Re: Yu-Gi-Oh! Sorcerer Kings
CHAPTER NINE
Battle of Honor!
Big Things in Small Packages
“I think everyone’s had enough dueling for one day…” said Yumi.
“You’re telling me…” said Chelsea. “I’m exhausted. I just want to go back to my hotel and order a movie. I think The DaVinci Code is available tonight.”
“Don’t forget folks,” said Sam, with a sinister grin, “I’m one ahead of all of you.”
They looked around. Some people had not gotten tired of dueling…
Yumi and Sam saw a few of their families’ Monsters being played in the duels around them. Yumi and Sam watched as a Summoned Skull struck down a Vorse Raider…
They turned to each other and shrugged.
“Hey, beautiful!” said a voice behind Sam.
Before Sam could question this, she felt a hand slap her across the behind.
Sam was shocked for a minute.
She turned around in rage. Only Erik was allowed to touch her there…
The stray hand belonged to a teenager who looked about eighteen, wearing a leather jacket that was likely custom made, and designer jeans. His blonde hair had a great deal of spray in it, and he wore so much cologne that she felt like retching.
Sam was about to say something, when Erik stepped between them, a look of fury on his face.
“Did you just do what I think you did, pal?” he asked.
“And what if I did?” asked the teenager, taking an item out of his pocket that looked like a switchblade.
“Erik…” said Sam, nervously.
“I dare you…” started Erik.
The punk flicked the button on the device…
It wasn’t a real switchblade… It was one of those novelty combs made to look like one.
He started to comb his hair with it. Erik frowned. Obviously, this was one of those guys who cared more for his hair than any other part of himself.
“You need to lay off the caffeine, bro,” he said, casually palming the comb. “What do you care if I slap some bitch?”
Erik snatched the comb, and then quickly, broke it in half.
The punk looked dumbfounded as he dropped the pieces to the ground.
“Slapping her made me angry,” said Erik. “Calling her a bitch makes me want to inflict bodily harm.”
“So what are you gonna do?” asked the punk. “Slug me? I dare ya! I double dare ya!”
“I’m not a thug, buddy, ah…” started Erik. “Do you have a name?”
“Leroy,” said the thug. “Leroy Brown. Duel King of Chicago!”
Erik gave him a weird look.
“Leroy Brown…” he said. “And I suppose you think you’re the baddest man in the whole damn town?”
“That’s right,” said the thug, with a grin. “And I’m going to the top in this tournament.”
“Please…” said Erik. “That can’t be your real name. That’s likely just some egotistical…”
The thug took out his wallet and took something out of it – an Illinois driver’s license. He stuck it in front of Erik’s face.
Erik just looked at it for a minute.
“Okay, so it is your real name…” he said with a shrug. “Your folks must have either been big fans of Jim Croce or people with issues.”
“That’s nothing,” replied the thug. “I have a friend whose folks named him Lee Harvey, when his last name was Oswald. They were anarchists – hated the government.
“They’re both in jail now… Long story… And as for my name, I kinda like it.”
“A name’s splendor or lack thereof has nothing to do with your attitude,” said Erik, angrily. “Getting back to what we were saying, I’m not letting you get away with insulting my girlfriend, nor am I gonna slug you…
“Me and Sam have a little arrangement. She’ll duel anyone who challenges her, but anyone who insults her has to deal with me!
“So we’re dueling, and if I win, you apologize to Sam.
“Unless you’re scared…”
“Scared?” laughed Leroy. “Of you? Ha! To prove I’m not scared, I’ll up the ante… Loser forks over his rarest card, ala Battle City.”
“Erik, no!” shouted Sam.
Her voice fell to a whisper.
“You saved for two months to get… that card…”
“Don’t worry, Sam…” said Erik. “I’m gonna teach this guy a lesson…
“And remind him what happened to Leroy Brown at the end of that song… I’m sure he remembers…
“Well, the two men took to fightin’,
And when then pulled them from the floor,
Leroy looked like a jigsaw puzzle
With a couple of pieces gone.”
“Loser…” muttered Leroy
* * * * * * * * * *
Erik and Leroy stood apart, shuffling their decks.
“You sure know how to pick ‘em, Sam,” said Yumi. “Does he have a brother?”
Sam shook her head.
