Attention, Duelists of all ages! I am Roland, and I'll be your announcer for the remainder of the tournament!
For our first match of the top sixteen, we have a pair who have worked together in this tourney, to take out a pair of eliminators. You've seen their skills and witnessed their strategies, some of you personally.
Now comes the time to place your bets!
In the West corner, Brian Hokage! The Duelist of Darkness and Master of Nightmares!
In the East Corner, Celeste Hikari! The Duelist of Light and Lady of Angels!
Outside the arena, these two are great friends. But in this duel, only one of them can walk away in one piece.
It's a battle as old as time itself: Light vs. Darkness, Good vs. Evil!
We could only title this match:
Arch Rivals
High above the general audience was a large, sealed off box section with the letters "VIP" painted below a tinted window that faced the stadium. Inside were sixteen well padded chairs, complete with reclining backs and foot rests.
Sixteen pulses of light went off inside this room, and each of the finalists found themselves seated (upside-down in Tim's case) in one of the chairs. Tim grunted a bit and turned himself over as Roland also appeared in front of them.
"Well, is everybody ready?" He asked, turning to Seto.
Seto nodded, and stood up. He turned to the others with a no-nonsense look in his eyes.
"Okay, listen up. The finals are going to be simple. The sixteen of us will be randomly paired off to duel against each other." Kaiba explained.
"By that, he means he gets to duel Yugi as soon as possible." Joey whispered to Mai ,who was sitting next to him.
"No doubt." Mai agreed.
If Kaiba heard them, he chose not to say anything about it. Instead he continued with the instructions.
"It will be a standard elimination set up: Lose a duel and you're out of the finals." He stated, pointing out the window, "And you have to sit down there with the rest of the audience, these box-seats are for finalists only."
"Hope I don't lose too soon then." Brian said, leaning back, "A guy could get used to this…"
"Now just one more thing." Kaiba said, "You all made it to the finals, so be prepared to prove that you're worthy of being here. If you doubt your abilities, you'd better leave now."
The others were all silent, and Tim turned to Mako with a grin.
"Well Mako, it was nice you could come…" He started.
"He said if I doubted my skills." Mako retorted, "Besides, what would he do if we did leave?"
"Replace you with a dueling monkey?" Tim joked, "Oh wait, my brother…"
Tim didn't get any further before Brian reached back from his seat and smacked him in the back of the head. Tim winced and rubbed the back of his skull.
"Hey, you didn't let me finish!" Tim protested.
"I didn't have to." Brian said, "Now let's let them finish."
There were no more comments. Kaiba nodded to Roland, and returned to his seat. Roland stepped up, and the window in front of the finalists suddenly went black, like a turned-off television.
Before anybody could ask what was happening, Roland vanished in a pulse of light.
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The audience was starting to get restless, when a flash indicated Roland's return to the arena.
"Sorry for the delay folks, the time has now come!" Roland shouted, the screen overhead lighting up, "Let's choose our first pair for the finals!"
A white line appeared in each screen, separating them down the center. Each side of the screen began to flash with pictures of the sixteen finalists, faster and faster until both sides were a blur.
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Meanwhile, in Domino City, Japan, a group of dedicated Yugi and Joey fans had gathered. They were in a small living room, with a television up against the wall and a blue couch facing it. A small table in front of the couch held a few bowls filled with various snack foosd.
Tea Gardner, one of Yugi's few female friends, was running her fingers through her brown hair. She was seated on the couch in the home of Siamun Mutou (Yugi's grandfather) and had been in such a rush to make it there that she hadn't even bothered to change out of her waitress uniform from work.
"Relax Tea, you made it just in time." Said a kindly voice.
Tea looked over her shoulder and smiled. Yugi's grandfather stood there, his white hair poking out from under the green-bandana that covered the top of his head. He was still wearing his green overalls and blue shirt, having just closed up the shop to watch the finals.
"You're sure Yugi hasn't dueled yet?" Tea asked, "We all promised that we'd watch when Kaiba announced the finals would be live…"
A young man, whose brown hair terminated in a point in front of his forehead, smiled as he adjusted his brown jacket.
"Tea, calm down." He said, "Duke and I have been here watching this for the last hour and all its been is highlight reels…"
"With very few highlights of Serenity, much to Tristan's disappointment." Commented the final occupant of the room.
This one had black hair held back by a red headband. He wore a red vest, with black shirt and pants, and for some reason had black-eyeliner on. Tristan Taylor turned to the youth with a sneer.
"Hey, you were looking for her too Duke." He pointed out.
Duke Devlin merely shrugged, as the television showed Roland appearing back in the arena.
"Yeah, but that's…" He started.
"Oh, quiet!" Tea shouted, pointing to the screen, "They're choosing the first match, turn the volume up!"
Grandpa fumbled the remote from the pocket of his overalls, and managed to turn up the volume just as the pictures of the finalists began to flash across the top of the screen.
"Here's hoping…" Grandpa said happily.
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Back in the VIP section, the blackened window had lit up with the same flashing pictures, and the finalists were watching with baited breath. Joey leaned forward to Kaiba with a smile.
"Get ready Kaiba, because when that pairs the two of us up…" Joey whispered.
"Wheeler, please. You do such an excellent job of embarrassing yourself that you don't need to try any harder." Kaiba declared.
Yugi, in the meantime, leaned closer to Bakura who was in the seat next to him.
"So Bakura, how is it you're in the tournament?" Yugi asked, "Last you told us, you were going to be in Paris with your dad on a business trip, as a reward for your grades."
"I still am, I'm playing from Kaiba Land Europe." Bakura whispered back, " My dad's the curator of Domino City Museum, and was looking to arrange the loan of a few paintings from the Louve. I had my cards with me, and it turns out that Kaiba has been keeping an eye on duelists that have been in his tournaments before."
"So he sent a few guys to 'invite' you." Yugi guessed.
"They were actually very reasonable, and my dad needed an excuse to stay in the city for a few days to do some sight-seeing." Bakura smiled, "So I was glad to participate in a tournament by my own choice."
"And the Millenium Ring?" Yugi asked.
Bakura frowned, and fingered the trinket.
"I…don't know." He confessed, "The spirit has been unusually quiet over the past year. He hasn't done anything or usurped my control over my body. But it gives me an uneasy feeling, like the calm before a storm. I think he's saving his energy for something big and I don't know when he might be ready."
Yugi put a reassuring hand on his friend's shoulder.
"Don't worry about it; just let Joey and me know if he acts up." Yugi smiled, "We've beaten him before."
Bakura nodded, and turned back to the screen.
Joey, in the meantime, was beginning to tremble with anger. Before he could think up any responses to Kaiba's insult, the screen stopped flashing, and a musical chime rang out.
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In the arena, the audience cheered upon seeing the faces on the screen. Roland raised one hand, gesturing to the images.
"Our first match has been decided: Brian Hokage vs. Celeste Hikari!" Roland called out, "Duelists, you have two minutes to prepare your decks for battle!"
The audience cheered as a two-minute countdown appeared on the screen.
