My Little Duelist Volume 2

by Baldwin17

After the grand tournament that was Duelist Kingdom, the meeting of Rebecca Hawkins, the defeat of the Big Five and the meeting of Duke Devlin, it seemed like life was back to normal for Twilight and her friends in Domino City. But not all peace can last forever, as a new darkness approaches the city of games.

7. Chapter 6: Stalked by the Rare Hunters

Chapter 6

"Stalked by the Rare Hunters"

It was a typical late morning, early afternoon at Domino High. Up on the roof of the building, Yugi had just told Joey and Tristan about the upcoming Battle City tournament. And Twilight even told them that Mokuba asked them to be part of the security team as a thank you for helping him and his brother against the Big Five. But Joey was more in disbelief than anything. "You can't be serious! You're telling me that rich punk, Kaiba, is throwing his own exclusive Duel Monsters tournament here in town?!" he asked. "Yep." Yugi confirmed. "And little Mokuba asked us to be part of the security team for the tournament." AJ added. "It's gonna be called Battle City, and it starts in less than a week." put in Twilight. "You'd think old moneybags would send me an invite, he knows I'm the Duelist Kingdom runner-up." Joey said.

"Maybe it's because he doesn't like you?" Rainbow suggested. "Oh, and where'd you get that bright idea from?" Joey asked, sarcastically. "Joey, don't you think this is exactly how Kaiba WANTS you to react?" Tristan asked. "Good point, Tristan. Maybe I shouldn't enter this competition. What about you, Yuge? You gonna enter the tournament? I know that Spike, Twilight and the other girls won't be part of it because they'll be on security duty." Joey responded. "Well, I have to enter. Apparently, Yami thinks that by entering Battle City and facing Kaiba, he'll achieve or get closer to his destiny." Yugi explained. "Yami thinks that? You the tall version of you?" Joey asked. "Yeah, but it's a long story." Yugi answered. "Well, I got nowhere to be right now." Joey stated. "Okay. According to Ishizu Ishtar, the curator for the Egypt exhibit in the Domino Museum, Yami saved the world from some dark and evil magic 5,000 years ago but he had to defeat someone who's likely the ancient ancestor of Seto Kaiba, first. So Yami believes its his destiny to enter this tournament, defeat Kaiba, and do exactly what he did back when he was alive. Back when he was a pharaoh." Yugi explained.

"Well, this time, Yami won't do it alone! Whether moneybags likes it or not, I'm entering this tournament!" Joey responded as he pulled out and gazed at his Red-Eyes Black Dragon. "So, you've changed your mind and you're gonna try to enter?" AJ asked. "You thought right, AJ. And even Kaiba has to admit that the Red-Eyes Black Dragon is formidable, and almost as powerful as one of this Blue-Eyes White Dragons." Joey answered before putting his card in his pocket. "And with some new cards in my deck, combined with some classics from Duelist Kingdom, I'll put Kaiba to shame!" he added. "Joey, no offense, but this isn't going to be like Duelist Kingdom." Fluttershy said. "She's right. Every player has to get a Duel Disk in order to compete, because all the battles will be taking place on the streets of Domino City." Spike pointed out. "Yeah, I saw what they look like, and they look MUCH cooler than the prototypes!" Pinkie said with a big, cheery grin.

"Man, the prototypes seemed to advanced as they were." Joey said before having a flashback to his duel against Kaiba at Duelist Kingdom. "So, therefore, its in your best interest to practice with the Duel Disk first." Twilight wisely said. "Alright. When school let's out, I'm gonna try one out." Joey said before heading to the exit. Later, the group was out and looking for a registration location for Battle City. "There it is! That store sells Duel Disks and they're allowing registration for Battle City!" Spike said with a smile. "Look out, Battle City, here I come!" Joey said while running. "You think Joey has a chance at winning?" Rarity asked. "I don't know, but he's got lots of spirit, I'll give him that." Twilight answered before the others went to catch up. "Say, Fluttershy, Tea, thanks for helping Yami yesterday, and for taking him to the Domino Museum to see the Egyptian exhibit." Yugi said. "You're welcome, Yugi." Fluttershy responded with a warm smile. "I still can't believe he was a Pharaoh when he was alive." Tea said. "And he saved both his kingdom, and the whole world, too." Yugi pointed out.

