Chapter 2
"Mm..." Issei groaned as he looked to see Vivian's bust next to his face, and the kung fu specialist giggled as she hugged the Dark Duelist closer to her body. Issei was still not used to her 'love language,' so he pushed her off his sleeping bag, which surprisingly didn't wake her up as she giggled in her sleep while moaning a bit.
"Mm. So warm. Hehe." Vivian giggled as she snuggled into her pillow even more. Meanwhile, Issei made his way out of the tent and took a short walk from the campsite towards the cliff. There, he looked at the sunrise and smiled at the breeze from the ocean, which put his mind at ease.
Issei always enjoyed a cool breeze, as it calmed him down and helped him relax. For this reason, he also brought out a thermos and poured himself a cup of the drink he had brought with him.
"Mm. Nothing like warm lemon tea to begin the day," Issei said to himself. He enjoyed the scenery for a bit until he heard some shuffling behind him.
"If you're a duelist, then you'll have to be patient while I finish my tea. Otherwise, you'll make me mad." Issei said as he took another sip of his tea before seeing it get knocked out of his hand by a giant fist.
"I don't care about your morning tea, brat. I'm here to do my job and get you off the island, so I suggest you prepare yourself." The man shouted. As Issei looked up, he could tell that the bastard who destroyed his tea was huge.
"Woah. Someone's been drinking milk." Issei whistled as the giant scoffed at him before dragging the duelist to an arena and placing him on the ground.
"I'm an Eliminator assigned by Pegasus to kick you out of this tournament. I'm PaniK!" PaniK said as he was then interrupted by Issei laughing as he stood up on his side of the arena.
"Wait, wait, wait! Y-Your name is PaniK?" Issei asked as the giant slammed his Duel Gauntlets on the table.
"Of course, it's my name!"
"So, did your parents hate you or something?" Issei said, feeling sorry for the guys until PaniK shouted back at him with an angry expression.
"It strikes fear into the heart of the duelists that I've beaten over the years. And soon you will learn to!" PaniK shouted as Issei began to laugh again before apologizing to him.
"Oh, I'm sorry. It's just that I can imagine you waking up, looking at your ugly mug in the mirror, and screaming to yourself." Issei said as he then pretended to be PaniK. "'You know what would be a really kickass name? PaniK!' Ahahaha! What was your second choice? Pandemic Man?!"
A few voices in the surrounding area, while others watched the match, began to laugh as they laughed at the joke before a figure walked out of the bushes.
"Hm? What's going on?" Vivian said in a tired tone as she yawned a bit while stretching her arms and looked to see that her body pillow was about to enter a duel.
"What?! Hold on, Issei! Wait for me!" Vivian yelled as she ran back to camp. A few birds flew in the air to show she had been there just a moment ago before she came back with her back at her side.
"I'm ready to duel with my partner!" Vivian shouted as she looked like she had just run through the forest and back without catching her breath before leaping towards Issei and landing next to him as the dueling pad extended to fit her.
"Alright, now let's duel!" Vivian shouted as she placed her deck on the table in front of her. Issei looked at his three decks before choosing the black and purple deck.
"I know you guys hated that duel with that amateur duelist, so I hope to make up for it with this next duel. He doesn't seem to be a fool, but if he wants to try and strike fear into us, then he'll have to experience real fear, so you guys in for some fun?" Issei asked as he saw his partner, Dark Magician, and his partners didn't mind the idea of making the PaniK guy afraid of them.
PaniK didn't seem fazed by Issei's mumbling before he glanced at Vivian Wong. He knew that she would be a challenging opponent, given her skills as a duelist.
'I'll have to take her out first before I deal with that brat who's a nobody. According to the data I was given, he's only had experience battling rookies, so let's see how well he does against an Eliminator.' PaniK said as he then placed his deck on the table and drew his five cards.
"Now, since that'll be a two-on-one battle, that means my life points will be doubled, and none of us can attack our first turn," PaniK said as Issei and Vivian accepted the duel conditions and drew their five cards as well.
"Oh, and I might have forgotten to mention that you're going to have to get a total of fourteen-star chips because when battling an Eliminator, you must bet the number of Star Chips I bet as well. So I'll be betting fourteen of mine." Panik said as he placed many stars on the betting board. Vivian and Issei grumbled at this condition before Issei deposited his share, as did Vivian.
PaniK: 8000
Issei Hyoudou: 4000
Vivian Wong: 4000
"Now then, shall we get started? Because I'll be making the first move, and I'll start by playing Dark Reckoning!" PaniK shouted as he summoned a card that covered his hand with a shadowy mist before PaniK explained the effects.
Dark Reckoning.
Continuous Spell.
