Turn 1: SteelSteel: 4000 LP, 5 cards in hand
Amelia: 4000 LP, 5 cards in hand
Joshua: 4000 LP, 5 cards in hand
Steel looked at the cards he drew, looking rather bored. He didn't need to rush anything, these two didn't look like much.
"Alright, show me what you got. I'll set a monster and one other card face-down."The holographic images of two card backs were projected on Steel's field after he calmly placed the duo onto his Duel Disk, forming a T-shape. He casually threw his arms behind his head, resting it in his hands.
"Turn end."Turn 2: AmeliaSteel: 4000 LP, 3 cards in hand, 1 Set monster, 1 S/T
Amelia: 4000 LP, 6 cards in hand
Joshua: 4000 LP, 5 cards in hand
Amelia remained silent as she drew her card. She took a deep breathe as she tried to calm herself and examine the field. She couldn't provide offense, but she might be able to provide Joshua some support in this match.
"
I activate the spell, Mystical Space Typhoon and use it to destroy your face-down spell or trap card." She said, playing the spell, which summoned a vortex of wind which proceeded to surround and destroy Steel's face-down.
A trap card got yanked from its comfortable spot, flying up and revealing itself to be Option Hunter before shattering. Steel didn't look phazed in the slightest by the trap card getting destroyed.
"
I set one monster face-down and one card face-down before ending my turn." Amelia said, as the cards appeared on her field.
Turn 3: SteelSteel: 4000 LP, 4 cards in hand, 1 Set monster
Amelia: 4000 LP, 3 cards in hand, 1 Set monster, 1 S/T
Joshua: 4000 LP, 5 cards in hand
The Dark Dorm student raised an eyebrow, then brought his free hand up to his mouth to block a yawn.
"Ah, seriously? That's it?" Steel questioned Amelia, then took a duelist's battle stance again.
"My turn, draw. You're going to regret not destroying my monster, 'cause I'll show you that it's Steelswarm Genome." The boy picked up the card from his Duel Disk, showing it briefly before placing it face-up to summon the monster. From the ground rose a small black cocoon of metal scales. It almost had the shape of a human heart, made prominent by the steel body underneath. A small helmet was sticking out of the cocoon, with two small glowing eyes staring at Amelia and Joshua.
Steelswarm Genome: 1000 ATK 0 DEF Level 2 DARK Fiend
"But Steelswarms aren't just cute and cuddly. They're meant as a sacrifice, which my Genome will be happy to oblige with! Treating it as two, I Tribute summon Steelswarm Girastag!"A ring of light surrounded Genome and blinded the players for a split second, allowing it to sink back into the ground. In its place came a conspicuous buzzing noise, paving way for a much bigger creature. From the floor rose a humanoid monster, twice the size of any average man and broad enough to match. A long, metal tail stuck out of its back that reached all the way up to its head, on which a helmet with two wavy horns was placed on. On its right arm was a cannon, while the left was left mostly unprotected to let its sickly orange skin show.
Steelswarm Girastag: 2600 ATK 0 DEF Level 7 DARK Fiend
Steel raised up his arm and pointed at Amelia's set monster card.
"Hey, girly? You know what would happen if I got rid of that card? My big guy over here would be free to attack. Steelswarm Girastag's effect allows me to send any one card you control to the graveyard- So I'll take him up on that offer." The boy gained a wry grin as he said this and Girastag's cannon arm flared up, pointing at the monster. The cannon fired, sending bolts of fire down to incinerate it.
Amelia braced herself as the bolts hit their target, revealing a young girl with long green hair tied in a ponytail, wearing simple cloths and wielding a silver staff with a green gem, before she shattered into tiny pieces, leaving the field.
The flames were still a little scattered on Amelia's field, but soon pulled back and started to twist around Steel's form. It gave him an orange, glowing aura as his lifepoints started to increase.
"Aha, right! Guess I didn't mention I gain a bit of life out of the deal, eh?" Steel snickered.
Steel LP: 4000 > 5000
"
Not that surprising, since you're either focusing on the Steelswarm sub-archetype or the entirity of the Iswarm archetype." Joshua spoke up. "
So, let's see here, assuming you're just using Steelswarms, this is likely not your ace-card. You probably have the other two big ones in your deck. Locust and Caustag, am I right? Though, given that you decided to use the nickname Steel, I assume those are the only threats we have to worry about."
"Ah, trying to play the tough stoic character, Mr. Prince? Unfortunately for you, I have enough common sense to be wary, unlike you lot. But hey, I'm not unfair. I could just attack you and take a huge chunk away, but where's the fun in that? I'd rather deal with her first," Steel commented, lazily pointing towards Amelia with his thumb.
"Battle, Steelswarm Girastag! Attack the girl directly!" Steel commanded, with Girastag jumping up to try and claw at Amelia.
"
Trap card open! Draining Shield!" Amelia said, causing a barrier to surround her. She managed a small smile as her life points shot up due to her card's effect.
Amelia LP: 4000 > 6600
"
Not cautious enough I see." Joshua said with a small laugh
"You say that, but her field's still wide open. Who cares about a few thousand lifepoints when you can't protect 'em?" Steel sneered at Joshua, his smile starting to creep up again.
"I'll set one card, ending my turn. Show me what you got, Princey.""Oh boy, Steelswarms vs Gustos. It's just like in the stories..."Although in the stories, Gustos didn't really fare too well. Nathaniel kept that last part to himself. No need to drag the mood even lower than it already is, if that's even possible.
Turn 4: JoshuaSteel: 5000 LP, 2 cards in hand, 1 monster, 1 S/T
Amelia: 6600 LP, 3 cards in hand
Joshua: 4000 LP, 6 cards in hand
"
You keep calling me Prince, but if anything, he might possibly be her prince." Joshua said, jerking his thumb towards Leander after drawing his card. "
But then again, I don't know them that well, so, what do I know. Also, if anything, I'm just a pauper. But, being a pauper has its perks too you know."
Leander perked up when he was mentioned, cocking his head to the side in confusion. He didn't quite understand what Joshua was getting at.
