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Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters - Birthday Battle

Chapter 7 - Monster Mash

Yugi Moto looked at his dueling console's scoreboard with an appropriate amount of worry and concern in his eyes. His opponent, Brutus Malone, executed some rather impressive strategies during the duel, and took a pretty strong lead as a result. But most of Yugi's thoughts kept drifting back to the wrapped present that he had gotten for Téa. It was so important to him, and he had worked so hard to acquire it. He also wondered if it was a mistake to accept this duel. Maybe he should have forgotten the whole thing and gone ahead to join Téa and all of his other good friends for her birthday party. At the same time, he justified his decision for the same reason. Allowing an obnoxious jock such as Brutus to trash Téa's gift was NOT an option.

What was at stake was also the cause of Yugi's current performance in his battle. He wasn't fully cognizant of the situation yet, but his mental state was unconciously having him worry more about what might happen to Téa's present, rather than focusing on the duel. It was a thought that could very well preclude and effect the outcome of the duel...

Still, the "King of Games" was trying hard to do his best. His thoughts finally shifted as he checked his lone monster on the field.

Brutus has only lost 100 Life Points, while I've lost more than half of mine! I gotta stay focused, or he'll crush me! Silver Fang was able to destroy his last monster, but it's low attack points leave it virtually defenseless! It won't last very long unless I can protect it from harm...now let's see...

Yugi took a long, hard look at the cards in his hand. An idea immediately sprung to mind when he saw the card inserted in the middle.

All right, Mirror Force! This'll definately do the trick!

"I set two cards face down on the field, and that will end my turn," Yugi stated.

"Fine by me!" Brutus retorted. "My Ultimate Baseball Kid may be gone, but I'm still in the lead! But why don't we change the sport? If you didn't enjoy baseball, then how about boxing?"

Yugi raised his eyebrows slightly in partial confusion.

"I summon Kangaroo Champ, in defense mode!"

And indeed, the new monster on the playing field was a pale orange kangaroo with black hair (and a beard), wearing blue boxing gloves and matching shoes. Around its waist was a giant belt, the kind that professional boxers wore after winning a title.

(Kangaroo Champ - 800/700)

Thanks to the effect of Brutus's fairy-type monster, Yugi's Silver Fang would lose 300 attack points when it attacked. But Silver Fang would still be powerful enough to get rid of the Kangaroo Champ, and Yugi couldn't allow another monster of Brutus's to remain on the field, for fear of it stymieing his efforts futher.

"Back to you!" Brutus finished.

"Fine, I'll summon Big Shield Gardna in defense mode!" Yugi announced.

The monster lived up to its name as soon as it was summoned. It was quite muscular and with long wild black hair, weilding a gigantic metallic shield with a purple emblem on it.

(Big Shield Gardna - 100/2600)

My Big Shield Gardna has 2600 defense points, Yugi thought. That should be more than enough to hold off Brutus's attacks...

"And next, my Silver Fang will attack your defense monster! GO!"

Silver Fang roared ferociously and raced towards the Kangaroo Champ, which covered its face with its arms. It was evidently all for naught, however, as Yugi's monster proved stronger and destroyed it's target with little (or no) effort.

"Attacking my Kangaroo Champ switches your monster into defense mode!" Brutus pointed out. "Not that it matters much, since ALL of your monsters will eventually go down for the count!"

It was probably all for the best, anyway. Attacking or defending, Silver Fang's meager power wouldn't provide sufficient protection for very long. At least this way Yugi wouldn't lose any Life Points if it was destroyed now.

"Okay, are we all ready to go?" Téa asked as she out her new jean jacket back on.

"Fuh sure!" Joey exclaimed, grinning and sticking his thumb up.

"So where exactly is this Millennium Arcade?" Tristan asked.

The group was at a loss for words until Mai spoke.

"Well, if memory serves...it should be about two blocks west from here."

"But its grand opening is today," Bakura noted. "Won't the entrance be crowded?"

"Not if we cruise there in style and top speed!"

Mai winked and pointed out the restaurant window with her thumb. Everyone's doubts vanished as they laid eyes on her car .

"Yeah, we'll beat the crowd and arrive in no time flat!" Tristan agreed, clenching his fist.

"Den what're we waiting for, troops!" Joey almost shouted. "Let's move out!"

