"If you don't duel me," Kaiba added coldly.
Mash blinked. "What."
"If you don't duel me, you're going to get expelled." Kaiba said with a sharp and commanding tone.
"Ohh… fiuh." Mash let out a shaky sigh of relief. "Haha, Kaiba, you almost made me worried for a second, I though I was expelle—WAIT, I'M DUELING YOU!?"
Kaiba snapped his finger. "Sheppard. Prepare that room."
"Right away, Kaiba sir…" Counselor Sheppard reached beneath his desk and pressed a concealed button. With a rumble, a hidden door in the wall slid open, revealing a dimly lit room beyond.
Kaiba immediately turned on his heel and walk toward the door.
"Wait!" Mash called out, instinctively stepping forward.
Kaiba stopped mid-step, turning his head just enough to glare back at him. "WHAT?"
Mash froze. The intensity of Kaiba's glare sent goosebumps racing down his arms. "Uh—uhm, well… I am dueling the esteemed Seto Kaiba. So… may I at least prepare?"
Kaiba scoffed, brushing the concern aside. "Whatever. Just don't make it too long." Without sparing another glance, he walked through the hidden door and disappeared inside.
Mash exhaled hard, clutching his chest. His heart pounded like a drum. [Sheesh… The aura of that fucking guy is insane…]
"You're tense, eh, Mash?" Counselor Sheppard said with a knowing grin. "Of course you would be. You're about to duel Kaiba after all. The number one duelist in the world."
Mash snapped his head toward him. "Yeah, and the said 'number one duelist in the world' is about to duel a bloody FIRST-YEAR SLIFER!? WHY IS THAT!?"
Sheppard only laughed, his booming voice echoing in the room. "Ahahaha! Beats me. Maybe it's because of your exceptional dueling skill. Perhaps he's taken an interest in you."
Mash's face soured immediately. [Exceptional dueling skills my ass... It's not my dueling he's interested… Could it be Chaos Angel!? No. I already said that it's a fusion summon so all of them should think it's a fusion monster, because in the Anime, the only thing getting showed about your monster is just it's ATK or DEF, so there's no way for Kaiba to know that it's a synchro monster! Unless...]
"Here," Sheppard interrupted his thoughts, setting a cup down in front of him. "Mash, how about a drink to ease your nerves?"
Mash eyed it warily. "Uhm… no thanks. I like sweeter coffee."
"Oh, this isn't coffee. It's chocolate."
Mash perked up instantly. "Eh!? If that's the case… Don't mind if I do!" He eagerly took a sip only to spit it out the next second because it was the same black coffee Sheppard offered him.
Sheppard burst into ecstatic laughter. "A-HA-HA-HA! You fell for it!"
Mash wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "Yeah. Real funny." His expression said otherwise.
"Either way, that eased your tension, right? Now..." Sheppard leaned forward, his tone finally shifting serious. "How are you going to prepare for a duel against Kaiba?"
"Easy." Mash straightened his back, his lips curling into a confident smirk. "I just need to give him a serious kick in the ass."
"And how will you do that?" Sheppard asked, narrowing his eyes.
"By using a more serious deck." Mash activated his MD System, swapping Deck 1 with Deck 2. He then pulls it from his pocket and show Sheppard the deck. "This is a deck I've been saving for this very situation. It's nearly identical to my main deck… with one key difference."
"Oh? And what difference would that be?"
"The trap cards are different."
Sheppard raised a brow. "Hm? And how does changing the trap cards in your deck help you?"
"Fufufu..." Mash smirked, walking toward the secret door with a chuckle. "How about you see the difference yourself, Counselor. You may see something more 'modern'~"
"Can't."
"Can't???"
Sheppard calmly pressed the button again, and the secret door slid shut in Mash's face.
"Oh."
Mash turned his head and froze in disbelief.
Right beside the counselor's office was a hidden chamber, a massive room, its walls lined with glowing circuitry that pulsed with energy, all of it converging toward the middle, a towering Duel Arena. Standing above it with his arms crossed, was none other than Seto Kaiba.
