Chapter I: Arrival of the Demon Duelist

The first day of summer in Domino City was a very pleasant
experience. It was warm, but not sweltering hot, so nobody was in
discomfort. The sky was cloudless and the sun brilliantly illuminated
every object and person in the city, giving the town a radiant glow.
Children were most ecstatic this day: they didn’t have to worry about
school so they were traversing the city, seeking out friends to play
with and have a good time with.

It was just about noon, and Tea Gardner was taking a stroll
through the local park as she usually did. She loved this daily ritual.
It made her feel very energetic, and helped her face the day with a
positive outlook. She passed by a few young boys playing catch on the
grass and waved hello to them. One of the boys waved back, blew her a
kiss… and got clobbered by the ball in the back of his head when he
wasn’t looking. Tea rushed over to see how he was.

“Are you okay?” she asked with concern. She didn’t know this
kid, but she didn’t like seeing anyone hurt.

“Ugh, yeah, I’m fine,” the boy answered, rubbing his head in
pain. “I just need to pay a little more attention. Thanks.”

“No problem, I’m glad you’re alright.” She got off the grass
and resumed her walk on the concrete trail, taking in the warm sun and
the sweet aroma of the grass and flowers, still fresh from the morning
dew. Tea pleasantly greeted everyone she passed by, and they responded
with a smile and kind hello. She was about halfway through the park
when she noticed someone sitting on a bench, clad in khaki shorts and a
brown shirt with leather vest, and his face buried in a book. For some
reason she was drawn over to him. She went to the side of the bench and
tapped on his shoulder. “Hello there. Beautiful morning, isn’t it?”

“Yes, it certainly is,” the man replied in a nice tone. “You
can’t have enough days like this.” He looked up from his book and Tea
saw his face. She guessed he was about 17 or 18, and he was very
attractive. His brown hair was cut in a mullet, similar to Joey’s, but
a little shorter. His turquoise eyes rested behind a pair of thin
glasses which were currently sliding down his nose. He pushed them back
up, then offered his hand out. “My name’s Joshua Brenton, but everyone
calls me Josh.”

“I’m Tea Gardner. It’s a pleasure to meet you. What are you
reading?”

“Jailbird, by Kurt Vonnegut. It’s a fascinating book. It
focuses on a man who’s released from prison for his work in the
Watergate cover-up, and how he tries to put his life back together now
that he’s out.”

“It sounds quite interesting. I guess it’s a safe bet to assume
you’re a fan of good literature.”

“Isn’t that a fact. My father runs a bookstore, and I’m always
finding wonderful stories to read. We just opened up our store here.”

“I thought you were new in town.” Josh invited Tea to sit down
next to him, and she did so. “How long have you been here in Domino?”
she asked.

“About two weeks. Dad was born here, and he’s wanted to come
back for a while. It’s a bit of a culture shock for me, though. I’m a
little unsure of how I’ll adapt.”

“Well, I’ve lived here all my life, and I can tell you that
you’re gonna have a great time here. The people are very nice, and
there are so many ways to have a good time.” An idea quickly came to
her. “You know, I’m meeting my best friends for lunch in a few minutes.
Maybe you’d like to come with me and meet them. They’re a great bunch
of guys, and I’m sure they’ll like you.”

“Sounds great. I’d be honored to join you.” He took Tea’s hand
and gently kissed it. “You are a very elegant lady.”

“And you are quite the gentleman,” she cheerily responded,
slightly blushing. “Follow me, I’ll show you where the café is. They
serve the best pasta salad there.” The two got up and set off, Josh
following Tea down the path.
************************************************************************

“Tristan, you bum, dere’s no way I’m picking up the bill
again!” Joey angrily told his friend. The majority of the diners at the
café began to stare at the two arguing teens, looking with a fascinated
awe. Their gazes also caught Yugi turning his head away in a vain
attempt to avoid being associated with them. “I paid for our lunches
last time we were here, and Yugi before that… then me again! You gotta
start putting some in!”

“Jeez, chill out Joey,” his friend replied. “I can’t help it if
I forgot my wallet, I just don’t remember to pick it up sometimes. Why
are you so upset over a couple of bucks for lunch anyway? You’re a
freakin’ millionaire!”

