The Dragon Duelist
Chapter Three: To Stop the Unstoppable
It didn't take long for Ansem to become a member of 'the gang'. Their leader, Marik, revealed himself and welcomed the newcomer into his association- the Rare Hunters. He was given a uniform, and access to a compendium of cards and card supplements. The latest Kaiba Corp. technology was at their disposal, and several duel arenas were set up within the boat. Jaeger was ranked near the top, behind only Marik's two must-trusted allies- the tall, silent Odion and a Rare Hunter named Strings, whom Marik referred to as 'the Quiet One'. He dueled infrequently, but had defeated two of the Rare Hunters with relative ease in previous duels- and his stockpile of rare cards was increasing as he took what he needed from the vast supplies. A few warriors and fiends to make his deck a bit more balanced, along with some new Magic and Trap cards to keep him up to date.
After a few more days of simultaneous dueling and collecting (and about a month after arriving on the vessel), Marik announced that Seto Kaiba was starting a new tournament. Eager for a chance to gain revenge, Ansem signed on with a few of the other Rare Hunters. His acquaintance Seeker, the two he beat- Lumis and Umbra, Strings, a few others he didn't know- essentially those who weren't preoccupied with other tasks. Marik felt no reason to sully his hands, and Odion always stood at his side, leading the Rare Hunters when his friend/leader/master could not.
The tournament would be known as Battle City. A few of Marik's spies had acquired the technology that would be used- most notably Kaiba's new Duel Disc system. After analyzing the new rules and the basic design, the Rare Hunter engineers manufactured several, enough for the Duelists attending the competition.
Marik instructed his Rare Hunters to get training in. Ansem shrugged and sought an opponent, but found no one interested in battling him. Instead, he sat in the ship's massive dining hall, with only the statue-esque Strings for company. But as he ate a light meal, he spotted Seeker off to one corner, sipping coffee and staring at a laptop.
"Whatcha' doing?" Jaeger asked, heading over.
"I'm analyzing all the Duelists participating in this tournament." Seeker answered. "You would not believe some of the filth they allowed in." He turned the screen and displayed it to Ansem. "All duelists received a rank of sorts- from one to five."
"What's mine?" Ansem wondered. "Or was I invited?"
"You're in here." Seeker nodded. "Your dueling level is four. Of the total number of duelists participating, you're ranked… eighth."
"Eighth?" Jaeger repeated. He glanced at the screen. Above him were some of the top duelists- Mako Tsunami, Weevil Underwood, Mai Valentine… and at the very top- Yugi Mutoh, and finally, Seto Kaiba. "It figures Kaiba's ego won't allow him to admit he's only second-best now."
"From what I hear, Yugi is not as great an adversary as we first assumed." Seeker explained. "His strength lies in his faith of the 'Heart of the Cards'. Somehow, he is always able to draw the card he needs to win. His rarest card is the Dark Magician."
"Rarest card?" Ansem looked at the screen. For each duelist, there were vital statistics listed, along with their dueling level, and their rarest card. For him it was the Tri-Horned Dragon. For Mako- the Fortress Whale. Weevil- the Insect Queen. Mai- Harpie's Feather Duster. Kaiba- Blue-Eyes White Dragon. "This is odd- I thought Kaiba would boast about that new card you guys keep yapping about."
Seeker's eyes narrowed. "You mean Obelisk?"
Ansem nodded. "Do you think maybe he's trying to keep it a secret?"
"It would be logical." Seeker checked the database again. "It would make the most sense to take out low level duelists first."
"Can you tell me who has the best Dragon cards?" Ansem requested.
Seeker smirked. "I had a feeling you might ask that." He clicked on the CPU a few times, then displayed the data. Mai had a creature known as Harpie's Pet Dragon in her records. Rex Raptor held the beast known as Serpent Night Dragon. A guy known as Joey Wheeler held the Red-Eyes Black Dragon.
"Excellent." Ansem Jaeger smiled.
"Marik has asked me to deal with the lower-level duelists." Seeker explained. "And take all the rarest cards available. Then, I'll move on to Yugi- the one Marik wants dealt with the most."
"Any particular reason?" Jaeger asked.
"Most likely- but nothing he would share with us." Seeker muttered.
"Why are you dealing with the low level duelists?" Ansem wondered.
Seeker reached into his cloak and pulled out his deck. He withdrew five cards from the top of it and displayed them to Ansem. "Behold- the five pieces of Exodia the Forbidden One."
Ansem Jaeger looked on in awe at the four limbs and face of the unstoppable Exodia, all before him. He reached out, just as Seeker placed them back on the top of his deck. He looked up at Seeker again and grinned.
"You wanna' duel?" Ansem asked.
