Yes, folks, this is the battle that started the whole thing. (Actually, what started this whole thing was me looking for Spider-Man jokes on the Internet. Say nothing!) Yes, I refer to Pokemon vs. Yu-Gi-Oh! That Holy Grail of anime rivalries.

Also, you may have noticed that this chapter was labeled "R1B1." The perceptive among you might also have noticed the previous chapters labeled as "P." Hopefully you figured out that the P stood for Prologue. In this case, "R1B1" means "Round 1, Battle 1." For the many upcoming chapters, the story will be divided into 5 rounds with 3 battles each, with all six animes appearing in each round in pairs. And the formula for chronicling these battles will be presented as you read this chapter.

So, now that that's out of the way...

Round 1

Battle 1-In My Hands

Yugi, once again with his pharaoh side in control, led the group of duelists along the forest floor. It had been about half an hour since the Master had given his speech. They were now on the hunt for whoever might show up.

"Man, you'd think that if that guy was in a hurry for us to fight people," Joey said, "he'd give us an opponent about thirty seconds after he was done."

"You never stop talking, do you?" Chazz asked irritably.

"Speaking of the battles that lay before us," Kaiba said, "we may have a problem. The only duel disks we have with us are the ones that…" he struggled to get the names out… "Jaden and Bastion have. But the rest of us don't have one, and I doubt that there are any standard battlefields here like there were in Duelist Kingdom.

"Good point," Alexis said. She looked up to the sky, ready to ask the Master for some help. Before she opened her mouth she heard something.

"Look down," the Master's voice said. Alexis felt something heavy on her left arm. Attached to her wrist was a duel disk not unlike the one she was used to having. Everyone else soon found they had their own duel disks as well, each one exactly like the one they normally used.

"Do these things really work?" Syrus asked.

"If the Master is as powerful as he says he is," Mai said, "then these should be okay."

"On that note," Yugi said, "we'd better move onward." They walked further and further into the forest.


Ash, his friends, and Team Rocket wandered around the forest, looking for their first opponents. Wandering around was nothing new to them; getting lost very often gave them plenty of experience. Pikachu was sitting atop Ash's head, looking and listening for any sign of anything or anyone.

"I wish Tracy was here," Ash said, mostly to himself.

"I know what you mean," Misty added. "He could use his Venonat and Marill and find somebody in almost three minutes."

"Hey, speaking of Pokémon we may need," Brock said, "we're going to have to find a way to contact home, since some of our Pokémon aren't with us." Brock had just finished his sentence when everyone saw a glow. They turned to its direction and saw a video phone and a Poké Ball transportation system.

"Simply think, and it will appear," they heard the Master's voice say. Those who had Pokémon in storage called whoever kept those Pokémon, and received what they might need in their future battle. To ease suspicion, they came up with the idea that they had gotten themselves dragged into a tournament almost unwillingly and that their current location was unknown to them. After that, the machines vanished.

It was now Dawn's turn to speak. "Hey, guys, how do we explain to our Pokémon that they'll be facing unusual opponents?"

Master replied, "They have been made well aware of the situation by now and nothing will surprise them."

Suddenly, Pikachu's ears twitched. "Pika?" Ash noticed Pikachu's sudden movement. "Pikachu, do you hear something?" Pikachu pointed to their left. Whatever Pikachu heard was behind the row of bushes that he had pointed to.

Team Rocket went to go take a look, being masters at sneaking through bushes to spy on people. Dawn and Gary followed them. All five of them saw nine people.

"What do they look like?" Brock asked when they relayed that information.

Gary spoke first. "Most of them are pretty tall and it looks like they have top physical fitness."

"I've seen better," Dawn said, "but they're not that bad when it comes to fashion. It's like formal wear is the new casual. Hey, Team Rocket," all three members turned to face her, "you know technology. What are those things on their arms?"

Jessie took a look at the nearest person. A male with a hairstyle similar to lightning bolts had a peculiar device on his left arm.

"If I didn't know better," James said, "I'd say they were some sort of blade."

Meowth said to him, "No way. Five of them have the same thing, but they're more round and duller than the others."

"It doesn't matter too much," May said. "We're not going to be able to learn any more if we just stand here."

"You're right, May," Ash said. "We've gotta take the battle to them."


Yugi suggested that they all stop for a moment. They weren't finding anybody and everyone was getting tired. They had stopped for a few minutes when they heard a rustling in the bushes. Everyone stood up and braced themselves for what they would see.

Suddenly, a boy about the age of thirteen stepped out. He was dressed in somewhat casual clothing, a hat with a peculiar design, and a small yellow rodent rested on top of his shoulder. Yugi was surprised. His normal self thought, Amazing. He's younger than I am. "Who are you?" Yugi asked.

"My name is Ash Ketchum, Pokémon Trainer" the boy said, "and this is my partner, Pikachu." He motioned to the creature. "Pika Pikachu." Everyone was surprised to hear it speak.

"I am Yugi Mutou," Yugi said. "I take it you are not the only one of your group."

"You'd win that bet," Ash said. "Hey, guys, come on out!" he yelled into the bushes. Seven other people came out of the same bush that Ash had earlier. Six of them were similar to Ash's style of dress, mostly casual wear. Two of them, however, had uniforms with a large "R" printed on their shirts. There was a catlike creature walking just below them, on two legs, no less.

One of the males, a dark skinned person wearing a vest, suddenly ran up to Mai and Alexis. He had a strange look on his face, like he was blushing. He then said to both of them, "Such beauty I've never beheld before." It was around that time when everyone realized what was going on, and they didn't like it; in fact, it was downright embarrassing. Still, he went on. "Tell me, what are your names?"

Mai gave a perplexed look as she said, "Um, Mai Valentine…"

Alexis was just as flustered as she answered, "Alexis… Alexis Rhodes."

"Such beautiful names for such beautiful girls," the strange person went on. "Someone tell me I'm dreaming!" Suddenly, a large frog appeared out of nowhere. Its fingers glowed purple and jabbed the man's stomach. It was all so fast, it seemed to happen instantly. The strange man seemed to be in pain, like he got poisoned. "Yep, it's a nightmare," he said in a weak voice, then collapsed on the ground. The frog then grabbed the back of his shirt and walked away. It sounded as though it was laughing. Both girls were left in a daze.

"Sorry about that," said a red-headed female, "Brock's always had a thing for pretty girls."

Joey approached her and said, "Yeah, well one of these pretty ladies has a thing for a certain someone." He indicated to himself. "So when that guy wakes up, you can tell him to give it up."

"With pleasure," she said. She then changed the subject. "Anyway, my name's Misty." This sparked off the introductions with everyone else. Everyone was surprised to hear Meowth speaking like a normal person.

"So, Ash," Yugi said, "pardon my saying so, but it doesn't seem like you and your friends are the kind who do actual fighting."

"That's because we let our Pokémon do the fighting," Ash said.

Yugi became confused at the term "Pokémon." "What is this 'Pokémon?'"

Ash motioned to Pikachu. "Well, Pokémon are special creatures with amazing powers. Take Pikachu, for instance." "Pikachu."

Alexis approached the mouse-like creature. "It's actually kinda cute." She reached her hand under Pikachu's chin and scratched it. "Pi-kaaa," it reacted pleasantly.

"Yeah, it's cute," Joey said, "but it can't even put a dent in a blade of grass." Pikachu tensed for a second and jumped off Ash's shoulder. Sparks of electricity surrounded its red cheeks. "Pika-chuuuuuu!" Electricity left Pikachu's body and headed for Joey. He had no time to dodge before the bolt hit him. Joey was surrounded in a field of electricity. When it vanished, he collapsed. "But," he said weakly, "ask it to black out Domino City and it should have no problem."

Kaiba had approached Team Rocket. He was interested in their uniforms. "Tell me," he said, "do you two work for a powerful company?"

Jessie seemed insulted. "Please, if I worked for a living, I wouldn't look as young and radiant as I do now." James and Meowth heaved a heavy sigh. "No, we're members of Team Rocket, dedicated to global domination by use of rare and valuable Pokémon."

"Doesn't sound like the type of person Master would want here," Kaiba accused, more to the Master than to the Rockets.

"Although their goals and methods are less than honorable," Master's voice said, "they care about their Pokémon, perhaps more than most people would realize."

"Based on your earlier assumption," James said, changing the subject, "you're probably the only businessman here."

"CEO of KaibaCorp," Kaiba confirmed, "top gaming manufacturer of the world."

By now, Brock had recovered and was rejoining the group, with Croagunk following. He was already in conversation with Bastion. Bastion had an interesting question for him. "How can you expect to fight us when you only have three Pokémon between you?"

