Reluctantly discarding the five cards from his Hand and sending them to the Graveyard, Gaia remained silent, without a word of complaint. Ojama Yellow, however, was bawling with snot and tears streaming down his face. Before that idiot could wipe his snot on Hayato's hand, Hayato quickly threw him into the Graveyard and firmly pinned him down with Gaia's Card.
Ignoring the scene where Gaia chased after Ojama Yellow because his armor was covered in Ojama Yellow's snot, Hayato's attention returned to the Field, and he heard Weevil proudly explaining his calculations:
"My invincible (Cocoon of Evolution) has a hefty 2000 Defense Points. Besides Summoning powerful Monsters with 2000 or more ATK, your only other option is to Summon an Ojama Monster that can change a Monster's ATK and Defense Points. But whether you Summon a powerful Monster or add an Ojama Monster to your Hand, I've already accounted for it!"
"Struggle all you want within my meticulous, spiderweb-like plan, then be defeated, Hayato!"
Still sporting that terrible facial expression that even Judge Marik wouldn't give a single point for, Weevil cackled, drew a Card, and proudly showed it to Hayato: "Oh my, I actually drew (Pot of Greed)! What a shame it's not (Cards of Sanctity), otherwise you could've hitched a ride too."
"Envious? I Activate (Pot of Greed), drawing from my Deck—"
Weevil was cut off mid-sentence by Hayato: "The moment you Activate (Pot of Greed), I'll use this Card." Although he really wanted to say he Activated (Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring), Hayato's System temporarily didn't support exchanging Tuner Monsters, so what he Activated was just a Set Card:
"(Appropriate), it can only be Activated when you draw Cards outside of the Draw Phase. Each time you draw Cards outside of the Draw Phase, I can draw 2 Cards from my Deck." Before Weevil's "Are you jealous? I can draw two Cards!" expression faded, Hayato also drew two Cards from his Deck. "If you can, please draw even more Cards, you Insect bastard."
"You bastard!" Weevil gritted his teeth in anger, itching with rage. But remembering his Set Card, he suppressed his annoyance and sneered, "I'd like to see how long you can stay so cocky! Summon (Flying Kamakiri #2)!"
Accompanied by the buzzing of its beating wing casings, a mantis appeared next to Weevil's (Cocoon of Evolution), brandishing long, sharp scythe-like arms, as if joining the hunt. Its crimson compound eyes roamed over (Celtic Guardian)'s body. Although its predatory preference was for Insects, it wouldn't mind a taste of spirit flesh.
(Flying Kamakiri #2) [Level 4/Wind/Insect-Type/Normal Monster/1500 ATK/800 DEF]
"I Set a Card! Let the hunt begin, proud Insect Warrior! Slice that annoying (Celtic Guardian) to shreds!"
At Weevil's command, the long-stalking (Flying Kamakiri #2) instantly blurred into an afterimage undetectable by the naked eye. Although (Celtic Guardian) maintained constant vigilance, raising his long sword to defend against an Attack, (Flying Kamakiri #2)'s speed was simply too great. In less than a second, it appeared behind (Celtic Guardian), piercing him through the back with its scythe-like arms.
As (Celtic Guardian) was Destroyed by battle, Hayato's Life Points decreased for the first time since the Game began.
[Hayato: 5000LP → 4900LP]
"It's just negligible Damage." Because it was merely 100 points of Damage, the impact simulated by the Solid Vision System was no more than a gentle breeze. Hayato didn't even bat an eye. "With (Celtic Guardian) Destroyed, I have a Set Card to Activate."
"It's this one, (Dig of Destiny)! I can only Activate it when I take battle Damage. I draw one Card from my Deck!"
