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Fanfic Chapter 16: The Zombie Duelist Pt. 1: The Absence of Fear
Episode Basis: The Arena of Lost Souls (Pt. 1)
Previously on Yu-Gi-Oh! Seto Kaiba arrived at Duelist Kingdom to rescue his brother from Pegasus. He met up with Yugi and the gang and got his deck back but declined Yugi's invitation to join them in their quest to obtain star chips. Kaiba revealed his new invention: portable holographic generators with which he plans to duel Pegasus for his brother's freedom. He also related the story of how Pegasus won against the Intercontinental Champion Bandit Keith by predicting his moves and used a kid to carry out the counterattack. The gang talked about it after Kaiba left and Tristan commented that Pegasus might targeted one of them next which made Yugi worried. So worried that he ran off, hoping to distance his self from the others to protect them. Harold tracked him down and convinced Yugi that he and the others cared about Yugi so much that it was worth risking their very souls. His confidence restored, Yugi and Harold returned to the campsite. What awaits our band of heroes on day 2 of the Duelist Kingdom Tournament?
The sun rose on a new day at Duelist Kingdom, warming the land with its eternal power. Yugi and his friends had a long night, between dueling Panik for Mai's star chips to seeing Kaiba again (of course there was also Yugi's duel with Bakura but only the two of them knew the truth about that). Since then, the gang has been trying to have a peaceful sleep in hopes that they would be prepared for the challenges that lay ahead in the morning.
No such luck.
"HEY, UP AND AT 'EM, EVERYBODY!" A loud banging of a spoon on pot stirred Yugi, Tristan, Bakura, and Harold into consciousness. The source of the loud noise was (not too surprising) Joey.
"Joey, would you turn down your radio, it's too early for heavy metal," Harold complained pulling his jacket up over his head.
"Move it or lose it, buster!" Joey said giving Harold a swift kick in the butt. "There are star chips out there with my name on it and I need to snatch them up before someone else does."
"Ow! You didn't have to kick me to make your point," Harold said getting up.
Tea poked her head from outside the tent. "What's with the ruckus? Is it morning time already?"
"Yup," Yugi confirmed. "Joey apparently wants to get an early start." Tea sighed defeatedly and exited the tent. As Tristan and Harold broke down the tent, a note fell out of Harold's backpack.
"Hey Harold, what's that?" Tristan asked.
"Oh, I don't know." Harold opened it up. "It's for you, Yugi. It's from Mai."
"Mai? I wonder when she was here." Yugi opened up the note.
Yugi,
I meant what I said, that I owe you, eight star chips to be exact. See you soon, hun.
Mai
A lipstick mark was placed strategically underneath the sender of the note.
"What does it say?" Tea asked.
Yugi quickly folded up the note and placed it inside his jacket, hoping Tea wouldn't notice the blush in his cheeks. "It… uh… just says she owes me eight star chips."
"I never would've taken Mai for a noble individual," Bakura said.
"Do you think she can be trusted to come through?" Joey asked.
"I don't know if she'll come through, but she'll definitely try," Yugi said. "Come on, let's go."
"So how many Duelists do you think are left on the island?" Tristan asked as they started to walk around the island.
"Not too many, I imagine," Bakura replied.
"Yeah, but I bet those who are left are really strong," Yugi figured. "After all, they were able to survive day one."
"Bring them on," Joey dared. "I'm not afraid of any Duelist, no matter how strong they may be."
"I think Joey's going to regret those words," Tristan said.
"Why should I be scared? I did take on two of the toughest competitors out there."
"You definitely improved since we started, Joey," Yugi agreed. "My Grandpa would be proud of you."
"Thanks, Yug, but I hope there are at least some Duelists left here, you only need two more star chips to qualify while I'm not even half-way there."
"Would I be jinxing us if I said the only Duelists left on this island would be normal?" Harold asked.
"Yes," the others agreed.
Not too far away on a small hill, three Duelists were spying on them.
"Two Duelists spotted one o'clock," one of them announced in a thick Australian accent.
"They look like easy pickings," a second, a small boy with a thin face said.
"I'm not sure," a third said, his voice betraying his lack of intelligence. "But I think the short one's the kid who beat Kaiba."
"That Moto kid? We better go tell the boss." The three Duelists turned and ran to a cave where their boss awaited.
"So who have you got for me today, boys?" The boss asked.
"Two Duelists, boss," the small boy said.
"One's just some dweeb, but the other's really good. He's the one who beat Kaiba," the dumb-sounding one said.
