Welcome to the latest installment of Tokyo Tournament. Unless you're reading this after I posted the next chapter, in which case, its ancient history.
Death to those who piss me off!
Tokyo TournamentChapter Twenty-Five: For Vengeance
Also Entitled: [Insert Comic Relief-type Sentence Here]
Tristan was the first to awaken. His eyes opened to the sight of gold-colored bricks. Which were pressed up against his nose. He lifted his chin and discovered that he along with all of the others who had been captured by the Shadow Realm, including Lin, were in a cubic room composed entirely of the gold-colored stone bricks. The others were lying about the room, unconscious. As Tristan got to his feet and looked about the room, the other began to stir. A worried expression placed itself on Tristan's face and he finished looking about the room. It was all the same: layers of the same stone bricks. There was no way out.
-...Earth...-
Nick knew a great deal more than most people did about fire. Almost everyone figures flame is flame, but Nick knew otherwise. The material that burns and its amount will cause changes in the flame's color and intensity. He knew the differences between natural fires and the ones that could not exist if man did not, like napalm and fireworks. And then there were the fires that were magical, which could temporarily set alight even the normally inflammable air about them. It was not as if Nick were a pyro, he simply was intrigued by the multiple variations of flame as a pedologist might be intrigued by the multiple variations of soil and rocks. And he had a long time to think about these sorts of things.
So, it took no effort for Nick to understand what Joey and Mike were feeling as he looked at them. He just had to look at their eyes. Mike's expression was easy to read. A small, yellow light glowed through each of his eyes, his courage standing high such as a lit candle despite his inner fear. Joey's expression was very different. His pupils reflected a raging orange flame that flickered angrily in an attempt to burn unburnable materials. Joey's very being was corrupted by rage which threatened to exercise itself violently at any moment. And it took no effort to understand why. Not even when Marik had imprisoned Mai had the teenager felt this way. But Youkai had virtually killed his sister, and made an earlier attempt to fully do so. Nick knew that if Joey was the one who attempted to beat Youkai and he succeeded, he would not spare the demon the release from pain known as death for a long, long time.
At the moment, however, Joey had to duel Mike. It was times like these that Nick would have looked upon and laughed had he not been there while it was happening. A life would be lost, which one being decided by a card game.
Joey: 4000 Mike: 4000
Mike and Joey both surveyed their hands briefly before Mike drew a sixth card. He then pressed one of the cards in his hand into one of the Spell/Trap slots at the top of his Duel Disk. The devices were not required for their holographic abilities, as the Shadow Realm provided real monsters instead of mere three-dimensional light images. The Disks were simply a convenient method of playing and drawing the cards. "I'll play Graceful Charity, drawing three cards and then discarding two." As Mike executed this task, Nick noticed a flash appear in the teen's eyes. Mike kept a good poker face, but the bright shine of confidence was like a beacon to Nick when compared to the darkness of the Shadow Realm about the teen.
"Now I'll set a monster in defense mode, along with two cards facedown," continued Mike as the three cards appeared in front of him. Mike nodded to Joey, who impatiently snatched a card off his deck.
"Alright," said Joey quickly, "I'll summon my Little Winguard (1400/1800) in attack mode and have it attack!" The short warrior fell from the air and stopped about a meter off the ground with a flare of its too-long blue cape. It then dived towards Mike's set monster, its short-sword thrust outward.
"Activate A Feint Plan," declared Mike as his first facedown card flipped up, showing Freed the Matchless General making battle plans at a map. "When this Trap is activated, no Defense-mode monsters can be activated for a turn, keeping my monster safe." The horizontal card moved backwards several feet, getting just out of the Winguard's path. Joey let out a small growl and ended his turn by using the Winguard's effect to shift to defense mode.
No Traps. Nick knew what that meant. Joey's Traps were numerous enough that he should have drawn some, and even if he hadn't he could have set a Spell as a bluff. Joey was allowing the fury that could win a duel if used well and using it to a negative effect.
Mike drew and adjusted one of the cards on his Duel Disk, "I flip Mask of Darkness (900/400) into attack mode, adding a Trap from my graveyard to my hand." Mike's monster flipped up, revealing a somewhat decayed yellow opera mask. He then shuffled through his thin graveyard stack and added one of the cards to his hand. "Next, I'll place a card facedown, then activate my previously set Trap card, Ceasefire, which will deal you 500 points of direct damage for every Effect monster on the field!"
Joey: 3000 Mike: 4000
"But that's not all," continued Mike, "for now I sacrifice my Mask of Darkness in order to summon the more powerful Airknight Parshath (1900/1400)!" Mike's Mask cracked in the center and broke apart. From above, a beam of light struck the area where the pieces of the Mask remained, and they levitated into the heavens above. Then a figure descended to take the Mask's place. It was an angel, with pale skin and long, blonde hair. It wore blue armor with golden lining. White, feathered wings curled about its shoulders and waist, and two smaller ones extended from the sides of its helmet. Above the wings, a halo ringed the helm. Its left arm was attached to a green, leaf-shaped shield, while its right hand bore a green-bladed, golden-hilted broadsword.
