Saturday, September 20th
John, Amy, and Anna found seats near the top of the Academy's Arena. John begrudgingly admitted that Simon was right about watching duels from higher up. It really was a better view. Not to mention, it avoided the furious competition for the lower rows.
The trio settled into their selected seats with John in the middle. He looked around at the rest of the amphitheater style room. Bubbles of Blue bumped up against other bubbles of Red and Yellow but rarely were the colors interrupted by the others. The cavernous room was buzzing with scattered conversations. Below, on the arena floor, John saw Chancellor Sheppard and other faculty speaking with members of the camera crew that would be broadcasting the tournament. There were far more cameras than John had expected, both on the field and in the seating bowl.
"Seems like this tournament is a pretty big deal," Amy said as she looked around wide-eyed.
"It's definitely a bigger deal than anything we did at prep school," Anna agreed, "I mean, our events were broadcast online and on local TV, but this is next level."
John nodded as he continued to scan the arena. He spied a dark-haired, tan-skinned boy in a Red jacket leaning against the railing above the bowl.
"Hey, Lorenzo!" he called, waving his fellow Slifer towards the group. Lorenzo waved back and made his way toward them, then scowled when he saw Amy.
"Hi, John," he said warily.
Amy jumped up and cried, "What's the duck murderer doing here?"
John waved her back into her seat. Amy slowly sat, fixing Lorenzo with a narrow-eyed stare.
"First of all," John said when Amy sat back down, "He didn't murder anything. I assume." He looked at Lorenzo, who stared at him for a moment before nodding. "Good. And second, you said that wasn't even a duck nest."
Amy crossed her arms and turned away.
"I can find somewhere else to sit," Lorenzo said.
"Nonsense," Anna replied, "Here, sit next to me. That way you'll have John and I to shield you from Amy."
"Thanks," Lorenzo said, still wary of the slim Slifer student, "John, I knew you and Simon had strange friends, but an Obelisk girl with three Slifers?"
"I'm Anna," the Obelisk said, "And I got over the whole dorm thing."
"Cool," Lorenzo nodded, "I'm Lorenzo. Nice to meet you. I agree that this whole dorm thing is kinda silly."
"Right?" Anna agreed, "It isn't like these are serious like Hogwarts houses."
"Uhh…"
"Drop it," John advised.
Anna stuck out her tongue at the tall Slifer. She turned back to Lorenzo and asked, "So what's this about a nest?"
Amy growled. Lorenzo groaned.
Insert Theme Music here
Zane descended the stairs of the Duel Arena with Syra just ahead of him. Syra was wearing her Blue uniform while Zane was of course in white. He noted that students in every color uniform stared at him in awe as he walked past. Zane focused on staring straight ahead as he followed his sister.
The Truesdales reached the front row at the bottom of the seating bowl. Joe Fast was waiting for them, an empty seat to either side of him. He had a reporter's notepad that he was furiously scribbling in already. It took him a moment to notice that Zane and Syra had sat down next to him.
"Oh, hey," he said as he went back to his notebook.
"Have you ever considered," Syra asked, "that this is why you don't have any friends?"
Joe sniffed. "I have friends."
"News to me," Zane muttered.
Joe shook his head at the Duel King but tucked the notebook in a blazer pocket. In Syra's estimation, the pair of third-year Obelisk men had their siblings and each other and that was about it. Neither of them worked particularly hard at maintaining a social circle. They both focused their energies on Duel Monsters. But for whatever reason, Syra had befriended Joe from their first days on the island. Maybe he had reminded her so much of her own brother, a determined young man who thought he needed to prove himself to the world. Of course, once they had spent some time together, Joe and Zane had become, well, fast friends.
"This seems like a lot of coverage for a tournament of this scale," commented Zane.
"Taylor Miller will do that," Joe replied.
"So will the kid brother of Jerry Fast," Syra said.
"I was the kid brother of Jerry Fast," Joe replied, "There wasn't a media frenzy for my freshman year."
"Jake has a personality," Syra said flatly.
