I own nothing
Chapter 12: Duelin' Against the Odds

Congratulations were tossed to Yugi as he and Joey high fived, handing the reins off for the next duel.
"Yeah!" Tristan cheered as everyone took their place back on the balcony and Joey moved towards the arena. "There's our man!"
"Go, Joey!" Tea shouted.
Rain joined in. "Show that creep who's boss!"
Joey held up a hand in thanks before facing Bandit Keith, only he wasn't there.
"Where's Keith?" Joey asked.
Said creep was off to the side, lazing on a couch.
"What time is it?"
Joey fell over at his blatant disrespect. "What are you doing!? Get over here!"
The bandit smirked smugly. Hey, chill out. The pummeling will commence as soon as I'm good and ready. So don't get your briefs in a bunch. You got that, blondie?"
"That insult doesn't work if you're also a blonde." Rain shouted.
"Stall as long as you want, Keith."  Joey challenged. "You're gonna have to duel me sooner or later."
Croquet cleared his throat. "Tournament verification cards, gentlemen."
Keith held up a Glory to the King's Right Hand. "No problem. Hey, dweeb, show the man your card."
"Sure. It's right here." Joey rummaged through his pocket for a moment before a soft gulp came from him.
Rain facepalmed. "Oh, don't tell me."
"Tournament verification card." Croquet repeated.
"I know." Joey insisted. "Just give me a minute, would you? I-I know it's in here somewhere!"
"Joey lost the entry card!?" Tea shouted.
Bakura looked just as exasperated as Rain. "Even he couldn't be that absentminded."
"Yeah he could!" Tristan shot back.
"Well, what a shame." Keith mocked. "I guess I won't be needing to get off this couch after all, huh, Joey?"
Joey swung his head at the self-proclaimed bandit. "Well, don't get too comfortable, 'cause once I find that card-,"
The announcer cut him off. "If you find it within the set-time parameters the regulations allow."
"Retrace your steps, Joey." Yugi encouraged. "Are you sure you put it in your coat?"
"Well, I guess that it could have fallen out in the room. I'm going to head back there and check it out."
"5 minutes." Croquet warned as Joey turned to leave. "Your match will begin at 11:00 sharp. No extensions. Return by then with the card, or you'll be disqualified."
Joey growled, but ran off without arguing. As Tea argued the unfairness of such a short time frame, Rain elbowed Yugi.
"Yugi, you still have your copy of the card, right?"
"Yeah?"
"Give it to me. You only need Glory to the King's Opposite Hand to face Pegasus. I'll give your copy of Right Hand to Joey."
Yugi smiled and quickly handed the card off to her. "Good thinking, Rain!"
Rain ran off to catch up with Joey, only to catch him outside the hall with Mai. Before she could say anything, (Y/N) appeared beside her.
"No need." The spirit insisted as Mai handed a card off to Joey.
Realizing what was happening, Rain smiled and innocently whistled as she walked back to the arena. Guess Mai was as big a softie as she was. Joey had already ran through the doors and stepped back into the duel arena by the time Rain got back to the rest of the group.
Yugi beamed as Rain took her spot back. "That was fast. Nice going, Rain."
"Actually, Mai beat me to the punch. Here's your card back."
Yugi gently pushed her hand back when she tried to give back the card. He blushed slightly as he rubbed the back of his head.
"No, you keep it. You said you wanted a keepsake, so..."
She smiled softly at him. "Thanks, Yugi."
Keith looked pretty shocked as Joey held up Mai's card. Croquet nodded, accepting the verification and allowing the duel to go forward.
(Y/N) gave Keith the side eye in her spirit form. "He seemed a bit too confident that Joey wasn't going to find the card, wouldn't you say?"
Rain frowned, glaring down at the bandit. "Trust me, I didn't miss that. Hey, Keith!"
"What do you want, pipsqueak?" He growled up at her.
"Seems you were pretty cocky, Joey wasn't gonna make it, even though you were in the dining hall with us last night. You knew Joey had the card."
"It's like I told your pals, I just thought the dunce was too scared to face me like a man."
Rain crossed her arms. "Really? I don't think Joey has a habit of running from tough opponents. Me personally, I have a bad habit of bending the bottom corners of my cards, especially ones I don't play with."
Keith froze, immediately looking at the card he stole, only to find there was no bend. When he looked back up, he saw Rain smirking down at him.
"Made ya look. Once a dirty coward, always one, I suppose."
Keith looked ready to kill her, but stayed in place.
"Why, that cheat!" Tea growled.
"We probably should've taken the 'bandit' part of his name more seriously." Bakura said
Despite it being clear Keith had tried a dirty tactic to get him kicked out, Joey kept himself composed like any good duelist.
"Nap time's over, Keith. Time to duel."
Keith clicked his tongue, but then smirked. "Fine. You know, a part of me wanted you to show up. A nice little warm-up match might do me some good."
"I'll warm you up and wear you out."
Keith's eye seemed to twitch under his sunglasses. "Just you try!"
"The second match of the playoffs will now commence! Joey Wheeler, Bandit Keith, prepare to duel. Ready? Begin!"
"Let's duel!"

