The Nutty Buddy has returned. I'm very sorry about the long delay for this.Life just sorta took over and I couldn't get to this at all, between summer hours getting ramped up at work, trying to transfer to Towson (I do have an associate's degree now, applied arts and sciences), family obligations, and perhaps most importantly, the Women's World Cup. So glad to see the United States as World Champions for Women's soccer. USA! USA! USA! But that's enough about me. Here's the chapter you've all been waiting so long for. Take it away Joey!
Joey: The following is a non-profit fan-based fanfiction. Yugioh, Yugioh GX, Yugioh 5D's, and Yugioh Zexal are all owned by Konami, 4Kids Entertainment, Toei Animation, and Kazuki Takahashi. Please support the official release!
Chapter 21: The Gambler and the Time Traveler
It had been a frustrating day for Joey Wheeler. The search for Yugi had proved fruitless and judging by the number of Kaibacorp agents still roaming the streets, Kaiba hadn't been found either. Both he and Tristan Taylor had been going through all the back alleys, trying desperately to find anything about where Yugi might have gone and any connection with a Crimson Dragon. Now, with the sun setting in the distance, they were resting at a local smoothie shack, plotting out their next move.
"Man, I don't think Yugi's in the city anymore," Tristan said, sipping his smoothie while Joey watched the streets with a keen eye.
"What makes ya say that?" Joey asked, not taking his eyes off a biker guy as he rode around the corner.
"Well, we haven't seen any sign of Yugi despite checking out most of the city. If anybody has kidnapped them, I'd think they'd want to get out of the city as soon as possible to get distance between any rescue parties," Tristan explained.
Joey sighed, watching some Kaibacorp agents accosting a young woman for anything about the missing Kaiba. "Yeah, you're probably right. But why kidnap them? And who's this Crimson Dragon guy? The only thing I've heard about this thing is what Tea found online, which was an ancient legend about it fighting some sorta stuck in the ground undead creatures."
"Yeah, but that legend originated around here," Tristan pointed out. "Maybe it's coming to life now and it needs Yugi and Kaiba to save the world once more."
"But then why wouldn't he grab me as well?" Joey asked, pounding a fist into the railing, "I'm just as good a Duelist as rich boy! Why not take me to wherever he took Yugi as well?"
"You'd probably just make things worse," Tristan teased.
Joey whirled around. "How have I ever made anything worse? I almost took out Marik for cryin out loud!"
"Easy there," Tristan said defensively, "I mean, that dragon did say something about you facing the 'forces of darkness'. You don't think someone brought back the Oricalchos?"
Joey shrugged. "I doubt it. Hermos would've returned to me by now and we'd be seeing freaky green lights everywhere. Naah, this is something new, something weird, and I'd go all in saying Yugi and Kaiba are smack in the middle of it." As he turned around to face the road again, he saw another young woman riding a tricked out black motorcycle pull up to the smoothie shack.
"Jeez Joey, you're sounding darker than miss gloom and doom over there," Tristan commented, noticing the woman as well. She wore a black trench coat that failed to hide her black jeans, black and gray combat boots, and a dark gray tank top. The woman took off her black helmet to reveal long black wavy hair, including a bang that covered her right eye.
"Don't compare me to some Gothic princess," Joey said dismissively, noticing the heavy black eye shadow she wore. "I'm being realistic here. These guys are good and we gotta keep on the lookout for any sign of trouble."
"We don't even know what we're looking for!" Tristan stated, "How will we know if we've met someone we have to take down?"
"I'm sure we'll know them when we see them," Joey said confidently.
"Know who?" a strong female voice said behind them, startling both of Yugi's friends. Joey turned around quickly to see the young woman from the motorcycle standing behind Tristan, who nearly fell out of his chair in surprise.
"It ain't none of your business," Joey said once he regained his composure.
"You're also looking for Yugi Muto." the woman said, glaring at him. It was a statement, not a question. Joey found himself looking up at her, as she stood a few inches taller than him, though he suspected that she was being helped by her boots.
"So what if I am?" Joey asked warily. The way she carried herself reminded him a lot of Kaiba, which didn't ease his fears.
"You're the famous Joey Wheeler," she said flatly, looking him over.
"That's me!" Joey said, grinning. She was still giving off a bad vibe, but anyone who called him famous couldn't be that bad.
"Good," the woman said with a grim smile. "I know where Muto is."
"Really?!" Joey was ecstatic. "Just point the way and we can take it from here! Thanks Miss…uhh, who'd you say you was again?"
The woman chuckled. "My name is Mika, not that it matters. I will have to guide you there."
"Hold on just a second," Tristan interrupted, glancing at her suspiciously, "Let me have a moment to talk with my friend." He pulled Joey away from the dark woman. "Are you nuts man?!"
"What's wrong?" Joey asked, "She knows where Yugi is!"
"Or it could be a trap!" Tristan countered. "A random Goth woman walks up and offers to take you to a friend who went missing the night before. That doesn't seem suspicious to you at all?!"
"Obviously she knows me," Joey said confidently, "So she knows not to mess with me." He indicated the Duel Disk on his arm. "And if she is crazy enough to take me on, ol' Red-Eyes here will mop the floor with her no problem."
Tristan sighed. "Joey, sometimes I really question your logic."
