Now I know I sound like a broken record, but: I do not own Steven Universe or any of its original characters nor do I own Yu-Gi-Oh or any of its original characters, I can say, however, that I do own Stephanie, her yami, Primrose, and all OCs I chose to make, including original Crystal Beasts, i.e. Bismuth Beaver, Crystal Myths, i.e: Garnet Mother Time, and other original cards. If I did own Steven Universe, trust me, things would've been a lot different and if I own Yu-Gi-Oh there would've been a way for Atem to stay and have all his memories.
foxchick1: This was one of my favorite duels during the Duelist Kingdom Arc, I'm happy you enjoyed it! Can you blame their reactions to Kuriboh though? He's just so cuddly! How he never ends up on a Top 10 Anime Cute list I'll never know! Glad you like the idea of some expansion into Yugi's family tree, I got big plans later on! As to Bandit Keith...what is it with my stories and attracting the violent ones? At least give him breathing time between sessions else the pain from the prior one is either going to dull him to the new one or/and make him black outw.
Lady Twilight Prime: Yeah, I'd imagine none of the Crystal Gems are going to be too fond of Bandit Keith after this and you forget, Pearl rarely ever leaves Rose/Pink's side for all that long willingly, so I'd imagine if she went to Egypt, Pearl went with her. Again, can you blame their reactions to Kuriboh? HE'S SO DAMN CUUUTEEE~! Again, how he never even made Honorable Mentions in a top ten cute list is beyond me! And once again, I have plans concerning Yugi's heritage for much later on. As for the theory, yeah, the evidence is weak, not going to lie and everything is more coincidental at best then anything else, like the name, but you can't deny it isn't an interesting one.
Screwball6580: I'm glad you enjoy this fic so much, it's always fun to see a Brony indulging in other fandoms, I do have a wild-cat in mind for a Rose Quartz in mind and that's all I'm going to say, as for Obsidian...well, it is going to happen and lets leave it at that, suspense after all! As for Pegasus stealing Stephanie's soul...not sure where you got that idea. And your right, what fun is there in making sense? ;P!
Oh and one last thing before we move on!
foxchick1 and Lady Twilight Prime PS: Remind me to never get on your bad sides! Yeesh!
"The first match of the Duelist Kingdom Play-Offs has been concluded; Yugi Muto has defeated Mai Valentine," Croquet announced formally as Pearl summoned her hologram, the picture of Yugi gained a bronze frame before it was duplicated and the copy moved to the slot for the next match-up, while Mai's faded into gray-scale, "He will advance into the next round."
Yugi's group of friends cheered, even Jasper, making him smile up at them as he and Yami switched back. Even Marco politely clapped for the win.
'I couldn't have done this without everyone's help,' Yugi thought humbly but was pulled out of it by the sound of a more jovial and slow, almost mocking-type of clapping and turned his head to see it was Pegasus.
"Well played Yugi-boy," Pegasus congratulated while chuckling, "You certainly know how to put on a good show." Marco glanced at the man he had watched grow up and felt like he was missing a lot of details in his situation, especially with the way the winning duelist frowned at the silver-haired man.
"Man, what a creep," Tristan remarked dryly, "Now I kinda feel bad for Steph, having to put up with that as a 'friend of the family'." He shook his head pitingly. "Just how do the people who raised someone like Greg Universe befriend someone like him, I'll never know," Lapis responded in kind.
'Enjoy this while you can Pegasus,' Yugi thought bitterly, 'Because the only reason I'm here is rescue my Grandpa and everyone else you're keeping under your thumb, and once I beat you and set them free, you won't have anything to chuckle about!'
"Hey, where'd Miss Pink go?" Mokuba asked as he and Leon looked around. "She headed down the stairs, most likely to be the first to congratulate Yugi," Mako answered motioning in the direction of the stairs. "Queen Star is gone too," Tea noted. "Think she went to catch Stephanie to talk to her?" Dorothy guessed prompting many shrug.
"Proceed," Pegasus said to Croquet after clapping and the man nodded. "The second match of the play-offs and the day, will begin shortly," Croquet continued to announce as Pearl highlighted Joey's and Bandit Keith's pictures in her hologram, "Bandit Keith will face Joey Wheeler; duelists prepare your decks."
"Me? So soon?" Joey asked in surprise. "Don't worry Joey," Bakura reassured, "You'll be fine!"
"Make sure to kick Bandit Keith's butt hard Joey!" Mokuba added in encouragement, Leon nodded in agreement. 'We'll see about that brats,' Bandit Keith though irritably. "Oh trust me, I plan to," Joey growled rage slowly building towards the older blonde as he recalled what had happened just prior to Lion's arrival, his fists clenched tightly in reflex, like he desperately wanted to punch something.
"Hey, dweeb, c'mere fer a sec, I got a preposition to make ya," Bandit Keith suddenly spoke to Joey, motioning him closer. "What ya plan tah drop out and make everyone's lives easier?" Joey asked walking over, but kept himself at a distance in case Bandit Keith tried to strike him again.
"In your dreams," Bandit Keith scoffed before smirking, "It's actually about earlier, before the Cotton Candy Kitty showed up," Now that got Jeoy's attention and out of respect for Stephanie's privacy, stepped a bit closer so Bandit Keith could speak low enough for just them to hear, "Let's make this duel a bit more interesting, hmm?"
"How so?" Joey asked just as quiet, but in a guarded tone. "Let's say if you win this duel somehow, which I doubt, I'll fess up to what I did to Princess Butterfly and make sure none of you ever see me again," Bandit Keith proposed whilst secretly crossing his fingers behind his back. Joey arched a brow at this, knowing there was going be an equal level down fall, "And if you win?"
Bandit Keith grinned, "Then the next time, you keep your wannabe-punk nose out of my business." Joey's blood ran cold as he got a good idea of what that meant; basically turn the other way and pretend it isn't happening while this creep went after his new little buddy.
"Give me one good reason!" Joey hissed, growling as his hackles raised and teeth bared, imitating an angry dog. "I'll even fess up to all my past victims too," Bandit Keith threw in with a smirk, fingers still crossed and Joey's eyes widened, before running the gamble through his head.
'That means if I win, who knows how many others will finally get justice and I'll be a hero!' Joey thought positively, imagining how that would run by his parents, sister and especially Lapis, but that fell as he looked at the cons, 'But this is Bandit Keith, a Champion just like Kaiba; that means he's got some skill, even if he is a sleezy-ass creep! And I don't know if I'd be able to walk away from a scene like that!' The memory of Stephanie's frightened and torn, teary-eyed expression haunted him and wasn't sure if he wanted to run the chance of seeing betrayal added to that, 'But then again, she would want all those other girls to get the justice they deserve; man, what would Yug do?'
After weighing it in his head for a moment, he sighed in frustration before glaring at the smirking older man and snapped, "Fine!" Bandit Keith just chuckled wickedly as they sealed the deal with a handshake.
Turning and heading for a different flight of stairs for the red console, Bandit Keith ignored how Joey immediately wiped his hand on his pants, grinning to himself, pulling the card he stole out of his pocket, 'Too easy.'
"What was that about?" Jasper asked making Joey freeze up at the idea of Jasper finding out what Bandit Keith had done, not wanting to imagine the wreck the soldier would leave in her wake if she found out about what happened. "Nothing!" Joey assured about to head down the stairs.
"Oh Joey wait!" Lapis cried rushing after him, making him stop and turn to her confused, only for his and everyone else's eyes to widen in shock as she leaned forward and pressed a kiss to his cheek, making Joey's face burn redder then a ripe tomato, she then sealed it with a wink, "For good luck!"
Joey stammered in response, looking like his head was about to com-bust as he pointed back and forth between them while taking little steps backwards from shock, which Seto found highly amusing, until he noticed how close the blonde was getting to the edge of the top step. "Wheeler, watch out for the-!" Seto started to warn, but was too late as Joey took the last small step back, causing him to slip backwards.
"AH!" Joey yelled in startled-alarm before starting to tumble down the stairs, head over heel, loudly, making everyone still on the balcony cringe and wince, even the Gems and Lion, with each thud and yell of, "OH! EEK! AGH! OHMP! AH! EEH! OOH! GAH! OW! GRK!" Before landing at the bottom with one final thud and, "UMMPH!"
The watching Pegasus, Marco, Sheppard, Croquet and Pearl just sweat-dropped; Pearl shaking her head in disbelief. The watching audience back in the Sun Incinerator, was either cringing in sympathy or trying hard not to roll around on the floor laughing as Seto finished in a deadpanned sigh, "Stairs."