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In Grandpa Mutou's living room, Tea sighed and hung her head.
"Celeste is in that tournament?" She thought, "Well, at least she isn't dueling Yugi again…"
-----------------------------------------
In the box seats, Brian and Celeste both looked to each other and nodded.
"Okay then, we're up." Brian said, a grid of cards appearing before him.
Brian looked at the cards as they hovered in front of him, and thought for a bit. He quickly moved Invader of Darkness and Brain Control to the side, and added the two cards Pikeru and Curran had awarded him. He then took his Interdimensional Matter Transporter, and swapped it with a card from his side deck.
"Putting my deckmaster on the field has worked before, but it's too risky to try three times." He said to himself, "This time, I won't do it unless it means I'd win. Otherwise I just put myself in danger."
Looking over his shoulder, Brian saw Celeste hard at work on her own deck. The backs of her cards were facing him, and she took a glance up from her work as Brian closed his deck list.
"She's too far away to see what changes I made." He assured himself.
Apparently though, Celeste felt the need to show Brian something. She tapped one of her cards, causing it to spin around and reveal an Exile of the Wicked. She moved it to her side deck, and took out another card in its place.
Brian seemed greatly relieved.
--------------------------------
Celeste smiled as she looked at the monster she was adding in place of Exile of the Wicked.
"No way I'd use such a cheap card on Brian." She thought, "I'll save it for a fiend duelist that deserves it."
She then moved Dunames the Dark Witch and another monster known as Agent of Force: Mars to the side deck, adding the two cards she had won earlier.
"And these should make a nice surprise for him." She thought with a smile.
"Attention Brian and Celeste: Your time is up!" Roland announced, "Prepare for battle!"
Two rings of light fell over them, and Brian and Celeste vanished.
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In the main arena, the ground was dark and obscured. Members of the audience were getting antsy again, when a single spotlight fell onto Roland who was standing in the middle of the arena.
"In times long past, before man ever existed, there were the angels." Roland intoned, "These divine beings existed to maintain peace and order within the budding planet of Earth. But one of their kind decided he'd rather rule over this young world."
The light began to swell, revealing that the arena floor was now made of stormy, gray clouds. Around the edges stood shattered pillars of white marble, and lightning crackled between the monuments.
"This rebellious angel went to war with his former comrades, and thus was born the forces of darkness and chaos." Roland declared, "And in our own Stormy Heaven arena today, we're about to have a reenactment of the first battle between angels and demons!"
The clouds parted in two separate areas, and Brian and Celeste rose up through them. They both waved to the cheering crowd and then squared off against each other.
"I give to you, for your viewing pleasure, Brian Hokage, one of the top duelists of Chicago, versus Celeste Hikari, regional champion of Los Angeles!" Roland shouted, "It's Brian's fiends versus Celeste's fairies! We could only title this match: ARCH RIVALS!"
"Catchy." Brian nodded as the audience roared.
"A bit inaccurate, but I like it." Celeste agreed.
"So, no hard feelings despite the outcome." Brian smiled, "I'd hate for you to walk away mad when I win."
"Same here." Celeste smirked.
"Alright now, Brian, you use demons, and Celeste, you use angels. Both of them govern over good and evil." Roland declared as he rose over the heads of both duelists on a puff of clouds, "But in here, that's my job! So Brian, no making contracts with dark forces in the middle of the match. Celeste, no calling divine punishment down outside of your cards."
"No promises." Both of them joked at the same time.
"Alright then, that's good enough for me." Roland declared, "Select you deckmasters!"
"I choose Asura Priest!" Celeste declared.
Behind her, the many-armed fairy arose, skin as blue as ever. He nodded his head, and stroked his three chins as he prepared for combat.
"I think I'll change the pace a little." Brian smiled, "Dark Ruler Ha Des will be my deckmaster!"
From behind Brian, a column of black fire arose. Out of the flames stepped his regal fiend, holding a goblet of green liquid.
"Excellent, I was hoping to have an active role here." The demon king said in a low voice.
"Happy to oblige." Brian smiled, "So what's your power?"
The royal monster leaned close to Brian, and whispered something in his ear. Brian nodded, and drew five cards.
"Alright then, time to choose the first turn…" Roland said as Celeste picked up five cards as well.
Asura Priest began to glow with a blue aura, while Ha Des was surrounded by a black one. Over each of their heads appeared a number: Ha Des had four, Asura Priest was a six.
"Celeste's deckmaster picked the higher number, so she may go first." Roland announced, "Let's get it on!"
Celeste drew her sixth card, and smiled.
"Let's duel!" She and Brian both called out.
Celeste: 8000
Brian: 8000
Celeste plucked two cards from her hand, and set them into place.
"I'll open with two facedown cards." She said as they appeared before her, "And then I'll summon Absorbing Kid from the Sky (1300/1000)."
In front of the two cards appeared the angel-winged child. He crossed his arms and stuck his tongue out at Brian as he began to pout again. Celeste just smiled.
"Your turn." She stated.
Brian drew, and looked at his card. He laughed sheepishly as he scratched back of his head.
"Oops, almost forgot about this." He said, turning the card around.
Celeste gave it a look, and immediately regretted that choice. The card had a picture of a hideous mask made of what she hoped was leather.
"This is called the Mask of Remnants." Brian explained, "It's a powerful card, but not when I draw it in my draw phase. If that happens, I need to shuffle it back into my deck. So I just wasted my draw."
The card vanished, and Brian's deck shimmered for a second.
"But I'm not worried Celeste. Did you forget that I was watching your duel outside?" Brian asked, "I bet one of those cards is your Fairy Box. But I just need more luck than you to avoid that…"
Brian threw a card down, and a Ha Des spat an orb of black fire onto the field.
"I summon Opticlops (1800/1700) in attack position." Brian stated.
From the orb emerged the muscular, orange monster. It focused its eye on Celeste's creature, which cringed in fear.
"Opticlops, knock that kid back to the sky with opti-laser!" Brian shouted.
The fiend fired a beam of black energy from its eye and it flew right at Celeste's monster. The kid ducked and hid behind his wings…
When a silver shield jumped in front of the blast. The black energy hit the shield, and a bell-like tone rang out. Celeste smiled as she began to glow with green energy and her monster peeked out from behind the barrier.
"Huh?" Brian gasped.
"You forgot about my Draining Shield card didn't you?" Celeste snickered, "Don't forget, we teamed up to duel Pikeru and Curran, we saw a lot of each other's decks. You know a few of my tricks, and know a few of yours. And now my shield stopped your attack, and added your monster's attack to my life points."
Celeste: 9800
Brian: 8000
"Shoot." Brian grumbled, "So much for an early lead."
------------------------
In the VIP seats, Yugi and Joey were watching the duel with quite a bit of interest.
"So, who do you think will win?" Joey asked.
"Hard to call." Yugi said, "After all, Celeste's low level monsters aren't very strong. Her higher level monsters are extremely powerful, but costly to summon. Her biggest strength lies in her deck's power to recover her life points. She can reverse almost any damage Brian deals her, given enough time."