"Actually," Brock answered, "we have plenty more than this; the rest are just in these balls." He picked up a Poké Ball and showed it to Bastion. He pointed it at Croagunk and recalled it. Bastion was surprised that something as big as Croagunk could fit in that small ball.

Gary was looking at Jaden's duel disk. "What is that thing, anyway? We first thought it was an arm blade."

Jaden held up his left arm. "This? This is a duel disk. It holds the cards we use whenever we do our fighting."

Dawn looked confused. "Cards?"

Syrus said to her, and anyone who would listen, "See, our 'fighting' is actually a trading card game called Duel Monsters. Using a hologram system, the creatures on the cards seemingly come to life."

May looked confused, "Holograms? Does that mean we can't hit them?"

"Remember," Master said, "such complications are easily erased."

"In that case," Yugi said, "I suggest we get this battle started."

"We'd better set up the rules," Kaiba said. "For duelists, we start with 2000 life points. Pokémon Trainers, your job is to reduce that number to zero. We'll play this in a turn based system. If you destroy one of our monsters, that will reduce our life points. When those points reach zero, you win. We fight as though it was a normal game. Any objections, feel free to ask about it."

Gary added his own set of rules to Kaiba's. "All right, to match their 2000 points, we'll use three Pokémon each. That should be an okay number. On our turn, we'll attack your creatures for twenty seconds, doing as much damage as we can. Your job is to beat our Pokémon. When all three Pokémon are unable to battle any longer, it's a win for you guys." No one had any arguments to the rules both people suggested.

"I will assist in damage calculation to the duelists," Master said. "The pairings for this battle are as follows: Ash and Yugi, Misty and Mai, Brock and Joey, Gary and Bastion, and May and Jaden." Everyone took their positions. The Trainers listened to the basic rules of Duel Monsters. When they were sure they understood, the five duelists set their hologram projectors in front of them. Suddenly, five pillars grew up from the ground. Each had a number twenty on them. "This will help with the timing on the Trainers' side," Master said.

Duelists drew their first five cards, and Trainers grabbed their first Poké Ball. Dawn used the Coin Toss application on her Pokétch to decide who moved first. All that was left was the start off signal from the Master.

"Three…" Trainers held tight to their Poké Balls. "Two…" Duelists prepared to place their cards. "One… start the battle!"

The duelists placed their cards on the duel disks and the trainers threw their Poké Balls, revealing their first Pokémon.

Ash got the first move. It was his Buizel against Yugi's Skilled Dark Magician. "Buizel, use Aqua Jet!" Water surrounded Buizel and he lifted off the ground, flying around and striking Skilled Dark Magician. "Follow up with Water Gun!" Buizel shot a powerful blast of water from his mouth. It hit the Dark Magician right in the chest, but he still wasn't down. Soon, Ash's twenty seconds were up.

Yugi drew his card. "My turn now." He placed a new card on the field. A small furry creature appeared. "I summon Kuriboh in defense mode." He placed another card on the field. "Then I play the spell card Multiply."

"What does that do?" Ash asked.

"Allow me to explain," Yugi said. "Multiply allows me to sacrifice my Kuriboh," Kuriboh suddenly disappeared, "to summon as many Kuriboh tokens as is possible in defense mode." Four creatures, similar to Kuriboh, appeared in front of Skilled Dark Magician. "Each token acts exactly like the original, except they can't be sacrificed to summon other monsters." Ash didn't know what Yugi was planning, but he would have to think of something to counter it, and quick. "Finally, I attack with Skilled Dark Magician." The tip of the magician's wand lit up and fired a powerful beam. Buizel used Aqua Jet to get out of the way, but the beam just skinned him, causing some damage.

Ash's turn again. He saw that Skilled Dark Magician was looking worn out. One more hit should do it, he thought. "Buizel, Water Pulse!" Buizel aimed its attack at the magician, but one of the Kuribohs jumped in front of it, absorbing the attack and disappearing. "What happened!" Ash asked.

"Remember when I said that the Kuriboh tokens act just like the original?" Yugi said. "One of Kuriboh's special abilities is to eliminate all damage after being sacrificed. With these tokens, I can do this three more times." Ash was starting to become intimidated, so much so that he spent the rest of twenty seconds trying to figure out a way past Yugi's trick.

Yugi drew his next card. "I play the spell card Pot of Greed, which allows me to draw two cards from my deck." He drew King's Knight and Monster Reborn. "Next I'll play Monster Reborn to bring back my original Kuriboh from the graveyard in defense mode." Kuriboh reappeared on the field, holding a defensive pose.

"Now I activate Skilled Dark Magician's ability; when I use three spell cards, I can sacrifice him," the figure of Skilled Dark Magician disappeared, "to summon the original Dark Magician." Dark Magician appeared on the field. "Now my Dark Magician attacks with Dark Magic Attack." Dark Magician raised his hand and fired a powerful beam at Buizel.

"Buizel, dodge it with Aqua Jet!" Ash yelled. Buizel surrounded itself with water, but the beam came too fast. It hit Buizel before it could jump off the ground, casing an explosion. When the smoke cleared, Buizel was left unconscious.

"Buizel, return." Ash pulled out Buizel's Poké Ball and recalled it. Ash was now one Pokémon down and Yugi was still at 2000 life points.


"Poor Buizel," Dawn said to herself. "It must not be too happy after being defeated like that."

"How can you tell?" Alexis asked.

"Because Buizel used to be my Pokémon," Dawn answered.

"'Used to?'" Alexis repeated questioningly.

"See, I'm a Pokémon Coordinator, like May over there." Dawn pointed to May, who was using her attacks impressively against Jaden. "We tend to show a Pokémon's beauty and skills rather than power." She pointed back to Buizel as Ash returned it. "Buizel relies too much on power, and didn't seem to enjoy when I tried to explain how to use his attacks uniquely. But Ash is all about power when it comes to battles. Those two were made for each other."

"But I imagine it wasn't easy letting Buizel go like that," Alexis said.

"Well," Dawn responded, "there was one consolation; I got Ash's Aipom in return." She held out the Poké Ball holding what was now an Ambipom. "It was a bit more of a showoff than normal power battles generally allow. And it seemed to enjoy watching me and my Pokémon practice our moves."

"And you believe this trade has worked out for the better?"

"I guess so. With the new lineups, both Pokémon became better than they would have if we had just stayed with our original Pokémon."


Mai had the first move. She set down her Harpie Lady and was facing Misty's Starmie. She drew her card and began. "I play Rose Whip, increasing my Harpie Lady's attack by 300."

Harpie Lady reached out and grabbed a whip of thorns that appeared out of nowhere. "Now she'll attack with Whip Strike." Harpie Lady swiped the whip at Starmie.

Starmie took a lot of damage. For a second, Misty thought she saw Starmie's jewel blink. However, it was only once and for so short a time. If Starmie was running out of energy, it must've recovered quickly. Mai ended the turn by playing a facedown.

It was now Misty's turn. "Starmie, use Rapid Spin. Chop that whip to pieces." The star-shaped Pokémon started to spin extremely fast. Because Starmie was made of two parts, each part was spinning in an opposite direction. It lifted itself off the ground and charged at Harpie Lady.

Harpie Lady held her whip up in defense. But the Rose Whip was no match for Starmie's speeding arms, which looked like a buzz saw when it connected with the vine. The whip fell to the ground in pieces before it disappeared.

With more than five seconds left, Misty called out, "Water Gun!" Starmie's top arm folded to Harpie Lady's direction and shot a jet of water at her. Without the whip, the bird woman easily crumbled under the attack's power. It instantly disappeared, leaving Mai in a daze. Her life points had dropped to 1600.

"So, what now?" Misty taunted.


Brock sent out Croagunk against Joey's Battle Warrior. Brock had the first move. "Croagunk, use Poison Jab!" Croagunk's fingers glowed with the same purple tint that had poisoned Brock earlier. Joey noticed, however, that this time, the color appeared all the way down its fingers. Last time, it only reached halfway. Croagunk struck the warrior's chest with a force so powerful that he was blown backwards.

This must be the full power version, Joey thought to himself. Maybe I can use that to my advantage.

"Follow up with Poison Sting!" Croagunk opened its mouth and let loose a lot of purple stingers. They hit Battle Warrior and caused a lot of damage, but not enough to destroy it before Brock's twenty seconds were done.

Joey drew his card and began. "First, I'll play Rocket Warrior in attack mode." Rocket Warrior appeared on the field. "Now I'll attack that Croagunk with Rocket Launch." Rocket Warrior charged forward, aiming its lance at Croagunk.

