Winner Take All

The game looked fascinating. It was something that could only be done with the tech from another world.

I felt like a little girl again, with so many options of food, games, and books before my eyes. But at the end of the day, I had to choose.

I was up against a "robot" as Raze called it. {The Machine God King Emperor Sexta IV}.

Just the sight of him had me shaking in my boots. I couldn't even take a look at his stats, but I could tell he was far stronger than anything we had met before. His power was truly horrifying.

I can only thank the gods that he would settle this with a game instead of an actual fight. We stood no chance otherwise, but I was confident in my skills as someone who has played games her whole life and never had trouble picking up new ones.

This game was very different from the ones I played in the past. There were creature cards to play, surprise cards that you could place face down and each player had 5,000 HP (health points).

The way to win was to reduce the other person's health to zero with the deck of 50 cards we crafted.

I had a lot of stuff to sift through, but I put together a deck that I thought would suffice...hopefully.

“Are you prepared, girl?” The large creation asked, gauging my reaction.

I gritted my teeth and smiled back at his large frame. “Bring it!”

“Then let's Duel!”

We each drew six cards, all made of thin metallic paper. Sexto IV held a card in each of his six hands and brought them up close to his face.

On the other hand, I casually held them in both hands by my face while perusing the contents. Each of these cards had a border with the art of the card with the name above it. Below them were the abilities of the creatures and their attack and defense points.

I glanced over my cards at the large board that sat on the massive table. There were six slots that I could put my creature cards onto and five slots that I could place any surprise cards face down on.

“Are you ready, girl? I will allow you to go first. You know all the rules now, correct?”

I nodded. Thanks for the handout. I won't put it to waste.” I drew a card from my deck and peeked at my seven-card hand.

“This shit looks just like the card games from my world. What a ripoff!”

I heard Raze complain from behind me. I shook my head and got into the zone.

Ok, so I have three surprise cards and four creatures, though two of them can only be played by getting rid of a creature I already have in play.

It was a hard choice for a game I never played, but I made up my mind.

Let’s go with this!

"I’m going to start by putting down two cards face down and then playing the creature, Mecha Cat. After that, you can go.”

A large projection of the metallic cat with futuristic features appeared before me like a holographic projection from my scanner.

Technology is so cool!

My creature had 500 Attack and 1,100 Defense.

“Well, then… I draw!” he said with way more enthusiasm than even a human could muster as he added a card from the deck to his hand. “Let’s see about this, girl. I play Baby Mecha Monkey and activate the surprise spell from my hand—Evolutionary Leap.” He giddily laughed to himself like a child before he went searching through his deck for a card. “And now, by getting rid of my Baby Mecha Monkey, I can upgrade him to Mecha Alpha Male Champion!”

He slammed the card now after removing the monkey from play. The projection displayed a humanoid ape in metal armor, a weapon in each of his hands that Raze told me were called "guns."

He kinda looks like Jinzo, but more futuristic, I guess. He's pretty strong too. 2,500 Attack and 2,300 Defense. His ability is even more scary though…

“Yes, it's just as you were thinking, girl. By feeding any Mecha Monkey cards in my hand to the Nether (the place where you put cards that have been killed or discarded), I can deal 500 points of damage to your HP with each one I feed to him! And I have two!”

As if reading my mind, he explained the ability of his card, albeit a little over the top before sending a Male Mecha Monkey and another Baby Mecha Monkey to the Nether.

“Take this, Rocket Launcher K-O!” What was most likely the "rocket launcher" he was referring to, appeared as an attachment on the soldier's right shoulder. It released two rockets that went straight for my HP bar at the end of the table, reducing it to 4,000.

“And that’s not all, now it's time for that cat to be scrapped! Mecha Alpha Male Champion, attack this child’s pet!”

The champion raised both of its large guns and fired away. The things it launched made my cat look like what Raze called 'Swiss cheese.' It crumbled away into nothingness, the remainder of the attack being dealt to my HP directly.

It dwindled down to 2,700, nearly half my starting HP and we were only one turn in!

I would have thought I would have been shocked or dealt damage to my very soul for losing my health, but that was not the case.

Still, we will not be leaving here alive unless I pulled this off, somehow.

I placed my hands on my cheeks after setting the cards down. They were warm and most likely flushed. A lot was riding on this win and I wasn’t exactly sure how to deal with it.

There was the darker side of myself that had been rearing its head a lot these days, mostly at night. I wonder if she would be able to effortlessly get through this without a bit of anxiety.

