Duel Monster Saviors
Ch. 18 – Evaluation Week Pt. 3
Written by TheAmariaShadow

"Alright, Turbo Duelists! Fifteen minutes are up! Please make your way back to the track! We are ready for more high-octane dueling action!"
"Alright, ROUND 2!"
I returned to my Duel Runner and placed my helmet on my head, prepared for my next duel against Papa Jack. As I rode out of the garage, I could hear the entire campus chanting me and Jack’s names loudly, eager to see what was in store next. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Onyx and the others cheering on me, giving a soft smile as Yami walked up to me and Jack and said, “Are you two ready?”
“Ready!”, we said in unison.
Yami grinned as he said, “Well then, we know how it goes! Let’s get the second match of the Turbo Duel started!” The crowd went into an uproar once Prof. Nomura said that, Jessie immediately stated, “Alright, here we go with the second duel, guys! We gotta cheer loud to help Robin win this!” Ben nodded in agreement as he said, “Quite right, little sister. She’s got a bit of a disadvantage against her, but we can only hope she goes into this duel with a good strategy this time.” Leslie frowned as he hit Ben on his head slightly and said, “It almost sounds like you have no faith that Robin will win this, Ben. At least try to be more supportive!” Ben rubbed his head feverishly as he retorted, “But I was being supportive, Leslie!”
“DUEL Mode engaged. Auto-pilot standing by.”, a robotic voice stated around the arena. Everyone went silent as a hologram of a countdown timer appeared before Jack and I, it counting down slowly. Onyx grinned widely as he said, “Let’s just see what Robin’s deck truly has in store for us! Go for it, Robin! Show Jack what your made of!” I looked over at Onyx when he said that, and nodded as the voice said, “Ready, set, DUEL.”
“Let’s RIDE!”, Jack and I said in unison, both of our Duel Runners rocketing towards the first corner. I frowned deeply as I drove as hard and fast as I could, trying to get the upper hand by getting the first turn. “Whoa, look at Robin go! She’s trying to turn the tide by getting the first corner! Will she make it?!”, Yami exclaimed over the speakers. Jack shook his head as he said to himself, “Too soon, kid.” With a twitch of his foot, he caught my slipstream and passed by me in one fell swoop, immediately followed up by, “Looks like the first move goes to me!”
‘Dang it! Another rookie mistake!’, I thought to myself as I breathed and thought, ‘Calm yourself, Okazuya. You are getting yourself rattled!’ Jack frowned as he spun his Duel Runner around and looked me in the eye and said, “What’s the matter, Robin?! Tension getting to you?! That was the sloppiest bit of driving I’ve ever seen from you! FOCUS!” My eyes widened as he said that, before he turned around and said, “It’s my move! And to start things off, I shall summon Wandering King Wildwind in attack mode! I shall end my turn with one facedown! You’re up, IF you’ve got the guts to challenge me again!” As I drove, I watched as a holoscreen showed up within my helmet, showcasing Wildwind’s attack and defense points once more. ‘Wildwind again? That’s what he started the duel with last time. But this time, I will NOT be beaten again!’, I thought to myself as I looked down at my cards. I nodded as I exclaimed, “Starting the duel off with the same card as before? Well, this time I am more than prepared for whatever you throw at me! It’s my turn! To start things off, I shall activate the Spell card Foolish Burial! With this card, I can send one monster from my deck to the Graveyard, and the monster I choose….is Buster Blader!”
“WHAT!? She’s using a Buster Blader deck?!”, Dash and Miho exclaimed in unison, Mikey’s eyes widening in surprise from the statement as well. “Wow, talk about a complete surprise! If she is using a Buster Blader deck, that’s the perfect strategy to cripple Jack’s Archfiend Dragon!”, Mikey stated. Crystal nodded in agreement as she said, “You said it, Mikey. Buster Blader is a great card to use if you are going against someone who uses a lot of dragons due to his special ability to get stronger for every dragon in the Graveyard. Robin must’ve been keeping her deck a secret from Jack, Yusei, and Crow for quite some time because of it.” Ranko looked at Onyx and Akio as he asked, “Is Buster Blader really that special of a card?” Onyx nodded as he said, “It is. As you can tell from Dash and Miho’s clear reactions, Buster Blader is a monster that most dragon deck-users fear since it gets stronger for every dragon on the field and in the Graveyard feeds it attack points. However, there is one major flaw to it and I am certain Jack knows it.” Akio nodded as he was about to chime in, before Jack replied and said, “So, little Robin Okazuya uses Buster Blader. Color me impressed, that monster is quite the troublesome adversary….but will you be able to get him on the field with the cards you have in your hand?”
