(A/N: Starting with this chapter, a change in this story that's been a long time coming will commence. Yugi, despite being the main protagonist, has been a sideline character up until now, only showing up briefly here and there and never really being focused on. Well, that's over starting now. Time for the King of Games to step back into the spotlight where he belongs. It's taken me 30 chapters to reach this point and now it's time to relieve the nostalgia of Yami Yugi as voiced by Dan Green. Here. We. Go!)
The KaibaCorp Aircraft 3 main hall fell silent as Yugi, though currently it was his ancient counterpart in possession of his body, and Celeste met competitive gazes.
"Celeste," Yugi said to her.
"Yugi," she replied.
"Participating finalists, come with me," Roland said. "The rest of you can take the main elevator to spectate the match."
Yugi and Celeste were escorted into a smaller elevator than the main one and stood on opposite sides of the rising transport. "Well, who would've thought it'd be the two of us starting things off? I hope you enjoyed your fame, Yugi, because it's about to come crumbling down. Oh, sorry, you're the Pharaoh right now, aren't you?"
"How do you…know about that?"
"I told you, Marik told me quite a lot. Plus, I watched you change form when Yugi dueled against Joey."
The elevator stopped at the top and Celeste walked to the opposite side of the arena as Yugi stood firmly in place at the end closer to the elevator. "Speaking of which," Celeste said, as she and Yugi waited for their spectators to arrive, "I was under the impression you joined this tournament under the name, Yugi Mutoh. And whatever your name is Pharaoh, it's probably Egyptian."
"And?" The Pharaoh asked.
"Well, it's just, it would be a shame if your adoring public knew that the King of Games was a fraud, don't you think?"
"What?" The Pharaoh snapped, gritting his teeth.
"Famed duelist Yugi Mutoh uses ancient Egyptian magic to rise to stardom. I can see the headlines already." Celeste chuckled. "Your fall from grace will be wondrous."
"Yugi and I are one in the same," The Pharaoh said.
"Tell that to the internet," Celeste chuckled.
Yugi's astral image appeared next to his counterpart. "It's okay, Pharaoh," he told him, "I'll duel her."
"Yugi, are you sure?"
"Compared to what we've been fighting up until now, Celeste is just a normal person."
"I can't let you do that. The stakes are still very high."
"Aren't we a team?" Yugi asked. "What are you scared of, anyway?"
Yami stared straight ahead. "Celeste is a powerful duelist. She drove Joey into a corner and then she improved her deck with Marik's help. She also beat Byakuya Togami, whom everyone seems to think of as an amazing duelist as well. She's not a pushover, Yugi."
"That means you agree with her!" Yugi shouted. "Are you saying you think I'm not as good as you?"
"Well…I…"
"Pharaoh…I appreciate you trying to protect me, but we can't let Celeste push us around."
"A nosedive in publicity isn't worth risking the world, Yugi," Yami told him.
"Maybe not, but I don't intend to risk the world. You're still right at my side, pal. I say we take Celeste's challenge head on."
"Well, if that's what you desire," Yami said and then spoke directly to Celeste. "Celeste! If you think beating Yugi will be easy, you're sorely going to be disappointed. We're going to play your little game."
Yami and Yugi switched places. "And we'll win!" Yugi declared.
By this point the spectators had started to appear. Marik was the first to notice that it was Yugi, not the Pharaoh, staring Celeste down. What's going on? What happened to the Pharaoh?
Celeste chuckled coldly, "Oh, Yugi," she said, "I'm so happy you agreed to my terms. Let's see if you're even half the duelist the Pharaoh is."
"What?" Téa gasped. "Yugi's going to duel?"
"Um, wasn't that a given?" Makoto asked.
"Uh," Téa wasn't sure how to explain the situation.
Mahiru snapped a photo of Celeste and Yugi facing off.
"What's going on, big brother?" Serenity asked.
"Whenever Yug duels, it's usually the spirit of the millennium puzzle that's dueling, but, right now, that's our Yugi up there."
"So, Yugi has a split personality?" Makoto asked.
"I suppose that would be the easiest way to explain it," Bakura said.
"Think of it like this," Tristan said. "Yugi's normally passive, but he has an assertive personality that comes out when he duels. Right now, up there, that's the passive one and it's bothering the hell out of me."
"Me too," Joey said. "Hey, Yug! What gives? What's going on?"
"Joey," Yugi said. "Sorry, but this is something I have to do." I want to prove that I can stand on my own if the time ever came. Yugi flashed back to when Yami was separated from him when he dueled Bandit Keith and how terrified he was of the situation. Never again. Not ever again. He remembered his duel with Joey only a few hours ago. I can do this. And this time, I'm giving it my all.
"Duelists, please shuffle each other's decks," Roland requested.
Celeste and Yugi approached each other and handed each other their decks.
"Tell me, is your Egyptian God Card in here, Yugi?"
"Yeah, why do you ask?" Yugi wanted to know.
"Oh, I was just wondering if I could force you to play it."
Yugi, be careful, Yami warned. Thanks to Marik she knows about the terrifying power of the god cards. Do not use Osiris carelessly.
Yeah, I know, Yugi responded. He and Celeste gave each other back their decks and resumed their positions on either side of the arena.
You may even want to consider not using Osiris at all if you can help it. Its power might be too much for your spirit to handle.
I'll be fine, Yugi thought, giving Celeste a tough look. People look down on me because I'm not you. He activated his duel disk. And I'm not going to let them push me around anymore.
Heh, well said, Yami replied. Good luck, Yugi. I'll be right here if you need me.
Celeste activated her duel disk. "Get ready for a show, Yugi," Celeste said. "Because this is going to be a glorious battle you won't soon forget."
"Let's Duel!" Celeste and Yugi shouted simultaneously.
"I'll go first," Celeste said and drew the top card of her deck, "I draw."
Celeste looked at the card she drew and then placed it in her hand, plucking a different one from the six she had. "I play Phantom Gryphon in attack position!"
The red aura coated gryphon appeared with 2000 attack points and 0 defense points.
"Impressive card," Mai commented.
"Next," Celeste said, holding up a spell card, "I activate Card Destruction! Now we both have to discard our entire hands and draw cards equal to the cards we discarded."
"What? Why?" Yugi gasped.
"Um, because that's how the card is played," Celeste stated plainly.
"No, I mean, why play a card like that on the first turn?" Yugi asked.
As Celeste and Yugi sent their hands to the graveyard, the former smirked, "Oh? What's the matter? Did I upset your little strategy? Gambling is simply my forte Yugi Mutoh. Can you afford to take the same gamble to draw a good hand twice in a row? I know I can."
Yugi reluctantly began to draw a new hand of five cards. The cards he'd sent to the graveyard had included some of his favorites: Dark Magician, Buster Blader and Beta the Magnet Warrior. He looked downheartedly at his new hand.
"What's the matter?" Celeste asked. "Do the heart of the cards not cry out for your victory enough?"
This set Yugi off. "You dare mock the heart of the cards?" he glared.
