Yu-Gi-Oh! Friendship is Magic: The Numeric War

by moviemaster8510

Chapter 7: Underestimation

Author's Note:

This chapter's featured card: Number 199: Lunar Wolf Spirit

Xyz Monster Rank: 3 ATK: 2200 DEF: 1300 Attribute: DARK Type: Winged-Beast

3 Level 3 Monsters

This card can only be destroyed by battle with another "Number" monster. Once per turn, you can detach one Xyz Material from this card to be able to Normal Summon monsters without Tributing untill the End Phase.

Eli was lying on his back in his bed, staring out at the ceiling contemplating all that had happened to him in the past couple of days. He was declared a guardian of Equestria to prevent an ancient evil from destroying this land, learned a new game that would supposedly defeat the enemy, and befriended a large bird. Upon further reflection, he remembered how flustered he felt after hearing that the Equestria he was supposed to save was gone and that he thought that the rigorous training he went through was all for naught, but now that he regained his intended purpose (though not in the way that he thought), he felt much more relieved and accepting of his role.

He looked at his ace Number, Number 164: Crystalline Chimera. I can’t believe that I’m literally holding a fragment of a great and powerful leader in my hand, thought Eli. He knew that tomorrow, the registration for the EFDC would be underway, and if these Vegas people wanted Numbers, they would enter the tournament with the expressed intention to do so. He already defeated 2 strong opponents today, but he knew that there was something about those 4 that would require him to muster more strength than he could ever imagine. It was early morning when Sammy nudged Eli awake.

“What time is it?” asked Eli.

“Six,” whispered Sammy.

“In the morning? Holy Jesus, what for?”

“We should register early before the rush.”

“Is it really that big of a tournament?”

“Very.”

“K’ then .”

____________________________________

Then, all of the humans plus Orion and Helena made their way to the Town Hall pavilion in town square where Rarity and Applejack met them.

“Morning, y’all,” called Applejack.

“‘Sup,” groggily called Eli.

“Poor dear,” said Rarity, “did you not get enough sleep?”

“On the contrary, I haven’t gotten this much sleep in years. I just didn’t want to get up.”

“I hear that,” said Applejack. “Being the guardian must be tiring work.”

“You can say that.”

“You don’t need to worry about the registration fee, darlings,” said Rarity. “I made a killing on a new line of dresses that will be premiering at the ball tomorrow night, and seeing as how you paid for us the first time, I want to return the favor, so you are all paid in full.”

“That’s so thoughtful Rarity,” said Maddie, “thank you.”

“Oh, perish the thought,” said Rarity.

All of the Lamss members sat down at the tables to begin registry, while Orion and Helena made their way to the back to complete needed deck or duel disk orders. Duel Monsters has risen in popularity since Lamss’ first arrival, so most people wouldn’t need too much time to register. What took two days in the first EFDC would now take one.

“Hey Eli, Zelda,” called Applejack. “I want you to meet some pony.”

The two humans plus Rarity and Applejack made their way to the train station.

____________________________________

It was around 6:20 when a steam engine rolled into the station. Once it stopped the door opened to reveal Braeburn with his luggage.

“Hi, cuz’!” he greeted.

“Who are these folk? New human friends?”

“Sure are,” said Applejack. “The male one is Eli, and the female is Zelda.”

“Well, it’s so good to meet y’all,” he said shaking hands/hooves with everyone.

He then held his hoof out to Rarity. Rarity has always had a fear of dirt, and knowing that Braeburn came from a western town where living with dirt was an everyday occurrence, she knew that he had plenty on him. She recoiled in slight disgust.

“Well, nice talking to ya’,” he said tipping his hat.

He then left to register.

“You know, Rarity,” said Applejack scornfully, “you can be so rude sometimes.”

Applejack, Eli, and Zelda left Rarity alone in the train station. Rarity hung her head low in shame.

____________________________________

Lamss had just finished registering all of their friends when the ponies from the first morning trains began circling the table to register. Ponies found great camaraderie with certain ponies from the past, and they registered together both for eligibility and partnerships, making the registration process much easier. Things were a little different in the partnership process. Eli originally wanted to team with Sammy, but found out that she was already teaming with Spike, so he decided to team up with Alex, who was left partnerless after Orion decided to team up with Helena.

Scott and Zelda, being former classmates, decided to join forces. Pinkie Pie was more than happy to team up with Scott’s old partner and her best human friend Lucas. Maddie and Charley decided to team up together again, as their WATER attribute support with each other would make for a deadly combo. Rainbow Dash teamed up with Gilda decided to represent the Wonderbolts along with Soarin and Spitfire. Twilight and Zecora teamed up again as they did the last two years. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo decided to reform the championship winning team from last year’s EFDC, leaving Sweetie Belle to become partners with Fluttershy (after a little begging).