Ranko’s eyes widened as he said, “He’s right! Buster Blader is useless to her right now, and Jack already has a monster on the field! Unless she can get him out there, she can’t do anything to fight back!” Akio nodded as he said, “But, don’t count Robin out yet. I am sure she didn’t put Blader in the Graveyard for nothing.”
“Who said anything about putting him out on the field? It’s not his time to shine yet, Jack. For now, let’s get him to my hand instead. I activate the Spell card Emblem of Dragon Destroyer! With this card, I can take a Buster Blader from my Graveyard and add it straight to my hand! Next up, I’ll play one monster and one more card facedown! Its your move, Jack!”, I replied. Jack frowned as he said, “Very well! My move! Wildwind, attack Robin’s facedown monster!” I grinned as my monster revealed itself, once again being Glow-Up Bulb from before. “That monster again?!”, Jack retorted. I smirked as I said, “Looks like we both started with the same monster, Papa. But this time, I’ll be making a comeback with it!” Jack shook his head as he said, “Believe what you want to. This duel will end the same way, with me being the victor! I shall play one monster in Defense mode and call it a turn.”
“My move again, I draw! I activate Glow-Up Bulb’s special ability! By sending the top card of my deck to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon Glow-Up Bulb back to the field! Welcome back, Glow-Up Bulb! And next, a card no one has ever seen before: I activate the Spell card Destruction Swordmaster Fusion!”, I exclaimed. Jack’s eyes narrowed and said, “A Fusion card? So what?” I grinned as I said, “So what? What it does is allow me to fuse the Buster Blader in my hand with another monster on either side of the field or from my hand!” Jack frowned as he said, “Very well then, go ahead! Take my Wildwind!” I clicked my teeth and wagged a finger tauntingly and said, “It’s not that simple, Papa. You see, the monster I am going to play needs to be fused with a Dragon monster, and the only one around is in MY hand. I fuse Buster Blader with the Dragon Destuction Buster Sword in my hand to summon this! Come forth BUSTER BLADER, THE DRAGON DESTROYER SWORDSMAN!” As I said that, my ace monster appeared on the field, it gave a loud war-cry as I looked at Jack and said, “Alright, Papa…..IT’S TIME TO KICK THINGS TO THE NEXT LEVEL!”
Onyx laughed confidently when he heard his catchphrase come from me. The entire crowd was chanting her name as he said, “Robin, the duel is swinging in your direction and the crowd is with you! Show them what you got!” I grinned as I said, “Buster Blader, attack Wandering King Wildwind with DESTRUCTION SLASH!” Jack smirked softly as he watched as Buster Blade sliced his monster in two, his Life Points dropping to 6900, he immediately replied, “Not a bad move, Robin.” I nodded as I said, “And before I end my turn, I’ll activate Destruction Swordmaster Fusion’s ability. When its in the Graveyard, I can send a card from my hand to the Graveyard to bring it back to my hand. That’s it for me. Your move!” As Jack and I rode past Onyx and the others for another lap, Miho frowned as she said, “Her ace monster….it looks so familiar for some reason. Where have I seen it before?” Dash looked down at Miho as he said, “I’m getting that vibe too. Its not the first time I’ve seen these cards.”