Seeker's eyes narrowed. "You can't be serious- you mean to duel me? Despite the fact that you know I control the unstoppable Exodia?"
"I'm up for a challenge." Jaeger said, grinning confidently. "And besides, I need to try out the new Duel Disc system."
Seeker nodded approvingly. "Very well- I also need to test the system." The two left their table and found an empty space atop the ship, moving about fifty feet from each other. Both placed the Duel Discs onto their wrists, and began shuffling their decks.
"I can't wait to see how you set it up." Jaeger noted. "Do you have any really powerful creatures in there?"
"You'll see." Seeker responded, slamming his deck into the device. He extended his arm and activated the Duel Disc. Small holographic projectors shot out from each side, as the 'field' was setup, joining two parts into one. 4000 life points appeared on one side monitor, as Seeker reached for his deck. Ansem did the same, and drew five cards from the top of his deck.
"These rules are a bit new to me…" he muttered, glancing at his hand. "I'll lay two cards face-down," As he said this, two holographic cards appeared on the field. "And I'll throw down Koumori Dragon, in Attack mode." An image of the card appeared, but it quickly dissipated and transformed into an image of the fearsome purple dragon (1500/1200).
"Not bad." Seeker muttered, as he drew a card from the top of his deck. "I play this card- Graceful Charity." Upon playing the magic card, he drew three new cards, shuffled them around in his hand, and then discarded two others. "Next, I'll set down this monster, in Defense mode." A large, horizontal card appeared before Koumori Dragon.
Ansem drew. "I'll play this monster- Takirminos." He placed it on the field, and the sea serpent emerged next to the Koumori Dragon, rivaling its stats perfectly (1500/1200). "Since we're playing over water, I guess that means it receives a field power bonus." As he said this, Takirminos received a boost of 200 Atk and Def points (1700/1400). "So it will be my sea serpent that destroys your Defense monster!" Takirminos lunged forward, and cut Seeker's defense card in two. His Defense monster, Three-Headed Greedo (1200/1400), was destroyed. "In accordance with the new tournament rules, my Koumori Dragon will attack your life points directly!"
Seeker braced himself for the attack, as the Koumori Dragon shot at him. He took the hit, watching as his LP dropped to 2500. He smirked and drew a card from the top of his deck. "I play another monster in defense mode, and lay one card face down."
The battle was drawing the attention of nearby Rare Hunters, who stopped their activity and gathered around to watch the match. Unbeknownst to all of them, Marik and Odion watched the action high above.
Ansem drew a card- the Flute of Summoning Dragon. In his hand were his Prevent Rat, the Shadow of Eyes trap card, and his new Tyrant Dragon. "I'll play this monster in Defense mode." He selected Prevent Rat, sliding it into one slot. "And I'll have Takirminos attack your new Defense monster!"
"An unfortunate mistake." Seeker noted. "You attacked my Gear Golem, the Moving Fortress! It withstands your Attack!" Ansem groaned as the mere 1700 attack was ignored by the armored creature (800/2200), and his LP dropped to 3500. Though still a thousand points ahead of his adversary, Ansem Jaeger felt somewhat unsure. He knew that Exodia was on its way.
Seeker drew and examined his hand. He held three Exodia pieces, as well as another Graceful Charity, but he felt no reason to play it. He turned back to Ansem. "I end my turn."
Ansem drew a card- a monster known as Hayabusa Knight (1000/700). He slid it behind his Shadow of Eyes trap and selected the monsters on the field. "I sacrifice Koumori Dragon and Takirminos for the Tyrant Dragon!" The two monsters disappeared, replaced by the dark-skinned, flame-encircled beast (2900/2500). "Attack Moving Fortress!" His mighty dragon complied, annihilating the defense monster. "Now, I switch Prevent Rat into Attack mode- and have it attack as well!"
Seeker nodded as his LP slipped to 2000. He drew- a duplicate Exodia
piece. "I play Graceful Charity." He again drew three cards- among
them one of the last remaining pieces, along with two more duplicates,
which he promptly discarded. Using the lens placed in his left eye, Seeker
spotted the card atop his deck- the final Exodia piece!
"Now seems to be an opportune time to activate this- the trap card,
Gravity Bind! With this in play, no monsters level four or higher can attack!"
Ansem growled- almost all of his monsters were high level, so he was unable to attack. He drew- the Dragon Seeker (2000/2100). But that would help nothing, as it required a sacrifice to summon, and it would still be unable to attack. He looked at the other cards in his hand, feeling hopeless… until he noticed Hayabusa Knight…
Hayabusa Knight! He thought. It's a level three monster… and it can attack twice! With an attack power of 1000, multiplied by two… that would take out all his life points!
