Episode 82. - Bring Only Your Very Best Game!

Remni sat up with a start, and rubbed his eyes. The heat of the day combined with his previous exhaustion had taken its toll on his ability to stay awake, and sitting in the relatively large dueling area provided by KirriCorp, in this district, had not helped today. Maintenance on the air conditioning units. Now he stretched slightly and looked around for a duelist to challenge. He had not been making enough progress, in his opinion, despite a near flawless win record. He needed opponents with a good grasp of their Kaijudo.

The skill that actually had developed within him, was the ability to sense it. This was the ability that allowed him to now recognize when a new arrival of interest entered the large room. He could not see this person, but even his limited ability could tell that they were powerful. For a moment he was even worried it might be Juravis looking for him, so powerful was the imprint of their presence on his mind.

Something about it calmed him a moment later. This one did not exhibit any of the traits he knew or expected from Allen Juravis. Their psionic power was actually rather dampened, and it was obviously done by choice. They were trying not to intimidate, or draw attention. Any other with the ability to sense it would easily know their hidden power, but it would not spark notice from the uninitiated.

Remni got up, to see who he was sensing. They had been hidden from him by some other duelists nearby standing around another duel. He also noticed another smaller source of Kaijudo begin to move toward the new arrival. That person, he could see. A tall, dark-skinned youth, bald head, grey jacket. That person reached the new Kaijudo before he could, causing him to sigh.

"Then again, I'm fairly tired anyways, maybe I can just watch a bit..."
This was his thought as he finally caught sight of the person who had drawn his attention. Somewhere inside him something froze. He definitely would prefer to just watch a bit. This person he knew. This person, most people knew... Yodaz.

He was now just close enough to hear the conversation between the two as it began.

"I never thought I'd see you again without qualifying for a major tournament... this is a coincidence I could never have expected, man... kettou da."

"You're not mad about what I said back then or anything, are you now?" Yodaz smirked, regarding the taller duelist warily. Grudge matches were not his thing. His question brought a laugh from Jared Sykes.

"Nah nah. Nothing like that. Just want to see how I measure up, that's all. I haven't actually managed to qualify for anything lately. Kind of a slump, you know? Maybe you can help me fix the deck up or figure out what I'm doing wrong, eh?"

Yodaz smoothed back his hair slightly and nodded: "All right. Accepted."

Remni moved slightly closer. If there was ever a duel to watch, it would be this one. Someone Yodaz simply agreed to duel. Someone he apparently knew. This would be a clash between two people relatively aware of the other's style of play, something he did not get to see very often. He found his heart rate increasing steadily as the two deployed their cards.

"It's been a long time though..." Yodaz said, "A lot has changed in the world of dueling since we last met. Reap and Sow to mana. End turn."

Jared looked at Yodaz's first card in surprise, and nodded, then drew his own and considered it also. Lukia Lex, Pinnacle Guardian.
"Definitely changes, yeah. Psyshroom to mana. End turn."

Yodaz raised the customary eyebrow at the card, but did not say anything. He simply placed one of his Illusionary Merfolk into his mana zone and ended his turn. The energy between the two rose steadily, small 'sparks' of it flying off at odd angles. Remni watched intently. Jared drew his card and seemed to go into deep thought.

"This is the second turn... what's he thinking about so?" Remni now wondered. Jared finally made his decision, and summoned the La Ura Giga then. He had no way of knowing what had been going through Jared's mind. Memories of long ago. The Guardian immediately took form in the mindspace, shimmering beside the duelist.

"Bazagazeal Dragon to mana. End turn," Yodaz said simply. Remni could sense that there had been a calculation on that side. A swift one he had not been privy to. Jared drew a Mana Nexus and charged it, then summoned his card. Pala Olesis, Morning Guardian. The new craft shimmered with greater power, and the La Ura seemed to become more bold, scouting the edge of the water in Yodaz's world.

"Hm..." Yodaz noted, as he drew his card. His Crimson Hammer went into his mana zone and he ended his turn. It would not be able to do anything, at least not for awhile. His Kaijudo pushed slightly forward, and met Jared's.

"A good choice, though I guess it is more or less an obvious one..." Yodaz noted, as Jared drew his next card. Yodaz felt compelled to say something when the second Psyshroom was placed into the mana zone.

"Seriously though, Psyshroom?"

"Ah, come on, it's not that bad," Jared laughed, "Just a little situational, and that's the second of two. Not the best draw, but not so bad either considering they got straight into mana. Still, yeah, I know... not normally something I want to be topdecking..."

