Yu-Gi-Oh!-Duel Monsters: Dark Designs
Duel Eight – The Bug and the Sword
It appeared that Kaiba's company had completed the Coliseum during the Battle City finals. The Coliseum loomed over the group, and the roar of the crowd could be heard. Joey, upon hearing the crowd, stepped forward with a fist in the air and his game face on.
"Alright! Now everyone will be able to witness me kickin' Kaiba's butt!" cried Joey. After declaring his future victory, he quickly sped off into the arena, the rest of the gang minus Yugi running after him. The spirit of the Pharaoh appeared from within the Puzzle, resting a firm hand on his partner's shoulder.
What's wrong Yugi? Are you nervous that they'll be a crowd watching us? the spirit asked. His younger counter part shook his head.
Its not that... I was just thinking about what Tea had said yesterday. Those men will probably be here waiting for me, right? Yugi looked up to his companion with a concerned look on his face. The spirit fixed his gaze on the massive coliseum.
Definitely. But we will be there to bring them down. With us working together, no one can defeat us. A smile crept on Yugi's face. The spirit always knew what to say to inspire him. Let's go Yugi. and with that said, the two made their way into the Coliseum.
The Coliseum had changed much since the last time he had been here. Ahead of him was an open gate leading to the dueling area, which was over looked by the crowd. Where he was standing, the part of the coliseum where the crowd sat was above him. There were security guards at both sides of the entrance to the dueling area, and behind him at both ends of the entrance into the Coliseum. To his left was a rather large booth, where many people gathered around. A few of those people were his friends. Yugi walked over towards them. Tea had turned around just in time to see Yugi approach them.
"Yugi, this is the registration booth. We had a little trouble, but we've gotten Joey registered for competition." Explained Tea. Joey looked like he was a little upset: He was being held back by Tristan as he screamed various threats towards the person behind the booth, who seemed very nervous about the whole thing. Yugi grinned, guessing Kaiba had made it a tough ordeal for Joey to compete. "Well, all that's left is for you to register Yugi. Go ahead." Tea added with a smile to her short friend. Yugi stepped up the booth and cleared his throat.
"Good morning. I'm Yugi Motou, and I'm here to-"before he could finish, he was cut off by a familiar voice.
"No need for that Yugi. I've already had you registered for competition." Spoke Kaiba as he walked to the booth, now dressed in his traditional white coat, duel disk fastened onto his wrist. Yugi watched his as he drew closer.
"Kaiba..." it was all he could say... He hadn't seen Kaiba and his brother since the end of the Battle City finals. The spirit watched on with intrigue. Kaiba turned to the person behind the booth.
"I'm here to register for competition." Spoke Kaiba, much to the shock of his employee.
"A-are you sure Mr. Kaiba?!" stuttered the employee. Kaiba narrowed his gaze upon the man.
"I hired you to take orders, not to ask questions. Now sign me up." Kaiba took a few steps away from Yugi and the booth before coming to a halt. "Good luck Yugi. You'll need it." With that said, He continued to walk off from Yugi and co. He may have been ordered to create this tournament, but Sol never mentioned anything about him not entering. Sol may have his brother, but he still called the shots around here. Perhaps an opportunity would present itself during the length of the tournament to take control of the situation.
Kaiba's entering... perhaps he still harbors some negativity from Battle City. spoke the Pharaoh to his partner. Yugi watched Kaiba as he disappeared into the back. He had a strange feeling that something was bothering him. He'd have to ask him some other time. Meanwhile, Joey had finally broken free and had approached Yugi.
"Kaiba, that jerk!" cried Joey. "I vow to eliminate Kaiba from this tournament!" declared Joey, holding a fist above his head. Just as he had finished declaring his future victory, a familiar voice rang from behind the group.
"Hyo hyo hyo! Let's see if you can even make it that far in the tournament to face Kaiba!" It didn't take the two very long to realize who the voice belonged to. The slowly turned to face Weevil Underwood, the blue haired Insect lover. Naturally, he was accompanied by his friend Rex Raptor, who was grinning pretty wide. Weevil pointed a finger in Joey's direction, a look of hatred sweeping over his face. "Wheeler! I want back my Insect Queen!" Joey folded his arms against his chest as the duelist demanded that card that he had lost to him back.
"You lost your Insect Queen to me, despite your cheating. You want your Queen back so much? Then you can duel me for it." Said Joey, a serious expression on his face. Weevil narrowed his eyes as he glared at the blonde haired duelist. "This match won't be for the tournament though. We can handle this match right outside the Coliseum." Weevil thought it over for a few moments. His Insect Queen could really help his deck for the tournament... and the duel didn't count towards the tournament, so if he somehow lost, he wouldn't be eliminated.
"Fine, let's have our duel! I'll have my Insect Queen back in no time! I've picked up a few new bugs that I'm dying to show you!" said Weevil. The two and co headed out of the Coliseum, making their way past a wave of people entering the arena. They came to a halt several feet from the entrance of the arena, Joey and his friends on one side, Weevil and Rex on the other. Both of their Duel Disks swung over, switching into duel mode.
"DUEL!" the two shouted, their life points rising up to 4000.
"Come on Joey!" cheered Tea. Tristan put on his game face, mimicking Joey.