"Joey?" Lapis called in concern. "I'm okay!" Joey shouted up at them, making his friends and new allies all sigh.
"What was that about?" Tea asked skeptically about the random show of affection and romantic interest. "What? Don't human females normally give males their close to kisses for good luck?" Lapis asked genuinely confused with a tilt of her head. "I-you-we-err-but-huh!" Tea and Dorothy stammered in response, Mokuba and Leon just shrugged at her.
Pegasus glanced up before Bandit Keith started down the stairs, eye narrowing as his lips pulled into a disdained frowned, only for that frown to pull into a something close to a snarl as he delved into Bandit Keith's mind. What he wouldn't give to have the wand right now...or to have Winny around to scheme with.
Meanwhile, Stephanie rocked on her heels for a moment before Yugi finally emerged from the doors that led to the arena and she grinned widely, "Yugi!" He turned in surprise, only to be nearly knocked down when she gave him a celebratory hug, turning his cheeks pink, "I knew you two could do it!"
"Yeah...you really did..." Yugi admitted in agreement with a smile as he slowly returned the hug, "Thanks Stephanie." She smiled brightly in response.
Star smiled from where she watched the scene, she wasn't sure how long her granddaughter and this boy have known each other, but anyone with a decent pair of eyes could see the bond being formed between them. It she were being perfectly honest with herself, she was seeing a lot of herself and Marco when they were that age, at least, in the beginning of their relationship; her, the eccentric, goofy, expression and out-going girl; him, the quiet, shy, but fun-loving and strong boy. Besides, who was she to judge how quick a bond forms, it didn't take long for one to form between her and Marco and look where they are.
A part of her idly wondered if they were one of those special pairs Glossyrick had been telling her about when she had asked about a Queen's relationship with their King. She and Marco were what Glossyrick called a 'Star and Sun' pairing, at their cores they weren't too different, but at the same time they were far from the same, while Eclipsa and Globgor were what he called a 'Star and Moon' pairing for the basis of their relationship stemming from their similarities and bonding over their differences, and her parents were what he called a 'Star and Gravity' pairing for how despite their differences they were able to work so well together.
There was a rare type of pairing, basically being two sides of the same coin, but in a difference sense then hers and Marco's, but she honestly doubted it. According to Glossyrick and the recorded history that was somehow saved, there hasn't been a 'Dark and Light' pair for almost a millennia, since the very beginnings of the Butterfly Dynasty.
Now that she thought about it, what kind of pair was her son and new-found daughter-in-law, she wondered.
Star was startled out of thoughts by sudden yells and loud thuds and looked up quickly as her granddaughter spun around and looked over with Yugi to see the rambunctious blonde from the spectator balcony come tumbling down the stairs, landing at the bottom with one final thud and a loud grunt, making the elder woman cringe. She rubbed her head beneath her crown sympathetically, remembering all the times she herself fell down stairs.
"Joey!" Stephanie and Yugi cried out in surprised-concern. "I'm okay!" Joey shouted mostly to assure those still in the balcony as he sat up slowly, rubbing his head.
"Are you okay Joey?" Yugi asked in concern. "Yeah, slipped," Joey replied accepting the hands that both shorter duelists offered to help him to his feet.
"Hey, Steph, can I talk tah Yug alone for a sec?" Joey asked. "Ugh...sure," Stephanie replied about to walk back to the stairs. Star decided to make her presence known, calling out, "Stephanie!"
"Your Majesty!" Both boys yelped in surprise, quickly bowing down on one knee in respect, heads almost touching the floor. Stephanie turned in surprise, "Grandma?" Star wasn't sure if she'll ever get used to it, but she knew she'll never get tired of being called that.
"Please boys, no need to bow, any friend of my grandbaby is a friend of mine," Star smiled in a warm, friendly way making both boys fluster a little, "May I borrow her for a moment?"
"Of course/Sure!" Yugi and Joey said immediately and Stephanie just as quickly rushed over to her grandmother, immediately hugging the woman, who almost melted into goo at the affection.
"What is it?" Stephanie asked as they stepped away for privacy, "Is something wrong?"
"I was just wondering if you'd like to sit with me and your grandfather for this duel," Star answered with a smile as her expression brightened at the idea, "I just thought it would be a nice idea to bond a little, especially if you wanted to ask some questions."
"That would be a dream come true!" Stephanie immediately smiled, but it fell as she remembered that also meant sharing a balcony with Pegasus and Pearl, she thought it over, "Can I let my friends know first?"
"Of course," Star reassured before leaning for and kissing her granddaughter's forehead. "Thanks Grandma!" Stephanie said excited about the idea to talk more with her newly discovered grandparents since they didn't get much of a chance to talk the night before.
"Hey guys, is everything okay?" Stephanie asked as she approached the boys. "Yeah, we're good," Joey assured and Yugi nodded in agreement. "What did your obaasan*?" Yugi asked curiously, glancing over at Star, who had her hands clasped with a patient smile.
"Yeah, she actually invited me to sit with her and Grandpa," Stephanie replied with a little smile to express her excitement with the idea.
Both boys were surprised with the offer, but also concerned for one main reason, which Joey voiced, "Ya sure ya want to sit over there Steph? I mean, Pegaus is over there..."
"Maybe, but I'm getting the idea they don't know what he's up too," Stephanie replied dropping her volume a little, "I doubt they'd be so civil or calm if they knew about Daddy..." She then shifted nervously, "Plus, considering what she did to stop you from falling back there Joey, I doubt Pegasus would be willing to try something with her around, assuming Grandpa can't use magic."
Joey and Yugi both winced at the reminder, if Star could create something as simple as a rainbow fist, what else could she be cable of? But Yugi had one other concern.
"What about Pearl?" Yugi asked and she instantly shifted more, "Are you going to be okay if she ignores you like Sapphire and Ruby did?"
"To be perfectly honest...I don't know," Stephanie replied rubbing her arm with a shrug, "But...I need this...I never had grandparents before...I just want to bond with them a little..." She then laughed in self-depreciation, "I know its selfish but..."
"No," Yugi shook his head with a smile of understanding, which Joey mirrored, "I don't think its selfish."
"Yeah, Steph," Joey agreed, "Ya went yer whole life not knowin' if ya even had grandparents, I don't think anyone would blame ya fer wantin' tah spend time with them."
"You think so?" Stephanie asked hopefully and they both nodded with encouraging smiles, making her give a little smile back. "I'll tell the others," Yugi offered. "Thanks Yugi," Stephanie smiled gratefully, "And good luck Joey!" She then hurried over to Star, who smiled brilliantly at her and in that moment, both boys saw where Stephanie got her smile as grandmother and granddaughter disappeared up a different staircase.
"Hey Grandpa!" Stephanie greeted as she and Star got to the seating area. Pegasus and Pearl looked over in surprise, Pearl's hands twitched and it took a great amount of restraint not to rush for scoop up her baby. Marco, however, had no such restraint as he stood up and went over to greet his long-lost granddaughter, pulling her into a hug, "Hola, Nieta."
Stephanie immediately perked up as she realized why she recognized his accent and why she recognized that last word, "La Abuela dijo que podia ver el partido con ustedes!**"
Pegasus, Marco and Star looked at her, highly surprised, though Marco was equally pleased as Sheppard was impressed with her sudden use of Spanish as the King asked excited, yet happy, "Tu hablas espanol?***"
"Si****," Stephanie giggled rubbing her head, "Fue el primer idioma que Papa me enseno una vez que entendi ingles basico*****."
"Ugh...anyone have any idea what they're saying over there?" Bismuth asked as the Royal Family continued to converse in Spanish. "No clue, Tea?" Tristan asked. "Hey, I speak only speak English, French and Japanese, not Spanish!" Tea replied in indignantly, before turning curiously over to Bakura, "Ryou?"
"Sorry, Spanish was never really my strong suit," He replied shaking his head before turning to the other Finalists, "What about you guys, any ideas?"
"Sorry, I never learned Spanish," Mako replied sincerely apologetic. "Neither have I," Rex added. "I only know bits and pieces from my time in Mexico," Dorothy tacked on. "Even if I could speak Spanish, I'm not going to intrude on a royal's private conversation just to ease your curiosity," Seto stated in his usual brute honest fashion, much to Tea's irritation, while the others could understand where he was coming from.
"There's nothing to be worried about anyways," Yugi suddenly said from next to Rex, who jumped, startled, "Her obaasan invited her to watch the duel with them, the Queen just wanted to spend time with her granddaughter."
