Chapter 16

Merger of the Big Five: Part 3

Defeat the Five-Headed Dragon

"It's time to do what my associates couldn't the first time, destroy you both for good. You already know I told you that you've already faced this creature in the world of Duel Monsters Quest. And now it's time to summon it! Thanks to Altar of Mist, I can add the appropriate ritual spell card from my deck to my hand." Kogoro stated as he did so.

"And now I'm going to play it, the Dragon Revival Ritual!" he declared as he activated said card. "Now, it may have be a fusion monster in the real world, but Noah chose the prototype, which was made to be a ritual monster, in this world. So this magic card allows me to summon the all-powerful Five-Headed Dragon!" he continued.

"But how?" Yami asked. "You see, I must sacrifice five monsters that have five different attributes." Kogoro answered. "Well, looks like your math is wrong, I only see one monster on your side, your Deck Master." Joey pointed out. "I'm sorry disappoint you, Mr. Wheeler, but Jinzo isn't my ONLY Deck Master." Kogoro replied before Joey realized what he meant. "The other Deck Masters of the rest of the Big Five! They count, too!" the underdog said in shock.

"Joey's right, that monster requires five different monsters with different attributes to summon, and the Big Five ALREADY have five!" Spike confirmed. "No one ever said they play fair." Duke pointed out. "Our five Deck Masters, we call you all to the field! The unstoppable Jinzo..." Kogoro began. "The all-mighty Deepsea Warrior..." added Konosuke. "The cunning Nightmare Penguin..." said Shuzo. "The honorable Judge Man..." put in Chikuzen. "The superior Robotic Knight..." finished Soichiro.

"Now, my five Deck Masters, I command you all to combine together to form a creature of unparalleled strength and supreme power!" Kogoro declared as the five creatures formed a circle and a bright glow surrounded them. "Behold, the Five-Headed Dragon!" he shouted as the might dragon appeared. "I beat this creature before." Yami stated. "I know, it was the last time we fought them in the world of Duel Monsters Quest." Joey said as the memories of the battle came flooding to him, Yami and all those involved.

"I hope my luck is better than it was last time." he added. "Well, the good news is that Kogoro's dragon can't attack." Yami pointed out. "Good, so we have one turn to try and stop it." Joey said, relieved. "Sorry, but since my dragon is now the combined Deck Master of the Big Five, its special ability allows me to destroy all magic, trap and monster cards on your side of the field once its summoned." Kogoro revealed.

In mere moments, the dragon's breath destroyed Jinzo and the Dark Magician Girl. "Well, we have plenty of monsters left in our decks, and its my move!" Joey declared. "There's one more thing you should know about this mighty creature, it's immune to attacks from monsters that are of the five attributes used to summon it. So it can't be destroyed by fire, water, earth, wind or darkness." Kogoro pointed out.

"Then that means only Light attribute monsters can stand against it!" Twilight said in shock. "Seems to me that your chances of getting Tristan's body back just got slimmer. And you all know that that means, four more of you will join it as we use you to escape this virtual wasteland as part of the Big Five's biggest corporate takeover, while your minds, and those we don't take, are trapped forever! And just to make sure nothing or no one interferes with our plan, I'll set this face down." he declared as he finished his move.

"Use your last turn wisely, gentlemen." he concluded. "What are we supposed to do? It's got 5000 attack points and only one kind of monster can destroy it. You got any ideas, Yugi?" Joey asked. "We can do this, Joey. Just trust in your Deck Master as I do mine." Yami replied. "Right." Joey said. 'If Rainbow stood by her Deck Master in her duel, than I'll stand by mine so it can guide me to victory.' he thought before drawing.

"I was hoping for a monster, but I'll make due. Watch yourself, Kogoro, I set three cards face down and call my Deck Master to the field." he said aloud as he completed his move. 'I know this is risky, Yugi, but it's one we have to take.' he thought as he looked to his partner. "That's all from me." he concluded. "Good work, Joey. I know what I have to do." Yami said.

