Yugioh/ML Chapter 2
Ride the Wind
As the knight of Hanoi rode up to pursue the person who stole the kwami from them, his leader spoke to him, explaining the rules of speed duels and that he would only be able to take the kwami if he beat her in a duel. The knight looked down and saw that the other knights were attempting to join him, but the wind was stopping them. On top of that, the admins had made it onto the scene, and were engaging the knights in battle.
So it's up to me, then? I will not fail you, master.
…
"These speed duels, how do they work?" Ladybug asked Tikki.
"There are only 3 columns instead of 5, no second main phase, and you start with 4 cards in your hand."
"So it's a simplified version."
"Not quite. There's also skills, special powers you can use once per duel."
"Which one do I have?"
Tikki giggled. "I'll tell you when you're ready."
Ladybug rolled her eyes as the knight finally caught up to her.
"I'll give you one chance." The knight demanded. "Surrender the kwami and your life will be spared!"
Kwami? Ladybug thought, but didn't waste her time on that. "If the Knights of Hanoi want her, then I want her more! You'll have to take her from me!" She drew her cards, and was astounded, as they weren't the deck she had brought in with her. Indeed, they were cards she had never seen before.
"Have it your way. I'll go first." The knight's cards appeared in front of him, hovering in midair. "Since you control no monsters, I can summon Hack Worm from my hand!" A mechanical worm with green lines on its side appeared. (Level 1/Attack 400) "And I'll summon another as well!" A second Hack Worm joined the first. (Level 1/Attack 400)
"Next, I'll tribute my two Hack Worms in order to tribute summon!" The two worms dissolve in a green flash. "Appear, Cracking Dragon! End this brat's heroing career early!" Behind the knight, a large metallic dragon with green eyes and glowing green orbs around its body appeared. (Level 8/Attack 3000) "I end my turn!"
"Ooh! What a cool dragon!" Tikki exclaimed.
"I wouldn't get too excited if I were you." Ladybug said. "After all, if I lose, you'll be in their hands."
That reminded caused Tikki to whimper in worry.
"I draw!" Ladybug declared. Luckily for her, she somehow knew how her new cards worked, and didn't need to waste time wondering how they worked. "I summon Databug Spinner!" A neon spider seemingly made of data appeared. (Level 3/Attack 1300)
From afar, the blond boy grew angry. How did this girl have cyberse monsters? But then he realized how; the kwami must have given them to her.
In an observation room of Sol Technologies, a green-haired man in a business suit had a similar reaction, minus the anger.
"What an exciting new monster!" The knight proclaimed. "But it's helpless against my dragon! Whenever you summon exactly one monster, Cracking Dragon will reduce its attack by its level times 200, and you'll take that much damage!" The dragon fired several beams of energy from the orbs around its body, pelting Databug Spinner and Ladybug. (Databug Spinner Attack 1300-700) (Ladybug 4000-3400)
"That's perfectly fine with me." Ladybug said. "I activate Databug Spinner's effect! When it's summoned, I can swap your monster's attack and defense for this turn!" Spinner spit out a ball of webbing that caught onto the dragon, binding it. (Cracking Dragon Attack 3000-0) "I set two cards. Databug Spinner, attack Cracking Dragon!"
Spinner launched itself at the dragon, tearing at it with its pincers. (Knight 4000-3300) To Ladybug's shock, however, the dragon was unharmed.
"You moron! Cracking Dragon can't be destroyed by monsters with the same or lower level!"
"Oh my." Tikki exclaimed. "It would seem that your efforts weren't enough, and now you are vulnerable to counterattack on his next turn."
Oddly, Ladybug didn't hear any sarcasm or mocking from Tikki's comment. "It would help if I had my skill."
"I told you; you haven't met its conditions yet!"
"And those conditions are?"
"If I told you, you wouldn't earn it."
Ladybug sighed. "I end my turn."
The knight laughed as Cracking Dragon burst out of its bonds. (Cracking Dragon Attack 0-3000) "On my draw phase, I shall activate my skill! Instead of drawing one card, I draw two!" The knight's hand glowed green and white as he drew his extra card. "I then play the spell card DDoS attack! By sending any number of copies of DDoS attack from my deck to the graveyard, I can deal damage to you equal to the number of copies sent times my Cracking Dragon's level times 100."