"Yeah, I've heard of him. But don't believe everything you hear. All right, boys, here's what we're going to do. We'll isolate the dweeb first. He probably doesn't have too many star chips so we'll hit him fast and hard. Sid, Zigor, go get him and bring him to the underground arena. Bonz, you come with me." Their boss stepped out of the shadows. He was an American (judging by the way he walks) with shaggy blonde hair hidden underneath a do rag that looked like the American flag. He was wearing a black vest with a red shirt underneath it and white pants. "Don't worry, boys, with Bandit Keith doing your thinking, you have nothing to worry about." He pointed his thumb at himself. Sid, Zigor, and Bonz cheered and praised Bandit Keith. Bandit Keith himself just turned to look at the castle. You hear that, Pegasus? You'll pay for humiliating me at the Intercontinental Championship and hogging the prize money for yourself! Nobody… AND I MEAN NOBODY makes a fool out of Bandit Keith and lives to tell about it. One way or another, you're going down!
"Man, it's been an hour and we haven't seen a single Duelist," Harold complained.
"Do you think they all been eliminated?" Tea asked.
"Probably," Joey confirmed. "We may be next."
"You scared, tough guy?" Tristan teased Joey.
"Me? I'm scared of nothing!" Joey declared.
"Of course you're not," Tristan said, his tone telling Joey that he wasn't really convinced. "I'm sure your knees are just trembling with excitement."
"They are!"
"Joey, nothing's wrong with being afraid. Last night, I was afraid that Pegasus might target one of you guys with his eye, but all I had to do was acknowledge my fear and face up to it."
"Well I'm facing up to nothing because I'm not afraid! Now, let's go get some Duelists! But first… I need to use the bathroom." Joey turned and ran off into the forest. The others had a good laugh at Joey's expense.
Bandit Keith and Bonz followed a dark tunnel that seemed to lead underground.
"Uh… boss, you sure it's wise to use the underground arena? I mean if the dweeb's worthless, then we can finish him in a normal arena and…" some bats flew overhead causing Bonz to scream in fear.
"I thought I told you to let me do all the strategizing, Bonz. The graveyard arena is perfect for zombie Duelists."
"Graveyard?!"
"Which reminds me… you did stack your deck with mostly zombie cards, right?" Bonz nodded an affirmative. "Let me see." Bandit Keith looked through the zombie deck that Bonz put together. "Looks good, but I think you can use some more brute force."
"But where…"
"Don't worry, kid, I got you covered." Bandit Keith opened up his jacket to reveal decks of Duel Monster cards. He modified Bonz's deck with some of his cards. "There, with this powerhouse deck, you're guaranteed to win."
"Thanks, boss, I promise I won't let you down."
"You better not or you'll be in a world of hurt!" Bandit Keith slapped Bonz so hard the boy fell on his stomach.
And came face-to-face with a skull.
Bonz screamed.
"Your face is scarier than that musty old skull," Keith cracked.
"Ve… very funny, boss, hey, wait up!"
Joey washed his hands in a waterfall.
"With all the bucks Pegasus has, you'd think he would've at least put in a couple of outhouses," Joey said. He heard a sound behind him and turned to see Zigor, the big guy, standing with an evil look on his face. "Can I help you?" Joey asked cautiously. Sid snuck up behind Joey and got him in a full nelson. "Hey, what are…" Zigor slugged him so hard that Joey was knocked out.
When Joey awoke, the first thing he saw was Zigor's face.
"What the… who are you, where am I?"
"The boss wants you," Zigor replied as Joey began moving up. Joey quickly realized that he was on a dueling platform. As the platform locked into place towards the top, he saw where he was and he freaked out. He was on a dueling arena; the arena was covered with graves and skulls. The opposite platform was dressed as a tombstone.
A low groaning came from the other end as Bonz appeared on his own side. "Welcome, Duelist, to the Arena of Lost Souls!"
Joey screamed.
"Abandon hope, for no Duelist has left here alive!"
"A GHOST!" Joey screamed.
The others have been waiting for Joey at the edge of the forest.
"Joey has been gone an awfully long time," Yugi commented.
"Maybe he had to go #2," Harold suggested.
"Maybe he just got lost," Tea added.
"No way," Yugi denied. "But he might've been challenged to a duel!"
"I bet that's it," Tristan said. "I probably touched a sensitive spot asking if he was afraid so he went off to find a duel to prove himself."
"Okay, let's split up," Bakura suggested. The others nodded and headed off in different directions.