"You're late," Kaiba said coldly.
Mash climbed the stairs to the arena, trying to steady his nerves. "I'd rather arrive ready than arrive early." He smirked as he slipped his Duel Disk onto his arm.
"Hmph. We'll see about that… after I defeat you." Kaiba raised his own Duel Disk.
"DUEL!" Both shouted in unison.
{Kaiba LP: 4000, Mash LP: 4000}
Mash reached for his deck. "I'll go fir—"
"No." Kaiba cut him off, raising his hand. A Kaibacorp gold coin glinted in his palm.
Mash's eye twitched as he remembers last time Chazz decided who goes first with a coin. "YOU BITCH!"
Kaiba's eyes narrowed. [Tch. Such a foul-mouthed brat.] With a flick of his thumb, the coin spun high into the air. "Tails."
Mash clenched his fist. "Heads!"
The coin landed. Tails.
Kaiba smirked. "It's a fifty–fifty. And yet, you've lost twice today."
"Urk…!" Mash gritted his teeth as both duelists drew their opening hands. Kaiba with six cards. Mash with five.
Kaiba scanned his cards, before deciding his next move. "First… I activate {Trade-In}! By discarding a Level 8 monster, I draw two cards." A card slid into the Graveyard as Kaiba drew 2 cards.
"Next, I play {Polymerization}!" Kaiba declared, thrusting the card forward.
Mash flinched. "Ugh… No way you already—!"
"I fusion 3 of my Blue-eyes in my hand to summon...!!" Behind Kaiba, three Blue-Eyes White Dragons materialized, roaring in unison before soaring into a swirling vortex in the sky.
"Witness the incredible creature of unsurpassed power!" Kaiba shouted, voice rising to a near roar. "{Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon}!!!" From the vortex a White Dragon with 3 Blue-Eyes head descend from the sky, roaring at Mash.
{Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon|12 Star|Light|Dragon/Fusion/Normal| ATK: 4500 DEF: 3800}
Mash shielded himself from the blast of wind. "A BEUD this early in the duel..." Mash was suspicious. "Oi, Kaiba! You're not gonna be a pussy and use a cheese tactic where you're gonna do the {Ring of Destruction} and {Ring of Defense} combo right!?"
(IG Notes: For those who don't know, this combo works by using {Ring of Destruction} effect: Target 1 face-up monster and inflict direct damage equal to the destroyed monster ATK to both players, to destroy your 4000+ attack monster so you can inflict 4000 damage to your opponent and... also you. But with {Ring of Defense} effect: When a trap that inflict damage activated. Make that effect damage 0. Basically nullifies RODes effect to you.)
Kaiba scoffed, arms crossing. "Tch. Of course not."
Mash sighed in relief. "Phew, thank go—"
"I'll do something worse," Kaiba interrupted sharply. "I activate {De-Fusion} on Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon!"
Mash's jaw dropped. "WHAT!?"
The great dragon's body split apart into light, and in its place, three Blue-Eyes White Dragons emerged, spreading their wings in unison.
{Blue-Eyes White Dragon|8 Star|Light|Dragon/Normal| ATK: 3000 DEF: 2500}
Mash gulped. "Well... Now that you have 3 of them, I guess it would be a little hard for me to destroy them one by one..."
Kaiba's lips curled into a smirk. "Destroy them? How about you destroy this! I tribute all three of my Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" The dragons roared, their bodies dissolving into hologram particles.
Mash's eyes widened. "WHAT!? Okay, I'm starting getting sick of yelling this. But what kind of Monster needs 3 tribute to summon in Kaiba's deck!?"
Kaiba raised his hand to the sky, his voice thunderous. "It is no monster, Mash… IT IS A GOD!"
The room shook violently, the circuitry on the walls sparking under some mysterious force.
"ALLMIGHTY GOD OF DESTRUCTION!"
"DESCEND ON THIS GAME AND STRIKE DOWN MY FOE WITH YOUR INFINITE POWER!!"
"I SHALL CHANT THY NAME AND YOU SHALL RISE FROM YOUR PRISON OF PAPER...!"
