Before beginning this installment of Tokyo Tournament, I'd first like to say that the story is now complete. The final three chapters were posted in conjunction with this one, meaning Tokyo Tournament is now over.
I'd now like to respond to a few recent reviews, though I'm not sure if all the submitters have caught up with the rest of the story as of yet.
X Buster: First of all, regarding the term S.O.B.: this particular acronym is not copyrighted, so I don't give a damn if it's supposedly "your word". More importantly, I believe everyone should have the right to use the term when describing Bandit Keith. Next, Black Dragon Hatchling is the Japanese name of Red Eyes Black Chick and was the only name available when I wrote the chapter it appeared in. Besides, it sounds cooler.
Darkrose 17: A pentangle is a five-pointed star, though it is also called a pentagram. I decided to use the former word, since the word pentagram is easier to confuse with pentaGON than pentangle is.
Time Mage: The appearance of the mere concept of a soul deck will not emerge until the sequel. As for Lin's experience…ask Jacob; he gets it.
And now…the final Tokyo Tournament battle. The victor will be granted the right to face Youkai.
In the time where I was born lived a man who sailed to sea, and he told us of his life in the land of Duel monsters…
Tokyo TournamentChapter Thirty-One: Champion
Also Entitled: Final Attempt
"A large mass of zombies, huh?" commented Term as he gazed down into the room below, "Sounds like fun; eh, Giyan?"
"Ungh?" Giyan muttered, still half-conscious.
"Okay, here's an idea," Kirbin spoke up, "we have to get past the zombies, but we don't want anyone to get their brains eaten of their flesh ripped off or…"
"THEIR FACES WRAPPED UP!"
"Shut up, Lin," Kirbin replied, "Anyways, Yamato, Term, Lin, and myself will go down and kill the zombies. Then we grab Joey and Giyan and get out of here."
"Very well," said Yamato. Then he stopped for a minute, in thought, before speaking again, "I should have told you this earlier, but…"
"Yamato…" Term said when the android did not speak for several moments, "please don't pause. When YOU pause, I get worried."
"Well," Yamato said, "my Redeemer shell succeeded in allowing us to create an exit from this prison. However, due to our standing about the perimeter of that exit, which could possibly be structurally unsound-" He didn't get a chance to finish, as the floor suddenly caved in under them, sending the almost twenty people present plummeting to the floor below…
-…The Tokyo Tournament Finals…-
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary gives three definitions for the noun "champion". One is a warrior or fighter. Another is a person that fights for the rights or honor of another. The last definition is the one that many associate most to the word, and that is the winner of a contest or tournament. It would not matter which definition was used when referring to the champion of the Tokyo Tournament, because all three would apply.
As the pharaoh Yami, his real name currently unknown to him, and Nick prepared to duel, both knew what they were battling for. They were dueling for the title of champion of the Tokyo Duel Monsters Tournament, as well as the tasks that came with that title. As champion, the winner would fight for the freedom of all those who had lost in the tournament, and potentially the safety of the world.
Nick: 4000 Yami: 4000
"I'll begin this duel," Yami stated after the two of them had drawn five cards. Nick nodded in response, and Yami drew a sixth card to start the match. The pharaoh was somewhat disappointed with his hand… "I begin by setting a monster facedown in defense mode, along with two other cards facedown." As he spoke, the three cards materialized before him. The move was rather basic, but he was unable to do much with the cards he had drawn.
Nick took Yami's lack of other actions as a sign to begin his own turn. He snapped a card off the top of his deck and glanced at his hand. Frowning in disgust, he quickly played the card he had drawn, "Card Destruction forces us to discard our hands and draw new ones of the same amount." He slid his five cards together and shoved them into his Duel Disk's graveyard slot before drawing five more cards, while Yami did the same with his three cards.
"Now I'll summon a pair of monsters you should be familiar with by now, pharaoh," stated Nick as he placed two cards on his Duel Disk, "first, Blazing Inpachi (1850/0). Then I remove a Fire monster from my graveyard to Special Summon Spirit of Flames (1700/1000)." Both monsters appeared quickly in succession. First was the burning wooden mecha Inpachi, which was followed by a burst of fire from Nick's graveyard that manifested in the form of the demonic Spirit of Flames. "My current plan is brutal and simple," stated Nick, "I'll just have my monsters attack. Spirit of Flames, destroy his defensive monster!" The orange beast raised its muscular arms and unleashed a burst of fire that scorched the air around it.
