Chapter 12: A Visitor's Tournament
One week every fall, Duel Academy-Central Primus (its formal title) played host to all four of its extended campuses, spread across the globe. The annual School Duel Festival was highly anticipated by students all around Duel Academy, in no small part because the festival lasted four days without lectures or homework. Well, mostly without homework: Some of the teachers for the dueling classes gave report assignments related to the festival. "Compare the winning decks" or "Describe differences in playstyle between the academies" or "Explain how the festival made you feel." Bryan found himself assigned a one-page narrative to explain the origins of the School Duel Festival. Dr. Houtz assured everyone that they could find the answer by attending the festivities just as easily as by burying themselves in the library—that didn't stop students like Cary from taking the library route just so the assignment would be finished and off her plate throughout the festival.
Cary had mixed feelings about the quality of the festival. The campus had undergone an impressive transformation from its mundane appearance into a far more multicultural appearance. The school had always been an international campus, but the efforts to make the visitors feel welcome brought out more of the ethnic decorations: country flags, historical tapestries, posters printed in multiple languages, and food stands with enough variety to guarantee everyone either felt at home or felt in a new country, dependent on dining preferences.
But despite the superficial efforts, Cary felt in reality the school hadn't done much to create an actual festival atmosphere. There were no rides or anything. The only attractions were performances of some kind by the various student clubs surrounding the intercampus dueling tournaments, which were the primary draw. A brass quintet (she didn't even know the campus had any instrumentalists) performed during the welcome ceremony for the four visiting schools. At least she knew ahead of time about the dance team that practiced in the gym on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays, and unless she wore industrial ear muffs she couldn't go without hearing the drumline practicing their thing outside the main building every Monday through Thursday. Along with demonstrations from other clubs, they made for amusing distractions but hardly built the air of festivity Cary had hoped for.
There wasn't even a Ferris wheel. Maybe she was confusing a festival with a carnival. The two words were used almost interchangeably in her hometown.
Like everyone else, Cary's focus was on the tournament for the intercampus dueling teams. Fifteen total teams were competing in a tournament bracket over the next two days for the glory of claiming worldwide bragging rights. Only the top three teams from each school were permitted to join the competition, and her teammates on Team OTK helped her hold firmly to the second-place position. The Guardian Duelers were not only the top team at Duel Academy-Central Primus—which had been shortened to "Central" for the duration of the festival—they were also the defending champs from the previous year's festival. As the Number 1 Seed for the tournament, the Guardian Duelers had the honor of a "bye" round, automatically progressing to Round 2 without needing to duel any of the remaining fourteen teams.
OTK and Guardian Duelers were joined by Victorious Secret, the team comprising duelists from the Obelisk Blue Girls' dormitory. In the semester league play, Victorious Secret were currently tied with the Duel Dragonists, but they held the tie-breaker and thus earned their way into the School Duel Festival. Participation in the competition was a high honor that came with several internal campus perks; those perks would soon multiply for whichever team managed to win.
The first round pitted Team OTK – Central against the Team OTK of East Academy.
"I didn't even know there was another chapter of OTK," said Cee-Cee, wiping her face of sweat.
Cary knew. Dave and Justin had told her previously. There was so many ways to build an OTK deck that it only made sense the students of Central Duel Academy weren't the only ones to figure it out—especially given the very idea of a Team OTK originated in the pro leagues. Team OTK was just a bunch of students helping each other get good at copying the professionals.
"This heat is awful," said Fats. He was sweating buckets. From the very moment he stepped outside, he had already formed sweat circles around his underarms and neck, visible all the way through his jacket. "All semester we've been inching toward a cold winter, and suddenly the first day we have to be outside in the sun it's two hundred degrees."
"Unzip your jacket if it's that bad," said Cee-Cee, offering her suggestion. She had already taken her jacket off and tied it around her waist, revealing her cropped, black tank top that showed her midriff. Otherwise she maintained the Duel Academy standard attire. She had it easier than Fats, though, since a skirt was infinitely more breathable than black pants. Personally, Cary could handle the heat. It was the side effects of the sun she wanted to avoid—hence she wore leggings under her skirt whereas Cee-Cee and the other girls went bare-legged.
Fats shook his head. "I'm wearing one of those moisture packs under my jacket. I don't want it to get my cards wet and ruin them. Or short-circuit the duel station." Years ago, card sleeves would have been a simple and convenient solution for the former concern, but the embedded microchips that made the cards usable in duel stations and Duel Disks couldn't be read through the sleeves. To counter that limitation, cards were cut of heavier material to make them sturdier and embossed with stronger chemicals to protect against tactile acids and oils. But even though his cards weren't really at risk of being ruined from a bit of moisture, Fats was probably more concerned about how ridiculous he might look if everyone could see the moisture pack.
At the mention of moisture pack issues, Cee-Cee's eyes sprang open. "Sprung a leak, did you?" She reached into her pocket for her Swiss Army Knife and began twirling it in her fingers. "Want me to take a look?"
Fats smiled at her. "I absolutely do, starting tonight. This is not coming off of me until I get to go back inside."
"Time's up fooling around," said Miyu. Thing is, Miyu spoke verbally even less often than Cary did. Miyu was born deaf and only ever spoke using Japanese Sign Language. After three months of spending time with her and the rest of OTK, Cary believed she was starting to get the hang of the language. She attributed a lot of nuance that Miyu may never have intended, but Cary definitely believed she got the gist of each message.
Pointing to Fats and then to Cee-Cee, Miyu indicated that the two of them were to join Rikuto in the first round. Each team decided on only three duelists for each round, and the matchups were randomized from there.
Fats was matched against a guy who ran a Trickstar OTK theme that knocked out most of Fats' Life Points before he even got a turn. Given the time he needed to set up his Naturia OTK, he couldn't pull out the victory.
Next up, Rikuto was able to upset a Six Samurai OTK and initiate a perfect Batteryman OTK in retaliation. Cee-Cee had felt increased pressure after Fats lost because she knew she would have to win for her team to progress to the next round. Now that Rikuto pulled it out, the pressure mounted even higher. Unfortunately all the tie-breaking rules like leftover Life Points and turn count were in East Academy's favor.
Cee-Cee was up against an American whose attitude was obvious just by the smirk on his lip. She wasn't a particularly busty girl although she was in good shape, but this boy didn't look like the type to have any ogling criteria as long as she had boobs. He had long, greasy hair that perfectly complemented the douchebag look.
"Your name is Cee-Cee." He wasn't asking. He stated it as certainly as if he were revealing some deep, dark secret that he shouldn't know.
"Thanks. You are…?"
He smirked. "Going to keep you guessing."
Cee-Cee offered a handshake, which he was slow to accept. His hand was sweaty. "If you say so…" She peered up at the duel arena where her name and his name were both posted for all the spectators to see. "…Hiddle. That's a new one."
"I'm the only one of my kind."
She rolled her eyes. "Unfortunately there are all too many guys like you." The two quickly got set up on opposite ends of the arena and prepared their cards. A virtual coin toss selected Cee-Cee to receive the first turn.
