Lady Akhana: The Penguin Opposition Force Meeting will now come to order.
Moonlady: Hey! That's my line!
Star: Any new business?
Gema J. Gall: Yeah! It's working! Authors from all over the world are joining us to stop the plague! We will beat the penguins!
Lady Akhana (to Moonlady): Too much Dr. Pepper.
Moonlady: I agree....
Star: So how many new members do we have?
Gema J Gall: Well, two.....
Lady Akhana: That's it?!
Gema J. Gall: Um, yeah..... Allow me to introduce the Pharaohs Light and Dark.
Pharaoh Light: Pleased to meet ya.
Pharaoh Dark: We are so glad others know! I thought we would have to face the penguins alone.
Gema J Gall: And they have some great ideas!
Star: Like what?
Pharaoh Dark: Mustard waterballoons! Mustard paintball guns! Pharaoh Light, are oyu writing this down?
Pharaoh Light: He thinks I'm his secretary...... Yes, I wrote it down.
Moonlady: So what is your story?
Pharaoh Dark: We were working at our secret base when we received word of your knowledge of the penguins.
Pharaoh Light: We wrote promptly.
Pharaoh Dark: But then our alarm went off.....
Lady Akhana: What alarm?
Pharaoh Light: This alarm *holds up a lightbulb* It turns green when the penguins are on the move and red when they are attacking.
Pharaoh Dark: We had to flee and leave most of our supplies, but I still have a few mustard grenades.
Pharaoh Light: They're waterballoons.
Star: Gema, did the paintball gun work?
Gema J. Gall: Sort of.... the mustard pellets kind of explode into a mist wen I fire it though. *Penguin alarm turns yellow*
Lady Akhana: The light is yellow! We are going to die!
Pharaoh Dark: No, that just means that someone is coming.
Moonlady: Who?
Bandit Keith: Me!
Star: What are you doing here?
Bandit Keith: I have a bone to pick with Gema...... HOW DARE YOU LET PEGASUS STEAL MY SOUL?!
Gema J. Gall: Because I don't like you.
Bandit Keith: I will crush you!
Gema J. Gall: I doubt that, you're not smart enough. *Penguin alarm turns red.*
Pharaoh Light: The penguins have him! He is one of them!
Pharaoh Dark: Eat grenade!
*Pharaoh Dark begins bombing Bandit Keith with waterballoons. Gema J. Gall opens fire with the paintball gun. Lady Akhana begins to fling stadium mustard on him. Moonlady prepares to knock him over the head with her baseball bat. Pharaoh Light is calling for reinforcements. Star is reaching for a hotdog.*
Bandit Keith: What is the matter with you people?!
Lady Akhana: Die penguin scum!
Moonlady: Eat mustard!
Bandit Keith: Dang you people! Do you have any idea how hard it is to get mustard out of black leather?!
*Moonlady knocks him out with her baseball bat.*
Star: Now what do we do?
Moonlady: We load him with mustard.
Gema J Gall: Then we give him back to Pegasus. I ain't through with him yet.
Lady Akhana: That was too close.
Pharaoh Light: It looks like we could still use more help.
Gema J Gall: We want you to join the Penguin Opposition Force.
Lady Akhana: Thank you Uncle Sam......
Moonlady: Anyways, remember the e-mail is princess8light@yahoo.com or princessakhana@yahoo.com.
Lady Akhana: Brilliant idea! I could start a yahoo group!
Pharaoh Light: And the whole world will be able to fight the penguins!
Pharaoh Dark: Great idea!
Gema J Gall: Do it!
Lady Akhana: OK! I'll get back with ya when I do.
Star: We'd better split before the penguins find us.
Moonlady: Agreed, let's get out of here.
**************************************************************************** ****
"Well, this is the final round, and I actually made it," thought Tempest as her and Martin ate in silence. "I said I would drop out when only those who deserved to win were left. I think that has happened. I'll withdraw now. I really hate to go back to the Group Home, but I don't have any motivation to continue here. I've reached my goal. Plus, I won't look like a complete idiot when, if I get creamed by an eliminator. Not to mention being dragged out of here. Also, I won't have to deal with Pegasus and his cheating and Yu-Gi and his Duel Monster's cult. I'll announce my plans after the meal and walk out. That will give them all something to talk about."
"I have the honor to announce the next duel," said a guard, Crochet, steeping forward. Everyone pushed away there desserts to listen. "But this duel is going to be different than any duel before. It will be a double duel; two finalists versus two eliminators, simultaneously. The rest of the rules will be explained at the holo-field. Our participants in this double duel will be the brothers Para and Dox, and the finalists Mai and Jewel."
"Who?"
"That would be me," said Tempest stepping forward, "Jewel was my name when I registered three weeks ago."
"How many times do you change your name?!" asked Joe.
"Seven in the past month," Tempest replied, somewhat enjoying the confusion she created.
"This way," said the guard, who had recovered first.
"Looks like we are in this together, kid," said Mai as she walked passed Tempest.
"Dang it! This isn't supposed to happen!" thought Tempest, "I can't just back out now, that wouldn't be fair to Mai. I guess I am just going to have to play this thing through." A knot began to form in her stomach. "I don't want to face an eliminator, and now I have to face two! I am not some champion, this is my first tournament ever! I don't want to get humiliated!"
The group walked back to the arena. The holo-field had been altered while they ate. Instead of two platforms opposite of each other, there were four platforms, one in each corner. Para and Dox took a place at the left, so Tempest and Mai took the right. Martin slipped passed the guards and stood at his accustomed place at the bottom of Tempest's platform. He was hiding in its shadow, which was good. If the guards would have caught him, he would have to leave Tempest.
"The rules will be as followed," said Para, "I will go, then Mai...."
"Then me, then Tempest," finished Dox. "Each player will have twenty life points, as usual....."
"But the first one to reach 0, means their whole team loses....." continued Para.
"And therefore the weakest duelist will be our target....." said Dox smiling and he gestured towards Tempest. She stuck her tongue out at him.
"A player cannot use their teammate's cards....." said Para.
"All other rules of a normal duel apply," finished Dox. They finished their speech with a simultaneous triple back flip and land together.
"Time to duel," said the duelists. Well, all except Tempest, who was getting sick with dread.
"For my turn I play the Labyrinth Wall in defense mode," said Para as he played his card.
"That card has no attack points!" exclaimed Mai. Its stats were 0 and 3000. "What are you thinking?!"
The holo-field began to rumble, then his move took shape. From out of the floor rose high walls, in an unusual formation.
"What is going on?!" exclaimed Mai as the holo-field finished. The whole field had transformed into a giant maze.
"The labyrinth has formed..." said Para.
"Enter at your own risk...." added Dox.
"Is that even possible?" asked Tempest, out-loud. "Not with the traditional, tabletop method, that is for sure," she added silently.
"The rules of the labyrinth are simple enough...." said Para.
"A monster may enter and take as many steps as their level....." continued Dox. (AN: Card level is indicated by the number of stars in the upper right corner of a card.)
"But the labyrinth also holds our traps...." warned Para.
"Navigate it successfully, or fall victim to our monsters...." finished Dox.
"Remember when we faced them?" asked Joe to Yu-Gi in the audience.
"Yes, that was a hard duel," he replied.
"Yeah," agreed Joe, "But our friendship got us through it."
"That is something Mai and Tempest don't have," said Yu-Gi, biting his lower lip.
"Do you think they can win?" asked Joe.
"No one has beaten an eliminator yet," commented Tristan.
"Hey, Yu-Gi has already beaten them, and Panic," countered Joe. "Besides," he thought, "I will have to win, for my sister. Serenity."
"For my first turn I play Harpy Lady in attack mode," declared Mai. Her mythological beast appeared on the field. Her flaming red hair blowing wildly as it flapped her arms which acted as wings. Her stats were 1300 and 1400.
"That is Mai's standard opening move," commented Joe.
"Be warned that the labyrinth is a no fly zone," snickered Dox.
"What?!" exclaimed Mai.
"Your monster cannot enter the maze," replied Para.
"For my move I play this face down and end my turn," said Dox he played a monster card in defense mode.
"Then I play the Succubus Knight in attack mode," declared Tempest. Her monster appeared on the field, one step away from the labyrinth. Her monster was blonde with a red jumpsuit and a pendant that resembled bat wings on. Her attack was 1650 and defense was 1300. "And I will have her walk five steps into the maze." The warrior type walked forward and stopped, looking around for action.