Celeste chuckled with a smirk. "Of course not, I've seen it firsthand thanks to Joey." Her smile faded. "I'm simply testing if it's all it's cracked up to be." Celeste's eyes turned scary as her pupils seemed to become nonexistent, her red irises widening like some kind of demon. "A true duelist relies solely upon his or her skill and luck to get the job done, not some philosophical faith. Of course," she said as her eyes returned to normal as she held her fist in front of her mouth. "Every skilled card shark in the world has his or her superstitions so I can't fault you for having something you stand by." Celeste smiled, but the expression seemed to be in mockery of her opponent. "Joey performed splendidly, Yugi, but what about you? Was my loss to him just a spot of bad luck, or is there truth to your philosophy?" Celeste instantly became serious. "I must know."
Kaiba chuckled a little, smirking widely. "I think I like this Celeste character."
His rich counterpart, Byakuya, had a much different opinion, but he kept it to himself as he adjusted his glasses. The heart of the cards is no mere superstition, Celestia Ludenburg. I would know. I learned it first hand and when I get up there, I will show the world its power in the hands of a skilled maestro, not some two-bit amateurs.
With Yugi and Celeste comfortable with their new hands, Celeste then ejected a card from her graveyard, added it to her deck and began shuffling it.
"How fortunate for me that since Roc from the Valley of Haze was in my hand when I activated Card Destruction, I get to shuffle it right back into my deck." She finished shuffling and slammed the deck back into the card reader.
Shuffling her deck this soon? What's she up to? Yugi wondered.
Yami appeared in his phantasmal form behind him, arms folded, body perpendicular to Yugi, as if he had only a mild interest in what was going on. In actuality, he had quite the investment, but he was doing his best to respect his partner's wishes to handle Celeste on his own. However, that didn't mean he wasn't without commentary.
"She's a gambler, is she not?" Yami asked Yugi. "She must be trying to stack the deck in her favor through a series of unconnected events by throwing us off." He glanced towards Yugi, turning his head at an acute angle. "Confusion is part of any duel. Just calm down, Yugi. Show Celeste the power," he said as he turned his whole body to face Yugi, "Of the Heart of the Cards!"
Yugi nodded. "Right."
"I shall now place one card face-down and end my turn. Your move, Yugi," Celeste chuckled.
"All right then, my turn," Yugi said as he drew the top card of his deck. "Draw!" Nodding to himself, he declared. "I play Big Shield Gardna, in defense mode."
The massive, stalwart defender appeared with 2600 defense points, crouched behind its massive shield.
"That ends my turn," Yugi said.
"How…unfortunate," Celeste said and drew the top card of her deck. "I activate the spell card, Shield Crush. This spell card allows me to destroy one monster in defense position instantaneously. So, say goodbye to your Big Shield Gardna." Yugi's monster was destroyed by a bright blue laser beam.
"Oh no!" Téa shouted, "Yugi's wide open."
Kaiba stared with a serious glare at the battlefield.
"I can't look," Komaru said, cringing and turning her head away.
"He'll be all right. Despair like this is nothing to the hope of the King of Games," Nagito said.
"I care not for the way you phrased that, but I agree," Gundham said. "This strike will sting harshly, but he will endure it."
"Phantom Gryphon, attack Yugi directly!" Celeste declared. "Phantom Talon Strike!"
With a screech, Celeste's monster divebombed Yugi and caused him to stumble back from the hard light hologram barreling into his body.
"Yugi!" Yami exclaimed.
"I'm fine," Yugi said, holding his stomach below where the Millennium Puzzle hung down. "I'll be fine," he said, staring on with determination to reaffirm that he was as he said.
"My turn is over," Celeste said.
Yugi nodded and drew the top card from his deck. I was really hoping Big Shield Gardna would buy me some time so I could work out a strategy against Celeste, but without a solid defense, Yugi grabbed a monster card in his hand, I'll have to go instead for a brazen and cunning strategy. "I summon Magic Exemplar to the field in attack position!" A woman with long black hair and green robes appeared. She had 1700 attack points and 1400 defense points. "And next, I'll equip her with the magic card, Book of Secret Arts, raising her attack power up to 2000, a match for your Phantom Gryphon." A glowing aura engulfed Magic Exemplar. "What's more, every time a spell card is played, Magic Exemplar gains two spell counters," Yugi said as two stones floated around his exemplar. "And during my turn, I can remove those stones equal to the number of stars that a spellcaster in my graveyard or my hand has and special summon it. And thanks to Book of Secret Arts, not only do I have two spell counters already, but I also have enough power to match your Phantom Gryphon. Now you can't attack without destroying us both."
Celeste gave no response, merely raising her eyebrow ever so slightly in intrigue.
If I can keep Magic Exemplar on the field for a few turns, I can bring Dark Magician back from the graveyard. Yugi grabbed two cards in his hand. And with these two trap cards, I might be able to bring Buster Blader back as well. "I place two cards face-down on the field," he said, setting them, "And end my turn."
"And at the end of your turn, I'll activate my face-down card, Mystic Space Typhoon, letting me destroy one of your spell or trap cards."
Yugi gasped.
"Oh don't worry, I have ways around Book of Secret Arts, but one of your traps has to go. I pick the one to my left."
Celeste blasted and destroyed Yugi's trap card.
Argh, she played it on my turn so I couldn't use it on hers. Now I have to rely solely on Magic Exemplar for counters.
"Since you played a spell card," Yugi said as two more stones floated around Magic Exemplar, "Magic Exemplar gains two more spell counters."
"I could care less," Celeste said and drew the top card of her deck. "Draw."
Celeste looked at her hand and then at the field. I could sacrifice my Phantom Gryphon for another monster and destroy Magic Exemplar, but that may not be wise. Yugi's other face-down worries me. She looked at a monster in her hand. Best I play it safe. "I place a monster face-down in defense position. And next, I'm attacking with Phantom Gryphon, so that I can destroy both of our monsters!"
"Oh my, how reckless," Sonia commented.
"Not necessarily," Makoto said. "Celeste has a monster to defend herself with and most trap cards that can wipe out your opponent's monsters when they attack don't destroy all monsters. Even the best, Mirror Force, only targets attacking monsters. If we assume there's a spellcaster in Yugi's graveyard, Celeste is making the right decision."
Mahiru snapped a photograph of the action.
This Naegi kid knows his stuff, Kaiba thought. In fact, I'm willing to bet the very spellcaster in Yugi's graveyard is none other than his Dark Magician, he always has several ways of getting it in play.
I've got no choice, Yugi thought, eyes wavering. Sorry, Buster Blader. "I activate my trap card, Miracle Restoring!"
Celeste looked dumbfounded, It wasn't an attack reflection trap?
"By removing two spell counters from Magical Exemplar, I'm allowed to summon either a Buster Blader or a Dark Magician from my graveyard. So say hello to my favorite monster. Come forth, Dark Magician!"
