Turn 11: Unlimited Potential vs. The Solar Guard
“Wait!” Pinkie exclaimed, “We can’t start yet!”
Joey blinked, freezing in place just before his spot on the rooftop. “Wait? For what?”
But Pinkie wasn’t paying any attention to him. She appeared to be shivering, or at least her fizzy hair was. She spun in place and sat down, pulling out another card case from a pouch about her waist.
“Sorry, I just got the strong feeling I needed to fix up my deck!” she exclaimed, flipping through the new stack of cards and selecting a number of them seemingly at random, “You don’t mind waiting a little bit, do you?”
“Uh…” Joey said, glancing around for inspiration but finding none, “Sure. I’m not in any hurry.”
…
“Oh, where am I now?” Spike moaned, turning a corner to find yet another featureless, paneled hallway stretching before him, “How can this place not have any doors or windows anywhere? Or even a map for visitors? It feels like I’ve been wandering for ages!”
He lifted the steel briefcase to his chest and squeezed it for reassurance as he hurried forward, straining to see anything that would get him out of this maze. He hoped Luna was alright. He felt terrible about leaving her alone back there, but there wasn’t anything he could have done to help. That guy had some kind of crazy magic! I had to leave her. It’s super important I get these cards to the girls safely!
Trying not to feel too terrible, he turned another corner and came up short. “Wait! I know this place!”
Up ahead, the monotony had been interrupted by a long balcony on one wall stretching most of the way down the hall. Spike rushed over and pulled himself up until he was leaning over the banister. A cavernous pit opened up on the other side of the window and went down so far that its depths were completely shrouded in darkness. A metal walkway crossed from an open arch on either side of the pit and met at a platform that seemed to be hanging from the ceiling.
“This is the place the finals happened in the famous Duelist Kingdom tournament! I can’t believe I’m seeing it with my own eyes!”
“Spike? What are you doing here?”
The sudden question surprised him so much he nearly went over the railing. He flailed his legs wildly for a few moments before gravity pulled him back from the ledge and he landed hard on his behind. Spike winced and rubbed his backside, then turned around quickly when he remembered what had startled him in the first place.
His imagination hadn’t been playing tricks on him. Celestia stood in the middle of the hallway, bending over to look down at him in concern. She was clutching a large key in one hand, but Spike barely paid it any attention before he rushed over and hugged her tight.
“Finally!” he cried, “I never thought I’d find anyone in this maze! We have to hurry, Luna’s in real trouble back… back… alright, I don’t quite remember how to get out of this place…”
Celestia’s concerned gazed flicked over him and fell on the briefcase he had left by the railing. “Are those the Harmony cards?”
Spike blinked at the shift in conversation, but spun around and snatched up the metal case. “Yeah, Luna said we needed to get them to the others as quickly as possible. And there was this guy at the entrance who was using magic! Something big’s going on at the castle, no doubt!”
Celestia smiled and held out her hand for the case. “It was very brave of you to bring them all this way. Give the case to me and I’ll take you to the girls right away.”
His hand hesitated on the case’s handle. Something was wrong here, but he couldn’t quite place his finger on what. He passed over the briefcase slowly. “Are you alright? You haven’t asked about you sister, even though I said we were attacked-”
Celestia closed her hand over his and slipped the briefcase from his grasp. She smiled and, in a single motion, lobbed the case over the rail. The steel shone briefly before it vanished into the dark abyss below.
“There. That takes care of those nuisances,” Celestia said coldly, and then grunted when Spike careened into her side. She was only surprised for a moment, spinning and tossing the boy away from her with the same movement. Some unseen force guided him all the way across the hall to slam solidly into the wall, causing a disguised panel to pop open and dislodging several objects onto the floor. Spike crawled back onto his feet and held his arms up protectively before his face.
“That’s the same magic,” he said, panting to get his breath back from the tumble, “The same as what that man could do! You’re not the real Celestia!”
