Chapter 117 – The Champion

The convention centre was almost deafening.

The second Duel had ended with Katherine establishing the Yata Lock and forcing Johnny to surrender, bringing the Grand Prix Final to its deciding Duel.

One Duel. One winner. One Champion.

Johnny and Katherine returned to the feature table while the enormous screens throughout the convention centre continued displaying their names and the current status of the match, with each duelist having a victory.

The crowd was completely invested.

Mike Patrick could barely contain his excitement. "We've seen two completely different Duels so far! Johnny dominated the first, Katherine dominated the second, and now we're down to the final Duel of the entire tournament!"

Alexander nodded. "And unlike the previous two Duels, neither of them has anything left to hide. They know what the other is capable of."

"Which means this could come down to whoever adapts better and has the better draw!"

"Exactly."

The judge reminded everyone of the procedure. Since Johnny had lost the previous Duel, he had the choice of who would begin.

Johnny thought about it for a moment, then he smiled and said, "I'll go second."

The audience reacted with surprise.

Mike immediately picked up on the reasoning. "Johnny is choosing to let Katherine go first! Considering the explosive potential of his Machine deck, I suspect he wants to take advantage of the extra opportunity to draw into the cards he needs before launching one of his huge attacks on his first turn."

Alexander nodded again. "That could certainly be his plan, but it heavily depends on his initial hand."

While they were talking, the two Duelists drew their opening hands, and like that, the final Duel had begun.

Katherine looked at her hand, then she set one monster and two more cards followed into her back row before she ended her turn.

Johnny drew, and he immediately summoned Mechanicalchaser in ATK Position, but Katherine was ready as she announced, "Hold it! I activate Bottomless Trap Hole!"

The Trap activated successfully, and as a result, Mechanicalchaser was destroyed and banished.

The audience gasped while Johnny clicked his tongue.

His very first monster had been removed before he could accomplish anything with it, but he didn't let that discourage him.

Johnny set two cards in his back row, then ended his turn.

Katherine drew, and after a brief moment of hesitation, she summoned Fushi no Tori.

[Fushi no Tori - 1200 ATK / 0 DEF]

Katherine immediately entered the Battle Phase and declared a direct attack with Fushi no Tori.

The attack connected successfully, making Johnny's LP fall.

[Johnny - 2800 LP]

But the damage wasn't the end of the attack, as Fushi no Tori's effect activated, restoring Katherine's Life Points by the amount of damage she had just inflicted.

[Katherine - 5200 LP]

The crowd reacted to the sudden reversal while Mike couldn't help but comment, "Johnny has already lost 1200 Life Points, while Katherine has gone all the way up to 5200!"

Alexander nodded, "And remember, this is exactly why Fushi no Tori can be so tricky to deal with. Katherine isn't simply dealing damage. She's turning that damage into additional resources in the form of Life Points, which allows her to endure more punishment."

Mike nodded and said, "Right... This may very well be the key to surviving Johnny's outrageous burst damage."

After that, Katherine ended her turn and, as expected, Fushi no Tori returned to her hand.

Johnny drew and summoned Robotic Knight without any hesitation, then he entered the Battle Phase.

Robotic Knight attacked Katherine's set monster.

The face-down card flipped face-up, revealing Sinister Serpent, which was swiftly destroyed before Johnny ended his turn.

Katherine began her turn, and Sinister Serpent's effect activated, allowing it to return from her Graveyard to her hand.

Then she drew and summoned Inaba White Rabbit.

The Spirit Monster immediately attacked Johnny directly, using its ability to bypass his monsters.

The attack successfully connected, thus lowering Johnny's LP a bit more.

[Johnny - 2100 LP]

Shortly after that, Katherine ended her turn, and Inaba White Rabbit returned to her hand.

Mike watched the field for a moment before he observed, "Katherine seems to be playing very differently this time."

Alexander nodded. "She is. But I'm not sure she has actually abandoned her usual strategy."

"What do you mean?"

"The Yata Lock requires a very specific set of circumstances and cards to establish. It's incredibly powerful, but that also makes it somewhat inconsistent."

"So you think she's simply trying to reduce Johnny's Life Points?"

"With the cards she's drawn, that may be the best option available to her at the moment. After all, for her strategy to succeed, Johnny must burn through a lot of his resources."