"
Anyway, it's my turn." Joshua said before examining his hand before glancing at the field. If he was honest, his hand was total trash. And if Steel had the means of getting Steelswarm Hercules out, he and Amelia were in for a world of hurt. Luckily if Steel did get it out, that was likely to be his only attack for that turn. So, he was left with nothing to do but take a big gamble. "
I activate the spell card Fusion Conscription. I reveal to you this Frightfur Sheep in my extra deck, then search for one of its materials. I add Edge Imp Chain to my hand then shuffle my deck. Next, I'll summon my friend, Fluffal Dog to the field."
Fluffal Dog: 1700 ATK, 1000 DEF, Level 4 Earth
The familiar plushie dog sprang onto the field, letting out a few wipps while wagging it's tail. To his right, Joshua heard Amelia gasp before letting out an awe of adoration. He guessed younger girls would really love some of his monster. Either that or she just liked cute things.
"
Now, with Fluffal Dog's effect, I add a Fluffal Owl from my deck to my hand. I set two cards face down and call it a turn. Your move."
"Oh, Fluffals. Awesome." Normally, Nathaniel would be freaking out over the cuddly creatures, but something about his current situation curbed his enthusiasm just a tad.
Turn 5: SteelSteel: 5000 LP, 3 cards in hand, 1 monster, 1 S/T
Amelia: 6600 LP, 3 cards in hand
Joshua: 4000 LP, 4 cards in hand, 1 Monster, 2 S/T
Steel's eye flared up with delight when he saw Joshua's move, licking his lips again.
"Nice, nice! Veeeery nice... I like that aggression of yours! My turn, Draw!"The boy didn't even bother to look at the card as he slotted it in neatly into his hand, staring down at Fluffal dog. The little plushy was very excited, but that wasn't any form for a duel.
"Two set cards and a monster, an obvious trap right? But c'mon, a duel has to be exciting... So, Battle! Girastag, have that plushy meet its maker!"Girastag jumped up into the air again, this time readying the cannon whilst hovering in mid-air. It pointed down at Fluffal dog as Girastag flew overhead.
Before the cannon could fire, chains suddenly shot out of two dimensional holes that appeared in front of Steel and pulled the cannon arwy, so the shots missed to little plushie animal. The dimensional holes grew in size until a nightmarish wheel rose out of it, more chains wrapping around the insectoid's limbed then pulling it against the wheel nice and tight.
"
Trap Card. Nightmare Wheel. Your monster can't attack or change position, not that you would want it to anyway." Joshua said calmly.
Steel's grin grew wider, a laugh escaping his mouth.
"Yes, that's more like it! You have some fight in you after all..."The boy picked up one card from his hand and slammed it down onto the Duel Disk.
"Well, guess I don't have anything more than this. I'll set a monster and let the girl handle the rest..." Steel's voice trailed off, and his expression returned to something more neutral now that the excitement has worn off.
Turn 6: AmeliaSteel: 5000 LP, 2 cards in hand, 2 monsters (1 Set), 1 S/T
Amelia: 6600 LP, 4 cards in hand
Joshua: 4000 LP, 4 cards in hand, 1 Monster, 2 S/T
Amelia silently drew her card then bit her lip, when she saw what it was. It was useless in this scenario and the rest of her hand wasn't much help either. Her partner picked up on this and decided to speak up.
"
Miss Amelia, do you have any monsters in your hand?" He asked her, getting a silent nod in response. "
Alright, summon it an attack his face-down monster. Assume most of his monsters are of the Steelswarm archetype, their defence is... less the spectacular. Infact, it's downright sad, only one of their monsters have a defence higher then zero. It's a gamble, but possibly worth the risk. And you have the life point to take a hit or two if it comes down to that."
Amelia glanced at her hand again before taking another deep breathe to calm herself. Joshua seemed to know alot about this archetype so he decided to trust him.
"
I summon Gusto Falco in attack mode." She declared, putting the monster on her field. A tiny bird appeared , letting out a cute cry as it spread it's tiny wings.
Gusto Falco: 600 ATK 1400 DEF, Level 2 WIND Winged Beast Tuner
"
Gusto Falco, attack his face-down monster." She commanded her monster, which flew over to the card, revealing it to be a clump of black, metal scales. On closer inspection, it seemed to shift and move before tossing Falco all the way back to Amelia's field with a stray strike of one of its arms. The clump stood up on all fours, revealing an armadillo-like creature.
"
Steelswarm Gatekeeper. Damn." Joshua muttered under his breathe, though, he had pretty much expected this.
Steelswarm Gatekeeper: 1500 ATK 1900 DEF Level 4 DARK Fiend
"Ahaha, oh man yo'ure a hoot! Don't get me wrong, kid, I like you. But c'mon, did you really think I'd fall in that trap twice? I already risked my Genome, I wasn't going to risk it again!" Steel mocked Joshua, cracking up from the advice he gave Amelia. It took all he had to not burst out laughing when he was telling her to just attack it.
"Oh, also? That ATK is clearly lower than my Defense. So this means that the girly loses lifepoints!"Amelia LP: 6600 > 5300
"
Did you actually pay attention to half of what I said, or are you just deaf?" Joshua asked Steel, looking rather amused himself.
"Sure did, which is why I'm having trouble keeping my marbles together! Ahaha!""
Still, at least I know what your next move is likely to be. More then enough for me." Joshua said
"You sure you should be worrying about yourself? 'cause I'm pretty sure you're not the only one in this duel...""
Who said I was? Amelia, keep any spells or traps you have in hand, i your hand. Let's see here... I'm going to go with you aiming to get Hercules out on your next turn, by sacrificing your Gatekeeper for something else, likely Locus. If so, you'll likely focus all your attacks on Miss Amelia, using Locus' effect to return her cards to her hand, removing them from the field. Gatekeep will allow you to summon another monster from your hand, allowing you to sacrifice all three of the monsters on your field to special summon Hercules. At that point, you half your life-points to nuke the entire field save for Hercules then attack both of one at a time after our respective turns. Tell me, am I at least marginally right?" Joshua said with a slight smirk.
