I do don't not own not Yu-Gi-Oh!
Thanks to all who have reviewed me.
Two deleted reviews: I wish I knew what you had said.
link the traveler: Oh yeah, forgot about that Blue Eyes. . .
Wise Man Domingo: Well, I hope this chapter is interesting enough for you!
Tokyo Tournament
Chapter 4: The Tournament Begins
Also Entitled: What A Couple of Losers
Rex Raptor was eager to duel. Having been humiliated in Duelist Kingdom and Battle City, he was raring to prove himself again. As soon as Cerberus commenced the duel, Rex leapt at the nearest duelist and spat out his challenge, "Hey, you! I challenge you to a duel right here, right now!"
The person he was addressing was Term. The black-haired teen slowly turned his gaze to the much shorter boy who stood glaring at him with his fists clenched. His face was a picture of cold, hard, sternness. His gray eyes blazed as he answered slowly, "So, my first challenger is Rex Raptor, the Dino Duelist." He snorted before continuing, "Well, isn't this pathetic." The comment caused Rex to growl and clench his fists even harder, but now Term began to make the duel public. He raised his arms and strolled about while loudly saying, "Place your bets, everyone, my friend Yamato will handle them. There are three categories you can bet on: the winner, the winner's final Life Points, and how many turns the duel lasts." Now, turning to a seething Rex, he calmly answered, "Your challenge is accepted."
"Sir, there are people placing bets down there."
Alexander Cerberus sipped his morning coffee and answered carelessly, "Well, don't worry about that. This duel may prove which people are willing to risk everything on a duel. Those that place wagers are the ones we should be watching in this tournament."
"I understand, sir."
Five minutes later, Yamato was standing with a sack of money in one hand and a long piece of paper listing all the wagers on it. Term walked a short ways from Rex before turning to face him. Both duelists took up challenging stances. The audience grew quiet.
Yugi and his friends were standing beside Giyan, Yamato, Lin, and Kirbin. Yugi spoke quietly to Giyan. "You don't seem too worried. Your friend is about to duel and you aren't even enthusiastic about it."
Giyan answered quietly, "There's no need to worry about Term. He is a very good duelist, and has held his own in many competitions. Rex may be tough, but his lack of Magic and Trap cards will be his downfall. In case you didn't notice, I myself put a pretty penny into that pot."
The two duelists both shouted two words, silencing the two.
"Let's duel!"
As their Duel Disk 2's changed position and shot out twin holographic projectors, the crowd came to life. Voices were heard rooting for both duelists as their Life Points appeared on their Duel Disks.
Rex: 4000 Term: 4000
Rex slapped five cards off the top of his deck and peered at them (Mammoth Graveyard, Two-Mouth Darkruler, Uraby, Serpent Night Dragon, Armored Lizard). He grinned; his strongest card was already in his hand! He shouted across to Term, "You can go first, since you'll need the head start to avoid being stomped!"
"You'll be the on who is stomped, Rex!" Term shot back, having seen his hand (Garnecia Elefantis, Hamburger Recipe, Senju of the Thousand Hands, Gaia Power, Call of the Haunted); he knew victory was already in his grasp. He drew his card (Battle Ox) and immediately set it down on his Duel Disk 2. "I play the mighty Battle Ox (1700/1000) in attack mode! And then I'll play the Field Card Gaia Power, which raises all Earth Monsters' attack points by 500 at a cost of 400 defense points! That changes my Battle Ox to 2200 attack points! Finally, I lay one card face down (Call of the Haunted) and end my turn."
Several holographic images appeared. First, the Battle Ox, a minotaur-like creature in yellow and red armor wielding an axe with a large blade appeared, snarling and hefting its weapon menacingly. Next, a large tree grew rapidly out of the ground in the middle of the field. As soon as the tree had reached its full height, rays of light began cascading down between its branches. One of the light rays struck the Battle Ox, and it roared as its stats changed to 2200/600. Finally, a facedown card materialized behind the Battle Ox.
Rex Raptor began to sweat nervously. With an attack power of 2200, the Battle Ox could take down any of the cards in his hand. He drew a card (Two- Headed King Rex) and thought for a few moments. Even with the power bonus, none of his cards could beat that attack strength. If he played Two-Headed King Rex in defense mode, one of his strongest monsters would be destroyed for nothing. It would be best to just play a weak card in defense mode. "I'll play one card facedown in defense mode (Armored Lizard) and end my turn." The single facedown card appeared.
"Now it's my turn. Prepare to lose, Rex Raptor." He drew a card (Axe Raider) and went into action. "First, I'll play Senju of the Thousand Hands in attack mode (1400/1000)!" The statue appeared, each of its many hands sticking out in a different pattern. "His effect is that I can summon a Ritual Monster card from my deck to my hand. I choose the Hungry Burger. Now I'll play this magic card, the Hamburger Recipe. Now I can sacrifice my Garnecia Elefantis from my hand to summon the Hungry Burger (2000/1850) in attack mode!"