This card affects the monsters in the user's hand, which will lower their level by one, meaning that if the user has a level 5 or 6 monsters in his hand, then they can summon it freely without sacrifice. If they have a level 7 or higher, then he only needs one sacrifice.
"This card allows all monsters in my hand to have their level dropped by one, allowing me to bring out my more powerful monsters easily, so allow me to show you by summoning King of Yamimakai!" PaniK declared as the massive Fiend growled as it appeared on his side of the field.
King of Yamimakai
Level: 5
Fiend/Normal
ATK: 2000
DEF: 1530
"But what is a king without a weapon? So I'll equip him with the Equip Spell: Swords of Darkness, which raises his power by 400 attack points but drops his defensive points by 200." PaniK explained, and the King growled as he gained more power, though his defenses fell as well.
King of Yamimakai
Level: 5
Fiend/Normal
ATK: 2400
DEF: 1330
"Then I'll set three cards face-down and end my turn," PaniK said as he ended his turn.
"My go. I draw and place one monster in defense mode and two cards face-down, ending my turn." Vivian said as she had a monster face-down on the field while two cards were placed down as well before Issei looked at the two cards Vivian put down.
'Call of the Haunted and Dust Tornado. Two good cards to have in case of an emergency.' Issei said to himself as he looked at his hand and smiled at his move.
"Alright. I draw and play Double Summon, which lets me Normal Summon twice this turn, so I'll summon Double Coston." Issei said as he summoned the two little dark spirits, who giggled as they looked at the Fiend before them.
Double Coston
Level: 4
Zombie/Effect
This card counts as two tributes for the Tribute Summon of a Dark Monster.
ATK: 1700
DEF: 1650
"But they won't be around for long as I sacrifice them, and when I use them for the tribute summons of a Dark monster, they count as two monsters," Issei explained as the two monsters were sacrificed as Issei summoned his new monster.
"Now appear, Illusionist Magician!" Issei shouted as a monster appeared in the form of a magician surrounded by smoke and mirrors before its info appeared.
Illusionist Magician
Level: 7
Spellcaster/Effect
ATK: 2700
DEF: 2500
When this monster battles a monster, neither is destroyed and at the end of the battle, if this monster attacks an opponent's monster, then the user takes control of that opponent's monster.
Once per turn, at the end of the Battle Phase, if this monster attacked, then the user can destroy one card on the opponent's field.
"And now, I'm bringing out my Field Spell: Secret Village of Spellcasters!" Issei shouted as the field changed to one of a mythical forest, which amazed Vivian before Issei explained the abilities of the spell.
"Unless you have a Spellcaster on your side of the field, you cannot use any of your Spell cards, which means your little spell card won't work anymore until you summon a Spellcaster yourself," Issei said as the village prevented PaniK's spell from activating, making him growl in frustration.
"And before you get the bright idea of destroying it with a face-down card, I'll play Field Barrier, keeping my field spell safe from all card effects," Issei said as a spell became a barrier to protect the village, which amazed Vivian. She was also amazed by the combo Issei played before placing his last card on the field.
"And this is my last card, Hand Rebuild. This allows me to draw a total of five cards from my deck." Issei said as he then proceeded to draw five new cards while nodding at them.
"Then I place a card face-down and end my turn," Issei said as he looked at his new four cards, while PaniK looked at his opponent's field as he drew his next card.
'My face-down cards won't help me unless they attack me. I have two traps down and a spell card that can help me, but that blasted Field Spell prevents me from using it. I got to destroy that Field Spell and the girl first before targeting the brat.' PaniK looked at his hand and smiled.
"And here's just the monster. I play Spell Reaper!" PaniK declared as a mystic reaper appeared, but instead of a scythe, it had a sword before it looked at the Spell Cards before it.
Spell Reaper
Level: 3
Fiend/Effect
By paying 500 life points, this monster can destroy a Spell Card. If the selected card is set, the opponent shows it; if it's a Trap Card, it goes back in its place. However, when this ability is used, this monster cannot attack and switches to face-up defense mode.
ATK: 1000
DEF: 1500
"So I pay a thousand of my life points to take out your Field Barrier and Field Spell!" Panik shouted as the Spell Reaper flew towards the Field Barrier and destroyed it before slicing through the Field Spell. PaniK's life points fell to seven thousand.
"And now I use my face-down card, Dark Multiplier! This allows me to double a Dark Monster's attack points until the end of this turn, so my King of Yamimakai's attack points rise even higher." Panik explained that the King's power rose even higher to 4800.
"And now he attacks Vivian's face-down monster!" The Fiend roared as he slashed at the face-down monster for it to be revealed as a marshmallow-like monster.
"Huh?! What's that?" PaniK asked in shock as he was expecting the monster to be destroyed while Vivian giggled at his reaction.