Yodaz shrugged. That was not exactly the reason he'd said it. Now, Jared made a new summon, of another 'obvious choice' card. This one caused his power to multiply exponentially, threatening to drive Yodaz's Kaijudo back, but to Remni's surprise, no such occurred. The former Champion's power simply remained exactly as it had been in 'position', instantly increasing in intensity to match Jared's own augmented force. Lukia Lex, Pinnacle Guardian, was the focal point of this power, but with nothing able to attack, Jared simply ended his turn.

Yodaz drew his card, and his power shifted laterally more than once, before he finally placed the Volcano Charger into mana and ended his turn. It was a very calm method of dueling. Remni tried to imagine what it would be like if he were the one sitting opposite Yodaz, instead of Jared. He would probably have attacked faster...

"Kind of odd, really, I might be halfway through him by now," Remni laughed slightly to himself, "Though I guess those Fire Spells might have slowed me down a little bit."

"Guess there's no point in hesitating since you're about to get really powerful, am I right?" Jared laughed, "La Ura Giga, evolve into Arc Bine, the Astounding!"

Remni's eyes opened wide, both in the mindspace, and reality. The ship shimmered with an incredible light and power. He remembered what he had learnt lately, about how each duelist had this one creature that seemed to mean more than the others. This one was definitely Jared Sykes' creature.

Yodaz's Kaijudo had finally responded, being slightly pushed back. He, too, had old memories of this particular type of creature, but Arc Bine itself did not instill much despair or fear in him. Jared did not seem bothered by this. He was counting on something else.

"Arc Bine, ikei!"
The first blast shattered the shield without trigger. Remni nodded. It was time for the attacking to start, and it would be relatively easy to see how he would fare against Yodaz once it did.

"Lukia Lex, ikei!"
Jared bolstered his power. He knew what would come. He could sense it. Sadly for him, there was no point in dodging it or trying to handle the situation in any other way. He could only hope that the trigger was a Natural Snare.

It was not. The dark energy of a Terror Pit engulfed his Astounding one, and as much as he tried to resist the fall in his own mental defenses when the spell imploded, sending Arc Bine out of existence, he could not. He shook his head with slight pain. Yodaz's energy seemed apologetic for a moment, not due to the creature destruction, nor any remorse, but simply at the pain he knew Jared had just been caused.

Remni shrugged it off. Something in that had weakened him also. The possibilities of Terror Pit Triggers against him were problematic, but nothing to become overly concerned about if he was handling things well. Jared, too, seemed to still be mostly composed, as turn ended.

"Lost Soul to mana. Summon Corile."
The energy from Yodaz's avatar instantly rushed to fill the void left by the destruction of the Astounding. Lukia Lex vanished with a wave of the Cyber Lord's purple limb, and Yodaz ended his turn. Remni wondered why. Most duelists would put more effort into destruction than simply return. Yet Yodaz still played such a card.

"Summon Lukia Lex, and Sol Galla. End turn."
Jared's power was now returning slightly, but not much. He knew well that Yodaz had ways of handling this as well, but his hope held out that such ways were not available to him quite yet, or if they were, Yodaz's power would be exhausted from using them.

"Hmm..." Yodaz noted, drawing his card. Jared seemed nervous instantly. Remni assumed it was because Yodaz now had enough mana to cast Apocalypse Vise and destroy at least two of the Guardians. It was not.

"Summon Illusionary Merfolk," was the declaration. No move to actually stop the forces on the other side, but a rush of power that made Jared Sykes cringe and attempt to push up a stronger Kaijudo barrier. Remni found his own mind calculating. At a time like this, he could end such a duel with Jagalzor alone...

"Summon Legacy Shell!" Jared exclaimed. He had to go for it directly now. Destroying Yodaz's creatures would do little and he knew it. Keeping Yodaz as busy as possible, on the other hand, could get him somewhere. The Legacy Shell would have six thousand power on his own turn, and was almost sure to survive long enough to get a strike in. The pressure was on.

Remni found himself biting his lip at the way the duel was going. This would indeed have been a perfect moment for Jagalzor, in his mind. Jared declared the first attack. Lukia Lex streaked in to break the shield.

"Shield Trigger. Terror Pit. On your Morning Guardian."
Jared winced again as the power easily dragged Pala away. Remni shuddered. That would have instantly ended any plans he could have had of Jagalzor posing any threat. Yet, Yodaz had destroyed Pala and not Sol, and so...

