Episode 31. - Rivalry of Sniper and Infantry

Taimi tickled the baby's tummy, making silly faces at the infant to make him laugh. The baby boy giggled in the way that all children do, delightedly grabbing at her fingers. She was more comfortable sitting here, poking the little one, than socializing at the gala, though quite a few of the young men in attendance would probably have more than appreciated a little of her attention.

It had been awhile since KirriCorp had thrown one of these bashes, and there were a few new guests there this time as well. Yodaz had, as usual, been required to attend, despite his usual objections. Tonight, a few other duelists had been sent invitations as well. Not all had responded, but of the ones that had, a few of them most definitely stood out. For one thing, the former Hong Kong champion was no longer in Hong Kong. He was conversing with two ladies near the ice sculpture, apparently discussing the aesthetic value of it.

Yodaz looked around the room, rather bored, wondering if Libra would make another of her impromptu appearances and at least entertain him a bit. He sighed to himself now. It would not be much fun anyway. If she had indeed given up, her heart would not be in it, and even though he always won, at least her tenacity occasionally made it somewhat enjoyable.

Suzanne Marshall was hoping for just such an event also. She was looking for a way to personally see the American Champion dueling. To feel his Kaijudo and therefore get an idea of how to use her own. No such chances seemed forthcoming. She would have to somehow engineer a duel for the evening. Seizing her chance when the host passed by her again, she managed to 'convince' him that what this night really needed, was an exhibition match, to make the media really take notice. Her heart leapt with diabolical glee as he agreed, and she watched as he moved across the room to Yodaz.

"So, what do you say? Can we have a match arranged?" he asked. Yodaz sighed. He really did not feel like playing, and his deck was, for once, not on his person. He had stopped carrying it everywhere with him a little while after Libra left.

"I'm not going to play. However, I will arrange a match for you. Have the table prepared."

Suzanne had not heard this exchange, but watching the host go to have a table made up for a duel, and seeing Yodaz cross the room to Shinji Nykahrii, got her hopes up immediately. She did not hear what Yodaz was saying to Shinji either, though...

"I don't suppose you have your deck with you?" Yodaz sighed. He was not exactly enthusiastic about the way these events unfolded, and it was obvious in his voice pattern. Nevertheless, Shinji answered him, excusing himself from the two ladies with whom he had been conversing.

"Yes, I have it right here," Shinji replied, patting the pocket of his dress jacket, "Why do you ask?"

"Exhibition match," Yodaz said simply. Nykahrii's Kaijudo instantly spiked strongly, causing Taimi to look up suddenly, and a few other duelists to take notice also. Suzanne's grin widened. She would get to see Yodaz duel against an old opponent also, so she could note any strategy changes that he had made since the release of the latest set.

"Against you?" Shinji asked warily, his psionic aura turning cold again...

Yodaz shook his head. "I'll find someone else with their deck. Hopefully someone good. You can play them. I should be able to--"

"I'll duel him," Taimi sneered, coming up to them. She gave Shinji a disgusted look, then turned to Yodaz again.

"I'll play your exhibition match against this one. I have my deck with me also. It will be... my pleasure..." she said, the hint of ruby lipstick drawing attention to her words though she spoke quite softly at this point. Shinji's eyes narrowed. Yodaz looked confused. There seemed to be some strange instant enmity between the two of them. He decided against trying to figure it out.

"All right, good. I'll go let him know."

By now, Suzanne was beginning to figure out what was going on. She had moved close enough to hear that last sentence, though she had not been able to hear Taimi's words. The rivalry spark between Shinji and Taimi was obvious in their Kaijudo now, however, which clashed even before the duel had even been confirmed.

"No... I don't care about you two... I need him to duel," she sighed to herself. It was too late now, and she had no way of altering the path that things seemed to be taking. She wanted to learn as much about Yodaz as possible without ever having direct contact with him, but that was proving to be quite difficult.

Shinji and Taimi shuffled their cards as the host made his announcement of the event, and reached their respective sides of the table simultaneously. Suzanne decided not to risk showing herself directly by coming close to the dueling table herself. She would hope that she could 'view' the duel in the way she had occasionally experienced. She noted that Yodaz did not come all the way forward either. He stood in the crowd opposite her, and she did her best to be approximately the same distance from the two duelists as she was.

"You first..." Shinji told Taimi. She did not hesitate, charging water mana. Corile. Shinji looked a little surprised. Most people who played that card liked to hold onto it. He charged nature mana of his own. Dimension Gate.

