Chapter 10: Conflict in the Academy
"When we're done here," Mitsuro said, "you'll withdraw from consideration for the School Duel?"
"If you win," Cary specified. She wasn't just going to withdraw regardless of the outcome. She had to be persuaded by a stronger duelist. And the opening game didn't bode well for Mitsuro; her paper was beaten by Cary's scissors, giving Cary the first turn in the duel.
"I'll start things off with Dragunity Tribus (1/500/300)." When Cary placed her card on her Duel Disk, a holographic man appeared on the field, adorned in blue and white robes. He wore a cowl over his head and face that looked like that of a bird, and he had enormous wings on his back.
"A Dragunity monster?" Mitsuro asked. She had heard of them, of course, but they were hard to find, and even harder to build a deck around.
"I have connections," Cary replied. "Anyway, summoning Tribus enables me to send a low-level dragon from my deck to the Graveyard." She discarded Dragunity Phalanx (2). "I'll set one card and end my turn."
"Good. My turn," Mitsuro announced.
Cary was already eager to play a Trap. "Trap Dustshoot lets me see your hand because you have more than four cards, then send a monster back to your deck. You do have a monster, don't you?" Mitsuro revealed her hand, which had four monsters in it. "Good."
As rare as Cary's cards were, Mitsuro's were even rarer. She held Assault Ship, Helicopter Support Squad, Destroyer Class – USS Guardian, Reinforcement Forces, Upgrade, and Resupply. These were cards with a naval theme, granted to the winner of a scholarship offered by the US Navy. Cary opted to send Light Assault Ship back to the deck.
"Fine. I'll set a monster and a card."
"Really?" Cary asked. "I thought you'd be launching attacks at me left and right the way you came barging up to me at lunch."
"There's still time."
That was hardly threatening from Cary's view. "I'll summon Dragunity Partisan (2/1200/800)." This monster was a small, purple dragon with a gold underbelly and a headdress that looked like the blade of a broadsword. "When I summon Partisan, I get to Special Summon from my hand any winged-beast Dragunity monster; I'll summon Dragunity Angusticlavii (5/2100/1000)." This man looked like an archer wearing wings and a headdress as from a red and blue phoenix. He wore a bow across his shoulder. Then the purple dragon wrapped itself around Angusticlavii's arm. "When I summon a monster through Partisan's effect, Partisan becomes an equip card. In this way, Angus gets to inflict piercing damage when he attacks." Angusticlavii brandished his bow and nocked an arrow; Partisan energized the arrow. Angus released the arrow, and it pierced the facedown ship on Mitsuro's field.
"When my Assault Ship (4/1500/1200) is flipped, it leaves behind two Assault Tokens (2/1000/1000)." They looked like fairly large bullet shells. "I'll also play Reinforcement Forces, which lets me summon two more Assault Tokens."
Cary noted the Tokens and decided not to continue attacking. Cary 8000: Mitsuro 8000 – 900 = 7100.
Mitsuro drew and put a smile on her face. "I'll offer an Assault Token as Tribute to summon Destroyer Class – USS Defender (5/2400/2400)." The ship that floated onto her field was designed like an Arleigh Burke class ship; it was a white ship, well armed with defensive weaponry. "Let's destroy your Dragunity Tribus (500)." Multiple fire from the ship destroyed Cary's monster. Cary 8000 – 1900 = 6100: Mitsuro 7100.
"Then I'll summon Dragunity Dux (4/+2100/1000)." This new monster wore white robes and had almost mechanical wings on his back. Suddenly a blue dragon wearing copper-colored armor along its belly, wings, and head appeared and wrapped around Dux's arm. "Summoning Dux lets me play a low-level Dragunity monster from my Graveyard as a Spell. And Dragunity Phalanx (2/500/1100) can summon itself when it's equipped to another monster."
"You planning to swarm my ship?"
"No. Overpower it." Phalanx began to shine and perched itself on Dux once again. "Phalanx (2) is a tuner monster, and by tuning it to Dux (4), I can summon Dragunity Knight – Gáebolg (6/2000/1100)." The new monster looked like a much larger version of Phalanx, its armor turned white, being ridden by Dux. "I'll have my monster attack your Defender (2400) ship." She removed Dux from her Graveyard to activate her monster's ability. "By removing a winged beast from my Graveyard, Gáebolg (+3500) gains the attack power of the removed monster." Her dragon rider thrust a polearm and the ship and created a hole in the port side, but the ship didn't "sink."