Two stones were removed from Magical Exemplar as Dark Magician emerged from Yugi's trap card, staff in hand.
"Unfortunately, Dark Magician can't intercept this attack so both of our monsters are still destroyed, but once they are, I'll have the advantage!"
"All right!" Téa exclaimed, jumping up and down and clapping her hands.
"You the man!" Tristan shouted, fist pumped into the air.
"Heh," Kaiba smirked. He loved being right.
Phantom Gryphon and Magical Exemplar destroyed each other with a talon strike and magic blast respectively.
"That's what you get for taking a risky move early on in the duel. Now, I've got my favorite monster out this early in the game."
"Ask me if I care," Celeste said as she plucked a card from her hand. "I'll save you the trouble: I don't. I activate Cup of Ace! This nifty spell card requires me to flip a coin. If it lands on heads, I draw two cards, tails you draw two cards. And before you say that's quite the gamble," Celeste said as she plucked a limited edition pro-tournament Duel Monsters coin from her pocket, holding it between her index and middle finger, "That's the point." Celeste flipped the coin high into the air, prompting Mahiru to take another photo, managing to get Celeste's interested gaze up towards the high flipped coin.
When the coin was within reach, Celeste snatched it out of the air and placed it daintily on her hand. "Well, what do you know?" she asked. "Heads. Looks like I draw two cards."
"Man, talk about lucky," Tristan said.
"Luck might not have anything to do with it," Kaiba said.
"If it's not luck, then she cheated, didn't she?" Hajime asked.
"Not quite," Kaiba said. "A trained eye that's mastered the art of coin flipping might be able to watch it carefully enough that they'll know which side will end up facing what direction as the coin tumbles. Celeste gambles a lot, doesn't she and I saw her watching that coin intently. And even with all that said, there's still a margin of error for guesswork and for the fact that we're moving with high winds all around us."
"So is it luck, or isn't it?" Joey asked, scratching his head.
"I guess you could say it's part luck and part skill, two things you lack Wheeler."
"Why you—" Joey declared, ready to charge Kaiba, but Téa and Tristan held him back.
Celeste gazed at them with mild disinterest as she drew her two cards. "Our audience is getting quite noisy, don't you think?"
Yugi just smiled nervously.
"I place one card face-down on the field," Celeste said, setting the card, "And end my turn."
"My turn then," Yugi said and drew the top card of his deck. He was rather happy with the card he drew. Hey, Monster Reborn! With this I could really turn the duel around. "I activate the spell card, Monster Reborn, allowing me to bring back from the graveyard, my Buster Blader, which you also sent to the graveyard thanks to Card Destruction!"
Celeste remained as expressionless as ever as the powerful warrior of 2600 attack points strong took to the field.
"And that's not all," Yugi said. "I place one card face-down onto the field, leaving only one card in my hand, Swift Gaia the Fierce Knight!"
Celeste's mouth hung open a little. Yugi now had three of his most powerful monsters on the field and had enough attack power to defeat her on this turn.
"Congratulations," Celeste said with a smirk. "That's enough attack power to completely wipe me out. Go ahead and attack if you dare," she said, drawing her finger braced index finger across her neck, "Take your best shot."
"Gladly!" Yugi declared. "Buster Blader, attack!"
Buster Blader charged forward at Celeste's face-down monster, but she was quick to counter.
"Sorry, but I still need that. Reveal face-down card, Negate Attack!"
A swirling portal appeared and Buster Blader's attack was stopped dead cold.
"Gotcha," Celeste chuckled.
"Well, go ahead and make your move then, but it'll have to be a good one to get through my defenses."
"Oh don't worry," Celeste said, drawing the top card of her deck. "It will be." She drew the top card. "Swords of Revealing Light!"
Shocked faces went all around the blimp as Celeste's light swords slammed onto Yugi's side of the playing field, trapping him for three turns.
"Next, I reveal my face-down monster," Celeste said, spreading her palm over the arena, "Go, Stealth Bird!" Celeste's monster flipped into attack position with 700 attack points and 1700 defense points.
"Stealth Bird?" Komaru questioned, having never heard of the monster.
Mahiru snapped a photograph of the monster's emergence.
Makoto looked unhappy. "Yugi better brace himself. This duel just took a sharp turn in Celeste's favor."
"When Stealth bird is switched from face-down defense position to face-up attack position," Celeste stated, "It deals 1000 points of directly life point damage to you. Stealth Bird, attack!" Celeste's monster flew into the air and over and above Yugi's monsters, firing down with razor sharp needle feathers at the King of Games.
"Aaaaaagh!" Yugi exclaimed as his life points fell to 1000.
"Yugi!" Yami called out in alarm.
Yugi stumbled a bit, but he remained on his feet, looking more determined than hurt.
"But simple burn damage is such a bore if it's a one-time trick. Fortunately," Celeste said, snapping her fingers as Stealth Bird vanished from sight into the clouds around the battlefield. "Stealth Bird can conceal itself and attack again. And what's worse than one Stealth Bird?" Celeste asked rhetorically as she held up another one. "Two." She summoned the second one in attack mode and sent it into stealth mode as well, protecting her life points and putting Yugi in quite the fix.
Marik, the real one, looked absolutely gleeful. It seems you're certainly more than talk, Celestia Ludenburg. Little Yugi has some of his best monsters on the field and you've boxed him in with an unbeatable strategy. With no cards in his hand, he has to draw his way to victory. Splendidly done, my accomplice! Marik chuckled. And bonus points for managing to trick Little Yugi into dueling in the Pharaoh's place. I suppose I could use a queen like you at my side after all.
Celeste and Yugi locked competitive gazes as Yugi put his hand on the top card of his deck. "Think you can draw your way to victory?" Celeste asked.
"There's no thinking," Yugi said. "I have to. The fate of the world is at stake, not that you care."
Celeste gave no response. Of course she cared, that's why she made her deal with Marik, but she wasn't about to say that.
"Well then, why don't I give you even more reason to squirm?" Celeste asked, holding up a card. "With this, one card face-down onto the field. My turn officially ends." It's a semi-bluff, Celeste thought, knowing her face-down was a simple Metalmorph. But psychology is a key strategy to any duel.
It was do or die now. With no cards in his hand and no way to attack Yugi had to figure a way out of this mess or he was done for. With the odds stacked so hard against him, Yugi began to panic, his hand going slack against his deck.
Maybe Celeste was right, he thought. Maybe I can't win on my own. I'm sorry Yami, I risked the fate of the world on my pride.
However, Yami did not berate his partner. Instead, he gave Yugi's hand a reassuring, firm squeeze.
"You're acting precisely how Celeste wants you to act. You've been dueling just fine so far without my guidance. Just calm down and believe in the heart of the cards." Yami gave Yugi a smirk and a thumb's up, "And show Celeste what true dueling is all about."
"Yeah, you're right pal," Yugi said. He went back to giving Celeste his toughest look.
