Chapter 37
Awakening of Evil: Part 1
Joey vs the Trap Deck
"Attention all finalists, may I have your attention please? The second duel of the Battle City finals is about to begin." Roland announced. "Alright, we'll start up the selector to see who duels next. Remember your numbers." Mokuba said before the machine started. "Whoever is picked must go directly to the Stratos Deck." Roland said before a number entered the Blue-Eyes' mouth. "The first Duelist chosen is, number two, Joey Wheeler!" he declared. "Alright, time to show my sister what I can do." Joey said as the next number landed in the dragon's mouth.
"And Mr. Wheeler's opponent will be, number seven, Marik Ishtar!" Roland announced. "It's go time!" Joey said to his opponent. 'So Joey's facing off against Marik. I bet he's planning on using either his Millennium Rod or the third Egyptian God Card to win this duel. That means Joey has to be ready for anything.' Yugi thought. 'Wait, did Roland say Marik's last name is Ishtar? That's the same name as Ishizu, the Egyptian exhibit curator at the museum. No! It can't be! Marik and Ishizu are related?!' Twilight thought in shock, remembering when Ishizu introduced herself to them the night before Battle City started.
"Hope you got a parachute in that cloak because I'm gonna blast you right off this blimp. You got that, Marik?" Joey stated. Soon, everyone was up on the Stratos Deck. "Alright, both Duelists will now take their places in the arena." Roland announced as he took his place as referee. "Elevate the field." he instructed before the field rose up. "The winner of this duel will advance to the second round of the Battle City finals. Gentlemen, take your places." he said as the two shuffled their decks. 'Man, Joey's more than fired up, he's angry. He looks like he's gonna shuffle for ten duels instead of one.' Rainbow thought.
"Something tells me revenge is on Joey's mind, hence why he's not trash talking. Better off that he isn't, since this guy looks like he takes no nonsense" Tristan said. 'Tristan's right. Joey needs to stay focused, but he can't let revenge fuel him.' Mai thought. "Joey looks pretty intent on beating Marik. Look at him." Serenity said. "Well, this is your first time seeing him duel, so you're gonna see just what he was capable of doing in order to get here." Spike pointed out.
Soon, both players took their places after a tense stare down. 'I'll make sure this whacko regrets controlling my noggin.' Joey thought. "Alright, Marik, I have a feeling that you're gonna be one Egyptian God Card short by the time I'm through with you." he said bluntly. "I think he might've wanted to duel against Marik since the finals started." Duke suggested. "You know it, especially after what happened at the pier." AJ stated. "Could you guys imagine how much stronger my brother would be with an Egyptian God Card in his deck?" Serenity asked. "I doubt he'd be able to control such a beast, based on what we saw with Slifer." Twilight responded.
Suddenly, Odion pulled out the Millennium Rod. "That must be what he used to control my mind!" Joey said in shock. 'The Millennium Rod! I knew Marik would have it on him for this duel. That coward can't win without it.' Yugi thought. "Why don't you put that thing back and duel like a man?" Joey suggested. "Very well." Odion responded before doing so. "Look, Marik, brainwashing me is one thing, but forcing me into a life or death situation with not one, not two, but three of my friends? That proves you'll lose." Joey stated.
'That's a relief, guess Marik remembered that Joey's will and heart are too strong to be controlled. That's why he broke from the control of the Millennium Rod earlier today.' Yugi thought. 'Little do they know that Odion's holding a mere replica of the real Millennium Rod, held by me. These fools will never suspect that I am the one they fear and despise so greatly. And while I hide safely in plain sight, Odion will fight my battles for me. But something else concerns me, Seto Kaiba and his role in this struggle. Little Yugi isn't the only one standing between me and the power of the Nameless Pharaoh.' Marik thought as he remembered the tablet that depicted Yami's battle against the sorcerer who betrayed him.
