Dueling is Magic!
Many Futures

Chapter 44

Perfect Storm

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"The first move is mine, Crow!" Jack announced. "I'm setting on the Field Spell 'Speed World Two!'"

"I activate the Speed Spell 'Overboost,' increasing my Speed Counters by four, but decreasing them to one at the end of the turn," said Jack. "With this done, I can play 'Speed Spell - Speed Fusion,' combining 'Big Piece Golem' and 'Medium Piece Golem'! Grey boulder of the mountains, yellow stone of the earth, become the bedrock and brick for a mighty soldier! Fusion Summon! Appear, 'Multiple Piece Golem!'" Jack's two monsters appeared briefly, then vanished into a swirling light. A new monster emerged, shaped like a man but made of bricks and stone. Three red fingers on each of its hands flexed up and down. Yellow eyes gleamed from within its tower-like head.

"No, Crow," said Jack. "This is a very old strategy. I Set one card face-down and end my turn. During my End Phase, Overboost reduces my Speed Counters to one."

An old strategy? Crow wondered. This wasn't in his deck when we practiced for the WRGP... what's he doing? "My turn!" Crow said as he drew a card.

"I Normal Summon 'Blackwing - Shura the Blue Flame.'" A bird-like creature emerged from a portal above Crow. Black and blue feathers waved in the wind. "If I control a different 'Blackwing' monster, I can Special Summon 'Blackwing - Oroshi the Squall' from my hand. I'll also play 'Speed Spell - Slipstream Summon!' Once per duel, if you have more Speed Counters than me, I can Special Summon a monster from my deck with a Level equal to your Speed Counters, but I can't summon any monsters with the same name for the rest of the duel. I summon 'Blackwing - Harmattan the Dust!'" Two more birds appeared, the first a small creature with a bulbous red wattle beneath is throat, and the second a black-feathered ibis.

"When Harmattan the Dust is Normal or Special Summoned, I can increase its Level by the Level of another 'Blackwing' monster I control. I choose Shura. Now, I'll tune my Level Six 'Harmattan' the my Level One 'Oroshi the Squall!' Darkened gales, become the wings that will soar to the heavens! Synchro Summon! 'Blackwing Armor Master!'" A column of light engulfed Oroshi and Harmattan, then faded to reveal a warrior clad in black armor, dark wings extending behind him. A single red eye stared out of its bird-like helmet.

"When Oroshi the Squall is sent to the Graveyard for a Synchro Summon, I can change the battle mode of a monster on the field. Multiple Piece Golem switches to Defense Mode!" The massive golem crossed its arms in front of its chest and a blue outline appeared around it.

"I play the Trap 'Half or Nothing!' Crow, now you must either end the Battle Phase, or continue with only half the attack strength of your monsters."

"I'll take that hit," Crow said. Shura's feathered fist struck the golem but it was repelled.

"Your monster's Attack Points are fifty points lower than Golem's Defense Points," Jack pointed out.

"Doesn't matter," Crow replied. Armor Master's fist slammed into the stone body of Jack's monster. When it pulled away and returned to Crow's side, a black spike was left behind, wedged between the bricks. "I take no damage from Armor Master's battles, and it places a Wedge Counter on any monster it battles at the end of the Damage Step."

"That's not all that happens, Crow. At the end of the Battle Phase, if Multiple Piece Golem battled, it returns to the Extra Deck and Special Summons its Fusion Materials from my Graveyard!"

"Medium Piece Golem's effect activates! When it's Summoned, if I control 'Big Piece Golem,' I can Special Summon 'Small Piece Golem' from my deck with its effects negated!" As he spoke, a third monster appeared on Jack's field, a dark brown rock with arms and legs and blue eyes.

"My turn!" Jack drew a card. Perfect! he thought. "I Summon the Tuner monster 'Chain Resonator!' When it's Normal Summoned while a Synchro Monster is on the field, I can Special Summon another 'Resonator' monster from my deck. Come! 'Synkron Resonator!'" First a "Resonator" monster appeared, a long chain forming a loop behind its head. The more chains shot out from behind it through a blue portal and pulled out another Resonator, this one with two pieces of green and yellow metal behind it.

