A/N: I'm putting Serophia on the spotlight this time around, but Seto Kaiba plays a major role in this story. A lot. xD
This is probably the only fic that I will get around to writing a duel in. It's my first time putting a duel on paper, so I don't know if it's as good. The cards that will be mentioned here are real though. I DID play Duel Monsters back when I was a kid—in second and third grade, so I know the rules and whatnot. I tried my best to make the duel as convincing as it could get, so if it sucks, please excuse me, because YGO is a fandom I have only gotten around to writing in this year and last month (Dec 2015).
DISCLAIMERS: I do not own the cards mentioned in this story or Seto Kaiba and the other YGO characters. Takahashi has full ownership of them. So basically, I just own my OCs—which is Kaiba's offspring and her potential opponent. :)
A Champion's Crown
The room was silent with only the sound of slender fingers click clacking across the keys that lined his laptop. Well, it was silent as it could get what with all the huffs of frustration coming from the suede couch placed in the room. Seto Kaiba took a moment to peek over the monitor at his daughter who was obviously aggravated; flipping through her barely constructed deck of Duel Monster cards. He had already resolved to help her in her last-minute agenda once he had finished finalizing the plans for the latest game that Kaiba Corp was set to release next year, but it seemed he would have to do it a lot sooner since Serophia was losing her cool—fast.
"Your mother always told me that flying into a blind rage wouldn't help." The CEO spoke up, line of sight still focused on the outline displayed in the computer screen.
Serophia mustered a relenting sigh, placing a stack of rare cards back into the confines of Seto's metal briefcase.
"I know, Dad." She ran a hand through her thick brown locks. "It's just... If the shipment for the replacement wasn't delayed, this wouldn't be happening." She scowled, crossing her legs on the couch.
Kaiba scowled, briefly reminded of the reason he had blown his top yesterday at the man who had informed him of the delay. Serophia's deck was well-constructed—filled with a barrage of powerful monsters and well-played traps and nifty direct attacking spell cards. It was, in every way, a power deck modeled after his own. And with the dueling tournament finals happening this afternoon, his daughter was stressing herself out trying to reconstruct her unbeatable deck that had previously been ruined.
"You don't blame the twins, do you?" He asked, raising a skeptical eyebrow.
"Hm?" Eyes wide, she shook her head. "Of course not. It was an accident, and if I hadn't left my deck so carelessly around, it wouldn't have caught fire anyway. So it's kind'a really my fault." She grimaced, scratching the back of her neck.
Seto smirked, shifting his attention to the document spread pulled up. "It kind of is."
Serophia blinked at her father with an incredulous expression. "Dad!" She whined. "You're supposed to comfort me, not make me feel worse."
He chuckled. "Was only siding with the truth." Sighing, Kaiba put his laptop on hibernation and approached the distressed girl mulling over the various spell cards she could possibly squeeze into her last-minute strategies.
With any luck, she could probably construct a deck that would be worth a shot at the finals tournament, but it wasn't going to be good enough. Her previous—ruined—deck had taken her all the way to the finals without a hitch. It had served her well, and now that it was temporarily incapable, her winning formulas were crippled. He knew his daughter was only thankful that the cards in her deck were replaceable, and he could easily acquire them with ease. Pegasus was more lenient around Kaiba nowadays, but that did not stop the suspicion and annoyance that the brunette felt towards the man.
Pegasus had sponsored this tournament that his daughter was competing in. And since it was a tournament hosted by the creator of the game himself, it was expected to be grand. It was obviously a publicity stunt because Pegasus heavily stressed that the only competitors allowed in his tournament were children ranging from ten to eighteen years old. Kaiba would have to agree that the terms were kid-friendly indeed, and ruthless at the same time. A lot of teenagers with dueling skills had cropped up in great numbers over the years, so Seto figured that Pegasus was using this to his advantage.
The media swarmed the tournament; more so because of various celebrity-like appearances entering the competition. Serophia was one of those mini child celebrities that the media had fawned over at the grand opening—being the daughter of an obscenely rich CEO and a world renowned duelist. Sero was one of the youngest who had entered the tournament and made it to the finals, and Seto Kaiba's ego was growing by the second at this achievement.
"If push comes to shove, you could always just borrow my deck." Seto offered, claiming a seat next to her as he reached into his belt and produced his cards.
Serophia blinked up at him. "But that's yours. If I use it, everyone in the tournament would recognize who those cards really belong to—especially if I summon a Blue Eyes."
Kaiba chuckled, placing the deck face down on top of the table, next to the mess of cards she had taken out of his metal briefcase to inspect.
"And you're my daughter. I don't see a problem. If anything else, using my deck for the finals would only guarantee your victory. You would have won with your own deck without a doubt, so using mine would just solidify that." Seto nodded resolutely, pushing the stack of cards towards her. "Besides, it gives you an advantage. Your opponents would have had the chance to study the cards you used in the duration of the tournament. I don't doubt that they have plans to counter your strategies."