"You like it? It's Marshmallon. Since he was flipped from face-down Defense Mode to face-up, you lose another one thousand life points, and this monster cannot be defeated in battle." Vivian smirked as PaniK growled at the annoying monster before seeing his life points drop once more.
"Fine. Then I'll end my turn." Panik said as the King's power returned to normal. Vivian smiled at this.
PaniK: 6000
Issei Hyoudou: 4000
Vivian Wong: 4000
"And now it's my turn," Vivian said as she pulled her fourth card and looked at it with a smile. "Now I summon Master Kyonshee!"
A zombie-like kung-fu master grunted as he performed a few moves before readying himself for battle.
Master Kyonshee
Level: 4
Zombie/Normal
ATK: 1750
DEF: 1000
"And now he attacks your Reaper!" Vivian was declared the zombie and charged at the Reaper before Panik stopped her.
"Oh no, you don't! I activate the Trap Card: Target Switch! It forces your monster to attack another one on my field, like my King!" PaniK shouted as the zombie tried to destroy the Fiend. The massive monster destroyed the zombie before Vivian hissed as her life points dropped.
"You okay, Viv?" Issei asked as Vivian nodded and stood up.
"I'm fine. I'm just a bit winded from that attack," Vivian said as she looked at her life points before putting a card face-down and ending her turn.
PaniK: 6000
Vivian Wong: 3350
Issei Hyoudou: 4000
"Don't worry, Vivian. I have a plan, but I'll have to borrow one of your face-down cards. Are you okay with that?" Issei asked, and Vivian nodded in reply.
"Go ahead and take him down," Vivian said as Issei nodded and drew his fifth card.
"Now, first, I'll use Vivian's face-down card, Dust Tornado, to destroy your last face-down card!" Issei declared as the trap activated and destroyed the card, which made PaniK glare at him before Issei continued.
"And now I'll put one card face-down, thanks to the Trap card because now it's time for Monster Reborn!" Issei declared as the spell brought back Double Coston.
"And now I sacrifice Double Coston once more to bring out a more terrifying creature! Meet Brain Crusher!" Issei declared as the massive insect roared at PaniK before Issei smiled at the large insect.
"And now he attacks your Reaper!" Issei declared as the massive insect chewed the Reaper to bits. Issei smiled at the kill, while PaniK glared at the creature as his life points dropped.
"And thanks to his ability, when he destroys a monster in battle, they are then resurrected on my side of the field!" Issei shouted as the Reaper appeared next to the Brain Crusher with glowing red eyes, this time as it groaned like a zombie.
PaniK: 6000-1400=4600
"And now Illusionist Magician will attack your King now!" Issei commanded as the illusionist attacked the Fiend and wasn't able to harm it since his smoke and mirrors didn't do anything. Still, the Fiend wasn't able to harm the spellcaster as well until it was enveloped in the smoke as it appeared on Issei's side with a dazed look.
"And with it under my magician's control, I now have your monsters. So what did you say about striking fear in us?" Issei asked as PaniK glared at them. Then Issei ordered the two monsters to attack PaniK, which made him yell in pain before his life points fell even lower.
PaniK: 4600-3400=1200
"Big talk coming from a fool who only seems to know how to talk big like that dog I fought with yesterday," Issei said as he chuckled at the Eliminator, who was getting annoyed at the boy for making him look like a fool before he saw Issei end his turn.
"I draw and play Pot of Greed, which lets me draw two cards," Panik said as he gasped at his two cards before smiling at them. "And these two will give me victory."
PaniK laughed as he pointed to Issei. "You may have scared me by taking my Reaper and King, but you'll soon learn true fear as I use this! Dark Hypnosis!"
A spell card appeared as a hypnotist emerged and began to hypnotize the monsters. He then brought Brain Crusher, the Reaper, and the Fiend King back to his side and smiled at their shocked expressions.
Dark Hypnosis
Normal Spell
This card allows the user to transfer any number of Dark monsters from the opponent's side of the field to the user's side. When this card is in the graveyard, you can banish it and allow a monster to attack once again, but the opponent is allowed to draw a card at the end of the turn.
"Dark Hypnosis lets me summon as many Dark Monsters as I please to my side of the field, but I only need these three to summon a true God that'll show you fear!" PaniK shouted, holding up a card that shone with a dark blue aura before he slammed it onto the field.
"I sacrifice all three monsters to summon the God of Destruction itself! Punish these fools for standing in my way! Rise up Obelisk the Tormentor!" Panik shouted as the blue aura enveloped his body. An eye of sorts appeared on his forehead, and Issei was shocked by this power.
"Obelisk the Tormentor?" Issei muttered as he looked at the massive blue Titan that emerged from the ground, glaring down at them all before roaring at Issei and Vivian, who felt fear as they looked at this monster.
