Howdy all! This is one of my first fanfictions and I felt like it was best if it was with something that held a special place in my heart. The original Yu-Gi-Oh is forever a classic in my eyes and I wanted to capture the essence of that show within my writing. I hope you all enjoy this piece and look forward to the additional aspects that will come in the future. Depending on the response, I will put that much more effort into the future. Anyway, I hope you enjoy!
Solomon Muto whistled happily as the sun began to set behind the cityscape. In each arm he held giant bags of groceries. Solomon had always made a point to stock up in case of an emergency. You never know what is going to happen. Turning the corner, his eyes were by those of three suspicious looking individuals clad in mysterious clothing. Seeing this unnerved him and as a result he began to hasten his step.
"Solomon Muto…" one of the figures spoke as all three began to casually stroll towards him. His voice was so familiar to Solomon, eerily familiar.
"Yes?" Solomon replied uneasily, "What do you want?" Fear and doubt began to creep into his mind. He was but an old man now. Age had stripped away most of his defenses. As much as it pained him to admit he was powerless against the three figures who approached him.
"Why," the figure responded while firmly grasping Solomon's shoulder, "We just want to talk, old man." The other two quickly surrounded the old man as all three began to guide him to a nearby alley despite his cries of resistance. After a few moments of struggle, a scream echoed off the buildings.
It had been five years. Five years since he had bid farewell to the Pharaoh who, for most of their friendship, had been nameless. The brotherhood they shared had left unmistakable marks on each other's souls. The adventures, the trials, the horrors, and the laughter had molded Yugi into the young man he was today. Taller now, with a voice now surprisingly similar to his ancient departed friend's, Yugi stood confident as he dusted the shelves of his grandfather's game shop. His life was a peaceful one, quiet and tranquil, unlike his experience as the Pharaoh's vessel. However, that did little to change the fact that he still missed his friend.
In fact, he dueled less frequently now. Somehow some of the fun had been lost as a result of his experiences. All of those high stakes games where people got hurt had left its mark and while it didn't ruin the game completely it had dimmed his desires to play it. He was far more cautious now. He had grown absent from the professional dueling community after his last incident with Kaiba four years prior. Four years ago when he had been caught in yet another shadow game due to Kaiba's inability to let go. This after he was led to believe that he and the Pharaoh had prevented the return of the shadow games all together. A smirk grew across Yugi's face as he thought back to that day.
Kaiba had spent his resources recovering the Millennium Puzzle in a futile attempt to resurrect the great Pharaoh, Atem. It seemed as though Kaiba just couldn't let go of the rivalry he shared with Yugi's closest friend. The incident brought forth a strange enemy with an even stranger gift; a mysterious cube which gave him the power to travel across dimensions. The resulting duel would have destroyed Yugi were it not for the intervention of Atem. Again he found himself indebted to his friend who, shortly thereafter, disappeared with the Puzzle itself.
Yugi let out a deep sight as he slumped down behind the counter. Darkness creeped in as Yugi struggled to find the energy to turn on the shop's light. Deep down he had truly wished that Kaiba would have succeeded in resurrecting Atem but Yugi knew that he had to let his friend go. He knew in his heart that he had to find his own path which was part of the reason he withdrew from professional dueling. Despite all of this, he still held the title of King of Games. No one had challenged him in an attempt to strip that title from him. This was, in part, due to another tragic turn of events.
Shortly after the incident, Seto Kaiba disappeared. Nobody knew why and Mokuba, who had been named CEO of KaibaCorp in his absence, wasn't going to tell. It must hit too close to home for him. Without Seto to pioneer his new duel system it failed. Not only was the new technology expensive but the idea of one's energy defining the attack strength of a monster was deemed to susceptible to fraud. People liked concrete rules and quickly returned to their old duel disks and duel rules. Not that Yugi agreed with him, he felt that Kaiba's new system was an innovation that would have reinvigorated the game. Oh, well.
The ringing of his clock shook Yugi free of his imprisoning thoughts. Shock and worry began to emanate through his body as his eyes darted to the source of his interruption. It was midnight and darkness had long since fell over the town of Domino but this was not that what scared him. He had become so lost dwelling on the past he wasn't paying attention to the present and his grandfather had left to go purchase groceries. However, that was several hours ago and he should have been back by then. His thoughts were again disturbed as he was interrupted by a new noise; the ringing of his phone.
