Best Of Rivals, Best Of Duelists
Chapter 3: Mimicry! Blue-Eyes White Dragon! (1/2)
A fiery blast of searing energy hurtled through the air, aiming straight for the Rude Kaiser. It finally made contact, obliterating the armored lizard in a single moment. When the smoke trailed away, all that was left in the spot to the right of Judge Man were a few trails of smoke that wisped away through the air.
Joey grinned happily, having watched the attack without turning away. "It's over, Kaiba. I win!" Smiling to himself, Joey looked down to board, eager to see Kaiba's Life Points all gone.
However, that was not what he saw at all. In fact, what Joey did see made him start, his mouth agape. "What?" On the top of the display board, right above two counters that showed the attack and defense strength of Kaiba's Rude Kaiser, lay Kaiba's Life Point counter. But it was not zero. It was 1000 instead.
'That doesn't make any sense.' Slowly, Joey looked up to the field, trying to puzzle out what had happened. 'How come Kaiba gained six hundred Life Points instead of losing it?' Joey's curiosity did not last long, for he suddenly grunted, seeing something new on the field.
Right behind the spot where Rude Kaiser had been obliterated, there stood a female elf in a green robe and with a white headdress. She was holding her hands together and chanting something in a language that resembled no language Joey knew. Ever so slowly, she began to fade, and was gone in a shower of sparkles that scattered over Kaiba's playing field.
"Gift of the Mystical Elf!" Yugi was just as shocked as Joey, though he understood now what had happened. He clenched the balcony, realizing that Kaiba had been ready no matter what Joey had done.
"Wait a minute," said Bakura with curiosity. He looked past Tea to Yugi. "Didn't he use that card against you, Yugi?"
Yugi nodded in affirmation, remembering all too well how Kaiba had used it to erase what damage Yugi had caused when going on the attack before summoning a Blue-Eyes White Dragon. "Gift Of The Mystical Elf increases the duelist's Life Points by three hundred for every monster on the field." Everyone next to Yugi gasped, seeing what had happened in his or her mind's eye.
As the blast from the Red-Eyes Black Dragon closed in, Kaiba's Life Points boosted up to 1600. And right as the blast destroyed Rude Kaiser, Kaiba suffered a 600 point loss, going down to 1000.
Joey growled under his breath. Only upon hearing Kaiba chuckle did he look up, focusing on the battlefield and his opponent once more.
"You're not the only one who can use a card to avoid defeat, Wheeler!" Kaiba grinned, calm and back under control. "With my life points higher then yours, you'll never win!"
"Fat chance!' Joey jeered back. Though Kaiba's move had fazed him, Joey's confidence was not the least bit shaken. "I still have my Red-Eyes, and I'll plow through your Life Points, Kaiba!" Kaiba drew his eyes back, and then lowered them to his deck, bracing himself for his next draw. "Don't forget, thanks to my Copycat card copying Defense Paralysis, you can't defend, Kaiba!" Joey smirked even more then before, pointing out with his index finger. "Now play your next card, so I can defeat it!"
Outside, rain was thundering down all over the island, now vacated of all duelists outside the castle. As the water continued to fall from the sky, it was joined by a flash of lightning, which illuminated a vast vicinity around the castle situated atop the rocky outcropping in the middle of the island.
Back inside, Pegasus chuckled deeply to himself, enjoying the proceeding s even more with each turn. "What a lovely day this is for a duel." His gaze swept out over the field, where Joey's Red Eyes Black Dragon and Giltia The Knight stood across from Kaiba's Judge Man. "Especially on a occasion such as this, when two enemies are battling it out to the very end." Both Joey and Kaiba had no ears for Pegasus' words, their attention only on the duelist on the opposite side of the ring. "It's times like this that show what we are capable of in critical situations."
'It doesn't matter to me who wins or loses,' thought Pegasus dryly, grinning to himself. 'Because, in the end, I know it is I who will emerge victorious.' His focus turned to Yugi, high up in the balcony along with Tea, Bakura and Tristan. Yugi was focused on the match, clenching the railing with his hands. 'And you, young Yugi, who shall be vanquished.' Pegasus laughed a deep, throaty laugh inside his own head, taking pleasure in the knowledge that only he would come out with what he desired.
"This game is really too close," said Tea worriedly, looking down beside Yugi.