"And her deck is more focused than his is." Joey nodded, "After all, when we last dueled his deck had fiends, zombies, a dragon…"
"Oh, that was Brian's old deck." Tim said from behind Joey.
"Really?" Joey asked, turning around.
"Yep." Tim nodded, "I gave my deck a little tweaking since last year, but Brian completely overhauled his. Like Roland said, it's now a Dark-Fiend deck, and it's harder to take down than Madonna's career."
"Hm…Fiend monsters can be very powerful." Yugi noted, "This duel could go either way."
----------------------
On the ground, Brian looked over the rest of his hand.
"Eh, I'll end my turn since I can't do anything else." He shrugged.
"On that note, I chain my Solemn Wishes trap." Celeste declared, her other card flipping up, "Now when I draw cards, I get 500 life points."
"Oh crud…" Brian grumbled as Celeste drew, causing a shower of light to fall over her.
Celeste: 10300
Brian: 8000
Celeste smiled as she saw what she had just drawn.
"Well this worked better than I hoped." She said as she swapped cards on her tray, "I tribute Absorbing Kid from the Sky to summon Airknight Parshath (1900/1400)."
Celeste's deckmaster shimmered with blue light, and the kid swooped into the air. A path of blue mist extended from the sky down to the field, and down the path rode the winged centaur. He brandished his sword, and glared at the Opticlops.
"Oh double crud." Brian sighed.
"Attack with angel blade!" Celeste shouted.
The heavenly creature trampled forward, his face a mask of righteous anger. He stabbed his weapon into Brian's fiend, which glowed with a yellow light before it shattered.
"And since he damaged you life points, I get to draw one card." Celeste said as she took the top card from her deck, "And that sets of Solemn Whishes again."
Celeste was surrounded by shimmering rain as she drew, her life points rising again.
"What's more, since he destroyed a monster, Airknight can use my deckmaster's power and attack a second time." Celeste smiled as Asura Priest shimmered with blue energy.
"Activated, backup daggers has." Asura Priest intoned.
"Attack again, angel blade!" Celeste shouted.
Brian let out a cry of pain as the angel fighter slashed him with the glowing sword. He stumbled back several steps, while Celeste smiled as she drew another card and her life points leapt again.
Celeste: 11300
Brian: 6000
"It looks like Celeste is taking a commanding lead so far!" Roland announced, "Her angelic cards have already given her a lead of over 5000 life points."
"That's good enough for now." Celeste stated, "Your move Brian."
Brian drew and looked over his hand.
"I summon my Giant Orc (2200/0)." He declared.
From the clouds ascended the huge fiend, bouncing his bone club on one shoulder. He hefted it up as he glared at the Airknight.
"Okay Orc, take down her monster with bone club beatdown!" Brian ordered.
The fiend charged forward, and slammed his weapon right into Parshath's head.
"My Airknight!" Celeste gasped.
The monster groaned before shattering to pieces. Orc, now exhausted from his efforts, wandered back to Brian's field and fell to a sitting position. He began to absentmindedly chew on the bone, like an oversized attack dog.
Celeste: 11000
Brian: 6000
"That's my turn Celeste." Brian declared.
Celeste drew, and smiled at the monster on her new card. The Solemn Whishes light fell over her again, boosting her life points even further.
"Okay Brian, time to up the ante a bit." She smiled as she put down another monster, "I summon Agent of Creation: Venus (1600/0)."
Onto the field descended a serene figure. She wore gold and green robes, with golden wings extending behind her. She had a peaceful look on her face, and her shimmering hair fell down almost to her feet. Around her orbited three orbs, one of which was blue, the second red, and the last was purple.
"Hm, reminds me of the time my hair was that long. What was I thinking?" Celeste muttered, twisting her waist-length braid around one hand, "'Course this is still kind of tough to take care of…"
"Um, Celeste, does your monster do anything or does it just stand there looking pretty?" Brian asked.
"Oh, sorry. My monster does have a special power." Celeste smiled, "As the Agent of Creation, she…Well she creates things. For every 500 life points I give up, I can summon a specific monster from my deck or hand. So I'll surrender 1500 points to summon all three of them."
Celeste began to shimmer with white light, and let out a gasp as the light was pulled from her body. It formed into three orbs, each roughly the size of a basketball, and each one a sky-blue color.
"These are the Mystic Shine Balls (500/500)." Celeste said as two cards floated from her deck and one came from her hand.
The cards settled onto her disk, and the orbs began to hover around the monster that summoned them.
"Only 500 points each?" Brian asked, "What good are they?"
"Well, your Orc has no defense points, and they are in attack mode…" Celeste smiled.
"Oh triple crud." Brian grumbled.
"Mystic Shine Ball one, attack his Orc!" Celeste ordered, pointing at one of the orbs.
The crystal sphere swooped down, and slammed into the enemy's stomach. The Orc groaned under the attack, and shattered to pieces.
"Shine Balls two and three, attack directly!" Celeste commanded.
The other two orbs swooped down, and slammed into Brian. The first hit him in the stomach, forcing him to his knees, the second nailed him in the face.
"Ow, ow!" He shouted as the attacks bounced off.
"Venus, you go too." Celeste stated.
The orbs around Venus began to spin faster, and Brian's eyes went wide.
"Uh oh." He said.
The three orbs swooped down, and pummeled him mercilessly in the face, chest, and stomach!
"Ow, ow, OW!" He shouted, falling flat on his back.
Celeste: 10000
Brian: 3400
"And an impressive combo from Celeste knocks Brian flat!" Roland exclaimed over the roar of the crowd, "Her monsters may embody peace and order, but they sure can bring on the hurt."
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"Ooh, that looks painful." Serenity winced.
"An excellent combination however." John commented, "Celeste spent a fair amount of life points, but her previous tactics means she still in the lead."
Across the arena, Kevin and Espa both flinched. Ronaldo jumped to his feet, and began to cheer.
"Yes Celeste! Show him what you are made of! Display the skills that defeated me, and won my heart!" Ronaldo yelled.
Kevin and Espa yanked him back down, and Kevin glared at the Spaniard.
"I'm trying to enjoy the match, but jump up like that again and you'll know what a duel disk to your skull feels like." Kevin grumbled.
"My apologies." Ronaldo said sheepishly.
"At any rate, Celeste may have made a crucial error." Kevin stated, "And if Brian plays his cards right, he can take advantage of it."
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Back up in the VIP box, Weevil was glaring at the duel below as Brian was slammed to the ground.
"I can't believe I lost to this wimp! He's getting clobbered by bubbles!" Weevil spat from his seat.
Gold, who was unfortunate enough to be sitting next to Weevil, let out a sigh as he turned to the insect-duelist.
"I don't think Hokage is out just yet." Gold said, "He probably has a plan, one to turn this around."
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Brian got to his feet, and looked at his read out.
"Huh, I'm already in the red." He noticed, "Guess I'll need to be more careful."
"Your turn Brian." Celeste giggled with false innocence.
After all, there was no use in pretending that wasn't fun.
Brian drew, and looked across his cards.