"Then I will play the Dungeon Worm in attack mode," declared Para. His monster was basically, a long orange worm. It had no real head, just a large opening lined with teeth. Its attack was 1800 and its defense was 1500. "Dungeon Worm, attack the demon-lady."
"It can't! It is on the other side of the maze!" exclaimed Mai. But the her surprise and her partner's chagrin, the Dungeon Worm began to burrow under the maze.
"What is happening?!" asked Tempest. The monster was gone, leaving its hole as proof of its trail. A second later it popped up under her monster, caught the Succubus Knight in its teeth, and dove back into the ground. Tempest lost 150 life points.
"That is cheating!" exclaimed Mai.
"No, the Dungeon Worm travels that way," countered Para.
"Better quickly learn the rules of the labyrinth," finished Dox. They did their trademark simultaneous triple back flip.
"Quit doing that!" demanded Mai.
"It is your turn, just go and ignore them," suggested Tempest, "The Dungeon Worm won't leave the maze to get your Harpy Lady, so you will be OK."
"I play Cyber Shield to raise my monsters stats," declared Mai, "What do you think of this make-over?" Her monster was give sheek, state-of the art armor, which put her stats at 1800 and 1900.
"A waste of a turn...." said Para.
"You have yet to hurt our monsters," finished Dox, "And now I play the magic card Polymerization to meld my Shadow Ghoul into the Labyrinth Wall, creating the Wall Shadow." His first monster was flipped over and literal sucked into the wall. In the end it was part of the wall with dark, vicious claws. It attack was 1600 and defense was 3000.
"Their decks are designed for this," Tempest said to Mai. "they are meant to be played together in this labyrinth."
"So what is your point?" asked Mai.
"It means that we aren't really dueling two separate decks, we are dueling one deck, more or less," said Tempest, "Our decks weren't designed like that, but somehow we are going to need to find a way to make them work together to win."
"I may have an idea, but none of my monsters can enter the maze," commented Mai, "Take your turn and I'll find a way to work this out."
"Then I play the Water Magician in attack mode," declared Tempest. She played her monster, whose stats were 1400 and 1000. She had on an aqua hat and cape that matched her aqua suit, which had green sleeves. Her pants were white and she held a golden staff with a crescent moon and a blue orb at the top. Her lilac hair was cut short around her neck. "And she will take four steps into your maze. I also play a magic card."
"For my turn I play the Guardian of the Labyrinth in attack mode and power him up with the Legendary Sword," Para declared as he laid his card down. His warrior had an attack of 1000 and defense of1200, but were now 1500 and 1700. It wore dark blue armor and its helmet had two demon-like horns. In one had was a sword that had to be as long as he was. In the other was a shield made out of pure fire. "Advance four paces into the maze. Then Dungeon Worm destroy the Water Magician." The Dungeon Worm broke through the stone surface of the Labyrinth, ready to destroy the next monster.
"Fake Trap activate!" yelled Tempest. The Dungeon Worm froze, then dove back underground.
"Interesting," commented Para.
"Yes, very," responded Dox.
"For my next turn I play the magic card, Elegant Egotist, to multiply my Harpy Lady," declared Mai. The Harpy Lady split into three. One with the stats of 1800 and 1900, and the other two with 1300 and 1400. "Then I play another magic card face down to end my turn."
"I hope you have this figured out," thought Tempest as Dox began his next move.
"I will play the Labyrinth Tank in attack mode and have it advance seven steps into our maze," declared Dox. The tank appeared. It was blue with multiple drills coming from the front top and sides. It made its way into the labyrinth, gouging the sides as it went. Its attack and defense were both 2400. "Then Wall Shadow attack the Water Magician!" The Wall Shadow vanished into the maze's wall and, like a shadow, crept upon Tempest's monster and shredded it. Tempest was down to 1650 life points.
"Impossible! It went to many spaces!" exclaimed Mai.
"Actually, it went no spaces, because it moved along the wall," said Dox.
"You had better learn the rules of the labyrinth," added Para.
"I can't just keep sending my monsters out to be massacred. We need a plan. I just hope Mai knows what she is doing. It seems like I will be doing most of the attacking here," thought Tempest before she made her move.
Para had his Dungeon Worm and Guardian of the Labyrinth, both in attack mode. Dox had his Wall Shadow and Labyrinth Tank, both in attack mode also. Mai had her three Harpies, one powered up by the Cyber Shield. Tempest had no cards in play at the moment.
"Do you think they can actually win?" Bakura asked Yu-Gi.
"I don't know, it will be hard," he answered, "Para and Dox have some good monsters out there. Plus, Mai can't really help, since all her monsters fly."
"It only gets harder from here, remember Yug," said Joe.
"Yeah, I remember. They had better win this before Para and Dox can summon their ultimate monster," replied Yu-Gi.
"I play Fairy of the Fountain in attack mode, and I will power her up with Malevolent Nuzzler," she declared as she played her combo. The Fairy of the Fountain had turquoise skin and deep aqua colored hair. She had a blue jewel on the middle of her forehead. She held a medium sized clay vase and wore a flowing white, long, straight dress. Her raised attack was 2100. But her defense was lowered to 800. "I also play a magic card. Then I will have my fairy take four paces into your maze." The monster complied.
"Haven't you learned anything?" asked Para.
"You cannot win in our labyrinth," Dox answered his brother's question. It was Para's turn.
"Ah! One piece of the puzzle!" Para exclaimed as he drew his next card. "I play this in defense mode. Then I use the magic card, Invigoration, to raise the attack of my Dungeon Worm to 2300." He laid his new card on the field. A coffin like box appeared on the field, on their end of the maze. They did a triple back flip out of their excitement.
"What is it?" Tempest asked Martin.
"I don't know," replied Mai. "It looks like a coffin with a weird Chinese symbol on it."
"I've never heard of a monster like that," muttered Tempest as she quickly ran all her known facts about Duel Monster through her head.
"You know what this means, Yug," said Joe.
"I know, this isn't good," he replied.
"Then I'll have my guardian advance four more paces. Finally, Dungeon Worm attack the Fairy of the Fountain!" Para ordered. Once again the worm appeared from the depths of the earth. It was about to attack Tempest's monster.
"I call for Reinforcements!" she yelled as she turned her magic card over. "That raises my monster's attack to 2600 for this turn, 300 higher than yours." When the Dungeon Worm appeared to eat the fairy, her monster fired a forceful beam of water out of her vase. The Dungeon Worm dissipated. Para was down to 1700 life points.
"No!" he cried.
"Yeah! Score one for them!" encouraged Tea. Martin smiled.
"My turn," said Mai. "I play the Rose Whip, to raise the attack of my Harpy Lady by 300 more points." Her lead Harpy was now at 2100 and 2200. "Then I play this magic card, ending my turn.
"Why do you bother with your monsters? They are useless here," asked Dox.
"Because the duelists has no other move," answered Para.
"For my next turn I play this face down," said Dox as he laid his monster card down, but in attack mode.
"What is it?" asked Mai.
"Another hazard of the labyrinth. Plus, my Labyrinth Tank advances seven more paces," answered Dox. Silently, he thought, "Little do they know that when they step on the square with the Jiria Gumo's symbol it will attack."
"I'll have my Fairy of the Fountain take four more paces. Then I play Gyakutenno Megami in attack mode," declared Tempest. "We need more fire power," she thought. Her next female monster appeared on the field. She had flowing green hair and a simple, pale green dress on with a sky blue sash and trim. She had an ornate golden tiara and pretty green face paint on. Her ears were elfin. She carried a golden staff with an ornate eagle carved on the top. Her stats were 1800 and 2000. "Enter the maze, six steps."
"We admire your persistence......" said Para.
"But your efforts are futile...." finished Dox.
"For next I play the second piece of are puzzle in defense mode, plus two magic cards," said Para. He laid the card down and another coffin with a different symbol appeared. "Now, all that is left is Kazejin. Guardian of the Labyrinth advance four spaces."
"Woah! Kazejin!" exclaimed Tempest.
"What do you mean?" asked Mai.
"Have you ever heard of the Gate Guardian Ritual? By combining three monsters; Sanga of the Thunder, Suijin, and Kazejin, the Gate Guardian can be summoned. It is stronger than the Blue-Eyes!" explained Tempest.