"Level One 'Chain Resonator,' tune with the Level Five 'Big Piece Golem!' These two souls shall become one. All will tremble before the king's might! Synchro Summon! Appear, 'Red Wyvern!'" Jack's monsters disappeared into a shaft of light and a new monster emerged, a brown-skinned wyvern with thick, red scales for armor. Fires blazed on its head and from the edges of its wings.

"No. This one is new. But if you want to see something familiar, I'll grant you that. Level One 'Synkron Resonator,' tune with the Level Four 'Medium Piece Golem' and Level Three 'Small Piece Golem!' The king's determination is conceived in flame that burns red and becomes a crimson sword. Appear from beyond the burning hot waves! Synchro Summon! Blazing ferocity, 'Crimson Blader!'" The metal pieces on Synkron Resonator's back clasped together, forming a spade symbol. It vanished and left a green ring that drew the golems into the light. A thin warrior in red armor emerged, spinning around and brandishing two long swords, a dark blue cape billowing out behind it.

"Synkron Resonator's effect activates. When it is sent to the Graveyard for a Synchro Summon, I can add another 'Resonator' monster from my Graveyard to my hand." Chain Resonator slid out of the Graveyard slot of Jack's Duel Disk. He took it and added it to his hand.

"Trap Card, open! 'Blackboost!' If I control two 'Blackwings' I can draw two cards." Crow drew two cards, added one to his hand, then played the other. "Since it was added from my deck to my hand by the effect of Blackboost, I can Special Summon 'Blackwing - Breeze the Zephyr.'" A portal appeared and a bright orange bird-like monster flew out of it.

"I send 'Blackwing - Jetstream the Blue Sky' from my hand to the Graveyard to activate its effect! Shura isn't destroyed by this battle!"

"But you'll still take damage, Crow. And now it's Red Wyvern's turn! Attack Shura with Crimson Fireball!"

"When Shura is destroyed, I activate 'Black Wing Revenge' and Summon two 'Blackwing - Black Crest Tokens' to my field." Another of Crow's Traps flipped up and created two tiny black birds on his field.

"I Set one card face-down and end my turn," said Jack. Crow currently has four monsters on the field, one of which is a Tuner. If he draws a Level Four monster, then he can summon 'Bayamo the War Hammer...'

"My turn!" said Crow as he drew a card. "I Summon 'Blackwing - Zephyros the Elite!'"

"Level Three 'Breeze the Zephyr' tunes with my Level Four 'Zephyros' and my Level Two 'Black Crest Tokens,'" Crow said. “The black hurricane falls, waging war against all that stand with pride! Synchro Summon! Bring down your wrath! ‘Blackwing - Bayamo the War Hammer’!”

From within the light a hammer swung out. The massive frame of Bayamo the War Hammer became visible as it spread its wings and pointed its hammer at Jack.

"When Bayamo is Synchro Summoned, it gains four hundred Attack Points for each non-Tuner monster used as its Material," Crow continued.

"So you've finally Summoned it," Jack said. "Bayamo the War Hammer... well, I was prepared for this! I activate Red Wyvern's effect! Once per my opponent's turn, if you control two or more monsters with higher Attack Points than Red Wyvern, I can destroy the strongest monster you control! Burning Storm!"

"I play the Trap 'Guard Mines!'" Crow's last face-down card flipped up and flurry of round mines flew out of the picture. "When you activate a card or monster effect that destroys exactly one of my monsters, I can negate that effect, destroy the card it came from, and inflict five hundred points of damage to you." The mines slammed into Red Wyvern, detonating against it and destroying it.

"Nice try, Jack," Crow jeered. "Battle! Bayamo the War Hammer, attack Crimson Blader! Typhoon Hammerblow!"

"Trap Card, open! 'Tuner's Mind!' Crimson Blader is returned to the Extra Deck and its Synchro Materials are summoned to the field in Defense Mode, and the Tuner monster becomes the new attack target."

Crimson Blader vanished and was quickly replaced by Small and Medium Piece Golems, and Synkron Resonator. Bayamo's massive war hammer slammed down onto the imp, crushing it.

Blackwing Armor Master beat its wings and raced toward the yellow boulder-monster, punching through it like glass.

