Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-gi-oh! or its characters
Chapter: 10 "Revamp"
Author's Notes: I wrote a shitload of words last chapter! We have successfully made it to 100k+ words in this story and I would say it's a definite milestone! Okay so I totally forgot that since Yami or Yugi have all the Egyptian God cards, that would mean Marik would be without the Winged Dragon of Ra. SHITE. That's what I'm thinking right now but hopefully I can make it work…somehow. I kind of have an idea to make it work! I apologize in advance for the weirdness of this chapter. Duels aren't my specialty if they aren't my own cards hahaha. I had to do a lot of research into their decks so I hope you guys really like this chapter! Warning, it's garbage. Much like that drinking chapter.
Monsters will be like this: Monster Name (ATK / DEF / NUM. OF STARS ). If they're effect monsters, I'll have the characters verbalize the effect. Likewise with Traps and Magic cards (just like in the show! Yay!). I'm wondering what pair I should have win. Which team do you guys want to win? Tell me!
I also want to let everyone know that my spring semester in college starts on the 23rd so my time might be limited in which I can upload chapters. Its either I take two weeks to upload a 10k+ chapter or a week to upload something around 8k.
Thank you to all that read and reviewed! I'm happy!
Little . Miss . Fortune : Too be honest, I don't like puzzleshipping all that much either! I didn't get my 100 reviews but that's okay, I write to entertain! Which do you want to win? Hopefully, I can make the tournament as epic as the ones they have on series!
Kiyoko-kami91: Thank you! You made me blush! : ) I hope you enjoy this chapter!
SarahIsAPikachu: Those two are some of my favorite characters too! Thank you for your kind words, you're very sweet! And I was like that too, I never did much with my stories when I posted them in 2006. I had a weird burst of inspiration to write this story and I didn't know it would have so much positive feedback so I kept on writing! If you do post your stories, let me know! I'd like to read them too : ) I have a tumblr but I don't really use it hahaha, its too confusing for me!
ilovemanicures: Thank you! :) I'm glad you like how I write everyone's relationships. I try to keep it bound and realistic since its never good to rush into something one is not sure of. Bakura has a bit of a temper but at least he has Ryou to keep him straight! I'm glad you liked Yugi and Yami's scene! Their kiss will come eventually, at least I hope so. I really hope you like these next couple chapters! I'm not much for writing out duels but I hope they entertain you and are to your liking! : ) Doesn't it suck when people text in shorthand? It's the worst!
PiWrite : I hope you enjoy the duel! : )
Puffin: I'm not sure what episodes they were but in the raw, I've heard Bakura call himself Touzoku. If I can dig up some of my episodes, I'll show you. I hope you like this chapter, Puffin! : )
"I hope you all are ready because the tournament starts now! Marik and Jou versus Yami and Malik! Each duelist starts off with 4000 life points and the duel doesn't end until there's only one team standing! It doesn't matter if it's two versus one, this duel doesn't end till both duelists on either team runs out of life points!" Mokuba's voice boomed throughout the Kaiba Dome. Amongst the cheering crowd, the boys met for a final pep talk. While Marik, Jou, Yami, and Malik dueled, the other four boys would watch from Kaiba's personal viewing deck adjacent to the main stage. Bakura and Ryou bid them all luck and retired to the viewing area Kaiba had set up for everyone that had to wait to duel. Kaiba and Yugi had remained in order to wish Jou and Yami luck personally. Kaiba's main dueling area boasted four dueling platforms that would rise at the start of the duel and they were color coded; one side was red and the other side was blue. The holographic projectors were at the ready and they shined a beautiful spectrum of colors.
"I wish you luck." Marik said, looking downwards at Malik. With a tan hand, he placed it on top of his counterpart's head and ruffled the blonde hair affectionately. "May the best team win today."
Malik grinned and wrapped his arms around Marik's waist though he stood an arms length apart. His actions caused a severe amount of low groans from the audience but he didn't seem to notice – it seemed the male population was all disheartened at Malik's newfound romantic interest. "Good luck to you too! I know you and Jou will give us a good fight!" The Egyptian blonde turned to Jounouchi and gave him a thumbs-up. "Good luck in our duel, Jou!" He then smiled. "Knowing you though, you already have all the luck!"
The street-wise blonde grinned at Malik's words and he saluted in respect. "I expect nothing but the best from you and Yami!" As he said this, his eyes connected with that of Yami. The Pharaoh gave him a handsome smile and tipped his head in response. "If you remember our last duel, Yami, I beat you (1)!"
Yami let out a hearty chuckle. "Yes, I recall that! You won't be so fortunate this time, Jounouchi! My partner is quite knowledgeable when it comes to Duel Monsters! He's proven to be able to use different strategies in correspondence to different decks!" The Egyptian King exclaimed, gesturing towards Malik with his brow. He was referring to the fact that Malik had been able to use different themed decks when he possessed Bandit Keith, Jounouchi, and Pantomimer.
Malik blushed at the Pharaoh's kind words but then smirked, his competitive side coming out. "The Pharaoh is right; I can use any deck to its full advantage. I used Keith's Machine deck easily, structured Pantomimer's deck to strength Slifer and made a few adjustments to your deck as well, Jou."
"You did lose all those duels!" Jounouchi replied back, smirking. The trash talk that was currently happening right now was only out of good fun – what kind of competition doesn't have any trash talk anyway? "I'm dueling alongside Marik and if I remember correctly, he's only ever lost one duel in his whole record!"
"My record doesn't seem so superior when I've only dueled four times." Marik added humbly. Although he hadn't dueled much, Marik was still a force to be reckoned with. He had far more knowledge in using the Winged Dragon of Ra than the Pharaoh and Malik combined, the only problem was that his trump card resided in Yami's deck.