Serophia's crystal blue eyes lit up with determined fire as realization dawned on her. She grinned at her father. "So if I use your deck, that would take them by surprise. And by the time they figure out whose deck I'm using, they'll probably think that I would mimic your dueling strategies—which I won't, because my style of dueling is different from yours and my cards are varied in play in every match."
"Exactly." Kaiba grinned wickedly, amusement in his cobalt blue eyes as he reached out and tousled his eldest daughter's hair.
Serophia frowned and batted his hand away playfully. "I'm just gonna slide this card in." She smiled, slipping a monster card into her father's deck. "You don't mind right?"
"As long as you won't completely modify it." Seto nodded as he watched her switch his Vorse Raider for a Dark Blade.
"It's just one card. Your deck's pretty powerful already and I wouldn't want to ruin it with my meddling." She smiled sheepishly. "Dark Blade would make a nice addition to your Pitch-Dark Dragon, and it also makes for an awesome fusion monster if I manage to play it on the field."
"I have taught you well." Kaiba muttered with amusement, resting his chin on top of his fist as he watched Serophia skim through his deck.
A knock on the door frame caught their attention. Both heads turned at the same time to see Kisara leaning on it, arms folded across her chest.
"How's your dueling deck, sweetie?" The silver-haired woman inquired with a concerned expression. She knew all too well about the incident with Serophia's deck and the tragedy that it had befallen.
The ten-year old grinned. "I'm using Daddy's."
"Your father's feeling generous, I see." Kisara teased, entering the room. She reached them in a few steps and tentatively kissed the top of Serophia's head.
Seto frowned. "And what's that supposed to mean?"
Serophia shrugged. "You're just out of character." She shared a conspiratorial smile with her mother whose eyes twinkled with mischief.
"I hate it when you two gang up on me." Seto grumbled in defeat, narrowing his eyes at his wife and daughter as he stood up and crossed the room to his desk. "Where are the twins?"
"Finishing their breakfast." Kisara replied, approaching her husband who had claimed his leather chair again. "Mokuba's with them."
Seto nodded absentmindedly, checking the outline he had created again. His little brother had gone to college in the United States and eventually returned to Japan with a foreign girlfriend who didn't seem all that bad. She and Kisara got along alright, and eventually said girl loved to rile him up. Seto returned the favor—ending in an endless harmless banter each time they met. Both Kisara and Mokuba found that amusing. Currently, Mokuba's girlfriend had returned to the US to visit her family for the girl's mom's birthday. That left his little brother in the mansion, looking after his nieces and nephew. Seto knew his brother didn't mind. Mokuba actually enjoyed it.
Five years ago, Kisara had given birth to twin babies. And if Seto found taking care of a single baby to be tiring before, looking after and caring for twins was arduous. He was only too grateful that it wasn't just him and Kisara anymore. Serophia was ecstatic at the births of her siblings. She showered little Kayla with so much affection and spoiled Seth to no end. Serophia adored them both, oftentimes staying up late with her mother to help watch over the new additions to the family.
The subject of Seto's thoughts made themselves known in the form of excited shrieks echoing down the hall. The three occupants of the room turned their heads towards the door that was slightly ajar to catch sight of a brown-haired blur barging through it and making a beeline for his older sister who was sitting on the couch. The door slammed loudly against the adjacent wall as a panting Mokuba and a laughing silver-haired girl held in her Uncle's arms made their appearance.
"Where is he?" Mokuba panted, eyes darting around the room.
"Protect me, Sis!" The brown-haired boy yelped, crouched low on the floor and peeking over his sister's arm.
Both Seto and Kisara glanced at each other before turning to watch Mokuba with a perplexed expression. Mokuba lowered Kayla on the floor gently and the tiny girl immediately ran straight for her mother while Mokuba ran into the room, attempting to catch Seth who was intent on keeping up the chase.
The mini-Seto went round and round on the couch with Mokuba trying to intercept his flight path, but the kid was too smart for that—using his size to his advantage. Seth ran past the side of his father's desk and was immediately snatched up with capable hands. The boy screamed and hollered; pretending to be the unwilling victim.
"Noooo! Let me go! Help me, Sis! Dad's going to eat me!" Seth yelped, calling for Serophia with wide cobalt blue eyes as Seto held the squirming five-year old firmly, preventing him from falling off because of his own antics.
Seto could hear his wife giggling behind him. That sweet sound was accompanied with Kayla's joyous laughter and Mokuba's smug smirk. Serophia was smiling from her perch as the hyper little boy attempted to climb over his father's shoulder, failing in the stunt miserably as Seto gave him a playful swat on his bottom.
"Do I want to know?" Kaiba asked his brother with a quirked eyebrow, still holding Seth carefully in his arms. The boy had mellowed down and resorted to poking his father's arm.
Mokuba shook his head. "No you don't." He smirked, parking his rear on the spot next to his oldest niece. "Deck problem solved?" He inquired, noticing the exuberant smile on Serophia's face.
Serophia nodded enthusiastically, putting away the other cards into Seto's briefcase. Her father's deck was now inserted into her custom-made duel disk—a birthday gift from her Dad.