'The ancient tablets also depict a sorcerer who bares a striking resemblance to Kaiba. Perhaps they are related, the sorcerer being Kaiba's ancient ancestor. And what concerns me even more is what appears to be a rod in the hand of this sorcerer. If it was my Millennium Rod he held, then I have no choice than to keep an eye on Kaiba as well. And before the finals are over, Kaiba's Egyptian God Card, Obelisk the Tormentor, will belong to me! Kaiba could never comprehend that card's true power and as long as Odion continue to deceive everyone into believing that he is me, my plan to obtain the two remaining Egyptian God Cards and Yugi's Millennium Puzzle, should be simple. I'll show that skeptical Seto Kaiba what true and real power is all about!' he continued.
"Hey, Seto, if Marik really is the leader of the Rare Hunters, he must have a ton of rare cards in his deck." Mokuba suggested. "Knowing him, it's likely. But there's only one card in his deck I care about, and that's his Egyptian God Card, the Winged Dragon of Ra. And hopefully, that runner-up, Joey Wheeler, will last long enough in this duel for me to see how it works, so I can win it for myself." Seto responded.
'Listen to me well, Odion, if you can't defeat this foolish boy, then you wouldn't stand a chance against the pharaoh. So unless you'd like to take an unexpected trip to the Shadow Realm, I suggest you refrain from disappointing me.' Marik said mentally to his loyal servant. 'Yes, master Marik. I give my word that I shall defeat this worthless opponent.' Odion responded, mentally. "Okay, Marik, let's do this." Joey said before both players inserted their decks. "It's time to duel, and destroy you!" Odion declared as their life points set to 4000.
"Gentlemen, let the duel begin!" Roland said, officially starting the game. "Prepare for defeat!" Odion stated. "Don't count on it, Marik! I'm not afraid of you, and I'll prove it by making the first move." Joey responded before drawing. "Alright, go get em, Joey!" Rainbow shouted. "Show that robed weirdo who's boss!" Mai called. "Hey, Yugi, did Joey ever take back his Red-Eyes Black Dragon?" Duke asked. "No, I have it, he gave it to me after I beat the Rare Hunter that stole it from him." Yugi answered.
"Knowing Joey, he probably won't need it. He's come this far, and he's got four rare cards to prove it, so he can use them." Tristan stated. "I know he's the runner-up from Duelist Kingdom, but I don't think he's ever faced someone as unpredictable as this guy." Spike pointed out. "Well, we've seen what kind of evil cruelty that Marik is capable of, so its obvious we can't trust him to play fair." Rarity stated. "Let's see if the underdog of Domino City has more bite than bark." Pinkie said with a serious smile.
'Okay, this is it. I've worked really hard to get in the finals and I can't mess this up. Gotta remember, if I defeat this evil nutcase, I'll have saved the world.' Joey thought before the wind picked up. "Feel that, Marik? The winds of change are blowing, and they're gonna blow you away." he said aloud. "Believe what you wish, fool, it won't do you any good." Odion responded. "Well this ought to do some good, I summon Gearfried the Iron Knight in attack mode!" Joey declared before his knight appeared.
"That's the monster he used to beat Weevil." Tristan said with a smile. "There's more where he came from, but I'll end my turn here." Joey said before Odion drew. "I activate Temple of the Kings, a card unlike any you've ever seen!" the loyal servant to Marik declared before said temple appeared behind him. "What's with that temple?" Twilight pondered. "The structure you see behind me is the ancient Temple of the Kings. Within this 5,000 year old sanctuary lay the greatest treasures of the many pharaohs of Egypt!" Odion explained.
"What's the purpose of this temple?" Joey asked. "To protect treasure, it limits the number of magic and trap cards you can play in one turn to only two." Odion explained. "Oh, great." Joey said. "And to protect the temple, I'll set two cards face down as a boundary of protection. And with this move, I end my turn. So try to attack me, if you dare. Then again, you have no idea what dangers lurk within the walls of this temple." Odion continued.
"The duel just started and Marik hasn't even summoned a single monster." Rainbow said. "I think Joey's best move is not to attack directly, seeing as Marik is probably wanting him to so that he could spring those facedown cards." Spike stated. 'Spike's right, it's too risky for Joey to attack Marik's life points. But what worries me even more is, not only does he have to watch those facedown cards, but he also have to think about what could be in that temple.' Yugi thought. 'These fools have no idea of the ancient fury that awaits them.' Marik thought.
