Yu-Gi-Oh: The Curse of the Rosario

by Bakuganman

Those in Yokai Academy must get approval to become cards AFTER finishing school, such as the deal struck between Pegasus, the Dark Lords and the Egyptian Gods. But when a Masked Man somehow turns a sweet pink-haired vampire girl into a card; its up to Yugi, the Pharaoh and the gang to win back the rest of her friends... before something stronger than the Gods is reawakened.

3. Chapter 3

(AUTHOR'S NOTE: March 3, 2022 update - this chapter and the previous chapter are only considered trailers and are not fully canon.)

Wow. 500 views?… Didn't think this fic would get even half that. Thanks for the support. I've also gotten quite a bit of feedback too, which is also appreciated. As promised, here's the second part of Kurumu's debut Duel. It'll get pretty intense, considering she can control any monster the opponent plays. How will Joey overcome this? Let's find out but first, lets answer some reviews:

From Thunderwolf7226:

Can't wait for my sexy Yuki-Onna waifu!

Bakuganman: Your not the only one, lol. Some others were asking for her, and can't say I'm surprised. She is a fan-favorite, plus the only one I've seen the most cosplayed on TikTok. Imagine that, right? A 2-decade old character on an modern day platform? My professional opinion, I believe RV has quite a cult-following nowadays. Speaking of everyone's favorite stalker… she'll have VERY unique powers of her own, and will fall perfectly in line with what she's capable of. I can promise you that. In fact, I'm debating of spoiling her debut duel, but we'll talk about that some other time. PM's are open.

From QueenBritt:

Good Intro.

good sneak peek. cant wait to see the backstory of Moka to give details on what occurred before this happened

Bakuganman: Firstly, a BIG round of applause for her majesty. She also helped me out allot, so everyone go check her out! As for the review, thanks very much. While I'm not gonna go too much into detail right now, part of it was already spoiled in the dialog of the last chapter and the intro theme, some more will be spoiled here as well. All I will say is, like the story of Yu-Gi-Oh… everything's not what it seems.

Guest:

Pretty sure but I dont think anything in Rosario vampire is stronger than the Egyptian gods by default without some type of buff. But I know less of Rosario vampire than I know of yu gi yo which is little

Bakuganman: There is actually one thing in the R+V universe that can go toe-to-toe with them without a single buff, and its own natural power. Not gonna spoil it right now but believe me, I've done the power scaling, and even all 3 Gods could theoretically struggle against this monster if they ever met in battle.

One last thing before we start, I'm also considering posting the custom-made cards based on R+V for this series somewhere, but where would be a good place? Any of you guys know somewhere that I can post them without a BS copy-strike, and also somewhere that people will visit as this fanbase grows? DM's and my Twitter are open, links are in the profile.

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Joey LP: 725

Ty LP: 2750

Picking up where the Duel left off, Joey had just ended his turn only for a second of his best monsters to fall under the control of Ty and his special monster, Kurumu the succubus; whom was also one of Moka's friends. Joey had also bet 3 of his most powerful monsters in order to win Kurumu back, but it wasn't looking so good. She was a very powerful card, and Ty's strategy was making it even harder.

Ty: Hope those 2 Set cards are helpful, Joey; cause with your Panther Warrior on my side, you've just lost your only defense. (Sets 2 cards) Just in case, I'll lay these face-down... now... which one of my monsters' will take a slice of your Life Points? (Joey tenses up, knowing an attack is inevitable at this point. Playfully, Ty then points a finger to each monster he currently has) Eeny, meeny, miny, moe... who will be the one to go...

It didn't really matter which monster Ty ended up choosing, for any one of them had plenty of ATK points to slash away the little 725 Joey had left… this was merely done to taunt Joey a little bit longer. As Ty continued his version the eeny-meeny rhyme, the group spoke amongst themselves.

Téa: He's toying with him.

Tristan: Well, its not like Joey can do much about it. He has no monsters to protect him, and even if he Summons one, Kurumu will just take control of it.

Moka: (looks at Yugi and Yami, figuring if there was a way out of this, they would know) *Is there any way Joey can get out of this?*

Yami Yugi: (ponders in silence) *... It won't be easy. Your friend Kurumu is indeed a powerful monster... but she does appear to have her limitations.*

Yugi: (Looks up at Yami, interested in his counterparts thoughts on the matter) *What do ya mean?*

Yami Yugi: *So far, the only time she's taken control of a monster is during Ty's own turn. And she can only gain control of one opponent monster per turn.*

Ura Moka: *Care to explain how that helps your friend at all?*

Yami Yugi: (brushes off the annoyance he feels towards Ura) *Take a look at their Duel Disks. More specifically, the slots on the blade.*

Both Ura and Outer Moka do just that, and notice what Yami was talking about.

Moka: *Wait… there's only five.*

Yami Yugi: (nods with a smile) *That's right. A Duelist can only have 5 monsters or any combination of 5 Magic or Trap Cards in play at one time. Which in turn means Kurumu herself also has a limit to how many monsters her owner can have on the field at once.*

Ura Moka: *Will that matter before, or after your friends Life Points hit zero? The more monsters a human controls, the more damage one human can do to the opposing player in a single turn.*

Yami was about to respond again, but the pink Moka beat him too it.

Moka: *Wait, I think I get it… your saying if Kurumu Charms 2 more monsters, then she can't Charm anymore?*

Even as she thought that up, it still sounded strange. Back in the monster world, Kurumu (and succubi in general) could control several men at once, way more than five. Kurumu also had half the schools male student population under her thumb at one point (granted their human friend Tsukune was the ONLY male she ever officially Charmed with her magic)… but that was before they found themselves in this situation. So since they were part of the game of Duel Monsters now, were they also bound to the rules of said game? From what's she's seen and experienced so far, that appeared to be the case.

Yami Yugi: (nods with a smile again) *Exactly. So if Joey can hold out long enough, and Ty keeps recklessly ordering Kurumu to Charm more monsters; HE will eventually run out of slots to put them in, allowing Joey to set up a strong defense or Summon a stronger monster without worrying about Kurumu's Charms at all.*

Ura Moka: *Even if that strategy did work, Warrior monsters aren't exactly known for having strong armor. Its actually very rare for them to have high defensive strength.*

Ura Moka's observation wasn't wrong. Most Warrior-types had higher ATK than DEF, with rare exceptions like Big Shield Gardna. That included some of Joey's strongest monsters, with his weaker ones usually having the lower ATK and higher DEF. His Landstar monsters, Little-Winguard (whom was in the Graveyard now sadly) and Battle Warrior immediately came to mind.

Ty: (continues the rhyme) My sister will be avenged by the very best one, and you (points at Panther Warrior). Are (points at Flame Swordsman). It (finally stops at Kurumu). Looks like my Kurumu has the honor of taking out the last bit of your Life Points; AND the rest of that tacky uniform. Kurumu! Attack him directly!

The Yugi team got concerned for Joey. If that attack hit, he'll lose the Duel. However, this time they saw too, what Joey saw before. Upon given the order to attack, Kurumu's eyes widened a bit before they glanced away from Joey, appearing to hesitate or debate with herself. Even Ura Moka reacted to this with a cocked eyebrow.

Ty: … did she not hear me? (Looks over his Duel Disk yet another time) Do I have to talk directly into a microphone or something? (Looks back to the field, and speaks a little louder and more assertive) I said, attack his Life Points directly!

Kurumu still had the same emotions on her face, but then followed the command of her owner anyway. With a flap of her wings, she was off and after Joey.

Joey: Reveal face-down card! (The card Joey just Set last turn rises up) Roulette Spider!

Upon the Spell Cards activation, a robotic-like spider with a yellow-black checker board body and a red arrow on its behind jumped out of the cards artwork. Kurumu stopped, perhaps not understanding what was happening, but the mechanical spider landed on the attacking the succubus' face, and latched on using its legs and arms to lock itself in place. Kurumu in response screamed, but the sound was very muffled due to Roulette Spider's body being over her head, which included her mouth and face. She tried using her nails to slice the bug off; but for some reason they didn't have any effect.

Joey: Ga head. Keep clawing at it. Dat bug ain't coming off.

As Kurumu continued to vainly try and get the machine off her face, her voice still muffled, she was moved to the center of the field due to losing control of her body, and a mechanical spiderweb spawned below her with each other monster being forced to an end via the Spells effect. There were six ends; 1 was occupied by Panther Warrior and Flame Swordsman each (they were across from each other), and Ty and Joey occupied two more (also across from each other).

Ty: Roulette Spider… this is the card you beat Espa Roba with.

Joey: Den I guess ya already know how it works. Ya see, afta' coughing up half my Life Points, Kurumu an' my Spider are gonna go fer a little spin. An' when you tell her ta stop, dats the direction her attack is going.

Joey LP: 725 - 363

Ty LP: 2750

Joey: Alright, Roulette Spider! Spin away!

Upon telling his Spell Card to fully trigger its own Effect, the arrow on Roulette Spider stuck out straight ahead and began spinning around like a top, taking Kurumu with it. Humorously, the poor succubus moaned more loudly as this went on, but she could do nothing to stop the Spell Effect on her own. Her cheeks also puffed up a little, but the camera cuts away from her and back to Ty, who was watching carefully. If he told the Spider to stop too soon, either he'd be attacked or his monsters' would (though because of their higher ATK, they'd cream her anyway).

Ty: ... stop!

Upon ordering Roulette Spider to stop, it began to slow down before coming to a complete stop. Due to the Spell Cards effect, the Spider forced Kurumu to fly forward and slash away with a double outward swipe straight ahead. The Spider finally removed itself once Kurumu completed her attack, but she didn't feel contact with anything, which left her with a confused expression upon seeing the result of her attack. It was then shown that she was flung at one of the empty spaces, the one next to Joey, meaning her attack had failed with no calculation to either player or the other monsters'. Plus this still counted as Kurumu's attack.

Joey: Oooooooh, so close. Ya just missed it.

Despite Joey's joke, Ty didn't seem to annoyed.

Ty: Yeah, but I can still use your Flame Swordsman!

Upon the order being indirectly given, Flame Swordsman set his blade alight with a battle cry and rushed at Joey.

Tristan: As soon as Flame Swordsman attacks, he's gonna lose!

The swordsman of fire got closer and closer with each passing second. Right as the powerful FIRE-Attributed Warrior was in striking range, sparkles began to flood Joey's side of the field, the same kind when a monster was Summoned...

?: *Oink, oink!*

Everyone raised an eyebrow, or had a confused expression on their faces. What just popped up on Joey's field was a round black pig, having appeared out of seemingly nowhere.

Ura Moka: *The hell?*

Téa: A pig?

? (Black Pig Monster): *Oink? Oink?* (looks around a little, wondering why it was Summoned. When it looked back in the forward direction, Flame Swordsman was literally above it with his sword in the middle of an attack!) *OIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINK!* (Freaking out, fittingly so, the pig's eyes widen in shock before it then sneezed... and this somehow cause its entire skeleton to be blown out of its body, and headed straight for Flame Swordsman.)

SLASH!

Flame Swordsman's attack ended up striking the ejected skeleton, and its hologram shattered to pieces. Joey's LP was unaffected as well, so whatever that thing was just saved him. The group of friends, Ty and Kurumu all blinked, confused at what just happened.

Bakura: Whatever it was, it took the damage for Joey.

Ty: (blinks a few more times)... the heck was THAT?!

Joey: (smiles) Hehehehe. You can call dat one a little Bacon Saver.

Ty: Bacon Saver?

Joey: Yup. When dat little guys destroyed, it removes itself from my Graveyard and intercepts ya next attack!

Ty: How did that get in your Graveyard? I never destroyed that thing!

Joey: Hmmmmm-yeah… but one of us did.

Ty: (Is shocked at what Joey's implying) You did?! When did yo-...?! (Deadpans, and recalls a certain card Joey played last turn. He then answers in a calm, yet deadpanned voice) ... wait, don't tell me...

Joey: Bingo. (A flashback then plays from the pervious turn, right after Joey's Panther Warrior's attack failed, but before he lost control of it to Kurumu) Roll of Fate allows me ta draw more cards, sure... but it also forces me to send the same numba of cards from the top of my Deck ta da Graveyard. Luckily for me, one of'em just happened to be Bacon Saver, allowing him to save my bacon just before Flame Swordsman hit me.

In the flashback, Joey pays the cost of Roll of Fate by taking the top 6 cards from his Deck, as that was what he rolled, and put them in the Graveyard slot in the Duel Disk face-down. As each card was sucked in, one-by-one; the scene froze and the 6th card became transparent, showing what was on the flipside, revealing it was in fact Bacon Saver. After that, what followed was Bacon Saver's Effect activating and Summoning itself to protect Joey's LP just as Flame Swordsman launched its attack, the attack scene also replaying. Talk about lucky.

Moka: *Phew... so he's safe...*

Ura Moka: *From Flame Swordsman's attack. Ty still has one monster left...*

Upon her stating that, the screen focused on Ty's last monster, Joey's Panther Warrior, whom was growling awaiting for its own command. Ura was correct. The Ability of Bacon Saver, while useful, was a one-time use. It had to be in the Graveyard for its Effect to trigger again, but part of that Effect was Banishing it from the game immediately after the fact, which prevented the Effect from reactivating a second time. Unless Joey had a second Bacon Saver in his Graveyard, Panther Warrior was gonna skin him alive. All Ty had to do now was Tribute Flame Swordsman, as Tributing Kurumu would be pointless due to her being the monster that was keeping Joey's Warriors under his control.

Ty: (glanced at Panther Warrior, then back to Joey, whom was looking nervous again as the protection of Bacon Saver expired) *... no... it's not time yet...* (remains silent for a few seconds before responding) I end my turn.

Joey: (blinks) End turn?

Not only was Joey confused, so was everyone else. Why didn't Ty just attack Joey again? He had nothing to protect himself, so the shorter Duelist could have won the Duel right then and there... Not that they were complaining, but they were still curious.

Téa: Hold on... why didn't Ty just attack with Panther Warrior?

Bakura: I'm not sure. All he had to do was sacrifice Flame Swordsman.

Tristan: Guess he didn't wanna take the risk of Joey's face-down card?

Téa: There's something else though... Did you guys see how Kurumu reacted? When Ty told her to attack?

The group thought back to that moment and agreed with what Téa said. Tristan was the one to answer, making everyone look at him.

Tristan: Oh yeah! That was really weird. It's like she didn't hear Ty's order to attack.

Téa: (looks back at Kurumu with concern and worry on her face) Or maybe... (has a quick flashback of Kurumu's facial expression just before she officially attacked and activated Roulette Spider) she didn't want to attack.

If what Téa said was true, the group couldn't help but feel bad for Kurumu if that was the case, but it also didn't make much sense either. If she was a real monster trapped in a card with her own will still intact, then WHY was she going through with everything Ty was telling her? Moka wasn't exactly thrilled to have spawned in battle when Yugi/Yami played her, and was very timid about it as well. It wasn't until her second self was released in an explosion of energy is when she began truly fighting back, and overpowered any monster that came after her. Of course, then the Egyptian Gods popped outta nowhere and started attacking her, forcing Yami to trick the Gods into attacking again and returned them to his Deck via a Trap Card.

Ura Moka: *That kids just as much as an idiot as Joey. If he attacked, he might have won.*

Moka: (agrees with her other half, but is nicer about it) *Yeah… why didn't he just give up a monster for Panther Warrior?*

Yami Yugi: *There could be a few reasons why. Like Tristan said, it could be Ty doesn't want to risk triggering Joey's face-down card. It could also be because at this point, Ty has the ATK and monster advantage, and doesn't want to give that up either.*

Yugi: (agreed with Yami's observation, but then brought up the one thing that couldn't explain) *And your friend Kurumu. Its almost as if she was resisting the order to attack.*

The 4 of them agreed with that but as of right now, they had no explanation why. Was Kurumu fully conscious of what she was doing or not? If she was, then why did she attack anyway?

Joey: Alright, my turn again! DRAW! (Draws his card, but then notices his Duel Disk Deck slot is glowing with dark energy) What the...? What's up with my Deck?

Ty: Its the side effect of Dark Illusion. (Shrugs) It also gives my opponent an extra card during their next Draw Phase. So go ahead and draw, not that it'll really help.

Joey: (draws his free card as Ty finished his sentence) … Well its just as helpful as it is greedy. (Reveals the card he just drew) Pot of Greed! Dis lets me…

Ty: (rudely cuts Joey off) Everyone and their grandmas know what Pot of Greed does. Just draw your cards already.

