The Lightning Lion and the Poison Dart Frog - Cards of Power #74 - A Bedtime Adventure

0:04 Hello friends from across the nation and around the world. I'm Martin, and you are listening to Dad's Bedtime Stories. And tonight, we're finally going to head back into the Cards of Power universe. If you've been following along, I believe we've officially made it to the quarterfinals in the deity level tournament, so we're going to start off from there.

0:29 But Before we get started, I want to give a very special shout-out to one of our newest Patreon supporters, Donovan. Now, I'm told that Donovan has a birthday coming up soon, so happy birthday, Donovan. As a bonus, I was chatting with Donovan on Patreon, and since I hadn't decided on today's magical creatures, I asked him if he had any ideas...

0:59 And he came up with a couple, including an electric lion and a poison dart frog. I especially liked the poison dart frog, to be honest, because I don't think I've done something like that. Now, I obviously don't do that with all Patreon sponsors. It just sort of worked out that way, and I liked the idea, so we're going to go with that right now. But before we get started, I have a very special announcement to make as well. regarding the Cards of Power game. Card game, to be exact. And that announcement is that the Cards of Power card game is now finished and can be purchased.

1:44 Just so you know, full disclosure here, it's set up as a print-on-demand game on a place called GameCrafter. You can find links to it on DadsBedtimeStories.com along with all my books and stuff like that. I actually just redid parts of the website so it would be easier to find everything. So yeah, head over to DadsBedtimeStories.com and check it out. A couple things to know about the game though.

2:12 Number one is because it's print-on-demand... Right now it's taking a pretty long time to get to people. I hoped to post it after I got my physical copy of the game myself, but I purchased it on September 13th, and they had November 3rd as my delivery date, so I actually won't even have one in my hands until later, though I have seen the cards and played with them, sort of as printouts. But because of the long time to get them, uh, we did decide to put it up before I even have my copy. So, if you purchase now, you might end up with a, uh, you know, like a limited edition copy. Or something like that. Uh, also, I want everyone to know that while this game was created by a human, a friend of mine who goes

3:07 by Roro from Australia, um... We did use AI-generated images for the cards themselves, because again, we don't yet have a resident artist here at Dad's Bedtime Stories to get that stuff done. So yeah, if that's something you want to check out, go for it. There is a main game that's priced at a point where we don't really make much profit on it, to be honest, because we didn't want to make it too expensive. But then there are deity level and Mythic-level expansion packs, which do have a little bit more of a markup. And I believe if you purchase them at the same time, there's no extra shipping. If that's something you're interested in, you can check out all of those links on DadsBedtimeStories.com. I now

3:59 have a shop page with the game and all of my books, including the new spaceship or kid spaceship graphic novel. So I think that's actually finally it for the intro, and I will get on to the story. Get as comfy as you can in those beds, close your eyes, and imagine yourself doing what the kid in the story does.

4:29 You open your eyes and stretch your arms and legs. You look toward the end of the bed where Magnus is curled up sleeping. Magnus? You say? Nothing. Magnus? He opens his eyes. What? It's morning. That's unfortunate. You laugh. Come on, we might have another match today. I'm almost certain we do. That seems to wake him up. Magnus stretches his back upward like a cat. before jumping into the air and floating beside you. Another match? Well, good.

5:16 I barely got to do anything last time. You defeated two creatures. Exactly. Barely anything. You get dressed and head downstairs. As usual, the first stop is breakfast. At this point, you've learned that one of the best things about traveling around the Galactic Card Federation is that apparently Continental Hotel breakfast exists everywhere. You grab a whole bunch of your favorite foods, along with a couple alien things you've started to like, and sit down with Magnus.' Sow,' Magnus says between bites. Quarter-finals, huh? Hopefully. Hopefully? Well, we haven't checked yet. Oh, well then, finish eating and let's go check. You eat a little faster. Once you're done, you and Magnus walk towards one of the tournament computers. You scan your identification card.

