Chapter 32: The Qualifier, Elimination

Mai would always remember her first defeat at Duelist Kingdom. At the time, she'd already gathered four star chips, and her opponent was an obvious rookie who possessed only one—he hadn't even been invited to the tournament; he'd hitched a ride on a soft-hearted friend willing to split star chips. Mai had never seen an easier target, and she'd challenged the blond high schooler with almost bored bravado.

"What's your name, handsome?" she asked, batting her lashes in the way that made all the boys hit their knees.

But this stubborn boy remained standing. "Joey Wheeler. And I'll duel ya with everythin' I got."

She should have seen her loss coming from that moment, but she'd still been too blind to imagine it. He didn't do it alone—Yuugi Mutou shamelessly fed him tips and hints from the sidelines. Mai had encouraged it at first, laughing at the way her opponent couldn't even stand on his own, certain that little blond Joey could never defeat her even with the world's best coach at his shoulder. Joey fumbled his summons, gave away his strategies, and never showed a card with more than dime-store rarity. Yet his friends patiently cheered him on, and after each mistake, the boy brushed himself off and faced her once more with color in his cheeks and fire in his eyes until he finally emerged victor.

Over the course of three days at Duelist Kingdom, Mai learned more from Joey and his friends than from any past mentor or teacher. They taught her of kindness, friendship, and perseverance, of hard work and its rewards.

Yuugi was the most naturally gifted player she'd ever seen in a game, and at first, she imagined his friendship with Joey held him back, handicapped him as he bowed to carry another player. It took very few matches before she realized the truth—Yuugi could carry an entire world on his shoulders if it was for the people he cared about. Only for the people he cared about. Without them, he collapsed; she saw it in action after his defeat at Kaiba's hands, when he pushed everyone away until Anzu made him see sense.

Joey was no one. He showed no innate talent in Duel Monsters, even struggling to the point it was painful to witness. Anyone else would have brushed him aside or gently told him to find another hobby—certainly Kaiba was always quick to trumpet how out of place Joey was on a dueling field—but Yuugi coached him anyway, and not with reluctance or passing interest, but with enthusiasm and faith. Mai watched from the sidelines in amazement: With just that little bit of guidance, Joey blossomed. In a tournament of the world's best, although his head was always dipping underwater, he didn't drown.

"Why do you teach him?" she asked Yuugi once, after they reunited during the finals.

As if it were obvious, Yuugi said, "Because he wants to be taught."

"Have you considered, mon cher, if you teach too well? Only one champion may win any competition."

She expected him to brush the thought off, perhaps say Joey might improve but never that much.

She should have known better.

Yuugi smirked. "One day, Joey will be a better duelist than I am. I expect it. In the meantime, I'll win what I can."

All her life, Mai had been surrounded by greed and jealousy. It was in her parents, who climbed corporate ladders and left the raising of their child to a budget nanny. It was in her school friends, who attached themselves to her for gain and detached themselves for the same. It was in her boyfriends, her coworkers, and it was certainly in her mirror. She was never heartbroken at someone else's loss—even orchestrating it where she could—and she certainly didn't celebrate anyone else's victories.

But Yuugi and Joey did. Even though she was a threat to their standings in the tournament, they helped her recover her lost star chips from one of Pegasus's hired player killers. Even knowing one of them would duel her come morning, they laughed with her the night before the finals. And even after Yuugi defeated her in the penultimate match, he looked at her with no less respect. Joey shared his sympathies at being Yuugi's "duelin' victim," confiding in her that his own losses had reached triple digits, so she was at least worlds ahead of that. Not one snide taunt, not one pretended sympathy hiding a secret joy. Just genuine friendship, regardless of outcome.

Mai had never expected a chance to pay that back, but she saw it now in Battle City.

The old Mai would have taken advantage of Joey's crushed spirit. But the new Mai did not want an easy victory, and more than that, it pained her to see him shrink after how far he'd come. Joey's self-esteem was more important to her than the win, and if she was going to have a win, repairing his confidence had to come first.

Otherwise, it would be no win at all.

So she played The Unfriendly Amazon [2000/1000], a monster which required a tribute each turn to remain on the field. She sacrificed the first of her harpie sisters to it, and when her next turn rolled around, she sacrificed another.

"What are you doing, Mai?" Joey ground out, his voice taking a metallic edge in the confines of the tower.