"USS Defender (2400) isn't destroyed in battle by anything with more than 3000 attack points," Mitsuro relayed.
"Then Angus (2100) will destroy another of your Assault Tokens (1000)." Even though it was in defense mode, the Assault Token exploded when hit by Angusticlavii's arrow. Cary set one card to end her turn. Cary 6100: Mitsuro 7100 – 1100 = 6000.
Mitsuro drew. "I'll play Upgrade, a Spell that improves my USS Defender (+2900)." Extra cannons attached to the holographic ship. "But 500 points doesn't make that big a difference. Instead, I'll send Upgrade to the Graveyard to destroy your Angus." The cannons fired with such force they overheated and seemed to self-destruct; the blasts hit Angusticlavii and destroyed him. "Now I'll Tribute another Assault Token to summon Destroyer Class – USS Liberty (5/2000/2300)." This ship was almost identical to the other, but it had a greenish-copper color and fewer weapons. "When this card is summoned, all Spells and Traps are negated for two turns." Guns along the ship's deck loaded, preparing to fire against any Spells or Traps that might activate.
"Great," Cary remarked dryly.
"Defender (2400) can launch an assault on Gáebolg (2000), and then Liberty (2000) can attack you directly." Cary 6100 – 400 – 2000 = 3700: Mitsuro 6000.
"No Spells," Cary noted. "Then I guess I'll set a monster and end my turn."
"On the run already? I'll summon Helicopter Support Squad (4/1300/1200)." Helicopters filled the air in Mitsuro's field. "And now, Liberty (2000) will begin the assault." The ship opened fire on Cary's side of the field.
"I don't suppose your ship launches a rolled up newspaper," Cary commented. "My monster was Flying Kamakiri #1 (4/1400/900). When you destroy that, I get to summon another one to the field in attack mode."
Mitsuro shrugged. "Then I guess Defender (2400) will attack that one, too. At least this time, it's in attack mode."
"That's true," Cary admitted. "But when Flying Kamakiri is destroyed, I get to summon any wind monster with 1500 or fewer points. The first time, I just wanted to summon another defensive monster. Now, I'm going to summon a second Dragunity Dux (+1700)." Dux has 1500 original points, which is why it is eligible for Flying Kamakiri's effect, but it gains 200 points for each Dragunity monster on the field, including itself. "And when I summon Dux, I get to equip him with Phalanx from my Graveyard."
"I remember," Mitsuro commented. "That ends my turn." Cary 3700 – 1000 = 2700: Mitsuro 6000.
"Let's try this out," Cary suggested. "First, I'll use Phalanx's ability once again to summon it to the field, and then my two monsters will synchronize into Dragunity Knight – Vajuranda (6/1900/1200)." The result of the tuning was a red dragon with Dragunity Militum as its rider. "When Vajuranda is summoned, I can equip it with a Dragunity monster from the Graveyard, and I choose Phalanx." The blue-and-gold dragon attached itself to Vajuranda's belly. "And when I send any Dragunity monster back to the Graveyard when it is equipped to Vajuranda, it doubles my dragon rider's attack points." Phalanx disappeared again, and Vajuranda (+3800) grew even bigger. "Now let's destroy that Liberty ship."
"That's what my support squad is for," Mitsuro declared. "Any time you select a target on my field, I can shift the effect to my Helicopter Support Squad (1300) to protect my ships." Vajuranda's attack was intercepted by the helicopters, which all crashed after being hit by Vajuranda's spear.
"Okay. That ends my turn." Cary 2700: Mitsuro 6000 – 2500 = 3500.
"I'll summon Destroyer Class – USS Guardian (6/-1200/-1250) straight to the field; per its ability, doing so without Tributes cuts its points in half. And now that Liberty's effect has worn off," Mitsuro reminded, "I can play Resupply, which lets each of us draw until we hold five cards in our hands." Then she grinned. "And I found what I needed. When I remove from play all three of my Destroyer Class ships, I can fuse them into USS Liberation (10/3500/3400)." Mitsuro's brand new, red-white-and-blue ship was so large it made the others look like fishing trawlers.
