Chapter 9: Problem-Solving Duel
Skip spoke up to Maguro and Yuya as he was selecting the action field for the two boys to duel in.
Skip: "All right, let's get down to business. Yuya. Maguro. Neither of you are to leave the duel field until the duel is finished. Understand?"
Maguro and Yuya looked at each, still seeming to be rather hesitant to duel against one another like this. However, with no other options available to them… they had to bite the bullet, so to speak.
Maguro and Yuya: "Yeah."
Skip: "Good. Now, what to pick… … Ah-ha! I know! Yuya, this is for you! I activate the action field spell…! Showtime Street!"
Skip pressed a button on the computer's keyboard and…
Female Computer Voice: "Augmented reality combat system energized. Generating action field."
What appeared before everyone was a field that had the look of a big city street at the thick of night. Skyscrapers could be seen off in the distance… and the actual street had a bunch of establishments, all embellished with bright lights and colors. Amitie found the whole field to be pretty.
Amitie: "*excited giggle* This looks so pretty! Isn't that right, guys?"
Lidelle: "Y-yes. I like it."
Zuzu: "My dad sure picked a good action field today."
As for Draco though, her eyes were having trouble adjusting to the various lights and colors displayed across the fake street.
Draco: "Geez, all those bright lights and colors are a bit much, don't ya think?"
Sora: "Eh, you'll get used to it after a while, Draco."
Draco: "Easy for you to say that…"
Meanwhile, Maguro and Yuya were taking in the sights of the street. They both knew that it was fake, but they couldn't help but feel a bit more… at ease.
Yuya: "This is… This is my dad's field."
Maguro: "What? Your dad's field?"
Yuya: "Yeah… This was Dad's favorite action field."
When Yuya said that, Skip spoke up.
Skip: "That's right. This field is where Yusho's dueltainment style all began. I can't think of a better action field for you to step things up and learn what real dueling is all about!"
Yuya: "You think we don't know what real dueling is?"
Skip: "Yuya, compared to your dad… You and Maguro don't know anything! You're both about the cards, and not about the spirit of dueling!"
Maguro and Yuya: "What?!"
At that moment, both Maguro and Yuya decided to close their eyes.
Maguro: "..."
Yuya: "..."
Skip was a little confused by this, until…
Maguro and Yuya: "... No, we'll show you that you're wrong!"
The boys opened their eyes and looked back up at Skip with serious faces.
Skip: (Uh-oh… I think those two are fired up in a way that I didn't expect. I hope nothing bad happens…)
As soon as Skip got over that, he spoke up again.
Skip: "W-well then, are you two ready to get this duel started?"
Maguro and Yuya: "Yeah!"
Skip: "Theeen begin!"
Maguro and Yuya both nodded and…
Yuya: "Two friends step into the arena of battle…"
Maguro: "But only one of us will leave this arena as the winner!"
Yuya: "A clash of spirits!"
Maguro: "A battle of wits and strategy!"
And then…
Maguro and Yuya: "Witness the dawn of the next evolution in dueling! Let's do thiiis!"
After that was said by the two boys, the computer voice spoke up again.
Female Computer Voice: "Action cards dispersed."
Action cards were scattered across the action field, and with that, the start of a duel between friends began…
Maguro and Yuya: "Time to duel!"
The others were watching in anticipation to see who would take the first move, but they wouldn't have to wait very long. Their question would quickly be answered by…
Maguro: "I'll take the first move!"
Maguro's LP: 4000 - Yuya's LP: 4000
Maguro's Hand Size Before DP: 5 - Yuya's Hand Size Before DP: 5
Maguro: "I draw! … To start this duel off with a bang, I'll summon a newcomer to my machine lineup! So say hello to Sergeant Electro!"
Maguro's new monster showed up to the scene in attack mode, and it was a silverish figure with no legs. To make up for that, it was able to float in the air with its own power. Its left arm was a spike, and its right arm was that of a minigun. Amitie and the others gave it some strange looks as they stared at it from where they were standing.
Zuzu: "Sergeant…"
Lidelle: "Electro?"
Amitie and Draco: "What in the heck is that?"
Maguro: "Oh, you guys will learn what he's all about later. For now though, I'll set these two cards face-down and call it a turn."
Maguro ended his turn, and Yuya was just as puzzled by this Sergeant Electro monster that was summoned to the field. Nevertheless, Yuya shrugged it off. Before Yuya took his turn though, Sora looked curiously at Maguro's side of the field.
Sora: (Hmm… I actually don't know who's gonna win here. It might go either way depending on who does what in this duel, and that's kinda exciting.)
After Sora said that in his mind, Yuya started his turn.
Yuya: "Alright, Maguro, it's my turn now!"
Maguro's LP: 4000 - Yuya's LP: 4000
Maguro's Hand Size Before DP: 3 - Yuya's Hand Size Before DP: 5
Yuya: "Ha! … Here I come, Maguro, because I'm gonna summon Performapal Whip Snake in attack mode!"
Whip Snake slithered by and it hissed at Sergeant Electro.
Maguro: "Whip Snake, huh? It must be a favorite of yours."
Yuya: "Oh no, not a favorite for me; Whip Snake's a favorite among the crowd, thanks to its special ability! So now, your Sergeant's attack and defense points will be switcharooed for the turn. Do it, Whip Snake!"
Whip Snake's special ability played out and Sergeant Electro's attack and defense points were switched, meaning...
Lidelle: "Sergeant Electro's attack points are now 1300…"
Zuzu: "Yeah, and that means Maguro will take 400 points of damage from Whip Snake's incoming attack."
Yuya: "Right! Whip Snake, it's time to bear your fangs and take a bite out of that sergeant!"
Whip Snake nodded and struck, but as the reptile was about to sink its fangs into Sergeant Electro…
Maguro: "Or so you think! I play a trap: Pulse Mines! Now your Whip Snake is forced to call off its attack and coil itself up, 'cause since I control a machine type monster, this trap forces all of your monsters into defense mode. And any other monsters that you decide to summon this turn are automatically shifted to defense mode as well."
Yuya: "... Alright then, how about this? I set one card down and I'll call it a turn. And now, Whip Snake's ability wears off and your Sergeant Electro's attack and defense points return to normal."
Maguro: "Then it's my turn again!"
Maguro's LP: 4000 - Yuya's LP: 4000
Maguro's Hand Size Before DP: 3 - Yuya's Hand Size Before DP: 4
Maguro: "I draw! … Well, if you have a crowd favorite, then it should only be appropriate for me to bring out one myself. I play the spell, Magnet Circle LV2! With this card, I'm able to summon a level two or lower machine directly from my hand. And you should all know who's coming… Oilman, appear!"
Maguro's Oilman appeared from the magnet circle, and it landed on the street with a tryhard superhero pose.
Yuya: "That's cool and all, but neither of your monsters can stand up to Whip Snake's fangs."
Maguro: "True, but I got something in store for you, Yuya! However, before I get to that… I'm gonna play the continuous spell, Machine Assembly Line! Here's how the line works: First, all of my machine type monsters gain 200 attack points."
Just like that, Sergeant Electro's attack points went up to 1800… and Oilman's went up to 600.
Zuzu: "That's just enough to give Yuya's Whip Snake a shake."
Maguro: "Right. Additionally, every time that Yuya destroys one of my machines, this card will gain two Junk Counters. Now, I would say what those Junk Counters will be used for… but I think that would just ruin the surprise. In the meantime, I'll activate Oilman's special ability! You should all know how this goes: Oilman can equip himself to another machine type monster I control. So Oilman, give Sergeant Electro a boost, if you would."
