Episode 54. - It's Child's Play, Really...

"Why would I possibly need a 'duelist escort' or whatever it is that he's supposed to be? Even if I did, Suzanne could easily fill that role," Gene argued into the phone.

"Please relax, Mr. Kirricort," Jasper placated, "He's already there, and it has all been arranged. It seemed only fitting that with the North American champion on tour, and the World Champion on tour, that you should also have the highest ranked duelist along with you on your tour. With all due respect, you don't exactly draw crowds to events the way his presence will."

Gene frowned. Jasper had him, though he knew very well that there was some ploy, some ulterior motive, behind all this. Jasper knew something that Gene did not, and such a situation was one that Gene was never happy about.

"Sir. They're going to be done soon," Suzanne warned.

Gene made a displeased sound and hung up on Jasper abruptly. He was not in the mood for this. Tom seemed pleasant enough. A confident young duelist. It was moreso the fact that Jasper had set this up, that was bothering him.

"And the winner of the final, Leo Motane!" came the announcement. Gene went over to congratulate the young man, and found, to his surprise, that said young man was quite young indeed. The youngest seriously successful duelist he had ever seen. He had to ask.

"Congratulations, young man. Just how old are you? You're quite skilled!" Gene declared, shaking Leo's hand and presenting him with his prize, two boxes of cards from the new set, to do as he pleased with.

"I'm eight!" Leo announced almost triumphantly. Gene smiled and continued.

"Well then, are you ready to take your shot at the bonus prize? I've brought the top ranked duelist in America here with me, as you probably know. Are you ready to take him on?"

"Yes, I've heard all about the 'Kaijudo Kid' coming with you! I'm ready! I can take him! ...I think..." Leo said confidently, though his voice did waver at the end.

Tom strode forward and smiled at Leo Motane, then the two duelists took their seats at the table for the bonus match. The crowd gathered, anxious to see the two in action. Leo asked the question that Tom needed him to ask. The perfect question.

"Do we need to play using the KC League rules from America?"

Tom smiled again, "Of course not. Those errata are for duelists who aren't really good at Duel Masters. I don't need them and I'm sure you don't either. Let's just duel normally."

Leo Motane nodded enthusiastically. The tournament he had just won, also had not used the 'errata', and his deck was not fully prepared for use with them. He deployed his shields, as did Tom, and there was a quick check by the judges to see who should go first.

Suzanne did her usual task, amplifying the mild Kaijudo waves that came off the two duelists, for Gene's benefit. Gene nodded to her, in appreciation, though he had been practicing himself at attuning to them. The light creature that seemed to be inside him, he had been unable to find quite yet, and Suzanne had not been able to help. As she had explained to him previously, she was not able to use her own Kaijudo very easily without the proximity of either Yodaz or a duel in progress.

What Gene had definitely learnt to do, was respond. He could not quite yet figure out whether it was that his hidden avatar would relay his thoughts, or if it was his thought directly that was projected.

Before playing his first mana card, Leo looked up at Gene to ask a question. Another one that Tom was instantly glad for.
"How long will it be before we have to use the League Rules here too?"

Gene seemed taken aback by the question, and found himself unable to answer. He looked over at Suzanne, who was just about to begin speaking when Tom spoke up.

"You don't need to worry about that. I'm sure that all the duelists here can agree that you don't really need them anyway. After all, I'm sure everyone here is a good duelist. The best duelists can find ways around three simple cards, right? So it is possible that the KC changes will never be put into play here."

"Oh, that's good! I guess... My deck has those cards in it and I like it. It does really well."

Tom nodded. Leo did not project much Kaijudo. Even with the cards at 'full power', he would be easy to overcome, an event that could be used to his advantage, to make his point to Gene. At Jasper's request, the deck that Tom was using would not contain any of the three cards. In fact, it was to be built as exactly what the former Champion Yodaz had claimed was the decktype too easily crippled by those cards. One that would attack and attempt to finish the game before the crucial 'late-game'.

