Before we start this chapter, I'd like to say a few things. First off,
review responses.
Time Mage: Yes, it was for symbolism. When I first scripted the duel, I actually had planned to use Brave Attack, but then I decided to just use Dragon's Rage. The strongest Dragon in the grave would have been Tri-Horned Dragon, but Razor pretty much knew that he would win with Serpent Night.
Finally, Yoshimo: -Sigh- why must Arkana keep complaining...[begins to type].
Next, because some of you guys (you know who you are) have been nice enough to help me get to 100 reviews by advertising Tokyo Tournament, I'm going to return the favor!
Master of the Cards by Chuck ZFB: Chuck is the guy who actually inspired me to start Tokyo Tournament. His various original ideas and ability to juggle original characters (unlike me ) make Master of the Cards a good read, so long as you can stand cliffhangers.
100 Years After Battle City by Aldea: Aldea also came up with a multitude of original and clever ideas. 100 Years After Battle City takes place in the indicated time and follows her OC, Fader, a skilled duelist who enters a Duel Monsters tournament in Domino and begins an unexpected adventure that tests his limits not just in the world of Duel Monsters.
Return of Battle City: Wandering Souls by Time Mage: This is based off Aldea's story, but Time Mage makes this parallel worth reading. While he's only just got the fic off the ground, a multitude of characters have already been introduced that will probably play a great role later on. Edgar, aka Blue Eyes Knight, is a co-author for this story.
What Was, What Is, and What Shall Be by thegymrat: Gym rat exceeds me in every way when it comes to writing Yu-Gi-Oh. He has less grammar mistakes, longer duels, and better dialogue than I could dream of creating. So far, he has done a nearly-flawless job of unraveling the plot and stringing it back up as minor details are put in early before being explained later on. His great characters and shine in passionate moments as the quarrel and- okay, now I'm being too poetic. Anyways, he's just finished up one part of the story, but he's hasn't even closed it and already a new one has unfolded. Check it out.
The Helldragon: Helldragon's one of the best authors out there, period. He creates a remarkable story of angst and horror in The Hive of Darkness Trilogy, but he also causes his readers to burst with laughter in Yu-Gi-Oh! Fanfiction for Dummies.
Yoshimo: Yoshimo's two Yu-Gi-Oh stories follow the same plot line in which a group of four of his original characters, all young teenage friends, enters Duel Monsters tournaments together. While the story's chock full of duels, Yoshimo's greatest skill is his creation of humor. The comedic moments come repeatedly, quickly, and smoothly throughout each chapter. Only once has Yoshimo's story dropped out of the element of pure fun, and that scene was still kick-A.
The American Tournament by SulliMike23: Mike's story is a continuation of the Invaders' (Invader Sam and Invader Shaun) Egyptian Tournament. While the Invaders have made their own sequel (The Gathering), Mike got permission to make his own alternate take. It's slow in the making and Mike has yet to prove himself, but his story has the potential.
Now, on to MY story!
Tokyo Tournament
Chapter 20-Fight to Remember
Also Entitled: Destiny v. Balance
As Giyan and Yugi stepped onto the dueling arena to begin the second match of the tournament's finals, an uninvited duelist snuck into the room. He wore a red tuxedo and top hat, as well as a light blue and black-striped bowtie. A mask also covered his eyes and was striped the same way. This was Arkana, the spellcaster-duelist who had once nearly won Yugi's Dark Magician away from the boy. "If I can injure one of the finalists," Arkana muttered to himself, "and no one sees it happen, then they might get disqualified and I could take their place." The magician snuck into the room, in which everyone had their eyes on the arena. He tiptoed up behind Lin, and prepared to knock the unsuspecting duelist out so that he could drag him off and perform a greater injury.
Arkana leapt to tackle Lin, just as his victim stooped with a cry of, "Oh, look! A penny!" As Lin ducked to retrieve the copper-piece, Arkana leapt over and landed just in front of the duelist, landing in a pile of tangled limbs to the extent that he even looked like... "AH! SPIDER!" shouted Lin as he immediately jumped onto Arkana and began to tap-dance on him in an attempt to break through his non-existent exoskeleton and cause his internal fluids to spurt out onto the floor. After breaking several of Arkana's bones, Lin jumped off the suspected spider and grabbed a 2x4 board. He then beat Arkana repeatedly with the wooden weapon before flipping him into the air and hitting him baseball-style. Arkana flew out of the entrance, skidded along the floor, and collapsed into the strangely open elevator. Arkana groaned as the doors closed, but then screamed as he realized that his ankle was now stuck between the doors.
Back at the dueling arena, Cerberus had just signaled the start of the duel. "Remember what I said on the plane, Yugi?" Giyan asked the young boy.
"Yes," replied Yugi as he and his opponent each drew five cards, "you said you hoped that we would duel, and that it would be a duel to remember."
"Then I hope that this duel lives up to my expectations," said Giyan with a grin, "I expect you to give this your all."
"Then I will," responded Yugi. The Millennium Puzzle about his neck then glowed a bright gold, and Yami took his place. Giyan grinned as he saw the confident look in Yami's violet eyes.
"Let's get this started, Giyan," said Yami.
Giyan: 4000 Yami: 4000
"I'll bet you all my winnings from my duel against Rex that Giyan beats Yugi," Term said cheerfully as he turned to Joey.
"Nah, I don't want your money," responded Joey with a grin, "Yugi's got this one in tha bag."
"Five bucks, then."
"Deal."
"I start by setting one monster facedown in defense mode," said Yugi as he placed one of the six cards in his hand on his Duel Disk, "then I play another card facedown. Your move."
Giyan added a card from his deck to his hand. Then he looked at the cards he had drawn and suppressed a smirk, "I'll just do as you have done, with a facedown monster and another facedown card."
