The two riders were nearly neck-and-neck as they motored across the arena floor. One of them was defending with two Big Shield Gardnas (100/2600), as well as a copy of Gear Golem the Moving Fortress (800/2200). He also had a ticking Different Dimension Capsule. His opponent, despite leading by more than 2000 Life Points, had no cards on the field.
“There’s no way you can break through these defenses!” taunted the defending man. “And don’t forget that Speed Spell - Different Dimension Capsule goes off next turn, which will give me the perfect card to take you down.”
“I don’t care what your capsule’s holding,” replied his opponent - a woman with flaming red hair - as she drew. “Because this is over right now! Watch closely,” she warned the crowd, “This is going to be extremely anti-climactic.”
With that, she summoned the Inaba White Rabbit (700/500), a monster that attacked directly. The crowd laughed as the tiny rabbit hopped over the Gardnas and whacked the man with its oversized mallet. His Duel Runner spun out, and he nearly crashed into the wall as his victorious opponent began her victory lap.
Later...
Asuka sat at a table in a dimly-lit bar, staring at her Inaba White Rabbit and shaking her head. “Winning with this guy…” she muttered, “It’s not funny, it’s pathetic.” Sighing, she shuffled her deck and pulled another card; one which made her smile. “Yamata Dragon…that’s a card to win with…fighting a Ryukotsuki, maybe, or even Stardust Dragon…”
Still annoyed by her dull duel, she tossed the money for her drink on the table, and left. She jumped onto her Duel Runner parked outside, gunned the motor, and raced down the street. A dark figure on the street turned to watch her pass, then walked to behind the run-down building, where it boarded another Duel Runner.
Asuka quickly threaded her way out of the city through various side streets and into the open desert. She pulled off her helmet and accelerated to maximum speed, refreshed and invigorated by the roaring winds. She rode for several minutes before she noticed her pursuer, who was several feet behind in a black Duel Runner. Surprised, she cut her speed and made a sharp turn before shooting deeper into the desert. Her pursuer followed skillfully and quickly began to make up the distance between them.
“Duel mode activate. Speed World set on.” Announced her Duel Runner computer, as the onboard holoprojectors emitted the tell-tale dark wave indicating the activation of Speed World. She turned to see a similar wave radiating from her pursuer. They must have one of security’s override programs, she realized.
“If it’s a duel you want, that’s what you’ll get.” She said, drawing her cards.
Asuka LP: 4000 SPC: 0 - ???? LP: 4000 SPC: 0
“I’ll start.” Said Asuka, as she drew and their Speed Counters rose accordingly.
Asuka SPC: 1 - ???? SPC: 1
She examined her hand. “Not bad. I’ll start by summoning Izanagi in Attack Mode (2200/1000)!” An ornately dressed warrior with long white hair and a large spear appeared. “I can Special Summon him by removing from play a Spirit monster in my hand, like my Fushi No Tori (1200/0).” She revealed the fiery bird in her hand before removing it. “I’ll also Set a monster in Defense Mode, and a face-down card. That’s all for me.”
Her mysterious pursuer then drew.
Asuka SPC: 2 - ???? SPC: 2
“I activate Speed Spell – Speed Sacrifice!” said her pursuer, who had a deep, gravelly voice. “When I have fewer than 6 Speed Counters, I pay Life Points in multiples of 200, and gain Speed Counters equal to the amount I paid divided by 200. In other words, I pay 1200 Life Points - ” His points dropped sharply, “And I gain 6 Speed Counters!”
Asuka LP: 4000 SPC: 2 - ???? LP: 2800 SPC: 8
“Now I summon the Giant Rat in Attack Mode (1400/1450).” A large, fierce-looking rat appeared and snarled at Asuka. “Now I activate the Speed Spell – Final Attack! This card can only be used when I have at least 8 Speed Counters, and it doubles the attack of one of my monsters, as long as it doesn’t attack directly. That monster is also destroyed during the End Phase.” The Giant Rat glowed and doubled in size, now towering over Asuka’s Izanagi. “Now, Giant Rat attacks Izanagi!”
The huge rat slashed at the warrior, who shattered.
Asuka LP: 3400 SPC: 2 - ???? LP: 2800 SPC: 8
“My final move,” said Asuka’s pursuer, “is to activate Speed Spell – Book of Moon to flip my rat face-down. As I’m sure you’ve realized, this rids Final Attack of its victim, meaning my Giant Rat is safe. Turn end.”
Asuka drew.
Asuka SPC: 3 - ???? SPC: 9
“I Flip Summon my Maharaghi (1200/1700), which lets me look at the top card of my deck, and keep it there or put it on the bottom.” She picked up the card, Speed Spell – Shift Down, and returned it after a moment. “Next I’ll summon Susano’o (2000/1600).” The dark warrior appeared, holding a jeweled sword that glowed with power. “Now’s my favorite part; I activate my face-down card: the Continuous Trap Spirit’s Gateway!” Her Trap rose, forming a blue portal – a gateway into the Spirit world. “While Spirit’s Gateway is on the field, all Spirit monsters gain 300 ATK during my turn (Maharaghi 1200 ~ 1500, Susano’o 2000 ~ 2300), and I can stop one from returning to my hand through its effect once per turn. Now that that’s out of the way, Maharaghi attacks your Giant Rat!”
The strange bird-statue rose up and bodily smashed the rat’s card, which immediately shattered.
“When my Giant Rat is destroyed by battle, I can Special Summon an EARTH monster from my deck in Attack Position, as long as it has 1500 or less ATK.” Her opponent noted. “I choose to summon another Giant Rat.” As he spoke, he placed the rat on the field.
“But I still have Susano’o,” Asuka said, “who attacks now!” The dark-skinned warrior raised his sword and slashed the rat, which shattered like the other.
