As you sat in the back and waited for your cue to step into the arena you had to admit, even if just to yourself, that you were a bit nervous.
Who could blame you? You could hear the cheers from a thousand people even from where you were, and you knew this was going to be broadcasted throughout the entire country, so you don't think you could be faulted for some slight nerves, especially since you were the opening act.
As you leaned against the wall you took a breath. 'Okay Makoto, you just need to chill, just think of it like the regional qualifiers, nothing to it. You go out there, win, get the people to love you and then win the entire thing and come home with that fat check and trophy, simple as that.' Well it probably wouldn't be that simple, you knew Rex and Weevil were also here, and it was just your luck (Or more likely, some organizers meddling) that the brackets ended up so you'd likely end up having to duel both if you wanted to win.
Though that was for later, right now your opponent was some newbie on the scene called Maki Haikawa, you'd never heard of her before but she obviously had to have SOME skill to have won the regional qualifier.
…Thankfully at the very least you wouldn't be dueling Kaiba in this tournament.
After his sudden loss to some no name he'd dropped off the face of the earth in shame from what you heard. No one could get in contact with him.
Though you were disappointed that the Yugi kid had apparently declined to enter, at the very least you hadn't heard anything about him from your contacts in the scene about him taking part in any of the qualifiers.
One of the assistants tapped you on the shoulder and told you that it was your time. You took one last deep breath, pulled out your deck, and took a look at your partner.
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As you did, you felt your heart rate steady, what was there to even worry about?
As long as you had Hades nothing could stop you, not really, ever since you had won him from that rich dudes private tourney life had only gone up for you, and this was your opportunity to finally reach the peak of the dueling world.
With that in mind you straightened your back and confidently walked down the hallway to your duel pod.
As the pod descended into the Arena you couldn't but smirk as the lights and cheers washed over you, waving to your adoring public as the announcer told the people who you were.
"A veteran to the professional scene! 19 Year old! Makoto Yuzuki!" The announcer exclaimed at the top of his lungs before moving onto your opponent as her own pod descended.
"And his opponent! Our new rising star! 16 Year old Maki Haikawa!" At that you finally got your first look at your opponent.
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The first thing you took note of was her pretty flowing light-green hair, and the next thing was her focused expression.
…Hmm, shame. A part of you had been hoping she'd be so nervous she'd end up fumbling the match and giving you an easy win, the less of your deck and strategies you had to reveal to Rex and especially Weevil the better.
As you set your deck down in the designated spot you heard the announcer let out one last yell.
"NOW DUELISTS! ITS TIME TO DUEL!"
As the duel begins any lingering nervousness from knowing the entire country was watching you washed away, at this moment there was only you, the duel field and your opponent.
And with that, you draw.
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Hmm not a bad opener all things considered, you'd made do with way worse, as you look up at your opponent, seeing her face scrunched up in almost a glare.
You couldn't help but grin, it was cute really.
"Hey now, no need to look at me like that, I may make a misplay if you continue!" You said to Maki, you knew the Duel Arenas had in-built microphones for this exact purpose, plus it allowed the audience to hear you aswell.
Maki huffed in response, her cheeks almost puffing with air. "Hmph! We wouldn't want that would we? When I wiped the floor with you I don't want you to have any excuses!" She taunted and you heard the crowd Oooh and Ahhh at the good old fashioned trash talk.
Now this was your element! No worrying or fretting, just the game infront of you.
"Ha! I'm afraid I'll have more than that for an excuse if I lose, how about "my cute opponent distracted me?" Is that a good one?" You said shooting her an exaggerated wink as you did so.
Maki's cheeks puffed up again at that, though even from this distance you could see a hint of red splashing across them.
"How about you just continue your turn?! Or are you that afraid of losing!" She shouted with a glare.
Chuckling you shook your head as you prepared to make your move-
-Ultimately you decide on a V set.
Setting Big Eye, Trap Hole and Dust Tornado.
As you set your cards you decide to continue the trash talk.
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"I think for now I'll just set three cards and pass my turn! I wouldn't want to end this TOO quickly ya know? Otherwise how am I meant to keep seeing your cute face?" You say with a big grin across your face as the crowd Ooohs.
"Oh-ho! Folks is romance blooming on the Duel Field?!" The announcer shouted, obviously trying to stir the pot, which he seemed to be doing a great job of considering Maki's reddening face.
"I-In your dreams pretty boy! Though I'd enjoy that while you can! When I destroy you and win you're not gonna look so pretty with the tears running down your face!" She screamed her face red from a mixture of embarrassment and rage.
You just smirk. "...So you think I'm pretty?"
Maki screams in rage at that, practically ripping the top card from her deck before looking over her hand.
"First up! I activate Red Medicine!" She said obviously putting the trash talk on hold for now.
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You watch as Maki's Life Points shoot up to 2500.
Hmm, annoying, with this new format and the ban on direct attacks, dealing damage could be a real pain, so you weren't exactly pleased to see her Life Points shoot up by 25%.
Though your eyes are brought back to the field as you watch Maki throw down a monster, as a smirk grows on her face.
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"I summon my Enchanting Mermaid in Attack Mode!" She said as a busty mermaid appeared on her side of the field, with 1200 ATK points.
Hmm it wasn't the biggest threat, and you wouldn't mind her crashing into Big Eye but there is something else to consider with this.
With that in mind you-
-Activate your Trap Hole in response.
Before Enchanting Mermaid could even fully stabilize on the field a massive pit opened up beneath, and you watched as she fell deep within, hearing the oh so satisfying sound of Life Points dropping as Maki took 600 damage.
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You smirk as Maki's eyes narrow at you.
"Sorry beautiful, I only have eyes for you, I couldn't just let some fat-chested floozy stand between us now, could I? I much more prefer your svelte and graceful body anyway." You say and watch as Maki practically snarls in response.
And this was it, while hitting Enchanting Mermaid may not have been the most practical move in the moment, it allowed you to keep winning the mental war going on between you two, and that could be the game decider.
"Would you listen to that folks! It appears Makoto is a romantic at heart! How sweet!" The announcer continued to help you out.
This time Maki decided to just ignore him, deciding to put all her energy into trying to win this thing now.
"Fine! I set one card face-down and end my turn!" She said with a hiss.
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You reach down and grab the top card from your deck, looking at it and seeing Sorcerer of the Doomed.
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As you consider your move you make sure to keep Maki in your vision out of the corner of your eye, watching as she got more and more frustrated, and just as she opened her mouth to say something-
-You reached down and immediately flipped Big Eye into Attack Position.
"I Flip Summon Big Eye! Which allows me to excavate the top 5 cards in my deck and arrange them in any order!" You say with a smirk, watching Maki's eyes narrow at being cut off.
As you grabbed the 5 cards you couldn't help but push a little more. "Don't worry babe, my eyes will be right back on you in a second." You say with a grin before looking down at your cards, ignoring the announcer's response to that.
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Oooh, some nice pulls here, another Big Eye, Ally of Justice Clausolas, Dark Titan of Terror, Ultimate Offering and Mystic Plasma zone.
Now the question was, how to arrange them?
Well for starters you were immediately putting Titan at the bottom, you had no need for fodder right now.
Then Ultimate Offerings, while it was a very powerful card, in this format especially it could be a major risk that you didn't need to take right now.
Then your second Big Eye, if the game went on long enough he could be useful to have in your back pocket.
Plasma Zone came next, with it on the field your monsters would be boosted to high enough ATK that you weren't worried about Maki being able to defeat most of them except by whatever her potential boss monster may be.