“That’s because these were the cards used by her parents before their passing. We learned about them in Prof. Nomura’s classroom, they were called the Okazuya Busters, or the Okazuya Duo since they were a husband and wife Turbo Dueling tag-team. Their ace monster was Buster Blader.”, Ben stated. Miho nodded and said, “Yeah, that’s it! So that’s why Robin’s name kept ringing bells to me! She’s the daughter of dueling celebrities!” Crystal’s eyes blinked in surprise as she said, “Wow, this is the first time I’ve heard of them. I bet they were great duelists. Don’t you agree, Onyx?” Onyx nodded as he said, “Definitely. I bet they were.” Jack chuckled and laughed loudly as he said, “So, the little girl does have some bite after all! Too bad it won’t last for long.” I frowned as I thought, ‘Maybe I did get a little too excited! Don’t have to be so mean about it, Papa!’ Jack then pointed a finger to the sky as he said, “You seem to forget who you are dealing with, Robin! Who’s the Master of Faster!? Who rules the Duel?! That’s right, it’s me, Jack Atlas!” I looked around as the crowd roared over Jack’s statement, also noticing the worried look on my friends’ face as I could easily tell what they were thinking: Jack was not backing down without a fight.
“Its my turn! I draw! And I shall activate Wildwind’s effect! Since he is taking a dirt nap in the Graveyard, as you so kindly put him there, I can now Banish him and add one Fiend-type tuner monster with 1500 or less attack points in my hand, and the card I choose is Red Resonator! Next, I shall play a facedown monster and end my turn.”, Jack said. “Its my move, I draw!”, I exclaimed. I looked at the card I drew and noticed it was the Trap card Destruction Sword Memories. I sighed as a flashback of my parents came back to me, I immediately thought, ‘This duel means a lot to me, but it is also for you two as well. Guide me, Mom and Dad.’ I opened my eyes as I said, “I’ll place one card facedown and now Buster Blader, attack the facedown monster on the right!” Jack watched as his facedown monster was revealed to be Red Gardna, watching as it too was sliced in half by Buster Blader. “Well, there goes Red Gardna. But I am still here!”, Jack exclaimed.
“I end my turn.”, I stated. “Its my move again, I draw! And like last turn, I shall play a monster in defense mode and leave it at that!”, Jack stated. I frowned as I said, “You’re talking all that trash, but look who’s hiding behind walls now!” Crow laughed loudly from his seat with the other staff members and said, “Well, she has him good with that one, right Yusei?” Yusei stayed silent as he watched Jack and myself make another lap, Yugi immediately chimed in and said, “It’s only the first few turns of the duel, but Jack is in a bit of a sticky situation. If he plans on winning this match, he needs to make a move and fast.”
“My move, I draw! I think I’ll summon the Tuner monster Flamvell Guard in Attack mode! Next, I activate my Trap card Destruction Sword Memories! With this, I can Special Summon a Buster Blader from my deck by trading up a Destruction Sword card from my hand. So, by sending Destruction Swordmaster Fusion to the Graveyard, I can bring out Buster Blader, the Destruction Swordmaster to the field! Of course, he won’t be there for too long. I shall now tune Level 1 Flamvell Guard with my Level 7 Buster Blader! I Syncho Summon….BUSTER DRAGON!” Jack’s eyes widened as my dragon soared through the skies, flapping its wings as it elegantly landed behind me. “So that’s Buster Dragon. The very creature that spurned the very legend of the Buster Blader. I’m not surprised that he was in there.”
“And I have even more in store. Now that Destruction Sword Memories is in the Graveyard, I can activate its second ability. I can now fuse monsters in my Graveyard to summon another Swordmaster! Now you have twice the trouble and you know what that means!”, I exclaimed. “No! My Life Points are about to take a huge hit!”, Jack replied. I grinned as I said, “I knew you didn’t have anything to fight back, Papa. And that just proved it. Buster Bladers! End this Duel with Destruction Slash!”
As I said that, I watched as my two Swordmasters attack Jack’s facedown monsters, watching as their ability to deal piercing damage to Defense mode monsters kicked in, wiping out the rest of Jack’s Life Points. Jack growled loudly as his Duel Runner came to a stop, Yami immediately saying, “And its all tied up, Duel Academy! With a stunning upset, Robin Okazuya wins the second match! Looks like we’re going into overtime, because we have ONE MORE DUEL coming up! For now, we’ll take a brief ten-minute break! Don’t go anywhere, Duel Academy!”
