Episode 33. - Rusher Speed Attacker Exedrive

Yodaz coughed. The area was littered with signs of construction. There was a new store being opened directly next to the mall's hobby shop, but it had in no way lessened the number of duelists that had congregated there for the day. Today was another Championship match, and Ryoma Echizen would be trying to add to his current list of psuedo-titles by defeating the current Hong Kong champion also.

It was natural, therefore, for the members of the store where he had done most of his dueling and training, to be gathered to watch the coverage in the crowded shop. The duels were not suffering from a lack of interest either. For every player who had their eyes glued firmly to the television, there was another whose interest was on the cards on the table in front of him, or in some cases, her...

"Why are we here?" It was odd for such a simple question, usually expressed in a single thought, to be mentally enunciated by his avatar. Yodaz answered with a raw thought of his own, though it was not a simple one. They were there to see what kind of metagame had prompted Ryoma to build what he built, and had made even Taimi's deck rather different from what he was used to from one with that intent. He was searching for something new.

"Yes, I suppose we have been seeing more and more of the same recently. A lean toward discarding as the new 'way'." Corile referred to a recent trend of seeing Locomotivers in decks otherwise very similar to their own. The game no longer 'punished' players for using many creatures of only one thousand power. As long as anything in the way could be disposed of.

Suzanne Marshall was, still unbeknownst to Yodaz, right on his 'tail'. By now, she was beginning to feel when the two parts of Yodaz's mind, the duelist and the 'deck', conversed, but she could not tell what it was that was discussed in their little exchanges. Today she knew he would not stay long. His itinerary only allowed for a short stop in this place. She had already decided that she was done following him. He had been losing recently. She was unsure what that meant, but she was sure that he would change his deck again soon, and she wanted to be there to see what caused the change, so that she could for once decide on her own if she wished to make the same change.

"Hey there..." Yodaz said, approaching a duelist who revealed a flash of yellow in his deck when he shuffled it, "Kettou da."

The duelist nodded and motioned to the single remaining free table. He shrugged the long grey coat off his shoulders, revealing a fairly slender frame which currently wore light brown jeans and a sleeveless green shirt, with a black netted vest over it. For some reason Yodaz found himself reminded of Shinji Nykahrii, though this one had brown hair in his ponytail, with blond streaks running through it.

"Calvin. Stalwits," was the introduction, as the youngster draped his coat over the back of his chair. Yodaz did a similar thing with his jacket as he introduced himself. As they shook hands, both felt the other's latent Kaijudo. Calvin nodded. Yodaz smirked. Unaware of the exchange, Suzanne merely moved into position to observe the duel, whilst making it look like she was watching the coverage. As long as she was close enough to hear, she could even 'watch' their duel whilst facing backwards.

Calvin went first, placing a Burst Shot into his mana zone. Yodaz charged fire mana also, having the feeling that he might not need as much of such cards in his hand. Calvin charged light mana, and wasted no time, with a move that surprised both Yodaz and Suzanne...
"Rain of Arrows."

The lights revealed Yodaz's mind to Calvin, but there were no darkness spells to rid Yodaz of. Calvin seemed only slightly disappointed by this. It was a primary indication that his opponent played no darkness cards, but even if they did, they were not going to be able to use them easily if they had none of them now.

Yodaz drew his card, charged water mana, and summoned a Hunter Fish. He was becoming increasingly unsure about this card, but was not willing to change it yet. It got a weaker visualization than normal. It was a good thing, however, since Calvin's next action was to place his Pyrofighter Magnus into his mana zone. Yodaz sighed. He had been seeing that card a whole lot more, recently, also.

"I wonder why I never draw them early game..." Calvin murmured to himself. Yodaz was unsure what card he was referring to, so he ignored it, charged nature mana, and summoned his Aqua Hulcus. The Hulcus took beautiful form, almost as if it were inspired somehow. Yodaz was much more sure about this card. He drew the card by its effect, and let his Kaijudo rise a little, before his curiosity caused him to actually ask. After all, this was not a tournament.
"Draw what?"

"Horrid Worm..." Calvin replied, drawing his card and charging more light mana, ending his turn. Yodaz laughed. This deck was certainly going to be interesting. He drew his card and charged his mana zone with a Lost Soul, causing Calvin to frown slightly.

"Really. I haven't got any yet. I wonder why..."

Yodaz shrugged. He would probably have just played Crimson Hammer on it anyway.
"Aqua Hulcus, ikei!"

