Chapter 15

"The Iron Knight Rises"

"It seems so hopeless at this point, Spikey, darling. Joey has a parasite infested deck and 3100 life points remaining." Rarity said, a bit worried. "And Weevil has his most powerful insect, so far, on the field and 5600 life points. Not to mention he's got a barrier that prevents any insect monsters from attacking, and due to that Parasite Paracide, all of Joey's monsters become part insect once they hit the field." Spike added. "Well, if I know Joey like I think I do, he's not gonna give up so easily." Tristan stated, confidently.

"Give it up, Wheeler! Now that my Ultimate Great Moth has emerged, you're as good as squashed! And your two locator cards will soon be mine!" Weevil declared. 'If I were a dragon again, I'd easily turn that bug to ashes.' Spike thought, clearly annoyed by Weevil's constant grandstanding. "Stay focused, Joseph. A clear mind can lead to victory!" Rarity said, trying to get Joey to clear his head and think straight. "You'll be saying goodbye to Battle City in now time, Wheeler, now brace yourself for my Ultimate Great Moth's devastating power!" Weevil declared. "Destroy his Alligator's Sword, now!" he commanded before the creature was destroyed with a few flaps from the oversized moth's wings.

"It'd take a giant flyswatter to get rid of that dreadful insect." Rarity said, worried. "Flyswatter indeed. Or perhaps Godzilla?" Weevil responded. "This ain't no kaiju movie." Spike said, clearly unamused. "You're right. And thanks to the Parasite on Joey's side of the field, this won't become a kaiju movie, thanks to all his cards being insect now which automatically triggers my Insect Barrier. Besides, the Gate Guardian and the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon have the attack points necessary to beat my Great Moth, and I doubt he has either of them in his pathetic deck!" Weevil responded.

At Yonezato Hospital, Kenta was losing hope fast. "Uh oh. It doesn't look too good for Joey. The Ultimate Great Moth is too tough for him. Maybe we should just log off now and hope Joey does the smart thing and run away." he said before falling back onto Serenity's bed. "No way, Kenta. Joey's gonna win and I'm not giving up on him, neither are you." the blind girl responded, confidently. "How can you be so sure? His life points keep getting lower whenever Weevil has Leghul attack, he hasn't been able to attack and this moth seems unbeatable. Maybe the best move is for him to runaway and hide somewhere in the city." Kenta stated. "You mean like you did today?" Serenity asked. "I guess. Some things are just really scary to face, especially when you have to do them all alone, and I don't want my x-ray taken so I'm gonna stay in here.." Kenta said as he turned away from Serenity.

Back on the battlefield, Joey was trying to think of what to do. 'How am I gonna crush that giant moth of his? It's way to strong and none of my monsters can attack anyway thanks to that Insect Barrier. Alright, deck, show me some love!' he thought as he drew his next card. 'Yes! Just the card I needed! Look out, you little pest, Joey's got a plan!' he thought with a smile. "I'll set one card facedown, and switch all my monsters to attack mode!" he said aloud as he made his move, which baffled the spectators. "Did we just hear him right?" Spike asked. "How can Joey attack Weevil's moth when that barrier is in effect?" Rarity pondered.

"You don't think the pressure finally got to him, do you?" Tristan asked. "Maybe, he's doing what I think he's doing." Sol suggested. "I end my turn, Weevil. Bring it on!" Joey said, daringly. "You got it!" Weevil responded as he drew his next card. "I doubt that a simple fool like you could ever have something sneaky planned, but just in case, I'll set this monster in defense mode." he continued as he set said card. "Now I'm sure you remember Leghul, but just in case, I'll refresh your memory! Leghul, bypass his monsters and attack his life points directly!" he added before Leghul struck, and Joey's life points lowered to 2800.

"Are you okay, Joey?" Spike asked as the scrappy underdog sat up. "Now, since you put that Parasite Paracide into attack mode, and it's technically your weakest monster on the field, it'll be my final target and the blast will knock your life points down to nothing!" Weevil declared as his moth flapped its wings. "Finish him off, my pet!" he ordered. "Nice try, bug brain! I reveal my trap card, Skull Dice!" Joey shouted as his trap activated and the imp rolled the red die. "This card will lower your giant bug's attack points depending on the number rolled. So the higher the number, the weaker your moth gets!" he continued. Weevil watched in worry as the die tumbled and rolled on the battlefield before landing on a two, to Joey's dismay.

