FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

The lid opened and the hermetically sealed air came out of the jar along a piece of cardboard. In front of it, a pair of admiring and eager eyes marveled at the sight, a hint of anticipation getting brighter as the card was deposited into a pair of expecting hands. A sigh was let out.

"There. Anything else I can-" the clerk behind the counter stopped talking when all he met was a bushy red panda tail wagging in excitement. Behind it, his customer seemed to almost be vibrating with joy and the clerk sighed for what was coming next.

"It's complete!" Kousen yelled, getting curious and angry stares from all the other patrons at the card shop. He didn't care for any of them though; with all the time and effort he had invested on looking for this last card he was in every right to be excited. He slipped it next to all the others in his Extra Deck and a sensation of achievement washed over him. "Finally. It feels nice. Now I just need someone to test it," at that point the bell from the door rang, catching his attention at the new arrival. "Ah, Thunder!"

The tall, muscular green dragon that had just entered the shop raised his head at the mention of his name, his long black hair swishing behind him with the movement. When he saw the red panda approaching him he greeted him with a smile.

"It's been a while since the last time I saw you here. Where have you been?"

"Last time I was here was on my birthday, I think?" Thunder recounted, noticing some of the weird glances people gave him; people who remembered that birthday incident, most likely. "I had a game with some random creep, mopped the floor with him, and I've been busy since then. But finally got some free time, so decided to come over. You?"

"I'm great! I completed my new Deck!" Kousen answered holding the pack of cards in front of him with the same eager smile. "Wanna go test it?"

"That certainly sounds like a good idea!" the store clerk said from behind Thunder before the dragon could answer; how he had gotten there was out of their grasp, but Thunder did noticed one peculiar thing.

"Manny, since when do you work here?" he asked at the familiar face under the hat, but was met only with a smirk.

"That's unimportant! Now come on! There's a Duel Arena in the back where you kids can play your card games," he said while pushing the other two around the tables and towards a large door on the back.

The room they entered seemed to be a spacious underground hangar from the balcony which they stood on, lit by the large lamps on the ceiling and the walls. A pair of elevators on each side loudly flared to life in the presence of people and Manny gestured them both to get on them as some of the customers made their way in to watch the apparent show.

"You know, a table is more than enough," Thunder said, but Manny reacted with overacted indignation that made him sweatdrop.

"For crying out loud Thunder! Have some flare for the drama!" Manny complained. "Kousen has been working hard to complete this Deck! His first game with it should be big and enjoyable, and he should be admired by it; it's what his hard work deserves!"

"Let's go, it'll be fun!" Kousen added to the conversation and Thunder seemed to consider his argument far more seriously than the clerk's. And so a second later the two were already on their way down on their respective platforms, setting their Duel Disks and their Decks. The two reached the ground simultaneously and took their places on opposite sides of the arena. Kousen let out a breath, not used to playing in such a stage, but instead of nervousness he felt a certain eagerness to show his Deck off at last.

"Are you ready?" Thunder asked from the other side.

"Damn right I am!" the red panda answered with a smirk and took a stance with his Disk up front.

"DUEL!"

"It's customary for the challenged party to begin," Manny explained from his seat, surrounded by a small crowd of curious patrons that had joined them to see the game.

"I take it that refers to me," Thunder said. "In that case, I Summon Eden's Garden - Tiger ," his monster materialized as a largely built tiger in thick wooden armor crashing on the Field with a roar (ATK: 1100, Lv: 3). "Then I activate the Equip Spell Mind Grasp Sword , and equip my Tiger with it for a 400 points boost," a large purple sword appeared next to the monster, and once it was in its grasp an aura of the same color enveloped It, his muscles growing bigger until the armor on his arms tore off from the sheer size (1100 > 1500).

