Disclaimer: See Chapter 44 for details
Chapter 45: Return of the Demon, Part 2
"Now that your Blue Knight is gone, your Red Knights lose their power bonus" Kaiba pointed out as the knights' attack points lowered to 1700. "And that's not all you're about to lose! Dragon Catapult Cannon, attack his Blue Knight now!" he commanded as his monster launched a stream of missiles to eliminate the enemy. The missiles easily overwhelmed and eliminated the zombie knight. (J: 300)
"And because Kaiba destroyed the other Blue Knight, Joker's Red Knights lose even more attack power" Yugi explained from the sidelines, the knights' strength decreasing to 1200.
Joker drew. "There's not much I can do this turn, I'll just have to stall for time" he planned. "I switch my 3 Red Knights into defense mode and place a card face down to finish my turn"
"I knew you'd run back in your corner as soon as I summoned one of my ultimate monsters. Now witness its power again! Dragon Catapult Cannon, remove his Red Knight from play!" Kaiba drew and pointed towards the target. His machine responded by firing an array of missiles, completely eliminating any trace of the demon.
"I'm losing defenses fast. There's got to be something I can summon to help me out," Joker thought. However, Kaiba's next command interrupted his thoughts.
"Dragon Catapult Cannon, launch your attack at Red Knight!" The monster revved up its missiles for a second show. The missiles locked on target and were released with enormous force, traveling to the demon. "And in case you didn't know, my Dragon Catapult Cannon also has another ability! It can instantly switch your Red Knight into attack mode!" Kaiba added as the zombie unwillingly stood up, trying to fight the force controlling it, but ultimately conceded. Afterwards, the missiles finally reached their destination, exploding upon contact.
"Oh yeah! Kaiba took this guy down. There's no way his life points can survive after that!" Tristan concluded.
"You're right. Kaiba's monster is way too powerful for Joker's current line-up to stand against," Yugi added.
"I just hope you don't have to go against that thing Yugi" Anzu sighed.
"If you're done celebrating what you thought was Kaiba's victory, check again" Joker called, breaking the small-lived joy among the friends. The gang looked at the playing field to see both knights still on the field, Joker's life points not hit 0 yet, and Kaiba looking surprised but angry all in one.
"You were too confident to notice my trap, Hail Shield!" Joker replied, as a small hailstorm provided a barrier between the missiles and the demon. The missiles eventually gave up and dispersed.
"You think a little change of weather will stop my monster, no worries. Next turn, my missiles will blow your zombie back to the graveyard" threatened Kaiba.
Joker's first response was a small chuckle. "Kaiba, there won't be a next turn for your Dragon Catapult Cannon. That was his last attack!" Joker swiftly drew. "First thing's first. My trap card also raised my life points by 1000 (J: 1300) "Then I activate the magic card, Origins! This card returns all fusion monsters on the field to their original state! So, let's break down your cannon into VW-Wing Tiger Catapult and the XYZ-Dragon Cannon," he began, the monster de-fusing into its original parts. "However, it returns it to its original state, so let's welcome back Kaiba's five monsters!" he gleefully concluded, the two monsters decomposing to form the five original monsters that had combined to create the ultimate machine weapon.
"He wasn't lying! He decomposed my cannon, but if that's all he can do, he wasted a good card" thought Kaiba.
"Next, I sacrifice one of my Red Knights to bring forth Universal Shadow (1700/1300)!" Joker slammed his newest card onto his Duel Disk. A dark, mysterious plasma monster emerged from the card.
"What could that be?" Anzu wondered.
"I'm not sure, but it's definitely bad. His new creature can wipe out one of Kaiba's monsters, so Kaiba can't resummon his VWXYZ Dragon Catapult Cannon. Although, there is one positive note I think Black Joker overlooked. Next turn, Kaiba can refuse to form XYZ Dragon Cannon or VW-Wing Tiger Jet, and both of them have higher attack points than his shadow, so that could be Kaiba's way to victory" Yugi strategized.
"I'm losing control of this duel," Kaiba reflected.
"Universal Shadow, attack his Z-Metal Tank!" commanded Joker as the monster easily swallowed the machine whole. The machine was converted into plasma, only expanding the monster, but not by much.
"I wonder what that means. Odds are, I'm not going to enjoy discovering that" Kaiba considered. (K: 600) He then drew.
"Wait! First I think you might want to know what my monster did! When it converted your creature into plasma, the plasma expanded my creature, making him more powerful, and raising his strength 400 points (2100/1300)!" Joker explained to his delight.
"Aha!" Yugi discovered.
"What is it Yugi?" Tristan questioned.
