Chancellor Sheppard's Office: Before Class…
Kai, Bastion, and Jaden were assembled within the Chancellor's office, with the very man sitting behind his desk. "Gentlemen, I'm going to cut straight to the point. Mr. Kaiba is looking to test you three."
That got the boys looking at one another.
"Does this have something to do with the Sacred Beast?" Bastion inquired.
"No, those are still fine." Sheppard assured. "It's just up until now, two of you created the perfect opportunity for a test, the tag duels, while one of you has maintained a perfect dueling record. It was to the point Mr. Kaiba hasn't had to put forward such an idea.
With the prior points months behind us, he has decided you three shall participate in solo exhibition matches. Given you each hold the best records among the first years, we'll simply utilize that as part of the excuse behind why this happening."
"Does this mean we're going to get to duel pros again?" Jaden asked excitedly, he's been itching for another duel like that.
"Not only will you three be dueling pros, but you'll be dueling one of the current top 3." Sheppard voiced, causing all three boys to go wide eyed. "Yugi Muto, Seto Kaiba himself, and Joey Wheeler will be here in a week, each deciding among themselves who they duel."
"We're each taking on one of the best in the world?" Kai questioned. "I thought Vice Chancellor Mokuba gave us hard opponents to duel before."
"Mr. Kaiba is not unreasonable enough to expect any of you to beat them." Sheppard assured. "He merely wishes to assess the strength each of you may have cultivated up to this point, to push you three to your absolute limits."
"I'd say so." Bastion noted. "Though you've said our dueling records would be part of the excuse utilized to ensure people don't ask too many questions. What further is there?"
"For starters, it will be known that Yugi Muto and Seto Kaiba will also face off." Sheppard stated. "Both to bury any questions people might have under excitement and to hopefully teach all years here by having the bests go at it.
A second duel with Joey Wheeler is also being raffled off, given you three already have such duels in place, you will not be permitted to buy tickets for that. Lastly, these duels are being done in celebration of an exhibit which will be going on tour.
All of Yugi Muto's decks, from the start of his career to now with except for the Egyptian Gods, have been replicated. They shall be put on display here as the first stop on a long tour. Among these will be two replications I hear are close to Yugi Muto's heart."
Despite the fact the three boys had just been told of coming duels against the pros, they couldn't deny a sense of excitement coming over them upon hearing of such an exhibit.
"A duel with one of the top three, and all of Yugi's decks." Jaden voiced in awe; his eyes distant as he undoubtedly imagined both events. "I am so pumped! Chancellor Sheppard, where do we get our tickets, and when is the exhibit?"
"The exhibit will open the day after the duels, so you shall be able to buy tickets starting tomorrow." Sheppard informed. "Given it's Sunday, I'd encourage you three to be there the moment the shop opens; otherwise, you may lose out on this opportunity."
Despite these three having such an opportunity as to duel the best, Sheppard would not see that as any sort of excuse to deprive these boys of this opportunity. Given what he's seen from them, he imagined both opportunities would see them grow.
"I believe we'll ensure we get our tickets." Bastion stated.
"Not to mention make sure all our friends know about the tickets to the exhibits." Kai thought. "Despite knowing we'll all get tickets, maybe Jasmine would like to go just us two."
It certainly was something he'd have to remember. After a bit more of a discussion, as well as a reminder that they shouldn't bring up anything they knew in advance until it was announced, the boys were left to head to class.
Duel Academy Island
This school year was hardly over, yet a lot has happened. All of it was probably going to become a footnote compared to what would be happening in one week. News spread quickly when it was announced Yugi Muto, Seto Kaiba, and Joey Wheeler would be dueling three first years.
While their friends were supportive of this opportunity, other people were jealous, relieved, or a mixture of the two upon finding out who those first years were. Regardless of what anyone felt, everyone was aiming to win that raffle and get their own duel against Joey Wheeler.
None of this even mentioned the excitement over getting to see Yugi and Seto go at it, or the exhibit which would be happening the following day. Decks utilized by the King of Games himself, who wouldn't want to see that? Morale around the island was certainly high.