"And we start off with Thunder's bulge-making muscle growth combo!" "What kind of commenting is that!?" Thunder complained with a blush threatening to creep on his face and Kousen gave him a knowing giggle. "Shut up, panda! I activate Tiger's effect! Once while it has 1500 or more attack I can Special Summon a Level 4 or lower Eden's Garden monster from my Deck. I Summon Eden's Garden - Boar!" next to the tiger appeared a brown-furred boar, muscles straining against a similar green armor already threatening to break apart (ATK: 1600, Lv: 4). "Then I activate Mind Grasp Sword's effect; by sending it to the Graveyard I can return the equipped monster to my hand and Special Summon a monster with the same Level from my hand"

"I've seen this move before," Kousen said as the monster vanished from thunder's Field and back to his hand. " Tiger's effect can only be used once while it's face-up, so you remove it and Summon it back to continue using its effect," and true enough the tiger appeared once again on the Field, its armor once again complete but not stopping him from flexing its big arms (ATK: 1100, Lv: 3). Thunder on the other side only gave a cocky grin at Kousen's remark.

"I activate the Continuous Spell Heavenly Fertilizer ," the moment the card formed on his Field, Thunder's monsters once again started growing larger, their armors slowly breaking off to expose their naked arms. "This card gives 400 attack points to all Plant-type monsters on my side of the Field (1100 > 1500, 1600 > 2000), which lets me activate Tiger's effect again to Summon Eden's Garden - Leaf Dragon!" to the other side of the armored tiger appeared a small green dragon with long leaves that acted as wings, letting out a cute little growl (ATK: 500, Lv: 3).

"Oh! An Eden's Garden dragon, folks! We all know what that means!"

"I tune my Level 3 Tiger , Level 4 Boar and Level 3 Leaf Dragon!" the small dragon turned into three green colored rings and the two monsters jumped between them, transforming into seven shining stars of their own. "Grand tree that survives the floods, stand still in the face of the end of the world! Synchro Summon! Eden's Garden - Eternal Survival Dragon, Akshayavat!" a pillar of light crashed from within the rings and a massive brown and green reptilian creature brimming with muscle stepped out of it, delicately decorated wooden armor covering its chest and arms and gigantic slabs of oak attached to them as shields (ATK: 2000, Lv: 10).

Screms of admiration and awe from the audience filled the stage, but they were all drowned as Akshayavat roared at Kousen already yearning for battle. The red panda however, instead of the nervousness one would expect to see on someone facing a 10 foot tall dragon, regarded it with a raised eyebrow.

"I activate Akshayavat's effect! Once per turn I can Banish an Eden's Garden monster from my Graveyard and increase Akshayavat's attack by that monster's until the end of my opponent's next turn!" a ghostly apparition of Thunder's Boar surrounded Akshayavat and its muscles started swelling past the limit of its armor, breaking it down and falling to the ground as it flexed its massive chest and arms (2000 > 3600). "Turn End. Your move, Kousen"

"A Level 10 Synchro on your first turn is one hell of a move," Kousen breathed out with a quick glance at his hand. "But why is it in attack position?" at that Thunder's eyes widened. "I mean, it has 4000 defense, right? It would've made more sense to defend for now and go for the offensive on your next turn"

"Um..."

"Well, look at this!" Manny's voice caught the attention of the two Duelists as he continued to comment on their game with a smirk. "It seems like the force of habit of an offensive play style-based Deck has led Thunder to a misplay!"

"Wanna go at it again?" Kousen asked in a more understanding voice but Thunder simply waved at him to proceed while mumbling to himself to remember he had a couple defensive monsters. "Alright then. Draw! And for the Deck's debut move, I activate Red-Eyes Fusion! This card lets me Summon a Red-Eyes Fusion Monster using Materials from my hand, Field or Deck," many of the customers watching the Duel commented with each how broken the card seemed, but Kousen ignored them as a pair of cards slid from his Deck. "I send Red-Eyes B. Dragon and Summoned Skull to the Graveyard"

The monsters, a skeletal black dragon and a muscular demon in skeleton armor appeared for a brief second and dove together into a shining vortex behind the red panda. "Dragon of glaring eyes and demon of lightning, drown together in the infernal flames and rise as a beast of hellish destruction! Fusion Summon!" from the vortex stood a gargantuan draconic creature, red muscles straining against black and silver armor covering its chest and claws, and a breath of fire that trailed from its jaws and to its wings. " Archfiend Black Skull Dragon!" Kousen's dragon roared and the flames rose angrily, looking for something to crisp (ATK: 3200, Lv: 9).

