(A/N: So if you couldn't already tell, I'm really looking forward to this one. There are very few duels when I knew I was going to do this arc that I knew had to be part of the arc as much as this duel. You'll see why as you read)
"Let's kick things off!" Joey shouted. "I draw!" He drew the top card of his deck to his hand. He grinned. "I'm startin' by summonin' Blue Flame Swordsman! In attack mode!"
The blue clad counterpart to Joey's favorite monster stormed the field tall and proud. It had 1,800 attack points and 1,600 defense points.
"How's that, Gundham?" Joey asked, pointing a rude index finger in the Ultimate's direction.
"Kehehe," Gundham chuckled and then cackled. "A fine display indeed, Joseph Wheeler, but nowhere near the level of power required to even make me flinch. Behold, for now it is my turn and, as previously decreed, I shall draw first blood this duel! FIRST! I claim the next element of power from the top of my spellbook."
"C-can you just say you draw a card like a normal person?" Joey asked aloud, intentionally too quietly for Gundham to have heard him.
Gundham wasted no time making his first move. "Your swordsman is quite impressive for a summon cast on your first turn, but he is no match for the magical power of fusion!"
"Aw nuts, a fusion monster already?" Tristan cried out.
"Behold as I merge together Gazelle and Berfomet to form Chimera, the Flying Mythical Beast!"
The mighty two headed monster roared and boasted its tremendous 2,100 attack points and 1,800 defense points. "And NOW! CHIMERA ATTACKS YOUR MONSTER! GO, MY BEAST! STRIKE!" Gundham shouted.
Chimera roared and darted towards Joey's swordsman. Joey tensed his face up. He didn't like where this was going.
Chimera slashed through Blue Flame Swordsman with ease and shattered it wholesale, reducing Joey's life points to 3,700.
Joey wiped away some sweat from his cheek. "Not a bad starting move, Gundham, but when Blue Flame Swordsman is destroyed, I can summon the original Flame Swordsman in his place!"
Joey's favorite monster took to the field, boasting the same strength and power as the warrior it was replacing: 1,800 attack points and 1,600 defense points.
"Your flames dull from blue to red in intensity. Is this a suggestion that your willpower is dwindling? Do not mock me, Fate's Befouler!"
"Shaddup already! I got a plan, jeez," Joey said.
"Hmph, in the wake of Chimera's might, proper tactical maneuvers are indeed required," Gundham said, seemingly amusing himself. "But how will your intended actions fare when I place one card face-down and end my turn?"
"Guess we'll see," Joey responded. "I draw!"
He looked at the cards in his hand. His eyes fell upon Panther Warrior and Scapegoat with a Lightning Blade sitting next to the aforementioned spell card. Gundham merely scratched me, but I'm about to take down that Chimera a his and score some big damage. He then hesitated and looked at Gundham's face-down. No, wait. That's what he wants. All right, I don't usually big brain it, but I gotta do dis smartly. Joey scanned his hand for answers. Fortunately, he had just the card to "play it safe". "I sacrifice Flame Swordsman in order to summon Combo Master!"
A bare chested brawler with bandages wrapped around his arms, and a green headband, stood upon Joey's side of the field. He had 2,200 attack points and 1,500 defense points.
"Heh, so you did have a way to circumvent the power of Chimera after all. I must admit, I'm marginally impressed. But, do you have the willpower to strike me down?!"
"You bet I do!" Joey shouted. "Combo Master, go! Fists of fury! Destroy Chimera!"
Combo Master darted forward, ready to rend Chimera with 100 furious blows.
"FOOL! You've activated my trap card!" Gundham shouted. "I activate Horn of the Phantom Beast!" Gundham's trap card flipped face up depicting a pair of glowing antlers. "This powerful trap card will continue to increase my Chimera's attack by 800 points."
"Say what?!" Joey freaked out.
"Did you really think I would plan such an insipid ploy as destroying all of your monsters? NAY! I have turned your own bravery and power AGAINST you! And now! You will DIE! Chimera! Destroy Combo Master!"
As the mighty glowing antlers attached themselves to Chimera, its attack power increased to 2,900. Then, as Combo Master continued to charge, it impaled the mighty warrior and destroyed him, lowering Joey's life points to 3,000.
"And since my magnificent beast has destroyed your monster while equipped with this magnificent horn, I may replenish my power with a card from the top of my spellbook." Gundham drew the top card of his deck.
"Nnnnnngh," Joey groaned. "Walked right into that one."
"Don't let him psyche you out, Joey! You can still do this!"
"But he's already played a monster for the turn," Tristan reminded her.
"Don't worry, I'm not even close to even being down on one knee!" Joey boasted. His loud shout reassured his friends a little.
Gundham looked suspiciously at Joey.
"I had a feeling you'd pull something sneaky so I switched up my strategy a little. So now, let's see what ya think a this. I activate Scapegoat!"
Joey's four lamb tokens appeared on the battlefield.
"Kehehe, so, cornered by a mighty slaughterer of man, you resort to protecting yourself with mutton? A fitting ploy for one of your caliber!"
"Shaddup!" Joey exclaimed, exasperated. "If you ain't got 5 monsters on your side of the field by the time you start attacking, I don't wanna hear it!"
Gundham chuckled. "If you bit half as well as you barked, perhaps I would actually feel threatened by you. But, to me, you are simply Fate's Favored Fool! Now, behold the second mesmerizing ritual cast by my dark powers!" Gundham drew the top card of his deck. He smirked. "Ah, one of my favorite demonic beasts. Behold! The spawn of Cerberus himself! I summon Twin-Headed Wolf!"
A pink and green haired, dual headed wolf beast appeared on Gundham's side of the field, boasting 1,500 attack points and 1,000 defense points.
"Despite its name, Twin-Headed Wolf is classified as a Fiend-type monster. How fitting, in my opinion. For you see, the line between Fiend and Beast can easily be blurred." Gundham then shouted. "FOR NO MATTER WHETHER IT BE BY CLAW OR BY FANG BOTH DEMONIC CREATURES BEAR THESE TERRIFYING FEATURES! NOW! GO MY MINIONS! SLAUGHTER TWO OF THE OFFERED LAMBS TO OUR SACRED ALTAR!"
Chimera and Twin-Headed Wolf did precisely that, annihilating two of Joey's scapegoats with their powerful claws.
"Kehehe, truly a pitiful display, Joseph Wheeler," Gundham said as he drew a card thanks to the power of Horn of the Phantom Beast, bringing him back up to four cards in hand. "Though the power of your Red-Eyes has returned to your soul, without its wings soaring to the field, you lack vision necessary to claim victory," Gundham taunted.
"Maybe," Joey said. "Or maybe I just know how to keep a calm head under pressure. I'm not gonna let you intimidate me. I fought my way through Eliza and she had Intimidation printed on a card! So, let's go! I draw!"
Joey pulled the top card of his deck to his hand: Kunai with Chain. Yup, that'll do it. "I summon to the field my Panther Warrior!"