Back at the duel, it was now Brutus's turn again. He looked at the next card he drew, then glanced at Yugi's side of the field. He was a headstrong bully, but he certainly wasn't stupid. As much as he wanted to smash Yugi's creatures over and over again, he saw the two facedown cards that Yugi had set not too long ago in plain view. His next attack would have to wait...for now.

"That Kangaroo Champ of yours was no match for my monster, Brutus!" Yugi yelled from across the arena.

"True, it may not have lived up to its name..." Brutus agreed, "...but I assure you, it'll be instrumental in my next move!"

"How so?" Yugi asked, displaying a curious look while Brutus prepared to make his next move.

"Now that my Kangaroo Champ is in the Graveyard, I'll remove it from play! Doing so allows me to special summon the mighty Gigantes!"

On cue, the hologram-generating dueling arena displayed the monster on the card. It was a gigantic red ogre-like creature with a grey horn on its head, wearing spiked armor, and held a huge tree trunk in its hand. Its howls and roars were so loud that Yugi almost had to cover his ears from the noise.

"And while my new monster defends my teammate, I'll also set one card facedown! And finally, I'll play Remove Trap to destroy your Spellbinding Circle!"

As soon as Brutus's magic card was played, the glowing circular seal that was holding the Soul of Purity and Light in place like a tight lasso glowed even brighter than before until a strange cracking noise was heard. The sound switched to that of a small explosion as the Spellbinding Circle broke into an incalcuable number of pieces, finally freeing the monster.

It came as a bit of a surprise that Brutus didn't attack immediately afterwards, and Yugi thought hard over what happened.

He's being cautious because of the danger of my two facedown cards. If he's backed into a corner, then I may have a chance to go on the offensive!

"All right! Finally, we're here!" Téa cheered as Mai's car parked at the curb nearby the Millennium Arcade.

"Told you I'd make good time!" Mai lightly boasted.

As the five friends got out of the car, they saw that already other people (either in their own cars or on foot) were headed their way, wanting to check out the new arcade themselves. A huge orange banner with the words "GRAND OPENING" in red letters hung over the entrance. Téa saw that there were a small number of people already inside, but they DID manage to beat the crowd.

"This should be fun!" Bakura said, smiling.

"OH, yeah!" Joey and Tristan exclaimed simultaneously.

Upon entering, the teens were amazed at what they saw. All kinds of games were hooked up in every inch of the building! Video games, crane games, pool tables, and so much more than the usual arcades they would hang out at. The complex was seemingly bigger on ther inside than on the outside, because the kids couldn't even see all the way to the end of the building. Moreover, there were a flight of stairs leading upwards to a second floor full of an even bigger variety of games. Off to the side was a snack bar, restrooms, and speakers attached to corners of the ceiling that played some rock music.

"Dis place is totally massive!" Joey almost shouted, astonished.

"So this is where you decided to spend your birthday at, Téa?" Mai asked, similarly surprised at how impressive the place was. "I gotta say, you sure know how to pick 'em."

"And we actually get to hang out in a cool place like this?" screeched Tristan. "I can't believe it!"

"Believe it, Tristan!" said a young-sounding, familiar voice.

Everyone turned around to see where the voice came from. Standing behind them with his arms crossed was a little kid with long black hair wearing a red shirt with striped sleeves. Around the boy's neck was a light blue bandanna. Everyone recognized who it was.

"Mokuba!" Téa exclaimed, in "neutral" surprise.

Seto Kaiba's little brother stood there keeping his arms crossed, but he had a half-smile on his face.

"Whatcha doin' around here, huh?" asked Joey. "Didja come ta check out the games, too?"

"Not exactly," Mokuba said closing his eyes briefly, as if he was in deep thought. "I'm actually here on business."

"You have a job that includes going to play at arcades?" Tristan wondered. "Sign me up!"

"That's not it. Y'see, the truth is that Kaiba Corporation provided the funding for this hangout."

"NO WAY!" the five friends responded in unison.

"It's true," Mokuba confirmed, sticking his hands in the pockets of his jeans. "Seto paid for everything, among other things. That's why I'm here. My bro sent me to make sure everything was running smoothly on its opening day."

"Feh...leave it ta rich boy t'flash his big bucks wherever we go," Joey grunted.

"Since I'm in a good mood, Joey, I'll pretend I didn't hear that," Mokuba growled.

"ANYWAY..." Téa interrupted, attempting to diffuse the situation, "...it's my birthday today, and I thought this might make a good place to go for such an occasion."

"Really? Well, in that case...take these!"

