Episode 63. - Illuminating Way To The Future

Harriet Torren's cell phone sang out its ring just as she reached the registration table. She paused, then excused herself to one side of the room to answer it. The low hum of her conversation did not carry into the room, only the occasional sounds of melodic laughter could be heard.

Most of the other duelists were ready to begin. The tournament was a large one, drawing players from a wide radius around. Gene almost marveled at the diverse field of competitors. Young and old, they had come. He found himself wondering if this crowd was all here simply for the joy of the game. The rare cards of the newest set were selling quite well amongst those who made those sorts of deals.

"Are you playing today, sir?" Suzanne now asked, snapping him out of his contemplation. Gene nodded, realizing that he had forgotten his own need to register, and walked over to the table just as Harriet finished her own registration and wandered off back into the throngs of duelists.

"I still always feel a bit silly at these tournaments," he admitted to Suzanne as he rejoined her.

"Because you are a high profile business executive?"

He laughed at this.
"No, because so many young duelists are here, and I feel rather silly walking up to teenagers in order to challenge them to duel. In one sense it makes me feel like a bully if I win, or I can feel rather silly if I lose. Sometimes, anyway."

"I'm going to go get started myself, sir," she told him, "Best of luck. See you in the finals?"

Gene laughed again at her particular brand of confidence and encouragement, and watched as she moved off in search of a target.

Now, he closed his eyes for a moment, mentally sweeping the room in search of a Kaijudo presence around the level of his own. He did not really expect this to work, and was therefore a bit surprised when his sense seemed to home in on one particular duelist. A Liquid force that he soon discerned. An Aqua Hulcus...

Opening his eyes, his gaze fell on a youth that appeared to be barely into his teens. Gene sighed. This was exactly what he had meant before, but today, he did not back out of it. He crossed the room to where the boy stood.
"Hello, young man. Kettou da."

Davis Kayos looked up at Gene and smirked, nodding in acceptance of the older man's challenge.
"Alright..."

Shuffling his own deck, Gene watched Kayos do the same. Looking down at his own deck in his hands, and over at Davis', he began to wonder if it were an optical illusion caused by his own possibly bigger hands. He finally asked outright.
"How many cards are in your deck, anyways? It looks rather large."

"About sixty two..." Davis replied, then, in response to Gene's look of wide-eyed shock, he continued, "Ye--ah... I... need to cut down. On that. Who's first?"

Harriet Torren walked up to them at that moment. No one would be likely to challenge her for awhile. She smiled at them both.
"Hello, Shadow. Hi, Mr. Kirricort. No problem with me watching, right? And Shadow should probably go first..."

Gene assumed that either she was trying to make it more fair somehow, to the young man, or she had no idea what Gene's deck itself contained. Nevertheless, he agreed to her suggestion, and Shadow began the duel by charging Nature mana. Gene drew his sixth card and charged light mana. Glory Snow. Harriet smiled in apparent surprise. The mindspace filled with shimmering lights, images of sky towers beginning to impress on their minds. Gene seemed surprised by his own ability, as Shadow now charged Fire mana. A Burst Shot.

Immediately, Reusol's instruction and knowledge gathered from Gene's time dueling and training with Suzanne, came to the fore. This opponent would be one he would have trouble with. The small size of his creatures would make them vulnerable to the fiery destruction that the opponent could bring, and Burst Shot's presence indicated that the deck would be based on holding him off, if the avatar of the opponent was a Hulcus.

"That means... I need to..."
He placed Chilias, the Oracle, in his mana zone, and cast his first spell. Rain of Arrows.

"We will find out what exactly we are up against..." Reusol noted now, as the power of the Sky Towers manifested. The spell revealed an Energy Stream, Corile, Terror Pit, and Aqua Hulcus, to Gene. He exhaled, thinking, as the light energy vaporized the dark power. The Terror Pit was gone now. Casting the spell had been altogether worth it.

Harriet folded her arms, smirking, slightly impressed at the idea of doing what Gene had just done. Her Kaijudo extended, wrapping around the two duelists, amplifying their ability on both sides, and strengthening the imagery. Gene looked up at her, wondering why she was helping in this way. She merely smiled at him and nodded to him as if to tell him to continue.

