Episode 65. - The Shattering Of The Rainbow

The height of the promotional tours for the game, a point of convergence for the best of the best. This final duelist showdown was the last leg of the tour for both Gene Kirricort's entourage, and that of World Champion Ryoma Echizen. The end of direct promotional activity, this was no longer about the distribution of the ninth set. Now, it was simply about getting as much attention on the game as possible.

There was no actual tournament at this gathering. Many duelists were in attendance, playing, sharing their tips and hiding their secrets. Mostly, they were waiting. Waiting for that final epic exhibition match, between the number one ranked duelist, and the Champion. Ryoma had been wandering around quite a bit, watching other duels, carefully noting the new strategies. Some were amazing, others basic, but almost all of them were now what he would consider effective, and he found his mind filled with scenarios for playing around everything from Liquid Person themed Assault, to Petrova-assisted Cyber Viruses.

This brought a smile to the Champion's face, as his Kaijudo now radiated into the area around him.

Tom noticed this effect, watching Ryoma move from table to table. Finally, he reached the table where Tom was currently finishing a duel against a duelist that had been so arrogant, that Rogers had decided to show him a thing or two before the main event. Ryoma's eyes scanned quickly over Tom's mana zone, field of creatures, and hand. Tom could sense Forbos' analysis beginning, but he did not complain. This did not shake the Paladin's confidence at all. After all, nearly everyone already knew what was in the champion's deck as well.

The entire reason the deck was Championship level at all, was its ability to put up at least a decent fight against even decks that could counter it. Few decks built specifically with the aim of countering his, could run the gauntlet of other decks in order to reach him. Ryoma knew this well, and it was through precisely this knowledge, that he outplayed his many opponents.

"How is this one?" Forbos now asked.

"Full of blockers, apparently of the belief that no one uses the Scarlet Skyterror anymore. About to be defeated," came the response from the Crystal Paladin. Tom's previous turn had consisted of an Aqua Hulcus and Aqua Surfer. His opponent had simply put their blocker back. They were waiting, apparently for a Diamond Cutter. Their battle zone contained five creatures, four of them Blockers. Two shields remained, against Tom's Ballas, Hulcus, and Surfer.

"Go for it, Mr. Rank-One duelist," the youth laughed, "Got Holy Awe? That just might work if I don't have any triggers myself."

Tom shook his head at his opponent's pififul display of arrogance. The boy had never claimed that Tom could not beat him, merely that he would "make the great Tom Rogers see that he was just an ordinary duelist". There was only one problem with that.

Tom Rogers was no ordinary duelist.

"You are right. Holy Awe would not assure me victory. Neither would even my Craze Valkyrie. But you've overestimated yourself, as many duelists of your level tend to do. Rumbling Terahorn, to search my deck, and now evolve my Aqua Hulcus to Crystal Paladin!"

The opponent's shock was matched only by the surge of Kaijudo and mental imagery Tom now produced. Both of the opponent's Spiral Grass, and their two Dia Nork, were sent flying out of the mindspace as the Paladin flew into the air and its incredible sub-thermal burst barrier exploded outward in all directions. Unable to stop their own response to this burst, all four of the blockers had been effectively removed.

Tom's forces calmly finished the duel from there, the final attack being delivered by the Paladin itself. There had been no triggers anyways. With his opponent sufficiently humbled, and having no way to attribute Tom's victory to luck or even imply that it could have ended differently, Rogers could now simply pick up his cards and move on. just as he finished and shuffled them all together, one of the event officials approached. None other than Jasper Ikale himself.

"Gentlemen!" Jasper smiled good-naturedly, "If you don't mind, I'd like to take your decks for notation and shuffling now? We will be beginning the duel in fifteen minutes."

They both handed their decks to Jasper, who nodded, still smiling, and hurried off.

Ryoma turned to Tom, "It's going to be quite an interesting game, I think. Do you suppose that you will be going first? They might not let you, given the amount of accelerants you seem to employ, but I'd prefer if you did. I believe I've had far more experience against things similar to what you are using, than you've had against high-level Survivor builds."

Tom laughed lightly at this statement.
"The fact that the playerbase's experience with it is limited, means that they will compare any similar deck to that pile because it is the only semi-effective "survivor" ability deck they've ever seen. That is probably the only reason you hold your title at all."