As Hamburger Recipe was activated, a humanoid pig wearing a chef's hat and apron and bearing a spatula appeared. It took a large version of the Garnecia Elefantis card and began slicing it up on a grill that had appeared from nowhere with its spatula. Several members of the audience grimaced at the horrendous sight. Now the pig began roasting the chopped up material on the grill, and it began to look more and more like meat. When the pig was satisfied, he dished up the roasted patty and placed a slice of lettuce on either side of it, a slice of tomato on top, and finished by sticking it all between a sesame seed bun. Then the pig stuck a blue pendant with a red dot in its center on the top bun. The pig and its grill then disappeared, leaving behind a giant hamburger.
Rex Raptor burst out laughing, "This is supposed to defeat me? Hahaha! Well, I really prefer my burgers well done, but I suppose this is fine. Hahaha!"
Several of Rex's supporters joined him in jeering at the oversized hamburger. "I wouldn't laugh if I were you," Term silenced them, "It's called the Hungry Burger not because it's a fast food order, but because IT'S HUNGRY!" At his last words, needle-like teeth appeared about the Hungry Burger's circumference, and it opened like a mouth with a loud roar. "It's not you who will be eating the burger, Rex Raptor, it's the Hungry Burger that will be eating you! And I'm not done yet. I activate my facedown Call of the Haunted, and revive the Garnecia Elefantis that I sacrificed!"
Garnecia Elefantis (2400/2000) clawed its way out of the ground. The large purple elephant was clad in a red and yellow breastplate and carried a large sword. The huge monster stood on its hind legs, ready to do battle. "And, since Garnecia Elefantis is an Earth monster, it gets a power boost from Gaia Power," Term reminded Rex. Sure enough, another ray of light from the large tree struck Garnecia Elefantis, which trumpeted as its power grew to 2900/1600.
"Now to finish this duel! Hungry Burger, attack the facedown card!" The Hungry Burger flew at the card with its mouth wide. An instant later, the Armored Lizard was being held tightly in the Hungry Burger's jaws. The Armored Lizard then shattered into thousands of bits of data. "Now," continued Term, "Battle Ox, Garnecia Elefantis! Attack his Life Points directly and win us this duel!" The Battle Ox and Garnecia Elefantis charged at Rex. With axe and sword swinging, Rex's Life Points plummeted to 0 as the two beasts struck him.
Rex: 0000 Term: 4000
The holograms began to fade, and Rex dropped to his knees as his Duel Disk deactivated. Walking over, Term held out his hand. "Now, since I won, you have to give up your one chip and your rarest card. I'll take your Serpent Night Dragon."
Wordlessly, Rex opened up his KS and pulled out the one microchip inside. He held it out along with his Serpent Night Dragon to Term, who took them and walked away.
"Wow, that was amazing!" Yugi exclaimed. He and his friends were conversing with Term and the others while Yamato was paying back those who had bet on Term.
"Not really," Term said with a great sense of modesty, "he's probably the worst top-ranked duelist I've ever faced. The only thing I have to brag about is this." He held up his KS, which now had two chips set into it. "Now I just need four more to get into the finals. Even the card I won is pretty useless in my deck."
"I'll take it, then," Kirbin said, "It will fit in well with my Dragon deck."
"At least it'll go to good use with you." Term grinned, and handed Kirbin the card.
Yamato walked up to them, holding out some money to Giyan. After handing it over, he looked at Yugi and his friends, and calmly stated, "One of you is missing."
"What are you talking about?" said Joey, "Nobody's missing, there's me, Yug, Serenity, Tristan, Bakura. . ."
"Tea!" exclaimed Yugi, "Where's Tea?" Indeed, Tea was missing. With the large crowd around them and the excitement the duel had caused, no one had noticed her absence.
Almost as if signaled by his discovery, a knife whirled out of the air and pinned itself next to his foot. Tied to the knife was a slip of paper. After a brief shock, Yugi read the paper aloud, "If you want to see the girl alive again, come to room 528. Alone." He crumpled the paper and ran off through the crowd. Joey attempted to follow, but Yugi turned around, saying, "No, Joey, this person seems like they mean business. They might kill Tea if you come!"
Joey looked like he might argue for a moment, then stopped and slowly nodded in consent. Yugi ran off into the crowd once more.
Yugi opened the door to room 528. The image inside caused him to gasp. Tea was gagged and bound, and dangling perpendicular to a bed of spikes. To the left of her was a large man. His black hair and rugged beard accompanied with his wild smile made him seem very primitive. About his forehead was a green headband, and attached to its back was a black squirrel tail. He wore alligator skin boots. Tiger stripes decorated the vest he wore. Dangling from his belt were many skins of dead animals. He also had a DD2 and a KS on his wrists. In his right hand was a saber.
"Was wondering when you'd show up, mate," the man spoke with an Australian accent, "I'm Hunter, and you're Yugi Moto, the top duelist in the world." He planted the saber blade-down in the floor.
"That's right. Do you want a duel?" Yugi enquired, trying his best not to attack the man.