"What?!" exclaimed Mai.
"We are in trouble. We need to get rid of those coffins," said Tempest.
"How did she know that?" asked Joe in the audience.
"I think she has spent a lot of time studying all of the cards, probably to make up for her blindness," answered Bakura.
"Wow! And I thought gramps pushed me hard," commented Joe.
"She is quite knowledgeable about the game," said Yu-Gi, "Between that and Mai's experience they may win this yet."
"That makes it my turn," said Mai, "And I don't like you stocking up on magic cards. So I use Harpy's Feather Duster and blow them away." She played her magic card. Normally the holo-fields showed and unexplainable breeze get rid of all of the opponent's magic card when it was used, but since Mai had her Harpy Lady in play the holo-fields showed her wings lengthen to create a tornado, which eliminated Para's magic cards.
"Hopefully we won't have to wait much longer," said Dox as he drew his card, "No such luck. I play Flame Cerebrus in attack mode. Then it will advance six steps into our maze, so will the Labyrinth Tank."
"That is one ugly mutt," muttered Mai as her opponent's new monster appeared. It had blood red fur, except its heads which were dirty brown. Heads plural because there were three. It also had three snake like tails. Other than that is was completely canine with 2100 attack and 1800 defense.
"The Cerebrus was the guardian beast of Hades in Greek and Roman mythology," explained Tempest.
"Then," continued Dox, "With the help of the Ax of Despair, Wall Shadow destroy the Gyakutenno Megami!" With that order the fiend raced through the walls and quickly broke Tempest's monster into light before disappearing again. Because of the creature's raised stats Tempest was down to 1450 life points.
"Fine," countered Tempest, getting annoyed because all her monsters were ending up in the graveyard, "I play the Empress Judge in attack mode, plus De-spell to remove your Ax of Despair." The Wall Shadow reverted to its original stats as Tempest's new monster appeared. She had fiery red hair and a standard with two pairs of wings at the top. Her dress was silky and violet with pink trim. She also had a gold tiara and red face paint. She was, except for color, almost identical to the Gyakutenno Megami. Those two cards were rivals and their stats would actually be lowered if they were on the field at the same time. But, since her counterpart was recently destroyed, her stats remained unaltered at 2100 and 1700. Tempest hoped she could survive the labyrinth.
"She will take six steps into the labyrinth and my Fairy of the Fountain will also continue," she finished her turn.
"Then I play this magic card," announced Para, smiling broadly. The whole arena began to shake and the labyrinth itself rearranged.
"What is happening?" asked Mai as she watched from above.
"We can change the labyrinth with the Magic Labyrinth magic card," boasted Para.
"You cannot hope to win, concede defeat," taunted Dox.
"Never!" Tempest and Mai said together, much to the surprise of all.
The maze had been reformed. The Guardian of the Labyrinth wasn't in much better position then before, but the Labyrinth Tank, Flame Cerebrus, and Fairy of the Fountain had been pushed farther into the maze. The Empress Judge, on the other hand, was almost to the other side. The other monster cards; Para and Dox's Suijin and Sanga of the Thunder, as well and Mai's Harpies, were unaffected because they hadn't entered the maze. The Wall Shadow wasn't affected either, because it was in the walls, how unlikely that may be.
"Now, Guardian of the Labyrinth, exit the maze and attack a Harpy Lady," ordered Para. The guardian raised its sword and sliced through one of Mai's weaker harpies. It let out a bird shriek then dissipated. Mai lost 200 life points.
"You'll regret that," retorted Mai. "Because I play these two magic cards. First is Shadow Spell, which I am going to use on your Wall Shadow."
"What is this?" asked Para.
"What can the duelists be thinking?" asked Dox. Tempest smiled. Down below the holo-field showed multiple chains bind the Wall Shadow, dragging it out of the wall and reducing its stats by 500.
"No, Wall Shadow!" cried Dox.
"And now Harpy Lady attack the Wall Shadow," Mai ordered. The remaining weaker harpy shredded the beached Wall Shadow, bring Dox's life points down to 1700. "But I am not done yet. My strongest harpy, decimate the Guardian of the Labyrinth." That harpy took flight and, despite the guardian's attempt to use its flaming shield, it was destroyed. This brought Para down to 1000 life points.
"Way to go!"
"Good job!"
"Nice move!" came the encouragement from below.
"You shall regret that," yelled Dox, "For now I play Final Flame which takes 200 points directly off of your life points." He put his magic card down and the holo-field showed the sky fill with fire, ready to rain down on Mai.
"Too bad," she snickered, "Because, long ago, I played the trap card Goblin Fan. It sends all of that kind of magic back to its sender." She still had two unknown magic cards.
"No!" cried Para and Dox together. The fiery sky reversed directions and fell on Dox. He was down to 1500 life points. Para had 1000, Mai 1800, and Tempest had 1450.
"Fine, my Labyrinth Tank will advance seven more paces, within range of your harpies, and it will destroy the weaker one first," said Dox. The tank rumbled forward and, with its drills, grinded the harpy into obliteration. Mai was down to 900 life points.
"That was so cool Mai," complimented Tempest, "And now I play the Electro- Whip on my Fairy of the Fountain. Which further raises her stats to 2600. Then she will take four more steps into the maze."
"She is two steps away from Dox's Flame Cerebrus," Mai pointed out.
"Thanks," said Tempest, "Fairy of the Fountain take two steps and destroy the Flame Cerebrus before continuing." The Fairy of the Fountain did just that. She walked forward and raised her vase. Water began to gush out, more than that vase should be able to hold. The Flame Cerebrus disappeared with a yelp. This brought Dox down to 1000 life points. Then the Fairy continued.
"Ha, you walked....." said Para.
"Into our trap......" finished Dox. The fairy had landed on a square with a web-like symbol on it. "Jiria Gumo attack and destroy the Fairy of the Fountain." A dark brown spider-like creature appeared and enveloped Tempest's monster with its jointed legs. Its attack was 2200 but its defense was only 100.
"It can't," protested Tempest, "My Fairy is stronger."
"No it isn't...." started Para.
"The Jiria Gumo reduces any power-ups," finished Dox and her monster was reverted back to 1600 attack.
"No!" cried Tempest but her monster was gone. She was down to 850 life points. "To finish my turn my Empress Judge will take six more steps.
"You'd better learn the rules of the labyrinth," said Para.
"But it may be too late for even that...." finished Dox.
"Will you quit doing that!" yelled Mai.
"For my turn I play the Monster Tamer in attack mode," said Para. "Normally I could not control my brother's monsters, but the Monster Tamer allows me to by-pass that rule. So, I will have Dox's Labyrinth Tank eliminate the last Harpy Lady." The tank approached Mai's remaining monster.
"No it won't, Negate Attack activate," said Mai as she revealed one of her two remaining magic cards. The tank did no damage to her monster.
"But that is not all," said Mai as she began her turn, "I play Follow Wind to raise the attack of my Harpy Lady to 2600. And now it is strong enough to destroy your precious tank."
"But you have forgotten a basic rule....." said Para.
"Negate Attack stays in-play for just one more turn....." finished Dox.
"Dang it," muttered Tempest.
"This is getting close," said Joe in the audience.
"I know," said Tea, "But I hope Tempest and Mai win.
"What? Don't want to be the only girl around all these buff men," teased Tristan.
"I don't see any buff men," replied Tea, looking around. Tristan and Joe fell, anime style.
"Good luck," whispered Yu-Gi.
"Then I will play the Machine Conversion Factory which upgrades my Labyrinth Tank," said Dox. There was the sound of metal on metal and new, sharper drills appeared on the tank, plus denser armor. Its stats were now 2900 each.
"Too bad the Follow Wind put my harpy out of your range," gloated Mai. Her Harpy Lady was at eye level with the duelists on their raised platform.
"I guess that means that it is my turn," said Tempest as she drew her next card. She smiled, "I play Megamorph, which raises my Empress Judge's stats by one level. She now has an attack of 3100. And she will now continue to advance in your maze."
"She has left the maze," Mai pointed out.
"What?" asked Para.
"She took an extra step," complained Dox.
"That is because her level was raised by one," said Tempest, "And now, destroy Suijin."
"Yeah!"
"All right!"
"Good move!" encouraged the audience as they watched the coffin splinter.
"One left thing to worry about," muttered Mai.
