Kodoku LP: 3600
Aquabot Ruin: Machine-Type/Ritual/WATER/Level 4/ATK 1900/DEF 0
Katie LP: 2100
Spell & Trap Card Zone: Future Fusion
"With that I end my turn," Kodoku beamed, proud to have got some damage in on Katie.
Katie, on the other hand, was a bit more worried. It was clear now that Kodoku was using a very unusual Deck, and that she would have to alter her strategy if she was to be ready for what was coming. "It's my turn, draw."
Future Fusion: Turn 0 → 1
"I activate the Continuous Spell Card, Herculean Power!" The Spell Card appeared alongside Future Fusion. "With this card, once per turn, if you control a monster but I don't, I can Special Summon a Level four or lower Gemini monster from my hand. I think I'll use that effect now, to Special Summon Evocator Chevalier!" The Spell Card lit up, and called one of Katie's signature monsters to the field in a whirl of embers.
Evocator Chevalier: Warrior-Type/Gemini/FIRE/Level 4/ATK 1900/DEF 900
"Next I'll activate a Field Spell Card, Solstice Zone of Aphorism!" With a rumbling noise, a massive boulder crashed through the ground and rose up behind Katie. A second one rose up behind Kodoku. One by one, a circle of massive, uneven stones encircled the two duelists. Then, the stones were bathed in an orange hue, as the sky changed completely – shifting its colour from the brilliant blue of daytime, to the bright orange colour of a sunset. The few watchers gasped and pointed, awestruck by the sight.
Kodoku was likewise enthralled, staring at the sky with rapt amazement. "Whoa…" he breathed.
Katie grinned. "With Solstice Zone of Aphorism in play, all FIRE-Attribute monsters on the field gain 300 ATK and DEF."
Evocator Chevalier: ATK 1900 → 2200/DEF 900 → 1200
"Now I think it's time for a Normal Summon," Katie declared, taking another card from her hand to put into play. "I Normal Summon Solstice Armed Mage!" A second copy of her very first monster appeared to stand alongside the young warrior.
Solstice Armed Mage: Spellcaster-Type/Gemini/FIRE/Level 4/ATK 1800/DEF 200
Solstice Armed Mage: ATK 1800 → 2100/DEF 200 → 500
"Now I'll activate the other effect of Solstice Zone of Aphorism! Whenever a player Normal Summons a Gemini monster, that player can add one FIRE Gemini monster from their Deck to their hand, then discard one card. So I'll add my third copy of Solstice Armed Mage to my hand, then discard it immediately." She extracted the card from her Deck and sent it straight to the Graveyard. "Battle! Solstice Armed Mage, attack Aquabot Ruin!" The magician on the field launched a fireball at the gelatinous creature. The monster's giant hand whipped around as if to bat the fireball away, but the monster was engulfed by the explosion.
Kodoku LP: 3600 → 3400
Katie was about to declare a direct attack, then gasped as the smoke cleared. Ruin was still there. The giant hand it had received from Clench had moved in front of its body, and had blocked the explosion. "What's going on?" she asked, suddenly worried. Had she underestimated this kid again?
"It's my monsters' effects," Kodoku explained. "When Clench was Tributed to Ritual Summon Ruin, it gave Ruin a certain effect. Now, Ruin can't be destroyed by battle while it's on the field."
"Hmph," Katie huffed, undeterred. "I should've checked that effect sooner. No matter, it worked out pretty well anyway." Kodoku looked at her, worriedly. "From my hand, I activate the Quick-Play Spell, Gemini Spark!" Her Spell Card appeared, materializing next to her other two Spells. "With this, I can Tribute one Level four Gemini monster I control to destroy a card you control, then draw one card from my Deck. I'll Tribute Solstice Armed Mage to destroy Aquabot Ruin!" Armed Mage faded away into nothingness, and the Spell Card began to crackle with blue electricity. All of a sudden, it let loose a burst of light blue lightning at Ruin. Once again, the giant hand shot out to protect it, but it could do nothing against a Spell. The electricity consumed the monster, frying all of its internal circuits and blowing it up where it stood.
"Impressive," Jad muttered, as Kodoku covered his face from the explosion. "This girl is very strong... certainly a lot stronger than she looks."