"That's a big boat," Cary commented.
"It's not a boat; it's a ship," Mitsuro corrected her. "And it's the pride of my little Navy. When summoned, it becomes immune to destruction through battle and, by sending my last Assault Token to the Graveyard, Liberation can attack directly. But the real kicker is when I play Hyper Cannon Blast!" A series of large cannons attached to the ship. "Now USS Liberation (+4500/+4500) grows to 4500 points. Now, about that direct attack…" Liberation opened fire on Cary's field.
"Fortunately, I get to use my Traps again, too," Cary noted. "I'll play Mirror Force to negate your attack and destroy your monster." A reflective wall appeared in front of Mitsuro's massive ship and volleyed back the cannon fire.
"Fortunately for my armada," Mitsuro commented, "USS Liberation can't be destroyed by Traps."
"How convenient. At least your attack was still negated."
"True, but can you find a way to take down my ship?" She set one card to end her turn.
"I think so," Cary agreed. "I'll play One for One; by discarding a monster from my hand, I can summon a Level 1 monster from my deck." A black dragon lay on the field when a ball of energy emerged from its back, revealing a small, gray dragon wearing sky blue armor. "Dragunity Brandistock (1/600/400) is another tuner, and I will combine it with Vajuranda (6) to summon Exploder Dragonwing (7/2400/1600)." This was the first dragon Cary played so far that wasn't a Dragunity monster. It resembled a zombie dragon, with a mere layer of blue skin over its bones; it had a hump on its backside where its wings connected.
"Still not strong enough."
"That's why I'll play Megamorph," Cary replied. An obsidian tablet was embedded in her dragon's breast, doubling its power. "Now, Exploder Dragonwing (+4800) is stronger than your ship." The dragon began to focus energy in its hump while it flew at the Liberation.
"I'll counter with Coastal Defense," Mitsuro said. "The points of all monsters on the field become equal to the highest point total on the field. That means Liberation (+4800) is just as strong as your monster. But my ship can't be destroyed by battle."
"How about a monster effect?" Cary asked. Her dragon released the energy stored in its hump as an explosion that destroyed the skip. But the USS Liberation also opened fire and destroyed Exploder Dragonwing in return. "Whenever my Dragonwing attacks, the opposing monster is immediately destroyed… and you take damage equal to your monster's points." Cary 2700: Mitsuro 3500 – 4800 = 0.
Mitsuro let out an annoyed sigh as she stepped back and sat down in one of the classroom chairs. "Damn it."
Cary nodded. "I know. You really wanted that School Duel spot. But there will be other openings. There's the School Duel in the spring, and you've still got all of next year."
"I heard Bryan only put this School Duel off because it was necessary for his Team Lockdown recruitment. You think I can take him in the spring?"
Cary recalled the conversation she had with Bryan; he was waiting for the strongest duelist someone could come up with. Although they had a good duel program, the Otogi School for the Gaming Arts wasn't exactly known for producing Kings of Games. "I'm sure you'll have a better-than-average chance."
###
"Hey, Matt."
The guy with no free time looked up to see Rory, Lili, and Synthia also walking around the Academy bookstore. He was there to look up the textbooks he would need for the next semester; he presumed they were there to find new shoes. Women were always looking for new shoes, especially at college. Why bother to buy a whole bunch of cards they'll never use when they can buy a pair of shoes for every conceivable occasion? Gym time, parties, formal events, checking the mail…
"Hey, ladies," he replied with a smile brighter than average and a small twinkle in his eye.
"Why are you here so late?" Synthia asked.
Matt explained that he was just looking for his textbooks for the next semester. He already knew which classes he was going to take, and only eight weeks remained before the end of the current semester. The Blue students were given course priority and could register for classes already. Yellow students were given next priority and could register the following week, and Red students were the bottom of the ladder and didn't get to register until only four weeks before finals week.
"I prefer to get my books online," Rory said. "I heard college bookstores always gouge their prices for textbooks."
"Not with the tuition we pay," Matt corrected her. "It's different here because this is a private school. They don't need to charge much more than the publisher's price." Then Matt's phone started buzzing. He checked it and held up one finger to indicate he planned for a short conversation. "Hey, Kas."
Rory sighed loudly and turned away to her friends.
"It seems like Kasumi calls him every time you get within ten yards," Lili commented dryly.
