Meanwhile, at Shinrei and Kei’s location, their duel was about to kick off. [color=CBCDCF]"The first turn is mine,"[/color] Shinrei calmly said. He picked up one of the cards in his hand, then plainly stated: [color=CBCDCF]"I’m summoning Cyber Larva."[/color] The words had left his mouth and, in an instant, a little machine worm had appeared on his side of the field. He followed it up with [color=CBCDCF]”I’ll set a card and end my turn."[/color] as his last move.

[b]Cyber Larva:[/b] 400 ATK

Shinrei’s face had a cold, steeled expression plastered all over it. It was hard for Kei to get a read on him. [color=9C5F25]"Alright, it’s my turn! I draw!"[/color] he shouted, eagerly swiping the top card off his deck and then comparing it to what’s in his opening hand. He looked up to Shinrei’s field and started to think about the state of the game.
[color=9C5F25][i]"Cyber Larva… I think he played that card during the tournament! When you attack it, the opponent won’t take any more damage, and it summons another one of itself… so in that case, this is what I have to do!"[/i][/color]
[color=9C5F25]"I’ll summon Marauding Captain from my hand!"[/color] Kei said, placing down one of his Warrior monsters onto the Duel Disk. A blond-haired, slightly gruff knight rose up from the floor, longsword on his shoulder.

[b]Marauding Captain:[/b] 1200 ATK

[color=9C5F25]"I know what you’re planning, Shinrei!"[/color] Kei confidently exclaimed. [color=9C5F25]"You’re gonna use Cyber Larva’s effect to summon more of itself and stall for time so that I can’t deal any damage to you… but I’ve seen straight through that!”[/color]

Shinrei’s face remained passive upon this ‘revelation’. [color=CBCDCF]"Have you, now?"[/color] would be all he said in response. Kei wasn’t gonna let the champ fake him out, though, continuing with his plan apace.

[color=9C5F25]”I activate Marauding Captain’s effect, allowing me to special summon a level 4 or lower monster from my hand! I’ll choose Gemini Scorpion!"[/color] he’d shout. After Kei’s declaration, Marauding Captain stabbed his sword into the ground. A portal opened up and another warrior rose up out of it. Clad in red armour and having flowing locks of white hair, the man would spin his two shortswords around their vertical axis and take a battle-ready stance.

[b]Gemini Scorpion:[/b] 1600 ATK

Kei picked up another card from his hand. He explained: [color=9C5F25]”I’m not done! When Gemini Scorpion’s summoned, I can special summon a level 4 or lower Gemini monster from my hand!"[/color] and as Kei finished, Gemini Scorpion’s entire appearance changed. His white hair turned to red, his armour dyed a shade of dark blue and the two blades in his hands started to stain black. [color=9C5F25]”I summon Gemini Soldier!"[/color] Kei declared. Out from behind Scorpion jumped a green-clad ninja kid, his eyes the only thing visible between the bandanas wrapped around his head and mouth.

[b]Gemini Soldier:[/b] 500 ATK

[color=9C5F25]”How’s that! Now I have three monsters! Even if you summon more larva from your deck, I can destroy them all at once!"[/color] Kei smugly said to the champ. Shinrei didn’t flinch. Kei’s smug smile quickly turned to a moody pout. [color=9C5F25]”C’mon, give [i] some[/i] kind of a reaction… argh, fine! Gemini Soldier! Take out that Cyber Larva! "[/color] he said to launch the attack. The kid whipped out a dart with a propeller at the end, tossed it into Cyber Larva and pierced its fragile aluminium shell.

[color=CBCDCF]"Because of Cyber Larva’s effect, I take no battle damage and summon another from the deck,"[/color] Shinrei reiterated, the card in question jutting itself out of his duel disk upon that verbal command. He picked it up, placed it on his disk and summoned the monster in defense position.

[color=9C5F25]”One down, two to go! Let’s go, Marauding Captain!"[/color] Kei said to launch the second attack. The troop’s commander dashed over to Shinrei’s field and cleaved the Larva clean in two. The champion simply said:

[color=CBCDCF]"I summon another Larva from my deck,"[/color] and no more.

[color=9C5F25]”One last attack! Gemini Scorpion, it’s your turn!"[/color] Kei ordered. The red-haired warrior rushed forward, jumped up into the air and then split into both his forms. The two warriors came down and sliced Cyber Larva in a cross-shaped pattern, sending the last machine to the grave. [color=9C5F25]”How’s that! With this, I end my turn!"[/color] Kei said, clutching his fist and pumping it up in the air. He clearly thought the momentum of the duel went in his favour. For that reason alone, Shinei’s scowl deepened.

[color=CBCDCF]”Do you really think you’ve outsmarted me?"[/color] Shinrei asked Kei. The boy was confused.
[color=9C5F25]”Huh? I broke though your monsters, didn’t I? Now you don’t have a wall to protect yourself!"[/color] Kei replied, fully confident in the answer. Shinei closed his eyes.

