"Alright, my turn's over. It's your move, Mr. Kira," Jesse said, face full of excitement.
"I've heard the Duel King uses all kinds of decks. What approach will it be this time? Just thinking about it gets me hyped!"
"Careful you don't get OTK'd, Jesse," the Emerald Tortoise warned.
"Hahaha, relax—we've got this," Jesse said, giving it a thumbs-up.
"It's an honor to face the legendary Crystal Beasts," Kira smiled politely.
Well, though to be honest, the real-life Crystal Beasts are a bit underwhelming.
"My turn. Draw," Kira said. "I've specially prepared a new deck I haven't used before. Let's try it out.
First, I set a monster in face-down Defense."
He set the monster on the field face-down.
"Then I set a backrow card. Turn end."
"A brand-new deck you've been saving? That makes me even more fired up!" Jesse clenched his fists. "Alright, then it's my turn. Draw!"
Jesse revealed a card in his hand.
"I activate the Continuous Spell, Crystal Tree!"
A remarkable tree burst from the ground, its deep-brown trunk thick and sturdy. Gems hung like fruit from its branches, gleaming brilliantly, their refracted light forming a seven-colored rainbow at the top of the tree.
"As long as Crystal Tree is in the Spell/Trap Zone, each time a Crystal Beast is placed in the backrow, I put a Crystal Counter on this card!"
Being placed in the backrow is the Crystal Beasts' shared trait. When destroyed, they don't go to the GY like normal monsters; they become gemstones and are placed in the controller's Spell/Trap Zone.
In the anime, this is described as proof of the Beasts' bond with Jesse. Even if destroyed, they don't leave the field—they're always by his side, like family.
"Time to call out a new member of my family!" Jesse revealed another monster. "Come on out!
Crystal Beast Amber Mammoth!"
A radiant amber appeared on Jesse's field, bursting with dazzling light. A towering mammoth emerged from the glow with a low bellow, swinging its long trunk.
[Crystal Beast Amber Mammoth, ATK 1700]
"Leave it to me, Jesse!" The mammoth bared its sharp tusks with a roar.
"Go for it, Mammoth!" Jesse said. "Attack the face-down monster, Crystal Beast Amber Mammoth!"
The mammoth charged at full speed toward Kira's set monster, its massive frame kicking up yellow dust, its footsteps making the entire cave tremble.
"I activate my set card," Kira said, flipping his backrow. "Continuous Trap—Gravity Bind.
While this Trap is on the field, all Level 4 or higher monsters on both sides cannot attack!"
A gravity wave pulsed across the field as the trap flipped. The mammoth, midway through its charge, suddenly felt the gravity multiplied a hundredfold. Its steps sank into the ground, and it could barely move forward.
Mokuba: "Ohh, it's Kira's Gravity Bind!"
"You really like these 'you can't play the game' strategies…" the new spirit Kira called Eye floated out to gripe.
"But wait, isn't the goal of this duel to inspire the other side and wake that powerful slab? If you make it so he can't duel at all… is that really okay?"
"It's fine," Kira smiled. "I know what I'm doing. If a duelist can't play through something like this, how's he supposed to awaken Rainbow Dragon?"
Sure enough, the next moment Jesse revealed his countermeasure. "Then I activate my set card, Counter Trap—Crystal Miracle!
When a monster effect, Spell, or Trap is activated, I can destroy one 'Crystal Beast' card I control to negate and destroy that activation!"
The green-shelled turtle lying on the ground lifted its head and patted its chest with its little forelegs.
"Use my body, Jesse!"
It sounded very much like a last-stand tone.
"Alright. Sorry, Emerald Tortoise," Jesse said. "I destroy Crystal Beast Emerald Tortoise to negate and destroy the activation of Gravity Bind!"
The Emerald Tortoise seemed to be engulfed in green fire, its figure turning ethereal within the flames before transforming into a blazing shell that shot forth and smashed into Gravity Bind.
The Trap shattered, and the oppressive gravity instantly dissipated.
"When Crystal Beasts are destroyed, they don't go to the GY—they're placed in the Spell/Trap Zone as gems!" Jesse said.
As he spoke, the turtle had already turned into a sparkling green emerald, which dropped into Jesse's backrow, gleaming brightly.
"And at this moment, I activate the Continuous Trap, Crystal Conclave!" Jesse said. "Once per turn, when a Crystal Beast I control is destroyed by battle or card effect, I can Special Summon a 'Crystal Beast' from my Deck.
I'll call out a new Crystal Beast!"
Jesse searched his Deck and revealed a card.
"Your turn to shine!
Crystal Beast Sapphire Pegasus!"
A sapphire gem appeared on the field and then shattered, unleashing brilliant blue light. A pegasus with alabaster coat and angelic wings circled twice in the air and alighted gracefully onto the field.
[Crystal Beast Sapphire Pegasus, ATK 1800]
"Going all-out from the start today, eh, Jesse?" the pegasus said.
"Yeah," Jesse grinned. "Today's opponent is rare and we can't let our guard down for even a second. Everyone needs to be at their best."
"No problem!"
"Leave it to us!"
The Crystal Beasts chimed in.
"Then I activate Sapphire Pegasus's effect!" Jesse said. "When it's Summoned or Special Summoned, I can place any 'Crystal Beast' from my hand, Deck, or GY in my Spell/Trap Zone as a Continuous Spell!"
Jesse pulled a card from his Deck.
"Come on out, Crystal Beast—Ruby Carbuncle!"
A red gem appeared in his backrow, hovering in the S/T Zone. The moment it was placed, it radiated a brilliant crimson glow.
Then both the ruby and emerald in Jesse's backrow shattered, and the petite, adorable Ruby Carbuncle and the just-retired Emerald Tortoise both returned to their original forms and dropped onto the field.
[Crystal Beast Ruby Carbuncle, DEF 300]
[Crystal Beast Emerald Tortoise, DEF 2000]
Kira raised an eyebrow.
Hold on, I don't play Crystal Beasts much, but don't try to scam me—how did you Special Summon them like that?
Isn't Ruby Carbuncle's effect supposed to trigger when it itself is Special Summoned, to Special Summon the backrow Crystal Beasts to the front?
Jesse: "Ruby Carbuncle's effect is: when this card is placed in the Spell/Trap Zone, you can Special Summon as many 'Crystal Beast' monsters placed in your S/T Zone as possible!" (Anime effect)
Kira stroked his chin.
So the anime Crystal Beasts had that difference, huh. I totally didn't remember that…