Like all her teammates, Cee-Cee tended to occupy much of the air time with her turns. "Normal summon Morphtronic Celfon (1: 100/100)," she started, summoning a small monster that looked like a Transformer cellphone. At the size of a pack of gum, it wasn't intimidating. "Activate Celfon," she continued. A virtual die rolled across the field and revealed a two. She placed two cards from her deck onto the display field one at a time. While she returned three to her deck for shuffling, the fourth stayed on the field. "Special summon Morphtronic Remoten (3: 300/1200)," she said as an iPod appeared with arms and legs made out of metal tape. Another tiny monster on the field. "Synchro summon Armory Arm (4: 1800/1200)." Her two tiny machines produced a tiny pulse that resonated in the air until the two combined into a mechanical hand that moved autonomously, kind of like a hermit crab.
Now that she had a Morphtronic monster in her graveyard, Cee-Cee could "Special summon Morphtronic Smartfon (1: 100/100)." This one looked similar to Celfon except it was black and purple and almost resembled a lighter. "Activate Smartfon," she called as another die rolled across the virtual field. This time the result was four, so she took four cards from her deck and revealed them briefly to everyone watching. She kept one of the four and returned the rest to her deck. "Now activate D.D.R. – Different Dimension Reincarnation."
Hiddle groaned. "Finally, a card that isn't Morphtronic. I was beginning to think you didn't have any variety at all to your cards."
Cee-Cee paused just long enough to frown. "I'm not doing anything weird," she said. "These cards just have a lot of effects."
"Yeah," said Hiddle snidely, "but good duelists can do it a lot quicker."
Only a brief moment of sadness crossed Cee-Cee's consciousness. "I get it now. You're just messing with me. I'll keep it going."
He grunted. "That's not…" but he trailed off without finishing.
The reincarnation effect brought back the tiny, yellow Transformer. "Special Summon Morphtronic Celfon (1: 100/100)," said Cee-Cee. "Activate Celfon." Once more a die rolled across her field, revealing just one this time. She flipped one card from her deck to show everyone, and then she played it. "Special summon Morphtronic Smartfon (1: 100/100)." She received a duplicate of the lighter-looking smartphone monster and then immediately added, "Activate Smartfon." This time the die rolled a six, and Cee-Cee revealed six cards from the top of her deck. Of all the cards she showed off, most were Morphtronic monsters. This time was no different and she kept another Morphtronic in her hand.
"Synchro summon T.G. Hyper Librarian (5: 2400/1800)," she called. One of the Smartfon (1) began to ring, and Armory Arm (4) seemed to answer it by shattering into resonant sound waves. Instead of a machine, her monsters had transformed into a tall human wearing a flowy, white cape over his black-and-white robes. A miter kept his eyes well hidden. "Also Synchro summon Formula Synchron (2: 200/1500)," she said as her remaining Smartfon (1) rang in tune with her Celfon (1). It looked like a racecar that had collided with a blue robot and become a single body. The Hyper Librarian responded to the resonance of the two machines that built the racecar by pointing one glowing finger at Cee-Cee's deck. Per his effect, she was able to draw one additional card.
"My god," moaned Hiddle. "Your turns take so long!"
Cee-Cee clicked her tongue and pointed at him. "Just give me a minute. Or maybe five because I think I have a lot more cards to play. This was a really good opening hand."
Waving his hand as if to brush off the comment, he said, "Whatever you say, Poker Face."
It was easy enough for Cee-Cee to keep going, but she really was annoyed that a kid would come to her home turf and be so flippant. Wasn't he also an OTK duelist? Shouldn't he know by know how long some of the strategies take to set in?
"Activate Morphtronic Repair Unit and special summon Morphtronic Celfon (1: 100/100)." A series of magnets hovered across the field and collected yellow pieces of machinery from the graveyard, finally producing the monster Cee-Cee chose to revive. "Activate Celfon." When the die rolled once more, she revealed two of her cards and added, "Special summon Morphtronic Scopen (3: 800/1400)," a machine named for a microscope but actually somewhat resembling Thomas the Tank Engine. Scopen (3+1) had the distinction of being the first monster Cee-Cee played in defense mode, and it received a level-up as a result.
Hiddle snickered. "I can see up your monster's butt with that magnifying glass there."
Cee-Cee frowned. "Well I can see through to your soul. And you're kind of rotten." She continued her turn over his respondent sneer. "Synchro summon Armades, Keeper of Boundaries (5: 2300/1500)," she said as her Celfon (1) resonated with her Scopen (3+1) and transfigured into a two-sided demon. One side spread a bat-like wing and emanated fire while the other spread a feathery wing and frosted the air. "Activate Hyper Librarian." Once again her Librarian pointed a glowing finger at her deck and allowed her to draw for having synchro summoned.
"Done yet?" groaned her opponent.
"No," she huffed. "Activate Reasoning." She glared at the guy. "Pick a number, please."
Hiddle just smirked and stroked his bare-ass chin. He probably couldn't grow stubble, let alone a full beard. "Let me think about that. Of all the monsters you've played so far, Most have been Level 1. Most duelists like to stack a bunch of Level 4 monsters in their decks so they have some actual powerhouses, but I bet you haven't even considered that strategy. That narrows that down. And nothing has been Level 2 yet, so I'll just venture a guess that the next monster we'll see in your deck is Level 1."
Cee-Cee only had to flip two cards before revealing Morphtronic Scopen (3: 800/1400). "Special summon Morphtronic Scopen (3+1)!" Once more with her Tank Engine/microscope in defense mode, it gained a level. "Synchro summon Ally of Justice Catastor (5: 2200/1200)." Celfon (1) resonated again with Scopen (3+1) to create a gigantic, mechanical mite with spiked golden legs and tail and a big, green laser face. "Activate Hyper Librarian." Having synchro summoned again, she was able to draw another card. Despite all her plays, she still held four cards in her hand and wasn't done by a long shot.
"Synchro summon Shooting Quasar Dragon (12: 4000/4000)." Formula Synchron (2) began racing circles around the field so fast it moved as fast as sound. Hyper Librarian (5) and Armades (5) both resonated and transformed into a massive dragon that shimmered with the same white light as the celestial body it was named for.
Suddenly Hiddle fell quiet as he realized that maybe slow and steady really can win the duel sometimes.
Feeling better about herself and hiding the temptation to be smug, Cee-Cee continued, "Activate Junk Box; special summon Morphtronic Celfon (1: 100/100)." Her spell brought out a box of spare parts that rapidly assembled themselves into the shape of her tiny, yellow monster. "Activate Celfon." Again she rolled a die, this time revealing six of her cards before she could add, "Special summon Morphtronic Smartfon (1: 100/100)." She showed her black-screened monster, which may well have been one of only a handful of smart phones without a cracked screen on the entire campus. "Activate Smartfon." With a single card revealed, she moved another Morphtronic monster to her hand. "Synchro summon Formula Synchron (2: 200/1500) again." She watched her Celfon (1) and Smartfon (1) merge once again in ringtones.
