Episode 50. - A New Champion Of The Cause

"So, I'm certain you can understand my predicament. Though their arguments were clearly frivolous, they managed to sway Gene Kirricort's opinion enough for him to implement their foolishness. I need a way to counter their viewpoints directly. That's where you come in."

The young man seemed contemplative.
"Well, clearly, you contacted the right person for the task, but I'm still not quite clear on exactly what it is you want me to do."

"They managed to convince Gene that certain strategies were altogether crippled by the cards as they are. I need you to undo what they've done. Gene will surely tour the country again when the ninth set is released, in order to promote it..."
Jasper got up out of his chair now and crossed the room to the window, where he looked out for a few moments, seeming to be collecting his thoughts.

"I want to make sure that you are the one accompanying him. Your rank will make people want to duel you, and you can face opponents without their silly 'errata' and prove to Gene that it can be done if players would simply put a little more thought behind their deck building."

Tom Rogers' eyes narrowed.
"And you expect this to change his opinion because? You implied that he and his little band of 'advisors' seem to think that all this 'diversity' is improving sales."

"I was also hoping that Gene could be more... subtly influenced... to reverse his decision."

Tom knew exactly what Jasper Ikale was referring to. To most wielders of Kaijudo, this would be a distasteful act, to say the least, but the Kaijudo Kid was not one to hold such an opinion.

"If the errata are reversed, the championship title must be stripped from the holder, and you know that you are the one to whom it defaults if that happens. Obviously there are... other incentives involved, but I am also reminding you of that one..."

"It sounds like a fine challenge. Not the deck building, of course. That is easy. The fact that they cannot handle these cards just shows that they are not that good at Duel Masters... but to convince Kirricort himself of this whilst demonstrating it... Yes. This intrigues me."

Jasper nodded, smiling, as he crossed the room to pick up the dossier on his desk and hand it to Tom.
"I'm glad we can do business, Mr. Rogers."

Many miles away, the championship itself was about to continue. Nicholas Burner now sat to face Siddhant Sutar. The crowd of onlookers had thinned a bit when Yodaz had dueled Shu Lon, but now they were back in full force, and some shorter duelists could not even see the table. It was not a problem. Most duelists present did not have any need to see.

"Corpse Charger, to mana," Siddhant began. The power Burner felt from his opponent was not the same as when he had felt it before, when Libra was in the seat that he now occupied. This was different. Quiet, unchanging.

Burner's Kaijudo was quite the opposite. His Scarlet Skyterror was his first mana card, and with it came the burst of mental heat that he was known for both by name and style. Siddhant did not seem to notice.

"Aqua Hulcus to mana. End turn."

"This feels almost creepy..." Burner noted to himself, sending a Burst Shot to his mana zone and summoning a Mini Titan Gett.

"Apocalypse Vise to mana. Cast Crimson Hammer."
Siddhant's Fortress had begun. The first antipersonnel weapon, as usual, crashed down onto the Mini Titan, ending any hope of it making an assault, or remaining around long enough to become Valdios. Siddhant's avatar had not yet seen fit to address 'Valdios' directly. He ended his turn.

Burner decided to go directly for the strategy that he had planned on from the beginning. It was the most stable plan, given what he was up against. He charged mana, and summoned a Pyrofighter Magnus to streak in and break the first shield. It did not trigger. Siddhant did not respond to the event much either.

"Energy Stream, to mana. Cast Eureka Charger."
The spell spread outwards as new energy for his mana zone, as Burner now became aware of what was happening. This was Siddhant's strategy, after all, made clear. Once the fortress was fully constructed, there would be no way of truly getting in.

"But we can get there before he finishes..."
Burner nodded, as the turn passed to him, and charged an Aqua Surfer to his own mana, summoning the Pyrofighter again, to break a second shield. No trigger. Burner felt relieved in one way, and a growing trepidation from another source inside, as he now wondered just what those cards were.

