Episode 24. - Lord of Attack, Lord of Defence

The two had been working on the changes to their decks for a week now. In the end, there had not been many. Libra had changed some of her cards and removed a few others. Yodaz had been through many ideas and possible variations, but had settled on remaining almost completely the same even with the new possibilities.

Libra had been more than surprised when he had found her three weeks prior. His words had made a lot of sense at the time, and since then, the two had been traveling in most of the same circles, trying to discover if there was a way for a deck to be aggressive enough to break through Yodaz's defenses and defeat him. They had not found any as yet, but Yodaz had made a different suggestion after awhile. If what his avatar had claimed was true, then he was perfect anti-aggression, and they should probably instead be aiming to figure out why Libra could sometimes defeat decks that were not constructed exactly as his was. The true difference between them and him, that made his deck so difficult to overcome for an aggressive deck.

Today, Yodaz had chosen not to actually play in the tournament that the two of them were attending, though he had played one demonstration match at the very beginning, and had intently watched many of the duels. Now he was giving Libra her last warnings before the finals. Though she had previously faced and defeated multiple variations of competition with decks that she had complained were just like his, she now faced someone Yodaz himself knew very well.

"Listen to me, Libra. This person is probably one of the most dangerous you could face here. Last time I saw Chris was quite awhile ago, before my deck was perfected, and before I really started to understand my Kaijudo. My deck exists in some small part due to Chris E. Masters himself, so be alert all the time. He doesn't play exactly like me, but he knows all the moves he needs to know, to deal with decks like yours..."

Libra nodded, pushing her hair behind her ear and sliding into her seat. Her opponent seemed to be clearing up some issue with the judges, so it was about two minutes later when he slid into his seat opposite her, and put his deck onto the table after some thorough shuffling. Yodaz moved into a position where Chris was unlikely to notice that he was watching so intently. They deployed their shields, and the duel began, with Libra going first.

She pondered her first mana card for awhile, then laughed at herself. Old habits would be hard to break. She no longer needed to put quite so much effort into the decision, with the new changes to her deck. She placed a Critical Blade there as her first darkness mana, and ended her turn. Masters drew his card, charged Dark Reversal as his, and ended his turn.

She could feel the first flickering of Kaijudo in her opponent as she drew her card and charged more darkness mana. It was time for the first of her 'new arrivals'.
"I summon Propeller Mutant. End turn."

Chris drew his card, and looked at her first choice. So far, it looked like it was going to be a darkness blitz from her side, so it made sense to use the new Propeller Mutant. He would meet such an onslaught in the same way he always did. He charged water mana. An Illusionary Merfolk. "I summon Emeral, and activate its effect. End turn."

With such small creatures on the field, there was not yet any significant Kaijudo shown. Yodaz watched intently. It was not far into the duel yet, so he would have to keep watching to see if Chris ended up playing in the way he would. He and Libra had practiced many times, and by now he knew the ins and outs of her deck as well as she knew his. He also knew exactly what she would try to do now. His prediction was flawless. She drew her card and charged water mana.

"Emeral. And I activate its effect. End turn."
Chris seemed slightly surprised, but not much so. The change required to his strategy for facing a possible water-dark combination was minimal. So it would probably be more of a disruptive strategy than a blitz...

His perception was instantly shattered by Libra's declaration of: "Propeller Mutant. Ikei!"

He picked up the broken shield. There had been minimal Kaijudo backing up her attack. She still was concentrating more on understanding what she was up against, than worrying about using her power. Chris smirked and drew his card, charging fire mana. A Twin-Cannon Skyterror. He summoned an Aqua Hulcus. Libra smiled. So far, this had been no different from what Yodaz's deck was, or did. Which meant that his next action would be...

"Emeral, attack the Propeller Mutant. Ikei."

She smirked knowingly as the Kaijudo bond formed between them. The Cyber Lord quickly seemed to hack into the controls of the flying Hedrian, and even as the guns tore through the Emeral, the Propeller Mutant lost all control and went crashing into the ground near Chris. The explosion caused him to 'lose' one card from his hand. A Thrash Crawler. The first sign so far, that his deck would be any different from that of Yodaz. He ended his turn.

Libra drew her card. She smiled again. Another new arrival to shake things up. This card had been the cause of the bulk of the changes to her deck since the latest set was released, and even in her many tests it, in itself, had never outright failed her. It fit perfectly in, and for this reason, she was so happy to have it now. Without a moment's hesitation she placed the Spiral Gate into her mana zone and summoned it.
"Splash Zebrafish. By its effect, I remove from my mana, another Splash Zebrafish. End turn."

