Best Of Rivals, Best Of Duelists
Chapter 2: Brutal Beat-Down! Joey Vs. Kaiba! (2/2)
From above, the island of Duelist Kingdom seemed very peaceful and ordinary, having nothing of interest beyond a small castle. However, it was what was transpiring inside that castle that was of major interest.
In the Duel Ring inside, Joey and Kaiba stood across from each other, at 1900 and 1150 Life Points respectively. The tension was comparable to that in a thriller.
"Kaiba sure seems confident that he can reclaim the lead away from Joey," commented Tea, looking down along with the others at the field where Joey had Giltia the Knight in Attack Mode and Lava Battleguard crouching in Defense Mode.
Kaiba slowly reached down to his deck, and plucked a card up, raising it to eye level. His eyes shot wide upon seeing it. He then lowered it down, smirking across at Joey. Joey grunted, opening his mouth in confusion.
Kaiba lowered the card he had just drawn to the field, setting it in the lower half of his play zone. "One card face down, Wheeler." Kaiba then reached back up to his hand, and grabbed the card on the far left. "And then I'll play this – Judge Man!" Upon slamming down the card, a powerful, cloaked man with a bearded face appeared on the field, carrying two spiked clubs, and boasting a powerful attack strength of 2200.
"Attack Lava Battleguard!" Joey grunted in surprise, as did Yugi, Tea, Tristan and Bakura. The powerful magistrate lunged forward, slamming his clubs down on the pink brute. Lava Battleguard tried to absorb the blow, but his own club was no match, and he shattered from the attack. Joey's Life Points remained unaffected, however.
"I don't get it, Kaiba," responded Joey. "How come you didn't attack Giltia? I didn't lose any Life Points."
Kaiba grinned. "Simple, Wheeler. You stand no chance against me, so I thought I'd let that fact sink in by showing you a tough monster before I do some real damage with it." Joey closed his mouth, thinking. Back above them, the spectators were thinking just as hard.
"I don't know, guys," thought Yugi. "Kaiba's not one to let an opening like that go unused. There must be more to it then that."
"Perhaps he's trying to lure out Joey's tough monsters," enquired Tristan.
"Whatever he planning," said Tea apprehensively, "Joey better be prepared."
Down in the red side of the Duel Ring, Joey was musing what to do. He reached out and drew a card, glancing back and forth between it and his hand. 'Hmm… I could send out my Red-Eyes and take out Kaiba's Judge Man.' Joey looked down at the display, where a set card was placed right behind the Judge Man. 'But Kaiba has that face down card. It's gotta be a trap. He wants me to play a strong monster so he can weaken it and use the Judge Man to take it out.'
"Hmm…" said Yugi, thinking just as hard a level above. "I can understand why Kaiba set that card, but it still seems strange not to attack Joey's knight. Even if Kaiba's trying to bait the attack, why not reduce his Life Points?" Yugi was silent for another moment, until suddenly he started, a flood of familiarity coming back to him.
Yugi switched the Dark Magician to Defense Mode and summoned Curse Of Dragon in Defense Mode. But then the hand of his enemy flipped over a face down card, revealing a purple card with a white 'X' over an image of a solider crouching down. With sparkles, Yugi's Dark Magician and Curse Of Dragon faded and reappeared back in attack-ready positions, having being forced to Attack Mode.
Still struck by the memory, Yugi regained himself. "Guys," he said frantically, "there's only one reason why Kaiba would do that. He must want Joey to go on the Defense!"
Back down on the field, Joey began making his move. "Okay Kaiba, I'm not falling for your trap." Kaiba's grin faded, grunting. "You want me to attack with a stronger monster so you can weaken it and take it out! Let me remind you, I am a finalist in this here tournament." Kaiba's grin returned, though it was too far away for Joey to read it clearly.
"I'm switching Giltia to Defense Mode." Joey placed his hand on Giltia's card and turned it sideways. On the field, Giltia crouched down, turning his spear sideways as a precaution. "And I'll play Swamp Battleguard in Defense Mode too." A barbarian similar to Lava Battleguard materialized on Giltia's left, ready for any potential attack upon Joey placing the card down.
"Wait, Joey!" Yugi leaned over the balcony. "It's a trick! Don't do it!" Joey grunted in shock, looking up to Yugi.