"Hey, this could be our only chance to find Yugi! Maybe he'll need our help before all this madness is over."
"I know, which is why I'm going with you," Tristan said, placing his hand on Joey's shoulder. "For Yugi."
"That's the spirit!" Joey said with a grin, returning the gesture before facing Mika. "Alright lady, lead us to where Yugi is. But no funny business, you got that?"
Mika smiled, though there was very little warmth in that smile. "Very well then. Follow me." With that, she strode off, pausing only to grab a black and gray Duel Disk off her motorcycle before striding off down an alley. "Try not to fall behind."
The two friends exchanged glances before running after her, as she walked surprisingly quickly, taking advantage of every stride. "Yo, wait up!"
Seedy part of Domino City, Later to Become the Satellite
"The Crimson Dragon brought Yugi to this dumpy part of town?" Joey asked, looking around warily. He avoided this part of Domino for a reason.
"Yes, Yugi is in the Satellite," Mika said, "Much to the Master's chagrin."
"The Master?" Tristan repeated.
"Is he the guy who's behind all of this?" Joey demanded.
Mika smirked to herself as she led them into an alley, the streetlights coming on as the last light from the sun sank below the horizon. "Yes, I suppose he is." She continued halfway down the alley before stopping.
Joey stopped about ten yards behind her. "So, where is he? Where's Yugi?"
"I do this for you, brother," Mika said to herself, clasping the silver locket around her neck before turning around. Joey didn't like the look in her eyes. "Yugi's right here. In fact, I do believe he's Dueling someone related to you, Wheeler."
"That's impossible," Joey laughed, "Serenity doesn't Duel and nobody else in my family knows much about Duel Monsters. Besides, I don't see any monsters flying around, so nobody's Dueling. What gives?"
"This is the exact spot where Yugi is Dueling Thomas," Mika declared.
Joey was confused. "I don't know nobody named Thomas in my family."
"Stop lying and give it to us straight!" Tristan ordered. In response, Mika raised her right arm, the arm without the Duel Disk attached. Her trench coat sleeve fell down to reveal a mark on her arm. It began glowing a dark silver color. The same symbol suddenly appeared in the sky, a dark silver kanji that read-
"Vengeance?" Joey said quizzically, "The heck is that supposed to mean?"
"It's a trap!" Tristan shouted as a silver firewall encircled the three of them. Several men and women in black cloaks, wearing silver skull masks stepped out of the shadows, further trapping the group inside.
"What'd you freaks do to my pal?" Joey demanded, "I want answers!"
Mika's smirk was gone, replaced by a serious look that could sober up even the giddiest of children. "Silence dog! It is not your place to be demanding answers!"
"Watch who you're calling a dog, ya emo nutcase!" Joey warned. He was spoiling for a fight now with this turn of events.
Mika's response to that was to narrow her eyes in a fierce glare. "I will tell you this. It's no longer a matter of where Yugi is Dueling. It's when."
"Stop with the cryptic riddles!" Joey groaned.
Tristan was quick to grasp her meaning. "Joey, I think she means that Yugi's in another time altogether."
"You mean to tell me we're dealing with time travel?" Joey complained, "Isn't life complicated enough already?"
"Never," Mika answered, "The Master loves to bring chaos. I'm but an agent for him. I was sent here to stop you Wheeler, as the Master feels your destruction will prove vital to defeating Yugi as fights with the Signers against the Chaos Movement!"
"I'd hate to meet this Master guy if he's using wackjobs like you," Joey shot back. "So you used some weird time travel stuff to get Yugi out of the way, big deal. You still have to deal with me; Joey Wheeler, the Godfather of Games!"
Mika's mouth twitched in a half smile. "Thomas loved to talk about that title. Now it's time to put it to the test." She placed her Deck in her Disk and held it up, an action mirrored by Joey on the far side of the firewall while Tristan eyed the goons on the other side of the firewall carefully.
"I don't like this man," he said, taking a spot out of the way of the Duelists but as far away from the silver flames as he could.
"Neither do I Tristan, but it ain't like we got much of a choice," Joey replied, "Time to show this Gothic princess she messed with the wrong person."
"Let's Duel!" both Joey and Mika shouted as they drew five cards.
Joey LP: 4000 Mika LP: 4000
"You may have the first move," Mika said, glancing at her hand before returning her stern gaze to Joey.
"Thanks, I guess," Joey said as he studied his hand. These six cards weren't the opening hand he was hoping for. "Guess I'll Summon Panther Warrior in Attack mode!" A purple humanoid panther wearing a green cloak and wielding a wicked curved sword appeared, growling like only a panther can.
Panther Warrior: Atk 2000, Def 1600, LV 4
"Hey, it's Lt. Commander Puss Puss!" Tristan commented with a knowing smile.
"Ahh shad up!" Joey said wearily, "Just cuz Duke let you play a were-panther for his new Dungeons and Dragons game doesn't mean you gotta call my Panther Warrior that!"
"You're just mad I beat you in a PvP," Tristan teased.
"Give it a rest already!" Joey growled, "Those twenty sided die aren't as good to me as the six sided dice. I put two cards facedown to end my turn."
