Chapter 7
Attack from the Deep
It all started after Joey's first major league victory, which he was still celebrating. "Woo-wee! Two stars! This is so awesome! I can't believe it happened! Am I cool or what?" Joey said as he chuckled with pride and happiness while everyone else just watched, some annoyed. "Is there a time limit on how long he gets to crow like the rooster on my family's farm?" AJ asked. "Cut him some slack, AJ. Did you ever think Joey would actually beat Mai in a duel? I mean, Joey. Who would've thought?" Tristan responded. "I knew he could do it. And I'm sure Yugi is proud of you, Joey." Fluttershy said with a smile. Soon, Joey's stomach was heard growling. "All that dueling made me hungry. Did any of you guys remember to bring any food with you?" he asked. "All I have are a bag full of apples I bought before we set out on the boat. It's not much, Joe. Sorry." AJ answered. "What were we thinking coming here with only a few apples? How are we ever gonna get through the rest of the competition without anything to eat?" Joey asked with a groan. "That's a good question, Joey. This dueling really takes it out of you and I haven't seen any burger stands or restaurants since we got here." Yugi answered. "Well, we better do something fast. I've gotta have my five basic food groups, or else...it's metabolic meltdown!" Tea said with slight worry. "Hey, chill out, you guys. I've got it covered!" Tristan said with a smile, bringing a feeling of hope to everyone. "Check it out, I brought my Great Outdoors Survival Guide." he added. "You don't expect us to eat that, do you?" Rarity asked, clearly not in the mood to eat anything that's not food. "Better than that, it lists all the plants, roots, berries and grasses we can eat, even some nuts, too!" Tristan answered, bringing a bit of disgust to some of the group. "Do we look like squirrels, you big doofus?!" Joey shouted before his nose caught a scent. "I don't need your dumb book anyhow. I smell something cooking that-a way! See ya!" he added before taking of towards the sea. "He's hallucinating." Tea said, not sure if Joey was actually smelling what he was smelling. "Don't be so sure. Remember, it wasn't his brain he used to defeat Mai, it was his nose." Rainbow responded.
Soon, the group found themselves near a cliff, where the smell was coming from. And the source were three fish roasting by a campfire. "Oh, man. I just love barbequed fish." Joey said. "Smells good." Yugi added. "Oh, yeah, and I bet it tastes even better!" put in Joey as he rushed over to the fish. "What makes you think those fish are yours to eat? Where I come from it's not polite taking food that might not belong to you." AJ said. "Hey, trust me! We'll eat first and ask questions later, your stomachs will thank me!" Joey responded. "Joseph!" Rarity shouted, but that didn't stop him. "He'd say anything to fill his stomach." Tea shrugged. "Some people have absolutely no self-control." Tristan said, surprising everyone. "Joey, save some for me!" he shouted as he went back on what he said and ran after Joey. Some of the group simply sighed as the two hungry boys sat down to eat. "Ah, man, this looks awesome!" Joey said before he and Tristan realized how hot they were. But little did they know that someone was climbing up the cliff and saw them eating the fish they caught while the others sit down next to them. "Ready, set, feeding frenzy!" the two boys shouted. "Enjoy yourselves, you fish thieves! This is your last meal! How dare you eat my fish, you thieving poachers! Has no one taught you manners?" the fisherman shouted before a giant wave crashed down on him, making everyone wonder what they just saw. "So, can we eat now?" Joey asked before the fisherman climbed back up. "Alright, let's try that one more time." he said. "I knew this was a bad idea." AJ said. "How dare you steal my fish, you bottom feeding thieves!" said the irate fisherman. "Hey, chill you, guy, it's just a few fish." Joey said, trying to defuse the situation. "A few fish that do not belong to you! And to steal a fisherman's catch is to prove you have no honor!" the fisherman retorted before Yugi noticed he was wearing a Dueling Gauntlet on this right hand. "A Dueling Glove? Wait a second! Aren't you Mako Tsunami, the top-ranked ocean Duelist?!" Yugi said in shock and surprise. "And who might you be?" Mako asked before Joey and Spike also realized who he was. "I remember you! We saw you at the Regional Championships! You placed third." Spike said. "Yeah, you're that freaky fish guy." Joey added. "I am NOT a freaky fish guy! I am Mako Tsunami, Duelist extraordinaire of the seven seas!" Mako responded, offended by Joey's comment.