"A two? Oh, well, at least it cut your oversized pest's attack power in half." he said as the moth's attack power was sliced in half, from 3500 to 1750. "That was a sad attempt to survive, Wheeler. My moth can still blow your Parasite to pieces." Weevil said, confidently. "Don't count on it. I reveal my other facedown, the magic card known as Graceful Dice!" Joey responded as his card activated and the little cherub appeared with die in hand, to Weevil's shock. "Part two of my master plan, the higher I roll, the stronger my Parasite becomes, you little termite! Bet you're regretting having it snuck into my deck, aren't you?" he continued. "It can't be!" Weevil shouted. "I need a four or higher to swat your moth out of the sky." Joey stated before the cherub let the die go.

The tension was great, but the die soon landed on a four, just what Joey was hoping for. "Alright! Now the Parasite Paracide's attack points multiply by four, bringing it up to 2000!" Joey shouted as his Parasite counterattacked, bypassing the effects of Insect Barrier, and ensnaring the Ultimate Great Moth. "I can't watch!" Weevil said in horror. "Say bye-bye to your bug!" Joey declared as the Parasite crushed the Ultimate Great Moth, lowering Weevil's life points to 5350. On the sidelines, everyone celebrated. "I knew that Joey could do what Yugi could do at Duelist Kingdom!" Spike declared. "You know, deep down, I felt the same way." Rarity concurred. "Excellent dueling!" Sol complimented.

At Yonezato Hospital, even Kenta was surprised. "Whoa! Hey, check it out! I can't believe it, Serenity. Joey just crushed Weevil's Great Moth! And he used a card I think Weevil may have snuck into his deck to do it!" he said in absolute surprise. On the battlefield, Joey drew his next card. "I pass this turn, Weevil, but safe to say that I'm back in the game!" he said. "No! This is like Duelist Kingdom all over again! You squashed my moth like a common fly! You'll pay for this! This duel isn't over yet, Wheeler! Not by a mile!" Weevil shouted.

"Bring it on, Weevil, I'll exterminate all of your little critters!" Joey responded. "You may have won that round, but my next surprise will win me the duel and send you packing!" Weevil stated as he drew his next card. "We'll just see about that, Weevil!" Joey said. "Yes, we will. But first off, I'll play this! The Insect Soldiers of the Sky!" Weevil responded as his next monster, a level three, Wind attribute insect/effect monster with 1000 attack points and 800 defense points, took to the wing. "Next is a magic card, Eradicating Aerosol!" he continued as a hand holding a spray can came out of the card. "This card has the power to destroy any insect on the field, and since all of your parasite infected monsters are still part insect, I could take out one of them, but I've got bigger plans." he explained. "So I choose to destroy my Pinch Hopper!" he concluded.

"Destroy his own monster? What gives?" Spike asked. "Oh, no. Once Pinch Hopper goes to the graveyard, Weevil can summon any insect monster in his hand." Sol said, worried. "Any insect in his hand?" Rarity asked. "That's right! Now, watch as Pinch Hopper is destroyed!" Weevil confirmed before his giant grasshopper is sent to the graveyard. "Now I can summon a monster whose attack power when played the right way is virtually limitless! Behold, my rarest monster, the Insect Queen! Prepare to lose it all, Wheeler!" he continued as his rarest monster, a level seven, Earth attribute insect/effect monster with 2200 attack points and 2400 defense points, took to the field in all her royal glory.

"You may have beaten my moth, but my queen will royally trounce your defenses and wipe out your life points! Now you will face a power from the insect world like no other! Say goodbye to Battle City!" he declared. "That's... a very big... bug..." Rarity stuttered before she fainted in Spike's arms. "If you think my Insect Queen is formidable now, just wait until you see her special ability. She absorbs attack power from every insect on the field!" Weevil stated. "Well, it's still got less power than your moth, and I creamed that thing." Joey pointed out.

"Guess you weren't listening. When I said she absorbs every insect's attack power, that includes yours!" Weevil clarified. "Oh, no. He's right. Thanks to Parasite Paraside, all of Joey's monsters are insects, which gives the Insect Queen more power!" Spike said as the queen's attack power rose from 2200 to 3200. "That's a thousand point boost!" Joey said in shock. "I don't think Fluttershy would be too fond of making friends with that bug." Tristan said. "Who would?" Tea asked. "Remember, Joey, when dealing with a Duelist that specializes in cards like insects, you have to think like one!" Sol advised. "You destroyed the Ultimate Great Moth, so I'm sure you can find a way to destroy the Insect Queen!" Spike added.