"Ladies and gentlemen, students and teachers, Obelisks and others, it's time for the first duel of the inaugural Freshmen Tournament!" Augustus cried into the microphone, "From Ra Yellow, we have a duelist who has made himself known to all since arriving at Duel Academy, Simon Brown!"
A loud chorus of boos from the Obelisks was matched by cheers from the Ras and Slifers. Simon marched from the tunnel to his side of the playing field, waving as he climbed onto the raised dais. John noted the black deck case on his hip. At least this time it had been carefully planned.
"He looks serious," Anna muttered.
"He's locked in," John explained, "This is how he gets when he really wants to win."
"And introducing a duelist who needs no introduction!" Augustus continued, "The most decorated recruit in the history of Duel Academy! The Dragon of the West! The pride of Obelisk Blue! Taylor! Miller!"
Taylor came out of his tunnel bouncing on his feet. He stopped to shadow box, then raised his arms to egg on the crowd. Cheers came from students of all dorms. He fixed Simon with a look and sauntered over to the field. Taylor jumped onto the platform, foregoing the steps.
"Well, he's confident," Amy said.
"More like cocky," Anna sneered.
"He's just putting on a show," Lorenzo said.
"What does that mean?" John asked. Below, the duelists were going through the pomp and circumstance of shuffling and cutting decks.
Lorenzo shook his head. "You don't become as popular as he has by winning a lot," he explained, "That isn't enough. You need something that people can latch onto. Taylor plays a character, fans like the character, so Taylor gets fans."
John eyed Lorenzo quizzically.
"What?"
The taller Slifer shook his head. "Just seems like you might be a fan," he said. Amy practically snarled at Lorenzo.
"More of a friend," Lorenzo responded carefully, "I've been helping him prepare for the Tournament."
"Really?" Anna asked in surprise.
"You what?" Amy cried. John prepared himself to hold back the slim girl, but she thankfully stayed seated.
"He saw me duel that one day and asked me to duel him for practice," Lorenzo explained while leaning slightly away from his fellow Slifer. Whether that was done consciously or subconsciously, John couldn't tell.
"Then we started talking," Lorenzo continued, "and he was pretty cool, so we kept practicing, and well, we're friends now."
Amy pointed at him accusingly. "Isn't Simon your friend?" she asked, "Shouldn't you pull for him?"
"Aren't you guys all friends with Jake Fast?" replied Lorenzo, "What are you going to do if he and Simon are in the finals?"
Amy frowned. Anna looked thoughtful. John leaned back and said, "Easy. Going for Simon all the way."
"I like them both," Anna said, "But I'll be rooting for Jake. Crowler lets the Obelisks get away with basically anything when he's in a good mood."
John looked at Amy with a smile and asked, "Well, Amy?" She huffed and crossed her arms.
"I still don't like Taylor's act," she muttered.
"I agree with her about that," John conceded.
As the duelists finished the televised shuffling routine, Syra noticed Zane glowering.
"I can't believe we're about to see some Blue-Eyes," she said to get his attention.
Zane kept his eyes on the players as mumbled an affirmative in response. Syra watched his eyes track the young Ra Yellow duelist as he resumed his position on the arena floor.
"You really don't like that Simon guy, huh?" she asked.
"No," replied Zane, "I don't like the kid's attitude."
"Seems like Miller had more attitude to me," Joe said, "But if I had the Blue-Eyes White Dragons, I'd have an attitude about it to."
Syra laughed and exclaimed. "No, you wouldn't!"
Manni watched through his sunglasses as he leaned against the railing above the Duel Arena the pair of Freshmen activate their Duel Disks. The Ra Yellow didn't seem as brash as he had when facing Jake Fast or himself. But he wasn't cowed either. No, that expression on his face was determination and cool confidence. It was an expression he recognized from facing Joe Fast or-
No. The Ra would be crushed. He would pay for his arrogance. If he couldn't last one turn against Manni's Magicians, then what chance did he have against three Blue-Eyes?
Manni chuckled to himself. This will be fun.
The Duel Arena's holoprojectors activated. John watched the scoreboard tick to 8000-8000. He knew that after all that Simon had done in the weeks they'd been at Duel Academy, he couldn't afford another high profile loss.
