Last time on Yu-Gi-Oh: Last year's winner, Yugi Moto, dueled against Yasumi
Shiroko. As Dark Spellcaster decks pitted against one another, little
unnecessary conversation was thrown across the arena. After a hard duel,
Yasumi was victorious, to everyone's surprise. The mysterious Duelist Soul
appeared, explaining to Yami, of which he referred to as 'Pharaoh', that
the Millennium Guardians were to progress through this tournament, and that
it was not his time. He explained that he and Yasumi were Millenniums
Guardians, and that two others existed within the walls of the castle.
Note: I apologize for the long pauses between chapters; I had some problems with some stuff...
Note: Sorceress of Life is not a real card
~
Joey Wheeler stood in the corridor leading to the arena, not really sure when to walk forward. He never received his notice of who his opponent would be, or to be more specific, he never looked down at the floor to see it was lying there. He jumped, the lights suddenly turning on. Assuming this was his cue, he walked forward.
"A'ight," Joey grinned, "who's my opponent?"
"I am."
Joey looked up, seeing Duelist Soul standing across the room. He had one foot forward, the other places behind him for balance. His arms were crossed; his eyes seemed almost to be blank. He didn't even flinch when the massive arena was lowered from above them.
"May the duel between Joey Wheeler and Duelist Soul commence," Croquet declared as both duelists made their way atop the platforms, "Joey Wheeler will have the first turn."
"Come on, Joey, you can do it!" Yugi shouted from the balcony.
"I'm surprised that the second-rate duelist could make it to the finals, let alone manage to leave his master. Did you send him to play fetch with a new friend, Yugi?" a voice behind the group laughed coldly.
They turned, shouting in unison, "Kaiba?"
"Yes, it's good to know my name is still well known around the public," Seto Kaiba smirked, "And the great Yugi Moto was defeated? By a never before heard of duelist, as well. Hmm, this could be easier than I thought. None of the powerful duelists are in the finals, well, not yet."
"I wouldn't be too confident, Seto."
"And why is that, Bakura?" Kaiba asked his acquaintance.
"Because I'm dueling you next, and I don't plan on losing without a fight," Bakura glared at Kaiba.
"Then it's a fight you'll get."
They turned back to the duel, seeing that Joey had summoned Alligator Sword in attack mode and ended his turn.
"Joey," Duelist Soul started, "who are you?"
"Whaddya mean by that?" Joey asked.
"Think about the question, then answer," Duelist Soul stated.
Joey thought about it, then spoke, "Well, I guess I'm just some guy's friend...There isn't much about me that's very important..."
"Well," Duelist Soul smiled, "then I wish you a good duel, and if I am to lose, then I hope that you are one of the Millennium Guardians."
"Me?"
Duelist Soul nodded, summoning Dark Elf in attack mode, "I summon my Dark Elf, and end my turn."
"Yugi," Tea began, "why didn't he attack? Dark Elf is stronger..."
"Yes, but when Dark Elf attacks, Duelist Soul will lose 1000 life points, so one monster isn't worth the trouble."
Joey drew, smiling a little at his card. He added it to his hand, merely setting one monster face-down, "I set one card, and I'll end my turn."
"Then I will draw," Duelist Soul declared, "and I will summon Warrior Soul in attack mode!"
A faint image of a knight appeared, wielding a sword and a shield. It appeared to almost be a wraith, partially invisible.
"Eh? What's that?" Joey asked.
"Warrior Soul is a level four warrior monster with 2000 attack points and 1000 defense points," Duelist Soul explained, "When it attacks, I draw a card, then select a card from my hand to remove from the game. Now go, my Warrior Soul, and destroy Alligator Sword!"
The wraith-like figure moved forward, sending its blade through the opposing monster. Duelist Soul then drew a card, nodding in acknowledgement before removing one of his cards from the game.
A man with white hair sat a ways away, watching the duel intently. He was very interested in both duelists. Joey Wheeler was unpredictable, and contained great skill. Duelist Soul was mysterious and intriguing, as very little was known of him. Croquet stood a few feet away from this man, as a bodyguard would.
"Croquet," he hissed, motioning for Croquet to come closer.
"Yes, Master Pegasus?" Croquet asked.
"Call in some favors, find out all you can about this 'Duelist Soul'," Richard Pegasus replied.
"Yes, Master Pegasus," Croquet nodded, turning and walking off.
"Hey, Duelist-guy!" Joey yelled across the field, "I got news for you, pal! You may have taken out my Alligator Sword, but I don't care! I got lots more monsters in my deck that can take out that monster of yours!"
"Like what, Joey?" Duelist Soul asked quietly.
"Well...they're comin'," Joey muttered, "but for now I'm just setting a monster and one trap card, so I'll just end my turn."
"Fine," Duelist Soul shrugged, "Then I will activate the card I drew thanks to Warrior Soul, Polymerization! Warrior Soul was given to me for the finals by Industrial Illusions, but they also gave me another monster and a fusion monster. So I will fuse Warrior Soul with a card titled Fenrir in my hand."
"What's Fenrir do?" Joey blinked.
"Not that it matters, since it won't come to the field at the moment, but it is a level six monster with 2600 attack points and 2300 defense points, but it can only be summoned when I have ten or more cards in the graveyard," Duelist Soul stated, "But it is gone, I fused it with Warrior Soul to create my Soul of Light!"