"Then I'll go again, and simply play a second card facedown," Yugi now had two facedown cards and his monster, and Giyan had one of each.
"If that's all you're going to do," said Giyan as he drew another card, "then I think it's time I broke this duel wide open! I play the Spell card that will now cause a tear in the fabric of the space-time continuum itself! Go, Dark Hole!" A great, black hole appeared in the center of the playing field, and both facedown monsters were sucked into the void of oblivion. "Now," continued Giyan, "I summon the mighty Duke of Darkness (2500/500), and he will attack directly!" The black-armored swordsman stepped onto the field. Then he charged at the open Yami with his sword raised, prepared to tip the tide of the battle a great amount in Giyan's favor.
But Yami didn't bat an eye, "I activate Magic Cylinder!" A pair of pink cylinders appeared in the Duke's path. As the Duke swung his sword, a blast of black energy erupted from the blade. The blast was absorbed by one of the two cylinders, and then fired at Giyan from the other. "Now your attack will come right back at you!"
"Guess again, Yugi!" cried Giyan as his own facedown card flipped up, "I activate Barrel Behind the Door!" A golden pistol pointing at Giyan appeared. On the back of the gun's barrel was the head of a cobra, which the blast of energy from the Cylinders flew into.
"What just happened?" asked Yami, confused.
"When I take damage from my opponent that doesn't come from battle, Barrel Behind the Door will stop it," Giyan explained, "But that's not all. Barrel Behind the Door will even take that damage..." here the golden pistol rotated so that it faced Yami, "and fire it right back at you!" The trigger of the gun was pulled, and a thin path of energy flew from the barrel and struck Yami square in the chest.
Giyan: 4000 Yami: 1500
Yami struggled to his feet after taking the enormous blow. Then he looked at the Duke of Darkness and found that he had crouched down, his sword held in front of him. "After Duke of Darkness attacks," Giyan explained briefly, "he switches to defense mode until my next turn."
"I'd pay up now if I were you," Term said to Joey with a grin, "Yugi's already lost over half his Life Points and Giyan has yet to get even scratched."
"Don't count Yug out yet," Joey said with a frown, "he's come back from positions that were worse'n this."
"I've never even heard of that Duke of Darkness before," said Yami as he drew a card.
"There is only one Duke of Darkness in existence," said Giyan boastfully, "and you have just witnessed one reason why. The Duke is the strongest non- sacrifice monster in Duel Monsters."
"He may be strong," said Yami as he grinned himself, "but its effect of shifting to defense mode will be its downfall. Now, I summon Beta the Magnet Warrior (1700/1000) and attack!" The second of the three Magnet Warriors appeared before Yami, its magnet-claws held ready for battle. Beta then flew through the air and struck the Duke of Darkness with of its claws, instantly destroying him.
"What'd I tell ya?" Joey said to Term, "Yugi hasn't ever lost a fair duel, and now Giyan's totally open!"
"Giyan doesn't need strength of the field to win," said Term, "remember, he took out half of Yugi's Life Points using just two cards. He'll only need one to defend himself."
"If you're done Yugi, then its my turn," said Giyan as he flipped a card off the top of his deck. "So I just place one card facedown and end my turn."
"One card won't be enough to save you from defeat, Giyan," said Yami seriously as he drew a card, "no matter what measures you take, I shall defeat you."
"You seem quite confident with yourself, Yugi," responded Giyan coolly, "but confidence often works against a duelist. Their judgment becomes clouded and they begin to think themselves invincible. But a truly great duelist will realize that every action he takes could do him in, and take precautions. It was your confidence in your Magic Cylinder card that lost you half your Life Points, and it will be that same confidence that costs you the rest of them!"
"You yourself seem confident in your chances of victory, Giyan," challenged Yami, "but it is I who control the field. Now prepare to lose! I summon Gamma the Magnet Warrior (1500/1800)!" The round, pink member of the Magnet Warriors appeared next to Beta, its fists held at the ready. "Beta, Gamma, attack!" As the Pharaoh yelled out his command, both of the metal beings charged Giyan, prepared to drop him to a mere fifth of his Life Points.
"Think again, Yugi!" yelled Giyan as his one card flipped up. A blanket of shadow swept in front of him, cutting off the two Magnet Warriors.
"What just happened?" cried Yami in surprise as his monsters were blown backward.
"I activated the quick-play Spell card known as Dark Wall of Air," said Giyan as he showed the card to Yami, "I believe you've encountered it before. Didn't Marik use this card at the Battle City Finals?" Yami grimaced as he recalled the events at the previous tournament. "Well, as you should know, on the turn Dark Wall of Air is activated, no one can be attacked by monsters, so I've just saved myself."
"One turn won't save you, Giyan," said Yami calmly, "I will still defeat you. It is inevitable."
Giyan seemed to snap, "FOOL! You see!? You still believe you will achieve victory no matter what! Well, I have news for you, 'YUGI', I'm not that ignorant."
"What are you talking about?"
"Haven't you figured it out yet, Yugi, or, should I say, YAMI!"
Yami stepped back in shock, "How did you know?"
"Oh, come on," said Giyan, still furious as he began to rant, "do you really think I'm as ignorant as Weevil or Rex or any of your other opponents? It's totally obvious. Every time you duel, that stupid golden upside-down pyramid around your neck glows. Then there's a golden eye that appears for about five seconds on your forehead. Then you get a foot taller, your eyes change shape, your hair spikes up, and your voice gets so deep it's like your going through a sextuple-puberty! Come on Pharaoh, even without my prior knowledge I would have noticed as soon as I saw you duel Hunter!"
"You had prior knowledge of the Millennium Puzzle?" Yami said, realizing that Giyan was present at the tournament for some reason that involved the Millennium Items.
Giyan realized he had said too much and changed the topic immediately, "That's not important now, Pharaoh. What is important is that it's my turn!" He slapped a card off his deck.
