Dueling is Magic!

Many Futures

Chapter Thirteen
Level-Headed Heart

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Leo pushed himself upright and rubbed his chest. He looked over at Twilight, her head bowed, her bangs shadowing her eyes.

The corners of Twilight’s mouth turned upward. She looked up at Aporia, determined and smiling.

“I’ve felt enough despair for two lifetimes and came out a better pony for it,” she said. “Maybe I’m not as great a Duelist as Yusei was- I even lost to him once- but I’m still strong and I can still try! I’ve beaten tougher opponents than you and I’ll do it again!”

“My turn!” shouted Twilight. She quickly glanced over her hand and started forming a plan. “You should have finished me off when you had the chance, Aporia! I Set two cards face-down and summon ‘Royal Magical Library’ in Defense Mode to finish my turn!” Two giant face-down cards appeared in front of Twilight. Behind her rose the shelves of an immense library. Platforms levitating on the power of magical stones hovered along the edges of the shelves, robed figures moving about and inspecting the contents of the shelves.

“My turn,” said Sherry. She drew her card and gave it a quick glance. But then, she gasped and her gaze returned to the card in her hand. She stared at the card for several moments.

Sherry shook her head. “No, zere is no problem,” she said slowly. “I summon ‘Buster Blaster’ in Attack Mode.”

A blue-armored robot emerged from the monster portal. Two gray loops adorned its wide, blue shoulders. Two giant gold cylinders rested on its back, one pointing up, the other down.

“Buster Blaster is a Union Monster,” said Sherry, “which means I can equip it to a monster I control. I equip it to Chevalier de Fleur!”

The head and hands of the robot disappeared into its body and arms. The body compressed and the feet folded downward. Gun barrels extended from inside the legs. Chevalier de Fleur sheathed her sword and grabbed the handles of the large blaster.

“Because I intend to destroy Power Tool Dragon,” Sherry said. “I also equip Chevalier de Fleur with zee ‘Black Pendant’ Spell Card, increasing her Attack Points by five hundred and cancelling out ze decrease from Buster Blaster. Chevalier de Fleur, attack Power Tool Dragon!” Yellow particles floated toward the twin blaster barrels, then two yellow beams of energy shot out and struck Power Tool Dragon.

“I got this, Twilight!” said Leo. “Power Tool Dragon can protect itself from being destroyed by sending one of its Equip Spells to the Graveyard instead!” The holographic image of “Break! Draw!” shattered like glass. The twin beams died down.

“Double Tool C&D’s effect activates,” Leo continued. “During my opponent’s turn, only the equipped monster can be attacked, but any monster it battles is destroyed at the end of the Damage Step!”

The circular saw on Power Tool Dragon’s arm activated and spun rapidly. Power Tool Dragon flew forward with the saw raised, then brought it down on the floral knight. Chevalier de Fleur blocked the attack with the double-barrel blaster in her hands.

“Chevalier de Fleur is protected from your effect by Buster Blaster,” said Sherry. The saw cut through the gun and it exploded.

“My move!” said Leo as he drew a card. “And since it’s my turn again, Double Tool C&D increases Power Tool Dragon’s Attack Points by one thousand!”

“As though it matters,” said Aporia. “I still have Skiel Guard Three’s effect. If you try to attack, I will simply negate it.”

He’s right, Leo thought. Good thing I’ve got Plan B. “I play the Trap ‘Power Break’! This sends all Equip Spells on the field and in my Graveyard back to our decks, then deals five hundred points of damage to you, Aporia!”

“That damage will not happen, boy!” Aporia said. “I activate ‘Infinity Force’, negating the damage and destroying all of your monsters!”

A giant green infinity symbol appeared overhead. Lightning flashed from its center. A yellow bolt sliced down through the air toward Power Tool Dragon.

“I send Double Tool C&D to the Graveyard to save Power Tool Dragon!” said Leo. The lightning split into two bolts, each striking the circular saw and drill on Power Tool Dragon’s arms and destroying them. The blue shovel bucket reappeared on Power Tool Dragon’s right arm.

“You-” Twilight started to say. She looked at her Duel Disk, then looked up. Explosive Magician was smiling at her. It’s ghostly image vanished. Twilight smiled at Leo. Leo nodded.