'Yugi doesn't seem worried at all. But if what Ishizu told us about Yami's past is true, that means this tournament will be more dangerous than it seems.' Fluttershy thought. "Say, Fluttershy? Tea? You remember what Kaiba said about one of the rules in the tournament being that the winner of each duel takes the loser's rarest card? On one hand, it's an awesome idea because the winner of the tournament gets the ultimate prize; a super-powered deck that's filled with some of the rarest cards in Duel Monsters. But on the other hand, I put my heart in this deck, just like I know you and your friends put your hearts in your own decks, Fluttershy. I don't want to lose any of my cards to another Duelist, especially my Dark Magician." Yugi said. "I know how you feel, I'd hate to lose my own rare cards while taking on this job as a member of the security team for Battle City." Spike admitted.

"But if the fate of the world depends on Yami and me, so I'll play by whatever rules I have to." Yugi stated, determined not to let the possibility of losing his Dark Magician deter him. "Well, this is the place." Rainbow said once they reached their destination. "These Duel Disks look amazing!" Joey said, clearly impressed by the design. "No kidding." Tristan added. 'Well, here we go. I know this tournament's gonna be risky, but we have to get through it. No, we're GOING to get through it, together.' Fluttershy thought before the group entered. "Hello. May I be of some assistance?" asked the shopkeeper. "We're here to register for the Battle City tournament and get our Duel Disks." Yugi answered. "Me and my friends are also here for Duel Disks, but we're not here for the Battle City tournament. We were named official enforcers for the tournament by KaibaCorp." Twilight added. "Well, my friends, you came to the right place. I have several Duel Disks left, and since you lot said that you're hired enforcers by KaibaCorp, feel free to take one for each of you. But as for you two boys, I need to make sure you're qualified to register for the tournament." said the shopkeeper.

"Okay. I'm Yugi Muto." Yugi said before the shopkeeper before searching for Yugi's profile in the KaibaCorp's Duelist database. "Ah, a five star level Duelist. You pass the 3 star qualification that all those needed to register for the tournament need to pass, and you have the highest rank." he said. "Where does this information come from?" Yugi asked. "You see, KaibaCorp performed extensive research on Duelists around the world and here in Japan and then they compile the results into a database. The database shows your skill level and the rarest card you used in a most recent duel using KaibaCorp and Industrial Illusions dueling tech. To ensure that only the best Duelists enter, Mr. Kaiba has done research on your past Duel Monsters contests, both official tournament duels and leisurely games at the Kaiba Land amusement center." the shopkeeper answered as he turned the screen toward the surprised group. "Does Kaiba know EVERY ONE of our past duels?" Rainbow asked.

"That sounds like an unfair advantage for the host of this here tournament." AJ pointed out. 'Even still, I wonder why Kaiba's going to great lengths to do something like this. It's almost as if he's looking for something or someone. Like a very specific Duelist or a specific card.' Twilight pondered. "Well, as promised, along with your qualification, you get one of these. KaibaCorp's new Duel Disk." said the shopkeeper as he handed the boxed tech to Yugi. "Awesome! Thank you!" Yugi said with a smile. "Pardon me, I'd like to register, too. Joey Wheeler's my name." Joey said before the shopkeeper looked him up. "Oh, dear. It appears that your rank is too low for qualification." the shopkeeper said. "But that can't be right! Kaiba knows I came in second at Duelist Kingdom!" Joey said, clearly upset. "I don't think Kaiba even cares about your performance, this just proves he doesn't like you." Rainbow stated.

