Dueling life in a futuristic world

 As the challenger, the General gets the first turn.

 [ Standby Phase, Main Phase 1 ]

 The large unit of a man looks at the amusingly small cards in his hand, grabbing two of them and announcing. “To start, I set one card face down. Next, I will summon Magician’s Rod.”

 A ghostly figure holding onto a staff from a dark magician appears, a starter for his deck.

 “Using the effect of Magician’s Rod, I add the spell card ‘Illusion Magic’ from the deck to my hand.” He pauses, looking down at his cards for a second before grabbing two others. “I will set two more cards face down and end my turn.”

  [ End Phase ]

 Nodding to himself, he asserts. “Now, show me how a penta-summoner duels, ‘Yuumi Matsunaga’.”

 [ Draw Phase ]

 Grinning, I say. “With pleasure General. Draw!”

 Right after I draw, General Tychon holds out his arm and says. “In your draw phase! I activate my face-down card, Illusion Magic! By tributing Magician’s Rod, I will add two copies of ‘Dark Magician’ from my deck to my hand.”

 I scoff as the staff wielding ghost fades away. “That’s quite an empty field you’re leaving for me, General. Are you sure that won’t lead to your defeat? I have a substantial track record for ending duels on the second turn.”

 He hums but doesn’t bother responding.

 [ Standby Phase, Main Phase 1 ]

 Looking down at my six-card hand, I can’t help but smirk. I pick two cards and reveal them. “With scale level 13 ‘Supreme King Gate Infinity’ and scale level 0 ‘Supreme King Gate Zero’, I set my pendulum scales!” I place each of the cards at one end of my duel disk, and as pillars of light begin to rise, I shout. “Pendulum SET!”

 Two pillars of light surround me, and my monsters rise in them. On my left, a toroid shaped artifact rises with a 0 shown below it. And on my right, a similar artifact rises, this one shaped like an infinity symbol with a glowing number 13 shown below it.

 A pendulum forms between the two pillars, and it swings between them like the pendulum on a clock between counterweights.

 I raise my empty right hand to the sky–making the pendulum speed up–then I grab three cards, leaving one still in my hand, and announce. “Now, from the energy of the pendulum, come to me, my monsters! Pendulum Summon!”

 The pendulum speeds up, and I follow it by placing the three cards down. “Arise! Level 4 ‘Performapal Pendulum Sorcerer’, level 6 ‘Oafdragon Magician’ and level 1 ‘Magician’s soul!’”

 Three rays of light exit the portal created by the swinging pendulum, each forming into a monster in front of me. “I activate the on-summon effect of ‘Performapal Pendulum Sorcerer’ with it, I target ‘Magician’s Soul’ on the field, and ‘Supreme King Gate Infinity’ in my pendulum zone!”

 But my opponent has other plans. “I’m afraid not penta-summoner! Trap reveal!” One of the two cards next to him tilts up, revealing itself to be ‘Solemn Strike’.

 “Grnnn!” Sparks run along the General’s body, but he doesn’t seem to mind as they take 1500 LP from him.

 *Crack!* in front of me, the sorcerer breaks apart like glass, signifying its destruction. I grab the card from my disk with a barely visible frown on my face and place it in the duel disk’s opening, sending it top up to the extra deck.

 I look down at the remaining card in my hand.

 ‘Not much I can do with that…’ I turn to my field of miss-matched monsters. ‘And link climbing doesn’t seem like a good idea here. There are not enough spells in the grave for Selene, and none of my monsters are tuners for Halq. Even Electromite isn’t an option here since only one of them is a pendulum monster… Well, guess I’ll lock him and see what he can do.’

 With a plan in mind and a frown growing on my lips, I declare. “If that’s how you’re going to play, then here. I activate the pendulum effect of ‘Supreme King Gate Zero’. Chain?”

 “If you are asking if I have a response, then no, proceed.” He says calmly.

 I grin, with the two pillars of light around me disappearing. “Very well then, I add ‘Fusion Destiny’ from the deck, but before I activate it…” I raise my arm into the air once again. “Circuit Materialize!”

 A blue octagon appears above us, and I announce. “Setting ‘Oafdragon Magician’ and ‘Magician’s Soul’ as link arrows, I Link-Summon!’”

 My two monsters disappear into the link circuit, lighting up the bottom-left and bottom-right arrows.

 “Link Summon! Appear! Link–2 ‘Artifact Dagda!’”

 A large spiked yellow mace forms from the link circuit. Wielding it is a yellow ghostly figure.

 I continue. “Now! I activate the card ‘Fusion Destiny’ and chain ‘Dagda’s’ effect!”

 While focused on my plays, General Tychon notes. “A Pendulum Summon, to a link summon, followed by a fusion summon. As expected from a penta-summoner.”