"Show 'em what your made of Joey!" cheered on Tristan. Yugi sat down on a piece of stone that surrounded some trees, watching on.
"I'll make the first move Wheeler! Draw!" cried Weevil as he pulled his sixth card off the top of his deck. "I'll place a monster face down and set a card." The image of two face down cards appeared, hovering off of the ground before him. "Turn end." Weevil added, fixing his glasses.
"It's my turn! Draw!" declared Joey as he pulled another card from the top of his deck, making his hand six. Pulling a different card from his hand, he placed it onto his duel disk face up. "I'll summon Rocket Warrior in attack mode!" The green and yellow pint-sized warrior appeared onto the field before Joey. Pointing to his Rocket Warrior, he declared his next action. "Rocket Warrior! Change into invincible mode!" The warrior changed into what his name implied. It pulled itself together into the form of a rocket. "When Rocket Warrior enters invincible mode, he cannot receive any damage. Also, when he attacks a monster, he can reduce that monsters attack by 500 points! Go, Rocket Warrior! Attack his face down monster!" The Rocket sped off at the face down card, much to the delight of Weevil, who had already begun to activate his face down card.
"Reverse card, open! Caught by a Spider!" The card rose up to reveal itself. The image depicted on the card was that of a soldier stuck into a giant Spider's web. "When a monster attacks an insect type monster, that monster shifts to defense and cannot change its position." Explained Weevil as he fixed his glasses once more. "But, I cannot do anything to stop your attack, so..." said Weevil in a low tone of voice as he reached to flip over his card, revealing the creature. Joey gritted his teeth as his Rocket Warrior flew into a blue and green insect, puncturing it with the horn on the top of its head. The insect let out a shrill cry as the warrior retreated back to its side of the field, now in defense. As the Insect shattered, a green moth appeared where it had once stood. "You destroyed my Howling Insect, which triggered its special effect. It allows my to special summon an insect monster with 1500 attack points or lower from my deck, so I've chosen my Petite Moth. You're familiar with my Petite Moth, right Wheeler? Hyo hyo hyo!" laughed Weevil. Joey examined his hand carefully. Nothing that could stop his insect at the time. He knew what was coming next.
"Turn end..." muttered Joey. Weevil laughed once more as he reached to draw another card.
Tea gasped as her friend ended his turn abruptly. She had watched Joey get stuck by Weevil's tricks in the past. "C'mon Joey! You'll find a way out of this!" As Tea and Tristan continued to cheer on, Yugi watched silently along with his partner. The spirit spoke first.
Do you think Joey will have a hard time with this? asked the Pharaoh. Little Yugi shook his head in response.
I know Joey will find a way to crush Weevil's Great Moth strategy. I believe in him. answered Yugi.
"My turn... draw!" exclaimed Weevil as he picked up another card from his deck. "First, I'll switch my Petite Moth to defense, then... I'll equip him with this..." Weevil selected another card from his hand and flashed it to all to see. Joey didn't have to look. He knew what was coming. "I'll equip my Moth with the Cocoon of Evolution! This will raise its defense to 2200 points. After six turns, my Cocoon will hatch my Perfectly Ultimate Great Moth! Well, that'll do it for my turn. Make your move." Just as Weevil passed the turn over to Joey, a smile crept onto Joey's face. "Hey... what's so funny Wheeler?!" snapped Weevil, holding a fist out in his direction.
"Do you think you can beat me with your same tired tactics Underwood?" Weevil was taken aback by Joey's words. "I am a much stronger duelist since the last time we've dueled and I can't be trapped by such tricks like this for long. So, prepare to be crushed! Draw!" Joey yanked the top card from his deck, then pulling it in front of his face to examine. The card he had drawn brought a smile to his face. "I'll crush your strategy with this card!" declared Joey, thrust the card forth to show Weevil. Weevil's eyes widened as he caught sight of the card his opponent now held. "I activate Giant Trunade!" Joey slipped it into a magic and trap slot, activate his card. A Hurricane began to spiral in the center of the field, sending dust flying all about, Tea struggling to hold down her skirt. "From the look on your face, I think you understand how this card works. Both of us have to pick up all of our magic and trap cards on the field and add them back to our hands. I may have no magic and trap card, but you've got two. Your Caught by a Spider card and..." Joey pointed a finger towards the Cocoon of Evolution. "Your Cocoon!" The image of the cards were swept up in the massive Hurricane, then carried off into the sky, never to be seen again. An annoyed Weevil pulled his cards from the magic and trap slots and added them to his hand.
"It doesn't matter much Wheeler! I'll just play them again on my next turn!" spoke a once again confident Weevil. Joey waved a finger out in front of him.
"Now, here's the rest of my killer combo! I activate Card Destruction! When this card is activated, both of us have to discard our hand and draw the same number of cards we have discarded!" explained Joey as he collected his hand of five cards into one pile, then placed it into his graveyard. Running his thumb along the side of his deck till he felt five cards, he pulled them off of his deck. A stunned Weevil stared in disbelief. His entire strategy had been crushed by one move. Perhaps his new hand could provide a new strategy, he thought to himself. He placed his six cards into the graveyard and drew a fresh new set of cards.
