Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-gi-oh.
Chapter Thirteen: To Alcatraz Through the Flames!
"Mr. Kaiba, we are now approaching Alcatraz Island. ETA is 10 minutes." Kaiba nodded, contemplating several things from the past hour or so. Not a single bit of it was positive.
First, he had lost to Drake, having all three of his Blue Eyes defeated and Obelisk beaten as well. Secondly, two of the competitors had been in severe accidents. One dead, the other effectively comatose. What was worse, the comatose one was in exactly the same position that Mokuba had been in when that freak Pegasus got a hold of him.
He sighed as he watched the vague shape of Alcatraz Island increasing in size every second. Soon they would arrive, and then the next round of his tournament would begin. A tournament that he now had absolutely no control over. He was beginning to worry that if the current trend continued, then things would only get worse.
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"Attention Duelists, we are now approaching Alcatraz Duel Tower, the true location of the Battle City Finals. Please prepare to disembark and enter the tower." There was a muffled conversation over the intercom, the announcers voice seemingly arguing with Mokuba, and then the announcer came back on and informed the 'hangers-on' would be allowed to enter the tower as well. With a crackle the com-system went quiet.
Taichi Nobuki smirked as he heard the com go quiet and rose from his sitting position on top of the Battle Blimp. It would be a little while before his next duel, but he could enjoy himself by watching the struggling of the pathetic duelists onboard. Perhaps one of them might actually prove a challenge to him...but he doubted it.
He glossed over a few of the cards in his deck, grinning as he perused it, considering for himself the true power of his deck. He didn't even need Exodia to be an invincible duelist, but it certainly had a far greater impact to defeat his opponents in that manner.
In fact that had been his reasoning behind doing little but stall against that little girl Kirani. He had wanted to see her confident and then see her broken by the raw and awesome power of Exodia.
Chuckling to himself he turned to head towards the elevator and stopped short. Standing in front of him like an implacable wall was the guardian...Shadi or some such. Rolling his eyes, Taichi grunted out a simple question. "What do you want?"
A grim smile touched Shadi's lips briefly as he raised his arm to reveal a duel disk. Pulling a deck from within his robe the guardian shuffled briefly before inserting it into the deck slot on the disk. Finally he drew five cards and deigned Taichi with an answer. "I have come to challenge you to a duel. The winner will continue to exist...the loser will be banished forever."
Taichi's responding smile was a far more crooked thing. It gave Shadi a feeling of intense hatred...and a tinge of fear. Something about that smile was...not human. "Very well Shadi, I accept the duel. However we need to make a few modifications to the punishment for losing. So to make the duel more interesting I will initiate the shadow game I call...Path of Flames."
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Kaiba grimaced as he watched the other duelists flock by into the tower in a large group, though not all necessarily intending to be with the group. Dalin and Yugi stood side by side a few meters from the others discussing something, and Drake walked slowly behind the rest, a grim expression plastered on his face.
Once the duelists had all passed, friends in tow, Kaiba started towards the duel tower, knowing that while he had no need to follow, he felt that as tournament sponsor he should be present...especially after some of the more recent events.
"Yo Kaiba." Kaiba glanced over his shoulder at the last person he'd want to see coming off the blimp behind him. He could have sworn that mediocre duelist had gone in with the others. With a sneer the brown-haired duelist turned to face the blond-haired punk.
"What do you want Wheeler? I've got no time and no reason to waste the little I've got on someone like you." Kaiba had expected the brash duelist to become infuriated and start shouting at him, but instead the blond's face remained utterly calm and controlled.
"No time Kaiba? You've got plenty of time since you got knocked out of the tournament. As for reason, I've got two reasons why you'd want to waste time on me. The first is that earlier in the tournament you agreed to duel me, but took off after hearing something. So you owe me a duel."
Kaiba expected a cocky grin, but still all the expression on Wheeler's face was that of a controlled power. A sort of presence he couldn't define and had never expected to see from someone like Wheeler. "That isn't much of a reason to me. What's the second reason?"
In a business deal this would be the moment where the other person gave away their true thoughts by smiling at his taking the bait. Wheeler just kept staring straight at him, radiating control and that strange presence. "How would you like a chance to get your spot in this tournament back?"
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Shadi kept his face calm, ignoring the beads of sweat that ran down his face. He had lived in Egypt for his entire life, and Egypt could reach incredibly high temperatures. Never before had he experienced such heat...of course that was to be expected in the position he was in.
The waters below looked calm and inviting...so cool and wet. Far different from the platform of fire that he stood upon, flames licking at his clothes. Several feet away stood his opponent, Taichi, also on a platform made of fire.
Taichi was grinning malevolently as he watched the sweat pour down Shadi's face. He took a strange satisfaction in knowing that when Shadi looked at him he saw a clean face, clear of any perspiration. The flames didn't effect him as they would another. "I'm sure you want to know the rest of the rules to this game...don't you?"
Shadi nodded his consent, focusing on the matter at hand and not the heat around him. He was certain that things would shortly be getting much hotter then they currently were. "Well Shadi, it's simple. This game is called Path of Flames because the only way to get to our destination is to travel a pathway created from fire. Our life points will be set at 4000, and whenever my life points decrease, your path extends, and vice versa. Damage taken will also translate into a burn inflicted by the flames. The more severe the damage, the more severe the burn."
Taking a deep breath, Shadi drew his sixth card, and formulated his strategy. His deck focused around a theme and a sub-theme, and already he had cards to make good his strategy. Soon Taichi would be defeated.
"I will begin this game by setting two magic or trap cards face down." The two brown-backed cards appeared in front of him, unaffected by the flames beneath them.
"Now I will play the magic card, Gravekeeper's Servant. From now on every time you attack you will be forced to discard one card from the top of your deck." The next card appeared on the field, portraying a graveyard upon it. This card was part of his strategy, and it would prove to be very effective.
"Finally I will summon Gravekeeper's Curse(800/800) in attack mode. By summoning him I activate his effect, dealing five hundred points of direct damage to your life points. First blood belongs to I, Shadi."
A black-haired man flickered into view, standing directly above the roaring flames. A curved staff floated in front of him and around him was a green aura. A burst of light shot from that aura and struck Taichi in the chest, making him stagger backwards. As this happened flames licked up around the boy's body, but he seemed unaffected by the heat.
Taichi recovered and brushed off his black shirt as if he had spotted some soot there and it need cleaning. It was as if he hadn't been briefly engulfed in fire...but how could he have been unharmed...unless the game was rigged. (TLP: 3500) "First blood is nothing to me gravekeeper, your monsters and your strategy are as pathetic as you are."
The dark duelist merely glanced at his cards before placing two cards in his m/t slots. "I'll start just like you did, by placing two cards face down. Of course I will also play a permanent magic card as you did. My magic card is called Forfeit The Soul!"
Two brown-backed cards appeared exactly opposite of Shadi's and were followed by a face up card. This new card had a picture of a man grimacing in agony as his soul forced its way out of his chest. It was a very gruesome card. "I'll explain my card for the stupid such as yourself. Forfeit The Soul lets me remove a monster from my side from the game in order to increase my life points by its attack strength. Simple huh?"
Shadi simply ignored his opponent's comments, his silence prompting Taichi to continue. "Well you're no fun. Fine, I now play Hellish Accountant. This magic card lets me add up the number of cards on your field and draw one card for each card you've got. As a result you may either summon a copy of one monster on the field if it exists in your deck, or draw cards from the top of your deck until you reach a monster that you then must special summon."
Shadi gestured with his hand and a second Gravekeeper's Curse appeared next to the second, and as before it launched a ball of green light at Taichi. The reaction was identical to the previous as Shadi's bridge extended to roughly one quarter the distance necessary. (TLP: 3000)
Taichi grinned as he surveyed the cards in his hand, and then slid another into an m/t slot, making four of the five slots full. "Since I can't end my turn with seven cards in my hand, else I'd have to discard, I'll set this one magic or trap card face down. That's all."
Shadi let a small smile touch his face as he added a third card to his hand. At the moment attacking was an unnecessary risk, however he could now complete his set and deal further damage to Taichi. "I activate my two face down cards, Robbin Goblin and Skull Invitation. Now when I damage you with my monsters you must discard a card from your hand, and whenever a card goes to the cemetery the owner will lose 300 life points. I place one magic or trap card face down, and summon the final Gravekeeper's Curse!"
The third and final of that specific gravekeeper set joined its brethren and as had the others before him, attacking Taichi with its effect. Shadi noted that burn marks had started to appear on Taichi's arms...proving that he wasn't invulnerable. (TLP: 2500) However Taichi's laughter he did not expect.
"Now is the time! I activate my trap card, Blind Attack!" Shadi's eyes widened as the three gravekeeper's snatched up their staffs and began charging straight at Taichi, a murderous look in their eyes. The look in Taichi's eyes gave Shadi the distinct impression that he was about to strike trouble.
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"What are you talking about Wheeler? I lost. For me this tournament is already over." Still Joey didn't respond physically, he simply stared straight ahead with that calm and confident look in his eyes. A look that was starting to annoy Kaiba.
"Things are starting to get a bit crazy. That Taichi guy is as bad as Pegasus was, and in a tournament like this we need the best duelists to face off against a guy like that, otherwise we can't win. I don't know if I could beat him and I don't know if I'd be good enough practice for whoever does, but I want to help. So I'm offering you the chance to duel me in order to determine which of us should continue on in the tournament. Like I said, we need the best out there. You win, you take my spot in the finals. It'll be an official Battle City duel, just like the one you agreed to."