"Yup." She smirked, her lips curving in a similar manner to that of the man whose genes she harbored. "Spectators are going to scream once I summon Blue Eyes."
Mokuba laughed and patted his niece's shoulder. "Good luck in the tournament." He smirked. "Not like you'd really need it since you're pretty great and all."
"Thank you, Uncle." She smiled, catching her mother's smile out of the corner of her eye.
"You'll win, right Serophia?" Seth asked with wide hopeful eyes after Seto had lowered him gently to the floor.
"Of course, brother." Serophia smiled smugly, holding up a Blue Eyes White Dragon card between her index and middle finger. "I was only taught by the best." She smirked, eyeing her father's most valuable card appreciatively.
"With the card that looks like mommy." Kayla beamed brightly at her mother, kissing her cheek.
Kisara responded accordingly by nuzzling the girl's cheek affectionately pressing her lips against the side of her youngest daughter's face. Seto, on the other hand, rolled his eyes at Serophia's show of wonderment. Sero's fascination for the white dragon was deeply rooted, and probably increased when he had toured the family around Europe aboard the Blue Eyes White Dragon jet. Serophia had been fascinated with the aircraft—as a five-year old, and had actively asked him a million questions when she was aboard it. And when she had shown a distinct interest in the game of Duel Monsters, Seto had not been one to deny her the pleasure of learning the rules and the advanced strategies of the game.
"My thoughts exactly." Serophia agreed, smiling heartily.
"Then go and kick some loser's butt!" Seth cheered, pumping his fist in the air with excitement as he threw himself against his older sister and with his free arm, gave her a one-armed hug.
vVvVv
The crowd of spectators who had arrived to witness the onslaught of final battles were endless. A roar rose from the crowd as the master of ceremonies had promptly introduced Maximillion Pegasus. The silver-haired man was nothing short of extravagant in his presentation of the tournament. It was rather pompous, in Seto's opinion, but he wasn't going to complain or call the man out on it. Kaiba, himself, was particular about arranging duel tournaments and making it a true spectacle for the rest of the world to witness. It was all in good public relations.
It wasn't like it was a want. Good publicity was necessary if the company was going to thrive. Pegasus had rented out the enormous Kaiba Corporation Stadium in Domino City. Kaiba had agreed to the arrangement since the man had offered a generous price. Commentators were at a booth close to the latest dueling platform to witness the battle first hand. There were TV screens mounted on the walls so the audience could witness it in real time action. Displayed on the screen were the statistics of the competitors—the duels they've won, their signature cards, and their life point counters.
He and the rest of his family—along with Yugi and the others—were in a private viewing booth with a clear sight of the duels set on happening. The battles had started hours ago, and he had watched with his arms folded across his chest when Serophia had stepped up to the plate on her first match. The crowd had roared her family name when Blue Eyes White Dragon was summoned to the playing field. Seth and Kayla were no better. They were screaming and cheering for their older sister.
Joey, on the other hand, had gaped at Kaiba once he had realized what was actually going on. Yugi smiled smugly at the thought of Kaiba lending his deck to his daughter.
Kisara and Mokuba had greeted Yugi and his other friends when they had arrived at the scene. The King of Games had been invited by Pegasus too. (For the sake of publicity again.) A tournament wouldn't attract so many spectators if the King of Games wasn't present. The number of viewers proved just how many people were interested in Duel Monsters and those who were avid duelists themselves. And the world renowned duelists were present as guests of honor in the tournament—Seto Kaiba included.
Serophia's first match had ended hours ago, and now, the other two competitors had finished dueling. The final match-up was deemed as Jade Queenston versus Serophia Kaiba; the duel that would determine the champion.
His daughter's opponent was a known duelist indeed. The boy was a sixteen-year old—a cocky teenager in Seto's opinion. The guy was an American who had apparently never suffered a single loss as of yet. His record was clear, but that was only because the kid never actually dueled against Yugi or himself for that matter. The good-for-nothing punk didn't stand a chance. The American was simply arrogant when he didn't have a reason to be. Kaiba had checked his statistics during the earlier stages of the tournament. Queenston was indeed a competent duelist when it came down to it. The kid was awfully fond of a Preventer's deck—a deck he deemed extremely irritating.
Names were called and the competitors each stepped up to the dueling platform. Jade had ascended to the plate with a smug smirk on his face, rectangular glasses perched at the bridge of his nose. Both life counters pinged to life, displaying a start of four-thousand. Battle City rules had been applied, since according to the commissioners and Pegasus himself, Seto Kaiba's set of dueling regulations during Battle City made the game more challenging and strategy-based.
An official coin toss determined Jade would make the first move.
"There's no way I'll lose." Jade declared confidently, hands curled into fists against his hips. "Watch out, Kaiba! I'm blasting you to next week!" He cackled smugly. "I summon Bowganian to the field, and place these two cards face down. That's all for now." He smirked. "Let's see what you got, b****!" Jade hollered, earning 'oooohhs' from the amused crowd.