"Seriously!? That's more of an ass pull than this!" Thunder yelled and pointed at his own bulging dragon. "Especially because you did it with a single card!"

"I know! Isn't it awesome!?" Kousen giddily answered. "Now I activate the Spell Dragon Shrine. This card lets me send a Dragon-type monster from my Deck to the Graveyard," a copy of Red-Eyes Black Flare Dragon slid out and was sent to the Graveyard slot. "Then, if the monster in the Graveyard is a Normal Monster, I can send another Dragon-type monster to the Graveyard"

"Wait, he sent Red-Eyes Black Flare Dragon , didn't he?" one of the customers asked while Kousen sent Keeper of the Shrine to his Graveyard. "Isn't that an Effect Monster?"

" Red-Eyes Black Flare Dragon is a Gemini Monster," Manny explained. "Gemini Monsters are considered Normal Monsters while in the Field and Graveyard, allowing flexibility for Red-Eyes Normal-oriented style. The question is how Kousen will pull it off"

"Your monster's attack is still higher than mine, so I activate Black Metal Dragon's effect. Black Metal Dragon can be equipped to a Red-Eyes monster from my Field or hand and give it a 600 attack point boost," the small metallic drake flew on the Field and assembled as pieces of armor around Black Skull Dragon's body, causing it's fire to surge (3200 > 3800).

"Wait, Archfiend Black Skull Dragon isn't a Red-Eyes monster," another customer asked.

"No Red-Eyes Fusion Monster is actually a Red-Eyes monster, which is why Red-Eyes Fusion has an added effect to change the Fusion Summoned monster's name to Red-Eyes B. Dragon," Manny explained again, his voice tinged with a slight tone of exasperation. "Seriously people, why do you buy the cards if you don't pay attention to them?"

"Makes you wonder how he gets any business with that attitude," Kousen commented and Thunder laughed at the thought. "Anyway, Archfiend Black Skull Dragon , attack Akshayavat!" at Kousen's order the demon dragon reared its head back to create a massive fire ball and chucked it at the wooden dragon, engulfing it and its owner in an enormous explosion and a screen of smoke lifted from it.

" Akshayavat's effect," Thunder's voice said from the other side of the Field as the smoke cleared, and next to him the giant wall of oak that were his dragon's shields opened, revealing his monster unharmed. "While its attack is 3000 or higher it cannot be destroyed by battle or card effects (4000 > 3800)"

"Not bad, but you know that's not all there is to it," Kousen bragged as his dragon took its position back behind him. " Archfiend Black Skull Dragon's effect! After a Battle Phase where it was involved in damage calculation I can shuffle a Normal Red-Eyes monster in my Graveyard to inflict damage to my opponent equal to that monster's attack," Red-Eyes B. Dragon went back to the Deck and a new fire ball formed in its jaws. " Persona Blast!" the fire ball took the form of Red-Eyes B. Dragon and crash landed on Thunder, setting the Field around him ablaze (3800 > 1400). "I set 2 cards. Turn End. During my End Phase the effect of Akshayavat ends, returning its attack to normal, which means next turn it'll be mine (3600 > 2000)"

"Only one round in and there's already this much difference! This is the true power of the Red-Eyes!" Manny commented to the loud cheer from the patrons around him, getting a coy smile from Kousen.

"Yeah, I'll admit it's pretty nice," Thunder stretched his thick arms and stared at the black-scaled dragon in front of him. "But 3800 isn't that much these days anyway. Draw. I activate the Spell Fruit of Knowledge. By changing an attack position Eden's Garden monster to Defense Position for the rest of the turn, I can draw two cards," Akshayavat kneeled down and closed the shield around it (DEF: 4000). "Then I Summon Eden's Garden - Wolf!" a large silver-furred wolf appeared on the Field with a snarl, its armored body already growing larger from the effect of Thunder's Heavenly Fertilizer and breaking some of the armor on its shoulders (ATK: 1900 > 2300, Lv: 4). "And activate Inner Beast Spirit to give 300 attack points to all my monsters!" the wolf and dragon's muscles bulged bigger, their armors tearing and cracking more but without leaving much revealed (2000 > 2300, 2300> 2600).

