Episode 28. - All That Glitters, Is Not

"The duelist you am looking for is about six feet tall, has green eyes and black hair..." Gene's voice told the young woman, through the phone, "He gave an oddly impressive performance at that exhibition we had a few weeks back, and I need to find out how good he is."

She brushed her hair back out of her eyes and switched ears.
"Can you give me any more information about him, sir? So I can be sure that I've identified the right duelist?"

"What more information could you need? How many duelists that fit that description are going to be in one place anyway?" Gene argued, fed up now with what he considered to be utter incompetence on the part of his staff.

"Well, sir," she responded coldly, "There are two fitting that description dueling in front of me right now..."

The hotel lobby was full of people, but this time, it was no Duel Masters tournament. It was a comics convention. The players had chosen to use this place as a swap meet both for their comics and their other 'toys'. Card games of all kinds fit in quite well, and there was the occasional duel going on at the tables around the room. So far, one duelist in particular had been drawing a lot of attention, mainly by creeping out everyone he dueled. A cursory glance at the youth, who sat calmly, with his black hair arranged neatly at the back, would not indicate that he was the source of the soul-piercing Kaijudo of the room.

There were more casual than serious players here. Collectors and such like, who were not even that good at the game but enjoyed collecting the cards for the artwork and the simple joy of collecting. Athos Garamonde was not interested in any of those people. He had come to trade a few cards, and had been wandering around looking for the ones he wanted, but most of the players here had no concept of a fair trade, in his opinion, and so, he had taken to only bothering to trade with those who approached him. Often, they would duel, yes, but none with enough skill to intrigue him. Until now. Until Rusty Kouizo, another young man very similar in appearance to Athos himself, had sat across the table from him with a simple "kettou da".

Now, Athos' eyes were locked with Rusty's, his wild-eyed glare unnerving Kouizo just a little. As if Athos' intent was to see into his soul and judge what he saw there. Rusty had begun the duel with a Faerie Life to his mana zone, and Athos had responded by placing a Lightning Charger in his own. Now, it was Rusty's turn again. He charged water mana, and summoned an Aqua Guard, ending his turn.

"Go ahead. You won't intimidate me," Rusty smirked, "I've got plenty of creatures all ready and willing to do my bidding."

Athos drew his card and scoffed. "I'll doom them." He charged nature mana of his own and cast Faerie Life, placing his Magris, Vizier of Magnetism into his mana zone, and ending his turn.

Rusty laughed at his opponent's words, and decided to let Athos know that he was not facing another duelist with no Kaijudo. His swirled now, creating the damp smell of rainforest in Athos' mind as he charged more water mana and summoned a Bronze-Arm Tribe. The effect added another Aqua Surfer to his mana zone, just as he had done himself, on his second turn.
"End turn."

Athos said nothing. He was, however, aware of Rusty's influence. His skin tingled as the illusion of the rain engulfed him. Rusty was not someone to be trifled with. Already, the tension was beginning to build. He drew his card and charged darkness mana now, causing Rusty to do a double take. People played all sorts of combinations these days, but to see light, darkness and nature together in the same deck was still a little strange to him. The odd glint in Athos' eyes did not make him feel any more comfortable either. When Athos finally played his creature, Rusty felt the true duel begin.
"Charmilia, the Enticer."

The Snow Fairy faded into view as a phantom would, and with her, she brought the cold distinct feeling of danger that Rusty knew so well from his other Kaijudo clashes. Athos ended his turn. Rusty drew his card.

"Faerie Life," he announced, flipping the Energy Stream card off the top of his deck into his mana zone, "And summon Aqua Soldier..."
The Soldier appeared next to the guard, standing in the rain, each droplet that hit them being absorbed into their liquid bodies as they stared down Charmilia. She was stronger than all three of Rusty's creatures, and if she decided to begin summoning help, none of them would be able to stop her outright. Rusty's Kaijudo shimmered still, however, as he looked at the card in his hand that could quickly turn the duel his way.

Athos scoffed, and placed another light mana into his mana zone. This time, there was a surge of energy as he did so. He summoned a Locomotiver to follow this up, and the train thundered into the forest, stripping some of it away. In this case, causing Rusty to discard the very same Fighter Dual Fang he had been planning to summon on the next turn. Rusty's psychic barrier fluctuated for a moment, dimming, but he did not falter yet.

