After Celestia and Luna gave their speech, the students began to be placed in their dorms. However, the results and placements were still being determined. The plan for both women was to allow the students one week after the semester started for students to settle in and make any changes to whatever dorm they wanted.
For now, the students who didn't decide what dorm they wanted were placed in the dorm using the summoning method they used during their assessments. However, for two specific students, they didn't have to worry about all this as they returned to their private dorm house.
Mario faced the wall as he lay on his bed. His sister, Roll, was sitting in his desk chair while listening to a message left on her duel disk. The students were also given school-approved duel disks to track each one in case of emergency and used for data and rankings. The duel disk the students were given were state-of-the-art Solid Reality Duel Disks, as the hard-light card tray with a specific color outline would beam out.
Roll and Mario had already brought their own duel disks that Celestia and Luna didn't need to give them. However, that could also serve as another reason for Mario's claim that he and his sister were special and treated differently.
The girl listened to the principal's message to all the students on their duel disks.
"Duels are allowed on school grounds before, after, and during lunch. Anyone caught dueling during class or past curfew will be severely punished unless authorized. In addition, these duel disks are registered to our system to keep track of wins and losses. Everyone here has a rank that is determined based on their victories. The more wins, the higher the rank. Now in terms of classes, you've been given your schedule. Maintaining a steady focus on studies outside of Duel Monsters is important. So, in addition to taking courses about the game, you will also take general courses such as Chemistry, Algebra, etc. Everyone will be enrolled in the Fusion, Synchro, Xyz, and Pendulum starter course. You will take these for one week, after which, once you've seen what each can offer and find the one you like, you will be placed in the proper dorm or stay where you are. And the final thing will be your cards and decks. For those that don't have either of their own, know that we'll be working with you in the week to build a deck. The school card shop is available from 7-5. If you need assistance or want to search for a specific card to add to your deck, ask the person working. If it's not in stock, we will place an order to have it delivered for you. I wish you all good luck, and may you believe in the heart of the cards."
The message ended as Roll had made a checklist of what was said. She had a small handheld notebook as she took some notes. The girl smiled as she reread what she wrote down before looking over the top and seeing her brother. She saw that he had been facing the wall since they returned as he continued to lay there.
The knocking got her attention, and she got up to answer it. Mario sighed as he rolled to his other side and came nose-to-nose with someone.
"Hi, there. I'm Izzy! Izzy Moonbow. So is this considered awkward if a girl shows up in a boy's bed when he's got a lot on his mind?" asked the girl.
"What the hell?!" shouted Mario as he backed up and fell off.
The thud was heard as the boy lay on the ground with swirls circling his head as the girls leaned over to look at him.
"Oppies, my bad," said Izzy as she apologized for startling Mario.
The boy recovered as he shook his head and picked himself up.
"Roll, who the hell is this?" shouted Mario to his little sister.
"I already told you, my name is…."
"I know what your name is; I heard you the first time!" shouted the boy to the girl on his bed as she kept that cheerful smile.
"Big bro, this is Izzy. My new friend that I made. Izzy, this is my big brother, Mario." said the girl as she introduced the pair.
"Nice to meet you," said Izzy, holding her hand out.
"Likewise," said Mario, a bit hesitant about shaking hands.
"Wow, I must say, your room is totally different from mines. You two must have been lucky to be given this. Is that a pool?" asked Izzy as she approached a window and looked behind the house. There was a private swimming pool installed for the dorm. "I haven't been swimming since I was a little kid. Mind if I?"
"Sure," said Roll.
Seconds later, Izzy jumped into the water with her clothes on as she made a splash.
"Oh, yeah. That feels good. Water's great, by the way!" shouted Izzy as she began doing backstrokes.
"Great, as if this place didn't have enough weirdos," stated Mario.
"Oh, come on, bro. Izzy isn't weird; she's… cheerful," said Roll with a smile.
"Sure," replied the boy to his sister as he didn't buy it.
They heard the door opening and closing as they turned to see Izzy enter after swimming in their pool. She quickly dried herself off before the pair addressed her.
"So, Izzy, what do you like to do for fun?" asked Roll.
"Tons of things," said Izzy as she picked up a box on Mario's nightstand.
"Hey! Be careful with that!" shouted Mario as he grabbed the box from Izzy.
"Why?" asked the girl.
"Oh, I don't know. Maybe the concept of Don't Touch Anything Without Permission!" shouted the boy as he glared at Izzy before walking away with the box in his hand.
