Eliminator

Magicman: Nothing really to address, except to recap. Joey and Yugi/Yami are going at it. The dynamic duo have more lifepoints but Joey has one of his best cards on the field. Speaking of which, I left out the humour last chapter because I was building up to this one. You'll like it trust me. And now, for our feature presentation! (Turns to someone off stage) Hm? What's that? Oh for†Oh all right. Ahem. Let's all go to the lobby, let's all go to the lobby, let's all go to the lobby to get ourselves some snacks!

Tea thought that it was remarkable how well Joey could laugh evilly. "He must have picked it up from Pegasus or the other hunters." She said to herself.

"Hmm?" Mai asked, not really listening.

"Oh nothing."

But Joey kept laughing. "I bet you wish you'd never challenged me now, eh Yuge? One more attack like that and you're done!"

Yami said nothing. He just kept on his game face. "If you're done now I can take my turn."

"Not just yet." Joey set one card facedown. "Now you can go."

"Good, because I'm not finished with you yet."

Joey laughed again. "With what? You only have one card in your hand!"

Yami smiled. "It's just what I need. The magical Swords of Revealing Light!"

Joey growled as a row of gleaming swords dropped out of the sky, separating Freed from Yugi's lifepoints. "That won't protect you for long!"

"Just long enough, because I play the magic card I just drew. Card of Sanctity!"

"Ah jeez!" Joey pounded his fist on the holographic duelling board in front of him. "Now you get a whole new hand. What a drag."

Both players refreshed their hands and analysed strategies. Joey quickly decided what to do while Yugi and Yami were still debating. 'The swords won't hold forever and Joey is just waiting for us to weaken.' Yugi pointed out. 'We should try and protect ourselves.'

'I'm way ahead of you Yugi' Yami agreed and selected a card. 'This should work fine. We can summon a monster and destroy Freed at the same time.'

Yami selected a magic card. "I'll play the magic card Brain control, which lets me take over your 'Matchless General' for one turn!"

As the spirit slapped down the magic card Joey grinned. "I'm afraid you just wasted a good card Yuge" he taunted. "That's the second of Freed's special abilities. Any magic card that specifically targets him is negated and destroyed. Sorry pal."

Freed shrugged off the mesmerising magic of Brain Control and Yami frowned. "That was unexpected" he muttered. "We'll have to be defensive. So I'll play Gazelle, the King of Mythical Beasts in defence mode and one card facedown. Then I'll end my turn."

Joey snorted. "Hiding behind a weakling, eh? Well I can handle that. I draw my card, not activating Freed's special ability and summon Chaos Rider Gustaph (1400/1300)." The armour-clad biker appeared with a cloud of smoke as he gunned the engine of his machine. "And now" Joey said, "I can't attack so I'll just have to wait a few turns to clear your field of that ridiculous beast. Then you'll be wide open for Freed to finish you off!"

Gustaph gunned his motorcycle and it flipped up onto one wheel. For a few precious seconds it remained still, showing off.

"I think not!" Yami fingered his facedown Negate Attack trap card.

Joey rolled his eyes. "You can't hide from me forever you know! I'll set one card and end my turn."

"Good. It's time to turn things around." Yami drew and eyed his hand and grinned. "The perfect magic card!"

Joey grumbled. "Well that's irritating."

"It should be, because I'm playing Monster Reborn, bringing back Gamma the Magnet Warrior (1500/1800) in defence mode."

Joey looked confused for a moment. "He could have destroyed my chaos rider. Why didn't you attack?"

"Because I have plans for him, and when they're finished no monster in your deck will be able to stop me!"

"Strong words" Joey sneered. "Can you back them up? I doubt it! Now, if you're done I can get on to earning my pay."

He would have said more but a shriek interrupted him. The two duellists and their spectators all blinked and stared out into the forest. The whirring of an engine was cutting through the air, punctuated with vicious shattering sounds like branches being ripped from their foundations. 'What the Hell?' was on everybody's mind.

"Go right!" the voice yelled, panicked. "Go right! GO RIGHT GO RIGHT GO RIGHT! AAGGGHHH!"