Seto growled at the inhumane nickname his daughter had just been addressed with. Kisara was scowling, and the rest of Yugi's friends had disagreement on their faces. Joey, in particular, was roaring profanities at Serophia's opponent. Kaiba kept his mouth shut, knowing how Yugi and his cheer leading squad were fond of his daughter—even Wheeler.
"Bastard." Seto growled under his breath.
Serophia scoffed; all sense of sweetness gone. Anyone would go so far as to say that Sero was Seto's shadow in the dueling arena; more so now because the audience had seen and realized that the CEO's daughter was in possession of and using Seto Kaiba's famous deck and his signature cards.
"Daddy, that guy cussed at Sero!" Little Kayla protested, pointing at the field as Kisara carried her in her arms.
"Yeah! No one talks to my sister like that!" Seth hollered, outraged as he shook his small fist at the cocky American. The boy was on Mokuba's shoulders, dynamically protesting at the insult.
"Your sister will be fine." Seto spoke with a stoic expression as he stood imposingly, watching with cold blue eyes.
"I actually thought I was up against a skilled duelist," Sero smirked cruelly, keeping the trash talk up. "Until I witnessed your poor excuse for an opening move." She slammed her monster card down, and a shiny dragon materialized on the field. "I summon Luster Dragon. Attack his Bowganian."
The machine-type monster disintegrated into triangular shards as Luster Dragon smashed it with a forceful blast from its maw, inflicting six hundred points of damage to Jade whose arm was up against his face, shielding himself from the blow.
"I place two cards face down and end my turn." Serophia called out.
"He's setting himself up for something." Yugi murmured, glancing at Kaiba out of the corner of his eye.
Seto nodded in agreement, eyes gaze unwavering as he drilled on what was happening in the battlefield.
Jade smirked as he laid down a card. "Activate magic card, Hammer Shot."
An exclamation of disappointment rang out as a gigantic wooden hammer materialized out of nowhere and slammed Serophia's dragon, squashing it to smithereens. Jade was laughing, arms folded across his chest.
"Looks like I just flattened your dragon." Jade mocked, eyes glinting with barely concealed fury.
Serophia rolled her eyes and snorted at her opponent's choice of words distastefully as he ended his turn after placing another card face down on the field.
"Eh, your pun doesn't even work." She taunted back, drawing a card from her deck. "You think I'm disappointed because some block of wood destroyed my dragon?" She chuckled wickedly at him, slamming a card down onto her disk. "I play Dark Blade in attack position. And I activate the magic card, Polymerization, to fuse my monster on the field with the one in my hand." There was an exclamation of awe as two monsters fused together. "Dark Blade and Pitch-Dark Dragon, merge into Dark Blade the Dragon Knight!"
A mighty roar went out from the crowd of onlookers as a black dragon appeared on the field, standing haughtily and poised to attack.
"I'd keep that mouth shut if I were you." She laughed, placing another magic card in play. "Because now I activate the magic card, Quick Attack. That means my dragon can attack right now, and with no monster on your side of the field to protect you, you're as good as gone!" Thrusting an arm forward, she pointed a finger at the distressed teenager whose face was twisted in terror. "Dragon Knight, attack!"
There was little to leave for the imagination as a wave of black energy shot forth from the dark monster's powerful mouth. It collided with its target, taking down Jade's three thousand and four hundred life points to a mere one thousand and two hundred.
"Man, she sure duels a lot like her dad." Tristan muttered to himself under his breath, staring intently at the brunette standing on her platform; an air of arrogance and confidence surrounding her.
"Honestly, what's the kid thinking?" Joey complained, scratching the side of his head as he and the others watched the ongoing duel from their vantage point in the audience. "He has three cards face down on the field, but he didn't use any of them. One more attack, and Sero wins."
Tea folded her arms across her chest as she stood with most of her weight leaning on her left leg. "And here I thought you'd be cheering for Serophia."
Everyone gave Joey accusing glares—especially Kisara. Seto wasn't one to overlook it, and smirked in amusement at the sudden skepticism in his wife's face.
"Well of course, I want her to win." Joey spoke up in his defense, palms up in supplication. "I'm just confused is all."
"Figures you'd know next to nothing about what's really going on." Kaiba scoffed, turning his attention back to the playing field.
"And what's that s'posed to mean?" Joey yelped, shaking his fist at the tall brunette whose stance remained unwavering in the face of Joey's joke of a threat.
"Serophia may have the upper hand." Yugi spoke up, saving Joey from whatever horrid remark Kaiba had lurking in his mouth. "But she shouldn't feel too comfortable yet. I don't doubt that Jade's got a plan. He didn't exactly climb his way to this final match through luck."
"And if she has Seto's brains as we think she does, then you can bet she already knows what that Jade kid's up to." Mokuba declared proudly, bouncing Seth in his arm as the boy promptly sucked on a lollipop he had acquired from his Uncle's coat pocket.