"Activate Morphtronic Repair Unit to special summon Morphtronic Remoten (3: 300/1200)." More magnets showed up on the field to drag from her graveyard the parts of the iPod and reassemble them into the shape of a viable monster. "Activate Remoten." By banishing a Celfon from her graveyard, Cee-Cee moved her final Celfon from her deck into her hand.
"Oh, my god," muttered Hiddle. He lacked the patience for a real OTK duel. But at least he hadn't trash talked her since he saw Shooting Quasar Dragon.
Which gave Cee-Cee another idea. "Synchro summon Stardust Dragon (8: 2500/2000)." From Catastor (5) and Remoten (3) came another dragon in white scales, shining almost as brightly combined with the blue light of its underbelly. "Now synchro summon Shooting Star Dragon (10: 3300/2500)" by combining her racecar with the smaller of her dragons. Their combination created a dragon only slightly inferior to the one already on the field and, quite frankly, very similar in appearance. Quasar had smoother bones and Star had segmented scales—that was crux of the difference.
"Are you done yet?" he asked.
"No, I still have more cards."
"How? This is so ridiculous. It's still just the first turn."
Cee-Cee looked just as shocked. "It was a really good hand. I mean…?" She showed her card before playing it. Soul Charge meant she could special summon as many monsters from the graveyard as her field could hold, in exchange for a thousand Life Points each. "Special summon Morphtronic Scopen (3: 800/1400), Ally of Justice Catastor (5: 2200/1200), and Morphtronic Remoten (3: 300/1200)," she said. She dropped 3000 points for that play, but it gave her one more big monster: "Synchro summon Red Dragon Archfiend (8: 3000/2000)." Catastor (5) and Remoten (3) combined into a dragon of black and red, with bat-like wings and three horns on its head.
She glanced toward the sidelines where the other members of her team watched. From the look in Haruki's eye, she could tell he was conflicted. On one hand, he had called her their "secret weapon against Justin Nussbaum." He also carried the Red Dragon Archfiend. But Haruki was also excited to see that maybe her play would frighten the Guardian Duelers and psychologically make them easier targets. After all, Cee-Cee could play that dragon a little better.
"Special summon Glow-Up Bulb (1: 100/100)." She dropped one card from her deck to the graveyard in order to sprout a tiny, blossoming flower in that spot. Suddenly the Bulb (1) and Scopen (3) resonated with the fiery dragon until all three of them merged into a much larger dragon with red scales all over and a single, blue gem in its chest. "Synchro summon Red Nova Dragon (12: 3500 + 6000/3000)."
Hiddle almost choked. "9500 attack points? Are you kidding?" He tried to count it out on his fingers, but Cee-Cee's turn had gone on far too long for that. Her dragon gained 500 points per tuner monster in her graveyard, and she had painstakingly moved twelve of them.
There, Cee-Cee ended her turn.
Cee-Cee: 3 cards, 5000 LP
Hiddle: 5 cards, 8000 LP
He looked at his hand and cursed for a full five minutes. It was almost painful for Cee-Cee to watch how upset he was, but she opted not to antagonize him. It must be hard for him to see a potential OTK strategy go down in flames because the opponent summoned three huge dragons in a single turn. The first turn, no less. Had that happened on any other turn, Cee-Cee might have won already. Instead she was forced to wait patiently and see what Hiddle was going to do to give himself a shot at victory.
"Son of a bitch," he snapped as he slapped a monster card face-down, followed by three more cards thrown all at once.
Cee-Cee: 3 cards, 5000 LP
Hiddle: 2 cards, 8000 LP
Looking at her hand, Cee-Cee was ready to end the duel outright, if Hiddle's three face-down cards would let her.
"Activate Foolish Burial."
Before she could even select her monster, Hiddle interrupted. "I'll chain Sinister Shadow Games." He pulled Shaddoll Hound from his deck and dropped it in the graveyard, lifting the shadows on his Shaddoll Dragon (4: 1900/0). Cee-Cee's card resolved with Morphtronic Lantron in the graveyard, which gave Red Nova Dragon (3500 + 6500) another power boost.
And then began a lengthy chain. Shaddoll Hound's effect targeted Red Nova Dragon to be put in defense mode; Shaddoll Dragon targeted Shooting Quasar Dragon to be returned to Cee-Cee's hand; Quasar's effect negated that effect, preserving itself on the field; Hiddle played Compulsory Evacuation Device and targeted Quasar again; and he activated Super Polymerization to fuse his only monster with Red Nova Dragon on Cee-Cee's field.
When all the effects resolved, Cee-Cee was left with only Shooting Star Dragon (3300) against Hiddle's El Shaddoll Winda (5: 2200/800)—a shadowy, female rider on the back of a bird-like dragon. As her shining dragon shot into the sky and u-turned into a calamitous collision with the opposite field, obliterating the Shaddoll fusion, Cee-Cee ended her turn.
Through a sneer, Hiddle said, "Unfortunately that's all I can do right now." His sneer shifted into a shifty grin. "On the other hand, I broke the shit out of your OTK, didn't I?"
Cee-Cee: 3 cards, 5000 LP
Hiddle: 1 card, 6900 LP
Stuck without much in his hand to play, Hiddle summoned Armageddon Knight (4: 1400/1200). The black-clad buccaneer slashed the deck and sent Shaddoll Hedgehog straight to the graveyard, but clinging to the Hedgehog's bristles was another dark, Shaddoll monster, which released into Hiddle's hand.
Cee-Cee: 3 cards, 5000 LP
Hiddle: 2 cards, 6900 LP
He didn't say anything at first. Cee-Cee only noticed it was her turn because the console flashed. Apparently her opponent was running on empty at the moment. "Activate Redox, Dragon Ruler of Boulders," she announced. Dropping Redox and Morphtronic Boarden (earth) into the Graveyard, she transformed the field into fire as she revived a monster in her graveyard. "Special summon Red Nova Dragon (3500 + 6500)."
Hiddle had no cards except for Armageddon Knight (1400) to defend himself. Once the station switched to the Battle Phase, even he knew it was all over. The field erupted with the fire of an exploding star as 8600 points of damage pummeled the Life Point counter.
Cee-Cee: 2 cards, 5000 LP
Hiddle: 2 cards, 0 LP
Time Lords of South Academy. Right away after hearing the name, Cary knew why Rikuto and Laura were so stressed out for Round 2. Despite Haruki's leadership of the group, his gentle demeanor didn't do much to calm their nerves.
"It couldn't be worse!" griped Rikuto. "We made such a strong showing in the first round and now we have to go up against the Time Machine Gods. Stupid zero-point monsters with their insane power levels. It's like battling a whole squad of Slifers and Ras."
Laura paced around, adding, "We must have been set up against god cards in order to make sure we don't upstage the Guardian Duelers. Everyone knows they're the favorite to win this tournament. I'll go file a complaint with Vice-Chancellor Lankford."