"And it's about to get worse for you fools since when he's summoned, no spells, traps, or monster effects can be activated or target the Divine Beast himself!" PaniK laughed as Obelisk blew a massive blue smoke that enveloped the field and prevented the face-down cards from activating. Illusionist Magician groaned as he felt weak before the God before him.
"Now destroy that fool of a magician and its master!" Panik ordered as Obelisk roared as it sent a massive fist toward the magician and destroyed him before Issei felt his life points take a huge dive.
Issei Hyoudou: 4000-1500=2500
"Damn. That's some monster." Issei said as he felt the force behind the monster before PaniK laughed at him.
"Oh, but I'm not done yet. By banishing Dark Hypnosis, I can allow Obelisk to destroy you once and for all! Now Obelisk, use Devastating Fists!"
Obelisk roared as the Divine Beast charged in at Issei and was about to strike him down until Vivian stopped him.
"I won't let you!" Vivian shouted, shocking the duo before she slammed a card on the field.
"I activate Devoted Love, which lets me transfer my Life points and one card from my hand to Issei. It does take me out of the duel, but it'll give Issei the chance to beat you." Vivian said as her life points dropped to zero. Issei took the blast and caught Vivian as the two were almost blown away off of the platform.
Issei Hyoudou: 2500-3350=5850-4000=1850.
Issei then looked to see the monster cease the attack; as he stood up and looked at Vivian to see that she passed out from the blast.
"Thank you, Vivian. I won't let you down," Issei said as he placed her on the ground before returning to the platform to see the card she gave him.
'Wait. I know this card!' Issei said as he was shocked to see that it was the same card she had shown him the previous night.
Flashback.
"This card is special to me since it reminds me of the legend behind it: that no matter what stands in its way, this monster shall rise once again even stronger," Vivian said as she showed him the card, and Issei was amazed by its power.
"Woah. That's a wicked card you have in your deck. Was it your first one when you started dueling?" Issei asked as Vivian nodded in reply.
"Oh yes. This card was given to me by my mother before she passed away. She told me that when I trained in my Kung Fu style, she said that I may appear to be a dragon to others, but in her eyes, she saw me as a creature even higher than a dragon, and once I show you what this card can do, then you'll believe what I mean." Vivian said as Issei smiled in hopes of seeing it in action.
End Flashback
(Play Cardfight Vanguard OST: Believe in My Existence)
"Out of all the cards you gave me, this is the one you chose," Issei said as he looked at the card and saw it begin to glow a bright light, which shocked PaniK and Issei as a voice echoed in his mind.
"Call upon my power, and I shall bring us victory, Issei, " the voice said. He looked at the image and saw Vivian's spirit within it.
"Heh. You really do represent this card, Vivian," Issei said, holding up the card.
"You've made a grave mistake, Panik, and now you'll see why," Issei said as he glared at the Eliminator. A bright flame emerged from the card before Issei slammed it onto the field, creating a massive explosion of fire as a being began to emerge from it.
"Since I have no monsters on my field, I can freely summon this monster from my hand," Issei said as he began to summon the monster.
"Holy Deity of Fire and Light, shine the light upon this battlefield and bring us out of the shadow as you engulf the darkness in your holy flames! I summon Flame of Heavens: Phoenix Queen!" Issei shouted as the fire began to expand, and the light made PaniK shield his eyes.
The Phoenix emerged from the flames as a warrior queen, wearing garb that suited the divine spirit. It then flew into the skies, showing its twelve wings and a sword made of bright holy flames.
Flame of Heavens: Phoenix Queen
Level: 12
Divine Beast-Warrior/ Effect
This card can only be summoned if there are no other monsters on the field. When this monster faces another Divine Monster, then this card's attack and defense points are doubled, and when this monster destroys the Divine Monster, this card can attack again.
ATK: 5000
DEF: 5000
"And now Phoenix Queen, attack Obelisk the Tormentor with Divine Judgement!" Issei shouted as Phoenix Queen held up her sword. Her attack points doubled while the sword grew brighter and hotter. Obelisk began to feel fear from the Phoenix before it was sliced in half by the sword, which caused Obelisk to feel pain. At the same time, PaniK could only look in shock as the Divine Beast that Pegasus gave to him was defeated by another Divine Beast before the Phoenix Queen roared as she slashed into PaniK, causing the Eliminator to fall in defeat.
(End Soundtrack)
The Phoenix Queen floated back toward Issei and cupped his cheek, smiling at him before the holograms deactivated. The Divine Beast vanished back into the card, and Vivian began to stir a bit as she felt like she was saved from harm.