Ryoma scowled, and walked off, opting not to be in Rogers' presence again until a quarter of an hour later, when the two stood on opposite sides of a table on a platform, their decks ready, and shields deployed.

This was what most would consider the ultimate showdown. Ryoma would indeed be going first. The clouds rolled in as he placed his first mana card. Death Smoke.

The Kaijudo Kid charged his first mana also, surprising the crowd slightly with exactly what it was. His Crystal Paladin. It made sense, due to the fact that Ryoma no longer used any Blocker creatures at all.

"Smash Horn to mana. Cast Faerie Life."
The power of lightning now lit the sky as the spell drew forth light mana. A Holy Awe. Ryoma smiled, letting his Kaijudo rise. That was a nearly perfect event on every level.

"Natural Snare, to mana," Tom said. He had to end his turn there. His fastest creature was Ballas, and there was no light mana with which to summon the Initiate even if he had wanted to. His own Kaijudo still rose to meet Ryoma's.

Ryoma drew his next card, looking at it calmly. A Mana Nexus. He sent his Lost Soul card to his mana zone and ended his turn. Tom exhaled, drawing his card also. A Magris, Vizier of Magnetism. Tom now placed his Holy Awe in his mana zone and ended his turn. Ryoma continued, drawing his next card also, and charging his Mana Nexus.

Tom began to twitch slightly, as the storm moved over his mindspace. Shaking off the effect, he drew his next card, which turned out to be a Rumbling Terahorn, and placed his Magris into his mana zone, summoning Miele, Vizier of Lightning...

Halfway through the materializing of the creature, he stopped the process, recalling it.
"Hehe... eh... I thought I had two Magris."

He returned the Vizier of Lightning and Vizier of Magnetism to his hand, and placed an Aqua Surfer in mana instead, summoning Magris now and drawing a new card. A Bronze-Arm Tribe. Ryoma laughed good naturedly, and sent another of his Smash Horns to his mana zone, summoning a Factory Shell.

The Colony Beetle's power shot into the sky, parting the clouds and bringing Forbos, Sanctum Guardian, down from the heavens. The image vanished, as Ryoma placed the card into his hand. Nearly nothing could ever stop Ryoma's avatar from appearing. Tom knew this, and ignored it. He had one or two more turns to go before the Survivor army became a true threat. This would be the true test.

"Rumbling Terahorn to mana," Tom announced, deciding to hold onto the Natural Snare he had drawn, just in case, "Summon Bronze-Arm Tribe..."

The Tribe's power charged Light mana for him. Another Miele, Vizier of Lightning. This made it possible for him to summon the one he had mistakenly summoned before, and for its electrical surge to stun the Factory Shell.

"Magris, attack the Factory Shell. Ikei!"
The Initiate's electron cannon blasted down repeatedly upon the Colony Beetle, and its efforts to fight back were not enough. It soon crashed to the ground, ensuring that even if Ryoma's onslaught did continue, its effect would not be amongst those added to his army.

Tom's turn ended here, and Ryoma drew a card. Another Smash Horn. He frowned slightly at this development. It was fundamentally not that lucky to have so many of his smaller creatures come to him before the Sanctum Guardian was ready. He placed this one to mana also, and summoned Forbos at last.

The sky split again with the Guardian's power, and the spell that now came to him was a surprising choice. Searing Wave. He ended his turn, shuffling his deck. Tom drew his next card. An Aqua Surfer. He contemplated summoning it for a minute, but seemed to decide against it, and instead summoned a Rumbling Terahorn. The double stomping sound indicated that he had used it to get a second one. He shuffled his deck after getting a fairly good look at it, and then made his move.

"Bronze-Arm Tribe, ikei! Break shield!"

The Tribe rushed in, over the islands, lancing into the defenses. The shield shattered, and Darkness energy streamed over the water, directly under the Vizier of Magnetism, then erupted upward to capture the creature and drag it into oblivion. Terror Pit.

"Ouch..." Tom remarked. The event did put a slight dent in his plans. Ryoma would not necessarily have known that it would happen right then, but he had known that it would happen at some point.

