"So what d'you think?" Jesse asked, gesturing around. "Nice place, huh?"

"It's beautiful." Kisara said. The dueling ring was right next to a waterfall, tucked at the base of a forested ravine. There was no one around, and the sound of rushing water blocked out everything else, making it feel like they were out in the middle of nowhere.

It's perfect. Kyo thought with relief. No crowds, a polite opponent, and a lovely dueling arena.

"Awright. D'you 'ave a pref'rence on which side you'd like?" He asked.

Kisara looked around. "Hm. I'd love to be able to see the waterfall, I guess," One of the stands was angled somewhat away from it.

"You'd better take that side, then." Jesse said. "An' would you like t' go first?"

Kyo smiled wryly. He's very polite. She thought, then noticed his slightly awkward expression and wondered if he might be a little smitten. Kisara was pretty, but no one ever noticed because she was always so shy.

"Um, sure, thank you," Kisara beamed back.

Jesse blushed a little.

Yep. Definitely smitten. That will work in Kisara's favor, Kyo noted, Which will be good for her first duel, to help boost her confidence. But she won't always charm her opponents; this isn't how it will always be when she duels.

"Okay," Kisara said as they stood on their platforms. The rushing water would have made it difficult to hear them, but there were discrete speakers to project their voices.

It took Kyo a moment to find the one near her. I wonder if Mr. Kaiba installed those for people who duel quietly. She thought. Kisara wasn't exactly assertive, and any duel with holograms tended to be more than talking distance apart, especially with background noise.

"I'll set this monster facedown." Kisara said. She hesitated, then nodded. "And that will do it for me."

Kyo tilted her head. A quiet opening move. Pretty standard for Kisara, though her deck is actually a bit more aggressive than she plays…

"Awright." Jesse drew. "Well, I summon Crystal Beast Amber Mammoth in attack mode." He said, and a large, furry mammoth appeared, bedecked with ambers. "Nex', I'll activate Crystal Release an' equip it t' my Amber Mammoth." He continued, laying down another card. "This gives my Mammoth an eight hundred point boost."

Twenty-five hundred attack points. Kyo thought. Impressive for an opening move.

"Go, Amber Mammoth!" He called. "Attack her facedown monster!"

The mammoth trumpeted a challenge and galloped forward, stomping across the facedown card, which revealed itself to be a large, glittering white stone.

"You destroyed my White Stone of Legend." Kisara said as the stone crumbled. "This means I can add my Blue-Eyes Divine Dragon to my hand."

"Blue-Eyes?" Jesse blinked. "Y'mean like Blue-Eyes White Dragon?"

She nodded. "Yes, actually," She said a little shyly.

He frowned. "I thought only Mr. Kaiba 'ad that card."

She blushed a little. "I'm his daughter."

Jesse froze, and it was plain he hadn't been expecting that. Kyo's mouth twitched with amusement. And there goes his infatuation. She thought. He might not be so… friendly, now. She frowned. If he stopped being friendly, that might not go over so well. Not that Kisara would be angry, but she might get upset or flustered.

For her sake, I hope his politeness is more than skin-deep. Kyo folded her arms.

"Man. I'm sorry. I had no idea." Jesse said awkwardly.

"It's okay," Kisara said quietly, looking faintly uneasy, as if she thought he might… stop being friendly.

Kyo frowned.

"It's… a lot to live up to." Kisara added.

Jesse considered her for a moment, then smiled. "Guess I c'n understand that." He said. "Well, think it's still my turn, so I'm gonna set this card facedown an' pass it back t' you."

She seemed relieved.

Good. He's not too shallow. Kyo nodded approvingly. But that doesn't mean Kisara is out of the woods yet. Recipe decks are built around a particular strategy, and this might be another one where the low-level monsters are powered up and high-level ones are easier to summon.

Kisara grimaced at the card she'd drawn.