Chris gave her an odd look.
"I've never even seen that card. Why would you play it? You like losing advantage?"

Libra laughed and nodded. As long as he viewed it as that, she was better off. However, she was not counting on the fact that there were other things that made Chris' deck unlike that of Yodaz. Not much, but still different. He drew his card and charged another Merfolk to mana.
"I summon Locomotiver."

She grumbled as she discarded the Zebrafish, and he ended his turn. She had been hoping to get the Spiral Gate back also, but such a tactic was not to be, today. She drew her card, sent her Crystal Lancer to her mana zone, and summoned another Emeral, this time without activating its effect. Yodaz was watching even more intently now, thinking.

"It's like it's all scripted. She must attack... he must defend. The only thing that matters is which of them gets more cards to fulfill their aim with."

"Which is why the Shtra girl cannot win! Being aggressive strengthens your opponent whilst weakening yourself. But you are not going to listen to me, are you. You have been refusing to listen to me for weeks now..."

Yodaz answered the purple one without removing his attention from the duel, "I listen. I just do not think you are always right. She will attack. She always does. We will see what happens."

"Zebrafish, break his shield. Ikei!" There was no trigger. Libra ended her turn. Finally, the Zebrafish would force someone's hand just a bit. It was not as easy to dispose of as the Faerie Child cards had been. She had been sad to give them up, but the 'regenerative' effect of the Zebrafish was too much to pass up. Yodaz had admitted that, if only for the extra power, it was a more annoying card.

Chris drew his card, and sent his Pyrofighter Magnus to his mana zone. Another card that showcased the difference between his deck and Yodaz's. No one would get to see that in practice, however. He instead summoned a Phantom Fish, and cast Crimson Hammer on her Emeral. Libra expected both these things. While it was probably not exactly what Yodaz would have done, it was quite similar. What she did not expect, however, was what happened next. Yodaz was equally surprised at Chris' next action.
"Aqua Hulcus, ikei!"

"Shield Trigger. Dark Reversal. To revive my Splash Zebrafish." Libra smirked now. This was unusual. Most opponents of this kind would not attack her at all. Her mental imagery for the effect was quite strong. The Fish rose from the water as a skeletal structure of optical fibers and relay neurons, then slowly, re-formed into a Gel Fish which then faded away again, back into Libra's consciousness. The Locomotiver's effect, though not completely negated, had become much less painful.

"Locomotiver, ikei!"

She picked up the broken shield. Another Zebrafish. Today, she was going to get to put their power to the full test, and, win or lose, she was going to make the most of that chance. Yodaz noted her smirk, and closed his eyes now, to watch the duel from his mind's eye. Something was making her too happy. Opponents that attacked Libra seldom knew what they were getting into, but there was no reason to think that Chris would be unable to handle her. Though Corile was quite noisily disagreeing with Chris' choice to attack.

Libra drew her card, and smiled again. Yodaz felt her Kaijudo surge in the way he had grown so used to. She was 'happy' again. He had never quite understood why the constant attacking made her so happy, but he was definitely used to it. She charged mana. One of the Zebrafish, then summoned the other to pick up the one she had just charged.
"Zebrafish, destroy his Hulcus. Ikei."

Chris watched, growling slightly as her Zebrafish dodged the efforts of his Phantom Fish, to prevent the attack, and the Hulcus scrambled to get out of the way, failing at the last moment, being engulfed and absorbed by Libra's larger creature. She ended her turn.

Chris drew his card now, and sighed to himself. She was annoying. This should have been an easy duel, but he was no longer as sure as he would have liked to be. He would have to step up his tactics and hope for appropriate shields. He placed his Emeral in the mana zone, knowing that he was likely to need the mana more, once her next attack wave occurred.

Libra was nearly totally gleeful now. Her mind was rapidly calculating what she could use to furthest annoy her opponent. Yodaz sighed. She took such a strange satisfaction out of making other players feel like tearing their hair out. No matter what she said, she was not that different from him, even if she did choose to do it in the completely opposite way. She drew her card, and charged darkness mana.
"Critical Blade."

The slash divided the Phantom Fish before it could do anything, leaving him wide open for her continued assault.
"Zebrafish, ikei!" --no trigger-- "Zebrafishie two! Ikei!" --again, no trigger-- "Now Emeral, ikei!"

