July 11, 2003
In the evening on that Friday night, the 64 finalists gathered in the middle of the Tokyo Dome, which had been specially converted into housing the finals of Battle City 4. 65,000 people descended upon the stadium to watch each duel that would take place. The playing field was a portable one developed by the Kaiba Corporation. It was quick and relatively easy to disassemble, and consisted of two towers, each with a classic KC Yellow dueling platform, as well as a large playing field in the middle. For all of the duels except for the final duel, the competitors would use their Duel Disks, which would be electronically linked by WiFi to the hologram projectors around the arena instead of using the projectors on the Duel Disks, and stand on opposite ends of the field, while for the final duel, the two finalists would duel from the platforms.
Ichigo, Zakuro, Minto, Hime, and Ryouta all stood togther in the middle, amazed at the crowds that had come out to see them. None of them that could transform had transformed yet, but they had decided to duel while transformed for the finals. As Ryouta looked at Moe's phone, he talked to her. "Moe, we've come this far. I swear, I won't let you down, and we'll free you."
"I know you will," Moe replied cheerfully. "By the way, when I wake up, I think I owe you something."
Ryouta, confused as to what was 'owed,' asked her, "What do you mean 'owe me something?'"
"I think a kiss is in order," Moe teased him with. "We've grown pretty close, even if I'm trapped behind this screen." As her boyfriend's face lit up red in slight embarrassment, she laughed. "Come on, I've been wanting to give you one ever since I got trapped in here."
"Right, fine," Ryouta replied, giving in to her request. "When you wake up in the hospital, I will kiss you, don't worry."
Then, everyone's attention was turned to Kaiba, who stood in the middle on a temporary platform with a microphone. As he turned his microphone on, Mokuba stood on the side and gave him a thumbs-up to proceed. He nodded, and then cleared his throat. "Alright. Thank you all for coming to see the finals of Battle City 4! The 64 competitors you see before you represent the best that Duel Monsters has to offer at this very moment, but only one of them can be the champion! The finals will be split into two brackets, and each side will have 32 competitors. On the screens around the arena, the brackets are currently being shown, and are being decided by randomization!" Everyone below then turned their attention to the jumbotrons located around the arena that had been set up. As the names flickered in the brackets, everyone held their breath as they waited for the names to be finalized. Then, in an instant, the names stopped. "Looks like the brackets have been decided! I will now announce the first two competitors that will face off in the arena against each other!"
"I'm in the opposite bracket from Deep Blue," Ichigo thought to herself as she looked over the jumbotrons. "But in the same bracket as Jurou."
"The first two duelists that will face off will be...," Kaiba then announced as their names popped up on the jumbotrons. "Ikisatashi Kisshu, and Deep Blue!" It showed pictures of both players, as well as life point counters below their names.
As the crowd cheered, The entirety of Tokyo Mew Mew looked on in shock, both from the middle of the arena and on the sidelines. Masaya thought to himself as he looked over the crowd, looking for Kisshu and Deep Blue, "Oh no! If Kisshu loses this, he'll never get to see his family again!"
"The other competitors shall now clear the arena and return to their seats on the sidelines," Kaiba instructed. "Everyone, this duel represents the first of many you shall see over the next week! May both competitors please step forward to meet me?" He then stepped off the platform, Mokuba by his side now. As several technicians began to disassemble it, Kaiba thought to himself, "I resent having to deal with Deep Blue, and if it weren't for the fact that he's essentially holding my company hostage, I'd have had him arrested by now. Hopefully, whoever this guy is can stop him."
Kisshu and Deep Blue emerged, both wielding Duel Disks, and faced each other as Kaiba and Mokuba stood between them. Kisshu addressed his former boss with an annoyed look. "Well, looks like I get another chance."
"Another chance at what?" Deep Blue was equally annoyed at him.
"At killing you," Kisshu replied to him. "The cards will decide what happens."
"Now, now," Mokuba told both of them. "This will be a clean game. No cheating. I'll flip a coin to decide who goes first. Kisshu will be Heads, and Deep Blue will be Tails." As both of them watched intently, Mokuba flipped the coin in the air, letting it hit the ground and come to a stop. As he bent down to look, the tension was incredibly thick between Kisshu and Deep Blue. "Alright, Kisshu's going first."
Kaiba used his mic to announce to the crowd the results. "Ikisatashi Kisshu shall take the first turn in the duel! Now, both competitors will stand on each end of the arena as their Duel Disks are linked to the holographic display system of this Kaiba Corporation Portable Duel Monsters Arena!"
From the sidelines, Ichigo sat next to Masaya, and looked on in worry. Dark Ichigo appeared before her, asking her, "How do you think Kisshu will do, Partner?"
"I'm not sure," Ichigo replied to her. "Other me, I'm worried that Deep Blue is going to kill him if he loses. He's not as restrained as you. He doesn't use Penalty Games to punish evil, but instead to harm the innocent."
Dark Ichigo sighed, realizing she had to tell her something. "The thing is, they're not inherently good. The Shadow Games are not inherently good at all. However, they're not inherently evil, either. It's merely a tool, and how one uses it does not mean someone else has to use it that way. That's what keeps me going, at least."
On the field, Kisshu and Deep Blue readied their duel disks, both wearing their normal outfits. Kisshu told his former master, "This is for kidnapping my brothers and forcing me to duel against Ichigo!"