Kaiba, who had been quiet this whole time, crossed his arms and fixed Marik with curious eyes. "How do you plan on winning without the Winged Dragon of Ra?"
Marik's eyes glinted at Kaiba's words and he chuckled darkly. "You all will just have to see." Due to his exploration of the Vault, the Egyptian blonde had added quite a number of new cards to his deck that would greatly change his dueling style since he no longer had his beloved God card. "I may surprise you all."
Satisfied, Kaiba smirked. "We'll see." He turned to Jounouchi and let out a hum. "I'm expecting a win, Jounouchi." The brunet leaned downwards, pressing his lips tenderly to his lover's forehead. "Good luck out there." The people in the audience cooed at the CEO'S display of affection before Kaiba swiftly turned around and glared in all directions – They immediately silenced themselves. Although Kaiba and Jou's relationship had been made publically known two years ago, it was still adorable to see Kaiba so loving and tender towards Jou.
"I'll do my best!" Jou exclaimed, giving Kaiba his best grin. He watched Kaiba give him a two finger wave and he waved as the CEO walked away. Excitement began to build up in his chest and the blonde let out a shout, "Alright, let's get this show on the road!" His outburst got the attention of Marik, Malik, Yami and Yugi and they only laughed in response. "You guys got 5 minutes!" Jou reminded before running over to the blue side of the dueling arena. The remaining boys nodded, needing a bit more time before the duel started.
"I'm curious to see how you'll duel without Ra by your side." Malik commented lightly. He crossed his arms and nudged Marik's foot with his own. "Give us a good fight, won't you?" Malik said, standing on his toes and leaning up to kiss Marik's cheek.
His counterpart chuckled at that and turned his face so that Malik's lips grazed his own. Their kiss was brief but it was meaningful. "As long you and the Pharaoh do the same." And with that, the two made their way to the dueling arena. They parted ways; Malik going to the red side and Marik joining Jou over at the blue side.
Yami and Yugi stood alone at the center stage but they both knew their time together was running out. "I want to see you in the finals." Yugi grinned, taking Yami's hands in both of his and swinging their arms side to side. "You better make sure you and Malik win!"
The Pharaoh chuckled and nodded. "We shall do our best." He ran his hand through Yugi's golden bangs affectionately before bowing. "I shall see you soon, little one. Cheer for me, won't you?" At Yugi's thumbs-up, Yami made the journey to the red side. Crimson eyes watched as Yugi joined his friends over at the viewing area.
The four duelists stepped onto their platforms and they were immediately raised upwards onto the dueling area. The holographic simulators whizzed and whirled as they were set to full power; most likely to sustain the power of Yami's Egyptian God cards. The fans exploded into applause for the tournament was now about to begin. The four looked amongst themselves and it looked like war was eminent – Yami, Malik, Jou, and Marik were all known to duel to their hearts out.
"Is everyone ready? This duel starts right now! Give up for Jounouchi, Marik, Malik, and Yami!" Mokuba cried, outstretching his arms as he introduced the four duelists. This would be a duel of epic proportions as they all had different dueling styles.
Marik constructed his deck around an Immortality and Torture theme so that he could focus on slowly torturing his opponents and watching them squirm. His cards sought to slowly sap an opponent's strength by discarding their hand, lowering the attack strength of their monsters, and inflicting burn damage. He also relies heavily on his arsenal of powerful trap and magic cards. Although it was true that he no longer had the Winged Dragon of Ra in his deck, Marik would still find a way to be victorious.
Malik's deck was a mystery to them all. He had been known to utilize many different types of decks and so he had the element of surprise on his side. His most recent deck was a Burn deck but after his time in the Vault, who was to say his deck was still the same? He specialized in forming different decks and strategies due to his wide knowledge of Duel Monsters cards. Everyone would have to just wait and see for Malik's deck was still unknown.
Although his deck had undergone many changes throughout his life, Jou's deck now centered on luck, his warrior-type monsters, and then chain support for his Red Eyes Black Dragon. His magic and trap cards involve luck and while he has been criticized for such methods; Jou had proven multiple times that luck was always on his side.
The Pharaoh had built his deck to support the use of his God cards as well as his Dark Magicians. Yami's cards included powerful magic and trap cards that adhered to his spellcasters and he knew how to play his cards exceptionally well. He proved so during the Ceremonial Duel; Yami had managed to summon all three God cards in one duel to everyone's shock and surprise. The Egyptian King had been playing the game of Duel Monsters for many millennia and he was one duelist not to be taken lightly.
The KC BC Finals Rematch Tournament starts now!
Jounouchi, Malik, Yami and Marik reached out their left arms and in unison, the duel disks activated. They simultaneously plugged in their USB into the dueling platforms and they all looked up sharply. Thin, noble fingers drew each card till their owners each held five cards in their hands. Lilac, crimson, and honey brown eyes tensed for the moment they had all been waiting for.
"Duel!" The boys shouted.
"How about I start things off?" Jou grinned. He drew a card and looked at his hand: Marauding Captain (1200/1400/3S), Panther Warrior (2000/1600/4S), Pot of Greed, Red Eyes Black Chick (800/500/1S), Magical Arm Shield and lastly, Scapegoat. "I activate Pot of Greed; this card allows me to draw two more cards!" His hand hovered over his deck briefly before the blonde took the two cards. Jou's eyes scanned over the cards and hummed in thought. 'So I picked up Kunai with Chain and Seven Tools of the Bandit.' He thought to himself before a winning grin appeared on his face. "I summon Marauding Captain (1200/1400/3S) in an attack mode and activate its effect!" The warrior materialized onto the playing field and held up its two swords in an intimidating fashion. "As long as this card is in play, you can't target other face-up Warrior-Type monsters other than this one! Its second ability lets me special summon one level four or lower monster from my hand to the field!" With another grin, Jou picked up his Panther Warrior card with his thumb and forefinger and threw it down onto his duel disk. "And I choose my Panther Warrior, in attack mode!" The black cat let out a might roar as it joined its fellow warrior, its sword gleaming in the Dome's light. "I'll end my turn by placing three cards face down!" The street-smart blonde gave Yami and Malik an inviting wag of his eyebrows, "Let's see what you got!"