"Humph... well, your Rocket Warrior still cannot attack since it had been affected by my trap card." Spoke Weevil, pointed to his opponent's monster, which was held down by the spider's sticky solution.
"That's alright. I've got that covered already. I summon Panther Warrior in attack mode!" said Joey as his feline warrior appeared beside his Rocket Warrior. "I'll sacrifice my Rocket Warrior to my Panther Warrior!" The warrior's soul entered the sword of his comrade, giving it a blue hue. "Panther Warrior, attack his Petite Moth!" The Black Panther leapt forward and sliced the bug right in half, green blood splattering out of both ends just before it shattered. Weevil growled as his bug was destroyed. He had an open field now. No magic, trap or monsters, and Joey had his Panther Warrior, which had a 2000 attack score. He'd have to wait and see what he'd draw for his turn, before he made any decisions. "I'll set one card face down. Turn end!" declared Joey, holding a hand out to his opponent as he passed his turn over to Weevil.
"It's my turn... draw!" shouted Weevil as he picked up another card. Weevil knew his cards well, and could cook up a plan with ease. "First, I'll place a monster face down. Next, I'll play this." Pulling another card from his hand, he placed it into a vacant slot in his duel disk. "I'll play my Insect Barrier. As long as this card is on the field, all of your insect monsters cannot attack." Joey grinned from ear to ear as he watched Weevil play his Insect Barrier card.
"Sorry to disappoint you Weevil, but I don't have any insects in my deck. I took out your Insect Queen last night!" said Joey. Weevil quickly grew upset as he heard Joey's words.
"You idiot! How could you not use my Insect Queen?! I knew you wouldn't respect her well enough! I'll set another card face down! Turn end!" shouted Weevil with anger. This added more fuel to the fire. If Wheeler wasn't going to use his Insect Queen, he'd just have to take it back.
"It's my move! Draw!" said Joey as he added another card to his hand. Alright! If Weevil's going to continue to play monster's face down, then this'll help!, Joey thought to himself. "I'll summon Xarion Universe in attack mode!" said Joey as he summoned his monster. Emerging from its card was an armor clad centaur carrying a pike. Weevil fixed his gaze on this new monster. It also had an impressive attack score, as well as defense. "Xarion Universe! Attack his face down monster!" The centaur monster trotted up to the face down monster which revealed itself as a familiar little grass hopper. "Dammit!" muttered Joey as he realized what the little bug was.
"Hyo hyo hyo!" laughed Weevil, a sinister look on his face. "You've destroyed my Pinch Hopper, which activates its special ability. When this card is destroyed, I can special summon any insect from my hand of any level, without a sacrifice!" Just as Weevil finished explain his card's effect for everyone, the chime of his life points rang.
Joey- 4000
Weevil-3800
"W-what's going on Wheeler?! My card was in defense!" questioned Weevil, pointing a twisted finger at grinning opponent.
"Xarion Universe's special ability; I can drop his attack by 400 points to allow him to do breakthrough damage." Explained Joey. All he had to worry about now was what monster Weevil would summon with his Pinch Hopper's effect.
"It doesn't really matter now anyway. I'm going to win in several turns with this! Go, Insect Princess!" screamed Weevil as he slapped his Insect Princess onto the field. A giggling, slender, four armed green human like insect appeared from its card. The Insect danced about elegantly, spreading a sort of pollen about the field. Weevil marveled in the beauty of his insect, while everyone else stared in awe. Joey swatted through the air, brushing pollen out of his face. Weevil's Insect Princess had 1900 attack power, while his Panther Warrior had 2000.
"Now, I'll devote Xarion Universe to Panther Warrior!" Joey's Centaur creature burst into a ball of light, which spiraled into the Panther's Saber. "Panther Warrior, attack his Insect Princess!" With a roar, the Panther leapt towards the multi-appendage insect, only to run into a barrier of several beams of light. "Eh?"
"Hyo hyo hyo! Reverse card, open..." whispered Weevil, fixing his glasses once again. "DNA Surgery. This card allows me to alter the type of monsters on the field. I choose insect, of course." Spoke Weevil slyly. A pair of butterfly like wings tore out of the back of the panther, as well as a pair of feelers, obviously suggesting that his Panther Warrior had been affected. Joey gritted his teeth... look what he had gotten himself into.
"So this is why he played his Insect Barrier..." Joey whispered to himself. "Turn end..."
"It's my turn. Draw!" shouted Weevil. Pulled a card from his hand, he placed it face down on the plate of his duel disk. "I'll play this monster face down, and then I'll play this. Shallow Grave! Both of us can resurrect a monster from our graveyard. I choose this..." He reached over to his graveyard as his cards shot out. Fishing through them, he extracted his Howling Insect and placed it in defense. Joey reached into his discard pile and pulled out a card.
"I choose my Garoozis... in defense." He placed the Garoozis on his plate face up in defense.
"Hyo hyo hyo! You fool! You fell right in my trap!" cried Weevil as the pollen filled the field once again. The infected Garoozis pulled himself out of defense into attack mode. "My Insect Princess' special ability; all insect monsters on your side of the field must remain in attack mode!" explained Weevil. He laughed once more at Joey's expression. "Now, Insect Princess! Destroy his Garoozis! Poison Pollen!" The insect did as commanded, showering the lizard with poisonous pollen, shattering it.
