Hikari stepped into the dining room where breakfast was being served. The atmosphere was strangely tense as she grabbed her plate and sat down. Yugi gave her a tight smile as she sat down but said nothing. Tea, Tristan, and Bakura were acting strange too, she raised an eyebrow at Tea as she joined them, but she just shook her head slightly and glanced behind her at the suits guarding the door. Hikari nodded, understanding that she couldn't talk about it and turned back to her breakfast.
The door opened loudly as Joey bounded into the room, his energy high. 'Who's ready for the best duel ever?' he called 'Cause yours truly is about to give ya a show!' he pointed at himself as he stood at the end of the table. 'Are ya ready for me to wipe the floor with ya, Hikari?' he grinned at her.
Hikari just smiled at him 'Sure, Joey' she said quietly. Her eyes flashed to Yugi next to her, who gave her a worried look. After her explanation yesterday, Yugi was even more worried about Hikari than before. Pegasus was trying to manipulate her into doing his bidding, otherwise, he'll hurt her father.
'When do you think that lucky streak will run out Joey?' Mai laughed gently. Tea had explained how Mai had helped them after she was taken to the castle, in her words 'She's still annoying, but a little less than before' which had Hikari in fits of laughter.
Joey seemed unfazed by Hikari's less than enthusiastic answer and ignored Mai's comment, 'What? Scared already?' he laughed as he filled his plate with food from the buffet tables. The atmosphere was a little more relaxed after Joey's entrance, the silence was no longer an issue as Tristan and Joey made enough conversation for the rest of the group. Hikari stayed quiet, just pushing her food around her plate.
'Not hungry?' Tea asked as she noticed Hikari's vacant expression.
'Not really' Hikari sighed as she put her fork down 'Guess I'm just nervous about the semi-finals' she gave Tea a reassuring smile.
She giggled as she looked at Joey who was on his second plate. 'I'm sure you'll be fine' she gave Hikari a wink, Hikari couldn't help a small giggle of her own.
'Eh?' Joey turned his head 'What's that supposed to mean?' as he heard the comment, his hand halfway up to his face with another fork full of eggs.
'Nothing, Joey' she laughed as she turned back to her food.
Hikari gave up on the idea of food and grabbed a cup of coffee from one of the tables, wrapping her fingers around the hot mug relaxed her slightly.
'I'll never know why you drink that stuff' Yugi made a face as she drank from the mug.
'Not my fault you have a child's palate' she laughed.
'I'd take my chocolate milk over that stuff any day' he joked back. Hikari smiled back as she felt the knots in her stomach subside. It was so easy to be relaxed around Yugi.

'Attention Duelists' one of Pegasus' security detail came to the head of the table when the group had cleared their plates 'The first duel of the semi finals between Hikari Farrow and Joey Wheeler will begin in fifteen minutes. Please make your way to the arena'
Hikari felt her stomach drop again as everyone stood up to head to the arena. Yugi noticed Hikari still sat down, staring off into the distance.
'Hikari' Yugi said quietly 'Come on, it's time to go' he pulled her arm gently, trying to get her to her feet.
Hikari turned to face him, biting her lip. She wasn't ready for this.
'I'm coming' she said standing up 'I just need to go back to my room for a moment' she murmured and quickly headed to the door.
'Yug, is she ok?' she heard Joey ask in a low voice before the door clicked behind her.
Hikari went back into her room, quickly running to the bathroom and splashing her face with water. She gripped the side of the sink, turning her knuckles white. It's okay. Just breathe, she chanted to herself. Walking back into the main room she spied a note on the mirror, her heart dropped up as she walked over to it. The same heavy paper that she had come to know so well, another single lined message stood out, written in black ink.
I trust you'll keep your side of the deal.
She studied the note for a moment, crumpling the side of the paper with her grip. What am I gonna do? Her mind started spinning as she held onto the drawers to keep herself up. I have no choice. I have to win. She removed her deck from the holder on her hip, held it to her lips for a moment before heading back to the arena.

Hikari felt a huge sense of unease as she marched down the long corridor toward the light at the end of the tunnel. She came to the short walkway leading to the platform, in front of her, the arena loomed over her like a bad dream. She spied Joey at the other end, his eyes burned with a passion she'd never seen before, his face set in a serious expression. Hikari turned her head to see Pegasus sitting on the lower balcony she saw earlier, he was sitting on a large golden throne with a glass of wine in his hand. His long silver hair hung straight over his shoulders, and the same smile was directed over at her. Hikari shuddered and turned her eyes away to the other direction, the higher balcony the other side of the room held her friends, leaning over the railing looking down at the arena.