6:25 The screen flashes. Competitor Identified. Another message appears. Next match, quarterfinal round. Oh, you say? There it is. Magnus looks over your shoulder. Obviously. The screen changes again. Opponent, Donovan. Huh? You tap the profile option. After the last match against McKenna, You now know that these computers can give you at least some information about your opponents. The screen loads for a few seconds, then not much appears. There's a picture of Donovan standing beside what looks like some sort of alien animal preserve. Underneath is a short description. Apparently, Donovan's known for traveling throughout the Galactic Card Federation and collecting unusual and exotic creatures. And that's about it. No list

7:32 of powers? You ask? Competitor card information is restricted. Of course. Magnus floats closer. Exotic animals? Doesn't sound too bad. You said that about cute animals the other day. That was different. You say that every time. Magnus crosses his arms. Well, whatever he has, they're not gonna be a match for me.

8:04 You leave the computer and head toward the front doors of the hotel. But as soon as the doors open, you're met with something you weren't really expecting. People. A lot of People. There are alien reporters holding microphones, people taking pictures, a bunch of kids standing behind some sort of temporary barrier. And as soon as they see you, they start cheering. Whoa, you say. Magnus looks around and then he smiles. Finally. Finally what? What? People are beginning to recognize the real star of this tournament. Several people point towards Magnus. Magnus! It's Magnus! Look, that's the dragon!

9:01 Magnus puffs out his chest. You see? You wave toward the crowd. A whole bunch of cameras flash. Magnus does some sort of dramatic spin in the air. Oh, man. You activate your magic wing card. Two huge glowing wings appear from your back and you allow them to help you float into the air. Magnus flies up beside you and the crowd cheers even louder. See you after the match, you yell. Then you blast into the sky. You and Magnus fly above the city towards the enormous main battle arena.

9:51 You land outside the competitor entrance and release your wings. Luckily, reporters and random people understand. aren't allowed at this entrance. Inside, a kind-looking woman is sitting behind the registration desk. Good morning, she says. Identification, please. You hand over your tournament card. She scans it. Very good. Court of final match. Main arena.

10:24 You'll be using change room two today. Straight down that hallway and second door on your right. Thanks. Good luck, young one. You and Magnus walk down the hallway and enter the change room. You sit on one of the benches. Magnus floats back and forth. You nervous? he asks. A little. Well, you shouldn't be because you have me. Yeah, I'm aware.

11:00 After a few minutes, the doors begin to open. The roar of the crowd pours into the room. Well, you say, standing up. Here we go. You walk out into the massive stadium. And immediately the crowd erupts. Apparently making the quarterfinals really has changed how people look at you. Floating cameras, with little shields around them, circle around you. And the announcer starts talking. And entering from Earth, one of the surprise competitors of the tournament... That's right, folks, the first Earth competitor we've seen make it this far in more than a century. And, of course, accompanied by his now famous dragon, Magnus. Magnus waves toward the cameras. Now famous, he repeats. Don't let it go to your head. Oh,

12:06 it's too late for that. It is fully in my head. On the other side of the arena, Donovan walks in. He looks about your age and gives you a wave. You wave back. The referee floats toward the center of the stadium. Welcome, competitors. As a reminder, this is the quarterfinal round. Each competitor may use up to three creature cards.

12:38 Only one creature may be active at a time. Defeating one opposing creature earns one point. The first competitor to earn two points wins the match and advances to the semifinals. The crowd cheers. Now, if a creature wins a round, it may remain active for the next round or be voluntarily recalled. UNDERSTOOD. YOU NOD. DONOVAN NODS AS WELL. VERY GOOD.

13:14 PLEASE PROCEED TO YOUR PROTECTIVE CIRCLES. YOU AND MAGNUS MOVE TOWARD YOUR SIDE. A FORCE FIELD RISES AROUND YOU. ACROSS THE ARENA, DONOVAN DOES THE SAME. COMPETITORS, SELECT YOUR FIRST CREATURE. Donovan's card core glows. A blue card floats out and then transforms into energy. For a second, all you can see is lightning. But then the lightning forms itself into the shape of a gigantic lion or gigantic alien thing that looks like a lion. except you're not sure this thing has a real body anymore. It's almost as if the lion or lion-like thing has evolved so far into its element that it's become electricity itself. Its mane is made of flickering bolts. Its claws crackle against the ground.