Oilman sprang into action and attached himself to Sergeant Electro.
Maguro: "And now, I'll use Sergeant Electro's special ability! See, once per turn, I can choose one set card in your spell and trap card zone… and as long as the sarge is in charge, you can't activate that card!"
Yuya: "Huh?!"
Maguro: "That's right, Yuya! I can put your face-down on lockdown! Do it, Sarge! Stun Shot!"
Sergeant Electro fired some electricity at Yuya's face-down card, preventing it from being activated.
Yuya: "Oh no!"
Maguro: "Oh yes! And now Sergeant Electro is free to attack! Forward march, my comrade!"
Sergeant Electro then quickly floated to Whip Snake. As he did, he fired bits of electricity at it from his , when he got close enough to Whip Snake, he used his spike to slice into it. This caused Whip Snake to be destroyed and Yuya took 100 points of damage.
Yuya: "No, Whip Snake…!"
Maguro: "And since Sergeant Electro destroyed one of your monsters while Oilman was equipped to him, I get to draw a card for my troubles. Ha! Anyway, I think that's enough fight for the sarge to be satisfied; I'll have him retire for now. But, that doesn't mean I'm quite done yet. I'm gonna set this monster face-down and turn it back over to you, Yuya. Let's see you go for a Pendulum Summon… if you can, that is."
Yuya: "..."
Maguro: "Hm? Oh, I'm sorry. Are you actually over that fad now, since you don't feel special performing Pendulum Summons anymore?"
Yuya: "Wha?!"
Amitie, Lidelle, Draco, and Zuzu: "*gasp*"
Amitie and the other girls couldn't believe what Maguro was saying.
Amitie: "Why the heck is Maguro acting like that?"
After Amitie asked that question, Sora felt the need to speak up.
Sora: "He must be letting his competitive nature get to him. And he must be trying to satisfy that feeling by getting Yuya riled up enough to make him play his Pendulum cards. That way, Maguro can strive to win and attempt to overcome a difficult duel-related situation."
Draco: "Okay, but why is Maguro bein' competitive like this?"
Sora: "Remember yesterday? He got his butt kicked by Sylvio's Monarchs. I got this feeling that Maguro wanted to get better. And now that he's dueling with Yuya, he must've realized that the way to improve is to beat Yuya's Pendulum Summon with his machines. At this point, Maguro's not gonna back off until he either wins, or Yuya stops him in his tracks."
Zuzu: "An unstoppable force meeting with an immovable object…"
Sora: "Yeah. Though in this case, it might just end up being two unstoppable forces colliding with one another."
As Sora said that, Yuya had his right hand rolled up into a fist. For the first time ever, Maguro was going out of his way to taunt Yuya, as though he were a different person. Normally, Maguro would NEVER do that to Yuya. But, thanks to how things were at this point in time… Maguro wasn't going to let Yuya win. At least, not let him win very easily.
Yuya: "Mmm…! You wanna see me go for a Pendulum Summon? I'll grant your wish, Maguro! Just watch out, 'cause my monsters are gonna swing onto the field real fast! My move!"
Maguro's LP: 4000 - Yuya's LP: 3900
Maguro's Hand Size Before DP: 1 - Yuya's Hand Size Before DP: 4
Yuya: "Ha! … I'll use scale one Stargazer Magician and scale eight Timegazer Magician to set the Pendulum Scale. I'm taking control of this duel, starting now!"
Yuya placed his Magician Pendulum cards on his duel disk, establishing his Pendulum Scale.
Yuya: "With this, I'm allowed to summon monsters from level two through seven all at the same time! Swing far, Pendulum; carve the arc of victory! My monsters are ready… to swing into action!"
With Yuya's Pendulum Summon came two monsters, and they were raring to go.
Yuya: "First, let's welcome the long-awaited return of Performapal Sword Fish!"
Sword Fish came onto the field in defense mode, looking as sharp as ever. And as for Yuya's second monster…
Yuya: "And now, it's time to turn up the heat with the star of this action show: Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon!"
Odd-Eyes landed on the field with a thud, then it roared to show its power.
Maguro: "All right, this is more like it, Yuya."
Yuya: "That's not all though, because I'll use Sword Fish's special ability! Once per turn, it can slice and dice the attack points of one of your monsters by 600. Excite us with your skill, Sword Fish! Cut that Sergeant Electro down to size!"
Sword Fish's special ability played out and Sergeant Electro's attack points dropped from 1800 to 1200.
Draco: "If Odd-Eyes attacks that Electro guy now, then…"
Lidelle: "Maguro will take a lot of damage."
And that was exactly what Yuya was wanting to do as he hopped onto his dragon's back…
Yuya: "Odd-Eyes, let's give Sergeant Electro a permanent leave. Attack, with Spiral Flame Strike!"
Odd-Eyes then jumped into the air and launched its attack at Sergeant Electro, prompting Maguro to start running.
Maguro: (Gotta find an action card...)
And then… he found one on top of a short light post. He got to it, grabbed it, and…
Maguro: "Sorry, but my Sergeant Electro isn't going to take that leave yet. 'Cause I play the action spell, Evasion! Now the sarge can dodge your attack altogether."
Just like Maguro said, Sergeant Electro evaded Odd-Eyes attack.
Yuya: "Okay, if Odd-Eyes can't get to your monster... then I'll just have to end my turn. My Sword Fish's special ability wears off now, and Sergeant Electro's attack points return to normal."
Hearing Yuya say that, Maguro was quite pleased with the outcome as his Sergeant regained the attack points it once lost from Sword Fish.
Maguro: "Yeah! I staved off your Odd-Eyes! Now there's something that not everyone can claim to have done."
Meanwhile, the others were in shock with what just happened, including Skip.
Skip: (I can't believe it! Maguro was able to prevent Odd-Eyes from blasting Sergeant Electro to pieces. … Maybe Maguro's competitive nature could be a strength of his in duels. He just needs to be able to use it in the right way. Let's see if he can stop himself from getting too competitive…)
And then… Maguro reached over to his deck to draw his card for the turn.
Maguro: "Anyway, it's my turn again!
Maguro's LP: 4000 - Yuya's LP: 3900
Maguro's Hand Size Before DP: 1 - Yuya's Hand Size Before DP: 1
Maguro: "Ha ! … Great! Now Yuya, remember the monster that I set onto the field just before I ended my previous turn?"
Yuya: "...? Yeah, why?"
Maguro: "Well, I'm gonna Flip Summon it! You better get ready, 'cause big surprises often come from small packages. I Flip Summon… Mecha Bunny!"
Mecha Bunny came out from under its card and jumped into the air before landing on the field. When Amitie saw the bunny, she could help but think it was cute.
Amitie: "Aww, it's so cute!"
However, the other girls disagreed with that statement.
Draco: "Eh, I dunno…"
Zuzu: "Yeah, it looks kind of creepy, Amitie."
Lidelle: "Creepy…"
Lidelle shook at the sight and went behind Zuzu. And as that happened…
Yuya: "A robot… bunny?"
Maguro: "Oh, you'd be surprised just what Mecha Bunny is capable of with its special ability, Yuya. You see, when Mecha Bunny is flipped face up: I choose one monster on the field, and the controller of that monster takes 500 points of damage!"
Yuya: "Uh-oh, I don't like the sound of that…"
Maguro: "So I'll choose your Odd-Eyes… and your life points are gonna take a hit! Do your work, Mecha Bunny!"
Mecha Bunny hopped over to Odd-Eyes and touched it for a bit, as though it took some of the dragon's power. Then, it smacked Yuya in the face with that power, dealing the 500 points of damage.
Yuya: "Ack-!"