"With that kind of raise you're probably going for Wolf's effect, aren't you?" Kousen asked.

"You would know. Wolf's effect! Once per turn, while it has 2500 or more attack, I can add an Eden's Garden Tuner monster from my Deck to my hand," the wolf howled and the card slid out but Thunder immediately placed it on his Deck. "Then I reduce Wolf's attack by 400 points (2600 > 2200) to Special Summon Eden's Garden - Branch Dragon!" from the wolf's fur a long, thick branch formed until snapping and twisting into a small brown dragon with wooden horns, flexing its little chubby arms (ATK: 500, Lv: 3). "Then I activate Change of Tune! This lets me Tribute a Tuner monster to summon another Tuner from my Graveyard!" Branch Dragon burst in shining particles and in its place the familiar form of Leaf Dragon appeared (ATK: 500 Lv: 3). "And I use Leaf Dragon's effect! Since it was Special Summoned I can reduce its Level by one to increase an Eden's Garden monster's attack by 500!" a single leaf fell off the Tuner's body and landed on Akshayavat, quickly being absorbed and the dragon swelling in size again (2300 > 2800).

"I tune my Level 4 Wolf and Level 2 Leaf Dragon!" one more time Leaf Dragon turned into a pair of Synchro rings that surrounded the wolf, making it into four level stars pierced by another beam of light "Tree of golden leaves, shower your fortune upon the world! Synchro Summon!" a golden sword crashed on the ground and a tall green dragon in whining golden armor and a mane of golden leaves lifted it and wielded it in front of Kousen's monster. " Eden's Garden - Golden Dragon, Glasir! (ATK: 2000, Lv: 6)"

"And here we have Thunder's second Synchro of the day, folks! This is quickly becoming an Extra Deck battle!" Manny screamed above the cheers and awed expressions that Thunder's new dragon elicited. "How will Kousen respond!?"

"I activate Glasir's effect! Once per turn I can Banish an Eden's Garden monster from my Graveyard to boost it by that monster's attack!" Wolf flashed around Glasir and the dragon started growing, the golden armor falling apart to reveal the mass of muscle bulging underneath until the massive dragon let out a victorious roar (2000 > 3900). "Now attack Archfiend Black Skull Dragon!" the dragon jumped towards the demon and while it reared back to breath a counterattack it was still cleaved in half by the golden sword, sending a shockwave powerful enough for Kousen to cover his eyes (4000 > 3900).

" Black Metal Dragon's effect! When it's sent from the Field to the Graveyard I can add a Red-Eyes monster from my Deck to my hand," Kousen swiped out a copy of Red-Eyes B. Dragon from his Deck.

"When Glasir's attack is 3000 or higher it can attack twice per turn. But you already know that, right?" in the absence of a reaction from Kousen, Thunder simply continued with his battle. " Glasir , direct attack!"

"I activate the Quick-Play Spell Silver's Cry! This card lets me Special Summon a Dragon-type Normal Monster from my Graveyard. Return, Red-Eyes Black Flare Dragon!" just as Glasir's sword was about to cleave through Kousen a pillar of fire rose from the ground and formed into a black skeletal dragon with four wings set ablaze folded defensively (DEF: 2000, Lv: 7). Glasir stepped back but just as soon leaped back into battle, its sword slicing through the monster's body and making it disappear in another burst of flames. "I activate Keeper of the Shrine's effect in my Graveyard! When a Dragon-type monster is sent to the Graveyard I can Special Summon Keeper of the Shrine from the Graveyard," from the raging blazes left by the dragon's demise appeared a wizened old man with a red dragon armor, sitting in a lotus position (DEF: 2100, Lv: 4).