Joey: (with Ty's rude comment, he doesn't bother placing Pot of Greed in one of the Spell/Trap Zones. He just slid the Spell Card into the Graveyard slot and drew his new cards, giving him a total of 6. He then noticed a certain yellow armored monster he just drew due to Pot of Greed's Effect) *Yes! This's just the monsta' I needed!* Ya shoulda neva gave me dese cards; and now yer gonna find out why! Go! Fiend Megacyber!

The Fiend Megacyber - Attribute: DARK, Type: Warrior, Level: 6, ATK: 2200, DEF: 1200

Even though The Fiend Megacyber was a Level 6 monster, it has a handy Ability to Special Summon itself should Joey's opponent control more monsters than he does. As Joey controlled none and Ty controlled 3, the requirement was fulfilled. Plus with an ATK total that high, it made it the strongest monster currently in play, even stronger than Flame Swordsman Equipped with Legendary Sword!

Tristan: Cool! Fiend Megacyber has 2200 ATK points!

Bakura: That's quite the comeback. Its the strongest monster on the field.

Joey: Now lets try dis again! Attack, Fiend Megacyber! Take out Kurumu and get our buddies back!

In response to the attack order, The Fiend Megacyber began to close in on Kurumu for an attack as Panther Warrior did before. The Warrior-type pulled its fist back and just as it was ready to strike, and a scared Kurumu put her hand up in defense…

Ty: Keep barking your attack orders. Mines a Bark of Dark Ruler! (Reveals another Trap Card none of the group had seen before. Its card art had a close up of Dark Ruler Ha Des, but the lord of darkness' mouth was wide open with what appeared to be sound waves coming out, almost as it he was shouting at something) Now by offering some Life Points as payment, the Dark Ruler himself will weaken your monster equal to what I just paid as long as one of his loyal Fiend subjects are battling… OH!… But look at that! My Kurumu IS a Fiend-type! So your monster loses 400 ATK and DEF points!

Joey LP: 363

Ty LP: 2750 - 2350

As Ty's LP goes down, the Bark of Dark Ruler card sudden begins to ripple before Dark Ruler Ha Des' head pokes out from inside, then roars a powerful roar with the same strength as Threatening Roar. Only this time instead of just sound waves, dark energy waves were also released and hit The Fiend Megacyber, weakening him as the affected monster groaned.

The Fiend Megacyber - Attribute: DARK, Type: Warrior, Level: 6, ATK: 2200 - 1800, DEF: 1200 - 800

Unfortunately, as this was the Damage Step, replay was unable to occur. Plus The Fiend Megacyber was already too close to stop his attack anyway. Once his punch impacted Kurumu's arms, the attacked was halted and she just stood there in her current position completely unaffected, much to her own surprise that she survived. Of course, as Joey's monster was now weaker, he took damage. One thing that was surprising was that The Fiend Megacyber also survived the attack, then the roar from Bark of Dark Ruler got stronger and flung it back to Joey's side of the field.

Joey LP: 363 - 263

Ty LP: 2350

Ty: Don't worry, the effect of my Trap only lasts until the end of the turn, and your monster also survives the battle. Your lucky I didn't use Hate Buster instead, or the opposite would be true.

Joey gritted his teeth again. He kind of would rather have his monster destroyed in this particular situation, because now Fiend Megacyber was vulnerable to Kurumu's Charms during the next turn! To make matters worse, his ATK and DEF points will also be restored once the effect of Bark of Dark Ruler wears off! So he'll be nice and fresh for Ty's ever-growing army! Looking in his hand, he saw one monster that could help, but it required being on the field in Defense Mode. And with Kurumu's piercing damage, she'll slice right through it to his LP.

Joey: (is silent and plays the monster face-down) … I'll lay dis monsta' on da field and end my turn.

Tristan: Joey! Kurumu can pierce through monsters in Defense Mode!

Joey normally would have snapped back at Tristan and made a sarcastic comment back, but he still remained silent. After officially ending his turn, Fiend Megacyber's values also returned to normal.

The Fiend Megacyber - Attribute: DARK, Type: Warrior, Level: 6, ATK: 1800 - 2200, DEF: 800 - 1200

Ty: My turn again! (Draws a card) Well… I could attack your face-down, but first…

Kurumu's violet eyes once again cast their spell, forcing The Fiend Megacyber to switch whose side its on. Like the Warriors before him, he wobbled over before standing on Ty's field.

Bakura: There goes Megacyber.

Ty: But before I attack, I'll activate 2 Magic Cards. First up (plays first Spell Card by inserting it into the slot), is D.D. Designator! (A Spell with the monster D.D. Warrior Lady on its card art materializes to the field, as well as the monster herself) This allows me to name a card in your hand or Deck. And if you own that card; your forced to remove one copy of it from the game!

No one said a word but they all felt concerned. If Ty guessed a card name correctly, Joey could no longer use that card for the rest of the Duel… and thanks to Joey's big mouth last chapter…

Joey: (grits his teeth) *Me and my big mouth…*

Ty: (has a smug, toying expression on his face) Let me take a wild guess… would you happen to own a Jinzo?

Not 2 seconds had passed from the moment Ty made his declaration, and a transparent yet fully visible image of Jinzo appeared over Joey's Deck before it appeared on the field. With Ty's declaration correct, D.D. Designator continued its Effect and slashed with her sword, sending a wave of energy that hit Jinzo and made him disappear, the powerful Machine-type groaned just before he vanished to visualize his removal.

Tristan: There goes Jinzo.

Ty: And my final one will be this! (Plays his second Spell) Abyssal Designator! (A second Designator card spawns, this time with artwork of Dark King of the Abyss fittingly enough) Now at the cost of 1000 Life Points to the former ruler, I can once again take a lucky guess of what card you own, only just its monster Type and Attribute. And if I'm right, it goes straight to the Graveyard!

Once Ty explained how his card worked, Dark King of the Abyss appeared in a similar fashion to Dark Ruler Ha Des when he played Bark of Dark Ruler.

Ty: Though the former king accepts other forms of payment. I can instead send a DARK Fiend-type from my Deck to the Graveyard, as long as I control a DARK Fiend-type myself… And what a surprise! Kurumu IS a DARK Fiend-type!

Ty does just that, sending a copy of Dark Ruler Ha Des to his Graveyard from his Deck. The form of Ha Des appears, and Dark King notices the one who stole his throne with narrowed eyes and readily accepts the offer, pulling his rival down into the card/Abyss with his free hand, Ha Des powerless to stop it as he comedically looks scared himself. Dark King reappears from within the card after a few seconds, only this time he also pointed a fingernail at Joey, waiting for Ty to make his declaration.

Ty: And the Type and Attribute would beeeeeee… Warrior. And LIGHT.

Sadly for Joey, the only monster he had with that combo was in fact Gilford the Lightning. And just like with D.D. Designator before, the Warrior appeared the same way as Jinzo did. Once that happened, Dark King's finger glowed with blue light, an aura of the same color also surrounded Gilford. The LIGHT warrior struggled, but was ensnared by the dark power. Dark King of the Abyss then twisted his wrist so his hand was flat, then curled his glowing finger back. Slowly, Gilford was pulled towards the card, then INSIDE the card along with the Fiend as said monster grabbed the Warrior by the face, dragging him to the Graveyard.

Téa: And now Gilford.

Just like that, 2 of Joey's best monsters' were gotten rid of. One-by-one, Ty was taking away his best cards, just like the ones on the field, making the older and taller teen grit his teeth even more and lowly growl. It was bad enough Fiend Megacyber was Charmed and took away Joey's attack advantage, but 2 of his most powerful cards were ALSO removed, and all he had left was a weak Defense Position monster which if Kurumu pierces… its over.

Ty: Now, Fiend Megacyber! Attack his face-down monster!

Fiend Megacyber follows the order, and lunges at the face-down sideways monster before hovering over it with a fist ready to strike. It was a little strange just didn't have Kurumu attack… but considering he had 4 monsters now and Joey was about to have none, the kid probably thought it didn't matter. The Warrior punched the card hard, and the hidden monster was revealed to be Fiber Jar before it was destroyed. Its Ability however, which was a Flip Effect, was not.

Joey: Haha! Ya fell for it, shrimp! You just triggered Fiber Jar's Special Ability!

Ty: I see… so you wanna just force me to remove Kurumu from the field?

This was correct, as Fiber Jar had the Ability force all players to take back all cards on the field, return them and any cards in all hands and Graveyards to the Deck, and draw 5 new cards; effectively clearing the field and starting from scratch. Of course, this meant Kurumu wouldn't be destroyed; but with a Deck of 40 cards and her the only existing copy, its unlikely she'd get drawn again.

Joey: (humorously shrugs and smiles) Hey, don't hate da playa', hate da game.

Ty: Quick question: If a lone tree falls, does it make a sound?

Joey: Eh?

Ty: (smirks) If its because of a Harpie's Feather Storm, then YES! (Reveals his Set card, which then triggers its Effect)

WHOOOOOOOOOSH!

Ty's other Set card rose up to reveal said Trap Card, which then unleashed a fierce gust of wind that negated Fiber Jar's Effect.

Joey: (speaks over the gust) What?!

The storm from the card subsided, with no cards affected by Fiber Jar due to Harpie's Feather Storm negating its activation.

Ty: Yeah. Its a Harpie card, but it can still be activated if I have a least one WIND Winged Beast monster… and what da ya know? Kurumu IS a WIND Winged Beast monster! Lucky me! Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!

Kurumu looked down as Ty laughed, as if in shame.

Moka: (sounds astonished) *This is insane! Joey can't make a single move without Ty stopping it!*

Moka was right, even her tougher side couldn't help but agree (though didn't show it). This Duel was insane, but that might be an understatement. Ty was using his DARK cards to overpower Joey, but when that didn't work, he swarmed him with WIND ones instead! Now he was using Kurumu, a unique dual-type and dual-Attribute monster, to do both! Also shutting down any Effects or new strategies Joey comes up with because of her unique traits!

Ty: Of course, my Trap still ends my Battle Phase, so I'll just Set this down and let you go. Hope you draw a good monster. (Sets a card)

Ura Moka: *Luckily for Joey, that Trap had a side effect. He better draw something good, or this Duel's over.*

Joey: (Draws a card, which is another monster) I did get a good one, actually. In fact, five for one! Let's go, Goblin Attack Force!

Joey Summoned a squad of 5 green goblins, each one wearing the same outfit consisting of purple cloth covered by cheap-looking body armor and armed with a club. This team of monsters had 2300 ATK points, once again giving Joey the attack advantage.

Goblin Attack Force - Attribute: EARTH, Type: Warrior, Level: 4, ATK: 2300, DEF: 0

Téa: Alright! He got another monster!

Moka: *That's great! He can attack now!*

Ura Moka: *Sure Goblins are the laziest monsters out there and fall asleep all the time, which is why their territories always get overrun; but if they take Kurumu out, it shouldn't matter.*

Ura was once again on point, as Goblin Attack Force did have the drawback of them falling asleep after attacking (AKA: switching to Defense Position), but if the attack gets through then it wouldn't make a difference. Kurumu would be gone and Joey would get back his monsters.

Joey: Alright, boys! (Points to Kurumu) Knock some sense inta dat succubus!

All the members of Goblin Attack Force run towards the targeted monster, raising their clubs as they ran and gave battle cries, ready to beatdown on Kurumu. Ty says nothing, but does chuckle and card he just Set quickly reveals itself, which was a second Threatening Roar.

Joey: Aw, COME ON!

Threatening Roar did the same visual effect as the first one. The Goblins braced themselves from the roar before stopping they're advance entirely.

Ty: (shrugs and smiles, mocking Joey from earlier) Don't hate the player, hate the game.

Joey: Grrrrr! (Sets 2 cards) Just go!

Ty: Thought you might say that. (Draws a card)

Right when Ty draws his new card, he has Kurumu once again activate her Ability, taking control of Goblin Force, also giving Ty a grand total of 5 monster cards in play.

Téa: Look at all those monsters.

The camera pans across all the monsters' on Ty's field, their stats also popping up as the camera passed them, including Kurumu. Each Warrior she took over were some of Joey's strongest offensive monsters, and each one was now turned against him. His friends got very concerned, for Joey's options were now severely limited.

Tristan: And Joey has none left to protect him.

Moka: *… (looks at Yugi and Yami, sounding sad and concerned) Is it over?*

Yugi and Yami weren't too sure either. This looked REALLY bad. Ty had a full row of monsters, so yeah while he couldn't play any more, he still had the advantage by sheer numbers. Before either blond could answer, Ura did after they remained silent for a moment.

Ura Moka: *It has to be… I'll admit, the guy lasted longer than I expected; but all he has are 2 face-downs, 2 of his best cards are gone, and several of his own monsters are just itching to attack him.*

Ty: I'm sure you tried your best, Wheelie. But against me and my Kurumu, it was all for nothing (Joey doesn't answer, but retained his former emotions). I'll just use up this Pot of Greed, Set a card, and Flame Swordsman; attack him directly!

Ty doesn't bother playing Pot of Greed in the slot and just puts it in his Graveyard, drawing his 2 new cards soon after, then placed one of them face-down. That's when Flame Swordsman goes to attack Joey, raising his blade and rushing towards his former master to strike him directly.

Joey: You triggered my Trap! Nutrient Z! Since your monsta' has more dan 2000 ATK points, dis Trap Card increases my Life Points by 4000 just before your attack hits me!

Joey LP: 263 - 4263

Ty LP: 2350

Flame Swordsman continues his attack, slashing down with Legendary Sword on Joey, who grunted in pain from receiving damage.

Joey LP: 4263 - 2163

Ty LP: 2350

Ty: Fine! Then Kurumu will take 1900 more!

For the third time in a row, Kurumu appears to hesitate, but then goes along with the order anyway. Moka herself couldn't take anymore and cried out.

Moka: *KURUMU! STOOOOOP!*

It didn't appear to work, for Kurumu attacked Joey again, but she did kick him this time as opposed to slashing him like last time. Whether or not that was due to Moka wasn't clear. Despite that, the damage was real when it came to Kurumu, so Joey did feel a physical kick to his body. In fact, the force it actually sent the kid backward and on the floor, of course grunted as this occurred.

Joey LP: 2163 - 263

Ty LP: 2350

Ty: And with one final attack… Fiend Megacyber! Finish him off!

The Fiend Megacyber goes to attack Joey as well, and with an ATK of 2200, Joey would lose if it connects. But with the teen on the ground from Kurumu's prior attack, it looked like Duel was all but over. The Warrior got closer and closer with each passing second, and would strike once he was close enough.

Bakura: As soon as Fiend Megacyber attacks, Joey's going to lose!

Just when all hope seemed lost and Joey was on the ground helpless… one of his remaining cards rose up quickly, and a dark ball of light was flung out of it. This did cause Fiend Megacyber to stop and look up at the ball in confusion…

FLASH!

And that's when it landed directly in front of him, and exploded in a flash of bright light. Not only stopping the attack, but also throwing the Special Summoned Warrior back to Ty's side of the field. The monster groaned and landed on his own back, having been caught off guard from the strange Trap that activated. Everyone else (including Ura) just stood with mouths agape, processing what just happened.

Ty: … wait. What just happened?

Joey: Nrgh (slowly gets up)… it was a risky card, but was worth da play… (camera then zooms out to show the activated Trap) My Flashbang Trap Card! Its automatically triggered when my opponent inflicts damage to my Life Points at least once, but only when they're about to hit zero. It not only negates your attack, but it also ends your turn right then and there.

Ty: Grrrrr…

Joey: Dis Duel ain't over till da last card is played, Ty! And I'm not stopping till I play it! (Glances at Kurumu, who was just as shocked as everyone else, from both Joey's last ditch save and his words, which was more evidence that she was real) *I'm gonna get ya outta dis, Kurumu… one way or another… even if I have ta go through my entire Deck!*

Ty: Grrrrr!… (calms down) fine. Go ahead and take your turn. Your just stalling anyway. I've got 5 powerhouses on the field, and 4 of them are your best cards! Draw then! There's not one card you have that'll turn this around!

Ty wasn't exactly wrong. Joey was pretty much low on options, so this might just be his last draw to turn the tide of the Duel. If he doesn't draw SOMETHING good now... he's done for.

Téa: This is it, guys. This might be Joey's last chance to turn this around.

Tristan: I know. If Joey doesn't do something this turn, he's finished.

Yami Yugi: *Playing both those Traps saved him.*

Ura Moka: *All that stalling better be worth it, though. If Joey doesn't draw SOMETHING of value, he's done.*

If tensions weren't high before, they sure were now. It was down to one last draw…

Joey: (Slowly goes for his next card, grabbing it with his fingers but doesn't draw it yet) *… Alright Joey, its now or ne'va!*… (Finally fully draws the card, sees what it is, and his eyes widen)

Nothing happened for what seemed like forever. Did Joey draw the right card or not?

