Wolfie: I still don't own anything related to Yu-Gi-Oh. All I own is Yuki and all plot alterations I make to have her in this story. My updating schedule has been hectic and I know I've only been updating this book so far. I will be rewriting my book The Silent Duelist alongside His Daughter?! and have more books in the works. Now please read, review, and I hope you like the book so far!
Chapter 18: The Dueling Monkey
"Mokuba? Mokuba!" Yuki called out as she still wanted to try and find him now that she's back to normal as the sun begins to set.
"Ollie Ollie oxen free!" Yugi yelled as he poked his head out from inside a bush, thinking Mokuba may have gotten the chance to run and hide.
"This is no time to be playin' hide-and-seek, kid!" Joey called out as well as they were searching the area around the duel arena.
"Those thugs must've snatched him back to Pegasus's castle." Tristan said as they all met back up from searching as that confirmed Yuki's fears to be true.
"So now they've got your Grandpa and Kaiba's little brother, too?" Tea asked wondering if that was actually what was going on.
"Looks that way." Joey confirmed as they looked at the castle which is bathed in shadows from the setting sun.
"And it's going to be another reason for us to win 10 star chips and get in that castle." Yuki said as she held up her dueling glove causing her 6 star chips to glitter in the setting sunlight.
"No doubt." Joey said as he also held up his dueling glove before he glanced to the side at the ground. "Whoa! Huhh!" He exclaimed as he saw some Duel Monsters cards scattered at Tristan's feet.
"Cool! Duel Monster cards." Yugi said as he knelt down and went to pick up some card when he saw them.
"It'a my lucky day." Joey said as he kneeled down and went to take some of the scattered Duel Monster cards as well.
"Hands off! Those are mine." Tristan said before Joey or Yugi had a chance to take any of them.
"Nice, but I didn't know you were training to be a duelist, Tristan." Yuki said with a smile as she watched Joey pick up a card only to have a blushing Tristan snatch it away.
"Yeah. Well, I figured if a doofus like Joey can hold his own in this game, then, hey, I'll probably be an expert at it." Tristan said with a closed eye smile as Joey notices a certain monster card that was on the ground face up.
"Whoa, I recognize that monster." Joey said as he reached out and picked up the card.
"Isn't that a card you have in your deck, Joey?" Yuki asked as she noticed the card as well as Joey stands up with the card in hand.
"Not this one, but I think I got somethin' just like it." Joey said as he fished out his deck from his jacket pocket and thumbed through the cards. "Bingo! Swamp Battleguard. Well, would you take a look at this? These 2 look like their long-lost brother." He said as he looked at the two cards that have monsters that look almost identical. "Of course, that doesn't mean your boy packs the same kind of wallop mine does." Joey teased Tristan with a closed eyed grin.
"His wallop is just fine!" Tristan protested in annoyance at what Joey was saying about his monster. "My Lava Battleguard has never let me down. Try him out. You'll see." He said since he felt like the blonde would need all the help he can get.
"Thanks. It does say they work best together." Joey said as he shuffled the Lava Battleguard into his deck with a grateful smile.
"You know what? I think I kinda see a resemblance between you two and those muscle-heads. Ha ha ha!" Tea laughed as Yugi had to hold back a small snicker from his spot next to Yuki.
"Grr. Laugh it up. I take that as a compliment." Joey remarked as he was more annoyed at getting laughed at than being compared to a Duel Monsters card.
At a nearby arena in the forest Mai was dueling a boy who seemed way too nervous to be a tournament duelist. The sun was still setting as this caused the sky to be tinted colors of pinks and purples and some oranges and blues. It was a beautiful picture worthy sight but with a tournament going on no one can just stop and enjoy it. Anyways the boy was clearly out of his league as he only had one monster and Mai had all three of her Harpies Ladies on the field. At this point in time she would normally be taunting her opponent and doing her little perfume E.S.P. mind trick. However the blonde Harpie Lady duelist didn't quite seem like herself and seemed more bored than anything else.
"I-It's your move Mai." The boy stuttered out as so far Mai has just been zoning out on him.
"Oh, Harpies? Give that monster our kind of makeover. Attack!" Mai ordered in a bored tone as her Harpies did a tri-attack that destroyed the boys monster. "Wow. That was a real challenge. It ranks right up there with doing my nails." She stated as she looked at her nails with a bored expression that matched her bored tone.
"But I was ranked fourth in my district finals." The boy protested not understanding why he wasn't much of a challenge in her eyes.
