Whoo-hoo! Another update! I love update frenzies, they make me happy! I think this chapter is a bit better than the last one. Enjoy the update!

Disclaimer: I don't own the Yugioh characters or storyline.


Chapter Fifty-Four

Pre-Semi-Final Matches

"Ladies and gentlemen, please give it up four our four remaining duelists! Zigfried Lloyd, Leon Wilson, Cat Tsuru, and the Black Cat!"

The crowd burst into a series of cheers and applause.

"These four duelists will be split into two duels and the two winning duelists will return here to duel for a shot against the king right here in the Kaiba Dome tomorrow!" The audience continued to cheer.

Cat smiled nervously, Zigfried looked calm and collected, Leon waved a little, and Kay was trying not to hyperventilate.

"Now, it is time to select our two matches!" The screen lowered and everyone watched it intently. "And our first match is…Cat Tsuru and Leon Wilson!"

Cat gasped and looked at Leon. She smiled.

"Cool!" He grinned.

"Works for me."

"So our second match up is the Black Cat and Zigfried." Kay smirked.

"Ooh, how fun." He grinned back.

"Indeed."

"Now then, time to select the match locations! Cat and Leon will be dueling in the Space Adventure attraction!"

"Ooh, that sounds cool!" Cat exclaimed, beaming.

"The Black Cat and Zigfried will be dueling in the Atlantis Aquarium."

"That should be nice."

"Duelists, your matches will begin in thirty minutes. Please head to your designated dueling areas!" Cat walked up to the Black Cat and held out a hand.

"Good luck! I hope I get to duel you in the semi-finals." Kay smiled and shook her hand.

"Yes, I hope the same thing." The two girls walked away from each other and went to their dueling arenas.

"Let's go cheer on Cat!" Yugi said. Everyone else nodded and they followed her to the Space Adventure attraction. They went through some empty rooms to a large room that was darkened. Once the door closed, stars and comets started to appear around them and they changed to planets and other beautiful galaxies and whatnot.

"Oh wow!" Cat gasped.

"This place is beautiful!" Kristen exclaimed. Rebecca quickly hugged Yugi's arm.

"AND romantic!" she added. Yugi turned red.

"Uh…" Anzu and Kristen both shot death glares at Rebecca, who remained completely oblivious to them. Leon walked up to Cat.

"Let's do our best to have a fun duel." She nodded.

"Right!" They exchanged decks and shuffled them before putting them into their duel disks and walking away to their spots.

"Ready?"

"You know it!" They drew their hand.

"Duel!"


"Mr. Kaiba!" Seto looked up from his computer at Roland.

"Yes, what is it?"

"I did some research on Zigfried Lloyd, and here are the results we found." He handed Seto some paper. "It appears you were right." Seto scanned over the paperwork and a smirk graced his lips. He stood up and looked at Roland.

"Where is he now?"

"He is probably on his way to the Atlantis Aquarium to duel the Black Cat." Seto left the room without another word.

"Well, my dear, are you prepared to duel me?" Zigfried asked. Kay crossed her arms over her chest.

"I am. And may I simply point out that you nauseate me?" she asked bitterly.

"Oh, well that's not very nice."

"I'm not a very nice person. Get used to it!" He smirked and held out his hand for her deck. She grimaced at the thought of him touching her cards and gave it to him reluctantly and shuffled his deck quickly.

They exchanged decks again and went back to where they were standing. They were dueling in front of a large tank glowing blue with sharks and all kinds of tropical fish swimming around in the water, framing their duel perfectly.

"Are you ready, my dear?"

"Ready to defeat you? Definitely!" They drew their five cards.

"Let's d-"

"HOLD IT!" Kay whirled around to see Seto walking towards them in his trench coat and black clothes, looking dead serious. Arching an eyebrow, she put her hands on her hips.

"Herr Kaiba, what is this about?" she asked. He stood next to her and smirked at her.

"Congratulations, you are the winner of this duel, because I am disqualifying Zigfried Lloyd from my tournament!"

"Wait, what?" Zigfried chuckled softly.

"Is there any reason for this, Herr Kaiba? Humor me."

"You broke your tournament contract by entering the event under a false name, Zigfried Lloyd. Or should I say Zigfried von Schroeder of the Schroeder Corporation?" he said, pointing an accusing finger. Kay's eyes widened.

"Schroeder?" She stared at Zigfried and gasped. "How did I not see that?"

"Well, Herr Kaiba, it appears you've found me out. Yes, it's true! But, do you really mean to kick me out?"

"I came all this way, I may as well!" Zigfried suddenly started laughing.