"Gotcha." Joey turned to Kaiba in complete shock. "I was hoping you'd retreat rather then fighting like a man, Wheeler. You played right into my hands." Kaiba reached down to the card below Judge Man and flipped it face-up, revealing it to be a trap card with a white 'X' across a crouching soldier – the same card Yugi had just remembered about. "Defense Paralysis!"
"What?" cried out Joey in shock. Out on the field, both Giltia and Swamp Battleguard faded away, only to reappear standing up, with their weapons ready, both in Attack Mode. Joey grunted in rage, only to look up upon hearing Kaiba laughing.
"You see, Wheeler, I can only activate Defense Paralysis when my opponent switches a monster to Defense Mode. But it's worth it, because now you can't play any monsters in Defense Mode! All I had to do was trick you, and now that you've fallen for it, you're finished!" Kaiba threw his head back and laughed even harder, taking massive delight in playing such a big move.
Joey looked down, thinking hard. 'Okay, that was a mistake. But Kaiba only has Judge Man on the field." Joey looked up at the powerful judge across from his knight and barbarian. "I won't lose too many Life Points if he attacks.' Joey looked down to his hand, where, in between Salamandra and Rock Ogre Grotto #1, there was a card depicting a ferocious scaly black dragon. 'And next turn I'll play my Red-Eyes and take it out.'
"My turn, Wheeler." Joey looked up to Kaiba drawing a card. Upon seeing what it was, his eyes widened even wider then when he had drawn Defense Paralysis. Without even saying anything, he placed the card down, allowing the hologram for the card to begin materializing.
Out of the monster zone next to Judge Man appeared a gigantic light-blue dragon, covered in scales that reflected white and possessing a long neck with a slender head at the front, along with two large wings and a pair of sharp claws. It roared upon being summoned, before leaning down into a static position across from Joey. It was the Blue-Eyes White Dragon. Joey drew back in terror, Kaiba's best monster having made an appearance.
"Blue-Eyes, attack his Swamp Battleguard!" Upon Kaiba's command, the dragon reared its head back, charging up a beam of pure destructive energy at its mouth. "White Lightning!" The dragon let loose the burst stream of destruction straight across the field, right for the green barbarian. Swamp Battleguard did not even have time to react, for the instant the attack made contact, there was a burst of white.
Having shielded his eyes from the intensity of the blast, Joey finally looked on as it faded, while his own Life Points plummeted from 1900 down to a mere 700. Joey stared out at the spot beside Giltia where Swamp Battleguard had previously stood, where only a thin trail of smoke lisping away was visible now. Behind the Blue-Eyes White Dragon, Kaiba smirked, his own count of 1150 Life Points putting him in a clear lead.
"Oh no," muttered Tea high above, in obvious worry.
"See, this is what I meant." Tea looked to Bakura beside her as he spoke, uttering a small surprised grunt. "Though he was behind, Kaiba kept a laser-like focus and made a big play when it counted." Bakura narrowed his eyes a little. "And now… I guess we'll see if Joey can do the same."
Upon hearing this, Tristan looked over. "How can Joey make a big play with that Blue-Eyes out there and his defenses blocked?"
"It's a problem, true, but it's not about what out," said Bakura, shaking his head. "You see, just as Kaiba kept his cool when Joey pulled off that Shield & Sword move, now Joey must keep his attention rapt, even against Kaiba's strongest monster."
Tea gasped softly, while Yugi nodded to Bakura words. "Attack strength isn't everything. If Joey plays his cards right, he can pull through this and turn the tables back in his favor." The others all agreed, looking back down to the ring, wondering what the next move would be.
The other main spectator of the match, Pegasus, chuckled softly to himself, echoing inside his mind. 'It seems I'm the only one who appreciates Kaiba dealing with his expectations of Joey and Joey dealing with Kaiba's skills. I guess they are acquired tastes.'
"Still," pondered Yugi, "this next turn will be important. Unless Joey makes a big play, Kaiba will wipe out his knight and his life points." Tea was shocked, while Tristan and Bakura nodded, looking back down at their friend in the red half of the Duel Ring.