"Getting a pep talk from your other half?" Celeste asked. "Well, I suppose I'll allow it. I said you had to duel on your own. I never said no one could try and boost your morale. Not that it will help." Celeste chuckled. "Or will this sudden spike in your confidence help you draw what you need."
"It will," Yugi said. "I draw!" Yugi pulled the top card off of his deck. Awesome! "I activate the spell card, Card of Sanctity! This means we both have to draw until we're each holding six cards!"
"Man, of all the lucky draws," One of Espa's brothers said.
Mahiru, yet again, snapped up another photograph.
That wasn't luck, Byakuya thought. That was the heart of the cards resonating within Yugi's deck. When your back is to the wall, you calm your breathing, believe in yourself and your deck, and you may find that fate smiles upon you. It's not an exact science, rest assured, and sometimes a situation is completely hopeless, but a skilled duelist doesn't get himself into those situations to start with. Now let's see how our resident King of Games proves himself.
"So, did you get the card you needed?" Celeste asked.
Yugi nodded. "I activate De-Spell! Disabling your Swords of Revealing Light!" Celeste's swords vanished into the ether. "Next, I'll place three cards face-down! And now, I attack! Swift Gaia the Fierce Knight, attack!"
Gaia charged forward as Celeste's Stealth Bird intercepted the attack.
"Buster Blader, now it's your turn, go!"
The same thing happened as Buster Blader cut Celeste's other Stealth Bird down to size, ruining her strategy.
"And now," Yugi declared, "Go, Dark Magician!"
"Dark Magic Attack!" Yugi, Yami and even Makoto, caught up in the moment, declared. Komaru looked at him oddly and he just rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment.
Celeste looked like she was having a seizure as the dark energy waves completely engulfed and caused her to stumble back, life points plummeting straight down to 1500.
"Way to go, Yugi!" Téa cheered.
"That's our Yug!" Joey exclaimed.
"I suppose that's the King of Games for you," Hajime said.
"Heh, I said there was nothing to worry about," Nagito said. "The more Yugi's pushed into a corner, the brighter his hope shines. He'll never lose to someone like Celeste."
However, all of the praise being sent Yugi's way was starting to grate on Celeste as a darker side of her mind began to seep through, eyes looking just about ready to glow with anger. "You think I'll lose," she said as she took a deep breath. "From a lucky shot?" She lifted her head and stared Yugi down with a crazed, angry stare. "I'm Celestia Ludenburg, Queen of Liars, nay Queen of Duelists. You want to call yourself a king of games, then let's see you get past this! I draw!" Celeste drew the top card of her deck. "Since you have two monsters sharing the same attribute, I can special summon Alector Sovereign of Birds to the field." Celeste's monster appeared with 2400 attack points. It was a bi-pedal bird-like creature covered in armor with gorgeous red wings. "Next, I activate Cost Down," she said, "So by discarding one card from my hand, all the monsters in my hand have their levels reduced by two, allowing me to play my Phoenix Beast Gairuda without tributing."
"Uh, okay this is not looking good," Joey said.
"And lastly, I'm going to take a page out of your book and activate Monster Reborn, letting me summon Fire King High Avatar Gairunix!" Celeste declared.
Celeste's monsters had 2400, 2500 and 2700 attack points respectively. Yugi's monsters had 2300, 2500 and 2600 respectively.
"Next, I'll activate my face-down card," Celeste said, "Metalmorph! And I'll equip it to my favorite monster: Phoenix Beast Gairuda!" The phoenix became coated in a metal alloy, increasing its attack points by 300 and making its eye glow.
"Prepare to become lunch," Celeste said and extended her arm, palm spread wide, "Go my feathered warriors, destroy Yugi's monsters and wipe out the rest of his life points!"
Alector was set to attack Gaia, Phoenix Beast Gairuda went after Buster Blader, and Fire King High Avatar Gairnuix dove towards Dark Magician. And thanks to Metalmorph and Phoenix Beast Gairuda's own special ability its attack power surged upwards to 4400.
"Yugi!" Joey, Téa and Tristan cried out at the same time as Yugi's monsters were all destroyed.
"Game over," Celeste declared with a chuckle.
"Not quite!" Yugi declared, showing his face-down card, "I activated Emergency Provisions right when you declared your attack. So by sacrificing both of my other face-down cards, I was able to gain 2000 life points before damage was dealt. So," Yugi said, showcasing that his life points read out at 900, "I'm still in this game."
"Not for long," Celeste said. "I place one card face-down on the field and end my turn."
"Yugi," Téa said, hands held up in prayer. She wanted him to win, but he was running out of options.
Celeste's proving far more of a challenge than I originally fathomed, Kaiba thought. Her winged-beasts and cunning strategies are keeping Yugi in quite the corner. Looks like there's only one way out of this for you, Yugi. Question is, do you have the guts to play it?
Yugi looked at his hand that had been cut down to size after that risky gamble from last turn. With all my monsters destroyed, Celeste has put me in a huge bind. He put his hand on top of his deck. Heart of the cards, guide me!
Yugi drew the top card of his deck. "I place one monster card face-down onto the field and one monster card face-down. That's all I can do this turn."
Celeste looked annoyed. "How dumb do you think I am? One face-down monster. One face-down trap card. It's the oldest trick in the book."
"Well if it's so obvious why not do something about it?" Yugi taunted.
Celeste now looked even more annoyed. "Don't bait an opponent well-adapted to the situation. I activate the spell card Harpie's Feather Duster, allowing me to destroy every last one of your face-down spell and trap cards!" Celeste declared, "Even the one you played much earlier this duel."
Suddenly however, a gobbling with a scroll and the word fake across the scroll appeared and was destroyed and only it, by Celeste's spell card. "What?"
"Fake Trap prevents you from destroying my other trap cards in substitute for itself. You walked right into my ploy."
"Have I now?" Celeste asked. "Or have you forgotten I have three monsters that think you look like a very exotically haired worm. Go, my minions, attack! Let's start with you, Fire King High Avatar Gairunix!"
"Aw, man! He's gonna lose the duel!" Tristan exclaimed.
"Oh no, poor Yugi," Serenity said.
However, Yugi smirked. His monster was revealed to be Electromagnetic Turtle as the creature burned to a crisp.
"Since Electromagnetic Turtle was sent to the graveyard this turn, I'm free to end the battle phase now that your attack has been concluded. And now you've wasted your Harpie's Feather Duster. So much for the oldest trick in the book, huh?"
"Am I supposed to be impressed?" Celeste asked, practically turning her nose up at the situation. "You're just stalling. Why don't you just give up?"
"If you know me at all Celeste, you should know I never back down no matter what. And stalling can help me draw just the card I need to turn this duel around." Yugi drew the top card of his deck. "I activate Pot of Greed, letting me draw 2 cards." Yugi now had 3 cards in his hand. "And next I'll activate Brain Control, letting me take control of," Yugi pointed at Celeste's favorite monster, "Phoenix Beast Gairuda!"
Celeste's monster was forced to Yugi's side, her metalmorph still attached to it.