So lastly you put Clausolas on top just in case, he was one of your absolute strongest monsters and comboing him with Plasma Zone would make him practically unkillable, only Kaibas Blue-Eyes would be able to defeat him.
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'But all of that's for the future, for now though…'
You looked up and watched as Maki looked at you with an intense glare. Which you responded to with a grin.
'I had a crowd to entertain.'
With that in mind you shoot Maki a grin as you finish arranging your card.
"What did I tell you? My eyes are right back to you." You say putting on a mock-suave tone as you do.
Maki just narrows her eyes, obviously done with your shit by now. "I'm overjoyed." She said her voice was so thick with sarcasm you could practically taste it.
You couldn't help but genuinely chuckle in response to that. "Oh, now that makes me happy to hear." You said with a smug grin. "But I think it's about time I start clearing things up, hold on tight babe." You said reaching down and flipping your Dust Tornado.
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Even as a giant whirlwind rushed to her side of the field and destroyed her set Waboku you surprisingly saw Maki's eyes brighten.
…Concerning, but it was too late for second thoughts now.
You clicked your tongue as you saw the women get blown away. "Tsk, even more hussies trying to get between us? Maybe our whirlwind romance just isn't meant to be Maki…" You say exaggerated sadness in your tone as you place a hand over your heart.
Maki rolls her eyes in response to that. "Oh good, maybe now you'll shut the fuck up." She said her tone was as dry as a desert.
You whistled in response to that, the organizers certainly weren't going to be happy about that little bit of crude language.
"Oh my! How rude! But they do say all beautiful flowers have thorns." You say with a cocky smirk, which worryingly enough Maki just returned.
…She definitely had something, probably some type of backrow considering her reaction to your Dust Tornado, for now it was best to just set-up and prepare for whatever she was going to do.
"Maybe this will be able to help me out! I summon Mystic Clown in Attack Mode and set one card face-down before ending my turn!" You say making sure to keep your eyes focused on Maki's face for any tells she may give.
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Immediately on seeing her draw Maki's eyes practically lit up with fireworks, and a smug grin appeared on her face.
"Oh you have no idea how much I'm going to enjoy this!" She said excitement practically vibrating in her voice as she immediately slapped down the card she had just drawn down on the field.
"Show this guy what we can do! Sky Dragon!" With that a giant purple dragon materialized on Maki's side of the field, with 4 great wings hosting razor sharp feathers.
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Looking down at the board you took note that it only had 1900 ATK points, a simple enough job for your Clausolas to run over next turn, so you just smiled in response.
"Oh-ho? Is this your ace monster Maki? I have to say I'm honored you showed it to me on the first date." You taunted her, but Maki just remained unphased, a smug grin still stretching across her face.
"Oh trust me! I'm gonna show it to you! Sky Dragon! Destroy his creepy Big Eye! Blade Tornado!" She yelled and with that her Sky Dragon reared itself back, before lunging forward and shooting off thousands of its razor sharp feathers directly at your Big Eye.
As they made impact, Big Eye shattered into hundreds of holographic pieces, and you couldn't help but flinch as they flew back at you.
…Fuck, that was going to take some getting used to.
As you straightened up you watched as your Life Points fell by 700 leaving you sitting at a concerning 1300.
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Your attention was brought back up to your opponent as she laughed, her hand underneath her mouth in a perfect Ojou-sama laugh.
…She was really getting into this wasn't she?
Before you could say anything Maki spoke up, finally ending her laughter. "Ha! How'd you like that one pretty boy!" She said her grin growing even smugger somehow. "But I'm not done! I've watched your previous duels, I bet you have some big monster in your hand that you think you can destroy my Sky Dragon with, but not if I activate this! My Swords of Revealing Light!" She said, slapping the card in question down on her board.
At that your eyes widened. Swords? That was a pretty damn rare card, you can see how she managed to win the regional qualifiers if she had something like that in her back pocket.
You watched as 3 swords made of pure light entrapped your field and all your monsters on it.
Hmm, this was gonna be a problem, you can see why she was so happy seeing you waste your Dust Tornado now.
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"So? What do you think of that pretty boy?!" She said, her voice exuding arrogance.
You just smirked in response. "...You've watched my previous duels?"
Maki's face flushed at that, the wind getting totally taken out of her sails. "T-T-To study you of course! I need to know everything about you if I want to win!" She said with an embarrassed expression coming across her face.
You let out a genuine smile as that, not the cocky smirk or smug grin you had been wearing most of the duel. "Thanks, I'm flattered, really." You said sincerely.
Maki's face flushed an even deeper shade of red in response, and she awkwardly looked down at her feet while playing with her hair. "N-No problem, umm, I pass my turn." She finished meekly.
As you draw you see your Ally of Justice Clausolas, as you expected, but right now with her Swords up and nothing in your hand to deal with it you are in a surprisingly tough spot.
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…What to do? what to do?
You hum as you look over your card before sighing. "Ahh, got me in quite the predicament here babe. And I was all excited to show off for you." You smirk and shoot her a wink watching as her face flushed. "But for now I'll just switch my Mystic Clown to defense and summon my Ally of Justice Clausolas!" You say as Clausolas appears on your side of the field, a large mechanical vulture, that eclipsed even Maki's Sky Dragon in size.
God, while the holograms will take some getting used to you can't deny that it was so fucking cool, especially when you manage to summon your big boss monsters.
Shaking your head you dismiss that thought and turn your attention back to Maki. "And I'll pass, lets see if you can manage to defeat my Clausolas, Maki." You said with a confident grin as Maki nervously bit her lip as she watched one of her swords disappear as she beheld your monster.
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Maki's eyes seemed to sparkle as she looked at her draw, an air of self-satisfaction surrounding her as she turned to you with a smug grin. "Ha! Who says I need to deal with your dumb bird? When I can beat you in other ways! I activate Stop Defense!" She said the air practically vibrated around her as the crowd cheered, loving what they were seeing. "I'm sure I don't need to say who I'm targeting but you might be a bit slow so I will anyway, I switch your Clown to Attack Mode!" She said while dramatically pointing at your monster.
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You watch as your Clown is forced to move itself from its crouching position, seemingly against its will as its limbs chitter and shake, almost as if Mystic Clown is trying to fight against the control somewhat.
Unfortunately its efforts were fruitless, as Stop Defense finally caused it to stand up straight, something Maki noticed with a grin.
"Now! Sky Dragon! Destroy that ugly Clown! Blade Tornado!" She screamed as yet again her Sky Dragon tensed up before unleashing another shower of blades down upon your monster.
As the holographic shards flew back to you you managed to lessen your flinch from it this time, but still, you weren't happy as you watched your Life Points drop down to just 900.
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Maki leaned down against her board as she twirled a strand of her hair around her finger. "Ya know, maybe you should just forfeit now? Save us all some time, maybe if you do I'll actually agree to a pity date with you." She said shooting you with an exaggerated wink and a nasty grin.
In response you just let out a laugh. "Ha! Afraid that one will only happen in your dreams, I fully intend to win this!" You said as the crowd cheered in support.
Maki just shrugged her shoulders and rolled her eyes. "Oh well I suppose. I didn't take you for a masochist, I end my turn." She finished with a grin.
You smirked in response to that as you drew Mystic Plasma Zone.
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Hmm you could play it right now but would there be much point?
Ultimately you decide there wouldn't be, and there's no point in setting a monster just for it to be destroyed by her Sky Dragon, not even getting into her potentially having more Stop Defenses so for now all you can do is wait it out for her Swords to pass.