Bandit Keith 2000LP/Joey 2000LP

Keith took the first move, drawing a card.
"So, tell me how it feels to be an amateur going up against the intercontinental dueling champion?"
"Whoo-hoo." Joey mocked. "The intercontinental champion. I could win a better prize than that in a box of cereal."
Keith snarled. "Punk. I'll teach you to respect my title. I'll place one card facedown in defense mode."

Bandit Keith 2000LP/Joey 2000LP

"Here we go." Tea muttered, sounding nervous.
Bakura looked over at Yugi and Rain. "Do you think that title gives Keith an edge?"
"Nah." Tristan said confidently. "Joey's got something a lot better than titles. He's got guts."
"And heart, too." Tea added. "Just remember what you're fighting for, Joey, and you can't lose."
"Keith's a coward to his core, Joey!" Rain yelled. "Knock him flat!"
Joey smiled up at them before drawing. "My turn, and I'm throwing a monster in defense mode, too."

Bandit Keith 2000LP/Joey 2000LP

"Guess they're feeling each other out." Rain noted.
Yugi nodded. "It's not a bad idea for Joey to try and bait out Keith's strategy. Still, I'm worried."
Keith smirked smugly, drawing his card. "Well, this ain't gonna be a very exciting match if we're both just playing defense all day. So I think I'll switch my card to attack mode. Go, Pendulum Machine!"
A robotic monster with a typical robot torso and a sharpened pendulum for legs materialized onto the field.

Pendulum Machine
1750 ATK/2000 DEF

"A machine monster!?" Joey shouted.
"That's right. And he's about to go into overdrive on that defense card of yours. Slashing Blade Attack!"
Machine Pendulum plunged its clawed hands into the facedown card, revealing Battle Warrior.

Battle Warrior
700 ATK/1000 DEF

Immobilized in the robot's grip, Battle Warrior was sliced to ribbons in an instant.
"Ouch." Tristan said. "That's not good."
"Well, it isn't...bad." Yugi argued.
Bakura nodded. "Yugi's right. Now that Keith's card is in attack mode, Joey knows how strong it is. Now all he has to do is play something stronger, and he'll be able to destroy it."
Rain crossed her arms. "Still, if Keith's playing a Machine Deck, this may get tricky. I hate having to deal with these things. Joey needs to tread lightly."

Bandit Keith 2000LP/Joey 2000LP

"So, are you going to make your move, or what?" Keith taunted Joey.
Joey narrowed his eyes at his opponent as he drew. "I sure am, and it's a big one, all thanks to your lousy move. I play Giltia the Knight to mash that machine into scrap metal!"
The mythical knight rose up onto the field to take Battle Warrior's place. Contrary to his title as a knight, his weapon was significantly more wand-like.