Suzanne almost turned around to confirm what she was seeing in her head. Why was he attacking at this point? The Hulcus charged, swiftly moving through the water and up onto what seemed like a deserted beach, where Calvin 'stood'. Yodaz's form floated over the ocean, making the two seem like titans locked in a battle for supremacy beyond that of this card game.
"Shield Trigger. Terror Pit, on your Hunter Fish."

The Pit dragged down the weaker apparition, and Yodaz ended his turn. Calvin smiled. That last attack had actually been rather helpful. He charged fire mana.
"I summon Phal Eega, Dawn Guardian!"

The Terror Pit seemed to reverse itself, but it did not restore the fish, only the power to cast the spell, to Calvin Stalwits. He ended his turn, and Yodaz quickly went through his own, merely charging water mana. Calvin wasted no time charging that Terror Pit of his to his own mana zone and summoning Forbos, Sanctum Guardian Q, using its power to bring forth from his deck, an Apocalypse Vise card. He shuffled his deck and ended his turn.

Yodaz smirked. Sometimes he thought that every serious duelist in this store had at least one Survivor. He wondered if that was because of Ryoma, or if they had all just really liked that set. Metagames could be so different. Yodaz's turn went quickly yet again. Charge nature mana. End.

Calvin drew his car, and charged his Lost Soul to his mana zone. Yodaz looked at the card with a mixture of surprise and relief on his face.
"Wait... didn't he have darkness mana? Why wouldn't he cast--"

"Lost Soul," Calvin declared, casting the other. Yodaz cringed. His 'late game' was gone.

Suzanne sighed. It was not only true that the card could singularly ruin Yodaz's flow, but also that there was little he could have done about it other than to get his first. She watched as the champion's form nearly sank into the ocean, then slowly rose again, recovering as the Dark Reversal, Natural Snare, Apocalypse Vise and Twin-Cannon Skyterror were all stripped away from him. Calvin ended his turn. Again, Yodaz's turn went quickly. Charge water mana. End.

Calvin drew his card, summoning another Sanctum Guardian, coalescing the energy of a new Lost Soul within himself. He did not bother to search for a second spell.
"Phal Eega, break his shield. Ikei!"

The disruptor cannons of the Dawn Guardian powered up, their points of light converging on one spot. Yodaz's first defense shield to be broken, however, triggered, slightly counteracting the effect of Calvin's Lost Soul. With a roar, the spirit of his Twin-Cannon Skyterror was Reversed into his hand by the card. Unfazed by this, Calvin ordered his first Forbos to make the second attack. This one was not met by any trigger, and he ended his turn.

"Need to make this a fast one." Yodaz thought to himself. Corile, for once, agreed.
"I summon Twin-Cannon Skyterror, to break your shields. Ikei!"

Suzanne was even more shocked than usual, to see Yodaz not only attack, but to use his time to assault shields even with creatures that could be easily taken down by the same card. The shields broke with no triggers, and so the Aqua Hulcus had its turn also. Unfortunately, this triggered a different response. A rain of firepower from above that obliterated the Hulcus as it tried to return to Yodaz. Burst Shot.

Calvin calmly drew his card, charging fire mana. The Crimson Hammer he no longer needed.
"Terror Pit. Phal, ikei..." -- Yodaz placed his armored wyvern into his graveyard for the second time, and picked up his shield-- "Forbos, ikei..." --the engraved black stones shot up out of the water, surrounding Yodaz and generating a new shield for him. A Natural Snare from his mana zone-- "Forbos two, ikei..." --again, this card triggered, this time reducing Calvin's forces directly. A Terror Pit swallowed up the Sanctum Guardian. Yodaz quickly recalculated his situation. His trigger cards had turned around the situation. He drew his card now and his Kaijudo instantly shook off the final vestiges of the pressure Calvin had placed it under. He charged water mana.

"Corile, on your Dawn Guardian, and summon Phantom Fish. End turn."

Calvin drew his card, shrugged, and cast Apocalypse Vise. There was no point in summoning considering what he was about to do, and his current plan might even give him the advantage.
"Forbos... ikei..." --his reluctance was only slight. The shield triggered vines that dragged the Sanctum Guardian away did not deter him, nor did his Kaijudo falter. Yodaz drew his card, unable to recover fully from the effects of the Lost Soul earlier, and ended his turn.

Calvin shrugged, drawing his card.
"This duel was fun..." he nodded to Yodaz, "Pyrofighter Magnus. Todomeda!"

Yodaz was used to that by now. Both he and Corile knew that summoning sickness was one of the main reasons why they were so effective. The fact that this person had not used the Dragonoid before, was a credit to them, in itself. It was only at that point that Yodaz realized that he was not sure what Calvin's avatar had been, though now, looking back on it, it seemed likely that Phal Eega would not have had such a powerful presence on the battlefield otherwise. Yodaz would simply have had no way to tell, since it had been the first creature to even appear. He got up and bowed slightly to Calvin before walking out of the store.