"Croagunk, counter with Poison Jab!" Brock yelled. Croagunk jumped toward Rocket Warrior and thrust its hand forward. The two were just about to connect. Suddenly, Croagunk's fingers stopped glowing. "Cro?" The lance hit Croagunk and threw it back to Brock's side of the field.

"What happened?" Brock asked.

"I figured that so-called 'Poison Jab' was being used at full power," Joey said. "One of Rocket Warrior's best moves is to take attacks that are stronger than it and reduce it to nothing. Now I'll attack with Battle Warrior's Ultimate Battle Fist." Battle Warrior charged at Croagunk.

"Croagunk, use Poison Sting to keep it back," Brock said. Croagunk sat up and fired more stingers. Brock knew that Battle Warrior wouldn't be able to take anymore. But for some reason, when the stingers hit, the warrior kept moving like nothing was happening. The warrior dealt a heavily damaging blow to Croagunk.

"Oh yeah," Joey said calmly, "I forgot to mention; after Rocket Warrior negates an attack like that, your attack becomes weaker for a short time." He placed down another card. "I'll set up a facedown and end my turn."

Brock was pushed to the edge. His Croagunk wouldn't last much longer like this. Suddenly, Croagunk stood up, almost as though Rocket Warrior's effects were wearing off. Brock saw this as his chance; if he could damage Battle Warrior with a strong attack, he could gain an advantage. "Croagunk, use Brick Break on Battle Warrior!" Croagunk's hand charged with power as he ran toward the weakened warrior.

Joey suddenly made his move. "I activate my facedown: Kunai with Chain!" A large blade came out of the ground, a chain crawling behind it. The blade circled around Croagunk, causing the chain to wrap around it. The froglike Pokémon was stopped in its tracks, struggling to get out. "With that trap card, I've negated your attack for good."

"Not quite," Brock said defiantly. "Poison Sting, Croagunk!" Croagunk's attack, now back to full power, struck Battle Warrior and caused more damage than it could handle. Battle Warrior was destroyed, causing Joey's life points to fall to 1700.

Croagunk then turned his Poison Sting on Rocket Warrior. But with more than five seconds remaining, it wasn't enough. Joey drew his card. "Hm, don't have much to do this turn. Not that it matters. Rocket Warrior, attack that Croagunk." Rocket Warrior charged forward. Brock was frozen in his tracks as the warrior's lance hit Croagunk for the knockout.


Bastion drew his card and began. He already had Hydrogeddon on the field. Gary had chosen his Umbreon to start the battle.

"I'll play this card facedown," he said, putting his card on the field. "Next I'll summon Mathematician in attack mode." An old, sage-like figure appeared on the field. "Of course, doing so forces me to discard the top card of my deck." He took the card and looked at it; it was his Carboneddon. Perfect, he thought to himself. Even though it's in the graveyard, it will still provide me with the power I need.

"Next, I'll make a combined attack with Mathematician and Hydrogeddon," he said. Both monsters aimed their attacks at Umbreon. Despite their combined moves, however, Umbreon only suffered a little damage.

"My turn," Gary said. "Umbreon, use Shadow Ball." A dark sphere appeared in front of the Pokémon's open mouth. "Aim it at that Mathematician." Umbreon released the ball and it flew towards Mathematician. The old sage couldn't handle the Shadow Ball's power. It disappeared in a brilliant explosion. Bastion's life points fell to 1700. But he smiled to himself. That's one.

"Since you destroyed my Mathematician," Bastion said, "I can draw one card from my deck." He pulled out another Hydrogeddon.

There were still ten seconds, so Gary ordered another Shadow Ball at Hydrogeddon. Before Umbreon could launch the attack, Bastion moved. "I activate my facedown, Magic Cylinder."

Umbreon launched his attack just as a hollow cylinder appeared. The cylinder absorbed the attack and turned around, launching Umbreon's Shadow Ball back at it. The ball hit and Umbreon was damaged, but only so much due to Shadow Ball being a ghost attack.

"Magic Cylinder," explained Bastion, "takes my opponent's attack and redirects it back to them." That's two, Bastion thought.

I don't get it, Gary said to himself. Why didn't he use that before when I blasted his Mathematician? He's got something planned, and I'll have to stay one step ahead of him if I want to win. But with these new rules, that'll be difficult.

Gary's twenty seconds were up and Bastion drew his next card. "I play the spell card Pot of Greed, letting me draw two cards." Three. He picked up his cards and looked at his hand. He put down another trap card. "Now, Hydrogeddon will attack with Hydro Gust." The gaseous dragon opened its mouth and launched its attack, striking Umbreon. Umbreon fell from exhaustion and was unable to battle.

"Now, I'll end my turn by taking advantage of Hydrogeddon's ability, and that is to summon another Hydrogeddon when he succeeds in defeating an opponent." For a minute, Gary thought he was seeing double as Bastion played his second Hydrogeddon.


May was confronting Jaden's Elemental Hero Burstinatrix with her Glaceon. May started the battle with her Shadow Ball attack. The ball hit Burstinatrix and caused some damage. "Use Ice Beam!" May commanded. Glaceon opened her mouth and shot out a jagged white-blue beam at the Elemental Heroine. Burstinatrix was frozen solid in a block of ice.

May then commanded Glaceon to use Secret Power. Glaceon's body glowed pink as she charged at the frozen figure. The result was a large explosion; shards of ice were flying in all directions, almost like they were dancing. Burstinatrix was freed from her icy prison, left in a heap.

"What was that about?" Jaden asked. He'd never seen attacks that were used to look like something out of a talent show.

"Call it a habit," May said, "but where I come from, we have Pokémon Contests where the idea is to make your Pokémon and their attacks look good." May's twenty seconds were now up.

Jaden drew his card. He thought hard about May's Glaceon and what moves it could use to render his attack ineffective. If it was as good with style and flare as May was boasting, simply getting out of the way of his attack might make this battle difficult. "I'll play two facedown cards…" he set two cards on his duel disk, "then I'll have Burstinatrix attack with Flare Storm." Let's see it dodge this.

Burstinatrix opened her hands and summoned two fireballs. She threw them in Glaceon's direction, making more fireballs as she did. With skill and grace, Glaceon managed to dodge most of the balls. Those that caused damage had only landed right next to her. By the end, at first glance, Glaceon was virtually unharmed.

It was May's turn again. She was about to attack when Jaden did something unexpected. "I activate my trap card: A Hero Emerges!" May looked confused. Jaden explained, "Basically, you pick one card from my hand. The card you pick determines what happens next."

May didn't have time to think about what card to pick, time was winding down and it was all luck anyway. "Second from the right," she said, and she mentally crossed her fingers.

"Congratulations, May," Jaden said, "you've allowed me to play Hero Kid in defense mode." Hero Kid appeared on the field, taking a defensive stance. "Not only that," Jaden said, "but that was a special summon, and when Hero Kid is summoned like that, I can special summon another one on the field." He took two cards from his hand and put them on the disk, revealing two more figures identical to the first Hero Kid, both in defense mode.

May had to think fast. "Glaceon, use Ice Shard," she said. Chunks to ice flew everywhere. This way, May thought, I can attack all of them at once and not have to worry about Burstinatrix's attack and what Hero Kid can do in defense. Unfortunately, some of the shards had melted before they hit anything.

"Did you really think that I would fall for that twice?" Jaden asked rhetorically. "I knew you'd try another ice attack, which is why I had Burstinatrix raise her body temperature, turning up the heat, as it were."

Jaden drew his next card. "Now I play the spell card Burst Impact!" Burstinatrix started to flare up. "This card only works with a Burstinatrix card that I control. By sacrificing all other monsters on the field…" all three Hero Kids disappeared, "she can create a powerful attack. The more monsters sacrificed, the more powerful my attack is."

Burstinatrix started to charge up the new power inside her, then with a wave of her hand, a wave of fire headed straight for Glaceon. May quickly called out, "Mirror Coat, Glaceon!" Glaceon's body started to glow in waves of white light. The Pokémon stood still as the attack covered her body.

Suddenly, to Jaden's surprise, the attack was blown away. "Shadow Ball!" May yelled. Glaceon fired its attack at the flames, which were now headed back to Burstinatrix. The flames surrounded the ball into a sphere of fire. Jaden yelled for Burstinatrix to get out of the way. I thought he'd try that, May thought to herself. "Ice Beam!" she commanded. Glaceon fired her attack at Burstinatrix's legs. The ice trapped her to the ground; she couldn't move.

"What happened?" Jaden asked. "I thought she was protected against ice attacks?"

"Maybe," May said, "but you were focused on getting away, not melting ice."

