Wolfie: I still do not own anything related to Yu-Gi-Oh. All I own is Yuki and any plot alterations I make to add her into the story. Now please read, review, and I hope you like the story so far.
Chapter 19: Trial by Red Eyes part 1
"Your horned freaks may have won control of the field, but now it's time to see if you can hold it. Trakadon!" Rex called out as he placed a card face down in defense mood.
"Battleguard, give that card a bashing!" Joey ordered as Lava Battleguard raised his club with a roar and brought it down on Rex's monster, destroying it.
"Whoa! Look at 'em glow! Those guys are some kind of tag team." Tristan said as the two battleguards stood side by side bathed in a golden light from the destroyed dinosaur.
"Yeah, your right about that one, Tristan. The power bonus they both gain from having each other on the field at the same time makes then a tough duo to take down." Yuki said with a smile as things were looking up for Joey.
"No joke. And since Joey's already taken out Rex's best monster card, the rest'll be cake." Tristan said excited for his friend and the fact that he was winning this duel.
"Don't you mean easy as pie?" Yugi asked but was completely ignored by Tristan.
"Finish him, bro." Tristan encouraged as Joey smiled at him.
"Ha!" Rex suddenly laughed after being silent till now.
"Huh?" Joey asked as he looked back towards the laughing Rex Raptor.
"Who said that Serpent Night Dragon Joey destroyed two turns ago was my best card?" Rex asked as he drew a new card from his deck and looked at it. "Eh. My supreme monster is a dragon, but of a different sort! The Red Eyes Black Dragon!" He called out as everyone gasps as he put the card on his holo computer in attack mode.
"A what dragon?" Mai asked as a black dragon that was more slim compared to a Blue Eyes appeared with a screech as it had 2,400 attack and 2,000 defense.
"Your pair of primates can power up till they're green in the face. They're still no match for the thrashing power of this beast." Rex stated as Joey groaned at this sudden turn of events.
"So, it really does exist..." Yuki breathed out as she looked at the Red Eyes Black Dragon in aw as it seemed to look at her curiously for a split second.
"What do you mean by that, sis?" Yugi asked as he looked at his sister wondering why she was feeling such aw towards the dragon.
"You would've been too young to remember, but Grandpa told us about this card. It's said that thus dragons power could rival that of the legendary Blue Eyes White Dragon." Yuki explained to her brother as Tea and Tristan continued to look at the dragon in aw.
"It's about time Rex played a card that'll put Joey in his place." Mai said as she wasn't in as much aw as the three other teens were.
"And if you think those brain-dead brutes of yours will rescue each other from this dragon's rampage, think again! With Dragon Nails, my Red Eyes gets a power boost strong enough to clobber an army of your Battleguards." Rex declared as his dragon's power grew to 3,000 as the magic card was put into play. "Red Eyes Black Dragon! Inferno Fire Blast!" He ordered as his dragon, who now had metal gloves over his claws, screeched as it sent a fire ball crackling with black lightning as it destroyed the Battleguards.
"Ahh!" Joey and Tristan gasped in shock in unison at what had just happened.
"How could he torch 'em both with just one shot?" Joey asked in disbelief as the smoke cloud from the aftermath of the attack begins to dissipate.
"Those that defend together are destroyed together. Don't tell me you thought their little clubs would be enough to save them from my dragon's wrath." Rex said tauntingly as he was once again back in the lead.
"That creep." Tristan sneered as Rex laughed giddily at Joey's misfortune.
Rex: 840 Joey: 235
"That's a good boy, Rex. Nice work." Mai praised though it clearly seemed like she was treating Rex like a dog.
"Do you smell that odor in the air, Joey? it's the stench of your defeated Battleguards. Who's up next for the roast?" Rex asked as he cackled though he was the only one who found that funny.
"Gotta stay calm." Joey reminded himself as he closed his eyes tightly and hung his head,
"Hang in there!" Tristan called out hoping to help his friend keep a cool level head.
"Yuki, tell me that dragon isn't as tough as it looks. I mean, there must be something Joey can do to stop it." Tea said hoping that maybe Joey would overhear the answer so he knows what to do.
'Hmm. I wish I could give her an answer, 'cause there is one move that could save Joey from the Red Eyes Black Dragon. But I am forbidden from giving advice during this duel. Which mean's Joey'll have to figure this one out all on his own.' Yuki thought because even if she gives the advice to Tea that is still technically her giving advice during the duel.
"Play every monster you got. My dragon has enough fire power to turn your whole deck into a smoldering pile of ash!" Rex exclaimed still thinking that Joey didn't have enough dueling smarts or strong enough monsters to win this duel.
'Rex is right. No creature I have can out-muscle that thing. Man. I guess this is where I get my butt handed to me.' Joey thought as he was actually considering accepting defeat.