Mika was silent as she drew a card, calculating her strategy within her head. "Since you have a monster on your side of the field and I don't, I'm allowed to summon this monster without any penalty. Come forth Cyber Dragon!" A metal limbless dragon burrowed up from the ground in front of her and roared, the dim light gleaming off its silver skin.
Cyber Dragon: Atk 2100, Def 1600 LV 5
"Yo, Tristan, you ever heard of a Cyber Dragon before?" Joey asked, taking in this new monster.
Tristan just gave him a look. "You're asking the wrong guy."
"Just thought I'd ask."
"Next, I summon Green Gadget to the field in Attack mode as well!" Mika announced. A green humanoid being made of gears and other metal parts appeared, ready for action.
Green Gadget: Atk 1400, Def 600, LV 4
"And since I summoned this Gadget," Mika continued, "I'm allowed to add Red Gadget from my Deck to my hand." She picked the card out of her Deck and let her Disk reshuffle it.
"Hope you have a plan Joey, cuz it looks like you're about to take some damage!" Tristan warned.
"Hey, I know what I'm doing!" Joey snapped.
"Cyber Dragon, attack that Panther Warrior!" Mika commanded. "Flash Cannon Attack!" Joey watched fearfully as the metallic dragon unleashed a silvery beam of energy that struck the snarling Panther Warrior and left a pile of ash where the cat man had been.
"Not Puss Puss!" Tristan shouted in dismay.
"Owww!" Joey yelped as he felt the sting of Life Point loss. He grasped his shoulder in pain briefly before the agony faded, just as briefly as it had arrived.
Joey LP: 3900
"First off, don't call him Puss Puss," Joey snapped, rubbing his shoulder to sooth the aching muscles that had protested the shock of pain. "And second, what the heck was up with that attack? It felt like it was real!"
"These Duels are for real!" Mika stated, "Thanks to the power of the Master, this is truly a Duel where we put everything on the line. It is how it should be!"
"I've dealt with this shtick before," Joey grumbled, "Getting real tired of it too. I mean, come on! You have all this power and you put it towards making us feel the attacks from Duel Monsters? Why can't you freaks come up with something new?"
"You mean like a giant firewall?" Tristan pointed out, holding back a smirk.
Mika cut off Joey's retort. "Now Green Gadget, attack his Life Points directly!" A green aura appeared around Green Gadget's fist as the little machine man charged at Joey.
"You aren't attacking my Life Points that easily!" Joey announced, "Not when I activate my Scapegoat Magic card! Now I get four Scapegoat tokens to protect my Life Points!" A blue, yellow, red, and pink little goat-like balls of fluff appeared in front of Joey, hovering in front of him as if nothing were going on.
Scapegoat Tokens: Atk 0, Def 0, LV 1
Green Gadget hesitated when the Scapegoats appeared, then continued forward and punched the red Scapegoat, destroying the little creature. Mika simply frowned as her Machine type monster returned to her side of the field.
"Then it looks like I'll have to place a couple of cards facedown and end my turn," she said
Joey smiled at her, trying to rile her up as he drew a card. "You think that you can take out the Godfather of Games that easily? Come on, you're looking at the guy who placed in the top four in Battle City. When the guys who beat you are either your best friend, some freak turning Duel Monsters into a Shadow game, a lot like you and your Master are doing, and a rich boy with an overinflated ego, you're definitely a contender!"
"With that obsolete Deck of yours, I'll be surprised if you take away even half of my Life Points," Mika shot back. "You may be pretty good in this time, but you're fighting against someone who has left your era of Duel Monsters far behind!"
"I dunno what that's supposed to mean," Joey said with a confused shrug, "But hey, whatever floats your boat! I'm gonna start by Summoning Marauding Captain in Attack mode!" A battle-scarred fighter in full plate armor and wielding two long swords appeared in front of Joey, the blades crossed in an X in front of him as he stood ready for battle.
Marauding Captain: Atk 1200, Def 400, LV 3
Joey watched Mika for any reaction, but all he got was another fierce stare down from her. "And since I Summoned him, I can Summon another Warrior monster from my hand. Let's go Rocket Warrior!" A green rocket flew down from the sky and transformed into a little warrior wielding a small shield and sword.
Rocket Warrior: Atk 1500, Def 1300, LV 4
"Now Rocket Warrior, activate your invincible mode!" Joey shouted, "Attack that Cyber Dragon now!"
"Thomas did say this was a favorite strategy of yours," Mika commented as the little green rocket man transformed back into his rocket mode and flew towards the metal dragon, slamming into it with an explosion. Both monsters were still standing when the smoke cleared, though Cyber Dragon looked a little worse for wear.
Cyber Dragon: Atk 600
"Who's this Thomas guy you keep talking about?" Joey asked, perplexed. Mika remained silent, which prompted Joey to continue. "Fine. Don't answer me. Rocket Warrior just took away 1500 Attack points from ol' metal mouth over there, which leaves him wide open for an attack from my Captain! Go Marauding Captain and take out that Cyber Dragon with your Twin Sword Slash!" The seasoned warrior charged, blades held in front of him as he jumped high into the air, intending to come crashing down on the weakened Cyber Dragon.
"I activate my Trap," Mika said simply, "Interdimensional Matter Transporter."
"I remember that card," Joey said wearily, flashing back to his battle for the bronze against Kaiba in Battle City. "Looks like your dragon's gonna survive another turn."
