Chapter 38
Awakening of Evil: Part 2
The Inherited Card
'I have to squash those three snakes or I'm out of the finals.' Joey thought, desperately. "It's make or break time for Joey. He's got less than 2000 life points left." Rainbow said. "There's three of them and two monsters on his side of the field, so he's got to go on the defensive." Twilight stated. "Isn't there some way to get rid of those snakes?" Serenity asked. "It won't be easy, but the first thing that boy has to do is keep his life points safe." Mai responded.
"Your chances of victory have vanished, you'll never recover from the venomous onslaught of my Embodiments of Apophis!" Odion stated as Joey drew. "Well, I'm gonna have to disappoint you. So I'll set one card face down and switch Alligator's Sword from attack to defense mode." the underdog said. "That seems like a final desperate move to me." Odion said. "Well, we'll just see. I end my turn there." Joey responded. 'As soon as Mr. Personality attacks me, I'll activate Scapegoat. My Scapegoat tokens will take all of the blows from his slimy snakes, saving my life points.' he thought.
"You're about to feel what real power can accomplish, Mr. Wheeler." Odion said upon drawing. "Now, my three beasts, attack!" he commanded. "Joey, no!" Rainbow shouted. "I've got a surprise for you, Marik! I activate Scapegoat!" Joey declared before his tokens appeared. "Now your snakes will have to attack three of my little friends instead!" he added. "Wow! Talk about close!" Tristan said. "Joey's smarter than I thought." Mai said in surprise. "I see. Good move, but not good enough!" Odion declared as he discarded one card from his hand. "What are you doing?" Joey asked. "Observe, my Magic Jammer!" Odion responded as his trap sprung.
"Oh, no!" Joey said in shock. "Not good. Marik's Magic Jammer can cancel out the effect of a single magic card just by discarding one card from his hand." Twilight said, concerned. "Another plan thwarted!" Rarity said in shock. "It's time to say goodbye to your furry friends and hello to my serpents!" Odion declared as the Scapegoat tokens evaporated. "Now my life points are next!" Joey said in shock. "Attack, my Apophis warriors! First destroy Rocket Warrior, then Alligator's Sword, and finally strike his life points directly!" Odion commanded.
First, Rocket Warrior was gone, lowering Joey's life points to 1800, then Alligator's Sword was destroyed and the final direct attack decreased his life points down to 200 while the underdog dropped to a knee. "Joey, get up!" Serenity shouted. "Now what's he gonna do?" AJ pondered. "You've lost all of your monsters and you're down to your last 200 life points. One more attack, and it's over." Odion said, feeling victory was certain. "Marik, you have to get up! You promised Yugi you'd help him save the world, and if you defeat Marik here and now, you'll be able to keep that promise!" Twilight shouted.
'Wrong, you fool. I'm the real Marik and your friend is about to lose at the hand of my servant, Odion.' Marik thought. "The end is near." Odion simply said. 'This duel can't end until Marik plays his Egyptian God Card! I must see it!' Seto thought, desperately. "What a shame. It looks like you made it all the way to the Battle City finals just to lose on your knees. Well, you may as well stay down, because if not, I'll take away the few life points you have left!" Odion said, confident he was about to win.
"Don't give up!" Rainbow shouted. "Rainbow, Joey can still win this duel, right?" Serenity asked. "There's still a chance." Rainbow responded. "If you say so." Mai said, doubtful. "What do you mean by that, Mai?" AJ asked. "Listen, guys, I want Joey to win, but the odds in this duel are completely against him. I mean, look at the field, Serenity. Marik still has all his life points and your brother is down to his final 200." Mai responded. "But, Mai..." Serenity said with tears in her eyes. "There's only a slim chance he could win, but he'll need your encouragement more than anything. And by the looks of it, your brother needs a serious confidence boost." Twilight stated.
"I suggest you forfeit to avoid any further humiliation." Odion said, and Joey was just about to consider doing so. "No way! Don't even think about surrendering to this nut job!" Mai shouted. "Here, here! Don't you dare put your hand on that Duel Disk, Joseph!" Rarity concurred. "Why not?" Joey asked, knowing he was outmatched. "Well, that's not how you got here. You kept on fighting till the very end, both here, and at Duelist Kingdom." Mai responded. 'Now that I think about it, she's right. I fought some pretty tough duels to get all the way here. Roba, Weevil and Mako.' Joey thought.