As Yami said that, I came to a slow halt back at the starting line. I took my helmet off and panted slightly as I said, “Man, that was a rush! But I can’t relax just yet. There is still one more duel to go through.” As I said that, Jack said, “Yo, Robin! Heads up!” As I looked in his direction, I caught a water bottle that Jack tossed to me. I looked at him as he said, “Not a bad duel, kid. Buster Blader definitely is a bit troublesome. But, it just means I’m going to come at you even harder!” I smiled softly as I took a sip from the water. Meanwhile, back in the stands, Onyx was grinning ear to ear as he said, “Oh man! What a great duel! I wish that was me down there dueling Robin!” Crystal giggled as she said, “I will admit, Robin is a pretty great duelist. No wonder she’s in Exodia Purple.”
Jessie’s eyes widened when Crystal said that and said, “Wait! But this is an exam duel! Guys, if she wins, she has to duel the Exodia Purple headmaster for her final exam! She’ll be graduating if she wins!” Mikey, Onyx, and Crystal looked at Jessie with worry in their eyes when she said that. Akio crossed his arms and frowned as he said, “If she wins, then she wins. If she loses, she loses. As her friends, you should be excited for whatever the outcome may be.” Ranko smiled as she said, “Yeah, guys! Whatever the outcome may be, we should cheer for her either way!” Miho chimed in as she said, “Ranko and Akio’s right! Go, Robin! You can do this!” Onyx nodded as he said, “Whatever the outcome, we stand by our friend! Come on, Robin! Show Jack what you’re made of!” Dash scoffed as he crossed his arms, Miho sighing softly as she looked at him with a smile.
As that was said, I looked over to my friends and nodded in agreement as Yami walked back up to the mic and said, “Alright, duelists! Time for the final round!” I put away the water bottle into one of the pouches on my Duel Runner as I returned my helmet to my head, Jack doing the same as I thought, ‘Ok, Robin. One more duel!’ Yami smiled as he looked at the two duelists and said, “Well then, looks like our competitors are ready! So, start the countdown! The final round begins now!”
As Yami said that, the holographic stopwatch appeared again, counting down the start of the final round of our duel. A voice rang as from my Duel Runner’s CPU as it said, “Duel Mode engaged. Auto-pilot standing by. A Turbo Duel is about to commence. Ready, set, DUEL.”
“LET’S RIDE!”, Jack and I said in unison as our Duel Runners rocketed off from the starting line. Faster and faster we rode, the first turn coming into view. It almost looked like Jack was going to surpass me once again, but this time, I was prepared. I smirked as a slipstream appeared behind Jack, and used it to pull ahead of him at the last second, taking the first turn and in so doing, winning the chance to make the first move. “Alright, Jack! Looks like the first move is mine! And I think I will start things off simple by playing three cards facedown! That’s it for me!”, I exclaimed. Jack frowned as he started at the console screen on his Duel Runner and thought, ‘Only three facedown cards? What are you up to, Robin?’ I looked to my deck as I said, “It’s my move now. I draw!” I grinned as I said, “Hold it! I activate the Trap card Destruction Sword Memories! By discarding a ‘Destruction Sword’ card, like my Karma of the Destruction Swordsman, I get to Special Summon Buster Blader from my deck! Buster Blader, move out!”
Jack eyed his visor as he saw Buster Blader’s attack points appear before him, he frowned as he said, “Not a bad move, kid. Not bad at all. But, can it help you? Its still my turn, so I think I shall activate the Spell card Resonator Call! With it, I get to add one ‘Resonator’ from my deck directly to my hand, and I shall choose my Red Resonator! Next, I activate the Continuous Spell card Resonant Destruction!” I raised an eyebrow as I said, “Resonant Destruction? What does that do?” Jack chuckled as he said, “Patience, Robin. You’ll learn soon enough! But first, I shall summon the Tuner monster Red Resonator to the field! And with that, his special ability activates! I can now Special Summon one Level 4 monster from my hand, and I shall choose my Red Gardna!”
My eyes widened when Jack summoned his monster. ‘A level 4 and a level 2 Tuner. I know where this is going, Papa!’, I thought to myself. As I thought that, Jack immediately stated, “I shall tune my Level 4 Red Gardna with my Level 2 Red Resonator! Come forth, Red Wyvern!” As Jack’s monster appeared, he smirked as he pointed to the sky and said, “Who is the Master of Faster!? Who rules the Duel?! That’s right, it’s me, Jack Atlas! With Red Wyvern on the field, Resonant Destruction’s ability activates! When a ‘Resonator’ card is used for a Synchro Summon and its sent to the Graveyard, I get to choose one of your cards on the field to take a dirt nap with it! Now, which one to choose? I think I’ll pick the facedown card on the left!”
