Toon Kingdom, activate!
A massive book appeared on Pegasus's field and flipped open with a flutter. A tiny cartoon castle popped out from the pages, torches lit on either side of the gate, and red pennants fluttered atop the tower.
"To activate Toon Kingdom, I must banish the top five cards of my Deck face-down." (Anime effect)
Pegasus calmly drew the top five cards from his Deck.
"I banish the top five cards of my Deck."
"Toon… Kingdom?"
Joey felt a twinge of unease and focused.
Pegasus claimed to be retired, but clearly hadn't been idle. He was sure Pegasus didn't have this card back in the day.
Joey knew Pegasus used "Toon" cards—Pegasus, the father of Duel Monsters, had printed himself an exclusive deck, one of a kind in the world. The monsters were all cute, mischievous caricatures.
But back then the key card of the Toon series was the Continuous Spell "Toon World."
All Toon monsters depended on Toon World being on the field to exist. Joey had never heard of "Toon Kingdom" back then.
Toon Kingdom first appeared when Pegasus reappeared in GX. It didn't get printed right away; only the contemporary video game "Tag Force" featured it.
In Tag Force, Toon Kingdom matched the anime effect exactly and was a Continuous Spell. When it was finally printed in real life, it became a Field Spell with some tweaks.
Compared to the anime, the printed card added protection—"Toon monsters you control cannot be targeted by your opponent's card effects"—which was overall a buff.
"Be careful, Joey Boy," Pegasus smiled. "My Toons come out guns blazing.
I Normal Summon 'Mystical Elf'!"
A blue-skinned, blond-haired elf-like caster appeared, hands clasped as if in prayer.
[Mystical Elf, ATK 800]
"Then I activate the Quick-Play Spell 'Magical Dimension'!" Pegasus said. "I can activate this only while I control a Spellcaster-type monster.
I tribute one monster I control and Special Summon a Spellcaster-type monster from my hand!"
He pointed at the newly summoned mage.
"I tribute 'Mystical Elf' and Special Summon from my hand a Spellcaster—"
Pegasus beamed and flashed a card.
"Come forth, my cutest Toon monster—
—Toon Dark Magician Girl, Summon!"
Toon Kingdom's giant book snapped shut, then whooshed open again. A petite magical girl flipped gracefully through the air, landing light as a feather—fair legs in round-toed boots, a pretty, youthful face, and an impish gleam in her eyes.
[Toon Dark Magician Girl, ATK 2000]
"Toon Dark Magician Girl?"
Joey stared at the chibi Dark Magician Girl that popped out.
"You bastard—you even tooned Yugi's Dark Magician Girl…"
Back then, Pegasus loved turning others' ace monsters into his own Toons: Kaiba's Blue-Eyes became Blue-Eyes Toon Dragon, Yugi's Dark Magician became Toon Dark Magician, even Toon Summoned Skull, and so on…
But Joey remembered there wasn't a Toon Dark Magician Girl back in Duelist Kingdom—Yugi hadn't even summoned DMG yet; she debuted in Battle City.
"Indeed. See? Isn't this version much cuter?"
Pegasus gestured proudly at his chibi DMG.
"No way! The original is obviously cuter!" Joey retorted righteously.
"Tsk tsk."
Pegasus shook his head.
"You really don't appreciate art. My Toons are cuter in every way. You can feel her power with your body."
He swept his hand.
"Magical Dimension's follow-up effect isn't over!
After Special Summoning a Spellcaster with this effect, destroy one monster your opponent controls!"
Pegasus pointed at Joey's field and sneered.
"Red-Eyes is nostalgic and all, but he can leave now."
Boom!
Red-Eyes Black Dragon was sucked into a golden coffin-like container, chains crisscrossing to bind it. With an explosion, the coffin and the dragon were blown to ashes.
"Red-Eyes!"
Joey raised his arm to shield himself, calling out instinctively.
Pegasus chuckled.
"I said my Toons start at full blast. If you let your guard down even a little… Hm?"
He frowned.
As the smoke cleared, the mighty Red-Eyes still stood on the field—as if a magician had escaped the coffin in the split second before detonation.
Not only that—Joey's field revealed another dragon's shadow behind the smoke.
It was also black-shelled like Red-Eyes, quite similar but a size smaller—still fierce, roaring at Pegasus as if to provoke him.
"You didn't think I've been standing still all these years, did you?"
Joey smirked.
"Effect of 'Red-Eyes Retro Dragon' in my hand.
If a Level 7 or lower 'Red-Eyes' monster you control is destroyed by battle or by an opponent's card effect and sent to your GY, Special Summon this card from your hand in Defense Position. Then revive the destroyed monster in the same position if possible!"
[Red-Eyes Retro Dragon, DEF 1600]
[Red-Eyes Black Dragon, ATK 2400]
"Too bad—my Red-Eyes isn't so easy to get rid of. Just like me." Joey puffed out his chest.
"I see… perhaps you are a bit different from back then."
Pegasus paused, then chuckled.
"But my Toons aren't bound by common sense either, as you should remember."
"What?"
"Battle," Pegasus said. "Toon Dark Magician Girl—attack Joey directly!"
Joey: "!"
"You've forgotten that only Toons can block Toons, haven't you?" Pegasus laughed. "If your opponent controls no Toon monsters, Toon monsters can attack directly.
Go, Toon Dark Magician Girl!
Toon Dark Burst!"
The chibi DMG flipped, skipped right over the heads of Joey's two Red-Eyes, and came straight to Joey, bringing her staff down with a bonk on his forehead.
Stars danced in Joey's eyes as the cheeky little mage stuck out her tongue at him, slung her staff over her shoulder, and somersaulted back to her master.
[Joey, LP 4000 → LP 2000]
"Hahaha! Nicely done, my Toon girl!"
Pegasus laughed coldly.
"A pleasant reunion, alas soon to end.
I next activate the Spell Card 'Shadow Toon' from my hand!
It can be activated while 'Toon World' is on my field—though I don't have Toon World,
the Continuous Spell 'Toon Kingdom' is treated as 'Toon World' while it's on the field."
Another spell appeared as a book. It opened, and ghostly shadows flew out, copying the form of Joey's Red-Eyes Black Dragon.
"Red-Eyes?" Joey was startled. "What's going on?"
"Hahaha! Shadow Toon's effect—select a monster your opponent controls and inflict damage to your opponent equal to that monster's ATK!
Naturally, I choose… Red-Eyes Black Dragon!"
[Red-Eyes Black Dragon, ATK 2400]
[Joey, LP 2000]
Joey: "!"