Yu-Gi-Oh is copyrighted by Konami, Upper Deck, and KidsWB.
Author's Note: This is set after the events in the Duelist Kingdom saga.
Chapter 1: Re-Enter the Hornet's Nest
It has been over a month since Yugi has rescued his Grandpa from the clutches of Pegasus. Everything has settled back to the way it used to be. But now, another individual is seeking to further test the skills of Yugi Moto and claim his Millennium Puzzle for himself. Soon, Yugi and his friends will face an adversary even more cunning and dangerous than Pegasus.
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"Yo Yugi! Wait up!" cried a young man dressed in a school uniform as he ran down the street of Domino towards a much smaller teen with red, spiked hair that was dressed in a school uniform as well. The smaller teen turned to the sound of his best friend's voice, revealing his hair to also have a few blond forelocks. Around his neck was a chain that held an inverted pyramid-shaped object from it. In the center of the object was an eye.
"What's the big rush Joey?" asked the teen. Joey ran up next to the teen and bent over, breathing heavily. Once he caught his breath, he looked back up.
"Didn't you hear Yugi? Today's the day they announce who's going to that special tournament. You know, the one where they aren't tell anyone where it's being held," said Joey.
"It's today? I thought it wasn't until next week," said Yugi. Joey ignored his friend's answer. Instead, he grabbed Yugi by his sleeve and ran off again towards the card shop further down the street.
"Sorry bud. No time to talk!" cried Joey as he took off. Yugi let out a cry of surprise as Joey took off, but he knew that Joey was excited. According to the tournament entry rules, a duelist had to be ranked in the top 3% of every duelist in the world in order to participate in the tournament. Yugi and Joey were both very confident that they would make the cut ever since they both had been in the finals during Pegasus' tournament held at Duelist Kingdom. As Joey ran into the card shop and up the stairs to where Yugi and his grandpa lived, he could here his friend Tristan calling out.
"You two had better hurry! They already started to announce the duelists!" Joey heard him cry. Joey dashed into the room and skidded to a stop next to the TV.
"Did they say our names?" asked Joey with a frantic sounding voice.
"Not yet. They've just started to name off people," said Bakura. On the TV, the list of names was just starting to scroll up the screen. Joey was desperately looking for his.
"Calm down Joey. You'll wear yourself out before the tournament even begins," said a soft voice from behind Joey. Joey turned around to face his little sister Serenity sitting on the couch. She had come for a two-week visit, which had really made Joey extra hyped than usual.
"I know sis, but I'm just really charged that I actually have a shot at this," said Joey. He returned his attention to the screen. He then saw a familiar name scroll across it. "Rex Raptor!? He's still ranked that high after I clobbered him?"
"I'm not really surprised," said Yugi, also seeing the name flash across the screen. "While your duel with Rex did knock him down and you up, one duel isn't going to effect his ranking much." Joey looked back at the screen as he saw several more familiar names scroll across it.
"So Weevil will be there. I'll bet he'll be after you Yug," said Joey as he saw the name scroll across the screen.
"Yeah. And he'll definitely try to use the rules to his advantage again," said Yugi. Another name flashed on the screen. "And looks like Mai will be there too."
"No surprise," said Joey. He then saw the name that everyone in the room expected to see scroll across the screen. "No surprise that Kaiba made it too."
"World Champion does make him the highest ranked duelist out there," said Yugi. He then saw Joey's name flash across the screen. "All right Joey! You made it!"
"Yeah! Then that must mean that you made it as well," said Joey. Sure enough, the third name below Joey's was Yugi Moto. "Told ya!" Everyone watched as several more names scrolled by, none of which they knew. When it was all over, fifty duelists had been listed. Then the angle of the TV shifted to a man in a tuxedo. He was about six feet tall with black hair combed perfectly.
"I would like to congratulate all the duelists that made the cut. Now for how to get to our tournament area. All named duelists will meet tomorrow at their nearest sea ports. There, a ship will be assigned to bring you to the area. You will be given further instructions once on the boat. Bring your dueling deck ready to duel, for you will not be allowed to change them once on the boats. Plus, you will each have a random duel between two duelists on each boat. Good luck to all, and may you arrive safely," said the man. Joey then turned off the TV.