“I don’t know what I ever did to deserve such loyalty…” she replied. “I met him when he was just a bad duelist with a deck full of trash cards, trying to get into the hobby. He needed advice, I helped him… And… well, something clicked…”
“So what sort of deck does Erik have anyway?” asked Ren.
“Just wait…” said Sam. “You’ll see…”
(Erik: 8,000) -------------------- (Leroy: 8,000)
“Game on!” said Leroy, drawing five cards. “To show you I’m not all bad, I’ll let you move first. Prepare to lose!”
“As if…” said Erik, making his first draw. “Only thing I’m gonna lose is my lunch… I can smell that cheap aftershave from here…”
Leroy gave him a dirty look.
Erik chose a card from his hand.
“Well, to start off…” he said, “I’ll have this defend me.”
He placed a card on his Disk, and a facedown Monster appeared.
“That’ll do for now…”
“Ooh, sneaky!” said Leroy, making a draw. “Well, you don’t scare me…
“I summon my Marauding Captain…”
He played the card, and an aged veteran in armor and a cape, with a scar on his face, holding two swords, appeared on the field. (1,200/400)
“And just by summoning him…” he continued. “I can summon another Monster from my hand. So long as it’s Level Four or less, of course. Like my Warrior Dai Grepher.”
Marauding Captain gave a whistle. Leroy played another card, and another Warrior, this one in black leather armor and a headband, carrying a broadsword, marched out. (1,700/1,600)
“Seems like a basic Warrior Deck…” said Yumi. “Not the most creative, but quite effective…”
“Want more?” asked Leroy. “I’ll make Marauding Captain stronger, by Equipping him with Lightning Blade.”
He played a card, and one of the Captain’s swords vanished, to be replaced by a shorter one, sparking with electricity. (2,000/400)
“AND,” he continued, “I’ll Equip Grepher with Divine Sword Phoenix Blade!”
Grepher’s Sword vanished, and was replaced by a slimmer sword with a golden hilt shaped like a bird. (2,000/1,600)
“Two Monsters with 2,000 Attack Points on his first turn?” said Chelsea with a gasp. “This guy doesn’t fool around…”
“Not bad…” said Erik, crossing his arms. “But keep one thing in mind… The power of a warrior is not defined by a weapon, but by the one holding the weapon.”
“Where’d you hear weird stuff like that?” asked Leroy, with a strange look.
“Oh, I’ve studied many classic philosophers and wise men from all ages of civilization…” replied Erik. “However, that one I found in a fortune cookie.”
“Whatever…” said Leroy. “All right, guys, let’s show him how it’s done! Marauding Captain, attack that facedown Monster!”
The Warrior flew forward. A huge rodent appeared on the card, and with one swipe of a sword, it was smashed to bits.
“A Giant Rat?” asked Leroy.
“Uh huh,” said Erik, taking his deck. “And you likely know that when it’s destroyed, I get to summon an Earth Monster from my deck that has 1,500 Attack Points or less.
“Now let’s see… Since Giant Rat itself fits the bill, I think I’ll summon another one.”
He played the card, and another huge rodent appeared in Attack Mode. (1,400/1,450)
“I’m not scared of rats,” said Leroy. “My dad’s an exterminator… he kills them for a living. Let me demonstrate. Grepher, stomp that Rat!”
Warrior Dai Grepher swung his sword, and the Rat was blown to pieces.
“Thank you…” said Erik. “Now I can start my true strategy… I use the same effect, to Special Summon… my Toy Soldier!”
Music that sounded like the first few bars from “The William Tell Overture” sounded over the arena…
In a burst of energy, a small humanoid figure appeared. It was… a toy soldier, one seemingly made of wood, dressed in a Revolution-era uniform with a tall hat and a fancy coat. He carried a musket that was apparently a pop-gun. His face consisted solely of two dots for eyes and a slit for a mouth. He pointed the musket forward, as if he was preparing to fire. (800/300)
“Heh, heh, heh…” said Chelsea. “That’s adorable!”
“Don’t underestimate Erik’s Monsters,” warned Sam. “He may be cute, but he can be lethal if used right.”
Leroy looked at the last two cards in his hand.
“Eh, make your move…” he said. “As if that pipsqueak worried me…”
(E: 7,400) -------------------- (L: 8,000)
“Then I draw…” said Erik, drawing a card.
“And then, Toy Soldier’s effect activates. Namely, if he’s on my side of the field during my Standby Phase, two of his little friends come out to join him.”