"I activate my facedown card," declared Yami calmly as one of his set cards flipped up. At seeing it, Nick silently cursed, "Mirror Force will now destroy both of your monsters!" Just before the Spirit of Flames' attack reached Yami's set monster, a convex mirror appeared before it, reflecting the flames back at their source as well as the Blazing Inpachi. Both were burned away almost immediately.
Nick placed two of the remaining three cards in his hand into his Duel Disk, and they appeared in front of him as Spell or Trap cards. Then Yami drew, "I play Pot of Greed," without feeling the need to explain, Yami drew twice more by his card's effect, giving him five total cards in his hand. When he saw the two new cards he had drawn, a slow smirk formed on his face. "Now I'll discard the three Magnet Warriors from my hand! Alpha, Beta, and Gamma will now combine themselves into one of my mightiest creatures! Come forth, Valkyrion the Magna Warrior (3500/3850)!"
Nick winced slightly as the three magnetic humanoids appeared, sword, fists, and magnet claws held ready. Then all three split apart into various body parts, before the parts swirled together and began connecting into a gangly, winged, metallic being that held Alpha's sword lightly in its long arm. "At this moment Valkyrion and my monster would be enough to finish you," stated Yami as he held is Duel Disk a bit higher in preparation of his next action, "but in order to better assure I defeat you here and now I shall summon two more monsters. First I flip up Queen's Knight (1500/1600)!" The blonde, red-armored female knight appeared, sword and shield held ready. "Next," continued Yami as he placed another card onto his Duel Disk, "I summon King's Knight (1600/1400), whose effect immediately summons Jack's Knight (1900/1000) to the field!" The golden-armored knight appeared next to Queen's Knight, immediately followed by the younger, blue-armored knight between the two of them.
"Now that all three Tri-knights are on my field," said Yami, "your cards will have to not only block Valkyrion in order for you to survive, but Jack's Knight as well. So now, Valkyrion, start things off by attacking him directly!" The immense metallic warrior leapt into the air, sword raised to deal a devastating blow to Nick.
"I activate Ordeal of a Traveler!" Nick declared as his left facedown card flipped up, revealing a structure that greatly resembled the Great Sphinx. "Now you'll have to guess whether the one card in my hand is a Monster, Spell, or Trap card. If you guess correctly, then your attack will go through. However, if you guess wrong, Valkyrion will be sent back to your hand."
Yami thought for all of three seconds before deciding, "I believe you hold a Spell card."
Nick flipped the one card in his hand over, revealing it to be his Magical Marionette. "You chose wrong, so now Valkyrion will be sent back to your hand!" The eyes of the sphinx glowed red and sent out a bolt of energy that struck Valkyrion, who flew backwards from the impact into Yami's hand.
Yami frowned as he picked up the powerful monster, but was undaunted. "Because your Trap revealed the one card in your hand, I now know what type of card it is," he stated, "Therefore, your Trap is useless, and I still have enough monsters to finish you off! All three of my knights will attack you directly!" The three sword-wielding knights charged forward in a wedge formation with their swords held forward, intent on cutting Nick down and ending the duel. But before they could reach the opposing duelist, a trio of blue-robed priestesses appeared in their path. The knights immediately halted their assault, then turned and walked back to Yami's field.
"Waboku," was Nick's simple explanation. Yami grimaced and nodded. Now he saw that Nick had not been relying on Ordeal of a Traveler to defend him, but rather to lower Yami's advantage over the field. While the former pharaoh still controlled three monsters and one set Spell or Trap, Nick was much better off without Valkyrion on the field. And now the blonde duelist began his turn by drawing. "I'll simply set one monster in defense mode," he stated as the horizontal card appeared in front of the sphinx.
Yami briefly pondered Nick's move as he drew, 'I can't win the duel in this turn, but if Jack's Knight can destroy his monster I can still deal a significant amount of damage. In all likelihood he's set a monster with a powerful Flip effect, but if that's the case then he can simply activate it on his next turn. It's best if I simply force it to activate now so I'll be able to recover.' "Jack's Knight, attack his set monster!" The young, blue-armored knight nodded and charged over to the defending monster before easily slicing through it with his sword. However, as the card vanished, it was replaced by a sphere of metal tubes with a blue face, which instantly exploded, taking all three of Yami's knights with it.
"You should know the effect of Cyber Jar (900/900) by now," Nick stated as he flipped five cards off the top of his deck. Yami nodded and did the same.
