Joey Takes a Stand
It didn't matter how far Joey had been pushed to his limits. He would keep fighting with whatever strength was left in him until he would save someone he cared about. The odds were certainly against Joey and he was barely alive with only 200 life points, but he wouldn't count himself out until the last life point was gone or the last card had been drawn. And this battle was no different. But Joey really needed to make every move count from here on out. And he was really about to fight with everything he had. "I play Fiend Megacyber!"
"But that's a level six monster," Max protested.
"Thanks to its special ability, I can summon it without making a sacrifice because you have more monsters on the field than I do." And the mighty warrior was summoned to the field with 2200 attack points. With his Cyber Swipe, Fiend Megacyber attacked one Harpy Lady and dealt 400 points of damage to Max's life points. A good start, but Joey wasn't out of the woods yet. To end his turn, Joey plays a card face down.
Valon seemed a little impressed. "I guess Wheeler decided to go down fighting after all."
"Who cares?" Rafael asked. "There's no way that scrawny punk's going to win."
"At least there'll be a little excitement for a change," said Valon.
Max grins and tells Joey, "I was worried, Wheeler. For a second there, I thought you'd lost your touch. But I hope you're starting to embrace the fact that we're not friends and we never were. I told you, the part of me that was pathetic enough to open up to you is gone forever."
"I refuse to believe that," said Joey.
"Well, you can believe whatever you want to, but it's true." Max decides to explain how she came to be this way.
Valon brought her to the temple where his master was waiting. "Your life's never gonna be the same again, Max," he promised her. "Everything you ever wanted in your whole life is right here."
Max looked around. "And where exactly is here?"
The sound of chuckling filled the room and a man in a white tunic approached them. "I can handle things from now on, Valon." In respect, the Australian bows and leaves them to their business.
"Who are you?" Max asked nervously.
"Please, call me Dartz," he tells her as he lowers his hood. "I've been expecting you for some time." At first, Max was under the impression that this man knew who she was and what sort of power she had. She tried to relax, but it was hard for her to do so. For some reason, something about this man seemed terrifying to her. Perhaps it was because she could sense a great power coming from him as well; a dark force greater than that of her Cobalt Star shard. Dartz could see the fear in her eyes, but he assured her, "Don't you see that this is where you belong? You've come home to a place where everyone understands you. No longer will the cruelty of the outside world feed on your loneliness, Max. You have my word."
Now Max was scared. "How do you know so much about me? Answer me, who told you?"
"Why, you just did," he plainly answers. "It's all in your eyes, my child."
Then the fear began flashing before her eyes once again. She falls on her knees and begs, "Please, I don't want to go back to that place again. I can't stand the cruelty of it anymore." She faces the ground and begins shuddering and sobbing.
"Of course not and I'll make sure you never do," Dartz tells her. "You've been used and lied to for too long. Those who called themselves your friends all turned on you. Even the Dark Lord, who promised to help you, has done nothing but betray you." He eases his voice and continues, "You poor child. Those scoundrels left you all alone in that terrible place while they took all the glory. You deserve so much more than that. You deserve to be recognized as the greatest warrior the world has ever known."
Listening to his words, Max feels her want to be the best growing stronger. "That's what I want."
"Trust me and the ultimate power shall be yours."
"I trust you."
But Dartz had been used to hearing such a pledge for too long and knew that at first, it would just be empty words. The only way to know for sure was to be certain she was desperate to claim what she wanted. "Will you denounce your allegiance to the Dark Lord and pledge your loyalty to me?"
Max lifts her head and faces him with tears staining her face. She removes the Cobalt Star shard from around her neck and promises, "I pledge my word to serve you."
That was enough to suffice. "Good. The power you desire is now yours." Dartz points his fingers to her head and begins transferring his power to her. When the process is complete, Max's eyes glow with a terrible red light of anger and the Orichalcos symbol appears on her forehead. "Welcome. From this day forth, you shall serve the Orichalcos."
"And he was right," Max concluded. "Now I have everything I need. But it still isn't enough to satisfy me. That's why I have to win this duel and claim your soul!"
Just then, Duke Devlin arrived and was standing on the other side of the glass. "Hey, guys!"
They give him his attention and ask him, "How did you find us?"
"It's a long story," he replies. "Is there a duel going on in there?"
"Yes, but it's a longer story," Téa tells him. "Listen, we don't have time to stand here chitchatting. We need your help now."
"We're all trapped in this place," says Tristan. "You gotta find a way to get us out."
"Just leave it to me." And Duke leaves to find a way to enter the building and unlock all the doors. While he was on his way, Weevil and Rex were coming to the window to check out what was going on. As it turned out, when Weevil and Rex were being transported, they got dumped in the middle of the city and were attacked by street punks. Duke found them and came to their rescue. Weevil and Rex explained that they came all the way to San Francisco to help Yugi and company on their mission. Convinced, Duke gladly offered them a ride to Industrial Illusions and now the gang was all here.