"We are at a standoff, mon cher," she said. "Until you promise your best effort to win."

She saw in his face that he still felt undeserving, so on her next turn, she sacrificed her third harpie, leaving only her Amazoness Fighter and The Unfriendly Amazon on the field. He was still hiding behind his scapegoats. The duel was stagnant on both sides.

"Your harpies are your favorite!" Joey burst out. "You can't—"

"I can do as I please with my monsters." She stared at him evenly. "And there is no card that matters as much to me as you do, my friend."

He looked away. "You can't . . . baby me. I lost, fair and square."

"Actually, you have not. The match is ongoing, and by the lifepoints, it is anyone's game."

"You evened the lifepoints."

"Indeed, I did drag you back to my level when you were very much in the lead. I hope you will accept the handicap with grace."

The corner of his lips twitched. Progress.

"As soon as I knew you were a finalist," she said, "I could not leave Battle City without a match between us. It will take all my skill to beat a focused Joey Wheeler, if it is even possible. As a duelist, I must know."

"I made a fool of myself," he muttered, so low she almost didn't hear it across the space.

"Perhaps." She smiled. "But is your finest trait to never fall?"

Another twitch. "Nah. I ain't ever been good at that. Only good at gettin' up again." He pulled something from his pocket, stared down at it in his hand. "I'm the underdog."

Mai smiled. "May I now have a focused Joey Wheeler for my match, s'il te plaît?"

When he looked up, it was with the same stubborn fire he'd shown in Duelist Kingdom. He clenched his fist. "Sorry I kept you waitin'."

From the platform below, his sister cheered, along with a jab from Tristan that it was "about time."

"Then it is my turn." Mai's smile widened. "In earnest."

She played the field spell Amazoness Village, giving all Amazoness monsters a 200-point boost to attack power. It also allowed a once-per-turn effect of special-summoning a monster from her deck in exchange for one sent to the graveyard.

"Boy, you ain't goin' easy on me." Joey gave what seemed to be a nervous grin, but the fire was still in his eyes. Win or lose, he was fighting, which was all she'd hoped for.

"I am not an easy opponent," she said coolly. "You should know."

She sacrificed her Amazoness Fighter to keep The Unfriendly Amazon on the field. As it slid into her graveyard, her Duel Disk lit up with the phrase optional summon. She pulled Amazoness Princess [1200/900] from her deck, reshuffled, and summoned the new monster in defense mode.

"My princess's special effect also allows me to add a spell or trap from my deck to my hand."

She pulled the quick-play spell Amazoness Call into her hand and shuffled once more.

"I saw this strategy when you used it against Dice-boy," Joey said. "You're gonna fill up your side of the field with monsters and overwhelm me."

She didn't bother to warn him that her deck had many strategies. He would soon find out.

"All I gotta do to stop you"—Joey grinned—"is make sure you don't get that Amazoness Queen on the field."

"You may try." She ordered her two monsters to attack, and they each took out one of his scapegoats. "Turn end."

Mai had no intention of losing, just as she'd had no intention of losing in Duelist Kingdom. If she did, she would be disappointed, but she would also be happy for her friend's progression.

And she knew that if she won, the same would be true for Joey.

Even after he got his head back in the game, it wasn't an easy victory for Joey. Mai's deck was full of more surprises than he'd imagined from her duel in the semi-finals. He managed to stop the summoning of her queen only to discover the queen wasn't her strongest monster at all—there was an Amazoness Empress to worry about. An empress with 2800 attack, which went up to 3000 thanks to her field spell.

3000 attack points—as much as one of Kaiba's prize white dragons. And all he had was his Jinzo [2400/1500] to deal with it.

In a normal duel, he would have been toast. She would have chainsawed right through his lifepoints and gutted him. But since it was the backwards Qualifier they were playing, sheer power wasn't the deciding factor, and that gave him a chance. His lifepoints were at 2100; hers were at 1700. They were both stepping carefully to keep the other person from dropping to zero first. Dancing on a minefield.

He could think of only one way to win, and it was a gamble from start to finish. Every gamble he'd taken in the Qualifier so far had blown up in his face—quite literally. But he was who he was, and his deck hadn't been built to play it safe.

So he stuck his hand in his pocket, gripped the good-luck pig for all he was worth, and then drew a card, praying it would be the one Duke had given him.