Draco: "Ooh! That's gonna hurt in the morning…"
As soon as Yuya recovered, Maguro continued with his turn.
Maguro: "And now that Mecha Bunny is face-up on my field, I can play this spell! Iron Draw! Since I control exactly two machine type effect monsters, I'm allowed to draw two cards!"
Maguro drew his two cards from Iron Draw and looked at them.
Maguro: "Sweet! Now I'll sacrifice Mecha Bunny, and Tribute Summon…! B.E.S. Big Core!"
Mecha Bunny disappeared from the field, and from above, came Big Core. Its 2300 attack points were nothing to scoff at, but they were soon augmented with the Machine Assembly Line, increasing those points to 2500.
Yuya: "Ah-! Big Core!"
Maguro: "That's right, Yuya, my ace monster is here! Now, since B.E.S. Big Core was Tribute Summoned, it gains three counters. And every time that Big Core would be destroyed by battle, one of these counters is removed from it instead. Of course, I don't intend to use Big Core as a shield; I intend to use it to destroy Odd-Eyes!"
Yuya: "Just to let you know… Even with your Machine Assembly Line card on the field, B.E.S. Big Core's attack points are the same as Odd Eyes' attack points!"
Maguro: "Oh, but it won't be tied with Odd-Eyes for long… 'cause I activate the equip spell, Gravity Blaster! I can only equip this to a machine type monster, but since my deck is full of machines, that isn't a problem for me. So I'll equip it to B.E.S. Big Core."
And just like that, Gravity Blaster was equipped to Big Core.
Maguro: "As for what it does: Not only can I give my spaceship an extra 400 attack points during each of my turns, but when Big Core battles with one of your monsters while it's equipped with this bad boy… that monster's special abilities are negated until the end of the battle phase! And guess what? Even if you do get rid of Gravity Blaster, any extra attack points that B.E.S. Big Core gained from it will stay."
Yuya: "*gasp* No way! So it'll just keep getting stronger every turn!"
Maguro: "Correct. And since Big Core is pretty much guaranteed to survive any fight for the next couple of turns, there's no way you can stop it from getting any stronger! Now Gravity Blaster: I use your effect to power up Big Core by 400 attack points!"
Big Core's attack points then went up to 2900, becoming more powerful than Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon.
Amitie: "Big Core's now stronger than Yuya's Odd-Eyes..."
Zuzu: "Uh-huh."
Draco: "... Wait a sec… Yuya doesn't have any monsters stronger than Odd-Eyes, does he?"
Zuzu: "No, he doesn't, Draco. Sadly, Odd-Eyes is the strongest monster that Yuya has."
Lidelle: "Th-then, how can he deal with B.E.S. Big Core? Even if Maguro doesn't attack Yuya's Sword Fish… Sword Fish's special ability won't be enough to destroy it. Those counters are all protecting Big Core from being destroyed in battle. Yuya would need to be able to attack it with Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon four times next turn while Sword Fish's ability is weakening Big Core for the turn."
Draco: "Why does all of that have to happen the next turn for Yuya to get rid of Big Core?"
Lidelle: "Big Sis, it's because of Maguro's Gravity Blaster equip spell. Big Core will get stronger during each of Maguro's turns. And if Yuya just lets Maguro go through with his next turn… Big Core's attack points will be too high, even when we factor in Sword Fish's ability."
Draco: "Uh, how many attack points will that thing have during Maguro's next turn?"
Lidelle: "U-um… 3300…"
After Lidelle gave out that answer, Maguro suddenly spoke up.
Maguro: "That's right! Its attack points will go up to 3300 on my next turn, and by then, Sword Fish's special ability won't matter. Anyway… Just to make sure that Yuya doesn't get the chance to remove one of my Big Core's counters, I'll have Big Core attack Sword Fish! Rapid-Fire Cannon Storm!"
Big Core aimed its cannon and fired bullets at Sword Fish. Yuya tried to find an action card, but the attack came in too fast and Sword Fish was destroyed.
Yuya: "Agh-!"
Maguro: "You're lucky that you decided to Pendulum Summon Sword Fish in defense mode, Yuya. Had you put it out on the field in attack mode, then you would've taken a lot of damage. With that said, I think I'll continue my smart plays by switching Sergeant Electro to defense mode. Then, I'll have my Oilman unequip himself from Sergeant Electro and summon him to one of my empty monster zones in defense mode. And from there, I'll end my turn. C'mon, let's see you take down my powered up Big Core, Yuya."
Yuya: (I don't understand… Why didn't Maguro just attack my Sword Fish with Sergeant Electro? Doing that would've allowed him to take out Odd-Eyes with Big Core and deal some damage to me. Plus, he would have drawn another card if he had destroyed Sword Fish with Sergeant Electro, since Oilman was equipped to him. But instead of doing that, Maguro gave me a chance to switch Odd-Eyes to defense mode? Just what could he be thinking? … In any case, my life points will be safe after I switch Odd-Eyes to defense mode.)
Yuya reached for the top card of his deck as he said…
Yuya: "I'll find a way to do just that, Maguro."
Maguro's LP: 4000 - Yuya's LP: 3900
Maguro's Hand Size Before DP: 1 - Yuya's Hand Size Before DP: 1
Yuya: "Ha! … I'll switch Odd-Eyes to defense mode and end my turn."
After Odd-Eyes switched to defense mode, Maguro couldn't help but be a little disappointed.
Maguro: "Aw, is that it? Oh well, I guess I shouldn't be too surprised by that. After all, for the short time that I've known you… not once have I ever seen you summon a monster with 3000 attack points. If you had one, then you would've at least gotten rid of one of Big Core's counters… or in this case, Oilman. Well, you better hope you can get my Big Core off the field soon. You know what'll happen if you don't..."
Yuya: "Don't remind me… Just make your move."
Maguro: "And I will! My turn!"
Maguro's LP: 4000 - Yuya's LP: 3900
Maguro's Hand Size Before DP: 1 - Yuya's Hand Size Before DP: 2
Maguro: "Haah! … I'll continue to apply the pressure by summoning Scrap Recycler, in attack mode!"
Scrap Recycler appeared on the field, and it was clear that its head was that of a recycling bin. Its attack points were 900 at first, but thanks to Machine Assembly Line, those attack points went up to 1100.
Yuya: "A robot that recycles?"
Maguro: "Ah, I see that you're not acquainted with my new friend here. Allow me to introduce it to you properly, for it has a special ability. When it's summoned to the field, I can take one machine type monster from my deck… and send it to the graveyard. So I'll send this monster…"
Maguro sent an unspecified machine type monster from his deck to his graveyard, then…
Maguro: "Then, I'll switch both Sergeant Electro and Oilman to attack mode! From there, I'll use the effect of Gravity Blaster again to permanently increase Big Core's attack points by 400."
Big Core's attack points went up to 3300, and things were getting bad for Yuya.
Yuya: "..."
Maguro: "And now…! Big Core, take aim at Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon! Rapid-Fire Cannon Storm!
Big Core prepared to attack and Yuya was on the move to find an action card.
Maguro: "If you think you'll find an action card before Big Core hits its target, then you've got another thing coming."
Yuya: "Huh…?!"
Yuya looked back at Big Core, when he did, the large ship fired at Odd-Eyes, taking the latter out. This caused Yuya to take 800 points of damage.
Yuya: "No, Odd-Eyes…!"
Maguro: "Yuya, I'm afraid the temporary loss of Odd-Eyes isn't the only thing you should be worrying about. After all, you're wide open now, and I still have two monsters that can attack you directly! Sergeant Electro, how about you have Yuya drop down and make him do twenty?"