Megan let out a noise of amazment. He knew so much about his opponent's deck that he could predict his actions that far in advance? That certainly seemed helpful knowledge to have, though you still needed the cards to act on it. Maybe Megan needed to do some more studying...
"Who knows? Though, I do know one thing. The timer for your partner's running out." Steel said with confidence and a smirk, maybe even a little too much confidence.
"
I activate Dian Keto, the Cure Master to gain 1000 more life points then end my turn." Amelia said once the boys were done bickering, letting Steel put whatever plan he had into action.
Amelia LP: 5300 > 6300
Turn 7: SteelSteel: 5000 LP, 3 cards in hand, 2 monsters, 1 S/T
Amelia: 6300 LP, 2 cards in hand, 1 monster
Joshua: 4000 LP, 4 cards in hand, 1 Monster, 2 S/T
"So much for keeping spells in hand, eh Princey? My turn, draw!" Steel quickly swiped the card from the top of his deck, twisting and turning it in his hand. He looked almost bored to see what he got, placing it in his hand and picking out something else.
"I'm not a fan of the waiting game, so I'll summon Steelswarm Sting!" The boy yelled out and slammed a card down onto his disk. From the ground rose a humanoid insect, taking the like after a wasp. It was covered in the black metal armor all Steelswarms were, with the only thing not covered being the metal spike sticking out of its stinger and the orange wings on its back.
Steelswarm Sting: 1850 ATK 0 DEF Level 4 DARK Fiend
Steel looked at Joshua expectantly, but the boy remained motionless. The dark dorm student clicked with his tongue and looked away, dissapointed.
"Not going to activate anything to that? Damn... Battle. Sting, show that falcon the exit."Steelswarm Sting flew over to Gusto Falco, moving behind it and grabbing it so it couldn't escape. The monster stung with the spike once, straight through Falco's chest. The small Gusto monster exploded and shattered into light particles, sending a strong gust of wind Amelia's way.
Amelia LP: 6300 > 5050
Steel waited for a few seconds, hoping one of them would react in some way. When they didn't, he grew very annoyed very quickly.
"Not going to activate anything? Where's that spirit from before, kid?" Steel asked Joshua, cocking his head upwards.
"Tch, whatever. Due to your Nightmare Wheel, Girastag can't attack. I'll end my turn like this."Turn 8: JoshuaSteel: 5000 LP, 2 cards in hand, 3 monsters, 1 S/T
Amelia: 5050 LP, 2 cards in hand
Joshua: 4000 LP, 5 cards in hand, 1 Monster, 2 S/T
Joshua drew his card silently. He didn't even feel a point in declaring his wheel's other effect, as it began spinning and digging into Girstag to the point that sparks flew and showered over Steel, inflicting 500 damage on the Dark Dorm student. Steel didn't even flinch as the sparks rained down on him, refusing to break eye contact with Joshua.
Steel LP: 5000 > 4500
"I summon Fluffal Owl to my field." Joshua said, causing a plushie owl to join the field, landing next to his Fluffal Dog.
Fluffal Owl: 1000 ATK, 1000 DEF, Level 2 EARTH Fairy.
"
Owl's effect let's me add a Polymerization to my hand from my deck when it's summoned from my hand." Joshua said, as his disk ejected the card, which he revealed to his opponent before adding it to his hand. "
Next, I'll activate said Polymerization to fuse the Fluffal Leo with the Edge Imp Chain in my hand. With them, I fusion summon Frightfur Sheep."
Behind Joshua, the two monsters appeared before turning into a yellow and orange ball of light, which then began quickly spinning around him. This swirl formed a dark portal, from which a ragged looking plushie sheep, suspended in the air with chains attached to two disk like devices came out. Several odd metal objects stuck out of it, and the monster's face looked slightly demented as it let out a creepy laugh.
Nathaniel visibly flinched when the Frightfur hit the field. He never did understand how they could make these cute animals and turn them into such nightmarish freakshows.
Steel looked slightly more alive now that Frightfur sheep had come down and showed itself. Even the crowd erupted with cheers, as opposed to the jeers they had been giving all this time.
"Very nice, very nice... You've finally shown what you can do. But, I'm afraid that even your best won't be enough to save you from me."Steelswarm Girastag suddenly started squirming, pulling and turning on Nightmare Wheel. A trap card revealed itself, depicting an Evilswarm monster fighting against a Constellar monster. Girastag broke free of its confines, then swiftly evaporated into a dark mist that surrounded Joshua's field. Fluffal Dog and Frightfur sheep got the worst of it, dissolving into nothing but two single cards and returning to Joshua's hand and Extra Deck respectively.
"Girastag was useless to me, so I decided to get rid of him. At least he took some of yours with him, huh?" Steel mocked Joshua, the crowd of Dark Dorm students going absolutely wild. The entire arena floor was practically booming with activity, almost as much as you'd find it during the day.
"
Thank you for that. This is really amusing now." Joshua said as he began laughing as well, only thing was, his was actually the kind of laugh that came from someone with a sadistic streak. He actually looked at Steel like a cat that had cornered some prey."
Edge Imp Chains effect. Since it was sent to the graveyard, I add a Frightfur Fusion from my deck to my hand. I then activate it and banish Edge Imp Chain and Fluffal Leo from my graveyard to summon Frightfur Sheep again!"
The portal opened the the creepy fusion monster appeared on the field again, laughing as if to mock Steel for trying to be rid of it.
Frightfur Sheep: 2000 ATK, 2000 DEF, Level 5 DARK Fiend
"
Battle Phase. Frightfur Sheep, attack Steelswarm Gatekeeper!" Joshua declared, his monster opening it's mouth and firing a laser at the inscetoid fortress thing. Gatekeeper blew up without much resistance, but Steel's lifepoints were unscathed. "I really like the idea of you not getting his effect off, so I'll end my tun here. Your move, boy."
Turn 9: SteelSteel: 4500 LP, 3 cards in hand, 1 monster
Amelia: 5050 LP, 2 cards in hand
Joshua: 4000 LP, 3 cards in hand, 2 Monsters, 1 S/T
Steel looked like he was enjoying himself, smiling broadly.
