"A card! A card! My kingdom, my armies, my riches for a card!"
Unique stared up into the eyes of the massive beast before him. The reptilian monstrosity let out a mighty roar that forced Unique to cover his ears, feeling a shot of pain ricocheting around in his head. The crimson stallion just stood in place, smiling maliciously.
"This is where the game ends for you, little fool," he laughed, as his Monster stopped roaring and began growling angrily at the white pegasus. "My 'Giga Gagagigo' will bury you ten feet underneath this very forest!"
Unique looked at his Monster cards in play. None of them were strong enough to challenge this new creature, nor were they able to defend against it. And he didn't have any cards right now that he could play to deal with the situation. He could activate the 'Two-Pronged Attack' Trap card he had set earlier, but it meant losing two Monsters just to be rid of one. Unique frowned. He was going to have to let one of his Monster go.
The stallion laughed as he raised his hand in the air. "Now, my great 'Giga Gagagigo'! Show this little fool your terrifying might! Destroy his 'Mysterious Puppeteer'!"
The Monster heeded its master's command, and it suddenly charged forward towards Unique Monster. It did not flinch, nor did it seem frightened of the massive mass of scaly muscle entwined with steel rushing towards it. Not did the 'Mysterious Puppeteer' scream or even squeal, as the creature's great claws completely eviscerated it with a single swipe, slicing even the wooden puppet as well. Unique watched as the remains of his Monster began to glow, dispersing into small particles a few seconds later, carried into the air where they vanished from existence.
Thank goodness I switched it to Defense mode before it was destroyed, Unique thought to himself. Had I kept it in Attack mode, I'd have lost Lifepoints for sure. But now that 'Mysterious Puppeteer' is gone, I won't gain Lifepoints from playing new Monster cards.
"My turn, now!", Unique called out, as he drew his card from his Deck. He eyed it. It was a Monster card, the 'Koumori Dragon'. The image of the creature looked intimidating, but it lacked the strength to face his opponent's 'Giga Gagagigo'.
"I'll play one Monster in Defense," Unique announced, playing the card sideways, face-down on his Duel Disk. "I'll also switch my other Monsters into Defense as well." That way, I won't lose Lifepoints if his Monster destroys them. Unique gestured to the crimson stallion. "Your move," he said sternly.
"I draw," the stallion said. He withdrew his card from the Deck, and looked at it with a smile. His eyes then looked away from the card he held, and at Unique. "If you think my Monster is powerful now, then see him become even stronger as I play my next Monster!", he bellowed. Inserting his new card into the slot on his Duel Disk, a new creature began to materialize next to the giant reptilian beast. It looked like a red starfish with a single eye, and a toothy mouth that smiled mischievously at Unique.
"Meet my 'Star Boy'," the crimson stallion said gesturing to the Monster. "This Monster's ability strengthens the Attack of all WATER Monsters on the field, while weakening FIRE Monsters as well." The crimson stallion lowered his head and grinned. "And since both 'Star Boy' and 'Giga Gagagigo' are WATER Monsters, they both gain 500 points each!"
Unique let out a gasp in shock. That little thing just made his Monster stronger than it is already!?
The crimson stallion pointed towards Unique's Monsters, cackling loudly. "Now, my Monsters! Together, attack the 'White Magical Hat', and that face-down car of his!"
The 'Star Boy' creature began to hover above the ground, and opened its mouth wide. A mass of slimy seaweed exploded from its gaping jaws, wrapping around the 'White Magical Hat'. The creature struggled in a fit of desperation and panic inside of its confines, but to no avail. Slowly, the creature's fight came to an end, its movement ceased and its body limp, suffocated by the tendrils of seaweed. When the tendrils released the 'White Magical Hat', only particles of light remained, disappearing soon after.
At the same time as this was happening, the 'Giga Gagagigo' had charged towards the face-down 'Koumori Dragon' card, impaling the card right through the middle with its claw, and using its other claw to slice the whole card into ribbons. The pieces glowed and vanished before they even touched the ground.
The hulking reptilian beast returned to it's master's side, while the starfish giggled with maniacal glee. The crimson stallion shared in his Monster's mad laughter as well. "I'll end my turn there," he concluded, giving the pegasus a mocking smile.
Unique grunt in frustration. Two Monsters lost in a single turn, leaving him only with his 'Little Swordsman of Aile' to keep his Lifepoints from taking damage. His 'Two-Pronged Attack' Trap card was useless now, without another Monster to tribute.
