A Duel
It was a quiet Thursday afternoon. The two sons of the Loud Family were the first to arrive home after school. Naturally the boys were hungry after a long day and were craving some left over pizza from the night before. Much to their dismay, there was only one slice remaining.
"Well Lio, we're down to the last slice of pizza, our sisters are gone and we can't both have that slice," Lincoln said, "There's only one way to settle this."
Lio nodded in mutual understanding before he and Lincoln pulled out their Yu-Gi-Oh decks and duel disks and declared in stereo "It's time to duel!"
"Tournament rules as usual?" Lincoln asked as he shuffled his deck)
"I wouldn't have it any other way," Lio declared as he shuffled his deck.
Lincoln and Lio flipped a coin to determine who would go first with Lincoln calling heads and Lio calling tails. Lio end up winning the coin toss.
"Let's duel!" The twins declared before the game commenced.
Turn One
"俺様のTURN!" Lio (8000 LP) declared as he drew his initial hand before drawing his first card. "I set a monster in defense mode, put one card facedown and end my turn."
"It's my turn! DRAW!" Lincoln (8000 LP) yelled as he drew his first five cards. Lincoln drew a card and smirked
"You seem confident," Lio noted, "whatcha got Lincoln?"
"Wouldn't you like to know?" Lincoln retorted.
"Well… yeah," Lio replied, "This is a duel after all."
"Aren't you eager for a crushing defeat?" Lincoln taunted him.
"If you're so eager, then make your next move," Lio tried goading Lincoln into making a move
"If you insist!" Lincoln said, confident in his hand, "I summon Blackland Fire Dragon (ATK: 1500, DEF: 800) in Attack Mode! And now, I attack your face down card!"
"You're a bloody fool, Lincoln!" Lio declared, flipping his face down card to reveal a Mystical Elf (ATK: 800, DEF: 2000). "You fell right into my trap!"
Lincoln's Blackland Fire Dragon attacked Lio's Mystical Elf, but took damage due to his attack being less than the latter's defense*
"Urghh!" Lincoln grunted as his Life points shrank to 7500.
"I'm surprised that my much smarter twin could make such a foolishly impulsive decision," Lio said, "If this is how you're going to duel, that last slice of pizza is as good as mine!"
"Don't count me out just yet," Lincoln warned his brother, "I set one card face down and end my turn."
End Turn One.
Turn Two
"It's my turn yet again," Lio (8000 LP) announced as he drew his next card and chuckled. "First, I shall activate a spell card!"
"What?!" Lincoln exclaimed.
"That's right! I activate Mystical Space Typhoon and use it to destroy your face down card!" Lio said as Mystical Space Typhoon destroyed Lincoln's face down, revealing it to be a Mirror Force before it wassent to the graveyard.*
"Grrr!" Lincoln growled, "Why you…"
"Did you really think I'd continue this game when there was a single chance that face down card could impede my ability to win?" Lio asked with a smirk. "For my next move, I summon Neo the Magic Swordsman in attack mode!"
Lio brought Neo (ATK:1700, DEF: 1000) onto the field before shouting "My next move shall be to attack your Dragon!"
Neo quickly attacked Lincoln's dragon, destroying it and sending it to the graveyard while dealing Lincoln 200 damage.
"With that, I end my turn."
"I commend you for your quick thinking," Lincoln (7300 LP) applauded his twin, "but it won't be enough to win you the game. DRAW!"
Lincoln was satisfied when he saw what card he drew.
"I summon Gemini Elf in attack mode," Lincoln said, "summoning Gemini Elf (ATK:1900, DEF:900) to the field, "and I attack your Neo the Magic Swordsman!" Gemini Elf attacked Neo, destroying it and dealing Lio 200 damage. "I then set another facedown card and end my turn."
End Turn Two
Turn Three
"I draw!" Lio (7800 LP) said, drawing his next card and smiling at what he received. "I activate the spell card, Graceful Charity, which allows me to draw 3 more cards while discarding two cards from my hand to the graveyard." Lio did just that before saying "Next, I shall set one monster facedown on the field and end my turn."
"Good, now it's my turn," Lincoln (LP: 7300) said as he drew his card, "For my first move, I shall have my Gemini Elf attack your facedown monster!" He said before thinking to himself. "I hope this monster doesn't have high defense."
Lio smirked once again as he said "Once again, you acted just as I anticipated, dearest Oniisan!" before flipping his facedown card to reveal a Man Eater Bug (ATK:450, DEF:600). "Although you send my Man Eater Bug to the graveyard, by flipping it, you activate its special effect! When this card is flipped from face down to attack mode, it can target one monster on the field and automatically send it to the graveyard! And I think I'll select your little Gemini Elf! "
"Man-Eater Bug destroyed Gemini Elf while being destroyed itself. "Begone, pest!"