"Yeah, yeah. That's great, hon." Mai said with a yawn as the duel was over and she collected her winnings and left. 'I don't get it.' She thought as she was now laying on a grassy hill using her knapsack as a pillow whilst watching the sunset. 'Trashing hotshot duelists is usually as fun as a fall clearance sale. Why can't I enjoy it anymore?' Mai wondered as she thought back to Joey and how he beat her as she sat up quickly. "Grrr! It's all because of that obnoxious punk Joey. I can't believe such an amateur beat me." She said in frustration as she could just imagine Joey giving her a peace sign with a dopey grin on his face. "I've got to get even with that grinning gutter punk. Huh?" She said before humming in confusion and looking over her shoulder when she heard footsteps approaching her.
"It's me, Rex Raptor, the Dino duelist! And I'm itching to finish that match we started on the boat." Rex announced as he was still mad about what had happened on the boat.
Flashback beginning
"Ah!" Rex yelled slightly as he was tossed out of his room as his cards get scattered across the floor.
"Bon voyage, loser." Mai said as she tossed Rex his knapsack as it landed next to him.
Flashback ending
"Funny. I thought I already knocked you on your Jurassic ass." Mai mused as she cupped her cheek between her thumb and pointer finger.
"Think whatever you want. You're about to get stomped." Rex said because he came here for a rematch and that was what he was going to get.
"You think I'm gonna waste another minute with a pea-brain like you? Beat it, Dino breath. Shoo! Shoo!" Mai stated as she waved her hand at Rex trying to get him to leave.
"Grrr! Pea-brain? I happen to have been a finalist in this years regional championship. And I'll have you know that I've already won 5 star chips." Rex boasted as he showed off the stars in his dueling glove thinking that would get Mai to take him seriously. "Wow! How'd you get 8 chips already?" He asked in shock when all she did was whistle and show off her 8 star chips.
"From wannabes like you who think that by dueling a chick they'll score some easy stars." Mai explained as she stood up and rested her hands on her hips. "I've only lost once, but once I find that punk kid Joey, it's payback." She said as she was determined to knock that punk down a peg or three.
"Joey Wheeler? How could you lose to him?" Rex asked since how could a newbie like Joey actually win?
"I'd love to see you try and- wait." Mai cut herself off as she suddenly got an idea that made her smirk. "Ok, Rex, I'll duel you, if you do something for me first." She said as she had a plan that would most definitely end with Joey Wheeler being the loser.
Meanwhile Yuki, Joey, Yugi, Tea, and Tristan were standing in a clearing that was just crawling with duelists. Though since it was getting late none of them were trying to duel as they were most likely more interested in finding a place to camp for the night. Whilst most were walking around some were just standing around talking to one another about anything and everything. As this happens everything was quiet and peaceful for a change as it made the island seem less like a battle for supremacy and more like a vacation. Though they knew all of that would change in the morning as the duels start up again and more people get kicked off of the island for losing their star chips. Thinking about that honestly made Yuki feel bad for the kid that got his deck and star chips stolen. Poor kid wasn't even given the chance to at least get his deck deck back before he was made to leave the island.
"Wow, after all the crazy duelists we've been running into, it's nice to see some normal kids for a change." Tea said because one crazy duelist ontop of another was just too much crazy for one day.
"Yeah. How about it, tough guy? Any of these tykes puny enough for you to take on. Or do you wanna go lookin' for some 3 year olds?" Tristan asked teasingly as he looked at Joey.
"Come on. Be nice. You know Joey's just biding his time until he finds a dueling monkey to challenge." Tea joked but part of her also seemed to be serious about that.
"Ha ha! Dueling monkey! Nice one." Tristan said as Joey was growling and shaking as he gritted his teeth.
"Uh oh, I think Joey's gonna snap..." Yugi muttered to Yuki who nodded in agreement at that observation.
"Who wants some? Just one more word about dueling monkeys, and I'm gonna-." Joey said before everyone but Joey looked to their left when they heard a familiar annoying laugh. "What?" He asked before realizing who's laugh that was that they heard. "Ugh. Tell me that's not who I think it is." Joey said as he was stiff as a board when he turned and saw that it was infact Mai who had laughed.
"How are you, Joseph? Glad to see me?" Mai asked as she stood a few feet away from the group of five.
"Ecstatic." Joey stated sarcastically as he looked at Mai.
"So, Joey, is Yuki still fighting all your battles for you? Everyone knows that if Yuki wasn't there to hold your hand, you wouldn't have beat me. Isn't that right, Yuki?" Mai asked putting Yuki in a situation where she had to answer or Mai would just assume things even more.
"That's nowhere near true, Mai." Yuki said since she wasn't what had caused Joey to win the duel.