"{OBELISK THE TORMENTOR}!!!"
A blinding flash consumed the arena. When it faded, a towering blue colossus stood in Kaiba's field, muscles bulging like stone carved by gods. Its chest expanded, and its jaw gaped open before releasing a thunderous warcry that rattled every bone in Mash's body.
{Obelisk the Tormentor|10 Star|Light|Divine-Beast/Effect| ATK: 4000 DEF: 4000}
Mash's voice cracked. "KAIBA, YOU SON OF A BITCH! YOU PULLED OUT A GOD AGAINST ME!? A SLIFER SLACKER!?!?"
Kaiba didn't respond. His piercing glare said more than words ever could.
"Giving me the silent treatment, eh?" His teeth clenched as his thoughts churned. [This is bad... This Obelisk is different to the shitty version in the TCG, this one has almost all immunity to effect and destruction. The only way to destroy this guy is by using a monster with more attack than it, which in my case, is impossible.]
Kaiba lowered his arm with finality. "I end my turn."
{Kaiba Hands: 0 Cards, Field: 1 God.}
"Its my turn. Draw!" Mash declared with a flourish, snapping a card off the top of his deck.
He scanned his hand, eyes narrowing before his grin returned. "Alright! First off, I'll activate the effect of {Labrynth Cooclock} in my hand by sending it to the graveyard!" He flicked the card into his GY slot.
"BUT, I'll chain it with another card..." He held one up for Kaiba to see. "{Labrynth Chandraglier}! Any response?"
"No." Kaiba's cold tone cut through the air like steel.
"Alright then. The chain shall resolves! Chandraglier's effect lets me send itself and another card to the Graveyard, so I can set a Labrynth Spell or Trap." He sent two cards to the GY and slammed a card face-down on his disk. "I set {Big Welcome Labrynth}!"
"Next is Cooclock," Mash continued confidently. "By sending him to the Graveyard, I can activate a Normal Trap the turn it's set, so long as I control a Labrynth monster."
Kaiba raised an eyebrow. "But you don't."
Mash smirked. "Yeah, I could just Normal Summon one… but why bother? Instead, I'll activate Cooclock's effect from the Graveyard!"
"When a card was send to the graveyard to activate the effect of a normal trap or Labrynth card I can special summon back Cooclock to the field!"
A Grandfather clock appeared on the field with a Bat popping out of it like a jack in the box.
{Labrynth Cooclock|1 Star|Dark|Fiend/Effect| ATK: 0 DEF: 0}
"And now since I have a Labrynth card on the field, I can activate my set card." The set card stands up revealing itself. "I can activate {Big Welcome Labrynth}! It allows me to special summon a 'Labrynth' monster to the field and return a monster I control!"
Mash's voice rose in excitement. "AND SO, I SUMMON MY ACE MONSTER!"
Kaiba's eyes narrowed, recognizing the name before Mash even spoke it. [Here she comes…]
"Come forth, {Lovely Labrynth of the Silver Castle}!"
A grand staircase of silver manifested, leading to a pair of massive ornate doors. From within, a haughty laugh echoed. "O HO HO HO HO~! So we're dueling the egomaniac Seto Kaiba today, Darling~?"
The doors flung open, and a blur of silver leapt forth, landing gracefully on the field with a TANG from her Silver battle axe. "I do hope you put up a good duel, Kaiba… or not~! O HO HO HO—"
She froze mid-laugh, before she slowly looks up at the towering god above her. "IS THAT FUCKING OBELISK!?!?!?!? KAIBA YOU MOTHERFUCKING BITCH!! PULLING UP A GOD OUT YOUR ASS LIKE THAT!!!"
"RIGHT!?" Mash shouted in agreement.
Kaiba didn't respond. But, his piercing glare started to shift between Mash and Lovely.
{Lovely Labrynth of the Silver Castle|8 Star|Dark|Fiend/Effect| ATK: 2900 DEF: 1900}
Lovely whirled back to Mash, clearly distressed. "Darling~! This is the overpowered version of Obelisk, yes? With all the immunity? How are we supposed to beat that?? Can't we imperm him and strip away the godhood? If we have it of course..."