"Hmm, I'll just end my turn for now." You say as you watch the 2nd of the three swords disappear from around you.
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Maki almost shakes with anticipation as she goes to draw, obviously expecting her streak of good draws to continue but as she picks it up she lets out a sigh at what she sees.
Hmm, she'd need to learn to get a better poker face, she'd practically been an open book this entire match, though you suppose you riling her up hasn't been helping matters.
"I'll set one monster face-down and end my turn, I wouldn't want to embarrass you TOO badly by immediately destroying your bird now would I?" She taunted flicking her hair behind her shoulder as she did so.
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You smirked in response. "How lucky I am to have such a graceful and merciful opponent." You said before drawing for turn and getting Big Eye.
Hmm, her Swords would disappear at the end of this turn so now was the time to start setting up for some big plays.
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Luckly for you you had the perfect card to set-up for that.
"Hmm, for now I think I'll mirror you, I set one monster face-down and end my turn." You say placing Big Eye face-down on the board.
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With Ultimate Offering and Titan practically being dead draws at this point it'd be best for you if she attacked your Big Eye, so you could potentially make sure your next draw was something big, and even if she had another Stop Defense you would only lose 700 Life Points, not ideal but it was a trade you were willing to make.
You watch as the last of the 3 swords surrounding you finally disappears, leaving your monsters open for battle once again.
As she draws for turn Maki gives her the cards in her hand and the board a long thoughtful stare, obviously considering her options.
Good, if she had anything really good she'd have immediately slapped that down, so the fact she was thinking so much obviously meant she was scrambling for the ideal move here.
"Oh-ho people! It seems our Ms. Haikawa may be in a bit of a pickle! Will she be able to find a way around Makoto's deadly Clausolas!?" The announcer subtly spurred her on, causing Maki to blink.
She took one final look at her cards before sighing. "I enter my Battle Phase and attack your face-down monster with Sky Dragon! Go! Blade Tornado!" She said as for the third time her Sky Dragon unleashed a terrifying flurry of feathers.
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As the card flipped and was revealed to be another Big Eye you watched as Maki grimaced.
"Heh, thanks babe! I knew I could count on you! Now I once again get to see the top 5 cards of my deck and arrange them however I want!" You say with vigor, picking up your top 5 and seeing what you had.
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Oooh, another big monster in Cerebrus, an ATK boost with Witches Apprentice and another Dust Tornado, VERY nice, but how to arrange them specifically?
Hmm, like before Ultimate Offering and Titan are dead draws, so you immediately place them on the bottom.
Next is Witches Apprentice, while the boost is nice Plasma Zone already more than handles that and doesn't leave you exposed with a relatively weak monster.
That left you between Cerebrus and Dust Tornado, and ultimately you decide you want Dust Tornado first, you don't think Maki had any monsters that could potentially deal with Clausolas, instead she seems to need to rely on her backrow, so Dust Tornado was what you needed ASAP.
With that you finish arranging your cards and turn your attention back to Maki.
"I'll set one more monster face-down and end my turn." She said with a certain tenseness in her voice.
Hmm it looks like she's going full defense, with Swords finally gone the momentum of the duel was finally shifting in your favor.
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As you draw your Dust Tornado you decide to try and encourage Maki, wouldn't want the crowd getting bored now.
"Aww, come on sweetheart! There's no need to look so glum! There's no shame in losing here! Tell ya what, after I win this entire thing how about we go for ice cream or something, my treat! I need something to spend the prize money on after all!" You showboat for the crowd, listen to them roar in response to your proclamation.
Maki grit her teeth in response, the fire coming back to her eyes. "Dream on! Maybe if you get on your hands and knees and beg, after I win this tournament I'll let you carry around my bags during my first shopping trip!" The crowd Ooooh'd in response to that and you swear you heard one dude in the audience shout 'I'd take that deal!'.
You just laugh in response. "Ha! If I had any chance of losing I may have taken you up on that! But unfortunately for you that won't happen! Now I-"
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"-Activate my Mystic Plasma Zone! Which increases the attack of all my DARK monsters by 500 points! Bringing my Clausolas up to 2800!" You said, watching as a dark miasma enveloped the whole Arena, with the occasional dart of energy flickering deep within.
A purple aura surrounds your Clausolas, making his metal casing almost purple in appearance as his attack shoots up to that staggering 2800.
You smirk as you continue. "Now it's time for my counter-attack to start! Go Clausolas! Destroy her Sky Dragon! Skyblast Assault!" You commanded and watched as you Clausolas began to rapidly raise to the the very top of the Arena, before bringing its wings into its body and beginning a nosedive with its sharp beak leading the way, completely spearing through Maki's Sky Dragon and creating a current of wind that nearly blew Maki back as you deal 900 damage to her bringing her to just 1000 Life Points.
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As Maki steadied herself on her feet you looked at your hand and contemplated if there was anything else you wanted to do.
Ultimately you decide to just set Dust Tornado, you didn't feel like risking anymore damage from potential Stop Defense.
As you set your card you looked at Maki with a smirk. "So, have you reconsidered that ice cream offer yet?!" You taunted her.
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Maki shot you another glare at that. "I told you! I'm not losing here!" She said, before taking a deep breath, closing her eyes and reaching down for her deck, slowly bringing the top card up to her face and hesitatingly opening her eyes to see what she drew.
As she did her face practically exploded in glee, an actual squeal leaving her lips.
"Yes! I activate my Graceful Charity!" She said, slapping down a super rare card down on the field.
…Fuck that was bad, while her monster line-up wasn't anything special apparently her Spell and Traps cards were on a whole other level, something you were quickly going to find out how right you were.
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As she drew her three cards, somehow her expression got even brighter and smugger, at this point you were almost afraid that she'd manage to dispel your Plasma Zone with how bright it was.
"Ha! Maybe you should start practicing your begging, pretty boy! It looks like fate has decided this is my game to win!" She said loudly, shooting you the brattiest and most smug expression you'd ever seen in your life. "I activate Pot of Greed! Which allows me to draw two cards from my deck!" She said as she drew two and inspected her hand.
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…Goddamn did this girl fucking rob a truck full of staple packs? Where was she getting all of this backrow?
You drowned out the audience, the announcer, your own field, everything, and made sure to give 110% of your focus to Maki's face, right now you needed every advantage you could get otherwise you very well could lose here.
Luckly for you, her poker face still sucked, as her eyes practically went to the size of dinner plates as she saw something in her hand, before taking a deep breath and trying to flatten her expression.
"Damn, I didn't get anything off of all that?! How?!" She said, doing some of the worst bluffing you had ever seen in your life, though some in the audience seemed to believe it with some Awws of disappointment ringing out.
Maki clicked her tongue as she continued. "I guess for now I just need to wall up, I set one monster face-down." She said before grabbing another card from her hand. "And one spell card before ending my turn!" She quickly said, trying to rush it out and quickly end her turn.
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Well, there was only one correct response to all that, and that is-
"During your End Phase I activate my second Dust Tornado! Targeting your 'spell'" You say with obvious sarcasm at the end.
As the whirlwind rips apart the card she had just set you saw it was Two-Pronged Attack.
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------------->
..
Fuck, that would have been the end for you here, with all the fodder she had on the field she had more than enough fuel for it and with Clausolas' 2800 ATK you would have lost 1400 Life Points from it, losing you the game.
Maki scowled in response at having her plan so easily foiled. "Fuck! I would have had you!" She yelled, slamming a fist down on her pod.