Every single occupant of the booth looked at the CEO of Kaiba Corp, noting his distinct apathetic expression. He may not voice it out loud, but everyone knew that the brunette agreed with Yugi. The real duel in the arena was just getting started.
vVvVv
Strategies on both players' sides of the field had played out dramatically. Serophia had gone off to a good start and for a minute, it was evident to the naive audience who was in control of the duel. But of course, to the seasoned duelist, it was obvious that Jade had a counter strategy of his own. Sero was aware of that and was extremely cautious, carefully selecting the cards to play.
Jade's plan began to take shape in the latter part of the duel when he played Xing Zen Hu—a card that allowed the player in control to select two spell or trap cards on the field and negate the effects of said cards. Serophia had all of two face down cards on her side of the field. Her Crush Card trap and Dragon's Rage had been rendered useless. By then, her fusion monster had Sagi the Dark Clown in defense mode along with it. As it were, the brunette had only placed her father's Crush Card trap on the field as an extra precaution. She knew it was barely useful since Jade was a duelist who favored crippling his opponents with cards that would disable another duelist's playing strategies. His cards were meant to prevent and chip away at her life points at a slow but sure rate—Stealth Bird and Solar Flare Dragon were good examples of that. His strategy was irritating, albeit well thought-out.
She would even go so far as to admit that the construction of Jade's deck was a direct counter to any deck it would come across. It had gotten him this far. His strategies were timed and executed with precision, but then again, so was hers. Jade's deck may be lethal in its own way, but the teen had neglected to acknowledge his deck's Achilles' heel as well. Most of his monsters were of the weak and defensive variety—most of them with special abilities that could eat away at the opponent's life points. As it were, Jade relied heavily on his magic cards and trap cards to win the duel. He was, in every way, a defensive player who knew how to act the role well.
Serophia knew her father's deck was filled with powerful monsters that were meant to overwhelm enemies. It made for an effective beat-down strategy; drown the duelist in bewilderment until he can't come up for air. It was that same strategy that she had mastered at an early age and modified to suit her style. Yes, she was her own person, and she knew she was capable of making her own name in the Duel Monsters game, but her father's shadow was a comfort that she wasn't quite ready to part with yet. It was like a support of sorts; an easy go-to reference if she needed it. And it wasn't as if it would surprise people. She was Seto Kaiba's daughter after all. It would only be perfectly natural if his skills and strategies meld with her own.
The audience was slightly peeved at the lack of monster smashing action, but both duelists in the final competition were skirting around each other; cautiously playing their moves. Both Jade and Serophia were aware of what they were both up against. The American prodigy's life points remained a steady one thousand and two hundred—left untouched after Serophia's secondary attack with her fusion monster. She, on the other hand, had allowed him to make-do with her life points since she was waiting for an opening.
Jade smirked, knowing full well that the ten-year old he was dueling was aware of the thin ice that she was treading on. At some point in the duel, Jade had managed to remove every monster on her side of the field with Lightning Vortex. And then Stealth Bird had done a number on her, but she had managed to stop the monster's effect after sending it to the graveyard—with help from her Kaiser Sea Horse. But her plans of using the rabid sea thing as a defense was also thwarted when Jade played Mask of the Accursed, and attaching it to her only monster, rendering it incapable of attacking or defending itself. With not a choice left, she merely placed her drawn card face down and ended her turn. It was quite pitiful, in Jade's opinion.
"It's my move!" Jade shouted, smirking smugly. "I play my first magic card, Ground Collapse!" The smirk on his face widened even more at the bewildered expression on hers. "And judging from the look on your face, I think you're aware of what this card does. I can disable two monster card zones on the field now!" Holding a card between his fingers, he placed it into his duel disk. "And there's more bad news, because I play another Ground Collapse. That makes a total of four monster card zones disabled on your side of the field, twerp!" He bragged, emphasizing his point by holding up two fingers of his free hand. "But I'm not done playing with magic yet, because now I activate Monster Reborn! I'm feeling gracious, so I'll revive your Dark Blade the Dragon Knight for you." He smirked cruelly as the fusion monster that had once served her now materialized in his side of the field, letting loose a mighty roar. "I'd hate to make you cry right away, but it has to be done." He took the last card in his hand, playing it on the field. "I play yet another magic card called Change of Heart so I can take control of your accursed Kaiser Sea Horse in the meantime." He laughed.
Serophia could only watch with bated breath and wide disbelieving eyes as her monster reluctantly obeyed her opponent and went over to Jade's side of the field, standing there with the accursed mask still attached to its face.
"And now I'm free to place a direct attack! So, my Dragon, attack her and wipe out her life points!"
Jade cackled darkly as a black wave of energy swallowed her platform. It faded away to holographic smoke that had Serophia standing firmly on her legs, bracing herself to keep from toppling. The direct attack had hurt a lot more than it usually did. Her life point counter had dropped from her remaining two thousand and eight hundred life points to a measly six hundred, and her accursed monster had returned to her side of the field. One more direct attack from the dragon now on his side of field, and she would lose the duel.
The crowd was divided between exclamations of disappointment and cheer. The other half egged the American duelist on, while the other pitied the young Kaiba who was placed at a terrible disadvantage.
