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The Orichalcos Saga

Fanfic Chapter 204: Train Ride to Terror Pt 2: Fall from Grace
Episode Basis: On the Wrong Track Pt 2

Previously on Yu-Gi-Oh! The gang's train ride turned into another trap set by the Warriors of Doma. First Yami and Tea were separated from Joey, Amara, and Tristan. Rex cornered Joey who was forced to duel him using Amara's Duel Disk because his was broken. Weevil had a fun time taunting Yami about losing Yugi to the Orichalcos. Now the insect Duelist and the King of Games are battling on top of a moving train. Can Joey finish his duel in time to catch up to them?

The train was rapidly speeding down the tracks. Yami was certain it was ready to jump the track which made it all the more imperative that he wins this duel as soon as possible and get him and Tea off this train. But he didn't see how he could immediately win this duel. His Obnoxious Celtic Guardian, already turned into an insect by Parasite Caterpillar, had turned now into a cocoon meaning that until it hatched, it was worthless to both of them. He needed something different, he needed strong-arm tactics now.

"I play Polymerization," Yami said. "I fuse Gaia the Fierce Knight (1) and Curse of Dragon (2) together to form Gaia the Dragon Champion (3)!" The blue-armored warrior appeared riding the back of the skeletal dragon. "Gaia, attack his Leghul now!"

"You've fallen into my trap," Weevil said as he activated his trap card. "DNA Surgery, this trap card lets me change all monsters into insect monsters." Gaia the Dragon Champion sprouted antennae and bounced off of Weevil's web barrier.

"Come on, Pharaoh," Tea called. "You beat this creep once and you can do it again!"

"But he's much more powerful this time."

"Yugi," Tea muttered out of reflex.

Down the track, Joey's and Rex's duel had just officially started. But as Tristan pointed out, "You have three dinos breathing down your neck, Joey! Think of something before you become extinct!"

(J: 4000)
(R: 4000)

"Thanks for the words of encouragement," Joey said sarcastically.

"It's showtime!" Rex announced drawing a card. "I play Polymerization fusing Gilasaurus with Chitoptera to form Horned Saurus (4)!" A giant purple pterodactyl appeared. "Next I summon Giant Rex (5) to the field in attack mode!"

(HS: 2000-2500)
(GR: 2000-2500)

"Horned Saurus, attack Wheeler's life points directly!"

"Wait, how can you do that when he has a monster on the field?"

"Horned Saurus allows me to bypass your monsters and attack you directly." The air-born dinosaur dive-bombed Joey.

(J: 1500)
(R: 4000)

"That runt is kicking your butt!" Tristan shouted.

"Gee, thanks, Tristan, I hadn't noticed," Joey said sarcastically.

"Next I'll have my Giant Rex take out your Panther Warrior." The rex bit down on the panther.

(J: 1000)
(R: 4000)

"Gilasaurus, attack him directly!"

"Go, Scapegoat!" Joey commanded as four small sheep appeared. The yellow one had its body ripped apart.

"I always hated those hairballs," Rex grumbled.

"Well they always hated you too," Joey returned.

Tristan sighed relieved, "I thought you were a goner! Hey, how about a warning next time you plan to save yourself?"

"Joey was originally planning on using his Scapegoat tokens to allow his Panther Warrior to attack but when Giant Rex attacked he had to change his strategy," Amara said without looking up.

"Hey Amara, how about telling us something useful, like what's wrong with Joey's Duel Disk?"

"No clue, Kaiba's better at figuring this stuff out than I am. Best I can figure is there's a short circuit."

"But that doesn't make any sense," Tristan commented. "Joey's Duel Disk was working fine during his duel with Mai."

Joey thought back to the end of his duel with Mai.

Valon got on the ledge of the mezzanine and leapt off. "With this fragment of the Orichalcos stone, I unlock the seal!" Valon cried out. He punched the shield.

The shield exploded.

"That guy must've shorted it out when he jumped into the seal," Joey deduced. "Now I really hate that guy."

"Hello, I'm still here," Rex called.

The engine Yami, Weevil, and Tea were traveling on was rapidly approaching an overpass. "Duck!" Yami cried. Everyone hugged the surface of whatever they were standing on as the engine went under the overpass.

"Now that that's over," Weevil said standing. "Let's get on with the duel." He drew a card. "I play the magic card Cell Division which lets me make a copy of any insect monster on the field and I choose my Leghul." Two Leghul appeared in place of one.

"I'm not afraid of your 800 attack point monster," Yami said defiantly.