You just grin in response. "Need to work on your poker face babe! Though even then with how much attention I'm giving your cute face I don't think you'd have ever gotten it past me here." You taunted and watched as Maki scowled even harder in response as the crowd was swept in a wave of excitement from seeing the foiled trap.
As you begin your turn and draw Cerebus you can feel your heart racing, not from all the eyes and attention on your but just from how close this game is.
When you had heard you were dueling some no-name, admittedly you had fully expected to steamroll some chump who had gotten lucky in the qualifiers before moving on to the REAL threats in Rex and Weevil, but this game had you on the edge of your seat, if you lost focus for even a second you very well could lose.
…You wonder if Kaiba got this feeling when he was dueling Yugi, some no-name somehow managing to drive you to the very edge of your abilities, but ultimately there was one big difference between you and Kaiba-
You could feel an almost feral grin spreading across your face.
-You didn't intend to lose.
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------------>
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Now, how to go about ensuring your victory.
First things first you had to set about clearing her monsters, she had managed to set-up quite a wall here, and if you wanted that victory they needed to go.
"Lets ramp this up Clausolas! Skydive Assault the leftmost monster!" You screamed, watching Clausolas rise once again before diving, revealing her set monster to be a simple Lady of Faith.
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Now, what else to do?
While you could set some monsters or summon Cerebus, ultimately right now you had the momentum and didn't want to risk her being able to pull some funny shit.
As Maki drew you could almost see the disappointment in her eyes, after thinking for a second she looked up at you.
"Not going to set any monsters?" She asked surprisingly calmly.
In response you just snorted. "And risk throwing the game if you draw another Stop Defense? No thanks babe." You said with a grin.
In response Maki just let out a sigh instead of firing back, putting her hand down on her pod and reaching over for her deck, placing her hand on it in the universal sign of surrender.
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------------>
..
"I forfeit! If he doesn't set any monsters I have no way to win anymore." She said her voice was firm, but you can hear the obvious note of frustration in it.
The crowd let out a collective Aww at that, obviously disappointed by such an anti-climatic ending, but the announcer quickly spoke up.
"And would you look at that folks! Our veteran manages to eke out a win against our new rising star by the skin of his teeth! And our rising star shows a surprisingly amount of grace and honor by admitting when she was beat, but for now, give it up for our winner: MAKOTO YUZUKI!" He finished, roaring out at the end there as the crowd let out a deafening bellow.
Even as you smile and wave to your adoring public a part of you can't help but feel a bit disappointed the duel didn't last longer, you were really getting into it at the end there.
As your platform receded backstage you contemplated what to do next.
You could always head back to waiting room and watch the duel between Rex and whatever nobody he was dueling (who knows maybe you'd be surprised yet again by a no-name) or maybe you could go find Maki, while she was a bit of a smug brat she did play well with what she had, and it took a certain strength of character to admit when you lost.
…Plus she WAS kinda cute, and you didn't hate the whole smug brat thing.
So, what to do?
Hmm while it'd undoubtedly be useful to see Rex's exact cards, ultimately he's a simple guy, big dinosaurs or the occasional dragon-type monsters and some stat boosters, plus if he pulled anything truly exciting out you'd hear the whispers considering there was still two matches before your duel with him.
So you decided to go see if you can find Maki. congratulate her on making it so far in her first tournament run, maybe give some deck advice.
…And if you did a little teasing, well, who could blame you?
With that in mind you make your way around to the opposite side of the Arena, where hopefully Maki was waiting, arriving at her designated locker room you gave a gentle knock against the door.
After a few seconds the door opened an inch, and you saw Maki looking sternly at you from the gap.
"Oh, it's you. What do you want?" She said, a note of frustration in her voice.
Unlike in the duel proper you actually wanted her to cool off now, so with that in mind you lifted your hands in surrender.
"Ah, just wanted to come talk a bit ya know? Congratulate you and everything, make sure there's no hard feelings." You said with your best charming smile.
After a few more seconds you heard Maki let out a sigh, stepping back from the door and letting it open all the way, obviously inviting you inside.
"Whatever… I'd feel like a sore loser if I just slammed the door in your face." She said taking a seat on the nearby sofa.
You let out a laugh as you stepped inside. "Ha! Thanks for not breaking my nose before my next duel then!" You joked leaning back against the wall.
Hmm, you already had a general idea on what you wanted to talk about, but was there anything else you wanted to bring up?
Well, first things first was helping get rid of this lingering tension in the air.
"Yo, just to get serious for a second, we cool? I was kinda yanking your chain out there, just wanted to make sure you weren't TOO mad at me." You say, making sure to inject some seriousness in your tone so she didn't think you were going to tease her again.
Maki just rolled her eyes in response. "I get it, I watched some of your other matches, you like to try and throw your opponent off their game." She let out a sigh as she continued. "I thought I was ready for it, figured you were just gonna call me short or something, didn't expect you to start flirting with me." She mumbled out at the end there, looking away with a slight blush blooming on her cheeks.
In response you couldn't help but chuckle. "Ha! Yeah not gonna lie, probably would have moved onto some height comments or something like that if the super over the top flirting didn't seem like it would pan out." You shot her a teasing wink as you continued. "Luckly for me I didn't need to work my way down the list of options, certainly didn't mind getting to compliment a pretty girl up there instead of resorting to straight up insults."
Maki just clicked her tongue at that, though the redness in her cheeks also brightened for a second. "Heh, if you say so." She said, running her fingers through her hair. "But yeah, we're good, is that everything?" She said looking over at you for a response.
You just shrugged at that. "Figured we could hang-out for a bit til my next match, maybe you can tell me a bit about yourself, no offense but I'd never even heard of you until today." You comment, looking at her curiously.
In response she just shrugged somewhat awkwardly. "Not surprised, only reason I entered the preliminary regional was because me and all my friends heard they'd be using the new holographic Duel Arenas, so we wanted to see them in action."
Ah that made sense, the preliminaries were the first time the Duel Arenas had been open for somewhat public use, it shouldn't really be a surprise that they managed to drag in people who usually wouldn't bother.
"Damn, and you managed to win? I know regionals can be pretty hit and miss occasionally but there's normally at least a few high-level competitors, probably even more considering it was for Nationals qualification." You whistled, genuinely impressed to hear someone with no prior history in the tournament scene managing to win one.
Maki blushed at that, looking down at her lap somewhat embarrassed. "Y-Yeah, there were a couple of tough duels near the end, but once it was clear that I was actually doing really well my friends all pooled their money together and brought me some packs, and I got REALLY lucky and managed to pull a lot of really good backrow." She said, a small smile gracing her face as she thought back on the memory.
You blinked at that. "Ah that makes sense then, no offense but with how strong your Spells and Traps are your monster line-up is kinda…" You trail off while shaking your hands side to side, trying to put it at least somewhat politely.
Maki just snorted at that. "It sucks you mean? Yeah I know, besides Mystical Elf and Succubus Knight I didn't really pull anything good monster wise, guess I used up all my luck on the staple packs." She chuckled.
You just laugh with her at that. "Heh, yeah it could be better, if you want some advice I'd say focus on just getting some stronger monsters, and some more Spell or Traps that can remove big monsters you CAN'T run over, since right now besides Two-Pronged Attack you really have no answers for big monsters." You commented as Maki watched you intensely, obviously doing all she can to absorb your words.
After that you spend the next hour just hanging out with Maki, giving her some advice that'd help her if she genuinely wanted to continue with the tournament scene, like how she needed a better poker face, and in-general just shooting the shit.
