Chapter 27
A Love Worth Fighting For: Part 3
"Reverberating Soul"
Rebecca was still having no luck accessing Kaiba's Duel Disk tracking system. "I still can't get into Kaiba's satellite." she said, frustrated as she tried again. But finally, she managed to get in as soon as the computer told her that she was granted access. "I did it! I'm in!" she declared. "Good work, Rebecca, now where's Joey?" Arthur replied. "Guys, I'm done waiting. Joey needs help, now!" Rainbow said impatiently. "Rainbow, calm down." Fluttershy said, gently.
"She's right. Without that tracking software in Kaiba's satellite, it'll be like looking for a needle in a haystack." AJ pointed out. "Are Tristan and me the only ones who realize what's going on?! Joey may be on the verge of losing his soul as we speak!" Rainbow shouted. "Rainbow, we know you're worried about Joey, same with Tristan. We know you two are his closest friends, but if we just go wandering around Phoenix, we'll just end up running into more Orichalcos Soldiers." Twilight stated. "Twilight's right. We must have faith that Rebecca can find him." Yami concurred.
"I get that he's been in rather straining situations before, but nothing like this." Rarity said before Rebecca flung open the door. "Guys, I did it! I found Joey!" she declared before handing over a map of the entire Phoenix area. "If the readout was right, Joey isn't too far from here. I marked where he is on this map of the entire area both in and out of the city." she added.
"Alright, I'll take this map and track him down. You move the camper to a safer place." Yami said upon taking the map. "Hold up, partner. You're not going alone." AJ said. "Like the Musketeers used to say, it's all for one and one for all!" Pinkie declared with a goofy smile. "I guess you've all made up your minds. Thank you." Yami said. "You're welcome, your majesty. Now let's go!" Twilight said before they all started heading towards Joey's location.
"What about me?!" Rebecca called. "Sorry, Rebecca, dear. But you have to stay with your grandfather. Duke, think you can keep an eye on things while we're away?" Rarity replied. "Count on it, Rarity." Duke said with a smile. "But I want to go with you." Rebecca protested, but her grandpa disagreed. "We have our own work to do here. Your computer talents are of vital importance." Arthur pointed out. "Rebecca, as soon as we rescue Joey, we'll start heading towards Paradius headquarters so we can rescue Yugi." Yami said.
"Okay, but promise me he'll be okay." Rebecca relented. "He'll be fine, dear. That's a promise from all of us. Just trust us." Rarity replied. "Come on, the others are getting ahead of you two, so go find Joey. He needs you, all of you." Duke said, confidently before they both went to join the others. As Rebecca watched the rescue team race down the street, her grandfather comforted her.
"Don't worry, Rebecca, Yugi will be back safe." Arthur said, encouragingly. "But how do you know?" she asked. "Because I have faith in Yami and so should you." he replied. 'Rebecca seems to be having a hard time forgiving Yami for what happened when he dueled Rafael. She probably thinks he may end up being tricked by Raf again just like before. I hope she's wrong, for the world's sake.' Duke thought.
Meanwhile, the duel between Joey and Valon continued. "You gonna keep holding that card all night?" the cockney Duelist asked. "Not a chance, I can't just play one of the Legendary Dragons without something to fuse him with. Which is exactly what I'm gonna do, by summoning the Rifleman of Landstar!" Joey replied before his new monster, a level three, Earth attribute warrior with 900 attack points and 1200 defense points, appeared.
"Next I'll play Monster Reborn to bring my Rocket Warrior back from the graveyard!" he added before his mechanical warrior took to the field. "And finally, I play Claw of Hermos!" he declared before his legendary dragon appeared. "Finally, I was waiting for you to summon Hermos. This way I can prove I'm truly the strongest of the Swordsmen, by taking it down! So go ahead and use him, Hermos isn't strong enough to break my armor!" Valon declared.
Meanwhile, the rescue team was getting closer and closer. "How far is Joey?" Yami asked. "Just a few more blocks, according to this map." Twilight answered. Suddenly, Yami noticed his legendary dragon was glowing. "Hold on, guys. I think we have a way to know how close we are." he added as he drew the card. "Joey must've played his own Legendary Dragon." Tristan theorized.
Back at the duel, Joey was putting his plan into action. "I fuse Hermos with my Rocket Warrior!" he declared before the two merged to create a new weapon, which turned out to be a level four, Light attribute warrior/fusion/effect monster with 1500 attack points and 1300 defense points. "What is that thing?" Valon asked. "Its called the Rocket Hermos Cannon! The perfect weapon for my Rifleman to take you down." Joey replied as the rifleman took up the rocket launcher.
