Everyone, please note. This fic uses rules and tactics that only work in the show. Don't complain to me about how something works, unless you have good grounds to do it on.

Chapter Two: Rematch



I was roused early the next morning by an alarm that seemed linked throughout the ship. After dealing with my various toiletries, I climbed the stairs to the deck, where I could look out and see a small island off in the distance.

"Attention, passengers," a voice boomed over a PA. "We will be arriving at the Duelist Kingdom within the next half-hour. Take care of all personal items, and please take note that Industrial Illusions is not responsible for any lost items. Thank you."

"Well, well. If it isn't Kai the Crushed." a voice taunted from behind.

"What do you want, Takaru." I said without even flinching.

"Just to say hello. And, that I challenge you to a duel the second this tournament kicks off. I'll be your first opponent." he hissed.

"Very well." And with that, he left. I could here him walk off, annoyed that he had been unsuccessful at rattling me. Especially since he was the one who knocked me out of the regionals. But this time, I wouldn't loose.

***

'On your mark, get set...GO!' I mentally said as I approached the massive stairs up the small mountain that Pegasus' castle stood on. I bolted up the vertical trail at my top speed. I dodged around Duelists as I passed them. Before long, I was at the top, taking a second to rest, then continuing on my way. I finally reached a courtyard, full of Duelists. I recognized Rex Raptor, one of the best when it came to dinosaur cards. Mako Tsunami, the best water Duelist on the map. I also notice Takaru. I narrowed my eyes at the sight of him, but at least I didn't lose control and attack him here.

About twenty minutes later, all the competitors were present, and our attention was directed towards a balcony that overlooked the corridor. There he stood. Maximilian Pegasus. The fact that I didn't try and scale the walls to try and strangle him was a miracle in itself.

"Greetings Duelists." he began, spreading his arms out towards us. "I welcome you all. I hope this yeas tournament will be as much of a successes as last years. And I hope to see you all at your bests. Your going to need it, for in our midst are both Yugi Mouto and Seto Kaiba. World Champions of this game. But let us see if we cannot find someone else to raise up onto our shoulder. To aid you on your way, you have all been issued a Dueling Gauntlet, along with two star chips. You must wager these against each other, and ten will earn you access to my castle where you will duel the other finalists, and perhaps even me."

"Now, I hope that most of you know of my intriguing alterations to the game. Those you who do not, I hope that you learn fast. Other wise. I doubt you will last long. Now, fine-tune and shuffle your decks. Because in one hour, fire works will light the sky, and the dueling arenas will be activated. I shall begin the countdown..."he said as a large clock with the digits 01:00:00 turned on. "NOW!" And with these words, the clock took off, counting down as fast as it could.

I sat down and began to sift through my deck. I had begun to think a fourth strategy/combo through when I remembered something I had forgotten. Something I had learned when I when I first dueled Takaru at the regionals. He used a machine deck, which meant I would have a hard time beating him, due to the fact that I had a great deal magician cards in my deck. And magic attacks have absolutely no effect on machine monsters. 'I don't have time to take them all out, and replace them with worriers.' I thought as I looked at the counter. 00:23:44. 'I'll just have to have faith in my deck. It's all I can do.' I raised my eyes and just cleared my mind, blocking everything but the clock out.

00:13:56

***

Finally, it happened. 00:00:00. Instantly, fireworks filled the sky. A huge uproar filled the enclosure. Duelists dashed out madly, as if in a panic. I calmly stood up and walked off on my own.

I walked paths, blazed trails, and climbed hills. I had to find Takaru. I had promised him a duel, and that was what I would give him. I finally walked into a meadow. "Alright Takaru. If you're here, come out. It's time to Duel!" I said into the air. "TAKARU!"

"Hey, I'm right here, looser. Hold on." said an all-to-cocky voice from behind me. "I'll crush you; don't you worry." he smirked.

At that moment, the ground shook violently. Directly in front of us, the ground opened up. Out rose a massive arena, with elevated dueling platforms at either end. I walked up to the blue one, and was soon looking down at the holographic emitters. I shuffled my deck and set it down in the far lower-right hand corner. I drew five cards, and looked up to Takaru. He had done the same. The system turned on, a Life Point count starting at two thousand.

"Two Star Chips say I win the duel, Kai." he snickered, jiggling them free from his glove. I did the dame, placing them off to the side.

"Guess I'll go first." he smiled. "I'll lay the Cyber Falcon in attack mode." A mechanical bird appeared on the field. It had an overall attack of 1400, and a defense of 1200.

"Then I'll defend with Beaver Worrier." I called back as a small rodent monster, clad in blue armor, and bearing a small sword and shield appeared, crouching behind the thick metal defense. (1200/1500).

"I may not be able to destroy that rat right now, but it won't stand in my way for long." he sneered. He laid a card face down and signaled that his turn was over.

I drew a card and looked at it. Instantly, my face lit up. "I attack with Ryu-Kishin." I said as I smacked the card down in attack mode. A large red gargoyle with a beaked mouth and massive black claws appeared. (1600/1200). "Ryu-Kishin, attack!" I commanded. It raised both its arms above its head and slashed down, tearing multiple holes through the metal predator. "And then, I'll, lay these two cards face down, ending my turn."

"I use this magic card," he snickered, reaching for his down card and flipping it up. "Heavy Storm! It will destroy all magic and trap cards on the field, regardless as to weather or not they're face up, or face down. And since Heavy Storm was my only card, I loose nothing, but what could you have lost." he smirked as a maelstrom of wind blew across the field, eliminating both my face down cards.

