(A/N: This chapter is when the kid gloves officially come off and we start to get more intense duels. Chiaki was a good warm-up. Hifumi Vs Gundham was to show you all that Chiaki isn't the only decent duelist in Class 77. I do so hope you guys are enjoying reading these chapters as much as I am writing them. I wrote a lot of these chapters in advance so at the time of writing these author's notes I don't know what kind of feedback is coming into this story. And even if you all hate it, I'm not gonna stop writing it, cause I enjoy doing so.

Also very important, I will be following the anime's rules in how magic and trap card activations work so you'll see both normal and equip spells being played when, normally, you wouldn't be able to. The anime did it so I can do it too! Anyway, please enjoy this chapter.

This is the first chapter where non-canon characters, i.e OCs, will duel. One is a Rare Hunter, the other is…well she's based on one of my favorite characters from another series. And if you can figure out who, you get a cookie. Have fun!)

Although the tournament had been active for over an hour, among its contenders, Celestia Ludenburg sat with a cup of tea in her hands and her duel disk on the table outdoors in front of the café she'd purchased her coffee from. The slight breeze pushed gently at her French maid outfit and her delicate black hair. She seemed bored and without a care in the world.

As she sat there, a young man wearing a school uniform that indicated he was from the same school as Yugi and Joey, passed her by. He saw her sitting there and found the sight worthy of conversation. "You all right?" he asked in his best English, thinking her a foreigner.

Celeste glanced at the student from her tea cup. "I'm perfectly fine. I certainly don't need a plebian like you to be worried about me," Celeste said, glancing away. "I haven't fallen that hard yet."

"Oh, I get it," the student said, scratching his dark brown hair, "Still struggling to stay alive in the tournament, huh? I just got knocked out myself. Man, and I thought I had it made when I managed to beat that AI."

Celeste looked annoyed. "Please, I'm not struggling. I only have one locator card because I haven't dueled anyone yet."

"What?!" The student sounded shocked. "What are you waiting for? The tournament's been active for over an hour. Don't you care about the finals?"

Celeste sipped her tea. "Of course I do," she said calmly, "However, there is still plenty of time left in the day. And anyone with real talent should be able to sense my own skill at this game and will challenge me outright. I'm just waiting for all of the low-ranking wannabes to drop out of the tournament so I can properly gauge the skill level I will need to ascend to the finals and gain the title of Battle City Champion. If I make my way to the finals dueling lucky newcomers I'll be ill-prepared for the road ahead. It's a gamble, but then again gambling is my forte."

"Hey, you!" A man in a robe suddenly barked at Celeste.

"You see," Celeste said with a playful smirk and put down her tea cup and picked up her duel disk.

"You're Celestia Ludenburg, yes?" the cloaked man asked.

"And who is asking?" Celeste asked with a smirk.

"The Rare Hunters," the cloaked man said. "Master Marik is very interested in you, Miss Ludenburg. He believes your rare cards and financial status will be of great use to him."

"Then it would appear my reputation precedes me," Celeste said, giggling a little. "Is this Marik of yours some sort of Machiavellian Schemer? Perhaps he is some deluded cult leader hell bent on world conquest through the ancient power said to be locked away in this Egyptian based card game."

"Um, well…"

Celeste giggled. "You don't have to answer that." She prepped her duel disk for the duel ahead. "I don't really care. The only thing I care about," she said as she drew her hand. "Is whether or not you're going to give me a good show."

"Let's see how long that smug attitude lasts when I'm picking apart your life points!" the Rare Hunter declared.

"Let's duel!" He and Celeste declared simultaneously.

"I shall go first," Celeste said. "I draw my first card." Celeste looked at her hand and immediately put on her poker face. She then held the monster card between her fingers and showed it to her opponent before placing it unto the duel disk. "I play Phantom Gryphon, in attack mode." Celeste's monster was powerful for a 4-star monster with 2000 attack points, but absolutely no defense points. It was transparent with a red aura around it and resembled a legendary griffin with a blue body. "Next," she said, doing so as she said it, "I shall place two cards face-down on the field. That ends my turn."

"It's my turn," the Rare Hunter said and drew his first card. "And I'll play Twin-Headed Wolf in attack position." A pink and green, furry, growly beast appeared. It had 1500 attack points and 1000 defense points. Next, I activate the equip spells Black Pendant and Sword of Dark Destruction, raising my wolf's attack points all the way up to 2400. "And now, go my mighty beast, attack her Phantom Gryphon. Two-headed pounce attack!"

"Stop right there!" Celeste declared, red eyes bulging. "I activate my face-down card: Ring of Destruction!" Twin-Headed wolf stopped from its lunge dead in its tracks as an explosive collar appeared around its neck. Celeste chuckled. "Bad dog, you need a leash. And I'll also activate Ring of Defense, protecting me from losing life points as well."

The ring around Twin-Headed Wolf exploded, destroying the monster and bringing the Rare Hunter's life points down to 1600 and it was only the first turn of the duel. He growled. "Don't forget, with Black Pendant gone, you lose five hundred life points."

"Yes, I know how to play the game," Celeste said as her life points ticked down to 3500.

"I place a card face-down on the field and end my turn," the Rare Hunter said.

Celeste seemed decisively unimpressed. "That wouldn't happen to be a Mirror Force, Widespread Ruin or Negate Attack, would it?"

"N-No," The Rare Hunter stuttered, "Why do you ask?"

"Oh, just a hunch," Celeste said. "But if you insist on being in denial, I shall play a classic favorite of mine, Harpie's Feather Duster." Although she had no harpies in her deck, Celeste was quite fond of the all-powerful magic card. She found it an elegant way to enact an act most destructive. "And with your face-down card destroyed, there's nothing protecting your life points. Go! Phantom Gryphon, attack him directly and end this duel!"