Burstinatrix heated herself up and melted the ice off her legs. But when she looked up, she saw the Shadow-Fire Ball coming in too close. There was no time to avoid it. The ball hit her an caused an explosion, destroying her. Jaden's life points dropped to 1200.

How am I supposed to beat someone who can use my own attacks against me?


I'm gonna need something really powerful to battle that Dark Magician, Ash thought to himself. He pulled out another Poké Ball and threw it. "Charizard, I choose you!" he yelled. Out of the brilliant white light came a large, orange dragon with a flame on the tip of its tail.

Yugi stared at Charizard for a second. "I must say, Ash," he said, "that's an impressive creature you have. I imagine it wasn't easy to obtain it."

"Actually," Ash said, "when I first caught it, it was probably no bigger than those Kuribohs. Back then, it was called Charmander. The only hard part was getting it to listen to me after it evolved to this level. But it was well worth it in the end." Charizard attempted to prove Ash's point by launching a powerful Flamethrower attack. But Ash's hopes were disappointed as another Kuriboh took the full brunt of the attack.

"There's gotta be a way past those Kuribohs," Ash said to himself. As long as all three were out there, tokens and original, Ash wouldn't be able to lay a finger on Dark Magician. Yugi would just keep blocking his attacks.

Wait a minute, Ash thought, that's it! If I can't attack anyone, then I won't even try. "Charizard," he commanded, "flap your wings hard." Charizard moved it's large wings back and forth, creating a massive wind. The Kuribohs tried to brace themselves, but to no avail. They were all swept up by the wind. They crashed into the trees of the forest behind them and disappeared.

"Now, Charizard, use Flamethrower," Ash said. Charizard let out another blast of flames, and this time they surrounded Dark Magician in a fiery inferno. But the flames weren't enough to destroy it as twenty seconds dwindled to zero.

Yugi drew his next card. "I'll play King's Knight in attack mode." A foreboding figure appeared on the field. "Next, I play one facedown."

Great, Ash thought to himself, if what those guys told me about facedown cards is true, then anything I do might set it off. I'll have to end this quickly.

"Now, King's Knight, attack that Charizard with Royal Slash!" Yugi shouted. The knight charged forward with its sword raised high.

"Charizard, defend with Steel Wing!" Ash yelled. Charizard raised its wing over itself as it began to glow. King's Knight jumped up and lowered the sword. Suddenly, just as the sword made contact, the blade shattered, leaving only the hilt and whatever metal was still attached to it.

"But how is that possible?" Yugi asked.

"Well," Ash returned, "it is called 'Steel Wing' for a reason."

"Well," Yugi said, "it doesn't matter too much, I still have one monster that can defeat that Charizard. Dark Magic Attack!" Dark Magician raised his hand again and launched his attack.

"Charizard, fly!" Ash yelled. Charizard opened its wings and took off just before the attack hit.

Ash turn. "All right Charizard, that King's Knight is vulnerable now. Overheat!" Charizard glowed a deep red before launching an attack of intense heat at the knight. King's Knight raised his shield in an attempt to defend himself, but it had very little effect. He could still feel the heat, heat like the desert sun.

"Now, Charizard," Ash said, "finish it with Seismic Toss." Charizard charged toward King's Knight and grabbed him, carrying him off into the sky. He then started doing aerial loops and high speed. For a second, Yugi thought he could see an image of the world inside the loop. Suddenly, Charizard grabbed the knight and threw him down to the field. Upon impact with the ground, the King's Knight was destroyed. Yugi's life points took a serious hit, falling to 800.

Ash decided to finish up the battle by using the little time he had left to use Flamethrower on Dark Magician. But before he could, Yugi said, "I activate my facedown: Spellbinding Circle!" A mystic circle appeared out of nowhere and surrounded Charizard. He struggled to move but couldn't budge. Realizing there was little time left, he tried to fire another Flamethrower. When he opened his mouth, however, no flames came out.

Yugi started his next turn and said, "There's not much sense in prolonging this any more. Dark Magician, finish that Charizard!" Dark Magician raised his hand for one last Dark Magic Attack. Without the ability to move, all Charizard, and Ash, could do was hope that the attack wouldn't end the battle.

The attack collided with Charizard and caused an explosion. Ash waited anxiously for the smoke to clear. When it did, he saw Charizard, still standing and without the circle surrounding him. "All right, Charizard," Ash said excitedly, "now we can finish him off!"

"Sorry to ruin your day, Ash," Yugi said confidently. "But the Spellbinding Circle stays with its target until…" he paused as Charizard fell, "…it is defeated in battle!"


Mai drew her next card. At this rate, if Misty had beaten her Harpie Lady this easily, it wouldn't be long before she was wiped out of the battle. She looked at the card she drew. She breathed a quick sigh of relief and smiled to herself.

"I play Harpie Lady in Attack mode," Mai said, setting down another Harpie Lady.

"What?" Misty said in disbelief. "I thought Starmie took it out."

"That star only took out one of my Harpies," Mai said. "I still have two more." She reached into her hand and pulled out another card. "Now I play the spell card Elegant Egotist. As long as I have one Harpie Lady on the field, I can summon the Harpie Lady Sisters!" Harpie Lady's figure divided into three similar creatures.

"Now I play Cyber Shield," Mai said, "increasing the sisters' attack points by 500." All three harpies were bathed in a white light before Misty saw the sisters clad in female battle armor.

"Now it's time to experience the full fury of the Harpies," Mai said confidently. "Whirlwind Claw!" All three sisters backed into each other and started to spin with amazing speed. The vortex headed for Starmie.

"Starmie, use Camouflage!" Misty yelled. Starmie immediately disappeared from view.

"I activate my facedown: Shadow of Eyes," Mai said. "This card reveals hidden opponents." Soon, Starmie was back in full view. The vortex continued to focus in on the star shaped Pokémon. Without the ability to hide, Starmie was easily overpowered by the swirling talons. After many swipes of claws, Starmie was thrown backward, lying face-up when it landed. Misty looked at Starmie's jeweled core; it was blinking, this time nonstop.

Misty recalled Starmie and threw her next Poké Ball. Mai noticed this ball looked a little different. The main color was blue with a peculiar red shape in the middle. "Corsola, I choose you!" A small, coral-like Pokémon appeared, jumping up and down with joy. "Corsola, use Spike Cannon!" Misty commanded. Corsola glowed and pointed her horns toward the sisters. Small needles came out of the horns, heading for the target. However, the armor completely blocked the attack.

Misty, becoming very frustrated, shouted, "Alright, Corsola, use Bubblebeam, full force!" A stream of bubbles came out of Corsola's mouth. The bubbles hit the Harpies' armor and actually managed to discomfort them, but not enough to do noticeable damage.

With twenty seconds come and gone, Mai made her next move. She drew her card and immediately played it. "I play Monster Reborn to summon one of my Harpie Ladies back onto the field." Harpie Lady was, for the third time, on the battlefield staring at Misty.

"I'm getting really tired of seeing these things," Misty said under her breath. Misty's troubles worsened when Mai played another Cyber Shield for this Harpie as well.

"Now," Mai said, "Harpie Lady attacks!" The Harpie started swiping away at Corsola, causing some serious damage.

"Corsola, Recover," Misty said. The coral Pokémon started to glow. Mai noticed that she was becoming stronger, almost like the damage was being erased.

"No matter," Mai said with regained confidence, "I still have Whirlwind Claw." The sisters formed the vortex again and headed for Corsola.

Realizing there was little she could do against it, Misty ordered Corsola to Tackle. The Pokémon charged at the whirling Harpies. It did little good, as Corsola was blown back by the impact. She landed on the ground with her horns stuck fast into the forest floor.

Despite having done their damage, the sisters still headed for Corsola. Misty commanded for her to try to break loose. But try as she might, Corsola was stuck there. All Misty could do was hope that Corsola's Rock-type defense would protect it.


"Crobat, I choose you!" Brock said as he tossed his Poké Ball. A large bat with four wing appeared. "Crobat, use Cross Poison." The bat-like Pokémon flew at amazing speeds while it's wings glowed a bright purple, not unlike Croagunk's Poison Jab.

Rocket Warrior held up his lance in defense. But the lance was no match for Crobat's fast and furious movements. It went behind the warrior and left him in a daze. Before he could react, Crobat swiped its wings across the warrior's back, forming a purple "X" where it swiped. Rocket Warrior couldn't withstand the attack's power. Joey's life points again fell to 1200.

