(A/N: I just want to apologize regarding the time it took for the last chapter to come out. I forgot my own rule regarding how the anime only allowed one field spell out at a time, but every game I've played recently allows both players to have a single field spell, which required a bit more thought put into Gundham and Mako's duel and probably left it feeling a bit anti-climactic. Hopefully this duel will prove far more interesting to you all. Enjoy! Let's see who Sonia's mystery opponent is).

After buying up her snack allotment, Sonia began looking all over for her travel buddy, quickly becoming lost and confused once more. The low rising, medieval like stone buildings of Novoselic were much easier to navigate through than the high rising Skyscrapers of Domino City. On top of that, Novoselic's royal castle always served as a reassuring navigation point that could be seen from anywhere in the entire country. While the Kaiba Corp building could be used as a substitute, many other tall buildings got in the way of the 5 foot something princess.

Not to mention, it was Gundham she was looking for among a sea of people. He could be anywhere. "Oh, I knew I should've kept a closer eye on him," Sonia thought aloud. "If only I could tap into the dark energies of the nether realm like he can, then I could seek out his life force. Or if I had the powers of Stargazer the Light Bringer from Magic Magician Twilight Symphony I could simply seek out his aura or teleport straight to his location with the power of friendship. At this rate, I most surely will never find him." Sonia slapped her cheeks twice. "No, get ahold of yourself, Sonia. That's not how a princess behaves." With a deep breath, Sonia Nevermind was back to her usual, calm self. Quickly, she spotted the first person that looked approachable and walked up to them to see if they'd seen her friend.

"Excuse me," she said, walking up to a young blonde woman wearing a purple leather jacket and shorts, with a white corset. "Might I ask for a moment of your time?"

"I don't suppose why not," the young woman said. "How can I help you, young lady?"

"I'm looking for a friend mine," Sonia said. "He's taller than I am with two different colored eyes, bandages all along his left arm, he's wearing a purple scarf, a ratty long coat, an earring and he has a pale, chiseled face.

The woman she spoke to seemed to be stifling laughter at the image Sonia had placed in her head. "Honey, if I saw someone like that, I'm pretty sure I'd remember it. I'll keep an eye out though. Is he your boyfriend?"

Sonia blushed. She turned her head to the side and began fanning herself with her hand. "O-oh, n-n-no, G-Gundham is just a friend, a classmate. I mean, he's quite handsome and bodes fearsome dark powers that I find most to my liking, b-but w-we have not even been sent on the traditional Makango hunt yet. We cannot elope or become one."

Sonia's conversation partner had no idea what the hell Sonia meant by Makango, but one thing did stick out to her. "So, his name's Gundham, huh? Like, I said, hon, I'll keep an eye out. Heck, I'm not terribly busy. Maybe if I walk with you for a little while, I might find the young man I'm looking for." The woman extended her hand to Sonia. "I'm Mai by the way, Mai Valentine. And you, hon?"

"Ah, Sonia Nevermind," Sonia said, awkwardly taking Mai's hand to shake. "Princess of Novoselic. I'm also Hope's Peak Academy's Ultimate Princess."

"Foreign royalty, huh?" Mai said, a small smile creeping upon her lips. "And from that prestigious school no less. I guess looks really can be deceiving. I know a guy who went there actually. Haven't seen him in ages. He went to my middle school when I was not that much younger than you are now. Weird guy, but he had a good heart."

Sonia's eyes brightened up. "Oh, so he's an alumni? Do you have a picture?"

"Ha!" Mai scoffed. "No, we weren't that close, dear. But he loved to wrestle. Guy always looked like he could take a car apart with his bare hands by suplexing it. Ah, memories. So, shall we get to looking for your friend?"

"Sure, but might I ask who you are looking for, Mai? Perhaps I might spot him myself."

"You're a real doll, Sonia," Mai said. "His name's Joey Wheeler. He's a doofus, but he's a good kid. A year younger than you, actually." Mai held up her five locator cards. "I've got five locator cards and I'm hoping to take my last one from him so I can rub it in his face."

"Would it not be more fitting to duel him in the finals?" Sonia asked.

Mai looked at her curiously.

"I just had a similar situation with a friend of mine. We dueled and tied and we agreed to let the superior between us be decided by fate," Sonia stated seriously.

Mai's small smile widened a little.

This did not go unnoticed by Sonia. "Mai?"

"Sonia, dear, how many locator cards do you have?"

"Me? Four, why do you ask?"

"Good, then dueling you won't be a waste of time," Mai said, suddenly chucking her deck into her duel disk. "Let's duel, princess. Give me your best shot."

"What? Right now? What about our friends?"

"Plans change, dear. I'll keep an eye out for your friend, but you just reminded me something about mine. Joey and Yugi both want me to make it to the finals. And I plan on getting there. So let's duel, princess." Mai activated her duel disk and pointed at Sonia, "Give me your best shot."