Although it was only 100 points of Damage, exchanging (Celtic Guardian) — I mean, cannon fodder sword — for a Card in his Hand was a definite win. Thinking this, Hayato looked at the Card he had just drawn, somewhat speechless at the sight of (Ojama Black) boastfully dancing on it: "A-ka-ka-ka, next Turn Big Bro will definitely Summon me and use my mighty power to defeat the opponent's Monster, right? Ohohoho, Yellow and Green are both idiots, I'm definitely Big Bro's Soul~"
Meanwhile, Weevil across the Duel Field saw Hayato draw a Card, his face filled with excitement: "Hehe, hehehehe! Just as I thought! You, you drew a Card again!"
Just as Hayato wondered what this annoying guy was up to now, Weevil ended his Turn: "My Turn ends. And the life within (Cocoon of Evolution) has been gestating for two Turns now. If you don't speed things up, my invincible Ace Card will be making its appearance soon~"
[Weevil: 2300 LP, Hand 0]
[(Cocoon of Evolution) DEF 2000]
[(Flying Kamakiri #2) ATK 1500]
[Set Card]
"My Turn, Draw." Hayato drew a Card from his Deck; it was (Curse of Dragon). As an old partner often paired with (Gaia The Fierce Knight), this noble Level 5 Dragon-Type Monster had a hefty 2000 ATK, which was 650 points higher than the eternal God, (Lion Sorcerer).
Since there were no Tributes on the Field that could be Released, Hayato couldn't Summon it even if he wanted to. Furthermore, both (Flying Kamakiri #2) and (Cocoon of Evolution) were specialized cards, and with (Ojama Country) already Activated on the Field, it would be better for him to Summon (Ojama Black) now.
Just as Hayato was about to play the dancing (Ojama Black) from his Hand, Weevil on the opposite Duel Arena began to cackle sinisterly: "Tee-hee-hee-hee, Hayato, you drew two Cards earlier with (Appropriate), and then you drew another Card using (Dig of Destiny), right? And then during your Draw Phase, you drew another Card."
"Such greed will bring you utter disaster!" Weevil sneered, flipping open the Set Card on his Field. "The moment your Hand has 4 Cards, I Activate the Trap Card (Trap Dustshoot)! You must reveal your Hand to me, and then I choose one Monster to return to your Deck!"
"Listen, let me see!"
What the hell? Are you sure you're "Insect" Weevil and not "Shadow" Weevil? How do you have every single card?
Because Weevil hadn't taken off his glasses to 'release the seal', Hayato didn't cooperate by shouting "No!" either, instead reluctantly placing his Hand on the display area of the Duel Arena.
It's worth mentioning the humanized design of the Duel Arena here. Considering the long distance between the two players on the Duel Field, the possibility of large Monsters obstructing the view, and the fact that some Duelists, like Weevil, might be nearsighted, the Duel Arenas constructed by the Princeton Group had a dedicated area for displaying Cards.
As Hayato placed his Cards into the display area, Weevil clearly saw the Cards in Hayato's Hand.
"(Curse of Dragon), (Meteor Stream), and (Time Machine), and even an (Ojama Black)." Weevil looked at the Cards in Hayato's Hand. "How dangerous! I didn't expect you to be so skilled, still able to draw another Ojama Monster even after (Ojama Yellow) was Sent to the Graveyard. I certainly can't let you Summon it."
"Get back into your Deck, that (Ojama Black)!"
Watching Hayato return the only Monster he could Normal Summon back to his Deck, Weevil chuckled triumphantly: "(Curse of Dragon) is a Level 5 Monster, requiring a Tribute to Summon, and the other two Cards don't have the ability to Revive Monsters. You can't do anything! Just look forward to being hit by my (Flying Kamakiri #2)'s Direct Attack next Turn!"
(Since this is the first Duel in Duelist Kingdom, Weevil's Duel will probably be the most detailed. There's one more detailed Duel planned later; after that, I'll just have the protagonist collect Stars from minor Duelists and keep the descriptions brief. After that, it's entering the castle to become one of the Top 8 and challenge Pegasus.)
(end of chapter)