Episode 44. - Sweetness Wrapped In Cuteness

"It is simply because it makes no sense to force her to compete in her own age division. She's already proven time and again that she can hold her own at this level. She just overwhelms all the duelists her own age, it's quite silly after awhile."

These were the words of one of the officials at the current KirriCorp league tournament to a new judge. The young girl he was referring to, Arielle Dumas, had just signed up. Most of the other duelists were in their late teens or early adulthood. By contrast, Arielle had just turned ten. Her current opponent was a large burly youth who dwarfed her completely, yet she was currently happily swarming through his forces with her deck.

"She's still a kid. I don't mind her competing, but it seems unfair on both levels. She's obviously some kind of prodigy, but she's still mentally a little girl. Even the deck she built can show you that. It's not bad, but even it is kind of childish, don't you think?" the new judge pointed out.

"She handles it well enough, and she usually seems to be having fun. She doesn't get upset when she loses, and in fact, since coming into the new league, she hasn't complained about anything at all. She's a sweet little girl, let her be."

The other man chuckled and shook his head.
"I don't think you understand what I'm getting at, at all. It isn't about whether or not she's having fun. I don't want to stop that. What you don't seem to be taking into account is the fact that she has the best dueling record of anyone here. You know what that means, don't you? She's supposed to be the one we send to the championships. Have you considered how that's going to look? Or the number of duelists here that are going to be upset if their shot at the championship is taken by a ten year old?"

"I think you have an incorrect impression of the people here. Most of the people you heard complaining last week were not our regulars at all, just some arrogant drifters whose egos got a bit bruised by her playing. Everyone here respects Arielle, and a lot of them not only want her to go to the championships, but would kick up quite the fuss if someone tried to stop her..."

The judge now watched as Arielle made her small energetic victory dance, having defeated her current opponent at the end of a rather close match. The young man was grinning.

"Well played, Elle, as usual. Man... you really know how to hurt a guy, haha."
He was referring to the Fighter Dual Fang finishing attack that he had received. Arielle smiled and thanked him, then sat to wait for her next opponent to finish the game they were playing. That opponent, Chevalier Argente, more affectionately known to the other players in the store simply as 'Natch', did not take much longer with his own duel either, and soon, the youth slid into the chair opposite Arielle, someone he knew quite well.

"Here we go again, huh?" she giggled. Natch shook his head.

"Not quite, Elle. I built a whole different deck over the weekend. I think this one is the one I have the most fun with, so you can't argue that I'm not enjoying it enough to win," he now laughed, deploying his shields.

Arielle actually gave a small cheer at this, as she drew her cards. It was almost unspoken that Natch would be going first, both since Arielle normally would win, and secondly since he was the one using the new deck.

"Ah, finally, a good hand. You wouldn't believe the weirdness I've been drawing today..." he told her, "Illusionary Merfolk to mana. End turn."

"Thorny Mandra to mana. End turn."

Immediately the scent of forest assailed Natch's mind. He did not find it strange in the slightest. By now he was quite used to the potency and purity of Arielle's Kaijudo, and how quickly she would use it to suck her opponent into the world of her imagination. He merely closed his eyes for a moment to help generate the link between them, and in so doing, made everything, and everyone else, seem to momentarily vanish.

When he opened his eyes again, he found himself looking directly into hers. They practically shone with mischief, as she knew that now, the bond had been made. He could hear her giggling in his mind, but outwardly, she showed no indication of mirth. He smirked. This was always interesting. How quickly and deeply she could fall into the zone, and take her opponent with her. He no longer bothered to announce his movements, merely sending the Thrash Crawler to mana and immediately summoning an Emeral to perform its customary tinkering with his defense systems.

Arielle charged more mana. The energy surged, catching the attention of a few of the other 'aware' duelists in the room. Realizing that it was merely the effect of Arielle placing her Tangle Fist into her mana zone, they now simply returned to what they were doing. In their shared mindspace, a Poisonous Mushroom now appeared, sending another Thorny Mandra card to mana. Arielle was going for growth today, and her forest was quickly spreading towards the shores of Natch's new ocean.

