As you and the other contestants made your way off the boat and stepped foot on the island, Pegasus' men made sure to confiscate all of your trunks or extra cards that you had brought with you. A few of the other contestants kicked up a fuss at that, but there wasn't a lot they could do, and Pegasus' men did assure them that their cards would be cared for.
Heh, guess they should have just gotten good and won the Nationals if they wanted to know about this little rule beforehand.
As you handed your trunk to one of Pegasus' men, you made sure to give the guy a stern stare and warning that you knew every card in there and their condition by memory, something he just nervously gulped at as he very carefully grabbed hold of your case.
After it looked like there was a little bit of time before you were all led up to the castle, you looked around and wondered if you should approach any of the other contestants for a quick chat.
Hmm, it was too early to torment any of the dweebs, and the randos weren't worth your time, and at the end of the day, no matter how well he performed, Mako still lost at the Nationals.
With that in mind, you decided to make your way over to who just may end up being your biggest competition in this.
"Yo! Yugi, Joey!" You say with a wave as the group looks over at you and blinks.
"Ah, Makoto, need something?" Joey asked casually, before suddenly sneezing as a full-blown shiver seemed to run through his body.
You blink at that. "Ah, I was just looking to pass some time while we waited, you good man? Look kinda sick." You asked concernedly.
Joey just wipes his nose as he answers. "Ah yeah, it's fine, just a bit cold after what that little leech pulled." He said, frustration coating his voice.
You raise an eyebrow at that, guessing who it was he was referring to. "Ah, Weevil pulled some shit? What happened? Haven't heard about anything." You questioned.
At that, the third dude with a sharp haircut stepped forward and answered. "That bug threw Yugi's Exodia cards off the side of the ship, and this genius here jumped off the side to try and get 'em," he said, knocking his head towards Joey.
Your eyes shot wide open at that. "Holy fuck, that's messed up. Are you all good?" You asked worriedly, looking them over.
"Yeah, thankfully Tristan and Tea were still on the ship and managed to throw a ladder down, so me and Joey were safe." Yugi answered while shuffling on his feet.
Goddamn, you knew Weevil went out of his way to get every advantage he could get, but stealing 5 Secret Rare cards and destroying them? And nearly killing two people in the process? That was a whole other level.
… Though admittedly a part of you couldn't help but be relieved hearing that you wouldn't need to deal with Exodia.
Joey grunted as he finished blowing his nose. "That guy… Swear if I get my hands on him, he'll regret ever being born!" Joey shouted out while thumping his chest.
You just nodded in agreement with that. "Dude deserves it; he's always been a fuckin' parasite." You finish with a scoff before looking over at the two new faces. "Ah, but I'm being rude. My name is Makoto Yuzuki; pleasure." You say, giving both of them a nod as you do.
The sharp-haired dude stepped forward. "Tristan Taylor, and same." He finished while the cute girl then stepped forward.
"And I'm Tea Gardner. I'm the one who makes sure these knuckleheads don't go and get themselves killed." She joked as she looked back at the rest of the group.
In response you just chuckled. "Well, with what I just heard, it sounds like a full-time job." You lamented.
From there you and the others casually chat for a few minutes; slowly any tension that came from talking to the competition seems to fade.
"I gotta admit Makoto, when I saw you going for that little worm's throat on TV, I thought you were kinda a dick, but now I see he deserved that and more." Joey commented, knocking his shoulder against yours.
You just laugh awkwardly at that, playing it up slightly. "Haha, yeah, I guess I DID go kinda full force at the end there, but I have to admit, with all the cameras and everything, I was kinda nervous, so I just went 110%." You say with a chuckle.
Tristan just nods at that. "Yeah, like a heel in wrestling, everyone loves a good bad guy."
Before you and the others could continue your conversation, one of Pegasus' men finally stepped forward and announced you should begin making your way to the castle.
"Ah, looks like this is where we part ways. Hopefully I'll see you guys in the finals." You say, shooting them a wink before turning and making your way to the castle.
But as you stood at the bottom of the stairs and looked up, you couldn't help but sigh.
… Did Pegasus really need to have so many fucking stairs?
As you all arrive at the entrance to the castle, Pegasus appears on the balcony, giving a quick speech before explaining the rules, ending off with there being a 1-hour grace period before any duels commence.
Hmm, they obviously wanted everyone to spread out on the island a bit.
Well, with that in mind, now would probably be the time to start putting any plans you had into action.
-x-X-x-
Well, first off, it's time to do what you do best and piss some people off.
Walking to the front of the crowd, you turn to face them and cough loudly, drawing all the attention to yourself.
"Okay, you bunch of fucking losers! We ALL know I'm going to win this, so if any of you idiots have the slightest bit of sense, you'll make this easy for me! I'm about to make my way to a Duel Arena. You can follow me and come get your ass kicked so we can hurry this along, or you can all be a bunch of cowards and enjoy your time running and hiding. Your choice." You finish off your speech with the absolute smuggest and most insufferable smirk you can make, making sure to look Rex and Weevil over in particular and giving them a wink, knowing they already have a bone to pick with you.
As you walked through the crowd, you revelled in the glares and murmurs they shot your way as you began to make your way down the long-ass staircase once again, but tellingly enough, you only heard a single pair of footsteps following behind you.
Looking over your shoulder, it looked like Dino Boy was the only one who took the bait.
"Ha! Looking to embarrass yourself again, Rex?" You taunt as you continue to walk, Rex following along behind you with a snarl on his face.
"In your dreams! I'm gonna crush you straight away and prove what happened at the semi-finals was a fluke!" He raged from behind you.
You just chuckled as you continued moving, a destination already firmly in mind that you could take the most advantage of. "Heh, that's what they all say, lizard brain. I wonder what excuse you'll start spouting when you lose this time?"
Rex just grunted at that but chose not to respond, following along silently.
After around half an hour you finally arrive at your destination, a cave that leads into an underground cavern that hosted the DARK Duel Arena that had been noted on a map you were given in your Nationals tournament prize.
As you make your way inside, Rex looks around, obviously nervous. "W-Why are we going in a cave? I'm sure I saw a different Duel Arena on the way here." He managed to get out.
You just smirked over your shoulder at him and continued to walk, eventually arriving at the Duel Arena.
"Ah, and here we are! Just in time too; it looks like we have about 5 minutes till the grace period ends." You say, looking down at your watch before turning to face Rex.
"So! What stakes are we doing, lizard boy? Do you want to go all-in with 2 Star Chips, or are you gonna be a bitch and just bet 1?" You taunt, baiting him into choosing the former.
Rex gritted his teeth at that, glaring at you even harder.
"I want more than your goddamn Star Chips! I want to prove to the world I'm better than you! I want your Hades!" He yelled out, heat in his voice.
You just raised an eyebrow at him. "And why the fuck would I do that? Obviously I'm going to win, but what's in it for me to even entertain the idea?" You ask seriously.
From what you saw in the Semis, there was nothing Rex had that would make you care to risk Hades; after your duel with Kaiba, you had started holding him a lot closer to your chest.
Rex grunted at that and reached down for his deck box tied to his belt, reaching in and pulling out a card before turning it to you.
"I'll bet you this!" He exclaimed.
.
------>
.
Ooooh… Now that might make this worth considering.
"Oh? Looks like you actually managed to pick up something worth a damn." You exaggeratedly hum, placing a hand on your chin as you thought it over. "Hmm it's still probably not worth my Hades but not like I'm gonna lose, so sure, I'll be a nice guy and take that nice rare card off your hands." You say with a smirk as you hear a barrage of fireworks go off outside the cave.
"Ah, looks like it's time to get started, not getting any second thoughts now are you lizard brain." You taunt.
Rex just grunts and shoves past you, getting on to the Duel Arena platform. "In your dreams! Now unless you wanna bitch out and run hurry up and let's get this started!" He yells out as he takes 2 Star Chips from his glove.
Ah looks like he was taking the 2 Star Chip bet as well, goodie.
Making your way over to the other side of the Arena you steady yourself as the platform raises, taking 2 Star Chips off your glove and placing them on your field as it begins to light up.
"Come on then Rex! Let me enjoy sending you to hell one final time!" You yell out as your first official duel of Duelist Kingdom begins!
Rex scowls as your insult but for the moment you just ignore him and pick up the top card of your deck, getting Polymerization.
Hmm not a bad thing to have on hand, and while Ritual Raven and Clausolas could probably fuse you'd much rather save Raven for Hades.
