Member
RPM
Joshua Tamashii
xVampire3go
AtomicNut
Antlers
BirdboyHaas waited at the entrance of arenas K and L for Nathan to arrive, leaning against the wall. He didn't really pay much attention, only occasionally glancing at the doorway to see when the other earth dorm would arrive. Luckily for him he didn't have to wait too long as Nathan walked through the door, and past Haas.
"Nathan! Over here!" Haas called out to the other boy, giving a brief wave before walking up. He covered his mouth to hold back a yawn, then lazily pointed over to the teacher on the other end of the room with his right thumb.
"Aah... sorry about that, exams are taking a toll on me. We should probably hurry on over while there's still an arena free."
Nathaniel raised an eyebrow as the first thing Haas did was belt out a yawn. It looked like Haas was not feeling too rested. Not that Nathaniel really minded, since that probably meant an advantage for him. Still, it was pretty jarring to have someone greet him with a yawn.
"Yeah, no problem. Let's go." He said as he followed Haas over to the arena.
The both of them swiftly arrived at the teacher who was in charge of monitoring the arenas at this time, Mei Rayne. She primarily taught Fusion theory and wasn't really all that involved, but her easygoing nature made her less fussy about the administration of using an arena than some other teachers at this school. Arena L-1 was still ready to be used while the other three currently had other examination duels going on, so the duo made their way over there. About halfway to the arena, Haas suddenly stops and turns to Nathan.
"Wait, where's Megan? Wasn't she coming too?" he asked briefly, glancing at the doorway.
There was a flash of red hair as Megan sprinted straight past the doorway and out of sight, before audibly skidding to a halt and coming back, walking through the doorway casually, "Oh it was this one after all." she said cheerily waving at Nat and Haas. Looked like they'd managed to get one of the chill teachers to supervise, nice. "This should be exciting, good luck to both of you." Megan said as she grabbed the nearest seat available and waited for the duel to start. She'd be beaten before by both Haas and Nat, it would be interesting to see which of them won this. Haas looked a little bit drained but it shouldn't matter very much, a good rousing duel would wake anyone up after all!
Haas briefly laughed, muttering "Guess that answers that..." before turning back towards the arena. He stretched out his arms and casually walked over to one of the ends, taking his position and waiting for Nathan to do the same. Once both boys had taken their spot, Haas started grinning despite his still-tired posture.
"Ready, Nathan? I might be a bit out of it, but I'm not going easy on you!"
"I wouldn't expect you to." Nathaniel smiled, and raised his duel disk in front of him. "Ready when you are."
Haas slotted his deck into his own Duel Disk and the machine sprung to life, the compartment he had shooting his blade up into the sky. Haas stretched out his arm to catch it, creating a nice and straight playing field for him to work with. Winning this thing in that swimming contest was worth it after all! Once he had readied up, both boys yelled in unison:
"DUEL!"
"Nathan! Over here!" Haas called out to the other boy, giving a brief wave before walking up. He covered his mouth to hold back a yawn, then lazily pointed over to the teacher on the other end of the room with his right thumb.
"Aah... sorry about that, exams are taking a toll on me. We should probably hurry on over while there's still an arena free."
Nathaniel raised an eyebrow as the first thing Haas did was belt out a yawn. It looked like Haas was not feeling too rested. Not that Nathaniel really minded, since that probably meant an advantage for him. Still, it was pretty jarring to have someone greet him with a yawn.
"Yeah, no problem. Let's go." He said as he followed Haas over to the arena.
The both of them swiftly arrived at the teacher who was in charge of monitoring the arenas at this time, Mei Rayne. She primarily taught Fusion theory and wasn't really all that involved, but her easygoing nature made her less fussy about the administration of using an arena than some other teachers at this school. Arena L-1 was still ready to be used while the other three currently had other examination duels going on, so the duo made their way over there. About halfway to the arena, Haas suddenly stops and turns to Nathan.
"Wait, where's Megan? Wasn't she coming too?" he asked briefly, glancing at the doorway.
There was a flash of red hair as Megan sprinted straight past the doorway and out of sight, before audibly skidding to a halt and coming back, walking through the doorway casually, "Oh it was this one after all." she said cheerily waving at Nat and Haas. Looked like they'd managed to get one of the chill teachers to supervise, nice. "This should be exciting, good luck to both of you." Megan said as she grabbed the nearest seat available and waited for the duel to start. She'd be beaten before by both Haas and Nat, it would be interesting to see which of them won this. Haas looked a little bit drained but it shouldn't matter very much, a good rousing duel would wake anyone up after all!
Haas briefly laughed, muttering "Guess that answers that..." before turning back towards the arena. He stretched out his arms and casually walked over to one of the ends, taking his position and waiting for Nathan to do the same. Once both boys had taken their spot, Haas started grinning despite his still-tired posture.
"Ready, Nathan? I might be a bit out of it, but I'm not going easy on you!"
"I wouldn't expect you to." Nathaniel smiled, and raised his duel disk in front of him. "Ready when you are."
Haas slotted his deck into his own Duel Disk and the machine sprung to life, the compartment he had shooting his blade up into the sky. Haas stretched out his arm to catch it, creating a nice and straight playing field for him to work with. Winning this thing in that swimming contest was worth it after all! Once he had readied up, both boys yelled in unison:
"DUEL!"
Turn 1: Nathaniel
Haas: 4000 LP, 5 cards in hand
Nathaniel: 4000 LP, 5 cards in hand
"Alright, I'll start this off." Nathaniel drew his hand in a flash, and mulled them over for a few seconds before taking two cards from his hand. "I set two cards facedown and end my turn."
Haas blinked a few times and rubbed his eyes with his free hand. "Huh, is that really it?"
"Well... for now." Nathaniel replied sheepishly. He coughed into his fist a couple of times before gesturing over to Haas. "Your turn."
Turn 2: Haas
Haas: 4000 LP, 6 cards in hand
Nathaniel: 4000 LP, 3 cards in hand, 2 Set
Haas flinched and rubbed the back of his head with that same hand, laughing awkardly. "Right, right! My turn, draw!"
Haas performed a non-flashy draw as he stared at the card he'd gotten. He grinned when he looked back at his hand though, placing it in with the rest of them and picking up a new one. He swiped his hand across the Duel Disk, excitedly slamming down the card on to it.
"Well, I won't keep you waiting! I'll summon my Summoner Monk!"
From a vortex came a robed, cranky old man with inhumanly gray skin. He stood up for a moment, but their waist acted up and forced the man to take a seating position, a blue glow coming around them. Haas then slammed another card down on his disk, but not on the field this time.
Summoner Monk: 800 ATK 1600 DEF Level 4 DARK Spellcaster
"Summoner Monk can't remain in Attack position for long, but his effect makes up for it! By sending the Legendary Wind-Up Key in my hand to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon this guy from my deck!"
A single card ejected from Haas' deck and he briefly flashed it to Nathan before summoning it as well. Summoner monk closed his yes and started humming while next to him another vortex opened up, summoning the fiercest creature known to man: A cute, green toy robot with a magnet for a head.
Wind-Up Soldier: 1800 ATK 1200 DEF Level 4 EARTH Warrior
Nathaniel eyed the two monsters in front of him with a look of anxiousness. "I think I know where this is going..."
Haas nodded to Nathan, smiling confidently. "Yeah, 'cause now I use these two monsters to build the Overlay Network!"
