Yu-Gi-Oh! Convergence of Champions
Chapter 4: Triple Trouble
Previously on Yu-Gi-Oh!...
Cole Yeager, aiming to surpass his father Robert as a Duelist, made a name for himself when he defeated the pro circuit champion Simon Kaiser in a duel. But his road to becoming a champion was halted by the sorcerer Heishin. Heishin had come seeking the Century Coin, which landed on Cole's world. The Coin chose Cole as a champion…but not before Heishin took his father's soul!
The other Century Items have chosen Champions as well: Yugi Muto, the King of Games, holds the Century Key. Tea Gardner holds the Century Necklace. Cole's childhood friend Hana Hikari holds the Century Scales. Ryou Bakura holds the Century Eye. And Simon holds the Century Ring. The Warrior King Yasuke told the Champions and their friends that Heishin seeks to awaken the titan Reshef, in order to remake the world in his own image.
To do this, he needs the collected Century Items – of which he only holds one, the Century Rod – and the three Egyptian God Cards. Heishin has sent his fellow mages to attack Domino City by rebuilding the Rare Hunters and stealing Duelists' souls to strengthen Reshef before the ritual. Rare Hunters attacked KaibaCorp, where Seto Kaiba is locked in a duel with dinosaur master Rex Raptor to save his brother Mokuba. Meanwhile, the Champions have made it to Domino City, only for Simon to disappear!
That's the least of their worries, as Cole now faces the insect duelist Weevil Underwood and Yugi faces off against Strings, the Rare Hunters' malevolent mine. The last time the two dueled, Strings wielded the nigh-unstoppable power of the Egyptian God Slifer the Sky Dragon, and now is under Heishin's control…
KaibaCorp.
Seto Kaiba VS Rex Raptor.
"I'll go first!" Rex sneered, drawing a card from his deck. "First I special summon Gilasaurus!" A dark brown Velociraptor appeared on the field, snarling. (Level 4/Dinosaur/Earth/ATK: 1400/DEF: 400) "Next, I'll activate Big Evolution Pill! This spell lets me tribute one dinosaur and summon my bigger dinosaurs without a sacrifice! So, I summon Black Tyranno in attack mode!"
Gilasaurus disappeared, to be replaced with a massive Tyrannosaurus with jet black skin that growled menacingly at Kaiba. (Level 8/Dinosaur/Earth/ATK: 2600/ DEF: 1800)
"I'll place one card facedown and end my turn," the dinosaur duelist said, smirking.
"Prepare to be crushed, Raptor," Kaiba growled, yanking a card from his deck. "My turn!" He looked over his hand and smirked. "What do you know, this will be easier than I expected. I summon the Lord of Dragons in defense mode!" His trademark dragon armored sorcerer appeared, kneeling in a defensive position. (Level 4/Spellcaster/Dark/ATK: 1200/DEF: 1100).
"Then I activate the spell card, Melody of Awakening Dragon! I discard one card…and add two Dragons from my deck to my hand!" Two cards slid out of Kaiba's deck, and he added them to his hand.
"Don't tell me, let me guess," Rex scoffed. "It's your precious Blue Eyes."
"Right you are…but the fun's only beginning." Kaiba held up another spell. "I activate Monster Reborn to summon the monster I discarded with Melody of Awakening Dragon! Now, Raptor, feel the power of my third Blue Eyes White Dragon!" (Level 8/Dragon/Light/ATK: 3000/ DEF: 2500)
The Blue Eyes White Dragon arrived on the field, sunlight reflecting off its silvery skin. It let out a triumphant roar.
"And now I activate Polymerization! To fuse my three Blue Eyes together into a creature of unsurpassed power! Witness the beginning of your end…I summon the BLUE EYES ULTIMATE DRAGON!"
The Blue Eyes roared once more, glowing bright blue and doubling in size. The light began to fade, revealing a new Blue Eyes that was three times the size of its predecessor…and had three separate heads to boot. (Level 12/Dragon/Light/ATK: 4500/ DEF: 3800)
"And finally…I activate the spell card Neutron Blast. Which lets my Ultimate Dragon attack three times in a row."