"Sorry," said Izzy to Mario as he ignored her and put the box away for safekeeping.
"Pay my brother no attention, Izzy. He… tends to keep to himself," said Roll.
"Is he okay? He seems to have something on his mind," stated Izzy as she could tell that Mario didn't yell at her because he was angry, but something else was bothering him.
"It's a long story… best answer I can give you is he's got an issue," said Roll. "So, what dorm did you get put in?"
"Oh, they put in the Synchro dorm. I'm really vibing with everyone's luminescence."
"Luminescence?" questioned Roll at what the girl said.
"Luminescence. You know, like, your sparkle?" stated Izzy as she peered over at Roll with a shut-eye, "Yours is… yellow. You got a positive energy that makes learning easier and inspires thought."
"Huh?" said Roll as she was amazed by what Izzy said. She then looked at her brother, "What about my brother?"
"Mmm… hard to say," said Izzy as she sniffed Mario.
"You got two seconds before I-" stated the boy as Izzy put her hands over his mouth as he glared with his eyes.
"Let's see. Mmm… strong, passion… gentle."
"Uh, Izzy. Just forget about my brother," stated Roll to her friend as she could see how annoyed her elder sibling was getting with the girl.
"Fine," said Izzy as she removed her hands from Mario's mouth and hopped away from the boy.
"So, what else do you enjoy?" asked Roll.
"Mmm, well, I am really fond of arts and crafts. I made this figure out of some old pieces of metal I found lying around." said the girl as she presented the statue.
It was made from a collection of pipes, rivets, and even some wires, yet the way it was constructed, you couldn't tell it was those items mushed together given how well-detailed it was.
"Wow, Izzy... this is... beautiful," said Roll as she took in the statue's features and noted how specific each one was.
"I'll admit, that's talent," said Mario as he had to praise Izzy for being creative.
"Aw, thank you," said Izzy as she got up and hugged Mario.
"Okay, you can let go now," said the boy as he didn't expect to be embraced by a girl he had just met and quickly removed her arms from him.
"Here you go," said Roll, giving Izzy her statue back.
"Aw, keep it," said the girl.
"What? No! It's yours..."
"I insist. Consider it a gift to symbolize our new friendship. Besides, I can always make another." Izzy smiled.
"Thanks, Izzy," said Roll.
"Do you want one?" asked Izzy as she looked at Mario.
"Thanks for the offer, but I'm good," declined the boy respectfully.
"So, do you have a deck with you, Izzy?" asked Roll.
"Sadly, no!" said the girl with a sad expression, given that she didn't have any cards.
"Aw, well, come on. Let's head down to the card shop and see if we can put together a deck for you to use before classes start," said Roll.
"You guys don't have to do that. I'm sure you two also need time to build your own decks. And if you're wasting all your time helping me-"
"Nonsense, me and my brother already have our own deck."
"Roll!" Mario spoke abruptly as he looked at his sister. "Can I speak with you?"
"Give me a sec," smiled Roll as she turned her head so Izzy didn't see her glaring at her older sibling. "What do you want?" whispered the girl.
"Why did you say that?" whispered the boy.
"Say what?!"
"You know what I mean?" said Mario as he looked up to see Izzy smiling and playing with the Rubik's cube he had on his nightstand. "The reason why we have our cards is-"
"Yeah, I know!" the girl told her older brother. "But I'm not thinking about that, bro. I'm thinking about helping a friend out. Isn't that what Mom and Dad always told us? Whenever someone is in need, you put your hand out to help? Well, I'm helping Izzy as a friend to thank her for the gift she gave me."
"Look, I'm not saying to not give her help. It's just... we don't want to divulge too much," stated Mario.
"Don't worry, I won't," said Roll. "At least come down with me to the card shop. Maybe we could fine-tune our decks. Plus, I know what card effects mesh well together, and you know about card archetypes like the back of your hand."
Mario sighed as Roll took that as yes. She then turned back to Izzy as the girl was still looking at the Rubik's cube when she approached her.
"Come on, Izzy! Let's go build you a deck," stated Roll.
"Okay," said the girl, tossing the cube onto Mario's bed.
The boy approached his bed and grabbed the object but was surprised by what he saw. The entire thing was completed as all the sides were matched.
"How did you solve this?" asked the boy.
"Ohh, was that what I was supposed to do? I thought you had to put all the colors together. I took the squares apart and put them together, " said Izzy as she left the room with Roll.