"Very perceptive of you," Mika said, a hint of sarcasm in her tone as the weird machine appeared and zapped the Cyber Dragon out of existence just as the Marauding Captain came down with a thud. The warrior looked around, wondering where his target was before he shrugged and wandered back over to Joey's side of the field.
Joey rolled his eyes. "You sure you aren't related to rich boy Kaiba somehow? Eh, whatever. I play one card facedown. That'll end my turn."
"Since that's done, Cyber Dragon now returns to the field, good as new," Mika noted. Her Transporter flashed again, projecting a portal that spat out the Cyber Dragon, back in its pristine condition as Rocket Warrior's effect wore off. As Cyber Dragon announced his return with a roar, Mika drew a card and studied her hand.
Cyber Dragon: Atk 2100
"Time to kick this Duel into overdrive," Mika said to herself, playing a card on her Disk. "I now Summon the Tuner monster Quick-Span Knight in Attack mode!" A little wrench-shaped robot assembled itself in front of her, a little wrench in its hand as it posed in an offensive position before settling on the field.
Quick-Span Knight: Atk 1000, Def 800, LV 3
Joey, once again, was confused. "What da heck is a Tuner monster?"
"You're about to find out!" Mika shot back in response, "Because I Tune my level 3 Quick-Span Knight with my level 4 Green Gadget!" Quick-Span Knight faded from existence, leaving behind three shining stars. Those stars turned green and expanded out into rings, surrounding the Green Gadget as the little robot man dissolved into four more stars.
"And once again, the bad guys go and change the rules on us," Tristan commented, shielding his eyes from the light as the four stars aligned in the rings and erupted into a brilliant white light.
"From unknown metals in the stars above, crafted by minds this world has never seen," Mika chanted, "The ultimate weapon comes down from the heavens to spell your doom! I Synchro Summon Dark Strike Fighter!"
"Synchro what?" Joey asked, confused as the light faded.
"Synchro summon," Mika repeated.
"What summon?"
"Synchro summon," Mika repeated again, irritation creeping into her voice.
"What what?"
"Synchro. Summon." Mika said, very irritated now. "It's where-"
"Hold up," Joey interrupted, a cheeky grin on his face. "I seemed to have stopped caring when you went and changed the rules on me like that. So tell me, where's your Monster? Or is this Synchro Summon thingy of yours not all it's cracked up to be?"
"Wait for it," Mika said with a dramatic pause. Joey gave her a look before yelping in surprise as a futuristic orange and blue fighter jet armed to the teeth with various weapons zoomed by overhead, the sonic boom making everyone's teeth rattle. Dark Strike Fighter then circled around the field and hovered over to where Mika was standing. Joey was further amazed when the jet transformed into a humanoid robot and struck an offensive pose.
Dark Strike Fighter: Atk 2600, Def 1800, LV 7
"So Joey, you think this thing is an Autobot or a Decepticon?" Tristan asked, unable to help himself.
"I don't care what alignment that thing has!" Joey shouted, "I'm taking it down no matter how many times you try to change the rules!"
"Brave words are all you have left!" Mika declared with a flourish, "Now, watch as I wipe out that Marauding Captain when my Cyber Dragon attacks!" The silver snake-like dragon charged forward and bit down on the grizzled veteran, destroying the Captain instantly. Joey was buffeted by the shock wave, but weathered the pain without much difficulty, being an old hand at these types of Duels.
Joey LP: 3000
"That the best you got?" Joey asked with bravado, "Come on, Marik was tougher than this!"
Tristan, as always, brought Joey back down to reality. "Marik was also the final boss. Something tells me this chick's only a minion."
"Aren't you just a little ray of sunshine?"
"Now I attack that Rocket Warrior with my Dark Strike Fighter!" Mika announced. "Sonic Boom Attack!" The Synchro monster transformed back into his jet form and flew high into the air. There was a loud boom as it quickly broke the sound barrier and made an attack run on the little green warrior in front of Joey.
"Big whoop, so your fancy machine's a fast flyer," Joey said nonchalantly, "It's still not fast enough for my Magic Arm Shield Trap card!" Rocket Warrior's shield turned from green to white and a compartment opened up, a spring-loaded white arm extending out and grabbing onto Cyber Dragon. The metal monster roared in protest, but was unable to resist as the shield dragged it in front of Rocket Warrior. Several missiles came from the sky, fired by the Dark Strike Fighter and struck the struggling Cyber Dragon, destroying that machine instead of the Rocket Warrior. Mika growled in frustration at her foiled attack as the Dark Strike Fighter flew down from the sky and transformed again, oblivious to what it had destroyed.
Mika LP: 3500
"I'll end my turn," Mika announced.
"Looks like there isn't too much rule-breaking going on then," Joey commented as he drew a card. His frown was all Mika needed to see in order to allow herself a small smirk of satisfaction. "Looks like I'm stuck Summoning Battle Warrior in Defense mode, then switching Rocket Warrior into Defense mode as well and calling it a turn." While his Rocket Warrior crouched down, shield at the ready, a blue man in a battle suit appeared next to the Rocket Warrior, crouched down and holding his arms in front of him protectively.
