Sorry it took so long to get this chapter out. But now that the school year is over I have time to work on other things again. That is until my summer job starts up in July. Also, I'm sorry I didn't get this out sooner when I realized that I had the whole duel typed out already, which means that this chapter was already mostly done. Oh well, it's out now, so enjoy.
Chapter 9
Now that Yami has figured out what the Rare Hunter's plan is, Joey seemed a lot more confident that his best friend can win the dual no problem. But, Yami felt differently, he may know the Rare Hunter's plan but stopping that plan from succeeding was a whole other story. This is what Sere noticed from the both of them, but she was unwilling to let go of Joey's arm just yet, just incase he got some crazy idea to interfere again.
"Ha, that's nice work, but I'm afraid that it's too little to late." The Rare Hunter boasted. He was confident that he could win, no matter what happened, even if his opponent knew his strategy.
"It's my move now; I place one card face down on the field, and I attack with Chimera the Flying Mythical Beast, demolish his Stone Statue!" Yami declared, as a face down card appeared on the field, while his monster attacked, destroying his opponents monster. "You're left with one monster." This didn't seem to faze the Rare Hunter at all.
"That doesn't matter to me! You're done! I knew that even you couldn't beat me in one turn! All I have to do is draw my next card and not only will I win this dual but I'll score an even greater prize. First I won Joey's Red Eyes Black Dragon, and now I'll take your Dark Magician! My Master will be extremely pleased!" The Rare Hunter boasted. "Bye bye, Yugi! Now I'll draw the final…"
"Not so fast, Rare Hunter!" Yami said, catching the Rare Hunter off guard.
"Huh, a trap?!" The Rare Hunter cried in disbelief. "What is it?!" With that question, the card that Yami was about to use lifted up and revealed itself. "Time Seal?! That stops me from drawing any cards!" Needless to say, the Rare Hunter didn't look too pleased by this turn of events.
"And that means you can't pick the final Exodia card yet. This dual is far from over, Rare Hunter!" Yami stated.
"A desperate move from my desperate pray." The Rare Hunter said, acting like he wasn't fazed by Yami's move.
"I thought Yugi was a goner." Joey said, whipping the sweat from his brow.
"Don't worry Joey, everything will be alright." Sere said, trying to make sure Joey didn't panic or do something rash. This made Joey look down at Sere, once again she reminded him of his sister.
"Your right, Sere. I dunno what I was so worried about." Joey said, putting on a brave front, so Sere didn't start to worry herself.
"I draw Life Force Sword!" Yami declared, after he drew his next card, beginning his current turn, as well as activating the card as his first move during his turn. "It will randomly attack one card in your hand, preventing you from using it for three full turns. And I'll aim for a piece of Exodia!"
"Oh no!" The Rare Hunter said in despair, as the thought of him loosing the chance to use Exodia coming to mind.
"Go, Life Force Sword!" Yami declared, as the effect from his card took place.
"Not that one!" The Rare Hunter said, as the sword struck one of the cards in his hand. "You pierced Exodia's right arm!" This put a smile on Yami's face; this is exactly what he wanted to happen.
"I'm not done yet, Rare Hunter. To whip out your monsters, I'll start by sacrificing Chimera for Summoned Skull!" Yami declared, as his Chimera disappeared and his next monster appeared in its place. "Summoned Skull, attack, with Lightning Strike!" With this attack, the Rare Hunter's monster disappeared, being sent to the Graveyard.
"Alright! Way to put that cape clown on the endangered species list!" Joey cheered.
"You see? Your Exodia may be unstoppable as a whole, but the five cards that make up are easy pray." Yami stated.
"Now it's my turn." The Rare Hunter declared as he drew his card, beginning his turn.
"Rare Hunter, you have no monsters to defend you. Looks like a whole new game." Yami pointed out. This caused the Rare Hunter to laugh.
"What's with that guy? He's just as nutty as a fruit cake." Joey commented.
"Fruit cake?" Sere repeated, looking a little confused. She was wondering how being crazy can be compared to fruit cake. But Joey didn't seem to hear her little comment.
"A whole new game?" The Rate Hunter repeated. "That couldn't be farther from the truth, Yugi! Do you really think you can stop me with one card?"
"I do." Yami simply answered.
"A professional card hunter like me is prepared for any situation." The Rare Hunter bragged, laughing a little at the end of his statement, before activating his next card, the first move during his turn. "Take this! Swords of Revealing Light!"
"Oh no, not the Swords!" Yami said, as huge swords surrounded him and his monster.
"My magical swords prevent your monsters from attacking. So you can't touch my Life Points! And once your Life Force Sword wears off, Yugi, I can use Exodia's right arm and summon the beast!" The Rare Hunter bragged, thinking he had this dual won already.