The Toy Soldier produced a small bugle and played a rousing tune on it. In two bursts of energy, two more Toy Soldiers appeared next to him. (800/300 x2)
“Give me a break!” shouted Leroy. “This ain’t no Nutcracker Suite, and I’m not the Rat King! Those Lilliputians don’t scare me.”
“Next,” said Erik, “I’ll place three of my cards facedown, and turn it over to you.”
He fit three cards into his Disk, and they appeared, one behind each Toy Soldier.
Leroy looked at the field for a minute, and then drew a card.
“I activate Gravity Bind!” exclaimed Erik, as one of his Traps lifted. “Now all Monsters that are Level Four or higher can’t attack.”
“Oh, is that so?” asked Leroy with a laugh. “Well I got news for you… Marauding Captain is Level Three…”
There was a pause.
“Uhm… I knew that…” muttered Erik.
“Yeah, yeah…” said Leroy. “But since I don’t intend on keeping him around any longer, I’ll get rid of your Gravity Bind anyway…”
He held up a Spell Card.
“Go, Mystical Space Typhoon!”
He played the card, and the cyclone shot forth, shattering the Gravity Bind.
“Great…” muttered Ren. “His Soldiers are sitting ducks.”
“Now then…” said Leroy, “I’ll sacrifice both of my Monsters…”
Marauding Captain and Warrior Dai Grepher vanished…
“A double-sacrifice!” gasped Ren. “He’s getting serious!”
“To summon my best card…” continued Leroy. “The incredible Gilford the Legend!”
With a roar, a huge Warrior in black armor and a cape arose. He had flowing red hair, wore a mask over his eyes, and carried a giant sword. He raised it menacingly. (2,600/2,000)
“Whoa!” shouted Erik. “He’s a big one, isn’t he?”
“Yes, and just by summoning him…” continued Leroy, “I can Equip him with every Equip Card in my Graveyard, meaning that Lightning Blade and Divine Sword Phoenix Blade both go to him.”
The two swords appeared, and were absorbed into Gilford’s blade. (3,700/2,000)
“Not bad,” said Erik. “Your Monster is awfully good with swords… can he handle cannons?”
“Wha? Cannons?” asked Leroy in surprise.
One of Erik’s facedown cards lifted.
“Toy Cannon, to be precise…” he said. “You see, I knew you might have had Mystical Space Typhoon. The Gravity Bind was a decoy, to draw your attention away from the more important Traps.”
A cannon appeared beside the Toy Soldiers, manned by two other Toy Soldiers. One of them quickly loaded a cannonball into it, and then the other rammed it down with a pole.
“What’s happening?” asked Leroy, nervously.
“I’ll show you,” said Erik with a grin. “Ready… Aim…”
One of the Soldiers lit the fuse…
“FIRE!”
The Toy Soldiers all covered their ears with their hands, and the cannon blasted in a burst of flame and smoke, hitting Gilford in the chest with the projectile. He groaned and tumbled over, flooring Leroy on the way down.
“Ugh…” he muttered. “I know one toy I’m not getting for my little sister this Christmas.”
“Well you just lost 400 Life Points from that impact,” said Erik, “and it moved your Monster to Defense Mode. And I’m not done… Funny that you called my Soldiers Lilliputians…”
His last Trap Card lifted.
“I activate Gulliver Chain!”
A mass of chains erupted from the ground around Gilford, and he roared as they grabbed hold of him. He struggled, but to no avail; they tied him up and secured him to the ground.
“What did you do?” shouted Leroy.
“Rendered your best Monster helpless,” said Erik. “If you move him back into Attack Mode, those chains will tear him to pieces.”
Leroy snarled.
“Well…” said Yumi with a grin. “Handsome, loyal, and a pretty good duelist to boot. You sure know how to pick em, Sam.”
“Yeah…” said Chelsea. “But how will Erik get at his Life Points now? Gilford has 2,000 Defense Points, and those Soldiers only have 800 Attack Points apiece.”
“I’ll show you…” said Erik. “I believe… It’s my move!”
(E: 7,400) -------------------- (L: 7,600)
He drew a card.
“You ever hear the old saying, Leroy,” said Erik, “that ‘Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the Earth’?”
“Maybe so…” replied Leroy, “but until they do, the strong will be here to push them around!”
“We’ll see…” said Erik.