"Bolmeteus Steel Dragon, to mana. Summon Gray Balloon, Shadow of Greed."
Siddhant's Kaijudo did not surge in the same way as before, but it did rise slightly. There was nothing for him to remove, and he could not discard his opponent's hand quite yet. Not all at once. Still, the blocker would afford him some time...

Nearby, Yodaz watched, now wondering just how powerful a defense could be erected against a creature that would not remain. There were quite a few problems of that sort popping up, lately. Disruptive cards being rendered ineffective by the opponent's choices.

"Energy Stream to mana. Summon Pyrofighter and Emeral!"
Burner now placed a Burst Shot into his shield zone, and retrieved a Choya, the Unheeding, from it. Another good thing. Another creature small enough to accompany the Pyrofighter in summoning, on the next turn. Magnus shot forward, toward the third shield, and the speed rush shattered it, again without any trigger occurring. The Gray Balloon did not move to intercept it.

Burner breathed a sigh of relief. No Terror Pit to claim his Magnus. His opponent would have seven mana in a moment, possibly eight if their Volcano Charger destroyed his Emeral. He ended his turn, crossed his fingers, and waited.

"Aqua Hulcus, to mana... cast Lost Soul."
The dark energy that surged forward, blanketing Burner in its black shroud, was parted by a stream of sparking electricity. Choya was gone... the Pyrofighter Magnus was gone... but the energy of the spell had been absorbed by one member of Burner's forces, and that creature was now descending, to hover menacingly in the battle zone. Dava Torey, Seeker of Clouds.

"End turn..." Siddhant finally said, his Kaijudo adjusting to the situation. He could probably easily destroy the card on the next turn, but his resources were now being pushed rather quickly in ways that were not quite ideal. Burner's forces seemed to cheer, from everywhere and nowhere at once, as he drew his next card.

"Summon Mini Titan Gett! Dava Torey, break shield! Ikei!"

Siddhant allowed this to pass also, but the shield did not trigger, and, as the onlookers judged from the momentary dip in his steely resonance, it was not particularly helpful right then, either.

It became clear, why, slightly later, when Siddhant took a glance at his graveyard. Only spells. Burner's attacks and style had not caused him to even need any creatures, furthermore lose any. He sent the Corpse Charger to mana.

"Terror Pit, on your Seeker of Clouds."

The darkness that had spawned Dava Torey now also dragged it away into oblivion. Siddhant ended his turn. He was now at that critical point, where decks such as his own could often mount an unbreakable defensive line. Burner's remaining creatures were both weak enough to fall prey to nearly any fire spell that Siddhant could get... if he got any.

Burner drew his card, and summoned it directly. Another Mini Titan. The first one immediately rushed for the final shield without even waiting for further orders, as Gett so often did. Surprisingly to some, Siddhant did not block this. The blocker would be vital as a final defense against any of Burner's instant attackers. He would depend on the power of his removal, to make this work. The shield shattered with no trigger. It would all come down to this now.

Siddhant's Kaijudo did not so much 'crumble' as it ground to a halt and seemed to shut down. His strategy had faltered. There was no Apocalypse Vise to obliterate the trio. He sent yet another of his Aqua Hulcus to his mana zone. They had not been any help either. Corile swirled into existence, to return one of the Mini Titan. Siddhant did not seem to care at all, what Corile affected.

"We're through!" Valdios laughed, knowing the feeling of a defeated opponent well. A Locomotiver appeared then as well, discarding the Mini Titan also, but it was over. Two remained. Only one could be blocked.

"I surrender," Siddhant nodded, placing his cards on the top of his deck. His fortress had already shut down. Neither Bolmeteus nor Bazagazeal had been awakened.

"Hm. Limitations on effectiveness," Corile observed. That was all there was to it. The duel ended there, and Burner shook Sutar's hand. The room seemed oddly quiet, now, even as the judges did their minor verifications and the few gaming journalists scribbled their notes. Almost as if something had drained all the force away.

