Another hour passed, and there were only 10 people left. Jasmine had already left the stadium, with Callum and Lucy still in the tournament. Lucy was called up to the next duel, and she was feeling fantastic. As usual, she was on a winning streak and the tournament was almost over.
"The next match is between Lucy and Tim. Obviously, if you're still here, you must be good at this game, so let's hope this is an entertaining duel! The coin flip has chosen Lucy to go first! Let the duel begin!"
Lucy (Chain Burn) 8000 LP VS. Tim (Timelord) 8000 LP
Turn 1 - Lucy - 8000 LP - 5 cards in hand - 0 monsters on field - 0 spells/traps on field
"I activate the continuous spell 'Dark Room of Nightmare'. Now, every time I deal burn damage to you, you'll take an extra 300 damage! I normal summon 'Fire Cracker' (ATK 1700/DEF 200) and I discard my other 'Fire Cracker' to deal 1000 damage to you! Thanks to 'Dark Room of Nightmare', that number increases to 1300!"
Tim's LP 8000 — 6700
"Since both 'Fire Cracker' and 'Dark Room of Nightmare' dealt effect damage to you, 2 counters are placed on the 'Fire Cracker' on the field. I set the last 2 cards from my hand and I end my turn. The counters are removed and you are dealt 300 damage for each, resulting in 600 damage in total. Don't forget about the extra 300 damage from 'Dark Room of Nightmare' either."
Tim's LP 6700 — 5800
"That 600 and 300 damage both count as effect damage, so 2 more counters are placed on 'Fire Cracker' for next turn. It's your turn."
"Woah, Lucy once again shows us how potent her burn deck can be! How will Tim react?" the commentator exclaimed.
Turn 2 - Tim - 5800 LP - 5 cards in hand - 0 monsters on field - 0 spells/traps on field
To Lucy's surprise, Tim just sighed. "How have you made it this far into this tournament if you haven't been paying attention to everybody's decks? Did you really think your deck could defeat anyone without any problems? You should have known that my Timelord deck requires you to have a monster on your field, and yet you still summoned one even though your burn deck doesn't require you to."
Lucy wasn't really sure what to say. It was true that she hadn't been paying much attention to the rest of the duelists, but what was the worst he could do?
"I draw! I'll start off by normal summoning 'Sandaion, the Timelord' (Lv10 ATK 4000/DEF 4000)! I can normal summon this card without tributing when you control a monster and I control none! Now, Sandaion attacks 'Fire Cracker'!"
"Summoning a powerful monster may be impressive, but I won't be taking any damage thanks to my trap 'Waboku'! Not only that, but Fire Cracker isn't destroyed either."
"Not bad, but after Sandaion battles a monster, it immediately deals 2000 damage to you! That's all for now."
Lucy's LP 8000 — 6000
"'Fire Cracker' once again has both of its counters removed and replaced, dealing you 900 damage thanks to 'Dark Room of Nightmare'."
Tim's LP 5800 — 4900
Turn 3 - Lucy - 6000 LP - 0 cards in hand - 1 monster on field - 2 spells/traps on field
"I draw! I activate the spell 'One Day of Peace'! Both of us draw a card and we both can't take any damage until the end of your turn. I'll set a card and end my turn. 'Fire Cracker' has its counters removed automatically, but you won't take any damage thanks to 'One Day of Peace'."
Turn 4 - Tim - 4900 LP - 5 cards in hand - 1 monster on field - 1 trap on field
"I draw! During my standby phase, Sandaion is shuffled back into my deck to make space for a new Timelord! I normal summon 'Michion, the Timelord' (Lv10 ATK 0/DEF 0)! Michion attacks your 'Fire Cracker', but it is not destroyed thanks to its effect. That's not all! After Michion battles, it halves your life points, completely bypassing your 'One Day of Peace' since it doesn't actually deal damage!"
Lucy's LP 6000 — 3000
"What an incredible move!" the commentator exclaimed. "Can Lucy still pull off a comeback?"