"I summon Skilled Dark Magician (1900/1700) and Obnoxious Celtic Guardian (1400/1200)!" declared Yami as the two monsters appeared.
"And I'll summon two monsters in defense mode," Nick stated two more horizontal cards appeared in front of him.
Yami selected one of the six remaining cards in his hand and placed it on his Duel Disk, "I play Mystical Space Typhoon, to destroy Ordeal of a Traveler." A black twister descended upon the sphinx, tearing out chunks of stone before eventually the whole structure collapsed. "Now I won't have to worry about you blocking my attacks," Yami stated, gesturing towards Nick's hand, which now contained four cards instead of just the one he had held at the beginning of the turn, "And now my Skilled Dark Magician gains a counter because a Spell was played. Also, because Mystical Space Typhoon is a Quick-Play Spell card, I can now continue my Battle Phase! Now my monsters shall attack each of yours!" Skilled Dark Magician, now with one of the two orbs on its shoulders glowing, released a burst of black energy at Nick's left monster, revealing it to be a large red beast that was destroyed immediately. Then the Obnoxious Celtic Guardian sliced its sword through the remaining monster, revealing it to be a large tomato with eyes and a mouth filled with razor-sharp teeth.
"The two monsters you attacked were Great Angus (1800/600) and Mystic Tomato (1400/1100)," stated Nick, now with a bare field. However, as he spoke he removed his deck from its slot in his Duel Disk and began to sift through it before he came across a card. "Mystic Tomato allows me to Special Summon a weak Dark monster from my deck when it is destroyed in battle, so I summon Swarm of Locusts (1000/500)." As he placed the card on the field, a vast swarm of grasshopper-like insects appeared before him, circling about in search of food.
"Very well," responded Yami at seeing his efforts to clear Nick's field of monsters foiled, "I'll set two Spell or Trap cards facedown on my field, and then end my turn." The two cards appeared next to his first one, leaving him with three facedown cards and two monsters.
Nick quickly shuffled his deck before returning it to his Duel Disk and drawing a card. Then he picked the Swarm of Locusts off his Duel Disk and placed it in his graveyard slot. Yami was not surprised to see this. He had expected the action to come since last turn, when he had failed to remove all of Nick's monsters from the field. "I sacrifice Swarm of Locusts," stated Nick, "in order to summon my Magical Marionette (2000/1000)!" In a flash of dark energy, the red-cloaked mage appeared, its eyes glowing through the small slots in its mask. Alone it was not exceptionally powerful…but Yami had seen its strength against Joey. "Now I shall play Heavy Storm, destroying all of your facedown cards!"
Yami instantly sprang into action as the vast tornado appeared in the center of the field, and one of his cards flipped up, causing a magical seal to appear beneath the tornado before it simply vanished. "My Magic Jammer negates your Heavy Storm," stated Yami as he discarded Valkyrion from his hand to pay for his Trap's cost.
Nick's one visible eye narrowed at this counter by the former pharaoh. He only had three cards remaining in his hand, and his Marionette required two Spells to be played in order to use its effect. Because Yami had negated Heavy Storm, no counters had been gained. But a second look at the cards in his hand gave Nick an idea… 'I just have to hope either this goes through or Magical Marionette isn't destroyed. Otherwise, this is over…' "Magical Marionette, attack Skilled Dark Magician!" The masked sorcerer cast its gloved hands out and launched strings of energy at the other mage, but as the strings neared their target, a large cylinder appeared in their path. The cylinder sucked in the energy, and then the strings were released from a second one immediately next to it. The strings wrapped around Nick's limbs and delivered a shock of energy, causing him to momentarily cry out in pain.
Nick: 2000 Yami: 4000
"My Magic Cylinder easily reflected your attack right at your own Life Points," Yami explained as the cylinders faded from view.
Nick nodded as he was released, knowing he had chosen correctly in waiting before playing his next card, "I play Fissure, destroying Obnoxious Celtic Guardian." The ground under the elven swordsman immediately caved in, causing the guardian to fall into the earth with a cry of terror. Both the Skilled Dark Magician and the Magical Marionette (2200/1000) gained a counter from the card. "Now I'll finish my turn by setting the rest of my hand on the field," Nick concluded as the two cards in his hand appeared behind the Marionette.