"Yeah," remarked Tristan, "they're both playing at the top of their form. I mean, either one of them could win."
"You're right," added Bakura. "I don't think I've ever seen such an exciting duel." From their vantage point, they watched the three monsters situated on the battlefield, along with the duelists on either side. "And who would have though that at this point, Joey would have the momentum of the game?" Both Kaiba and Joey watched the other, at 1000 and 700 Life Points respectively. "Truly extraordinary."
Kaiba grasped the top card of his deck between his fingers, which was already 10 cards thinner then when the duel had begun. Kaiba lifted the card up to eye level.
He blinked in surprise, for it was one of his most powerful cards, a trap card depicting several deadly looking jet red spiked spheres on an orange canvas. 'My Crush Card.' Kaiba eyes' darted to his hand of three cards. Beside Polymerization at the back lay a monster card showcasing a creepy skinny clown with bizarre makeup. 'I already have Saggi in my hand. If I used these two, I'd be able to infect Wheeler's Deck.' Kaiba's eyes clenched, darting down to the display board, where behind Joey's Red-Eyes Black Dragon card lay a card of a magician holding a mirror to obscure his face. 'But since he's copying Defense Paralysis, I'd have to put Saggi in Attack Mode. And if I did that… I'd lose.' Kaiba growled inside his mind, looking to the side, where Pegasus was watching the duel with a spring in his smile. 'And I need to save that strategy for Pegasus anyway.'
Kaiba gritted his teeth for a moment more, but then he relaxed, looking back over his hand again. Next to Polymerization was a monster card portraying a purple beast wielding an impressive sword. 'I don't need that combo. I've got one card that can take down Wheeler's dragon!'
Kaiba grabbed the monster card he had been focused on, plucking it out of his hand and placing it down on the field. Out in the spot that had been occupied first by a Blue-Eyes White Dragon and then by Rude Kaiser appeared a dark-purple, brutal-looking bipedal beast, accompanied by a spiked red cape and carrying a powerful yellow sword. It growled fiercely as it's Attack and Defense Points of 2000 and 1600 respectively became visible.
'What could Kaiba be thinking?' Joey pondered heavily at the appearance of this monster. 'That thing's no match for my Red-Eyes. Is that all he's got?'
"Be careful, Joey!" Yugi called down to his friend, leaning over the balcony as far as he could. "Swordstalker has a special ability!"
"What?" Joey looked up to his friend in alarm.
"Yugi's right." Kaiba chuckled, knowing the field advantage was his once again. "Swordstalker can absorb a quarter of the strength of a fallen ally from the previous turn."
"Say what?" Joey couldn't believe the monster had such a powerful ability.
"Rude Kaiser had an attack power of eighteen hundred, Wheeler," lectured Kaiba tactfully. "So Swordstalker absorbs a quarter of that into his own power." As Kaiba spoke, Swordstalker's Attack Points began recalculating the received boost, finally settling at 2450, while Swordstalker himself growled ferociously. "That's four-hundred-and-fifty extra points. Do the math, Wheeler! He's stronger then Red-Eyes!" Joey shrunk back, groaning at this news.
"Swordstalker, attack Wheeler's dragon!" Grunting in approval, Swordstalker lunged forward, leaping above the Red-Eyes Black Dragon, which watched the attack. Swordstalker finally leapt down, slashing his sword across in one wide move.
Recoiling from the large, glowing gash across his cheat, Red-Eyes stumbled backwards, yelling a roar in pain, before he broke, scattering to pieces as the hologram left the field. Joey lowered his head, growling in desperation at the loss of his best monster and his Life Points decreasing down to 650.
Kaiba laughed out loud, more arrogant then ever now that he was winning again. "I don't need my Blue-Eyes to beat you, Wheeler. You've got no chance now, with your best monster gone!"
Up above, the spectators watched the field, dominated by Kaiba's two heavyweights and Joey knight squatted in defense. "This is bad, guys," mumbled Tea. "How's Joey supposed to beat Kaiba without his Red-Eyes?"
"Well…" Yugi thought hard, looking down at the Swordstalker. "Kaiba increased the attack points of his monster from its base value. If Joey can do the same, maybe he can overpower Kaiba again."
"What are you saying, Yugi?" enquired Tristan from way on the other side.
