Episode 72. - Black & Blue & Read All Over

"Victory to duelist eighty seven!" came Juliet's voice over the public address system of the venue. They still could not tell how exactly she discerned this.

Shu Lon's dark Kaijudo reached out, mentally nudging Remni through the actions of picking up his cards and moving out of the way. Yodaz watched as the level of control Shu could exert over someone's mind became truly apparent, and he wondered momentarily if one had to be defeated in a duel before Shu could do that.

"Would duelists ten and twenty three now please carry on with the next duel?"

Duelist ten was finally a well known woman in the KC dueling circuit, a role which she was actually taking to quite well, despite her quiet and often brooding demeanour. Amera-Lynn Tyler stepped forward, and, noting her opponent, smirked at his method of dress. Both she, and duelist twenty three, Sniper Randnum, wore apparel that hid their skin completely save their neck and face.

The nearby judge checked his data, and gestured to indicate that Amera should go first. She charged Fire mana. Her Sword of Malevolent Death. Sniper charged fire mana also. A Twin-Cannon Skyterror. Amera's next mana was one of her new cards, a warrior that had joined her forces when the 'rainbow had shattered'. Ulex, the Dauntless.

"Terror Pit to mana. Cast Ghost Touch."
The connection between the two was instantly formed, as the darkness crept up around Amera. She winced momentarily, as her opponent somehow seemed to put more Kaijudo behind his spells than most. The first loss was her Shadow Moon. She cringed, but steadied herself soon afterward, drawing her next card.

"The Moons are many, and we have our ways now. Press onward quickly, this one has the power of a rising light..."
Amera placed one of her two Scratchclaw into her mana zone. Another newcomer to her deck, having replaced her Skullsweepers. Her other discarding creature, she now placed into the battle zone. A Horrid Worm.

Sniper seemed to think about just what should be done regarding the wiggling jelloid mass, but in the end just charged Darkness mana and did nothing further. Amera charged no mana. She summoned Ulex, the Dauntless, and sent her Horrid Worm at Sniper.

The creature wiggled across the landscape, forcing Sniper to give up some of his energy, a Dark Reversal spell, as the worm devoured what was in its path. The shield did not trigger.

"Sol Galla, Halo Guardian, to mana. Summon Pala Olesis, Morning Guardian. End turn."

Now, Amera-Lynn drew her Gregoria, Princess of War. The card made her smile, and she placed it into her mana zone, to allow her to cast her battle spell. Rumble Gate. The worm rumbled forward at the destabilized Morning Guardian, destroying it and robbing Sniper of another of his spells. A Terror Pit. Ulex made no move. Amera was content to wait.

Sniper now did not charge mana either. Tactically, it made no sense to. Amera grinned at her opponent's choice even as he cast the Ghost Touch and rid her of her Scratchclaw. She did not charge mana on her next turn either. Her Horrid Worm again wiggled forward, discarding yet another spell from him. An Energy Stream. This shield did not trigger either.

"You are... an exhausting person..." Sniper breathed, doing nothing more than charging one of his Cranium Clamp to his mana zone. Amera drew a Rumble Gate, the second one in a row, and frowned. Her opponent had no creatures, so they were not the best thing to have just then. Her Worm wiggled forward again, and yet another spell was lost from Sniper's hand. A Rumble Gate.

At first chance, he sent another of those Rumble Gate to his mana zone, and cast a Crimson Hammer, finally stopping the consuming onslaught of Amera's Horrid Worm. She pouted slightly. His early discard of her Shadow Moon had proved meaningful after all.

She summoned a Chaotic Skyterror now. It was going to be close no matter what happened at this point, and she would need to be ready. Ulex flew directly in, to shatter another shield. Her opponent had no creatures, but by now his focus on spell-based power was becoming clear. The shield shattered, and the teleporter activated. Crystal Memory. Amera's Kaijudo instantly went into a defensive mode. There was a spell he could get, that would undo her.

"Phal Eega to mana," Sniper declared, his own psychic energy pressing forward as a result, "Cast Apocalypse Vise!"

As she had expected, his spell power had finally turned back against her, obliterating her Spirit Quartz and Skyterror even as they attempted to fly out of range. She drew her card. Yet another Rumble Gate. The lapse in attack would prove to be her end. Sniper summoned, on next turn, a card she had nearly no defense against. The Valiant Warrior Exorius.

The crowd buzzed now, she sent yet another Rumble Gate to her mana zone. It was unlikely to be directly helpful, and she would need more mana if she were ever going to summon two creatures at once in order to escape from the patrolling Armorloid. Sniper calmly just charged mana. She drew her card, but did nothing at all.

