19 - Sakamoto Games Tournament Part 4

As the duels progressed through the first round of the tournament, the preliminaries, I felt a sense of anxiety grow in my chest.

Objectively, most people here had better decks than me. I had some super rare cards, sure, but that only got me so far. One of the more jarring changes I had to deal with was that common cards were just that, common. This meant that almost everyone had a full set of all of the powerful common cards, such as Seven Colored Fish (1800/800). This was an advantage I did not possess and one that made my success further into this tournament all the harder. 

I would totally just go and buy 3 of my own from the shop I was in, but the cheapest card I wanted a full set of 3 of was 300 Duel Points per card. Seven Colored Fish went up to 1200 per card! It's like they know they are good or something!!!...

I couldn't buy new packs or cards during a tournament anyway, so it was a moot point. This might just push me over the edge and make me buy them after the tournament, however. I was going on the assumption that I would not be able to afford all the packs in the Transmigrator Shop if I bought all the common cards I could...but maybe building that foundation is better than holding out for a chance at better cards? 

I will need to think about that later.  

Anyway, I watched in silence from my table, hiding my nervousness behind my mask of cool confidence. One after another, competitors battled it out and someone moved on to the next round. The more I watched, the more I dreaded my next duel.

The regional competitors were monsters. Most of their decks were straight-up aggression (Big monsters that lead to even bigger monsters), but due to the lack of rare field control spells and traps, it worked really well. Unfortunately well, if you asked me. 

I had to sigh in defeat seeing that the 2nd to the last competitor of the preliminaries had 2 Summoned Skulls (2500/1200) and a Red-Eyes Black Dragon (2400/2000) on the field as they won. I heard them mentioning wishing they had drawn their Polymerization card and I nearly had a heart attack. 

This person, someone who wasn't even a named character or Regional Champion, had the ability to summon Black Skull Dragon (3200/2500)...I don't even want to think how long it took him or how much money it cost him to get those cards. All I know is that I have no chance against someone like that. 

'What am I doing here? I am just going to embarrass myself...' I think as I look down and shuffle my, now seemingly pitiful, deck. I was so lost in depressing thoughts that I totally missed the woman standing about 20 feet away waving at me. That is until my phone buzzed.

[Zushi - Look up!]

I do so and I see my lovely girlfriend smiling at me. She quickly looks left and right to make sure no one is looking, then joins her hands together in front of her to make a heart. Then, blushing heavily the entire time, she leans forward and blows me a kiss. 

My heart stops beating and I quickly grab at my chest, feeling my face burning. 'Guh. That was so powerful I almost passed out.' 

My phone buzzes again as Ishizu quickly flees into the crowd around her to hide her embarrassment.

[Zushi - Good Luck! Love you! (＾▽＾)/]

[Toshi - HJIAHFGPJGH]

[Zushi - ???]

[Toshi - You. Are. So. Adorable.]

[Zushi - ...stop...I just wanted to support you... (*≧∀≦)ゞ]

[Toshi - Gaaaaaaaahhhhhhh!!!!!]

[Zushi - What now??? (⊙_⊙)]

[Toshi - I am gonna reward you tonight. So hard.]

[Zushi - Hard!?! What does that even mean? (ᗒᗣᗕ)՞]

[Toshi - You know what it means. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)]

[Zushi - Ew!~~~ That face is so gross! |･ω･)]

[Toshi - You cannot hide from the Lenny Face! ┬┴┬┴┤( ͡° ͜ʖ├┬┴┬┴]

[Zushi - Omg. hahaha]

[Toshi - Alright, looks like it is time for my next round. Love you.]

[Zushi - Good luck! Love you too babe! (•ө•)♡]

I was standing up after hearing my name being called by Naomi when I got this message and nearly screamed at the cuteness of my girlfriend. It wasn't fair. Texts like these deserve to be framed and put up on a wall as art. I was unworthy of her, of this, I had no doubt. 

"Are...Are you alright Anubis? That is an odd dance you seem to be doing..." Naomi comments, the entire store staring at me. 

I stand up straight and calm myself down. I then bow towards her and say in a low voice, "I apologize. I am having stomach aches due to nerves."

"Oh ho! Is the great rookie Anubis is feeling nervous?" Kimiko teases. 

"This is my first time dueling at this level. I am both excited and terrified to see my limits." I answer calmly. 

"That is a great mindset to have," Naomi says with an approving nod. "If you were too excited to focus, that would mean you were a lost cause. If you thought of the duel as being beneath you, you would have been an arrogant fool. It is good that you show the proper amount of caution. Keep that for all your duels and you will do well as a Pro." She finishes with a rare smile. 

Kimiko gives a fake gasp. "Oh, what is this? Has Naomi finally taken an interest in a man!?!" She teases with a smirk.

Naomi hits her friend on the arm but doesn't say anything else. The crowd starts to chuckle amongst themselves.

I feel sorry for her since this is clearly a joke, but this is an excellent opportunity. 

"I doubt that is what she meant, but regardless, I am married," I answer, a shit-eating grin forming under my mask. 