A golf cart travelling at impressive speeds bounced into a rotting log and soared majestically into the air. Tea, Mai and Tristan scattered as the vehicle struck the ground with impressive force. Somehow the frantic driver managed to keep it from flipping and it continued its insane careening path until a disgruntled oak tree decided enough was enough and brought to the joyride. The golf-cart flipped into the air, spilling its two female passengers, before it crashed down on its side and spun its wheels ineffectually.

Tea just stared at the two girls in amazement. "Serenity???" Hurrying over to where Joey's sister lay dazed, the brunette knelt down next to her and put her hands on the younger girl's shoulders. A few shakes restored the crash victim to full consciousness and Serenity blinked a couple of times at Tea. "Am I dead?" she asked finally.

Tea blinked herself then grinned. "No but I don't blame you for thinking so. That was quite a crash. Are you okay?"

Serenity nodded slowly. "I think so."

"Good." Tea helped Serenity up and set her on her feet.

The other girl sat up dazedly and waved a hand. "On the odd chance that anybody particularly cares, I'm okay too."

Joey blinked then grinned and waved. "Hey Shannon! You're just in time to watch me cream Yugi here!"

Shannon waved a little dizzily. "That would be great Joey, if you'd all stop spinning in circles. I never saw Swan Lake but I'm sure this is ruining for me." She shook her head fiercely, sending high-lighted blonde hair swirling about her head like a green and golden cloud. She paused and squinted around her. Finally she nodded in satisfaction. "That's better. Hi Tea!" She waved and jumped up, scampering over to Tea. "What's up? Who're your friends?"

Tea grinned. "This is Mai Valentine. She's the one I told you about."

"Ooh! Simon's girlfriend!"

Mai had the decency to turn slightly pink. "I wouldn't say girlfriend exactly" the blonde demurred.

"Suuurrreee" Shannon drawled.

Tea laughed. "And the guy who looks like he's head over heels for you is Tristan."

Tristan was indeed fawning over Shannon, making the cute eyes and smiling like a fool. "Hello" he managed in a quiet voice. "I love you."

Shannon smiled and shook her head slightly. "Sorry but you're not my type."

Tristan fell face first into the dirt and showed no signs of getting up. "Lost" he moaned to himself. "Lost"

Shannon sweat dropped. "Is he alright?" she asked Tea, who shrugged.

"The poor guy just has no luck with girls. First Miho, then Serenity and now you. It's almost like he's under a curse." She leaned over and whispered into Shannon's ear. "Care to join the betting pool? We've all got bets on how long this will last."

"I just might at that."

Serenity overheard and put her hands on her hips. "That's not very nice Tea!"

Tea shrugged helplessly. "I know I shouldn't pick on Tristan. But I can't help it! He's so tease-able."

"That's no excuse!" Serenity folded her arms and 'hmphed!'

Shannon grinned to Mai and stage whispered, "I've said it before. They're so cute!"

Mai looked oddly at Shannon's grinning visage. Tristan continued to moan 'lost' from his position on the ground.

Joey gave Yugi a weird look. "You ever get the feeling that you're being ignored?"

"Sometimes, yes." Yami admitted. "It always bugged me, which was probably the point."

"Well then we may as well get back to business. I think you just ended your turn?" Yami nodded. "Then I'll go." Joey drew. The girls, seeing as how the duel was back on, quickly returned their attention to the match.

"I can't get rid of your swords yet, so I'll just wait on it. Your move."

"And I'll summon Alpha the Magnet Warrior (1400/1700) in defence mode, and place one more card facedown. Your turn."

Joey drew and shrugged. "I'll pass this turn too. Your swords are history pal, and so are you!"

"You've yet to prove that. Remember that I still have more lifepoints, and it's my move." Yami drew. It wasn't the card he needed though. He wasn't worried though. His defence was set. Freed wouldn't break through and the chaos rider wasn't strong enough to be a threat. His three monsters would hold until Joey slipped up. 'Then we'll have him Yugi' Yami thought. 'And this will be over.'

While Yami was thinking, so was Joey. 'Two magnet warriors on the field, hmm? I've heard about those guys. If only I can just remember what it was!' instead of clunking himself on the head in an attempt to jog his memory, Joey let out a big grin and drew his card. It never hurt to bluff a little. "Gotcha now Yuge! It's time to chop up your defensive monsters. So go Freed the Matchless General! Destroy Alpha the Magnet Warrior!"

