A/N: I was going to write this chapter during my free lesson today, but then I was caught up with watching Death Note which I haven't seen in for a few years and I was enjoying it so much that I lost track of time, so it's a few hours late and I apologise for that, but I hope you enjoy this next chapter, please leave a review if you'd like to,
From, LyraKoto :)
Chapter 6- The Deep Sea Duel
James POV.
(Down on the ground, Joey is gloating over the two star chips in his duel gauntlet. His friends are watching from further down the path.)
"Whoo-whee! Haheh, two stars! Hmhmhm, this is so awesome, I can't believe it happened! Am I cool or what! Heheheh!" Joey gloated over the two star chips in his duelling glove.
"Is there a time limit on how long he gets to crow?" I asked.
"Cut 'im some slack, Jay. Did you ever think Joey would actually beat Mai in a duel?" My girlfriend Lucy asked as we watched Joey polishing the star chips with his sleeve, with a child-like glee at his first major-league duel victory "I mean, Joey... who would've thought?"
"I knew he'd do it! I'm really proud of you, Joey." Yugi beamed.
"Yeah! Ugh, all that duelin' made me hungry! Did any of you guys remember to bring any food wit'cha?" The blonde asked as his stomach growled.
"Sorry, Joe." We all apologised.
"Ogh! What were we thinkin', comin' here wit' no food? How're we ever gonna get through the rest of the competition without anything to eat?" He asked.
"That's a good question, Joey. This duelling really takes it out of you, and I haven't seen any burger stands or restaurants since we got here." Our small friend complained.
"Well, we better do something fast! I've gotta have my five basic food groups, or else— it's metabolic meltdown!" I whined.
"Hey, chill out, you guys, I got it covered!" Tristan told the five of us.
"Yeah?" We all smiled in unison.
Tristan then held up a book. "Check it out, the Great Outdoor Survival Guide!" We were all less than enthusiastic about this.
"Ugh..." Yugi and Téa whined.
"Can we eat it?" The blonde of or group questioned.
"Better than that— it lists all the plants, berries, and grasses we can eat!" Our pointy haired friend did a thumbs up.
"Eeew!" We all moaned.
"Do I look like a squirrel, ya big doofus?!" Joey asked before sniffing. "I don't need your dumb book anyhow; I smell somethin' cookin' that-a-way! Hah! See yuh!" He then ran off in the direction that his nose was leading him. We were all left standing there dumbfounded. Through the trees in that direction, we could see the sparkling ocean.
"He's hallucinating." Téa face-palmed.
"Don't be so sure. Ya know, it wasn't his brain that beat Mai, it was his nose." I corrected. I had to admit, I sounded a lot like my mum here which I didn't really like soon as we weren't really getting along right now. I knew that she must be worried, but I told her that we were taking one last trip together as friends before I moved house next month. I had to remember to tell them about that too.
As we approached Joey, the waves crashed against the rocky cliffs of Duelist Kingdom, below, a campfire with three skewered fish were roasting over it. All six of us hid behind the rocks within view of it. "Mmm, aw, man, I just love barbecued fish!" Joey licked his lips.
"Smells good..." Yugi contemplated, obviously wanting to eat some.
"Aw, yeah, and I bet it tastes even better!" Our blonde buddy jumped up and ran toward the campfire. The rest of us gasped at what he was planning to do.
"What makes you think those fish are yours to eat?!" Téa queried.
"Hey, trust me— we eat first and ask questions later! Your stomachs'll thank me! Heeheeheehee!" He laughed.
"Joey! Ugh, he'd say anything to fill his belly!" I groaned.
"Some people have absolutely no self control." Tristan folded his arms
Yugi and Téa looked at each-other, as did Lucy and me, just before Tristan demonstrated who those people might be, as he vaulted over the rocks and ran after Joey. "Joey, save some for meee!" He called after his best friend.