Rarity was left partnerless after finding that Applejack teamed up with Big Macintosh for this year, leaving his former dueling partner, Braeburn, alone. Rarity was nervous to be around Braeburn after she alienated him. She figured that an apology now was better than avoiding him further.

“Hey, uh, Braeburn.”

“Oh, hello Ms. Rarity,” chirped Braeburn.

Rarity was nervous. “I just wanted to…” Her lips wanted to say “say,” but her lips, mouth, and voice made out “ask” prompting a near-immediate response from Braeburn.

“You mean you want to partner up with me? That sounds just swell!”

“No. Wait… I…”

But it was too late, as Braeburn already pushed her to the nearest table and registered their partnership with each other.

Oh sweet Celestia, what have I gotten myself into? she thought.

“I gotta tell ya’,” said Braeburn walking away with Rarity, “I thought that I was going to be left out like the runt of the litter, but then you showed up and offered your hoof to me, and for that I’m very grateful, and-”

“Braeburn.” “Yes, Rarity?”

“Listen, I just wanted to apologize for my behavior at the train station.”

“Aw, don’t sweat it. That’s all water under the bridge now.”

“Well, that was it, I don’t want to…” she then saw the real predicament she was in now.

She had already apologized to him, but refusing a partnership with him would really hurt his feelings even more and would more than likely get an even worse rep with Applejack than before.

“What was that, Ms. Rarity? You don’t want to what now?”

“Um, I don’t want to… go any further without getting some breakfast first.”

“My thoughts exactly. Let’s go to the Apple Leaf Café. My treat.” He then pushed Rarity towards the restaurant.

____________________________________

Up to Alex’s table walked a grayish blue pony with a blonde mane and tail with seven bubbles as her cutie mark. Although, the most notable feature about her eyes, mainly the way one never looked in the same direction as the other. She was accompanied by an orange colored buffalo with amber curly hair and a white and purple headband with two white feathers with black tips sticking out of the back.

“Oh yeah,” said Rainbow Dash. “Alex, this is an old friend of mine, Little Strongheart.”

“Hello,” said Alex shaking her hoof. “Is this your first time in Ponyville?”

“ Yes it is,” replied the buffalo.

“Do you by chance have a deck?”

“That’s why I’m here.”

“Alright, then. You can browse through this catalogue.”

Alex handed her his electronic tablet and allowed her to browse through the deck choices until there was a Spirit monster deck that she liked. Alex gave her the deck in the wrist dealer of a purple D-Pad. Alex registered her in. He then looked at the pony and the buffalo simultaneously.

“Are you two partnering with each other?” asked Alex.

“We sure are,” said the cross-eyed pony in a slow and slurred fashion.

“Okay then,” said Alex. After that, Alex said they were ready to compete and that he hoped they enjoyed their stay in Ponyville.

The two walked into an abandoned alley.

“Okay,” said the crossed eyed pony in a much more normal but harsher tone, “those Number hunters are trying to take the numbers and could make the dark prophecy all but certain. I don’t think we should trust any human with Numbers anymore. We need to take all of the Numbers for the sake of Equestria’s future.”

“I don’t sense anything wrong with that Alex one,” said Little Strongheart to her comrade.

“Listen, we have no time or patience to watch Equestria crumble because of trusting any human or anyone else who sides with them who happens to wield a Number. If they’re going to try and bring down Equestria, we have to bring them down first. You got that Agent Strongheart?”

Little Strongheart sighed. “Affirmative, Agent Derpy.”

____________________________________

Zelda was sitting on the stoop of a building when Pinkie Pie bounced up to her.

“Hey Zelda.”

“Hi Pinkie.”

“You know what we should totally do? We should test the strength of our Numbers, because I want to make sure I’m ready to fight those Number hunters, and frankly I’ve never see your deck before, and I’ve always wanted to see your deck, and thinking about it is getting me really hyper, like, more hyper than usual, so I-”

“Okay, fine. Let’s have a go.”

Pinkie Pie beamed. They then parted from each other to give them space, while any pony in between them stepped aside to watch the duel that was about to happen. Zelda and Pinkie Pie unsheathed their duel disks and drew 5 cards.

“DUEL!” they cried.

Zelda vs. Pinkie Pie

Zelda’s Turn: Zelda places 1 card face down and ends her turn.