Malik turned to the Pharaoh and smirked charmingly. "Pharaoh, if I may –" He began but Yami cut him off with a swift nod of his head.
"Of course, do your best." He said, encouragingly.
The Egyptian blonde looked at his hand, his lilac eyes darting from left to right: Worm Drake (1400/1500/4S), Raging Flame Sprite (100/200/3S), Hinotama, Negate Attack, and Monster Reborn. "First, I draw!" His tan fingers quickly drew a card and Malik smirked, he managed to draw his Lava Golem (3000/2500/8S) on the first turn! In order for his strategy to work, he would have to wait to summon his beloved monster. "I summon my Raging Flame Sprite to the field in attack mode! Its effect allows me to attack your life points directly and each time my attack is successful, it gains 1000 more attack points!" Malik pointed with a thin finger at Jou, "Go, Raging Flame Sprite! Attack his life points directly!" The pyro-sprite chirped in reply and pointed its scepter at Jou before blasting the blonde with his fire attack.
Jounouchi merely grinned at the lackluster attack, "You're going to need to do better than that, Malik!" He taunted. Malik, Yami, and Marik's life points each totaled 4000 while Jou's dropped to 3900.
Malik smirked at the challenge. "Don't forget! My sprite's attack points go up by 1000 so now it's gotten stronger! It now stands at 1100 attack points!" The small duel monster grew larger at the added attack points till it resembled that of a toddler. "I place one card face down and end my turn." His lilac eyes turned towards Marik. "It looks like it's your turn now, Marik!"
The spirit that had once inhabited the Millennium Rod chuckled darkly at that and bowed his head slightly. He held up his five cards to his hand and read them mentally in his mind: Gil Garth (1800/1200/4S), Morphing Jar (700/600/2S), Raigeki, Remove Trap, and Joyful Doom. Marik drew a card and his eyes looked towards the playing field briefly before returning back to his hand. 'I've seen to have draw Card Destruction. It's still too early to play it; I must wait in order for my plans to work.' He decided. "I summon Gil Garth (1800/1200/4S) in attack mode! Then I shall place one card facedown and end my turn!" Marik's fiend-type monster appeared onto the field and swung its sword murderously as it let out an eerie shriek from its non-existing face. "Play your cards, Pharaoh!"
Yami grunted as he smirked. His crimson eyes looked towards his hand: Queen's Knight (1500/1600/4s), King's Knight (1600/1400/4S), Rebellion, and Big Shield Gardna (100/2600/4S). "Draw!" Yami read the card he drew quickly and let out a small hum. 'Summoning Clock, this allows me to special summon monsters from my hand equal to the number of turns that have passed.' He knew he had to use this card to be able to effectively summon one of his Egyptian God cards without the use of tributes but the riskiness was evident in how he had to wait three turns before he could play it to be able to tribute successfully. "I'll summon my Big Shield Gardna in face-up defense mode!" The warrior let out a mighty shout as it crouched down low behind its large shield.
"It's my turn now!" Jou cried, drawing another card: Red Eyes Wyvern (1800/1600/4S). 'So I've got both my chick and wyvern in my hand, now I just need the big daddy for my strategy to work!' he triumphantly thought. He held his three cards (Red Eyes Wyvern (1800/1600/4S), Seven Tool of the Bandit, Red Eyes Black Chick (800/500/2S) in his left hand tightly before clenching his right fist and punching the air in front of him at Malik. "Marauding Captain (1200/1400/3S), attack Malik's Raging Flame Sprite (1100/200/3S)!" His monster charged forward, raising both of his swords in preparation for its killing blow.
"Not so fast!" Malik exclaiming, raising his right arm, palm out. "Reveal, face-down card, Negate Attack! " The pink card stood and a vortex began forming at its center. Its winds belted out strong gales and Marik and Jou held up their arms in protection. They struggled slightly but remained standing and lowered their arms. "This card stops your attack and ends your turn!" The red and blue vortex spun faster and faster till a bright white light shined and ultimately blinded Jou's Marauding Captain (1200/1400/3S), stopping his movements.
"Great play, Malik!" Yami stated, shooting his eyes to meet Malik's. The Egyptian blonde nodded back before smirking at the blue side.
"Before my battle phase ends, I play this! Scapegoat!" The street-wise blonde shouted, revealing his face-down quick-play magic card. "This allows me to special summon four Sheep Tokens (0/0/1S) to the field in defense mode! I can't use them for tributes to summon stronger monsters but they'll do for now." The four multicolored scapegoat let out adorable cries as they came to float beside the Panther Warrior. Jou tucked his left arm closer to his body and nodded for Malik to begin his turn.
The Egyptian drew a card: Scapegoat. 'Jounouchi isn't the only one with this card' Malik thought amusingly. He looked at his hand: Worm Drake (1400/1500/4S), Hinotama, Monster Reborn, and Lava Golem (3000/2500/8S). "I summon Worm Drake (1400/1500/4S) in defense mode and place one card on the field! Then I'll attack your life points directly again, Jou!" The sprite let out a victorious cry as it raised its staff for another attack.
"Activate face-down card!" Jou said, stopping the sprite's action. The pink trap card rose upwards and Yami let out an irritated curse at the sight of it. "Yeah, Yami, you already know! I activate my Magical Arm Shield! This card allows me to take control of one of my opponent's monster for the remainder of your turn, Malik!" Marik smirked at the look of frustration on Malik and Yami's face and crossed his arms arrogantly. "I choose Yami's Big Shield Gardna!"