As Freed drew his sword, Yami thrust out a hand. "Stop right there! I activate my trap card, Negate Attack!"

"To swallow my attack whole, yeah I know. But I can't let you do that, so I'll play Self-Destruct Device!" Joey waved a hand and a small box with a blinking red light appeared on the field. With a rush, it attached to Joey's face up Ultimate Offering trap. The red light flashed brightly and exploded.

"In case you didn't know what my trap does, I'll tell you. Self-destruct Device negates and destroys any one card at the cost of one card of mine. And the card I'm destroying is your Negate Attack." Joey finished just as the smoke cleared. "And so, Freed continue your attack!"

"Not likely!" Yami flipped his second facedown card. "Go regulation of Tribe! Stop all warriors from attacking!"

Chains lashed out, wrapping around Freed and Gustaph and preventing them from attacking. Yami smiled. "And this is a permanent trap, as long as I sacrifice a monster each of my turns."

Despite the fact that his monsters were ensnared in a trap Joey appeared unworried. "If you're so confident that you can win, then go ahead. I'm done anyway."

"Good."

"Go get him Joey!" Shannon screamed from the sidelines. "Show him what it means to be an eliminator!"

Joey gave her the V-sign and grinned. "Not a problem Shannon. He's all mine."

"Ha!" Yami drew just the card he needed. "First I'll sacrifice Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts to keep my trap card on the field." Gazelle exploded into tiny pieces and the chains remained strong. "Next I'll play Beta the Magnet Warrior (1700/1600), to complete my puzzle. I have all three of the magnet warriors on the field so I can now summon my unstoppable creature!"

"Oh yeah?" Joey snapped. "Bring it. I'm ready for you!"

"Not for this. Now my Magnet Warriors, I command you to assemble! Merge together to form the great and powerful warrior Valyrion! (3500/3000)!"

With twists and transformations, Alpha, Beta, and Gamma slowly combined together into a mass of interlocking limbs and shiny metallic surface. Finally the merging was finished and Yami smirked. "This is my strongest monster Joey!" he gloated. "Valkyrion the Magna Defender."

Joey shrugged. "Ah he's not so tough."

"I beg to differ. There are only a handful of monsters that can approach his power, and only Gate Guardian and Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon have more than he." Valkyrion drew his mighty sword and planted his feet onto the ground. Even Freed shook at the impact. Yami considered. "Now I'll attack Chaos Rider Gustaph. You should never have played that monster Joey. Now you'll lose all your lifepoints!"

Valkyrion attacked with a flashing sword. But a vortex materialised, swallowing up the attack. A sinister little man popped up on the field and cackled evilly as he showed off the card he had stolen from Yami's graveyard. Yami smiled ruefully. "Grave Robber. I should have known. You do love that card."

"Like a cousin!" Joey pumped his fist in the air, pleased at having staved off defeat for a turn.

"Yay Joey!" Shannon cheered. She glared at Tea, Mai, Serenity and Tristan. "Come on you guys. Show some spirit here!"

Tea looked uncomfortable. "We want to, but Yugi's our friend too. We're kind of in a tough spot here."

"Sheesh! Talk about indecisive." Shannon sighed. "Okay then, I'll just have to do it all myself. Go get him Joey! Smack him down! Break his proverbial legs! Take his lifepoints! Ra ra ra! I know you can beat him, King of Games or not!"

Yami blinked. "Joey is she really for real?"

Joey grinned fondly at her. "Yep! Now to do as she suggests and get on with kicking your butt!" He drew. "It's go time! Take this! I sacrifice Chaos Rider Gustaph for Summoned Skull (2500/1200) in attack mode!" Joey played another card as his skull demon arose from its place of darkness. "Next I'll play Dragon Nails, which lets me power up a dark type monster by six hundred points!"

A pair of steel gloves adorned the skull's bony hands, sending its attack points up to 3100. "Finally" Joey said, I'll play Book of Moon to force Vakkyrion into facedown defensive mode!"

The mystical book flashed its power and Valkyrion was suddenly switching into defence mode. "I think not!" yelled Yami. "Magnet warriors separate!"