He drew his card and placed a Crystal Paladin into his mana zone, casting an Energy Stream. The refreshing energy washed over him as he drew two more cards, and, knowing exactly what Arielle was generally capable of, sent his Emeral in for the attack.

"Early fun fun fun."

She picked up the card, as he ended his turn. He suddenly exclaimed, much to the surprise of most people in the room...
"Shtra!"

He had seen Arielle's visualization when the shield had broken, and now knew what it had been. He also fully expected her to play it, but today, she surprised him. She was growing her forest today, and Shtra had the habit of pruning such forests. Instead, she sent the Cyber Lord to her mana zone, and summoned a Bronze-Arm Tribe, then, with the Poisonous Mushroom that it placed into her mana zone, cast a Faerie Life, causing the energy of her forest to spread still further.

"Quick moves today, Elle?"

She smiled, and her Poisonous Mushroom floated forward to battle with his Emeral. The Cyber Lord did its best to avoid the mold getting into its circuitry and equipment, and did manage to do enough serious fungicidal damage to finish off the Mushroom, but soon it went the same way, both creatures falling in the scuffle.

"Ow..." Natch noted, feeling the dip in his Kaijudo associated with this particular phenomenon. Nothing on either side of the battle zone, yet Arielle's mana zone was already twice his. He decided to deal with that situation first and foremost, charging a second Crystal Paladin to mana and casting a Eureka Charger. The spell did seem to surprise Arielle, and brought his mana zone within one card of her own again, but it also consumed all his energy for the turn.

She drew her card now, and smiled.

"Uh oh... what's up this time?"

"No, no, nothing bad. I summon Bronze-Arm Tribe--" the effect caused her forest to spread still further, "And an Aqua Hulcus."
Now she had partly replenished her hand as well. She ended her turn with that.

"All right then, but you're not going to get ahead of me that easily." He drew his card and sent yet another one of his Liquid People evolution cards to his mana zone. This time, a Crystal Lancer.
"Summon Aqua Hulcus... and cast Energy Stream."

Now, his ocean was teeming with life as well, but he would have to end his turn there. Arielle drew her card, and glanced over at her graveyard pile. Mentally, the effect was more of a hum as she seemed to call upon the energy of the area around her. Instantly, Natch knew what was about to happen. He was only going to get one more turn of summoning in, after all.

"Mandy?" he laughed, even as Arielle tapped her mana to play the card. The Thorny Mandra seemed to spread the power of the long-since fallen Poisonous Mushroom through the forest, giving Arielle enough power to summon a Shtra alongside it, and pick up her Divine Riptide spell.

"Ah... That Shtra..." he said, retrieving his Eureka Charger. His turn consisted of sending a Psychic Shaper to his mana zone, casting the Eureka Charger to get a new card, and summoning an Aqua Guard. He knew what was coming next, and winced in advance. Somehow, her playing of this spell was always disorienting. On some days it could outright make his head hurt. He wondered momentarily how she managed to weather the effect so well herself.

"Divine Riptide!" she now announced gleefully. Natch grimaced more. Today was one of those 'instant headache' days, for the spell.

"It's like hitting a landmine..." he noted, as their worlds receded again into blackness, save for the gentle glow surrounding their creatures now, floating almost ethereally in a strange void. Arielle seemed content and pleased, ready to begin anew, the race to rebuild, if necessary, or to simply assault his defenses with her powerful Thorny Mandra.

"How sad. Aaah. No allies. Sorry, my friend, but alas, this is the loss..." Natch spoke mentally. His avatar glowed slightly more in understanding agreement.

"Such a shifty little thing she is. But we'll get her one of these days," the Hulcus replied, as the Thorny Mandra now advanced on them, triggering one of their shields. A Crystal Memory. Even with no mana, the teleporter could still function, powered by the force of the attack.