Suzanne projected her thoughts to Gene, through Corile, as the Kaijudo in the vicinity rose just enough to activate her latent ability.

"Would it be all right if I sat this one out? There probably will not be that much to see, but watching it act at full strength--"

Gene understood immediately. Bad memories, and psychological damage. Suzanne was still, even now, required to undergo periodic counseling and psychological evaluations due to her behaviour a few months prior. She accepted this gladly, both since she felt she needed it, and because it was required for her new post. The fact that KirriCorp handled the expense was certainly helpful to her also.

His mind managed to project a sympathetic and affirmative response. He could use the practice at doing this alone, anyway. Suzanne retreated, almost to the other side of the room. Gene shivered. He did not have good memories of it either, but in the hands of an eight year old boy, the feeling was far less likely to bother him, and it was exactly intensity that he now felt he needed, if he were going to develop his own ability. Suzanne had already put him on the wavelength. Now all he had to do, was keep his mind in the zone...

"Bolmeteus Steel Dragon to mana," Leo began. Tom nodded, wondering if the boy was really as good as he seemed to be based on his performance in the tournament.

"Aqua Surfer to mana," Tom responded now, letting his odd Kaijudo float out into the room. It was an almost pleasant energy, filled with something akin to curiosity, and quite a lot of confidence also. Leo's younger, less experienced psychic force seemed to have no trouble adapting to the output of his opponent. He drew his card. Phantom Dragon's Flame.

"Corpse Charger to mana. Summon Bloody Squito."
The energy within him rose, making Tom wonder if this was the youngster's avatar already, or if it was just that Leo could do more than one would expect from his age. The zone linked them now, but Gene found himself closer to Leo Motane's side than that of the Kaijudo Kid.

"Craze Valkyrie, the Drastic, to mana," Tom said calmly, "Summon Ballas, Vizier of Electrons."

The force now became even more shimmering and pleasant. Leo did not let this last long. He charged a Searing Wave to his own manazone and cast his Phantom Dragon's Flame, consuming the Initiate in fire. His turn ended there. Tom drew his card, almost cheerfully.

"Bronze-Arm Tribe to mana. End turn."

Leo looked at his hand, and his new card, and fidgeted slightly. His opening hand had been made up purely of Fire and Darkness cards, and they were still coming. Another Bloody Squito. He sent his Searing Wave to mana and summoned the second blocker, then ended his turn. Gene watched carefully as the two Squito buzzed around Leo. Blockers. Gene liked blockers for some reason he was not yet aware of.

"Holy Awe to mana," Tom declared, "Summon Miele, Vizier of Lightning! And draw--"

"Wait, what?" Leo said, almost snapping out of his Kaijudo trance.

"What the...?" Tom laughed, "What'd I just do? Why'd I think I had summoned Magris?"

He picked up the Miele and put it in his hand, then flicked the card onto the top of his deck. His hands moved deftly to reverse the error.

"Oh well, whatever," he laughed, summoning Miele again and ending his turn. Leo frowned. Something felt strange. Gene frowned also. Tom seemed to have simply undone his summon, but even with the mis-draw he had not shuffled his deck. It seemed unnecessary, so no one said anything. The duelists simply played on.

"Thrash Crawler to mana... cast Energy Stream... draw two cards..."
Now, the youngster's Kaijudo spiked in the way that was clearly that of an avatar's appearance, but there was no creature. Only the casting of the spell. Gene found this very strange, and managed to project a question all the way across the room to Suzanne.

"The way you and Yodaz have Corile... can a spell be like that?"

Suzanne seemed to pause, making Gene wonder if he had managed to ask at all, but soon the thought answer came to his mind. A feeling of confusion. She did not know. Gene sent back the mental equivalent of a nod.

"Aqua Surfer to mana. Summon Rumbling Terahorn," Tom now said, for his own turn. From his deck, he produced a Dava Torey, Seeker of Clouds, and showed it to Leo. The boy nodded and bit his lip slightly. That card could cause him some problems if he were not careful.