“That’s not the point! I’m not always gonna be here to pick up
the slack. You can’t keep takin’ advantage of us!”

“Guys, come on,” Yugi complained, trying to stop his friends
from making even bigger fools of themselves. “It’s just a little lunch
money, it’s nothing to get so worked up about. Why don’t you let me
treat this time.”

“Thanks Yug, but this is a matter of principle,” Joey
responded. He looked over at Tristan. “I haven’t ordered yet since
Tea’s not here, but when she comes, you’re not getting anything.”
Tristan reeled back in shock at the news. “Until you start chipping in,
you don’t eat when we dine out.” A little grin appeared on his
face. “But don’t worry, I might save you some of my leftovers in a
doggy bag. I won’t even charge you that much.”

With that, Tristan reached over the table, grabbed Joey by the
collar of his shirt and pulled him forward, nearly taking him onto the
table. “You can’t keep me from eating just cause I’m not paying today!”
he yelled, drawing even more attention from the other diners. “Look,
I’ll give you back the money when I get it, just let me have lunch!”

Joey smirked. “Glad to see you’re finally taking
responsibility. Now, how’s about a little contest. The ancient sport of
arm wrestling. If you win, you don’t have to pay me back for today.”

“You’re on, bro!” The two placed their elbows on the table,
grasped hands and began to play, struggling to bring the other down.
The crowd continued to watch in awe at these two teens who acted 10
years younger than they were. As they groaned and strained to bring the
other down, Yugi looked downward at his lap and sighed.

This will be awhile, he thought to himself. When these two play
at arm wrestling, or any game like this, it takes upwards of an hour
until either of them win. And as he guessed, Yugi’s friends were hardly
making any progress despite all the strain they were putting into
it. “Maybe you guys could do this after we’ve ordered,” he suggested.
But Joey and Tristan were too involved in their competition to hear
him. They continued to put all their effort into it, but still their
arms remained practically stationary. At least they did, until a third
hand grasped onto both of them and pushed them straight down on the
table.

“What the hell?!” Joey cried out in surprise. He and Tristan
looked up together to see where the new hand came from. They saw it was
attached to a young man with brown hair, clad in a leather vest.
Standing next to him was Tea.

“Hi guys. Sorry if I’m a little late,” she said. “I met someone
in the park and thought you might like to meet him.” She pointed out
her friends to Josh. “Josh, I’d like you to meet my best friends: Yugi
Moto, Tristan Taylor and Joey Wheeler.” She then motioned to the
table. “Guys, this is Josh Brenton. He just moved here and I figured it
would be nice for him to make some new friends.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you all,” Josh said, and leaned in to
shake their hands. “Wow. Yugi Moto, champion of the Industrial
Illusions Dueling Tournament and Kaiba Corp’s Battle City. This is an
honor.”

“I’m glad to know I have a strong fan base,” Yugi chuckled in
reply.

“Yeah, you’ve become an icon. As a matter of fact, I happen to
be a pretty good Magic & Wizards player myself. Maybe we can try a
match sometime.” He then turned to Joey. “And I’ve gotta duel you as
well. Everyone I know is a huge Joey Wheeler fan. They love hearing
about how you can pull off seemingly impossible victories at the last
minute. And a lot of the girls I knew back home had huge crushes on
you.”

“Hey, what can I say? The ladies love me.” Joey fell back with
a huge grin on his face, thinking of the horde of sexy girls who were
attracted to him.

“Well, if you know anything about these two, you obviously know
they wouldn’t have gotten anywhere without me,” Tristan spoke up. “You
have to know me. Tristan Taylor, trainer of champions. If it wasn’t for
my guidance, these two never would have achieved their glory.” Sweat
drops appeared on the others, quite embarrassed about Tristan’s false
claims.

“Sorry, but I’ve never heard of you before,” Josh commented.
Tristan let out an “ugh!” and fell down in his seat.

“Well, It’s very nice to meet you Josh,” Yugi said. “We’d be
glad to have you join us for lunch, and maybe afterwards we can head
down to the Kaibaland arcade. They have a huge selection of games to
play.”