"Giyan knows about Yami and the Millennium Items?" Tea muttered to herself. She turned to Yamato, Lin, and Kirbin. Yamato quickly strolled off before she could address him, and Kirbin pretended he had lost something and was looking for it. Lin, however, did not notice Tea approaching him. "Okay, why are you five really here?"
"What do you mean?" Lin said, not realizing her true question, "We're just here to duel, like Yugi and Joey."
"Giyan knows about the Millennium Items, what about you?"
"Oh!" Lin began to sweat, and immediately put his hand behind his head nervously as he blurted out a response, "Nothing! Giyan's been having...um...mental problems lately! YEAH! He's been going to a psychiatrist! It's only a minor case! REALLY!"
Tea folded her arms across her chest and glared at Lin. Luckily for Lin, Tea became distracted by Giyan. Giyan had just played the Pot of Greed and was now laughing insanely, "I have just drawn the instruments of your defeat, Pharaoh! I play Monster Reborn, reviving the Duke of Darkness!" The Duke of Darkness reappeared, sword held at the ready. "Next I shall summon the Duke's counterpart, the Lord of Light (500/2500)." Now the white-robed sword-wielder appeared, and the masters of Light and Dark stood ready to fight against any foe.
"Why summon the Lord of Light?" inquired Yami, "He is weaker than either of my monsters."
Giyan grinned as he responded, "It is said that together, individuals are more powerful than the sum or their parts. So let's test that theory, shall we? I play Polymerization, combining the Lord of Light and the Duke of Darkness to form my most powerful monster, the Warrior of Balance (2500/2500)!" The swordsmen transformed into pure light and dark, and then swirled together to form a Yin Yang symbol. The symbol then materialized into the Warrior of Balance, who held his doubled-bladed sword high.
"Your new monster is powerful," said Yami, though his face showed no expression of fear, "but it seems you wasted your monsters. You already had a monster with 2500 attack and another with 2500 defense. You've simply combined the best of their statistics."
"I wouldn't be so sure of that," muttered Kirbin, recalling how Lightning had struggled against Thunder.
"You don't know the power of the Warrior of Balance," said Giyan, "he has a multitude of statistics that make him the most powerful monster in all of Duel Monsters. However, he also has a great deal of restrictions. First, I must remove my hand from the game." He pocketed the cards in his hand, "Next, I must skip all of my draw phases for as long as the Warrior of Balance is on the field."
"That seems to high a cost for any monster," said Yami, "you will be unable to use any of your other cards in combination with the Warrior of Balance."
"I haven't finished yet," replied Giyan, "the Warrior of Balance is immune to all Spells and Traps, so none of my other cards would help it anyway. Next, the Warrior's true strength. He gains 500 attack and defense points for every Light and Dark monster on the field and in both graveyards (Warrior of Balance-4500/4500)!"
"Unbelievable!" cried Yami as he witnessed the Warrior before him almost double in strength.
"The Warrior of Balance can also attack after being summoned by Polymerization, so prepare to lose! Warrior of Balance, destroy the pathetic Magnet Warrior and win this duel!" The Warrior raised its sword in the air and threw it like a javelin at Yami's field.
"I activate Waboku!" cried Yami as his remaining facedown card flipped up and three priestesses appeared, warding away the sword.
"I'm not foolish as you were, Pharaoh," said Giyan sternly, "I know that a duelist as skilled as yourself can do plenty in one turn. However, I can assure you that I am prepared for whatever you may throw at me."
"We'll see," replied Yami as he drew, "I get a fresh hand now, as I play Card Destruction!" Yami threw away the remaining four cards in his hand and drew four more to replace them.
"You forget, Pharaoh," said Giyan, "that every Light or Dark monster that hits the field of graveyard will give my Warrior of Balance (5000/5000) even more power!"
"That won't matter now, Giyan," said Yami, "because now I sacrifice Alpha the Magnet Warrior from my hand as well as Beta and Gamma to summon Valkyrion the Magna Warrior (3500/3850)!" The final Magnet Warrior appeared before Yami, its sword and shield held ready. Then it and the other Magnet Warriors split apart and reformed as one. Its long limbs flexed with power as it floated in the air, its pink wings flapping slowly.
"Valkyrion is strong, but not strong enough," said Giyan, "it will soon fall."
"Not quite, Giyan," countered Yami, "now I sacrifice Valkyrion to re-summon Alpha, Beta, and Gamma." Valkyrion split apart, and reformed into the original three warriors.
"You certainly worked hard just to summon an extra weak monster, Pharaoh," Giyan said with a grin. But then something dawned on him, "But all those summons were Special Summons, meaning-"
"Yes," said Yami as he pulled all three monsters off his Duel Disk and played one in their place, "I sacrifice Alpha, Beta, and Gamma to summon Slifer the Sky Dragon (1000/1000)!"
As the red, two-mouthed, serpentine dragon that ruled the underworld appeared, Giyan couldn't help but burst into laughter, "You fool! You were better off with Valkyrion! With only one card in your hand, Slifer is too weak to defeat even my weakest monster, let alone the Warrior of Balance!"
"You said before that overconfidence can defeat a duelist," said Yami calmly, "perhaps you should take your own advice. I now play an extremely rare card, known as Card of Sanctity! Now both duelists can draw until they have six cards each. Seeing as how you are forbidden from drawing cards, this will only benefit myself and Slifer (6000/6000)! Slifer, destroy the Warrior of Balance!" Slifer opened its lower mouth, and a stream of mighty energy blew forth.
"I activate another one of my Warrior of Balance's special abilities!" cried Giyan. Slifer's attack struck the Warrior of Balance and continued onward, bowling Giyan over. But, as the smoke cleared, the Warrior of Balance remained!