The fearsome 2,000 attack point monster stormed the field baring its trademark sword and shield.
"Ah, Panther Warrior. I've always found the nomenclature for this monster a bit of a misnomer."
"What do you mean?" Joey asked, confused.
"The demonic beast you plebes refer to as a Panther does not, in actuality, exist. In reality, a Panther is one of many genus of feline demonic beasts including the lion, tiger and leopards. Black Panthers, as they are most often referred to are most commonly Jaguars or Leopards with a gene mutation. Clearly there is a deficiency of brainpower within Maximillian Pegasus naming department!" Gundham shouted. "In reality, that card should be named Black Jaguar Warrior!"
"Jeez, it's just a card," Joey said.
"Pardon the biology lesson," Gundham said, head turned. "As a researcher of demonic beasts, small things like that are a neverending source of irritation."
"Hey, we all got our pet peeves. I don't judge. So, if the boring science lesson is over, I'd like to continue my move."
"But of course, this captive audience came here to see a spectacle after all! Show them your might!"
"Now you're talkin' and Imma do exactly that! I equip Panther Warrior with Lightning Blade!" Joey shouted as the thundering blade appeared in Panther Warrior's sword hand, replacing its normal saber. Its attack power then shot up to 2,800 points as lightning sparked around the blade.
"Hmm, a strange move indeed. Panther Warrior is much stronger with such a powerful artifact, but not nearly powerful enough to overcome the power of my Chimera. Logic dictates you intend to destroy my wolf. But that would still leave you open to counterattack."
"Oh well," Joey said nonchalantly.
Gundham looked at Joey puzzlingly. His idiocy is understandable, but that dissonant calmness leaves me suspicious.
Not waiting for Gundham to gather his thoughts, Joey shouted, "Panther Warrior, absorb one of the Scapegoats and attack Twin-Headed Wolf with Lightning Blade Slash!"
Panther Warrior charged forward and brought its blade down onto both of Twin-Headed Wolf's heads, destroying the monster. The difference in power dropped Gundham's life points to 2,700. However, judging from the way his arms were folded, and the serious expression on his face, he hardly seemed concerned.
"Now I'm settin' one card face-down and ending my turn."
"A strange choice of tactic, Fool of Fate, but it will avail you little. I shall show you the crushing weight of the sin of your hubris. Witness now the power you failed to outstrip!" Gundham drew the top card of his deck to his hand. "Chimera! Destroy Panther Warrior with your superior attack points!"
"And goodbye double-headed menace! Kunai with Chain!" Joey shouted.
An axe blade attached to a chain shot across the battlefield from the trap card in question and entangled Chimera.
"No! My beast! You fiend! You've chained him up and stripped him of his freedom! How dare you!"
"And that's what we in the business like to call sound strategy," Joey said, wiping a finger under his nose.
"Grrrrrr!" Gundham growled. "Sound strategy indeed." He hated to admit it, but Joey got him good.
"All right, way to go, Joey!" Tristan cheered. "You show that beast tamer who's the man!"
"I'm setting one monster in its defensive position!" Gundham declared. "You may make your move!"
"Don't mind if I do!" Joey shouted. "I draw!" He looked at the field. "And I think it's time to put an end to your little Chimera here. Let's go, Panther Warrior! Take down Chimera!"
Absorbing the soul of the final Scapegoat, Joey's Panther Warrior carved up Chimera with two distinct slashes.
"When Chimera is destroyed, half of its soul still lingers in the mortal plane. Return to me! Gazelle!"
The rowdy, lion-like horned beast returned to Gundham's side with 1,200 defense points to spare.
"Huh? That's strange, why did Gundham pick Gazelle?" Yugi wondered.
"Indeed. Berfomet is usually the better choice. He must have a strategy in mind though," Yami responded. "Let us hope it occurs to Joey before it is too late."
Joey looked at his hand. He only had 2 cards remaining. Unfortunately, he wasn't really too keen on the seemingly bone headed play Gundham had just committed to. "Turns over," he told Gundham.
"Very well, behold the power of the Supreme Overlord of Ice! I draw!" Gundham now had nearly a full hand thanks to the power of his Horn of the Phantom Beast. "First, I shall reveal my mystery monster: the ever reliable Super-Nimble Mega Hamster!" Gundham's monster flipped face-up revealing its 1,100 attack points and 1,800 defense points. "When my furry friend is revealed from the shadows, I may immediately acquiesce any beast creature of level 3 or lower of my choosing in face-down position!"
Another face-down defense position monster appeared on Gundham's side of the field. He chuckled.
"Keheheh, I now have everything I need to seal your demise. With three beasts on the field, I am now able to summon a magnificent deity like no other! I sacrifice each of my monsters to summon CHIMAERA, THE MASTER OF BEASTS!"
As Gundham's mystery monster, Super-Nimble Mega Hamster and Gazelle were all sucked into a portal, from out of it stepped a brand new beast the likes of which Gundham had never summoned before. It's white foreleg and purple nails were the first thing to emerge from the portal, coated by gold feathers at the base of the claw. Then, two magnificently golden maned bestial heads emerged. One had golden horns. One had black horns. The beast bore four feathery wings and a hissing snake tail.
With a loud roar that deafened the sensitive and frightened small children, one of Gundham's most powerful monsters had stormed the battlefield. It boasted 3,000 attack points and 3,000 defense points.
"Whoa, check it out," Tristan said, mouth agape. "That thing's huge."
It was indeed. While not as big as a kaiju, Gundham's gigantic monster towered over Joey's Panther Warrior. It brushed one of its forelegs along the arena, eager to charge and destroy anything in its path.
"Ah, but what is a powerful beast such as this…" Gundham as he trailed off intentionally as he grinned widely, "Without a home field advantage! BEHOLD THE FIELD SPELL CLOSED FOREST!"
Gundham, like Mai last duel, opened the hidden slot in the duel disk to slide the card in. Instantly, bramble and branches began to cover the battlefield, encircling and ensnaring Gundham and Joey. They were cut off from the audience in its entirety. The only person dragged in with them was the Pharaoh.
"This place…" the age old monarch gaped, looking around at the dark, natural "cave" Gundham had just dragged Joey into.
"Does it frighten you King of Games?" Gundham asked with a slight chortle. "I should think that such mysterious dungeons are beneath your sense of fear. How about you Fledgling?" Gundham asked. "DOES THE POWER OF MY GREAST BEAST FRIGHTEN YOU SO?!"
Gundham's monster roared again, empowered by the thick thicket around it, its attack power shooting up all the way to 3,600.
Joey stared at Gundham's magnificent beast, a terrifying shadow cast over it making its eyes glow gold, its snake head whipping back and forth in the darkness. "For every monster that lies in its tomb in the graves of their predecessors, all pure bred beasts I control gain 100 extra attack points. YOUR MISNAMED WARRIOR STANDS NO CHANCE! CHIMAERA WIPE IT OUT!" Gundham roared.