Joey: (Instead of playing the newly drawn card, he goes for something else) ... I Summon Masaki the Legendary Swordsman!

The veteran of 100 battles takes to the field from his card.

Masaki the Legendary Swordsman - Attribute: EARTH, Type: Warrior, Level: 4, ATK: 1100, DEF: 1100

Ty: (snorts) Is that a joke? That Samurai is hardly enough to protect you!

Joey: I know, dats why I'm gonna use'em to play something stronga!

Ty: (is amused) Did Kurumu knock your last screw loose with her last attack? You can't! You can only Normal Summon one monster per turn. That includes Tributes!

Joey: Exactly. I'm Tributing him to activate the Magic Card, Star Blaster!

A fusion of the Graceful and Skull Dice fairies appears hovering above the ground, holding a red dice block. Masaki then vanishes away upon being Tributed for this card.

Joey: Since Masaki was a Level 4 monsta', this adds 4 to whatever number I roll, and I can Summon another in his place with that many stars.

The Graceful/Skull Dice hybrid then gives his die a strong toss, where it starts rolling upon hitting the ground. It seemed to happen in slow motion before landing on a…

Joey: FOUR! And 4 plus 4 equals 8!

Ty: Aw, too bad. I already sent your only Level 8 monster to the Graveyard. Shame it doesn't work on the Fusion Deck. You could have played something in there.

Joey: (grins) And who said the monsta' had to be exactly Level 8?

Ty: Huh?

Joey: Star Blaster lets me Summon any monster up to those Stars, but it only works on monsters that are currently in my hand.

Ty: Monsters in your han…? (Begins to realize what that implies) Wait! What card did you draw?!

Joey: (loses his grin, and gains a serious poker face. He also slowly lifted up the card he just drew so its back was facing Ty) … the only monsta' you DIDN'T get rid of.

The rest of his friends (excluding both Mokas') reacted accordingly, as they knew Joey's Deck pretty well. Joey's Fusion monsters were some of his only monsters that could be that high of Level, but the only monsters he owned that could be through normal circumstances were Jinzo and Gilford, as well as a small handful of others. That left only one monster…

Joey: Come on out, my Super-Rare pal… (plays the card) Red-Eyes Black Dragon!

The card materialized onto the field and a second after it did, embers danced around the card itself before a HUGE tornado of flames erupted skyward from it; its ferocity made Kurumu's eyes widen (even BEFORE the dragon was being Summoned), and was the only one of Ty's monsters currently surrounding her to react as she wasn't a hologram. From within the tornado (as it appeared to shrink), large black claws connected to black arms poked out from the front, along with black wings sprouting in the back. Clawed feet and a long tail, also black, came out as well. Shiny black scales covered the beasts body, offering it protection against its own flames. The last thing that was released was a large set of jaws, that opened slightly which caused smoke to be exhaled. Finally, a closed eye was shown… before it shot open to reveal a deep red-eye. Its owner gave a fierce roar upon being awakened, showing off a mouth full of sharp teeth, and posed. The ferocious Red-Eyes Black Dragon, one of the ONLY dragons that can rival Blue-Eyes White Dragon, had been successfully called out. Kurumu's eyes now began shaking, apparently because of Red-Eyes menacing appearance, or she was fully aware of the power this dragon had.

Red-Eyes B. Dragon - Attribute: DARK, Type: Dragon, Level: 7, ATK: 2400, DEF: 2000

Even Moka and her tougher counterpart had no words. Sure the monster world had material to study other types of monsters… but seeing such a creature on a page of a book was one thing… IN PERSON. Was another.

Moka: (speaks in awe and surprise) *A Red-Eyes Black Dragon…*

Ura Moka: (has arms folded like usual, but is just as impressed by Red-Eyes' appearance despite remaining stoic) *Well, Mizore and Kurumu said they'd rather not encounter one… now she's battling one face-to-face.*

Red-Eyes Black Dragon gave a small excess roar, either as a form of talking or intimidation. Dragons (at least a large majority of them) weren't domesticated monsters like Moka and her friends were, so they couldn't understand what Joey's monster was trying to say or even if it WAS trying to say anything at all. Kurumu looked absolutely terrified, not that either vampire blamed her, for Red-Eyes was indeed a monster that even S-Class ones treaded carefully around.

Ty: … he-he-he-he-he-he… HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HAAAAAA!

Although he was shocked at first, Ty slowly chuckles, then full-on laughs with his head thrown back. This left the group very confused.

Moka: … *Um… why is he laughing?*

Ura Moka: *Maybe his screw came loose…*

Ty: (laughs a bit more, but gains control of himself) Haaaaaa… finally! I thought you'd NEVER Summon that dragon.

Huh? The group was taken aback. Ty actually wanted the powerful Red-Eyes Black Dragon to be Summoned? But why?

Joey: Huh? You wanted me to Summon Red-Eyes?

Ty: Joey… I could've won this Duel by paying more Life Points for Bark of Dark Ruler. I also could have let Kurumu destroy your Fiber Jar or Charmed it for myself even if it was face-down. Heck! I could've attacked you with Panther Warrior when I first got him! Or if you wanna go that far, I didn't even NEED to Summon Kurumu in the first place! I could've beaten you with my Harpie Sisters! But I didn't!

Joey: What's your point? You made mistakes.

Ty: (chuckles)… They weren't mistakes, Joey…

Joey: Ha?

Ty: This was my plan all along! I was waiting for you to Summon Red-Eyes the whole time!

Joey: (is surprised) You were?!

It wasn't just Joey, but everyone else was beyond surprised as well. So Ty's plan was to get Joey to Summon the strongest card in his Deck? What was that supposed to accomplish though? What was the purpose for drawing out that dragon?

Bakura: He was stalling for Joey to bring out Red-Eyes Black Dragon?

Ty: Oh yes, my sister told me all about this boy she met, and how he beat a champion after he stupidly bet his most powerful card he rarely has to bring out. (A flashback plays of when Joey first encountered Red-Eyes, who was under the ownership of Rex Raptor at the time, and how he destroyed… or more accurately, fossilized the seemingly unstoppable creature by utilizing Time Wizard's Special Ability) It was quite the story, how that dragon helped you out even in your most toughest battles, especially against Yugi… I challenged you fully aware you owned that dragon, so Kurumu can turn him against you!

So Mai told stories of Joey? And he was fully aware of Joey's Deck from the get-go? That would give another reason as to how Ty appeared to know when and where to cancel and counter Joey's moves. He was just stalling for time to force Joey to Summon his first major Ultra-Rare monster, so he could force Kurumu to control it!

Tristan: So this was his plan the entire time!

Téa: He wanted Red-Eyes from the very beginning!

Ty: (to Joey) You get it now? You weren't dragging out this Duel, I was! I was just itching for the moment you'd bring Red-Eyes out, and thanks to me… you got him. The only thing I regret, and would make this perfect, was if we had a bigger crowd, as taking control of your infamous dragon and have HIM blast away your Life Points is the ULTIMATE level of total humiliation! And you bet him the same way as Rex! Quite poetic, isn't it?

Joey: (is angry, growling and clenching his fist at Ty's accusation; for the context in both instances was very different, but then Joey calmed down and smiled with closed eyes) It was a good plan, kid… (opens eyes) but dere's one flaw in ya big-brain idea… (camera flips and pans to Ty's field loaded with monsters) Ya already got a full house! Ya have no room for anymore monstas'! Ya may wanna check da rulebook, on page 3 if you didn't understand. Dat's assuming you can read!

Ty: You need to "read the room", Wheelie; cause it seems YOUR the one who doesn't understand. I never needed any zones for your monsters at all. (His response leaves everyone confused, as a Duelist only has 5 zones to play monsters and can't Summon anymore unless they got rid of any they currently have. This included gaining control of the opponents unless Creature Swap or something similar was played) Kurumu can still control monsters, even if I don't have room!

Everyone else was shocked at Ty's reveal.

Tristan: No way! Can she really do that?

No one had an answer. Did Kurumu really have that kind of power?… Considering the many kinds of game-breaking cards they've encountered over the years ever since they started their crazy adventures centered around this game, they weren't too keen on finding out. But if Joey doesn't take out the succubus now, they were about to see for themselves if Ty was bluffing or not.

Ty: In fact, I never needed to take your monsters to my side, I could have left them on yours! Of course if I did that, you'd run out of room to Summon Red-Eyes as you wouldn't be their controller and therefore, couldn't sacrifice them. You should be grateful I allowed you to keep your side of the field intact. So during my next turn, I can control your dragon, by using YOUR zones instead!

As Ty kept speaking, Joey got even angrier, but also more concerned. If what Ty said WAS true and this was all a big setup, then this was his final turn to turn this Duel around. Red-Eyes might not be his most powerful ATK card, but it was recognized as his best monster, especially will all the support cards Joey had centered around him. If he lost Red-Eyes, this Duel was utterly over.

Joey: Grrrrr! Not if Red-Eyes blasts her off da field first!

Red-Eyes Black Dragon: ROOOOOOOOOOAR! (Appearing to agree or is just following the indirect attack order; he opens his mouth, preparing to launch an Inferno Fire Blast as the ball of flames began to form)

Ty: Yeah, you'd think that… (reveals his Set card)

…

…

It was a third Threatening Roar.

Joey: Why I outta…! (clenches his fist very tightly that it also shakes) GRRRRRRRRR!

There was no point in attacking, so Joey called off Red-Eyes' attack before Threatening Roar could fully activate and roar at Red-Eyes. The dragon was extremely powerful, but even he wasn't immune to Trap Cards.

Red-Eyes Black Dragon: (Dispels Inferno Fire Blast, clamping his jaws shut, and growls; apparently mimicking the annoyance/aggravation of his cardholder) Grrrrrr…

Joey then just stood there, his angry mood still on. But with no cards in his hand, he had nothing to save Red-Eyes from Kurumu's control, which turned his mad mood into a depressed one quickly.

Ty: Go on, Joey, end your turn. You have no cards in your hand, and I know you don't have a single one that'll help your Red-Eyes Black Dragon… (gets a new thought) Or, better yet; why not just give up now? Save yourself even more embarrassment?

Joey: (doesn't respond right away)… I end my turn…

Ty: (is amused) Your a glutton for punishment, aren't you? (Joey doesn't answer) … Humph. Your funeral (draws a card). Alright Kurumu (points to Red-Eyes Black Dragon)… time to Charm Red-Eyes Ridley Dragon!

Once again, Kurumu hesitates, both because of the ferocious dragon himself AND probably because this felt wrong (though no one could be 100% sure on the latter as she hasn't spoken a single word throughout this entire Duel). Before Ty could repeat the order since she didn't respond, Joey spoke up… and directly to Kurumu.

Joey: Kurumu, wait! (Him calling her name caused Kurumu to give a VERY visible reaction, the succubus stopping immediately. It looked like she was surprised Joey did so, and/or she was shocked that someone was talking to her like she was a real person) You don't have ta do dis! Your Moka's friend right?… Come on! You can fight it!

Kurumu blinked, her expression changing slightly… almost hopeful, suggesting she may have thought: "He's talking to me?… Does he know I'm real?"

Ty: (sounds amused again, chuckling a little as he spoke his next sentence) Are you… talking… to a card? How hard did she knock you out?… (stops chuckling) Don't get me wrong, I'd date her too if I was a few years older… but news flash: she's not real. She just a card in a game created by a genius billionaire.

Joey: *If only you knew kid… if you've heard what I've heard, seen what I seen, and experienced what I've been through, you'd change dat opinion real quick…*

Joey had a few visions of past ordeals he and his friends had personally been involved in which each point he thought. The first was when Pegasus trapped Yugi/Yami in a Shadow Game via a VHS tape, and the kid crying into the static of the TV when it was over. The second vision was when Joey himself was placed in a Shadow Game by Yami Bakura, and was Summoned as the Flame Swordsman. He then had 2 final visions, the first was seeing Odion Summon [and get attacked by] The Winged Dragon of Ra, then Joey himself getting blasted by the Blaze Cannon of the REAL Ra courtesy of Yami Marik.

Joey: *Dis's more dan just some game… everything about it is real! And its happening all over again!*

Ty: (Orders Kurumu again) Go on, Charm it!

Kurumu looked very regretful, but ended up flapping her wings to get up to Red-Eyes Black Dragon anyway. No one else said a word, they could only watch for in mere moments, Red-Eyes Black Dragon would be used against Joey. When Kurumu approached up to the larger dragons eye level, she once again hesitated, looking afraid at said dragons intimidating size and appearance… and Red-Eyes snarling at her wasn't helping. After another moment of hesitation, she then triggered her Ability and sent out her Succubus Charm on Red-Eyes. The dragon in question pulled his head, and slightly opened his mouth, as if confused or wondering what was happening.

Joey: (shouts in worry) NRGH! RED-EYES!

The succubus and dragon remained in their current positions, the energy waves of Kurumu's Charm still emitting.

…

…

Red-Eyes Black Dragon: … (shakes its head once, growling and snorting as if trying to get something off) growl? ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAR!

Red-Eyes gave Kurumu a ferocious roar pretty much directly in her face, allowing her to see EVERY SINGLE ONE of his jaws. That, combined with the force generated by the roar itself, forced the succubus to brace with her head turned away and eyes closed; her arms in a cross formation in front of her head as she backed off (of course having stopped her Charm), not wanting to piss the dragon off even further than it already was. What's more, Red-Eyes wasn't turning around to face Joey, as that was a sign/game mechanic when a monster swapped control; confusing everyone, including Ty himself.

Ty: *Huh? That's weird. A monster never retaliated when Kurumu Charmed them before…* (Decides to disregard it, and gives Red-Eyes an order) Red-Eyes Black Dragon, attack Joey Whee-…!

Red-Eyes Black Dragon: ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAR!

The moment Ty tried giving the powerful dragon a command, it showed resistance by roaring in defiance. Its volume and the wind generated from said roar forced Ty to brace with an arm. Again, this left all of them confused. Red-Eyes was Charmed by Kurumu, correct? So how come it wasn't responding to Ty's orders with obedience?

Ty: Nrgh… (recovers from the roar, and looks confused, yet more-so annoyed) Red-Eyes! What are you doing?! (points to the dragon himself) I order you to attack Joey Wheeler!… IMMEDIATELY!

Red-Eyes Black Dragon: ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAR!

Red-Eyes Black Dragon roared again, louder this time, apparently refusing to follow through with Ty's demands. It was no dice, Red-Eyes wasn't listening to a single word the smaller Duelist said. Now a monster giving ANY kind of response to an opponents commands or comments… this normally didn't happen, as monsters mainly didn't make a move or sound until their owner tells them too (excluding when they remain stationary and await an order), or when they take damage or be affected by an Effect/Ability. They didn't usually respond to an opponent at all… yet Red-Eyes did… What was going on? Was Ty in control of Red-Eyes or not?

Tristan: Check it out. Red-Eyes is refusing to listen to the shrimp.

Téa: Don't get me wrong, I'm glad… but why? I thought Kurumu was a living Change of Heart? That can control any monster she wants?

Even as Téa quoted Ty's words, it left everyone stumped. Ty was tricky, but he wasn't an outright liar like Weevil either. He didn't seem like the type of person who would lie about cards like the so-called (and former) "Insect Champion" would. Unless Ty didn't understand how Kurumu worked, which was also highly unlikely given he's gone into tournaments with her and how well he Dueled despite his age, there was no explanation as to why.

Yugi: (is glad) What a lucky break. It looks like Red-Eyes has the ability to resist Kurumu's control somehow.

Yami Yugi: (is also glad, but still confused and wanted to find out an answer) *It would appear so… but Red-Eyes has no Abilities. How did he escape Kurumu's Charms when Joey's other monsters couldn't?*

The Nameless Pharaoh did bring up a decent point, as while Red-Eyes was undeniably powerful, he was a Normal Monster, having no Effects without other cards. As Yugi and Yami also ponder on this, both Mokas' continued to look up in shock at what just happened. They honestly thought for a second that Red-Eyes Black Dragon was gonna be blasting Joey off the field instead, but it looked like their succubus friend's Charm had no effect on him. The ONLY other time something like this happened was with Tsukune but even then, he still was under her spell and had no control of himself despite being fully aware of everything going on around him at the time.

A possible answer became somewhat clear to Ura, which didn't stop her giving a smartass comment.

Ura Moka: *He doesn't need any… (her response gets the other 3 to look at her) Then again, I guess I should have seen this coming. Its true the Charms of any succubus are strong, but their level of power is ONLY as powerful as the caster. And obviously, Red-Eyes is out of her league.*

Hearing Ura's words resonated with Yami, his eyes slowly widening. Level of power… as powerful as the caster… THAT WAS IT! That was the answer!