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-------->
.
So for now you-
Keep it simple.
"To start us off I Normal Summon Clausolas! And set one card face-down!" You yell out as you place your cards on the field.
Rex scowls as he sees your monster, before his eyes REALLY widen as he looks down and sees its ATK.
"Wha- 2990?! Why's it so high?" Rex questions, gritting his teeth as he looks across at you for answers.
You just grin over at him in response. "Oh? Did you not know? As National Champion I got a few rewards for winning, one of them was a full rule breakdown of Duelist Kingdom, one of which being that every Duel Arena corresponds to certain Attributes and gives them a 30% attack and defense buff." You say in a singsong tone.
Rex's eyes widen even more at that as he looks around. "So that's why-" He suddenly cuts himself off with a snarl. "That's dirty!" He yells to you.
You just continue to shoot him the smuggest grin you can before shrugging. "Heh, it's your fault for losing Nationals, if you weren't such a goddamn failure maybe you'd have gotten to learn the rules beforehand." You taunt.
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------->
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Rex's face goes even redder at that, before drawing and looking at his hand.
"I'll show you who the failure is! I activate my Painful Choice!" Your eyes shoot open at that.
Painful Choice was a pretty rare card, Rex really had been doing some deck improvements if he had both this and a Red-Eyes.
As Rex digs through his deck to find your choices you can't help but dig at him a bit.
"Heh, look at you! A Red-Eyes AND a Painful Choice? You really should be thanking me for wiping the floor with you if it led to this kind of improvement." You see Rex's eyes narrow at that, but he chooses to ignore, merely laying out the cards he had chosen.
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------>>
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Hmm, just some beaters (Including your new card) and a Rush Recklessly, though it did seem Rex has improved his monster line-up.
But ultimately at the end of the day he was still too focused on big numbers, it seems, so you just chose to add Megazowler to his hand.
Though as you did, you watched a smirk make its way across his face.
"Ha! Not so smart after all are you?! You've just fallen into my trap!" He exclaimed out in glee before slapping down a Premature Burial.
"With this I choose to revive MY Red-Eyes Black Dragon!" He screamed as you watched with trepidation as Red-Eyes appeared on his side of the field, promptly getting boosted by the field power bonus to 3120 causing his smirk to widen even more.
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------>
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"Heh, looks like this Arena doesn't only help you! Now, I Normal Summon my Meteor Dragon!" He said as a somewhat awkward looking dragon with a meteor as a body appeared on his side of the field.
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------>
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Hmm, while it DID have wings it didn't exactly look capable of flight, should you risk activating your Trap Hole?
It was probably best to apply some pressure here, if Trap Hole went through Rex would be left with a measly 300 Life Points, and knowing him he'd open himself up to you snatching the game through a misplay with that.
"Not so fast Dino Breath! I activate my Trap Hole!" You yell out as slowly a hole started to appear beneath the Meteor Dragons feet, and thankfully it seemed about to fall in rather than fly above it.
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-------->
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In response though Rex only grinned. "Ha! I've been controlling this game from the very start! I activate Polymerization from my hand!"
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------>
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As the two monsters on the board began to fuse together, Meteor Dragon being pulled out right before it could fall into your Trap Hole you had one thought.
…How much fucking money had Rex spent on all this?
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---------->
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You watch in worry as slowly a new monster appeared in place of the other two, and your worry only grew as you looked down and saw it had an ATK stat of 3500.
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---------->
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…Okay, you need to start taking this seriously and fast, thankfully it was a FIRE Attribute monster and not a DARK otherwise you genuinely didn't know whether you'd be able to get out of this.
Oblivious to your thoughts Rex's grin only spread wider, obviously relishing in this. "Whose the failure now!? Go my Meteor Black Dragon! Attack! Inferno Devastation!" You brace for impact as his monster shoots a fucking meteorite from its maw, crashing into your Clausolas and causing an immense explosion as you took 510 damage.
Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! You weren't about to fucking lose to fucking Rex Raptor! You were fucking Makoto Yuzuki! Japanese Champion! Favorite to win this whole thing!
But as you looked up at his titanic beast only fear shot through you and you could feel your palms begin to sweat.
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-------->
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There was only one card you could rely on, it had always been like that, ever since you had gotten him he had only let you down once, but you knew, deep inside your soul that he would never fail against Rex fucking Raptor.
You take one last deep breath, close your eyes, put your hand on top of your deck, and then draw…
You look down and see…
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---------->
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Unbidden a smirk comes to your lips.
'…Knew you wouldn't let me down partner'
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--------->
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You look over at Rex who scowled as he saw the smirk on your face.
"You're just trying to get in my head! There's nothing you have that can beat my Meteor Black Dragon!" He yelled out, slamming his hand against his pod.
Your smirk just widened at that. "I guess we'll see…"
You begin your combo, knowing deep inside your heart this was the final turn.
"First of all I activate my Heavy Storm! Destroying your backrow!" You watch as a giant tornado engulfed the entire thing, flipping up Rex's set card and revealing Trap Hole.
Hmm it wouldn't have stopped you but better to be safe than sorry.
Though before the tornado could die down a few sparks from Meteor Black Dragon seemed to get caught in the typhoon, setting it alight and turning the entire thing into a fire tornado.
You hissed as you looked down, watching your Life Points drop by 300, though thankfully Rex's did the same.
As the storm died down Rex only smirked. "Heh, my Meteor Black Dragon is so hot that it'll burn you depending on which cards you use, it doesn't matter what you do by the end of this turn your Life Points will be so low that you won't be able to do anything even if you get another turn!" He yelled out, assured of his victory.
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--------->
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Even as you watched Rex's joy you could only feel your lips begin to tremble.
Rex, obviously taking your shaking for rage began to mock you. "Awww don't tell me you're gonna start crying?! Actually, please do! Just let me get a camera first!" He yelled out, an abundance of glee in his voice.
"Hehehe…" You begin to lightly snicker. "HehehahahahaHAHAHAHAHA!" Your snickering only raises until it eventually morphs into a full blown cackle as you double over your Duel Pod, tears streaming down your face
Rex's face just tightened as he heard your laughter, growing more and more frustrated as it only got louder and louder, bouncing and echoing between the walls of the cave.
"WHATS SO FUCKING FUNNY?! YOU'RE ABOUT TO LOSE!" He screamed at the top of his lungs, slamming his clenched fist into his duel pod.
"I-It's' just… heh… it's that you think I need another turn." You say, wiping your eyes as your laughter slowly begins to die down.
Rex recoils at that, as if you had physically struck him. "W-What?! You're bluffing! There's no way you can beat my dragon!" He roared.
You just shake your head at that, almost feeling laughter rising to the surface once more before you manage to get control of it. "Ha…. I guess I'll just have to show you then won't I?" You say with a smirk as Rex begins to look visibly agitated.
"First things first I activate my Pre-Preparation of Rites, allowing me to add a Ritual Spell from my deck to the hand, and I'm sure you know what I'm getting." At your words Rex's face morphs from agitation to downright looking ill, visibly paling as he watches you add the card.
"S-S-So what?! You need 8 levels on the field to summon your Hades! And right now you have a fat 0!" He yells out as he grips the side of his pod.
Your smirk only grows at that, transferring to a maniacal grin. "That's the thing Rex! You're not the only one who had some upgrades! I Normal Summon Ritual Raven!" You yell out as your little buddy appears on your side of the field.
Rex rapidly blinked at that, obviously not having expected this. "T-Thats it? That pathetic little thing is only level 1! It can't be used to summon Hades!" He yelled out confidently, back straightening a little.
You throw your head back and let out another laugh at that. "Ha! I guess to a fucking pea brain like you who can only look at big numbers it appears that way, but my little buddy here has an effect, as long as its used for the Ritual Summon of a DARK monster it can fulfill all the requirements!" You yell out, your grin only growing as the moment draws closer and closer….
Rex's eyes widened. "Then that means-!"
"That's right! I activate my Rites of the Underworld! Tributing my Ritual Raven to summon-!" Your cheeks begin to hurt from how wide your grin has gotten, your heart racing a mile a minute in anticipation of the fear, terror and pain that will appear on Rex's face soon enough.
"HADES! LORD OF THE UNDERWORLD!" At your proclamation, death finally appears.
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Now… it's time to make him suffer for humiliating you.
You practically quiver in pleasure as you watch Rex begin to shake in fear as he beheld his God, his Death.
