## Chapter 290: Harpie and Red-Eyes
"I'll take the First Turn." Mai Valentine's movements were quicker than Joey's, snatching the First Turn privilege. She drew a Card from her Deck and added it to her Hand. "First, I Activate the (Spell Card) (Unexpected Dai)! When I control no Monsters on my Field, I can Special Summon one Level 4 or lower Normal Monster from my Deck."
"Let that idiot Joey witness your power, _Harpie Lady_!"
As a rain of feathers descended from the sky, a female Monster with a human-like appearance but with bird wings for hands appeared on Mai Valentine's Field. It was her favorite Monster, _Harpie Lady_.
[_Harpie Lady_] [Level 4/WIND Attribute]
[Winged Beast Type/Normal Monster]
[1300/1400]
"It's _Harpie Lady_! That brings back memories. So, Mai, you must still have that Card in your Hand, right?" Joey said with a smile.
"That's the problem with Dueling someone you know, they can guess every Card in your Hand." Mai Valentine nodded helplessly. "Since I have _Harpie Lady_ on my Field, I Activate the (Spell Card) in my Hand, (Elegant Egotist)."
As Mai Valentine placed the Card in her Spell & Trap Zone, a new Monster slowly appeared next to the _Harpie Lady_ on her Field, as if it were a clone.
In the past, during the Duelist Kingdom era, the (Description) for Mai Valentine's (Elegant Egotist) stated, "The graceful and splendid dance of _Harpie Lady_ seems to create a clone," and its Effect was to transform the _Harpie Lady_ on the Field into _Harpie Lady Sisters_.
However, with the increasing formalization of Duel Monsters, older Cards like (Magical Mist) and (Elegant Egotist) have undergone a redesign, and their Effects have changed. The current Effect of (Elegant Egotist) is:
"From my Hand or Deck, I can Special Summon 1 _Harpie Lady_ or _Harpie Lady Sisters_." Mai Valentine used the Card to Search her Deck and placed a Card on her Duel Disk. "Come forth, _Harpie Lady Sisters_!"
[_Harpie Lady Sisters_] [Level 6/WIND Attribute]
[Winged Beast Type/Special Summon/Effect]
[1950/2100]
After the _Harpie Lady Sisters_ appeared, like three Whack-A-Moles that are counted as one Monster despite being three bodies, Mai Valentine smiled at Joey, who stood opposite her, and said, "What do you think, Joey? How are my Harpies? But it's too early to be surprised. I'm activating these two Cards now."
"Continuous Spell Card, (Enchanting Twin Mirrors)! And Field Spell Card, (Harpie's Hunting Ground)!"
On Mai Valentine's Back Row, a mirror depicting the reflections of two Harpies slowly rose. At the same time, the Duel Field changed because Mai Valentine activated the Field Spell Card, transforming from a sky realm into a vast desert.
Perhaps because they had arrived at a familiar place, the Harpies on Mai Valentine's Field excitedly flew into the sky, soaring with the strong winds of the Wasteland, seemingly waiting for prey to appear.
"(Harpie's Hunting Ground) can increase the ATK and DEF of all Winged Beast Type Monsters on both players' Fields by 200 points. But I guess you don't have any Winged Beast Type Monsters, do you, Joey?" Lightly Setting a Card, Mai Valentine Declared, "I Set one Card. My Turn ends."
[Mai Valentine: 4000 LP, Hand 1]
[_Harpie Lady_] [ATK 1300 → 1500]
[_Harpie Lady Sisters_] [ATK 1950 → 2150]
[Set Card] [(Enchanting Twin Mirrors)]
Field: (Harpie's Hunting Ground)
Looking at the rather lavish lineup on Mai Valentine's Field, Joey smiled. "I didn't expect you to be so serious, Mai. It looks like your Mind is filled with a desire for victory, huh? But my competitive spirit won't lose to yours."
"My Turn, Draw!"
After drawing the top Card of his Deck, Joey's face showed an excited expression. "Alright! I Activate the (Spell Card) (Pot of Greed)! I Draw two Cards from my Deck!"
"Then, I Activate the (Spell Card) (Polymerization)! From my Hand, I Send _Baby Dragon_ and _Alligator's Sword_ as Fusion Material to the Graveyard!" The two Cards in Joey's Hand transformed into two streaks of light and merged into the Vortex of (Polymerization) that appeared on his Field. "Come forth, _Alligator's Sword Dragon_!"
"Heh heh, Fusion Summoning a powerful Monster, are we? What a shame, Joey!"
Looking at the Monster that appeared on Joey's Field, Mai Valentine immediately Activated the Set Card on her Back Row. "I Activate the (Trap Card) (Bottomless Trap Hole)! When a Monster with 1500 or more ATK is Summoned, Flip Summoned, or Special Summoned, Destroy and Banish that Monster!"
[_Alligator's Sword Dragon_] [ATK 1700]
Seeing that the Set Card Mai Valentine Activated was about to Destroy his newly Summoned Monster, the smile on Joey's face grew even wider. "Haha, Mai, you've completely wasted your Card! I never said I was going to Battle with _Alligator's Sword Dragon_!"
