Chapter 20
"The Legendary Fisherman"
The crowd at Ocean World was entranced and enthused as to what would happen next in the ongoing duel between Joey Wheeler and Mako Tsunami as the orca that Mako performed with in the whale show leaped out of the water before diving back in with a stupendous splash. "It won't be long before I take your two locator cards right to the finals." Mako said to his opponent. "Pretty big words from a guy who doesn't have any monsters on the field. But now I can hit you where it really counts; your life points!" Joey responded.
"Don't forget that I've covered the field in ocean water, which gives me and my monsters the upper hand, and the element of surprise." Mako pointed out. "If you think Joey's Wheeler's afraid of ankle-deep water, guess again, you big sardine. Now hold on to your swim trunks while I draw." Joey retorted before drawing his next card. 'Yeah, baby! This little number is what I need to harpoon this whale!' he thought as he looked at his Polymerization card.
"Alright, Mako, brace yourself, because I'm about to bite a serious chunk out of your life points!" he said aloud. "I'd like to see you try, landlubber." Mako responded, confidently. "Don't say I didn't warn you. I summon Baby Dragon in attack mode." Joey said as his monster appeared. 'Wait, is Joey going to try and make his Baby Dragon fuse with Time Wizard to create the Thousand Dragon?' Fluttershy pondered. 'If he does, the Time Wizard's magic could turn Mako's ocean into a desert.' she added.
"A baby? I suggest you get a life preserver for him, since he's not old enough for water wings." Mako said. "He may not be strong now, but I'll use Polymerization to fuse my two monsters together!" Joey responded as he activated his magic card. "Say hi to Alligator's Sword Dragon!" he added as his new monster, a level five, Wind attribute dragon/fusion/effect monster with 1700 attack points and 1500 defense points, appeared. Fluttershy was honestly surprised, as the only monster Joey ever fused with Baby Dragon was Time Wizard to create the Thousand Dragon.
"Battle City rules state Fusion Monsters must wait one turn before attacking." Mako pointed out. "I know that, Aqua Lad. That's why I plan to sink you on my next two turns. Think you can last longer than that?" Joey responded. "Mako Tsunami can outlast anything." the ocean Duelist stated, boldly, before drawing. "The tide will soon turn, as I set my Fiend Kraken in defense mode and hide it in the deep." he said as his monster appeared beneath the waves. "This is just like at Duelist Kingdom!" Joey said, remembering Mako's duel with Yugi. "That's right, and my Fiend Kraken will show itself when the time is right." Mako confirmed.
"Joey's lucky that it's not Great White Terror or Kairyu-shin beneath those waves, otherwise, he'd be chum by now." Tristan said. "Well, knowing Joey, he'll find a way out of this." Fluttershy said, confidently. 'Knowing Mako, he's got a whole army of Water attribute monsters, which means the special ability of my Alligator's Sword Dragon can kick in for this turn, and then I'll nail him on the next.' Joey thought. "You should fear what you can't see, for the ocean hides all." Mako said as Joey drew his next card.
"Well, if your little Jellyfish is gonna hide, then that only means my Alligator's Sword Dragon is gonna fly over it, thanks to its special ability. See, if you control a Earth, Water or Fire attribute monster, my Alligator's Sword Dragon can attack directly! And knowing you, you've got a whole aquarium full of water-based monster. So take off, guys!" Joey stated, surprising Mako as the monster took to the air. "Now it's time for my dragon to take a nosedive right into your life points! Attack!" he declared as the dragon's attack landed and Mako's life points dropped to 1600.
"Looks like the greatest Duelist to ever sail the seven seas is about to be all washed up!" he confidently boasted. "Never!" Mako retorted, defiantly. Right there, he started to remember the day he lost his father at sea. "If there's one thing I've learned about the sea; it's that you don't underestimate its strength!" he declared before drawing. "And now I'll set a card face down, deep below the surface." he added as his card appeared, but was hidden under the waves, much like Fiend Kraken.
"Then I guess it's time to finish you off. Nice try, Mako, but it looks like I'll be going to the finals with your two locator cards." Joey said upon drawing as his Alligator's Sword Dragon took to the air once more. "Joey wins if this attack lands!" Tea said. "Let's cross our fingers." Sol suggested. 'I don't know. Mako doesn't seem like the kind of Duelist who'd go down without a struggle.' Fluttershy thought, thinking that he had something planned.