At Yonezato Hospital, Kenta started to worry again. "Uh oh. Now Joey's dealing with a monster that's even stronger than the Ultimate Great Moth, the Insect Queen. This duel could be over soon. How can he face that thing all alone? It's too powerful." he said. "Joey was never alone in this tournament, he knows that I'm always there with him in spirit while his friends are by his side on the field. And if I need help, I know my brother's always there for me." Serenity responded before remembering the day of her operation. "When I was scared to have my operation done, he gave me the strength I needed to go through with it. He's more than my brother, Joey's my best friend and we're there to support each other no matter what. So even though I'm not next to him right now, he knows I believe in him and our bond of friendship will always be there." she continued.

"Say, will you be my friend?" Kenta asked. "Sure." Serenity responded. "So if you ever get frightened, I'll be there for you. But right now, Joey needs both of our help, so just cheer him on." she added. Back on the battlefield, things were taking a turn for the worst. "And now I'll give my queen, another power boost, by sacrificing Leghul!" Weevil declared as the Insect Queen started to munch on her loyal subject. "Ugh, that's just utterly disgusting!" Rarity said. "The more she feeds, the more powerful she'll become." Weevil explained. "Insect Queen, attack! Annihilate his Little Winguard!" he commanded as the Insect Queen, though losing 200 attack points from the sacrifice of Leghul, fired a blast that turned the little warrior into slime and dropped Joey's life points to 1000.

"Now your Little Winguard is, bug juice. And you lost some serious life points. And it gets better, with every monster my queen destroys, she lays an egg." he continued as a small egg appeared behind the Insect Queen, with only 100 attack and defense points. "That was..." Spike began to say before running over to a trash can to throw up. "These eggs will let her keep the extra attack points even after the monster's destroyed. And when these eggs hatch, I'll have an entire insect army at my command!" Weevil declared. 'I got to scramble those eggs before any insect munchkins hatch. They'll be on my like a swarm of killer bees if I don't. But as long as Weevil's Insect Barrier is in play, I can't attack! And even if I do summon a monster, the Parasite Paracide will turn it into a bug and the Insect Queen will absorb its attack power! There's got to be a way out of this.' Joey thought, desperately.

"Here goes nothing!" he said at last as he drew his next card. "I'll set one card face down on the field and end my turn." he concluded. "Joey! You forgot to switch your monsters back into defense mode!" Rarity shouted, to Joey's shock. "Tough luck. Now there's nothing defending your life points against my next to last attack. Time to finish you off, Wheeler! And once I do, your pal Yugi is next!" Weevil stated. "If Weevil attacks now, Joey's out of the tournament!" Spike shouted, very much worried as Weevil drew his next card.

"So long, Wheeler. I summon Cockroach Knight!" Weevil said as his next monster, a level three, Earth attribute insect/effect monster with 800 attack points and 900 defense points, appeared. "And now I feed him to my queen!" he added as the royal bug ate her faithful defender. "And whenever my cockroach is destroyed, it returns to the top of my deck, so I can keep sacrificing it to increase my queen's strength! And now, my Insect Queen, destroy his Panther and knock him out of the tournament!" he continued.

"Don't be so sure of yourself, Weevil." Joey said, confidently. "Care to guess what's under card number one?" he asked. "No! Not a trap card! You kept your monsters in attack mode on purpose!" Weevil realized. "Right on the nose, and because you decided to go for the kill, it's time to pay the price! I activate Magical Arm Shield!" Joey declared as his trap sprung.

A mechanical grabbing arm came out of the shield and grabbed Weevil's Insect Soldiers and pulled it right into the path of the Insect Queen's attack. "My Insect Soldiers of the Sky!" Weevil shouted. "My Magical Arm Shield let's me defend against your attack by using one of your own monsters to deflect the blow!" Joey explained as the Insect Soldiers turned into bug juice, lowering Weevil's life points to 3150. "Now whose points are history?" he asked before the Insect Queen laid another egg.

At Yonezato Hospital, Kenta was impressed. "Pretty good strategy, Joey managed to use Weevil's own monster against him by using one of his other monsters to protect himself. That's the second time he outsmarted Weevil." he said. 'I knew you'd do well, big brother.' Serenity thought. On the battlefield, Weevil was ticked, so to speak. "You may have blocked my first attack, but you're prolonging your defeat!" he threatened. "The more I hang around this guy, the less I can tolerate him." Rarity said with a huff. "Well, destroying that Insect Queen might be able to shut him up." Tristan pointed out.

"So, Wheeler, was that the best idea that your flea-sized brain could come up with? There's no way out of this hornet's nest! As my queen gets stronger, she'll continue to lay eggs that will hatch into insect warriors! And as if that wasn't enough to ensure my victory in this duel, Wheeler, with my Insect Barrier still in play, you still can't attack!" Weevil boasted before Joey drew his next card. "Don't count your eggs before they hatch, Weevil. I'll protect my life points by putting both my monsters into defense mode." the scrappy underdog said.