Yodaz sighed. Chris declared his shield trigger. Another Locomotiver, to rob Libra of yet another Zebrafish. She sighed. She had been expecting a removal trigger. In fact, she had been totally hoping to hit a Natural Snare.

"Isn't it funny? She's having more trouble because it is not us..."
Yodaz disregarded the 'input' of his avatar as Libra ended her turn. She was close. Now would come the point that was always her greatest test. Making the final attack through all the defenses her opponent was likely to have. Chris drew his card, and charged fire mana.

"I cast Apocalypse Vise, to clear your field..."
The giant mechanical crusher quickly engulfed her two Zebrafish and Emeral, and with a sickening sizzling sound, they were all gone. Libra was used to such things, but her Kaijudo still folded significantly under the pressure, just as if the Vice had got her instead. Chris ended his turn. She had nothing left now, and he was not about to attack her and open the possibility of losing at this point. Yodaz sighed, recognizing the tactic. He was going to have to hear her complain about this one for a long time.

Libra drew her card, and breathed a sigh of relief. Her Kaijudo spiked again, back to at least the level of confidence she would need to not end up crushed by either possible outcome.
"I summon Shtra, and retrieve my Propeller Mutant from my mana zone. End turn."

Chris took a little while to realize that Shtra affected him also. The small strange blue creature simply stood before him, not moving much, its gentle liquid swaying causing him to feel a little disoriented. His Emeral was picked up. He drew his card, and put the Emeral back into his mana zone.
"I cast Crimson Hammer on Shtra, and summon an Emeral. End turn."

Libra sighed as her avatar was splattered into non-sentience by his spell. She did not count herself out yet, however, and she refused to let her Kaijudo drop. Again, he had not attacked her. He was still playing it safe. She drew her card and charged darkness mana. Snake Attack. Yodaz remembered being surprised when she had revealed to him that there was only one Snake Attack in her deck. Now, Corile made a remark about the dangers of topdecking, but was quickly silenced, for in the larger scheme of things, it did not matter.
"I summon Propeller Mutant. End turn."

She was fully expectant of another destructive effect, but she was also prepared to just keep coming at him for as long as she could. Chris drew his card. His Kaijudo was faltering now. She knew exactly what that meant. This was the reaction her opponents so often had when there was no remaining sure fire way to stop her. She crossed her fingers. Yodaz was intrigued now too. Would she finally manage to actually win a tournament?

Chris placed his Ghost Touch card into his mana zone.
"All right, little lady, it seems you've got me in the clinch after all. It's all or nothing now. I summon... Illusionary Merfolk..." --the tension between the two conflicting beings grew with each card drawn, until the third, when Chris breathed a sigh of relief, "Yessssss... summon Phantom Fish. End turn."

Libra did not seem bothered. Yodaz knew why. A single blocker was no guarantee against her, especially since only one Spiral Gate and one Critical Blade had appeared so far. Her Kaijudo shimmered. She was ever so close to winning. Perhaps she would be as lucky and receive a card to remove his blocker just as he had received the blocker itself. She drew her card, and her Kaijudo momentarily dimmed again.
"I summon Emeral. End turn..."

Now she had two creatures that could attack him, and Chris still could not outright risk an attack on her. All she would need now was a card to break that final defensive line and finish him. Chris drew, charged fire mana, and played the one card that could absolutely neutralize all her chances of victory in one shot.
"Corile, on your Propeller Mutant."

Everything in Libra seemed to fold. Yodaz felt the emotion strongly. It was almost piercingly disappointing, and he felt for a moment as if he shared a little of it. In that moment, he knew that it was true. He had wanted her to win. He had wanted it to go her way for once, now that he was not the one on the opposing side. Now, she had nothing save her shields to hope for. She could no longer draw anything to save herself. Her opponent would not give her the chance to use those shields either.
"End turn."

"Haha!" came the jubilant voice in Yodaz's mind, "I told you, I stop all aggression! Always! She cannot hope to overcome me no matter what she does. Foolish Shtra..."

Yodaz's calm exterior showed none of the fury he felt at that moment toward his own avatar. Corile was such a good card, but something in it had gone so wrong, now. He sighed, knowing that her chances were minimal now, and knowing that he was going to have to 'listen' to both her complaining and his avatar's teasing of Shtra.