"It's a regular party," Tristan said as he saw the mischievous duo. "What are you guys doing here?"
They tried to explain, but instead put on scared expressions as they saw the Seal of Orichalcos in play. What really freaked Rex out was that Max was in it. He cried out loud for Max to be strong. He still had a big crush on her and even said he would never forgive himself if she lost herself to the Seal.
Max sacrifices two of her Harpies to summon Harpy's Pet Dragon. He gained 500 attack points thanks to the Seal, but he also gained 300 attack points for every Harpy Lady Max had on the field. Since she had three, Harpy's Pet Dragon gained 900 attack points and now had a total of 3400 points. The Pet Dragon was about to attack, but Joey revealed his trap card Compensation Mediation; one of the riskiest traps in the game. Max had to choose two cards from her graveyard and place them face down on the field along with Joey's trap card. All Joey had to do was guess which card was his and if he guessed correctly, Max would be forced to stop her attack. But if his guess would turn out wrong, she could proceed with her attack and win the duel.
"It won't be long now," said Valon.
Rafael agreed. "There's no way that pipsqueak's going to get himself out of this mess by playing a game of chance. He'll never pick the right card. It's over."
The cards Max chose were the Formation cards and she placed them on the field with Joey's trap card. She could see that Joey's dueling antics had not changed. He still sounded confident when he knew the danger he was in. But she had to remember that Joey did have a lot of successful outcomes and they weren't based upon dumb luck. Plus, it takes skill to play the right card at the right time.
After thinking carefully, he chose the card in the middle, revealed to be Compensation Mediation. Joey was able to save himself, but the success of his outcome still helped Max. Now she gets to place the cards she chose back on the top of her deck; Harpy Lady Sparrow and Phoenix Formation. Valon had to make a comment that a theory was just blown here. Even Max was a little surprised. But then again, this is Joey. But her turn wasn't over yet. She moved her Harpies to her back row, leaving Harpy's Pet Dragon to guard the front. To end her turn, she played two cards face down.
All Joey could do was play a monster in defense mode and switch his Fiend into defense mode and play a card face down. Harpy's Pet Dragon was too strong to fight against. Max drew her card, but before she could make her move, Joey activated a trap called Drop Off, forcing Max to discard the card she drew. But Max was a step ahead and revealed her Trap Jammer, canceling the effect of Joey's card. He knew that one of the cards she drew was either Sparrow or Phoenix Formation. Max had Harpy's Pet Dragon attack Fiend Megacyber. He was in defense mode, so Joey didn't lose any life points. Next, she had one of her Harpy Ladies move to the front and attack his hidden monster. It was Fiber Jar and when destroyed, both players had to discard their entire hands and draw five new cards. Max wasn't worried. She revealed her Harpy's Featherstorm trap to cancel the effects of Fiber Jar. Luckily for Joey, Max's turn was over. But she thought he was starting to become desperate; especially when he played a monster in defense mode and ended his turn.
"It's time for Max to deliver the finishing blow. I'm gonna miss seeing Wheeler squirm," Valon said and sniffled. "But I'll move on."
Max draws her card and sees that it's Harpy Lady Phoenix Formation. Time for me to put this poor fool out of his misery. With this magic card, not only will I destroy his last defense, but I'll also destroy the rest of his life points. "It's all over for you, Wheeler," said Max. "I activate Harpy Lady Phoenix Formation. And in case you're too stunned to figure this out, it means that I win the duel." Her Harpies joined together to attack, but in vain. "What the hell just happened?"
Joey snickered and explained, "That was my buddy Neko Mane King. He has zero attack points, which means I didn't lose any life points and you just wasted your best card. Oh, well. Pretty cool, huh?" And since his monster was destroyed by the effect of a magic card, Max's turn was automatically over.
The suspense was really killing all the spectators. Sure enough, Joey's got as many lives as a cat would. Even Valon was becoming tired of it. "He just keeps stalling for more time, but how long's he gonna keep this up?"
"What's the deal," Max asked, still annoyed. "Is your strategy to drag this out just so I forfeit from boredom?"
"You just worry about your strategy and let me worry about mine." But he had to admit that Max had a point. He was buying himself time, but still not doing much to fight back. He needed a miracle to come through this. He wasn't just praying for the Heart of the Cards to see him through, but for the Great Goddess to give him strength. As if his prayers were being heard, Joey could feel a strange sensation coming from his deck as it was glowing. Feeling that same sensation, Yami's deck starts glowing as well. Rather the Eye of Timaeus. He and Emily look at it, wondering what's going on.