Status: Hand-5 Life-4000 Monsters-0 Face Down Cards-1

Pinkie Pie’s Turn: Pinkie Pie summons Worm Gulse (ATK: 1500 DEF: 300). Pinkie Pie attacks Zelda directly, but Zelda activates the effect of Blackwing - Ghibli the Searing Wind from her hand, special summoning it if she becomes the target of a direct attack (ATK: 0 DEF: 1600). Once per turn, Zelda can switch the ATK and DEF of this card until the end phase (ATK: 0 -> 1600 DEF: 1600 -> 0). Pinkie Pie halts her attack.

Pinkie Pie places 1 card face down and ends her turn.

Status: Hand-4 Life-4000 Monsters-1 Face Down Cards-1

Zelda’s Turn: Zelda summons Blackwing - Kalut the Moon Shadow (ATK: 1400 DEF: 1000). Next, she activates the effect of Blackwing - Gale the Whirlwind from her hand, special summoning it if she controls a Blackwing monster (ATK: 1300 DEF: 400). Once per turn, Blackwing - Gale the Whirlwind can halve the ATK of one monster her opponent controls choosing Worm Gulse (ATK: 1500 -> 750). Zelda overlays Blackwing - Gale the Whirlwind, Blackwing - Ghibli the Searing Wind, and Blackwing - Kalut the Moon Shadow to xyz summon Number 199: Lunar Wolf Spirit (ATK: 2200 DEF: 1300). Zelda attacks Worm Gulse, but Pinkie Pie activates Invincible Hero, negating Worm Gulse’s destruction. Battle damage is applied normally.

Pinkie Pie’s Life Points: 4000 -> 2550

Zelda ends her turn.

Status: Hand-3 Life-4000 Monsters-1 Face Down Cards-1

Pinkie Pie’s Turn: Pinkie Pie summons Worm Xex (ATK: 1800 DEF: 1000). When Worm Xex is normal summoned, Pinkie Pie can send a Reptile-type Worm monster from her deck to the graveyard. She then activates Monster Reborn, special summoning Worm Solid (ATK: 1000 DEF: 1600). Pinkie Pie overlays Worm Gulse, Worm Xex, and Worm Solid to xyz summon Number 155: Gator Striker (ATK: 2600 DEF: 2500). Pinkie Pie activates the effect of Number 155: Gator Striker. By removing one xyz material from it, when Number 155: Gator Striker destroys a monster in battle, she can inflict damage equal to the destroyed monster's ATK. Pinkie Pie attacks Number 199: Lunar Wolf Spirit, but Zelda activates Negate Attack.

Pinkie Pie places 1 card face down and ends her turn.

Status: Hand-2 Life-2550 Monsters-1 Face Down Cards-1

Zelda’s Turn: Zelda activates the effect of Number 199: Lunar Wolf Spirit. By detaching 1 xyz material from it, she can normal summon this turn without tributing. Then, Zelda activates Graceful Charity, drawing 3 cards and discarding 2. Zelda summons Blackwing - Abrolhos the Megaquake (ATK: 2600 DEF: 1800). Next, Zelda activates Double Summon, summoning Blackwing - Brisote the Tailwind (ATK: 1200 DEF: 1800). Then, Zelda activates the effect of Blackwing - Abrolhos the Megaquake. During the Main Phase 1, Blackwing - Abrolhos the Megaquake’s ATK can be reduced by 1000 to send all spell and trap cards that Pinkie Pie controls to her hand.

Next, Zelda activates the effect of Blackwing - Boreas the Sharp in her graveyard. By banishing it, she can choose one Blackwing monster and have it not be destroyed by battle, have any battle damage occur to the controller of that card, and whatever monster it attacks is destroyed during damage calculation. Zelda attacks Number 155: Gator Striker with Blackwing - Abrolhos the Megaquake. Number 155: Gator Striker is destroyed. Zelda attacks Pinkie Pie directly with Blackwing - Brisote the Tailwind.

Pinkie Pie’s Life Points: 2550 -> 1350

Zelda attacks Pinkie Pie directly with Number 199: Lunar Wolf Spirit.

Pinkie Pie’s Life Points: 1350 -> 0

Zelda wins.

____________________________________

In her usual Pinkie Pie self, she giggled like a mad pony upon losing, registering some confusion in Zelda.

“Wow, Zelda,” she said through her laughs. “I can’t believe you beat me without taking any damage. You’re really, really, good at this game.” She continued to laugh.

“Jeez, cheer up, Pinkie,” said Zelda. This only prompted a stronger laugh than before. She then took the Number card off of her duel disk and looked at it.

Lunar Wolf Spirit, she thought to herself.

____________________________________

The four Vegas Bureau agents walked up to the registry table, they were wearing much more casual clothes.