Shadow drew his card. Another Water card. An Illusionary Merfolk, causing him to make his usual sound, "Hm..."

He then did something Gene did not expect at all. He placed his Aqua Hulcus into his mana zone, and cast Energy Stream. Now, he drew two more cards. Both Illusionary Merfolk.
"Wow. End turn."

Gene sent his Whisking Whirlwind card to his mana zone, and summoned Bex, the Oracle. His opponent had not summoned, had mostly Water cards in hand, and was clearly a Disruption duelist along the lines of Suzanne's old deck, or that of Yodaz.

"In a way, this was good, since we know what to do, but it is also so very difficult..." Reusol noted, as Gene ended his turn. Shadow drew his card. A Lost Soul. He placed his Illusionary Merfolk into his mana zone and sighed, as his world took shape also. Unknown to him, Gene's deck was a bit faster than the executive's first few plays tended to indicate.

"I think I should... Chilias, the Oracle, to mana. Summon Reusol, the Oracle--"
Harriet found herself needing to retract some of her own power to leave 'space' for the surge in Gene's, at that point. He continued by summoning Sol Galla, Halo Guardian, alongside Reusol, and attacking with Bex. The shield shattered with no trigger. The Light Bringers and their Guardian hovered near the foremost tower, over Shadow's illuminated ocean. Gene knew exactly what was coming next, and was ready for it.

Shadow placed his Magmadragon Jagalzor in his mana, and did the obvious summon, "Corile."

The Cyber Lord floated up from the water, and with a wave of its arm, Bex vanished, teleported away to a faraway sky tower. Gene nodded. He knew how this sort of thing went. He drew his card, and sent Bex to his mana zone rather reluctantly. He preferred having the stronger creature, but it was necessary to stop Corile, for multiple reasons, and he had only one way to do that, now.

"I summon Kolon, the Oracle--"
The Light Bringer's energy flash immobilized the Cyber Lord, and Gene followed this by casting a spell. Whisking Whirlwind. The energy of the wind filled Sol Galla's wings, and the Guardian swooped down on Corile, smashing the Cyber Lord down into the water with a repulsor beam. Corile sank beneath the waves, and Gene's psychic energy surged as Reusol now zipped down to the enemy shields and shattered one with a weblike energy pulse.

Gene's luck was not with him. The shield's energy exploded outwards and upwards in a hail of bullets. Burst Shot. Kolon was torn apart only an instant after Reusol was. The power of the wind deflected many from around Sol Galla's frame, saving the Guardian. It now rode that wind back up into the sky, high out of range of anything Shadow could do with an attack.

Shadow drew his card. Yet another Burst Shot. He sent a second Illusionary Merfolk to his mana zone. Things were a bit complex with the cards he had drawn. He decided, rather than risk being overrun by the single Halo Guardian, to make his move immediately.

"Burst Shot."
Another hail of bullets filled the sky, and this time, Sol had no protective wind to save it from the spell. The Guardian was therefore shot down, and Shadow's turn ended with no creatures at all left in the battle zone. Gene drew his card, and merely held onto it. A Screaming Sunburst. No help currently.

Shadow's turn went similarly. He drew a Crimson Hammer. Also no use to him. Gene would make it more useful a moment later when he drew and summoned Wyn, the Oracle. Shadow nodded, drawing and summoning an Emeral, as well as casting Crimson Hammer. Gene sighed.

"So close..."
He had been thinking of the usefulness of being able to defeat Emeral with Wyn, but now that opportunity was gone, and his chance to turn this duel in the way he wished, with it.

"Screaming Sunburst, and summon Yuluk, the Oracle!"
The energy from the spell blasted down upon Shadow's Ocean, but Emeral was safe. Even Yuluk's appearance due to the incredible illumination, would not endanger the Cyber Lord.

"We should not worry. In such a large deck, and with two already in his mana zone, there's not much chance of him having another Merfolk now..."

"Lost Soul, to mana. Summon Bloody Squito, and Illusionary Merfolk," Shadow said now, causing his own power to rise, and Gene's to fall quite quickly as well. He immediately felt the weight of what he considered his own miscalculation, pressing upon him.