The Warrior Soul faded, and a second wraith appeared. It was humanoid, but was bathed in light, and was hard to make out its form.
"Soul of Light is a fusion and effect monster with 2900 attack points and 2100 defense, and is light and warrior type," Duelist Soul tells Joey.
"What's its effect?" Joey frowns.
"...You'll see..." Duelist Soul said, "But for now, it will attack one of your face-down monsters."
Joey muttered angrily, sending his Masaki the Legendary Swordsman to the graveyard.
"I end my turn, Joey."
Joey drew a card, biting his lip, "A'ight, Duelist Soul, I'll set one monster, and...wait a minute..."
Joey looked at his face-down trap. He blinked, and then muttered angrily to himself. He then looked up at the field, realizing it wouldn't have made a difference, "Yeah, I'll end my turn..."
Duelist Soul drew, adding the card to his hand, "Well, I've nothing to play, so I will have my Soul of Light attack one of your face-down monsters."
Soul of Light struck one monster, hitting a Battle Warrior. It wasn't destroyed, as Joey had flipped his trap.
"Duelist Soul," Joey grinned, "I activate Negate Attack!"
Duelist Soul merely nodded in reply, "I see, then I end my turn."
Joey drew, hoping and praying for a useful card. He sighs nervously before looking at it, hearing someone talking.
"Joey!" Yugi shouted, "Don't worry!"
'Huh?' Joey thought, 'Yeah, Yugi's right. My deck's not gonna let me down, not now. I just gotta trust it.'
"Yeah!" Joey yelled, pumping his fist, "I'll set one trap card, and then I'll tribute my Battle Warrior and my face-down Armored Lizard for my Red- Eyes Black Dragon!"
"That's it?" Duelist Soul raised an eyebrow, "I hate to disappoint you, but you are still 500 attack points short."
"That's 'cuz I haven't added the card I drew!" Joey grinned, "I play Megamorph, turning my Red-Eye's 2400 attack points into 4800, as long as I have more life points then you. And just to be safe, I'll set one more trap card."
"Way to go, Joey!" Tea cheered.
"Hmm...It's amazing that the whimpering dog can duel at all without your guidance, Yugi," Kaiba sneered, "I'd never guess he'd manage to pull off that lucky move."
"That wasn't luck, Kaiba, that was skill!" Yugi cheered.
"Whatever," Kaiba shrugged.
"Now, Red-Eyes," Joey smirked, "go and take out that fusion monster of Duelist Soul's!"
The Red-Eyes leapt forward, heading straight for the Soul of Light. Suddenly, a sphere of blazing light appeared around Duelist Soul's monster, blocking the attack. Duelist Soul stood erect, staring into Joey's eyes.
"You seem to forget, Joey Wheeler," Duelist Soul stated, "My monster has an effect as well. I can discard a card from my hand to negate any attack targeting my Soul of Light. So, by discarding my Gaia the Fierce Knight, I protect my Soul of Light for one more turn."
"Sure," Joey laughed, "but you'll run out of cards eventually."
"I doubt it, Joey," Duelist Soul continued, "You see, I know all about your deck. You have fewer cards than I do, not a lot, but enough. So if this stalemate continues, you will run out of cards to draw first. Of course, that won't happen. It's only a matter of time until one of draws a Dark Hole or something else that will destroy one of these monsters."
"Well, in any case, I end my turn," Joey sighs.
Duelist Soul draws, nodding slightly, "I set one magic or trap card and end my turn."
"Alright, then," Joey grinned as he drew, "I'll activate my continuous trap card, Reassurance!"
The card flipped up, revealing the trap. Duelist Soul raised one eyebrow, and then gasped as his own trap flipped upwards.
"What does this card do?" Duelist Soul spat.
"Well, you're not the only one with unique cards," Joey explained, "Reassurance forces both of us to play with our face-down cards revealed, but their effects not activated, sort of like a heads up."
Duelist Soul regained his previous composure, nodding slightly, "Alright, Joey, so you can see that I have a Mirror Force face-down. Good work on narrowly avoiding the defeat of your Red-Eyes Black Dragon."
"Heh," Joey smiled, "I do what I can..."
"Hmm..." Kaiba murmurs, "Wheeler actually managed to live through that move, though he's only delaying the inevitable..."
"Hey, Kaiba," Tristan glares at Seto, "Try shutting your mouth for once!"
"Yasumi already proved the finals are tougher than last year," Kaiba smirked, "and if Yugi lost in the first round, then what are Joey's chances?"
"Uh..." Tristan blinks, not sure of what he can say that will avoid insulting Yugi, "...well...uh...let's settle this later..."
Kaiba closed his eyes, leaning confidently against the nearest wall, "I thought as much."
Joey looked down at his hand, trying to decide what to play. Anything he did would either be killed by either Soul of Light or Mirror Force. He flipped through the cards in his hand.
'Let's see...' he thought to himself, 'I've got my Summoned Skull, a Skull Servant, Scapegoat, and Remove Trap...Dang it, why did I put such a useless card in my deck? There are so few continuous traps..."
"Come on, Joey!" Tea yelled, "You can just end your turn!"
"Huh?" Joey looked up, "Hey, are you saying I can't handle this?"
"What? Of course no-" Tea began, but was cut off by Tristan.
