Chapter Nine- Deadly Duo

-Joey-

I panted as I rounded another corner. My short-cut wasn't exactly as short as I had planned but it was too far from Yugi's place to turn back and go the normal way. As I ran I noticed that the sky had grown very dark and was reminded of the previous night.

Kaiba, ya betta be ready ta list'n ta me. Cuz I ain't leavin' til you are too.

I banged on the front door of his mansion, "Hey open up! I got a bone ta pick wit the losa' who owns dis joint! C'mon out moneybags or I'm gonna- ack!" I screeched as I fell headlong into just the jerk I was looking for. "Awrigh' ya finally decided ta show yaself!"

Kaiba held his head like it hurt before he answered, "Look I'm only out here to tell you to get lost or I'll call the cops." He moved to go back inside, but with his slowness and the caffeine I'd had at Yugi's, I managed to get in between him and the house.

"Ah no ya don' Kaiba! You're stayin' ou' here til I'm done!"

"Would you just shut up! I've had a trying day no thanks to you!" He groaned again as he held his head in his hands.

A familiar dark voice haunted the air, "Now that would be mean of us to fight on a headache, wouldn't it?" The words all but slid off the drops of rain that were now coming down.

A childish giggle emerged as well, "Oh, yes mean." She continued her little giggling.

My temper rose again that day, "Awrigh' who's out dere?!"

The boy named Ananias entered through the gate, "My, my, don't we have a short memory." He looked exactly as he had when he crashed through Yugi's kitchen window except for the new accessory on his arm. It was a duel disk. "But then again, dogs do have a hard time remembering things with their small brains, isn't that right Seto Kaiba?"

Kaiba chuckled, "I rather like this guy. He knows his stuff, doesn't he little Joey?"

I couldn't believe it! I got two guys talking bad 'bout me! That's like Kaiba times two! As the two laughed I could feel myself shrinking out of existence.

The little girl's voice perked up again, "Hm, he's not much of a duelist, is he Anny?" The voice also stepped out of the darkness and revealed a girl who was about Mai's height. She had long hair that was black with purple highlights and a sweet little smile on her face. Her shirt was a bluish v- neck that showed a mark that looked like a starburst on her chest. Her ensemble was topped off with a pair of blue jeans. She smiled again, "Well, what do you think?"

I growled at her which made her jump safely behind the taller boy. "Now, now Joseph, you really shouldn't scare Umi here. She can be a raging fire when she's in the mood."

I'll show him a raging fire.

-Normal-

"Grr, I'll show ya someone ta fear!" Joey leapt in an attempt to wrestle with the two enemies before him but the two sidestepped which sent the blonde on a one-way trip to the concrete.

The girl wrinkled her nose in disgust, "He's such a dork."

Before Joey had a chance to retort, Kaiba stepped in between the two feuding sides, "If what I heard is true, you are here for me, not the mutt, so can we get on with this duel. If you can't tell, I really don't have the time or the patience now."

Joey interjected, "Hold it righ' dere Kaiba! I got firs' dibs on dis jerk!"

"You said yourself that he wanted to see me. If he had wanted you, he wouldn't have run off or said to call me."

Umi was getting frustrated, "Hey! He's not the only duelist here! I could duel you too!"

"In what lifetime, pipsqueak?"

The three 'irrational' duelists would have continued with their insults back and forth if it hadn't been for Anny, "If you would agree, perhaps we could arrange a tag-team duel." He nodded to Umi, "I and my partner versus two of the highest ranking duelists in the world, yourselves."

Umi's face became puzzled, "But Anny, I thought you only wanted to fight Kaiba?"

Anny's face hardened, "Forget it. After all, it doesn't look like we have the opportunity to just duel Kaiba as planned, not with Joey here." He looked up, "So are you in?"

Joey looked at their foe in disgust, "Na, way, I ain't tag-team duelin' here. Cuz that means if he goes, I do too!"

Kaiba, however, decided to make a deal with the two, "Since this is my house, I should be able to decide any smaller details. Therefore, I propose we do this duel as planned with one exception: both people on one side must be defeated before they lose. That way, I don't go down the drain when Wheeler screws up."

"Who's screws up?! Bring it richboy!"

Anny shrugged his shoulders, "Very well, if that is your desire."

-Joey-

I hope that I'm jus' makin' a mountin out of a mole hill outta dis tag-team wit Kaiba But it really doesn't matta 'cuz dis is de only way I can fight dis Ananias freak for bargin' in on me an' my best friend. I looked up at the two new opponents with a look of determination, "So what are we waitin' fer?"

