After the… eventful breakfast, the five kids washed up the plates and cutlery. Afterwards, Katie went to get changed, James went to get dressed, and the other three went to get their Decks. Matt stared at his Deck for a long time before picking it up and slipping it into his Deck holder. The five of them met at the front door to the apartment, with Matt being the last to arrive.
"Chop chop, Matt," Katie called as he exited his room.
"Sorry," he said, walking briskly over to join them. "Couldn't find my Deck."
She nodded, then reached behind her and pushed the door open, and they all stepped out into the hallway. Katie shut the door, but didn't bother to lock it. There were many doors along the hallway, all of which were apartments identical to their own, but they knew for a fact that all of them were empty.
The long hallway led to a set of metal double doors, which required a swipe card to open. By unspoken agreement – as well as the fact that only he had remembered to bring it – James pulled out his swipe card, passed it through the scanner, and led the group into the room.
The room in question was a massive hall with a raised platform in the centre, and sloped seating around the sides – an indoor duel stadium.
Leah immediately ran toward the platform and called, "I put dibs on going first!" She then turned round to face the others. "So, who's going to be my opponent?" she asked, looking meaningfully at Dan.
Dan laughed and shook his head. "No thanks, I'm still recovering from our last duel."
"Chicken," she grinned, before turning to the others. "Anyone else?"
To Matt, there was something striking about this happy, confident girl, and about the group of people around him that were already so accepting of him, that made him want to prove himself to them.
He stepped forward and said, "Alright then, I'll do it."
Leah smiled at him. "Awesome. Come on then, let's get started." She turned and leapt up onto the platform, and assumed her place at one end. Matt chose to climb the stairs, and took his place opposite her. Dan, James and Katie all sat down in the front row to watch the upcoming duel.
"Duel disk, set!" Both duelists triggered the duel disks on their arms; Leah's green disk on her right arm, Matt's new black disk on his left. Matt noticed the unusual location of Leah's disk, and before setting their D-Gazers, he questioned her about it.
"It's because I'm left handed," she replied. "Why do you ask?"
"No reason," Matt said. "Just wondered."
"D-Gazer, set!" All five D-Gazers flashed on, displaying info about the two duelists.
"AR Vision – link established" Around them, the augmented reality rose, tinting everything with a cybernetic green.
"Ready?" Leah called.
"Always," replied Matt, already completely focussed in.
"DUEL!"
Matt LP: 4000
Leah LP: 4000
"I know you're about to say "ladies first", but there's no need to be courteous against me." Leah said. "Go ahead, you can go first."
Dan grinned, which James noticed. "Hey, you know something we don't?"
"Plenty of things," Dan replied cheekily. "But in this case, that line that you just heard Leah say, it's one of her favourites. It serves two purposes: it unsettles the opponent, and it allows her to go second, which benefits her Deck a lot." James nodded in understanding.
In fact, Leah's opening line had little effect on Matt, as he was already totally zoned in. He merely nodded, and began. "Fine. My turn, draw." With almost no hesitation, he made his first play. "I Summon Dark Blade the Captain of the Evil World!" The very Dark Blade-esque monster appeared, its steed whinnying.
Dark Blade the Captain of the Evil World: Warrior-Type/DARK/Level 4/ATK 1800/DEF 1500
"Then I set one card. Your move." His face-down appeared behind his medieval monster.
Leah was put out by Matt's lack of reaction to her opening line, but quickly regained her composure. "My turn, draw." There was a pause as she considered her move. "I Summon Borealis Tatami!" A shining rainbow-hued angel materialised, wrapped in a white garment.
Borealis Tatami: Fairy-Type/Spirit/WATER/Level 4/ATK 1700/DEF 1100
"And because of its effect, when it's Normal Summoned, I can add any Borealis monster from my Deck to my hand." Her duel disk extracted a single card, which she revealed to Matt. "I choose another Borealis Tatami. Next I play a Field Spell." Her duel disk opened a hidden slot to place her card. "Spiritual Haven of the Borealis!" Her duel disk let out a piercing flash of light, which faded out to reveal both duelists now standing on the northern lights, amid the odd flash of light that appeared, and then disappeared just as quickly.