It wasn't, but he wasn't beaten yet. He already had Graverobber facedown on the field; he'd meant to use it to steal Mai's Gallant Gift and send her back up to full lifepoints. Now he had a riskier plan.

"I play Foolish Burial," he declared, slapping down the spell card he'd just drawn. His deck ejected so he could choose a card to bury.

"Sending a card from your deck to my graveyard." Mai clucked her tongue at him. "Foolish indeed."

"Is it?" He smirked and pressed the button for Graverobber. "That card I just gave you? I think I'll steal it back."

He held up Orgoth the Relentless [2500/2450].

Betting the whole duel on a card he'd never before used—it was a Joey Wheeler move to the very core.

"I'll sacrifice my Jinzo and Rocket Warrior to summon Orgoth to the field in attack mode."

The looming swordsman stepped onto the field, light reflecting from the gold trim on his armor. In bulk alone, he was three times the size of Mai's empress, and the blade of his sword was as tall as Joey. His winged helmet covered his face, but a pair of yellow eyes gleamed from the darkness behind the visor.

"I recognize that card." Mai leaned forward. "You have been trading with Monsieur Devlin."

"Actually"—Joey glanced down and saw Dice-boy grinning from the platform below, one arm around Serenity—"it was a gift."

Mai raised her eyebrows. "No matter. I have beaten little Orgoth before, and I shall again."

"Not if he ain't fightin' you." Joey wanted to reach for the lucky pig again, but he kept his focus on the field. It all hinged on this. "I activate his special effect."

Three dice appeared on the field. Once per turn, Joey could use the dice to power up Orgoth. But he wasn't looking for power right now. If two of the dice rolled the same number, Orgoth gained a second effect. If all three rolled the same, he gained three.

Joey needed all three effects, so he had to roll all three dice the same. It was do or die.

I can't lose now, he thought. He'd fought so hard on the streets of Battle City, defeated a woman who could literally see the future in the semis, all to make it to the finals. He couldn't lose on the last step before the line.

He thought of his dad's sneer, of his slurred laugh. "Think you're good enough?"

One way to find out.

Even though Mai had helped him, even though he hated the thought of kicking her from the tournament. Even so, he had to keep fighting.

Because Joey Wheeler had something to prove.

"Roll the dice," he said.

They dropped to the field, tumbling and crashing into each other. The first one landed on a two. The second tipped on its side, hovering. Then it settled as a two.

Joey's eyes burned and his throat choked.

Because the third die was also a two.

Because he'd gotten everything he'd hoped for.

Because there was one step left—

—and he was good enough.

Thanks to the dice, Orgoth's attack rose to 3100. In a normal duel, he could have beaten Mai's empress if not for the facedown trap she had on her side of the field, just waiting to destroy any attacking monster. That was why Joey had needed the first of Orgoth's additional effects: the one that made it so he couldn't be destroyed by battle or card effects. The second effect gave Joey two additional cards. The third effect, the clincher, allowed Orgoth a direct attack.

In a normal duel, Joey would have directed it against Mai, and it would have wiped out her remaining lifepoints. But it would do the same to him, and in this backwards duel, that was exactly what he needed.

"He can only direct attack the opponent!" Mai protested.

"Not according to the rules, ma'am," Fuguta said. "Direct attacks are conducted against players. There is no specification that it can only be opposing players."

"Unbelievable." Mai shook her head, but there was a bit of a wry smile on her face.

"Sorry, Mai." Joey swallowed. "This is it."

She activated her trap, even though they both knew it was useless. It shattered. But Joey hesitated to declare the attack.

"You earned it," Mai said.

She'd pulled no punches on the field; he knew that. But if she hadn't rallied his spirit in the beginning, she could have had an easy victory.

"Thanks, Mai." He swallowed again. "For bein' a real friend."

She smiled. "You earned that, too."

It wasn't an easy victory, but Joey ordered the attack. His cart rose through the ceiling, and as it did, he heard Fuguta make the call—Mai Valentine was the eliminated player. Joey Wheeler moved on to the finals. Serenity and his friends cheered for both him and Mai. In his heart, Joey did the same.

And when his cart came to a stop, he swung the railing open, stepped out, and climbed the stairs to the roof.

To the Battle City finals.

Note: I think I'm starting to get my feet under me again in terms of schedule and writing time. I feel comfortable planning biweekly updates now. Hopefully after a while of that, I can get back to every week. Thanks for reading! Did the duel turn out how you expected?