“I activate Power Tool Dragon’s effect to add a random Equip Spell to my hand,” he said. He took the card sticking out of his deck and immediately slid it into a slot on the arm of his Disk. “I equip ‘Central Shield’ to Power Tool Dragon and switch it to Defense Mode.” A red U-shape framed in silver metal appeared in front of the now kneeling Power Tool Dragon. Seven red and silver circles emerged from behind the U-shape and formed a circle around it. “While this card is in play, none of you can declare direct attacks!” Leo said. “That’s sealed your Skiel Attack Three!

“Just to be on the safe side, I activate ‘Psychic Cyclone’. I pick one of your face-down cards and call Spell or Trap, then destroy it. If it was the type I called, I get to draw one card. If not, you can draw a card. I call Trap and destroy Convert Ghost!”

The face-down card on Aporia’s field was pushed into the air by a sudden gust of wind. It spun around several times before breaking apart. Leo smiled and drew a card. “I end my turn!”

“Impressive,” said Aporia as he drew his card. “I play the Trap ‘Sky C3’, sending Skiel Carrier to the Graveyard in order to Special Summon ‘Skiel Carrier Three’ from my hand.”

The skeletal wings of Emperor Skiel vanished. Another insect-like machine appeared. Wings sprouted from either side of its tiny body, but then turned and were thrown back sharply, like knives held downward. Yellow spikes ran along the inside of each wing, while a silver blade edge ran along the outside. The machine split in half down the middle of its body. Each half attached itself to the body of the Meklord Emperor, forming new, sharper wings.

“I activate the effect of Skiel Guard Three,” said Aporia. “Once per turn, I can choose an opponent’s face-down Spell or Trap. Until the End Phase, that card cannot be activated!” As Aporia said this, he pointed at the Set card on Twilight’s left. The card back changed from swirling brown and black to gray stone.

“Twilight can’t protect you this time, Leo,” said Aporia. “Meklord Emperor Skiel Infinity, feast upon Power Tool Dragon!” The chest of the Meklord opened and sent out its bright green tendrils, each one wrapping around a different part of Leo’s mechanical dragon. The ropes of light pulled the dragon in, turning it into light as well and absorbing it into the spinning core. The Meklord’s chest closed behind it.

“Skiel Infinity, attack Leo directly!” Aporia ordered. The cannon on the underside of the Meklord Emperor began to charge its attack.

“Who says I can’t protect Leo?” said Twilight. “I activate the Continuous Trap ‘Spellbinding Circle’!” A green circle appeared around the body of the Meklord Emperor. Four smaller circles appeared along its edge, drawn with orange outlines that contained large triangles, and ornate yellow designs beneath. White, fire-like symbols appeared in the circle as well. The Meklord Emperor stopped moving entirely.

“That’s a pretty old card,” said Leo. “Old and really rare. Where’d you get it?”

“Perhaps I cannot attack Leo,” Aporia growled, “but I can still hurt you! Skiel Top Three, activate your Pinpoint Cutter!” The mechanical bird’s head opened its beak and spat a blue laser at Twilight. She side-stepped to avoid it, but a rock that was struck by the beam flew up and hit her in the neck.

“My turn,” said Twilight. “In case no one’s been paying attention, when Sherry activated Black Pendant and Leo played Central Shield, my Royal Magical Library gained two Spell Counters. Now I’ll give it a third by activating ‘Assault Teleport’, letting me shuffle an ‘Assault Mode’ monster in my hand back into my deck so I can draw two new cards!” The remaining card in Twilight’s hand floated to the top of her deck. The cards were shuffled and Twilight drew two new cards.

“Perfect!” said Twilight. “But first things first. I activate the Library’s effect, removing its three Spell Counters so I can draw one card.” Twilight drew a third card and her smile widened. “I Release Royal Magical LIbrary and Advance Summon ‘Disenchanter’ to the field!”

The blue portal opened and a red-haired woman walked onto the field. She wore a purple shirt and a deep blue skirt. A green sash was tied around her waist. She held a long, yellow staff with a gold circle on one end. Resting at the edge of the circle was a bright blue sapphire.

“I activate Disenchanter’s effect!” said Twilight. “Once per turn, I can remove a Spell Counter from anywhere on the field to return a face-up Spell Card to its owner’s hand. Leo, you got Explosive Magician back for me, so I’m going to get Power Tool Dragon back for you! Disenchanter, use the last of Pitch-Black Power Stone’s energy and return Power Tool Dragon to Leo!”