The network opened up in the middle of the field, with the soldier turning into a brownish beam of light and Summoner Monk into a purplish one. The two pulsated in place for a minute before jumping forward and swirling around ach other inside of it, creating a huge explosion.
"Master among the toys, Wind Up now and awaken from a deep slumber! Xyz Summon! Come to life, Wind-Up Zenmaister!"
From the explosion rose a bit of a design mess, with a pyramid shape connecting four rocket-powered engines to act as it's bottom half with a mess of shapes to support it's top half, a giant key stuck in the back and spring-powered fists for arms. Two brown orbs were floating around it in a cross shape, leaving a small and brief trail of light behind them.
Wind-Up Zenmaister: 1900 ATK 1500 DEF Rank 4 EARTH Machine
Haas stood there for a moment, still. Then his grin widened even more and he jumped up in the air excitedly, yelling "Awh yeah, I did it! An Xyz Summon on my first turn! Alright!!" and was stuck inside of his own little bubble of praise for a bit, regaining his composure only after he realised what a fool he was making of himself.
"Ah... ahaha... sorry about that. Anyway, Wind-Up Zenmaister gains a little boost for each Overlay Unit on it! Since it has two, that means 600 ATK! Spring Charge!"
Wind-Up Zenmaister: 1900 ATK > 2500 ATK
Haas seemed a little more pumped than before, but all that energy soon left him again when his shoulders went weak and he had to cover his mouth to hide another yawn.
Nathaniel on the other hand, stared at the Xyz Summon before him, letting out short and steady breaths in an attempt to keep his cool. "Phew. Well, this looks familiar. I guess it's a good a time as any to play this. I activate my Quick-Play Spell Card: Scapegoat!"
One of Nathaniel facedown cards revealed itself to be a green card featuring four round little sheep, one in blue, red, yellow, and pink, who promptly leaped out from the card to take up their positions in front of their summoner.
"This card summons four little Sheep Tokens to protect me. Aren't they just adorably valiant little creatures?"
Sheep Token: 0 ATK 0 DEF Level 1 EARTH Beast
Haas couldn't help but smile weakly at the Sheep tokens, but then looked up at his own monster. Without facing Nathan the boy started to speak again.
"Well, this is going to take a while... In the meanwhile, I'll have Wind-Up Zenmaister attack one of your Sheep Tokens! Spring Punch!"
Wind-Up Zenmaister's key started to spin and spin, causing the machination to come to life. Its blue eyes started to glow as it straightened itself out before pulling back its right fist, then sent it flying towards the orange Sheep Token.
"Okay, didn't think I would use both of these this soon. I activate my Trap Card Chaos Burst! When my opponent declares an attack, I can tribute one monster I control to destroy my opponent's attacking monster and inflict 1000 damage."
"Huh?! No way!" Haas yelled with disbelief.
Suddenly, the orange Sheep Token started to shake a little before a flaming demon popped out from the little thing. Zenmaister's right first went right through it before it blew itself up along with Zenmaister. The force of the blast reached all the way to Haas who managed to remain standing but was still pushed back from the impact. The ground squeaked a little as his sneakers slid across it.
Haas LP: 4000 > 3000
"Aw, c'mon Nathan! No fair... Guess I'll set a card and end my turn!" Haas replied, disheartened but still resolved. A single card back materialized on his field as it became Nathan's turn again.
Megan flicked through her own cards as she watched the duel. It had looked like Haas had the advantage for a moment by summoning a powerful XYZ monster on his first move, but Nat had not only set up a stall move but also taken care of the monster while inflicting damage to his opponent. Impressive from both parties.
Turn 3: Nathaniel
Haas: 3000 LP, 3 cards in hand, 1 Set
Nathaniel: 4000 LP, 4 cards in hand, 3 monsters
"Well that was um... violent." Nathaniel remarked, having never activated that Trap Card before. Then again, he wasn't sure what he was supposed to expect with a named "Chaos Burst." In any case, this was his chance to swing this duel.
"Alright, draw-oh come on!" Evidently, it was not to be.
"I set one card facedown and end my turn." He sighed before handing it over to Haas.
Haas looked stunned again, tilting his head slightly now that Nathan had a clear view of him without Zenmaister. "Again? That isn't like you at all..."
Nathaniel just slowly shook his head. He was completely speechless, so he just gave a small shrug.
Turn 4: Haas
Haas: 3000 LP, 4 cards in hand, 1 Set
Nathaniel: 4000 LP, 3 cards in hand, 3 monsters, 1 Set
"Alright then... Draw!" Haas yelled, drawing his next card with a bit more Gusto, though not Amelia's brand. Once again he placed it in his hand in favor of another card. With the same motion as on his first turn, Haas slammed the card down onto his Duel Disk.
"Next on the assembly line is one of my favorites! Give it up for Wind-Up Juggler!"
The first thing that came onto the field were a few differently coloured cogs trapped inside clear balls, falling from the sky. From behind Haas came a boingy sound as a green toy using a spring for movement frantically jumped onto the field, bouncing around them and trying to scoop them all up. Once the female-looking toy gathered them all up she started to juggle them, careful not to make them fall again like she had before.
Wind-Up Juggler: 1700 ATK 1000 DEF Level 4 WIND Psychic
Haas straightened himself out a little and carefully looked over all three sheep tokens before confidently pointing at one of them.
"Alright, Juggler! Take out the blue one!"
Wind-Up Juggler flinched and looked back at Haas with disbelief, accidentally dropping the balls. She tried to catch up to them, but Juggler tripped and fell on the floor. The little trapped cogs rolled all the way to the blue Sheep Token and suddenly started glowing, exploding underneath the poor thing. Haas jumped up and fistpumped the air, grinning at seeing his attack go through.
"Alright, great! I might win this even without my ace... Turn end!"
Turn 5: Nathaniel
Haas: 3000 LP, 3 cards in hand, 1 monster, 1 Set
Nathaniel: 4000 LP, 4 cards in hand, 2 monsters, 1 Set
Nathaniel closed his eyes, as if attempting to will a useful card into existance. "Come on... give me something..." He whispered as he drew his next card with a flourish.
"...And I pass."
Megan nodded sympathetically. Few things wre quite as bad as simply having nothing to work with. At least it wasn't a very important duel in the grand scheme of things. Still sucked.
Turn 6: Haas
Haas: 3000 LP, 4 cards in hand, 1 monster, 1 Set
Nathaniel: 4000 LP, 4 cards in hand, 2 monsters, 1 Set
"E-Eh? Alright... Draw!" Haas yelled again, a little less confident. A repeat of his previous opening moves, Haas made the same exact movements again.
"I summon Wind-Up Warrior!"
From a vortex next to Juggler, who had gotten some new cogs to juggle, came another toy in the series. This time it had an orange paintjob, with two dull claws for hands and a helmet to protect it.
Wind-Up Warrior: 1200 ATK 1800 DEF Level 4 EARTH Warrior
"Now the real fun begins! Just once I can wind him up, which activates his effect! One of my Wind-Ups gains a level and 600 ATK, and I think I'll give it to himself!"
Wind-Up Warrior's key suddenly started spinning rapidly, making his eyes vibrate in place and go wide. A red aura came around the toy as it spread apart its arms and tried to let out a roar to the heavens, but all that came out was a bit of mechanical clanging.