Serophia gritted her teeth in quiet irritation. She refused to be beaten by some teenager who thought he was better than everyone else. If there was anything that she had been taught over and over again, it was to never give up—not until her life points would hit zero, and last she checked, she still had six hundred left; plenty enough to take the cocky bastard down. Being a quitter didn't run in her blood, and if she caved in to pressure now, she would disappoint not just her entire family, but herself as well.
She sighed with melancholy as she glanced at her own life point counter. Five hundred points had just been deducted due to the effect of Mask of the Accursed on Jade's side of the field. Only one hundred life points left. Somehow, it felt like a life meter.
"What's wrong, Dolly?" Jade taunted her, hands on his hips as he smirked. "You out of moves? Daddy never taught you a game plan that could get you out of this mess?"
"You should know better than anyone that my father never leaves anything half-done." Serophia laughed cruelly, pulling herself together as she flipped a lock of brown hair over her shoulder and drew a card. A momentary glance at the illustration and she knew she had a chance. "I activate my Card of Demise. This allows me to draw five cards, and in five turns, I discard my entire hand." She declared, drawing five cards as she spoke. Grinning wickedly at the cards in her hand at her disposal, she flashed Jade a sickly sweet smile. "But of course, I'm all set to destroy you long before that happens."
"Your tough-girl act is boring me, Shorty." Jade feigned a yawn, assuming a laid back stance. "Go ahead and humor me. Those five cards won't save you; not when you've only got one monster on the field and it can't even protect you! Do you forget that I have your powerful dragon too?" He smirked.
"You're a loud talker for a boy." She shook her head, playing one of her magic cards in hand. "Prepare for bad weather, Jade, because now that Heavy Storm is on the field, we can say goodbye to your spells and trap cards."
A holographic storm blew across the entire stadium, clearing the playing field of any magic and trap cards in play. Serophia knew she sacrificed her own negated face down cards, but it was worth it, because she was going to win in the next turn. This phase was a stage to set for her imminent victory.
"Ah! You little creep!" Jade snarled as he watched the destruction her magic card had caused. With the destruction of spells and traps came the uplifting of the curse that had ensnared around Sero's Kaiser Sea Horse.
"I hope you're familiar with one of my Dad's signature moves." Serophia smiled, as she sent her one and only monster card on the field to the graveyard. "It saves me the time of explaining things to a runt like you." She smirked as Kaiser Sea Horse vanished in a whirl of blue light. "I sacrifice Kaiser Sea Horse, so I can summon Blue Eyes White Dragon!"
A roar from the winged reptilian creature swept across the stadium, leaving the audience astounded as Seto Kaiba's signature white dragon had appeared on the playing field for the second time today. There were ooohs and aaaahs, and anybody could easily note the look of pride and smugness on a certain CEO's face as he stood among the crowd, silently crowing over his daughter's well-placed move.
"But I'm not finished yet, Jade!" She smirked haughtily at him as she flipped a magic card around and showed it to him. "I'm playing Polymerization to fuse my Blue Eyes on the field with the other two in my hand. And come forth, Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon!"
Serophia glanced somewhere to her right, catching the sight of her family on the private viewing booth. Seth and Kayla were pointing and cheering. Uncle Yugi and his pals were egging her on. Her Uncle Mokuba had his hands on his hips, nodding at her in approval. Her mother was grinning at her proudly, and her father stood there with his arms folded across his chest, smirking at her smugly.
"So who's the wimp now, Jade?" She mocked, smiling smugly.
Jade let out an irritated growl. He had used up all of his cards last move, and the one he just drew proved to be useless in this situation.
"I switch Dark Blade Dragon Knight into defense position, and I set a monster card face down." He sighed, reluctantly relenting that he had bought himself just one chance, and if he didn't draw the right card, it would be over soon. "That ends my turn, kid."
Serophia shook her head sadly as his turn ended and hers began.
"I'm afraid that won't save you, Jade." She told him sadly, all evidence of hostility and arrogance gone. "This duel is mine." She said with determined eyes as she drew a card. "I'll activate Monster Reborn to bring back Luster Dragon which you had sent to the card graveyard before." She placed the remaining card in her hand into her disk. "And now I summon X-Head Cannon, in attack mode."
"Not in the mood to gloat?" Jade asked, scowling at her. He knew when he had been beaten, and Serophia was going to win this. There was no doubt about it now.
"You fought well, Jade." She managed a slight smile in his direction before she proceeded to calling her attack. "X-Head Cannon attack his Dark Blade the Dragon Knight."
Triangular shards of a shattered holographic monster scattered into the air as Sero's machine monster destroyed Jade's dragon that only had one thousand and five hundred defense points. It was easy bait to X-Head Cannon whose attack points were one thousand and eight hundred.
"Luster Dragon, destroy his face down monster."
The beast complied immediately and with a burst of crystalline flames, disintegrated Jade's A Cat of Ill Omen. The black feline with glowing red eyes bid its farewell as it took a trip to the graveyard.