"I thought you would've recognized a good strategy when you saw it. I guess what I've heard was right. Without Yugi's help, you're nothing but a second-rate wannabe. Don't worry, once I win I'll lock your soul away right next to him where you two will be for all eternity!"

"You don't stand a chance, you miserable little cockroach!" Tea snapped.

Weevil chuckled, "Why thanks for the compliment, Tea-dear, the cockroach is the strongest insect around, it can even survive the apocalypse, which, for you, is right now!"

"Then stop talking and show us what you got," Tea dared.

"Tea," Yami muttered.

"Ask and you shall receive. I sacrifice Pheromone Wasp and Leghul in order to summon the mother of all insects, the Insect Queen (6)!" A giant spider with a vaguely feminine face appeared. "And now for her crown: the Seal of Orichalcos!" The seal appeared on her forehead and her eyes glowed red. She let out an angry hiss.

(IQ: 2200-2700)

"Insect Queen gains an additional 200 attack points for every insect monster on the field. And since we each have two that means she gains 800 attack points!"

(IQ: 2700-3500)

"Before she attacks, I'll have Leghul attack your life points directly!" The little insect clamped down on Yami's leg.

(W: 4000)
(Y: 1900)

"And now I'll sacrifice Leghul to have my Insect Queen attack your Dragon Champion!" After chomping the smaller insect in half, the Insect Queen spat acid and dissolved Gaia the Dragon Champion.

(W: 4000)
(Y: 1200)

With two insects gone, Insect Queen's attack points lowered. But she then laid an egg, which Yami and Tea saw in plain view.

"Gross," Tea said.

(IQ: 3500-3100)

"My prehistoric pets are going to walk all over you!"

"Oh please, I got more talent in my left nostril than you'll ever have."

"With the Seal of Orichalcos on my side, I got more power than you and your nostrils!"

Joey, Tristan, and Amara all put on disgusted faces. "Disgusting," Amara said.

"Too bad the Seal of Orichalcos doesn't make you smarter," Tristan added.

"On that note," Joey said drawing a card. "I play Rocket Warrior in defense mode and place two cards face-down. Tell me something, Rex, does this duel really that much to you? I mean sure I can understand if you wanted a rematch with me, but is it really worth risking your soul?"

"I know what I'm doing," Rex declared. "I'm earning the respect I deserve! Ever since you've knocked me out of Duelist Kingdom, I've been mocked, ridiculed, and humiliated! But that ends here! I'm tired of being a loser!"

Mai said something along the same lines, Joey thought. This Dartz guy must prey on people's insecurities by promising them power! "I end my turn."

Rex drew a card. "Horned Saurus, attack!"

"I activate my trap card: Magic Arm Shield." A shield with grabbing plungers at the end appeared and reached for Giant Rex.

"I counter that with my own trap card; Jurassic Heart. This cancels any trap card that targets one of my dinosaurs!" Joey's trap card was destroyed. Horned Saurus continued with its attack on Rocket Warrior. "Giant Rex, it's your turn!" Giant Rex stomped on one of Joey's Scapegoats. "Finally, Gilasaurus!" The Gilasaurus swallowed a Scapegoat whole then scampered back to its original position. Now Joey had only one Scapegoat left and he was staring down three (probably soon to be four) monsters. Rex set two cards face-down. "You're one attack away from losing your soul forever!"

Joey drew his card and smiled. It was Red-Eyes Black Dragon (7), the very card he won from Rex at Duelist Kingdom. And with a little luck, it could help him turn the tides. "I sacrifice my last Scapegoat to activate the magic card Star Blaster!" The monster that emerged looked like a cross between the Graceful Dice fairy and the Skull Dice demon carrying a half-red, half-blue die. "Star Blaster rolls a die and then I get to summon a monster whose level equals that number plus one." The combination fairy/demon rolled the die.

The die came up a six.

"Yes, now I get to summon a seven-star monster, so say hello, Red-Eyes Black Dragon!" The dragon emerged roaring. "And next I reveal my trap card Metalmorph which increases Red-Eyes' attack power by 300 points!"

(REBD: 2400-2700)

The dragon was suddenly decked out in armor. "As an added bonus, whenever he attacks a monster, he gains half that monster's attack points."

(REBD: 2700-3950)

"Red-Eyes, attack his Horned Saurus with Inferno Fire Blast!" The dragon launched a fireball which destroyed the dinosaur fusion monster.

(J: 1000)
(R: 2550)

Joey set a card face-down. "And that's it for me."

Weevil's cackling was getting on Yami and Tea's nerves. "My insects are slowly infesting the field. In a few more turns, you're bug bait."