"Never mind, she's still a weirdo," said Mario as he put the cube on his shelf and headed out.
Zipp was in her room as she took a big sigh. After the speech was made by Principal Celestia and Luna assigned her to be in the Synchro dorm, she was grateful that she got her wish. Mainly because there was no Pipp to bother her. Her sister surprisedly had been placed in the Fusion dorm. And to her surprise, it was to her liking. Knowing she would have peace and quiet without having her sister constantly on her phone brought serenity to the girl.
Before their mother had the driver bring in their bags, she also gave them a parting gift, as Zipp quickly recalled.
(Flashback)
"Now remember to call me," said Haven to her eldest child.
"Yes, Mom," groaned Zipp.
"Oh, I almost forgot," said the woman as she snapped her fingers, and the driver approached her with a briefcase.
Haven took the briefcase from her employee as she addressed her daughter.
"I know I can sometimes be hard on you and your sister. Specifically, you since you'll be taking over the family business. As well as I want you to find a suitable partner to take care of you. Oh, I can't wait to be a grand-"
"Mom!" shouted Zipp, as she didn't want to hear a tangent.
"Sorry. Here you go, Zephyrina," said the woman as she opened the briefcase and presented what was inside.
Zipp looked as inside was a single deck. The girl picked it up and skimmed through the cards as she took in this gift. To think, her own mother was giving her something that she thought she wouldn't approve of, given how she wanted her to take over the family business. The teen looked at her mother as she had a smile.
"I hope you like it."
"Yeah, Mom. I do. Thanks, " said Zipp as she hugged her mother, who tightly embraced her eldest child.
"I'm gonna miss you and your sister," said Haven.
"I'll miss you too," said the girl, letting herself be vulnerable now since it would be a while before she would return home.
(End of Flashback)
Zipp was lying on her bed as she looked up at the deck she was holding. Never in a million years did she imagine her mom would get her this.
"Well, let's see what it holds," said Zipp as she turned to lay on her side and spread out her deck to see what kind of cards her mom picked.
Down at the school's card shop, it was nothing but noise. All around, students were browsing through the catalogs. The two young women working the desk gave the students helpful guides and tips and showed them the display case with walls upon walls of cards. Mario, Izzy, and Roll made it to the card shop area, all gathered by their table. Roll had one of the shop's touch pads as she entered her student ID to login in. The two siblings, mostly Roll, have been helping Izzy construct a deck for the past few minutes. The girl was using her knowledge of Duel Monsters to help her friend.
"Alright, Izzy, let's go over some rules. First, to construct a deck, you must keep it in the 40-60 cards range. That includes monsters, spells, and traps. In addition, you'll need an Extra Deck full of your monsters that you'll special summon, consisting of 15 monsters max. And most duels are conducted with 8000 life points, with some exceptions doing things the old school way and having the competitors using 4000 life points, but that's another discussion for another day."
"Wow, you're smart," stated Izzy, impressed by Roll's knowledge about the game.
"Let's remember it depends on what deck she wants to build, Roll. Each deck and archetype revolves around a certain kind of special summoning. Fusion, Synchro, Xyz, or Pendulum. Every deck specializes in them or is a mix and match of several." stated Mario as he sat back in his chair with his arms crossed.
"Wow, you two know a lot about this," stated Izzy, "Did you two grow up surrounded by Duel Monsters?"
Mario merely looked at Roll as she did the same. Both had hesitant expressions as they wondered how to answer that question.
"Maybe," the boy said, as that seemed good enough for Izzy, "Anyways, any ideas on what you want?"
"Nope," responded Izzy without a care in the world.
"Well, not to worry. I compiled a list of your characteristics based on your likes and dislikes. And I calculated it based on your hobbies, academia scores, and even blood type." stated Roll as she rambled a bit while touching the pad she was holding.
"Okay... so what'd you come up with?" asked Izzy.
"How about a Junk or Scrap deck?"
"What are those?" asked Izzy as she didn't know what Roll said.