"Do I want a duel? Why do you think I brought you 'ere, mate?"
"Why did you kidnap Tea?" Yugi spat out, failing to contain his anger.
"For bait. I needed you to come to me. A hunter seeks out the greatest quarry. For me, that's to defeat you, and win your Slifer card. Now let's quit yammerin' on and duel already!"
There was a flash from the Millennium Puzzle, and where Yugi had stood there was Yami. He glared at Hunter with his eyes blazing and said, "You have threatened the very life of my friend, and now you shall pay."
With a whir as their Duel Disks activated, the duel began.
Hunter: 4000 Yugi: 4000
"I'll go first," Hunter stated.
"Very well," Yami answered before examining his hand (Koumori Dragon, Light of Intervention, Summoned Skull, Brain Control, Light Force Sword).
Hunter drew a card (Giant Rat) and added it to his hand (Milus Radiant, Beast Fangs, Forest, Leogun, Silver Fang) before announcing, "I'll play one card face down in defense mode (Giant Rat-1400/1450) and end my turn."
Yami drew (Book of Secret Arts) and said, "I'll play two cards face-down (Light Force Sword, Light of Intervention) and the Koumori Dragon (1500/1200) in attack mode! Attack his facedown card!" The purple dragon appeared and charged at the facedown card, revealing a man-sized rat, which was immediately destroyed.
"You've destroyed my Giant Rat!" Hunter exclaimed, "Which means I get to summon an Earth-Type Monster with 1500 or less attack to the field in attack mode. I choose Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts (1500/1200)!" The large brown beast appeared, its frazzled black hair waving behind its head. There was a single yellow horn sprouting from its forehead.
"Now it's my turn," stated Hunter, who drew a card (Mystic Horseman) and announced, "I'm playing the Milus Radiant (300/250) in attack mode! His effect raises all Earth Monsters' attack by 500, while decreasing all Wind monsters' by 400. That means he's at 800/250, and my Gazelle's at 2000/1200!" A large brown furred cat appeared, and gave a power boost to Gazelle. "And that's not all, I'm also playing the forest magic card, boosting all Beast-Type Monsters' attack and defense by 200. Finally I'm equipping Gazelle with Beast Fangs, giving him another 300 attack and defense points. That puts him at 2500 attack!" As several trees sprang up around the field, Milus Radiant and Gazelle received a power boost. Then metal jaws with long, sharp teeth appeared in Gazelle's mouth. Now Milus Radiant was at 1000/450 and Gazelle was at 2500/1700.
"Gazelle, attack his Koumori Dragon! Milus Radiant, follow it up by attacking his life points!" Gazelle leapt at the dragon and ripped through it easily. Milus Radiant ran forward and bit Yami in the knee.
Hunter: 4000 Yugi: 2000
/He's pretty good./ Yami said to Yugi.
Maybe, but we have the heart of the cards on our side. Yugi responded
/You're right. Let's show him what that can do./
"Alright, Hunter, it's my turn now. I'll start by activating my Light Force Sword! This will randomly select one card from your hand and remove it from play for three of your turns." The sword materialized and shot at Hunter's hand, spearing the Silver Fang. It was not the best time to have used the trap, but at least he had gotten rid of a monster. "And now I'll play the magic card Brain Control to take control of your Gazelle!" A large purple brain appeared. From it extended two long black arms, which grabbed the King of Mythical Beasts and dragged him to Yugi's field. "And now I'll sacrifice him to play the Summoned Skull in attack mode! Summoned Skull, attack Milus Radiant!" Gazelle was destroyed, and in its place came the large fiend, who immediately gathered electricity in its claws and fired it at the remaining monster on Hunter's field, destroying it.
Hunter: 2500 Yugi: 2000
Hunter growled in frustration. He drew his card (Chorus of Sanctuary) and set it on the field. "The Chorus of Sanctuary will increase the defense of all defense mode monsters by 500. So I play one card in defense mode (Mystic Horseman-1300/1400) and end my tur-"
"You've activated my trap, the Light of Intervention, forcing you to play all your monsters face up." A bright light shone on the face down card, forcing the Mystic Horseman to appear, its stats now 1300/1900.
"Now it's my turn," Yami drew (Alpha the Magnet Warrior) and set it down, "I summon Alpha the Magnet Warrior (1400/1700) in attack mode. Summoned Skull attack the Mystic Horseman, Alpha, attack his Life Points!" Alpha the Magnet Warrior appeared with sword and shield in hand. The Summoned Skull sent a lightning bolt at the spear-wielding centaur. Alpha charged at Hunter and slashed at him, taking away a chunk of his Life Points.
Hunter: 1100 Yugi: 2000
Hunter drew (Prevent Rat) and grinned in triumph, "I'm playing the Prevent Rat (1200/2000) in defense mode. And because of Chorus of Sanctuary, his defense is now 2500!" A large green rat with a hard blue shell appeared.
"More of your rats, Hunter?" Yami insulted him calmly. Internally, he knew he couldn't get by the Prevent Rat. He drew (Shift) and said, "I'll just put one card facedown (Shift) and end my turn."