Kaibaman. Kyo thought as soon as she caught Kisara's expression. It was a card that rather embarrassed her; it had been actually designed to look like Seto (albeit with a dragon helmet to hide his face). She kept in her deck more because she didn't want Seto to think she didn't really want it, but Kyo could tell which card it was every single time she drew it due to the embarrassed expression she always got.

It was a card that could be tributed to summon a Blue-Eyes dragon from her hand or deck, which made it useful for getting the Blue-Eyes onto the field. But Kisara had never played it. Ever.

Kyo's mouth twitched in amusement. Ah well. She'll have to figure a way around using it.

"I summon Protector with Eyes of Blue in attack mode!" Kisara announced. "This lets me summon Master with Eyes of Blue in defense mode. Then, I'll activate Protector's special ability: this lets me send Master with Eyes of Blue to the graveyard in order to summon Blue-Eyes Divine Dragon from my hand in attack mode!"

The Protector turned, lifting his sword and pointing it at the Master, who closed his eyes. A beam of light shot up from the Master, spreading wider and growing limbs until it took the form of a Blue-Eyes White Dragon, lit with blue lines of energy.

Kyo shifted. There were only three Blue-Eyes White Dragons in existence, and all of them were in Seto's deck. He hadn't wanted to give any of them up, or allow any new ones to be created. Yet he'd also wanted Kisara to continue his Blue-Eyes strategy. So he had one very special card made specifically for her – the Blue-Eyes Divine Dragon.

It was this card that her deck revolved around. Like Sirius's Red-Eyes, it was all about getting Blue-Eyes on the field and keeping it there. And Blue-Eyes was much stronger than Red-Eyes. Of course, Red-Eyes had a multitude of forms, and Sirius had a ton of different Red-Eyes monsters. In the Blue-Eyes deck, the Divine Dragon stood alone.

"Wow." Jesse mumbled, staring up at the white dragon in unreserved awe. "'s even more beautiful in person."

Kisara smiled, getting a little pink.

Easy, Kis. You're dueling, remember? Kyo thought wryly. Besides, you'd have to introduce him to your father.

"Divine Dragon, attack his Amber Mammoth!" Kisara commanded.

The dragon charged up a burst of white light and fired, and Jesse only braced himself at the last moment as his mammoth was destroyed.

Kyo frowned. He activated something. She noticed.

As the dust settled, Jesse straightened. "Boy. Didn' think I'd ever be facing one 'f those." He said. "Luckily, my Amber Mammoth ain't goin' t' the graveyard."

Kisara blinked. "It's not?" She asked, surprised.

"Nope." He held out his hand, and they all looked down at the shards of amber lying on the ground. "When a Crystal Beast is destroyed, I c'n move it t' my Spell and Trap card zone instead of sending it t' the graveyard."

The remnants coalesced into a large emerald, which floated to the back row next to a face-up trap.

"Plus, the Crystal Release I equipped t' Amber Mammoth lets me move a Crystal Beast from my deck t' my spell an' trap card zone also, so I choose Amethyst Cat." Jesse added. "An' lastly, I activate my Crystal Conclave," Jesse pointed to the trap. "Which, whenever a Crystal Beast is destroyed, lets me summon a new Crystal Beast from my deck. Say hello t' Crystal Beast Ruby Carbuncle!"

The little catlike creature burst out and landed on the field, mewling and flicking its tail.

"An' due to its special effect, whenever it's special summoned t' the field, I c'n summon any number of Crystal Beasts from my Spell and Trap card zone." Jesse said, stretching out his hand. "So Amber Mammoth's back in attack mode, along with my new Amethyst Cat in defense!"

Kisara blinked.

Hmm. Kyo mused. That gives him more protective monsters. Plus, now he has two monsters he can sacrifice for a more powerful one… though Protector hasn't attacked yet.

"Huh," Kisara said slowly, then recovered and raised her hand. "Then I'll have Protector attack your Ruby Carbuncle!"

"'Fraid not." Jesse said. "Amber Mammoth, defend!"