"It has a special ability." Jade spoke up, and Sero nodded to acknowledge him. "I can choose a trap card from my deck and place it at the top." Sifting through the assortment of cards, Jade selected one and showed her his Gravity Bind before he placed it on top of the pile. But it was of little value now. He was about to lose.
"My Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon," Serophia called out loudly to the amazed crowd, "End this duel with neutron blast attack!" She shouted over the roar of the triple headed winged creature behind her.
The audience, and even Jade, watched in stunned awe as the famous dragon let loose its familiar ball of gigantic white lightning, effectively placing its direct attack and hitting home. Jade's shoulders slumped in defeat as the life point counter hit zero.
The appreciative roar of the spectators was deafening. There were screams and cheers and grumbles, but no matter what anyone said, the verdict was set and could not be changed. It was clear as day as to who the victor of this tournament was. It was none other than Serophia Kaiba.
Blinking, Sero made to step down from the platform only to be stopped by the announcer. The elderly man smiled at the ten-year old girl, gently taking a hold of her jacket clad arm and lifting it up high above her head for the rest of the audience to witness.
"Ladies and gentlemen!" The man called out in a full baritone voice. "I give you the victor of the Kiddy Duelists' Championship, Serophia Kaiba!"
The applause was close to deafening, and Sero could not stop the smile from spreading across her face—even if she did win a tournament that boasted a silly name. She beamed at the crowd, and at the television cameras currently focused on her as Maximillion Pegasus himself handed her the golden trophy. The media, as a single wave, began hustling themselves to approach her but were immediately blocked by a familiar set of security personnel.
"Congratulations, Sero." Roland congratulated her, trying to fend off a wave of interested media people.
Along with the mind-blowing roars of the audience and the movement of busy bodies, she could hear distinct shouts, calling for 'Mr. Kaiba' or 'Mr. Pegasus.' No doubt, those were media people trying to snag an exclusive scoop on what either men had to say. Pegasus had entertained the inquiries without a second thought, answering as many questions as he could.
Meanwhile, Serophia spotted a particular group of people in the crowd, making their way towards her. And it just seemed like nothing else mattered; like she wasn't a ten-year old girl at all. She felt like a little kid all over again as she closed the distance between her and her family. She budged her way through the ever thickening throng of human beings all together in one place; ignored the microphones being shoved in her face in an attempt to get an opinion out of her.
Serophia thought of nothing else as she barreled straight into her father. Trophy still clutched in one hand, she wrapped both of her arms around his waist as she squeezed her father's middle in a very tight hug filled with gratitude and pride. She could feel those familiar protective fatherly arms surround her as he patted the back of her head in reassurance.
"Thank you, Daddy." She spoke in a muffled voice, a few tears of joy escaping her crystal blue eyes.
Seto smiled down at her—smiling one of his rare smiles—as he wiped her tears away with the handkerchief that Serophia kept in her jeans' pocket.
"You're not supposed to cry in your moment of victory." He chuckled at her. "I'm very proud of you, Sero." He tenderly tucked a lock of brown hair behind her ear. "We all are."
Serophia managed a watery smile before she turned to Kisara and embraced her, latching on to her mother with a tight embrace—reminiscent of the way she had hugged her father just moments before.
"Mom, I can't believe it." She mumbled into her mother's chest as Kisara returned the hug and pulled her just a bit closer.
She was still sobbing. Serophia knew she was a tad bit too emotional, but this was her first grand tournament, and she had won! She had competed in other tournaments before, but those were minor league. Anyone could register and be qualified and enter, but this, this was a tournament organized by one of the most prominent men in the world—the creator of the game itself, and she had won it! It was a small title, and she knew she had a long way yet to go, but this was a start, and a first always felt spectacular—so they say.
"Baby, stop crying." Kisara hushed the sobbing girl, brushing her daughter's tears away with her fingers. "Where's the smile that I know is hiding there?" The silver-haired woman smiled warmly. It was a gesture that Serophia gladly returned.
"You did it, Sis!"
"We knew you could!"
Serophia turned her head to see her younger siblings grinning up at her proudly—especially Seth. Kayla was positively ecstatic at her older sister's victory, but Seth had adoration in his eyes—some form of hero worship; the kind that Mokuba had for Seto. Kneeling down to be at their level, she brought the twins into a tight hug.
"If you hadn't accidentally caused my deck to catch fire, then I probably wouldn't be using Dad's deck, and then I wouldn't have won this tournament." She laughed, tousling both of their hair to which the twins protested loudly.
Unbeknownst to the children, their parents were watching them fondly along with Mokuba who immediately grabbed Sero around the waist when she had finished thanking her siblings as well.
"Uncle!" Serophia squealed, laughing. "Put me down or I'll tell Dad!"
"Your Dad doesn't care." Mokuba teased as he put Sero down, but not before he poked her side, causing her to flinch. She was ticklish there.
She pouted up at her father's only sibling before she caught Yugi and his friends looking at her, waiting for their turn to congratulate her on a victory she truly deserved.
"You're becoming a better duelist day by day." Yugi nodded, shaking her hand firmly in acknowledgment.