"Yes, yes! This is the kind of fight I expected from you... My turn, draw!" Steel called out, swiftly swiping a card from his deck and looking at it. He didn't even think twice and played it without hesitating.
"I'll summon my Steelswarm Caller!" The Dark Dorm student showed his card briefly and slammed it down, causing a vortex to open in the floor. From it rose a very thin humanoid, almost unhealthily so. It had the same wings on its back that Sting did, but nothing else of sting translated. It looked particularly scrawny in comparison.
Steelswarm Caller: 1700 ATK 0 DEF Level 4 DARK Fiend
Nathaniel looked on nervously as Steel slammed his monster on the field with reckless abandon.
"Two Level Four monsters... This does not look good.""Battle phase! Sting, get rid of that annoying owl for me!" Steel cried out, the insect humanoid responding by doing the same to Owl as it did to Falco. It snuck up behind the plushy and stung through their chest without even so much as a fight, creating another gust of wind which Joshua had to shield himself from.
Joshua LP: 4000 > 3150
"Though, I think I've left the little miss alone for long enough. I've got another monster, don't I? Steelswarm Caller! Attack the girl directly!" Steel called out, and Caller rushed forward to give Amelia a quick slice with its claws.
Amelia LP: 5050 > 3350
"Alright boss, you go!""Yeah, keep attacking like that!"Cheers for Steel came from the crowd for his reckless attacking, to which he responded by holding his hand up.
"That's right! Never give your opponent a chance to rest, just keep attacking them until they drop! Take notes of this duel and improve your own!" He called back to the crowd, to which even more cheers erupted. The lackeys, as rough as they look, seemed to be ready to root for their boss no matter what.
Steel nodded contently, looking back to Amelia.
"This goes for you too, missy. Show me what you're made of. I end my turn!"Nathaniel breathed sigh of relief.
"Oh good. False alarm." Not that the situation was really that good.
Turn 10: AmeliaSteel: 4500 LP, 2 cards in hand, 2 monsters
Amelia: 3350 LP, 3 cards in hand
Joshua: 3150 LP, 3 cards in hand, 2 Monsters, 1 S/T
Amelia drew her card silently before looking a bit dejected.
"
I set two cards face-down and end my turn." She said, causing two face-down to appear on her field before passing the turn over to Steel.
Turn 11: SteelSteel: 4500 LP, 3 cards in hand, 2 monsters
Amelia: 3350 LP, 1 card in hand, 2 S/T
Joshua: 3150 LP, 3 cards in hand, 1 Monsters, 2 S/T
Steel's hair dropped down, covering both of his eyes now. If an aura was physical, the room would be shaking right now.
"I see. You have no intention of taking me seriously, huh?" The man said darkly, drawing his card.
"
Well, I'm not really able to." Joshua muttered to himself.
A pillar of light formed in the middle of Steel's field and slowly started to expand, consuming both Caller and Sting. A strong gale surged through the room and kicked up the Dark Dorm jacket Steel was wearing, as well as his hair. It also forced Amelia to have to hold down her skirt, as she had no interest in having the boys around her seeing anything underneath it. Megan on the other hand, having an inherit distate for skirts and figuring they'd get in trouble if they were caught skirt or not, had opted for a more sensible pair of shorts. Both of Steel's eyes were now visible... and
glowing.
"I tribute my Steelswarm Caller and my Steelswarm Sting! Surpreme fiend which commands the swarm, nurture off your subordinates and descend upon the battlefield! Come forth, Steelswarm Caucastag!"The light became blinding for a moment, after which Caller and Sting had completely vanished. From the floor rose another humanoid that rivaled the size of Girastag, but with more to him. He seemed to trade in the arm cannon his compatriot had for more armor and clawed gauntlets, with two massive wings reaching all the way down to just above the feet.
Steelswarm Caucastag: 2800 ATK 0 DEF Level 8 DARK Fiend
Another strong gust of wind kicked up as the being rapidly flapped its wings, kicking up all of the Spell and Trap cards that are set.
"
Trap Card open. Whirlwind of Gusto!" Amelia declared, revealing her trap. "
I return the two gusto's you destroyed earlier to my deck and special summon a Gusto monster with 1000 or less defence from my deck to my field. I special summon Gusto Gulldo in Defense Mode!"
Her traps left the field but in their place, a small bird appeared once again, only this one looked different from a falcon.
Gusto Gulldo: 500 ATK 500 DEF Level 3 WIND Winged Beast Tuner
I activate the effect of the Toy Vendor spell card you destroyed to add an Edge Imp Sabres to my hand!" Joshua said, as his spell vanished and he added the monster to his hand.
Steel didn't flinch one bit.
"You two... do not deserve to call yourself real duelists with this weak dueling. Because of Caller's effect, I'll summon one Steelswarm from my deck. The one I choose..." A card jutted out of Steel's Duel Disk, which he drew from it with fierce gusto. A powerful slam signalled the arrival, and the monster was familiar. A second Caller rose up from the field, as lanky as the previous.
Steelswarm Caller: 1700 ATK 0 DEF Level 4 DARK Fiend
"We're not done yet! When Sting is sent to the graveyard, I'll target one of your Fusion monsters, Princey, and destroy it. Since I've only got one choice, I guess your sheep is going to the graveyard, where it belongs!" Steel yelled out, the metal stinger from the tributed Steelswarm monster suddenly shot out from behind Caucastag and piercing Frightfur Sheep's fur.
Joshua watched calmly as his Sheep got stung and blown up as a result. When the smoke cleared, Sheep was gone but the devices that kept it in the air, as well as a few chains were still present.
"
"Hey Bug man, guess what?" He asked with a smile on his face.
"I'll bite. What is it?""
Sheepy's back!" Joshua said as the chains moved into two small dimensional holes that appeared. They slowly began raising with an ominous clanking sound as Sheep rose up from the Grave again, laughing almost mockingly at Steel. ""
Oh, and Bonus, he's stronger then before now."
Frightfur Sheep: 2000 ATK > 2800 ATK.