"Ah, yes," Natch smiled, bringing a new power to himself from his deck. An attack from her Aqua Hulcus followed, which he did not block, and another from Shtra, which was not blocked either.

"Ooh..." he muttered, still feeling the effects of the 'headache'. He drew his card and charged mana, a Crystal Memory, then summoned another Aqua Guard.

"Aqua Hulcus, attack Shtra. Ikei."

The two locked in combat, and both were soon gone, ending Natch's turn. Arielle drew her card and giggled. It was another Divine Riptide. The least likely thing she would be needing after having already used one.

"Thorny Mandra, break his shield! Ikei!"

The shield shattered without trigger, prompting an 'Oh no' from Natch. Arielle knew she was safe now, more or less, and ended her turn there. Natch drew his card, charged a Crystal Paladin to mana, and summoned a third Aqua Guard. At this point, if he was careful, there was a minor chance of holding on just long enough to fight back a bit. He ended his turn.

Arielle did not hesitate, drawing her card and sending her avatar to mana yet again, causing a surge of energy to push against Natch's Kaijudo. Now, she summoned a Poisonous Mushroom, and charged more mana. An Aqua Knight.

"Ah, Poisonous... oh dear me..."
By now it was clear that she would be able to rebuild faster than he would. He knew exactly what came after that. A Shtra, to stop him from rebuilding, whilst adding to her own forces. He had seen it enough. Now, it was finally time for her to attack the shield Emeral had set at the very beginning, but he knew that it would not be enough.

"Thorny Mandra, break his shield! Ikei!"
She declared her attack with unmistakable enthusiasm, almost as if she did not foresee exactly what that shield would be. The surge of tidal energy now swept forward, but seemed to pause for a moment.

"Wow..." Natch now muttered, "Hmm... The Mandra maybe? Yup... Mandy."
His confirmation of his decision brought the huge wave crashing down to sweep away Arielle's largest creature. She ended her turn there. Natch wondered why, but decided it was probably since, really, she had all the time in the world, especially considering that she could reverse it all practically whenever she wanted, and certainly before he could gain a new foothold of his own in the duel.

He charged a Psychic Shaper to mana now, and smirked to himself that, only against Arielle, could reaching three mana feel like such an accomplishment. Unfortunately, his options as to what to actually do with that mana were very limited. He simply cast an Energy Stream to refresh himself and remove some of the strange dull pain that his head was now experiencing, and sighed with relief.

"Aaah. What a sweet end. Alas. I concede to you, dear."

Arielle giggled, and slowly let the bond between their minds weaken, and eventually dissolve altogether. There would be no need for a final attack today.

"And that just about does it..." the judge from before now sighed, "She's beaten him again, that pretty much puts the championship invite out of the reach of anyone else on the list."

"I still don't see what the problem you're seeing with this. Even if her parents weren't as supportive of her dueling as they are, and therefore likely to take a few days off to take her to the championships, her brother would be sufficient escort for those few days."

The man looked around at Arielle, who was currently herself looking around for someone or something, it seemed.
"There's just something strange about that kid, you know? Nothing bad really... but definitely strange."

Now, Arielle had bounded off towards the person she had been seeking, the room's main source of randomized Kaijudo. Jack Skyler. Over time, she had actually made friends with the duelist, and now, each often acted as the other's cheering section. Jack was currently finishing up a duel of his own, one in which he was quite sure he had the advantage, even if his opponent was now reaching their twelfth mana card.

"I cast Invincible Cataclysm! Essence Elf, todomeda!"
A burst of ballistic Kaijudo, and it was over, leaving Jack rather shocked and a little dazed. As far as he understood it, he had done everything right, yet his opponent had ended his chances with one hugely powerful spell. Normally, Jack was only very slightly tempermental, and such an event would only have made him moody, but today, he seemed to have started off in the 'moody' state, and this particular little event pushed him over the edge a bit.

