//------------------------------// // A Clash of Egos! Full Speed Ahead! [Part 2] // Story: What Lies Within // by Rebellious_Requiem //------------------------------// TURN: TWO RAINBOW -- 4000 LP HAND: 5 "You may have beaten my monster and Summoned your own, Trixie -- but I still have a whole hand full of surprises in store for you! Since I haven't used my Normal Summon yet, I'll be using it on this: Speedroid Double Yoyo!" Speedroid Double Yoyo Level 4 WIND Machine/Effect Monster ATK/1400 DEF/1400 When this card is Normal Summoned: You can target 1 Level 3 or lower "Speedroid" monster in your GY, Special Summon it. The newest monster that faced Trixie was -- like the others -- some autonomous version of a child's plaything. It had a small body, but using two "strings" made of electrical energy, it swung around two massive spiked yo-yos that spun furiously in place. It's ATK value sat at 1,400: high for a Main Deck-based Speedroid monster -- but not very threatening, all the same. Trixie clicked her tongue in annoyance. No matter how many times I break those little toys of hers, she'll always find a way to bring them back. "Trixie assumes you'll be using its effect?" Rainbow blinked, surprised that Trixie knew Yoyo's effect triggered upon being Normal Summoned. "Yeah; that was the plan! Double Yoyo's effect allows me to Special Summon one Level Three or lower 'Speedroid' monster from my Graveyard. I'll be using it to Summon back Red-Eyed Dice!" Allowing you to Synchro Summon again. Considering you didn't Summon anything more powerful using your Red-Eyed Dice's level modulation effect before, I doubt you have a wide variety of Synchro Monsters available to you... so I wonder what your strategy is here. "Trixie's Dark Magician isn't going to bow down to your two pathetic monsters -- or any of your subpar Synchro Monsters! You'd best be ready to show her something good, Rainbow Dash!" As Trixie had anticipated, this challenge rattled Rainbow rather significantly. She was already frustrated that she wasn't able to get a good move in as is, and the illusionist's taunts were getting under her skin. "Oh; I'll show you something good, all right... I tune the level one Red-Eyed Dice with the level four Double Yoyo so I can Synchro Summon!" she declared. "Show yourself! Level Five: Hi-Speedroid Chanbara!" Hi-Speedroid Chanbara Level 5 WIND Machine/Synchro/Effect Monster ATK/2000 DEF/1000 1 Tuner + 1 or more non-Tuner monsters You can only Special Summon "Hi-Speedroid Chanbara" once per turn. This card can make a second attack during each Battle Phase. At the start of the Damage Step, if this card attacks or is attacked: It gains 200 ATK. If this card is sent to the GY: You can target 1 of your banished "Speedroid" cards, add it to your hand. Trixie couldn't help but think that the "Summoning Chant" Rainbow had come up with for Kendama was more apt for her new creature. It appeared to be a robotic humanoid riding a motorcycle, except the motorcycle resembled a massive, curved knife -- the hilt serving as the rider's seat. The monster's ATK displayed at 2,000; not enough to defeat Dark Magician without some form of modification. Rainbow's peanut gallery cheered and chatted a bit amongst themselves, obviously excited to see what their friend was planning to do to overcome her opposition. Trixie wasn't bothered, though. She had a feeling she wouldn't have to worry about this rider for long. "So what's this big butter knife going to do to Trixie's Dark Magician, exactly?" "This 'big butter knife' is going to cut right through your stupid magical man when I activate my -- " Rainbow stopped short, eyes wide as she looked in abject horror at the card she had just picked out of her hand. She frantically looked from the card in question to the display screen on her Disk, and finally to the field itself, as if having some sort of terrible epiphany. "Rainbow Dash?" Sunset Shimmer called out to her from the sidelines. "What's wrong? Are you okay?" Rainbow looked back to her friend and tried her best to play it off. "Y-yeah; I'm fine! I'll, uh -- I'll just Set these two cards for later and end my turn!" she finished, slotting in the card she had chosen before and another from her hand into her Duel Disk. "Y-you're up, Lulamoon!" Trixie sighed as she drew her card at the beginning of her turn, bringing her hand size to three cards. TURN: THREE TRIXIE -- 4000 LP HAND: 3 FIELD: - Main Monster Zone [Dark Magician; Attack Position; 2500 ATK] - Field Spell Zone [Secret