“Next I play this…” he said, holding up a Spell Card, “it’s called Forced March. It lets my Soldiers go right past that big lug and get to you.
“Ever see old Laurel and Hardy movies? Well we’re about reenact one… Babes in Toyland, otherwise known as…
“March of the Wooden Soldiers!”
The Toy Soldiers started to march forward.
“Go! Go! Go! Go! Go!” shouted Erik, as they advanced on Leroy.
Leroy took a step back…
And then the three Soldiers fell to their knees, panting for breath. Their Attack Scores dropped to 400 apiece.
“HA!” laughed Leroy. “They look too pooped to attack a Barbie doll!”
“Yeah?” asked Erik. “That’s what this other Spell Card is for…”
He played another card.
“It’s called Fife and Drum Corp.”
Music started to play, and a parade of Toy Soldiers playing drums and flutes appeared, playing a rousing tune. Everyone recognized the familiar tune: “When Johnny Comes Marching Home”.
“Oh, this is priceless!” said Chelsea with a laugh.
“There’s nothing like a rousing tune to inspire someone,” said Erik. “And I’ll prove it… This Spell will give my Soldiers on the field their second wind, doubling their Attack Scores…”
The Toy Soldiers got up, and their Attack Scores went back up to 800 apiece. They aimed their muskets…
“Uh oh…” said Leroy.
With three blasts, three corklike projectiles struck the punk, hitting him in the chest, stomach, and left shin.
He fell to his knees and winced in pain.
“Ouch…” muttered Ren. “I felt that from here.”
(E: 7,400) -------------------- (L: 5,200)
“All right Erik…” grumbled Leroy, as he slowly got up. “I’m not about to be beaten, and if I ever am beaten, it sure as Hell ain’t gonna be by a bunch of third-rate wimps!”
“If my Monsters are third-rate wimps, Leroy,” replied Erik, crossing his arms, “it certainly doesn’t say much for your skills as a duelist, seeing as I’m beating you.”
Leroy glared at him.
He drew a card.
“See this?” he said, showing him the card, which was Pot of Greed. “It’s called a real man’s card, and I’m playing it now.”
The Pot appeared on his side of the field, and he drew two cards.
“Perfect…” he said, looking at them. “I don’t need Gilford right now, not when I have this guy… I summon the Armed Samurai Ben Kei!”
He played the card, and a battle-worn Warrior with a quiver of weapons on his back and a cowl over his head, dressed in ragged armor appeared on the field. He held a large naginata by his side. (500/800)
“And you called my Soldiers wimps?” asked Erik. “That guy is even weaker.”
“Forget what kinds of cards I’ve been using?” asked Leroy. “Now I play two more Equips… Big Bang Shot and Fusion Sword Murasame Blade.”
He fit them into his Disk. The first Equip didn’t seem to do much, but the second replaced Ben Kei’s spear with a long, sharp katana. (1,700/800)
“And guess what?” he continued. “Ben Kei gets an extra attack for every Equip he has!”
“Great…” said Ren. “That means he can wipe out all three of Erik’s Soldiers…”
“Not only that…” added Chelsea, “with Big Bang Shot Equipped to him, Erik can’t protect himself by defending.”
“You got it,” said Leroy. “Ben Kei, go! One!”
Ben Kei swung his sword, smashing one of the Soldiers to pieces.
“Two!”
He swung again, smashing the second one.
“Third time’s the charm…”
With a third mighty blow, Ben Kei destroyed the last Soldier. Erik cringed.
(E: 4,700) -------------------- (L: 5,200)
“So…” said Leroy, with a smirk. “What do you say now?”
“I say…” said Erik, “it’s my move…”
He drew a card.
“I play the Equip Spell, Symbol of Heritage,” he said. “Since I have three of the same Monster in my Graveyard, this card lets me summon one of them back.”
He fit the card into his Disk, and an odd variation on the more common ankh symbol appeared on his side of the field. A Toy Soldier appeared in a flash of light. (800/300)
“Now, I play a Spell Card called Crowning of the Emperor! I sacrifice my Toy Soldier…”
He played the card, and the Soldier held his gun to his side and saluted before he vanished in a burst of energy.
“And I summon a guy whom toys revere as their king. I’m not talking about Santa Claus, I’m talking about the Toy Emperor!”