We all let out gusty sighs whilst Joey and Tristan sat at the fire, getting ready to chow down on one skewer each. "Ahh, man, this looks awesome!" Joey dribbled as the rest of us sat down.
"Ow! Owow! Hot, hot!" Tristan whimpered, going against his 'tough guy' attitude.
Just as they were about take a bite from the fish, a tanned, muscled, bare-chested man wearing cutoff jeans, a diving mask on his head, and a duel glove, carrying a harpoon, and soaking wet, climbed over the edge of the cliff, just in time to see Joey and Tristan about to start munching, while the rest of us watched dubiously from the other side of the fire.
"Ready, set, feeding frenzy!" They both chowed down.
"Enjoy yourselves, you fish thieves, this is your last meal!" The black-haired teenager shouted. "How dare you eat my fish, you thieving poachers! Has no one taught you manners—" He was then interrupted by a wave which crested the cliff, and landed right on top of him. When it's gone, he had disappeared. All of us were watching this, a bit nonplussed.
"So, can we eat now?" Joe asked.
The disgruntled fisherman scaled back up the cliff, even more disgruntled now that his big entrance had been ruined. "Alright, let's try that one more time."
"I knew this was a bad idea..." Lucy whispered in my ear.
"Rrgggh, how dare you steal my fish, you bottom feeding thieves!" The guy with the harpoon objected.
"Heeey, chill out, guy, it's just a few fish." Joey smiled.
"A few fish that do not belong to you! And to steal a fisherman's catch is to prove you have no honour!"
Yugi POV.
I then noticed the duel glove as the fisherman shook his fist at Joey. "A duelling glove...? Wait a second! Aren't you Mako Tsunami, the top-rank ocean duelist?" I questioned.
Mako was startled out of his rage by Yugi's respectful question. "Mmmgh— And who might you be?"
"Yeah, you're that freaky fish guy." Joey realised… in a kind of insulting way.
"I am NOT a freaky fish guy! I am Mako Tsunami, duelist extraordinaire of the seven seas!" He introduced himself.
Téa noticed something and starts giggling. Mako was again surprised and annoyed to have his big dramatic moment ruined. "Ehh, what are you laughing about?"
"Heheh, your head! You've got company!" Lucy noticed, giggling as she pointed out an adorable little pink octopus crawling all over Mako's diving goggles. He looked up and Joey laughed.
"Rrrgh, off with you!" He then flung the octopus back over the cliff. With Joey and Tristan crying out. "No, don't!" They look sadly over the edge of the cliff.
"I wanted to eat that!" My best friend grumbled.
"You're demented." James raised his eyebrows in shock as Mako turned back to me. "Hunh. Are you telling me that those two are here as duellists?" He queried.
"I'm Yugi Muto. Sorry about your fish." I apologised.
"You? You're Yugi Muto, the only duelist to ever defeat Seto Kaiba? Hahah! What a fine surprise! It will be my very great honour to face you in a duel!"
"Same here, Mako." I beamed.
"I must apologize; I've been ungracious. If you are friends of Yugi Muto, please! Come sit down, eat your fill!" He invited everyone.
Joey and Tristan thanked Mako and dashed over to us in the blink of an eye. "You are welcome."
"Feeding frenzy!" My best friends giggled and started munching on the fish skewers; Tristan crying with joy. "Oh, man, 'freaky fish guy' really knows how to cook! Hmm-hmm!"
"Really good, huh?" Lucy asked James.
"Mmmm-hmm!" He nodded in agreement.
"Wow, that was good!" My blonde friend burped.
"Where'd you learn to cook like that?" Lucy smiled, 'was this a way for her to ask how to make a meal for James' I had wondered.
"Hahaha! I've had to fend for myself since I was a tadpole. But it was my father who taught me how to fish and cook." Mako laughed.
"Sooo, what brings you here to the competition?" I queried, innocently.
"I was raised on a fishing boat, where I learned to love the sea, so if I win here, I would love a vessel of my own. Of course, I'll have to beat a few duelists first. Hahahahaha!"