“Oh, but there you are incorrect,” Celestia said, brushing some invisible lint from her sleeve, “I am Celestia. I’ve just been shown the light! Now I can’t keep my Master waiting, so…”
She paused and realized for the first time that her hand was empty. She spun around just as Spike slipped the key he’d swiped into his pocket. “Give me that back!”
“Get away from me!” he shouted, grabbing the nearest thing off the floor and throwing it at her. She snatched the duel disk out of the air and stared at it imperiously, before a slow smile spread across her face.
“I see, well how about we duel for the key, if you’re that intent on protecting it!” she said as she slipped the disk onto her wrist and fished her deck out of her back pocket.
Spike glanced to the side and saw that the hidden panel had been storing spare duel disks. He picked one up and looked franticly up at her. “Duel? But you’re… and I’m not very…”
“You’d better get ready,” Celestia said as she activated her device with a snap of her wrist, “I’ve got no time to waste on the likes of you. I’ll even let you have the first turn. Now on your feet!”
Spike hesitated a moment longer, but he’d seen the magic the other man had been wielding. At least this way I’ve got a chance… however small that chance is… He fumbled his deck out and slid it home.
Spike Celestia
4000 4000
“OK, um…” Spike stalled, staring nervously at the cards in his hand, “I guess I’ll play this card face down, and summon Baby Dragon in attack mode!”
A bright light shot up from the ground in front of him and when it faded, there was a small orange dragon floating in the air. It beat its tiny little wings and shot a small puff of flame from its mouth.
“I give you a chance and this is what you do with it?” Celestia scoffed, appraising the monster and finding it wanting, “Let me show you how a real turn works.”
“Ma’am, I don’t understand what’s going on, but whatever is wrong you have to fight it!” Spike said urgently, but his plea fell on deaf ears.
“Do you really think you have to luxury to not pay attention? I activate the spell Graceful Charity!” Celestia drew three new cards and barely gave them a passing glance before selecting two and discarding them. Immediately her graveyard slot began to glow. “Now, when the Solar Guard of the Dusk is sent to the graveyard from my hand, it’s revived. And while he’s on the field, my Solar Guard of the Day can revive as well. That gives me two monsters, and I haven’t even used my normal summon yet!”
A pair of knights burst out from the ground in front of her and brandished their weapons in his direction. Spike took a step back and his dragon retreated along with him.
“Th-that means you can use them as tributes!” Spike said, shocked, “Does that mean you’re going to summon your immortal monster?!”
Celestia chuckled. “Against a child like you? I don’t need to bring out my best cards. Shining, Captain of the Solar Guard will be enough to finish you!”
A column of light descended from above between her two knights, and a figure in bright armor appeared in the middle of it. It stepped out from the light and spread out its cape dramatically before drawing its sword from its scabbard and raising it into a ready position.
“Shining gains two hundred attack points for every other warrior at his back,” Celestia explained, selecting another card from her hand, “But I think we can do even better than that. I activate the continuous spell Banner of Courage! All of my knights now gain an additional two hundred points when they attack. Now strike down that pathetic lizard, Shining!”
A time-worn battle standard on a wooden pole faded into view behind Celestia’s row of monsters, raising her Captain’s attack points to twenty-three hundred. It leveled its sword and shouted a battle cry as it leapt towards its prey.
“Hold on, I activate Ruby Heart!” Spike exclaimed, activating his trap card quickly, “This lets me evolve my Baby Dragon into a Hoard Dragon!”
His card flipped up and a deep red light poured out of its face. His dragon absorbed the light as its whole body became enveloped in red power, suddenly growing to ten times its original size. The red glow faded to reveal it had become a much older version of itself. It pawed the ground aggressively and bent down as if ready to pounce. Celestia’s knight skid to a stop and grit its teeth in frustration before walking cautiously back to its original spot.
“Hrmph, what an annoying move. I end my turn,” Celestia said with a frown.
“Please, I don’t want to fight you!” Spike insisted, leaning forward earnestly, “Come to your senses before this goes too far!”