With an excited, drawn in breath, Sonia declared, "Miss Valentine, it would be my honor to duel you." Quickly, Sonia activated her own duel disk and drew her hand, staring down Mai and the two started to draw a bit of a crowd.

"Then let's get the fun started," Mai said in an amused tone.

"Let's Duel!" They both declared.

"Since I was ready to go first, I'll make the first move," Mai said and drew the top card of her deck. "I play Harpie Lady in attack mode!" She declared as the pale-skinned winged beast appeared on her field with an echoing cry. "And next I'll play the spell card Elegant Egotist!" Mai declared. "This lets me summon more Harpie Lady Sisters to the field!" Mai declared as three more Harpie monsters appeared, all of them wearing golden armor and crowding around Mai's original Harpie like a quartet of siblings. "That's all I'm going to do this turn, princess. Make your move."

"I shall," Sonia said and drew the top card of her deck, examining her hand. Oh dear, I don't have my usual combo to play. Neither Graceful Charity or Darklord Superbia currently rests in my hand. She grabbed a harp-playing monster, I'll just have to make do with what I have.

"I place one monster face-down and end my turn," Sonia declared as the hologram of her monster in defense position appeared.

"My turn then," Mai said and grabbed the top card of her deck, "Draw!" She placed the card in her hand, now holding 5 cards. She chuckled to herself. "I play Rose Whip to give my Harpie Lady an extra 300 attack points." Mai said as the aforementioned card appeared in the claws of her Harpie. "Now, go my Harpie, destroy her face-down monster!"

Harpie Lady attacked, revealing Spirit of the Harp and her attack was reflected by the spirit's barrier of light, produced by its music. Mai gasped.

"Looks like this simple strategy worked," Sonia said. "And now you lose life points."

Mai growled as her life points fell to 3600.

"Not bad, but I've got plenty of fight left to go and I'll start by switching my Harpie Lady Sisters to defense mode."

A wise call, Sonia thought. Since they did not attack this turn and have more defense points than attack points, Mai puts no risk to herself by swapping their battle positions. This is bad, I need a strategy and fast.

"My turn," Sonia said, "I draw." Sonia drew the top card of her deck and smiled when she saw what it was. Excellent! "By using the effect of the monster in my hand, I can tribute only a single fairy-type monster like spirit of the harp in order to summon the all powerful Darklord Desire!" Sonia's monster took to the field with its almighty 3000 attack points and brought much shock and surprise to the audience.

"Darklord Desire, attack Harpie Lady now! Darklord's Darkness Destroyer!"

Darklord Desire unleashed a burst of dark energy from in between its hands, destroying Harpie Lady and eradicating it from the field, reducing Mai's life points all the way down to 2200.

"And that's just a taste of the Darklord's power," Sonia declared, extending her arm out towards Mai. "For now I activate Darklord Desire's special ability, by reducing its attack power by 1000 points, it can destroy any single monster on the field and I choose, Harpie Lady Sister's."

"Oh no," Mai gulped.

"Go! Darklord Desire, use your might and destroy Harpie Lady Sisters!" Sonia declared.

A beam of dark energy fell from the sky and eradicated Mai's monster, clearing her side of the field completely.

"Now, I place one card face-down and end my turn," Sonia stated.

And yet, despite now being at a huge disadvantage, Mai didn't seem to be worried. "Not bad, hon," she said with a smile. "I can see those four locator cards are not just for show. "I'll have to step it up." She drew the top card of her deck. "If Duelist Kingdom taught me anything, it was that one should never rely on just the sky to get the job done. Feast your eyes on this, the field spell Amazoness Village!" Mai activated her field spell as lush grass and wooden huts appeared around her and Sonia. "While this is on the field, all Amazoness monsters gain an extra 200 attack points and when they're destroyed, once per turn, I can summon another Amazoness monster straight from my deck. And I have the perfect monster to show just how powerful this card can be. I start by summoning the mighty Amazoness Paladin!"

A white robed and hooded blonde amazoness appeared with her sword embedded in the ground. She had 1700 attack points. "And thanks to her special ability, her attack power increases for every amazoness monster on the field, including herself." Amazoness Paladin's attack power increased to 1800. "And thanks to Amazoness Village, she gains an extra two hundred attack points."

"Now she's strong enough to match Darklord Desire in brute strength," Sonia said.

"Glad you're paying attention. Now, go my Paladin, attack Darklord Desire!"

Pulling her sword out of the ground, Amazoness Paladin attacked Darklord Desire. The two met in honorable combat, the gauntlets on the back of Desire's arms blocking the initial strike. With a fearsome scowl, Amazoness Paladin pushed back against her counterattacker and then pivoted and sliced at the neck, cutting her opponent for a deep, mortal wound.

With the last of his strength, Darklord Desire floored Amazoness Paladin with a blast of dark energy from one palm. As both monsters fell to the ground, they exploded into shards of light, defeated.