"A Junk deck is a type of archetype that exists. As the name implies, "Junk" monsters utilize lower-level monsters to build powerful Synchro Monsters. "Junk" monsters are usually used with monsters with low Levels to use as Synchro Material Monsters. One familiar combo is using "Junk Synchron" to Special Summon Level 2 or lower monsters such as "Speed Warrior" and "Quillbolt Hedgehog" from the Graveyard in preparation for Synchro Summons, especially "Junk Warrior," which gains ATK equal to the combined ATK of all Level 2 or lower monsters you control. While fast and proficient in swarming the field, Junk monsters often need more raw attack power: all go above 2700. As such, the Junk archetype relies on using their effects to their fullest potential to gain an advantage. Cards that negate effects are a serious problem for a Junk deck, as they're forced to rely on their sub-par attack power. This is even more prevalent for the non-Synchro members of the archetype, which are almost purely based on getting monsters out on the field for fast Synchro summons."
"To put it plainly, using a Junk deck means you can get your monsters from your Extra Deck really fast; however, they aren't that powerful, and you'll have to focus more on equipping them with spells to boost their power or using their effects," clarified Roll.
"Now a Scrap deck, as their name suggests, "Scrap" monsters are all made of old, rusty fragments of steel, but despite their appearance and name, to date, only 4 of these monsters are Machine-Type. "Scrap" monsters focus on destroying one another with their own effects to reflect that they are made of scrap and can break easily, and setting up Synchro Summons. They also have Deck-thinning capabilities, either by searching for monsters or sending them to the Graveyard to set up the game for monsters." stated Mario.
"You two are really smart. I'm so lucky to have friends like you," said Izzy, as she was thankful that the two people she managed to meet first knew so much about the game that they were giving her advice on what to pick.
"So, Izzy, any decisions on what me and my brother said?" asked Roll.
"Both are great suggestions, and I trust you two. So I'm gonna go with both of them."
"Both?" said the two siblings as they looked at each.
"Why not?" said Izzy with a smile.
"Roll?" said Mario to his sister.
"Hmm... well... given the correct cards," said the girl as her fingers were flying on the touchpad as she spoke, "It's possible to combine the two archetypes into a dueling style that would fit Izzy while also remaining competitive and viable."
"Not to mention, easy for her to mess around and improve on her own time. And if she's gonna be using Junk cards, then she'll need the cards that almost always are vital," added Mario as Roll heard that and began reconfiguring her touchpad.
As the two siblings talked and tossed ideas off of each other, Izzy stood in between with a smile. Seeing the pair act brought her joy. The teen could see the pair did love each other, despite the initial impressions she got from their first meeting. Plus, she was right that both had vast knowledge about the game and the concept of Duel Monsters. Soon she was brought out of her thoughts as Roll made one final touch and showed her pad.
On it was the list of cards that both had managed to think of as she inputted them into the deck builder A.I.; the computer ran the program through its systems, and seconds later, it projected a deck and then had the cards all lined up in rows to see what was selected. The bottom left side of the screen had alternate suggestions on what cards could substitute for others.
"There we go. So, Izzy?" asked Roll, hoping to get the girl's opinion on the deck they made for her.
"I... love it!" exclaimed the girl as she loved what she saw.
"Then let's build it," said Roll.
The two girls then went to the desk as Roll showed them the touchpad and the list of cards they wanted. After a bit of searching and checking in the storage room behind to find the cards the girls requested. Soon they arrived back at the table where Mario was waiting for them as his sister began to help Izzy in building her deck. After a few minutes, the item in front of them was nearly complete.
"It's almost finished; we just need to add one more card," said Roll, looking through the piles of scattered cards to find it.
"Is this it?" asked Izzy, who picked up a card and showed it to her friend.
"No, that's not it. Shit! I could have sworn I had it." said Roll, as she was still searching among the pile, "Mario, mind asking the desk if they have any extras in stock?"
"Fine," sighed the boy as he got up and began to head over to the table.
The teen made his way to the desk as one of the women was talking with a student as he approached the other woman.
"Sorry to bother you, but I was wondering if you have this card in stock?" Mario asked as he showed him the card's image.
"I'll take a look," replied the woman when she turned to head into the storage, the other woman whispered to her to look for something also back there.
Mario put his arm on the table and waited; he turned and saw the student the first woman was helping. He saw Mario as he nodded.
"Hey."
"Sup, dude," responded Mario.
"Putting together your deck?" asked the boy.
"Moreso helping a friend," answered Mario.
"That's nice. I'm Terra, by the way."
"Mario, nice to meet you," said the boy as he put his hand out to shake.
"Sorry, but this is the last one in stock," said the woman as she presented the card to the pair and placed it on the front desk.
Both put their hands on it as they grabbed it. The two looked at each other before tugging back and forth, seeing who would let go first.