Yami Yugi: *Yugi, let me out for a second.*

The eye of the Millennium Puzzle glows and Yami switches places with Yugi, coming out with his eyes closed before opening them. The others noticed this, while Ty and Joey were too busy with their Duel to notice the change. Yami Yugi then activated his Duel Disk, then placed both copies of Moka on it from the pouch on his side, the vampires also appearing. Just like with Yami's awakening, Joey and Ty were too busy to notice.

(AN: That will also be established in the main story. For context; the group figured out that despite being inside cards, the tech of the Duel Disk combined with the magic that turned Moka and friends into cards, they go back to their physical solid forms once they are played. Another reason why the damage received from Kurumu was real.)

Téa: Pharaoh!

Yami Yugi: I just had an interesting conversation with Moka… about why Kurumu's Charm had failed.

Bakura: Really? You think you figured it out?

Yami Yugi: I don't think… I know. Take a closer look at the monsters on the field again. What does Red-Eyes have that the others' don't?

The group does that, but aside from the obvious, they didn't see what Yami apparently does.

Tristan: Uh, being a giant black-winged lizard that can incinerate them all with one blast?

Téa: (dryly) Be serious, Tristan.

Yami Yugi: Actually, that IS part of the reason. The truth is, Red-Eyes is simply too powerful.

Ura Moka frowned. Why was the so-called King of Games telling them stuff that they already knew? That was already right in front of them? That was completely pointless!

Ura Moka: (speaks sarcastically) Wooooow. Such wisdom from The King of Games. I NEVER would have thought of that.

Moka elbowed her secondary tougher side, though it didn't have much effect on her. Yami just ignored the vampire. The rest of the group looks back at the field, now even more confused. What was Yami trying to tell them? It was funny when he spoke in circles to opponents, but they sometimes wished the ancient spirit would be straightforward with his answers around them.

Bakura: But ALL those monsters are stronger than Kurumu. They have way more ATK points than her, so how's she controlling them?

The second Millennium Item holder brought up a key fact. If Red-Eyes was too strong for the succubus, having a very high ATK power of 2400 which was nothing to laugh at, then WHY weren't the other monsters unaffected like himself? Being a different type didn't seem to be the case either, as while they are all Warriors, Panther Warrior was the only Beast-Warrior; nor was having lower Original ATK, in this case Flame Swordsman having 1800. They were all in the 2000-2500 ATK range, which was more than Kurumu's 1900, so what was it? What made Red-Eyes different from them?

Yami Yugi: Maybe we were looking at the wrong kind of number. Maybe its not their ATK power, guys… but a different Level of power.

Téa: Level of power… (ponders on it, and slowly realized what Yami was saying, her eyes widening) Wait! (Looks back to the field) Their Levels?

The rest of Yugi's group also looked back to the field, the camera then pans past Ty's army. Red-Eyes was then shown alone staring them down from the air.

Yami Yugi: (smiles) It appears we've found Kurumu's TRUE weakness. She can control any monster she wants, along with any amount she wants; but ONLY if they are weaker or just as strong as her own power.

Yugi: *Of course! That makes perfect sense! Up until now, the only monsters Ty's taken control of were Level 6 or less (the camera pans across Ty's army again, their values appearing this time, including the level of them. Panther Warrior and Goblin Force being Level 4, Flame Swordsman Level 5, and Fiend Megacyber being 6. The camera then cuts to Kurumu, her values showing). Kurumu is a Level 6 monster… (Red-Eyes cuts in so he's side-by-side by Kurumu split-screen style, his values up as well) but Red-Eyes is a Level 7 monster! So even though he got hit by Kurumu's Charm, he's too powerful for her to control!*

The group took a moment to relax. Typical Joey, though lucky couldn't begin to describe it. Ever since getting Red-Eyes Black Dragon and learning more about the ins and outs of this game, that dragon was Joey's saving grace on more than one occasion. It honestly looked like it was all over, but ironically it would be another DARK monster like Kurumu that would save him. It also appeared that, despite being a powerful card with no limit in terms of her Abilities, even Kurumu had her weaknesses. Control of monsters for extended periods of time was impressive… but the target(s) can NOT be stronger in Level value than herself. Fortunately for Joey, in comparison the succubus… Red-Eyes was one star too bright.

Ty interrupted the moment by complaining.

Ty: Are you freaking kidding me?! (Looks at Kurumu) You've given me 7 monsters at one time, but you can't control one monster with (sticks index finger up) ONE Level difference?!… (Starts becoming annoyed/angry) That's the stupidest thing I ever heard! What kind of control card are you?!

Kurumu's reaction showed her surprised at Ty's sudden anger and insults directed towards herself. Joey then tries to defuse the tension and defend Kurumu.

Joey: Hey, buddy, calm dow-…

Ty: (snaps head in Joey's direction) MIND YOUR BUSINESS! I HEARD JUST ABOUT ENOUGH FROM YOU!

Once Ty snapped at Joey, he went back to insulting Kurumu. As he continued trash-talking her, Joey began to think to himself.

Joey: *What is UP with dis kid? His mood keeps flip-flopping all ova da place! I mean, he had a few outbursts earlier on in da Duel; but after playing Kurumu, dey seem ta have got even worse! Its almost like he's become a completely different person…*

Ty: I should have just kept all my copies of Change of Heart, not traded them away thinking you were a two-in-one deal, but noooooooooo!… I thought you were supposed to be this unstoppable card! All you are is a stupid bat-girl with a big chest! You know how rare those Magic Cards are?!… Actually, its no wonder you showed up in my Deck, I probably mentally blocked you from my memory of how useless you are!…

As Ty kept going and going on and on, Kurumu's face slowly changed. From shock… to a frown… then gritting her teeth, closing her eyes and balling her fists; trying to control herself which everyone saw aside from Ty, who STILL disrespected her. She got so mad, you could have sworn you could see steam coming out of her ears! She continued to get more and more pissed off until…

Kurumu: (cranes neck and turns her body a bit) LOOK, ASSHOLE! I never WANTED to be here, nor did I graduate for it! You should be THANKFUL I've been part of your Deck for so long, done everything I could for you, and that I'm even part of this stupid game in the first place! (Is silent for a moment after finishing her outburst, the look on Ty's face pricelessly confused, then calms down and gently facepalms herself) Ugh… usually Boob-less gets me this riled up…

…

…

Everyone just processed what just happened, standing in shock at what they saw/heard.

Tristan, Joey, Bakura, Yugi/Yami Yugi and Téa: … She talks?

Moka: (shocked yet still in a worried tone) ... Kurumu?

Kurumu: (sighs) Yes, Moka. (Stops facepalming and looks back towards the group) I've been here the whole time. Hearing you and Reverse You go back and forth.

Ty: (is gobsmacked) … damn. This AI is amazing.

While Ty rationalized it was KaibaCorp holograms being KaibaCorp holograms, the group felt a little silly even after Kurumu's big reveal. Honestly at this point, they shouldn't be surprised anymore, but they didn't expect Kurumu to speak at all since she hadn't done so even once up until now. Her snapping at Ty and now having a full-blown conversation with a now physical Moka, which Ty probably didn't notice or just assumed was cosplay, was undeniable proof to the group that she was real.

Kurumu: Though of course, YOU both end up with a bunch of celebrities; (points behind herself with a thumb) I get stuck with a toddler with a unhealthy sister complex (Ty humorously perks up, and looks behind him from both sides in a confused manner, thinking she was talking about someone else). Besides, this is all your fault! (Directs that quote to Ura Moka while frowning)

Ura Moka: My fault?! I wasn't even there!

Kurumu: Exactly! (To Moka) If YOU had just gotten to Tsukune in the first place, let him rip that rosary off like he always does, then that creepy Masked Guy wouldn't have gotten the drop on us! You could have (mimics Ura Moka's voice, albeit purposefully poorly, and catchphrase) "taught him his place".

Yami Yugi: A Masked Guy?

Hearing that bit about a Masked Man only served to add more validity to Moka's story. According to herself, she and her friends encountered a guy in a creepy five-eyed mask with a long cloak and round hat. The most distinguishing feature was he also carried with him a walking stick which was modeled like Spinal Column, having a large and VERY REALISTIC brain modeled on top that he could fit his entire hand around upon gripping it. Soon after that; they found themselves having been turned into cards somehow, for the next thing Moka knew, she was "Summoned" to Yugi's/Yami's field that fateful day.

Moka: But Kurumu, why? If you were aware the whole time, why'd you do all this?

Kurumu's only response to that question was pointing behind her again, with her entire arm this time, keeping her frown and her nail on her index finger extending. She used that same nail to point to Ty's Duel Disk, where it hovered over. More specifically, the card of herself currently on the blade.

Kurumu: Not like I had much of a choice.

She didn't need to explain any further, the group was smart enough to piece together the rest. While Kurumu and Moka might be self-aware monsters, they were STILL currently cards in a game. So as a result of that, she had little or no control of her own actions; which further explains why she attacked Joey, her reaction to the damage it caused afterwards, and her hesitation and expressions she made when she was ordered to attack or trigger her Abilities throughout the rest of the Duel. Perhaps she was fighting it, but due to now being a game piece, she was forced against her will to follow the commands of her current cardholder. Poor Kurumu had apparently learned the hard way, considering how long she's been with Ty up to this point.

Yugi: *She had no choice? But when Moka first appeared, she ran in circles avoiding attacks from other monsters.*

As Yugi reminisced about the day Moka first appeared in his Deck, Yami also thought back to it and remembered something himself.

Yami Yugi: *Yugi, hold on. Remember when Moka first changed during our Duel?*

-FLASHBACK-

The moment Moka's rosary was removed, a HUGE column of dark energy erupted from where she stood, having transformed into her much stronger half. A bit later, for yet a still unexplained reason aside from being here illegally, the Egyptian Gods burst out of Yugi's/Yami's side pouch (AKA: his Side Deck), where he keeps his best cards. All 3 appeared at the exact same time, towering over the other monsters and the crowd that gathered to watch. The only difference was, they appeared on the center of the field, apparently on neither side.

What followed was Ra charging a Blaze Cannon… aimed directly at Ura! When she tried reasoning with them after dodging the deadly flames that were as hot as the sun, Obelisk then attacked by pulling back his fist and slammed a powerful Fist of Fate, which sent REAL shockwaves upon impact, and the attack itself Ura barely avoided due to the Gods massive bulk and surprising speed for something his size. Slifer was third to attack with Thunder Force, but he too missed his target, his attack instead blasting THROUGH a building, electricity sparking around the circumference of the hole it created… hopefully no one was in there…

This didn't stop there, as Ra went a few extra feet into the air, and entered its Phoenix Mode, speeding towards the vampire after a few seconds of preparing the attack. As he rocketed forward, Ura Moka used her own speed to evade as Ra continued on. However, Ra happened to fly over some face-down cards on the opponents field. Since he's completely immortal to other cards in this state game-wise, those very same cards were set aflame before dissolving.

Slifer then charged up a Lightning Blast in his upper mouth, and fired consecutive blasts one after another. Once again, Ura was able to dodge barely because of the Sky Dragon's deadly accuracy; but each ball of electricity ended up striking an opponent monster instead, destroying them by game mechanics due to Lightning Blasts Effect (as they had less then 2000 ATK/DEF points).

Yami Yugi (Real World): *Back in that same Duel, we switched Moka to Defense Mode just before we activated Drowning Mirror Force.*

The memory then skipped to the part where Yami announced aloud that he's switching Ura Moka from Attack to Defense Mode. The very second he moved the card sideways: Ura, who was in the middle of running, widening her eyes and gritting her teeth, her body shook. Despite that, she quickly dropped to kneel down on one leg, as if in a defensive position. It appeared she was fighting something before she inevitably complied with the order.

-END FLASHBACK-

Yami Yugi: *It appeared she was fighting her own body, as if something forced her to stop running. That happened the exact moment we turned her card sideways to Defense Mode. And Kurumu appears to have been fighting the same force when it came to attacks, along with using her own powers.*

Yugi: (understands what his counterpart was implying) *Wait, Pharaoh. Are you saying…?*

Yami Yugi: *Yes, Yugi. These girls might be trapped in cards, but their still cards in the game of Duel Monsters. So not only are they bound to the rules… but the mechanics as well!*

Everything Yami said seemed to add up. It would explain why Kurumu and Ura before her reacted the way they did when involved in a Duel. They might not have asked for this, but they were a part of the game now. Meaning when it came to Duels, neither of them was left with any choice in the matter. They were forced to do whatever their "masters" told them… whether they liked it. Or not.

Kurumu: (Takes her attention off the Mokas' and turns to Joey) Listen… Toby? No. Joey, right?… If it's any consolation, I feel really bad. I didn't want to do any of this.

Joey: (still wrapping his head around the fact Kurumu was talking, but hears what she said) Eh?

Kurumu: I know. Succubi control people, looking for our destined partners and whatnot… me? I hate it!… Seriously. Still don't get why my mother loves it. Charmed men sounding like damn drones. I'd dispel the Charm right now if I could!… But if I'm not around, the Charm wears off anyway. You can get your monsters back, sooooo… (puts her head down and closes her eyes, spreading her arms out. She was shaking a bit as well) Just… get on with it.

Now Joey didn't understand most of the ramble, but even he knew what Kurumu was asking him to do. It was funny. He wanted to get her off the field so he can get to Ty's LP, but now that he was aware she was fully conscious and regretted everything she had done… it felt kinda wrong. She was innocent. Ty was just using her power, completely unaware she was a real monster. Despite how he felt, this was still a Duel. And one he had to win to save her anyway.

Joey: … (Draws a card) You heard her, Red-Eyes.

Red-Eyes Black Dragon: ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAR!

With that roar, it appeared Red-Eyes Black Dragon was more than willing to follow the command, opening his mouth and already building up flames. The glow from the fire in his mouth lit up Kurumu's face as she couldn't help but look up at the immensely powerful monster above her, but she forced her eyes to shut again, awaiting her own destruction. Ironically, she had been in a similar situation before, except this time by a dragon rather than a fox… right now, even though the fox scared her back then, she'd rather take the fox over this. This wasn't the first time she took one for the team, so she willed herself to remain put, despite all the alarms going off in her brain basically telling her: "get the hell outta the way, or your toast!… Literally!"

Joey: (remains silent for a bit, looking regretful himself as he had to do this, but eventually points to the blue-haired succubus) … Attack Kurumu Kurono! With Inferno Fire Blast!

Red-Eyes attack had finished building up a while ago so exactly two seconds after Joey finished giving the attack order, the Black Dragon launched his deadly fireball. From the fireballs POV, it edged closer and closer to Kurumu with each passing second… until a monster jumped in front of her!

Joey: FLAME SWORDSMAN?!

CLANG!

Flame Swordsman used the Legendary Sword to try and deflect the attack, grunting as he did so. Kurumu also heard what Joey said and sure enough, she witnessed one of his monsters she Charmed protect her. Despite putting up a decent fight for several moments, he was no match for the dragons superior strength, the fireball beginning to melt the blade before the Warrior could no longer hold it back… and it engulfed the FIRE knight, moaning as he was destroyed in an explosion of both fire and the holographic shatter effect. Since Ty controlled him, he took the damage instead of Joey.

Joey LP: 263

Ty LP: 2350 - 2050

Everyone aside from Ty and Ura (though she was unable to hide her shock) blinked. No one said anything. This Duel just kept getting crazier and crazier with each passing turn. Somehow… for some reason… Flame Swordsman sacrificed himself to spare Kurumu from Red-Eyes' attack. Now Ty didn't have a single Set card this time, so unless he magically activated Shift/Monster Replace or something (which he did not)… how was that possible?

Téa: … what was that?… What just happened?

Bakura: … It looks like Red-Eyes attacked Flame Swordsman, but I thought Joey attacked Kurumu.

Tristan: He did. But Flame Swordsman intercepted the attack!

Kurumu: Don't look at me! I didn't do anything!

Ty: (offscreen, camera still on Kurumu) You didn't have to do anything, Kurumu. (The camera pans a bit to the side to show him behind Kurumu, who glances behind herself. Ty, now onscreen, humorously swoons) It was all in the name of love!

Joey: (speaks in a serious tone) What'd you do, kid? What happened ta my swordsman?

Ty: (jokes with a grin) Where all destroyed monsters go. The Graveyard.

Joey: (is annoyed but represses most of it) Dat's not what I meant. Why'd Flame Swordsman block the attack?

Ty: (jokes some more) So you wanted to destroy your swordsman?

Joey: (is more annoyed) Stop talkin' in circles and answer da question! Red-Eyes attacked Kurumu, so how and why did Flame Swordsman sacrifice himself?