The Rare Hunter screamed and flinched as Celeste's monster attacked him and reduced his life points to 0. Celeste then marched up to him with a pleasant, but deceptive smile on her face. "Your locator card and rarest card if you don't mind."

As the Rare Hunter reached into his robes for his rare card and locator card, there was a flash of light and the emblem of an eye appeared on his forehead. "Celestia Ludenburg." The voice coming out of this man's mouth was now distorted and very deep and sinister. It was like he was a completely different person.

"If there's one thing I can't stand," Celeste said, remaining composed in the face of this sudden turn of events. "It's a sore loser. The cards if you don't mind."

"You appear to be a bit confused. I am no longer the man you dueled before. I am his master, the leader of the organization known as the Rare Hunters. My name is Marik."

Celeste put her fist by her mouth. "Ah, yes, I do recall something of this effect when world famous duelist Yugi Mutoh defeated one of your other goons earlier."

"I honestly did not think that duelists beyond a select few could defeat my Rare Hunters, let alone in two turns. I have a proposition for you, Celestia Ludenburg, but perhaps we could continue this discussion where there are no witnesses."

Celeste looked at the schoolboy now petrified in place. "Agreed," she said. "Well, no direct witnesses anyway." She wasn't stupid enough to meet a shady man in a back alley.

Celeste and Marik's puppet walked away until they were barely a passing thought to passersby. "Celestia Ludenburg, your skill at Duel Monsters is quite remarkable, I believe you and I can work together."

"I'm listening," Celeste said.

"I want you to join the Rare Hunters," Marik told her. "If you do, I can grant you as many rare cards as you desire. With your skill and my resources, you could be an unstoppable duelist."

Celeste chuckled, fingers by her lips. "You seem to be under a misunderstanding, Marik. I have already acquired the best cards money can buy to make my deck."

"Ah, but what of cards so secret and powerful that they cannot be purchased," Marik said.

"You say you can get me cards like that?" Celeste asked.

"I can," Marik responded.

"Right," Celeste said, "Forgive me for remaining skeptical, but I have no intention of making a deal with someone who I can't even see face to face."

"That would be incredibly inconvenient for me," Marik said.

"Then you will have to find another business partner," Celeste said, glancing away.

"Ah, hold on now, let's not be hasty." Marik would've rather Celeste with him than against him, or even neutral. "I might consider meeting in person, but you have to do something for me first."

"What are your terms?" Celeste inquired.

"On your way to the finals, you must defeat Joseph Wheeler, Seto Kaiba, or Yugi Mutoh in a duel and I will acknowledge your skill as a duelist worthy of my attention."

"Done," Celeste said without a moment's hesitation.

Marik could only grin behind the control of his puppet. "That was an awfully quick agreement." He had expected he'd have to bargain with Celeste a little the way this conversation was going.

"You want me to take out one of the three most primary duelists in this tournament, yes? That's no object to me, especially if Joey Wheeler is an acceptable target." Celeste laughed. "They say a fool and his money are easily parted, but in this case you could replace money with rare cards."

"Excellent," Marik said. "See to Joseph Wheeler's defeat and I will see to great things in your future, Celestia Ludenburg."

"Pleasure doing business with you, Marik," Celeste said with a smirk. Marik then ceased possessing his pawn and he collapsed on the ground. Celeste checked for a pulse and then recoiled when she felt none. Marik, huh? The stakes in this tournament just got a whole lot higher. Celeste smirked. This is going to be quite enjoyable.

After much walking, Chiaki and Hajime finally made it into the center of town by the big clock surrounded by a fountain. "Okay, now what?" Hajime asked.

"Well, look around, see anyone you feel like dueling?" Chiaki asked him. "You should use your duelist's instincts to pick someone out of a crowd to have your first duel with." She smiled warmly at Hajime. "It doesn't matter who. I have faith that you'll win. You're a lot better than you give yourself credit for, Hajime."

"But, no matter how many times we've dueled, I've never beaten you, Chiaki," Hajime said.

"Don't let that discourage you," Chiaki told him. "Dueling against the same person all the time is hardly experience. I mean, you've won local tournaments before, right?"

"Well, yeah, but…"

"Then you should be fine. You have every right to be here," Chiaki reassured him. "So come on, let's—"

"Hey! You!" A rude, feminine voice called out in Chiaki and Hajime's general direction. Chiaki looked right and Hajime looked left to see a young woman about Chiaki's age dressed in a magenta, buttoned up blazer with a gray, pleated skirt. She wore a white button down underneath her blazer with a blue and white striped tie underneath. On the left side of her chest over her heart she wore a golden, polished badge, indicating her rank in whatever school she attended as Student Council President. However, her two most striking features were her long scarlet hair and her knee-high, hard leather, black boots.

The woman was quite a distance away, but she dashed up to Hajime and Chiaki in seconds, coming within a comfortable distance. "Chiaki!" she shouted, still rudely pointing at her. "You and I have some unfinished business! I challenge you to a duel!"

"Oh," Chiaki said, with almost mild disinterest, "Hello, Eliza. I thought you might be participating, but did not suspect we would cross paths so soon."

Eliza then glanced right and noticed Hajime. "Hmm? What's this?" She smirked. Hajime saw Eliza staring at him as though her very gaze burned into his soul. "Very nice, Chiaki. That's quite the boyfriend you have there. I hope you treat him well."

Practically without hesitating, Chiaki said. "Hajime is not my boyfriend. He's just a friend…who happens to be a boy."