"No complaints," said Haruki. Oddly enough, his single statement halted Laura's pacing and drained Rikuto's passionate objection. "There is no cheating going on. We play against a team that rivals the Guardians. If we get victory, we are that much prepared for tougher battles." Cary appreciated Haruki's straightforward approach. If OTK couldn't defeat the Time Lords, then they didn't deserve the tournament win.
"Who is competing in this round?" asked Cee-Cee. She already knew it wasn't her, Fats, or Rikuto since they were the three competitors for Round 1.
Haruki pointed to his girlfriend Miyu and to Cary, which shocked the latter. "Miyu and Cary are calmest opponents against tough foe. I will also duel."
Rikuto and Laura simultaneously protested, which kind of proved Haruki's point about who had the cooler heads. He silenced them by holding up his hand. "If we make it through, we have full team again next round."
Laura sputtered for a second as she fought to keep quiet and not be seen as a whiner. Whining won out. "But Haruki—Strickland is a freshman. What if she ends up facing Sephylon?"
"Then I will not have to," he replied with a smile.
Cary typically opted not to speak in groups. In part she hated the way her voice sounded, and in part she just hated seeming like she was interested in other people's drama. But despite her best intentions, her face betrayed the question, "What's wrong with Sephylon?"
Chika picked up on it and explained. "Sephylon is the strongest one. All the Time Machine Gods are based on the Tree of Life. In the Kabbalah, the Tree is called Sefirot, so Sephylon represents all the other, smaller gods becoming one omnipotent entity."
That level of lore sounded far too heavy to be completely accurate. If there had been cards created that were more powerful than the Egyptian God Cards, Dave definitely would have mentioned it. But as Chika explained more about the ten different Time Machine Gods, Cary felt a twinge of concern. Although she knew enough about Dave and his roommates to possess some confidence facing the Egyptian Gods and their shadows, she had heard nothing about the other god cards until this moment. Not knowing made her more nervous.
"Did they play Sephylon in the first round?" she asked.
Laura sputtered, "No. They ran Metaion, Gabrion, and Michion."
"Yeah, no doubt they will accompany Sephylon with Zaphion, and probably Raphion, too," said Rikuto.
Haruki said, "That is for Miyu, Cary, and me to handle."
Unfortunately there was no way to know which of the duelists milling around the arena held which of the god cards. Cary found herself pitted against a particularly attractive Australian boy—no, he was a man, regardless of his age. In the heat, he wore a short-sleeved t-shirt bearing the South Academy logo emblazoned in gold. Biceps took shape every time he raised his arm to shield his eyes from the sun or to wave at someone. He had the look of someone who intentionally wore the unshaved look at all times.
"Nice to meet you," he said as he took her hand. Despite his size, his grip was firm and perfectly gentle. Even though she didn't respond, she felt her cheeks warm up and worried that she might be blushing. "I'm Hugh."
"Cary," she said. "Pleasure."
"It sure is. I hear a lot of good things about the duelists in your school. I'm looking forward to this." Cary wanted to listen to him talk some more. That accent was melodious to her ears. But the event timing gave them less than a minute for meet and greet before she and Hugh were each ushered to their respective sides of the duel stadium.
Hugh was granted the first turn. "I'll start with Solar Recharge," he said, his accent as strong as ever. He dropped a card from his hand to draw two more, and then he kept with Lightsworn tradition and tossed two more from the top of his deck. "I'll play another one of 'em," he said, activating a second Solar Recharge and sending even more cards to his graveyard.
Cary knew that if Hugh was playing a Lightsworn deck, this duel wasn't going to last very long. If she didn't pull some amazing draws to complete her OTK strategy, he could get through all the cards in his deck and find that Time Lord. Either way, this duel wasn't going to mimic the length of Cee-Cee's duel.
Continuing his turn, Hugh said, "I'll summon Lumina," which was short for Lumina, Lightsworn Summoner (3: 1000/1000), "and activate her effect." When he discarded a card, his summoner waved her bare arms and conjured a purple energy field to access the graveyard. A man rose wearing a full suit of white armor, further armed with a heavy-duty sword and shield. "That effect summons Jain," which was short for Jain, Lightsworn Paladin (4: 1800/1200). "That's all for my first turn," he said. Five cards flew from the top of his deck to the graveyard. His deck was already looking pretty thin, but with effects like Lumina's, Hugh was better off with his monsters in the discard pile.
Cary: 5 cards, 8000 LP
Hugh: 4 cards, 8000 LP
Unfortunately, Cary didn't end up with the ability to implement her OTK or any variant of it on the first turn. She activated Pot of Duality to look through the top three cards on her deck and keep just one of them. After that, she set two cards face-down and ended her turn without a word.
Cary: 4 cards, 8000 LP
Hugh: 4 cards, 8000 LP
"I'll draw," said Hugh as he flashed a set of big, sparkling eyes her way. After he drew, his enthusiasm waned slightly. Motioning to the field, he said, "I'll just attack this turn." First Lumina (1000) jumped out to strike, and Cary let it go. The damage was negligible in her view. Jain's (1800) attack followed close behind, but she still didn't flinch. It was a calculated risk, but she took it in order to prepare for whichever Time Lord Hugh ended up revealing.
Cary: 4 cards, 5200 LP
Hugh: 5 cards, 8000 LP
It wasn't until her turn began and she spent the next several minutes contemplating her approach that she began to doubt herself. That cocky grin on Hugh's gorgeous face was disarming—a perfect blend of confident and seductive. Why weren't the guys at her Duel Academy that beautiful?
"Struggling a bit?" asked Hugh.
Less because of the cards, she thought silently. She returned a look that suggested she had a move, but it wasn't the full OTK that she wanted.
"I say go for it," he said. "You wouldn't want to let me whip out a god card now, would ya? Highest-level monsters in the game, and tough to boot."
Somehow a countermeasure clicked the moment he mentioned that. Maybe she couldn't end the duel right away, but there was a way to avoid letting him summon anything stronger than her monsters.
Without speaking and only letting Hugh read the cards as they flashed on the field and all the monitors, Cary started with Foolish Burial and sent Phalanx to her graveyard. She followed with Monster Reborn to bring Dragunity Phalanx (2: 500/1100) to her field. Immediately she sent Phalanx to the graveyard to summon Dragunity Arma Mystletainn (6: 2100/1500)." The blue dragon disappeared, replaced with a taller dragon armed in yellow plated mail and brandishing a lengthy, curved blade. Cary showed Phalanx to her opponent again as the blue dragon wrapped itself around Mystletainn this time. She quickly detached Dragunity Phalanx (2: 500/1100) as armor and summoned it as a distinct monster instead.
Cary immediately repeated the previous steps until her field had two Dragunity Arma Mystletainn plus Phalanx. She wanted the extra so she could tune Phalanx (2) with Mystletainn (6) and synchro summon Crimson Blader (8: 2800/2600), a tall and lanky swordsman dual-wielding broadswords. Although it wouldn't end the duel directly, this card felt like her new trump card. Hugh had no face-down cards and his monsters had no battle effects. By contrast, her monster was about to halt all summoning of anything Level 5 or higher for the next turn.