As Flame Swordsman had no Abilities, it would otherwise impossible for him to take attacks for other monsters without other cards.

Ty: (chuckles, amused at the turn of events and the effect they had) … isn't it obvious?… I already told you. In fact, Kurumu just had a whole conversation with you about it.

Joey: (Thinks upon Ty's words, and slowly understands) … your not serious…

Ty: I talk allot of smack, but I'm not a liar. You see, its actually Kurumu's second most powerful Ability. The Charms of a succubus don't just control monsters, it makes them fall madly in love with the caster, making them believe she likes them back. In fact; they're so convinced, that whenever Kurumu is attacked, one of them will automatically step up and defend her. With their lives if necessary… even without her consent.

Joey gritted his teeth. Just when he and everyone thought he finally turned things around, Ty pulls another rabbit out of his hat.

Ty: Sorry, Joey. But if you wanna get to MY Kurumu… you'll have to go through YOUR monsters!

Great. As if all the twists throughout this entire Duel weren't enough, that just made this even harder. It was difficult enough getting a monster out there to fight Kurumu, getting lucky that Red-Eyes was immune to being controlled by the succubus… now Ty can just force any of Joey's monsters to act as basically humanoid shields! In that regard, Kurumu seemed like a perfect card aside from her control threshold. She actually had a use for every monster she controls as opposed to simply just controlling them for the sake of it. And if that's only her second strongest Ability… what about her most powerful one?

Ura Moka: Well, that shouldn't be a problem. All he has to do is Summon more Level 7 or higher monsters.

The group didn't answer right away, dreading to give Ura an answer… that was kinda the problem…

Téa: (offscreen. Camera focuses on Red-Eyes) But that's the strongest monster Joey has left!

She was right. With Gilford the Lightning in the Graveyard and Jinzo Banished, Joey didn't have too many powerful monsters at his deposal that were above Level 6 unless they were Fusion Monsters. Sword Hunter was either still buried somewhere in the Deck, or in the Graveyard due to Roll of Fate. Gearfried the Swordmaster was also a good choice… problem was, he needed a special Spell Card called Release Restraint and a Tribute of Gearfried the Iron Knight himself in order to be Summoned.

Needless to say, that left ONLY Red-Eyes.

Ura Moka: Then I suppose he'd better protect that dragon with everything he's got. For the moment it goes to the Graveyard… so do his chances of winning this Duel.

Joey: Grrrrr! *Dis is just great! It was hard enough getting Red-Eyes out dere, den I catch a lucky break with him being too strong for Kurumu's Ability, now I gotta blast my own buddies off da field before I can get to her, or Ty's Life Points! I can't risk playing anymore monstas' either! If I do, Ty'll either have Kurumu pierce 'em, or just take control of dem again! Dat'll give her more human shields!* (The only good move he could make was Setting a Spell/Trap Card, so he went with that) I'll Set a card and end my turn.

Ty: (Draws a card) Well, since you know my plan was to turn Red-Eyes against you, but can't do that for… (grumbles) reasons… I guess I'll have to end this Duel right now. Kurumu? Its time to use your most powerful Ability!

Everyone was on edge. What power was Ty about to force the busty succubus to unleash next?

Kurumu: (groans) ugggggggh… hated this one even more…

Ty: Why are you so talkative all of a sudden? Your never (stops himself, and remains still and silent for a bit before putting his arms out)… what am I doing? (Gestures to himself with his free hand) Now I'M talking to a card with an imaginary monster waifu on it… ugh, this Duel's gone on way too long.

Because Kurumu was part of Duel Monsters, she eventually had no choice but to follow through with the command, but what she was doing left Yami and his friends confused. Kurumu approached Panther Warrior, but stopped on the side of him, hesitating again. What was she doing?

Ty: (groans in annoyance and impatience, but looked at Duel Disk) Seriously… is this thing's CPU running too high or something?! (looks back to the field) Kurumu! Just do it already!

Whether the order forced her body to act on its own or she wanted to get it over with wasn't clear, but Kurumu carried on with strange Effect she was activating… by quickly leaning up on her tip toes to plant a kiss on Panther Warrior's cheek! Even holding his face for leverage! Not only did the kissed monster react, genuine surprise written on its face as it's mouth hung open more than it usually does, but the entire group was taken aback by Kurumu's brash action. Even Red-Eyes lowly growled funnily enough, but its tone was filled with as much confusion as everyone else.

Red-Eyes Black Dragon: (cocks head) Growl?

All (except Ty): GAAAAAAAAAAH!

Joey: Hey! PG! PG!

However, that's when they noticed something. As Kurumu held the kiss (though clearly she wasn't enjoying it for a second), Panther Warrior began to sparkle for some reason. When the succubus finally pulled away, she took a deep breath just as the last of Panther Warrior completely vanished, roaring in distress as he did.

Kurumu: Ack… think I got a hairball…

Once again, no one reacted right away, having to process what just happened. While that was… something… what happened next was Kurumu began to glow with visible aura, most likely her Monster Energy flaring. But the real question was: what happened to Panther Warrior?

Joey: Now way. What happened to Panther Warrior?

Ty: Excuse the bestiality, but its Kurumu's most powerful Ability: the Succubus' Kiss. You see, while monsters are under her Succubus Charm; not only can they defend Kurumu, they can also empower her. And when she kisses one currently under her spell, she can absorb any amount of their ATK or DEF power, and turn it into her own strength. Of course, Panther Warrior had that unfortunate drawback, making him useless to me without a sacrifice, but his points won't go to waste… for I had Kurumu absorb every last one!

As Ty finished his explanation, the aura continued to flare around Kurumu, her ATK points gaining a huge spike!

Kurumu Kurono - Attribute: WIND, Type: Winged Beast, Level: 6, ATK: 1900 - 3900, DEF: 1500

Téa: Whoa! She's got almost 4000 points!

Tristan: That can take out a Blue-Eyes in one shot!

It would seem Ty wasn't lying when he said Kurumu could potentially stand up to Blue-Eyes White Dragon. She seemed like the ultimate attack card. Not only could her powers pierce Defense Mode monsters, and force other monsters to swap sides (giving her owner more attacks in the process) nor just take attacks for her… she can use those same monsters to boost her own power! Allowing her to take on virtually ANY monster!

Ty: I might not be able to control your dragon, Wheelie… but I can STILL destroy it!

Joey: Grrrrrr….

Ty: Now, Kurumu! Attack Joey's Red-Eyes Black Dragon!

Kurumu tried to fight it, she REALLY did; but her arms began to lift up as she fought against her own body, basically fighting herself. Her nails slowly (yet popped out quickly) came out one-by-one, further showing her internal struggle. Even as the continued to try and resist, she watched in horror as her nails came out, then she leaped into the air and used her wings to fly towards and attack Red-Eyes.

Tristan: If she goes through with that attack, Red-Eyes wouldn't stand a chance!

Téa: She'll destroy him and Joey's Life Points unless she stops herself.

Bakura: That's just it, she can't stop it! She has no choice!

Kurumu got closer and closer to the larger dragon, and with 3900 ATK compared to his 2400 ATK… Red-Eyes would be destroyed instantly. Just as she was closing into attack range, Joey took action and reached toward his Duel Disk. The camera flipped back to Kurumu flying at Red-Eyes… only for a knight to materialize in front of the dragon. This knight carried a large shield and spear.

Ty: What the…?

SLASH!

With a single slash, Kurumu cut down the monster that somehow appeared by slicing its shield into fives, shattering said monster as well, but allowing Red-Eyes to survive the initial attack.

Joey: Sorry pal, but thanks to my Roll of Fate from earlier, my Shield Warrior blocked yer attack on Red-Eyes by removing itself from da game. Best of all, it negates any damage I would've received during that battle.

Ty: Grrrrrrrrrr!

Now Ty was losing his cool, growling while showing teeth and balling his fist in anger. So far in his eyes, Joey's been keeping himself alive with cheap tricks. All he really wanted to do now was get this Duel over with, as the only reason he toyed with the high schooler for as long as he did was just to force him to Summon Red-Eyes Black Dragon so he could force said dragon to attack Joey… only to learn that was impossible since Kurumu's Charms were tied to her Level value and therefore, could not control him.

Joey: Its down ta dis kid: your demon, and MY dragon… but only one's gonna left standing.

Red-Eyes roared calmly in agreement, not willing to give up either. As Joey's last line of defense, and the ONLY one that can resist Kurumu's Ability, he'll keep fighting till he was sent to the Graveyard.

Ty: Grrrrr… FINE! Good ahead and TRY attacking her, not like you actually can!

Ty had a point. As long as he controlled Joey's monsters, he could just have them sacrifice themselves to protect the succubus from harm. But if Joey Summoned any more, he can also just take control of them and not only use them for defense, but also instantly boosting Kurumu's strength to high levels. Upon officially ending his turn, a ray of hope graced Joey.

Kurumu Kurono - Attribute: WIND, Type: Winged Beast, Level: 6, ATK: 3900 - 1900, DEF: 1500

Moka: Kurumu's points dropped back down.

Ura Moka: Apparently that power boost only lasts for one turn, so its not permanent… But Joey still has to get past his own monsters before he can get to her.

She was correct. Without another monster, Joey was limited to one attack per turn. If he didn't destroy Kurumu soon, she'll use his monsters to boost herself and could eventually end up destroying Red-Eyes instead. He also had no more monsters in his Graveyard that could block attacks, meaning if he didn't draw the exact cards he needs at that point in time, he could very well end up losing.

Joey: (Draws a card) Alright, Red-Eyes! Let's try dis again! ATTAAAAACK!

Red-Eyes Black Dragon: ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAR! (Charges Inferno Fire Blast before launching it. Switching to its POV, it appears to be aimed at Kurumu… until it focused more on Goblin Attack Force next to her)

Goblin Attack Force: Ugh? (Takes all 5 of them a moment to realize the attacks coming for them) … UUUUUUH! (They all run in circles and scramble around for a bit before all 5 crash into each other comedically, groaning as they slowly recovered. By that time, they looked up after stars danced around their heads for a few seconds, Inferno Fire Blast merely seconds away from impact. They are wide-eyed and just sit there in fear before they all hug each other while still looking at the fireball, screaming as it approached) AAAAAAAAAAAAAH!

BOOOOOOOOM!

…

…

…

There was nothing left of those Goblins as the smoke cleared.

Joey LP: 263

Ty LP: 2050 - 1950

Yami Yugi: So he attacked Goblin Attack Force instead.

Yugi: *That was a good move. Knowing Ty can force another Charmed monster to battle for Kurumu, Joey took one out himself. Now Ty can't use them to increase Kurumu's power, and he only has Fiend Megacyber left. After that, it'll leave Kurumu defenseless.*

Joey: (Keeps on his game face, and Sets a card) Your up, kid.

Ty: (Draws a card) First I'll activate Mooyan Curry, which restores a small portion of my Life Points.

Joey LP: 263

Ty LP: 1950 - 2150

Ty: Next I'll switch Megacyber to Defense Mode, and then I'll activate my Dark Scheme Magic Card. Now you could've negated its effect by saving that card you just Set, but it wouldn't really matter as this Magic Card forces us both to discard 2 cards, but in exchange we get 2 more. Since your hands empty, only I have to discard… but you'll be getting something at least.

Joey: Sounds good ta me.

After swapping The Fiend Megacyber to Defense Position, the Warrior kneeling down in a defensive stance; Ty discards 2 cards he's holding, then draws 2 more. As he said, since Joey had nothing to discard, he got 2 free cards for no additional cost.

Ty: Don't thank me just yet, for now I'll have Kurumu give Megacyber a tender, loving kiss. Transferring 763 of his ATK points to her, making her strong enough to skin your dragon, AND your Life Points!

Again, Kurumu could not refuse the order. Despite kissing metal, the Effect still activated, Megacyber getting weaker and Kurumu getting stronger. Unlike Panther Warrior, he did not go to the Graveyard, probably because Kurumu didn't take ALL of his ATK this time.

The Fiend Megacyber - Attribute: DARK, Type: Warrior, Level: 6, ATK: 2200 - 1437, DEF: 1200

Kurumu Kurono - Attribute: WIND, Type: Winged Beast, Level: 6, ATK: 1900 - 2663, DEF: 1500

Ty: Attack, Kurumu! Cut Red-Eyes down into a Black Dragon Wallet!

Kurumu clearly did not want too, but took to the air again as she had no say in the matter, going after Red-Eyes again.

Joey: Can't make a skin wallet without skin. I play my Metalmorph Trap Card! (Reveals his Set card, Metalmorph, which immediately started affecting Red-Eyes upon activation) Dis card raises Red-Eyes ATK and DEF points by 300, turning him inta Red-Eyes Black Metal Dragon!

With Metalmorph Equipping itself to Red-Eyes Black Dragon, his entire body started becoming metallic. First was his arms, then his legs, his tail and wings, finally his head and mouth, having fully evolved/upgraded into his Metal counterpart. With the transformation complete, he gave a powerful roar as the new strength flowed throughout his body.

Red-Eyes B. Dragon - Attribute: DARK, Type: Dragon, Level: 7, ATK: 2400 - 2700, DEF: 2000 - 2300

Kurumu had gotten close to Red-Eyes and into attack range by that point, stopping in her tracks from both game mechanics and her own shock once the dragon roboticized itself. Red-Eyes even looked more terrifying, its deep red eyes now glowing and being twice as menacing, not to mention he was much more powerful than before. With that thick of armor, there was no way her nails were gonna be able to cut through THAT. In her eyes, this game was something else, monsters being able to evolve like that in mere seconds. Then again, this WAS the counterpart to the White Dragon with Blue-Eyes, so perhaps it wasn't too surprising the Black version had this kind of power.

As this counted as Replay, Ty chose not to have Kurumu finish the attack; also ending his turn, which returned Kurumu's values to normal.

Kurumu Kurono - Attribute: WIND, Type: Winged Beast, Level: 6, ATK: 2663 - 1900, DEF: 1500

Joey: (Draws a card) Ok, Red-Eyes! Flash Flare Blast!

Instead of flames, Red-Eyes Black Dragon built up sparkling plasma-like ball in his mouth before launching a sphere of compressed red energy. As an extra Effect, he also absorbed half of the targeted monsters ATK during the Damage Step (and only till the end of the Damage Step) when he attacks, but it didn't even need to be calculated as Joey had him destroy Megacyber with that blast. The attack was so strong, the impact and explosion afterword made Kurumu brace with her arms up covering herself and her head turned away, her hair and clothes such as her skirt also reacted from the force generated until it subsided. It was a crazy level of power, and was honestly glad SHE wasn't the target of such a blast… for now.

Since Fiend Megacyber was in Defense Mode, Ty's Life Points were spared from damage, but now all he had left was Kurumu.

Bakura: Thanks to Red-Eyes, all the monsters Kurumu controlled have been destroyed.

Tristan: And Ty ran out of monsters to shield her from damage.

Téa: And without other monsters to power herself up, she has no chance against Red-Eyes. Joey can destroy her next turn.

Even as the group mentioned Kurumu's possible destruction, since she was real, it felt a little weird to them. They knew Joey must feel the same way… even so, he had no choice. If he wanted to win, he had to destroy Kurumu first.

Moka: I'm still not sure how I feel about this. Isn't there another way to save her without hurting her?

Ura Moka: He doesn't have many other options. If he can't get past her, then he can't damage Ty's Life Points either, and he knows it. Hopefully, Red-Eyes can make it quick and painless.

Joey: I'm calling it a turn.

Ty: (Draws a card) … Your Metal Dragons going to the scrapyard. (Plays card he just drew) I Summon, Akakieisu! (Summons a new DARK monster, but it was a Spellcaster-type that looked like a puppet)

Akakieisu: (gives off an evil laugh, akin to a creepy clown) Hahahahaha!

Akakieisu - Attribute: DARK, Type: Spellcaster, Level: 3, ATK: 1000, DEF: 800

Ty: And I'll also have Kurumu Charm it!

That statement confused everyone. Ty already controlled that monster so what was the point of Charming it? Better yet, how COULD he Charm it since he DID own it?

Joey: Wait. Ya already control dat monsta'.

Ty: Doesn't matter if I control it or not. Kurumu can Charm ANY monster on the field. Including mine! So since its under her spell now, she can suck out ALL of its ATK power!

Upon being forced to Charm a monster again, who gained hearts for eyes once the Charm was applied, Kurumu was then also forced to kiss Akakieisu's mask-like cheek, causing the puppet to fade away once it was drained. Kurumu's energy to flare again and her power to increase.

Kurumu Kurono - Attribute: WIND, Type: Winged Beast, Level: 6, ATK: 1900 - 2900, DEF: 1500

Ty: Kurumu! Terminate that Terminator!