Gundham's monster howled loudly and with a single swipe of its powerful paws, cut Panther Warrior down to size. Thanks to the additional power of Kunai With Chain, Panther Warrior's attack power had increased to 3,300, but Gundham's monster was still stronger.
Joey's life points decreased to 2,700.
"And that was but a taste of my magnificent power," Gundham taunted. "It has been far too long since my Chimaera was allowed to roam free. Can you even comprehend the power of such a magnificent beast?"
Joey's fists shook as he expelled the fear from his body. He gave Gundham a tough look. "Yeah, I can see it. It's really strong. But…don't think that'll intimidate me!" Joey shouted. "I'm not giving up! I got too much faith in myself to let a monster like that cause me to lose my cool! Let's go, Gundham! I'm finishing this duel one way or another!"
"Then by all means, offer all the sacrifices you like to my magnificent monster! IT WILL BE YOUR GRAND UNDOING!"
"We'll see about that!" Joey shouted. "I draw!"
Outside the bramble of the Closed Forest, many of the members of the crowd were mumbling, uncertain of what was going on.
"I can't see a thing, you?" Tristan asked.
"You really think I can see through solid vegetation?" Téa asked, pointing out how stupid the question was.
"What now?" Serenity asked.
Up in the booth, Roland went up to Kaiba. "Mr. Kaiba, the audience is restless regarding Tanaka's field spell."
"Relax, Roland. I've got it covered," Kaiba said.
"Uh, yes sir."
Kaiba smirked smugly. "Honestly, did you really think I wouldn't have a plan for a simple field spell such as this?"
"Y-yes, of course, Mr. Kaiba," Roland said.
Kaiba sat down at the terminal in front of him and cracked his knuckles. "This is the perfect time to test Kaiba Corp's newest satellite features," he said, typing away furiously as messages ran across the screen. He quickly received an alert. "Excellent, diverting power to split screen!"
On the big screen that ordinarily just showed stats and cards in a 2-D mat effect, the screen was suddenly split so that fans could not only see the stats, but also the action going on inside Gundham's Closed Forest.
This was met with cheers of excitement.
"YAHOOOOOO! Leave it to Kaiba to know how to keep the party going!" Ibuki exclaimed.
"Yeah, figured he had a plan for that," Kazuichi said, scratching his cheek. "That's why I didn't get nuts like you did."
"Heh, Wheeler's in a real bind," Fuyuhiko pointed out. "Just look at his field."
"Oh my, it does seem rather empty," Sonia acknowledged.
"No monsters on the field and he will be drawing up to only three cards. It does look pretty grim for him. Even so…" Peko said, trailing off.
"Nah, that idiot's probably on a one-way ticket to Loserville," Hiyoko said condescendingly. "Population himself."
"Hey! Hey! Don't count Joey out of the action yet!" Ibuki exclaimed, jumping to his defense. "He's been in tight spots before and he always pulls through. That's just Joey's style!"
"Wish I had your boundless optimism, Ibuki," Fuyuhiko said. "I wouldn't want to be in Wheeler's position right now."
Inside the Closed Forest, Joey could feel sweat running down his cheek. True, he had done a good job psyching himself up, but even he knew the difficult position he'd found himself in. His hand was limited and he only had one scapegoat left to defend himself with. I'll just have to trust in the heart of the cards and do what I can. Swallowing, he pulled the top card of his deck to his hand. He looked at his hand of three cards. Oh. This boded poorly. No monsters. However, his attention was drawn towards one of the trap cards. "Huh? This card..." It was Waboku, a trap card Tea had told him about and he'd bought shortly before the tournament. Tea's smile and laugh seemed to resonate from the card. You guys always got my back, huh? Joey thought. Nodding to himself, Joey filled his heart with determination. He knew, without a doubt, he could at least survive until next turn no matter what happened.
"I'm setting three cards face-down onto my field and one monster card face-down!" he declared as the three distinct face-down holograms appeared. "And ending my turn."
"Ha! Is that your best, Joseph Wheeler? Some paltry incantations and not a single offering? How miserably weak. Now, BOW BEFORE THE MIGHT OF CHIMAERA!" Gundham drew the top card of his deck to his hand. "I summon the ever-reliable Silver Fang!" The normally weak monster was bolstered by the encroaching power of Closed Forest. With a howl, Silver Fang's body was cast with shadow and its eyes gleamed yellow. Its usually low attack of 1,200 was drastically increased to a dangerous 1,800. Despite being dwarfed by Chimaera, Silver Fang still looked plenty menacing.
"Silver Fang! Strike down the final scapegoat! Sonic Howl!"
"Activate trap!" Joey shouted as three women in robes suddenly appeared and blocked the sonic waves from reaching Joey.
"Who are these bewitching witches of the coven?" Gundham shouted in indignation. "Explain!"
"These witches as you called them are the collective creating the trap card Waboku," Joey explained. "One of my friends used it a long time ago in Duelist Kingdom. It basically protects me from all damage for one entire turn."
"Heh, borrowing the strength of others in order to tether your existence to this realm, how quaint. BUT! Your efforts are MEANINGLESS! For I shall now ascend to my next form and shed this weakling mortal body of mine behind!"
Joey, unable to follow, simply stated, "Uhhh, whatever you're up to, don't hurt yourself."
"Hmph, I'll put this in a way even a normal human like yourself can understand, Fledgling. I concede yet again to your tenacity. Your will and grit are an astounding defense against my mighty beasts. It would appear I cannot afford to underestimate you. Before my turn concludes, I shall activate Poison Fangs!"
A continuous spell was activated, showing a bestial jaw with green liquid coating the fangs.
"This continuous spell permits me to drain your life points in equality of 500 whenever a beast of mine inflicts battle damage to you. Additionally, I shall also set one card face-down upon the field." Gundham's face-down hologram was obscured by the mighty form of Chimaera. "Keheheh, do not lose yourself in the dark shadows of these fiendish woods, Fledgling of Fate. It would be undo for the woodsman dressed in his woolen skins to be met with a grisly fate before saving Little Red Riding Hood."
For once, Joey actually understood Gundham. "Yeah, I'm not gonna let it end here. You want a real fight, Gundham! Let's go! Cause I ain't done yet! I draw!"
Joey drew the only card currently available to him. It wasn't a way to turn the game completely around, but it was worth the effort. "All right! Here goes! I'm summoning Gobling Attack Force!"
A bunch of goblins appeared in front of Joey. Combined they had 2,300 attack points.
Gundham cackled. "How fitting, a party of goblins lost in the woods. THEY WILL BE DEVOURED!"
"I don't think so!" Joey shouted, rearing back a fist. "Go! Goblin Attack Force! Destroy Silver Fang!"
Joey's Goblins stormed over to the wolf and surrounded it. The snarling beast stood tall and observed the goblins from all directions. The goblins then pounced upon the wolf in the shaded battlefield and it did its best to fend them off, knocking them aside with its claws or catching or two in its jaws.