Mash shook his head firmly. "No. Any trap, spell, and monster effect that is not from a Divine-Beast or another God would not do anything to it. It looks impossible... but…" He smirked and tapped a card in his hand. "I drew the out."
"The out?" Lovely peak over his shoulder before gasping dramatically. "Darling~! This card…! You think it will work on a god!?"
"It should," Mash replied. "Unless Obelisk has that kind of immunity, which would just be stupid."
"???" Kaiba's eyes flickered in concern. [What are they planning…? Something that can work against Obelisk? Impossible.]
Lovely twirled her hair and pointed at Kaiba with renewed bravado. "O HO HO HO~! I wasn't worried for a second! Kaiba, your so-called god should prepare for trouble~!"
Mash smirked, stepping up beside her. "And make it double!"
"Because together," Lovely declared, "we'll send your god BLASTING OFF-"
"-straight to the stratosphere!" Mash finished, both of them striking ridiculous poses.
Kaiba's eyebrow twitched.
Mash calmly continued. "Now then, Big Welcome's effect resolves. Cooclock returns to my hand…" The little clock dissolved into light and zipped back into his palm. "And because a monster left the field because of a Normal Trap, Lovely's effect activates. She can destroy one monster on the field."
"HO HO HO~!" Lovely spun her silver axe overhead, its blade glowing brighter and brighter. "NOW, FACE MY SILVER SLASH!" She cleaved the air, releasing a massive crescent of silver energy that hurtled toward Obelisk.
TING!
It bounces off him with no effect.
"Pathetic fools." Kaiba scoffed. "Obelisk cannot be effected by anything beneath him."
"Well, I didn't expect much..." Lovely pouted, hands on her hips. "Sorry, Darling~!"
"It's fine, Lovely!" Mash waved it off. "What matters is the message."
"Message?" Her grin returned. "Oooh! You're right, Darling~! It's like we're giving God the middle finger! O HO HO HO~!"
Kaiba's glare sharpened, but there was a flicker of bewilderment in his eyes. [They're not even taking this seriously… To them, this duel is just some kind of performance!] His fists clenched tighter. [How dare they treat me like a stage prop!]
"Enough!" Kaiba snapped. "Hurry up! I want to see this so-called card that can defeat my Obelisk!"
Mash's smirk widened. "Oh, that card? Fufufu… You'll see soon enough." He slapped three cards face-down onto his Duel Disk. "But not this turn. That's for next turn. I'll end my turn."
Kaiba narrowed his eyes. [I see… so it is a trap card...]
{Mash hands: 1 Card, Mash field: 1 Monster, 3 set cards}
"Draw!" Kaiba roared, snapping the top card of his deck.
He glanced at it briefly, then immediately revealed it to Mash. "I'll play {Pot of Greed}, this allows me to draw 2 cards from my deck!"
"Wow, I didn't know. Thanks for explaining!"
Kaiba ignored the jab, his eyes narrowing as he drew. [The cards I've drawn should be enough for backup.]
Kaiba thrust his hand forward. "It's time for battle!"
Mash's eyes widened. "Immediately swinging, huh?"
Obelisk the Tormentor puffed out his chest, a blue aura wrapping around his fists as he prepared to strike.
Kaiba's glare sharpened as he studied Mash and Lovely, both are surprisingly calm. [Hmph. Let's see what kind of trick you think can stop a God.] He pointed forward. "Go, Obelisk! Crush that insect with your Fist of Rage!"
Obelisk's massive fist surged with light as it rocketed toward Lovely Labrynth. who looks unbothered and stood still, smirking.
Mash's expression hardened. "Hey… don't call my girl an insect, you little shit!" He flipped a card with a flourish. "I'll activate the trap card, {Destructive Daruma Karma Cannon}!"