"I wonder why he left so quickly?" Suzanne wondered to herself, "Did he see a weakness? Hm... oh well. I can play now that he's gone."
She quickly looked around for someone to duel, her hand on the chair that Yodaz had just vacated, not paying much attention to Calvin as the other duelist took up his coat and moved along. She quickly mentally scanned the room, and picked out her target.

"Hey, you there. Kettou da."

Had Yodaz still been there, he might have recognized this young man. He knew him only through that first encounter with Taimi. Joe Darc had been Taimi's 'victim' then, but now he was considerably stronger. His encounter with her Kaijudo had triggered his own, much as Yodaz had done to Ryoma. Now, he crossed the room to Suzanne Marshall, and nodded, accepting her challenge and seating his large frame in the chair. Suzanne smirked at the stocky young fellow when he told her that she could go first. As far as she was concerned, the boy had no idea what he was getting himself into. They deployed their shields, and for their first turn, both charged nature mana.

Suzanne's second mana was water, but she did nothing else. Joe charged light mana and played a Faerie Life. Taimi and such duelists had changed his outlook on dueling, but not his style. He ended his turn, giving Suzanne time to charge darkness mana and summon an Aqua Hulcus. She too, visualized it clearly, as she drew the associated card, and ended her turn.

"Hmm..." Joe thought to himself, charging his own water mana. He summoned his own Hulcus, his Kaijudo making its effort to mimic the appearance of hers. He was still learning, and eager to do so. Suzanne drew her card and charged nature mana, ending her turn. Joe gave her a confused look, unused to players who did not summon every turn. He shrugged, drew his card, and charged fire mana now.

"I summon Magris, Vizier of Magnetism, and the Deadly Fighter Braid Claw. Aqua Hulcus, breaking shield. Ikei."

Suzanne smiled, her Kaijudo quickly surging at him when she triggered the Natural Snare. The Vizier of Magnetism fired repeatedly into the mass of vines that shot up around it, but to no avail. Silent as the creature they captured, the vines soon disappeared.

"This is too easy," she thought to herself, "One Corile and this one's entire plan is ended."

He ended his turn. She drew, charged more nature mana and summoned an Emeral, swapping a Mana Nexus into her shield zone just in case. Joe watched as the Cyber Lord fiddled with the defense mechanism, and Suzanne now ended her turn, pleased with what she had got out of the shield also. A Searing Wave. No one ever played any worthwhile creatures strong enough to escape it. There were nearly no cards with effects that the wonderful Wave would not destroy for her. She was almost looking forward to using it.

Joe slid the top card off his deck, and looked at his situation. She had not even attacked his Hulcus with her own. He wondered what made her so confident. He charged more water mana, cast Energy Stream, then summoned another Hulcus, drawing yet another card.
"Braid Claw, ikei!" he declared, being sure to avoid the shield Emeral had tinkered with. It was no help. The Terror Pit swallowed up the Hulcus that had been about to attack. Joe scowled. Externally, she made no indication of being anything other than a sporting duelist. In their mindspace, she was causing the entire world to echo with her derisive laughter. As far as she was concerned, this duel was already won. Joe ended his turn.

Suzanne's Kaijudo turned dark as she played out her next turn, seemingly taking great pleasure in strongly visualizing it for both herself and Joe.
"Meteosaur, to reduce your Aqua Hulcus to steam. Now my Hulcus, destroys your Braid Claw. Ikei! This is almost too easy..."

Now, she had nothing stopping her from taunting him aloud and outright. Joe was calm, however. He was calculating. Two triggers so far, and if she had more he would be doomed anyway. He decided to go straight for the main advantage he could find.
"I summon Twin-Cannon Skyterror. Double break! Ikei!"

Suzanne was instantly less happy. Neither shield triggered, but she shrugged it off. She could still handle him. Even a Twin-Cannon could be handled fairly easily with enough effort. She drew her card, and smiled. She would not need the Apocalypse Vise that she had just got from her shield zone. She placed it into her mana zone.
"Terror Pit, on your Twin-Cannon Skyterror. Don't feel bad though. Everything dies... hehe."

Joe nodded, reluctantly agreeing with her. It did seem odd, even to him, to simply keep losing all of his creatures so quickly, however. It was a little disheartening.