Mystletainn (2100) launched through the air and cleaved Lumina (1000) with one, clean swipe. Hugh didn't activate any secret effects, which just gave Cary even more confidence. Crimson Blader (2800) began to dance, whirling his swords with grace and finesse as he pulled them both down on top of Jain (1800). A single win in battle was all Cary needed to activate Blader's effect, but the attack was thwarted when Jain was surrounded by protective wings.
"I activate the effect of Honest," said Hugh. "Jain (1800 + 2800) gains attack points equal to Crimson Blader's. Looks like that attack didn't go quite the way you wanted it to." To punctuate his point, Jain's glowing wings deflected Crimson Blader's swords and left the warrior wide open. Jain took the opportunity to impale the taller swordsman.
Cary was stunned. She still had her face-down cards to play, but her potential trump card just failed. At least she still had Mystletainn to defend her against Jain (-1800), whose power returned to normal. Her only hope now was that she could last one more turn.
Cary: 1 card, 3400 LP
Hugh: 4 cards, 6900 LP
As soon as his turn started, Hugh grinned at her. "Sorry, love, but it looks like this duel will be mine." Cary had already feared that might be the case, but she tried not to let her expression betray that thought.
"I'll banish The Agent of Mystery from my graveyard to summon Master Hyperion (8: 2700/2100)." His shining, angelic monster filled the field with fire like a living embodiment of the sun.
And then a hole appeared in the ground beneath to suck in all the light. Cary chained Bottomless Trap Hole to banish Hugh's new monster from the field.
"Thanks," he said, offering a wink to her. "I thought you might have something like that. Now I can summon my Time Machine God. I think so, anyway." He used the monitor beside him on the duel station to verify the monster count in his graveyard. "Yep. Ten monsters. That means I get to summon Sephylon, the Ultimate Timelord (10: 4000/4000)."
Ten bright lights appeared on the field in the shape of a prismatic crystal, dimming to show a body resembling a game piece with wings formed from the merged energy of the monster's own light. On its chest was a reflective plate with a clouded image of an elderly man. Even though its appearance wasn't imposing, the energy coming from Sephylon was overbearing. The pressure felt like a wet blanket on her shoulders. Now she understood the level of fear her teammates felt for this particular god card.
"Nice, right?" asked Hugh. "What's even better is that Sephylon's effect brings a second monster from my graveyard and makes its power 4000. All those cards I discarded with my Lightsworn monsters, I had a second Master Hyperion (8: +4000/2100)." The same monster from before burst onto the field in a cloud of flame. "What else have you got face-down there?"
Cary winked, unwilling to tell or hint at anything. Hugh would have to figure it out for himself the hard way.
And he was willing to risk it. "Let's get Hyperion (4000) to clear that Dragunity Arma (2100) guy." Her armed dragon was consumed in fire. "Nothing yet? And your field is empty. There's no point in bragging too hard about my win, love. I'll just attack with Sephylon (4000) to end it." When struck by the light that fueled the Tree of Life, Cary felt a range of physiological responses. A rush of warmth felt like a roller coaster—some excitement for the speed, some fear of the unexpected, and some affection for the interplay of endorphins and hormones.
Cary: 1 card, 0 LP
Hugh: 4 cards, 6900 LP
Cary didn't move an inch until the image of Sephylon faded from the duel station. Somehow its presence had her transfixed even as a hologram. When she finally gathered her cards and stepped down, Hugh was waiting there to offer another handshake.
"Hey, you were amazing. Don't take this loss too hard. If I didn't have Sephylon in my hand and the right number of monsters in the graveyard to summon him, you had me up against a wall. And your decision to play Crimson Blader was inspired. If I hadn't stopped it, Sephylon would never get played."
She made a face. First of all, why was he telling her this? Did she look like she needed a pep talk from the guy who just beat her? And secondly, putting him up against a wall sounded like a great way to spend a half hour.
He shied away. "I'm sorry. I'm making it worse, aren't I? It's not my intention to embarrass you or rub it in." His cheeks turned burgundy every time he said something that sounded like a euphemism for sex. Maybe the two of them were secretly thinking the same thing.
"Don't apologize for winning a fair match," she said.
"I was trying not to be arrogant about it. I mean…" He stopped himself and took a deep breath. As the color restored to his face, his nerves appeared to reset. Calmer, he asked, "Would you like to hang out and get something to drink? A lemonade maybe? Nothing too far away so I can be close enough to support my team." The next duelist on the Time Lords team was already heading their way to meet with Miyu.
She smirked, noting the gaggle of giggling girls that waited at the end of the duel station for him to rejoin the crowd. They would be disappointed to see her walking away with him. Part of her wondered why he would even choose her if he could have any girl around, but she managed to suppress that reaction long enough to smile and nod.
His relief was instant and obvious. "Great. I'd love to hear what you think of your school."
"You'll have another duel before long," she pointed out.
"I guess that means you'll have to do most of the talking so I learn everything. Otherwise we might have to get together again after my next duel."
As the schedule unfolded, Hugh didn't have another duel that day. By day's end, only four of the original fifteen teams remained. First thing tomorrow morning, the Time Lords were set to duel against the Norse Demigods. It was set to be an explosive matchup between the Time Machine God cards of South Academy and the Nordic God Cards of West Academy. Also participating in Day 2 were the Stellar Seniors of North Academy and the Guardian Duelers of Central Duel Academy. (Odds were long on North Academy since their team was the only one left that was not supported by god cards.)
Along with Team OTK – Central, Victorious Secret had also lost. That meant Kasumi was going to need just as much cheering up as Cary did. But at least she had Matt following her around. Cary would have to make due with Hugh, wandering the festival grounds until curfew kicked in and he returned to the cruise ship for the night.
On the second day, festivity excitement appeared to pick up a notch. So many duelists had spent the first day dreading their own performances in the tournament, or regretting misplays they attributed after losing, that they never gave themselves a real chance to enjoy the atmosphere. With only four teams left to duel, far fewer students suffered the overwhelming pressure.
Don't think that means everyone was having fun: Plenty of students who lost a duel in front of all five schools spent the day in a rut, agonizing over their personal egos. Bryan could understand how embarrassing that must feel, but the counterpoint was: At least they earned the right to participate. Guys and gals like him hadn't measured up to the bar where they were even eligible for a festival duel. Students like that from the other four schools didn't even get to attend. He only had free access because he lived there.
Kasumi had taken her loss harder than she had any right to, so Matt was trying unsuccessfully to get into her pants and help her forget about it. Bryan kinda hoped that Matt would get laid sometime soon. Then he might scale back the obsession after he realized that having sex was not the magical, life-changing event that TV portrays it to be.
Without Matt, Bryan had to find someone else to hang out with. He had assumed the Guardian Duelers would all be stressed out and planning intense strategies to get through the other god card teams, but he found Lucy walking through the vendor stalls with Andy and Wikolia like they didn't have a care in the world.
"Hey, Bro," said Andy, giving Bryan a fist bump. Wikolia waved and Lucy appeared to hide behind the other two. "Having fun?"