Sergeant Electro went in to attack Yuya directly, and the latter once again tried to find an action card.
Yuya: (Come on! Where's an action card when I need one?!)
After Yuya asked that in his mind, Sergeant Electro Suddenly got in front of him and slashed the boy with his blade arm. This caused Yuya to fly backwards and take 1800 points of damage before landing on the ground.
Yuya: "Aaahhh-! Oof!"
Seeing Yuya land on the ground like that, the girls couldn't help but worry for him. After a few seconds, Yuya got back up and faced Maguro again.
Maguro: "And now, I'll allow Oilman to get his turn in attacking you directly!"
Oilman then dashed over to Yuya and punched him in the face, causing the latter to take 600 more points of damage.
Yuya: "Ack-!"
And when Oilman pulled its fist off of Yuya's face, there was a noticeable mark left on his face as Oilman retreated to Maguro's side.
Maguro: "Ooh, are you gonna be okay there, Yuya? Seems like Oilman really took it personal with you."
Maguro grinned as he said that, and Yuya was getting irritated by the former's attitude.
Yuya: "This is nothing! I've felt worse pain than that before!"
Maguro: "And I believe you, considering that your "supposed" to be a dueltainer and all."
Yuya: "What's that supposed to mean?!"
Maguro: "Nothin'. Anyway, now that you've been put through the wringer enough for this turn…"
Yuya: (...! There it is again! Maguro did something weird! Why didn't he try to attack me directly with that Scrap Recycler? He knows that my one face-down is still locked down, thanks to his Sergeant Electro's special ability. And he should know that he now has a shot to end this duel. So what could he have been worried about? Was he worried that I would've finally found an action card to possibly stop Scrap Recycler's attack? Maguro, just what are you thinking right now?)
After Yuya wondered about that in his mind, Maguro spoke up again.
Maguro: "I think I'll just use Oilman's special ability to equip himself to Big Core. Good luck taking out my ace monster now!"
Oilman equipped himself to Big Core by getting into its cockpit. And just like that, Big Core had a layer of protection aside from its three counters. The girls were losing hope that Yuya could win the duel.
Zuzu: "How can Yuya handle Big Core now? Its attack points are at 3300…"
Draco: "Yeah. And on top of that, Big Core is bein' protected by those counters AND that Oilman…"
Amitie: "Does that mean Yuya will lose…?"
Lidelle: "Oh no…"
And even Skip was losing faith in Yuya hanging in there.
Skip: (Oh, man… Maguro's competitive edge is overpowering Yuya's Pendulum power. Yuya might be a good duelist, but he's never been able to reach the dueltaining prowess of his dad. I feel sorry for him right now… Nevertheless, I made the decision to have these boys duel against one another and it can't be undone now. So I'll just see where things go from here.)
Yuya: "... All right, my turn!"
Maguro's LP: 4000 - Yuya's LP: 700
Maguro's Hand Size Before DP: 1 - Yuya's Hand Size Before DP: 2
Yuya: "Ha!"
Yuya drew his card for the turn and looked at it, but frowned. A couple of seconds after that, he spoke up again.
Yuya: "Swing far again, pendulum! Ha!"
Yuya's pendulum scale went to work and one monster appeared on the field, in defense mode: It was Odd-Eyes.
Yuya: "It's time to make an early reappearance, Odd-Eyes."
When Maguro saw this, he knew that Yuya was grasping for straws.
Maguro: "Just him? No one else, Yuya?"
Yuya: "The rest of the cast for my next act will show themselves later, Maguro. For now though, I'll end my turn."
Maguro: "End your turn? Just like that? You know, with you striving to be a dueltainer and all, I would've figured you try for something more than this."
Yuya: "What are you saying?"
Maguro: "My point is: This duel's becoming a little boring for your standards. Don't you think so?"
Yuya: "..."
Without saying anything else, Yuya ran off again to find an action card. Seeing this, Maguro was forced to act fast.
Maguro: "If you want to lose this duel now, then I'll hand your defeat over to you! My turn!"
Maguro's LP: 4000 - Yuya's LP: 700
Maguro's Hand Size Before DP: 1 - Yuya's Hand Size Before DP: 3
Maguro: "Ha!"
Maguro drew his card for the turn, but he didn't bother to look at it. Instead, he immediately did something else.
Maguro: "I'll use the effect of Gravity Blaster again to boost Big Core's attack points by 400 again!"
Big Core's attack points went up from 3300 to 3700, just like that. After that was done, Maguro pointed at Yuya as he said…
Maguro: "And now…! Big Core, take Yuya's Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon out again! Rapid-Fire Cannon Storm!"
Big Core prepared to attack as Yuya continued to look around for an action card. Of course though, Yuya wasn't able to find an action card in time before Big Core destroyed Odd-Eyes again.
Yuya: "Rggh…"
Maguro: "And since Oilman was equipped to Big Core when it destroyed Odd-Eyes, I'm allowed to draw one card! Ha!
Maguro drew the card from Oilman's union effect, and Yuya was getting very worried with the current situation. Nevertheless, he still ran to find any action card he could get his hands on. This prompted Maguro to act quickly.
Maguro: "And now that Odd-Eyes is out of the picture… My Sergeant Electro has a clear shot at what's left of your life points, Yuya! Sergeant Electro! Attack Yuya directly now!"
Sergeant Electro began to chase after Yuya, and the latter was beginning to think that he would lose the duel.
Yuya: (Is this how this is gonna turn out? I can't lose like this after what happened with my duel against Declan… How am I ever gonna be a true dueltainer if I can't provide the action that I want people to see? … I have to find an action card now! But, where haven't I checked yet?)
Yuya gave his surroundings a bit of a closer look. Then, suddenly, he saw something within a colored light that was part of a sign. It was an action card!
Yuya: (Ah! There's one! It's up ahead and above by several feet. I think I can reach it before that sarge gives me quite the scolding.)
Yuya picked up the pace and came to a light post. He inched his way up to the top of the light post and jumped over to a platform that the colored light sign was connected to. He then grabbed the action card and…
Yuya: "Sorry Maguro, but I'm afraid your Sergeant Electro is gonna have to settle for a siege for now! I play the action card, Risky Maneuver!"
Right when Yuya played Risky Maneuver, Maguro's Sergeant Electro floated up to where Yuya was and prepared to attack him.
Yuya: "By paying up half of my own life points, I can dodge that direct attack of yours and end the battle phase. Meaning, I'm still in this!"
After Yuya said that, he dodged Sergeant Electro's attack by jumping off from the platform and safely landing on the ground. Maguro was quite surprised by this. He didn't think that Yuya would have ever found an action card at the rate he was going.
Maguro: "...!"
As for Amitie and the others, they sighed in relief.
Zuzu: "That was cutting it real close…"
Draco: "I'll say…"
Amitie: "Geez, that really scared me for a second…"
Lidelle: "M-me too, Amitie…"
Sora: "Well, at least Yuya's still in this duel. Though, it's hard to say how much longer he can last. I mean, Maguro hasn't taken any damage since the duel started. Not to mention, his Big Core is so powerful now."
Zuzu: "That's true… … Yuya…"
Sora took a sucker from his pocket and looked back at the duel as he spoke in his mind for a bit.
Sora: (Plus, I doubt Yuya has any monsters in his deck that have more than 3700 attack points. And even if he does match Big Core's strength, that'll only be the case for one turn before Maguro cranks that ship's attack points up by 400 again. And, even if Yuya does win the battle, Big Core will survive it, whether Maguro uses up one of those counters, or have Oilman take the hit instead. All in all, the odds are totally against him here. Maguro pretty much has him in a trap that he can't escape from. So the question becomes: When will Yuya get fully caught in it?)