Mai smirked. "Since an Amazoness monster on my side of the field was destroyed, I can summon another one from my deck. Say hello to Amazoness Swords Woman!"

A busty, redheaded sword wielding amazoness appeared with 1500 attack points and 1600 defense points. "And because she was summoned in the middle of my battle phase, I can use my monster to attack you directly. Go! Amazoness Swords Woman, attack!"

Sonia was slashed twice by Amazoness Swords Woman's swords and stumbled back, clutching her stomach. Her life points fell to 2300, almost even with Mai's.

"Ahahaha," Mai laughed. "Pretty neat trick, right hon? Don't feel bad though. You are up against a pro duelist. What's this, your first real duel tournament? It would make sense if it was."

Sonia let go of her stomach and stood tall. "Mai, I will not back down just because I've lost my advantage. I draw!" Sonia declared and drew the top card of her deck. "From my hand, I activate the Field Spell the Sanctuary In the Sky!" Sonia declared. "And since my field spell is now active, yours is destroyed." A great magnificent stone castle rose up from the ground behind Sonia as Amazoness Village disappeared.

"My village," Mai said as Amazoness Sword Master's attack points were reduced down to 1500.

"And next I shall summon Zeradias, the Herald of Heaven!" Sonia declared as a powerful monster with 2100 attack points, green wings and carrying a sword appeared.

"And now, Zeradias, attack. Destroy Amazoness Swords Woman! Herald's sword attack!"

Zeradias flew in and overpowered Mai's swords woman, but Mai didn't seem bothered by this loss.

"I activate Amazoness Swords Woman's special ability," Mai declared, palm facing outward, arm outstretched. "And thanks to her, you take all of the damage I would've from this battle."

"No I don't," Sonia said. "Sanctuary in the Sky prevents me from taking any battle damage that involves a Fairy-type monster and thanks to Zeradias, I am safe."

"Ah," Mai said with a smile, arms folded, "Impressive. Guess I underestimated you." She cocked her head to the side. "I suppose I'll have to dispose of that monster of yours and your castle." Mai drew the top card of her deck. "And I'll do it all in one fell swoop. First, I summon the magnificent Harpie Queen!" A green haired harpie with 1900 attack and 1200 defense appeared. "And that's not all. I'm also activating Harpie's Feather Duster. So say goodbye to your facedown card and your Sanctuary."

"I anticipated that," Sonia declared. "Reveal the face-down card Magic Jammer!" Sonia declared. "By discarding one card from my hand, your spell card is negated."

Mai watched as her Harpie sprouted feather dusting wings only for Sonia's trap to activate and destroy them with an electrical force.

"Heh, I had a feeling you might try something like that, which is why I played Feather Duster first," Mai said. "I activate the spell card Cyber Shield!" Harpie Queen was given a suit of armor covering its chest. "This raises my monster's attack by 500 points." Harpie Queen's attack power increased to 2400. "Now it's more powerful than Zeradias."

"Oh no," Sonia gasped.

"Go! Harpy Queen, destroy Zeradias the Herald of Heaven!"

With a proud screech, Harpie Queen darted forward, engaging Zeradias in battle, but she missed. Zeradias counterattacked by drawing his sword, but the attack was offset by Harpie Queen's talons and then she struck him across the face with her nails and destroyed him.

"Thanks to Sanctuary in the Sky, I take no battle damage from this battle," Sonia said. "My life points are safe."

"For now they are, but next turn when I summon a monster," Mai said, holding up the two cards in her hand. "They won't be. Next, I place one card face-down," Mai said as the hologram of the face-down appeared. "My turn is over."

Mai is truly a skilled duelist, Sonia thought. Have all of my victories been strings of luck until now? Am I just a one-trick princess? I knew the Darklord cards were powerful, but am I doomed to fail without them? Sonia looked nervous.

"Starting to regret challenging me?" Mai asked.

Sonia kept her composure. "Not in the slightest, I draw," she said, drawing the top card of her deck."I special summon Archlord Krysta from my hand. Since there are exactly four Fairy-type monsters in my graveyard, three that you destroyed and one I sent there with Magic Jammer, I can bring her to the field without any sort of tributes." An armored, albino fairy with orange wings appeared looking majestic in stark contrast to Sonia's other monsters. "And thanks to her I can add one fairy-type monster from my graveyard to my hand. And since I have not used up my normal summon this turn, please welcome back to the field Zeradias, the Herald of Heaven!"

Mai sneered. Sonia had completely turned the duel around in one swift move.

"Now go, Krysta, destroy Harpie Queen."

Mai went from sneering to smirking, watching as Krysta dived forward only for a wall of prismatic crystals to shoot up from the ground.

"What is this?" Sonia asked.

"You activated my trap card," Mai chuckled. "Mirror Wall. Whenever a monster attacks me, my trap activates, cutting its attack power in half."