"Time to end this duel," Yugi declared. "Attack!"
Celeste did the quick math in her head, coming out to -250 life points. Sorry Yugi, but I planned for this. Congratulations for forcing my hand though. "I activate Mirror Force, destroying my brainwashed monster."
Celeste's monster slammed straight into her trap card and was destroyed.
"Man that's cold. Isn't that her favorite monster or whatever?" Joey asked aloud.
"You do what you have to do to win," Kaiba said. "And Celeste understands that perfectly well."
"Indeed I do," Celeste said. "Are you doing anything else this turn, Yugi?" Celeste asked. "Save for a face-down you went out of your way to protect, but still haven't activated, you have nothing that can protect you."
"I'm just waiting for the right moment," Yugi said. "And now I place one monster face-down on the field and end my turn."
"How boring," Celeste said and placed the top card of her deck in her hand. "Fire King High Avatar Gairunix, do your thing and burn Yugi's monster to a crisp with Fiery Wingbeat Blaze!"
With a flapping of its massive wings, Fire King High Avatar Gairunix destroyed Yugi's face-down monster, Alpha the Magnet Warrior.
"This duel is over," Celeste declared. "Alector, attack Yugi directly."
"I can't look!" Téa exclaimed, clenching her eyes shut and tilting her head at the floor.
But Yugi was far from done. A wall of Kuribohs appeared, blocking Alector and keeping Yugi's life points safe.
"Kuriboh, huh?" Celeste asked. "Clever move, but in case you haven't noticed, you're once again out of cards to play. You can't keep this up forever. Even if you somehow managed to special summon Osiris the Sky Dragon, it would have 0 attack points."
"Maybe so, but I'm not giving up," Yugi said. "I draw!" He looked at the card he drew. "Time for me to take a page out of your book. Swords of Revealing Light!"
"Oh you naughty boy," Celeste said, mildly amused, but also irritated.
She drew the top card of her deck. "Pass," she said.
Yugi drew the top card of his deck. "I end my turn." He said.
Celeste drew the top card of her deck. "Pass."
"Aw come on, play something, wouldja?" Joey asked.
"Don't rush perfection," Celeste said. "Summoning another monster would do me no good."
"Seriously, Wheeler, show some restraint."
"What is this? Pick on Joey hour? Both of ya shut yer face."
"Then shut yours first," Byakuya said. "It's painful to listen to you whine."
Joey just growled.
Yugi passed his next turn as well, now having two cards in his hand.
And once more Celeste merely drew the top card of her deck, passing her third and final turn with Swords of Revealing Light active. On her next turn she was free to attack.
"The tension is so thick here, it is like a great coagulated cyst of spiritual pressure," Gundham said.
"Indeed, though nothing happened, both players have been given ample opportunity to resupply their hands. For Yugi's sake, I hope he drew the right ones."
"He'll be fine," Nagito said. "It's Yugi. He's the King of Games."
"I sure hope so," Mai said. "Because he's running out of options. Look at his and Celeste's decks, they're starting to look pretty thin, don't you think?"
"Come on, Yug, pull through," Joey said.
"So, Yugi, did you get the cards you needed again?" Celeste asked.
"I think so," Yugi said. "I activate the spell card Spell Reproduction! By discarding two cards from my hand to the graveyard, I'm allowed to target one spell card in my graveyard and activate it immediately. And the card I choose: Card of Sanctity!"
"Clever boy," Celeste said. But will it be enough?
Perfect, Yugi thought when he saw his new hand. "I activate the spell card Magnet Reverse. This lets me summon Alpha the Magnet Warrior back from the graveyard in attack position! And to add to that, I'll activate Premature Burial. At the cost of 800 life points, I can bring back Beta the Magnet Warrior, which you sent to the graveyard with Card Destruction!"
Yugi's life points now sat at a mere 100.
That seems to be biting me more and more in the ass with each passing turn, Celeste thought. Gamma must be in his hand or he wouldn't have taken the risk. She looked at her monsters. Which means I'm about to take significant damage here. She smirked. Well-played, Yugi.
"Now I fuse together Alpha, Beta, and Gamma the Magnet Warriors in order to summon Valkyrion the Magna Warrior!"
Yugi's massive monster appeared with 3500 attack and 3850 defense points.
"I'm taking this duel back!" Yugi declared forcefully. "Go, Valkyrion! Cut Celeste's Alector down to size, Sky Saber Slash!"
In an electrifying blast, Celeste's Alector Sovereign of Birds was annihilated, bringing the gambler's life points down to 400 as she grimaced, arm crossed over her body to shield her eyes as dust and wind blew fiercely at her.
"Next, I set the last two cards in my hand face-down," Yugi said. "That'll do it for my turn."
"Don't think your Magnet Warrior will save you," Celeste said. "I activate the spell card Dark Hole, causing both of our monsters to be destroyed."
"Cutthroat, but effective," Byakuya commented.
Even Yami was shocked by Celeste's reckless abandon with her monsters.
"I don't care if you have three face-downs or four. I'm ending this," Celeste said. "I summon Blue-Winged Crown in attack mode!" Celeste summoned an all-blue, red crested peacock-looking monster with 1600 attack points and 1200 defense points. "And now, I attack you directly."
"Not while I have this card on the field, go Solemn Shield!"
That's what he's been saving this whole time? Celeste thought, taking note of the location of Yugi's trap card.
"By cutting my life points in half," Yugi said, his life points falling to just 50, "I can negate one attack made this turn by a monster that was just summoned."
Blue Winged Crown slammed towards a wise-looking old man—so noted because of his gray hair, beard and long robe—and was blocked by a powerful barrier which forced it to flap its wings and fly backwards back towards Celeste.
"I give you points for Desperation, but that's all I'm giving you," Celeste said. "Make your move."
"I will," Yugi said. "I draw!"
Celeste then began laughing. "Oh and did I forget to mention Fire King High Avatar Gairunix comes back to the battlefield this turn?"
"What?" Yugi gasped.
"Oh no!" Yami added.
"Well, that explains her recklessness earlier, she wanted her monster destroyed," Byakuya mused.
"You think with the exception of you and Pegasus that Celeste is the toughest opponent Yugi's ever faced?" Makoto asked Kaiba.
"I'd actually agree with that statement, yes," Kaiba said. "I've never seen Yugi pushed this badly into a corner, staring down a monster almost as strong as my Blue-eyes that just keeps coming back for more if its destroyed with 50 life points to his name and only one card in his hand."
"But it's Yugi," Makoto said, "So…he'll win, right?"
"I guess that depends," Kaiba said.
"On what?" Makoto asked.
"On whether or not Yugi really deserves to be called the King of Games or not."
"Spoken like a true rival," Komaru said with gusto. "You should find a rival of your own, Makoto. Then you could star in your own manga or even an anime."
"I don't think it works like that Komaru." She's been reading way too much manga lately, he thought.
Celeste isn't willing to give up the advantage in this duel so easily it seems, Yugi thought, Not that I expected any less. He looked at the card he drew. Fortunately, "I play Obnoxious Celtic Guardian in defense mode."