Giyan: 2000 Yami: 1500
"Confused, Pharaoh?" said Giyan with a grin, "I just activated one of my monster's special abilities. By taking double the Battle Damage from Slifer, my Warrior of Balance was able to survive. Together, we are unstoppable!"
Yami noticed as he watched Giyan how much the duelist looked like his monster. They had the same physical appearance, but there was something beyond that. The power that the Warrior of Balance emanated also seemed to come from Giyan. The only details that differed between the two were the Warrior's sword and Giyan's Duel Disk. "I promise you this, Giyan," stated Yami, "I will defeat the Warrior of Balance, despite its great strength. In case you haven't noticed, Slifer is still stronger than the Warrior of Balance."
"Just a minor detail that I'll take care of now," said Giyan simply, "now I shall end this duel! I activate another one of the Warrior of Balance's effects! By paying all but 1 of my Life Points, I can place my entire deck into my graveyard, giving the Warrior of Balance (13000/13000) a power unmatched even by the Gods!" Giyan ejected his deck from his Duel Disk and barely managed to stuff it in the smaller graveyard slot, but then he ordered the Warrior forth again, "Warrior of Balance, strike down Slifer the Sky Dragon and end this duel!" The Warrior of Balance raised his sword, which now crackled with energy, and flew towards Slifer. Striking with the dark blade, he beheaded the God and landed in a crouch, the sinuous body coiling onto the ground behind him. "You have lost, Pharaoh."
"Not quite," said Yami, who now gritted his teeth while sweating profusely, "I discarded Kuriboh (Warrior of Balance-13500/13500), negating all damage to my Life Points from the Warrior of Balance."
Giyan: 1 Yami: 1500
Giyan scowled, "Then take your turn."
"I shall," Yami replied as he drew, then grinned, "I win."
Giyan burst into laughter, "Oh really, Pharaoh, I know you've gotten out of some pretty tight spots before, but there is no possible way you can win now."
"Oh really?" Yami played a card, "well, I play Monster Reborn, reviving the Summoned Skull that I discarded when I played Card Destruction." The horned demon skeleton emerged from the ground, flexing its claws menacingly.
"That's it?" this time Giyan didn't laugh, he just stared in disbelief.
"Not quite," said Yami, "now I play Metamorphosis on Summoned Skull." The demon fell to the ground and twitched wildly. It began to shrink, and from the bones emerged flesh and armor. The Summoned Skull eventually turned into a man covered in red and black armor. He carried an orange-bladed short sword and a shield decorated with a strange red symbol. "Behold, by play Metamorphosis on the Summoned Skull, I have Special Summoned the Dark Flare Knight (2200/800) (Warrior of Balance-14000/14000) from my Fusion Deck!"
"That thing's even weaker than the Summoned Skull," said Giyan, "by playing Metamorphosis, you've simply given me a further 800-point advantage."
"Yu-I mean Yami must be nuts!" yelled Tristan, "What's he planning?"
"You have a pretty poor memory, Tristan," said Serenity, "remember when Yugi and Joey dueled the Big Five to get your body back?"
"Oh, you're right!" Tristan realized, "Yami just won!"
Giyan cocked an eyebrow at the two but reverted his attention to Yami as the Pharaoh yelled out, "Dark Flare Knight, attack the Warrior of Balance!" The Dark Flare Knight lunged at the much-more-powerful Warrior of Balance, who easily dispatched it with a flick of its light blade.
"You really are acting foolish, Pharaoh," said Giyan, "you've just committed suicide."
"If that's what you think, Giyan," replied Yami with a grin, "then just check my Life Points." Yami then held up his Duel Disk so that Giyan could see the number. 1500.
"How?" said Giyan in confusion, "The Warrior of Balance has 11800 more attack points than the Dark Flare Knight!"
"The Dark Flare Knight protects me from any Battle Damage that he receives," Yami explained simply, "however, he also Special Summon the Mirage Knight (2800/2000) (Warrior of Balance-14500/14500) in his place." Where the Dark Flare Knight had been now stood a man covered in golden armor, a blue cape drawn about his shoulders. He carried a great golden, double-bladed scythe.
"Again with these weak monsters, Pharaoh," said Giyan, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
"The Mirage Knight has an effect you should know about, Giyan," Yami said as he ordered the Knight forth, "he gains the base attack of any monster he does battle with."
Giyan's eyes bulged as he realized he was in deep shit. The Mirage Knight (17300/17300) flew at the Warrior of Balance, seeming to split into six different knights that all flew forth in a group. The Warrior of Balance struck five of the knights, leaving the real one. But the real one managed to swing its scythe and wound the Warrior's side. The Warrior of Balance then vanished and Giyan fell to his knees.
Giyan: 0 Yami: 1500
Term grumbled as he dug some money out of his pocket and shoved it into Joey's hand. The teen grinned at his prize, then ran up to Yugi (who Yami had given control to) and gave him a nuggie. Giyan stepped up to Yugi, his face a picture of disappointment and shame. "I am sorry, Yugi," he said, "I acted cruel during our duel. I said things that should not have been said. However, I did so because I knew I had to win."
"It's just a game, Giyan," Yugi replied, "you can't get so caught up in it."
"There are things about this tournament that caused me to attempt to defeat you," Giyan replied, "I cannot inform you of them, though. It is best that you not know." Before Yugi could question him, Giyan walked off and Cerberus made an announcement.
"The third duel of the Tokyo Duel Monsters Tournament shall commence immediately! Seto Kaiba and Kevin Hunter, report to the dueling arena!"
That's it, the twentieth chapter. I like twenty. It's a good, round, even number. Anyways, next time its Kevin v. Kaiba, so I'm sure a certain reader will be happy that his submitted character gets a shot at winning a Blue Eyes. But what lies ahead? What is Giyan talking about? Why do I ask these questions now...?