"No!" Yami cried but there wasn't anything he could do. His monster disappeared briefly before reappearing back on Jou's side of the field. It remained in defense position and the Pharaoh turned hard eyes to Malik, "Quickly Malik, stop your attack!" but it was too late.
The sprite fired a blast at the Big Shield Gardna and due to the warrior's powerful 2600 defense points, the Raging Flame Sprite was no match. It disintegrated into nothingness and Malik let out a growl as his life points dropped down to 2500. A smirk then appeared on Jou's face and after sharing a knowing look with his partner, Jou let out a cheer, ""And due to Big Shield Gardna's effect, since it was attacked, it now changes to attack mode!"
The long haired warrior faded out and returned to the Pharaoh's side of the field. The crowd boomed as Yami's Big Shield Gardna stood and held his shield by his side. Marik chuckled darkly, a shadow of his evil smirk flashed on his face before it disappeared. Marik drew a card: Jam Breeding Machine. 'I can use this to help Jou tribute monsters for his Panther Warrior to attack' he mused to himself. 'I'll save it for now, he still has his untouched Sheep Tokens' He pointed his left pointer finger at Yami's monster, holding his cards downwards at the same. "Gil Garth (1800/1200/4S), attack the Pharaoh's Big Shield Gardna!" The iron-clad monster swung its mighty sword, destroying the Big Shield Gardna easily. The ancient king growled lowly, his life points dropping to 2300. "And with that, I end my turn."
"Don't think you've won yet!" Yami promised. He drew a card and upon seeing it, he hummed contently, 'I've yet to drawn any of the Egyptian God cards or my magicians but no matter, this will do for now' he thought, feeling satisfied at having drawn Awakening from Beyond. He held in his hand these cards: Queen's Knight (1500/1600/4s), King's Knight (1600/1400/4S), Rebellion, Summoning Clock and Awakening from Beyond. "I activate Awakening from Beyond!" He shouted, throwing the magic card down onto his duel disk. "This allows me to bring back one monster from my Graveyard at the cost of my opponent drawing two cards!" Crimson eyes then darted between Marik and Jou. 'Who should I pick? Jou's lucky; he could draw the cards he need. Then there's Marik, he seem may seem passive but I know better than that, he's just waiting for the right moment to strike!' Making his mind up, Yami pointed at Marik. "Draw your cards!" Marik grunted and did just that with his hand now being: Morphing Jar (700/600/2S), Raigeki, Remove Trap, Card Destruction, Jam Breeding Machine, Drillago (1600/1100/4S), and lastly Dark Wall of Wind. Once Marik finished, Yami special summoned Big Shield Gardna back onto the field in face-up defense position. "I summon my Queen's Knight (1500/1600/4S) in defense mode!" The majestic Queen's Knight held up its shield and sword to protect herself as she gripped the hilt tightly in her hands. "I play one card face-down and end my turn!"
"Where's your Heart of the Cards (2) now, Pharaoh?" Marik mocked, laughing manically like he had during the times of Battle City. "It seems you do not believe in your cards as much as you say!"
"Give it rest, Marik." Jounouchi suddenly snarled, feeling the need to defend Sugoroku's teachings since he also learned how to duel by Yugi's grandfather. Marik glared back and with another snort, he crossed his arms. Jou drew a card and a wide grin spread on his face, he had managed to draw the Red Eyes Black Dragon (2400/2000/7S). 'Perfect! Now I can really start kicking some ass!' Running a hand through his bangs, Jou's brow perked upwards. "I'm coming for you, Malik! Panther Warrior (2000/1600/4S), attack his Worm Drake (1400/1500/4S)!" Since Panther Warrior needed a tribute in order to attack, only three Sheep Tokens remained.
"I activate my face-down card, Scapegoat!" Malik laughed amusingly at Jounouchi's shocked expression. "Don't think you're the only one that possesses this card!" Just like before, the four scapegoats materialized onto the field, huddling close together. "I'll have one of my Sheep Tokens (0/0/1S) take the attack so that my Worm Drake (1400/1500/1S) is spared!" The blue Scapegoat let out a feeble cry as Jou's Panther Warrior sliced in cleaning down the middle till it was no more. With a grumble, Jounouchi ended his turn. Malik drew his card and let out a diabolical laughter that would put Bakura's insane one to shame. "It's time to show you all what my deck is really about! First I'll place this card face-down and then I summon my Lava Golem to the field!"
"You can't use Scapegoats as tributes to summon monsters!" Jounouchi replied back.
Marik paled suddenly. "The Lava Golem doesn't require his monsters to be sacrificed in order to be summoned!" Realization dawned on him and he could only watch helplessly as his Gil Garth (1800/1200/4S) and Jou's Panther Warrior (2000/1600/4S) let out wails of pain before their forms shattered into hundreds of pieces.
"What? No, my Panther Warrior!"
"Arise, Lava Golem!" Malik ordered, raising his hand outwards. From the depths of the ground, the floor beneath them began to shake and tremble. The audience let out terrified screams but they were dulled out by the sounds of the floor breaking apart. The Lava Golem rose upwards into a standing position and it let out barbaric gurgles as it slammed its cage repeatedly onto the ground. Another maniacal laughter thundered from Malik's throat as he spread his hands. Normally monsters took to one side however the Lava Golem was so large and vast that it occupied both Marik and Jou's monster zones. "Lava Golem's effect activates! At the end of every one of my turns, you each take 1000 points of damage!" The monster of Lava sent a wave of intensely hot lava in Marik and Jou's direction and the audience watched anxiously.
"Watch out, Jounouchi!" Yugi cried, standing up in his seat.
