Episode 18. - Slowly Wilting Perceptions

Pikaye shuffled his deck, reminiscing about a tournament he had won in Japan a month before. Something about this tournament reminded him of that one. Perhaps it was the large concentration of psionic waves that he had not met before. The deck in his hand, was not exactly his regular one. It had been built to counter the American World champion and take the World Champion title back to Japan. It still contained part of him, however. That would allow him to find his rhythm with the deck in time to overcome Yodaz. At least, that was what he hoped. He was totally expecting to be the next called to duel, but to his surprise, the announcement came as...

"Now, for the third quarterfinal duel, World Champion Yodaz will face Hong Kong's champion Shinji Nykahrii!"

Shinji finished the bottle of water he had been sipping for nearly half an hour now. He rose from his seat and stretched. It was not difficult to tell that despite his best efforts, he was still a little stressed at the prospect of facing the champion. Still, he met Yodaz's gaze with the same cool confidence that he had before. Their Kaijudo clashed and spiked, each seeming to slash at the other for some reason. Ryoma and Shu instantly looked up, alerted by the impact. They were both next to Pikaye within moments. This was something they all wanted to see. Blood stood nearby, apparently less interested, but also inclined to occasionally glance out of the corner of his eye at the decks as they were shuffled. Shields were deployed. Cards were drawn... and Kaijudo clashed against Kaijudo again.

Ryoma smirked slightly and murmured to himself in Japanese, "My... Shinji doesn't like him, does he..."

Pikaye looked over at the one who had just spoken, now noticing that his English had also carried the same Japanese accent. He smirked, and answered in his native language also.
"It seems not. I wonder if they have met before..."

"Please, you go first," Shinji said graciously. Yodaz sighed. Giving up the advantage, in a deck like what he had seen of Shinji's, was a catastrophic mistake, but he was in no way averse to taking advantage of that. He charged nature mana and ended his turn.

Shinji drew his sixth card and charged light mana. His Kaijudo seemed to retreat and swirl around him. This was going to be a seriously intense match, and he was biding his time until the action began. He ended his turn, allowing Yodaz to draw and charge fire mana. Shinji considered his situation.

"Fire mana already. So he has decided his path," Ryoma noted, "How good is this Hong Kong champion, Pikaye-san?"

Pikaye did not take his eyes off the duel, but he did answer.
"He is fairly good. However, he is one of those who rejects the standard deck bases in favor of something less traditional. It was surprising to many when he took the Hong Kong championship. He has not held the title for long, nor is he expected to, but I will admit that he impresses me somewhat. Elves are interesting."

As if on cue, Shinji charged nature mana, and summoned his Essence Elf. Yodaz's turn consisted of another charging of fire mana, and casting a Crimson Hammer. Ryoma's eyes narrowed.
"Yes. He has chosen his path... I hope he can keep it up. I often wonder how his deck does not wear itself out doing that..."

Shinji sighed at Yodaz's action, charging water mana for his turn. Yodaz responded with water mana charging and summoning an Emeral. This time, he did not activate its effect. Shinji charged more light mana and summoned his Amber Grass.

Gene Kirricort was beginning to get anxious. Granted, the duel had not been going on for long, but Shinji Nykahrii certainly did not give the impression that he was going to say anything. He was depending on Yodaz, therefore, to 'commentate, and he knew how unlikely that could be. Today, however, he got lucky.

"Is this what you're going to be putting me up against?" Yodaz smirked, "Creatures with hardly any effect? How far do you expect to get with that?"

Shinji glared at him, but said nothing. Yodaz's turn went as expected. He took advantage of the fact that Shinji had not destroyed his Emeral, summoning his Illusionary Merfolk. He drew his three cards, his Kaijudo growing with each one. He ended his turn with a light smile. Shinji seemed irritated. He drew his card, charged more light mana, and summoned his Mist Rias, Sonic Guardian. Each of them stood, calculating the possibilities for the other. Shinji seemed to become calm again, his Kaijudo swirling barely above the surface.

"What do you think he will do to this one?" Pikaye laughed. He had analyzed Yodaz's deck many times before crossing to the west. He knew that Shinji was already locked in an uphill battle. The Merfolk was simply too powerful.

Yodaz drew his card, charged more water mana, and played another Crimson Hammer on the Mist Rias, then summoned his Aqua Hulcus and drew another card. Shinji looked surprised, for some reason, but he placed his guardian in the graveyard anyway, and drew his card. He sighed.

"All right. Let's try that again. Mist Rias, Sonic Guardian. End turn."

Yodaz drew his card. He smirked at his opponent.
"Crimson Hammer. End turn."