Battle Warrior: Atk 700, Def 1000, LV 3
"Pathetic," Mika said, drawing a card. "First, I'll Summon Machina Gearframe to the field in Attack mode!" An orange and white slender robot with hands a couple sizes too large for its body appeared, ready for action.
Machina Gearframe: Atk 1800, Def 0, LV 3
"This could be trouble," Tristan commented, "Hope that facedown of yours can stop her."
Joey rolled his eyes. "I'm working on it. I've got Scapegoats in the meantime."
"Not for long!" Mika countered, "Because My Gearframe's special ability lets me add a Machina monster from my Deck to my hand. I'm adding Machina Fortress from my Deck to my hand!"
"Fat lot of good that'll do ya this turn," Joey noted.
Mika's face told another story. "Not if I activate it's special ability. I discard Machina Megaform to the Graveyard in order to Special Summon my Machina Fortress directly to the field!" The image of a robot armed with a giant cannon and several tank treads, indicating its ability to transform into a tank, appeared above Mika before being absorbed into the card she currently held. Another robot formed on the field, this one looking a lot like Machina Megaform, only in tank form and brighter blue and red colors.
Machina Fortress: Atk 2500, Def 1600, LV 7
"Now to get rid of your defenses," Mika snarled, her hand going to her locket again. "First things first, I activate Machine Assembly Line!" The ground started rumbling within the firewall as large, blocky machines began to grow. Tristan was dislodged from his position by one of the rising machines as several assembly lines began connecting the larger machines to one another. Scrap metal began to appear on the conveyer belt as the factory began production. Tristan was stuck on top of one of the machines, a good twenty feet off the ground, but was otherwise unharmed.
"This is nuts!" he yelled, shying away from a sudden burst of smoke from a nearby smoke stack as the assembly line swung into full production, encircling the two Duelists with all the machinery.
"What's with all the fancy gizmos?" Joey asked, looking around.
"This Magic card increases the Attack of all Machine-type monsters by 200," Mika answered, "And it has a few more powers that don't come into play until later."
Joey watched as a silvery aura rose from the surrounding machinery and infused all four of Mika's machines, giving them power. "That doesn't sound good."
Dark Strike Fighter: Atk 2800, Machina Fortress: Atk 2700, Machina Gearframe: Atk 2000, Cyber Dragon: Atk 2300
"No," Mika agreed, "It's spells the beginning of the end for you. Machina Gearframe, start the Battle phase off by destroying that Battle Warrior!" The orange robot charged and punched the blue man, easily overwhelming his defenses and destroying Battle Warrior.
Mika continued her onslaught, no sign of mirth on her face at the destruction of her opponent's monster, no sign of any happiness for that matter. Joey could see the raw determination on her angry face. It wasn't the fiery anger that consumed most villains Joey had faced either. This was the cold anger, the kind that was the most lethal in his experience. "Now, go my Machines and take out his last three Scapegoats!" One by one, the little fluff balls were destroyed, the last one in a fiery explosion from the Dark Strike Fighter that knocked Joey off his feet.
"Hang in there man!" Tristan called from his perched up above.
"I'm fine!" Joey called back, getting back to his feet, "I didn't lose any Life Points from all of that cuz my Monsters were in Defense mode."
"Yes, but with eighty percent of your defenses destroyed, your Life Points won't be safe for much longer," Mika said. "I place a card facedown and end my turn."
'She's right,' Joey thought to himself, 'With one monster left, this next draw is gonna be huge. Come on heart of the cards, help a brother out, will ya?' He drew the card and looked at it, rolling his eyes. "Alright, I'll start by playing my Pot of Greed, which lets me draw 2 more cards."
"Like that's going to make a difference," Mika said with a dismissive glare.
"Trust me, tall dark and gloomy," Joey said with a grin as he looked at the two cards he drew. "these 2 cards are about to make a huge difference."
Mika's only response was to narrow her eyes. "How?"
"Like this! I Summon Gearfried the Iron Knight in Attack mode!" Joey shouted. The heavily armored man appeared next to Rocket Warrior, the silver firelight reflecting weirdly off his dark blue armor.
Gearfried the Iron Knight: Atk 1800, Def 1600, LV 4
"Gearfried," Mika repeated slowly, trying to place where she'd heard that name before. Her eyes lit up in recognition, as it was another one of the stories Thomas loved to talk about back at headquarters, especially when he had heard she was assigned to go back and take out Wheeler. "The swordmaster who feared his own power."
"Hey, you actually know the story behind him," Joey looked up in surprise, "Huh. There's more to you than meets the eye, isn't there?"
"You have no idea," Mika answered, glaring at him. 'This has potential to be a big problem'
"Well then, let's peel back those layers and see what you're all about then," Joey said, "I play the magic card Release Restraint, which lets Gearfried free from his armor prison." Cracks began to form on the Iron Knight as Joey continued. "I release you Gearfried! Come on out Gearfried the Swordmaster!" With that, the armor shattered with a brilliant flash of light, blinding Mika for a moment. She shielded her face from the shards of the broken armor and looked up to see a heavily muscled man with long black hair, a stern face glaring at her as he drew a simple katana from the sheath on his right hip.
Gearfried the Swordmaster: Atk 2600, Def 2200, LV 7
"Not bad," Mika admitted.