As it shook one goblin side to side in its mouth, another one clubbed it over the back from behind. More attacks followed from angles Silver Fang clearly wasn't equipped to handle. Eventually, the serious blows became too many and the mighty beast howled in agony before its hologram exploded.
Gundham's life points dropped to 2,200 due to the difference in power. Joey's goblins, what were left of them, returned to his side of the field, piled together and took a nap.
"When Goblin Attack Force finishes attacking, it goes to sleep and switches to defense mode. Normally, that'd be a problem, but with your monster breathin' down my neck, this'll at least save my life points for a turn or two."
"Kehehe," Gundham chuckled. "Not a terribly conceived stratagem for once such as yourself. HOWEVER! Your puny mind cannot contend with the folly already laid before you!"
"What do you mean?" Joey asked.
"Permit me to show you exactly how pointless your endeavor was!" Gundham shouted. "Hmph!" With a grunt, Gundham pulled the top card of his deck to his hand, giving him a total of three. "For starters, because you destroyed another monster of mine, Chimaera and all of my other beasts are now much stronger."
Chimaera roared, but not too loudly, its attack power increasing to 3,700, more than enough to wipe out Joey in one blow.
"But did you really think that you were safe as long as you made a defensive offering? YOU FOOL! I summon The All-Seeing White Tiger!"
A pure white tiger appeared on Gundham's side of the field. It had scars running vertically above and below its eyes. It growled menacingly as the shade of the Closed Forest took hold of it. The feline monster normally had 1,300 attack and 500 defense, but its attack power was raised to 2,000.
Joey clenched his teeth, sweating.
"A summon such as this is quite simple to utilize at any time," Gundham stated, referring to how 4-star and lower monsters were plentiful in any duelist's deck. "DID YOU REALLY THINK YOU COULD ESCAPE MY POWER?!"
"Bring it! I still have two cards face-down onto the field!" Joey shouted.
Gundham looked pretty irritated at Joey's bravado, clenching his bandaged arm and glaring. "FOOL! If you're in such a hurry to die, I will gladly see you to your maker! I activate the trap card ROARING EARTH!"
"What's that do?" Joey asked.
"It's a simple enough trap. With it, even if your monster is in defense position, your life points are far from safe," Gundham explained.
"What? Oh no!" Joey exclaimed.
"Yes! That is the face you should be making!" Gundham exclaimed with glee. "That is the face of prey about to become dinner! GO! WHITE TIGER! DESTROY GOBLIN ATTACK FORCE!"
The mighty white Tiger charged down Joey's goblins and cut them down to size with its powerful claws. However, upon the destruction of Joey's monsters, his life points only went up instead of down, all the way to 4,700.
"What's this? What have you done, Fledgling!"
"Well, if you shut up a minute and take a look, you'd see what I did. I activated this trap card Nutrient Z. Since your monster was about to deal 2,000 life points of damage, the minimum requirement for this card's activation I might add, I get to increase my life points by 4,000 before you attack me."
"Cretin, this will not save you," Gundham said. "You have no monsters! And I boast the power of my Chimaera! Furthermore, you still took damage so the power of Poison Fangs now activates!"
However, Gundham watched Joey's life points climb again.
"WHAT?!"
"Phew, that was close," Joey said, hands on his hips. "If I'd activated that at the wrong time, I'd have gained less life points." Joey's life points now stood at a towering 8,900.
"What…is this?" Gundham looked enraged.
"Just the power of my special Hyper Refresh!" Joey shouted. "Since the combined power of your monsters is higher than the total of my life points and I control no monsters, I got to double my life points right before your poison fangs took effect."
"Heh, I admire your adherence to beneficial beverages for required nutrients," Gundham said with a smirk. "When venturing into the forest, always come prepared, lest you fall to demonic beasts. HOWEVER!" He then roared. "Do not expect your good fortune to remain for your towering vitality is about to be struck down! CHIMAERA! ATTACK!"
Joey braced for impact. This was gonna hurt.
With a powerful claw, Chimaera smacked Joey to the ground and he landed on his shoulder.
"Joey! Are you all right?" Yami asked. Hard light holograms or not, if Joey got hurt playing, he was still too good of a friend not to be concerned.
Joey sat up. "Yeah," he said, wiping some saliva away from his jaw. "Don't worry about me." His life points plummeted all the way to 5,200.
Outside the forest, the spectators watched with baited breath and pounding hearts.
"Man, Joey's really giving it his all out there, but what's he supposed to do now. If Gundham summons a monster and Joey doesn't summon one, he's toast!"
"Even if he does summon one, that Roaring Earth trap makes it difficult for him to do much of anything," Mai pointed out. "And with every monster of Gundham's he destroys, Gundham will just keep making his monsters more powerful."
"Joey will pull through," Serenity said with a serious expression. "He'll do it because he's my big brother!"
Mai pat her on the head and smiled. "I'm sure Joey knows that and that's why I have faith in him too."
Serenity smiled back.
Up in the stands, Gundham's classmates were also taking a moment to comment on the situation.
"Man, how's he gonna get out of this one," Kazuichi thought.
"I concur," Sonia said. "Even I would not want to be caught in a situation such as this."
"He'll just believe in the heart of the cards," Ibuki said plainly.
Everyone looked at her.
She giggled and rubbed the back of her head. "Whoops, did Ibuki just say something deep and meaningful. How terribly out of character. Ahahaha."
"The heart of the cards," Mahiru mused. "Joey mentions that a lot, doesn't he? But…what is it exactly?"
"Ibuki doesn't really get it either, but like, it's something Yugi's grandpa taught Yugi and Joey. Apparently, it's like some kind of inner strength that comes from bonding with your deck and then you just, like, can't lose or something."
"That makes no sense!" Mahiru exasperated.
"Hey! Don't discredit it!" Ibuki exclaimed. "Hajime used it a lot in Battle City. You were there, remember? How the hell do you think he beat Marik?"
"Um, careful planning and strategy?" Mahiru said, though somewhat unsure of herself.
"Nuh uh! It was all heart of the cards, baby!" Ibuki exclaimed, index fingers pointing to the side. "Hajime and Chiaki might not have learned it from Yugi's grandpa, but they didn't have to. It's like a spiritual thing!"
"Sounds like some quacky malarkey still if you ask me," Hiyoko said.
"Yeah, it does kind of sound that way," Ibuki admitted. "Kaiba dismisses the concept outright, but he still uses it without knowing about it."
"I mean, I guess you'd have to have a heart to really get it in the first place," Hiyoko snickered.
"K-Kaiba has a heart!"
Everyone turned towards Mikan who had, up to this point, been very quiet.
"Whoa, who rattled your cage, cow tits?"
"Er, um…" Mikan suddenly felt put on the spot, nearly a dozen eyes burning into her. "That is to say, I…oh! I need to take Izuru with me to the bathroom to change him!"