This was it. The final round of the Southern Regional Championship in Florida. Joey had travelled here to begin to make a name for himself as professional duelist. Despite his previous tournament placements, Mokuba had recommended that Joey win some smaller professional matches in order to boost his record before the next KaibaCorp tournament. Something about his brother's standards or whatever. He shrugged his shoulders as he placed his duel disk on his arm. He was good enough to meet "Rich Boy's" standards and he was going to prove it.
"Ladies and Gentlemen," the announcer's voice boomed as Joey could hear the audience cheer in anticipation, "We've come to our final match-up!" Joey giggled to himself as he hastened his step. He truly loved this part.
"Introducing first, our challenger!" the announcer continued, "This man is a rising star in the dueling world. In just six years he has attended some of the world's largest tournaments. Placing second in Duelist Kingdom and fourth in Battle City, a real rag to riches star, Joey Wheeler!" The crowd roared as the spotlight blinded him. He laughed heavily as he held his arms high in the air with a grin ten miles wide.
"That's right folks," Joey bellowed with his thick accent and arms waving, "Joey Wheeler's in the house!" After a few more moments of cheer the audience settled down, much to Joey's disappointment. It didn't matter. The crowds may give him rush but the only people he needed to root for him were the ones that mattered; his friends and family. He knew that somewhere, regardless of where they were, his friends were watching and cheering for him.
"Now introducing our defending champion!" the announcer began again as the hype in the stadium began to creep towards unmanageable levels, "this man is a local game enthusiast that has held this crown for the past seven seasons! Known for taking his opponents down piece by piece and saving his cards, I present to you the runner-up at the American nationals, Derek Lensherr!" The crowd boomed yet again as Joey's opponent stepped forward clad in a sharp suit with tightly cut, black hair. Joey couldn't help but roll his eyes. Great, another rich boy with a snobby attitude. Similarly, Derek found he was not impressed by the sight of his opponent with his messy, blonde hair and a simple t-shirt and jeans. Derek couldn't help but wonder how this buffoon was allowed to duel at all.
"You're my opponent?" Derek spat in disbelief as the two approached each other at the center of the arena, "you look like you should be begging for my change." Joey felt his blood begin to boil as his suspicions had been confirmed; Derek was just another snobby rich boy.
"We'll see who is begging who after I wipe the floor with ya!" Joey responded in kind as his duel disk snapped together. The announcer began to casually walk between the two of them as they traded and shuffled each other's decks.
"Gentlemen, this is an official match," he began to rattle off, "You will both start with four-thousand lifepoints and the first to hit zero loses. There will be no secondary match. Direct attacks on your opponent are allowed. Let's have a good, clean match."
"With him, I doubt anything is clean," Derek shot with a smirk as he handed back Joey's cards. Joey growled with anger. He couldn't wait to wipe that smug look off of Derek's face.
"Good luck," Derek added mockingly as the two paced away from each other. Yet another irritant crawled under Joey's already loose skin.
"Let's do this, punk," Joey roared as he turned around and both drew their cards. Both player's lifepoints flashed and grew, stopping only when they hit four-thousand.
"I'll start us off since I won the coin toss" Derek spat as he drew his first card with a smirk. Pulling two cards from his he hand, he slapped one face down on his duel disk before sliding one into the slots. In an instant, both cards materialized before him.
"I'll set one monster face down and place an additional card on the field," Derek announced before crossing his arms, "Let's see what you got, Monkey Boy!"
"Moneky boy?!" Joey screamed as he pulled his first card. If there was one thing he hated, it was being called "Monkey Boy" by snobby rich kids.
"I summon Marauding Captain to the field in attack mode," Joey began, slapped the card on his disk as his warrior materialized before him, "And I'll use his special ability to summon Little-Winguard to the field!" Slapping another card on his disk, he looked up with a smirk as both monsters stood with their sword's drawn. Joey felt pride wheeling within him because summoning two monsters at once was a great move. Once Joey dealt with Derek's facedown monster, his lifepoints would be wide open for a direct assault.
"Plus, I place one card facedown," he spoke again, sliding a third card into his disk, "Now, Marauding Captain, destroy his facedown monster!" Joey bellowed as his monster leapt into action. On one fluid motion his monster's sword slashed down through Derek's card as the image of a chanting, blue elf appeared in its place.