Yodaz watched the two of them carefully as they continued. For some reason the enmity between them seemed to be growing. Taimi added darkness mana to her pool. Lost Soul. Shinji placed a Diamond Cutter in his own.
"They act as if this is life or death..." he noted to himself. In his mind, the purple one agreed.

Suzanne was able to feel the mana charges from where she was, but it was only on the next turn when Taimi charged fire mana and summoned her Aqua Hulcus, that she was sure that she was sufficiently attuned to the Kaijudo of the duel. The Hulcus materialized in her mind, and now she was aware of the shapes of the two duelists' consciousness. She began to note the slight similarity between Taimi's tactics and Yodaz's, and so, decided to pay closer attention after all. Taimi ended her turn.

"You are pretty intense... Aren't you having fun?" Shinji asked, drawing his card and sending his own Aqua Hulcus to his mana zone. He summoned a Senatine Jade Tree, and ended his turn. Taimi did not reply to him. She drew her card, charged water mana and played a Brain Serum, drawing two more cards. Her psionic output rose, and she ended her turn, leaving Yodaz, Suzanne and Shinji all confused as to why she was so surly toward this particular duelist.

Shinji's next move did provide a greater clue to her reason. He drew his card and placed his Aqua Sniper into his mana zone. Almost immediately, Taimi's Kaijudo lashed out at his, forcing him to erect a mental barrier to counter it. Yodaz was surprised by the abruptness of it, but not by the power. Suzanne was totally floored by the event. She had not previously known that Kaijudo could be so severe nor so violent in its manifestation.

Shinji summoned his Elf-X as his defence against her energy, and ended his turn. Taimi seemed a bit less volatile now as she drew her own card and charged more darkness mana. The reason for that change was also quickly made apparent.
"I summon Rothus, the Traveler!"

The surge made it clear that, regardless of whatever he had previously thought her avatar was, Rothus was the true representation of Taimi Crane. Yodaz cringed slightly as the Aqua Hulcus helped distract the Jade Tree for long enough, for Rothus to open fire on them both, tearing them apart with rapid fire. Taimi licked her lips slightly, and ended her turn. Suzanne shuddered. This was the only female duelist she had encountered so far, and she was a bit intimidated. Taimi was not one for holding back at all, and the energy was quickly making her disoriented.

Shinji drew his card, and his Elf-X began to hum as he charged nature mana. He perused the battle area. Now it was only Rothus and the Elf.
"I summon Amber Grass, and Emeral. Awakened by the Elf-X's song. Activate Emeral special ability..."

The shield adjustment took no more than a moment, and Shinji ended his turn. He was beginning to get an idea of why the natural animosity that seemed to exist between himself and Taimi was there. Their avatars could possibly sense each other, or something similar was going on.

Taimi drew her card, and charged more fire mana. The second Pyrofighter Magnus that she had placed there for the duel. She had known from the very beginning that she would not be needing them much. She cast another Brain Serum now, drawing yet two more cards, increasing both her options and her Kaijudo energy again.
"Ghost Touch."

The darkness appeared around Shinji's feet, and seemed to creep up his body until he gave up a card. Another Elf-X. He smirked at her slightly as he felt his own Kaijudo dip.
"Nice..."

Taimi ended her turn, Rothus apparently unwilling to risk an assault at this point. Shinji drew his card, and without bothering to charge any further mana, summoned Mist Rias, Sonic Guardian. With both it and his Elf-X present, Taimi would have to make a certain move. Yodaz watched intently. He had seen this attempt before. Suzanne had also seen something similar in her analysis of Shinji's match against Yodaz. Shinji carefully considered his situation now, and decided it was better to break at least one...
"Emeral, break shield. Ikei!"

Taimi's defense shattered with no reaction from within. She was already outnumbered. Shinji ended his turn, and she drew her card, charging nature mana. He reached out toward his Sonic Guardian, waiting.

"Hopeless Vortex!" Taimi announced, "On your..."

Her voice trailed off when she realized that Shinji had already put the card into his graveyard. He was smiling at her now. She, on the other hand, did not seem amused. The unfortunate Suzanne was simply completely confused. It was just too much to keep up with. The energy shifted far too quickly, and watching the vortex swallow up the Sonic Guardian had given her a pang of fear that she was still coming to terms with.

"Rothus, destroy Emeral! Ikei!" The Cyber Lord shrieked as Taimi's avatar opened fire on it, but within a short burst, it was no more. She ended her turn.