"I just changed him before the duel started," Peko pointed out.
"W-well…I…uh. Oh! It's my turn to feed him!" Mikan proclaimed and graciously accepted Izuru from Sonia. "Eheheh, come on Izuru! I'll get your bottle!" She sat down with Hajime and Chiaki's baby and fed him with tender, loving, motherly care.
Everyone decided that it was best just to drop the subject.
Back inside the Closed Forest, Gundham wasn't yet finished with his turn. "Since you received battle damage from my Chimera, you lose 500 life points due to the effects of Poison Fangs!"
Joey's life points dipped down to 4,700. Now, unless Joey summoned a monster, he was basically done for.
"Joey," Yugi said, worried.
Joey took a deep breath, closed his eyes and made a fist. He had no cards in hand and nothing on the field. But still…this duel was far from over in his mind. He knew several ways he could get out of a scrap like this. All he had to do was draw something useful. No, he would draw something useful. Astral images appeared to Joey in his mind as he stood there in silence of his friends and his sister Serenity. The images flowed from his mind down to his heart, filling it with determination.
Then, after a moment, Joey's shot open. "All right! Here goes! I draw!" Joey pulled the top card of his deck to his hand. He nodded. "I'm activating Pot of Greed so I can draw two cards!" Joey then drew the top two cards of his deck to his hand. "And next, I'm activatin' Foolish Burial! This magic card will let me send one monster card from my deck to my graveyard! And I know exactly which one I'm sendin' there!"
In the darkness of the Closed Forest, Gundham could not see Joey's movements. He was slightly concerned, but remained vigilant. If the Fledgling of Fate is serious about that move, his remaining card must be…yes…that would make sense.
"And finally, I activate Monster Reborn!" Joey shouted. "And I'm gonna summon to the field the monster I just sent to my graveyard! Let's go! Thunder King, The Lightningstrike Kaiju!"
The bramble of the Closed Forest was partially parted in order to make way for the massive frame of Joey's kaiju monster. Its heads gave Joey some much needed light to see into the darkness of Gundham's field. Thunder King roared with its mighty 3,300 attack points and 2,100 defense points.
"Well hey now," Joey said, as sunlight now shone down through the woods. "Your monsters ain't so scary with a little sunlight tossed in, huh?"
"So, you sacrifice your resources to summon your mighty kaiju? I suppose when you're left with no other options, this is your best course of action. "VERY WELL! I WILL NOT COWER! LET YOUR MONSTER COME! STRIKE ME!"
"With pleasure!" Joey shouted. "Go! Thunder King, destroy All-Seeing White Tiger!"
Each of the heads of Thunder King blasted a powerful lightning bolt from its throat at Gundham's monster. The resulting damage brought the animal breeder down to only 900 life points.
"Simply bringing me to the threshold of defeat will not force me to yield!" Gundham boasted. "Your monster might be powerful, but it still trails in power to the might of Chimaera!"
"I've still got 4,700 life points," Joey said. "All I have to do is wipe out what's left of yours, and this duel's over. I don't necessarily have to overcome your monster."
"A fair assessment," Gundham responded. "Yet how will you stop Chimaera with no monsters of your own?"
"FIRST!" Gundham shouted. "Since you destroyed my monster, Chimaera's attack points INCREASE!" Chimaera now had 3,800 attack points.
"And next, since you lack any other cards to play, the tide of battle falls to me! Now face my wrath!" Gundham drew the top card of his deck. He pulled the top card of his deck to his hand. "And I shall summon Pale Beast to the battlefield!"
The blue beast with two heads sharing a single jaw stormed Gundham's side of the field. Normally the monster only had 1,500 attack and 1,200 defense, but the power of the closed forest quickly amped up its power to 2,300.
"Now then, let us return to the dark of the Closed Forest! Chimaera! Destroy Thunder King!"
Roaring loudly, Chimaera flew up towards Thunder King's heads, dodging its lightning bolts on the way up and then slashed at the mighty monster's face with intense strength. With its snapping jaws it disabled the neck of a second head before slamming its horns into the monster's chest and causing the remaining head to scream in pain.
Thunder King was destroyed and Joey's life points fell to 4,200.
"And thanks to Poison Fangs you are drained of yet another 500 life points!"
Joey's life points dwindled to 3,700
With Thunder King gone, the parted bramble recovered and the battlefield was once more swept in shaded darkness.
"And now, Pale Beast attacks your life points directly!" Gundham shouted. His remaining monster charged towards Joey and knocked him over with a swipe of its claws. Joey fell down onto his backside again and his life points trailed downwards to 1,400.
"What will you do to defy fate next, I wonder," Gundham said. "Or have you finally realized that you lack any meaningful way to oppose me any longer?"
"You wish!" Joey shouted. "I'm not gonna call it quits just yet!"
"Then by all means, come, but know you do so at the expense of wiping yourself out!" Gundham shouted. "And don't forget the power of my Poisonous Fangs as they rip your once plentiful life points asunder!"
Joey's life points were then reduced to 900, even with Gundham's. He had had nearly twice his starting life total, but now he had practically nothing left.
This might be my last chance, Joey thought. I'm so close. Come on, Heart of the Cards…I'm not asking for much here. Just give me something to turn this duel around!
Joey went for the top card of his deck and finally his prayers were answered. He had pulled a single, solitary card that would, quite literally, flip the duel on its head.
Perfect, Joey thought. "I'm setting a monster face-down! Your move, freakshow!"
"Gahahahahahaha! So it's surrender then! A second favorite to futile struggle!" Gundham shouted. "Very well, let us end these charades!" Gundham drew the top card of his deck to his hand. "Go! Chimaera! Rid the field of this fool's final monster!"
Joey smirked as his so-called final monster was revealed to be a strange being known as Fiber Jar.
When Gundham's precious Chimaera's attack was halted upon coming into contact with the monster's glistening crystal eye at the base of its topiaryesque body, he became gravely concerned. "What is this…confounded contraption."
"Heh heh! It worked!" Joey exclaimed. "Fiber Jar's ability activates once its flipped face up and it's one of my favorites! Now we gotta take all our cards in our hands, our graveyards and what's on the field and then send 'em right back to the deck. Then we draw five cards."
"NO! YOU COWARD! You circumvent the power of the Closed Forest through a piece of worthless pottery?!"
"I'll have you know this worthless pottery is about ta win me the duel!" Joey exclaimed. "What's the matter, Gundham? Disappointed that you didn't get to finish me off with your ooky spooky forest in play? Or is it cause I'm sending that powerful monster of yours you worked so hard to summon right back to your deck?"
"Grrrrrr," Gundham growled. "Mark my words, Fledgling! You will regret this!"
"We'll see about that, but follow the rules, freakshow. Into the deck with all yer cards, got it?"
Gundham growled, but did as instructed. And as such Closed Forest and Chimaera, the Master of Beasts disappeared from the field of battle.
"All right!" Serenity exclaimed. "Way to go, Joey!"