C'mon Simon, he thought, Don't blow this.
C'mon Simon, Simon thought, Don't blow this.
He drew his first five cards. A holographic coin appeared in the middle of the field. Taylor called heads and was correct.
"The Taylor will allow the puny Ra to go first!" the Obelisk announced.
Augustus announced, "Simon Brown of Ra Yellow will make the first move!"
What is this, pro wrestling? Simon wondered as he drew a sixth card. Whatever mind games Taylor was playing with him, he had to ignore them. This wasn't quite the big leagues, but it was certainly the biggest league Simon had ever played in. This was by far the most cameras he'd ever seen in his life, and probably the biggest live audience he'd dueled for, which didn't even account for being on national television.
"Hurry up, so The Taylor can end this mercifully!" his unfazed opponent taunted.
"One monster face-down," Simon declared as he placed the card on his Duel Disk, "and another face-down to keep things interesting." The two set cards appeared in front of the Ra duelist.
"The Taylor would not call that 'interesting'," the Blue said derisively, "so he will try to make up for it. First, Graceful Charity. This Magic card allows The Taylor to draw three cards and then discard any two." Taylor took three cards from his deck then quickly deposited two in his Graveyard.
"And now," he announced, "Prepare for the most fearsome beast in Duel Monsters!"
Blue-Eyes already? Simon wondered.
"The Taylor uses Monster Reborn to summon one of the cards he just discarded!" the Dragon duelist cried, "The Blue-Eyes White Dragon (3000 2500)!"
Taylor played his Magic card and a flash of light emanated from his Duel Disk. Then, the white-scaled Dragon slowly materialized. Taylor roared in unison with his prized monster.
"Now, go, Lord of D. (1200 1100)!" the Obelisk cried. His skeleton-armored, caped monster materialized on the field.
"Hang on!" Simon interrupted, "I activate my Trap, Fiendish Chain!" The card rose and revealed itself to Taylor.
"Foolish, Ra!" Taylor scoffed, "Since Lord of D. is on the field, Dragon-type Monsters cannot be targeted by card effects."
Now Simon scoffed, "Who said I was targeting your Dragon?" Green chains shot from the face of the Trap card and ensnared the Lord of D.. Taylor looked puzzled.
"You see, Fiendish Chain can only target Effect Monsters," explained Simon, "Now your Lord of D. cannot attack, and its effect is negated."
Taylor laughed.
"The foolish Ra has trapped my Lord of D. and let my Dragon roam free?" he said, "You haven't even taken Lord of D. out of the game! Watch! Flute of Summoning Dragon!"
The Lord of D. wriggled an arm free of the chains before a bronze colored flute with a Dragon's head appeared in its hand.
Taylor continued, "When Flute of Summoning Dragon is activated while Lord of D. is on the field, then The Taylor can Special Summon two Dragons from the hand." He threw two cards onto his Duel Disk.
The Lord of D. sounded a deep note through the Flute. Then, two more Blue-Eyes White Dragons materialized flanking the first one. Both Dragons roared and stamped their clawed feet with their arrival.
"Now, the foolish Ra will face the wrath of three Blue-Eyes White Dragons (3000 2500 X3)!" yelled Taylor.
"And Miller has managed to summon all three of his legendary Dragons on the first turn!" Augustus cried.
Manni grinned and leaned forward eagerly. No mere Yellow could hope to face down three Blue-Eyes White Dragons at once!
"Oh my God!" Syra cried, "Three Blue-Eyes White Dragons!"
Zane had his attention firmly on the field. He even leaned forward in his seat a little bit. Joe finished writing a note and smiled at Syra. Even a dispassionate analyst could get excited by seeing three of the legendary Monster.
"I wonder if Simon is ready for this," he said.
"Something's wrong," Zane stated. He wasn't smiling at the sight of the game's most fearsome beasts. No, Syra could tell that Zane was working out the duel in his head, trying to predict the ebbs and flows. He was usually right, although Syra wondered how he could enjoy a duel that way.
