Shout Outs...

Infinite Freedom: Glad you enjoyed it. As for the Valentine's Day Dance, it simply hasn't happened yet. Hold your shorts.

SMP: Thank you my man. You ARE a man, right?

ttoad: Glad you enjoyed it.

lightningstrxu: Well in the end the winner is up to me, er... I mean the Heart of the Cards! Yeah, that's what I meant!

Elemental Balance: I'm glad, it was tougher to write than I thought. And I stayed up late to do it, for YOUR enjoyment... All of you...

Arashihawk: Glad you liked it. As for the duels I kinda figured I'd have to top every other duel I did with this one.

Endermon: The one thing to understand is I write these duels in the style of the Anime: people draw what they need, when they need it. If someone gets a bad hand, then it's be design to show how they work through it. Anyway, I'm glad you liked it. And how many E-Hero vs. Dragon duels have you seen?

NewSon: I do appreciate all OCs, but I give you fair warning I might not use him.

Ninja Wolf 25: Heh. I think it was best duel to date personally. But that's just me.

hero slayer: He does not have Lord of Dragons, this has been stated before. As for the card he got I am not saying what card anyone has, anyone has received, or acquired. It would ruin the surprise. End of discussion.

Phantom 1: Thank you, that was response I was going for.

Keiji-sama: I was aiming for sentimental with the flashbacks added to enhance the effect. And to suggest I hired someone to write my own fic is very insulting.

Guardian Master: Always that one little thing, eh?

D.J. scales: I aim to please.

Tyjet Ansatsu: Good luck with that. Stay safe!

0---0

"There's Serenity!" Joey said as he, Yugi and Susan waited outside the academy, Serenity walking over to them. "Great job out there Sis! You made him know he was in a fight!" Joey said as he reached out, embracing his sister.

"Thank you Joey." She replied, smiling. "That was the toughest duel I've been in yet... I never saw that move coming..."

"Losing is a part of the game." Yugi said sagely. "To do so with grace like yourself shows great strength of character."

"Yugi..." Serenity giggled out. "Don't embarrass me!"

"Oh don't worry dear." Susan responded. "By the way, where is James? I would think he would be with you."

"Hiding from his friends." Serenity replied with a shrug.

"That's... Not like him..." Susan replied with a frown.

"Trust me... It's... Understandable..."

0---0

"J.B.!" Terry called out looking about the woods. "Come on now, including Dark Magician for a single duel cannot be that hard a task!"

"I just want to loan you my Stone Statue of the Aztecs!" Brock added as a bush sprouted legs, stepping away from the search party.

"Surely a Harpie Queen would look good with those dragons!" Alyssa said, looking about.

0---0

"Oiy, kids these days..." Joey moaned aloud, shaking his head as Yugi chuckled.

"Ah yes, he will have quite a bit of attention put on him..." Yugi added with a grin.

"Serenity, there you are!" Maria cried out, running over as she waved her hand in the air. "Come on, I convinced the Principal to let us get our dresses for the dance earl..." She cut off before seeing the company about. "Mr. Motou! It is an honour to meet you!"

"Just Yugi, Miss...?" The King of Games responded.

"Maria! Maria Lu Sept."

"Very well then, Maria."

"Dresses? What dresses?" Susan asked. Serenity opened her mouth to respond but was beaten to it as Gonda ambled over.

"For the Valentine's Day dance!" The clown said with a grin. "It's a little under a week from now, girls ask guys kinda thing."

"Ah, I see." Yugi replied with a nod.

"Guys get a tux with a shirt that matches their dorm, and girls get a dress in their dorm colour as well." Gonda continued. "Maria here is in charge of the decorating and stuff like that."

"That's wonderful!" Susan exclaimed. "Has anyone asked J.B."

"Well--" Serenity began.

"Yeah, Serenity. Why?" Gonda interrupted, as Serenity sent him a glare.

"You did!?" Susan said as her full attention shifted to the girl.

"Oh dear..." Yugi chuckled, his mind already figuring out what would happen.

"Now then dear, don't be shy, do tell how this started!" Susan said, leaning forwards into Serenity who began to back away...

Only to back into her brother's chest and his playful headlock. "And seeing as Ma' ain't here, I guess I have ta pump ya for information! You know, overprotective brother thing and all!"

"JOEY!" Serenity shrieked out.

"But... The dresses..." Maria said, attempting to be heard.

"So, sis, how long you've been datin' him, huh? Inquiring minds want to know!"

"JOEY! We aren't dating!"