"Yo, Joey!" Tristan called out when he saw that the blonde seemed to be zoning out.
"Wha-." Joey said as he was broken out of his train of thought by Tristan calling out to him.
"You may not have the monster to beat that thing, but you got the smarts." Tristan said starting what would hopefully be a chain of encouraging words to help the blonde win.
"We're not gonna give up on you, Joey." Yuki reassured as Yugi was now waving around a Joey banner that he got from... somewhere.
"Don't forget. Dueling's more about heart than strength." Tea reminded as friendship and the Heart of the Cards was what helped Joey against Mai alongside his nose.
"Now show this lizard what you're made of." Tristan encouraged as he was determined not to let Joey give up on himself.
"Ah. Hmm. Hmm." Joey hummed with a nod to his friends before drawing a card from his deck. "Huh?" He asked himself as he looked at the card he drew curiously.
"Yeah. That's it, Joey. Slap down another card for my Red Eyes to fry up." Rex encouraged before he noticed something on the screen above his holo computer. 'Huh? I almost forgot. Joey still has his Time Wizard out from a few turns ago. That's the card he played to clobber Mai and her Harpies. With Yuki's help, that is. Shame Joey's too much of an amateur to know how to use it himself.' He thought with a laugh as he figured that card was useless in the hands of someone like Joey.
"Hey, are you gonna nab me the victory you promised or are you gonna sit there with that dumb look on your face?" Mai asked whilst waving her fist around in the air like a raving mad-woman.
'Again with the insults? I can't wait to wreck that arrogant attitude of hers in our duel.' Rex thought as he tuned out the rest of Mai's annoying insult filled lecture. 'Wait a minute. If I could snag Joey's Time Wizard, it would be the perfect way to shut her up. She can't win against that card.' He deduced as he was too arrogant to see the flaw in the plan he had just came up with. "Oh, Joey?" Rex called out after he finished coming up with his plan to get the Time Wizard.
"Huh?" Joey asked as he looked up from his cards in order to look at Rex.
"I have an idea. Let's make this duel more exciting and each put one card up for grabs with our star chips. And just so it's fair, we'll put up whatever card we have on the field. Sound good?" Rex asked as this meant that Joey would get his red eyes if he won and Rex would get the Time Wizard if he won.
"Wha- I don't have any cards on the- huh? Oh, yeah. My Time Wizard. I forgot about that." Joey said which showed just how much of a scatter brain he is when under pressure.
"And for him, I'll give you my rarest card- the supreme Red Eyes Black Dragon!" Rex revealed as his dragon was staring down joey with a fierce look.
"Huh?" Joey asked wondering if Rex was actually serious about this.
"Just what do you think you're doing, you disobedient dolt? You're here to take Joey out of this tournament, not to improve your deck." Mai lectured as she didn't go to all this trouble just for Rex to stray away from the plan.
"Stay out of this." Rex snapped having had enough of Mai and her whining and lecturing.
"Rex, you double-crossing snake, I know what you're scheming." Mai declared as she was having a temper tantrum similarly to a two year old tantrum as she stomped her foot and waved her arms around.
"I'm no lousy snake. I'm a dinosaur. You know that." Rex corrected as he glared down at Mai as Joey was quietly watching this happen.
"Ha! You're no-." Mai said as she was now at the end of her rope with Rex right now.
'That Red Eyes Black Dragon could really help my chances at winning this tournament and gettin' its prize money for my sister.' Joey thought completely tuning out Rex and Mai's argument as he hung his head slightly. 'But I hate to risk this Time Wizard Yuki gave me like it was some bargaining chip. Wait a minute. What am I talking about? Maybe I don't have to.' He thought as his eyes narrowed for a moment before he looked back at Rex. "You got a deal, Rex. Your Red Eyes dragon and my Time Wizard- winner takes all." Joey said much to Mai's utter shock.
"What?!" Mai exclaimed as she looked at Joey with her mouth hanging open in shock.
"Yeah!" Rex yelled as he pumped his fist into the air in celebration at the fact that Joey agreed.
"That's a gutsy move for Joey to make." Yuki admitted because one move could either make it or break it for Joey.
'Sucker. Ha.' Rex thought with a laugh as it was just too easy to get Joey to agree.
"Huh. But while I'm at it, Rex, I'm making him my weapon of choice, too! Go, Time Wizard!" Joey called out as he flipped over his Time Wizard card so it was now face up.
"What are you doing?" Rex shouted in shock at the fact that Joey was actually going to try and attack withe the Time Wizard.
"Yes! Joey figured out the best move possible for this situation." Yuki praised with a smile as she knew what would happen next.