…It was nice, you didn't often get to have such civil conversations with guys you beat, a lot of people had their pride hurt when you managed to beat them, so this was a change of pace.
Though it couldn't last forever, before too long a knock came at Maki's door.
As she gets up to answer it you see one of the producers at the door, whose eyes light up when they see you. "Ah Makoto, the last match is just about wrapping up, probably about time you made your way back and prepared." He said as he pressed his hand to his earpiece, obviously getting updated.
"Just finished up in-fact, will be a quick recess so the audience can restock and go to the bathroom but then you're on." You nodded your head at that, standing up with a stretch.
"Ahhhh, looks like it's my time then Maki! It was fun but I don't want to leave the adoring public waiting now do I?" You said with a wink in her direction.
Maki just rolled her eyes yet again at your antics but you could see the smirk on her face. "Heh, get going then, and make sure you win this! I better be able to say to my friends back home that I only lost because I dueled you at the start!" She said with mock-aggression.
You just tossed her a salute and another wink before making your way out.
Welp, couldn't disappoint the girl now could you?
-x-X-x-
After a few minutes of waiting in your pod you finally hear it begin to activate, descending to the Duel Arena.
As you did, you made sure to wave to the stands as the announcer, well announced you.
"-And his opponent! The master of the pre-historic age! The one! The only! Rex Raptor!" He yelled as Rex's pod descended from his side of the field.
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Rex smirked as he saw you. "Heh, finally about time I got the opportunity to crush salt and pepper! And after I'm done with you it's straight onto that insect dork and the grand prize!" He proclaimed to the entire audience as they roared in approval.
You just chuckled at that. "Heh, you always did have big dreams Rex! But that's all they're going to stay, dreams! I think it's about time to finally make the dino's go extinct!" You taunted straight back.
"WOULD YOU LOOK AT THAT FOLKS!? YOU CAN PRACTICALLY SEE THE SPARKS FLYING BETWEEN OUR COMPETITORS! BUT THE QUESTION IS, WHO WILL COME OUT ON TOP?!" The announcer screamed at the top of his lungs as both you and rex set your decks.
"THERES ONLY ONE WAY TO FIND OUT! DUELISTS! IT'S TIME TO D-D-D-D-D-D-DUEL!"
"I think I'll start us off!" Rex yells and he rips a card from the top of his deck before looking over his hand.
"Heh, let's start off strong! I'll summon my Uraby in attack mode! And set one card face-down and end my turn!" Rex said as a big T-Rex with crimson eyes appeared on his side of the field.
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Though with just 1500 ATK points you couldn't help but scoff as you prepare to draw. "Start off strong? I'm pretty sure even Weevil has bigger beaters in his deck than that little lizard, guess it's up to big bro Makoto to teach you how to REALLY play the game rex." You said with a smirk as you finally drew.
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Hmm Flame Cerebus, a strong monster if you really wanted to get aggressive but that backrow did concern you somewhat and ultimately Duel Monster wasn't just about who had the bigger numbers.
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It's about time Rex learnt that.
For now you decide to set up the tools for your victory.
"I set two cards face-down and end my turn!" You yell out.
Rex blinks for a few seconds before throwing his head back and laughing.
"Ha! I thought you were gonna show me how to really play the game? Looks to me like you're just building a wall to hide behind!" He taunted you from across the Arena as the audience muttered in confusion about your seemingly lackluster move.
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You just smirked, letting the words roll off your back, let him enjoy himself while he can.
"Heh, guess it's up to me to make this duel go anywhere, you better prepare yourself for my dino stampede Salt and Pepper!" He said, a massive grin stretching his face as he looked at his draw.
"Let's get it started then! I summon Crawling Dragon #2! Go get 'em Crawling Dragon!" He roared out as his monster rapidly approached you.
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Hmm you could use your Ultimate Offering and get another monster on board here…
Nah, no point, you were under no pressure here.
As you thought that your monster got flipped face-up revealing your Big Eye.
The crowd roared as he was revealed, obviously remembering your duel with Maki and what this eventually led to.
You smirked as Big Eyes effect activated. "My Big Eyes effect activates! Letting me arrange the top 5 cards of my deck in any order!" You declare as Rex scowls at you.
Now, let's see what Big Eye offers you.
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Ooooooh! VERY nice indeed, already a vague plan slowly began to form in your mind…
Hmm, well first of all you'd want Old Vindictive Magician, even with Tribute to the Doomed in hand more removal was always nice.
Next up was Rite of the Underworld to facilitate your end game.
Next was your 2nd Big Eye, while you doubted you'd need it, if Rex did begin to push you back somehow it'd make a good back-up plan.
And therefore the last two cards could be left for then.
With that you set back down your deck and smirked over at Rex. "All done Rex, got anything left to do or are you all out of gas already?" You taunted as the crowd Ooooh'd in response to your words.
Rex just scowled once again and grunted out that he ended his turn.
You chuckle, drawing and picking up Old Vindictive Magician, as expected.
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Now was the time for your counter-attack to get started.
"You know what Rex? You're right, I have been a little shy, I just didn't want to embarrass you TOO badly you know?" You said casually, watching as Rex's face went bright red in response to that, but before he could respond you continued. "But it's about time I really get started, so let's go! I Normal Summon Baron of the Fiend Sword!" You say, slapping down your card as a yellow-skinned pig-like man appeared on your side of the field.
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"Now my Baron! Attack his Uraby!" You yell out as your Baron begins to charge straight at Rex's dinosaur, sword in hand.
Rex didn't seem worried though, and as your Baron got closer he only smirked. "Heh, looks like I'm the one who's gonna be teaching you how to play the game Salt and Pepper! I activate my Raise Body Heat! Equipping it to my Uraby's attack to 1800!" He said as a visible air distortion began to form around his Uraby, while its skin took on a slightly red tint as its body temperature rose.
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"Heh.... "
Rex scowls, obviously hearing your faint laugh over the speaker.
"What's so funny?! You're monsters about to be destroyed!" He yelled out, slamming a fist against his pod.
You just shake your head. "Sorry, it's just the thought that someone like YOU could ever teach me something, well, what else could it be but comical?" You question and you swear Rex must have equipped a Raise Body Heat to himself with how red his face gets.
"Let me show you how a REAL pro does things Rex, I activate Mystic Plasma Zone!" You say as a dark cloud seemed to engulf the Duel Arena, with dark energy like lightning rippling along its edges.
"With this the attack of all my DARK monsters increases by 500 points! Bringing my Barons attack up to 2050! More than enough to slice through your fossil!" You yell out, bringing your fist forward.
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You watch in satisfaction as your Baron slices Rex's Uraby clean in two and and practically groan in satisfaction at the oh so familiar noise of your opponents Life Points dropping.
"Ah, music to my ears." You suddenly straightened up as if embarrassed. "Oh but there's no need to be ashamed Rex! A rank amateur like you vs a pro like me? Well, this was only ever going to end one way." You smirk as you can practically hear the sound of Rex grinding his teeth.
"It's not over yet, jackass! I'm gonna turn this duel around, you hear me!" He yelled out as you just kept smirking at him.
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"My comeback starts here!" Rex yells out and he violently rips the top card of his deck.
He looks at it and a grin comes to his face. "Ah right! Now this is what I needed! I'm about to show you why you should fear the dinosaurs Salt and Pepper!" He said as he slammed a card down on his pod.