Soon, the shopkeeper noticed something. 'He owns a rare Red-Eyes Black Dragon. My master will most definitely be interested in having him as a target.' he thought before tapping a few keys. "Oh, my mistake. It appears that you just barely did pass the qualification level. You have a four star ranking, therefore, you qualify." he said. "Well, looks like Kaiba does admit that I have at last SOME skill at dueling. It's the fault of the machine, I guess." Joey said, regaining his composure. "Here's your Duel Disk." the shopkeeper said before handing the device to Joey. "Alright! Battle City, here we come!" Rainbow shouted with an enthusiastic smile. At the same time, Twilight picked up each of her friends a Duel Disk of their own. But as they all walked out, the shopkeeper got out his phone. "Sir, send in the Rare Hunters. A boy with the rare Red-Eyes Black Dragon just left my shop." he said with a grin.

Later, as the day turned to evening, Twilight and her friends were trying on their new Duel Disks. "I did say that I love a functional accessory." Rarity stated. "Yeah, and its lightweight, making it easy to carry around on the wrist without getting tired." Twilight added. "Well, guys, I better get going. My sister's operation is tomorrow and I promised to stay at the hospital tonight." Joey said. "Wish Serenity luck for us, Joey." Fluttershy said. "I have a feeling everything's gonna go smoothly." Yugi added. "Thanks a lot, Fluttershy, Yugi. Later!" Joey said before running off. "Good luck!" Tea called. "I sure hope he'll be okay. Going to the hospital won't be an easy thing for him." Tristan pointed out. "You're right, he said his mom will be there, and they haven't spoken since Serenity and Joey were separated, as of yesterday, seven years ago." Rainbow added. "No way! Then that means Joey hasn't seen or spoken to his mother in seven years!" Yugi said in shock. "Joey should've told me to join him so that I can help at least three fourths of the Wheeler family reunite!" Tristan said with gusto.

"Tristan, you're getting ahead of yourself." AJ said. "I think he just wants to be a hero to impress Serenity." Yugi teased, causing Tristan to turn red, to the laughter of everyone else. Meanwhile, Joey was running through an alley on his way to the hospital. 'Hold on, Serenity, I'm almost there. I'll be there for you, and I won't let you down.' Joey thought before seeing three hooded characters ahead of him. "Pardon me!" he shouted, only for one of the figures to block his way. "Hey! What's the big idea?!" he asked, demandingly. "I'm in a hurry to get to the hospital, so get out of the way!" he added. "You won't be going anywhere for a while." said one of the figures. "What are you talking about?" Joey asked, but the hooded figure laughed. "I see that you're a feisty one, Joey Wheeler. Perhaps you've never met a Rare Hunter before. We stalk our prey and take what we desire, their rarest Duel Monsters card. In this case, your Red-Eyes Black Dragon. Now, prepare to duel for it." he explained.

"How did you know about my Red-Eyes?" Joey asked. "You met with one of our contacts, Bohr. He's the one who informed us, after you got your Duel Disk." the Rare Hunter answered. "Hey, just step aside." Joey demanded. "If you'd like to leave here in one piece, I suggest you do as we say and duel." the Rare Hunter responded. "You're not giving me much of a choice, are you? Then I accept your challenge." Joey stated. "Then let the hunt continue! We'll duel by the rules of Battle City. 4000 life points per player, and when I win, I get your Red-Eyes Black Dragon! I suggest you prepare yourself, both for the hunt, and to lose to me, Seeker!" the Rare Hunter declared. "Let's get this over with, I got somewhere to be!" Joey said before strapping on his new Duel Disk. And with an equally determined "Let's duel!" the game began. Meanwhile, at Yonezato Hospital, the hospital Serenity Wheeler was staying at for her operation, she seemed nervous. "Serenity? What's the matter, dear?" asked her mother, Mrs. Wheeler. "Well, I guess I'm really terrified about getting this eye operation, mom. But I know that once Joey gets here, I'll feel so much better. He should be on his way." she answered, which surprised her mother.