'I just hope it works.' Yugi thought. "It's my move. Here goes!" Yami said boldly before drawing. 'I may need this in a little while.' Yugi thought as he saw what he drew. "Now I call my Deck Master to the field, Dark Magician!" Yami declared before his Deck Master prepared for battle.

"Wait, Yugi and Joey both called their Deck Masters out onto the field?! This is the riskiest move they can make!" Spike said in shock. "You're right. If they're destroyed, both Yugi and Joey automatically lose!" Twilight added. "It's better than nothing, at least. Because that dragon would've blasted them to smithereens if they didn't." AJ pointed out.

"You're making this too easy. Your Deck Masters can't touch this dragon, but the best part is, once I destroy them, you two automatically lose and your bodies will go to two of my associates." Kogoro boasted. "Alright, Yuge, ready when you are." Joey said, with hope in his heart. "This duel isn't over, Kogoro, and its still our move. We'll show you real teamwork." Yami said with a smile.

"Touching words of inspiration for your partner, but I'd say five heads are much better than two." Kogoro replied. "So how do you plan to defeat our dragon?" he asked. "Not the same way I did the first time I fought it." Yami answered. "You couldn't anyway." Shuzo stated. "He's right, last time you and Seto Kaiba used the Dragon Master Knight." Soichiro added, remembering when Yami and Kaiba did just that.

"And there's no way you can do it again, you don't have a Black Luster Soldier or a Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon to summon it to the field." put in Kogoro as Yami played a card. "Yes, but I can summon a monster that's close enough, by combining our Deck Masters together with Polymerization to form, the Dark Flare Knight!" the ancient one replied as his and Joey's new Deck Master, a level six, Dark attribute warrior/fusion/effect monster with 2200 attack points and 800 defense points, appeared.

"Take a good look, Big Five, this is the monster that will act as the catalyst for your final destruction and return Tristan's body to us!" he bellowed. "You dare challenge our dragon with that?" Kogoro asked, offended. "Yes, Dark Flare Knight is a combination of our Deck Masters as your dragon is a combination of yours, and Joey and I have faith in our new Deck Master." Yami answered. "You fool, that new warrior of yours is one of darkness, and our Five-Headed Dragon can only be beaten by Light attribute monsters." Kogoro said, thinking Yami and Joey made a mistake.

"We'll see." Yami said, bravely. "I may like the design of that monster, but it's 2800 attack points weaker than the Five-Headed Dragon!" Rainbow said, clearly worried. "Not to mention it's their Deck Master. If it goes, they lose." AJ added. 'I hope Yugi knows what he's doing over there, this move may be our last.' Joey thought. "Dark Flare Knight, prepare to attack, your target is the Five-Headed Dragon." Yami instructed before the mighty warrior raised his sword.

"Take him down, my beast!" Kogoro commanded as the dragon breathed its elemental breaths and overpowered the Dark Flare Knight before destroying it. But Kogoro quickly noticed something was wrong. "What's this? How are you two still standing?" he asked. "We're unharmed because of the Dark Flare Knight's special abilities. First, it prevents the Duelist who summoned it from losing life points when its destroyed, but that's not all, Kogoro. Our Deck Master may be gone, but you'll notice that me and Joey are still in this duel." Yami answered.

"What?! This can't be!" Kogoro shouted in disbelief. "I'm afraid it can, thanks to Dark Flare Knight's second special ability. Whenever he's destroyed, a new warrior is summoned to take its place. Behold, Mirage Knight!" Yami replied before his and Joey's new Deck Master, a level eight, Light attribute warrior/effect monster with 2800 attack points and 2000 defense points, appeared in a burning flame.

"That's your new Deck Master?" Kogoro asked. "Nice try, Yugi, but this knight is weak as well, so why go through all this trouble just to bring it to the field?" he added before realizing something. "Unless Mirage Knight has a special ability as well!" he said in shock. "You're beginning to catch on, Kogoro." Yami replied. "Go, Mirage Knight, attack his dragon!" he commanded as the knight leapt into battle before the dragon retaliated to try and stop him.