"...That's it? You won't use Keeper of the Shrine's other effect?" Thunder asked and only got a slight shrug from Kousen as a response.

"When the Dragon sent to the Graveyard is a Normal Monster," Manny started explaining, " Keeper of the Shrine lets you add a Dragon-type Normal Monster from your Graveyard to your hand. Black Flare is a Normal Monster in the Graveyard, so why didn't Kousen use the effect? Did he also make a mistake, or...?"

"I set 1 card," Thunder said cautiously as he let his last card slid in his Disk, eyeing his opponent questioningly. "Turn End"

"The only monster I could've brought back is that very same Black Flare Dragon anyway," Kousen thought, "and it's not like it could do a lot against two 4000 hitters. It's easier to bring it from the Graveyard that it is from my hand anyway, so it's better if it stays there. Besides, my gut is telling me to do so... Draw!" he looked at the card in his fingers; a copy of Dragon's Mirror. "In order to defeat Thunder's brute force I need to hit him with a greater force. I activate Cards of the Red Stone. By discarding a Level 7 Red-Eyes monster I can draw two cards," Red-Eyes B. Dragon was sent to the Graveyard and Kousen drew his two new cards: Return of the Red-Eyes, and another Red-Eyes B. Dragon. And he smirked. "Then, Cards of the Red Stone lets me send another Level 7 Red-Eyes monster from my Deck to the Graveyard," a second Red-Eyes Black Flare Dragon followed. " Keeper of the Shrine can be treated as 2 Tributes for the Tribute Summon of a Dragon-type monster, so I Tribute it to Summon Red-Eyes B. Dragon!" the old man vanished and in its place appeared the original skeletal dragon with a flap of its powerful wings and a triumphant cry (ATK: 2400, Lv: 7). "And I activate the Trap Call of the Haunted to Summon Red-Eyes Black Flare Dragon back from the Graveyard!" the four-winged dragon flashed its way back into the Field, joining it's sibling in an earth-shattering roar that got awed expressions from the patrons watching the Duel unfold (ATK: 2400, Lv: 7)

"Two Level 7 monsters," Manny whispered to himself. "This is it people! The card Kousen got today; the card that completed this Deck is about to come out!"

"I Overlay my Level 7 Red-Eyes B. Dragon and Red-Eyes Black Flare Dragon!" the two dragons roared one more time and transformed into beams of purple light that sank towards a red vortex forming in front of Kousen. "With these two monsters I construct the Overlay Network! Xyz Summon!" a lashing tower of fire formed in the Field, broken apart by a pair of metallic claws bursting out and four large, red wings. "Shine with the glimmer of hell's flames, reflected on that fierce blackened armor! Red-Eyes Flare Metal Dragon!" the dragon's plated head reared for a breath of fire, red-colored eyes shining furiously and filled the room with a battle cry as its two purple materials orbited around it (ATK: 2800, Rk: 7).

"Crap," Thunder breathed out, drowned by the exited cheers from above. Despite having Field and point advantage he couldn't help being unnerved in the presence of such a legendary creature.

"I activate Red-Eyes Flare Metal Dragon's effect! By using an Overlay Unit I can Special Summon a Red-Eyes Normal Monster from my Graveyard!" the armored dragon crushed one of the purple units in its jaws and shrieked until a black portal opened and one of the black-colored dragons flew out of it with its own roar. "With this I bring back Red-Eyes B. Dragon (ATK: 2400, Lv: 7)! And activate the Spell Dragon's Mirror! This card lets me Fusion Summon a Dragon-type Fusion monster by Banishing monsters from my Field and Graveyard as the Materials!"

"So you used Flare Metal's effect to have one more Material in your Graveyard then?" and once again Kousen smirked.