Hunter drew a card (Pot of Greed) and immediately played it, "The Pot of Greed allows me to draw two more cards (Monster Reborn, Gaia Power). And now I play Monster Reborn, reviving my lost Milus Radiant in attack mode. And now I play Gaia Power, raising all Earth Monsters' attack!" The Milus Radiant reappeared, and the same large tree that had been used at the previous duel sprouted out of the ground. Rays of light struck Milus Radiant and Prevent Rat, their stats changing to 1300/0 and 2200/2000. "To top things off, I sacrifice my Prevent Rat so that I can summon Leogun (1750/1550) in attack mode! And he's an Earth Monster, meaning you-know- what."
Prevent Rat was destroyed, and in its place stood a large black lion with a yellow mane. Its stats grew to 2750/1150 due to Milus Radiant and Gaia Power. "Leogun, attack Alpha the Magnet Warrior!" Leogun charged at the magnet warrior, it's claws held high in mid-pounce as-
"I activate my trap, the Shift! I can have one of my other monsters be a target for your attack. I choose for my Summoned Skull to take the blast." Summoned Skull and Alpha changed places, and Summoned Skull was ripped apart.
Hunter: 1100 Yugi: 1750
/Things look bad. I don't know if we can win./
There's got to be a way to defeat him. If we can't beat his Leogun with brute force, maybe we can find a way around it.
/He doesn't have any magic or trap cards on the field besides Gaia Power. We could attack Milus Radiant!/
Gaia Power boosts the attack of earth type monster on both sides of the field. If we had an Earth Monster that was strong enough-
/Yugi, that's it!/
"This duel is over, Hunter!" Yami shouted at Hunter.
"I couldn't agree with you more, mate. Soon you'll be ripped to shreds by my Leogun."
"Not true. It's my turn now," he drew (Catapult Turtle) and said, "Now prepare to be defeated, Hunter. I now order Alpha the Magnet Warrior to attack your Milus Radiant!" Alpha slashed through Milus Radiant easily.
Hunter ignored the beeps emitting form his DD2 as he laughed aloud, "Hahaha! You may've taken down the Milus Radiant, but my Leogun still has enough strength to-" suddenly he noticed the score.
Hunter: 0000 Yugi: 1750
"What? But How?" Hunter was in shock.
"Your own cards have brought you your own defeat, Hunter." Yami stated as the holograms faded.
"What are you talkin' about? Your Magnet Warrior had 1400 attack, my Milus Radiant had 1300, so I should still have 1000 Life Points left!"
"Wrong. You were so concentrated on your monsters that you failed to see that my Magnet Warrior was receiving the same benefit."
"You. . .mean. . ."
"That's right. Alpha the Magnet Warrior is an Earth Monster! With Milus Radiant and Gaia Power on the field, its attack strength was 2400."
Suddenly Hunter snatched up the saber at his side and swung it at the rope that held Tea above the spikes, yelling insanely, "You may have beaten me but now I'll kill your girlfriend!"
"NO!" the rope parted and Tea began to fall. . .
Suddenly, Kirbin raced through the door and with a mighty leap grabbed Tea out of the air. As he landed safely, Hunter came after him with the saber swinging. He was suddenly dealt a crushing blow to the head by Yamato. As Hunter's senseless form crashed into the wall, Joey, Serenity, Tristan, Bakura, Giyan, Lin, and Term all came rushing through the door.
Yamato took a pair of handcuffs out of his trench coat and put them on Hunter's wrists. "Well," he said, "it looks like we finally caught him."
"You're a cop?" Tristan asked confusedly.
"I have connections. This guy's been wanted for poaching for years. Now he's about to be nailed for kidnapping and attempted murder." Yamato took out a cell phone and dialed in a number. As it rang, he said, "You guys just go enjoy the tournament. The police'll be here soon, but I'll make sure they don't break up the tournament. Oh, and Yugi," he handed Yami the Leogun card and Hunter's one chip, "I believe these are now yours."
Tea had been freed from her bonds, and now she walked up to Yami, who had actually reverted back to Yugi. "Um, thanks for saving me, Yugi . . ." she muttered while blushing.
Yugi blushed back and replied, "Heh . . . well, what are friends for?"
"Doesn't he mean lovebirds?" Giyan stage-whispered as they walked out of the room.
"WHAT?"
"Oh, come on, we all heard what Hunter said," Giyan continued, stifling a snigger.
"Yeah, whatever," Kirbin pouted, "I'm the one who leaps over a bed of spikes and catches her, and he's the one getting the thanks."
"You saved her?" An attractive female duelist with red hair who had been passing through the hall had heard. Kirbin stood bug-eyed as she stroked his pink hair. That's so sweet.
Kirbin's jaw dropped. "You guys go ahead, I'll catch up later." He waved the others off, and they left, all trying to stifle their laughter.
Whew! Well over 3000 words this chapter. And so the tournament begins with a bang! What will happen next time? I'm not telling (either that or I haven't decided, you make the call).