“Thanks. I’d be glad to,” he replied. With that, Tea and Josh
joined the others at the booth and they prepared to order their lunch.
***********************************************************************

“Quick, aim for the eye on it’s palm! That’s the weak point!”
Josh shouted out to Joey as they fired their multicolored guns at the
hulking, hairy monster that approached them on the screen. They were
busy shooting it up on Blood Mountain, the newest FPS game at
Kaibaland. The premise was typical of these games: an ancient evil had
been unleashed in a mountain village, and your characters had to travel
through, save villagers, and destroy the monsters. Right now they were
at the final boss, firing wildly, but they failed to hit the palm in
time. The beast’s claw swiped across the screen, splattering CGI blood
across, and taking both of them down one on the life meter.

“Man, this is tough,” Joey commented. “How do you hit the eye
in time? His hand’s only open for a second before he hits you!” He
quickly hit the RUN button before him, allowing the characters to race
down a tunnel and gain some spare time before the creature caught up to
them.

“In all these games, there’s a strategy to beating the final
boss,” Josh said. “We just need to find it for this game.” As their
characters turned around to see the shaggy monster approaching, Josh
noticed some stalactites on the cave roof that had a different graphic
coloration than the others. “Shoot for the ceiling!” he cried out, and
Joey followed, blasting at the stalactites. The simulated shots brought
down the specially-designed spikes, and they fell directly onto the
monster, causing it to roar in pain… and expose the eye in the palm of
its hand.

“We got ‘em now.” Joey grinned and raised his gun up to the
blaring eye. “Goodbye!” They fired directly at it, eliminating the
creature’s remaining life. As it’s health meter ran dry, it started to
growl and pounded on the sides of the cave walls in pain, bringing the
stones down and crushing it. The game was over. Joey and Josh had won.

“Dat was cool,” Joey said. “Man, you are one wicked player.”
Josh nodded in thanks for the compliment. “And thanks again for
springing for the games.” Josh had treated for the games as a way of
thanking Tea and her friends for inviting him to lunch. “So, whaddya
wanna do now?” They still had about 3000 yen to spend, and plenty of
time. Currently, Yugi and Joey were on the racing games, and Tea was
switching between pachinko and dance-rhythm games. So far, he and Joey
had gone medieval on more than half the shooter games.

“It’s pretty hard deciding what to do. There are just so many
cool games here. It’s a fantastic arcade.”

“Thanks. I’ll tell my brother you said that.” A young voice
chimed in. Josh and Joey turned around to see Mokuba behind them. “Hey
Joey. Good to see you. Who’s the new guy?”

“Hey Mokuba, this is Josh. He just moved here. Josh, meet
Mokuba Kaiba, little brother of the guy who built this place. He’s
about a thousand times nicer than the other.” Joey snickered at this.

“And you’re about one thousand times more pathetic than anyone
else in this arcade,” a harsh voice came from behind. Joey looked
behind to see Seto Kaiba, staring at him with his cold gaze. “Talking
about me behind my back, Wheeler? Didn’t your mother teach you any
manners?”

“It’s nice to meet both of you,” Josh said, trying to break the
tension. He shook Mokuba’s hand, then moved to Seto, but was
denied. “I’ve seen you in the magazines and TV interviews. Seto Kaiba.
Man, I always wondered what a kid like you did with all that money.”

“I happen to be enthralled by electronics and computer games.”

“I’m more of a chess player myself,” Mokuba said.

“Glad to hear. Maybe I can have a little match against you
sometime, Mokuba.” The younger Kaiba nodded in approval. “So, Seto, you
wouldn’t happen to have a dueling arena around here for M&W games?”

“You have to be joking,” Seto responded. “The game is
fantastic, and as such I ensure that my customers have the capability
to participate in such a fine event.”

“Perfect, I’ve been looking forward to playing a full-on 3D
duel. Could you please show me where it is?”

“There happen to be five of them across the arcade, on various
levels. But Joshua, that’s your name, right? The patrons come here for
a challenge in all their games. I doubt a poor fool like you would ever
fare well in my advanced battle games. You’d take all the fun out of it
for the customers.”

“Oh, I wasn’t really interested in going up against any of the
other players,” Josh commented, barely concealing a sinister grin. “I’d
like to play against you.”