"O-oh, I see…" Eliza bowed apologetically. "Forgive me for making such a rude assumption." There was an awkward pause before Eliza swooped back to an erect position and exclaimed, "Don't change the subject! I said I challenge you to a duel!"

You're the one who noticed me first, Hajime thought, smiling nervously.

"Before that, proper introductions. Hajime, this is Eliza Se Arc. She was my rival in duel monsters at my old high school. Eliza, this is Hajime. He's my friend who attends my new high school, but he's part of the reserve course."

Eliza chuckled, arms folded. "You haven't changed a bit. No matter what separates you from other people, as long as you can connect with them, that's all that matters to you." She put her arms down and stared straight ahead at Chiaki, fists balled. "But none of that matters right now. Get your deck, prep your duel disk and duel me. We have a score to settle!"

"We do?" To Chiaki's memory, she had firmly beaten Eliza in their last duel.

1 Year Ago

Chiaki and Eliza sat at a desk in their school uniforms. Eliza had the monster Sword Hunter on the field with three of Chiaki's monsters attached to it as equip-type magic cards to raise its attack power and Chiaki only had her Fire Princess on the field, but with Solemn Wishes and Coffin Seller face-up on the field, and another monster card on the field in face-down defense position. Eliza also had the monster Victoria face-up on the field. Chiaki also had 1 card face-down on the field.

"Your Swords of Revealing Light run out this turn, Chiaki," Eliza told her. "On my next turn, I'll summon another monster and use them all to wipe out your monsters and your life points. And I still have half of mine."

"That may be, but it's my turn now," Chiaki said and drew a card from the top of her deck. "First Solemn Wishes activates, giving me 500 life points, but thanks to Fire Princess, you lose another five hundred."

"So be it," Eliza said.

"And next, I'll begin my main phase by flipping my face-down monster into face-up attack position. Say hello to Fencing Fire Ferret."

"And what do you plan to do with that?" Eliza asked.

"I'm going to use his special ability by attacking Victoria. I may lose 100 life points, but then I can target one of your monsters and destroy it and I select Sword Hunter."

Eliza frowned as she sent Sword Hunter to the graveyard and handed Chiaki back her monster's. "Not bad," she said.

"I'm not done. You also take 500 life points worth of damage, bringing you down to your last 1000 life points. So, I'll reveal my face-down card, Bad Reaction to Simochi and then play the spell card Rain of Mercy."

Eliza was struck speechless.

"I win."

"Didn't I beat you?" Chiaki asked.

"But then you went to Hope's Peak Academy and you missed the spring tournament at our school!" Eliza shouted. "I won, but it's a hollow victory that I wasn't able to beat you to win! Victory means nothing if my rival is unable to provide me with a worthy challenge!"

Chiaki seemed to understand, but her blank expression remained. "I see. I'll gladly duel you Eliza, but on one condition."

"Name it!"

"Duel Hajime first."

"What?" Hajime did not like this idea.

"You want me to duel this boy?" Eliza asked. "He looks like all the other boys I beat back in the schoolyard as a disciplinary measure."

"Hajime's got heart, Eliza, something I know you comprehend. He may have…confidence issues, but his deck is plenty powerful," Chiaki said, fanning her palm out in front of Eliza.

Chiaki, Hajime did not like how he was talking her up. Take on a Student Council President rival to Chiaki? Hajime had as good a chance at defeating Seto Kaiba.

"Very well," Eliza said. "I suppose a warm-up would not be so bad. Can you duel, Hajime?"

"Y-yes, I mean, I'm in the tournament after all." He then leaned to Chiaki. "Are you sure about this?" he whispered.

"It's okay," she whispered back. "If you lose, I'll just wager both of my locator cards against Eliza and I know I can win. And when I do, I'll give one to you and you can keep competing. I know Eliza seems like she might be out of your league, but if you can beat her, I know it'll help you understand that you belong in this tournament." Chiaki leaned back and smiled at Hajime. "You'll finally see what I see in you, Hajime." She giggled. "You'll be fine. I'll be right here cheering you on."

Hajime swallowed. He still didn't think this was a good idea, but if Chiaki had that much faith in him, he supposed he would give it a shot. "All right, Eliza," he said, giving her his toughest look and trying not to be scared of her. "I accept your challenge!"

Both Hajime and Eliza readied their duel disks and drew their hands. "Let's duel!" They declared simultaneously.

This your trial by fire, Hajime, Chiaki thought. But I know you can do it. If you can't beat Eliza, you shouldn't even worry about getting far in the tournament. Good luck.

"Since I'm the superior duelist and Student Council President, I shall make the first move!" Eliza declared, drawing from the top of her deck. "And I play Arnis, the Empowered Warrior in attack mode!" A female warrior garbed in light red armor that made it look like a dragon with sharp butterfly wings appeared on the battlefield. It had 1700 attack points and 1000 defense points. "I also throw one card face-down on the field," Eliza said as the familiar back of a face-down hologram appeared behind her floating warrior. "My turn is over."

"Okay then," Hajime said, "My draw!" Hajime drew the top card from his deck. "First I play Blackland Fire Dragon in Attack mode!" Hajime slapped the familiar green dragon onto the battlefield, one of the most common cards in duel monsters. "Next," Hajime said, holding up a spell card towards Eliza. "I combine my dragon with the magical horn of the unicorn, raising its attack all the way up to 2200, more than enough to destroy Arnis." The majestic horn appeared on the Blackland's head, empowering it with electricity and making it grow slightly. Its eyes glowed red. "Now, Blackland Fire Dragon. Attack!"

"Stop right there! Activate face-down card, Intimidation!" The green spell card flung upward, revealing a pair of glaring eyes on a red, swirling background.