He looked around. "The festival isn't exactly what I pictured. It has been exciting to see the duels, though. So many cards I've never seen before."
"Yeah, the other schools always bring a lot of cards that are rare in this area," said Wikolia. She told him about some of the cards she spotted and Andy bought for her at a booth just around the corner. Bryan wondered if he shouldn't find a boyfriend who would buy him sparkly things, too.
"Hey, you know what?" said Andy, grinning at Bryan. He glanced over his shoulder at Lucy, who looked suddenly concerned. "Would you be willing to stick with Lucy? Wikolia wants to check out the Tarot reader but we were trying not to leave Lucy all by herself."
Showing an expression of incredulity, Lucy said, "Thanks, guys. I'm not a child."
"Oh, okay." He turned back to Bryan. "Never mind. I guess she doesn't want you to stick around."
Lucy's expression fell. "You're putting words in my mouth."
Wikolia giggled. "Well, you two figure it out. We're going to get our futures predicted through cards." They scampered off like grade schoolers.
Bryan watched them scurry before stating, "That was the worst setup I've ever been the victim of."
Lucy remarked, "You feel victimized being left with me?"
"That's not what I meant."
She chuckled. "I'm just teasing you. But seriously, I'm not dueling in the next round so I have a ton of time to kill while Erica tries to lead us into the finals. If you're also bored, we can wander around a bit. But you really don't need to babysit me if you have something better to do."
"No, nothing better," he said. She smiled in reply. "Matt's actually trying to be friends with someone else today, so I'm not tied down like usual." Her smile dimmed slightly, but she still looked happy to have company.
The two walked around the stalls for a while, noting some of the foreign cards and discussing strategic ways they could be incorporated into their personal decks. Bryan kept the purse strings tight, but Lucy splurged on a Diagusto Emeral card to throw in for her extra deck. They talked about how stressful midterms were and how the homesickness Bryan felt would be more manageable in his second year but never really go away. Lucy suffered a lot of the same emotions as Bryan during her freshman year, even claiming that she felt like a failed duelist at first. She started out as a bit of a loser until she buckled down in her studies, found herself an upperclassman mentor, and practiced night and day until she finally got good enough to win herself an Egyptian God Card.
When the tournament began again, the two sat together to cheer on the other Guardian Duelers. Lucy told Bryan how each school protected their own string of god cards by granting them to the strongest duelists around.
"The first time another school ever came here for a duel was part of a bet," she explained. "Back then, the Egyptian God Cards were the only god cards, and everyone wanted them. The chancellor of North Academy, which was the second branch of Duel Academy ever built, wanted to prove his students were the best by winning the cards and housing them at his campus. He lost, of course. Over decades of expansion and challenges, even more god cards were discovered in other regions. They were subsequently scattered to ensure slightly more balance across the schools. North Academy is worst with only three gods. It's probably because of some historical bad blood in the organization. But their cards are plenty powerful."
She went on to tell him the back stories of all the other god themes as the semifinal round ended with the Guardian Duelers and the Asgardians were set to end the tournament in the final competition.
Only minutes later, Lucy has separated from Bryan to stand in front of the outdoor duel arena face-to-face with a tall, black Norwegian man in red and silver who introduced himself as Hroald. Although hers was a brand new face for him to behold, she had seen his before during last year's School Duel Festival. That's how she knew that she would soon find herself facing off against Thor, Lord of the Aesir.
"It is an honor to duel against so youthful an opponent," he said. His voice was thick yet sonorous. "I myself earned my god card early in my school career, but I was a few years older when first enrolled than you are now."
"I hope our duel is up your expectations and mine. It would be a shame for you to come here all the way from Scandinavia and not even put up a fight."
Hroald laughed. "Your vigor is appreciated and much respected. Let us have ourselves a fun duel at the highest levels we can attain." He stepped away and the two arranged themselves on their respective sides of the arena. "Are you ready, young friend?"
Lucy beamed. "Of course I'm ready. I play Unexpected Dai. That lets me special summon a normal monster from my deck if it's Level 4 or lower. You ready to see the deck I'm running this time?"
"Of course I am. I can't wait!"
"That's good to hear. I special summon Ojama Black (2: 0/1000)." Her monster was the definition of unintimidating—a creature with a head the same mass as the rest of its body combined. The only protection from flashing everyone was its sparkly, red bikini briefs.
He laughed. "I must say that's not what I expected. An Ojama deck to help you summon a god card?"
"They're pretty good at rushing the field sometimes. Like now, I can use my normal summon for Ojama Yellow (2: 0/1000)." This second critter bore a similar appearance, except with yellow skin and eyes on stalks. "Under normal circumstances these two monsters wouldn't be much defense at all. So I'll defend them with an age-old classic—Swords of Revealing Light." Three swords shaped from pure light rained from the sky and struck triangular points on Hroald's field, generating a barrier of light.
"Classic move," he said. "I like it."
Lucy: 2 cards, 8000 LP
Hroald: 5 cards, 8000 LP
"Let's see what I can actually pull off with those Swords in play. Maybe this will get me the card I need. You in the market for some extra Life Points?" He played Upstart Goblin, which offered him an additional card and gave Lucy 1000 points to look the other way.
"Did you get what you need?"
"Not this time. But I can try again with Pot of Duality." He picked up three cards and said out loud, "No, yes, no. I'll keep Twin Twisters." He put the other two cards back on the deck.
"That was almost no choice at all," said Lucy.
He smiled. "Seems that way, but I'm not going to use it just yet. I don't have the monsters I want, so I'll put one monster in defense position and let the Swords stay. On the other hand, two more face-down cards should keep you guessing just enough."
Lucy: 2 cards, 9000 LP
Hroald: 3 cards, 8000 LP
Lucy laughed to herself. "I'm kinda sorry to do this to you so soon. Remember when there was a brief question of how well Ojamas could support a god card?"
"Yes, that notion does ring familiar. You have another special summon ready?"
"Nope."
"Oh? How will you obtain a third monster?"
"By using yours." She giggled, pleased with her revelation. "I play The Monarchs Stormforth. It lets me use your monster with both of mine to summon Obelisk the Tormentor (10: 4000/4000)." A howling whirlwind kicked up on the field. Slow-moving, it first pulled both Ojamas into the swirl and then drew in Hroald's monster. The whirlwind grew more intense before it simply faded out. In its place stood a towering Egyptian—with flawless sinew, black skin, and a pharaonic headdress.
Lucy waited a moment for the majesty of her god card to dwindle. She could tell when the rumblings of the crowd died to a murmur. "The best part is that I still get to attack." Obelisk cocked back with a fist the size of a Mack truck (relatively speaking—the duel station shrunk everything slightly compared to people size) and thrust forth with a punch faster than the speed of sound: The air packed in front of his fist, shaking the stadium and the arena alike. The augmented reality aspect nearly blew Hroald out of his seat.
"That ends my turn."
Lucy: 1 card, 9000 LP
Hroald: 3 cards, 4000 LP
Hroald sat up and put on a big smile. "I don't think any attack from this machine has ever pushed me so hard. I am quite literally blown away. Speaking sincerely, I can see how one with so gentle a soul was able to claim the might of Obelisk. You carry with you the heart of the Egyptian Gods."
