"So you added the [Ojama] Monsters to your Hand that quickly? Impressive, Chumley." Mai Valentine wasn't surprised that Chumley had added the brothers to his Hand; instead, she smiled as if she had expected it all along.
[Chumley: Hand 2→5]
"However, now that I've seen the ATK and DEF swapping ability of the [Ojama] monsters, I've come prepared." From her Hand, Mai Valentine Normal Summoned a Monster. "This is the Monster I Normal Summon! Come to my Field, [Birdface]!"
With the cry of a hawk, a Monster that could be more accurately called a "bird-man" than a "[Birdface]" appeared on Mai Valentine's Field. It stood upright, covered in feathers, with a single horn on its head. [Birdface] patted the armor on its torso with its wings, looking smug and ostentatious.
[[Birdface]][Level 4/Wind]
[Winged Beast/Effect]
[1600/1600]
"If its ATK and DEF are exactly the same, then I don't have to worry about that [Ojama Country]." Mai Valentine said with a triumphant smile, pointing a finger. "[Birdface], Attack Chumley's Set Card on the Field! Reveal its true identity!"
Receiving its command, [Birdface] rode the wind and soared high, then swooped down towards Chumley's Set Card. With a swipe of its sharp talons, it exposed the true form of Chumley's Set Monster: [Celtic Guardian].
However, it was clear that the 1200 DEF of [Celtic Guardian] was far too fragile for [Birdface]'s 1600 ATK. A single strike from the talons hit its vital point, destroying it and sending it to the Graveyard.
"Excellent, first blood." Having destroyed a Monster, Mai Valentine looked rather pleased with herself. She placed two cards from her Hand onto the Field. "I Set two cards and end my Turn, Chumley."
[Mai Valentine: 3500 LP, Hand 2]
[[Birdface]][ATK 1600]
[Set Card][Set Card]
"My Turn, Draw." Chumley drew a card and looked at it. It was [Swift Gaia the Fierce Knight]. It would have been a good card if he only had one card in his Hand, but including this one, he had a total of six cards, three of which were the [Ojama] brothers. It was a bit of a brick.
"I'll Set one Monster in Defense Position, then Set one card. I end my Turn." Without successfully drawing a powerful cycling card like [Graceful Charity] or [Pot of Greed], Chumley could only repeat his actions from the previous Turn. Fortunately, he had played it safe last Turn and hadn't Set all his cards, otherwise they would have been wiped out by [Harpie's Feather Duster].
[Chumley: 4500 LP, Hand 4]
[Face-down Defense Position Monster]
[Set Card]
"Oh? Didn't draw any powerful monsters? How unlucky, little Chumley. My Turn, Draw." Seeing the good card she drew, Mai Valentine smiled and said, "In that case, big sis here will make good use of this opportunity."
"I Normal Summon [Harpie Lady] from my Hand, then I Activate my Set Card from the Backrow, [Harpie's Feather Storm]!"
A Monster infinitely more beautiful than [Birdface] appeared on Mai Valentine's Field. If one ignored the pink wings on her back, she looked just like a cute girl. The moment she was summoned, lightning began to crackle around [Harpie Lady].
"The Effect of [Harpie's Feather Storm] is, by tributing one monster on my Field, I can destroy two cards on the Field. The cards I'm destroying are your monster and your Set Card in the Backrow," Mai Valentine explained. "Go, [Harpie's Feather Storm]!"
Raging lightning covered both Chumley's front and back rows. Both the Set Monster and the Set Card in the Backrow were enveloped by the lightning and were destroyed in an instant without any resistance.
"Agh~" The [Harpie Lady] that had unleashed the lightning also suffered the backlash of the uncontrollable thunderbolt. She let out a pained cry as she, too, was destroyed by the overflowing lightning and sent to the Graveyard.
"That's too cruel. How could you bear to do that? Your Monster is crying, Mai Valentine," Chumley said, unable to bear it. This man had a kind heart.
"But Big Bro, don't you also send monsters to the—"
"Shut up."
"Oh."
Mai Valentine couldn't see the card spirits, so she didn't know that after Chumley said those words, he threatened [Ojama Yellow] with his fist to keep its mouth shut. She said with some disdain, "Duel Monsters don't have feelings. For me, all that matters is achieving final victory."
"[Birdface], there's nothing left on the Opponent's Field! Direct Attack!"
With no obstacles in its way, [Birdface] stirred up a fierce gale, blasting sand and stones against Chumley's Duel Arena. The simulated impact converted into a powerful stream of air, blowing Chumley's hair and clothes about.
[Chumley: 4500 LP→2900 LP]
Despite suffering a Direct Attack, Chumley didn't react as he had before. Instead, he looked across the Duel Arena, where Mai Valentine was happy to have closed the Life Points gap. He was heard asking, "Mai Valentine, I want to ask you a question. Why did you come to participate in this Duelist Kingdom tournament?"
"Isn't it obvious? For the prize money, of course." Mai Valentine answered without thinking. "The Champion gets a huge sum of money. With that money, I can live a life without worrying about food or clothing."
"Is that so? But I don't think you're the type to be troubled by living expenses. If nothing else, the jewelry you're wearing and the perfume and cosmetics you use are all famous brands, right?" Chumley said with a smile. "Besides, if you really value the Prize Money that much, shouldn't you, being all alone, have already entered [Pegasus' Castle] by now?"
Mai Valentine was somewhat at a loss for words and said irritably, "So why are you bringing this up now? How boring. I Set one card and end my Turn."
[Mai Valentine: 3500 LP, Hand 1]
[[Birdface]][ATK 1600]
[Set Card][Set Card]
Seeing that Mai Valentine didn't want to continue the conversation, Chumley didn't say much more, just thinking to himself: *Is she still avoiding her true feelings? This feels so familiar. But I'm not someone who's good at changing people's hearts with talk. I should probably leave Mai Valentine to that guy, Joey.*
"Then, My Turn." Looking at the super-cool "angel" card that he had just added to his Hand, Chumley showed a genuine smile. "I Activate the Spell Card, [Graceful Charity]! I can send two discards to the Graveyard to draw three new cards."
"Draw!"
(end of chapter)