"Yeah! That's exactly what we're sayin', Joey!" Tristan shouted.
"What are you doing?" Tea hissed.
"Trust me," Tristan whispered back, "Joey always does better when he's angry."
"Why you...Tristan!" Joey muttered, glaring at his friend, "I'll show you, I play Remove Trap!"
The card appeared on the field, attaching itself to Mirror Force and destroying it.
"What? How did that happen? Remove Trap can only target face-up traps!" Duelist Soul retorted.
"Heh, I know," Joey grinned, "but thanks to Reassurance, it is face-up, just not activated. I can use that card to take out any of your traps. And, thanks to my great judgment, I've got two more in my deck!"
Joey sighed, thinking, 'Well, more like poor planning and luck...'
"Now, Red-Eyes, attack that monster again!"
Red-Eyes attacked again, but Duelist Soul discarded another card, stopping the attack.
"I'll set one trap card and end my turn," Joey declared, placing the card on the field, which was immediately flipped, revealing Time Seal.
"Hey, Yugi, what's that card do?" Tristan asked.
"Time Seal is a trap that makes his opponent skip his next draw phase, but I don't see why it would help so much..." Yugi answered.
"Really, Yugi, I expected more from a duelist of your caliber," Kaiba sighed, "By reducing the amount of cards in Duelist Soul's hand, in lowers his amount of choices he can make when discarding cards, and might have to discard a powerful, useful card."
Duelist Soul drew, adding the card to his hand. He nodded slightly, looking up at the field, "I end my turn, Joey."
'Great,' Joey thought, drawing, "A'ight, Duelist Soul, I'll activate Time Seal, so you won't be drawing next turn!"
The trap activated, covering Duelist Soul's half of the field in chains. Duelist Soul merely nodded, not doing anything else.
"Aren't you even worried?" Joey shouted.
"Why?" Duelist Soul asked, "All worrying would do is cloud my judgment. This is a duel. I know you have tricks up your sleeve, and all I can do is make an attempt to overcome them. I know that you will succeed in a few of your moves, and there will be nothing I can do."
"But..." Joey started, and then thought, 'Jeez, what is this guy? He doesn't even worry...'
"It's still your turn, Joey," Duelist Soul stated calmly.
"Right," Joey muttered, "then go, Red-Eyes Black Dragon, and attack Soul of Light!"
Duelist Soul discarded a card in response, bringing the shield up once more, preventing any harm that would come unto Soul of Light.
"Then it is my turn," Duelist Soul retorted, "and I will merely end my turn."
Joey drew a card, beads of sweat trickling down his forehead. He now had seven cards in his hand. If he didn't play something, he would have to discard a card. Duelist Soul wouldn't because of Soul of Light. He could set a card face-down, but Duelist Soul would be able to see what it was.
'Wait...' Joey thought, 'this card, Steel Scorpion! If he attacks it, his monster will be destroyed two turns later!'
"Duelist Soul, I set one monster," Joey declared, placing the card on the field, "So take your best shot. Red-Eyes, attack!"
Steel Scorpion was revealed, and Duelist Soul just nodded again, not really doing anything, except discarding another card to block the attack.
"Interesting, to say the least," Duelist Soul muttered, drawing, "Well, I drew the card that will lead to your downfall, Joey Wheeler."
"And what's that?" Joey sneered.
"I play Change of Heart, taking Red-Eyes Black Dragon!" Duelist Soul shouted, activating the magic card.
"What?" Joey stared, amazed, "Red-Eyes, no!"
"Now, Red-Eyes Black Dragon, attack the Steel Scorpion!" Duelist Soul declared, throwing his right arm forward.
Red-Eyes flew at the Scorpion, launching a blaze of fire at it. The monster was destroyed, but Red-Eyes fell to the ground, unable to fly.
"Now, Soul of Light," Duelist Soul continued, "Attack Joey's life points!"
Soul of Light moved forward and, with nothing to block it, attacked Joey directly for 2900 damage.
Joey drew, back in control of Red-Eyes Black Dragon. He thought carefully, unsure of what he could do.
"You do realize, Joey," Duelist Soul explained, "that your Red-Eyes will be destroyed at the end of my next turn, and then, if I can summon a monster with at least 1700 attack points before you can bring out anything able to defend your life points, you will lose."
"I know," Joey grunted, "that's why I'm activating Polymerization, to fuse Red-Eyes Black Dragon with the Summoned Skull in my hand."
Summoned Skull appeared on the field next to Red-Eyes Black Dragon, moving into it. As the two touched, they merged together, forming one monster, Black Skull Dragon.
"Now Black Skull Dragon won't be destroyed by Steel Scorpion, and it's powerful enough to take out your Soul of Light with attack points to spare!" Joey smirked.
"Good job, Joey!" Yugi yelled to his friend.
"Thanks, Yug," Joey gave Yugi a thumbs up.
Rathje watched the duel in silence, studying both sides. Yasumi stood beside him.
"What are you thinking about?" Yasumi asked.
"Many things..." Rathje sighed.
"You want to talk about it?"
Rathje shrugged, "Well, most important is that we're going to have to duel each other in the next round..."
"Yeah..." Yasumi nodded.
"The winner goes onto the finals..."
They looked at each other for a few moments, neither one saying anything. Both were a little sad. Rathje eventually turned back to the duel before them, sighing.
"Good luck."