Giltia the Knight
1850 ATK/1500 DEF

"Soul Spear Attack!" Joey ordered.
Giltia sent out a wave of dark energy at Machine Pendulum, yet despite having a high attack, the machine remained on the field and Keith's lifepoints were left untouched.
"What!?" Joey yelled as Keith laughed.
"All of my machine monsters are protected by magic-resistant armor, so that means all of your magic attacks are worth squat."
Rain bit her thumb nail. "I was afraid of that. He was baiting Joey with that stance switch. It's not just magical-type monsters, any card that uses magic for offense is useless."
"Man, can't we ever catch a break!?" Tristan yelled.
Yugi turned to Rain. "Rain, you play with a magic heavy deck. How do you handle machine-types?"
"I added my Dark Attributes to my deck. Why do you think they're more physically inclined?"

Bandit Keith 2000LP/Joey 2000LP

"My turn." Keith announced. "And I got another well-oiled machine all ready for you. Launcher Spider!"
The armored arachnid with artillery cannons appeared on the field. Spiders usually creeped out Rain and (Y/N), but this one was artificial-looking enough that it wasn't really a problem.

Launcher Spider
2200 ATK/2500 DEF

"Shock-Rocket Attack!" Keith ordered as several missiles reigned down on Giltia, destroying the monster. "Come on, punk, fight back! It's more fun when you struggle!"

Bandit Keith 2000LP/Joey 1650LP

"They may be tough, but no machine is without its glitches." Bakura insisted.
Tea looked over at Yugi and Rain. "So, what's their glitch, you two?"
"Not sure." Yugi admitted. "Machine-types are some of the most powerful monsters in the dueling world. Not only are they impervious to magic attacks, but they have an amazingly strong offense as well. Though, that's only applicable to straightforward attacks. Maybe if Joey plays his cards right, he can use that to his advantage."
"Plenty of Joey's monsters use physical attacks." Rain analyzed. "He should be able to maneuver around the magic immunity."
Joey drew, trying to figure out a strategy around Keith's machines. "I'll play this facedown and this monster card in defense mode."
"What's the matter, dweeb?" Keith jeered. "Afraid to fight like a man?"
Joey growled, but didn't shoot back as he ended his turn.

Bandit Keith 2000LP/Joey 1650LP

Keith sneered, placing a card down.
"I'll lay a card facedown, too, and this in defense-oops." A card slipped from Keith's hand, materializing the monster Zoa, before Keith set it facedown properly. "Forget what you saw. I'll play this card in defense mode.
"Whatever that was, it was ugly." Tea said as Tristan perked up.
"But not metal."
"That looked purposeful." (Y/N) said, appearing beside Rain.
"You think?" Her vessel asked.
The spirit side eyed her. "Do you honestly believe a champion ranked duelist is capable of such a blunder? And on the only non-machine monster he has played?"
"Good point. What do you think he's planning?"
"Nothing good."
Joey, not seeing the probable trap in front of him, smirked as he drew. "Go, Flame Swordsman in attack mode!"

Flame Swordsman
1800 ATK/1600 DEF

"Trap?" Yugi asked Rain, not even looking at her.
"Yup." She replied. "And Joey's about to run head-first into it."
"Next, I'll add this magic card to my Flame Swordsman. Go, Salamandra! His magic raises my attack power by 700 points!" A fiery aura in the shape of a dragon engulfed the sword of Flame Swordsman, doing exactly as Joey said. "Swordsman, attack!"
Keith smirked. "I got you. I activate my trap, Magic Metal Force! Now Zoa is Metal Zoa."
Zoa revealed itself before being coated in cybernetics and boosting its attack and defense.

Metal Zoa
3000 ATK/2300 DEF

"Big deal." Joey brushed off.
"But that's not all, blondie. That new metallic paint job he's sporting deflects all magic attacks back at the user."
"My Swordsman!"
The fire attack bounced off Metal Zoa, striking Flame Swordsman and destroying it, dropping Joey's lifepoints further.

Bandit Keith 2000LP/Joey 1150LP

Keith laughed as he drew. "You should've seen the look on your loser face, you dweeb! It was priceless! Heh heh. And I'm just getting started. Next on my list is that little defense card of yours, he won't be defending much longer."
Joey flinched, recognizing the card in Keith's hand. "Stop Defense!?"
"That's right. Let's see what you're hiding there."
With Stop Defense now in play, Joey's monster was forced out of defense mode and revealed itself.