Time Mage: Yes, it was for symbolism. When I first scripted the duel, I actually had planned to use Brave Attack, but then I decided to just use Dragon's Rage. The strongest Dragon in the grave would have been Tri-Horned Dragon, but Razor pretty much knew that he would win with Serpent Night.
Finally, Yoshimo: -Sigh- why must Arkana keep complaining...[begins to type].
Next, because some of you guys (you know who you are) have been nice enough to help me get to 100 reviews by advertising Tokyo Tournament, I'm going to return the favor!
Master of the Cards by Chuck ZFB: Chuck is the guy who actually inspired me to start Tokyo Tournament. His various original ideas and ability to juggle original characters (unlike me ) make Master of the Cards a good read, so long as you can stand cliffhangers.
100 Years After Battle City by Aldea: Aldea also came up with a multitude of original and clever ideas. 100 Years After Battle City takes place in the indicated time and follows her OC, Fader, a skilled duelist who enters a Duel Monsters tournament in Domino and begins an unexpected adventure that tests his limits not just in the world of Duel Monsters.
Return of Battle City: Wandering Souls by Time Mage: This is based off Aldea's story, but Time Mage makes this parallel worth reading. While he's only just got the fic off the ground, a multitude of characters have already been introduced that will probably play a great role later on. Edgar, aka Blue Eyes Knight, is a co-author for this story.
What Was, What Is, and What Shall Be by thegymrat: Gym rat exceeds me in every way when it comes to writing Yu-Gi-Oh. He has less grammar mistakes, longer duels, and better dialogue than I could dream of creating. So far, he has done a nearly-flawless job of unraveling the plot and stringing it back up as minor details are put in early before being explained later on. His great characters and shine in passionate moments as the quarrel and- okay, now I'm being too poetic. Anyways, he's just finished up one part of the story, but he's hasn't even closed it and already a new one has unfolded. Check it out.
The Helldragon: Helldragon's one of the best authors out there, period. He creates a remarkable story of angst and horror in The Hive of Darkness Trilogy, but he also causes his readers to burst with laughter in Yu-Gi-Oh! Fanfiction for Dummies.
Yoshimo: Yoshimo's two Yu-Gi-Oh stories follow the same plot line in which a group of four of his original characters, all young teenage friends, enters Duel Monsters tournaments together. While the story's chock full of duels, Yoshimo's greatest skill is his creation of humor. The comedic moments come repeatedly, quickly, and smoothly throughout each chapter. Only once has Yoshimo's story dropped out of the element of pure fun, and that scene was still kick-A.
The American Tournament by SulliMike23: Mike's story is a continuation of the Invaders' (Invader Sam and Invader Shaun) Egyptian Tournament. While the Invaders have made their own sequel (The Gathering), Mike got permission to make his own alternate take. It's slow in the making and Mike has yet to prove himself, but his story has the potential.
Now, on to MY story!
Tokyo Tournament
Chapter 20-Fight to Remember
Also Entitled: Destiny v. Balance
As Giyan and Yugi stepped onto the dueling arena to begin the second match of the tournament's finals, an uninvited duelist snuck into the room. He wore a red tuxedo and top hat, as well as a light blue and black-striped bowtie. A mask also covered his eyes and was striped the same way. This was Arkana, the spellcaster-duelist who had once nearly won Yugi's Dark Magician away from the boy. "If I can injure one of the finalists," Arkana muttered to himself, "and no one sees it happen, then they might get disqualified and I could take their place." The magician snuck into the room, in which everyone had their eyes on the arena. He tiptoed up behind Lin, and prepared to knock the unsuspecting duelist out so that he could drag him off and perform a greater injury.
Arkana leapt to tackle Lin, just as his victim stooped with a cry of, "Oh, look! A penny!" As Lin ducked to retrieve the copper-piece, Arkana leapt over and landed just in front of the duelist, landing in a pile of tangled limbs to the extent that he even looked like... "AH! SPIDER!" shouted Lin as he immediately jumped onto Arkana and began to tap-dance on him in an attempt to break through his non-existent exoskeleton and cause his internal fluids to spurt out onto the floor. After breaking several of Arkana's bones, Lin jumped off the suspected spider and grabbed a 2x4 board. He then beat Arkana repeatedly with the wooden weapon before flipping him into the air and hitting him baseball-style. Arkana flew out of the entrance, skidded along the floor, and collapsed into the strangely open elevator. Arkana groaned as the doors closed, but then screamed as he realized that his ankle was now stuck between the doors.
Back at the dueling arena, Cerberus had just signaled the start of the duel. "Remember what I said on the plane, Yugi?" Giyan asked the young boy.
"Yes," replied Yugi as he and his opponent each drew five cards, "you said you hoped that we would duel, and that it would be a duel to remember."
"Then I hope that this duel lives up to my expectations," said Giyan with a grin, "I expect you to give this your all."
"Then I will," responded Yugi. The Millennium Puzzle about his neck then glowed a bright gold, and Yami took his place. Giyan grinned as he saw the confident look in Yami's violet eyes.
"Let's get this started, Giyan," said Yami.
Giyan: 4000 Yami: 4000
"I'll bet you all my winnings from my duel against Rex that Giyan beats Yugi," Term said cheerfully as he turned to Joey.
"Nah, I don't want your money," responded Joey with a grin, "Yugi's got this one in tha bag."
"Five bucks, then."
"Deal."
"I start by setting one monster facedown in defense mode," said Yugi as he placed one of the six cards in his hand on his Duel Disk, "then I play another card facedown. Your move."
Giyan added a card from his deck to his hand. Then he looked at the cards he had drawn and suppressed a smirk, "I'll just do as you have done, with a facedown monster and another facedown card."