"Show 'em what we're made of! Two-Headed King Rex!" As he said that a giant two-headed purple dinosaur appeared the crowd roared in excitement, everyone always loved to see a duelist get their ace out.
…Oh you'd give them something to REALLY cheer for in a minute.
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"Now Two-Headed King Rex! Attack his Baron!" He roared as he thrusted his hand towards your Baron.
You heard the crowd go silent at that, either anticipating his next move or confused about what he was doing, all the while you just kept your face blank.
As his dinosaur began to charge towards you Baron Rex suddenly threw down a spell card, Rush Recklessly.
"I activate Rush Recklessly! Which gives my Rex 700 more attack! Bringing him up all the way to 2300!" He roared out as his monster finally impacted Baron.
A red aura seemed to surround King Rex as one head bit at Baron's sword, while the other one swept around and took a chunk out of Baron's neck, causing him to explode into shards.
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Thankfully you kept your composure fully this time, you didn't want to give Rex an inch, even as your Life Points dropped to 1750, equal to Rex's.
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Rex cheered as he saw the attack go through. "Yeah! How'd you like that one?! Better get used to it cuz there's a lot more where that came from!" He roared in time with the crowd.
You waited for the noise to die down, still keeping your face perfectly expressionless.
"…Oh, Rex, you're gonna learn today alright." You said quietly as you picked up your draw.
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You draw Rites of the Underworld and smirk.
"I think it's about time we start setting up you and your dino's funeral rites, eh Rex?" You say casually before grabbing and Normal Summoning Flame Cerebrus.
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Rex face tightens as your monster appears, obviously expecting you to immediately enter your Battle Phase and destroy one of his dino's
If only he was so lucky.
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"Next I think I'll activate my set Ultimate Offerings! Immediately paying 500 Life Points and Normal Summoning Old Vindictive Magician in attack mode!" You say as your next monster appeared on the board.
A wave of confusion sweeps through the Arena at your seeming major misplay, Magician has meager attack points, if Rex has a decent monster and a stat booster he could end the game on your very next turn.
While Rex wasn't the best duelist you'd ever known, even he could tell something was up.
"...What are you up to now?" He hisses out between clenched teeth.
You just smirk in response. "Didn't I tell you Rex? Setting up your funeral rites." You say, a barely hidden glee in your voice.
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"Let's begin then shall we? I activate the Ritual Spell, Rites of the Underworld!" You declare, bringing your spell high into the air before slamming it down on your side of the field.
A magical circle slowly appeared on your side of the field, surrounded by fruits, coins and other assorted gems.
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"With this I tribute my level 6 Flame Cerebrus! And my level 2 Old Vindictive Magician!-" At your words both your monsters turned into an ethereal energy, before shooting into the summoning circle.
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"-To summon! My ace monster! Hades! Lord of the Underworld!" At that a figure slowly rose from the circle, a dark aura seemed to follow as a man with almost dead skin and dark robes appeared, his head capped in blue flame almost as if a crown.
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Rex took a step back as your monster appeared, and you could tell immediately, just by the look in his eyes, that he knew he had lost.
You reveled in the gasps and the awe of the audience, their frantic whispers only getting louder as your Mystic Plasma Zone raised Hades' attack to a staggering 3300, strong enough to destroy even Kaiba's fabled Blue-Eyes White Dragons.
While this wasn't the first time you had ever summoned Hades, far from it in-fact this WAS his most public reveal, you had been holding him in reserve specifically for the Nationals, only bringing him out in more private events.
Something Rex seemed to be all too aware of as you took a visceral satisfaction in watching him shake.
"...I-Its real?" He just barely managed to stutter out as he looked upon and beheld your Hades.
You just raised an eyebrow with a grin, deciding to play with him.
"Oh? What do you mean Rex?" You almost sing.
God you must look like such an asshole right now, but you'd gladly play heel if it meant getting to experience this feeling.
"S-Shut up! You know what I mean! I heard you had some super rare card but I thought that was a load of BS that you had made up!" He roared, glaring at you, obviously managing to get some of his spine back from your taunting.
You placed your hand over your heart at that, acting as if you were hurt. "Me? Lie? Now that's just rude! I'm an honest man who does what he says and says what he means." You say, a grin spread across your face. "And if I remember correctly, I said I was gonna teach you a lesson didn't I?" You say, dropping your voice to barely a whisper, only being caught because of the in-built microphone in your pod.
Rex recoiled at that, looking behind him almost as if looking for an avenue of escape, before gritting his teeth and turning back to face you, hands gripping the edges of his pod and shaking.
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Good, it'd be a shame and forfeited now before you got to have any fun…
Your grin somehow grew even more and your heart sang as you finally gave the order.
"Well then! Let's get on with his education Hades! Destroy his "King" Rex! UNDERWORLD JUDGEMENT!"
At that Hades did not move, no grand flourish, no great charge, not even the tilting of his staff, just a sudden wave of darkness appearing from behind him and shooting forward, engulfing Rex's monster completely before after a few seconds the darkness exploded outwards towards Rex, taking the vague shape of his Two-Head King Rex and smashing into him, dealing 1700 damage to his Life Points and leaving him with a pitiful 50 remaining.
Rex almost fell from his pod at the impact, if not for his white knuckled grip on the side he very well might have, but as it slowly settled Rex looked up at your Hades, a snarl on his lips and rage in his eyes, and you knew at that very moment, Rex hated you.
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And you basked in it.
Rex continues to snarl as he draws and looks at his cards.
"Fuck-!" He shakes his head and desperately looks at the board for anything he had missed. "Fine! I Normal Summon Yamadron in defense mode and set 1 card face-down and end my turn!" He declared and went right back to glaring at you as you smirked at him.
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You draw, getting your expected Big Eye but before you could do anything else Rex cuts you off.
"I activate Shattered Axe! Targeting your Hades, during each of my Standby Phases your monster will lose 500 attack!" He stated confidently, obviously wanting to just stall until he could beat over Hades.
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How cute…
"Ha!" You couldn't stop yourself from barking out a laugh, and Rex somehow managed to become even MORE furious at that sound.
"What's so goddamn funny!?" He roared out, shaking in rage, spit flying from his lips and an almost feral look on his face.
You just keep up your smirk. "Simple, the fact that you think you're getting another turn at all." You state calmly, tapping a button to activate your card.
"What-" Rex cuts himself off, looking at the card you activated and horror slowly dawning on his face.
You just smile. "Yup, I activate Tribute to the Doomed, by discarding 1 card in my hand to destroy 1 monster you control." Your smile morphs back into a smirk as you continue. "Credit where it's due Rex…" As you speak, bandages wrapped around his Yamadron, slowly tightening more and more. "You certainly made my card name very fitting." You finish.
At that the bandages finally crush Yamadron, destroying it and causing an explosion, dealing 800 damage to his Life Points, more than enough to wipe out his remaining 50.
"FUCK YOU!" You barely managed to hear Rex's roar through the explosion as his Life Points finally hit 0.
As the audience shot up from their seats, cheering and screaming for you you leaned back, soaking it all in.
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...Ah, this was truly the life.
(200 DP from beating Rex)
As your pod retreated back behind stage you couldn't help but smirk.
Now THAT was certainly an impressive showing, the kind of match people record and watch over and over again.
A part of you was tempted to go see Rex -- taunt him some more, just revel in his anger -- but ultimately you decide against it.
Not only would it be kinda pathetic to go bully a 15-year old after you'd already won, but unlike Rex, Weevils deck was much trickier and less straightforward, so collecting all the info you could would be for the best.