"Your own boat? How great would that be, living life out on the big blue sea!" Lucy daydreamed.
"Yes, the ocean is amazing, and we have shared a special bond since I was born. I can tell when the sea is happy by the way it sparkles, and when it is angry, by the shifting tides... Ehaha, excuse me, I didn't mean to be so serious." The ocean duellist scratched the back of his head, a bit sheepish at his passionate speech.
"Oh no, don't apologize!"
"You saved our hides! We'd be starvin' without you! This's really been great; thanks again!" Joey smiled.
"Leaving so soon, are you...?" The other spikey-haired boy asked as we stood up, getting ready to leave.
"Nice meeting you, Mako!" Téa nodded.
"Maybe we'll meet up in the competition." I smiled. Before turning around however, I had noticed Mako's harpoon glinted on the ground where he left it and he picked it up.
"We certainly will... sooner than you think, my friend!"
As I wondered what he meant by that, me and the others turned to Mako. Suddenly, he threw his harpoon, and it landed at my feet, point embedded into the rock. I was terrified at the close miss. "Guhhh!" I stood there, shaking in fear.
"Ahuhuhuhuh. I treated you to dinner; perhaps you will... honor me with a duel." The 'freaky fish guy' smirked.
"He's nuts!" Joey gasped.
"No, but I am an expert fisherman. And you have taken my bait! Ahahahahaha!" He chuckled.
"What bait?" James asked.
"Why, the fish, of course! I laid it out and lured you five right in! But I never expected to catch Yugi Muto!"
"Aahh, forget this crazy chicken-a'-the-sea, Yugi." My blonde friend sweat-dropped.
"Can't we just give the guy back a few fish?" Joey asked.
Mako then looked at his duel glove; which had three star chips in it. "I reeled in another duelist a short time ago, but he was not a worthy opponent. But a duel against you, Yugi, would be a true test!"
My Millennium Puzzle began to glow, shake and sway on its own and I transformed into the other me.
"Mako Tsunami, I accept your challenge!" I smiled.
The waves crashed and foamed against the end of the cliff. From the sea ross yet another holographic arena, with a number 16 on the side. "Behold, Yugi Muto! We shall battle beside the majestic sea!" My friends looked nervous; I was also weighing the situation. The duel podium folded out of the arena and lock into place, and the holographic towers lit up. I took the blue podium, across from Mako atop the red one. "The playing field is equally split into two halves; one half is land, the other is sea." He explained.
"And the stakes, Mako?" I questioned.
"I wager two star chips on this match." He smirked.
"Two stars." I stated, placing them down by the duel field.
Mako watched me with a savage grin on his face, his fierce, grey eyes lit with excitement. "Now, let the battle begin!"
"Duel!" We both shouted.
Mako life points- 2000
Yugi life points- 2000
"This should be some match!" Téa smiled, looking forward to our duel.
"Sink that soggy sucker, Yugi!" James encouraged me.
"I'm curious to see, how you will combat my mighty denizens of the deep!" Mako wondered. He placed a card on the table in attack mode, and something appeared under the water. There was a glowing patch on the ocean side of the field, coming from something lurking below.
"What's this? His creature is underwater! How do I choose which card to play, when I can't even see what I'm fighting!" I interrogated.
"This I don't like." Joey frowned.
"The ocean conceals many things beneath its shifting surface." Mako informed us all.
"Rrgh! As long as that thing stays submerged, I can't attack!" I complained.
"I promise he won't stay submerged for very long!" Mako vowed.
'I have no idea what that thing is down there. So, I better prepare for the worst, with as strong a defense as possible!' I contemplated.
"Somethin's fishy! How can he fight what he can't see?!" Joey asked James.
"Beats me." He responded.
"This is totally bogus!" Lucy shook her head.
"Ahahahaha! It seems that my ocean-based strategy has taken you by surprise, Yugi!" Mako chuckled.
