Chapter 28
A Love Worth Fighting For: Part 4
"The End of the Fight"
The rescue team kept on running, trying to reach Joey before he lost his soul. But then, Fluttershy stopped. "Hold on, everyone." she said, causing everyone else to stop. "Come on, Fluttershy, this is no time to rest. Joey's still probably dueling as we speak. And if he loses before we get there, he'll be short a soul!" Tristan stated. "That's why I stopped. According to this map of Phoenix, he's close by." she replied. "If that's true, we need to start searching each street until we find him." Rarity suggested.
That's when everyone noticed Yami looking at his Legendary Dragon. "Is something wrong, Yami?" Spike asked. "I'm not sure, but just a moment ago, I could sense the presence of Joey's dragon, Hermos." the ancient one answered before remembering the moment he saw Timaeus glowing. "But now it's gone. I fear that Hermos was destroyed." he added. "You don't think Joey lost the duel, do you?" Tristan asked. "That can't be." Rainbow said in disbelief.
"Rainbow, we can't be sure until we find him." Yami pointed out before they started looking down the streets. Meanwhile, back at the duel, both players were gassed. "I still can't believe how you managed to get out of my last attack, but I've got one more shot to take you down. And there are way too many people counting on me to let you walk away with the victory." Joey said.
"Like you're gonna walk away with it?" Valon asked. "It seems to me that you're barely able to stand, let alone walk, mate. And might I remind you that someone's counting on my victory, too?" he added. 'Each of these numbskulls thinks they're going to help me by winning? Well, I don't need either of their help. All I need is victory over Wheeler!' Mai thought as the Seal of Orichalcos appeared on her head, causing her to have a migraine.
"Since I want to keep this armor on, I'll have to pay the price of half my life points." Joey said as his life points were cut in half, right down to 100. "Then I'll set two cards face down. Let's see what you can do." he added as he ended his move. "With pleasure." Valon replied before drawing. "I'll start my turn by bringing my Psychic Armor Head back from the graveyard." he said before his helmet returned.
"And then I'll play this card, Phoenix Gravitation!" he added. "What kind of magic card is that?" Joey asked. "You should know thanks to Armored Gravitation and Full Armor Gravitation, it allows me to build another suit of armor with parts from my graveyard." Valon explained. "So I bring to the field, Burning Knuckle, Jet Blast Turret, Over Boost and Active Guard!" he declared as his armor parts appeared and attached themselves to him, along with Psychic Armor Head. "My ultimate weapon is back!" he shouted.
"Now, I got to say, it's been fun, Wheeler. But like I said before, all good things must come to an end. And I plan to send you off with a bang right here and now!" he stated. "Your helmet must be on too tight, because you're not paying attention to the two facedown cards I set." Joey pointed out. "Now to reveal what's underneath card number one! Graverobber!" he declared before his little robber appeared with a card in hand.
"Care to guess which card he took from your graveyard?" he asked. "Show me!" Valon replied. "It's Big Bang Blow!" Joey revealed as the robber showed said card. "What?! No!" Valon shouted. "Now to activate my next trap card, its called Take One Chance!" Joey said before his final trap sprung. "This allows me to transfer one card from my graveyard to my field, but its completely random. It's all up to fate." he explained. "Then go." Valon replied.
'There's only one card that can save me now.' Joey thought as he tapped into the Heart of the Cards before picking. "The Claw of Hermos!" he shouted. "But wait, I'm not done yet. Time for the best part, because I fuse my Legendary Dragon with Big Bang Blow!" he declared before the two creatures fused to create a level five, Earth attribute machine/armor/fusion/effect monster with 0 attack and defense points, which attached itself to Joey's right arm like a gauntlet.
"Say hello to Big Bang Dragon Blow!" he declared. "I simply took one of your weapons and made it better." he added. "Just when I think you're at the end of your rope, you come back and pull something like this. I've never fought a duel like this in my life! You're pushing me to be my best. That'll make my victory all the more rewarding. So thanks, and give me your best shot!" Valon said, clearly impressed with Joey's skills and ready to end the duel.