"How dare you destroy one of the labyrinth brothers," said Para, enraged, "I use Spell-Binding Circle on your judge." A strange magical circle surrounded her monster. Tempest bit her lip.
"Reverse Trap activate!" declared Mai as she revealed her last magic card. "That means that her monster now gains 500 points."
"Thanks," said Tempest as she smiled at her partner.
"That is team work," said Joe.
"They may win this yet, especially with one of the pieces of the Gate Guardian gone," added Yu-Gi.
"And now for my turn," said Mai. "I play Harpy's Pet Dragon, which gets a power bonus, just for being near my Harpy Lady." An orange dragon appeared on the field. It was large, but not as big as some of the other dragons. Chains were around its limbs and it had feathers around its face like a Mardi Gras mask. Its raised stats were 2500 and 3000. "I also play the rare magic card Shadow of Eyes as well as this, face down." She laid two magic cards down.
"What does it do?" asked Para.
"It forces opponent's monsters to attack," replied Tempest.
"How did you know that?" asked Mai.
"I studied," she replied simply.
"Yes, I see," she said to Tempest. Then to the brothers, "Well what are you waiting for, Monster Tamer attack." The Monster Tamer was hypnotized and ran through the maze like a mad man. It raced to her Harpy Lady and was decimated. This brought Para down to 200 life points. Dox had 800, Tempest 850, and Mai had 900.
"But it also effects non-human monsters," continued Mai, "Labyrinth Tank attack and activate my trap, Reinforcements." The tank attacked the dragon and due to the trap card lost by 100 points, which came off of Dox's total.
"Hum," said Dox as he watched his tank be destroyed and prepared for his next turn, "Kazejin, defense mode. Also I play Curse Breaker on the Empress Judge, which takes away all power ups she has." The Judge's stats returned to 2100 and 1700. Tempest frowned, so did Martin. Even though he didn't say anything, inside he was strongly cheering for her.
"My turn," said Tempest. At those words the Jiria Gumo began to rush trough the maze.
"What is happening?" asked Para and Dox.
"It is under the spell of my Shadow of Eyes," said Mai.
"Quickly I play the De-Spell card to eliminate the Curse Breaker," said Tempest. The Empress Judge had not yet returned to full stats before the Jiria Gumo attacked. They collided and the female monster won. Dox was brought down to 500 life points and Tempest's monster returned to 3100 attack and 2700 defense.
"But that isn't all," said Tempest, "I would have played this first, but circumstances necessitated that I do otherwise. So now I play the Harpy Lady Sisters in attack mode." She laid her monster card down. Three harpies appeared. One looked like the Harpy Lady card; red hair and feathers. The next one had short orange hair and green feathers. The last had spiky violet hair and lilac feathers. Their stats were 1950 and 2100. "They raise the stats of the Harpy's Pet Dragon by 1000." The dragon now had an attack of 3500.
"Wow, that is good," commented Joe.
"This is good," said Yu-Gi, "They are beginning to work together."
"That is very impressive...." said Para, he was smiling, not a good sign.
"But will it be good enough?" asked Dox.
"For now I play Suijin in defense mode...." continued Para.
"No way!" exclaimed Tempest.
"And they meld together to create...." said Dox.
"The Gate Guardian," they finished together.
"This is bad," muttered Mai. The holo-field went dark and the three coffins glowed eerily. There was a flash of light and the Gate Guardian appeared. It towered over every monster, even the Harpy's Pet Dragon. Its feet were made by Suijin, the water element and were aqua blue with Suijin's symbol on the waist. The abdomen was formed from Kazejin, element of wind and was green with its symbol on the stomach. Sanga of the Thunder created the head with its symbol on the chest. The Gate Guardian looked like a walking suit of armor with an attack of 3750.
"I play this magic card, then Gate Guardian destroy the Empress Judge," Para ordered. Summoning a violent storm from the wind element the Empress Judge was blown away. Tempest was knocked down to 20 life points.
"This is not good," muttered Mai, Tempest nodded in agreement.
"They have two," muttered Bakura.
"Actually they probably have three of each of those monsters," said Yu-Gi, "Considering you can't have any more than three of one monster in a deck."
"Can they beat it?" asked Joe.
"I do not know," replied Yu-Gi.
"No magic card here," said Mai, "I play Harpy's Feather Duster and blow it away." The wings again lengthened on her remaining harpy and the magic acrd was sent to the graveyard.
"If you do not like magic cards I might as well play one," gloated Dox, "I play Ryoko (Excuse my spelling). It is a very rare magic card."
"But what does it do?" asked Mai.
"It takes half of our life points and gives them to one of their monsters," answered Tempest.
"What?! That is highway robbery!" exclaimed Mai. "And if you say one more thing about 'the rules of the labyrinth' I will make it impossible for you to say anything else ever again." She cut her opponents gloating short. Mai was down to 450 life points and Tempest 400. The Gate Guardian was up to 4300.
"Gate Guardian destroy the dragon," ordered Dox.
"They can both command it?" asked Mai.
"Probably, since it is made from both of their monsters," answered Tempest.
"And how exactly do you plan on reaching my dragon from the other side of the maze?" asked Mai to Para and Dox.
"Simple, first Suijin floods it...." explained Para.
"Then Sanga uses it as a conductor to eliminate your monster....." finished Dox. As they said this the Gate Guardian was doing it.
"But you have forgotten that the Harpy's Pet Dragon is also a flying type, giving it an advantage over your land based monster," said Mai. The dragon gained 500 more attack, which wasn't enough to save it, but Mai still was left with 150 life points.
"This is not good," said Joe.
"I don't think they can pull this off," said Tristan.
"It is possible, with the heart of the cards," said Yu-Gi.
"Dang," thought Tempest, "It comes down to me. If I can't do anything this turn we will lose. Dang it! I hope this is a good card." She drew her next card. "Stop Defense! What good is this going to do me? I have a killer at the other end of a stupid maze and...... Hey! Wait! That's it!"
"Quit stalling," said Para.
"It is time you lose," added Dox.
"I don't think so," said Tempest, grinning broadly. "I play the Mystical Sand in attack mode."
"The duelists has gone mad....." said Para.
"It cannot stand up to our might," finished Dox.
"What are you doing?" asked Mai.
"You cannot beat the Gate Guardian," said Para and Dox together.
"I agree, I can't," said Tempest, "But I have something far more creative in mind."
"What is she doing?" Bakura asked Yu-Gi.
"I don't know," he replied.
"She seems confident, do you think they'll win?" asked Joe.
"It is possible," admitted Yu-Gi, "A duel can completely turn around in one turn."
"I play," Tempest continued, "Stop Defense."
"What good is that?" asked Para.
"We have no defending monsters," said Dox.
"That is your big move!" yelled Mai angrily.
"Actually," said Tempest, ignoring Mai, "You have one defending monster."
"She is mad," said Para.
"The duelist cannot see, she is mistaken," insisted Dox.
"No, you have overlooked something," said Tempest, "The Labyrinth Wall is a monster card. And I am going to take it out. It only has 500 attack thanks to the Magical Labyrinth, and is completely helpless against my Mystical Sand."
"No!" cried the eliminators as their beloved labyrinth was switched to attack mode.
"Good move," commented the spectators.
"Mystical Sand attack!" ordered Tempest. The wall was demolished and Tempest and Mai had won!
"That was close, thanks," said Mai as they exited the platforms.
"I never would have made it that far into the duel without your help, so thank you," said Tempest.
"They actually won," said Tristan.
"So the eliminators aren't invincible," said Joe, thinking of his sister.
"The heart of the cards never fails," said Yu-Gi.
Croquet stepped forward, ready to announce the next victims, well contestants.
"The next duel will be between the finalist Mako Tsunami and the eliminator Ravi," announced Croquet. Mako leapt to his feet, ready for action. In the shadows, Ravi, the Mexican looking eliminator in poncho and sombrero, stood up. "There will be a five minute break as the stadium is reset."
The machines began to work. Two of the platforms disappeared beneath the floor as the other two moved to the center. The duelist stood to stretch their legs.
"I can't believe I just won," thought Tempest, still in shock, I mean..... I am in the final round. I never thought I would get this far. And I definitely do not want to duel Pegasus. I will drop out.... soon. Not now. I want to see how Mako, Yu-Gi, and Joe do. But after that I am gone. I will never be able to beat Pegasus, plus I have no desire to win. I don't want money or fame. Besides, I can't wait to hear their reactions when I leave."
