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Fanfic Chapter 56: Battle City Begins Pt 1: The Hidden Strategy
Episode Basis: Yugi vs. The Rare Hunters Pt 1

Previously on Yu-Gi-Oh! Yugi and Joey went to register for the Battle City Tournament. But while going to the hospital to see his sister, Joey was cornered by a group of Rare Hunters and forced into a duel. It looked like Joey would win until the Rare Hunter pulled an unexpected miracle for him: he summoned Exodia, the Forbidden One! Joey was ashamed and afraid to face Serenity. But Tristan gave him a good talking to and Joey reconciled with his sister and his mother. Now, let the battle commence.


Solomon swept the front stoop of the Game Ship while mumbling, "'Sorry, can't do chores today, Grandpa, I'm preparing for Battle City.' Lousy wipper-snapper, I like a good duel as much as the next guy but in my day, our chores always came first… Hogwash! Battle City starts today, and I wouldn't miss this for the world!" He tossed a closed sign on the front door and ran inside. "I better call Tea."


In his room, Yugi looked at the new deck he constructed. "Well, it's all done," he told Yami. "But will it be good enough? Especially considering all the odds that are stacked against us?"

"There comes a time when you have to just trust in the deck that you've prepared," Yami told him.

"But… what if…"

"Yugi, no matter what our destiny may be, we'll face it together. You have nothing to fear as long as I'm at your side."

"Okay, in that case, let's do it, partner!" Yugi pulled on his jacket, strapped his dueling belt to his waist and donned the Duel Disk he got.


At Joey's apartment, Joey was in a tizzy over what happened a few nights ago. "I just have to get my Red-Eyes Black Dragon back," he complained. He collapsed amidst his clutter. "I can't believe I allowed that creep to take it right before the tournament even started! Oh, that reminds me, I better see how Serenity's doing." Joey picked up a phone and dialed a number.

The voice that answered was the last person he expected it to be.

"Serenity's room."

"Tristan, what are you doing in Serenity's room?"

"Well, I figured that since you would be too busy with the tournament, I thought I would keep Serenity company."

"You're the last thing she needs," Joey grumbled. "Just put her on!"

At the hospital, Tristan relished in Joey's ill-temper as he passed the phone on to Serenity. "It's for you."

Serenity took the phone, "Joey, why didn't you tell me that Tristan was the one who taught you how to duel?"

"He did WHAT?"

"I think it's nice that you have such a sweet and caring guy for a friend."

Tristan took the phone back, "Good luck with the tournament, oh, and don't forget about that three card combo I taught you."

As Tristan hung up the phone, he could hear a loud and furious scream coming from the other end.


As Yugi walked into the center square, he pondered the only other object in the box besides the Duel Disk: a clear plastic card. I wonder what this is for, Yugi thought.

"Hey, Yugi," Mai greeted as she ran up to him.

"Hey, Mai," Yugi returned.

Mai looked around, "So many Duelists, it's hard to know whose butt to kick first. By the way, where's Joey?"

"Oh, I'm sure he's around here somewhere, he wouldn't miss this tournament for the world." Especially since the guys who stole Joey's Red-Eyes Black Dragon will probably be in it.

"Well, there you are," a voice called. Rex Raptor and Weevil Underwood walked up to them. Yugi and Mai both mentally moaned and thought the same thing: Beavis and Butthead, just what we don't need. "I still owe you, Mai, for that stunt you played on me at Duelist Kingdom."

"Go fossilize," Mai said.

"So, Little Yugi, are you ready to lose? My deck has been infested with all-new insect cards.

"Oh give me a break," Rex said rolling his eyes. "You were the first one eliminated at Duelist Kingdom."

"I beat you at the National Championships."

"At least I got more star chips, and I didn't even need to cheat!"

"What you call cheating I call strategizing. I'm going straight to the top!"

"Yeah, right," Mako Tsunami said getting Weevil into a head lock. "The only one who will be making waves will be me!"

"Go fry, fish face," Weevil returned.

"Don't you have a dog bowl to inhabit?"