"That's usin your noggin, buddy!" Tristan exclaimed.
"I admit, I did not expect you to be so resourceful, Fledgling," Gundham said, once he and Joey had finished drawing hands of five. "Your ingenuity caught me off guard." He looked at his hand. "HOWEVER! I suspected you would try something underhanded and so I left a portion of my power in reserve to summon a monster should you deceive me! So now I shall bring out the harbinger of your inevitable destruction! I summon Archfiend Soldier! In attack mode!"
A purple fiend wreathed in a green cape stormed the field with a mighty 1,900 attack points and 1,500 defense points.
"I shall also empower my great beast with Sword of Dark Destruction!"
In its right arm, Gundham's monster equipped a reddish, fiendish looking blade. "This shall increase my monster's attack power by 400…at the expense…of 200 defense points."
Gundham's monster now had 2,300 attack points but only 1,300 defense points.
"Make your move, Fledgling and make it count, for should you fail to strike down my monster, I shall tear the rest of your life points from your breathing body and show your soul to you as the light fades from your eyes."
"Yeesh, I hope you don't mean that literally," Joey remarked. "So it's my turn then?"
"Quite, make your move, Fledgling, and make it count," Gundham chuckled.
Joey scanned his hand for answers. Let's see here, Polymerization, Monster Reborn, Battle Warrior, Sword Hunter and Gearfried. Noooot exactly what I was hopin' ta see. But, just gotta roll with the punches and see what happens. Joey reached for the top of his deck. If I just had my Red-Eyes...I could win this thing. If I just... Joey entered a trance like state, not even realizing he had closed his eyes as he pulled the top card of his deck to his hand. From the top of his deck came his faithful Red-Eyes. He could hear the card's screeching cry as he pulled it to his hand. You're always there when I need you, huh? Joey thought. "All right, here goes! I'm activating Polymerization! And I choose to offer Battle Warrior and my very own Red-Eyes Black Dragon! So, ladies and gents, let's give a warm Kaiba Corp Grand Prix re-welcome to Red-Eyes Slash Dragon!"
Coated once more in iron armor, Red-Eyes Black Dragon stormed to the field. As before, it had 2,800 attack points and 2,400 defense points.
"Guh!" Gundham grimaced. "That monster's power..."
"Awww, is someone quakin' in their bandages? Cause I think I just won!" Joey shouted. "Red-Eyes, attack Archfiend Soldier!"
The spirit of Battle Warrior appeared upon Slash Dragon, boosting its attack power and raising it to 3,000.
The resulting clash between Slash Dragon and Archfiend Soldier was quick and painless for the latter as Slash Dragon's wrist blades tore through its fiendish foe, leaving Gundham with only 200 life points.
Things fell eerily silent. Was Gundham giving up?
Then…everyone heard a slight chuckle from his lips. "Heh…Heh heh…" Gundham threw his head back and roared with laughter. "HEH HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! YOU ABSOLUTE FOOL! Calling your move the end of this game when your arithmetic is so paltry even a level one wizard would be able to see through your tricks, let alone I and my magnificent evil eye!"
"Don't act so tough! I've got this duel all wrapped up!" Joey shouted.
"Don't be so conceited!" Gundham shouted. "DO YOU THINK YOU ARE THE ONLY ONE THAT COMMANDS THE POWER OF FUSION, FLEDGLING?! DO YOU?"
"Uh...well..." Joey stuttered.
"HERETIC! YOUR IMPRECISENESS SHALL BE YOUR DOWNFALL!" Gundham shouted. "I DRAW!" Gundham looked at the card he'd pulled to his hand, grinning to himself. "As expected, you have lost."
"Say, what?!" Joey shouted.
"I ACTIVATE THE POWER OF FUSION!" Gundham shouted. He slipped a Polymerization into the card reader.
"Don't tell me, you were planning this?" Joey asked.
"Do you think you're the only one skilled whose pact with their deck reaches the point of absurdity? Archfiend was merely a sacrifice to lure out your most prized possession. For now, you will see the TRUE TERROR THAT AWAITS YOU!"
"You're bluffing," Joey snarled.
"I have already intended to enact the incantation of fusion. Not only is this no mere bluff, but the combination of my monsters will result in the power of a beast you are QUITE FAMILIAR WITH! I fuse together the power of my Summoned Skull with the substitute fusion power of Versago the Destroyer! By fusing them together with this ancient spell I can create a mighty beast the gods themselves fear! BEHOLD THE MIGHTY BLACK DRAGON OF DARKNESS! I SUMMON! BLACK! SKULL! DRAGON!"
Joey froze. No. It couldn't be.
But it was, the two monsters mashed together to create a monster Joey himself had once played to win a duel. The horned, dark dragon stormed to the battlefield with a destructive 3,200 attack points and 2,500 defense points. Its terrifying jaw was filled with sharp teeth. Its eyes were red with hunger.
"But that's NOT ALL! I shall empower my monster with the untold gift of Mage Power! Granting it even greater strength!"
Black Skull Dragon became seeped in vibrant green energy and its attack power grew to 3,700.
"If you think I will permit myself to underestimate you then you are a FOOL! With the power of my Black Skull Dragon, I shall crush what little hope you have left of winning this duel!"
"Quake in fear, Joseph Wheeler! You may have cheated death once today, perhaps twice, but not again! Black Skull Dragon! Crush Red-Eyes Slash Dragon into dust! Molten Fireballs!"
Black Skull Dragon unleashed a torrent of meteoric fireballs at Joey's Dragon. Joey's monster managed to evade the first one, but the next one nailed it in the chest before the last one blew up in its face. The heat and intensity blew Joey off his feet. Gundham got him good on that one.
Their life points were now even. Both had 200, but only Gundham had a monster worth boasting about.
"KNEEL BEFORE THE SUPREME OVERLORD OF THE TANAKA EMPIRE AND DESPAIR!" Gundham shouted jubilantly, arms folded. "FOR THERE CAN BE NO HOPE AGAINST THE DRAGON OF DARKNESS!"
"I'll never kneel…" Joey said as he pushed his aching body to his feet.
"What…DID…You…SAY?!" Gundham roared in rage.
"I'll never kneel! Not now not ever!" Joey shouted. "Give up? Surrender? Those words ain't in my dictionary, pal! I'm gonna win! I'm gonna send you and the dragon straight to the cheap seats!"
"KNOW THE LIMITS OF YOUR OWN COMPETENCE!" Gundham fired back. "THIS DUEL IS OVER!"
"Yeah, for you," Joey said. He was bluffing for the moment, but he had full faith he'd draw exactly what he needed to turn this around.
"If you're so sure then COME! Instead of your cheap tricks to escape my Forest of Death FACE MY DRAGON HEAD ON! Our stamina wears thin and our decks have been fully stocked! Your power could blow up in your face just as easily as it could be your salvation!"
"Heart is heart, Gundham! It doesn't sabotage you and I have full faith in it!"