'This is bad.' Joey scanned his hand over and over, finding nothing that could get him out of this. 'The only useful card I have is Red-Eyes, and even if I do use him to take out Judge Man…' Joey looked up from Giltia the Knight to the Blue-Eyes White Dragon leering Joey's knight down beside Judge Man. 'Kaiba will still wipe me out.' Joey lowered his eyes to his deck, knowing the outcome depended on this next draw. 'Okay, come on, deck. Don't fail me now.' Frowning, Joey lowered his fingers to the top card, and plucked it up. Closing his eyes, he lowered it onto the field, setting it face down without even having altered his face.
"Come on," jeered Kaiba from across the ring, "there's nothing you can do Wheeler, just end your turn!" Joey nodded silently across the ring, releasing his turn over to Kaiba.
Kaiba smirked and drew his card. Like Joey, he did not alter his expression; instead, he added it to his hand, but that was because his focus was fully on the field. "It's all over, Wheeler. Just like before, you're powerless against my Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"
Everyone up on the balcony gasped. "Joey's gonna lose if the Blue-Eyes White Dragon attacks!" yelled Yugi.
"Oh, I can't look!" Tea turned away, clenching her eyes shut.
"This duel's over. Blue-Eyes, wipe out the rest of his Life Points!" Like before, Blue-Eyes began charging up a blast of unbeatable energy at its mouth, an attack so strong few could stand against it. Joey grimaced, knowing he was in danger.
The Blue-Eyes' attack finally reached charged point, and then it turned its mouth forward, ready to launch. "White Lighting!" Without thinking, Joey reached for the face down card he had, pulling it up, unable to see what it was due to the intensity of the attack.
The burst stream was so wide this time that is obscured the whole field. Joey grunted, shielding his eyes, while Yugi and the others did the same up on the balcony. Kaiba grinned, not looking away from the attack. Even Pegasus didn't know what would happen, while he watched quietly.
Finally, the attack faded from sight. Joey slowly removed his arm from in front of his eyes, though he kept them shut. Slowly, he opened them, and looked out on the field.
The first thing he saw was Giltia the Knight, standing safe and scratch-free. Across from Giltia, Judge Man stood as before, tall and ready for battle. But the Blue-Eyes White Dragon was nowhere to be seen. Joey grunted in surprise, looking down to the display board. One by one, Yugi, Joey, Bakura and Tristan all gasped. Even Pegasus seemed surprised, though he made no sound.
'What?' Kaiba thought in shock. 'What happened to my Blue-Eyes'? Kaiba looked down to the board, and started in shock.
Right behind and to the side of Giltia the Knight was a trap card. Even though it was upside down from Kaiba's view, he could see it's illustration – a small pit full of sharp spikes from which smoke trailed away.
Out on the field, in the area between Kaiba and Joey's monsters zones, the Blue-Eyes White Dragon was squashed in a circular pit, his head to the side and not moving. Though they could not be seen due to his body size, the spikes had impaled him.
"All right!" Joey yelled out in approval. "Looks like your Blue-Eyes got skewered by my Chasm Of Spikes before he could destroy my knight!" Up above, all four observers gasped in delight, their shocked faces fading for gasps of delight.
"Brilliant move, Joey!" Yugi called down. "Not only did you destroy the Blue-Eyes, but you also cost Kaiba a quarter of its attack power in Life Points!" Kaiba gnarled harder then ever, his left hand, and the cards holding it, shaking terribly. At the same time, his Life Points dropped way down, going from a healthy 1150 down to a paltry 400. Joey smirked across, his own Life Point counter of 700 in the yellow rather then the red.
"Superb, Joseph," called out Pegasus, giving the duel a few claps of approval. "You took out a Blue-Eyes White Dragon. Few people can do that. You truly are a great duelist." Though he didn't think much of Pegasus, Joey smiled at the approval. Growling harder then before, Kaiba looked back to Joey.
"Wipe that smug look off your face, Wheeler!" Kaiba clenched a fist in fury. "Just because you got a lucky draw doesn't mean that you can win! You have no chance of coming away from this match the victor, Wheeler!"
Joey just chuckled, causing Kaiba to start and glare even harder. "Let me give you a refresh, Kaiba." Kaiba glared past the two monsters on the field, every word that Joey uttered infuriating him that bit more. "You just lost your best monster, and you have less Life Points then me. I think my odds of winning look a little higher right now, no?"