Wind-Up Warrior: Level 4 > 5
Wind-Up Warrior: 1200 ATK > 1800 ATK
A droplet of sweat ran down Haas' forehead, but his body language slowly became more active and sharper. He wasn't bent over anymore like he used to be and picked up another card from his hand. "Next up: A spell card! Weights and Zenmaisures!"
A scale rose up from beneath Juggler and Warrior, raising them both up in its respective scales. They shook wildly from left to right, unable to find balance. Juggler seemed less than happy as it struggled to maintain their little circus trick while Warrior motionlessly stared at Nathan.
"Pick a level, Nathan! 4 or 5! Both my monsters will become that level, but if you pick 4 then I get to draw a card!"
Nathaniel narrowed his eyes as he glanced from one side of the scale to the other, all the while pondering to himself.
Hmm... 4 or 5... I should pick 4, right? He's already summoned one Rank 4, and I've only ever seen him use one. So he should be out of them by now... But what if he isn't? What if he has another Rank 4? Then I would have drawn him a card and given him an Xyz. Rank 4s are the most common Rank too, which means I should put my bets on...
"5. I pick 5." Nathaniel said a little shakily.
The scale stopped swaying so wildly and calmed down, seemingly weighing down Warior as the heavier one. However, then it rose back up again, levelling them both as Juggler gained one axtra cog to juggle around.
Wind-Up Juggler: Level 4 > 5
Haas triumphantly jumped into the air again, laughing with excitement.
"Awesome! I knew you'd pull through for me, Nathan! I now Overlay my Level 5 Wind-Ups!" Haas bounced back again, the now-familiar Overlay Network opening up again. Juggler became a green beam, Warrior an orange one and they both swirled together to create a new power.
"Wait what?!" At that moment, Nathaniel knew he had picked wrong.
"Machination dwelling deep within the ocean! Become the base from which your ships launch! Xyz Summon, Rank 5! Shark Fortress!"
A huge, green monster ascended onto the field. Its core was cylindrical, open and extremely wide, with the inside slowly curving around before sharply closing with a cone shape. The front had a triangular head modeled after a shark's. The 'fins' were sticking out from both of its sides at the top, acting as jet boosters to make it swim around. Two purple orbs floated around it.
Shark Fortress: 2400 ATK 1800 DEF Rank 5 DARK Fish
"Wait, hold on. I have two monsters on the field... and now you only have one monster to attack them with... Are you sure that was a good idea?"
"Come on, Nate! I'd never underestimate you, would I? 'cause my Shark Fortress can attack twice at the cost of an Overlay Unit!" Haas bounced back with a wink, one of Shark Fortress' orbs splashing open into a flash of light when it connected with its head.
Shark Fortress: Xyz Material 2 > 1
Nathaniel's eyes widened. "Oh."
"Now to finish off the last of those Sheep Tokens! Shark Fortress, Submersible Raid!"
Two green-coloured torpedos fell out of two compartments in the fortress' sides, but right before they hit the ground they flared to life. The two remaining Sheep Tokens stayed calm even as the rockets of death were racing towards them, making contact and exploding spectacularly.
Haas nodded contently to himself, glancing briefly at his hand and then back to Nathan again.
"Guess I don't have much left to do... but now your field's wide open! I hope you can summon a monster now, 'cause otherwise I've got this duel won. Turn end!"
Turn 7: Nathaniel
Haas: 3000 LP, 2 cards in hand, 1 monster, 1 Set
Nathaniel: 4000 LP, 5 cards in hand, 1 Set
He's right. If that monster catch me with an open field, I'm a goner. I was hoping on saving this one, but I guess I have no choice now.
"My turn. Draw! I begin by activating my facedown card, Mystical Space Typhoon. This card destroys your own facedown card." As Nathaniel revealed the card in front of him, a great tornado sweeped across the field to Haas's side, shattering his own facedown card into pieces.
Haas dramatically reached forward and went down to one knee, mustering as serious of a face as he could. "No, Nathan! Don't do it! What you're destroying is my..." as Haas was about to say it, an after image of the card was shown. It depicted a monster valiantly taking a blast for another, all while speaking from its heart.
"...heartfelt appeal." Haas finished, lowering his head and pretending to sniffle. What little of his tiredness that was there had all but vanished, clearly.
"Well, that's just the opening act for this turn. Because from my hand, I activate Lightning Vortex! By discarding one card from my hand, I can destroy all face-up monsters my opponent controls. Won't be needing this." Nathaniel said to himself as he discard Odd-Eyes Dragon from his hand. Suddenly from the sky, several bolts of lightning descended around Shark Fortress before closing in. Being an aquatic machine animal thing, Shark Fortress stood no chance as it was obliterated by lightning.
Haas stood up again and took a step back, shielding his arms from the blast that came from his field. "Geez, you're merciless huh? Back to square one for both of us now." he replied again, lowering his arms and having one eye closed still as the dust settled.
Megan was surprised that Nat had managed to not summon a single monster beyond his goats and had yet to take a single hit on his own life points. Of course it seemed he'd spent what little he had wiping the field, so now it came down to who was able to recover faster. At this point simply summoning a monster with reasonable attack might be all it took to finish off either duelist.
"Not quite. I activate from my hand, the Field Spell Performapal Dramatic Theater!" As Nathaniel slid a card into his Duel Disk, a wave of glitter washed over the arena. What was once a empty flat field was soon occupied by trampolines, trapezes, and rings of fire. And the ceiling above them became covered with the red and black striped cloth of a circus tent.
"And what's a stage without a performer? I summon Performapal Corn to the field!" Nathaniel slapped the monster card onto his Duel Disk, and a horned girl with blue hair erupted amidst a cloud of confetti, giving a small bow as she landed onto the field.
Performapal Corn: 600 ATK 1000 DEF Level 3 LIGHT Beast-Warrior
Haas remained mostly serious throughout the turn, but once Corn took the stage he couldn't help himself from laughing, holding his stomach because of it. After a little bit of this he wiped his eyes with his free hand and looked up to Nathan, face still twisted in amusement.
"Wow, Nathan. What a cute 'circus animal' you've got there. Never seen a performapal like that before!" Haas joked, trying to keep as serious of a face as he could muster.
Nathaniel merely gave a shrug with his hands in the air. "My deck is full of surprises for children of all ages." Certainly giving me a surprise. He added silently. "Now the effect of Dramatic Theater gives Performapal Corn a little boost, giving her 200 extra attack points."
Performapal Corn: 600 ATK -> 800 ATK
"Now I'll have Performapal Corn attack you directly!" Performapal Corn took a leap at Haas head first, or perhaps horn first. Haas flinched and couldn't bring up his arms in time, getting hit square in the chest and getting knocked back onto the floor with a loud thud.
Haas LP: 3000 > 2200
"I'll then set one card facedown and end my turn." Nathaniel said as he slid the last card in his hand into his Disk.
Turn 8: Haas
Haas: 2200 LP, 3 cards in hand
Nathaniel: 4000 LP, 0 cards in hand, 1 monster, 1 Field, 1 Set
Haas was knocked down on the floor and didn't move for a little while, staring blankly up at the ceiling. Then it sounded like he started to sob, with his chest frantically going up and down. That sobbing soon turned into another round of laughter, however, as Haas jumped up again, his goofy grin as unchanged as ever.