Axe Raider
1700 ATK/1150 DEF

"An Axe Raider?" Keith mocked. "No problem, not for my Metal Zoa, anyway."
"If that attack lands, Joey's done for!" Yugi yelled.
"Come on, Joey!" Rain mumbled. "Please tell us that facedown's a trap card!"
"Metal Zoa, attack Axe Raider!" Keith ordered.
The mechanized monster charged, but just as it came within striking range, Metal Zoa vanished, baffling Keith. Everyone looked down to see Metal Zoa in a pit, impaled on spikes.
Joey grinned, revealing his facedown as Chasm of Spikes. "Just like I planned!"
"No way!" Keith growled. "You set a trap for me?"
"Perfect!" Yugi said as Rain let out a sigh of relief. "Not only does that destroy Metal Zoa, but one quarter of its attack points are deducted from Keith's lifepoints."
"Not bad, huh?" Joey challenged. "I only wish you could've seen the look on your face when that Metal Zoa of yours got shish-kebabed! It was priceless!"
"Atta boy, Joey!" Rain yelled. "Give that creep a taste of his own medicine!"
"A well executed counterattack." (Y/N) noted with a smile. "And he managed to take out Keith's strongest monster in the process."
"It's about time someone knocked that Bandit Keith jerk down a peg." Tea cheered.
"That's not the only way he's turning the tables on Keith." Yugi said. "I think Joey finally found those monster's weak spots. Rather than try and beat them in a direct assault, he's letting his traps do all the work."
(Y/N) then frowned. "Unfortunately, traps can only be so helpful, especially now that Keith knows he'll need to be mindful of them."

Bandit Keith 1250LP/Joey 1150LP

"My turn!" Joey yelled with a smirk. "First, I'm laying this facedown. Oh, and it's a trap card, so don't bother attacking!"
Tristan whistled. "Just look at him duel!"
Tea was more cautious. "Careful. You haven't won this duel yet, Joey."
"You amateur!" Keith snapped. "That's gotta be the lousiest bluff I've ever heard!"
"Next, I'm switching my Axe Raider back to defensive mode and throwing this in attack mode. Go, Garusies!"
A draconic humanoid with armored pieces and an ax appeared beside Axe Raider.

Garusies
1800 ATK/1500 DEF

"Now!" Joey shouted. "Junk that Machine Pendulum! Battle Blades Strike!"
Garusies charged, cleaving the robot monster in two.
"Punk." Keith growled.
"Yeah." Joey said proudly. "That's right! Take a permanent vacation at the scrap yard, you hunk of junk!"

Bandit Keith 1200LP/Joey 1150LP

"Now it's my turn!" Keith yelled, enraged that Joey had closed the gap between their lifepoints. "Launcher Spider! Demolish Garusies!"
The spider monster attacked, a dust cloud now covering Joey's monster as Keith sneered.
"Hah! I knew you didn't have another trap card!"
Joey smirked right back. "Wrong again, Keith! You thought I was bluffing, and now you're gonna pay for it!"
A chain shot out of the dust cloud, ensnaring Launcher Spider.
"All right! Kunai with Chain!" Rain cheered. "That buffs Joey's monster's attack by 500, meaning Keith's monster is toast!"
"A double bluff." (Y/N) noted as Garusies crushed Launcher Spider. "Well played, Joey. That should keep Keith guessing."
"It's still close, but Joey just won himself a slight lead." Bakura said with a smile.
"Keep this up, Joey!" Rain yelled.
Keith slammed his fist in frustration, causing Joey to turn away from his friends cheering him on.
"What's wrong, Mr Champ? Don't tell me you're losing your cool to an amateur like me."
Keith gritted his teeth, but then burst out in laughter. "The joke's on you, blondie. You're already counting the tournament's prize money and this duel ain't even close to being over yet."
"Oh, yeah?"
"You think your traps will last you forever? You're gonna run out sooner or later, and then I'll bring out my bigger machines and really give our audience a show. You're goin' down, you sniveling little wannabe! Nobody beats Bandit Keith!"