Silence greets my answer as I continue to make my way to the center stage, not looking at Naomi or Kimiko as I pass. 

"M-Married? Your married?" Kimiko asks in bewilderment.

"Indeed. Her name is Isis. She will be joining me soon enough." I answer.

I hear a muffled scream from the audience and my phone starts vibrating again. And Again. And Again. 

'I probably should feel bad about deciding this on my own, but no way was I letting her pretend to be single and get all those thirsty duelists following her around like Mai in the anime.' Chuckling to myself, I sit down at the table and realize I am alone. 

"Aww~ Too bad Naomi. Better luck next time." Kimiko consoles her friend.

Naomi blushes bright red and stammers out, "I didn't- I wasn't- I am not even interested in him in the first place!!!"

Kimiko nods several times - more than she should with those raised eyebrows of hers, and says, "Alright, well don't worry either way. Plenty of fish in the sea." Here there was a muffled scream as Naomi brings both hands to her blushing face. 

Continuing as if nothing had happened, Kimiko announces, "The first duel of the Round of 16 will begin in a moment. But...Where is Nobu-chan? Did he leave? Did I bully him too much?" She sounds concerned, but I can tell it is a lie. 

"I'm on my way! Give me a second!" Takashima calls from a corner of the store hanging up his phone call. He walks to the center stage, looks down at me, looks up at Kimiko, and sighs. 

"I forfeit." He announces.

"Huh?" I ask in surprise.

Naomi looks up in shock after recovering a little. "R-Really? After all that?"

A vein purses on Takashima's forehead. "Yes. I didn't understand why you were so upset, but my assistant called me to nag- *Ahem* Explain it to me."

"Oh~? Please enlighten us!" Kimiko demands with a Cheshire smile. 

Takashima glares at her, but sighs and gives up again as he looks towards the cameras. "While it is true that I only came here for fun, me being in the competition is robbing a chance for new duelists who really need the Duel Points and cards. It would have been fine before the change, but as the tournament has thousands of Duel Points on the line now, I should drop out to allow for others to succeed. I am unnecessarily stealing the spotlight. As a Champion, I should be supporting the new generation, not robbing opportunities from them." He says as if he is sucking on a lemon the entire time. 

"Correct," Kimiko says, and for the first time, it is without her condescending tone. "You are a good duelist and a good man Takashima-san, but this was a lapse in judgment on your part. You have corrected that, so I will also apologize for my behavior. Thank you for understanding...or perhaps I should be thanking your assistant."

"Your welcome!" Called a woman in a business suit, Victoria, at the edge of the crowd who was crossing her arms and looking none too happy at Takashima.

Takashima's face pales when he sees her and he takes an involuntary step back. It is apparent he was hoping to avoid her until tomorrow to let her calm down. 

'This dude has seriously bad luck...but either way...' 

"Wait," I say calmly. "I would like to duel him if he is still up for it. I fully accept I am dueling someone out of my league, but I think the experience will be worthwhile."

Takashima looks at me like I just saved his life. He then glances up excitedly at the announcer's desk with a raised eyebrow, as if asking for permission. 

"...Are you certain of this choice, Anubis?" Naomi asks, her tone neutral. 

"Yes," I answer and nod to her.

"Then we can't very well get in the way of it. Go ahead Takashima-san. He wants to duel, so feel free to have fun." Kimiko says, her eyes never leaving mine. 

He sits down and growls out, "Thanks, kid. I owe you one" under his breath. 

'Yeah...sorry, I didn't do it for you. I have an event to clear.' I think with a smirk.

We sit down and offer our cards to be cut after shuffling. Once we are finished, we put our decks in their spots and look up to the announcers.

Once again we are instructed to do Rock, Paper, Scissors and, this time, I lose. 

We each draw 5 cards and Takashima draws an extra one, starting the duel. 

'Well...Shit.' I think with a sigh. I knew I used all my luck up on the first game. This hand was 5 cards of monsters. 3 of which required at least 1 tribute, meaning I only had 2 cards in my hand I could actually play. This was the worst-case scenario against the smiling and jovial World Champion. 

"Whatever happens," Takashima starts, his smile growing even wider at the new card he just drew, "I wish you luck and hope you have as much fun as I will."

* | * | * 

This was bad. We had been dueling for nearly 20 minutes. I had 1 monster in face-down defense mode and 1200 Life Points left. That was it. Takashima had a Curse of Dragon (2000/1500), a Garnecia Elefantis (2400/2000), and a Tri-Horned Dragon (2850/2350) on the field, 2 spell or trap cards face down in his spell/trap zone, and all 8000 of his Life Points left.

He smiled jovially at me and announces arrogantly, "I will destroy your face-down monster with my Garnecia Elefantis and pass my turn. I don't want to end this too quickly." 

I glare at the man but thank him internally all the same. I just needed 1 more card and I could win. Theoretically. I just needed 1 card!

'Please. Please, give me what I need. Please...' I pray in my head and...something happens.

The world around me seems to slow down just a fraction and sound seems to mute slightly. I focus entirely on my deck and trust that the card that I need will be next. I needed this. To pass the event and further my career. I needed this win. I needed this card.