"Maybe she's got him LoJacked," Synthia suggested. "Or she has you LoJacked. You haven't let her near you with any needles or large pieces of machinery, have you?"
"Not without a Mary Shelley joke," Rory assured her. She watched Matt as he tried to explain to Kasumi that the female voices in the background were not a harem, but evidence of the fact that there are women on the island and that some of them know where to find the bookstore.
"I wasn't yelling. I was being snippy," he explained to the phone. "There's a clear difference." He looked to Rory for support.
"Oh, yeah," she agreed, trying to score points. "Huge difference." He smiled at her and continued his conversation with his phone, this time along the lines of Kas's inability to control who Matt sees in a given day. Rory got the feeling she knew where this conversation was going. She slumped in place as Lili and Synthia each put on sympathetic smiles. "I'm pathetic, aren't I?"
"Very," Lili answered.
"Stop," Synthia told her. "There's nothing wrong with hitting on a cute guy. There's a problem with pining, though. You should find a guy who wants to be with you."
Lili shook her head. "No, you can see in his eyes that Matt wants to be with her. What you need to find, though, is a guy whose priority is you. Maybe Tommy."
Synthia's eyes went bright. "Ooo! I like him. He's cute, and he always watches you intently when you sing."
"Stop it," Rory pleaded. She was blushing heavily now and couldn't seem to stop. She really liked Matt; he was always funny, he was incredibly smart in class, she'd seen him wearing a sleeveless shirt at the gym and knew he had impressive arms, and he had so much in common with her in dueling strategy. But she had to admit, her friends had a point about not pining for a guy who was obviously still attached to his girlfriend.
"You know I can't promise you I won't run into Rory at some point. The island is only so big, and the campus is even smaller. … Uh huh. And what about Lili? Can I still say 'hi' to her, or is that like sleeping with the enemy?" He cringed as soon as he got the words out of his mouth and Rory gasped to prevent herself from laughing; Lili didn't mind cracking up. "No, honey, I'm not sleeping with Lili."
Synthia commented, "He walked right into that one."
Laura Guertin happened to wander into the textbook area and notice Matt. She decided that was as good a time as any to update Matt on the Tag Team Tournament negotiations. She stepped in front of him and put on an annoyed look. She was polite enough not to interrupt him while he was on the phone, but she was egotistical enough to think Matt should drop the phone call and prioritize the real person standing in front of him.
"Oh, Laura. Thank god," Matt said when he saw her. Then half his face cringed and he said, "Yes, honey, I'm a little surprised I said that myself." But before he finished saying that, Kasumi already hung up on him. He was slow to take the phone from his ear, but there was no point clinging to a dead conversation, especially one he didn't want to have in the first place. He should focus instead on the fact that he was actually glad to see his most annoying teammate just because it was an excuse to get off the phone.
"What was the weather like when you came in?" he asked Laura.
"Why?"
"Because if it's raining fire, I'd like to buy an umbrella." He didn't bother apologizing for being snarky because Laura didn't care anyway. She explained to him that she spoke to Dr. Lankford about setting up the tournament for the second week before finals. They can charge ten bucks a head and open it up for anyone in town to join if they think they can last against Duel Academy students. All they need is Dr. West's signature on the proposal. Matt assured her that was not a problem.
Then Laura left him to go get a new pair of shoes.
###
When the door opened, Bryan stumbled into the room just like in a sitcom. From his face-planted position, he sheepishly raised his head to see Lucy's expression. She was not pleased with the idea of him trying to spy on her. But her glare was not one of pure malice; the way she bit her lip curled one side of her mouth into a sort of disgusted grin.
"Having fun out there?"
"Not so much," he admitted. "I never realized how hard it was to see through a keyhole. Bugs Bunny makes it look so much easier."
"He can also pull an anvil out of a hat," Lucy pointed out. "I can't believe you're pressing your ear up against the door trying to spy on me."
"Why not? That sounds a lot like something I would do."
She scoffed and said, "You are so pathetic."
"What do you expect when you've got a cute guy in your room with the door shut and you kicked me out?"
"Jealousy is an ugly color," Jason pointed out. His expression was one of solemn disapproval.