Village of the Spellcasters] "You should have listened to Sunset Shimmer's advice before, Rainbow Dash." Trixie placed her new card into her hand and picked up another -- one she had drawn back in the beginning of the Duel. "Experience plays a big part in strategy games such as this one." Rainbow took a step back. "You let me -- the Great and Powerful Trixie -- get into your head without even trying, and then you stopped thinking things through as soon as you were blindly certain you had the game won. Is Trixie wrong, Rainbow?" "What is she talking about, Rainbow Dash?" Rarity questioned from within the small group. "Trixie activates the Spell Dark Magic Attack from her Hand." Trixie placed the Spell Card into her Disk, and as the image was projected onto the field, her monster's staff coursed with magical, black energy. "This card can only be activated if Trixie controls the 'Dark Magician' on her side of the field, and it allows her to destroy each and every Spell and Trap Card on her opponent's side of the field!" Dark Magic Attack Normal Spell If you control "Dark Magician": Destroy all Spells and Traps your opponent controls. Dark Magician loosed a burst of magic from his outstretched weapon, decimating the two cards Rainbow had just Set in a flash -- her face falling as the holographic pixels faded away. "No way..." Trixie tapped her screen a few times, bringing up a screen that displayed her opponent's Graveyard. The information presented to her confirmed precisely what she already knew. "As Trixie thought. Blustering Winds. A Spell Card that gives a targeted monster 1,000 additional Attack and Defense Points until the user's next turn. Rainbow Dash was planning to use this on Hi-Speedroid Chanbara and end this Duel right then and there." Blustering Winds Normal Spell Target 1 face-up monster you control, it gains 1000 ATK and DEF until your next Standby Phase. The rest of the Rainbooms looked -- understandably -- confused. "Wait just a tick. How the heck was she gonna go and do that?" Applejack shook her head. "Even if'er Chanba-thingy had all those extra points, she would've only done 500 damage to your Life Points, right?" Trixie looked pointedly at her opponent and folded her arms across her chest. "Would you care to explain, or should Trixie?" Rainbow Dash only glared at the ground beneath her feet. "If Secret Village had not been present on the field -- a fact that seems to have slipped her mind -- Rainbow here could have used Blustering Winds to increase Chanbara's attacking power. Chanbara has two effects, both related to battle. Its first effect: when it is attacked or declares an attack of its own, it permanently gains two hundred additional Attack Points." "That still means you would only take seven hundred damage." Twilight Sparkle noted, looking at Trixie with a mixture of interest and puzzlement. "How would she have been able to defeat you like that?" "Chanbara's second effect -- " Trixie began, before Rainbow Dash cut her off. "Hi-Speedroid Chanbara can attack twice during the Battle Phase," she finished; now looking right at Trixie. "It would have dealt seven hundred battle damage when attacking over her magician -- then when it attacked again, its Attack would have risen from 3,200 to 3,400 and dealt that damage directly. Would have been just barely enough to wipe out the rest of her Life Points in one more go." The rest of her group looked on in surprise. Trixie nodded. "While she is impressed that you gathered the pieces to score an O.T.K. in your first Duel -- Trixie is more disappointed that you failed to pay enough attention to plan out your move in accordance with the field you were faced with and successfully achieve it. Your Chanbara now stands alone, defenseless against Trixie's Dark Magician. What do you have to say to that?" Rainbow did not respond. "Hm. Thought so. Those winds aren't so blustering now, are they? Battle!" Trixie declared as her turn proceeded to the Battle Phase. "Trixie attacks your Hi-Speedroid Chanbara with her Dark Magician! Dark Magic Attack!" she shouted, pointing her finger at Rainbow's riding monster. Dark Magician shook his head slowly -- as if equally as disappointed as his master -- and blasted Chanbara with the same black energy that destroyed Rainbow Dash's other cards. Rainbow flinched as her creature was obliterated in the following explosion and her Life Points dropped down to 3,500. "Trixie ends her turn by Setting one card from her hand. She also suggests that you concede