The woman spun her staff over her head, then brought it down with both hands, the sapphire pointing at the Meklord Emperor and the other end touching the black orb behind her. The light within the orb vanished and it shattered. Energy traveled up the staff and into the gold disc and the sapphire at the top. A wide beam of light shone out from the sapphire. Power Tool Dragon’s form appeared in the same space as the Meklord Emperor. Disenchanter moved her staff up and Power Tool Dragon followed. The light faded, the robotic dragon roared, and it returned as light to Leo’s Duel Disk.

“I messed up earlier,” said Twilight, “but we’re still going to win this! I Set two cards and end my turn!”

“My turn!” said Sherry. “Chevalier de Fleur, attack Disenchanter!” Chevalier de Fleur drew her sword and rushed forward.

“I play the Trap ‘Mirror Force’! said Twilight. “All of your monsters in Attack Mode are destroyed!”

“Did you forget about Chevalier de Fleur’s effect?” Sherry replied. “Once during each of my turns, I can negate zee activation of an opponent’s Spell or Trap Card and destroy it!”

“Only once,” said Twilight as the Chevalier sliced her sword through the “Mirror Force” card. “I play another Trap: ‘Magic Cylinder’! This negates your attack and inflicts damage equal to your monster’s Attack Points!”

As the remnants of the holographic “Mirror Force” disappeared, a giant cylinder with question marks on the sides appeared behind it. Chevalier de Fleur drew her sword back in preparation for a stab, but then vanished into the shadows within the tube. Another one appeared in front of Sherry and Chevalier de Fleur emerged from it, thrusting her sword forward. Sherry raised her Duel Disk and parried the blow, but was still pushed backward from the force of the strike.

Sherry and her Chevalier lowered their arms. “I Set one card face-down and end my turn,” said Sherry.

“Twilight, why didn’t you play those Traps the other way around?” Leo asked.

“Because Chevalier’s effect can only activate on Sherry’s turn,” Twilight answered. “This means that we don’t have to worry about it while we’re attacking. Besides, now she has less than half of her life Points, so it’ll be easier to take her down.”

Leo nodded. “Good plan, Twilight,” he said. Then, as he drew a card, “My turn!” Leo looked at the new card in his hand. “Twilight, have you got a Level Seven Synchro?” he asked.

“I think I can fix that,” said Twilight. “I play the Trap, ‘Re-Tune’! I reveal a Synchro Monster in my Extra Deck, then call the name of a Synchro Monster in my opponent’s Extra Deck. If it’s in there, the declared monster’s Synchro Material requirements become the same as my revealed monster’s and my opponent draws one card. If not, I take a thousand points of damage. I reveal ‘Arcanite Magician’ and declare ‘Power Tool Dragon’.”

“That works,” Leo said as he drew a card. He turned back to the duel. “I summon the Tuner Monster ‘Morphtronic Remoten’ in Attack Mode!” A white remote control with a circular dial at the bottom and a digital display at the top emerged from the blue monster portal. Legs popped out from beside the dial while arms emerged from the sides of the remote. Two green circles appeared in the display, giving the monster eyes.

“I activate ‘Level Mirroring’,” Leo continued. “This Spell changes the Level of Morphtronic Remoten to the Level of a monster my opponent controls. I choose Apprentice Knight.”

“Now I activate ‘Double Ripple’! I choose Synchro Monsters in both our Extra Decks that have the same Level and listed Synchro Materials. I send the appropriate Synchro Materials for one of them from either side of the field to the Graveyard, then Special Summon them to their owners’ fields in Defense Position. Morphtronic Remoten, time to give Disenchanter a tune-up!”

The eyes on Remoten vanished, replaced by the word “TUNING”. Two green dots appeared in the display after the word and pushed through the barrier of the display. Remoten’s body vanished and the stars rose into the sky, forming green rings around Twilight’s Disenchanter. The spellcaster became an orange outline containing five stars. The outline vanished, the stars aligned, and a pillar of light consumed them all.

The sound of a drop of water striking the surface of a larger body of liquid sounded in the air. The air around the pillar of light rippled like a pond. Two silhouettes appeared in the light. One sharp and angular in places, yet rounded the others; the second pointed like tongues of fire, curving and elegant. The light faded. Power Tool Dragon stood in front of Leo, sounding its mechanical roar. Before Twilight was a tall man, his skin a much lighter shade of her own coat. White robes fluttered in the wind, giving glimpses of obsidian armor trimmed with a deep orange metal. In his left hand he held a green staff, a topaz orb nestled into the leaf-like end.