Celestia sneered widely down her nose at him. “You started this when you got in my way. Now are you going to make a move or surrender to the inevitable?
Spike clenched his hand in frustration and draw his card. After a little bit he picked two out and put them into his disk. “I’ll play these two cards face down, I guess, and then I’ll attack Shining with Hoard Dragon. Greedy Smash!”
His dragon spread its wings wide and flapped hard, rising into the air with a strong gust of displaced air. It went as high as it could go in the tall hallway and then shot back down with a roar, slamming its giant claw down on her main soldier. The knight managed to get its sword up to block right before the claw struck, but the monster was lost to sight in the explosion of dust and smoke raised by the blow.
Celestia
3500
Spike pumped his arm in victory. “Yes! A direct hit!”
“Pitiful,” Celestia muttered calmly, discarding the Solar Guard of the Dawn, “As if it would be that easy.”
The smoke cleared away to reveal her knight was still whole. A pink shield of energy sparked off of its upraised sword against the weight of the draconic claw above it. The dragon growled its disappointment and retreated grudgingly, though not without a souvenir clutched in its other claw.
Spike swallowed nervously. “W-well, Hoard Dragon doesn’t leave empty-handed. Your Banner of Courage is mine now!”
“Take it.” Celestia said without emotion, drawing a card to start her turn, “I don’t need it to take care of you. I summon the Solar Guard of Dark Hours in attack mode, and activate the spell Share the Pain! This ought to cut your wyrm down to size!”
A murky gloom settled over the field, dispersing to reveal yet another soldier clad in armor much darker than its fellow’s. No sooner than it showed up then a circle of light appeared below the knight of Dusk and the Hoard Dragon, causing the two creatures to glance down in trepidation. The circles exploded violently, destroying the monsters utterly and sending duel shared in all directions.
But then something odd happened. The shards on Spike’s side froze in the air rather than disappear and reversed direction. They flowed together and, in a swirl of light, reformed into a Baby Dragon once again. The dragon gave a small cry and waved its little fists in the air.
Celestia frowned as if she had a bad taste in her mouth. “Annoying, but hardly a problem. Shining, crush it!”
“Not so fast,” Spike said, once again going for his traps, “I activate Super Junior Confrontation! Not only does this stop your attack, but it forces our weakest monsters to battle instead!”
The Captain froze in place with its sword half-raised, straining against the red glow imposed on it by Spike’s trap. It was a doomed effort though, and it was soon forced back into a ready stance. Her Solar Guard of the Day didn’t fare any better, struggling not to level its lance or spur its mount forward. In the end it was forced to charge anyway and the Baby Dragon met it with its own attack. The dragon caught the knight under its chin with an uppercut that shattered its armor and sent the knight flying into the air, where it shattered.
Celestia
2800
“Irritating drake,” Celestia spat, “Your deck reminds me of my worthless sister’s. She also filled her deck with cowardly traps to hide her weak monsters behind. But they can’t protect you forever!”
“How can you say that about her?!” Spike said angrily, forgetting for the moment to be nervous, “She’s your sister! And she’s in trouble! We need to stop this and go help her!”
“My sister has already proven herself unfit to serve Master Sombra,” Celestia said coldly, “And I will not prove to be less than her! But perhaps you could take her place, once I crush you in this duel.”
This is pointless! I’m never going to break through to her with words alone. Spike drew his card and studied it, a plan starting to form. I’ll have to knock some sense into her!
“I activate Polymerization to fuse my Baby Dragon with the Alligator’s Sword I just drew to summon Alligator’s Sword Dragon!”
A bipedal alligator wearing black armor and wielding a large sword phased into existence next to Spike’s dragon for a moment before the two of them swirled together like a top in a paint can. The swirl spun down to a pinprick point before reversing direction and uncoiling like a spring. Now the alligator was astride the dragon like a stead, waving its sword in eager anticipation. The Baby Dragon’s wings had grown twice as long and held the two of them up in the air with ease.