'Maybe so— but I can still raise a strong defense.' I thought. "I call upon the Horn Imp!"
"Now, Fiend Kraken! Ensnare him!" The sea duellist commanded.
"My Imp!" I gasped. As I saw a giant squid, the monster that was hidden underwater. Its tentacles reached up from the surface of the water, tanned with bright red suckers, and wrapped around Horn Imp, picking it up— "Attack!" I commanded. The great sea monster had one tentacle wrapped around each of Horn Imp's limbs, and a few around its middle, holding it high in the air, helpless.
The great sea monster Fiend Kraken has one tentacle wrapped around each of Horn Imp's limbs, and a few around its middle, holding it high in the air, helpless.
"Aw, man- Yugi's Imp is done-for!" Tristan complained.
"Fiend Kraken, end this now!" The kraken squeezed, and Horn Imp broke up into shards, defeated. The tentacles waved triumphantly. "Well done, Kraken!" Mako applauded.
"Wow, and that was just his opening move!" Téa gasped as the tentacles sank back under the waves.
"Ugh! You're good, Mako; a brilliant opening play." I smiled.
"I am pleased you appreciate it! Though I very much doubt your Imp did." Mako laughed.
Mako life points- 2000
Yugi life points- 1740
"Well, now I know what I'm up against." I muttered.
"Yes, the mighty ocean commands respect, as do the creatures that inhabit it!"
'Maybe I can prepare an attack, that will destroy his creatures, even though I can't see them.' I thought. "Feral Imp!" I called out to my monster and it appeared on the field. 'My Feral Imp should dispense with Mako's monsters, no matter how deep they're hidden in the sea.'
"I am familiar with your feral monster— and its electrical attack! So, for my next card, I play— my giant Jellyfish!" This monster was set in face-down defense mode. "Hahahaha, behold!"
From the depths, I heard a strange squealing cry. "Ah! I don't like the sound of that!
"Hahahaha! That is the battle cry of my creature!" He chuckled.
"It'll be crying all right, once I combine my Feral Imp with the magical "Horn of the Unicorn"!" I further explained.
"All right!" Joey applauded.
"What?" Téa asked.
"Yugi can't see Mako's monsters, but he knows they're all underwater, and water conducts electricity!" He laughed
"Oh... so they're vulnerable to the Feral Imp's electrical attack! Whoa, that is so smart!" She gasped.
"Magic Lightning— attack!" I called out to it. Feral Imp shots a bolt of lightning at the water. A spinning column of water emerged from the surface where it hit.
"'S a fish-fry!" Joey licked his lips.
Mako grinned. "But wait— what is this? Nothing's happening, Mako still has all his life-points!"
"Ahahaha! Your strategy has failed, Yugi!" he chuckled.
The giant Jellyfish Mako played before surfaced above the water. "How?!" I asked.
"As a sea duelist, I am well aware that water conducts electricity; so, I played my giant Jellyfish! It has the magical ability to absorb all electrical attacks, protecting all of my ocean creatures!"
"Rrrgh!" I growled and the jellyfish sank back underwater again.
"And now it's time for my counterattack! Fiend Kraken, crush his Feral Imp!" Mako ordered. Several tentacles shot from the waves, and lift Feral Imp into the air, squeezing and crushing him upon Mako's order. "Ahahaha! Did you enjoy my Kraken's embrace? Hahahahaha!"
Mako life points- 2000
Yugi life points- 1480
'I've never duelled against creatures like these before! It feels as if I'm battling Mako's sea monsters, and the awesome power of the ocean itself!' I thought
"Do any of your cards have the power to stand against my ocean pets?" My opponent queried.
"I have the power of Silver Fang." I informed him. "And I combine him with the magic of the Full Moon, to double his ferocity!" The full moon appeared above my field, and Silver Fang, a fearsome wolf, howled to it.