"Then I'll go again, and simply play a second card facedown," Yugi now had two facedown cards and his monster, and Giyan had one of each.
"If that's all you're going to do," said Giyan as he drew another card, "then I think it's time I broke this duel wide open! I play the Spell card that will now cause a tear in the fabric of the space-time continuum itself! Go, Dark Hole!" A great, black hole appeared in the center of the playing field, and both facedown monsters were sucked into the void of oblivion. "Now," continued Giyan, "I summon the mighty Duke of Darkness (2500/500), and he will attack directly!" The black-armored swordsman stepped onto the field. Then he charged at the open Yami with his sword raised, prepared to tip the tide of the battle a great amount in Giyan's favor.
But Yami didn't bat an eye, "I activate Magic Cylinder!" A pair of pink cylinders appeared in the Duke's path. As the Duke swung his sword, a blast of black energy erupted from the blade. The blast was absorbed by one of the two cylinders, and then fired at Giyan from the other. "Now your attack will come right back at you!"
"Guess again, Yugi!" cried Giyan as his own facedown card flipped up, "I activate Barrel Behind the Door!" A golden pistol pointing at Giyan appeared. On the back of the gun's barrel was the head of a cobra, which the blast of energy from the Cylinders flew into.
"What just happened?" asked Yami, confused.
"When I take damage from my opponent that doesn't come from battle, Barrel Behind the Door will stop it," Giyan explained, "But that's not all. Barrel Behind the Door will even take that damage..." here the golden pistol rotated so that it faced Yami, "and fire it right back at you!" The trigger of the gun was pulled, and a thin path of energy flew from the barrel and struck Yami square in the chest.
Giyan: 4000 Yami: 1500
Yami struggled to his feet after taking the enormous blow. Then he looked at the Duke of Darkness and found that he had crouched down, his sword held in front of him. "After Duke of Darkness attacks," Giyan explained briefly, "he switches to defense mode until my next turn."
"I'd pay up now if I were you," Term said to Joey with a grin, "Yugi's already lost over half his Life Points and Giyan has yet to get even scratched."
"Don't count Yug out yet," Joey said with a frown, "he's come back from positions that were worse'n this."
"I've never even heard of that Duke of Darkness before," said Yami as he drew a card.
"There is only one Duke of Darkness in existence," said Giyan boastfully, "and you have just witnessed one reason why. The Duke is the strongest non- sacrifice monster in Duel Monsters."
"He may be strong," said Yami as he grinned himself, "but its effect of shifting to defense mode will be its downfall. Now, I summon Beta the Magnet Warrior (1700/1000) and attack!" The second of the three Magnet Warriors appeared before Yami, its magnet-claws held ready for battle. Beta then flew through the air and struck the Duke of Darkness with of its claws, instantly destroying him.
"What'd I tell ya?" Joey said to Term, "Yugi hasn't ever lost a fair duel, and now Giyan's totally open!"
"Giyan doesn't need strength of the field to win," said Term, "remember, he took out half of Yugi's Life Points using just two cards. He'll only need one to defend himself."
"If you're done Yugi, then its my turn," said Giyan as he flipped a card off the top of his deck. "So I just place one card facedown and end my turn."
"One card won't be enough to save you from defeat, Giyan," said Yami seriously as he drew a card, "no matter what measures you take, I shall defeat you."
"You seem quite confident with yourself, Yugi," responded Giyan coolly, "but confidence often works against a duelist. Their judgment becomes clouded and they begin to think themselves invincible. But a truly great duelist will realize that every action he takes could do him in, and take precautions. It was your confidence in your Magic Cylinder card that lost you half your Life Points, and it will be that same confidence that costs you the rest of them!"
"You yourself seem confident in your chances of victory, Giyan," challenged Yami, "but it is I who control the field. Now prepare to lose! I summon Gamma the Magnet Warrior (1500/1800)!" The round, pink member of the Magnet Warriors appeared next to Beta, its fists held at the ready. "Beta, Gamma, attack!" As the Pharaoh yelled out his command, both of the metal beings charged Giyan, prepared to drop him to a mere fifth of his Life Points.
"Think again, Yugi!" yelled Giyan as his one card flipped up. A blanket of shadow swept in front of him, cutting off the two Magnet Warriors.
"What just happened?" cried Yami in surprise as his monsters were blown backward.
"I activated the quick-play Spell card known as Dark Wall of Air," said Giyan as he showed the card to Yami, "I believe you've encountered it before. Didn't Marik use this card at the Battle City Finals?" Yami grimaced as he recalled the events at the previous tournament. "Well, as you should know, on the turn Dark Wall of Air is activated, no one can be attacked by monsters, so I've just saved myself."
"One turn won't save you, Giyan," said Yami calmly, "I will still defeat you. It is inevitable."
Giyan seemed to snap, "FOOL! You see!? You still believe you will achieve victory no matter what! Well, I have news for you, 'YUGI', I'm not that ignorant."
"What are you talking about?"
"Haven't you figured it out yet, Yugi, or, should I say, YAMI!"
Yami stepped back in shock, "How did you know?"
"Oh, come on," said Giyan, still furious as he began to rant, "do you really think I'm as ignorant as Weevil or Rex or any of your other opponents? It's totally obvious. Every time you duel, that stupid golden upside-down pyramid around your neck glows. Then there's a golden eye that appears for about five seconds on your forehead. Then you get a foot taller, your eyes change shape, your hair spikes up, and your voice gets so deep it's like your going through a sextuple-puberty! Come on Pharaoh, even without my prior knowledge I would have noticed as soon as I saw you duel Hunter!"
"You had prior knowledge of the Millennium Puzzle?" Yami said, realizing that Giyan was present at the tournament for some reason that involved the Millennium Items.
Giyan realized he had said too much and changed the topic immediately, "That's not important now, Pharaoh. What is important is that it's my turn!" He slapped a card off his deck.