"Of course not dear! You haven't been doing anything improper, have you?"

"Wh-wh-what!?"

"Nah, I trust Sis enough to wait. Right?"

"I said we're not--"

"Not yet anyway!"

"HELP!"

0---0

"Anything?" Brock asked as he, Terry and Alyssa joined Allie, Tyson and Kemah by the river.

"Nope." Allie replied, shaking her head. "Think we came on too strong?" She asked, a reed in the river travelling upstream.

"Perhaps..." Alyssa added. "But I suppose we all wanted to be the representative... Although why Tyson is here, I've no idea. He wasn't even in the tournament."

"I though if he used Cyber-Stein he could, well..." Tyson began. "Ya know..."

"As I heard that didn't work so well for you." Brock replied.

"...Point."

"Anyway, myself, Allie and Kemah can't continue this..." Alyssa sighed. "We need to meet up with Maria and pick out our dresses for the dance. By the way Mr. Stonecrawl, have you been asked yet?"

"No, no one has." The rock duellist replied.

"Well, I'm about to."

0---0

"God, I am so glad my mother wasn't here..." Serenity said as she followed Maria to a small warehouse. "But when Joey tells her... Or worse yet, Mrs. Jennings..." With a shiver she looked down the path, seeing a small group of other girls gathered: Alyssa, Allie, Kemah, Skyla and Leslie.

"Good, we're all here!" Maria proclaimed, clapping her hands together.

"What's with you?" Allie asked Serenity as the French girl searched her pockets for the key to unlock the door.

"Don't ask." Came the reply. "By the way, what's Skyla doing here? She's actually going to the dance? With who?"

"I have no idea." Allie replied. "Maria talked her into going, somehow, but she doesn't have a date as far as I know." She added with a sour look on her face.

"...Your upset she beat you so badly, huh?"

"NO! I'm just--"

"Come on in girls!" Maria called out, interrupting the two as she led the group inside, flipping on a light switch. "All the props and things for the events are kept here, as well as enough dresses to go around twice!" She said, moving towards another door that led to another room as the girls looked at the various decorations scattered about. "The dresses are kept in here, to keep them clean and the moths out." She added opening the door allowing the girls to step in to see the rows and rows of dressing hanging on stands.

"So many pretty things!" Kemah exclaimed.

"I have found nirvana!" Alyssa declared, stepping over to the yellow dresses.

"Come on girls, go find something your size!" Maria called out, stepping over to the blue section. "Come on Skyla, let's find something sexy for you!"

"...Fine."

0---0

"Okay, that was a little odd..." J.B said as he stepped out of the river, ringing his hair out.

"Little weird going for a swim now, isn't it?" He heard from nearby, turning his head to see Xander looking at him.

"...Don't ask." He replied.

"Oh, sure. By the way..." Xander began. "Would you like to use my Embodiment of Apophis, since I figured you could use it as a free tribute, or you could-- Hey, didn't you just come out of the water?"

0---0

"No, the other one." Allie said to her sister as she eyed a knee length white dress with a yellow floral pattern. "If your taking Brock to the dance you may as well let him see some cleavage, since he's so damned tall."

"I wouldn't think you'd approve of such things." Alyssa replied, pulling the dress off the rack.

"He isn't a pervert. I think." She replied. "Gonda on the other hand..."

"Yes, I think he'll clean up nice for you, right?" Alyssa responded.

"I'm NOT going with him!" Allie retorted as Alyssa sent her a deadpan stare. "Okay... I asked him the other night... HAPPY!?"

"Very." She added as Maria walked over in an ankle length light blue dress, slit in the front as the bust line did a figure eight as it went down, exposing her belly button.

"What do you think?" Maria asked. "Maybe add a sapphire piercing in my belly button for effect?"

"Use a ruby, it'll stand out more." Allie replied. "Where's Skyla?"

"She found one, tried it on and left." Maria replied with a shrug. "It looks good on her, but I wish she stuck around."

"Whatever." Allie replied as she pulled a yellow dress off the rack, looking it over.

"Daring." Alyssa said looking at the strapless dress, only a strip of cloth at the front connecting the top to the bottom.

"Well... Gotta keep Gonda's eyes on me somehow..." Allie admitted softly with a blush before turning to Maria. "So, who're you going with?"

"Hikari." The French girl said, smiling sweetly.

"Wait, the kid you smooched at the Kissing Protest?" Allie replied. "Tickle-Me-Emo?"

"Oui."

"Oh boy..."

0---0

"I need to find a better way to travel..." J.B. muttered as he climbed out of the river, again.