"I think Yugi means that Joey needs to support his next monster so it's stronger then Kaiba's," added Bakura. Tea narrowed her eyes, thinking hard at these words, for this was the same strategy she had used to win extra star chips for Yugi back outside the castle yesterday.
'Losing Red-Eyes wasn't easy. But…' Joey plucked his next card up, preparing himself both for something helpful and something that wouldn't help him at all. 'Maybe this will help.'
Joey gasped inside his own head. The card was one of his favorites, a fire-wielding swordsman. 'Ah, yeah! The Flame Swordsman never lets me down!' Smirking, Joey looked up to Kaiba, and then plucked a second card from his hand alongside the Flame Swordsman he had just drawn, holding them together.
"I'll attack your Swordstalker with this, Kaiba!" Out on the field materialized the Flame Swordsman, grunting as he wielded his orange sword, matching well with his auburn clothes.
"The Flame Swordsman." Kaiba stared out at the field, confused. "Why play that card?" Joey grinned to himself, confident in his plan.
"I get it, Wheeler." Kaiba grinned, laughing briefly, calming himself down enough to smirk across the field. "You decided to go with a monster exactly weak enough to lose the duel this turn." Joey had no response except to narrow his eyes.
"Kaiba has a point," said Tristan. "The attack difference between Swordstalker and Flame Swordsman is equal to Joey's Life Points."
"Not once Joey plays that!" Bakura leaned forward upon seeing what else Joey had. The other two joined him, gasping audibly. Yugi, on the other hand, opened his mouth not in surprise, but in delight.
"You're not the only one who can increase a monster's attack points, Kaiba." As he spoke with the greatest confidence, Joey held up a magic card that depicted a vertically aligned sword with a trail of fire curling around it, finishing near the top in the shape of a dragon's head. "I'm adding Salamandra in a combo attack!" Kaiba drew back in terror, unbelieving that the same strategy he had just used was coming right back against him.
Upon activation of the Salamandra card, the spirit of a fiery dragon swept up out of nowhere and seared around the weapon of the Flame Swordsman. "This card gives Flame Swordsman's attack a seven hundred point boost." Salamandra's magic began infusing the weapon of the fiery warrior, increasing his attack to 2500 points. "Do the math, Kaiba!" Joey jeered, mocking Kaiba from earlier. "He's stronger then Swordstalker!" Kaiba drew back, growling at this.
"Attack!" commanded Joey. "Salamandra Flame Strike!" Grunting heavily, Flame Swordsman geared up his magic-infused sword, finally launching the spirit of Salamandra from its tip. The spirit of a flame dragon reared its head and shot through the air as a stream of fire and a mouth, straight for Swordstalker.
It struck, igniting the dark beast. Swordstalker drew back in pain, grunting from the energy of the attack, before he finally broke, having being defeated and removed from the field. Kaiba let out a low snarl, tilting his head as his Life Points trickled into the yellow, to 950 points.
Feeling smug at having given Kaiba a taste of his own medicine, Joey continued taunting him. "I don't need my Red-Eyes to beat you, Kaiba. You've got no chance now, with most of your strong monsters gone!" Kaiba snarled even deeper, angry that Wheeler was echoing both his strategy and his words.
"What Joey's going on about?" said Tristan up on the balcony. "He's really playing with fire."
"It's really simple, guys," supplied Yugi cheerfully. "Earlier, Kaiba used Joey's double trick strategy against him, remember, to throw him off guard. Now, Joey's doing the same. So Joey's using two of Kaiba's strategies at once, which is really unsettling him!"
"You know," thought Tea, looking back down at the field. "It seems like Mai was right. Psychology is half the game!"
"I think you're right, Tea," said Bakura. "A good duelist is able to fight their opponent with their mind, as well as their cards." They looked down to Joey who was stoical but resolute and buoyant in his stance. "That's another reason why Joey has come so far."
Contemplating his situation hard, Kaiba drew a card. 'Come on… I need something good.' Having picked his card up, he narrowed his eyes. The card was a dark pink gargoyle covered in sharp talons, with Attack and Defense Points of 1600 and 1200 respectively. 'Ryu-Kishin Powered… It's not strong enough.' Kaiba looked from his card out to the field, where all he had in play was a powerful magistrate. Kaiba sighed inside his head, knowing there was little else he could do.