"Well, when you put it like that..." Tristan mumbled relaxing in the assurance Pegasus hadn't pulled something again to turn the hybrid onto his side. The idea really scared him, especially after seeing just how hard Stephanie could throw a punch or swing a kick, as well as imagining what she'll be able to do once she learned how to use the magic she inherited from her grandmother. The idea sent a shiver down his spine.
Tristan snapped himself out of it as the doors swung open and Joey walked in, and the brunette immediately perked up and cheered for his oldest friend, "There's our man!"
"Go Joey!" Tea, Lapis, Dorothy, Leon and Mokuba cheered; the youngest two of which went a little above and beyond, Mokuba was holding up a pair of fans with Joey's face drawn on them in a cartoonish, if a little crude, style, while Leon was holding up a banner with Joey's name on it. in bubbly, cartoonish, multi-colored writing with stars drawn around it they they got from...somewhere.
"Seriously, where are you humans keeping stuff like that?" Peridot asked Seto seriously as she stared at the kids, prompting Seto to sigh in response. "To be honest, I've been wondering about that too," Seto replied. "Hey, be happy he didn't get the pompoms," Maisie pointed out making Seto cringe, "Or the headband, or the outfit for that matter."
"Don't remind me," Seto shuddered remembering the one time Mokuba had actually taken being his personal cheerleader a little too far, particularly in public, thankfully, he had still been at that young age where everyone wrote it off as cute and just being a supportive, if eccentric, little brother. "Huh?" Peridot asked confused. "Please don't ask," Seto, Maisie, and surprisingly, Rex, had all told her in response, though the shorter brunette looked rather amused.
"Shut it you," Seto snapped at the Dino Duelist, who just kept snickering.
Peridot got cross-eyed in confusion, trying to figure out what about cloths could warrant such a reaction, before shaking it off and deciding to ask Stephanie about it later.
"Those two certainly have some spirit in them," Pegasus remarked as Marco and Star retook their seats, prompting a tense smile and nervous chuckle from Stephanie while Primrose glared daggers at the CEO.
"Um..." Stephanie said awkwardly, "Abuelo, Abuela, where am I suppose to sit?"
"Ah!" Sheppard jumped, quickly bowing to a highly startled and slightly uncomfortable Stephanie, "I'll go fetch you a chair, Princess Butterfly!"
'Yeah, never gonna get used to that,' Stephanie thought making Primrose giggle, "Stephanie is just fine."
(Beach City, Sun Incinerator)
Several people did spit-takes, including Lars, out of pure shock at Sheppard's exclamation, everyone yelling out in shocked-disbelief, "PRINCESS?!"
Save for Vidalia, who was pretending to cough on her tea, but was really hiding her grin and bouts of laughter.
(Duelist Kingdom)
"There's no need for that, Sheppard," Star reassured as her cheekmarks gave little sparks and with a flick of her wrist and a simple, "Creaky Knees." She conjured an elaborate, fancy chair similar to her and Marco's own, but with a plushier seating and pillows.
Stephanie felt a little uncertain with sitting in such a fancy chair, but almost melted into the soft cushioning, whispering thankfully, "Thanks Grandma..." Star simply smiled, reaching over to gently pull her granddaughter into a one-armed hug.
Joey couldn't help a warm smile at the sigh of his new little friend so happy and experiencing family bonding, but that smile fell when he saw the red console was empty, "Hey, where's Keith?" A yawn made him look over and everyone on the balcony to lean and look down over the rail to see the older blonde laying on a little love-seat on a lower-level spectator area.
Bandit Keith sat up at hearing his name and stretched, asking, "What time is it?"
Which made several members of the group, including Joey, to fall over anime-style, "What the-!"
"What the he-!" Rex started only to suddenly get a very pink shoe to the face, making him yell out in surprise as the force knocked him onto his back, much to Dorothy and Mako's shock. They all turned to look at Stephanie, who was now missing a shoe and wearing an eerily calm and sweet smile as she called firmly, "No cursing in front of little children, please and thank you!" Which sent a chill down the Finalists' spines, now understanding why Joey and Mai were so afraid of her.
"Yes ma'am..." Rex groaned slowly peeling the shoe off, but now had a bright red shoe-shaped mark in the middle of his face from getting hit by the tread.
"Nice shot," Both Marco and Star said, genuinely impressed with her aim. "Thanks!" Stephanie grinned, "Garnet taught me!" Pearl donned a proud and amused grin, giving Pegasus a knowing look, which he just ignored in favor of getting more wine from Sheppard.
"How did-?" Dorothy and Mako stammered in shock, "When did-? Huh?"
"And that's why I never get on a Rose Quartz's bad side," Bismuth stated wisely, arms crossed, "If you think a shoe's bad, wait till you see her throw her shield." Now everyone, even Bandit Keith paled at that and even Jasper looked a bit nervous at the idea.
"What the heck," Joey continued where Rex had left off, watching his words this time as a confused Mokuba and Leon looked around at the teens confused, "Are ya doin'? Get yer aaaa-!" He quickly backpedaled at remembering Stephanie and quickly corrected himself when he saw her lift a leg and start to peel off her other shoe, "Butt over 'ere!"
"Hey, chill out, punk!" Bandit Keith waved him off, "The pummeling will commence as soon as I'm good and ready, so don't go gettin' your boxers in a twist, Blondie." He tensed when he heard Lion start to growl a little from above.
"You do know your blonde too, right?" Rex called down as he rubbed his face, only to yell out when another shoe, this one with a heel, got him right between the eyes, knocking him over again. "And just what is wrong with blondes?" Star demanded hands on her hips as she glared. "Nothing, Your Majesty!" Mako and Dorothy quickly reassured, covering Rex's mouth before he could get another shoe to the face.
"Stall as long as ya want," Joey frowned at Keith, "But yer gonna have tah duel me sooner or later."
'That's what you think, sucker,' Bandit Keith thought smirking.
"Tournament certification cards, gentlemen," Croquet requested. "Sure, no problem," Bandit Keith said holding up one of the cards, the one with the treasure vault picture, "Well, dweeb, show the man your card."
"Sure, its right..." Joey started reaching into his pocket only to find nothing. "Tournament certification card, please," Croquet repeated.
"I heard you the first time, just give me a minute!" Joey replied a little snappily as he started searching his pockets, panicking growing as he realized the card Yugi had given him last night was gone, "I know its in here somewhere! Gah!"
"Joey lost his entry card!" Tea asked in shocked-disbelief. "Surely he isn't that absent-minded," Bakura said. "Oh yes he can be!" Tristan replied.
"Didn't he put right into one of his jacket pockets after you gave it to him Yugi?" Lapis asked the short male Finalist. "Yeah, I saw him put it there," Yugi answered just as confused as she was. "Maybe it fell out and he just didn't notice?" Peridot suggested. "Why doesn't this surprise me?" Seto questioned.
"Or me," Rex added shaking his head as he got up. "This sort of forgetfulness is very unbecoming of a Tournament Finalist," Mako tsked and Dorothy nodded in agreement.
'Joey...' Stephanie thought in concern.
"Well, isn't that a shame?" Bandit Keith crooned sarcastically, "Guess I won't be needing to get off this couch after all, huh, Joey?"
"Well, don't go gettin' too comfy cause once I fine that card-!" Joey started to threaten. "If," Croquet interrupted much to everyone's surprise, save Pegasus', "If you find that card with the time parameters the regulations allow."
Joey stared in alarmed-horror, "You mean...there's a time-limit?"
'And seeing how I snatched your card from your coat pocket last night,' Bandit Keith thought smugly, 'I got a hunch that timer's going to run out long before you find it.'
"Retrace your steps Joey!" Tea advised. "Are you sure you put it in your coat?" Jasper asked.
"More then sure, but maybe it fell out back in the room," Joey figured, "Better go look!"
"Five minutes," Croquet informed making everyone look at him, "This duel will begin at eleven sharp, you have five minutes to present your tournament certification card or you will be disqualified."
"WHAT!" The group up in the balcony shouted in disbelief, Seto included, surprisingly, the older Kaiba looked upset. "Wheeler will barely have any time to make it to the room!" Seto said in disbelief. "Careful Kaiba, your starting to sound like you care," Bandit Keith warned earning a glare from the brunette.
"That is the rules of this tournament and they will be upheld with no exceptions," Croquet said firmly, "Not even for a friend of the young Princess Butterfly."
Stephanie looked saddened to hear this and worried as Pearl switched out her holographic screen for a holographic timer of ten-fifty-five, she asked unsurely, "Abuela...?"