I felt embarrassed just thinking about this when I recalled what I did to Raze…

Anyways!

“I’ll set one card face down. It’s your go, girl.”

Right.

I drew my card and added it to my hand. My shoulders perked up a bit while confidence swelled in my chest like a balloon. I can do this.

“I’ll start by activating one of my face-down surprise cards, Recycle. By discarding two creatures from my hand, I can not only bring back the Mecha Cat that you destroyed but also take the other three duplicates from my deck and add them to my hand.” I stood up while I spoke, spreading my hands for dramatic effect. Why was I acting like this? I was never so over the top and sporadic.

“Then I will play my second Mecha Cat as my one creature for turn and use another surprise card on the field, Catmania. With this card, I can bring a cat mech creature from my deck and put it into play as long as it has less than 1,500 Attack.”

I felt kinda stupid explaining to him what the cards do, but the table was long and it felt a lot faster this way. Plus Raze and Lyra were watching—one with great interest and the other seething while his hand covered his face.

After sifting through my deck to find the card I was looking for, I slammed it onto the holo-table. “I play Kitty Cat MK-III.”

“Why are they all cats?" Raze muttered behind me. "Why did she build a tribal deck?"

“Maybe the Machine God King Emperor loves his felines or maybe she does,” Lyra responded to him with.

Hey...I only like them a little.

“Now, I play the surprise card from my hand, Mecha Kingdom. With it, I can send all three of my cat mech creatures to the Nether and summon any cat mech creature from my deck. Sooo…” I trailed off to make sure the others behind me were still focused on my extravagant play. Sexta IV sure was. His myriad of eyes was focused on me and me alone like my own personal spotlight. A bit creepy!

“Sooooooooo,” I kept buying time while I looked through my deck for a card that might help here. It took some time but… "Found it! Here we go. I play Mecha Cat LV 10: Tiger Sovereign.

A massive pitch-black metal tiger spawned into existence as a hologram with spikes jutting out all over his body, two tails, and even two jaws with razor-sharp teeth jutting out like knives inside of them. He had three pearl-shaped eyes and a horn like a unicorn in the middle. His attack was 3,500, while his defense was 3,000.

That wasn't the best part, though.

Since he could only be summoned by using other cat mechs, when he died, the other three would come back, meaning even if he is destroyed next turn, I can get something to replace him soon after.

I was set.

“Oh? Impressive girl. He is quite a strong mech and one of the favorites that I designed.”

"Oh, is that so?" I tried to smile as best as I could in his presence, but it was hard….like, really hard. His imposing form alone made it hard for me to think straight at times. Only my love for games has been able to allow me to have such a clear mind so far, but I’m not sure how long that will last…

I mustered some courage and continued to carry out my play. “Mecha Cat lV 10: Tiger Sovereign, attack his machine alpha thing.”

“Mecha Alpha Male Champion. That is his name. It would behoove you to remember it.”

I’m not saying that!

“Just attack!”

My creature unhinged his jaws and released an azure beam of death. It surged toward the robot alpha thing and obliterated him while dealing Sexta IV a juicy 1,200 points to his HP!

I sat back down and crossed my arms with satisfaction before saying, ”Oh and I forgot to mention one of his special abilities. When he kills a creature, the damage you take from the splash damage is doubled!”

His HP went from 5,000 down to a crisp 2,600. He was now lower than my own HP, putting me in the lead.

I really can do this!

I couldn't get cocky though. Underestimating someone was a death flag in its own right. I had been underestimated my whole life, one for being a beast-kin and the other for being a girl. I wasn't going to let this slight victory get to my head.

“I’ll put one more card face down and end my turn.” I let out a deep sigh. Wow, talking this much is really hard work. Only a machine could stay pumped up for so long without getting exhausted and annoyed.

Sexto IV nodded with his massive head and proceeded to his turn, looking unfazed. “That was quite a play, girl...but not good enough! I activate a surprise card from my hand, Rebuild. With it, I can replay a creature from the Nether that was sent there on my opponent's turn as well as being able to play a creature from my deck and attach it to them.”

“A-attach? What does that mean? We only have creatures and surprise cards to work with, right?”

“Correct, however, some of these creatures can be converted into gears for others with their special abilities. I’m sure you saw a good amount of them in the cards I gave you, as well.”

...He was right. I did. Some of them had the ability to combine with another creature by giving just their attack to it.

I felt deathly pale as a grim smile crept across my face. This was not good, not good at all.