"Judge Man, attack his knight!" Upon Kaiba's command, his monster charged forward, straight for Giltia. One swipe of the Judge's clubs, and Giltia groaned from the blow, breaking up, followed by his sceptre.
Joey let out a small hum; his Life Points still stationary at 650, while Kaiba's hovered at 950. "Not a problem, Kaiba. My turn." Joey plucked up his next card, thinking calmly.
'Dragon Nails.' The card showed, against a murky brown background, a sharp steel armor glove clearly intended for a large set of claws. 'Too bad I don't have my Red-Eyes to play it with.' Shrugging it off, Joey looked up, where his powerful Flame Swordsman was geared up and ready for the next command. 'It's okay – my Flame Swordsman can handle things just fine!'
"Flame Swordsman, rinse and repeat! Take out his judge!" Just like before, Salamandra's magic seared from the Swordsman's weapon, straight for the Judge Man. He gripped his spiked clubs tighter as the attack struck, searing all around him. The Judge finally seared away as the flame trailed away in snaky tendrils. Kaiba groaned as the flame tendrils evaporated in front of him, while his Life Points plummeted down to 650. Joey grinned, his own Life Points also at 650.
"Joey did it!' exclaimed Yugi. "That was Kaiba's last monster in play. If the monster he plays next turn is weak enough, Joey will win!"
'Joey's come so far.' Tea's eyes were nearly welling up with tears in happiness. 'And now… he's about to beat the world champion!'
'I'm all out of moves.' Kaiba was worried beyond belief, his eyes darting back and forth across his cards. 'None of these cards will protect my Life Points.' He lowered his gaze to his deck. 'This is it. To win…' Kaiba placed his hand on the deck, bracing himself for the moment of truth. 'I need the right card!'
Kaiba closed his eyes in anticipation, bringing up the card with more dread then he had ever felt. Finally he opened his eyes, and saw the card.
Kaiba's first reaction was to gasp softly, followed by stretching his mouth in a small gasp of delight. However, he quickly regained himself. Joey noticed none of this, simply waiting for his next turn. Kaiba took advantage of this, and played the card he had just drawn.
Out on the field materialized the only monster of Kaiba's stronger then Joey's juiced-up Flame Swordsman – his second Blue-Eyes White Dragon. It roared upon appearing, thrusting it's neck upwards as it took it's full body stance. As soon as it had appeared, it stuck its neck out, changing up a burst stream of pure destruction. Within seconds, it was released, straight across the field.
Joey shrunk back in shock, as the attack engulfed the area in a powerful white glow. He could only watch, through clenched eyes, as the attack seared around and through his Flame Swordsman. The Swordsman held on as best he could, but even with Salamandra, he was no match, and the attack ripped him and the fiery spirit searing around his sword into oblivion.
Joey stared in stunned silence as the White Lightning attack faded, the color returning to normal. "He's gone," said Joey in a quiet voice. "My Flame Swordsman's gone." While he spoke, his Life Points decreased into the red, to a paltry 150.
"There's nothing you can do now, Wheeler!" Kaiba swiped his hand to the side as he spoke dramatically. "Nothing you have, monster or magic, can take down this Blue-Eyes!"
'No…' Joey clenched his eyes shut, not knowing what to do. 'I was counting on my Flame Swordsman to win this duel. Now, not only is he gone, but I got another Blue-Eyes to deal with!'
'That's the way life goes, Joey. Never as you planned.' As Pegasus watched the events unfolding in front of him, he pressed his fingers against the hair under which his Millennium Eye was concealed. 'The world is a very arbitrary place, isn't it?' While Pegasus contemplated, his focus swept over the field, where the Blue-Eyes White Dragon Kaiba has just summoned roared gently, leering down the empty field in front of it. 'It's a place where you can be locked in battle with friend or foe, for stakes neither can afford to lose.' Kaiba looked confident as he held his cards, while Joey was worried as he observed the situation in front of him. 'Oh, I know you'd like to think that friendship would be enough to sustain you through any mishap or misfortune… But that's not the way the world works.'
'Man…' Joey stared out at the titanic monster on Kaiba's field. 'How could I go from top of the heap to down in the dumps in one turn?' He clenched his eyes shut, completely clueless as to how he would get out of this situation.