"Let me see, I think I'll start by summoning my Archfiend Soldier (1900/1500)." Brian stated, putting down yet another monster.
Out of the clouds came the armored fiend, wielding his serpentine sword. He pointed it right toward Celeste, and smiled with glee.
"Now let's take this duel to my home turf." Brian said as he opened his field zone, "I activate my Yami field spell!"
The clouds grew darker, and the pillars began to warp and sway. They changed from white marble to black obsidian, and the lightning between them turned purple. The ceiling of the arena turned pitch black, and the entire room seemed to get quite a bit darker.
"What…" Celeste began to ask.
"Well Celeste, looks like it's time to turn the duel in my favor." Brian smiled, "As long as the field is under the influence of this spell card, all fiend monsters get an extra 200 attack and defense."
Archfiend Soldier (2100/1700) began to crackle with purple lightning as he hefted his sword.
"And, it also has a negative effect on your monsters." Brian smiled, "This spell drains all fairies of 200 attack and defense."
"No!" Celeste shouted.
It was all too true. Venus (1400/0) gasped as her own orbs began to dim, and each of the Shine Balls (300/300) began to shiver in mid air.
"Nice, looks like I'm in control now." Brian smiled, "And I think I'll give myself a little boost with this special spell card: Demonic Tribute."
A card with the image of a frightening altar, to which was strapped a young woman who was screaming, appeared. Over the women stood Dark Ruler Ha Des, clutching an ornate dagger.
"The art is a little gruesome, sure, but for this new strategy nothing is better when you need a quick boost." Brian smiled, "It's also sort of complex, so I'll explain. What I've done now is begun a powerful ritual, which must be completed. I name one monster on your field, like Agent of Creation: Venus."
Venus looked worried as a ghostly dagger appeared over her head. Archfiend Soldier smiled as he licked his sword.
"Next, I have to successfully destroy the monster I named in battle, using a fiend monster." Brian continued, "I'm not allowed to play anything else this turn until I do so."
A black mist settled over Brian's field, and he smiled as he pointed to the cowering fairy.
"Attack! Blade of demise!" Brian shouted.
The Archfiend Soldier lunged forward, and sliced his weapon right through Venus. She gasped as, rather than shattering, she burst into black fire. The flames surrounded Brian, and he smiled as a tingle ran over his skin.
"Now then, the ritual is complete. As my reward for finishing it, I gain life points equal to double the attack of the monster I destroyed." He stated.
"What if you had failed?" Celeste asked, "That card has to have another drawback."
"Sure it does." Brian said, "If my attack failed, I'd have to make a sacrifice instead. My strongest monster would be destroyed, and double its attack points would come out of my life points."
Celeste: 9300
Brian: 6200
"See Celeste? I padded my own points and reduced yours in one blow." Brian s smiled.
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"You may as well pay up now Sota." Jackson smiled.
"The duel isn't over yet." Sota protested.
"It might as well be." Jackson snickered, "I doubt Brian will let Celeste summon any more powerful monsters."
"I doubt Celeste will let him stop her." Sota responded.
"I doubt either you will have any money left at the rate you're betting it." Rei retorted, "Now be quiet."
------------------------------------
"Now that I succeeded with my card, I'm allowed to play other ones." Brian said as he placed two cards into his disk, "So I'll set two cards facedown and end my turn."
The cards appeared behind Archfiend Soldier, and Celeste drew her card with a worried look. The Solemn Wishes card once more showered light over her head.
"Ugh, the one time I need a tribute monster and I don't draw one!" She fretted, "Where's the love?"
"Looks like Celeste is starting to lose momentum folks." Roland announced, "Brian has made a dramatic turn around, using this field to weaken Celeste's monsters while strengthening his own!"
"I summon Hyseric Fairy (1600/300)." Celeste said, looking worried.
The bookish fairy swooped into play, and looked around at the dark world she landed in. She frowned as the shadows leeched away her power, and looked to her controller with a sad expression.
"Sorry, I don't want to be here either." Celeste apologized, "But let's make the best of the situation. I need your ability."
Hysteric Fairy nodded, and held up her book.
"Okay then, I'll tribute two Mystic Shine Balls to gain 1000 life points. It's a refund on what I spent to summon them." Celeste declared.
Two of the orbs melted into light, which was gathered into the angel's book. She opened up a page, and a beam of light surrounded Celeste, boosting her score even further.
Celeste: 10800
Brian: 6200
"You keep bringing your life points up, I'll keep knocking them back down." Brian challenged, "Anything else?"
"Other than moving my last Mystic Shine Ball to defense mode, no. Celeste sighed as the final orb fell to the level of her waist.
Brian drew, and pointed to one of his facedown cards.
"Alright then. I'm tired of you restoring points so I'll use Dust Tornado to destroy that Solemn Wishes card." He stated.
The trap lifted, and a blast of wind shot out, wiping out the glowing trap on Celeste's field.
"Next, I'll activate my other facedown card: Call of the Haunted." Brian smiled, a spooky purple mist rising up in front of his trap, "And I'll use it to resurrect Opticlops (2000/1900)."
The smoke turned into the orange fiend, who let out a roar as he drew power from the shadows around him.
"And then, I'll summon Witty Phantom (1600/1500)." Brian declared.
Next to Opticlops appeared another orange fiend. This one dressed in a purple tuxedo with matching hat. He smiled as he took in the shadowy arena, and bowed deeply to the audience.
"Okay then, let's do this." Brian smiled, "Witty Phantom, destroy that Shine Ball with high-class crash!"
The phantom stepped forward, and strut his way over to the shiver orb. He made a slight bow, before backhanding it and sending it flying into one of the pillars, where it shattered into dust.
"Opticlops, destroy her Hysteric Fairy with opti-laser!" Brian commanded.
The one-eyed fiend launched his black beam again, and this time nothing interrupted the attack. It struck Hysteric Fairy right in the chest, and she screamed as she burst into pixels.
"Archfiend Soldier, attack directly!" Brian called out.
Celeste braced herself as the fiendish warrior lunged forward and drove his weapon into her chest. Celeste gasped and stumbled back, surprised to see a small wound remain open on her chest before it vanished completely. The crowd let out a cry of approval at the attack.
"Okay, mildly creepy." Celeste thought, "Kaiba has improved the realism for the finals…"
Celeste: 8300
Brian: 6200
"That's all I can do Celeste." Brian declared.
Celeste drew and frowned as she placed a monster facedown on her disk. It's holographic replica appeared before her.
"Okay Brian, I'll set one monster in defense mode." She sighed, "Go ahead."
Brian drew his card, and smirked once more as he looked to his deckmaster.
"Think it's time to use my deckmaster." He declared, "I activate Ha Des's power of demonic reinforcements."
Ha Des laughed as he extended one hand. Brian began to glow with black flames, and he braced himself against the pain of the fire.
"My deckmaster is much simpler than the spell I played." Brian explained, "Now by surrendering life points in multiples of 500, I can give a Fiend-type monster the same amount in attack points."
"Oh no…" Celeste moaned.