Issei grabbed their Star Chips and the ones PaniK betted on before Issei rushed over to Vivian and placed her head on his lap, which made Vivian slowly wake up as she looked up at Issei's concerned face.
"I-Issei, are you okay? Does this mean we won?" Vivian asked. Issei nodded and rubbed her head, making Vivian blush as she recognized their position.
'Mother told me that when a man truly cares about you, then they'll place your head on their lap to care for you and tell you that you're safe.' Vivian recalled as she continued to enjoy the comfort of this moment before Issei handed the card back to her.
"Here, Vivian. This card is what saved both of us, so I think it'll be good if you kept it close to you." Issei said as Vivian smiled and took the card back before Issei placed the Star Chips on Vivian's bracelet to make her total count to ten due to the star bracelets not having enough space for the rest, so Issei used the last of the ten chips they earned to fill in his empty slots and placed the extra stars leftover in a special compartment of the gauntlet.
"We won thanks to you, Vivian. I'll admit that I had doubts about your skills, but you definitely proved me wrong, Vivian. From now on, I'll never doubt your skills." Issei said as Vivian smiled and relaxed on his lap some more before moaning happily as she felt Issei's hand brush her hair.
"Mm. This feels so right." Vivian said as she began to fall asleep on his lap before Issei heard someone clapping their hands, which made him look up to see Maximillion Pegasus himself appear before them.
"Impressive, you two. You not only defeated the Eliminator but also a legendary card. I am very sorry about the card known as Obelisk. That little thief stole it from me to use it in his deck without my permission." Pegasus said as he glared at his security guards to take PaniK off the island before he turned back to the duo and bowed to them.
"That is why I deeply apologize for the inconvenience my actions caused. I truly did not know that fool would use it." Pegasus said as Issei held out his hand and offered it to him.
"You did not know Panik was using such a dangerous monster, and so you shouldn't blame yourself," Issei said, as Pegasus felt relief and shook the boy's hand. Then, taking a card from PaniK's deck, Issei handed it to him.
"Issei Hyoudou. I want you to have this card since I believe it'll make you not only a stronger duelist but also help you fulfill your dream." Pegasus said as he handed the card to Issei before placing a hand on his shoulder and lowering himself to their level.
"And since you are the first duo to succeed in securing twenty-four-star chips, you two may enter my castle and wait for the others to show up," Pegasus said as. Issei was surprised by this before thanking Pegasus as he picked up Vivian and began to carry her to their campsite to let her rest for the day so they could head to the castle in the evening.
Pegasus watched the duo leave, smiling at their interaction and feeling nostalgic. It reminded him of when he first met his wife, which brought back memories he had locked away before lightly touching his Millennium Eye.
"Those two remind me of my youth when I met the love of my life. Treasure this moment, for you never know when you'll lose it," Pegasus whispered to himself as he headed back to his castle to inform the staff of their guests tomorrow.
Near the Plains Field.
"Huh. Looks like you're dragging us behind, Keith."
"Oh, stuff it, Fenris! All we have to do is find one of those Eliminators, and we'll be able to take them down and get to the castle. Those brats were just lucky because of that card the girl played." Keith said as Fenris rolled his eyes at his partner.
"The same could be said for PaniK since Issei and Vivian had him on the ropes. He would've won had it not been for that cheap move that coward played with that Divine Beast he stole from Pegasus." Fenris said as he wasn't very impressed by the Eliminator, who was more of a fool than he thought judging by the video of the duel.
"Well, you're not wrong. Still though, between the two of us, we got fifteen-star chips, meaning we need another nine-star chips to qualify for the tournament." Keith said, with Fenris agreeing with him since the two Fenris had been able to acquire eight-star chips total yesterday before being paired with Bandit Keith and could tell that the American player was a strong contender since his machine monsters were not to be underestimated in a battle especially since his signature monster was able to destroy the competition, figuratively speaking.
"That's true. Hopefully, we can find either a solo duelist or another tag team so we can take their chips." Fenris said as Keith rubbed his hands together, excited to take down a few duelists before a notification appeared on their duel disks.
An invitation has been sent to Team Keith and Fenris from Yugi and Joey.
"Hold on. Joey Wheeler? Is that wannabe duelist still in the tournament?" Keith said as he was shocked to see the pathetic duelist still in the tournament. "I thought that kid, Issei, destroyed the brat."
"Well, don't forget that there is a fifteen-minute delay before he's officially out of the tournament. However, I'm guessing if we're facing a tag team, then perhaps there will be a rule in place to destroy them." Fenris said as Keith smirked at his partner before asking.
"Still, though, Joey won't be an issue. It's that Yugi Moto that'll be a problem since he was able to beat Seto Kiba, and he was the champion before that kid beat him." Keith said as Fenris laughed heartily at the idea as if it was a joke instead.