"Prepare for your final duel," Bonz threatened in a spooky voice. "This arena will be your tomb!"
"Spooky," Zigor commented in a positive tone.
"Spot on, mate," Sid added. "You have the bloke scared stiff."
"Yeah," Keith added then took a closer look. Joey's eyes had glazed over. "Whoops, looks like you scared him a little too much, Bonz, he's fainted on his feet. Wake him up, will you, Zigor?"
"Rise and shine, dweeb!" Zigor threw a skull at Joey's head, waking him up.
"The ghosts of the dead are all around you, dweeb. There's no way to escape from your doom!"
"Hey, what's the big idea throwing something at me?" Joey demanded.
"You can't hide from the spirits, dweeb, they see and feed on your fear and that can only make you more afraid!"
"All right, maybe I was afraid," Joey admitted. "But not because of the graveyard or your mystic mumbo-jumbo, it was your face that scared me the most!"
Bonz's allies had a good laugh at that. "You have to admit, he has a point, Bonz," Bandit Keith said.
"Yeah, you even spook me out and I'm on your side," Zigor threw in.
"Well if you're on my side, then stop laughing at me!" Bonz snapped. "So are we going to duel or just stand around talking? Lay down your star chips now!"
"Hey, I never agreed to this duel!"
"Tough luck, you don't have any choice, dweeb," Bandit Keith said.
"Hey, Mister Macho, I have a name, it's Joey Wheeler!" Joey looked down and saw that his legs were clamped the same way Yugi's was during his duel with Panik. They're really not leaving me much of a choice.
"So what's it going to be, dweeb, are you going to face him like a man or run away like a puppy dog?" Bandit Keith challenged.
I can't run away! Yugi wouldn't run away. "Fine, I'll wager four star chips!"
"Let's duel!" The Duelist announced.
(J: 2000)
(B: 2000)
"Blow him away quick, Bonz!" Zigor called. "Send him straight to the graveyard with a zombie card."
"A zombie card, yikes, at least now I know what the deal is with this graveyard."
"That's right, Joey, this is a graveyard field and all my zombies get a field power bonus!"
Yugi and the others were searching high and low for Joey.
"You know, if Joey was dueling, wouldn't we see the arena?" Harold asked as he and Yugi stopped for a quick rest by a waterfall.
"I'm beginning to suspect fowl play," Yugi said.
"Here we go," Bonz announced as he prepared to summon a zombie card.
"Wait a second, squirt," Bandit Keith said stopping Bonz's summons. "Leave that card for later, play the one on the far left."
Bonz looked at the card Bandit Keith was talking about: Zanki (1), a warrior monster.
"You needed some raw muscle," Bandit Keith advised. "So I slipped that one into your deck.
"But that card's not a zombie at all. It won't get the field power bonus."
"Don't argue with me, squirt; just do as I tell you."
"But…" Bandit Keith's soft growling stopped Bonz from protesting any further.
"Just play the card," Zigor urged. "The boss won't steer you wrong. How could any of us got this far without his help?"
"What is this, dueling by committee? Are you going to play the card or aren't you?"
"All right, boss," Bonz said defeatedly. "Zanki in attack mode!" A red-armored samurai appeared.
"This'll put a dent in Zanki's armor," Joey said as he summoned Axe Raider. "Axe Raider, attack with Twin Blades!" Axe Raider swung his blade and sliced Zanki in half.
"He wiped me out!" Bonz cried as his life points dropped.
(J: 2000)
(B: 1800)
"Looks that way," Bandit Keith agreed.
"So why did you make me play that weak card? If that was one of my zombie cards, I would've been able to clobber him."
"Where's all your spooky chatter now, you little runt!" Joey insulted. "Play your next card, I'm ready for it."
"I have to play a zombie card," Bonz decided. as he drew a new card and began to lay it down.
"No, not that card, play the second one from the left."
"Crawling Dragon (2), but this isn't a zombie card either!"
"Just be patient, Bonz, we're working on a strategy here. Remember, no Duelist has ever beaten me without cheating."
"Yeah, until now," Bonz muttered. "Crawling Dragon, defense mode!"
"Who's the scared one now? Axe Raider, slice him and dice him." And that's just what Axe Raider did.
"Now play the one that's on the far right," Bandit Keith instructed. "And don't use defense mode or he won't attack it."
"But…"
"If you don't want my help, Bonz, I'll just keep my comments to myself then." It was an ultimatum Bonz couldn't pass up.