After Sora said that in his mind, Maguro crossed his arms.
Maguro: "So you're not gonna give up yet, Yuya? Very well, I'll just switch Scrap Recycler to defense mode and end my turn. Now, let me just say this before you start your turn again, man: Your resources have run dry for the most part. You'll only have your Odd-Eyes to protect you from one attack after you Pendulum Summon it once more. And since you only have 350 life points remaining, one more attack from any one of my machines will make me the winner of this duel."
Yuya: "What makes you think I'll only have Odd-Eyes to protect me from an attack?"
Maguro: "Well, considering that you've pretty much had nothing but him for the past few turns… I guess you could have another monster in your hand that you can Pendulum Summon. Though, I can't say that it would help you, regardless of what it could be."
Yuya: "We'll see, Maguro… My turn!"
Maguro's LP: 4000 - Yuya's LP: 350
Maguro's Hand Size Before DP: 3 - Yuya's Hand Size Before DP: 3
Yuya: "Ha!
Yuya drew his card for the turn and looked at it.
Yuya: (This card… … It'll definitely help, but not quite now. I still need to hold out for a bit before I can use it. That said, I should set it down on the field for now.)
Yuya grabbed the card he just drew and…
Yuya: "I'll set this card down, then… Here he comes once again!"
Yuya performed another Pendulum Summon and Odd-Eyes appeared on the field, in defense mode, which was what Maguro had expected.
Maguro: "Heh, like I thought…"
Yuya: "I didn't think that you would push me this far, Maguro, but I'm gonna bring down your Big Core soon."
Maguro: "Oh really? I'd like to see you try, Yuya!"
Yuya: "I will! For now though, I have to end my turn."
Maguro: "Then here I go!"
Maguro's LP: 4000 - Yuya's LP: 350
Maguro's Hand Size Before DP: 3 - Yuya's Hand Size Before DP: 3
Maguro: "Draw!"
Maguro drew his card, and once again, he didn't bother to look at it as he said…
Maguro: "First, I'll use Gravity Blaster's effect to increase Big Core's attack points by 400."
B.E.S. Big Core's attack points went up from 3700 to 4100, which made Amitie and the others have another little exchange with one another.
Draco: "That power's seriously off the charts."
Lidelle: "I-is there no end to the power increase?"
Sora: "There won't be an end to it if Yuya doesn't find a way to get rid of Gravity Blaster. However, what will end is this duel, and most likely with Yuya's defeat. Sorry guys, but I just don't think Yuya's has what it takes to win here."
Amitie: "But-! What if Yuya does have something that can help him, Sora?"
Sora: "If he does, well… He's gonna have to do a lot to turn this around. Like, a ton."
Zuzu: "The odds are really stacked against him…"
Zuzu looked at Yuya for a couple of seconds before turning her attention back to Maguro, who continued to play out his turn.
Maguro: "And now…! Big Core, destroy Odd-Eyes again!"
Yuya began to run to find an action card, but unlike before, he was able to find and snag an action card in time to save Odd-Eyes. The action card in question was sticking out of the base of a light post, which wasn't what Yuya would have expected for one to be located. In any case, he activated the card and…
Yuya: "Not yet! I play the action spell, Choice Choice! This protects Odd-Eyes from being destroyed in battle this turn!"
Big Core's attack then hit Odd-Eyes, but the dragon wasn't destroyed.
Maguro: "Aw man, I thought I really had ya there. Oh well. You're still floating down the river without a paddle, Yuya. I'll end my turn for now."
Yuya: "My go, then!"
Maguro's LP: 4000 - Yuya's LP: 350
Maguro's Hand Size Before DP: 4 - Yuya's Hand Size Before DP: 3
Yuya: "I draw!"
Yuya drew his card for the turn and this was when he decided to do something different for a change.
Yuya: "Alright Maguro, you've managed to keep me on the run for quite a few turns... But I think I now have what I need to level the playing field, or the stage in this case."
Maguro: "Level the stage? Is that so? Hit me with your best shot."
Yuya: "Oh, I will. I'll switch Odd-Eyes to attack mode, and then… It's time for more of the cast… to swing into action!"
Yuya declared his next Pendulum Summon, bringing out three monsters from his hand.
Yuya: "Let 'em hear your roar Performapal Fire Mufflerlion! Smile and wave Performapal Partnaga! And now… a new face in the crew! Sound yourself off, Performapal Drummerilla!"
Mufflerlion and Partnaga were summoned in defense mode, and Drummerilla was summoned in attack mode. When Maguro saw the new Performapal, he got a little excited.
Maguro: "So a new guy has appeared alongside Fire Mufferlion and Partnaga… What does he do?"
Yuya: "Oh, you'll see when we cross that bridge. For now though, since I summoned Partnaga, I can use its special ability to give Drummerilla a helping hand! Now Drummerilla will get a 300 attack point boost for every Performapal on the field. And since there are three, my Drummerilla gains 900 points."
Drummerilla's attack points went up to 2500, and Maguro was left unimpressed.
Maguro: "That's still nowhere near enough to bring down Big Core."
Yuya: "I'm aware. That's why my three Performapals are gonna work together for this next act. I play the spell card, Performance Hurricane! I can choose cards you control, up to the number of Performapals that I control… and return them to the hand!"
When Yuya explained that, Maguro realized what this meant.
Maguro: "Wait, what?! But that means-!"
Yuya: "That's right! Since I control three Performapals, I can choose up to three cards you control and give them a case of stage fright. The cards that will be the target of my spell will be Sergeant Electro, one your face-downs… and B.E.S. Big Core! Oh, and since Big Core is being sent back to the hand, your Gravity Blaster and Oilman will both be going to the graveyard!"
The thought of Big Core being sent back to the hand terrified Maguro, and he knew that he had to do something.
Maguro: "Hold on! In response to your choosing those three cards, I'll activate the face-down you targeted with your Performance Hurricane: The quick-play spell, Magnet Reverse! With this card, I can summon back a machine or rock-type monster that's banished or from my graveyard! Yuya, remember the machine that I sent from my deck to the graveyard with Scrap Recycler's special ability? Well, that'll be the machine monster I summon to the field. So say hello to A-Team: Trap Disposal Unit!"
Maguro's A-Team: Trap Disposal Unit showed itself, and it was summoned to the field in defense mode. The team consisted of a few differently colored guys, whose colors were red, blue, green, and orange. These guys also wore gloves and hard hats, handling a bear trap, as well as a couple of other traps. That showed their expertise of removing traps, but the team itself was very weak in terms of attack and defense points, even with the small boost in attack points it got from Machine Assembly Line.
Lidelle: "Yuya actually managed to get Big Core off the field…"
Zuzu: "Yeah, and all without…"
Draco: "Uh… I don't get it. Why did that work out for Yuya? I thought Maguro said that Oilman and those counters would protect Big Core…"
Amitie: "Yeah, what's up with that?"
Amitie and Draco's confusion made Sora look at the two girls as he spoke up again.
Sora: "He did, but not from everything. Although Maguro had his bases covered pretty well when protecting his Big Core, those very bases had a flaw."
Amitie: "Huh? Flaw?"
Sora: "Amitie, Draco… What Yuya did was return Big Core to Maguro's hand, which isn't the same as destroying it. Because of that small, but key difference, Yuya was able bypass the protection Big Core had and send it packing."
When Sora explained it like that, Amitie and Draco both understood it.
Amitie: "Oh, now I get it!"
Draco: "I think I get it, too."