"This wouldn't be happening if you just obeyed my commands, Rex." Mai said once again bitching about the fact that Rex was not listening to her.
"I hope you packed your bags, Rex, 'cause if my Time Wizard's spin arrow lands on a Time Warp, you'll be on the next boat off this island." Joey said as his Time Wizard appeared with an attack of 500 and a defense of 400.
"Do you really want to leave this entire duel up to a single spin? You do know what'll happen if that arrow lands on a skull, don't you?" Rex asked as he looked nervously at the Time Wizard's staff that had a round clock containing one arrow, four skulls, and only two time machines.
"It's a risk I gotta take, Time Roulette, go!" Joey commanded as the arrow inside of the staff begins to rapidly spin.
"What happens if the arrow lands on a skull?" Tea asked since Rex made that sound like it was a bad thing.
"The Time Wizard will self-destruct and take a chunk of Joey's life points along with it." Yuki explained as she was watching the roulette as closely as possible.
"Oh, man. All he's got is a chunk." Tristan said as Joey only has 235 life points left to his name.
"But that means, if it lands on a skull, then Joey lose's." Yugi realized as he glanced between Joey and the Time Wizard in worry as the roulette arrow continues to spin.
"I can't believe this entire duel has come down to one spin. It's almost nerve-wracking to even watch." Tea admitted as they were all watching the roulette arrow spin.
"All we can do is hope the arrow doesn't land on any of the four skulls." Yuki said as there was only the slimmest of chances that the roulette arrow will stop on a Time Warp.
"Ok. Then let's start hopin'." Tristan said hoping that if they hope hard enough it'll actually happen.
'Come on, Time Machine.' Joey thought as he was surprisingly calm at the moment.
'Come on, skull.' Rex thought with gritted teeth and wide, nervous eyes.
"It's stopping." Tea pointed out as they all saw that the roulette arrow was finally starting to slow down.
"Slowly." Mai added as they saw the arrow seem to stop on a skull before it moved up to the top Time Machine as it finally stops.
"Nice going, Joe!" Yuki praised when it landed on a Time Machine as Yugi, Tristan, and Tea cheered in agreement.
"No!" Rex protested as it clearly looked like the arrow had stopped on a skull.
"All right. Time Warp, go!" Joey ordered now that the arrow had landed on a time machine.
"Time Magic." The Time Wizard said as it floated in the air and waved its staff towards the Red Eyes.
Then before everyone's eyes the sky became a blue galaxy as a swirling vortex appeared. Yuki, Yugi, Tristan, Mai and Tea all let out a scream and they all shielded themselves from a strong wind coming from the vortex in the sky. For a moment it seemed like nothing was happening as the vortex in the sky continued to make its own storm. Yuki had to admit that this was a little strange seeing as this had not happened the last time that Joey had used the Time Wizard. Though that was because he had used the Time Wizard with Baby Dragon which automatically invokes the use of Time Magic. Otherwise the little orange dragon would stay a baby and wouldn't become the Thousand Dragon.
"You jerk! Look what you've done. The entire space time continuum is speeding out of control. Eons are passing like seconds!" Rex shouted as many millenniums, solar systems, and images of prehistoric creatures swirled around them in the wind vortex. "Aah!" He yelled as he shielded his eyes from a sudden bright light and when it faded he saw a shocking sight. "Wha-." Rex said as he saw the condition that his Red Eyes Black Dragon was in.
"He's been fossilized." Tea observed as they were all gaping in shock at the Red Eyes's new appearance.
"No. He hasn't. He's still standing. Sure, he's beginning to gray a little, but that's natural." Mai protested as she looked at the still, lifeless, gray, rock looking form of the Red Eyes. "Go on and have him attack, Rex. Go on, Rex!" She shouted trying to have the dino duelist prove that his dragon isn't fossilized.
"Right. Uh, Red Eyes? Go on and attack." Rex said uncertainly as his dragon let out cracking noises as cracks form on his head. "Aah! No, no, no!" He shouted as the head fell off of his dragon and then the rest of its body crumbled to the ground with it.
"The millions of years that were made to pass by Joey's Time Wizard turned Rex's Red Eyes into nothing but a brittle, dusty shell." Yuki explained as she was the only one out of Tristan, Tea, and Yugi that had gotten over their shock.
"So I guess you won my star chips, huh?" Rex asked with a groan as he looked so sad at the fact that his ultimate dragon lost.
Rex: 0 Joey: 235
"Wait a second. Not only did I win your star chips, but I won your Red Eyes, too, fair and square." Joey reminded causing Rex to hunch over his holo computer sobbing as Yuki, Yugi, Tea, and Tristan cheer.
"And Joey did it all by himself, too." Yuki said feeling really proud of her friends accomplishment as Joey started to come down from his holo computer.
