Yuri
The day of the first annual Yuletide Duel Carnival had officially begun. The moment Yuri pulled back the curtains, he saw a completely different world outside. The palm trees, the beaches, everything was covered with snow, for the city sailed through a mild snowstorm in the night. The sky was bleach-white, washing the world in pastels of dull gray. Thankfully, Yuri had a wardrobe just for seasons such as this. He put on a coat, gloves, and beanie, had a quick breakfast, and ran outside. He drove to the festive Alejandra Island where the carnival was going to be held.
As soon as he got there, snow started to fall again. It went along so well with the festive lights adorning everything from the food stands to the Ferris Wheel.
These games are an excellent idea! Ser Norman said, admiring all the colors and lights around him. This will be a perfect opportunity for you to sharpen your skills and Duel.
"Someone's excited," Yuri said, wrapping his scarf even tighter around his neck. "Yeah, my dad thought the Duel Carnival would make for a great holiday-themed Dueling event. It's going to be held in multiple venues across Alejandra Island, too, that's how massive this event is. And get this, in order to play in these games, you have to be willing to fork over your rarest card to the winner."
Is that so? You'll have to play your hardest, then. If you lose, you'll have to surrender your Black Tyranno to the winner. But I have confidence that you'll reign supreme in these games. How will we know if the winner's been declared?
"Oh, it's not a tournament. It's kind of like a free-for-all. See this device on my wrist?" Yuri held up what looked like a green-lit smartwatch. "It gathers tokens for each victory you get. Gather enough tokens and you can trade them in at those vending machines over there for some neat prizes. They got packs, limited edition plushies, prismatic rare cards, royal gold rare cards, special edition sweaters, and so much more. I think I even see a Playstation 5 in there, too. But I wager that's going to cost a lot of tokens to acquire. But the prize I'm sure everyone wants is that Dark Magician Girl card with alternate yuletide-themed artwork."
I see. And aside from these so-called tokens, you also get your opponent's rarest card as well.
"That's right. And don't you worry, Ser Norman. Nobody is taking my cards. They'll all be safe, you'll see."
I hope so. All this talk of bounty hunters coming after you is quite chilling. If they're anything like that Shun boy who played you last time, I fear we're going to be in a lot of danger. I also fear...they might be here.
"They who?"
Nothing…
"If you say so," Yuri said.
He started powerwalking, thinking for a moment that he could lose Ser Norman. Yuri couldn't take Ser Norman's rhetoric anymore. Danger, danger, danger. More often than not, whenever the ghostly knight spoke of danger, it always sprung up and ruined his day. Yuri didn't want that now. Not during an event as spectacular as this. There was too much fun to be had and he wanted to earn enough tokens to get a polar bear toy for Crystal.
He hurried to a nearby food vendor and bought himself a salted caramel hot chocolate. He then proceeded into the carnival to look for his friends. Sure enough, there they were crowding around a dueling arena vacated by Lance and Nick, who were hell-bent on fulfilling their agreement from the night before.
Crystal was clad in all white. An arctic-white gown underneath a toasty winter cloak, trimmed with fur. White, puffy, earmuffs shielded her ears, and she had a cup of hot chocolate in her mitten-covered hands. She was seated on the railing...right in Lance's corner of all things, making Yuri feel a little concerned. Nearby was Patty, her hair was tied into two long pigtails and she was clad in a risqué Santa Clause outfit. Natalya and Sabrina were also dressed in holiday-themed outfits just for the carnival and its yuletide festivities. Sabrina was cosplaying as a Dark Magician Girl with a holiday theme, making her hard for Yuri to miss. Despite he already saw them, she waved Yuri down with her LED candy-cane shaped staff. Each of his friends had a cup of steaming hot chocolate in hand to enjoy. Yuri slowly made his way to the arena and arrived right on time to see the Duel.
"Yuri!" called Tyson. "Glad you could join us, dude!"
"Yuri, baby!" said Carter. "Woop! Woop! The gang's all here."
T1
LP 4000
"I'll start fist!" said Nick. "I summon a monster in defense mode. That will do it for me. Oh, hey, Yuri. You made it just in time."
"Yuri," Lance said. "So glad you could make it in time. I was just about to beat your friend. Remember, I get to face you after I'm done with this match."
"If you win!" said Nick. "I'm no pushover, bub. I've been trained by the one-and-only, Ren Kakihara."
"Trained?" Crystal scoffed. "Think you're being a little overdramatic there, Nick. Ren didn't train you, he just gave you a few rare cards because he felt sorry for you."
"Still, he knows how to use those cards," Sabrina said in Nick's defense. "And that's what really matters. Go, Nick!"
T2
Lance drew and looked back at Crystal. "This one's for you!"
"You flatterer," Crystal said giggling. "Hurry up and make your move."
"All right. I'll activate the spell Reinforcement of the Army. I'll add a Level 4 Warrior monster to my hand. I'll also set a card and a monster face-down. That ends my turn."
While Nick started monologuing about his skills, Yuri took the opportunity to speak to Crystal. He sat on the railing next to her and said: "This one's for you, he said. You've got him eating out of the palm of your hand it seems. What the hell is going on, Crystal?"