While they talked, Duelist Soul had discarded another card to avoid the destruction of Soul of Light. He looked as he always did, indifferent.
Duelist Soul drew a card; closing his eyes and lowering his head slightly, "Joey Wheeler, do you know which card I just drew?"
"Uh...another Change of Heart?" Joey guessed.
"No, but it will prove to be just as useful," Duelist Soul opened his eyes, his emerald eyes gleaming brilliantly, "I set Hoshiningen face-down, but, because of Reassurance, it is considered to be face-up. So now Hoshiningen's effect is activated."
The card appeared on the field, flipping upwards to reveal the smiling star.
"What would that be?" Joey gritted his teeth as he asked.
"Hoshiningen raises the attack of all Light monsters by 500 points, making Soul of Light at 3400 attack points, which is enough without also lowering Black Skull Dragon's attack points by 200, because it is Dark type, changing it to 2800 attack points," Duelist Soul explained, "Which is enough to leave you helpless, but I'm not done."
Joey stood, astonished, "What else?"
"I activate Polymerization," Duelist Soul declared, "Which will allow me to fuse my Guardian of the Labyrinth and Protector of the Throne in my hand to make Giltia the Dragon Knight. In addition to this, Giltia the Dragon Knight is a Light-attribute monster, so it is raised to 2350 attack points."
"...aw, crap..." Joey mumbled under his breath.
"Go, Soul of Light, attack and destroy Black Skull Dragon!" Duelist Soul declared.
Soul of Light moved forth, sending its blade through Black Skull Dragon, inflicting 600 points of life point damage.
"Alright," Duelist Soul said calmly, "now, Giltia the Dragon Knight, attack Joey's life points directly!"
Giltia dashed forward, attacking Joey's life points for 2350 with his halberd.
"Joey!" Yugi shouted, "Don't give up!"
"What?" Joey looked up, "Yugi, I've got less than 2000 life points left, and he's got 8000! What do expect from me, a Blue Eyes?"
"Joey, listen to me!" Yugi continued, "There's a card in your deck that can turn this duel around! I know it, I gave it to you!"
"Huh?" Joey blinked, staring at his deck. He thought to himself, 'Come on! I don't know what card Yugi's talking about, but I hope it's on top!'
He drew the card hastily, staring blankly at it, 'This is it...this is the card Yugi was talking about...'
"Well, Joey," Duelist Soul cut in, "are you ready to make your final move?"
"Yeah, Duelist Soul, I am," Joey grinned, "and I'll summon Time Wizard, in defense mode. But, since it's face-up, I can activate its effect, the Time Roulette!"
"Hmm..." Duelist Soul nodded, "a move based entirely on luck..."
"Way to go, Joey!" Yugi yelled.
Time Wizard spun the roulette on its staff, and the arrow became only a blur. Joey bit his lip as it twirled around. Duelist Soul stood erect, not phased by this move.
The arrow stopped, and it was not on a skull.
"Yeah!" Joey cheered, "Now watch as his Time Warp destroys all your monsters!"
The arena changed to a form of tunnel, and the monsters were sailing through it. Eventually, it faded, and all that remained was Time Wizard.
"A'ight, Duelist Soul," Joey smiled, eyes blazing with determination, "let's see how you like it now!"
Duelist Soul drew, nodding in acknowledgement to Joey's words, "Tell me, Joey Wheeler, what is Time Wizard's defense?"
"Uh...400, why?" Joey answered.
"Then I'm afraid it is game over," Duelist Soul retorted, "For the card I drew was Monster Reborn, which I will use to summon Giltia the Dragon Knight once more."
"What? Why him? You have stronger monsters in your graveyard..." Joey asked.
"Yes, but in all my deck, Giltia is the one I considered to be the most like me," Duelist Soul explained, "He is not the greatest, most powerful card in the game, but he serves his purpose, and is always there when I need him. I would much rather use him to finish this game."
"Yeah," Joey nodded, "too bad he won't be finishing any games."
"I think otherwise," Duelist Soul smiled slightly, "For I play Fairy Meteor Crush on Giltia the Dragon Knight, so whenever he inflicts damage to a monster in defense mode, the difference is inflicted to your life points."
"Yeah, well he's still 150 attack points short!" Joey pointed out.
"Yes, but this is before I add Dragonic Attack," Duelist Soul replied, placing the magic card on the field.
Giltia the Dragon Knight was surrounded by an aura of blue light, and his eyes flashed azure.
"Eh? What's that do?" Joey asked, a little afraid of the answer.
"Dragonic Attack does two things, apart from only being able to effect Warrior-type monsters," Duelist Soul explained, "It first makes my monster a Dragon-type monster, then it raises its attack and defense points by 500, which is enough to destroy Time Wizard and finish the game."
"No!" Yugi yelled from the side.
"That ain't right!" Joey sighed.
"And I know you have nothing to save yourself because you have no traps, which I would be able to see thanks to Reassurance," Duelist Soul stated, "So now attack, Giltia the Dragon Knight, and finish this duel, removing Joey Wheeler from Duelist Kingdom Two!"
Giltia ran toward Time Wizard. With a blaze of blue light, he cast the halberd through the monster, destroying it and inflicting 1950 life point damage to Joey's life points.
Joey dropped to his knees, staring at the field, which deactivated. Duelist Soul turned, walking to the shadows. Before disappearing, he paused.