She asked her brother, "What do you mean?"
Zane scowled. "This is the biggest duel of that kid's life," he said, "and he's staring down the Monster made legend by Seto Kaiba, perhaps the most feared card in Duel Monsters regardless of how strong it is. And he's…fine."
Syra looked at the Ra duelist on the field. Zane was right. A rookie should be visibly panicked right about now. But this Simon kid wasn't. As a matter of fact, he was failing to hide a grin.
Joe said, "And there's that Fiendish Chain Trap card. Why did he want to negate Lord of D.'s effect?"
Syra frowned in concentration as she looked again at the field. The realization hit her quickly.
"He's got an Effect Monster!" she exclaimed, "One that'll target those Blue-Eyes!"
Crowler couldn't keep the mirth off his face. He looked in wonder at the three towering Dragons before the troublesome Yellow slacker. This is exactly what he had hoped for when he'd matched up Taylor Miller with Brown. Those Dragons would finally crush the brat's rebellious spirit!
"Did you say something, Vellian?" Chancellor Sheppard asked.
"Oh no," Amy said, "Simon's in trouble!"
"This is bad," Anna agreed, "Three Blue-Eyes at once!"
Lorenzo broke in, "It looks bad, but it's just three Monsters. He can get out of this."
Amy rounded on him, "Those aren't just any three Monsters!"
John nudged his roommate. "Look at Simon," he said, "He looks confident. And he doesn't have much of a poker face."
"Are you saying he's going to beat those Blue-Eyes?" asked Anna.
"No," John said wryly, "I'm saying he already has."
Taylor felt like he had Simon on the ropes. Lorenzo had warned him not to underestimate the Ra Yellow. But it was still the first turn of the duel, and Taylor had a massive advantage on the field. So why was Simon smiling?
I have to attack, Taylor thought, I can practically win the duel right now!
"Blue-Eyes!" he cried, "Attack that face-down! White Lightning!" He finished by throwing his head back and pointing to the sky. The people loved the theatrics.
The right-most Dragon fired a beam of blue-white light at Simon's face-down Monster. It briefly revealed a knight in spiky blue armor riding a small Dragon with spiky blue scales and a pale underbelly before obliterating the Monster. Now Simon was smiling from ear-to-ear.
"That was the Dragon Manipulator (700 800)," he said, "And when it's flipped, I can take control of one of my opponent's Dragon monsters for the rest of the turn!"
"What!?" Taylor cried. I fell for his trick! Taylor had disregarded his opponent's Fiendish Chain Trap when it hadn't affected his Blue-Eyes. But with Lord of D.'s effect negated, his Dragons were susceptible to the effect of Simon's Monster. He ruefully saw the cleverness of the Yellow's plan.
The blue-armored knight appeared on the back of his center Blue-Eyes. The Dragon flapped its wings and glided to the other side of the field, then turned to face its brethren.
"So now," the Ra continued, "you can attack and leave me defenseless, but it'll cost you two Blue-Eyes White Dragons."
Lorenzo groaned internally. Simon had pulled a fast one on Taylor which he and John had seen coming. John high-fived Amy and Anna. But Lorenzo knew that Taylor—his friend Taylor, just as much as Simon was his friend—was getting torn up inside at the sight of his precious Blue-Eyes controlled by the opponent.
"Do you think he'll attack?" Anna, the Obelisk girl, asked him.
"Not a chance."
Simon's plan had worked better than he expected. Of course, how could he have expected to face all three Blue-Eyes White Dragons in the first turn? Now Taylor was boxed in, and the Ra Yellow had more surprises in store. But now, it was time to taunt this showman.
"Well?" Simon asked, "Are you going to attack your own Monster?"
"The Taylor ends his turn," the Obelisk sneered, "Which means the Blue-Eyes returns to its proper place."
The Dragon Manipulator faded away and Taylor's Monster returned to his side of the field. Meanwhile, Simon drew to begin his turn.
"Be warned, Trickster," Taylor continued, "You will not be underestimated again."
Well, at least I'm not 'foolish Ra' anymore, Simon mused.