Suddenly, Tea and Rainbow start giggling. "Uh, what are you two laughing about?" Mako asked as Rainbow pointed towards his head. "Your head! You've got company." Tea said with a chuckle as Mako looked up and noticed a small octopus on his head. "Off with you!" Mako shouted as he pulled the octopus off of his head and threw it back towards the sea, though Joey and Tristan were upset that he did. "I wanted to eat that!" Joey said. "You're demented." Tristan responded. "Are you telling me that those two are here as Duelists?" Mako asked. "Not exactly, the one in the green jacket is a Duelist, his name is Joey Wheeler, and this guy here is a Duelist, as well." Spike said pointing to both Joey and Yugi. "I'm Yugi Muto, sorry about your fish." Yugi said upon standing up. "You? You're Yugi Muto, the only Duelist to ever defeat Seto Kaiba? What a fine surprise! It will be my very great honor to face you in a duel!" Mako responded, amazed and honored to meet the famous young Duelist. "Same here, Mako." Yugi said. "I must apologize. I've been ungracious. If you are friends of Yugi Muto, please, come sit down, eat your fill." Mako said to Joey and Tristan, both grateful, before they quickly take their seats and grab some fish. "Feeding frenzy!" they shouted as they both made like shovels and dug in, while Applejack decided to bring out the apples she brought. "Man, this Mako guy really knows how to cook!" Tristan remarked. "Those apples look really good, AJ." Tea said, with Yugi agreeing. All the while, Mako chuckled, knowing he had something up his sleeve.
Soon, dinner was done. "Oh, wow, that was good!" Joey said. "Where'd you learn to cook like that?" Tea asked. "I have had to fend for myself since I was a tadpole, but it was my father who taught me how to fish and cook." Mako answered. "So, what brings you here to the competition?" Yugi asked. "I was raised on a fishing boat where I learned to love the sea, so if I win here, I would love a vessel of my own. Of course, I'll have to beat a few Duelists, first." Mako answered. "Your own boat? Oh, how simply divine that would be to sail around the world on the big, blue sea. Especially if the boat is a luxury cruise ship." Rarity responded. "Yes, the ocean is amazing, and we have shared a special bond since I was born. I can tell when the sea is happy by the way it sparkles, and when it is angry by the shifting tides." Mako said, kinda changing the mood. "Excuse me, I did not mean to be so serious." he added, realizing his mistake. "Oh, no. Don't apologize." Tea responded. "You saved our hides, we'd be starving if we hadn't run into you." Joey added before standing. "It's really been great. Thanks again." he added. "Leaving so soon, are you?" Mako asked. "It was nice to meet you, Mako." Fluttershy said. "Maybe we'll meet up in the competition." Yugi added as they all started to walk away. "We certainly will. Sooner than you think, my friend!" Mako declared as he grabbed his harpoon and threw it near Yugi, shocking him. "I treated you to dinner, perhaps you will, honor me with a duel." he added. "You've gotta be nuts!" Rainbow shouted. "No, but I am an expert fisherman, and you have taken my bait." Mako responded before laughing. "What bait?" AJ asked. "Why, the fish, of course. I laid it out and lured you all right in. But I never expected to catch Yugi Muto." Mako answered. "Ah, forget this crazy chicken of the sea, Yugi." Joey advised. "Can't we just give the guy back a few fish?" Tristan asked as Mako showed the stars on his Dueling Gauntlet. "I reeled in another Duelist some time ago, but he was not a worthy opponent. But a duel against you, Yugi, would be a true test!" Mako responded.
Right then and there, Yugi's Millennium Puzzle activated and his more confident half appeared. "Mako Tsunami, I accept your challenge." Yugi responded as a Duel Arena appeared out of the water. "Behold, Yugi Muto! We shall battle beside the majestic sea!" Mako said, and in no time, both players were in position and ready to go. "The playing field is equally split into two halves! One half is land, the other is sea." Mako added. "And the stakes, Mako?" Yugi asked. "I wager two star chips on this match." Mako answered as he put down his chips, and Yugi soon put his down, too. 'Finally, an adversary of real merit. How I have waited for this day.' Mako thought to himself. "Now, let the battle begin!" he said aloud as both Duelists let out a hardy "Let's duel!" On the cliff, everyone was ready to see what would happen. "This should be some match. I don't think Yugi's dealt with sea monsters before." Spike said. "He can take it, since he beat Kaiba and became Region champion by beating old Weevil Underpants! Sink that soggy sap, Yugi!" Rainbow responded as Mako prepared his first card. "I'm curious to see, how you will combat my mighty denizens of the deep!" Mako said as he played his first card, a level four, Water attribute Aqua monster with 1200 attack points and 1400 defense points called Fiend Kraken. However, the monster is revealed to be concealed by the surface of the sea side of the field. "What's this? His creature is underwater. How do I choose which card to play, when I can't even see what I'm fighting?" Yugi pondered. "This I don't like." Joey said. "Me, neither. It looks like Mako's sea monsters prefer to be ambush predators." Fluttershy pointed out, revealing her knowledge of the ocean. "The ocean conceals many things beneath its shifting surface." Mako said. "As long as that thing stays submerged, I can't attack." Yugi said. "I promise you it won't stay submerged for very long." Mako responded.