"I-I-It doesn't matter! My Meteor Black Dragon still has more attack points!" He yelled even as his body shook.
You quivered again, revelling in his humiliation. "HAVE YOU ALREADY FORGOTTEN YOU WRETCH!? THE FIELD POWER BONUS RAISES THE ATTACK OF ALL DARK MONSTERS BY 30%! RAISING MY HADES ATTACK TO 3640!" You practically drool as you watch Hades ATK raise, a dark aura enshrouding him, his shadow seeming to encase the entire cave.
Rex's shaking only intensified at that, stepping back and almost falling out of his pod as he did so.
"S-So what! I'll still survive! Then I can make my comeback!" He barely managed to get out.
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-------->
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Your eyes just brightened at that. "Oh? Will you now?" You whisper, and you can swear you taste the coopery taste of blood on your tongue.
At your whisper the ghostly form of Clausolas appeared, slowly beginning to circle around Hades.
Rex's eyes widened as he witnessed it. "W-Whats happening?!" He questioned as the form finally seemed to settle behind Hades.
You just raise an eyebrow with a smirk. "Do you not know? Hades is the lord of the dead, of course he can call upon the soul of the monster your beast destroyed in battle to assist him." You bare your teeth as you continue. "In layman's terms, my Hades attack is raised by 1150 bringing him up to 4790, and you know what that means right?" You say, drool slowly spilling from your lips.
Rex doesn't answer, he can't. He has no choice but to look Death in the face, and he does the only thing humans can in the face of their end.
Pray.
"HADES!" You scream, your voice echoing deep within the recesses of the cave, pleasure, euphoria, glee and hint of madness being the only things to come through . "END HIM NOW! UNDERWORLD JUDGEMENT!"
At your order the world goes black, and when you finally deem light able to return there is nothing left of Rex's monster, Rex looking wildly around for any trace of what happened, only for a long dark shadow to fall over him.
As he looks back he witnesses his Meteor Black Dragon, made purely of primordial Darkness staring down at him, judging him and ultimately…
Finding him wanting.
And with that it falls upon him, engulfing Rex in complete darkness.
All the while you just look on, glee on your face as the wretch disappears.
…
…It was good to be Champion, but it would be even better when you were the King.
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--------->
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(250 DP from defeating Rex)
As your platform slowly came down, you also come down from the pleasure filled haze that you were in, taking a deep breath to pull yourself together and make your way over to Rex.
As you look over, you see him curled up in a ball on the lowered platform of his pod, hands clenched so tightly that his fingernails were drawing blood.
…A part of you wanted to prolong his suffering, enhance it, tell him what a small cretin he was, that he was an embarassment to the game and an active insult to you just by the fact of his existence.
…But ultimately, he wasn't worth the effort, there was stronger and more worthy prey out there for you to hunt, so you merely stepped over him like the stepping stone he was and grabbed your 2 Star Chips and your Red-Eyes.
As you added the 2 Star Chips to your gauntlet, you contemplated what to do next, you had hoped to catch a few more fish with that bait at the castle but it appears you were out of luck.
You could throw Rex out and continue waiting, or explore the cavern some more, perhaps abandon the cave all together and go hunting.
The world was your oyster.
-x-X-x-
Ultimately you decided to keep it simple, after promptly kicking Rex out and into the arms of Pegasus' men you decided to hang out at the entrance to the cave and try to draw in more victims with your charming personality.
Unfortunately the dark Duel Arena was pretty far out, and with the tournament just starting you didn't manage to pick up much traffic except for 1 guy.
He went down like an absolute chump, but unfortunately you didn't manage to get him to increase the Star Chip bet from the standard one.
…Though that's not to say you got nothing out of the duel, you finally managed to pull off one of the Wildcard fusions, fusing your Magician of Faith and your Ritual Raven to make Black Omen Witch.
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A great card all round, and one you were more than happy to have in your deck.
Bored out of your mind, you sat against the cave entrance, waiting for the next schmuck to come along.
Just as you were about to head back in and start exploring, you saw a group of four in the distance. "Oh-ho?" Was that who you thought it was? You didn't think he'd have gotten an invitation.
Quickly bouncing to your feet with a smirk, you made your way over, making sure not to be seen.
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"Well, well, well, who do we have here? Bandit Keith in the flesh," you said as the three fodder jumped and turned to face you, while Keith turned more casually.
"I asked who's asking, but I think everyone knows about you, Japanese National Champ, Makoto Yuzuki." He said as he stepped past his goons.
Your smirk just widened at that. "Heh, I wish I could say 'American National Champ Bandit Keith,' but you haven't held that title for quite a while now, have you? After Pegasus humiliated you, I thought you'd dropped the game entirely. Who's the American National Champ now? Some little girl, isn't it? They obviously upgraded." You taunted, watching Keith's face redden.
"Watch it, punk! Unless you wanna see that I still got it," he growled, taking a threatening step towards you.
"Oh? And what if that's exactly what I want? You might actually make me have to try compared to 90% of the fodder on this little island, including your boys here." You egged him on further, hoping to get him fired up enough to follow you toward the DARK field.
It seemed your taunt worked a little too well, as his goons suddenly stepped forward.
"Who you callin' fodder? I should wipe the floor with you right now!" The big lug threatened, shaking his fist.
"Yeah! You're not worth the boss's time, ya hear!" The red-head chimed in with an Australian accent.
You just raised an eyebrow at the runt as he stepped forward to continue, causing him to cringe and take a step back.
Keith stepped forward at that, a smirk spreading across his lips. "Hmm, now there's an idea. How's this sound? You beat one of these three right here, and then you and I duel. Prove yourself worthy of facing the champ." He suggested.
You threw your head back and laughed. "Ha! Me against one of these guys? What's in it for me? Don't think you're slick, Keith. You obviously wanna scope out my deck before you and I duel; that's why you're throwing down this little challenge."
It was transparently obvious. He wasn't as slick as Mai was when she did it. And well, you weren't as 'distracted', so that may have made it more apparent.
Keith continued to smirk and nodded toward the red-head. "You see, Sid here actually managed to get his hands on a particular card while on the ship. Show him, Sid." He ordered as the red-head awkwardly fumbled with his deckbox before pulling out a certain spell.
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---------->
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"....Okay, now I'm interested. What are you proposing, exactly?" You questioned, immediately getting serious. You really wanted that card. Not only would it make summoning Hades easier, it would also allow you to use your Black Luster Soldier.
Keith's grin widened, seeing you take the bait. "Simple. A little ante-duel between you and Sid here. The winner gets the loser's best card and the rest of their Star Chips. How's that sound?"
Your eyes darted down to the fodder's Duel Gauntlet, seeing he still only had two Star Chips. It wasn't a fair deal—far from it—but you really wanted that card.
Your greed gets the better of you ultimately, that card was already yours, they just didn't know it.
You shrug and grin. "Eh, suppose I can slum it up a bit, but on one condition, I get to choose the Duel Arena, that sounds good?" You questioned.
Keith's eyes narrowed behind his shades at that, obviously trying to figure out your angle.
Ha, looks like it wasn't only the red-head running around with 2 Star Chips, none of them had dueled yet, and that meant they had no idea about the Field Power bonus rule, otherwise Keith would have known straight away what you were angling for with this.
"...Sure, that sounds fair enough, lead the way." He eventually conceded as you just smirked, turning and making your way back towards the cave.
As you walked you heard the group muttering behind you, couldn't pick up all of it but by the sounds of it the red-head wasn't a fan of being put up in an ante-duel against his will.
Though all chatter stopped the minute you entered the cave and led them to your Duel Arena.
You turn to them and clap, smirking as the fodder jumps at the sound. "How's this then? I gotta admit I enjoy the aesthetic of this area, where I've done all my dueling so far."
Keith looked over at the pitch-black Duel Arena before chuckling and shaking his head. "Heh, didn't think that fruit basket woulda went for this kind of look, but it doesn't matter, now Sid! Get up there and duel!" He yelled to the red-head as you made your way to the other end of the Duel Arena.
As you both get into position and the platforms rise up you can't help but smirk over at your next victim.
"Heh, looks like you followed the wrong man, he's led you to your doom." You taunted as the red-heads face reddened to match his hair.
"You don't know anythin'!" He yelled out.
"I guess we'll see…" And with that you both placed your deck down and drew, the duel had officially begun.
The mook just grunts as he draws for turn and looks at his hand.
"I summon Stone Ogre and set 1 card face-down and end my turn!" He yells out as a large stone man with 1600 ATK points appeared on his side of the field.