The two blondes on the blue side let out yelps of pain as the lava seared their skin. Although it was honestly just a hologram, Kaiba had managed to improve his system so attacks could be physically felt. The CEO stood up, his fists clenching at the sight of his lover in obvious discomfort. 'I suddenly regret making those adjustments to the hologram program!' he thought miserably. The holograms would only simulate the pain but even then, burns hurt like a bitch. The Lava Golem's attack receded backwards and loud, audible pants of air sounded from Marik and Jou's lips. Marik was still standing but he had placed a hand on the iron bars of his dueling platform to steady himself, his chest rose and fell quickly. Jounouchi hadn't been so lucky; he shook and had to lean against the platform because if he didn't, he would've fallen to his knees.
"Shit." Jou gasped out, raggedly. His and Marik's life points dropped down and the scoreboard high above their heads flashed the duelists' life points. Jounouchi had 2900, Yami had 2300, Marik had 3000, and Malik had 2500.
"Malik plays a Burn deck, one that seeks to sap us of our life points bit by bit." Marik growled out. He stood to his feet, having had regained his strength. He tossed his cape over his shoulder and the female population swooned at how cool the Egyptian looked. He drew a card: Malevolent Catastrophe. His hand now consisted of: Morphing Jar (700/600/2S), Raigeki, Remove Trap, Card Destruction, Jam Breeding Machine, Drillago (1600/1100/4S), Dark Wall of Wind, and Malevolent Catastrophe. "I'll set two cards face down and end my turn!" Marik's eyes connected with Malik's, "I know what your strategy is now, little one." Marik smirked arrogantly. "I intend to destroy you." His lilac eyes shot to Yami's, "And I'm coming for you also, Pharaoh!"
His counterpart smirked, raising an amused brow. "I welcome the challenge, my darkness." He bowed in a mocking gesture to Marik who glowered at it menacingly. Although the two had forged a definite 'something' between them, duels ultimately brought out the best and worst between them. Marik still had his old dueling style with a bit of new flair while Malik played to win, no matter what the costs were. "It's your turn, Pharaoh."
Yami nodded in a determined fashion. "That was very well played, Malik." He complimented and Malik flashed him a quick smile. The leather-clad individual drew a card and it was the Pot of Greed. "I activate the magic of my Pot of Greed! This card allows me to draw two more cards from my deck!" Once he did so, his crimson orbs scanned his hand: King's Knight (1600/1400/4S), Rebellion, The Trickey and then – "By discarding one card from my hand to the graveyard," Yami began, his lips curling into a triumphant smirk, "I can summon the Trickey (2000/1200/5S) to the field in attack mode!" The jester-like monster held its hands by its side as it waited patiently for Yami's orders. "I'll then play this, Rebellion!" He shouted, sliding his magic card into the specified slot. "Rebellion allows me take control of one of your monsters and then I can make it attack whichever target I choose! The difference is then dealt to your life points!" He pointed the Lava Golem that occupied both Marik and Jou's monster zones, "Lava Golem, attack Jounouchi's Marauding Captain!""
"No!" Jou cried, clenching his fist. He watched as the monster of lava raised its arms and turned on its own comrade; covering Jou's Marauding Captain (1200/1400/4S) with hot lava. Jou's life points dropped to 1100 and it ignited a fire within his chest. "You'll pay for that!"
"I'm not finished yet! Reveal face-down card! " Yami's Summoning Clock rose from the ground. "This card allows me to summon monsters based on how many turns have passed! As long as I sacrifice this card, one from my deck and then one monster from the field, I can use it! And I choose The Tricky (2000/1200/5S)!" The Jester-like monster disappeared with a flash and Yami closed his eyes briefly. "I summon my King's Knight (1600/1400/4S) to the field! Since both Queen's Knight (1500/1600/4S) and King's Knight (1600/1400/4S) are on the field, this allows me to special summon Jack's Knight (1900/1000/5S) to the field!" The three knights united their swords together at Yami's words. The Pharaoh then held one single card to his chest before throwing it down onto his duel disk and the hologram projectors began to whirl loudly, sparks of electricity could be seen.
"He's about to summon -!" Yugi cried, excitement building up in his chest.
"Shit, that can't be good." Jounouchi concluded, taking a step back.
"I summon Slifer the Sky Dragon!" The crowd all let out gasps of amazement and surprise for the Egyptian God caused black clouds to appear on the ceiling. A massive, spiked red body curled itself downwards from the heavens and the mighty sky dragon threw its head back in a deafening war. Its sharp talon and teeth glinted dangerously in the Dome's light.
Marik then let out a harsh bark of laughter. "You've no cards in your hand, Pharaoh! For that, your sky dragon is pathetic and useless!" It was true, Slifer the Sky Dragon got its power from the number of cards in a duelist's hands and in order to be able to summon the monster, Yami had to use every single card in his hand.
'Marik's right!' Yami thought in a panicked voice but his face was passive. He looked at Malik from the corner of his crimson eyes and knew that it was up to Malik to keep him in this duel. 'I trust you, my friend.' Lilac eyes turned to the Pharaoh and Malik nodded in understanding.
"The future is never set in stone." Yami merely replied, lowering his arms to his side. "And with that, I end my turn."
At Marik's statement, Jounouchi regained his confidence. "Alright bitches, let's get down to it!" The crowd screamed at Jou's confidence. He drew a card and it was Red Eyes Transmigration. A cocky smile graced Jou's lips as he chuckled. He held up his Red Eyes Black Chick (800/500/AS) card to show his opponents, "By sending this card to the Graveyard, it allows me to special-summon my Red Eyes Black Dragon (2400/2000/7S) to the field!" Jou's beloved dragon roared in an intimidating fashion as it materialized onto the playing field. Its black scales shined beautifully in front of the blonde. "I'm not done yet! I summon Red Eyes Wyvern (1800/1600/4S) to the field!" The two dragons let out twin roars as they spread their wings together.
"Attack the Pharaoh's Egyptian God, Jounouchi!" Marik commanded, laughing at the thought of Slifer being wiped out after only one turn.