"It's my move. I'll draw one card, and end my turn." Yami said calmly.
"Thanks to my Swords of Revealing Light, that's all you can do. You're reduced to watching your own dual, unable to attack, unable to even move. I should just end your misery." The Rare Hunter continued to brag. "Why what for your magic card to expire when I can draw another Right Arm from my deck. Exodia cards are so rare that most dualist don't own a single piece! But I have three copies of each, which means there are two more Right Arm's waiting in my deck!" This statement made Yami smile. "Hey, what's so funny?!"
"Your deck is loaded down with so many Exodia body parts; the odds of drawing the Right Arm are slim to none." Yami pointed out.
"We'll find out won't we?" The Rare Hunter said with confidence.
"Your mistake is that you're relying on one monster. But a good dueling deck requires the right balance of cards." Yami pointed out, as if he had to teach this Rare Hunter something that was so simple that any duelist should know, especially if they were in a tournament. "And you're still a prisoner of my Life Force Sword, which means I have three turns to defeat you."
"Wishful thinking, Yugi. It's my draw!" The Rare Hunter said, as he drew his next card to begin his turn. But the Rare Hunter decided to pass this round.
"Come on, Yug. You can do it buddy! You still got two turns to figure out how to stop this card swiping freak!" Joey said, trying to encourage Yami.
"I play one card face down." Yami said after drew his card, beginning his turn, as well as a card appearing on the field face down. "And I summon Alpha the Magnet Warrior in Attack Mode!" With that said, a monster appeared on Yami's side of the field.
"You forget about my Swords of Revealing Light? You can't attack!" The Rare Hunter bragged.
"I can't…yet." Yami stated with a smile. This statement confused the Rare Hunter. "But once I destroy your Swords, my monsters will be let loose!"
"You won't!" The Rare Hunter stated in disbelief.
"And remember, your deck has a tragic flaw, it's cluttered with so many Exodia pieces that you've squeezed out room for other cards you needed to protect your Life Points. You need more Magic and Trap Cards to destroy my monsters! But all you have in your hand are Exodia cards." Yami stated, causing the Rare Hunter to start looking a little frightened, if not a little desperate. I would seem the duel was starting to turn against the Rare Hunter. "And take a look in front of you Rare Hunter. I've already destroyed the only two you summoned, leaving you with out a single monster to guard against a direct attack! The only thing stopping my monsters is your Swords card, a weak and temporary shield. Once my monsters are free, I'll begin attacking your Life Points!"
"Impossible!" The Rare Hunter cried out in disbelief. "You'll never break free from my trap before I summon Exodia, and obliterate you and your monsters! It's over, Yugi!"
"There's no way you'll summon Exodia in time." Yami calmly stated.
"You forget, your monsters are trapped in my Swords of Revealing Light. And it is my turn!" The Rare Hunter stated as he drew his card to begin his turn.
"I'll bet it's a duplicate Exodia card." Yami said calmly, as if he was taunting his opponent.
"It makes no difference to me! Your Life Force Sword will soon disappear, allowing me to access all five pieces of Exodia for an automatic win!" The Rare Hunter practically bragged.
"But not soon enough." Yami calmly stated. This statement seemed to make the Rare Hunter rethink his situation, even though he may never admit to that verbally.
"I summon Exodia's head in Defense Mode!" The Rare Hunter declared in desperation, as the head of Exodia appeared on the field. "Now, you can't strike my Life Points!"
"That's exactly what I wanted you to do, Rare Hunter." Yami calmly said, with a smile. "Now it's time for me to destroy Exodia."
"What?!" The Rare Hunter cried in disbelief.
"You activated my Trap Card, a costly mistake, Chain Destruction!" Yami announced, activating one of his face down cards. A chain came forth from the card and went for the Exodia head that the Rare Hunter had on his side of the field.
"It struck my deck!" The Rare Hunter said in disbelief as the chain struck the Exodia piece he had on the field, and then stuck his deck.
"While it can't destroy your Exodia head on the field, it can destroy the ones in your hand and deck!" Yami explained, telling the Rare Hunter, as well as those watching, what his Trap Card could do.
"Oh no, my Exodia heads…" The Rare Hunter cried out, the reality of him loosing this dual starting to sink in.