I swear, somewhere far away, a voice calls out to me. "Then take it."

I pull my next card and everything returns to normal. I am so focused that I hardly notice anything weird happened at all. 

'I can think about it later.' I smile behind my mask as I drew exactly what I needed. 

"I play Fissure to destroy your Curse of Dragon," I announce, and the asshole in front of me tisks like he is reprimanding a child. 

"Uh-Uh-Uh! I will counter it with my face down Magic Jammer card." He says, his smile turning wicked. He discards a card and cancels the activation of my Fissure spell card.  It is obvious he is just playing with me now.

"Fine," I say calmly as I discard the Fissure card. 

Now it is my turn to smile. 

"I play Black Hole," I say and put down the card I had just drawn. 

The cocky smile immediately falls from his face and a frown replaces it. "Alright. Looks like you bought yourself a turn or two." He says with a casual wave of his hand. He moves his monsters to the graveyard. 

"Next, I will summon Neo the Magical Swordsman in attack mode," I announce, summoning my 1700 Attack and 1000 Defense monster. 

"Sorry Kid, you did really well to clear the field, but I am not gonna allow you to set up. I use Trap Hole." He says, flipping his last back row card and destroying my monster. 

I take a second to bask in a plan well carried out. 

"That's alright," I answer, if the smile on my face could be seen right now, my face would be blurred by censors for sure. "I will just take one from you," I announce and play Monster Reborn.

He gawks at the card and then looks up to me with growing horror. 

"I re-summon your Tri-Horned Dragon (2850/2350) in attack mode and attack your life points directly."

He grunts and takes the damage, inputting it into the calculator near his side of the table and reducing his Life Points to 5150.

"I will set one card in my spell/trap zone and end my turn." I finish my turn and he takes his draw.

The commentary in the background is saying something about how he should have finished him when he had the chance and that, "Takashima-san got cocky and is gonna pay for it." 

I can't help but nod in agreement. This should have been his game. I won due to his arrogance.

"It's not over yet. I play Raigeki and destroy your monster." Takashima says, his grin growing again.

I let out a grunt in acknowledgment as I pass his defeated monster back to him. 

"Next, I will summon 7 Colored Fish (1800/800) in attack mode and attack your Life Points directly! This duel is over!" He announces with a smug smile.

The audience claps excitedly and Naomi starts announcing the end of the duel, but I hold up a single hand to silence them all. 

"Not so fast..." I rumble mysteriously as I slowly move my hand to hover over a card in my Spell/Trap zone. 

"No way..."  Takashima groans.

"Can it be...?" Naomi wonders over the loudspeakers.

"I activate Trap Hole. Your monster is destroyed." I deny his win with a casual flick of my hand to reveal the Trap card. 

Takashima just stares at the card in disbelief as the light and joy of the game leaves his eyes, before he facepalms and lets out a heavy sigh. "I play one Spell or Trap and end my turn." He says with an exacerbated expression.

As if he was asking me, "Are we really still doing this?"

The smile that has been growing under my mask is truly devilish at this point.

I draw for my turn and play a face-down defense position monster then wave for him to take his turn. 

"Seriously kid, you did better than I expected, but let's not drag this out further, yeah?" Takashima says in a patronizing way as he summons a Battle Ox (1700/1000) and has it attack my face-down monster. 

I chuckle in amusement and answer, "What's your rush? You wanted to have some fun, didn't you?" 

As I ask this, I flip my Mystical Elf (800/2000) and force him to take 300 LP damage. 

Takashima grits his teeth and hisses out, "You got one turn left! Use it well, brat."

"I'm afraid that one turn is all I needed," I respond smugly as I draw my last card.

This game started out rough, but since I went through so many monster cards, it only makes sense that I am drawing all of my spells now. It was time for a repeat of the last round. 

"First, I will sacrifice my Mystical Elf for my Summoned Skull (2500/1200) in attack position. Next, I will play Change of Heart and steal your Battle Ox, and, in response to my own spell, I will activate my trap card Ultimate Offering. I will then use Ultimate Offering to normal summon Baron of the Fiend Sword (1550/800) in face-up attack position. Lastly, I attack you directly for a combined total of 5750 Life Points, and, with that, I win."

At my announcement, the shop goes dead quiet...

Then...

Deafening cheers shake the walls as people scream out their astonishment. I can barely hear Naomi and Kimiko shouting as well over the crowd announcing my victory and discussing the incredible turnaround. 

For my part, I reach out to Takashima to shake his hand. He shakes it, clearly in a daze and just staring down in front of him.

This would make the news everywhere. A nobody, someone who started his career 3 weeks ago, beating a World Champion. It was unheard of. It was an amazingly huge deal...

While everyone celebrated me, I was celebrating something entirely different. 

I stare at the screen. I rub my eyes and look again. Nope. Still there. 

'Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck! How am I supposed to choose between those! And 5 bonus packs!!! 5!!! This was easily worth the trouble. And this isn't even the full rewards either! I could earn more by winning the tournament...not like that was likely...But still!'

Ok, calm down Toshiaki. Time to think.