Leo now drew his next card and seemed to dip into thought again. An Aqua Hulcus. He sent one of the Liquid People to his mana zone, and summoned the other, to draw a new card. Now, unknown to Tom, Leo's hand contained both of his Apocalypse Vise cards.

Tom drew his card, and sent another Miele, Vizier of Lightning, to his mana zone.
"Now, Miele, evolve into Craze Valkyrie, the Drastic!"

His laughter was not mocking, but seemed to be of pure enjoyment as the Valkyrie's whips lashed out to immobilize the Bloody Squito pair... "Craze Valkyrie, double break! Ikei!"

Leo braced himself as the Evolution's surging assault shattered his shields. One was a Thrash Crawler, the other, Corile. The Terahorn charged in a moment later, this time striking a Phantom Dragon's Flame. Leo, of course, did not trigger this card. There was no point to that. Leo drew his card. Corpse Charger.

"Um... Apocalypse Vise to mana. Summon Corile, to return your Craze Valkyrie."
Corile swirled in, sending the cards back to the top of Tom's deck, the Valkyrie, then Miele.

"Interesting," Tom noted, but seemed to shrug off the effect. Gene noted this with slight confusion. The card did not seem to affect the Kaijudo Kid. Tom drew, and cast Energy Stream, then summoned Miele, not bothering to tap the Squito to let the Terahorn attack.

Gene tried to understand this. He knew that if the Terahorn struck a Shield Trigger, things could go a little oddly, but that did not seem to explain in any way why Tom would not risk the attack at all. His time to think about it was cut short when Leo drew his card and sent it directly to mana. A Thrash Crawler.

"Summon Thrash Crawler, to return my Bolmeteus Steel Dragon to me, and cast Phantom Dragon's Flame on your Miele." Yet another Initiate was consumed in fire, and Leo ended his turn with that. Tom drew his card, and calmly cast his next spell.

The effect seemed far less calming. Out of the shallow lagoon that had formed from his cards and mind, seaweed now snaked at an incredible pace, wrapping around the Thrash Crawler and dragging it away. Natural Snare. Tom held back his Kaijudo somewhat, to spare young Motane, but it still seemed to sap the boy's energy.

Leo drew his card, and stared at it blankly for a few moments. A Cranium Clamp. Gene could feel, vaguely, what it was, and wondered if, since they were not playing by any rules that would require the boy to attack... would he cast it?

It took quite awhile before Leo made any apparent decision regarding the idea. He muttered the words: "Thinking..."

Tom laughed, "It's fine. Take your time."

Leo seemed to make his decision once he heard those words. The Cranium Clamp went to his mana zone. He was unwilling to put Tom's Dava Torey on the field for him at this point.
"I hate to do this but... I summon Bolmeteus Steel Dragon! End my turn."

The huge robo-dragon landed heavily on the shoreline between Tom's odd lagoon and islands, and Leo's cracked landscape of boiling hot springs and tar pits. Its cybernetic roar echoed far in both directions, causing the crowd around to hush.

Tom drew his card, causing Leo to wince as the Kaijudo Kid's psychic emanations rose again.

"I shouldn't have done that," Leo muttered to himself, "I think you have another removal--"

"Natural Snare!" Tom announced, "On Bolmeteus, of course."
The seaweed snaked forth yet again, this time, to a far larger target. Bolmeteus struggled, and fought against the oncoming plants, but in the end they were simply too much, and the mighty dragon was overwhelmed. Leo sighed and frowned, as Tom ended his turn.

"Terror Pit..." the boy now said softly. The spell swallowed up Tom's Rumbling Terahorn, but Leo ended his turn there, apparently unable to do too much else to his opponent right then. Tom drew his card, and sent it directly to mana. A Holy Awe.