"Sorry nieta, but one of first things I fear your going to have to learn the hard way is that royalty can't play favoritism," Marco apologized but used a soft, but stern tone to make his point across that there was nothing he or Star could do for her friend without causing more problems then it might have been worth.
"I'll go help him," Lapis said rushing for the stairs as Joey rushed out the doors, "Four hands are quicker then two."
"Maisie, go with them," Seto, much to everyone's surprises, ordered. "Sir?" Maisie blinked her camera light at him inquisitively. "It'll go a lot quicker if you're there too, now go!" Seto ordered more firmly and Maisie quickly opened up her propellers to hurry after Lapis.
"Kaiba..." Yugi said in surprise. "Don't go getting the wrong idea, Muto," Seto stated coldly, "I could care less if the Mutt gets disqualified or not, but I'd rather not pass up the chance of a duel on a count of a technicality if it can be avoided, whether I'm in it or not."
Everyone just shared a glance.
A tap to her arm made Peridot turn to Mokuba in surprise, but he just motioned for her to lean over and when she did, he whispered childishly in a sing-song tone into her ear, "He cares~!" Making her crack a little smile and they shared a little laugh as Seto huffed.
(Beach City, Sun Incinerator)
"Can they really disqualify Joey if he doesn't find that card?" Connie asked in concern.
"It's Pegasus' tournament, so he makes the rules," Her mother answered with a sigh. "Plus, its not entirely outlandish," Buck added, "When tournaments have special qualifications, like these cards, its technically allowed."
"Plus, these things are running on pretty tight time crunches," Kevin added from a business side of things, "If Queen and King Butterfly are investors, they have to keep the tournament going at a certain pace, else they run the risk of them getting bored and pulling out of supporting Duel Monsters and/or Industrial Illusions; added to the fact these Finals have twice the usual Finalists just doubles the risk."
"At least the Lapis Lazuli was willing to help," One of the Rutile Twins spoke up. "And that Kaiba offered his drone as well," The other Twin added.
"Now that last one sure is surprising," Kiki commented. "Not really," Sour Cream smiled, "If Seto Kaiba can make sure he gets to see an extraordinary duel he's going to do everything in his power to make sure it happens, whether he's in it or not."
"You sound like you speak from experience," Yellowtail commented. "He...may have gotten me out of a jam back in the Internationals..." Sour Cream admitted face pinking darkly, making his brother silently giggle, while Buck frowned.
(Duelist Kingdom)
"Hope that little cyberbug of yours has a good camera, Kaiba!" Bandit Keith said laughing as the group scowled down at him, 'He's never going to find it!'
Meanwhile, Joey was running down the hall to get to his room, thoughts running a mile a minute. If he didn't find that card soon, he was going to lose to Bandit Keith of all people and on a technicality. A pair of feet behind him and the sounding of whirling made him glance back in surprise to see Lapis and Maisie.
"Lapis!" Joey said in surprise, "Maisie?"
"Here to help!" Maisie chirped. "Like I'm going to let you miss the chance to give that bastard a good beating!" Lapis grinned toothily, making him smile.
Back in the arena room, Bandit Keith was still laying on the couch, barely stifling a yawn, before asking Croquet, "Hey, mind if I take off my boots?"
"Do as you wish," Croquet answered dismissively, "But keep in mind if you aren't in the arena at the designated time of eleven o'clock then you will be disqualified as well."
"Say what now?" Bandit Keith asked sitting up in surprised-disbelief, before groaning as he got up, "Man you suits and your rules."
Meanwhile, Joey and Lapis had turned Joey's entire castle room upside down in a frantic search for his entry card, Maisie even diving into the smaller places like drawers in case he knocked off a surface and even used a built-in-flashlight to check under furniture for it. But none of them were having any luck.
"I don't get it!" Joey said in disbelieved-confusion, "It has to be 'ere somewhere!"
"Any luck Maisie?" Lapis asked only to be confused when she didn't get an answer, "Maisie?" A sudden squawking and whirling made them both look around before looking down to see they were both standing on a sheet that something was trying to get out from under, but couldn't with their combined weight pinning the sheet down.
They quickly jumped off it and Joey lifted it up, allowing Maisie to fly out from under it, to which the robot simply said, "Next time, look before you toss a random sheet, will you?"
'I'd give Joey this Glory to the King's Opposite Hand card to duel with,' Yugi thought looking at his remaining entry card, 'But then I wouldn't be able to duel Pegasus and save my Grandpa.'
'Maybe I can give Joey my Glory to the King's Hand,' Stephanie mused as she looked at one of her own entry cards, 'I mean, its not like I need the money; what with all the antiques the Gems collected over the years just sitting in their rooms, whatever's hiding in Mom's desert, Dad's shares from his music career and me apparently being a princess I could probably pay for Joey's Sister's Operation myself ten times over. Besides; I'm only really in this to free Dad and the others, so as long as I have my Glory to the King's Opposite Hand, I'd be fine.'
"Aw, c'mon!" Bandit Keith complained, snapping the two Millennium Wielders out of their thoughts as the blonde leaned on his console, clearly bored, "Can't we just disqualify him right now? We all know he ain't comin' back anyways!"
"What?" Tristan and Bismuth asked in disbelief. "Of course he's going to come back!" Tea insisted. "Unlike you, he's not afraid to actually face his opponents," Jasper added heatedly, making Bandit Keith roll his eyes.
"Come on, we all know your little friend's been scared to death of me ever since our little run in back at that cave," Bandit Keith smirked as Stephanie flinched at the reminder of that duel, instantly catching her grandmother's notice, "We all know he's not looking for that Glory to the King's Hand card, he's looking for a place to hide, in fact, how much you wanna bet he probably lost that card on purpose just so he'd have an excuse not to duel me, probably even trying to play the sympathy card up to that little blue fairy friend of yours," They all just glared down at him, even Mokuba, Seto, Leon and the other Finalists and Royals didn't look very amused with him either as he chuckled, "Pretty spineless, I'd say, wonder what that says about the Princess he's good friends with."
Stephanie flinched at the jab at her, causing her grandmother to pull her to her side protective as she and Marco both glared daggers at him and Pegasus, while looking disinterested, dug his fingers into his armrests in anger.
"And I'd say, you're wrong," Surprisingly, it was Seto who spoke up, much to everyone's surprise, "Look, I am not by any means Wheeler's biggest fan, but if there's one thing I picked up from him is that he's far from a coward, in fact," He glanced fondly over at Peridot, "I'm willing to bet if Peridot hadn't challenged me first when I got here, he would've," He then hardened his gaze as he turned back to Bandit Keith, "Besides, unlike you Bandit Keith, there's one thing I can admire about the Mutt is that he's actually got honor, so believe me, he'll be back."
Everyone looked at him in surprised-awe, though Mokuba was smiling.
"We'll see Kaiba," Bandit Keith scoffed, "After all, there's only one minute left."
"Oh no!" Tea gasped in alarm. "Guys, what if Joey can't find that card?" Dorothy asked in concern. "He'll find it, just got to have a little faith," Bakura said encouragingly. 'C'mon Joey,' Yugi and Stephanie thought encouragingly.
Meanwhile, Joey was leaning on a wall, panting from the run back to the door to the arena. Lapis stood next to him, Maisie perched on her shoulder.
'We must've searched the entire castle and still no card!' Joey thought sweat dripping down his face, teeth clenched, slowly slipping down onto his knees as the weight of his impending disqualification came crashing down, 'I can't believe it; after lasting on this island all this time, after beating duelists with twice my experience, after getting past all of Pegasus' traps; I'm going to get disqualified because of this?' Lapis jumped when Joey suddenly slammed his fist into the nearby wall, yelling out his frustration, "For losing one lousy card!"
"Joey..." Lapis said softly in sadness, but sure what to say or do as comforting others, even fer own Garden Sisters, was never her forte.
Even Maisie, for all her human-like emotions and habits, was a loss for what to do or say. She was only used to the Kaiba brothers. Heck, she never really interacted much with the staff of the brothers' home or KaibaCorp, so she was still at a loss.
What neither of them were aware of was a dark figure wearing a dark blue hoodie with the hood up, heavily shadowing their features was watching from down the hall, observing the scene intently. 'My, my, my, what anger, what injustice,' The figure mused, 'Appears hard work is still never truly awarded around here.' Their lips curved downward slightly for a brief moment.