The three components of the Magna defender split apart to avoid the magical attack. Now Alpha, Beta, and Gamma were all in defensive postures facing off with two of Joey's strongest monsters. Joey grinned. "I think I've got you here buddy! Go Freed and Summoned Skull! Take out Alpha and Gamma!"

"Yay Joey!' Shannon cheered.

And just like that Yami was left with Beta the Magnet Warrior. But for some reason or other, Yami was smiling. Joey scowled. "Hey Yuge, I've just busted up your defences. Show some terror here."

Yami laughed. "I'm not afraid because you haven't seen the last of Valkyrion. I have a magic card called Premature Burial, and I'm paying 800 lifepoints to bring him back!"

"Oh no!" Joey watched with growing horror as the giant monster ripped throught he ground, its shiny metal armour now tarnished and streaked with dirt. Its eyes glowed evilly and its sword looked as wicked as ever. Yami smiled. "Okay Valkyrion, get rid of Freed the Matchless General. I don't want him messing up my plans anymore!"

Slash! Valkyrion tore through Joey's general with a vengeance. Joey (550) shielded his face with his hands as best he could. Yami wasn't finished though. "Now I'll summon Obnoxious Celtic Guardian (1400/1200) in defence mode! Now even if you break through Valkyrion's sheer fire power I still have him to block your attacks! And you know just how hard he is to kill."

"Cheater!" Shannon howled. "Cheatercheatercheater!!!"

Yami sighed in exasperation. "Will you shut up?! You're getting on my nerves!"

"Hey!" Joey snapped. "Don't yell at her!"

Shannon waved a hand. "Don't worry Joey. He's just mad because no one is cheering for him. Tea and Reni and the others don't want to take sides because they're friends to both of you. But I barely know you Mr. I'm-the-great-king-of-games! So I'm rooting for Joey!"

Joey was taken aback. "Dude, that's harsh."

Yami flinched from the verbal attack. It was true, he realised. He was missing a crucial element that always helped through his duels. The support of his friends. Without it he feltâ€almost afraid.

"Just go" Yami hissed, his nerves starting to fray. "You still won't be able to beat me. My monster makes Blue Eyes White Dragon look like a weakling!"

Joey smiled at the note of desperation in Yami's voice. "It's not over yet tough guy." He drew. "Sweet. This could pay off big time! I play the magic card Treasure of Destiny!" A treasure chest popped up on the field. "This lets me draw a random number of cards, if I remove that number of cards from my deck."

Yami tensed. 'This could be bad Yugi' he thought. Yugi didn't answer him.

The treasure chest opened up revealing the number three. "Alrighty then, I just have to remove three cards in exchange for drawing three cards. Just one second, ok?" Joey drew his cards then selected three from his deck. These he put into his jacket pocket and he checked out his hand. He frowned slightly at a certain card. "I don't remember putting this in my deck."

Shannon grinned. "So you found it? I stuck it in there before you went out for the day. I thought you could use it."

"Really?" Joey's eyes lit up as a killer combination revealed itself. "Shannon, when I win this duel I am so going to kiss you!"

"Yay!"

"Alright Yuge, get ready for a pummeling! Shannon's magic card is going to take you down." Joey slapped down his magic card. A curious white mist, almost resembling an ancient warrior rose up on the field. It drifted toward the Summoned Skull and merged with it, giving a new energy. Now it seemed to glow.

"What is that?!"

"It's a magic card called Kishido Spirit! This card makes it so that when two of our monsters with the same strength fight, mine will always come out on top! And I'll play another magic card called Kinght's Title, transforming my Skull into a warrior! Finally, I'll play A-Forces! Now all my warriors gain 200 extra attack points for each warrior on the field." The combination of three cards transformed the skull into a dervish of destruction. Armour and a helmet clad every inch of its sinister body, the steel dragon nails covered its fists, the glow of the Kishido Spirit infused its being, and the magic of A.Forces powered him up even further. The stage was set for the attack.

"Lighting Battle Sword!"

The Skull formed a sword of lightning. He swung furiously, slashing the grave born magnet warrior to shreds. Yami growled to himself and thought fast. He had no real useful cards in his hand and two monsters that didn't stand a chance.

"The game isn't over yet Joey! My turn." Yami drew. 'Bait Doll. This card is useless now!'

