Jaden / Joey
4000 LP / 3800 LP
"This isn't good."
"You bet it ain't! Now Rocket Warrior, attack!" With a proud cry, Joey siced his monster on Jaden, sending the eponymous Rocket Warrior racing towards his opponent.
"Whoa, not so fast, big guy! I activate Negate Attack!" Jaden's Trap flipped up, bringing Rocket Warrior to a stop as a torrent of wind suddenly formed before it. Forced back to Joey's side of the field, Rocket Warrior shook its sword in anger as Jaden breathed a sigh of relief. "This guy does exactly what it says on the tin, negates your attack and ends your Battle Phase all in one go!"
"I swear dere's a million versions of dat card," Joey grumbled as he looked over his field. "Alright, kid, I end my turn!"
"Then it's my go, I draw!" Seeing the card he drew, Jaden breathed a sigh of relief, smiling again a moment later. "Check it out, it's my Elemental Hero Neos Alius!"
A mini version of Jaden's ace monster took to the field, striking a pose as it stood tall in front of Joey's monsters.
1900 ATK
"Now let's show 'em what you're for, Neos Alius!" Jaden called out then. "It's time for the Small Neos Force!"
A light formed around Neos Alius's fist as it sprinted forward, aiming for Jaden's target. With one resounding hit, it struck Panther Warrior, causing Joey's monster to shatter into pixels as Neos Alius retreated to Jaden's side of the field.
Joey grumbled as his life points ticked down.
4000 LP / 3150 LP
"Hah, how do you feel about that?" Jaden laughed, putting his hands on his hips as he did so. When Joey didn't answer, Jaden's smile weakened. "I think I'll take it easy for now and end my turn."
"Let me tell ya, kid, arrogance don't suit you," Joey finally said, putting his fingers on his deck.
"It got me this far, didn't it?" Jaden's sarcasm was obvious, but the joke didn't crack Joey's expression. "And I thought you were the funny one."
"Oh, I can be real funny, just you watch. My draw!" Joey flicked the card from the top of his deck into his hand, grinning as he caught a glimpse at what it was. "Alright! Let's go, Rocket Warrior, attack his Neos!"
"He's got something up his sleeve—!" Jaden realized, as Joey seemingly sent his much weaker monster to its doom.
"You bet I do! Now let's go, Graceful Dice!" Joey slammed his card onto his duel disk, revealing his plan. "With a roll of deez dice, I can boost my monster's attack by a hundred times whatever I roll! So let's go, Lady Luck!"
A cherub-like figure popped out from Joey's card, tossing a comically large die onto the field. With a roll and a clatter, the die slowly came to a stop, leaving both sides with bated breath until they saw the result.
"Nyehehe! I rolled a four, baby!" Joey cheered, grinning as he leapt into the air. "Let's go!"
Rocket Warrior shouted out a mighty cry as it grew in size.
1500 ATK → 1900 ATK
"Ah come on, I flunked math and even I know 1900 attack points isn't enough," Jaden commented, raising an eyebrow at the display. "You can't beat Alius without losing your monster too!"
"Dats cuz you forgot my Rocket Warrior's Invincible Mode!" Joey jeered, as the crowd went wild. "Let's show 'em why you don't mess with dah Duke of Dueling, Rocket Warrior!"
Rocket Warrior shot forward, transforming back into its missile form before crashing straight into Alius's chest. With one resounding strike, Alius shattered, leaving Jaden grumbling as Joey's monster returned to his field.
"What'dya think 'bout dat!" Joey asked, turning to the audience and giggling to himself as he gave them a wave. Thinking about his situation for a moment, Jaden smiled.
"Pretty cool man, now let's see if you keep it up." Jaden reached for his duel disk. "My move, I draw!"
Nodding to himself, Jaden looked up as he reached to his duel disk.
"I'll start by activating my Trap Card, Call of the Haunted!" he declared, revealing the card in question. "Now I get to revive a monster from my Graveyard, and I think I'll pick my Elemental Hero Stratos!"