"Miele, break shield. Ikei!" This one shattered without trigger, prompting Tom to say, "That was a really bad misplay."

Ryoma drew his next card. A Grave Worm. Now, the true purpose in retrieving the Searing Wave was revealed. He had not intended to cast the spell, merely to use it as mana to allow him to cast the far more devastating...

"Apocalypse Vise."

It was slightly overkill, but it took care of the situation cleanly. The Vizier of Lightning, Bronze-Arm Tribe, and Rumbling Terahorn were all utterly obliterated. Tom now untapped his cards, grumbling very slightly, and drew his next card. Another Aqua Surfer. He placed it in his mana zone, charging the energy, and summoned his next Rumbling Terahorn. The dual thundering of hooves yet again showed his intent. He had got a third Terahorn. His turn ended here, with Ryoma's power now sparkling in the sky.

The World Champion now drew another Forbos, and placed it to mana without so much as a blink. A new Factory Shell arose, looming over Tom and his Terahorn, and glowed with Forbos' power, bringing both Ryoma's final Smash Horn, and a Mana Nexus, to him. The Smash Horn was immediately summoned, and it brought a Searing Wave and Blazosaur with it. The Survivors were on the move.

"Dava Torey to mana. Summon Aqua Hulcus."
The Hulcus had been the last card that the Kaijudo Kid had drawn. Now, he drew by its effect, as the creature took shape. Another Bronze-Arm Tribe. He summoned his Aqua Surfer beside the Hulcus, to return the Factory Shell to Ryoma's hand.

"Rumbling Terahorn, ikei!"
The shield that broke was a Faerie Life, and it sent a Mystic Treasure Chest to Ryoma's mana zone. Another helpful boost, since the card was unlikely to be one that the Champion would have wanted to draw at his next chance. Tom ended his turn.

Ryoma drew his next card. A Terror Pit. He decided to save it, sending the Searing Wave to his mana zone, and resummoning his Factory Shell. Its power brought both Holy Awe and a Blazosaur to Ryoma.

"Mana Nexus," the champion continued, using the power of the Nature stones to make his first Holy Awe from mana into a new shield. He ended his turn, quite safe behind his shield power. Now, it was up to Tom to find a way through the wall...

The Kaijudo Kid drew his next card. An Aqua Knight. He frowned slightly. This was not exactly the most helpful of situations. He summoned his third Rumbling Terahorn. This time, it brought the Crystal Paladin to him. Beside the Terahorn, he now summoned a Bronze-Arm Tribe, and it placed his Energy Stream into his mana zone.

"Terahorn, ikei!"
The hooves thundered forward. The shield shattered under the mighty charge. There was no trigger. Tom smirked. He knew exactly what he was going to be able to do now. Everything was set for the final attack.

"Aqua Surfer, ikei!"
And then it all came crashing down...

"Shield Trigger. Holy Awe."
The shield was not the one Ryoma had set for this purpose. It was his fifth original shield. The illumination blasted down upon the Crystal Paladin's forces, stopping them all. Ryoma's final shield, something they both knew to be a second Holy Awe, remained untouched. Tom would need two turns to get through. Ryoma was not about to give him those two turns...

Ryoma drew his card, and looked at it in slight confusion, then laughed. Another Mystic Treasure Chest. He had not been able to escape drawing it after all. He placed his Blazosaur into his mana zone, and summoned another, then another. From his deck, their power produced four cards. Holy Awe, a Mana Nexus, yet another Blazosaur, and his mighty Q-Tronic Gargantua. The champion's finishing move was at hand.

"Blazosaur, evolve into Q-Tronic Gargantua!"
The Rock Beast reared up, drawing in energy from what seemed to be Ryoma's entire world, exploding with scarlet power, and becoming one of the mightiest of all creatures. Everyone knew exactly what was coming next. Even Tom knew. He had been preparing himself for it...

"Gargantua, World Break!"
The power funneled deep into the storm again. Ryoma was by now, used to controlling his extreme Kaijudo at points like this one. The storm clouds sent their wrath down upon Tom's shields in the form of blistering lightning bolts, shattering them all simultaneously. The only trigger was the last in the line. An Aqua Surfer. It would do nothing against the onslaught.