Mokuba reached into his pockets and pulled out a two handfuls of game tokens. Quickly counting them up, he divided them up equally (or at least, to the best of his ability,) and gave some to each of the teenagers standing before him.

"Wow...thanks, Mokuba!" Téa said.

"Hey, it IS your birthday, after all...and also, think of it as thanks for everything you and your friends have done for me and Seto," Mokuba cheerfully replied, winking. "And speaking of which, would you mind answering one question?"

"What's that?"

"If today's your birthday...then why isn't Yugi with you?"

All the way in the back of the same building, Yugi drew a card from his deck, planning his next move..

Hmm...that facedown card of Brutus's could be a trap to get rid of my monster. But if it's what I think it is, then this magic card I drew might help...

"All right, Brutus! It's time's to cut your so-called 'team' down to size now! I'll activate this magic card I drew...Centrifugal Field!"

Brutus crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow in minor curiosity.

"And since I don't have a monster on my side of the field powerful enough to attack yours, I'll just revive one...so I'll also play Monster Reborn!"

Yugi's side of the playing field glowed white, and a monster that had been sent to the Graveyard earlier appeared out of nowhere.

"Arise, Gaia the Dragon Champion!"

Brutus gritted his teeth in frustration.

"Now, my monster..." Yugi ordered, "...ATTACK!"

"Idiot!" Brutus shot back fiercly. "Since you clearly disregarded this this facedown card of mine, your monster might as well have charged into a brick wall!"

"No!" Yugi said as his monster exploded in a cloud of smoke and a flash of light.

"Oh, don't thank me...thank my trap card, Sakurestsu Armor!"

"What?"

"Just a simple little trap that destroyed your creature as soon as it tried to attack! So now your monster can hit the showers for a second time!"

"Not quite!" Yugi angrily disagreed. "My Centrifugal Field is still active! Since my fusion monster was destroyed by your trap's effect, my field magic card brings back one of the two monsters that created it! So, Gaia the Fierce Knight...return!"

Yugi's warrior-type monster did indeed return to the field, and it looked like it was poised for attack.

"It loses 300 attack points due to your Soul of Purity and Light, but with Gigantes's defensive power of 1300, it's hardly a hindrance for my Knight! GO!"

Upon Yugi's words, the Knight (mounted on its purple horse) stuck out its joust and charged towards the ferocious Gigantes. Bewtween the two monsters, the victor would be obvious. Impact was imminent and immediate.

The Knight's long red joust rammed into Gigantes, causing it to roar in pain as it vanished from sight, but its screams caused something unexpected to happen. The squares on Yugi's side of the dueling arena that designated his magic/trap cards lighted up and his hidden traps were revealed. Both players saw what looked like a pain of glass and an Egyptian sarcophagus appear on Yugi's end.

"What's happening?" Yugi asked anxiously.

"In destroying my Gigantes, you've triggered its special ability!" Brutus explained. "Before it goes to the Graveyard, it destroys all magic and trap cards on the field!"

No! My Mirror Force trap is gone!

This proved to be quite a setback, but Yugi quickly made a conscious effort to (mentally) stay strong.

"My Centrifugal Field and Mirror Force may be gone, but so is my other trap, Dark Coffin!" Yugi noted. "And once it's destroyed, this ancient casket holds the power to claim the life of one your monsters! And since your Gigantes has already been vanquished, the only monster left is the Soul of Purity and Light!"

Yugi's coffin trap opened up a crack, and a black stream of gas shot out of the opening. The gas formed into what looked like a pairs of wavy arms. Hands formed at the end and grabbed the fairy-type monster that had caused so much trouble for Yugi. The Soul of Purity and like shouted in horror, as it was pulled into the coffin, which immediately snapped shut. The coffin immediately sunk and vanished into the ground, never to be seen again.

"RRRGH!" Brutus growled.

"So much for your monsters!" Yugi said, grinning.

"We'll see about that, you little snot!"

Regarding Mokuba's last question, Téa was a a loss for words since she had no idea where Yugi even was. But words would definately come to everyone's mind as they heard what Mokuba said next...

"I mean, I know Yugi loves Duel Monsters and all, but you'd think he'd at least wait up for you guys before coming here to duel-"

"WHAT did you say?" Mai asked, wide-eyed.

"Y'mean...Yugi's already here?" Tristan went, in a disbeliving voice.

"Sure," Mokuba confirmed, pointing behind with his thumb. "I saw him playing a little earlier at one of the four dueling arenas installed in the back. I was gonna call out to him, but I didn't want to interupt his game."