Joey drew his next card. He looked at the image and said to himself, "Yes, just what I need." He set a spell card on the field. "I play my Scapegoat," he said. Four sheep-like creatures appeared on the field. "These are sheep tokens. These little guys help me with this big guy." He pulled out a card. "I summon Panther Warrior in attack mode." A fierce, humanoid panther appeared. "You see," Joey explained, "Panther Warrior can't attack unless I sacrifice another monster. These sheep tokens are expendable sacrificing material, allowing me to attack up to four times without having to get rid of my good cards."

The minute he finished talking, one of the tokens disappeared. "Slasher Sword!" Joey called out. Panther charged forward, raising his blade. But Crobat managed to fly out of the way. Frustrated, Panther tried again, only to be met with consecutive dodges no matter which way he slashed. Seeing it was pointless, Joey ended the turn.

If he needs those Scapegoats to attack, Brock thought, then the logical thing to do is get rid of them. "Crobat, use Wing Attack on the Scapegoats," he commanded. Crobat charged with its wings outstretched. It hit one of the tokens and sent it in the air. Crobat turned around and hit the Scapegoat again, making it seemingly bounce in midair. It took a few tries, but the Scapegoat was finally destroyed.

"Hey," Joey said, "I need those."

"I know that," Brock said. "why do you think I'm doing this?" Crobat had already continued its assault on another token. The process was the same as with the first one. However, attacking Joey's Scapegoats only made him angry.

With one last Scapegoat, Crobat charged in for the finish. "Panther Warrior, protect that last Scapegoat!" Joey yelled. Just as Crobat was almost on top of its target, it was smacked down by Panther Warrior's blade. The force of the impact, as well as the fact that Crobat was virtually unprepared for the blow, made the bat Pokémon unable to continue.


"Wow," Jessie said in amazement, "the twerp's really getting pounded."

"Get Wheeler angry enough and he's bound to do something right," Kaiba said uninterestingly.

"I take it you two aren't the best of friends," James said.

Kaiba started getting tense. "He's an arrogant pushover who doesn't think straight most of the time."

"Arrogant pushover or not," Meowth said, "this guy's doing pretty good."

There was a pause as they waited for Brock to choose his next Pokémon. "I have to say, this is an interesting way to battle," Kaiba said suddenly. "Usually the monsters we control are defeated with a single hit if it's successful."

"I imagine that must make your battles pretty short," Jessie commented.

"Not exactly," Kaiba said. "Some duels might go on for an hour or more. Remember, the idea is to reduce one's life points to zero, not defeat the monsters. You could have a full field of monsters and still lose. It's all about how you play the game."


Gary needed something pretty powerful to deal with two Hydrogeddons. He pulled out another Poké Ball. But this one was a little darker than most ordinary balls.

"What kind of ball is that?" Bastion asked.

"It's called a Heavy Ball. It's used to hold Pokémon that are bigger than normal. For instance…" He threw the ball at the field. "Kingler, go!" A giant crab appeared, almost knocking Bastion over with surprise.

"What on Earth is that thing?" Bastion said with wonder.

Gary chuckled. "You're looking at a one-of-a-kind Kingler, my friend. Ordinarily, Kingler can grow to be 4'3"."

"But that thing must be at least ten feet," Bastion said.

"More than 10'7" at the horns," Gary said. "Measured it myself. And with a size like that, it'll take out your Hydrogeddons with one Crabhammer!" Kingler raised its pincers over the gaseous dragons. It lowered them with a thud and the dragons suddenly dispersed.

"Well technically, that's two Crabhammers," Gary said, "but you get the idea." But Gary's victory was to be short lived, as the Hydrogeddons suddenly sprang back to life and knocked Kingler aside.

"What?" Gary said in amazement. "I knew they were made of gas, but that's crossing the line a bit."

"Sometimes, you have to make useful whatever is available," Bastion argued.

"Kingler, use Guillotine!" Gary said out of desperation. Kingler's giant claws glowed as it opened them wide. It grabbed one of the Hydrogeddons and pressed its claws down. But as it did, the dragon opened its mouth and shot out a Hydro Gust, knocking it out of the claws and Kingler backwards.

With twenty seconds now gone, Bastion started his turn. "I play one trap card facedown. Then I play the spell card Living Fossil, summoning my Mathematician back from the graveyard." The wizened old sage appeared on the field again. "The downside is that its attack is reduced by 1000 and any special effects it can use are negated."

"Seems like a waste if you ask me," Gary said matter-of-factly.

"Trust me," Bastion said, "it will be worth it in the end." He picked up another card from his hand. "I now summon Oxygeddon in attack mode!" A large dragon made of swirling blue gasses appeared. "Now it's time for a double Hydro Gust." Both Hydrogeddons opened their mouths.

Before they could fire the attack, Gary called out, "Use Iron Defense!" Kingler crossed its claws in front of it and a streak of light shone across it. The Hydro Gusts slammed against Kingler, but did no noticeable damage.

"If power isn't going to work," Bastion said, "I'll have Mathematician attack with Number Cruncher." A barrage of numbers flew out of the sage's staff. But Kingler was still holding its Iron Defense, sparing it from damage. Bastion looked discouraged. "That didn't work. Oxygeddon, Sonic Screech." Oxygeddon opened its mouth and loosed sonic waves that made Gary shudder in pain. Kingler, however, was a bit more solid, not even flinching.

It was Gary's turn now. "Since that Mathematician is weak, we'll attack it first. Water Pulse!" Kingler raised its claw and opened it. A blue orb appeared between the two halves and shot out at Mathematician. Once again, it was defeated, causing Bastion's life points to fall to 1200.

Two more to go, Bastion thought to himself.

"Yeah," Gary said, "that was really worth it."

"Actually, it was," Bastion said calmly. "For in destroying my Mathematician, you've allowed me to activate one of my trap cards: Last Magnet." The card revealed itself to Gary; the image on it looked like a knight stuck to a construction magnet. Soon Gary saw his giant Kingler rise off the ground into the air. He looked up and saw that it was stuck to a magnet not unlike the one on the card.

"This card reduces your attack power by 800," Bastion said. "But since this isn't an actual duel, we can only guess how much your attack has fallen."

"I'll tell you how much," Gary said confidently. "None!" Bastion looked taken aback at this. "The only reason my Kingler's on that thing is because of its Iron Defense. Imagine what would happen if I told Kingler to…" he looked up at his Pokémon. "Remove Iron Defense!" Kingler's shine went away and he came crashing down on the ground. "Now, destroy that magnet with Crabhammer!" Kingler raised its claws and struck the magnet, causing it to shatter. One more, Bastion thought.

"Now finish off those last three with Surf attack," Gary commanded. Kingler slammed its claw against the ground. A huge wave, even bigger than Kingler, appeared and rushed to the three dragons.

"I activate my Amorphous Barrier trap card," Bastion said. A mystic dome appeared around all three monsters, protecting them from the waves. "This card prevents all damage done to my monsters," Bastion said, "and ends your turn immediately." Surprised, Gary looked back at the timer to see if it was true. Sure enough, whatever time remained on it quickly dwindled to zero. That's the last card.

Bastion drew his card. "Perfect," he said, so Gary could hear. "With this card, I now have the final piece of the puzzle." Gary braced himself for what might happen.


It was still Jaden's turn. Glaceon's Mirror Coat had really put him in a tight spot. If she could break through a Burst Impact, this might be difficult. Keeping a straight face, Jaden summoned his next monster: Elemental Hero Sparkman.

"Next, I play the spell card Spark Blaster," Jaden said. A handheld projectile weapon appeared in the hero's hand. Immediately, he fired a stream of electricity at Glaceon. "Allow me to tell you what this weapon does," Jaden said to May. "When it's fired at an opponent, it forces the target into defense mode." Glaceon was hit by the beam, but it looked like no damage was done. However, true to Jaden's words, it bent down into a defensive stance and waited for its opponent to make a move.

"Listen," May said, "if you wanted to get beaten that badly, you should've asked. Glaceon, Mirror Coat." Glaceon started to shimmer with that same aura of light that beat Burstinatrix earlier.

"I don't think so, May," Jaden said confidently. "I play the spell card Heated Heart!" He held up a card with a large "H" on the image. "This card not only increases my Elemental Heroes' attack by 500, but it also allows me to break through my opponents' defenses. Sparkman, use Static Shockwave!" Sparkman's fist surrounded with electricity before shooting it out at Glaceon. With his newfound power, the Mirror Coat proved ineffective against the electric currents. Glaceon collapsed from the voltage.

May recalled Glaceon and threw another ball, this one revealing Wartortle. The turtle Pokémon used Bubble to start. Bubbles came out of Wartortle's mouth in a calm, relaxing manner. At first, Jaden wondered why May would use an attack that wasn't too forceful.