"Oh, really? Then I propose he steps out of your shadow here and now. If Joey thinks he's so tough, let's see him play for himself." Mai suggested as she pointed at Joey whom had been silent so far. "I'm waiting for your answer, Joey. Think you have the guts to step up and face the duelist I've arranged for you?" She asked knowing that he will accept just like last time if she questions his male ego.
"It's not you?" Joey asked since it seemed strange that Mai is the one challenging him if she's not his opponent.
"Eh heh heh heh heh." Mai laughed as Rex soon walked out from behind the tree that was off to the side behind Mai.
"I'm dueling on Mai's behalf. Recognize me?" Rex asked now that he has revealed himself as the duelist that Mai is talking about.
"Ugh, thought I smelt cheap cologne and desperation." Yuki grumbled as Rex winked at her causing her to gag in disgust.
"This twerp's supposed to scare me or somethin'? I betcha he ain't so tough." Joey said clearly forgetting the events prior to Yuki getting her package from Industrial Illusions.
"Don't you remember, Joey? Rex placed second in the regionals." Tea reminded though it didn't look like Joey was listening to her.
"Well, Joey. You gotta ask Mommy's permission or what?" Mai taunted as she waited for the answer that she knew Joey would give her.
"No way! This is my fight." Joey stated causing Tea and Tristan to look at him like he's crazy.
"Joey! What are you trying to prove?" Tea demanded wondering why Joey was doing something this stupid.
"Really, bro. Pick your battles." Tristan said also not understanding why Joey was doing something this stupid.
'I can't believe Mai agreed to duel me just for stomping this amaterurous-Rex.' Rex thought with a snicker as he grins at his luck.
'Joey had Yuki's help when he beat me, so having Rex do all my dirty work is the perfect revenge.' Mai thought as she slightly glanced over at the grinning Rex. "Oh, and by the way..." She said drawing their attention back to her and away from Joey.
"Hmm?" Tea hummed in question as her upset look turned to one of confusion.
"If little Yuki does any of her backseat dueling, then Joey is disqualified, and the match automatically goes to Rex." Mai explained with a smug look and her hands on her hips.
"Huh?" Joey, Tristan, and Tea all asked in confusion towards that little twist.
"But, then doesn't that mean big sis can't even comment on the duel?" Yugi asked confused on what exactly that meant for his sister when the duel starts.
"What do you say, Joey?" Mai asked as she ignored Yugi's question since it wasn't important to her. "This is your big chance to prove yourself, or are you gonna back out?" She asked and by the look on Joey's face it confirmed her suspicions on what the answer would be.
"Of course he is. We all-." Tea started to say once again thinking that Joey can't do this.
"No! That's the way I want it- just me and him." Joey said effectively cutting off Tea and her doubts about him being able to handle this duel as Tristan and Tea were shocked whilst Yuki and Yugi were neutral. "It may cost me all my star chips, but I don't deserve to keep 'em if the only reason I'm winnin' is 'cause of Yuki's smarts." He said as he held up his dueling glove so he can look at his tow star chips. "All my life, people are tryin' to help me 'cause they think I can't help myself. Well, I don't need to be babied this time." Joey stated as he was more than done with people, especially Tea and Tristan, assuming he's helpless.
"You've lost it, Joey. You can believe whatever you want, but I won't just stand here and watch you throw your chips away. I hope you guys don't mind, but little Joey won't be comin' out to duel today. Maybe once he grows up, we can arrange a play date." Tristan said as this causes Joey's shoulders to shake with bottled up rage.
"That's it." Joey snapped as Mai watched this interaction in amusement before gasping in shock at what happened next.
"Unh!" Tristan grunted as Joey suddenly punched him roughly as he landed on his ass in the dirt. "Ooh! Hey, whadja punch me for?" He asked as he looked up at the blonde whom still had his fist raised in the aftermath of the punch.
"Didn't you hear what I just said, wise guy? I'm tired of everyone thinkin' they gotta come to my rescue." Joey said as he has reached his peek level of frustration about this situation.
"Joey that's not how it is. As friends we look out for each other-." Yuki tried to reassure as she looked at the frustrated male in concern.
"Keep out of this, Yu. Just lemme do what I gotta do." Joey said as he cut Yuki off without even looking at her.
"Great idea." Tristan stated sarcastically as he stood up after being punched. "Do whatcha gotta do, even if it means losing the chance to help your sister." He said which was honestly a low blow but he was too mad about being punched to care.
'Serenity. Don't worry, sis. I'll make you proud.' Joey though as he remembered the smile his sister gave him on the video.
"Listen. Let's just cool off a sec and-." Tea said hoping that cooler heads would prevail in this situation.
"Forget it. If Mr. Macho wants to lose, he can do it by himself." Tristan said cutting off Tea as he turned and walked away.