"Looks like someone's running out of options. But, relax, I promise I'll finish you quickly." Weevil said as he drew. "Recognize this?" he asked as he, once again, summoned the Cockroach Knight. "The Cockroach Knight returns! Eat and grow stronger, my queen!" he declared as the Insect Queen dined on her former servant. "And now, attack his Panther Warrior!" he commanded before the queen dissolved the Panther Warrior to nothing.

"Another one bites the dust!" he concluded with a chuckle. 'Aw, man. The only thing left standing between Weevil and my life points is this Parasite. I got to summon another monster and find a way to squash that Insect Queen, but whatever I summon will become infected by the Parasite Paracide and give his Insect Queen more power!' Joey thought as the said monster laid another egg. 'And once those eggs hatch, I'll be in real trouble!' he added.

"I think it's best for you to just hand over your two locator cards and head home, Wheeler!" Weevil suggested with a laugh. 'Hate to say it, but he's right. I used up my best cards, and that Insect Queen is way too strong.' Joey thought, considering on giving up.

"Joseph, don't even consider giving up! You have everyone's support, including your sister!" Rarity shouted. "Rarity's right! Just trust in yourself and your deck!" Sol added. "Now get up and stomp that termite for Serenity's sake!" put in Spike. Those words instantly got Joey thinking about is little sister. 'They're right. Serenity's never given up on me before. When I dueled Espa Roba yesterday and the odds were against me, she never stopped believing in me. So there's no way I'm gonna let her down by letting this bug-eyed ex-champion get the best of me. Heck, the entire gang's rooting for me. And with my friends and family behind me, there's no way I can lose this!' Joey thought.

At Yonezato Hospital, Kenta and Serenity were also cheering Joey on. "Come on, Joey! Don't quit now! You may not be able to hear me, but me and Serenity believe in you!" he declared. "What's happening?" Serenity asked. "Joey's in a tight spot, but I got a feeling he ain't giving up yet, cause you haven't given up on him." Kenta explained. Serenity smiled before they started chanting his name.

Back at the battlefield, the words of encouragement continued on, despite Weevil's protest for Joey to give up. "Joey Wheeler doesn't quit. Maybe you'd understand if you had friends. And if you had faith, in the Heart of the Cards!" the scrappy underdog declared as he made his next draw, and liked what he saw. 'That's what I'm talking about! Looks like things are starting to turn around.' he thought.

"You're finished. You know that Parasite Paracide will infect any monster that you summon." Weevil stated. "I'll place one card face down and summon Gearfried the Iron Knight!" Joey declared as his next monster, a level four, Earth attribute warrior/effect monster with 1800 attack points and 1600 defense points, appeared. 'Yes! The Iron Knight rises!' Spike thought as he knew exactly what Gearfried was capable of.

"You fool, once your knight has become infected by that parasite, it'll just give more power to my ravenous queen!" Weevil said, thinking Joey made a mistake, but when the parasite tried to infect Gearfried, nothing happened. "Don't be so sure about that, Weevil. Some monsters are bug-proof!" Joey revealed as the parasite started to back off. "What's going on?! Why can't the parasite feed on him?!" Weevil asked, worried and surprised.

"The answer's in the name! Gearfried is called the Iron Knight for a reason. His suit of armor can't be penetrated by some parasite!" Spike revealed. "How is that possible?!" Weevile asked. "Simple, he did his homework, just like Joey did. You should've known that Parasite Paracide acts as an equip card to any monster on the same side of the field as it, and Gearfried has a special ability that destroys any card equipped to it." Sol explained. "No insect can feed off of metal! And you call yourself an expert insect Duelist." Rarity added.

"Awesome! That means Gearfried can pass through the Insect Barrier and attack!" Tristan said. "And I got a perfect plan to wipe out your Insect Queen, Weevil, and it starts with those eggs!" Joey declared. "No! You wouldn't dare!" Weevil responded, worried. "Gearfried, attack those eggs and lower the Insect Queen's attack power!" Joey commanded before Gearfried sliced one of the eggs in half, lowering Weevil's life points to 1450. But that only infuriated the former Regional Champion.

"That's it! Next turn, you're bug food!" he shouted as the group on the sidelines celebrated. "Looks like Joey found her weakness; the Insect Queen needs her eggs to keep her attack points high, so if he destroys them, she gets weaker." Sol said with pride. "What's more, the eggs are completely defenseless until they hatch, making them sitting ducks!" Spike added. "Furthermore, since the Insect Barrier can't stop Gearfried, Joey can wipe them all out!" put in Rarity.