“I activate Power Tool Dragon’s effect,” said Leo. “Go, Power Search!” His deck shuffled and stuck a single card out at him. He took it and played it. “I equip Power Tool Dragon with ‘Power Converter’ and Set a face-down.”

“Now with these monsters, maybe we can fight back!” said Twilight. “I’ve already got my plan lined up!”

“YEAGER!” Jack roared as he burst through the doors. Yeager soared five feet above his chair, an impressive feat for one of his stature.

“J-Jack!” stammered Yeager. “What brings you here?” Yeager laughed nervously.

“Twilight Sparkle and Leo are missing,” Jack growled, “and everyone I’ve spoken to says that they last saw them speaking with you. And unless I miss my guess, that can mean only one thing.”

“Alright, alright!” Yeager said. “You are correct, I sent them on a mission! An intelligence gathering operation, nothing too big, just retrieving documents.”

Jack’s eyes widened. “You sent them to the Goodwin estate?” he said. “Let me guess- there are other secrets besides that temple, aren’t there?”

Yeager nodded. “A library, a collection of scrolls, documents and tomes compiled by Yliaster over the centuries concerning-”

“I don’t care what it concerns, Yeager!” Jack shouted. “You sent Leo out there with a miniature horse who has next to no experience in military operations of any kind!”

“This is important, Jack Atlas!” Yeager said, standing up. “That library contains information about Duel Monsters, ancient information from before Maximillion Pegasus was even born.”

“Their mission was to go and find any documentation that might help us turn the tide in this war,” Yeager said. “I’ve spoken with Twilight Sparkle on numerous occasions this past week. Did you know she grew up in the study of the most powerful magic user in her homeland? Or that her research skills are unparalleled? Or that she lives in and operates a library? She is not unsuited to this mission, Jack.

“And before you ask about him, I sent Leo because I believe he is ready for assignments with a higher degree of difficulty than mere reconnaissance. He is a strong and experienced Duelist, much like yourself when you were his age.”

“You didn’t think we were only watching you prior to your initial escape from Satellite, did you? No, we were watching you and Yusei for many years. We saw how powerful you and your friends were and we watched you closely as you and your tiny group dominated each sector of the island, defeating gangs far larger and stronger than yourselves. We didn’t wait until that moment to install Sector Security on the Satellite simply because it would be easier; we sent them there to watch you.”

“I came in here to find out where you sent Leo and Twilight,” Jack answered. “The sun is setting and they’re not back yet. I’m going after them.”

“I’ll deal with you when I get back,” Jack said over his shoulder. “And if I have to find you, it will be that much worse when I get my hands on you!” With that, he stormed out, slamming the door behind him.

Yeager sighed and fell back into his chair. “I’ll never hear the end of it from him,” he muttered.

“My turn,” said Aporia. He quickly swiped a card from his deck. “I activate ‘Aurora Draw’. As I have no cards in my hand, I can now draw two cards.”

“Is it just me,” said Twilight, “or does Aporia run a lot of draw Spells?”

“If you can fit ‘em in, that’s the best way to go. I activate ‘Interdimensional Matter Transporter’!” said Leo. “This removes Power Tool Dragon from the game until the end of the turn! I’ll also activate the effect of Power Converter, sending it to the Graveyard so I can gain Life Points equal to Power Tool Dragon’s Attack Points!” Power Tool Dragon’s image shimmered and faded away. Aporia snorted and drew two cards.

“It matters not,” he said. “I activate the Spell Card ‘Chaos Bloom’, which destroys one monster on the field with one thousand or fewer Attack Points. I will destroy Arcanite Magician!”

A whirlwind of red, yellow and blue energy appeared over Twilight’s monster. It swirled around, almost like a flower in bloom.

“Not today, Aporia!” said Twilight. “I play ‘Assault Mode Activate’! I Release Arcanite Magician and Special Summon ‘Arcanite Magician/Assault Mode’ from my deck!”

A stream of purple flames shot out of the spinning energy above Twilight’s monster. Arcanite Magician grabbed his white robe and pulled it away, throwing it into the air. The robe was consumed by the fire and the whirlpool of energy vanished.

Arcanite Magician’s armor was now in full view. The orange edges seemed to burn in the setting sun. Green gemstones embedded in the armor sparkled with the waning light.

