls of those that fought it. Only a skilled duelist could survive the agony of its attack. The gifted had a chance to beat it….and only the best could control it.
Seto watched as the monster bellowed, its roar like thunder. He touched the glass, waiting, nervous. It had taken Geno's guidance to help him truly master the dragon, and he prayed Tressa was strong enough to master the beast.
Tressa looked at the dragon, blocking out any doubt, any fear about the creature in front of her. She was its master, it would obey her. "Blue Eyes! I am your master!"
The dragon bellowed….and then turned and stared at her. She held her ground. "I am Tressa Roads, Mage of the White Beast! You will obey me!" She shouted into the wind.
The Blue Eyes moved in….and nodded.
Even though she knew it was a hologram…she swore she could feel it's breathe, the heart beating. It blinked, it's eyes watching her softly, carefully. It then turned and looked at Bruno, moving it's jaw.
It's protecting her Seto realized suddenly. It knows she is its master…amazing.
Tressa nodded, and then turned back to the duel at hand. "I activate my trap card, Dragon Rage! This card will allow my Blue Eyes to break through your monster and into you!"
Bruno nodded and watched. He had long wondered if he could survive such an attack. Some had described it as being struck by a god. Others called it worse then nature herself, and that it could only be wielded by those that had rose above such mortal fears to control the winds and rain themselves. Bruno was ready.
"Blue Eyes….WHITE LIGHTNING!"
The dragon roared, rearing back as the energy crackled into its mouth. Bruno closed his eyes, readying himself.
Lilka sat on the edge of her seat, watching her sister. "Get ready to witness history Kenji."
Kenji nodded quietly. Even if he didn't care for the dragon…it's power was amazing, shocking…scary.
Owen and Kelli sat in the lounge, every duelist glued to the screan as the monster of legend powered up.
It fired.
Bruno fell to the ground as Gigantes shattered under the blast, letting out a final bellow. He trembled as the energy dissipated, but managed to rise to his feet after the attack faded and the duel disk calmed it electrical blasts. He stood up and smiled, looking at the world through, in his mind, new eyes, opening for the first time. He may not have looked it, but this was the greatest moment in his life. He had survived the attack…and that meant he could now meet the next challenge..defeating the dragon and discover the truth of the world. (Bruno-3000)
"I finish by setting this card." Tressa frowned as Gigantes' effect destroyed the dragon's rage card, but knew she only had to wait one turn…and then the game was as good as hers.
Bruno drew and smiled softly. "You are not the only one that can summon an all powerful monster. First, I play Jade Knight." The green stoned warrior appeared, dressed in Chinese armor, small compared to the Blue Eyes. "And next, I will use reveal this monster: Petrified Dragon."
Joey stood up, nearly dropping his glass, his jaw hanging. "That's Thousand Dragon!"
Sure enough, the old dragon that had look stood the test of time, had finally given up the fight, and died. The result was it's cleaned bones in a museum exhibit, hanging from cables and supports. Bruno smiled as he set the next card upon the field. "And I will use the spell card Polymerization to fuse the two monsters together to summon Jade Dragon!"
The two monsters pulled together, becoming a vortex of bone and stone, spinning about, and the arena filled with a new roar, that of a green stoned dragon. The monster rose up, and shook it's body, before opening it's eyes, staring at Tressa. It looked like a Thousand Dragon carved from a block of jade, glistening in the sun (Attack:2000, Defense: 1000)
"Now, to activate it's effect. For every spell card in my graveyard, this monster gains 500 attack points, making it 3000!"
Tressa frowned as she looked at the new dragon as it stood up to her Blue Eyes, growling at it and stomping it's feet. "My Blue Eyes is at 3000 already. If you attack it, it's suicide."
"Yes.." Bruno said, a smile on his face and his eyes closed. "..but your Behemoth is still at 0."
The crowd gasped. Everyone had forgotten the statue, and now….it was going to be the nail in Tressa' coffin that could seal her fate. Bruno ordered the attack, and Tressa screamed as the Jade fire struck her, sending her flying off the field and onto the side line. (Tressa-900)
Tressa frowned, rubbing her backside, but was resisting the smile that was growing in her mind, threatening to explode onto her face and reveal her plan. Come on….fall for it…fall for it… It was a risky move…but if she did it, it would be a shocker. She had to risk it…she had to. She hadn't been so stupid as to forget the Behemoth. Well….at first she did. But when she had laid her trap card, she knew she just needed him to attack.
"I pass."
Bruno nodded and drew his card, smiled and looking at he carefully. "You have fought well, and have given me the gift of being able to feel the Blue Eyes White Dragon's power firsthand. But now, it ends. I play the Equip Magic card: Crystalline armor."
The jade dragon roared as its body grew large silver crystals all over, covering it's hide with shinnying spikes of clear stone. It's claws became long and razor sharp, it's teeth glistening in the sun.
"This card increases my rock monster's attack by 1000….enough to kill your dragon and you." Bruno smiled. "As I once said, you may be a woman, but in this game, you remain a child. And no child can beat me. It ends now. Jade Dragon….. Attack!"
The audience gasped as the green fire rushed Tressa and the Blue eyes, ready to consume the both of them. But she stood firm. She looked up, her eyes finding her Uncle Seto watching her from the skybox…and he nodded to her slowly, both knowing exactly what was going to happen..
"Do it" He mouthed.
"Reveal Sakuretsu armor!" Tressa cried, calling upon the card to flip up on her field.
"NO!" Bruno screamed as the Blue Eyes grew it's own shell of tough spikes, twisted and sharp things that would reflect it's attack. The Jade Dragon bellowed as its blast bounced off the armor and struck it full force, the fires consuming the jade monster instantly. It thrashed around violently, it's body burning, trying to escape…till it finally shattered. Bruno looked on the pieces of his last chance to win floated past him and faded from sight.
"and now….White Lightning!" The dragon roared, the ball of energy forming, and released it, Bruno disappearing into a wave of white light that blinded everyone in the arena.
Tressa grinned as Bruno's lp trickled down to 0. He laid there, knocked out by the full power of the dragon, yet his face was calm, at peace. The Blue Eyes took a step forward, and let out an ear shattering roar that echoed throughout Domino, proclaiming its return to the masses.
Tressa smiled as she watched the score appear on the screen 119….she had scored 119….a 119….
Tressa fainted.