Kurumu (still against her will) went after Red-Eyes Black Dragon again, her nails out ready too attack. Once she got within range, something spawned in front of her just before she could attack. It looked like a magician with green robes, a blue cape, and a matching blue pointy hat that had rings on it. It also had a single eye on one of its gloves, since its other hand was holding a mirror in front of its face, leaving its gender up to question.

Ty: What the…? What's that?

Joey: (picks up the Set card from the Duel Disk in-between his fingers and shows it to Ty by holding slanted sideways, though it was a Monster Card) A little something I like ta call: Copycat. Dis little critter can copy one card you've used during da Duel. And I think I'll be copying one of ya Threatening Roar Trap Cards you love so much! (Since playing Copycat as a face-down Spell Card, he had the Spellcaster trigger its Effect during Ty's turn. Copycat flipped his mirror around to face Ty, a small-scale version of Threatening Roar phasing into existence on the inside) … Ya maaaaaaay wanna cover ya ears…

While it wasn't clear if Joey was directing that to Ty or Kurumu (maybe both), the roar from the copied Threatening Roar Trap came out of Copycat's mirror, forcing Kurumu to back off. Ty growled, angry one of his own moves were turned against him, which was ironic considering that's what he's been doing to Joey the whole time thanks to Kurumu's control Ability.

Ty: … (Sets a card) I play a card face-down, and end my turn!

Kurumu Kurono - Attribute: WIND, Type: Winged Beast, Level: 6, ATK: 2900 - 1900, DEF: 1500

Joey: Not so funny on the receiving end, isn't it? (Draws a card, and looks at Kurumu, who was dreading Joey's order for Red-Eyes to attack despite giving the ok earlier. He does feel bad about it, but he had no choice) Attack! Flash Flare Blast!

Red-Eyes followed the command without question, launching his attack right as Joey finished talking. As per the Effect of Metalmorph, he absorbed half of Kurumu's ATK power. In response to this, Kurumu shielded herself with her arms again, as if to somehow save herself from the powerful attack.

Red-Eyes B. Dragon - Attribute: DARK, Type: Dragon, Level: 7, ATK: 2700 -3650, DEF: 2300

Ty: Your attack triggered my Hallowed Life Barrier! (Reveals Set card) By discarding one card, damage to me and Kurumu drops to zero! (A transparent sphere-like barrier phased into existence via the Effect of Hallowed Life Barrier, which Flash Flare Blast ended up hitting, and protecting Kurumu and Ty from damage/destruction from the attack) If you think I'm letting you destroy Kurumu so easily, you've got another thing coming! I'll NEVER let ANYONE destroy her!

Joey: (Sets a card and ends his turn) Well good luck with that next turn, cause your Hallowed Life Bubble just burst.

Just as Joey made that point, Hallowed Life Barrier faded away. Also as the attack was over, Red-Eyes' strength returned to normal.

Red-Eyes B. Dragon - Attribute: DARK, Type: Dragon, Level: 7, ATK: 3650 - 2700, DEF: 2300

Bakura: That's right. Hallowed Life Barrier only lasts until the end of the turn.

Moka: Now's Kurumu's vulnerable to Red-Eyes again.

Ura Moka: And since Joey hasn't played another monster, she can't control it for Ty to sacrifice.

Moka: There's one thing I don't get though… (camera shifts to the field, specifically the Set card Joey had yet to activate since playing it) Why hasn't Joey played that face-down card yet? (The group looks toward Moka when she brought that up) Ty's been ordering attack after attack, but he still hasn't activated it.

That WAS a VERY good point… why HADN'T Joey played whatever card he had Set just before he lost Panther Warrior? Its been quite a long time since. Was it a bluff?… Nah, that didn't seem like Joey's style. Ty had taken control of monsters, launched attack after attack, and has used a variety of other effects but even after all that, the taller teen STILL has not used that card for over 7 turns! But why?

Maybe they were overthinking it, for this Duel appeared to almost be over anyway, both Duelists' down to one monster each. Joey may have fewer life points, but had an extremely tough monster on his side of the field that didn't appear to be going anywhere anytime soon. Kurumu herself was decently strong but unlike Red-Eyes, her powers relied on having other monsters to protect and bolster herself, whereas the dragon had his own power, which was only further enhanced thanks to Metalmorph.

Ty: (Draws a card) You'll have to check the weather report again, (holds out the card he just drew) for now I play Blustering Winds! This increases Kurumu's ATK and DEF points by a thousand until the end of your next turn! (Kurumu was enveloped by wind flowing upwards via the Spell Card, boosting her power again) Now scrap that dragon!

Kurumu Kurono - Attribute: WIND, Type: Winged Beast, Level: 6, ATK: 1900 - 2900, DEF: 1500 - 2500

Joey: Blow it out ya bagpipe! (Reveals Set card) I play Compensation Mediation!

This was still NOT the card Joey Set before losing Panther Warrior, but he had activated this Trap just before Kurumu jumped into the air again to attack, which stopped the succubus as its Effect applied itself. She was relieved to have control of her body back, if only temporary until ordered to do something in this crazy game. Ty however, looked annoyed.

Ty: Really? ANOTHER luck card?

Joey: Look pal; if you guess right, you can attack anyway, so here's how it works: you choose any 2 cards from yer Graveyard and mix'em up with my Compensation Mediation. Den, you place'em face-down on da field in any order ya want. After I make a choice of deez 3 cards, you can put the ones you own on top of ya Deck. But if I happen ta choose my Trap Card… Kurumu's forced to remain put, and ya Battle Phase automatically ends. So shuffle up! (Picks up his Trap and tosses the card towards Ty so the smaller Duelist can catch it, which he does)

Ty: (reaches down into his Graveyard slot, which gives him 2 cards. He then shuffles them a bit as he mumbles to himself) The stupid effects this game comes up with…

As Ty continued to shuffle the cards, his attention was focused on them. What he DIDN'T notice was Kurumu had craned her neck (the camera zooming away from him to show this), and watched him… and the cards… very carefully. The camera also cuts to her face that showed her having a focused expression. Ty finishes shuffling, puts all 3 cards on the edge of his Duel Disk blade, and slides them all across in one motion, their face-down enlarged holograms appearing on the field.

Ty: Alright. Take your pick.

The spectators watched with anticipation. Apart from Time Wizard, this was one of the most riskiest cards in Joey's entire Deck. The first, and originally the only time, he had to use this card was ironically against Mai herself. Yami and Ura were then shown side-by-side, both had their arms folded.

Yami Yugi: Its come down to this… if Joey picks the right card, he'll survive for another turn, and be free to attack Kurumu again with Red-Eyes Black Dragon.

Ura Moka: But if he gets it wrong… that dragons as good as gone.

Joey: (heard what Ura and Yami discussed, which only added to the weight of the situation) *Well… dis is it. Its come down to a game of chance (looks directly at the 3 face-downs due to Compensation's Effect). If I get dis right, I'll get anotha shot to attack… (starts feeling nervous) but if I get it wrong… Red-Eyes is a goner! With only 2700 ATK points, dere's no way he'll survive an attack from Kurumu! One swipe and he's out!… And Metalmorph only absorbs ATK power if he attacks first!*

As Joey thought that last thought, Red-Eyes Black Metal Dragon appeared on the right side of the screen. Kurumu then cut in on the left, then the values of both monsters appeared: Red-Eyes having 2700 ATK, and Kurumu having 2900. Metalmorph's Effect was powerful, but only worked when a monster attacked, not when its BEING attacked. While Joey wouldn't officially lose at that point as he'll have a little over 50 LP left, he WILL be losing the only card that can resist Kurumu's powerful Succubus Charm.

Joey: *If I pick da wrong card, I won't just lose Red-Eyes; I'll lose my ONLY chance at winning dis Duel!… I can't even play anotha monsta' fer a stronger one, Ty'll just force Kurumu to take control of it before I get a chance to sacrifice it!… And even if I DID, he can just sacrifice a weaker one to protect Kurumu or boost her power again!*

Joey had never been as stressed out as he was now. Not only was he and his dragon on the line, but also Jinzo and Gliford upon betting them. Even Kurumu, who clearly wanted no part in anything she was ordered to do, would remain under Ty's ownership and possibly remain trapped as a card forever since the kid did not make the connection she was real, not that Joey blamed him. Sometimes… HE can barely believe what goes on in this crazy game, even AFTER being fully aware of the supernatural mumbo-jumbo behind it.

Ty: … If you want, I can remove one of them, increase your odds. (Was not saying that to be nice… he was mocking Joey again)

Joey: I DON'T NEED YA HELP! I'M TRYING TA THINK!

Ty: Really? I didn't know monkeys thought.

Joey: (was REALLY starting to get annoyed with Ty, if not already) GRRRRRRRRRR…! (Calms down and shakes his head to shake it off) *Keep it ta-getha, Joey. Kids trying ta mess wit yer head! Ya gotta keep ya cool… (looks back to the 3 face-down cards) now if I was a little stubborn, emotional brat who's da brother of a good friend, where would I hide my card?… (continues to look at the trio of cards in silence for a moment) Mai hid it in da middle last time, and I got a one-in-three chance of getting it right anyway… well, here goes…* Alright… I'm gonna-…! (Is about to point, but freezes with his finger in the air and blinks) Eh?

Just as Joey was about to make his declaration, he noticed something odd. Kurumu was just standing completely still with an emotionless expression her face, which if he didn't know she was real could have fooled him onto believing she was a hologram, but he saw her tail twitching back forth toward for some reason. The speed and consistency would vary at certain intervals. First it went back and forth slowly, then it sped up slightly before slowing back down. That was very weird, as she just kept it in a normal position up until this point.

Joey: (cocks an eyebrow, very confused) *What the…?*

Joey didn't seem to be getting it, so Kurumu slightly increased the speed of the tail twitching, keeping her eyes locked on the human Duelist the entire time. Both just stood in silence for a bit, one of them trying to figure out what the other was doing.

Kurumu: *Come on, baka… take the hint!*

Joey: *… Da heck is dis girl doing? Why's she movin' her tail like dat? Its like her tails an…*

As Kurumu continued to do what she was doing, Joey slowly started to understand. Kurumu's tail was very demon-like in appearance, having a triangle tip on the end… just like the tip of an arrow. And like an arrow, it was pointing in whatever direction she put it in. So with that being said, was she…?

Joey: *Is she… pointing… to a card?* (Takes note of what card she was "pointing" too, which was the right one, or the one on Ty's left, as opposed to the middle one he was going for) Dat one?… Why would she be flicking her tail over dere?*

Ty: (pinches the bridge of his nose and holds/rubs it) By the time you pick one, Golden Weeks gonna come and go…

Joey: (grows forehead vein, looking at Ty) WILL YOU KEEP YA COMMENTS TA YA-SELF?! (calms down, and looks back to see Kurumu's tail continuing to do the same thing) *… Is she trying ta tell me which card my Traps unda? Did she see where Ty put it?*

Joey didn't know what to believe. His gut was telling him (at least at first) to pick the middle card. It sounded crazy, but was Kurumu… an opponent monster… trying to help him?… Or was this another one her crazy Abilities game-wise?

Joey: *Is she trying ta help me? Or is Ty telling her ta do that too?… I only got one guess… and if I pick da wrong one…*

Ty: Have you made your choice, YET? I've could've applied for a college by now.

Joey: (remains silent, debating the right course of action. When he makes his decision, he looks back at Ty) As a matta of fact, I just did. So I hope ya studied for dat entrance exam, kid; cuz yer about ta be schooled!

Ty: Oh really?… Then which ones your card, sensei?

Téa: Well, this is it, guys.

Tristan: Come on, Joey.

Everyone else just watched intently in silence. The card Joey was gonna pick would determine the ending of this Duel.

Joey: … (lifts up a finger slowly) My Trap Card is (camera pans around him, going in a 360 degree turn a few times until it ends up behind him, the exact time he made his choice) … DA ONE ON THE RIGHT!

The chosen card slowly began to lift up, agonizingly slowly. Joey stared hard at it, trying to hide his own nervousness. No one in the group blinked, not wanting to miss even a second. The card kept rising to finally reveal…

…

…

…

Compensation Mediation.

Moka: (had a nervous face, but then she cheers happily) He got it!

Bakura: Joey's still in the Duel!

The tension dissipated and was replaced with relief. Joey got it right, meaning Red-Eyes Black Metal Dragon was safe from further harm. Now the dragon was free to attack next turn, increase his own power from Metalmorph's powerful Effect, and defeat Kurumu in battle; which in turn would leave Ty wide open to an attack himself. Even Ura Moka was taken aback by the events… who've thunk a silly card game based on ACTUAL monsters like herself could get this intense?

Joey: (grins) Hehe! Looks like yer Battle Phase is over, Ty. Class dismissed till ya next turn! (As he made that jab, he couldn't help but glance at Kurumu, who was smiling at him. Joey's grin got a little bigger, silently thinking the bluenette for her assistance)

Ty was honestly shocked. How could someone be this lucky? Red-Eyes being immune to Kurumu's control? Fine. But this was a whole new level. Still, with Joey's choice being correct, it was his second Main Phase, so he had a chance to counter… but as he tossed Mediation back to Joey (who caught his own card), and looked away from him to pick up the cards he owned for Mediation's Effect (as he was now putting them on top of his Deck, which were Pot and Greed and a copy of Threatening Roar), he noticed Kurumu's tail having flicked back to its original position. It was pointing in the direction of where Joey's Trap was hidden, which got Ty's face to go from shock… to very angry. It wasn't totally visible, for he only had a blank expression that gave off negative vibes. Without another word, he ended his turn in silence.

Joey: Ok! (Draws a card. He locks eyes with Kurumu again, but she nods with her eyes. After a moment, he takes his turn) Red-Eyes Black Metal Dragon! Attack!

For the third time, Red-Eyes attacked with Flash Flare Blast, absorbing Kurumu's power in the process, which was only further boosted thanks to Blustering Winds. If this hits, not only will Ty take a HUGE sum of damage, but the succubus will finally be defeated. She honestly put up a good fight as an A-Class monster, especially against a monster as powerful as Red-Eyes, but it looked like she was about to be taken down with one final attack.

Red-Eyes B. Dragon - Attribute: DARK, Type: Dragon, Level: 7, ATK: 2700 - 4150, DEF: 2300

…

…

…

?: (materializes in front of Kurumu just before the attack hits) Wooo.

Yami Yugi: A Kuriboh?

BOOM!

The attack from Red-Eyes Black Metal Dragon caused an explosion and cloud of dust, which would shield Ty's LP, but not his monster… at least that's what everyone thought as the smoke to reveal Kurumu was STILL on the field! Therefore, the attack must have somehow failed. But that didn't make sense as a single Kuriboh couldn't do that. It would also need magic of Multiply to accomplish such a feat.

Bakura: Kurumu survived!

Téa: But how's that possible? It didn't even multiply!

Ty: That wasn't a Kuriboh… at least, not a normal one. (Reaches down to his Graveyard slot) You aren't the only one with Effects in the Graveyard... (a card pops out and he shows it. It actually was not a regular Kuriboh like he said. The only difference to this Kuriboh from the one they knew was its claws and feet were biomechanical) this was the Special Ability of Relinkuriboh. By removing it from my Graveyard, it not only protects my monsters from damage during this battle, but myself as well! And as an added bonus, if it works, I get to draw one more card. (Draws a card)… How did this get in my Graveyard, you ask?… Let's just say it was a clever Scheme.

The group got what he was saying as flashback played. Like Joey and his Roll of Fate, one of the 2 cards Ty discarded to activate Dark Scheme became transparent to reveal Relinkuriboh.

Ty: I should have been home for lunch by now Wheelie, so I'm going to end this Duel right now!

Joey: (Sets a card and ends his turn) Like ta see you try, cause your Blustering Breeze just wore off!

Not only did Blustering Winds Effect wear off, so did Metalmorphs ATK boost, yet Red-Eyes was still the stronger monster.

Red-Eyes B. Dragon - Attribute: DARK, Type: Dragon, Level: 7, ATK: 4150 - 2700, DEF: 2300

Kurumu Kurono - Attribute: WIND, Type: Winged Beast, Level: 6, ATK: 2900 - 1900, DEF: 2500 - 1500

Bakura: With Joey's turn over, Blustering Winds ATK and DEF boost expired.

Moka: But now Ty's removing monsters to protect Kurumu too. How much longer can this keep going?

Ura Moka: I'd say this is the last turn… If Ty doesn't draw a strong enough monster for Kurumu to absorb life energy from, or a card that increases her power again; there's nothing that'll stop that dragons next attack.