"Alligator's Sword Dragon, wipe out the rest of his life points!" Joey commanded as the creature divebombed towards Mako. "I'm afraid that won't work twice, because I activate Tornado Wall!" the ocean Duelist revealed as his trap activated. In moments, water cyclones appeared on the field and started blocking the attack. "The ocean's power in tandem with the wind will protect my life points." he added as the cyclones sucked up all the sea water, leaving the field dry again.
"My trap card has created several water cyclones that will prevent me from taking damage from every one of your attacks. Nice try, Joey." he explained. 'Mako's Tornado Wall is using the power of the ocean against me. Sure, I'm standing on dry land now, but I know what'll happen if he calls off the water cyclones and floods the field again; my strategy will be sunk!' Joey thought in distraught. "Never underestimate the power of the mighty sea!" Mako stated.
"Alright, skipper, call off your cyclones and release the water, I can take it! Bring on the flood!" Joey said, bravely. Right on cue, the cyclones cease and the water returns to the field and Mako draws. "You remember that my ocean water conceals my Giant Jellyfish even though it's set in defense mode. But now I sacrifice it to summon an even greater creature." the ocean Duelist said as his Fiend Kraken vanished and his new, unknown creature appears in the depths. 'Now he's got something stronger than his Jellyfish hiding under there. I can't fight something that I can't even see.' Joey thought. "Just what did you hide down there?" he asked.
"You're about to get your answer. Prepare to meet my rarest monster" Mako responded as the creature started circling Joey. "Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water." the rookie sensation said, worried. "He's not Jaws, he's The Legendary Fisherman!" Mako declared as his creature, a level five, Water attribute warrior/effect monster with 1850 attack points and 1600 defense points, now increased to 2050 and 1800, respectively, appeared from the sea. "Now, my fisherman, attack Alligator's Sword Dragon!" he commanded.
"Not so fast! I'll weaken him with Energy Drain, which can blast your monster's attack points down to 0!" Joey revealed as he activated his card, but the effect was blocked by a wave of water. "Not with the mighty sea on my side!" Mako retorted before The Legendary Fisherman threw a spear at Alligator's Sword Dragon, destroying it and lowering Joey's life points to 3050.
"My dragon! But my magic card was supposed to sap your monster's attack power! What's the big deal?!" Joey said in shock as The Legendary Fisherman returned to the depths. "It's simple, my Fisherman's special ability states that as long as Umi is active and covering the field with water, my Legendary Fisherman is protected from the effects of all magic cards." Mako explained. "No! It can't be!" Joey responded.
"According to Duel Monster's lore, The Legendary Fisherman is an old friend of the sea and the very waters in which it lives shield it from harm." Mako said, proudly before Joey drew. "Yeah? Well, we'll just see about that. I'll set my own mystery monster to keep you guessing, Mako." Joey retorted as he made his move. "Not for long." Mako responded as he drew. "Legendary Fisherman, attack now!" he commanded, but nothing happened. "I don't think he heard you down there." Joey suggested. "A good fisherman always takes his time." Mako responded before the Fisherman's spear came out of the water and struck the set monster, which was Little-Winguard.
"My Little-Winguard!" Joey shouted. "So, is snapper-head gonna hide like a frightened shrimp?" he asked, thinking that Mako's whole strategy is to strike where Joey can't see. "My Fisherman is brave. He has more nerve than a mighty whale, more strength than the great white shark he rides upon. Rise to the surface!" Mako responded before the creature showed itself. "Look into his eyes." he said. "Whoa! He kind of looks like you, only a little older." Joey said in surprise.
"Watch yourself, because to me, that monster represents my father, a courageous fisherman who loves the sea as much as I do. The very sea that took him from me when I was a child." Mako responded with a scoff before remembering that fateful day. "The ocean can be a violent and unpredictable force, as well as a calm and tranquil one. The storm passed as quickly as it arrived, but my father was gone. You know how the story went when I told it to you at Duelist Kingdom, the life boat was missing, so I knew my father escaped. After I made it home, I waited day after day for him to return, I even made a monument overlooking the sea to guide him home. Years past, but I continued watching the waves, looking out on the horizon for my father. He taught me to never give up no matter how hopeless the situation may seem." he continued as he remembered what happened after the storm.
"Rain or shine, I kept watch, knowing that he had to be out there somewhere. I felt that, one day, the sea would bring him home to me. And then it happened." he continued before remembering the day he got a strange package in the mail. "It was a small pouch containing a Duel Monsters card, the very one I'm using now, The Legendary Fisherman. With it came a note that read; 'Don't give up.' The card had a resemblance to my father." he continued as the flashback ended.