Sonia gasped. "Oh no, Krysta."

"Go, Harpie Queen! Counterattack!"

With a proud screech, Harpie Queen flew over the Mirror Wall and attacked Archlord Krysta by bringing its talons into the fairy's face, crunching the helmet with its powerful claw.

"Sanctuary in the Sky is still in effect so I do not lose life points," Sonia stated.

"Perhaps, but like I said, I've still got a monster waiting in the wings to utterly lay waste to them on my turn."

"Then I shall place one card face-down and end my turn," Sonia declared, slapping the card into the appropriate zone.

"My turn," Mai said and drew the top card of her deck. "I summon Cyber Harpie in attack position," Mai declared as her monster took to the field. It had 1800 attack and 1300 defense. "I hope you're ready to lose," Mai declared. "Harpie Queen, destroy Zeradias, the Herald of Heaven."

Sonia's monster was destroyed by the powerful strike of Harpie Queen, but she took no battle damage thanks to the effect of Sanctuary in the Sky.

"And now to put this duel well into my favor," Mai declared. "Go, Cyber Harpie, attack Sonia directly!"

"I activate my face-down card," Sonia declared, wiping her hand up like she was pulling the card up with invisible strings, "Celestial Transformation. This spell card lets me summon a monster from my hand as long as that monster is a fairy-type. It loses half of its attack power, but it is destroyed at the end of this turn. And I pick Radiant Jeral!" A green, floating thing that looked like some sort of sentinel appeared. Sonia had summoned it in defense mode and it had 2000 defense points, blocking Mai's attack.

"Ugh," Mai grunted as her life points ticked down to 2000.

"Will you do anything else this turn, Mai?" Sonia asked.

"No," Mai said. "My turn's over." She smirked. "But that means your monster is destroyed. Points for style, but now you're defenseless."

"I can afford to be," Sonia said. "Thanks to Raidant Jeral's effect when its destroyed outside of battle while Sanctuary in the Sky is on the field, I gain 1000 life points." Sonia's life points spiked up to 3300.

"Pretty good move then, I'd say," Mai said. "Still, you need a monster if you want to survive an encounter with my Harpie's next turn. What do you plan to do, hon?"

That's a good question, Sonia thought, looking at her hand. It contained Monster Reborn and Cestus of Dagla and Maha Vailo, the card she won in her first duel in Battle City. But none of these would help her turn the duel around. With Mirror Wall on the field, Sonia couldn't attack without serious backlash and even if she drew an equip card to power up Maha Vailo, she was a spellcaster, not a Fairy, so if something bad happened, Sonia's life points would actually be in Jeopardy. Sonia took a deep breath. I know one thing I won't do: give up. "I draw!" Sonia declared and drew the top card from her deck. "I play Pot of Greed, letting me draw two cards!" Sonia declared and drew her two cards. C-can this be? She gave Mai a fierce look of determination. "I begin by activating the spell card, Soul Release!" This allows me to remove up to 5 cards in either graveyard and remove them from the game.

Mai quickly placed her hand on the graveyard.

"I have no intention of removing your cards, Mai," Sonia told her.

"Huh?"

"I remove from my graveyard, Zeradias the Herald of Heaven, Archlord Krysta, Spirit of the Harp, Darklord Amdusc, and Magic Jammer from my graveyard." Sonia looked fired up as her monsters were removed from her graveyard. "And this allows me to activate the spell card Different Dimension Fusion! By paying 2000 life points, I can summon as many of my monsters removed from the game as possible. You can too, but you have none. So please welcome back to the field, Zeradias, the Herald of Heaven, Archlord Krysta, Spirit of the Harp and Darklord Amdusc."

Sonia's monsters appeared, including the one she sent to the graveyard with Magic Jammer: Darklord Amdusc. It was a giant purple unicorn with majestic purple wings and a long, flowing mane. It had 1800 attack points and 2800 defense points. All of her monsters were summoned in defense mode. Sonia's life points then fell all the way to 1300.

"So you put up a defensive wall," Mai said. "Big Deal, aside from Amudusc, I can pick them apart one by one."

"They're not staying," Sonia said with a fierce expression, confusing Mai.

"For now I tribute both Archlord Krysta and Zeradias the Herald of Heaven in order to summon my most powerful monster. I summon Darklord Morningstar!"

From above a shadow cast itself from above as a dark, foreboding presence emerged from the pillar of darkness casting itself on the ground. A figure emerged with pale skin and white hair, its legs coated by black leather boots on either side of a silky white robe covering its lower body. Black battle armor covered its chest as its piercing red eyes glowed over the tribal markings lining its cheeks. Its wings were too numerous to count correctly and a long, black blade was held in its hand. This terrifying behemoth had 11 stars to its level and 3000 attack AND defense points.

"What…is that thing?" Mai wondered allowed.