For the first time in the duel, Joey had the consideration to start worrying. [That thing's strong enough ta take down my Winguard! Well, at least I'll have a turn to prepare without him hitting my Life Points anymore."
"Airknight Parshath," commanded Mike with a sweep of his arm, "destroy his Little Winguard!" Parshath extended its four wings and took off into the air. Then it dive-bombed Joey's tiny monster with its sword held high. The Winguard raised its shield in an attempt to block the attack, but Parshath simply cleaved through the metal disc and ripped through the faceless thing.
As he saw the Winguard fall, Mike spoke again, "Now Parshath's effect will activate. Whenever he destroys a monster in defense mode, you still take Battle damage!"
Joey: 2900 Mike: 4000
"Not only that," continued Mike, "but Airknight Parshath will discard a card from the top of your deck whenever it deals Battle Damage to your Life Points." As he spoke, the card on top of Joey's deck floated into the air and drifted into his graveyard slot.
Joey let out a snarl as he drew a card. The expression softened a bit as he looked over his hand and slid the new card into his Duel Disk, "I play Scapegoat, giving me four monsters in defense mode." The tiny goats appeared in the air, their eyes closed in a pleasant expression that contrasted deeply with Joey's furious visage. "Now I summon Panther Warrior (2000/1500), and sacrifice one of my goats so it can attack!" The purple-furred humanoid panther bounded out of the shadows and landed in a threatening stance in front of Joey, its sword held ready to strike. Then one of the four scapegoats dispersed into pure energy, which infused itself into the blade of the Panther Warrior's blade. Then the savage cat humanoid leapt forward in a graceful leap before landing in front of Parshath. Then the Panther swung its curved blade in a strike aimed for the angelic knight's neck
Suddenly, three blue-robed priestesses appeared and formed a barrier between the Panther Warrior and the Airknight Parshath. The Panther's blade was stopped by an ethereal force as the priestesses of the Waboku Trap card recited a short chant. Joey realized immediately that Waboku must have been discarded by Mike when he used Graceful Charity. The card would have then been sent to Mike's hand as he used the Mask of Darkness's effect. Grimacing, Joey ended his turn.
Mike took a breath before drawing his card, then let it out as he looked at it. "I summon the Marauding Captain (1200/400), and then use his effect to summon Warrior Dai Grepher (1700/1600) from my hand!" The familiar blonde-haired Captain marched forth, accompanied by the muscular Dai Grepher. "Now, I'll order by warriors forward and destroy your remaining Scapegoats!" Parshath took off into the air again, and the two ground-bound Warriors rushed forth and stabbed their blades into two of the round goats shortly before their flying comrade swooped down and cleaved through the third.
Joey: 1000 Mike: 4000
Joey snarled again as he Parshath's effect activated once again. Then he drew a card and the expression turned upwards into a small smirk. "I sacrifice my Panther Warrior in order to summon my Maximum Six (1900/1600)!" The Panther vanished, and was replaced by an odd blue humanoid with six muscular arms extending from its torso.
"That was pointless," stated Mike, "your Maximum Six has too little attack to do enough damage to me. And once my turn comes around I can defeat you for good."
"Not quite," replied Joey, "when my Maximum Six is summoned, I get to roll a die. Then my Maximum Six gains 200 attack points times the amount I rolled." At his words, a red six-sided die appeared in the air, then flung itself across the floor. It landed on a 2, and Maximum Six's attack power slightly rose (2300/1600). "Now Maximum Six will rip apart your Marauding Captain!" The six-armed behemoth trundled forward on its leg and two of its large arms, then used each of its four remaining arms to hold an individual limb of the Captain. Then it pulled the limbs in four different directions. Blood, bone fragments, armor plates, and intestines and other various internal organs were flung in all directions as the Captain was ripped to pieces.
Joey: 1000 Mike: 2900
Mike cringed as he realized he was up against something that might very well repeat what it had just done to his monster to him. "I play Card Destruction, so we both get new hands." Mike discarded and drew his three cards and Joey his four. Then the look of dismay on Mike's face disappeared, "I sacrifice my two monsters to summon my favorite monster, the Sword Hunter (2450/1700)!" Both Parshath and Dai Grepher vanished, and out of the Shadows marched a sight quite familiar to Joey. He wore makeshift armor that probably had been accumulated from seven different sets, and the helmet had a sword welded into it, the hilt acting as a visor. Across his back was slung a tremendous sword, perhaps as long as the warrior was tall. A curved dagger was attached to his chest-plate, a short-sword to his left shoulder-plate, and another short-sword to his belt. In his hands he carried a rapier and a broadsword. "Sword Hunter, destroy Maximum Six and add its power to your armor!" The Hunter rushed forward, slashing at Joey's six-armed brute with such speed and ferocity that the beast died before it could blink. Then the Six's head appeared attached to the Sword Hunter's chest-plate (2650/1700).