Bandit Keith 1100LP/Joey 1150LP

"Just let him mouth off, Joey!" Rain encouraged. "It just proves he underestimated you!"
"Still, this is the closest match we've seen." Tea said. "It all comes down to these next few turns."
"Your sister's countin' on ya!" Tristan reminded his best friend. "Make her proud!"
Joey smiled and gave a thumbs up. "No prob."
Keith, ever proud and cocky, did not let up with his jeering. "Come on, dweeb, on with the match! I've got plenty of machine monsters revved up and ready to steamroll your lifepoints! You ain't nothing but a speed bump on my way to duel Pegasus, and that goes double for that dweeby friend of yours, Yugi."
Joey rolled his eyes, smiling. "Yeah, right, Keith."
"What'd you say?"
"I got news for you, pal. Even if you beat me, which you won't, Yugi'd cream ya! And you know why, hotshot? 'Cause you're a selfish sleazeball who's only in this tournament for your own greedy reasons. People like you never win. Sure, your tricks may get you a little ways, but only until people with good intentions show up, like me and like Yugi, too!"
Joey drew, but it seems he didn't have anything in his hand, choosing to pass the turn.

Bandit Keith 1100LP/Joey 1150LP

Keith gritted his teeth angrily, drawing. "Oh, yeah? We'll just see about that. I'll lay one card facedown, and I'll attack with this!"
A mechanized lizard took to the field, armed with three massive rail guns, all trained on Joey's side of the field.

Barrel Dragon
2600 ATK/2200 DEF

"My Barrel Dragon is gonna blast you and your good intentions to dust!"
"That's really bad." Rain said as she and Yugi unconsciously grabbed each other's hands.
Keith grinned. "Better listen to her. See, with its Triple Revolver attack, it has three attacks, not just one! I can clear all your monsters from the field in just one turn."
"Wha-? Three attacks!?" Joey repeated.
"That's right. You're going down. Say adios to your two buddies on the field. Go! Triple Revolver attack!"
Barrel Dragon took aim and fired. One shot went wide, given that its ability had a 50/50 shot at missing for each of the attacks, but Joey lost the other two coin flips, his field completely wiped.
Keith sneered, convinced he had Joey beat. "Face it, this is the end of the line for you. No monster you've got is gonna be able to withstand this kind of firepower!"
"No wonder Keith was acting so confidently, just look at that thing!" Yugi said as Rain tried to think if there was a work around.

Bandit Keith 1100LP/Joey 850LP

Despite the odds, Joey was smiling.
"Are ya done yet, Keith? Cause I've already figured out how to beat your little toy gun." Placing a card down, the familiar form of Time Wizard appeared on the field. "Meet the master of the past and future!"
"All right!" Tea cheered. "That could work!"
"Time to gamble on Time Roulette." Rain said as Joey proceeded to summon Baby Dragon for his Time Wizard combo.

Baby Dragon
1200 ATK/700 DEF

"Now you've got two things to worry about, Keith!" Joey declared. "Let's go, Time Roulette!"
Time Wizard wound up its ability, the roulette wand spinning. Fortunately, luck was on Joey's side, barely missing out on a skull. As time moved forward, Barrel Dragon rusted away, its attack and defense points being drained by 800. Meanwhile, Baby Dragon transformed into Thousand Dragon.

Thousand Dragon
2400 ATK/2000 DEF

"All right, Joey!" Yugi cheered. "The stage is set perfectly!"
"Now, Thousand Dragon, Noxious Nostril Gust!"
The ancient dragon blasted a wave of wind from its nostrils, shattering the rusted Barrel Dragon to pieces. Despite this, Keith smirked, laughing as he revealed his facedown.
"But history repeats itself, especially if you're up against a deck that's stacked with all kinds of different machine cards. Say hello to my trap card, Time Machine!"
In a puff of purple smoke, a strange chamber rose up onto the field.
"Damn it!" Rain yelled as the chamber opened, revealing Barrel Dragon. "That card not only negates the damage Joey just did, but it also lets Keith revive his Barrel Dragon at full power! Thousand Dragon doesn't stand a chance!"