Burner's Kaijudo spiked suddenly now as he got up out of his chair to pass it to Shu.

"If that one wins, we'll be able to handle him, I'm almost sure of it. Dava will deal with it easily, and we can draw our cards freely," Valdios observed.

Burner seemed a bit less convinced. Something about Shu Lon's duel with Yodaz had made him uneasy. Surely, there had been cards discarded, but Shu's strategy had shifted oddly midway, and Gigazald had not remained on the field for very long.

Gene now tapped Yodaz on the shoulder to get his attention.
"Does something seem... I don't know... 'off'... to you? These duels..."

Yodaz turned, his eye seeming to glow again.
"What do you mean by 'off'?"

"I can't put my finger on it, but it doesn't feel like it did before. I got the same feeling as I did last month at that tournament we went to with Jasper. As if it somehow isn't as serious, or dangerous, as it was... the very last duel seemed to kind of just fizzle out at the end. What's going on?"

Yodaz's face adopted a blank expression. Sometimes Gene could be incredibly dense about the simplest things.
"It's a card game, Gene. It isn't supposed to be serious or dangerous. I seriously hope you didn't want this to get ugly. The levels are the same, if that's what you're concerned about. Or have you forgotten that a few minutes ago you almost fell down because of a particular clash?"

Gene looked appalled at the 'accusation'.
"No, no, of course not! Don't misunderstand. I just meant that there's a particular level of... tension, or something... that was there before. If it was not supposed to be, then I understand. I do wonder though... what was it that used to cause it? Was it the cards? Or something else?"

Gene was taken off guard now when his mind was spoken to yet again, this time, not by Yodaz, but by the voice that he was now beginning to understand was that of Corile.

"Tension occurs through anticipation in combination with the will to win against all odds. The forces that have dominated this tournament are those that are fueled by instinctive drives. They do not concern themselves about whether or not they have made the right tactical decisions, because for some childish reason they view it all as guesswork."

"So, now... they think... less?"
This was Gene Kirricort's second, much larger surprise. Something inside himself responded to Corile. Something he could not identify. The image of a light creature flashed in his mind for an instant, and then it was gone, though he could still feel both the presence of it, and its lingering question.

Corile responded as if it either knew exactly who it was addressing, or simply did not care.
"Haha... they always thought less. Make no mistake, they know what they are doing and why, but once they get started they usually have so few options available that everything just flows from them without much consideration."

The feeling of his avatar had now faded, and no more mental communication of that type seemed forthcoming, forcing Gene to voice his next question directly.
"Is this... what we wanted? Is this really--"

"Didn't you hear?" Yodaz interrupted, "Nothing's changed. They have always been this way. Before, they just generally didn't win. So yes, this is what we wanted. We wanted those who learn to play by instinct, to have a chance. Don't worry so much."

Gene looked around the room, as the judges now seemed to be in quite the disagreement regarding what the factors of the two remaining semifinal decks said about who should go first. He recognized Arielle easily, and thought about what Yodaz had said. She was probably the perfect example of it. Possibly too young to be able to analyze every possibility or outcome, yet she was here at a Championship tournament at age ten.

Harriet Torren, now recovered, he thought of similarly. For someone who seemed to so seriously enjoy dueling, her strategies appeared to mainly consist of 'summon Rock Beast. Evolve Rock Beast. Smash things', with a lot of cards added in to help primarily with that objective.

He felt the flash of Light inside himself again.
"This makes no sense... I don't duel..."

Yet, the feeling did not leave him. In fact, it only intensified, the shining presence drawing the attention of some of the other duelists around him. Gene suddenly seemed to panic, as he could now, for the first time, not only feel the Kaijudo of others, but somehow, he could feel his own.

"Yodaz!" he hissed, "What's happening to me!?"

Yodaz looked him up and down and shrugged.
"How would I know? Go sit down and see if it wears off. Maybe you've just been overexposed or something. You're probably the only person in the world who's been in or near the zone so much and not dueled at all..."