"What do you mean?"
"What do you mean?" said Yuri. "Really? I mean what's going on between you and Lance?"
"Shh! Keep it down. Don't let him get any ideas. I assure you, nothing's going on, Yuri. We're just friends."
"Just friends? Knowing your past history with male friends, I'm sure this thing you've got with pretty-boy over there is a recipe for disaster. You better hope Brett doesn't find out. Whenever you make any friends it always ends the same. Either you get hurt or the friend gets hurt."
"I know what I'm doing, Yuri. I assure you there's nothing going on between the two of us. We're just friends. If Brett's got a problem with that, I know just the place where he can stick it."
"I don't care what's going on between the two of you. This better end before Brett gets back. Which could be like….any time? He has friends around here, Crystal. You know they're always keeping an eye on you. If Brett finds out…"
"He WON'T find out."
Yuri looked down, sighed, and kicked away a bit of snow. "Be careful, Crystal."
Nick was done with his speech. "And that's all I've got to say about that. I'll show you I'm a force to be reckoned with, hotshot. I draw!"
T3
"I flip summon Mystic Swordsman LV 4!" he called out. His face-down monster, a warrior in white and purple armored robes, jumped out of the ground. He landed and spun his long twin blades in a terrifying display.
ATK/1900 DEF/1600
"Attack his face-down monster, Mystic Swordsman LV 4! Oh, and I hope you're not expecting to use any effects. When Mystic Swordsman attacks a face-down monster, it automatically gets destroyed."
"Nice play," Lance said with a leer. "I guess you really know how to use those cards Ren gave you. Speaking of which, where is he? Will I get to meet him, Crystal?"
Crystal shrugged. "I don't know. He'll pop up every now and then. He's a really weird dude."
"Well, I hope he Duels, too. Maybe after I take down Yuri, I can play him next."
Yuri chuckled. "Quite the talker, ain't he?"
Crystal replied with a giggle. "You never know. Maybe you might have met your match, Yuri."
"My turn!" said Lance.
T4
"I summon Motivating Captain!" he said, calling on a weak and weary soldier with broken armor and arrows sticking out of his back. "This card lets me bring back a Level 2 or lower monster from my Graveyard. I bring back Little Trooper."
Motivating Captain blew on a horn he pulled from his cape. Out of the ground appeared what looked like a toy knight-crusader mounted on a little winged steed. Both of them were shielded in shiny armor and the little knight chose to go into battle with a red banner.
ATK/900 DEF/500
"I end my turn," said Lance. "Go, Nick. Let's see what you've got."
"Lance…" Crystal said. "Uh...did you just leave your little monsters alone and unprotected?"
"Did I? Oh, silly me." He chuckled. "Aww, look at you all worried for me. I'm touched, Crystal."
Crystal countered his words with a hard laugh. "Oh, no," she said waving her arms. "Oh no, oh no! I'm not worried about you. I just don't want to hear the long Nick-fest we're going to have to endure when he beats your ass for being so careless." She blew into her hot chocolate before taking a loud sip.
T5
"Careless indeed," laughed Nick. He sipped the last of his hot chocolate. "I summon Freed the Brave Warrior!"
Patty and even Natalya gave a whoop when the knight came out. Freed had become something of an icon for Nick's deck, much like Tenmataitei. The holograms were updated to project the monsters with their environment. Because it was cold, Freed's breath could be seen clinging in the air. Snowflakes dotted his long, golden hair, and his armor.
ATK/1700 DEF/1200
"First I'll take down your captain with Mystic Swordsman LV 4! Go, wipe him out!"
Mystic Swordsman's blades started glowing blue, and he charged across the field, slicing the captain across the chest. Lance was pummeled by the blast the followed when monsters were destroyed. His Life Points took heavy damage and trickled down to 2500.
"Awesome!" said Nick. "Now for that Little Trooper of yours. I'll take him out with Freed the Brave Warrior!"
Freed grunted, unsheathed his sword, and sped toward the tiny knight, slicing it in half with one swipe of his blade.
"When Little Trooper is destroyed," said Lance. "I can summon a Level 2 or lower Warrior monster from my deck. And I choose another Little Trooper in defense mode."
"Sweet," said Nick. "I can special summon a monster, too. Of course, he's not going to be some puny knight like your trooper. When I end my turn, Mystic Swordsman LV 4 transforms into Mystic Swordsman LV 6!"
The swordman's blades grew longer, as did he. His white-robed armor became more detailed and strong, and the purple color of his armor was gone, replaced with cerulean and gold.
ATK/2300 DEF/1700
T6
"Nice moves, Nick," said Patty.
"Whoa," Nick said, looking at her with that...lustful look again. "You complimenting me or am I dreaming?"
"Don't let it get to your head," Patty said, giving him the finger. "I'm going to get more hot chocolate. Anyone want some."
"Over here!" Crystal said.
"Same!" said Yuri.
"Hey, I'll have some," said Carter.