"You're kidding me, right? That little wimp can't put a dent in my armor!" Valon claimed. "My rifleman ain't looking to make a dent, he's aiming to blow it apart!" Joey replied. "Rifleman of Landstar, fire the Rocket Hermos Cannon!" he commanded before the weapon fired a rocket that split up into smaller rockets right as the Psychic Armor Head told Valon that the attack was unavoidable with a 100% probability of the armor being destroyed. Right on cue, the rockets landed. 'That should do it, the rockets should've blown the armor right off his back!' Joey thought.
The smoke cleared and showed Valon was without his armor and lying on his back. "Bingo! So, you want to admit you've been beaten?" Joey asked, but Valon suddenly started to get up. "No way." he said, weakly. "I may be down, but I'm not out. Thanks to what was left of my armor." he stated. "But that blast destroyed every piece of it." Joey pointed out. "That may be, but the special abilities of each one saved me. And once you destroyed it, you activated its most devastating effect!" Valon retorted.
"You got to be bluffing. You got nothing left and you're about to lose! I'll end my turn here, so go." Joey replied. "I'm not losing anytime soon, because, firstly, my Active Guard kept me from losing life points, and secondly, my Data Brain magic card has some power left." Valon revealed, surprising Joey. "It kicked in as soon as you destroyed my armor." he added. "What's it doing to my Rocket Hermos Cannon?" Joey asked. "The name of my magic card says it all, Data Brain is absorbing information about it. As we speak, my magic card is memorizing the entire molecular structure of your weapon." Valon explained.
"Why?" Joey asked before he got his answer, when a copy of the cannon appeared on Valon's side of the field. "I think seeing is believing, so take a look at what my magic card created." Valon stated. "But don't worry, I'm not done yet." he added before drawing. "You remember this, don't you? The card that never truly goes away, Psychic Armor Head!" he declared before his helmet came back again and equipped itself to Valon's head.
"And just for chuckles, I'll summon another Burning Knuckle." he added before said machine appeared and attached itself to Valon's right arm. "But now, thanks to my new weapon, my Burning Knuckle packs a bigger punch!" he continued before picking up the cannon. "Now to repay you for your unintentional gift, by using it against you!" he shouted before firing the weapon right at Joey's rifleman, sending Joey right into the barrier upon both the rifleman's destruction and that of the Rocket Hermos Cannon.
Right at that moment, both Timaeus and Critias, which Seto and Mokuba noticed glowing, stopped illuminating. "Whatever caused that Fang of Critias card to glow, it must've stopped." Mokuba figured. "It must be Wheeler." Seto replied. Back at the duel, Joey was on the ground and down to his last 400 life points. "Luckily for you, this rocket launcher only stays on the field for one turn. But by the looks of you, I'd say that one turn was all I needed to knock you down for the count." Valon said before the cannon copy disappeared.
"Do you care to surrender?" he asked before Joey started to get up. "Joey Wheeler, never gives up!" the underdog said, boldly. "What?! Look at yourself, mate! You're a mess, barely able to stand up straight. So why not just walk away while you're still able to walk?" Valon replied. "No way. I'm doing this for Mai, cause whether she knows it or not, she needs my help. And in order to do that, I need to win!" Joey stated, clearly not backing down.
'This guy's even tougher than I thought! I've never faced an opponent with this much determination before. After what I put him through, he should've given up by now.' Valon thought, completely flabbergasted. "Time to take control of this duel. There's too much at stake for me to lose, so look out!" Joey said before drawing. Meanwhile, Mai was still searching. 'Wherever you are, you're mine, Wheeler.' she thought.
Meanwhile, at a car dealership, Seto and Mokuba had made a stop. "This is the one, Seto." the youngest Kaiba said when he saw a red sports car. "Alright, but let's go. We don't have time to shop around anyway. Now get in and let's pay Dartz a visit." Seto replied as they both climbed into the car before the owner of the establishment arrived. "Begging your pardon, but why are you two in this car?" the owner asked. "We're buying it, of course." Mokuba answered.
The dealer was in shock. "I have no idea what you're trying to pull, but this car costs $100,000 even! There's no way you can pay for it." he said before Seto got out his check book and wrote out a check and handed it to the dealer. "I believe this should cover it, and keep the change." he said before the dealer saw that the check was written out for more than the car cost, specifically $500,000. All the while, the Kaiba bros sped off in their new ride. "Who was that?" asked the dealer before he saw Seto's name on it. "That was Seto Kaiba?!" he shouted in shock. Meanwhile, the Kaibas were cruising along.