"And you're not just gonna throw your place in the Battle City finals away, are you?" Rainbow asked. "If that's the case, then you'll always be a runner-up instead of a champion. And your sister will always remember how you wimped out." Mai added. "Joey, you can still win this! I may not know anything about Duel Monsters, but I know no one else that's as strong as you are! You inspired me earlier today, remember? Not to mention, you're the one who encouraged me to save myself from going blind!" Serenity called out as she remembered the night before her operation.
"You did more than pay for the surgery, you gave me the courage to go through with it. Then earlier today, when you were being forced to duel your best friend, you gave me the courage to remove my bandages and open my eyes again." she continued as she remembered being sent to the operating room and then what happened earlier that day. "You've never given up before, so don't start now!" she added. "You're right. I won't. Bet you never had someone as supportive as her." Joey said to Odion. 'I did, but that was a time so very long ago. A woman told me she rescued me as a baby, after I was left alone in the darkness. She took me in and cared for me as if I was her very own child. So yes, Mr. Wheeler, I know what it's like to have someone to love and support you.' Odion thought as he remembered the story his adopted mother told him.
"Your sister's right! You pulled through and beat the former intercontinental champion at Duelist Kingdom and then the former regional champion here in Battle City, so I know you'll pull through again!" Rainbow called. "Right, thanks." Joey responded. "Okay, are you going to stay on your knees and accept defeat? Or be a fool and prolong your suffering by taking your turn?" Odion asked. "I suggest you face reality and give in." he added.
"I can't. I've come too far to give up now. If I quit here and now, I'll have turned my back on everyone who ever became my friend. Not to mention, I'd be letting my own self down. I've been in tighter spots, sure, but I still pull through!" Joey responded as he remembered defeating Espa Roba, Weevil Underwood and Mako Tsunami. 'I fought my hardest to get where I am now and I've never let anyone get the best of me, even when all hope seemed lost. So why should I start now?' he thought.
"Marik, do you think I'm gonna lose to you? Well, guess again, tough guy! I came this far in Battle City for one reason; to win! And that's what I plan to do! Joey Wheeler's back in the game!" he stated. "There's the Joey we know!" Rainbow said with a smile. "Listen, I had to beat three of the toughest Duelists out there to get here I am, one of them a former champion, and I'm not gonna let you or your snake men stop me from finishing what I started!" Joey declared.
"That's right, Joey!" Serenity said in delight. "You tell him!" Mai added. "Thanks, guys. Don't worry, I'll win this, now let's go!" Joey said. "It seems you're more foolish than I thought. Time for you to lose shamefully, so make your final, pathetic move." Odion said. 'Yugi, I think we should remind Joey of how important this duel and his victory are.' Yami suggested before he took over. "Go ahead, Joey. Save the world. The power is in your hands." the Nameless Pharaoh said. 'Yuge's right. If I beat Marik here and now, I'll have taken his Egyptian God Card and his plan will have been crushed!' Joey thought. "Your scheme ends here. I promised Yugi I'd help stop you from finishing whatever sick plans you and your Rare Hunters have in mind, Marik. And I'll keep that promise by knocking you out of the finals. Here goes!" he declared before drawing.
"A simple start to a great downfall, yours, I mean." he said. "Your false threats don't frighten me." Odion retorted. "Oh, the threat hasn't even appeared yet. I'll set two cards face down, then summon the Swordsman of Landstar in defense mode." Joey replied before his cards and monster appeared. "Alright, let's see just what your snake men can do now." he dared.
'His determination is surprising. How can he retaliate with just 200 life points? I only need to use two of my serpent swordsmen to finish him off.' Odion thought. 'What are you waiting for, you incompetent buffoon? Attack him!' Marik said, mentally before nodding as he smiled. "I hope you've enjoyed your brief experience as a Battle City finalist. I send two of my three Embodiments of Apophis to attack!" Odion said, thinking he was about to win as two of his snake men charged in. "Not so fast, time to skin your snakes! I activate, Foolish Burial!" Joey declared as his card activated.