Card Shop: Sunday, Morning…
Kai could only smile as he entered the card shop this morning. In accordance with the events that would be coming, they'd redecorated. Different posters had been put around the shop, each one displaying Yugi Muto, Seto Kaiba, or Joey Wheeler from their early days of dueling.
The shelves that normally contained magazines and other reading material had been moved to the far ends of the shop. This left a space in the middle large enough for two people to duel. He hopped everyone had or would get an early jump to secure their tickets.
"Hey Kai!" Jasmine called out, causing the war challenger user to turn towards her with a smile. "Glad I came at the right time to meet you here."
"I thought I'd see you here as well, but I was planning on coming to find you if we didn't end up running into each other." Kai nodded. "Since we'll be getting our tickets at the same time, why don't we see the event together?"
"If you didn't ask, I would have." Jasmine stated.
Power Plant: Friday, After School…
You know, Kai didn't have nearly the negative association he thought he'd have with this place. Aside from gripping his throat once when Makoto had summoned Jinzo, that event didn't seem to leave him with trauma. He'd wonder more about that if not for the fact everyone was here.
"Come on, is this really necessary?" Alexis asked.
"We did this when discussing what Kai hadn't told us." Bastion voiced. "Only seems fair we do the same concerning you."
Why exactly had everyone gathered here? Well, it all started when Alexis was announced as the winner of the raffle. That meant like Kai, she'd get to duel Joey. She made mention of having met him once when she was younger. Now that wasn't exactly the reason for this meeting.
Though Jasmine and Mindy had certainly gathered everyone in their group quickly to hear how she'd met Joey. What caused this meeting was the fact Dimitri had joked she'd next tell them she had a secret like Kai's thing with his brother. Well…
"Come on, I thought you knew." Alexis retorted. "Atticus' picture is up in the Abandoned Dorm. Surely, the group that came for Dimitri and I saw it."
"Alexis, I think you're being a bit too defensive." Sadie rested her hand on her junior's arm. "We all learned our lesson from the last time a meeting like this was held, but having this is still a necessity as to ensure no one is seemingly given special treatment on these matters."
After getting Alexis to calm down, the group simply talked about the situation as it stood.
Flashback 7 Years Ago: Kaiba Dome, Day…
"Oh man, how could this happen!?" Joey lamented.
He was desperately scrambling along the path he'd taken to exit the arena, going over it as carefully as he could in his frantic state. Things had been going so well today. He had overwhelming victory after overwhelming victory in every duel that day.
By the end of it, he walked away with the prize money and trophy. Turns out he should have listened to Mai about getting a new deck box because his old one was worn down to the point a card ended up slipping out.
Any of his cards slipping out was a reason to panic, but this was his Red-Eyes. What's worse is he hadn't even noticed until he was back home, resulting in more time lost. Not to mention it became that much more likely that someone ended up snatching it.
"You…can't…have…it."
Joey stopped and turned his head, only for his eyes to widen. It was some kid who had stopped to lean against the wall of the tunnel they were now in, and he was panting heavily. His dark brown hair, blue shirt, and shorts were filthy, and it looked like some jerk had thrashed him.
Joey forget about searching for his card as he ran to check on him. "Whoa kid, are you okay?"
The boy looked at him, and his eyes lit up as he managed a smile. "Joey Wheeler!"
"Don't worry about who I am, what happened…" Joey was interrupted by shouting.
"Get back here kid!"
"We want our card!"
A pair of thuggish looking high schoolers were running down the tunnel, clearly mad at this kid. Given said kid's reaction…Well, Joey never did excel at math like Yugs, but even he could put two and two together in this instance. Upon noticing the pro, the thugs stopped short.
Joey moved to stand before the kid. "What's going on here?"
The teens shared nervous looks.
"That kid stole our card…"
"It's not your card!" The kid shouted defiantly. "I saw you…"
"Shut up kid!"
"Let him speak." Joey ordered firmly.
"Mr. Wheeler, I saw what happened." The kid declared. "You'd just walked out the door when your Red-Eyes Black Dragon slipped from your deck holder." He showed the card. "I ran out to grab it, but these guys got there first; however, they didn't notice me.
I overheard them saying they could make a quick buck off it, so I ended up reacting in the moment by kicking the guy who grabbed the card in the shin. He let go of it, and I snatched it before running off. I wanted to find an adult, but they've been chasing me all this time."