"He may look weak, but first impressions can be deceiving." he continued as the dragon's attack engulfed the knight. "Now watch closely, Kogoro, the special ability of our Mirage Knight is about to seal your dragon's doom. You see, it's able to absorb ALL of the attack points of the opposing monster it's facing in battle, giving our Deck Master 5000 attack points!" he explained as Mirage Knight's power JUMPED to 7800.

"No! Now it's more powerful than our dragon!" Kogoro shouted. "And there's one more thing you might want to know, Mirage Knight is of the Light attribute, and you know what that means, it's the very monster we need to destroy your dragon! And once its wiped out, this duel will finally be over!" Yami revealed. In moments, Mirage Knight came down with a slash of its scythe, cutting the Five-Headed Dragon in half, destroying it.

"Your Deck Master is now gone, and since our Mirage Knight at 7800 attack points, your life points are gone with it, so this duel is over!" he declared as Tristan's body gently floated down to the ground. "Funny, because I don't feel like a loser." Kogoro said as his life points lowered to 600. "Wait, why are his life points standing at 600?" Yami asked.

"That attack should've wiped you all out! Explain yourself!" Joey demanded, but Kogoro just laughed. "Did you forget about the facedown I set earlier?" he asked. "It's known as A Deal with Dark Ruler." he explained. "What?! I should've known!" Yami shouted. "This magic card prevented me from taking the damage when your knight destroyed our dragon, but to activate it I had to pay half of my total life points. A business decision that was well worth it in the end, wouldn't you say?" Kogoro explained.

"But you should still lose, since your Five-Headed Dragon was your Deck Master, and Mirage Knight destroyed it." Joey pointed out. "That would've been the case, if it hadn't been for the second effect of my magic card, Mr. Wheeler. It summons Berserk Dragon to be my new Deck Master!" Kogoro retorted before the new dragon appeared in its undead glory.

"I know that monster! I faced off against a Rare Hunter who had it in his deck!" Pinkie shouted.

(You can read all about it in volume 2 to see how I won)

"Looks like your big plan didn't work, boys." Kogoro said as Mirage Knight split into the two monsters that formed Dark Flare Knight, confusing Joey. "Yuge, what happened to the Mirage Knight?" he asked. "Mirage Knight only stays in play for one attack, Joey. Then it splits into the two monsters that were used to make Dark Flare Knight." Yami explained. "Aw, man! Now there's no way they can stop the Big Five! That oversized zombie dragon is WAY stronger than their Deck Masters." Duke said.

"And when there Deck Masters go, so do they!" Tristan added. "It can't be! Protect your Deck Masters!" Serenity shouted. "Don't worry, Serenity. We'll find a way out of this!" Joey called back. "Your turn isn't over yet, so you can still help us out of this mess." he said to his partner. "Alright, Kogoro, I activate Magical Hats, so you'll have to find my Deck Master to destroy it." Yami said as last as the hats materialized and hid the Dark Magician.

"Next I'll activate my Deck Master's special ability! By spending 1000 life points, I can duplicate the effects of any magic or trap card I have in play, and I choose Magical Hats to hide Joey's Deck Master as well." he continued as Flame Swordsman was hidden and his life points decreased to 1000. "Thanks, Yuge, now let's hope these geezers aren't good at hide and seek." Joey said. "The rest is up to fate, Joey. So let's hope for the best." Yami replied.

"I'm not too worried, he's got a one in four chance to find either of them." Joey pointed out. "Well, I'll have to disagree, Mr. Wheeler. Your math is a bit off, the odds are slightly more in my favor. And now it's my move!" Kogoro replied before drawing. "Now to deal with your little hat trick. A nice attempt, but since my dragon can attack four monsters at the same time, your hats won't work." he continued after looking at what he drew.