Thanks to all who have reviewed me.
Two deleted reviews: I wish I knew what you had said.
link the traveler: Oh yeah, forgot about that Blue Eyes. . .
Wise Man Domingo: Well, I hope this chapter is interesting enough for you!
Tokyo Tournament
Chapter 4: The Tournament Begins
Also Entitled: What A Couple of Losers
Rex Raptor was eager to duel. Having been humiliated in Duelist Kingdom and Battle City, he was raring to prove himself again. As soon as Cerberus commenced the duel, Rex leapt at the nearest duelist and spat out his challenge, "Hey, you! I challenge you to a duel right here, right now!"
The person he was addressing was Term. The black-haired teen slowly turned his gaze to the much shorter boy who stood glaring at him with his fists clenched. His face was a picture of cold, hard, sternness. His gray eyes blazed as he answered slowly, "So, my first challenger is Rex Raptor, the Dino Duelist." He snorted before continuing, "Well, isn't this pathetic." The comment caused Rex to growl and clench his fists even harder, but now Term began to make the duel public. He raised his arms and strolled about while loudly saying, "Place your bets, everyone, my friend Yamato will handle them. There are three categories you can bet on: the winner, the winner's final Life Points, and how many turns the duel lasts." Now, turning to a seething Rex, he calmly answered, "Your challenge is accepted."
"Sir, there are people placing bets down there."
Alexander Cerberus sipped his morning coffee and answered carelessly, "Well, don't worry about that. This duel may prove which people are willing to risk everything on a duel. Those that place wagers are the ones we should be watching in this tournament."
"I understand, sir."
Five minutes later, Yamato was standing with a sack of money in one hand and a long piece of paper listing all the wagers on it. Term walked a short ways from Rex before turning to face him. Both duelists took up challenging stances. The audience grew quiet.
Yugi and his friends were standing beside Giyan, Yamato, Lin, and Kirbin. Yugi spoke quietly to Giyan. "You don't seem too worried. Your friend is about to duel and you aren't even enthusiastic about it."
Giyan answered quietly, "There's no need to worry about Term. He is a very good duelist, and has held his own in many competitions. Rex may be tough, but his lack of Magic and Trap cards will be his downfall. In case you didn't notice, I myself put a pretty penny into that pot."
The two duelists both shouted two words, silencing the two.
"Let's duel!"
As their Duel Disk 2's changed position and shot out twin holographic projectors, the crowd came to life. Voices were heard rooting for both duelists as their Life Points appeared on their Duel Disks.
Rex: 4000 Term: 4000
Rex slapped five cards off the top of his deck and peered at them (Mammoth Graveyard, Two-Mouth Darkruler, Uraby, Serpent Night Dragon, Armored Lizard). He grinned; his strongest card was already in his hand! He shouted across to Term, "You can go first, since you'll need the head start to avoid being stomped!"
"You'll be the on who is stomped, Rex!" Term shot back, having seen his hand (Garnecia Elefantis, Hamburger Recipe, Senju of the Thousand Hands, Gaia Power, Call of the Haunted); he knew victory was already in his grasp. He drew his card (Battle Ox) and immediately set it down on his Duel Disk 2. "I play the mighty Battle Ox (1700/1000) in attack mode! And then I'll play the Field Card Gaia Power, which raises all Earth Monsters' attack points by 500 at a cost of 400 defense points! That changes my Battle Ox to 2200 attack points! Finally, I lay one card face down (Call of the Haunted) and end my turn."
Several holographic images appeared. First, the Battle Ox, a minotaur-like creature in yellow and red armor wielding an axe with a large blade appeared, snarling and hefting its weapon menacingly. Next, a large tree grew rapidly out of the ground in the middle of the field. As soon as the tree had reached its full height, rays of light began cascading down between its branches. One of the light rays struck the Battle Ox, and it roared as its stats changed to 2200/600. Finally, a facedown card materialized behind the Battle Ox.
Rex Raptor began to sweat nervously. With an attack power of 2200, the Battle Ox could take down any of the cards in his hand. He drew a card (Two- Headed King Rex) and thought for a few moments. Even with the power bonus, none of his cards could beat that attack strength. If he played Two-Headed King Rex in defense mode, one of his strongest monsters would be destroyed for nothing. It would be best to just play a weak card in defense mode. "I'll play one card facedown in defense mode (Armored Lizard) and end my turn." The single facedown card appeared.
"Now it's my turn. Prepare to lose, Rex Raptor." He drew a card (Axe Raider) and went into action. "First, I'll play Senju of the Thousand Hands in attack mode (1400/1000)!" The statue appeared, each of its many hands sticking out in a different pattern. "His effect is that I can summon a Ritual Monster card from my deck to my hand. I choose the Hungry Burger. Now I'll play this magic card, the Hamburger Recipe. Now I can sacrifice my Garnecia Elefantis from my hand to summon the Hungry Burger (2000/1850) in attack mode!"