Alexander looked toward Johnny. "And if that's the case, this is probably Johnny's best chance. He needs to take her out before she can properly build her board."

While they were talking, Johnny drew and summoned Guardian of the Throne, then he declared a direct attack, but Katherine immediately responded by activating Waboku, thus negating any damage she may receive, forcing Johnny to stop his attacks.

After the Battle Phase, Johnny set another card in his back row, then ended his turn.

Once again, Katherine drew, took a quick look at the field, then she set one monster and then set another card in her back row before she ended her turn.

Johnny drew, looked toward his field, then he tributed Robotic Knight and summoned his ace monster.

[Machine King — 2200 ATK / 2000 DEF]

However, Katherine immediately responded, "Wait! I activate Torrential Tribute!"

The Trap Card was flipped face up, threatening to wipe out the whole field, but Johnny had anticipated it, and with a chuckle, he said, "Hahaha... No chance! I activate Solemn Judgment in response to your Torrential Tribute!"

Naturally, he paid half of his Life Points as the cost for Solemn Judgment.

[Johnny - 1050 LP]

The audience erupted as the Trap was negated.

At the same time, Alexander raised his voice over the crowd, "Johnny was ready for it!"

"He's willing to pay half his remaining Life Points just to keep Machine King on the field! Does it mean...?"

With the successful summoning, Machine King became even stronger with another Machine monster on the field, so its ATK increased.

[Machine King - 2300 ATK / 2000 DEF]

Johnny entered the Battle Phase and declared an attack on Katherine's set monster with Guardian of the Throne.

The monster flipped face-up, revealing Sinister Serpent once again, which was quickly destroyed

Katherine's field was now clear of opposing monsters, and seeing that, Johnny grinned before he announced, "I activate Limiter Removal from my hand!"

The Quick-Play Spell activated, and the ATK of his Machines doubled.

Machine King became even more powerful.

[Machine King - 4600 ATK / 2000 DEF]

Johnny declared a direct attack, and the monster dealt an utterly massive 4600 LP of damage, making Katherine's Life Points plummet.

[Katherine - 600 LP]

The convention centre exploded.

Mike nearly shouted himself hoarse, "4600 DAMAGE!"

Alexander stared at the field. "That is indeed an enormous amount of damage!"

Mike quickly looked at Katherine's Life Points. "How is she still alive?!"

"Fushi no Tori." Alexander pointed toward Katherine. "That Life Point recovery earlier is the only reason she survived. Without those extra Life Points, that attack would have ended the Duel immediately."

The crowd reacted to the realisation that Katherine had come within a single attack of losing the championship.

Meanwhile, Johnny set another card, then ended his turn and, as expected, Limiter Removal's drawback destroyed his Machines.

Once again, Johnny's explosive field disappeared almost as quickly as it had appeared, but this time, Katherine was still alive, barely.

Katherine began her turn, and like before, Sinister Serpent returned from the Graveyard to her hand, then she drew.

After that, she didn't hesitate and activated Pot of Greed, drawing two more cards.

Suddenly, Katherine stopped as she looked at her field, then at Johnny, then toward the four cards in her back row and finally, she looked at the cards in her hand.

She was thinking about her next move, and likely also at the moves of her opponent.

The audience gradually quieted, waiting for her, almost afraid of disturbing her reasoning.

Then Katherine summoned Fushi no Tori and entered the Battle Phase, attacking directly with it.

Johnny immediately understood the danger.

If the attack connected, his remaining Life Points would be reduced to zero, so he announced, "Wait! I activate Mirror Force!"

The Trap Card activated and Fushi no Tori was destroyed.

The crowd erupted.

Katherine's attack had failed, but she had forced Johnny to spend an important defensive resource.

After doing that, Katherine smiled, set one card in her back row and ended her turn.

Johnny drew, summoned Guardian of the Throne, and he immediately attacked directly with it, but Katherine was also prepared as she activated her own Mirror Force; thus, Guardian of the Throne was destroyed.

The audience reacted again at their frantic back-and-forth.

Johnny stared at the field for a moment, but rather than looking disappointed, he grinned.

He still had the advantage; he still had cards, and Katherine's defences were beginning to disappear.

Johnny ended his turn, and Katherine drew.

She summoned Yata-Garasu, causing a great reaction among the audience as the crowd immediately recognised the now infamous monster that was the key to the most oppressive strategy of the tournament.