Hikari placed her deck on a small velvet box was held out to her, the henchman placed it on a tray that transported it over to Joey and vice versa.
As she started to shuffle Joey's deck, he looked over to her. 'Hey, Hikari' he called 'Just lettin ya know, I don't plan on going easy on ya' he winked and smiled. Hikari took a deep breath, she needed to relax, being worked up won't help her win the duel. Being this uptight might make Joey think there's something wrong too she thought as she shuffled.
She offered Joey a smile in return 'Good. That'll make it more satisfying when I win' she laughed.
Joey's chuckle echoed off the walls. 'If you say so'
She placed Joey's deck back on the tray, and retrieved her own.
Pegasus stood up from his throne 'Ladies and Gentleman, the first duel of the semi-finals is about to begin. Good luck' he raised his glass and sat back down.
'You ready?' Joey asked, picking up his cards.
'As I'll ever be' she answered, doing the same.
'Let's duel' they said together.

Hikari drew her first card, happy with the result. She had her Eye of the Mystic, but decided not to play it right away, she knew Joey was accustomed to that move.
'I play Shroud of the Keeper [1250/1000] in attack mode!' her card materialised before her. 'I'll also place two cards face down and end my turn' she squared her jaw, knowing she was prepared for whatever Joey threw at her.
'Alright, here goes. I play Armored Lizard in attack mode [1500/1200] now, attack her monster directly!'
Hikari smiled, Joey was always so predictable 'You activated my trap card, Lightning Vortex! Now all I have to do is discard one card from my hand, and all monsters on your side of the field are destroyed' she watched as Joey's monster shattered. 'Better luck next time'
Joey growled quietly 'I end my turn'
Hikari picked up her next card 'I play Keeper of Alexandria in attack mode! [1600/1000] Since you have no monsters on the field, I can't attack, so I end my turn'
'Don't get smug' he laughed 'This duel only just started' he picked up a card 'I play Gilitia The Dark Knight in attack mode! [1850/1500]' Joey narrowed his eyes at Hikari's next face down card, weighing up the risk in his head. 'Gilitia, attack her Shroud of the Keeper!' Hikari grit her teeth, he didn't fall for her bluff. She held her hand up as her monster was destroyed, her life points dropped to 1400. 'That's all for now'
Hikari closed her eyes I'm sorry Joey, this duel is too important to lose. She drew her next card, Yes!
'I play Guardian of Alexandria in attack mode! [2800/2500] now, attack his Knight' she watched as her Guardian fluttered her wings, raising her from the floor. The gold filigree tattoos shone against her porcelain skin, blasting the white light from her palms, engulfing Joey's monster. His life points dropped to 950 in a single blast.
'Sorry Joey, looks like I'm one turn away from winning this duel' she smiled. Joey looked flustered, he studied his hand for a moment and realised he had nothing that could stand up to her Guardian.
He sighed 'I place one monster face down in defense mode, and end my turn'
Hikari took out Joey's face down monsters one by one. Come on, Joey. Her thoughts were impatient.
'You know, Hikari' Joey said 'When I first started dueling, it was great when you were there for me. Throughout Duelist Kingdom, you were there supportin' me when I was up against my toughest challenges' His voice grew soft 'You were always so patient and kind' Hikari cocked her head, unsure of where he was going with this. 'I just wanted to say, that no matter how this turns out, we'll still be a team. Together.' he gave her a knowing smile.
Hikari's eyes widened as she caught Joey's drift. Did Yugi tell Joey about her father? Was this his way of saying that everything will be okay? Her eyes went to the balcony expecting to see Yugi there, but her gaze rested on Yami. He gave her a nod.
'Thanks, Joey' she said quietly, she glanced at Pegasus for a moment who seemed to not notice the exchange between them.

But the nice moment was short lived as Joey's next words send a chill down Hikari's spine. 'I summon Red-Eyes Black Dragon' she turned her head back to see the large dragon before her [2400/2000] 'Now I activate Dragon Nails which raises my Dragon's attack points by 600! [3000/2000]' Hikari took half a step back as she realised what that meant. 'Now, Red-Eyes, wipe out her Guardian!'