Sniper exhaled with relief, and summoned a Thrash Crawler. The creature's power returned a Cranium Clamp to him, and Valiant interfaced with the device, as it rumbled in to break a shield. Her Shadow Moon and Amber Piercer vanished from her hand, replaced by a Horrid Worm. She cringed, especially since her next card was a Marrow Ooze. The Living Dead would have been well combined with the Shadow Moon, protecting it long enough to let her summon the Piercer also and at least move toward the end, but Sniper's spells had thwarted that, and now all she could do would be to summon the Worm and Ooze.

As she expected, a Crimson Hammer and an attack from Valiant quickly squelched their attempt to pose a threat. Sol Galla appeared also, making the situation even less desirable. She drew her card. A Cannoneer Bargon. She contemplated summoning it, but decided that was useless, and ended her turn.

"Summon Aqua Hulcus, and Pala Olesis, Morning Guardian. Sol Galla, ikei."
The broken shield caused her Kaijudo to leap. Her General of Destruction. She contemplated again. There might still be a way to outmaneuver the young man whose spells had brought her army to a standstill.

In the end, no such way came. Only two Dark Titan Maginn, one after the other, creatures too large to summon alongside Trox, or to be any general help. A third was, unfortunately, in her shields, along with a Sword of Malevolent Death, making the situation worse. She sighed.

"Just finish it..." she sighed softly. Sniper nodded, his Halo Guardian making the final attack with no surge of energy. The duel ended, not as a Kaijudo clash, but as a regular duel, leaving the spectators slightly surprised and confused, after the potent displays of the last few matches. Red glove shook black glove, and the duelists parted.

"Victory to duelist twenty three. Now will duelists... Forty three and ninety eight, please move to the main area. And would the two young ladies standing by the wide angle lens please step a few inches to the left? Thank you."

Duelist forty three was Evan Sundiata, a short youth in glasses with thin sandy brown hair. He placed his deck on the table and watched as his opponent, a slightly taller teenager who he recognized as having been taking pictures of the event, before, stepped forward. Blune Phantom was the name given by this one.

The judge indicated that Phantom should go first. Evan watched as his opponent charged a Holy Awe to his mana zone. The light seemed to suit Evan, though he charged Nature mana, himself. An Ambush Scorpion. Phantom charged more light mana and summoned Sarius, Vizier of Suppression. Evan charged Sanfist, the Savage Vizier.

"Hm... do you find this deck of mine weird?" Phantom now asked Evan, as he placed Skysword, the Savage Vizier, into his own mana zone, "I ask because I used to play in the regular league but when I came into this one I made this and sort of liked it... but it's odd."

Evan shrugged, saying; "I'll tell you when I've seen more of it? Trench Scarab to mana. Summon Sword Butterfly. End turn."

Phantom charged more light mana and summoned another Sarius, Vizier of Suppression. Evan sent another Trench Scarab to his mana zone, the glimmer in his energy revealing the creature to be his mighty avatar. What he summoned, was a Sabermask Scarab. Phantom simply placed yet another Sarius into his mana zone and ended turn.

"Looks like you've definitely got a weird hand, at least," Evan noted, mana dropping his Obsidian Scarab and summoning an Ambush Scorpion. He ended his turn there. Phantom placed a Bronze-Arm Tribe into his mana zone, and brilliant light engulfed his Vizier of Suppression, his Kaijudo surging strongly.

"Sarius, evolve into Craze Valkyrie, the Drastic!"
The whips of light lashed out to stun the Sabermask Scarab and Sword Butterfly. The Craze Valkyrie seemed to explain something about this choice, to Phantom, before diving in to defeat the Scarab, leaving the Butterfly to be squashed by the Vizier of Suppression.

"Nothing too weird yet..." Evan shrugged, sending his own Vizier of Lightning to his mana zone. He summoned an Obsidian Scarab, and his Ambush Scorpion quickly skittered over the field of grass and flowers that made up his mindspace, to destroy the Vizier of Suppression.

Phantom charged no mana, merely casting a Soulswap, to everyone's surprise, on his own Craze Valkyrie. Skysword, the Savage Vizier, now appeared through the dimensional portal, granting him a new shield and a Terror Pit in his mana zone. Evan blinked, both at the move, and at the Darkness spell that now seemed to bring shadows to the corners of Phantom's realm. Now, he could admit that things were beginning to look a little odd. Especially since Phantom made no other move. He had, however, gained two mana with the use of only one card from his hand...

"Ha! Nice, but I doubt it's enough now!" Evan laughed, as he grinned at what his next card was, "Ambush Scorpion, evolve into Dyno Mantis, the Mightspinner. Obsidian Scarab, Triple Break his shields! Ikei!"