Yugi's monster appeared in a crouching, defensive stance with 1400 attack and 1200 defense points.
Celeste looked nervous. I'd call it a pointless endeavor, but he would've just given up if those two face-downs couldn't keep him alive. After all, if they couldn't, the solution is obvious, attack with Blue Winged Crown and then attack with Fire King High Avatar Gairunix to win the duel.
Celeste drew the top card off of her deck. If I want to have a shot at victory, I need to play a monster weak enough to destroy Obnoxious Celtic Guardian, but still strong enough to withstand a counterattack should Yugi make one next turn. Celeste quickly scanned her hand. And I have just the thing. "I summon to the field, Sky Scout!" Celeste played what essentially looked like a brown-skinned, red-winged genderbent version of a Harpie Lady with 1800 attack points and 600 defense points.
"Sure glad it's not mating season for my harpies," Mai quipped.
"Do we really the dirty jokes right now?" Joey asked, flabbergasted at Mai's audacity.
"Exactly what I was waiting for!" Yugi exclaimed.
He baited me! Celeste exclaimed.
"Activate Dark Renewal!" Yugi declared. "Since you played a monster and I control a monster, I can sacrifice both to resummons my Dark Magician!"
Both Sky Scout and Obnoxious Celtic Guardian were sent to the graveyard and Dark Magician emerged in defense position, 2100 defense points strong.
"Oh, is that it?" Celeste asked. "I can just burn it to cinders and then finish you off."
"You'd like that, wouldn't you, Celeste?" Yugi asked with a taunting tone. He glared. "But I'm no fool and I picked the Dark Magician specifically to perform one of my favorite combos. Reveal my last face-down card: Magical Hats!"
Oh you clever boy, Celeste thought, mouth hanging open.
"With the Dark Magician concealed, the only monster that can attack and seek it is Fire King Avatar Gairunix and if Blue Winged Crown attacks Dark Magician, you don't have enough life points to take the reflected damage. That leaves you with a 1 in 4 chance of victory."
"One in four?" Celeste asked. "That's like one-hundred percent to someone like me."
"Then test your luck," Yugi said. "And attack!" He declared, fists clenched, eyes fierce with determination.
"Oh believe me, I will!" Celeste shouted, right hand held up, index finger extended. "Fire King High Avatar Gairunix attack! Destroy the hat second from the left! Burn it to cinders with your Fiery Wingbeat Blaze!"
Fire King High Avatar Gairunix attacked, but alas, Celeste failed to uncover the Dark Magician.
"I switch Blue-Winged Crown to defense position," Celeste said, as her monster covered itself with its wings. "Next, I play three cards face-down and end my turn."
"Looks like today wasn't your lucky day," Yugi said. "I draw!" Yugi went for the top card of his deck, only to freeze.
He's concentrating, Byakuya noted. He knows that with every passing turn, the odds improve and Celeste could easily summon a monster with greater than 2100 attack if she happens to have one that only requires a single tribute—and she probably does. So he has no choice, but to believe in the heart of the cards now and let fate decide the rest.
Ha! Even if Yugi manages to play a strong enough monster, the cards I have face-down are Dimensional Prison, Ring of Defense and Blazing Mirror force, Celeste thought. With the latter two working in tandem, it basically gives me a second Mirror Force and that's assuming I'll even need them with Dimensional Prison in play. That's just a backup in case Yugi decides to wipe out a single spell or trap card.
Celeste could feel her heart racing. Just one more turn, two if necessary, and I'll have beaten the boy that beat the creator of Duel Monsters.
She's smiling, Marik thought. Why is that witch smiling? Victory hasn't been guaranteed yet. She still only has a 1 in 3 chance of uncovering the Dark Magician and even then with her monster in defense mode, she can't finish Yugi off. Marik sneered. The same thing happened with Joey Wheeler. She's enjoying this!
"Yugi," Celeste said. "Why don't we make a little wager?" Celeste asked. "Seeing as how we're so close to the end and this duel has come right down to the wire, I'd like to make a little gamble with you."
"Yugi, don't! She's trying to mess with your head!" Yami warned.
"What are your terms?" Yugi asked, arms going slack.
Yami resisted the urge to slap his face.
"If I win, you become my personal butler for six months and you'll wear only a skintight uniform purely for my amusement. You'll cook all my meals and scrub all of my furniture and floors."
Kaiba tried to resist the urge to laugh, but failed. "I'd pay money to see that actually."
"Oh then I simply must invite you over to tea, should I win," Celeste said with a mischievous smile.
"And what happens if I win?" Yugi asked.
"Why don't you see if you can get out of your little predicament first?" Celeste chuckled. "Then you can decide any terms and conditions you want. Of course, that's assuming you even think you can win. But if you draw the top card of your deck, I'll accept it as a binding contract that you're willing to risk everything, including your freedom."
Fine, witch, Marik thought, arms folded, enjoy the duel. I'm enjoying this little wager your making. The idea of seeing Yugi work hard labor as a servant is most amusing. Marik now had an amused image in his head of Yugi in a skintight butler outfit with the heel of Marik's foot on Yugi's back as Yugi scrubbed the floor beneath the chair Marik was sitting on.
"Yugi, let me take back control. This ridiculousness has gone on long enough!" Yami bellowed.
Yugi put his hand back on his deck. "Celeste, I never intended to lose from the very start, so I'll take whatever you can throw at me. The world's doomed anyway if I lose, so if I have to bet my freedom on top of that, that's fine by…" Yugi drew the top card of his deck, "Me!"
Yami felt tense wondering if Yugi had managed to draw what he needed to turn this duel around. He then spotted Monster Recovery in Yugi's hand. It was quite a risky move, call back Dark Magician and Magical Hats, shuffle them into his deck and draw five new cards. If he didn't get what he needed on that draw, it was truly game over.
"Doubting yourself at this stage, are we?" Yami asked, given how much gall Yugi had shown already.
"I..." Yugi said, that was before the card he drew came down to a gamble.
"Isn't gambling what Celeste is all about to start with?" Yami asked. "Just believe in the heart of the cards, Yugi. It's gotten you this far and it'll come through for you again. There's too much at stake if we fail and at this rate Celeste is guaranteed to close in on us if we do not act."
"You're right, pal," Yugi said. "All right, here goes! I activate the spell card, Monster Recovery!" Dark Magician and Magical Hats returned to Yugi's hand. "With it, I'm allowed to shuffle all the cards on my field and in my hand into my deck and draw a new hand of five cards."
"That's quite the gamble given how hard it is to summon Dark Magician at all," Celeste said.
"And you love to gamble, don't you?" Yugi asked. "But I'm going to show you that dueling isn't about luck and skill, it's about heart and I believe in the heart of my cards. I draw!" Yugi pulled five cards to his hand and lo and behold, there I was: Osiris the Sky Dragon.
"All right!" Yugi exclaimed.
