Daemon was wandering the market plaza aimlessly after the duel with Yuji. It was quite the thriller, and he managed to land quite a few good blows on the local 'Ice King'. That felt great, considering the boy's just an average duelist and his deck is rather... Improvised. Unfortunately, after that encounter, Daemon had no choice but to be in the tournament at this point. Nobody seemed to want to duel him after seeing the kind of deck he played... Which is weird, since it's actually less powerful than it seems. The sixteen year old took particular notice of a certain ponytail in the crowd. You don 't usually see dudes wearing ponytails... Sleazily they shuffled over, and from behind, gave a few taps on the shoulder to the older boy. [color=#d79d58]"Yo."[/color]

Joshua stopped when he felt a tap on his shoulder. He had been thinking about his duel with Adrien and trying to figure out how to counter what he had seen. Really, if would prove tricky, but he had no doubt he could do it. But for now, it seemed like he had someone who either wanted to talk to him or possibly duel him.
"'Sup?" He asked

[color=#d79d58]"What's up with the ponytail?"[/color] Daemon asked bluntly. It probably came off as rude, and it was, but the boy didn't mean it like that. In his eyes it was just odd to see someone with that hairstyle walking around. Then the younger of the two took notice of a second thing: There's a disk hanging from that older guy's wrist. [color=#d79d58]"fu-"[/color] Daemon managed to stop himself right before saying it, literally swallowing his words. [color=#d79d58]"A-Ah! Fellow duelist, eh? Fancy seeing those!"[/color] The green-eyed boy threw up a quick act, very clearly fake.

Joshua raised an eyebrow. This new one was definitely a jumpy one.
"Calm down kid, I aint gonna hurt you or anything." He said calmly. "Yes I'm a duelist. As for the ponytail... let's say getting it cut while traveling on the road all the time is not exactly an option."

Huh. So this guy was like some adventurer or something? Or like a person from TV travelling around the world? Maybe he's a rockstar that this country hasn't heard of yet... Wait no, all of those would definitely allow him to cut his hair. Must be a fashion statement that they deny. [color=#d79d58]"Cool. Cool."[/color] ...Aaaand suddenly Daemon went back to the 'Chill guy' attitude. Talk about a jumpy mood... The kid flung his arms behind his head, the black painted duel disk now being fully visible on the left wrist. [color=#d79d58]"So I'm guessing you're in the tournament, then? I mean, you're flaunting off that disk pretty well."[/color] ...Which was hypocritical, since Daemon's doing exactly the same. Not that he'll ever admit it, though.

"And so are you, given how you don't seem to be hiding yours at all either." Joshua pointed out. Seems he had come across a weird one this time. then again, he came across many weird people in his travels, so this was nothing new or spectacular. "Still, if we're both in the tournament, might as well participate, right? So, up for a game?"

[color=#d79d58]"...Figures."[/color] Daemon should've kept his mouth shut. Him running it has lead to yet another duel he'd actually rather not have... Though it'd be rude to decline at this point. [color=#d79d58]"Alright, you're on!"[/color] The mouth of the boy curved upwards into a smirk and his feet took a few steps back. Didn't take long to be far enough from Joshua. The green-eyed boy stretched out his left arm, the disk being in "Stand-By" mode now switching to the "Ready" mode. [color=#d79d58]"Your call."[/color]

Joshua frowned at the boy initial reaction. Seemed he didn't want to take part in the tournament but he still accepted the challenge. Maybe he just wanted to avoid being rude. Well, thinking about that would get him no where. He lifted his arm with his black and silver Duel Disk and activated it while inserting his deck.
"So, you want to go first or shall I?" he asked

[color=#d79d58]"Heh, letting me choose? How kind. I'll take you up on the offer of going first, then! But first... I believe we have to signal this thing to start, don't we?"[/color] A playful tone was in the younger of the two's voice, hinting to the best part.
[b][color=#d79d58]"Duel!"[/color][/b]

Joshua smiled. He was already liking this kid. Less of a stick up his ass.
"Duel!" He said, in a calm but slightly excited tone

[hider=The Wandering Duelist Vs. The Kid]

[b][u]Turn 1: Daemon[/u][/b]
Daemon 4000 LP, 5 cards in Hand
Joshua 4000 LP, 5 cards in Hand 

[color=#d79d58]"Alright! My turn!"[/color] Daemon yelled excitedly, looking over his hand. Now that it actually started the boy seems a lot more peppy compared to seconds before... But that would soon have to fade. His heart utterly broke when looking at this hand. [color=#d79d58]"I... Set 4 cards and and my turn..."[/color] Yeah, he's not feeling particularly great at the moment.