"Looks to me like they did more than chase you." Joey stepped back and grabbed the kid's hand. "Keep that card close because we're walking past them." He did just that. "If you two want to try jumping the both of us, I promise you it won't end well. You'll be in more trouble than you are."
As if they could just run to avoid punishment, the two teens booked it out into the arena looking for another exit. Given they were hardly criminal masterminds. Joey felt confident the police would find them based on the security footage. He'd just worry about that after the kid was safe.
"You obviously know who I am, but what's your name kid?" Joey asked.
"Atticus. Atticus Rhodes." Atticus answered.
"Well Atticus, did you come here with your family?" Joey asked.
"No, my little sister got sick from something she had for dinner last night." Atticus answered. "I wanted to stay back and help take care of her; however, Sissy insisted I had to come. We made this trip because I wanted to see you duel in person. My parents okayed it, so I decided to go."
Joey smiled. "I see."
"Oh, here's your card back." Atticus stated, suddenly remembering he was holding Red-Eyes.
Joey stopped the pair of them before kneeling in front of the kid. "Atticus, are you just my fan because you enjoy dueling, or do you hope to one day be a duelist yourself?"
"I absolutely love dueling and hope to be a great duelist just like you!" Atticus exclaimed enthusiastically.
That smile the boy shot him almost made Joey forget this kid's been put through the wringer.
"Well, why don't you hold onto Red-Eyes?" He gently pushed the card towards the boy, who stared at him in shock. "Every duelist needs a kick butt monster they can build their deck around. Perhaps the reason Red-Eyes was the one card I lost is because it wants to belong to you."
"Mr. Wheeler, I couldn't take your Red-Eyes!" Atticus exclaimed. "It's one of your best monsters!"
"Maybe, but this wouldn't be the first time I've gone without him." Joey nodded. "Besides, my deck's already chalk full of kick butt monsters. If anything, consider this a promise. One day, you and I will have a serious duel. The fact you have my Red-Eyes assures it."
Atticus looked at the card before getting an idea of his own and opening the deck box at his side. It by no means contained a full deck, but there was a small stack of cards in there. He pulled out one of those new cards with the white boarder, a Synchro if Joey remembered correctly.
"In that case, you can have this cool card I pulled from the first pack I opened." Atticus offered. "If we both hold a card from the other, then it'll ensure we duel one day."
Joey took the card. "Infernoble Knight Emperor Charles…" He smiled and ruffled the kid's hair. "Alright, it's a deal." He slipped the card away safely before grabbing the kid's hand once more and standing. "Come on, let's get you tended to and call your family while we're at it."
Helicopter: Present, Sunrise…
As the sun rose, Seto looked out the window of his helicopter. "There's Duel Academy."
Yugi and Joey, who woke with a start, looked out the window as well.
"Still can't believe you went and built it on an island with an active volcano." Joey commented.
"Wheeler, we've been over this." Seto responded. "I put Duel Academy here to simulate the duels we found ourselves in years ago, and the toll they can take on your body."
"I don't know man." Joey shook his head. "I still think there's better ways you could have done that without sticking a bunch of kids on the island with the active volcano."
"Moving on, are your decks ready?" Seto asked. "We're supposed to be testing these kids, so don't think about going easy on them."
"I wouldn't dream of it." Yugi assured.
"Don't worry about me, Rich Boy." Joey grinned. "I'll put Kai Delmar through his paces, and even though Alexis Rhodes isn't one of those students you entrusted, I'll still test her all the same."
"The new Flame Swordsman support is rather potent with his Infernoble Knights." Yugi stated. "With them together, he almost had me in the season opener duel."
"Then, just remember what we talked about." Seto stated. "Don't go blabbing about the real reason we're here to people. Only those boys, Mokuba, and Sheppard know."
Duel Academy: Arena, Later…
The Obelisk Arena contained every person on the island, naturally this included all the friends of the students dueling today, no one was willing to miss these duels. The four students who would duel today, Jaden, Bastion, Kai, and Alexis, were sat off to the side in foldable chairs.
Jaden's posture was relaxed with a giddy smile on his face, Bastion was stoically calm, Alexis was a bit more wound than you typically think the Obelisk Queen would be, and Kai had a sense of unease as he was uncertain how his deck and skills would stack up here.