"Make your move, Wheeler!" barked out Kaiba, making Joey snap his head back up. "My Blue-Eyes is all ready to annihilate your next card!" Groaning, Joey plucked up a card, looking at it. Grimacing, he lowered it to the field.
"I'll throw a monster in Defense Mode." The middle Zone out on Joey's field began glowing, indicating a monster had been set there. "And that's it."
"You're right about that!" Kaiba plucked up his next card. Upon looking at it, he let a grin escape. "My cards are gonna keep coming!
"Go, Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" To the right of the dragon already on the field appeared Kaiba's last Blue-Eyes. It roared to the sky upon joining its brother, before lowering it's head down, just as ready for battle. Both dragons leered Joey down. He drew back far, even paler then before.
"Blast Wheeler's small fry to kingdom come! White Lightning!" Upon Kaiba's command, a shot of white energy shot straight through the air. The set monster revealed itself as the attack approached, turning out to be a muscular man-hunter. Kojikocy yelled as the shot instantly scattered his hologram into fragments. Joey groaned under his breath, his Life Points safe – for now.
"Just give up, Wheeler!" Kaiba yelled past his two dragons to Joey. "You're just wasting my time by continuing to play this duel!"
'Ugh… Kaiba's got two Blue-Eyes out of the field.' Joey was so worried sweat appeared on his face, as he clenched his eyes. 'I'm never gonna win now!'
Big brother… A familiar voice echoed in Joey's head. He opened his eyes, looking up. 'Serenity!' Joey's last conversation with her flashed across his head.
"Joey…" In the video he was watching, Serenity lowered her face, tears leaking from her eyes. "I miss you so much." She opened her watery eyelids to look up again. "Don't forget me."
A younger Serenity chuckled on a beach at sunset, leaning across a sandcastle she and Joey had just finished building. "Pinky swear?"
"Sure." Joey clasped his pinky finger around hers. "We'll always look out for each other." The sea sparkled as they silently agreed on their promise.
The memories as clear as if they had just happened, Joey reprimanded himself. 'What am I thinking? I can't give up.' He looked back up to the field, where the two-Blue-Eyes were still roaring softly. 'My sister's counting on me.' Across the field, Kaiba stared silently, though it looked like he might break it soon. Joey let out a small breath he had been holding, and then bent down.
'No matter how bad things look… I gotta keep fighting for her.' His resolve set back in place, he slammed his hand to his deck, and began to pull the top card off. 'Heart of the Cards… don't fail me now.' Joey narrowed his eyes, and pulled the card up off the deck, raising it to the level of his other hand.
Joey's eyes shot wide. 'All right!' It was a trap card depicting a cartoon burglar smirking from under his hat, carrying a pickaxe in his hands, with a shovel and small tombstone attached to his back. 'Graverobber could really turn this around!'
Joey looked down to the field, knowing what to do. "I'll put this face down." He lowered one card onto the field first beside Copycat, where it registered into the duel ring. "And then I'll throw this in Defense Mode." He pushed the second card into place above Copycat, where it also registered. Out on the field, both of the respective zones began flashing on and off in rhythm.
Kaiba drew back somewhat, grunting. 'Did Wheeler get a good card? No – I know what he wants. He wants me to attack with a weaker monster like last time, so he can counter attack!' Grimacing, Kaiba picked up his next card, looking across his hand of five cards.
'Even if it's risky… I'm gonna attack with a Blue-Eyes!' His decision made, Kaiba looked up to his dragons, yelling out.
"Blue-Eyes, attack!" The dragon quickly charged up a blast, letting it loose within seconds towards Joey's Defense monster. As the blast approached, Joey's Rock Ogre Grotto #1 appeared with sparkles. As soon as the blast hit, the Rock Ogre was scattered into rubble that split across the field's zones and faded.
"Ha!" Kaiba laughed, looking up. "I called your bluff, Wheeler. Do you plan to continue playing defensively until you're all out of cards?"
"Not so fast, Kaiba." Joey's smirk was so confident that Kaiba was actually somewhat unnerved by it. "Your dragons are history. Just watch." Joey quickly drew another card, adding it to his hand. "First, I'll activate my face-down card." Joey's hand grabbed his hidden card, flipping it over in one swift motion. "It's Graverobber!"