'I have no idea what that thing is down there, so I better prepare for the worst, with as strong a defense as possible.' Yugi thought to himself. 'Clearly this is Yugi's first encounter with sea-based Duel Monsters. He will learn first hand what a powerful ally the sea can be. It gives my creatures a field power bonus, and it conceals them, making their stealthy attacks even more lethal.' Mako thought to himself, as he looked at his scoreboard and saw that. "No pun intended, but something's fishy about this. How can Yugi fight what he can't see?" AJ asked. "Beats me." Tea responded. "This is totally bogus!" Tristan shouted as Mako laughed. "It seems that my ocean-based strategy has taken you by surprise, Yugi." Mako said. 'Maybe so, but I can still raise a strong defense.' Yugi thought to himself as he prepared his first card of the duel. "I call upon the Horn Imp!" he said aloud as the monster appeared. "Now, Fiend Kraken, ensnare him!" Mako commanded as the creature's tentacles lunged at the imp and hoisted it in the air. "What is that?!" Rarity asked, slightly shocked. "I think that's the Fiend Kraken monster." Fluttershy pointed out. "Whatever it is, it's bad news for Yugi." Joey added. "If that thing is like the Kraken from the stories told on the sea, Yugi's Horn Imp is done for!" Spike said in worry. "Fiend Kraken, end this, now!" Mako commanded, and in moments, it did. "Well done, Kraken." he added afterwards. "Wow, and that was just his opening move!" Tea said as the Kraken's tentacles returned into the deep. "You're good, Mako. A brilliant opening play." Yugi admitted. "I am pleased you appreciate it, but I very much doubt your imp did." Mako responded as Yugi's life points dropped to 1740. "Looks like the Fiend Kraken got a Field Power Bonus from the ocean, meaning that its attack points must've increased from 1200 to 1560, resulting in the 260 point decrease." Fluttershy said. "Well, now I know what I'm up against." Yugi said. "Yes, the mighty ocean commands respect, as do the creatures that inhabit it." Mako said. 'Maybe I can prepare an attack that can destroy his creatures, even though I can't see them.' Yugi thought as he prepared his next card. "Feral Imp, in defense mode." he said aloud as the creature appeared. 'On my next turn, my Feral Imp should dispose of Mako's monsters, no matter how deep they're hidden in the sea.' he thought.
"I am familiar with your feral monster, and its electrical attack, so for my next card, I play, my giant Jellyfish! Behold!" Mako said, revealing he saw his duel against Weevil, and set said monster, a level four, Water attribute Aqua monster with 1200 attack points and 1500 defense points. "I don't like the sound of that." Yugi said as he heard the crying of the Jellyfish as it was set. "That is the battle cry of my Jellyfish!" Mako explained. "It'll be crying alright, once I combine my Feral Imp, with the magical Horn of the Unicorn!" Yugi retorted as he equipped said magic card to his imp, increasing its attack points to 2000. "Alright, I get what Yugi's doing." Spike said. "What?" Tea asked. "Yugi can't see Mako's monsters, but he knows they're all underwater and water conducts electricity!" Joey explained. "Oh, so they're vulnerable to the Feral Imp's electrical attack! What a genius move on Yugi's part." Rarity said with a smile as Yugi switched his monster to attack mode. "Magic Lightning attack!" Yugi commanded. The attack fired and seemingly landed. "It's a fish-fry!" Joey shouted, but nothing happened. "Wait, what is this? Nothing's happened! Mako still has all his life points!" Yugi said in surprise. "Your strategy has failed, Yugi!" Mako said with a laugh as his Jellyfish rose from the sea, now revealed to have 1560 attack points and 1950 defense points. "How?!" Yugi asked in shock. "As a sea Duelist, I'm well aware that water conducts electricity, so I played my giant Jellyfish. It has the magical ability to absorb all electrical attacks, protecting all of my ocean creatures." Mako explained as his Jellyfish sank back into the sea. "And now it's time for my counterattack! Fiend Kraken, crush his Feral Imp! Crush him, now!" he added as the mighty beast of the sea grabbed the Feral Imp and completely crushed it. "Oh, no. Yugi's Feral Imp was more than destroyed, it lost its 700 attack point boost from the Horn of the Unicorn because it was battling a monster with a Field Power Bonus!" Spike shouted. "Then that means the Feral Imp's attack power dropped back to 1300, and that means a 260 life point drop!" Twilight added as Yugi's life points dropped to 1480. "Did you enjoy my Kraken's embrace?" Mako asked with a laugh.