Rex's eyelid twitched. "W-what?!"
"You were a fool to challenge me, Raptor." Kaiba raised his hand in the air. "Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon, annihilate him! Neutron Blast!"
The Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon raised all three of its heads and fired off a burst of bluish-white energy. The orbs flew, colliding with each other and growing to form one massive orb. Said orb hit Black Tyranno, instantly immolating the massive dinosaur.
Kaiba: 4000 LP/ Rex: 2300 LP
But the orb didn't stop there, as it smashed full force into Rex. The dinosaur duelist had no time to scream as he was sent flying, colliding hard against a wall and slumping.
Kaiba: 4000 LP/ Rex: 0 LP
"Yeah, Seto!" Mokuba cheered as Kaiba deactivated his Duel Disk and turned to the Rare Hunters.
"We had a deal. Release my brother!"
"Correction," one of them sniggered. "You had a deal with Raptor! We on the other hand, aren't bound by worthless promises."
"You have a death wish?!" Kaiba snarled, striding toward the Rare Hunters. Suddenly, he stopped as shadows began to flow out of their cloaks. Before anyone could react, the Rare Hunters were gone…alongside the Kaiba brothers!
Outside Kaiba Corp.
"Hehehe!" Weevil snickered as he drew his card. "You have no idea who you're messing with, kid! I'll set Atomic Firefly in defense mode!" A buzzing sound was heard as a metallic creature, looking more like a robot than an insect, flew onto Weevil's side of the field. (Level 1/Insect/Light/ATK: 100/DEF: 200) "Then I set two cards facedown and end my turn."
"My move!" Cole shouted. He drew, then took two cards from his hands. "I summon Marauding Captain in attack mode! And due to his special effect, I can summon Evocator Chevalier in attack mode as well!" Marauding Captain appeared on the field, brandishing his twin swords. Seconds later he was joined by a samurai clad in bright red armor that had the appearance of flames. (Level 4/Warrior/Fire/ATK: 1900/ DEF: 900).
"Marauding Captain, attack Atomic Firefly!" Cole roared. Marauding Captain drew his swords and rushed forward, slicing through Weevil's firefly…
…causing it to explode in a massive conflagration! Shards of metal flew past Cole's knight and pelted him, and he winced as he saw his life points plummet. "What the hell?"
Cole: 3000 LP / Weevil: 4000 LP
"Oh dear me, did I forget to mention that Atomic Firefly deals a thousand points of damage to my opponent when it's destroyed?" Weevil said with mock innocence before snickering. "Face it, Clyde, you don't have the skills to beat me."
"My name's COLE, bug-breath. And the duel's only getting started – because last I checked you're wide open for attack. Evocator Chevalier attack his life points directly! Blazing Blade of Justice!"
The Chevalier drew its katana, the blade heating up to white-hot levels, and dashed forward, slicing at Weevil and sending him stumbling.
Cole: 3000 LP/ Weevil: 2100 LP
"Hehehe!" the insect duelist snickered. "You walked right into my trap! Specifically, this trap card: Swarm Tactics!"
Swarm Tactics (Trap Card)
Activate when your opponent attacks your life points directly. Summon monsters whose total attack is equal to or less than the amount of damage you took.
"So now I summon Pinch Hopper and Skull-Marked Ladybug, both in defense mode!" A green grasshopper and a ladybug with a skull-shaped symbol on its shell appeared before Weevil. (Level 4/Insect/Earth/ATK: 1000/DEF: 1200)/(Level 4/Insect/Earth/ATK: 500/DEF: 1200)
Cole's teeth ground together. "I place one card face down and end my turn," he muttered.
"Man, this Weevil guy is pretty good…" Eleanor said as she observed the duel. "He lost one monster and gained two."
"And he's playing Cole," Eli responded grimly.
Everyone turned to look at the younger of the Weston siblings. "Playing him how?" Hana asked.
"Normally Cole's level-headed and thinks his moves through. But with his dad in the mix…he rushed into attacking Weevil. And Weevil is going to milk that for all it's worth."