"Oh, please. From what I saw in the battle, Yugi relied too heavily on Exodia. Unfortunately for him, I know how to deal with wannabe monsters like that." Fenris said as he looked at his deck and smiled at a card before looking back at Keith.
"So Keith, want to take a chance to take them down?"
"Gladly," Keith replied as Fenris sent a reply to the invitation.
The two of them were going to have fun destroying their opponents.
With Yugi and his friends.
"Hey, are you sure they're going to show up?" Joey asked, and Yugi nodded in response.
"Of course. They said they accepted our invite, and looking at our decks, the Grassland Field is our best bet since your deck is mostly monsters, while my deck has plenty of spells and traps to back them up." Yugi said, not trying to make it sound like he was the one responsible for carrying their team.
In a way, Yugi was tired of having to carry Joey around and be the real reason that they'd made it this far in the tournament. Yugi could tell that Joey did learn a bit from his grandfather's lessons. Still, when it came to implementing those lessons into his dueling skills, Joey failed spectacularly. Joey made so many mistakes that Yugi had to defend him and hold out until he got the card he needed to secure their victory.
Their team did get ten-star chips in total, but in reality, Yugi was the one who really won them since Joey held the team back. Being the kind friend he was, Yugi couldn't tell Joey that since he didn't want to ruin their friendship.
Thankfully, a voice broke the duelist's train of thought as their opponents appeared.
"Hey!" Keith shouted as he walked next to Fenris before asking them. "This is where we'll be fighting?"
"That's right, and I do hope you all will listen to the rules for this tag team battle." A voice called out before the group turned to see Pegasus smiling at them all as he approached them.
"For you see, each tag team battle will have a special set of rules for the players, so listen carefully. The tag teams can either play together with four thousand life points as usual, meaning they'll only lose when both players' life points are zero, or only one player from the team can battle with eight thousand life points. However, if that player loses, then they'll lose all of their star chips and be eliminated from the tournament with his partner being forced to become a single player, meaning they must gather twenty-four-star chips alone." Pegasus explained that the four duelists were shocked by the rules since this could mean that one team could work together while another player flew solo, which meant it depended on who was playing what style on both sides.
Joey looked at his deck and was feeling nervous about fighting their opponents alone until Yugi reassured him. "Don't worry, Joey, we got this. We'll fight together and get those Star chips."
Yugi said with confidence as Joey smirked and thanked his friend before readying his deck. However, their faces turned to shock as Keith walked forward and declared that he'd be facing alone.
"My partner and I have an understanding. He's stronger than me but doesn't know what I'm capable of, so I'll battle you two brats and grind you into dust." Keith said that as Pegasus agreed to the contestants, he then set up the arena for both sides.
"Now, before we begin, I'd like to explain that Yugi and Joey cannot discuss strategy or take at each other's hands. You can only fight with your decks and the cards on your side of the field. Also, if Keith wins, then not only does he take the Star Chips that are bet on his opponent's side, but he can choose one person to eliminate from the competition." Pegasus said as Joey and Yugi were shocked by the twist but couldn't be bothered by it now since they had to be ready for Keith's tricks. Keith smirked at the two of them before drawing his five cards.
"Nice knowing you, kid," Keith said with a grin while Joey and Yugi pulled their cards and replied.
"Let's duel, Joey!" Yugi said as his Millennium Puzzle activated and transformed into Yami Yugi.
"Right behind you, Yugi," Joey replied, ready to prove himself- until Pegasus stopped him.
"Oh, and before you think about attacking on your first turn, I'm afraid that won't work since the three of you can take your first turn but not battle until the cycle begins again. The player's turns will go by Keith, Yugi, and Joey. Now, Keith, please begin your turn." Pegasus explained as he then spoke to Keith, who nodded,ched for his sixth card, and smiled at his hand.
Bandit Keith: 8000
Yugi Moto: 4000
Joey Wheeler: 4000
"I'll start things off by summoning Drillago, Dire Conqueror, in Attack Mode," Keith said as Drillago, Dire Conqueror, emerged on the battlefield with a sleek metallic frame adorned with fierce, crimson markings. Its piercing, glowing eyes locked onto the opposing monsters, exuding a sense of determination and power. As it charged into battle, the drill-like appendage on its front rotated menacingly, ready to pierce through any defense.
Drillago, Dire Conqueror
Type: Machine/Effect
Attribute: EARTH
Level: 4
ATK: 1600
DEF: 1100
Effect: If the only cards your opponent controls are face-up monsters with 1600 or more ATK, this card can attack your opponent directly. When this card inflicts battle damage with a direct attack, it gains 600 ATK and switches to Defense Position at the end of the Battle Phase, transferring all its stats to DEF. If this card is attacked while in Defense Position, it gains 600 DEF for each successful defense. Also, when this monster deals damage to the opponent by direct attacks, the user can weaken one monster by making it lose attack points equal to its level X 200.