"Don't worry, the boost can't exceed 2000 points." Brian explained, "And since that's expensive, I think that I'll just give 500 points to my Witty Phantom."
Witty Phantom (2100/1500) gasped as a blast of fire surrounded him. His muscles bulged, and tore the sleeves of his tuxedo. He smiled as he flexed them, looking like a well-dressed miniature of the Opticlops he shared the field with (minus the horn and plus one eye).
"And now that that's done…" Brian said as his life points took a short dip, "Witty Phantom, attack her facedown monster!"
The phantom jumped forward with glee, and slammed his foot against the hidden card. On it appeared a young woman in yellow robes, carrying a golden harp. She screamed as the attack shattered her.
"Spirit of the Harp (600/1800)?" Brian asked, "That the best you got Celeste?"
"For that turn, yes." Celeste admitted.
"Ah well." Brian shrugged, "Now my other two monsters have a clear path to your life points."
Opticlops launched his eye beam again, and struck Celeste right in the stomach. Archfiend Soldier jumped forward as she doubled over, and knocked her down with the hilt of his sword.
Celeste: 4200
Brian: 5700
"And in a stunning upset, Brian Hokage takes the lead!" Roland announced.
The audience flew into a storm of cheers (from those who decided to support Brian) and boos (from Celeste's fans). Celeste got back to her feet and brushed off the remaining sting of the attacks.
------------------------------------
"That had to hurt." Tristan commented with a wince, "Man, that Brian uses some mean monsters."
"What do you expect from fiends?" Duke asked as he picked up a bowl of popcorn, "They're some of the roughest, most vile monsters in the game, but they're powerful none the less."
"Well, that still seemed kind of over the top." Tea said with a frown, "What do you think, Grandpa?"
Grandpa just smiled at Tea.
"Now Tea, let's not forget that they are both professional duelists." He said, "I'm certain that both of them have taken, and executed, worse attacks. Why, if were just ten years younger I bet an attack like that wouldn't have even winded me."
"Even so, I don't think I'd like to take on Brian any time soon." Duke said, munching on a handful of popcorn, "On the other hand, Celeste is probably tough also, seeing as she got up after that."
"Duke, quit hogging the popcorn." Tristan scolded, snatching the bowl away, "Let's just enjoy the show for now."
----------------------------------------
Meanwhile, in Los Angeles, three more friends were gathered around the T.V. to watch the duel. They were in a pretty standard girl's bed room, with a pink shag carpet, a bed covered with white sheets and pink pillows, several stuffed animals (most of them pink) lying in a corner, even the TV was pink.
Maybe standard was the wrong term in this case.
"Ooh…I do not like that fiend guy." Said a blond girl from her position on the floor.
She was dressed in pink tank top and shorts (obviously the owner of the room).
"You're just saying that because he's beating Celeste like a piñata, Barbara." Said a girl in black clothing with dark hair and eye-liner from her seat up on the bed.
"You know Chris, I thought since we all agreed to watch this, we'd all be rooting for Celeste." Said a well-tanned young man in a white t-shirt and blue shorts (he was sitting in a backward-facing desk chair, leaning on the back part), "After all, she is our friend."
"True George, but she made a sloppy move there." Chris responded, "She didn't set anything to try and protect her Shine Balls. Otherwise she could have used them as sacrifices."
"Let's just hope she finds a way out." Barbara said, looking back to the screen.
-------------------------------------
"It's your turn Celeste." Brian said with a nod.
Celeste drew her hand back to four cards, and quickly placed her newest card into her disk.
"I play Graceful Charity!" She said desperately.
Celeste swiftly drew three cards as the winged woman soared overhead and bathed her deck with light. Celeste's eyes lit up as she saw one of the cards, and she selected her two discards.
"Now then, I'll just drop these two cards…" She said as she put the cards into her disk.
The angel above took two holographic cards and faded from view.
"And then I'll bring one of them back with Premature Burial!" Celeste intoned, a circle of red light appearing before her, "Come to the field: Guardian Angel Joan (2600/1800)!"
The red light turned white for a minute, and out of the circle rose the glorious, strawberry-blond angel. Her dress seemed a little less radiant, and her wings seemed dimmed, but she still shone with light and hope even in the dreary background.
"Joan! Aw shoot!" Brian shouted, "I didn't…I hadn't planned…"
"Let me guess, you didn't have a plan for when I got my strong monsters out." Celeste guessed.
"I thought if you didn't have monsters on the field, you wouldn't be able to summon her." Brian stuttered out.
Celeste put one hand on her hip in response.
"Honestly, how long have we known each other?" Celeste challenged, "You know me better than that Brian. Joan, destroy Witty Phantom!"
Joan raised one hand, and launched an orb of pure light from her palm. Witty Phantom gasped as he was absorbed by the light, and vanished into nothing.
"And then we get to the good part, for me at least." Celeste continued, "Joan gives me the original attack strength of any monster she destroys in battle. It's like your Demonic Tribute card, only half as powerful and without the drawback."
Brian looked distressed at this turn of events, and then let out another groan as Asura Priest began to glow.
"Your deckmaster power…" He realized.
"That's right." Celeste smiled, "Attack and destroy his Archfiend Soldier! Light of Heaven!"
Joan fired off her blast again, and Archfiend Soldier screamed as he was vaporized. Brian let out a shout as the remaining light scorched his skin, and Celeste smiled as a beam of light fell over her and boosted her life points.
Celeste: 6700
Brian: 4700
"And then I'll set this card facedown." Celeste said as she slid a card into her disk, "Go ahead."
The facedown card appeared as Brian drew.
"I activate Card of Sanctity!" He called out, a flash of golden lightning arcing across the field.
"Thanks, I get a few extra cards too." Celeste smiled as she reached for her deck.
Celeste drew four cards, while Brian picked up a full six. He breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing the last one he drew.
"I was afraid I wouldn't draw this guy." Brian said as he removed Opticlops from his disk, "Celeste, do you remember the monster I used to beat Pikeru and Curran's Giant Orc?" Brian asked.
Celeste said nothing, but turned pale as she remembered.
"I thought so. I tribute Opticlops to summon Great Maju Garzett (?/0)" Brian declared.
Celeste stumbled backward as Brian's armored fiend rose onto the field. Opticlops faded into the shadows, and a bolt of energy empowered Garzett (3600/0).
"And don't forget, he's a Fiend-type." Brian smiled as his monster grew to (3800/200), "Attack Joan with channeled darkness!"
Garzett roared, and fired a wave of blackness from his mouth. Joan staggered under the assault, but quickly succumbed and faded away.
Celeste: 5500
Brian: 4700
"Shoot! I thought that he'd use a spell to destroy Joan." Celeste thought, "Even if I used my own Call of the Haunted now, bringing her back would be a waste!"
"I'm laying this card facedown, and ending my turn." Brian declared as he slid a card into place.
"Brian seems unstoppable! Will Celeste be able to turn this around?" Roland asked.
---------------------------------
"It does not look likely." Espa Roba sighed as he leaned back.
"No! Celeste can not lose!" Ronaldo shouted, staying firmly in his seat under Kevin's glare.