Chiaki's mouth hung open. Intimidation was Eliza's best and, not counting monster cards, her signature card. It had clinched her many duels, even a few against Chiaki. For Hajime to face it right out of the gate, he was in trouble.

Eliza explained how it worked. "This continuous magic card causes any monster you attack me with to lose 500 attack points while giving those same attack points to the monster it's attacking."

"N-no!" Hajime stuttered helpless to do anything.

"The tables have turned!" Eliza declared and outstretched her arm, palm facing down. "Go, Arnis! Destroy his Blackland Fire Dragon!"

Hajime watched as his Blackland stopped short in its attack and backed up before the now suddenly intimidating Arnis, showcased by a red aura around the monster. Hajime's monster was then destroyed in a single punch by Eliza's monster and shattered into shards. Hajime looked on in dismay as his monster was no more.

"No! My Blackland!"

"Better luck next time, Hajime," Eliza said. "This duel will be over soon enough. And because I destroyed Horn of the Unicorn, it goes back to the top of your deck. I hope you weren't planning on drawing a new card next turn to save you."

Frowning, Hajime put Horn of the Unicorn back on top of his deck. Solemnly, he said, "I throw one card face-down and end my turn."

"Then I shall go," Eliza said and drew the top card of her deck. "Draw." She placed her new card in her hand and looked at Hajime's empty field. Hmm, that face-down card is probably a trap, I'd best play things safe, but aggressively. "Go, Arnis! Attack Hajime's life points directly!" Eliza's bug-dragon looking warrior flew towards Hajime at intense speed.

"I don't think so!" Hajime declared defiantly. "Reveal face-down card, Negate Attack! This trap card ends your battle phase instantly!" Arnis flew straight at the warp space and was then pushed back by it and flittered around by Eliza.

"Good job, Hajime," Chiaki praised. She had been worried there for a second.

Eliza was unimpressed.

"A novice move for a novice duelist," Eliza said. "I'll play Spirit of the Fall Wind, this lets me add a monster with a flip effect from my deck to my hand." Eliza did so and, while she was shuffling her deck, said to Hajime, "It's your move."

Hajime looked at the field in annoyance, thinking. That intimidation magic card is going to make things difficult, but it only works on my turn). He drew a card. Guess I'll play it safe for now. "I throw one card face-down on the field and one monster card in face-down defense position." With Giant Soldier of Stone face-down and the Horn of Light ready to equip it, whatever monster she attacks me with is in for a rude awakening, Hajime thought, patting himself on the back. "I end my turn."

"Then I shall go," Eliza said and drew the top card of her deck. Without an inflection of emotion, she declared, "My current draw has just sealed your fate. I sacrifice Arnis and Spirit of the Fall Wind to play Buster Blader in attack mode!" Hajime watched in dismay as the magnificent, armored warrior took the field, its Zweihander ready to do some real damage. "And thanks to his special ability, because you have a dragon in your graveyard, he gains 500 extra attack points."

Hajime gasped. No! that's more than enough to destroy Giant Soldier of Stone even if I activated horn of light!

"Buster Blader!" Eliza shouted, extending her arm out like a field general. "Attack!"

With a powerful downward slash, Buster Blader annihilated Hajime's giant soldier of stone.

"I'll throw one card face-down on the field, just to keep you guessing," Eliza said and seemed to radiate confidence as she held up her hand by her chest. "It's your turn, Hajime, but I doubt you'll be able to stop Buster Blader."

Hajime couldn't agree more, looking incredibly distraught. He clenched his eyes shut, fist balled. She's right. With 3100 attack points, I can't draw a single card that can destroy it and with that intimidation magic card, even my most powerful cards wouldn't be able to destroy it. I've got one card in my deck that could do the job, but...if I don't draw it…

Chiaki's voice pierced the air. She wasn't angry or disappointed. In fact, her voice carried with it barely any emotion at all. "Hajime, calm down," she said.

Hajime's eyes flung open and he turned his body towards his friend. "Chiaki?" He asked, looking as though someone had kicked his puppy.

Chiaki was smiling. "Just have fun. Don't fret over a loss. A loss is a loss. Winning's fun, but even a loss can be a learning experience. So calm down," he smile widened, "And just have fun."

Hajime's expression looked more reassured now. He took a deep breath. He looked back at Eliza, his gaze suddenly renewed with vigor and determination. She's right. Battle city isn't full of just Ultimates like her, but normal people like me and Eliza. Come on, Hajime, you can do this. Have faith. He put his hand on top of his deck. Come on deck, don't let me down. He drew the top card and looked at it. YES! Hajime could barely contain his elation, but resolved it to only reflect in his gaze so as not to give away how much of a turnaround his draw had potentially given him. "I play a monster card face-down in defense mode." He said slapping the card onto the duel disk. "And I'll end my turn."

Eliza's gaze narrowed. He's up to something. That face-down of his from last turn still hasn't activated. I'll play cautiously, but aggressively again. "Buster Blader!" Eliza commanded. "Attack his face-down monster!"

Eliza's confident enthusiasm for the first time, crumbled, when she saw Hajime's monster reveal itself: Cyber Jar.

"Since Cyber Jar was destroyed," Hajime said, feeling invigorated and into the driver's seat of this duel, "We each draw five cards and if any of them can be summoned to the field, we do precisely that."

"Very well," Eliza said.

Eliza looked unhappy with her draw.

"What's the matter?" Hajime asked. "Unable to play a monster?"