From then on, it degenerated into a duel of fish, dinosaur, and bug-related insults. The three parted agreeing to see who ends up in the finals. Yugi and Mai watched this side show exasperated.

At a nearby café, the Rare Hunter who stole Joey's dragon studied the profiles of Yugi and Mai on a laptop. Ah, perfect, two of the Duelist Kingdom finalists. Their rare cards would make a wonderful prize for my master, but which one to acquire first?


The Duelists had all spread out to get ready. Weevil was in the park, Rex was over by the train station, Mai was in the center square, Mako stayed right where he was.

Yugi had taken a perch on top of a building. I wonder if Joey's around here somewhere.

"Greetings, Duelists," a voice boomed. "Welcome to the town of Domino, but what's more, welcome to the setting for the greatest Duel Monsters tournament in history! The Battle City!"

"That's Kaiba," Yugi realized and looked around.

"Where is he?" Rex wondered.

A large shadow passed over the city. Everyone looked up to see a huge blimp with Kaiba's face on a large view screen.

"And just when I thought his head couldn't get any bigger," Mai cracked.

"Everyone who I thought was worthy enough to participate in this tournament has received a Duel Disk. This will allow you to duel any time, any place. Now, since you probably have forgotten the rules, I'll go over it again. This will be an all-out free-for-all battle. Duelists may challenge each other anywhere within the city limits. Even I shall be participating, although if you have any intelligence, you would all be wise to be careful. All Battle City duels will take place using Kaiba Corp.'s Duel Disks. Each Duel Disk contains a microchip that connects to a satellite and relays to the Battle City Central Computer. Therefore, there will be no cheating.

"Only the best ten Duelists will make it to the finals. I could tell you where the finals are, but what fun would that be?"

"Are you kidding me?" Weevil asked.

"Nobody will show up if they don't know where the finals are," Mako complained.

"With your Duel Disks, you should've all received a clear locator card. In addition to the rarest card, these must be put up. The winner of the duel will receive the loser's rarest card and their locator card. Six locator cards will produce a map that will lead you to where the finals are. You better hurry because in forty-eight hours the Duel Disks will be shut down and all those without six locator cards will be S.O.L.

"The two most important rules you need to know are the ante rule and the sacrifice rule. Monsters of level 5 or higher need a monster to sacrifice. And this tribute can only be used once per turn, which means if you summon a monster, you can not tribute it until next turn.

"And now, as leader of this tournament, I officially declare this tournament open. Let Battle City commence!"


Joey ran through the square. "Where is he, where is that piece of…" He skidded to a halt, upon seeing the Rare Hunter. "There you are!"

Yugi saw him from the building. "Joey, what's he doing? I better get down there quickly." The only problem was how to get down there before Joey gets beaten up again, but without taking a leap of faith?

"Need a lift?" Before Yugi could reply either way, someone picked him up then leapt off the building. A ring of symbols appeared below them and slowed their fall. "Thanks," Yugi called to Avatar before running off. Avatar, after a second of thought, followed him.

"That was a pretty sick trick you played on me a few nights ago," Joey said. "I demand the right to a rematch for my Red-Eyes Black Dragon!"

"So, the dog knows how to bark," the Rare Hunter cracked. He closed his laptop. "Why should I? I already have your rarest card, there's no need for us to duel again."

"No way, I want my Red-Eyes Black Dragon back!"

"Joey, what's going on?" Yugi asked as he and Avatar ran up to his friend.

"Yug, this is the creep who took my Red-Eyes Black Dragon! Now he's too scared to duel me again."

"Fear has nothing to do with it," the Rare Hunter argued. "I don't need to duel you any more, you're no longer a tempting target. But if your friend would like to duel me."

Yugi gasped, he's dressed just like Bandit Keith was when he stole my Millennium Puzzle! If he is part of the same gang, then he might have a clue to who's after my Millennium Puzzle and why.

"Your Dark Magician would be a rare prize for any Rare Hunter."

Yugi and Yami joined spirits. "Rare Hunter, you are garbage to all those who love Duel Monsters! I accept your challenge! And as my first Battle City duel, if I win, you have to return Joey's Red-Eyes Black Dragon!"