“Yeah, I do…”

“Good, well I got Snake Mecha from my deck and am able to add it to my Mecha Alpha Male Champion to increase its attack by 1,300 points.”

On no.

“Oh yes! This will raise my Mecha Alpha Male Champion’s Attack power to a total of 3,800; it’s more than enough to deal with your little tiger. Now, Mecha Alpha Snake Male Champion, attack her Mecha Cat LV 10: Tiger Sovereign!”

"Why does he always say the full name!" Raze shouted.

The mecha snake that coiled around his left side released an oblong pink blast from his maw while he used both of his guns to rain down a hail of fire on my beast.

This was really bad, but I wasn't going to go down without a fight. I had a plan!

“In response to your attack, I activate my last face-down card, Mirror Reflection! It reverses your creature's attack right back at itself.”

The gunshots and beam changed directions, heading back towards their master.

“Well played girl, but I thought you might have a trick up your sleeve, so now I will have to reveal my own. I reveal my surprise card, Negator!”

I slammed the table in frustration. Shit! I have that card too and know exactly how good it is.

Before I could explain, he beat me to it.

“Not only does it stop your Mirror Reflection, but it also negates the abilities of any creatures you control for this turn. I guess you won't be getting your little trio back. Ha-Ha-Ha.”

A large X flipped out from his card and flew into my Mirror Reflection, covering the whole thing with the massive 'X' mark. The same thing happened to my creature. Its body had a flexible X coiling around it like a serpent.

The attack finally landed on my creature, blowing it to kingdom come and dealing 800 points of damage to my HP.

I was in the red now because of my blunder.

Sexta IV clasped his hands together, a warped smile creeping upon his face. “Great! I have one last thing to do before I pass. I discard one more Mecha Monkey card to deal another 500 damage directly to your HP. How does defeat taste, girl? Even as a construct, it's a taste that is unforgettable.”

The launcher on his right shoulder fired again, sending another rocket toward my HP bar and reducing it to a mere 1,400 HP.

Jeez...I’m screwed if I don’t find a solution for him on my turn. Is it top deck time?

“I am done. Spend some time thinking about your next play. It will be your last,” He sneered.

Sigh. I need an answer. It all comes down to this one card...No, wait! I have something else!

There was a card in my hand that could help. I just needed something to pair with it.

And so...I drew my next card…

It’s perfect. With this I can win....! ...That’s what someone would say if they were the luckiest person in the world, and of course, that wasn't me. I could only hope for a miracle. 

“First I’ll start off by playing the surprise card, Vengeance Reborn. It allows me to return a creature from the Nether to the field, but its attack is cut in half and I have to send it back at the end of turn.”

“Ah...desperate are we? Proceed.” He clasped his hands together and gazed at me like I was nothing more than a toy for his amusement. It didn't feel good.

“...Next, I will bring back Mecha Cat LV 10: Tiger Sovereign, even though his attack will become a lot lower…”

My cat monster reappeared on the field, but his Attack points dropped from 3,500 to 1,750. It wouldn't be able to even touch the alpha mecha snake thing, but I needed him for what came next.

I took a deep breath and let the air flow out of my mouth slowly. It allowed me to focus and also take my senses away. I grabbed my nose. Ack! Since when did it smell so musty in here?

I ignored the smell and moved on with my play. “Now I will play the card I just drew, Scrapped For Parts, which allows me to send this creature to the Nether in exchange for drawing two new cards.”

I placed my hand over the deck and silently prayed to all the gods I knew. I really needed something here...

My Mecha Cat LV 10 vanished from sight and was replaced with the original three creatures I used to put him onto the field in the first place.

Then I drew my two cards.

“Hmm...could...this...work?” I spoke in a low voice, making sure to not let my opponent see any weakness.

One of my cards was a dud...but the other...there might be some hope after all. I really hope he doesn't have any more tricks.

I stuck a glance from over my cards at his side of the table. Besides his strong creature, he had no cards face down…

If I remember correctly and I’m pretty good at remembering rules...he shouldn't be able to do anything to this play. It’s a gamble and if he does have something up his sleeve, well...I hope Raze and Lyra are good at card games.

“Next I will play the creature, Corrupted Cannon.”

A large metal turtle with five cannons on top of its shell hunkered into existence. It had 0 Attack and Defense. It was massive, unreliable, and a joke card.

“T-that thing? I made that card as a meme... To think you would put a card that relies on luck and HP in your deck... You are even more foolish than I thought, girl.”