"No, I can play three, my Moon Envoy, my Lady of Faith and my Mystical Elf." Eliza summoned a young man garbed in blue and white with a scythe shaped like a crescent mood in attack mode with 1100 attack points and 1000 defense points, a woman garbed in blue with long blue hair with 1100 attack points and 800 defense points in attack mode, and a blue elf with blonde hair and a green dress. It had 800 attack points and 2000 defense points.

"Looks like my gamble paid off then, I special summon Beast King of the Swamps and Mystical Sheep #1," Hajime said.

Eliza looked at the field and what was in her hand. I could attack, but I'd best save my monsters for what's to come. And also… "I play Neo the Magic Swordsman in attack mode and end my turn," Eliza said.

"Then it's time for me to draw and turn this duel around!" Hajime declared. "I draw!" He practically ripped the top card off his deck. "I begin my turn with the magic card, Pot of Greed, allowing me to draw two more cards!" Hajime declared as he performed the appropriate action. He let his poker face slide as he smirked at what was now in his hand. Perfect. "Next, I play polymerization, allowing me to fuse together Mystical Sheep #1 with Ancient Elf in my hand to create Mystical Sand!"

Eliza gasped and sneered. "What?"

"I'm not the best collector of cards out there," Hajime admitted, though he didn't appear ashamed of the fact. "Mostly due to a lack of proper resources, but I make do with what I've got. My deck is full of fusion-substitution monsters so that I can play powerful summons without needing both of the correct monsters!"

"That's…" Eliza had to admit that wasn't a bad strategy.

"Speaking of which," Hajime said and flipped two more cards in his hand around, "Beast King of the Swamps, fuse with the Giga Tech Wolf in my hand to create Labyrinth Tank!"

Hajime now had a tank with a big red drill on the end of it on his left and a woman sitting on a broomstick, garbed in a red robe and witch's hat with green hair on his right. The left monster had 2400 attack points and 2400 defense points. The female monster had 2100 attack points and 1700 defense points. "They may not be able to attack on this turn, but next turn, your monsters are going down!" Hajime declared.

Eliza seemed unnervingly composed as she asked with furrowed brows, "Is that a fact?"

"Their attack points are more than a thousand below my monsters, so yes."

"I see," Eliza said with what was technically a grin, "Then perhaps I should inform you of Intimidation's OTHER special ability." Suddenly a red aura surrounded Eliza's whole body.

"What's…going on?" Hajime suddenly feeling rather intimidated himself by this sudden turn of events.

"Intimidation doesn't just scare your monsters," Eliza explained, "It draws power from the monsters in my graveyard. So, if the starting attack of your monster is less than the strongest monster in my graveyard. It can't attack at all." She folded her arms as she declared proudly. "And the strongest monster in my graveyard right now: BUSTER BLADER!"

"N-no!" Hajime stuttered. It couldn't be. How could anyone have a card that powerful?

"It was a good try Hajime Hinata," Eliza said. "But I'm afraid it just wasn't good enough. My draw." She drew the top card of her deck. "And I summon to the field, Fairy Archer!" A beautiful fairy with red hair, slanted green eyes, red and yellow wings, a bright, blue kimono and carrying a golden bow with an oddly shaped arrow appeared. "My Fairy Archer has an interesting ability," Eliza said. "For every light monster on my side of the field, she deals 400 direct damage to your life points. And I count FIVE! Go my Fairy Archer! Attack! Decimate his life points!"

Eliza's Fairy Archer floated into the air and took aim at Hajime. Her arrow glowed bright with light and then she rained it down directly onto Hajime, lowering his life points all the way down to 1500.

"My turn is over," Eliza stated.

This is not good, Hajime thought. I need a new plan, fast! I need to either get rid of her intimidation magic card or get Buster Blader out of her graveyard. Hajime glanced at his hand, But then again, he spied the Horn of the Unicorn in his hand. I've still got this. Hajime drew his card, the fabled Summoned Skull and tucked it into his hand for later. "I activate my Horn of the Unicorn again and equip it to my Labyrinth Tank, raising its attack points to 3100, enough to surpass Buster Blader!" The magic card took effect, planting a big yellow horn atop Hajime's Labyrinth Tank. "And now, Labyrinth Tank, take out her Fairy Archer. Electric Labyrinth drill attack!"

Although Intimidation took effect and raised Fairy Archer's power, Hajime's Labyrinth Tank proceeded towards the monster unimpeded, tearing straight through it and finally dealing damage to Eliza's life points, bringing them down to 3300. Hajime watched as she growled from this turn of events.

"You did it, Hajime!" Chiaki cheered. "You lowered her life points and you managed to overcome her Intimidation magic card!"

"Unfortunately, not for long," Eliza said, glaring and seeming composed. She bounced back awfully quick.

"Uh oh," Hajime gulped.

"Reveal face-down card: Unison Raid!" Eliza revealed her trap, which had the image of three monsters, prepped and armed for battle with a glowing winged emblem in the center. "This trap card activates when a monster I control is destroyed and I have at least one more monster in face-up attack position that is stronger than the destroyed monster. It allows me to combine the attack points of up to three of my monsters into one attack at the cost of sending one to the graveyard after the attack is over. Lucky for you, Labyrinth Tank's attack points are no longer affected by intimidation, but regardless, this is going to hurt!"

"No! My Labyrinth Tank!" Hajime declared in alarm.

"Neo the Magic Swordsman! Moon Envoy! Lady of Faith!" Eliza declared to her monsters as they all glared and looked determined to fight. "Avenge Fairy Archer and combine your power!" Eliza once again fanned out her arm like a commanding general, "Take out his Labyrinth Tank!"