"Draw then, for it will be your last if you lack the skill to close this battle!"
"You got it! I draw!" Joey exclaimed. There was only one card in Joey's entire deck that could save him right now. Even if he revived Slash Dragon, it would not be enough to stand against Black Skull Dragon. He needed some way of lowering its attack points. Thankfully, as he drew the top card of his deck to his hand, he got his wish. He grinned. He then gave Gundham his toughest look. "All right, Gundham, you want me to come at you head on? LET'S DANCE! I activate Monster Reborn to revive Red-Eyes Slash Dragon!"
Red-Eyes returned to the field, fresh from the grave, with its normal attack and defense points.
"And next, I'm setting one card face-down," Joey said.
Gundham looked puzzled. "I beg your pardon. Do you choose not to attack?"
Joey nodded. "Yeah, that's right. You said to come at you head on, but I don't got a monster strong enough to attack on my turn. Even if I attacked, my Slash Dragon's attack power would only go up to 3,000. Your monster's still strong enough. But…my Red-Eyes is always there when I need it! You wanna go? Then you gotta come to me!" Joey shouted, balling a fist.
"Heh…AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Magnificent! Truly magnificent! Yes! This will be a fitting final conclusion to our glorious confrontation! One Dragon versus another! 200 points separating each of us from oblivion! POWER VERSUS SKILL! STRENGTH versus DETERMINATION! I ACCEPT YOUR CHALLENGE!"
Gundham was riding the adrenaline high right now. "Death or glory, which shall it be? I draw!" He drew the top card of his deck and looked at his hand. He had but two cards left remaining. "If you think I'm going to just waltz in and strike blindly, you are gravely mistaken, Fledgling of Fate! No…not Fledgling. Henceforth, you are The EMBODIMENT OF WILL! But…I shall prove that no avatar can topple an overlord! Behold my power!"
"Then prove it, tough guy! COME AT ME!"
"INDEED I SHALL!" Gundham shouted. "BLACK SKULL DRAGON! ATTACK! MOLTEN FIREBALLS!"
Black Skull Dragon began to charge the first of its fireballs.
"Ha, gotcha," Joey said with a smirk.
"What?" Gundham gasped.
"Activate Skull Dice!" Joey shouted.
"NO! ACCURSED CUBE! STAY YOUR HAND!"
"What's the matter, Gundham? Don't tell me you're afraid of a little die roll?" Joey asked with a grin. "What was it you said before? A level one wizard understands basic arithmetic? Well then Mr. Wizard, whatdya call the fact that I just have to not roll a 1 and I win this duel! How's that for math?"
Gundham looked at the only card in his hand. It was useless against the power of Skull Dice. Forbidden Lance. Cutting his monster's attack power in half would simply reduce the difference in power to 50 life points if this card was launched, but Joey would still win the clash and finish him off.
Still, though the odds were against Gundham's favor, his odds of victory were not 0.
"Kehehe…Heh heh…HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! YES! YEEEEEES! THIS IS HOW IT SHOULD BE! LET THE ROLL OF FATE DECIDE THE OUTCOME! GO MY DRAGON! CLASH WITH HIS! LET THE POWER OF YOUR CLAWS AND FANGS DO ALL THE TALKING NECESSARY!"
The Molten Fireballs of Black Skull Dragon blew towards Red-Eyes Slash Dragon. As they did so, Skull Dice was in the midst of rolling and tumbling having fallen from the air.
Slash Dragon took the blows of the fireballs, blocking the first two blasts with its armored wrist blades, which disintegrated upon impact. The third one nailed Slash Dragon in the jaw. Though the monster recoiled, it snapped its head back to the forward position and roared at Black Skull Dragon. The dragon roared back and the two monsters met claw to claw, passing each other by in a decisive single stroke slash.
The audience was dead quiet. Everyone waited with baited breath. For a moment everyone had forgotten about the roll of Skull Dice and paid attention simply to the two dragons.
In the next moment, the armor on Slash Dragon's right arm, which it had used to strike Black Skull Dragon, began to fragment and break. Eventually, everything from that side of the arm to the head shattered and was destroyed, leaving a visage of a much more normal looking Red-Eyes behind.
Joey's heart sank. Had he failed? Black Skull Dragon looked like it was breathing down his faith, but…was it even breathing at all?
In the next moment, a tearing sound could be heard as Black Skull Dragon's head suddenly burst from its neck in three, distinct segments at the throat. As the head rolled to the ground it vanished and pieces of Black Skull Dragon began to go with it. It…was over.
Gundham solemnly accepted defeat as his life points fell to 0.
Joey smiled at his slightly unarmored Red-Eyes. The monster turned its head to look Joey in the eyes. "Thanks, Red-Eyes. I know I can always count on you."
The monster let out its signature piercing cry and then faded from existence as the hologram projectors shut down.
"Yo, Gundham? No hard feelings, right?"
"Heh…heh heh…HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHA! MAGNIFICENT! TRULY MAGNIFICENT! NAY! Embodiment of Will does not do you justice! From now on, Joseph Wheeler, I hereby henceforth crown you the title of Fate's Ultimate Eliminator!"
"Oh uh…thanks?" Joey asked.
"Ultimate Elminator?" Téa asked. "I don't get it."
Tristan started counting on his fingers. "Oh dang! Gundham's not kidding. Joey's beaten six Ultimates since the start of Battle City."
"He HAS?!" Téa didn't realize Joey had won that many duels.
"Yay, big brother!" Serenity cheered.
"We knew you could do it, Joey!" Mai called out to him.
"Wheeler! Wheeler! Wheeler! Wheeler!" The audience chanted.
Up in his booth, Kaiba palmed his eyes. "I think I'm going to be sick."
"EHEEHEEHEEEE! Joey did it! Joey did it!" Ibuki exclaimed, flailing her arms in joy.
"Well at least she's happy," Kazuichi said.
"I am too, if I'm being honest," Mahiru said. "Joey's a good duelist. This'll be good for his self-esteem."
There was a small pause before Sonia gasped. "Oh my, does that mean Joey's next opponent is—"
"Miss Yukizome, yeah," Nekomaru said, nodding.
"Pfffffft, big sis is gonna squash him like a bug," Hiyoko remarked. She raised her arms and showed moderate amounts of cheer. "There's only two duelists in our class better than her and that's Chiaki and Hajime. And didn't you tell me Joey lost to Hajime, Mahiru?"
"Yeah he did, but that doesn't mean that—"
"Big sis will win!" Hiyoko shouted. "She'll win cause she's my big sis! I'm a way better little sister to support someone than Joey's!"
"Now, now, let's keep it civil," Mahiru said with a strained smile.
It only now just seemed like reality was catching up with Ibuki. "CRAP! Who's Ibuki supposed to root for? Miss Yukizome and Joey are like…two of Ibuki's favorite people in the world!"
Nobody wanted to comment. They thought it best to just let Ibuki be.