"Wow," Katie breathed, impressed by the sight. "This is the same Field Spell she used against you, isn't it Dan?" He nodded, his eyes not leaving the duel.
"As long as this card is in play," Leah was saying, "I can Normal Summon twice per turn, but I can't Normal Summon anything that isn't a Spirit monster. So I think I'll use that effect to Summon my second Borealis Tatami." A second angel, identical to the first, appeared.
Borealis Tatami: Fairy-Type/Spirit/WATER/Level 4/ATK 1700/DEF 1100
"And of course, her effect lets me search for another Borealis monster. This time I'll take Borealis Nanbu." Her duel disk spat out the card, which she added to her hand. "Oh, and one more thing, Spiritual Haven gives all Spirit monsters I control an extra 100 ATK and DEF for each Spirit monster I control. Since I control two, they both gain 200 points.
Borealis Tatami: ATK 1700 → 1900/DEF 1100 → 1300
Borealis Tatami: ATK 1700 → 1900/DEF 1100 → 1300
Matt frowned. 'Well that's interesting. She was able to get out two monsters that can overpower mine, while still maintaining hand advantage. No doubt… she's good.'
"Borealis Tatami number one, attack his monster." Tatami unleashed a piercing multi-coloured ray, which sliced its way across the Dark Blade-imposter, destroying it.
Matt LP: 4000 → 3900
"Then the second Borealis Tatami attacks you directly." An identical ray carved its way across Matt's chest, causing him to stagger back.
Matt LP: 3900 → 2000
"I'll set two cards, and finally I'll activate the Spell Card, Bond of the Borealis. By revealing a WATER Spirit monster in my hand, all Borealis monsters on my field at the time of its activation won't return to my hand during any End Phase." Leah showed Borealis Nanbu to Matt, and as she did so, the Spell coated both Tatamis in a shimmering rainbow shroud. Leah checked that her two face-downs had appeared, then nodded in approval. "Perfect. I end my turn."
Matt, still a little stunned from the attacks, stepped back into position and began his move. "My turn, draw." He wasted no time using the card he's just drawn. "I activate the effect of Blader of Eoseuleum – Tsubasa in my hand. If all the monsters in play are on your field, I can banish one Spell Card from your Graveyard to Special Summon this card from my hand." The Spell Card, Bond of the Borealis, flew out of Leah's Graveyard and disappeared. "Go, Blader of Eoseuleum – Tsubasa!" The monster that appeared wore basic black armour, and sported the Eoseuleum crest – an orange streak that resembled a candle's flame – on the side of its neck.
Blader of Eoseuleum – Tsubasa: Warrior-Type/DARK/Level 6/ATK 2000/DEF 1800
"Then I'll use the Trap Card, Call of the Haunted, to revive Dark Blade of the Evil World." Sure enough, the Trap brought Matt's first monster back into the duel.
Dark Blade the Captain of the Evil World: Warrior-Type/DARK/Level 4/ATK 1800/DEF 1500
Matt stopped very suddenly, as an opportunity revealed itself to him. His hand contained a Level 6 monster and a Level 4 monster, either of which he could Normal Summon and go for an Xyz Summon of an appropriate Rank. 'If I Tributed Dark Blade of the Evil World to Summon this Level 6 monster, I could use it along with Tsubasa to Xyz Summon my Number… should I… could I really…"
He clearly remembered Professor Usur's words: "As long as you do not remove the band, you have absolutely nothing to fear from the Number anymore…" And he was wearing the band, and he trusted the Professor, and knew he was telling the truth.
But still...
