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Fanfic Chapter 31: Joey Against The Machines Pt 2: Mimicry
Episode Basis: Keith's Mechanations Pt 2
Previously on Yu-Gi-Oh! The second match of the semi-finals was about to get under way, Joey Wheeler, the amateur, would duel Bandit Keith, the Intercontinental Champion. Keith had stole Joey's card the previous night so he would be qualified for the finals and Joey would be disqualified. Joey looked all over frantically for his card but with the five minute time limit set by Croquet, it didn't look like he would find it in time. He was just about to give up hope when who should come to his rescue, but Mai Valentine, who gave him some words of comfort, a handkerchief to remember her by, and her Glory of the King's Opposite Hand card. Returning to the dueling ring in triumph, the duel began. Joey discovered that Keith's deck contained machine monsters, which not only possess high attack points, but are immune to anything magic. After Joey's first two attacks failed, he was able to make a come back by setting traps for Bandit Keith. And despite his experience, Keith fell for them hook, line, and sinker. One thing's for sure, Keith's going to try anything to win.
"Man, this has got to be the closest match I've ever seen," Tristan commented.
"Yeah, with a difference of only 50 life points, this duel could go anywhere," Harold predicted.
(J: 1150)
(K: 1100)
"Don't let up, Joey, it all comes down to these next few turns."
"Your sister's counting on you, man; don't let her down," Tristan called out.
Joey nodded.
Bandit Keith just spat over the side.
Even Pegasus was on the edge of his seat. This match is turning into quite the nail biter. Joey, a virtual unknown, going card for card against the Intercontinental Champion. I wonder what it is that fuels such splendid performances. Perhaps my Millennium Eye can tell me. Pegasus tapped into the power of his Millennium Item.
In Keith's mind, Pegasus saw his match with Keith long ago. Since Pegasus made him look like an amateur at that match, Keith had sunk into a depression, driving his self to heavy drinking and, shall we say, activities that wouldn't exactly make him the most popular guy in Duelists Weekly.
In Joey's mind, Pegasus saw the day Yugi first took on Seto Kaiba. Joey's friend Tea drew a marking on all of their hands that represented their friendship. Pegasus also saw Serenity and heard her video message.
"I just thought I would send you this so you wouldn't forget your little sister's face. The doctors say I don't have much time. They said that I'll be passed the point of no return in a few weeks. If for some reason I… well… please, take care, Joey."
So while one is driven by bitter vengeance, the other is motivated by love and trust, why, it's practically a battle of good versus evil, how amusing, Pegasus thought snidely. I'm very interested to see the outcome of this clash between light and darkness.
"Come on, let's get on with this match, dweeb!" Keith ordered. "You ain't nothing but a speed bump on my way to duel Pegasus, and that goes double for your midget friend, Yugi."
"Yeah, right, geek," Joey said sarcastically.
"What'd you say?"
"I got news for you, pal, even if you do manage to defeat me (and you won't), Yugi would cream you, and do you know why? Because you are selfish sleaze who thinks of nobody but himself! You're only in this tournament for your greed."
"Say what?"
"People like you will never win," Joey continued. "Sure, your tricks may get you a little ways, but only until people with good intentions come along, like me."
"Oh yeah, well, we'll just see about that. One card face-down, and then I'll attack with this…" a large gun in the shape of a dragon (or maybe it was a dragon in the shape of a gun) appeared. "My Barrel Dragon (1) will blast you and your good intentions to dust!"
"This isn't good," Yugi said furiously.
"You see, with its triple attack laser discharge system, it can launch three attacks instead of one. I can clear all your monsters off the field in just one turn! So say adios to your two buddies on the field. Barrel Dragon, finish him with Proton Blast!"
(J: 850)
(K: 1100)
"Face it; this is the end of the line for you! People with good intentions like you are only for wiping the boots of the true Duelists like me."
From what I've seen, it definitely seems that way, Harold thought.
"Are you done yet?" Joey asked like he was bored. "Because I already figured out how to beat your little toy blaster." Joey summoned a monster. "Meet the master of the past and future: the Time Wizard!"
Keith grunted.
"All right, this could work," Tea said hopefully.
"Yeah, if that Time Wizard's spin arrow lands right, Keith's monster could age and corrode."
"Yeah, but don't forget, there's also a chance that it could land on a skull and self-destruct taking half of Joey's life points with it," Harold reminded.
"Let's just hope that doesn't happen," Bakura said.