Joey- 3900
Weevil- 3800
"Now starts my Princess' second ability!" said Weevil. The Insect Princess began to giggle again as her attack points rose.
Insect Princess- 1900500=2400
"What?!" Joey stammered. Weevil's Princess was now stronger than his Panther Warrior, and he couldn't shift his Panther Warrior to defense.
"Well, that'll do it for my turn." Spoke Weevil slyly. "Let's see what you can do Wheeler..." teased Weevil. Joey had such a serious expression on his face now, his blonde hair hanging over his eyes.
"Draw..." He pulled a card off of his deck and examined it. The card he had just drawn brought life back to him. Regaining his posture, he continued to stare at the card he'd drawn. Red Eyes... Black Dragon... Joey looked back to his friend Yugi, who was smiling at him. Yugi gave him a thumbs up, and Joey returned the favor. "Alright Weevil, here's what I got... I'll set one card face down. Turn end..." Both Weevil and Rex laughed aloud.
"That's all you got Wheeler?! What a loser!" Rex managed between laughing. Joey jammed a finger in Rex's direction, wearing his game face once again.
"Shut up! Unless you want some too!" shouted Joey.
"You talk as if you're winning this match! My Insect Queen will be back in my deck in no time! Draw!" Weevil admired the card he had drawn for a few moments. "Now I'll start the magic card, Necromancy!" Joey flinched as he gazed at the card Weevil had played. He knew what this card did... it revived four of your opponent's monsters in defense mode. Normally that would be good, but in this case it wouldn't. They would just become insects, and then be forced into attack mode. Four gleaming cards shot out of Joey's graveyard, each representing a monster which had already fallen. Gazroozis, Xarion Universe, Rocket Warrior, and Little Winguard all appeared onto his field, only to become infected by Weevil's trap.
Damn... what can I do? Joey thought to himself. What would Yugi say to him? "Don't give up yet! There's always a chance, if you just believe in the heart of the cards!"Yeah, he'd say something like that... wait... there was one last chance!
"Now my Insect Princess! Attack his--?!" Weevil's attack was cut off by Joey's voice.
"Not so fast Underwood! Reverse card, open! Joy of Rebirth! I can tell by your expression, that you're not familiar with this card, so allow me to inform you! When a monster is special summon from the graveyard and is under an attack, this trap card cancels the attack and ends that player's turn." Weevil looked irate now, half his face a beet red.
"H-how did you know I would pull something like that?! You must be cheating Wheeler!" cried Weevil as he shook a fist out to him.
"Don't go callin' me a cheater because I found a way out! This is it Weevil! Draw!" Joey pulled a card off the top of his deck and, after glancing at it quickly, immediately went to use it. "I activate the magic card Magic Stone Excavation. After I discard two cards from my hand..." Joey did so in between his explanation, sending two of his cards into the card graveyard. "I can take back any magic card from my graveyard. The card I choose is this!" As the card he desired ejected itself from the graveyard, Joey pulled it out and activated it. "Giant Trunade! You remember this, eh?" Weevil chuckled as he picked up his magic and trap cards.
"Hyo hyo hyo! It doesn't really matter Wheeler! I've got the strongest monster on the field now. Even if you can attack, it wouldn't do you any good! And once it's my turn again, I'll just restart my Insect Princess strategy."
"Now, I sacrifice Garoozis, Rocket Warrior, and Little Winguard to summon this! Gilford the Lightning!" A bolt of lightning smashed into ground before Joey, sending a powerful gust out. As the lightning dissipated, a massive swordsman was left standing, which had let out a loud battle cry. "Now starts the special effect of my monster! If I've summoned him by sacrificing three monsters, he can destroy all of your monsters with his effect! Go, Gilford! Let 'em have it!" Weevil shook his head in disbelief as the warrior retrieved his blade from his scarab. The sword sliced through the air, sending a burst of lightning towards Weevil's monsters. His Insect Princess let a shrill cry just before it shattered and was no more. Now it was time to add insult to injury! "Now I'll activate the magic card, Premature Burial! After giving up 800 life points..." Everyone heard the chime of his life point's decrease. "I can special summon a monster sleeping in my graveyard. The monster I choose is the Red Eyes Black Dragon!" The dark dragon appeared in a shining burst beside the lightning swordsman. It leaned forward and let out a ground shaking roar.
Joey- 3100
Weevil- 3800
"No no no... I had everything worked out so perfectly!" whined Weevil as Joey's monsters gave him a stare down. I looked like he wouldn't be winning back his Queen anytime soon.
"Go, Gilford the Lightning and Red Eyes! Direct attack!" Both creatures did as told, and attacked consecutively for a whopping 5200.
Joey- 3100
Weevil- 0
Once Weevil's life points reached zero, Joey collected his cards and added them back into his deck. Everyone came over to congratulate him on his victory, while Rex walked over and tried to consul his whimpering friend. While the group was still outside, a Kaiba Corp staff member stepped outside and addressed them all.
"Ahem... the tournament is about to begin. Would you all please enter the building?"
It looks like this is really it partner. Let's go out there and win this thing! said a determined Yugi to his partner. The spirit nodded, wondering who they would face in the first leg of the tournament.