"Now, back to battle!" Katie declared as she drew one card from Gemini Spark's effect. "Evocator Chevalier, direct attack!" The young warrior ran forward and slashed at the boy. Kodoku fell back, clutching his arm.
Kodoku LP: 3400 → 1200
"I'll set one card and end my turn." Katie's face-down card appeared, leaving her hand empty.
"My turn, draw." Kodoku sifted through the cards in his hand carefully, looking for the best move he could make. Katie could practically see the cogs whirring inside his head. "I activate the Spell Card, Preparation of Rites." The Spell Card appeared on Kodoku's otherwise empty field. "With this, I can take one Level seven or lower Ritual Monster from my Deck, plus one Ritual Spell Card from my Graveyard, and add both cards to my hand. I'll take Aquabot Dimension from my Deck, and Aquabot Liquid Armour from my Graveyard." He added both cards to his hand together.
"Another Ritual Summon?" Katie asked.
"Not yet," Kodoku replied. "First, I activate the Quick-Play Spell Card, Plate Salvage! With this card, the effects of all Field Spell Cards on the field are negated for a few turns." A wave of light moved outwards from Kodoku, coating all the giant boulders in a dusting of ice. "And with the effects of your Field Spell gone, your monster loses its ATK boost."
Evocator Chevalier: ATK 2200 → 1900/DEF 1200 → 900
"Next I'll Normal Summon Sonic Bird." The amusing monster – a large bird wearing a jet pack – flapped its way onto the field.
Sonic Bird: Winged Beast-Type/WIND/Level 4/ATK 1400/DEF 1000
"When Sonic Bird is Summoned, I can add any Ritual Spell Card from my Deck to my hand, like Aquabot Dimension Armour." He added yet another card from his Deck to his hand. "And now, I'll activate the first Ritual Spell Card, Aquabot Liquid Armour. With this, I'll Tribute Sonic Bird, to Ritual Summon Aquabot Dimension!" Sonic Bird faded away into nothingness. Then, with a flash of blue light and the sound of rushing water, a new Ritual Monster appeared. Aquabot Dimension had the appearance of a giant, ceiling-high mirror, but the edges of the mirror were made from the same blue liquid that the other Aquabots had been made of, and the front of the mirror didn't reflect anything, but was instead a swirling blue whirlpool that looked like a blue version of the Numbers' Xyz Summoning portal. It had small spindly legs holding it upright, and two large green eyes staring out of the top of the frame. Printed just underneath these eyes was another line of text, CODE: [).[). (0/7201132.
Aquabot Dimension: Machine-Type/Ritual/WATER/Level 4/ATK 1500/DEF 1500
"Then I'll activate Aquabot Dimension's effect. When this monster is Ritual Summoned, I can shuffle one card on the field into the Deck. I choose your face-down card." Silver chains shot from the swirling gateway, wrapped around Katie's face-down card, and began dragging it towards the 'mirror'.
Katie decided that leaving herself unprotected was too much of a risk to take. "In response, I activate my Trap Card, Damage Diet!" The Trap Card activated while being dragged, much to Kodoku's surprise. "With this card, any damage I take during this turn will be halved." The card, its work done, faded away. The chains retracted, having lost their target.
Kodoku's face fell. "Fine, then I'll activate the other effect of Aquabot Liquid Armour from my Graveyard!" His Graveyard zone lit up. "If it's in the Graveyard, I can banish any Aquabot card from my Graveyard to shuffle this card back into my Deck. I banish Aquabot Ruin!" He took both cards from his Graveyard. The monster he banished, while the Spell was shuffled back into his Deck. "Now I activate another Ritual Spell, Aquabot Dimension Armour!"
"You're performing two Ritual Summons in one turn?" Katie gasped.
Kodoku nodded, suddenly quite serious. Or perhaps he was concentrating hard on his move. "With Aquabot Dimension Armour, I return my banished Aquabot Ruin to the Graveard to Ritual Summon Aquabot Research!" An amorphous blob that represented the banished Aquabot Ruin appeared on the field, but placed well back from the Monster Card Zones. Then, alongside the first Ritual Monster, a second one appeared. Aquabot Research was a simple humanoid construct, but was once again made of that same blue liquid, with circuitry flashing away inside it. It carried a large briefcase in both hands, which had another code printed onto its lid, CODE: 3*1D3z!^^3/732
Aquabot Research: Machine-Type/Ritual/WATER/Level 4/ATK 1000/DEF 1400
Kodoku turned to his teacher, a nervous look on his face. "Sir, I'm confused. I have lots of effects to activate now. Which one do I use first?"