'Reveal Trap Card, Ordeal of the Traveller!' Hikari tried to keep her voice even, Joey had been seriously lucky throughout the tournament, that has to run out some time, right? 'Now, pick a card in my hand and guess if it's a magic, trap or monster card. If you get it right, my monster is destroyed, if you get it wrong, yours is' she held the cards in her hands forward 'Feeling lucky, Joey?'
Joey was taken back for a moment as he studied the back of Hikari's cards so intensely it was like he could see through them. He confidently pointed to the card in the middle.
'It's a magic card'
Hikari sucked the air through her teeth as she turned Ancient Texts around. He was right.
Joey cheered slightly as his attack completed, wiping Hikari's guardian off of the field. Her life points went down to 1200. Hikari stood in shock for a moment, her Guardian was her strongest monster, and she had nothing left in her deck that could stand up to Joey's Red-Eyes. She inadvertently turned her head toward Pegasus, whose expression was slightly amused. She could almost hear the threats again.
I won't let you down papa.
'I place one monster face down in defense mode and switch my Keeper of Alexandria from attack to defense mode' she needed to think about a strategy, and fast. The next turn her Keeper was destroyed. Hikari shook her head, and passed on her turn. C'mon Joey, attack my face down card.
Her wish came true. 'Sorry Joey, you just activated my Eye of the Mystic's special effect, meaning I can transfer a trap card from my deck to my hand'
Joey locked his jaw, kicking himself for falling for the same move he'd been victim to before. Hikari looked at her hand Ancient Texts, Judgement of Anubis, Pharaoh's Servant and Guardian Sphinx. The wheels in her head turning as she tried to figure out a strategy.
'I place one card face down and summon Guardian Sphinx in defense mode [1700/2400]' Hikari grit her teeth, this has to work.
Joey narrowed his eyes, 'Alright, first I'll place one card face down, then I'll attack your Sphinx with my Red-Eyes' Joey called his attack as Hikari smiled to herself. Perfect.
'I activate Judgement of Anubis! Sorry Joey, this duel is over' she smiled, but when she looked up, Joey's Red-Eyes was still on the field, his life points still at 950. 'What happened?' she demanded. 'You should have lost the duel!'
'I was prepared for that pesky trap card this time, so I activated Mystical Space Typhoon. It destroys one trap card on the field. Sorry, Hikari, I'm not going down easy' Joey said, slightly relieved.
Hikari placed both her hands on the grid in front of her. She had no monsters on the field, and Joey's Red-Eyes was still a threat.
Hikari. Yami's voice came into her head. She looked up at him on the balcony, everyone was looking down at the field with conflicted expressions, not knowing who to cheer for. He stared back, a smooth expression on his face, but she got the feeling he was trying to tell her something. She furrowed her eyebrows as she turned back to her hand, Heart of the Cards she thought. Breathing in deeply, she picked up her next card. Yes!
'I activate Monster Reborn, to bring back my Guardian of Alexandria [2800/2400] and I activate Ancient Texts to increase her attack power by 500 points [3300/2400]. Which means your Dragon is toast' she smiled as Joey's Dragon was reduced to dust. His life points dropped to 650. Joey grit his teeth, picking up his card.
Suddenly, Joey was smiling. Hikari narrowed her eyes.
'Hey guys, what does Joey look so happy about?' Tristan asked, altering Hikari to their presence. She'd been so focused on the duel she had forgotten they were still standing there.
'What?' she asked curiously.
Joey just chuckled. 'I play Grave Robber! This allows me to take one card from your graveyard' Hikari exhaled forcefully, 'And I choose your Monster Reborn to bring back my Red-Eyes in attack mode' his monster raised from the floor, roaring at Hikari threateningly. 'That's not all, I also summon CopyCat' a strange looking monster holding a small hand mirror to its face appeared next to the huge dragon. Hikari turned her head slightly, she didn't know that Joey had that card in his deck. 'And I'll use it to take the effect of your Ancient Texts, but I'll use it to increase my Red-Eyes' defense points!' [2400/2500]
Hikari cocked her head to the side, even with his Red-Eyes defense points up, she'd still be able to destroy it. Why the defense points?
Then she remembered a card that Joey showed her during the boat ride over. She gasped as she realised where he was going.