'Serenity...' Joey thought, shoulders shaking as he started to sob, 'I'm so sorry sis...' His sister's smiling face and sweet laughter filled his mind as his tears ran down his cheeks, 'I was close...I came so, so close...'
The figure took a small half-step back, mouth opening in surprise, before it was pressed into a tight line and they swiftly turned and left.
"Oh Joey..." Lapis whispered feeling like her gemstone was breaking with how helpless she felt, unable to do or say anything to dry his tears.
A sudden step of footsteps got Maisie's attention as she turned, questioning, "Now what?"
"Huh?" Lapis questioned confused. "Get up off the floor Joey!" A familiar voice ordered from behind the sea Gem, making her and Joey gasp.
Lapis whirled around and Joey looked up to see none other then Mai, who had her hands on her hips in a scolding manner as she continued, "And quit your crying, you look like a big baby!"
"Mai!" Lapis said in surprise. "Who says I'm cryin'?" Joey immediately got defensive as he rubbed at his eyes, "I just got somethin' in my eye!"
Mai gave a little smile and Lapis oddly didn't feel mad that she was enjoying seeing Joey cry, it just didn't feel malicious, it just looked more friendly.
"Stupid thin' won't come out!" Joey said in frustration as he rubbed at his eyes only to blink when Mai held out a handkerchief to him. "Here, just don't go blowing your nose in it," Mai advised as he took it uncaring for his confused expression and started to walk off, but paused, "You know," The three looked over at her in surprise as Lapis helped Joey to his feet, "Just when I think I got you people figured out, you keep surprising me, you two especially Joey and Lapis."
The two blinked in surprise, but Mai continued anyways, "Tea told me about your little sister Joey, how you're dueling for her," Joey looked at his feet, "And Lapis, Stephanie told me about how you two met," Lapis' eyes widened in response, "And Peridot told me why she and you are even here, protecting the first real friend you've ever had; to be honest it all sounds like one big mega-soap opera to me, and the whole drama with Stephanie's newfound grandparents don't help, but then again, who doesn't love a good, dramatic soap opera?" Joey didn't have a real reply to that and Lapis didn't even know what a soap opera was, as for Maisie, she didn't really feel like she had a place to say anything, as it didn't involve her personally or her two masters.
"Anyways," Mai sighed a smile on her lips, "See you around, Hons." With that, she started walking away.
Joey was confused before noticing something was wrapped in the handkerchief and when he unfolded the cloth, he gasped in surprise, gaining the other two's attention and they gasped as well at the familiar treasure vault card. "A Glory to the King's Right Hand card!" Maisie said in surprise.
"Wait, Mai!" Joey called out about to try and give it back, but Mai stopped him. "Take it, I don't need it anymore," Mai told him much to his surprise.
"Does...does this mean we're friends now, Mai?" Joey asked hesitantly, unsure how to take this act of generosity. "Don't you have a duel to get to?" Mai asked snippily, reminding Joey of the timer.
"Oh right!" Joey remembered quickly turning to head back into the arena. "Hey, Joey," Mai called getting him to look back, "Take him down."
"Oh don't worry," Joey's expression darkened a little with barely reigned fury and determination, remembering the deal he and Keith had striken up, "I will."
"Thanks Mai," Lapis smiled gratefully before hurrying off with Maisie. "You're welcome Lazuli," Mai whispered before scoffing, "Duh, Wheeler, of course we're friends."
Joey swung the doors open and walked confidently into the arena as everyone looked over at his somewhat dramatic entry.
"Looks like the brat's came back to give us the bad news," Bandit Keith said cockily, "Let me guess, you couldn't find that card?"
Everyone up in the balcony turned as Lapis leaned forward, arms resting calmly on the railing with a knowing smile on her lips as Maisie hovered over and switched out her propellers for thin, willowy, spider-like metal legs to perch onto her older master's shoulder. Stephanie sat up straighter, having taken one of the pillows and was squeezing it close out of anxiousness.
"What do ya mean?" Joey asked as he held up the card Mai had given him, "I got my card right 'ere!" At that the timer ran out, turning the numbers red before Pearl retracted the image back into her gemstone, making his friends and allies cheer, even Rex and Seto gave little twitches of smiles.
'Impossible!' Bandit Keith thought in shock, 'I'm using his card!'
"He made it!" Tea said releasing a large sigh of relief. "Thank goodness!" Tristan added knowing how devastated Joey would've been if he got disqualified before he got a fighting chance to save his sister's sight.
"Ah!" Bismuth said as she realized why Lapis had come back so calm, "You knew he found it!"
"I did go to help him find it, remember?" Lapis replied with a calm, causal smile. "A little heads up would've been nice for some's nerves, ya know," Peridot stated making Lapis shrug, not entirely apologetic as she had found the suspense on their parts a little funny.
"Very well, the duel shall proceed as scheduled," Croquet stated as Stephanie almost slid off her seat from how much she sagged in relief, much to her grandparents' and Pegasus' amusement.
"Okay Keith, nap time's over," Joey said seriously, "Time to duel."
"Fine," Bandit Keith said standing up properly, a smirk playing on his face, "You know, a little part of me wanted you to show up, a good warm up match will do me some good for the next round."
"Oh I'll warm ya up 'n' wear ya down!" Joey's smirk turned dark as he then added, "'N' I'm gonna make you pay fer what happened back in that hallway!" Lion showed his support as his eyes darkened at the memory with a vicious snarl that made Bandit Keith and the other teens all flinch, remembering the very real and still very deadly, fully grown wildcat in the balcony. Stephanie also flinched, but for a different reason.
"Hallway?" Everyone up in the balcony echoed in confusion, even Pearl allowed herself to look confused. "Didn't Joey go looking for Stephanie earlier?" Tea asked confused. "Yeah, after Sapphire asked him too," Tristan remembered shivering along with the other guys as they remembered her rant, feeling only slightly bad for Bandit Keith when the blue gem eventually got her hands on him, but also wondered what the blonde did to deserve her ire like that.
"Stephanie..." Yugi murmured with a mix of a concerned, yet thoughtful expression on his face, trying to piece the mystery together. Yami was silent, also trying to piece it together.
"The second match of the playoffs shall begin," Croquet announced, "Bandit Keith, Joey Wheeler; prepare to duel!"
"Good luck Joey!" Lapis, Mokuba, Leon, Tristan, Tea and Yugi cheered. "You can do it!" Dorothy, Bismuth and Peridot added encouragingly. "Kick his butt from here to the Caribbean!" Mako threw in. "Show him the real meaning of honor!" Jasper called as well while Seto and Rex remained silent, the taller actually looked a bit bored and took out his phone, starting to type, most likely texting. "Everyone's behind you!" Maisie threw in as Mokuba and Leon began waving their banners in show their support.
"Joey!" Stephanie called, "Good luck!" Joey flashed her a smile.
"Let's duel!" Joey and Bandit Keith declared as their life points were set.
Bandit Keith LPs: 2000
Joey LPs: 2000
(Beach City, Sun Incinerator)
"Man, this match is going to be hard to predict," Buck remarked. "What do you mean?" His father asked confused.
"For one thing, Wheeler's a literal new face to the pro-circuit," Jenny explained, "We have no clue what he's capable of, plus, there's the fact that Keith's fallen a bit under the radar since his recent defeat at the hands of Pegasus, so, who knows what he's added to his deck since then."
Lars, Jamie, Sour Cream, Kevin and Buck all nodded in agreement as Lars and Sour Cream typed away at their phones. A ding made everyone looked over in surprise at Sour Cream who blinked in surprise before continuing to text. They watched as his expressions shifted from surprise to amused and a bit fond, then surprise again pausing in is typing for a moment before sending a reply, his expression then turned to shock, eyes almost the size of dinner-plates, before narrowing with a level of anger as his fingers typed with agitation before becoming bemused once more but with a twist of defeat and acceptance.
"Hey Kev, you still have access to your dad's jet?" Sour Cream asked suddenly out of the blue. The Latino teen blinked, thrown through a loop.
(Duelist Kingdom)
"So tell me, how's it feel to be going up against the Intercontinental Champion?" Bandit Keith asked as they drew their first five cards. "Oh, the Intercontinental Championships!" Joey said in a faux tone of awe, before smirking, "Pah-lease! I can win a better prize then that in a box of cereal." Marco snorted, really liking this particular friend of his granddaughter's more and more.
"Punk, I'll teach you to respect my title," Bandit Keith growled as he drew his sixth card, only then play a monster face-down, "One card in defense mode."