"Smart idea, Seto. This sure beats taking the bus." Mokuba said. 'I have a feeling that Wheeler's in trouble again. But Yugi and his friends volunteered to bail him out, so they'd best hurry. As for myself, I have bigger things to deal with.' Seto thought as they drove on to Paradius headquarters. Back at the duel, Joey was breathing hard. "Too weak to make a move?" Valon asked. "I don't think so. I'll set this face down and end my turn." Joey replied.
"I guess you couldn't find a monster that was strong enough to take me down. That means your life points are wide open, mate. And I've got just the thing to smash them to smithereens and end this duel already. So here goes!" Valon declared before drawing. "I summon my Black Hole Shield in attack mode!" he added before his new creature, a level four, Earth attribute machine/armor/effect monster with 0 attack points, now increased to 500, and 0 defense points, appeared and attached itself to Valon's left arm.
"This gives my Burning Knuckle 200 extra attack points." he pointed out as Burning Knuckle's strength increased to 1100. At that moment, the onboard computer within Psychic Armor Head scanned Joey's half of the field and reported its finding to Valon. "Say goodbye to the rest of your life points, Wheeler. Along with your soul, and Mai's love! And hello to an Iron Fist Uppercut!" he shouted before leaping into battle. "It's all over!" he bellowed.
But as soon as he landed the strike, Joey started to glow. "What the...?!" Valon shouted before the glow faded to show Joey was encased in a suit of red and white armor. "You thought you were the only one with a space suit, didn't you?" Joey asked as Valon returned to his side of the field. As he did, he saw that the face down that Joey set was a trap, and he sprang it. "When you attacked, you activated my Aura Armor trap card!" Joey revealed.
"You got to be kidding me!" Valon shouted in disbelief as the Psychic Armor Head's computer scanned the armor, saying that it was a level four, Earth attribute warrior/token monster with an unknown number of attack and defense points. "I decided the best way to beat you was to fight armor with armor. You see, to activate Aura Armor, I have to give up half my life points. Once I did, the attack you just threw was negated. On top of that, I was able to summon this fancy suit, or as its properly called, a Player Token, to the field and equip it. Those life points I gave up became the attack and defense points for my suit." Joey explained.
"Why don't you try something original?! Nobody likes a wannabe!" Valon shouted. "Don't worry, my armor's different than yours. Its linked directly to my life points, so if I get attacked, I lose. That's the originality of it, now let's keep going." Joey replied. "I see. One more round and one more attack. Last man standing wins the duel. I'm in. I set one card face down." Valon said as he ended his move.
Meanwhile, the rescue team was still on their way. 'Joey must've summoned Hermos, which explains why Timaeus was glowing. But why did the light fade? Was Hermos destroyed?' Yami wondered. Back at the duel, Joey was about to begin his turn. "My move!" he shouted before drawing. "Bingo! I activate this, Roll of Fate!" he declared before a die appeared and started clattering. "Here's how it works; based on the number the die lands on, I can draw that many cards and then send that many cards from the top of my deck to the graveyard." he explained.
The die soon stopped on a four, causing Joey to draw that many cards and then send that same number of cards to the graveyard. 'What's this bloke up to?' Valon wondered. "Alright, I'll keep my turn going with this! The ritual spell known as Red-Eyes Transmigration!" Joey declared. "It's pretty simple, I just have to tribute my Red-Eyes and my Player Token to play my best card!" he explained. "But your Red-Eyes isn't even on the field!" Valon pointed out.
"Not on the field, but he's in my hand." Joey replied before showing the dragon as one of the cards he drew. "Time to show you what the Red-Eyes Transmigration ritual card can do, by summoning Lord of the Red!" he declared before the underdog was surrounded by fire-like energy that transformed into a suit of armor similar to the Red-Eyes Black Dragon, but was really a level eight, Fire attribute dragon/ritual/effect monster with 2400 attack points and 2100 defense points.
"What in the world?!" Valon said in total shock. "What do you think?" Joey asked, but Valon was at a loss for words. "On second thought, I'll give you a closer look!" the underdog declared before leaping into battle. "There's no way out this time!" he shouted. "That's what you think!" Valon retorted before activating his Black Hole Shield. "What's going on?" Joey asked before getting blown back. "Your attack failed. By sacrificing my shield, I protected my life points from any damage." Valon explained as Burning Knuckle's attack points lowered to 900. "No! I thought my strategy was foolproof!" Joey shouted.