"Ah, well, then it's clear to me that you are as cowardly now as you were back when we were kids!"

"What are you talking about?"

"It's obvious why you want me out of the tournament. You're afraid if I win this tournament and become the World Champ, you'd never get that title back!" Seto smirked.

"I'm throwing you out because I don't like you. Not because I'm scared of you." Zigfried glared. "You know I promised myself I wouldn't duel in this tournament, but seeing as I have a chance to publically humiliate you, those rules have changed!"

Kay blinked at this display before her. "Fine, but if I win, I get to stay."

"And if you lose, you disappear, never to return again." Kay sighed, deciding she may as well back off. Seto put a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't go too far, I want a live audience for this duel."

"Yes, I figured." She walked away from him; trying to ignore the slight jump her stomach gave the moment his warm hand had touched her shoulder. He opened his briefcase and pulled out a duel disk and put it on his arm. He and Zigfried exchanged decks.

Kay leaned against the tank and watched them, her arms crossed over her chest. She hadn't expected this sudden turn of events. On the one hand, she had wanted the chance to beat Zigfried herself. But she did not want to see Seto lose to that clown! So, she decided to watch in silence, secretly rooting for Seto in her mind.

"Are you ready, Herr Kaiba?"

"Yes."

"Who should begin? Ah, why not flip a coin." He pulled out a euro and flipped it.

"You call, Zigfried."

"I think I'll go with heads." He moved his hand aside. "Ah. Hooray for me. But I think I'll let you got first, Herr Kaiba."

"Gee, thanks. I never knew you were so kind. I guess I'll have to return the favor."

"There's no need."

"I insist." They returned to their spots and put their decks into their duel disks. Kay watched intently as they drew their hands.

"Time to duel!" (And the duel plays out exactly the same way it does in the show!)


Leon grunted as Cat caused him to lose 1000 lifepoints, but then he smirked. Cinderella's glass slippers appeared on Cat's Magician's Valkyria and her attack points fell to 600.

"My Valkyria!" Leon smirked.

"Whenever you cause battle damage to me, Cinderella loses her slippers, and they automatically go onto one of your monsters and that monster loses 1000 attack points." Cat glared.

"Ugh, fine! I set one card facedown and end my turn!"

The score was Leon, 2800 lifepoints, Cat, 3700.

"Dang, this duel is intense!" Jounouchi said. "I thought Cat had a huge lead, but Leon is really fighting hard. And now he has her in a corner."

"Oh, did I mention those slippers make it impossible for you to attack Cinderella?"

"Ugh, no."

"Whoops." He smirked and drew a card. "I summon Iron Hans in attack mode!" A man in peasant clothing with an ax and long, brown hair and a beard appeared on the field. "And thanks to Hans, I can special summon an Iron Knight from my deck!"

A knight in black armor appeared on the field and his attack points fell from 1700 to 700.

"Why did your knight lose attack points?" Cat asked.

"If Iron Hans is on the field, my Iron Knight loses 1000 attack points. But it's still more than enough to destroy your Valkyria! Go, Iron Knight!" Iron Knight ran forward and slash Valkyria, causing Cat's lifepoints to fall to 3600.

"Oh no, now she doesn't have any monsters to protect her!" Cinderella's glass slippers appeared on her feet again and her attack points rose up to 1300.

"Iron Hans, attack Cat directly!" Iron Hans ran forward and slashed Cat with his ax, causing her to lifepoints to fall to 2400. "Now, Cinderella, attack her directly!" Cinderella kicked off her glass slippers and they hit Cat before reappearing back on her feet. Cat's lifepoints fell down to 1100.

"Cat!" She grunted but straightened.

"Not bad, Leon."

"Thank you, Cat." She drew a card.

"But not good enough to keep me down! I summon Maha Vailo to the field in attack mode!" The blue magician appeared on the field. "Next, I'll activate my facedown card – Magic Formula! It increases Maha Vailo's attack by 500 and another 500 due to its special effect. " Maha Vailo's attack rose to 2550. "Maha Vailo, attack Cinderella!"

Maha Vailo unleashed a spell and it struck Cinderella. She and her glass slippers were destroyed, causing Leon's lifepoints to fall to 250.

"YEAH!" Jounouchi yelled. "Go Cat!"

"You almost got him!" Honda yelled.

"Cat, you're the best!" Kristen shouted.

"I set one card facedown and end my turn!"

Leon grinned. "I gotta hand it to ya, Cat; that was a good move."

"Thank you." Leon drew a card and smirked. "I activate a magic card – Gingerbread House!"