'I can't let him see me sweat. I have to stay calm.' Joey thought. "Everything alright, Joey?" Serenity asked. "I'm fine, just planning." Joey responded. 'Alright, now let's see what I have in my hand.' he thought as he looked at his hand. 'Alright, my Giant Trunade. If I can use it to drain Umi from the field during my duel with Mako, I can use it to blow down that temple like a house of cards and get rid of his two facedowns.' he continued.
"What's the delay? Realizing that no matter what you do, you can't beat me, Mr. Wheeler?" Odion asked. 'If he only knew what I had planned. First, I summon a couple more monsters to build up my attack force, but I won't attack, since he's probably wanting me to. Then Marik will set two more facedowns, thinking he has me cornered, but then I'll activate Giant Trunade, blowing away his facedowns and reducing his temple to rubble. And finally, my army will wipe out his life points. He won't know what hit him.' Joey thought.
"Prepare to say goodnight, Marik." he said aloud before drawing. "I summon the Little Winguard in attack mode!" he declared before his tiny warrior appeared. "That's all I'm gonna do for now, chrome dome." he concluded. "Joey's got to attack some time." Tristan said. "I think Joey might have some kind of plan." Serenity suggested as Odion drew. "Observe, fool. I set two more cards face down on the field, completing my move." the loyal servant said.
"So, Marik has Temple of the Kings in play and four facedowns. What's Joey gonna do?" Pinkie pondered. "I bet that spineless snake is gonna sit back and wait for Joey to attack him. And when he does, Marik will spring one of his facedowns." Mai hypothesized. "It's the oldest, most effective and probably the wimpiest trick in the book, depending on who's pulling it." Rainbow stated before Joey drew.
"Alright, cue ball, here comes the hurt! I summon the Hayabusa Knight in attack mode!" the underdog declared before his monster, a level three, Earth attribute warrior/effect monster with 1000 attack points and 700 defense points, appeared. "Not bad, I think I have that card." Rainbow said, impressed. 'Now I have enough monsters on the field to wipe out his life points. But first, I got to play Giant Trunade to clean his side of the field of all his magic and trap cards.' Joey thought.
"It's time for me to demolish that ancient temple of yours, with this! I play Giant Trunade!" he declared as his card activated and a tornado started moving towards Odion, his temple and his facedowns. "Yes! Marik will have nothing on the field to protect himself!" Mai said, thinking Joey was about to have the duel in the bag. 'If he pulls this off, he'll have saved the world instead of Yugi.' Twilight thought, hopeful. "Man, Joey must've planned this out in his head as soon as he drew his hand!" Rainbow said in surprise.
'Beating this guy is way easier than I thought, maybe too easy.' Joey thought. Suddenly, the tornado stopped. "Huh? My Giant Trunade stopped? How?" he asked in surprise. "Your Giant Trunade has been halted, and your troubles are just beginning." Odion responded. "What's going on?" Yugi asked. "Mr. Wheeler, when you made the foolish decision of activating your Giant Trunade, you in turn triggered one of the most dangerous traps I placed on the field to protect myself. And now it's time for you to pay the price for that mistake." Odion explained.
"Is that so?" Joey asked. "Yes. You see, with all of my trap cards in play, I knew you wouldn't attack me with a monster, you'd try to destroy my traps with a magic card." Odion responded, revealing he knew Joey would take some precautions. "So you set a trap card that can stop and destroy magic cards?" Joey asked. "That's not the only thing it can do, the trap you just set off will decimate your forces and an extremely large portion of your life points! So prepare to feel it's wrath right now! Behold, Judgement of Anubis!" Odion responded as his card flipped.
"Never have you experienced a trap with such devastating force as this. Judgement of Anubis will now annihilate every monster you have on the field and deduct half of their total attack points from your life points." he continued. "No way!" Joey said in shock. "Now your monsters will become sacrificial lambs to the Egyptian god of the underworld, Anubis!" Odion declared before Joey's monsters were struck. "Building up an army of powerful monsters was a grave miscalculation, because they're about to disappear along with 2100 of your life points." he continued before the monsters were destroyed and Joey's life points drastically decreased to 1900.