"Charmilia. Get the Terahorn," Athos smirked, tapping the card, all the while still staring directly into Rusty's eyes. The Snow Fairy cast a shimmering spell, and a portal opened, bringing a Rumbling Terahorn through it. The creature faded away again, now nothing more than a thought in Athos' mind. He ended his turn, willing to wait to see what Rusty would do, but his own tension was still apparent. Expectation.

Rusty drew his card, and sighed. His plans had been nipped in the bud, and his Kaijudo now felt as if it were strained just to keep up with the possibilities of what Athos could bring down upon him. He did what most 'aggressive' duelists did in situations such as this. Break at least one shield. It was almost like an unspoken rule.
"Bronze-Arm Tribe, ikei!"

Athos retrieved the card after the Bronze-Arm's spear slash, and his eyes narrowed, as he smirked, feeling his opponent's trepidation match his own.
"Hasty..."

Rusty gave him a slightly cocky grin as he signaled the end of his turn. "You like that, huh?"

Athos drew his card and charged light mana. The same card he had just picked up.
"Ugh... I hate tension... I summon Forbos, Sanctum Guardian Q! To draw out the power of my Terror Pit. Charmilia, destroy the Bronze-Arm Tribe, ikei!"

The Bronze-Arm almost seemed sad as he engaged the Snow Fairy in combat. She did not stretch out their little scuffle longer than she needed to. A quick flick of her wrist froze the Bronze-Arm's feet to the ground, and she finished him off, before floating back next to Athos on her snowflake. Athos ended his turn.

Rusty drew his card, and smiled. His Kaijudo swelled with confidence and Athos instantly became wary. He charged water mana, an Aqua Hulcus. He might not have managed to get his Fighter Dual Fang into the action, but now he had something just as good. Almost better...
"You're too late now. Terror Pit or no, I'm going to get through you. Aqua Guard, evolve into Crystal Lancer!"

The energy was practically a blast, but of ice rather than fire, in this case. Everything in Athos' mind instantly turned cold as the Aqua Guard changed from liquid to solid before his eyes. Even the rain now became sleet. His Snow Fairy was no longer the coldest creature around.

"Lancer, double break! Ikei!"
The frozen centaur bounded towards Athos' defenses now. There was nothing to stop it, and it would not have mattered even if there had been. Athos' mind locked up for a moment, as the Lancer leapt into the air and came crashing down upon his defenses. The first one activated. A Locomotiver streamed out of nowhere, smacking into Rusty's supply lines, but there was nothing left to take. Rusty's assault had left him with nothing more to lose. Athos picked up the other shield. Rusty continued his attack.

"Aqua Soldier, ikei!"
The little one ran in stealthily, and did not seem to attack, but rather fiddled with Athos' defenses until they vanished... but not without a side effect.

"Shield Trigger. Terror Pit. Doom, to your Crystal Lancer!"
There was an odd, empty howling sound as the dark vacuum swallowed up the shimmering centaur, removing its presence, and the chilling effect thereof, from the field of battle. Rusty cringed as his turn was forcibly ended. Athos' eyes narrowed. The duelist had lost his avatar then, had he...

"Ughh..." Athos murmured to himself as he drew his card. He was still left with only one shield. His opponent had thrown his all into the assault, and it had, for the most part, paid off. Now, however, he could hope to push the game on for longer, and regain a solid grounding from which he could keep Rusty's onslaught away. Something was making him begin to feel ill. His stomach was already wrenching, and he knew it had nothing to do with what he had eaten for the day.

Now, however, he realized what card he had drawn, and he inwardly celebrated. The weight was somewhat lifted. All he had to do now was set up the chain, and hope that Rusty had no way to break it. He charged Magris to his mana zone.
"I summon Kanesill, the Explorer... and Cosmogold, Spectral Knight!"

The rain now had its rainbow. Athos was ready. The Rainbow Phantom shimmered and floated amidst its comrades. The Snow Fairy danced with it, seemingly happy to see it, whilst Forbos glowed patiently, welcoming. Even the newcomer Kanesill seemed to glow when Cosmo floated nearby. It was quite clear that this was their leader.
"Forbos, attack the Aqua Soldier! Ikei! Charmilia, bring another Forbos to aid us!"