"Darn you…" Lincoln snarled, "fortunately, my turn isn't over yet. I set a monster facedown in defense mode and end my turn."
End Turn Three
Turn Four
"I know that look all too well, Niisan," Lio (7800 LP) took note, "you have some trick up your sleeve, don't you?"
"As if I'd tell you," Lincoln replied.
"Very well, suit yourself," Lio shrugged before drawing his next card, "I choose not to attack this turn and instead place one card facedown in defense mode before ending my turn."
"What's the matter, Lio?" Lincoln taunted him, "Scared to attack me?"
"I may be a fool," Lio admitted, "but I know very well not to underestimate you."
Lincoln (LP: 7300) drew his card and smirked, telling his twin "You were a damn fool not to attack me! I sacrifice my facedown monster in order to summon Summoned Skull (ATK:2500, DEF:1200) to the field. Now Summoned Skull, destroy his-,"
"You activated my trap card, Negate Attack!" Lio interrupted him as he flipped his facedown card.
"Not so fast, Lio!" Lincoln cut him off. "I activate my trap card!" Lincoln revealed his facedown card to be Seven Tools of the Bandit! "By paying 1000 life points, I can negate the effect of your trap card, allowing me to continue my attack unimpeded. Say goodbye to your Mystical Elf."
Summoned Skull made short work of Mystical Elf.
"Clever move," Lio commended him, "but that might come back to bite you, later."
"We'll see about that." Lincoln (LP:6300) declared confidently, "I end my turn."
End Turn Four
Turn Five
"My turn yet again!" Lio (LP:7800) declared with glee as he drew his card. "For this turn, I shall simply set another monster in defense mode, put down another spell card and end my turn.
"I don't blame you for being hesitant to attack," Lincoln (LP:6300) told him, "after all, I doubt you have anything capable of defeating my Summoned Skull."
With his gloating out of the way, Lincoln drew a card.
"First, I shall summon Axe Raider (ATK:1700, DEF:1150) in attack mode." Lincoln said, "Now I bet you're expecting me to progress to my battle phase, but if you think I'm going to fall for your trap again, you're sorely mistaken! I now activate Swords of Revealing Light! In case you're unfamiliar with the effects of this card, Swords of Revealing Light forces you to flip your facedown monsters, allowing me to see what monsters you set before I attack them! In addition to this, you're unable to attack for three whole turns."
Lincoln was surprised when he heard Lio chuckle.
"Huh, what's so funny?" Lincoln asked.
"That was the worst thing you could've done," Lio answered before his cards were flipped to reveal a Penguin Soldier and Morphing Jar*
"What‽" Lincoln exclaimed on surprise.
"Just in case you're unfamiliar with the effects of these cards, when flipped, Penguin Soldier allows me to pick up to two cards on the field and send them back to the player's hand," Lio reminded Lincoln. "This is a no brainer so I select your Summoned Skull and Axe Raider and return them to your hand."
Lincoln reluctantly returned the aforementioned cards to his hand.
"Now that Summoned Skull is back in your hand, allow me to reveal the effect of my other monster, Morphing Jar," Lio said, "When flipped, both players are forced to discard their hands to the graveyard and draw five new cards, meaning that you can say goodbye to your Summoned Skull and Axe Raider."
Lio happily discarded his hand and drew five new cards*
"Damn you…" Lincoln declared, discarding his hand and drawing 5 new cards.
"Does that conclude your turn or do you have another trick up your sleeve?" Lio asked mockingly.
"I set one card face down and end my turn," Lincoln said with a growl.
End Turn Five
Turn Six
"Oresama no turn!" Lio (LP:7800) declared in over the top fashion as he drew a card, "With your cursed Swords card in effect, there's no point in setting a monster in attack mode, therefore, I set another monster in defense mode and end my turn."
"Good news for me because I summon The Celtic Guardian (ATK:1400, DEF:1200) in attack mode and take out your stupid Morphing Jar!" Lincoln (LP: 6300) said as he made his next move, using Celtic Guardian to destroy Morphing Jar. "I then end my turn."
End Turn Six
Turn Seven
Lio (LP:7800) drew card and smiled confidently before declaring "For my next move, I sacrifice both my monsters to set a monster facedown in defense mode. I then end my turn."
Lincoln (LP:6300) took a moment to internally monologue as he drew his next card. "Damn, he Tribute summoned a monster to the field. Just what did he have in his hand? It's obvious that I can't attack. It'd be best if I played it safe."
"Contemplating your next move, Lincoln?" Lio asked, "A smart move"
"No contemplating needed," Lincoln answered back, "I'm not stupid enough to attack your obviously OP monster. I set a monster facedown in defense mode and end my turn."