Jou grinned. "You don't need to tell me twice! Go Red Eyes (2400/2000/7S), Inferno Fire Blast!" He pointed to Yami's monster and the black dragon threw its head back. A ball of fire formed and with a cry, the Red Eyes Black Dragon fired its attack at Slifer the Sky Dragon. "Red Eyes Wyvern (1800/1600/4S), follow suit!"
'This is it!' Yami thought, shooting his eyes towards Malik.
"Go my Sheep Token (0/0/1S)! Protect Slifer the Sky Dragon and Yami's life points!" Malik cried. One of his Scapegoats cooed as it floated right in front of the red Egyptian god. It bravely took the attack and cried helplessly before shattering. Malik had only three Scapegoats left! "Once more, protect the Pharaoh!" Just like before, Malik's Scapegoat took the wyvern's attack, leaving him with only two Scapegoats.
Jou let out an irritated curse and ended his turn.
"Well played, Malik! Thank you!" Yami said giving the other Egyptian an approving thumbs-up.
"We're in this together, Yami! We will win and we shall do so together!"
Marik and Jou shared an intense look, it seemed as though they had somehow read each other's thoughts because they both nodded in unison, raising their arms together to point at Malik and Yami. "We will be the victors in this battle!" They said together, their voices melting into one.
"We shall see about that! It's my move!" Malik drew a card and looked at his hand: Monster Reborn, Hinotama, and Threatening Roar. "I activate the magic card known as Hinotama! This card deals 500 points of damage to your life points!" He chose his darkness to be the target and he crossed his arms, a smirk evident on his face. He watched, almost sadistically, as fireballs from the ceiling came crashing down on Marik. The pointy haired blonde growled angrily and held his right arm up to shield his face, letting out more and more sounds of discomfort as the flames licked his skin. Marik's life points now dropped to 2500. Malik's life points also equaled 2500 while Jou held onto 2900 and Yami had 2300 – it was a close match. "I place one card face down and end my turn but alas, you mustn't forget my Lava Golem's effect!" Just like before, Marik and Jou's life points further dropped by 1000 points and they both were furious. Jou had 1900 life points left and Marik had 1500.
"Draw!" Marik shouted, feeling angrily. As much as he cared about his light, he wasn't one to let their feelings for one another get in the way of his victory. He had drawn the Gift of the Mystical Elf and quickly set it onto the field. "I place two cards face down on the field! Then I summon Drillago (1600/1100/4S) to the field in attack mode!" The fiend-type monster let out some mechanical sounds, spinning its drills menacingly. "I then activate the magic of Card Destruction! This card forces every player to discard their hands and draw five new cards!"
They each did so and looked at the cards in their hands.
Marik: Monster Reborn, The Portrait's Secret (1200/1500/4S), Snoww, Unlight of Dark World (1700/0/4S), Dian Keto the Cure Master, Masked Beast Des Gardius (3300/2500/8S)
Jounouchi: Battle Warrior (700/1000/3S), Nurtrient-Z, Graceful Dice, Celebration of Creation and Skull Dice
Malik: Volcanic Queen (2500/1200/6S), Mystical Space Typhoon, Stealth Bird (700/1700/3S), Meteor of Destruction, and Waboku
Yami: Dark Magic Curtain, Dark Magician Girl, Dark Spiral Force, Graceful Charity, and Card of Sanctity. The Sky Dragon roared triumphantly as its attack and defense points sky rocketed to 5000 points each.
Marik laughed diabolically, throwing his head back as he did so. "This is it, the duel ends now!" His lilac eyes looked slightly twisted and Jounouchi couldn't help but inwardly finch at how alike Marik was at this moment to when he dueled during Battle City. "I play Monster Reborn!"
Yami's eyes grew wide as he looked at his Graveyard; he had discarded the Winged Dragon of Ra many turns ago when he summoned his Slifer the Sky Dragon. He had intended to revive the monster with his own magic card! "No!" He softly panicked.
"That's right, Pharaoh!" Marik held a card to his chest and his body began to glow a magnificent golden yellow. The eye of Wdjat shined brightly on his forehead as he closed his lilac eyes. "Great Beast of the sky, please hear my cry! Transform thyself from orb of light and bring me victory in this fight! Envelop the deserts with your glow and cast your rage upon my foe! Unlock your powers from deep within so that together we may win! Appear in this game as I call your name! Winged Dragon of Ra, come forth!"
"It's the ancient chant!" Malik cried, his eyes growing hard with disbelief.
A golden ball formed on Marik's side of the field and slowly began to unravel itself. Little by little, its body began to show and once it had uncurled itself, The Winged Dragon of Ra threw its head back and shrieked loudly. "I activate Dian Keto the Cure Master! This card gives me 1000 more attack points so now my total rises to 2500! I then reveal my face-down card, Gift of the Mystical Elf! For every monster on the field, Jounouchi and I get 300 times as many life points back!" Including all of the Sheep Tokens on both sides of the field, there were as many as twelve monsters on the field which would only prove bad news for the red side. The LCD screen flashed again as it updated: Jounouchi now had 5500 life points, Marik had 6100, Yami had 2300, and Malik had 2500. "I sacrifice 6000 of my life points to give Ra the boost it needs to defeat your sky dragon! I activate its special ability, Instant-Attack!" Marik pointed to his victim, a gleeful smirk on his face. "Go my pet, Destructive Conflageration! Destroy Slifer the Sky Dragon!"
"Reveal face-down card! Threatening Roar!" Marik growled as he turned to Malik, the latter's eyes looking fierce. "Since you weren't able to summon Ra normally, it isn't immune to the effects of magic or trap cards! My trap card is activated when my opponent declares an attack! There will no be battles this turn, Marik!"