------------------------------------
"You know, I don't really see much of a chance for Celeste." Joey said, "Brian has a monster on the field that's stronger than a Blue-Eyes White Dragon. What can she do about that?"
Kaiba said nothing, but was glaring at Brian's monster without a word as though its very existence, physical appearance set aside, were a crime against nature.
"I wouldn't count Celeste out." Yugi warned, "After all, power can be more fragile than it looks."
-----------------------------------
Celeste drew her next card, and clapped a hand over her mouth.
"I don't…This is exactly what I needed!" She realized.
"I activate Call of the Haunted to revive one of my Mystic Shine Balls (300/300)!" Celeste called out, her facedown card lifting.
A purple mist floated over the field, and formed into a shiny crystal ball. Brian gave it a confused look as Celeste opened her own field slot.
"Now then, I think I'll get rid of your field for one of my own." She stated, "I activate Sanctuary in the Sky!"
The lights in the arena suddenly flared up, blinding everybody for a few seconds. During that time, the clouds turned puffy and white, and the pillars turned to white marble once more and even repaired themselves. The lightning arcing overhead faded away, and the sweet scent of roses and vanilla filled the air.
With the darkness thus banished, both monsters on the field reacted accordingly. Great Maju Garzett (3600/0) looked like it was going to be ill, while the Mystic Shine Ball (500/500) seemed to catch and amplify the light around it. It shimmered with a diamond-like glow.
"Now that we're in their home turf, neither one of us can be hurt in a battle involving one of our Fairy-type monsters." Celeste explained, "Oops, you don't have any do you?"
"Doesn't matter, my monster is still stronger than your bubble." Brian pointed out.
"Who said I planned to attack with this?" Celeste stated as she swapped cards again, "I believe the term 'tribute bait' is appropriate. I offer it as a sacrifice to summon the latest addition to my deck: Eos, Goddess of Dawn (2000/1400)!"
The orb faded into a rosy beam of light, which turned into a column. Inside the column appeared a young woman wearing rosy-pink and gold robes. Her eyes glowed a dim yellow, and her hair was gold with reddish highlights. She seemed to give off a faint orange aura, like the light of a rising sun.
"Only 2000 points? You might has well have kept your bubble." Brian shrugged.
"But I didn't, because this monster has a special ability." Celeste stated, "Your creatures of darkness rule the night, but she embodies the one thing that drives them away: The sun!"
Eos pointed at Brian's sole monster, which groaned as a rosy light focused on it.
"You can't keep the sun from rising, and your demons can't fight the light of day." Celeste called out, "By summoning Eos, I can destroy any Dark monster on the field that's stronger than she is, and Garzett fits the bill perfectly."
Great Maju Garzett screamed as he burst into particles under the purifying light. Brian responded by waving a hand over his duel disk.
"I chain to my monster destruction with Waboku!" He shouted, a trio of priestesses jumping up in front of him, "Now you can't damage me with Eos."
"Fine then, I end my move." Celeste shrugged, "But next turn…"
She let that hang in the air as Brian drew. He smirked a bit as he set a card onto his disk.
"Okay Celeste, I set a monster facedown and call it a turn." Brian stated, the hiding monster materializing on the field.
"I call it a bluff." Celeste responded as she drew.
"Care to test that?" Brian asked.
"Both duelists are playing head games with each other folks." Roland announced, "Psychology truly is half the battle."
Celeste put another card onto her disk.
"I don't have to take a chance on this one." She stated, "I've got one of my most powerful monsters right here. I summon Warrior of Zera (1600/1600)!"
From behind Celeste's deckmaster stepped a young man dressed in green armor. He carried a sword in one hand, and looked like he was ready for any battle.
Brian just gaped at this new monster.
"Okay, time out." He protested, "Zolga is a fairy, so I can understand that. But this guy looks more like a warrior!"
"He is." Celeste nodded.
"Then why is he in your deck?" Brian asked.
--------------------------------
"Um…Why is that in her deck?" Chris asked.
"No clue." George responded.
"I think she mentioned looking for one…" Barbara muttered, "But she said it was part of a combo."
All three of Celeste's friends looked at the screen together as their friend removed the card from her disk.
--------------------------------
"You see Brian, Zera here is seeking the power of the Archlords, the great angels that watch over humanity." Celeste explained, "And since he made it to the Sanctuary in the Sky he can fulfill his destiny, and become one."
Zera began to shimmer with brilliant light. His sword pulsed, and turned to pure silver, while a pair of wings extended from his back. His skin turned lavender and a silver helmet now covered his head as Celeste put the new card into play.
"These are the cards I got from Pikeru and Curran." Celeste declared, "The first was Warrior of Zera, and the second one is Archlord Zerato (2800/2300)!"
Zerato now swung his sword forward, a look of determination in his eyes. Brian drew back a bit at the sight of this mighty angel, while Celeste held up another card.
"Now we get to his effect." Celeste smiled, "As long as Sanctuary in the Sky is in play, I can discard one Light monster from my hand to destroy every monster on your side of the field."
"Every monster!" Brian shouted, as Celeste placed a Shining Angel into her graveyard.
"Did I stutter?" Celeste asked, "Every…last…one."
Zerato raised his sword, and a bolt of lightning annihilated Brian's facedown Night Assailant. The cloaked fiend vanished in a puff of smoke, leaving nothing between him and Celeste.
"Attack him with the shining blade of Heaven!" Celeste shouted, pointing at Brian.
Zerato flew forward on his mighty wings, and lifted his sword to smite the opposing duelist. Before he could, Brian shoved a card into his graveyard, and a wall of squeaking puffballs appeared before him. They were all blasted to dust by Zerato, but Brian was unharmed.
"Thank you Kuriboh." Brain sighed in relief.
"Too bad he only blocks one attack." Celeste declared, "Get him Eos!"
Eos pointed at Brian, and a beam of pure light fell over him. Brian screamed as wisps of smoke curled from his skin, and the 2000 life points were purified right out of his body.
Celeste: 5500
Brian: 2700
"That's it, your turn." Celeste stated as she waved one hand, "Use your next move wisely."
----------------------------------------
"That might be tough." Yugi observed, "Just one discard and Brian's wide open."
"Sheesh, that thing's almost unbeatable." Joey said.
"No monster in this game is truly unbeatable." Mako quoted, "You more than anyone should know that Joey."
"Sage words." Victor nodded.
--------------------------------------
Brian drew, and smiled as he slammed the card into his disk.
"How's this for using my move wisely? I play Nightmare's Steelcage!" Brian shouted.
Iron bars suddenly flew from the clouds below, and surrounded Celeste and her monsters. Zerato and Eos both looked shocked as they flew about, trying to discover a method by which to escape.
"You can tell those two to calm down, the cage will disappear after two of your turns." Brian stated, "Until then, neither one of us can attack."
Brian placed another card onto his disk, and a hidden monster now appeared.
"I'll set this facedown, and end my turn." Brian stated.
Celeste drew, and looked over the five cards she now held.