Moonlady: Hey! That's my line!
Star: Any new business?
Gema J. Gall: Yeah! It's working! Authors from all over the world are joining us to stop the plague! We will beat the penguins!
Lady Akhana (to Moonlady): Too much Dr. Pepper.
Moonlady: I agree....
Star: So how many new members do we have?
Gema J Gall: Well, two.....
Lady Akhana: That's it?!
Gema J. Gall: Um, yeah..... Allow me to introduce the Pharaohs Light and Dark.
Pharaoh Light: Pleased to meet ya.
Pharaoh Dark: We are so glad others know! I thought we would have to face the penguins alone.
Gema J Gall: And they have some great ideas!
Star: Like what?
Pharaoh Dark: Mustard waterballoons! Mustard paintball guns! Pharaoh Light, are oyu writing this down?
Pharaoh Light: He thinks I'm his secretary...... Yes, I wrote it down.
Moonlady: So what is your story?
Pharaoh Dark: We were working at our secret base when we received word of your knowledge of the penguins.
Pharaoh Light: We wrote promptly.
Pharaoh Dark: But then our alarm went off.....
Lady Akhana: What alarm?
Pharaoh Light: This alarm *holds up a lightbulb* It turns green when the penguins are on the move and red when they are attacking.
Pharaoh Dark: We had to flee and leave most of our supplies, but I still have a few mustard grenades.
Pharaoh Light: They're waterballoons.
Star: Gema, did the paintball gun work?
Gema J. Gall: Sort of.... the mustard pellets kind of explode into a mist wen I fire it though. *Penguin alarm turns yellow*
Lady Akhana: The light is yellow! We are going to die!
Pharaoh Dark: No, that just means that someone is coming.
Moonlady: Who?
Bandit Keith: Me!
Star: What are you doing here?
Bandit Keith: I have a bone to pick with Gema...... HOW DARE YOU LET PEGASUS STEAL MY SOUL?!
Gema J. Gall: Because I don't like you.
Bandit Keith: I will crush you!
Gema J. Gall: I doubt that, you're not smart enough. *Penguin alarm turns red.*
Pharaoh Light: The penguins have him! He is one of them!
Pharaoh Dark: Eat grenade!
*Pharaoh Dark begins bombing Bandit Keith with waterballoons. Gema J. Gall opens fire with the paintball gun. Lady Akhana begins to fling stadium mustard on him. Moonlady prepares to knock him over the head with her baseball bat. Pharaoh Light is calling for reinforcements. Star is reaching for a hotdog.*
Bandit Keith: What is the matter with you people?!
Lady Akhana: Die penguin scum!
Moonlady: Eat mustard!
Bandit Keith: Dang you people! Do you have any idea how hard it is to get mustard out of black leather?!
*Moonlady knocks him out with her baseball bat.*
Star: Now what do we do?
Moonlady: We load him with mustard.
Gema J Gall: Then we give him back to Pegasus. I ain't through with him yet.
Lady Akhana: That was too close.
Pharaoh Light: It looks like we could still use more help.
Gema J Gall: We want you to join the Penguin Opposition Force.
Lady Akhana: Thank you Uncle Sam......
Moonlady: Anyways, remember the e-mail is princess8light@yahoo.com or princessakhana@yahoo.com.
Lady Akhana: Brilliant idea! I could start a yahoo group!
Pharaoh Light: And the whole world will be able to fight the penguins!
Pharaoh Dark: Great idea!
Gema J Gall: Do it!
Lady Akhana: OK! I'll get back with ya when I do.
Star: We'd better split before the penguins find us.
Moonlady: Agreed, let's get out of here.
**************************************************************************** ****
"Well, this is the final round, and I actually made it," thought Tempest as her and Martin ate in silence. "I said I would drop out when only those who deserved to win were left. I think that has happened. I'll withdraw now. I really hate to go back to the Group Home, but I don't have any motivation to continue here. I've reached my goal. Plus, I won't look like a complete idiot when, if I get creamed by an eliminator. Not to mention being dragged out of here. Also, I won't have to deal with Pegasus and his cheating and Yu-Gi and his Duel Monster's cult. I'll announce my plans after the meal and walk out. That will give them all something to talk about."
"I have the honor to announce the next duel," said a guard, Crochet, steeping forward. Everyone pushed away there desserts to listen. "But this duel is going to be different than any duel before. It will be a double duel; two finalists versus two eliminators, simultaneously. The rest of the rules will be explained at the holo-field. Our participants in this double duel will be the brothers Para and Dox, and the finalists Mai and Jewel."
"Who?"
"That would be me," said Tempest stepping forward, "Jewel was my name when I registered three weeks ago."
"How many times do you change your name?!" asked Joe.
"Seven in the past month," Tempest replied, somewhat enjoying the confusion she created.
"This way," said the guard, who had recovered first.
"Looks like we are in this together, kid," said Mai as she walked passed Tempest.
"Dang it! This isn't supposed to happen!" thought Tempest, "I can't just back out now, that wouldn't be fair to Mai. I guess I am just going to have to play this thing through." A knot began to form in her stomach. "I don't want to face an eliminator, and now I have to face two! I am not some champion, this is my first tournament ever! I don't want to get humiliated!"
The group walked back to the arena. The holo-field had been altered while they ate. Instead of two platforms opposite of each other, there were four platforms, one in each corner. Para and Dox took a place at the left, so Tempest and Mai took the right. Martin slipped passed the guards and stood at his accustomed place at the bottom of Tempest's platform. He was hiding in its shadow, which was good. If the guards would have caught him, he would have to leave Tempest.
"The rules will be as followed," said Para, "I will go, then Mai...."
"Then me, then Tempest," finished Dox. "Each player will have twenty life points, as usual....."
"But the first one to reach 0, means their whole team loses....." continued Para.
"And therefore the weakest duelist will be our target....." said Dox smiling and he gestured towards Tempest. She stuck her tongue out at him.
"A player cannot use their teammate's cards....." said Para.
"All other rules of a normal duel apply," finished Dox. They finished their speech with a simultaneous triple back flip and land together.
"Time to duel," said the duelists. Well, all except Tempest, who was getting sick with dread.
"For my turn I play the Labyrinth Wall in defense mode," said Para as he played his card.
"That card has no attack points!" exclaimed Mai. Its stats were 0 and 3000. "What are you thinking?!"
The holo-field began to rumble, then his move took shape. From out of the floor rose high walls, in an unusual formation.
"What is going on?!" exclaimed Mai as the holo-field finished. The whole field had transformed into a giant maze.
"The labyrinth has formed..." said Para.
"Enter at your own risk...." added Dox.
"Is that even possible?" asked Tempest, out-loud. "Not with the traditional, tabletop method, that is for sure," she added silently.
"The rules of the labyrinth are simple enough...." said Para.
"A monster may enter and take as many steps as their level....." continued Dox. (AN: Card level is indicated by the number of stars in the upper right corner of a card.)
"But the labyrinth also holds our traps...." warned Para.
"Navigate it successfully, or fall victim to our monsters...." finished Dox.
"Remember when we faced them?" asked Joe to Yu-Gi in the audience.
"Yes, that was a hard duel," he replied.
"Yeah," agreed Joe, "But our friendship got us through it."
"That is something Mai and Tempest don't have," said Yu-Gi, biting his lower lip.
"Do you think they can win?" asked Joe.
"No one has beaten an eliminator yet," commented Tristan.
"Hey, Yu-Gi has already beaten them, and Panic," countered Joe. "Besides," he thought, "I will have to win, for my sister. Serenity."
"For my first turn I play Harpy Lady in attack mode," declared Mai. Her mythological beast appeared on the field. Her flaming red hair blowing wildly as it flapped her arms which acted as wings. Her stats were 1300 and 1400.
"That is Mai's standard opening move," commented Joe.
"Be warned that the labyrinth is a no fly zone," snickered Dox.
"What?!" exclaimed Mai.
"Your monster cannot enter the maze," replied Para.
"For my move I play this face down and end my turn," said Dox he played a monster card in defense mode.
"Then I play the Succubus Knight in attack mode," declared Tempest. Her monster appeared on the field, one step away from the labyrinth. Her monster was blonde with a red jumpsuit and a pendant that resembled bat wings on. Her attack was 1650 and defense was 1300. "And I will have her walk five steps into the maze." The warrior type walked forward and stopped, looking around for action.