"Tristan!" Yuki called out after the male brunette as she watched him leave.
"You can't just leave, man!" Yugi yelled after the retreating form of the older male with a frown.
"Let him go." Joey said clearly not all that choked up at the fact that his friend left.
"Ah, some trouble in paradise?" Rex tauntingly asked with that same smirk on his face.
"Stay outta this!" Tea snapped as she turned her attention to Rex for a moment. "Huh?" She asked when she saw Joey raise his arm towards her in a "back off" kind of way.
"So, what's it gonna be? You gonna run off with your friend or start acting like a real duelist?" Mai asked as she had been silent during their whole drama fest.
"I'm still here, ain't I? Yuki, no offense, but I want you to keep outta this one." Joey said as he gave said girl a side glance as she looks at him as well.
"Uh- fine." Yuki reluctantly agreed as she saw how important this is to Joey and his self esteem.
"All right, then it's dino feeding time!" Rex exclaimed as the ground began to rumble with the appearance of a duel arena rising out of the ground behind him and Mai.
"We believe in you Joey!" Tea reassured despite the fact that a few minutes ago her and Tristan were acting like they didn't believe in him. "Just don't forget what you're fighting for!" She called out hoping that bringing up that he's fighting for his sister will make him choose his moves carefully.
'What I'm fightin' for? I got that part down. It's who I'm fighting that's making me sweat.' Joey thought as he was raised up to his holo computer on the blue side of the arena whilst Rex was on the red side.
"Eh heh heh!" Rex snickered to himself as he saw that Joey was already sweating out of nervousness.
"Rex, don't forget our deal! Beat him, and you get to duel with me." Mai called out causing Rex's attention to momentarily be averted to her.
"I can't believe you reduced yourself to bein' Mai's attack dog." Joey said feeling disappointed that a regionals finalist was doing someone else's dirty work.
"At least I'm no dueling monkey." Rex shot back with a grin before letting out a "whoa!" as Joey growled and basically burst into flames from his boiling rage. "So how many chips do you wanna lose to my dinos?" He asked effectively changing the subject as he held up his dueling glove.
"I got 2, but I plan on doublin' 'em right here!" Joey declared as he showed off his two star chips to Rex.
"You wish! I bet your deck isn't even prepared for the fields we're playing on." Rex said as his half of the field was a desert/rocky terrain whilst Joey's was a meadow.
'Man, if he only knew. I still have a hard time telling on field from another, let alone using 'em in any kind of strategic way. My best bet's gonna be hittin' him hard and fast, and I think I know just the cards to do the job: Baby Dragon and Time Wizard.' Joey thought as he thought back to how well those two cards worked together in his last duel. 'If I use 'em together, I can speed up time and make my dragon super powerful. Hey, it worked once before when I dueled Mai, so here's hopin' it'll do the job again.' He thought as he now had a solid plan of attack that would hopefully work.
"Quit stallin'. Let's duel!" Rex snapped breaking Joey out of his train of thought as he wanted to finish this so he can duel Mai.
"Bring it!" Joey shot back as he had his plan so now he just needs to survive long enough to put it in action.
"Hmm... Tea, keep rooting for Joey, there's something I gotta do. Yugi, stay here with Tea and don't do anything stupid." Yuki said as she turned and sprinted off in the direction that Tristan had gone.
"Huh? Hey! What makes you think I'm gonna do somethin' stupid?!" Yugi shouted after the retreating form of his older sister with a pout on his face.
"Wha? Yuki!" Tea turned and called after the retreating form of her friend in confusion as to why she's leaving.
"Huh? Pay dirt! I couldn't have asked for a better hand. Hee hee hee hee!" Joey muttered with excited giggles as he saw Baby Dragon and Time Wizard in his hand. "Huh?! Where'd Yuki go?" He asked quietly when he looked over and saw Yugi and Tea but no Yuki. 'Oh, well. Wait'll she sees what I did all by myself.' Joey thought with a grin as he took a card from his hand and placed it on his holo computer. "Baby Dragon... defense mode!" He called out as his small orange dragon appeared crouching on the field with a chortle.
"Huh?" Rex hummed in confusion as he blinked at the sight of the small dragon crouching on the field.
'That's right. It's a baby dragon. Rex knows he's toast.' Joey thought smugly as he mistook Rex's confusion for nervousness.
"You never leave a baby unattended, and your about to find out why! Two-Headed King Rex... Attack!" Rex commanded as a bipedal dragon/dinosaur with deep purple scales, two heads, two wings and six horns appeared with a roar.
"Oh..." Joey groaned realizing his mistake too late as he heard Baby Dragon let out a squeal as it gets stomped on by Two-Headed King Rex who's attack was 1,600 and his defense was 1,200.