"I apologize, Joey Wheeler," he murmured, barely audible, "for I was mistaken."
~
Author's Note: Once again, I'm sorry.
Author's Note: Well, there's chapter sixteen. Chapter Seventeen will be on the way...sometime...Thanks for being patient.
Note: I apologize for the long pauses between chapters; I had some problems with some stuff...
Note: Sorceress of Life is not a real card
~
Joey Wheeler stood in the corridor leading to the arena, not really sure when to walk forward. He never received his notice of who his opponent would be, or to be more specific, he never looked down at the floor to see it was lying there. He jumped, the lights suddenly turning on. Assuming this was his cue, he walked forward.
"A'ight," Joey grinned, "who's my opponent?"
"I am."
Joey looked up, seeing Duelist Soul standing across the room. He had one foot forward, the other places behind him for balance. His arms were crossed; his eyes seemed almost to be blank. He didn't even flinch when the massive arena was lowered from above them.
"May the duel between Joey Wheeler and Duelist Soul commence," Croquet declared as both duelists made their way atop the platforms, "Joey Wheeler will have the first turn."
"Come on, Joey, you can do it!" Yugi shouted from the balcony.
"I'm surprised that the second-rate duelist could make it to the finals, let alone manage to leave his master. Did you send him to play fetch with a new friend, Yugi?" a voice behind the group laughed coldly.
They turned, shouting in unison, "Kaiba?"
"Yes, it's good to know my name is still well known around the public," Seto Kaiba smirked, "And the great Yugi Moto was defeated? By a never before heard of duelist, as well. Hmm, this could be easier than I thought. None of the powerful duelists are in the finals, well, not yet."
"I wouldn't be too confident, Seto."
"And why is that, Bakura?" Kaiba asked his acquaintance.
"Because I'm dueling you next, and I don't plan on losing without a fight," Bakura glared at Kaiba.
"Then it's a fight you'll get."
They turned back to the duel, seeing that Joey had summoned Alligator Sword in attack mode and ended his turn.
"Joey," Duelist Soul started, "who are you?"
"Whaddya mean by that?" Joey asked.
"Think about the question, then answer," Duelist Soul stated.
Joey thought about it, then spoke, "Well, I guess I'm just some guy's friend...There isn't much about me that's very important..."
"Well," Duelist Soul smiled, "then I wish you a good duel, and if I am to lose, then I hope that you are one of the Millennium Guardians."
"Me?"
Duelist Soul nodded, summoning Dark Elf in attack mode, "I summon my Dark Elf, and end my turn."
"Yugi," Tea began, "why didn't he attack? Dark Elf is stronger..."
"Yes, but when Dark Elf attacks, Duelist Soul will lose 1000 life points, so one monster isn't worth the trouble."
Joey drew, smiling a little at his card. He added it to his hand, merely setting one monster face-down, "I set one card, and I'll end my turn."
"Then I will draw," Duelist Soul declared, "and I will summon Warrior Soul in attack mode!"
A faint image of a knight appeared, wielding a sword and a shield. It appeared to almost be a wraith, partially invisible.
"Eh? What's that?" Joey asked.
"Warrior Soul is a level four warrior monster with 2000 attack points and 1000 defense points," Duelist Soul explained, "When it attacks, I draw a card, then select a card from my hand to remove from the game. Now go, my Warrior Soul, and destroy Alligator Sword!"
The wraith-like figure moved forward, sending its blade through the opposing monster. Duelist Soul then drew a card, nodding in acknowledgement before removing one of his cards from the game.
A man with white hair sat a ways away, watching the duel intently. He was very interested in both duelists. Joey Wheeler was unpredictable, and contained great skill. Duelist Soul was mysterious and intriguing, as very little was known of him. Croquet stood a few feet away from this man, as a bodyguard would.
"Croquet," he hissed, motioning for Croquet to come closer.
"Yes, Master Pegasus?" Croquet asked.
"Call in some favors, find out all you can about this 'Duelist Soul'," Richard Pegasus replied.
"Yes, Master Pegasus," Croquet nodded, turning and walking off.
"Hey, Duelist-guy!" Joey yelled across the field, "I got news for you, pal! You may have taken out my Alligator Sword, but I don't care! I got lots more monsters in my deck that can take out that monster of yours!"
"Like what, Joey?" Duelist Soul asked quietly.
"Well...they're comin'," Joey muttered, "but for now I'm just setting a monster and one trap card, so I'll just end my turn."
"Fine," Duelist Soul shrugged, "Then I will activate the card I drew thanks to Warrior Soul, Polymerization! Warrior Soul was given to me for the finals by Industrial Illusions, but they also gave me another monster and a fusion monster. So I will fuse Warrior Soul with a card titled Fenrir in my hand."
"What's Fenrir do?" Joey blinked.
"Not that it matters, since it won't come to the field at the moment, but it is a level six monster with 2600 attack points and 2300 defense points, but it can only be summoned when I have ten or more cards in the graveyard," Duelist Soul stated, "But it is gone, I fused it with Warrior Soul to create my Soul of Light!"
The Warrior Soul faded, and a second wraith appeared. It was humanoid, but was bathed in light, and was hard to make out its form.
"Soul of Light is a fusion and effect monster with 2900 attack points and 2100 defense, and is light and warrior type," Duelist Soul tells Joey.