"Joker did realize Kaiba could resummon XYZ-Dragon Cannon. That's why he destroyed Z-Metal Tank! Now Kaiba's VW-Tiger Wing Catapult won't be strong enough to destroy it, so Kaiba's got nothing on the field he can depend upon.
Kaiba realized this as well. "Nice plan, I have to admit. But it still won't save him." He thought. "I switch my monsters to defense mode and place a card face down to finish my turn," he announced.
Joker drew. "I summon Ninja (1100/1400) in attack mode! Then I play the two cards Destruction Wave and Strength Teleporter! First, my Strength Teleporter will allow me to sacrifice a Ninja to power up my Red Knight by 1100 points!" he announced as the ninja was converted into a cloud of atoms which flew into the demon knight. (2300).
"This…could be bad," thought Tristan.
"Red Knight, attack his Y-Dragon Head!" announced Joker as his demon easily sliced through the mechanical dragon. "Universal Shadow, destroy X-Head Cannon" he added as the shadow engulfed the machine, transforming him into plasma and strengthening himself. (2500/1300) "However, if you thought I was going to leave you anything for next turn, think again! Destruction Wave activates! Since I destroyed X-Head Cannon, I can send my Universal Shadow to destroy every monster on your side of the field with less than 1800 attack points, so Universal Shadow, eliminate Kaiba's remaining monsters!" Joker instructed as the shadow swallowed the two remaining machines, strengthening itself even further. (3300/1300)
"Kaiba's not doing to hot anymore guys" Tristan commented.
"Yes, but even though it's strong, his monster's not unbeatable. If Kaiba can believe in himself, and trust his deck, I'm certain he can find away to defeat it" Yugi replied.
Kaiba drew. "Don't forget! Next turn, you'll be discarding your hand due to your Life-Shortening Treasure!" Joker intervened.
"Yeah, I know how the card works!" Kaiba snapped, continuing with his move. "You should pay attention to your own field!" Kaiba eyed his next card, useless for now. Kaiba sunk to a knee. "I pass" he mumbled.
The gang gasped. "Is Kaiba…giving up?" Anzu asked.
"I'm not sure, but from the looks of it, Kaiba doesn't think he can win" Tristan shrugged and replied. A brief wind swept by the arena, and there were no sounds that accompanied it.
Joker gladly drew. "Well, it has been fun Kaiba, but now…victory approaches! And I'm one move away! Universal Shadow, end this game and eradicate the rest of Kaiba's life points!" he commanded as his shadow launched a plasma blast, aimed directly for Kaiba.
Kaiba met this attack head on, standing up. However, he was smiling. "I knew you'd be too overconfident to notice my trap card! Now reveal, Mechanical Magic Mirror! I can use this card to copy any magic card you've used, and I use Full House!" he sprang as his card morphed into Full House. Instantly, the four card knights appeared on the field to Kaiba's defense, each with 1000 attack and defense points. The Ace Knight took the blast for Kaiba.
"Hmm…so Kaiba's baited me and used one of my cards against me. Most impressive" thought Joker. "Red Knight, attack a token!" he commanded as his demon knight sliced through another defense. "Then I'll finish my turn by placing a card on the field facedown. Your move."
"Fine" Kaiba snatched his next card.
"There's only one reason Kaiba used that card. Not only did it provide him with a defense, it set him up to sacrifice monsters. And if I know Kaiba, there's only one card he'll summon this turn" strategized Joker.
"Now I sacrifice my two remaining tokens to bring forth my Blue Eyes White Dragon (3000/2500)!" Kaiba slapped his ultimate monster on his duel disk. The card exploded with lightning, as Kaiba's signature white dragon with blue outlines and powerful blue eyes materialized on the field, sending a powerful roar through the air.
"Oh yeah! Kaiba's ultimate monster! There's no way Joker can stand up to that kind of power!" Tristan declared.
"Blue Eyes White Dragon, destroy his Red Knight with your White Lightning Attack!" Kaiba demanded as his monster unleashed a flurry of lightning, flooding the arena.
"Hold on! Activate magic card, Attack Interceptor! This card allows me to summon Fairy of Last Hope (1000/1500) in defense mode, and she'll instantly draw your attack towards her!" he announced as the fairy exuded a magical essence that drew the lightning towards it, eliminating her on contact.
"He saved himself…" growled Kaiba.
"Not only did I save myself, but now I can use my fairy's ability and sacrifice my Red Knight to summon Vega Donna (2900/2800)!" he declared as his newest monster appeared. Half-demon, half-vampire, she gave off evil essence. She had razor sharp wings, slick black hair, and an arsenal full of daggers and knives. She flashed a smirk.