As Ansem reached for the monster, he felt a new presence in his mind.
I wouldn't play that if I were you.
"What the?" Ansem thought aloud, before he breathed "Marik!"
Yes, it is I, Marik stated simply. I know that you could win this duel quite easily, but I must request that you take a fall.
"What?" Ansem whispered in confusion. "But… why?"
That answer is simple. Seeker must believe that his Exodia cards are unstoppable. If he fails to defeat you, his confidence will be shaken, and he will most assuredly fail in his task.
"But… Marik, I thought he just had to deal with weaker duelists!" Ansem argued. "Couldn't any of the other Rare Hunters do that?"
Perhaps, Marik conceded. But I have a plan all set up, that requires his specific assistance. He may fail in Battle City, or he may do as I have ordered him to. I will not force you. I merely request that you do this, so that we may take Battle City together.
Ansem felt the presence leave his mind, and took a moment to consider. He briefly held Hayabusa Knight, before placing it back in his hand. "I end my turn."
Seeker grinned as he drew the top card. "While I… end this duel!" He lay out five of the six cards in his hand. "I summon Exodia the Forbidden One!" The four limbs and the head of Exodia all joined together, forming one massive deity, which towered over the Tyrant Dragon and Prevent Rat. "Exodia… obliterate!"
Ansem Jaeger watched silently as his monsters were destroyed, and his life points instantly dropped to zero. He stood, silent, as the holograms disappeared. He placed the cards in his hand and field back into his deck and headed away, while Seeker was congratulated by a few of the other Rare Hunters.
As he prowled toward the aft deck, Ansem was stopped as Marik and Odion turned a corner and appeared before him.
"Clearly I misjudged you." Marik noted. "I assumed you would betray my trust at the earliest opportunity- and yet you lost when you could've easily won, simply because it was my request."
"Seeker is also my ally." Ansem replied. "A victory would've created a greater rift between us."
Marik grinned. "You are more worthy than I thought. Now I know this is the right choice… how would you like to lead the Rare Hunters in my absence?"
"W-what?" Ansem Jaeger wondered, looking up in surprise.
"Strings is next in the chain of command, but, as you've noticed, he's not good at giving orders… or talking in general." Marik explained. "So, while Odion and I are here, I entrust you leadership of my forces and general free reign."
Ansem shrugged. "Whatever. You know the only duelist I want to defeat is Kaiba. Along with a few of those with rare Dragon cards."
"Speaking of rare Dragon cards… I have something that may be of assistance to you…" Marik reached into his purple cloak and withdrew a purple-trimmed duel monsters card. "I give you this… the Mythic Dragon!"
Ansem stared on in disbelief. The five-headed dragon's power alone was frightening (5000/5000), but he knew that a monster of such great stature would scare even a top duelist like Kaiba into defeat.
"I like it." Ansem grinned, lifting the card in one hand.
"It's not the only gift." Marik drew a card and handed it to Ansem. "This is a trap card called Last Turn. It will come in handy during your duel with Kaiba. Remember… challenge him for two Locator cards. His Blue-Eyes is yours, but I want Obelisk."
"I'll consider getting it for you, Marik." Ansem said nonchalantly, placing the Mythic Dragon in his deck. "I have my own mighty creature at my disposal."
"Now, you should get going." Marik said. "I need my first team of Rare Hunters in Battle City by nightfall. You'll be leaving in a few minutes."
Ansem nodded, and gathered all his cards. He headed away, leaving Marik and Odion on the deck.
"Master Marik…" Odion began. "…why did you not take over his mind? Surely his collection of rare dragons would help you in defeating the pharaoh?"
"Because he's already given his soul to me, Odion." Marik answered.
"His need for revenge has driven him right under my control. And besides…
once he defeats Kaiba, all three Egyptian God cards will be in my possession
again… he can have every dragon he wants… it will make no difference."
Elsewhere, Ansem, along with a few of the other Rare Hunters, boarded small speedboats as the sun began to set.
"We'll all move in packs." Ansem ordered. "Three Rare Hunters together at one time. Seeker, you take those two-" he pointed to two of the Rare Hunters he didn't know, "-and meet with our contact in Domino City. Lumis, Umbra, you will go out on your own. I'll take Strings and wait for the duelists to arrive. If any of you encounter Kaiba, avoid him. He is mine."
The Rare Hunters nodded and followed their instructions, as Ansem and Strings boarded one boat, and headed away.
Soon… Ansem thought, Soon, Kaiba. I will prove to you who the Dragon master is… and with your Egyptian God card and your Blue-Eyes in my hand… along with the Mythic Dragon…he lifted the monster in one hand, I will be the number one duelist.
You're about to be de-throned.