before you embarrass yourself any further." Rainbow clenched her fist and pulled another card from her Deck, bringing her Hand back to three cards. "Me: give up? Not gonna happen, Trixie! I still have most of my Life Points -- so this Duel's far from over!" Trixie frowned; but she had to admit that she somewhat admired Rainbow Dash's eagerness and her will to continue fighting -- even in light of her outstanding blunder. "Have it your way, then." TURN: FOUR RAINBOW -- 3500 LP HAND: 3 Rainbow glanced at her new card and checked her Extra Deck using the buttons and navigation screens on her Duel Disk's display. As she scanned the card text on her remaining Synchro Monsters as quickly as she could, she saw something there that stood out to her. This was it -- her plan of attack! All she needed to do was pull off one more Synchro Summon and she could take down the Dark Magician. "I'll Normal Summon Speedroid Ohajikid from my Hand!" she called as her new monster materialized on the board. Speedroid Ohajikid Level 3 WIND Machine/Effect Monster ATK/1000 DEF/200 When this card is Normal Summoned: You can target 1 Tuner monster in either Graveyard, Special Summon that target to your side of the field, and if you do, immediately after this effect resolves, Synchro Summon 1 WIND Synchro Monster, using that monster and this card only. Small and robotic, Ohajikid wore a cloak that covered most of its body and a tattered asymmetrical hat. On its feet were two metallic, cartoonish renditions of classical cowboy boots -- spurs and all! It flipped a small, circular disk like a coin; shooting it at the Dark Magician -- who casually moved his body with a seemingly practiced elegance to avoid it -- as soon as it landed. "When Ohajikid is Normal Summoned: I can Special Summon one Tuner monster from either player's Graveyard, and then immediately use it with Ohajikid to perform a Synchro Summon if I do! The Synchro Monster I Summon has to be a WIND monster, but for me that's not a problem at all! Let's go, Ohaji! Bring back our old friend, Speedroid Red-Eyed Dice!" Rainbow said with a flourish and a snap of her fingers. Ohajikid nodded and stuck his hand into the ground before yanking the reborn-again die monster back onto the field in Defense Position. "Now that a Level one Tuner's been revived, I have to use both of my monsters to go into a Level four Synchro Monster. Ohajikid, Red-Eye! You know what to do!" Rainbow commanded, the two monsters combining their might in the ensuing shift into their pre-Synchro forms. "Synchro Summon! Appear; Level Four: Hi-Speedroid Puzzle!" she continued, the monster in question leaping onto the field and throwing its left arm forward -- its two claws curling into a "fist" around its blade as it glared at Dark Magician. As the dust settled, its ATK power was shown to stand at only 1,300. Hi-Speedroid Puzzle Level 4 WIND Machine/Synchro/Effect Monster ATK/1300 DEF/1600 1 Tuner + 1 or more non-Tuner monsters At the start of the Damage Step, when this card battles a Special Summoned monster: You can make this card's ATK become double its current ATK until the end of the Damage Step. Once per turn, during the End Phase, if this card is in the GY because this Synchro Summoned card was sent there from the field this turn: You can target 1 "Speedroid" monster in your GY, except "Hi-Speedroid Puzzle", add it to your hand. As Trixie expected, Rainbow's friends seemed to be confused again by her play as they mumbled amongst themselves. "Whatever is that supposed to do against Trixie's monster? It has an effect, sure -- but it's much weaker than the others. She didn't forget about the Secret Village again, did she?" "Nah; there's no way Rainbow'd forget 'bout that twice in a row!" "She thought this one through, making sure to pick those monsters and this exact Synchro Monster for a reason. I'm sure she knows what she's doing." "I think so, too! Woo-hoo! We believe in you, Dashie!" "Thanks, Pinkie! Just watch this: I'll head right into my Battle Phase!" Rainbow called out with a flourish of her hand. "You seem to know an awful lot about my cards, Trixie -- so this may not come as a surprise to you, but then you'll know exactly what's coming next! Hi-Speedroid Puzzle, attack Dark Magician head on!" Trixie shook her head. Now if only you'd thought of that last turn. "Wait, what?! What's she doing, Twilight?" "Uh. Honestly? I have no idea. This isn't in my notes." "When Hi-Speedroid Puzzle attacks a Special Summoned monster, its Attack Points