"Whoa! That means he can't miss!" Joey said, baffled. "And one of us is about to lose." Yami added. "If Yugi hid both Deck Masters under four hats, and that dragon can attack four of them at once, then that means he's making sure he hits the right target!" Fluttershy said, worried. "So this is it?" Joey asked. "I'm afraid so. One of us is about to lose his Deck Master, and his life." Yami replied. "I don't think so." Joey said, not willing to give up yet.

"You reckon Joey has an idea?" AJ asked. "I sure hope so." Rarity answered as Kogoro laughed in triumph. "Prepare to lose it all, Wheeler." he said before thinking things over. "Wait, it'll be a much safer choice to target Yugi first." he said. "Go, Berserk Dragon, attack all four of Yugi's hats along with his Deck Master!" he commanded as the dragon launched fireballs at all four hats. 'I tried my best, Tristan.' Yugi thought. "Don't give up, Yuge! It's my turn to save you!" Joey shouted. "Flame Swordsman, protect Yugi and his Dark Magician with your life!" he commanded as his Deck Master came out of hiding and stood in front of one of the hats.

"NO!" Yami shouted, realizing what Joey was doing. "What in tarnation does he think he's doing?!" AJ asked. "If he sacrifices his Deck Master, he's a goner!" Tea shouted. "Don't do it, Joey!" Serenity called as the fireballs hit their targets. "Now BOTH of your Deck Masters are gone! I win the duel!" Kogoro declared. "Are you there, Joey?" Yami called before he saw his partner's silhouette in the dust, with all his life points intact, surprising everyone.

"He survived!" Rainbow shouted. "But how?!" Kogoro asked, more shocked than everyone else before he saw that both of their Deck Masters were still okay. "Your Deck Masters survived! Cheaters! How can they both still be standing?!" he shouted. "Take a look, Kogoro. I activated my trusty Silver Dollar trap card." Joey answered. "Explain yourself!" Kogoro demanded. "Alright. First, I saved Yugi's Dark Magician by having my Flame Swordsman take the brunt of your attack, then I activated Silver Dollar to save my Swordsman." Joey explained.

"But that card only saves weak monsters." Yami said before realizing why it worked. "Of course! Flame Swordsman was already weak after Joey transferred 1000 of its attack points to his Rocket Warrior!" he said, remembering the moment it happened. "So when Kogoro's dragon attacked, Joey's Silver Dollar trap card activated and saved his Deck Master!" he continued. "Excellent move, Joey. You managed to save us both." he said to his clever partner.

"Well, you would've done the same thing." Joey replied. "So what do you think of THAT kind of teamwork?" he asked. "Look, kid, I'm not through with you by a long shot! And neither is my dragon, so be ready to lose your bodies on my next turn!" Kogoro replied as his dragon's attack points lowered to 3000. 'My dragon gets weaker with every turn, I have to finish them, and fast!' he thought. "Joey, I just remembered, Berserk Dragon has an Achille's heel." Yami said to his partner.

"I remember, too. That dragon loses 500 attack points every time Kogoro ends his turn. Just in time, for my turn." Joey replied as he drew. "Check out this move, Kogoro. I reveal my facedown, Knight's Title!" he declared as his card activated. "This magic card works with Yugi's Deck Master, and transforms the Dark Magician, into the Dark Magician Knight!" he explained as Yugi's new Deck Master, a level seven, Dark attribute warrior/effect monster with 2500 attack points and 2100 defense points, came to be.

"Now I activate my Deck Master's special ability and transfer 700 of its attack points to Yugi's new Deck Master, and since this effect only works on warriors, I had to transform Dark Magician into one, first." he added as Flame Swordsman's attack points lowered to 100 while Dark Magician Knight's attack points increased to 3200.

"3200 attack points?! That makes it stronger than my Berserk Dragon!" Kogoro shouted. "That should do the trick, so why don't you do the honors, Yugi?" Joey said to his partner. "With pleasure." Yami replied. "I end my turn." the underdog said with a smirk. "We make a great team, Joey. Together, we're about to topple the Big Five." Yami said with a proud look on his face. In Tristan's mind, the Big Five were bickering again, but this time they were focusing their frustration on Chikuzen.