Ty: (Draws his next card, which was his returned Pot of Greed thanks to Compensation Mediation) I'll reactivate the Pot of Greed you kindly gave me back. (Just like before, he doesn't play the card but still draws from his Deck after putting the Spell in the Graveyard. He obtains another Harpie monster… along with a new Spell Card that had what looked to be a chess game with dragons) *Perfect! This is just the card I needed…* Now I'll Summon a new monster!

Everyone in the Yugi team and Kurumu herself became nervous, as if the monster he was Summoning had any value of at least 900 or greater, Kurumu can [and most likely WILL] be forced to absorb enough power to finally destroy Red-Eyes Black Metal Dragon in a single slash. If this occurs, Joey is absolutely screwed. What he ended up Summoning… was Harpie Girl, who gave a cute low screech rather than a loud high-pitched one.

Harpie Girl - Attribute: WIND, Type: Winged Beast, Level: 2, ATK: 500, DEF: 500

The group was thrown for yet another loop. Ty was an unorthodox kind of Duelist, using the unlikely combo of DARK/WIND… but that?…

Bakura: Harpie Girl?… Why would he Summon that monster?

Tristan: Beats me. She barely has any ATK points.

Téa: Its nowhere near enough power to stand up to Joey's Red-Eyes.

Ura Moka: And even if it did, she's easily the weakest member of the flock. So why bother bringing her out in the first place for Kurumu to suck dry?

Kurumu: (snaps at Ura, suddenly snapping her head in the vampires direction) Oh, YOUR one to talk!

All Summoned monsters' values popped up upon Téa and Ura's comments. This was true. Harpie Girl was perhaps the weakest of the Harpie archetype, so even if Kurumu Charmed and kissed her, she'd only gain a total of 2300 points… that wasn't powerful enough to take out Red-Eyes, even if Metalmorph WASN'T Equipped! So why'd Ty even Summon it?

Joey: Hold on… why would ya Summon that monsta'?

Ty: You'll find out in a second, but first (uses a card from his hand): lets blow this Mystical Space Typhoon out of my bagpipe!

WHOOOOOOOOOOOSH!

A small vortex of wind came out of the card itself, then expanded to a larger size. The screen then cuts to Red-Eyes Black Metal Dragon, who braced himself from the incoming twister as it blew over him. After 2 seconds of him obscured by the Typhoon, the wind vanished to show Red-Eyes still bracing, but his Metal form was gone! Upon realizing this, the dragon looked over himself (such as his arms and body) with a few confused grunts. Metalmorph had been destroyed by Ty's Spell Card, which turned Red-Eyes Black Metal Dragon back to normal.

Red-Eyes B. Dragon - Attribute: DARK, Type: Dragon, Level: 7, ATK: 2700 - 2400, DEF: 2300 - 2000

Ty: (Holds up a card) Then I'll place this face-down and since I'm so confident this'll be the last turn, I'll tell you what it is. (Flips it over to reveal its a Trap before officially Setting it, which had several Harpie Ladies on it) It's a card known as Hysteric Party.

Joey: Ya mean as hysterical as ya hairdo?

Ty: (sarcastically agrees) Not exactly. You see after discarding one card from my hand, this Trap will bring back every single Harpie in my Graveyard, which leads my to my next trick. (Plays a card) The Magic Card, Dragonic Tactics!

Upon using the Spell, the field below Ty's monsters suddenly changes to checkerboard-style flooring. This actually caused Kurumu to look down in confusion, as if this crazy game wasn't crazy enough already.

Kurumu: What the…?

From above, a shadow looms over her. Looking up, some kind of large object then falls from the sky and she closes her eyes for impact was seconds away!… But it does not hurt her upon impact. Her eyes open back up to show she was inside the object that fell, which was a giant chess piece that had a dragon statue on top of it. It wasn't just her, Harpie Girl was also captured in the same way. The bottom parts of these massive pieces were clear so both monsters could still see out of them.

Kurumu: HEY! Lemme out! Lemme outta here! (bangs on the window of the chess piece but then that doesn't work, she tries using her nails instead… which don't work either)

Ty: … I saw what you did, Kurumu… (he spoke in a menacing tone while looking down, which made Kurumu stop and look back at her "master", nervousness on her face) I don't know if it was a side effect you have or your programing glitched… but you pointed to Joey's Trap last turn, didn't you?… I could have won, defeated Wheeler, and moved on with my life… but you've cost me this Duel several times already… I can forgive not controlling too strong of a monster… (slowly raises his head back up, showing a mix of pain and disappointment) but not betrayal…

Ty sounded extremely angry compared to his other outbursts throughout the Duel… it was honestly a little creepy.

Joey: … Ty… what are dose game pieces for?

Ty: Lets just call it an advanced Castling Maneuver. Take a look at those pieces again… what do they have in common?

Joey: … Dere dragons.

Ty: Correct. And by sacrificing both these pieces, it'll move a King out from my Deck as long as its Dragon-type. A since I play with a Harpie Deck, well… what King do you think I'm going to Summon?

It became blatantly obvious what "King" Ty was going to bring out. If he does that, then activates Hysteric Party next turn… Red-Eyes won't be able to stand that kind of strength without the power of Metalmorph! But the worst part was, he was sacrificing Kurumu for it, but in an angrily-charged disrespectful matter!

Joey: Kid, how can you do dat!

Ty: How? That's how the games played. You sacrifice weaker monsters for stronger monsters… ones that can actually get the job done.

Joey: But what about Kurumu? She's helped ya out since day one, right? I thought ya liked her?

Ty: … but I hate you even more. And if her avatars gonna help you, then she's useless to me! I'm gonna completely destroy you without her help, and sacrifice her like I should have done ages ago!

As Ty was not stopping his move, Tristan spoke up.

Tristan: Uh, guys; I just realized something. Remember when me and Joey went to the card Graveyard?… If Kurumu's a real monster… what's gonna happen to her?

The group immediately had an image if a Reaper of the Cards flying after Kurumu as she tried in vain to run away, screaming in terror. They hoped this wasn't true, but if Kurumu was a real person and went to a Graveyard with a spirit that would most likely destroy her… it could be permanently.

Kurumu: (freaks out to the maximum and wildly bangs and slashes at her prison, yet she's still unable to get free no matter what she did!) LET ME OUT! LET ME OUT!

Ty: Through the power of Dragonic Tactics, I sacrifice both Harpie Girl and Kurumu Kuruno!

The giant chess pieces began to glow, the Tribute being applied. Slowly but surely, they began to leave the field in a sea of sparkles from top to bottom. Joey and the group could only watch in horror as there was nothing they could do.

Kurumu: (voice cracks) LET ME OUT! HELP ME! GET ME THE HELL OUT OF HERE! (As the Tribute via Dragonic Tactics made it down to her section of the game piece, she began to cry out in bloodcurdling fear as she finally disappeared with it)

Moka: (screams in the same level of distress as Kurumu just did) KURUMU!

Ura Moka: (is more shocked than distressed, blinking once) … What happened to her?

Yami Yugi: (speaks in a low tone, yet it was serious and sorrow at the same time) Where all cards go after being used… to the card Graveyard.

Ty: (had already gotten the card he wanted to Summon out from his Deck) Now to Summon a REAL monster! (Slams the card he chose into the Duel Disk) Come on out, Harpie's Pet Dragon!

With Ty's new monster played, it emerged by appearing from a burst of fire out from beneath the checkerboard in a somewhat similar manner to Red-Eyes, but it rose up as of it was in a laying down position. A large red dragon was Summoned, equal to the size of Red-Eyes with a similar intimidating look in its eyes which were green, but had a different body type. For starters unlike Red-Eyes, its arms were not separate from its wings, and it had large ears that resembled horns. It also had an actual chain around its neck, akin to a collar, that shook and jingled with every move the dragon made. It did have a crown with a single jewel on it, but the crown was shaped like a horn and was placed on its face. The dragon unleashed a loud roar upon its successful Summoning, showing off sharp teeth and exhaling smoke after its roar was done.

Harpie's Pet Dragon - Attribute: WIND, Type: Dragon, Level: 7, ATK: 2000, DEF: 2500

Joey: Ty, how could you do something so careless?! Kurumu was one of yer best cards, she fought so hard fer ya; and ya just sacrifice her like dat?… Dat's completely disrespectful!

Ty: Disrespectful?… These are cards, idiot. Cards in a game! Their not real people, just hyper-realistic images thanks to the most advanced holographic technology on the planet! I'm in middle school and I know this! Besides, how do you disrespect something that's not even real?

Joey growled. He kinda wanted to tell him, but the kid would never believe it. Assuming what Tristan said was true, though he hoped it wasn't, Ty had no idea he was putting a lost and innocent girls life on the line.

Moka: Wait… Ty's dragon only has 2000 points… that's not enough to take out Joey's Red-Eyes.

Téa: That's true, but Harpie's Pet Dragon has a Special Ability. It gets 300 points stronger if there are any Harpies out on the field.

Bakura: And come Ty's next turn, he can activate Hysteric Party, bringing back all his Harpies back to his field. 1 Harpie Lady, 1 Harpie's Brother, 1 Harpie Girl and 3 Harpie Lady Sisters… that's 1800 extra ATK points! And even Joey does survive Harpie's Pet Dragon's attack, he'll still have 4 more Harpies waiting to scratch away his Life Points!

A fantasy of that very scenario played out, with Ty activating his Trap and reviving every Harpie from his Graveyard that respawned one-by-one in the same order as described, raising Pet Dragon's ATK power from its base 2000… to a whooping 3800 (as Harpie Lady Sisters each counted as 1 Harpie)! That was way too much power for Red-Eyes to overcome alone without Metalmorph, but even if he did take out one Harpie, that's still 1500 extra ATK points he'll have to deal with. Pet Dragon then attacked, destroying Red-Eyes and Joey activated whatever face-down card he has to save his LP but regardless if that did happen, he was then attacked by the other Harpies all at the same time for dramatic effect.

And with less than 300 LP to his name left, ANY of those Harpies could deplete them with one strike and hand Ty the win, the fantasy then ending.

Ty: You were right about one thing, Joey. It WAS either my demon or your dragon… but yours won't be standing either. But instead of waiting next turn, I think I'll take a page from your book! (Holds out one of the 2 cards he has remaining in his hand, which was a card Joey had utilized earlier on in the Duel… more specifically, the one that forced him to Summon Kurumu. Everyone is stunned by it)

Téa: (gasps) A Shield & Sword!

Ty: (sneers and chuckles before inserting the Spell into his Duel Disk) Now our dragons' ATK and DEF points are going topsy-turvy!

Just like when Joey played it, Shield & Sword caused the values of both dragons' to appear, then they were flipped around at the same time. This was bad. Before Red-Eyes Black Dragon had a 400 point advantage… now Pet Dragon had a 500 point advantage!

Red-Eyes B. Dragon - Attribute: DARK, Type: Dragon, Level: 7, ATK: 2000, DEF: 2400

Harpie's Pet Dragon - Attribute: WIND, Type: Dragon, Level: 7, ATK: 2500, DEF: 2000

Yami Yugi: With their ATK and DEF points swapped, Red-Eyes won't survive the attack!

Yugi: *And with only 263 points… neither will Joey!*

Ty: ATTACK! Wipe out Joey's dragon AND his Life Points with your Fearsome Fire Blast!

Harpie's Pet Dragon: ROOOOOOOOOAR! (Follows Ty's command immediately and without question by inhaling deeply, causing an inward vortex of flames to build up in its mouth)

Joey: Not if I play dis card! (Reveals a Set card just before Pet Dragon attacks) Graceful Dice! (The Graceful Dice fairy appears from the card, along with its die)

Ty: But that's mainly for monsters with less than 500 ATK points!

Joey: Dat's true. Graceful Dice's more effective on weaker monstas'… but when used on any other kind of monsta', it raises dat monsters strength by 100 points times da numba I roll.

Tristan: He just needs a five or a six. He can cause a stalemate or destroy Ty's dragon this turn.

As the battle initiated, Red-Eyes Black Dragon roared and launched its Inferno Fire Blast as a stream of flames just as Harpie's Pet Dragon launched its own, where both attacks collided in the middle of the field. Graceful Dice then gives its dice block a toss, where it rolled and landed on a…

Joey: Eh… four?

Red-Eyes B. Dragon - Attribute: DARK, Type: Dragon, Level: 7, ATK: 2000 - 2400, DEF: 2400

Both torrents of flame held their positions at the center of the field, and even though Red-Eyes returned to its normal ATK value, he was still weaker. Red-Eyes showed some strain, but Pet Dragon seemed to be perfectly fine, in fact its attack had gotten stronger (or maybe Red-Eyes was getting exhausted from fighting off the stronger attack. It was hard to tell). Slowly, Fearsome Fire Blast began to overpower Inferno Fire Blast, the stronger flamethrower pushing the weaker one back. Eventually, although Red-Eyes did have a small burst if energy towards the end to keep the other dragons attack at bay… it just wasn't enough. Red-Eyes was then engulfed in flames, and roared out pain before he could no longer hold on and was shattered by game mechanics.

Joey braced from the shatter effect, using his arms to cover his face as his Boss Monster finally had been destroyed… but he was still in the game.

Joey LP: 263 - 163

Ty LP: 2150

Ty: Its over, Wheelie… your most powerful monster is gone. There's not one card left in your entire Deck that can stop my Harpie's Pet Dragon and even if you did, my Traps gonna bring out all my other Harpies, and they'll destroy any monster you play. My sister will finally be avenged, and you'll be left all alone as I was! (As the smoke from the last attack began to clear, an outline of a figure starts becoming visible from inside, making Ty squint to try and see it) Hmm….?

The smoke finally clears to reveal…

…

…

…

Graverobber: (stands up in a slightly leaned back position, arms folded with a huge grin on his face) Ha-Ha-Ha-Haaaaaa!

No one could believe it. The last Set card Joey had remaining… the same one when he lost Panther Warrior… was Graverobber.

Ty: No way! You had a Graverobber down this whole time?!

Joey: Guilty as charged... so while you were busy flapping ya lips, my little buddy here snuck into ya Graveyard, and swiped a card!

As Joey finished, Graverobber held out his hands as if he was holding something. Then a white light formed and spun in-between those hands before forming into a card with its back facing Ty. The spectators wondered what the card was and more importantly, why'd Joey waited so long to activate it?

Téa: So what card did Joey bring back?

Tristan: I think the better question is: why'd didn't he use Graverobber when Red-Eyes was under attack? He could have brought back Threatening Roar or Mirror Wall. It would have saved him.

While Tristan didn't Duel much, he was correct. If Graverobber was activated during the Damage Step and brought back either aforementioned card, Red-Eyes would still be in play. Neither move would defeat Ty, as he'd still have a handful of LP even with Mirror Wall cutting Pet Dragon's ATK in half, but at least Joey's Ace wouldn't have been destroyed. Yugi and Yami Yugi however, thought about this carefully.

Yami Yugi (Yugi's voice): *There has to be a reason why Joey waited so long to use that card. For whatever reason, he chose only now to activate it since playing it. Graverobber can steal any card from the opponents Graveyard, and with all the cards in Ty's can block attacks, Joey activated Graverobber only after Red-Eyes was destroyed. So there must have been a card in that timeframe that Joey was waiting for… but which one?*

Joey: Da card I brought back… (Graverobber flips the stolen card over) is Monster Reborn! (The stolen card glows, signifying it's activation)

Moka: Alright! Since Shield & Sword only affects monsters in play, now Joey can bring back Red-Eyes to its full strength and try again!

Ura Moka: But there's no point in doing that. Harpie's Pet Dragon's going to become 1800 points stronger once Ty activates his Trap, so unless Monster Reborn can also revive Jinzo who can shut it down; there's not one monster in Joey's Graveyard that can stand up to that kind of power.

Sadly, Ura was right. Monster Reborn cannot Special Summon monsters beyond the Graveyard, meaning Jinzo cannot be returned to negate Traps. Even Gilford with 2800 ATK wasn't gonna do much against Harpie's Pet Dragon once Ty plays Hysteric Party, giving him not only more Harpies', but give Pet Dragon free ATK. What's more, Gilford needed 3 Tributes to use his Ability to strike and destroy all monsters on Ty's side at once… and Joey didn't have that either.

However, everyone was surprised that it wasn't Joey's Graveyard that was glowing… it was Ty's! Ty even looked down at his Graveyard slot in confusion as this happened.

Joey: Dat's right. I'm bringing back a monsta' from (points to Ty) YOUR Graveyard!

Ty: Mine? You could have done that with Graverobber anyway!

Joey: Well, da truth is, dee original plan was ta bring back one of mine… but dat's when you announced you'd be playing yer Hysteric Party card. No monsta' in my Graveyard can handle that, so I racked my brain fer an answer… (a close-up of Ty's glowing Graveyard slot is shown) and it lies in yours.