Kaiba smirked and activated his duel disk as a sign of acceptance. All he had to do was beat Wheeler and he'd be back in the tournament? This would be all to easy. All he'd need was five minutes and then he'd be back on track to creating the ultimate deck and reclaiming his title as the best duelist in the world. "Alright Wheeler, get ready to lose."
Finally Joey smiled, drawing his opening hand as they launched the projectors on their disks. The counter rose to 4000 and the game was off to a good start...at least Kaiba thought it was. "As you were the one who challenged me, I'll go first. I'll start off by summoning Y-Dragon Head(1500/1600) in attack mode!"
The machine dragon roared as it appeared on previously empty field, ready to do battle with whatever Wheeler threw at him. Kaiba smirked as he slipped two cards into the slots on his disk and watched as they appeared behind his machine monster. "I set these two cards face down to end my turn. Go ahead and make whatever move you want Wheeler, it won't do you any good."
Joey nodded and added a sixth card into his hand, perusing it for a moment before he decided on what do to. "I'll set two cards face down, and then I'll summon Alligator Sword(1500/1000) in attack mode. Back to you Kaiba."
Kaiba smirked as his hand increased to four cards, each of which would be effective in speeding up this duel. "I'll start off by activating Final Assault Order! As long as its on the field no monster can be in defense mode, meaning you'll be easier to defeat. Next I'll summon Anti-Tribe Virus(1600/1000) in attack mode!"
Kaiba's smirk was stripped off his face in under a second as his monster vanished in the same instant it hit the field. Vanished down into a pit that seemed to have no end to it. "That's my Bottomless Trap Hole card, and it forces you to remove your monster from the game."
Clenching a fist in frustration Kaiba looked over his hand, considering his current options. He had no more trap cards in his hand, he couldn't summon again this turn, and the only magic card in his hand might help Wheeler as much as it could help him.
"Alright then, I'll play a single magic card that might very well determine the outcome of this duel. Hibashira activate!" As soon as Kaiba pressed the activation button a giant torrent of flame erupted from the ground in between the two duelists. After a few moments it settled down to create a ten foot tall pillar of fire.
"Hibashira has a dangerous effect for both duelists. You see during the end phase of their turn they can choose to do one of two things. One, they can increase their opponents life points by 500 and draw one card. Two, they could take 500 damage to discard a card from their opponents hand. It becomes a balancing game. You could take 500 damage to force me to discard a card, and I could then give you 500 to draw a card, so neither would have accomplished anything."
Joey barely suppressed a grimace, realizing that this would make the game much more difficult. With this sort of card in play he had to be very careful with this choices he made, because it just might be the most crucial part of this duel. "Aight Kaiba, what are you gonna choose?"
The older duelist smirked as he reached a hand out to the pillar of fire and beckoned it towards him. "I'll inflict 500 damage to myself to discard one card from your hand. So go ahead and toss it away!"
A tendril of flame shot forth from the pillar and wrapped around Kaiba's body, inflicting minor damage to his life points. Joey grimaced as he discarded one card from his hand...he just hoped it was the right choice. (KLP: 3500)
Drawing to recover, Joey examined what he had gotten and grinned at his luck. This just might work after all. Kaiba smirked when he saw the grin on his opponents face, a sure sign that overblown confidence was about to get the better of Wheeler. "Here ya go Kaiba, another choice for you to make. "I play Painful Decisions!"
Kaiba watched with interest as Wheeler drew two more cards, and held them in his right hand, separate from the rest of his cards. The confident grin appeared to be even bigger as he started to explain the card. "By playing this card I have to draw two cards from the top of my deck. Then you have to choose one of the two cards, without looking at em."
"What happens to the card that I pick?"
Joey grinned wider as he continued his explanation of the card. "It all depends on what kind of card it was that you chose. If it's a trap or a magic card I have to discard both of em. But if you pick a monster then I can special summon it, no matter what its level is."
Kaiba inspected his opponents grinning face and came to a conclusion. Both of the cards were monsters, so no matter which one he picked the amateur was going to be getting an extra monster this turn. He sneered and finally decided which one he was going to choose, it wasn't like it mattered either way. "I pick the one on the right side."
Wheeler grinned and slapped the monster onto one of the zones in triumph, adding the other card directly to his hand of two cards, making it three. "Time to meet the result of your own decision Moneybags! Meet Jinzo!"
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The fist that Drake threw slammed into the wall making a resounding explosive sound echo through the large room. Snarling he pulled his now bleeding hand back and glared at the Kaiba's assistant, the referee of this tournament. "You officious jackass! Screw Kaiba! I couldn't care less if he's here or not since he's not in this tournament anymore!"
The duelists and onlookers around him watched as he paced up and down in a fury, refusing to wait the half an hour that Roland had suggested it would take. In the state that Drake was in, making him wait any longer then he already had to was a definite mistake. "Its not just Mr. Kaiba. Mr. Wheeler is also not present, and Mr. Kaiba ordered me to hold the tournament for at least thirty minutes. It might be that long, it might take longer, but getting angry won't help at all."
Drake grimaced and whirled around to continue his pacing. As Yugi watched he began to wonder if something else was causing Drake's great anger. Something in his eyes had changed when Kirani collapsed at the end of her duel with Taichi. They had seemed to know each other, but they hadn't appeared close enough to each other that what Taichi had done would cause him to react this way.
"Something else is definitely making him act this way, and it can't be something good."
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The three gravekeepers charged blindly forwards intent upon skewering Taichi with their blades, but because it was Taichi who had initiated the blind charge, it seemed certain that a trap was waiting. "I activate my two remaining face down cards, Infernal Calamity and Dark Room of Nightmare!"
The two face down cards flipped up, and Taichi's trap card sent a chilling wave of air over the three gravekeepers. The three monsters collapsed under the assault of the miasma and sank through the fire to fall into the ocean below.
"When your monsters attacked I was allowed to activate Infernal Calamity, a trap card that sends all monsters on the field to the cemetery. Because of your own Skull Invitation you'll lose three hundred life points for each monster, but the fun doesn't stop there!"
Shadi grimaced as his own trap card unleashed a spirit that curled around him and squeezed, draining him of life points. As it did so a jet of flame erupted from around his feet and licked at his skin, burning away pieces of his clothing. When the flames settled the lower half of his pant legs were mostly gone, and his legs slightly burnt. (SLP: 3100)
"My other card, Dark Room of Nightmare, is specifically designed to make damaging your life points without an attack all the more profitable. Every time you take damage that isn't from battle, my dark room will deal 300 more points to you. So get ready for the same pain a second time in a row!"
The flames erupted around him fiercer then before, scorching his flesh and burning the sleeves of his outer robe. He forced himself to remain standing, otherwise he'd burn himself further. If he didn't stay strong then it would be his head that payed the price, and possibly the world. (SLP: 2200)
"Your traps have cost you as well. Because they go to the cemetery after activation you too lose 300 points per card, so I remain in the lead." The spirit burst from Shadi's card and wrapped about Taichi, squeezing the insane man just as it had previously squeezed its master. Accompanying it were the flames that had struck before, taking their toll on Taichi to a lesser degree then what they had done to Shadi.
(TLP: 1900) Taichi smirked as he drew his card, making seven to his hand. In satisfaction he slipped two more cards into his magic/trap slots and then placed a monster onto the field as well. Shadi recognized its demonic nature as soon as it appeared.
"I summon Demon Soldier(1900/1500) in attack mode. But I don't intend to attack, instead I intend to use the effect of my permanent magic card, Forfeit The Soul. I sacrifice the soul of my Demon Soldier to increase my life points by 1900!" The demon let out a cry of pain as its soul was literally ripped out of its body and absorbed by Taichi, who let out a satisfied sigh as his wounds lessened and Shadi's bridge receded.
(TLP: 3800) "Now that I have more life points I think its about time I did what I've been doing through most of this duel...drawing cards! I play Treasure of Hell, letting us both draw from the bottom of our decks until we both have six cards in our hands!"
As Taichi's life points trickled down with a lick of flame the two duelists ejected their decks from the slots and drew until they had the right number of cards. Shadi drew six and Taichi drew three. (TLP: 3500)
"It would appear that I have no demon monsters on the field...in fact there are no demon monsters at all. I guess that means I have to play Demon Puppetry, a magic card that lets me special summon on demon sub-type from my hand to the field if no demon sub-type exists on the field. So I'll summon Hell Poemer(2000/1000) in attack mode!"
A strange demon took up the field, carrying a cross upon its back. Shadi shuddered at the dark feeling he got from the monster, but felt confident that he had this duel under control. "I don't think I'll attack, so that ends my turn."
Shadi let a small smile touch his face as he began to implement his plan. "First I will play the magic card Diplomatic Immunity. During this turn I cannot take life point damage from effects of any sort, or through battle. Now, to continue I will play Gravekeeper Recruitment. By sacrificing one card with gravekeeper in its name from the field I may special summon one gravekeeper monster to the field from the hand."
Gravekeeper's Servant shattered into a million particles and Shadi slammed his next monster onto the dueling field, ready to let the supreme monster of his deck take its place on the field. Before the end of this turn the tide would be in his favor, and his opponent would be finished.