"So now I battle every duel in the name of my father. Thinking of his bravery gives me strength and determination, and my Legendary Fisherman reminds me of that note that came with it. No matter how hard the struggle, I'll never give in. And I can promise you and everyone watching, by the name of the seven seas, I will not lose this battle. My Legendary Fisherman will take me straight to the finals." he concluded as his Fisherman went back under.
"Noble." Joey simply said. "Thanks, now let's get back to this duel so I can win." Mako responded before Joey drew his next card. "I got a lot of respect for you, Mako, but I'm the one going to the finals, even if that means fileting all your fish to get there!" the underdog stated. "Then go ahead and make your move, little minnow." Mako responded. "I'll place one card face down, and then set a monster in defense mode." Joey said as he completed his move. "Let's see what you got." he concluded.
"My ocean assault shall continue, so prepare for the worst, for this next monster can't be stopped. So I'll play this, my Fortress Whale's Oath card! I'll use this magic card by sacrificing two monsters, my Giant Jellyfish and Great White, from my hand, so I can bring forth this! Arise, my Fortress Whale!" Mako declared as his ritual spell took place and the mighty and enormous Fortress Whale, a level seven, Water attribute fish/ritual monster with 2350 attack points and 2150 defense points, now increased to 2550 and 2350, respectively, rose from the sea.
"Whoa! Thar she blows!" Joey shouted in shock. "This is the most powerful creature in my deck and its more than capable for crushing you with a single swipe of its tail!" Mako declared. Meanwhile, Marik and Yami Bakura were straightening out their bargain. "What do I have to do for you to get the Millennium Items you spoke of, Marik?" Yami Bakura asked. "It's actually quite simple." Marik responded. "Alright, I'm listening." Yami Bakura said, intrigued. "First, I must know how strong your dueling skills are." Marik said. "Extremely." Yami Bakura answered, smugly. "Excellent." Marik simply said. "You should know I've played in many Shadow Games throughout history." Yami Bakura pointed out. "Surprised?" he asked.
"I'm not. It all makes sense now." Marik answered. "I've returned to the mortal realm solely for collecting the Millennium Items and the power they possess. Now, I'll ask you once again, what do you want from me?" Yami Bakura said. "I'm going to need you to duel on my behalf, only then will I deliver the items to you." Marik stated. "I'll duel whomever you want me to, provided I receive my payment once I'm done." Yami Bakura said, gladly. "But tell me, what is it you seek to gain from this battle you're having me fight for you, Marik?" he asked.
"I told you, I'm a collector, like you. It's cards I'm looking for. Two in particular, for they're part of a set of three. I have the third, but the first and second elude me. Win them for me, and the items are yours." Marik answered. Back at Ocean World, Joey was taking in the sight and size and height of the Fortress Whale. "That's a whale of a monster right there!" he said.
"And thanks to the ocean field, he's stronger than normal." Mako pointed out. "I think I'm feeling like I'm in over my head." Joey said, meekly. "I must agree. For starters, I'm going to destroy your defense monster. Legendary Fisherman, attack!" Mako declared before the creature, a level four, Light attribute warrior/effect monster with 1500 attack points and 1300 defense points called Rocket Warrior, was destroyed from underneath.
"Now that you have no monsters on the field, Fortress Whale, attack his life points directly!" he continued before the Fortress Whale blasted Joey's life points all the way down to 500. "Oh no!" Sol shouted. "That must've taken him down to his last few hundred life points!" Fluttershy said in shock. "Hang in there, Joey! This duel isn't over yet! You're just a step away from the Battle City finals!" Tea shouted.
"Your life points are almost depleted. One more attack, and you're sunk." Mako said. 'If I'm gonna get out of this mess, I got to summon a monster and attack him, but his whale's too powerful. And in order to attack his Fisherman, I'd have to find it under all this water!' Joey thought. "Come on, Joey! There's still time to turn this duel around! Just believe in yourself!" Sol shouted. Suddenly, Fluttershy spotted something. "Hey, look! See those two shadows? I bet one of them is The Legendary Fisherman!" she said, pointing said shadows out.
"Make your move, Joey, so I can end this duel." Mako said, somewhat impatiently. "With my Fortress Whale above and my Legendary Fisherman hidden below, you're finished." he added as the orca made another jump. 'Hey! That's the killer whale Mako was performing with! So if he's over there, than that other shadow I noticed in the water along with it must be Mako's Legendary Fisherman! I found him! Now I just need the right card so I can destroy him.' Joey thought, formulating a plan before drawing.