Sora: "For your guys' sake, I hope you do. Wording is very important to keep in mind while using your cards in a duel."
Lidelle: "Wording…"
Lidelle suddenly brought out her fairy deck, skimming through each of the cards before putting it away to look back at the duel in front of her. Speaking of which, Sergeant Electro and Big Core returned to Maguro's hand. As for Maguro's Magnet Reverse: Since it was activated and used before the effect of Performance Hurricane resolved, it went straight to the graveyard instead of going back to the hand with the other two cards. And then, Oilman and Gravity Blaster both go to the graveyard as well. This left Maguro's field somewhat empty, aside from his A-Team and Scrap Recycler sitting in defense mode. With the duel now in Yuya's favor, it was now the time to attack.
Yuya: "Alright, Odd-Eyes, let's go get that A-Team!"
Yuya got on Odd-Eyes and the latter began to run towards the A-Team. Then, Odd-Eyes jumped into the air. At this point, Maguro began to run, looking for an action card that he could use.
Yuya: "Attack, with Spiral Flame Strike!"
Odd-Eyes launched its attack and Maguro didn't have enough time to save his A-Team from being destroyed.
Maguro: "No, A-Team!"
Maguro stopped running and looked back as Yuya's Odd-Eyes landed on the ground.
Maguro: "You might've destroyed my A-Team, but that doesn't mean I don't get something out of it. Remember my Machine Assembly Line spell? In case you don't, let me refresh your memory. Every time you destroy one of my machines, my spell here gets two Junk Counters.
Machine Assembly Line gained two Junk Counters, but Yuya wasn't very concerned with that at the time.
Yuya: "I don't know what that does for you, Maguro, but I doubt it'll stop this next act. Your Scrap Recycler is gonna be Odd-Eyes' next target, because now I'll use Mufflerlion's special ability to give Odd-Eyes 200 attack points and allow it to attack for a second time!"
Maguro: "Oh no!"
Odd-Eyes' attack points went up to 2700 and Yuya pointed to Scrap Recycler.
Yuya: "Odd-Eyes, dismantle that Scrap Recycler!"
Odd-Eyes launched its attack once again and Scrap Recycler was destroyed.
Maguro: "Urgh… Once again, Yuya, since you destroyed one of my machines: Machine Assembly Line gains two Junk Counters."
Two more Junk Counters were added to Machine Assembly Line, but now Maguro had no monsters left to protect his life points.
Yuya: "And now, since you no longer have any monsters left: Drummerilla's has a clear shot. Drummerilla, attack Maguro directly!"
Drummerilla acted and began to charge at Maguro, freaking the latter out. This prompted Maguro to run and look for an action card. It took him a bit, but he found one laying face-down on the top of a metal staircase. He decided to use a pole to swing himself up there.
Maguro: "Hup-!"
Maguro got on the pole, swung on it, and flung himself to the top. However, his aim was a little off, enough to screw things up for him.
Maguro: "Huh?"
Maguro looked at where he was now and realized he was a few feet away from the staircase's railing. He tried to grab on it with his hand, but it was just barely out of his reach. Because of that, he began to fall.
Maguro: "Aagghh!"
While that was happening, Performapal Drummerilla was getting ready to land its strike. And then, it made its punch just before Maguro could hit the ground.
Maguro: "Oof!"
Maguro flew back several feet, taking 2500 points of damage in the process. This left him laying on the ground with only 1500 life points remaining. All he had aside from those points, were Machine Assembly line… and one face-down card.
Maguro: "Ugh…"
Maguro got back up, recovering from Drummerilla's attack. Yuya gave Maguro a good look before speaking up.
Yuya: "Now would you look at that. It seems your competitive spirit gave in for the moment when you were attempting to grab that action card, Maguro. That said, I think that edge of yours has become rather dull. If you want to sharpen it up again, then here's your chance to do it, for as you can see: I have no other monsters to attack you directly. So I'll just end my turn and let you have one more spin."
Yuya ended his turn and Maguro looked at his duel disk.
Maguro: (Yuya actually got through everything I had… Just, how? I was prepared to deal with his ability to Pendulum Summon Odd-Eyes over and over again. I had Yuya in such a losing position. But then he whipped out that Performance Hurricane spell, and it ruined my whole setup… Damn it. How will I be able to bounce back and stay in this duel?)
Maguro continued to think for a couple more seconds, but then he decided to stop and focus on the present.
Maguro: "Yuya, don't think for a second that you've dulled my competitive edge. Even if I have suffered a major blow in a way I didn't see coming, that doesn't mean I'm down and out! My turn!"
Maguro's LP: 1500 - Yuya's LP: 350
Maguro's Hand Size Before DP: 4 - Yuya's Hand Size Before DP: 0
Maguro: "Ha!"
Maguro drew his card for the turn and looked at it before…
Maguro: "I'll set this monster face-down, and that's all I can do for now. Don't let my lack of action this turn fool you, Yuya. This is all I need for the time being; just wait and see. I'll end my turn."
After Maguro said that, Yuya simply looked at the only two cards Maguro had on the field: Machine Assembly Line… his face-down monster.
Yuya: (Looks like I got this thrilling show nearly wrapped up. Once I come out on top with the final act, Maguro will have to see that there's a lot more to dueling than just winning. … …! Of course! I just realized something. Sometimes, taking down a tough monster in a duel can be really fun. Especially when I have my wonderful cast to act alongside me. I wonder if others can experience that same feeling if they had Pendulum cards to call their own…)
Yuya looked up for himself as he continued to speak in his mind.
Yuya: (I shouldn't let the fact that Declan had Pendulum cards get to me anymore. Even if they didn't work out for him in the end, I could tell that he wanted to do something impressive with them. I shouldn't deny him of having that opportunity when he got so close to pulling it off perfectly and firmly. So instead, I should have fun like I always had before, even if my opponent has their own Pendulum cards to use. I should also teach Maguro to have fun with any duel he gets roped into and tone down his own pride, so that his competitive side doesn't go overboard. And to do that, I'll need to start having fun with what's left of this duel!)
Yuya turned his attention back to Maguro and…
Yuya: "All right, my move!"
Maguro's LP: 1500 - Yuya's LP: 350
Maguro's Hand Size Before DP: 4 - Yuya's Hand Size Before DP: 0
Yuya: "Ha!"
Yuya drew his card for the turn, but he didn't really look at it. His mind was currently on doing something else.
Yuya: "It's time for some more action as we end things off here! Performapal Drummerilla, beat down on Maguro's face-down monster!"
Drummerilla went up to the face-down monster and was ready to attack it. While Maguro was seeing this, he strangely kept still, not bothering to find an action card at that specific moment. And then… Maguro's face-down monster was revealed to everyone. The monster in question was none other than Cyber Jar! When Yuya saw it, his eyes widened in surprise.
Yuya: "Oh no! It's Cyber Jar!"
Maguro: "Indeed, it is! Thank you for attacking it, Yuya. You just gave me an avenue to pursue and take advantage of. Cyber Jar, destroy yourself and take all other monsters on the field to the graveyard as well!"
As if on command, Cyber Jar blew itself up, taking all of Yuya's monsters with it. After that happened, Maguro spoke up again.
Maguro: "And after Cyber Jar self-destructs, we both pick up the top five cards of our decks. If any of them happen to be monsters that are level four or below, we summon them in either face-up attack mode, or face-down defense mode. The rest of the cards are then added to our hands."
Yuya: "..."
Yuya and Maguro both picked up the top five cards of their decks and looked at them.
Maguro: "Sweet, looks like I got three monsters. I'll summon Lord British Space Fighter, Victory Viper XX03 and Blue Thunder T-45, all in face-up attack mode! And as for the other two cards, they'll be added to my hand."
