[center][h1][color=#af7ac5][b]Valerie Durand[/b][/color] & [color=#f2d631]Flynn Aspadana[/color][/h1][/center]

[hr][right][color=gray]Episode 1 Conclusion w/ [@Psyker Landshark] - Ra Yellow Lounge[/color][/right][hr]

[i][color=#f2d631]Oh great, everyone here just can't mind their own business[/color][/i] , Flynn thought to himself. He'd damn himself if he gave any hint of disdain towards somebody else today though. Now was not the time to lose his cool, specially when the object of his fury draped itself in blue. 

[b][color=#f2d631]"Yes to everything above."[/color][/b] he would state, keeping his calm facade. [b][color=#f2d631]"Flynn's the name. Yourself?"[/color][/b] While he awaited for this fellow Ra Yellow's response, Flynn was already beginning to form an opinion about this duelist based on this seemingly indomitable aura she was giving off. Unlike his roommate Chris, Flynn had a feeling that she had even more potential than even himself, a fact that he would not freely admit. Of course, this begs the question why someone like her ended up here as well.

Something about this kid was...off. She couldn't put her finger on it, but Valerie just got the feeling that this Flynn guy was ready to explode at the drop of a hat. Or maybe she was just psyching herself out over nothing. 

[color=#af7ac5][b]"...Valerie."[/b][/color] She responded to Flynn's query before taking a sip of her iced tea. [color=#af7ac5][b]"You duel anyone yet? Can barely afford something from the vending machine off one win. Thinking the school wants us to seriously grind matches out if we want to get anywhere."[/b][/color] 

Meanwhile, Ceruli popped back up once more, the spirit perched on Val's shoulder as he peered straight at Flynn. He could've sworn he'd just felt the presence of another spirit in this room, minutes ago. But now the feeling had passed. Odd. Had they left already?

[b][color=#f2d631]"I figured at least water would be free but I'm still up for a challenge."[/color][/b] Flynn retorted.[b][color=#f2d631]"As for if I've dueled anyone yet, you're lucky number one, miss Valerie."[/color][/b]

With drained lethargy and false bravado, Flynn booted up his duel disk and inserted his deck which he had kept inside of a deckbox attached to his belt. Having thoroughly shuffled his deck throughout the ocean voyage, one can only wonder what his luck would be with his starting hand and starting call with the customary coin flip.

[b][color=#f2d631]"Call it, heads or tails."[/color][/b] Flynn would state to his opponent as he initiated the duel.

[color=#af7ac5][b]"Tails. And drop the 'miss', would you?"[/b][/color]

[b][color=#f2d631]"Fine by me."[/color][/b] Flynn quipped as the coin decidedly landed on heads. [b][color=#f2d631]"I'm starting first."[/color][/b]

Drawing five cards from his deck, Flynn started by playing out one of his favorite cards. [b][color=#f2d631]"Silver Gadget in attack position, and with his effect I follow up with summoning Green Gadget which gets me Red Gadget from deck. They won't be here for long though as I link them away for Platinum Gadget!"[/color][/b] The combo was a basic one but it was going to be enough with what Flynn had in his hand. [b][color=#f2d631]"Next up, I use Platinum to summon Red Gadget in defense which allows me to retrieve Yellow Gadget from my deck. I set two facedown backrow cards to end my turn."[/color][/b] The gears were turning and soon his war machine will be going into overdrive.


[hider=New cards used in turn]
[url=https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/yugioh/images/a/ae/SilverGadget-DUPO-EN-UR-1E.png/revision/latest?cb=20200830161756]Silver Gadget[/url]
[url=https://ms.yugipedia.com//3/3f/GreenGadget-FIGA-EN-SR-1E.png]Green Gadget[/url]
[url=https://ms.yugipedia.com//d/de/RedGadget-FIGA-EN-SR-1E.png]Red Gadget[/url]
[url=https://images.ygoprodeck.com/images/cards/40216089.jpg]Platinum Gadget[/url]
[url=https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/yugioh/images/c/cd/YellowGadget-FIGA-EN-SR-1E.png/revision/latest?cb=20191007094448]Yellow Gadget[/url]
[/hider]


Another Machine duelist, huh? Was this going to be a trend? Valerie looked over her starting hand with a critical eye. Not bad. Topdecking the MST on her turn 2 draw was an absolute godsend with two facedowns on the other side. The board wasn't that threatening on its own, so she just had to hope she hit a battle trap or something. 

[color=#af7ac5][b]"Alright, let's start this off with Mystical Space Typhoon. I target the facedown in the middle."[/b][/color] She pointed, and it turned out she'd blown up Crusher Run. Damn, that was lucky. That would've been rough, especially if she couldn't topdeck a decent monster with the amount of draws she was about to have. 