"Giyan knows about Yami and the Millennium Items?" Tea muttered to herself. She turned to Yamato, Lin, and Kirbin. Yamato quickly strolled off before she could address him, and Kirbin pretended he had lost something and was looking for it. Lin, however, did not notice Tea approaching him. "Okay, why are you five really here?"
"What do you mean?" Lin said, not realizing her true question, "We're just here to duel, like Yugi and Joey."
"Giyan knows about the Millennium Items, what about you?"
"Oh!" Lin began to sweat, and immediately put his hand behind his head nervously as he blurted out a response, "Nothing! Giyan's been having...um...mental problems lately! YEAH! He's been going to a psychiatrist! It's only a minor case! REALLY!"
Tea folded her arms across her chest and glared at Lin. Luckily for Lin, Tea became distracted by Giyan. Giyan had just played the Pot of Greed and was now laughing insanely, "I have just drawn the instruments of your defeat, Pharaoh! I play Monster Reborn, reviving the Duke of Darkness!" The Duke of Darkness reappeared, sword held at the ready. "Next I shall summon the Duke's counterpart, the Lord of Light (500/2500)." Now the white-robed sword-wielder appeared, and the masters of Light and Dark stood ready to fight against any foe.
"Why summon the Lord of Light?" inquired Yami, "He is weaker than either of my monsters."
Giyan grinned as he responded, "It is said that together, individuals are more powerful than the sum or their parts. So let's test that theory, shall we? I play Polymerization, combining the Lord of Light and the Duke of Darkness to form my most powerful monster, the Warrior of Balance (2500/2500)!" The swordsmen transformed into pure light and dark, and then swirled together to form a Yin Yang symbol. The symbol then materialized into the Warrior of Balance, who held his doubled-bladed sword high.
"Your new monster is powerful," said Yami, though his face showed no expression of fear, "but it seems you wasted your monsters. You already had a monster with 2500 attack and another with 2500 defense. You've simply combined the best of their statistics."
"I wouldn't be so sure of that," muttered Kirbin, recalling how Lightning had struggled against Thunder.
"You don't know the power of the Warrior of Balance," said Giyan, "he has a multitude of statistics that make him the most powerful monster in all of Duel Monsters. However, he also has a great deal of restrictions. First, I must remove my hand from the game." He pocketed the cards in his hand, "Next, I must skip all of my draw phases for as long as the Warrior of Balance is on the field."
"That seems to high a cost for any monster," said Yami, "you will be unable to use any of your other cards in combination with the Warrior of Balance."
"I haven't finished yet," replied Giyan, "the Warrior of Balance is immune to all Spells and Traps, so none of my other cards would help it anyway. Next, the Warrior's true strength. He gains 500 attack and defense points for every Light and Dark monster on the field and in both graveyards (Warrior of Balance-4500/4500)!"
"Unbelievable!" cried Yami as he witnessed the Warrior before him almost double in strength.
"The Warrior of Balance can also attack after being summoned by Polymerization, so prepare to lose! Warrior of Balance, destroy the pathetic Magnet Warrior and win this duel!" The Warrior raised its sword in the air and threw it like a javelin at Yami's field.
"I activate Waboku!" cried Yami as his remaining facedown card flipped up and three priestesses appeared, warding away the sword.
"I'm not foolish as you were, Pharaoh," said Giyan sternly, "I know that a duelist as skilled as yourself can do plenty in one turn. However, I can assure you that I am prepared for whatever you may throw at me."
"We'll see," replied Yami as he drew, "I get a fresh hand now, as I play Card Destruction!" Yami threw away the remaining four cards in his hand and drew four more to replace them.
"You forget, Pharaoh," said Giyan, "that every Light or Dark monster that hits the field of graveyard will give my Warrior of Balance (5000/5000) even more power!"
"That won't matter now, Giyan," said Yami, "because now I sacrifice Alpha the Magnet Warrior from my hand as well as Beta and Gamma to summon Valkyrion the Magna Warrior (3500/3850)!" The final Magnet Warrior appeared before Yami, its sword and shield held ready. Then it and the other Magnet Warriors split apart and reformed as one. Its long limbs flexed with power as it floated in the air, its pink wings flapping slowly.
"Valkyrion is strong, but not strong enough," said Giyan, "it will soon fall."
"Not quite, Giyan," countered Yami, "now I sacrifice Valkyrion to re-summon Alpha, Beta, and Gamma." Valkyrion split apart, and reformed into the original three warriors.
"You certainly worked hard just to summon an extra weak monster, Pharaoh," Giyan said with a grin. But then something dawned on him, "But all those summons were Special Summons, meaning-"
"Yes," said Yami as he pulled all three monsters off his Duel Disk and played one in their place, "I sacrifice Alpha, Beta, and Gamma to summon Slifer the Sky Dragon (1000/1000)!"
As the red, two-mouthed, serpentine dragon that ruled the underworld appeared, Giyan couldn't help but burst into laughter, "You fool! You were better off with Valkyrion! With only one card in your hand, Slifer is too weak to defeat even my weakest monster, let alone the Warrior of Balance!"
"You said before that overconfidence can defeat a duelist," said Yami calmly, "perhaps you should take your own advice. I now play an extremely rare card, known as Card of Sanctity! Now both duelists can draw until they have six cards each. Seeing as how you are forbidden from drawing cards, this will only benefit myself and Slifer (6000/6000)! Slifer, destroy the Warrior of Balance!" Slifer opened its lower mouth, and a stream of mighty energy blew forth.
"I activate another one of my Warrior of Balance's special abilities!" cried Giyan. Slifer's attack struck the Warrior of Balance and continued onward, bowling Giyan over. But, as the smoke cleared, the Warrior of Balance remained!