"Great, there goes my plan to win early." Joey said in frustration. "Once you see the horrors that await you, those warriors will be the last thing on your mind." Odion stated. "Man, talk about crafty. Marik made Joey think he had the duel won, but he was really leading him into a trap like a sheep into a corral." AJ said. "Guess not attacking wasn't the best idea to keep himself save from Marik's facedowns. And worse yet, his spell and trap zones are almost full." Spike said. "Let's just hope Joey learned his lesson, because if he falls into a trap like that again, it's goodbye Battle City finals for him." Mai stated.
"You're right, Mai. Joey's come too far to lose to a guy with a bad attitude." Rainbow concurred. 'And a terrible hairdo, I might add.' Rarity thought. "Marik is clever, but you still think Joey can win, right guys?" Serenity asked. "Think he can? We know he'll pull something off. I mean, he knocked a cheater out of the competition." Pinkie responded. "A bit of support always helps Joey get through any tight spot he's in, and he's been in tighter spots than this." Spike stated.
"Hang in there, bro! You got this!" Tristan called out. "Have you started to realize you can't win? Or do you want more punishment, Mr. Wheeler?" Odion asked. "You don't know me all that well, do you? You probably don't because of your ponytail being too tight, but the point is that I was testing you while trying to destroy you. After all, I only want to face the best of the best. And since you proved you are, I'll kick things up a notch. You didn't expect me to buckle that easily, did you?" Joey responded.
"Well, Joey's right about one thing, he doesn't cave in that easily." Tea stated. "Joey may be proving he's got more guts than anything, but I don't think Marik's buying." Mokuba said to his brother. "Guts is one thing he has in spades, but guts and stupidity are two different things." Seto responded. "Alright, Marik, make your move and let's get on with it." Joey said. "You're in quite a rush to lose." Odion responded before drawing. "I'll go ahead and set two cards face down." he added.
"Great, more surprises." Joey said, sarcastically. "You'll find out what they are soon. For now, I end my turn." Odion stated. "It's kinda strange, the game's called Duel Monsters and so far all you've played are magic and traps." Joey said. "Well, like you tried and failed to do, I'm plotting a strategy, Mr. Wheeler." Odion explained. "Playing a thinking man's game, huh? Well, in that case, let me show you how I used to play, with monsters only." Joey replied before drawing.
"Now I summon Alligator's Sword in attack mode!" he declared before his gator appeared. 'If I attack now, Marik will counter with one of his facedowns. I can't afford to lose anymore life points.' he thought. "Well, then, just summoning monster after monster is how you used to play this game?" Odion asked. 'One wrong strike and I'm out of the finals.' Joey thought. "I don't trust those facedowns of yours, so I'm gonna hold back on attacking and set a card face down before ending my turn." he said aloud.
'That's a smart move for now, but he'll have to attack him eventually. But if Marik springs one of his facedowns, Joey will lose everything. He needs a strategy, and fast.' Yugi thought. "You got all your spell and trap zones filled up, so you can't set anymore." Joey pointed out as Odion drew. "You're right, so I'll pass my turn." Odion said. 'Passing his turn? He's begging me to attack him.' Joey thought before drawing. "Not much I can do with my current hand, so I'll pass, too." he said aloud before Odion drew again. "Perhaps I've drawn a card worth using." the loyal servant to Marik pondered. "No, this won't do at all. It's not even a monster, so I'll pass again." he said, frustrating Joey.
"Alright, this seems to be getting a bit out of hand, Seto. If neither one of them plays a card, this'll be a long and boring duel." Mokuba said. "No need to worry about that. Knowing Wheeler's rookie style of dueling, he'll crack long before Marik does." Seto stated. "Looks like you leave me no choice." Joey said, indicating he was about to attack. "Joey, whatever you do, don't attack! Marik wants you to so he can spring another trap on you!" Twilight called out. "Alright, you won't know what hit you!" Joey declared before drawing. "Here goes something, I summon Rocket Warrior in attack mode!" he continued before his mini warrior appeared.