"I don't think so," Yami said.

"Yeah," Tea agreed. "People like you will never win!"

"Oh, and what is a person like me?"

That question caught Tea off guard but Yami was quick to a response. "A greedy, power-hungry worm!"

"And what does that make you? Aren't you the one who wanted power so much you sold out your best friend for a taste of it? I saw your last duel; you were determined to win at all costs! You activated the Seal of Orichalcos even though you were endangering somebody close to you. That's what I call greedy and power-hungry."

"If you think you can win by playing your head games, you're sorely mistaken!"

"I'm just opening you up to the truth. And whether you realize it or not, it's causing you to doubt yourself!"

Yami gripped his shaking hand.

Tea noticed it. "Pharaoh," she muttered.

From the depths of Yami's graveyard slot, a white orb came out. The momentum of the train caused the orb to fly out of the slot. It struck then passed through the shield. It landed on the inside pocket of Tea's jacket.

"You're an endangered species now that Red-Eyes Black Dragon is here!"

"You have some nerve using that card against me! That dragon was my best card until you took it away from me!"

"You offered that card up for a bet! I won it fair and square."

"You have no idea," Rex said acidly. "You ruined my life!"

"How?"

I used to be a Regional Duel Monster Champion! At one time Weevil and I were the most famous Duelists in the country! We couldn't walk a block without being recognized. Admirers would give us their rare cards just for autographs!

Unfortunately, the fame didn't last. After my fall from grace, I became a joke! I was set to win the most prestigious Duel Monsters tournament ever! Instead I came out the laughing stock of the dueling world! Me and Weevil both! We were attacked by the same people who admired us!

"Ever since then, it's been one bad day after another. And it's all thanks to you!"

"Are you done yet?" Joey asked. Rex looked up surprised. "I'm sick of your sob story. You think you're the only one who's had a bad streak dueling? I've suffered a lot in my dueling career too. But you know what I just suck it up and move on. And over time, I used it to grow stronger! And unlike you, I don't need some stupid rock or a soul-stealing card to grow stronger!"

Rex just sneered at him. "You're even lamer than I remembered. Being the nice guy never works! Nobody really cares about others, in the end they'll all turn on you! Look at your friend the Pharaoh! He sold out his other half for power!"

"Don't you dare compare Yugi with you clowns!" Amara said fiercely. "Even under the control of the Orichalcos, he still has more dignity than you'll ever have!"

"Just for that, Yankee, I'm coming after you next. But first, let's put Wheeler out of his misery! I sacrifice Giant Rex and Gilasaurus to summon Tyrant Dragon (8)!" A giant four-legged dragon appeared.

(TD: 2900-3400)

Everyone had to duck again as the engine passed through a tunnel. As soon as the coast was clear, Weevil continued his verbal jabbing of Yami. "What's wrong, Pharaoh, feel like your life is spinning out of control?"

"That's enough!"

"Don't forget, two turns have passed since your Celtic Guardian was turned into a cocoon. It won't be long before it hatches and then you'll suffer the same fate as your little-friend Yugi."

I never meant for this to happen, Yami thought as he drew a card. "I play Kuriboh in defense mode." Kuriboh appeared and immediately sprouted antennae from its head. It scowled up at them irritated. "Then I'll set a card face-down."

"You're about to pay the ultimate price and I, Weevil Underwood, will become the next King of Games!"

To Be Continued

Duel Monster Database

(1)
Name: Gaia the Fierce Knight
Level: 7
Type: Warrior
Attribute: Earth
ATK: 2300
DEF: 2100

(2)
Name: Curse of Dragon
Level: 5
Type: Dragon
Attribute: Dark
ATK: 2000
DEF: 1500

(3)
Name: Gaia the Dragon Champion
Level: 7
Type: Dragon/Fusion
Attribute: Wind
ATK: 2600
DEF: 2100

(4)
Name: Horned Saurus
Level: 6
Type: Dinosaur/Fusion/Effect
Attribute: Wind
ATK: 2000
DEF: 1800

(5)
Name: Giant Rex
Level: 4
Type: Dinosaur
Attribute: Earth
ATK: 2000
DEF: 1500

(6)
Name: Insect Queen
Level: 7
Type: Insect/Effect
Attribute: Earth
ATK: 2200
DEF: 2400

(7)
Name: Red-Eyes Black Dragon
Level: 7
Type: Dragon
Attribute: Dark
ATK: 2400
DEF: 2000

(8)
Name: Tyrant Dragon
Level: 8
Type: Dragon/Effect
Attribute: Fire
ATK: 2900
DEF: 2500