Cracking Dragon fired two red balls of energy. Ladybug only barely dodged the first, and was hit square on by the second. (Ladybug 3400-1800) The force of the blast caused Ladybug to fall off her board, but luckily, she landed on a rooftop. She wasted no time jumping off, re-summoning her board and rejoining the knight.
"I'm impressed that you survived that." The knight admitted. "But you won't survive this! I equip my Cracking Dragon with Air Cracking Storm!" Four blue probes appeared around Cracking Dragon. "Now, whenever Cracking Dragon destroys your monster in battle, I can have it attack again, but my other monsters can't attack!"
Tikki made a grumbling noise, then said "Oh! I get it! Since he has no other monsters, he doesn't have to worry about that downside!"
"Cracking Dragon, crush that spider with Traffic Blast!" The dragon fired a beam of green energy at Databug Spinner.
"I activate my face-down, Databug Shell Shed!" Ladybug replied. "I choose one Databug monster I control with at least 500 attack. This turn, any battle damage I take is changed to be the same as that monster's attack!" Spinner's exoskeleton burst, then clung onto Ladybug like a suit of armor just before the attack obliterated it. (Ladybug 1800-1100)
"I activate the effect of Air Cracking Storm. Attack her directly!" Cracking Dragon fired again, but Ladybug was able to hold on this time. (Ladybug 1100-400) "I then activate the quick-play spell Reboot Attack. This turn, my machine-type monster is allowed an additional attack. Finish her off with Traffic Blast!"
Just as Cracking Dragon was readying its final attack, Ladybug intervened. "I activate my second face-down Databug Pollen Protect! Not only does it negate your monster's attack, but it special summons Pollen tokens equal to the number of attacks your monster made!" Three holographic tufts of pollen appeared next to Ladybug. (Level 1/Defense 0) "And since I summoned them all at the same time, Cracking Dragon's effect can't activate."
The knight grimaced. "I end my turn."
"You did it!" Tikki exclaimed. "You've finally fulfilled the conditions!"
"I did? What are they?"
"Your life points are now at less than or equal to one thousand. Now, hold on. There's just one other thing." Tikki glowed again, and the wind in front of them started to pick up. In fact, it was starting to resemble a tornado.
"Tikki, why do I get the feeling you're going to tell me to fly into that thing?"
"Because that's where your new card is! Your skill lets you add a random card from the data storm when your life points are 1000 or less." Summoning her strength, Ladybug flew towards the tornado, baffling the knight.
Ladybug reached out her hand, feeling the data currents flow over her. The spots on her costume started to glow a bright white.
"Lucky Charm!" Ladybug yelled as she grabbed her new card. "It's my turn. I draw!" She pointed her hand out in front of her. "Appear, my circuit!" A beam of light shot out from her fingertips, forming a gateway. "The summoning conditions are 2 or more cyberse monsters. I set my three pollen tokens in the link arrows!"
The three tufts became orange tornadoes that hit the gateway, one at the top and the other two at the bottom corners. "Link summon! Appear, Codespring Light Connector!" A being made of golden light appeared, holding a staff. (Attack 2300/Link Arrows Top, Bottom Left, Bottom Right)
"A link monster, huh?" The knight wondered. "Well, too bad. Cracking Dragon, use your effect to wipe her out!" The dragon did nothing.
"Now look who's the moron? Link monsters don't have levels. I now activate the spell Link Veil. Since I control a link monster, I will take no effect damage this turn. Next is Light Connector's effect. It gains 500 attack for every monster it points to with its link arrows."
The knight checked his duel disk, and to his dismay, the new link monster was pointing towards his dragon. (Light Connector Attack 2300-2800) "I then activate the second effect of Light Connector. Once per turn, I can special summon a cyberse monster from my hand or graveyard to one of my monsters zones that it points to. Return, Databug Spinner!" Light Connector pointed her staff, and a beam of light shot out before forming into Databug Spinner. (Level 3/Attack 1300) (Light Connector Attack 2800-3300)
"Finally, I activate the effect of Spinner, switching your monster's attack and defense for this turn!" Spinner shot out a ball of web that entangled Cracking Dragon once more. (Cracking Dragon Attack 3000-0) "Light Connector, attack his Cracking Dragon! Radiant Reprove!" Light Connector threw her staff, which spun in the air before hitting Cracking Dragon, causing the dragon to detonate.
"Damn it!" The knight fell into the storm below. (Knight 3300-0)
Below, the crowd cheered, chanting Ladybug's name as the dueling system had declared her the winner. With the smallest of smiles, Ladybug logged out.