Episode 68. - Surfside Strategy Meeting

Eugene Pradian yawned and stretched back in his chair, looking out over the water. The wind was quiet, and the water calm and flat. He ran a hand through his dark hair, and turned his attention to the cards being deployed in front of him.

Shinji Nykahrii sat at an angle to Pradian, at the round white table in the seaside restaurant. About to begin the duel with their friend Jeff Fenrel. Fenrel had just defeated Pradian's new deck, barely squeaking out a victory, and therefore, he would now duel Shinji. Currently, though, rather than paying attention to that, he was looking wistfully out over the water. His surfboard was propped up on the railing behind him.

"Hey... earth to Jeff? Who's going first?" Shinji asked. Pradian laughed slightly at them both as Fenrel turned his head quickly.

"Played mana already," he pointed out to Shinji. His avatar was already in his mana zone. The Plasma Chaser. Shinji gave him a sheepish grin and sent Mist Rias, Sonic Guardian, to his own. Pradian felt the interaction between the Kaijudo of the two begin, and he now let himself fall into the zone with them.

Jeff charged Fire mana, causing the heat to fill Shinji's mind, before a twittering chirp seemed to come from somewhere in the distance. Kooc Pollon. He ended his turn, causing Shinji to smirk. It was going to be a bit of a race. He sent Nature mana to his own mana zone and summoned his Essence Elf in response.

"Mana," came the instruction to Jeff, from his Gel Fish avatar, as he drew another copy of the card. He sighed lightly and shrugged, doing so, and summoning an Ardent Lunatron.

"Kooc, ikei," he laughed, brushing some strands of sun-bleached blond hair out of his face. It did not trigger. Shinji looked at the card in very slight dismay. Petrova was seldom useful against the surfer directly. At most, it might help him defeat the Lunatron.

He drew his card, a Sword of Benevolent Life. Pradian exhaled slowly. It was always interesting to train like this. The triangle meant that he could not see the cards in hand of either of the other two, and had to go completely on his own knowledge of their decks and Kaijudo interactions. It did tend to make him pay more attention to possibilities...

"Crystal Memory to mana. Cast Spiral Gate on your Lunatron."

"What the--?" Jeff Fenrel was definitely surprised. Even moreso when Shinji declared a shield breaking attack with his Essence Elf. This shield did not trigger either. Shinji ended his turn.

"Is it that he expects us to fight the Elf with Kooc? Or that he is slowing us down by a turn, through removing the blocker?" the Plasma Chaser within Fenrel wondered now. Blue eyes narrowed, and the youth smirked at Shinji.

"Aqua Grappler to mana. Summon... Sopian. Kooc, break shield. Ikei. End turn."

"Shield Trigger. Holy Awe..." The light streamed down upon the Firebird and Cyber Lord, stunning them, and completely surprising both Pradian and Fenrel. There was no conceivable reason that Shinji would trigger the spell unless...

Shinji did not wait. He sent a Spiral Gate to his mana zone, summoned Snork La, Shrine Guardian, and cast Sword of Benevolent Life. Both Pradian and Fenrel smirked. They had both been able to predict that exactly. The light energy now flashed around the Essence Elf, and it sent a blast of power at Sopian, causing the Cyber Lord to attempt an evasive counterattack with its circuitry. Neither one survived the other's strike.

"Sometimes, Nykahrii, I think you're crazy..." Jeff laughed. Shinji smiled and thanked him for what he apparently considered a compliment.

Fenrel placed another Aqua Grappler into his mana zone, opting to summon another Kooc Pollon and an Ardent Lunatron rather than the Grappler. He ended his turn there. Pradian felt the change in energy again, as the Lunatron stood like a fortress in the mindspace, the two Fire Birds circling overhead like gulls, chirping their call out over the water.

"You always make my poor Channeler of Suns feel so useless," Shinji now chided, "Petrova to mana, summon Mist Rias, Sonic Guardian. End turn."

"Legionnaire Lizard to mana," Jeff said, and even as he said it himself, the other two practically groaned out the obvious move; "Summon Legionnaire Lizard. Lizard, ikei."

He glared at them both, then burst out laughing. The Lizard was already moving quickly over the sandbar in his mindspace, and though its appearance had added an Aqua Hulcus to Shinji's hand, things were going to get rough quite quickly if Shinji did not do something soon. He allowed the attack to get through, Snork La making no move to get into the Dune Gecko's path. It paid off. The shield shattered without trigger, but it was at least helpful. A Sword of Benevolent Life. A counterattack could be launched, even without Petrova.

"Aqua Hulcus to mana, summon a second Snork La, draw card, and cast Sword of Benevolent Life. Snork La, attack the Legionnaire Lizard. Ikei!"