"Ahalright! This is great! First I was in the lead, but now it looks like I'm going to lose... I didn't know dueling you was this fun, Nathan! It's my turn!"
Haas drew his card with renewed vigor, giving it only a brief glance before slamming it down.
"You're not the only one with a circus trick! It's time for my own Mystical Space Typhoon!" Haas yelled as a storm brewed in the arena, the hair of both conestants flying around wildly and the tent starting to sway side by side. The field spell remained standing, however Nathan's other card was starting to quiver under the pressure. Nathaniel grimaced as his facedown card revealed itself to be Performapal Revival before being blown to pieces. He was hoping to reinforce his field with that card, but that plan's out the window now.
"I'm not done yet! Next up is another Spell Card from my hand!" Haas then picked up another card from his hand, holding it high up in the sky. The card started to glow, and so did Haas' Duel Disk. The hairs of the boy flew up in the air as a powerful gust erupted from underneath him.
"I'm not going to let this duel go by without bringing back my ace! Master of the toys, Wind Up once more!"
A bright flash of light engulfed the field, blinding duelist and spectator alike. Once everyone's eyes recovered, back again was the familiar construction of toy parts: Wind-Up Zenmaister... only it was in Defense postion and without any Overlay Units floating around it.
Wind-Up Zenmaister: 1900 ATK 1500 DEF Rank 4 EARTH Machine
Nathaniel looked on with wide eyes and a cold sweat as the familar machine made its way on the field as big as ever. Only when the dust cleared it looked to be kind of hunched and grayed out. At that moment, Nathaniel let out the longest breath of his life. "Oh phew. Scared me for second there."
Haas scratched the back of his head sheepishly, but the embarrassment was quickly replaced with pride as he looked back at his ace."Zenmailfunction brings a Wind-Up back, but it's effect is negated and it only comes back in Defense position. I can't do much else, so bring it on! Turn end!"
Just as it seemed Nat was getting the upperhand for once Haas brought back his XYZ monster to the field, managing to protect his lifepoints and likely managing to began his counterattack soon. At least Haas was looking a little more alive, though one might say it came at the cost of Nat losing his own vigor as seemed unable to establish anything on the field before it was wiped away, even if he was still somehow leading in terms of Life Points.
Turn 9: Nathaniel
Haas: 2200 LP, 1 card in hand, 1 monster
Nathaniel: 4000 LP, 1 card in hand, 1 monster, 1 Field
Nathaniel looked at the field with worry. He survived this turn with his field somewhat intact, but Zenmaister will only be stopped this turn, and it'll start wreaking havoc the next turn. He would need to draw something to take it down now while it's still weakened.
With that in mind, he drew his next card and sighed deeply.
"I set one monster facedown and change Performapal Corn to defense position. Turn end."
Turn 10: Haas
Haas: 2200 LP, 2 cards in hand, 1 monster
Nathaniel: 4000 LP, 0 cards in hand, 2 monsters, 1 Field
"Alright! Then it's my turn!" Haas put his hand on his deck, paused for a second and breathed deeply.
"Y'know, Nathan... it's kinda weird. I can sorta... feel my deck right now. It's bursting with energy, desparate to show what it can do... and I'm about to deliver!"
With that said, Haas drew his next card. His face lit up with excitement as he held it out in front of him, keeping a good grasp on it between his two fingers as he turned it around for Nathan to see. Soon after a compartment on the side of his blade opened up, slotting the card in.
"Y'know, I think I learned in class that Xyz monsters were created from a massive amount of concentrated energy... and now it's about to be unleashed! Prepare for a new Field Spell: Xyz Territory!"
A small red and orange, pulsating orb rose from the ground in the middle of the arena. It started to spin around and suck in the air around it, growing ever larger in size. Nathan's circus tent couldn't withstand the pressure as the equipment first got sucked into it, then the curtains. The more that the orb absorbed, the larger it became before passing through both Nathan and Haas, trapping them in a coloured sphere of incredibly pressure. Wind-up Zenmaister's eyes flashed again as it rose up, ready to battle, with Haas having tilted the card on his Duel Disk.
"Wind-up Zenmaister, attack Performapal Corn! Spring Punch!" Haas called out and pointed dramatically. His monster responded by pulling both its arms back, but not ret releasing. The energy floating around the two duelists started to gather around both of Zenmaister's fists, coating them.
"When an Xyz monster battles inside of Xyz Territory, it gains ATK equal to its rank times 200!"
Wind-up Zenmaister: 1900 ATK > 2700 ATK
The machine released its powerful punches, sending two spring-powered, high-impact boxing gloves flying at poor Performapal Corn. Performapal Corn let out an "Eeek!" before shattering under the force of Zenmaister's punches.
"So glad I put her in defense position..." Nathaniel muttered.
Zenmaister's eye stopped glowing and it looked to power down, remaining motionless as the energy around it started to drain back into the walls of the sphere. Haas held up one finger, ready to finish his explanation. "The monsters who battle in Xyz Territory have their ATK returned to normal afterwards, though."
Wind-up Zenmaister: 2700 ATK > 1900 ATK
The little toymaker fistpumped the air, then looked Nathan in the eyes with firm determination. "Isn't this exciting?! You never know what happens inside of a duel... I end my turn!"
Turn 11: Nathaniel
Haas: 2200 LP, 1 card in hand, 1 monster, 1 Field
Nathaniel: 4000 LP, 1 card in hand, 1 monster
"Well this is not good..." Nathaniel whispered to himself as he drew his next card. "And that didn't help. Turn end."
Turn 12: Haas
Haas: 2200 LP, 2 cards in hand, 1 monster, 1 Field
Nathaniel: 4000 LP, 1 card in hand, 1 monster
"Alright then, my turn! Draw!" Haas shouted as he swiped another card from his disk, briefly stared at it and then slammed it down next to Wind-Up Zenmaister.
"If you're not going to attack, I will! I summon the Tuner monster, Re-Cover! Then I'll attack your facedown monster with Zenmaister!"
Re-Cover: 700 ATK 300 DEF Level 1 EARTH Psychic Tuner
A small hole in thr ground opened up, with a sealed book flying out. It spun around in the air for a little while before sprouting arms and legs, giving a thumbs up to Haas once it nailed the landing. At the same time, Wind-up Zenmaister was already preparing another spring-powered punch in the direction of Nathan's monster. The aura of Xyz Territory gathered around its arms again as it sent out a single attack.
The card revealed itself to be a two-faced, top hat wearing grasshopper before succumbing to the force of Zenmaister's punch.
"Now Re-Cover attacks you directly!" Haas commanded to his monster, with a purple ball of energy gathering in one of the small book's gloved hands. It then threw it out at Nathan.
Nathaniel put up his arms to defend himself, not that that was really necessary since all it really did was push him a couple steps back. "Oof..."
Nathaniel LP: 4000 > 3300
Haas threw both his arms behind his head, his expression having calmed down a bit from the excitement he showed before. "I guess that ends my turn. You alright, Nathan? You've been grimacing all duel..."
Turn 13: Nathaniel
Haas: 2200 LP, 1 card in hand, 2 monsters, 1 Field
Nathaniel: 3300 LP, 2 cards in hand
"Oh yeah, I'm fine." My luck on the other hand... This duel has really not been going Nathaniel's way. As Nathaniel put his hand on the next card in his deck, he looked down at his deck nervously. If he didn't draw a monster, it was over for him. But even if he did, all it would do for him is stall further until his inevitable demise. Things seemed hopeless, but Nathaniel digged deep within himself to find the resolve to do one thing: get this duel over with.