Soon enough, Sheppard took the stage. "Ladies and gentlemen, we are gathered here today for five duels, and while two of them are known, I shall go over all five." Jaden, Bastion and Kai paid special attention as they still hadn't known who they'd be dueling up to this point.
"Kai Delmar duels Joey Wheeler, Bastion Misawa duels Seto Kaiba, Jaden Yuki duels Yugi Muto…" Jaden broke out into a huge grin at getting to be the one to duel the King of Games. "…Alexis Rhodes duels Joey Wheeler, and we will conclude with Yugi Muto vs Seto Kaiba.
These duels have no stakes and are simply being done to hopefully teach all of you, not just those dueling, something. Now, we will proceed with the list of duels in the order I have listed. As such, will Kai Delmar please step forward."
Despite what they might be feeling about their coming duels, Jaden, Bastion, and Alexis shot the war challenger user encouraging smiles as he got up to make his way onto the stage.
"With Mr. Delmar now on stage, I would like to call for Joey Wheeler to join him." Sheppard declared.
Joey Wheeler, a less complicated case than Rex Raptor. After losing out in the Kaiba Grand Prix, he spent the next two years, when not in school, cementing his third-place status. He even went around and rematched anyone who got a win on him before to make it official. One year out from cementing his status, he stopped using Red-Eyes.
Even without that, seven years in a row, he's maintained his place. Even against the current fourth and fifth best duelists, Aster Phoenix and Alcor Caelum. As the audience cheered on the blond, Kai kept his gaze firmly on his opponent. This was bound to be a far tougher duel than when he faced the Paradox brothers with Greg.
"So, you're my first opponent?" Joey grinned as he looked him over. "You really do look a lot like Varris. I dueled with the guy a few times in the pros, and he had quite the spirited approach to his duels. Makes me wonder if you've got any of that within you."
"My brother was quite the spirited one." Despite the conflict he felt about his brother, Kai still smiled now hearing such a compliment from someone like Joey. "Can't say I duel quite like that, but I won't waste this opportunity by giving you any less than my best."
"That's the spirit." Joey smiled. "Perhaps you got a little more of your brother's fire than you think."
With their greetings done, Sheppard took his place in the middle of the stage. "Alright, let the match begin!"
"Let's duel!"
(Kai 4000/Joey 4000)
"I'll start!" Kai drew. "I summon Heroic Challenger – Spartan(LV 4/1600/1000)." A beige and gold spartan appeared. "Whenever an Earth Warrior-type monster is normal summoned to my field, I can special summon War Rock Gactos(LV 4/1900/1900)."
A man with two stone clubs appeared. "By controlling at minimum 2 warrior monsters, I can special summon Heroic Challenger - Morning Star(LV 4/1500/1300)." A blue and brown armored warrior, wielding a morning star, appeared.
"No matter how he's summoned, I can add 1 Heroic spell/trap from my deck to my hand. "Now, I'll build the overlay network with my level 4 Morning Star and Spartan. Xyz summon Gagaga Cowboy(R 4/O 2/1500/2400) in defense mode." A cowboy with twin guns appeared kneeling.
"You pulled off an Xyz summon on your first turn." Joey smiled. "Good to see Rich Boy's money is being well spent."
"Against you, I'm not content to keep it at one." Kai declared. "First, I detach one overlay unit from Gagaga Cowboy(R 4/O 1/1500/2400), and since he's in defense position, you take eight hundred life points of damage." Cowboy fired on Joey (Kai 4000/Joey 3200).
"Now, I'll activate the Heroic Call Morning Star fetched me to bring back the warrior-type War Rock Gactos(LV 4/1900/1900) I just detached to utilize Cowboy's effect. Since I did not bring back a Heroic monster with this effect, Gactos loses his special effects and cannot attack.
That hardly matters as I build the overlay network once more with the Level 4 Gactos and Morning Star. I call forth the king of wishes. Xyz summon Number 39: Utopia(R 4/O 2/2500/2000)." A gold and white warrior appeared. "I'll finish my turn with one set card."
"Well, that's one way to make a statement." Topher noted.