"…Are gone!" Yami finished for the Rare Hunter. "All of your Exodia heads have been eliminated from your hand and your deck; and with no heads left to play you can no longer draw all five pieces into your hand to summon Exodia." This shocked the Rare Hunter. "And I'm not through, Rare Hunter. I also found a way around your Swords of Revealing Light! Activate Dust Tornado!" With this another of Yami's face down cards revealed itself. "This trap destroys one Magic Card. Shattering your Swords of Revealing Light, which allows my monsters to attack!" With that said, the Swords preventing Yami's monsters from attacking his opponent disappeared. "Next I'll play Monster Reborn! Revive Chimera the Flying Mythical Beast!" This allowed Chimera to reappear on to the field. "Chimera, destroy the final Exodia head!" All the Rare Hunter could do was cry out in shock, the realization that he was going to fail his master was truly sinking in now, as well as what he thought was impossible becoming possible. "Now your Life Points are defenseless against my attack. I play Alpha the Magnet Warrior and Summoned Skull. Summoned Skull's electricity raises Alpha's magnetic attack power by two hundred points! Now my monsters, attack the Rare Hunter's Life Points!" All the Rare Hunter could do was just shout in terror of what was about to happen. As Yami's Magnet Warrior stuck the finishing blow, and leaving the Rare Hunter on the ground, it was now obvious that Yami won the dual.
"Yeah Yug, ya won!" Joey cheered. This got the crowed either cheering or talking about the dual.
"Yes!" Sere cheered, while jumping up, and for the first time during all this, actually letting go of Joey's arm. Joey watched her cheer, seeing her happy, which made him smile, once again being reminded at how much she reminded him of his little sister. Joey looked back over at his best friend and noticed that he was walking over to where the Rare Hunter was laying on the ground.
"Way to go, My Man!" Joey complimented, once he joined Yami over by where the Rare Hunter was on the ground, with Sere following Joey.
"Thanks, Joey." Yami thanked, picking up the Rare Hunter's deck. Yami started to look through it, and finally found Joey's Red Eyes Black Dragon near the bottom of the deck. "Ah, there it is." Yami took Joey's card from the Rare Hunter's deck. "I'm taking Joey's Red Eyes Black Dragon and your Locater Card. You won't need to find the finals now." Yami said to the Rare Hunter, as if he could still hear him, the Rare Hunter seemed to almost out cold. After Yami said that, he began to look through the Rare Hunter's deck some more.
"What's wrong?" Joey asked when he noticed his friend sifting through the other cards in the deck.
"Something's rubbing off on my fingers. All these cards are marked!" Yami said with disgust.
"He was a cheat!" Joey said with anger.
"Not anymore!" Yami said, tearing up the cards and throwing them into the air.
Sere watched as Yami tossed the torn up cards in the air for a moment. For some reason she seemed more interested in the Rare Hunter who was still lying on the ground.
"I lost. I failed." The Rare Hunter said just above a whisper as his fingers twitched. This made Sere tug on Joey's shirt, since he was the closest one to her at the moment.
"What is it, Sere?" Joey asked. Sere pointed to the Rare Hunter.
"Forgive me master, I tried my best!" The Rare Hunter continued to talk, as if to no one in particular. This made Joey have a confused and surprised look on his face. Yami seemed a little confused as to what the Rare Hunter was talking about. "Please don't be angry!" The Rare Hunter said as he got up off the ground. This surprised and maybe scared Sere a little bit, to the point where she hugged Joey for comfort and safety. Joey automatically wrapped his arms around Sere to protect her, shifting himself so she would be more off to the side. Then the Rare Hunter started to hold his head in pain, practically screaming in aguish. "No master, don't. Please, spare me!
"Yugi, that whako's lost his mind." Joey commented.
"I've seen this before." Yami stated.
"We meet again, Pharaoh." It would seem as if the Rare Hunter was saying this but the voice was completely different. "Do you remember me, Pharaoh? Actually, perhaps you don't. You were trapped in the Puzzle when I dueled Little Yugi." This comment made Yami angry. "Congratulations on defeating my Rare Hunter, though he was the weakest duelist in my crew. I have other minions will proves much more formtable."
Yug, what is with this freak-show?" Joey asked, looking at Yami for a moment as he asked the question then looking back at the Rare Hunter before them.
"Pharaoh, I've waited for you for years. Finally after all time, I will destroy you!" The one controlling the Rare Hunter declared. "I will not allow my other Rare Hunters to fail me like this one did. I have little time for his kind of foolishness. So, I've taken over his body and trapped his mind in the Shadow Realm! I am in control!" And just the prove his point the one controlling the Rare Hunter moved the body around in random movements.
"This guy is creeping me out!" Joey said, taking a step back. Taking Sere with him, she was just a creeped out about this as he was.
'Mind control? How is that even possible?' Sere thought to herself, not liking the idea of it one bit.
"How do you control him?" Yami asked, almost demanded.
"Each of the Millennium Items contains its own unique power. So, mind control is a simple task with my Millennium Rod!" The mind controlled Rare Hunter explained.
"No good can come from that power." Yami simple stated, while thinking back to what Ishizu told him.
"Allow me to introduce myself. Remember my name, Marik." The one controlling the Rare Hunter said, finally introducing himself.