“When Arcanite Magician/Assault Mode is Special Summoned, he gains two Spell Counters,” said Twilight as two of the green gems on her monster lit up, “and he gains a thousand Attack Points for every Spell Counter he has!”

“Alright, Twilight!” shouted Leo. “Now he can’t absorb your Arcanite Magician!”

“And with Spellbinding Circle still in play, he can’t attack either,” Twilight remarked.

“Do you think me helpless in this situation?” said Aporia. “You are wrong. I activate my final Aurora Draw to draw two cards. Next, I activate a second Chaos Bloom! And this time, since there is a Chaos Bloom in my Graveyard, its effect changes, letting me destroy a Spell or Trap on the field! I destroy Spellbinding Circle. Be free, my Meklord Emperor!”

The swirling energy blossom appeared again above Aporia’s Meklord Emperor. The purple fire dropped down and the magical circle that held the machine in place was destroyed.

“So what?” said Twilight. “Leo and I have more than enough Life Points to survive your attack. And since there are no Synchros for you to absorb, there’s nothing you can do to change that!”

“Wrong again,” said Aporia. “I activate Meklord Emperor Skiel’s effect to absorb Chevalier de Fleur!”

Sherry’s fist clenched. “How dare you!” she shouted. “We are partners in zis match! You have been wasting your hand for your precious Meklord Emperor every single turn, and you have zee nerve to take my Synchro Monster away from me? You need me to carry on ze offensive while you and your little toys defend and do tricks! Chevalier de Fleur’s effect-”

“Is no longer required,” Aporia interrupted. “I can win this duel by myself now. You may continue to help if you wish. But bear in mind that two turns ago, you put MY monster at risk with that ‘Buster Blaster’ card Antinomy gave you. Had your attack against Power Tool Dragon succeeded, Buster Blaster would have also destroyed my Meklord Emperor. The only reason I said nothing was that I knew young Leo would not let that happen.”

Sherry continued to fume. She looked up as green tendrils emerged from the Meklord’s core and wrapped themselves around the Chevalier as she raised her sword to strike back, paralyzing her before she could. The Synchro was pulled into the Emperor’s chest. The cavity closed behind the light like a hungry mouth finally given food.

“I activate the effect of Skiel Top Three, as well as the effect of Skiel Attack Three,” said Aporia. Skiel’s beak opened and fired its thin blue laser at Twilight, grazing her cheek. Point counters appeared next to her and the Meklord Emperor.

“You have a single face-down card remaining, Twilight Sparkle,” said Aporia. “I activate Skiel Guard Three’s effect to seal it!” The large blades on the tail of the Meklord launched from the gold cylinders that held them in place. The looped through the air, then fell points down onto Twilight’s face-down card, piercing through it and pinning it down. “Meklord Emperor Skiel Infinity, attack Twilight directly!” ordered Aporia.

The blue cannon on the underside of the Meklord Emperor began drawing in energy particles. Twilight took a step back as the energy began to build in the cannon. Moments later, the cannon fired.

Next time on Dueling is Magic! Many FuturesMeklord Emperor Skiel launches an attack that’s sure to take Twilight out of the duel, but all is not lost! Twilight is saved and the duel presses onward, but Aporia soon completes the upgrade of his Meklord Emperor’s various parts. With 4200 Attack Points and a devoured Synchro Monster on top of that, will Leo and Twilight stand a chance against this fully-realized Meklord Emperor?

Chapter 14

Take Down the Sky Emperor - Evolve, Life Stream Dragon!

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Featured Card

Re-Tune
TRAP
Trap Card
Reveal 1 Synchro Monster in your Extra Deck, then declare the name of a Synchro Monster with different listed Synchro Material Monsters; activate an appropriate effect.
● If the declared Synchro Monster is in your opponent's Extra Deck: The listed Synchro Material Monsters of all copies of that monster in your opponent's Extra Deck become the same as your revealed Synchro Monster's.
● If the declared Synchro Monster is not in your opponent's Extra Deck: You take 1000 damage.

Double Ripple
SPELL
Spell Card
Target 1 Synchro Monster each in your and your opponent's Extra Decks with the same Level and listed Synchro Material Monsters; send appropriate Synchro Material Monsters for 1 of those monsters from either side of the field to the Graveyard, then Special Summon those targets in face-up Defense Position under their owners' control.

Dueling is Magic! Many Futures

by Wolfgang

Chapter 13: Level-Headed Heart