"Yugi, no, I won't let you lose your Dark Magician to this creep."

"Its okay, Joey," Yami-Yugi assured him. "I'll have to risk my Dark Magician sooner or later."

"But Yugi, you don't know what this creep is capable of! He has…"

"Quiet, Joey Wheeler," the Rare Hunter snapped. "Or I'll tear up your precious Red-Eyes!" Joey growled.


Tea ran through the streets. "You picked a fine day to oversleep, Tea," she scolded herself. "Where are they?" She came to the center of Battle City. "There are so many Duelists here, how am I going to find Yugi and Joey?"


"Let the hunt begin," the Rare Hunter declared throwing off his cloak. "Eject holo-emitters!"

"Duel Tray transform!"

"Scan deck!"

"Life Points set!"

"Let's duel!" The both announced.

(Y: 4000)
(RH: 4000)


The activation of the Duel Disks triggered the Kaiba Corp. satellite which relayed the data to Kaiba Corp. Headquarters where Kaiba and Mokuba were viewing it.

"How fitting that Yugi would be in the first duel of the tournament," Kaiba commented.

"The other duels are coming in now," Mokuba reported. "Don't worry, Seto, if any of the other God Cards are played, we'll pick them up."

"Excellent."


The Rare Hunter chuckled as he looked at his initial hand. He already had two pieces of Exodia.

Yami-Yugi went first. "I place two cards face-down and summon Beta the Magnet Warrior (1) in defense mode!" Beta looked like two balls with a magnet on his head.

"I play Graceful Charity allowing me to draw three cards and discard two." Excellent, another piece of the Forbidden One, now I only need two more.

"I activate my trap card: Light of Intervention! Now you can't place any cards face-down."

"I don't care, I summon Stone Statue of the Aztecs (2) in defense mode and end my turn!"

"Per Battle City rules, I sacrifice Beta the Magnet Warrior so I can summon Berfomet (3)!" A strange four-winged demon-like creature appeared. "And he's able bring forth Gazelle, the King of Mythical Beasts (4)!" Berfomet belched out energy which formed a lion-like creature. "And now, through Polymerization, I'll combine the two to form Chimera, the Flying Mythical Beast (5)!" The two monsters became a two-headed beast with wings.

"Battle City rules state that fusion monsters can not attack on the turn they are summoned," the Rare Hunter pointed out.

"I'm aware of that, so I'll just lay one card face-down and end my turn."

"I predict another Graceful Charity card," the Rare Hunter said. He drew his card. "I was right, I play Graceful Charity to draw three cards and discard two." Ah, the fourth piece of Exodia, now I need only one more piece and soon I'll be able to claim an automatic victory!


"Mister Kaiba," one of Kaiba's "Bridge Bunnies" called.


A/N: If you want to know what a Bridge Bunny is, watch Robotech and you'll figure it out.


"What is it?"

"The scanner is not picking up the cards that Yugi Moto's opponent is playing. They might be fakes."

"Hmmm… give me a profile on Yugi's opponent."

"Our database names him as Rare Hunter," a Bridge Bunny reported. "The strange thing is he wasn't in our database until about a week ago. He must've hacked in and added himself."

"That's illegal!" Mokuba cried. "I'll go disqualify him!"

"No, wait," Kaiba rebutted. He smiled. The Rare Hunters have taken my bait. "Let them play."

"If you say so," Mokuba said reluctantly.


My victory is within my grasp, the Rare Hunter thought. I already have four pieces of Exodia, and thanks to some invisible ink and my x-ray contact lenses, I'll always know what card I'm going to pick next. He checked the said devices and found that it was the final piece of Exodia. Yes, finally, on my next turn, I'll finish off Yugi Moto for good, the master will be pleased with me. "I summon Gear Golem the Moving Fortress (6) in defense mode!" A large machine with spikes appeared next to his other defense monster. "He's strong enough to fend off your Chimera."

"Defend all you want, Rare Hunter, you'll never win unless you attack."

"Don't be so sure, Yugi Moto!"