Spike thrust out his hand dramatically. “My new dragon has a special ability. As long as all the monsters you control are either fire, water, or earth-type, I can soar right past them to attack you directly.”
Celestia smirked and brush her hair aside dismissively. “Your inexperience is showing, child. In case you can’t tell on your own, all my knights are of the light-type.”
“Well, not for long!” Spike said, activating his other trap, “My DNA Transplant changes the type of all monsters to anything I want. And I think I’ll choose fire!”
Red curving tattoos crawled their way up her knights’ armor in the pattern of flames, going so far as to etch themselves onto the captain’s upraised sword as well. The alligator gained similar brands, while red lines swirled their way over the dragon’s orange scales. A shimmering as if of heat started to emanate off them all as their various auras altered to reflect their new fiery nature.
“Now, take this attack and come to your senses!” Spike shouted, slashing his hand sharply to the side. The dragon gave a powerful flap of its wings, launching straight forward while the stolen banner activated with a green glow. Her two remaining knights raised their blades to block its charge, but neither of them could quite get them up in time. Spike’s monster blew past them and the alligator slashed its blade right through Celestia’s middle, blowing her back hard into the railing.
Celestia
900
“Did it work?” Spike asked, running forward a few steps. He pulled up short as Celestia pushed herself up with one arm, but his stirring hope died as she glared up at him with cold anger.
Celestia straightened up and flexed her duel arm experimentally, checking to see if she’d sprained it in her fall. “Is this really the best you can do? I’m not sure you’re even fit to serve my Master if this is the best you can manage.”
Despite the situation, Spike felt his anger starting to rise. He slammed another trap into his disk with more force than necessary. “What are you talking about?! I’ve been dueling circles around you since the start! I’m just one turn away from victory!”
“Then allow me to educate you on where you’ve gone wrong,” Celestia said, her tone cold enough to cause icicles to form, “First, it doesn’t matter how many life points you lose. Only the last point matters. Second, you should know that there is a difference between being unable to fight back and being unwilling to go all out against a weakling.
“And third,” she said in a louder tone, starting her turn by snapping a card down sharply, “You should never talk back to your betters! I sacrifice my two knights to summon The Supremacy Sun!”
The aura of heat around her two knights burned brighter until they were surrounded in boiling flames which leapt up into the air. The ceiling of the hallway faded into an empty darkness around the twin pillars as they met and exploded outward into a ball of fire that couldn’t possibly fit in the building’s confines. The upper body of some kind of shimmering gigantic figure grew out from the front of the ball and loomed ominously over the duel.
“Y-you had that the whole time?” Spike asked hesitantly, his eyes flicking to his face down before he could stop himself.
The older women caught his tell, and rolled her eyes as she gestured with her hand. “Now that the Solar Guard of the Dark Hours is in my graveyard, I can sacrifice him once again to bring Royal Decree out from my deck. No more hiding behind your cowardly trap cards!”
A trap card appeared on her field and immediately pulsed with a violet light. Spike’s two traps became sealing in a purple aura, wiping clear the face of his DNA Transplant. The red designs on his monster faded away, along with the heat coming off its body. The ball of fire behind the Supremacy Sun tempered down as well until it was a smooth ball of light, shining coldly in the impossible darkness that had replaced the ceiling.
“It doesn’t matter how clever your tricks are if you don’t have the strength to back them up,” Celestia lectured, raising her palm up to her monster, “Now melt those lizards with Flame Pillar!”
The figure in the sun raised its arms and a stream of fire shot down between them. It washed over the alligator and the dragon before either of them could react, burning them into a smear on the ground.
Spike
2700
“Now stand and show me if there’s any backbone in you after all!” she demanded forcefully, crossing her arms over her chest.
Spike swallowed and drew a card, holding it up against the last one remaining in his hand. He but his lip, torn, and then squeezed his eyes shut and played the one he’d just drawn. “I… I summon Troop Dragon in defense mode and end my turn.”
A moderately sized dragon appeared on his field, crouching with its arms held crosswise before it. It shifted a long spear into the crook of its arm as it held its little shield a little better before its head.