Maguro then summoned the three ship monsters, one of which was new to everyone else. Victory Viper XX03 had 1200 attack points to start out with, but thanks to Machine Assembly Line, it was 200 points stronger. And of course, the other two ships were given the same boost. Yuya looked at Blue Thunder T-45 and sweated a bit before turning his attention back to the five cards he picked up from the top of his deck.
Yuya: "As for me, I got five monsters to summon."
Maguro: "What? Five? Seriously?"
Yuya: "Uh-huh. Let me show you! I'll bring out these Performapals: Skeeter Skimmer, Trampolynx, Spikeagle, Stamp Turtle, and last but not least… Hip Hippo! All of them will be summoned in face-down defense mode."
Yuya's five Performapals were then summoned to the field. Spikeagle and Stamp Turtle were new faces to everyone else, and Maguro was intrigued with their appearance.
Maguro: "Ah, two new faces, I see."
Yuya: "Yeah, but unfortunately, I don't think they'll be able to show off their talents right now. Because of that, I'll just end my turn."
Maguro: "Then it's my turn again, Yuya! Here I come!"
Maguro's LP: 1500 - Yuya's LP: 350
Maguro's Hand Size Before DP: 6 - Yuya's Hand Size Before DP: 1
Maguro: "Draw!"
Maguro drew his card for the turn, but he didn't look at it whatsoever, because he was aiming to go right into battle.
Maguro: "Alright Blue Thunder, get that face-down Stamp Turtle! Attack, with Thunder Buster!"
Blue Thunder T-45 began to charge up its attack, prompting Yuya to move out in an attempt to find an action card. After about ten seconds though, Yuya didn't see one. And then, Maguro's ship fired a beam of electricity, quickly frying up the Stamp Turtle and destroying it. Yuya stopped running as he looked back to the scene of Stamp Turtle's destruction.
Yuya: "Ah-! Stamp Turtle!"
Maguro: "Oh, I'm afraid that losing your turtle should be the least of your worries, Yuya."
Yuya: "What do you mean?"
Maguro: "Well, allow me to enlighten you. My Blue Thunder T-45 has a neat special ability. You see, if it destroys one of your monsters by battle, then it automatically summons a Thunder Option Token to my side of the field."
Yuya: "A token?!"
And so, the Thunder Option Token appeared (in attack mode) close to where Maguro was standing. It was a machine type monster that had 1500 attack points.
Yuya: "It has 1500 attack points…"
Maguro: "Usually, but not right now. Thanks to my Assembly Line spell, it gains 200 attack points."
The token's attack points then went up to 1700. From there, Maguro continued to speak.
Maguro: "And now, I think I should put my token to good use! Thunder Option Token, take out Yuya's face-down Skeeter Skimmer!"
The Thunder Option Token wasted no time in firing a weaker version of Blue Thunder's attack, destroying Skeeter Skimmer.
Yuya: "Urgh…!"
Maguro: "Good, that's monster number two down. Victory Viper XX03, it's your turn now! Your target will be that face-down Performapal Spikeagle!"
With that, Victory Viper XX03 fired an attack out of a laser cannon, not giving Yuya any time to start running to find an action card. And within two or three seconds, Spikeagle was destroyed.
Yuya: "Ack-!"
Maguro: "And now that Victory Viper XX03 has destroyed one of your monsters, its special ability activates! I can choose to either permanently power up this ship's attack points by 400, destroy a face-up spell or trap on the field, or summon an Option Token to my side of the field. As tempting as it would be for me to increase my Viper's attack points, I think summoning an Option Token is better for me here. So I'll do that, and summon the Option Token in attack mode!"
An Option Token appeared on Maguro's side of the field, and it had 1400 attack points, just like Victory Viper XX03.
Maguro: "This Option Token will always have the same attack and defense points as my Victory Viper XX03. And since it's in attack mode, I might as well make use of it now. Option Token, blast through Yuya's face-down Trampolynx!"
The Option Token fired a quick laser of its own, once again, not giving Yuya any time to look for an action card. Before he knew it, his face-down Trampolynx was destroyed.
Yuya: "Hrrgh! … Thankfully for Trampolynx's case, it goes to the extra deck, rather than go straight to the graveyard, since it's a Pendulum Monster."
And just like that Trampolynx was now in Yuya's extra deck. Maguro looked at it as it went there and merely shrugged it off.
Maguro: "That won't matter to me, Yuya. I still have one more monster to attack with, and its name is Lord British Space Fighter! Lord British, eliminate that face-down Hip Hippo!"
Lord British fired its weapon, and Hip Hippo was no more.
Yuya: "No, Hip Hippo…!"
Maguro: "And now that Lord British destroyed Hip Hippo, it's ability kicks in! I can either allow it to attack again, destroy a set card on the field, or summon a Multi Token to my field. Now, since my monster zones are all filled up, I can't choose the third option. However, I can still get in more damage by allowing Lord British itself to attack again. And I think that's the option that I'm gonna choose. And, last I checked, you only have 350 life points left, Yuya... So it's game over for you! Lord British Space Fighter, attack Yuya directly and bring me victory!"
Lord British fired its attack, and all hope for Yuya to win this duel seemed to be gone in the eyes of Amitie and the others.
Amitie: "Oh no! Yuya's gonna-!"
As Amitie said that, Lidelle hid behind her to not see Yuya's apparent loss. Right after that, though… Yuya spoke up.
Yuya: "I don't think so, Maguro! I play a trap! Performapal Pinch Helper!"
Yuya revealed his trap card to Maguro, and the latter wasn't sure what to make of it at first, since he didn't know what it did.
Yuya: "Once per turn, when one of your monsters declare a direct attack, I can negate that attack and summon a Performapal straight from my deck!"
Maguro: "Say what now?!"
Yuya: "That's right! Your Lord British Space Fighter's attack stops, and now this girl can take the stage in defense mode! So here comes Performapal Cheer Mole!"
Lord British Space Fighter's attack was negated and Cheer Mole appeared on Yuya's side of the field, looking shy, like it was during Yuya's duel against Sora.
Yuya: "However, as a bit of a downside, when I summon a Performapal with Pinch Helper… its special abilities are negated."
After Yuya said that, Maguro was still processing what had just happened. Then, a few seconds later, he spoke up.
Maguro: "I was so close… But you managed to save yourself just now. … In that case, I'll just set a card down on the field and end my turn."
Maguro placed a card face-down in the spell and trap zone as he ended his turn, signaling that Yuya had one more turn to bring things around to favor again.
Yuya: "All right… I think it's about time for the final act."
Maguro: "Final act? Are you going out with a bang?"
Yuya: "Not exactly, Maguro. Let me show you what I mean. My move!"
Maguro's LP: 1500 - Yuya's LP: 350
Maguro's Hand Size Before DP: 6 - Yuya's Hand Size Before DP: 1
Yuya: "Ha!"
Yuya drew his card for the turn and briefly looked at it before smiling.
Yuya: "Maguro, before I have this final act unfold, I wanna say something to you."
Maguro: "And what might that be, Yuya?
Yuya: "Despite how overly-competitive the duel was for my standards, it's been pretty fun. I mean, us going back and forth in the way we did here was engaging in a way that I never experienced before. I wouldn't mind having a duel like this every once and a while."
Maguro: "Are you gonna keep talking, or are you gonna get to the point?"
Yuya: "Well, I just thought maybe you liked how fun this duel has been up until now."
When Yuya said that, Maguro loosened up his competitive look.
Maguro: "... Was it really?"