His Kaijudo lashed out almost wildly in his frustration, causing Arielle to immediately surge her own to clamp down on his and stabilize him. The few duelists that were aware of the event seemed startled. Arielle was rather young to be able to use it outside of the general time frame of a duel, and to use that much, in such an effective way, was clearly not expected.

Jack already knew what his young friend was capable of, and sighed, slumping into his chair and accepting her strange form of psychic comfort. She physically reached his side a moment later.

"Whatsa matter?"

Jack sighed, trembling, his voice choked with frustration and rage. The kind that would bring tears to one who would be willing to show that much emotion. Jack was not that kind, but he could not hide the feeling in his voice.
"They still do it. They can all still do it! Why change the cards if everything is still the same? I still get blocked and shut down the same way, until they're ready to finish me off, even with something like that!"

He now jerked his head in the direction of the Essence Elf and Invincible Cataclysm, the last two cards on the table that his opponent was just picking up. It was that opponent, a man in his early twenties, from the look of it, that answered him, not Arielle, but it was not taunting or gloating. The words were insightful, and intended to calm Jack.

"I have just as much right to win as you do. It's hard to do this, you know. I don't think the rules were supposed to make our decks weaker than yours, the way yours used to be weaker than ours."

"But they're still weaker than yours!" Jack snapped, causing Arielle to gently touch his arm. He flinched, but this was, after all, Arielle, and he calmed down slightly.

"Nuh uh... they're not all the same anymore. They're kinda different, just like we're different from each other. That's why it's hard, Jack. Because now they are different and we can't always guess."

Jack seemed to stop, to think about this for awhile. She had a point. Before, not only had the cards in the Dark-Fire-Water disruption decks been similar, in some cases their strategies, especially their finishing strategies, had been exactly the same. Now, he had begun to notice some variation. Enough variation, in fact, that he indeed could not treat every new opponent the same just because they began with Hulcus, Volcano Charger, Corile.

"So... what am I doing wrong then? I don't get it."

Again, the young man answered.
"Why do you even figure that you're doing something wrong? You can't win all the time. If you did then everyone would just copy you and we'd be back where we started, wouldn't we? This is way better. Every single deck I faced since I got here this morning has been different. Yours was probably the most unique of all, in fact. At one point I began to wonder if you were insane, with how random it is, and yet you nearly had me."

Jack Skyler seemed to settle into contemplation. He had figured he could defeat this opponent because their hand was low, and they had only the Essence Elf and a Thrash Crawler. They had proved him wrong.

"Don't take it so hard, dude. Before, all we used to do was fix the decks over and over every time someone found a way through the defenses. Now... well, we can't stop it, so we had to work out how to fight back too. Maybe you can't just blitz us at the end anymore? Or maybe you're just unable to tell who to blitz and who to out-think. Like Elle said, we're as different as you guys are now..."

Jack's Kaijudo finally quieted down, and he seemed to be having a short private conversation with his avatar. Most people could not even usually tell what Jack's avatar was, considering the incredible random nature of his deck. Some had even surmised, on the odd occasion, that Jack had somehow managed to build a deck without the actual avatar card in it. Only Arielle knew the truth.

"Strange, isn't it? We used to have a lot of trouble defeating them, but it was always easy to face them. Not much thinking. Now that we can defeat them, it's turning out that we have to think a lot harder to do it."
These were Tangle Fist's words to the Cryptic Totem.

"Now that's just not fair," came the 'pouty' response, "You know full well I don't like thinking."

The communication was in jest, causing Arielle to gurgle with laughter unexpectedly. Psychic ability such as hers, and that developing in most Kaijudo masters, was good for private jokes, even if it did get a great many odd stares from those around.

"Come on, Jack, let's you and I play. You changed your deck a little again, didn't you? I wanna see!"

He chuckled, the Cryptic Totem giving off a similar emotion, and nodded. His attitude towards dueling Arielle was very different now than it had been on the day he met her, and he was more than willing to help her get more practice on the road to what he considered would be her almost inevitable championship title shot.