She drew and played the Propeller Mutant. Her Kaijudo only barely held together now. She knew, just as well as he did, that she had been rendered helpless by Chris' Corile. No matter what she could have drawn, it was over now. Only her shields could decide her fate now. She ended her turn.

Chris drew his card.
"I summon the Bolmeteus Steel Dragon!"

Yodaz's eyes shot open, startled. The giant robo-dragon roared its way onto the battlefield, but something here did not make sense. Chris had not destroyed her two remaining attackers. He was totally counting on winning this turn. He had nothing to stop her with now?
"I so hope she wins this somehow," Yodaz sighed, "If she doesn't, I'm in for another long 'Corile-bashing' monologue..."

"Locomotiver, ikei!" --no trigger, and he could feel the corresponding drop in Libra's Kaijudo-- "Locomotiver, ikei!" --again, no trigger, and Libra's heart sank. She knew what the last shield was-- "Emeral, ikei!"

"Shield trigger..." she said softly, "Aqua Jolter..."

"Illusionary Merfolk... todomeda!"
Yodaz and Corile watched as her Kaijudo practically reflected that of Chris, surging against it so strongly that he found himself off balance, as if he had been the one receiving a final attack rather than her. Libra was angry, but her anger and disappointment would not change the outcome. She had come as close as she usually came. Right there on the borderline, and now it was over. After glaring at Chris for the time it took him to figure out why it somehow felt like he was the one who had lost, she extended her hand to shake his. He grasped her hand, only to recoil slightly, shocked, at how cold it was. Still, like the good sportsman, he shook the hand, as the Propeller Mutant and Emeral faded from his mindspace, and he returned to his regular state of being just a simple duelist. Libra gathered her cards and got up from the table.

"Hey..." Yodaz reminded her, as he watched her pull her coat on, "What about the second place prize?"

"There is a second place prize? I don't want it. I don't feel like second best today. They can keep it. I don't need more cards, or new cards. I have what I need already, you know that..."

He nodded, following her out the door. A few blocks later, he finally spoke.
"So, where should we eat..."

She did not answer, so he eventually nudged her, and repeated his question. She gave him that look. The look of frustration and rebellious intent in her eyes that always came when a Corile 'stole' her spotlight or her win. She knew that deep inside him, Corile was still mocking her.

"What do you want me to say? He played just like you. They all do. All these disrupting decks everywhere! I'm so sick of them! Why can't anyone play anything else!?"

Yodaz had finally had enough. "Okay, just shut up. This time, be quiet and listen to me for once. That was not a disrupt deck. At least, not the kind you are used to. That isn't why that sort of thing happens to you. It is your fault that your duels turn out like that!"

Her expression changed now, to a pained confused one. She was silent, though, waiting for him to finish his explanation. Realizing that he was possibly messing with her confidence again, he decided to explain quickly, to minimize the 'damage', despite Corile's nudgings to let her 'think about that' awhile.
"His deck had discard, low level destruction, Pyrofighter Magnus... Did he get to use any of that? No. Because you came at him like a freight train, like you always do to any mid or late-game based deck. So he ended up using the same tricks of the trade that I use, to hold you off. All these decks you think are the same? All in your head, girl. You are the one that creates this 'similarity'. If they don't stop you, it's over by the sixth turn."

"But... but... My fault?"

Yodaz's hidden eye glowed momentarily, and their communication became a mental one as they stopped at the crossing light, but between the Cyber Lords rather than their players.
"Yes, your fault. Your constant aggression forces us to hold you off by any means necessary. Horrible little swarms of carrion that you all are. I am still ashamed of you, Shtra, for siding with the 'rushers' when you and Emeral are clearly better suited for other things."

Shtra's response was bitingly cold and simple.
"Yes, but we are adaptable. If I prefer to use my ability for attack rather than defence, where is the harm in it?"

"The 'harm'..." Corile mocked, "Is that I will always defeat you..."

It was Yodaz himself who added the final thought to the conversation, "Maybe not always..."

Now they were quiet again. Yodaz left with the thought of what could have happened against Libra's final opponent, and Libra left with the thoughts of what Yodaz had been trying to tell her. Was it possible that she could have a completely skewed perception of Duel Masters itself simply because she would rush so fast that it would put everyone except another rushing deck on the defensive? There was much to be considered this time, and even more to learn, if they were going to find a form of aggressive deck that a Corile... could no longer stop...