"It's about ta get worse," Joey said, "Because I activate my Lightning Blade to give it to my Swordmaster. I can only think of one monster that could use this sword better than Gearfried, but hey, it lets me use his special ability!" A silver broadsword appeared in place of Gearfried the Swordmaster's katana, crackling with electricity threateningly.
"Way to go Joey!" Tristan cheered.
"Now, not only does Gearfried get an extra 800 Attack points," Joey continued, "But he automatically gets to destroy one of your monsters!"
Gearfried the Swordmaster: Atk 3400
Mika remained impassive, which cause Joey to hesitate briefly before moving on with his turn. "Now Gearfried, use your power to get rid of that Dark Strike Fighter!" The well-built man nodded and charged, avoiding the machine gun fire from Mika's signature card before his arm seemed to twitch. There was a brief pause before Dark Strike Fighter jolted and began to slide apart, literally. The disemboweled robot sparked a couple of times before both halves exploded.
"No!" Mika shouted, calming down just as quickly as she had gotten riled up. "I'm sorry brother…"
Joey was confused at that last statement, but it didn't show for long. "Alright Gearfried, attack that Machina Fortress now! Sacred Sword Attack!" Gearfried turned his attention from the smoldering remains of Dark Strike Fighter and sprinted towards the tank-like robot, disappearing briefly he was moving so fast. Machina Fortress looked around frantically for its attacker before it felt the full power of the Lightning Blade right through its central processor unit. Gearfried had reappeared on top of the tank and had stabbed his sword into the tank, unleashing the electrical powers of his sword into Machina Fortress before he leaped off, the tank exploding behind him and knocking Mika to the ground with the shock wave of his attack.
Mika LP: 2800
"Nice one!" Tristan shouted from his perch, "Way to take those buckets of bolts apart!"
Mika climbed back to her feet with a little growl, face remaining as impassive as ever. "This Duel isn't over. Not by a long shot." On the machines as part of her Machine Assembly Line, Mika saw four lights turn on, indicating the Junk Counters that came when Machine monsters were destroyed, but she decided to keep a lid on that until she needed them later.
"Yeah, but its advantage Joey!" the gambler pointed out, "I place two cards facedown and end my turn!"
Mika drew a card, looked at it, and played it right away. "I activate Smashing Ground, which destroys the monster with the highest defense. So say goodbye to Gearfried the Swordmaster!" The ground underneath Gearfried rumbled and then split. The legendary swordmaster was unable to leap away as the chasm swallowed him whole. Just as quickly as it had appeared, the chasm sealed itself up, leaving Joey with one less monster.
"That's just not right," Tristan complained. Then, to everyone's surprise, Joey's phone rang. He fumbled in his pockets for a moment before fishing out the phone and looking at the caller ID.
"I kinda have to take this," he said sheepishly before answering the phone. "How's it going?" Pause. "Yeah, you could say that. I can see it too." Pause. Mika rolled her eyes and began her move, regardless if Joey was paying attention or not. "I'm actually standing right under it. Crazy huh?"
Tristan noticed Mika's moves and began trying to redirect Joey's attention to the more immediate danger. "Hey Joey!"
He remained oblivious. "Yeah, I'm kinda Dueling for my life right now. Some freaky Goth chick claimed she knew where Yugi was, she used some weird monster with a Synchro Summon," Pause. "No, I don't know what it was, but she's pretty good."
"Joey!" Tristan shouted again
He looked up in time to see Dark Strike Fighter land in front of Mika once more, fresh and ready for battle, alerted by Tristan's shout. "I'm gonna have to call you back. I got an emo chick to put out of her misery." Pause. "I promise I'll be careful."
"Are you finished yet?" Mika asked, scorn in her voice.
"Love you too Mai," Joey finished, hanging up the phone. He turned his attention back to the Duel in front of him. "And why the heck is that hunk of junk back on the field?"
"While you were talking with your girlfriend, I activated my trap Wicked Rebirth!" Mika answered. "By giving up 800 of my Life Points, I can resummon any Synchro Monster in my Graveyard at the start of my turn."
Dark Strike Fighter: Atk 2800, Def 1800, LV 7
Mika LP: 2000
"So it's back from the scrap heap, big whoop," Joey said nonchalantly.
"Let's see how cocky you are when I wipe out the rest of your Life Points," Mika challenged, "I'm going to attack your Rocket Warrior with Dark Strike Fighter!" The giant robot transformed back into his jet mode, but before he could fly off for an attack run, Joey intervened.
"We'll see about that!" Joey shouted, "I activate my facedown, Roulette Spider!" A giant roulette board appeared in the middle of the field, a comical spider perched in the middle. It extended its arms and grabbed the Dark Strike Fighter, dragging the fighter jet to the middle. An arrow jutted out from the spider and the board began spinning.
"What's going on?" Mika demanded, "What are you doing to my Fighter?! Answer me Wheeler!"
"I'm not doing anything to your Decepticon," Joey replied, "Sure, he might be a little dizzy afterwards, but I'm not stopping his attack. I'm just redirecting it to another target."
"What target?" Mika asked. She didn't like the sound of that.
"Whichever target the spider chooses, I guess," Joey said, shrugging. "It could be me, you, or one of our monsters. Now, you get to make the call on when the wheel stops spinning." A red button rose up from the ground next to Mika and she pushed it without delay.