[color=CBCDCF]”What a waste of my... I draw,"[/color] he said, opening his eyes again to take a brief look at the card he drew. He put it in with the rest of his hand, then picked up a different one. [color=CBCDCF]”If only my opponent controls a monster, then I can special summon this card from my hand: Cyber Dragon!"[/color] he declared. A long, thick and serpent-like dragonic machine appeared on Shinrei’s field. Its sleek and polished white armour reflected Kei’s mirror image back at him. The long, slender creature lowered its head, the eyes behind its metal shell boring into the opposing monsters with their cold gaze. 

[b]Cyber Dragon:[/b] 2100 ATK

[color=9C5F25]”2-2100 attack without a tribute?!"[/color] Kei stammered back incredulously.
[color=CBCDCF]”Oh? I thought you were a fan of mine,"[/color] Shinrei verbally countered. [color=CBCDCF]”You should have known about this card and its effect."[/color]
[color=9C5F25]”...! Shut up! It just slipped my mind, okay?"[/color] Kei angrily yelled back at Shinrei.
[color=CBCDCF]”Is that so? Then did it also slip your mind that I can still normal summon this turn?"[/color] Shinrei said. He picked up another card out of his hand and then shouted: [color=CBCDCF]”I summon Proto-Cyber Dragon!"[/color] with one more machine appearing on his field. Its design was similar to that of Cyber Dragon, but the differences between them were the prototype’s darker armour, smaller size and less defined features.

[b]Proto-Cyber Dragon:[/b] 1100 ATK

Kei instinctively mused [color=9C5F25]”Two monsters…!"[/color] out loud when he saw Shinrei’s play.

[color=CBCDCF]”Tell me. If you really saw my duel yesterday, then do you know what card I used to win?"[/color] Shinrei asked the boy.
[color=9C5F25]”...Huh? It was… Cyber Eltanin, right?"[/color] he replied. Then it hit him. He wanted to cry out: [color=9C5F25]”Wait are you going to-!?"[/color] but never finished the thought. Shinrei got the message and interrupted him before he could.

[color=CBCDCF]”Don’t take me for a fool. Cyber Eltanin banishes every machine from my graveyard [i]and[/i] my field. But what would happen later in the duel?"[/color] 
[color=9C5F25]”...Later?"[/color]
[color=CBCDCF]”Yes, later. Because you told me about your plan, I now have three machines resting in my graveyard. Eltanin powers up for each card it consumes. Further, Cyber Dragon only summons to my field if I control no monsters. If I had summoned my larva and you hadn’t attacked, I couldn’t summon it to my field."[/color]

It started to dawn on Kei what Shinrei was talking about. [color=9C5F25]”Then… this entire time, your plan was to create the conditions to summon Cyber Dragon?!"[/color] he stammered out. Like the fool Shinrei thought him to be, Kei had told his opponent exactly how to play out the situation.

Shinrei’s expression became cold once more now that he had drilled the repercussions of his opponent’s actions into their skull. [color=CBCDCF]”Now, then... that Gemini Soldier belongs to the ‘Gemini’ series of cards. If I’m not mistaken, they gain their effects when normal summoned twice. This one negates destruction from battle, corect?[/color] Shinrei asked Kei rhetorically, already knowing the answer. He didn’t let Kei get his answer in before continuing to talk. [color=CBCDCF]”Not only that, but Marauding captain redirects any attack to a warrior to itself. Now that I have two monsters, I can get rid of both! Battle! Cyber Dragon, destroy Marauding Captain with Evolution Burst! Proto-Cyber Dragon, attack Gemini Soldier with Proto Burst!"[/color] As Shinrei declared his consecutive attacks, both mechanical dragons charged a beam of energy within their maws. Cyber Dragon’s was a bright white, Proto-Cyber’s was a deep yellow. Both still hit their marks and cut through Kei’s field like a knife through butter.

[b]Kei:[/b] 4000 > 3100 > 2500 LP

[color=CBCDCF]”Turn end."[/color] Shinrei dryly stated.

Kei took a step back. [color=9C5F25]”D-Damn…! In one move, my field’s down to only a single monster!"[/color] he incredulously stammered out. He couldn’t even use Gemini Soldier’s effect to shore up his own defenses. Shinrei flicked his hair to the side.
[color=CBCDCF]”What’s wrong? Weren’t you going to claim my title?"[/color] the champion mocked Kei. The boy shot back a glare at him.
[color=9C5F25]”Don’t make fun of me! The duel’s only just gotten started!"[/color] he shouted. Kei looked down at his deck and took a deep breath.

[color=9C5F25][i]”I’m sorry, guys… he’s strong. I couldn’t protect you just now. He’s not an opponent I can afford to let my guard down against like that. But you guys… you’ll still lend me your strength, right?”[/i][/color] he thought to himself. Kei gave his cards a smile. [color=9C5F25][i]”I’m not gonna let something like this get me down… so let’s fight him together!”[/i][/color] After rallying himself, the boy put his hand on the top card of the deck. 

[color=9C5F25]”Regional champion or not, I believe in my friends! We’re gonna win this duel! Draw!"[/color]