Blushing slightly, Lucy said, "Thank you."
"You are most welcome." He drew his opening card and checked his hand. "Unfortunately, combatting an Egyptian God Card may wind up beyond the capacity of this humble duelist. For now I must use Ayers Rock Sunrise to bring a beast from my graveyard to defense mode." The monster he summoned was a hefty goat covered in a hide of thick, black fur: Tanngnjostr of the Nordic Beasts (3: 800/100). "Maybe one more card face-down and that's what I can do for now."
Lucy: 1 card, 9000 LP
Hroald: 2 cards, 4000 LP
Lucy drew knowing she had the advantage, but she also suffered a clear setback. "You know the problem with running a speed deck that summons Obelisk? I don't draw a lot of backup for him. I can put one monster face-down and set a card, but Obelisk can only attack your monster. He can't end the duel just yet." Regardless of Life Points being static, the Obelisk Punch delivered a similar force from the duel station, distinctly blowing into Hroald's coat collar. Needless to say, the goat was smashed.
"Destroying Tanngnjostr lets me summon another one from my hand to the field in defensive position." In essence, Hroald had not suffered at all during that turn.
Lucy waved both her palms briefly in a jazz hands type of way. "Since I don't have any more cards, I think this'll be the best time to end my turn."
Lucy: 0 cards, 9000 LP
Hroald: 1 card, 4000 LP
"I was lucky to survive that full turn."
"Not really lucky. You had the right cards in place." She noted the last glowing sword. She felt an inkling that she was about to be happy for the extra defense.
Hroald beamed at her. "Perhaps so. At this juncture, I switch Tanngnjostr to attack position to activate his effect: I summon Tanngrisnir of the Nordic Beasts (3: 1200/800) from the deck." Another goat beast, this one bore a thick, white coat. "I also summon Vanadis of the Nordic Ascendant (4: 1200/400) using my normal summon." He played a spritely girl with small wings on her back and a thin sickle in one hand.
Even though she was the youngest of the Guardian Duelers, Lucy was bright enough to know that any instance of three monsters on the field was ominous when dueling against the wielder of a god card. Her suspicion was supported by Hroald's next play.
"Vanadis (4) tunes with Tanngrisnir (3) and Tanngnjoster (3) to synchro summon Thor, Lord of the Aesir (10: 3500/2800)." When the three monsters resonated, they transformed into electricity and rose into the air. In the next instant, lightning struck the field and left behind a man standing almost as tall as Obelisk. He wore a billowing cape and carried by his side a hammer the same size as his massive torso. In his presence, the air felt statically-charged and nearly as shocking as Obelisk made it feel oppressive. Lucy's hair suffered a bit of frizz.
"Thor is amazing," said Lucy, comparing him to her god card. Putting on a playful smirk, she added, "I still prefer Chris Hemsworth, though."
Hroald laughed. "Most do. But one thing Chris Hemsworth cannot do as Thor is to negate all the effects of his enemies. Watch this." Thor raised his hammer high and built up storm clouds overhead. When he swung downward, a powerful bolt of lightning struck Obelisk. The towering Egyptian was hardly singed, but his body crackled. "You know what that means?"
Lucy nodded. "I think I do. You're going to hit him with a spell or a trap now, aren't you?" Normally Obelisk was protected from any effects that targeted him specifically, but now that Thor negated that effect, there was any number of effects Hroald had ready.
The one he chose was Compulsory Evacuation Device. A machine that combined a cannon with a springboard appeared beneath Obelisk and launched him into the air—all the way back to Lucy's hand. She sighed and said out loud what they were both thinking: "Now I have to get another three monsters on the field in order to summon him back. Which is that much harder since you have a god card."
Hroald smiled. "If anyone can do it, you will. If it makes you feel better, I am choosing not to waste the Twin Twisters you saw earlier. Even if I destroy your last Sword so I can attack, you have a defense monster. Instead, I will let the Sword destroy itself this turn."
Lucy: 0 cards, 9000 LP
Hroald: 1 card, 4000 LP
As he described, the instant his turn ended, the final of the three shining swords shattered. Now Hroald was free to attack on his turn.
"Like you said before, I don't have a lot available to take down a god card right away. I'll put another monster face-down and end my turn."
Lucy: 1 card, 9000 LP
Hroald: 1 card, 4000 LP
Hroald pointed at Lucy with fake indignation. "This is just in case you do manage to play your Obelisk again. I place Nordic Relic Draupnir on Thor (3500 + 800) to give him a point boost higher than Obelisk." Thor sprouted emerald-studded bracers that made his muscles more efficient. "I will also set one more card." After using his trap that removed Obelisk, he now had three unknown cards. "That's good for preparation. Thor (4300), attack!" His monster launched himself across the field, pulled by the weight of his hammer.
"I chain Pinpoint Guard," said Lucy. "I get any monster from my graveyard Level 4 or lower back to the field, plus it can't be destroyed this turn. I summon Ojama Black (2: 0/1000)." There was a soft chuckle among the crowd upon seeing her poorly-proportioned monster again, although not as much as the first time. (Less surprising this time.)
Her trap didn't stop the attack, though. Thor's hammer obliterated Nimble Momonga (2: 1000/100). Responding to its destruction, an identical monster scrambled to the field, face-down.
"Do you not summon two of them?" asked Hroald.
Lucy sighed. "It's my other face-down monster."
Hroald chuckled. "How unfortunate for you not to get the full effect of the card. But that happens." He opened his arms to reveal two empty hands, much like Lucy had earlier. "This time I am the one without cards to play."
Lucy: 1 card, 10k LP
Hroald: 0 cards, 4000 LP
Lucy stared at her cards for a moment, her eyes frequently flicking up to look at Thor (+4300) on the field. "You just keep those extra attack points, don't you?"
Hroald said, "Yes. Draupnir is an equip spell. It stays as long as Thor stays. Unfortunate for you, yes?"
"Yeah. I got three monsters on the field again, but if I summon Obelisk he won't be able to do anything." She chuckled. "There's a sentence I haven't said more than once since I got Obelisk. For now the only thing I can think of is kind of risky… but what the hell? I'll summon Baby Raccoon Ponpoko (2: 800/0)." Her monster was a tanuki the size of a housecat with a double-sided bongo strapped around his shoulder. "At least this lets me fill my field a little. I get to summon any of my Ojamas to the field since they're Level 2." She looked through her cards for a moment. After pausing for a second to consider one of them, she settled on Ojama Blue (2), face-down.
Hroald laughed. "You had me scared for a second. I thought you would hit me with Ronin Raccoon."
Shaking her head, Lucy said, "Of course I would. But that's by overlaying Ponpoko (2) with Black (2)." Her two monsters stacked on top of one another and transformed into a tanuki clad in red samurai armor. "Number 64: Ronin Raccoon Sandayu (2: 1000/1000),"
"That's what I expected."