"Draw!" Nathaniel cried as he drew his next card. Surprisingly enough, it was not completely useless. This card's always done right by me before. "Looks like it's Performapal Whip Snake to the rescue!"
As Nathaniel played his next card, a purple cobra-like creature slithered its way onto the field, wearing the signature Performapal top hat and bowtie combo. It wiggled its long tongue enthusiastically as it gave a wink to their small audience.
Performapal Whip Snake: 1700 ATK 900 DEF Level 4 EARTH Reptile
"And now, Performapal Whip Snake activates its special ability! During the Main Phase, I can target one monster on the field and switch its attack and defense points!" On Nathaniel's command, Performapal Whip Snake held its tail out in front, and dangled a little heart-shaped pendulum at the end of its tail as it emitted a hypnotic signal towards Haas's field. "The monster I target... is Re-Cover!"
"No way!" Haas shouted out in disbelief, watching his monster helplessly fell over onto it's open pages as the hypnotic wave hit it full blast. Tiny little stars started dancing over its head while the ATK value displayed next to it trickled down.
Re-Cover: 700 ATK > 300 ATK
"And now, for the coup de grâce. I activate the Spell Card Back-Up Rider! This card gives a monster on the field 1500 additional attack points! That means Whip Snake climbs up to 3200!"
Performapal Whip Snake: 1700 ATK > 3200 ATK
"3200?! Wait, but with my Re-Cover at only 300..." Haas yammered out astounded, bringing his hands in front of his face to start counting on his fingers. "So 3200 minus 300..."
"I'll save you the calculations and just tell you it's a lot more than you have Life Points left. Performapal Whip Snake! Attack Re-Cover!" Performapal Whip Snake closed in, not merely slithering over, but charging forward with the force of a thundering steed. It tackled Re-Cover full force, shattering the hapless little book in an instant. The force of the impact reached all the way to Haas and swept him off his feet, sending him flying onto the floor while he yelled out a big "NOOOOOO!!"
Haas LP: 2200 > 0
Nat had actually managed to win, with only taking a single hit no less. Despite having almost no cards on the field at any point in the duel he'd chipped at Haas life points before delivering a devastating final blow by taking advantage of the weak monster Haas had deployed. To be able to win with so little was very impressive. "Wooo, nice dueling from the two of you! But you're going to have to deal with me next Nat!" Megan proclaimed and jumped over the railing to get ready to duel. "That is unless you'd like a break first?" Megan paused and asked quizzically, Nat had looked a bit drained in the latter half of the duel after all.
Haas: 4000 LP, 5 cards in hand
Nathaniel: 4000 LP, 5 cards in hand
"Alright, I'll start this off." Nathaniel drew his hand in a flash, and mulled them over for a few seconds before taking two cards from his hand. "I set two cards facedown and end my turn."
Haas blinked a few times and rubbed his eyes with his free hand. "Huh, is that really it?"
"Well... for now." Nathaniel replied sheepishly. He coughed into his fist a couple of times before gesturing over to Haas. "Your turn."
Turn 2: Haas
Haas: 4000 LP, 6 cards in hand
Nathaniel: 4000 LP, 3 cards in hand, 2 Set
Haas flinched and rubbed the back of his head with that same hand, laughing awkardly. "Right, right! My turn, draw!"
Haas performed a non-flashy draw as he stared at the card he'd gotten. He grinned when he looked back at his hand though, placing it in with the rest of them and picking up a new one. He swiped his hand across the Duel Disk, excitedly slamming down the card on to it.
"Well, I won't keep you waiting! I'll summon my Summoner Monk!"
From a vortex came a robed, cranky old man with inhumanly gray skin. He stood up for a moment, but their waist acted up and forced the man to take a seating position, a blue glow coming around them. Haas then slammed another card down on his disk, but not on the field this time.
Summoner Monk: 800 ATK 1600 DEF Level 4 DARK Spellcaster
"Summoner Monk can't remain in Attack position for long, but his effect makes up for it! By sending the Legendary Wind-Up Key in my hand to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon this guy from my deck!"
A single card ejected from Haas' deck and he briefly flashed it to Nathan before summoning it as well. Summoner monk closed his yes and started humming while next to him another vortex opened up, summoning the fiercest creature known to man: A cute, green toy robot with a magnet for a head.
Wind-Up Soldier: 1800 ATK 1200 DEF Level 4 EARTH Warrior
Nathaniel eyed the two monsters in front of him with a look of anxiousness. "I think I know where this is going..."
Haas nodded to Nathan, smiling confidently. "Yeah, 'cause now I use these two monsters to build the Overlay Network!"
The network opened up in the middle of the field, with the soldier turning into a brownish beam of light and Summoner Monk into a purplish one. The two pulsated in place for a minute before jumping forward and swirling around ach other inside of it, creating a huge explosion.
"Master among the toys, Wind Up now and awaken from a deep slumber! Xyz Summon! Come to life, Wind-Up Zenmaister!"
From the explosion rose a bit of a design mess, with a pyramid shape connecting four rocket-powered engines to act as it's bottom half with a mess of shapes to support it's top half, a giant key stuck in the back and spring-powered fists for arms. Two brown orbs were floating around it in a cross shape, leaving a small and brief trail of light behind them.
Wind-Up Zenmaister: 1900 ATK 1500 DEF Rank 4 EARTH Machine
Haas stood there for a moment, still. Then his grin widened even more and he jumped up in the air excitedly, yelling "Awh yeah, I did it! An Xyz Summon on my first turn! Alright!!" and was stuck inside of his own little bubble of praise for a bit, regaining his composure only after he realised what a fool he was making of himself.
"Ah... ahaha... sorry about that. Anyway, Wind-Up Zenmaister gains a little boost for each Overlay Unit on it! Since it has two, that means 600 ATK! Spring Charge!"
Wind-Up Zenmaister: 1900 ATK > 2500 ATK
Haas seemed a little more pumped than before, but all that energy soon left him again when his shoulders went weak and he had to cover his mouth to hide another yawn.
Nathaniel on the other hand, stared at the Xyz Summon before him, letting out short and steady breaths in an attempt to keep his cool. "Phew. Well, this looks familiar. I guess it's a good a time as any to play this. I activate my Quick-Play Spell Card: Scapegoat!"
One of Nathaniel facedown cards revealed itself to be a green card featuring four round little sheep, one in blue, red, yellow, and pink, who promptly leaped out from the card to take up their positions in front of their summoner.
"This card summons four little Sheep Tokens to protect me. Aren't they just adorably valiant little creatures?"
Sheep Token: 0 ATK 0 DEF Level 1 EARTH Beast
Haas couldn't help but smile weakly at the Sheep tokens, but then looked up at his own monster. Without facing Nathan the boy started to speak again.
"Well, this is going to take a while... In the meanwhile, I'll have Wind-Up Zenmaister attack one of your Sheep Tokens! Spring Punch!"
Wind-Up Zenmaister's key started to spin and spin, causing the machination to come to life. Its blue eyes started to glow as it straightened itself out before pulling back its right fist, then sent it flying towards the orange Sheep Token.
"Okay, didn't think I would use both of these this soon. I activate my Trap Card Chaos Burst! When my opponent declares an attack, I can tribute one monster I control to destroy my opponent's attacking monster and inflict 1000 damage."