Turn 5 - Lucy - 3000 LP - 0 cards in hand - 1 monster on field - 3 spells/traps on field
"I draw! Now, I normal summon 'Lilith, Lady of Lament' (Lv3 ATK 2000/DEF 0). Since I normal summoned it, its attack is reduced to 1000, but that doesn't matter. I activate Lilith's effect!"
"That's not going to happen! By discarding 'Effect Veiler' (Lv1 ATK 0/DEF 0), I can negate your Lilith's effect until the end of the turn."
"Fine, I end my turn, but my traps are beginning to build up. This duel won't last much longer."
Turn 6 - Tim - 5800 LP - 4 cards in hand - 1 monster on field - 1 trap on field
"I draw! Just like Sandaion, Michion is now shuffled back into my deck. I normal summon 'Raphion, the Timelord' (Lv10 ATK 0/DEF 0)."
"I activate Lilith's effect to tribute itself and..."
"Unlike you, I've actually been paying attention to my potential opponents and their strategies, so I knew ahead of time that Lilith's effect was a quick effect. Luckily for me, I can activate the quick-play spell 'Forbidden Chalice' to target your Lilith, negate its effects until the end of the turn again and give it an extra 400 ATK. Not only that, but while its effects are negated, your Lilith now returns to its original 2000 ATK (ATK 1000 — 2400). Raphion attacks your Lilith, but it is once again not destroyed by battle and I take no damage thanks to its effect. After battling your Lilith, you now take damage equal to its attack! I'll end my turn here, but you don't have much time left."
Lucy's LP 3000 — 600
Turn 7 - Lucy - 600 LP - 0 cards in hand - 2 monsters on field - 3 spells/traps on field
"I draw! Perfect, I'll set that card right away. I can finally activate Lilith's ability now, tributing it to reveal 3 normal traps from my deck. Now you must pick one at random for me to set in my Spell & Trap Card Zone."
"Wait a second, all 3 of those traps are the same! It doesn't matter which one I choose!"
Lucy smirked. "That's right, so I'll spare you the trouble and set 1 of them, shuffling the other 2 into my deck. I'm ending my turn here, but the next turn will be your last."
Turn 8 - Tim - 4900 LP - 3 cards in hand - 1 monster on field - 1 trap on field
"I draw!"
"And that's the furthest you'll get with your turn. By activating both 'Just Desserts', my 'Secret Barrel' and my 'Ojama Trio', I can deal enough damage to you to win this duel! On top of that, 'Dark Room of Nightmare' will deal you 900 extra damage ending up with a colossal total of 6700 damage!"
"I almost feel sorry for you; you never stood a chance from the beginning. Straight after you activate your 'Secret Barrel', I activate my counter trap 'Barrel Behind the Door', reflecting that 1800 damage right back at you! You're finished."
Lucy's LP 600 — 0
WINNER: Tim
For a moment, everything fell silent. Lucy couldn't believe she had lost. It had been so long since her last loss that she had forgotten how it felt, and it was not a pleasant feeling. Unable to show her face any longer, she ran off the dueling area.
After yet another hour, only two contestants remained. Callum had come so far, and yet he didn't feel satisfied. None of the duels he had participated in during the tournament so far were fun or challenging. He hoped this final duel would be an incredible one.
"Now, let the final duel commence!"
Callum (Unchained) 8000 LP VS. Emily (Exodia) 8000 LP
Turn 1 - Emily - 8000 LP - 5 cards in hand - 0 monsters on field - 0 spells/traps on field
As Callum drew his hand, he was beginning to get excited. He had a decent hand and he...
"Emily wins the Gladiator Tournament!" the commentator announced. "She drew 'Left Leg of the Forbidden One', 'Right Leg of the Forbidden One', 'Left Arm of the Forbidden One', 'Right Arm of the Forbidden One' (Lv1 ATK 200/DEF 300) and 'Exodia the Forbidden One' (Lv3 ATK 1000/DEF 1000) in her starting hand! Therefore, she wins by the effect of Exodia. What an impressive way to finish off the tournament! Thank you to everyone who helped organise this tournament, everyone who watched these excellent duels and the duelists themselves. We will award the winner with a prize and everybody can go home!"
WINNER: Emily
Callum fell to his knees, his cards strewn across the floor. "Can this day get any worse?"