Matching Ancient Forces
Now that everyone was present, it was time for the next duel to be decided. The selector activated and the first sphere was released. Printed on it was the number two and that was Joey's number. The second sphere to be released had the number seven printed on it, which was Odion's. He still used Marik's name, but it was what he and his master wanted.
Joey's facing Marik, Emily thought to herself. No denying that scoundrel plans to use his Millennium Rod to change the game and make things work in his favor. Joey's just going to have to be ready for anything.
But this was what Joey wanted; to get back at the man who tried to turn him against his friends. But he needed to keep it together and control his rage. It was time to begin the duel, but Joey kept growling and shuffling his opponent's deck. Finally, both duelists returned their decks and took their positions on the arena.
Serenity looked down. "I hope Joey's okay," she said, noticing his behavior.
Then Téa remembered. "Serenity, this is your first time watching your brother duel, isn't it?"
Max smiles and places her hand on Serenity's shoulder. "With you cheering him on, there's no way your big brother will lose," she promised.
Joey began shooting his mouth off, promising to take out his opponent in nine turns. All of his friends were used to hearing Joey talk nonsense. It was natural for him to say things of uncertainty when angry or enraged. Odion wasn't intimidated. He reaches back and takes out the Millennium Rod.
I knew it! Emily wondered. That coward can't battle on his own, so he intends to use his Millennium Rod!
Joey was scared at first, but he got it back together. "Point that somewhere else and duel like a man," he demanded, not wanting to go through the hell he was put through again.
"Very well," Odion said, placing it in his belt.
"Look, Marik-," Joey interrupts himself and asks, "Did you say, 'very well?'"
Emily sighed of relief. I guess Marik realizes by now that Joey's too strong for his control. That's why Joey broke free last time.
The true Marik watched in pleasure. Thing were going according to plan as his minions would continue to fight his battles for him. But he still had some concerns about the ancient struggle being played out again. Kaiba also played a significant role in the ancient past as one of the greatest sorcerers in Egypt. He even possessed the Millennium Rod as well. So Marik decided to keep a close eye on Kaiba as he was doing to Yugi and Emily.
Mokuba remembered that Marik was the leader of the Rare Hunters and probably possessed dozens, maybe hundreds of rare cards in his disposal. Kaiba wondered the same thing, but there was really only one rare card he cared about and that was the final Egyptian God card. He secretly hoped that Joey would last long enough in the duel for the card to be played.
Mentally, Marik warned Odion to duel with caution. He remembered that Joey was stronger than he took him for and if Odion couldn't defeat him, he wouldn't have a chance against Yami. But Odion promised his master that he would defeat Joey.
As for Joey's friends, they had their uncertainties about how the duel would go. He never even took back his Red-Eyes Black Dragon. Joey was a strong duelist, but he's never faced an opponent like Odion before and after seeing the evil acts Marik committed, neither of them could be trusted.
Joey's rage turned into misguided hope. He thought to himself that if he defeated Marik, he would fulfill his promise to his friends and help them save the world. Thinking about it made him lose his grip on the cards in his hand. The wind carried them, but he managed to catch them in his hands and even in his teeth.
This was already embarrassing. "Hey, Joey," Duke called. "You might want to actually hold on to your cards for the duel."
"Come on, you big fool," Emily groaned, "What are you doing?"
"You guys, Joey needs our support. Nice catch, big brother!" Serenity calls to him. She just couldn't help being positive. It was a good thing, but it wouldn't last.
Joey places the cards back in his hands. He was starting to have second thoughts on his opinions about dueling in the sky with the unpredictable weather. He makes his first move and summons Gearfried the Iron Knight in attack mode. Odion made his move by playing a field card knows as Temple of the Kings. An ancient sanctuary appeared behind him, guarding the treasure of the pharaohs and holding many secrets. It had the power to limit the number of spells and traps Joey could play in a turn. The rest of its powers would soon be revealed. Odion ended his move by placing two cards face down.
It was plain to see that Joey had no idea of the power he was up against. The Temple of the Kings possessed many secrets and that seemed to be everyone's concern. But right now, he needed to focus on the issue at hand. He looked at the cards in his hand and assumed he had a plan that would bring him in a blaze of victory. One of the cards was Giant Trunade and that gave him an idea. He would build up his arsenal and let his opponent play more spells and traps. After that, he would activate Giant Trunade to send all the spells and traps on the field back to Odion's hand, including the Temple of the Kings. With no defenses, Odion would be vulnerable to attack and Joey would win the duel.