Obelisk's fist froze inches away from Lovely's face as a giant mechanical red daruma floated behind Mash, its body covered with multiple cannons. "Daruma Karma Cannon's effect activates!" Mash declared. "All monsters on the field are changed to face-down Defense Position!"
Lovely winked and flashed Obelisk a very bold middle finger before she flipped face-down. The daruma whirred as its cannons fired wildly across the battlefield. Obelisk swatted and deflected the blasts with ease, standing tall when the smoke cleared.
Kaiba laughed. "AHAHAHAHA! Pathetic! Obelisk is unaffected by your puny traps!"
Mash clenched his fist, muttering to himself. [Wow… Chazz really does have the same personality as this guy…] Then he smirked. "I knew that, which is why Daruma Karma Cannon's second effect will activate!"
Kaiba's eyes widened. "Second effect!?"
The daruma's eye glowed green as it scanned the field. The moment it registered Obelisk still face-up, its glow shifted to red, and all its cannons swiveled—not at Obelisk, but at Kaiba.
"What is this!?" Kaiba barked.
Mash grinned. "Daruma Karma Cannon's second effect: If there's still a face-up monster after resolution, then you—the controller—must send it to the Graveyard! Unless Obelisk has some bullshit immunity against you personally, he's going straight to the GY!"
Kaiba clicked his tongue. "Tch!" His thoughts raced. [A trap that targets the player instead of the monster… to bypass Obelisk's immunity? I've never even heard of such a card!] Reluctantly, he tossed Obelisk's card into his GY. The towering god let out a deafening roar before vanishing in a blinding flash, and the daruma fizzled away behind Mash.
Mash threw his head back with a booming laugh. "GYA~HOHOHO! What do you think, Kaiba!? I just turned your God into a fraud with a single trap card! Seems like 'Number 1 Duelist' is nothing but a title!"
Kaiba's grin turned cold, his eyes narrowing dangerously. "Tch… I didn't want to reveal this, since it's still a prototype. But it seems I have no choice." He slammed a card onto his Duel Disk. "Prepare yourself, Mash! I activate {Monster Reborn}!"
Mash scowled. "Don't even think about reviving Obelisk, Kaiba! Because Lovely's effect lets me recycle my Daruma Karma Cannon straight back from the gy!"
Kaiba's smirk deepened. "Who said anything about reviving Obelisk? I'LL REVIVE {Blue-Eyes White Dragon}!"
The arena shook as the legendary white dragon erupted onto the field with a piercing roar.
Mash narrowed his eyes. [Blue-Eyes instead of Obelisk? With only one card left in hand… what is he planning?]
Kaiba wasn't done. He slammed another card forward. "And next… I shall Normal Summon!" A figure materialized, a young woman with long flowing white hair, some braided in strands, and her eyes glowing faintly blue. "{Maiden of White}"
{Maiden of White|1 Star|Light|Spellcaster/Tuner/Effect| ATK: 0 DEF: 0}
Mash's jaw dropped. "WHAT!?" His thoughts screamed. [That's a staple in modern Blue-Eyes decks! WHY IS SHE-]
"!?"
[Just as I thought.] Kaiba then raised his voice. "You've shown me your secrets, Mash. Now it's time I reveal mine! Witness the future of Duel Monsters, Synchro Summon!"
The Maiden began to glow, transforming into a single green ring. Blue-Eyes' body dissolved into eight shining stars, which aligned perfectly within the circle.
"By tuning a Level 1 Tuner, Maiden of White with a Level 8 monster, Blue-Eyes White Dragon… I am able to summon a Level 9 Synchro Monster from my Extra Deck!" Kaiba's voice thundered. "BEHOLD, THE NEW FORM OF BLUE-EYES WHITE DRAGON!"
From the green beam that erupted, a majestic dragon emerged, its scales shining with a luminous white glow, golden accents glinting across its body, wings and tails. Its wings shimmered with a faint purple gradient, and its eyes still burned the same piercing blue.
"Come forth! {Blue-Eyes Spirit Dragon}!" The dragon roared mightily.