"Graverobber?" All four of Joey's friends on the balcony echoed each other's thoughts.
"I'll use it to steal a card from your graveyard," commented Joey, as the small bandit, cackling mischievously, raised out on Joey's field, clutching a hidden card in his grasp.
"What?" Kaiba drew back in complete and total shock. "Not my first Blue-Eyes?" As though on prompt, the burglar flipped his card around, revealing an 8-star dragon identical to the two Kaiba had on the field.
"That's right, Kaiba – he's mine!" The Blue-Eyes White Dragon rose up onto Joey's field, roaring loudly. It craned its neck as it bellowed, before looking forward, it's claws bared and ready for battle against its brothers. The spectators gasped, while Pegasus chuckled softly to himself. Conversely, Kaiba was seething with rage. Again, he had to lower his hand, he was shaking so hard.
"Wheeler," hissed Kaiba with total venom in his voice. "Do you honestly think you can beat me with a Blue-Eyes White Dragon? Much less beat two of them!" Both of Kaiba's dragons were roaring down Joey's, the trio all possessing equal attack strength.
"Maybe not right now," said Joey with all the cockiness of a spaniel. "But this card…" He pulled another card out of his hand, ready to play it. "Will vanquish your dragons once and for all!" Almost in slow motion, he flipped it around, revealing it for Kaiba to see. It was the same card he had drawn back three turns ago when his Flame Swordsman dominated the field. "Dragon Nails!" Kaiba growled under his breath, already aware of the advantage it gave Joey.
"With its added support, a dragon gets 600 points stronger!" Smiling with full composure, Joey slapped the card down on the other side of Copycat, where the duel ring's computer registered it. Out on the field, sparks of light bubbled out of the claws of Joey's Blue-Eyes, before they burst out, revealing two sharp metal accessory claws over the Blue-Eyes' own. It roared at the arrival of its new accessory, it's Attack Points incrementing all the way to a whopping 3600.
"Excellent work, Joey." Pegasus clapped slowly for the young duelist, showing his enthusiasm for the combo Joey had pulled off. "You've amassed a monster stronger then anything Kaiba has in his deck!"
"Now, Blue-Eyes White Dragon, obliterate!" The power-boosted dragon reared itself forward, charging an attack with even more power then it would have otherwise. "White Lightning!" The attack launched, from all sides, straight towards the center of Kaiba's field.
The second Blue-Eyes was wiped away by the blast, it's body flying off in chunks that were atomized. It roared as it struggled to keep itself steady, but eventually every fragment of it was erased. Kaiba shielded his eyes as it was eliminated from the field, lowering his arms only when the blast had subsided. At the same time, his Life Points went down, stopping only 50 points away from defeat.
"How do you like that, Kaiba?" Joey raised a fist, jeering towards the company present. "I've made better use of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon then you!"
'And with both of us on our last few Life Points,' thought Joey, looking down at the board where his counter showed 150 and Kaiba's 50 in contrast, 'I plan on making the pressure even tougher for you!'
For those of you confused as to how Swordstalker's Attack Points increased by ¼ of the fallen ally, while in Episode 22 when Kaiba was facing Yugi it simply increased by 20% of his own attack, that was a translation error. In the original Japanese version, it was said to be ¼ of the fallen Ryu-Kishin Powered's attack, but since that was 400, and 20% of Swordstalker's Attack Points is also 400, it didn't matter for that episode. I tend to not mind most of the dub changes, but I'm naturally not too fond of errors like that. It can be seen in many other episodes, where the original refers to phases and chain priority, amongst other things, while the dub does so without using any of the game terms.
For the curious readers in the crowd, you may be interested to know that this section of the duel was originally slightly longer, with two extra turns. They took place right after Joey's Flame Swordsman was destroyed, but before he set Kojikocy and Kaiba drew his third Blue-Eyes White Dragon. All that happened there was Joey setting a monster and Kaiba destroying it with his one Blue-Eyes on the field, revealing it to be Masaki The Legendary Swordsman. This episode was getting marginally too long, and since it was just a round of defense fodder, I figured those two turns could go without harming the chapter at all.
This episode also has the dub-only scene from the equivalent anime episode where Pegasus reflects on his past with Cecelia while watching the duel, but since that scene was only put in because that episode was too short otherwise, and this was the right length, I gave it the axe too.