“Oh, hello Ryan,” said Alex with a noticeable scowl.

“Listen,” said Ryan calmly. “We just want to register for the tournament, and then we’ll be gone. We don’t want any trouble.”

“Well, you certainly GOT trouble,” said Eli approaching Ryan.

“Well excuse me,” said Chase in an exaggeratedly snooty voice, “but it seems you’re the one causing trouble here.”

“You shouldn’t talk to me like that,” said Eli getting out his D-Pad. “You see, I’ve been getting much better at this game, and I think I can take you on.” He unsheathed his duel disk.

“Eli, wait,” said Alex.

“Stay back, Alex. If these assholes want to come in here and think that they can take what they please, then they should have thought twice about stepping back into this town.”

“Listen,” said Ryan. “I don’t have any Numbers on me anymore.”

“That will make it easier for me,” chuckled Eli.

“Fine, if that’s the way you do things.”

Ryan fastened his D-Pad on his wrist and activated it. They both drew 5 cards from their deck.

“Kick his ass!” called Rainbow Dash.

Eli couldn’t help but laugh at that. In the few days he’s been in Equestria, Rainbow Dash had been picking up on his lingo and this was the first time he heard her use any of it. Eli quickly got serious again as he faced Ryan.

“DUEL!” they both yelled.

Eli vs. Ryan

Eli’s Turn: Eli summons one monster face down.

Eli places 1 card face down and ends his turn.

Status: Hand-4 Life-4000 Monsters-1 Face Down Cards-1

Ryan’s Turn: Ryan activates Graceful Charity, drawing 3 cards and discarding 2. Next, he summons Alien Ammonite (ATK: 500 DEF: 200). With its effect, Ryan can special summon a level 4 or lower Alien monster from his deck, choosing Alien Shocktrooper (ATK: 1900 DEF: 800). Ryan tunes Alien Shocktrooper with Alien Ammonite to synchro summon Cosmic Fortress Gol’gar (ATK: 2600 DEF: 1800). Ryan attacks the face down monster, which was a Koa’ki Meiru Boulder (ATK: 1200 DEF: 1000). When Koa’ki Meiru Boulder is destroyed by battle and sent to the graveyard, Eli can add a Koa’ki Meiru monster from his deck to his hand.

Ryan places 1 cards face down and ends his turn.

Status: Hand-4 Life-4000 Monsters-1 Face Down Cards-1

Eli’s Turn: Eli summons Koa’ki Meiru Urnight (ATK: 2000 DEF: 1500). Once per turn, he can reveal one Iron Core of Koa’ki Meiru in his hand to special summon a level 4 or lower Koa’ki Meiru monster from his deck, choosing Koa’ki Meiru Sandman (ATK: 1900 DEF: 1200). Eli overlays Koa’ki Meiru Urnight and Koa’ki Meiru Sandman to xyz summon Number 164: Crystalline Chimera (ATK: 2700 DEF: 1200). Eli attempts to activate Number 164: Crystalline Chimera’s effect, but Ryan activates Divine Wrath, discarding one card to negate the activation of an effect monster’s effect and destroy it.

Eli places 2 cards face down and ends his turn.

Status: Hand-3 Life-4000 Monsters-0 Face Down Cards-3

Ryan’s Turn: Ryan activates Heavy Storm, destroying all spell and trap cards on the field. Ryan then summons Alien Dog (ATK: 1500 DEF: 1000). Ryan attacks Eli directly with Alien Dog.

Eli’s Life Points: 4000 -> 1500

Ryan then attacks Eli directly with Cosmic Fortress Gol’gar.

Eli’s Life Points: 2500 -> 0

Ryan wins.

____________________________________

Eli looked over at Ryan with anger and humiliation in his eyes. Rainbow Dash helped Eli up off of the ground as Ryan and his comrades registered themselves for the tournament.

“I guess we’ll settle this in the competition then,” said Alex.

“Yeah, I guess we will,” responded Ryan.

Before they left, Alex spoke to Ryan again. “You’re a good duelist, Ryan. Why do you need Numbers if you can duel capably without them?”

Ryan stopped in his tracks. “I don’t need them to duel.”

“Then why are you hunting them? Why are you hunting us?”

“Because I have to.”

He then walked away. For some strange reason, Rainbow Dash had a strange feeling about Ryan. Unlike the other 3 agents, it felt like Ryan wanted the Numbers for something other than power. She wanted to call him out on it, but she knew it would be easier to confront him alone.

I’ll do it at the ball tomorrow then, she thought. Something is really up with that guy, and I need to find out what.