"Oh, no!" Joey cried as he realized what had just happened.
"I'm afraid you won't be able to attack my lifepoints that easily," Derek mocked as Joey's lifepoints fell to thirty-two hundred," and you seriously call yourself a duelist?" Joey had messed up. His Marauding Captain only had twelve-hundred attack points where the Mystical Elf had two-thousand defense points, costing Joey eight hundred of his lifepoints. Luckily, the Mystical Elf only had eight hundred attack points. Joey grimaced as he looked at the card he placed on the field; Shield and Sword. He wouldn't be able to activate it until next turn but when he did it would decimate Derek's defense.
"I use my Little-Winguard's special ability and switch him to defense mode!" Joey called as he slid his card horizontally on his card on his duel disk, "then I end my turn." This way his lifepoints would be safe from harm in the event Derek summoned a stronger monster.
"That's your first turn?!" Derek roared with laughter as he drew his next card.
"Just go, tough guy," Joey spat back as he began to grind his teeth with frustration.
"Let me show you how a real duelist plays the game," Derek replied as he slapped another card on his duel disk, "I summon my Obnoxious Celtic Guard in attack mode!" The elven warrior appeared over his card, drawing his sword as he gripped it in his steely grasp. With an attack power of fourteen hundred he could do away with Joey's Marauding Captain with ease.
"Now, my Guard, rid the field of his petty officer!" Derek screamed as the two monsters charged each other with swords drawn. In a flurry of strikes, Joey's Marauding Captain let out a groan as the Celtic Guard's sword skewered his chest. Shortly thereafter, he shattered into a million pieces as Joey's lifepoints began to plummet down to three thousand. Joey grimaced as he watched his Marauding Captain fall. He had already allowed this punk to gain a one-thousand-point lead.
"I'll place two more cards face down, "Derek added as two more cards flashed onto the field, "and that is all for now."
"All right, now it's my turn to bring on the pain!" Joey bellowed as he drew his next card; the Blue-Flame Swordsman. This was the perfect monster to take out his foe's Guard but Derek had three cards facedown. Odds were that at least one of them was trap. Nobody bluffs with three cards. He needed a plan.
"First off, I activate my facedown card," Joey announced as he clicked a button on his duel disk, "Shield and Sword! Now all of our monster's attack points are switched with their defense points!" Joey pulled another card from his hand.
"Next, I'll switch my Little-Winguard back into attack mode and summon my Blue-Flame Swordsman!" Joey spoke firmly as his new warrior rose from his card. Joey grinned again. Since Blue-Flame Swordsman wasn't on the field when Shield and Sword was played he wasn't effected. Despite this, Derek still looked unfazed and that worried Joey. However, at this point, he had little choice.
"Blue-Flame Swordsman, attack his Celtic Guard!" Joey cried as his monster raced towards the Obnoxious Celtic Guard, who appeared to shift his bodyweight in anticipation of the blow.
"Not so fast, Wheeler, you've triggered my trap!" Derek bellowed as one his facedown cards rose. Joey's brow furrowed as he took note of exactly which trap had been triggered.
"My Sakuratsu Armor automatically destroys an attacking monster!" Derek added as a menacing piece of black armor materialized and raced towards the Blue-Flame Swordsman. With one punch to the gut, the Blue-Flame Swordsman shattered but at least Joey's lifepoints were safe.
"You want to try again with your other monster?" Derek mocked as he crossed his arms, "with these two babies facedown, I don't think you've got the guts." It was a tough call. Joey glanced up at his Little-Winguard. It was the only monster he had left guarding his lifepoints from a direct assault but unless he did something quick Derek would have too many monsters to content with.
"Little-Winguard destroy his Mystical Elf!" Joey cried as his monster leapt forth and sliced through Derek's elf, shattering her in a million pieces. Confused, Derek let out a howl.
"I forgot about your little Shield and Sword trick!" He screamed as he ran his hand through his hair, "this duel has been so boring I forgot you made that move so I didn't use my trap card!"
"Oh, well," Joey responded with a smirk, "Last but not least, I'll play this little baby face down and switch my Little-Winguard back to defense mode." Joey looked down at his facedown card, a personal favorite that had bailed him out many a time; Scapegoat. This way if Derek found a way past his monster he could bring up a wall of tokens to guard his lifepoints.