The three of them are transported to the same chamber where the last Dragon stands. "Hey, where are we?" Joey asks, looking around. "And, uh, wasn't I just in the middle of a duel?"
"I know this place," said Emily.
"So do I. It's the Dominion of the Beasts," said Yami.
Then they all look at the Dragon and see a sword sheathed in its claw. "Whoa! That's one big ice sculpture," said Joey.
"It's a Dragon frozen in time," Emily tells him.
"And we have a feeling that it's chosen you," Yami adds. "And if my theory is correct, then you must remove that sword. When you do, the ancient Dragon will awaken."
Joey wasn't sure what any of this meant, but he decides to go through with it. Dark Magician Girl's voice calls to Joey, saying, "You are the one."
"That's weird. I could've sworn I heard someone talking to me through that sword."
"Yes, Joey. You must release Hermos," Dark Magician Girl tells him. Joey holds a tight grip on the hilt and unsheathes the sword, releasing a red Dragon.
"Looks like it worked," Joey said watching the ice crack. "Now I've got one question, guys: is this thing friendly?" As Hermos emerges from the ice, he and Joey join forces and combine their powers. Joey finds himself back in the arena, wondering what just happened. Yami and Emily see a yellow light shining all over Joey along with a pair of wings on his back. They were like phoenix wings and were covered with fire.
Rafael, Valon, and Max could sense it too. Their Orichalcos Stones were resonating to Joey's power and the Dragon he released. Joey draws the Claw of Hermos from his deck and looks at the card in amazement. "All right, Max. You're about to meet my new friend Hermos!" Max gasped hearing that. Her assumptions were right. He was one of the chosen warriors. Joey raises his card and his wings are spread out. He doesn't even seem to notice them and the flames don't seem to bother him.
"That's not one of his cards," said Téa.
"I guess it is now," said Tristan.
Yami agreed. "Just as I was chosen to wield the Eye of Timaeus, Joey was chosen to wield the Claw of Hermos. And he has also been endowed with wings as a mark of a chosen warrior."
"They're made of fire, like phoenix wings," gasped Emily.
"That's odd," Valon wondered. "How the hell did a hack like Wheeler get his hands on that card?"
Rafael wasn't worried. "Just because he has the card doesn't mean he knows how to use it. That will be the true test of his power."
Before summoning Hermos, Joey played Monster Reborn to revive Fiend Megacyber from the graveyard. After that, he summoned his old pal Time Wizard and played it with the Claw of Hermos. A great light shined all over the field. Joey had a feeling something big was going to come from the transformation of his two monsters. Everyone stared, wondering what monster was about to come into play. The light subsides and the monster appears to be some sort of magic mallet.
Looking at it, Max and Valon laugh hysterically, finding it ridiculous. "Whoa, good one. I'm shaking in me boots. I haven't seen a Duel Monster that scary in a long time. Run! It's a croquet hammer with wings!" Valon said as he continued guffawing.
Max wipes the tears falling from her eyes and she continues laughing from hysteria. "Hey, Wheeler, think you can change that hammer thingy back into a Dragon?"
Emily grins and shakes her head. "There's no need. Remember, things aren't always what they appear to be, so don't be fooled by what you see."
Yami agreed. "Joey's new monster holds the power of both Hermos and Time Wizard."
Even Joey remembered that first impressions can be deceiving. "Who cares what it looks like? I'm gonna trust in my cards and use my new weapon." Fiend Megacyber picks up the mallet. Max noticed that Fiend Megacyber's attack points were still the same, but she didn't want to take her chances. She played Harpy Lady Sparrow Formation to stop Joey's attack. But the trap was wasted because Fiend Megacyber wasn't attacking any of Max's monsters. With the power of the mallet, a vortex was created on the floor, releasing four lights. The lights shined on the heads of all of Max's monsters revealing the numbers one, two, three, and six.
Valon began guffawing once again. "Thanks for the counting lesson, Wheeler! Think on your next attack, you can change it to letters and teach me the alphabet? Get it? The alphabet?" Max laughed with him. But it wasn't Valon's humor she was laughing about. She was just as amused with Joey's attack. Joey could see that nothing was happening, so he ended his turn.
"Jeez, Wheeler," Max laughed. "I didn't expect such a turnaround like this. You really are full of surprises. But no more games. I'm tired of playing and it's time to end this. Here we go!" Max drew her card, but before she could begin her turn, all of her monsters were being drawn into the vortex. For once, she really was surprised. "My monsters! Joseph Wheeler, what the hell did you do!?"
"I'm just as confused as you are," Joey bluntly answered.
"Looks like Joey was somehow able to destroy all of Max's monsters at once," Emily wondered.