He couldn't get those images out of his head. The monster he had created – the Number – slashing over and over again; the crowd screaming, running, trying to get away from the pieces of building falling on them; the savage, gleeful joy that had filled him; the sense of wrongness, stemming from two separate souls-
He snapped out of it, and clenched his eyes shut, willing himself to get a grip. There was no doubt: he couldn't use the Number. It was too dangerous. He couldn't make himself take the risk, no matter how slight. With an effort, he opened his eyes and resumed his move.
"I... I Normal Summon Paladin of Eoseuleum – Kishi." The black-and-white knight appeared on the field.
Paladin of Eoseuleum – Kishi: Warrior-Type/DARK/Level 4/ATK 1900/DEF 1000
'Here goes,' he thought, forcing his mind to focus in order to clear it. 'I don't care how good she is, or how much we're becoming friends… this is a duel, and I don't lose duels!' "Level four Dark Blade and Kishi, Overlay!" The two monsters morphed into two purple masses of energy, which shot upwards, clearing the way for a red portal to open. "I use these two Warrior-Type monsters to construct the Overlay Network! Xyz Summon!" The two Xyz Material Monsters shot into the portal, which exploded. "Rise up, Captain of Eoseuleum – Sencho!" The monster leapt out of the residue from the explosion. It was dressed almost completely in black armour, aside from the joints in its body – such as the elbows, shoulders, waist, knees, etc – which were coloured a striking orange. The Eoseuleum's crest was imprinted into its stomach, and it carried a basic longsword and a shield. It was orbitted by two purple Overlay Units.
Captain of Eoseuleum – Sencho: Warrior-Type/Xyz/DARK/Rank 4/ATK 2300/DEF 1500 – 2 OLU
"Nice," Leah said enthusiastically. "An Xyz Summon this early on. You're good."
Matt was in no mood to return the compliment. "Due to Sencho's effect, he gains 500 ATK for each Spell Card you control. Since you control that Field Spell, his ATK becomes 2800."
Captain of Eoseuleum – Sencho: ATK 2300 → 2800
"Battle! Sencho, attack one of her Tatamis, and Tsubasa, attack the other one!" Both monsters leapt forward to attack.
Then Leah intervened. "I activate the Trap Card, Borealis' Mirage of Dreams!" The Trap Card flipped up, and the field was suddenly covered in mist. Matt squinted, trying to see through it. Leah's voice, now loud and echo-y, startled him. "With this card, I can exchange one Borealis monster I control with any monster you control. So I think I'll take your Xyz Monster, Sencho!" The mist cleared quite suddenly, revealing a shift in the field. Both players now controlled a single Borealis Tatami and a single Eoseuleum monster, the stronger Xyz Monster on Leah's field. Because of the shift, the Field Spell altered the ATK and DEF of both Tatamis, and Captain of Eoseuleum – Sencho's ATK gain disappeared.
Borealis Tatami: ATK 1900 → 1800/DEF 1300 → 1200
Borealis Tatami: ATK 1900 → 1800/DEF 1300 → 1200
Captain of Eoseuleum – Sencho: ATK 2800 → 2300
Matt gritted his teeth, frustrated. 'Perfect control of the duel… an instant answer to my sudden counterattack… how is she doing this?'
In the sidelines, James turned to Dan and asked, "Hey Dan, you know Leah better than us, how is her Deck able to counter Matt's so well?"
"Because Matt's Deck is a basic beatdown Deck." Dan replied. "It Summons strong monsters, its attacks, and that's about it. Leah's Deck is… different."
"Different how?" Katie asked, suddenly engaged in the conversation.
Dan grinned. "Different in that it doesn't Special Summon all that much, and it doesn't really need any strong monsters. Spirits use smooth manipulation and small combos to win. Its inconsistent, but when someone can make it work… the results definitely show." He paused for a moment, then went on. "Trust me, I've had to develop totally different strategies to fight her, and it's evolved my dueling by a long way. We make each other stronger."
Katie looked at James and grasped his hand. "Well, that sounds familiar." He smiled back.