Yugi chuckled strangely. 'I always thought Joey would beat us some day' he thought to Yami. 'Especially after the Duellist Kingdom finals.'

'We're not finished yet Yugi. We still have two monsters on the field.' Yami's statement sounded flat to his own ears. Things were pretty bad.

"My move Yuge!" Joey drew. "I play Fissure, destroying your Obnoxious Celtic Guardian!" The magic card shook the earth, opening up a rift beneath the Celtic warrior's feet and swallowing him up. Joey pointed. "Now my Summoned Skull, destroy Beta the Magnet warrior!"

Another slash of the skull's lightning swords. Valkyrion itself had been devastated by the attack. Beta didn't stand a chance. Lightning charges snapped and crackled in the air as Joey's skull stood victorious again. Joey observed the frustration on Yami's face. "I think this is your last turn buddy" he said quietly. "I gotta say, it's been an honour duelling you."

"No! It's not over!" Yami drew desperately. "There must be something I can do."

'Let it go Yami', Yugi sighed. 'We don't have the cards to win now.'

Yami scanned his hand desperately. Bait Doll? Ragnarok? Imperial Order? None of these would work! 'It can't be over†I can't lose.' The thought was desperate.

Yugi seemed to smile. 'It happens to everyone. Even the pharaoh. Think of it this way. Wouldn't you rather lose to Joey than Kaiba or Pegasus or Weevil?'

Silence. Yugi continued. 'Let's switch Yami. I think it might be easier on you.'

'No, you're right' Yami said depressed. "I won't hide from this" he murmured aloud. Slowly he placed his hand upon his deck. "You win Joey. I surrender."

It was quick and dignified. There was no gloating on Joey's part, and no cheers. Yugi just handed over his five star chips and Valkyrion the Magna warrior. Joey looked at the card morosely.

"Yuge, I-"

"I'm sorry Joey." Yugi sighed. "Yami and I shouldn't have snapped at you like that. We shouldn't have challenged you and we should have just accepted that you have a right to your own path."

"It's not that simple Yuge." Joey scuffed the ground with his foot. "I just eliminated you from the tournament. How am I supposed to forgive myself of THAT?"

Yugi smiled. "It's only a game Joey. You've said that before."

Joey blinked. Then the ghost of a smile might have crossed his face. "Yeah, I guess so."

"JOEY! YOU DID IT!"

Shannon tackled Joey to the ground, glomping him with all her might. She beamed up into his eyes adorably. "You know what this means, right?"

"I do recall a certain promise I made, right around the time I played Kishido Spirit." Joey grinned pleasantly. In response, Shannon kissed him enthusiastically.

Yugi, Tristan, and Mai sweatdropped. Tea grinned at Serenity bringing the younger girl to a blush. "They look cute together, don't they?"

"Master, there has been a development in the plan."

Marik blinked, disturbed from his quiet contemplation. "What is it? Good news?"

Odion bowed low. "I do not know sir. But the hunters have reported that the pharaoh was defeated in a duel."

A sharp intake of breath was Marik's only response. Odion looked up, worried. "Master?"

"Thisâ€complicates things." He said finally. "According to the ancient scriptures the pharaoh must be defeated to unlock his power and take his millennium item. The puzzle was not taken?"

Odion shook his head, throwing shadows against the walls in the torchlight. "No master" he said. "The victor was an eliminator. I know not his name, but they have no need of the puzzle. Only star chips and a card were taken."

"But still the pharaoh was beaten." Marik mused quietly for a moment. "The legends and scriptures do mention something of this" he spoke slowly. "The one who defeated the pharaoh must in turn be defeated. He becomes a gate keeper, so to speak, his skills and spirit set by the gods to protect the pharaoh himself. If this eliminator is not crushed then I will never take the power of ancient Egypt."

Odion bowed. "I shall instruct the hunters on Duellist Isle to target Pegasus' eliminators."

"Of course. I must inform our friends in the dark of this. We may have to alter our plans. If we prove unable to defeat this guardian then we might have to resort to more conventional methods."

Marik brooded in his throne room long after Odion left to carry out his orders.

Magicman: Dun dun dun!

Smokegirl: KNOCK IT OFF!