Shinji drew his card, and charged mana with it. He did not lament the loss of the Mist Rias. Even with its 'help' he would not have gained an advantage on this turn. It had done its job, distracting for the moment.
"Elf-X, break shield. Ikei!" --Taimi picked up the card, but her Kaijudo did not falter as the Elf's sonic rumbling stripped her defense away-- "Amber Grass, ikei!" This one had a different response, as the grass' reflected energy streamed out from its center to slice through it. Shield Trigger. Crystal Memory. Taimi growled slightly as she retrieved the card, apparently almost reluctant to do so. She shuffled her deck, then drew her next card off the top.

"Twin-Cannon Skyterror to mana. Summon Corile, on your Elf-X."

Yodaz seemed unaffected, but Suzanne's latent energy blipped a little when she saw the creature summoned. She watched carefully for the effect it had on Shinji, but there was none. This fact left her more than a little confused, since it had always been her understanding that Corile was a card that wielded great power.
"Rothus, destroy that Amber Grass. Ikei!"

Rothus' arm-cannons unleashed a volley of firepower that cut into the geometric body of the StarLight Tree, causing it to twist in upon itself, and slowly die as its energy escaped. Taimi seemed to get far more enjoyment out of that, than out of the Corile summon, something that befuddled poor Suzanne even more.

Shinji drew his Elf-X and simply resummoned it, ending his turn. Taimi drew her new card, placed the Faerie Life into her mana zone, and cast Dimension Gate. Her manafield released all its energy at once, bringing the creature through the gate in its full form, and not just as another concept for her. It moved onto the battlefield now alongside Rothus. A Cryptic Totem. She ended her turn now, shuffling her deck.

Shinji Nykahrii laughed. He drew his card and continued laughing, summoning the new Elf-X he had just drawn. Apparently he found that fact even funnier.
"Elf-X, break her shield. Ikei!"

"Shield Trigger. Terror Pit! To eat your new Elf all up," Taimi smiled, her hand resting lightly on her hip now as she posed triumphantly. The golden streaks in her purple hair seemed to shimmer now as her Kaijudo rose back into the dominant position. Shinji's laughter had died away, but he was still smiling a bit. He did not seem bothered yet, though his psychic force was fading. Slowly submitting to Taimi's insistent will. His turn ended now. She drew her card and placed her Locomotiver into her mana zone.

"I summon Rothus, the Traveler!" she announced. This time, it was Corile's turn to help Rothus get a lock on the Elf-X. When the newly arrived Rothus opened fire, they were both easily decimated.

"B-but... why would she do that?" Suzanne wondered, "Doesn't she like the Corile? Wh-... she could have simply let the Rothus do it, on its own... in fact, she didn't even need to destroy the Elf that way, she could have... I... don't understand..."

Yodaz would have admitted to being equally confused, if anyone had asked him. Taimi knew exactly what she was doing, however. She had kept the strongest creatures alive, and also did not need to 'waste' an attack on the Elf now. She was going straight for maximum advantage.
"Cryptic Totem, Rothus! Ikei!"

The three shields shattered. One of which, was the one set by the Emeral. The Cryptic Totem's chant instantly suppressed the power of the impending Holy Awe, and the Spiral Gate also.. Shinji laughed as he felt his energy slipping away. She had done more to him than she knew. He drew his card and placed Holy Awe into his mana zone...

"I summon Amber Grass, and play Spiral Gate on your Cryptic Totem. End turn."
The water gate swirled the Mystery Totem away, but Shinji's set defenses had already been neutralized. He would have to hope for another. Taimi drew her card.

"You served me well, Totem, but now it's time for Rothus to finish this..." she noted as she put the card into her mana zone, "I cast Hopeless Vortex on your Amber Grass. Rothus, both of you, break his shields! Ikei!"

The first Rothus' guns blazed, triggering a Dimension Gate from Shinji's defensive line. The power used sent a Phal Eega, Dawn Guardian, to his hand. Taimi's eyes narrowed instantly. She was trying to figure out what exactly he planned to do with that, at a time like this. The second Rothus' assault triggered no defenses, simply removing the last of Shinji's shields. Her power was intense now. Two of her avatar on the field was a strong pressure against Shinji, who had long since placed his own into his mana zone. He sighed. If that avatar had been with him now, he might even have had a way out of this.

Nykahrii drew his card and charged another Holy Awe to mana. He had enough mana to do it all, but 'it all' would no longer be enough.
"I summon Phal Eega, Dawn Guardian, to retrieve my Dimension Gate, summon an Essence Elf, and through its power, cast Spiral Gate on your Rothus. End turn."