'Okay, time to go to work,' Joey thought drawing, 'Serenity...here goes nothing,' He then mirrored Keith's move, "One card in defense mode."
"This duel isn't going to get very far if we keep playing defense all day," Bandit Keith commented before flipping is face-down over, "So I think I'll go on the attack with Pendulum Machine."
His monster was a red machine monster wit a human-like, helmet styled head with long, thin arms, all made of red plated metal. Its chest served as the rotating mechanism that served its namesake pendulum blade that hug in the place of a lower body. Its eyes were two simple glowing yellowish-green lights.
Pendulum Machine. Attribute: DARK. Tribe: MACHINE. Lv: 6. ATK/DEF: 1750/2000
"Eerie..." Dorothy muttered mostly creeped out by its eyes. "So he's using Machine monsters, huh?" Seto observed analytical.
"Here we go," Tea said. "Hey guys, do you think that title will give Keith an edge?" Bakura asked curiously.
"Doubt it," Surprisingly, it was Mokuba who spoke up just as his brother began to open his mouth, "If that sort of logic were true, Yugi wouldn't have beaten Seto the first time around." Yugi nodded in agreement.
"Besides, Stephanie summed it up pretty well in Yugi's first duel here against that Weasel," Lapis added as the Gems all frowned at the memory of the Insect Duelist, "Unless you can see the future, you can't predict how a duel will turn out."
"Besides, Blondie has something way better then any title," Bismuth stated matter-of-factly with a proud tone of voice as she tapped a fist against her chest for emphasize, "He's got guts."
"And heart too!" Tea added enthusiastically. "That's all well and good, but remember, that can only get duelists so far," Mako reminded them gently. "Plus," Rex continued more bluntly, "Keith might be a baaaaa-" He paused and looked over to see Stephanie had taken off her remaining shoe and was tossing it in one hand, as if waiting for him to finish that word, thankfully for him, he learned his lesson, "A loud-mouthed, egotistical baboon," Stephanie smiled as she placed her shoe back on, "But he has that title for a reason."
"Plus, he's been at this longer," Dorothy added showing some concern for her new blonde friend.
"A Machine..." Joey said in awe, having never seen a machine-type monster up close before.
"And its about to go into overdrive on your monster!" Bandit Keith grinned, "Pendulum Slice and Dice!" His monster rushed to Joey's field and reached into the glowing square that concealed the younger blonde's monster, before pulling the monster out into view, revealing Battle Warrior, which was then sliced to ribbons from the hanging blade.
"Well that's not a good start," Tristan winced. "No, ya think?" Jasper asked sarcastically.
"Not necessarily, you two," Mako intervened as he kept his eyes on the arena, "Now that Bandit Keith's revealed his monster and what kind it is, he can start working out a strategy to fight back."
Peridot nodded in agreement as Maisie added, "And since Battle Warrior was in Defense Mode, Wheeler didn't lose any Life Points."
"But why a Machine monster?" Yugi questioned. "What do you mean, why a machine?" Peridot asked curiously, but was thinking, 'Machine monster, machine monster, why is that ringing a bell?'
Bismuth and Lapis were thinking similarly as Yugi replied, "Bandit Keith has all sorts of cards at his disposal and he's seen Joey duel before against Bonz, so why pick Machine monsters, out of all types?"
"Okay, here we go," Joey said summoning a new monster, "Giltia the D. Knight, attack mode!"
His monster was a human male dressed in a dark blue skin-tight outfit with black patterns under a purple cloth that hung from his waist, matching the cape that hung from his sharp green shoulder-plates decorated by grey trims and orange gems. He wore a matching armored head-ring over his shoulder-length blonde hair and a similar belt and knee-pads with a pair of white boots and gloves with red gems decorating them. He was armed with what resembled a ranseur******** pole-arm spear. His reddish-brown eyes locked onto his mechanical enemy without fear.
Giltia the D. Knigt. Attribute: LIGHT. Tribe: WARRIOR/FUSION. Lv: 5. ATK/DEF: 1850/1500
Then it occurred to Lapis and Bismuth why Machine monsters sounded familiar and both Gems called out in warning, "Joey wait!" But was too late.
"Now go!" Joey ordered, "Soul Spear attack!" Giltia spun his ranseur before pointing it at Pendulum Machine as a purple beam of magical energy shot at Keith's monster, only to go right through, much to Joey's shock, "What's goin' on? Why ain't it workin'?"
"Oh dear..." Stephanie murmured in concern. "Great Scott!" Bakura exclaimed in shock.
"Yugi, that can't be right, can it?" Tristan asked.
"You can bet your hair it's right," Bandit Keith smirked as his monster's armor gleamed in the light, "All of my machines are made of high magic resistant armor, making all of your magical attacks worth squat!"
"So that's why he's using Machine monsters," Yugi realized, "They're magic proof."
"And he's seen in the duel with Bonz that a lot of Joey's best monsters use magic-based attacks," Lapis added in alarm, "So he knew exactly how to defend against Joey's best attacks."
"Man, can we ever catch a break?" Tristan almost shouted. "Yeah, the day any of us catch a break will be the day Rose Quartz returns from dead," Jasper stated callously without the least bit hesitance.
"My turn, and I got another well-oiled machine lined up for ya," Bandit Keith grinned, "Launcher Spider!"
His monster was a large mechanical spider covered entirely by thick plating. Its legs were a greenish color with spikes lining their outer side, its head was red with shiny black eyes and sitting on its back was a set of multi-rocket launchers.
Launcher Spider. Attribute: FIRE. Tribe: MACHINE. Lv: 7. ATK/DEF: 2200/2500
This time, when Pearl covered her ears, Pegasus and Croquet knew why, and covered their ears too. The other Gems present, Yugi and Tristan, all remembered what spiders and Stephanie meant and quickly covered their ears too as they saw her turn sheet white and tremble with wide eyes.
"Sp-Sp-Sp-Sp-Sp-Sp-Sp-!" Stephanie stuttered in fear, much to her grandparents' immediately concern. "Nieta, is everything alright?" Star asked in concern.
(Beach City, Sun Incinerator)
Vidalia, Jenny, Buck, Kofi, Jamie, Lars and Sadie all immediately covered their ears once the new monster appeared, much to everyone else's confusion.
(Duelist Kingdom)
"SPIIIIIIIIDEEEEER!" Stephanie screamed in fear causing everyone who hadn't covered their ears or so saw it coming to jump, even those back in Beach City; Bandit Keith and Joey actually threw their cards into the air, Sheppard fell onto his butt and knocked his cart over, Mokuba and Leon nearly fell off Lion, her grandparents actually launched themselves off their seats, even Launcher Spider, Pendulum Machine and Giltia jumped in shock.
Stephanie, however, failed to notice any of this, she simply jumped up and zoomed to hide behind Star's slightly larger seat, adding fearfully, "NOT ANOTHER GODDAMN SPIDER!" Pearl had to grab her own wrists to keep herself from instinctively going to comfort her, "KILL IT WITH FIRE!"
Star and Marco blinked, sharing a look of surprise, but filed this reaction away mentally for later.
"Hey, you just cursed!" Rex pointed out. "I CAN CURSE IF I DAMN WELL WANT!" Stephanie screamed making Pearl shake her head as the hybrid-princess peeked her head around the backrest of her hiding place to glare at him, only for her eyes to be immediately drawn to Launcher Spider and quickly retreated back to hiding, "GAAAH! JOEY JUST GET RID OF IT ALREADY!"
Everyone else sweatdropped at this, especially as Launcher Spider sagged in dejection with an aura of depression around itself, which just made Giltia sweatdrop a little harder, but give his larger opponent an apologetic smile as Pendulum Machine patted one of it's comrade's legs in comfort, looking a bit used to this sort of situation.
"A half-alien, magical princess who's afraid of spiders," Tea remarked ironically as she rung out her ears, "Now I've heard everything."
"Just might be the only normal thing about her," Tristan chuckled and Yugi shrugged as he lowered his hands, if the short male finalist were honest, he found her antics, as dramatic as they be, kinda cute.
"Launcher Spider," Bandit Keith said after retrieving his cards and ringing out his ears, "Shock Rocket attack!" Launcher Spider quickly shook off its sudden depression and popped both of its launchers, attacking with several rockets as ordered, destroying Giltia in a multitude of small explosions, Bandit Keith then grinned, "C'mon kid, fight back; it's always more fun when they struggle!" Joey grinted his teeth as his life points dropped.