"Time for me to end you!" Derek bellowed as he slapped another card into his duel disk, "I activate Raigeki! Say goodbye to your Little-Winguard!" Above the two duelist a storm crowd grew as winds gushed through the arena. The crowd roared with excitement as a bolt of lightning shot down from the dark clouds and struck Joey's monster, shattering it as it let out a cry of pure agony.
"No!" Joey cried as he covered his face from the blast, "Now my lifepoints are wide open!"
"That's right and what better way to take you down," Derek spat as he slid another monster on his duel disk, "Than with another Obnoxious Celtic Guard" In an instant Joey found himself staring down the swords of two menacing looking warriors.
"Obnoxious Celtic Guard, attack this pathetic fool's lifepoints directly!" Derek cried as his Guard leapt into action, brandishing his large sword as he flew towards Joey.
"Not so fast, reveal facedown card; Scapegoat!" Joey cried as his card rose from the ground, glowing with blinding light as four small goats appeared to defend him. Instantly, one was sliced in two by the Obnoxious Celtic Guard.
"Now you can't touch my lifepoints!" Joey spat back with glee as Derek tightened his fist in frustration. In another instant, Joey's second scapegoat was history.
"Take your next pathetic turn," Derek finished as he fumed with frustration. Joey drew his next card but was disappointed not to pull a monster.
"Eh," Joey stuttered, "I place one card face down and end my turn!" He had to draw something better if he planned on turning this duel around. At least Derek's strongest monster only boasted fourteen-hundred attack points.
"If that's all, I'm going to be more disappointed than I already am!" Derek screamed as he drew another card, "Say goodbye to your last line of defense!" Derek's monsters charged forth, brandishing their sharp blades as they cut down Joey's remaining scapegoats. Now he was back to square one; defenseless.
"Next turn, you'll be able to get acquainted with my Guards up close and personal!" Derek boasted, placing his hands on his hips.
"We'll see about that," Joey responded as he drew a card, glancing at it for a few moments before sliding it into his duel disk, "I play Card of Sanctity! Now we both draw until we each have six cards in our hand!" Joey's hand hovered over his deck. He needed something now or his situation would go from bad to worse. Unlike Derek, however, Joey was sure he knew what real dueling was all about. It was about spirit and a belief in the heart of the cards. Pulling six cards from his deck, a smile beamed from his face as he pulled two cards from his new hand and slapped them on his duel disk.
"I summon Panther Warrior in attack mode and place one card face down!" Joey screamed as his new beast flew from his card, "Let's see what you got tough guy!"
"Very well," Derek responded firmly, "First, I activate my Pot of Greed magic card. This allows me to draw two more cards." Joey rolled his eyes. Everyone felt it necessary to explain one of the most overused magic cards in the entire game.
"Next I'll sacrifice my two Celtic Guards to summon my Machine King!" Derek announced as his two monsters morphed into bright spheres of light and merged to summon a huge mechanical monsters. Boasting twenty-three hundred attack points due to its special ability, it was more than a match for Joey's Panther Warrior. Joey glanced down at his two facedown cards, praying that Derek would be foolish enough to attack his monster.
"Now, Machine King, get rid of his pathetic Panther Warrior!" Derek bellowed as his monster fired it's rocket arms at Joey's Panther Warrior.
"You've triggered my trap, activate Skull Dice!" Joey screamed triumphantly as his card rose and spat out a red six-sided die. Joey and Derek looked on, nerves on edge, as the holographic dice bounced along the arena floor. Whatever number rolled, multiplied by one hundred, would by the number of attack points Machine Kind would lose. Finally, the dice slowed and eventually fell to rest on the number five.
"Yes!" Joey roared with the crowd, "Now your Machine King loses five hundred attack points! Panther Warrior destroy Machine King!" Joey's Panther Warrior appeared to slice through each of Machine King's arms, shattered them, before charging the body of the mechanical beast and slice it down the middle. Derek let out a howl as his lifepoints dropped to thirty-eight hundred. It wasn't about the lifepoints, however, it was about regaining control of the duel.