As Hamburger Recipe was activated, a humanoid pig wearing a chef's hat and apron and bearing a spatula appeared. It took a large version of the Garnecia Elefantis card and began slicing it up on a grill that had appeared from nowhere with its spatula. Several members of the audience grimaced at the horrendous sight. Now the pig began roasting the chopped up material on the grill, and it began to look more and more like meat. When the pig was satisfied, he dished up the roasted patty and placed a slice of lettuce on either side of it, a slice of tomato on top, and finished by sticking it all between a sesame seed bun. Then the pig stuck a blue pendant with a red dot in its center on the top bun. The pig and its grill then disappeared, leaving behind a giant hamburger.
Rex Raptor burst out laughing, "This is supposed to defeat me? Hahaha! Well, I really prefer my burgers well done, but I suppose this is fine. Hahaha!"
Several of Rex's supporters joined him in jeering at the oversized hamburger. "I wouldn't laugh if I were you," Term silenced them, "It's called the Hungry Burger not because it's a fast food order, but because IT'S HUNGRY!" At his last words, needle-like teeth appeared about the Hungry Burger's circumference, and it opened like a mouth with a loud roar. "It's not you who will be eating the burger, Rex Raptor, it's the Hungry Burger that will be eating you! And I'm not done yet. I activate my facedown Call of the Haunted, and revive the Garnecia Elefantis that I sacrificed!"
Garnecia Elefantis (2400/2000) clawed its way out of the ground. The large purple elephant was clad in a red and yellow breastplate and carried a large sword. The huge monster stood on its hind legs, ready to do battle. "And, since Garnecia Elefantis is an Earth monster, it gets a power boost from Gaia Power," Term reminded Rex. Sure enough, another ray of light from the large tree struck Garnecia Elefantis, which trumpeted as its power grew to 2900/1600.
"Now to finish this duel! Hungry Burger, attack the facedown card!" The Hungry Burger flew at the card with its mouth wide. An instant later, the Armored Lizard was being held tightly in the Hungry Burger's jaws. The Armored Lizard then shattered into thousands of bits of data. "Now," continued Term, "Battle Ox, Garnecia Elefantis! Attack his Life Points directly and win us this duel!" The Battle Ox and Garnecia Elefantis charged at Rex. With axe and sword swinging, Rex's Life Points plummeted to 0 as the two beasts struck him.
Rex: 0000 Term: 4000
The holograms began to fade, and Rex dropped to his knees as his Duel Disk deactivated. Walking over, Term held out his hand. "Now, since I won, you have to give up your one chip and your rarest card. I'll take your Serpent Night Dragon."
Wordlessly, Rex opened up his KS and pulled out the one microchip inside. He held it out along with his Serpent Night Dragon to Term, who took them and walked away.
"Wow, that was amazing!" Yugi exclaimed. He and his friends were conversing with Term and the others while Yamato was paying back those who had bet on Term.
"Not really," Term said with a great sense of modesty, "he's probably the worst top-ranked duelist I've ever faced. The only thing I have to brag about is this." He held up his KS, which now had two chips set into it. "Now I just need four more to get into the finals. Even the card I won is pretty useless in my deck."
"I'll take it, then," Kirbin said, "It will fit in well with my Dragon deck."
"At least it'll go to good use with you." Term grinned, and handed Kirbin the card.
Yamato walked up to them, holding out some money to Giyan. After handing it over, he looked at Yugi and his friends, and calmly stated, "One of you is missing."
"What are you talking about?" said Joey, "Nobody's missing, there's me, Yug, Serenity, Tristan, Bakura. . ."
"Tea!" exclaimed Yugi, "Where's Tea?" Indeed, Tea was missing. With the large crowd around them and the excitement the duel had caused, no one had noticed her absence.
Almost as if signaled by his discovery, a knife whirled out of the air and pinned itself next to his foot. Tied to the knife was a slip of paper. After a brief shock, Yugi read the paper aloud, "If you want to see the girl alive again, come to room 528. Alone." He crumpled the paper and ran off through the crowd. Joey attempted to follow, but Yugi turned around, saying, "No, Joey, this person seems like they mean business. They might kill Tea if you come!"
Joey looked like he might argue for a moment, then stopped and slowly nodded in consent. Yugi ran off into the crowd once more.
Yugi opened the door to room 528. The image inside caused him to gasp. Tea was gagged and bound, and dangling perpendicular to a bed of spikes. To the left of her was a large man. His black hair and rugged beard accompanied with his wild smile made him seem very primitive. About his forehead was a green headband, and attached to its back was a black squirrel tail. He wore alligator skin boots. Tiger stripes decorated the vest he wore. Dangling from his belt were many skins of dead animals. He also had a DD2 and a KS on his wrists. In his right hand was a saber.
"Was wondering when you'd show up, mate," the man spoke with an Australian accent, "I'm Hunter, and you're Yugi Moto, the top duelist in the world." He planted the saber blade-down in the floor.
"That's right. Do you want a duel?" Yugi enquired, trying his best not to attack the man.
"Do I want a duel? Why do you think I brought you 'ere, mate?"