{Blue-Eyes Spirit Dragon|9 Star|Light|Dragon/Synchro/Effect| ATK: 2500 DEF: 3000}
Mash staggered back, speechless. [Synchro… already exists here!?]
Kaiba crossed his arms. "I end my turn."
{Kaiba hands: 0 cards, Kaiba field: 1 Monster}
Mash swallowed hard. "I… I draw!" But the moment he touched his card, Kaiba cut him off.
"Too late! Spirit Dragon's effect activates! I will tribute it!" The Spirit Dragon soared into the sky, curling into itself before transforming into a glowing white egg. " So I can Special Summon a Light Dragon Synchro Monster straight from my Extra Deck!"
"No..."
"And the one I'll summon is..."
"No."
"{Blue-Eyes Ultimate Spirit Drago-"
"Stop" Mash interrupted as a trap card stands up beside him, "I activate {Dimensional Barrier}... It allows me to declare a monster card type and neither player can summon the declared type. And the one I declare is... Synchro."
A glowing magic circle enclosed the white egg. It cracked, then shattered into dust.
Kaiba's face instantly darkened, his expression hidden by his hair.
"Since you tributed Spirit Dragon, it's second effect to summon a Light Dragon synchro monster was negated by Dimensional Barri-" Before Mash could finish explaining he notice Kaiba literally sprinting toward him before giving him a kick straight in his chest.
"GAHK!!"
Mash cried as Kaiba's boot slammed into his chest, launching him off the Duel Arena. He tumbled violently down the steps before crashing against the wire floor, coughing blood.
"Ugh…" Mash groaned, clutching his ribs.
"You know, Mash… " Kaiba descended the steps slowly, his coat flowing behind him. His tone was icy. "Every day, a new Duel Monster card is discovered. Either created by me, that senile fool Pegasus, or from some unknown origin. Which is why I wasn't exactly surprised when Sheppard told me that you, have a really unique deck..." He reached down, yanking Mash up by the collar. "But there are exceptions to this...!" then slammed him into the wall with brutal force.
"For you to not only have a Synchro monster which is still new and a prototype but also a card to counter to it!?"
Mash struggled as he gasped for air. "Ugh… Wh-what… Synchro…? Kgh!"
"Don't play dumb!" Kaiba slams Mash into the wall again. "You may have fooled everyone by saying your 'Chaos Angel' is a fusion monster, but that wont fool me, because I INVENTED SYNCHRO SUMMON! I know how it's summoning animation looks like! And then there's your reaction when you saw Maiden of White... You know about tuner too, huh? that it will lead to a Synchro summon."
Kaiba tighten his grip on Mash neck, his eyes burning with fury. "So tell me... Mash."
"Who are you...?"
Suddenly, a hand rested lightly on Kaiba's shoulder.
"Hey~!"
Kaiba snapped his head around, only to see Lovely standing there with her usual smug smile. "Sorry I'm late, Darling~! I didn't know what happened while I was face-down, ehe~ Now then..."
"Would you be so kind as to unhand him~? Before I redecorate this room..." Her grin stretched unnaturally and demonically wide as her eyes turned black.
"Ẅ̴͍̺̲͎̦́I̴̬͈̥͎̍̌ͅT̴̨̧͇̣̀H̴̯͇͂̿̂ ̶̨̻̀̃̐W̸̠͍̻̻̔̋̌̑H̴̳̿͝͝Ā̶̹̣͝T̷̡̧̫̮̀͛̈́̚S̷̢͗͘ ̶̬̮́͛̐̿͂͜L̷̢͔̱̪̲̅̓̈́̎͐E̴̱̓̔̊̈F̵͙̯̖̓̿̕̚͝T̴̯̹͉̘͙̒̃͋͘ ̵̮̙͝Ŏ̷̯F̸̧̢͚̝́͊ ̷͇̻̤̀̀ͅÝ̸̱̈́̅̊͝O̸̩̪͉͙̎̐̉͠U̸̝̮͜͠"
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Hey everyone, IG here!
Lucky you, eh? You all got a chapter early since I was for some reason really motivated in my really tight schedule. So enjoy! Chiao.
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