Leo did the same with his Searing Wave. Gene blinked again. The card seemed far less useful now than he had been led to believe. Something strange was happening and he could not place what it was.

"Could you please come look at this for me? I don't think you have to worry about being affected..." Gene communicated silently to Suzanne. She seemed hesitant, but crossed the room towards the duel again just as Tom made his next play...

"Ballas, Vizier of Electrons to mana, summon--"
Rather than bothering to do them separately, Tom just showed Leo the second Ballas card, then tapped eight of his mana cards. The reappearance of the Drastic one was at hand.

Again, the whips of light lashed out to immobilize Leo Motane's only two creatures. His two Bloody Squito. Again, the Evolution shattered the shields of the boy. This time, a Bolmeteus Steel Dragon and an Energy Stream. Again, nothing triggered.

"Corpse Charger to mana..." Leo said, "Summon Aqua Hulcus... and cast Apocalypse Vise!"

The power of the spell proved too much for even the Valkyrie, and it was obliterated, leaving Tom's field clear of anything yet again. Tom smirked. Now, he could afford to do what he did next. He drew his card but played no mana, and summoned Dava Torey, Seeker of Clouds.

Leo drew his card now, and sent it directly to mana. A Eureka Charger.
"Cast Energy Stream, draw two cards..."

The energy surged again, surprising Suzanne, and causing Tom to also look at the boy with some slight confusion. Apparently he had never encountered anyone whose Kaijudo seemed to attune itself to a spell rather than to a creature.

Leo had drawn another Eureka Charger, and a Lost Soul. Neither card was exactly any help, but he cast Eureka Charger. Just enough power to summon a new Bolmeteus Steel Dragon.

Tom glanced over his own graveyard pile as the turn passed to him. He drew his card and again chose not to play any mana. Instead, he merely cast an Energy Stream of his own, then summoned a Magris, Vizier of Magnetism, to draw yet another card.
"Hm... what to do... This is an interesting situation to say the least..."

Leo frowned, "One Holy Awe and it's over for me..."

"Haha. I know. I accidentally played it in mana. I thought the game was basically over, but when I drew my cards I realized that I had done that. Hmm... Oh well. Since I have the power advantage here... Dava, attack! Ikei!"

Left with no choice in the matter, Leo sent his Bloody Squito to intercept the Seeker of Clouds. Dava's beam saber made short work of the Brainjacker, but it would be enough to keep Leo alive for one more turn. Tom's turn ended there.

Leo drew his card, and blinked at it. His Bazagazeal Dragon... "Let me check something..."

He checked Tom's mana zone and graveyard pile carefully, then said; "I am wondering..."

Tom took the graveyard cards back from Leo and sifted through them himself, then nonchalantly put them back in their place. His side of the battle zone teemed with energy. Leo's was less so, but Suzanne seemed very interested now in what exactly was going on. It was undeniable that inside her was a calculating Corile, one which now, even with the golden bands on its 'arms' that somehow, to Suzanne, signified its restricted ability...

"There's another way, is there not? The attacker can still break through even the blocker without too much effort if one of those Evolution creatures appears yet again. Still... what does one do? Break the shields and hope? Or defeat the enemy forces?"

"Sorry, still thinking..." Leo said, making a strange face.

"What are you wondering about?" Tom laughed.

"Something great," the boy answered, seeming to laugh.

"Oh, please share," Tom laughed now. He glanced up at Gene, who seemed confused at the way the duel was going, altogether.

"No," Leo pouted, then laughed. Tom laughed now too, and leaned forward, still smirking.

"But it clearly affects me, I deserve to know!" the Kaijudo Kid now laughed with a wink.

"I hate Holy Awe," Leo noted, making a face again. He charged his Locomotiver to mana, finally, and tapped a large portion of it. A rumbling force shook the ground as the Bazagazeal Dragon ripped out of the earth itself into the skies, blades at the ready. Leo was not done there. His power rose again as he tapped his remaining mana, to cast the spell. Lost Soul.