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A pretty simple opening move, now, time to see how you'd squash this bug.
You draw and get Mirror Force.
Nice, could help in the long ter-
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--------->
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"I activate Drop Off!" He yells out as he activates his trap.
…Annoying.
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-------->
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You grunted as you discarded your Mirror Force, with this joke of a duelist quickly looking behind him and informing Keith of your card.
As you looked down at your hand and considered your plays your eyes shot open, quickly checking his side of the field once again and indeed, sitting there was just a lone 1600 ATK monster all on its lonesome.
"Hehehe-"' You begin to laugh, as what was about to happen became apparent.
"HAHAHAHAHA!" You laughed like a mad man, bending over your side of the Duel Arena and quickly grabbing it to stabilize yourself, all the while your opponent's face just gets redder and redder.
"What's so funny!?" He screams in rage, his voice cracking.
"Calm down Sid! He's obviously trying to psyche you out, don't let him get to you and you'll be fine." Keith said, trying to assure his lackey.
You just let out a few more chuckles as your laughter begins to die down. "Is that so? Well, I guess I should show you what's so funny, shouldn't I? I summon Tri-Horn Dragon in attack mode!" You yell out as your beast appears.
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----------->>
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Keith and always of his lackey's eyes widen as they behold your card.
"What!? Where the hell did you get a card like that?!" Ketih yells out in disbelief as he looks upon your monster.
You just smirk at him. "Heh, one of the perks of being an actual National Champion." You boast as your opponent begins to look distinctively nervous, something Keith himself obviously notices.
"Stay calm kid! He'll bite out a big chunk of your Life Points but you're still in this!" He encourages and that just once again awakens your laughter.
Keith grinds his teeth, obviously not appreciating your cackling. "What's so funny this time!? Even if you have a Rush Recklessly that still won't be enough to take out Sid!" He yelled out, causing your howling to get even louder.
"Who said anything about needing another card!?" You yell out and watch in glee at the horror on your opponents face as your dragon shoots up to 3705.
"Wha- What's happening boss?!" Soup desperately looks back at Keith in desperation, who could only watch in disbelief.
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----------->
.
You grin, luxuriating in their expressions as you begin to explain. "Duelist Kingdom has this nifty little rule you see, each of the Duel Arena comes equipped with an in-built field depending on the location that boosts the corresponding monster's attack by 30%!" You yell out as Keith's eyes widen.
"Thats why you-"
"That's right! The minute you stepped into my den you were already trapped! Now Keith watch as I finish your little disciple! Go Tri-Horn Dragon! Triple Draconic Burst!" You command, watching in glee as energy begins to build up at the end of both Tri-Horn Dragons claws and his throat, enjoying the way Sue began to sweat and tremble as he watched your monster.
.
------------->
.
"Now! Fire!" At your final order Tri-Horn Dragon unleashes his attack, the beams of energy combing mid-air into an even larger attack, blasting through his pathetic monsters and immediately wiping out all his Life Points in one fell swoop.
As Keith faces reddens and he begins to yell at Sum you can't stop yourself from throwing your head back and beginning to cackle. Reveling in your foes embarrassment as Keith berates him.
(100 DP from beating Sid)
As your cackling began to die down, you looked over at Keith with a smirk.
"Well, Keith? How'd you like my deck?" you taunted, finding it hilarious that his entire scheme had only given him information on two of your cards. Admittedly, they were good ones, but two cards from your entire deck was nothing.
You then looked at the red-head and smirked. "And you, fodder! Toss me over my Advanced Ritual Art now. I don't feel like walking all the way over there to get it."
The red-head nervously glanced at Keith, who just gritted his teeth and nodded. The goon then grabbed a card from his hand and tossed it over with a flourish. You reached out and nimbly caught it between your fingers, looking down at the perfect card.
Now, you just had to figure out how to quickly modify your deck while Keith took his place.
-x-X-x-
As you finish adjusting your deck you look over as Keith as he replaced Sud.
"So Keith! What's our bet, you wanna wager all of your two Star Chips?" You taunt, knowing that Keith must only have two if he didn't know about the Field Power Bonus yet.
For some reason though Keith's eyes just glinted at that. "Yeah I'll wager all my Star Chips and you only need to put up two, but how 'bout this in return? If I win I get to grab that fancy Ritual Monster of yours, and the spell, but if I lose you get my entire deck? How's that, sounds fair to you?" He finished up.
…Damn, betting his entire deck? Dude must really want your Hades, and he WAS a national champ, he was bound to have some rare cards on him…
You just bark out a laugh. "Ha! As if! Nothing in your pathetic deck is worth even just Hades Ritual Spell, let alone both, so, stakes are two Star Chips each then." You finish.
Keith just clicks his tongue. "Apparently so, let's get on with this then!"
At that you both lay out your deck and draw your hands, the duel was officially on!
"I think, since your lackey went first last time, it's only fair I do this now, so I draw!" you yell out and pick up the top card of your deck.
.
----------->
.
Not bad—a bit monster-heavy, but it's better than having an entire hand of backrow.
"Unlike your goon, I'm not dumb enough to potentially get OTK'd, so I'll set one monster face-down and end my turn!" you yell with a smirk, making sure to look over at the redhead as you insult him.
.
----------->
.
Keith smirks as he draws. "Heh! We'll see about that! I activate Curse of Fiend! Turning your monster to attack position!" he yells as your Germ flips face-up, causing you to grunt in frustration.
...Okay, he has cards to force your monster into ATK, something to keep in mind, especially with Scapeghosts and Old Vindictive Magician in hand.
.
---------->
.
As you finish that thought, Keith throws down his first monster. "I summon my Mechanicalchaser!" Keith's grin widens as he watches his Mechanicalchaser's ATK jump from 1850 to 2405.
"Ha! Looks like you're not the only one who can take advantage of this Duel Arena!" he taunts with a smug grin.
Your fists clenched in frustration.
Oh, you'll show this has-been what happens to those who mock you...
.
------------>
.
"Go, Mechanicalchaser! Get that eyesore of a monster out of my face!" he screams as his monster surges forward, spear pointed directly at your Germ, piercing through it and dealing 1105 damage to your Life Points.
"Not so fast, Keith! My Germ has an effect! When it's destroyed by battle, I can summon another copy to my field in attack position and deal 250 damage to your Life Points!" Even as you summon your final Germ, Keith keeps a smug grin on his face as your Life Points drop.
"Heh, is that all? Did anyone else feel a breeze?" he taunts as his lackeys cheer him on like the sycophants they are.
...God, the least he could have done is have his cheer squad be cute girls.
.
----------->
.
You shake that thought off and draw, getting Monster Reborn.
.
----------->
.
Hmm, a good card without a doubt, but it doesn't have any immediate use right now. Thankfully, you have other plans...
You already have a play in mind.
"I summon my Patrician of Darkness! Remember, Keith, this is MY domain! So my Patrician's attack is raised all the way to 2600!" you yell as a blue-skinned vampire appears on your side of the field.
.
----------->
.
Keith grimaces as he looks at your monster. "Damn! Another rare card…?" he mutters quietly, while you just smirk.
"Heh, I'm not washed up like you. That Mechanicalchaser is nothing compared to the beasts still lurking in my deck! Go, my Patrician of Darkness—Devouring Darkness!" At your command, your Patrician transforms into a shadow before surging forth and encasing Keith's Mechanicalchaser, crushing it until it collapses inward. Patrician returns to your side of the field as Keith's Life Points drop by 195.
Keith grunts in frustration as his Life Points decrease—the sound music to your ears.
.
--------->
.
"Ha! Don't throw in the towel just yet, Keith! I'm not done with you!" you say, placing Monster Reborn into your backrow.
.
---------->
.
Keith smirks as he looks at his draw. "Ha! You might not be done with me, but I'm definitely done with you! I summon my—"
.
---------->
.
"Blast Sphere!" he yells, as an explosive-looking device appears on Keith's side of the field.
...Oh fuck, this was the card he used against Dakota in the National match. If you remember correctly...
"Go, Blast Sphere! Attach to his Giant Germ!" It suddenly flies forth, latching onto your Germ and digging its claws deep inside.
.
---------->
.