‘He didn’t go for the monster? But why?!’, I thought to myself before he said, “Also, when Red Wyvern is Synchro Summoned, I get to destroy a monster that has higher attack points than it on the field than it. You know what that means, do you, Robin?” My eyes widened as I said, “Two cards for the price of one!?” As I stated that, I watched as both Buster Blader and my facedown card, Call of the Haunted, was destroyed before my eyes. I growled slightly as I thought, ‘Dang it! He played me like a fiddle! ….Wait. Relax, Okazuya. Don’t let him get to you. The duel isn’t over yet!’ I looked back at Jack as I said, “Nicely played, Jack. I wasn’t expecting that right out of the gate!” Jack smirked as he said, “Good, cause I’m not done yet!”
“Whoa, we’re only in turn two, yet this duel is on fire, Duel Academy! It seemed like Robin was the one who had Jack on the ropes, but Jack has completely turned it around as if it was nothing! What does he have in store for us now?!”, Yami exclaimed over the microphone, watching as Jack and I rode past him and the other teachers. Meanwhile, on the other side of the stadium, Onyx and the others watched in eagerness as they awaited Jack’s next move. “It appears to be a bit of an even match here. Both of them are playing to the best of their skills. However, as it stands, it looks like Jack does have the upper hand here.”, Ben stated. Ranko looked back at Ben as he replied, “Oh come on, Ben. Its only turn two! There’s no way you can say that so quickly!” Mikey frowned as he crossed his arms and rubbed his chin as he said, “I wouldn’t be too sure about that, Ranko. A lot can happen in the first two turns of a duel. You never can tell how things can turn out.” Miho looked up at Dash who was sitting behind her and said, “What do you think, Dash? Can Robin win this?”
Dash shrugged his shoulders and said, “I can’t say for certain. This is Jack Atlas we’re talking about, Miho.” Miho looked down at the track with a worried look on her face as Onyx chimed in and said, “Don’t worry about it, guys! Robin just has to believe in her deck, and it won’t let her down. You can do this, Robin! Win this duel!” Crystal nodded in agreement as her and Jessie cheered Robin’s name before Jack said, “I activate the Spell card Soul Charge! With it, I can bring back Red Resonator from the Graveyard, but I have to pay up 1000 Life Points to do so. But, it’s a small price to pay since Red Resonator’s second ability allows me to gain Life Points equal to the monster’s attack points of my choosing on my field! So, Red Wyvern’s 2400 attack points is quite the modest boost, don’t you think!?”
‘Oh come on!’, I thought as I watched Jack’s Life Points raise to 9400. But, that wasn’t what worried me the most. “And now, I shall tune my Level 2 Red Resonator with my level 6 Red Wyvern! Come forth, Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend! And once again, Resonant Destruction activates again! So good-bye to your last card!”, Jack exclaimed. My eyes widened as I thought, ‘No! My entire field is empty!’ Jack sighed as he said, “Unfortunately, due to me using Soul Charge, I cannot attack this turn. But when I can, this duel will come to a swift end. Its your move.” I gulped loudly as I said, “Its my turn! I draw!” As I drew, I immediately thought, ‘But what can I do? Jack’s deck is heavy on the Resonator cards, and Resonant Destruction will stick around until the next turn is over. And if he draws more Resonator cards, he can Synchro Summon even stronger monsters. What can I do?’ I frowned as I said, “I place two cards facedown and end my turn.”
“Its my move! I draw! I Special Summon Synkron Resonator! I’m able to do this because I have a Synchro monster on the field! And I shall tune my Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend with my Level 1 Synkron Resonator! Come forth, Hot Red Dragon Archfiend Abyss! Now, my dragon! Attack Robin’s Life Points directly!” I yelled loudly as Jack’s attack connected, watching my Life Points drop drastically from 8000 to 4800. I panted heavily as I said, “I’m still alive….somehow!” Jack looked at me as he said, “Now Abyss’ ability activates! I get to bring back one Tuner monster from my Graveyard since I did direct damager to you! Welcome back, Synkron Resonator! I shall end my turn by summoning Red Resonator back to the field, and with that, Resonant Destruction is also destroyed as well.”