“My name,” I spat. “Is Komoria Vato! No card is a joke if you use it correctly. Now, I activate Corrupted Cannon’s ability! By paying half my HP and sacrificing all three of my creatures it will gain half of each of their Attack points... Did I mention it can also attack your HP directly?”

My hp dropped down to 700.

“Ah-Ha-Ha-Ha!” He smashed three of his fists on the table as he broke into laughter. “With the HP you have left, this will most likely end up in my favor. What a ridiculous play. Your fate is all but sealed, girl!”

I didn't respond to his taunt, instead looking at the other card in my hand I needed for this to work. I placed it face down on the field and hoped for the best.

My creature's attack was a total of 650...meaning that...

“I’ll set one card face down and move to attack. Corrupted Cannon, attempt to attack his HP directly!”

The first cannon on its back rotated around until it faced me and fired. My HP dropped to a stunning 50. That was right. My cannon could even fire on its owner. That was the price of it being able to attack five times in one turn.

The thought of being killed by my own creature nearly made me laugh, but I needed to hope this played out the best way it could. I could feel Lady Endina watching me, hands clasped as if praying to herself for my victory. 

Sexta IV was reeling with laughter. “Ha-Ha-Ha. It’s as I said, girl. I have more HP and the chances of the other four hitting me in a row are next to none!”

I knew this and yet I continued. “Attack again!”

The second cannon didn't move, instead, it fired a blue cannon ball at Sexta’s HP, reducing it to 1950.

“Again!” I screamed.

The cannon third cannon fired at the same target, reducing Sexta IV’s HP down to 1300.

That caught his attention. “Oh? Two out of the three shots have hit and only two remain? If you are truly lucky, then the other two could indeed hit me for exactly my HP and knock me out, but the chances of that are…”

“Fire again!” I cut him off, hoping to finally put an end to this once and for all.

Unfortunately...the fourth cannon pointed back my way…

“IT’S OVER GIRL! YOU DOOMED YOURSELF!” his voice boomed throughout the room.

It’s over….

"Damn bat," I heard Raze say.

"She did her best," Lyra assured him.

The cannon fired, heading directly to my HP.

My weak smile curled into a grin.

Or is it?

“I activate my surprise card, Divine Retribution!”

Sexta IV stopped laughing when he saw the card I revealed. “Wait… IT CAN'T BE!”

“By paying half my life points and as long as it's my turn, I can redirect any attack made at me back at my opponent.”

My HP dropped to 25.

Sexta IV went silent.

The cannonball changed direction and collided with Sexta IV’s HP once more, dropping it down to 650. This very niche and specific card had perfectly played out in my favor. 

“Now!” I stood up in my seat again and pointed a finger at him with a rather menacing glare. “Whoever gets hit with this last shot will lose!”

“T-there's no way you will win this luck battle, I am the Machine Go—”

“Corrupted Cannon, FIRE!”

It all came down to this last shot.

Winner and loser. It would all be decided with this last attack.

I wasn’t the luckiest girl, especially lately, but I prayed multiple times since I played this card. I can only hope for the best.

The last cannon didn't move...only staring directly toward the Machine God King Emperor.

It was hard to see his reaction as a creature of metal and machine, but I think his face was full of disbelief.

“T-there's no way a mere child would use a completely skill-less mechanic like l-luck to defeat me…”

The cannon fired.

...and tore Sexta IV’s remaining HP down to 0.

“Wow, you actually won. Good shit, Komoria,” Raze commented from the size, clearly happy at the sudden change of events.

“That was a splendid display of gaming, even if I didn’t entirely understand what was happening,” Lyra added.

“NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!” the loser screamed. “How could this happen? Me? Lose? To a mere girl of flesh in a game of chance...RAAAAAAAAH!”

He roared for a moment but quickly calmed down. “So... best two out of three…?”

“Um...no thanks, “I said nicely. “We would like to leave here peacefully with the princess.”

Sexto IV stood up and hung his large head. “Oh...I see… Well, I’m a robot of my word and agreed to give you what you wanted if you won... Sit tight...I will make the preparations.”

His voice was full of pain and sorrow. He was truly depressed about the outcome.

He pressed a button on his side of the table. It lowered Raze, Lyra, and I all back to the ground.

“This is not the final floor. I shall be back shortly.”

He leapt onto the table nearly crushing it under his weight. A blue beam appeared from the clear-view roof, sucking him up the same way we have been when we came here. It took him all the way into the sky before disappearing, leaving the three of us alone.