"Ahahahahaha! Ferocious, indeed! But the moon also controls the tides, causing them to rise. Allowing me to unleash my next creature! Arise, mighty Kairyu-Shin!" He placed another monster on the field.
"Rrgh! What's this?!" I asked.
"Behold the colossal Kairyu-Shin, a creature so enormous, that when he rises up from the ocean depths, he creates his own tidal wave!"
"What a beast!" I gasped as the large eel-like monster appeared on the field.
"Your wolf is brave, Yugi, but he will not stand before my Kairyu-Shin's Tidal Attack!" Kairyu-Shin's waves were a force of nature, not merely an attack, and Silver Fang howls as he was bowled over.
"No! Silver Fang!" I gasped. The waves crash against my duelling podium, showering me with seafoam. It's far too late. In Mako's usually-cheerful face can be seen a glimmer of the ocean's unsparing cruelty, the subtle, menacing threat of a watery grave.
"Gone. But my Kairyu-Shin's Tidal Attack did more than simply wash your wolf cub away." Mako announced.
"What?!"
"It considerably altered our playing field." He proclaimed
"Ah...! My land!" I exclaimed. All that's left of the land side of the field is a little island in one of the monster card zones, surrounded by ocean. Kairyu-Shin's attack had nearly washed away my entire land-based playing field!
"Ahahaha. You should consider yourself lucky, Yugi. In my previous duels, when Kairyu-Shin attacks, absolutely nothing is left standing in its wake. I think it was quite considerate of my pet to leave you a little patch of dirt to stand on! Don't you? ... Or does it make you uneasy to be surrounded on all sides by the sea...? All men give pause before the savage power of the mighty ocean. Even the greatest of fishermen." I was startled by Mako's explanation— he was speaking about a personal experience.
"You mean your father..." I paused as Mako leaned on the duel console, putting down his hand of cards for a moment.
"My father was a great fisherman. He taught me my love of the sea. But... one day the sea... took him. I loved going out on the boat with my father — Just the two of us, and the big, beautiful ocean! — never suspecting that the sea would turn on us. My father had suspected that at storm was brewing and he was right! Suddenly the calm, friendly sea turned into a raging maelstrom! It pitched our boat as if it were a toy." Mako was solemn, anguished, as he sees the disaster unfold anew. "When the storm finally died out, our little boat had washed ashore." I listened quietly, equally grave. The spectators stood silent, worried.) "My father was right, I had been perfectly safe—" He despaired. "but because he had stopped to tie me down, he had no time to secure himself to the mast! I thought I had lost him forever— but then I noticed that our lifeboat was missing!" His clenches his fist, and declared, "I know my father is alive! So, I will win this contest, buy a ship, and search the seven seas until I find him! That is why I duel, Yugi, that is why I must win, and you must lose!"
"I understand, Mako, believe me; but I still can't let you win." I stated. Mako smiled a bit at that, then grins outright, delighted at the challenge.
"Ha!" He chuckled.
"Oh, wow." Téa gasped in awe.
"Mako duels for his dad like Yugi duels for his grandpa." Joey smiled.
"Whoa—" James and Lucy paused."
"This is too intense!" Tristan gasped.
'With so little land left to me, I've really gotta make this next play count. I need something that will help me turn the tide. Something like this card.' "Giant Soldier of Stone!" I played the said creature in face-up defence mode. "You may've shrunk my battlefield down to an island, Mako, but my stone soldier still gets a field power bonus!"
"Your massive monster can barely fit on that little rock, let alone do battle with my undersea attack force!"
"And he is surrounded on all sides by the ocean, making him easy prey for— Great White Terror! This savage shark will lead my other sea creatures in an all-out ocean onslaught!"
"Man, Yugi's guy is outnumbered three-to-one!" Dark shapes in the water with glowing eyes surround Yugi's tiny island as Joey spoke.
"His Stone Soldier's about to become fish-food!" Joey gasped.
"This is it, Yugi. It's over— but you played honourably."