Joey and Mokuba were quite shocked at the challenge, but Seto
just grew angry. “You have the gall to think you can stand up to me in
MY game?! I won’t battle you unless you can prove you have what it
takes to duel.”

“Well, I was hoping to save this until the match, but I might
as well let you see it now.” With that, Josh reached into the pocket of
his vest-jacket and pulled out a dueling deck. He thumbed through a few
cards until he came to a specific one, then presented it to the others.
It showed a rather gruesome image: a green-skinned demon clad in a dark
purple robe that produced a skull across its torso, and a horned crown.
It clutched a wine glass filled with a strange red liquid, most likely
blood. “Ha Des, Lord of the Underworld. An incredibly rare card, and
quite powerful.” He placed it back into his deck and began shuffling
it. “Is that all the proof you need.”

“Whoa, how on earth did you get that?” Mokuba asked. “It’s an
really strong card. Still, my brother is a great duelist, and even with
that you’d have a slim chance of beating him.”

“Quite right, Mokuba,” Seto responded in his usual smug,
arrogant tone. He looked at Josh. “From what I understand, Ha Des is
very rare. There are only about 20 or 25 in distribution. You obviously
have some talent to have acquired such a potent card, or maybe it was
just dumb luck. Either way, I will consent to battle you. Provided that
you place that card up as a little wager token.”

“Well, that’s an interesting concept. Tell me, what will you
offer in this little bet?”

“Why, I’ll stake one of my staple cards on this match. As you
most obviously know, I possess the incredibly rare Blue Eyes White
Dragons, the only ones in existence. Should you somehow beat me, I’ll
relinquish one to you. Of course, it will be a cold day in hell before
you should win.”

“Sounds fair. I’ll do it.”

“What, are you crazy Josh?” Joey hollered. “You just met this
guy and you’re gonna risk your rarest card against him?! You’re gonna
lose it!”

“Just let me give it a shot. The object of the game is to have
fun. And even if I do lose it, I’ll have had the honor of playing a
thrilling match at the end.”

“I’ll take you guys to a dueling arena,” Mokuba said. “You’re a
nice kid and all Josh, but don’t underestimate my brother. He’ll whoop
your butt in no time flat.”

“It’s wonderful that you think so highly of your brother,” Josh
said. “You’re a very kind boy, Mokuba. Just remember what they say
about prematurely counting chickens.” Mokuba and Kaiba began walking
off towards an arena, with Josh and Joey trailing right behind them.
**********************************************************************

“Think you got the rules all figured out, Josh?” Joey asked as
Kaiba and his new friend stepped onto the platforms on opposite sides
of the battle arena. The platforms lifted up into the air, stopping at
the raised podiums where the opponents could play their cards.

“Sure, I got the gist of it,” he said. “We have 4000 life
points, you can only lay one monster down per turn, but as many magic
or traps as you want. And you can attack your opponent directly if they
have no monsters. The rest of the rules are the same as how I play
them.”

“You’ll seriously regret challenging me,” Kaiba blurted out,
flashing a smug smile as if he’d won already. The two shuffled their
decks and placed them down on the field. “You can go first. Let’s
duel!” (J:4000/K:4000)

Josh drew his cards and studied his hand. “All right, let’s get
this party started. I place one card face down, and summon the Red
Cyclops (1800/1700) in attack mode.” He put a card in the Magic/Trap
zone, and then his monster card in the correct spot. Instantly, the
arena below him crackled with electricity, and a combination of digital
imagery came together to create a perfect three-dimensional replication
of the muscular, horned, one-eyed monster. “Impressive. I’m very glad I
decided to play here.”

“It is a fascinating sight,” Kaiba said, again smiling
arrogantly over the pride of his creation. “But your fascination will
soon be replaced by fear once you see me obliterate you. Watch as I
give your monsters a 3-D death.” He drew his cards and began to set
them. Most likely he has a magic card to boost his monster, or to
destroy mine if I attack, he thought. He then scanned his hand. I have
a few that could get rid of it, but why waste one of them on one card
when he could bring out others I’ll just have to play him into a
stalemate for now, and get rid of his magic cards later. He set a card
down in his Magic/Trap zone. “I play La Jinn, the Lamp Spirit
(1800/1000), in attack mode.” The pixels came together on the field
once again, and the gaseous green genie soon appeared. “Our creatures
are evenly matched now. If you bother to attack, you’ll just lose your
creature.”