"You play a good game, Nick," Lance said, still focused on the Duel. "You've got me in a tight spot. However, with Crystal by my side, I have the confidence to get myself out of this mess."
"There he goes again!" Crystal groaned, rubbing her eyes.
Patty started to chew on a candy cane she ripped from the skirt of Sabrina's costume ("Hey!" she squealed) and said: "You can stop with the theatrics, kid. She's not for you, nor will she ever be. If you had any idea who this girl is going out with, you'd shut up right now. You're playing with fire."
"Dragon fire if I'm not mistaken," Lance said, looking over his shoulder at Crystal. "She's got herself quite the dragon deck, huh? You've got the Chaos Emperor Dragon, right?"
"That I do," Crystal replied.
"Hmm. I'd like to try taking him out sometime."
"Keep dreaming," said Yuri. "Your turn."
"Right, right. Let's see what I can do. I activate, The Warrior Returning Alive. With this card, I add Motivating Captain back to my hand. Next, I activate the spell, Double Summon, which allows me to perform two Normal Summons this turn. First, I'll summon Motivating Captain, and with his effect, I resurrect my first Little Trooper. Now I have three monsters, which are just the right amount of tributes I need to summon my ace! I sacrifice my monsters to summon Gilford the Lighting!"
The three warriors turned into orbs of lighting and merged to become a giant warrior armored in polished-steel armor with yellow engravings. His sword was wide and was taller than himself. A torn, scarlet covered cloth formed a cape around his neck and a battle-skirt.
ATK/2800 DEF/1400
"And now that I have summoned him by tributing three monsters, all of your monsters are destroyed."
"WHAT!?" Nick roared.
Gilford held up his sword and summoned a lightning storm. Bolts zapped from the dark clouds and struck Nick's knights. They shattered to pieces, and now Nick was wide open.
"Now, I activate the spell, Reinforcement of the Army's Troops! Now, when a warrior of mine does battle, I'm allowed to special a Level 4 or lower Warrior from my hand. But first, Gilford the Lighting will attack you directly!"
Gilford covered his sword in lighting and with a great leap, he sped toward Nick. He raised up his sword and showered the boy with lighting. Nick screamed as his Life Points fell to 1200. Lance was far from down, though.
"Using Reinforcement of the Army's troops, I will summon Marauding Captain. I'll attack you directly with him and end this Duel!"
The dual-wielding hedge knight let out a grunt and ran for Nick. He swung his blades with fluid, swift, motions, and cut Nick across the chest. Nick fell on the ground and grunted. He pounded the snow as his Life Points went down to 0.
Winner: Lance
"Well, let's see what that gives me," Lance said, looking at the watch. "Aha, it says here you're a pretty famous player around here. So that gives me 100 carnival tokens. Oh, and according to the rules, you owe me a rare card."
"Do I have to?" Nick said sadly.
"Rules are rules," said Lance. "I think I'll take that Tenmataitei card I've heard so much about. He'll make a great addition to my deck."
"Aww no," groaned Nick. He sadly looked through his cards until he found his monster. "Here, promise you'll take care of it."
"Oh, don't do it!" said Crystal. "Nick's been through enough already."
"Huh? Crystal?" Nick said.
"Take your tokens and leave him alone," said Crystal.
"Take it easy, Dragon Queen," said Lance. "I didn't mean it." He looked back at Nick. "It was a great match, Nick. Don't worry about the card. These tokens will suffice."
Nick smiled and rapidly blinked his eyes to keep the tears inside. "Really? Uh, thanks. You know, Lance. You're not so bad."
"So I guess you and I are going to play next," Yuri said.
"Yes, you are right," Lance said, turning to face Yuri. "I beat your friend, therefore, you and I must Duel."
Yuri's phone buzzed. "What's this?" he said. He read an urgent text from his father and sighed. "We're going to have to postpone our Duel, Lance. Urgent business at the tower."
"Huh?" Lance said.
Crystal, however, was quite pleased. "Well, look at you," she said. "Mr. Businessman. Look out world, Yuri is coming."
"I'm sorry, Lance," Yuri said. "Want to play tomorrow."
Lance forced his lips into a smile. "Well, that sounds all right to me. Tomorrow it is. No funny business, Yuri. I want my Duel."
"And you'll get it. Guys, it's been fun. I'll see you later."
"I'll play you next," said Patty.
"Against you?" Lance said with a loving grin. "Very well. However, I'm going to get a bite to eat first. I can't play on an empty stomach."
"I hear ya," said Patty. "I could go for some food, too. Preferably somewhere indoors. I'm freezing my butt off."
"You are wearing a skirt during snowfall, dumbass," said Carter.
"Not me," said Tyson. "I think I'm gonna hang here and win me some Duels and tokens. I saw a lot of cards in those vending machines that I'd like to get."
"Same," said Natalya. "Sabrina, how about you?"
"I think I'm gonna avoid the Carnival matches," she said. "This whole Ante rule is bullshit. I am not looking forward to surrendering my Cosmo Queen."
"Very well, then," said Lance. "If anyone's going to stick around later, let's meet here. I have a feeling my Duel with Yuri is going to be one to remember."