A little house appeared on the field with a face on the side. Its eyes opened and its tongue darted out and it literally ate Maha Vailo. Cat gasped.

"Maha Vailo!" The Gingerbread house spat it out and Maha Vailo looked like it had eaten a watermelon hold, his stomach large and round. Its attack rose up to 3050.

"Wait, it gained attack points?" Yugi asked.

"Why would you activate a magic card that makes my monster stronger?" Cat asked. Leon grinned.

"Well…" Maha Vailo was suddenly destroyed and Cat gasped.

"What happened?"

"My Gingerbread House is tricky. It lures you in with its sweetness and appears nice at first with its 500 attack point boost, but it's like my mom always used to say – too many sweets are bad for you. If your monster has 2500 attack points or more after my Gingerbread House gives it a 500 point boost, that monster is destroyed and I gain 500 lifepoints." Leon's lifepoints rose to 750.

"No way!"

"Now Leon can attack Cat directly!"

"I think this is it, guys!"

"Iron Hans, attack Cat directly!" Iron Hans raced forward and Cat smirked.

"Hold it right there! I activate my facedown card, Waboku! Now, all attacks this turn will do no damage!"

Iron Hans froze in midair before attacking Cat and floated back to Leon's side of the field.

"You didn't think I'd let you win that easily, did you?"

"Gotta hand it to you, Cat. You sure know how to put up a fight!"

"Of course, now!" She drew a card. "I activate Pot of Greed to draw two more cards." Cat drew two cards. "Next, I activate a magic card – Dark Hole! It destroys all monsters on the field! And seeing as I don't have any, its effect only affects you!"

A black hole appeared on the field and sucked in Iron Hans and Iron Knight, leaving Leon's field completely empty except for his Gingerbread House.

"Next, I'll set one monster in defense mode and end my turn."

"What? Why doesn't she attack?" Jounouchi asked.

"She might not have a monster with enough attack points to wipe out the remainder of his lifepoints and she doesn't want to risk losing another monster and being left wide open again." Honda nodded.

"Yugi's right, Jounouchi." Jounouchi looked thoughtful.

"Yeah, you may be right. She's probably doing the right thing by just chilling out and waiting. But I'm nervous as to what Leon is gonna do…"

"Very well, my move!" Leon drew a card. "I summon Forest Wolf in attack mode!"

A gray wolf in a pink dress, a pink night cap, and glasses appeared on the field and howled. Jounouchi looked weirded out.

"What is that? A wolf in drag?" he asked. Honda made a face.

"That's just wrong!"

"Forest Wolf, attack Cat's facedown monster!" Forest Wolf ran forward and tried to bite on Cat's card, but Royal Magical Library appeared and the wolf flew back. Leon lost 200 lifepoints.

"You'll have to do better than that, Leon, if you want to defeat me."

"I'll end my turn." Gingerbread House gave Royal Magical Library 500 attack points, but it wasn't destroyed because it was too weak.

Cat drew a card. "I'll set another monster facedown in defense mode and end my turn."

"She's still not attacking?" Anzu asked.

"Again, maybe she can't," Kristen suggested.

"Hmm…I don't care for these facedown defense monsters, Cat." Leon drew a card. "I activate Emergency Provisions. By destroying one magic or trap card on my side of the field, I gain 1000 lifepoints. I'll destroy my Gingerbread House!"

Gingerbread House was destroyed and Leon's lifepoints rose to 1550. "Next, I'll activate a magic card – Graceful Charity." He drew three cards and smirked before he discarded two. "Next, I summon Tom Thumb before I activate another magic card – Giant's Training!"

"And because you've used three magic cards, Royal Magical Library allows me to draw a new card." Cat drew a card.

"That won't save you from the power of my next monster, Globerman! I sacrifice Tom Thumb to special summon him from my graveyard!"

Tom Thumb disappeared and was replaced by a giant, green monster.

"Globerman, destroy Royal Magical Library!" Globerman roared and charged, destroying Cat's monster with ease.

"Urgh."

"With that, I'll end my turn."

"Very well." Cat drew a card. "I'll set one card facedown and end my turn." Leon drew a card.

"I'll attack your other facedown monster with my Globerman!" Globerman attacked Cat's monster and Mystical Elf disappeared. "Now, let's try this one more time, Forest Wolf, finish this duel!"

"Cat!"

"I activate Attack Guidance Armor! Forest Wolf will attack Globerman instead of me!" The armor appeared on Globerman and Forest Wolf howled before turned and jumping at Globerman.

He punched it and with a bark, it was destroyed and Leon's lifepoints fell to 750.