The first monster Joey summoned to build up his arsenal was Little-Winguard. As he predicted, Odion played more cards face down on the field. Now he had four more spells and traps to protect him. The next monster Joey summoned was an armored falcon with 1000 attack points called Hayabusa Knight. Altogether, his monsters had 4200 attack points, more than enough to take out Odion's life points. He was ready to put his plan into action and activate Giant Trunade. But it wouldn't be so easy. The effect of Joey's card came to a halt and ended. It turned out that Joey's card activated a dangerous trap that could destroy it. But that wasn't all that happened. The trap was called Judgement of Anubis. The Egyptian lord of the dead would drag all of Joey's monsters to the netherworld and take half of their attack points from Joey's life points. Now Joey had 1900 life points remaining. Trap cards are the most tricky and most dangerous cards in the game and Joey learned that the hard way.
Joey didn't want Odion to sense his fear, so he put on a convincing act by claiming to deliberately fall victim to his trap so he could test his opponent's strengths and weaknesses. But Serenity was the only one who seemed to be convinced. "I knew it! Joey had this planned the whole time!"
Max knew Serenity couldn't help being optimistic, but she needed a reality check. Will someone please buy this girl a clue?
Even Mokuba could tell that the others weren't convinced. Still, he had to give Joey credit for being able to keep it together and staying strong. The only thing Kaiba would ever give Joey credit for was being all talk and no action.
Now that Joey knew what he was up against, it was time for him to get serious. But it was still Odion's turn and he ended his move by placing two cards face down. Joey was becoming irritated that Odion still hadn't summoned a monster. Not that there was anything he could do about it. There wasn't a rule in the game that prohibited players from playing nothing but spells and traps. He just summoned Alligator's Sword in attack mode and played a card face down. Odion drew his card, but ended his turn without playing a card. Joey could see that Odion was trying to lure him into attacking, but didn't want to force himself to become a victim. So Joey made the same move by drawing a card and passing. But he only did that because he wanted to when he knew he could have made a different move. Odion did the same thing once again.
Joey was fed up and didn't care what kind of traps would be sprung if he attacked. So he summoned Rocket Warrior and ordered it to attack. One of Odion's traps was activated. It was the Eye of Wadjet, forcing Rocket Warrior under Odion's control and being sent back to attack Alligator's Sword. Because the monsters had equal attack points, they would destroy each other. But Joey activated Fairy Box. Rocket Warrior landed in one of the holes, only to miss attacking as Alligator's Sword emerged from another hole.
Joey's trap spared both of his monsters, but once again, he fell victim to another trap. Joey was half right when he assumed that Odion's deck didn't contain many monsters, but it also contained a card that had the powers of a trap and a monster. The trap monster was called Embodiment of Apophis and Odion had three of them on the field. They were serpent-like warriors with 1600 attack points.
Right now, Joey's first priority was protecting his life points. They were low and the serpent warriors could take them out with ease. He played a card face down and switched Alligator's Sword to defense mode. All three Embodiments of Apophis were declared to attack. Joey revealed his hidden card Scapegoat, but all four sheep tokens disappeared once they showed up on the field. Odion activated another trap called Magic Jammer and removed a card from his hand to destroy Joey's magic card. With his only two monsters gone and having to face a direct attack, Joey was down to a sparse 200 life points. As he was recovering from the attack, it became clear to him that he was no match for his opponent. Joey was about to place his hand over his deck to forfeit.
"Don't even think about it," Max said to him.
Joey slightly turned to face her. "Why not?"
"The Joey I know never gave up when the odds were against him and I'm not about to see him do such a stupid thing now. You continued to fight until the very end. You've worked too hard to get to the finals and you're not about to throw it all away. If you do, you'll always be remembered as a runner-up instead of a champion."
Thinking about what Max is saying, Joey remembered how tough the rest of his opponents were in the tournament and how he never gave up.