"It's my turn!" Weevil announced as he drew a card. He looked at his hand, and his grin grew wider. Excellent! I have everything I need. "I set a monster facedown and end my turn!"
"Draw!" Cole snapped a card off the top of his deck. "Time for me to exterminate your little insect army. First, I summon the Knight of Twin Swords in attack mode!"
A new knight appeared on the field. This warrior bore a serious expression on his face, and true to his name clutched a dual set of sabers whose handles bore the same royal purple color as his armor.
Knight of Twin Swords (Level 4/Warrior/Earth/ATK: 2000 /DEF: 1500)
This card can attack every monster on your opponent's side of the field once. At the end of your Battle Phase, this monster is switched to defense position.
"My Knight's swordsmanship skills allow him to attack every monster on your side of the field…and once they're cleared out, I'll take down the rest of your life points," Cole smirked. "Knight of Twin Swords, attack! Blade Blitz!"
The Knight of Twin Swords dashed forward, his blades carving through Pinch Hopper, Skull-Marked Ladybug, and the face-down card…and two things happened.
As the face down monster was destroyed, a long, worm like beast jumped up and attached itself to the Knight of Twin Swords! Weevil grinned and held up his Duel Disk so that Cole could see his life points increase.
Cole: 3000 LP / Weevil: 3100 LP
"My insects contain many hidden powers, Cole! When Skull-Marked Ladybug is sent to the graveyard, I gain a thousand life points! And when you attacked my Kiseitai, it attached itself to your Knight of Twin Swords – and will continue to boost my life points by half of his attack points! And finally, when Pinch Hopper is sent to the grave, I can special summon an Insect monster to the field!" Weevil slammed another card onto his Duel Disk. "Behold, my Dreadscythe Harvester!"
A massive, humanoid praying mantis landed on Weevil's side of the field. True to its name, it clutched a scythe in one claw. (Level 8/Insect/Earth/ATK: 2300/DEF: 1800)
"S***…" Cole muttered. "I end my turn."
"And thus begins mine!" Weevil cackled, drawing another card. "First I gain a thousand life points!"
Cole: 3000 LP/ Weevil: 4100 LP
"Next I'll summon Flying Kamikiri #2!" Another preying mantis appeared on Weevil's field, this one having a dark brown color. "And now I'll activate my Dreadscythe Harvester's effect! If I sacrifice an insect monster, he'll gain 500 points until the end of the turn!" The Harvester reached out, picked up the Kamikiri…and bit its head off!
Cries erupted from the sidelines.
"That is sick and wrong!" Hana shrieked.
"I can't watch!" Serenity squeaked, covering her eyes.
Eleanor's face turned green and before anyone could stop her, she raced to the bushes. Seconds later, a hurling sound was heard.
"Attack his Marauding Captain, my Harvester!" Weevil cried out. The Harvester gripped its scythe in its hands and prepared to swing…
…Until Cole shouted, "Reveal trap card! Scrap-Iron Scarecrow!"
As his trap lifted up, a scarecrow made out of various piles of junk appeared, deflecting the Harvester's blow. "Scrap-Iron Scarecrow deflects your attack, and the neat part: I get to flip it back facedown."
Weevil's teeth ground together. "You won't be so lucky next time!" he shrieked.
"What makes you think there's gonna be a next time?" Cole countered, drawing a card. A grin crossed his face as he saw what it was. "OK, Underwood. Time to take out your overgrown mantis! I sacrifice Marauding Captain and Knight of Twin Swords to summon my Buster Blader!"
Buster Blader plummeted from the skies, landing in a kneeling position and drawing his massive sword. (Level 7/Warrior/Earth/ATK: 2600/DEF: 2300)
"YES!" Hana was jumping up and down with joy. "Cole pulled out Buster Blader! Now he can kill that creepy mantis!"
"Plus by sacrificing Knight of Twin Swords, he stops Kiseitai from boosting Weevil's life points!" Eli added.
"Buster Blader, huh?" A smile crossed Joey's face. "Yug's got that card in his deck too. An' it looks like Cole can make just as much use of it as my buddy can."