'Let's see. I got two magic cards, a monster, and a trap card, plus one card face down on the field. It won't be easy, but I think I know a way to destroy both his monsters!' he thought, realizing he truly had a plan. "I'll place two cards face down on the field, then I'll summon my Panther Warrior in attack mode!" he said aloud as his facedown cards appeared, followed by Panther Warrior. "Since Panther Warrior needs a sacrifice in order to attack, I got to end my turn. Go ahead, crab cake." he concluded.
"As soon as my Fortress Whale attacks, your life points will sink to the bottom! Prepare to be capsized by my almighty behemoth! Attack, my whale!" Mako declared as the Whale's cannons charged up. "Not quite, time to execute my plan to turn both your monsters into fish sticks! And it starts by activating this trap card, Magic Arm Shield, which will take the place of my Panther Warrior's shield!" Joey retorted as he sprung his trap. "Alright, Panther Warrior, time to go fishing! And I know just what'll make the catch of the day!" he declared as the arms of the Arm Shield caught The Legendary Fisherman by the leg.
"Now time to reel him in and use him as a shield against your whale's attack!" he continued. "No! Not my Legendary Fisherman!" Mako shouted as the Panther Warrior swung the Legendary Fisherman into the path of Fortress Whale's attack. "I don't have to destroy him, because your whale's about to do that for me!" Joey stated as the attack landed. "It can't be!" Mako shouted as the memory of losing his father came rushing back before the Legendary Fisherman was destroyed, lowering his life points down to 1100 and leaving him stunned.
"I destroyed my own Legendary Fisherman, the most prized card in my entire dueling deck. How could I be so careless as to let something like this happen?" Mako pondered. "Hey, it's just a card." Joey said, trying to rationalize with Mako. "It's more than just a card, I need my Legendary Fisherman in order to have, courage." Mako responded. "What do you mean? You're one of the bravest guys I know. You got to give yourself a lot more credit than that, Mako." Joey stated. "It's not that easy, Joey, because that card reminds me of my father and what a courageous man he was." Mako responded.
"Mako..." Joey began to say. "It's my fault. I crushed my inspiration." Mako said, somberly. "You're wrong. You don't need that card to be brave or inspired. You've already got what you need; it's been inside you this whole time and you don't need a card with a picture of a fisherman that looks like your dad sitting on a shark to inspire you. You get what I'm saying?" Joey responded, trying to get Mako's spirits back up.
"Back off." Mako said, bluntly. "Look, man. What I'm trying to say is you can be inspired by your father without that card. There's something inside every Duelist that drives them." Joey explained. "How do you know, Joey?" Mako asked. "I know, because I duel for my little sister, Serenity, just the same way that you duel for your dad. And she inspires me, even though she's not right next to me. So don't be hard on yourself for destroying your Legendary Fisherman." Joey answered as Mako's memories of his father came rushing back to him.
"Your memories of your dad and your courage are in your heart, not in that card and nothing can take that away. So let's get back to this duel already. And just to be a nice guy, I'll pass my turn." he continued as Mako wiped the tears from his eyes. "If you insist, then it's my turn! Fortress Whale, take out his Panther Warrior for good!" Mako declared as the whale readied to attack. "I'm gonna have to stop you, cause I activate Kunai with Chain!" Joey responded and his trap sprung, wrapping itself around the horn of the Fortress Whale.
"This card stops your whale from attacking and raises my Panther Warrior's attack points by 500!" he explained as his panther's attack power jumped to 2500 and landed on the Fortress Whale's head. "But I'm afraid my whale is 50 points stronger!" Mako pointed out. "And your point is? Panther Warrior, prepare to attack his whale!" Joey responded before the Panther Warrior readied to plunge its sword the blowhole of the Fortress Whale.
"It can't! I told you my Fortress Whale as 50 more attack points than your Panther Warrior, making it stronger than your best, even with its attack point boost from the Kunai with Chain! So that means your monster's going to be destroyed in the counterattack from my whale's blowhole!" Mako declared defiantly as the attack landed. "True, my Panther Warrior is 50 points weaker than your whale, but you're forgetting about my facedown right over here!" Joey responded before pointing to his only facedown.
"What of it?" Mako asked. "I'm glad you asked, its got the power boost my monster!" Joey replied as he activated his card. "Its called Invigoration and it raises my Panther's attack points by 400!" he explained as his Panther's attack power increased to 2900 while its defense points lowered to 1400. "Which means your whale's going down!" he concluded as the sword plunged down into the whale's head, destroying it and lowering Mako's life points to 750.