"You got it!" Joey replied before both men charged at each other. "It's over, with Burning Knuckle Strike!" Val shouted. "It's only over for you, with a Big Bang Dragon Blow!" Joey declared before both Duelists collided their fists, creating a pillar of energy that shot straight into the sky. Elsewhere, the rescue team noticed it, finally finding the general area of where the duel was taking place. "Are you all seeing what I'm seeing?" AJ asked. Yami then saw Timaeus glowing.
'It's Joey!' he thought. Meanwhile, both Duelists refused to let up and pushed with all their strength. "You can't win! I've got the power of my Legendary Dragon within me!" Joey stated. "You're pretty good, Wheeler, but not good enough. I'm afraid it's all over!" Valon retorted. "You wish!" Joey said, defiantly. 'Could this duel end in a draw?' Mai wondered. "Time to activate the special effect of Big Bang Dragon Blow!" Joey declared before his Red-Eyes was gone and its energy entered the gauntlet. "By sacrificing my Red-Eyes, I made my gauntlet even more powerful! Now it's able to destroy all the monsters you have and subtract their overall strength from your life points!" he explained before pushing Valon back, WAY back.
All the way back toward the border of the seal, but Valon managed to stop himself before he hit the border. "You did it. You won." the cockney Duelist said, weakly as his life points hit 0, ending the game and sealing his fate. "Congratulations." he added before kneeling. "See ya, Mai." he said a he looked at the girl he tried to steal from Joey. "This is my fault." Mai said, slightly shocked.
"Don't be silly. I caused my own downfall. I thought if I beat Wheeler, I could make you forget about him and the shallow promise he made to be your boyfriend and help you forget about the nightmares from Battle City you've been having." Valon replied as Joey's armor faded. "But now I understand why Joey meant so much to you, the guy's got heart and a lot of spunk." he added. "Valon, wait." Mai said as she walked toward the boarder of the seal.
"Hey, Wheeler. Take care of Mai. And please, for my sake, help her get rid of her nightmares. Save her from madness." Valon said to his opponent, who nodded. Finally, as Mai called his name, Valon fell while the Seal of Orichalcos claimed his soul and sent it to the Doma temple where Dartz was. "Great Leviathan, I sense the arrival of a powerful soul. Let's see who, shall we?" he said before he saw that it was Valon's
"Well, look what the Orichalcos claimed, one of my former Swordsmen. Now it looks like its Miss Valentine's turn to send me a soul, or to give up her own." he added with a chuckle. Meanwhile, Mai kneeled down and held Valon in her arms, begging him to come back. "It's too late. Dartz has him now." Joey said, solemnly while Mai started remembering everything she ever said to him, and shedding tears for it all. "Look, Mai. There's a way to get him back." Joey said as she propped Valon up against a nearby chain-link fence.
"How could he do this? Valon's the one who told me you have to duel for yourself. Then he turns around and fights you for my honor. How pathetic." Mai said before smirking. "He deserved this." she added. "Mai, look, Valon just admitted that he tried to steal you from me to make you his girlfriend. He also found out what dueling is really about, determination and heart." Joey said as Mai stood up.
"He fought like a champion Duelist tonight." he added before Mai turned around. "And here I thought you wanted to destroy him." she said before the Seal of Orichalcos appeared on her forehead temporarily. "Hold on, Valon may have been annoying, but NO ONE deserves to have their soul removed from their body and then held captive by some power hungry, psychopathic cult leader, no matter who they are!" Joey replied, though Mai scoffed.
"You know what, Mai? I realize something; as long as you hold the Seal of Orichalcos and a fragment of the Orichalcos stone, much like Yami did when he battled Rafael, its no use talking sense into you. Now, the only way I can get through to you, is by dueling you. So let's do this!" he added. "I see, so you beat this cockney punk and now it's gone to your head." Mai said as she walked into place just across from her boyfriend. "It's not like that." Joey replied.
"Why else would you be foolish enough to challenge me to a duel?" Mai asked. "Because you WANT to duel me?" Joey asked back. "Oh, you want me to stay true to my mission? Well, thank you for wanting to help me." Mai replied. "Like I said, the only way for me to get through to you, is by dueling you." Joey said after reshuffling his deck and inserting his deck back into the display drive recognizer. "If you say so." Mai replied after activating her Chaos Disk. And so, with their life points set to 4000 and an equally determined 'Let's duel!' the new game began.