Ty: And what possible monster can stand up to my dragon?

Joey: Dere's only one dat can. A monster I thought you respected, but you in turn, played like a pawn…

The Spell fully activated and the light from Ty's Graveyard shot over to Joey's field. It remained there for a moment before whatever monster Joey selected began to form from the ground up in sparkles. The first thing that appeared were dress shoes floating in midair, which got everyone in his group of friends to gasp in awe. The creature Joey was reviving continued to appear slowly from the legs up, revealing its clothing, wings and tail. Finally its upper body and head appeared, though its eyes were closed and its head was thrown back a bit as if asleep.

The monster was none other than Kurumu Kurono, having been brought back from the card Graveyard, and now under Joey's control.

Kurumu Kurono - Attribute: WIND, Type: Winged Beast, Level: 6, ATK: 1900, DEF: 1500

Kurumu: (her eyes start fluttering a few times, then gently grabs her face) … Uh… wh… what happened?… (her head turns to look behind her, pulling her hand away from her face… only to notice Joey was there and NOT her official owner) Huh? You? (Looks very confused, so she turns around again, seeing Harpie's Pet Dragon on Ty's side exhaling smoke) Wait. How did…? (looks back again, only to notice Graverobber nearby)

Graverobber: Ha-ha-haaaaa. (Waves at Kurumu as his Trap expired and he faded away, going to the Graveyard himself)

Kurumu stared at where Graverobber was for a few more seconds before putting 2-and-2 together… and frowned.

Kurumu: (snaps her head back to Joey, still frowning) You robbed. My grave?

Joey: (was taken aback a bit, figuring Kurumu would have been grateful… then again since she wasn't technically supposed to be in the game and he did use a card that DOES in fact steal from the Graveyard, it must have felt pretty weird) Hey, I got ya outta dere, didn't I?

Kurumu: (flies into Joey's face, which does surprise the human) DO I LOOK LIKE AN ARCHFIEND TO YOU?! (Pulls back a bit from Joey's personal space, but is still directly in front of him) Why not rob one belonging to an Archfiend Summoned Skull? I'm sure he'd love something like that!

Those that have seen Joey Duel before this one couldn't help but sweatdrop, as what Kurumu said was somewhat ironic, considering Joey had in fact done something of that nature once before…

Ty: (is shown behind Harpie's Pet Dragon, currently pinching the bridge of his nose with closed eyes) Let me get this straight, you played Graverobber to steal one of my cards? Ok. Swiped Monster Reborn to bring back a monster? Fair enough… (removes hand pinching nose and gestures to Kurumu with that same hand, camera focusing on her as well) Her?… Out of EVERY monster in both our Graveyards… you pick HER?

Joey: Look kid, I really wanna tell ya, but you'll neva believe me. Dere's more going on in dis game dan you realize, and dere are some people out there dat are in trouble because of it.

Ty: (Gives the most bewildered/confused expression you can think of) Ha?

Joey: And in order ta help dem, I gotta win dis Duel. But in order ta do that, I had to bring the only monsta' that has a chance of getting past yer dragon… (points to Kurumu in front of him) and its dis one right here!

Kurumu's reaction to Joey's statement was shock. It was a sweet thing to say, but she didn't have enough ATK, nor did she notice a monster in Joey's hand that had enough power to juice her up when Ty activates his Trap, which in turn will also juice up his own dragon.

Ty: HA! What's she gonna do, scratch him to death? (A close-up of Pet Dragon is shown, lowly growling at Ty's opponents as if daring them to try) In case you haven't noticed, my dragon's stronger than your demon; and once I play my Trap this turn, he'll get even stronger!… (Kurumu then cuts in on the right side split-screen style) And if your planning to Charm him, we've already established she can't! My dragons the same Level as your Red-Eyes, so she's too weak!

The values of both monsters appeared after Ty finished, and he wasn't wrong with anything he said. While no one can deny that Joey's choice was noble, it didn't seem very smart. Kurumu was 100 points weaker than Harpie's Pet Dragon, and that gap was only going to get bigger once Ty's Party card is used. Worse still, just like with Red-Eyes, she was a Level below Ty's dragon and therefore, her magic would not work on it. What was Joey thinking?!

Joey: Your right about that, Ty… Kurumu isn't strong enough to take on yer dragon in a fight… and she certainly isn't powerful enough to control it either…

Kurumu: Then why did you…?

Kurumu was going to ask what was the point of bringing her back; but that's when his poker face came back, making her pause, and he held up out 2 of the 3 cards he has in his hand face-back, as he already taken his Draw Phase while Ty was gloating. His expression reminded her so much of the video she saw at school when Yugi and Kaiba Dueled and the former Summoned Exodia.

Joey: That's why I'm betting this Duel on deez 2 Magic Cards.

Ty: Those two?

Joey: You got it. First up, is da Magic Card (plays Spell Card in Duel Disk), Level Tuning! Dis card reduces da Levels of all monstas' in da field by one til dee end of da turn.

Upon playing the Spell Card, the first thing that happened was Harpie's Pet Dragon's and Kurumu's Level stars popped above them, one-by-one till they each had the full value on their corresponding card. Harpie's Dragon having 7 and Kurumu having 6. The electric screwdriver that was present on its card art then popped in front of the stars above Pet Dragon first, before its drill activated with a buzzing sound and pressed against one of the monsters stars before it shattered into pieces and dust. The same thing happened to Kurumu, the driver floating over above her head and repeating what happened with Ty's monster. Kurumu shook her head as the dust landed on her… then for some reason unlike with Ty's dragon, a large piece of broken star landed on her head 2 seconds later, making her drop to the ground.

Weird. Something similar to that does happen on occasion back in her world…

Kurumu: (gets back up after 2 seconds and rubs head, moaning) Owwwwwww… (looks back at Joey) That's your bright idea?

Joey: Just ignore it, it'll pass.

Kurumu: (mutters while rubbing her head some more) I'd rather be in the Graveyard…

Harpie's Pet Dragon - Attribute: WIND, Type: Dragon, Level: 7 - 6, ATK: 2000, DEF: 2500

Kurumu Kurono - Attribute: WIND, Type: Winged Beast, Level: 6 - 5, ATK: 1900, DEF: 1500

Ty: Ok… you reduced the levels of our monsters… now what? You still can't Charm Harpie's Pet Dragon, and Kurumu isn't strong enough to destroy it.

Joey: (Holds up the other card he mentioned) Dat's where dis one comes in… and if it works, dis Duel's over. If it doesn't, well… it'll be an embarrassing loss. Presenting da Magic card: Roll 'n' Boost!

Joey plays a Spell Card which no one recognized. All it had for card art was a scale of some kind that a person can step on as if to check their weight. This scale had a clock-like part on it with numbers on it (only 1 - 6, with 6 on top and the rest of the numbers in order clockwise), with a Goblin on top of said scale looking into it, and another Goblin hitting what looked like a gong connected to the strange machine. Level stars were also above the scale and the Goblin on it, each star also having a number above them from 1 to 6. Upon the cards activation, the same scale that was on the card rose from the ground, making Kurumu look down in surprise. Before she could fly away however, her feet touched the scale and were clamped down by braces, preventing her from escaping.

Kurumu: HEY! What the hell?! (tries pulling her feet out in vain) Get me outta this thing! (She went silent when a Goblin walked past carrying a large wooden hammer on his shoulder, approaching the gong connected to whatever crazy contraption this was)

Ty: What is that thing supposed to do?

Joey: I'm glad you asked. Ya see, dis card works by choosing a monsta' on my field, or in my hand. (Flips over the other card in his hand) But it'd be a waste ta use on my Battle Warrior here, so I targeted Kurumu instead. First, it'll bring da selected monsta's Level down ta zero…

Kurumu: (while still struggling getting her feet out, she stops in shock at what Joey said) Wait, WHAT?!

Kurumu Kurono - Attribute: WIND, Type: Winged Beast, Level: 5 - 0, ATK: 1900, DEF: 1500

Joey: (points to the Goblin with his thumb) Den my friend here's gonna give da bell a good, hard ring; causing da scale ta start spinning… and whatever numba it lands on, dat becomes that monsters new Level for the rest of the turn.

The others didn't know how to feel about this. The odds of him getting the right number with the current Level values were extremely slim. If he got it wrong, he'd waste a turn and be destroyed during Ty's.

Ura Moka: He's either one of the bravest humans I've ever seen, or the biggest fool on the face of the planet. Taking a chance with those odds?… It's highly improbable.

Yami Yugi: … but not impossible.

Ty: So your risking this Duel on a single spin?! At least with Red-Eyes, you had a 2-in-6 chance… now a 1-in-6?! You'll never get the right number!

Joey: … we won't know till I try. (To Goblin) Alright, buddy! Take position, wind up… and awaaaaaaaaaaay we go!

The Goblin did as was instructed. First he got into a striking position of the gong, threw the hammer high into the air, spit into both hands one at a time before rubbing then together, and caught the hammer and hitting the gong as hard as he possibly could… humorously vibrating as the gong rung upon impact. When this happened, the mechanism in the middle shot up like the hammer game from carnivals, hitting the scale… but the force was so great, that same mechanism flew out from the top, causing the dial to start spinning rapidly.

As the arrow inside kept clicking, everyone was watching on edge, waiting in utter anticipation for the result. It seemed to go on forever… until the clicking slowed down a bit.

Moka: It's slowing down!

The clicking then slowed down some more, making it go over the numbers more visibly. It passed by 3… by… 4…. then severely slow down on 5, just on the edge…

…

…

…

*click*

Six.

Joey: (recovers) Hickory Dickory Dock! The clock strikes 6! So Kurumu's Level goes from Level zero… ta Level 6!

The machine finally releases Kurumu's feet, allowing her to jump off and descend slowly before landing on her feet, her Level adjusting at the same time. The Goblin gave a salute with grunts that seemed to say either "thank you", "your welcome", or "goodbye" before poofing away. The Roll 'n' Boost machine also vanishing from sight.

Kurumu Kurono - Attribute: WIND, Type: Winged Beast, Level: 0 - 6, ATK: 1900, DEF: 1500

Joey: And because our monstas' have da same Level, I think you know what happens next.

The Level values of all monsters on the field, which are only Kurumu and Pet Dragon, pop up; showing both of them had the same power level.

Ty: (realizes what that means) No… you can't!

Joey: I think I can… and I will. Kurumu, Charm Harpie's Pet Dragon!

Kurumu: (does not move, and seems scared) … I don't think I can…

Joey: Eh?

Kurumu: (looks back to Joey) You saw what happened with your Red-Eyes Black Dragon, I couldn't control it… so what you changed our Level of power, what if it doesn't work? And everyone knows Harpie's Pet Dragon won't attack other Harpies.

Ura Moka: She's not wrong for once. Harpie's Pet Dragon is one of the only few domesticated dragons in the monster world, and they have unfaltering loyalty towards those birdbrains.

Téa: Not only that, will Kurumu's Ability work on a monster with a changed Level?

Ura Moka wasn't wrong. No Harpie's Pet Dragon has ever attacked a Harpie before, so once Ty uses Hysteric Party, that's 4 monsters the dragon will openly refuse to attack if Kurumu's Charm works… assuming as what Téa said, if it even does at all. Poor Kurumu herself looked to be on the verge of crying.

Kurumu: I shouldn't even be here for crying out loud! I should be at school, not in a crazy game! I don't think I can do this!

Joey: Look, batty. I ain't gonna force ya to do anything, alright?… (his response gets Kurumu's attention, the succubus looking surprised at his answer) But if ya don't even try, I could lose dis Duel. But its more then just dat… if I lose, you could end up staying in Ty's Deck forev'a… we might not find a way ta get you and yer friends back home. I get where ya coming from, Kurumu… feeling trapped with no way out… believe me, I do. So I'm not asking ya ta listen ta what I say… I'm asking ya ta trust me…

Kurumu kept staring into his eyes… they weren't lying. She might not know why, but sensed he was being completely honest. Now that she thought about it, there were plenty of other monsters in the Graveyard much stronger than herself… but he chose her. Ty had basically abandoned her, and Joey was kind enough to give her a second chance. She continued to look at him.

…

…

…

FLAP!

With a single flap of her wings, she was up and flying towards yet another creature larger than herself. Just like with Red-Eyes, Harpie's Pet Dragon snarled at her, except it also exhaled smoke, making her hesitate and look away… yet there was no extra order from Joey, something which surprised her. She opened her eyes, seeing Joey look directly at her… but STILL no additional command to force her.

…

…

Shutting her eyes tightly, and gathering all the courage she had, she turned back around to face Harpie's Dragon head-on, and cast her Succubus Charm via her eyes. Again, like with Red-Eyes, the affected dragon reacted the exact same way. This time however, she stopped herself after a few seconds. There was no response from the dragon as of yet, which got the group concerned, and Ty grinning slyly.

Did it work?

…

…

Harpie's Pet Dragon: … (slowly turns head around) grrrrrrrrooooooooowwwwwwwl…

Ty: Ha? Aaaaaaa…?!

Téa: It actually worked!

Tristan: Now Ty's best monster is under Joey's control!

Ura Moka: But there's still one problem. (Camera focuses on Ty's only Set card) Once the brat uses his Trap Card, every Harpie in his Graveyard will come back.

Ty: (was nervous before, but then relaxes with a grin) *Wait. That girl cosplaying as a version of Moka's got a point. Once I play my face-down card, all the Harpies I've lost before return to the field. Harpie's Pet Dragon will never attack a Harpie, and if Joey finds some way to make that happen, Kurumu can't get to all my Life Points either. Even with her power to pierce monsters in Defense Mode, the most damage I'll take is 1400… And once the effects of his Magic Cards wear off, Harpie's Pet Dragon's Level will return to normal, and he'll break free of Kurumu's spell. Then, I'll attack her! Wiping her out and all of Joey's Life Points in one blast!*

Ty's thoughts were interrupted by Joey.

Joey: Gotta say you were right, Ty. It was down to Kurumu and our dragons… looks like neither lasted long with her around.

Ty: Huh? What are you…?

Ty's eyes suddenly widen, and his pupils shake, realizing what Joey was implying. He looks up in horror, seeing Kurumu directly next to the head of his dragon and then…

Kurumu: (presses her lips right on Harpie's Pet Dragon's cheek) Mmmmmmmmwaaaaaah!

Harpie's Pet Dragon roars in distress, and disappears in a sea of sparkles. With the dragon gone, Kurumu's energy flared around her as she floated in the air, having absorbed the beasts energy.

Joey: Now all your dragons DEF points, are added to Kurumu's ATK points!

Kurumu Kurono - Attribute: WIND, Type: Winged Beast, Level: 6, ATK: 1900 - 4400, DEF: 1500

Téa: Now Kurumu has over 4000 points!

Bakura: That's not all, that's over double the strength of any monster in Ty's Graveyard! And since Kurumu can pierce through monsters in Defense Mode, even if he DOES activate Hysteric Party this turn… it won't even matter!

Ty's LP were shown in comparison to Kurumu's new ATK power as he started taking a few steps back on instinct out of fear. In fact as he did this, the one card he had left in his hand was shown to be Threatening Roar… a card that could have saved him if he didn't underestimate his opponent or let his anger get the best of him. For the longest time, he had used Kurumu to shut down other Duelists cards, and turn their best monsters against them… but after he cast her aside… his strategy had completely backfired!

Joey: … Kurumu… (points directly at Ty) attack Ty's Life Points, directly!

Kurumu got out her nails in the same way as when she was first Summoned, one set after the other. Only this time, she did it without being forced, on her own free will. And upon Joey's order to attack, she dive-bombed towards the smaller Duelist, who could do nothing to stop it.

Kurumu: Grrrr… HAAAAAA!

SLASH!

With a single slash, she cut Ty, tearing his own shirt open just as Joey's sleeve was earlier. Not only was the damage real, but so was the blowback of over 4000 points of it. The middle schooler grunted a few times before ultimately screaming out in pain.

Ty: Nrgh… nrrrrgh… NRRRRRRRR-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!

Joey LP: 163

Ty LP: 2150 - 0

---

Whew… what a battle, Eh? Sure this might seem bad, but in comparison to what I have planned, this is really quite tame. There's so many more ideas I have for this story: the TRUE reason the Gods are pissed at Moka, rouge Rare Hunters working for a new organization that are after Moka's friends, Serenity mistaking Kurumu for Joey's girlfriend and she ends up Dueling again… this is JUST the beginning of what I have in store. And I really hope you'll join me every step of the way. There has NEVER been an RV/Yu-Gi-Oh xover like this before!

Thanks for tuning in, and I hope I'll see ya when the full story is released! Bye for now!