The Guardian's increased power made it scream downwards even faster, but the Ardent Lunatron would not allow it. The Dune Gecko took cover under the protective pylons of the fortress-like Cyber Moon, as it engaged Snork La in vicious combat. Its power was not enough, and soon the Legionnaire Lizard was forced to scamper away as the Cyber Moon fell, defeated. Still, it had been protected. Shinji ended his turn.

"Huh? Hey, shouldn't you kill the Lizard too?" Jeff pointed out, looking at his field of cards. Shinji stopped, and seemed to ponder this.

"If you're worried about losing your Mist Rias, I doubt it. You know what's gonna happen if you don't take out my Lizard right now," Jeff noted. Pradian nodded in agreement.

Fortunately for them all, declaring the end of one's turn is an event that does not affect Kaijudo flow nor the mindspace, that often. So it was easy enough for Shinji to now send his Sonic Guardian in for the attack as well, and Mist's disorienting reverberations soon smashed the Legionnaire Lizard powerfully out into the water where it stood no chance. Again, Shinji declared the end of his turn.

The sound of a third twitter was added to Jeff's skies on his next turn. A third Kooc Pollon.

"Ack!" Shinji exclaimed now, as Mist glowed upon the arrival of the third Fire Bird, letting him draw a Spiral Gate.

"Haha!" Jeff laughed, motioning the end of his turn, "A whole flock! You shall never prevail!"

Pradian now laughed also, prompting Shinji to make a face and laugh, "Bastard! Next thing you know they'll be crowding around my feet! Crystal Memory to mana! Summon Elf-X, and draw... now cast Spiral Gate! Back, you chicky! Mist Rias, break shield. Ikei!"

The shield shattered with no trigger, and Shinji ended his turn. The energy of both Mist Rias and the Elf-X in the battle zone together would easily spell doom for nearly any duelist that could not quickly remove one of them. Jeff had the capability, but having the card itself at that moment was another matter, and Shinji seldom gave an opponent more than one chance at breaking his flow. Jeff drew his card, but played no mana.

"Summon Bolzard Dragon!"
The roar drowned out the sound of the Fire Birds totally, and practically shook the entire world of the two. Pradian shuddered slightly. It had been a good thing indeed that Shinji had been convinced to defeat the Legionnaire Lizard. Jeff's deck had many ways of putting the Lizard's helpful effect to use. As it was, his Bolzard Dragon would have to wait another turn before it could actually launch an attack.

"Whew. I nearly forgot to draw for your Dragon summon..." Shinji laughed, "Lucky I remembered. Look who I just got! Now face my own!"

"Your own dragon?" Jeff wondered, totally confused as to what Shinji was talking about. His denseness caused Pradian to laugh again. It was obvious, exactly what Shinji meant.

"Holy Awe to mana. Summon Aqua Sniper!"
The whirling waterspout now rushed forward, engulfing the Bolzard Dragon, even as the glow of Mist Rias allowed Shinji to draw yet another Sword of Benevolent Life. Jeff seemed surprised when, at the end of it all, his two Fire Birds still circled in the sky, and the Sniper was nowhere to be seen.

"I'll be back in a moment... don't worry..." came the laughing thought pattern, as Shinji declared an attack with his Elf-X, then ended his turn when nothing triggered. It was then, that it became clear to Fenrel, what his friend had done.

"Hmmm... I foresee a predicament..." Jeff noted to himself, looking over at Pradian, "Lessee now... Eureka Charger to mana..."

"Oooh, scary spells are coming?" Shinji snickered. Jeff shook his head, and smirked.

"Legionnaire Lizard! Lizard, attack Elf-X! Ikei!"
Pradian now laughed even harder, nearly falling out of his chair, as Shinji allowed this. He nearly sent one of the Snork La to stop the attack, but seemed to think better of it, toward the end, and let the Lizard reach the slightly fatigued Tree Folk...

Now, Jeff ended his turn, and Shinji drew his card. A new Snork La, to join the Aqua Hulcus he had been able to draw as a result of the Lizard's appearance.

"Hmm... aha! Senatine Jade Tree to mana. Summon Snork La, Shrine Guardian... draw... and summon Stained Glass... draw..."

"Dude... you're freakin' me out with those... Seriously. Heheh."

"Cast Sword of Benevolent Life! Bai, Lizaaaard! Mist Rias, ikei!" The Sonic Guardian sent another of the Dune Gecko splashing helplessly into the water, and Shinji ended his turn.

"Methinks you make me think too much..." Jeff remarked, sending his Bolzard Dragon to mana, fully aware that Shinji's avatar could still appear, "Therefore I will hope to somehow deck you out, considering how few options you left me with otherwise... Kooc Pollon, Missile Soldier Ultimo, and Ardent Lunatron! End turn."