Keith's smirk widens as he looks at your expression. "Heh, I think by your face you already know what's about to happen, but I'll explain anyway. When summoned, Blast Sphere attaches to one of your monsters, and during your next turn, it'll explode! Dealing damage to you equal to the difference between my Blast Sphere's attack and your monster's attack. With your Germ's pitiful 1300 ATK compared to my Blast Sphere, that's 1600 damage coming your way! More than enough to wipe out the rest of your Life Points! Well! Whose the has-been now?" he yells, as his cronies cheer even louder for him.
But you can barely hear them—just desperately looking at your hand for a solution.
…But there isn't one. If you're going to survive this, you'll need a Miracle Draw…
You grit your teeth, frustration building as you place your hand near your deck, knowing it's probably a stupid move but somehow trying to will the perfect card into existence—one of the few that could save you…
"DON'T COUNT ME OUT YET, HAS-BEEN!" you yell as you rip the top card off your deck and look down at it…
Tribute to the Doomed!
.
------------>
.
A part of you almost despairs for a second, but then you remember one of the other Duelist Kingdom rules: monsters equipped to other monsters are still treated as monsters, capable of being used for fusion, ritual materials, or targeted by spells and traps!
"TALK ALL YOU WANT! NOTHING CAN SAVE YOU NOW! BLAST SPHERE! EXPLODE!" Keith yells in excitement, certain of his victory.
"NOT SO FAST! I activate Tribute to the Doomed! By discarding one card from my hand, I can destroy one monster on the field, and I choose your Blast Sphere!" You discard your Red-Eyes to set up a potential Monster Reborn play, watching in relief as, just as it's about to detonate, bandages wrap around the Blast Sphere containing the blast.
Keith snarls as he watches. "Neat trick! But while it's acting as an equip card, my Blast Sphere's attack is treated as 0—that means I take no damage!" he grunts.
.
------------>
.
…That was too close. You need to end this quickly. Keith obviously has a bunch of nasty tricks up his sleeve, and you have to finish him now.
"Just means I get to play with you longer! I set one monster face-down and end my turn!" you say, setting your Old Vindictive Magician. If you're really lucky, Keith will overextend here, and you could win in one fell swoop with her effect.
.
------------->
.
"Heh, you're right, there's no need to rush this. I'll savor watching you realize you never had a shot at victory!" Keith grins as he draws. "I set two cards face-down and end my turn," he finishes with a smirk.
.
---------->
.
You draw and get Polymerization—good, that could come in handy soon.
.
-------->
.
You immediately realize you need to deal with that set. In all likelihood, it's a Cyber Jar. If Keith manages to flip it, you lose no matter what.
"I flip summon my Old Vindictive Magician and activate her effect! To destroy one monster you control!" Your Magician fires a blast of energy from her staff at Keith's set monster, destroying it and revealing Dekoichi—not Cyber Jar.
Keith scowls as his Life Points drop to 855.
.
---------->
.
...Okay, deep breath. It wasn't Cyber Jar, but it's still good to get rid of it. Keith is so close to losing.
But you can't get cocky. Until his Life Points hit zero, this duel isn't over. You need to be at your absolute best.
"Heh, a bit old to be playing with toy trains, aren't you, Keith? Then again, maybe being a kid is a requirement to be the American Champion," you taunt, causing Keith's face to redden.
"But for now, I'll set one card face-down and end my turn!" you yell, fists nervously clenching.
.
-------->
.
Keith draws, then for some reason starts shuffling his hand.
…Nervous tick? Maybe he doesn't have anything.
Eventually, he stops, gives his hand one last look, then plays a monster.
"Gigantos! Show this runt not to mess with me!" he yells as a blue, ball-shaped monster with an axe head and two flails for arms appears, its ATK rising to 2210.
"But that's not all! I equip my 7 Completed to Gigantos, raising its attack by 700!" You watch nervously as Keith's monster's ATK jumps to 2910.
…This is fine. You'll use Patrician's effect to redirect the attack to Germ, getting some chip damage, then next turn, you can revive Red-Eyes and fusion summon for a big monster to finish Keith off.
Your heart rate begins to slow as you plan.
.
------>
.
Keith smiles as he looks at the board. "Well, I'd like to say this has been fun, but you've just been a pain in my ass! Go, Gigantos! Destroy that old bitch!" he yells.
"Not so fast! My Patrician of Darkness effect allows it to hypnotize your monsters and choose the attack target. I declare my Giant Germ!" you counter, as your Patrician attempts to shoot a ray at Keith's monster.
Keith smirks wider as he witnesses your effect bounce off its metal skin. "Heh! Woulda look at that—my monster's a machine, idiot! Of course, your vampire loser can't hypnotize it!"
.
------------->
.
Desperately, you do the only thing you can.
"I ACTIVATE POLYMERIZATION! FUSING MY OLD VINDICTIVE MAGICIAN AND PATRICIAN OF DARKNESS SO SHE DODGES THE ATTACK!" you shout in panic. Just before your Magician is destroyed, she is pulled into a swirling void with Patrician. From that void, eventually, steps…
.
---------->
.
.... A hot young witch?
.
-------->
.
Keith growls as you narrowly avoid defeat yet again. "Grr, fuck it! Fine! Giganto, destroy that fucking bimbo!" As Keith's monster changes course, swinging and bisecting your defense-position monster, you look down, seeing that you can activate an effect.
As you read what you can do, your eyes widen. "My Young Vindictive Vampire effect activates! When she's destroyed, I can destroy one card you control! And I choose your bucket of bolts—Vindictive Spite!"
.
--------->
.
At your command, your Vampire's soul seems to escape her body before suddenly shooting forward, trying to penetrate Giganto's metal shell.
"IT'S NO USE! MY GIGANTO'S SHELL IS TOO SOLID FOR YOUR MONSTER TO PENETRATE!" Keith yells, slamming his hands down on the Duel Arena. You bite your lip and watch silently, praying.
Right as you're about to give up hope, your Vampire finally manages to get through. Both you and Keith watch with wide eyes as his monster slowly begins to rust and corrode—first its flails fall to the ground, then its axe head slides off. Finally, the blue ball that makes up its body explodes in a great fireball, blowing backwards and wiping out the rest of Keith's Life Points.
.
------------->
.
You throw your head back and begin to laugh in relief.
Thank God! Holy shit—that was by far the closest game you've had on this island. Looks like becoming king wasn't going to be as easy as you thought!
"YOU THINK THIS IS FUCKING FUNNY?!" Keith suddenly yells, bringing you back to reality. You look at him as he reaches into his jacket and—
(300 DP from beating Bandit Keith)
-x-X-x-
After you finish up 'dealing' with Keith, How much are your emotions and feelings still being amped by Hades when Mai leads in a familiar group?
98 = 98
You see it.
Its ours…
We suffered for it…
we died for it…
The Items…
WE NEED IT.....
…Take it Makoto
.
------->
.
-x-X-x-
- He suddenly pulls out an actual fuckin' gun and points it at you.
"IT FUNNY NOW, ASSWIPE?! I'M BANDIT KEITH! THE AMERICAN NATIONAL CHAMP! I DON'T LOSE! NOT TO YOU, NOT TO PEGASUS—NO ONE!" he screams, practically foaming at the mouth in rage, as even his own goons freeze up at the sight of their boss wielding a gun.
For now, you decide to play it cool, raising your hands above your head. "Easy now, man. Do you really want to risk getting arrested over this?" you ask, trying to keep your voice calm.
Keith's eyes narrow even further. "Arrested? Oh, how little you know, twerp. Now, get your ass down here." He then glances at his goons. "Keep an eye on him and make sure he doesn't pull anything funny, got it?" he growls, as his men exchange nervous looks before awkwardly following his orders.
You scan the area for any escape routes, but unfortunately, Keith's lackeys are standing in front of the only exit.
As you step off your platform, Keith follows, gun still trained on you. "Now, bring your ass over here," he orders. You grit your teeth in frustration but have no choice but to obey.
"First things first—I want your Duel Gauntlet," he demands. When it looks like you're hesitant, he jerks the gun in your direction. "Hurry it up! Or do you want a hole in your forehead?!" he yells.
...Stay calm. If you get out of this, you can just report what happened to Pegasus's men. Surely, the Duel Arena has surveillance. Giving up your glove means nothing.
Reluctantly, you take off your glove and toss it to Keith, noticing that he doesn't have one of his own. Instead, he puts yours on, and inserts the 2 Star Chips you had won from Sid.
Your eyes narrow. "...You're not supposed to be here, are you? Why else wouldn't you have a Duel Glove of your own?" you ask confidently.