Lady of Faith chanted a spell, which Neo replicated with a twirl of her free hand, applying the effects to both her and Moon Envoy as the two monsters slashed in a cross pattern through Hajime's tank, absolutely destroying it in a brutal cross slash. The tank exploded and Hajime's life points fell all the way down to 700. Hajime watched as Neo and Moon Envoy returned to Eliza's side of the field as Lady of Faith collapsed to her knees. The two monsters placed their hands on their companion as she smiled at them before fading into light, having been Eliza's chosen sacrifice as per her trap card's effect.

"You fought well, my lady," Eliza said with a serious expression, placing Lady of Faith in the graveyard portion of the duel disk contraption. "Your comrades shall take it from here." Eliza then declared to Hajime. "And now, Horn of the Unicorn goes back to the top of your deck."

"I know," Hajime sighed and did precisely that.

"And with Buster Blader still in my graveyard, you cannot attack again."

"I know," Hajime said. "It's your move, Eliza." If she draws or has Monster Reborn I'll lose the duel for sure. All she has to do is bring Fairy Archer back from the graveyard. And if she summons a powerful monster, all I have is Mystical Sand to protect me.

Eliza drew, looked at the cards in her hand and said, "I'll place one monster card face-down in defense mode. My turn is over."

Hajime breathed a sigh of relief. Every turn now he would have to hold his breath that Eliza would not draw or did not have a Monster Reborn. He drew.

If I play Horn of the Unicorn and Eliza destroys Mystical Sand, I'm sunk. I'll just keep it in my hand for now. "I'll switch Mystical Sand to defense mode. Then, I'll end my turn."

"With such low defense points, I assume that means you've given up?" Eliza asked.

Hajime made no response. Eliza drew the top card of her deck and then looked at her hand. I have almost a full hand cards and four monsters on the field. She scanned her hand for a card to help her turn the duel away from a stalemate. She spotted one. Yes, this will do nicely. "I sacrifice Neo the Magic Swordsman and Moon Envoy to bring out another strong Warrior. Come, my Sword Hunter!" A strong, burly warrior garbed in armor from head to toe and with several swords sheathed at his side, with two in his hand, appeared on the battlefield. It had 2450 attack and 1700 defense points.

"Sword Hunter!" Eliza shouted. "Attack Mystical Sand! Twin Sword Slash!"

"Sorry to disappoint you," Hajime said, "But I reveal face-down card! Horn of Light! This raises my Mystical Sand's defense points all the way up to 2500, enough to block your sword hunter!"

A mystical, blue horn appeared on Mystical Sand's forehead and a luminous green shield surrounded her, allowing her to withstand the attack from Eliza's Sword Hunter. Her life points ticked down to 3250.

"Damn," she hissed.

Hajime, again, breathed a sigh of relief. Okay, deck, he thought, glancing down at the top card as he held his fingers on it. Nice and easy. I need something I can worth here. He drew the top card. Yes! He was ecstatic with his draw. "I activate the magic card Graceful Charity, allowing me to draw three cards as long as I discard two and one of those cards I'll be discarding is Horn of the Unicorn, so no more repeat draws for me."

"I hope the pros of that decision outweigh the cons," Eliza said.

"I understand the risks, but I know when luck with this card just isn't on my side." Hajime only now drew his three new cards. They were Ancient Brain, Magician of Faith and Baby Dragon. Okay, that's not horrible, Hajime thought. He discarded Baby Dragon and Horn of the Unicorn, keeping his magician and Ancient Brain. "I place one monster card in face-down defense position. It's your turn, Eliza."

"Very well," Eliza said and drew the top card of her deck, placing it in her hand. "And now, Sword Hunter! Destroy his face-down monster!"

Sword Hunter attacked, rending Hajime's Magician of Faith to shreds. "Since Magician of Faith was flipped over, I get to return a magic card from my graveyard to my hand and the card I choose will be Pot of Greed."

"I hope it was worth it because Sword Hunter's special ability activates. Magician of Faith becomes part of his collection and it gains 200 attack points. Next turn, it'll destroy Mystical Sand."

"Hang in there, Hajime!" Chiaki shouted to him.

Hopefully my good luck holds out, Hajime thought. Here goes! He drew the top card of his deck. All right! The card he drew was Goddess with a Third Eye, yet another fusion substitution monster. "As you probably expected, I activate the Pot of Greed I returned to my hand with the Magician of Faith in order to draw 2 more cards. The cards he drew were Fusion Gate and Versago the Destroyer. Hajime's eyes grew confident and invigorated.

"It's time for me to turn this duel around! I activate the field spell Fusion Gate! This magic card allows me to summon any fusion monsters without the need for polymerization, provided I banish the fusion material monsters instead of sending them to the graveyard. "And I choose the four monsters I have, Summoned Skull, Versago the Destroyer, Ancient Brain and Goddess with a Third Eye to create: Skull Knight and Black Skull Dragon!"

Eliza's mouth hung open in utter awe. "Black…Skull…Dragon." It couldn't be. It absolutely couldn't be.

But it was. As Hajime banished the four monsters in his hand, he suddenly summoned to the field a knight dressed in bony armor with a magical skull for a head and two demonic red horns on either side of its temples. It had a skull shield and a nasty looking scimitar. It floated with a long blue robe below it. And Hajime's other monster was an utter terror of a beast. It was black, veiny, had horns and had enough teeth to terrify a shark. Its long, thick wings and powerful tail could only identify it as one of the most powerful cards in duel monsters: Black Skull Dragon.

"Fortunately for you, fusion monsters can't attack the turn their summoned, so it's your turn now."

"You will regret your choice," Eliza stated. She drew a card. "I'll have Sword Hunter destroy your Mystical Sand, raising its attack points to 2850. Now, even your Black Skull Dragon can't destroy it thanks to Intimidation's effect and on my next turn, I'll destroy Skull Knight!" Eliza declared, arms folded.