The Protector ran forward, sword raised to slice through the little carbuncle, but the mammoth interceded and threw him back.

He shattered.

"See, Amber Mammoth c'n change any attack on a Crystal Beast t' him." Jesse explained as Kisara blinked in surprise. "An' since he was in attack mode an' had more attack points, he destroyed yore Protector."

Kisara stared at the field for a moment. "Uh, then I guess it's your turn." She said a little dazedly.

Relax, Kisara! Kyo frowned. Don't get flustered. You're still doing fine. Just take a deep breath.

"Awright." Jesse said, drawing. "I summon Crystal Beast Emerald Tortoise in defense mode."

A large green tortoise encrusted with green crystal growths all over the shell appeared and let out a low grunt.

"It's so pretty!" Kisara gasped.

Jesse blushed. "I sure think so. I love stones and crystals. My favorites are geodes. And my whole deck is full of crystals, so I think of it as one giant geode, y'know? With a whole lotta really cool gems inside."

Kisara's entire face lit up. "That's so cool, Jesse! Your deck is amazing!"

"Aw, shucks," He blushed again. "I switch Amber Mammoth to defense mode." He switched the positions of the cards. "An' I switch Amethyst Cat t' attack mode!"

Kyo's eyes narrowed. Why would he do that? She only has twelve hundred attack points, and Kisara's Blue-Eyes has three thousand…

"Amethyst Cat's got a special ability as well," Jesse said, "I c'n cut her attack points 'n half temporarily, and she c'n attack you directly. Go, Amethyst Cat!"

The cat bounded forward, running past the white dragon and up to Kisara's stand. She started in surprise and alarm as the hologram pounced on her, and Kyo's heart skipped a beat when she saw her white-haired friend stagger unnervingly close to the edge. But there was a rail around the back of the stand, and Kisara recovered quickly.

It is a bit different getting attacked with holograms rather than cards on a desk. Kyo thought, switching her attention back to the field.

"My Emerald Tortoise's special ability lets me switch Amethyst Cat t' defense mode." Jesse added. "That'll be it f'r now. Your turn."

Kisara came back to the stand. "Okay. I draw." She studied her hand, thinking. "I summon Masked Dragon in attack mode and set one card facedown." She lifted her hand. "Masked–" She stopped and quickly corrected herself. "Blue-Eyes, attack his Amber Mammoth!"

I'm glad she remembered Amber Mammoth's special ability and didn't try to attack Amethyst Cat yet. Masked Dragon's too weak to take on Amber Mammoth. Kyo sighed. But slipping up like that is an amateur mistake.

"I'm movin' 'im t' the back row." Jesse said. "Then I activate Crystal Conclave t' summon another Amber Mammoth from my deck!"

Yeah. Kyo shook her head. She should have played Masked Dragon in defense. It's not helpful until she finds a way around Amber Mammoth. She glanced up at the Divine Dragon. Of course, this Blue-Eyes isn't an exact replica of Mr. Kaiba's dragons… it has a special ability. One that could have taken out Amethyst Cat without triggering Amber Mammoth's protective ability.

"Oh." Kisara pouted. "Okay. Your turn."

He drew. "I activate Ancient City – Rainbow Ruins!" He announced, and a large ruined colosseum appeared behind him.

"What does that do?" Kisara asked.

"It's kinda hard to explain," Jesse said. "But Kyo probably knows. For every Crystal Beast I have in my Spell and Trap card zone, the city gets extra abilities."

Ah, I see. Kyo's eyes brightened. I was wondering about that. Certainly, moving his monsters to his spell and trap card zone gives them a certain… longevity on the field, but it also means he can't play as many spell and trap cards, because he's filling up his back row with cards that have no effect. Spells and traps are integral to any duel, and not having them can be crippling.

I bet his Ancient City helps make up for that. She eyed it keenly, then glanced over at Kisara. I just hope she pays attention to that… and to how many monsters she sends to the back row. I'm betting each of Ancient City's abilities is more powerful than the last with each new Crystal Beast in the back row.