"Marik! What is it you want from me?" Yami asked.
"I want what belongs to me. And I'll take it using the strength of the Egyptian God Cards!" Marik explained through his Rare Hunter.
"Egyptian what?" Yami asked, having no idea what Marik was talking about.
"Millennia ago a trio of powerful behemoths rampaged throughout Ancient Egypt. These Egyptian God monsters spread destruction throughout the world!" Mairk explained; through his mind controlled Rare Hunter. "Until the Pharaoh sealed them away for eternity, but when Pegasus created Dual Monsters, he resurrected these mighty beasts as cards. With these Egyptian Gods, I can destroy you and claim the power I deserve!"
"You'll never claim the Millennium Puzzle!" Yami declared.
"You miss understand. I want more than the power of the Puzzle; I want the Pharaoh's power, the boundless energy of the ancient ruler himself!" Marik declared. "With it, no one will stand in my way. I'll use the almighty magic that I gain to conquer and lead the world! I will be unstoppable. The end is near Pharaoh, it's my world now!"
"Not yet, Marik. I'm beginning to understand why Ishizu asked me to participate in Battle City." Yami stated. "It's my destiny to stand between you and the evil you powers you seek, and I will!"
"Then your destiny is easier said then done, you fool." Marik simply said. "Pharaoh, your days are numbered. So, enjoy the game while you still can, because your rein is coming to an end!"
With that said, Marik released his control on his Rare Hunter and the Rare Hunter slumped to the ground and out cold. Sere looked down at the Rare Hunter on the ground, wondering if he was really unconscious.
"Man that was weird. I knew that guy was a big creep but who knew he was just a front for an even bigger creep." Simply summed up. Then both Joey and Sere turned to Yami who was holding Joey's Red Eyes Black Dragon out to him.
"Here you go, Joey. Take your Red Eyes back." Yami offered.
"Nah, Yug. You hold onto it. It isn't mine to take pal. You won it far and square." Joey declined. "Besides, the Rare Hunters have collected tons of rare cards. There decks are totally supped up. So, I know that they are going to be tuff to beat, even for you."
"What are you saying, Joey?" Yami asked.
"I'm saying, one day you'll need all the powerful monsters you can get." Joey answered.
"Are you sure, Joey?" Sere asked, taking a step back from Joey, with one hand on his arm.
"Ya, I'm sure." Joey replied to Sere, then turned his attention back to Yami. "Besides Yug, you can think of me every time you play my Red Eyes. It's the least I could do to repay ya. See, during the Duelist Kingdom Tournament, you taught me rules, killer strategies, and everything else that I needed to know to help me get to the finals. I couldn't have done it without your help."
"That's what friends do." Yami simply stated.
"That's my point exactly, buddy. You always have my back, so it's time I helped you for a change." Joey explained. "That's why I want you to keep my Red Eyes Black Dragon. I know it's going to come in handy for ya some time. Besides, this means that a part of me will be a part of your deck! It's kinda cool knowing that I'm helping ya save the world. Don't get me wrong, I'm still in the contest. And I still have the rare card requirement covered. Well actually, I guess technically, you have it covered, Yugi."
"What are you talking about, Joey?" Sere asked, getting confused.
"See, Red Eyes Black Dragon wasn't the only rare card that I have in my deck." Joey explained, taking his deck out of his Duel Disk and going through his cards, as if he was looking for a certain one. "You gave me another rare card, Yug, way back when I first started playing Duel Monsters. Remember?"
"The Time Wizard." Yami answered.
"Yep, it bailed me out jams at Duelist Kingdom, and I know it's going to save my butt in Battle City!" Joey said, trying to make sure his friends didn't worry about him. "Ya know, when ya think about it, Yug, both of our hearts are in our decks. We're a team. Together, we won't let any Duelist beat us. It's true; we'll whoop this Marik creep and his Rare Hunter goon squad so hard they won't know what hit them. They'll be sorry they ever decided to mess with us."
"Thanks, Joey." Yami said, with a smile. "I'll take good care of your Red Eyes Black Dragon."
"Don't sweat it. It's yours." Joey said, extending his hand to his best friend.
"You are a true friend, Joey." Yami stated, taking Joey's hand in a hand shake. "And together we can take on any evil that comes our way."
"You can count on me as well." Sere said, placing her hand on top of theirs.
"Yeah! Alright! Which one of you Duelists wants a piece?" Joey said with excitement. "Just step up so Joey can knock ya down!"
And with that outburst, Joey walked off in on direction, while Yami and Sere walked off in the other direction. Sere watched Joey walk away over her shoulder, noticing the determination in both Joey and her brother. With that she had to smile, deciding that she would help them out any way she could. She would feel bad if she didn't at least do something to help.
Hmm…nine pages, I don't think that is too bad. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter.