"When luck runs out…"
Joey closed his eyes.
Then he chuckled twice—an odd, almost creepy laugh.
"Oh? What's so funny?" Pegasus narrowed his eyes.
"Nothing," Joey said lightly. "It's just—Pegasus, you…"
He lifted his head, scorn in his eyes.
"Without your Millennium Eye, you really are second-rate."
"What did you say?"
Anger flashed across Pegasus's face.
He controlled it well and immediately returned to normal.
"Is that so, Joey Boy? It seems you really do have some bite now. Then let me see if your strength matches your confidence.
I set two cards."
He slid two cards from his hand and set them with a flourish.
"My turn ends."
"As you wish—watch closely and see my power.
My turn—draw!"
Joey drew, pausing as he glanced at the opponent's backrow.
Three set cards, one of which was the "Mirror Force" that failed to activate last turn.
Pegasus might think Joey had forgotten, but tough luck—Joey's memory was sharp.
One way or another, he had to deal with Mirror Force first. Without Black Skull Dragon, he no longer had trap immunity; he needed to attack cautiously.
"I activate the Spell Card 'Graceful Charity'."
He slid the Spell into the Duel Disk.
"Draw three cards, then discard two."
He currently had no way to play around traps.
"Come on, my Deck—give me strength…"
Joey drew.
"I set three cards," he said. "Then I activate the Spell 'Card Destruction'! Both players discard their entire hands, then draw the same number of cards!"
Three more set cards appeared. Then he discarded his hand and drew anew.
Pegasus drew as well, chuckling: "Trying to dig for an answer through draws, are we?"
"Not done yet. 'Card Destruction' hit the Spell 'Card of Compensation'," Joey said. "I draw two more cards."
After the flood of draws, Joey's face lit up.
"Grandpa was right—if you believe, your Deck will always answer."
The Grandpa was of course not his own, but Yugi's grandfather, the famous perennial Millennium hostage Solomon Muto—also Joey's dueling mentor.
"I Normal Summon 'Gearfried the Red-Eyes Iron Knight'!"
The Gearfried the Iron Knight, a Joey staple of the early days—popular for a solid 1800 ATK at Level 4 and a sleek design.
Gearfried the Red-Eyes Iron Knight is his new guise; in recent years Gearfried hitched a ride on the Red-Eyes train, gaining the proud Red-Eyes tag to become part of the archetype.
[Gearfried the Red-Eyes Iron Knight, ATK 1800]
"Then the effect of 'Black Metal Dragon' in my hand," Joey continued. "During my Main Phase: I can target 1 'Red-Eyes' monster I control and equip this card from my hand or field to it."
"Equip to a Red-Eyes monster…" Pegasus mused. "I see—Gearfried has evolved into a member of Red-Eyes."
"Exactly. So Black Metal Dragon equips to Gearfried the Red-Eyes Iron Knight! The equipped monster gains 600 ATK!"
Joey smiled.
"But you haven't forgotten the original Gearfried's effect, have you, President Pegasus?"
"Gearfried the Iron Knight cannot be equipped with any Equip Cards," Pegasus, father of Duel Monsters, answered easily. "Any Equip Card equipped to it is destroyed."
"Right, and Gearfried the Red-Eyes Iron Knight inherits a similar, but stronger, effect!
Once per turn, if an Equip Card becomes equipped to it: destroy that Equip Card, then target 1 Spell/Trap your opponent controls; destroy it!"
Joey pointed at the set trap that had been there since last turn and failed to activate.
"I'll destroy your set 'Mirror Force'!"
The moment Black Metal Dragon equipped, it exploded with a bang. Gearfried's blade flashed, a slash sent a wave that cleaved Pegasus's backrow in two—revealing Mirror Force.
"Tch."
Pegasus clicked his tongue.
What a pity—the strongest shield never got to shine…
"And when 'Black Metal Dragon' is sent from the field to the GY, it has something to say," Joey grinned. "Add 1 'Red-Eyes' card from your Deck to your hand."
He searched and revealed a Red-Eyes card.
"I add 'Red-Eyes Alternative Black Dragon' to my hand!"
"Gearfried and Black Metal Dragon—destroying my Mirror Force to crack my defense, and turning that destruction into search advantage," Pegasus said, face growing solemn.
Though he called Joey a luck-ridden nobody, some of that was trash talk—a standard psychological ploy mid-duel. In his heart, he didn't dare underestimate the strength Joey had shown.
"Red-Eyes Alternative Black Dragon cannot be Normal Summoned; it must first be Special Summoned by tributing a 'Red-Eyes' monster from my hand or field."
Joey continued.
"So I tribute 'Gearfried the Red-Eyes Iron Knight'—
—Special Summon Red-Eyes Alternative Black Dragon!!!"
Sky-piercing flames devoured the steel knight. From the endless blaze came a dragon's roar that seemed to tear the heavens.
The hall filled with dense black smoke; broken flames danced across the sky. Rivers of magma churned as if stirred by a giant unseen hand, coalescing with the roar into a pitch-black dragon whose every scale looked forged in lava, eyes dark red with omen and fury, its bellow shaking the mountains.
[Red-Eyes Alternative Black Dragon, ATK 2400]
"A new Red-Eyes subspecies?" Pegasus said. "But with only 2400 ATK, it can't defeat Relinquished empowered by Black Skull Dragon."
"Tch—stealing someone else's monster and still acting cocky…"
Joey scoffed.
"Then watch closely—the ultimate evolution of my Red-Eyes!
Battle—Red-Eyes Alternative Black Dragon attacks Relinquished!"
Pegasus's heart jolted.
Attacking with the weaker monster—
There's a trick!
Alternative Black Dragon spat a blazing ball of fire barreling toward Pegasus.
Relinquished's green eye opened; black mist billowed, and from it emerged the NTR'd Black Skull Dragon to intercept.
Alternative Black Dragon was no match; in a single clash it was battered back and exploded in the flames.
[Joey, LP 2800 → 2000]
Joey raised an arm to shield himself, then chuckled.
"Just as planned."
Pegasus: "What?"
"Red-Eyes Alternative Black Dragon's effect. If this card is destroyed by battle or an opponent's card effect: Special Summon 1 Level 7 or lower 'Red-Eyes' monster from your GY.
I'll Special Summon the card I sent back to the GY with 'Graceful Charity' at the start of this turn."
He pulled a card from his GY and showed Pegasus.
"Red-Eyes Black Dragon!" Joey declared. "And if the target Special Summoned by Alternative Black Dragon's effect is 'Red-Eyes Black Dragon,' its original ATK is doubled!"
Pegasus: "!"