Gene suddenly did not feel like sitting down. He felt like 'understanding'. He wandered away from the main group, looked across at Libra now, and suddenly remembered that he had wanted the girl for something, but it did not occur to him exactly what he had wanted her for. He felt something inside him seemingly 'smile' and 'wave', and shuddered in confusion, when Shtra confirmed that it was not his imagination, by 'smiling' and 'waving' back.

Arielle seemed to suddenly freeze in the middle of her laughing conversation with Gau, and then came running over to him and looked up at him.
"Hello!"

Gene was just about to give a slightly dismissive response to her greeting when his head suddenly hurt and he felt as though she had most definitely been 'greeted' already. Arielle laughed, and said, for no apparent reason...

"That was pretty! Do it again!"

The event repeated itself, though far less painfully this time. Arielle laughed, causing the judges, and some of the others, to look around. Trox grinned... Gene could feel it. He remembered now that he had planned to recruit Amera-Lynn as well, but currently the feeling of why was not within him.

"Oh, they're starting! Let's go watch!" Arielle now realized, taking Gene's hand and pulling him back toward the crowd and the table. She had not been entirely correct. The judges seemed to have come to a decision on one thing, but were still a little unsure about some other detail. Gene felt calmer, somehow safer, with the youth's hand in his own.

Now, he felt like the child. Something was happening inside his mind and he had no clue what exactly it was...

Back at the KirriCorp main building, Tom Rogers was just about leaving, just as Suzanne Marshall was coming in. They passed each other in the lobby, and instantly, Suzanne spun to watch Tom walk out the door. Something instinctive made her send out a wave of Kaijudo, as if to confirm that the person was indeed who she thought it was.

That wave was reflected back at her almost painfully, and she shuddered.

"Why? Why would he be here? Especially with Gene off at the Championship Tournament? Shouldn't he be at that tournament himself?"

Then she remembered. Tom had opposed the errata vehemently, and though he was still ranked highest duelist in the regular leagues, the KC League had absolutely no records of his participation in any events at all. It had been part of the reason why they had needed to consider so carefully before applying the errata to the main tournament. There had been one or two other duelists like him, who had no KC Ranking attached to them for one reason or another.

"That still does not explain why he is here..." came the voice.

She nodded, and quickly made her way to one of the receptionists, a friend of hers.
"Charlene... what was that young man doing here? Was he looking for Gene Kirricort?"

Charlene looked up from her screen and smiled.
"Oh, hi, Sue! No, actually, he was here to see Jasper. Why? Did Gene want to see him too, or something?"

"See Jasper? Do you have any idea what about?"

Charlene shook her head slowly.
"Sorry. You know how Jasper's been these days ever since 'the change'. He doesn't tell anyone anything anymore. I honestly am beginning to wonder if he even actually does any work in that 'tank' of his. Spends a lot more time in his office looking over sales figures and stuff. Kinda odd, really."

"I see... well if his meeting with Mr. Rogers is over, I'm assuming he's free for a little while, can you buzz him and tell him I'm coming up to see him?"

"I can, but he'll most likely just say he's busy and can't see you right now," Charlene said, activating the system even as Suzanne started to walk away.

"He's being informed, not being given a choice," she said plainly, making her way towards the elevator. Charlene smirked to herself and chuckled under her breath. Now that Suzanne actually held a higher position than many people in that department, things had been changing rapidly around the offices. Whatever was going on now, seemed likely to lead to another one of those larger 'changes'.

"And to think I almost stayed home today..."

The connection clicked in now, in Jasper Ikale's office, and Charlene was surprised to find that Jasper's voice seemed to be conveying a totally relaxed mood, far different from his general agitation of late. Even her 'informing' him of Suzanne's arrival was received with a very mellow acknowledgment. Charlene closed the connection and scratched her head. Today was a very strange day...