"Joseph's coming?" Mrs. Wheeler asked, knowing that she hadn't spoken to her son in seven years. Meanwhile, in the alley, Joey and Seeker's game was underway. "I'll get this party started by playing my Panther Warrior in attack mode!" Joey said as his first creature, a level four, Earth attribute beast-warrior/effect monster with 2000 attack points and 1600 defense points, appeared. "You summon forth a panther, and now it's the predator's move." Seeker said as he drew. "I set one monster in defense mode." he added before making his move. "You're not much of a predator so far." Joey said before drawing his next card. "These little fur balls may not seem like much, but they're just what I need. I play Scapegoat!" he added as he, luckily guessing, slid the card into the slot underneath the space where his Panther Warrior's card was placed, causing four little level one, Earth attribute goat-like beasts with 0 attack and defense points to appear behind the mighty cat. "Panther Warrior can't attack unless I make a sacrifice, first. So, bye-bye, Scapegoat, hello panther attack!" he continued before the Panther Warrior destroyed Seeker's facedown, a level four, Dark attribute spellcaster/effect monster with 1400 attack points and 1800 defense points named Hannibal Necromancer.

"Looks like my Panther Warrior is the real hunter in this duel!" he concluded, confidently. "My move. I play Graceful Charity, it allows me to draw three new cards as long as I discard two, afterwards." Seeker said as he played his card, drew once more, discarded, and then set a new monster in defense mode. "You'll find that my deck is full of surprises. And soon, your Red-Eyes will be added to the collection that we Rare Hunters have accumulated over the years." he concluded. Meanwhile, at Yonezato Hospital, Serenity was worried. 'Where's Joey? He said he'd be here. He's always been there for me before. I hope he's alright.' she thought before she began crying. Back in the alley, Joey had just drawn his next card. "There's someone out there waiting for me, so I'm gonna put an end to this duel! I play Alligator's Sword in attack mode!" he declared before his next monster, a level four, Earth attribute beast with 1500 attack points and 1200 defense points, appeared. "Next I'll sacrifice another Scapegoat so Panther Warrior can attack again!" he added before his panther pounced and attacked Seeker's facedown monster, a level four, Dark attribute fiend with 1200 attack points and 1400 defense points known as the Three-Headed Geedo.

"You said you wanted to play by Battle City rules, eh? Well, one of those rules says that if you or your opponent have no monsters on either side of the field, then that player can attack the other's life points directly! Alligator's Sword, attack, now!" he added before the mighty reptile attacked, dropping Seeker's life points to 2500. "Give up yet?" Joey asked. "No, not quite. I play another Graceful Charity card." Seeker answered before playing said card. "Again?" Joey asked. "Yes, a hunter must aquire new hounds to replace the old ones, so I discard two cards from my hand and set another monster in defense mode." Seeker responded. "Your strategy is boring. I mean, give me a break! I bet your friends on either side of me have fallen asleep already! I mean, how many times are you gonna keep throwing monsters in defense mode? Now I think it's time for me to end this duel so I can get back to what I was doing." Joey stated. 'Time to clear this bum off the street. Hey, I think Yugi or Twilight said something about sacrificing weaker monsters to summon stronger ones being a rule in the Battle City tournament. That means I can offer up my two warriors to bring out my secret weapon.' he thought as he looked his hand before drawing. "Time for you to meet your worst nightmare! The card you've been so anxious to see and the one I've been waiting for! I sacrifice my Panther Warrior and Alligator's Sword to summon, the Red-Eyes Black Dragon!" he declared as his two monsters disappeared to make way for his ultimate monster.