"And I'm not done yet, Keith, I'm throwing this baby too… Baby Dragon, that is. Now you have two things to worry about: your machine rusting up and this little guy growing up. Let's do it! Go, Time Roulette!" The arrow started to spin. Last time I used him, I failed, but I really need Time Wizard to come through for me this time.
The arrow started to slow down, until it stopped… right on the time machine symbol. "Oh yeah, go, time warp!" Everyone watched as Keith's Barrel Dragon rusted and lost points.
(BD: 2600-1800, 2200-1400)
"Nice work, Joey," Yugi called. "The stage is set perfectly!"
"Thousand Dragon, attack with Thousand Flame Breath!" Keith's Barrel Dragon was destroyed and Joey and the others cheered. "That hunk of steel is history!"
"But history repeats itself, especially when you're taking on a deck that's stacked with different machine-related cards, like this trap card for instance: Time Machine, it brings back a monster from the previous turn!" A large chamber appeared on Keith's side of the field. The Barrel Dragon emerged and destroyed Joey's Thousand Dragon.
(J: 650)
(K: 1100)
"Too bad, I guess you could always play a Time Machine card, but then your Thousand Dragon would be coming back a Baby Dragon."
"Oh, that's right," Harold realized. "One turn ago, Joey's dragon was still a baby, so if Joey did use the Time Machine, that's how it would come back. Talk about tough break."
A/N: And just now, I figured out the whole relationship between Time Wizard, Baby Dragon, and the whole Time Machine thing.
"Punk, I knew you were going to use that dweeby little Time Wizard. Don't forget, I got a good look at your deck when you battled Bonz."
"Duels are more than just about the cards you use."
"Just what I'd expect from a goody-two-shoes like you. Your kind is pathetic; don't forget what I told you back in the cave, dueling is about winning at any cost. A pansy like you shouldn't even think about participating in a Duel Monsters tournament, especially one as glamorous as this one. But since the rules require one to win and one to lose, make your move so that I can win and you can lose."
"I'll lay a monster in defense mode," Joey said defeated. "And that's it."
"That's it is right, because my machines are going to keep on coming. I summon Slot Machine (2) in attack mode! All right, Barrel Dragon, it's your turn, blast that defense monster to atoms with Proton Blast!"
Joey studied his hand. I could summon a monster to destroy that Slot Machine, but then he'd just turn and blast it right back with his Barrel Dragon. Even my most powerful monster, the Red-Eyes Black Dragon… Joey spotted the card towards the bottom of his hand. Even he wouldn't stand a chance.
"Joey, believe in your cards, you're going to have to if you're gonna beat that thing!"
"Oh please, the only thing he should believe is how pathetic he is for even attempting to challenge a pro like me."
"I'll lay one card face-down, and throw Red-Eyes Black Dragon in attack mode! And that'll do it for me."
"I'll take extra special pleasure in destroying your best card, but not even he can stand up to the firepower of my Barrel Dragon. Go, Proton Blast!"
"Hold it right there, Keith, I set a trap!"
"You've got to be kidding me!"
"No joke, go, Copycat."
"Copycat?"
"Copycat lets me copy one card that has been played, and I think I'll use it to copy Magic Metal Force!" Joey's dragon transformed into a mechanized version of itself. "Now my Red-Eyes Black Dragon is a Red-Eyes Black Metal Dragon (3)! And that makes him strong enough to withstand your attack!"
"Yeah, now Keith's dragon is the one in trouble."
"Red-Eyes, counterattack! Flash Flare Blast!" The Red-Eyes Black Metal Dragon launched a ball of purple energy that destroyed Keith's Barrel Dragon.
(J: 650)
(K: 900)
"How do you like that, Keith, your triple-blast dragon got reduced to a pile of scrap!" And with my sister's sight on the line, I plan on getting even tougher with you.
"Check it out, Harold; since Keith's dragon went bye-bye, Joey's Metal Red-Eyes is the toughest card on the block!" Tristan commented.
"Yeah, but don't count Keith out yet, he wouldn't play that Slot Machine for nothing."
"I knew you were an amateur, and now I'm gonna show you why."
"Amateur? Didn't I just blast your best card to pieces?"
"Keep talking, tough guy. I'm throwing this card face-down and switching my Slot Machine to defense mode!"