"Your flock is back, I see. Came with a nest and a soldier too..." Shinji noted, drawing a Holy Awe, Essence Elf, Jade Tree, and for his draw of the turn, a Flood Valve. He placed an Aqua Hulcus into his mana zone and summoned an Essence Elf, drawing an Enchanted Soil, then summoned the Jade Tree and drew an Aqua Hulcus, finally calling upon his Elf's power to cast Diamond Cutter, and send Mist Rias in for the attack.

The Ardent Lunatron battled the Sonic Guardian to a halt, but this was just the opportunity needed for the Jade Tree's energy blast to take out one of Fenrel's two remaining shields. It triggered with a rushing wave. An Aqua Surfer, that swept away Shinji's Stained Glass, but the duel was over anyway. Snork La swooped in to shatter the final shield, and the Essence Elf, its body illuminated by the diamond light, delivered the final attack.

"Todomeda," Shinji laughed.

Jeff looked down at the Aqua Surfer now in his battle zone.
"So lucky. Bet he never has to worry about there being no surf..."

He turned his gaze out over the ocean again as Shinji shuffled his deck, and prepared to face Pradian. Since Shinji had defeated Jeff, Pradian would go first, and he began by charging Darkness mana. A Terror Pit. Smoky Kaijudo swiftly filled their minds, before Shinji's first mana card, a Crystal Memory, shifted their perception of everything to make it seem more like fog.

"Searing Wave to mana. Summon Smash Warrior Stagrandu."
Instantly, the smell of burning fuel, and heat. Pradian cricked his neck slightly as his Kaijudo shot up. His avatar was already in the battle zone. Shinji charged Light mana, countering the forces in Pradian's mana zone, and ended his turn.

"Aqua Surfer to mana. Summon Hourglass Mutant," Pradian laughed. This was nearly a perfect start for him against Nykahrii. The red sands now would bring death to anything Stagrandu attacked, even if the Armorloid fell in the battle. There was a greater danger lurking as well, and Shinji was well aware of this.

"Wow. Talk about a good start, man..." came the Plasma Chaser's analysis. Shinji drew his card, and breathed a sigh of relief. He would be able to counter this just in time, and though it was only a temporary measure, it was definitely better than not having the defense.

"Mist Rias to mana. Summon Snork La, Shrine Guardian. End turn."

"Nice enough timing, but who said I was planning on calling Grash to help?" Stagrandu chuckled now. The creaking mechanical sound that accompanied the next summon was not that of Stagrandu's second-in-command Armorloid, but rather the howling approach of a Locomotiver. The black smoke robbed Shinji of a Senatine Jade Tree, allowing Stagrandu to skid in over the shallow water and launch an attack on the Shrine Guardian.

Snork La easily blasted Stagrandu apart, but the red sand filling its body now filled the air instead, corroding the body of the Guardian and bringing it crashing down as well. The Hourglass Mutant's sand then assailed one shield, shattering it, as Pradian's turn ended.

"Move quickly, whilst the Armorloids are regrouping," came the instruction. Shinji put a Diamond Cutter into his mana zone and cast a Crystal Memory. Neither Pradian nor Jeff could see that it had brought an Essence Elf to him. He left them both guessing as to just what he had chosen to deal with Pradian's industrial power.

Pradian charged mana in the form of his mighty Spirit Quartz. Tanzanyte, the Awakener.
"Hourglass, ikei--" there was no trigger, "Locomotiver, ikei!"

Two more Blockers for Shinji, and he now drew another. Two Jade Tree and another Snork La. He charged the Sword of Benevolent Life, and summoned the Essence Elf and Jade Tree. With no Armorloids present yet, he took the chance, not summoning the Shrine Guardian.

"Not bad," Pradian said, "Don't get too upset about this one, eh? Rothus, the Traveler!"

The Locomotiver now crashed into the Essence Elf, giving Rothus enough time to open fire on them both, obliterating both creatures. Pradian ended his turn there. Shinji drew an Enchanted Soil, sent a Flood Valve to his mana zone, and, to Pradian's surprise, played the Nature spell. The energy of his fallen Essence Elf and discarded Jade Tree now added to his world, and he used the new power to summon Snork La as well.

"Good, keep the defenses up, we will have to hold out against the machines for awhile yet."

"Simian Warrior Grash!" Pradian declared, as the monkey-mecha rumbled out into the battle zone. A quick tinkering with Rothus before the mighty Armorloid made its rush for Shinji's shields, rigged it for a far bigger explosion than was normal, if it was defeated in enemy territory. The Jade Tree still spun down into Rothus' path, deflecting its attack and sending the Armorloid skidding through the shallow water. Rothus opened fire, cutting through the Jade Tree with a hail of bullets, but the Starlight Tree still blasted back with coalesced energy, finally falling just after Rothus exploded. Snork La's power suppressed this explosion, preventing it from damaging Shinji's world. Pradian ended his turn.