May waited until the bubbles were above Sparkman. "Now, Wartortle, use Ice Beam!" The familiar jagged white-blue beam shot out at the bubbles. It didn't hit them, but by passing through, all the bubbles were frozen solid. Unable to hold the new weight, the frozen bubbles crashed down on Sparkman. However, the combination took too long to execute, so May's twenty seconds were gone.

Jaden started the turn by having Sparkman fire his blaster again. Wartortle was hit by the stream of lightning, forcing it to use its Withdraw. "Now I'll play two trap cards," Jaden said. "I now summon Elemental Hero Clayman in attack mode." A large figure in bulky battle armor appeared. "Finally, I'll end this turn by attacking that Wartortle." Sparkman loosed his Static Shockwave at the turtle Pokémon.

Without the ability to attack, it seemed as though Wartortle was doomed. But May had another idea. "Wartortle, use Rapid Spin." The shell started spinning on the ground. The shockwave struck the shell and released smoke on impact.

For a second, Jaden thought he had this wrapped up. Suddenly, he saw the shockwave coming back at Sparkman. Unprepared for this turn of events, Sparkman was destroyed, leaving Jaden with 1000 life points.

"What? How?" Jaden asked dumbfounded. Soon the smoke had cleared and he saw Wartortle still spinning in its shell. "Wait," Jaden said. "You mean to tell me…"

"It's a pretty common move," May noted. "Rapid Spin can be used to block or even deflect attacks."

Having had enough of May almost taunting her, Jaden practically yelled, "All right, Clayman, attack that Wartortle!" Clayman ran up to the spinning turtle and kicked it into the forest behind it. The Pokémon's shell bounced off a number of trees until it came back to May. Wartortle squirmed out of its shell, exhausted, in pain, and beaten.


"All right, Pikachu," Ash said, "it's up to you." "Pika." Pikachu walked onto the field facing off against the Dark Magician. "Pikachu, Thunderbolt!" Ash yelled. Sparks flew around Pikachu's cheeks and shot out at the magician.

Dark Magician raised his staff at the lightning coming towards him. The lightning touched the tip of the staff and disappeared.

"He's using that staff like a lightning rod," Ash said to himself. "Pikachu, use Iron Tail!" Pikachu jumped up towards Dark Magician. "Chuuuuuu…" Its tail started glowing to a level similar to the Steel Wing Charizard had used. Dark Magician raised its staff in defense. "Pi-ka!" Pikachu slammed its tail against the staff. The staff snapped in two pieces where Pikachu hit it.

"Now, Thunderbolt!" "Pika-chuuuuuu!" The electricity surrounded Dark Magician. With no way to defend himself, he started suffering heavily. Twenty seconds were coming up fast, and all Yugi could do was hope that time would run out before Dark Magician's energy. Somehow, Yugi's wish was granted and Dark Magician was still standing.

"Man, that thing's tough," Ash said.

Yugi, trying to keep a steady mind, said, "Dark Magician is my best card. It shouldn't be easy to defeat him." Yugi drew his next card. He saw the image and smiled to himself. He set it aside for now and began. "I play the spell card Polymerization, fusing together my Dark Magician with a card in my hand…" he picked up the card he drew earlier. "Buster Blader." Buster Blader appeared on the field. It was only for so short a time though. Immediately, Dark Magician and Buster Blader seemed to collide with one another before a blinding flash shown on the battlefield. When it was over, a new monster appeared; he had armor that looked like both monsters as well as Buster Blader's sword and Dark Magician's face.

"What is that?" Ash asked.

Yugi said, "Meet Dark Paladin, my strongest monster. And he'll finish of this battle with his Mystic Scepter Slash attack." Dark Paladin ran towards Pikachu, his sword held high. "And because your Charizard is defeated, Dark Paladin gains 500 attack points."

"Pikachu, block it with Iron Tail!" Ash yelled. Pikachu charged forward with his tail glowing. He jumped up to meet Dark Paladin's sword.

"No defense can help you now, Ash," Yugi said.

The sword was brought down. "Pi-ka!" Pikachu whipped its tail at the sword. The two connected. The power of both attacks caused an explosion, smoke flying everywhere. No one could see anything.


The Harpie Lady Sisters started slashing at Corsola with a force so hard, it actually became dislodged from it position. Unfortunately, the intense attack wiped out Corsola's energy. Misty tried to have it use Recover, but Corsola was too tired.

"Looks like I win the battle," Mai said.

"I still have one more Pokémon left," Misty said. She pulled out her last Poké Ball. "Time for my best one," she said out loud. "I choose you, Gyarados!" A bright light and a small duck-like Pokémon appeared. "Psyy," it said.

Mai took one look at the Pokémon and couldn't help laughing. "That's your 'best Pokémon?' Gee, I'd hate to see your most pathetic."

"Psyduck," Misty shouted angrily, "I wanted Gyarados, not you." Psyduck simply looked at her. "Psyy?" If only this wasn't a real battle. I could've called it back before I was forced to use it. "All right, fine," Misty said defeatedly. "If you want to battle then go ahead." Psyduck simply turned toward the Harpie Ladies staring at him.

"Scratch, Psyduck," Misty said. Psyduck ran to one of the sisters and swiped its hand across the armor. Time seemed to stand still as they waited for the result. Soon, Psyduck became aware of the intense pain it had inflicted… on itself! Psyduck started running back and forth around the field idiotically, holding out its hand and screaming, "Psy aye aye aye aye!"

Misty simply kneeled down holding her head. "Psyduck, your headache must be contagious because now I'm getting one!"

Headache, huh? Mai thought to herself. That sounds like a weak spot to me. Mai waited until twenty seconds were over, which was spent watching Psyduck run around the field and Misty getting frustrated. When it was over, she drew her card and ordered the Harpie Lady Sisters to use Whirlwind Claw. "Aim for the head," she told them.

Misty's frustration spell had ended the minute Mai said "head." She looked up to see the tornado of Harpies attack Psyduck, swiping at its head. This might be just the thing I need to win. As she smiled to herself, Misty kept her composure as though she was still frustrated; she didn't want Mai to catch on.

Mai watched as the battle was being won. Suddenly, she saw the sisters' tornado formation freeze. "What's wrong? Keep attacking!" When she didn't get a response, she looked closely at the Harpies. It seemed as though they were struggling against an invisible force. "What's going on?" Mai asked. She heard Misty chuckling.

"You really shouldn't have aimed for the head," she said as she got up. "By attacking its head, you've unlocked its true power. You're witnessing Disable, soon to be followed by Confusion." All three Harpies were lifted into the air.

"Harpie Lady, help them out," Mai ordered. Harpie Lady flew over to Psyduck with talons bared. Suddenly, she stopped in midair before joining her sisters above.

"Now, get rid of their armor." Psyduck started humming as the armor came flying off the Harpies in pieces. All four Harpies crashed to the ground. "All right, Psyduck," Misty said. "Send that armor back to them." The armor pieces started hurling themselves via Psyduck's Confusion power.

The Harpies were bombarded with shards of their own armor. The pain must have been too much because all four of them disappeared at the same time. Mai's points then took a nosedive: from 1600 all the way down to zero.

After her Harpies and life points disappeared, Mai walked toward Misty slowly. She looked at her opponent and held out her hand. "Good job, Misty," she said. "I haven't been that surprised in a duel since my first battle with Joey."

Misty put her hand on Mai's. "Thanks. You weren't so bad yourself."

"I have to say, I was wrong about Psyduck," Mai said. "It truly is your best Pokémon."

Misty looked surprised for a moment, not at Mai's comment, but at Mai's inability to pay attention. "Are you nuts?" she yelled. "I didn't even want Psyduck out there in the first place!" She calmed down and continued. "Psyduck always comes out when I don't need it, especially when I try to send something else out." "Psyy?" Suddenly, they heard an explosion.


Brock returned Crobat and pulled out his final Poké Ball. "Steelix, I choose you!" He threw the ball and a large serpent made of rocks appeared.

"Yikes!" Joey exclaimed. "That thing is huge!"

"Steelix is one the biggest Pokémon in existence," Brock said, "and my very first."

Joey drew his next card with caution. Steelix looked pretty tough. It wouldn't be easy to do any damage. To make things worse, he only had one Scapegoat left. He'd have to save it for the most opportune moment.

"I play my Alligator's Sword," Joey said, placing another card on his disk. A lizard-like being appeared on the field. "Now I play Dark Dragon Ritual." He held up a card with an image of an alter and a shadow coming out of a mystic circle. A mysterious light started to swirl around Alligator's Sword. "By tributing a level 4 monster," Joey explained, "I can summon the Knight of Dark Dragons!" The light disappeared and revealed an imposing figure.