Duel Eight – The Bug and the Sword
It appeared that Kaiba's company had completed the Coliseum during the Battle City finals. The Coliseum loomed over the group, and the roar of the crowd could be heard. Joey, upon hearing the crowd, stepped forward with a fist in the air and his game face on.
"Alright! Now everyone will be able to witness me kickin' Kaiba's butt!" cried Joey. After declaring his future victory, he quickly sped off into the arena, the rest of the gang minus Yugi running after him. The spirit of the Pharaoh appeared from within the Puzzle, resting a firm hand on his partner's shoulder.
What's wrong Yugi? Are you nervous that they'll be a crowd watching us? the spirit asked. His younger counter part shook his head.
Its not that... I was just thinking about what Tea had said yesterday. Those men will probably be here waiting for me, right? Yugi looked up to his companion with a concerned look on his face. The spirit fixed his gaze on the massive coliseum.
Definitely. But we will be there to bring them down. With us working together, no one can defeat us. A smile crept on Yugi's face. The spirit always knew what to say to inspire him. Let's go Yugi. and with that said, the two made their way into the Coliseum.
The Coliseum had changed much since the last time he had been here. Ahead of him was an open gate leading to the dueling area, which was over looked by the crowd. Where he was standing, the part of the coliseum where the crowd sat was above him. There were security guards at both sides of the entrance to the dueling area, and behind him at both ends of the entrance into the Coliseum. To his left was a rather large booth, where many people gathered around. A few of those people were his friends. Yugi walked over towards them. Tea had turned around just in time to see Yugi approach them.
"Yugi, this is the registration booth. We had a little trouble, but we've gotten Joey registered for competition." Explained Tea. Joey looked like he was a little upset: He was being held back by Tristan as he screamed various threats towards the person behind the booth, who seemed very nervous about the whole thing. Yugi grinned, guessing Kaiba had made it a tough ordeal for Joey to compete. "Well, all that's left is for you to register Yugi. Go ahead." Tea added with a smile to her short friend. Yugi stepped up the booth and cleared his throat.
"Good morning. I'm Yugi Motou, and I'm here to-"before he could finish, he was cut off by a familiar voice.
"No need for that Yugi. I've already had you registered for competition." Spoke Kaiba as he walked to the booth, now dressed in his traditional white coat, duel disk fastened onto his wrist. Yugi watched his as he drew closer.
"Kaiba..." it was all he could say... He hadn't seen Kaiba and his brother since the end of the Battle City finals. The spirit watched on with intrigue. Kaiba turned to the person behind the booth.
"I'm here to register for competition." Spoke Kaiba, much to the shock of his employee.
"A-are you sure Mr. Kaiba?!" stuttered the employee. Kaiba narrowed his gaze upon the man.
"I hired you to take orders, not to ask questions. Now sign me up." Kaiba took a few steps away from Yugi and the booth before coming to a halt. "Good luck Yugi. You'll need it." With that said, He continued to walk off from Yugi and co. He may have been ordered to create this tournament, but Sol never mentioned anything about him not entering. Sol may have his brother, but he still called the shots around here. Perhaps an opportunity would present itself during the length of the tournament to take control of the situation.
Kaiba's entering... perhaps he still harbors some negativity from Battle City. spoke the Pharaoh to his partner. Yugi watched Kaiba as he disappeared into the back. He had a strange feeling that something was bothering him. He'd have to ask him some other time. Meanwhile, Joey had finally broken free and had approached Yugi.
"Kaiba, that jerk!" cried Joey. "I vow to eliminate Kaiba from this tournament!" declared Joey, holding a fist above his head. Just as he had finished declaring his future victory, a familiar voice rang from behind the group.
"Hyo hyo hyo! Let's see if you can even make it that far in the tournament to face Kaiba!" It didn't take the two very long to realize who the voice belonged to. The slowly turned to face Weevil Underwood, the blue haired Insect lover. Naturally, he was accompanied by his friend Rex Raptor, who was grinning pretty wide. Weevil pointed a finger in Joey's direction, a look of hatred sweeping over his face. "Wheeler! I want back my Insect Queen!" Joey folded his arms against his chest as the duelist demanded that card that he had lost to him back.
"You lost your Insect Queen to me, despite your cheating. You want your Queen back so much? Then you can duel me for it." Said Joey, a serious expression on his face. Weevil narrowed his eyes as he glared at the blonde haired duelist. "This match won't be for the tournament though. We can handle this match right outside the Coliseum." Weevil thought it over for a few moments. His Insect Queen could really help his deck for the tournament... and the duel didn't count towards the tournament, so if he somehow lost, he wouldn't be eliminated.
"Fine, let's have our duel! I'll have my Insect Queen back in no time! I've picked up a few new bugs that I'm dying to show you!" said Weevil. The two and co headed out of the Coliseum, making their way past a wave of people entering the arena. They came to a halt several feet from the entrance of the arena, Joey and his friends on one side, Weevil and Rex on the other. Both of their Duel Disks swung over, switching into duel mode.
"DUEL!" the two shouted, their life points rising up to 4000.
"Come on Joey!" cheered Tea. Tristan put on his game face, mimicking Joey.