Shinji drew his card, sighed with further relief, and summoned it. Mist Rias, Sonic Guardian. He followed his with a new Jade Tree to replace that which had fallen, and the glow of Mist Rias allowed him to draw a Sword of Benevolent Life. Pradian sighed as Shinji ended his turn. Two of his Terror Pit were already in his mana zone, and he would need to remove Mist Rias as quickly as he could.

"Stagrandu to mana. Cast Zombie Carnival..." he said, steeling himself for the influx of odd energy that now revived his two fallen Armorloids. His turn ended. Shinji's Mist Rias would survive at least long enough to cause him a problem.

This became fact a moment later when the silver-haired duelist drew his Elf-X, charged Nature mana, and placed it on the field with a smirk. He drew a Holy Awe, but more importantly, he proceeded to summon Phal Eega, Dawn Guardian, directly afterward, drawing a Spiral Gate, and simultaneously retrieving the Enchanted Soil spell. As his avatar had instructed him, Shinji was taking no chances.

"I am going to die a painful death..." Pradian noted, drawing his card and sending his Hourglass Mutant to his mana zone. He summoned a new Rothus, but this one simply charged directly in, weapons blazing. Phal was the one that swooped down to stop it, and the explosion obliterated them both, but was, again, suppressed by the Shrine Guardian, protecting Shinji's world. Mist Rias hummed with energy, and Shinji drew an Essence Elf.

"We're not done yet," Stagrandu snickered as Pradian summoned it now also. Again, Mist Rias glowed. Shinji drew a Snork La. Now, as Pradian ended his turn, the elder duelist drew a third card. Petrova, Channeler of Suns.

"Yep, a painful death indeed... didn't I put Tornado Flames in here?"

Shinji placed a Spiral Gate into his mana zone, and closed his eyes, focusing his Kaijudo. First, his Elf-X glowed with power, causing the summon of his Essence Elf to be a simple matter. He tapped only a single Nature mana card, and drew a Stained Glass.

The new Elf now glowed, itself, as he cast the Enchanted Soil, for only three mana, placing his Snork La and Jade Tree into his mana zone. Then, it was the Elf-X's turn again, glowing to allow the Stained Glass to come into being, and Shinji to draw a Spiral Gate.

Finally, the Essence Elf did its part again, allowing Shinji to focus his remaining mana to cast the spell he had drawn before...

"Holy Awe..."
The beam left Pradian's forces helpless, and Snork La quickly disposed of the Hourglass Mutant first, suppressing the source of red sand-virus used by Pradian's Fire and Water creatures to bring death regardless of battle. Mist Rias swooped down on Stagrandu, and a blast disabled it. Snork La, still nearby, suppressed the explosion, then did the same when the Jade Tree channeled its blasts of light towards Simian Warrior Grash.

"Looks like he's got you this time, Pradian," Jeff laughed. Shinji's turn ended. Pradian drew his card and summoned another Rothus. This one charged in, causing the Sonic Guardian to hum, and Shinji to draw another Petrova, even as the Jade Tree moved to intercept Rothus and was caught in the explosion. It was much smaller this time, without Grash's 'modification'.

Shinji drew a new card. Another Holy Awe. He placed it to mana immediately, and began the final chain of power from his Elves.

His Elf-X glowed, allowing him to summon Snork La, draw Phal Eega, and summon that also, drawing a Stained Glass and retrieving his Crystal Memory from his graveyard pile. Now, the Essence Elf took over, allowing him to cast the Crystal Memory, and seek a Diamond Cutter from his deck. The final act was again, boosted by the magical Tree Folk, and the Diamond Cutter again filled the mindspace.

"Mist Rias, ikei--" this shield did not trigger, and neither did the next, in response to Shinji's declaration of-- "Essence Elf, ikei... Elf-X, ikei... Phal Eega, Dawn Guardian, ikei!"

"Shield Trigger, Tornado Flame!"
Finally, Shinji's Snork La was caught in an explosion from Pradian's industrial military, and destroyed, but this did not stop the other, and his Stained Glass, from finishing the duel.

Pradian picked up his deck and checked through it now, sighing.
"Two Tornado Flame at the bottom of the deck. Bleh."

"You forced me to play like a crazy duelist," Shinji laughed, "Your new deck is amazing, though. Wow... I have never had to work so hard..."

"No choice," Pradian said, "I hate Snork La, by the way. I should get a banner that proclaims it. Your deck looks messy, but there's lots of synergy to deal with..."

"Finally!" Jeff exclaimed, getting up from the table as the wind picked up powerfully, apparently no longer interested in either of his training partners, or any further dueling, "The surf, is up!"