"Buster Blader, attack! Destruction Sword Flash!" Cole shouted.
Buster Blader gripped his sword and dashed past the Harvester, delivering a blinding flash of light. Seconds later, the Harvester's top half of its body dropped to the ground and it shattered into pieces.
Cole: 3000 LP / Weevil: 3700 LP
"And you remember my Evocator Chevalier, right? Cause he sure remembers you. Blazing Blade of Justice!" Once more the fiery samurai struck at Weevil, sending the bug-themed duelist to his knees.
Cole: 3000 LP / Weevil: 1800 LP
"One more hit and you're done," the knight duelist said, folding his arms. "I'll end my turn."
Slowly, Weevil rose to his feet. You haven't seen anything yet! Time to pull a trick from Bandit Keith's book… His hand reached for his deck to draw, but in a quick flash, he flicked a card hidden underneath his sleeve into his hand. Let's see how you like my Parasite Caterpillar! I'll burn away your life points bit by bit once it evolves into Poison Butterfly!
"Now then…I think I'll set this monster in defense mode!" Weevil placed his Parasite Caterpillar on the Duel Disk…
…and a loud blaring sound erupted from it, causing everyone in the vicinity to jump!
"Gah!" Cole shouted, clapping his hands over his ears. "What's going on –"
An electronic voice filtered from Weevil's Duel Disk. "WARNING: Illegal play. Card was not draw from deck and must be discarded. Repeated infractions will result in an automatic forfeiture of the match."
Weevil paled. "How…how did it know…"
"YOU LITTLE CHEATER!" Eleanor exploded. "You pulled that card when no one was looking!"
"Typical Weevil," Joey growled. This caused Cole's friends to turn and look at the blonde.
"He's done this before?!" Hana said, her voice shaking with rage.
"He tossed Yugi's cards into the sea and stole the rules to a tournament," Joey told the younger girl. "An' he slipped a card into my deck that boosted his insects even further."
"Damn you Kaiba," growled Weevil as he slipped his card into the graveyard. "He must have reconfigured the Duel Disk system to prevent this from happening. He took away my advantage!"
"You call cheating an advantage?!" Cole snarled. "You're no Duelist…just a lying little worm who fell from grace."
A worm am I?! Weevil sneered inwardly. Well, this worm is about to turn the duel around!
Meanwhile…
Strings drew a card from his deck. "The first move is mine, vessel! I'll place one card facedown, then summon Reactor Slime in defense mode!" A strange machine rose in front of him – it looked like a round dome, but the bottom was a shifting, silvery substance. (Level 4/Aqua/Water/ATK: 500/DEF: 500) "I end my turn."
Looks like Strings is still using his slime cards, Yugi thought as he drew. I'll have to be careful and dismantle his defense. "I summon Gold Gadget in attack mode! And thanks to his special ability, Silver Gadget will join him!" Twin machine monsters appeared on Yugi's side of the field; one a bright gold, the other a stainless silver.
Gold Gadget: (Level 4/Machine/Light/ATK: 1700/DEF: 800)
Silver Gadget: (Level 4/Machine/Light/ATK: 1500/ DEF: 1000)
"Silver Gadget, attack his Reactor Slime!" Silver Gadget flew toward Reactor Slime, drawing back its fist…until Strings shouted, "I activate Reactor Slime's effect! By sacrificing it, I can set a certain card from my deck…and then activate it! A card I'm sure you're familiar with, vessel! Metal Reflect Slime!"
Reactor Slime vanished, to be replaced by a massive, spiked orb of metal. (Level 10/Aqua/Water/ATK: 0/DEF: 3000) Silver Gadget plunged its fist into the orb but was sent flying and slammed full on into Yugi!
Yugi: 2500 LP/Strings: 4000 LP
The King of Games collected himself, then placed two cards into the spell/trap slots on his Duel Disk. "I end my turn by placing two cards facedown."
"That's all? Pathetic," sneered the mime as he drew. "Atem wouldn't have fallen for a trap like that-"
"I TOLD YOU NOT TO SAY MY FRIEND'S NAME!" Yugi bellowed, causing nearly everyone in the vicinity – Cole and Weevil included – to flinch.