"You're not the only one who can play a trap card, Wheeler, reveal Rope of Life!" Derek responded as his card rose from the field, "This allows me to bring back my Machine King and give him an eight-hundred-point boost as long as I discard my entire hand!" A rope shot down through the very ground itself and appeared to pull the devastated monster back from the grave. It then stood before Joey, it's evil eyes glowing as its attack strength began to grow.
"I destroyed that thing once and I'll do it again," Joey spat back aggressively, wiping the sweat from his brow as he drew his next card, "but for now, I'll switch my Panther Warrior to defense mode!" Joey grimaced as he gazed at the menacing beast that now stood as the strongest monster in player. Sweat continued to build on his brow as he took a deep breath. This duel would be tough but as long as he believed in his deck he knew he would draw the monster he needed.
"Fantastic, Machine King destroy his Panther Warrior!" Derek screamed viciously as his monster shot it's arms forward again, this time meeting with and shattering Joey's Panther Warrior. Joey held his arm in front of his face as his last line of defense let out one last cry of defiance before shattering.
"Take your last turn, Wheeler, because my Machine King is strong enough to wipe you out in one strike!" Derek spat before letting out an almost inhuman cackled.
"We'll see about that!" Joey cried in defiance as his hand hovered over his deck. There was only one card with the power to turn the duel around and he had to draw it now. Taking a deep breath, he pulled the card from his deck. The arena, which but moments before had been deafening, now fell incredibly silent. This turn could define the duel.
"I summon Time Wizard in attack mode!" Joey screamed with a grin as he smashed his monster card onto his disk. One of his favorite monster's materialized in front of him, holding its signature time wand. Joey smiled warmly as he viewed his monster, a gift from one of his best friends before his first Duel Monsters tournament. This card had gotten him out of dire situations in the past, when the stakes of dueling was much higher than a mere title.
"You've got to be kidding me," Derek cried as he gazed at Joey's small beast, "you're gonna leave this up to chance."
"Worked for me in the past," Joey responded softly, "You see, this card was a gift from a close friend of mine. We've been through a lot, he and I, and share a bond more powerful than words can describe. Every time I play this card, I know he stands with me. That is what true dueling is about!"
"You're insane!" Derek spat back as he looked on nervously.
"Now, Time Wizard, Time Roulette go!" Joey added as the Time Wizard lifted its wand high in the air and an arrow within it began to spin. If it fell on a skull, Joey's Time Wizard would self-destruct and take a chunk out of Joey's lifepoints not to mention leaving him open to a fatal assault. The crowd clung to the edge of their seats as the arrow spun around, slowing down until it ultimately fell. The crowd bellowed with excitement as a huge grin grew across Joey's face.
"Time magic, go!" Joey screamed triumphantly as the Time Wizard began to accelerate time, reducing Derek's Machine King to dust. As the dust began to settle, the sight on the field was clear. Derek sat with nothing and Joey had his Time Wizard.
"No way!" Derek muttered as he looked on with awe, "That's impossible."
"Happens all the time when you're me," Joey chuckled before pointing squarely at Derek, "Time Wizard, attack his lifepoints directly!" With that, Joey's Time Wizard rushed forth clubbing Derek with his wand. Derek let out a groan of pain, bending over to grip his stomach as his lifepoints dropped to thirty-five hundred. He stood there, gripping his side before standing again and drawing his next card. A cold sweat fell upon him. He had discard his entire hand to revive his Machine King and in doing so had placed his complete faith in that one monster. Right now, all he held were magic and trap cards.
"I place one card face down and end my turn…" Derek muttered through grimaced teeth as he stared Joey down.
"Didn't draw what you need, oh well!" Joey spoke softly with a shrug as he drew his next card.
"Reveal face down card, Rock Bombardment," Derek bellowed, shocking Joey out of his complacency, "As long as I move one Rock-type monster from deck to my graveyard, we both lose five hundred points!" A huge pile of rocks generated over both players' head as Derek moved one card from his deck to his graveyard. Then, they came crashing down and bombarded the players with pain as each player's lifepoints plummeted. Joey was left standing with twenty-five hundred and Derek left with three-thousand. Joey let out a groan as he returned to his feet.
"Well, now that that's over, Time Wizard attack!" Joey announced as his Time Wizard again clubbed Derek, reducing him to twenty-five hundred. Both players were now even but Joey held an advantage.