"Show 'em what your made of Joey!" cheered on Tristan. Yugi sat down on a piece of stone that surrounded some trees, watching on.
"I'll make the first move Wheeler! Draw!" cried Weevil as he pulled his sixth card off the top of his deck. "I'll place a monster face down and set a card." The image of two face down cards appeared, hovering off of the ground before him. "Turn end." Weevil added, fixing his glasses.
"It's my turn! Draw!" declared Joey as he pulled another card from the top of his deck, making his hand six. Pulling a different card from his hand, he placed it onto his duel disk face up. "I'll summon Rocket Warrior in attack mode!" The green and yellow pint-sized warrior appeared onto the field before Joey. Pointing to his Rocket Warrior, he declared his next action. "Rocket Warrior! Change into invincible mode!" The warrior changed into what his name implied. It pulled itself together into the form of a rocket. "When Rocket Warrior enters invincible mode, he cannot receive any damage. Also, when he attacks a monster, he can reduce that monsters attack by 500 points! Go, Rocket Warrior! Attack his face down monster!" The Rocket sped off at the face down card, much to the delight of Weevil, who had already begun to activate his face down card.
"Reverse card, open! Caught by a Spider!" The card rose up to reveal itself. The image depicted on the card was that of a soldier stuck into a giant Spider's web. "When a monster attacks an insect type monster, that monster shifts to defense and cannot change its position." Explained Weevil as he fixed his glasses once more. "But, I cannot do anything to stop your attack, so..." said Weevil in a low tone of voice as he reached to flip over his card, revealing the creature. Joey gritted his teeth as his Rocket Warrior flew into a blue and green insect, puncturing it with the horn on the top of its head. The insect let out a shrill cry as the warrior retreated back to its side of the field, now in defense. As the Insect shattered, a green moth appeared where it had once stood. "You destroyed my Howling Insect, which triggered its special effect. It allows my to special summon an insect monster with 1500 attack points or lower from my deck, so I've chosen my Petite Moth. You're familiar with my Petite Moth, right Wheeler? Hyo hyo hyo!" laughed Weevil. Joey examined his hand carefully. Nothing that could stop his insect at the time. He knew what was coming next.
"Turn end..." muttered Joey. Weevil laughed once more as he reached to draw another card.
Tea gasped as her friend ended his turn abruptly. She had watched Joey get stuck by Weevil's tricks in the past. "C'mon Joey! You'll find a way out of this!" As Tea and Tristan continued to cheer on, Yugi watched silently along with his partner. The spirit spoke first.
Do you think Joey will have a hard time with this? asked the Pharaoh. Little Yugi shook his head in response.
I know Joey will find a way to crush Weevil's Great Moth strategy. I believe in him. answered Yugi.
"My turn... draw!" exclaimed Weevil as he picked up another card from his deck. "First, I'll switch my Petite Moth to defense, then... I'll equip him with this..." Weevil selected another card from his hand and flashed it to all to see. Joey didn't have to look. He knew what was coming. "I'll equip my Moth with the Cocoon of Evolution! This will raise its defense to 2200 points. After six turns, my Cocoon will hatch my Perfectly Ultimate Great Moth! Well, that'll do it for my turn. Make your move." Just as Weevil passed the turn over to Joey, a smile crept onto Joey's face. "Hey... what's so funny Wheeler?!" snapped Weevil, holding a fist out in his direction.
"Do you think you can beat me with your same tired tactics Underwood?" Weevil was taken aback by Joey's words. "I am a much stronger duelist since the last time we've dueled and I can't be trapped by such tricks like this for long. So, prepare to be crushed! Draw!" Joey yanked the top card from his deck, then pulling it in front of his face to examine. The card he had drawn brought a smile to his face. "I'll crush your strategy with this card!" declared Joey, thrust the card forth to show Weevil. Weevil's eyes widened as he caught sight of the card his opponent now held. "I activate Giant Trunade!" Joey slipped it into a magic and trap slot, activate his card. A Hurricane began to spiral in the center of the field, sending dust flying all about, Tea struggling to hold down her skirt. "From the look on your face, I think you understand how this card works. Both of us have to pick up all of our magic and trap cards on the field and add them back to our hands. I may have no magic and trap card, but you've got two. Your Caught by a Spider card and..." Joey pointed a finger towards the Cocoon of Evolution. "Your Cocoon!" The image of the cards were swept up in the massive Hurricane, then carried off into the sky, never to be seen again. An annoyed Weevil pulled his cards from the magic and trap slots and added them to his hand.
"It doesn't matter much Wheeler! I'll just play them again on my next turn!" spoke a once again confident Weevil. Joey waved a finger out in front of him.
"Now, here's the rest of my killer combo! I activate Card Destruction! When this card is activated, both of us have to discard our hand and draw the same number of cards we have discarded!" explained Joey as he collected his hand of five cards into one pile, then placed it into his graveyard. Running his thumb along the side of his deck till he felt five cards, he pulled them off of his deck. A stunned Weevil stared in disbelief. His entire strategy had been crushed by one move. Perhaps his new hand could provide a new strategy, he thought to himself. He placed his six cards into the graveyard and drew a fresh new set of cards.