double -- to 2,600 -- until the end of the battle in question! It'll be just enough to knock your big, bad magic man right out of the match!" Rainbow explained as her monster's points rose substantially. It pulled back a step, then rushed forward, its bladed arm outstretched, ready to rip through Trixie's monster. "Sure, it might not do a lot of damage -- but without your Spellcaster, your whole strategy falls apart! Go, Puzzle Duplication -- skewer him!" "Oh, cool! So she's not just nuts after all! I always believed in you, Rainbow Dash!" "Ah, um... go get her, Rainbow!" "So very close, Rainbow -- yet so unbelievably far! Trixie activates her Set card: Magic Cylinder!" Trixie responded, just when Puzzle kicked off. "This is a bit of an oldie, but a goodie when it comes to protecting Trixie's monsters. When your monster attacks, my Cylinder negates that attack, and deals that monster's ATK as effect damage to your Life Points." Magic Cylinder Normal Trap When an opponent's monster declares an attack: Target the attacking monster, negate the attack, and if you do, inflict damage to your opponent equal to its ATK. A cylinder -- similar to the one printed on the card art -- appeared right in a surprised Puzzle's way, sucking it inside before it had a chance to react. The cylinder spun around a few times, then spit the robotic skater right back out -- spinning and flailing as it passed harmlessly right through Rainbow Dash. Physically harmlessly, that is. The 2,600 points the monster had sent at Dark Magician came raging back at the athlete instead, leaving her speechless and with only a measly nine hundred Life Points remaining. "I'll Set one card and end my turn," Rainbow said finally, her voice suddenly lacking the explosive energy that usually flowed through it. Her friends were all too quiet, all too suddenly -- still with shock, perhaps? -- as the card backing appeared on her field and the display screens indicated the turn change and subsequent shift to Trixie's Draw Phase. Trixie pulled another card from her Deck to begin her turn. I tried to warn you, I suppose. "Guess it's Trixie's move, then!" TURN: FIVE TRIXIE -- 4000 LP HAND: 2 FIELD: - Main Monster Zone [Dark Magician; Attack Position; 2500 ATK] - Field Spell Zone [Secret Village of the Spellcasters] “It’s about time that Trixie finished this. Don’t you think?” Rainbow blinked and shook her head, a burst of vigor rising back into her voice after the hard blow she had been dealt just moments prior. “How do you expect to do that? If your magician battles with Puzzle, its Attack Points will double just like before -- and you won’t be able to reflect the damage again!” "We'll see about that, won't we? Go, Dark Magician! Attack Hi-Speedroid Puzzle with your Dark Magic Attack!" Trixie called, holding out her hand toward Rainbow's last line of defense. Dark Magician raised his staff high once more and built up a charge of powerful sorcery in the gem adorning its tip. "Don't mock me, Trixie! Puzzle's effect activates -- raising its Attack Power to 2,600!" Rainbow exclaimed as Puzzle charged toward the robed mage, determined to finish what it had started during the previous battle. "And when it does, Trixie will activate the effect of her Apprentice Illusion Magician from her hand!" Trixie called back, flipping one of the cards in her hand around; showing off a Monster Card depicting a dark-skinned, blonde female magician wearing some cute -- albeit impractical -- armored robes. Apprentice Illusion Magician Level 6 DARK Spellcaster/Effect Monster ATK/2000 DEF/1700 You can Special Summon this card (from your hand) by discarding 1 card. If this card is Normal or Special Summoned: You can add 1 "Dark Magician" from your Deck to your hand. During damage calculation, if your other DARK Spellcaster monster battles an opponent's monster (Quick Effect): You can send this card from your hand or face-up from your field to the GY, that monster you control gains 2000 ATK/DEF during that damage calculation only. "Wh -- huh?! Activating a monster's effect from your hand during a battle?" Rainbow exclaimed. "What the heck's she do?" "When a DARK Attribute Spellcaster-Type monster Trixie controls participates in a battle, she is allowed to send Apprentice Illusion Magician here from her hand to the Graveyard in order to increase the battling monster's Attack and Defense Points by 2,000 until the end of said battle! Now tell me again, Rainbow Dash: who can't reflect the damage this time?" Rainbow's eyes went