Down at the arena, after letting Joey have his proper moment in the spotlight, Gundham approached. "I hope our next battle is just as extraordinary, Ultimate Eliminator. I will be looking forward to it."
"You know what? Same to you," Joey said. "I feel like I could really grow goin' up against you a bunch of times, Gundham."
"Keheh, how modest. You are not even aware of your own power. Nay, it is I that would be growing at your behest," Gundham said, head turned to one side. "Your power far exceeds my own limitations, but even with my evil eye, I was too blind to see it. Well, at least where this game of chance and wit are concerned. When it comes to Astral Power you are a mere novice."
I really do not get this wacko, Joey thought.
With Gundham returning to the stands, Joey returned to the break room. Both Byakuya and Celeste found his returning presence uplifting.
"Got your fill of ham for the day, Joey. I hope you didn't clog an artery," Celeste said.
"What do you mean? The ham's over there," Joey said, pointing to the buffet.
Celeste resisted the urge to slap herself in the face.
Byakuya then approached. "Well done," he said, smirking. "But I expected you to get at least this far. You know what you have to do next, right?"
Joey nodded. "Yeah, I'm gonna face Miss Yukizome and I'm gonna take her down!"
"You'd better. Of course, at least now you can expend all your brain cells on preparing for it," Byakuya said.
Joey's stomach growled. "Well my brain cells clearly need food. Excuse me." He walked over to the buffet.
"How he is not over 200 pounds with heart problems is beyond me," Byakuya said in disgust.
"I agree," Celeste said. "Perhaps he is not human and is some sort of alien life form meant to consume all food on this planet."
"That…would explain far too much," Byakuya said.
As the commercial break ended, Celeste was busy touching herself up while gazing into a compact mirror when the announcement came on.
"Celestia Ludenberg and Rebecca Hawkins, please report to the dueling arena now."
Celeste paused a moment as she snapped her mirror shut. "Huh," she said nonchalantly. "I'd almost forgotten about her. She's so forgettable I'd forgotten she was even competing. Oh well, I'm not a fan of child abuse, but I suppose the little brat needs to learn her place."
Casually, Celeste strode slowly towards the arena.
This was in stark contrast to Rebecca who was bolting for the arena and full of energy. She waved at Yugi. "Yugiiiii! Yugi are you going to cheer for me?"
Yami laughed. "Rebecca, as much as I would like to, I'm a judge and I've been asked to be impartial, but I do wish you good luck."
Rebecca hugged herself and squirmed in place, making cute noises.
It was just as she was lowering her arms and opening her eyes that Celeste made it up to the arena. "Let's get this over with."
"Is it just me or did the mood in here suddenly drop?" Mai asked.
"What crawled up your butt?" Rebecca asked.
Celeste sighed, putting her hands over her chest. "Oh it's quite sad, really. Here I am competing in one of the most prestigious tournaments of the decade." She then tilted her head up and put her braced finger by the side of her lip. "And yet for this round in the last I have spent my time scrubbing has-beens off the street and now," she said, glancing towards Rebecca without changing her posture, "with you, babysitting."
Rebecca stomped her foot, balled her fists and glared. "Excuse me?!"
"Ah. Ah. Ah. We're on live television. It wouldn't do to have a hissy fit in front of all these people, don't you think?"
"I'll have you know I'm smart enough to be taking college courses online despite my age!" Rebecca shouted.
"Goodness!" Celeste gasped, looking surprised. "And tell me, how will that help you win a duel?"
Rebecca growled and swung her fists in the air in Yami's general direction. "Yugi! Do something! She's being mean and rude to me!"
"Celeste, tone it down," Yami urged sternly.
"Or what? You'll have me disqualified over a minor verbal spat? I'm just venting. But…I suppose I should be grateful to have been handed such easy opponents in the first two rounds. That is partly my talent at work I suppose. Next round will be much more fruitful when I face one of the Ultimate Lucky Students."
"Quit talking like you've already won!" Rebecca shouted.
"Ahaha," Celeste chortled, smiling cheerfully. "But my dear Rebecca, I already have. With you as my opponent, I simply cannot lose. If you give up now, I promise not to embarrass you in front of Yugi and all these people."
"No way!" Rebecca shot back, fists balled. "I came here to duel and that's exactly what I'm gonna do!"
"Oh very well," Celeste said and smirked. "The hard way it is then."
Celeste immediately activated her duel disk and, with sleight of hand, fanned out five cards in front of her, moving them like a folding fan.
Rebecca growled. Celeste was mocking her. "I'll show you. You think just cause you're older than me that means you're better than me? Huh? I'm a dueling prodigy!"
"I do, actually. But I'm sure you got your stardom in the most exclusive school gymnasiums and hobby shops," Celeste said nonchalantly.
Rebecca shook with boiling rage. "I'm going to shut you up now."
"Oh by all means," Celeste said with a wily smirk. "I'd like to see you try."
Rebecca activated her duel disk with a bitter gaze aimed and Celeste. She wasn't going to let this older girl push her around. She was going to come at her with everything she had.
"Sooooo, which one should win?" Tristan asked.
"Better question, which one should lose?" Téa remarked.
"Celeste, you'd better not lose this, do you hear me?" Mai shouted, all huffy.
Tristan and Téa turned their heads with wide eyes in Mai's direction.
"I thought you hated Celeste," Téa said.
"It's complicated, hon," Mai sai, patting Téa on the back. She then gazed up at the arena, arms folded.
"If you say so," Téa said, doing the same, but put her hands in her lap.
Rebecca hissed as she drew her starting hand. Then, she and Celeste were both granted their starting life total of 4,000 points each.
"Whenever you're ready," Celeste said with a smirk.
"I've been ready," Rebecca glared.
"You can do without the first turn randomizer," Celeste said to Mokuba. "I'd be so grateful if the little girl went first. She'll need all the help she can get."
"You smug little—" Rebecca said, clenching a fist. She took a deep breath. "Fine! I'll show you why that was a mistake."
"Rebecca, I don't make mistakes. I either win or lose. It's up to you to outduel me, but let's face it. You won't."
Rebecca hissed. She'd never met a more aggravating opponent than the one right in front of her and she wasn't about to let herself get pushed around.
With the first turn decided, Celeste and Rebecca at least made with the formalities.
"Let's duel," Celeste said calmly.
"Let's duel!" Rebecca shouted irritably.
The fifth duel of the second round of the Kaiba Corp Grand Prix was about to begin.
(A/N: Man, Celeste has no fucking mercy XD. Quickly on the subject of Joey Vs Gundham, I went as all out as I could with this one. I knew some people were expecting certain monsters to come out, but the duel just ran away from me once I got Closed Forest out. And I really really wanted Gundham to use Black Skull Dragon. Oh well, maybe he'll use Pyramid of Light another time. Who can say? Mwahaha. But, until next time, as always, from all of me, to all of you, let your hearts stay human and your wrath draconic. Ja ne!)