14:24 Every time it moves, it disappears and reappears several feet away with a sharp crack of thunder. Okay, you say? That's pretty cool. Magnus steps forward. My turn. Actually, Magnus freezes. What do you mean, actually? I think I'm going to use Dominic. Magnus slowly turns around towards you. Dominic? Well, he's good against fast creatures. I'm good against fast creatures.

15:04 You're good against everything, if I ask you. Exactly. You activate your card core, a beam of blue light shoots into the arena, and Dominic the Dingo appears. A gigantic, deity-level dingo stands in front of you, covered in, well... his very own rock armor. He stands there for about half a second before, well, before he disappears. The crowd murmurs and Magnus sighs. He always does that. Then, flashes of light begin appearing around the stadium. One Dominic, five Dominics, ten, twenty...

15:56 Different versions of Dominic from different possible realities. One has black stone armor. Another has silver fur. One has glowing blue eyes. And another has a scar running down his face. And for some reason, one of them has an eye patch. The referee rises into the air. A blue force field forms around him. Round one begins in three, two, one, go.

16:32 The electric lion disappears with a boom. One Dominic explodes into energy. Another boom and another disappears. The lion, or lion-like thing, becomes a streak of lightning shooting across the arena. It tears through clone after clone. Dominic's time clones try to attack, but the lion is unbelievably fast. It becomes electricity, streaks through them, and reforms somewhere else before they can even respond. Before you know it, five clones are gone. Then, another five. Whoa, you say? But somewhere in the arena...

17:24 you can still sense the real Dominic. Invisible. Watching. Probably, well, hanging out at an increased rate of existence. From his perspective, everything slows down. The lightning lion is still incredibly fast, but Dominic can see it. He watches every turn, every strike. Every pattern. And then, Dominic begins making a sound. It's barely noticeable at first. A low, humming sound. The remaining clones begin doing the same. The sound spreads across the arena.

18:14 The lion continues blasting around. Another clone disappears. Then, another, but Something starts to change. The lion pauses slightly longer between attacks. Its lightning flickers. It shakes its head and then it charges again. But Dominic is waiting. The lion transforms into electricity and blasts through the air. From everyone else's perspective, something incredible happens. The lightning simply stops. Dominic suddenly appears with the electric lion caught between his jaws.

19:02 The lion reforms. Electricity blasts through Dominic's entire body. Dominic, you yell. But Dominic digs his paws into the earth. Stone rises around his legs. and the electricity moves down through his body, through his paws, and directly into the ground. The arena flashes. Dominic swings his head and throws the lion down. Before it can move, Dominic opens his mouth.

19:42 A huge sound blast hits the creature. The lion struggles to stand. It begins trying to turn into lightning again, but seems to have trouble. Then, another Dominic appears. And another. And another. Each one immediately unleashing the same sound. The lion staggers. He continues to try to turn to electricity, but slowly the electricity starts to fade, as if he can't concentrate or make a connection with the element at all.

20:23 It takes one more step forward and then collapses entirely. Its body transforms into blue energy and shoots back toward Donovan. One point. Awarded, the ref says, and the crowd goes wild. You raise your fist. Magnus folds his arms. Fine, that was pretty good. The referee looks toward you. Would you like to recall your creature? If he's been weakened, there's a higher chance your opponent will get a point against you.

21:04 You look toward Dominic. His clones were largely destroyed, but he seems perfectly fine. Now, I think Dominic can stay. Magnus looks at you. Of course he does. Donovan smiles. Alright, let's see how he handles this one. His card core glows again. Another card appears, transforms into energy. and reforms into...

21:39 a gigantic frog. A brightly colored poison dart frog, to be exact, except it's wearing a karate gi for some reason. An orange one. You stare at it. Why is it wearing a gi? Magnus shrugs. Why does Dominic have an eyepatch clone? I mean, honestly, in some other reality... Some kid decided to put a patch on his broken eye or something? Eh, good point. The frog reaches behind its back and pulls out what looks like a long, hollow straw.