"Fine by me," he replied to the Dragon wielder, "You can estimate me any which way you want. I'm going to win this duel no matter what!"
"Ha!" Taylor was regaining his bravado. "You still face the might of three Blue-Eyes White Dragons!"
"Yeah," Simon chuckled, "The cards that made you famous. And that fame has gotten you pretty far. You've had duelists scared at the mention of your name, and then you throw the Dragons and the act at them. Most of your opponents probably aren't playing their best at that point.
But there's a downside to all that fame. You see, Taylor, I've been able to watch hundreds of your duels this week. I know your deck inside and out. Your combos and strategies, I've seen 'em all. Every Monster in your deck is a Dragon-type except for that Lord of D. I've got chained up.
"Of course!" Taylor broke in, "The Taylor only uses the strongest Monsters!"
"Sure, Dragons are the strongest Type in Duel Monsters," Simon agreed, "Which is why there are so many cards made specifically to counter Dragons. But you know that. You've faced plenty of them. And you've always used your Lord of D. to shield your Dragons.
"So my plan today is twofold. First, stuff my deck full of Dragon counters. And second, remove the Lord of D. from the equation."
Taylor snorted. "Do you think you're the first duelist who thought he solved The Taylor's deck, Trickster?" he asked rhetorically, "Make your move so that The Taylor can continue beating you!"
"Careful what you wish for," Simon muttered, "I activate the effect of a Monster in my hand. By discarding Electric Virus, I can take control of one Machine or Dragon-type Monster my opponent controls. Guess which one I'll pick."
Simon placed the card in his Graveyard slot. Then, yellow sparks surrounded the center Blue-Eyes and he moved to the Ra's field.
"Is the Trickster running out of new tricks?" Taylor asked.
"Sometimes all you need is an old trick," replied Simon, "With a new twist. Now, I summon Galaxy Dragon (2000 1200)." A Dragon with dark-blue scales except on its limbs and wings, which were a glowing bright blue, and red talons materialized. It was dwarfed by the Blue-Eyes White Dragon.
"2000 attack points and no sacrifice?" Amy asked.
"In my experience," Lorenzo said, "that means it has a detrimental effect."
John shook his head. "Knowing Simon, the effect is gonna be very helpful."
"That Galaxy Dragon is nothing compared to the Blue-Eyes!" Taylor asserted.
"Well, the way you've been calling me 'Trickster'", Simon said testily, "I thought you knew me better than that. You see, Galaxy Dragon can only attack other Dragon Monsters, but when it does, it gains 1000 attack points!"
Taylor's eyes widened as he realized the implications.
"That's right," Simon taunted, "I'm taking down all of them! Blue-Eyes, Galaxy Dragon, attack!"
Simon's Galaxy Dragon swelled to the size of the Blue-Eyes White Dragons then fired a beam of pure-white energy which was met by a White Lightning attack from Taylor's Dragon. Blue-Eyes fired its blue-white energy beam which was matched by another White Lightning from Taylor's other Dragon. The clashing attacks triggered an explosion Both duelists covered their eyes as smoke covered the field. When the smoke cleared, all of the Dragons were gone.
"Incredible!" Augustus exclaimed over the PA, "Brown has defeated the three Blue-Eyes in one turn!"
John stood up and pumped his fist.
"I told you!" he cried, looking at his compatriots, "He had those Blue-Eyes beat that whole time!"
No! Crowler thought, That slacker isn't supposed to do that!
He looked around furtively, but it appeared no one had heard him.
At least I managed to keep that thought to myself.
"Kept what to yourself?" Sheppard asked.
The crowd was mostly stunned, but Taylor looked just plain angry. At least he was quiet for once.
"I'll end my turn there," Simon announced.
Wordlessly, Taylor made his draw. He grinned sinisterly.
"Here's the first crack in your strategy," he said, "The Taylor summons the Lady of D. (1500 1100)."
The what now? Simon thought.
A woman clad in a blue and black tunic, a long black and gold skirt, and a black cape with blue lining with short blonde hair appeared on the field.