Yuya: "Yeah! Think about it: I was able to get around your powered up Big Core with a cool and fun move."
Upon hearing that from Yuya, Maguro made a small smile.
Maguro: "I'll admit, that was an impressive showing of what your Performapals are capable of… However, since we're now supposedly at the end of this duel, I have a question for you. Can you take out what's left of my life points?"
Yuya: "I think I can, Maguro. And, I'll make this the funnest loss you ever had for any game you've played!"
Maguro: "Heh. All right… Bring it!"
Yuya: "Oh, I will! First off, it's time for the pendulum to swing far one last time; pendulum, carve the arc of victory! My monsters are ready… to swing in action!"
Yuya performed his latest Pendulum Summon and four monsters showed up to join Cheer Mole in performing "the final act".
Yuya: "Give 'em another wave, Performapal Partnaga! Bring in the drum roll, Performapal Drummerilla! Let everyone hear you roar again, Performapal Fire Mufflerlion! And last, but not least… turn up the heat once more, Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon!"
The three Performapals were all summoned in defense mode, and Odd-Eyes was summoned in attack mode. Yuya's five monsters then stared at Maguro's, as though it was a staring contest. The air all around was tense, and Maguro and Yuya knew that.
Yuya: "And now, let's kick the final act off by showcasing Performapal Partnaga's special ability again. Just like before, one of my monsters will gain 300 attack points for every Performapal I have. So I think I'll choose Odd-Eyes to gain those points. Can you do the math?"
Maguro: "Four Performapals times 300 equals… …! 1200!"
Yuya: "That's right! And that means Odd-Eyes attack points go up to 3700."
And just like that, Odd-Eyes' attack points shot up to that amount.
Yuya: "Alright, Odd-Eyes! It's go time! Take aim at Blue Thunder T-45 and bring this show to an end!"
Odd-Eyes began to run forward, forcing Maguro to grab on to Blue Thunder with haste.
Maguro: "Blue Thunder, let's go! We gotta find an action card!"
And so, Maguro and Blue Thunder were on the move, flying away from Odd-Eyes as fast as they could. Seeing this, Yuya began to chase after them as well. Once Yuya managed to catch up with Odd-Eyes, he hopped on its back.
Yuya: "Full speed ahead, Odd-Eyes!"
Everyone else was silent while witnessing this series of events unfold before them. However, this tension didn't stop Skip from speaking in his mind.
Skip: (I genuinely don't know who's gonna come out on top here. It'll all come down to whether or not Maguro can grab hold of any action card he finds. I just hope he doesn't find one, 'cause I think Yuya winning this duel will be better for not only him, but for Maguro as well. Having a student who can be overtaken by their own pride and competitive edge won't look good for this school. The You Show Duel School was always meant to be a place for kids to not only learn how to play Duel Monsters, but to also have fun playing it. I made a promise to Yuya's dad to keep this school the way that it had been in the past, and I don't wanna ever break that promise. Especially not when we now have kids like Amitie and Lidelle coming here.)
Skip then looked over where Amitie and Lidelle were standing before continuing to speak in his mind.
Skip: (I can tell that Amitie has great potential to be like Yuya in a lot of ways. She carries a similar positive attitude, and cares a lot about her friends. And even though I haven't seen Lidelle perform in any duels yet, probably due to her apparent shyness… She's a great listener and learns stuff pretty well.)
From there, Skip looked at Draco and Sora.
Skip: (And those two, well… Draco also has a bit of a competitive edge, but I think she knows when to tone it down and have fun. And Sora, I can tell that he has a lot of fun, too. All in all, these kids all have a bright future ahead of them if things end up working out for the sake of this school. I'll be looking forward to seeing them all take action in exciting and unique ways.)
And so, Skip turned his attention back to the duel to see how it would end. Yuya was still chasing Maguro around as the latter continued to look for any action card to help him out of this tight spot. Yuya was slowly, but surely catching up, which made Maguro tense up considerably.
Maguro: (Yuya's almost close enough to blast Blue Thunder into pieces…! Come on, action card! Where could you be?)
Maguro quickly shifted his point of view from side to side, but he found nothing. And then… He and Blue Thunder suddenly found themselves at a dead end within the street, unable to go any further. Because of that, they came to a complete stop.
Maguro: "Oh crap! There's no way forward anymore!"
Maguro then looked back to see Yuya and Odd-Eyes closing in on him. His back was pretty against the wall, and he KNEW it as Yuya spoke up again.
Yuya: "We got a clear shot now, Odd-Eyes! Let's go!"
As if on instinct, Odd-Eyes jumped into the air and Maguro knew what was coming next.
Maguro: (I need to get off Blue Thunder right now before I get seriously hurt!)
Maguro jumped off as Odd-Eyes began to charge up its attack. A few seconds later, Maguro landed on some garbage bags that were. And then, after he recovered and stood up…
Yuya: "Attack Blue Thunder T-45, with Spiral Flame Strike!"
Odd-Eyes fired its attack at Blue Thunder… and the attack landed. This made Maguro's ship explode, causing the boy to fly backwards as he took 2000 points of damage.
Maguro: "Aaaaggghhh!"
Due to the force of the blast, Maguro was sent all the way into a narrow and grungy alleyway before landing on his back. As that happened Maguro's life points dropped from 1500 to 0.
Maguro's LP: 0 - Yuya's LP: 350
Winner: Yuya
When Amitie and the other kids saw this happen, they were clapping and cheering. As for Skip, he was ecstatic to see the duel end the way that it did.
Skip: "Yuya did it! And he did it while having fun!"
But then, Skip looked back to Maguro… and dropped his smile.
Skip: "But maybe I should also go see if Maguro's okay…"
Skip then left the field setting up room and made his way to the dueling field. While he did that, the action field faded, along with Maguro and Yuya's monster. And as for Yuya himself, he rushed to Maguro's side.
Yuya: "You okay, buddy?"
Hearing Yuya's voice, Maguro sat up from where he landed and looked up to see his friend. As that happened, Skip came up to him as well.
Maguro: "Ugh… Yeah, I'm fine… … Yuya?"
Yuya: "Hm? What is it, Maguro?"
After Yuya asked that question, Maguro made a warm smile and…
Maguro: "Thanks for beating me, man. You knocked some good sense into me. And I got myself the funnest loss ever, just like you said."
When Maguro said that, Skip was getting ecstatic again.
Skip: "*excited gasp* So, you mean…?!"
Maguro: "Yep. Mr. Boyle, I no longer feel super competitive. I wanna start having fun, regardless of whether I'm winning or losing my duels."
Skip: "Alriiiight! I knew you boys could both learn a thing or two by dueling each other! Now I don't feel so bad about making that decision. Let's go back to your friends and tell them the good news, boys."
Maguro and Yuya then nodded as they said…
Maguro and Yuya: "Yeah!"
Author's Notes: Woo! That was an exciting duel, huh? I had a lot of fun writing it all out for this chapter, even though it was a pretty big time sink for me. Over 10000 words for this chapter alone. This chapter might have been long, but I think it was ultimately worth making. Not just for the duel itself, but also for further development of Maguro and Yuya's characters. We even got to see some new monsters from both of them in action.
And as for the way that the duel ended and resolved itself, I'm sure you guys are thinking that it's safe to say Maguro and Yuya no longer have their doubts. So yay! Anyway, now that Maguro has received this most recent bit of development, he'll be focused on less for a while. For those who were waiting for Amitie and Lidelle to do or be a part of something, you guys won't have to wait much longer. What will happen to those two in upcoming chapters? Well, you'll just have to find that out for yourselves. Next chapter, Chapter 10: The Power of Darkness.