"In Chain to your (Bottomless Trap Hole), I Activate the Quick-Play Spell Card (De-Fusion)! I return my _Alligator's Sword Dragon_ on the Field to its Fusion Material—_Baby Dragon_ and _Alligator's Sword_!"
Just as _Alligator's Sword Dragon_ was about to fall into the bottomless Abyss, it suddenly transformed into two streaks of light, escaping the Trap and returning to Joey's Field, reverting to the _Baby Dragon_ and _Alligator's Sword_ that Joey had previously Sent to the Graveyard.
"Hmph, you managed to dodge that, huh?" Mai Valentine pouted unhappily. "But what good is it even if you saved these two Monsters? Neither _Baby Dragon_ nor _Alligator's Sword_ has enough ATK to beat my Harpies."
[_Baby Dragon_] [ATK 1200]
[_Alligator's Sword_] [ATK 1500]
"Don't forget one thing, Mai." Joey smiled as he revealed a Card from his Hand. "This Turn of mine, I haven't performed a Normal Summon yet."
On Joey's Field, a blazing inferno suddenly ignited, flames that seemed capable of scorching everything to ash transformed _Baby Dragon_ and _Alligator's Sword_ into two towering pillars of fire in the desert!
"I Tribute _Baby Dragon_ and _Alligator's Sword_ on my Field to Tribute Summon! Consume everything with your pitch-black flames, _Red-Eyes Black Dragon_!"
As Joey slammed the Card from his Hand onto his Duel Disk, his Deck's strongest Ace Monster—the _Red-Eyes Black Dragon_—shattered the pillars of fire with its massive wings. Bathed in flames, the pitch-black Dragon let out a loud roar, spewing a mouthful of Dragon flame towards the sky.
"ROAR!!!"
[_Red-Eyes Black Dragon_] [Level 7/DARK Attribute]
[Dragon-Type/Normal Monster]
[2400/2000]
Seeing Joey's play, Chumley in the Audience Seating exclaimed, "What a move!" He suddenly felt that the future "Jaden Yuki" was more of an heir to Joey than to Yugi. The classic Five-for-one, coupled with an emperor's Heart of the Cards, Chumley refused to believe there was no connection between them.
Meanwhile, inside the Duel Field, Joey, who had Summoned _Red-Eyes Black Dragon_, was overflowing with confidence. "Although _Red-Eyes Black Dragon_ is already quite powerful now, since I have this Card in my Hand, I'll Activate it. Equip Spell Card (Dragon's Claw)! Only DARK Attribute Dragon-Type Monsters can Equip this Card."
"The Monster Equipped with this Card gains 600 ATK!"
[_Red-Eyes Black Dragon_ (Dragon's Claw)] [ATK 2400 → 3000]
"Its Attack is equal to _Blue-Eyes White Dragon_?!" The opposing Mai Valentine was quite shocked by Joey's Combo and subconsciously looked at her Field. "Oh no, all my Harpies are in Attack Position!"
"Heh heh, my Battle Phase begins! _Red-Eyes Black Dragon_, Attack _Harpie Lady_!" Joey chose the _Harpie Lady_ with the lowest Attack on Mai Valentine's Field as his Attack Target. "Go, Red-Eyes, (Inferno Fire Blast)!"
Although (Dragon's Claw) was Equipped to _Red-Eyes Black Dragon_'s claws, it was the black flames spewed from _Red-Eyes Black Dragon_'s mouth that were amplified. In just an instant after being hit, the _Harpie Lady_ soaring above Mai Valentine's Field was struck down, Destroyed, and Sent to the Graveyard.
Mai Valentine's Life Points also took Damage from this.
[Mai Valentine: 4000 → 2500 LP]
"Heh, you've got some tricks up your sleeve, Joey." Mai Valentine looked at her lost 1500 Life Points and Sent the _Harpie Lady_ Card to the Graveyard.
Even under the 8000 LP Rule, 1500 Damage is not a small amount. Moreover, under the current 4000 LP Rule, Mai Valentine's Life Points were only a little more than half of their starting value, which made her regret why she hadn't put _Harpie Lady_ in Defense Position last Turn.
However, even though Joey Destroyed one of her Monsters, the ever-vengeful Mai Valentine immediately Activated the Effect of a Card on her Field.
"Because my _Harpie Lady_ on the Field was Destroyed by Battle by you, the Effect of my Continuous Spell Card (Enchanting Twin Mirrors) on my Back Row Activates." From the mirror standing on Mai Valentine's Back Row, a brand new _Harpie Lady_ emerged.
"From my Deck, I Special Summon one 'Harpie' Monster with a different name than the Destroyed Monster! Come forth, _Harpie Lady 1_!"
As soon as _Harpie Lady 1_ appeared on Mai Valentine's Field, it immediately shot into the sky, riding the fierce winds of the Wasteland and charging towards the _Red-Eyes Black Dragon_ on Joey's Field!
"Hey, Mai! Is your Monster crazy? It's actively attacking _Red-Eyes Black Dragon_?" Joey's face was filled with surprise; he hadn't realized one thing yet—_Harpie Lady 1_'s Attack Target was not _Red-Eyes Black Dragon_, but the (Dragon's Claw) Equipped to _Red-Eyes Black Dragon_!
"Do you think I'm as stupid as you?" Mai Valentine retorted, raising her Duel Disk to remind Joey that her Field Spell Card was still active. "_Harpie Lady 1_'s Card name is treated as _Harpie Lady_, and each time a _Harpie Lady_ or _Harpie Lady Sisters_ is Summoned or Special Summoned by either player, the Effect of (Harpie's Hunting Ground) will forcibly Activate."
"Target one Spell/Trap Card on the Field and Destroy it!" Mai Valentine pointed her hand at Joey's _Red-Eyes Black Dragon_. "Making such a crude move against an elegant Lady, I will Destroy the (Dragon's Claw) Equipped to your _Red-Eyes Black Dragon_!"
_Harpie Lady 1_, diving down, performed an elegant loop, avoiding _Red-Eyes Black Dragon_'s bite. Its sharp claws landed on (Dragon's Claw). By the time it returned to Mai Valentine's Field, _Red-Eyes Black Dragon_ looked completely bewildered, realizing its claws had been Destroyed.
[_Red-Eyes Black Dragon_] [ATK 3000 → 2400]
"Not only that, _Harpie Lady 1_'s own Effect is that it can increase the ATK of all WIND Attribute Monsters on both sides of the Field by 300 points. That means—"
"The Attack of _Harpie Lady Sisters_ has already surpassed your _Red-Eyes Black Dragon_!"
[_Harpie Lady 1_] [ATK 1300 → 1500 → 1800]
[_Harpie Lady Sisters_] [ATK 1950 → 2150 → 2450]
"Tsk, what a troublesome Opponent." Joey looked at his Hand in frustration. This feeling of knowing his Monster would be Destroyed Next Turn but being powerless to stop it was truly unpleasant. "I Set one Card. My Turn ends."
[Joey: 4000 LP, Hand 0]
[_Red-Eyes Black Dragon_] [ATK 2400]
[Set Card]
"Heh heh, it's my Turn now." Mai Valentine looked at the Card she drew; it was (Monster Reborn). While she could use it now, Mai Valentine felt that using such a useful (Monster Reborn) on her _Harpie Lady_ in the Graveyard, or Joey's _Baby Dragon_ and _Alligator's Sword_ in his Graveyard, would be a bit of a waste.
"Then, entering my Battle Phase!" Mai Valentine waved her hand forward. "_Harpie Lady Sisters_, Attack _Red-Eyes Black Dragon_ on Joey's Field! Harpie's Dive!"
"Alright, let's go!" Upon receiving Mai Valentine's Attack command, the _Harpie Lady Sisters_, who had been overlooking the Field from the sky for a long time, immediately sprang into action impatiently.
The Big Sister among the three charged at the forefront, attracting _Red-Eyes Black Dragon_'s attention and baiting out its Dragon flame. The second sister seized this opportunity to Attack _Red-Eyes Black Dragon_'s abdomen, which it blocked with its sharp claws. But just as _Red-Eyes Black Dragon_ thought it had parried all the Attacks, the third sister among the _Harpie Lady Sisters_ launched her Attack, tearing through _Red-Eyes Black Dragon_'s throat and defeating it with a single strike.
[Joey: 4000 → 3950 LP]
"And now for this Monster, _Harpie Lady 1_'s Direct Attack!"
Seeing the other Monster on Mai Valentine's Field launch a Direct Attack towards him, Joey smiled. "This is what I was waiting for! Trap Card, Activate (Counter Gate)!"
A portal suddenly rose in front of the incoming _Harpie Lady 1_.
***
Regarding the previous chapter:
Bakura's tendency for dirty tricks had been etched into his character, but at the same time, he was a fairly fair guy and wouldn't cheat like a six-year-old. In the Original Story, he primarily used the (Millennium Ring) and didn't have many opportunities to actively Attack others. However, now that the (Millennium Ring) had been taken by the protagonist, Bakura primarily used the (Millennium Eye), and it was impossible for him not to cause trouble with it.
If Kaiba were controlled, the direction of the story would go off track, possibly heading down an unforeseen path like "Bakura holding everyone on the ship hostage and heading straight for Egypt to start the King's Memories arc." Since Marik and the (Millennium Rod) were also there, I arranged for Marik to be NTR'd right in front of everyone.
Regarding Kaiba's memories, fans of the Original Story would immediately recognize what Kaiba saw: Seto as a child wandering with his mother, saving his wife, and receiving his father's Dogmatika Archetype teachings. Anyway, the (Millennium Rod) actually did this in the Original Story, and I think it's quite reasonable.
Regarding this chapter:
A new volume has started, everyone! Could I please get some recommendation votes? Pretty please!
(end of chapter)