Boy, is Keith losing it, that Slot Machine can't take a blast from my Red-Eyes no matter what mode it's in. Guess he'll just have to learn the hard way. "Bad move, Chief, first I lay this card face-down…" he placed a card in the magic and trap card zone. "Now, Red-Eyes, attack his Slot Machine! Flash Flare Blast!"
"Man, you're as predictable as you are brainless. Go, 7 Complete!" Keith turned over the magic card he laid last turn. The center slot on the Slot Machine switched to a 7. As the blast struck, everyone could see that the Slot Machine was still there. "7 Complete raises any machine monster by 700 attack or defense points, and I choose to raise my Slot Machine's defense points."
(SM: 2300-3000)
Joey deduced what Keith was going to say next. "And because my attack was lower than his defense, I lose life points."
(J: 450)
(K: 900)
"And do you know what else I've got, dweeb? Two more 7 Complete cards in my deck!"
"Yeah, well, just 'cause you have them doesn't mean you'll draw them."
Oh, I'm not worried about that. As Keith drew a card and brought it parallel with his hand, he reached into his wrist band and took out a card, slipping it underneath the card he drew.
The move wasn't lost on the keen eye of Pegasus.
"Well, look at what I drew," Keith said showing Joey his second 7 Complete card. "I think I'll take this for a spin, this time for my monster's attack points!" The slot to the right of the middle one changed to a seven.
(SM: 2000-2700)
"If I don't do something, my life points are gonna get cleaned out," Joey muttered.
Yugi and the others were concerned.
"And next I'm throwing this down: Blast Sphere (4)!" A red ball with metal claws appeared. "Attach yourself to Joey's Red-Eyes." The Blast Sphere clung to the chest of the Red-Eyes Black Metal Dragon.
"Blast Sphere?"
"That's right, once I end my turn Blast Sphere will self-destruct giving off 2900 points of damage to your dragon!"
And I thought I just had that Slot Machine to worry about.
"Okay, dweeb, I'm ending my turn now!"
Joey quickly flipped over a face-down card.
The Blast Sphere exploded covering the field with smoke. Bandit Keith thought he had it in the bag, but as the dust settled, the dragon was still standing. "What… but this can't be right!"
"Oh it's right," Joey said. "Thanks to my handy-dandy Dragon Nails card. It raises my dragon attack points by 600 making him powerful enough to withstand your Blast Sphere's blast!"
(REBMD: 2800-3400)
"You dweeb, now my life points go down!"
"Aww, you're making me cry."
(J: 450)
(K: 400)
"I'll make you cry all right," Keith muttered as he drew out his third 7 Complete card (which Pegasus again noticed but didn't say anything). "Well, look at what I got here, I think I'll power up by dragon's attack points again."
(SM: 2700-3400)
"Looks like both monsters are pretty much even," Harold analyzed.
"And their life points are the same," Tea added.
"This next turn can decide the whole match," Yugi concluded.
Joey studied the only magic card in his hand: Shield and Sword. Using it would swap each monster's attack and defense points. But doing so would actually help Keith so Joey knew he couldn't do that. He drew a card then laid it face-down on the table.
"Come on, no card you got can help you now, just end your turn." Joey nodded. "Thanks, now I think I'll go ahead and end this duel." Keith held up a magic card. "It's all thanks to this: The Pillager."
"The what?"
"The Pillager lets me look at your hand and take one card from it, so lay them down." Joey placed his cards on the monster end of the table. The cards appeared on Bandit Keith's screen. He noticed the magic card. The Shield and Sword card, that's the card he used to beat Bonz with. What perfect revenge. "I think I'll take your Shield and Sword magic card. The card disappeared into the table and came out on Keith's side, just as Kaiba's Blue-Eyes did when he dueled Pegasus. "I told you it's all over for you. Go, Shield and Sword, switch attack points with defense points!"
(SM: 3400-3000, 3000-3400)
(REBMD: 3400-2400, 2400-3400)
"Now go, Slot Machine, plasma laser cannon!"
"Activate trap!" Joey commanded.
But it was too late, as Joey's dragon was destroyed.
Bandit Keith let out a triumphant laughter. "I win!" He announced; then gasped. For through the smoke, emerged a little gnome holding his Time Machine card. The Dweeb had a Graverobber card? And he used it to bring back MY Time Machine card!
"You should've paid more attention to my last turn, Keith," Joey scolded as the Time Machine appeared again, this time on Joey's side of the field.