But he was not beaten just yet. The large supply of Lifepoints he had accumulated since the beginning of the Duel meant he could withstand a couple of direct attacks, so his only real worry right now was drawing a card strong enough to beat 'Giga Gagagigo'. By removing the toughest Monster from his opponent's side of the field, Unique could put the pressure on his opponent again.
The pegasus drew his next card from his Deck and examined it. A Spell card, called 'Shield and Sword'. Unique's eyes lit up as he added the card to his hand, an idea forming in his mind. There might be a way to turn this situation around after all, but his plan relied heavily on what card he would draw on his next turn.
"I have nothing to play this turn," Unique said, putting on a mock look of annoyance, hoping the stallion would believe it and not assume he had a plan in the works. "I'll pass my turn to you." And pray my next card is one that will help me execute my plan
The crimson stallion drew his card, and chuckled loudly. "I'll use my new card, and summon 'Goblin Attack Force'!". Playing his card into the Duel Disk slot, a small group of several little green creatures with menacing yellow eyes and large spiked clubs appeared on the battlefield, grinning their impish smiles at Unique.
"Since my 'Chorus of the Sanctuary' increases the defense of Monsters in Defense mode, I can't use my 'Star Boy' to get rid of your remaining Monster, so I order my 'Goblin Attack Force' to destroy it instead!", the stallion bellowed, looking at the small group of goblins. "Go, my goblins! Destroy the 'Little Swordsman of Aile'!"
The goblins shook their clubs in the air as they charged towards the little creature riding on the back of the green reptile, the look on its face one of shock. Unique could do nothing but watch as the goblins threw themselves upon the poor thing, and proceeded to beat it to death with their clubs, a couple choosing to use their fists and feet to inflict further harm. When they stopped their brutal assault, all that remained of the 'Little Swordsman of Aile' was a cloud of light particles that dispersed and vanished.
Returning to their master, the goblins took their place, and raised their arms up in front of themselves. "After the 'Goblin Attack Force' attacks, it immediately switches to Defensive mode," the stallion explained. "And now that you've no Monster left on your side of the field, my remaining Monster are free to strike you directly!"
Unique grit his teeth, as the pegasus braced himself for what was coming. The crimson stallion gestured to Unique with a wicked grin. "'Star Boy'! 'Giga Gagagigo'! Make your move now, and attack this little weakling!", he roared in glee.
At his command, both of his monsters rushed forward towards Unique, who stood his ground and faced the incoming attack. The 'Giga Gagagigo' swiped its claw at Unique. The claw passed through his body, like as if it were a violent mirage, but as it phased through Unique's body, his Lifepoints counter began to dwindle down. 'Star Boy' cackled, and then opened its mouth, a mass of seaweed tendrils shooting out and striking Unique like a cat o' nine tails whip.
It felt strange to the pegasus to see these Monsters' attacks phase through him like ghostly apparitions. Like, he knew these Monsters weren't real, that they could not harm him thanks to the invisible warding shields protecting him, but still he 'felt' the beast's claws passing through his gut, and each strike of the seaweed tentacles whipping him. To 'feel' this assault, yet not feel pain as a result, was a strange experience for the pegasus.
As the 'Star Boy's' aquatic algae whips slithered back into its mouth, Unique's eyes looked down at his Lifepoints counter. 7450 Lifepoints had he before, but now, only 3050 remained. Unique silently thanked his blessings that he had increased his Lifepoints so early in the game.
"I'll end my turn here, and let you just try to recover from that move," the crimson stallion smirked, his very stance emanating arrogance and over-confidence in his supposedly assured victory.
Unique placed his hand on the top of his Deck. The next card he drew from his Deck had to be a strong Monster. Otherwise, his plan to turn this Duel around was not going to work, and his defeat would be for certain. Breathing in to calm himself, Unique drew his card, and took a look at what it was.
Unique smiled. It was indeed a Monster card, and the strongest one of his Deck. It was the 'Summoned Skull' Monster. Adding the card to his hand, Unique prepared to set his plan into motion. He hoped his opponent would not be able to counter this move.