I clicked my teeth as I said, “I draw.” I looked at the card I drew and said, “I activate Foolish Burial! With it, I send Glow-Up Bulb to the Graveyard! And now, Glow-Up Bulb’s ability activates, which allows it to resurrect itself from the grave and be placed on my field in Defense mode!” I looked away as I said, ‘Come on, this strategy again, Robin?! Is this what I am being reduced to?’ “I end my turn!”
Akio closed his eyes as he said, “Guys, I think the duel’s over. She can’t turn this one around.” Miho sighed sadly as she said, “Well, she tried her best.” Jack immediately said, “Its my turn! I draw! I summon Chain Resonator! And I think I shall tune my Abyss with my Chain Resonator! Come forth, Hot Red Dragon Archfiend Bane! And when he is played, I can activate his ability! By tributing Synkron Resonator, I can resurrect one ‘Red Dragon Archfiend’ monster back from my Graveyard! Welcome back, Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend! Now, Bane! Attack her Glow-Up Bulb! Empty her field once again!” I frowned as my monster was destroyed, seeing Jack’s Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend staring down at me once again. “Scarlight, Red Resonator, attack Robin directly!” I groaned as I watched my Life Points drop again to 1200 Life Points. “One more turn, Robin. That’s all it takes.”, Jack said, pulling ahead of me as I said, “Its my turn. I draw!” I looked at my card as I said, “I place one card facedown and end my turn.” Jack turned his Duel Runner around and looked at me and said, “You dueled well, Robin. I am very proud of you.” I looked at Jack with a soft smile and said, “Thanks, Papa.” Jack drew his final card and said, “Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend! End this, now!” I closed my eyes as the dragon’s attack connected, my Life Points immediately dropping to 0. My Duel Runner came to a halt as Jack kept driving away for his victory lap, a giant hologram of his face appeared as it declared him the victor.
“And its over, Duel Academy! The winner of this Evaluation Duel is the one, the only, JACK ATLAS! But, we cannot stop there. Both these duelists gave it their all, so let’s give a rousing applause for Mr. Atlas and Robin Okazuya, shall we?!”, Yami exclaimed. As he said that, the entire crowd roared in applause, I looked up and smiled as Jack came back around to me and said, “Maybe next time, Robin. After all, you gotta show those friends of yours what it means to be a duelist in Exodia Purple, right?” I grinned as I looked over at Onyx and the others who were cheering for me. It was even surprising to see that Dash was clapping in applause for us as well. I nodded as Yami stated, “Alright, with this duel over, its time to choose our next competitors! Slot Machine, do your thing!”
As that was said, the crowd went silent as the Slot Machine began spinning again. Everyone’s eyes stared down at the machine as the first dial came to a stop, stopping to show a face of a very familiar panda. My eyes widened as I immediately looked to my friends, staring directly at Ranko. “Me?”, Ranko said, pointing at himself. “Wow, way to go, Ranko! I can’t wait to see what you got in store for us!”, Mikey said to his friend. Ranko chuckled embarrassingly as he rubbed the back of his head with a blush and said, “I-I’m not that big of a deal, Mikey…” As he said that, the second dial stopped to show that the duel was going to be a standard Master Duel. Finally, the last dial stopped to show who Ranko was dueling. When I saw the person’s face, my eyes shrank in horror from who he had to duel, and even from where I was, I could hear Ranko’s heart drop in fear.
“G-G-G-Guys…..please tell me that’s not who I think that is! PLEASE TELL ME I AM NOT DUELING SETO KAIBA!”, Ranko exclaimed, seeing a giant hologram of himself and Seto Kaiba facing off each other. Onyx and the others looked at Ranko who was panicking beyond belief, while Yami looked back to Kaiba as he saw Kaiba walk away from his seat and out of the arena. Yami chuckled slightly as he said, “Ok, so the next duel will be a Master Duel between Vice-Chancellor Seto Kaiba and Slifer Red student Ranko Hibiki! But for now, it’s dinnertime! So everyone, back to your dorms! We continue the duels tomorrow!”
Ranko versus Kaiba? Talk about a wild duel! I hope he can handle this…
To be continued……