"You wanted to see my Red-Eyes, and you got your wish. Now watch carefully! Red-Eyes Black Dragon, attack!" he added before his dragon blew away Seeker's defense monster, a level three, Dark attribute fiend with 1200 attack points and 1000 defense points called Death Hand. "I'd say this was my easiest duel ever. While you was busy picking cards and playing defense, I was blasting you away." he concluded. "Foolish boy, I've been leading you through this hunt, waiting for the right moment to pounce." Seeker responded. "What are you talking about? Sounds like your cape's on too tight. I've been destroying your defenses!" Joey stated. "Wrong. I'm about to finish you off." Seeker retorted. "Say what?!" Joey asked. "It's my move, now!" Seeker declared before drawing. "And it's time to unleash the ultimate beast! I summon Exodia the Forbidden One!" he continued as he set all five Exodia cards on his Duel Disk, shocking Joey. "No way! It's all over! Not Exodia!" he shouted as the mighty behemoth, the very creature that handed Seto Kaiba his first Duel Monsters defeat, stepped forward. "No! How can it be?!" the poor boy shouted as he gazed upon Exodia in all its might.

"Exodia, obliterate!" Seeker commanded before the incredible creature destroyed Joey's Red-Eyes and dropped his life points straight to 0. "Exodia's the rarest and most powerful monster I know! How'd you get it in your deck?!" Joey said, shocked that Seeker managed to pull the cards needed. "It is true that the individual pieces of Exodia the Forbidden One are extremely rare cards, but Rare Hunters thrive on relieving Duelists of their rarest cards. That's how I assembled three complete sets of Exodia in one single deck." Seeker explained as he showed the other two sets of Exodia cards. "You won them all?!" Joey asked in shock. "Let's just say we acquire them by whatever means necessary. And now we'll take our prize, your Red-Eyes." Seeker answered. "Alright, I'll give it." Joey said, reluctantly. "We'd prefer to get it ourselves, by force, if necessary." Seeker stated. "I said I'd give it to you." Joey repeated before getting knocked down and out by the Rare Hunters. "Ah, the thrill of the hunt." Seeker said with a grin as he claimed Joey's best card. "And now, your precious Red-Eyes Black Dragon is mine!" he added before he and his fellow hunters walk away. "My Red-Eyes..." Joey said weakly before collapsing.

Meanwhile, at Yonezato Hospital, Mrs. Wheeler was outside her daughter's room, but Serenity wouldn't answer or let her in. "Serenity, open the door right now. Please let me in. Serenity, please." Mrs. Wheeler pleaded. "No, I won't! I'm not going through with the operation until Joey gets here!" Serenity shouted, insistent that her big brother be there for her like he promised. A bit later, at Kame Game Shop, Yugi answered received a phone call. "Hello? Mrs. Wheeler? WHAT?! Joey never showed up at the hospital last night?! Don't worry, Mrs. Wheeler, we'll figure this out." he said upon hearing the unfortunate news. Later, after calling his friends, Yugi was waiting for them to show up. "Yugi! We're here!" Twilight shouted as she, Spike and the girls ran up. "Any sign of Joey?" AJ asked. "Nothing. This definitely isn't like him." Yugi answered as Tristan pulled up on his motorcycle. "Find anything Tristan? This is starting to get worrisome." Rarity said. "I checked all of his usual hangout spots, and no sign of him." Tristan responded. "Alright, try checking downtown on your bike. I have a bad feeling someone may have challenged Joey to either a fight, or a duel." Rainbow suggested. "Not a bad idea at all, Rainbow." Tristan responded. "Okay, everybody, let's split up and search every corner of Domino City. Joey HAS to be somewhere." Twilight instructed.

"Yeah, there's no way on Earth Joey would miss Serenity's operation. So that means SOMETHING had to have happened." AJ pointed out. "AJ's right. Joey would never let his sister down." Tristan concurred. "He was supposed to have gotten to Yonezato Hospital at nine last night, so whatever held him up must've happened right after he left us." Twilight theorized. "Well, we better hurry and find him, the doctor might not want to be the patient sort." Spike suggested. "Alright, then, everyone. Good luck searching on your ends, I'm heading for downtown." Tristan said before they all split up to find Joey. "Joey! Where are you?!" Yugi shouted. "Hey, Joey! You out there, buddy?!" Rainbow shouted. "Joseph! It's me, Rarity!" Rarity called. But each of them got no answer. "He's gotta be here somewhere!" Tristan said as he searched along the coastline, until he saw something. Meanwhile, Yugi, Spike and the girls met up in the warehouse district of Domino after their searches.