“Pathetic,” Celestia spat, “Troop Dragon summons another copy from your deck when it is destroyed, which makes it a marginally useful shield. But that only gives it two extra lives and that’s not enough to stop me. I equip the Sun with Royal Might, giving it an extra attack for each sacrifice I offered to summon it!”
Her monster glowed with a golden light as her spell took effect, and it cocked back its right arm. It launched a punch that sent a torrent of fire from its fist down on the little dragon, blowing it to pieces. No sooner had the fires died away than a second dragon appeared in a burst of light in the same spot. The Sun punched out with its left fist and burned through the second drake. Once again it was replaced and the Sun raised both hands over its head, pooling fire between its palms. The third explosion was the largest yet, and when the smoke cleared Spike’s field was bare of monsters.
Celestia stared haughtily down her nose at him. “Do you see? There’s no substitute for pure strength, and Master Sombra has opened my eyes to that fact! There is nothing your weak cards can do to stop his plans. Now take your last turn, so I can put an end to this farce once and for all!”
Spike was helpless to take a step back from her intimidating words, swallowing against his rising despair as he considered the last card in his hand. Fusion Recovery can bring Polymerization and Baby Dragon back to my hand, but what can I do after that? Baby Dragon can’t defend me against that monster! Maybe if I could draw Time Wizard I could combine them into Thousand Dragon… but that could backfire on me too easily. Or should I bring back the Alligator Sword instead? If I draw Cyber-Tech Alligator I can fuse them for… but I might not draw that card…
Spike realized that his hand, which had drifted towards his deck, was shaking too badly to draw. He clenching it into a fist and squeezed his eyes shut. It’s no good, I’m too nervous to duel right anymore. There’s no way I can beat someone as strong as Celestia on my own!
Seeing his distress, Celestia threw back her head and laughed. “That’s right, there’s nothing you can do anymore! This outcome was inevitable. With this power not even the creator of this game, Maximillion Pegasus, could beat me if I hadn’t purposely thrown that game. But don’t feel too bad about it. Perhaps my Master will make you a servant after all when he turns all your friends!”
Spike visibly wilted with each word she said, shrinking in on himself in despair. But when she said that last bit he froze and furious energy seemed to surge through his veins. Images of the girls flashing in his eyes, he straightened up and placed his hand firmly on his deck.
“No!” he declared with grit teeth, “You won’t lay a finger on them! I may not be able to do much, but I will protect my friends!”
He drew and when he saw what he’d pinned all his hopes on, his eyes lit up and began to tear in the corners. “First I activate Fusion Recovery to add Polymerization and Baby Dragon back to my hand! And then I’ll summon Baby Dragon to the field in attack mode!”
“So what?” Celestia scoffed, “That weakling is just like you; it can’t possibly stand up to my power!”
“Never underestimate the little guy,” Spike declared, activating his last card, “Because inside him beats the heart of a hero! I activate Crystal Heart! Its magic transforms my Baby Dragon into the Champion Dragon!”
Sapphire flame washed over the dragon’s form, burning away its features as its forms grew up in size. The flames washed away to reveal a figure dressed in shining white armor and a royal purple cape flowing off its shoulders. The figure appeared human-like, until it opened its yellow, split-iris eyes and bared its pointed teeth in a wide smile. The Champion’s armor was also dragon detailed, especially around the helmet, and it balanced an enormous sword in one hand easily.
“So what?” Celestia demanded, “That monster is still nothing! What can it possibly do against me?”
“Champion Dragon is the ultimate hero,” Spike said, “When it battles against either zombie or fiend-type monsters, it gains attack points equal to theirs.”
“What?!” Celestia exclaimed, backing up a step in horror.
Spike pressed on, his voice gaining heat with each word. “Normally, I would need my DNA Surgery to make the most of it, but your Royal Decree has got it pinned down. Fortunately your Supremacy Sun is already a fiend-type. And think, if you hadn’t given up your knights there wouldn’t be any way for me to win! Your quest for more power led to your own downfall!”