"Agreed." He heard, looking up to see Skyla extending a hand. Smiling he took it, letting her assist in pulling him onto the bank.

"Thanks, what are you doing here?" He asked as the two began to walk, stepping onto a paved path.

"I was with the other girls, selecting dresses for the dance." She replied simply.

"Really? Who are going with?" J.B. asked, as eyebrow rose.

"No one, but Maria insisted I attend. So I selected a dress and left. May I ask you something?"

"Shoot."

"Would you consider using a Cyber Dragon in the King's Academy duel?" She asked just before J.B. fell face first into the sidewalk. "Strange, there is nothing to trip on here. How illogical..."

0---0

"Okay, I feel... Weird." Allie admitted, looking herself over in her selected dress. "Weird... But good."

"Glad to here that." Alyssa replied in her own dress, a body hugging orange dress with yellow designs that wrapped about her neck, the top part pressing her breasts together. "I'm quite satisfied with this."

"No, no sexy enough!" They heard, Kemah's voice carrying through the air as the two Ra's and the lone Obelisk followed the commotion.

"Yeah, it's too plain." Leslie added as the trio stepped into their view, both the hippie and Hawaiian in matching red dresses with wide slits in the front, a strip of cloth extending from the back on the left hand side to come over the right breast which thinned out behind their necks, thickened again as it covered the left breast before ending on the back right hand side of the dress.

"You two are wearing the same dress?" Allie said, looking between the two Slifers.

"We are taking the same guy to the dance." Leslie replied with a shrug.

"Wait, the SAME guy?" Alyssa asked, eyes wide open.

"Xander." Serenity answered for the pair, off to the side browsing through the dresses.

"We just no tell him yet." Kemah added.

"Okay..." Maria said with a shrug. "Now then, where's your dress?" She asked the tournament's runner up.

"Well, I don't see one that really... Suits me." Serenity replied.

"Non-sense, we'll find one!" Maria declared.

"Oh boy..."

0---0

"Wow, you look worn out..." Lilo the storeowner said as she saw J.B. walk towards her. "And wet. What did you do, jump in a lake?"

"Something like that." J.B. responded.

"Oh? Never mind." Lilo said. "Anyways, congratulation on winning the tournament! If you ever need help to prepare for your duel against the King's Academy's duellist stop by the shop."

"Oh gee, thanks."

"Oh, and do you think you'd be able to use Alien Mother since... Hey, why are you giving me that look?"

0---0

"Come on out!" Allie demanded. "I can't believe she said was gonna wear a bra with that thing..." She muttered to herself as the group waited for Serenity to exit the change room.

"I'm not so sure..." Serenity replied through the door.

"Is okay!" Kemah said, clapping her hands together. "Us girls only! No need for shyness!"

"Says the girl with D-Cups..." Serenity muttered. "Okay, fine." She added, opening the door.

Stepping out she swallowed her nervousness, wearing a back bearing dress that hugged her petite curves, the bust line extending down to expose her belly button, thin straps pulling the two sides together. The whole dress was a shade of light pink, red roses decorating the garment. "Well?" Serenity asked nervously.

"I'd say you're gonna knock J.B.'s socks off." Leslie said with a smirk.

"All right, it's getting late friends!" Maria said. "Let's get changed and go home!"

0---0

"Okay, maybe winning wasn't such a good idea." J.B. said as he stepped along the path.

"Oh, hello there J.B.!" He heard, turning his head to see Maria. "What a wonderful tournament, no? Good job in there. And by the way, is there a chance that you could use my Jack's Knight during your match since-- Hey! Wait! Where are you going in such a hurry? Okay, you can tell me later!"

0---0

"Man, it's been a long day..." Serenity said with a sigh. "Oh man, I hope Mom doesn't freak when Joey or Mrs. Jennings tells her... And those two are leaving tonight... And that's assuming they haven't called her already..."

"Hey, Sunshine!" She heard, seeing J.B. jog up to her. "There you are!"

"Yeah." She replied with a smile as he walked next to her. "Got everyone off your back?"

"For now." He said with a chuckle. "Didn't think winning would cause such a fuss!"

"I know." Serenity replied closing her eyes. "I have to admit... That was a great duel."

"Yeah it was." J.B. replied as the walked along to their dorms in silence.

Up until Serenity turned her head towards him. "Say J.B.?"

"Yeah?"

"Would you like to use Burstinatrix in the duel?" She asked with a grin as he gave her a horrified look. "I'm just kidding!"