Meanwhile, the rescue team was still searching. "We searched every block, but no sign of Joey." Tea said, worried. "I doubt it was the tracking system in Kaiba's satellite, even if he hadn't used it since Battle City." Twilight said. Yami then looked at Timaeus again. "Are you alright, Yami?" Tristan asked before the ancient one looked down the street to his right. "This way! Quickly!" he said before he started running again. "Your highness, wait!" Pinkie shouted as they all started running after him.
Meanwhile, the Kaiba Bros were still driving towards Paradius Incorporated. "I remember looking at the map of Phoenix Rebecca pulled up on her laptop, we're about a block away from Paradius headquarters and so far the coast is clear." Mokuba said. "I think you spoke too soon, Mokuba. It looks like we have some unexpected company." Seto said before Mokuba saw that there were some Orichalcos Soldiers in the middle of the road, causing the elder Kaiba to bring the car to a screeching halt.
"I'll handle this." Seto said before stepping out of the car. "Alright, you boys looking for trouble?" he asked as he closed the car door. "I don't know how you freaks are even real, nor do I know what you are, but I don't have time to stand around, so I suggest you back off." he said before activating his Duel Disk. But the soldiers just kept walking towards him.
Meanwhile, Mai and Joey had just drawn their hands. "Alright, since I'm a considerate kind of guy, ladies first." he said. "Considerate indeed. Now watch." Mai replied before drawing. "I summon my Cyber Harpie to the field in attack mode." she said before her armored Harpie Lady appeared. "That's all, for now." she concluded. "I was hoping you'd say that." he said before he readied to draw, only to find he was still trembling from the previous fight he had with Valon. 'Man, that last duel really did a number on me. I'm exhausted and can barely draw.' he thought before finally drawing.
"This should keep your Harpie busy. I summon Blue Flame Swordsman in attack mode." he said aloud before his monster, a level four, Fire attribute warrior/effect monster with 1800 attack points and 1600 defense points, appeared. But upon its appearance, Joey's eyesight started to get blurry. 'This isn't good. I'm so weak I can't even see straight. But no matter what, I got to stay on my feet and finish this duel.' he thought. "Okay, Mai. It's your move." he said, concluding his turn.
"You just played a monster with the same attack power as my Harpie and then end your turn? Are you trying to match me move for move?" Mai asked. "You better not be taking it easy on me again, Wheeler. I want a real duel!" she stated. "This duel is for real. Believe me, no one's going easy on anybody. In fact, Mai, I'm putting all my heart and soul into this. It's the only way I can get through to you and at least make you remember how I protected you in Battle City, even if you didn't want me to." Joey replied.
"Not trying to save me? Maybe you realized I'm getting along fine by myself and should focus on saving yourself. Guess you finally found out that if you cramp my style, you wind up in a world of hurt." Mai stated. "I understand everything now, Mai." Joey replied, getting her attention. "You forgot what Duel Monsters is all about, so I'm just going to remind you about the Heart of the Cards." he added. "If you think you're going to teach me a lesson on Duel Monsters then you're wasting both your time, and mine." Mai replied before drawing.
"I think its time to double the fun by summoning another Cyber Harpie to the field in attack mode!" she declared before her second armored Harpie Lady appeared. "Then I'll play my Aero Nail magic card, which gives my second Cyber Harpie an extra 300 attack points." she added before her second Harpie's attack points increased to 2100. 'Great, now her second Harpie can tear my swordsman apart.' Joey thought.
"Cyber Harpie, attack his Blue Flame Swordsman with Shadow Nail Slice!" Mai commanded before the warrior was cut in half, lowering Joey's life points to 3700. "As soon as Blue Flame Swordsman is destroyed, I can summon the original in its place thanks to its special ability without the need to fusion summon it!" the underdog revealed before his original Flame Swordsman appeared. "Care to attack again? Or you gonna reconsider?" he asked.
"The choice is obvious. If I attacked you with my original Cyber Harpie, both she and your swordsman would be destroyed. So I'll set a card face down and end my turn. Your move." Mai answered. 'She didn't take the bait, and with both her Harpies on the field, Mai's got the clear advantage. I need a strategy, and quick.' Joey thought before turning his attention to her facedown. 'I got a bad feeling I know what that set card is.' he added, remembering the first time Mai used the Harpie Lady Sparrow Formation trap card against him.