“Nice play, Kaiba. But you should have gotten rid of it when
you had the chance. That would have kept me from summoning a more
powerful monster. I place two more cards face down, and sacrifice my
Red Cyclops for the Lesser Demon (2100/1000).” He switched the cards,
and the cyclops was replaced by a multi-armed, wolf-headed beast. “Now,
attack his genie!” The creature let out a howl and lunged at the La
Jinn, ripping it to shreds. “There. That takes you down by 300 life
points.” (J:4000/K:3700) “And my Lesser Demon has a special effect that
causes any monster it destroys in battle to be removed from play. So
you can’t bring La Jinn back from the graveyard.”

“Heh,” Kaiba grunted. “You obviously do have some skill to draw
first blood. But that’s the only time you’ll be able to do so.” He
placed a card down, and then one in the Monster zone. “I summon the
mighty Blood Vors (1900/1200)!” An armored, blade-wielding man appeared
on Kaiba’s side of the field. “It may seem a little weak now, but it
won’t once I bring your miserable dog to its knees. Activate Trap card,
Dark Binding Chains!” The simulated card rose up from the field and
from its face, a barrage of chains shot out, totally wrapping around
the Lesser Demon. “My Dark Binding Chains bring your monster’s attack
down by 700 points, and keep it from changing its position or
attacking.” (1400/1000) “Now it’s time to eliminate it. Go Blood Vors,
slice his demon to ribbons!” The creature began charging at the wolf-
monster, it’s blade raised high in the air.

“Hold it, Kaiba, you’re not the only one with attack-decreasing
traps.” Josh flipped up a card from his side. “I play the Howl of the
Underworld trap. This card lets me pay my life points in increments of
100, and however much I pay, your monster’s attack points are decreased
by the same amount. So, since I’m already in the lead for now, I’ll pay
1000 of my life points (J:3000/K:3700) and bring your Blood Vors down a
grand as well.” (1000/1200) “And since it’s attacking a monster with a
higher value, it’s gone!” True to his word, the trap had reduced the
warrior monster to a weak mess, and its blade shattered against the
Lesser Demon’s body. Quickly after that, it shattered itself.
(J:3000/K:3300). “Well, I’m down by three, but at least you’re not far
behind.”

“Wow, this guy is good,” Mokuba couldn’t help saying. “Seto is
definitely in for a challenge here.” He stepped closer to his brother’s
podium. “Don’t let him phase you, big brother! It’s just a little
setback. I know it won’t be long before you hit him hard!”

“Please Mokuba, don’t interrupt me,” Seto responded. “I thank
you for your support, but I know I can win this.” He flipped over
another card. “To keep you from using your other tricks, I play the
Tempest magic card, which destroys all magic and traps on the field.
And since I don’t have any left, you’re the one who suffers.” A large
whirlwind simulated itself onto the field, and blew away the cards in
the zone.

“Very nice, Kaiba,” Josh said, placing the two he’d lost into
the graveyard. “It was a very bright move, because one of those cards
was a ritual that would have allowed me to summon a creature that could
rival your Blue Eyes. Speaking of which, I hope I’ll be able to see it
in action before the game’s over. But, we’ll just have to see.” He drew
again and placed two more cards face down. “Unfortunately, you’re now
completely defenseless, which gives me a great advantage. I play my
Giant Orc (2200/0) in attack mode.” He placed the card, and a hulking
blue ogre appeared. I won’t attack yet, I’ll give you a little chance
to defend yourself.”

On the sidelines, Joey turned to Mokuba “Man, Josh’s got a lot
of ugly-looking cards,” he commented. “And dey all have such weird
effects.”

“I’ve noticed that Josh has used nothing but Demon-type
monsters so far,” Mokuba said. “And my guess is that all the Magic and
Traps he has are used to compliment them. He probably put them all in
to work with his Ha Des. But he’s still got a big challenge ahead of
him if Seto pulls out his Blue Eyes or Virus Trap.”