"You have been a fair and noble opponent too, Mako, but I, also, duel with the fate of a loved one at stake." I told my spikey-haired opponent. He blinked, and his eyes went wide with understanding. "And I can't afford to lose. I switch my Stone Soldier to attack mode!" Stone Soldier stood from its kneeling defense position; Mako looked up at it, shocked and surprised.
"Attack mode...? But why?! He cannot attack my sea monsters while they're underwater!" He exclaimed.
"But his target isn't your sea monsters. I'm having him attack a card I put on the field myself—" I points directly upward as Stone Soldier draws his stone sword, very slowly. "The moon!" Mako made a double-take, realizing what that meant. He wouldn't believe it.
"No!"
"Now, Stone Soldier! Destroy the moon!" I ordered it. Stone Soldier took aim, reached up, and stabbed the moon. It exploded.
"Ugh!" He winced in pain.
When Mako looked at the field again, moon-gravel rained into the ocean, which moved rapidly. "What's happening?! The tide! It's going out! But how?!"
"As you yourself said before, Mako, it is the moon that controls the ocean's tides— its ebb and its flow. So, I ordered my Stone Soldier to obliterate the moon, causing the ocean's tides to reverse and recede."
"Rrrrgh!" Mako growled, all three of his monsters, Kairyu-Shin, Great White Terror, and Fiend Kraken laid on the land field around Stone Soldier's feet, gasping helplessly.
"My Stone Soldier has beached all your sea monsters; you have no ocean left!" I announced.
"No- my- precious- fish!" Mako moaned.
"And now I'll deliver the final blow. I combine my Curse of Dragon card with the magic of the 'Burning Land' card, to wipe out your remaining life-points!" I played the yellow dragon in attack mode and continued with, "Burning Land Attack!" Curse of Dragon incinerated the landscape, and all of the fish along with it. "And that takes your life-points down to zero."
"Rrrrgh— aaaah, no!" Mako whined.
Téa and Lucy hopped up and down, while James, Joey and Tristan flexed their muscles.
"Hahaha! Way to go, Yugi! Yeah!" They cheered.
"Destroying your own moon card was a brilliant and unexpected move, Yugi." He was humble with this speech, Mako then sighed, then regained his characteristic grin. "Ahaha! What a grand duel! I salute you, my friend!"
"This victory was not easily won, Mako. You're a great duelist yourself!" I smiled.
Mako flicked something off his nose, and winked, grinning. "Ha!"
When we had returned to shore, we were back to the others, "I am down to one star chip— but I will start over again!" Mako grinned.
"And I bet you'll do fine." I smiled.
"You'd win that wager! Ha!" He did a thumbs up before we clasped hands; signalling that we were friends, and rivals, now.
"You know, I can't help but like that Mako. He's such a great guy and all. I hope he finds his father someday." Lucy put her hands behind her head.
"Mmm-hmm." James nodded as Mako's stomach grumbled audibly.
"Ahahaha! My friend, dueling you is hungry work!" He laughed, taking a running jump off the cliff, into the ocean, and yelling- "Time for Mako to fish again! Farewell...!" He landed in the ocean and swam away, still laughing. All of us were bewildered by his actions. "'Bye, Mako..." Téa waved.
"Wish he'd bring us some fish..." Tristan mumbled.
"We'd have to duel him again..." I joked.
We all laughed before turning and walking away. "Forget about it! But guys, I am getting seriously hungry." As we walked away, I glanced back one more time at the sea beyond the edge of the cliff.
"Not a problem! We've still got my Great Outdoor Survival Guide!" Tristan showed it off.
"No way!" The girls and James laughed.
"G'head, Tristan, eat all the pages you like!" Joey laughed alongside the rest of us at his statement.
A/N: I don't know when the next chapter will be out since it is the Yugi VS Kaiba duel and goes across two episodes, but it will definitely be uploaded before next Friday. Thank you for reading and please review if you'd like to, from LyraKoto :)