"I did it, guys. I did it!" Joey called out as he hopped off of the lift platform when it was a foot from the ground and ran over to the group of four that had been cheering for him.
"Hey, you're the man, Joey." Tristan called out as him, Yuki, Yugi, and Tea were running towards him as well.
"Yeah, you know it." Joey said as they were getting closer to one another.
"Comin' right at you, man." Tristan warned with a smile on his face as Joey was smiling as well.
"Give me some skin, bro." Joey stated as he thought he was gonna get a fist bump or maybe a high five.
"Up high or down low?" Tristan asked but before Joey could answer the male brunette simply delivered a payback punch once close enough.
"Oh!" Joey groaned as he landed on his back from the force of running right into the punch.
"I guess you're down low, bud." Tristan said with his fist still raised and a closed eye smile.
"You- you punched me. After everything I just went through, you go and punch me?" Joey asked in disbelief as he looked up at Tristan with wide eyes.
"Yeah, well, tough tamale. Now we're even for when you punched me." Tristan explained as Yuki, Yugi, and Tea were just silently watching this unfold.
"Yeah? Don't you know two wrongs don't make a right, you jerk?" Joey asked as he quickly got back up on his feet with his fists raised as if to fight.
"Should I make it three, then?" Tristan asked as he copied the stance that Joey was in.
"Bring it on." Joey said as both males looked about ready to start fist fighting one another.
"Ugh I really am not looking forward to puberty..." Yugi grumbled as he was happy to stay an 8 year old if it meant avoiding turning out like Joey and Tristan.
"Guys, stop it or I swear to god I will kick you both where the sun doesn't shine." Yuki threatened as she was not in the mood for this.
"Maybe we ought to stay out of this one. I think this is their bizarre way of showing each other they care." Tea explained though they were talking about two testosterone filled teenage boys here.
"Oh, alright. I'm just glad I'm a girl, I don't think I'd survive if they ever cared that much about me." Yuki said as they watched Joey and Tristan shove one another as they pull at each others faces as they grunt and growl.
Almost like a flip of a switch it suddenly got very dark with only the moon as a source of light. The group of five honestly was not used to having it get so dark so quickly as they walked down a dirt path. Yugi made sure to stick close to his sister as it was fairly easy to get lost in the dark. Especially on an island that they know next to nothing about that is inhabited by only god knows what. They were looking around for somewhere to camp out for the night but so far were not finding anything. After all they didn't want to end up somewhere that was already occupied by other duelists. But they also didn't want to spend all night looking for a place to set up camp either.
"Damn, it sure did get dark fast..." Yuki observed as she glanced up at the clear, star filled sky above them.
"Yeah. Maybe we ought to set up camp somewhere." Tea said as she was getting tired of just walking around.
"Don't tell me you're afraid, Tea. You got us protecting you." Tristan reassured as if that would quell Tea's supposed fears.
"Yeah, but who's protecting you guys?" Tea asked since she doubted Tristan was as brave as he sounded.
"Uh, good point. Let's set up camp." Tristan said now sounding less brave than he had a few seconds ago.
"Relax, guys. There's nothing in these woods but crickets and squirrels." Joey said as unbeknownst to him a pair of eyes was watching them from within the bushes.
Silence soon befell the group as they kept walking and searching for a place to camp. It didn't take much longer though as they found a small clearing within the woods. With their camping spot now chosen they all sat in a circle underneath a tree with Joey and Yuki leaning against the tree trunk. Some of theme were hungry but since Yuki would only share her food with Joey and Yugi they passed the time by telling stories. Also since there were no clocks they had no way of knowing what time it is or how long it would be till morning. Which meant they either had to go to sleep or do something to pass a bit more time before falling asleep.
"And when they finally pulled over to look and see hat was in the back seat of the car, it was over 20 pepperoni pizzas with double cheese and meatballs." Tristan said as he finished off what was supposed to be a scary story.
"Oh, please. What kind of ghost story is that supposed to be?" Tea asked with a laugh as it was more funny than scary.
"Aah! If I don't get some more food in me, I'm gonna be turning into a ghost." Joey said as he stood up and made grabby hands at the moon.
"You just had one of Yuki's bento boxes a little while ago though!" Yugi said not understanding how Joey could still be hungry after that.
"Those two and their stomachs, huh, Yuki?" Tea asked as she looked at said girl who had been silent for the most part.
"Hey, my meal ticket." Joey said as he spotted a yellow mushroom with red spots as he laughed and tried to eat it.
"What? No!" Tristan exclaimed as he suddenly restrained Joey who tried getting closer so he can eat the mushroom as they both grunt.
"Get a hold of yourself Joey! Wild mushrooms are poisonous you idiot." Yuki said but Joey ignored her as he kept trying to eat it.