Mike leaned forward and asked, "Is she going for the Yata-Lock?"

Alexander shook his head. "No. Johnny has too many cards in his hand and on the field. She is using it to force a reaction, thus making Johnny use some of his stockpiled resources."

Hearing that, Mike immediately understood and muttered, "I see..."

Katherine attacked with Yata-Garasu, and as Alexander guessed, Johnny activated Waboku.

The attack was stopped and, just as importantly, Yata-Garasu's effect was prevented.

After that, Katherine set one card in her back row, then ended her turn, and Yata-Garasu returned to her hand as usual.

Meanwhile, Alexander noticed something else and continued to explain, "On top of that, look at the monsters Katherine has been summoning. Most of them have relatively low ATK."

Mike glanced toward the field. "You're right."

"That's probably deliberate. Monsters below 1500 ATK can avoid Johnny's Bottomless Trap Hole, allowing her to put more pressure on him without giving him another opportunity to banish them."

The audience reacted as they realised just how carefully Katherine was managing her resources.

At the same time, Johnny drew and activated Pot of Greed, drawing two more cards.

He looked at them, then, without saying anything, he set both of them in his back row.

Mike frowned as he observed, "That's an interesting play."

Alexander considered it. "Perhaps Johnny isn't happy with those draws."

Mike looked toward Johnny's expression. "Considering he didn't even summon a monster, I'd say that's a safe assumption."

Johnny ended his turn, and Katherine started hers and drew.

She set one monster, then ended her turn without too much action.

Johnny drew, looked at the card, smiled and then summoned Cipher Soldier.

[Cipher Soldier - 1350 ATK / 1800 DEF]

He entered the Battle Phase and, with Cipher Soldier, attacked Katherine's set monster.

The monster flipped face-up and, surprisingly, it was Sinister Serpent that ended up destroyed, which made Mike chuckle and comment, "Hehe... That poor snake keeps getting destroyed and thrown away. And even then it always returns to her; that's some toxic relationship."

Johnny ended his turn, and Katherine began hers.

And as Mike said, Sinister Serpent returned from the Graveyard to her hand before she drew.

Then she activated Graceful Charity, drawing three more cards, and after examining her hand, she discarded two.

Sinister Serpent and Great Long Nose.

The crowd reacted to the amount of card movement, but Katherine continued as she summoned Inaba White Rabbit, then activated Creature Swap.

The two monsters exchanged control.

Katherine now controlled Cipher Soldier while Johnny controlled Inaba White Rabbit.

Katherine ended her turn, and as expected, Inaba White Rabbit returned to its owner's hand; as a result, Johnny's field was once again cleared of the monster Katherine had given him.

Johnny clicked his tongue and drew, then he summoned Mechanicalchaser and attacked Cipher Soldier with it.

He expected Katherine to activate the set card, but she didn't, and Cipher Soldier was destroyed.

The attack dealt 500 damage.

[Katherine - 100 LP]

The crowd exploded.

Mike could barely believe it. "100!"

Alexander stared at the field. "Katherine is now truly one attack away from losing the Grand Prix!"

Johnny looked just as tense.

He was only one successful attack away from becoming Champion, but Katherine wasn't surrendering.

She was tense, Johnny was tense, and the entire convention centre was almost holding its breath.

Johnny ended his turn, and Katherine began hers, making Sinister Serpent return from the Graveyard to her hand once more before she drew.

Then she repeated the same manoeuvre of her previous turn.

Inaba White Rabbit. Creature Swap. Mechanicalchaser changed sides. Katherine ended her turn. Inaba White Rabbit returned to her hand.

Johnny almost cursed before he stared at his hand for several seconds, then drew.

He summoned another Cipher Soldier as the audience watched carefully.

Johnny then activated his set DNA Surgery, but instead of declaring Machine as he usually did, he chose something completely different. "I chose the Warrior Type."

The declaration surprised everyone.

The effect of DNA Surgery changed the Type of every monster on the field, so all of them became Warrior-Type monsters.

Alexander's eyes widened before he exclaimed, "That's clever."

Mike looked confused and asked, "Why would Johnny turn his own Machine into a Warrior?"

Alexander immediately explained, "Cipher Soldier has an effect that activates when it battles a Warrior-Type monster. If he can force the condition himself, he can turn Cipher Soldier into an enormous threat."