[color=#af7ac5][b]"Next up, I activate the Field Spell The Gates of Dark World and set two cards facedown. Then I play Dragged Down Into the Grave. We show each other our hands and each pick one card to discard from the opponent's hand. I've only got the one, and it's Broww. On discard, I draw one. Now let's see..."[/b][/color] Valerie looked over Flynn's hand as he showed it to her, her face impassive. Oh, wow, that really didn't matter either. Just two Yellow Gadgets. [color=#af7ac5][b]"Yeah, sure, I'll pop the Yellow Gadget on the right. Now we both draw one off Dragged Down and I draw a second off Broww."[/b][/color]

She regarded her two draws with a raised eyebrow. Oh, damn. This could actually work. [color=#af7ac5][b]"I activate The Gates of Dark World, banishing Broww from my graveyard and Grapha, Dragon Lord of Dark World to draw one more. On discard, Grapha lets me target one card on your board and destroy it, and I pick your other facedown."[/b][/color]

Faced with a decision in his current agitated state, Flynn activated Metalhold The Moving Blockade before realizing his mistake. He couldn't take it back but he had to justify it as the play resolved before his eyes. [b][color=#f2d631]"... I activate Metalhold as you pop it, targetting Red for its effect. Upon chain resolution, both cards are sent to the grave."[/color][/b]

[color=#af7ac5][b]"Uh...sure."[/b][/color] Valerie murmured, taken aback by the apparent misplay. Unless this was some weird four-dimensional chess strat, she couldn't see why he would've ended up losing a monster he didn't have to. [color=#af7ac5][b]"Moving on, I normal summon Beiige and activate Grapha from the grave to return Beiige to my hand and special summon Grapha. With my Field Spell on, Grapha goes up to 3000 attack. Battle phase, Grapha attacks Platinum Gadget."[/b][/color]

[Flynn: -1400 LP, 6600 LP]

[b][color=#f2d631]"Tch. As Platinum was the only target you had for Grapha's attack, you've triggered his grave effect. With my free pick of any Gadget to take his place on the field, I choose Gold Gadget. Just like Silver, he allows me to play another Gadget from my hand and you already know what's coming. Yellow to the field in defense and Green to my hand."[/color][/b] Surely Valerie would believe that this was all according to plan. At the very least, Flynn managed to delude himself into thinking that this was the superior play by eliminating the alternative of Grapha being able to attack Red Gadget. 

Well, she would have attacked Platinum regardless. Leaving a Link 2 on the board able to climb next turn was just asking for trouble. Still, Valerie frowned slightly at dealing with yet more swarm. Her facedowns weren't exactly conducive to handling that, although Mind Crush would trash his search. 


[hider=New cards used in turn]
[url=https://ms.yugipedia.com//9/95/MysticalSpaceTyphoon-HAC1-EN-DUPR-1E.png]MST[/url]
[url=https://ms.yugipedia.com//2/21/TheGatesofDarkWorld-LCJW-EN-UR-1E.png]Gates of Dark World[/url]
[url=https://cdn.cardsrealm.com/images/cartas/dcr-dark-crisis/en/med/dragged-down-into-the-grave-084.png?8191]Dragged Down Into the Grave[/url]
[url=https://ms.yugipedia.com//a/a8/BrowwHuntsmanofDarkWorld-LCJW-EN-ScR-1E.png]Broww, Hunstman of Dark World[/url]
[url=https://static-7.studiobebop.net/ygo_data/card_variants/PGL2-EN083.jpg]Grapha, Dragon Lord of Dark World[/url]
[url=https://ms.yugipedia.com//8/82/MetalholdtheMovingBlockade-MVP1-EN-ScR-1E.png]Metalhold The Moving Blockade[/url]
[url=https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/yugioh/images/7/77/BeiigeVanguardofDarkWorld-LCJW-EN-UR-1E.png/revision/latest?cb=20131014110453]Beiige, Vanguard of Dark World[/url]
[url=https://ms.yugipedia.com//a/a0/GoldGadget-MVP1-EN-ScR-1E.png]Gold Gadget[/url]
[/hider]


[color=#af7ac5][b]"Fine, fine. Turn end. Your go. On your draw, I activate Mind Crush and declare Green Gadget. Into the grave he goes."[/b][/color]

[b][color=#f2d631]"Mhm, fine by me."[/color][/b] Flynn stated as Green departed from his hand. He was not phased however as his resources were keeping up with Valerie's, at least on paper. Just by card count alone, he was deeper into his deck than his opponent. [b][color=#f2d631]"I have a replacement ready to go as I play the Red Gadget I drew for turn to grab me a Yellow. Of course, I build the overlay network with Red and the Yellow on the field for Gear Gigant X and activate his effect for Ancient Gear Box. Furthermore, Gear Box's effect activates and allows me to add Ancient Gear Gadget to my hand. I set one facedown to end my turn."[/color][/b] It was now six of Flynn's cards in rotation against Valerie's five cards.