"I don't care how many times it'll come back. I'll just keep smashing it, and smashing it! But first, I activate my spell, Infestation Acceleration! When I control a Tribute Summoned Steelswarm monster that used only Steelswarm monsters as tributes, I pay 1000 Life points and draw two cards!" Steel declared, a black aura enveloping him. A swarm of bugs chewed away at him as he drew the top two cards of his deck.
Steel LP: 4500 > 3500
Leander was getting a bad feeling about this duel. His mind flashed back to the time he dueled that Heroic Challenger lady, when she told him about the power to make duels real. While Leander wasn't sure if this was the case, it seemed like something to consider.
"Are you prepared, Princey? I'll use my Steelswamr Caucastag to send the both of them to the afterlife!" Steel declared, with Caucastag responding by spreading its wings and flying forward to sheep. The beast retaliated by charging up another laser, but couldn't fire in time to avoid the claw shredding it in half. Caucastag couldn't escape the blast caused by Sheep's destruction, however, and blew up himself.
Steel didn't flinch one bit, even smiling a little.
"Not going to revive it again? Wise choice! But you're not my target anymore..." Steel glanced over to Amelia, pointing at her.
"Girly, the same goes for you. I don't care how many times you summon your weak, frail monsters! I'll keep crushing them until there's nothing left! Steelswarm Caller, send that bird back to its nest!" Steel called out, with Caller rushing over and grabbing the little thing. It made sure that it couldn't escape before biting down into its neck, causing particles of light to shatter all across the arena.
From the lights, another, smaller bird flew out, landning on Amelia's shoulder, which caused her a smile as she looked at her new companion.
"
When Gulldo is destroyed, I can summon a Gusto Monster that is level 2 or lower. So, I summon my friend here, Gusto Egul, in defense mode." She said, looking back at Steel.
Gusto Egul: 200 ATK, 400 DEF, Level 2 WIND Winged Beast Tuner
"Tch... You're safe for now, girly, but won't continue to be. Unlike you, I don't defend needlessly. Turn end."Turn 12: JoshuaSteel: 3500 LP, 3 cards in hand, 1 monster
Amelia: 3350 LP, 1 card in hand, 1 monster
Joshua: 3150 LP, 4 cards in hand
Joshua drew his card, which was completely useless now. He glanced at his hand.
"
I summon the Fluffal Leo that's in my hand." He said, causing a plushie of a lion to appear on his field in attack mode.
Fluffal Leo: 1600 ATK, 1200 DEF, Level 4 EARTH Fairy.
"
Fluffal Leo, attack Steelswarm Caller. Due to Leo's effect, it gains 500 attack points. Enjoy." Joshua said, as his plushie pounced on Caller, flattening it underneath it's body.
Fluffal Leo: 1600 ATK > 2100 ATK
Steel winced as a red aura enveloped him, taking his lifepoints down. A disproportionate gust of wind was created for such a small attack, even moreso than usual.
Steel LP: 3500 > 3100
"
My turn is over now." Joshua said, ending his turn.
Fluffal Leo: 2100 ATK > 1600 ATK
Turn 13: SteelersSteel: 3100 LP, 4 cards in hand
Amelia: 3350 LP, 1 card in hand, 1 monster
Joshua: 3150 LP, 3 cards in hand, 1 monster
"My turn. Draw!" Steel yelled, swiping the top card. He looked at it and grimaced. He closed his eyes, stopping his hair from standing up. The fringe fell back over the left eye. When Steel opened his eyes again, they'd stopped glowing.
"Forget it. I'm not going to waste the effort. Seems like you're safe for another turn, since I set two cards and end mine."Turn 14: AmeliaSteel: 3100 LP, 2 cards in hand, 2 S/T
Amelia: 3350 LP, 2 cards in hand, 1 monster
Joshua: 3150 LP, 3 cards in hand, 1 monster
Amelia silently drew her card before glancing at her hand. Nothing of use here. And she didn't feel like risking her only monter against a trap.
"
I end my turn." She said
Turn 15: SteelSteel: 3100 LP, 3 cards in hand, 2 S/T
Amelia: 3350 LP, 2 cards in hand, 1 monster
Joshua: 3150 LP, 3 cards in hand, 1 monster
Steel drew, but didn't even bother to look.
"Seems like I get what I deserve for dragging you in, girly. I thought if I cornered you, you'd duel a bit more aggresively than you looked. Seems like I was wrong." Steel glanced back to Joshua, picking up a single card.
"Though Princey's been surpassing my expectations, haven't you? I'll set a card and end this turn, now don't dissapoint me."Turn 16: JoshuaSteel: 3100 LP, 2 cards in hand, 3 S/T
Amelia: 3350 LP, 2 cards in hand, 1 monster
Joshua: 3150 LP, 4 cards in hand, 1 monster
Joshua drew his card, glancing at it before looking at Steel.
"
You know, you shouldn't really expect her to be too aggressive with that deck. To expect every deck to be aggressive is rather... how shall I say... it makes you look like a total, ignorant bumbass." Joshua said
Steel balled up his free fist, punching the air in the general direction of Joshua.
"Nonsense! No matter what deck you play, you can always attack! A real duelist would never hide behind his cards for no reason!" the older boy shouted, completely ignorant of his own three set cards.
"
You're assuming she's hiding behind them without any reason, when she's not. You sir, need to go to school more often. Oh wait, we're in a school, but you're in the dark dorm cause you suck. Probably at both your studies and dueling in general. And I can definately see how your dueling suffers." Joshua said before shrugging. "
Anyway, Leo, do me a favor and attack the bug."
Once the command was given, Fluffal Leo pounced at Steel
"Trap card, activate! Defense Draw! At this moment, the battle damage is reduced to zero!" Steel shouted, a trap card flipping up to show a man taking an explosion from behind. Leo pounced on Steel, knocking him down to the floor. He got up once the little plushy toy left, swiping a card from his deck.
"Aditionally, I draw one card!""
No crap, it's in the name." Joshua said in an amused tone
"Real funny. I bet you snark at those who explain Pot of Greed as well, then?""
Maybe. I summon Fluffal Dog and use his effect to add a Fluffal Bear to my hand. Turn end." Joshua said, resummoning his dog that Steel had kindly returned to his hand turns ago.