“Yeah, those are killers. Let’s see what they’ll do next.” Joey
and Mokuba returned their sights to the game.

“Like you told me earlier, Joshua, you should have attacked
when you had the chance. I play my Battle Ox (1700/1000) in attack
mode, place one card face down, and play Tribute to the Dead.” The
armored minotaur popped up in the Monster zone, and a small mummy in
the Magic zone. “With my Tribute, I can discard one card from my hand
and destroy one monster on the field. And that will be your big blue
buffoon. Once he’s gone, I’ll obliterate your Lesser Demon like I
should have done before, and knock you out of this game in two turns
flat.” Kaiba discarded, and the mummy’s wrappings flew off of its body
straight for the Giant Orc.

“Hold up, because I’m still safe. I activate my Magic Drain
trap.” Josh flipped the card over. “Unless you can discard a magic card
from your hand, then your Tribute is gone.” Seto scanned his hand
again, searching for a magic card. Damn, the only one I have is my
Dragon-
Calling Flute, he cursed in his mind. I need that to bring out my Blue
Eyes later. Guess I’ll have to just let this one go. Kaiba shrugged in
disgust as the mummy’s wrappings turned back on the creature and took
it into oblivion.

“Fine, you got rid of my magic card, but you’re still not safe
from my Battle Ox. Crush his Lesser Demon!” In a repeat of the previous
attack, the bull-monster rushed at the wolf demon, it’s axe raised in
fury.

“Sorry to disappoint you again, Kaiba, but you’re not hitting
it. I play the Fighting A Monstrous Opponent trap card, which lets me
choose which of my monsters you can attack. And you’re going after my
Orc instead.” The trap was activated, and the Battle Ox changed its
direction, running straight at the giant blue monster. It struck with
no effect. The Orc swatted it with a back hand, and the monster was
gone. (J:3000/K/2900)

“Oh yeah, this is fun,” Josh said. “Now for a little more. I
sacrifice my Lesser Demon to bring out Ha Des, Lord of the Underworld!”
The switch was made, and the demon was replaced by the hideous creature
he showed to Kaiba earlier. It let out a screeching, sinister
laugh. “Then I place three cards face down.”

“Damn, I have to do something to get rid of him,” Kaiba
muttered. “If I can’t defend myself, he’ll take me out by his next
turn.” Kaiba drew, and a smile appeared on his face. “Yes! Now you’ll
suffer for your arrogance. I play the Lord of Dragons (1200/1100) in
defense mode, and equip it with the Dragon-Calling Flute!” The eerie-
looking sorcerer manifested itself, and grasped the ornate instrument,
blowing into it and producing a hideous sound. “Now I can special
summon two dragons to my side of the field. Ha ha ha!” He fingered
through his deck, seeking the proper monsters. He grabbed two cards and
put them down. “Now, face the wrath of my mighty Blue Eyes White
Dragons (3000/2500)!” The majestic dragons appeared, and launched their
blasts against their enemies. Instantly, Ha Des and the Orc were
reduced to nothing. (J:1650/K:2900)

“Yeah, I knew you could do it Seto!” Mokuba shouted out. “Now
take him down!”

“So, I finally see the mighty Blue Eyes in play,” Josh rubbed
his chin in amusement. Very impressive. So impressive, in fact, that
I’d like to see how it works for me.” He placed a card down on the
field, and the monster soon appeared, a winged devil covered in
flames. “The Haunting Blood Soul. I can offer this card as a tribute
and take control of one of your monsters that’s Level 3 or lower.” He
smiled in amusement. “You don’t have a chance now.”

“You are obviously insane!” Kaiba shouted out. “My Blue Eyes
are both at level 8, so your effect is useless! Don’t try these petty
tricks now when you’re so close to defeat, they just make you look
foolish.”

“Oh, it will work Kaiba, once I activate my magic cards.” He
flipped three of them face over. “These are my Spirit Demolition cards.
I can equip them to a chosen monster, and decrease it by two levels for
each card. Now, I’m sure you know basic arithmetic: two times three is
six, and eight minus six is two, and two is less than three. So in this
whole grand equation, the end product is my taking control of one of
your Blue Eyes.” He sacrificed the Blood Soul, and three screaming
skulls fired out from the Magic zone, hitting the Blue Eyes on the
right. It glowed with a black aura, and flew over to Josh’s side of the
field. “Sorry about that, but you know the old saying. All’s fair in
love, war, and Magic & Wizards.”