Bandit Keith 1100LP/Joey 850LP

"Go! Triple Revolver attack!" Keith ordered as Thousand Dragon was destroyed.
"My dragon, he's gone." Joey said.
"And he's gonna stay gone, too. That is, unless you have a Time Machine trap set up to bring him back. But then, he'd be coming back as Baby Dragon, wouldn't he? Punk, I knew you were gonna use that dweeby little Time Wizard to try and rust up my dragon. You forget, I saw every card in your deck when you dueled Bonz!"
Joey growled. "Duels are more than just about the cards you use."
"Yeah, they're about backbone, too, and judging from the look on your face when my dragon came back, I'd say you don't even have one! Now, make your move!"

Bandit Keith 1100LP/Joey 650LP

Joey drew, not even looking up. "I'll throw a monster in defense mode, and that's it."

Bandit Keith 1100LP/Joey 650LP

"That's it, all right." Keith mocked. "'Cause my machines are gonna keep on comin'! Go Slot Machine!"
A monster that was literally just a Slot Machine with robotic arms and legs appeared on the field.

Slot Machine
2000 ATK/2300 DEF

"Now, your turn, Barrel Dragon. Blast That defense card to kingdom come!"
Kojikocy appeared on the field and was subsequently destroyed as it was once again Joey's turn.

Bandit Keith 1100LP/Joey 650LP

Glancing at his hand, Joey debated whether or not to go on the offensive with Keith's Slot Machine. With Red Eyes Black Dragon in his hand, he could destroy it, but then his strongest monster would get blasted by Barrel Dragon next turn.
"Poor Joey." Tea said. "He's in a tough bind."
"Joey, believe in your cards!" Yugi pleaded. "You need to trust them if you're gonna beat that thing!"
Like lightning, Joey got an idea, placing the card he just drew facedown. "I'll lay this facedown, and throw out Red Eyes Black Dragon in attack mode!"
Joey's fearsome beast charged onto the field with a roar not unlike its blue eyed counterpart.

Red Eyes Black Dragon
2400 ATK/2000 DEF

"That'll do it for me." Joey announced.

Bandit Keith 1100LP/Joey 650LP

Keith sneered. "That Red Eyes Dragon may be the best card you got in your deck, dweeb, but he's still no match for this kind of blastin' power. Say bye-bye to your prized possession. Triple Revolver attack!"
Joey then smirked. "Not so fast. I play Copycat! This will let me copy one card that you've used, and I'm choosin' to copy Magic Metal Force! Now my Red Eyes Black Dragon is a Red Eyes Black Metal Dragon!"
Red Eyes was quickly coated in shining armor, rising as a new, fearsome, mechanical beast.

Red Eyes Black Metal Dragon
2800 ATK/2400 DEF

"Now my dragon is strong enough to withstand your attack!"
Triple Revolver crashed into Red Eyes, bouncing off harmlessly and only seeming to piss the monster off.
Rain cheered. "All right! Now Barrel Dragon's about to be on the receiving end of a dragon's rage! Send it back to the scrap heap for good this time, Joey!"
"You got it! Red Eyes, counter attack! Flash Flare Blast!" Following its orders, the new mechanized monster sent a dark blast crashing into Barrel Dragon, ripping it to shreds. "How'd ya like that, Keith? Your Barrel Dragon's been reduced to a pile of smokin' metal debris!"
"All right!" Tristan cheered. "Now Joey's dragon is the toughest monster on the field!"
Yugi seemed much more cautious. "I wouldn't count Keith out just yet. He played that Slot Machine monster for a reason."
"I knew you were an amateur." Keith growled. "And now, I'm gonna show why."
"Huh?" Joey mocked. "Amateur? Didn't I just go and blast your best monster to bits?"
"That's right, keep talkin', tough guy! I'm laying this card facedown, and I'm switching my Slot Machine to defensive mode."