"Why, you little…!" Bryan lunged for Jason's throat, but Jason sidestepped him and Bryan fell to the floor. Lucy stepped in front of Jason to act as a shield and started screaming at Bryan that he was an idiot.
"But he…!"
Lucy scoffed loudly, obviously annoyed with Bryan's childish behavior. "Fine. Let's get this over with, then." She turned around, grabbed Jason's face with both hands and pulled him straight into a big, solid kiss.
#
"Is that really what happened?" Clinton asked with surprise and amazement in his voice.
"Absolutely," Jason assured him, if you don't count everything after "Bugs Bunny makes it look so much easier."
In reality, Bryan did stumble into the room, Lucy told him he was being an idiot and that she wasn't cheating on him, and Jason did rebuke Bryan's jealousy, though he smirked every moment Lucy wasn't looking in his direction.
"No wonder Bryan challenged you to a duel. How did that go?"
#
"I know what you're doing," Bryan said when he caught Jason on his way out of the Blue Mansion. "You're trying to get Lucy's attention."
"I think someone should pay attention to her," he replied. "She deserves more than to stand by and watch her idiot boyfriend flirt with every girl who walks by."
Bryan knew Jason had a point there, but he didn't want to address it. "Let's duel. I'm not sure exactly what your goal is, but you are not after Lucy because you're in love. When I beat you, you stay away from Lucy. Stop this tutoring charade and just stay away."
"Fine," Jason agreed. "And when I win, I get your blessing to go on an actual date with her."
Now, most men might have been bothered by this request. After all, what if Bryan really did lose? Lucy might go out with Jason, decide she likes him more, and then Bryan would have to find someone else to talk to during the movie on Friday nights. But Bryan really wasn't threatened. The only people who'd ever beaten him at this school were those who knew his deck as well as he did or who were powered by the Shadow Realm at the time.
"Deal."
Jason got to take the first turn. "I'll start off with Black Whirlwind. And I'll also summon Blackwing – Shura the Blue Flame (4/1800/1200)." Jason's monster was a blue bird-man with no meat on its body, except its hands were like kickboards with claws at the ends. A whirlwind of black feathers blew across the field immediately after Shura's summoning. "When I summon a Blackwing monster, I get to put another one in my hand if its attack is lower. I'll take Bora (1700). And when I control a Blackwing monster, I can Special Summon Blackwing – Bora the Spear (4/1700/800)." This one had red and yellow feathers on its head and torso and blue feathers on its legs and wings, and it carried a giant lance, like something Godzilla would use to pick his teeth.
"No facedowns?" Bryan asked. "You'll regret that. I'll summon Elemental Hero Stratos (4/1800/300) to the field and activate his effect." Bryan's familiar flyboy with the blue skin and the twin gyros on his back hovered just over the field floor. "He lets me take Sparkman from my deck to my hand, and now I'll play Polymerization to fuse Sparkman and Necroshade into Elemental Hero Darkbright (6/2000/1000)." A vortex on Bryan's field dissipated to reveal a monster with armor in primary colors covering a muscular body.
"I think you know what happens next." Stratos (1800) buzzed past Bora (1700) and destroyed it. Darkbright (2000) held out his open hand, revealing a red gem in his palm; a bright flash of energy emerged from the gem and destroyed Shura (1800). "Lastly, I'll play De-Fusion to split Darkbright into Elemental Hero Sparkman (4/1600/1400) and Elemental Hero Necroshade (5/1600/1800)." Sparkman had a blue-and-gold color scheme on his armor, and Necroshade resembled a red-skinned demon spawn. "And because I'm still in the Battle Phase, both my monsters can still attack directly." Sparkman unleashed a flash of electrical energy from his palms, and Necroshade lunged and slashed with his powerful claws. "Now I'll set one card and end my turn." Bryan 8000: Jason 8000 – 100 – 200 – 1600 – 1600 = 4500.
Jason didn't even wince, which bothered Bryan a little. "Nice move, but look who's got the card advantage." Bryan was down to one card; Jason had five, and he hadn't even drawn yet. "I'll summon Blackwing – Blizzard the Far North (2/1300/0)." A plump, white bird with black-tipped wings and a black crest landed on the field. Then it was joined by Shura the Blue Flame (1800). "When Blizzard is summoned, I revive another Blackwing monster from the Graveyard." A whirlwind of black feathers swept across the field again and put Kalut in Jason's hand. "And now I'll activate Blizzard's effect as a tuner to combine my monsters."