"Now, Knight of Dark Dragons, attack with Dark Lance!" Joey yelled. The knight raised his lance and charged for Steelix. Steelix made no attempt to move as the lance struck it. Just then, the lance bent under the force of impact with Steelix's harder-than-diamond body. When it straightened out, the knight flipped over Steelix's body, who moved its tail to return him, forcefully, to his side. Frustrated, Joey ended his turn by playing a trap card.

"Now, Steelix, use Iron Tail," Brock said. Steelix's tail began to glow. It lifted the tail and slammed it down towards Knight of Dark Dragons. The knight got out of the way just in time. But the force was so great, even Joey could feel the wind upon impact. "Now use Dragon Breath!" Steelix opened its mouth and released a forceful, light blue energy. The energy struck Panther Warrior and caused plenty of damage.

"Knight of Dark Dragons, help him out," Joey said. The knight ran in front of Panther Warrior and raised its lance in defense. Although Knight of Dark Dragons still experienced some damage, it was enough to keep Brock at bay for another turn.

Joey drew his card, relying on his luck to get him through this. He looked at the card he just drew. When he saw the image, on the inside he was jumping for joy. "I activate Knight of Dark Dragon's special ability, which allows me to sacrifice him to summon my best card on the field: Red-Eyes Black Dragon!" The knight disappeared and in his place, a large, black dragon emerged.

"However, Red-Eyes can't attack this turn because of how I summoned it," Joey said, but without worry. "So to make up for it, I play the spell card Claw of Hermos." Another large dragon appeared and seemingly absorbed Red-Eyes. Just then, there was a blinding flash. When it was over, Brock looked at where the dragon Hermos was standing. Instead, he saw a dark blade.

"Now I equip the Red-Eyes Black Dragon Sword to Panther Warrior, raising his attack points by 1000," Joey said. Panther reached out and took the blade. "Finally, I sacrifice my last Scapegoat to have Panther Warrior attack your Steelix." Panther Warrior charged toward Steelix, raising the sword.

"Steelix, use Iron Tail to defend!" Brock commanded. Steelix's tail started glowing again.

"I activate my trap card, Skull Dice," Joey said. An impish creature appeared and threw a single six-sided die. "Whatever number the die lands on affects your attack power," Joey said. When the die finished jumping and spinning, it landed on the number five. Steelix noticed that its tail started shining less brightly.

Panther Warrior struck Steelix with the sword at the same time it struck with Iron Tail. The two opponents struggled against the force both were exerting on each other. Suddenly, Panther Warrior's sword succeeded in pushing Steelix back. The iron snake Pokémon left a large trench where it slid. When it stopped, Steelix was shown to be unconscious.

Brock recalled his Pokémon. He turned to Joey and said, "Well, I guess that's your victory."

Joey looked at his opponent and said, "Thanks, but its pretty obvious your Pokémon were pretty good."

"Well," Brock said, "I do make it a hobby to raise Pokémon well." Just then, a loud boom shifted their attention.


"I play Bonding-H2O," Bastion said. Gary watched as the gasses of both Hydrogeddons and Oxygeddon swirled around them. "By tributing all three of these monsters, I summon Water Dragon!" The swirling stopped and Gary stared at the creature before him: a huge sea serpent, made of water, almost the size of Kingler.

"Now I play a very special ability," Bastion said. A light similar to the one shining when a monster is summoned appeared on the field. "Do you recall the card I was forced to discard by summoning Mathematician?"

"Yeah," Gary said, "what about it?"

Bastion reached into his graveyard and pulled out a card. "This is Carboneddon," he said. "Its special ability activates when it is in the graveyard and ten cards are placed on top of it, allowing me to summon the diamond dragon, Hyozanryu!" Out of the light came a translucent dragon. Its scales were sky blue in color, reminiscent of certain precious gems.

"With these two monsters on the field, victory is assured," Bastion said boastfully. "Water Dragon, attack his Kingler with Tidal Blast!" The serpent opened its mouth and loosed a forceful jet of water. Kingler was blown back a few inches. "Now, Hyozanryu, attack with Diamond Flame." Fire with a color to match the dragon's skin surrounded the giant Kingler.

"Kingler, try using Water Pulse," Gary said. But Kingler was in such pain it couldn't move. Its defeat, at this point, was inevitable.

Gary recalled Kingler and pulled out his final Poké Ball. "Arcanine, I choose you!" A large dog with a magnificent mane appeared. "Arcanine, use Fire Blast!" Arcanine opened its mouth a launched a fire attack that formed into what Bastion recognized as the Japanese symbol for fire. The attack went for Water Dragon.

When the attack hit, white steam was released upon impact. Gary tried looking through the smoke. He saw Water Dragon still active. Fire Blast had done nothing to it.

"Did you think that would work?" Bastion said. "Water Dragon reduces all fire attacks to nothing, since it is made of pure water."

"I kinda figured that," Gary said. Bastion looked at him with surprise. "But my aim wasn't to beat it, just make it blind. Arcanine, use Extreme Speed!" Arcanine sped into the dense fog. Gary waited for the result. Soon the steam lifted and Gary saw Arcanine… inside Water Dragon's body!

"That was a useless tactic," Bastion insulted.

"Shows what you know," Gary returned. "Arcanine, use Hyper Beam!" The dog Pokémon began to charge its attack. There was nowhere for Water Dragon to avoid the attack. After about three seconds of charging, there was an explosion. Arcanine managed to jump out of the blast before any serious damage was done. The only thing that was damaged was Bastion's life points, down to 1000.

Gary's turn was now over, but the smoke had not yet cleared. Bastion wasn't able to do anything until he could see what he was doing. Soon the smoke cleared and Gary met an unpleasant sight; the two Hydrogeddons and Oxygeddon were back.

"If Water Dragon is destroyed," Bastion explained, "it reverts to its original forms." Bastion drew his card, which he was sure would be his last. He wasted no time in attacking Arcanine. "Double Hydro Gust!" Arcanine jumped out of the way of the Hydrogeddons' attacks, but just barely; they still did some minor damage.

"Hey, Bastion," Gary said out of the blue. "You want to know what I find interesting about water?" When Bastion didn't answer, thinking Gary was losing it, Gary said, "It's a compound which isn't flammable made up of two elements that are."

Bastion thought Gary was just babbling and decided to finish the battle. "Hyozanryu, Diamond Flame!" Hyozanryu aimed its attack at Arcanine.

"Extreme Speed," Gary said. Arcanine ran away from the attack to the back of Oxygeddon.

"Oxygeddon, Sonic Screech!" Bastion yelled.

"Flamethrower attack!" Gary countered.

Both creatures launched their attacks at each other. Arcanine's Flamethrower shot right through the sonic waves. The flames barely touched Oxygeddon's body before he exploded in a ball of fire.

Arcanine was blown back several yards, but it was Bastion who took the biggest hit; 1000 life points worth, leaving him with none. "Wow, that did a lot more than I thought it would," Gary said.

"When Oxygeddon is destroyed by a fire attack," Bastion said, "it deals 800 points of direct damage to both sides. In other words…" Bastion shut down his duel disk… "this battle is over."

Gary returned Arcanine. "I must say," Bastion said to him, "I am surprised with how you handled the new battling style. You have an intelligence that rivals my own. You seemed to know what would work, especially at the end."

"I'll admit it was a bit of a surprise," Gary said, "but once Oxygeddon was on the field, I knew it could be defeated using fire, since oxygen is highly reactive to the stuff."

"I see now why you brought up that fact earlier," Bastion said. The two shook hands before they heard a loud rumble.


"Time for my best Pokémon," May said to herself, but loud enough so Jaden could hear. "Blaziken, I choose you!" Blaziken's form appeared on the field. Jaden was impressed by the flame Pokémon's physique; it looked like a real match for the Elemental Heroes.

"Use Blaze Kick!" Blaziken jumped up and put its foot down towards Clayman. It lit up with fire as it fell. The foot struck Clayman and knocked him back. "Now use Sky Uppercut!" Blaziken landed and ran to Clayman. It put its hand close to the ground as it ran. When the two opponents were right next to each other, Blaziken brought its hand upward and sent Clayman up a few yards.

Clayman's body crashed on the ground before disappearing. "Nice work, May," Jaden said. "I activate the trap card Hero Signal." A beacon of light with an artistic "H" lit up in the canopy. "When you destroy my Elemental Hero, I can summon another. And I summon Elemental Hero Bubbleman." The Elemental Hero appeared and was ready for action.