“Hold on,” Celestia pleaded, holding out her hands, “Don’t do anything hasty now. Imagine what Master’s power can offer you!”
“There’s nothing I want but for you to turn back to the way you were!” Spike declared, pointing with determination, “Champion Dragon, strike the Supremacy Sun down! Purging Light!”
The Champion Dragon’s sword started to glow with its own light, soon growing too bright to look at directly. It took a running leap and soared straight up into the air at the monster above it. With a mighty swing the monster unleashed all the pent-up power within its blade in the form of an arc of shining light. The beam scythed through the Sun, splitting it vertically. For a heartbeat the two pieces drifted apart in perfect balance, then they erupted in a brilliant explosion.
Celestia
0
Celestia screamed and clutched her head as she lost the duel, stumbling in place as if in great pain. Then she suddenly went boneless and collapsed to the floor in an unconscious heap. Her out-flung arm hit the floor with a sharp rap and her jeweled bracelet snapped in half, the gemstone dissolving into a pile of dull colored sand.
“Celestia!” Spike shouted in concern as he rushed over to make sure she was alright. He knelt over her and quickly determined that she wasn’t badly hurt, but no matter how he shook her she wouldn't wake up. He breathed a sigh of relief anyway, though, glad that it was over.
His respite was cut short by the sound of someone behind him clapping. He spun in place, keeping Celestia’s prone form protectively behind him. A man was leaning nonchalantly against the wall right next to the balcony, watching the two of them. He was wearing a leather jacket, sunglasses, and a bandana designed after the American flag over his hair. When he saw he’d been spotted he broke out in a crazy grin.
“Not bad kid,” he said, lifting his own duel disk up in challenge, “But I’m afraid that key is too important to let you just keep. I’m gonna have to take it from ya!”
…
Joey sat cross-legged, tapping his fingers on his crossed arm impatiently. His eye twitched as his impatience grew ready to explode and he finally slammed his palms on his knees angrily. “Come on, how long are you going ta-”
“Finished!” Pinkie said on cue, bouncing to her feet and slipping her box of spare cards back into wherever she kept them, “That should do it! I’m ready to play!”
“It’s about time!” Joey exclaimed, coming to his own feet as well, “Let’s go!”
Next time on Yugioh: It's Time to Duel
Luck of the Underdog vs. Winner! Winner!! WINNER!!!
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That was so worth the wait! I didn't mind the Pinkie vs Joey bluff, but seeing Spike stand up for himself and beat Celestia was a great alternative.
I can't wait to see a machine-type buster in Spike's next duel, or how Pinkie's deck has changed with her chapter-long deck modifying.
One small slip was when Spike was referring to Champion Dragon, you put Dragon Champion once.
Wow. Was legit not expecting Celestia to be evil. Well played, Daga. Well played.
6205641
Thanks for spotting that. Fixing...
6205695
I actually made a point of mentioning her fiddling with a bracelet with a red ruby in it several times throughout the story. It was even as far back as the first duel. After Bandit Keith's reveal and how Luna became brainwashed with similar choker, I was surprised with how few people caught on to it. I guess I was a lot more subtle than I thought I was being, but that makes the reveal all the more sweeter for me!
6205768 Well, to be fair, it's also been over a year since the first chapter was released, and I don't reread an entire story whenever a new chapter is added, even if this one is relatively short.
6205785
I really do need to get better at updating more often. This is among the exact reasons why.
That's entirely my fault.
6205768
If it's any consolation I caught it. I didn't think much of the red bracelet till a similar thing went on Luna. Plus, this line from Chapter 9-
That was my 'Oh shit!
' moment.
Worth it! :D
Always cool to see the underdog pull a win by a lucky top draw!
"You mean you're gonna kick the crap outta me and steal it?"
"No! First I will challenge you to a children's card game! Then I will kick the crap out of you and steal it!"
"Wouldn't it be easier just to skip the first step?"
"Yes. Yes it would."