"Poor baby. Looks like we've found out what he was made of." Rex stated smirking at Joey's newly formed nervous look.
"But I didn't get to play my combo." Joey protested as he was so ready to play Time Wizard on his next turn.
"And do you know why? Because even 3 year olds know better than to defend on their first move. Ha! I can't believe you actually did that, you rookie!" Rex said quickly finding a way to insult Joey as said blonde began to shake and growl.
"Everybody makes mistakes, Joey. Just try not to make another one." Tea said trying to reassure Joey as Yugi couldn't help but face palm at that.
'Wow, this chick sucks at reassuring people. Even she sounds like she's doubting what she's saying...' Yugi observed as she wondered by the teens were friends with a girl that could go from doubting someone to badly reassuring them minutes later.
"You don't get it, do you? Little Joey's already made the one fatal mistake that's gonna cost him this entire duel, and that was ever agreeing to this match in the first place." Mai said with a laugh enjoying the fact that it was only the first move and already Joey was backed into a corner.
"Eh-eh..." Joey groaned again as he was hoping that he could complete his plan and win.
"Ha! With your Baby Dragon crushed, my Two-Headed King Rex can terrorize the field for the rest of the match." Rex said as his dinosaur growls as it's pupil-less eyes stared at Joey.
"All right, maybe I did screw up, but I think I still have one monster in my hand that can beat that thing." Joey said as he glanced at the four cards that remained in his hand. "Leogun!" He called out as a black lion with a golden yellow mane and glowing green eyes appears with a growl and an attack of 1,750 and a defense of 1,550. "Show that overgrow Iguana who the real king of beasts is!" He ordered as his lion charged at Two-Headed King Rex with its maw open and ready to bite.
"Ha ha ha! You amateur. Since we're on a wilderness field, my King Rex gets a nice, fat power bonus. Tough luck for your pussycat." Rex sneered as his dinosaurs attack and defense rose to 2,080 and 1,580 respectively.
"Field bonus?! Now he tells me!" Joey exclaimed having completely forgotten about that in the heat of the moment.
"King Rex! Foot Stomp!" Rex ordered and Leogun let out a yowl as King Rex stepped on every part of it besides its tail as it's destroyed.
"Ouch!" Joey said as he cringed at what had just happened to his lion monster.
Rex: 2,000 Joey: 1,670
'The quicker I bash this tenderfoot, the sooner I'll get to have my chance at beating Mai.' Rex thought as he knew that if Joey kept doing what he's doing he'd win in no time. "Let's go! You're the appetizer! I wanna get on to the main course!" He said basically saying that the blonde is nothing more than a stepping stone to his duel with Mai.
"I still got plenty to serve up. That is, if I've finally figured out how to use this field power bonus thing right. Here goes nothin'. Axe Raider!" Joey called out as he played the card causing a tan man in an armored chest plate, purple loin cloth, and helmet wielding an axe to appear. "Hey, hey! He got the power bonus." He said happily when his monster appeared with a boosted attack of 2,210 and defense of 1,495 as he attacked, slicing King Rex in half. "I did it!" Joey exclaimed as the attack worked and King Rex disintegrated as it was destroyed as Rex watched on in shock.
Rex: 1,870 Joey: 1,670
"Don't let it get to your head!" Rex snapped as he got over his shock and drew a new card to use. "Sword Arm of Dragon!" He called out as a dinosaur with spikes down his back with a sword-like tail tip appeared with 2,275 attack points and 2,630 defense points because of the power bonus. "Cut that Axe Raider down to size! Sword Tail slash!" Rex commanded as his dinosaur attacked Axe Raider with its tail as it screeches and destroys him.
Rex: 1,870 Joey: 1,605
'That's my third monster he's trashed. Even with a field power bonus, I can't beat him.' Joey though feeling nervous and extremely disheartened.
"Joey! Don't let that dino-dork intimidate you. Remember, we're all right behind you!" Tea called out still trying and failing to reassure him.
'Yeah, right. That's why Yuki and Tristan ditched me.' Joey thought bitterly as he remembered how Tristan left and then how Yuki left before the duel even started.
Meanwhile off at a nearby stream Tristan cupped his hands in the cool clear water as he crouched next to the edge. For a while he had just been wondering around trying to cool off so he could return to the group when the duel was over. Hopefully by then he would be cooled off enough to be able to look at Joey without wanting to wring the blondes neck. After all he was here to support Yuki and wasn't going to let the blondes stubborn pig-headed attitude get in the way of that. Hazel eyes glared down at the water below him as his cheek was slightly red from where Joey punched him. It hadn't really been a punch that would cause bruising but it was the kind of punch that got someones point across. The stinging pain had also died down to a dull throb as he was lucky it was just a red mark and that it wasn't swollen.