Tom did not even bother to select a creature, or stop what followed. Ryoma took the chance to boost his own energy more.
"Forbos, Sanctum Guardian! Todomeda!"

When Tom recovered, he took a look through his deck again.
"Oh... I see. I miscounted my Holy Awe... here it is..."

"I must say, that deck is surprisingly strong," Ryoma remarked, realizing that his opponent was powerful enough to mostly just shrug off the effect of his Kaijudo.

"I was setting you up for that exact move, 'knowing' that I had one..." Tom now frowned.

"Heh. I make that mistake a lot," Ryoma laughed. Tom laughed also.

"Oh well, nobody believes that when I say it anyway. Good game. As for the deck..." he shrugged now, "It would have been better if you had actually played Lost Soul."

"I would not have played Lost Soul," Ryoma remarked now, "I saw and heard about your deck previously, so I knew that would be a bad idea."

The focus finally left them now, allowing the duelists to exit the stage, and go their separate ways. Tom made his way to Jasper Ikale, planning to use his Kaijudo to finally find out the truth about Jasper's intentions in hiring him for this task. Gene and Suzanne also approached Jasper at exactly that moment, and Gene was the first to speak.

"So, Jasper, how goes the research? I'm hoping to begin making the transition towards the forty card limit starting about two weeks after the tenth set is released. Will there be anything that prevents that?"

Jasper looked annoyed, and though his voice did not betray this emotion, his mild psychic resonance did. Gene did not seem bothered. He was quite used to evoking this particular reaction from Jasper Ikale.

"Shouldn't issues such as that be discussed strictly in our official meetings, Mr. Kirricort?"

"Oh Jasper," Suzanne laughed, "You're such a card!"

She burst out laughing at her own awful pun now. No one else found it funny. This did not stop her in the least.

"I believe this brings an end to what was required of me for this tour?" Tom now asked, looking at Jasper directly. Ikale blinked at him noncommittally, and then broke into a truly false grin, clapping Tom on the shoulder.

"Excellent show, Mr. Rogers! I couldn't have done it better myself..."
His voice trailed off here, his Kaijudo almost venomous as he finished his sentence. Tom calmly removed Jasper's hand from his shoulder, and politely nodded to Gene and Suzanne.

"I have heard that you will be reducing our deck limits to forty cards in the future? Does this mean that you have reconsidered the errata and will be using that as your 'balancing' method against what you deem unfair, instead?"

Gene looked across at Suzanne now, as if neither of them had ever even considered this as an option. Moments later, Tom received a simultaneous 'no' from Corile and Reusol. They did not bother to answer verbally. There was no one else nearby but Jasper, and despite his generally lower psychic ability, Jasper was just as receptive as any other average duelist.

"That was quite the serious duel, Mr. Rogers," Gene said now, sounding genuinely impressed. Tom did not bother to respond directly to this. He could easily sense that Gene's wonderment was directed more towards Ryoma's play than his own. Gene was not one to track duels normally, so he would not be aware of just how often Ryoma executed techniques exactly like that one, in practice.

"Yes, I miscounted my Holy Awe, but other than that it was a good match indeed."

"Miscounted your Holy Awe?" Gene now asked, seeming slightly confused and more than a little interested. Tom nodded.

"I was setting it up such that when he attempted that move, I would be able to instantly attack him on the turn directly afterwards with my Crystal Paladin. Whatever he did, I was going to finish him."

"Oh, I see. But he was setting you up similarly, I suppose? Knowing that you could not get through the extra Holy Awe he had himself? That's brilliant. Such an incredible level of play."

"He was about to put up another Holy Awe as well," Suzanne remarked, "Presumably if anything particularly strange happened when he broke the shields, though I can't imagine what he expected. Perhaps he just got ready to put up a new Awe-shield out of caution?"

Gene and Suzanne launched into a serious discussion now regarding the chances of Ryoma being able to hold up his wall of shields against Tom's onslaught. Tom scowled slightly, his Kaijudo now dying away.

"I'll be heading back to New York now then, if no one needs me further."

"Have a safe trip," Gene smiled. Suzanne nodded. Jasper smiled also.

Thomas Rogers nodded himself, and walked away.