The Realm of Lancaster.
Heishin leaned forward, a sneer crossing his wizened face. "The Pharoah is a soft spot for you, little vessel. Tell me…are you angry because you realize he made you what you are? Or because he took the heart of the person closest to you?"
A deathly silence hung in the air.
"W…what…? What are you talking about?" Yugi finally managed to speak.
"My Century Rod doesn't just allow me to control minds. It allows me to peer into one's thoughts…to see the secrets they keep locked inside. I see your soul Yugi Muto…and it is in anguish."
"Yugi?" Tea spoke up. "What does he mean?"
Strings threw his head back and laughed again. "You haven't told her?! After all these years? Vessel, I admire your capacity for keeping secrets."
"Secrets?! What secrets?!"
"Tea, it's not important…"
"Yugi, I'm your friend! Of course it's important!"
"ENOUGH!" Strings roared. "In case you haven't noticed, this is still a Duel! And it's my turn, so I activate Polymerization to fuse together Worm Drake and Humanoid Worm Slime into Humanoid Worm Drake! (Level 7/Aqua/Water/ATK: 2200/DEF: 2000) "Worm Drake, attack his Silver Gadget!"
"You've triggered my trap card!" Yugi shouted. "I activate Metalhold the Moving Blockade!"
From the ground, there rose a MASSIVE metallic being, its armor the color of rust. Both of Yugi's Gadgets leapt up and inserted themselves into slots in the massive robot, as it came to life. (Level 4/Earth/Machine/ATK: 0 -3200/DEF: 0 – 1800) It swung a bolder sized fist into Humanoid Worm Drake and shattered the opposing beast into pieces!
Yugi: 2500 LP / Strings: 3100 LP
"What is this trickery, vessel?!" Strings growled.
"No trickery, just Metalhold's special effect. When I activate it, this trap becomes a monster – and my Gadgets combine their attack and defense to fuel it! Plus while Metalhold is out, you can only attack him."
The mime could only glare at Yugi. "I end my turn."
"And I begin mine!" The King of Games drew his card and smiled. "I activate Card of Sanctity, which lets us draw until we have six cards in our hands." Yugi drew three, while Strings drew four. Suddenly, a puffy white fairy appeared on Yugi's field! (Level 1/Fairy/Light/ATK: 200/ DEF: 300)
Yugi looked up and smiled at the mime. "I see you've met Watapon – his special ability allows me to summon him to the field if I draw him using a card effect." His second facedown card lifted. "And now that Watapon is here, I activate Magical Dimension!" Watapon disappeared in a flash of light, zipping into a metallic coffin that rose form the ground. "By sacrificing Watapon, I can summon a spellcaster from my hand – and I choose the Dark Magician!"
The coffin slowly opened, revealing a wizard in dark purple robes and clutching a green staff. He leapt to the field, standing tall. (Level 7/Spellcaster/Dark/ATK: 2500/DEF: 2100).
"But that's not all – now Magical Dimension allows me to destroy one monster on your side of the field, and I choose your Metal Reflect Slime!" Strings flinched as chains wrapped around his metal slime, pulling it into the coffin before said coffin shattered into pieces. "Now your life points are wide open – Dark Magician, attack him directly with Dark Magic Attack!"
The Dark Magician raised his staff and fired a blast of eldritch energy, smashing into Strings and sending the mime skidding to the ground.
Yugi: 2500 LP/ Strings: 600 LP
However, Strings lifted his head, a dark smirk crossing his face. "Thank you, vessel."
"…you're thanking me for nearly wiping out your life points?"
"I thank you for giving me the key to victory!" Strings pulled a card from his hand. "Now that you'd dealt damage to me, I can summon one of my greatest slime monsters – Guardian Slime!" Dark blue slime slid off of his Duel Disk, forming a creature whose head resembled the Egyptian god of the dead Anubis. (Level 10/Aqua/Water/ATK: 0/DEF: 0)
"This is your great monster?" Yugi said, raising an eyebrow. "I'll just have to take it out as well. Metalhold, attack!"