"I Banish the Red-Eyes B. Dragon in my Field and the Red-Eyes B. Dragon , Red-Eyes Black Flare Dragon , Black Metal Dragon and Archfiend Black Skull Dragon in my Graveyard!" the five monsters flew towards the shining vortex and disappeared as they mixed into a blinding white light. "Dragon of legends, accept this sacrifice and assist me in this battle. May your five crowns lead me to victory! Fusion Summon!" five serpentine, wildly different heads slithered their way outside of the vortex, all of them attached to the same gigantic draconic body, with strong muscles and enormous wings taking most of the arena as the five heads each roared out in their own pitches. " Five-Headed Dragon (ATK: 5000, Lv: 12)!"

"That's Five-Headed Dragon! Amazing!"

"I've never seen one being Summoned in person!"

"I think I'm gonna cry!"

Those were just some of the comments the spectators had in the presence of one of the most renowned monsters in the game. Even if it was just a hologram, the dragon's body seemed to emit its own heat and its power permeated the air, making itself known to all present, particularly the Duelists in the Field. Thunder swallowed nervously, but other than that managed to keep his cool.

"I got it," Kousen said to himself. "All I have to do is attack Glasir with Five-Headed Dragon and reduce Thunder's life to 300. As long as Red-Eyes Flare Metal Dragon has an Overlay Unit attached to it, the opponent receives 500 points of damage every time they activate a card or effect. Thunder won't be able to do anything in his turn and I'll have a free pass to my victory!" he breathed out, appropriately confident of his victory and looked forward at his opponent with a decided expression. " Five-Headed Dragon! Attack Golden Dragon, Glasir!" the massive monster reared its five heads, each one already forming a different burst of energy between its fangs and prepared to shoot them at the golden-leaved dragon standing valiantly on Thunder's Field.

"Trap Card, Eden's Rejection , activate!" Kousen's eyes widened as the card on Thunder's Field revealed itself. "By Tributing all monsters on my side of the Field, this card Banishes all of my opponent's monsters until the End Phase!"The two dragons on Thunder's Field dissolved into shining particles that seemingly caused ripples on the air, forcing Kousen's own dragons to disappear once they made contact. "Since your Flare Metal Dragon left the Field before the effect resolved, I receive no damage"

"Tsk," Kousen gritted his teeth at the surprise comeback the green dragon had pulled on him, but in the end just sighed in defeat. "Nothing to do, I guess. I set a card. Turn End," and as soon as he declared it, his dragons reappeared on his Field as they had when Thunder Banished them, the only difference being Flare Metal Dragon's missing unit; that Black Flare Dragon had gone to the Graveyard when the monster left the Field.

"Draw," Thunder announced. The once cheering audience had now fallen silent at the turn around the Duel had taken so suddenly, and were waiting to see what would be the dragon's next move; even Manny had stopped his insolent comments to see how the rest of the game would unfold. "During my Standby Phase Eden's Rejection lets me Special Summon as many Level 4 or lower Eden's Garden monsters as possible from my Graveyard, with their effects canceled. I Summon Eden's Garden - Tiger , Branch Dragon and Leaf Dragon ," the muscular tiger and the two tiny dragon's took their place back in the Field, the armor already falling off the feline's body as the Heavenly Fertilizer boosted its stats (ATK: 1100 > 1500, Lv: 3; ATK: 500, Lv: 3; ATK: 500, Lv: 3). "Now, I Tribute Leaf Dragon to Summon Eden's Garden - Bull ," the leaf-winged dragon vanished and a massively built bull showed in its spot, wooden armor covering it's chest, arms and horns already falling from the strain of its growing, vein covered muscles (ATK: 2000 > 2400, Lv: 6).

"Two Level 3s and one Level 6...?" Manny muttered under his breath and looked at Kousen. Based on the panda's expression, he had done the same math.

"I tune my Level 3 Tiger , Level 6 Bull and Level 3 Branch Dragon!" the wooden-horned dragon turned into the familiar rings and the tiger and bull squeezed themselves together between them, almost immediately becoming nine white stars themselves. "Tree of the universe that transcends dimensions, descend your choir of angels upon this plane and open the gate that leads to the unspeakable truth! Synchro Summon!" the column of light formed and from within came a long, massive serpentine dragon with no legs and no armor covering its glittering emerald scales, and on its back a complex golden halo flared to life, followed by ten shining orbs of light lining up its back until they reached its head. " Eden's Garden - Forbidden Dragon, Sephirot!" the dragon bumped its fists together and unlike its brethren before, it floated silently and menacingly on Thunder's Field with a stern expression directed at its enemy monsters (ATK: 3100, Lv: 12)

" Forbidden Dragon... Sephirot?" Kousen unconsciously took a step back at the unknown monster that apparently tried to burst him with its eyes.