"Whatever," Deep Blue replied to him. "Your words won't affect me, traitor!" The two of them then drew their starting hands.
In the middle of the field, Mokuba held a flag and readied himself to declare the start of the duel, wearing a lapel mic and a suit. "The duel between Ikisatashi Kisshu and Deep Blue shall now start!" He then blew a whistle and flew his flag, the crowd going wild and cheering both of the competitors on.
"I'll go first," Kisshu told Deep Blue as he drew his first card of the duel. "I summon Blizzard Dragon, with 1800 attack! I then activate Pot of Duality! With this, I take the top three cards from my deck and reveal them to you, and then I select one to add to my hand, while the rest go back into my deck!" As he drew his three cards, he thought to himself, "Please, let a good card be among the three!" He then revealed the three cards to Deep Blue. "I've drawn Hyozanryu, Masked Dragon, and Trap Hole! I choose to add Masked Dragon to my hand and send Hyozanryu and Trap Hole back to my deck!" He put one card into his hand and then added the other two back into his deck before taking his deck out, placing his hand face-down on the ground, and shuffling his deck. "With Masked Dragon," he thought to himself. "I can add another dragon to my field if it's destroyed." "Finally, I conclude my turn by setting a card!"
"It's time for you to see the power of my Life Point Gain deck," Deep Blue sinisterly told him as he drew a card to begin his turn. "I activate Spell Absorption, allowing me to gain 500 life points every time a Magic Card is activated. I then activate Backup Squad, allowing me to draw a card when I take 1000 damage or more once per turn." Per Spell Absorption, Deep Blue gained 500 life points.
KISSHU: 4000
DEEP BLUE: 4500
"I now summon Archfiend Soldier, with 1900 attack!" As Archfiend Soldier came to the field, it stared down Blizzard Dragon. "Now, Archfiend Soldier, attack his Blizzard Dragon! Off with its head!"
"Reverse Card Open!" Kisshu then revealed his set Trap Card. "Scrap-Iron Scarecrow! I negate the attack and then re-set Scrap-Iron Scarecrow onto the field!" Archfiend Soldier stopped dead in its tracks just feet from Blizzard Dragon, seemingly frightened off by the disturbing imagery of Scrap-Iron Scarecrow.
From the sidelines, Ichigo cheered Kisshu on, telling him, "Alright! There you go, Kisshu!" The young Cyniclon man noticed her and smiled, glad to have the support of the team who had once been his mortal enemy.
"You stay alive for one more turn," Deep Blue concluded. "I end!"
"My turn," Kisshu replied as he drew a card. "I summon Masked Dragon, with 1400 attack! I then acti-" He then stopped himself as he remembered one of the cards Deep Blue had on his field. "Wait," he thought to himself. "If I activate a Magic Card, Deep Blue gains 500 life points! But... If I don't activate this Magic Card, I won't have a chance at destroying Archfiend Soldier and dealing damage." He then yelled, "Screw it, I activate Dragon Treasure, equipping it to Blizzard Dragon and boosting its attack to 2100!" Because of this, Deep Blue gained an additional 500 life points.
KISSHU: 4000
DEEP BLUE: 5000
"Now," Kisshu declared. "Blizzard Dragon, attack his Archfiend Soldier, and Masked Dragon, attack him directly!" Blizzard Dragon shot a beam of frigid snow and cold air at Archfiend Soldier, freezing it into a block of ice that soon cracked and fell apart, followed by Masked Dragon swiping at Deep Blue with claws. To everyone's surprise, including Kisshu, the attack actually drew blood from the scratch marks it made on Deep Blue's face. "What?! It drew blood?!"
KISSHU: 4000
DEEP BLUE: 3300
"Oh yes," Deep Blue replied to him as he wiped the blood from his face, his wounds unnaturally healing at a high rate of speed. "I forgot to mention. This duel is a Shadow Game. These aren't mere illusions or holograms. These monsters and attacks are all real! Don't worry, though. Even if you survive your life points hitting zero, I'll find a way to seal you away in Hell. Anyway, because of Backup Squad, I draw one card."
"Damn it!" Kisshu recoiled in fear. "Real monsters?!"
"Now," Deep Blue began his turn with. "It's my turn. Draw!" The whole time, he gave an increasingly sinister look to his former subordinate, clearly eager to rip him to shreds for his betrayal of his cause. "I set a Magic or Trap card. I then activate Monster Reborn to bring back Archfiend Soldier from my graveyard!" As Archfiend Soldier returned to the field, Deep Blue selected another card from his hand. "I then sacrifice Archfiend Soldier to summon Luster Dragon #2, with 2400 attack!" As Luster Dragon #2 formed on the field, Deep Blue gave Kisshu a sickening smile. "I hope you're ready for the pain. I activate Mystical Space Typhoon, destroying your set Scrap-Iron Scarecrow! Now nothing can stop me! Luster Dragon #2, attack the Masked Dragon!"
KISSHU: 3000
DEEP BLUE: 3300
"I activate Masked Dragon's effect," Kisshu declared. "I select one Dragon-type monster from my deck with 1500 attack or less and Special Summon it to the field!" As he pulled his deck out and looked through it, it did not take long for him to find his match. "I summon Koumori Dragon, with 1500 attack!"
"Your futile struggle continues," Deep Blue replied with a snarl. "You shouldn't be so hopeful. I end my turn." "Just wait until I get a Sacred Beast out on the field," he thought to himself. "Try and stop me then, and see what happens!"