"The most powerful monster in my deck," Sonia said. "The almighty Darklord Morningstar. And since I summoned him by tributing two monsters and you have two monsters with special abilities on your side of the field, I can summon two more Darklord Monsters from my deck. So say hello to these monsters!" Sonia declared. "I special summon Darklord Ixchel!" A female, evil-looking fairy with healthy skin and four, large black wings appeared. It had 2500 attack points and 2900 defense. Sonia had summoned it in defense mode. "And Darklord Zerato!" A massive, red-clad dark lord with demonic looking red wings appeared. It was carrying a curved, serrated saber on the back end of the blade. Its skin was blue and it had glowing yellow eyes. It had 2800 attack and 2300 defense points. Sonia had summoned him in attack mode.

"Your reckoning is at hand, Mai," Sonia stated. "Darklord Zerato has a special ability. By discarding 1 dark-attribute monster from my hand, I can destroy every monster you control. Fortunately, I do not have one this turn. But your turns are numbered. Because of Mirror Wall, I shall not attack this turn, but next turn, your reckoning is at hand."

Mai felt backed into a corner. Here she was facing down Sonia's army of darkness. Four powerful creatures of the nether realm threatened to wipe her out. Mai never thought she'd ever been in a tougher situation before. Is this what you feel like, Joey, Yugi? She wondered. Is this how you fight every duel? With your back to the wall and feeling as though you have no way out?

Mai's hand hovered shakily over her duel disc. The only way I'd be able to take out Darklord Morningstar at this rate would be with my Harpie's Pet Dragon, but to summon it, I would have to tribute the two Harpie monsters on my field. And I don't have a monster that can shut down it and Zerato on the same turn. It's hopeless!

As Mai clenched her eyes shut in anger and frustration, Joey suddenly appeared in her mind. His eyes were covered by his hair, but he appeared for a brief moment. Joey?

Mai's head and heart thumped. Joey's image appeared again, differently this time. He had his back half turned to her, smiling at her and giving her a thumb's up.

Mai smiled. Yeah, you wouldn't give up in this situation, would you, Joey? Not you, Mai gave the battlefield her toughest look. And not Yugi either. "It's my draw, princess. And I'm not going down without a fight! Here goes!" Mai drew the top card off of her deck. She gasped when she saw what she had in her hand. It's a risky move, but it might just pay off! "I activate the spell card Graceful Charity, allowing me to draw three cards, as long as I discard two." I have to draw precisely what I need, or else… Joey appeared in Mai's head again. Joey! I hope your luck has rubbed off on me you big doofus! "HAAAAA!" Mai screamed as if letting out a loud kiai would let her change her fate.

Was it coincidence? Was it the strength of her yell? Or was it her faith in her friend? It didn't matter, the results were the same.

"I activate Monster Reborn!" Mai shouted after discarding two cards to the graveyard. "This will let me summon a monster from any graveyard to my side of the field. And the card I choose is the monster I just sent there myself: HARPIE'S PET DRAGON!"

Mai's mighty dragon hit the table, gaining attack and defense from every Harpie Card she had. This gave Mai's dragon 2600 attack points and 3100 defense points.

"And that's not all," Mai declared. "I activate my spell card, Elegant Egotist!" This let Mai bring out another trio of Harpie Lady Sisters, summoning them in defense position. Harpie's Pet Dragon increased in power to 2900 attack and 3300 defense points. "Go, my dragon! Destroy Darklord Zerato!"

Although Sonia would take no damage, her monster was completely obliterated by Harpie's Pet Dragon's molten breath. "This duel isn't over!" Mai declared roaring the crowd. "You wanna beat down on me, you're going to have to try harder than that!" Mai declared. "I now switch Cyber Harpie Lady and Harpie's Queen to defense position and end my turn."

"I agree," Sonia said. "This duel is far from over. I draw." Sonia placed her card in her hand. "I equip Darklord Morningstar with the spell card Cestus of Dagla, increasing his attack power by 500 points. And whenever he deals battle damage, I gain that many life points." Morningstar's attack power increased to 3500. "My turn is unfortunately over," Sonia admitted.

"Powering up your strongest monster in order to protect yourself, huh? But this stalemate is still on," Mai declared, "And I aim to break right through it! I draw! Looks like luck is still on my side. I summon to the field, Harpie Lady number 1," Mai declared. "Her power boosts all wind monsters on the field by 300 attack and defense points." This fairer skinned, redheaded Harpie Lady—in contrast to how they were typically blue skinned—gave off a soothing and empowering gale, increasing Mai's monsters power. "And since I played a Harpie Lady, Harpie's Pet Dragon gets even stronger." Harpie's Pet Dragon now had a mighty 3500 attack and defense points.

"Our monsters are evenly matched," Sonia gasped.

"And that's all they'll need to be. You're going down!" Mai declared. "Harpie's Pet Dragon! Attack!"