"Keep talking, it won't help!" Kaiba whipped a card out of his hand, slapping it down beside his Defense Paralysis card. "I'll place one card face down, and switch Judge Man to Defense Mode!" Kaiba moved his hand down to switch the orientation of the powerful magistrate on the field, who acted accordingly and lowered himself into a guarding position. "Then I'll summon Rude Kaiser, also in Defense Mode." In the spot that the Blue-Eyes White Dragon has previously occupied emerged a green lizard in sharp metal armor, with two curved, sharp blades attached to his arms, arms that he also held in a blocking stance.
"Now you're on the defense, Kaiba," remarked Joey. "And it's a nice change too." He smirked across at Kaiba behind the two monsters that were blocking themselves against potential attacks.
"Just hurry up and make your move, Wheeler, so I can finish you off!" yelled Kaiba. Joey smirked, before he lowered his eyes to the display board, observing the cards that were on it.
'If only it were that easy,' Joey thought solemnly. 'Now that he's lost the field advantage, Kaiba's protecting his Life Points, so I can't touch him.' Joey's eyes lowered to the trap card underneath Judge Man on the display board, still displaying a squatted soldier being forbidden to defend. 'And as long as he has Defense Paralysis on the field, I can't defend.' Joey looked back to his hand. 'If Kaiba draws another Blue-Eyes, I'm finished.'
Up above, Yugi and his friends watched as Joey mused quietly. "What's Joey thinking about?" said Tristan. "Now that the Blue-Eyes is gone, he should go on the attack, right?"
"Yeah, he should, but it won't win the duel right now," said Yugi. "Kaiba's known for being an offensive duelist, so for him to defend even for a turn he must be desperate." Yugi looked from Kaiba back to Joey, thinking hard as he spoke. "Joey needs to turn that desperation into his assimilation."
"Mm," said Bakura in deep thought, attracting Tea's attention, who looked over to Bakura. "Destroying that Blue-Eyes was a critical move, but now Joey needs to follow it up with another one, and keep Kaiba in a tight spot."
Tristan nodded in agreement, looking down. "Kaiba still has the stronger monsters, so Joey's gotta make these next few moves count." They all refocused their attention on the duel, watching attentively.
Joey finally looked from his hand to the top of his deck. 'All right deck, you've pulled through for me so far. Now I need you to do it again.' Joey took the card and brought it up. He blinked in surprise, noting what it was. The card had an image of a magician with one hand having an eye on it and the other hand holding a mirror in front of his face, the mirror glowing with magic. 'Copycat,' thought Joey. He stared at the card for a few moments, then down to the field.
'Wait a minute.' Joey suddenly started, thinking hard. 'What was it that Gramps told me that time?' Another memory was resurfacing fast to Joey's mind.
Joey sat in front of Grandpa in Yugi's house, looking between several cards on a table, while Grandpa observed.
"This one," said Joey, pointing to a card that depicted two lizard-like monsters flying towards each other in a blur of muted colors. "That's the card you use to fuse monsters together!"
"Very good, Joseph," said Grandpa, nodding in approval. "You've come quite far. Here…" Grandpa reached inside his pocket, and pulled out a card, handing it to Joey. "This is for you." Joey took the card and pulled it closer.
"Copycat?" Joey stared at the image of the mirror-holding magician, observing it closely. "Copy one card your opponent's drawn on the field…"
"Exactly." Grandpa smiled in approval. "With that card, you can use the effects of any magic or trap card your opponent has used to that point as your own, whether it's on the field or not."
"Oh," said Joey, understanding the usefulness of the card. "So with this, I can use the effects of my opponents' cards against them!"
"That's right, but there's more." Grandpa pulled out another card and placed it in the middle of the table. The trap card showed a crossed image of a hunkered solider. "Now, I'm sure you realize that there usually isn't much a duelist can do if their opponent places their monsters in defense mode constantly." Grandpa gestured to the Defense Paralysis card. "Cards like these are the counter to that. They permanently prevent an opponent from defending. Much better then a one-use Stop Defense card, no?"
"Wow," said Joey, looking at the card. "Wouldn't that make these cards used by everyone?"
"Yes, everyone would use them, if they could." Joey grunted, looking up again. "A player can only have one of these type of cards in their deck, and you can't find them in any shop. You can only win them in elite tournaments." Joey nodded, understanding but still feeling that these permanent defense-blocking cards were ridiculously overpowered, as he looked back down at the Defense Paralysis card.