"I summon Gravekeeper's Chief(1900/1200) in attack mode. Now I will play one of the cards that will seal your fate. The field card, Sleeping Valley of the Pharaoh-Necrovalley!" As he spoke the field began to change, and the duel started to shift in Shadi's favor.
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"Jinzo, I summon you in attack mode!" Kaiba scowled as the android erupted from its card and folded its arms in contempt of his traps. With a quick blast from his eyes, Kaiba's trap was destroyed. That wasn't anything huge, one monster wouldn't win the duel for Wheeler, no matter what its effect was.
"Okay Kaiba, Jinzo will attack your mechanical dragon. Go Jinzo!" The android raised his arms and in between them rose a black orb of energy. Jinzo extended its arms and sent the blast flashing towards Kaiba's Y-Dragon.
"Activate Command Silencer!" Joey gasped as a large totem pole appeared in front of Jinzo's attack. The dark ball of psychic energy evaporated into thin air before it touched the totem pole. Jinzo calmly folded its arms again and stepped backwards in respect for being thwarted.
"Jinzo may be able to stop my trap cards, but Command Silencer is an instant magic card that negates your attack. However it also lets you draw a card." Joey added a fourth card to his hand and then quickly set it on the field. Then he motioned for Kaiba to go.
"Oh...I guess I'll just take 500 damage to make you discard a card." Kaiba nodded and watched as the flame whipped about Wheeler, damaging his life points. It didn't take more then a single glance for him to decide which card to discard, and he did so with no regrets. He just hoped that he could keep his defenses long enough to fight back...this duel definitely wasn't going as planned.
Kaiba drew and quickly played the card, hoping to improve his suddenly dwindling chances. "I play Pot of Greed." He drew the next two cards from the top of his deck and added them to his hand, grinning as he readied his combo.
"First I'll discard one card to activate the cost of Cost Down. Next I'll sacrifice my Y-Dragon to summon the Blue Eyes White Dragon(3000/2500) in attack mode!" Y-Dragon vanished in a blaze of energy as the massive white scaled dragon took its place. The mightiest of dragons let out an ear-splitting roar.
Wheeler's two monsters back a few paces away before steadying their courage. Kaiba grinned and thrust his hand out toward the android and gave his Blue Eye's the order. "Now my Blue Eyes! Take flight and destroy Wheeler's android!"
The massive dragon rose rapidly into the air and then let loose a stream of white energy that engulfed Jinzo utterly. After a few moments the dust settled, revealing that the android had indeed not survived the attack. "Kaiba, I'll take this opportunity to activate Sudden Windfall! Now during each of my standbye phases I roll a die, and I gain life points equal to that number times 100. If it's a six I get 1000 life points instead." (JLP: 2900)
Kaiba growled and ended his turn, sacrificing five hundred life points to reduce Wheeler's hand to two again. (KLP: 3000) Wheeler drew and a holographic die appeared and bounced across the ground, coming up on a six. Kaiba growled again as Wheeler's life points raised to 3900, almost back to where he had started.
"I'll switch Alligator Sword into defense mode, and then I'll give you 500 life points so I can draw a card. That'll be it."
Kaiba smirked as he drew a card off his deck and quickly slammed it onto one of his monster zones. "La Jinn(1800/1000) in attack mode!" A green genie shimmered into view and folded his arms in contempt of Wheeler's defenses.
"La Jinn, attack Alligator Sword and open a path for the Blue Eyes!" The genie extended his arms and placed his palms together, fingers pointing outwards. Then he launched a volley of green energy that splashed across Alligator Sword's chest, shattering it into millions of pieces.
"Now that the way is clear, Blue Eyes, attack with Burst Stream!" The dragon roared and opened its mouth, issuing forth a stream of white energy that struck Wheeler in the chest and flung him a few feet backwards. The attack also nearly finished him off. (JLP: 900)
"I'll finish this turn by sacrificing five hundred life points to discard a card from your hand." Wheeler casually discarded one card from his hand as Kaiba was struck by the jet of flame from Hibashira. (KLP: 2500)
Joey drew his next card and watched as the Sudden Windfall die dropped to the ground and rolled a few feet, coming up as a three. (JLP: 1200) "Okay Kaiba, time to show you exactly how this duel is going to work out. You do something and I do something to counter it. That's the way it has to be. If I can't counter what you throw at me then I don't deserve to be in the finals."
Kaiba watched as Wheeler slapped a card down on the field, and suddenly a tall warrior in yellow armor rose up to challenge his two monsters. "Because you've got two more monsters then I do I can special summon Fiend Megacyber(2200/1200) without any need of tribute. But that's not all I'm gonna do."
With a sudden jolt Kaiba realized that Wheeler had intended this before hand. He had planned to let Kaiba attack directly so that he could special summon his monster. But what else did he have in mind? "Now, since I haven't summoned this turn, I'll summon Blue Flame Swordsman(1800/1600) in attack mode."
Wheeler's newest monster was a perfect duplicate of the Flame Swordsman, except that this one's clothing was blue where the other's was orange, and its sword was a dull navy color. Wheeler grinned as he placed a card in one of the magic/trap zones. "Now I equip Fiend Megacyber with Friend Slaying Demon Sword-Burning Soul. During this turn I can sacrifice one of my other monsters to increase the attack strength of my Megacyber by the sacrificed monsters attack power."
Kaiba watched in horror as the yellow warrior gripped the burning blade and whirled on Blue Flame Swordsman, slashing the swordsman in half. Megacyber's attack strength rose to 4000 and the burning blade burned brighter then ever before.
There was another burst of flame, and where the swordsman had previously stood the Flame Swordsman(1800/1600) stood in its place, sword held at the ready. "I thought ahead Kaiba, I knew I couldn't afford to give you any chances, so I used my Blue Flame Swordsman. When he goes to the cemetery I can special summon one Flame Swordsman, no matter where it exists."
Kaiba snarled as the yellow warrior hefted his new weapon and eyed Kaiba's dragon with contempt. With one attack Wheeler could all but decimate his life points...but if he did that Kaiba would have an open path to the fools life points with his Blue Eyes. "Megacyber, attack the Blue Eyes!"
Megacyber hauled back and hurled its blade straight at Kaiba's Blue Eyes. Without a chance to dodge the dragon was speared in the chest by the blade and was engulfed by flames and destroyed within seconds. (KLP: 1500) "Since you've got no cards I'm forced to return five hundred life points to you so I can draw 1 card. End turn."
(KLP: 2000) Kaiba drew and quickly slipped the card into his disk, grimacing as he did so. "I'll set one card face down on the field, and then switch La Jinn into defense mode. Then I'll take 500 damage to force you to discard one card from your hand. Back to you Wheeler."
(KLP: 1500) A lick of flame struck Joey and he carefully chose a card and placed it into the graveyard. Then he drew and watched as the die fell and rolled to a halt on a four. "Looks like I'm in the lead now Kaiba. So I guess I'll set one card face down, and have Blue Flame Swordsman attack La Jinn!"
The swordsman charged across the field and sliced right through Kaiba's genie, and then quickly returned to his previous place on the field. With no monsters on the field, Kaiba was now in trouble, big trouble. With one attack Joey could finish him off, and he intended to do just that.
"Fiend Megacyber, attack Kaiba directly!"
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Shadi let a small smile touch his face as he slipped one card onto the field, watching as the brown-backed card materialized above the platform of fire. "I'll set one card face down, and now I'll play Dark Designator. The monster I choose to call to your hand is Exodia the Forbidden One."
Taichi smirked and flipped through his deck before calmly adding the card to his hand, giving him a total of five cards. Those five cards would help Shadi in this duel quite significantly. "Now it is time to seal your fate with one magic card. I play Card Destruction!"
Taichi casually shoved his five cards into his cemetery and drew five new ones. However his nonchalance didn't last long when the flames burst up around him, scorching his skin. The young duelist let out a brief cry of pain before the flames subsided, leaving him weaker then before. (TLP: 1700) "So Shadi, will you attack me with your powered up Gravekeeper's Chief?"
Shadi shook his head, and passed to Taichi, glancly briefly at his own bridge. It was getting closer Alcatraz Island with each turn. Now that Exodia was impossible for Taichi to summon, things looked to be in Shadi's favor. "Well now...I summon a second Demon Soldier in attack mode, and instantly use its soul to restore my life points!"
The Demon Soldier let out a feral cry as its soul was ripped away, and Taichi smirked silently as the soul entered his body, healing his wounds and restoring his life points. (TLP: 3600) "Now my Hell Poemer will attack Gravekeeper's Chief!"
Shadi was shocked that Taichi would do such a thing...perhaps he was trying to get Shadi to use up his traps for Taichi's real move. Shadi would not fall for such a trick. He put on a cold face as the demon launched itself at his chief, only to be beaten back and crushed by the spellcaster's snake staff. (TLP: 2900) "Oh well, guess you'll just have to go eh Shadi?"
Shadi drew and looked the field over. He had the traps to stop any assault Taichi might make, but this newest attack seemed foolish. The only other option was that Taichi was trying to goad Shadi into attacking, another trick he wouldn't fall for. "I shall end my turn without doing anything."
Taichi smirked as a ghostly hand reached out of Shadi's duel disk and snatched up the card he held in his hand, dragging it into the cemetery. "Shadi, perhaps you should have asked what Hell Poemer is capable of. You see when he goes to the graveyard through battle he starts to play a hellish song, that at the end of your battle phase will randomly discard one card from your hand."