"The Taylor can see that the Trickster did not prepare for the Lady," Taylor said, "As long as she is on the field, you can't target Dragons for attack! And next, The Taylor activates Dragon Revival Rhapsody! This Magic card can only be activated while the player controls a Spellcaster Monster, like Lord of D. or Lady of D.. With it, The Taylor can Special Summon 2 Dragon Monsters from the Graveyard, as long as one of them is a Normal Monster. So, welcome back two of the Blue-Eyes White Dragons (3000 2500 X2)!"
On cue, two of Taylor's powerful Dragons reappeared. By now, Simon was used to the roars from both the Dragons and the duelist.
"The one drawback to Dragon Revival Rhapsody," the Obelisk said, "Is that you take no damage on the turn it is used. So The Taylor will end his turn."
Simon drew a card. I thought I had those things taken care of, he thought.
"I'll summon Trident Warrior (1800 1200)," the Ra said. A bearded soldier in aqua colored armor and a white cape wielding a golden trident appeared on the field across from the two fearsome Dragons.
Taylor laughed. "Foolish Ra! You should have played that Monster in Defense mode!"
"Well if I set the Trident Warrior, then I couldn't use his effect," Simon said, "Whenever Trident Warrior is Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon a Level 3 Monster from my hand. And I choose Necro Gardna (600 1300) in Defense mode."
A silver-armored Monster with spiked red shoulder pads and a long white mane appeared in a kneeling stance next to Trident Warrior.
"I'll place a face-down and end my turn," the Ra finished.
"Those two Monsters won't save you from the Blue-Eyes!" Taylor exclaimed as he drew, "And now The Taylor will use the Pot of Greed to draw two new cards." He did so and quickly made his next move. "The Taylor plays the Magic card, Silver's Cry!"
The two Blue-Eyes on the field shrieked. Simon covered his ears.
"This card revives one Normal Dragon Monster from the Graveyard!" the Dragon duelist explained.
"Uh-oh," Simon muttered.
A third Blue-Eyes materialized between the first two. (3000 2500)
"The Taylor has reassembled his destructive triumvirate!" Taylor cried, "And now, the Dragons will unleash their wrath! Attack the Trident Warrior! White Lightning!"
The Blue-Eyes on the right fired its attack and vaporized the Trident Warrior.
S: 6800 T: 8000
"And Obelisk Blue's Miller has struck the first blow!" Augustus announced.
"Attack Necro Gardna!" commanded Taylor. The center Dragon fired. Necro Gardna was no more.
"Now, direct attack! White Lightning!"
The left Dragon launched its blue-white beam at the Ra. Just before it hit, the silhouette of Necro Gardna flashed in front of Simon and blocked the attack!
"Trickster!" Taylor cried, "Explain!"
"That's Necro Gardna's effect," Simon replied with a grin, "I can remove it from the Graveyard to cancel one of your attacks."
Taylor slowly clapped. Simon had the feeling it was sarcastic.
"Well done," he said, "But The Taylor still has one more Monster that can attack this turn. Lady of D., direct attack!"
The sorceress extended her arms in front of her and placed her palms facing towards Simon. She fired a series of golden energy diamonds at the Ra Yellow, hitting him square in the chest. The Ra winced
S: 5300 T: 8000
"Are you finished?" Simon demanded.
Taylor smirked. "The worst is yet to come for you, Trickster!"
I don't know if this could get much worse, Simon thought.
"The Taylor will now bring forth the most feared creature in the game of Duel Monsters! Seto Kaiba's famous ace!" announced the Obelisk, "With Polymerization, three Blue-Eyes combine into one! Rise, Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon (4500 3800)!"
The three Dragons swirled together in the vortex of Polymerization. Then, from that vortex a gigantic, white-scaled Dragon emerged. Like the hydra from legend, it possessed three heads, but these heads could breathe White Lightning. The beast shrieked piercingly and Taylor threw back his head and roared. The Obelisk Blues in the crowd applauded and shouted their approval.
Alright, Simon admitted internally, It got worse.
End credits music: Can't Stop by Red Hot Chili Peppers