"Man. Now that sounds awfully familiar. Taking a boat ride to some remote place to duel," said Joey.
"But this time, it's different. You guys aren't going to the Duelist Kingdom like before. This will be a new place with a whole new set-up," said Tristan.
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The next day found Yugi, Joey, Tristan, Tea, Bakura, and Serenity at the Domino sea port. After finding out that two non-duelists per person could join a duelist as guests, everyone made it on-board easily. Now they were just minutes away from leaving port.
"Well, once again you and I are off to duel. But at least this time, there are no strings attached," said Joey.
"That is a big relief from last time," said Yugi. He then felt a tap on his shoulder. Yugi turned around to come face-to-face with Weevil Underwood.
"Well, if it isn't Yugi Moto and his little pal Joey. Long time no see," said Weevil.
"Weevil. I'm surprised they let you continue dueling after you were caught trying to cheat at the Duelist Kingdom tournament," said Yugi. Weevil only laughed at the comment.
"Please Yugi. I am the best bug duelist in the world. No way they would deprive me of taking part in this tournament," said Weevil.
"Yeah, well don't forget that Yugi wiped the floor with you last time. He'll do it again if you try those cheap tricks like last time," said Joey.
"I've given up on my little tricks. I have bigger tricks to play with the additions I've made to my deck," said Weevil. He then turned and walked away.
"Someday that little creep is going to go too far," said Joey. Suddenly, the boat's PA system kicked on.
"Attention all duelists. The time for the tournament rules is at hand. You will each be given a small electronic recording device when you get to the area. Loaded on these devices are the Duel Counters you will need in order to progress in the tournament. You will each be given two Counters with your recorder. You will wager these Counters on each of your duels. When you run out of Counters, you are disqualified from the tournament. You may then proceed to stay in the area if you wish, but if you are caught dueling, you will be kicked out for the rest of the tournament," said the PA system.
"Sounds a lot like the Dueling Gloves and Starchips Pegasus used in his tournament," said Bakura.
"Yeah. A little too alike," said Tristan.
"Now then, two duelists will be randomly drawn from the passenger list…Weevil Underwood…and Joey Wheeler. Report to the Dueling Arena located in the Ball Room," said the PA's voice.
"What!? You mean I have to face off against that little twerp now!?" cried Joey.
"Calm down Joey. This match won't count against you in the tournament. It's just a exhibition duel," said Yugi.
"It's not that. I would rather take the little creep out of the tournament right now instead of facing him in an exhibition duel," said Joey as they reached the entrance to the Ball Room.
"That can be easily arranged," said Weevil as he walked up to Joey. "The rules for the exhibition game state that Duel Counters are not wagered, but if both participants of the match agree to wager them, then it can be done," said Weevil.
"Fine then. I'll wager both of my Duel Counters to take you out of the tournament here and now," said Joey.
"Fine by me!" cried Weevil as he laughed. He then ran into the ball room and up to the red side of the dueling arena. Joey entered the blue side as both raised up, locking in place in front of the consoles.
"Then it's agreed. Two Duel Counters are wagered by both duelists. The rules are simple. No field power bonuses. 2000 Life Points each. First to zero losses," said a man sitting in a chair like those used in volley ball for the referee.
"Time to duel!" cried both Joey and Weevil together as they each drew five cards from their decks.
"You're move bug boy," said Joey. Weevil snickered as he placed a card face-down in defense mode.
"Time to see if you can handle going into the hornet's nest, Joey," said Weevil as he placed another card face-down on the Magic and Trap section of the playing field. Joey looked over his hand and drew one of his cards.
"Tiger Axe (1300/1100)! In attack mode!" cried Joey as he played the fearsome beast-warrior monster on the field. "Attack Tiger Axe!" The monster leaped forward and brought it's ax down upon the defense card, which materialized into a Basic Insect (500/700) and then burst into holographic pieces.
"Not a very good move, Joey. Let's see how your Tiger Axe deals with this monster. The Hercules Beetle (1500/2000)! Attack!" cried Weevil as the Hercules Beetle appeared on the field. It then launched several blast of energy from its chest. Tiger Axe cried out as the energy blasts slammed into him, destroying him and lowering Joey's Life Points down to 1800.