Asuka LP: 3400 SPC: 3 - ???? LP: 1900 SPC: 9
As she expected, a final rat appeared before she ended the Battle Phase. “I end my turn with a face-down card,” she said, “and now my Spirit monsters return to my hand, but I’ll use Spirit’s Gateway to keep Susano’o on the field.” As she spoke, Spirit’s Gateway glowed, forming an aura around the warrior, though Maharaghi still vanished in a burst of light.
Her mysterious pursuer drew, and began to laugh. “Just what I was looking for! I’m going to enjoy this!”
Asuka LP: 3400 SPC: 4 - ???? LP: 1900 SPC: 10
“I Special Summon the Torture Golem (3000/300) in Attack Mode!” He shouted, as a mechanical demon with a giant saw blade on its head appeared – on Asuka’s side of the field.
“What did you do? Why’s your golem on my field?” asked Asuka, trying to guess what he might be planning to use it for.
“The Torture Golem is a unique monster. It can only be Special Summoned by also giving myself two Torture Tokens (0/0).” He indicated the small blade-headed machines rising up before him. “Tokens that can be used for Tribute.”
The man spread his arms wide, and began to chant:
Fire and Water
Earth and Wind
Darkness and Light
All shall be laid to ruin
Before the ultimate power.
Behold the hand of God!
Come forth, O Raging Spirit
As the name of the spirit passed his lips, the two Torture Tokens began to spin, as if picked up in a whirlwind. As they rose into the air, they became portals which rotated around one another before merging into a larger portal. It expanded, swallowing up the wind before stretching and transforming into a large winged man with a hawk’s head. The whole creature was blood red, and when it opened its beak, a dreadful shriek came out.
The wind caused by its summoning had blown off the man’s cloak, revealing him. His skin was dark as though covered in soot, and his eyes glowed red. His hair was white, and he was heavily muscled.
“The Raging Spirit
He pointed to his Giant Rat. “Mighty Raging Spirit! I offer up my monster to you, so that you may unleash your wrath!” as he spoke, the horrid spirit reached out and grabbed the Giant Rat, before swallowing it up. “gale can destroy 1 card I control to destroy up to 2 cards you control – namely, Susano’o and the Torture Golem!”
The spirit spread its wings, and glaring energy speared out, vaporizing the two monsters. Without waiting for its master’s orders, it opened its beak and unleashed a blast of power at Asuka. It slammed into her Duel Runner and sent her flying for several feet before she skidded and collapsed in the desert sands.
Asuka LP: 900 SPC: 1 – Durmur LP: 1900 SPC: 10
Durmur stopped some feet away. “Do you surrender?” he asked. “Because my turn’s over.”
Asuka, half-caught beneath her Duel Runner, shook her head. “Not…yet,” she gasped unsteadily, “I’m…still in this...” she raised a hand to draw from her deck.
“Activate…Trap: Slip Stream.” She said, her voice gaining strength. “This makes…my Speed Counters equal to yours.”
Asuka LP: 900 SPC: 11 – Durmur LP: 1900 SPC: 11
She pulled herself out from under her Duel Runner, then hauled it upright. She swung herself back aboard and gunned the motor. After a heart-stopping second, it launched forward, with Durmur quickly chasing after.
“I activate Speed Spell – Shift Down!” she said, “I can remove six of my Speed Counters to draw 2 cards.”
Asuka LP: 900 SPC: 5 – Durmur LP: 1900 SPC: 11
She looked over her four cards carefully. Maharaghi isn’t any use right now, she thought, but...Tsukuyomi and Shield Crush!
“I play Tsukuyomi (1100/1400) in Attack Mode!” she shouted, summoning a slight, elfin girl with long blue hair and flowing robes. “When she appears, I can flip 1 monster into face-down Defense Position.”
Tsukuyomi glowed with blue light, which flowed from her to the Raging Spirit. Durmur laughed again. “Your combination is obvious: you want to follow up with Shield Crush. However, once per turn, gale can be totally unaffected by a card!” Even as he said it, Tsukuyomi’s energies flowed around the spirit like mist, but nothing happened.
Asuka looked at her hand, then back to the field, and then her hand. “I activate the third effect of Spirit’s Gateway! By Tributing 1 monster and negating the gateway’s effects for a turn, I can Special Summon 1 Spirit monster from my hand...like the Dark Dust Spirit!”
Tsukuyomi vanished into the Spirit’s Gateway, and from it rushed a gust of sand. Out of the sand lurched a large humanoid figure. It had red skin and a demonic face with long white hair. The gust from the portal intensified, swirling around the entire field.
“What’s going on!?” demanded Durmur.
Asuka grinned fiercely. “When the Dark Dust Spirit appears on the field, it obliterates every other face-up monster…” the sandstorm parted to reveal the form of the Raging Spirit entombed in sand. The sand squeezed tighter and crushed it. “And since your once-Raging Spirit protected itself already this turn, it’s included in that. Dark Dust Spirit, finish him off!” she shouted. The demon stretched out its arms, sending waves of sand rolling towards Durmur.
“No!” He roared as the sand flowed around him. “My Spirit is undefeatable! I am undefeatable!”
Asuka LP: 900 – Durmur LP: 0
As the duel concluded, Durmur’s vehicle skidded to a stop, and he went flying off it into the sand. Asuka stopped her Duel Runner and ran to him, only to see him vanish in a burst of black fire. She turned to his Duel Runner, which suddenly collapsed into dust. It had been made of…ash.
It was only then that she looked back the way she had come. The place where she had been struck by the Raging Spirit’s attack had become a glass crater. Looking at her Duel Runner, she could see that half of it was covered with burn marks. “The attack…” she muttered to herself, “from that spirit...it was…real.”