The field cracked and shuddered at Jaden's feet, a crevice opening up for a moment before a dirt covered hand shot forth. Gripping the ground and pulling, Jaden's monster tore itself from the earth and took to the field again.
1800 ATK
"And guess what? His special ability activates again, letting me search for another Hero!" Jaden explained, pulling out his deck. "I think I'll pick up a newer friend of mine, Elemental Hero Shadow Mist!"
Revealing the card in question, Jaden confirmed his choice before tucking it into his hand.
"Next, I think I'll summon my Shadow Mist, in defense mode!" With a flick of his fingers, Jaden laid the card he just searched onto the field, allowing his dark hero to take the field, appearing suddenly in a cloud of shadows.
1500 DEF
"Now all I gotta do iiiiiis—"
Jaden hummed in thought, recalling the second effect of Joey's Rocket Warrior from all the clips of Battle City he'd seen. If he attacked Rocket Warrior with Stratos, he wouldn't destroy it and it would weaken Stratos enough for Rocket Warrior to destroy it next turn. Better play it safe.
"And with that, I end my turn!" he declared, passing it to Joey.
"Alright, my move! Let's go!" Joey drew his card, looking over it with a moment of thought. Then, with a sly smile, he laughed. "Watch this, I summon my Blue Flame Swordsman!"
A plume of red fire suddenly took the field, turning blue in an instant. A moment later it dispersed, leaving Joey's warrior in its place.
1800 ATK
"Now let's go! Blue Flame Swordsman, attack his shadow lady!" Joey declared, ordering his warrior to rush forward and cut down Jaden's monster. With a single slash, Blue Flame Swordsman caused Shadow Mist to shatter into pixels.
"Well unlucky for you, when Shadow Mist is sent to the grave, I can search for another Hero to come and avenge her!" Jaden trawled through his deck again before pulling another card. "So I get Elemental Hero Clayman!"
"Get all the heroes you want kid, youz ain't foolin' anyone!" Joey declared. "To me, you're always gonna be a villain!"
"Harsh, man," Jaden muttered, as Joey continued on with his turn.
"Now, Rocket Warrior! Attack his last monster!" he declared next.
"Hrgh, at least Stratos will still last this turn," Jaden noted, as Joey's weaker monster barreled towards Jaden's stronger one.
"Hah! That's what youz thinks!" Joey laughed. "My Blue Flame Swordsman has a special effect, letting it toss any monster I control an extra 600 attack points!"
"Say what!"
1800 ATK → 1200 ATK
1500 ATK → 2100 ATK
"The only thing you're gonna be saying is uncle! Now, Rocket Warrior, show his monster who's the real masta of the skies!" Joey called out.
Jaden could only brace for impact as Stratos exploded on contact with Joey's monster, blowing Jaden back several meters all at once.
3700 LP / 3800 LP
"I think I've given you enough of the Joey Wheeler Treatment for now," Joey said then with a laugh. "I'll end my turn with one card face down."
"My move then, I draw!" Jaden studied his hand for a moment before smiling. "Watch this, I'm gonna swing back into action with this, my Pot of Greed!"
Drawing his two cards, Jaden cheered out loud, finally collecting the final piece to his puzzle.
"Alright, let's go! I activate Polymerization!" That now-familiar blue and orange vortex formed behind Jaden again as he revealed two cards in his hand. "This lets me fuse the Elemental Hero Avian and the Elemental Hero Clayman in my hand, summoning out a Hero that's really gonna brighten my day— Elemental Hero Sunrise!"
A warrior clad in gigantic stone armour and another in fur and feathers formed behind Jaden, before they were pulled into the vortex of bright colour. With a loud crack of energy, a hand shot back out, reaching for the edge of the vortex. It pulled until its whole body emerged, leaping onto the field and striking a pose that dazzled even the Joey-obsessed crowd.