Keith smirks. "Finally figured it out, dipshit? Now, next, I want your deck—"
No
Suddenly, an almost physical weight fills the air, and your pulse begins to race at the thought of this scumbag touching your cards with his disgusting fingers.
Your eyes narrow as red encroaches on your vision. You'd sooner feed this wretch to dogs than put up with his insolence for a second longer.
"...Here's what's going to happen, dog," you hiss, slowly approaching him even as he keeps his trembling weapon aimed at you. "You will return my glove, run out of here, and throw yourself at the feet of Pegasus's men—begging to be removed from this island and out of my sight for the rest of your miserable life."
Keith swallows nervously, trying to work up his nerve. "A-and why would I do that? Just in case you're stupid enough to think I won't shoot, I'd wisen up real quick if I were you!" he yells, waving the weapon even as his body trembles.
The shadows seem to close in as you continue. "Because if you don't, I'll ensure the rest of your existence is filled with suffering and humiliation. I'll make what Pegasus did to you look like child's play." Your tone is final, giving Keith one last chance to escape.
But something in your words seems to set him off. Suddenly, he grabs his gun with trembling hands, trying to steady it, and points it directly at your forehead.
"YOU THINK YOU'RE BETTER THAN ME?! IS THAT IT?! BECAUSE YOU'RE NOT! I'M BANDIT KEITH! THE BEST DUELIST IN THE WORLD, AND THIS WILL PROVE IT—"
As he tries to squeeze the trigger, he blinks in confusion—it won't fire. Looking down, he notices his finger is no longer on the trigger.
He blinks again, and pulls his hand back, looking at it and nothing it was covered in an oily black substands he rubs his hand against his pants in an attempt to wipe off the oily black substance, and finally, when he's at least partially cleaned it, he looks down in horror.
His hand, devoid of fingers.
"AAAAAARGH!" Keith shrieks in pain, dropping to the floor and cradling his hand. He blinks at the wet sensation beneath him, realizing it's a puddle of the same black oil that covered his hand.
You approach, kicking Keith's body so he lands on his back and placing your foot on his chest. You watch as the liquid begins to eat away at him.
"...I did warn you, didn't I? I gave you the chance to crawl away with your life like a dog. You have no one but yourself to blame for your foolishness," you say matter-of-factly, gazing down with dark satisfaction as more of Keith is consumed.
"P-P-Please! I-I'm sorry! I'll go! I promise!" he begs desperately, unable even to feel the pain anymore.
You shake your head in mock pity and click your tongue. "Oh no, no, no, Keith. It's far too late for that. That fact that an ingrate like you had the gall to demand something from me—there's a price for arrogance."
You keep your foot on his chest to prevent him from moving as he continues to writhe and beg.
But slowly, his writhing stops; his words die out, and eventually, there's nothing left of Bandit Keith but a black puddle on the floor, along with a few cards that must have fallen from his deck box, and finally your Duel Glove.
You lean down, first retrieving your glove and securing it back in its rightful place, then collecting the cards Keith dropped—trash, though Barrel Dragon and Zoa at least had some potential.
As you store the cards away, you hear footsteps approaching as you feel yourself slowly coming down.
Hmm, his dogs must have run away in fear—they were certainly wiser than their master.
You smile as Mai enters your lair, followed by Joey and his friends.
"Hey, gorgeous—thought we were gonna meet in the final—"
Your voice is cut off as you see it.
.
----------->
.
---
You see it.
It's ours…
We suffered for it…
We died for it…
The Items…
WE NEED IT…
…Take it, Makoto.
---
You wanted it…
"…Hey Yugi, wanna duel?"
"Oh, this was just TOO perfect."
That was the only thought running through Maximillion Pegasus's mind as he watched what was about to unfold through connecting one of his cameras to his Millennium Eye. Yuzuki-boy's little bit of Shadow Magic was disrupting the camera's signal to his castle, unfortunately, but well — the Millennium Eye had always come in handy for situations like these.
Watching Yuzuki-boy deal with that simpleton Bandit Keith had been more than satisfying, as if the man would ever have set foot on his island without his knowing. But letting a few outside actors into the pot always made things more exciting, and his little gamble had more than paid off with the show he'd been provided.
He knew those tablets he'd found in Greece held a wealth of untold power, but he had been disappointed by the results when he'd finished turning them into cards — each barely had a fraction of the power of the Millennium Items, nothing that could help with his plan to revive his darling Cecelia. So, when he heard one of his employees had taken off into the night with them, he had shrugged his shoulders and decided not to pursue them.
Still, when he saw Yuzuki-boy use Hades during the National Championship, he was surprised by the power he felt emanating from it — still much weaker than the Millennium Items or the God Cards, but stronger than it had been before.
It seems that the Olympus XIII need to synchronize with a duelist to unleash their full power. How unfortunate. If he had known there was more to them, he would have gone to greater effort to recover them.
Nevertheless, he supposed he could try to recover them after he gets his hands on the Millennium Puzzle. His "understanding" with the Rare Hunters would soon end once it became clear that he was pursuing the boy's Rod, so there was no more reason to play nice.
But for now — time to turn his attention back to the present. Little Yugi-boy was about to confront Yuzuki-boy.
Ahh, it was such a good day.
—---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As you led the little twerp squad into the cave where Handsome had apparently set up base, you can't help but smirk to yourself.
You can't wait to see Wheeler get humiliated. He gets lucky once and practically has his hand held by Yugi through the entire match, then suddenly thinks he's better than you? In his dreams, maybe. But it would look pathetic if you challenged him to a rematch and screamed about how unfair it was — so this is a nice little backup plan.
Before your thoughts can continue, you suddenly hear screams coming from ahead of you, getting closer fast. Before three nobodies barrel past you all, nearly knocking the losers over as they sprint past.
Wheeler blinks as he looks at the fleeing trio. "Uh, what do you think has those guys so spooked?" he asks the cheerleader.
Ooh, Handsome makes this too easy!
You smirk as you answer him. "What do you think? The duelist I'm leading you to must have annihilated them and left them running with their tails between their legs. Let's hope you do a little better, Joey. You wouldn't want to get TOO embarrassed here, would you?" you say coyly, turning around and beginning to walk again as they quickly rush to catch up.
…Man, you get the feeling this place probably has an arena that boosts his DARK monsters, but you don't know how he can stand being in here with all the dead air and the heavy atmosphere. You feel like you're on the verge of suffocating.
As you enter the cavern where the three losers had been running from, you finally see Handsome standing by a pitch-black Duel Arena. He looks up at you with a smile as you enter.
"Hey, gorgeous — thought we were gonna meet in the final—" He suddenly stops, looking at something behind you. He freezes in place for a few seconds before abruptly opening his mouth and continuing.
"…Hey, Yugi, wanna duel?"
You blink at the sudden challenge, and the dweeb patrol does the same, stepping up beside you — all except little Yugi, who is only looking at Handsome with a serious expression.
"Actually, Handsome, I was wondering if you'd like to duel little Joey here. Think of it as a favor for me," you say with a wink, an unspoken promise in your words. But Makoto seems to ignore you completely, his eyes focused directly on Yugi.
"I don't mind kicking the dog afterward, Gorgeous. but for now, little Yugi here has something I want…" He trails off as he slowly approaches, an almost ominous aura surrounding him.
Joey growls and takes a step forward, clearly upset at being called a dog, but Yugi throws an arm out to stop him, then steps forward himself — tall and confident, just as he was when facing Weevil.
"…I take it you're not talking about my Star Chips," Yugi says confidently as Makoto stands directly across from you all, a cruel smirk plastered across his face.
You blink, confused. What could he want but Star Chips?
Makoto must know what he's talking about, though, as his smirk just sharpens even more.
"Glad to see you're quick on the uptake. That'll save us some time. I want to duel you for that nice necklace you've got there," he states, and you can practically hear the greed in his voice as he gazes down at Yugi's pendant with pure desire.
…You're a bit offended. He hadn't even looked at you with that much desire when you'd been standing in front of him in nothing but a towel.
Sure, Yugi's necklace was a nice piece of jewelry, but you don't think it warrants this much of a reaction.
The sharp-haired dweeb steps forward, fists raised. "No way! That Puzzle means everything to Yugi! I know you like to play the heel and everything, but this is too far!" he exclaims, making a move to step closer like Joey did before Yugi halts him.
"Stop, Tristan!" Yugi says firmly, stopping Tristan in his tracks — clearly not expecting to be spoken to like that.