In a flash, an imposing form appeared on the field. It was another toy soldier, but this one was dressed in an officer’s uniform, again suggesting Revolution-era, his coat covered with medals, and wearing a flamboyant hat. He carried a long saber, and was mounted on a wooden horse. His eyes were narrow, and his mouth was carved into a frown – clearly, he didn’t look too friendly. (2,300/800)
“Ho boy…” muttered Leroy.
“Eh…” said Chelsea. “On the other hand, who needs to defend?”
“Now Leroy…” said Erik. “Let me tell you a few things about Emperors… Throughout history, most of them have been fat, lazy slobs who liked being waited on, and never did an honest day’s work in their lives. And when their nations were at war, they hid like cowards in their palaces where it was safe.
“The Toy Emperor isn’t like that. In battle, he’s on the front line, leading his troops, and charging at the enemy with his sword drawn.
“And the lesson you can learn from that is…”
He paused.
“Well, there’s one in there somewhere, but I kinda forget what it is.
“Anyway, Toy Emperor, attack the Armed Samurai Ben Kei with imperial charge!”
Toy Emperor galloped forward on his mount, and clashed swords with Ben Kai. Then the Samurai’s sword flew from his hand, and the Emperor’s stabbed him in the chest. Armed Samurai Ben Kei burst into triangles.
“Toy Emperor has a special effect, by the way…” said Erik, taking his deck. “When he slays a Monster in battle, I get to take any Trap Card from my deck and add it to my hand.”
He leafed through his deck and took a card.
Mirror Force should do… he thought.
He smirked as he remembered his duel with that guy who used the Manticores. Toy Emperor had played an essential part of winning. He had both Curse of Anubis and Zero Gravity in his deck. So the first thing he did was take down one Manticore with Toy Emperor and Rush Recklessly, and use his effect to search for Zero Gravity. On his opponent’s next turn he triggered it, and on his turn, he destroyed both Manticores, and searched for Curse of Anubis. He triggered THAT on his opponent’s NEXT turn, and on his turn, he was able to destroy the annoying Beast-Warriors for the last time.
“And my turn isn’t over…” he said. “First, I think I’ll set it facedown…”
He fit the card into his Disk, and it appeared.
“Next,” he continued, “I have just enough Monsters in my Graveyard to play… Pot of Avarice. It’s an even better card than your so-called ‘real man’s’ card if I use it at the right time, because before I draw twice, I get to return five Monsters to my deck from my Graveyard.”
He played his last card. A goofy, pink satire of the Pot of Greed appeared in front of him. All three Toy Soldiers and his two Giant Rats slipped out of his discard slot. He combined them with his deck, reshuffled, and then drew two cards.
He looked at them.
“And since I haven’t Normal Summoned for this turn yet,” he finally said, “I’ll set a Monster in Defense Mode.”
He played the card, and a facedown Monster appeared.
(E: 4,700) -------------------- (L: 4,600)
“Erik is doing good, isn’t he?” asked Sam.
“Yes, but he may have made an error,” added Yumi. “He had Toy Emperor attack Ben Kei, when what he should have done was attack Gilford. I mean, what if Gilford gets free? He’s far more dangerous.”
Leroy drew a card and smirked.
“What indeed…” he said evilly. “What if Gilford gets free? Maybe we should find out! I play Heavy Storm!”
He held up the card, and a fierce wind erupted over the field. The Mirror Force lifted up and shattered, and then Erik’s Gulliver Chain shattered as well. Gilford threw up his hands in rage, and snapped the chains like spaghetti.
“Now, I’ll move him back to Attack Mode…” said Leroy.
Gilford stood up, and lifted his sword…
“Of course…” said Leroy, “since I played Heavy Storm, I had to destroy those two Equips he had. But no matter… I can get one of them back. I’ll simply remove Marauding Captain and Ben Kei from play…”
He took the two cards from his discard slot and placed them in his jacket.
“And that activates the effect of my Divine Sword Phoenix Blade, returning it to my hand.”
He took the Spell Card from the slot.
“Now I’ll just Equip it to Gilford again…”
The sword was absorbed into Gilford’s Sword, and he rose to an Attack of 2,900.
“And Gilford, pay that toy back for the humiliation! Attack!”
Gilford the Legend roared, and slammed his blade down on Toy Emperor. Erik shielded himself as an explosion rocked his field.
(E: 4,100) -------------------- (L: 4,600)
Erik growled.
He drew a card.
Continued…