Yami wasn't sure. "Take a closer look at the field. The hole created by Joey's mallet is still on the field. This could mean that Max's monsters aren't gone for good."
Max growled. "If you want to lose this duel, then be my guest! But at least play a monster you know how to use! I place one card face down. Now make your move."
"Look, I don't want either of us to lose," Joey shouted. He drew his card and ordered his Fiend Megacyber to attack, dealing 2200 points of damage and leaving Max with 1400 life points. Please forgive me, Joey prayed. He ends his turn by playing a card face down. I have to make sure our life points reach zero at the same time and we'll both be saved.
That attack was nothing compared to what Max had been through, but she began to realize that Joey fighting back was turning out to be more than she bargained for. The fear of returning to the Shadow Realm began to haunt her again. She didn't want to lose the duel because she knew that if she did, she'd be trapped in a living hell all over again. She gets back on her feet and holds herself as she shudders. "I can't lose. I can't go back there. I gave up everything just to make sure I wouldn't have to."
Now Valon was starting to get worried. "Max."
"Don't worry; we'll get a soul no matter who loses." Sure enough, Rafael didn't care about Max. But Valon did, which was why he asked Rafael how he could say such a thing.
Max pulls herself together, but before she makes her move, Harpy's Pet Dragon comes back to her side of the field with 2500 attack points. Then Yami began to figure out the mystery behind the numbers and that vortex. "Joey's mallet had the power of Time Wizard, so I think that Max's monsters weren't destroyed, but sent to the future."
"Of course. Father, you're a genius," Emily said in agreement. "Each monster was transported forward in time by a different number of turns. That's why all those numbers were shining on her monsters. Each number represents a future turn in the duel and that monster won't return to the field until that number of turns has passed."
"Unfortunately, Harpy's Pet Dragon had the number one on it, so it showed up first," said Yugi. "And what's worse, it's Max's turn."
"What'd I tell you, Wheeler," asked Max. "If you're gonna play a card, know how to use it. But you won't be needing that lesson anytime soon. Harpy's Pet Dragon, attack now!"
"I wouldn't do that," Rafael warned.
"Max, wait," Valon cried.
Joey reveals his hidden trap Skull Dice. The roll of the die results in a two, reducing the Pet Dragon's attack points down to 1250. And because Max declared an attack with a monster weaker than Joey's, she lost 950 life points. Fear began to torment Max once again. She could see for sure that Joey was beating her.
Rafael could see that Max was losing her will. Valon saw it too and knew he had to stop this. He couldn't bear to see her like this. "Valon, what are you doing?"
Max snaps out of it and sees him jumping from the ledge. "What are you doing, you idiot?"
Valon clenches his fist and activates the Orichalcos Stone in his ring. "With this fragment of the Orichalcos Stone, I unlock the Seal." And he deals a punch against the barrier and uses its power to remove the seal and end the duel. The blast knocks Max and Joey out cold and pushes everyone aside. Rafael comes down to aid his partners.
While Joey is surrounded by his friends, Valon holds Max close to his chest. "Are you out of your goddamn mind?" Rafael reprimanded. "What the hell were you thinking? You betrayed master Dartz and risked your own soul. And you mean to tell me you did it just so you could save this witch?"
"She's not a witch," Valon argued.
"Would you listen to yourself?" Damn it, Rafael wondered. He's too shaken. I'll have to take care of things myself, starting with the princess.
"Joey, Max," Emily cries. She heads to the arena so she can use her magic to help them starting with Joey. Rafael takes this chance to capture her. Emily sees him coming and unfolds her wings so she can escape, but Rafael unfolds his own wings and chases after her. "No-no way!" Emily gasped. "You have wings too?"
Quickly, Rafael grabs her by her wrist and takes her down to where Valon and Max are. Emily tries to use her powers to break free, but Rafael refuses to let go this time. "I'll make up for this, Pharaoh, by taking your daughter." And Rafael uses the magic of his own Orichalcos Stone to transport them. "The power of the Orichalcos puts the power of the Great Goddess Millennia in shame."
"Father!" Emily cries.
"Emily," Yami calls back. He tries to stop them, but they already leave and are gone.
"No," Yugi gasped. "It can't be! They've taken her!"
Joey started coming to. He looked around and noticed that Max was gone and so were Rafael and Valon. "Where's Max? Did those punks take her?"
"They did," Tristan tells him. "They took Emily too."
Joey gasped. "No, how could they?" Now two of his friends had been taken. The others tried assuring Joey that it wasn't his fault. There really was nothing any of them could do against the magic of the Orichalcos. But there was a difference. Max chose the path she was on while Emily was taken against her will. Still, they were both Joey's friends and he would stop at nothing to rescue them. Yami and Yugi felt the same way.