"Seems like we got a problem," said Terra.
"It would seem so. Excuse, ma'am, when's your next shipment of this card?" asked Mario.
"I'll have to place the order. It'll be a while before we bring in a new shipment," responded the woman.
Of course.
Mario had a discreet look as Terra began to speak.
"Then I guess there's only one way to solve this, right?" said Terra, smiling as he looked at Mario.
"Yeah, there is. Here you go," said Mario as he let go of the card and gave it to Terra as he began to walk away.
"Wha? Hey, that's not what I meant! I wanted to say, let's settle it in a duel!" shouted Terra.
Mario stopped in his tracks, silently cursing Terra for shouting that aloud. Upon hearing being shouted out, the other students gathered around as they wanted to see that. Mario knew that by Terra declaring that, he would attract attention, which he wanted to avoid entirely. And it seemed like Roll and Izzy heard that declaration as they wanted to see who would duel until the former saw it was her big brother, as she got nervous.
"Well?" asked Terra looking at Mario.
"No!" declared the boy as he turned down the challenge. "Look, just take the card, and I can wait until the new shipment arrives."
"Seriously, dude! You're not even gonna attempt to win it over me."
How many times do I say it before you get it through your thick skull! You can keep the card. I'm pretty sure I got a spare one in my personal card collection that I can give to Izzy. So just take the damn thing.
"Look, bro. I'm trying to make a big deal out of this. So just take the card, and we can move on!" said Mario.
"Fine, but... can you at least accept my challenge," stated Terra.
This dumbass.
"You got a deck, right?"
"I... don't," lied Mario as he initially reached for the deck box on his side but stopped himself. He hoped that lie would mean the challenge would be null and void, but...
"If you want, I have several pre-made decks," said the woman at the desk, pulling out a tray lined with five different decks. "Just pick the one you want."
"Great," groaned Mario, putting on the biggest fake smile possible. He badly wanted to cuss out the woman for worsening the situation.
"Then it's settled," noted Terra, "Everyone make room."
The entire student body heard that as they began to take some steps back.
"Please, tell me you're not gonna do this," asked Roll as she approached her brother, knowing he didn't want to attract attention to them.
"You think I tried that already, sis! Clearly, nothing I say will convince everybody here that I didn't want it to come to this. But if this is the only way to shut him and everybody else and stop bugging me, screw it." Mario stated as he grabbed one of the pre-made decks without looking and took his position.
Both boys took the decks and turned on their Duel Disks as they projected colored card trays. Terra's duel disk projected a silver card tray, while Mario projected a scarlet one. The decks were slotted in as the auto shuffler kicked in.
"Uh, you're not gonna look at what deck you picked," said Terra as he noticed that Mario grabbed one of the pre-made decks from the woman without looking and slotted it in.
"Worry about yourself," said the boy as he didn't concern himself by going blind with what he picked.
"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said their duel disks.
Terra's Life Points: 8000-
Mario's Life Points: 8000-
"How about you go first?" offered Terra, seeing how he wanted to be fair and give Mario a chance to look at the cards he picked to not feel bad about beating someone who didn't know what he was doing.
Turn 1: Mario (Hand 5)
"Then you're a dumbass," declared Mario as he drew the top card of his deck and began to initiate his move without looking at what he had. "First, I activate the spell card, Photon Veil! With this card, by returning three Light-attribute monsters from my hand to my deck, I can add three Light-attribute monsters from my deck to my hand."
"Wait, so he gets to pick the monsters he wants?" asked Izzy, standing next to Roll.
"Yup," confirmed the girl as she could see her brother was fine.
"Next, I'm gonna activate the power of the spell card, Photon League, which lets me summon one of the monsters I just added to my hands in Attack mode. And the monster I summon is Daybreaker(1700/0)! But there's more; I can summon another from my hand when this card is successfully summoned. So that's two Daybreakers! And now the second one's ability activates, so welcome to the field, Daybreaker #3!"
"Three monsters just like that?!" said Terra, as he seriously underestimated his opponent's skill.
The thing was, everyone, was impressed by how Mario could call upon three monsters with such ease. For the boy, he didn't even look at his starting hand as he already knew what cards he had and was going through the motions. Apart from him and his sister, everybody was now questioning how he could play this deck if he had never even looked at it.
"Just so you and everybody else know, all my monsters are Level 4. So you know what that means," smiled Mario as everybody gasped. "I overlay my three Level 4 Daybreakers to build the Overlay Network!" The three monsters turned into orbs of light as they hovered in the air. A portal opened before the boy as the orbs entered, and a pillar of light shot out.