Giyan: 2000 Yami: 1500
"Confused, Pharaoh?" said Giyan with a grin, "I just activated one of my monster's special abilities. By taking double the Battle Damage from Slifer, my Warrior of Balance was able to survive. Together, we are unstoppable!"
Yami noticed as he watched Giyan how much the duelist looked like his monster. They had the same physical appearance, but there was something beyond that. The power that the Warrior of Balance emanated also seemed to come from Giyan. The only details that differed between the two were the Warrior's sword and Giyan's Duel Disk. "I promise you this, Giyan," stated Yami, "I will defeat the Warrior of Balance, despite its great strength. In case you haven't noticed, Slifer is still stronger than the Warrior of Balance."
"Just a minor detail that I'll take care of now," said Giyan simply, "now I shall end this duel! I activate another one of the Warrior of Balance's effects! By paying all but 1 of my Life Points, I can place my entire deck into my graveyard, giving the Warrior of Balance (13000/13000) a power unmatched even by the Gods!" Giyan ejected his deck from his Duel Disk and barely managed to stuff it in the smaller graveyard slot, but then he ordered the Warrior forth again, "Warrior of Balance, strike down Slifer the Sky Dragon and end this duel!" The Warrior of Balance raised his sword, which now crackled with energy, and flew towards Slifer. Striking with the dark blade, he beheaded the God and landed in a crouch, the sinuous body coiling onto the ground behind him. "You have lost, Pharaoh."
"Not quite," said Yami, who now gritted his teeth while sweating profusely, "I discarded Kuriboh (Warrior of Balance-13500/13500), negating all damage to my Life Points from the Warrior of Balance."
Giyan: 1 Yami: 1500
Giyan scowled, "Then take your turn."
"I shall," Yami replied as he drew, then grinned, "I win."
Giyan burst into laughter, "Oh really, Pharaoh, I know you've gotten out of some pretty tight spots before, but there is no possible way you can win now."
"Oh really?" Yami played a card, "well, I play Monster Reborn, reviving the Summoned Skull that I discarded when I played Card Destruction." The horned demon skeleton emerged from the ground, flexing its claws menacingly.
"That's it?" this time Giyan didn't laugh, he just stared in disbelief.
"Not quite," said Yami, "now I play Metamorphosis on Summoned Skull." The demon fell to the ground and twitched wildly. It began to shrink, and from the bones emerged flesh and armor. The Summoned Skull eventually turned into a man covered in red and black armor. He carried an orange-bladed short sword and a shield decorated with a strange red symbol. "Behold, by play Metamorphosis on the Summoned Skull, I have Special Summoned the Dark Flare Knight (2200/800) (Warrior of Balance-14000/14000) from my Fusion Deck!"
"That thing's even weaker than the Summoned Skull," said Giyan, "by playing Metamorphosis, you've simply given me a further 800-point advantage."
"Yu-I mean Yami must be nuts!" yelled Tristan, "What's he planning?"
"You have a pretty poor memory, Tristan," said Serenity, "remember when Yugi and Joey dueled the Big Five to get your body back?"
"Oh, you're right!" Tristan realized, "Yami just won!"
Giyan cocked an eyebrow at the two but reverted his attention to Yami as the Pharaoh yelled out, "Dark Flare Knight, attack the Warrior of Balance!" The Dark Flare Knight lunged at the much-more-powerful Warrior of Balance, who easily dispatched it with a flick of its light blade.
"You really are acting foolish, Pharaoh," said Giyan, "you've just committed suicide."
"If that's what you think, Giyan," replied Yami with a grin, "then just check my Life Points." Yami then held up his Duel Disk so that Giyan could see the number. 1500.
"How?" said Giyan in confusion, "The Warrior of Balance has 11800 more attack points than the Dark Flare Knight!"
"The Dark Flare Knight protects me from any Battle Damage that he receives," Yami explained simply, "however, he also Special Summon the Mirage Knight (2800/2000) (Warrior of Balance-14500/14500) in his place." Where the Dark Flare Knight had been now stood a man covered in golden armor, a blue cape drawn about his shoulders. He carried a great golden, double-bladed scythe.
"Again with these weak monsters, Pharaoh," said Giyan, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
"The Mirage Knight has an effect you should know about, Giyan," Yami said as he ordered the Knight forth, "he gains the base attack of any monster he does battle with."
Giyan's eyes bulged as he realized he was in deep shit. The Mirage Knight (17300/17300) flew at the Warrior of Balance, seeming to split into six different knights that all flew forth in a group. The Warrior of Balance struck five of the knights, leaving the real one. But the real one managed to swing its scythe and wound the Warrior's side. The Warrior of Balance then vanished and Giyan fell to his knees.
Giyan: 0 Yami: 1500
Term grumbled as he dug some money out of his pocket and shoved it into Joey's hand. The teen grinned at his prize, then ran up to Yugi (who Yami had given control to) and gave him a nuggie. Giyan stepped up to Yugi, his face a picture of disappointment and shame. "I am sorry, Yugi," he said, "I acted cruel during our duel. I said things that should not have been said. However, I did so because I knew I had to win."
"It's just a game, Giyan," Yugi replied, "you can't get so caught up in it."
"There are things about this tournament that caused me to attempt to defeat you," Giyan replied, "I cannot inform you of them, though. It is best that you not know." Before Yugi could question him, Giyan walked off and Cerberus made an announcement.
"The third duel of the Tokyo Duel Monsters Tournament shall commence immediately! Seto Kaiba and Kevin Hunter, report to the dueling arena!"
That's it, the twentieth chapter. I like twenty. It's a good, round, even number. Anyways, next time its Kevin v. Kaiba, so I'm sure a certain reader will be happy that his submitted character gets a shot at winning a Blue Eyes. But what lies ahead? What is Giyan talking about? Why do I ask these questions now...?