Turn 17: SteelSteel: 3100 LP, 4 cards in hand, 2 S/T
Amelia: 3350 LP, 2 cards in hand, 1 monster
Joshua: 3150 LP, 4 cards in hand, 2 monsters
"Draw, and trap card activate! Infestation Infection! I shuffle Steelswarm Gatekeeper into my deck to draw one more card from my deck!" Steel declared, first picking up one card before shoving another back into the deck. The Duel Disk automatically shuffled it, then allowed Steel to take his next card out as well.
"...Pffft. Ahaha... Ahahaha! AHAHAHA!" Steel roared, suddenly bursting out in laughter. It happened shortly after he got a good look at his drawn card, head now aimed to the ceiling to let it all out.
"Didn't I tell you to attack and keep attacking? If you had, my lifepoints would have ran out long ago. But now I still have enough, and it's only going to get worse from this point on." Steel grinned, waving the newest card he drew around. The Field Spell compartment of his Duel Disk suddenly jutted out, causing him to slam it down with ferocity. The arena shook and started to shift; the audience seats were transforming into steel mountains, scrap from various Machine-type monsters. Bones riddled a gray and black landscape, complete darkness enveloping the duelists.
"Field spell: Infection Symbiosis! A desolate land where the infection has completely taken over, and this is its breeding ground! But I won't spoil all the secrets. I'll first Special Summon this little fellow!" Steel continued, revealing a card with a small, round beetle-like monster on it. The moment he placed it down, nothing but a small black ball rose from the ground.
"Next up: The Monarchs Stormforth! This spell allows me to tribute a monster of yours like one of my own!" Steel grinned, a whirlwind suddenly brewing up in the middle of the field. The fluffly lion on Joshua's field was having a peaceful nap, but got woken up by being pulled into the strong gales. It couldn't run away and got caught up in it, alongside a small black insect that desparately tried to fly away from everything.
"I tribute your Fluffal Leo and my Steelswarm Cell! Commander of the infection, herald in a new era! Descend upon your foes and deliver a swift and painless doom! Tribute summon, come forth, STEELSWARM LONGHORN!!!"The tornado subsided with one strong push, the winds seemingly getting thrown to the side as a humanoid twice the size of both stags spread its powerful arms. Two long horns portruded from his helmet, reaching all the way down to the giant's waist. Its armor was a lot more sleek compared to the monsters from before, having white patterns cling to the abs underneath to show some extreme muscle, with a blue gem lodged in is chest. It held out its clawed hand towards the two opponents, opened and menacing. Two additional claws portruded from the back of its hand. The oversized insect's tail swung side-to-side with a powerful arc as the beast stared down at Amelia and Joshua with its cyan eyes.
Steelswarm Longhorn: 3000 ATK 0 DEF Level 9 DARK Fiend
Steel's smirk grew again, a smirk that had been absent for a while now.
"Hey, Princey? You're the one who was worried about Hercules, right? Well I'm afraid I've got some bad news, as Longhorn might spell even more trouble! It's got a special effect, see, which allows me to pay... oops, let me try again. Which allows me to regain a thousand lifepoints and destroy that eyesore of a bird!"Steel laughed maniacally as the mountain of metal shifted uncomfortable, two long wires shooting out and wrapping themselves around his arms. A black aura trailed along the two lines of steel, making Steel's eyes go wide. Meanwhile, on top of the mountains, some Dark Dorm students started to collapse. Meanwhile, Longhorn pointed towards Gusto Egul. A swarm of black locust started to circle around the poor bird, obcuring anyone's vision of the thing. When they started to disperse, nothing remained of Gusto Egul.
Steel LP: 3100 > 4100
"H-Hey, what's going on?""What's the boss doing?"''Boss! Please use me next!!""J-Jake? Hey! Jake!"The peanut gallery of Dark Dorm students that had excitedly been shouting for the duel just moments earlier suddenly turned into a complete mess. Some of them started to panic, some of them started getting more excited and the rest were everywhere in between. The chaos got so wild that the ones holding the other five students released them, but something wasn't right. It took only a few moments for the dark dorm students to collapse as well, and a shadowy aura enveloped the pile underneath the group.
Leander and Michelle suddenly found themselves released from the hold they were in, stumbling forward before regaining their balance. Turning back around to see what was wrong, Michelle stepped back and covered her mouth with her hands, shocked to see what had happened to them. Leander simply stared at them, wide-eyed. Whatever this had started out as, it had taken a wrong turn somewhere and things were going south. Leander turned back to look at Steel. He was clearly doing something, and Leander didn't like it. Michelle noticed that these things had escalated to this state as soon as the Infection Symbiosis field spell had been played, but that couldn't be possible, right? A card game causing havoc in the real world? It seemed so unbelievable, yet here was proof that contradicted her. Whatever was happening, Michelle wasn't in a state to do anything to help right now, and could watch as the duel continued. "
Amelia, Joshua, you got this, guys!" Leander cheered them on.
Megan felt a moment of relief in the chaos as the student holding her released her for some reason. She turned to give him a good soc in the face but to her surprise he'd collapsed to the ground. Not only that but the ground was covered in some sort of dark shadow. Part of the field spell? It looked like everyone's captors suffered the same fate. Should they run? No they couldn't leave Amelia and Joshua behind. But perhaps someone should run to get help from some sort of school personel? They probably wouldn't be able to find somebody quick enough in the middle of the night to help them, even if they were inclined to do anything.
"Come on guys, this dorky Dark Dorm dropout can't beat you two!" She shouted as encouragement, hoping she was right. Megan didn't know what would happen if they lost, but judging from how the Dark Dorm student's were dropping like flies and they were on his side, it wouldn't be anything good.
"Hey! Just because they're flunkies doesn't mean you can...do whatever that was to 'em! I think its time for the Dark Dorm guys to go on strike!" Maisy said, though given that a ton of the dark dorm students were probably panicing and most were biting the dust. She knew that running would be dumb, since Amelia and Joshua were still all caught up in this.Smiling once Megan started shouting, Maisy promptly relieved two dark dorm students that had collapsed of their jackets, ripping the sleeves off of one and making them into a dark purple bandanna which she tied around her forehead. Flailing the balled up jackets in her hand, Maisy quickly remembered why she was kicked from the cheer squad in middle school once she said:
"Gimme an A, gimme an M, gimme a...wait are there two M's in your name? Oh what the heck, beat 'im up!" hopping in the air before falling on her ass.