The words came only in their minds. No one else in the room saw anything other than the tapping of the two cards and Athos' move to search his deck. The light from the beam cannon was amplified by the light from Charmilia's portal as Athos retrieved yet another Sanctum Guardian.
The Aqua Soldier evaporated, disappearing with a hiss, back whence it came. It would be back. Athos ended his turn.

Rusty drew his card, but there was no longer any need to play mana. He had reached the point he needed. To put pressure on his opponent now would be easy.
"I summon Aqua Soldier, and Bronze-Arm Tribe."

The Bronze-Arm placed a Faerie Life card into Rusty's mana zone, but at this point what he needed was the growing attacking force. The threat of both Dual Fang and Crystal Lancer. He knew now that his opponent would struggle to stop him. All he had to do... all he could do, was keep pressing the advantage in ruthless assault.

Athos drew his card and placed the Lost Soul into his mana zone. He eyed his opponent again. He found himself trembling for yet another time. The feeling of being surrounded even though he was not yet in any danger, gripped him.
"Why do I feel like this...? Lightning Charger! Get Bronze! Rumbling Terahorn! To get Niofa, Horned Protector! Charmilia, call Kolon. Forbos, destroy Bronze-Arm! Ikei!"

Rusty staggered a bit, in his mind, as the blast robbed his Bronze Arm of existence. He was not used to facing this many effects in one turn, even with opponents who had large mana pools. The tapping effects of Athos' creatures were being a trying force on him. Oddly enough, Athos had not used them all. He wondered why, as he drew his card. He played the Energy Stream he got, right away, and summoned the Aqua Hulcus that he got, following that. Without any way past the Kanesill, he had to end his turn.

His Soldier and Hulcus stood there and 'watched' as Athos charged more mana. A Holy Awe. Apparently there was no need to use it? He wondered what exactly Athos was up to, for a moment, but then the other dark haired duelist showed him exactly what the plan was. Summoning his second Forbos, he retrieved and cast a Mana Nexus from his deck, to place the same Holy Awe there as his shield.

"Whew. There. Now I feel safe. Now, Cosmogold, recharge our defenses. Get Lightning Charger! Charmilia, break his shield. Ikei!"
The Spectral Knight flew in a circle, creating a strange humming sound, and soon, it had restored to Athos his ability to perform his Lightning Charger spell.

"Charmilia, break his shield! Ikei!" --no trigger-- "Locomotiver, ikei!" --no trigger-- "And now one more! Forbos, ikei!"

"Shield Trigger! Aqua Surfer!"
The wave that swirled in swept away Athos' Snow Fairy, and the Surfer now stood, staring down the enemy forces. This was not exactly how Rusty had expected this to turn out. Especially when Athos declared yet another attack with his other Locomotiver. Again, there was no trigger. Rusty breathed a sigh. His opponent had turned the tables by attacking that way. He had been counting on a good trigger or two, but now, would it be enough? Now something stood in his way. Athos had cornered him with the Forbos-Nexus tactic. That was why he had done it. So that he would be totally free to attack.

"End turn," Athos said, still looking Rusty directly in the eyes with his own piercing green ones. Rusty's face took on a hybrid look of determination and confusion. Athos smirked. This one was over already. No single shield could both stop his onslaught and allow Rusty to continue his own also.

Rusty was going to try, though, or at least he was going to pull out all the stops even in defeat...
"Faerie Life to mana, Aqua Surfer, evolve into Crystal Lancer! Double break his shields! Good game!"

The Surfer gave up its board, to instead flood the battle zone with its subzero-thermal presence. It charged at the final two defenses of Athos Garamonde, and destroyed them both, illuminating the entire battle zone with the flooding power of Holy Awe... and ending his own turn.

"Seems the Locomotiver saved my behind," Athos laughed, drawing his card. He no longer needed the Kolon, which he now placed into his mana zone. No matter what he did now, he was victorious.
"Rumbling Terahorn, evolve into Niofa, Horned Protector! Break his shield!" -- there was no trigger, but that was Rusty's choice. Since Athos had chosen not to smite down his avatar with the Horned Protector, Rusty did not bother to trigger his Dimension Gate. He simply accepted the fate that came...

"Cosmogold! Todomeda!"
The shining light streamed, surrounding Rusty, sparkling as it was reflected in the multifaceted surface of the Crystal Lancer's body, and then, blinding white light. It was over.