"Emeral, ikei!"

The shield did not trigger. Gene drew his card, trying to figure out a way to shift things back in his favor now that Shadow had managed to replenish his hand despite everything.
"Lunar Charger."

The spell shimmered, then added its power to both Yuluk, and the surroundings, allowing Gene to also cast Solar Ray to immobilize the Bloody Squito in a shimmering blast. He sighed again, sending Yuluk to descend upon the Cyber Lord. Attacking a new shield now would most likely end the duel regardless, for him. He needed to buy time, though he was not sure what purpose that could serve him.

The shimmering light gave Yuluk enough power to get far out of the range of the Illusionary Merfolk again. Harriet's energy suddenly fell away, leaving that of Gene and Shadow as the only forces sustaining the mindscape where their creatures now waited. Shadow drew his card. A Terror Pit. He exhaled with mild relief. Even if Gene actually had anything powerful, he would now be able to handle it. He placed his Thrash Crawler in his mana zone.

"Bloody Squito, and Magmadragon Jagalzor! Illusionary Merfolk, ikei!"
The shield at the base of the sky tower shattered under the Merfolk's attack, but an energy burst from above it signaled the arrival in the battle zone of Kolon, the Oracle. The great Magmadragon, which had surged forward as soon as the shield had broken, now found itself blinded and immobilized by the power of the tiny Light Bringer. There would be no rushing attack this time. Shadow's turn was over.

"Cast Rain of Arrows," Gene said, his mind calculating quickly. His chances were significantly diminished, but not completely. His Kaijudo surged a bit when he realized that Shadow had to discard a Terror Pit, as well as having no actual creature that could attack, in his hand.

"If he does not draw one, he cannot finish us. If he attacks, we will gain three cards. Surely something among them will give us at least a chance."

Gene ended his turn, and hoped.

Shadow drew his card, and his energy dipped considerably. A Mana Nexus. He could not finish this turn unless...
"Eureka Charger... and... summon Bronze-Arm Tribe!"

The triumphant declaration was met by a sigh from Harriet and Gene simultaneously. The Merfolk streamed forward in the water, to shatter another shield. This time, there was nothing to stop the great Jagalzor.

The Magmadragon carried the Bronze-Arm Tribe in on its back as it made its huge flaming blast against the final two remaining shields of Reusol's sky towers. Neither offered any defense, and the duel ended through a charge of Beast Folk warriors storming the tower.

"Todomeda!" Shadow declared. His Kaijudo spiked, piercing Gene's mental defenses, but not in any particularly devastating way. It merely cemented the feeling of defeat in the older duelist. Gene nodded slowly, accepting the feeling, then exhaled, shaking Shadow's hand.

Shadow now got up, assuming that Harriet had been waiting for her chance to duel Gene. She took his seat, but leaned back a bit, making no motion as if she were actually going to do so. Shadow did not stay there. He quickly went off into the room, to find someone else to duel whilst his Kaijudo was still high.

"Bad luck makes for such unsatisfying duels, don't you find, Mr. Kirricort?" she smiled now. It was at that moment that Tom came up to the two of them, interested to see whether or not they were dueling.

"I'm not totally sure that I did not somehow misplay that..." Gene admitted, looking down at his mana zone.

"Three Merfolk... three Burst Shot... you even got rid of both Terror Pit through your crafty spell. I think you did rather well, all things considered," she said, nodding gently, her eyes half-closed. Gene suddenly felt the presence of the Paladin behind him, and a surge of mental heat from the woman in front of him. A disorienting transition of temperatures.

"All my training against decks so much like that one, and yet I still never quite know what they are going to do. Burst Shot was the last thing I expected to trigger on that attack..."

"Even more unfortunately for you, both times the spell was actually effected, there was nothing left on his side for it to destroy. It is why I said what I did. I would tell you 'you will learn to handle it', but I do not see how one could have learnt to expect that."

"Burst Shot is a known weakness of decks like yours, Mr. Kirricort. To not expect it would be a relatively large error to make in such a game," Tom noted.