wide as the magical energy in Dark Magician's staff amplified drastically, stopping Puzzle in its tracks. The magician locked gazes with the athletic Duelist and offered an almost sympathetic shrug as the force of its blast tore through her last Speedroid monster and her remaining Life Points. She stumbled over an uneven patch of land and fell to the ground as the holographic projections of Secret Village and the other cards left on the field faded away, leaving only the familiar space behind the school in their wake. DUEL END WINNER: TRIXIE "And that's the end of that," Trixie stated decisively as the last whispers of the forest around them fully dissipated in the wind. She crossed her arms and watched as Rainbow's friends rushed to her side, all talking over each other while they pulled their fallen star back to her feet. "Aw, man..." Rainbow groaned, rubbing her now-bruised elbow. "I couldn't even touch her. Some debut, huh?" Sunset Shimmer was the first to respond with a comforting pat on the shoulder. "Well; look at it this way: there's no shame in losing your first ever real Duel. She did say she's been at this for a while." "I... think you did a great job, Rainbow," Fluttershy was quick to add. "You were able to do that neat Summon thing three times. You looked really cool." "She's right!" came Twilight, excitedly flipping through a notebook. "My research told me a lot of players gave up when that Summoning mechanic was introduced a number of years back -- so the fact you grew acclimated to it so quickly is really telling of your potential skill level!" Trixie tuned out most of the next few cheery compliment sessions, as Pinkie Pie went on and on for a while about something-or-other, but she was determined to stick around until the end. When the athletic girl regained her confident smile and laughed along with some comment Applejack had made, she walked over to the group... ... and clapped her hands bombastically a few times. Rainbow's smile sunk into a deep, annoyed frown. "What do you want? Come over here to mock me, Trixie? Gloat about your victory -- how 'Great and Powerful' you are?" she asked, glaring at the magician. Trixie stopped clapping and raised her hands above her head in a sign of peace. "No. Trixie is legitimately impressed, and wants to congratulate you." Rainbow and her friends shared an odd, fleeting glance. "Huh? But I didn't even scratch your Life Points. What's to congratulate me for?" Trixie shrugged. "While that is true; you said you've only been playing for, what, a day?" "Uh... yeah," Rainbow responded, looking around at her friends -- a tad suspiciously, Trixie noted. "So what?" "As much as Trixie is loathe to admit it, she thinks your little friends are absolutely right. While you didn't manage to get past Trixie's strategies, you played astoundingly well for someone with as little experience as yourself." Trixie's small smile turned into a smirk. "Maybe in another twenty or thirty Duels, you'd even be able to bring Trixie down a point or two. She'd love to see that." Rainbow was about to retort when Trixie stretched out her open hand. She looked at her strangely and tilted her head. "Good game," Trixie offered with a grin. Rainbow clicked her tongue and laughed. "If you say so," she replied, grabbing the magician's hand and giving it a firm shake. "Now, if you'll excuse Trixie -- she really must be going. So long, Rainbooms," Trixie said, turning with a wave to walk away. She heard Sunset suddenly whisper something to Rainbow Dash, who gasped out an "Oh no! I totally forgot!" before she had made it even a few steps. She turned back to look questioningly at the group. "Hm? Is something the matter?" "Uh; well..." Rainbow began, looking a bit sheepish. "Actually, there is something we wanted to talk with you about. Is there a good time for you to meet us at One/Two Shuffle!! -- y'know, the local card shop -- sometime this week?" Trixie blanched, caught totally off-guard by the sudden request. "Oh. I-I'm -- or I mean, I was -- or, er; Trixie was -- heading there right now, actually. Why do you ask?" "Cool! Me and Sunset -- " "Sunset and I!" "Me and Sunset noticed something a bit strange during the Duel and we wanted to ask you about it, but it'd be way more convenient to us if we could talk to you and... someone else at the same time. Do you mind?" Rainbow asked, clasping her hands together. "Trixie... supposes it's no big deal. Let's, uh... let us go, then!" Trixie said, unsure of why this particular group