Episode 8: Misjudging the Small, Part 1

Previously on Yu-gi-oh! Duelist Showdown! Sally said, "It's quite simple. We both begin with 2000 Life Points, sacrifices aren't necessary to summon high-powered monsters, and direct attacks are illegal unless they're in the monster's special ability." Sally said, "Summoned Skull (2500/1200). Lightning Strike towards the Wizard!" Joseph said, "You're as predictable as you are brainless." Joseph picked up his Hall of Lasers trap and said, "You make the same mistake twice?" Sally said, "The Hall of Lasers?" Joseph said, "That's right." Frank said, "Awesome. I knew he could duel circles around this girl." Nick said, "Yeah, with that trap in play, his field is untouchable." Joseph thought, "There's one card in my deck that can win this duel for me if I can draw it." Joseph drew Monster Reborn from his deck and said, "I play Monster Reborn. And I'll return your Catapult Turtle (1000/2000) in Attack Mode. Then Catapult Turtle shot Robin at Sally, and she lost 925 Life Points, bringing her down to 0. Sally and Joseph left the arena, and Sally handed over the two coins she wagered to Joseph, giving him 4. Joseph said, "Well, that duel was too easy. Maybe we should go and find you a more challenging opponent."

After they finished dinner, Joseph, Nick, and Frank checked into the hotel Jenn had arranged for all the duelists to sleep in. They looked in the lobby and saw a duel was happening. Joseph said, "I wonder who these two are." One of the people watching the fight said, "To your left is Sarah Simple. She specializes in weak cards and only has 1600 Life Points left. Her opponent is Jetta Rose. She has 3600 Life Points, and it's her move. Jetta drew Killer Needle from her deck and said, "My Killer Needle (1200/1000) will surely crawl under your defense monster's skin. Attack!" Sarah said, "You fell right into my trap. My defense card's The Man Eater-Bug (450/600). So even though your bug monster is stronger, both are destroyed. Now it's my turn." Sarah drew Scapegoat from her deck and said, "I play Muka Muka (600/300). And since I hold six cards, his power raises my 1800." Then, Muka Muka's power rose from 600 to 2400. Sarah said, "And I'm not done yet. I'll weaken him by 300 points by playing another card. And I play Megamorph." Then Muka Muka's power dropped to 2100. Sarah said, "Since my Life Points are shorter than yours, my Muka Muka's power doubles." Then, Muka Muka's power rose from 2100 to 4200. Joseph said, "Now that's a whole lot of points." Sarah said, "Enough to wipe her out. Muka Muka, attack her directly." Then Muka Muka attacked Jetta directly, and she lost 4,200 Life Points, bringing her down to 0.

After Jetta lost the duel, Sarah took three coins, giving her six and kicking Jetta out of the tournament. Frank and Nick looked around for Joseph but didn't see him. Joseph said, "Hey, Sarah. Want to take me on?" Sarah said, "Are you sure you want to duel me?" Joseph said, "Are you sure?" Sarah said, "Fine. Just like my last duel, three coins say I win." Joseph said, "Fine. And I'll wager two of mine against you. The loser loses half of their coins." Sarah said, "Why should I risk three when you're only risking two?" Joseph said, "Because if you don't, you don't accept the match." Sarah said, "Fine." Joseph and Sarah tossed their coins on the ground and got ready to duel. Then, they put their decks in their duel disks and drew their first five cards. Then their Life Points started at 4000.

Sarah drew Monster Reborn, Castle Walls, Gyaku-Gire Panda, Millennium Shield, and Reinforcements. Joseph drew Sam, The Queen's Guard's Horse, Mountain Cave, Malena, The Ninja Girl, The Warrior Returning Alive, and Wizard's Cottage. Sarah drew Morphing Jar and said, "I'll start this duel with two face-down cards. And Gyaku-Gire Panda (800/1600) in defense mode." Joseph said, "That's the card that Luna tried to beat Nick with." Joseph drew Felix, The Queen's Guard, from his deck and said, "I summon Felix, The Queen's Guard (1300/1000) in Attack Mode." Then, Gyaku-Gire Panda's power increased from 800 to 1300. Sarah drew Winged Kuriboh from her deck and said, "Are you crazy? Both our monsters are equal. Why would you play your monster in Attack Mode." Joseph said, "Because defense was too risky." Frank said, "That's right. As soon as he played a monster to defend, Gyaku-Gire Panda's power rose to 1300. So he could have destroyed Felix in defense mode. But they'll destroy each other if they're even in strength. So Felix is safer in Attack Mode." Nick said, "And her panda's defense is 1600, so it was too powerful to destroy. Joseph does think his moves through." Sarah said, "I'll lay another card face down and sacrifice my Gyaku-Gire Panda to summon The Millennium Shield-0/3000 in defense mode. But wait, I reveal my face-down card, Monster Reborn. This card will bring back Gyaku-Gire Panda, and I'll play him in Attack Mode. That ends my turn." Joseph drew Monster Reborn from his deck and said, "I'll switch my monster to defense mode, and I'll play another monster face down in defense mode. And I'll finish with two face-down cards." Sarah said, "By playing another monster, you increase Gyaku-Gire Panda's power by another 500 points." Then, Gyaku-Gire Panda's power rose from 1300 to 1800.

Sarah drew Draining Shield from her deck and said, "Gyaku-Gire Panda, destroy his Queen's Guard." Then Gyaku-Gire Panda destroyed Felix and lost 500 attack points, bringing him down to 1300. Sarah said, "I'll end my turn. Joseph drew Rapid Ride from his deck and said, "I play Rapid Ride. This card lets me flip a coin to decide your monsters' fall. So, if I call the coin toss right, your monsters are destroyed because they didn't survive my rapids. If I call it wrong, your monsters survive and get taken out of play for three turns since they took the plunge at the falls, and someone will eventually find them. And I think I'll go with heads." Joseph flipped the coin, and it landed on heads. Joseph said, "It's Heads. Which means both your monsters are destroyed. Later." Then, both Susan's monsters got destroyed. Joseph said, "I now reveal The Warrior Returning Alive, so I get a warrior back from my graveyard. I'll summon Felix, the Queen's Guard (1300/1000), in Attack Mode. And I'll also switch Sam, The Queen's Guard's Horse (1100/1200), into Attack Mode. And finally, I reveal Monster Reborn to bring back your Gyaku-Gire Panda (800/1600) in Attack Mode." Sarah said, "Oh man. This guy has three monsters on the field, and I have none." Joseph said, "Correct, and all their attacks are aimed at you. Monsters, attack!" First, Felix slashed away 1300 of Sarah's Life Points, bringing her down to 2700. Then Sam kicked away 1100 more points, bringing Sarah down to 1600. And finally, Gyaku-Gire Panda scratched away 800 more, bringing her down to 800. Joseph said, "Ok, I'm ending my turn." Sarah got up and drew Man-Eater Bug from her deck. Sarah thought, "The card that led me to victory with Jetta in my last duel. Here's hoping I can do it with him." Sarah said, "I'll place one monster face down in defense mode. And I'll lay one other card face down." Then, Gyaku-Gire Panda's power increased from 800 to 1300. Sarah said, "I end my turn." Sarah thought, "Let's see if he'll fall for my trap."

To Be Continued