"…Why should I take you up on this offer?" Yugi asks, redirecting his focus back to Makoto.
Makoto continues to smirk, then nods at something behind you.
"Well, if you'd like to leave this cavern for one…" he says, smugness radiating in his tone.
You and Yugi's little cheer squad blink and look behind you, just to see the passageway you entered from leading into deep darkness.
…Okay, it was certainly dark in here, but not enough to be pitch black like that.
Tea steps forward to investigate, reaching her hand into the void, trying to feel for anything solid. She eventually slides to her knees and places her hand on the floor.
Or, at least she should have touched the floor — instead, her hand just went straight down, as if the entrance really did lead to an infinite void.
You're starting to get a bit worried here. This goes way beyond your little aroma strategy…
Yugi's eyes narrow as he glares at Makoto, who still has that smug smirk on his face.
"…You leave me little choice, it seems. Fine, then — I accept your terms," Yugi says, striding toward one of the Duel Pods.
Before he can move, Joey grabs his shoulder, stopping him. "Yuge, you can't! I don't know what's happening, but something's off with this! And I know how much the Puzzle means to you!" Joey says firmly, squeezing his shoulder.
Yugi glances behind him with a gentle smile that quickly shifts into a smirk of his own. "It's fine, Joey. All I need to do is win this duel, and we'll all be free. I sense a dark force influencing Makoto — with my victory, he should hopefully be freed from it as well," Yugi finishes, shrugging off Joey's hand and continuing his approach.
Makoto lets out a bark of laughter as he turns and begins to make his way to his side of the arena.
"Ha! How confident! But don't worry, Yugi — once I've taken my Puzzle from your neck, I'll let you and your friends go. I even promise not to hurt you!" Makoto smirks as his platform rises.
"…Much," he adds, with a wicked grin.
Yugi's eyes narrow even further as his platform stabilizes. "…We shall see. Now — let's duel!" he yells, and with that, the duel begins in earnest.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As the duel begins, you can't help but wring your hands nervously. Yugi is good, but this is the National Champion — and something weird is going on…
You glance behind you at the void. It doesn't just feel like empty space; the longer you stare into it, the more it seems like something is trying to burrow inside your skin. Even just remembering the sensation makes your skin crawl.
Your eyes snap back to the field as Makoto starts.
"Hmmm, there's no need to rush this. Let's savor this duel, eh, Yugi? I set two cards face-down and end my turn!" Makoto says, a cruel smirk on his face.
…You're not sure what to think of him, honestly. When you watched the finals and saw how he degraded and insulted Weevil, you thought he was just some jerk. But then at the docks, he seemed like a genuinely nice guy — and with what Weevil did, you found it hard to hold his actions against him.
But now? He wants to steal Yugi's Puzzle. And Yugi says he's being influenced by a dark power. It's all just too much for you to wrap your head around. So, for now, all you can do is cheer Yugi on.
.
-------------->
.
"Hmph, don't think I'm so naive as to not realize where we are, Makoto. This Dark field undoubtedly boosts the attack of all Dark Attribute monsters. Unlucky for you, I have a few such beasts of my own — like my Horn Imp! Come forth!"
As he finishes speaking, a gremlin-looking creature with a horn appears on Yugi's field. Its ATK is then boosted.
"Ah!" Tristan exclaims, slamming his fist into his palm in realization. "This is that Field Power Bonus thing — like what happened against the fish dude, right, Joey?"
"Mm-hmm," Joey affirms, eyes locked on the duel. "Looks like it. And some of Yugi's heaviest hitters are Dark, so this should be a cakewalk for him!" Joey cheers.
Mai steps forward and sighs. "Don't be stupid, Wheeler. Even if you haven't watched the Nationals, it doesn't take a genius to guess that a guy staying around one single Duel Arena probably has a deck that works well with that Arena."
Before the discussion can continue, Yugi jumps back into action.
"Go, my Horn Imp! Attack his set monster!"
At his command, Yugi's Horn Imp leaps forward and slashes Makoto's set monster.
.
----------->
.
Revealing a disgusting Germ monster, which then proceeds to explode, sending a brown cloud billowing past Yugi's Horn Imp and directly toward him. Yugi quickly blocks it by crossing his arms, but still takes the damage, lowering his Life Points by 250!
Makoto smirks as Yugi lowers his arms, rubbing his hands together in satisfaction.
"Nice try, Yugi, but you just destroyed my Giant Germ. When it's destroyed by battle, it deals 250 damage straight to your Life Points. But that's not all—"
.
---------->
.
"—It allows me to summon another copy directly from my deck in Attack Mode!" Makoto yells out, as another disgusting blob appears on his field, its ATK swiftly rising to 1300.
.
------->
.
"Hmph, cheap tricks, Makoto! You'll have to do much better than that if you want my Puzzle!" Yugi says, setting one card face-down and ending his turn.
.
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Makoto's grin widens even further, practically all teeth now, at Yugi's words. "Oh, I'll show you better, Yugi! Come now! Show this fool what we can do! - Tri-Horn Dragon!"
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You can't help but gasp as you look at Makoto's monster. Hearing Joey, Tristan, and even Mai do the same only makes your horror worse as you witness its ATK rise to an astonishing 3705.
"Ha! How's this, Yugi? Good enough for you?!" Makoto screams in glee, eyes wide with excitement, soaking in every inch of Yugi's reaction.
Yugi grits his teeth, beads of sweat tracing down his forehead as he stares at Makoto's dragon.
"Perhaps you encountered the dogs I chased off during your entry into my realm! This is how I decimated them — in one turn!" he boasts confidently, his grin growing wider with each word.
"Now, let's finish this! Tri-Horn, end this with Triple Draconic Burst!"
As Makoto's monster begins to charge its attack, you can't help but look to the others for reassurance. But they all stand frozen in fear, unable to move.
"FIRE!" Makoto yells in excitement, spittle flying from his mouth as he slams his fist down on his Duel Pod.
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"I ACTIVATE MY SPELLBINDING CIRCLE! ENTRAPPING YOUR DRAGON AND STOPPING ITS ATTACK!" Yugi yells as he activates his trap card. A large magical circle appears, blocking the blast, then encircles Makoto's dragon, stopping it in its tracks and reducing its ATK by 700 points.
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You can't help but sigh in relief and slump slightly, your heart pounding from such a close call.
"Aww, right! Yugi's countered it! I didn't doubt him for a second!" Joey exclaims in support, even though you saw him frozen in fear just a moment ago.
Mai steps forward, biting her thumb as she inspects the field. "Even so, all Yugi's done is buy himself a little time. Even with its attack lowered, that dragon still has more ATK than the Blue-Eyes White Dragon. All Makoto has to do is destroy the Spellbinding Circle, and Yugi's toast," she points out, and your heartbeat starts to race again at that.
Tristan sweeps his arm confidently. "It doesn't matter! Makoto won't get the chance! Yugi will wipe that nasty dragon out on his next turn, just watch!" he declares, though you notice sweat running down his face and his eye twitching.
Makoto scowls as he looks at his board. "So what?! You saved yourself for just one turn! My dragon will be free soon enough, and then you're dead!" he yells, setting one card face-down before turning his Giant Germ to defense and ending his turn.
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Yugi smirked as he looked at his draw. "I told you, didn't I, Makoto? I have more than a few beasts capable of taking advantage of your shadows! Come! My Summoned Skull!"
Yugi yells, as the monster that had taken out Weevil's nasty moth appears on his field. True to his word, its ATK is immediately boosted from the Field Power Bonus all the way to 3250!
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"Now, go, my monster! Destroy that dragon! Lightning Strike!" Yugi orders confidently. His Summoned Skull absorbs lightning, then unleashes an enormous bolt of energy toward Makoto's trapped monster.
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instead of looking worried, Makoto's ever-present smirk just widened. "Ha! You fool! You fell for my trap! I activate Dust Tornado!" he declares. "Targeting your Spellbinding Circle, restoring my dragon to its full might!"
Just before the attack hits, a giant tornado surrounds Tri-Horn Dragon, tearing apart Yugi's Spellbinding Circle. As the attack lands, Makoto's field is lit up and enveloped in smoke.
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"Now, go, my dragon! Counterattack!" Makoto screams, but after a few seconds with no response, he looks down at his field in confusion as the smoke clears.
"What?! What happened to my Tri-Horn?! Your Summoned Skull shouldn't have been able to destroy it!" he snarls, as it becomes clear that Makoto's dragon is nowhere to be seen.