"They'll destroy each other!" Sonia gasped.

"Maybe so," Mai said. "But I'll take an opportunity when I see it."

Harpie's Pet Dragon unleashed an inferno of flame onto Darklord Morningstar. However, with the last of its strength, Morningstar rose up and decapitated Mai's monster. It then fell to the ground from high in the sky and vanished. "Your biggest target and your saving grace has been destroyed!" Mai declared. "And I'm just one spell card away from making Harpie Queen strong enough to take out your other two monsters," Mai said as she switched Harpie Queen to attack mode.

"Then I shall counterattack before then," Sonia declared. "I draw."

Sonia drew the top card of her deck. Salvation at last. "I activate the spell card Mystic Space Typhoon."

Mai gasped. Oh no. "This will let me finally put a stop to your Mirror Wall. Go my typhoon!"

Mai braced for impact as her Mirror Wall trap was destroyed.

"And now that you're wide open," Sonia said, switching her monsters to attack position. "It's time for me to take the offensive. "Go, Darklord Amudusc, destroy Harpie Lady number 1! Dark horn beam!"

Darklord Amudusc unleashed a blast from its horn and destroyed Mai's monster, zapping her with the backlash and bringing her life points down to 1800.

"And now that your supportive monster is gone, Darklord Ixchel is strong enough to destroy Harpie Queen."

With a powerful flash of dark energy, Harpie Queen was obliterated by the strongest female monster in Sonia's deck. Mai's life points fell again to 1700. Sonia was once again quickly catching up. "My turn is over," Sonia said. "And next turn," she said as she played a monster in face-down defense position. "You will lose."

"I don't think so," Mai stated. "I activate the spell card Triangle Ecstasy Spark!" This raises my Harpie Lady Sister's attack points all the way up to 2700.

"Oh no, Ixchel!" Sonia gasped.

"That's right. Now, go my Harpies! Wipe out her monster! Trinagle Ecstasy Spark!"

The three Harpies gathered together and created a spark of energy that blew forward and wiped out Sonia's monster. Thanks to Sanctuary in the sky, Sonia did not receive battle damage. But now that it was her turn, Harpie Lady Sisters' attack points fell back to 1950.

The audience watched with baited breath. This duel was starting to turn rather intense for a pre-finals match. Back the school, Akane was stuffing her face, eagerly anticipating the match that Kazuiichi had demanded everyone put on. Sonia Vs Mai Valentine? His teenage hormones couldn't take it.

"Think she can pull this off?" Nekomaru asked Fuyuhiko.

"Maybe. You saw her hand. If she draws an equip-type magic card it's game over for Mai."

"She'll do it," Kazuiichi said, hands clenched together with white knuckles. "If it's Miss Sonia, she'll be able to pull it off. I have faith in her."

Sonia drew the top card of her deck. She looked at it and placed it in her hand. "I switched Darklord Amudusc to defense mode," Sonia said. "That's all I can do this turn."

"My turn," Mai said. "Draw. I summon to the field Harpie's Pet Baby Dragon."

A smaller, cuter and smooshy version of Harpie's Pet Dragon appeared on the field. It had 1200 attack and 1000 defense points. "He may not be as ferocious as his mother, but he comes packed with a nasty ability. Thanks to the fact that I have two Harpies on my field, his attack and defense points are doubled." Harpie's Pet Baby Dragon's attack and defense power readjusted themselves to 2400 and 2000 respectively. "And there's more," Mai said. "Because I have at least one other Harpie monster on my side of the field, if you choose to attack, you have to get through Harpie's Pet Baby Dragon first."

Sonia looked nervous. She now had to chew through 2400 attack points in order to damage Mai's life points. She drew the top card of her deck. This had to be something helpful or she was truly sunk. Drawing the top card of her deck, Sonia stated, "I place one monster face-down on the field and end my turn."

"Oh man, poor Miss Sonia," Kazuichii sighed.

"One can only hope Mai doesn't play another monster," Nekomaru said.

"Why's that?" Fuyuhiko asked.

"That dragon of hers has one more nasty ability and all she needs is one more Harpie monster to complete the set."

Mai drew the top card of her deck. Perfect. "It's game over, Sonia. You tried your best, but this is where it ends. I summon Harpie Lady 2 in attack mode." An orange haired Harpie appeared with 1300 attack points and 1400 defense points. "And now that I have three separate harpie cards on the field, Harpie's Pet Baby Dragon's special effect activates." All of Mai's harpies crowded around the dragon, massaging the creature and giving it a motivational boost. "Once per turn, I can destroy any card on the field and I choose, Darklord Amudusc!"

"Oh no!" Sonia gasped.

"It's all over," Mai said as Harpie's Pet Baby Dragon obliterated Sonia's monster with a fireball.

"Harpie's Pet Baby Dragon attack!" Mai declared, "Destroy Sonia's first face-down monster!" The monster was Maha Vailo and it was incinerated.