Jaden's next turn began. "Now I play Elemental Hero Avian in attack mode." Avian appeared with his wings outstretched. May secretly began to worry; both heroes were related to Pokémon types that Blaziken was weak against. "Now I'll play Bubble Blaster, increasing Bubbleman's attack by 800." A handheld projectile weapon appeared in the hero's hand.

"Now let's put it to the test," Jaden said. "Bubble Shot!" Bubbleman raised his weapon and shot a stream of bubbles at Blaziken. The bubbles hit the Pokémon and caused extreme damage.

"Blaziken, jump!" May shouted. Blaziken used what strength it had and lifted itself in the air. But it was to be met with surprise when it saw Avian right in front of it.

"Avian, use Featherbreak," Jaden called out. Avian spread its wings and flew past Blaziken, swiping his wing across it in the process. Blaziken fell to the ground hard.

"Quick, Flamethrower counterattack!" May shouted.

Jaden activated one of his facedowns just as Blaziken launched the flames: Draining Shield. The spherical barrier appeared around Avian. The flames seemed to be absorbed by the shield.

"Draining Shield is the perfect recovery move," Jaden said. "It protects my monsters and raises my life points." Jaden's life points did indeed rise to 1800.

"Now I play three spell cards," Jaden said, "the first being Monster Reborn to summon my Burstinatrix back onto the field." Burstinatrix reappeared in a blaze of fire. "Next I play Monster Reincarnation. By discarding a card from my hand, I can summon a monster back from the graveyard. And I choose Clayman." Clayman's bulky figure was once again on the field. "Finally I play Polymerization, fusing all four Elemental Heroes into one: Elemental Hero Electrum!"

The four heroes started spinning wildly, swirling into a single mass. When it was over, a large figure came up on the field wearing armor made of light.

"But, since I already attacked," Jaden said, "my turn is over."

May commanded Blaziken to use Blaze Kick. Blaziken jumped up and aimed its fiery foot at Electrum. The force of the kick pushed him back only scant centimeters, but still caused him damage and obvious discomfort. "One more attack should finish him," May said to herself. "Do another one!" May yelled. Blaziken jumped up for the win.

"I activate my trap card Miracle Kids!" Jaden suddenly said. May looked in amazement as the three Hero Kids appeared on the field in a ghostly form. They surrounded Blaziken on all sides before digging their fists into it. It stopped Blaziken short of its goal.

"Flamethrower, Blaziken," May commanded. Blaziken shot out a stream of fire headed for Electrum. But the flames seemed to die down as they got further away. By the time they hit Electrum, they might as well have been an Ember attack.

"When I play Miracle Kids," Jaden said, "all Hero Kids in the graveyard reduce your attack power. It's all dependent on the number of kids."

Jaden drew his card and played it. "I play the field card Skyscraper!" A city skyline appeared on the field, with Electrum towering above it. Blaziken jumped on one of the buildings to get a better view of its opponent. "There's something you should know before I go on," Jaden said. "Electrum is a unique monster with capabilities of light, fire, water, earth, and air attributes. For every one of my opponents who shares one of these attributes, like your Blaziken's fire, Electrum gains 300 attack points."

May thought about what Jaden said. If that's true, then this stadium can't be just for kicks. I'll bet it raises his attacks even more. I'll have to counter with a stronger move.

"Now, Electrum, Elemental Radiant Burst!" Jaden yelled. Electrum began to glow brilliantly.

May quickly called out, "Blaziken, Overheat!" Blaziken glowed a deep red before letting out a powerful fire attack.

"Bad idea, May," Jaden said. May became worried. "In this Skyscraper field, if your attack is stronger than mine, Electrum gains 1000 attack points." Electrum started glowing brighter. May had to shield her eyes to prevent herself from going blind. The attack from Overheat began to decrease until it evaporated from view.

Soon, the light disappeared. May peeked through her fingers to see what happened. Blaziken was lying on its back intense pain. Jaden said, "Unless I'm mistaken, it looks like I win."

May returned Blaziken to its Poké Ball. She approached Jaden as he shut off the power to his duel disk. The two looked at each other for a while. At first, Jaden thought that May was going to do something bad to him. But instead, she smiled and put her hand forward. "Nice going Jaden," she said. "It's not easy for someone who fights with power to break through contest moves."

"Well," Jaden said, "I figured if I could make my moves more powerful, those combos would be pretty much useless." He took May's hand in his own. Just then, they heard an explosion coming Ash and Yugi's battle site.


Ash waited desperately for the smoke to lift. As he watched carefully for any sign of Pikachu, he turned to find the others returning from their battles with their respective competitors. The trainers went to Ash's side while the duelists went behind Yugi, both groups cheering them on.

On the sidelines, Jessie was also waiting for the result. "Do you think the twerp has a chance?"

"If you're talking about Ash," Kaiba said, "I wouldn't bet on it."

Syrus turned to the rest. "That's true. Where we come from, Yugi's pretty much a legend."

"Is he that good?" Dawn asked.

Chazz kept his focus on the battle as he said, "I defy anyone to usurp his title as the King of Games." ("But I could probably beat him anyway," he added to himself.)

Soon the smoke began to clear. Ash and Yugi stared deeply onto the field. At last, they could make out what happened. Dark Paladin was still standing. Beside him, Pikachu was, miraculously, also standing! The surprise was even greater as they saw Paladin's sword in two pieces: the hilt in his hand and the blade in the ground.

"What?" said a shocked Yugi. "How is this possible?"

Ash, very curious for a moment, asked, "Why don't you tell me what the connection is between my Charizard and that Dark Paladin?"

Yugi, for a second, struggled to get the words out. "For every Dragon type monster on the field or in each player's graveyard, Dark Paladin is supposed to gain 500 attack points." Ash looked at Paladin, then Yugi, then Pikachu. Finally, he smiled and laughed. "What's so funny?" Yugi asked.

"Although we have a Pokémon type called the dragon type," Ash said, "Charizard is a fire type that only looks like a dragon." Yugi seemed taken aback.

"Now it's my turn!" Ash said triumphantly. "Pikachu, use Agility!" Pikachu started running at a fast pace around Paladin. With its speed built up, Pikachu launched into the air. "Volt Tackle!" Ash yelled. A violent electric field surrounded Pikachu's body. "Pika-pika-pika-pika-pika…" Pikachu was mere inches away from hitting Paladin. "Pi-KA!" Pikachu landed on Paladin, causing another explosion.

When the smoke cleared, Pikachu was standing alone; Dark Paladin was nowhere to be found. Yugi checked his life points; they dwindled down to zero.

Pikachu ran over to Ash climbed up into to his waiting arms. Ash embraced the electric mouse. "Congratulations, Pikachu." "Pikachu!"

"I suppose I should offer my congratulations to you as well," Yugi's voice said. Ash turned to face his opponent. "You are a skilled battler and I can't imagine that anyone who can defeat you isn't met with a challenge first."

"You're not a bad battler yourself, Yugi," Ash returned. "That strategy is amazing, and I'll bet it will help in the battle against Atrocity." Both Ash and Yugi lifted their hands toward each other, clasping them together.

"Well done, warriors," Master said. "Indeed, both your individual techniques and styles will make all the difference in the battles before you. However…" Everyone stopped. "I noted on one flaw in this battle. Duelists, although your use of a turn-based system was ingenious, you must learn to battle without it. The Atrocity will not be gracious enough to give you the time you may need. You must learn to fight quickly and decisively."

With this, both groups prepared to part. But Yugi had one last thing to say. "Ash." Ash turned to face him. "Although we all come from different worlds, we are very similar to each other. We have the ability to control the most fearsome and amazing creatures, and they all fit in the palm of our hand."

"Yeah," Ash said, "I guess you're right. Good luck to you guys in your next battle."

"And good luck to you, as well," Yugi said. From there, the two groups went their separate ways.

Now before I close for the week, I'm sure many of you aren't happy with Ash's victory. "C'mon, Yugi could've smoked Ash. His monsters are so much more powerful than that puny Pikachu." Blah, blah, blah. Two reasons: One, I don't like Yu-Gi-Oh! Anyone who has read my profile recently will tell you that. Two, the fact that Ash could win doesn't receive a lot of good press. e.g. I keep seeing this picture that is Yugi-centric with Yugi and Slifer staring down on a more-than-nervous Ash and Pikachu. Very opinionated to the point that says, "Ash vs. Yugi=bug vs. shoe." If you don't like the results, I've got 3 words for you:

Deal with it!

Also, as I already mentioned at the start, there may be a few discrepancies here and there. Since i don't watch Yu-Gi-Oh!, there might be a few OOC stuff and other false information. If anyone reading this knows of any, I'd appreciate the info for future chapters.

Next week: Dinosaur King vs. MegaMan NTWarrior!