With that decided you make your way to the lounge, where all the competitors could watch the duels in real time.
As you arrived and took a seat no one else was around.
Not surprisingly really, most of the losers were probably skuling in their room or preparing to leave in shame.
Leaning back you watched just as the duel between Weevil and Mako begins.
Either you just missed any opening banter or there wasn't any, since the minute you start paying attention Weevil is already drawing for turn.
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"Hmm I think for now I'll just Normal Summon Gokibore in face-up defense position and set one card face-down and end my turn." Weevil says with his iconic insufferable smirk stretching across his face.
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Mako just scoffs at Weevil's opening move as he draws. "Tch, don't think I'm one of your normal opponents, I'm already well aware of how your deck functions, so I'll start off by activating my Mystical Space Typhoon!" He declared as suddenly a giant tornado appeared on his side of the field, before storming over to Weevil's field, ignoring his monster and destroying his set card, revealing Parasite Worm.
Oof, that's something to watch out for, especially in this format, if Weevil managed to get that off against you then he'd more than likely wipe out more than half your Life Points in one fell swoop.
Thankfully though Parasite Worm had one major downside, it was forced to activate on the first summon, so if need be you could bait it out with one of your weaker monsters.
That thought in mind you continue watching as Weevil grimaces from the destruction of his trap.
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Mako laughs as he looks over the destroyed card. "Haha! I told you! If these cheap tricks are all you have you'll just find yourself consumed by the sea! Speaking of!" With that Mako took 1 card from his hand with a smirk and slapped it down on his side of the field. "I activate Umi! This will empower all my creatures of the deep! Such as my Terrorking Salmon!" A giant cascade of water fell over the Duel Arena at that, and then from within leapt a large and ferocious looking fish with 2400 ATK that was swiftly raised to 2600 under Umi.
Hmm, those were some big numbers, if Mako did somehow manage to win this then you'd have to keep in mind that he seemed to be able to match your monsters in ATK power, at least somewhat.
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"Now my Terrorking! Show him the might of the ocean!" Mako roared out as his salmon dived beneath the waves before swiftly raising from beneath Gokibore and biting it straight in two, destroying it.
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Mako smirked as his salmon returned to his side of the field. "Heh, I must admit I was expecting better from one of the favorites to win this entire thing, Underwood, but so far? I'm far from impressed with your pests." Mako said confidently as he crossed his arms.
Weevil just smirked as he drew for turn. "Oooh, well I wouldn't want to be called a disappointment now would I?" He said with a mocking tone in his voice as Mako's eyes narrowed. "I guess I'll just have to show you the TRUE might of my insects!" He declared, before Normal Summoning Hercules Beetle in attack mode.
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Mako's eyes narrowed even further as he inspected the card.
"What will that do? Its attack is still pitiful when compared to my Terrorking." He stated, just as Weevil began to chuckle.
"Oh, I suppose you aren't quite as well aware of how my deck functions as you thought." He said, his smirk stretching even further as he grabs a card from his hand. "I activate Lev. 2 Power Boost, which increases the attack of my Hercules Beetle by 1200 points." He finished as a large fan like contraption appeared on the back of Hercules Beetle, raising its ATK to 2700, 100 more than Mako's salmon.
Mako's eyes widened at that "1-1200?! That's insane!" He stuttered out and you grimaced as well.
…You supposed from a balance perspective 95% of insect monsters had pitiful stats, so it was fair that the cards that directly supported them would have to be really strong to compensate for that.
But either way, you'd definetly have to keep this card in mind when you dueled him.
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Weevil's glee only rose at Mako's reaction. "Ha! I'll teach you what happens to anyone who underestimates my insects! Go Hercules Beetle! Insectoid Gust!" He ordered thrusting his hand forward.
Hercules Beetle leaned forward at that as the fans equipped to its back began to slowly build up, before suddenly two giant tornadoes of wind shot forth from them, rushing forwards in a fierce gust towards Mako's salmon impacting it and creating a gigantic splash of water as it was destroyed, dropping Mako to 1900 Life points.
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Weevil chuckled as he watched in glee as Mako's strong monster fell.
"Well, I suppose even the 'mighty' ocean can't defeat my beautiful monsters." He said, condescension rich in his tone.
Mako's teeth grit at that as he begins his turn.
"Don't count me out yet! Otherwise you'll find yourself drowning!" Even as he says that he grimaces as he inspects his hand.
"For now I'll Normal Summon my Fiend Kraken in defense mode, before ending my turn." He said with clear frustration in his voice.
Oof, looks like the momentum was shifting, if Mako didn't pull something back soon and allowed Weevil to build up then this may very well be over.
…Shame, you were expecting a bit more after seeing that Terrorking Salmon.
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Weevil barked out a laugh at such a pitiful move, thoughts obviously going in the same direction as your.
"Ha! I guess you're all washed up already!" He said before Normal Summoning Kamakiriman in defense and attacking Mako's Kraken.
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From there the game stalled slightly, Mako merely put up another defensive monster and Weevil destroyed it yet again.
…Yeah it was over, it looked like Terrorking Salmon was the only thing Mako had that was worth a damn.
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Mako's face scrunched up, obviously frustrated and embarrassed from his performance, before he reached out and drew, slowly opening one eye to inspect his card with his face immediately lighting up.
"Ha! It looks like I'm not sunk quite yet! Come, my ace monster! Amphibian Beast!" At that a large green muscled fishman suddenly appeared from beneath the waves, roaring out as it emerged.
As the water ran down its body from Umi, its ATK raised to a respectable 2600 but still 100 short of beating Weevil's 2700 ATK Hercules Beetle.
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Weevil was no fool though, and like you, knew well enough that if he was summoning something like this then he likely had a plan in mind.
Mako's grin stretched across his face as he looked at Weevil. "Oh-ho? No taunt about how my monster is still too weak to defeat yours?" He taunted.
Weevil just grimaced in response to that before glaring at Mako. "...Just get on with it, unless your plan is to bore me to death."
Mako just grinned even wider at that. "If you insist! I equip my Steel Shell from my hand to my Amphibian Beast!" He declared as suddenly a large metal shell appeared on his monster's back, with spikes jutting out from the back of it. "This increases my Amphibian Beasts attack by another 400, bringing it all the way to 3000!" He finally finished as the crowd got to their feet and began to cheer.
It was always exciting when a 3k monster hit the board, it was the line where monsters went from strong to strong, and Kaiba's Blue-Eyes White Dragons were some of the only monsters to have it as their base stat line, one of the reasons they were so feared and respected.
Mako continued from there, interrupting your thoughts. "Now my Beast! Destroy his Hercules Beetle! Aqua Laguna!" At that Amphibian Beast raised its hand, summoning a large wave from the surrounding water that then descended on Weevil's Hercules Beetle.
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The wave consumed Weevil's Hercules Beetle completely, destroying it and dealing 300 damage to his Life Points, bringing him down to 1700, officially giving Mako the lead once again, something he was clearly pleased about.
"Ha! And the tides turn once again it seems!" He boasted, much to the delight of the audience who cheered him on in support.
Weevil just stared Mako down with a glare as he drew for his turn. "...Enjoy it while you can, soon enough you'll see you're only a fly trapped in my web." He finished up before inspecting his hand. "But for now I shall activate my continuous spell, Insect Neglect and set 1 card face-down and end my turn." He finished up.
…Hmm? No monster? Come to think of it he didn't summon last turn either.