'Last time I dueled against Mai, I didn't fight back because I didn't want her to lose her soul, but it completely backfired. So this time, I'm gonna give it all I've got.' he continued as his blurry vision continued to affect him. "Here I go, Mai. My move!" he said aloud before drawing. "I sacrifice Flame Swordsman to summon Cyber-Tech Alligator in attack mode!" he declared before his new monster, a level five, Wind attribute machine with 2500 attack points and 1600 defense points, appeared.
"Cyber-Tech Alligator, attack the second Cyber Harpie!" he commanded one slash destroyed the creature, bringing a surprised Mai's life points down to 3600. "Not too bad, I must admit. And, finally, you're giving me a real challenge! But you're gonna have to do better than that, because instead of my Aero Nail magic card going to the graveyard, I can use its second effect to equip it to my original Cyber Harpie!" Mai declared before her weapon appeared on her original Harpie, increasing its attack power to 2100.
"Fine, I'll set one card face down. Now give me your best shot!" Joey said, finishing his move. "You're pretty confident for someone who's about to lose. Now stand back, its my move." Mai said before drawing. "Looks like I drew it." she said with a smirk. "You mean...?" Joey asked. "Yep. I play the Seal of Orichalcos!" Mai replied before activating the forbidden field spell.
Meanwhile, the rescue team looked up and saw the seal appearing in the sky. "Oh, man. Joey!" Tristan said, worried that things were about to get worse for him. "Valon must've played the Seal of Orichalcos." Yami figured, unaware of what happened before. "This means both players' souls are on the line." Twilight added. "Then let's double-time it!" Rainbow shouted before they all headed towards the area where the seal was played. Meanwhile, said seal encircled both players.
"Now that we're both locked in the seal, only one of us will be able to leave. No one can come rescue you now. Just you, me and the most powerful magic card that's ever been created." Mai said as the seal appeared on her forehead. "I know. I was expecting this." Joey replied. 'Now that the Seal of Orichalcos is on the field, whatever evil magic Dartz put in her mind just got stronger and made her as evil as Marik. But I know that the real Mai Valentine, the one I love, is in there somewhere. And I'll set her free, no matter what it takes.' he thought.
"Alright, now I summon another Cyber Harpie to replace the one your gator destroyed." Mai said before her third and final Cyber Harpie appeared. "And as you remember when you dueled Valon, the Seal of Orichalcos makes my two harpies 500 attack points more deadly." she added as her first Harpie's attack points increased to 2600 and the second one had their attack points increase to 2300.
"Cyber Harpie one, tear his gator to shreds with Shadow Nail Slice!" she commanded before Joey's cyborg reptile was destroyed, lowering his life points to 3600. "And now, its time for my second Harpie to take a swing!" she declared. "Hold your harpies, Mai! I play Scapegoat!" Joey revealed before his four Sheep Tokens appeared. "Now you'll have to go through them to get to me." he added. "You've used that card since Battle City, so forgive me for not being shocked." Mai replied.
"I activate my trap, Nightmare Tri-Mirror!" she declared as her trap sprung. "If you remember the last time we dueled, it can cast a reflection of your four Sheep Tokens and create four Copy Tokens! So thanks to you, I have four more harpies added to my flock!" she said before her Copy Tokens appeared and turned into Cyber Harpies, enhanced with the power of the Seal of Orichalcos just like the second one. "Now, I attack one of your Sheep Tokens with my second Harpie!" she declared before the little furry creature was destroyed.
"Luckily for you, my four new Harpies can't attack until my next turn. So I'll take a break, for now. But you better think of some new tricks, Wheeler, because I've seen them all before in Duelist Kingdom, Battle City, the last time we dueled and in the final moments of your duel with Valon. Hear me?" she continued. "Loud and clear. And don't worry, I have a few twists in mind." Joey replied.
"You should know by now that your bluffs won't work on me. You're going down and then I can move on at last. There's nowhere to run, Wheeler." Mai responded. 'Don't worry, I'm not planning on running away. I'm gonna keep fighting until I break through to you, Mai. Or lose my soul trying.' Joey thought, ready to fight until the bitter end.