"You sure about this Joey?" Tristan called from above, "This is a pretty big risk you're taking."
"Eh, I'd say it's 60/40 in my favor," Joey countered, grinning as the spider slowed down. His grin disappeared when he found the spider's arrow pointed directly at him.
"Looks like your plan backfired," Mika said triumphantly, "Dark Strike Fighter, attack Wheeler directly!"
"And now he's gonna lose," Tristan complained to himself, "I told him that gambling mentality was going to backfire on him sooner or later."
Joey ducked under the first missile Dark Strike Fighter launched at him and activated his other facedown. "Hey, watch it! I'm just activated Probability Change, which means we have to spin the Spider again! Thanks to that, I know for certain I'm not gonna find those guns pointing at me! But I can't say the same for you!" The roulette began spinning again, much to Mika's chagrin. She hated gambling in general, but gambling in a Duel was sacrilegious to game. She pressed the button once more, knowing the odds were not in her favor.
"Why must you always rely on luck?" Tristan asked with a hint of cheek in his voice. "You're more of a gambler than a Duelist."
"I'm winning, aren't I?" Joey shot back, "I didn't see you in the Battle City Finals, now did I?" The roulette spider was slowing down, pointing at Mika! Cyber Dragon! Rocket Warrior! It finally stopped on Machina Gearframe and Dark Strike Fighter fired its full payload. "See Tristan? I got this!" Machina Gearframe was wiped out instantly and a very dizzy Dark Strike Fighter transformed out of jet mode and staggered back to Mika's side. She was scowling at the results.
Mika LP: 1200
"I activate my facedown to bring back the Machina Gearframe you just forced me to destroy," Mika said, "Time Machine!" Sure enough, a crazy looking machine appeared in a flash of smoke and out stepped the Machina monster, looking good as new, though a little irritated at the turn of events.
Machina Gearframe: Atk 2000, Def 0, LV 3
"Now why don't you take out some frustration on that Rocket Warrior?" Mika said, "Go Machina Gearframe and attack with Hammer Arm!" Gearframe nodded and charged, both arms glowing white.
"This could be a problem," Joey said as Gearframe came crashing down on Rocket Warrior ala Hulk SMASH style, obliterating the little warrior.
"Now Cyber Dragon, attack his Life Points directly!" Mika shouted, "Flash Cannon!" All Joey could do was brace himself as the metallic serpentine dragon fired a blast of quicksilver energy right at Joey. His yell of agony echoed around the street and the attack left him smoking on the ground.
Joey LP: 700
"Now to add to the agony," Mika continued, sensing victory within her grasp. "I activate my Dark Strike Fighter's special ability!" Her Fighter stalked over to Machina Gearframe and absorbed the machine into itself. "Once per turn, by tributing my Machina Gearframe, Dark Strike Fighter can now deal an additional 600 points of damage to your Life Points!" The blue and orange robot then fired an orange laser that blasted Joey as he tried to get back up.
"Joey!" Tristan shouted, fearing the worst. "Oh man, Mai's gonna kill me if he loses this."
Joey LP: 100
"I wouldn't even bother getting back up," Mika said triumphantly as Joey struggled to push himself up. The sudden loss of his energy left him weak, but he couldn't give. Not when he was this close. "You're finished!"
"I've heard that shtick before," Joey grumbled back, raw determination giving him the strength he needed to get back on his feet. "And I'm not making the same mistake I made Dueling Valon and Mai back to back. I got enough in the tank to beat you."
"As if," Mika scoffed, "With one facedown that hasn't stopped a single attack and two cards in your hand, with that ancient Deck of yours there's no way you'll be able summon a monster strong enough to defeat me!"
"Why don't you end your turn and find out?" Joey challenged.
"It's not like I have any other moves to make," Mika said, "I end my turn. Enjoy your last turn while you can."
"It ain't over til the last card's been played!" Joey shouted, drawing a card dramatically. He looked at his hand, sighed, shoulders slumping.
"Looks like the last card's been played then," Mika said confidently. "Prepare yourself for oblivion Wheeler."
"I'm not done yet," Joey shot back, straightening up again. "It's just going to be a bit of a gamble. First I summon Blue Flame Swordsman in attack mode!" A column of blue flames sprang up in front of Joey and out stepped a warrior in blue armor wielding a deep blue sword, blue flames flickering along the edges of the blade.
Blue Flame Swordsman: Atk 1800, Def 1600, LV 4
"Fat lot of good that'll do you," Mika commented.
"He's just the sacrifice I need," Joey said, "Because I activate Star Blaster! I get to roll a die and whatever number I roll, I get to add one to it and summon a monster with that level to the field."
"Time to go big or go home," Tristan said, "Come on Joey, I hope you were right about the six-sided dice."
"Here we go!" Joey shouted, throwing his arm into the air, a big blue dice flying high into the sky. The die was cast. This was it. No turning back. It bounced once, twice, three times, spinning all the while. Mika's face remained impassive, even as the dice stopped spinning.
"Yeah!" Tristan shouted, "Six!"
"Which means I get to summon a Level seven monster to the field!" Joey announced. "Come on out, Red-Eyes Black Dragon!" Joey was satisfied to Mika's eyes grow wide as a column of red and black flames erupted in front of Joey. With a roar, Joey's favorite dragon burst out of the flames and hovered in the air by him, ready for battle.