[b][u]Turn 2: Joshua[/u][/b]
Daemon 4000 LP, 1 card in Hand, 4 S/T
Joshua 4000 LP, 6 cards in Hand 

"Draw." Joshua said as he drew a card. His hand consisted of two possible fusions, but against a backrow like that, he wasn't going to risk it yet."I summon Gem-Knight Tourmaline in attack mode." He said, as the yellow armored knight with a matching tourmaline gem on it's chest plate appeared." I then set two cards and end my turn.

[b]Gem-Knight Tourmaline[/b]: ATK:1600 DEF:1800

...Oh what? He ACTUALLY didn't attack? ...OH GOD HE WAS ABOUT TO END HIS TURN. [color=#d79d58]"Wh-Whoa! Hold up a sec!"[/color] Daemon flicked his hand across the Duel Disk, a trap card opening up. [color=#d79d58]"I activate my Dust tornado to destroy... My own card."[/color] 

Joshua narrowed his eyes.
[i]He must have some sort of plan. Destroying his own facedown means he's going to get some sort of benefit from it. Well, let's see what he's got.[/i] He thought to himself

A tornado blew across the field, kicking up all sorts of dust and garbage along with it. The strong gusts would've sent anyone flying, Daemon's hair and jacket being a clear example of that with how hard they're blowing in the gust... It eventually found it's way to the third card he set, the quick image of a Monster card popping up before being sent to the grave. Second later, the monster depicted on it rose up from behind Tourmaline and stabbed its sword through the gem-based warrior, shattering it. [color=#d79d58]"Surprised? The card you saw being destroyed earlier was my Artifact Morraltach! I can set it as a spell card on my turn, and if it gets thrown to the wolves on yours I get to destroy a card and summon it!"[/color] The blue sword in the spirit's hands glowed, a ready stance flashing as it's ATK was displayed.

[b]Artifact Morraltach 2100 ATK 1400 DEF, Level 5 LIGHT Fairy[/b]

[color=#d79d58]"And NOW you can end!"[/color] 

"Seems I lose again, but I get the gist of your deck. All your monsters go to the spell and trap card zone. You then destroy them on my turn for your benefit. A true Artifact deck." He said.

[b][u]Turn 3: Daemon[/u][/b]
Daemon 4000 LP, 2 card in Hand, 1 Monster, 2 S/T
Joshua 4000 LP, 3 cards in Hand, 2 S/T 

[color=#d79d58]"...Wait, what?"[/color] Daemon drew his card, but didn't ham it up like normal. His deck wasn't artifacts at all... Well, it could be for all Josh knows. Daemon got a good look at the card in his hand... Yet again, nothing useful. Not for now anyway...

[color=#d79d58]"Erm... Battle Phase!"[/color] The boy cried out, though still a bit taken aback from what Joshua said. Way to jump the gun... [color=#d79d58]"Morraltach, go for it!"[/color] At Daemon's command the fairy warrior rushed forward to hack at Joshua's life. It ran and ran, then gave a quick slash to the chest before jumping back to the original spot.

[b]Joshua LP 4000 > 1900[/b]

[color=#d79d58]"And uh... I end, I guess? You okay buddy?"[/color] 

"We'll see I guess." Joshua said.

[b][u]Turn 4: Joshua[/u][/b]
Daemon 4000 LP, 2 card in Hand, 1 Monster, 2 S/T
Joshua 1900 LP, 4 cards in Hand, 2 S/T 

"Draw... I summon Gem-Knight Alexandrite in attack mode. But don't worry, he won't be sticking around for long. I activate his special ability. By sending him from my field to the grave, I can summon any Gem-Knight Normal monster that I want from my deck. I summon Gem-Knight Garnet in attack mode."

The white armored knight glowed and shattered to reveal a knight with orange armor and matching garnet on it's chest as well as an oversized fist for it's weapon.

[b]Gem-Knight Garnet[/b]: ATK:1900 DEF:0

"Now, I activate the spell, Absorb Fusion. I add Gem-Knight Crystal from my deck to my hand. I then banish Crystal and Garnet. "Gem containing Fire's fury, mix together with the unmovable crystals in the earth! Fusion summon! Rage with your unstoppable Fiery blade, Gem-Knight Citrine!"

On this field, a knight in brown armor, adorned with a blue cape and an orange citrine on the chestplate appeared, swinging it's sword that looked to be made of solid magma once before placing it on it's shoulder.