Shadi quickly calculated what would happen and realized that he had damned himself this turn. By not doing anything he cut down his options by losing a card, and he would lose six hundred life points from the combination of both his own and Taichi's cards.
A gout of flame rose up and struck Shadi in the chest, knocking him nearly over the edge of the flame platform. Breathing hard, the guardian of the sennen items watched as his life points trickled down, putting Taichi farther in the lead by extending his flame bridge. (SLP: 1600)
Taichi smirked and drew again, putting his hand back up to five cards. The duelist extended one hand as he intoned his next command. "I activate the trap card Necromantic Riddle. Without looking at your graveyard I can guess what type, monster, magic, or trap, the top card is. If I get it right then you can't play any cards in your next turn. If I get it wrong then my turn ends immediately and I can't play any my next turn."
A pair of ghostly hands reached out and pulled a card from the ground, facing away from Taichi. The dark haired duelist smirked and rubbed his chin in thought for a few moments before taking a guess. "You know, I think it was a monster card that got discarded wasn't it?"
Shadi grimaced as the card flipped around, revealing Gravekeeper's Shield Maiden, a level six monster. Laughing at Shadi's discomfort Taichi slipped a card onto one of his monster zones. Then he activated his other face down card. "I'll set a monster in defense, and activate Jar of Greed to give me an extra card. Now I'll set one magic or trap card and end my turn."
Shadi drew and then made his decision. He would have to attack, otherwise this duel might end badly for him. "Gravekeeper's Chief, attack his defense monster!" The gravekeeper extended his staff and a jet of poison shot forth from the serpent's mouth striking Taichi's defense monster.
For the brief second that it appeared before being dissolved by the poison a simple sphere could be seen. To Shadi's surprise two more of them appeared on the field, floating there. "You've struck the Giant Germ. When you destroy him in battle he deals you five hundred damage and then I can summon any others from my deck in attack mode. Of course we both lose life points from this, though you come out worse."
Shadi gasped as his turn ended and the fire roared about his body, nearly choking him in its ferocity. His harsh scream of agony echoed all the way down to the water, but none heard it despite how loud it was. With no cards in his hand, a handful of life points left, and Taichi's bridge nearly touching ground it would seem that his end had come. (TLP: 2600, SLP: 200)
Taichi smirked and slapped his newest card onto the field, revealing another Demon Soldier. "I'll remove all three of my monsters from the game to raise my life points by their attack strength!" The three monsters souls erupted from their bodies and joined with Taichi, raising his life points far above their previous levels. (TLP: 6500)
"Now I activate the trap card, Return From The Abyss! When activated it lets me special summon in whatever mode I want, any of my monsters that were removed from the game. As many as my field can fit. So I return the three Demon Soldiers and the two Giant Germs!"
In the space of a few seconds an army had assembled in front of Taichi, ready to obey his slightest command. Three demonic monsters and two floating gobs of goo. "I remove the three Demon Soldiers from the game once more!" None of the demons had a chance to express anything other then surprise before their lives were ended as quickly as they had been returned to them.
(TLP: 12200) "Go ahead you fool, your doomed no matter what you do. Should you get a useless card that you can't play, as soon as you end your turn you'll lose that card and your last life points. You can't attack or else my germ's effect would finish you. If you can use your card but it isn't incredibly useful, then you'll just give me another chance to destroy you. So what do you say to that?"
Shadi clenched his eyes and drew his next card, knowing that it might very well be his last. If he didn't get something that could be used he would be doomed at the end of this turn! "Ra, help your faithful servant this one time, I beg of you."
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"Activate Pineapple Bomb!" A large pineapple appeared in front of Fiend Megacyber and then exploded blasting both Megacyber and Flame Swordsman into dust. Wheeler gasped as his field was wiped clean, making him even with Kaiba.
"Pineapple Bomb lets me destroy your monsters when you have more then I do up to the point that we have an equal number. Since I had none, your down to zero as well. Will that be all?" Wheeler grimaced and shook his head, giving the command to raise Kaiba's life points so he could draw. (KLP: 2000)
Kaiba smirked as he added another card to his hand, and quickly played it. "I summon Battle Ox(1700/1000) in attack mode and then I have it attack you!" The brutish minotaur roared and swung its axe at Wheeler, but it was stopped when one of Wheeler's cards flipped up.
"I chain your attack with Graverobber! And I'm stealing Pineapple Bomb from you cemetery to use on you!" A ghoulish imp appeared and hefted Kaiba's Pineapple Bomb card, which exploded and shattered his Battle Ox, leaving him defenseless.
"I doubt that you'll get a monster in your next draw, but even if you do it would need two thousand attack points or over to finish me off. So good luck in drawing."
Joey smirked as his other face down card flipped up, revealing a woman who appeared to be having some sort of premonition. Tiny bolts were streaking towards her head, a probable sign of precognition.
"I'm about to get a bit of help in the drawing area if I'm lucky. See, when Sixth Sense is activated I name two numbers between one and six. A die is rolled and if one of the two numbers I named comes up, I draw that many cards. If its not a number I named then I discard a number of cards from the top of my deck equal to the number on the die. I choose three and six...so lets see that dice roll!"
Kaiba watched in fascination as the die rolled end over end across the space between them. If it came up right then Wheeler just might win here and now, but if he got it wrong then he'd be in worse shape then he was before. Kaiba watched as it bounced over five, then one, then to three, to six, to two, to one, and finally it came to rest on....
SIX! Wheeler smirked and drew six cards into his hand, grinning like an idiot the whole time. As it came time to end his turn, Kaiba realized that he HAD to give Wheeler life points, otherwise he could easily lose. "I give you five hundred life points to draw one card."
A soothing flame brushed about Wheeler, raising his life points and putting him in the lead. Then the duelist drew and the Sudden Windfall die rolled. The die came up as a five and Wheeler's life points raised yet again, giving him a further advantage. (JLP: 2600) "Kaiba, I guess its time to end this."
Kaiba held his breath in his throat, hardly believing that he might actually lose to this amateur. How could Wheeler possibly have done so well, how could this have happened? "I summon Gearfreed the Iron Knight(1800/1600) in attack mode. Now to finish this duel I'll play the magic card, Gear Pride!"
An armored warrior appeared in front of Wheeler and hefted a deadly looking weapon on its arm. Its attack wasn't quite enough to finish Kaiba, but it was too close for comfort.
"Kaiba, a long time ago a mighty warrior roamed the land. His power was so great that he was called the Juggernaut. Nothing could stop his implacable might. But one day, to control that great power, he was placed in special armor that kept his power in check. Now I release Gearfreed from the bondage of his restraining armor in order to release the full power of the unarmored Gearfreed....Freed the Juggernaut(2600/2000)!"
Kaiba's eyes widened as the armor that had covered Gearfreed fell away from the warrior's body, revealing a muscular man with long black hair. An eerie aura surrounded the newly unveiled warrior, an aura that struck Kaiba with the reality of the situation. He was going to lose.
"Freed, attack his life points directly!" The warrior flashed across the field with incredible speed and struck Kaiba across the jaw, sending him flying backwards. Moments later, as his life point counter ticked down to zero, the holograms vanished, and Kaiba understood defeat.
Kaiba stood and set one card on the ground, then turned and started walking towards the Duel Tower. He had a tournament to get back under way, he didn't have time to waste with pleasantries. "You won Wheeler...my respect."
Joey watched Kaiba walk away and then walked over to the card and picked it up. Flipping it over he saw the image of a white dragon staring back at him...the reward for winning an official Battle City duel. The loser's rarest card...the Blue Eyes White Dragon. "Thanks Kaiba...now I'm definitely ready to give this tournament my all."
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A short woman with medium length black hair knocked at the door of a fairly small home owned by a family friend. Her friend had promised to call her a few days ago, and so far she hadn't responded to any calls to the house. "Mitsune! Mitsune are you there?"
Using the key she had been given a year ago the short woman unlocked the door and entered, looking around for any sign of her friend. "Mitsune? Hello!" For the most part the house looked clean, a little dusty but not the worse for wear.
Coming around the corner to the kitchen Mitsune was met with a terrible sight, and she did the only rational thing. She screamed.
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Author's Note: There ya go, another decently long chapter with dueling in em. Oh, and any card that you don't recognize is probably my creation, so don't steal it please. I thank any of my reviewers who might actually exist and hope you continue to enjoy. Also, the effect of Pineapple Bomb is different then what is given here, I changed it to suit my purposes. This happens and will continue to happen whenever I deem it necessary. If you are offended by this, I really don't care because that's just you nitpicking.
Original Cards
Taichi's: Forfeit the Soul, Hellish Accountant, Blind Attack, Treasure of Hell, Demon Puppetry, Necromantic Riddle, Return From The Abyss,
Kaiba: Hibashira
Shadi: Diplomatic Immunity, Gravekeeper Recruitement, Gravekeeper's Shield Maiden(As it wasn't played I'll give its info farther down on the page)
Joey: Sudden Windfall
Gravekeeper's Shield Maiden(Dark/Spellcaster/6/1800/2500)
Effect: When this monster goes to the cemetery from the field you may special summon Gravekeeper monsters from your deck with total levels equal to six or less in face down defense mode.
Next Time: The next round of the Battle City finals commences and Joey gets the chance to prove just what he's capable of. Joey takes on the ultimate challenge at the same time that a Domino City News Report shocks Kaiba. The duel between Shadi and Taichi comes to a close!