"I'll place one card face down and its back to you!" Joey finished, slapping another card into his duel disk. The noise in the arena was almost unbearable. This duel was reaching its climax and audience was well aware of it. Joey could hardly hear himself think over the noise. Derek drew another card, hanging his head low in the realization that it was worthless to him. He now only held two worthless magic cards. Shaking his head, he waved to indicate his turn had ended.
"You don't have such a big mouth no do ya!" Joey bellowed as he drew his next card, "Time Wizard attack him again!" Derek's lifepoints dropped now to two-thousand. He was circling the drain and he knew it. He glanced up in pain. Joey only had one monster with a mere five hundred attack points. Clearly, Joey had had similar luck when it came to drawing additional monsters no matter how happy he seemed. Any monster in Derek's deck could easily turn things back in his favor.
"I'm not done yet!" Derek screamed defiantly as he pulled another card and a grin now grew across his face. It was another Mystical Elf. He had no doubt that Joey would make the same mistake as he had earlier in the duel but this time it would cost him fifteen-hundred lifepoints.
"I place one monster facedown and end my turn!" Derek finished as a new card filled the empty gap and stood between him and Joey's Time Wizard. He tried his best to control his anxiety. He was desperate for Joey to call his attack.
"Very well," Joey responded as he drew his next card, "I gotta say, this just isn't your day."
"What?!" Derek cried as his heart began to drop, doubt creeping into his mind, "what did you draw?!"
"This, my Baby Dragon," Joey announced as his small dragon materialized on the field with a goofy roar. Derek felt a wave of relief wash over him. It wasn't strong enough to destroy his Mystical Elf and odds are Joey wasn't lucky enough to succeed on two Time Roulettes in the same duel.
"Next I'll play a little number called Polymerization," Joey roared as his two monsters were sucked into the magic card that rose on his field, "Fusing my two monsters to form Thousand Dragon!" Again, Derek felt his heart drop. With twenty-four hundred attack points, this beast would surely best his Mystical Elf. Things were getting worse for him by the second. He had to admit, Joey was an excellent duelist.
"Now, Thousand Dragon, destroy his facedown monster!" Joey cried as his beast let loose a powerful breath from its nostrils, obliterating Derek's Mystical Elf. Derek groaned as he shielded his face from the ferocious creature's breath and began to tremble as he looked up at it. Derek knew he had to rid the field of this beast or he wouldn't stand a chance. Drawing his next card, he let out a sigh. It wasn't going to be the best move but it was the only one he could muster.
"I summon Beta the Magnet Warrior in defense mode," Derek screamed, "and then I'll play my magic card Mystic Box!" Joey cried out in horror as he watched Beta jump into the box and get skewered. He had seen Yugi used this card many times in the past and despite the fact that its rules had changed slightly didn't change the fact that Joey was quite familiar with the card. His Thousand Dragon would be devastated but he would gain control of Derek's Beta the Magnet Warrior.
"You've given up your only defensive monster!" Joey cried out in confusion as Beta materialized on his side of the field.
"Beta isn't the strongest Magnet Warrior in my deck and I'm hoping to destroy him," Derek responded, "It is easier to deal with him than your Thousand Dragon!"
"How could you do that to your own monster!" Joey asked, more irritation welling up from inside.
"Because I had to, this way I preserve some chance of winning," Derek responded, his head hung low.
"That's low even for you, Derek," Joey spat, drawing his next card, "and now I'll teach you what happens for disrespecting your monster. Beta, attack his life points directly!" Derek looked on in horror as his own beast closed the gap and struck him across the chest. His chest felt like it was on fire as Derek let out a howl of pain and his lifepoints plummeted to three hundred. He panted, clutching his chest as Joey ended his turn.
"You'll pay for that…" Derek groaned as he drew his next card. How he loved being right. Gamma the Magnet Warrior had eighteen-hundred defense points and could easily stand up to his Alpha.
"I place one monster facedown and end my turn!" Derek announced as he let his arms hang at his sides. At this point, he was willing to let the duel play out however it was going to play out. Joey drew his next card and quickly placed it facedown.
"Beta, destroy his facedown monster!" Joey bellowed as his magnet warrior again sprang into action. Derek let out a cackle.
"I told you so, Beta can't destroy Gamma!" Derek screamed as his monster materialized with its arms crossed.
"I disagree, reveal Graceful Dice!" Joey responded defiantly.