"This is where the Duel comes back in my favor," Unique smiled. "First, I'll play the Spell card, 'Shield and Sword'," Unique said aloud, inserting the card into his Duel Disk. He then turned over one of the Spell cards he had inserted into his Duel Disk some turns ago. "I'll activate my Spell card, 'Premature Burial'. At the cost of 800 of my Lifepoints, I can bring one Monster back from my Graveyard to the field. And the Monster I choose is the 'White Magical Hat'!" A worn gravestone suddenly shot out of the ground in front of Unique, large bold words written upon it, reading, 'White Magical Hat'. A few seconds later, a bright surge of light shone in front of the gravestone, and the Monster of the same name rose up out of it.
"Now, I'll tribute the 'White Magical Hat' to summon my 'Summoned Skull'!". The 'White Magical Hat' shattered into particles of light and disappeared, and in its place, a massive skeletal monstrosity with a horned skull and menacing green eyes appeared, black wings flapping behind its back. Its face was contorted into a fearsome snarling expression, glaring across the forest floor at the crimson stallion.
The stallion snorted. "Ha! As strong a Monster that thing might be, it's no match for my 'Giga Gagagigo'. My 'Star Boy' and 'Banner of Courage' cards give it more power than any Monster you could summon from your hand!". He concluded with a taunting laugh.
Unique smirked. "Summoned Skull', I command you to attack his 'Giga Gagagigo'!"
The crimson stallion's face changed to a look of complete surprise. "What? But, 'Giga Gagagigo' is stronger than your 'Summoned Skull'! Why sacrifice your only strong Monster so recklessly?" he said in confusion.
The 'Summoned Skull' obeyed Unique's order, and brought its massive claws close together. A surge of electricity sparked all over its body, buzzing and humming as a small black ball of energy began to form in its claws. With each passing second, the sphere expanded and increased in size, lightning blasting out from the ball as it grew. By the time the 'Summoned Skull's' body stopped sparking with electricity, the dark ball of energy was at least the size of an Ursa Minor.
The 'Summoned Skull' held the ball above its head, and threw it straight at the reptilian monster. The dark electrified projectile slammed into the creature, which threw its claws up in an attempt to stop the attack. But to the crimson stallion's amazement, the ball continued to force itself onto the creature, and eventually, the 'Giga Gagagigo' was consumed by the blast, vaporized by the overwhelming power. The ball of energy collapsed in on itself, and vanished into nothingness.
The crimson stallion watched the destruction of his strongest Monster, his mouth agape, a dumbfounded look on his face. "B-b-but how? How could your Monster defeat mine so easily? 'Giga Gagagigo' was far stronger than 'Summoned Skull', thanks to 'Star Boy' and 'Banner of Courage'!", he questioned.
Unique held up one of his cards, the 'Shield and Sword' Spell he had played. "This card switches the attack of all face-up Monsters on the field with their defense for a single turn," Unique explained. "Your Monster had a high attack factor, but I noticed its defense wasn't. So I switched your Monster's defense with its attack, making it weak enough for my Monster to destroy it." Unique then pointed at the stallion's Duel Disk. "And since my 'Summoned Skull's' destroyed your Monster with a higher attack factor, you take damage to your Lifepoints as a result."
The stallion looked at his Lifepoints counter, and saw it had been reduced by 500 points, equal to the difference between the attack factors of both their Monsters.
"But why didn't 'Summoned Skull's' defense switch with its attack as well?", the stallion wondered.
"Because 'Summoned Skull' was not on the field when I activated the Spell card, so it was unaffected. And now that 'Giga Gagagigo' is out of the way, i can focus on getting rid of your other Monsters," Unique replied. His 'Summoned Skull' growled heavily as it used its claws to make a threatening gesture at the surprised crimson stallion.
Unique put his free hand on his hip. "I'll end my turn here. Make your move, servant of the Ancient One."
Snapping himself out of his shock, the stallion drew his next card from his Deck. Looking at the card, he grunted in annoyance. Unique took that to mean that it was a dead end. His opponent had drawn a useless card. The crimson stallion added the card to his hand nevertheless, and turned his attention to the cards on his Duel Disk. "Since I've nothing to play this turn, I'll switch my 'Star Boy to Defense position," he grumbled as he turned the Monster card sideways. The starfish creature curled its appendages over its face as he did so. "I'll end my turn there," he concluded.