Chapter Thirteen: To Alcatraz Through the Flames!
"Mr. Kaiba, we are now approaching Alcatraz Island. ETA is 10 minutes." Kaiba nodded, contemplating several things from the past hour or so. Not a single bit of it was positive.
First, he had lost to Drake, having all three of his Blue Eyes defeated and Obelisk beaten as well. Secondly, two of the competitors had been in severe accidents. One dead, the other effectively comatose. What was worse, the comatose one was in exactly the same position that Mokuba had been in when that freak Pegasus got a hold of him.
He sighed as he watched the vague shape of Alcatraz Island increasing in size every second. Soon they would arrive, and then the next round of his tournament would begin. A tournament that he now had absolutely no control over. He was beginning to worry that if the current trend continued, then things would only get worse.
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"Attention Duelists, we are now approaching Alcatraz Duel Tower, the true location of the Battle City Finals. Please prepare to disembark and enter the tower." There was a muffled conversation over the intercom, the announcers voice seemingly arguing with Mokuba, and then the announcer came back on and informed the 'hangers-on' would be allowed to enter the tower as well. With a crackle the com-system went quiet.
Taichi Nobuki smirked as he heard the com go quiet and rose from his sitting position on top of the Battle Blimp. It would be a little while before his next duel, but he could enjoy himself by watching the struggling of the pathetic duelists onboard. Perhaps one of them might actually prove a challenge to him...but he doubted it.
He glossed over a few of the cards in his deck, grinning as he perused it, considering for himself the true power of his deck. He didn't even need Exodia to be an invincible duelist, but it certainly had a far greater impact to defeat his opponents in that manner.
In fact that had been his reasoning behind doing little but stall against that little girl Kirani. He had wanted to see her confident and then see her broken by the raw and awesome power of Exodia.
Chuckling to himself he turned to head towards the elevator and stopped short. Standing in front of him like an implacable wall was the guardian...Shadi or some such. Rolling his eyes, Taichi grunted out a simple question. "What do you want?"
A grim smile touched Shadi's lips briefly as he raised his arm to reveal a duel disk. Pulling a deck from within his robe the guardian shuffled briefly before inserting it into the deck slot on the disk. Finally he drew five cards and deigned Taichi with an answer. "I have come to challenge you to a duel. The winner will continue to exist...the loser will be banished forever."
Taichi's responding smile was a far more crooked thing. It gave Shadi a feeling of intense hatred...and a tinge of fear. Something about that smile was...not human. "Very well Shadi, I accept the duel. However we need to make a few modifications to the punishment for losing. So to make the duel more interesting I will initiate the shadow game I call...Path of Flames."
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Kaiba grimaced as he watched the other duelists flock by into the tower in a large group, though not all necessarily intending to be with the group. Dalin and Yugi stood side by side a few meters from the others discussing something, and Drake walked slowly behind the rest, a grim expression plastered on his face.
Once the duelists had all passed, friends in tow, Kaiba started towards the duel tower, knowing that while he had no need to follow, he felt that as tournament sponsor he should be present...especially after some of the more recent events.
"Yo Kaiba." Kaiba glanced over his shoulder at the last person he'd want to see coming off the blimp behind him. He could have sworn that mediocre duelist had gone in with the others. With a sneer the brown-haired duelist turned to face the blond-haired punk.
"What do you want Wheeler? I've got no time and no reason to waste the little I've got on someone like you." Kaiba had expected the brash duelist to become infuriated and start shouting at him, but instead the blond's face remained utterly calm and controlled.
"No time Kaiba? You've got plenty of time since you got knocked out of the tournament. As for reason, I've got two reasons why you'd want to waste time on me. The first is that earlier in the tournament you agreed to duel me, but took off after hearing something. So you owe me a duel."
Kaiba expected a cocky grin, but still all the expression on Wheeler's face was that of a controlled power. A sort of presence he couldn't define and had never expected to see from someone like Wheeler. "That isn't much of a reason to me. What's the second reason?"
In a business deal this would be the moment where the other person gave away their true thoughts by smiling at his taking the bait. Wheeler just kept staring straight at him, radiating control and that strange presence. "How would you like a chance to get your spot in this tournament back?"
***********************************
Shadi kept his face calm, ignoring the beads of sweat that ran down his face. He had lived in Egypt for his entire life, and Egypt could reach incredibly high temperatures. Never before had he experienced such heat...of course that was to be expected in the position he was in.
The waters below looked calm and inviting...so cool and wet. Far different from the platform of fire that he stood upon, flames licking at his clothes. Several feet away stood his opponent, Taichi, also on a platform made of fire.
Taichi was grinning malevolently as he watched the sweat pour down Shadi's face. He took a strange satisfaction in knowing that when Shadi looked at him he saw a clean face, clear of any perspiration. The flames didn't effect him as they would another. "I'm sure you want to know the rest of the rules to this game...don't you?"
Shadi nodded his consent, focusing on the matter at hand and not the heat around him. He was certain that things would shortly be getting much hotter then they currently were. "Well Shadi, it's simple. This game is called Path of Flames because the only way to get to our destination is to travel a pathway created from fire. Our life points will be set at 4000, and whenever my life points decrease, your path extends, and vice versa. Damage taken will also translate into a burn inflicted by the flames. The more severe the damage, the more severe the burn."
Taking a deep breath, Shadi drew his sixth card, and formulated his strategy. His deck focused around a theme and a sub-theme, and already he had cards to make good his strategy. Soon Taichi would be defeated.
"I will begin this game by setting two magic or trap cards face down." The two brown-backed cards appeared in front of him, unaffected by the flames beneath them.
"Now I will play the magic card, Gravekeeper's Servant. From now on every time you attack you will be forced to discard one card from the top of your deck." The next card appeared on the field, portraying a graveyard upon it. This card was part of his strategy, and it would prove to be very effective.
"Finally I will summon Gravekeeper's Curse(800/800) in attack mode. By summoning him I activate his effect, dealing five hundred points of direct damage to your life points. First blood belongs to I, Shadi."
A black-haired man flickered into view, standing directly above the roaring flames. A curved staff floated in front of him and around him was a green aura. A burst of light shot from that aura and struck Taichi in the chest, making him stagger backwards. As this happened flames licked up around the boy's body, but he seemed unaffected by the heat.
Taichi recovered and brushed off his black shirt as if he had spotted some soot there and it need cleaning. It was as if he hadn't been briefly engulfed in fire...but how could he have been unharmed...unless the game was rigged. (TLP: 3500) "First blood is nothing to me gravekeeper, your monsters and your strategy are as pathetic as you are."
The dark duelist merely glanced at his cards before placing two cards in his m/t slots. "I'll start just like you did, by placing two cards face down. Of course I will also play a permanent magic card as you did. My magic card is called Forfeit The Soul!"
Two brown-backed cards appeared exactly opposite of Shadi's and were followed by a face up card. This new card had a picture of a man grimacing in agony as his soul forced its way out of his chest. It was a very gruesome card. "I'll explain my card for the stupid such as yourself. Forfeit The Soul lets me remove a monster from my side from the game in order to increase my life points by its attack strength. Simple huh?"
Shadi simply ignored his opponent's comments, his silence prompting Taichi to continue. "Well you're no fun. Fine, I now play Hellish Accountant. This magic card lets me add up the number of cards on your field and draw one card for each card you've got. As a result you may either summon a copy of one monster on the field if it exists in your deck, or draw cards from the top of your deck until you reach a monster that you then must special summon."
Shadi gestured with his hand and a second Gravekeeper's Curse appeared next to the second, and as before it launched a ball of green light at Taichi. The reaction was identical to the previous as Shadi's bridge extended to roughly one quarter the distance necessary. (TLP: 3000)
Taichi grinned as he surveyed the cards in his hand, and then slid another into an m/t slot, making four of the five slots full. "Since I can't end my turn with seven cards in my hand, else I'd have to discard, I'll set this one magic or trap card face down. That's all."
Shadi let a small smile touch his face as he added a third card to his hand. At the moment attacking was an unnecessary risk, however he could now complete his set and deal further damage to Taichi. "I activate my two face down cards, Robbin Goblin and Skull Invitation. Now when I damage you with my monsters you must discard a card from your hand, and whenever a card goes to the cemetery the owner will lose 300 life points. I place one magic or trap card face down, and summon the final Gravekeeper's Curse!"
The third and final of that specific gravekeeper set joined its brethren and as had the others before him, attacking Taichi with its effect. Shadi noted that burn marks had started to appear on Taichi's arms...proving that he wasn't invulnerable. (TLP: 2500) However Taichi's laughter he did not expect.
"Now is the time! I activate my trap card, Blind Attack!" Shadi's eyes widened as the three gravekeeper's snatched up their staffs and began charging straight at Taichi, a murderous look in their eyes. The look in Taichi's eyes gave Shadi the distinct impression that he was about to strike trouble.
**********************************
"What are you talking about Wheeler? I lost. For me this tournament is already over." Still Joey didn't respond physically, he simply stared straight ahead with that calm and confident look in his eyes. A look that was starting to annoy Kaiba.
"Things are starting to get a bit crazy. That Taichi guy is as bad as Pegasus was, and in a tournament like this we need the best duelists to face off against a guy like that, otherwise we can't win. I don't know if I could beat him and I don't know if I'd be good enough practice for whoever does, but I want to help. So I'm offering you the chance to duel me in order to determine which of us should continue on in the tournament. Like I said, we need the best out there. You win, you take my spot in the finals. It'll be an official Battle City duel, just like the one you agreed to."