"Huh?! No way!" Haas yelled with disbelief.
Suddenly, the orange Sheep Token started to shake a little before a flaming demon popped out from the little thing. Zenmaister's right first went right through it before it blew itself up along with Zenmaister. The force of the blast reached all the way to Haas who managed to remain standing but was still pushed back from the impact. The ground squeaked a little as his sneakers slid across it.
Haas LP: 4000 > 3000
"Aw, c'mon Nathan! No fair... Guess I'll set a card and end my turn!" Haas replied, disheartened but still resolved. A single card back materialized on his field as it became Nathan's turn again.
Megan flicked through her own cards as she watched the duel. It had looked like Haas had the advantage for a moment by summoning a powerful XYZ monster on his first move, but Nat had not only set up a stall move but also taken care of the monster while inflicting damage to his opponent. Impressive from both parties.
Turn 3: Nathaniel
Haas: 3000 LP, 3 cards in hand, 1 Set
Nathaniel: 4000 LP, 4 cards in hand, 3 monsters
"Well that was um... violent." Nathaniel remarked, having never activated that Trap Card before. Then again, he wasn't sure what he was supposed to expect with a named "Chaos Burst." In any case, this was his chance to swing this duel.
"Alright, draw-oh come on!" Evidently, it was not to be.
"I set one card facedown and end my turn." He sighed before handing it over to Haas.
Haas looked stunned again, tilting his head slightly now that Nathan had a clear view of him without Zenmaister. "Again? That isn't like you at all..."
Nathaniel just slowly shook his head. He was completely speechless, so he just gave a small shrug.
Turn 4: Haas
Haas: 3000 LP, 4 cards in hand, 1 Set
Nathaniel: 4000 LP, 3 cards in hand, 3 monsters, 1 Set
"Alright then... Draw!" Haas yelled, drawing his next card with a bit more Gusto, though not Amelia's brand. Once again he placed it in his hand in favor of another card. With the same motion as on his first turn, Haas slammed the card down onto his Duel Disk.
"Next on the assembly line is one of my favorites! Give it up for Wind-Up Juggler!"
The first thing that came onto the field were a few differently coloured cogs trapped inside clear balls, falling from the sky. From behind Haas came a boingy sound as a green toy using a spring for movement frantically jumped onto the field, bouncing around them and trying to scoop them all up. Once the female-looking toy gathered them all up she started to juggle them, careful not to make them fall again like she had before.
Wind-Up Juggler: 1700 ATK 1000 DEF Level 4 WIND Psychic
Haas straightened himself out a little and carefully looked over all three sheep tokens before confidently pointing at one of them.
"Alright, Juggler! Take out the blue one!"
Wind-Up Juggler flinched and looked back at Haas with disbelief, accidentally dropping the balls. She tried to catch up to them, but Juggler tripped and fell on the floor. The little trapped cogs rolled all the way to the blue Sheep Token and suddenly started glowing, exploding underneath the poor thing. Haas jumped up and fistpumped the air, grinning at seeing his attack go through.
"Alright, great! I might win this even without my ace... Turn end!"
Turn 5: Nathaniel
Haas: 3000 LP, 3 cards in hand, 1 monster, 1 Set
Nathaniel: 4000 LP, 4 cards in hand, 2 monsters, 1 Set
Nathaniel closed his eyes, as if attempting to will a useful card into existance. "Come on... give me something..." He whispered as he drew his next card with a flourish.
"...And I pass."
Megan nodded sympathetically. Few things wre quite as bad as simply having nothing to work with. At least it wasn't a very important duel in the grand scheme of things. Still sucked.
Turn 6: Haas
Haas: 3000 LP, 4 cards in hand, 1 monster, 1 Set
Nathaniel: 4000 LP, 4 cards in hand, 2 monsters, 1 Set
"E-Eh? Alright... Draw!" Haas yelled again, a little less confident. A repeat of his previous opening moves, Haas made the same exact movements again.
"I summon Wind-Up Warrior!"
From a vortex next to Juggler, who had gotten some new cogs to juggle, came another toy in the series. This time it had an orange paintjob, with two dull claws for hands and a helmet to protect it.
Wind-Up Warrior: 1200 ATK 1800 DEF Level 4 EARTH Warrior
"Now the real fun begins! Just once I can wind him up, which activates his effect! One of my Wind-Ups gains a level and 600 ATK, and I think I'll give it to himself!"
Wind-Up Warrior's key suddenly started spinning rapidly, making his eyes vibrate in place and go wide. A red aura came around the toy as it spread apart its arms and tried to let out a roar to the heavens, but all that came out was a bit of mechanical clanging.
Wind-Up Warrior: Level 4 > 5
Wind-Up Warrior: 1200 ATK > 1800 ATK
A droplet of sweat ran down Haas' forehead, but his body language slowly became more active and sharper. He wasn't bent over anymore like he used to be and picked up another card from his hand. "Next up: A spell card! Weights and Zenmaisures!"
A scale rose up from beneath Juggler and Warrior, raising them both up in its respective scales. They shook wildly from left to right, unable to find balance. Juggler seemed less than happy as it struggled to maintain their little circus trick while Warrior motionlessly stared at Nathan.
"Pick a level, Nathan! 4 or 5! Both my monsters will become that level, but if you pick 4 then I get to draw a card!"
Nathaniel narrowed his eyes as he glanced from one side of the scale to the other, all the while pondering to himself.
Hmm... 4 or 5... I should pick 4, right? He's already summoned one Rank 4, and I've only ever seen him use one. So he should be out of them by now... But what if he isn't? What if he has another Rank 4? Then I would have drawn him a card and given him an Xyz. Rank 4s are the most common Rank too, which means I should put my bets on...
"5. I pick 5." Nathaniel said a little shakily.
The scale stopped swaying so wildly and calmed down, seemingly weighing down Warior as the heavier one. However, then it rose back up again, levelling them both as Juggler gained one axtra cog to juggle around.
Wind-Up Juggler: Level 4 > 5
Haas triumphantly jumped into the air again, laughing with excitement.
"Awesome! I knew you'd pull through for me, Nathan! I now Overlay my Level 5 Wind-Ups!" Haas bounced back again, the now-familiar Overlay Network opening up again. Juggler became a green beam, Warrior an orange one and they both swirled together to create a new power.
"Wait what?!" At that moment, Nathaniel knew he had picked wrong.
"Machination dwelling deep within the ocean! Become the base from which your ships launch! Xyz Summon, Rank 5! Shark Fortress!"
A huge, green monster ascended onto the field. Its core was cylindrical, open and extremely wide, with the inside slowly curving around before sharply closing with a cone shape. The front had a triangular head modeled after a shark's. The 'fins' were sticking out from both of its sides at the top, acting as jet boosters to make it swim around. Two purple orbs floated around it.
Shark Fortress: 2400 ATK 1800 DEF Rank 5 DARK Fish
"Wait, hold on. I have two monsters on the field... and now you only have one monster to attack them with... Are you sure that was a good idea?"
"Come on, Nate! I'd never underestimate you, would I? 'cause my Shark Fortress can attack twice at the cost of an Overlay Unit!" Haas bounced back with a wink, one of Shark Fortress' orbs splashing open into a flash of light when it connected with its head.