"That wasn't very smart of you either," said Joey as he drew a card from his deck. He then placed another one down on the field, along with a card face-down. "Go Axe Raider (1700/1100)!" Joey then nodded his head towards Weevil, a silent signal that he ended his turn.
"Another bad choice, Joey! My Hercules Beetle may not be strong enough on its own to beat your Axe Raider," said Weevil as he flipped over his face-down card. "But with this Insect Armor With Laser Cannon card, my Hercules Beetle will get a power boost strong enough to wipe him out! Attack!" Hercules Beetle's body then became wrapped in metallic armor with a laser cannon attached to the top, raising its stats up to 2000/2500. But before it could attack, Joey flipped over his face-down card.
"Sorry Weevil, but your plans to sic your little bug on Axe Raider was a bad choice on your part. Kuani With Chain!" cried Joey as Axe Raider wrapped a kunai with chain around the Hercules Beetle.
"What!?" cried Weevil.
"That's right. You fell right into my trap. Kunai With Chain raises my monster's attack power by 500, making it stronger than your bug," said Joey as Axe Raider's attack went up to 2200. It then rushed forward and slashed the Hercules Beetle with his ax, destroying it and lowering Weevil's Life Points down to 1800. Weevil let out a low growl as he watched the last of the hologram pieces of his Hercules Beetle float away.
"I'm not done yet. I'll play this card," said Weevil as he threw a card onto the field. A Man-Eater Bug (600/550) appeared on the field. "The Man-Eater Bug has the ability to destroy one monster on the field, so say good-bye to Axe Raider!" The Man-Eater Bug then attacked the Axe Raider, crushing it in-between its mandibles and destroying it. Joey grumbled as he looked over his card. He then saw the card that might do the job.
"FlameSwordsman (1800/1600), in attack mode!" cried Joey as he laid the FlameSwordsman on the field. "FlameSwordsman! Attack that ugly bug! Flaming Sword of Battle!" The FlameSwordsman than ran forward and slashed the Man-Eater Bug into two pieces, destroying it and causing Weevil's Life Points to drop to 600.
"Good move Joey!" cried Serenity from the side lines. Joey looked over and gave his little sister a thumbs up.
"It may have been a good move, but this move is even better! Go Larva Moth(400/300)!" cried Weevil as he played his weakest bug. Joey was taken aback by the sudden strategy that Weevil was putting on.
"What's that thing supposed to do? Wiggle me into defeat?" asked Joey sarcastically. Weevil only laughed as he pulled another card from his hand.
"Not at all. For you see, the Cocoon of Evolution (0/2000) shall change all that very soon!" cried Weevil as he played the card onto the Larva Moth, causing it to become encased in a cocoon. "Now just five turns from now he will emerge as the unstoppable Great Moth!"
"Oh no! That's the same monster he used to almost beat Yugi with! I have to get rid of that cocoon and pronto!" thought Joey as he drew his next card. He then placed a card face-down in defense mode.
"Defense mode won't save you once my Great Moth emerges!" said Weevil as he played another card. "Go Man-Eater Bug! Destroy his defense card!" A second Man-Eater Bug appeared on the field, and destroyed Joey's defense card, which was Swamp Battleguard (1800/1600).
"Attack, Battle Warrior (700/1000)!" cried Joey as the Battle Warrior appeared on the field. "And I'll play Shield & Sword to swap attack points with defense points this turn. The Battle Warrior then swung a fist into the Man-Eater Bug's chest, destroying it and lowering Weevil's Life Points down to 150.
"That's another turn down. Ready to go again?" asked Weevil as he let his turn go without playing a monster. Joey then drew another card from his deck. He then noticed that he had Baby Dragon and Time Wizard in his hand. The combo he would need to bring down that moth before it emerged.
"I'll play Baby Dragon (1200/700) in attack mode!" said Joey, throwing the small dragon onto the field.
"Is that the best you've got?" asked Weevil. Joey gave a smile.
"No it isn't. I'll also play Time Wizard (500/400)!" cried Joey as the Time Wizard appeared next to the Baby Dragon. "Now you've got something to worry about! Time Roulette go!" The Time Wizard's spin arrow began to spin.