"I Xyz Summon, Number 10: Illumiknight(2400/2400, OLU: 3)!"
A monster appeared out of the portal; it was a rider wearing armor who was on his horse who also wore armor. They had a lance in their hand as its face was made of bones, and the orbs that had entered the portal to summon it were now circling it.
"And guess what... I'm not done," said Mario. "Cause now I play Illuminknight's ability by using one overlay unit; with it, once per turn, I can discard one card from my hand to draw one from my deck."
The boy tossed the card into his duel disk's graveyard slot without seeing it as he drew his top card.
"Now, Lightserpent's ability activates! You see when Lightserpent(1200/800) is sent to the graveyard from my hand, it's then summoned to the field!" declared Mario as that was the card he had just got rid of and was now back in play as the snake hissed upon appearing. "Next, I'm gonna bring out the card I drew, the monster Plasma Ball(900/900)!" A ball with one eye looking around appeared, giving off electricity.
"You kidding me? Three monsters again!" shouted Terra as it was only Mario's first turn, and he already had an army. "You sure this isn't your first time?"
"Whoever said it was my first time?" countered Mario. "This may be my first time with this deck, but I'm no rookie regarding Duel Monsters. Now, I overlay my Level 3 Lightserpent and Plasma Ball! And with that, I can once again build the Overlay Network! I Xyz Summon, Number 20: Giga-Brilliant(1800/1800, OLU: 2)!"
And just like that, Mario had another powerful monster on his field. This one appeared as a giant mantis-like monster like its comrade next to him. It had the monsters used to summon it now circling around its body as orbs of light. In addition, they had their respective numbers tattooed somewhere on their bodies.
"I end my turn," smiled Mario.
Everyone was murmuring amongst themselves as they talked about how much of a pro move Mario did on his first turn. Roll looked around the room; she couldn't help but smile as it seemed this was what she expected when her big brother was out there showing off his skills. It reminded her... of how he used to be when dueling someone.
"Hey, buddy! Are you gonna stare, or are you gonna make a move? 'Cause I got shit to do!" shouted Mario as he didn't like how Terra was ogling at what he just did.
"Huh, right... sorry," said the boy as he prepared himself.
Turn 2: Terra (Hand 5)
"It's my move. I draw! I'll start by placing one card facedown, and then I summon Big Shield Gardna(100/2600) in defense mode," said Terra as a monster appeared with a big shield in front of him. "I end my turn."
Turn 3: Mario (Hand 2)
"It's my turn; I draw! Now I activate Illuminate Knight's ability once more. So by discarding one card from my hand, I can draw another card from my deck. Then I'm gonna activate Giga-Brilliant's ability, so I use one of its overlay units to increase all the monsters I currently control by 300 extra attack points!" stated Mario (2400 + 300= 2700, 1800 + 300 = 2100).
"Now I'll have my Giga-Brilliant attack your Big Shield Gardna," said Mario.
"But that won't work. If I recall, if a monster with fewer attack points attacks a monster with higher defense points, it's not destroyed. Plus, the difference comes from Mario's life points since his monster was weaker." said Izzy.
"True, but just keep watching, Izzy," said Roll, as she knew what her big brother was doing.
The mantis fired a beam from its pinchers as the shield from Terra's monster held strong and reflected it back at Mario, who took it straight on.
Mario's Life Points: 7500-
After the attack ceased, Big Shield Gardna began to move as it stood up from crouching to signal it had changed modes.
"Wait, why did it change modes?" asked Izzy.
"See, 'cause that's the other half of Big Shield Gardna. Though it's a big defense for such a low-level monster, its effect is that if it's ever attacked, it switches into attack mode," explained Roll. "And since Big Shield Gardna only has 100 attack points, and Illuminate has 2700 attack points..."
"Then Mario is gonna deal 2600 points of damage with his next attack," said Izzy as she put the pieces together.
"Exactly. Sometimes you must take a hit to deal an even bigger one," said Roll.
"Huh, your brother really does know his stuff," stated Izzy, as she was impressed by how far ahead he thought.
"Now, Illuminate Knight, attack his Big Shield Gardna!" shouted the boy as he sent his second monster in. The knight charged forward and had its lance pierced through the massive shield of its foe and itself before destroying it and dealing some massive damage to Terra, who put an arm up to cover up.