"Harpie Lady Sisters, do your thing! Triple Scratch Attack!" The sisters sprang to action, attacking Sonia's second face-down monster, Guardian of the Throne Room." It was turned into scrap metal.

Sonia looked disheartened. "Hon, there's no reason you should be looking that way," Mai said. "You don't win every duel. Take it from me. However, the mark of a good duelist isn't someone that always wins, it's someone that can handle themselves like a real pro. And, Princess Sonia, as a duelist, you've earned my respect. In the future, I wouldn't mind a rematch, but for now," Mai drew back her arm. "It's time to end this. Cyber Harpie, attack!"

Sonia, knowing the end was coming, stood resolutely and refused to flinch when Cyber Harpie attacked her. Even as her life points fell to 0, Sonia stood tall just to show the world what the Ultimate Princess was made of.

Dejected, Kazuiichi dropped to the floor, placing his hands on his ankles. "Miss Sonia…lost."

The holograms vanished and the crowd was hushed, not knowing what was to happen next. Mai approached Sonia and extended her hand. "You fought valiantly, Sonia dear."

"You as well, Mai," Sonia said. She looked downtrodden. "It just pains me to part with my most prized possession is all. But, a loss is a loss." Sonia handed Mai Darklord Morningstar and a locator card. Mai took both, pocketing the locator card and slipping Morningstar into her deck.

Mai put a hand on Sonia's shoulder. "Tell ya what, kiddo, you make it to the finals and I'll give you back your card when the tournament's over."

"D-do you mean that Mai?" Sonia asked, gasping with hope in her voice.

"A card like this is most useful in a deck that can put it to good work, namely yours. My deck lacks strong monsters like this, so I'll keep it as a prize, but if you can make it to the finals Sonia, it'll show me that you're not afraid, just like I wasn't afraid in Duelist Kingdom, to take a loss and keep on kicking."

"Mai, I do not deserve such mercy and yet…such words bring me much happiness." Sonia smiled kindly at Mai, taking Mai's hand in both of hers. "Thank you."

"Heh," Mai said. "You take care, princess. Hopefully we'll cross paths again. I've got finals to get to. If I see your friend though," Mai winked. "I'll send him your way."

"Same if I see yours," Sonia said.

Mai looked around. "Well, what are you all looking at, the duel's over." She flicked her wrists at people. "Shoo! I have shopping to do and dinner to buy before the finals and I parked my car on the other side of town. Move! Move!"

Sonia walked away from the crowd and aimlessly in no definitive direction. It was then that she spotted Gundham leaned up against a street sign. "Gundham!" She ran up to him.

"I saw your duel with that she cat," Gundham said. "You performed adequately."

"But…I lost," Sonia said.

"Victory is not everything. As she said, you shall bounce back."

"Gundham, how close were you watching from?" Sonia asked. He couldn't have been this far away to have heard that.

"I skulked about in the shadows, but you were too focused on the duel to notice me. I thought to call out to you, but I did not wish to disrupt your focus."

Sonia stood in silence looking melancholy.

"Are you all right, Dark Queen?" Gundham asked calmly. "Does something ail you?"

Gundham noticed how Sonia's eyes were darting all around, making sure no one was paying her or Gundham much mind. And then Gundham noticed that Sonia's eyes were starting to well with tears, alarming him. Sonia's mouth quivered and she started to sniffle.

"I lost," Sonia sobbed. She then buried her eyes into Gundham's scarf to muffle her sobs. She knew Mai was right that she would bounce back, but losing still sucked. Worse, she had lost her Darklord Morningstar card in the process, her absolute most powerful card. She had been on the brink of victory and Mai turned it around and left Sonia disheartened and confused.

Gundham was at a loss with what to do. He did not know how to stop a crying woman without getting…intimate and the distant part of him wished to remain distant. So, he did the next best thing. Reaching into his coat, he pulled out the two spare locator cards that Mako had given him. "Dry your eyes, Dark Queen, such behavior is unbecoming of you."

"I-I know," Sonia said, standing up and holding her fists against her chest, "B-but I just…"

"This may cheer you up," Gundham said, holding out the two locator cards with his head turned away from Sonia.

"G-Gundham, no," Sonia stuttered. "I can't take locator cards from you. I haven't earned them."

Gundham smirked. "These are spare locator cards from a wounded benefactor." Gundham held up the six he had earned on his own with his other hand. "He told me I could do with these spares as I saw fit. Consider them my dark gift to one deserving of their power."

Sonia stopped crying and dried her eyes a little, staring at the two cards Gundham was offering her. She sniffed a little, but seeing Gundham's generosity, quickly brought a smile to her face. "I can really have these?"

"You may," Gundham said. "They are of no use to me."