Johnny entered the Battle Phase and attacked with Cipher Soldier, then, during Damage Calculation, Johnny activated its effect, making its ATK and DEF increase by 2000.

The crowd erupted.

Cipher Soldier had become a massive monster, but Katherine wasn't surprised. "Hold it! I activate Mirror Force!"

The Trap Card successfully activated, and Cipher Soldier was destroyed.

The audience gasped.

Johnny's monster was gone, but Johnny himself simply smiled.

He had expected it as it was impossible for Katherine to not react in front of such a threat.

He ended his turn, allowing Katherine to start hers and draw.

She paused and looked at the field while thinking, 'Johnny still has three set cards while my own back row is empty...'

Her gaze moved from the field to her hand and continued, 'Most of the cards in my hand are monsters with only one exception... Monster Reborn.'

At that point, Katherine considered her options. 'I could summon another defensive monster such as Hane-Hane and hope to survive another turn... But that would only buy time. There is no guarantee that my next draw would give me a way to reverse the Duel.'

Then she looked at Johnny's Graveyard, 'Cipher Soldier... Because of DNA Surgery, every monster on the field has effectively become a Warrior-Type monster. And if I could make him waste a few of those cards and revive it... I could actually gain a very powerful card in this situation... Maybe even one capable of completely reversing this situation. But I have to be careful of the order of my moves... For sure, he still should have at least another Mirror Force and a Bottomless Trap Hole... I don't know if he has a Torrential Tribute, but it's best I take into consideration the possibility that it is among those set cards, so...'

Katherine's eyes narrowed as she had come to a conclusion and planned her next moves.

Then she entered the Battle Phase and attacked directly with Mechanicalchaser, forcing Johnny to activate Mirror Force, thus destroying it.

After that, Katherine ended her Battle Phase with her field completely empty.

The audience reacted in surprise.

But Katherine wasn't finished, as she summoned Asura Priest, yet Johnny immediately responded with Bottomless Trap Hole, and so Asura Priest was destroyed and banished.

The crowd roared.

Katherine had lost another monster, but she had forced Johnny to reveal and use another one of his defensive cards.

And now she played her final card, "I activate Monster Reborn! I target the Cipher Soldier in your Graveyard!"

The Spell activated.

The audience immediately understood what she was doing when Cipher Soldier moved from the Graveyard to Katherine's side of the field.

Johnny's eyes widened while Mike shouted, "WHAT?!"

Alexander smiled, "Excellent play!"

Katherine had revived Johnny's Cipher Soldier, and thanks to DNA Surgery, every monster on the field was effectively a Warrior-Type monster, making its ability available, and because its ATK was already 1350, its ability could turn it into a massive 3350 ATK monster if any battle occurred.

Katherine ended her turn. She had no monsters left besides Cipher Soldier and no cards in her back row, but she had created one final threat that should protect her.

Johnny drew, then grinned and activated Raigeki.

The Spell ruthlessly destroyed Cipher Soldier, and Katherine's field was empty once again.

The audience erupted, but Johnny wasn't finished as he activated Monster Reborn.

His target was obvious; it was his ace, Machine King, which quickly returned to the field.

The crowd became deafening as they understood what was about to happen.

Johnny entered the Battle Phase and announced with an excited grin, "I attack directly with my Machine King!!"

Machine King attacked directly, and there was nothing left to stop it, so the attack connected.

[Katherine - 0 LP]

For a moment, there was silence, then the entire convention centre exploded.

Johnny had done it.

He had won the final Duel; he had won the match, and he had become the Champion of the second Duel Monsters Grand Prix.

Mike's voice disappeared beneath the roar of the crowd. "HE DID IT! HE DID IT!! JOHNNY STORM HAS DONE IT!! WE HAVE OUR NEW GRAND PRIX CHAMPION!!!"

Alexander looked toward the field, smiling. "After everything we've seen throughout this tournament, it came down to the combination of Rageki and a final attack..."

The audience continued cheering.

Johnny stood at the feature table, staring at the scoreboard in disbelief.

He had actually done it.

The ten-year-old who had entered the Grand Prix had fought his way through the entire tournament and defeated Katherine Anne Pryde in the championship match.

The second Duel Monsters Grand Prix had a champion, and his name was Johnny Storm.