"What's its effect?" Joey frowns.
"...You'll see..." Duelist Soul said, "But for now, it will attack one of your face-down monsters."
Joey muttered angrily, sending his Masaki the Legendary Swordsman to the graveyard.
"I end my turn, Joey."
Joey drew a card, biting his lip, "A'ight, Duelist Soul, I'll set one monster, and...wait a minute..."
Joey looked at his face-down trap. He blinked, and then muttered angrily to himself. He then looked up at the field, realizing it wouldn't have made a difference, "Yeah, I'll end my turn..."
Duelist Soul drew, adding the card to his hand, "Well, I've nothing to play, so I will have my Soul of Light attack one of your face-down monsters."
Soul of Light struck one monster, hitting a Battle Warrior. It wasn't destroyed, as Joey had flipped his trap.
"Duelist Soul," Joey grinned, "I activate Negate Attack!"
Duelist Soul merely nodded in reply, "I see, then I end my turn."
Joey drew, hoping and praying for a useful card. He sighs nervously before looking at it, hearing someone talking.
"Joey!" Yugi shouted, "Don't worry!"
'Huh?' Joey thought, 'Yeah, Yugi's right. My deck's not gonna let me down, not now. I just gotta trust it.'
"Yeah!" Joey yelled, pumping his fist, "I'll set one trap card, and then I'll tribute my Battle Warrior and my face-down Armored Lizard for my Red- Eyes Black Dragon!"
"That's it?" Duelist Soul raised an eyebrow, "I hate to disappoint you, but you are still 500 attack points short."
"That's 'cuz I haven't added the card I drew!" Joey grinned, "I play Megamorph, turning my Red-Eye's 2400 attack points into 4800, as long as I have more life points then you. And just to be safe, I'll set one more trap card."
"Way to go, Joey!" Tea cheered.
"Hmm...It's amazing that the whimpering dog can duel at all without your guidance, Yugi," Kaiba sneered, "I'd never guess he'd manage to pull off that lucky move."
"That wasn't luck, Kaiba, that was skill!" Yugi cheered.
"Whatever," Kaiba shrugged.
"Now, Red-Eyes," Joey smirked, "go and take out that fusion monster of Duelist Soul's!"
The Red-Eyes leapt forward, heading straight for the Soul of Light. Suddenly, a sphere of blazing light appeared around Duelist Soul's monster, blocking the attack. Duelist Soul stood erect, staring into Joey's eyes.
"You seem to forget, Joey Wheeler," Duelist Soul stated, "My monster has an effect as well. I can discard a card from my hand to negate any attack targeting my Soul of Light. So, by discarding my Gaia the Fierce Knight, I protect my Soul of Light for one more turn."
"Sure," Joey laughed, "but you'll run out of cards eventually."
"I doubt it, Joey," Duelist Soul continued, "You see, I know all about your deck. You have fewer cards than I do, not a lot, but enough. So if this stalemate continues, you will run out of cards to draw first. Of course, that won't happen. It's only a matter of time until one of draws a Dark Hole or something else that will destroy one of these monsters."
"Well, in any case, I end my turn," Joey sighs.
Duelist Soul draws, nodding slightly, "I set one magic or trap card and end my turn."
"Alright, then," Joey grinned as he drew, "I'll activate my continuous trap card, Reassurance!"
The card flipped up, revealing the trap. Duelist Soul raised one eyebrow, and then gasped as his own trap flipped upwards.
"What does this card do?" Duelist Soul spat.
"Well, you're not the only one with unique cards," Joey explained, "Reassurance forces both of us to play with our face-down cards revealed, but their effects not activated, sort of like a heads up."
Duelist Soul regained his previous composure, nodding slightly, "Alright, Joey, so you can see that I have a Mirror Force face-down. Good work on narrowly avoiding the defeat of your Red-Eyes Black Dragon."
"Heh," Joey smiled, "I do what I can..."
"Hmm..." Kaiba murmurs, "Wheeler actually managed to live through that move, though he's only delaying the inevitable..."
"Hey, Kaiba," Tristan glares at Seto, "Try shutting your mouth for once!"
"Yasumi already proved the finals are tougher than last year," Kaiba smirked, "and if Yugi lost in the first round, then what are Joey's chances?"
"Uh..." Tristan blinks, not sure of what he can say that will avoid insulting Yugi, "...well...uh...let's settle this later..."
Kaiba closed his eyes, leaning confidently against the nearest wall, "I thought as much."
Joey looked down at his hand, trying to decide what to play. Anything he did would either be killed by either Soul of Light or Mirror Force. He flipped through the cards in his hand.
'Let's see...' he thought to himself, 'I've got my Summoned Skull, a Skull Servant, Scapegoat, and Remove Trap...Dang it, why did I put such a useless card in my deck? There are so few continuous traps..."
"Come on, Joey!" Tea yelled, "You can just end your turn!"
"Huh?" Joey looked up, "Hey, are you saying I can't handle this?"
"What? Of course no-" Tea began, but was cut off by Tristan.
"Yeah! That's exactly what we're sayin', Joey!" Tristan shouted.
"What are you doing?" Tea hissed.
"Trust me," Tristan whispered back, "Joey always does better when he's angry."
"Why you...Tristan!" Joey muttered, glaring at his friend, "I'll show you, I play Remove Trap!"