"Yeah, can't say I've seen Kai bust out two Xyz monsters on the same turn." Dimitri noted.
The rest of the group, those in the stands and folding chairs below, couldn't recall Kai doing this before either.
"That was some opening move, but it's no board I can't break." Joey drew. "I'll kick it off with Fighting Flame Swordsman(LV 4/1800/1600)." From a vortex of flames, a swordsman with a flaming blade and navy-blue tunic appeared.
"Just for being summoned, I can add any spell or trap that mentions Flame Swordsman from my deck to the hand. The card I grabbed was Flame Swordsrealm. First, this continuous spell protects my normal summons of fire attributed warriors.
Secondly, I can send any 1 monster from my hand or field to conduct a fusion summon of 1 Flame Swordsman from my extra deck. I'll send Fighting Flame Swordsman to bust out the original Flame Swordsman(LV 5/1800/1600)."
Upon seeing one of Joey Wheelers original ace monsters, the students cheered.
"This guy and I got way back; however, that doesn't mean we ain't picked up new tricks." Joey continued. "First, Fighting Flame Swordsman was sent to the grave, so I can send any 1 Flame Swordsman or monster which mentions him to the grave from my deck or extra deck.
I'll send Mirage Swordsman from my deck. Now, I'll equip Flame Swordsman(LV 5/2500/1600 effect) with Salamandra Fusion which boost his ATK by 700." He smiled. "Of course, a fusion spell doesn't simply stop there, pal."
"I haven't been keeping up because the only Flame Swordsman card I've recognized was his original one." Syrus commented.
"Just this year, the Flame Swordsman archetype received several support cards." Dimitri informed. "While I'm not familiar with what they do, I can tell you Joey Wheeler seems to be stringing them together flawlessly."
"As this fusion card is equipped to a Fusion monster I control, I can send both to the grave to bust out any Flame Swordsman or monster that mentions it from my extra deck. I'm calling upon the pinnacle. Fusion summon Ultimate Flame Swordsman(LV 8/2800/1600)." A flame swordsman with a flaming great sword appeared.
"Well, that's stronger than either of my monsters." Kai stated.
"While true in the sense of ATK, Ultimate Flame Swordsman isn't all about that." Joey declared. "Once per turn, I can target any 1 monster you control, destroy it, and inflict 500 life points of damage should I succeed. I'll destroy that Cowboy of yours, go Flame Vortex!"
Ultimate Flame Swordsman slammed his great sword into the ground with a mighty yell, sending flames through the ground before they came up as a vortex of flames that destroyed Cowboy (Kai 3500/Joey 3200).
"I ain't stopping there." Joey declared. "Swordsman will go onto destroy Utopia with Flame Devastation!"
Ultimate Flame Swordsman charged the opposing warrior as his blade was alit with flames.
"By detaching one overlay unit from Utopia, I can negate any one attack." Kai countered. "Go, Lightwing Shield!"
Number 39: Utopia(R 4/O 1/2500/2000) produced a golden shield which blocked the flaming blade.
Ultimate Flame Swordsman then lept back to Joey's field. "So, that's Number 39's effect. Alright, I'll end my turn with one set card."
"My move!" Kai drew. "First, I'll activate my set Xyz Reborn to target and revive any Xyz monster within my grave while bestowing this trap as an overlay unit. I'll revive Gagaga Cowboy(R 4/O 1/1500/2400) in defense position.
Now, I'll use his effect once more." Gagaga Cowboy(R 4/O 0/1500/240)'s last overlay unit flew into his gun before he fired through Joey (Kai 3500/Joey 2400). "then, I'll attack Fighting Flame Swordsman with Utopia."
"I don't know what your game is, but I activate my set Fighting Flame Sword. Joey declared. "It has a slew of effects, but the only one that matters is the result of an attack declared on my fire warrior monster. Now, I can destroy any one card you control, and I choose Cowboy.
"You destroyed the wrong one since my game is that I'll be detaching Number 39: Utopia(R 4/O 0/2500/2000)'s final overlay unit to negate his own attack." Utopiadrew his blade, only for his last overlay unit to vanish, and his attack to cease.