Joey LPs: 1650
As Star tried to pull Stephanie out from behind the older Butterfly's chair in stubborn vain, Marco narrowed his eyes in suspicion at Keith's tone and expression at that gleeful admission, being all too well reminded of Rasticore and other members of the Assassin's Guild who took a little too much delight in the finer details of their jobs. And if what Marco had to guess from how Pegasus was gripping one of his armrests, so tight the king was honestly surprised it wasn't starting to splinter or from how the strange woman with the smooth white pearl in her forehead was narrowing her eyes, he wasn't the only one who picked up on it.
"I can't believe I'm saying this, but..." Star ground out as she tried to pull Stephanie out of hiding by her skirt to no avail, so she tried her own mother's method of coaxing, "Young lady this is highly unbecoming of a Princess of your standing, come out from there, right now!"
"NOT UNTIL THAT THING IS GONE, THANK YOU VERY MUCH!" Stephanie replied still very much afraid and well used to such scoldings from Pearl and managed to shake her grandmother off, much to the woman's surprised-cardigan, which turned into irritation as both Marco and Pegasus started chuckling and snorting in amusement. Crossing her arms and frowned at them, "And what's so funny, if I may ask?"
"Star, you seriously didn't just pull a Moon, did you?" Marco chortled making Star blush in embarrassment. "Madre if that never worked on any of them, what mad you think it'd work on her?" Pegasus asked making the blonde woman sigh, but smile bittersweetly. "Guess she takes more after her grandmother then she thinks," Marco smirked making Star roll her eyes.
'Man, I knew Keith was tough,' Joey admitted to himself staring down Keith's monsters, 'But I wasn't expecting big metal bullies!'
"Man, those tin cans are tough," Tristan groaned. "Yugi, Seto, do those things have any weakness?" Peridot asked in concern looking back and forth between the two.
"Well, Machines are easily one of the most powerful monsters in the game, most having an decently high defense as well as offense," Yugi stated in honest analysis, "Rivaled only by Dragons."
"But that doesn't mean they don't have their weakness," Seto continued, "They only have one technique, frontal assault; once they cross someone who can adapt different strategies, they're as good as scrap metal," A tiny smirk of amusement crossed his face, "Question is; does Wheeler have the cards to pull it off?"
"I hope he does something soon," Dorothy commented, "I don't think Stephanie handle Launcher Spider much longer."
'Attacking those metal freaks will just get me clobbered,' Joey thought trying to stay calm and rational, picking a card to play, 'So I'll play this card in defense mode and a card face-down too.' Two spaces, one in his monster zone and one in his Spell and Trap Zone, glowed, indicating both face-downs.
"What's the matter, afraid to fight me like a man?" Bandit Keith taunted making Joey growl at him, irritably, Bandit Keith returned his attention to his cards, plotting, 'If this kid keeps playing in defense mode, I can't get to his life points and finally have a little fun around here; I have to draw him out, get him to attack me, then I can do some real damage,' Bandit Keith smirked before picking a card and went to play it, "I'll play this card in defense mode and-whoops!" Bandit Keith feigned surprise as the card 'slipped' from his fingers onto the console and the creature briefly appeared.
Despite being hazy, the sharp eyes of the Gems saw it for what it was; some sort of blue impish like creature, almost looking skeletal in design, bi-pedaled and three-clawed limbs and had orange horns on its head and matching spikes on its back. Not the most unique monster thus far, but defiantly up there in less appealing to look at. One thing immediately stuck out though, it didn't have the least bit of armor plating on it, unlike Keith's other monsters.
Zoa. Attribute: DARK. Tribe: FIEND. Lv: 7. ATK/DEF: 2600/1900
"That was a mistake," Bandit Keith quickly picked it up, making the image vanish, "Just forget what you saw," He then played his move, "As I was saying, I'll play this monster in defense mode."
Tea had a creeped out, yet dry expression on her face, remarking, "Whatever it was, it sure was ugly." Jasper and Bismuth grunted in agreement as Lapis stuck out her tongue in disgust.
"But not metal," Tristan observed and Joey grinned, having noticed as well.
'Tristan's right, that wasn't a machine,' Joey thought giddily, not entirely thinking the entire scene through, 'It's a shadow monster called Zoa, a beast my Flame Swordsman can toast easily.'
"Check out Wheeler's grin, something's up," Rex remarked. "Something about this doesn't feel right," Surprisingly, it was Leon who said this, making everyone, even Lion look at the youngest and smallest member of the entire group.
"Go Flame Swordsman!" Joey called summoning his ever faithful flame warrior to the field, Flame Swordsman gripped his sword tight and squared his shoulders as he stared down his new opponents.
"What do you mean, Leon?" Lapis asked curiously. "Don't you think its weird after two perfectly armored machines Bandit Keith suddenly plays a monster that doesn't have the least bit of metal on it?" Leon replied in kind which had Mako, Seto, Yugi, Peridot and Jasper nodding in agreement, also finding it odd.
Overhearing this, Star finally turned around from trying to coax Stephanie out of hiding, confused over what was suddenly going on, "Huh? What's going on?"
"Attention span and observation skills sharp as ever..." Marco sighed shaking his head, "Bandit Keith 'accidentally' dropped the card he was about to play in defense and everyone saw it, but strangely, it was a Fiend, not a Machine like his other monsters."
Now that got Stephanie's interest as she perked up from behind her grandmother's chair, "Wait, the only reason he'd play that would be to..." Realization dawned on her with horror, "Oh no!"
"Zoa's attack is higher then its defense," Mako stated matter-of-factly. "So it makes little sense to play it in defense mode, especially with support from an equally strong monster like Launcher Spider," Bakura continued making Mako nod in agreement.
"And I also play this; Salamandra," Joey added playing a spell that had the picture of a dragon head made entirely of fire curled around it, "To increase my Swordsman's fire-power." The fire-entity appeared around Flame Swordsman's blade, increasing his power.
Flame Swordsman. ATK/DEF: 2500/1600
"So Keith is dropped Zoa on purprose!" Tea gasped in alarm. "He's wants Joey to attack him!" Mokuba said with wide eyes, knowing what will happen even if the planned attack hits. "Joey, wait, don't attack!" Lapis cried waving her arms to get the blonde's attention, but was too late.
"Swordsman attack!" Joey ordered and his warrior swung his sword in a downward arch, sending the entity from Salamandra flying across the field at the glowing square on Keith's field. "You fell right for it," Bandit Keith grinned flipping his other face-down, revealing a trap, "Go Metalmorph!" As his monster appeared, everyone, even Stephanie peered around her hiding spot to watch in alarmed-shock as limbs of flesh and bone slowly morphed and hardened into sleek, thick steel and plating.
"Now Zoa becomes Metalzoa," Bandit Keith explained, "And gains four hundred extra attack and defense points."
Metalzoa. Attribute: DARK. Tribe: MACHINE/EFFECT. Lv: 8. ATK/DEF: 3000/2300
"No big deal!" Joey shook it off. "It is a big deal, because that new armor sends all magic attacks right back to where they came from," Bandit Keith smirked as Joey's face twisted with horrified-realization. "My Swordsman..." Joey said in shock as the attack bounced right off Metalzoa and went flying right back at Flame Swordsman, who grunted as he tried to shield himself to no avail.
Joey LPs: 1150
"Wish you could've seen the look on your face when your monster was destroyed; priceless!" Bandit Keith laughed in morbid glee making both monarchs frown, Stephanie gripped one of her arms, "And I'm not done yet, now for your little defense monster, only he won't be defending for long." He showed the card he drew.
"A Stop Defense card!" Joey said in shocked-alarm as Bandit Keith played it, forcing his face-down monster to reveal itself to be Axe Raider.
"An Axe Raider, huh?" Bandit Keith mused, no match for my Metalzoa, attack!" Metalzoa charged Axe Raider, who steeled himself for impact, holding his axe in front of himself in an attempt for defense.
"Oh no, if that attack hits Joey's finished!" Yugi cried in worry. "Joey!" Lapis, Mokuba and Leon cried. "I can't watch!" Tea and Dorothy said, the latter of whom actually covered her eyes.
(Beach City, Sun Incinerator)
Everyone cried out in worry for the younger blonde duelist they were cheering for, even Jamie was clutching anxiously at his tray and Lars was gripping his chair's arm-rests so tight, it was wonder how he hadn't made holes in them yet.
(Duelist Kingdom)
But then, without warning, Metalzoa suddenly disappeared, making everyone gasp and go wide-eyed with shock.
Even Bandit Keith was stunned, demanding, "Wha-where'd he go?"
"Alright, ya fell right into my trap!" Joey laughed, "Just like I planned!"