"And since the Time Machine can bring back a monster from the previous turn; that means…"
"Bingo, my dragon's back, and this time his attack is higher than your Slot Machine's." Joey's dragon made a dramatic emergence from the Time Machine. "Red-Eyes, welcome back. And because I brought him back the way he was one turn ago, his attack and defense points are back to their rightful numbers so good luck trying to block this! Red-Eyes Black Metal Dragon, FLASH FLARE BLAST!" The dragon's attack destroyed Slot Machine ending the duel in Joey's favor.
(J: 450)
(K: 0)
Pegasus watched Bandit Keith's horrified expression. Remarkable, Keith's rampage for revenge was brought to a halt by a novice dueling for a loved one.
"Joey Wheeler, you are the winner," Croquet declared.
The gang cheered. Tristan gave Keith a rude gesture and almost fell off the balcony because of it. Fortunately, Yugi and Harold were able to hold on to him.
Joey just stared at Mai's handkerchief. Thanks, Mai, I'll never forget how you helped me. He placed the handkerchief in the inside pocket of his coat, close to his heart.
Keith, however, wasn't ready to give up just yet. "This match doesn't count!"
"What's Keith ranting about now?" Harold asked.
"He just doesn't know when to quit," Tea commented.
"The tournament entry card he showed is not his, so therefore he should be disqualified!"
"Oh give me a break," Harold moaned slapping his forehead.
Joey decided that since the duel was over, it was okay to tell them the truth. "It's true; my card was missing so Mai gave me hers. But tell me, Keith, how could you have possibly known this card wasn't mine?" For once, Keith was speechless. "Well, we're all ears, so why don't you explain yourself, Keith." Once again, Keith didn't have an answer.
But Pegasus did, "He doesn't need to, it's clear that Keith stole Joey's card, that's why he was so certain that you would never be able to find it."
"Stupid rat," Harold insulted.
"Then Keith ought to be disqualified!" Tea protested.
"Oh Keith ought to be disqualified all right," Pegasus agreed. "But not simply for misdeeds outside the dueling ring; there was quite a bit of improper conduct during the duel that I observed too."
Yugi immediately deduced that Pegasus used his Millennium Eye to find out the truth.
"Is that so?" Joey asked.
"Quite so," Pegasus said, apparently now speaking for Keith. "Keith kept his set of 7 Complete magic cards beneath his wrist band. That way, he could power up his Slot Machine whenever he wanted."
"Man, Keith, that's low!"
Pegasus ordered his guards to drag Keith away then turned to Joey. "Well done, Joseph, you should be proud, you dueled admirably." Joey didn't like being complimented by the enemy of his bud but deep down, he was proud, he proved that he had the soul of the Duelist and triumphed against the Intercontinental Champion's cheating ways in a fair manner. He knew that Yugi's Grandpa would be very proud for standing up to the Intercontinental Champion.
"Hey!" Everyone turned in time to see Keith break away from his "escorts" and ran back into the arena. He leaped up onto the arena then jumped from there onto the balcony where Pegasus was. He slugged Croquet and then drew his gun on Pegasus.
"All right, rich man, now you're going to pay for the humiliation you gave me."
"Humiliation that you so rightfully deserve," Pegasus said like he wasn't worried about a gun being put to his head.
"Shut up! I'm about to give you a bullet for each day I lingered in agony! And believe me, I have a lot of bullets!"
If Keith shoots Pegasus, I'll never be able to rescue Grandpa or the Kaibas! Yugi realized.
"Prepare to die!"
"I don't think so." Pegasus stepped on a button on the floor and the floor space around his chair fell away sending Keith down a tunnel and out a hole in a cliff. Keith fell into the ocean with a not-so-gracious thud.
Recovering from the near-crisis, Croquet announced, "There will be a ten minute recess before the next match: Yugi Moto versus Joey Wheeler!"
Yugi and Joey stared at each other. They both were thinking the same thing: If I'm going to win, I'm going to have to defeat my best friend.
The End
Monster Glossary
(1)
Name: Barrel Dragon
Level: 7
Type: Machine/Effect
Attribute: Dark
ATK: 2600
DEF: 2200
(2)
Name: Slot Machine
Level: 7
Type: Machine
Attribute: Dark
ATK: 2000
DEF: 2300
(3)
Name: Red-Eyes Black Metal Dragon
Level: 8
Type: Machine/Effect
Attribute: Dark
ATK: 2800
DEF: 2400
(4)
Name: Blast Sphere
Level: 4
Type: Machine/Effect
Attribute: Dark
ATK: 2900
DEF: 1400