would want to ask her about anything. It's not like any of them were particularly close -- through no fault of Trixie's own, thank you very much! -- not to mention that the seven other girls were always at the epicenter of all manner of "weird" happenings at their school and in town, making Dash's comment about something being "strange" a bit... daunting to her, in a way. She had a feeling this was going to be a weird conversation. Trixie had never been so infuriatingly right in her life. Next to her, Ashen Onyx -- local card shop employee extraordinaire -- was doubled over in laughter, literal tears spilling out of his eyes. The Rainbooms, of course, sat awkwardly around a circular table in the back room; waiting for him to finish. By comparison, Trixie was sure that she had paled quite a bit in the time since the group had arrived in the store. As it were, she and Onyx had actually been friends for quite some time now. He had been the one to introduce Trixie not only to the game of Duel Monsters, but he had also inadvertently introduced her to another good friend of hers: a girl named Starlight Glimmer that was apparently acquainted with Sunset Shimmer and her friends, somehow. They often talked whenever she was in town, which wasn't particularly often, but it was always a high point when her phone would buzz and the name came up on her screen. He had straight-up laughed at her when she came into the store with the Rainbooms, stating that he thought she didn't have any friends other than himself and "that Glitter girl!" He was Trixie's friend -- but was also a huge jerk sometimes. It was why they worked, she supposed. Onyx finally settled down and took a few deep breaths. "Magic trading cards that can talk? What kind of gag is that? Is this some kind of grand lead in to a new trick of yours, Trixie?" he asked, wiping a tear from his eye. He turned to look at her, and his face fell a bit upon seeing her serious expression. "What, uh, what's up with that look?" "Trixie is... rather, I'm not in on this, whatever it is." Trixie turned back to the girls around the table. "You're serious?" "We're about ninety-percent sure," Twilight responded. "Rainbow felt something from your Dark Magician during your Duel, and from her description: it's a weaker, but similar feeling to the one Sunset got from Onyx's Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon. We surmised initially that it was due to the magic supplied by the geode Sunset obtained at camp, but it seems that under certain circumstances, the rest of us can feel it, too. Namely, in a Duel, pitted against the affected monster or card." "Theoretically, anyway," Sunset pointed out. "We haven't exactly had much of a chance to test anything out so far. Side-effects, potential danger level, or well... anything, really." Trixie slumped back against a shelf and slid down to the ground. "Magic. Real magic. I've been holding on to -- using -- real magic for who even knows how long! And I didn't even know it. Ha-ha!" she laughed, bitterly. "That's so stupid! So typical!" Trixie rocked her head back, lightly thumping it on the metallic surface behind her. If Onyx was still in full-doubt mode, he wasn't showing it at all. "You totally believe them. You trust that they're not lying or messing around -- and this is the first you're hearing of any of this." "What tipped you off?" "Real magic? But magic's fake! or -- not fake, per se -- but it's illusion! Sleight of hand! That's what you do, isn't it?!" Trixie nodded. "It's what I do, yes. Them? They do real magic. Laser beams, flying around, super speed -- you name it! They're all just oh, so special! They deal with real magic all the time!" Trixie snapped, frowning at the other girls gathered. After a few moments, she took a deep breath and sighed. She looked downright defeated. "They can do it all." Onyx slowly turned his head again and looked at the Rainbooms expectantly. "Can you really -- ?" He was cut off when Rarity daintily cleared her throat, held out a hand in front of her and placed the other around a shiny geode hanging around her neck, and conjured a small diamond-shaped shield out of thin air with a simple flick of her wrist. There was about six seconds of pure anticipatory silence before Onyx collapsed to the ground; completely unconscious. "Yeah," Trixie added, looking solemnly at her old friend's fallen form. "Trixie saw that one coming." Pinkie Pie nodded in return, her hair bobbing along with her head. "So did we, Trixie. So did we."