Bandit Keith 900LP/Joey 650LP

"Bad move, Keith. First, I'll lay this facedown. And now, my Red Eyes will attack! Flash Flare Blast!"
"Man, you're as predictable as you are brainless!" Keith mocked. "I play my facedown, Seven Completed!"
The middle slot on Slot Machine suddenly began to spin until it slowly landed on 7. Red Eye's attack then landed, only to fizzle out against the defensive monster.
"He's still there!?" Joey shouted.
Keith chuckled. "That's 'cause my Seven Completed card raised my Slot's defensive points to 3000, and that's more than enough to deflect your Red Eyes strongest attack."
"And you know what else I've got? Two more Seven Completed cards in my deck. Each able to power up my Slot's defense or attack points by 700."
"Yeah, well, just 'cause you have 'em, doesn't mean you'll draw 'em, Keith." Joey yelled back as he ended his turn.

Bandit Keith 900LP/Joey 450LP

Keith smirked, making a slight movement as he drew that caught Rain's eye. "Well, what do you know? Check out what card I just drew: I think I'll play another Seven Completed, this time, for my attack power!"
Joey sweatdropped as Slot Machine's power rose 2700. "If I don't do something soon, my lifepoints are gonna get cleaned out."
Yugi gripped the railings. "One more of those Seven Completed cards, and that Slot will have enough power to destroy Joey's Red Eyes."
"And any other card he has, too." Bakura added before noticing the look in Rain's eye. "Rain, is something wrong?"
"Something about that last draw. I don't know, it didn't look right."
"Next, I'm throwin' this down. Go Blast Sphere!" A mechanical sphere with clawed hands rose up on the field. "Attach yourself to Joey's dragon."

Blast Sphere
2900 ATK/1400 DEF

The monster clung to Red Eyes with a death grip, baffling Joey.
"Blast Sphere?"
"That's right." Keith said. "And once I end my turn, it'll self-destruct, dealing enough damage to whip out your dragon! Okay, dweeb, I'm endin' my turn now! Your time's up!"
In flash, Blast Sphere blew, taking Red Eyes with it.

Bandit Keith 900LP/Joey 450LP

Or so it seemed, when the dust settled, Red Eyes was still standing, looming over Keith with a menacing glare, its attack points rising to 3400.
"Huh!? That dragon should've been blown to bits! This ain't right!"
Joey smirked, holding up his facedown. "Oh, it's right, thanks to my handy Dragon Nails card. It boosted my dragon's attack points by 600."
Rain smiled. "Meaning Keith's the one taking damage from that blast! To the tune of 500 lifepoints!"
"Shame he can't attack now." (Y/N) said as Joey passed his turn.

Bandit Keith 400LP/Joey 450LP

Keith was now seething with rage, and again drew in the odd manner.
"Well, looky what I got here!" He held up the last of his Seven Completed. "I think I'll power up my Slot's attack again! Well, would ya look at that!"
The two duelists glared each other down as Rain gritted her teeth.
"Great, now they're evenly matched. I can't believe Keith managed to get all three of his Seven Completed."
(Y/N) looked over at Keith, her eyes steely and sharp.
"(Y/N)?"
"Rain, what exactly is the movement your grandfather does when you play cards?"
She tilted her head at the spirit, demonstrating a motion similar to the last two draws to Keith. "You mean this? I mean, I told him to stop doing that because that's how he-," Rain froze as she realized what her partner was saying. "That dirty cheat!"
"Rain?" Yugi said, seeing the girl grit her teeth in fury.
"Keith's cheating his draws! He had both his Seven Completed in his wristband!"
Tea growled. "That low life!"
Bakura instead kept his head cool. "Are you certain, Rain?"
She nodded. "I knew something was off with those draws. My gramps does the exact same thing!"
They all turned to her with skeptic looks before she corrected herself.
"With gramps, you're safe to play any game that is not poker."
"Well, if he's cheating, call him out!" Tristan insisted.
"Don't bother." (Y/N) butted in, pulling Rain's attention. "Look at Pegasus. He's fully aware of what's going on."
Rain did so and saw the eccentric man with a big grin on his face. She clicked her tongue.
"Pegasus knows. He's not gonna do anything about it. Plus, I doubt Keith's reckless enough to keep more than a few cards hidden."
"So Joey has to duel at a disadvantage!?" Tea seethed. "How's that fair!?"
"It isn't. Joey will just have to outplay Keith's dirty tactics."
Yugi fists tightened. "This next turn could decide the whole match."