"Aqua Hulcus, ikei!" --now the dark stones surrounded Joe instead, generating a new mana-shield for him in the form of another Mana Nexus-- "Hmph. That's silly. Emeral, break that one!" --again, the Nexus triggered, this time, creating a new shield from a Holy Awe-- "And that was even sillier! Meteosaur, break that shield! Ikei!" --Joe did not actually trigger the Holy Awe. Suzanne blinked at him in wonderment.

"Some 'plan', kiddo..." she chortled, "You might not have had a lot of choices, but you could at least have done that without losing so much mana."

Joe nodded again, but Suzanne was not sure if he was agreeing or simply acknowledging that he had heard her. He placed the Holy Awe back into his mana zone, and summoned an Aqua Guard, along with a Pyrofighter Magnus, which made quick work of her Emeral. He ended his turn. She blinked again. Did he know? About her Merfolk?

"All right. I'm getting tired of you... Illusionary Merfolk to mana. Summon Meteosaur, to destroy your Aqua Guard, and a Hunter Fish, to protect me. Aqua Hulcus, ikei!"

"Shield Trigger," Joe responded, "Holy Awe."

The blast of light illuminated everything, blinding Suzanne and her forces. She was apparently not the only one with helpful shields today. Her turn having been forcibly ended, she grit her teeth in frustration. Joe calmly drew his card, not looking particularly concerned about her or her raging Kaijudo at the moment. It was a new experience for her. Meeting someone who did not seem to be intimidated by the fact that she could kill nearly everything.

Joe charged water mana. Another Aqua Hulcus.
"I summon Aqua Hulcus and Pyrofighter Magnus. Magnus, destroy her Hulcus, ikei!"

The Aqua Hulcus was only beginning to recover from the Holy Awe, enough to try to put up a fight, at least, but the Pyrofighter was too fast, and left no chance of this. It cut through the Hulcus in passing, quickly ending it.

Suzanne was livid now. She drew her card, needing no new mana, and summoned her own Twin-Cannon Skyterror.
"Let's see how you like this! Double Break!"

"Shield Triggers. Burst Shot and Natural Snare.."
Suzanne's jaw dropped as she found herself under fire from above, even as the vines snaked out from below, to drag away her Hunter Fish. When it was over, both her Aqua Hulcus and Meteosaur were gone. She ended her turn, still trying to intimidate Joe with her Kaijudo, and failing. His shields were all devastating to her, and now he had another chance to pull the duel back.

Joe drew his card, and sent another of his Burst Shot cards to his mana zone, assuming that he would not need it, and played a Faerie Life, along with two more cards, twins, revealing clearly now what he considered his avatar to be...
"Pyrofighter Magnus, ikei!"

Suzanne muttered something under her breath, but aloud, responded with, "Shield Trigger! Mana Nexus!"
Now, she was sure things were going to go her way. Her shields were giving almost as good as his own, and now the dark stones generated a new shield for her, which was broken practically before it came into existence, triggering a Natural Snare. The vines tripped one of the Pyrofighters, and it was a strange thing to see the other stop, and try to pull his 'brother' out, but it was all in vain, and the second Pyrofighter was forced to return without his twin. He would be back for his revenge one turn later, if she could not do something to stop it.

Suzanne bristled with rage. Even considering everything that had happened, she still had not managed to attain a clear advantage and she was not sure why. She placed the Terror Pit into her mana zone, and summoned the Aqua Hulcus, hoping for some way to get one more blocker, to hold off the final attack, but it was in vain.
"Twin-Cannon... ikei..." she growled listlessly. The card did not trigger, but it made no difference now.

Joe drew his card, and summoned his Bronze-Arm Tribe, charging a Phantom Fish to his mana zone, then playing an Energy Stream, drawing two cards. Suzanne barely kept herself from banging her fist angrily on the table. Her energy practically leapt at him.
"Stop dragging it out! Just finish us off!"

Joe's face got a slightly annoyed look on it. She did not seem to understand that he was practicing, and his last two plays were to build Kaijudo for his final attack. He shrugged it off, and summoned his Pyrofighter Magnus... one last time...
"Pyrofighter! Todomeda!!"

The burst of Joe's energy seemed to twist toward her like a tornado, and Suzanne found herself trying to put up the barrier against it, but it was too late. The Dragonoid's speed had long since sealed her fate. In her mind, she fell to her knees, defeated, her failing Kaijudo seeping into the ocean around her, turning the water dark with its contamination.

"I cannot believe you managed to overcome the power of Corile..." she hissed at him, her voice cold and almost mechanical. Her Kaijudo was settling again, now

Joe looked at her confused.
"Corile? What Corile? What are you talking about?"

Something inside Suzanne seemed to crack...