"What a nimrod. Big, dumb... jerk." Tristan grumbled in between shivers and splashing his face with water.
"Tristan, you good man?" Yuki asked as she walked up behind him with her hands in her pockets.
"Yu?" Tristan asked as he stopped and turned to see that it was infact Yuki a few feet behind him. "What are you doing here? You should be helping Joey." He said confused as to why she was here with him and not at the duel.
"Well, Joey made it perfectly clear he didn't want me chiming in to help him on this one. And since you left first, figured maybe I should, too." Yuki said with a small shrug as she lightly dug the toe of her left boot into the dirt.
"Me being there and you being there are two totally different things. Without your coaching, Joey won't last two minutes against that conniving little freakasaurus." Tristan stated as he stood up so that he was now fully facing Yuki with a frown on his face as he approaches her. "I don't care what he says, you gotta go back there and help him out pronto!" He insisted as he looked down at the heterochromic eyed girl.
"I'm sorry, but I can't do that. Joey needs to be able to fight his own duels, and dammit I'm gonna let him." Yuki said because Joey will never make it in the world of Duel Monsters if he's always relying on her to get him out of a jam.
"Yuki!" Tristan exclaimed as he suddenly grabbed Yuki by her biceps.
"Tristan if I go back on my promise and help him, Joey'll be disqualified. Besides we have to believe in him instead of thinking he needs a baby sitter, that way he'll believe in himself." Yuki said and after a small groan Tristan released her from his grip and backed off.
"Yeah, well... Maybe I don't think he can win." Tristan admitted as he turned his back to Yuki with his hands in his coat pockets.
"But this is about something much more important than winning or losing, Tristan. This is about letting Joey learn to be a strong older brother for his little sister. Even if he doesn't need or want our help, he needs to know that we support him." Yuki explained as Tristan was silently looking at her over his shoulder, letting her words sink in.
"I don't know." Tristan uttered as he looked towards what was infront of him.
Back at the duel Joey looked oh so ready to crack under the pressure of this duel. Tea's horrible reassurance had done nothing to help him and Yugi's attempts to encourage him fell on deaf ears. Chestnut brown eyes stared helplessly at the cards in his hand as he tried to come up with something, anything that could help. However just like in his duel with Mai he was getting overwhelmed and couldn't think straight enough to make another successful move. He had gotten lucky when it came to summoning his Axe Raider but that luck and victory had been very short lived. Now he was down 395 life points and couldn't quite figure out if he had a monster in his hand that would get a power bonus. It as extremely frustrating and made him want to tear his hair out as he was sweating out of nervousness again.
'Maybe this was a mistake. Maybe the only way to help my sister was by relying on my friends. No, that's not true. I can't start thinking that way. If I can't rely on myself, how can I expect my little sister to? Now think. There's gotta be something in this hand that I can play.' Joey thought as he looked at his cards once more in search of something that he can play. 'Uhh! Hah! Wait! I still have this Time Wizard. Too bad I don't have my Baby Dragon to play it with anymore. Oh, well, I guess it couldn't hurt to put it out on the field anyway. Here goes nothin'.' He thought as he looked at Time Wizard before putting the card face down. "Time Wizard!" Joey announced despite the fact that he put the card face down as a square on the field glows.
'Hmm. That's the card Joey beat me with. I should warn Rex.' Mai thought since her plan won't work if Rex doesn't know about this little threat. "Raptor, watch that Time Wizard." She warned because that card spells disaster for its opponents.
"Ah, without Yuki's help, this chump doesn't even know how to use it." Rex said completely ignoring the warning as he assumed he had nothing to worry about. 'I know Joey's type. He'll try and play a monster next, and then he'll be in for the prehistoric pounding of his life.' He thought as he truly thought that Joey was just a rookie idiot.
'Maybe Rex is right. Joey was able to defeat my Harpy Ladies, but only because Yuki coached him through it. This time, Joey's all alone.' Mai thought extremely pleased with the new assumption that Joey didn't know how to use the Time Wizard.
"I'm playing Rock Ogre in defense." Joey said as he put said card in defense mode to protect his life points.
"You see? I knew the rookie didn't know what he was doing. Megazowler!" Rex exclaimed with an evil laugh as an orange triceratops appeared as its 1,800 attack and 2,000 defense rose to 2,340 and 2,600. "Wreck that rock old-school style. Horn Ramming Charge attack!" He ordered as his dino charged at Joey's monster and ran into it with its head as the Rock Ogre crumbled into rubble. "Reduced to rubble! I sure sent him back to the stone ages." Rex said with a snicker as the rubble on the field faded away.