"Then I will play the Dungeon Worm in attack mode," declared Para. His monster was basically, a long orange worm. It had no real head, just a large opening lined with teeth. Its attack was 1800 and its defense was 1500. "Dungeon Worm, attack the demon-lady."
"It can't! It is on the other side of the maze!" exclaimed Mai. But the her surprise and her partner's chagrin, the Dungeon Worm began to burrow under the maze.
"What is happening?!" asked Tempest. The monster was gone, leaving its hole as proof of its trail. A second later it popped up under her monster, caught the Succubus Knight in its teeth, and dove back into the ground. Tempest lost 150 life points.
"That is cheating!" exclaimed Mai.
"No, the Dungeon Worm travels that way," countered Para.
"Better quickly learn the rules of the labyrinth," finished Dox. They did their trademark simultaneous triple back flip.
"Quit doing that!" demanded Mai.
"It is your turn, just go and ignore them," suggested Tempest, "The Dungeon Worm won't leave the maze to get your Harpy Lady, so you will be OK."
"I play Cyber Shield to raise my monsters stats," declared Mai, "What do you think of this make-over?" Her monster was give sheek, state-of the art armor, which put her stats at 1800 and 1900.
"A waste of a turn...." said Para.
"You have yet to hurt our monsters," finished Dox, "And now I play the magic card Polymerization to meld my Shadow Ghoul into the Labyrinth Wall, creating the Wall Shadow." His first monster was flipped over and literal sucked into the wall. In the end it was part of the wall with dark, vicious claws. It attack was 1600 and defense was 3000.
"Their decks are designed for this," Tempest said to Mai. "they are meant to be played together in this labyrinth."
"So what is your point?" asked Mai.
"It means that we aren't really dueling two separate decks, we are dueling one deck, more or less," said Tempest, "Our decks weren't designed like that, but somehow we are going to need to find a way to make them work together to win."
"I may have an idea, but none of my monsters can enter the maze," commented Mai, "Take your turn and I'll find a way to work this out."
"Then I play the Water Magician in attack mode," declared Tempest. She played her monster, whose stats were 1400 and 1000. She had on an aqua hat and cape that matched her aqua suit, which had green sleeves. Her pants were white and she held a golden staff with a crescent moon and a blue orb at the top. Her lilac hair was cut short around her neck. "And she will take four steps into your maze. I also play a magic card."
"For my turn I play the Guardian of the Labyrinth in attack mode and power him up with the Legendary Sword," Para declared as he laid his card down. His warrior had an attack of 1000 and defense of1200, but were now 1500 and 1700. It wore dark blue armor and its helmet had two demon-like horns. In one had was a sword that had to be as long as he was. In the other was a shield made out of pure fire. "Advance four paces into the maze. Then Dungeon Worm destroy the Water Magician." The Dungeon Worm broke through the stone surface of the Labyrinth, ready to destroy the next monster.
"Fake Trap activate!" yelled Tempest. The Dungeon Worm froze, then dove back underground.
"Interesting," commented Para.
"Yes, very," responded Dox.
"For my next turn I play the magic card, Elegant Egotist, to multiply my Harpy Lady," declared Mai. The Harpy Lady split into three. One with the stats of 1800 and 1900, and the other two with 1300 and 1400. "Then I play another magic card face down to end my turn."
"I hope you have this figured out," thought Tempest as Dox began his next move.
"I will play the Labyrinth Tank in attack mode and have it advance seven steps into our maze," declared Dox. The tank appeared. It was blue with multiple drills coming from the front top and sides. It made its way into the labyrinth, gouging the sides as it went. Its attack and defense were both 2400. "Then Wall Shadow attack the Water Magician!" The Wall Shadow vanished into the maze's wall and, like a shadow, crept upon Tempest's monster and shredded it. Tempest was down to 1650 life points.
"Impossible! It went to many spaces!" exclaimed Mai.
"Actually, it went no spaces, because it moved along the wall," said Dox.
"You had better learn the rules of the labyrinth," added Para.
"I can't just keep sending my monsters out to be massacred. We need a plan. I just hope Mai knows what she is doing. It seems like I will be doing most of the attacking here," thought Tempest before she made her move.
Para had his Dungeon Worm and Guardian of the Labyrinth, both in attack mode. Dox had his Wall Shadow and Labyrinth Tank, both in attack mode also. Mai had her three Harpies, one powered up by the Cyber Shield. Tempest had no cards in play at the moment.
"Do you think they can actually win?" Bakura asked Yu-Gi.
"I don't know, it will be hard," he answered, "Para and Dox have some good monsters out there. Plus, Mai can't really help, since all her monsters fly."
"It only gets harder from here, remember Yug," said Joe.
"Yeah, I remember. They had better win this before Para and Dox can summon their ultimate monster," replied Yu-Gi.
"I play Fairy of the Fountain in attack mode, and I will power her up with Malevolent Nuzzler," she declared as she played her combo. The Fairy of the Fountain had turquoise skin and deep aqua colored hair. She had a blue jewel on the middle of her forehead. She held a medium sized clay vase and wore a flowing white, long, straight dress. Her raised attack was 2100. But her defense was lowered to 800. "I also play a magic card. Then I will have my fairy take four paces into your maze." The monster complied.
"Haven't you learned anything?" asked Para.
"You cannot win in our labyrinth," Dox answered his brother's question. It was Para's turn.
"Ah! One piece of the puzzle!" Para exclaimed as he drew his next card. "I play this in defense mode. Then I use the magic card, Invigoration, to raise the attack of my Dungeon Worm to 2300." He laid his new card on the field. A coffin like box appeared on the field, on their end of the maze. They did a triple back flip out of their excitement.
"What is it?" Tempest asked Martin.
"I don't know," replied Mai. "It looks like a coffin with a weird Chinese symbol on it."
"I've never heard of a monster like that," muttered Tempest as she quickly ran all her known facts about Duel Monster through her head.
"You know what this means, Yug," said Joe.
"I know, this isn't good," he replied.
"Then I'll have my guardian advance four more paces. Finally, Dungeon Worm attack the Fairy of the Fountain!" Para ordered. Once again the worm appeared from the depths of the earth. It was about to attack Tempest's monster.
"I call for Reinforcements!" she yelled as she turned her magic card over. "That raises my monster's attack to 2600 for this turn, 300 higher than yours." When the Dungeon Worm appeared to eat the fairy, her monster fired a forceful beam of water out of her vase. The Dungeon Worm dissipated. Para was down to 1700 life points.
"No!" he cried.
"Yeah! Score one for them!" encouraged Tea. Martin smiled.
"My turn," said Mai. "I play the Rose Whip, to raise the attack of my Harpy Lady by 300 more points." Her lead Harpy was now at 2100 and 2200. "Then I play this magic card, ending my turn.
"Why do you bother with your monsters? They are useless here," asked Dox.
"Because the duelists has no other move," answered Para.
"For my next turn I play this face down," said Dox as he laid his monster card down, but in attack mode.
"What is it?" asked Mai.
"Another hazard of the labyrinth. Plus, my Labyrinth Tank advances seven more paces," answered Dox. Silently, he thought, "Little do they know that when they step on the square with the Jiria Gumo's symbol it will attack."
"I'll have my Fairy of the Fountain take four more paces. Then I play Gyakutenno Megami in attack mode," declared Tempest. "We need more fire power," she thought. Her next female monster appeared on the field. She had flowing green hair and a simple, pale green dress on with a sky blue sash and trim. She had an ornate golden tiara and pretty green face paint on. Her ears were elfin. She carried a golden staff with an ornate eagle carved on the top. Her stats were 1800 and 2000. "Enter the maze, six steps."
"We admire your persistence......" said Para.
"But your efforts are futile...." finished Dox.
"For next I play the second piece of are puzzle in defense mode, plus two magic cards," said Para. He laid the card down and another coffin with a different symbol appeared. "Now, all that is left is Kazejin. Guardian of the Labyrinth advance four spaces."
"Woah! Kazejin!" exclaimed Tempest.
"What do you mean?" asked Mai.
"Have you ever heard of the Gate Guardian Ritual? By combining three monsters; Sanga of the Thunder, Suijin, and Kazejin, the Gate Guardian can be summoned. It is stronger than the Blue-Eyes!" explained Tempest.
"What?!" exclaimed Mai.