The dark mist flowed into Tom's space, ridding him of his Miele, Vizier of Lightning, and his Crystal Paladin. As the Paladin vanished, one could almost feel the Kaijudo Kid's power dip. This did not stop the remaining Darkness from coalescing into a cloud that now shone from within, releasing a second Dava Torey, Seeker of Clouds, into the battle zone. Now, things were coming to their inevitable conclusion. Leo would have to attack.

"How about this. Let's have a gamble. Let's hope my Bolmeteus breaks any Holy Awe there might have been in your shields," the boy grinned.

Tom laughed, then said, "You're going to have to hope it magically becomes a Triple Breaker. There's at least an Awe, a Snare, and a Surfer, in there. Or, you can hope that I can't get past your Squito, if you destroy my creatures instead."

"Yeah, that's what I have been wondering. If I can try that..."

"Either way, looking at what is in on my field and in my graveyard I think I'm golden," Tom now grinned. Leo made another face, to which Tom continued, "I haven't seen a certain card that also does the job, at all yet."

"I am willing to take that risk," Leo decided clearly. Suzanne tilted her head as Corile attempted to calculate exactly what could currently be done. Leo could attack both Dava Torey now, and hope desperately that Tom's next card did not offer him a way through, or he could break shields and hope that somehow his Bolmeteus destroyed what needed to be.

"Wait. Does anyone have a coin I can use to help me decide?" Leo asked the audience.

"Are you serious?" Tom laughed, "I hope the coin lies to you!"

His words were jovial, causing the crowd to laugh. Someone did give Leo Motane his coin...

"I have enough," Leo said, and his Bolmeteus Steel Dragon surged forward to obliterate two shields. An Aqua Surfer and a Ballas, Vizier of Electrons. The boy cursed, then laughed at himself, but no one seemed too concerned about his language at this point. Bazagazeal followed Bolmeteus, but both these shields did trigger. An Aqua Surfer, to remove Corile, and a Natural Snare, to yet again, send seaweed out to drag away the Aqua Hulcus. It was over.

"Lucky coin! I did it!" Tom laughed.

"Quite..." Leo nodded. Suzanne looked perplexed, and a little cranky. Gene looked around at her, sensing the power of Corile again.

"What's the matter?" he felt his avatar ask. Suzanne looked across at him.

"Oh, so that is who you are!" the Corile responded. Gene seemed immediately anxious to know just what had been revealed to Suzanne, but the mental image she projected back to him was no help. It was unclear, and she herself did not know what the card was, other than that it was metallic looking and shimmery.

"Should we see what I would have drawn had you chosen the other way?" Tom offered.

Leo did not seem concerned either way. Gene felt Corile nudge the boy, and immediately found himself slightly scared of the idea of Suzanne's power returning. His avatar instantly calmed him. Suzanne was no longer any more dangerous than Yodaz, even with her power.

"Okay," Leo said. Tom drew his card. An Energy Stream.

"Energy Stream..." Leo noted, "... draw two cards."

Obviously, to show what was needed, Tom would have to draw two more. Both were Aqua Knights. Neither would have been enough on that turn.

"Well, that's a really unlucky draw," Tom laughed.

"Okay, you won..." Leo said, then he proclaimed, "You rock!" with a grin.

Tom drew one more card. He laughed and thanked Leo. "You rock too. That was close."

Suzanne's eyes narrowed. Gene felt her emotion change as she turned away, and since the duelists were now crowding around Tom Rogers and Leo Motane, no one noticed when he put some distance between himself and the duel table, to follow her.

"What's wrong?" Gene's avatar shimmered.

"Something's bothering me about that young man. It's probably nothing. Maybe I just don't like him. He laughs too much, or something... But I can tell you this... I would have attacked the Dava Torey twins..."
Suzanne went silent after this, seeming to fall into contemplation. Within Gene, light shimmered in what seemed to be understanding. Something was odd. Corile was not fading...