Terra's Life Points: 5300-
"I then end my turn with a facedown."
Turn 4: Terra (Hand 4)
"My turn to start; I'll summon my Ganbara Knight(0/1800) in defense mode! Then I'll activate the spell card, Monster Slots. Now I target one monster I control and banish another monster in my graveyard that's the same level. So since my Ganbara Knight is Level 4, I can banish my Level 4 Big Shield Gardna from my graveyard. Then I draw a card, and if it happens to a monster of the same level as my other two monsters, I can summon it. If not, my Ganbara Knight and whatever card I draw are sent to the graveyard."
"Isn't that a big gamble?" asked Izzy.
"True, but if it works, Terra might be able to summon a monster to deal with my brother. See, Izzy, a duel can change in just one move," stated Roll.
"I draw!" shouted Terra as he took a deep breath and drew his card. He looked at it as the slot machine that appeared before he had its final slot stop, as the image of the card he drew appeared. "I drew Absolute Crusader, and since it's Level 4, I can summon him to the field." A second monster appeared on Terra's field. "It's my turn; now I overlay both Level 4 monsters to build the Overlay Network." The two monsters on the field turned into orbs of light as they hovered in the air for a bit. As they entered, a portal opened before him, and a pillar of light emerged.
"I Xyz Summon, Comics Hero King Arthur(2400/1200, OLU: 2)!" stated Terra as the monster he had out on his field was a large warrior that wielded a giant sword by his side as he wore white and bits of yellow in his armor.
"Now I'll have my King Arthur attack your Giga-Brilliant!" said Terra.
The warrior lifted his sword and brought it down on the insect as it crumbled and shattered. Mario didn't flinch or look away as a small wind blew in his face.
Mario's Life Points: 7200-
"I now reveal my facedown, Xyz Reborn! Now I can bring back an Xyz monster, so my Giga-Brilliant is back in play!" said Mario as his monster reappeared in a flash of light.
"However, your monster doesn't have its Overlay units," said Terra.
"True, but thanks to my trap, it then transforms into an Overlay Unit that my monster can use," stated Mario as the trap in front of him morphed into a light that took shape and circled his revived monster.
"I'll then end my turn."
Turn 5: Mario (Hand 2)
"My turn, I draw! And now I'll use my Giga-Brilliant's effect, so by using its Overlay unit, I can increase my monsters' attack points by 300," said the boy (2700 + 300 = 3000, 1800 + 300 = 2100). "And now, I'll have my Illuminate attack your Comics Hero King Arthur!"
"Not this time, 'cause I activate my monster's ability; if it would be destroyed by battle, I can remove an Overlay Unit to keep it in play!" declared Terra as his monster raised his sword to block the lance from Mario's monster as it pushed the warrior back who fell to a knee as he had some dents in his armor.
"Your monster may have survived, but you took damage from that encounter."
"True, but I forgot to mention that in addition to removing an Overlay Unit to keep my monster in play, it gained 500 extra attack points before your attack made contact, and then I can slam you for 500 points of direct damage," stated Terra (2400 + 500 = 2900).
Terra's Life Points: 5200-
Mario's Life Points: 6700-
"My Battle Phase may be over, but I'm far from done cause now I tribute both of my monsters so that I can special summon this beast, appear, Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon(3000/2500)!" shouted Mario as his two monsters disappeared. A dragon made of the galaxy itself appeared and let out a roar that echoed around the room. Everyone else covered their ears briefly as they took in the great beast.
"I then end with a facedown."
Turn 6: Terra (Hand 3)
"It's my turn! I draw and then play the spell card Blustering Winds. So I give my Comics Hero King Arthur, an extra 1000 attack and defense points until my next Standby Phase," said Terra (2900 + 1000 = 3900). "So now I'll have my monster attack your dragon!"
Terra's monster lunged forward as he was looking to bring his sword down to slay the dragon.
"I activated my Photon Dragon's ability; whenever it battles, I can banish him and that monster until the end of the Battle Phase!" said Mario.
"What?" said Terra as he then saw both his and Mario's dragon enter a vortex and were gone.
"So, what's your next move?" asked Mario, as both had no monsters on their field, and Terra couldn't attack this turn anymore.
"I guess I'll just end my turn," responded Terra.