“I don’t believe it. He, he got control of the Blue Eyes!” Joey
was shocked. “That’s incredible!”

“Y…you took my mightiest dragon from me?” Kaiba sputtered. “I
will not let this insult to my honor go unavenged!” He drew another
card. Monster Reborn, perfect. I’ll give him a little taste of his own
medicine, and bring his most powerful monster back under my control.
Then I’ll have my Blue Eyes attack the one he took over. They’ll both
destroy each other, and Ha Des will eliminate the rest of his life
points. “I play Monster Reborn, and resurrect your precious Lord of the
Underworld. Now you’ll face the ultimate defeat, having your own
monster wipe you out!” The pixels began to assemble on the computer
field, but soon disappeared. “What happened? I couldn’t resurrect it!”

“Sorry Kaiba, but I guess I failed to tell you about Ha Des’
special qualities,” Josh said. “It’s effect on the field is that it
allows my demons to negate the effects of any monsters they destroy.
Quite a useful trait, and if you were to have brought it back, you
would have won, and it would have served you well in your deck.
However, Ha Des has another quality: it cannot be summoned back once
it’s been sent to the graveyard. It’s very nice since it keeps my
opponents from claiming it for their own, like you wished to.”

“Grrrr. Fine. I place one monster in defense mode and end my
turn.”

“Very nice, now let’s see what I have.” He drew and placed
another card on the field. “All right, I think these dragons are a
little tired of just standing around doing nothing. So I’ll launch my
attack. Blue Eyes, attack your counterpart with White Lightning!” The
dragon craned its head and fired out a massive blast of white
electricity from its mouth, heading straight for Kaiba’s dragon.

“Not so fast. I activate my face-down trap, Nullify!” He
flipped it up, and a swirling mass of energies appeared on the
field. “This will cancel the power of your attack, and end your turn.”
True to his word, the electric blast hit the energy field and dispersed
in all directions, sparing the other dragon. “Now that your turn’s
over, I feel it’s finally time to put an end to this foolish game and
claim my prize. I place one card face down and summon Gargoyle Powered
(1600/1200) in attack mode.” He set the card, and the clawed, horned,
red gargoyle materialized. “Now I flip-activate my face down monster,
Needle Worm (750/600). This activates his effect, causing you to draw
five cards from your deck and automatically send them to the
graveyard.” At the sight of the spiked worm, Josh obliged to the rules,
drawing and discarding the proper number. “Now I’ll try what you
attempted, but this will be successful. Blue Eyes, attack with White
Lightning!” Kaiba’s dragon mimicked the actions of it’s brother,
launching a blast that successfully hit its mark this time. Both
dragons were destroyed by the actions.

“I hope you’re happy, Joshua,” Kaiba growled. “Because of your
cowardly tactic, you forced me to destroy one of my most precious
possessions. I cherish my Blue Eyes White Dragons! Now you will suffer.
Gargoyle, attack his life points directly!” The gargoyle lunged towards
Josh, claws bared, and began slashing away at his podium. After the
attack, the life points were deducted from his score.
(J:50/K:2900). “Fifty points, that’s all you have left. Now I hope you
see that you have no chance of victory, that challenging me to a duel
was the greatest mistake of your life. And you will pay for your cocky
attitude with the loss of your most valuable card! Do you have anything
to say about that?”

“I do have something to say. Thank you very much, Kaiba.”
Everyone was stunned by Josh’s polite response.

“What the… he’s thankin’ Kaiba for almost killing him?” Joey
pondered. “Something is very wrong.”

“He must have some strategy worked out to bring him back from
the brink of defeat,” Mokuba guessed. “Maybe he needed his Blue Eyes
out of the way to do it.”

“You didn’t hear me wrong, Seto. I truly do thank you for your
actions. You must be a very compassionate man to help me win this
game.”

“I helped you with nothing, and you will not win!”