"We are in trouble. We need to get rid of those coffins," said Tempest.
"How did she know that?" asked Joe in the audience.
"I think she has spent a lot of time studying all of the cards, probably to make up for her blindness," answered Bakura.
"Wow! And I thought gramps pushed me hard," commented Joe.
"She is quite knowledgeable about the game," said Yu-Gi, "Between that and Mai's experience they may win this yet."
"That makes it my turn," said Mai, "And I don't like you stocking up on magic cards. So I use Harpy's Feather Duster and blow them away." She played her magic card. Normally the holo-fields showed and unexplainable breeze get rid of all of the opponent's magic card when it was used, but since Mai had her Harpy Lady in play the holo-fields showed her wings lengthen to create a tornado, which eliminated Para's magic cards.
"Hopefully we won't have to wait much longer," said Dox as he drew his card, "No such luck. I play Flame Cerebrus in attack mode. Then it will advance six steps into our maze, so will the Labyrinth Tank."
"That is one ugly mutt," muttered Mai as her opponent's new monster appeared. It had blood red fur, except its heads which were dirty brown. Heads plural because there were three. It also had three snake like tails. Other than that is was completely canine with 2100 attack and 1800 defense.
"The Cerebrus was the guardian beast of Hades in Greek and Roman mythology," explained Tempest.
"Then," continued Dox, "With the help of the Ax of Despair, Wall Shadow destroy the Gyakutenno Megami!" With that order the fiend raced through the walls and quickly broke Tempest's monster into light before disappearing again. Because of the creature's raised stats Tempest was down to 1450 life points.
"Fine," countered Tempest, getting annoyed because all her monsters were ending up in the graveyard, "I play the Empress Judge in attack mode, plus De-spell to remove your Ax of Despair." The Wall Shadow reverted to its original stats as Tempest's new monster appeared. She had fiery red hair and a standard with two pairs of wings at the top. Her dress was silky and violet with pink trim. She also had a gold tiara and red face paint. She was, except for color, almost identical to the Gyakutenno Megami. Those two cards were rivals and their stats would actually be lowered if they were on the field at the same time. But, since her counterpart was recently destroyed, her stats remained unaltered at 2100 and 1700. Tempest hoped she could survive the labyrinth.
"She will take six steps into the labyrinth and my Fairy of the Fountain will also continue," she finished her turn.
"Then I play this magic card," announced Para, smiling broadly. The whole arena began to shake and the labyrinth itself rearranged.
"What is happening?" asked Mai as she watched from above.
"We can change the labyrinth with the Magic Labyrinth magic card," boasted Para.
"You cannot hope to win, concede defeat," taunted Dox.
"Never!" Tempest and Mai said together, much to the surprise of all.
The maze had been reformed. The Guardian of the Labyrinth wasn't in much better position then before, but the Labyrinth Tank, Flame Cerebrus, and Fairy of the Fountain had been pushed farther into the maze. The Empress Judge, on the other hand, was almost to the other side. The other monster cards; Para and Dox's Suijin and Sanga of the Thunder, as well and Mai's Harpies, were unaffected because they hadn't entered the maze. The Wall Shadow wasn't affected either, because it was in the walls, how unlikely that may be.
"Now, Guardian of the Labyrinth, exit the maze and attack a Harpy Lady," ordered Para. The guardian raised its sword and sliced through one of Mai's weaker harpies. It let out a bird shriek then dissipated. Mai lost 200 life points.
"You'll regret that," retorted Mai. "Because I play these two magic cards. First is Shadow Spell, which I am going to use on your Wall Shadow."
"What is this?" asked Para.
"What can the duelists be thinking?" asked Dox. Tempest smiled. Down below the holo-field showed multiple chains bind the Wall Shadow, dragging it out of the wall and reducing its stats by 500.
"No, Wall Shadow!" cried Dox.
"And now Harpy Lady attack the Wall Shadow," Mai ordered. The remaining weaker harpy shredded the beached Wall Shadow, bring Dox's life points down to 1700. "But I am not done yet. My strongest harpy, decimate the Guardian of the Labyrinth." That harpy took flight and, despite the guardian's attempt to use its flaming shield, it was destroyed. This brought Para down to 1000 life points.
"Way to go!"
"Good job!"
"Nice move!" came the encouragement from below.
"You shall regret that," yelled Dox, "For now I play Final Flame which takes 200 points directly off of your life points." He put his magic card down and the holo-field showed the sky fill with fire, ready to rain down on Mai.
"Too bad," she snickered, "Because, long ago, I played the trap card Goblin Fan. It sends all of that kind of magic back to its sender." She still had two unknown magic cards.
"No!" cried Para and Dox together. The fiery sky reversed directions and fell on Dox. He was down to 1500 life points. Para had 1000, Mai 1800, and Tempest had 1450.
"Fine, my Labyrinth Tank will advance seven more paces, within range of your harpies, and it will destroy the weaker one first," said Dox. The tank rumbled forward and, with its drills, grinded the harpy into obliteration. Mai was down to 900 life points.
"That was so cool Mai," complimented Tempest, "And now I play the Electro- Whip on my Fairy of the Fountain. Which further raises her stats to 2600. Then she will take four more steps into the maze."
"She is two steps away from Dox's Flame Cerebrus," Mai pointed out.
"Thanks," said Tempest, "Fairy of the Fountain take two steps and destroy the Flame Cerebrus before continuing." The Fairy of the Fountain did just that. She walked forward and raised her vase. Water began to gush out, more than that vase should be able to hold. The Flame Cerebrus disappeared with a yelp. This brought Dox down to 1000 life points. Then the Fairy continued.
"Ha, you walked....." said Para.
"Into our trap......" finished Dox. The fairy had landed on a square with a web-like symbol on it. "Jiria Gumo attack and destroy the Fairy of the Fountain." A dark brown spider-like creature appeared and enveloped Tempest's monster with its jointed legs. Its attack was 2200 but its defense was only 100.
"It can't," protested Tempest, "My Fairy is stronger."
"No it isn't...." started Para.
"The Jiria Gumo reduces any power-ups," finished Dox and her monster was reverted back to 1600 attack.
"No!" cried Tempest but her monster was gone. She was down to 850 life points. "To finish my turn my Empress Judge will take six more steps.
"You'd better learn the rules of the labyrinth," said Para.
"But it may be too late for even that...." finished Dox.
"Will you quit doing that!" yelled Mai.
"For my turn I play the Monster Tamer in attack mode," said Para. "Normally I could not control my brother's monsters, but the Monster Tamer allows me to by-pass that rule. So, I will have Dox's Labyrinth Tank eliminate the last Harpy Lady." The tank approached Mai's remaining monster.
"No it won't, Negate Attack activate," said Mai as she revealed one of her two remaining magic cards. The tank did no damage to her monster.
"But that is not all," said Mai as she began her turn, "I play Follow Wind to raise the attack of my Harpy Lady to 2600. And now it is strong enough to destroy your precious tank."
"But you have forgotten a basic rule....." said Para.
"Negate Attack stays in-play for just one more turn....." finished Dox.
"Dang it," muttered Tempest.
"This is getting close," said Joe in the audience.
"I know," said Tea, "But I hope Tempest and Mai win.
"What? Don't want to be the only girl around all these buff men," teased Tristan.
"I don't see any buff men," replied Tea, looking around. Tristan and Joe fell, anime style.
"Good luck," whispered Yu-Gi.
"Then I will play the Machine Conversion Factory which upgrades my Labyrinth Tank," said Dox. There was the sound of metal on metal and new, sharper drills appeared on the tank, plus denser armor. Its stats were now 2900 each.
"Too bad the Follow Wind put my harpy out of your range," gloated Mai. Her Harpy Lady was at eye level with the duelists on their raised platform.
"I guess that means that it is my turn," said Tempest as she drew her next card. She smiled, "I play Megamorph, which raises my Empress Judge's stats by one level. She now has an attack of 3100. And she will now continue to advance in your maze."
"She has left the maze," Mai pointed out.
"What?" asked Para.
"She took an extra step," complained Dox.
"That is because her level was raised by one," said Tempest, "And now, destroy Suijin."
"Yeah!"
"All right!"
"Good move!" encouraged the audience as they watched the coffin splinter.
"One left thing to worry about," muttered Mai.
"How dare you destroy one of the labyrinth brothers," said Para, enraged, "I use Spell-Binding Circle on your judge." A strange magical circle surrounded her monster. Tempest bit her lip.