"Fine! Go Flame Swordsman!" Joey exclaimed as a kilt wearing armored blue and orange swordsman appeared on the field. "Turn up the heat and carve that dino like it was a big turkey." He said as his sword mans original attack and defense of 1,800 and 1,600 grew to 2,340 and 2,080 thanks to the power bonus.
"Didn't you see what I did to your Rock Ogre? Do you really think that your puny little Flame Swordsman will last any longer? Looks like I'm gonna have to teach you respect for my dinos the hard way! Attack!" Rex bellowed as his Megazowler charged at Joey's Flame Swordsman.
"Rex, you big dino-dummy!" Mai shouted since Rex was too confident in himself as this caused him to overlook a very important detail.
"Flaming Sword of Battle!" Joey called causing his swordsman to let out a battle cry of sorts as fire began to swirl around his sword.
"Wha?!" Rex asked in shock as the Flame Swordsman took a slice at his Megazowler with his flaming sword.
"Grr!" Joey and Rex both growl as Megazowler is engulfed in flames before he is destroyed.
"Tell me how a swordsman can beat a dinosaur?" Rex asked in disbelief at the spot that his Megazowler had been in moments ago.
Rex: 1,330 Joey: 1,605
"I actually won that?" Joey asked as he looked at the field in both shock and confusion.
"There is no way Joey could have known that dinosaur cards are especially vulnerable to fire. That jerk! He totally lucked out on that one." Mai grumbled as her mood had now turned sour at the fact that Joey was in the lead life point wise.
"Ha ha. Looks like I found the secret to beating your dinos. Hope you're not too sore about it. Get it? Sore? Dino? Dinosaur?" Joey asked causing Yugi to face palm at the older males horrible attempt at a pun.
"Sword Arm of Dragon!" Rex called out as he switched his Sword Arm of Dragon to defense mode.
"Want some? Come and get it, buddy!" Joey challenged as his swordsman went on a montage of slicing and dicing every dinosaur that Rex put on the field.
"Yeah! I knew you were gonna make a comeback, Joey." Tea called out happily in a reassuring way with a smile on her face.
"This is far from over, you know. One card won't win this for you." Rex said clearly frustrated that Joey's swordsman was cutting through his dinos like a hot knife through butter.
"Alrighty, then. I'll just bring out another for you. Swamp Battleguard!" Joey said as he summoned his battleguard who appeared with a roar as his original attack and defense of 1,800 and 1,500 rose to 2,340 and 1,950.
"Big deal! I have a beast that'll wipe that smirk off your face permanently." Rex declared as he looked down at his deck and began to grin when he saw the card he drew. "All right! Meet the top link of the food chain! Serpent Night Dragon!" He called out as a dragon with four small wings and a serpent-like body appeared with 2,350 attack and 2,400 defense points.
"Huh?" Joey asked because he has never seen a card like that, at least not in the Game Shop or in duels.
"This rare card's awarded to the elite few who have made it to the final round of the regional championships. But for a loser like you, it should be an honor just to get thrashed by it! Nightmare Sonic Blast!" Rex ordered as what seemed to be blades made out of shadows went flying towards the Flame Swordsman, destroying him.
"Ohh! Uhh! He was my best card." Joey whimpered as his best card to use against the dinosaurs was now gone.
Rex: 1,330 Joey: 1,595
"Oh, poor Joey." Tea said with what seemed to be sympathy but it was hard to tell.
'Man! There's not a monster in my deck that could save me now.' Joey thought bitterly as he drew a new card from his deck. 'Huh? Tristan's card. Man, he always shows up somehow.' He thought as he looked at the Lava Battleguard.
Flashback beginning
Tristan was running through the pouring rain to a warehouse with a determined look. Inside the warehouse was Joey and a large group of punks. The blonde was standing protectively infront of a younger boy who was sitting slumped against the wall. It was obvious that before Joey showed up the punks were trying to bully the kid into doing something. Whatever it was though was a total mystery to the blonde seeing as he had shown up just when the kid was slumped up against the wall. The fact that the punks were picking on someone smaller than them honestly sickened Joey. It also hit pretty close to home for him seeing as the kid was about the same age as his sister Serenity.
"Hey, this don't concern you hair-job." A punk hissed out to Joey clearly trying to scare him.
"Yeah, didn't no one ever teach you not to mess with other people's business?" A second punk asked menacingly as he was also trying to scare Joey.
"Didn't anyone teach you that you shouldn't be picking on defenseless little kids half your size?" Joey asked as the kid quickly scurried away to a nearby hiding spot.