The card appeared on the field, attaching itself to Mirror Force and destroying it.
"What? How did that happen? Remove Trap can only target face-up traps!" Duelist Soul retorted.
"Heh, I know," Joey grinned, "but thanks to Reassurance, it is face-up, just not activated. I can use that card to take out any of your traps. And, thanks to my great judgment, I've got two more in my deck!"
Joey sighed, thinking, 'Well, more like poor planning and luck...'
"Now, Red-Eyes, attack that monster again!"
Red-Eyes attacked again, but Duelist Soul discarded another card, stopping the attack.
"I'll set one trap card and end my turn," Joey declared, placing the card on the field, which was immediately flipped, revealing Time Seal.
"Hey, Yugi, what's that card do?" Tristan asked.
"Time Seal is a trap that makes his opponent skip his next draw phase, but I don't see why it would help so much..." Yugi answered.
"Really, Yugi, I expected more from a duelist of your caliber," Kaiba sighed, "By reducing the amount of cards in Duelist Soul's hand, in lowers his amount of choices he can make when discarding cards, and might have to discard a powerful, useful card."
Duelist Soul drew, adding the card to his hand. He nodded slightly, looking up at the field, "I end my turn, Joey."
'Great,' Joey thought, drawing, "A'ight, Duelist Soul, I'll activate Time Seal, so you won't be drawing next turn!"
The trap activated, covering Duelist Soul's half of the field in chains. Duelist Soul merely nodded, not doing anything else.
"Aren't you even worried?" Joey shouted.
"Why?" Duelist Soul asked, "All worrying would do is cloud my judgment. This is a duel. I know you have tricks up your sleeve, and all I can do is make an attempt to overcome them. I know that you will succeed in a few of your moves, and there will be nothing I can do."
"But..." Joey started, and then thought, 'Jeez, what is this guy? He doesn't even worry...'
"It's still your turn, Joey," Duelist Soul stated calmly.
"Right," Joey muttered, "then go, Red-Eyes Black Dragon, and attack Soul of Light!"
Duelist Soul discarded a card in response, bringing the shield up once more, preventing any harm that would come unto Soul of Light.
"Then it is my turn," Duelist Soul retorted, "and I will merely end my turn."
Joey drew a card, beads of sweat trickling down his forehead. He now had seven cards in his hand. If he didn't play something, he would have to discard a card. Duelist Soul wouldn't because of Soul of Light. He could set a card face-down, but Duelist Soul would be able to see what it was.
'Wait...' Joey thought, 'this card, Steel Scorpion! If he attacks it, his monster will be destroyed two turns later!'
"Duelist Soul, I set one monster," Joey declared, placing the card on the field, "So take your best shot. Red-Eyes, attack!"
Steel Scorpion was revealed, and Duelist Soul just nodded again, not really doing anything, except discarding another card to block the attack.
"Interesting, to say the least," Duelist Soul muttered, drawing, "Well, I drew the card that will lead to your downfall, Joey Wheeler."
"And what's that?" Joey sneered.
"I play Change of Heart, taking Red-Eyes Black Dragon!" Duelist Soul shouted, activating the magic card.
"What?" Joey stared, amazed, "Red-Eyes, no!"
"Now, Red-Eyes Black Dragon, attack the Steel Scorpion!" Duelist Soul declared, throwing his right arm forward.
Red-Eyes flew at the Scorpion, launching a blaze of fire at it. The monster was destroyed, but Red-Eyes fell to the ground, unable to fly.
"Now, Soul of Light," Duelist Soul continued, "Attack Joey's life points!"
Soul of Light moved forward and, with nothing to block it, attacked Joey directly for 2900 damage.
Joey drew, back in control of Red-Eyes Black Dragon. He thought carefully, unsure of what he could do.
"You do realize, Joey," Duelist Soul explained, "that your Red-Eyes will be destroyed at the end of my next turn, and then, if I can summon a monster with at least 1700 attack points before you can bring out anything able to defend your life points, you will lose."
"I know," Joey grunted, "that's why I'm activating Polymerization, to fuse Red-Eyes Black Dragon with the Summoned Skull in my hand."
Summoned Skull appeared on the field next to Red-Eyes Black Dragon, moving into it. As the two touched, they merged together, forming one monster, Black Skull Dragon.
"Now Black Skull Dragon won't be destroyed by Steel Scorpion, and it's powerful enough to take out your Soul of Light with attack points to spare!" Joey smirked.
"Good job, Joey!" Yugi yelled to his friend.
"Thanks, Yug," Joey gave Yugi a thumbs up.
Rathje watched the duel in silence, studying both sides. Yasumi stood beside him.
"What are you thinking about?" Yasumi asked.
"Many things..." Rathje sighed.
"You want to talk about it?"
Rathje shrugged, "Well, most important is that we're going to have to duel each other in the next round..."
"Yeah..." Yasumi nodded.
"The winner goes onto the finals..."
They looked at each other for a few moments, neither one saying anything. Both were a little sad. Rathje eventually turned back to the duel before them, sighing.
"Good luck."
While they talked, Duelist Soul had discarded another card to avoid the destruction of Soul of Light. He looked as he always did, indifferent.
Duelist Soul drew a card; closing his eyes and lowering his head slightly, "Joey Wheeler, do you know which card I just drew?"
"Uh...another Change of Heart?" Joey guessed.