Yugi smirks and chuckles at Makoto's reaction. "Perhaps you should pay more attention to my field than your own," he suggests, causing Makoto's eyes to widen as he looks down at his Duel Pod. Meanwhile, you glance up at Yugi's field and finally notice a faint sparkle emanating from Summoned Skull's horn.
"Horn of the Unicorn?! When did you activate it?!" Makoto demands, his face turning red with rage as he glances across at Yugi, who just laughs.
"While your vision was obscured by your Dust Tornado, I activated Horn of the Unicorn, boosting my Summoned Skull's attack by 700 points—more than enough to beat your dragon's 3705 ATK. Speaking of…"
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As Yugi finished, a sudden bolt of electricity shot forward, striking Makoto and causing him to cry out in pain as he bends over his Duel Pod, eyes widening in surprise.
"...T-That hurt…?" he mutters, seeming confused for a moment before his expression hardens.
"Who cares if it hurt! Who cares if you destroyed my dragon! It doesn't change the fact that you're going to lose this duel—and your Puzzle—to me! Now, continue your turn, Yugi!" Makoto demands, his face almost appearing crazed.
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Yugi shoots Makoto an almost pitying look. "...How pitiful. So consumed by your own greed that everything else is washed away," he states solemnly. "For now, I switch my Horn Imp to defense and end my turn."
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Makoto's expression darkens at Yugi's almost pitying tone, his face twisting into something almost feral with hostility. "Pitiful?! I'll show you what pitiful really looks like, Yugi! When I have you sprawled on the ground while I hold the Puzzle in my hand! Then we'll see who the real pitiful one is!" he snarls furiously.
You glance over at Mai, concern etched across your face. "Do you have any idea what's going on, Mai? He wasn't like this when we talked to him at the docks…" your voice trails off.
Mai bites her lip, gazing up at Makoto with a troubled expression. "...Honestly, I don't have a clue. I haven't known him that long myself. It's well known that during duels, he likes to get under his opponents' skin—some even say he can be cruel. But I always thought it was just an act he put on for the stage. Until now, nothing's given me reason to question that."
Before either of you can say more, Makoto makes his move.
"I summon my own Summoned Skull!" he declares. Instantly, a dark figure appears on his side of the field. But this Summoned Skull looks different from the usual—darker, almost sadistic in appearance, with a redder hue that seems to radiate a sinister energy.
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"Now Summoned Skull, attack the pretender! Thunder Clap!" Makoto commands as his Summoned Skull begins to absorb electricity.
"What's he thinkin'?! Yuge's monster has way more juice!" Joey questioned, confused.
Mai's eyes just narrowed. "I wouldn't be so sure about that" She muttered, still biting at her thumb.
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Right as Makoto's Summoned Skull unleashes its attack, he smirks and activates another card. "I activate Heavy Storm! Destroying all spell and trap cards on the field and boosting my Summoned Skull's attack by 50%!" Makoto yells with a grin.
A massive typhoon sweeps across the field, destroying Yugi's Horn of the Unicorn and Makoto's own set trap, while simultaneously empowering the lightning-infused Summoned Skull he summoned.
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You had to hold onto Mai as the fierce winds buffeted you, nearly knocking you off your feet.
"W-WHAT'S HAPPENING?!" you shout over the howling winds, watching Joey and Tristan crouch down to stay steady. "I THOUGHT THESE WERE HOLOGRAMS!"
Mai raises her arm to shield her face from the gusts. "They should be! I don't know what's going on!" she replies urgently.
You look up just in time to see Makoto's attack about to hit Summoned Skull.
"Yugi! Yuge!" you, Joey, and Tristan yell out in worry.
"Don't forget, Makoto! My Summoned Skull channels the lightning as well, giving it a 50% bonus!" Yugi yells, raising his voice over the storm. His Summoned Skull glows with a massive surge of electricity, shooting forth lightning of its own. The attack strikes Makoto's monster, destroying both amidst the chaos, and the winds finally begin to die down.
You stagger to your feet, panting and almost out of breath as you recover.
Makoto clicks his tongue, glancing over at Yugi with a scowl. "Tsk, I was hoping you wouldn't catch that…" he murmurs quietly to himself. "Whatever. I end my turn with that."
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"Hmph, don't take me for the amateurs and children you normally torment," Yugi states as he draws his card. Makoto scowls at the taunt, but before he can respond, Yugi continues.
"I summon my Curse of Dragon in attack mode! Now, go! Attack his Giant Germ—Fireball Attack!"
At Yugi's command, his Curse of Dragon unleashes a fiery blast, destroying Makoto's Giant Germ. A brown wave of energy surges forward, hitting Yugi and reducing his Life Points by another 250.
Tristan narrows his eyes, confused. "Why would Yugi attack his monster if it just hurts him?" he asks, glancing at Joey for an explanation.
Joey perks up, clearly eager to explain, but just as he opens his mouth—
"The rules of Duelist Kingdom say that if you end your turn without summoning and have no monsters on your field, you lose," Mai cuts in smoothly. "Since Makoto only has two cards left, Yugi's probably trying to win that way—or at least make Makoto waste more resources."
Joey pouts, his opportunity to show off stolen away.
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"Now I set one card face-down and end my turn," Yugi finishes.
"...So, Yugi's winning?" you ask, looking over at Mai, even as Joey's pout just gets larger from being ignored.
Mai tilts her head for a moment before shaking her head. "Yugi is definitely in the lead right now. While Makoto has more Life Points, Yugi's way ahead on advantage. But I wouldn't count Makoto out yet — you don't become National Champion by immediately losing the minute you're pushed into a corner." Mai finishes, causing you to bite your lip and look back at the arena worriedly.
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Makoto looks at his hand, surprisingly calm considering how he had been for most of the duel so far. "I set two cards face-down and end my turn. Enjoy the calm before the storm, Yugi. Soon enough, you'll find yourself facing only despair," Makoto said, a chilling note in his voice as he looked across at Yugi.
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Yugi just smirks at that as he draws. "Hmph, make all the threats you wish, Makoto. Until you act on them, they are just empty wind. But for now, go—my Curse of Dragon! Fireball!" Yugi yelled, throwing his hand in the direction of Makoto's set monster.
As the fireball approached, the card flipped itself over, and four monsters quickly separated to dodge the attack.
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Aww, they were really cute! You couldn't help but smile as you watched them bounce around the field happily.
…But wasn't this bad? If Mai was right and Yugi was trying to win by destroying all of Makoto's monsters, then it would take him four turns to do so! Makoto could mount a comeback in that time.
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Yugi just chuckles as he looks at Makoto's field. "Heh, as cute as your little friends are, I'm not so foolish as to allow a Ritual Duelist like yourself to be left with so many monsters on the field." Yugi reaches down and activates his set Spell Card. "I activate Burning Land! By comboing it with my Curse of Dragon, I can destroy all monsters you control! Go! Land Consuming Flame!" Yugi commands as Curse of Dragon lets out a huge wave of flames.
You can't help but cry out as you watch all the little cuties get roasted, the sight almost bringing a tear to your eye.
…You guess it was a smart move, but that doesn't mean you have to like it.
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Makoto scowls as his plan is foiled, bringing him one step closer to defeat. He's left with one card in hand before drawing.
"Not so fast, Makoto! My Burning Land has a secondary effect! During each of our Standby Phases, we will both be bathed in fire and take 250 points of damage! Now go, Burning Land!" Yugi commands, prompting a fireball to shoot out of his Spell Card, heading straight for Makoto, who just scowled with a hint of fear in his eyes.
"I activate my Mystical Space Typhoon! Deflecting the fireball and destroying your Burning Land!" Makoto yells as his own spell activates, unleashing another tornado that disperses Yugi's fireball and tears apart his Burning Land.
Mai just hums from beside you. "Hmm, he could have left Burning Land up. With Yugi on lower Life Points, he would have lost first. Is he afraid Yugi will take a Life Point lead or…" She trails off, obviously more thinking aloud to herself than talking to you.
"Maybe he's afraid of the fire?" you suggest idly. Mai looks over at you with a scowl, opening her mouth to say something before stopping.
"…He did say the attack from the Summoned Skull hurt, and the Heavy Storm did have some actual force behind it. Just what in the hell is going on in this duel?" Mai questions, before both of your attention is brought back to the field as Makoto makes his move.
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"I set two cards face-down and end my turn!" Makoto yells, as two zones on his side of the field light up.
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