 “That’s right!” I confirm. “‘Dadga’s’ effect resolves first! With it, I set the monster card ‘Artifact Scythe’ face-down straight from the deck! And now! ‘Fusion Destiny’ resolves, I send ‘Destiny HERO – Celestial’ and ‘Destiny HERO – Dasher’ from the deck to the graveyard. FUSION SUMMON!”

 The two ghostly figures of the Destiny heroes swirl into each other. The result is an explosion of light that encompasses a winged warrior of flames.

 “Come out! ‘Destiny HERO – Destroyer Phoenix Enforcer!’.”

 The bird-like humanoid monster lunges forward next to Dagda, floating inches from the ground while flames swirl around it.

 With a wide smile on my lips, I shout. “Battle!”

 [ Battle Phase ]

 But as the turn phase ticks over, General Tychon raises his hand. “Think this will be an easy battle? Don’t kid yourself. I reveal my other face-down card: ‘Magician Navigation!’. With this card I special summon ‘Dark Magician’ from my hand followed by ‘Apprentice Illusion Magician’ from my deck!”

 Just like he said, two figures form on his side of the field. The first is a fair-skinned magician donning his traditional purple robes and long green staff. The other monster he summons ends up being a tanned counterpart with short white hair with an obvious female figure donning a shoulder-less top, short skirt and knee-high boots; She wields a short staff with a bulbous top.

 “But that’s not all. I will activate the effect of ‘Magician’s Rod’ from the grave, by tributing ‘Dark Magician’ I add this card back to my hand.”

 The nostalgic monster disappears from the field, leaving the tanned apprentice alone.

 Seeing him leaving his field with a single monster, I declare. “I see you can’t help but make this easier for me. DPE! Attack Apprentice Magician!”

 The flaming warrior charges its flames before lunging at the magician apprentice standing terrified on the field.

 But the General smirks. “Did you really think it would be that easy? By sending a copy of ‘Apprentice Illusion Magician’ from my hand to the grave, Apprentice Magician’s attack points raise by 2000!”

 As Phoenix Enforcer gets close to the apprentice, her staff glows brighter; She swings her magical staff, firing an orb of dark energy at her attacker.

 Phoenix enforcer gets vaporized as the Apprentice’s attack hits him square in the core, and the flaming remains of its armor fly back at me.

 “Shit!” I manage to shout while raising my arms to protect my face. A second later, I hear sizzling and feel the unfortunately familiar searing pain of burning metal embedding itself in my forearms. “AHHH!!!”

 The General can’t help but comment. “You look to be used to that kind of pain. As expected of a duelist who wields such unstable creatures.”

 Stumbling back, I lower my still smoldering arms and shout. “You’ll pay for that! As DPE was destroyed in battle, I activate its effect in the grave! Like a phoenix, Destroyer Phoenix Enforcer rises from its ashes on the next Standby Phase. You really thought you were hindering me by winning this battle, didn’t you?”

 Shrugging, General Tychon says. “No… That’s expected.”

 Grumbling at his indifference, I tell. “Tch, fine. I end my turn with this. Let’s see if you are all talk.”

 [ Main Phase 2, End Phase ]

 [ Draw Phase ]

 As the turn ticks over, the General sighs and asks. “Yuumi, I have to ask, why do you fight so furiously?”

 I am taken aback by that. Furrowing my brow, I reply in an elevated tone. “W-What? Isn’t that obvious? You’re trying to kidnap me, for fuck’s sake! Are you expecting me not to resist?!”

 The General takes a deeper breath. “And are you aware of why I’m doing it? Yuumi, the Union. Needs. You.”

 Smirking, I advise. “If that is really the case, then they aren’t making the best first impressions, are they?” I stand firm. “You interrupt our tournament, endanger lives… And then you shoot one of my best friends… The Union can go to hell.”

 His head lowers, and he sighs. “Like I said, Union High Command miscalculated. They thought they didn’t need to win you over. I promise you, if you just come quietly, I will personally see to it that you and your friends are treated with the utmost respect. The best that the Union can give.”

 I can’t help but let out a nasal laugh while lowering my head. “I see… You miscalculated… How silly of you…” I look up at the General again. “You know, there is another person who also ‘miscalculated’ with me… He also happens to be much closer than the Union ever will… And I have also received offers familiar to yours, just with better, much more explicit terms. So I ask, what makes you unique? I mean, other than having SHOT my best friend through the shoulder.”

 The General squints at me. “Now that’s quite a conundrum you raise… But I raise you this: One month before the war started, a Penta-Summoner gets discovered in Union’s own Dragoon City. Do you think this is a coincidence?”

 I visibly roll my eyes. “Do you really believe that ‘destiny’ crap? Or is it just a convenient scapegoat since you have no other argument?”

 He huffs, getting noticeably agitated. “Arrgg, of course you wouldn’t get it. You’re just a child who thinks that she owns the world because she got benefits at birth.”

