Chapter 3 Friends

it's Saturday morning and October back on Earth, and everyone was on their way to the game shop for the weekly Magic tournament, including Nate and his friends. The game shop was like any other, with video games, cards, and merchandise, but they still loved this one the best. The group got to the game shop half an hour early to make sure they wouldn't get put up against each other at least until round 3. Eddie, Tom, and Amy checked in their decks but Nate still wasn't sure which deck he should use (he brought them all).

"Come on Nate," said the clerk, "we go through this every week. Just pick a deck."

"All right, calm down," Nate said, "here, I'll use this one."

the clerk handed the deck to one of his co-workers so they could write down what cards were in the deck and said, "and what would you like to call this deck?"

"WUBRG Legends." Nate said smugly as the clerk handed him his deck back.

"Hey are we too early to sign up?" Called a young female voice from the doorway.

"No, you're good," the clerk sighed, "come on in and sign up."

"Sweet," responded a young male. Looking over to where the voices came from, the group saw two kids, a boy and a girl no older than 12, running up to the counter each with the most basic of deck boxes in their hands.

"I'm Trey," said the boy. Trey had a black beanie that covers his hair but his eyebrows are black so the group assumed his hair was too. He also had gray eyes, and was wearing a green hoodie and blue mesh pants.

"And I'm Reagan," said the girl. Reagan has hair so blond it was almost White, and the same gray eyes that Trey has, implying the two are most likely related. She was wearing a pink unicorn shirt and loose black pants.

"Okay, and what would you like your decks to be called?" The clerk asked the two children.

"Mine's red," said Trey confused by the question.

"And mine's white," followed Reagan just as baffled.

"Okay, so if you would just give your decks to my friend here, he can register them." The two children handed over their decks and about five minutes later, they were given back.

"Now what?" The two asked in unison.

"Why don't you come hang out with us?" Amy said to the pair of wide-eyed eyed kids.

The four high schoolers and the two children talked for another half an hour while more and more people came and signed up for matches. The group learned that the two were twins, this would be the kids' first competitive match, and that their decks came from the same starter pack a few days prior for their first decks with no other cards. The gang knew the poor kids wouldn't make it past the first round but they didn't want to tell them and Crush their hopes. at least they would each get a free booster pack for a consolation prize.

By the time the first round started, 32 players had signed up, meaning this would be a five-round tourney and little Trey's match was first. He was going up against some loser the gang had never seen before named Colton. Colton was short and fat with no hair, sunglasses, a white shirt with so many stains it was almost brown, and jean shorts that were too short.

"I have to fight a child?" Colton said in the most stereotypical 'I'm 40 and live in my mom's basement' voice anyone had ever heard, "this is an insult upon my skills, I have won 20 local tournaments in a row and for my first round you want me to fight a child?"

"Unless you want to forfeit," the clerk replied obviously done with this guy.

"Ugh, fine," Colton said shuffling up to the table, "I just want to let you know, little boy, that I will not go easy on you."

"Fine by me," Trey replied.

7 turns later, a life total hits zero, and it wasn't Trey's. Colton sat in a shocked silence for about a minute before he finally said, "I don't know how but he cheated, I know he did! There is no way some snot-nosed kid with a premade deck beat me in a fair match!"

"The refs and I were paying very close attention," the clerk told Colton, "the kid played fair."

"No! I refuse to believe that! I have won 20 consecutive local tourneys, and I refuse to believe that a child eliminated me in the first round!" Colton cried.

"Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to leave!" The clerk said raising his voice.

"I'm telling my mom!" The fat man said crying and "running" out of the shop.

After the wave of a confusion passed, Nate walked up to Trey and said, "Hey, you won, congrats."

"Why did that man get so upset?" Trey asked.

"Cuz he's a sore loser," Eddie said chuckling to himself.

"I still can't get over the fact he actually said he was going to tell his mom," Tom said bewildered.

"Come on guys, it's Reagan's turn," Amy called to the boys.

Reagan's opponent didn't stand a chance, he got mana flooded and couldn't summon anything while Reagan slowly chipped away at his life total. In the end, Reagan won 17 to 0, but this guy was more gracious in defeat than Colton, he congratulated her, got his free booster and left.

Next up was Nate, and his opponent was a girl named Sylvia. Sylvia has dark brown skin, black wavy hair put up in a ponytail, and green eyes that had no trace of patience for anything. Plus, she was wearing some very expensive-looking clothes and just radiated 'stuck-up rich kid'.

"Nice to meet you," Nate said politely.

"Whatever," Sylvia sneered.

"Hey, I'm just trying to be friendly," Nate said a little hurt.

"Well stop!" Sylvia snapped, "this is a competition with no teams, there's no time for friends."

"Oof, all right," Nate replied, "but that doesn't mean we can't have fun."

"Tell you what, if you can beat me then I'll talk to you," Sylvia said winking. Nate didn't notice but Eddie and Tom did and Amy sure as hell did. The boys were worried they would have to evacuate the store but Amy managed to control herself.

"I'll go first," Nate said playing a boros guildgate, "I end my turn."

"I'll play a forest and end my turn," Sylvia said in response.