"Stay calm, Kodoku, you're doing fine," Jad assured him. "Just go through their effects logically and in order."
Kodoku nodded, took a deep breath, and resumed his turn. "First, there's Aquabot Ruin. When it's used to Ritual Summon a monster, that Ritual Monster gains 1200 ATK." The blob of blue liquid in the back row engulfed the humanoid, changing its colour to a darker blue and placing their respective codes above each other. It also now hand a large rifle strapped to its back.
Aquabot Research: ATK 1000 → 2200
Kodoku stopped right there, considering his next move. "This sucks," he said. "I was going use Aquabot Research's effect to return your monster to your hand and win this turn, but thanks to that Damage Diet card I can't win in this turn either way. So I think the best thing to do-"
"Is to set yourself up for next turn?" Katie suggested.
"That's right," he replied. "So, I activate Aquabot Research's effect. When it's Ritual Summoned, its effect lets me return one card on the field to the owner's hand. I choose Future Fusion." The formal-looking humanoid quickly snapped opened the briefcase and pulled out a rack of bottles and test tubes. Faster than the eye could follow, the monster began mixing and remixing many of the different chemicals. Finally, when it had found a mixture that it liked, it hurled the beaker at Future Fusion. The beaker shattered on contact, splattering the chemicals over the surface of the card. With a hissing sound and a cloud of steam, the Spell Card simply melted away. Katie returned the almost-ready Future Fusion to her hand, irritated that she hadn't been able to complete the Summoning of Raptinus. That could've been a real game changer.
"Battle! Aquabot Research, attack Evocator Chevalier!" The humanoid immediately began mixing more chemicals. In no time at all, it was holding a second concoction in a beaker, which it threw at the monster. The young warrior threw its arms up to defend itself as the beaker shattered, spraying glass and chemicals everywhere. Just like the Spell Card, Chevalier simply melted away. Katie's Damage Diet Trap Card appeared in front of her, blocking some of the damage.
Katie LP: 2100 → 1950
"Then, Aquabot Dimension attacks you directly!" More chains flew from the mirror and affixed themselves to Katie's duel disk. A surge of blue electricity shot down the chains towards her. Once again, the Damage Diet card appeared in front of the electric pulse and prevented the worst of it from reaching her.
Katie LP: 1950 → 1200
"Now I need to set up a strong defence for next turn," Kodoku said matter-of-factly. "During Main Phase two, Level four Aquabot Dimension and Aquabot Research, Overlay!" The two already-amorphous masses now changed into blue blobs of pure energy, and shot upwards, away from a spiral red portal. Aquabot Ruin's attachments, now unneeded, fell away and dissipated. "I use these two Aquabot monsters to construct the Overlay Network! Xyz Summon!" The two monsters sailed into the portal, which erupted with light. "Appear, Aquabot Power Mech!" Out of the portal rose a giant blue sphere, made out of the same blue liquid with internal circuitry. It had wheels on the bottom, a spike at the top, and a code imprinted across its centre, CODE: ^^4(}{ (}{42932. Two blue Overlay Units orbited the spike.
Aquabot Power Mech: Machine-Type/Xyz/WATER/Rank 4/ATK 500/DEF 1700 – 2 OLU
"And Power Mech has an effect too," Kodoku stated before Katie could say anything. "As long as it's on the field, all face-up Aquabot monsters I control gain 300 ATK and DEF for each Overlay Unit attached to it." Waves of electricity shot from the spike at the top of the liquid sphere, connecting it to the orbiting Overlay Units.
Aquabot Power Mech: ATK 500 → 1100/DEF 1700 → 2300
He examined his hand and his field one last time, looking for anything else he could do. Finally he nodded, satisfied. "Alright, everything looks ok. I end my turn there."