Metalhold charged toward the Guardian Slime and slammed a fist into its chest. However, the Slime stretched and sent it skidding back to Yugi's side of the field, as its defense changed. (DEF: 0 – DEF: 3200)
"It's called Guardian Slime for a reason, vessel. Whenever it's attacked, its defense becomes the same as whatever monster attacks it. Making it the ultimate shield!" Strings drew a card from his deck. "And now, witness the sword that will cleave you in two. I sacrifice Guardian Slime for a monster you might recognize: The EGYPTIAN GOD SLIME!(Level 10/Aqua/Water/ATK: 3000/DEF: 3000)
"WHAT?!" Yugi shouted.
The Guardian Slime collapsed in on itself, its dark blue hue turning a sinister silver. Then it shot into the sky, growing in size and shape until it began to resemble a massive behemoth that was once called Obelisk the Tormentor.
"Then I summon Acid Slime in defense mode!" A new glob of slime appeared, this one sporting four leg-like appendages. (Level 3/Aqua/Water/ATK: 800/DEF: 1000) "Now my Egyptian God Slime…destroy his Dark Magician!" The Slime raised its massive fist, which enlongated into a massive blade. With a roar, it swung its newfound sword, cutting through the Dark Magician and sending a shockwave that sent Yugi flying!
"YUGI!" screamed Tea.
The King of Games painfully stood up, holding his ribs. "Gah…I'm fine Tea." But a hint of fear danced in his eyes.
Yugi: 2000 LP / Strings: 600 LP
Atem was barely able to beat that thing when he dueled Marik's dark side…how can I stop it?!
On the other side of the field, Weevil drew a new card and looked at his hand. He cackled. "Hee hee hee! It's time for you to meet your doom…or rather, my Doom Dozer! I remove Atomic Firefly and Flying Kamikiri #2 from the grave to special summon him!"
The ground began to rumble, and Cole looked down…
…just to see a massive centipede burst up from the ground! Its large mandibles clicked together as it stared at the knight duelist with blood red eyes. (Level 8/Insect/Earth/ATK: 2800/DEF: 2600)
"And don't think you'll be using that Scrap-Iron Scarecrow! I activate my Heavy Storm to destroy all spells and traps on the field!" A massive wind whipped through the field, shattering Cole's Scrap-Iron Scarecrow and Weevil's DNA Surgery. "Now Doom Dozer…annihilate his Buster Blader! Doom Tunnel!"
The Doom Dozer leapt back into the ground, leaving a trail of cracked concrete in its wake. Suddenly it burst upward and seized the Buster Blader in its jaws! There was a horrifying crunch as the dragon slayer was consumed, and Cole's hands curled into fists.
Cole: 2800 LP/ Weevil: 1800 LP
A beeping sound emitted from Cole's Duel Disk, and he saw the word "DISCARD" flashing on his life point counter. "Oh did I forget to mention?" Weevil said with mock sincerity. "Whenever Doom Dozer attacks, the top card of your deck is sent to the graveyard!"
Fixing the insect user with a glare, Cole took the top card from his deck and discarded it into his graveyard.
"COLE!" Hana shouted. The knight duelist turned and looked at his best friend, as she continued to cheer him on. "Don't let that cheating little jerk rattle you!"
"She's right!" Eli called out. "You just need the right cards!"
Cole turned back and looked at his deck. On one level, he knew his friends were right. He'd pulled a victory against Simon in their duel, and there were cards that could take down the Doom Dozer. But could he draw them?
Something cold rolled down his neck.
He realized it was sweat…but he'd never sweated in a duel.
Then again, his father's life – and the fate of the world – had never been at stake…
TO BE CONTINUED…
Next Episode: 'King And Knight'
Yugi and Cole are pushed to their limits, as Strings unleashes the power of the Egyptian God Slime and Weevil summons more powerful insects. Will they draw the cards they need? Meanwhile, Simon continues his quest to stop Heishin by himself. And what of the Kaiba brothers?
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