"Now, I activate Double or Nothing. When a monster's attack is negated, they can attack again with double the ATK." Number 39: Utopia(R 4/O 0/5000/2000 effect). "Destroy Ultimate Flame Swordsman with Rising Sun Slash!"
"Not a bad combo; however, it's not enough!" Joey declared. "When Ultimate Flame Swordsman(LV 8/5600/1600 effect) is involved in a battle, I can double his ATK at the start of the damage step, and it will last until the end of this turn. Go, Flame Devastation!"
The two warriors clashed at the middle, light and fire shot out in waves across the arena. In the end, Ultimate Flame Swordsman's heat cleaved clean through Utoptia's two blades, and he was cut right down the middle (Kai 2900/Joey 2400).
"With that battle concluded, I will let you know that using this effect does destroy my Ultimate Flame Swordsman at the end of this turn." Joey informed.
"It's not even his turn, yet Joey just destroyed both of Kai's Xyz monsters." Jasmine stated, worriedly.
"Even with Flame Swordsman going to the grave at the end of this turn, I'd still say this puts Kai at a disadvantage since he can't battle anymore this turn." Bastion stated. "On that note, he'll now need to muster some form of defense for the coming turn."
"It's possible from what I've seen." Chumley noted.
"Yeah, Kai hasn't normal summoned, and he still has two cards in his hand." Topher agreed.
"Your Swordsman is destroyed soon, but it's still here now." Kai declared. "With no monsters on my field, I can special summon Heroic Challenger – Assault Halberd(LV 4/1800/300)." A purple armored warrior, wielding a halberd, appeared.
"I'll follow it up by normal summoning Heroic Challenger – Night Watchman(LV 4/1200/1000)." A leather armored, blue caped warrior appeared. I now construct the overlay network with my two level 4 monsters. The most noble of knights is clad in lights!
Xyz summon Heroic Champion – Excalibur(R 4/O 2/2000/2000)." A red and silver armored warrior, wielding the blade, appeared. "By detaching 2 overlay units, Heroic Champion – Excalibur(R 4/O 0/4000/2000) can double his attack until the end of your turn. I end my turn."
Ultimate Flame Swordsman shattered.
"If you'll recall, Fighting Flame Swordsman sent Mirage Swordsman(LV 8/2800/2000) to my grave through his effect." Joey reminded. "If he's there when a fire attributed Fusion is destroyed by battle or card effect, I'm permitted to special summon him."
A warrior in golden armor and with blue flames all around him appeared.
"Figures he set this all up." Kai thought.
"Now, it's time to bring this duel home!" Joey drew. "I'll begin by equipping my Mirage Swordsman(LV 8/3100/2000 effect) with Pheonix Gearblade. This can onlhy be equipped to a fire attributed or warrior-typed monster.
The rest doesn't matter as I now banish it to special summon Immortal Pheonix Gearfried(LV 9/3000/2200)." A mighty white and red armored warrior appeared bathed in flames. "Now Mirage Swordsman will attack your Excalibur!"
"Why would you attack a monster 1200 ATK stronger than yours?" Kai inquired, curious.
"It's because at the start of the damage step, Mirage Swordsman can destroy both our monsters." Joey responded, both monsters went up in flames. "He has a bit more to his effect, but I don't think I'll need it because Gearfried will end this with a direct attack."
Gearfried rushed forward and slashed his blade through the war challenger user (Kai 0/Joey 2400).
"The first duel of today is over." Sheppard announced. "Kai Delmar put up an impressive fight, so let's have a round of applause for both our duelists!"
The audience cheered and clapped while said duelists met in the center of the stage and shook hands.
"You got some real talent." Joey laughed good naturedly. "Keep it up, and you'll be a real threat in the pro circuit once you're out of this place."
"That means a lot coming from you." Kai smiled. "If it's not too much trouble, perhaps you'd be willing to look over my deck and give me a few pointers?"
"I'll do you one better." Joey moved to Kai's side and threw an arm around him. "You and I are going to have a little chat." He lowered his voice. "Seto wanted the 'Godfather of Games' here to see about loosening you up."
Kai didn't quite know what to make of that, but he did trust in Seto enough to go along with this. Besides, who wouldn't want one on one time with any of the top three? Essentially, he was more than willing to walk out of that arena with the guy.