Joey: 850 Mike: 2900
Joey's complexion suddenly took a drastic change for the first time in the duel. Instead of a look of rage, his face was one of dismay. And it didn't take a genius to figure out why. He had faced down tremendously powerful monsters before, but none when he felt the pressure of his younger sister's fate pressed onto his shoulders. He took a breath, and drew a card. Then he took his turn, "I set two cards facedown, and then summon my Swordsman of Landstar (500/1200) in attack mode." His two cards appeared, followed by the small, doll-like swordsman who immediately backed away from the intimidating Sword Hunter.
Mike quickly drew, then announced his turn, "I summon my Armaill (700/1300) to the field." A rather strange monster appeared. It had the upper body of a human, and carried two swords in its arms. However, below the waist the Armaill's body simply became a long, metallic tail that ended in a silver blade. "Sword Hunter, destroy his Swordsman and end this duel!" The armored swordsman once again charged towards Joey's meager defense and held up its swords to strike. But as the swords came, a small silver disc in front of the blades' paths and blocked the attack.
"My Single Silver Dollar Trap stopped your attack," Joey briefly explained, "it can only be used on face-up monsters with less than 1000 attack, which is why I left my Landstar Swordsman in attack mode."
"A useful card," Mike admitted, "but now my Armaill will finish the job and slay the Swordsman with its three blades!" The serpentine blade-user slithered towards the Swordsman and struck with lightning-quickness, piercing through the Landstar's body multiple times before death accepted the tiny warrior.
Joey: 650 Mike: 2900
Joey nervously began to draw, but then steeled himself. No matter the odds, which required him to draw one specific card from his deck to win, he knew he would do so. He pulled the card free and glimpsed at it before smiling as he saw that he had succeeded. "I gotta admit, Mike," said Joey, "you gave me one Hell of a duel. But now I'm gonna end it. I summon Black Dragon Hatchling (800/500)." What appeared did not look fearsome. It didn't look heroic. It didn't look hideous, evil, glorious, or even the slightest bit tough. In fact, you might have said it looked cute. Very cute. But it was that kind of cute that made everyone think it was an adorable, innocent little creature when in reality it had the power to become a killing machine. It was a tiny little dragon, just crawling out of its egg. Its head was about the same size as its body. Its black scales gleamed like obsidian, and its eyes shone like rubies. As it emerged from its shell, it let out a little growl that sounded a lot a cat mewling.
"So dog-boy shows just how hopeless he is," spat Kaiba, choosing now of all times to insult Joey.
"Now I'll activate my Hatchling's effect," declared Joey, "by sacrificing it, I can Special Summon a Red Eyes Black Dragon (2400/2000) from my hand!" Suddenly, the Hatchling grew a tremendous amount in size. Its wings grew into a great black cape, and the claws on its arms and legs extended and became sharper than the Sword Hunter's blades. As it emerged, it let out a challenging roar. "Now I play the Spell card Dark Mega Flare, which lets me deal 2400 damage to your Life Points at the cost of my Dragon's attack this turn." The Red Eyes Black Dragon extended its enormous wings leapt into the air. Then it reared back its head and emitted a sphere of red and black energy from its maw. Mike almost leapt out of the energy's path, but suffered second-degree burns as the blast grazed his right arm.
Joey: 650 Mike: 500
Mike dragged himself to his feet, clutching his right arm with left, "You've just cost yourself the time. Next turn I can destroy your Dragon with my Sword Hunter, and I'll win."
"Sorry, Mike," sighed Joey as he activated the one card remaining that existed in his hand or on his field. The card flipped up, "I activate Metalmorph and equip it to my Red Eyes Black Dragon, then sacrifice it to Special Summon the Red Eyes Black Metal Dragon (2800/2400) from my deck." The Red Eyes' black scales became covered by a coat of silver armor, creating the card that had played an enormous the time Joey had Dueled Bandit Keith at Duelist Kingdom. "Now, Red Eyes, end it." The metal-coated roared, and emitted a stream of blistering hot fire from its, incinerating the Armaill.
Joey: 650 Mike: 0
Mike fell to the ground, his soul no longer connected to the body. Joey bowed his head in regret. Youkai was playing a sick game, forcing them to kill each other. But these duels mattered. The strongest had to take on Youkai, or else they would all suffer the fate of death. Joey walked over to Mike and slung the smaller teen over his shoulders as Kai and Mai stepped into the arena. Joey's fiery rage had subsided for now. He would save it for the true enemy.
So, that's chapter 25 for ya. In case you're wondering, Black Dragon Hatchling and Dark Mega Flare are cards released in the Japanese set "Soul of Duelist", which will be released in America in the next set.