Back in the duel, Matt was not sharing in the good mood, but was instead re-selecting his attack targets. "Right then, Blader of Eoseuleum – Tsubasa, attack her Borealis Tatami!" The Warrior took a swift uppercut slash at Leah's remaining Spirit, which cried out and dissipated.
Leah LP: 4000 → 3800
"With that, I end my turn."
Leah grinned cheekily. "I think I might've upset your comeback, sorry about that."
"Just go," Matt grunted.
Leah stopped smiling abruptly, surprised and annoyed by Matt's rudeness. 'Well,' she thought to herself, 'the Professor did say he's been through a lot. I guess it's to be expected.' "My move then, I draw." She gasped as she looked at the card she'd drawn, then her face lit up with excitement. Ignoring Matt, she turned to the stands and shouted, "Dan! Hey, Dan!"
"What's up?" He replied.
"I can Summon it," she said, and Dan instantly knew what she meant. She went on, "Do you think it's safe?"
"I was just about to ask you the same thing," he replied, "so I guess that kind of defeats the point, doesn't it."
Matt, James and Katie listened to this exchange, totally perplexed. Katie called out, "What do you mean, Leah? What can you Summon?" Matt listened carefully, hoping to gain some information on her next move.
"It's what we talked about earlier," Leah said, both excited and nervous. "I can do it... I can Summon my Number!"
Author-made cards:
Borealis Tatami
Fairy-Type/Spirit/WATER/Level 4/ATK 1700/DEF 1100
Cannot be Special Summoned. During the End Phase of the turn this card was Normal Summoned or flipped face-up: Return it to the hand. When this card is Normal Summoned: Add 1 "Borealis" monster from your Deck to your hand.
Blader of Eoseuleum - Tsubasa
Warrior-Type/DARK/Level 6/ATK 2000/DEF 1800
If your opponent controls a monster and you don't: You can target 1 Spell Card in your opponent's Graveyard; banish that target, then Special Summon this card from your hand. This card is unaffected by Spell effects.
Paladin of Eoseuleum - Kishi
Warrior-Type/DARK/Level 4/ATK 1900/DEF 1000
If this card attacks, your opponent cannot activate any Spell Cards until the end of the Damage Step. When this card destroys a monster by battle and sends it to the Graveyard: You can add 1 "Candlelight" card from your Deck to your hand.
Captain of Eoseuleum - Sencho
Warrior-Type/Xyz/DARK/Rank 4/ATK 2300/DEF 1500
2 Level 4 Warrior-Type monsters
You can Special Summon this card (from your Graveyard) by Tributing 1 face-up "Eoseuleum" monster you control while there is a Spell Card(s) on your opponent's field or in their Graveyard. This card gains 500 ATK for each face-up Spell Card your opponent controls. If this card would be destroyed, you can detach 1 Overlay Unit from this card instead.
Spiritual Haven of the Borealis
Field Spell Card
Face-up Spirit monsters gain 100 ATK and DEF for each Spirit monster their controller controls. You cannot Normal Summon non-Spirit monsters. Once per turn: You can Normal Summon 1 monster from your hand as an additional Normal Summon.
Bond of the Borealis
Quick-Play Spell Card
Reveal 1 WATER Spirit monster in your hand; face-up "Borealis" monsters you currently control cannot return to the hand during any End Phase.
Borealis' Mirage of Dreams
Trap Card
Target 1 face-up "Borealis" monster you control and 1 face-up monster your opponent controls; switch control of those targets, then if they both have Levels, gain Life Points equal to the difference in their Levels x 300.
Fun Fact #4: Matt's internal struggle with a power he doesn't want to use is pretty generic by the standards of anime, we know, but it'll characterise him very well and we'll try to make it as engaging as possible.
Fun Fact #5: Continuing with the naming theme of the Eoseuleum monsters, Tsubasa means Blader, and Sencho means Captain.
Fun Fact #6: Oops... I know Tatami means something in Japanese, but I can't remember what... sorry guys (if anyone can tell me, that'd be great).