Nathaniel could only watch in horror as the Dark Dorm students fell one by one, although why they were left standing is certainly a mystery. The first thing Nathaniel did was check the bodies of the fallen Dark Dormers for a pulse. A pulse, but a weak one. Nathaniel looked up at the sea of trash that was now the battlefield, the exit nowhere to be found. That would have helped since there was no way they could get all the students out at once. There was only one thing they really could do. Which was sit there and wait.
"Oh my god! Hurry up and finish this duel! I hate it here!" Nathaniel shouted, breath heavy with anxiety.
"Oh, but we're not done with the fun! Longhorn, crush the girly!" Steel yelled out, his voice cracking underneath the rush he was feeling. The humanoid slowly walked up to Amelia, stopping just in front of her. Its shadow loomed over the girl, growing darker as Longhorn's fist came crashing down. Luckily, since it was a hologram, she wasn't crushed underneath. Strangely enough, however, Amelia could still feel the impact of such a strong weight crashing down on her even though it went clean through. It had the feeling of being hit by a truck, making it hard to still stand up straight.
Amelia LP: 3350 > 350
Amelia's knees buckled under the pressure that came from the gods know where. The pressure also had another effect on her, as her hand shot to her chest and her expression turned to one of pain as her heart began acting up, making the situation worse.
"
Amelia!" Leander called out in concern. To him, that was the final straw in his suspicions. The duel was affecting people in real life, and Leander knew how much those attacks hurt.
Longhorn returned to it's position, with Steel grinning ear-to-ear behind it.
"Yes, yes! That's great, that's really great... This power is fantastic! The power of a real duelist is fantastic!" Steel madly cackled, drunk on overwhelming his opponents. The glow that had faded earlier now returned in his eyes, brighter than before. He looked over to the audience, seeing a variety of faces in the crowd.
"Don't worry; I'll have my fun with you lot later. If these jokers don't live up to my expectation, then I hope you will..." Steel licked his lips again, his eye fixated on Michelle and Nathan. He couldn't keep staring, however, as there was a duel to be had. Amelia was still on her knees, but the older boy didn't seem to care.
"Hey, missy, if you can't stand, how about surrendering and leaving it to Princey? But for now... I end my turn!"Turn 18: AmeliaSteel: 4100 LP, 0 cards in hand, 1 monster, 2 S/T, 1 Field Spell
Amelia: 350 LP, 3 cards in hand
Joshua: 3150 LP, 4 cards in hand, 1 monster
"
I'm... I'm fine. I can continue." Amelia said, slowly rising to her feet. She drew her card and looked at it. It was exactly what she needed. "
I summon Pilica, Descendant of Gusto!"
Pilica, Descendant of Gusto: 1000 ATK 1500 DEF Level 3 WIND Psychic
"
When Pilica hits the field, I can Special Summon one Gusto Tuner Monster from my graveyard. I choose to summon Gusto Gulldo." Amelia said, the tiny bird appearing on her field once more. "
Now, I tune my level three Pilica and Gulldo for a Synchro Summon. Descendent of the peaceful people, join with an old friend to summon the protector of your ancestors. Synchro Summon! Level six, Daigusto Sphreez!"
Daigusto Sphreez: 2000 ATK 1300 DEF Level 6 WIND Psychic
A young woman with hair that started as emerald green but transitioned to first red appeared on Amelia's field. She wore a simple but revealing white top, a white loincloth over a pair of tight green trousers, and a pair of armored boots. She also had armor on her shoulders and chest and mismatched sleeves, her right sleeve being skin tight and white like the left looked like it belongs to a pale green kimono. She wielded a staff in her right hand, a long, wooden instrument topped off with a glowing blue gem stone and an odd white fluff ball thing, and wore some sort of wooden container on the left side of her waist.
"
When Shpreez is successfully summoned, I can add a Gusto monster from my grave back to my hand. I chose Gusto Gulldo." Amelia said, adding her friend back to her available cards. "
Next, I activate Contact with Gusto. With this, I take the two remaining Gusto monsters in my grave and shuffle them back into my deck. Then, I destroy your Longhorn."
Longhorn was sliced up by a strong gale, causing a huge explosion. Steel got knocked back all the way to the mountain behind him, slamming against if with extreme force.
"GUH!" He was forced onto his knees, paralyzed for just a moment.
"
I'll set one card face-down and end my turn." Amelia said
"Did she just not attack?" Nathaniel asked in disbelief. Even he was starting to be baffled by her passive tactics, although part of that was because of his desperate desire to get out of there.
Megan was equally surprised, gaping instead of verbally expressing herself. Perhaps she simply didn't want to trigger whatever set cards Steel had but they would have to attack sooner or later wouldn't they? Unless she was perhaps waiting for something to take care of his facedowns but by the time that happened he might have recovered enough to bring out another one of his big monsters. It didn't make any sense.
Turn 19: SteelSteel: 4100 LP, 1 card in hand, 2 S/T, 1 Field Spell
Amelia: 350 LP, 1 card in hand, 1 monster, 1 S/T
Joshua: 3150 LP, 4 cards in hand, 1 monster
The Dark Dorm student slowly rose from the floor, holding the shoulder of his right arm.
"Attack... and keep attacking. Is that not what I said?" Steel growled, head still hung down. He released the grip on his shoulder and placed his two fingers on his deck, drawing one card.
"Girly... You have no idea how much I loathe you right now. But it's alright... I'll crush you in due time. I'll set one card and end this turn."Steel's glowing eye was barely visible from underneath his hair, but his demeanor has changed enough for it to still be threatening.