"What?" Bandit Keith demanded in disbelief as Stephanie smiled from her hiding spot, "You set a trap for me!"
Everyone leaned in and craned their necks to see Metalzoa had actually fallen into a large pitfall that had appeared on the field and was filled with crystal spikes. Star grimaced at the sight of the pierced metal body and Marco patted his wife's back in comfort, knowing her severe distaste for such scenes of war-based violence.
"Of course, the Chasm of Spikes card!" Yugi cheered ruefully, "Now, not only is Metalzoa destroyed, but a quarter of his attack points are taken out of Bandit Keith's life points!" Bandit Keith grinted his teeth as more members of the seemingly growing group of annoyances cheered as his life points finally started to drop.
Bandit Keith LPs: 1250
"I think I finally found the chink in yer machines' armor, they maybe physically strong but against my traps they're nothin' but piles of junk!" Joey stated confident and proud of his achievement, before smirking, "I just wish ya coulda seen yer face when your Zoa was skewered, priceless!" His grin widened as Star, Marco and Pegasus started chuckling, Pearl and Sheppard were trying to hide their own amusement but failed.
No one saw the smile on Stephanie's lips turn into a grin of her own, shoulders shaking with silent laughter.
(Beach City, Sun Incinerator)
Everyone laughed and cheered, a few even clapping for the ingenuous turnabout. Lars glanced at the door as Kevin returned without Sour Cream and the rich teen nodded to him. Lars ran a hand through his bangs before returning his attention to the duel.
(Duelist Kingdom)
"Alright!" Lapis, Bismuth and Peridot cheered, the blue Gem punching the air in her enthusiasm. "You tell him!" Tea and Dorothy encouraged.
"Looks like Wheeler has found the weakness in the Machine Monsters after all," Maisie mused mostly to Seto. "Clearly," Seto smirked.
"Instead of focusing on beating the Machines back with brute force," Mako smiled approvingly, "He's letting his traps do all the work."
"And knowing Wheeler he has plenty up his sleeves," Rex added with a bittersweet expression, knowing one particular card in Joey's deck that would turn even Launcher Spider in a pile of burning scrape metal with one blast.
"Now Keith's only winning by a hundred points," Bakura smiled widely. "It's anyone's match!" Mokuba added excitedly. "Go Joey!" Tristan and Leon shouted as the younger waved his banner.
"My turn 'n' I'll play this little number face-down," Joey continued his turn placing another card face-down in his Spell and Trap zone, a cocky smirk on his face, "Oh 'n' it's a trap, so don't even bother attackin'." Marco and Star both cocked a brow, having to give the younger blonde credit for self-confidence, the other Finalists having similar thoughts.
(Beach City, Sun Incinerator)
Jenny whistled, also impressed with Joey's confidence, "Someone's got balls, ya gotta give him that much." Her twin hummed in agreement.
"Even someone not nearly as experienced in the game like me can tell the bluff," Priyanka wrinkled her nose at the obvious ploy for buying time. "You don't actually think he expects Bandit Keith to fall for that, do you?" Peedee asked curiously.
"None of us have ever heard of Wheeler before, so again, we have no idea what's going on under all the blonde straw," Buck stated, "Though sometimes, its the hiding in plain sight and more than one possibility to every move is something to consider." Everyone hummed in consideration.
(Duelist Kingdom)
"Oooh...wow," Peridot blinked, stunned, "Now there's an attitude."
"Careful Golden Locks," Jasper called in warning, "You haven't won anything yet."
"Is it gone yet?" Stephanie asked nervously. "Not yet, Princess Stephanie," Sheppard informed making the hybrid sigh. "Please stop calling me that..." She bemoaned. "Apologies, Princess Butterfly," Sheppard corrected himself making her sigh again.
"Next I switch Axe Raider back to defense mode," Joey said switching his warrior's card, prompting Axe Raider to kneel down, "Then I play Garoozis in attack mode!" His scaly warrior appeared with a wicked grin, "Now attack, Battle Blade Strike!" Garoozis charged Keith's smaller machine, slicing Pendulum Machine in two, much to Bandit Keith's anger as his life points dropped again.
Bandit Keith LPs: 1200
"Punk!" Bandit Keith growled before yelling, making Stephanie yelp and flinch, much to those closest to her's concern, "Launcher Spider demolish Garoozis!" His monster let loose another barrage of missiles at Garoozis, kicking up a large cloud of smoke, making Keith calm down and grin smugly, "So much for having another trap card!"
"Wrong Keith," Joey grinned, "Ya thought I was bluffin' 'n' now yer gonna pay fer it."
"Say what?" Bandit Keith said in shock as what looked like a large ninja's throwing star on a long chain came flying out of the smoke and wrapped around Launcher Spider's front legs, revealing Garoozis holding the other end. Garoozis smirked and gave the chain a yank pulling Launcher Spider's legs out from under it and made it fall to the ground, "This weapon increases my monster's attack by five hundred points."
Garoozis. ATK/DEF: 2300/1500
"Garoozis attack and destroy his spider!" Joey ordered and Garoozis sot forward, slicing Launcher Spider to pieces, destroying it and Bandit Keith's life points dropped once more.
Bandit Keith LPs: 1100
"It's gone, you can come out now Little Quartz," Pegasus informed making Pearl tense and fist her hands at the nickname as Stephanie stepped out.
"Great job Joey," Stephanie smiled, "I knew you could beat it."
"Thanks Steph," Joey smiled back. "Don't go thanking him just yet!" Bandit Keith growled punching his console in frustration earning dark frowns from Pearl, Marco and Star.
"Ah, what's wrong? Don't tell a you're loosin' yer cool tah an amateur like me," Joey smiled goofily, making Stephanie and Lapis giggle whilst fueling Bandit Keith's anger, unaware of how it also got his unknown audience laughing their butts off.
"Alright, it's close but Joey's just won himself a slight lead!" Bakura said with an excited smile. "I knew he could do it!" Lapis grinned happily.
"Just you wait punk! You're going to run out of traps sooner or later!" Bandit Keith said angrily, "They can't protect you forever, and when you run out, I'll unleash my more powerful machines! Nobody beats Bandit Keith!" Nobody missed how Stephanie flinched and tensed as Bandit Keith just raised his volume and shouted, "NOBODY!"
You wish Keith, you wish!
Yeesh that took a while, but as someone once said, don't ask me who, good things come to those who wait...now if only I could get that through my sister's head so she'd stop burning herself every time she used the oven...just kidding! Lol. Anyways, let me know what you guys think, it took so long and got so long cause I was really trying to incorperate our additional cast to all this, let me know how I did on that, by the way.
Anyways, you all know what happens in the second half of this duel so no worries there, though I will say, the conclusion just might be a little...shocking.
Now, on to those *notes before I forget about them:
Obaasan*: Is the Japanese family term for Aunt
La Abuela dijo que podia ver el partido con ustedes!**: Is Spanish for "Grandma said I could watch the match with you guys!" I can just see Greg at least teaching Steven his native tongue if he really was half Latino, plus it would be interesting to see Steven or Stephanie speak Spanish.
Tu hablas espanol?***: Is Spanish for "You Speak Spanish?" Same reason as above.
Si****: I like to think we all know what that's Spanish for.
Fue el primer idioma que Papa me enseno una vez que entendi ingles basico*****: Is Spanish for "It was the first language Dad taught me once I understood basic English" Again, same reason as **.
Ranseur********: A ranseur is a polearm-spear weapon from 15th century Europe and was seen as a ceremonial weapon through the 17th century. I had to go through a lot of lists and pictures comparing with Giltia's picture to get a right match so I can give an accurate description and trust me, it wasn't easy. Someone give me cookies for effort at least!
Now, with that out of the way, on to announce the unofficial polls:
Should Yugi keep his title as King of Games? Or should Stephanie become the Queen of Games?
King: 8, Queen: 2
Should Stephanie get an Egyptian God Card?
Yes: 5, No: 6
If she does, however temporary, which one should it be?
Obelisk: 2, Ra: 1, Slifer: 1
Hm, still no votes. Ah well, there's still a few chapters before that first one closes and the other two won't be happening until Ishizu's(someone tell how her name's spelled, I can't remember) arrival. So get your votes in people while you still can.
And on the note of polls, my official one with the Foreign God Cards are going pretty well, Greek's back in the lead by two votes with seven in total, followed by Norse at five; third place is a tie with four votes is Roman and Mayan, followed with Mesopotamian with surprisingly two.
Till next time everyone!