"Why did you kidnap Tea?" Yugi spat out, failing to contain his anger.
"For bait. I needed you to come to me. A hunter seeks out the greatest quarry. For me, that's to defeat you, and win your Slifer card. Now let's quit yammerin' on and duel already!"
There was a flash from the Millennium Puzzle, and where Yugi had stood there was Yami. He glared at Hunter with his eyes blazing and said, "You have threatened the very life of my friend, and now you shall pay."
With a whir as their Duel Disks activated, the duel began.
Hunter: 4000 Yugi: 4000
"I'll go first," Hunter stated.
"Very well," Yami answered before examining his hand (Koumori Dragon, Light of Intervention, Summoned Skull, Brain Control, Light Force Sword).
Hunter drew a card (Giant Rat) and added it to his hand (Milus Radiant, Beast Fangs, Forest, Leogun, Silver Fang) before announcing, "I'll play one card face down in defense mode (Giant Rat-1400/1450) and end my turn."
Yami drew (Book of Secret Arts) and said, "I'll play two cards face-down (Light Force Sword, Light of Intervention) and the Koumori Dragon (1500/1200) in attack mode! Attack his facedown card!" The purple dragon appeared and charged at the facedown card, revealing a man-sized rat, which was immediately destroyed.
"You've destroyed my Giant Rat!" Hunter exclaimed, "Which means I get to summon an Earth-Type Monster with 1500 or less attack to the field in attack mode. I choose Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts (1500/1200)!" The large brown beast appeared, its frazzled black hair waving behind its head. There was a single yellow horn sprouting from its forehead.
"Now it's my turn," stated Hunter, who drew a card (Mystic Horseman) and announced, "I'm playing the Milus Radiant (300/250) in attack mode! His effect raises all Earth Monsters' attack by 500, while decreasing all Wind monsters' by 400. That means he's at 800/250, and my Gazelle's at 2000/1200!" A large brown furred cat appeared, and gave a power boost to Gazelle. "And that's not all, I'm also playing the forest magic card, boosting all Beast-Type Monsters' attack and defense by 200. Finally I'm equipping Gazelle with Beast Fangs, giving him another 300 attack and defense points. That puts him at 2500 attack!" As several trees sprang up around the field, Milus Radiant and Gazelle received a power boost. Then metal jaws with long, sharp teeth appeared in Gazelle's mouth. Now Milus Radiant was at 1000/450 and Gazelle was at 2500/1700.
"Gazelle, attack his Koumori Dragon! Milus Radiant, follow it up by attacking his life points!" Gazelle leapt at the dragon and ripped through it easily. Milus Radiant ran forward and bit Yami in the knee.
Hunter: 4000 Yugi: 2000
/He's pretty good./ Yami said to Yugi.
Maybe, but we have the heart of the cards on our side. Yugi responded
/You're right. Let's show him what that can do./
"Alright, Hunter, it's my turn now. I'll start by activating my Light Force Sword! This will randomly select one card from your hand and remove it from play for three of your turns." The sword materialized and shot at Hunter's hand, spearing the Silver Fang. It was not the best time to have used the trap, but at least he had gotten rid of a monster. "And now I'll play the magic card Brain Control to take control of your Gazelle!" A large purple brain appeared. From it extended two long black arms, which grabbed the King of Mythical Beasts and dragged him to Yugi's field. "And now I'll sacrifice him to play the Summoned Skull in attack mode! Summoned Skull, attack Milus Radiant!" Gazelle was destroyed, and in its place came the large fiend, who immediately gathered electricity in its claws and fired it at the remaining monster on Hunter's field, destroying it.
Hunter: 2500 Yugi: 2000
Hunter growled in frustration. He drew his card (Chorus of Sanctuary) and set it on the field. "The Chorus of Sanctuary will increase the defense of all defense mode monsters by 500. So I play one card in defense mode (Mystic Horseman-1300/1400) and end my tur-"
"You've activated my trap, the Light of Intervention, forcing you to play all your monsters face up." A bright light shone on the face down card, forcing the Mystic Horseman to appear, its stats now 1300/1900.
"Now it's my turn," Yami drew (Alpha the Magnet Warrior) and set it down, "I summon Alpha the Magnet Warrior (1400/1700) in attack mode. Summoned Skull attack the Mystic Horseman, Alpha, attack his Life Points!" Alpha the Magnet Warrior appeared with sword and shield in hand. The Summoned Skull sent a lightning bolt at the spear-wielding centaur. Alpha charged at Hunter and slashed at him, taking away a chunk of his Life Points.
Hunter: 1100 Yugi: 2000
Hunter drew (Prevent Rat) and grinned in triumph, "I'm playing the Prevent Rat (1200/2000) in defense mode. And because of Chorus of Sanctuary, his defense is now 2500!" A large green rat with a hard blue shell appeared.
"More of your rats, Hunter?" Yami insulted him calmly. Internally, he knew he couldn't get by the Prevent Rat. He drew (Shift) and said, "I'll just put one card facedown (Shift) and end my turn."