Turn 20: JoshuaSteel: 4100 LP, 0 cards in hand, 3 S/T, 1 Field Spell
Amelia: 350 LP, 1 card in hand, 1 monster, 1 S/T
Joshua: 3150 LP, 5 cards in hand, 1 monster
"
Who said I follow your orders?" Amelia asked, causing Joshua to chuckle as he drew his card. "
My deck isn't for brute force, unlike yours. Attacking recklessly would be rather dumb of me."
"
And yet, there are times you just have to." Joshua added. "
For example, I summon Fluffal Bear. With his effect, I'll sacrifice him to add the Polymerization in my graveyard to my hand. Then, I'll activate said Polymerization to fuse my Edge Imp Sabres, Fluffal Leo, and Fluffal Dog. Claw of the beast, fangs of the beast, come together to make the ultimate hunter. Fusion Summon, Frightful Wolf!On Joshua's field, a blue plushie wolf appeared before it was torn apart from the inside by pairs of scissors that extended it's limbs. It's mounts ripped open, revealing a pair of demonic eyes within that glowed bright red.
Frightfur Wolf: 2000 ATK 1500 DEF Level 6 DARK Fiend
"Now, Frightfur Wolf, attack Steel directly!" Joshua declared, his monster charging the dark dorm student.
Steel got tackled to the ground, Frightfur Wolf's paw stepping on him and keeping him pinned. As his lifepoints trickled down, a yellowish aura enveloped Steel and started to flow behind him. A gate rose out of the ground, collecting the energy.
Steel LP: 4100 > 2100
"The trap I set last turn... Damage Gate! I select one monster in my graveyard with attack lower or equal to the damage I took, and summon it!" Steel retorted, out of the gate stepping a familiar face. Its stinger was immediately recognizeable, but the gate seemed to vanish as soon as it stepped out. It collected into a green aura and went back to Steel.
"And my other set card... Emergency Provisions! I send Damage Gate to the graveyard, and gain a thousand lifepoints!"Steel LP: 2100 > 3100
Steelswarm Sting: 1850 ATK 0 DEF Level 4 DARK Fiend
"
Since you'll end up doing doing this anyway, Wolf, sacrifice yourself to kill Sting." Joshua said before wolf ate the insectoid whole. Unfortunately for Frightfur Wolf, the metal spike from Sting was a bit too tough to chew on and pierced through its maw. Both monsters got caught in the blast, reducing Steel's lifepoints further.
Steel LP: 3100 > 2950
"
I return this card from my hand to the top of my deck to special summon Edge Imp Sabres to my field in defense mode, then end my turn." Joshua said.
Turn 21: SteelSteel: 2950 LP, 1 card in hand, 1 S/T, 1 Field Spell
Amelia: 350 LP, 1 card in hand, 1 monster, 1 S/T
Joshua: 3150 LP, 0 cards in hand, 1 S/T
"Draw!" Steel shouted out, stretching his hand and slightly tilted the card so he could see it. His eyes widened, but not with surprise. It was just more anger that flared up.
"...Tch! You got lucky, punks. I'll get you next turn. I end my turn!"Turn 22:AmeliaSteel: 2950 LP, 1 card in hand, 1 S/T, 1 Field Spell
Amelia: 350 LP, 2 cards in hand, 1 monster, 1 S/T
Joshua: 3150 LP, 0 cards in hand, 1 S/T
Amelia drew her card, which was something that might be more useful further down the line. For now though, she would just have to follow her partner's lead.
"
I summon Gusto Gulldo to the field in attack mode." She declared, the small bird once again appearing by her side. "
Then, I'll have Gulldo attack you directly!"
The little bird flew at Steel, pecking him in the face several times, including once in the eye. Steel held up his arms to shield himself from the pecking, but still let out a small cry of pain when the damned thing hit him right in the eye.
Steel LP: 2950 > 2450
"
Now, I'll attack directly with Sphreez." Amelia said, her ace sending a powerful blast of wind at Steel, with enough force to push him back into the nearest wall.
Steel LP: 2450 > 450
"
With that, I'll end my turn." Amelia said.
Turn 23: SteelSteel: 450 LP, 2 cards in hand, 1 S/T, 1 Field Spell
Amelia: 350 LP, 1 card in hand, 2 monsters, 1 S/T
Joshua: 3150 LP, 0 cards in hand, 1 S/T
Steel pushed himself off the wall, cracked his neck and put his hand over his deck again.
"It's my turn! Draw!" Steel cried out again, and this time he grinned again. He brought his outstretched arm towards his disk and slammed down the card he drew immediately.
"I told you you'd regret it this turn! I summon Steelswarm Sting!"The familiar armor-clad insectoid returned again, snickering.
Steelswarm Sting: 1850 ATK 0 DEF Level 4 DARK Fiend
"Girly! Your time is up. Battle, Steelswarm Sting! Attack and finish her off, by getting rid of that bird!" The student roared powerfully, the entire room shaking in response. The humanoid flew forward and tried to sting Gusto Gulldo, coming close to finishing Amelia off. Amelia's little companion burst into lights as the stringer pierced with, but as it grew closer to her, a barrier of wind suddenly surrounded her, blocking it. Sphreez had raised her staff, summoning the barrier.
Nearby, Joshua burst out laughing, falling to his knees as his sides began to hurt from his mirth at this situation. Amelia herself had a smile for the first time the entire duel as she watched Sting struggle against the barrier.
"
You followed your belief to attack recklessly and now you've lost. Sphreez' effect. Any battle damage I take involving a Gusto monster..." She began before pointing at Steel. "
Is instead dealt to you!"
"WHAT!?" Steel yelled out in surprise, disbelief and a slight bit of anger. Sting suddenly got slammed back by the barrier exploding powerfully, being hurled towards Steel. The dark dorm student lowered his Duel Disk, hair and jaw. His onefree eye twitched, his last card fell out of his hand and finally...
"THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENIIIIIIIIIING!!!" he yelled, right before Steelswarm Sting slammed into him. He got knocked all the way back into the mountain of scrap that chained him, and the dark aura that engulfed the group of five snuck over to Steel's mountain. Red and black sparks started to visibly crackle on his bindings, shocking Steel and causing him to scream out in pain.
Steel LP: 450 > 0
WINNERS: AMELIA & JOSHUA!
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