Red-Eyes Black Dragon: Atk 2400, Def 2000, LV 7
"The original Red-Eyes," Mika breathed in awe, "I can't believe I'm witnessing it!" Raising her voice, she glared at Joey. "It's still not enough though, as it falls well short of my Dark Strike Fighter and even if you took out Cyber Dragon, I'd still have enough Life Points left to take you down!"
"I think you forgot about something," Joey snickered. At Mika's perplexed glance, he pressed the button on his Duel Disk. "I activate my facedown, Metalmorph! This gives my Red-Eyes an extra 300 Attack points!" Silvery energy swirled around the Black Dragon, encasing the beast with a silver armor that only added to the menacing look of the Red-Eyes Black Dragon
Red-Eyes Black Dragon: Atk 2700
"So that's what that facedown was," Mika said to herself.
Joey threw his fist into the air. "Now go Red-Eyes, take out that Dark Strike Fighter! Inferno Fire Blast!"
"WHAT?!" Mika shouted, bewildered. "It has less Attack points than my Fighter! Now you're going to lose the Duel!"
"That's what you think!" Joey said, a smirk on his face, "But Metalmorph also gives my Red-Eyes an attack boost equal to half of the Attack points of whatever monster he's attacking. Watch!"
Red-Eyes Black Dragon: Atk 4100
"Impossible!" Mika shouted, watching in horror as the Black Dragon opened his maw and unleashed a torrent of crimson flames that washed over Dark Strike Fighter, melting the robot into a puddle of metal. The power of Red-Eyes' attack was so great that her other two monsters were destroyed too. "NO!" The flames washed over her, the damage wiping out the remainder of her Life Points.
Mika LP: 0
Joey jumped around in excitement as the firewall faded, as well as Mika's Machine Assembly Line. Unfortunately for Tristan, this resulted in an unexpected plummet to the ground and he came crashing next to Joey. "Nice going Joey. Next time though, don't take out my only platform I was standing on."
"Hey, I didn't have much of a choice, now did I?" Joey snapped back, falling to a knee as the adrenaline wore off. He looked over to his opponent and saw she wasn't faring much better. She had her backup though, and they were supporting her as she limped away. "Hey, I'm not done with you!"
"But I am done with you," Mika snarled at him, "I made the mistake of underestimating you. I will not do that again. For now, you live." With that, she pressed a button on her wrist and her fancy motorcycle came roaring up.
"You think you can just run away from the Godfather of Games like that?!" Joey called, "What's the matter, not enough emo makeup or something? Or do ya have to go rest in your coffin for the night?" One of the minions wearing the skull mask threw a metal ball at Joey in response. The ball clicked open and it turned into a metal claw that attached itself to Joey's wrist, giving both him and Tristan a nasty shock. During the electrocution, another minion threw down a smoke bomb and with that, the enemies were gone. With an immense force of will, Tristan ripped the shocking claw off Joey and threw it against the wall.
"That could've gone better," he said simply as he and Joey sat against the alley wall to recover.
"Well, at least we know we got some guy named the Master to look after," Joey said with a grin, "And I'm willing the bet the farm that if we find him, we find Yugi." He looked down the alley as he heard the roar of another motorcycle approach. "Hey Tristan, I don't think I can go another Duel this time. How've your practice Duels been going lately?"
"I don't think we'll have to worry about that," Tristan replied, as he had the better viewpoint, "Though I think you have some explaining to do."
"Joey Wheeler!" Mai Valentine's voice rang out as the cycle's engines cut off, "You better not have lost that Duel!"
So yeah, there's our flash to the past chapter. Again, I'm very sorry for the long delay. I promise I'm not going to be the guy who creates such a well-received story and then abandon it halfway through. It'll be back to the future (hehe) for the next chapter, back to the main story. Hope you all enjoyed the chapter!
Response to Guest Reviews (in order with which they reviewed)
Guest 2: You'll have to wait and see for the new cards with which I plan to give a couple of our heroes. It will be an adventure, that's for sure.
Corina O: Well, what do you think?
Guest 2: Yami Bakura will not take part in this fanfic, nor will any of the Dark Signers (bar passing references, and of course Carly)
Guest: Glad you enjoyed the chapter, Ra is definitely going to be a challenge, for both me and our heroes, but I aim to do my best
MaleficKing: Ya gotta give me a couple of days to review the guest reviews. Some of them aren't so good for the public eye and I gotta sort them out from the good ones, not to mention I can't get to guest reviews right away. It'll help cut down on the double posts. As for the Red-Eyes cards, I found them (took bloody long enough), they certainly look interesting. Will they make it into Thomas's rematch? You'll have to wait and see, since I have a Red-Eyes Synchro planned (fan-made) as well as a few other cards. And Duel Network is something I know about, but unfortunately I never have the time to get on there. I'll try to find you sometime, if my boss ever lets up on my work hours, but I wouldn't get my hopes up. Until next time!
Animationlover24: shhh, I don't want to spoil any surprises
Thoughts? Questions? Concerns? Reviews are always welcome, as is any and all respectful criticism. As an author, I'm always looking to improve.
From your Nutty Buddy,
The Eagle Nut