The rapid movement of Blizzard's wings covered Jason's side of the field in a frosty veil, and when the frost subsided, a new Blackwing emerged. Standing taller than all the monsters seen in the duel so far, Blackwing Armed Wing (6/2300/1000) was covered in black armor, including a full mask, with red feathers that looked like hair. Most notable, however, was that Armed Wing was one of few Duel Monsters who carried a gun—specifically, a shotgun.
"I have so many targets on the field," Jason noted mockingly. "Still, he presents little threat in the Graveyard, so I'll target Sparkman (1600)." Armed Wing aimed its shotgun and took flight.
"That's why I have Mirror Force," Bryan announced proudly. A reflective wall appeared between his monsters and Armed Wing. "The attack is negated and your monster is destroyed."
"Not if I take the hit," Jason countered. "My Body as a Shield lets me pay 1500 LP to negate the effect of your Trap." The mirrored wall shattered, and Armed Wing's shotgun blast blew Sparkman straight off the field. "Now I'll put one card facedown and end my turn." Bryan 8000 – 700 = 7300: Jason 4500 – 1500 = 3000.
"At this rate, I won't even have to finish the duel," Bryan joked. Jason didn't think he was funny. "Whatever," Bryan muttered. "I'll summon Elemental Hero Knospe (3/600/1000)." Bryan's new headliner while he practiced for Team Lockdown was a budding flower with feet and the ability to attack directly. "As long as I have other Elemental Heroes on the field, Knospe is protected. I'll have him attack directly." Knospe withdrew underground only to emerge on Jason's field and release a small burst of poisonous spores before returning to Bryan's field. "Now I'll put Necroshade (1800) into defense mode." Bryan 7300: Jason 3000 – 600 = 2400.
Jason was eager to start his turn. "I can Normal summon my Blackwing – Elphin the Raven (6/2200/1200) without Tributes because I have another Blackwing monster on the field." His monster was bulkier than Armed Wing and wore a headdress resembling the head of a griffin. Another whirlwind of black feathers blew across the field and put Mistral in Jason's hand. "When Elphin is summoned, I get to force Stratos (300) into defense mode." He noted that Bryan was smart to keep Stratos in attack mode, but the numbers works better for Jason if Stratos is in defense mode. "Elphin (2200) will start by destroying Necroshade (1800)." The griffin-headed Blackwing took flight and broke into a dive, rending Necroshade with its talons. "Now Armed Wing (2300) will attack Stratos (300); when he attacks a defense mode monster, he gains 500 points and deals piercing damage." Armed Wing loaded a black shell into his gun and fired it; the round exploded upon contact with Bryan's monster. Bryan 7300 – 2500 = 4800: Jason 2400.
Bryan thought about his situation for a moment. He was at a clear disadvantage now with both cards in his hand and monsters on the field. Luckily, it helped a little when he drew: "Pot of Greed lets me draw to cards." His field showed a green jar with a goofy grin on its face while his deck spat two cards at him. "I'll play Skyscraper 2 – Hero City." A futuristic city with domed towers and spires atop high skyscrapers sprouted across the field. Atop the skyscraper stood Elemental Hero Stratos (1800). "Using the effect of Hero City, I can Special Summon any Elemental Hero that was destroyed by battle, and using Stratos's effect when he is summoned, I can take an Elemental Hero from my deck and put it in my hand."
Given the options ahead of him, Bryan selected a course of action. "I'll play Miracle Fusion to fuse Stratos with Knospe into Elemental Hero Great Tornado (8/2800/2200)." A vortex of fusion energy merged Bryan's monsters until the result had green skin, white armor, and a black cape covering most of its body… until the wind began to blow. A tornado seems to emerge from Bryan's monster that made the Blackwing Whirlwind look like a zephyr. Even Jason's winged beasts had difficulty pushing back against wind. "When Great Tornado is summoned, all your monsters' points get cut in half."
"Thank you for telling me what I can plainly see on the field in front of me," Jason replied smugly.
Bryan huffed. "Yeah, fine. I'll have Great Tornado (2800) attack Armed Wing (-1150)." Bryan 4800: Jason 2400 – 1650 = 750.