"You see this, Jack? Do you see the field? I've got two of my best monsters in play, while you've got a pathetic little non-Tuner. Face it, I'm stronger than you. You can't stop a perfect storm, Jack!"

"Hmph! There's no such thing as perfection in a duel! There is only the next level! Yusei understood this, and I have come to understand it as well. You are the last member of Team 5D's to learn this lesson, Crow, and if you ever want to surpass me, then it must be me who teaches you! My turn!"

"I summon 'Chain Resonator' and use its effect to summon 'Dark Resonator' from my deck," Jack said. Chain Resonator reappeared on the field and pulled a new Resonator with multiple cymbals adorning its back out of a portal with its chains.

"Level Three 'Dark Resonator' tunes with the Level Three 'Small Piece Golem!'" Dark Resonator struck its tuning fork with its mallet and disappeared, leaving three stars that became green Synchro rings. They encircled the brown rock monster, stripping away its form and aligning its three stars. "From the fires of adversity rises the star of authority. Witness the rebirth of the king! Synchro Summon! Ascend from the depths, 'Red Rising Dragon!'

The new monster that appeared was made almost entirely of flames, save for the dark red armor plates on its torso. The fire became concentrated and took on the shape of "Red Dragon Archfiend." It roared, sounding like the blaze of a giant fire.

"More new cards?" Crow said. "Seems pretty small for one of your monsters, though."

"It's true power is to create the path of the king. Red Rising Dragon's effect lets me Special Summon a 'Resonator' monster from my Graveyard when I Synchro Summon it. I resurrect 'Synkron Resonator! Next, I tune Red Rising Dragon using Chain Resonator! The shouts of the king echo throughout! Let the Hammer of Victory shatter the very earth! Synchro Summon! Flap your wings, 'Exploder Dragonwing!'" The newest dragon that appeared stood upright, but was hunched over, a massive hump on its back from which sprouted two orange wings. An orange frill adorned the back of its head and the edges of its tail.

"Finally, I tune Exploder Dragonwing using Synkron Resonator!" Jack shouted. Synkron Resonator banged its tuning fork and became a single green ring that transformed Exploder Dragonwing into a line of seven stars. The beam of light that engulfed them pulsed wildly as a shadow rose up from within. "The pulse of the king now forms a line here! Take witness to its creation-shaking power! Synchro Summon! My soul, Red Dragon Archfiend!" Massive red wings spread out from the light as it faded away. Yellow eyes flashed and the demon dragon let loose its deep, rumbling roar.

"Synkron Resonator returns Chain Resonator to my hand from the Graveyard," Jack said. "I Set one card face-down and end my turn."

"I was serious from the start, Crow. Every move I've made thus far was planned out. Your tactics are familiar, Crow, even with this new Synchro Monster."

"And that is where you are wrong, Crow. I have decided to blend the old with the new. Not even Yusei thought to do this; he simply found new purposes for his cards. I, however, have used the old purposes to accomplish new ends, something that neither of you ever thought to do."

"You're the one who encouraged all of us to leave Neo Domino City and lead our own lives!"

"And I stand by what I said. Everyone must, in time, learn to grow on their own. But I never forgot the people who helped me grow before that point. After all, the true King must always carry the feelings of those whom he defeated."

Jack smiled. Your anger will be your downfall, he thought, but now I know I can get through to you. You're not beyond my reach.

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Next time on Dueling is Magic! Many Futures

Jack's rematch with Crow continues as he begins his counterattack with Red Nova Dragon! Despite this, Crow continues his relentless assault with Bayamo the War Hammer. As the black hammer falls again and again, a dark voice speaks to Jack...

Chapter 45

Dark Revelations

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Featured Card

Multiple Piece Golem
EARTH
Level 7
Rock/Fusion/Effect
"Big Piece Golem" + "Medium Piece Golem"
At the end of the Battle Phase, if this card attacked or was attacked: You can return it to the Extra Deck, then, if all of the Fusion Material Monsters that were used for the Fusion Summon of this card are in your Graveyard, you can Special Summon them.
ATK/2600
DEF/1300

Dueling is Magic! Many Futures

by Wolfgang

Chapter 44: Perfect Storm