"Oh, well. Guess not." Valon replied as he look at his hand. 'I saved myself, but barely.' he thought as he saw his hand trembling. 'I can't believe it. I'm shaking. That's never happened to me during a battle before. This guy's pushing me to my dueling limits.' he added, surprised. 'Come to think of it, this has to be the greatest challenge I've ever faced.' he figured. "You know what, Wheeler? I've got to admit, you've put up quite a fight." he said aloud.
"You, too. But in case you haven't noticed, I'm not fighting for the fun of it. This is about saving someone I love, someone who I'd want to marry someday." Joey replied. Right on cue, Mai showed up. "Well, speak of the devil. Mai, you finally showed up." Valon said as she parked her bike. "You're just in time to catch the ending of the greatest duel I ever fought." he added. "You and I had a deal, remember? Joey's mine to duel!" she stated before trying to get close to him, only for the barrier of the Seal of Orichalcos to prevent her from doing that.
"Don't get any closer." Joey warned. "Look, Valon. You've already done enough, so why don't you break the seal and let me finish this?" Mai asked, sternly. "Sorry, but no can do." Valon replied. "I'm having way too much fun to stop now. Plus, this duel is no place for you." he added. "Why's that?" she asked. "There's too much at stake, and neither Joey or myself will let you risk getting yourself injured like I foolishly did at Industrial Illusions. And there's no way I'll let you risk losing everything you have. That's why I challenged Wheeler in the first place, to protect you." Valon answered.
"I wanted to get rid of him so you could move on with your life and the nightmares about Marik would end. And that's exactly what I'm gonna do." he added. "Well, guess what, guvnor? Even if Mai didn't agree to be my girlfriend at Battle City, I'd fight for the same reason. In fact, that's what I'm doing!" Joey declared. "Then let's get on with it, I can't wait to see what you play next." Valon replied. "You will have to wait, because I'll end my turn by setting a card." Joey said before completing his move.
"Big mistake on your part, pal." Valon said before drawing. "I activate Monster Reborn to bring back Buster Pyle!" he declared before one of his armor pieces returned and attached itself to his right arm, allowing Burning Knuckle to increase its attack points to 1100. "Here comes the last attack of the duel, Wheeler." he added. "Not quite! I activate my Scapegoat magic card!" the underdog declared before his four Sheep Tokens appeared.
"Come on! Those little pipsqueaks can't block an attack from me!" Valon said, thinking Joey was joking. "Well, it's a good thing that blocking your attack isn't what I was looking to do." the underdog revealed, confusing Valon. "What are you up to?" the cockney Duelist asked before Joey surrounded himself with magical power. "My armor has special abilities as well. Lord of the Red has the ability to destroy every monster on the field when two magic cards are played in one turn." the underdog explained.
"Hold on! Two cards?! But you only played one!" Valon said in confusion and surprise. "That's true, but you played Monster Reborn, which counts as the first magic card I needed." Joey revealed, shocking Valon. Joey soon took off into the sky, surrounded by fire-like magic. "I don't believe this! I know your bluffing, Wheeler!" the cockney brawler shouted before Joey nosedived right at his opponent. "There's no way your armor can beat mine!" Valon shouted before matching Joey's punch with one of his own, causing a devastating explosion that wiped out Joey's Sheep Tokens and sent Valon falling, all the while Mai looked on in shock.
Valon then stood up while Joey landed on his feet. "Still think I was bluffing?" the underdog asked as Valon's armor disappeared. "Impossible. My armor's gone. But I still have a few life points left. So this duel is still on, so give me everything you've got!" Valon said, still ready to fight until the end. "If you say so, here goes." Joey replied before drawing and stepping forward, ready to attack. "It's been nice knowing you." he added before charging in to end the game.
"Not so fast, I activate this, Extinction Fist!" Valon declared as his trap sprung. "This card allows me to neutralize any attack thrown at me by a ritual monster right on the spot, allowing me to rid the field of your Lord of the Red." he explained. "It was a good duel, but all things must come to an end!" he shouted before nailing Joey in the gut with the power of his trap channeled into his fist. Joey then got sent into the barrier of the seal before Lord of the Red separated back into the Player Token and Red-Eyes Black Dragon used to ritual summon it.
"I gotta hand it to you, pal. I didn't see that one coming." Joey said as he started to sit up. "Well, that was the point." Valon replied as he breathed heavily while Joey got back to his feet. "My attack wasn't meant to beat you, it was meant to split your Lord of the Red back into the monsters used to tribute summon it." he added as both boys looked at each other, worn out, exhausted and about ready to collapse while Mai watched on. 'This is it. They're both one attack away from defeat. By the start of the next round, one of them will be trapped in the Seal of Orichalcos forever.' she thought.