'I demand an explanation, Chikuzen!' Kogoro said, angrily. 'You said Wheeler would only hold Yugi back!' Shuzo added. 'Instead, he's the reason why they're about to destroy us!' put in Konosuke. But Chikuzen had no answer. "You five are done! It's my move!" Yami declared before drawing. "Now, Dark Magician Knight, attack their Berserk Dragon with Sword of Dark Magic!" he commanded before the mighty mage-knight empowered his sword.

"Carrying with him the strength of both of our Deck Masters, our knight cannot be stopped!" he declared before the warrior's sword started to glow, followed by a downward slash that cut the Berserk Dragon in half, lowering the Big Five's life points to 400, but also eliminating them from the duel. "There goes your Deck Master, which means all five of you automatically lose this duel! Now keep your word and return Tristan's body, then run back to Noah! We've had enough of you!" he declared before Tristan's body dropped to its knees.

"It was a pleasure doing business with you, gentlemen." the King of Games concluded as the spectating friends celebrated. Later, said spectators returned to ground level. "Alright, you five, in the name of my kingdom, I command you to return my friend's body." Twilight said. "I believe you've mistaken me for someone who believes in playing fair." Kogoro replied. "If that's how you five want to play, then bring it on!" Rainbow shouted.

"As you wish." Konosuke said before all five members of the Big Five, in the forms of their Deck Masters, came out of Tristan's body and charged at the group. "Now to take what belongs to us!" Kogoro declared, but they were suddenly stopped by a forcefield around the group, before they were forced back into Tristan's body. "What's going on?!" Chikuzen asked.

"Breaking the rules of engagement again, are you?" Noah asked. "Noah!" Kogoro shouted. "You five have failed me for the last time!" the boy declared. As the group asked what was going on, the Big Five, all in Tristan's body, were teleported away. "They disappeared, and they took Tristan's body away with them! Dagnabbit!" AJ shouted as she stomped the ground. "I'll be stuck in this robot monkey suit for the rest of my life, and I'm already becoming more like a monkey every second." Tristan said, sadly, before Serenity and Fluttershy consulted him.

"We're here for you, Tristan." Serenity said. "We're friends, and we help each other when we're down." Fluttershy added, cheering Tristan up a bit. Meanwhile, the Big Five were brought before Noah and Mokuba. "Master Noah." Kogoro said as he came to. "These five are just pathetic, wouldn't you say, Mokuba?" Noah asked his brainwashed victim. "I hired you to defeat Seto, his rival and his rival's friends and you failed!" he said, upset. "Please, give us another chance. We'll put them out of business for good!" Konosuke begged. "Too late for any more chances, Konosuke." Noah replied.

"Please, Noah, have mercy and help us! We need five bodies to return to life!" Kogoro pleaded. "We've been trapped in this virtual purgatory for what seems like forever!" Shuzo added. "You can save us. Give us five of their bodies and we can help you take control of KaibaCorp." Konosuke begged, but Noah just chuckled. "You? Help me? I'd be much better off with five baboons than you old fools. I'm practically a super-being so I don't even need assistance from any of you. It's time you left, for good. Is that clear?" the boy replied.

"Leave for good? You don't mean...?" Kogoro asked in horror, thinking that he knew what was coming. "You lied to us?!" Shuzo asked, shocked. "Please reconsider, sir." Chikuzen begged. "As my father would say, your work is unacceptable and therefore, you must be eliminated now." Noah said before laughing as the Big Five started to glitch. "Imprisoning you five within the farthest reaches of my virtual universe is too kind a punishment. So therefore, you are now, and forever more, DELETED." he stated as the Big Five were deleted from existence forever.

"It's about time that I challenge Seto personally." he said before laughing. "I'll prove once and for all that I am the true heir to the Kaiba empire!" he declared, all while brainwashed Mokuba stands on with a blank, drone-like stare.