"See, Foolish Burial allows me to send card from my deck to the graveyard! Your graveyard! And now I'll activate this, a trap card called Graverobber!" he explained before his second facedown activated. "So now you plan to rob my graveyard?" Odion asked. "Well, you're a smart one, aren't you? Yes, I'm gonna rob your graveyard, and I'm gonna take back the card I just put in there! Ancient Rules! This allows me to summon a level five or higher monster, and I choose to summon Jinzo!" Joey responded before the first monster he won from Battle City appeared.
"Oh, no! You summoned the rare and powerful Jinzo the field?!" Odion said in shock. "That's right, you said that your snake men are an extremely rare breed of monster that are part monster and part trap. Your slimy reptiles may have the strengths of a trap card, but they have all the weaknesses, too." Joey responded. "Weaknesses?!" Odion asked in disbelief. "That being Jinzo's special ability to negate and remove all active trap cards on the field!" Joey explained. "Jinzo, wipe out his monsters!" he commanded before all three of the snake men were destroyed. "I won my Jinzo in my first Battle City duel, against a real opponent named Espa Roba!" he declared.
"That's the way, Joey! Just like when you beat Espa in your first match!" Rainbow shouted, remembering watching him duel from the rooftops. "Nice job!" Serenity called. "Yes, Joey seems to be using what he's learned from past victories." Yami stated proudly. "Now, you still think I'm a rookie or did you learn otherwise?" Joey asked. "I'm not through with you yet, Mr. Wheeler! I still have all my life points." Odion responded. "Not for long, Marik. See, with my friend Jinzo on the field, all of your trap cards are ancient history." Joey stated. "Looks like Joey's bringing out the big guns!" Rainbow said with a smile.
"I knew he'd show that bald menace a thing or two!" Rarity declared. 'If it weren't for my Battle City victories, I wouldn't be here right now. I beat Espa Roba to win Jinzo, and now its giving me the strength I need to beat Marik.' Joey thought. 'Looks like Wheeler got lucky, perhaps he'll survive in this duel long enough for me to see Marik's Egyptian God Card after all.' Seto thought. "Here we go! Look out!" Joey shouted as he drew his next card.
"Alright, baldy, I summon Battle Warrior in attack mode!" he declared as one of his oldest monsters appeared. "But wait, that's not all! I also switch my Swordsman of Landstar to attack mode!" he continued as his warrior raised its sword. "And now, Jinzo, attack his life points directly!" he commanded before Odion's life points drastically dropped from 4000 to 1600. "There's more where that came from!" he said. "Battle Warrior, attack him directly, too, with Ultimate Battle Fist!" he commanded before Battle Warrior's punch decreased Odion's life points down to 900. "Now, Swordsman of Landstar, move in to attack!" he commanded before, with one strike of the little warrior's sword, Odion's life points lowered to 400.
"Talk about a monster-sized comeback! He brought Marik's life points all the way down to 400!" Rainbow shouted in happy surprise. "It's a good thing Serenity, Rainbow and I gave him that pep talk" Mai said, pleased. "One more attack and he's history!" Spike shouted. "Alright, Joey! You rock!" Serenity called, happy as could be. "You don't feel so high and mighty now, do you? Perhaps you should've protected yourself a little better?" Joey suggested.
"Attack me all you want, you haven't won yet." Odion said, defiant. "Remember, I still have Temple of the Kings out on the field, and it has ancient powers so strong that it can't be stopped. Just wait until you experience its unparalleled force!" he continued. "Your temple doesn't scare me. I've already proven that I can bend, but I won't break. Nor do I sit back and let people walk all over me." Joey retorted. "You hear me loud and clear? I can take whatever your temple has in store and send it right back at you! So go ahead and make your move." he continued.