Téa was about to ask exactly where the dueling was taking place, but that question would prove needless as she heard the voices of the other people who had entered the building.

"Man, check it out! There's already a duel going on!"

"Hey, it's that Yugi guy!"

"Aw, man...this is too cool!"

"Wonder if he'd battle me next!"

The group of six turned their heads. Most of the people who had continued further into the building saw the duel in progress. Téa, Bakura, Tristan, Mai, and Joey all looked at each other and realized that Yugi was now closer than they thought. They quickly ran to the back where the dueling arenas were located, with Mokuba following them.

"Give it up!" Yugi suggested. "Both of your monsters have been beaten, and the odds will be ultimately stacked against you in the end!"

"Is that so?" Brutus asked, looking at his cards for a moment. "Then I'll just have to even up the odds!"

Yugi just grimaced in repsonse.

"Time for a line change, Yugi! First I'll play The Shallow Grave, which allows me bring back a monster in face down defense mode!"

"Very well! It allows me to do so, as well!" Yugi added.

One of the squares on both sides blinked on and off, indicating the positioning of the resurrected monsters.

"Next I play the magic card Silent Doom! It revives one monster from my Graveyard, also in defense! And I pick Neo Aqua Madoor!"

A huge wave of water splashed onto the playing field, so fiercly that Yugi couldn't see anything. When the tsunami cleared, a new monster could be seen, kneeling on one knee, with its head down, and arms crossed against its chest. The monster was dressed in a red outfit, with a gray cape. It had pale violet hair, but its face was covered by some kind of mask. An eerie red glow came from slits in the mask where the eyes would be.

"My water-based spellcaster has more than a strong enough defense to safeguard my teammates' welfare! Not to mention that it outranks your Big Shield Gardna in attack and defensive power! Looks like anything your monsters can do, MINE can do better!"

(Neo Aqua Madoor - 1200/3000)

"And now for the offensive division! A team wouldn't be complete without its mascot! I summon the Mad Dog of Darkness!"

A loud, grotesque barking sound echoed through the area as a monstrous, dog-like mutant made its entrance. This particular dog had twisted horns atop its head, had viscious-looking eyes (that glowed blood red), and its paws were more like overly muscular claws, as was the rest of its body. Yugi's face cringed as he layed his eyes on the disgusting beast, which grinned evily, as a small puddle of drool oozed out between the slits of its clenched teeth.

(Mad Dog of Darkness - 1900/1400)

With the thought of Téa and her birthday present still eating away at half of his thoughts, Yugi was at a loss for words. Brutus, however, had more to say.

"Time to release my Mad Dog from its leash! It needs some time to stretch its legs...so to speak."

The seemingly insane beast lunged at itself at Yugi's Silver Fang. With only 800 defense to work with, the wolf had no chance against Brutus's (mad) dog.

"Well, now that I've swatted another one of your creatures, we each have three monsters staring each other down! But soon enough my team'll pound you and your puny monsters so badly, that your own mother won't even recognize you!" Brutus stated.

"That remains to be seen!" Yugi retorted.

He was doing his best to keep up a brave front, but his heart just wasn't giving enough drive in this duel. This was ludicrous! With odds such as this, Yugi thought he'd be slashing through Brutus, his monster, and his Life Points like a hot knife through butter. But he couldn't keep his mind focused on one thought for five seconds without it drifting to another. If only there was a way to-

"YUGI!"

The "King of Games" turned his head at the extremely familiar (and feminine) voice calling his name. Hardly noticing the big crowd that had gathered at the foot of the dueling arena, Yugi scanned downwards to pinpoint the source of the voice. Among the rest of the crowd (which he almost visualized in shades of grey), he saw six familiar, friendly faces, one of them sticking out more than the other five. The face's features were utterly recognizable...the neatly brushed short brown hair, the caring blue eyes, and the fixed expression of deep concern that was always there for him. There was no mistake. His eyes locked with hers. The name was on the tip of Yugi's tongue. It was-

"Téa..."

TO BE CONTINUED...

Ahhhhhhhhh! Finally After all this time, I painstakingly finished another chapter! I'm sorry it took so long, my dedicated readers, but I've been unbelievable busy! SO busy that I can hardly believe it myself! Ah, well...in any case, it's done! Chew on it for a while 'til I get so bored that I wanna write my next chapter! So until next time, leave me alone! Ha!