'I activate Shield and Sword, which switches the attack and defense points of every monster on the field' Joey flashed a smile as Hikari's eyes widened, realising what this meant. 'Now, Red-Eyes, take out her Guardian!'
Hikari watched in disbelief as her monster disintegrated in front of her. Her life points dropping down to 1100.
'Great move Joey!' Tristan called down.
'Come on Hikari!' Tea added, trying to even up the cheering, in any other situation she might have laughed.
Hikari was back to square one, facing Joey's Red-Eyes without hope. She drew her next card. The Sarcophagus! Her eyes went to Yami briefly out of habit, as they did every time she thought about these cards. Her mind drifted for a moment as she remembered Yami helping her assemble her deck for the tournament.
'Alright Joey, playtime is over' her voice became determined as she refocused herself, so much so that Pegasus placed his wine glass down as he looked at Hikari with interest. 'You have three turns left'
Joey cocked an eyebrow 'Oh yeah? How'd you figure that?'
Hikari just smiled 'I activate The First Sarcophagus magic card' She realised Joey had never seen her play this set before, so she took the liberty of explaining it as the stone coffin raised from the ground. 'As long as this card is on the field, I can summon the second and third sarcophagus from my deck in my next two turns' she took a small pause. 'Then, once all three of them are on the field, I can summon a powerful monster that you've never seen before' she couldn't help but smile to herself.
I'll find you soon, papa.
'I place Pharaoh's Servant in defense mode, and end my turn' Hikari did a mental tally, there were currently five monsters in her graveyard, she'd need more if she was going to stand up to Joey's Red-Eyes by the time all three Sarcophagi were on the field.
Joey fell right into her trap, destroying her next defensive cards with his Red-Eyes, not managing to remove her magic cards from the field.
'Alright Joey, time for the Third Sarcophagus to make an appearance' she said as the third stone coffin rose from the floor, creating the trio. 'Now I summon The Spirit of the Pharaoh in attack mode! [2500/2000]' A tall olive skinned human-like creature stepped outside of the stone casing, an intricate headdress adorned his face. 'And thanks to my monsters special ability, it gains 100 attack points for every monster in my graveyard, and I count seven [3200/2000]' Joey looked at his hand, trying to figure out a way to stop the incoming attack.
Hikari looked at the field, the Pharaoh in front of her made her stop as she took it in. Yami.

No. No, no, no. Hikari's thoughts brought her to a standstill. You're doing this for all the wrong reasons. You're letting Pegasus manipulate you. He's trying to pit you against your friends. That's why he made you duel Joey first. He planned it from the beginning. Hikari grabbed the side of the platform to hold her steady as she made the realisation.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Yami step forward with a curious look on his face, his eyes never left her.
Hikari stayed frozen, looking at the monster.
'Why isn't she attacking?' Bakura whispered to Tristan as everyone fixed their stare on her frozen form, they leaned a little further over the barrier trying to see if there was a trigger to make her stop so suddenly. Yami remained slightly further back, but his eyes narrowed as he tried to figure out what was happening.
What's going on? Yugi asked as he stared at the standstill
I think she's realised something Yami answered cryptically, not expanding on it.
'I don't know' Tea answered, her voice filled with a mixture of confusion and concern. She bought her hands together as she looked at her best friend.
'Hikari!' Joey called from the other side of the arena, making her head snap up. 'Come on, attack me. This was a great duel, one of the toughest I've ever had. You deserve to win' he smiled warmly as he braced himself for the loss.
But Hikari stayed frozen, unable to call an attack she moved her eyes back to the Pharaoh in front of her, for a moment she swore he looked back at her with the same purple eyes she had lost herself in so many times. This isn't what I want. Her mind was spinning again as she recalled last night.
'Hikari. We'll defeat Pegasus together. I promise.' Yamis words came back to her as she grappled with her mind. Her eyes went to Pegasus, who was now standing up an intense expression affixed to his face, the grip on his wine glass tightened. No. I'm not going to be controlled by you, Pegasus. Hikari narrowed her eyes at him, letting go of the fear that he had over her. You forgot one important thing she thought, her frozen face thawed as she gave him a small smile my friends are stronger than you.
Carefully and deliberately without moving her eyes from Pegasus, she raised her hand and placed it over her deck.

'I surrender, Joey. You win'