Author-made cards:
Aquabot Ruin (credit to Superjad)
Machine-Type/Ritual/WATER/Level 4/ATK 1900/DEF 0
Can be Normal Summoned (from your hand). You can Ritual Summon this card with any "Aquabot" Ritual Spell Card. When this card is Normal Summoned: Send 2 "Aquabot" cards from your Deck to the Graveyard. If this card is Ritual Summoned: Target 1 card on the field; destroy that target. A monster that is Ritual Summoned using this card gains 1200 ATK.
Solstice Armed Mage
Spellcaster-Type/Gemini/FIRE/Level 4/ATK 1800/DEF 200
This card is treated as a Normal Monster while face-up on the field or in the Graveyard. While this card is face-up on the field, you can Normal Summon it to have it treated as an Effect Monster with this effect: ●This card's original ATK becomes 2400.
Aquabot Dimension (credit to Superjad)
Machine-Type/Ritual/WATER/Level 4/ATK 1500/DEF 1500
Can be Normal Summoned (from your hand). You can Ritual Summon this card with any "Aquabot" Ritual Spell Card. When this card is Normal Summoned: Target 1 of your banished "Aquabot" cards; add that target to your hand. If this card is Ritual Summoned: Target 1 card on the field; shuffle it into the Deck. A monster that is Ritual Summoned using this card is unaffected by effects that do not target.
Aquabot Research (credit to Superjad)
Machine-Type/Ritual/WATER/Level 4/ATK 1000/DEF 1400
Can be Normal Summoned (from your hand). You can Ritual Summon this card with any "Aquabot" Ritual Spell Card. When this card is Normal Summoned: Add 1 "Aquabot" monster from your Deck to your hand and send 1 "Aquabot" Spell Card from your Deck to the Graveyard. If this card is Ritual Summoned: Target 1 card on the field; return it to the hand. If the monster that was Ritual Summoned using this card destroys a monster by battle, the controller of the Ritual Monster Special Summons 1 "Aquabot" monster from their Graveyard.
Aquabot Power Mech (credit to Superjad)
Machine-Type/Xyz/WATER/Rank 4/ATK 500/DEF 1700
2 Level 4 "Aquabot" monsters
Face-up "Aquabot" monsters gain 300 ATK and DEF for each Overlay Unit attached to this card. If this card would be destroyed, you can detach 1 Overlay Unit from this card instead.
Solstice Zone of Aphorism
Field Spell Card
Face-up FIRE monsters gain 300 ATK and DEF. When a Gemini monster is Normal Summoned: Its controller can add 1 FIRE Gemini monster from their Deck to their hand, then discard 1 card.
Aquabot Liquid Armour (credit to Superjad)
Ritual Spell Card
Choose 1 "Aquabot" Ritual Monster in your hand, Tribute monsters from your hand or field whose total Levels equal the Level of the chosen monster, and Ritual Summon the chosen monster from your hand. If this card is in the Graveyard: You can banish 1 "Aquabot" card (except this card) from your Graveyard; shuffle this card from the Graveyard into the Deck.
Aquabot Dimension Armour (credit to Superjad)
Ritual Spell Card
Choose 1 "Aquabot" Ritual Monster in your hand, return any number of your banished monsters to your Graveyard whose total Levels equal the Level of the chosen monster, and Ritual Summon the chosen monster from your hand. If this card is in the Graveyard: You can banish 1 "Aquabot" card (except this card) from your Graveyard; shuffle this card from the Graveyard into the Deck.
Fun Fact #7: I have no idea why WATER monsters have taken over the concept of Ritual Summoning as of late. I do know that I love it.
Fun Fact #8: Yes, Aquabot Power Mech is very similar to Gachi Gachi Gantetsu, why do you ask?
Fun Fact #9: To the Guest who asked if Numbers will appear in this story: our answer is maybe. We haven't written up the duel completely yet, but since Katie is in a friendly duel with a non-Number holder, the chances of her using one of her Numbers are low. And to the Guest who asked why nobody was freaked out by Matt's presence, it's entirely possible that there is nobody currently in the park who was present on that day. Cities are big, and by extension they have a lot of people. The chances of the same person being in the park on two separate occasions weeks apart (taking into account the nature of the incident) are pretty remote.
Fun Fact #10: It does seem like Superjad's cards are taking over the fanfic, doesn't it...