Unique drew his next card. "I'll summon 'Robotic Knight' to battle!", he exclaimed as he inserted his card into the slot. A bright flash of light, and a new Monster stood at the ready next to 'Summoned Skull'. The new creature was a mechanical soldier, about half the size of the 'Summoned Skull'. It wore a sort of metallic naval captain's hat upon its head, which complimented its military decorations. It held a sharp cutlass in one hand, while the other was replaced with a rotary machine gun. A green slit of light glared out from beneath the hat.
"Now, my Monsters! Attack his Monster now, and break his defenses for good!", Unique called out, pointing at his opponent's 'Star Boy' and 'Goblin Attack Force'.
The 'Robotic Knight' stood sideways as it raised its gun arm up at the 'Goblin Attack Force', their eyes and faces wild with panic as the gun began to rotate, slowly at first, but steadily speeding up. A few seconds later, a heavy barrage of bullets swamped the helpless creatures, their bodies falling limp on top of each other, riddled with wounds. When the last of the goblins collapsed, the corpse pile began to glow, and shattered into hundreds of fragments of light that floated upwards, vanishing before they even reached the branches of the trees towering over the combatants.
The 'Summoned Skull' reared its head and let out a mighty roar as it sprinted towards the 'Star Boy', a single swipe of its claws slicing the creature clean into halves, the mischievous smirk on its face replaced by a fearful frown as it too, disappeared in a flash of fragmented light.
His Monsters all extinguished, the crimson stallion stared at his non-existent defenses, his own self now left vulnerable to attack, hi Lifepoints now in danger.
"I end my turn. It's your move," Unique said, his Monsters returning to his side.
The stallion gulped. His hand shook as he went to draw his next card. When he picked it up and looked at it, his eyes went wide, and he looked across the field at Unique. Unique could tell what was the matter - his opponent didn't have any Monsters to protect himself with. That was why he was worried now. Because he was going to lose.
"I...I...end my...my turn," the stallion finally said.
Unique drew his last card of the game, and pointed directly at the stallion, who hung his head low in defeat. "'Summoned Skull'! Finish him off with one swipe of your claw!", the pegasus ordered.
The 'Summoned Skull' didn't hesitate, and it charged straight towards the stallion, roaring as it reared its claw high, ready to deliver the final strike. It was just before 'Summoned Skull' was about to deal the finished blow, that Unique suddenly noticed the stallion so slightly raised his head, revealing a smirk, and a glint of confidence in his eyes.
"What's that all about?", Unique wondered.
The 'Summoned Skull' lunged at the crimson stallion, its claw driving right through him, his Lifepoints counter beeping as the remainder of his score dwindled down to nothing. With that, the Duel was over. With a final roar of victory, the 'Summoned Skull' began to fade away from the field, as did the cards set in play by both Duelists, their presence no longer needed, until the next Duel.
Unique removed his cards from his Duel Disk as he approached the stallion, still standing, his back slouched over, his head hanging in shame. Placing the cards back into his Deck, Unique stopped in front of the stallion. "I won. Now you tell me where the Ancient One is," Unique demanded.
The stallion's body began to twitch and shake, much to Unique's surprise. Slowly, the stallion lifted his head, as his face held a disturbing expression, the sound of mad laughter echoing from his mouth. Unique was taken aback at first, but steeled himself. "What's so funny?", barked the pegasus.
The stallion let out another laugh, before replying. "You are, little fool. You came here believing that you're going to beat the Ancient One? That you'll become the first Duelist to win the promised prize of a granted wish?". Another laugh. "You can't begin to imagine the power of my master. His is the greatest power, one that triumphs all others like yourself. You won't find victory here today, only the true meaning of pain and suffering!"
Unique narrowed his eyes, and grabbed the stallion by the scruff of his neck. "I've more than enough reason to face the Ancient One. If he can truly grant the wish of anypony who can beat him in a Duel, then I have to try. Now take me to him!"
The stallion just smiled. "There is no need. He has come to you," he said quietly.
A large shadow fell upon the stallion's face, Unique, confused by this, looked up to see the sky suddenly darken. Strange, it couldn't be late already, and so suddenly. He heard panicked squawking coming from all around him, and he notcied flocks of birds and scores of woodland creatures running off in all directions. "What in Tartarus is going on?", he demanded the stallion in his grip. The stallion's eyes looked aside to something behind Unique. When Unique turned his head around to see what it is, he saw only a pair of shadowy hands coming towards him, before his whole world went black.
Somewhere in the darkness, a voice rang out. "Hell has arrived, Unique."