"You must have figured that out because of his effect. When I detach an xyz material from this card, he summons a Kagemusha Raccoon Token (1: ?/0) to the field." The token took the form of a floating tanuki carrying two jugs, most likely containing alcohol, except that they were holographic and so only contained light waves. The jugs were tied end-to-end by a rope. "Kagemusha Raccoon (+4300) grows to match the strongest monster on the field." As she spoke, the smaller raccoon quickly inflated until it was the same height as Thor, although more portly. "That's more like it."
"Oh, no," said Hroald with a chuckle. "You found the only monster that matches Thor with his boosted power."
"Looks that way. So it would be silly not to attack and have these two powerhouses destroy each other." Kagemusha began twirling his jugs while Hroald popped a magic belt around Thor's midsection.
"I use Nordic Relic Megingjord to double Thor's (3500/2800 x 2) attack and defense points double for the rest of this turn." Thor grew even larger than he already was, and electricity began to crackle from his entire body. As soon as Kagemusha threw one of the jugs, Thor caught it in his free hand. Lightning struck him and traveled the length of the rope until it zapped Kagemusha and the token became nothing more than a grease smear on the field.
Lucy watched her Life Points plummet. "Well that definitely was not how I planned it."
"No, I expect not."
"Hmm. Now my Ronin Raccoon is vulnerable. I guess the only real option for protecting him is the flip my Nimble Momonga (2: 1000/1000) to attack mode." Her face-down card revealed a flying squirrel. "I mean, I'm going to take a ton of damage either way. Your points are only doubled for this turn, right?"
Lucy: 1 card, 7300 LP
Hroald: 0 cards, 4000 LP
"That's right," said Hroald as he drew.
"Then yeah. Just something to draw you away from my other monster, I guess. Maybe I can try again next turn, you know?"
"Makes sense," said Hroald. "I will have Thor (+4300) attack Ronin Raccoon (1000) just to deal the Life Point damage." While Thor threw himself across the field again, Hroald dropped his head into his hands. "Oh, no! I made a mistake. I should have used Thor's effect first to negate your monsters' effect. That way I could kill Ronin Raccoon."
Lucy smiled. "Oh, you're right." Thor smacked her monster hard with that hammer, but the staunch samurai regained his bearings and resumed his fighting stance. "So you have to settle for Life Point damage this turn."
"I'm so dumb," said Hroald with a humble chuckle as he ended his turn.
Lucy: 1 card, 4000 LP
Hroald: 1 card, 4000 LP
"No, not dumb. We all make misplays every now and then. They track it in the Pro Leagues. No one would care about that stat if it never came up."
"But now you might play Obelisk again."
"Yeah, probably." Of course, the situation hadn't changed much. Obelisk was still weaker than a powered-up Thor, but Lucy definitely saw the value in sending three of her four monsters to the graveyard to bring back Obelisk The Tormentor (10: 4000/4000). "I'll use Ronin Raccoon's effect one more time to bring out another Kagemusha Raccoon Token (1: +4300/0)."
"What do you think this time?" asked Hroald. He still had two face-down cards, which could be just about anything by this point in the duel.
Lucy hemmed and hawed for a moment. "Well, the chances that you have another Megingjord seem pretty slim…"
"Excellent pronunciation, my friend."
"Thanks! So with that said, all odds say I'll be fine if I attack. But that's why I'll use Obelisk's effect instead." Obelisk grabbed both of the raccoons on her side of the field instead of assaulting Thor. "By sacrificing two monsters, Obelisk grows strong enough to wipe out your field entirely." Having drained the energy of the two raccoons, Obelisk clapped his hands together firmly. The sound echoed through the arena like thunder louder than anything produced by Thor's lightning. Despite the power of his Nordic Relic, Thor was overwhelmed by the wave and succumbed to it. The static charge that had filled the air now faded, and Lucy felt her hair settle back down. "Unfortunately he can't attack the turn he uses his effect or else the duel would be over already. Since I can't do that, I'll put one card down and end my turn."
Lucy: 0 cards, 4000 LP
Hroald: 1 card, 4000 LP
Faced now with the same god card again and no defense of his own, Hroald looked far more nervous as he drew. Instantly his fears were abated. "This works out well for us. You were able to re-summon your god card, and now I will do the same to mine, using Monster Reborn." A glowing ankh appeared on the field, shining brightly and then fading to darkness as Thor, Lord of the Aesir (10:3500/2800) reappeared within the energy.
Lucy beamed. "You really are quite masterful with that god card."
"Look who's talking! You're a year younger than I am with less dueling education. I don't even know if I can beat you, but I'm sure willing to try. Thor attacks with the power of a second Nordic Relic Megingjord to double his points once more." Thor (3500/2800 x 2) hurled himself across the field toward his towering opponent. As he flew, the magic belt returned to his midsection.
"Aw, man," said Lucy moaning, but with a smile on her face. "You almost tricked me. All I had was Trap Stun." When her trap revealed itself, her field and Hroald's both jolted with a powerful shock that negated the effects of all other traps.
Thor's magic belt faded just before he collided with Obelisk. The immovable Obelisk was pushed back and brought to a knee from the collision with Thor's massive hammer, but he was far from out. Putting all his return strength into standing up, Obelisk planted his fist into Thor's belly. His devastating uppercut broke every bone in Thor's body and shattered him. The blowback knocked several points from Hroald's counter,
Hroald retained his smile but now with a note of solemnity and humility. "I end my turn."
Lucy: 0 cards, 4000 LP
Hroald: 1 card, 3500 LP
"You chose not to surrender?"
Hroald chuckled. "Feel the tension from the crowd. They would be devastated not to see a god card end this duel. I will take my loss with dignity. It is an honor to be brought down by a real Egyptian God Card."
Smiling brightly, Lucy accepted his resignation. "Very well. For the last time this duel, Obelisk attacks." Obelisk unleashed another earth-shattering punch that almost knocked Hroald off his feet again. The blast echoed for longer than usual before the arena shut down.
Lucy: 1 card, 4000 LP
Hroald: 1 card, 0 LP
And so ended the team duel tournament. Central Duel Academy had won the final duel for the fourth consecutive year. When all scores were finalized across the teams and categorized by school, Central Duel Academy still retained the overall superiority of their dueling teams. The final days of the School Duel Festival left up for determination the outcome of the singles tournament. Of the top-ranked duelists in each school's age groups, who would emerge triumphant?
Apologies for the late update. I just returned from a week-long vacation where I completely neglected to work on finishing the chapter. In the next chapter, I'll show a sampling of the singles tournament duels, and then I really promise (I keep saying that) to lunge forward with the story. If there is interest in helping me get these chapters out sooner, I can use help with writing out the duels and proofreading drafts. PM me if you are interested.
Thanks to HardWrapping for contributing Cee-Cee to the story. That was such a long duel, but it was surprisingly fun and crazy-overpowered in the end.
I tried a new presentation for the duels this time, separating every turn with a hand and LP update (not just when someone's LP change). This was a suggestion from EdTheSexoBeast. Hopefully you like the change and it helps make everything clearer.