"Sol Galla, ikei."
The Halo Guardian swept in over the deadly ocean now. The Merfolk would probably destroy it on the next turn, one of the greatest advantages Yodaz drew from using the card in his deck, though many less experienced duelists did not see this aspect of it. The third shield shattered under the blast of the Guardian...

"Shield Trigger. Terror Pit. On your Legacy Shell."
Jared could not help himself but to let out a yelp of pain. His arm spasmed as Yodaz's Kaijudo spiked again. That was three. He could barely hold on now, in the face of that, yet he breathed in deeply and composed himself. Lukia Lex's power activated as Yodaz ended his turn. It would not be able to be counterattacked by the Illusionary Merfolk, and so Yodaz would need to put effort into its destruction. With three Terror Pits used and at least one of the mighty Bazagazeal Dragon already in mana, that could prove difficult. Just difficult enough, perhaps, for Lukia to break through.

Yodaz smirked, but not due to the card he drew. He was analyzing Jared's strategy, and finding that it had improved considerably since five sets prior. Lukia in particular was an interesting dilemma, since it was powerful enough to destroy even a Thrash Crawler.

"Looks good to me," Yodaz finally said, "Rumbling Terahorn to mana. Summon Locomotiver."
The shift in energy as the dark train dragged away the La Ura Giga remaining in Jared's hand was, again, profound. Remni found his stomach churning. Yodaz's power was unmistakable, and despite Jared's best effort, he did not seem to be holding up well under it. Remni could see as Jared's mental form began to show signs of paralysis.

"And now Soulswap, on my Locomotiver, to bring out my Bazagazeal Dragon!"
The power of the spell increased Sol Galla's strength, and so, when the great Dragon descended on Lukia, there was no follow-up attack on Sol by the Merfolk. Bazagazeal simply returned to Yodaz's hand, ending his turn. Remni shuddered again. Yodaz had just managed to discard the last card from hand, which for him could easily have been his Pyrofighter Magnus, and also bring forth the nigh-unstoppable Bazagazeal in the same turn. The creature was now again in his hand.

"If that'd been me... I guess the creature out might have been Gonta and not Sol Galla... then I'd just have to draw a Speed Attacker to win, at least..."

Jared Sykes had no such capability. Even if he drew another Arc Bine now it would not help him, without the La Ura to evolve it from. He did summon a Reso Pacos, and let Sol take its last shot regardless. Waiting was not particularly likely to get him anywhere, at the rate Yodaz's power could grow at this point.

"If that had been me, it would be over... Pyro or Jagalzor or Bomba--"

"Shield Trigger. Natural Snare. On your Reso Pacos."
Jared gritted his teeth as the aquatic vines snaked up and dragged his Clear Sky Guardian into the abyssal depths, just as the Terror Pits before it had done to his other creatures. His arm seemed difficult to move. He ended his turn with a nod. Yodaz's eye glowed momentarily. Remni did not notice this, his mind was reeling with the thought that not even Bombazar would have been able to end it just then.

"What... what could I have done? Just not attack, maybe? Gonta would... but then... I'd still have to attack eventually. I'd still have to break that shield eventually, and everything would have... how... how is he doing this? And how is this guy even managing to keep duel--..."

He snapped out of it, the mental image of the dull-eyed Hikari flashing into his consciousness at that moment. He could never give up. No matter what happened. To Jared, this was nowhere near as serious, though, so the thought returned. What was it that made Jared keep dueling, even against what seemed to surely be impossible odds.

"Alright... alright..." he breathed, calming himself as he watched Yodaz draw his next card, "Even so, the shields are all gone. I'd just need to draw another speed attacker after that. It's not so bad. I could still do it."

"Rumbling Terahorn, to get my Thrash Crawler from deck. Now I summon that too, and return my other Terahorn from mana. Merfolk, destroy Sol Galla. Ikei."

"Great... blocker..." Jared groaned, voicing Remni's thought at the same time. The Merfolk took flight, bringing down the Halo Guardian with little effort. Yodaz ended his turn.

"Still possible..." Remni found himself thinking, though his belief was wavering. He could draw Bombazar. Or maybe a Comet Missile first and then another Speed Attacker right afterward...

Jared emotionlessly summoned Pala Olesis now. He knew his only remaining choice was to draw this out as long as he could, forcing Yodaz to summon Bazagazeal over and over. Yodaz seemed to have no problem with this, as the dragon now came easily into being and struck down the Morning Guardian with hardly a swipe of one of its gigantic blades.