Kaiba smirked and activated his duel disk as a sign of acceptance. All he had to do was beat Wheeler and he'd be back in the tournament? This would be all to easy. All he'd need was five minutes and then he'd be back on track to creating the ultimate deck and reclaiming his title as the best duelist in the world. "Alright Wheeler, get ready to lose."
Finally Joey smiled, drawing his opening hand as they launched the projectors on their disks. The counter rose to 4000 and the game was off to a good start...at least Kaiba thought it was. "As you were the one who challenged me, I'll go first. I'll start off by summoning Y-Dragon Head(1500/1600) in attack mode!"
The machine dragon roared as it appeared on previously empty field, ready to do battle with whatever Wheeler threw at him. Kaiba smirked as he slipped two cards into the slots on his disk and watched as they appeared behind his machine monster. "I set these two cards face down to end my turn. Go ahead and make whatever move you want Wheeler, it won't do you any good."
Joey nodded and added a sixth card into his hand, perusing it for a moment before he decided on what do to. "I'll set two cards face down, and then I'll summon Alligator Sword(1500/1000) in attack mode. Back to you Kaiba."
Kaiba smirked as his hand increased to four cards, each of which would be effective in speeding up this duel. "I'll start off by activating Final Assault Order! As long as its on the field no monster can be in defense mode, meaning you'll be easier to defeat. Next I'll summon Anti-Tribe Virus(1600/1000) in attack mode!"
Kaiba's smirk was stripped off his face in under a second as his monster vanished in the same instant it hit the field. Vanished down into a pit that seemed to have no end to it. "That's my Bottomless Trap Hole card, and it forces you to remove your monster from the game."
Clenching a fist in frustration Kaiba looked over his hand, considering his current options. He had no more trap cards in his hand, he couldn't summon again this turn, and the only magic card in his hand might help Wheeler as much as it could help him.
"Alright then, I'll play a single magic card that might very well determine the outcome of this duel. Hibashira activate!" As soon as Kaiba pressed the activation button a giant torrent of flame erupted from the ground in between the two duelists. After a few moments it settled down to create a ten foot tall pillar of fire.
"Hibashira has a dangerous effect for both duelists. You see during the end phase of their turn they can choose to do one of two things. One, they can increase their opponents life points by 500 and draw one card. Two, they could take 500 damage to discard a card from their opponents hand. It becomes a balancing game. You could take 500 damage to force me to discard a card, and I could then give you 500 to draw a card, so neither would have accomplished anything."
Joey barely suppressed a grimace, realizing that this would make the game much more difficult. With this sort of card in play he had to be very careful with this choices he made, because it just might be the most crucial part of this duel. "Aight Kaiba, what are you gonna choose?"
The older duelist smirked as he reached a hand out to the pillar of fire and beckoned it towards him. "I'll inflict 500 damage to myself to discard one card from your hand. So go ahead and toss it away!"
A tendril of flame shot forth from the pillar and wrapped around Kaiba's body, inflicting minor damage to his life points. Joey grimaced as he discarded one card from his hand...he just hoped it was the right choice. (KLP: 3500)
Drawing to recover, Joey examined what he had gotten and grinned at his luck. This just might work after all. Kaiba smirked when he saw the grin on his opponents face, a sure sign that overblown confidence was about to get the better of Wheeler. "Here ya go Kaiba, another choice for you to make. "I play Painful Decisions!"
Kaiba watched with interest as Wheeler drew two more cards, and held them in his right hand, separate from the rest of his cards. The confident grin appeared to be even bigger as he started to explain the card. "By playing this card I have to draw two cards from the top of my deck. Then you have to choose one of the two cards, without looking at em."
"What happens to the card that I pick?"
Joey grinned wider as he continued his explanation of the card. "It all depends on what kind of card it was that you chose. If it's a trap or a magic card I have to discard both of em. But if you pick a monster then I can special summon it, no matter what its level is."
Kaiba inspected his opponents grinning face and came to a conclusion. Both of the cards were monsters, so no matter which one he picked the amateur was going to be getting an extra monster this turn. He sneered and finally decided which one he was going to choose, it wasn't like it mattered either way. "I pick the one on the right side."
Wheeler grinned and slapped the monster onto one of the zones in triumph, adding the other card directly to his hand of two cards, making it three. "Time to meet the result of your own decision Moneybags! Meet Jinzo!"
**********************************
The fist that Drake threw slammed into the wall making a resounding explosive sound echo through the large room. Snarling he pulled his now bleeding hand back and glared at the Kaiba's assistant, the referee of this tournament. "You officious jackass! Screw Kaiba! I couldn't care less if he's here or not since he's not in this tournament anymore!"
The duelists and onlookers around him watched as he paced up and down in a fury, refusing to wait the half an hour that Roland had suggested it would take. In the state that Drake was in, making him wait any longer then he already had to was a definite mistake. "Its not just Mr. Kaiba. Mr. Wheeler is also not present, and Mr. Kaiba ordered me to hold the tournament for at least thirty minutes. It might be that long, it might take longer, but getting angry won't help at all."
Drake grimaced and whirled around to continue his pacing. As Yugi watched he began to wonder if something else was causing Drake's great anger. Something in his eyes had changed when Kirani collapsed at the end of her duel with Taichi. They had seemed to know each other, but they hadn't appeared close enough to each other that what Taichi had done would cause him to react this way.
"Something else is definitely making him act this way, and it can't be something good."
********************
The three gravekeepers charged blindly forwards intent upon skewering Taichi with their blades, but because it was Taichi who had initiated the blind charge, it seemed certain that a trap was waiting. "I activate my two remaining face down cards, Infernal Calamity and Dark Room of Nightmare!"
The two face down cards flipped up, and Taichi's trap card sent a chilling wave of air over the three gravekeepers. The three monsters collapsed under the assault of the miasma and sank through the fire to fall into the ocean below.
"When your monsters attacked I was allowed to activate Infernal Calamity, a trap card that sends all monsters on the field to the cemetery. Because of your own Skull Invitation you'll lose three hundred life points for each monster, but the fun doesn't stop there!"
Shadi grimaced as his own trap card unleashed a spirit that curled around him and squeezed, draining him of life points. As it did so a jet of flame erupted from around his feet and licked at his skin, burning away pieces of his clothing. When the flames settled the lower half of his pant legs were mostly gone, and his legs slightly burnt. (SLP: 3100)
"My other card, Dark Room of Nightmare, is specifically designed to make damaging your life points without an attack all the more profitable. Every time you take damage that isn't from battle, my dark room will deal 300 more points to you. So get ready for the same pain a second time in a row!"
The flames erupted around him fiercer then before, scorching his flesh and burning the sleeves of his outer robe. He forced himself to remain standing, otherwise he'd burn himself further. If he didn't stay strong then it would be his head that payed the price, and possibly the world. (SLP: 2200)
"Your traps have cost you as well. Because they go to the cemetery after activation you too lose 300 points per card, so I remain in the lead." The spirit burst from Shadi's card and wrapped about Taichi, squeezing the insane man just as it had previously squeezed its master. Accompanying it were the flames that had struck before, taking their toll on Taichi to a lesser degree then what they had done to Shadi.
(TLP: 1900) Taichi smirked as he drew his card, making seven to his hand. In satisfaction he slipped two more cards into his magic/trap slots and then placed a monster onto the field as well. Shadi recognized its demonic nature as soon as it appeared.
"I summon Demon Soldier(1900/1500) in attack mode. But I don't intend to attack, instead I intend to use the effect of my permanent magic card, Forfeit The Soul. I sacrifice the soul of my Demon Soldier to increase my life points by 1900!" The demon let out a cry of pain as its soul was literally ripped out of its body and absorbed by Taichi, who let out a satisfied sigh as his wounds lessened and Shadi's bridge receded.
(TLP: 3800) "Now that I have more life points I think its about time I did what I've been doing through most of this duel...drawing cards! I play Treasure of Hell, letting us both draw from the bottom of our decks until we both have six cards in our hands!"
As Taichi's life points trickled down with a lick of flame the two duelists ejected their decks from the slots and drew until they had the right number of cards. Shadi drew six and Taichi drew three. (TLP: 3500)
"It would appear that I have no demon monsters on the field...in fact there are no demon monsters at all. I guess that means I have to play Demon Puppetry, a magic card that lets me special summon on demon sub-type from my hand to the field if no demon sub-type exists on the field. So I'll summon Hell Poemer(2000/1000) in attack mode!"
A strange demon took up the field, carrying a cross upon its back. Shadi shuddered at the dark feeling he got from the monster, but felt confident that he had this duel under control. "I don't think I'll attack, so that ends my turn."
Shadi let a small smile touch his face as he began to implement his plan. "First I will play the magic card Diplomatic Immunity. During this turn I cannot take life point damage from effects of any sort, or through battle. Now, to continue I will play Gravekeeper Recruitment. By sacrificing one card with gravekeeper in its name from the field I may special summon one gravekeeper monster to the field from the hand."
Gravekeeper's Servant shattered into a million particles and Shadi slammed his next monster onto the dueling field, ready to let the supreme monster of his deck take its place on the field. Before the end of this turn the tide would be in his favor, and his opponent would be finished.