End Turn Seven
Turn Eight
"Only one turn remains until your Swords of Revealing Light fade away," Lio (LP: 7800) reminded Lincoln, "Until then, I can only play defensively so I set yet another monster facedown in the field and end my turn. I know that you must be curious as to what monster I have set, eyy?"
"Maybe so," Lincoln (LP: 6300) admitted, drawing his card and smirking, "but perhaps you'd be more interested in seeing what I have up my sleeve! I sacrifice my two monsters on the field and summon Dark Magician(ATK:2500, DEF:2100) to the field!"
"Nandato‽" Lio exclaimed, fright audible in his voice. "Th-Th-The Dark Magician‽"
"You sound scared?" Lincoln noticed with a smug smirk, "Good, you should be!"
"No, Lincoln!" Lio pleaded with him, "Please don't do it, I beg you!"
"It's too late, Lio!" Lincoln ignored his pleas, going through with his attack, "Dark Magician, attack his first facedown card!"
"Noooooo!" Lio yelled, prompting Lincoln to laugh in triumph before Lio flipped the switch and asked "Pretty good acting, huh? I've been taking lessons from Onee-Chan."
"What?" Lincoln asked in confusion.
"Your attack will do you no good!" Lio told Lincoln as his first facedown card was flipped to reveal a Blue Eyes White Dragon(ATK:3000, DEF:2500)*
"The Blue Eyes White Dragon?!" Lincoln stammered in shock.
"That's right, brother," Lio said, folding his arms in a smug manner, "And since our monsters' defense and attack points respectively are equal, that means your attack achieves nothing. You would've been better off attacking my second facedown card, it would've gone much better for you."
"Clever girl," Lincoln had to give Lio his props.
"So does that conclude your turn?" Lio asked.
Lincoln sighed and said "Yes, it does."
End Turn Eight
Turn Nine
"Good," Lio (LP: 7800) said before drawing a card. "Now that your pesky Swords of Revealing Light's effect has dissipated, I am free to attack once more. And attack I shall as I shift my Blue Eyes to attack mode and flip my second facedown card to reveal an Armored Lizard (ATK:1500, DEF:1200) and place it on attack mode. And with those two pieces in play, I launch my attack! Blue Eyes, take out his Dark Magician! "
Blue Eyes attacked and destroyed Lincoln's Dark Magician, dealing 500 damage to the latter.
"And with no monsters left on the field, I command my Armored Lizard to attack your life points directly!" Lio followed up.
Armored Lizard attacks Lincoln, dealing 1500 damage.*
"I end my turn," Lio declared.
"Don't count me out just yet," Lincoln (LP: 4300) refused to give up, "I place a monster facedown in defense mode and end my turn."
End Turn Nine
Turn Ten
Lio (LP:7800) drew his next card as he said "Despite my gut instinct telling me to be cautious, I'm going to take a chance by using my Armored Lizard to attack your facedown card."
Lio's strategy paid off as Lincoln's facedown monster is revealed to be a measly Battle Warrior (ATK:700, DEF:1000).
"You think you're so smart, don't you?" Lincoln retorted, "Just know that eventually your luck will run out."
"Maybe so, but I'm playing the long game here Lincoln!" Lio replied as his Blue Eyes White Dragon destroys Battle Warrior, "Besides, you're still going to lose points anyway! Old Blue Eyes, attack my brother's life points directly!
Blue Eyes White Dragon attacked Lincoln directly, dealing 3000 damage.
"I shall now set a monster face down and end my turn," Lio ended his turn.
"Not bad, kid," Lincoln (LP: 1300) said as he draws a card, "but your luck runs out here! I activate Pot of Greed, which allows-,"
"No," Lio said plainly.
"What?" Lincoln asked.
"I know what Pot of Greed does, Lincoln," Lio said, "Everyone knows what Pot of Greed does! Even people who don't know about Yu-Gi-Oh know what Pot of Greed does! I don't need it explained to me!"
"Yeah, but you know? Memes and stuff." Lincoln argued.
"It isn't a very funny meme," Lio replied.
"So you sure you don't want me to explain it?" Lincoln asked, a smile tugging at his lips.
"Positive," Lio answered.
"Okay…" Lincoln said before launching into the explanation anyway, "PotofGreedisaSpellCardthatallowsmetodraw2morecardsfrommydeck!" while Lio simultaneously shouted "Shut up shut up shut up shut up shut up shut up shut up shut up shut up!" until Lincoln finished explaining.
"Geez, that was a dick move Linc," Lio called his twin out, "You did that just to mess with me, didn't you?"