With a billowing blue cape and a stunning layer of red metal armour, Jaden's monster stood proud.
2500 ATK
"And he's not here alone, cause when this Hero rises, he brings more along for the ride— So I get to add a Miracle Fusion from my deck to my hand!" Grinning, Jaden pulled out the Fusion Spell in question. "Now, let's get down with some double Fusion action! I activate Miracle Fusion!"
Swirling on the field between Jaden and Joey, the blue and orange vortex returned, sucking in a torrent of air as the ground began to rumble.
"Now I can fuse using Heroes in my Graveyard!" Jaden declared then, pumping his fist. "So I'll fuse the Elemental Hero Stratos and Shadow Mist you destroyed last turn in order to summon— Elemental Hero Escuridao!"
The dark shadows that accompanied Shadow Mist earlier returned, now filling up the whole field and obscuring the view of the crowd. Yet, in an instant, it retreated, contracting into one spot at Jaden's side. The shadows pulled themselves together until a being made of the shadows was left. Elemental Hero Escuridao had arrived.
2500 ATK
"And guess what? It's about to get even stronger!" Jaden explained. "Cause Escuridao gains 100 attack points for each hero in my grave, and I count seven!"
2500 ATK → 3200 ATK
"And it doesn't even end there! Sunrise gives every monster I control an extra 200 attack points for every Hero I control with a different attribute, and that's two!" Jaden continued on, as his monsters got even stronger.
3200 ATK → 3600 ATK
2500 ATK → 2900 ATK
"Jeeze, you plan on finishin' any time soon?" Joey grumbled, watching his advantage quickly dwindle away.
"You bet I do, I'm gonna finish this duel, right here, right now!" Grinning ear to ear, Jaden shot Joey his classic 'gotcha' pose. "So watch out! Elemental Hero Sunrise, attack his Blue Flame Swordsman!"
Joey braced for impact as Jaden's monster easily destroyed his own with an earth-shattering strike, the shock wave blowing Joey back several meters.
3700 LP / 2100 LP
Yet, as Joey lowered his guard, he returned with a smile.
"Hah, so much for endin' the game, you still can't get past my Rocket Warrior!" he declared, earning a resounding cry from his monster.
"Wanna bet?" Jaden teased, making Joey's confident expression turn to wide-eyed disbelief. "Check this out! Escuridao attack Rocket Warrior!"
"A bit a damage won't phase me!" Joey shouted.
"It'll be a lot more than a bit, cause I activate my Sunrise's second effect!" Jaden shot back. "When another hero I control attacks, I can destroy a card on your field, like your Rocket Warrior!"
"Say what!" Joey could only stare in disbelief as his Rocket Warrior exploded, leaving Jaden's Escuridao on a direct collision course for his life points. Realizing it was do or die, Joey jumped to his two set cards. "Reveal Trap Card! DNA Surgery!"
Joey's Trap flipped face up, summoning forth a team of monstrous surgeons that rushed to meet Jaden's monster before it could finish Joey off.
"This guy lets me change the Type of all monsters on the field to whatever I choose! So I'ma make your guys Insects!" Joey declared. Just then, the surgeons leapt away from Escuridao, revealing that the person it used to be was now an insectoid monstrosity, with compound eyes and arms like a praying mantis.
"It's gross, but what the heck does it do?" Jaden questioned, as the surgeons began doing a similar thing to Sunrise. At that moment, Escuridao continued towards Joey, though now lumbering instead of racing.
"It's disgusting, but it doesn't stop you from winning," Yubel noted, speaking up for the first time in the duel.
"I'll show you what dat does," Joey said with a sneer, as Escuridao raised its insectoid arm to strike Joey. "Cuz with dis second card, your turn is over! Let's go, The Regulation of the Tribe!"