"Level 12..." Manny breathed. "You're just full of surprises, aren't you Thunder?"

"It was a lucky pull on a booster from the last time I was here actually," Thunder laughed it off and it seemed to loosen the air a bit but Kousen was clearly still nervous at a bulging mass of draconic muscle waiting to crush him. "Anyway, I activate Sephirot's effect! Once per turn I can banish an Eden's Garden monster in my Graveyard and until my opponent's End Phase increase Sephirot's attack by that monster's!" Akshayavat's spirit appeared in front of Sephirot for a second before joining with it, and the next moment Sephirot's frame started growing larger, arms popping veins from the strain. The dragon however remained undisturbed (3100 > 5100).

"5100..." Kousen breathed. "Then..."

"Yes. Forbidden Dragon, Sephirot! Attack Five-Headed Dragon! Ein Sof!" the dragon's only movement was to make a strange sign with its hands, and the ten luminous orbs on its back shot forward and rained as giant spears of light that pierced the flesh of Kousen's dragon, causing each of its heads to let out horrific pained cries until one by one they all exploded, sending their owner flying back (3900 > 3800). "I activate Sephirot's second effect! If its attack is 4000 or higher, after attacking I can Banish an Eden's Garden monster in my Graveyard and permanently increase Sephirot's attack by half that monster's attack, as well as giving Sephirot that monster's effect until the end of my opponent's next turn!"

"Sweet mother..." Kousen sighed as a mirage of Glasir appeared and Sephirot's muscles started bulging out again, its chest and arms so thick they brushed against the arena's walls (5100 > 6100). "6100 attack points? Seriously?"

"And since I Banished Glasir , Sephirot gets its effect to attack twice per turn. Sephirot! Attack Red-Eyes Flare Metal Dragon!" despite the cramped space Sephirot still managed to move its hand into another sign and the bright orbs on its back shot themselves again, this time at the armored dragon on Kousen's Field.

"I activate the Continuous Trap Return of the Red-Eyes!" the red panda desperately yelled when the first spear of light pierced through his dragon's chest. "While I have a Red-Eyes monster on the Field this card lets me Special Summon a Normal Monster from my Graveyard!" more spears broke through the Metal Flare's armor, causing it to cry out in pain, but mustering enough strength to open a black portal from which the four-winged Red-Eyes Black Flare Dragon jumped (DEF: 2000, Lv: 7) just as its armored counterpart exploded with only heavy chunks of metal loudly falling on the ground as evidence it was ever there (3800 > 500). "Then, since a Dragon-type monster was destroyed I activate the effect of Keeper of the Shrine and Summon it from the Graveyard," next to the dragon the same old man appeared from a black portal, still quietly sitting in the lotus position (DEF: 2100, Lv: 4).

"Turn End," Thunder announced and sighed with a look at the massive dragon above him. "With 6100 points, it seems like it all depends on your next draw, right?"

"Heh, seems like it... No point delaying it. Draw," Kynka-byo. A Level 1 monster that could revive other Level 1 monsters. In other words, currently useless for Kousen. "Turn End"

"Sorry man. But hey, during your End Phase Sephirot's boost ends (6100 > 4100) and it loses Glasir's effect. That's a plus, right? Anyway, draw! I Summon Eden's Garden - Bear!" the monster appeared as a tall, muscular brown-furred bear with wooden armor already cracking at the chest and shoulders (ATK: 1700 > 2100, Lv: 4). "Now, gotta do it all in order so you don't pull the old man again. Bear! Attack Black Flare Dragon!" the bear lunged forward at the dragon and its paw pierced through it, causing it to burst. "And now that its all clear, Sephirot , attack Keeper of the Shrine!" the dragon formed a third sign and the spears of light pierced the old man into bits. "Finally, I activate Bear's effect. While it has 2000 or more attack, during the Main Phase 2 of a turn it destroyed a monster I can draw a card. I set that card, Turn End. During my End Phase, Bear gains 100 attack points," his monster breathed out and its muscles started bulking, breaking apart more chunks of its armor (2100 > 2200).