"Paying one of any, I put rupture spire on to the field and end my turn."

"I'll play a swamp and then for one black, I cast fungal infection. You don't have a creature on the field but I can still make a saproling."

"Oh, you're one of those players."

"What does that mean?"

"Let me guess, your entire deck is built around saprolings isn't it?"

"How did you get that from fungal infection?"

"The first thing you did was make a saproling, not summon a creature."

"Fine, you got me. I end my turn."

"I'll play a zhalfirin void and I get to scry one... I'll put it on the bottom of my library and end my turn."

"I'll play a forest, then for one black and two others, I will summon a deathbloom thallid. My saproling will attack and I'll end my turn." Nate is now at 19.

"I'll play a corrupted Crossroads. then for two red and two others, I summon verix bladewing and end my turn."

"That's a Mythic rare!" Sylvia said in shock, "how did you find him?"

"I pulled him out of a pack. I actually have two of him, not in the same deck though."

"You have two?!"

"Yeah, I just have good luck with poles. Now come on, it's your turn."

"I'll play another forest and summon another deathbloom thallid. Then my saproling and first that bloom will attack."

"Verix kills your deathbloom, and I take one damage."

"I get another saproling. I end my turn."

"I'll play a golgari guildgate and end my turn."

"I'll summon another deathbloom thallid and have everything else attack you."

"Verix kills your deathbloom, I take to damage, and you get another saproling."

"I end my turn."

"I'll play a woodland stream, then for two black and three others, I summon Bone Dragon."

"Another Mythic?"

"Hey, I told you I was lucky. I end my turn."

"I play a forest and have everything attack you."

"Your deathbloom and one of your saprolings die, I take 2 damage (putting him down to 14) and you get another saproling."

"I end."

"I'll play another boros guildgate. Then for a blue, a black, and three others, I summon Mirko Vosk, mind Drinker. Then for one of any, I will summon a sparring construct and end my turn."

"Why do you have so many rare creatures?"

"Because this is my Legend deck."

"Oh great. For a black and three others, I summon a thallad soothsayer and end my turn."

"I'll play another Woodland stream, and then for a white and two others, I summoned Diantha capashen, Paragon. Then I have Verix, Mirko, and bone dragon attack for 11 in the air."

"I can't block so I take it."

"And since Mirko did combat damage to a player, his ability activates."

"What's his ability?"

"Reveal the top card of your deck until you reveal for lands, then put them all into your graveyard."

"Damn it, okay... 11 cards go to my graveyard."

"I end my turn."

"I play a forest. Then for a green and five others, I cast saproling migration kicked so I get four saproling. Then I have three saprolings and my soothsayer attack."

"Two of your saproling die, my sparring construct dies, I take 3 damage, and I put a +1/+1 on Diantha." The current score is Nate 11, Sylvia 9.

"I end my turn."

"I play a third oros guildgate and put a MOX Amber on to the field."

"It's annoying how good your cards are."

"I know, now I have Mirko, verix, and Bone Dragon Attack. That's it, I win." Final score, Nate 11, Sylvia -2 on turn 9. "Good game, I had fun."

"I still can't get over how good your cards are," Sylvia said staring at Nate in a new light, "maybe we should hang out sometime." She said with a sly smile.

On hearing that and seeing Sylvia's face, Amy walk over to Nate, pulled him into a surprise kiss and said "good job babe," she never stopped staring down Sylvia and put extra emphasis on babe to signal that he was hers and no one else's. Sylvia got the message and backed off, for now at least.

"Thanks Aims," Nate said still not noticing everything that just happened, "and sure, it would be fun to play you again Sylvia."

Amy knew Nate was oblivious to this kind of thing and meant nothing by what he said aside from exactly what he said, but she still couldn't help feel a little betrayed anyway.

After Amy cool down, the gang with the addition of Trey and Reagan continue through the first round and all one while Sylvia got to know the others. Everyone then picked a pack for their prize, but Nate was the only one too impatient to wait until he got home to open it.

"Let's see, steadfast Century, maniacal rage, sanatorium skeleton, Angelic gift, gorgeous vulture, Brightwood tracker, Goblin bird-Grabber, winged words, Scorch Spitter," Nate said listing off the cars he got," hey blood for bones, I don't have one of those. Goblin ringleader, spectral sailor, and, no way!"

"What, what did you get?" Tom asked curiously.

"Another Chandra, acolyte of flame!" Nate responded excitedly.

"What do you mean 'another'?" Sylvia asked annoyed that Nate got such a good pull.

"I mean this is my second one! Man I can't wait to put this into my Chandra deck!"

"What do you mean Chandra deck?"

"I have an entire Deck full of Chandra cards, and now five Chandra Planeswalkers."

"How?!"

"Lucky pulls, anyways, then I got a mountain, a foil Fortress crab, and a soldier token."

"All right," Eddie said getting the group's attention, "let's start the next round."

The rest of the tournament went smoothly and everyone had a blast. Nate placed first, as expected, and got a $200 gift card for anything in that shop as a prize. The twins had to leave but the five high schoolers made plans to meet up again the next day, and all went their separate ways.