Escuridao froze mid-attack, just short of hitting its mark. Breathing a sigh of relief, Joey wiped the nervous sweat from his brow as Jaden's monster retreated to his side of the field
"Now, all of your monsters are Insects, and thanks to Regulation of the Tribe, I say Insects can't attack. So, none of your monsters can attack! Howdya like that!" he said with a barely contained chortle. "I picked up this idea from an ole rival of mine. You may of heard of him— Last name Underwood, first name Weasel!"
"Don't you mean Weavil?" Jaden asked, cocking a brow at Joey.
"I know what I said," Joey reiterated.
Looking over the field one last time, Jaden conceded to the fact he couldn't do anything else this turn. He'd have to pass for now.
"I set two cards face down and end my turn," he announced, placing the rest of his options on board. "Even if I can't attack for now, I've got the advantage."
A smile grew on his face as he began to look up.
"What could he honestly draw now?" he said with a laugh.
"Come ooooon, Heart of the Cards!" Joey called out then, holding his hand on his deck. "Lemme get this match wrapped up!"
Swiping off the top card of his deck, Joey took a deep breath, raising his draw up to his face slowly and keeping his eyes closed the entire time. Moment of truth.
Joey opened his eyes.
"Let's gooooooooo, baby! Heck yeah!" At all once, Joey exploded into cheers, eliciting a similar reaction from the audience as he began dancing in circles with the card in hand.
"Do you ever think you open your mouth too much?" Yubel asked, as Jaden groaned in frustration.
"Oh shut up," Jaden said, as his opponent finally got a hold of himself, standing straight again.
"Check this out, I activate the Spell Card, Red-Eyes Fusion!" Joey finally said, revealing the card he drew. As a vortex of red and black formed behind Joey, the audience cried out in joy. "You ain't the only duelist who can fuse two of his monsters together, pal!"
"How the heck are you fusing anything, you don't have any other cards!" Jaden declared, watching in confusion as the spell somehow managed to work.
"Cuz I've been fusing way longer than you have. I know the ins and outs better than you eva' will!" Joey boasted. Throwing a hand up, he laughed as a pair of red eyes formed in the portal behind him. "And cuz Red-Eyes Fusion lets me use monsters from my deck!"
"Say what!"
"More like say hello!" Joey called back. "I fuse my Red-Eyes Black Dragon and a gift from a buddy of mine— the Dark Magician!"
"Say what!?" Jaden stared in disbelief as two streams of energy blasted out from Joey's deck. Coming to a stop, they immediately morphed into the shapes of two monsters. One was undeniably Joey's ace, the Red-Eyes Black Dragon, and the other one too was unmistakably Yugi Muto's Dark Magician. They stood there clear as day, leaving Jaden with one last question. "Why the heck does he have that!"
The two monsters flew into the portal of red and black before a flash of orange light obscured the whole scene. When Jaden's sight returned to him, the portal was gone.
And what was left in its place left him floored.
It had obsidian wings that stretched the length of the entire arena, with onyx black armor outlined in gold and ruby gems. In one hand it carried a sword-spear and in the other, a pulsing sphere of red magic. Jaden realized it was beating in time with the red gemstones that ordained its entire body.
Finally, it carried on its shoulders an absolutely astonishing chest piece— It was crafted to resemble the open maw of the Red-Eyes Black Dragon, only to have the stoic glare of the magician underneath peering out from it.
3000 ATK
"Say hello to my Red-Eyes Dark Dragoon!" Joey declared, making a fist as he grinned. "Now, let's end this! I use my Dark Dragoon's special ability, targeting your two monsters and destroying them!"
"What!?"
"And not only that, it deals their attack points back to youz, as damage!" Joey added.
"What!?" Jaden stared in shock as Joey's monster raised its hand forward, the pulsing red magic growing stronger in an instant.
"I'm not one to backseat duel, but now would be a good time to do something!" Yubel suddenly shouted, shaking Jaden from his shock. Coming to his senses, he nodded, reaching down to his duel disk.
"Let's go, Dark Diffusion Wave-Motion!" Joey called, as bands of red magic fired out in every direction, going straight for Jaden's front line.