"No way!" Derek roared as another holographic dice danced on the arena floor, this one green. Finally, it landed on a four. Derek let out a roar as his monster fell.
"Maybe you shouldn't have given up on your monsters so easily," Joey spat as Derek drew his next card. Then, a chill ran down his spine as a grin spread across Derek's face.
"Or not, I summon the Skilled Dark Magician in Attack mode!" Derek responded angrily as his beast materialized, "With nineteen-hundred attack points you don't stand a chance!"
"Actually, I just won this duel," Joey rebutted quietly, pointing at his facedown card, "Did you forget about this card, I played it a few turns ago." Derek watched in horror again as the card rose to reveal Bottomless Trap Hole.
"No!" he screamed as his Skilled Dark Magician vanished from existence. After a few moments of silence, he hung his head low.
"Just finish it…" Derek whispered, his head hung low with shame. How could he have lost to such an inferior looking person. Perhaps there was more to duelists than just the way they dress.
"Very well, Beta," Joey screamed, "Wipe out the rest of his lifepoints!" The creature flew forward, gutting Derek who fell to his knees as his lifepoints hit zero. At this time the crowd went berserk, bellowing their cries of approval and excitement.
"There you have it folks!" the announcer's voice boomed, "Our new champion, and our representative to the American National Tournament; Joey Wheeler!" The crowd continued to cheer as Joey walk towards Derek extending his hand.
"Hey, you fought well, "Joey spoke softly and sincerely, "that was a tough duel."
"What?" Derek responded, gripping Joey's hand weakly, "How can you be so nice after the way I was acting?"
"Tempers flare during duels, "Joey answered with a chuckle, rubbing his nose, "What happens in the arena shouldn't impact what happens outside the arena."
"Thank you and congratulations," Derek spoke with a smile. The two duelist turned and faced their cheering crowd. They had given them exactly what they wanted; an excellent duel. Joey couldn't believe it. He was climbing the ranks faster than they could put them up. He was one the fast track to becoming one of the best duelists in the world. He got to play the game he loved and he got paid to do it. The night quickly passed as the fans began to drain from the stadium Finally, he was left alone in the arena standing in his spot of triumph. He was interrupted by the vibrations of his cell phone and tilted his head as he realized it was an unknown number. Normally, he didn't take such calls but something in his gut told him to take this one.
"Hello?" he asked tentatively, hoping this wasn't another prank call or a crazed fan.
"Joey Wheeler?" a female voice responded on the other end, "It's me, Rebecca."
"Rebecca?" Joey muttered, his mind drawing a complete blank. Then after a few moments of mind digging, it finally came back to him.
"You mean that bratty girl with the teddy bear?" Joey spat out without thinking. A frustrated sigh flew through the phone.
"Yeah…that one…listen I have terrible news. Yugi's grandpa is in the hospital and it doesn't look good," the voice added, her tone carrying with it the weight of its message. Joey felt his heart begin to sink. Solomon Muto was getting old but he had been a friend to Joey for years, and he taught Joey all he knew about duel monsters. Joey wouldn't be where he was today without him. Not to mention, he was Yugi's grandfather.
"What?" Joey cried in disbelief, "What happened?"
"I don't know but my grandfather and I are flying out tonight and I was hoping you could spread the news," Rebecca continued, her voice soft and steady.
"Yeah, don't worry, I'm on it and I'll be there as soon as possible," Joey responded, swiftly walking from the arena. His victory was now the furthest thing from his mind.
"Thanks Joey," Rebecca muttered.
"No problem, you take care of Yugi!" Joey responded.
"I will, and by the way Joey?" Rebecca spoke, her voice lifting slightly. This led to Joey being slightly confused.
"Yeah?" he asked, pondering why she was still on the phone.
"Congrats on the win, looks like you'll be in my neck of the woods," Rebecca responded, "Don't expect me to go easy on you because you are friends with Yugi" On the other side of the country, a young woman hung up the phone and gazed out the window of her car. The years had passed quickly for her to. She reached into her shirt and pulled out her necklace which contained one her most valued possessions. The necklace clicked open as a single card fell out. Her favorite. The Ties of Friendship.
"Don't worry, Yugi," she muttered as she gripped the card, "Your friends are on their way…"
I hope you all enjoyed the duel and trust me when I say the plot is about to thicken.