[hider=New cards used in turn]
[url=https://ms.yugipedia.com//8/88/MindCrush-SBCB-EN-C-1E.png]Mind Crush[/url]
[url=https://ms.yugipedia.com//c/c8/GearGigantX-MAGO-EN-R-1E.png]Gear Gigant X[/url]
[url=https://ms.yugipedia.com//4/4a/AncientGearBox-SR03-EN-C-1E.png]Ancient Gear Box[/url]
[url=https://ms.yugipedia.com//a/a2/AncientGearGadget-SGX1-EN-C-1E.png]Ancient Gear Gadget[/url]
[/hider]


[color=#af7ac5][b]"Alright. Draw, standby main."[/b][/color] Valerie looked over her new hand, forming her play in her head. This wasn't exactly the best use of Ceruli, but she needed the Synchro at the moment more than opponent discards on monsters she wasn't guaranteed to draw. [color=#af7ac5][b]"I normal summon Fabled Raven and activate its effect, discarding two cards for one level and 400 attack each to my monster. On discard, chain 1 Beiige, chain 2 Ceruli."[/b][/color] She picked up Ceruli's card and tossed it towards Flynn, much to her Duel Spirit's protest.

[b]"Girl, be careful with that!"[/b] Ceruli spluttered, desperately hoping the boy at least caught the card without damage. 

[i]Oh no... Who the hell plays this card?![/i], Flynn thought to himself as he did managed to barely catch it. Perhaps unbeknownst to Valerie, she had just turned off his hail mary in Boot-Up Order - Gear Force's stringent requirement of only having Machines on his side of the field. He was silently livid.

[color=#af7ac5][b]"Beiige special summons to the board on discard, and I synchro summon my two level fours into a level 8. Get out here, Dark End Dragon. Battle phase, Grapha attacks Gear Gigant X, then Dark End Dragon attacks Gold Gadget."[/b][/color]

[Flynn: -700 LP, 5900 LP]

[b][color=#f2d631]"Gold effect which retrieves Silver to replace him on the field. Silver effect, of course, to summon out Yellow from hand which in turn grabs another Green."[/color][/b]

[color=#af7ac5][b]"Main 2, activate Dark End Dragon's ignition to destroy Silver Gadget. Dark End Dragon loses 500 attack and defense. End phase."[/b][/color]


[hider=New cards used in turn]
[url=https://ms.yugipedia.com//d/d6/CeruliGuruofDarkWorld-SDGU-EN-SR-1E.jpg]Ceruli, Guru of Dark World[/url]
[url=https://ms.yugipedia.com//c/cc/FabledRaven-SDLI-EN-C-1E.png]Fabled Raven[/url]
[url=https://ms.yugipedia.com//8/87/BootUpOrderGearForce-FIGA-EN-ScR-1E.png]Boot-Up Order - Gear Force[/url]
[url=https://ms.yugipedia.com//1/12/DarkEndDragon-RYMP-EN-SR-1E.jpg]Dark End Dragon[/url]
[/hider]


There were a few cards in Flynn's deck that could turn the tide and he was almost half way through it: Limiter Removal, Gear Charge, even Solidarity. When he drew the second Gold Gadget for turn, Flynn could not believe the rotten luck he was dealt with. [b][color=#f2d631]"... You win. There's no way out of here with what I have in hand."[/color][/b] The only consolation prize he had was the fact that Valerie was no blue. 

Wait, what? Seriously? She had zero cards in hand, and there was still a good chance of her next draw being a brick. This guy's loss wasn't assured, but Valerie supposed she shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth. [color=#af7ac5][b]"Well, if you're sure, I'm not gonna bitch about the win. Good game, I guess."[/b][/color] Not really. This guy probably could've been a better challenge if he'd drawn better. Or if he hadn't blown Metalhold for whatever reason she still didn't get. 

Valerie took Ceruli's card back and deactivated her Duel Disk, tucking her deck away. [color=#af7ac5][b]"Think I'll go explore around campus for a bit. See you around, yeah?"[/b][/color]

[b][color=#f2d631]"Don't forget to take your iced tea or whatever... I'll see ya around."[/color][/b] Flynn was dejected and exhausted enough to crash the moment he would reach his dorm room. At least he believed so in the face of Chris' shenanigans.