"Tell me, Weevil, does her majesty like her eggs poached, scrambled, over easy or sunny-side up?" Joey asked. "Enjoy this brief moment of triumph while it lasts, because next turn, I'm going to be one duel closer to the Battle City finals and possibly defeating Yugi Muto for upstaging me at Duelist Kingdom!" Weevil responded. "No one gets away with disrespecting insect royalty like you just did! Prepare to be pulverized as I power up my Insect Queen even more!" he continued as he drew his next card. "First off, I'll summon my Soldier Ant!" he stated as his next monster, a level three, Earth attribute Insect with 500 attack points and 1200 defense points, took to the field.

"And now I'll activate the magic card, Ant Reproduction!" he added as his magic card quickly took effect. Turning one ant, into an army. "Watch as I turn a single ant, into an entire colony!" he declared with glee. "What now?" Joey asked. "I think the ants just came marching in." Spike said, meekly. "Correct. This magic card took my single Soldier Ant and turned it into an army of ten ants. I bet you know what's next, don't you, Wheeler?" Weevil confirmed. "Queenie is gonna absorb the attack power of each one and grow stronger." Joey responded as the Insect Queen's attack power leapt to 5000.

"That's right. And once my queen is done powering up, it'll be the end of you once and for all, Joey Wheeler!" Weevil confirmed. "Oh, no! If Gearfried is attacked, this duel's over!" Rarity shouted as Spike started biting his nails. "This is goodbye, Wheeler. Now, my lovely queen, destroy that scrap heap of a knight and what's left of his life points!" Weevil declared as Kenta and Serenity continued to will Joey on.

"You grub. I was hoping you'd attack." Joey said with a confident smile. "WHAT? You were?" Weevil asked, confused. "It's all part of my plan. I activate my trap card, Graverobber!" Joey responded as the Graverobber himself appeared from the card. "Not Graverobber!" Weevil shouted, knowing just what Joey's intentions were. "Yep, he can take a magic card from your graveyard and use it against you. And I think I'll just borrow your can of Eradicating Aerosol. Time to exterminate your queen!" Joey confirmed as the Graverobber pulled out the Eradicating Aerosol card and used it on the Insect Queen, destroying her instantly.

"Yeah! That takes care of Joey's pest problem!" Spike shouted. "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY QUEEN?!" Weevil cried. "But wait, I'm not through with you yet, Weevil Underpants. Gearfried, destroy one of his eggs and the rest of his life points!" Joey declared as Gearfried charged in and sliced one of the eggs, dropping Weevil's life points down to 0. "Welcome to Loserville, Weevile! Population, you!" Spike called out as the holograms faded away.

"I..I lost? I don't believe it." Weevil said as he dropped to his knees, looking a little loopy as the spectators celebrated Joey's victory. "Yes! He did it!" Spike shouted as he and Rarity hugged. "I knew he'd put that sneak in his place!" Rarity declared. As for Joey, he approached Weevil to claim his prizes. "Alright, Weevil, cough em up. Your Insect Queen and your two locator cards." he said. "Have mercy. Please." Weevil said, meekly.

"Mercy? You should've thought about that before you decided to cheat." Rarity stated as she approached. "Looks like it's a true repeat of Duelist Kingdom, because now you're out of the tournament." Spike added before Weevil just fainted. At Yonezato Hospital, Kenta saw the results on the laptop screen. "It's over! He won! Joey kicked Weevil's buggy butt! He almost lost many times during the match, but he never gave up!" he said. Serenity just smiled.

"You know what, Serenity? I'm through with running away! I'm not afraid of having my x-rays taken. I know that I can face anything, as long as I have friends like you rooting for me." he added. "That's right." Serenity simply said. "After that, who knows? Maybe someday, I can become a tournament caliber Duelist just like your brother. Then all my friends can come to cheer me on." Kenta suggested. "Then I'll be cheering the loudest." Serenity responded.

"So, think you can get me Joey's autograph someday?" Kenta asked, to which Serenity just giggled. Elsewhere in Domino City, Yugi saw a crowd of people who watched the duel up on a big screen and complimenting Joey's efforts before he looked at the screen himself. 'Awesome! Joey's almost made it to the finals! And he did it all without his Red-Eyes.' he thought as he held up Joey's best card. 'I know it's my destiny to help Yami save the world, and I got a feeling that Joey's Red-Eyes is gonna help me do it. It won't be easy, especially with Marik's Rare Hunters out there looking for me, but I'll be ready.' he continued.

Meanwhile, back at Domino Plaza, the mime still stood on the bench before hearing a call from his master. 'The time is growing close, my mind slave. Soon, we'll destroy Yugi, together!' Marik said with an evil, wicked laugh.