While it was entirely possible he was just keeping them in his hand for later there was another distinct possibility, as you noted earlier most of the insect card pool was on the weaker end, enhanced by powerful backrow, but then that means if your were an insect duelist you'd just want to take the best of the trash and run as many of the ludicrously powerful backrow as possible.
Weevil very well may have a surprisingly low monster count.
…And with this formats rules…
Well, something to keep in mind for later.
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"Ha! Don't you know? Spider webs and water don't mix!" Mako taunted, ripping another card from the top of his deck and grinning.
"How about I show you?! I Normal Summon Spike Seadra in attack mode!" Another sea-serpent appeared on Mako's side of the field, this one with 1600 ATK that was swiftly raised to 1800 via Umi.
"Now my Amphibian Beast! Attack his Kamakiriman! Aqua Laguna!" Once again Amphibian Beast raised its hand and summoned another wave to descend on Weevil's monster, consuming it completely.
For some reason though Mako's eyes just narrowed at that. "...Why didn't you use your Insect Neglect to protect your monster?" Mako questioned, staring over at Weevil whose smirk just grew.
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Weevil chose not to answer Mako's question, just drawing for turn and continuing as if he hadn't heard it.
"I Normal Summon Basic Insect in defense, and then activate spell card Cell Division! Allowing me to create a copy of my Basic Insect!" He said as a Basic Insect appeared on his field, before seemingly splitting down the middle with now 2 Basic Insects forming a wall for him. "Hmm, I think with that I'll end my turn." Weevil said, and you knew straight away he had a plan in mind.
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Mako draws and smirks yet again. "Heh, create a wall of insects if you so wish, they'll inevitably be submerged under the tide I unleash upon you." With that said Mako then summons another one of his aquatic menaces, Kairyu-Shin.
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After that, for the 3rd time Amphibian Beast lifts his arms, and brings a wave down upon Basic Insect copy as Weevil just continues to smirk.
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------->
.
After that the duel stalls out yet again for a moment, as Weevil immediately passes to Mako and Mako just equips his Amphibian Beast with Power of Kaishin before destroying Basic Insect.
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-------->
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As he draws Weevil's smirk widens even more as he finally begins to set-up his next play.
"Ah, however will I crawl my way out of this? I suppose for now I shall just Normal Summon Petit Moth in defense mode before I equip my Cocoon of Evolution." As he speaks a small green caterpillar like creature appeared on his side of the field, immediately looking like it'll get washed away by the ocean surrounding it before quickly a Cocoon begins to form around it, getting strung up above the water by webbing that connected to the sides of the Duel Arena.
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------------>>
.
Mako narrows his eyes at Weevil's monster as he begins his turn.
"I don't know what you're planning but I can assure you, it will just be washed away by my sea deck." He stated confidently, puffing out his chest as he did so.
Weevil just cackled to himself as his Cocoon began to wriggle and writhe, almost as if sharing in its master's amusement.
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---------->
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Mako clicks his tongue, obviously not enjoying being laughed at.
"Amphibian Beast! Squash that pest! Aqua Laguna!" Mako roared out as Amphibian Beast entered what at this point was its signature pose yet again.
Though unlike before, right before the wave fell upon Weevil's Cocoon a sparking yellow cage appeared around it, protecting it from destruction.
"Oh I suppose it's about time I started getting some use out of this card, by banishing 1 insect monster from my Graveyard and stopping your attack." Weevil stated with a smirk as the wave dispersed and the cage surrounding his Cocoon dissipated.
"So that monster is key to some sort of strategy then? Heh, I suppose it's better than you just cowering in fear before my monsters." Mako grunted out as he ended his turn.
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------->
.
As Weevil draws he immediately passes his turn, causing a ripple of confusion to run through the audience before he explains.
"Unfortunately while my Cocoon is on the field I'm not allowed to play any cards from my hand." He stated.
And even more curious ripple goes through the audience at that, wondering what effect could be so powerful it'd warrant causing you to no longer be allowed to play the game.
And you had to admit, you were right there with them in-terms of curiosity.
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-------->
.
After that the duel really DOES fall into a standstill, with Mako attacking just for Weevil to protect his monster.
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------->
.
Weevil passing…
.
----------->
.
Mako attacking…
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-------->
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Over…
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-------->
.
And over.
Until finally…
"Aqua Laguna!" Mako roars yet again, and you assume that like every time before Weevil will protect his Cocoon, but for some reason he just smirks and the familiar barrier does not appear.
.
-------->>
.
As a large wave of mist and smoke splashes up from the Cocoon's destruction you see Mako blink in surprise, before his face lights up in a grin.
"Haha! Finally ready to concede defeat you worm?!" Mako roars out as the crowd also begins to cheer, seemingly believing Weevil was about to surrender.
Though as you watched, a large shadow began to appear from the smoke, as Weevil's voice rang out.
"Oh? And why would I do that? You've just handed me the key to my victory." You can practically hear the smug energy in his voice as at last the smoke dissipates and reveals the entity within.
.
----------->>
.
An absolutely colossal green moth, with its deep blue wing-span practically touching both sides of the Arena as it emerges with a chitter.
…Damn, you didn't know the holograms could get this large, even Kaiba's Blue-Eyes White Dragons didn't reach the size of this behemoth.
"Introducing! MY boss monster! Perfectly Ultimate Great Moth!" Weevil roared out at the top of his lungs.
As the stats for the monster appear you can't help but blink, stunned at what you're seeing.
…3500? You guessed having to protect the Cocoon for so long while not being allowed to play, that kinda ATK was deserved but still, you didn't see cards like this often.
The audience goes wild with cheers and gasps, almost matching the fervour of when you had summoned Hades.
That wasn't the only similarity you noticed, as you watched Mako beginning to shake and grit his teeth like Rex had against you.
"Don't count me out yet! I can come back from this! I set 1 card face-down and change all my monsters to defense!" He says, unfortunately for him since Amphibian Beast had already attacked it was forced to remain in attack, but with 3300 even if Weevil's attack goes through he should be fine for a few more turns at least.
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------->
.
Though judging by Weevil's expression as he drew, you were beginning to doubt that.
"Hahahah! All those turns my Cocoon gave me weren't just to facilitate my Great Moth! They also allowed me to begin setting up the tools for my victory!" The glee was practically overtaking his face as he lifted a card from his hand and slapped it down on the field.
"First I activate my Insect Armor with Laser Cannon! Giving my Moth 700 more attack points-
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--------->
.
And then another!-
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----->
.
And finally! I equip it with Laser Cannon Armor! Bringing it up to a total of 5200!" He roared out as the crowd began to lose their minds but you just started doing maths.
5200 - 3300 = 1900.
…The exact amount of Life Points Mako had left.
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---------->
.
Something Mako must have realized as well as he began to scream.
"WAIT! BUT THATS-" Weevil cut him off, his expression filled with ecstasy.
"THE EXACT AMOUNT OF LIFE POINTS YOU HAVE REMAINING! GO MY PERFECTLY ULTIMATE GREAT MOTH! LASER POLLON STRIKE!" He screamed at the top of his lungs, the lasers equipped to his Great Moth beginning to charge, and then all at once they fired, decimating Mako's entire field, evaporating his Umi and finally crashing into Mako himself, dealing 1900 damage to him.
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---------->
.
The Arena goes dead silent afterwards, as the smoke slowly clears to reveal Mako on his knees in his pod, before the audience erupts into an uproarious cheer, screamings filling the air from top to bottom as Weevil is declared the winner.
You could practically hear the excitement for the finals in the air.
…Well, you couldn't disappoint the people now could you?