Yami drew and grinned at his new card, instantly choosing to play it, "I play Emblem of Dragon Destroyer, which will add the Buster Blader to my hand!" He quickly shuffled through his deck before finding the named warrior, and didn't bother to shuffle his deck as he then announced, "I then sacrifice Skill Dark Magician and its three counters to summon my Dark Magician (2500/2100)!" The mage became surrounded in a black aura that soon hid him from view. Then from the black swarm of energy emerged Yami's favorite monster, who twirled his emerald staff and pointed it at Nick. "That's not all, however," stated Yami as he placed another card in his Duel Disk, "for I also activate Polymerization, fusing my Dark Magician with Buster Blader to form the mighty Dark Paladin (2900/2400)!" The purple-armored Buster Blader momentarily appeared beside the Dark Magician, and then both were sucked into a vortex that caused them to merge together. What emerged from the vortex after several moments was a being that greatly resembled the Dark Magician, however his skin was bluish green and his hair a light purple. He wore black armor lined with orange, and in the place of the Dark Magician's staff it bore a glaive that seemed cut from the same mold as the armor.
"Dark Paladin gains 500 Attack Points for every Dragon in both graveyards and on the field," Yami stated as the mage-warrior appeared, "however since no Dragons have been played, his power remains unchanged. His other effect is a permanent Magic Jammer, meaning I can simply discard cards to negate Spells. But enough introductions. I've seen most of your effective Traps, so I'm not concerned by your two facedown cards. Dark Paladin, attack Magical Marionette!" The glaive-wielding Spellcaster released a wave of dark energy at the puppeteer, but immediately one of Nick's facedown cards flipped up, revealing a charging boar on its image.
"My Rush Recklessly will grant my Magical Marionette 700 more Attack Points for this turn," Nick stated. But he was not surprised as the Dark Paladin quickly released a second burst of energy, which destroyed his Spell card.
"I discard the one card in my hand to negate your Spell," Yami stated as he emptied his hand, "so your effort failed."
Nick smirked beneath his facecloth and motioned to his other facedown card, which flipped up, "Yes," he agreed, "but this one won't! I activate the Quick-Play Spell version of Negate Attack, known as Weakening of Attack!" A pink barrier immediately swept around Nick's Magical Marionette, deflecting the Dark Paladin's attack. "And now I'd like to draw your attention to the fact that your two Spells plus my one have granted Magical Marionette a total of three more counters, enough to destroy two monsters Magical Marionette: 2800/1000)!"
Yami frowned at this turn of events. While he held the advantage in Life Points, Nick held the field advantage now. Even with the Dark Paladin's superior attack points, Nick would still be able to attack directly in the next turn. His facedown card was a bluff, at least for the moment. If he used it now, it would help the Marionette more than it would help Yami, just as had been the case last turn. "End turn."
Nick placed his hand on the top card of his deck and stated, "If this card is a monster, then I've almost assuredly won. So now, to protect you and the world, Pharaoh, I will defeat you! I draw!"
-…The Shadow Realm…-
"New strategy!" declared Term as he heaved rubble off of himself and anyone nearby, "Yamato, grab Joey and Giyan and get them into a corner! Lin, Kirbin, you and I will battle the zombies! Everyone else, follow Yamato." When he had finished speaking, the black-haired teen closed his eyes and stretched his arms out, causing blades to sprout from his elbows, wrists, shoulders, and hands. Then he assumed a fighting stance, and more blades emerged from his knees, thighs, and feet.
Lin drew his sword and held it outwards with his left hand, prepared to join his friend in battle. However, he was also quietly murmuring to himself, "Why did it have to be zombies…? Wish I had my songbook with me… Why do I always forget that one?"
Kirbin smiled at Lin's antics, then turned to look at Joy, who had joined the rest of their group in backing into a corner. He smiled assuredly at her, and she nodded at him in response. The Kirbin turned his attention back to the matter at hand.
"I love this part of my job," said Term in anticipation. Then he sighed, and blades sprang up about his torso and head, then curved to cover the exposed parts of his body, acting as armor.
The zombies that faced them were not the kind that you see in movies. They did not lumber about with their arms held forward with slacked jaws while moaning "Annnnnngh…" Instead, they walked normally with their arms held ready to strike…while their mouths slacked open and they moaned, "Annnnnngh…" Okay, so they were kind of like the zombies you see in movies, but-
"ATTACK!" the writer was spared further embarrassment as the three charged forward and attacked the army of corpses.