Ananias gave the bad guy trademark smirk and retorted, "Just little-old you, Joseph."

I growled in frustration, "Y'know, fer someone I hardly know, you sure know how ta get unda my skin!" I made another attempt to jump him, but to my surprise my 'partner' Kaiba stopped me.

"Save your energy for the duel, Wheeler. You'll have to make up for me in endurance."

I was glad Kaiba had agreed on working together (even if he made that change in the rules so rudely), so instead of giving him a hard time, I nodded and turned to face our enemies, "Let's go."

Kaiba turned around and walked into his mansion. When he came out he carried two duel disks, one for each of us. "I didn't think you'd had the brains to bring yours."

"Whateva, Kaiba." We stood some ways apart on richboy's lawn before each drawing five cards.

-Normal-

Kaiba's hand- Blue-Eyes White Dragon, Gemini Elf, Stealth Bird, Enemy Controller, Secret Barrel

Ananias's hand- Blue-Eyes White Dragon, White Dragon Ritual, Premature Burial, Burst Breath, Spirit Ryu

Joey's hand- Goblin Attack Force, A Hero Emerges, Red-Eyes Black Dragon, Des Kangaroo, Ekibyo Drakmord

Umi's hand- A Legendary Ocean, Tornado Wall, Gale Lizard, Amphibious Bugroth MK-3, Amphibian Beast

"So who's goin' firs'?" Joey asked. Wonder how we're suppose' ta do dis. I'll bet Kaiba'll just fight ova' goin' firs'; he always's got ta do dings 'is way.

"Well of course me," said Kaiba.

Yep.

Umi shrugged, "I can go last if yall want. And Joey will be before me and Anny second." She pointed to each of them in turn. "So long as that's alright with you, partner."

"Sure." All four players turned on the duel disks as the young CEO drew. Ring of Destruction. He smirked before announcing, "I set one card facedown and end my turn."

The raven-haired boy drew his first card. He glanced at his hand, his expression emotionless, before he announced his move, "I set one card facedown on the field," as he spoke a holographic gigantic card appeared in front of him, "and I summon the monster known as Spirit Ryu." A slinky stylish dragon materialized as well.

Kaiba looked very happy, "Not so fast! For now I activate the trap card called Ring of Destruction, which eliminates the monster you just summoned and takes its attack out of both of our life points!" The dragon was eliminated as a considerable amount of life points were deduced from them both.

Ananias's face didn't as much as twitch, "Very well, I set one more card face down and end my turn."

"Awrigh', let's watc' da masta!" the blonde duelist drew his own card. "I set one car' facedown, an' summon Jurai Gumo!" A huge spider appeared out of the card, and flexed its legs like it had been cooped up in a small cage for too long. "Since no one can attack 'til ever'body has had one turn, I'll end min' here."

"Yes, I suppose that is the best you can do, isn't it Wheeler," Kaiba laughed at his own partner, headache forgotten.

Joey growled, "Hey, in case ya have hearin' problems-"

"Which I wish," mumbled Kaiba incomprehensibly.

"-we're in dis tagetha, so deal wit it!" finished an angered Joey.

Umi looked puzzled, "You guys are on the same side, so... shouldn't you be helping each other out?"

Kaiba scoffed, "Of course not. I'm a very important business executive; I have no time to help people." A soft growling was heard, but Kaiba was too engrossed in the young girl's play to hear it.

Umi's face was brightened with a smile as she drew, "Okay, my move," She, unlike her partner, showed plenty of enthusiasm and pleasure in what her hand showed, "Ooh, yeah! And in my first move! Hehe, I set one card facedown, and I activate the field magic card, A Legendary Ocean!" One card was face down, as the lawn they were on was flooded with water.

"Hn, I was looking for someone to water this anyway. This way I don't have to pay."

"Aargh, is yar cash all ya t'ink 'bout?!"

The young girl grew impatient, "Hello? I'm trying to take my turn here!" She huffed at Joey, who immediately shut up, "I end my turn."

"Which brings it back to me," Kaiba mocked, "I hope that the two of you can still keep up with our skill level."

Anny smirked, "Well, we can try."

"I'm afraid you won't have a chance. You see, we are among the greatest duelist of the age, and you are just some local upstarts. I summon the Gemini Elf in attack mode." A pair of human-like creatures appeared ready to strike. "Now it's time to show you what happens when you mess with the likes of me!! My Elf, Attack!!"