Lincoln chuckled and admitted, "Yeah, I do that sometimes."
"Let's just continue our game," Lio deadpanned.
"Alright," Lincoln agreed.
Lincoln looked at the two cards he drew and stated "It would seem that fate has smiled upon me."
"Hmm?" Lio raised an eyebrow.
"For this turn, the first thing I shall do is activate my facedown Spell card, Monster Reborn!" Lincoln explained, "And I shall use it to bring back my Dark Magician."
"Okay…?" Replied a cautious Lio.
"Next I shall activate another spell card, Change of Heart to take control of your Blue Eyes White Dragon!" Lincoln continued.
"Ohhhhh, crapbaskets!" Lio muttered.
"And now I shall use Raigeki to destroy all monsters you have on your side of the field, leaving you completely defenseless." Lincoln finished his three step strategy to regain control.
"OH NO!" Lio yelled as the realization kicked in.
"And as a fitting twist of fate, I shall have your own Blue Eyes attack you directly!" Lincoln announced, "Go Blue Eyes White Dragon!"
"Muda Muda MUDA!" Lio shouted, confusing Lincoln once again.
"Huh?"
"I activate my trap card, Mirror's Force!" Lio declared, "Mirror's Force destroys all attacking monsters of my opponents, wiping out your side of the field. It may mean sacrificing my Blue Eyes, but it leaves us both with nothing on the field."
"I've gotta hand it to you, Lio," Lincoln took a moment to acknowledge his brother's skill. "You've had an answer for everything I've thrown your way."
"What can I say brother?" Lio replied, "I learned from the best."
"Well, I have no answer to your move," Lincoln admitted, "thus I end my turn."
End Turn Ten
Turn Eleven
"I have a feeling that the end of this game is drawing near," Lio (LP: 7800) said as he drew his next card.
"Oh, how right you are," Lincoln said with a smirk.
"I summon Witch of the Black Forest (ATK:1100, DEF:1200) in attack mode and attack you directly!" Lio said as Witch of the Black Forest attacked Lincoln directly, dealing 1100 damage. "I then end my turn."
"You done?" Lincoln (LP: 200) asked in a way that off put Lio.
"Hmm?"
"Good, because this game ends with this turn!" Lincoln said before making his next move, "First, I summon Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts (ATK:1500, DEF:1200) onto the field in attack mode."
"Alright, this isn't so bad so far…" Lio thought to himself.
"Next, I activate the spell card Berserker's Soul!" Lincoln said.
"Oh, me and my big mouth!" Lio berated himself.
"By discarding my entire hand, I can attack consecutively for every monster card I draw as long as my monster has 1500 ATK or less, but first…" Lincoln revealed before he had Gazelle attack Lio's Witch, dealing 400 damage, "and now Berserker's Soul goes into effect."
"ちくしょう (Oh shit)," Lio muttered, realizing his time was up.
"DRAW!" Lincoln said, looking at his card. "MONSTA CARDO!
"AAHHH!" Lio yelled as Gazelle attacked him.
"DRAW! MONSTA CARDO!" Lincoln shouted with enthusiasm as Lio got attacked again. "DRAW! MONSTA CARDO! DRAW! MONSTA CARDO! DRAW! MONSTA CARDO! DRAW! MONSTA CARDO! DRAW! MONSTA CARDO!"
"WRYYYYYYYYY!" Lio screamed, his life points now at 0.
"DRAW! MONSTA-," Lincoln prepared to attack again before Lio stopped him.
"いいえ! やめてお兄さん! (No! Yamete, onii-san!)" Lio shouted.
"Hanase! (Let go of me!)" Lincoln shouted in response before basking in his victory, "Looks like I win."
"And it looks like yet again fate has frowned on me," Lio said, sounding disappointed in himself.
"Hey man, you've got nothing to be ashamed of," Lincoln have his brother credit, "You had me on the ropes for most of the game."
"I suppose there's no shame in losing," Lio shrugged.
"And now to sink my teeth into that delicious cheesy-," Lincoln said before he turned around to see Lynn eating the last pizza slice that he and Lio had been dueling over. She and Chris had been watching the whole duel.
"Bravo! Bravo! Good show! That was awesome!" Lynn applauded her brothers.
"I felt like I was watching Duel Monsters all over again, that was a riveting duel." Chris gave them credit.
"Well brother," Lio said, placing his hand on Lincoln's shoulder, "looks like neither of us gets that pizza."
"Maybe so, but I shall not allow this transgression to go unpunished!," Lincoln said before pulling out his deck once again and pointing at Lynn. "It's time to duel!"
"Bring it on, Stincoln!" Lynn accepted his challenge as she pulled out her Duel Disk. "This'll be a duel you'll never forget!"
FIN