"Maybe so, but I haven't given up yet!" Hajime declared. He drew the top card from his deck. "I play the equip-type spell Black Pendant, increasing my Skull Knight's attack points by 500. Now I don't have to attack and you can't attack me either. Your monsters aren't strong enough.

It was true. Skull Knight had 2650 attack points while Black Skull Dragon had 3200.

Hajime's finally getting into it, Chiaki thought, smiling silently from the sidelines. You can do this Hajime.

"And I think I'll attack your face-down monster. Skull Knight, attack! Reaper's Blast!"

An orange ball of energy formed on Skull Knight's sword as it ripped towards Eliza's face-down monster, rending her Spirit of the Harp to pieces.

"And now, Black Skull Dragon, destroy her Mystical Elf! Molten Fireballs!" Hajime's massive dragon unloaded three blasts of molten hot energy onto Eliza's Mystical Elf, utterly annihilating it. "My turn's over."

Wordlessly and with sweat dripping down her right cheek, Eliza drew her card. "I play Kanan the Swordsmistress in defense mode!" she declared, summoning a green-clad knight to the field, squatting on one knee and holding a sword and shield.

Hajime drew the top card off of his deck. It was a card that could easily cost him the duel, but could just as easily give him the cards he needed to win. "I play a monster face-down and have Black Skull Dragon destroy Kanan the Swordsmistress."

Against Black Skull Dragon's Molten Fireballs, Kanan had no way to defend herself and was sent straight to the graveyard. "It's your turn Eliza."

"Very well," Eliza said and drew the top card from her deck.

"Sword Hunter!" Eliza declared. "Destroy Hajime's face-down monster!" Sword Hunter attacked only to reveal the bane of almost every duelist in history: the demonic morphing jar. That black shadow in a jar with rotten teeth and a single eye, made Eliza gasp. "No! Not that card!"

"Yes, thanks to Morphing Jar we both discard our entire hand and draw five more cards, but as you can see, I don't have any cards to discard."

"Ungh," Eliza said, discarding her whole hand to the graveyard and drawing a new hand of five cards. Hajime simply drew five more cards. "Well I hope it was worth it because now Sword Hunter has three monster cards attached to him and that brings his attack power to 3050."

"But you wouldn't dare attack or you'll destroy yourself and Black Skull Dragon could rend the rest of your life points."

"Just giving you a head's up in case you think you need to play another flip effect monster to give yourself an edge."

"Nope," Hajime said with a smirk. "I have everything I need right here."

"You're bluffing!" Eliza exclaimed, her expression wrought with disbelief.

"No I'm not, why don't you end your turn and find out."

"I shall. Put your deck where your mouth is and draw."

"Don't mind if I do," Hajime said and grabbed the top card of his deck.

"First, I play Monster Reborn to bring back Blackland Fire Dragon from the graveyard!" The green dragon appeared on Hajime's side of the field. "And next, I use Fusion Gate's effect in order to banish Blackland Fire Dragon, another Mystical Sheep #1 and Koumori Dragon to bring out one of my strongest monsters! Say hello to my favorite monster, a close friend that's helped me clinch several tournaments! I call upon Blackland Void Dragon!"

A terrifyingly pitch black dragon suddenly rose up from a shadowy portal. Its body was long and slender with sheek titanium black scales. The inside of its throat looked like the inside of a volcano and even its eyes were invigorated with a lava-like glow. The beast had a pair of two, long, sleek, black wings and four razor sharp claws as long as daggers. It roared at Eliza and its very roar was unearthly to her ear, unlike anything she'd ever faced. She'd never heard of this monster, very few had. Like the Blue-Eyes White Dragon, it was super rare, only 12 existed in the whole world, but this one was Hajime's.

Eliza looked at its power level readout. The monster had 3100 attack points and 2900 defense points. Weaker than Black Skull Dragon, so what was Hajime up to here?

"Blackland Void Dragon has two handy special abilities. For every monster in play and in the graveyard that was originally summoned from a player's extra deck and for every card in my extra deck, my monster gains 200 attack and defense points and that includes itself. And I count 15!"

Eliza watched as Hajime's monster's attack points climbed higher and higher until it peaked at 6100.

Eliza stared wide-eyed in terror up at the monster bearing down upon her like something out of a fictional nightmare.

"And now, I'll activate the last card in my hand, Quick Attack! This magic card will let my monster attack immediately after being fusion summoned!"

Oh no, Eliza thought, realizing what that meant as her eyes shook with terror.

"Blackland Void Dragon! Attack Eliza's Sword Hunter! Void Gale Blast!"

Eliza and her monster were crushed under the utter weight of Hajime's attack. With Intimidation active, Hajime's monster was reduced to 5600 attack points going up against Sword Hunter's 3550 increased attack, bringing Eliza's life points down to 1200.

Eliza was still reeling from the last attack. "No…" she panted. "It can't…end like this."

"It's over," Hajime said resolutely. "Skull Knight! Finish the job! Gather up all your power and attack with Lightning Break!"

Hajime's Skull Knight raised its sword to the sky and called upon a bolt of lightning to strike its sword. It then gathered the bolt of lightning into a ball on the tip of its sword and then, with a swing of its arm, flung the ball off its sword and hit Eliza with it, wracking her with electricity as her life points hit 0. She slumped to her knees, exhausted.

"I…I did it," Hajime stuttered, barely able to believe his eyes. However, his surprise turned to joy. He pumped his fist, "I won!"

"See?" Chiaki asked. "I knew you could do it."