"Good," Jason commented. "I'll play Graceful Charity." An angelic woman wearing a white robe appeared in front of him and offered him three cards in one hand, demanding two in return in her other. "Now it's time to swarm the field. Because I drew it through a card effect, I can Special Summon Blackwing – Breeze the Zephyr (3/1100/300)." This was the only Blackwing monster Jason played so far that wasn't black; this monster was covered in red and orange feathers, and, unlike most of its colleagues, it did not have superfluous arms in addition to its wings. "I'll summon Blackwing – Fane the Steel Chain (2/500/800)." This monster wore a black robe, making it look like a ninja bird; when it whipped a chain at Great Tornado, the Hero switched to defense mode. A whirlwind of black feathers blew back across the field, placing Gale in his hand. "Using its ability, I'll also Special Summon Blackwing – Gale the Whirlwind (3/1300/400)." Now his field showed a blue-feathered monster with green feathers around its head.
Jason put on a particularly smug look at this point. "By the way… My facedown card isn't a bluff. It's Black-Winged Strafe, which will let me discard Vayu to destroy Elemental Hero Great Tornado." A small bird wearing a black coat appeared above the field and dove at Bryan's monster, moving so fast it burned the air in front of it as a meteor. "Now let's end this duel." Elphin (-1100) slashed, Fane (500) whipped, Gale (1300) flapped, and Breeze (1100) attacked. Jason showed the natural swarming ability of the Blackwing monsters, and by discarding Kalut during an attack, he dealt an extra 1400 points. Bryan 4800 – 1100 – 500 – 1300 – 1100 - 1400 = 0: Jason 750.
Bryan fell to his knees in disbelief, struggling to fight back tears.
#
"Seriously? He cried?"
Jason laughed. "Of course!" by which he meant, "No, but it makes the story look better for me."
"I can't believe you beat the Number 2-ranked duelist on the island." He forgot the part where nobody wins every duel. "And now you really have a date with Lucy?"
"Yep. The trick was not to tell her that I won a date with her, but to ask her out like I normally would, tell her that one night away from Bryan would be good for her, and then tell her that I got Bryan's permission by beating him in a duel."
Clinton shook his head slowly, in disbelief. "I can't believe your plan is actually working so far."
"Of course it worked," Jason remarked. "What about you? How's Rory?"
Clint brightened up at the sound of her name. "I'm still scared to death of asking her out while she's pining for Matt because I think she'll say no and then make me mayor of the Friend Zone, but we're making progress on moving me into the Friend Zone the old-fashioned way. She asked me to go with her to some open mic night in Kazuki on Thursday."
"Not bad," Jason said dryly. "Now you're only a thousand years away from that first date."
That was really tough to squeak out in a week. If you spot typos, I apologize, appreciate the feedback, and point out that it feels like every other word when you write a duel is made up (e.g., Angusticlavii). If anyone knows a great and easy way to write duels and wants a consulting credit, feel free to contact me.
Titanic X did make up the cards Mitsuro used. I'm okay doing that when you come up with a really detailed deck, but I reserve the right to reduce the "bad guy effect" (defined as "cards that are wildly helpful to you without a drawback), which I did do a little bit with her cards.
I've got the rest of this Academy semester planned out. I apologize if you are especially eager to see your character duel and it hasn't happened yet, but know that Darius has been around the longest and still hasn't been in a duel yet. I will get to everyone when it makes sense for the story. I usually hate throwing in a duel just for the sake of it, but I will eventually if I have to.
The next chapter will finally get into the story, and the following chapter will begin the Tag Team Tournament.
Credits:
Darius Mantzios....tiramisu19
Jason Maxim....Maxim and Knight
Nathan Zislaw....Mavrik Zero
Hillary Delaney....Nodqfan144
Lili Von....Happy2BMe
Carter Jade....Jaden2010
Mitsuro Itachu....Titanic X
Sean Bivins....DarkVestroia2
Naoto Kurotsuki....Kurotsuki Haru
Hayley Wilson....TeamRocketDiva
Maikeru Stone....onyxshade7
Victor Rocks....Iron-Arm-V
Abel Shinzou....Iron-Arm-V
Alister Kazama & Jessica Parks....ZaneKazama001
Synthia Spencer.....Madly Chessur
Everyone else so far....YamiRuss