"I summon Gravekeeper's Chief(1900/1200) in attack mode. Now I will play one of the cards that will seal your fate. The field card, Sleeping Valley of the Pharaoh-Necrovalley!" As he spoke the field began to change, and the duel started to shift in Shadi's favor.
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"Jinzo, I summon you in attack mode!" Kaiba scowled as the android erupted from its card and folded its arms in contempt of his traps. With a quick blast from his eyes, Kaiba's trap was destroyed. That wasn't anything huge, one monster wouldn't win the duel for Wheeler, no matter what its effect was.
"Okay Kaiba, Jinzo will attack your mechanical dragon. Go Jinzo!" The android raised his arms and in between them rose a black orb of energy. Jinzo extended its arms and sent the blast flashing towards Kaiba's Y-Dragon.
"Activate Command Silencer!" Joey gasped as a large totem pole appeared in front of Jinzo's attack. The dark ball of psychic energy evaporated into thin air before it touched the totem pole. Jinzo calmly folded its arms again and stepped backwards in respect for being thwarted.
"Jinzo may be able to stop my trap cards, but Command Silencer is an instant magic card that negates your attack. However it also lets you draw a card." Joey added a fourth card to his hand and then quickly set it on the field. Then he motioned for Kaiba to go.
"Oh...I guess I'll just take 500 damage to make you discard a card." Kaiba nodded and watched as the flame whipped about Wheeler, damaging his life points. It didn't take more then a single glance for him to decide which card to discard, and he did so with no regrets. He just hoped that he could keep his defenses long enough to fight back...this duel definitely wasn't going as planned.
Kaiba drew and quickly played the card, hoping to improve his suddenly dwindling chances. "I play Pot of Greed." He drew the next two cards from the top of his deck and added them to his hand, grinning as he readied his combo.
"First I'll discard one card to activate the cost of Cost Down. Next I'll sacrifice my Y-Dragon to summon the Blue Eyes White Dragon(3000/2500) in attack mode!" Y-Dragon vanished in a blaze of energy as the massive white scaled dragon took its place. The mightiest of dragons let out an ear-splitting roar.
Wheeler's two monsters back a few paces away before steadying their courage. Kaiba grinned and thrust his hand out toward the android and gave his Blue Eye's the order. "Now my Blue Eyes! Take flight and destroy Wheeler's android!"
The massive dragon rose rapidly into the air and then let loose a stream of white energy that engulfed Jinzo utterly. After a few moments the dust settled, revealing that the android had indeed not survived the attack. "Kaiba, I'll take this opportunity to activate Sudden Windfall! Now during each of my standbye phases I roll a die, and I gain life points equal to that number times 100. If it's a six I get 1000 life points instead." (JLP: 2900)
Kaiba growled and ended his turn, sacrificing five hundred life points to reduce Wheeler's hand to two again. (KLP: 3000) Wheeler drew and a holographic die appeared and bounced across the ground, coming up on a six. Kaiba growled again as Wheeler's life points raised to 3900, almost back to where he had started.
"I'll switch Alligator Sword into defense mode, and then I'll give you 500 life points so I can draw a card. That'll be it."
Kaiba smirked as he drew a card off his deck and quickly slammed it onto one of his monster zones. "La Jinn(1800/1000) in attack mode!" A green genie shimmered into view and folded his arms in contempt of Wheeler's defenses.
"La Jinn, attack Alligator Sword and open a path for the Blue Eyes!" The genie extended his arms and placed his palms together, fingers pointing outwards. Then he launched a volley of green energy that splashed across Alligator Sword's chest, shattering it into millions of pieces.
"Now that the way is clear, Blue Eyes, attack with Burst Stream!" The dragon roared and opened its mouth, issuing forth a stream of white energy that struck Wheeler in the chest and flung him a few feet backwards. The attack also nearly finished him off. (JLP: 900)
"I'll finish this turn by sacrificing five hundred life points to discard a card from your hand." Wheeler casually discarded one card from his hand as Kaiba was struck by the jet of flame from Hibashira. (KLP: 2500)
Joey drew his next card and watched as the Sudden Windfall die dropped to the ground and rolled a few feet, coming up as a three. (JLP: 1200) "Okay Kaiba, time to show you exactly how this duel is going to work out. You do something and I do something to counter it. That's the way it has to be. If I can't counter what you throw at me then I don't deserve to be in the finals."
Kaiba watched as Wheeler slapped a card down on the field, and suddenly a tall warrior in yellow armor rose up to challenge his two monsters. "Because you've got two more monsters then I do I can special summon Fiend Megacyber(2200/1200) without any need of tribute. But that's not all I'm gonna do."
With a sudden jolt Kaiba realized that Wheeler had intended this before hand. He had planned to let Kaiba attack directly so that he could special summon his monster. But what else did he have in mind? "Now, since I haven't summoned this turn, I'll summon Blue Flame Swordsman(1800/1600) in attack mode."
Wheeler's newest monster was a perfect duplicate of the Flame Swordsman, except that this one's clothing was blue where the other's was orange, and its sword was a dull navy color. Wheeler grinned as he placed a card in one of the magic/trap zones. "Now I equip Fiend Megacyber with Friend Slaying Demon Sword-Burning Soul. During this turn I can sacrifice one of my other monsters to increase the attack strength of my Megacyber by the sacrificed monsters attack power."
Kaiba watched in horror as the yellow warrior gripped the burning blade and whirled on Blue Flame Swordsman, slashing the swordsman in half. Megacyber's attack strength rose to 4000 and the burning blade burned brighter then ever before.
There was another burst of flame, and where the swordsman had previously stood the Flame Swordsman(1800/1600) stood in its place, sword held at the ready. "I thought ahead Kaiba, I knew I couldn't afford to give you any chances, so I used my Blue Flame Swordsman. When he goes to the cemetery I can special summon one Flame Swordsman, no matter where it exists."
Kaiba snarled as the yellow warrior hefted his new weapon and eyed Kaiba's dragon with contempt. With one attack Wheeler could all but decimate his life points...but if he did that Kaiba would have an open path to the fools life points with his Blue Eyes. "Megacyber, attack the Blue Eyes!"
Megacyber hauled back and hurled its blade straight at Kaiba's Blue Eyes. Without a chance to dodge the dragon was speared in the chest by the blade and was engulfed by flames and destroyed within seconds. (KLP: 1500) "Since you've got no cards I'm forced to return five hundred life points to you so I can draw 1 card. End turn."
(KLP: 2000) Kaiba drew and quickly slipped the card into his disk, grimacing as he did so. "I'll set one card face down on the field, and then switch La Jinn into defense mode. Then I'll take 500 damage to force you to discard one card from your hand. Back to you Wheeler."
(KLP: 1500) A lick of flame struck Joey and he carefully chose a card and placed it into the graveyard. Then he drew and watched as the die fell and rolled to a halt on a four. "Looks like I'm in the lead now Kaiba. So I guess I'll set one card face down, and have Blue Flame Swordsman attack La Jinn!"
The swordsman charged across the field and sliced right through Kaiba's genie, and then quickly returned to his previous place on the field. With no monsters on the field, Kaiba was now in trouble, big trouble. With one attack Joey could finish him off, and he intended to do just that.
"Fiend Megacyber, attack Kaiba directly!"
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Shadi let a small smile touch his face as he slipped one card onto the field, watching as the brown-backed card materialized above the platform of fire. "I'll set one card face down, and now I'll play Dark Designator. The monster I choose to call to your hand is Exodia the Forbidden One."
Taichi smirked and flipped through his deck before calmly adding the card to his hand, giving him a total of five cards. Those five cards would help Shadi in this duel quite significantly. "Now it is time to seal your fate with one magic card. I play Card Destruction!"
Taichi casually shoved his five cards into his cemetery and drew five new ones. However his nonchalance didn't last long when the flames burst up around him, scorching his skin. The young duelist let out a brief cry of pain before the flames subsided, leaving him weaker then before. (TLP: 1700) "So Shadi, will you attack me with your powered up Gravekeeper's Chief?"
Shadi shook his head, and passed to Taichi, glancly briefly at his own bridge. It was getting closer Alcatraz Island with each turn. Now that Exodia was impossible for Taichi to summon, things looked to be in Shadi's favor. "Well now...I summon a second Demon Soldier in attack mode, and instantly use its soul to restore my life points!"
The Demon Soldier let out a feral cry as its soul was ripped away, and Taichi smirked silently as the soul entered his body, healing his wounds and restoring his life points. (TLP: 3600) "Now my Hell Poemer will attack Gravekeeper's Chief!"
Shadi was shocked that Taichi would do such a thing...perhaps he was trying to get Shadi to use up his traps for Taichi's real move. Shadi would not fall for such a trick. He put on a cold face as the demon launched itself at his chief, only to be beaten back and crushed by the spellcaster's snake staff. (TLP: 2900) "Oh well, guess you'll just have to go eh Shadi?"
Shadi drew and looked the field over. He had the traps to stop any assault Taichi might make, but this newest attack seemed foolish. The only other option was that Taichi was trying to goad Shadi into attacking, another trick he wouldn't fall for. "I shall end my turn without doing anything."
Taichi smirked as a ghostly hand reached out of Shadi's duel disk and snatched up the card he held in his hand, dragging it into the cemetery. "Shadi, perhaps you should have asked what Hell Poemer is capable of. You see when he goes to the graveyard through battle he starts to play a hellish song, that at the end of your battle phase will randomly discard one card from your hand."