"You're really difficult to beat, Cat." He grinned.

"Wouldn't want to make things too easy."

"Well, can you summon a monster powerful enough to destroy my Globerman?" he asked. Cat swallowed and looked at her deck.

"This could be my last chance…" She shut her eyes and drew a card.

"Well, what did she draw?" Kristen asked.

"I dunno. Did she do it?" Jounouchi asked.

"…I summon Magician's Valkyria in defense mode and end my turn."

"That's all?" Jounouchi asked, looking disappointed.

"If Leon summons another monster strong enough, it's all over." Leon grinned a little.

"It was a good duel, Cat." He drew a card. "I summon another Forest Wolf in attack mode and attack your Valkyria!" Forest Wolf appeared and charged, eating Valkyria. Cat grimaced slightly.

"Aw man, Cat's done."

"She fought a great duel." Everyone nodded.

"Now, Globerman, attack Cat directly and end this duel!" Globerman charged forward and attacked Cat, her lifepoints hit zero. She sighed a little as the holograms disappeared.

"Aw man, I thought she would have won!" Kristen said. Anzu nodded.

"Same here."

"But she fought hard." Jounouchi nodded and clapped. They all clapped for her and Leon walked over and offered his hand.

"Great duel, Cat. I'm honored I had the chance to duel you." She smiled and accepted the handshake.

"Thank you, Leon. It was an honor to duel you too. Best of luck in the semi-finals." Everyone ran over to them.

"You guys were amazing!" Yugi said.

"That duel was intense! I couldn't tell which one of you was gonna do it in the end." Kristen nodded.

"It was amazing to watch!" Leon and Cat smiled.

"Thanks!"

"So, should we go back to the Kaiba Dome to figure out what to do next?" Yugi asked. Everybody nodded and they all left for the Kaiba Dome.


"No!" Zigfried fell to his knees. "This…isn't…over!" he said, his eye twitching. "Trust me!"

"Look, your lifepoints hit zero. That's about as over as it gets. So take what little dignity you have left, AND GET LOST!"

Kay stood there, her eyes widened and her heart literally pounding in her chest as a result of the intense duel that had just taken place before her.

"Seto's incredible!" she thought. Zigfried had pulled all the stops and had kept Seto on edge, but when all odds were against him, he pulled an incredible victory. Seto removed his duel disk and put it back in his briefcase before walking over to Kay.

"You." She stared back. "You are now the victor of this match, so you automatically advance to the semi-finals."

"Um, alright." Seto clicked a button in his collar. "Roland, have security come to collect Zigfried and escort him from the premises."

"I'm already on it, sir!" came the response. Seto nodded and looked back at Kay.

"Come on, we'll need you at the Kaiba Dome."

"Right." She followed him to the Kaiba Dome and he looked at her from the corner of his eyes and frowned.

"She looks familiar…where have I seen her before?" he wondered as they walked into the stadium together. The other match had already ended, and Kay was disappointed to see it was Leon standing on the stage with Roland and not Cat. Seto led her up and she stood in front of Leon.

"So, you will be my next opponent?" she asked. He nodded.

"I guess so."

"Very well. I'm certain it will be a great duel."

"Yeah! I agree." They shook hands.

"There you have it, folks!" Roland announced. "The semi-final duel will begin at 10 am tomorrow and it will star our boy wonder, Leon Wilson, and our feline of mystery, the Black Cat. Don't miss this exciting duel!"

The audience clapped and cheered loudly.

"So she beat Zigfried?" Jounouchi asked.

"Don't you pay attention? Kaiba beat Zigfried and disqualified him for entering under a false name."

"Wha? When did this happen?"

"While you were in the can!" Honda said. Jounouchi sighed.

"Man, I miss all the good stuff!"

"Well, I can't wait to see the duel tomorrow!" Cat said. Yugi nodded and smiled.

"Me too. I wonder who will win." He looked at the two duelists on the stage. "Whoever it is, it will be one of the toughest matches of my life. But we'll be ready for it, Pharaoh."

"Yes, we will."


Well, this chapter certainly felt longer. I hope you guys liked it better than the last one. The last one was kind of rushed, but I tried to spend a little more time on this one. I'm pretty proud of the duel between Cat and Leon.

Now, the part with Zigfried, I spent about a week debating over it. Originally, I wanted Kay to beat him and duel Leon, but Seto drops in and gets all mad about Zigfried and wants him out, and they play the canon duel. But I liked the idea of Seto interrupting Kay's duel and beating Zigfried and kicking him out, simply because it makes more sense. So, I hope you all liked it.

Review, but don't flame!