Hunter drew a card (Pot of Greed) and immediately played it, "The Pot of Greed allows me to draw two more cards (Monster Reborn, Gaia Power). And now I play Monster Reborn, reviving my lost Milus Radiant in attack mode. And now I play Gaia Power, raising all Earth Monsters' attack!" The Milus Radiant reappeared, and the same large tree that had been used at the previous duel sprouted out of the ground. Rays of light struck Milus Radiant and Prevent Rat, their stats changing to 1300/0 and 2200/2000. "To top things off, I sacrifice my Prevent Rat so that I can summon Leogun (1750/1550) in attack mode! And he's an Earth Monster, meaning you-know- what."
Prevent Rat was destroyed, and in its place stood a large black lion with a yellow mane. Its stats grew to 2750/1150 due to Milus Radiant and Gaia Power. "Leogun, attack Alpha the Magnet Warrior!" Leogun charged at the magnet warrior, it's claws held high in mid-pounce as-
"I activate my trap, the Shift! I can have one of my other monsters be a target for your attack. I choose for my Summoned Skull to take the blast." Summoned Skull and Alpha changed places, and Summoned Skull was ripped apart.
Hunter: 1100 Yugi: 1750
/Things look bad. I don't know if we can win./
There's got to be a way to defeat him. If we can't beat his Leogun with brute force, maybe we can find a way around it.
/He doesn't have any magic or trap cards on the field besides Gaia Power. We could attack Milus Radiant!/
Gaia Power boosts the attack of earth type monster on both sides of the field. If we had an Earth Monster that was strong enough-
/Yugi, that's it!/
"This duel is over, Hunter!" Yami shouted at Hunter.
"I couldn't agree with you more, mate. Soon you'll be ripped to shreds by my Leogun."
"Not true. It's my turn now," he drew (Catapult Turtle) and said, "Now prepare to be defeated, Hunter. I now order Alpha the Magnet Warrior to attack your Milus Radiant!" Alpha slashed through Milus Radiant easily.
Hunter ignored the beeps emitting form his DD2 as he laughed aloud, "Hahaha! You may've taken down the Milus Radiant, but my Leogun still has enough strength to-" suddenly he noticed the score.
Hunter: 0000 Yugi: 1750
"What? But How?" Hunter was in shock.
"Your own cards have brought you your own defeat, Hunter." Yami stated as the holograms faded.
"What are you talkin' about? Your Magnet Warrior had 1400 attack, my Milus Radiant had 1300, so I should still have 1000 Life Points left!"
"Wrong. You were so concentrated on your monsters that you failed to see that my Magnet Warrior was receiving the same benefit."
"You. . .mean. . ."
"That's right. Alpha the Magnet Warrior is an Earth Monster! With Milus Radiant and Gaia Power on the field, its attack strength was 2400."
Suddenly Hunter snatched up the saber at his side and swung it at the rope that held Tea above the spikes, yelling insanely, "You may have beaten me but now I'll kill your girlfriend!"
"NO!" the rope parted and Tea began to fall. . .
Suddenly, Kirbin raced through the door and with a mighty leap grabbed Tea out of the air. As he landed safely, Hunter came after him with the saber swinging. He was suddenly dealt a crushing blow to the head by Yamato. As Hunter's senseless form crashed into the wall, Joey, Serenity, Tristan, Bakura, Giyan, Lin, and Term all came rushing through the door.
Yamato took a pair of handcuffs out of his trench coat and put them on Hunter's wrists. "Well," he said, "it looks like we finally caught him."
"You're a cop?" Tristan asked confusedly.
"I have connections. This guy's been wanted for poaching for years. Now he's about to be nailed for kidnapping and attempted murder." Yamato took out a cell phone and dialed in a number. As it rang, he said, "You guys just go enjoy the tournament. The police'll be here soon, but I'll make sure they don't break up the tournament. Oh, and Yugi," he handed Yami the Leogun card and Hunter's one chip, "I believe these are now yours."
Tea had been freed from her bonds, and now she walked up to Yami, who had actually reverted back to Yugi. "Um, thanks for saving me, Yugi . . ." she muttered while blushing.
Yugi blushed back and replied, "Heh . . . well, what are friends for?"
"Doesn't he mean lovebirds?" Giyan stage-whispered as they walked out of the room.
"WHAT?"
"Oh, come on, we all heard what Hunter said," Giyan continued, stifling a snigger.
"Yeah, whatever," Kirbin pouted, "I'm the one who leaps over a bed of spikes and catches her, and he's the one getting the thanks."
"You saved her?" An attractive female duelist with red hair who had been passing through the hall had heard. Kirbin stood bug-eyed as she stroked his pink hair. That's so sweet.
Kirbin's jaw dropped. "You guys go ahead, I'll catch up later." He waved the others off, and they left, all trying to stifle their laughter.
Whew! Well over 3000 words this chapter. And so the tournament begins with a bang! What will happen next time? I'm not telling (either that or I haven't decided, you make the call).