Shinji's Kaijudo whipped up oddly as he drew his next card.
"What? Again? That's... three so far. Hm. I charge water mana, and summon an Aqua Hulcus--" he drew his card, "--and a Senatine Jade Tree. End turn."

Shu Lon smirked, "He moved too early again. This will not go well for Yodaz now..."
Pikaye looked over at the shorter dark duelist. Ryoma was intently watching the battle. The imagery of the destruction of the Sonic Guardians had been seen twice now. The fiery dismantling that was Crimson Hammer. Shinji had been irritated by the action, especially since he had expected Yodaz to have to 'work' harder to do so.

Yodaz drew his card, charged, and summoned his Meteosaur. The rock beast lumbered out of the shadows, and inhaled. Then a stream of lava breath burst from its mouth and nostrils, jetting over to the Aqua Hulcus and evaporating it. Shinji's psionic barrier defended him yet again from Yodaz's own surge. He looked even more irritated now.

"I should have expected that of you," he sighed disdainfully, "Or perhaps I even did. You end?"

Yodaz nodded, almost smugly. Shinji drew his card and charged light mana. He waved his hand. Yodaz smiled more, the barely visible blue lines in his eye glittering, and his voice cold as he spoke.
"You've missed a turn. You have lost. Your tempo has been disrupted, therefore it is over. What a simple duel."

Ryoma looked puzzled. He sensed something different in Yodaz now. He could not tell what. Pikaye seemed to notice it also, and shifted uneasily until Shinji reestablished equilibrium between his Kaijudo and that of Yodaz. Shinji grit his teeth and answered.
"You presume too much. Play your cards. You are predictable, and therefore your advantage in cards is balanced by your enslavement to them."

"Enslavement?" Yodaz laughed, "I pity you if that is the only excuse you can come up with for your inadequacy."
He drew his card, but then frowned. He charged darkness mana, and ended his turn.

Shinji practically laughed at him now as he drew his card.
"Yes, I did notice your lack of dark power. Though I was expecting you to have a Natural Snare. No matter. End turn."

Yodaz looked irritated, drew his card, and cast Lost Soul, discarding the Sword of Benevolent Life and Spiral Gate from Nykahrii's hand.

"So it is true... I do know your every move in advance..." Shinji noted, drawing his card. He looked at it for a moment, then fixed Yodaz with a pointed glare, "That's annoying. Holy Awe."
The sky seemed to open up, and the brightest light possible engulfed the battle zone. Everything came to a stop on Yodaz's side, completely blinded.

"Amber Grass, destroy Emeral. Jade Tree, destroy the Merfolk. Ikei!"
The movement of the light creatures amidst the powerful column of light was barely noticeable, so when the light cleared and the attuned duelists could 'see' again, Yodaz had lost two of his creatures, and also his chance to quickly use the Merfolk's effect again. Shinji ended his turn.

Yodaz seemed even more sinister now. This was slightly different from his usual attitude, but it was possibly because it was becoming increasingly obvious that this was not his usual form of duel. Light did have an advantage when battling. He would need to destroy every single creature on Shinji's side in order for his own to be safe, or get his biggest creature. He decided to take the second option, and the strategy that would therefore have to result from it.

"I summon Rumbling Terahorn, to search for my Twin-Cannon Skyterror. This won't last much longer, so I suggest if you have a way to stop me, you do it now..."

Ryoma instantly put up a shield to keep this 'Yodaz' out of his mind. Something was wrong here. Unnatural, it seemed to him. Pikaye again seemed to notice, and soon, the mental shielding had spread throughout the room. All the duelists that could, were protecting themselves from something. It was then that Yodaz did something that few people had ever seen him do. So seldom did he play against Light that it would be necessary, but he knew he could not risk coming close to the end and bumping into another Holy Awe. So, he took the initiative.
"Meteosaur, ikei!"

The Rock Beast inhaled again, and the blast incinerated the shield, but as it did, it caused another flash of light. Yodaz seemed startled, expecting another Holy Awe, but it was only an Amber Grass making its appearance.
"Hulcus, ikei!"

This one did not trigger, and Shinji drew his card. He did not charge mana, seeing no apparent need to. Instead, he simply summoned the other 'half' of his strategic pair. Elf-X.

"Now, my grasses, rid me of those things. Ikei."
The Amber Grasses spun down upon the Meteosaur and Aqua Hulcus. Bladed leaf like projections ripped them apart, leaving Yodaz with only the Terahorn. Still, it was unclear what exactly Shinji was planning at this point.