Hallways
Once they were out of eye sight, Joey did remove his arm from around Kai, and they simply walked alongside one another. "Now, Kaiba's obviously been keeping tabs on you, and you've got a dueling record I think any third year here would be jealous of.
Rich Boy informed me of the lesson he spouted to all you kids after his duel with the best on the island, and while he's not wrong in that innovation is important, it's not the end all be all. Sometime, your opponent was just better than you, and it does you no good to obsess over it."
"I assume you somehow know what I'm working towards, so are you saying I shouldn't duel my friend again?" Kai asked.
"Nah man, that's not what I'm saying at all." Joey assured. "If you're ready to duel that Bastion Misawa again, go for it. What I'm saying is, the path to getting here might not have been worth it if you continue down it. Look, I haven't been filled in on everything about you.
What I do know is you want to one day sit atop the throne, but you're young now. It's good to have goals that drive you, but don't let them consume you. What I said back in the arena is the truth, you got some real talent. Don't strain it by always pushing forward."
"You…make some good points." Kai sighed. "I still want to take on Bastion one last time to see if I can beat him. Regardless of the results, should I beat him I'll still rematch Zane, I think I'll take it a bit easier. I still hung out with my friends, but there were opportunities I didn't take.
Things I missed out on in pursuit of getting in the duel I did. That's not to say I'll give up on improvement and innovation, but I can certainly dial it back not to miss out on the time I have with them."
"There we go." Joey patted his shoulder with a smile. "Let me tell you, I would have regretted not having spent the time I have with the friends I've made. Come on, let's find some food before heading back. If your friends are strong like you, we should have time."
Let's talk about the most important, and likely contentious, point in this Joey not using Red-Eyes. While I am no stranger to giving a Gx character a different deck, I generally only do that if they don't have a good deck to compete with these more modernized archetypes. Atticus Rhodes does not have this problem since the sheer number of Red-Eyes support is astounding. While Joey had some support for Red-Eyes back in his day, I personally always see Atticus as the Red-Eyes user.
Additionally, Joey has always seemed like more of the warrior-type kind of guy, so this Joey is using a full-on fire attributed warrior-type deck comprised mostly of Flame Swordsman/Infernobles. Given the Infernobles like to equip themselves, and Joey used quite a few equip cards, I think it's a match made in heaven. They also synergize well with Flame Swordsman. I decided to tie in Joey with Atticus as an explanation on how he became a Red-Eyes player.
Note: Just in case anyone might be unaware, every card used by Joey here is actually a real card made by Konami. Flame Swordsman did get a good number of support cards not too long ago.
The Duelist of Dawn (Ch. 25): Dimitri has really found his groove with his own deck. To be fair, canon Crowler did see a prime opportunity in trying to expell Jaden. Here, that problem no longer persists, so I decided to swing wide by finally giving Mokuba his duel. Yeah, I love the Memento Archetype myself. Peep how The Thunder Dragon in this deck mentions Level 6 or lower, yet we don't have a level 6 Memento. I think that means more support will come.
The Duelist of Dawn: Yeah, Amazoness Swordswoman with Double-Edged Sword is just a wild combo piece. As for Damon, I do think he is a neat character, but there was certainly a room for a lesson here. I think unless you cheat, utilize a card to know, or have magic, no one should be able to accurately dictate what card is in their opponent's deck. Far as I can tell, Damon didn't cheat, he didn't utilize a card to know, and lacks magic. As such, lesson learned.
MerlockVonBaron: I'm sorry, but there is just some good stuff I can do here if I don't skip it.
Threebranch: I know, right? It's just a fun little thing that could happen, so I rolled with it. As for a certain duelist, hopefully this chapter didn't disappoint.
Vital Info: I think at this point we're more or less turning the wheel round and round with the Kai situation. Onto the chapter stuff, Jaden has gotten a duel against Dimitri, and I think the coming duel he's going to get will more than make up for every duel I have taken away from him throughout all this filler stuff. At the very least, I think Jaden would say he and I are square with what he will get. As for DA and NA, the latter isn't going to really matter for the rest of season 1 after the school duel. Still, I'll eventually be returning to them sometime before the Scholl duels happen. After all, I still got to have Chazz duel your oc and Jessie before get to the school duel proper