"With pleasure, foolish boy." Odion said before drawing. 'Listen to me, Odion. You've allowed Joey Wheeler to come to far, now destroy him at once or face severe consequences.' Marik stated, mentally, as the Millennium Rod glowed. 'Yes, master Marik.' Odion mentally responded. 'He's worthless, you fool. Now finish him off!' Marik demanded. 'Not to worry, master. I won't disappoint you. In fact, I already have a plan to render his monsters useless.' Odion responded. "Come on, Mr. Potato Head, what's the holdup?" Joey asked. "This should hold you up! And hold you back! I play Swords of Revealing Light!" Odion responded as his card activated and the shimmering swords appeared in front of Joey's half of the field.
"An old trick I've seen before, Marik." Joey said, calmly. "That's not good, Marik's got Joey's monsters trapped for three turns." Spike said, slightly worried. "Well, all he has to do is wait, right?" Tea asked. "Yeah, but not attacking within that three turn time limit won't help." Mai responded. "That's true, Mai, but Joey can still sacrifice his monsters to summon stronger ones, and although his Jinzo can't attack, as long as it remains face up on the field, its special ability will remain in effect. That means Marik's trap cards are still rendered useless." Yami pointed out.
"Make your move." Odion said, bluntly. "Gladly." Joey responded before drawing. "I may not be able to attack, but I can still do this! I sacrifice my Battle Warrior in order to summon The Legendary Fisherman in defense mode!" he declared as the third card he won from Battle City appeared. 'I know how much this card meant to you, Mako, and I promised that I'd use it well.' he thought. "And before I end my turn, I'll switch both Jinzo and my Swordsman of Landstar to defense mode." he added as his creatures went defensive.
"Prepare to lose!" Odion declared before drawing before seeing what he drew, which shocked him. 'What's this?!' he thought. 'Why do you seem so shocked, Odion? If you're posing as me, you should have my card in your deck, right? That's why I slipped it in before the duel.' Marik revealed, mentally. 'But master, this card is too dangerous, and I'm not meant to control is great power! You can't possibly expect me to play it! Please reconsider. I beg of you!' Odion mentally rebutted before looking at Marik.
'Stop whimpering. You sound as pitiful as the other Rare Hunters under my charge. I command you to play that card! It's the only way to win this duel!' Marik retorted as his Millennium Rod glowed again. 'Place it within the ark that sits atop the steps of the ancient Temple of the Kings, and when the time is right, you will release its rage!' he instructed. "Hey, Marik, I'm getting tired of waiting around!" Joey called out. "First I'll set this card face down on the playing field." Odion responded before setting said card. "Now prepare yourself, Mr. Wheeler, for the next move I make will be the final instrument of your destruction!" he bellowed.
'Do it, Odion. Place the card I put in your deck within the ark right now! As soon as you do, you'll be invincible! And if you refuse to do as I instructed, you'll have to answer to me! The choice is yours, Odion, so don't be a fool!' Marik demanded, mentally. 'I must obey master Marik, it is my sworn duty.' Odion thought. "Guys, I don't know about you, but my Pinkie senses are going crazy!" Pinkie said as she felt herself twitching all over. "Uh, your what now?" Duke asked. "See, Pinkie normally twitches whenever something's about to happen. And if her senses are going off the wall and she's twitching like crazy, that means something really bad is gonna happen." Spike explained.
"I think the look on Marik's face is a clue, he seems to be worried, if not scared." AJ said. 'I think AJ is right. Ever since Marik drew to start his turn, he's been acting really strange. I wonder if it has something to do with both the card he drew and the Temple of the Kings that he played at the start of the duel. When he first played it, I had a bad feeling about that ark at the top of the steps, the one with the hieroglyphs on it. I don't know, but for some reason, it looks familiar because of those hieroglyphs. But I'm not sure why.' Yugi thought. 'I sure hope Joey takes the necessary precautions. If Pinkie is twitching like a patient in a mental hospital, something really bad must be in the works.' Fluttershy thought, worried.
"This is the longest move in history. Don't you understand that every move has a time limit? Just ask Roland." Joey stated. "He's quite right, Marik. Every move a player makes in a game of Duel Monsters has a time limit, so if you don't finish your move, you'll lose by forfeit." Roland concurred. "Good moves take time, but how would Mr. Wheeler know that?" Odion asked. "And now, I seal this card in the ancient ark at the top of the temple stairs!" he declared as he put said card on top of the Temple of the Kings in the field spell zone, allowing the card to enter the ark. "About time." Joey said.