Shark Fortress: Xyz Material 2 > 1
Nathaniel's eyes widened. "Oh."
"Now to finish off the last of those Sheep Tokens! Shark Fortress, Submersible Raid!"
Two green-coloured torpedos fell out of two compartments in the fortress' sides, but right before they hit the ground they flared to life. The two remaining Sheep Tokens stayed calm even as the rockets of death were racing towards them, making contact and exploding spectacularly.
Haas nodded contently to himself, glancing briefly at his hand and then back to Nathan again.
"Guess I don't have much left to do... but now your field's wide open! I hope you can summon a monster now, 'cause otherwise I've got this duel won. Turn end!"
Turn 7: Nathaniel
Haas: 3000 LP, 2 cards in hand, 1 monster, 1 Set
Nathaniel: 4000 LP, 5 cards in hand, 1 Set
He's right. If that monster catch me with an open field, I'm a goner. I was hoping on saving this one, but I guess I have no choice now.
"My turn. Draw! I begin by activating my facedown card, Mystical Space Typhoon. This card destroys your own facedown card." As Nathaniel revealed the card in front of him, a great tornado sweeped across the field to Haas's side, shattering his own facedown card into pieces.
Haas dramatically reached forward and went down to one knee, mustering as serious of a face as he could. "No, Nathan! Don't do it! What you're destroying is my..." as Haas was about to say it, an after image of the card was shown. It depicted a monster valiantly taking a blast for another, all while speaking from its heart.
"...heartfelt appeal." Haas finished, lowering his head and pretending to sniffle. What little of his tiredness that was there had all but vanished, clearly.
"Well, that's just the opening act for this turn. Because from my hand, I activate Lightning Vortex! By discarding one card from my hand, I can destroy all face-up monsters my opponent controls. Won't be needing this." Nathaniel said to himself as he discard Odd-Eyes Dragon from his hand. Suddenly from the sky, several bolts of lightning descended around Shark Fortress before closing in. Being an aquatic machine animal thing, Shark Fortress stood no chance as it was obliterated by lightning.
Haas stood up again and took a step back, shielding his arms from the blast that came from his field. "Geez, you're merciless huh? Back to square one for both of us now." he replied again, lowering his arms and having one eye closed still as the dust settled.
Megan was surprised that Nat had managed to not summon a single monster beyond his goats and had yet to take a single hit on his own life points. Of course it seemed he'd spent what little he had wiping the field, so now it came down to who was able to recover faster. At this point simply summoning a monster with reasonable attack might be all it took to finish off either duelist.
"Not quite. I activate from my hand, the Field Spell Performapal Dramatic Theater!" As Nathaniel slid a card into his Duel Disk, a wave of glitter washed over the arena. What was once a empty flat field was soon occupied by trampolines, trapezes, and rings of fire. And the ceiling above them became covered with the red and black striped cloth of a circus tent.
"And what's a stage without a performer? I summon Performapal Corn to the field!" Nathaniel slapped the monster card onto his Duel Disk, and a horned girl with blue hair erupted amidst a cloud of confetti, giving a small bow as she landed onto the field.
Performapal Corn: 600 ATK 1000 DEF Level 3 LIGHT Beast-Warrior
Haas remained mostly serious throughout the turn, but once Corn took the stage he couldn't help himself from laughing, holding his stomach because of it. After a little bit of this he wiped his eyes with his free hand and looked up to Nathan, face still twisted in amusement.
"Wow, Nathan. What a cute 'circus animal' you've got there. Never seen a performapal like that before!" Haas joked, trying to keep as serious of a face as he could muster.
Nathaniel merely gave a shrug with his hands in the air. "My deck is full of surprises for children of all ages." Certainly giving me a surprise. He added silently. "Now the effect of Dramatic Theater gives Performapal Corn a little boost, giving her 200 extra attack points."
Performapal Corn: 600 ATK -> 800 ATK
"Now I'll have Performapal Corn attack you directly!" Performapal Corn took a leap at Haas head first, or perhaps horn first. Haas flinched and couldn't bring up his arms in time, getting hit square in the chest and getting knocked back onto the floor with a loud thud.
Haas LP: 3000 > 2200
"I'll then set one card facedown and end my turn." Nathaniel said as he slid the last card in his hand into his Disk.
Turn 8: Haas
Haas: 2200 LP, 3 cards in hand
Nathaniel: 4000 LP, 0 cards in hand, 1 monster, 1 Field, 1 Set
Haas was knocked down on the floor and didn't move for a little while, staring blankly up at the ceiling. Then it sounded like he started to sob, with his chest frantically going up and down. That sobbing soon turned into another round of laughter, however, as Haas jumped up again, his goofy grin as unchanged as ever.
"Ahalright! This is great! First I was in the lead, but now it looks like I'm going to lose... I didn't know dueling you was this fun, Nathan! It's my turn!"
Haas drew his card with renewed vigor, giving it only a brief glance before slamming it down.
"You're not the only one with a circus trick! It's time for my own Mystical Space Typhoon!" Haas yelled as a storm brewed in the arena, the hair of both conestants flying around wildly and the tent starting to sway side by side. The field spell remained standing, however Nathan's other card was starting to quiver under the pressure. Nathaniel grimaced as his facedown card revealed itself to be Performapal Revival before being blown to pieces. He was hoping to reinforce his field with that card, but that plan's out the window now.
"I'm not done yet! Next up is another Spell Card from my hand!" Haas then picked up another card from his hand, holding it high up in the sky. The card started to glow, and so did Haas' Duel Disk. The hairs of the boy flew up in the air as a powerful gust erupted from underneath him.
"I'm not going to let this duel go by without bringing back my ace! Master of the toys, Wind Up once more!"
A bright flash of light engulfed the field, blinding duelist and spectator alike. Once everyone's eyes recovered, back again was the familiar construction of toy parts: Wind-Up Zenmaister... only it was in Defense postion and without any Overlay Units floating around it.
Wind-Up Zenmaister: 1900 ATK 1500 DEF Rank 4 EARTH Machine
Nathaniel looked on with wide eyes and a cold sweat as the familar machine made its way on the field as big as ever. Only when the dust cleared it looked to be kind of hunched and grayed out. At that moment, Nathaniel let out the longest breath of his life. "Oh phew. Scared me for second there."
Haas scratched the back of his head sheepishly, but the embarrassment was quickly replaced with pride as he looked back at his ace."Zenmailfunction brings a Wind-Up back, but it's effect is negated and it only comes back in Defense position. I can't do much else, so bring it on! Turn end!"
Just as it seemed Nat was getting the upperhand for once Haas brought back his XYZ monster to the field, managing to protect his lifepoints and likely managing to began his counterattack soon. At least Haas was looking a little more alive, though one might say it came at the cost of Nat losing his own vigor as seemed unable to establish anything on the field before it was wiped away, even if he was still somehow leading in terms of Life Points.
Turn 9: Nathaniel
Haas: 2200 LP, 1 card in hand, 1 monster
Nathaniel: 4000 LP, 1 card in hand, 1 monster, 1 Field
Nathaniel looked at the field with worry. He survived this turn with his field somewhat intact, but Zenmaister will only be stopped this turn, and it'll start wreaking havoc the next turn. He would need to draw something to take it down now while it's still weakened.
With that in mind, he drew his next card and sighed deeply.
"I set one monster facedown and change Performapal Corn to defense position. Turn end."