"Through the balance of light and darkness..." came the voice as the battle zone faded away. Rusty finally took another breath, then a few more, just for good measure. He had not realized that he had stopped himself from breathing since his last turn had ended.

Not far away from the two of them, Gene's employee Suzanne had 'witnessed' the whole thing. Gene had sent Suzanne specifically because she had previously claimed to be psychic, an ability which most had laughed off and caused her to lose many a job. Even in Gene's organization, she had managed to make nothing more than file clerk, until now, when Gene had a 'use' for her ability. He had decided to test her, and she had shown some slight ability to sense Kaijudo. Now, she had been put through one of the more 'intense' ones, for the first time. The effect of it was still resonating in her mind.

She stumbled slightly as she walked away from the two, once she was sure that they were not going anywhere yet, and fumbled with her cell phone as she dialed her employer's direct line.

"What is it, Suzanne, did you find him?" Gene's voice was enthusiastic in one way, but irritated in another. It carried the 'you better have done something useful' tone in it, which made her both indignant, and a little uneasy.

"No. I am still not sure which of the duelists is the one you are looking for. One has his hair swept back, and uses the Light and Darkness civilizations. The other uses a--"

Gene cut her off with a disdainful sigh, "Just get me the one that won. The one who controlled what the other one was doing. You should be able to at least figure out which one of them that was, right? Just give him the pitch and leave."

Suzanne bit her lip to prevent herself from snapping at him. "Yes, sir."

She clicked off the phone, and turned back to where Athos was still sitting. Rusty had picked up his deck already, and moved off in search of others to play and possibly trade with. She took the space opposite him at the table now, where Rusty had just been sitting.
"Excuse me, I have a business proposition for you."

"Do you have cards?" he asked simply, looking into her eyes. Suzanne shuddered. Her mental defenses seemed like nothing against Athos. She nearly looked away, but forced herself to keep focus on her target, at this point. After all her recent 'promotions', she was not willing to give up everything because of a slightly intimidating young man.

"No, I do not. But I do represent the KirriCorp chain of companies, one of the primary sponsors and distributors of the game in North America, and I have been instructed to offer you a chance to showcase your skills in--"

Something in the way Athos looked at her made her words catch in her throat. She simply did not feel as if she should continue. She fumbled in her bag, and handed Athos the card, then cleared her throat, and finally looked away.
"W-well, um... if you are interested, please call the number on the card and speak directly to Mr. Kirricort. If you tell him that you met Suzanne today, he will be sure to hear you out."

Athos nodded. She could see out of the corner of her eye. She nervously got up and arranged her dress, then nodded to him also and bade him good-bye, walking away swiftly.

Rusty had watched the entire exchange. Something about it all made him a bit suspicious, and even though he was well aware that it was not exactly any of his business, he still found himself curiously pondering what that could all have meant, and whether or not he would have been the one to receive the card, had he won.

Athos began to look through his deck until he found a copy of his avatar card. Cosmogold. He sighed softly, closing his eyes. That duel had been tougher than he had expected, and he had felt as if he was close to being overrun even with the defenses he had collected during it.

"That one made me feel as if the deck was a mess," he laughed softly to himself.

"We were in danger, and we got out of danger. That is the way of the balance..." came the answer from the shimmering one.

Athos seemed to accept this answer, and shuffled the card back into the deck. He calmed himself again. There would be other duels. There would be other challenges, and most of all, there would be other Kaijudo out there. He smiled at the thought. Ever since he had begun to feel this power, it had intrigued him. Finding others who shared it was one of his greatest joys, especially when they were a match for him.

Suzanne spun the wheel of her car, swerving out of the parking lot. Her heart was still racing. Something about being around those two during their game had affected her. She began to think about it more. She had never played the card game herself, and yet she now felt as if to do so would be the next natural progression for her. She had felt the power from the duo in their duel, and she had no problems admitting to herself, that it felt good.

"So, it is true then. Mr. Kirricort is looking for someone psychic to duel for him. I wonder why... but I've come so far, why stop now? I may be the answer to my own search. All I have to do is find a deck, and practice as much as I can with it. Something has to click. These are all just kids, after all, and somehow they manage it..."

She turned the corner, not even noticing the red light that had cautioned her to stop, and barely missing the two girls who were just about to cross. She blared the horn and they jumped out of the way, yelling obscenities at her as she disappeared into their distance. Suzanne Marshall's mind was on something else altogether, at this point. Power.