Bandit Keith 400LP/Joey 450LP

As Joey drew, his eye seemed to twitch as he immediately laid the card facedown, ending the turn without declaring an attack.

Bandit Keith 400LP/Joey 450LP

"Come on." Keith mocked. "No card you play's gonna help! Now, I'm gonna end this duel! It's all over for ya, thanks to this: the Pillager! This lets me look at your hand and steal one card from it! So lay 'em down!"
Joey laid his hand facedown, and Rain immediately knew what Keith was going to grab.
"I'll take that Sword and Shield card!" Keith immediately used the card, making Red Eyes weaker than Slot Machine. "I told ya you were through! Now go, Slot Machine! Plasma Laser Cannon!"
Before Keith could whip out Joey's lifepoints, the younger male flipped his facedown. "I activate my trap!"
Keith didn't seem to hear, laughing maniacally as Red Eyes was destroyed. "I win!"
Rain smirked, seeing the card Joey just played. "Not today, Keith!"
The dust settled, revealing a mischievous little monster clutching Keith's Time Machine card.
"That dweeb had a Graverobber Card!?"
"Heh!" Joey laughed. "You should've paid more attention to my last turn, Keith, then you'd have seen this coming!"
"And since Time Machine can bring back a monster from the previous turn then...that means..."
"Bingo! My dragon's back, and now his attack is higher than your defense! Welcome back, Red Eyes!"
Time Machine opened, allowing the dragon to proudly walk back on the field. With no way to stop the end, Keith ended his final turn.

Bandit Keith 400LP/Joey 450LP

Joey smirked. "Go! Flash, Flare, Blast!"
With a final, fiery attack, Slot Machine was wiped out, taking out the rest of Keith's lifepoints.

Bandit Keith 0LP/Joey 450LP

"No way!" Keith yelled as the field cleared. "He beat me!? He actually won!?"
The gang cheered as Croquet held up his hand.
"The victor is Joey Wheeler!"
"All right!" Joey shouted with joy.
Tristan jumped onto the rail in joy, only to nearly fall off it.
"Are you crazy!?" Rain screamed as she and Yugi had to pull him back over.
"This duel doesn't count!" Keith insisted.
"Like hell it doesn't!" Rain snapped back.
Tea was equally furious. "Keith just doesn't know when to give up!"
"The entry card that Joey showed to play wasn't even his!"
"By that logic, you shouldn't have dueled!" Yugi yelled. "Your entry card was Rain's to start with!"
"Not to mention you cheated!" Rain added. "I know you pulled Seven Completed twice from your wristband!"
Keith glared at both of them, only for Pegasus to intercede.
"Now, now, it's clear that Keith stole Joey's card. In addition, I must agree with Rain's deduction on dueling misconduct."
Joey glared at the bigger male. "Man, Keith! That's low!"
Pegasus, in all his hypocrisy, looked down at Keith.
"Take the scoundrel away. Far away." Keith flailed as he was dragged off, leaving Pegasus to clap at Joey. "Well done, Joseph. You should be quite proud. You dueled admirably."
"Hey!" Keith came barreling back, jumping the arena and landing right next to Pegasus, who was unfazed.
"You're a stubborn one, aren't you?"
Keith then pulled a gun on Pegasus, making everyone back up. "Can it! You ain't talkin' your way out of this one! Now, hand over that prize money or else!"
"Oh, certainly, Keith!" Pegasus mocked. "I'll do whatever you say. Just give my body a moment to recover from the complete paralysis that your terrifying demands have shocked me into!"
"Okay, wise guy, I'll give you till three. One, two, thre-!"
Keith suddenly fell through the floor, Pegasus having set off a trap of his own, sending him who knows where.
Croquet, ever the diligent overseer, brushed the whole mess off like nothing happened.
"Now, the remaining duelists will receive a 10-minute recess before the next duel. Rest well, our host wants both of you in top form."
Rain looked over at Yugi who had his gaze locked with Joey. They all knew it was an eventuality, but still it was hard to come to terms with:
A duel between two best friends.