"Is he just defending himself, or does he have a plan?" Ryoma wondered. The shimmering cold Kaijudo did not yet seem affected by Yodaz's actions. This seemed to be annoying Yodaz slightly, in contrast with his usual calm demeanour. Suddenly, it became totally clear to Ryoma exactly what was going on. He smiled, and chuckled.

"What is it?" Pikaye asked in quick Japanese. He too, was analyzing the situation, but not for quite the same reason. He wanted to know exactly how powerful a counter deck he had managed to build. Something about the way Yodaz's cards seemed to be coming, was making him doubt what he had done a bit.

Ryoma smiled again, answering in English, "Shinji knows. If he can hold out a bit longer, he will win."

"Oh? Knows what?" Pikaye asked, instantly interested. Shu was the one to answer him this time.

"He knows that if he can hold his power exactly equal to Yodaz's, it will confuse Yodaz long enough to make it possible to take the victory."
The darkness duelist said this very matter-of-factly. As if it was something that the entire universe should know. Ryoma nodded. Ever since that day, that first serious experience with Yodaz's Kaijudo, he had known this. Something inside Yodaz was limiting the champ's true power. Yodaz could fundamentally only react to things.

"He is inhuman. He pushes back when you push against him. If you disregard him, if you disregard defeat, your chances against him are best. Just as always. Like a computer. It can only function based on what you put into it," Ryoma told Pikaye.

The Japanese champion seemed to mull this over a bit in his mind, taking it as odd advice. What exactly would that mean, however, if he were to end up facing Yodaz...
"So you are saying that your desire to defeat him is what defeats you in the end?"

Ryoma spoke as Shu smiled, nodding in agreement with Ryoma's words.
"It is what he is counting on. It is why he dislikes attacking. He cannot see beyond the cards. Beyond the victory. Perhaps something in him has fallen away, or maybe he has always been like this. He strives to be perfect, and as such, must redefine himself each time his opponent moves, in order to remain perfect."

Yodaz's turn had begun now, and he had been slightly hesitant for awhile now after charging his water mana. Shinji's Kaijudo was unnerving one part of him, and totally provoking some other facet of his being. He desperately wanted to show the Hong Kong champion something unforgettable, but he could not help but feel the same way he had felt against Black Fire. That his opponent's duel with him would be tossed into their pile of throwaway memories. Insignificant and pointless.

"Defeat him! Crush him! Show him the truth, and destroy his delusion!" came the call from deep inside him. His Kaijudo 'obeyed', surging powerfully enough to cause Shinji's entire body to tense suddenly. He had the card he needed. Nothing could stop him now. Not before he could do what he needed to do. This was where it would end.

"Twin-Cannon Skyterror, come out and double break! Ikei!"
The first cannon blast shattered the first of Nykahrii's three remaining shields. The second unleashed another blast from Shinji's giant orbital satellite. Holy Awe trigger. The Skyterror was already present, however, and Yodaz was confident in the fact that nothing in the Hong Kong champion's deck could stop it. He had seen not one single removal card.

Shinji smiled slightly at Yodaz. His Kaijudo bore the same non-threatening coldness that it always did. Yodaz seemed far different from his normal calm self. The conflict raging within him made his Kaijudo wild. Something in him seemed to desperately want to show his opponent something, but Shinji was totally uninterested in whatever that was. He drew his card and noted that the Sword of Benevolent life would not be enough to stop the Skyterror.

"Perhaps it would be best if I were simply to slow you down. You seem to be affected by nothing else... I summon Essence Elf, and Aqua Sniper. Return both your creatures to your hand."
He spoke calmly, but the effect was in no way as calm or simple. The whirling waterspout that heralded the arrival of the Sniper raged as it engulfed both the Terahorn and the huge Skyterror that flapped above it. When it was over, the Aqua Sniper calmly joined Shinji's other forces, and Yodaz's field was clear again.

"Elf-X, ikei--" this shield did not trigger, allowing Shinji to continue, "--Amber Grass, ikei--" again, Yodaz's shields held no counter. Things were getting close, "--Amber Grass, ikei--"

"Shield Trigger... Terror Pit..." Yodaz laughed, "Essence Elf, to your grave..."

Shinji Nykahrii bowed his head, accepting the loss of one of his beloved Elves. Yodaz was now only three shields away from defeat, though. Most of his responses to Shinji's previous actions would be too slow or too energy consuming to be much help. Hong Kong's champion smiled again now, his Kaijudo becoming the tidal wave that it so often did. It loomed above that of Yodaz, but the purple shape in his mind reassured him.

"I can come to your aid now. Call me, and seal his fate."

Yodaz sent one Rumbling Terahorn to his mana zone, and summoned the second, to search his deck for his Corile.
"Corile, on your Elf-X..."