"You have a terrible poker face," Celeste commented.
"No need for a poker face when I'm about to win this duel," Yugi said.
"Are you now?" Celeste asked.
"Just watch," Yugi said. "I start by activating the spell card, The Shallow Grave. This lets me summons from my graveyard, Valkyrion the Magna Warrior in defense position!"
"Very well, then I shall choose my Phoenix Beast Gairuda," Celeste said, returning it to the field. Too bad for him, even if he attacks now, my face-down, Dimensional Prison, will send Valkyrion to another dimension, thereby ridding Yugi of one of his most powerful monsters, permanently and on my next turn, he'll be completely annihilated.
"Next, I activate the spell card, Cards of Burial Magic. By banishing three spell cards from my graveyard, and I have plenty to choose from, I'm allowed to draw two more cards."
What? He has enough power to attack, why doesn't he just attack me?
"Next, I activate Valkyrion the Magna Warrior's special ability, causing him to split apart into Alpha, Beta and Gamma the Magnet Warrior!"
It was only then that Celeste began to count the amount of cards in Yugi's hand. The total was five and she saw him reaching for one of them, which would leave him with four.
"It…can't be," Celeste's jaw went slack with awe.
"Now, I sacrifice Alpha, Beta, and Gamma the Magnet Warrior to summon the Egyptian God Osiris, the Sky Dragon!"
The gigantic, serpentine, red dragon appeared and with 4 cards in Yugi's hand it had 4000 attack and defense.
"Yugi's Egyptian God Card," Kaiba mused aloud.
"That thing is huge!" Ibuki exclaimed.
"By the gods!" Gundham exclaimed. "And I do mean that literally," he said plainly before going back to shouting and looking shocked, "It is truly Osiris himself taken form! What spore of madness is this?"
Makoto also was in awe of Osiris' presence. "Check it out. I've never seen that card before. I've never even heard of it."
So, Nagito thought. That's an Egyptian God Card. Interesting.
"Unreal," was the only word that managed to escape Hajime's lips.
Espa Roba simply stood idly by, acting as a silent stalwart champion to his terrified younger brothers, but inside his mind was just as in awe and surprised as the other duelists.
"That's one heck of a dragon all right," Mai said.
Mahiru snapped up what would be her last photograph of the duel.
"And not just any dragon," Joey said. "That's Yugi's Egyptian God Card. You got this, Yug!" he declared, fist clenched. "Show Frenchy what yer made of!"
Yugi nodded and raised a hand to the sky as lightning struck the battlefield and down onto the city below around the airship. "Osiris! Attack Fire King High Avatar Gairunix! Thunder Force Wave Strike!"
Celeste gulped as time seemed to slow to a crawl. I can't activate any of my trap cards, she thought. Her mind traveled back in time hours ago after Joey had been kidnapped, but before she sprung Mokuba and Téa free.
"Trap cards don't work?" Celeste asked while discussing the Egyptian God Cards with Marik.
"Of course not, they're gods!" Marik told her declaratively. "If you were a god, would you let a simple hole in the ground or reflective mirror destroy you?"
Celeste chuckled. "No, I suppose not. So, what techniques can be used against the god cards? Surely they have some sort of weakness."
"Fool! Why should a god have a weakness? They're so mighty even most spell cards only affect them for one turn, including Monster Reborn. I'll say it again, they're gods of ancient Egypt! Weaknesses? I scoff at the very idea. The gods are invincible!"
"Then why does Yugi currently possess Osiris?" Celeste asked.
Marik was silent.
"That's what I thought." The Egyptian God Cards, hmm? Celeste thought. This tournament just got a whole lot more interesting.
Against a god, my trap cards are effectively useless. Celeste's entire hand fell to the ground as she stared up at Osiris, wide-eyed as its Thunder Force Wave came barreling towards her and her monsters. However, despite knowing her loss was all, but guaranteed now, she smiled. You really are interesting, Yugi Mutoh. Well done. I suppose the power of the gods was never mine to possess.
Osiris' attack slammed into Celeste's monster as she residual shockwave threw her to the ground. Celeste landed on her arm and collapsed in a semi-fetal position as her life points fell all the way to 0.
How disappointing. You came so close to victory only to have it slip from your grasp, Marik thought, snubbing his nose at Celeste's defeat.
Celeste lay on the ground for a moment, wishing to compose herself and wallow in self-pity for a few moments. Well, at least until Yugi walked over to her. He was leaned forward towards her and his hand was extended towards her, fingers together, palm opened. Celeste looked confused at the gesture.
"Come on," he said, "Take my hand. You all right?"
Celeste couldn't fathom it. Why was Yugi being so nice to her. He won and she'd treated him horribly since the start of the duel. A trick. It had to be a trick. Celeste then shook her head violently and composed herself. No, it's no trick, she thought. He's too kindhearted for that. She sighed inwardly. Bless your naïve heart, Yugi Mutoh. Celeste gripped Yugi's arm, grabbing him by the sleeve as he grabbed her sleeve and pulled her to her feet.
Celeste then quickly fanned out her skirt to ensure that it wasn't wrinkled.
"This match is over!" Roland declared, fanning out an arm towards Yugi's side of the arena, even though he was currently on Celeste's side. "The winner of this duel is Yugi Mutoh!"
Celeste smirked. "I am not a woman that denies her mistakes," she told Yugi. "Be it you or the spirit of the Pharaoh, I recognize both of you as the King of Games." Her smirk turned into a happy, genuine smile. "Kind of makes me wonder what might happen if you two were to duel each other, were it possible."
Yugi rubbed the back of his head. "Let's hope it never comes to that," he said embarrassingly. He then realized something in Celeste's comment. "Wait a sec! Did you challenge me specifically because…"
Celeste smirked in amusement. "Oh I knew from the start that dueling you was going to be no summer picnic. I watched you duel Joey, remember. But the way I saw it, if I won, I won. If I lost, well, now everyone knows Yugi Mutoh isn't some short twerp with special magic powers, yes?" She glanced in Marik and Odion's general direction. "Especially Marik."
Marik did his best to remain in the guise of Namu outwardly, but inwardly he was seething with rage. You…backstabbing harlot! I should've sent you to the shadow realm when I had the chance! How dare she use her defeat as a means of screwing him over. When she made that proposal she had no idea she'd be dueling Yugi in the first round, but she likely only did so keep me off her back. This was her plan all along. Curse you, Celestia Ludenburg!
Yugi looked at Celeste with a rather happy expression. "I was right about you, Celeste. You really are a good person."
Celeste laughed and continued to smile. "Ah, right, before I forget," she said and picked a card up from off the ground as she then gathered the rest to place them back in her deck. She then handed the first card she picked up to Yugi: Fire King High Avatar Gairunix. "This is the most powerful card in my deck, may it serve you well. Now then, if you'll excuse me, I'd like to go freshen up before the next duel. I'll be a spectator from here on out and I don't intend to do so smelling of sweat."
"Um, Celeste," Yugi said before she got to the edge of the arena.