"We looked everywhere, and no sign of Joey." Fluttershy said in worry. But then, they heard a horn honking and saw Tristan zooming by. "Hey! Look who I found!" Tristan shouted as he whooshed past. Whom they saw, was Joey, riding on the back of Tristan's bike. "Joey! He's okay!" Spike said with a smile. "And he can still make it to Yonezato in time for the operation!" Yugi added as they all watched Tristan and Joey zoom away. Meanwhile, at Yonezato, things were declining fast. "Serenity, please, open the door." said Mrs. Wheeler. "Ma'am, I understand she's nervous, but there are other patients that have to be tended to. If nothing changes soon, I'm afraid your daughter will have to have her operation postponed until tomorrow." said the doctor. "But doctor..." Mrs. Wheeler began to say. "You might want to hold up there, doc." said a familiar voice. Both the doctor and Mrs. Wheeler turned to see Joey standing before them. "Joseph..." Mrs. Wheeler said in surprise. "Hi, mom. Let me take care of this." Joey said before walking up to Serenity's door. "Serenity? It's me, Joey. Listen, sis, I know you're upset, but I want you to open the door so I can tell you what happened last night." he said. "No, I'm not opening the door! You said you'd be here last night, Joey, and I was so worried about you when you didn't show up! I need you to help me through this." Serenity said, clearly upset about her bother not being there for her the night before.

"I'm sorry, sis. I know I let you down, but please let me explain. I was on my way here yesterday, just like I promised, but I ran into some creeps downtown who challenged me to a duel. All I could think about was coming here to help you. But that gang of punks cornered me and strong-armed me into dueling one of them. I ended up losing and they took my best card, my Red-Eyes Black Dragon. I thought to myself after that, 'I can't do anything right! Somehow I managed to let down the most important person in my life on the day she needed me most. And on top of that, I lost my best card. How could I face my sister again after recently losing one of the cards that helped me get to the finals of Duelist Kingdom? I must be the worst big brother in the world.' But you got to believe me, Serenity, I'd never do anything to hurt your feelings. You're more than just my little sister, you're my friend. And there's nothing in the world that can break the bond between us. So, please, open this door and give your big brother a hug, huh?" Joey explained. At last, the door opened and Serenity embraced her big brother, tearing up after what he had just told her, before Mrs. Wheeler hugged her as well.

"It's... nice to see you, mom." Joey said to his mother. "It's nice to see you, too. Thank you, son. I'm sorry about what happened last night, with you losing your Red-Eyes Black Dragon card, but I'm glad you made it." Mrs. Wheeler said in response. Later that evening, at Kame Game Shop, Yugi got another phone call. "Hi, Joey. Did Serenity's operation go well?" he asked. Once Yugi got his answer, he turned to Spike and the girls and gave them both a nod and a peace sign, bringing them a sigh of relief. "She's in recovery right now." Joey said over the phone. "Rainbow asked who these guys you said strong-armed you into dueling are." Yugi said. "Those three chumps called themselves Rare Hunters. And I plan to find them and win back my Red-Eyes." Joey explained. "Well, we'll be there to help, Joey. Me, Spike and his friends." Yugi said. "I know you will, pal. Listen, I'll stop by on my way home." Joey responded. "You got it. Bye." Yugi said before hanging up. "Well, what'd he say about those punks?" Rainbow asked. "He said they call themselves Rare Hunters." Yugi answered.

A look of shock graced the faces of Twilight and her friends. "Those are the guys Mokuba asked us to help find and arrest." AJ pointed out. "If they managed to beat Joey for his Red-Eyes Black Dragon, they must be more powerful and maybe more dangerous than we were led to believe." Twilight hypothesized. At Yonezato, Joey was thinking about what had happened to him. 'That Seeker and his two-bit cronies ain't seen the last of Joey Wheeler. I'm not gonna stop until I get back my Red-Eyes Black Dragon!' he thought, determined to get back his best card, no matter what it took.