Shadi quickly calculated what would happen and realized that he had damned himself this turn. By not doing anything he cut down his options by losing a card, and he would lose six hundred life points from the combination of both his own and Taichi's cards.
A gout of flame rose up and struck Shadi in the chest, knocking him nearly over the edge of the flame platform. Breathing hard, the guardian of the sennen items watched as his life points trickled down, putting Taichi farther in the lead by extending his flame bridge. (SLP: 1600)
Taichi smirked and drew again, putting his hand back up to five cards. The duelist extended one hand as he intoned his next command. "I activate the trap card Necromantic Riddle. Without looking at your graveyard I can guess what type, monster, magic, or trap, the top card is. If I get it right then you can't play any cards in your next turn. If I get it wrong then my turn ends immediately and I can't play any my next turn."
A pair of ghostly hands reached out and pulled a card from the ground, facing away from Taichi. The dark haired duelist smirked and rubbed his chin in thought for a few moments before taking a guess. "You know, I think it was a monster card that got discarded wasn't it?"
Shadi grimaced as the card flipped around, revealing Gravekeeper's Shield Maiden, a level six monster. Laughing at Shadi's discomfort Taichi slipped a card onto one of his monster zones. Then he activated his other face down card. "I'll set a monster in defense, and activate Jar of Greed to give me an extra card. Now I'll set one magic or trap card and end my turn."
Shadi drew and then made his decision. He would have to attack, otherwise this duel might end badly for him. "Gravekeeper's Chief, attack his defense monster!" The gravekeeper extended his staff and a jet of poison shot forth from the serpent's mouth striking Taichi's defense monster.
For the brief second that it appeared before being dissolved by the poison a simple sphere could be seen. To Shadi's surprise two more of them appeared on the field, floating there. "You've struck the Giant Germ. When you destroy him in battle he deals you five hundred damage and then I can summon any others from my deck in attack mode. Of course we both lose life points from this, though you come out worse."
Shadi gasped as his turn ended and the fire roared about his body, nearly choking him in its ferocity. His harsh scream of agony echoed all the way down to the water, but none heard it despite how loud it was. With no cards in his hand, a handful of life points left, and Taichi's bridge nearly touching ground it would seem that his end had come. (TLP: 2600, SLP: 200)
Taichi smirked and slapped his newest card onto the field, revealing another Demon Soldier. "I'll remove all three of my monsters from the game to raise my life points by their attack strength!" The three monsters souls erupted from their bodies and joined with Taichi, raising his life points far above their previous levels. (TLP: 6500)
"Now I activate the trap card, Return From The Abyss! When activated it lets me special summon in whatever mode I want, any of my monsters that were removed from the game. As many as my field can fit. So I return the three Demon Soldiers and the two Giant Germs!"
In the space of a few seconds an army had assembled in front of Taichi, ready to obey his slightest command. Three demonic monsters and two floating gobs of goo. "I remove the three Demon Soldiers from the game once more!" None of the demons had a chance to express anything other then surprise before their lives were ended as quickly as they had been returned to them.
(TLP: 12200) "Go ahead you fool, your doomed no matter what you do. Should you get a useless card that you can't play, as soon as you end your turn you'll lose that card and your last life points. You can't attack or else my germ's effect would finish you. If you can use your card but it isn't incredibly useful, then you'll just give me another chance to destroy you. So what do you say to that?"
Shadi clenched his eyes and drew his next card, knowing that it might very well be his last. If he didn't get something that could be used he would be doomed at the end of this turn! "Ra, help your faithful servant this one time, I beg of you."
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"Activate Pineapple Bomb!" A large pineapple appeared in front of Fiend Megacyber and then exploded blasting both Megacyber and Flame Swordsman into dust. Wheeler gasped as his field was wiped clean, making him even with Kaiba.
"Pineapple Bomb lets me destroy your monsters when you have more then I do up to the point that we have an equal number. Since I had none, your down to zero as well. Will that be all?" Wheeler grimaced and shook his head, giving the command to raise Kaiba's life points so he could draw. (KLP: 2000)
Kaiba smirked as he added another card to his hand, and quickly played it. "I summon Battle Ox(1700/1000) in attack mode and then I have it attack you!" The brutish minotaur roared and swung its axe at Wheeler, but it was stopped when one of Wheeler's cards flipped up.
"I chain your attack with Graverobber! And I'm stealing Pineapple Bomb from you cemetery to use on you!" A ghoulish imp appeared and hefted Kaiba's Pineapple Bomb card, which exploded and shattered his Battle Ox, leaving him defenseless.
"I doubt that you'll get a monster in your next draw, but even if you do it would need two thousand attack points or over to finish me off. So good luck in drawing."
Joey smirked as his other face down card flipped up, revealing a woman who appeared to be having some sort of premonition. Tiny bolts were streaking towards her head, a probable sign of precognition.
"I'm about to get a bit of help in the drawing area if I'm lucky. See, when Sixth Sense is activated I name two numbers between one and six. A die is rolled and if one of the two numbers I named comes up, I draw that many cards. If its not a number I named then I discard a number of cards from the top of my deck equal to the number on the die. I choose three and six...so lets see that dice roll!"
Kaiba watched in fascination as the die rolled end over end across the space between them. If it came up right then Wheeler just might win here and now, but if he got it wrong then he'd be in worse shape then he was before. Kaiba watched as it bounced over five, then one, then to three, to six, to two, to one, and finally it came to rest on....
SIX! Wheeler smirked and drew six cards into his hand, grinning like an idiot the whole time. As it came time to end his turn, Kaiba realized that he HAD to give Wheeler life points, otherwise he could easily lose. "I give you five hundred life points to draw one card."
A soothing flame brushed about Wheeler, raising his life points and putting him in the lead. Then the duelist drew and the Sudden Windfall die rolled. The die came up as a five and Wheeler's life points raised yet again, giving him a further advantage. (JLP: 2600) "Kaiba, I guess its time to end this."
Kaiba held his breath in his throat, hardly believing that he might actually lose to this amateur. How could Wheeler possibly have done so well, how could this have happened? "I summon Gearfreed the Iron Knight(1800/1600) in attack mode. Now to finish this duel I'll play the magic card, Gear Pride!"
An armored warrior appeared in front of Wheeler and hefted a deadly looking weapon on its arm. Its attack wasn't quite enough to finish Kaiba, but it was too close for comfort.
"Kaiba, a long time ago a mighty warrior roamed the land. His power was so great that he was called the Juggernaut. Nothing could stop his implacable might. But one day, to control that great power, he was placed in special armor that kept his power in check. Now I release Gearfreed from the bondage of his restraining armor in order to release the full power of the unarmored Gearfreed....Freed the Juggernaut(2600/2000)!"
Kaiba's eyes widened as the armor that had covered Gearfreed fell away from the warrior's body, revealing a muscular man with long black hair. An eerie aura surrounded the newly unveiled warrior, an aura that struck Kaiba with the reality of the situation. He was going to lose.
"Freed, attack his life points directly!" The warrior flashed across the field with incredible speed and struck Kaiba across the jaw, sending him flying backwards. Moments later, as his life point counter ticked down to zero, the holograms vanished, and Kaiba understood defeat.
Kaiba stood and set one card on the ground, then turned and started walking towards the Duel Tower. He had a tournament to get back under way, he didn't have time to waste with pleasantries. "You won Wheeler...my respect."
Joey watched Kaiba walk away and then walked over to the card and picked it up. Flipping it over he saw the image of a white dragon staring back at him...the reward for winning an official Battle City duel. The loser's rarest card...the Blue Eyes White Dragon. "Thanks Kaiba...now I'm definitely ready to give this tournament my all."
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A short woman with medium length black hair knocked at the door of a fairly small home owned by a family friend. Her friend had promised to call her a few days ago, and so far she hadn't responded to any calls to the house. "Mitsune! Mitsune are you there?"
Using the key she had been given a year ago the short woman unlocked the door and entered, looking around for any sign of her friend. "Mitsune? Hello!" For the most part the house looked clean, a little dusty but not the worse for wear.
Coming around the corner to the kitchen Mitsune was met with a terrible sight, and she did the only rational thing. She screamed.
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Author's Note: There ya go, another decently long chapter with dueling in em. Oh, and any card that you don't recognize is probably my creation, so don't steal it please. I thank any of my reviewers who might actually exist and hope you continue to enjoy. Also, the effect of Pineapple Bomb is different then what is given here, I changed it to suit my purposes. This happens and will continue to happen whenever I deem it necessary. If you are offended by this, I really don't care because that's just you nitpicking.
Original Cards
Taichi's: Forfeit the Soul, Hellish Accountant, Blind Attack, Treasure of Hell, Demon Puppetry, Necromantic Riddle, Return From The Abyss,
Kaiba: Hibashira
Shadi: Diplomatic Immunity, Gravekeeper Recruitement, Gravekeeper's Shield Maiden(As it wasn't played I'll give its info farther down on the page)
Joey: Sudden Windfall
Gravekeeper's Shield Maiden(Dark/Spellcaster/6/1800/2500)
Effect: When this monster goes to the cemetery from the field you may special summon Gravekeeper monsters from your deck with total levels equal to six or less in face down defense mode.
Next Time: The next round of the Battle City finals commences and Joey gets the chance to prove just what he's capable of. Joey takes on the ultimate challenge at the same time that a Domino City News Report shocks Kaiba. The duel between Shadi and Taichi comes to a close!