"I summon Crass Clown (3) in attack mode!" Crass Clown looked like a pudgy deranged clown.
"Is that the best you got? I summon Flame Swordsman! Attack with flaming sword of battle!" A blast of fire engulfed the clown. "Too bad, one Crass Clown going down."
(J: 2000)
(B: 1350)
Creep show's scared, Joey thought. I got him on the run. And I plan to keep him there. There's way too much riding on this duel. My sister, Serenity, is counting on me. So watch out, skull face, you better be scared, because this puppy dog is going to chase your bony butt right out of the tournament!
"Now what?" Bonz asked.
"Just relax," Bandit Keith advised. "You already have this duel won."
"What's wrong, Bonz, can't fight this duel on your own? Maybe your coach wants to take me on, I'll cream him too!" Joey said cockily.
"Looks like you need a lesson in strategy, dweeb."
"Huh?"
Bonz drew a card from his deck and smiled. "Oh, I forgot about this magic card, boss. Now I understand."
"Lay it down, Bonz, play your trump card!"
"You're finished!" Bonz told Joey. "This magic card is unstoppable! The Call of the Haunted!"
"What's that?" Joey asked.
"It brings all of the cards you destroyed back to life," Bandit Keith explained.
"But they come back as zombies with the power of immortality!"
"Oh no!"
"It's almost been an hour and still no sign of him," Harold complained. "Maybe we should call in a helicopter or something…" Harold tripped on a pebble and fell on his face. "That was graceful," he said sarcastically. But then he spied something on the ground, a wallet. "What's this?" He picked it up. "Is this…" he opened it up and gasped.
"Harold, did you find anything?" Tea asked as she and Yugi ran up to him.
"Yeah, look." Harold showed them the inside of Joey's wallet. It had a picture of his sister, Serenity.
"Joey's wallet!" Tea realized as Tristan and Bakura ran up to him.
"There's no way Joey would leave that laying around," Tristan said. "His sister means more to him than life itself. I'm beginning to suspect fowl play."
"Look over there." The gang spotted a cave near where Joey's wallet was found. "I don't like the looks of this," Tristan complained.
"Neither do I," Yugi agreed as they all entered the cave.
The cave just radiated spookiness. It was dark with the exception of a few candles. Two coffins leaned up against the wall.
"Careful," Yugi cautioned. "It might be a trap."
"What's with those coffins?" Tea asked as she and Bakura went up to them.
"I don't know, it's very strange that they're just standing there," Bakura added.
"I wouldn't touch those, guys."
"I agree with Yugi; you two be careful," Harold said.
"Don't be silly, it's just a…" The coffins suddenly opened up and dropped two skeletons onto Tea and Bakura. The two both let out high-pitch screams, running around frantically until the others were able to get them off.
"That Pegasus sure has a sick sense of humor," Tristan complained.
Back at the duel, the three monsters that Joey destroyed were now on the field again. The Crawling Dragon, which was originally a yellow color, was now a deep purple. Zanki's armor was now more wooden and his skin was a puckish green. The clown still looked the same though.
"All of the monsters are back!" Joey realized.
"Call of the Haunted brought all of them back, but they're zombies now. And as zombies, they gain a field power bonus from the graveyard field.
(AZ: 1500---1950)
(DZ: 1600---2080)
(CZ: 1350---1755)
"Axe Raider, slash that overgrown zombie!" The Axe Raider swung his weapon and sliced the Dragon Zombie's head in half, but then the gash repaired itself.
"They're zombies now, dweeb," Bandit Keith revealed. "You can't destroy them with an axe!"
"Dragon Zombie (4), attack with Deadly Zombie Breath!" Ugly green smoke came out of the Dragon Zombie's mouth and the Axe Raider crumbled.
(J: 1620)
(B: 1350)
"One down and one to go, now your pitiful Flame Swordsman is outnumbered three to one!"
Oh man, nothing can stop those zombies. I blew it, I'm dead meat!
To Be Continued.
Monster Glossary
(1)
Name: Armored Warrior Zanki
Level: 4
Type: Warrior
Attribute: Earth
ATK: 1500
DEF: 1700
(2)
Name: Crawling Dragon
Level: 5
Type: Dragon
Attribute: Earth
ATK: 1600
DEF: 1400
(3)
Name: Crass Clown
Level: 4
Type: Fiend/Effect
Attribute: Dark
ATK: 1350
DEF: 1400
(4)
Name: Dragon Zombie
Level: 4
Type: Zombie
Attribute: Dark
ATK: 1600
DEF: 0