"Thanks." She smiled, tucking a lock of brown hair behind her ear. "I get a lot of it from Daddy."
"Mhmm..." The spiky-haired young adult nodded enthusiastically. "Your father's one of the best, and I know you'll be just like him."
"You know, Uncle, I want to challenge you to a game some time." She grinned up at the man who was her father's biggest rival, and oblivious to the fact that Seto Kaiba himself was watching Yugi with skeptical eyes.
"Sure, why not?" Yugi smiled, beaming at the ten-year old champion.
"Yeah, you did pretty good out there." Joey agreed, rubbing the back of his neck. "But of course, you still have a long way to go before you'll be able to beat the likes of Yugi or me." The blonde declared proudly, pounding on his chest with a fist and a cocky smile.
Tea rolled her eyes. "Joey don't be so cocky."
"I don't know, man. She'd probably beat you like she did to that Jade kid." Tristan remarked, grinning cheekily at the blonde's sudden show of agitation.
Joey growled at his two snickering friends. The growl intensified into an annoyed scowl when Kaiba spoke up.
"Your friend is right, Wheeler. You shouldn't be cocky since you don't have the right to be." Kaiba piped up in a flat tone, earning him a light smack on the arm from his wife, and a cursory glance from Serophia. The twins were busy playing with their Uncle Mokuba to notice anything aloof.
"You're so mean." Kisara pouted at her husband to which the man responded with a smug smirk.
"You're one to talk, Moneybags. You know, since Yugi defeated you more than a dozen times." Joey retorted in a snarky tone.
"The fact remains that I've been wiping the floor with your face in every duel, so I'd say you don't have the right to even challenge my daughter, Wheeler." Kaiba replied, unperturbed. "I'm willing to bet that she can probably beat you blindfolded."
Joey grumbled under his breath, muttering various words in defeat. "Don't overdo it, Rich Boy."
Seto smirked, knowing that he had won again—not for the first time.
Serophia tapped a finger against her bottom lip, appearing to think. "Dad can be a jerk." She muttered jokingly. "I'm willing to give you the benefit of the doubt, Uncle Joey. Maybe you can beat me. I'm just a kid after all."
Joey grinned at Serophia's words, patting the top of her head gently with one hand. "I'll go easy on ya, kid."
Serophia shook her head. "I don't want you to." She perked up all of a sudden, pulling herself together as she hopped on two feet. "But enough of that. I'm starving." She declared, turning to her parents.
"You owe a meal to everyone to celebrate your daughter's success." Kisara whispered in Seto's ear, leaning just a little closer and placing a quick kiss on the outer shell of his ear.
The CEO sighed in a reluctant manner. "I know." He turned to Yugi and his friends and to his children who were busy horsing around in the venue as they made their way outside.
"Can we eat at McDonalds?" Seth called out, walking backwards as he held his twin's hand.
"It's your sister's celebration day. Let her decide." Kaiba replied, catching up to the retreating group in a couple of strides.
Kayla smacked her brother lightly on the arm. "I told you so."
"We'll eat wherever the twins want to eat." Sero grinned, slowing down just a bit to walk beside her father who had her mother's fingers intertwined with his.
"Then McDonalds it is!" Mokuba cheered, acting like a little kid.
Serophia looked up at Seto for some reason unbeknownst to her. She just wanted to see her Dad's face. The man caught her gaze and wrapped a companionable arm around her shoulder with his free hand, patting her back in a congratulatory manner.
"I deserved it, right?" She mumbled, smiling.
"No one was more deserving than you."
A/N: I think my ending sucks. xD But Sero won her duel and she got a chance in the spotlight, so now I'm happy. :3 And Seto and Kisara had twins! :D Well, I didn't exactly put too much detail on the game play that happened. It was the cut version. :3
Honestly though, the rules of Duel Monsters weren't thoroughly explained in Season 1. If anything else, I'm more inclined to believe that Seto Kaiba created the legible and legit rules in the series. In Duelist Kingdom, players were allowed to summon high ranking monsters without sacrifices of any kind, and Polymerization was always used on any two types of monsters, fusing them together during the game itself. If I'm wrong, then I stand to be corrected, but that's how I see it. Is there an actual fusion monster for Summoned Skull and Red-Eyes Black Dragon? (The two monsters Atem and Joey fused together in their duel at the labyrinth.)
Kaiba's set of game play rules actually defined the duels happening from Season 2 onward. Every one of them followed Battle City rules. The duels in Duelist Kingdom looked easy, and lacked challenge. Battle City rules called for strategies and a well-constructed deck. I'm not a duelist anymore. I've stopped collecting cards years ago, but I still remember how to play. I miss my Crush Card and my three BEWDS though—and my Exodia. :3 Just saying. I was obsessed with Kaiba at some point, after all. I practically begged my mom to scour the city with me to search for cards that belonged in Seto's deck. Okay, nuff said. I'm just rambling, so I'll shut up now.
But this is the fic, so how does it look to you? Was it alright? Did it suck? Please tell me what you think through reviews. It would be very well appreciated. :D Thank you for reading! :)