"Joey!" Serenity cries out. "You can still win!" She approaches the arena and continues, "I don't know anyone stronger than you and you inspire me every single day. If it hadn't been for you, I wouldn't have gotten my sight back. Not because you came for my surgery, but because you gave me the courage to go through with it. Then when it was over, you gave me the strength to take off my bandages and face the world. When my world was dark, you gave me light. You've never given up before and you shouldn't start today. You've always pulled through and I know you can win."
Listening to his sister, Joey gets back on his feet. He came to realize that if he forfeited the match, he wouldn't just be letting down the people he promised to help, but also himself. It was true he wanted to win, but he had important things to remember, like the promise he made to his friends about helping save mankind. He wasn't willing to go back on his promise now. He also knew the Heart of the Cards would continue to see him through as long as he continued to believe. Finally, Joey places two cards face down and plays Swordsman of Landstar in defense mode.
Odion was about to finish Joey off with his Embodiments of Apophis, but Joey was ready. One of his face down cards was Foolish Burial, a magic card that allowed him to transfer a card from his hand to his opponent's graveyard. His second hidden card was Graverobber and he used it to bring that card to the field. The card was Jinzo and thanks to its special ability, all of Odion's traps, including the trap monsters were removed from the field. Joey was glad to have Jinzo in his deck. He won it in his first victory in the tournament and its power was going to help him win.
It was Joey's turn again. He summoned Battle Warrior in attack mode and switched his Swordsman into attack mode as well. All of Joey's monsters attacked and reduced Odion's life points to 400. Now the duel was looking good as the score was nearly tied.
All of Joey's friends cheered, but Marik wasn't going to tolerate this, so he spoke to his right hand servant. Listen to me, Odion, you've allowed Joey Wheeler to come too far. Destroy him at once or face severe consequences. He's worthless, you fool.
Odion assured his master that he had a way to turn the duel in his favor. He played Swords of Revealing Light, rendering Joey's monsters useless for three turns. Although Joey wouldn't be able to attack, his monsters' abilities would remain in effect and he could still sacrifice his monsters. So he sacrificed Battle Warrior and summoned Legendary Fisherman in defense mode. He also switched the rest of his monsters to defense mode to protect his life points. Odion drew his card, but was shocked to see what it was.
Why do you seem so shocked, Odion? Marik asked him. Since you're posing as me, you should have my card in your deck.
But Odion begged Marik to reconsider. This card is dangerous and I'm not meant to control its power. You can't expect me to play it.
Stop whimpering, Marik ordered. I command you to play the card. It's the only way to win this duel. You must place it within the sacred arc on the Temple's steps and when the time is right, you will unleash its power!
Emily could see that there was something suspicious about Odion's behavior based on his shocked expression. She shared her thoughts about the matter with Yugi and he agreed. I think you're right, he thought to her. Ever since Marik drew his last card, he's been acting really strange. I wonder if it has something to do with the ancient Temple behind him. When he first played Temple of the Kings, I had a bad feeling about that arc on the steps.
Me too, but what could it be? Emily wondered. For some reason, it seems familiar to me, but I'm not sure why.
Odion knew the consequences he would face if he disobeyed his master, giving him no choice but to carry out his orders. First he played a card face down and sealed the card within the arc just as his master told him to. "You have no idea what I've just done by securing this all powerful card within the Temple of the Kings. By sealing this card of the Gods, I have also sealed your fate!"
"Card of the Gods?" Yami and Emily echoed.
Joey wasn't scared. He wouldn't have to be until whatever was in the sanctuary would be unleashed. Joey played Monster Reborn to resurrect Alligator's Sword. Next he sacrificed his reptile and his Swordsman of Landstar to summon Insect Queen. This was quite an accomplishment for Joey seeing that every card he won in the tournament was out in the field. Even Kaiba seemed a little amazed that his tournament did wonders for Joey's deck. Joey still had to wait one more turn for the Swords of Revealing Light to lose their effect so he could be free to attack again.
But Odion had been putting another plan into motion. The effects of his Swords brought him the time he needed to prepare unleashing the greatest monster in his deck, the guardian of the Temple of the Kings. He played Cup of Sealed Soul and his face down card Seal of Serket. With the two cards in play along with Temple of the Kings, the sacred guardian would arise. The monster Odion brought forth was a great red scorpion called the Mystical Beast of Serket. But as overwhelming as the Temple's guardian appeared to be, Odion revealed that what Joey really had to be afraid of was the card in the arc; the Winged Dragon of Ra.