"Alright!" Tea shouted. "Thar she goes!" Tristan declared. "And that takes out 350 of Mako's life points!" Fluttershy pointed out. "Any last words?" Joey asked. "Yes, six. This duel is not over yet." Mako responded before drawing. "So I'll play this, Monster Reborn. Now I can bring back a monster and hide it underwater." he continued before his revived monster appeared under the waves. "Well, that's not good." Joey simply said.
"Oh, no. You don't think Mako brought back his Fortress Whale, do you?" Tea asked. "For Joey's sake, Tea, I hope not." Fluttershy responded as Joey drew his next card. "Alright, Mako, here goes." the scrappy underdog said as he looked at what he drew. 'Giant Trunade! This card can send all magic and trap cards back to their respective player's hands and off the field! So that means I can dry up Mako's ocean, get rid of his Tornado Wall and expose whatever monster he brought back! But what if my Panther Warrior can't defeat whatever's hiding down there?' he thought.
"What on earth are you waiting for?! Hurry up and make your move so my creature of the deep can strike and end this duel!" Mako shouted, impatiently. 'Wait! When Mako played Umi and covered the field with ocean water, it gave his monsters a power boost. So by drying things up, it'll lower the creature's attack points!' Joey thought. "I activate Giant Trunade, to drain the sea!" he shouted before all the water and every other magic card and trap card were sucked up into the sky. Right then and there, Mako's monster was revealed to be The Legendary Fisherman.
"It worked!" Fluttershy shouted. "You've exposed my Fisherman." Mako said with tears in his eyes. "Its over now, just finish him and me off." he said somberly, knowing that defeat was at hand. "It's been an honor to duel you, Mako. First, I play Scapegoat." Joey said as his Sheep Tokens appeared. "Now I summon my Battle Warrior." he added as his next monster appeared. "And now I'll sacrifice one of my Sheep Tokens so my Panther Warrior can attack!" he continued before the creature's blade struck and destroyed The Legendary Fisherman down, lowering Mako's life points to 600.
'I'll never give up, father.' Mako thought as he watched the monster equivalent of his father blow apart. "And now, Battle Warrior, deliver the final blow! Ultimate Battle Fist!" Joey commanded as the monster struck Mako down, bringing the battle to an end. Mako got back up, his head hanging down, silent with tears coming down his face before he dried them. "You alright, Mako?" Joey asked.
"Yes, that was an excellent duel. Congratulations" Mako responded with a smile. "Thank you." Joey responded. "Now, instead of one, I'll give you two of my rarest cards, along with the card needed to summon the second, giving you a total of three, along with two locator cards." Mako said as he handed Joey his prizes; two locator cards, The Legendary Fisherman, Fortress Whale and Fortress Whale's Oath. "Hold on. You don't need to give me your fisherman." Joey said, not looking to take the card that reminded Mako of his dad.
"Yes, I do. You've earned these cards. Besides, you're right. I don't need a card to remember my dad. His courage and support are always with me, inside my heart." Mako retorted. "That's right." Joey confirmed as he took his winnings. "Thank you. And don't worry, I'll treat it with respect." he added. "You'd better. And best of luck in the finals." Mako responded before both Duelists shook hands. "Thanks. You're alright, Mako." Joey replied as the orca made another jump from the water while the crowd cheered, but little did he or the others know that Marik's Rare Hunters saw the whole thing, and were preparing to strike.
Elsewhere in the city, Yami and the Kaiba brothers were walking along when Seto got a message from one of his technicians at KaibaCorp. "Mr. Kaiba, Joey Wheeler's Duel Disk was traced to Sector 075, the Ocean World theme park and aquarium." he said. "Good work." Seto said to the technician. "Our satellite tracking system found your friends and grandfather, Yugi." he said to Yami. "Well, where are they?" Yami asked. "Ocean World. Just remember our deal; we find them and ensure their safety and we duel afterwards." Seto answered. "Kaiba, that's enough. This isn't just a game anymore. My friends' and my grandfather's free will if not their lives are in jeopardy and they need help." Yami stated.
"Free will? What do you mean? Lives, I understand, but free will?" Seto asked. "You must know of the leader of the Rare Hunters, Marik. He's a madman that uses mind control on anyone he sees as a slave. Furthermore, your challenge has already been accepted so you will get your duel against me and your chance to become world champion again, but I'm focused on making sure my friends and family are safe and not under the grip of some madman who seeks ultimate power." Yami explained.
"Well, then, if that's the case, I suggest you follow me to Ocean World." Seto responded. "I can only hope we're not too late." Yami said, completely unaware that he may be right.