[b]Gem-Knight Citrine[/b]: ATK:2200 DEF:1950

[color=#d79d58]"OhgodIknowwhatthatthingdoes."[/color] Daemon  stammers out, the words being spoken about as fast as someone on sugar high would. With that, I mean it's barely a coherent sentence.

Joshua just barely made out what Daemon said. Wasn't the first person he heard talk like that.
"Good spares me some time. Citrine, cut down his fairy!" He said as the swordsman moved forward and sliced Daemon's monster in half."After that, I'll end my turn."

[b]Daemon LP 4000 > 3900[/b]

[b][u]Turn 5: Daemon[/u][/b]
Daemon 3900 LP, 3 card in Hand, 2 S/T
Joshua 1900 LP, 2 cards in Hand, 1 Monster, 2 S/T 

[color=#d79d58]"Ergh... Draw!"[/color] Alright, the heat was on now. Uh... Quite literally at that. The younger boy's hand wasn't exactly great either... He'd have to make due with what he's got. [color=#d79d58]"Ergh... When you've got a level 5 or higher monster on the field, I can special summon the following card from my hand!"[/color] Daemon slammed the card on the disk horizontally, a vortex on the ground opening up. From it rose a metal contraption of sorts, having its arms crossed and sitting on what seemed to be a single knee...

[b]Junk Giant 2000 ATK 2400 DEF Level 6 EARTH Machine[/b]

[color=#d79d58]"That... That'll have to do. End."[/color]

[b][u]Turn 6: Joshua[/u][/b]
Daemon 3900 LP, 2 card in Hand, 1 Monster, 2 S/T
Joshua 1900 LP, 3 cards in Hand, 1 Monster, 2 S/T 

"Draw." Joshua said, looking at the card in his hand. Nothing he could do yet, given present circumstances." I set one card and end my turn."

[b][u]Turn 7: Daemon[/u][/b]
Daemon 3900 LP, 3 cards in Hand, 1 Monster, 2 S/T
Joshua 1900 LP, 2 cards in Hand, 1 Monster, 3 S/T 

Daemon closed his eyes for this draw. The others have been nothing short of abysmal, and this could very well be a death sentence... [color=#d79d58]"...Draw![/color] The boy just barely glances with a squinted eye, but they soon open up wide after noticing what he actually just got. [color=#d79d58]"YUP, This works! I switch my Giant from Defense to Attack for my first move!"[/color] The huge golem of metal got up, turned to Daemon and scratched it's head. [color=#d79d58]"...Don't look at me like that!"[/color]

Daemon sighed at this. His own monsters, questioning his skills! Truly a low point... [color=#d79d58]"A-Anyway... I follow up by activating my spell card, Riryoku! It halves your monster's attack, then adds it to mine!"[/color] Citrine was forced to clutch it's chest suddenly, a stinging pain overcoming the warrior. A dark orb suddenly forcibly yanked itself from the knight, forcing it down on a knee as Junk Giant clutched it... Then shattered it. A surge of power coursed through the thing's body as it cracked mechanical knuckles in preparation for a fight.

[b]Gem Knight Citrine ATK 2200 > 1100[/b]

[b]Junk Giant ATK 2000 > 3100[/b]

"Well... that aint good." Joshua muttered, not liking where this was going.

[color=#d79d58]"Batlle Phase!"[/color] Joshua's opponent grinned and snapped their fingers. [color=#d79d58]"Attack, Junk Giant! End the duel!"[/color]

"Trap open. Gem-Enchantment! I sacrifice Citrine to summon the Tourmaline in my graveyard in defense mode!" Joshua said as his current knight was replaced by the yellow one.

[color=#d79d58]"Tch..."[/color] Damn. Daemon nearly had the guy. [color=#d79d58]"Well, even then, your Tourmaline still doesn't have the defense points to resist my golem's overwhelming power right now! Resume battle, Junk Giant!"[/color] The golem let out a roar and threw itself shoulder-first into Tourmaline, attempting to shatter it.

Joshua's monster blew up under the impact, kicking up a cloud of dust. From said cloud, a bolt of energy flew out and struck Daemon for 1600 points of damage to his Life Points.
"And now, for my next trick, Brilliant Spark." Joshua said as the dust cleared and he stood with the trap face-up and glowing next to him. "When you destroy a Gem-Knight, this card deals damage to you equal to it's original attack points"

[color=#d79d58]"GUH!"[/color] To say that Daemon flinched from the bolt was an understatement, he himself looked like he was about to book it! And his hair stood up for a split second, making it look like some weird anime-style thing you couldn't replicate even if you tried.