"You have no idea what I've just done by sealing that all-powerful card away within the ark of this ancient sanctuary." Odion stated. "I've sealed your fate by sealing away this card of the gods!" he declared. "Card of the gods?!" Yami asked in shock, realizing what card Odion had sealed away. "That ends my turn." the loyal servant of Marik said. 'A wise move, Odion.' Marik thought. "Here I go!" Joey said before drawing. "Time to bring back a monster from my graveyard with Monster Reborn!" he declared as his card activated. "I bring back my Alligator's Sword!" he said before his gator appeared in attack mode once again.
"And now, I'll sacrifice my Alligator's Sword and Swordsman of Landstar so I can summon this in defense mode, my Insect Queen!" he continued before the second card he won in Battle City appeared. "My word! That's the card Joey won from Weevil!" Rarity said in surprise. "You heard the lady right, I won this card from a feisty little germ named Weevil Underwood, the former regional champion." Joey confirmed. 'Every single one of my Battle City victories is paying off right now. All the incredible monsters I won, they're all on the field together.' he thought.
"My tournament's done wonders for Wheeler's deck. Dare I say I'm impressed." Seto said. "Well, would you look at that. Joey was able to summon almost all of the monsters he won in the tournament." Mai said in happy surprise. "Yes, Joey's come a long way since the Battle City tournament began. And even further as an overall Duelist." Yami concurred. "Be ready, Marik, your Swords of Revealing Light will lose their power next turn. And when those lights go out, there'll be nothing holding my monsters back. And since you have nothing to protect you, you're finished." Joey stated.
"You think just because you were able to acquire a few rare and strong monsters you can defeat me? You're so naïve. For I am about to summon a beast that you can't destroy!" Odion retorted. "What?" Joey asked, semi-worried. "While your monsters have been trapped within my Swords of Revealing Light, I was busy preparing to summon an ancient and more powerful creature! And this all-powerful being will serve as the guardian of the sacred Temple of the Kings, protecting this ancient sanctuary and all of the secrets that lie within!" Odion explained.
"And all that is supposed to mean something?" Joey asked. "Yes, it means you can't win. Once I play this, Cup of Sealed Soul! And then I'll reveal my facedown, Seal of Serket!" Odion responded as his facedown activated. "When these two magic cards are on the field along with the Temple of the Kings, they are able to awaken a great creature from its ancient slumber. A being like none you've ever seen before!" he explained as purple smoke escaped from the Cup of Sealed Soul. "What is it?" Joey asked. "Patience, you're about to find out." Odion answered.
"Please hear me, guardian of the temple, servant of the goddess, Serket, come forth! Mystical Beast of Serket, I summon thee!" he declared as the purple smoke swirled and eyes peered from it. "I think Pinkie's twitching was right on the mark, you guys!" Tristan said. "What did he summon?" Twilight asked before she and the others got their answer, in the form a scorpion-like monster known as Mystical Beast of Serket, a level six, Earth attribute fairy/effect monster with 2500 attack points and 2000 defense points.
"That thing's tremendous!" Joey said in shock. "What a horrifying beast!" Rarity said in horror. "What's Joey gonna do now?" Rainbow asked. "That creature is minute compared to what lurks within the temple ark." Odion stated. "Then tell me, what monster did you hide inside that ark, Marik?" Joey asked. "Within the sacred ark in the Temple of the Kings is the creature that served as defender of the ruler of the Egyptian gods! My Egyptian God Card, The Winged Dragon of Ra!" Odion answered, bringing a look of shock and a tremble to everyone, particularly to Joey, Yami and Seto, revealing that the card he drew on his last turn was, indeed, the third and final Egyptian God Card.
"With that giant scorpion guarding the outside, and his Egyptian God Card waiting inside the ark, there's no way I can win!" Joey said, shocked and worried about how and when Odion would sic the Mystical Beast of Serket on him and when he would open the ark and unleash The Winged Dragon of Ra.