"Now Galaxy-Eyes' ability continues, and since we've reached the end, both our monsters return," said Mario as the two vanished monsters reappeared. "And there's more; if the monster that Galaxy-Eyes banished was an "Xyz" monster, then any overlay units it had, it absorbs them and gains 500 additional attack points (3000 + 500 = 3500)."
Turn 7: Mario (Hand 1)
"It's my move. And I play Pot of Greed to draw two more cards. Then I'll summon my Photon Cerberus(1300/600), and thanks to this monster, neither one of us can activate Trap Cards this turn. So if you were looking to use your facedown, sorry to disappoint you, bud." said Mario. "Now, Galaxy-Eyes, attack his monster!"
The dragon opened his mouth as he heard Mario's command. He then unleashed a powerful beam that took out Terra's monster.
Terra's Life Points: 4100-
"And the Photon Cerberus will attack you directly!" commanded Mario as his three-headed dog rushed forward and took a bit out of Terra's shirt before knocking the boy to the floor.
Terra's Life Points: 2800-
"I then end my turn with a facedown. Your move!" said Mario.
Turn 8: Terra (Hand 3)
"Time to take back control of this duel, I draw! I play Monster Reborn to bring back my Comics Hero King Arthur. Then I'll play this, the equip spell card, Megamorph. Since my life points are lower than yours, my monster now has its attack points doubled!" stated Terra (2400 x 2 = 4800). "And now, King Arthur attack his dragon!"
"I activate my facedown, Lumenize! When you declare an attack, I can negate that attack, and then I can target one face-up Light monster I control, which gains the attack points of that monster. So your monster just gave my dragon a power boost!" stated Mario (3500 + 4800 = 8300).
"8300 attack points?!" shouted Terra as he was in awe of Mario's monster's strength.
"That's enough to win the duel on Mario's next turn," said Izzy as she noted how the boy could use his opponent's monster to boost his own power.
Turn 9: Mario (Hand 1)
"Time to end this," said Mario. "Now, Galaxy-Eyes, wrap this up by attacking his monster!"
"I reveal my facedown, Mirror Mail! When a face-up monster I control is targeted for an attack, this card makes my King Arthur's attack points equal to your Photon Dragon," said Terra.
I may not be able to save my monster, but at least since he and Photon Dragon will have the same attack points, they'll both be destroyed. Then Mario will send in his Photon Cerberus to attack me. I'll lose life points, but I'll still be in the duel, and then I can turn it around next turn.
"If you're hoping for a next turn. Don't bother. There won't be a next turn for you." said Mario.
"Huh?"
Mario snapped his fingers as the final facedown he had set flipped up.
"By paying half my life points, my Solemn Judgement can negate your Mirror Mail," informed Mario, "So that means..."
Mario's Life Points: 3350-
"I lose..." finished Terra.
Photon Dragon let loose a powerful beam attack; its foe put his weapon up horizontally to block it. The beam engulfed the warrior as he vanished, and the boy was flung to the ground as he lost the last bit of his life points.
Terra's Life Points: 0 -
Winner: Mario
The duel ended as the monsters began to disappear. The students around them began to murmur as they took in the duel they saw. Mario sighed as normally, he would be excited and pleased after a duel. He ejected the deck from his duel disk, placed it on the woman's counter, and took the card.
Terra sat up and rubbed his head when Mario stood over him. The boy tossed the card at his opponent, who caught it with his hand and looked at it. He blinked twice before looking up at Mario.
"Keep the card. I got a spare that my friend can use," said Mario.
"You sure?" asked Terra.
"Positive, good duel," said Mario as he turned to walk.
The rest of the students started to disburse as Mario returned to Roll and Izzy.
"Nice job of not attracting attention," said Roll to her older brother with a smug smile.
"Screw you," scoffed Mario to his little sister.
"So, about the card?" asked Izzy.
"Come on, I'm pretty sure I got a spare in my collection," said Mario as he returned to their dorm with the two girls.
As the three left, someone had been recording bits and pieces of the duel between Mario and Terra. Safe to say, Pipp was now more interested in the boy she had a crush on, as his skills in Duel Monsters were impressive. Imagine how good he must be with his own deck if he could do that with just a random deck. The girl noticed him leaving as she began to follow him as she had some questions to ask him.
Author's Note: The first duel of this story has happened and while it may not be official due to the fact that the school year hasn't started, it does serve its purpose to show that Mario does have some exceptionalskills when it comes to Duel Monsters. In addition, we have Izzy meeting the siblings as she seems to be... fitting in, for a better term. Either way, the adventure continues.