"I'll pass the time by equipping Zerato with the Cestus of Dagla." Celeste declared, sliding a card into play.
A pair of golden blades appeared before Zerato, who hooked them to the hilt of his sword. His blade now shone with golden light, and his attack boosted to (3300/2300)
"But I won't use his effect yet." Celeste stated, "It would be a waste until I can actually attack again. I pass the rest of my turn."
Brian drew, and set two more cards on his disk.
"Another facedown monster and one facedown card, that's all." He said, a second monster appearing before him.
Celeste drew, and looked at the card.
"Winged Kuriboh lv 10? I'll save this for Zerato's effect on my next turn." She thought.
"I pass this turn. Go ahead." She stated.
The cage faded away into black smoke, and both of Celeste's angels moved into battle-ready positions. Brian drew his card, and then turned both of the cards on his disk.
"Okay Celeste, I flip both of my monsters into attack mode." He stated, "Meet Dark Mimic Lv. 1…"
A treasure box lined with teeth lifted up, and opened it top. A single card floated off Brian's disk and he took it.
"Who, of course, let's me draw one card when I flip him." Brian continued, "And my Grand Tiki Elder (1500/800)."
From the second card rose a strange sight. From the waist up, he was a man with green skin, wearing a purple cape and a purple mask. From the waist down, he looked like a strange snake of some kind, with no scales, only smooth skin. He began to chant in a strange language, and both of Celeste's monsters looked at this strange creature.
"I know what you're thinking. 'Why flip those two? They're far weaker than either of my monsters. And with my deckmaster he'd be finished.'" Brian declared.
"The thought had crossed my mind." Celeste nodded.
"Well these two are actually tribute bait, and I have to thank you for not destroying them." Brian said as he tapped his disk, "But first I need the monster. So I activate the trap known as Pure Evil."
Yet another card with a truly frightening image arose. It showed a dark castle with a foreboding gate. The silhouette of Dark Master Zorc stood atop the gate, with lightning flashing in the background. Brian's deck began to glow with strange energy, and a card slid out.
"This trap lets me take any level eight or higher Fiend monster, and add it to my hand." Brian explained as he claimed the card, "And now I'm gonna summon him, by tributing Grand Tiki Elder and Dark Mimic."
"A double sacrifice? Nice." Celeste smiled.
"You won't think so in a minute." Brian said as his monster faded away, "This creature is so powerful, I can only summon him by tributing at least one copy of either Grand Tiki Elder or Melchid the Four-Faced Beast."
A horrible growl echoed from behind Brian, who smirked a bit.
"Meet the monster Pikeru and Curran gave to me: Masked Beast Des Guardius (3300/2500)!"
The creature that arose could only be described as a living nightmare. It was covered in slimy scales, and stood on two, massive legs. It lifted its arms overhead, displaying a set of gruesome claws on each of its hands. It sported three masks, one on its face, and one on each shoulder, while from its back emerged a series of sharp spines.
"Meet a demon that was created during the brief moment before the creation of light." Brian intoned in a creepy voice, "It was so hideous, even other demons couldn't look at it without dropping dead from fright. This creature wasn't truly evil though: it recognized the importance of maintaining a balance in the world. So it crafted itself the masks that it wears, so that no one could die by seeing its face."
The demonic creature let out another roar, and turned its masked gaze upon Celeste's monsters.
"Of course, he recognizes the need for balance like I said. He represents darkness, your fairies are light, and right now the power of light on the field far outweighs the darkness."
"He won't help you." Celeste stammered out, "He can't defeat Zerato, and on my next turn Zerato's effect will destroy him!"
"Not if my deckmaster has anything to say about it." Brian smiled, "Ha Des, I'm giving up 500 life points to empower Des Guardius."
Brian glowed with black fire again, and the aura of flame leapt from his body to the Masked Beast. It roared as the flames coursed over it, increasing the already impressive build of its muscles (3800/2500).
"Des Guardius, destroy Zerato with wrath of the masked!" Brian shouted.
Celste and Zerato both screamed as the mighty fiend lunged forward and plunged its claws through the archlord's body. The once-great Zerato fell limply to the ground, and shattered into bits.
"Of course, your field spell spares you from the damage." Brian nodded, "But nothing will save you once I get in a direct attack."
Celeste: 5500
Brian: 2200
Brian looked at his remaining cards and shrugged.
"Your move." He offered, "Good luck."
Celeste drew, and gave the card she was holding a glare.
"Out of all the times to draw my last Cestus of Dagla." She thought, sliding it next to the other copy of the card still in her hand, "And it's completely useless. At least for now…"
"I pass, there's nothing I can do." She sighed.
Brian drew, and pointed toward Eos.
"Well, nothing left to do than attack like crazy!" He shouted, "Destroy Eos!"
Des Guardius lunged forward, and plowed his claws right through the goddess's body. She screamed as she burst into motes of light, while Celeste silently thanked her field card for protecting her again.
"And it's your turn again." Brian smiled.
Celeste drew, and her eyes went wide.
"Miracle draw." She thought with a smile, placing the card into her disk.
"I activate Shinato's Ark!" She called out.
From the heavenly light above descended the shimmering wooden ship. Celeste held up Winged Kuriboh Level 10, and placed it into her graveyard.
"Now, I need eight stars worth of monsters, so my Winged Kuriboh Lv. 10 will take care of that." She stated, the draconic furball appearing before her.
A beam of light came from the ship, and absorbed the dragon-like fairy. The boat started to shake like mad, as though something were trying to get out. Celeste put a monster onto her tray and smiled.
"Now I can summon Shinato, King of a Higher Plane (3300/3000)!" She called out.
The ark shattered, and out of the wreckage emerged the glorious six-winged fairy lord. His blue face stared solemnly at Des Guardius, not showing a hint of fear even as the demon growled at him.
"Hey Celeste, your monster is strong, that's a given." Brian pointed out, "But Des Guardius is still stronger."
"Not for long…" Celeste smiled.
--------------------------------------------------------
In the computer room, Jackson and Sota both stared at Celeste's powerful monster.
"Well, it's strong." Jackson reasoned, "But it's not strong enough."
"Don't forget, this is the girl who beat Pegasus." Sota pointed out.
"So has Yugi Mutou, Mr. Kaiba, Mai Valentine…" Rei listed off, "It's really not as big a deal as it used to be."
"Celeste has a plan." Sota said, "I don't know what it is, but that look says she has a plan."
------------------------------------------------------------
Celeste placed both of her remaining cards into the spell zone on her disk.
"I equip Shinato with two copies of the Cestus of Dagla." She stated as four glowing blades appeared in the air, "Giving him an extra 1000 attack points."
"You're giving him two of them!" Brian shouted.
"A stunning upset, Celeste may have this duel in the bag!" Roland shouted.
The audience began to cheer again as the four blades merged into two golden rings. Each ring had a handle in the center, and Shinato grasped them, one in each hand, as his attack sky rocketed to (4300/3000).
"Attack!" Celeste shouted, "Divine ring!"
Shinato raised his arms, and the six golden orbs of light appeared. They spun into a ring of gold, and launched forward. Brian braced himself as Des Guardius was blown into atoms, letting out a final cry of rage.