"Nex', I activate Crystal Beacon!" Jesse continued. "This lets me summon Crystal Beast Sapphire Pegasus from my deck in attack mode. An' Sapphire Pegasus lets me put another Crystal Beast from my deck in my back row, an' I choose my Topaz Tiger!"

The pegasus burst onto the scene, studded with sapphires. It looked back, aiming its blue horn at the back row, and a beam of light shot out to form a large topaz, floating next to the amber of the mammoth.

"An' after that, I activate Rare Value!" Jesse held up the card. "I pick two o' my crystals, an' you send one of them t' the graveyard, lettin' me draw two more cards." He gestured. "So d' you send Topaz Tiger or Amber Mammoth?"

"Amber Mammoth," Kisara said impulsively.

Kyo frowned. Easy, Kisara. Calm down and think. You need to be more careful. You know what Amber Mammoth's ability is, and you can get around it. You don't know Topaz Tiger's.

"Awright." Jesse moved the card off to the graveyard. "Then I switch Amethyst Cat t' attack mode." He raised his hand. "Sapphire Pegasus, attack her Masked Dragon!"

The pegasus bounded forward, striking the dragon with its hooves before galloping back to Jesse's side of the field.

"When Masked Dragon is destroyed, I can summon a dragon with fourteen hundred attack points or less from my deck." Kisara said. "I choose another Masked Dragon, this time in defense mode!"

Not sure the bait's good enough. Kyo thought. Sure, Amethyst Cat could take out Masked Dragon in defense mode, but Amethyst Cat could attack directly.

"Go, Amethyst Cat! Attack her life points directly!" Jesse ordered.

Kisara braced herself.

Damn. Down to fifteen hundred life points. Kyo frowned. Jesse's a great duelist.

"Then I activate Emerald Tortoise's special ability t' switch Amethyst Cat back t' defense mode!" Jesse said. "Your move, Kisara."

Kisara is too, when she stops and pays attention to her cards. She added, glancing up. She had never lost against Kisara, but half the time Kisara had the cards in her hand to win and just hadn't played them. Come on, Kisara. Think through all your options.

"I activate Burst Stream of Destruction!" Kisara announced. "This lets me destroy all of my opponent's monsters if I have a Blue-Eyes, but my Blue-Eyes can't attack this turn. Go, Blue-Eyes!"

The dragon roared and sent a stream of energy across the field, striking each Crystal Beast in succession.

"I'll move Amber Mammoth, Amethyst Cat, an' Emerald Tortoise t' the back row." Jesse said.

He's filled it. Kyo thought, stiffening and glancing up at the Ancient City. He has four Crystal Beasts back there. He can't activate anything else, but he might have all he needs already.

"Then I activate Crystal Conclave!" Jesse added. "I summon a Crystal Beast from my deck – Crystal Beast Ruby Carbuncle, in defense mode!"

The little carbuncle popped onto the scene and mewled, curling up protectively.

"An' when Ruby Carbuncle's special summoned, I c'n summon as many Crystal Beasts from my back row as I like, so come on out in defense mode!" He spread his arms, and the four Crystal Beasts burst back onto the stage.

Kisara's expression became exasperated, and Kyo smiled ruefully.

She basically wasted that card. His monsters are too good at coming back.

"Well, Blue-Eyes Divine Dragon has a special ability that I can only use if it doesn't attack." Kisara said. "I can destroy one monster on the field. And I choose your Amethyst Cat!"

There you go. Now you're thinking. Kyo thought. A few steps behind, but you're getting there. She shifted her attention back to Jesse's side of the field as the Blue-Eyes took out the Amethyst Cat. Each one of his monsters is a different gemstone. Not only that, but each gemstone is a different color of the rainbow.

She mused. I wonder… I don't think we've seen everything his deck can do.

C'mon, Kisara.