"Of course," Shinji laughed, "What else, after all?"

"You find something funny? Or are you going to tell me you predicted that, too?"
Yodaz seemed irritated now. Ryoma knew Shinji's answer before he gave it.

"Of course I did. However, it is because every possible move you could have made was transparent. I had no way of knowing which you would choose, but your options are limited. I assume you end your turn now?"

Yodaz felt his insides burning with rage that did not seem to be his. The purple one seemed intent on visiting its terrible wrath upon the enemy before it, but it was possibly too late. Two shields stood between him and defeat, and his opponent had three creatures with which to break them. This could easily go either way, but somehow he felt cheated of his victory. Close duels were exciting for audiences, but they were not always satisfying to him.

"I summon my Elf-X, since you have taken away all other choices," Shinji remarked, sounding almost bored at this point, "Aqua Sniper, ikei."
The blue one surged through the water that had covered Shinji Nykahrii's half of the battle zone, and with a slash of a scythe-like hand, shattered half of Yodaz's remaining defenses.

Ieri Lon smiled.
"So now the champion faces the same fate as I. How ironic. Will his final shield save him?"

Yodaz's Kaijudo began to buckle. He had been on the other end of this scenario often enough himself. His opponents had always been destroyed. Hoping that your very last shield held the key to your survival was a sure descent into madness even for the boldest of duelists. Shinji did not, however press his advantage in Kaijudo. He simply sighed, apparently hesitant to tap his second attacker. Few people could hear the mental hiss that Yodaz directed at Shinji.
"Don't you dare pity me. It is not over yet!"

Shinji seemed startled at Yodaz's attitude. Even so close to defeat, something in the champion defied even the slightest suggestion that he was less than perfect.
"Amber Grass, ikei."

"Haha! Shield Trigger! Terror Pit!" Yodaz laughed, flipping over the card, instantly reversing the entire room's Kaijudo. His surged against Shinji's, but seemed to hit nothingness. Just like it had been with Black Fire. The eastern champion was totally unfazed by what looked like Yodaz's ultimate comeback. After a few moments of Yodaz's psionic influence flailing ineffectually against Shinji's, the silver haired one's Kaijudo returned to normal, totally unaffected.

"Yes, fortune seems to have smiled upon you today. End turn."
Shinji's voice did not mask his disappointment. In fact, it was clear to anyone around that he was exceedingly saddened by the outcome. Somehow, however, his demeanour itself had not changed. The duel was not over yet in Yodaz's favor either. Yodaz was sure that he had won, however.

Ieri growled. "I don't care what you say, Shu. This one is the luckiest duelist I have ever met..."

Ryoma responded to this, "Is it luck? Or deckbuilding skill, that creates moments like these?"

Ieri seemed offended by the implication.
"So are we all so inferior to him that for whatever reason we cannot snatch defeat from the jaws of victory in the same way? Are you saying that we cannot hope to rival his immaculate deckbuilding prowess?"

Ryoma looked over at the irritable darkness duelist, "Do you play his deck? If not, then how can you say that? You do not understand what I mean at all..."

Yodaz drew his card, charged more water mana, and cast Searing Wave. The fiery wave met Shinji Nykahrii's own cold one, driving it, and most of Nykahrii's psychic resonance, away. The Elf-X and Amber Grass were gone. No other card could have offered Yodaz victory as easily, but nevertheless, there it was.
"I summon Twin-Cannon Skyterror. Skyterror, destroy the Aqua Sniper!"

In an almost vengeful blast, the Skyterror obliterated the Sniper. The Liquid one's screech filled their minds. It made its sound, not for pain or defeat, but out of simple frustration. Shinji's field was clear now.

"This is the end," Yodaz declared aloud, his voice sounding odder than ever, "Corile, ikei--" His triumph was cut short by the Spiral Gate that whisked the Rumbling Terahorn off his field. Shinji smiled sadly and shook his head at the champion as he drew his card, in the face of Yodaz's irritation at having his turn forcibly ended by the spell. Shinji drew his card, looked at it, and smirked slightly. Senatine Jade Tree. Not enough. Nothing in his deck would have been enough outright. That was known.

Ryoma and Pikaye found that smile on the Hong Kong champion's face intriguing. Yodaz seemed totally unlike himself now, and his rage grew with every slight increase in Shinji's smirk. Nykahrii then placed his card back on top of his deck.

"What are you doing!?" Yodaz snarled.

"I forfeit," Shinji laughed, "You may take your bows now, or whatever it is you do. I am done here for today."
He picked up his cards. On the battlefield between them, the water receded as he walked away...