"Humph... well, your Rocket Warrior still cannot attack since it had been affected by my trap card." Spoke Weevil, pointed to his opponent's monster, which was held down by the spider's sticky solution.
"That's alright. I've got that covered already. I summon Panther Warrior in attack mode!" said Joey as his feline warrior appeared beside his Rocket Warrior. "I'll sacrifice my Rocket Warrior to my Panther Warrior!" The warrior's soul entered the sword of his comrade, giving it a blue hue. "Panther Warrior, attack his Petite Moth!" The Black Panther leapt forward and sliced the bug right in half, green blood splattering out of both ends just before it shattered. Weevil growled as his bug was destroyed. He had an open field now. No magic, trap or monsters, and Joey had his Panther Warrior, which had a 2000 attack score. He'd have to wait and see what he'd draw for his turn, before he made any decisions. "I'll set one card face down. Turn end!" declared Joey, holding a hand out to his opponent as he passed his turn over to Weevil.
"It's my turn... draw!" shouted Weevil as he picked up another card. Weevil knew his cards well, and could cook up a plan with ease. "First, I'll place a monster face down. Next, I'll play this." Pulling another card from his hand, he placed it into a vacant slot in his duel disk. "I'll play my Insect Barrier. As long as this card is on the field, all of your insect monsters cannot attack." Joey grinned from ear to ear as he watched Weevil play his Insect Barrier card.
"Sorry to disappoint you Weevil, but I don't have any insects in my deck. I took out your Insect Queen last night!" said Joey. Weevil quickly grew upset as he heard Joey's words.
"You idiot! How could you not use my Insect Queen?! I knew you wouldn't respect her well enough! I'll set another card face down! Turn end!" shouted Weevil with anger. This added more fuel to the fire. If Wheeler wasn't going to use his Insect Queen, he'd just have to take it back.
"It's my move! Draw!" said Joey as he added another card to his hand. Alright! If Weevil's going to continue to play monster's face down, then this'll help!, Joey thought to himself. "I'll summon Xarion Universe in attack mode!" said Joey as he summoned his monster. Emerging from its card was an armor clad centaur carrying a pike. Weevil fixed his gaze on this new monster. It also had an impressive attack score, as well as defense. "Xarion Universe! Attack his face down monster!" The centaur monster trotted up to the face down monster which revealed itself as a familiar little grass hopper. "Dammit!" muttered Joey as he realized what the little bug was.
"Hyo hyo hyo!" laughed Weevil, a sinister look on his face. "You've destroyed my Pinch Hopper, which activates its special ability. When this card is destroyed, I can special summon any insect from my hand of any level, without a sacrifice!" Just as Weevil finished explain his card's effect for everyone, the chime of his life points rang.
Joey- 4000
Weevil-3800
"W-what's going on Wheeler?! My card was in defense!" questioned Weevil, pointing a twisted finger at grinning opponent.
"Xarion Universe's special ability; I can drop his attack by 400 points to allow him to do breakthrough damage." Explained Joey. All he had to worry about now was what monster Weevil would summon with his Pinch Hopper's effect.
"It doesn't really matter now anyway. I'm going to win in several turns with this! Go, Insect Princess!" screamed Weevil as he slapped his Insect Princess onto the field. A giggling, slender, four armed green human like insect appeared from its card. The Insect danced about elegantly, spreading a sort of pollen about the field. Weevil marveled in the beauty of his insect, while everyone else stared in awe. Joey swatted through the air, brushing pollen out of his face. Weevil's Insect Princess had 1900 attack power, while his Panther Warrior had 2000.
"Now, I'll devote Xarion Universe to Panther Warrior!" Joey's Centaur creature burst into a ball of light, which spiraled into the Panther's Saber. "Panther Warrior, attack his Insect Princess!" With a roar, the Panther leapt towards the multi-appendage insect, only to run into a barrier of several beams of light. "Eh?"
"Hyo hyo hyo! Reverse card, open..." whispered Weevil, fixing his glasses once again. "DNA Surgery. This card allows me to alter the type of monsters on the field. I choose insect, of course." Spoke Weevil slyly. A pair of butterfly like wings tore out of the back of the panther, as well as a pair of feelers, obviously suggesting that his Panther Warrior had been affected. Joey gritted his teeth... look what he had gotten himself into.
"So this is why he played his Insect Barrier..." Joey whispered to himself. "Turn end..."
"It's my turn. Draw!" shouted Weevil. Pulled a card from his hand, he placed it face down on the plate of his duel disk. "I'll play this monster face down, and then I'll play this. Shallow Grave! Both of us can resurrect a monster from our graveyard. I choose this..." He reached over to his graveyard as his cards shot out. Fishing through them, he extracted his Howling Insect and placed it in defense. Joey reached into his discard pile and pulled out a card.
"I choose my Garoozis... in defense." He placed the Garoozis on his plate face up in defense.
"Hyo hyo hyo! You fool! You fell right in my trap!" cried Weevil as the pollen filled the field once again. The infected Garoozis pulled himself out of defense into attack mode. "My Insect Princess' special ability; all insect monsters on your side of the field must remain in attack mode!" explained Weevil. He laughed once more at Joey's expression. "Now, Insect Princess! Destroy his Garoozis! Poison Pollen!" The insect did as commanded, showering the lizard with poisonous pollen, shattering it.