The Scarab's power, now augmented by the Mightspinner, crashed through three of Phantom's shields, none triggering. The Mightspinner itself shattered another two, one of which was a Soulswap. Phantom considered, then triggered the effect of the spell, sending Skysword through the dimensional gateway, but bringing the creature right back out again. A new mana card and a new shield.

"Hmmm..." Phantom noted, "Ballas, Vizier of Electrons to mana. Summon Bronze-Arm Tribe. Now summon another Ballas, and evolve it into Craze Valkyrie, the Drastic! Craze, attack the Mightspinner! Ikei!"

The Initiate had a rough time in the clash, the battle raging on for awhile before Phantom's avatar finally bested the great insect and brought it down. Things were still a bit close. Evan noted his opponent's lack of blockers, and decided to go for it, with his next card.

"Now I'll show you the real power of the deck. Petrova, Channeler of Suns! Warm and strengthen my Giant Insects! Obsidian Scarab, break his shields! Ikei!"

"Oh my..." Phantom winced. Evan's tactics were nearly flawless. Petrova could not really be stopped. Three of Phantom's blockers were already defeated. Even if Phantom could somehow defeat the Obsidian Scarab, its death would cause another one to appear in the battle zone. It was over.

Or was it?

"Gajirabute, Vile Centurion, to mana... evolve Bronze-Arm into Earth Ripper, Talon of Rage!"

The Bronze-Arm now was bathed in green light, and indeed did tear up the earth, returning power to Phantom. Power that he quickly used in what was one of the most skilled plays seen in the tournament so far. The cards that the evolution returned to his hand, were two Sarius, a Terror Pit, and a Holy Awe...

"Summon Sarius, Vizier of Suppression, and cast Holy Awe!"

"Incredible..." Evan muttered, as the light engulfed his creatures, The Earth Ripper brought down the Channeler of Suns, and with her light gone, the Craze Valkyrie could overcome the Obsidian Scarab. Even the appearance of a new one from beneath the corpse of the fallen, would not assure Evan a victory. The Vizier of Suppression was back.

Evan drew his card and summoned Sanfist, the Savage Vizier. He considered carefully, then ended his turn. To move now would leave the Scarab too vulnerable. What he needed was Miele, or his own Holy Awe.

Phantom did not lapse in his movement, swiftly summoning two Skysword, generating two more shields. Evan summoned a Sabermask Scarab. One attack from that creature, and Miele would be returned to him, ready to make the final attack possible.

"Summon Sarius, Vizier of Suppression, and cast Terror Pit on your Obsidian Scarab," Phantom said now. The crowd of duelists was abuzz with excitement. None of them had ever seen a duel like this before. Even more oddly, Evan did not use his next card, nor attack.

Phantom cast a second Terror Pit, dragging away the Sabermask Scarab. Evan frowned. The card he had drawn had been his second Dynomantis, and he had been planning an evolution. Now, the Talon of Rage charged forward, shattering two shields. One, a Sword Butterfly. The second... Holy Awe.

Evan quickly tried to decide what exactly he could do. He had drawn the Miele he needed, but it was now no help, and he did not have enough mana to instantly summon the Dyno Mantis and go for the finish. He now summoned just his Butterfly and the Vizier of Lightning.

Phantom now revealed another of the strange powers of his deck, summoning his Gajirabute, Vile Centurion. The Dark one slashed through a shield as it teleported into the battle zone, instantly sucking the energy away into the dimension from which he had just come. Earth Ripper charged straight for the final two. This was it.

"Shield Trigger, Holy Awe!" Evan declared triumphantly. The entire crowd went up in a roar. The duel had turned around again. Evan looked at the two Jil Warka in his hand, one from shields, one now drawn. He decided to take his chance. He placed one into his mana zone.

"Sword Butterfly, evolve into Dyno Mantis, the Mightspinner! Double Break his shields, ikei! Sanfist, to-"

"Shield Trigger, Holy Awe! Craze Valkyrie! Todomeda!"

Evan reacted to the extreme reversal of Kaijudo, as if slapped hard across the face. The incredible duel was over. A youth stepped out of the crowd now. His hair was bleached blond and slicked back, but one could instantly tell that this was Evan Sundiata's twin brother. Lucius helped Evan away from the table, but even as he did so, his own number was called by Juliet. Forty four. The other duelist, number sixty, was Angga Rahadyan.

Lucius would go first. A necessary chance given Angga's nearly perfect defenses. Angga looked shocked at young Sundiata's first card to mana. Thunder Net. He placed his own Aqua Surfer to mana. Lucius summoned another confusing card. A Grape Globbo.