“Well, you didn’t intentionally give me any assistance, but you
did aid me inadvertently. By using your Needle Worm, you sent a number
of my cards directly to the graveyard before I could play them. A very
smart move, since I had some rather strong cards waiting in my deck.
However, in my graveyard right now are two very unique monsters that
have a unique effect. Should they be sent to the graveyard directly
from my hand or deck, I can special summon them to the field during my
turn. Conveniently for me, those two were in the set I discarded. So, I
will now summon them to the field; Fear from the Darkness (1700/1500),
and Despair from the Darkness (2800/3000), both in attack mode. And
they will both attack your monsters.” As the shadowy horned specters
appeared on the field, they lunged at Kaiba’s monsters, the lower-
valued monster taking out the Worm, and the mighty Despair attacking
the Gargoyle. Kaiba’s life points began to drop (J:50/K:1700). Kaiba
was thankful his Worm was in defense mode or he would have lost many
more points.

“Now we move into the second part of your welcome help. When
you destroyed my Blue Eyes, sorry, your Blue Eyes, the Spirit
Demolition cards I equipped it with were destroyed as well, and their
effects cancelled out. This means that when it was sent to the
graveyard, it returned to its high Level 8 status.”

“Yes, I know how Equipment Magic cards work, get to the point!”

“Since it was at Level 8 when it was killed, and since it was
still technically under my control, it allows me to activate a mighty
ritual magic card, a duplicate of one you eliminated earlier. Reveal
face-down Magic card, Deal with the Devil!” He flipped the card over,
activating its power. “Once a Level 8 monster is sent from my
battlefield from the graveyard, this card activates and lets me summon
one of the strongest monsters in my deck.” He fingered through his deck
to obtain the proper card. “I now summon the mighty Berserk Dead
Dragon, in attack mode!” The simulated stadium began to rumble as a
thick smoke billowed up, and there in the center of the cloud appeared
a hideous sight. It resembled a fossilized allosaurus, but possessed
huge leathery wings, and its bony body was black as coal. The Berserk
Dead Dragon (3500/0) let out a hideous roar.

“Man, that dragon has a greater attack than Seto’s Blue Eyes!”
Mokuba exclaimed in awe. “And Seto doesn’t have anything to defend
himself. He’s done for!”

“I really don’t want to do this Kaiba,” Josh said with a fake
sympathetic tone, “but after all you did to help me get these mighty
monsters out on the field, I can’t let them go to waste. It wouldn’t be
fair. I must thank you again, because you’ve given me the greatest
battle I’ve had in a long time. You’re a very worthy opponent and a
marvelous player, but you just need to work on your attitude a little.
But enough idle chitchat. Berserk Dead Dragon, attack with your
Necrotizing Flame!” The skeletal dragon roared again and launched a
massive black fireball directly at Kaiba’s podium. Kaiba shielded his
eyes from the light it produced. Once the simulated attack had
completed, his remaining life points joined the fireball in oblivion
(J:50/K:0). The Dragon disappeared and the field cleared. Joshua had
won the match.

“Man, that was great!” Joey cheered enthusiastically as Josh’s
platform descended, taking him back to the floor. “I can’t believe you
pulled it off like that. I thought you were a goner, but then you pull
out that zombie dragon and whoop his butt. It’s incredible!”

“Thanks Joey. It was quite an experience dueling on that arena.
I look forward to taking on many more competitors. Maybe you’d like to
try a match against me some time?”

“No thanks, man. I saw how you whooped Kaiba, an’ I don’t wanna
lose that badly.” Josh left Joey’s side and walked over to the Kaiba
brothers. Mokuba was attempting to comfort his older brother, who was
currently staring down at the ground, ashamed of his defeat.

“Kaiba…” Josh said, extending his hand in friendship, “you
played a great match. I just wanted to thank you again for letting me
use this arena. I can guess you’re a little upset about your defeat,
but it’s no big deal. I’ve lost many times before, it’s no big deal.”

“I don’t need your sympathy, you cur!” Kaiba snapped. “You beat
me fairly, and that’s that. I want no more to do with you.” He pulled a
card out of his deck and presented it to Josh. “Here. You won this Blue
Eyes. Take it.”

“Kaiba, I can’t. You told me how much you cherish these cards.