Chapter 15

Marik sets two cards and ends his turn.

Joey draws another high-level monster in Insect Queen but with only two monster cards on his field, it is risky to tribute them for a tribute summon. Instead, he summons Baby Dragon in defense mode.

Baby Dragon: [700 DEF]

With a couple of set cards on Marik's field, Joey needs to be careful about attacking. The problem is that Joey is short on removal so all he can do is force Marik to use them.

Rocket Warrior attacks Drillago and activates its monster effect to reduce its ATK by 500.

Drillago: [1100 ATK]

Marik activates the trap card Card of Last Will to draw five cards when his monster's ATK changes. Among them is The Winged Dragon of Ra.

Not caring, Joey sacrifices his last token and attacks using Panther Warrior to destroy Drillago.

Marik: [2900 LP]

Hmm, didn't Panther Warrior have higher ATK? Not the viewer's fault for wondering. The screen cut a section where Plasma Eel drained Panther Warrior's ATK by 500 during the previous end phase. Plasma Eel will repeat this effect during each of Joey's end phases.

So during each of Joey's end phases, he will discard a random card and his Panther Warrior will lose 500 ATK.

Marik then activated the continuous trap card Coffin Seller to deal 300 points of damage when a monster enters the graveyard.

Thanks to Helpoemo, during this end phase Joey discards the only monster in his hand the Insect Queen triggering Coffin Seller's effect.

Joey: [3700 LP]

Thanks to the cards on his field, Marik can sit back and watch Joey's cards dwindle in strength with each passing turn.

Since it is Joey's end phase, Plasma Eel's effect activates and sends an electric current through Panther Warrior's brain.

Panther Warrior: [1000 ATK]

Marik sets a card and activates the spell card Premature Burial to pay 800 LP and revive Drillago.

Marik: [2100 LP]

Marik sacrifices Drillago and tributes summon the monster, Legendary Fiend.

Legendary Fiend: [1500 ATK]

What can this card do? It's not that the viewers in the myriad worlds underestimate the monster because of its ATK but that they were genuinely curious. Marik seems to be unusually proud of his monster.

In each standby phase, Legendary Fiend gains 700 ATK. This means that if it is not dealt with, it will grow too strong for Joey to handle.

Joey draws a card hoping to find a solution but finds none. To make matters worse, Marik activates the continuous trap card Nightmare Wheel and straps Rocket Warrior to it. Now Rocket Warrior is a useless monster that cannot attack or defend.

Left with nothing to do, Joey summons Little Winguard in defense mode and switches Panther Warrior to defense alongside it.

Little Winguard: [1800 DEF]

The end phase occurs and Panther Warrior is shocked by Plasma Eel.

Panther Warrior: [500 ATK]

Helpoemo's effect activation is ignored since Joey has no monster cards in his hand.

With Marik's turn starting, Nightmare Wheel's effect activates during the standby phase to drain Joey of 500 LP.

Joey: [3200 LP]

Legendary Fiend's ATK goes up by 700 during the standby phase.

Legendary Fiend: [2200 ATK]

Legendary Fiend attacks and destroys Little Winguard, prompting the continuous trap card, Coffin Seller to drain Joey of 300 LP.

Joey: [2900 LP]

Marik sets a card and ends his turn.

With Marik's set card, he is confident he can end Joey's LP. If he can destroy all of Joey's monsters, and with the combined efforts of Coffin Seller and Legendary Fiend he will reduce Joey's LP to 0.

Unfortunately, Joey's draw was something he couldn't have foreseen.

"I activate the spell card Question," Joey proudly proclaims. "Now, you have to guess the monster at the bottom of my graveyard and if you guess wrong I can special summon it."

Why does the DM world have so many odd cards like this? The myriad worlds viewers complained but quite a few joined in on the fun guessing game.

A few with brain cells could already predict the card Joey is hoping to summon.

Marik thought back through the duel hoping to find the answer. The problem is that he never saw the monster because the bottom monster in Joey's graveyard was sent there by Helpoemo.

The randomness of Helpoemo is turning out to be Marik's weakness now.

Since Marik didn't guess correctly, Joey gets to special summon Jinzo to his field.

Jinzo's monster effect activates, reducing the traps on Marik's field to zero.

If Joey wins this duel, he has to owe it to the Roba brothers who were his first Battle City opponents. Too bad their first duel was plagued with cheating.

(DM) Espa Roba shuddered. He didn't want to be thought of as a cheater. Who knew his other self went and did something like that? Now, he has to live with that decision.

"No wonder I don't remember Jinzo," (DM) Joey hit his hand. "I haven't won it yet. Maybe I should track down those brothers after the Duelist Kingdom and get my hands on it early?"

"Wait for this Battle City tournament," (DM) Yugi refuted. "It sounds like a good way for you to get stronger."

Joey switches his defensive monsters into attack mode and attacks Legendary Fiend with Jinzo.

Marik: [1900 LP]

With more ATK on his field than Marik's LP, Joey is set to win this game. Too bad Marik still has a spell card ready, Dark Wall of Wind. The attacks are blocked by a wall of wind that reduces their damage to 0, leaving Joey helpless at the hand of Marik's plays.

Another one of his cards is discarded by Helpoemo and Plasma Eel proceeds to drain the last of Panther Warrior's strength.

Panther Warrior: [0 ATK]

Joey should've known better. A reckless attack like that is prone to leaving him wide open.