Joker drew. "Don't feel so bad Kaiba. If it makes you feel better, you're the worthiest opponent this pitiful tournament's offered me so far! So let's end your suffering! Universal Shadow, attack his Blue Eyes White Dragon!" he instructed as the monster enveloped the creature.
"I'll counter with my trap, Tyrant Wing! This card raises Blue Eyes' attack by 400, stronger than your shadow!" Kaiba countered as mystic wings grew on Blue Eyes' shoulders. The dragon garnered enough strength to burst from the demon, splattering it around the field and finishing it off for good. (J: 1200)
"Kaiba's outsmarted me once again. I'm losing control of this duel" Joker realized.
Kaiba drew. "First, I'll use Pot of Greed to draw two more cards" he swiftly drew. "Now Blue Eyes White Dragon, attack Vega Donna with White Lightning!" he commanded as the dragon produced another widespread white lightning attack. However, as soon as the attack reached the mistress, she effortlessly back flipped out of the way, as if to insult Kaiba without even saying anything.
"There's no way! How'd your monster avoid that?" Kaiba angrily demanded to know.
Joker chuckled. "Ah yes, Vega Donna. She can negate any attack that's thrown at her once, so your dragon's attack is out of the question! Care to try again next turn?" he mocked.
"That's another one of his little effects he's depended upon to win this duel. Quite frankly, I'm growing tired of this…" thought Kaiba.
Joker drew. "Perfect. I activate Demon Cloning Device, allowing me to summon 2 more Vega Donna's to the field!" he announced as his one monster instantly multiplied to form two more.
"Not that bad for me. His monsters still are weaker than my dragon. I'll take them out turn by turn" designed Kaiba.
"Then to finish my turn, I'll set a card face down!"
"What do you think is the deal with Joker's monsters. There's something he's hiding" Tristan pointed out.
"Yeah, something's definitely not right. I just hope Kaiba knows what it is, because the only person it will effect is him" responded Anzu. Yugi had a vexed look on his face.
Kaiba snatched his card. "Just what I needed. Blue Eyes White Dragon, launch your attack at the original Vega Donna!" he directed, his monster obeying by unleashing a stream of white lightning across the arena, melting the creature. (J: 700). However, the puddle that was once Vega Donna reformed itself, until it was completely normal. Everyone gasped.
"There's no way! How'd your card do that?" Kaiba questioned.
"I told you he was hiding something!" Tristan reacted.
Joker let out a full laugh. "This never gets old… Kaiba falling for every one of my traps. That's my deck's theme for this match, always keeping you off-guard, and its working well! My Demon Cloning Device allows me to resummon Vega Donna each time she's destroyed, however, as a price, she loses 1000 attack and defense points (1900/1800).
"Hmm…she loses 1000 points each time I attack. That could be the key to my victory" thought Kaiba. "Blue Eyes White Dragon, launch your attack again!" commanded Kaiba, his monster sending another lightning wave, which, in turn melted the monster. The puddle reformed itself, and the points were subtracted afterwards, as before (900/800)
"To protect my life points, I'll use Shield Spell! This card takes all the damage and subtracts it from one of my monster's defense points!" he announced as the weakest Vega Donna's defense power lowered to 0.
"No matter, next turn you lose!" Kaiba declared.
"There is no next turn" Joker coldly responded. "That was as far as you'll go! Prepare to lose your soul! I use the powerful Self-Destruction! This card allows me to sacrifice monsters and deplete half their attack points from your dragon, so now, I offer my two Vega Donna's to weaken your dragon by 2900 points!" he explained as the two monsters morphed into energy beams, striking the dragon, and weakening him by a tremendous amount (500/2500)
"Whoa…Kaiba's Blue Eyes just lost some major points" Tristan said.
"Attack me if you want, I'll still have 200 life points left! And next turn, I'll use Raise Dead to bring back my Blue Eyes. He won't suspect a thing" Kaiba finished his statement to himself.
"I'm not taking any chances with you Kaiba, I'm much smarter than that. so I'll activate Sword of Demon Arms, which raises Vega Donna's attack by 1000 points (1900/800)!" A mystic sword with ancient symbols appeared on the field. As soon as Vega Donna grasped it, violet and indigo flames ignited on the outside edge of the blade.
"Finish this! Vega Donna, attack Blue Eyes White Dragon!" The monster brought the mighty blade down the dragon's neck, slaying the great beast. Kaiba looked for anything he could do, any way to save his dragon, his reputation, and his soul. However, he soon discovered there was nothing that could save him. He had to put up with the fact he'd failed once again, he'd never reclaim his coveted title, and he was about to lose his soul…for the third time. Kaiba slumped to the ground as his life points plummeted. (K: 0)
The announcer raised his arm in the air. "The winner of this duel is Black Joker" he pointed towards the victor.