'I've never dueled against creatures like these before! It feels as if I'm battling Mako's sea monsters, and the awesome power of the ocean itself.' Yugi thought to himself. "Do any of your cards have the power to stand against my ocean pets?" Mako asked as Yugi picked his next card. "I have the power of Silver Fang, and I combine him with the magic of the Mystical Moon to double his ferocity!" Yugi answered as he played Silver Fang in defense mode and equipped it with the Mystical Moon magic card, boosting its attack and defense points to 1500 and 1100, respectively, though Mako just laughed. "Ferocious, indeed. But the moon also controls the tides, causing them to rise. Allowing me to unleash my next creature. Arise, mighty Kairyu-shin!" he said as he played said monster, a level five, Water attribute, sea serpent with 1800 attack points and 1500 defense points, now increased to 2340 and 1950, respectively. "What's this?" Yugi asked as the mighty sea serpent rose from the ocean, creating a tidal wave as it surfaced. "Whoa! That is one big fish!" Joey said in shock. "That's not a fish! That's a sea serpent!" Rarity corrected. "Behold, the colossal Kairyu-shin, a creature so enormous, that when he rises up from the ocean depths, he creates his own tidal wave!" Mako explained. "What a beast!" Yugi admitted. "Your wolf is brave, Yugi, but he will not stand against my Kairyu-shin's Tidal attack!" Mako shouted as Silver Fang was washed away and drowned by the force of the water. "No! Silver Fang!" Yugi shouted as the water settled. "Gone. But my Kiryu-shin's Tidal attack did more than just simply wash your wolf cub away. It considerably altered our playing field." Mako explained. "My land! Kairyu-shin's attack nearly washed away my entire land-based playing field!" Yugi said in shock as Mako laughed. "You should consider yourself lucky, Yugi. In my previous duels, when Kairyu-shin attacks, absolutely nothing is left standing in its wake! I think it was quite considerate of my pet to leave you a little patch of dirt to stand on, don't you? Or does it make you uneasy to be surrounded on all sides by the sea? All men give pause before the savage power of the mighty ocean, even the greatest of fishermen." Mako said, changing the mood considerably.
"You mean your father?" Yugi asked, causing Mako to remember a tragic memory he carried. "My father was a great fisherman, he taught me my love of the sea, but, one day the sea, took him." Mako said as he had a flashback to the day his father was taken by the sea. "I loved going out on the boat with my father, just the two of us and the big, beautiful ocean, never suspecting that the sea would turn on us." he continued as he remembered a storm blowing towards him and his father. "And father was right when he told me there was a storm blowing in, suddenly the calm, friendly sea turned into a raging maelstrom! It pitched our boat like it was a toy. When the storm finally died out, our little boat had washed ashore. My father was right, I had been perfectly safe, but because he had stopped to tie me down, he had no time to secure himself to the mast like I had been! I thought I had lost him forever, but then I noticed that our life boat was missing! I KNOW my father is still alive, so I will win this contest, buy a ship and search the seven seas till I find him! That is why I duel, Yugi! That is why I must win, and you must lose!" Mako continued as his story brought a small tear to AJ's eyes, as she knew what it felt like to lose a parent, or two in her case. "I understand, Mako, believe me, but I still can't let you win." Yugi responded, as he knew he, too, was fighting for a loved one, his grandfather. "Man, I didn't know Mako was looking for his dad." Rainbow said in stunned surprise. "Mako's dueling for his dad just like Yugi's dueling for his grandpa and just like Joey's dueling for his sister." Fluttershy said, touched by Mako's reason to enter the Duelist Kingdom. "Well, if they're both fighting for a loved one, then this duel has much more on the line than just star chips." Spike said, knowing that the duel had just gotten more intense. 'With so little land left to me, I have to make this next play count. I need something that'll help me turn the tide. Something like this card.' Yugi thought to himself as he picked his next card. "Giant Soldier of Stone, defense mode!" he said aloud as said monster, a level three, Earth attribute Rock monster with 1300 attack points and 2000 defense points, appeared. "You may have shrunk my battlefield down to an island, Mako, but my stone soldier still gets a Field Power Bonus!" Yugi added as the creature's attack and defense points increased to 1690 and 2600, respectively. "Oh, yeah! My number one defender!" Pinkie said with a beaming smile as she saw the very monster she had in her deck.