22:22 The referee raises his hand. Round two begins now. The frog jumps, not just a little jump either. It launches itself 30 feet into the air, flips three times, and blows through the straw. A tiny dart fires out. One Dominic dodges. The dart curves. What? It spins around in the air and hits the clone directly in the neck.

22:56 The clone falls asleep instantly. Another dart fires, then another, then ten more. Dominic's clones begin dodging. The frog bounces from wall to wall with ridiculous martial arts precision. It kicks off the ground, flips backwards, fires three darts in midair. But as if the frog also has some sort of telekinetic powers... The darts curve toward their targets. One clone dodges left, but the dart follows. Another jumps and the dart rises up. One after another, Dominic's fall asleep. The real Dominic disappears again. Soon, only a handful of clones remain.

23:54 The frog lands in the center of the arena. It blows another stream of darts into the air, but this time the darts stop. Dozens of them just float around the frog, all pointing outward. That's clever, you say. The frog is basically daring Dominic to approach. Suddenly, Dominic appears behind it. He unleashes a powerful sound blast. The frog turns, and every floating dart fires. Dominic tries to dodge, but one hits him. Then another, then three more. Dominic falls to the ground. His eyes close, and he immediately starts snoring.

24:51 The crowd explodes. Dominic, you yell. The frog relaxes. Donovan raises his hands. And for just a second, you think the match is tied. Then... Chomp! A gigantic set of dingo jaws closes around the frog. What? Donovan yells. Another Dominic has appeared. The frog is thrown into the ground before it can recover. The dingo moves so fast you can barely see him. Slash, slash, slash. The frog spins around trying to aim its blowpipe, but it's too slow.

25:38 Dominic knocks the thing out of the frog's hand and then appears on the other side. A massive sound attack blasts the frog directly. It stumbles and falls and... transforms into energy the crowd goes absolutely wild you look toward the sleeping dominic it begins to glow and then disappears a clone you say magnus stares into the arena the whole thing was a clown The real Dominic stands alone in the center. The referee raises both hands. Second point awarded.

26:33 Match complete. Winner advances to the semifinals. The crowd cheers even louder. Dominic won the whole thing by himself, you say? Magnus looks offended. Yeah, I noticed. GLORY HOG. YOU ACTIVATE YOUR CARD CORE. THE REMAINING AND MOSTLY SLEEPING TIME CLONES VANISH. DOMINIC BEGINS GLOWING BLUE AND SHOOTS BACK INTO YOUR CARD CORE.

27:11 YOU WAVE TOWARD DONOVAN. HE WALKS OVER AND SHAKES YOUR HAND. GOOD MATCH. YEAH, YOUR FROG ALMOST HAD ME THERE. ALMOST. Or at least your creature made it look like that. You head back toward the change room. Magnus follows beside you, quietly. Suspiciously quietly. What, you ask? Nothing. Magnus. Well, I just think it's interesting. What's interesting? Thousands of people came here to see the famous Magnus and apparently Dominic decided this was his personal show. You just laugh. There'll always be a next time. There better be. You head outside. The moment you activate your magic wings card, you notice something in the distance. Your hotel. Or more accurately, the gigantic crowd of people surrounding your hotel. Oh no. Cameras, people, reporters,

28:32 probably everyone waiting to see the newest semi-finalist. You gonna go down there? Magnus asks. Nope. You turn toward the side of the building. You spot your balcony. You and Magnus blast through the sky. avoiding the crowd entirely. You land on the balcony and scan your room key. The door unlocks, you walk inside, and without even bothering to change, you jump onto the bed. Magnus lands beside you. Semi-finals, you say. Semi-finals, Magnus responds, and next time, Maybe you'll actually get to fight. I better. You close your eyes and allow your body to sink down into the mattress.

29:33 With every breath, you release a little bit of tension from your arms. Then... your legs, then your shoulders, your face. The noise from the tournament begins to disappear. The cheering crowd, the lightning, the flying darts, everything slowly fades away. And as soon as you sink deeper and deeper into the bed, your mind begins to wander off to thoughts of new creatures, new battles, and new adventures to come. Good night, everyone.

30:46 Thank you. Thank you. you Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Amen. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. you Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. you Thank you. you