-…The Tokyo Tournament Finals…-
Nick snapped the card off his deck and frowned at the sight of it, "Fortunately for you, I have not drawn a monster. However, this card will assist me now and in the turns to come by granting my Marionette counters. I play Gather Your Mind, a card that prevents me from playing more than one copy of each turn. Its other effect allows me to place another Gather Your Mind into my hand. And because a Spell was played, my Marionette gains a counter (3000/1000). And now I'll remove two of those counters to activate my Marionette's effect! Mystic Puppet Slayer!" The red-cloaked puppeteer cast forth its arms, summoning forth a white puppet carrying twin daggers. Then it commanded the marionette forth, and the puppet stabbed through the Dark Paladin's armor. "Now, attack directly, Magical Marionette (2600/1000)!" The mage cast out another set of strings, this one wrapping about Yami and delivering a shock of energy to his body. The brief assault quickly ended, however, and Yami was dropped to the ground.
Nick: 2000 Yami: 1400
Yami stumbled to his feet and immediately drew a card, knowing Nick could take no further actions this turn. And as he saw the card, he knew the duel was over. "This is it, Nick," he stated as he pressed a button on his Duel Disk and his facedown card flipped up, revealing Silent Doom, "I activate my Silent Doom, reviving Gamma the Magnet Warrior in defense mode!" The pink magnetic being appeared in front of him, crouching in a defensive position.
Nick quirked an eyebrow at that. What was the point of summoning a monster at all? And even if Yami planned to tribute the monster, there was no way a one-sacrifice monster could achieve the current power of his Marionette.
"You may be wondering why I chose to revive Gamma," Yami stated, "Well, it's because the monster I summoned didn't really matter. I just needed any monster to activate the card I've just drawn, Creature Swap!" Nick gasped as his favorite monster floated over to Yami's field, and Gamma slid over to replace it. "By switching control of our monsters, I have just guaranteed myself victory," Yami stated, "While it pains me, I must now finish the duel by attacking you with your own favorite monster. Magical Marionette, activate Mystic Puppet Slayer!" The cloaked mage cast its hands forth, summoning another puppet that immediately slashed at Gamma and destroyed the being.
Nick's head drop, and he knew his endeavor had failed. The pharaoh would go on to face Youkai, and if he lost all would die. But the pharaoh had refused to submit to his opponents, feeling that he held a responsibility to his friends. But now was not the time to despair. "You have won, Pharaoh," Nick stated, "so I will say farewell for now, and good luck."
Yami smiled, "Thank you, Nick. Now, Magical Marionette, end the duel by attacking directly!" The cloaked mage cast out its strings one last time, and this time it was Nick who received the attack they dealt. In a few brief moments, the duel was ended, and Nick collapsed to the ground.
Nick: 0 Yami: 1600
Yami took a deep breath, and looked towards Youkai. The being of darkness had watched the duel in silence, and now he grinned. He was obviously pleased with the result of the tournament. He stood from where he had been sitting, cross-legged, and began to approach the arena…
-…The Shadow Realm…-
Term swung his blades all about him, ripping apart decayed flesh with ease. Lin's sword was swung with less aggression and more practice, and bodies were severed under his blade. Kirbin used the powers of his essences in brief bursts, releasing flame, frost, explosions, and electricity at any that came near him. The three were indeed putting on a spectacular display in holding off the army of zombies. But it was not enough. With every corpse that fell to a swinging blade, another took its place. With every body that burned to ashes, another came forth. "Damn it all!" Term exclaimed as he impaled another rotted body on his shoulder blades (get it? It's a pun…).
"Fall back," suggested Kirbin, "we'll be better off not being surrounded."
"Good idea," agreed Lin, as he began working his way back to the group…just as Nick fell on top of him.
"Oh, thanks Lin," said Nick, dusting himself off.
"Nah a prahleh…heeheehee…butterflies…"
"Oh, what's all this?" asked Nick with a somewhat exasperated sigh.
"What do you mean 'What's all this?'" said Term with a growl. "It's a frickin' army of zombies!"
"Well, I expected you guys to have gotten much further along than this by now," said Nick with a look of disappointment.
"How do you figure that?" Kirbin asked as he froze a dozen zombies in front of him.
"Well, you could've done this," Nick replied, and then grabbed a card out of his deck and holding it out, "I summon you, Magical Marionette!" The puppeteer appeared with a flash in front of him, causing the zombies to momentarily halt their assault.
"Oh," muttered Lin as he got to his feet, "I didn't know you could do that…"
So ends the actual Tokyo Duel Monsters Tournament. But now, to save his friends and protect the world, Yami must face off against Youkai. See the conclusion of the tournament in the next chapter. Well? What are you waiting for? Go read it! It's already posted!