"Not so fast, I activate my De-Fusion!" Jaden barely managed to get out, as his card revealed itself in time.
"Think again! My Dragoon can't be targeted by your Spell Card!" Joey declared, making Jaden grit his teeth.
"Then I won't target your monster, I'll target my own! Sunrise, defuse!" Without a second to spare, Jaden's monster disappeared, barely avoiding the beam of energy that destroyed Escuridao. Speaking of which, said beam of energy struck Jaden next. "Ahhhhh!"
700 LP / 2100 LP
"Ughhh." Barely standing, Jaden straightened up, one eye clenched closed as he continued. "De-Fusion resolves, returning my Elemental Hero Avian and Clayman, to the field."
1000 DEF
2000 DEF
Joey's arm fell to his side, as he realized he wouldn't be winning this turn. Yet, his disappointment was the least of the emotions he was feeling right then.
"Well, god dang it, kid. That was impressive!" he said, grinning ear to ear. "There ain't been a duelist yet who lasted a turn against my Red-Eyes Dark Dragoon, and you're abouts to be the first one!"
Jaden couldn't help but smile as he finally got a hold of himself.
"Well, aw shucks. Thank, Mr. Wheel—"
"Shame it doesn't matter!" Joey called out that, interrupting Jaden and eliciting a round of laughter and cheers from the crowd. "Cause next turn it's all over!"
Jaden smiled as he reached for his duel disk.
"This ain't over till the last card is played! I activate my Trap Card— Elemental Mirage!" he declared, his Trap flipping up then. "When a Hero gets destroyed, this card lets me bring them right back! So say hello again to my Elemental Hero Escuridao!"
Joey's smirk turned into a worried grimace as Jaden's dark hero returned to the field, looking as pissed as one would after just being blown up. It's impressive attack points weren't anything to laugh at either, matching Joey's Dragoon tit-for-tat.
3000 ATK
Taking a deep breath, Joey calmed himself before continuing.
"It still don't matter! With my Regulation-DNA Surgery combo, youz can't attack!" Joey reiterated. "And I can just destroy your monsters and burn youz for game! Speaking of which, I end my turn!"
"He's right," Jaden admitted under his breath, looking down at his deck. If he didn't get Dragoon off the field now, it'd end this duel before Jaden could get a second swing at it. "Come oooon, Lady Luck, let's swing my way this time."
Jaden placed his hand on his deck, getting ready to enter his last turn. Yet, before he could draw, he paused. Yubel's ethereal hand was placed over his, her fingers laid on that card as well.
"I don't know who this Lady Luck you two keep referring to is, but I can tell you, you don't need her," Yubel whispered. "You have you and you have me, and that's all you need."
Looking up at Joey's monster, Yubel couldn't help but feel like it was staring right at her. Despite that, she continued.
"Now, let's beat this clown," she finished, as Jaden cracked a smile.
"You bet! It's my move and I draw!" Jaden declared, drawing his card in time with Yubel. He gave it only a second's look before grinning and slamming it down. "I activate Spell Reproduction! But don't blink, cause it's about to replace itself with a Spell from my graveyard!"
The card in question shot out from the pentagram in the card's art, flying straight into Jaden's hand as he activated it next in rhythm.
"Now here's a card that needs no introduction, Pot of Greed!" he called out, drawing his next two cards: Code Change and then— Jaden froze, a pulse of energy roaring through his veins as he saw the second card. "Well, I'll be damned."
"You know what to do," Yubel said then, spotting the two cards in Jaden's hand. The path to victory was right in front of him, and Jaden just had to reach for it.
Nodding, more to himself than anything, Jaden continued, revealing the first card he drew.
"I activate Code Change!" he said, the card in question appearing at his side. "This card lets me take any card that works with a specific type of monster, and make it work with another type instead!"
"It does what?" Joey scratched the side of his head in confusion, as Jaden's card got to work.