"Then I'll place two cards face-down and end my turn," Keith said as Yugi nodded and walked towards the field before looking at his hand.
'I have two traps, a spell, and three monsters. I'll have to be careful so I can help Joey when it's his turn,' Yugi said in his mind as he looked at his hand. Pegasus looked at Yami Yugi, and a glint was hidden behind his hair as he looked into Yugi's mind.
'Ah. Mirror Force and Magic Cylinder, the two traps, are deadly weapons when played usefully in battle. Monster Reborn is useful, but his three monsters are weaker than Keith's monsters since he only has Mystical Elf, Celtic Guardian, and Dark Magician. It'll be amusing to see how Yugi boy is going to try to help his friend.' Pegasus said in his mind as he watched Yugi place a monster in defense mode and two cards face-down.
"And I'll end my turn there," Yugi said as he walked back to Joey and swapped with him before Joey began his turn.
"Alright, get ready, Keith, because I'm bringing the heat!" Joey said as he drew his sixth card, smiling as he looked at the field.
'Yes! A level five monster! And Yugi laid out the tribute for me.' Joey said in excitement as he played his next move.
"I sacrifice Mystical Elf to bring out Leogun!" Joey declared as the massive lion roared on the field. Keith chuckled at Joey's smug expression and Yugi's shock. "And since we're on the Grassland Field spell, Leogun gets an extra power boost of two hundred attack points."
Leogun then roared as it felt more power enter its body before Joey ended his turn.
Leogun
ATK: 1750-200=1950
DEF: 1550-200=1750
"Huh. Not bad, but let's see how well that lion will protect you." Keith said as he began his turn by drawing his new card before smiling at it.
"First, I play Foolish Burial and send Quantum Dynamo to the graveyard, which then allows me to play my next move," Keith said as he unflipped one of his face-down cards.
"Meet my favorite spell card: Continuous Trap Card: Machina Resurgence!" Keith declared as he explained its function. "Once per turn, when a Machine-Type monster I control destroys an opponent's monster by battle or its effect, it can make a second attack during the same Battle Phase. Additionally, each time a Machine-Type monster I control destroys an opponent's monster by battle or its effect, it gains 500 ATK until the end of the turn. If a Machine-Type monster I control inflicts battle damage to your opponent, they must send the top card of their deck to the GY for each monster destroyed by battle or effect.
"And now I summon KA-2 Des Scissors!" Keith declared as a massive crab-like machine emerged and hissed at Joey before Keith began his attack.
"Drillago! Attack Joey directly!" Keith declared as Drillago became a massive drill and spun in the air before heading underground and piercing Joey directly, causing him to lose life points.
Joey Wheller: 4000-1600= 2400
And that's not all. When Drillago deals you damage, I can weaken your lion by two hundred attack points times its level."
"Huh? But Leogun is a level-five monster. Meaning..." Joey said as he tried to count on his fingers while Tea facepalmed before saying it for him.
"A thousand attack points." And sure enough, Tea was right. Leogun roared in pain as Drillago stabbed it five times with its drills, causing Leogun to lose its strength.
Leogun
ATK: 1950-1000=950
"And now, KA-2 Des Scissors will finish off that weak cat!" Keith shouted as Des Scissors hissed at Leogun before Joey decided to go on the defense.
"Not so fast! Try Mirror Force!"
"Not going to happen! I activate Quantum Dynamo's ability from the graveyard. When banished, I can give one Machine Moonster an extra 500 attack and defense points. Furthermore, as long as Quantum Dynamo remains banished, my Machines cannot be targeted or destroyed by my opponent's card effects, such as spells, traps, and monster effects." Keith shouted as Joey watched in shock as Mirroir Force failed KA-2 hissed as it continued barreling through with its new power before using its scissor claws to slice the lion, causing Leogun to roar in pain before leaving the field.
KA-2 Des Scorssors
ATK:1000-500=1500
Joey gritted his teeth as he continued to watch his life points fall due to his inexperience and his play style.
Joey Wheeler: 2400-550=1850
"And it's about to get worse for you since when KA-2 Des Scissors destroyed a monster by battle, the opponent took five hundred points of damage times the monster's level. So say goodbye to another thousand life points!" Keith laughed as the crab machine stabbed Joey, further reducing his life points.
Joey Wheeler: 1850-1000=850
"And now, to finish you off, you wannabe duelist! Let me show you how the big boys play with my Machina Resurgence, allowing KA-2 to attack once again with another five hundred attack points!" Keith declared as KA-2 roared with power as it slammed into Joey again, causing his life points to fall to zero and out of the duel.