Joker walked over to Kaiba. "Time to collect my prize" he smirked. ""Tribuo ego tui phasma" responded the joker. His necklace began to activate, emitting a faint aquamarine glow. To Kaiba, however, a sensation was overtaking his body. He began to feel a slight numbness, which soon spread rapidly over his body. His breaths seemed shorter, his heart was beating faster, and his world was spinning out of control. He remember the numbness reaching his chest before he blacked out.
In reality, Kaiba's soul has just been absorbed into Joker's necklace, trapping it. Joker then took the Blue Eyes White Dragon card off Kaiba's Duel Disk and uttered the same words. The necklace reactivated, sealing the dragon within the card as well. The entire card had been wiped blank. "Two down" thought Joker. "One to go" he eyed Yugi. He calmly exited the battlefield.
The gang escorted Kaiba's soulless body to his room. Mokuba fought back tears. "This isn't fair!" he cried. "Just because my brother loses doesn't mean he should have his soul stripped!" Tears then flowed like a river, Anzu walking over to comfort him.
"Everything will be alright in the end, trust me" she whispered and hugged the teen. "Yugi will fix everything." Yugi eyed Joey's room and thought about Tea's words, and sighed, realizing the heavy burden that had been place upon his shoulders.
CARDS PLAYED
Hail Shield: TRAP/Desc: When your opponent attacks, negate the attack and raise your life points by 1000.
Origins: QUICK-PLAY MAGIC/Desc: Return all fusion monsters to the fusion deck. Also, special summon all fusion-material monsters fused to create the fusion monsters to their respective fields from the hand, deck, graveyard, or removed from play piles.
Universal Shadow: Level 5/ 1700/1300/ Demon Type/Desc: Each time this monster successfully destroys a monster in battle (excluding tokens), increase this monster's attack by 400 points after the damage step.
Ninja: Level 4/ 1100/1400/ Machine Type/Desc: When this card is normal summoned or special summoned, move one "Shadow Ninja" from your deck or graveyard to your hand.
Strength Teleporter: MAGIC/Desc: Sacrifice one face-up monster on your side of the field. Increase one monster's attack strength by an amount equal to the number of attack points of the sacrificed monster.
Destruction Wave: MAGIC/Desc: Select one monster on your side of the field. After this monster attacks this turn, you may have the monster attack again all monsters on your opponent's side of the field with a lower ATK than the ATK of the original monster destroyed.
Mechanical Magic Mirror: TRAP/Desc: When your opponent attacks, you may activate one magic card from your opponent's graveyard.
Blue Eyes White Dragon: Level 8/ 3000/2500/ Dragon Type
Attack Interceptor: QUICK-PLAY MAGIC/Desc: When your opponent attacks, you may activate this card. Special summon one level 4 or lower monster from your deck or hand to the field in face-up defense position. That monster becomes the new target of the attack.
Fairy of Last Hope: Level 3/ 1000/1500/ Fairy Type/Desc: When this monster is sent to the graveyard as a result of battle, you may special summon one monster from your hand by sacrificing one monster on your side of the field (excluding this card).
Vega Donna: Level 8/ 2900/2800/ Demon Type/Desc: When your opponent attacks this monster, negate the attack. This effect may only be used once per duel.
Tyrant Wing: TRAP/Desc: This card may only be equipped to a dragon-type monster. Increase the monster's attack by 400 points. During the battle phase, the equipped monster may attack twice.
Pot of Greed: MAGIC/Desc: Draw 2 cards from your deck.
Demon Cloning Machine: CONTINIOUS MAGIC/Desc: Select one demon-type monster on your side of the field. Special summon any monsters with the same name from your hand, deck, or graveyard to the field in the same position as the original monster. Whenever one of the monsters is destroyed as a result of battle, special summon it back to the field in face-up attack position. Afterwards, decrease its attack and defense strengths by 1000 points.
Shield Spell: TRAP/Desc: When your opponent inflicts battle damage to your life points, you may activate this card. Take the amount of battle damage and decrease it from one of your monster's defense strengths instead of your life points.
Self-Destruction: MAGIC/Desc: During this turn, sacrifice any number of monsters on your side of the field. Half of the total attack of the monsters sacrificed is subtracted from one of your opponent's monsters (that you select).
Sword of Demon Arms: MAGIC/Desc: This card may only be equipped to a "Vega Donna". Increase the equipped monster's attack points by 1000. After this card is active on the field for five turns, you may sacrifice Vega Donna and this card to special summon one "Demon King" from your hand, deck, or graveyard to the field.