 I freeze hearing that, my jaw lowering. “… Do you even know anything about who I am?”

 He sighs. “Of course, I do, Yuumi Katayama…”

 Waving my arms around, showing my confusion, I reply. “Then what the fuck are you getting at, General? The Union needs duelists, sure, but why go after me? It doesn’t matter I can summon every extra deck monster type. Summoning techniques are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to dueling! You have to know this, General!”

 His eyebrow rises, then falls again, followed by a sigh. “And that’s why the Union wants you… You show signs of great insight into dueling that sure as hell didn’t come from random hobos on the streets. A natural talent not only in summoning techniques but in dueling itself…” He gulps. “Well, that’s enough of me burning my turn timer. I fought hard to be here, and I won’t lose to someone that got lucky enough to have a dueling encyclopedia written on her brain at birth. DRAW!”

 [ Standby Phase ]

 ‘… So they cracked the “learned on the streets” excuse, and that’s the conclusion they replaced it with… I can work with that.’

 While I want nothing more than to let this delusional man get his turn over with, I have to finish my combo. “Just a second there, General. During the Standby Phase, DPE’s effect resolves, and it returns to my side of the field.”

 Like I said, the phoenix rises from the flames once again, placing itself slightly behind Dagda, which still stands as the Vanguard.

 [ Main Phase 1 ]

 The General gazes at his hand and nods. “Alright, time to show a ‘Rookie’ what a veteran career duelist is capable of. First, I will summon magician’s rod.”

 A familiar ghostly figure materializes next to the apprentice magician.

 Yet, I have other plans. “Not so fast! I chain the effect of ‘Destiny Hero – Destroyer Phoenix Enforcer!’ With its effect, I target my face-down card and your ‘Apprentice Illusion Magician’ for destruction! Any response?”

 Grumbling while examining his cards, the General shakes his head. “… No response.”

 A smirk runs across my lips as DPE charges his attack. The flames around him get brighter and the heat more intense. It all results in a firestorm tearing up my back row card and shattering the Apprentice, who was trying to shield herself from the flames.

 Squinting, General Tychon says. “Resolving the effect of Magician’s Rod, I add ‘Dark Magical Circle’ from the deck to my hand. Now…”

 “Hold it there!” I interrupt for the third time. “Before anything else, as Artifact Scythe was destroyed when set, I can special summon it back to the field!”

 Another large artifact joins Dagda, a large Scythe held by a creepy, grisly ghost.

 “But that’s not all! When summoned on your turn, Scythe’s other effect activates! This will prevent you from special summoning monsters from the extra deck!”

 A gloomy fog rolls in on his side of the field, and the Scythe artifact glows a bright purple.

 Squinting again, the General shouts. “You bastard… Tch, I activate my spell card ‘Dark Magical Circle!’ With this card, I look at the top three cards on my deck.” The cards supposedly show on his duel disk screen as he selects one and continues. “I will reveal the card ‘Dark Magic Inheritance’ and add it to my hand. Next, I will equip the spell card ‘Wonder Wand’ to Magician’s Rod.”

 The wand in the phantom’s hands gets replaced by another with a small orb at the top.

 “While this will raise the attack of ‘Magician’s Rod’, that’s not what I want it for. I activate its other effect; by sending Magician’s Rod and Wonder Wand to the grave, I draw two cards! But that’s still not it. After the costs of activation are sent to the grave, I chain ‘Dark Magical Inheritance!’ By banishing ‘Magician’s Rod’ and ‘Illusion Magic’ from the graveyard, this card lets me add a card that lists ‘Dark Magician’ or ‘Dark Magician Girl’ in its text.”

 The chain resolves, and he adds ‘Eternal Soul’ with Inheritance, then draws two cards.

 “You better hope whatever you drew is enough to defeat me this turn.” I taunt, knowing fully well any monsters capable of doing that would require the extra deck.

 He grunts. “Grr, you cocky harlot. I activate ‘Upstart Goblin’ letting me draw one card at the cost of giving you 1000LP.”

 I open my arms wide, enjoying the refreshing green aura of Upstart Goblin. “Nice Spa Treatment. You know, you’re supposed to be reducing my life points, right?”

 “You fucking!!—” The General catches himself. “No, I won’t allow myself to be pulled down to your level.” He looks at his hand, drawing breaths through batted teeth. “I set two cards face down, end of turn.”

 [ End Phase ]

 [ Draw Phase ]

 A wide sadistic smile draws on my lips. “AHAHAHAHHAHA!!! Oh, this will be perfect! Know this, General, I’m about to pay you back for everything you did today! And there’s nothing you can do about it… DRAW!!!”

 ‘!!!doolb em eviG …!em ot ti eviG ...regna gniliob tahT …egar taht ,seY’