Joey yelled as his remaining life points fell as he felt a flashback of being beaten by Issei again on the first day.
Joey Wheeler
850-2000=0000
'The only reason I challenged you to a duel was because I wanted to show you how a real duelist battles and to show you how weak you really are!'
'"And now, to finish you off, you wannabe duelist! Let me show you how the big boys play!'
Joey's confidence really hit bottom low due to him feeling like he didn't deserve to be in the tournament before Jeoy grabbed his cards and deck before leaping off the platform and not even saying a word to Yugi, Tristan, or even Tea.
"I surrender my Star Chips, but only if Yugi Moto can stay in the tournament," Jopey said with a defeated tone as Keith, Yugi, and Fenris were shocked to see Joey surrender his own Star Chips and his position for Yugi to move on, while Pegasus closed his only revealed eye before opening it again.
"I'm afraid it's not up to me, but Keith and Yugi boy. Are you two okay with this arrangement instead? Joey's Star Chips will be given to Ketih and Fenris, but Yugi will also gain five consolation Star Chips for participating and carrying his partner this whole time." Pegasus said as Yugi wanted to deny the proposal before Keith stopped him.
"Look, kid; it is obvious that you were being held back playing nanny for your pal there, so take the chips and duel a few others for their star chips so you can make it to the Duelist Kingdom's castle, where we can have a real duel instead of your plan being ruined by your friend over there. Let him have at least some pride to nurse his failures." Keith said as he could tell the look in Joey's eyes that reminded him of when he was humiliated by Pegasus helping some kid beat him with detailed instructions. In the end, Keith almost fell into depression and never dueled again, but one thing helped him get back up: his little girl's smile. It picked him back up, and he began to duel again.
'He needs to pick himself up and duel on his own, and he can't do that with his friend babysitting him the whole time,' Keith said. Yugi sighed before nodding in agreement with Keith.
"Okay, Joey, we accept the terms," Yugi said as the duel ended. Yugi was given five consolation chips, and the tag team received their new five-star chips, bringing them to twenty-star chips.
"See you later, Yugi. I hope you make it to the castle," Keith said as he and Fenris began to leave before Fenris called out to Joey.
"Joey Wheeler!" Fenris shouted, making Joey look at him before continuing to speak to him. "Listen to Keith's advice and learn from your mistakes; only then will you actually be able to get stronger than always relying on your friend to back you up because, in the end, when the tournament is over, it all depends on you and your deck facing opponents far more powerful than even Yugi Moto and Seto Kaiba."
The tag team then left as Joey felt Tristan wrap an arm around his friend's shoulder before speaking to Yugi and Tea. "I'll be heading back with Joey, and good luck to you, Yugi."
The two former bullies then left with Pegasus as Yugi looks down at the ground and realizes that he failed not just his friend Joey but also himself in being a bad friend and being honest with him.
'I'm sorry, Joey. I hope you can forgive me for being a bad friend.' Yugi said in his mind as Tea saw how down Yugi was before hugging him, shocking the young teenager before Tea whispered in his ear.
"it is okay. Joey doesn't hate you, but he needs to learn from his mistakes, and being here after his two major losses and your duels with him only made Jeoy realize how far he is at reaching your level, so let Joey grow and work on himself. It's just like me and dancing; learning a new routine is a pain when you're not accustomed to it, but with some time, effort, and inspiration from others, you can put on a fabulous performance, so let Joey figure out his way. Let him make mistakes and learn from them. Besides, Tristan can keep Joey's ego in check better than both of us." Tea said as Yugi cried but then nodded while thanking Tea for her advice and helping him realize this isn't something he can fix, but rather Joey has to do on his own without Yugi's help.
And so, friendships were tested and failed, but now the tournament continues with the first two duelists entering the castle. What will happen with Fenris and Keith now? How will Yugi fare on his own? Stay tuned and find out in YUGIOH!
And scene.
Now, before the Joey fans begin to bug me, allow me to explain that while Joey Wheeler is an underdog, many of his battles in the Duelist kingdom were dumb luck and needed Yugi to help him win, along with the ridiculous DND nonsense, which is why Joey needs to learn from his failures and work on improving himself on his own without Yugi interfering and thinking that the 'heart of the cards can win since Yugi's battles are mostly played by Yami Yugi and not by Yugi Moto himself, which is why I plan for the two to be at odds with each other's playstyle and before you think the cards I gave to Keith were nonsense, I made sure they were balanced, and that Keith had a lucky draw, it happens to even the best of duelists. I hope to see you all enjoy the next one: The Genius and Gyraru. Remember to leave a Favorite, Follow, and review if you want to see some of the DXD humans in the competition. Ta-Ta!~