Turn 10: Haas
Haas: 2200 LP, 2 cards in hand, 1 monster
Nathaniel: 4000 LP, 0 cards in hand, 2 monsters, 1 Field
"Alright! Then it's my turn!" Haas put his hand on his deck, paused for a second and breathed deeply.
"Y'know, Nathan... it's kinda weird. I can sorta... feel my deck right now. It's bursting with energy, desparate to show what it can do... and I'm about to deliver!"
With that said, Haas drew his next card. His face lit up with excitement as he held it out in front of him, keeping a good grasp on it between his two fingers as he turned it around for Nathan to see. Soon after a compartment on the side of his blade opened up, slotting the card in.
"Y'know, I think I learned in class that Xyz monsters were created from a massive amount of concentrated energy... and now it's about to be unleashed! Prepare for a new Field Spell: Xyz Territory!"
A small red and orange, pulsating orb rose from the ground in the middle of the arena. It started to spin around and suck in the air around it, growing ever larger in size. Nathan's circus tent couldn't withstand the pressure as the equipment first got sucked into it, then the curtains. The more that the orb absorbed, the larger it became before passing through both Nathan and Haas, trapping them in a coloured sphere of incredibly pressure. Wind-up Zenmaister's eyes flashed again as it rose up, ready to battle, with Haas having tilted the card on his Duel Disk.
"Wind-up Zenmaister, attack Performapal Corn! Spring Punch!" Haas called out and pointed dramatically. His monster responded by pulling both its arms back, but not ret releasing. The energy floating around the two duelists started to gather around both of Zenmaister's fists, coating them.
"When an Xyz monster battles inside of Xyz Territory, it gains ATK equal to its rank times 200!"
Wind-up Zenmaister: 1900 ATK > 2700 ATK
The machine released its powerful punches, sending two spring-powered, high-impact boxing gloves flying at poor Performapal Corn. Performapal Corn let out an "Eeek!" before shattering under the force of Zenmaister's punches.
"So glad I put her in defense position..." Nathaniel muttered.
Zenmaister's eye stopped glowing and it looked to power down, remaining motionless as the energy around it started to drain back into the walls of the sphere. Haas held up one finger, ready to finish his explanation. "The monsters who battle in Xyz Territory have their ATK returned to normal afterwards, though."
Wind-up Zenmaister: 2700 ATK > 1900 ATK
The little toymaker fistpumped the air, then looked Nathan in the eyes with firm determination. "Isn't this exciting?! You never know what happens inside of a duel... I end my turn!"
Turn 11: Nathaniel
Haas: 2200 LP, 1 card in hand, 1 monster, 1 Field
Nathaniel: 4000 LP, 1 card in hand, 1 monster
"Well this is not good..." Nathaniel whispered to himself as he drew his next card. "And that didn't help. Turn end."
Turn 12: Haas
Haas: 2200 LP, 2 cards in hand, 1 monster, 1 Field
Nathaniel: 4000 LP, 1 card in hand, 1 monster
"Alright then, my turn! Draw!" Haas shouted as he swiped another card from his disk, briefly stared at it and then slammed it down next to Wind-Up Zenmaister.
"If you're not going to attack, I will! I summon the Tuner monster, Re-Cover! Then I'll attack your facedown monster with Zenmaister!"
Re-Cover: 700 ATK 300 DEF Level 1 EARTH Psychic Tuner
A small hole in thr ground opened up, with a sealed book flying out. It spun around in the air for a little while before sprouting arms and legs, giving a thumbs up to Haas once it nailed the landing. At the same time, Wind-up Zenmaister was already preparing another spring-powered punch in the direction of Nathan's monster. The aura of Xyz Territory gathered around its arms again as it sent out a single attack.
The card revealed itself to be a two-faced, top hat wearing grasshopper before succumbing to the force of Zenmaister's punch.
"Now Re-Cover attacks you directly!" Haas commanded to his monster, with a purple ball of energy gathering in one of the small book's gloved hands. It then threw it out at Nathan.
Nathaniel put up his arms to defend himself, not that that was really necessary since all it really did was push him a couple steps back. "Oof..."
Nathaniel LP: 4000 > 3300
Haas threw both his arms behind his head, his expression having calmed down a bit from the excitement he showed before. "I guess that ends my turn. You alright, Nathan? You've been grimacing all duel..."
Turn 13: Nathaniel
Haas: 2200 LP, 1 card in hand, 2 monsters, 1 Field
Nathaniel: 3300 LP, 2 cards in hand
"Oh yeah, I'm fine." My luck on the other hand... This duel has really not been going Nathaniel's way. As Nathaniel put his hand on the next card in his deck, he looked down at his deck nervously. If he didn't draw a monster, it was over for him. But even if he did, all it would do for him is stall further until his inevitable demise. Things seemed hopeless, but Nathaniel digged deep within himself to find the resolve to do one thing: get this duel over with.
"Draw!" Nathaniel cried as he drew his next card. Surprisingly enough, it was not completely useless. This card's always done right by me before. "Looks like it's Performapal Whip Snake to the rescue!"
As Nathaniel played his next card, a purple cobra-like creature slithered its way onto the field, wearing the signature Performapal top hat and bowtie combo. It wiggled its long tongue enthusiastically as it gave a wink to their small audience.
Performapal Whip Snake: 1700 ATK 900 DEF Level 4 EARTH Reptile
"And now, Performapal Whip Snake activates its special ability! During the Main Phase, I can target one monster on the field and switch its attack and defense points!" On Nathaniel's command, Performapal Whip Snake held its tail out in front, and dangled a little heart-shaped pendulum at the end of its tail as it emitted a hypnotic signal towards Haas's field. "The monster I target... is Re-Cover!"
"No way!" Haas shouted out in disbelief, watching his monster helplessly fell over onto it's open pages as the hypnotic wave hit it full blast. Tiny little stars started dancing over its head while the ATK value displayed next to it trickled down.
Re-Cover: 700 ATK > 300 ATK
"And now, for the coup de grâce. I activate the Spell Card Back-Up Rider! This card gives a monster on the field 1500 additional attack points! That means Whip Snake climbs up to 3200!"
Performapal Whip Snake: 1700 ATK > 3200 ATK
"3200?! Wait, but with my Re-Cover at only 300..." Haas yammered out astounded, bringing his hands in front of his face to start counting on his fingers. "So 3200 minus 300..."
"I'll save you the calculations and just tell you it's a lot more than you have Life Points left. Performapal Whip Snake! Attack Re-Cover!" Performapal Whip Snake closed in, not merely slithering over, but charging forward with the force of a thundering steed. It tackled Re-Cover full force, shattering the hapless little book in an instant. The force of the impact reached all the way to Haas and swept him off his feet, sending him flying onto the floor while he yelled out a big "NOOOOOO!!"
Haas LP: 2200 > 0
Nat had actually managed to win, with only taking a single hit no less. Despite having almost no cards on the field at any point in the duel he'd chipped at Haas life points before delivering a devastating final blow by taking advantage of the weak monster Haas had deployed. To be able to win with so little was very impressive. "Wooo, nice dueling from the two of you! But you're going to have to deal with me next Nat!" Megan proclaimed and jumped over the railing to get ready to duel. "That is unless you'd like a break first?" Megan paused and asked quizzically, Nat had looked a bit drained in the latter half of the duel after all.
WINNER: NATHANIEL!