"Reverse Trap activate!" declared Mai as she revealed her last magic card. "That means that her monster now gains 500 points."
"Thanks," said Tempest as she smiled at her partner.
"That is team work," said Joe.
"They may win this yet, especially with one of the pieces of the Gate Guardian gone," added Yu-Gi.
"And now for my turn," said Mai. "I play Harpy's Pet Dragon, which gets a power bonus, just for being near my Harpy Lady." An orange dragon appeared on the field. It was large, but not as big as some of the other dragons. Chains were around its limbs and it had feathers around its face like a Mardi Gras mask. Its raised stats were 2500 and 3000. "I also play the rare magic card Shadow of Eyes as well as this, face down." She laid two magic cards down.
"What does it do?" asked Para.
"It forces opponent's monsters to attack," replied Tempest.
"How did you know that?" asked Mai.
"I studied," she replied simply.
"Yes, I see," she said to Tempest. Then to the brothers, "Well what are you waiting for, Monster Tamer attack." The Monster Tamer was hypnotized and ran through the maze like a mad man. It raced to her Harpy Lady and was decimated. This brought Para down to 200 life points. Dox had 800, Tempest 850, and Mai had 900.
"But it also effects non-human monsters," continued Mai, "Labyrinth Tank attack and activate my trap, Reinforcements." The tank attacked the dragon and due to the trap card lost by 100 points, which came off of Dox's total.
"Hum," said Dox as he watched his tank be destroyed and prepared for his next turn, "Kazejin, defense mode. Also I play Curse Breaker on the Empress Judge, which takes away all power ups she has." The Judge's stats returned to 2100 and 1700. Tempest frowned, so did Martin. Even though he didn't say anything, inside he was strongly cheering for her.
"My turn," said Tempest. At those words the Jiria Gumo began to rush trough the maze.
"What is happening?" asked Para and Dox.
"It is under the spell of my Shadow of Eyes," said Mai.
"Quickly I play the De-Spell card to eliminate the Curse Breaker," said Tempest. The Empress Judge had not yet returned to full stats before the Jiria Gumo attacked. They collided and the female monster won. Dox was brought down to 500 life points and Tempest's monster returned to 3100 attack and 2700 defense.
"But that isn't all," said Tempest, "I would have played this first, but circumstances necessitated that I do otherwise. So now I play the Harpy Lady Sisters in attack mode." She laid her monster card down. Three harpies appeared. One looked like the Harpy Lady card; red hair and feathers. The next one had short orange hair and green feathers. The last had spiky violet hair and lilac feathers. Their stats were 1950 and 2100. "They raise the stats of the Harpy's Pet Dragon by 1000." The dragon now had an attack of 3500.
"Wow, that is good," commented Joe.
"This is good," said Yu-Gi, "They are beginning to work together."
"That is very impressive...." said Para, he was smiling, not a good sign.
"But will it be good enough?" asked Dox.
"For now I play Suijin in defense mode...." continued Para.
"No way!" exclaimed Tempest.
"And they meld together to create...." said Dox.
"The Gate Guardian," they finished together.
"This is bad," muttered Mai. The holo-field went dark and the three coffins glowed eerily. There was a flash of light and the Gate Guardian appeared. It towered over every monster, even the Harpy's Pet Dragon. Its feet were made by Suijin, the water element and were aqua blue with Suijin's symbol on the waist. The abdomen was formed from Kazejin, element of wind and was green with its symbol on the stomach. Sanga of the Thunder created the head with its symbol on the chest. The Gate Guardian looked like a walking suit of armor with an attack of 3750.
"I play this magic card, then Gate Guardian destroy the Empress Judge," Para ordered. Summoning a violent storm from the wind element the Empress Judge was blown away. Tempest was knocked down to 20 life points.
"This is not good," muttered Mai, Tempest nodded in agreement.
"They have two," muttered Bakura.
"Actually they probably have three of each of those monsters," said Yu-Gi, "Considering you can't have any more than three of one monster in a deck."
"Can they beat it?" asked Joe.
"I do not know," replied Yu-Gi.
"No magic card here," said Mai, "I play Harpy's Feather Duster and blow it away." The wings again lengthened on her remaining harpy and the magic acrd was sent to the graveyard.
"If you do not like magic cards I might as well play one," gloated Dox, "I play Ryoko (Excuse my spelling). It is a very rare magic card."
"But what does it do?" asked Mai.
"It takes half of our life points and gives them to one of their monsters," answered Tempest.
"What?! That is highway robbery!" exclaimed Mai. "And if you say one more thing about 'the rules of the labyrinth' I will make it impossible for you to say anything else ever again." She cut her opponents gloating short. Mai was down to 450 life points and Tempest 400. The Gate Guardian was up to 4300.
"Gate Guardian destroy the dragon," ordered Dox.
"They can both command it?" asked Mai.
"Probably, since it is made from both of their monsters," answered Tempest.
"And how exactly do you plan on reaching my dragon from the other side of the maze?" asked Mai to Para and Dox.
"Simple, first Suijin floods it...." explained Para.
"Then Sanga uses it as a conductor to eliminate your monster....." finished Dox. As they said this the Gate Guardian was doing it.
"But you have forgotten that the Harpy's Pet Dragon is also a flying type, giving it an advantage over your land based monster," said Mai. The dragon gained 500 more attack, which wasn't enough to save it, but Mai still was left with 150 life points.
"This is not good," said Joe.
"I don't think they can pull this off," said Tristan.
"It is possible, with the heart of the cards," said Yu-Gi.
"Dang," thought Tempest, "It comes down to me. If I can't do anything this turn we will lose. Dang it! I hope this is a good card." She drew her next card. "Stop Defense! What good is this going to do me? I have a killer at the other end of a stupid maze and...... Hey! Wait! That's it!"
"Quit stalling," said Para.
"It is time you lose," added Dox.
"I don't think so," said Tempest, grinning broadly. "I play the Mystical Sand in attack mode."
"The duelists has gone mad....." said Para.
"It cannot stand up to our might," finished Dox.
"What are you doing?" asked Mai.
"You cannot beat the Gate Guardian," said Para and Dox together.
"I agree, I can't," said Tempest, "But I have something far more creative in mind."
"What is she doing?" Bakura asked Yu-Gi.
"I don't know," he replied.
"She seems confident, do you think they'll win?" asked Joe.
"It is possible," admitted Yu-Gi, "A duel can completely turn around in one turn."
"I play," Tempest continued, "Stop Defense."
"What good is that?" asked Para.
"We have no defending monsters," said Dox.
"That is your big move!" yelled Mai angrily.
"Actually," said Tempest, ignoring Mai, "You have one defending monster."
"She is mad," said Para.
"The duelist cannot see, she is mistaken," insisted Dox.
"No, you have overlooked something," said Tempest, "The Labyrinth Wall is a monster card. And I am going to take it out. It only has 500 attack thanks to the Magical Labyrinth, and is completely helpless against my Mystical Sand."
"No!" cried the eliminators as their beloved labyrinth was switched to attack mode.
"Good move," commented the spectators.
"Mystical Sand attack!" ordered Tempest. The wall was demolished and Tempest and Mai had won!
"That was close, thanks," said Mai as they exited the platforms.
"I never would have made it that far into the duel without your help, so thank you," said Tempest.
"They actually won," said Tristan.
"So the eliminators aren't invincible," said Joe, thinking of his sister.
"The heart of the cards never fails," said Yu-Gi.
Croquet stepped forward, ready to announce the next victims, well contestants.
"The next duel will be between the finalist Mako Tsunami and the eliminator Ravi," announced Croquet. Mako leapt to his feet, ready for action. In the shadows, Ravi, the Mexican looking eliminator in poncho and sombrero, stood up. "There will be a five minute break as the stadium is reset."
The machines began to work. Two of the platforms disappeared beneath the floor as the other two moved to the center. The duelist stood to stretch their legs.
"I can't believe I just won," thought Tempest, still in shock, I mean..... I am in the final round. I never thought I would get this far. And I definitely do not want to duel Pegasus. I will drop out.... soon. Not now. I want to see how Mako, Yu-Gi, and Joe do. But after that I am gone. I will never be able to beat Pegasus, plus I have no desire to win. I don't want money or fame. Besides, I can't wait to hear their reactions when I leave."