Joey- 3900
Weevil- 3800
"Now starts my Princess' second ability!" said Weevil. The Insect Princess began to giggle again as her attack points rose.
Insect Princess- 1900500=2400
"What?!" Joey stammered. Weevil's Princess was now stronger than his Panther Warrior, and he couldn't shift his Panther Warrior to defense.
"Well, that'll do it for my turn." Spoke Weevil slyly. "Let's see what you can do Wheeler..." teased Weevil. Joey had such a serious expression on his face now, his blonde hair hanging over his eyes.
"Draw..." He pulled a card off of his deck and examined it. The card he had just drawn brought life back to him. Regaining his posture, he continued to stare at the card he'd drawn. Red Eyes... Black Dragon... Joey looked back to his friend Yugi, who was smiling at him. Yugi gave him a thumbs up, and Joey returned the favor. "Alright Weevil, here's what I got... I'll set one card face down. Turn end..." Both Weevil and Rex laughed aloud.
"That's all you got Wheeler?! What a loser!" Rex managed between laughing. Joey jammed a finger in Rex's direction, wearing his game face once again.
"Shut up! Unless you want some too!" shouted Joey.
"You talk as if you're winning this match! My Insect Queen will be back in my deck in no time! Draw!" Weevil admired the card he had drawn for a few moments. "Now I'll start the magic card, Necromancy!" Joey flinched as he gazed at the card Weevil had played. He knew what this card did... it revived four of your opponent's monsters in defense mode. Normally that would be good, but in this case it wouldn't. They would just become insects, and then be forced into attack mode. Four gleaming cards shot out of Joey's graveyard, each representing a monster which had already fallen. Gazroozis, Xarion Universe, Rocket Warrior, and Little Winguard all appeared onto his field, only to become infected by Weevil's trap.
Damn... what can I do? Joey thought to himself. What would Yugi say to him? "Don't give up yet! There's always a chance, if you just believe in the heart of the cards!"Yeah, he'd say something like that... wait... there was one last chance!
"Now my Insect Princess! Attack his--?!" Weevil's attack was cut off by Joey's voice.
"Not so fast Underwood! Reverse card, open! Joy of Rebirth! I can tell by your expression, that you're not familiar with this card, so allow me to inform you! When a monster is special summon from the graveyard and is under an attack, this trap card cancels the attack and ends that player's turn." Weevil looked irate now, half his face a beet red.
"H-how did you know I would pull something like that?! You must be cheating Wheeler!" cried Weevil as he shook a fist out to him.
"Don't go callin' me a cheater because I found a way out! This is it Weevil! Draw!" Joey pulled a card off the top of his deck and, after glancing at it quickly, immediately went to use it. "I activate the magic card Magic Stone Excavation. After I discard two cards from my hand..." Joey did so in between his explanation, sending two of his cards into the card graveyard. "I can take back any magic card from my graveyard. The card I choose is this!" As the card he desired ejected itself from the graveyard, Joey pulled it out and activated it. "Giant Trunade! You remember this, eh?" Weevil chuckled as he picked up his magic and trap cards.
"Hyo hyo hyo! It doesn't really matter Wheeler! I've got the strongest monster on the field now. Even if you can attack, it wouldn't do you any good! And once it's my turn again, I'll just restart my Insect Princess strategy."
"Now, I sacrifice Garoozis, Rocket Warrior, and Little Winguard to summon this! Gilford the Lightning!" A bolt of lightning smashed into ground before Joey, sending a powerful gust out. As the lightning dissipated, a massive swordsman was left standing, which had let out a loud battle cry. "Now starts the special effect of my monster! If I've summoned him by sacrificing three monsters, he can destroy all of your monsters with his effect! Go, Gilford! Let 'em have it!" Weevil shook his head in disbelief as the warrior retrieved his blade from his scarab. The sword sliced through the air, sending a burst of lightning towards Weevil's monsters. His Insect Princess let a shrill cry just before it shattered and was no more. Now it was time to add insult to injury! "Now I'll activate the magic card, Premature Burial! After giving up 800 life points..." Everyone heard the chime of his life point's decrease. "I can special summon a monster sleeping in my graveyard. The monster I choose is the Red Eyes Black Dragon!" The dark dragon appeared in a shining burst beside the lightning swordsman. It leaned forward and let out a ground shaking roar.
Joey- 3100
Weevil- 3800
"No no no... I had everything worked out so perfectly!" whined Weevil as Joey's monsters gave him a stare down. I looked like he wouldn't be winning back his Queen anytime soon.
"Go, Gilford the Lightning and Red Eyes! Direct attack!" Both creatures did as told, and attacked consecutively for a whopping 5200.
Joey- 3100
Weevil- 0
Once Weevil's life points reached zero, Joey collected his cards and added them back into his deck. Everyone came over to congratulate him on his victory, while Rex walked over and tried to consul his whimpering friend. While the group was still outside, a Kaiba Corp staff member stepped outside and addressed them all.
"Ahem... the tournament is about to begin. Would you all please enter the building?"
It looks like this is really it partner. Let's go out there and win this thing! said a determined Yugi to his partner. The spirit nodded, wondering who they would face in the first leg of the tournament.