[b]Daemon LP 3900 > 2300[/b]

[color=#d79d58]"W-Well then... I end... My turn..."[/color] Daemon looked pretty roasted right now.

[b][u]Turn 8: Joshua[/u][/b]
Daemon 2300 LP, 2 cards in Hand, 1 Monster, 2 S/T
Joshua 1900 LP, 3 cards in Hand, 2 S/T 

"Draw." Joshua said, looking at his cards. He could work with this. "First off, I activate Brilliant Spark's effect from the grave. While it's there, I can discard a Gem-Knight monster from my hand to exchange it for Brilliant Spark. Sweet deal yeah?"

[color=#d79d58]"And then you'll set it, summon something with 2300 or more and when I attempt to destroy it I lose. No, yeah, this is great. I have the worst luck..."[/color]

Joshua chuckled.
"Then you'll hate this even more. You see, I discarded Gem-Knight Obsidian. Given how you knew Citrine's effect, shall I assume you know his?"

[color=#d79d58]"Tourmaline's back, isn't it...?"[/color]

"And your grand prize is a Tourmaline on my side of the field in attack mode, rising from the grave once again!" Joshua said

[color=#d79d58]"I've seen that thing more times this duel than I have seen articles describing how Adrien's a dick! Sheesh man, give that thing a break!"[/color]

"Oh... you hate that asshole too. Now I feel slightly bad for doing this." Joshua said before activating his face-down. "Gem-Knight Fusion anyone?"

[color=#d79d58]"WHY WOULD ANYONE SET A NORMAL SPELL CARD FACE-DOWN?! HERE I THOUGHT IT WAS MIRROR FORCE OR SOME SHIT!"[/color] Daemon threw his hands up in the air, then slumped forward with a defeated look on his face. [color=#d79d58]"I hate you..."[/color]

"Because if you destroyed it, I would laugh since I can banish a Gem-Knight from the grave to get it back?" Joshua asked, resisting the urge to laugh his ass off at this kid. Seriously, you couldn't pay for this kind of entertainment. "Anyway, moving on, I fuse the Tourmaline on my field with the Gem-Knight Lapis in my hand to summon Gem-Knight Prismaura."

[b]Gem-Knight Prismaura[/b]: ATK:2450 DEF:1400

[color=#d79d58]"Discard gem-knight, discard Junk Giant, discard life, discard tournament. Thanks, It's not like I'm already getting screwed from seven different angles."[/color]

"Uh huh... kid, you okay?" Joshua asked, actually growing a bit concerned now.

[color=#d79d58]"Me? Oh, no no. Completely and utterly fine. Great! Get on with it."[/color] Daemon may say he's fine, but he's glaring three daggers through Joshua with only two eyes.

"... Right. Lapis adds Tourmaline to my hand, who I then discard to active Prismaura's ability to destroy giant, blah, blah, blah, Prismaura, show him the business end of your lance." Joshua said. The first thing Prismaura did was send out a bolt of electricity from it's weapon that instantly destroyed Junk Giant in a nice explosion. From the smoke, Prismaura charged Daemon and attempted to pierce him with it's lance.

So much smoke was kicked up by Prismaura that Joshua was unable to see his opponent, even after the explosion hit and it jumped back onto the field... And once it cleared, Daemon stood there with 2300 LP. [color=#d79d58]"Defense draw. I get one card and your monster does nothing."[/color] Daemon drew the card aggressively.

"Well, I set Brilliant Spark and end my turn." Joshua said. He had a feeling he was done now, unless Spark went off without a hitch.

[b][u]Turn 9: Daemon[/u][/b]
Daemon 2300 LP, 4 cards in Hand, 1 S/T
Joshua 1900 LP, 1 cards in Hand, 1 S/T 

[color=#d79d58]"It's my turn. Draw."[/color] Daemon swiped the card from his disk, then revealed one of the cards in hand to Joshua. [color=#d79d58]"Schwarzschild Limit Dragon. I can special summon this card when my opponent has a monster with more than 2000 attack.[/color] The dragon appeared out of the ground, but before it ever hit the field something grabbed at it's throat and started pulling it back into the grave. [color=#d79d58]"Self-Mummification. My dragon gets dragged into a shallow grave."[/color] But Daemon wasn't done. The other card face-down flipped open, revealing a man talking to the Dark Ruler Ha Des. [color=#d79d58]"A Deal With Dark Ruler. When a level 8 or higher monster hits my graveyard I can summon my ultimate beast."[/color]

A shadow raced across the floor and a roar filled the area, the sky suddenly turning orange instead of the blue they just were. [b][color=#d79d58]"Dragon which lost it's way, watching comrades get slain... Take your anger out on all that stand in your way."[/color][/b] The plaza behind Daemon got destroyed as a rampaging beast burst through, blowing up gusts of wind while it's at it. Appearing on the field, it roared at Joshua. [color=#d79d58]"Berserk Dragon."[/color]

"Well damn, that aint something you see often. A Berserk Dragon." Joshua said, watching the scene unfold. "Seems to be a good card for ya. Matches your personality."