"Lukia Lex, Pinnacle Guardian."
This too, fell to Bazagazeal's blade a moment later, and Yodaz ended his turn.

"Reso Pacos... Clear Sky... Guardian..."
The effort it seemed to take him to even cause the creature to manifest in his mind was incredible, to Remni, yet Jared would not give up. Yodaz's Bazagazeal came into being with far less effort, even considering its size, and the fact that an Aqua Hulcus was summoned before it appeared, thanks to an Energy Stream added to his mana zone.

"Hmm... not bad... You have an Evolution... and possibly Holy Awe... not to mention those La Ura Giga... this could simply backfire on me regardless and there's nothing at all I can do about it... Next turn it is then. Bazagazeal, destroy Reso Pacos. Ikei!"

Yodaz's calculations were, as always, swift and nearly perfect. He had figured out Jared's final hope almost immediately. Jared nodded, confirming that Yodaz's expectation was correct. The right combination of cards from Jared's shield zone, which was still fully intact, could bring the duel back regardless of everything else. Yodaz ended his turn.

"Micute, the Oracle."
Yodaz smirked at this. It still could not just be easy. The deck seemed to be solid enough, even if it had not stood up to him. The Crimson Hammer he now had, he placed into mana, no use against the powerful Guardian-commanding Light Bringer. Another Aqua Hulcus appeared by the first, and Bazagazeal roared forth yet again. Micute put up slightly more of a fight than the others before it, its energy siphons blocking Bazagazeal's swings, but each swing destroyed one completely, until finally none remained, and the great Armored Dragon drove its blades into the body of the Light Bringer. It had not quite been 'next turn' after all.

Remni felt an awareness stir inside him. This was still something he could win with Bombazar. The feeling was liberating, but watching Jared struggle against Yodaz's unending power was itself frightening even though he could perhaps have his own way out. The fact that Jared did not actually even have seven mana was no comfort either. Jared did not summon the card he drew. The stream of creatures was broken. It always eventually broke, and that was always Yodaz's moment to strike.

"Alright," Yodaz said, picking up his next card, "This is it. All or nothing. Soulswap, on my Thrash Crawler, to bring out the Locomotiver again, and summon Bazagazeal."

The Locomotiver discarded a simple Solar Ray. It had not been Arc Bine nor any other guardian after all. Yodaz shrugged, and began the assault. Remni could literally feel the calculations from Corile. The Hulcus struck first, alone. If it were to hit the Holy Awe, there would be no chance of the Astounding one appearing immediately.

Jared's energy leapt with small hope as he picked up the first card. It was, indeed, Arc Bine. He instantly suppressed the reaction before Yodaz could pick up on it, but Remni had noticed, as he was closer and attuned to the weakened power of the Guardian player. The second shield was broken by another Hulcus. This gave Jared La Ura Giga...

"There are two possibilities now. Either he will strike Solar Ray and we can stop Bazagazeal, or he will strike Mana Nexus and we can hold out one more, and I will end this..."

Jared nodded to his avatar. The chances were tiny, but if Yodaz's deck could push itself that far, there was still the hope that his own would respond in kind. The Rumbling Terahorn broke the third shield. This was it. If this one triggered everything would reverse itself. If not, nearly nothing could prevent the end.

The Terahorn's charge shattered the shield, and it was nothing more than a Lukia Lex. Only the most perfect configuration of the final two shields could stop his opponent now. Both would need to trigger. Bazagazeal roared, and struck...

Neither did.

Remni grimaced as Jared Sykes' Kaijudo crumpled like old construction paper. No matter how much hope he had within, it was over. It did not seem to matter that there had been 'a chance'. That chance had been slim, and it had not come to pass. Yodaz did not hold back his final attack, either on the table or in their minds.

"Corile. Todomeda."
The paralyzing chill engulfed Jared, and he closed his eyes with a muffled choking sound as the Cyber Lord delivered the final attack. Yodaz sighed slightly. The duel had been strange. Corile had as always, been able to analyze exactly what to do at every turn, but Jared's reason for dueling him had been to get advice, and Yodaz found himself unable to give any.

"Sorry I can't be more help..." he finally told Jared when the other made signs of movement, "The deck is just... Light and Nature, you know...? It just can't do certain things..."

Remni grimaced again as Jared nodded emptily... something in the man seemed... devastated.