The Cyber Virus revealed the inside of Angga's carrier, to Lucius. Two Mist Rias, a La Ura Giga, an Aqua Surfer, and the Crystal Memory teleporter. Angga sent one Mist Rias to his mana zone and summoned the La Ura Giga.

Lucius smoothed his hair back, sending the Grape Globbo he drew to his mana zone and summoning a Charge Whipper. Angga countered by deploying Pala Olesis, Morning Guardian. Lucius charged light mana, but did not summon. Angga was again, subjected to slight shock. The card Lucius had placed into his mana zone was Petrova, Channeler of Suns. Apparently the twin brothers thought similarly in terms of deckbuilding.

Angga placed another Aqua Surfer in his mana zone and deployed Dia Nork, Moonlight Guardian, from his carrier. Lucius charged Light mana...

"Petrova, Channeler of Suns. Boosting my Cyber Virus. End turn."

"So, you got Petrova first. But have you mastered her power? Aqua Hulcus to mana, summon Mist Rias, Sonic Guardian."

"It is not her power I ever intended to master. Grape Globbo, evolve into Cosmic Nebula!"
The change in the form of the Cyber Virus activated Mist Rias' ability, and Angga drew his card. He sent a Diamond Cutter to his mana zone.

"Come on, Petrova, baby... where are you? Summon Mist Rias... draw... summon La Ura Giga... draw twice..." he said. The sound of movement within his carrier indicated a change in systems. The situation could turn bad for Lucius very quickly now with a Mist Rias hovering on either side of the aircraft Carrier. Still, without Petrova on their own side, the Guardians were somewhat at the mercy of Lucius' viral forces. Lucius now smirked, as his Cosmic Nebula's hyperintelligence doubled the number of cards he could draw at the start of his turn. He drew a Charge Whipper, and a second Petrova.

"Charge Whipper to mana. Summon Marine Flower, and Petrova, Channeler of Suns! Now my Viruses all have at least ten thousand power."

Angga did not seem too bothered, as the action had allowed him to draw four cards, the power of the dual Mist Rias becoming clearly apparent. The Cosmic Nebula swarmed the ship, breaking a shield, but the Aqua Surfer that rushed forth now, swept back the Charge Whipper, not caring about how 'powerful' it was, at all. This caused Lucius to end his turn. He could wait... even if Angga summoned his own Petrova now.

Angga did something far more dangerous. Holy Awe. The blinding light allowed Dia Nork to strike down one of Lucius' Petrova, but nothing more. Lucius countered on his next turn with his own Holy Awe, and his Petrova and Cosmic Nebula destroyed Angga's Pala Olesis and Dia Nork. Angga placed his Eureka Charger into his mana zone.

"Sadly, it seems that you have not quite mastered how to truly let the lady Petrova do her work. I summon Petrova, Channeler of Suns, but I do not use the effect of my Mist Rias. Also summon Jil Warka, Time Guardian. Mist Rias, attack Petrova! Ikei!"

Lucius' second Petrova now fell, and Angga's turn ended. Lucius drew two more cards, and settled into deep thinking, finally deciding on...

"I evolve Marine Flower into Cosmic Nebula. End turn."

Angga deployed a new Pala Olesis, and sent his own power surging skyward as another Channeler of Suns joined the first in his battle zone. He did not use the effect of his Mist Rias. Both of them did, however, attack. The Holy Awe that triggered made Lucius smile. His luck was at least as good as his brother's. He would hope that he could succeed where Evan had failed.

Together, his two Nebula glowed. He drew three cards. Now, he put the Stained Glass from among them to his mana zone, and summoned two Charge Whipper, but, to Angga's surprise and confusion, did not attack.

"La Ura Giga to mana!" Angga declared, his energy rising in the way that normally signified that a duelist was certain that it was about to end, "Cast Crystal Memory, to retrieve from my carrier, my forces' attack spell. Diamond Cutter! Mist Rias, ikei! Mist Rias, ikei, and..."

He paused now. His power did not diminish, but he seemed contemplative.
"Wow, that was a stupid move. I just saw what happened when your brother triggered two Holy Awe, and I rush off making myself totally vulnerable to it. Oh well. Petrova, ikei!"

The final shield did not trigger either, removing any worry that Angga would have had. His final Petrova flew in to finish the duel.

"Todomeda."

Lucius reacted with laughter, once the debilitating effect of Angga's avatar boosted Kaijudo surge had passed. He shook Angga's hand firmly.

"You'd definitely get along with Evan and I. Perhaps you can teach us how to use our Petrova well enough, hm?"