With Panther Warrior having 0 ATK in attack mode, any attack on it will be the same as direct damage on Joey's LP.

Marik didn't want to though. He wanted to watch Joey squirm. Using Lava Golem's monster effect in his hand, he tributes Joey's Jinzo and Baby Dragon to summon itself. As a result, it is special summoned to Joey's side of the field. A large lava behemoth emerges from behind Joey, encasing Joey in a small cage.

Lava Golem: [3000 ATK]

While Lava Golem is a strong monster, it deals damage to its controller during each turn.

Marik sets a card and ends his turn.

Left confused by Lava Golem on his field, Joey draws his card. Unfortunately, it isn't a monster so all he can do is put his faith in Lava Golem.

Lava Golem attacks and triggers Marik's trap card Relieve Monster. Marik returns the Plasma Eel attached to Joey's Panther Warrior to his hand and special summons it in defense mode.

Since Plasma Eel cannot be destroyed by battle, Marik is safe.

It becomes Joey's end phase and Helpoemo activates, sending one of Joey's cards in his hand to the graveyard. Lava Golem then drops 700 points of magma into Joey's cage.

Joey: [2200 LP]

Marik's turn begins and he activates the spell card Machine Duplication. Two more Plasma Eels are special summoned and immediately attach themselves to Joey's Rocket Warrior and Lava Golem. An additional surge of electricity surges through Joey's body from the connected cords.

(DM) Tea covered her eyes as she is afraid to watch Joey get hurt. The rest of the group tighten their fists and steeled their resolve to keep watching.

Marik ends his turn by setting a card.

Joey stood straight and looked over at Atem. Seeing his friend's trust, he proceeds to take his turn.

Joey draws Gilfered the Lightning. It is a strong monster capable of turning the duel around but without monsters to tribute summon, he cannot bring it out. If it wasn't for the Plasma Eels, Joey wouldn't be in this situation.

Then, inspiration hit. Joey activates the spell card Graceful Dice targeting Plasma Eel.

Since Plasma Eel has 500 ATK, he can roll a six-sided die and multiply Plasma Eel's ATK by the number rolled.

If he rolls a high enough number, the spell card Machine Duplication will no longer maintain its effect.

Joey rolls the dice and gets a 6.

Plasma Eel: [3000 ATK]

With Plasma Eel too strong, the Machine Duplication is destroyed. Joey then tributes all of his monsters to tribute summon Gilfered the Lightning.

Gilfered the Lightning: [2800 ATK]

Gilfered the Lightning's monster effect activates when it is tribute summoned using three monsters. Upon its summon, all of Marik's monsters are destroyed. This bypasses Plasma Eeel's protective effect.

Yes! Joey is making his comeback.

Marik isn't taking it though and activates the trap card Nightmare Mirror. Joey's attack is stopped with him taking 1000 points of damage and Marik discards The Winged Dragon of Ra as part of Nightmare Mirror's cost.

Joey: [1200 LP]

Discarding The Winged Dragon of Ra? Marik's planning to revive it!

Marik draws and activates the spell card Monster Reborn.

A red silhouette appears behind Marik and spreads out into The Winged Dragon of Ra.

The Winged Dragon of Ra: [0 ATK]

That's right. Since Marik didn't tribute any monsters, The Winged Dragon of Ra has no ATK.

What is he thinking? The viewers were curious about Ra's effects.

They didn't have to worry about waiting as The Winged Dragon of Ra turns into a flaming phoenix ready to incinerate its foes.

Meanwhile, Serenity trades places by Mai's side with Ishizu and runs to watch her brother's duel.

"No!" (DM) Joey roars. He recognizes the danger his other self was in. He didn't want to watch her be heartbroken.

On the screen, Marik warned Seto and Atem that this is what is in store for them in the finals. Marik pays 1000 LP to activate The Winged Dragon of Ra's monster effect, destroying Joey's Gilfered. An ability that will in this Shadow Game, deal the full force of Ra's attack on Joey's spirit.

Joey looks up in fear-induced anticipation as The Winged Dragon of Ra's flames engulf him and his Gilfered the Lightning.

Joey! The audience voicelessly screamed watching the blonde duelist be practically burned alive.

The Winged Dragon of Ra returns to Marik's side of the field, ready to leave the field.

Marik gloats over his apparent victory believing Joey to be unable to duel, unfortunately for him but Joey remains on his feet to continue the duel.

"No way," (DM) Marik shouted. Odion by his side widened his eyes in disbelief.

Joey survived The Winged Dragon of Ra!

Viewers in the myriad worlds applauded Joey's tenacity. A few didn't join in the festivities, however, with a select part of them all too aware of what kind of damage Joey suffered.

He might be on his feet now, but can he take the victory with his next turn?

Joey's dead eyes struggle to see Marik before him. In his dazed state, he imagines Atem standing in front of him waiting for his duel in the Battle City finals.

Marik trembled in fear as Joey readied to take his turn.

Joey wordlessly draws his card and lays it on his duel disk.

Gearfried the Iron Knight: [1800 ATK]

Yes! Attack and end this duel!

As Joey was about to declare his attack, Serenity runs out onto the top of the tower.

"Joey, no!"

Unable to keep going, Joey falls forward bypassing Gearfied's hologram and hitting the floor. The holograms break apart as Joey loses consciousness amidst his friends' screams.

None of the myriad worlds audience could believe it.

"(DM World): Marik Ishtar Vs Joey Wheeler. The winner is Marik Ishtar."