[color=#d79d58]"And it'll spell your doom. I activate another card from my hand..."[/color] As Daemon slid the card into the required slot, he gave up another meanwhile. The orange skies now turned pitch black as a dark hole appeared in the middle, sucking in everything except Berserk Dragon. [color=#d79d58]"Dark Core. I discard a card and banish your monster."[/color]

"And you have won this one." Joshua admitted. Normally he would end the match here, but he figured the kid deserved to vent some anger. So did his dragon. Also, it wasn't everyday he got to see this monster at full power so this would be fun.

[b]Bersek Dragon 3500 ATK 0 DEF Level 8 DARK Dragon[/b]

[color=#d79d58]"Battle phase."[/color] The dragon's right eye started to glow, it's claws unburrowing themselves from the floor. [b][color=#d79d58]"Eradicate the enemy with your fearless anger, and destroy those whom once thought you weak! RAMPAGE BURST!"[/color][/b] The dragon rushed forward at Joshua while holding fiery breath in it's mouth. It coiled around the older duelist and made sure for there to be no way out. All the pent up anger was released in one huge wave of flame, overwhelming Joshua and sending his life down to 0.

[b]WINNER: DAEMON![/b]
[/hider]

[hider=The aftermath]

"And another lose... not the deck to use here. To unadaptable. Faster but burns out too quickly." Joshua said, more to himself then Daemon.

Daemon's anger quickly faded and the boy let out a sigh of relief. How the hell did he win that? Though hearing what Joshua had to say afterwards the boy couldn't help but frown. [color=#d79d58]"Wait, what? You think like that about your deck? No wonder you lost. If you have no faith in your cards, how could you ever win?"[/color] The younger one let his disk go stand-by and walked over to Joshua, then handed over he own deck. [color=#d79d58]"Look at mine. It's a cobbled together mess of junk that nobody would play, but I believe in them. And that belief in my cards pulled me through."[/color]

"You got the wrong idea kid. I do believe in my deck, but I also know when it's outmatched in an area. So far, every duelist here has been unpredictable and used the weirdest decks I've ever seen. As a result I need a deck that can adapt to situations more readily. Gem-Knights are good. But as it stands, their to suffer defeat after defeat. But, I aint gonna stop using them just yet. My other deck is for more... serious occasions." Joshua said.

[color=#d79d58]"Any deck can win."[/color] Daemon shook his head, then pulled out his phone. A few clicks on the screen later he showed it to Joshua. [color=#d79d58]"Ever heard of the legendary duelist Yusei Fudo? He started out with nothing but scrambled together cards from the lowest of the low. With those very cards, and the belief in the deck, he managed to win against everyone standing in his way and save humanity. His deck was outmatched by everything, everyone. Yet he never gave up and dueled his way to the top."[/color] And sure enough, on the screen was a picture of Yusei Fudo and it described his legacy. [color=#d79d58]"Your deck is strong. Don't think it isn't just because you've lost a few duels here."[/color]

Joshua sighed.
"Any deck can win yes. But, sometimes your deck just won't work. As I said, i aint throwing my deck away. It's not like I've lost faith in it. I'm just listening to what it's saying, if you catch my drift." Joshua said.

[color=#d79d58]"Neither mine nor Yusei's deck should have, either. In fact it was him that made me think of attempting to duel in the first place..."[/color] ...But Daemon had a feeling Joshua wouldn't bend on this topic. [color=#d79d58]"Anyway, we've both got a long way to go."[/color] Daemon took back the deck he gave to Josh and slid it into the Duel Disk on his arm. [color=#d79d58]"I'm going to go buy more packs and find some more people to duel. I'll see you around."[/color] And with that, the boy walked away from Joshua.

Joshua watched the boy walk away before pulling out his other deck and looking at it.
"... I'll give you more time to rest. The vanguard's work isn't finished yet." He said to it before putting it back and walking away.
[/hider]