"Then how abouts we pick on you instead?" Another punk asked as they were about ready to start beating up Joey.
"Hey... Everything all right, Joey?" A soaking wet Tristan asked as he finally got inside the warehouse.
"Huh?" Joey asked as he looked over at Tristan, wondering how the brunette knew he was here.
"Mess 'em both up!" The first punk shouted as they all went charging at Joey and Tristan with either their fists or chains or a baseball bat.
"Watch that guy!" Tristan warned as him and Joey fought the punks to the best of their abilities.
They were greatly outmatched but in the end they were able to fend them off and send them packing. Soon Joey and Tristan were in the middle of the warehouse with destroyed warehouse objects scattered around them. They were panting, attempting to catch their breath after fending off at least seven punks all on their own. Both boys were relatively okay aside from some scrapes, bruises, and sore limbs. However that was nothing compared to the condition that those punks were in when they ran off. Some of them definitely looked like they may need to take a little detour trip to the hospital as they run away with their tails between their legs.
"You ok, Joey? You should have called me. I'd have been here earlier, man." Tristan said as he stood up straight and offered a hand to help Joey stand up.
"What are you doing here, Tristan?" Joey asked as he simply slapped Tristan's hand rather than accepting the help.
"What are you talking about?" Tristan asked as he still had his hand held out with the intent to help his friend stand up.
"I could have taken those guys. I appreciate you trying to help me out, but I don't need to be babied." Joey stated as he stood up on his own and went to walk away.
"Huh?" Tristan hummed in question as he didn't stop Joey and just watched the blonde walk away curiously.
Flashback ending
"Man. All this time, and it finally hits me. Tristan's always been looking out for me, not because he thinks I always need his help, but because he's a true friend." Joey realized as he continued to stare at the Lava Battleguard card.
"Yo, Joey!" Tristan suddenly called out interrupting the silence that had befallen the duel.
"Huh? Wha?" Joey asked as he looked over, seeing Tristan and Yuki standing with Yugi and Tea.
"We're here for ya, buddy! So how 'bout it? You gonna take that card of mine for a test drive or what?" Tristan asked with a smile as he realized that Yuki was right about Joey needing their support.
"Hmm." Yuki hummed with a smile as she crossed her arms, glad that the tension has been resolved.
"You got it, pal! Gooooooo Lava Battleguard!" Joey exclaimed as he puts the card in play and a red battle guard appeared on the field with a roar.
"Cool! My card's on the field!" Tristan said liking how his monster looked when it actually appeared on the field.
"What a touching reunion! Too bad my Serpent Night Dragon is gonna blast it to shreds. Now, attack the green one!" Rex ordered as his dragon sent its attack towards the Swamp Battleguard only to have the attack sent flying back at the dragon.
"What? My sonic blasts are being deflected!" Rex exclaimed in shock as him and Joey watched with bated breath as the Serpent Night Dragon convulsed as it was destroyed by it's own attack. "How was my dragon's attack repelled? There aren't any trap cards out!" He stated completely dumbfounded as to how this happened as Mai gasped.
"Yeah!" Tea, Yuki, Tristan, and Yugi exclaimed happily as Tristan noticed something.
"Huh? Oh, I get it. The red one blocked for the green one." Tristan observed as the Lava Battleguard had his club out infront of the Swamp Battleguard like a shield.
"Tristan's card was there right when I needed it most." Joey said as he was thankful that the Lava Battleguard had protected the Swamp Battleguard.
"Of course! Those two battleguards are basically best friends, which mean's when their together on the field, they help each other and power one another up. Kinda like how you and Joey help each other out in real life, huh, Tristan?" Yuki asked as said male looked a little uncomfortable at being put on the spot then and there before he smiled and looked back at the duel.
"That's what being a buddy is all about." Tristan stated as he looked up at Joey.
"Thanks for everything, man. I owe ya." Joey said with a small smile as he looked at his only male friend.
"Hmm." Tristan hummed at that as he gave Joey a smile and a thumbs up.
"What a team, not only did you take out Rex's Serpent Night Dragon, you also made a nice dent in his life points, too." Yuki praised as the two Battleguards seemed to be smiling at one another just like Joey and Tristan.
"Uhh!" Rex groaned in annoyance at the luck that Joey had in this situation.
Rex: 840 Joey: 1,595
"Right! And now that we're together again..." Joey trailed off with a confident smile on his face.
"There's not a monster Rex has that can stop us." Tristan finished with an equally confident smile as Joey looks at him.
'Heh heh heh. Celebrate while you can, because your party's about to be crashed!' Rex thought with a crazed grin and a evil laugh as he thought about a monster he had waiting in the wings that would crush Joey completely.