"No, but it will prove to be just as useful," Duelist Soul opened his eyes, his emerald eyes gleaming brilliantly, "I set Hoshiningen face-down, but, because of Reassurance, it is considered to be face-up. So now Hoshiningen's effect is activated."
The card appeared on the field, flipping upwards to reveal the smiling star.
"What would that be?" Joey gritted his teeth as he asked.
"Hoshiningen raises the attack of all Light monsters by 500 points, making Soul of Light at 3400 attack points, which is enough without also lowering Black Skull Dragon's attack points by 200, because it is Dark type, changing it to 2800 attack points," Duelist Soul explained, "Which is enough to leave you helpless, but I'm not done."
Joey stood, astonished, "What else?"
"I activate Polymerization," Duelist Soul declared, "Which will allow me to fuse my Guardian of the Labyrinth and Protector of the Throne in my hand to make Giltia the Dragon Knight. In addition to this, Giltia the Dragon Knight is a Light-attribute monster, so it is raised to 2350 attack points."
"...aw, crap..." Joey mumbled under his breath.
"Go, Soul of Light, attack and destroy Black Skull Dragon!" Duelist Soul declared.
Soul of Light moved forth, sending its blade through Black Skull Dragon, inflicting 600 points of life point damage.
"Alright," Duelist Soul said calmly, "now, Giltia the Dragon Knight, attack Joey's life points directly!"
Giltia dashed forward, attacking Joey's life points for 2350 with his halberd.
"Joey!" Yugi shouted, "Don't give up!"
"What?" Joey looked up, "Yugi, I've got less than 2000 life points left, and he's got 8000! What do expect from me, a Blue Eyes?"
"Joey, listen to me!" Yugi continued, "There's a card in your deck that can turn this duel around! I know it, I gave it to you!"
"Huh?" Joey blinked, staring at his deck. He thought to himself, 'Come on! I don't know what card Yugi's talking about, but I hope it's on top!'
He drew the card hastily, staring blankly at it, 'This is it...this is the card Yugi was talking about...'
"Well, Joey," Duelist Soul cut in, "are you ready to make your final move?"
"Yeah, Duelist Soul, I am," Joey grinned, "and I'll summon Time Wizard, in defense mode. But, since it's face-up, I can activate its effect, the Time Roulette!"
"Hmm..." Duelist Soul nodded, "a move based entirely on luck..."
"Way to go, Joey!" Yugi yelled.
Time Wizard spun the roulette on its staff, and the arrow became only a blur. Joey bit his lip as it twirled around. Duelist Soul stood erect, not phased by this move.
The arrow stopped, and it was not on a skull.
"Yeah!" Joey cheered, "Now watch as his Time Warp destroys all your monsters!"
The arena changed to a form of tunnel, and the monsters were sailing through it. Eventually, it faded, and all that remained was Time Wizard.
"A'ight, Duelist Soul," Joey smiled, eyes blazing with determination, "let's see how you like it now!"
Duelist Soul drew, nodding in acknowledgement to Joey's words, "Tell me, Joey Wheeler, what is Time Wizard's defense?"
"Uh...400, why?" Joey answered.
"Then I'm afraid it is game over," Duelist Soul retorted, "For the card I drew was Monster Reborn, which I will use to summon Giltia the Dragon Knight once more."
"What? Why him? You have stronger monsters in your graveyard..." Joey asked.
"Yes, but in all my deck, Giltia is the one I considered to be the most like me," Duelist Soul explained, "He is not the greatest, most powerful card in the game, but he serves his purpose, and is always there when I need him. I would much rather use him to finish this game."
"Yeah," Joey nodded, "too bad he won't be finishing any games."
"I think otherwise," Duelist Soul smiled slightly, "For I play Fairy Meteor Crush on Giltia the Dragon Knight, so whenever he inflicts damage to a monster in defense mode, the difference is inflicted to your life points."
"Yeah, well he's still 150 attack points short!" Joey pointed out.
"Yes, but this is before I add Dragonic Attack," Duelist Soul replied, placing the magic card on the field.
Giltia the Dragon Knight was surrounded by an aura of blue light, and his eyes flashed azure.
"Eh? What's that do?" Joey asked, a little afraid of the answer.
"Dragonic Attack does two things, apart from only being able to effect Warrior-type monsters," Duelist Soul explained, "It first makes my monster a Dragon-type monster, then it raises its attack and defense points by 500, which is enough to destroy Time Wizard and finish the game."
"No!" Yugi yelled from the side.
"That ain't right!" Joey sighed.
"And I know you have nothing to save yourself because you have no traps, which I would be able to see thanks to Reassurance," Duelist Soul stated, "So now attack, Giltia the Dragon Knight, and finish this duel, removing Joey Wheeler from Duelist Kingdom Two!"
Giltia ran toward Time Wizard. With a blaze of blue light, he cast the halberd through the monster, destroying it and inflicting 1950 life point damage to Joey's life points.
Joey dropped to his knees, staring at the field, which deactivated. Duelist Soul turned, walking to the shadows. Before disappearing, he paused.
"I apologize, Joey Wheeler," he murmured, barely audible, "for I was mistaken."
~
Author's Note: Once again, I'm sorry.
Author's Note: Well, there's chapter sixteen. Chapter Seventeen will be on the way...sometime...Thanks for being patient.