Something's not right, Yami-Yugi thought. He seems to be waiting for something, but what? He obviously has some sort of strategy, he's not even trying to hide it. So what…

Joey had finally had enough. He stormed onto the dueling field. "Yugi, wait!"

"Joey?"

"This duel's bogus," Joey complained. "I won't allow you to lose your best card to a cheat like him! I know what he's trying to do, he's…"

"Be silent, Joey Wheeler!" The Rare Hunter snapped. He held out the Red-Eyes Black Dragon card. "Or say good-bye to your precious Red-Eyes!"

"I don't care any more," Joey said shocking the Rare Hunter. "My friends are more precious than any card no matter how rare! Yugi, this guy, he has a monster that…"

"Joey, don't," Yami-Yugi said. "You must not reveal the Rare Hunter's strategy."

"Huh, why?"

"Don't worry, I'll defeat him." Joey was still apprehensive. "Joey, do you remember when Weevil threw my Exodia cards over the boat to Duelist Kingdom?"

Joey nodded.


"So these are the cards you used to defeat Kaiba." Weevil subtly positioned himself near the railing. "You know, for so long, I have been trying to devise a strategy to counteract Exodia. But I just couldn't think of anything. Exodia's just too powerful to face straight-out. Now, I've finally figured it out." Something in Yugi's gut told him not to trust Weevil, especially with the Exodia cards. "You see, while it's impossible to attack Exodia, it is possible to get rid of the cards directly, like THIS!" And like he was throwing a scrap of paper into the waste bin, he threw the Exodia cards over the side of the boat. "Say good-bye to Exodia!" Weevil cried with demonic laughter.

"NO!" Yugi cried. "Those are the Exodia cards that my Grandfather gave me!"

"You should always keep a stern hand on your possessions, you never know when you'll lose them," Weevil said. He laughed again and then walked away.

"Hang on, Yugi, I'll get them!" Joey volunteered and before Yugi could stop him, Joey dove into the ocean.

"Joey, no, it's not worth it!" Yugi argued.

In the water, Joey struggled to swim towards the first Exodia card at the same time keep his head above. He finally reached the first one. "Got it, just four more to go." Joey's head went under for a second then popped up again. He started to swim towards the next card.


"You risked your life there, Joey, not just because Exodia was the rarest card around, but because I was a friend in need. Joey, you risked everything to save my cards, now it's my turn to risk everything to save your card." Yami-Yugi gasped, recalling the boat ride to Duelist Kingdom triggered an epiphany. Wait a second, stalling for time, drawing cards, laying defense monsters at every turn, this is the exact same strategy I used when I was waiting for… Exodia! That's it, that's what he's doing! "I'm onto you, Rare Hunter!"

The Rare Hunter gasped.

"You're trying to summon Exodia, the Forbidden One!"

The Rare Hunter screamed. "No, how could you have figured it out?"

"Easy, you're not the only one who summoned Exodia. This strategy was the same that I used when I first summoned Exodia."

The Rare Hunter growled, angry that he discovered his secret without Wheeler telling him. "It doesn't matter, the fact of the matter is I'm on the verge of summoning Exodia and nobody can beat Exodia!"

"Perhaps not, but to save Joey's Red-Eyes, I'll be the first!"

To Be Continued


Duel Monster Database

(1)
Name: Beta the Magnet Warrior
Level: 4
Type: Rock
Attribute: Earth
ATK: 1700
DEF: 1600

(2)
Name: Stone Statue of the Aztecs
Level: 4
Type: Rock/Effect
Attribute: Earth
ATK: 300
DEF: 2000

(3)
Name: Berfomet
Level: 5
Type: Beast/Effect
Attribute: Dark
ATK: 1300
DEF: 1800

(4)
Name: Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts
Level: 4
Type: Beast
Attribute: Earth
ATK: 1500
DEF: 1200

(5)
Name: Chimera the Flying Mythical Beast
Level: 6
Type: Beast/Fusion/Effect
Attribute: Wind
ATK: 2200
DEF: 2100

(6)
Name: Gear Golem the Moving Fortress
Level: 4
Type: Machine/Effect
Attribute: Earth
ATK: 800
DEF: 2200