"Marik, I don't care how many defense you have waiting for me, I didn't come this far to watch, I fought my way here to duel like a man and win this, Marik!" he stated. "Rocket Warrior, attack his life points directly!" he commanded as his monster turned into a rocket and zoomed towards Odion. "Joey, you're making a big mistake!" Rarity shouted. "I activate my trap card, Eye of Ujat!" Odion declared as his card flipped and said eye appears on the nose cone of Rocket Warrior's rocket form.
"Now that the Eye of Ujat is upon your Rocket Warrior, it's under my temporary control. And now I shall redirect its attack towards your only other monster!" he explained. "No way!" Joey shouted in shock. "Rocket Warrior, turn around and attack Alligator's Sword!" Odion commanded. "I don't think that's gonna work! I set a facedown too, remember? I activate the Fairy Box!" Joey declared before said box appeared and Alligator's Sword was sucked in. 'What's this? He's activated a trap to hide his monster?' Odion thought in surprise.
"Hey! I have that card!" Pinkie said with a goofy and excited smile. "Thanks to Fairy Box, Rocket Warrior's plan of attack just short-circuited. Time to play Gator Panic!" Joey declared as the gator's head popped up a bit. "Rocket Warrior, attack at once!" Odion commanded before the rocket powered monster struck. "So much for that." he said. However, Alligator's Sword came out of another hole, indicating that Rocket Warrior's attack missed.
"I missed?!" he said in shock. "Nice try, but you only get one shot. You must not know how to predict when or where the head of a gator will pop out when playing Gator Panic." Joey said, pleased. "I think I found a weakness in your dueling strategy, you don't have many monsters in your deck, but you filled it with plenty of magic and traps to compromise. The only flaw is the luck of the draw." he stated, surprising everyone, even Seto Kaiba.
"Talk about putting all of your eggs in one basket. Once I rid the field of all your magic and trap cards, you'll have nothing to protect your life points! I've come a long way since I started playing Duel Monsters, but I plan to be a champ rather than a runner-up." he continued. "You can talk all you like, but truth be told, you've already stumbled into another trap." Odion revealed. "What?" Joey asked. 'Enough talk, Odion. Finish him off so we can move on to more important matters.' Marik ordered, mentally. "What trap are you talking about this time?" Joey asked.
"You're about to see what I mean first hand." Odion answered with a chuckle. "You see, while I may be short on monsters, I possess a card that is both a trap and a monster!" he explained. "What are you talking about? A card that's a trap and a monster at once?" Joey asked, confused. "Prepare to witness the power of an extremely rare kind of card that's known as a Trap Monster!" Odion declared. "Is there really such a card?" Yugi asked. "I sure haven't heard of it." Mai stated. "I think I read something about them when I was studying up on the latest Duel Monsters news with Spike." Twilight revealed.
"Not only do I possess a rare Trap Monster card, but when you attacked, you activated it! And now you'll feel the venomous sting of a card you've never seen before!" Odion declared. "It can't be!" Joey said in shock. "It is! There's no escaping from it, and I have three of it! Behold, the soldiers of the Egyptian god of destruction himself, the Embodiment of Apophis!" Odion declared as his three cards activated. "Not only do these cards activate like traps, but they attack like monsters! I guess this disproves your theory of my deck lacking monsters, Mr. Wheeler." he continued.
"You're kidding! Marik has cards that can do the job of a trap and a monster at the same time?!" Rainbow asked in shock. "That's right, Mai. And me and Spike may be the only ones in this group who've heard about cards like Embodiment of Apophis and know their attack strength. And with three on the field, this could be the end for Joey." Twilight confirmed, worried before the three trap monsters, each a level four, Earth attribute Reptile with 1600 attack points and 1800 defense points, appeared.
"Now what am I gonna do? He can attack me three times in a row!" Joey said in worried shock. "Those trap monsters are insane!" Mokuba said, completely surprised. "I must say, I'm impressed." Seto admitted. 'All three of those monsters could wipe out his life points!' Yugi thought, worried. "Please, Joey, hang in there." Fluttershy said with her hands clasped. "You're at the end of your rope, Mr. Wheeler. And I've noticed that you're not as vocal as you were at the start of this game. I suppose you just realized talking big doesn't win you the duel. It takes action, skill and power. And as soon as my three creatures attack, you'll see exactly what I mean! You're finished!" Odion declared.