Sonia gingerly took the two free locator cards out of Gundham's hand. She then looked at the brooding Gundham Tanaka, mouth hidden by his scarf, arms folded over his chest. Sonia's mouth quivered once more, but not in sadness. She through her arms out wide and gave Gundham a big hug. "Oh, thank you, Gundham!"

Gundham gasped, his cheeks turning bright red. Sonia had her arms firmly around him in a tight grip and she wasn't letting go, her head resting ever so gently on his shoulder. Wh-what foul sorcery is this? I cannot move.

Fortunately, Sonia realized her outburst and quickly let Gundham go, gasping simultaneously. "M-my apologies," she said, coughing into her hand. "Th-that was unbecoming of me." Sonia fanned out her skirt. "I-I just…I was so overcome with emotion and…and your generosity was just so aptly timed and—"

"It is…okay," Gundham said, still red-faced. "I will not tell anyone so long as you do not tell others of my…generosity as you put it. I have a reputation to keep."

"Your secret is safe with me, Gundham," Sonia laughed happily. She then gasped. "I just realized, we have exchanged secrets with each other that no one else shall know. "This is just like in the fourteenth episode of Triple H Garden where Kitomi finds out her best friend is cheating on her boyfriend, but swears not to tell as long as her best friend doesn't let it slip that Kitomi was sleeping around with older men."

Despite all of his own bravado and outlandishness, Gundham found himself at a loss for how to take in Sonia's statements. Eventually, he just said, "Y-yes. It's…it's exactly like that."

Sonia laughed happily again. "I cannot believe it, one more locator card and we shall both be in the finals. Is this not exciting? I never thought we would get this far!"

"You should be cautious as to who your battle opponent shall be," Gundham suggested. "Without Morningstar, the power of your deck has taken a sharp blow. I would advise finding an adversary whose powers are so inept that you could run him over with one blast of your mighty and awesome power."

"Sound advice, I think I'll take it. But…Gundham," Sonia said.

"Yes?"

"Please do not just run off without saying anything again," Sonia said, sounding fraught with worry, "I was quite concerned about you."

Gundham smirked. "I go where the darkness tells me to go." He gazed directly into Sonia's eyes. "But in the future, I shall try not to trouble you and resist its dark temptations."

Sonia, once more, laughed happily. "Oh, that's right," she said and began digging through the plastic bag she'd been holding and had set down at her feet when she dueled Mai. She brought out all sorts of snacks and freshly cooked treats. "I finished buying snacks. Would you share them with me? I did not buy only for once person."

"I am humbled by your generosity, Dark Queen. Let us dine."

As Sonia and Gundham sat down on a bench together and began eating, Gundham occasionally handing a small piece or two to his hamsters, Sonia called out to him, "Gundham."

"Hmm?" He looked directly at her.

"I swear to repay this debt," Sonia looking serious, hand upon her chest. "You have been so kind to me twice already and mere snacks are not a proper repayment for the gifts you have given me."

"I expect no payment for any of my altruism," Gundham said. "To demand payment for the actions I take would make me no better than the demons under my employ." He gazed up at the clouds. "If I am to control the world, I must do so that will make the world bow willingly, not through force." Gundham grinned. "But I do accept generous donations to my worthy cause, so I will not deny you the will to choose to shower me with appreciation."

"Then I will let you know when I believe I have repaid this debt in full," Sonia said, hand flush against her chest. "In the name of Novoselic Royalty, I make the Honorable Decree, that I, Princess Sonia Nevermind shall repay the debt incurred to me by you, Gundham Tanaka. To break this vow would require me to strip naked and dance to funky music from three decades prior while balancing a basket of strawberries on my head."

"Then for the sake of your dignity it would be best you find a way to repay it," Gundham chuckled.

"Even if it takes till the end of my life, I shall pay you back," Sonia said. "I promise."

"Then I accept your promise as a binding contract," Gundham said. "Now, no more of this foolish talk. We must replenish our strength, find you a paltry adversary and make haste to the finals. It will be dark soon after all. Look," Gundham pointed to the fact that the sun was starting to get ready to set. "The twilight hour will begin in about an hour. We have no time to waste."

"Agreed," Sonia said. And then she, Gundham and the Four Dark Devas of Destruction sat and ate together in peace.

(A/N: I bet no one saw Sonia losing this duel coming, especially given Mai is her opponent who is the original Yugioh poster woman for The Worf Effect. Well…unless you had an idea why Gundham picked up those extra two locator cards. For the sake of giving Mai a fair shake and letting her show that she is a competent foe, I had her win this duel. By the way, bonus points if you know about the person Mai was talking about that's a Hope's Peak alumni.

Next chapter we will finally return to the meat of the story as everything converges upon Joey's fateful, mind controlled duel with Yugi. And after that, we only have two chapters to go and then the Battle City finals shall begin. But until then, as always, from all of me, to all of you, let your hearts stay human and your wrath draconic. Ja ne!)