"Why didn't you use Sephirot's effect to make it stronger?"

"Because if it keeps growing, this story will have to be classified as muscle growth fetish material!" Manny screamed from his position, getting strange looks from the customers around him.

"Makes sense...?" the panda sweatdropped and turned around back at the massive dragon. "Guess this is it... Draw!" Kousen glanced at his card. "I activate my second Silver's Cry , and Special Summon Red-Eyes Black Flare Dragon!" once again the dark form of Kousen's dragon flew around the Field with a mighty roar from its jaws (ATK: 2400, Lv: 7). "And now, as per its Gemini Monster effect, I Normal Summon it while it's on the Field!" and from those jaws massive streams of fire came out, setting flames to the red and black wings as the monster's roar became stronger. "When Gemini Summoned, Red-Eyes Black Flare Dragon gains its effect: After a Battle Phase where it was involved in damage calculation, it can inflict damage to my opponent equal to its original attack!"

"That means that with a single attack on Thunder's Bear , Kousen will win the Duel," Manny explained to the viewers.

"Go, Red-Eyes Black Flare Dragon! Attack Eden's Garden - Bear! Inferno Flare Blast!" the black-scaled dragon reared its head mid-flight, gathering the fire from its wings and dive-bombing against the brown-furred bear.

"Activate Trap Card! Mega Flare! With this card I choose a Dragon-type monster on my side of the Field with 3000 or more attack and reduce its attack to 0 until my next End Phase. In return, all other cards on the Field are destroyed!" the most audible thing after that were the gasps of the crowd as they saw Sephirot gather its ten orbs between its hands, creating a massive ball of light that crashed on the ground at the time Kousen's dragon was about to collide with his bear and created a series of powerful shockwaves that ravaged the Field around them, showering it in a powerful white glare. When the light receded the Field was empty, save for the massive green dragon above Thunder; losing its power had done little to make it look less menacing (4100 > 0), but what everyone was surprised about was that, despite everything, the panda still stood straight and with the same confident look on his face.

"I activate the effect of Return of the Red-Eyes! If this card is destroyed by my opponent's card effect, I can Special Summon a Red-Eyes monster from my Graveyard!" Thunder's eyes widened when he realized he had forgotten the rest of the panda's cards and as one last black portal opened and from within rose a familiar metallic figure. "Return, Red-Eyes Flare Metal Dragon!" and the armored monster shouted a magnificent roar as its armor reflected the lights from the arena all over (ATK: 2800, Rk: 7). " Red-Eyes Flare Metal Dragon , end it! Destroy Forbidden Dragon, Sephirot! Inferno Metal Flare!" and with that final order the dragon took flight towards the ceiling, engulfing its own body in flames before diving for the massive green dragon and cleaving right through the golden halo, causing it to break apart and burst into flames behind it, dropping Thunder on his rear from the sheer strength of the shockwave (1400 > 0).

"We have a winner!" Manny said above the thunderous roars of excitement from the clients that watched the spectacular victory grasped by the red panda. "In an outstanding debut victory, Kousen!"

"Hehe..." Kousen blushed a bit from all the attention he was seemingly getting from his win and tried to wave at the spectators as he crossed the arena to help his friend up. "Good game Thund"

"Yeah, it was great. Pretty kickass Deck you got there man," Thunder playfully complimented him.

"I actually had a crappy first hand and had to improvise a lot, hehe"

"Dude, getting Red-Eyes Fusion first hand already makes it an awesome hand," Thunder insisted on their way to the platforms and Kousen couldn't help but laugh at that.

"You got a point there, man"