"Check it, watch and find out!" With a pump of his arm, Jaden pointed to Joey's side of the field. "I'm gonna target your DNA Surgery and change it from turning everything into Insects, into something else!"
Taking one last glance at the card in his hand, Jaden nodded before turning back to Joey.
"I turn all monsters on the field into Fiends!" he declared.
Joey looked on in confusion, as every monster on the field began to morph and change, sprouting horns and tails with speared ends. Even his Dragoon couldn't resist, growing new portions of armour to reflect its new fiendish form.
"Okay, but, what's dat do dough? What does changin' everything into freaky demons accomplish?" Joey asked then, as Jaden picked his three monsters off his duel disk.
"Because when I control three Fiend monsters, I can tribute them to summon—! This!" With one final call, Jaden slammed the card in question onto his duel disk, causing a shock wave of energy to reverberate through the arena and an ominous noise to fill the air. "I summon Raviel, Lord of Phantasms!"
The room went silent then, as Jaden's monsters disappeared and the crowd turned quiet to listen. For a moment, people began to wonder if Jaden was just screwing with them.
Then, the ground began to rumble.
It was like the Earth itself was shuddering, its skin buckling as the ground suddenly began to move. With a thunderous boom, a crack ripped straight through the arena floor, right between Joey and Jaden, tossing stone and dirt into the air. A moment later, a hand reached out— a humongous, clawed hand.
"What the heck is this, kid!" Joey shouted as the lights began flickering and the crowds began running in fear. With a crash, the clawed hand slammed down onto the ground in front of Joey, its talons ripping straight through the earth. Joey grimaced as he jumped back. "This thing, it's like a—!"
Joey would not get in another word about it. Because with that, Jaden's monster finally took the field, pulling itself from the ground and crashing into the ceiling. With a shock wave that shook the whole building, Raviel's massive frame came into view, dwarfing Joey's monster easily— and that was only its head!
"Now, let's end this!" Jaden declared, the lights flickering with every word, debris and dust falling from the ceiling. Yet, through it all, his bright eyes shined through. His bright green and orange eyes. "Raviel, att—"
It seemed no one would be getting another word in today, because at that moment, the power went out. Jaden blinked in the dark as metal and concrete fell all around him. It was then that he realized—
The ceiling was coming down!
"You know, I think this is as good a time as any to make our dramatic exit!" he called out, leaving Yubel aghast as he began running.
"Where are you going! This duel is almost over!" Yubel called, turning and watching as Joey sprinted in the opposite direction. "Ugh! Cowards! All of you!"
"I love a good duel as much as the next guy, Yubel!" Jaden called back, sprinting in place as the building collapsed around him. "Which is why I'd like to live to have another— So let's get out of here!"
And with that, Jaden ran off, barely avoiding a chunk of the ceiling that was gunning for him. Sighing, Yubel turned back to the field, watching as Raviel and Red-Eyes Dark Dragoon flickered out of sight. They'd finish this duel, she thought.
She knew they would.
And with that, Yubel and Jaden escaped, slipping back into the busy Domino City crowds as the lower floors of the building collapsed in on itself.
"Pick up, pick up, pick uuuuuup!" Joey paced in place in his apartment, his phone ringing in his hand as he shook it back and forth. He'd just gotten off a call with Mai, and he needed to pay someone for the earful he just got from her. "Oh come on, what's a guy gotta do to get his best friend on the phone!?"
"Hello?" The line clicked, as the voice of Yugi Muto came crackling through.
"Yug! You won't believe what just happened! I was duelin' this kid in a title match, ya see, nothing too crazy, when he summons this monster that straight up KO's the building!" Joey shouted down the line, assuredly making Yugi wince through the sheer volume. "But that ain't the craziest thing, Yug, cuz it wasn't just any monster!"
"Huh, what do you mean?"
"I'm telling you Yug, it looked like a God card!"
End of Chapter 4