Taimi sneered at him, as she drew her card and charged darkness mana now. She looked carefully at the cards in her hand.
"You think it's that easy to get away, do you? Not a chance. I won't let you escape from Rothus now. It's too late. I summon Twin-Cannon Skyterror, and Rothus, the Traveler!"

Now Suzanne was totally confused. The Twin-Cannon could have claimed victory on its own, just as easily as Taimi could have, without summoning anything at all. The young woman was apparently totally intent on having both her Rothus on the field for the final attack, even if it meant sending the Twin-Cannon into the path of Rothus' plasma cannon fire along with Shinji's Essence Elf. The Skyterror suffered a similar fate to the last time Yodaz had seen the card. Destruction by one of Taimi's own creatures for the sake of a final attack.

"Now, my pet! Ultima missile attack! Todomeda!!"

"Urk... aarrgh!" Shinji cringed now as his defenseless mind filled with explosions. Momentarily, he wondered if good duels were worth the tension headaches he often got after losing them...

The end of the duel was greeted by the customary applause from the spectators, most of whom were completely clueless, not only about the Kaijudo clash that had just occurred, but also, in some cases, about the game itself. It was considered well-mannered to be supportive, however, and so, they were. Yodaz scoffed. At least they had got what they wanted. Something to put on gamer channels as coverage of the gala event, that would not bore the average duelist at home, to tears. He slightly regretted watching the duel. It had livened up a horrendously dull evening, but in his opinion, not by much.
"Hm... am I really so empty that I can only enjoy watching the same cards play the same duels over and over now?"

He shook his head. He knew he was not that bad. Somehow, tonight, he just wasn't interested. Or perhaps it was that normally, Corile was the one with that interest, and it was not there this time. He decided to investigate that. Taimi now had all the attention in the room, leaving both himself and Shinji to wander off back to the ice sculpture. Neither spoke aloud to the other, but Yodaz found that without much effort, his avatar could converse with that of the silver-haired duelist.

"What was all that about? Do you know her?"

"Hm? Oh. That is not it. Rothus and I just do not like each other. At all..." came the answer from the Aqua Sniper. Corile slowly nodded an understanding affirmative.

"What about you?" came the Sniper's question, "Something is off with you. Having a bad night or some such thing? I expected you to be the one dueling."

There was a pause. An awkward silence followed the question, as both Yodaz and Corile searched their communal mind for the answer to the query posed. Slowly, that answer became clear...
"I think... I think I miss my little sister," Corile answered. The psychic frequency on which the thought was conveyed left Shinji and the Sniper confused as to whether or not Corile was joking, or just oddly sad...

Suzanne was still recovering from the effects of the duel. She had not shielded herself from any of the effects caused by the clash, and the Kaijudo waves had unsettled her considerably. She had not been able to learn anything substantial about Corile's power from Taimi. It was just like the duel she had seen from Roger's computer, except that the Corile player had won. Without the energy of the duelist focused on the Corile, she did not feel as if she had truly seen it in action.

"Why didn't you duel, Yodaz? Why couldn't you let me see what I needed to see? Show me this power. Show me how to use it... show..."
Her voice trailed off now as she realized she was actually talking aloud to herself. No one seemed to have noticed. They were too busy clamoring around Taimi, who had suddenly seemed to take the place of the guest of honor.

Suzanne sat now, placing her head in her hands and trying to breathe deeply to settle her emotions. Her wish to be the best was clear in her mind, but without a reference point of what the 'best' felt like, she would not know how much of her wish she could fulfill simply by copying the champion's deck.

"I need to figure out why... she plays with the best card, but she seems to prefer that other one... why? You can't choose what you want to remove... you lose one of your own when you summon it... it does not work together with anything else to give you any more advantage, and your opponent gets to draw their next card... so why would she like the fire card better? It is inferior in every--"

Something inside Suzanne instantly seemed to click. She reached into her purse and pulled out the deck she had with her, taking off the topmost card. Corile.

"It is inferior in every way..." she thought to herself now, "More powerful? Less cost? What could it be? Why would she play with you, yet not unleash your full ability? Is there something about you that I don't understand when it comes to this 'Kaijudo' business? Why don't more people... rely on you the way the champion does? He is clearly the champion for a reason..."

Suzanne felt her own latent Kaijudo shift slightly. Somewhere in the back of her mind, a purple shape seemed to stir. Her mind was uneasy. Something was coming.