"And there's one more thing, Joey." Joey looked back up to Grandpa. "One more rule you should remember is that, if a duelist plays one of these cards, then their opponent's one is destroyed."
"That doesn't help me much," mumbled Joey. "I haven't exactly won any of those…" Joey's eyes suddenly lowered back to the card in his hand. Gasping in realization, he looked back up to Grandpa.
Grandpa only smiled, closing his eyes and chuckling at Joey.
Back in the present, Joey stared at the Copycat card, then to his hand, then back down at the field. Lowering them, he then smirked across the field at Kaiba. Kaiba's smirk faded a little upon seeing Joey's.
'What could Wheeler be smiling about?' Kaiba thought hard, no clear answer coming to him. 'What card could turn the tables for him?'
"Hey, Kaiba," said Joey, grinning as he reached for a card in his hand. "Your Life Points are done for. Watch this."
"What? They're done for?" Kaiba said in confusion and disbelief.
"Looks like Joey is going to make a big play," remarked Bakura. Tea and Tristan gasped alongside them, eager to see what would happen.
"Take this!" Joey whirled his hand forward, tossing a card down onto the play zone. "A little critter known as… Copycat!"
The Copycat card landed right on the field, registering into the duelling system. "It can copy any card you have on the field." Kaiba grunted in fear, already suspecting what was coming.
"And I know just which one I want too," smirked Joey, his mouth curling higher with each word. "The powerful, permanent, game-changing… Defense Paralysis!" Joey clenched a fist for effect as he finished.
Kaiba leant back in shock. "No!" Out on the field, the holograms of both Rude Kaiser and Judge Man flickered and refocused, both having been forced out of defense into standing positions.
"You know what's next, Kaiba," said Joey. "Now that I have a card preventing you from defending, your card is destroyed!" He pointed straight at the glowing white zone behind Judge Man, which promptly faded away, leaving the zone blank. Kaiba growled furiously.
"Wonderful play, Joseph," commented Pegasus. "A move like that proves you earned your spot in this match."
'How did Wheeler manage to pull off a move like that?' Kaiba's hand was shaking so hard that he had to lover it down, clenching his eyes in disbelief. 'With one card, he flipped the advantage and left me in danger!'
"All right, Joey!" Tristan yelled from the balcony. You got him on the ropes!"
"That's not all," said Yugi happily. "Not only is Joey holding his own against Kaiba, but he's truly making every single move count. He's a true pro." Tea smiled from Yugi down to Joey in the arena, truly proud of far they had both come over the years and in the last few weeks.
"Now that I'm free to defend again, I'll switch Giltia back to Defense mode." Giltia lowered himself down out of an attack stance, this time staying in it. "Finally, I'll play this in Attack Mode!" Joey took another card out of his hand and placed it down in the Monster Zone. "Red-Eyes Black Dragon!"
Uttering a roar not a thousand miles removed from the one of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon, a black-scaled dragon only slightly smaller then it's counterpart reared up out of the Monster Card Zone. It lowered itself in a battle-ready stance, head, claws, tail and wings stretched out. With an attack strength of 2400 accompanied by a defense strength of 2000, it was nothing to be sneezed at.
"Red-Eyes, attack!" The black dragon reared back, changing up a fiery blast of it's own. "Infernal Fire Blast!" Within moments, Red-Eyes Black Dragon let the flash loose. It whizzed through the air, away from Joey's dragon and knight and straight towards Rude Kaiser, lighting the air up in a red glow as it closed in.
Kaiba watched, still glaring but also in shock, as the blast's glow grew even larger, cloaking him in an intense red glow as the moment that would decide the match drew ever closer.
The one rule I do add is the part about cards at this point in the series that prevent the opponent from defending permanently (which include Defense Paralysis, Shadow Of Eyes and Gorgon's Eye) being destroyed should your opponent play one, and being restricted to one per deck. However, I feel it's a reasonable assumption and a fair rule, given how overpowered they would be otherwise. Those cards become redundant once the rules closer to the real-life game are introduced with Battle City, where you can just attack directly when they lack monsters, which is my explanation for why we don't see them thereafter.
This is where the duel really begins, folks.