Marik scoffed at his other self and he grunted. Since Ra had been unable to attack, the 6000 life points Marik gave up now returned so that his life points reverted back to its original 6100. "My move!" Yami shouted as he swiftly drew a card. It was Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts (1500/1400/4S). "Slifer's attack increases to 6000!" Slifer let out a mighty roar as its strength grew. "I then play Dark Magic Curtain! By giving up half of my life points, I can special summon the Dark Magician (2500/2100/7S) from my deck to the field!" Yami's ace spellcaster appeared and twirled its staff before banging the end of it against the ground. "I then sacrifice Malik's Worm Drake (1400/1100/4S) to summon Dark Magician Girl (2000/1700/6S)!" Both teacher and student nodded in determination at one another before looking forward to face Jou and Marik. "I then activate the magic card, Dark Spiral Force! As long as there is a Dark Magician on my side of the field, I can use this card to double the attack of one of my monsters! And I choose Slifer the Sky Dragon!" The Egyptian God let out a deafening roar of strength as its attack grew to 8000 attacks points.
"6000 attack points? Shit, that's not natural!" Jounouchi growled out.
"Go, Slifer! Use your Lightning Shot and destroy the rest of Jou and Marik's monsters! Finish this duel once for all!" The Sky Dragon obeyed as it opened its mouth to fire its attack on the blue side. A few seconds past and the Egyptian God's attack followed through, coating the room in smoke and blinding yellow light.
"Not so fast, Yami!" Jou's voice broke though. "I activate two cards from my hand! Nutrient-Z and Celebration of Creation! If Marik and I are being targeted with 2000 or more points of damage, Nutrient-z automatically increases our life points by 4000 before your attack hits! And with the help of my Celebration of Creation card, since the Winged Dragon of Ra had been special summoned due to Monster Reborn's effect, it is now the end phase of your turn!" Since Slifer's attack never followed through, Jou and Marik's life points increased by 4000 points each. The score now read at Jou with 9500 life points, Marik with 10100, Yami with 1150 and Malik with 2500 life points.
"Marik and Jou make quite the team, don't they?" Ryou asked, leaning his face over the railing. He was beyond impressed; he hadn't known they would work so well together. Bakura, who had his hand gripping the back of Ryou's shirt so he wouldn't fall, merely grunted in reply.
"It's a little surprising." He agreed.
Yami clenched his fists since there wasn't more he could do at the moment. With the effects of his magic card gone, Slifer's strength returned to its previous 3000 since Yami now held only three cards. "I switch my Knights to defense mode and end my turn."
Jounouchi drew a card but he didn't even bother to look at it, he knew he and Marik would win for sure now. "Go my Red Eyes dragons, attack Yami's King's and Queen's Knight!" His trusted dragons obeyed his commands and destroyed the two monsters easily. "That's it for now." He grinned.
Malik drew a card and took a deep breath. 'It's all up to me now, if I don't play my cards right this turn, it'll be all over!' He pointed to Jou's Panther Warrior. "I summon Volcanic Queen (2500/1200/6S) in attack mode! Just like my Lava Golem, I can tribute one of your monsters to summon it!" The dark dragon roared loudly and a blast of lava burst forth from its throat. "You both lose another 1000 life points at the end of each of my turns! I can further enhance it by discarding cards from my hand! For ever card I discard, I can inflict 1000 more points of damage to your life points! I'll discard two cards from my hand and inflict 2000 points of damage to your life points!" Jou's points lowered to 7500 while Marik's lowered to 8100. "I place two cards face down and end my turn! Both my Lava Golem and Volcanic Queen's effects still activate so you both lose another 2000 points!" Jou and Marik's life points dropped again; Jou had 5500 and Marik had 6100. 'I hope that was enough' he thought miserably.
Like Jou, Marik drew a card but hadn't looked at it. This was the last turn of the duel, he knew it. "I give up 6099 of my life points to increase the attack strength of the Winged Dragon of Ra!" The draconic phoenix chirped loudly, spreading its wings as its strength multiplied.
"I also give up 4499 of my life points so that Ra gets even more powerful!" Jou shouted, holding his duel disk high into the sky. Yami and Malik looked shocked and horrorstruck; they never expected Jounouchi to do the same move as Marik! The Winged Dragon of Ra now stood tall and powerful at a whopping 10598 attack points.
"Go, Winged Dragon of Ra! Wipe out the rest of their monsters and their life points!" Jounouchi and Marik cried, pointing a finger at the red side in unison.
"I activate Waboku!" Malik interrupted. "This card changes all battle damage to 0 so your attack does nothing!"
"I activate my face-down card, Seven Tools of the Bandit! By sacrificing 1000 of my life points, my trap negates yours and destroys it!" Jounouchi smirked victoriously. He had done the math in his head and only sacrificed 4499 so he could still have one life point left after giving it up Marik's Egyptian God and still be able to protect it.
"No!" Malik and Yami cried, knowing what would happen now.
"End this duel!" Marik shouted. The ruler of the heavens made its final attack and its strength was so great that it nearly caused Malik and Yami to be blown back several feet but they courageously held onto their dueling platforms for support. They had physically been able to withstand the attack from an Egyptian God card but unfortunately, their life points both dropped to 0. They panted tiredly as they shared a look.
"I'm sorry I failed you, my Pharaoh." Malik apologized, frowning tightly.
Although slightly bitter from the lost, Yami smiled an honest and genuinely proud smile. "You didn't fail me, Malik. I'm proud of the duelist you've become and you were amazing; you truly surprised me. I admit that I underestimated those two but you and I did our very best and that was all we could do. Thank you, you were a remarkable partner to have." Malik smiled at the Pharaoh's kind words and their platforms immediately began falling downwards.