"I switch Topaz Tiger t' attack mode!" Jesse announced. "Topaz Tiger, attack her Masked Dragon!"

His attack points went up! Kyo thought, her eyes widening slightly. Two thousand. For a four-star monster. She mused. I bet it's only when he attacks. If you attack, then it won't rise. But still, that can be tricky to handle. Especially if he got another Crystal Release. It's still no match for Divine Dragon, but almost all the damage he's inflicted to Kisara has been while her dragon was on the field, so it hasn't worked to protect her very well.

"I'll activate its special ability again to summon another Masked Dragon." Kisara said. "Again in defense mode."

Kyo glanced at her, then back to Jesse.

"An' I activate Emerald Tortoise's special ability t' switch Topaz Tiger back t' defense mode." Jesse added. "An' I'll finish wi' these two cards facedown."

Hm. He's limiting his Crystal Beasts' ability to fall back with those cards. i Kyo thought. I wonder if they've served their purpose…

"I switch Masked Dragon to attack mode." Kisara said. "Then I activate Tyrant Wing and equip it to my Divine Dragon!"

That's what that card was?! Kyo grumbled in exasperation. Why'd you wait so long to play it, Kisara?

It raises a dragon's attack power by four hundred and gives them two attacks in a turn. She'd be up in life points and down in Crystal Beasts to deal with if she'd used it sooner… She sighed.

"Blue-Eyes, attack his Amber Mammoth!" Kisara shouted.

The dragon reared back, its wings glowing with the boost from Tyrant Wing, and fired a bolt at the mammoth, which shattered.

"I activate Crystal Pair." Jesse said as he flipped one of his facedown cards over. "When a Crystal Beast is destroyed an' sent t' the graveyard, I c'n set a Crystal Beast from my deck in my back row."

Why didn't he use Crystal Conclave…? Kyo frowned. That's seven monsters now. Seven Crystal Beasts, each with a different colored gemstone.

Each a different color of the rainbow…

"Blue-Eyes, attack his Emerald Tortoise!" Kisara continued.

"Kisara!" Kyo sputtered in consternation, but it was too late.

The dragon attacked, and Kisara looked down in confusion. "What?" She asked, suddenly worried.

Kyo opened her mouth, but paused, glancing back at the cobalt floating in the back row. Seven Crystal Beasts. Seven colors of the rainbow.

She looked up at Jesse, whose expression was hard as flint – he had the look of someone about to play a finishing move.

She should have attacked Topaz Tiger. It's a bigger threat than Emerald Tortoise, even if the tortoise's special ability means she'll have trouble getting to Jesse's life points. But if I'm right… it might not matter.

"Nothing." She said, shaking her head. "But be careful, Kisara. I don't think we've seen everything in his deck yet."

She blinked, then nodded. "Okay." She turned back. "Masked Dragon, attack his Ruby Carbuncle!"

"I activate Rainbow Path!" Jesse shouted, flipping over the other card. "I send Cobalt Eagle from my back row t' my graveyard, an' that negates yore attack."

The cobalt gemstone shot forward to stand between Ruby Carbuncle and Masked Dragon's flame breath, blocking it.

"Then, I c'n move Rainbow Dragon from my deck t' my hand." Jesse finished as he shuffled his deck; he'd already grabbed Rainbow Dragon.

I bet that's it. Kyo thought with grim intuition. His pinnacle monster. And I bet the Crystal Beasts have made it easy to summon. She scanned the field. Each one of them has unique abilities, but some are more effective than others in a given situation. He didn't favor any of them, though, except perhaps Amber Mammoth or Ruby Carbuncle. He focused more on getting them all on the field.

"I set one card facedown." Kisara continued. "And when I end my turn, Tyrant Wing gets sent to the graveyard."

Kisara! Kyo grumbled. You should be preparing better! I can't believe all those cards in your hand aren't cards you can use. She looked back at Jesse. And if I'm right, this duel's about to take a sharp turn.