"Your massive monster can barely fit on that little rock, let alone do battle with my undersea attack force! And he is surrounded on all sides by the ocean, making him easy prey for Great White Terror!" Mako said as he played said monster, a level five, Water attribute Aqua monster with 1500 attack points and 1200 defense points, now increased to 1950 and 1560, respectively. "This savage shark will lead my other creatures in an all-out ocean onslaught!" Mako added as Great White Terror led Fiend Kraken and Kairyu-shin to surround the Giant Soldier of Stone. "Oh, great! The Giant Soldier of Stone is outnumbered three to one, which could mean he's about to become fish food!" Pinkie said in worry. "This is it, Yugi. It's over, but you played honorably." Mako said to his opponent. "You have been a fair and noble opponent, too, Mako, but I also duel with the fate of a loved on at stake." Yugi responded, surprising Mako. "And I can't afford to lose. I switch my Stone Soldier to attack mode!" he added as he did so. "Attack mode? But why? He cannot attack my sea monsters while they're underwater!" Mako pondered. "Mako's got a point. How can Yugi beat him if all of his monsters are underwater?" Twilight asked. "But his target isn't your sea monsters. I'm having him attack, something I put on the field myself...the Mystical Moon!" Yugi revealed as he pointed up and his Giant Soldier of Stone prepared to attack. "No!" Mako said in shock, while everyone was on the sidelines was also shocked at Yugi's choice of target. "Now, stone soldier, destroy the moon!" Yugi commanded. And with one upward strike, the Mystical Moon was destroyed. "What's happening?! The tide! It's going out! But how?!" Mako pondered in shock as the water receded. "As you yourself said before, Mako, it is the moon that controls the ocean's tides. Its ebb and its flow. So I ordered my stone soldier to obliterate the moon, causing the ocean's tides to reverse and recede. My stone soldier has beached all your sea monsters, you have no ocean left, and your creatures lose their field power bonus as a result." Yugi explained to a shocked Mako.
"No. My ocean pets!" Mako said, still in shock. "And now I'll deliver the final blow. I summon my Curse of Dragon and combine it with my Burning Land magic card to wipe out your life points!" Yugi added as said monster appeared. "Burning Land attack!" he commanded as all of Mako's monsters, Fiend Kraken, Jellyfish, Kairyu-shin and Great White Terror, were roasted alive. "And that takes your life points down to zero!" Yugi concluded as Mako's life points instantly depleted. "Ah, no!" Mako shouted as his defeat was made official and everyone on the sidelines cheered. "That final play by Yugi was pure brilliance!" Rarity said with glee. "Destroying your own Mystical Moon card was a brilliant and unexpected move, Yugi. What a grand duel! I salute you, my friend!" Mako said, changing his mood instantly from sorrow to happiness. "This victory was not easily won, Mako. You're a great duelist yourself." Yugi responded. Later, the dueling field was back in the ocean and Yugi and Mako were back on land. "I am down to one star chip, but I will start over again." Mako said. "And I bet you'll do fine." Yugi responded. "You'd win that wager." Mako said as he and Yugi shared a hand of sportsmanship. "You know, I can't help but like this Mako. He's such a great guy. I hope he finds his father someday." AJ said before Mako heard his stomach growling. "My friend, dueling you is hungry work. Time for Mako to fish again! Farewell!" he said as he leaped from the cliff and into the water before swimming off to catch his next fish. "Farewell, Mako." Rarity said with a smile. "Wish he'd had left us some fish to save for later." Tristan said, indicating that he was a bit hungry. "I'd have to duel him again." Yugi pointed out as everyone laughed.
"Forget about it! Dueling someone else once is enough. But, guys, I am starting to get a bit hungry." Joey said. "Not a problem. We've still got my Great Outdoors Survival Guide." Tristan pointed out. "And I happen to know how to find wild apple trees so we can pick some apples to eat." AJ added. "Go ahead, AJ, pick all the apples you'd like, but we'd kinda get sick of eating them constantly." Joey responded, prompting everyone to laugh as they walked back towards the forest.