"The fool!" thought Weevil with a grin. "Even if he succeeds in the Time Roulette, it will cause not only the evolution of his Baby Dragon, but it will also allow my Great Moth to emerge this turn instead of waiting three more.
"I hope this works. Joey needs the Thousand Dragon to take out that cocoon before the Great Moth emerges," said Yugi as everyone watched the spin arrow begin to slow down. Joey and Weevil both tensed up as the arrow stopped on a skull, then made a switch over to the time machine, then to another skull. By now, everyone was growing anxious to know the outcome of the roulette. Just then, the arrow switched over to the other time machine and gave the whine of the stop of the arrow.
"All right! Go Time Wizard!" cried Joey as the Time Wizard raised his wand into the air. Suddenly, the whole arena became enveloped in a flash of light as time sped up, causing the Baby Dragon to evolve into its supreme form, the Thousand Dragon (2400/2000). But Weevil only laughed. "What!? What are you laughing at?"
"Take a look at my cocoon. There was a side effect to your Time Wizard's Time Magic attack. Not only did it allow your dragon to evolve, but it also allowed my Great Moth to evolve three turns sooner!" cried Weevil as the cocoon shattered, revealing the form of the Great Moth (2600/2500) inside.
"Of course! That's why Weevil didn't seem so worried about the Time Wizard. He was hoping that it would work so that his Great Moth could come out this turn!" thought Yugi as he watched the Thousand Dragon (2400/2000) stare down the Great Moth (2600/2500).
"Now Great Moth! Attack Thousand Dragon with Tornado of Doom!" cried Weevil as the Great Moth released a blast of wind from its body. The blast slammed into the Thousand Dragon, destroying it and lowering Joey's Life Points down to 1600. "Face it! There's no monster in your deck that can withstand my Great Moth!" Joey gritted his teeth. He then drew the next card from his deck, which was the Red-eyes Black Dragon (2400/2000).
"I'll play a monster in defense mode and switch my FlameSwordsman to defense as well," said Joey, placing a card face-down on the field.
"Go Great Moth! Tornado of Doom!" cried Weevil as the Great Moth blew away Joey's FlameSwordsman (1800/1600).
"Hang in there Joey!" cried Tristan.
"You can do it Joey!" cried Yugi. Joey looked up, his friend's cheering giving him the courage to continue with the duel. He then drew the next card from his deck. His eyes suddenly widened when he saw what it was.
"I'll play one card face-down, and play the Red-eyes Black Dragon (2400/2000) in attack mode!" cried Joey as the giant black dragon appeared on the field, giving a screech as it spread its wings.
"Ha! Even a powerful monster like the Red-eyes Black Dragon can't save you from my moth's power! Great Moth! Tornado of Doom!" cried Weevil as the Great Moth launched another blast from its body. But when the blast hit the Red-eyes Black Dragon, it simply dissipated. "What!? What's going on? My Great Moth should have blown him away!"
"Not today Weevil," said Joey as he held up the card he had placed face-down. "My Dragon Nails card raised my Red-eyes Black Dragon's attack power up by 600 points, making it stronger than your Great Moth."
"Great move Joey!" cried Yugi from the sidelines.
"Now his attack is 3000. More than enough to wipe the floor with your overgrown bug. Red-eyes Black Dragon! Inferno Fire Blast!" cried Joey as the giant Dragon reared back its head, fire gathering in its mouth. It then released the blast, sending it crashing into the Great Moth, burning it to a crisp and causing Weevil's Life Points to drop to zero.
"No! Not again! How could my Great Moth fall a second time in a row?" cried Weevil.
"The winner is Joey Wheeler! And because of the wager the two duelist made, both of Weevil Underwood's Duel Counters will be given to Joey Wheeler when we arrive at our destination," said the referee. Joey then looked over at the referee.
"Where is this 'destination'?" asked Joey.
"Why, the Duelist Kingdom of course," said the referee.
"What!?" cried Joey and all his friends.
END OF CHAPTER 1
Looks like this tournament is going to have a few surprises around the bend. I wonder what will happen to Yugi and the gang once they reach the Duelist Kingdom? Well, at least they know that Pegasus isn't the one behind this tournament, so at least there's nothing to be too concerned about…yet.