"Oh right, our wager," she said, scratching her chin, "You won after all." She smirked. "Well, you can submit me to whatever foul torture comes to your mind if you haven't thought of a victory condition already. At least let me have one last shower before you ask me to start taking my clothes off."
"What?!" Yugi exclaimed, turning bright red like Osiris' scales.
Celeste chuckled. "Just a little joke. Of course your far too innocent for that kind of prize. Now then, like I said, if you'll excuse me." Celeste climbed down from the arena and began walking past the spectators, in particular, Joey caught her eye as she neared the elevator.
"Yo, Frenchy!" Joey called out to her without actually realizing why he did so.
"Hmm?" Celeste craned her neck backwards to pay Joey only as much attention as she needed to.
"Nice, uh," Joey said, as he scratched the back right side of his head, "nice job. Even though…you lost and…stuff."
Celeste chuckled, fingernails almost pushing past her lips. "Indeed. I fear if it had been you up there you would've broken bawling like a newborn babe.
"Say what? I coulda dueled my way out of that mess faster than Yug did!" Joey exclaimed, pissed off at Celeste taking the opportunity to torpedo his ego.
"Oh really?" Celeste asked with a wry smirk. "I'd like to see that. What do you say, after this tournament's over, to a rematch? Well, once you get Red-Eyes back of course." She smiled both politely and mockingly at him. "You'll need it."
"Why you..." Joey growled.
Celeste then just chuckled and walked away.
"Oh my, my! Joey was nice to Celeste! Is this some kind of soap opera development?"
"Oh please, Joey's just a nice guy," Mai said and then gazed at Joey intently as she said, "Right, Joey?"
Mai's tone of voice suggested like she had every intention to attack Joey if he answered wrong.
"Y-yeah, of course," Joey said. Why does it feel like I'm being mugged?
The awkwardness suddenly dropped as Yugi dismounted from the stage. "You were great up there, Yugi," Téa told him. "Excellent job."
"Indeed," Yami said, appearing above and over Yugi's shoulder, arms folded, "That was an excellent duel, Yugi."
"You showed that gambler chick what real dueling is all about."
Mahiru took a blinding photograph of Yugi causing him to yelp in surprise.
"Sorry," she apologized, laughing, "Just taking a photo to commemorate your first of what I expect will be several Battle City Finals victories."
"Y-yeah, thanks," Yugi said, rubbing his head.
"Yugi Mutoh, what a fearsome adversary," Sonia stated, looking serious.
"Agreed," Gundham added. "Let us retire for now. There should still be warm food in the main hall."
"Oh, food sounds lovely. Let's sit together," Sonia said and she and Gundham walked away.
As the crowd began to disperse, Hajime pulled Blackland Void Dragon out of his deck and looked at it. Yugi's duel had given him his first real taste of what he would be up against in this tournament.
"We underdogs gotta stick together."
Hajime remembered Joey's statement to him before this started, but now, once again, he was awash with nerves and doubt. However, after staring at his prized possession for longer, he shook his head and put the card away, clenching a fist tightly in determination. No, he made it here and he was just as deserving of his spot in the finals as anyone else.
Just the first round, Hajime thought. If I can clear the first round, I'll be satisfied with that much. At least I'm not up against Yugi. He gulped. Now I just hope I won't end up against Kaiba. Hajime excluded Marik despite Marik's Egyptian God Card. After what happened with Chiaki, he had a bone to pick with tomb keeper.
So, Byakuya thought as he stared at the now empty stage. That was the power of the second god card, Osiris the Sky Dragon. He looked at Odion, still believing him to be Marik like the rest. I wonder how your god card will fare, Marik. And pray to that god that you do not have to face I, Byakuya Togami, in the first round of this tournament.
Once the roof of the blimp had been cleared, Celeste was already in the shower, her hair extensions hanging on wall hook to be replaced to her head when she was done showering.
I can't believe for the first time in my life I'm considering not just one, but two B-ranks, she thought, thinking of Yugi and Joey. More to the point, I can't believe I respect either one of them, Joey especially. She sighed as she rinsed out her hair. It's the first time I've been kicked out of a tournament so early and been able and willing to spectate the rest of the competition. But, I suppose that has something to do with how fun this game is.
Celeste shut the water off, exited the shower, wrapped herself in a towel and blow dried her hair before she began work on her hair extensions. The random values of this game make it so that even when your deck is the same, no two duels are alike. You win, lose, even a tie is possible. But until now… Celeste looked at her face in the mirror, I never really had anyone that could compete with me. Until now, all the competitions were boring. Yugi and Joey appeared as astral images behind her in the mirror's reflection. Celeste smiled and thought aloud, "I really must thank you two for making yourselves such respectable, worthy adversaries." She looked seriously into the mirror and pointed at her conjured images. "But don't think I'm taking this lying down. I'll learn from my losses and become even better than before. Because I want to feel that feeling again, that feeling of my heart racing at the prospect of completing an actual challenge."
The door to the bathroom clicked open not a minute later as Celeste stepped out fully dressed like she'd just performed a quick change act.
Yes, a challenge, Celeste thought, That's what I was missing this whole time. Her mind gazed backwards in time at all her victories in all her previous competitions up until now. Nary a moment passed when Celeste felt threatened or otherwise unsure of herself. But in the world of Duel Monsters that was completely different, well, at least now anyway. She'd breezed through so many underground tournaments, she lost count.
Never grow rusty, you two, Celeste thought. Because I want to feel the rush of that challenge again and again until it's so wrote I will be forced to find something else.
But enough about me, Celeste thought as she headed for the fridge, eager to get something to eat from the main hall, This tournament is still on and there can only be one winner. She said as she opened the door. And, seeing as I'm a gambling woman, I'd say it's a safe bet that Yugi Mutoh won't lose to anyone. As she closed the door to the fridge she thought, I'd wager a trip to the shadow realm on it.
(A/N: And thus ends the clash between the King of Games and the Queen of Liars as well as Celeste's roll as an antagonist in this arc. Next chapter will include some in-between duel scenes, such as Hajime checking up on Chiaki, and then it's off to the 2nd round. And the only thing I have to say about that is that it's time for the Chosen One put his uncountable amount of money where his mouth is. That's right, next duel will feature everyone's favorite rich douchebag—Kaiba notwithstanding—Byakuya Togami. But who will his opponent be? You'll just have to wait until next chapter to find out.
Oh, and we had an original card used in this chapter: Solemn Shield. It's a normal trap card with the following effect: You can only activate this card when your opponent declares an attack. Pay half your life points, negate that attack. Yugi doesn't have Negate Attack so I had to get creative. Not to mention as the duel wore on it became harder and harder to get an Osiris finish XD. Everything else in the duel has an existing counterpart, though some cards, like Monster Recovery and Card of Sanctity, work according to their anime counterparts, not their real life counterparts.
Anyway, that's all for now, until next time, as always, from all of me, to all of you, let your hearts stay human and your wrath draconic. Ja ne!)