Watching from the side, Mokuba Kaiba felt a strange sense of familiarity. The layered traps and tight control reminded him of two people from the past. One was Rokusei Aoi, the cheerful boy from Battle City who had pushed himself too far. The other was the legendary Yugi Muto, who used tactics from Underworld to send opponents back to Underworld.
"My My Turn!, Card Draw!" Kirk Dixon declared. "No matter what you set up, the power of Machina will crush it. I Summon."
"Hold on. We are still in the Standby Phase." Yugen snapped his fingers. "I flip my Trap Card, Ballista Squad. I tribute Ojama Black and Destroy your Machina Fortress!"
A massive ballista appeared. Ojama Black leapt onto it, was launched forward, and spun through the air before smashing rear first into Machina Fortress. The armor cracked, sparks burst out, and the huge machine collapsed into scrap.
"My Machina Fortress destroyed with that thing?" Kirk Dixon growled. Still, he knew Machina Fortress could always return from the Graveyard by discarding Machines whose total Levels equaled eight or more.
"Next, I activate another face down." Yugen revealed Trap Card Ojama Trio. "I Special Summon three Ojama Token to your field. They cannot be used as Tributes."
Three colored tokens popped onto Kirk Dixon's field and immediately began their antics, one snoring, one drinking tea, one reading a newspaper. Kirk Dixon frowned but forced a snort. "Giving your opponent monsters? Is that what Duel Academy teaches?"
"I am still new," Yugen replied with a smile. "My tactics may be rough. I would appreciate your advice." He flipped his final card. "Continuous Trap, Rivalry of Warlords."
Both players must send monsters to the Graveyard until they each control only one Type, and as long as it remains, each player can only control one Type of monster. Kirk Dixon stared at his field and then at the three Beast Type tokens.
"Nani?!?!" Only one Type allowed, and he was stuck with Beasts. His entire Deck was Machines.
Grinding his teeth, he set a monster face down and another card. "End turn." With his summons sealed, that was all he could do.
"In the End Phase, I activate another Trap Card, Self Destruct Button." Yugen said evenly. "You have four monsters, so take 2000 damage."
Flames burst from the three Ojama Token and the set monster, slamming into Kirk Dixon. His digital body flickered as data scattered.
Kirk Dixon, LP 4000 to 2000.
The tokens continued their mockery. One commented politely, another rustled his paper, the third kept snoring. Kirk Dixon's face darkened with anger.
"My My Turn!, Card Draw." Yugen drew and immediately revealed Spell Card Pot of Greed. "I draw two more cards." He then Normal Summon Inaba White Rabbit.
Inaba White Rabbit, ATK 700.
"It is Beast Type like Ojama Yellow, so it is not restricted by Rivalry. It can attack directly." He gestured forward. "Direct attack."
The rabbit dashed in and smashed its hammer into Kirk Dixon's head. His Life Points fell from 2000 to 1300.
The tokens added more comments between sips of tea and lazy snores. Kirk Dixon could barely contain himself.
"I set one card." Yugen placed another face down. "Inaba White Rabbit returns to my hand during the End Phase."
The rabbit turned into light and flew back as a Card. Yugen folded his arms calmly.
"My turn ends."
Kirk Dixon took a deep breath.
"My Turn!, Card Draw!"
With the combination of Rivalry of Warlords and Ojama Trio, he had no way to Summon monsters, and his Life Points were down to 1300. At this rate, he would likely be finished next turn by a direct attack from Inaba White Rabbit combined with burn damage. He glanced at the card he had drawn and narrowed his eyes.
"No choice. I have to rely on Card Draw to create an opening." He placed a card onto the field. "I set one card. Then I activate this—
—Spell Card 'Card of Sanctity'!
Until both players have six cards in hand, we draw from our Deck!"
Yugen raised an eyebrow. As expected of a duelist from the DM era, Card of Sanctity was practically as standard back then as Pot of Greed was in GX.
"Here it comes!"
Drawing up to six cards in one go seemed to bring him hope. Kirk Dixon laughed and slapped a card down.
"Spell Card 'Dark Hole'! Destroy all monsters on the field!"
A thin black line split open in the air, widening into a sphere of darkness. Everything on the field was dragged in by its pull and crushed without exception.
"All monsters are Destroy! That means the Summon lock is Release!" Kirk Dixon shouted.
Once the Ojama Tokens were gone, he could freely Summon again. If he brought out a Machine-Type monster, then Rivalry of Warlords would only restrict him to that Type. Since his Deck only contained Machine-Type monsters anyway, the restriction no longer mattered.
"However, the follow up effect of Ojama Token also activates," Yugen reminded him. "When an Ojama Token is Destroy, its controller takes 300 damage for each one."
"Nani?!?!"
Kirk Dixon's face changed. The three clown like spirits reappeared like transparent ghosts, shouting "Ojama Delta Hurricane!" as they rammed themselves into him.
"Ugh!"
Kirk Dixon, LP 1300 to 400.
Cold sweat ran down his back. Those disgusting things had hidden a burn effect, and he had almost blown himself up.
"But at least the lock is broken!" he roared. "Now I can Summon monsters! I activate the effect of 'Machina Fortress' in my Graveyard!
By discarding Machine-Type monsters from my hand whose total Levels equal eight or more, I revive Machina Fortress from the Graveyard! I discard Level 8 'Machina Megaform'! Rise again—
—Machina Armored Unit·Machina Fortress!"
The heavy artillery unit emerged once more, its cannons locking onto Yugen's empty field.
"Machina Fortress can revive itself again and again! Feel the absolute firepower of Machina! Direct attack!"
The cannons fired, and a blazing beam shot straight at Yugen.
"Then I activate my set card."
Yugen flipped it up. "Trap Card - Dimension Wall. When you declare an attack, you take that battle damage instead."
"Another trap?!"
"Counter Trap - Trap Jammer! I negate and Destroy your Trap Card!"
The wall shattered, and the blast struck Yugen. His body flickered as he staggered back.
Yugen, LP 3200 to 700.
He steadied himself and looked at his hand. "So even in data form, the impact feels real inside the Link System."
"That is correct," Mokuba Kaiba said. "We aim to recreate the most authentic Duel experience."
"Not over yet!" Kirk Dixon said coldly. "You still have that dangerous Inaba White Rabbit. So I activate Spell Card 'Card Destruction'! Both players discard their hands and draw the same number!"
Yugen discarded Inaba White Rabbit to the Graveyard and drew again.
"My Turn! ends!" Kirk Dixon laughed. "Your lock is broken. Next turn I will finish you!"
"Then my My Turn!, Card Draw." Yugen spoke calmly. "Quick-Play Spell 'Emergency Provisions.' I send Continuous Trap 'Rivalry of Warlords' to the Graveyard and gain 1000 Life Points."
Yugen, LP 700 to 1700.
"Next, Spell Card 'Ojamandala.' I pay 1000 Life Points to revive 'Ojama Green', 'Ojama Black', and 'Ojama Yellow' from the Graveyard."
Yugen, LP 1700 to 700.
The yellow, green, and black trio returned to the field. Kirk Dixon felt irritation rise the moment he saw them.
"Now I activate Spell Card 'Polymerization'! I fuse 'Ojama Black', 'Ojama Green', and 'Ojama Yellow'!"
"Fusion? Them?"
"Triple fusion of Ojama Trio! The crystallization of brotherly power, appear—
—Ojama King, Polymerization!"
A large version of the clown appeared in a flashy pose.