"What an unlikeable turn of events! Jounouchi and Marik have won!" Mokuba screamed into the microphone and the crowd chorused their cheers and chimed their applause. "How'd you all like that, folks? I didn't think it could happen but Jou and Marik managed to win! It's just like the battle that could have happened on top of Battle City! Jounouchi played well with his supporting cards and his trap cards saved the day! And Malik was a force to be reckoned with!" While Mokuba recited the play by play to the fans, Yami, Malik, Jounouchi, and Marik stood together.
"That was an honorable duel, Marik." The Pharaoh solemnly said, extending his hand out to Marik. "I commend you and Jou for your victory. Perhaps we can duel again another time." The pointy haired Egyptian shook his head with a nod of his head.
"Thank you and I look forward to it." Marik replied back sincerely, his tone was light and kind. It was amazing; two people that were once enemies were now friends that respected each other greatly. The grasped each other's hand tightly, small little smiles appearing on their faces.
"I think I'm going to shed a tear." Jounouchi cooed. Lilac and crimson eyes turned to Jounouchi and saw that he had enveloped Malik into a brotherly hug. "That was pretty adorable, don't you think Malik?" Jou asked, tickling the other blonde's cheek with his own.
Malik chuckled cutely at being nuzzled by Jou before nodding. "It's nice to see you guys being actual friends." When the last word left Malik's lips, Marik and Yami dropped their hands and immediately looked away, suddenly feeling uncomfortable. "Thanks for the duel, Marik. I hope I made you proud."
Marik completely melted inside. He took Malik into his arms and held Malik's face in both of his hands. "You dueled admirably, my light. I am very proud of you." Marik touched his lips to Malik's forehead and smoothed out Malik's unruly bangs with his fingertips before kissing his temple. Although they had battled like enemies on the playing field, now that that the duel was over, their 'something' took back its priority.
"Congratulations, you guys! You all did great!" Yugi cried as he flung himself onto the group. Instinctively, Yami's arms shot out to catch the jumping boy and the Pharaoh placed his hands on Yugi's hips comfortably.
"I'm sorry, little one, I didn't win."
Yugi grinned good-naturally. "You did great! It's been a long time since you've played, right?" he joked in an attempt to lighten his darkness' mood. It seemed to work for Yami smiled. When Yami saw that smile, his heart swelled. He didn't care that he lost the duel because he still won; after weeks of trying, Yami finally got Yugi to give him a chance to explore the things between them.
/ / I did win, Yugi. / /
Yugi smiled. / I know you did /
"Seto!" Jounouchi shouted, drawing out the last vowel obnoxiously long. "Marik and I won! Did you see that? How'd I do, huh?" He perked up, jumping excitedly into Kaiba's waiting arms. The brunet held the boy close and balanced him on his hip as if he was holding a child. "You proud of me, Seto?"
Kaiba only smirked. "I suppose, if I had been Marik's partner, we would have won a lot sooner. You're slacking a bit." Before Jounouchi could reply, Kaiba captured his lips in brief kiss. He pulled back and the slightly dazed look in Jou's eyes, "You did well, pup. Good job." The blonde smiled brightly at that.
"You guys had me on my toes the whole time!" Ryou cheered, grinning. He and Bakura were standing beside with one white angel looking angelic while the Thief King looked smug. "Bakura won't admit it but he was really impressed with your duel!"
"I don't need you to speak for me!" Bakura stated, crossing his arms. He turned his light blue eyes in the direction of the four boys that had dueled, "That was a good fight, I congratulate you all." Malik and Jou grinned back at the gray haired man while Yami and Marik nodded their thanks. Their moment would soon be cut short however, Mokuba's voice sounded throughout the speakers.
"Now we progress onto the next duel! It's my big brother, Seto Kaiba and Bakura versus Mutou Yugi and Ryou Bakura! This duel is going to be another great one, folks! I can just feel it in my veins! The King of Games versus the King of Thieves! The divine, White Dragon versus the pure-hearted angel! Get ready everyone because the second duel starts now! Give it up for these four amazing duelists!"
The crowd boomed and applauded at being able to witness another spectacular duel. Bakura stood shoulder to shoulder with Kaiba and both men crossed their arms. They shared a look before smirking arrogantly. "We got the blue side." Kaiba immediately said.
Yugi and Ryou stood together with wining smiles on their faces. "I suppose we have the red corner then." The King of Games shrugged. He and Ryou looked at one another knowingly and Ryou giggled. "This will be one hell of a duel!
"You two don't stand a chance against us!" Bakura retorted, chucking darkly.
Innocent amethyst eyes sparkled before becoming hard with fire and likewise, a pair of chocolate brown eyes did the same. "Oh, so you think you're hot shit, huh?" Yugi said with a raise of his brow. "Okay, let's do this then!"
Author's Notes: Hey guys! I'm sorry this chapter is so much shorter than the other ones I've posted. I honestly wanted to get all three duels and plus Jou's birthday party all in one chapter but I ran out of time. My second semester starts tomorrow and I just wanted to leave you guys with something to read during the week. I'm not sure what my next chapters will be like and if they'll be 10k words or more. I don't want to seem dead so I may have to post 8k worded chapters for a bit. At least till my school work dies down. I'm sorry again if you guys don't like it :( It's better than no chapter at all right?
(1): Jounouchi had his Red Eyes Black Dragon in the Waking the Dragons arc so that means he had to have won it back from Yami and Yugi after Battle City.
(2): What do you guys thing about the Heart of the Cards? Me? I laugh every single time I hear it.
I haven't re-read the chapter so there are probably a lot of mistakes. I have to get up super early tomorrow and its like 11:30 right now. I'm just going to post it, to hell with it all, I say! By the way, if you guys want to know their complete decks, I can have a list in the next chapter.
Read and review! It makes me a happy girl. Let's hit 100, shall we? I'm only 10 away! :)
Final Words: 9k
Final Characters: 40k
Final Pages: 12