"He put one in mana. I hit another one. Then he cast a third, on the sixth turn, directly afterward. Yes, I should probably have resummoned Bex instead, but I know a Merfolk setup when I see one. I just can't believe he had so many..."

Harriet laughed, and got up, patting Gene on the shoulder in passing as she wandered off in search of someone to challenge. He watched her as she moved out of sight, wondering why she was so interested. Now, his own Kaijudo seemed to recover from his defeat, causing Tom to look around in surprise as it rose to a level he had only sensed in Gene once before.

A yelp from across the room captured that attention a moment later in a similar manner. A young duelist was locked in combat with a much older man. The elder gave off a strange, dark Kaijudo. He looked like he should have been in a hospital, rather than at a card game tournament in the late hours of the morning.

Tom projected his own awareness in that general direction, and Gene found himself able to benefit from this feedback. To his horror, it seemed to him very much as if the older man was draining energy away from the younger. A situation that seemed not only strange, but as though it should be impossible.

Tom crossed the room swiftly to the table, to find that the duel had only just begun. The only thing on the older man's side was a lone, tapped, Essence Elf. The only thing in his graveyard pile, a Cranium Clamp. Three cards in his mana zone. Two cards in his opponent's.

Roland Saives had got a very good first hand.

The young duelist's hand shook a little as he summoned a Bloody Squito, and ended his third turn. Roland charged Nature mana, and summoned Charmilia, the Enticer. The rush of energy that flooded the area as the Snow Fairy took form in the mindspace was so potent that the younger duelist did not move again for some time. Roland grinned, showing a set of diseased-looking gums, and urged his opponent on with a "Time to draw your card, child."

"I-I forfeit..." the boy stammered, placing his cards on the top of his deck, signifying this decision. For a moment, Roland seemed enraged, his Kaijudo surging intensely as a result. The boy yelped and scrambled out of his chair, away from the man. Roland's facial expression betrayed nothing more than mild annoyance, before becoming calm again. He smiled.

"All right, kid. Go report your loss, then. Better luck next time."

Tom stood there for quite a bit longer, staring at Roland, observing the movements of putrid Kaijudo within the man's sphere of influence.

Finally, Roland looked up at Tom, and fixed him with a sinister glare, sending a spike of Kaijudo at him, as he spoke the words: "Can I help you?"

Tom did not answer then. His power deflected the dark energy effortlessly, an event that seemed to catch Roland off guard.

"Hm. Are you going to challenge me now, young man?"

Tom scoffed slightly, "Of course not. Don't you know who I am?"

Roland looked Tom up and down, quizzically, then replied, "No, I'm afraid I don't. Should I?"

"I'm Thomas Rogers," he explained. His Kaijudo deflected another insidious surge from Roland.

"Well, nice to meet you, Mr. Rogers. I'm Roland. Saives. Now, going to explain to me why you're 'of course not' going to duel me?"

"I told you. I'm Tom Rogers. I'm the bonus match opponent for the day. The number one ranked duelist."

"Oh!" Roland exclaimed now, seemingly understanding. He paused, then continued, "... never heard of you. But I suppose I'll be getting to duel you after all, then. That'll be... inspiring, no doubt."

Tom regarded Roland with slight disdain. It was clear that the man was not above using his poisonous psionic energy to intimidate the younger duelists right out of the game. Few would sink so low in open tournament.

"You're quite sure of yourself..." Tom remarked.

"Of course. Confidence... the ability to convince your opponent that they have already lost... These are some of the most integral qualities a duelist can possess. Don't you agree?"

Tom did not answer this either. Roland did not seem bothered by that fact. He picked up his cards at last, the Essence Elf and Snow Fairy last of all, and shuffled his deck back together.

"You'll be defeated today," Tom said simply, turning away.

"By you, you mean?" Roland smirked, causing Tom to pause. He answered without actually looking back at Roland at all.

"If it comes to that."
With those words, he walked off, leaving Roland there, a sinister grin now adorning his face. He relaxed in his chair, and waited... for the next one who dared to take the opposite seat. He did not have to wait long, and his grin increased, showing the unhealthy gums yet again at the words of the next young duelist.

"Kettou da."