"And since Shinato damaged your life points…" Celeste smiled.
Shinato waved one hand, and his weapons transferred the lost points to Celeste.
Celeste: 6000
Brian: 1700
"It's not over yet." Brian declared.
"I beg to differ, I do have my deckmaster." Celeste declared, not noticing that Asura Priest wasn't glowing.
"But you won't have a monster to use it with." Brian smiled as a card flew out of his deck.
He caught the card, and slid into play. In front of him rose a familiar sight: The hideous leather mask he had returned to his deck during his first draw phase.
"Remember this?" Brian asked.
"Yeah, the useless thing you had to shuffle back into your deck." Celeste nodded.
"Only now that Des Guardius is gone, it's not so useless anymore." Brian explained, "The Mask of Remnants is a special spell card that can only be played in the turn Des Guardius is destroyed. It even works if it's your turn."
Celeste looked confused, as the mask began to glow. Brian smiled as he took the relic in one hand and held it up.
"You see Celeste, this mask has been infused with the will of Des Guardius. And right now, he's pissed off at being destroyed." Brian explained, "So he's gonna get even with the guy that destroyed him."
Brian tossed the mask forward, and it flew right toward Shinato. The fairy lord gasped as the mask attached to his face, and screamed as black electricity arched over his form.
"Shinato!" Celeste gasped.
"Well would you look at that, it's a perfect fit." Brian smiled, "Okay Shinato, come over here!"
The mighty angel spread his wings, and flew away from Celeste. She watched, open-mouthed, as her monster settled in front of Brian, completely silent.
"Um…Wow, didn't see that coming." Roland commented, "In a stunning upset, Brian has gained control of Celeste's monster!"
"That's what my spell does." Brian explained, "Once Des Guardius is destroyed I can activate Mask of Remnants from my deck. Then it acts just like a Snatch Steal card, except I don't have to give you any life points."
Celeste looked at her empty hand, and her field that lacked anything other than the two Cestus cards and her sanctuary card.
"Nothing I can defend myself with." She sighed, "I'll be able to survive an attack…"
"That's debatable." Brian said as he drew, "I'm not the kind that would sink low enough to attack someone with their own monster. I'll start this turn with my Monster Reincarnation card."
The stylized ankh appeared, and Brian discarded Ryu-Kishin Powered. A card emerged from his grave, and he held it up.
"I'll bring my Great Maju Garzett back to my hand." He declared, "And now I'll tribute Shinato to summon him!"
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Oh no…" Barb moaned, clutching her knees.
"6600 attack points." Chris muttered, "Well, Celeste had a good run."
"I think she only got four duels today." George responded.
"I said good, not long." Chris sighed.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Shinato vanished into an orb of darkness, out of which emerged the red-skeletal fiend again. Great Maju Garzett (6600/0) roared as a huge amount of dark energy infused into its body. Celeste nervously stepped back, and braced herself for the attack.
"Finish her off, channeled darkness!" Brian ordered.
Garzett opened his mouth wide, and a massive beam of black energy fired out. Celeste screamed as the darkness washed over her. Behind her, the pillars of the sanctuary shattered under the wave of dark energy, and the cloudy floor was divided right down the middle by the sheer force. Thankfully, the attack fizzled out right before it struck the front row of the audience.
Celeste picked herself up, trembling from the after-shock of the attack.
Celeste: 0
Brian: 1700
"And with the strongest attack ever seen in this arena, Brian Hokage claims victory in the first match of the finals!" Roland announced.
The audience cheered, and Celeste got up.
"Good game." She said, starting to walk over to Brian.
Before she could get any farther though, the clouds beneath her opened up. Celeste let out a cry of surprise as she fell through them.
----------------------------------------------------------
"CELESTE! NO!" Ronaldo howled, jumping up.
CLANG!!
Ronaldo slumped back into his seat, little stars of pain exploding in front of his eyes.
"I warned you." Kevin muttered, checking his disk for damage.
As he finished his inspection, Celeste suddenly fell from above, landing in the seat right next to him. Kevin looked up, and smiled.
"Oh hello." He said, "You know, I thought you did great up there."
"Thank you." Celeste said, looking around, "Too bad I don't get to use the VIP seats anymore."
"Celeste?" Ronaldo asked, looking up from his daze.
Celeste stared at Ronaldo, and one thought ran through her mind.
"It's gonna be a looong tournament." She sighed, trying her best to smile at him.
What a match, folks! And that's just our opening!
But after a first duel like that, what can we do for an encore? How about showing a match that just needs to be seen?
Next time, we'll see just how well Mai Valentine can perform against Maximillian Pegasus in an even duel.
We call it
Aviation vs. Animation
Stay glued to your seats, or else we start without you!
---
Original Cards
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Eos, Goddess of Dawn
Fairy/Effect
LIGHT
Five star
2000 attack
1400 defense
Image: An angel with yellow wings, wearing a pinkish-red toga. She has orange hair, yellow eyes, and a rosy glow around her.
When this monster is summoned in any way, destroy one monster on your opponent's field. The monster targeted for this effect must have a higher attack score than this card, and be DARK-attribute.
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Demonic Tribute
Spell
Image: Dark Ruler Ha Des standing over a screaming woman, holding a knife.
Select one monster on your opponent's side of the field. This card remains on the field until either the selected monster is destroyed in battle with a Fiend-type monster you control, or this turn ends. If the selected monster is destroyed in battle with a Fiend-type monster you control, you gain life points equal to double its attack score. If this card destroys itself at the end of the turn, destroy the strongest monster on your field, and take damage equal to double the destroyed monster's attack.
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Pure Evil
Trap
Image: A dark castle looming overhead, with the shadowy image of Dark Master Zorc looking down from the top of the gate.
Add any Level Eight or higher Fiend-type monster from your deck to your hand.
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Masked Beast Des Guardius
DARK
Fiend
Eight stars
3300 attack
2500 defense
This Monster cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. This Monster can only be Special Summoned by offering two Monsters as a Tribute, at least one of which must be "Melchid the Four-Face Beast" or "Grand Tiki Elder". If this Monster is destroyed, you may search your deck for one "Mask of Remnants" and Equip it to an opposing Monster.
---
Mask of Remnants
Spell/Equip
Image: a hideous, red mask that seems to be stitched together from human skin.
When you draw this card, shuffle it into your deck. This card can only be activated via the effect of "Masked Beast Des Guardius". Take control of the Monster Equipped with this card for as long as this card remains Equipped
Both of the above two cards are actual Japanese cards that haven't been released in the United States yet. Creative rights for them goes to the owners of the Yu-Gi-Oh card game.
---
Original Deckmaster
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Dark Ruler Ha Des
DARK
Fiend
Six star
2450 attack
1600 defense
Demonic Reinforcements: Once per turn, you may pay life points in increments of 500 to increase the attack of one Fiend-type monster you control by the same amount. You can not increase the attack of a monster by more than 2000 points in this way, and you may not use this power on the same monster more than once per duel.