"Duel!" x2
[Kira, LP 4000]
[Damon, LP 4000]
"I'll go first, then. Draw."
Kira revealed a card from his hand.
"I activate the Spell Card 'Card Destruction.' Both players discard their hands and draw the same number of cards."
Damon discarded his hand and chuckled. "So your starting hand was bad? Well, sometimes that happens. But if your skill isn't up to par, changing hands won't solve anything."
He drew five new cards.
"That's not your concern." Kira smiled and drew a new hand.
With his new five cards, he quickly picked one.
"I activate the Spell Card 'Delinquent Duo.' Pay 1000 LP, randomly discard one card from your opponent's hand, then your opponent chooses and discards another."
[Kira, LP 4000→LP 3000]
Discard two cards?
Damon frowned. "So, since you're not confident in beating my draw power, you're aiming to cripple my hand?"
"Discard the third card from the left," Kira said casually.
Damon complied and picked another to discard. The Twin Devils snatched away two cards.
"Then I set a monster and set a card to my back row. End turn." Kira said.
The spectators began to speculate about Kira's strategy.
"A hand destruction deck, right? I think I've seen Kira use that before," Chumley said.
Alexis nodded. "Cutting off the opponent's strategy before it forms—that's very Kira. If Damon has trained up some super draw power, then this is the right way to test it."
Jaden muttered, "Darn, if I'd spoken up earlier, I might be dueling now…"
Syrus sweatdropped. "Big bro, you're still thinking about that?"
Damon declared: "Trying to mess with my hand to disrupt my draw? It won't work against the fruits of my training!
My turn—draw!"
"At that moment, I activate my set card." Kira flipped his Trap. "Trap Card—Drop Off. The card you just drew goes straight to the Graveyard."
"There it is, Kira's Drop Off!" Syrus said. "No matter what he draws, it's useless now…"
"Is it, though?"
Damon grinned.
"Let me show you all the secrets of my draw training!
The card I drew is 'Despair from the Dark'!"
He sent the monster card to the Graveyard and revealed it.
Despair from the Dark—a fiendish-looking Zombie monster, with a hellish, demonic design. In GX, Chazz used it; it even appeared in Vrains as a relevant old card.
"Whenever 'Despair from the Dark' is sent from hand or deck to the Graveyard by an opponent's effect, it can be Special Summoned!
So, I Special Summon 'Despair from the Dark'! Appear!"
A hellish flame exploded, conjuring a phantom demon: purple-black claws, a twisted grin, and abstract horns.
[Despair from the Dark, ATK 2800]
"He drew 'Despair from the Dark'!" Syrus gasped.
Alexis was just as stunned. "Was it just luck that he drew the perfect card for Drop Off? Or maybe…"
"Hahahaha! I told you; my draw is invincible now!" Damon declared confidently. "Bring your best tactics—my draw will overcome anything!
Next, I activate the Spell 'Spell book from the pot'—we both draw three cards from our decks. Then, I Normal Summon 'Infernal Dragon'!"
[Infernal Dragon, ATK 2000]
"Go! Infernal Dragon, attack the set monster!"
The face-down monster flipped up—it was Giant Rat.
[Giant Rat, DEF 1450]
Giant Rat was crushed and sent to the Graveyard. Kira searched his deck and pulled out a card.
"When Giant Rat is destroyed by battle and sent to the Graveyard, I Special Summon an EARTH monster with 1500 or less ATK from my deck in Attack Position.
I Special Summon 'Pyramid Turtle.'"
[Pyramid Turtle, ATK 1200]
"Then, 'Despair from the Dark,' attack Pyramid Turtle!" Damon ordered. "Break through that wall right now!"
The demon's claws struck down, and the giant turtle with a pyramid on its back was shattered.
[Kira, LP 3000→LP 1400]
"Pyramid Turtle's effect: When destroyed by battle, I Special Summon a Zombie monster with 2000 or less DEF from my deck.
I Special Summon…"
Kira slapped down the selected card.
"Special Summon 'Ryu Kokki'!"
A chilling aura filled the field—a hulking, monstrous skeleton, seemingly pieced together from countless bones, each one clear and distinct. Skulls intertwined and piled up into a massive, twisted frame. Its eyes burned with ghostly fire, a wicked grin between razor fangs.
[Ryu Kokki, ATK 2400]
Just seeing it, Syrus shivered, muttering, "Why do Kira's monsters always feel so… ominous?"
"So that's it—using double floaters to climb straight to a high-level powerhouse. Hmph, impressive tactic. But it's no match for my 'Despair from the Dark!'"
Damon puffed out his chest.
"In the end, tactics and deck-building have their limits. Only the truth of dueling lies in the draw!"
He played two more cards.
"I set two cards and end my turn!"
Then he pointed at his Infernal Dragon.
"During the End Phase of a turn Infernal Dragon attacks, it's destroyed."
Infernal Dragon exploded with a bang, wiped out by its own 2000 ATK drawback.
"My turn—draw."
Kira drew and played a card.
"Summon 'Mystic Tomato.'"
[Mystic Tomato, ATK 1400]
"In Attack Position?" Damon frowned. "Such a weak monster…"
"I admit, your draw is impressive. I didn't expect 'Despair from the Dark' to suddenly appear—very strong." Kira praised him sincerely. "To be honest, I don't have any monsters right now that can beat it."
Damon's smirk grew.
But then Kira continued:
"If I can't beat it, I'll just borrow it.
I activate the Spell Card 'Creature Swap.' Both players choose a monster on their field and trade control."
Damon's smile vanished.
====
First Goal: 100 PS.
PS: I added a little fan service at chapter 133. Go check it out.