With the duel concluded, Hajime walked over to Eliza and offered his hand. "Here," he said.

Eliza graciously let Hajime pull her to her feet. "I must admit, you took a lot of risks in this duel, but in the end they paid off. I concede defeat, Hajime Hinata." Eliza pat him on the shoulder. "You're no ordinary duelist. I can see why Chiaki likes you. Thank you for a great duel." She handed Hajime her locator card and her Intimidation magic card. "Here," she said.

Hajime took both cards, but didn't look satisfied for some reason.

"What's the matter, Hajime?" Chiaki asked. "Aren't you happy you won?"

"I am," Hajime said. "It's just…earlier you used Buster Blader. That card could really help me out in this tournament, but I know that Intimidation is the better card so…"

"Why not trade for it?" Chiaki asked.

"A trade, hmm?" Eliza asked. "Very well, do you have your extra cards with you?"

"I do, actually," Hajime said, scrambling for a tin in his back pocket.

"Hajime, I believe you have a card that will be of great use to Eliza. Hajime, remember that card you have that you couldn't use because you didn't have the right card to pair it up with?"

"You mean Black Luster Soldier?" Hajime asked.

Eliza lit up like a kid at a candy store. "YOU have Black Luster Soldier?" she asked.

"Well, yeah, but…"

Eliza grabbed both of Hajime's hands with hers and yanked them down. "I've been searching everywhere for that card!" she declared. She began yanking Hajime's arms up and down enthusiastically, practically drooling at the prospect of having the Black Luster Soldier. "I have the Black Luster Ritual! Please, Hajime! Give me that card! If you do, I'll give you any card in my deck, even Buster Blader!"

Hajime smiled. "Eliza, it's a trade."

Hajime pulled out his randomly earned Black Luster Soldier from a booster pack and Eliza handed him Buster Blader from her deck. She laughed as she took the Black Luster Ritual out of her pocket and stuck both cards into her deck. "Next tournament I see you in, Hajime Hinata," she said with a crazed smile. "You're going down!"

"Y-yeah, sure," Hajime said. Of course, for me, there probably won't be a next tournament.

Eliza was beaming. "You have helped me complete a combination so powerful that today's trial by fire will seem, but a campfire with marshmallows by comparison because as everyone knows marshmallows are far more delicious when you win."

…I think someone lost their metaphor there, Hajime thought.

Eliza put her hands on Hajime's shoulders, staring at him with a serious look. "Get some good mileage out of Buster Blader. He was a valiant soldier in my deck, but if you believe he will serve you well then I entrust his fate in your hands. If you fail to use him to the best of his ability, I will seriously be cross with you."

"Trust me when I say, you don't want to see Eliza angry," Chiaki said.

"Get to the finals, Hajime," Eliza said.

"I…"

"Promise!" Eliza barked.

"I promise! I promise!" Hajime declared in fright.

"Then I shall see you both later!" Eliza said and then walked away in a zigzag, giddier than a redneck at a square dance with a room full of Hooters' waitresses. Hajime and Chiaki could practically see the hearts floating above her head.

"Hey, Hajime," Chiaki said, suddenly catching his attention.

Hajime looked at Chiaki. She was smiling. "Let's go get something to eat. Watching you duel sure worked up an appetite."

"Food sounds great right about now," Hajime said with a sigh. "I think the mall's not far from here." He turned around and proceeded to walk away.

However, Chiaki called out to him again. "Hold on a second, Hajime. One more thing."

"Hmm?" Hajime asked as he turned back to look at Chiaki.

Chiaki smiled at him warmly. "Congratulations on your first Battle City victory and I know that there will be more to come."

"Yeah," Hajime said, smiling back at her. "Thanks, Chiaki. And thanks, for believing in me."

"Well of course," Chiaki said, cocking her head to the side and closing her eyes, "I knew you had it in you to win. All you had to do was believe in yourself."

Hajime nodded in agreement. Chiaki then walked up next to him. "Well then, let's head to the mall for lunch. I feel like I could eat a whole pizza."

"I'd like to see that actually," Hajime chuckled, noting Chiaki's small frame.

Chiaki puffed up her cheeks in annoyance. "Hey, I can eat a lot when I want to."

Hajime laughed. "Then let's go get a pizza."

"Sounds good to me," Chiaki said and the two walked side by side to the mall, a victory in their pocket each. And then, briefly, but only for a moment so that no one else saw it, their hands linked. They gave each other's hand a firm squeeze and then let go, lest people see them. However, the message was clear to the recipient. Chiaki and Hajime weren't going to separate until, as far as Hajime was concerned, fate finally forced them apart.

(A/N: You can tell Hajime is dreading the Kamukura project right about now. And for those of you that couldn't figure it out, Eliza Se Arc draws inspiration from Fairy Tail's Erza Scarlet. And before anyone asks, Intimidation, Unison Raid and Blackland Void Dragon are all originally made cards. And Blackland Void Dragon is Hajime's signature card, but not his most powerful. We'll see that the next time he duels. Originally this duel was going to be a bit longer with Eliza summoning St. Joan and equipping it with Sword of Dragon's Soul, but it just extended the duel unnecessarily. Also, I'm pretty sure Eliza had to be discarding cards at some point given her hand was likely reaching seven cards, but you can probably fill that gap in yourself if you care to do the math. I made so many logistics errors planning this duel that I'm honestly tired of it now.

I'm not sure at the time of writing this if chapter 5 will contain 1 or 2 duels because of how long the second duel will be and how short these chapters have been, but we'll see. Anyway, until then, as always, from all of me, to all of you, let your hearts stay human, and your wrath draconic. Ja ne!)