'Blast. My Negate Attack Trap Card. I could have used it latter to protect me from his stronger monsters. And Trap Hole. That could have destroyed any monster of his instantly when he summoned it.' I cried in my head.

"Now, I'll attack with the Pendulum Machine, and I'll activate the Machine Conversion Factory, to raise its attack by three-hundred points, from seventeen-hundred and fifty to two-thousand and fifty." he laughed as machinery rose out of the ground and began to detail what was nothing but air, but soon was filled by a red barrel with arms sticking out of its sides, a small head on top, and a large scythe blade suspended from its center. "Attack Ryu-Kishin!" It rolled over to my gargoyle creature, grabbed it by the shoulders, and struck at it three times with the steel weapon. "That takes you down to 1550 Life Points, and gives me a two hundred and fifty point lead!"

I released a small growl as I drew my next card. 'Neo the Magic Swordsman.' It wouldn't be strong enough to attack; not as long as that Pendulum Machine monster was on the field. "I'll lay my next card face down." I said as I laid the worrier card on the mat. One of the tiles on the arena floor began to flash gold.

"That wont help you." he laughed. "I lay both Lesser Dragon, and Steel Ogre Grotto 1 on the field in attack mode." he chortled. A small green and brown dragon with large claws, and a steel-blue colossus materialized on the field. "And then I'll fuse them with my Polymerization card to create the Metal Dragon. Attack! Silver Flame Burst!" He commanded as the two moved closer to one another and began to twist together. A flash of light in fallowed, and when I had regained my eyesight, I was confronted by a long dragon who's body appeared to be mad of multiple cylinders connected, a clean chrome sheen waving over it. (1850/1700). It reared its head back and then released three small, silvery balls of fire connected, then another set, and another. I watched in horror as Neo appeared on the field, resting on one knee, only to be completely devastated by the attack. "Now really Kai. I know you can do better. At least try and keep me from falling asleep. Oh yeah. Don't forget that my dragons attack power is now 2150." Takaru laughed.

"Your machines may be powerful, but the heart of the cards will help me reduce them to scrap." I called back as I picked up another card and smiled. "And now, my deck rewards me by giving me the Feral Imp." I grinned as a small green gremlin with a puppyish face, small wings, and a small stub of a horn on its head. (1300/1400).

"Riiight." he blurted as he looked at it. "How?"

"By combining it with the magic of the Horn of the Unicorn, raising its attack by 700 points, to 2000." I informed him as a huge golden horn replaced the stub, the monster grew considerably, its eyes became yellow slits, and a ravenous, vicious look came upon it.

"That still isn't enough. My dragon will blast you into next years tournament." he scoffed.

"Are you sure. You may have overlooked one simple detail. Metal conducts electricity, and that is exactly what my Imp attacks with, raising its attack by five-hundred points for this attack." I smiled as my Feral Imps points instantly shot up to 2500. "Magic Lightning!" I commanded. Several intertwining beams of electricity burst out of the gold horn and wrapped around the metal beast, causing it to explode. Takaru looked on in shock as his life points dropped three-hundred and fifty points to 1450. "And I take the lead."

"Maybe, but don't get your hopes up. My stronger machines have as of yet to come." he sneered, switching his Pendulum Machine to defense mode, and laying another monster face down.

"Now I'll add to my monsters by playing the Dark Zebra in attack mode, with an attack power of 1800." I said, laying another monster down. Out of the field rose a zebra creature with a golden horn, much like my Feral Imps. "Charging Horn Strike!" I shouted. The zebra galloped over towards the flashing square, horn poised for an attack. It struck, and froze for a second, then the image of the monster it had attack appeared. It was a metal sphere with a circular hole in it, which was filled by a green lense. It exploded, and the fiery cloud extended and blanketed the entire field. "What is this?!"

"It's the awesome power of my Cyber Jar." Takaru laughed. "It destroys ALL monsters on the field, forces us both to draw five new cards," he broke off as we both picked up the cards. "And then, any monsters you may have with a power level of four or lower is summoned." he finished. "Meet my Overdrive, and Giga-Tech Wolf." he snickered. A green jeep with an automatic weapon, and a wolf made entirely of mechanics came together on the field. "And my Machine Conversion Factory card is still on the field. So Overdrive goes up to 1900, and Giga-Tech Wolf to 1500."

"I play Dark Elf in attack mode." A beautiful woman in a purple garment and golden tiara appeared on the field. "And another monster in defense mode." I finished. "But, even though my Elf has 2000 attack points, I can't attack because it uses magic."

"Exactly. And its not like she can help you. Because I now play Cyber Saurus, in attack mode, who gets a boost too 2100." he said, as yet another machine came onto the field. It was a green dinosaur with a gatling gun on its right arm, and a metal brace in its mouth. "Rapid Metal Stream." he ordered it. It raised its right arm and pulled the unseen trigger. Bullets showered my side of the field, more specifically, my Dark Elf. It was lost in the swarm, and my Life Point count went down to1450.

I picked up another card and stared at it. 'Dark Magician. Its attack can't hurt Takaru's monsters, but none of his have an attack that comes even close to being able to take it out. And if I use this...' I said to myself in my head, picking another card from my hand.

"I play the Dark Magician in attack mode." I declared as I put it down. A figure in purple robes and carrying an aquamarine stave appeared on the field. "And then, I'll use this magic card to eliminate your Machine Conversion Factory," I smiled, sliding the card onto the card reader. "Go De-Spell!" A ball of energy formed at the head of my magicians staff. It swung the rod down, and a wave of magical power washed over Takaru's field, and all the factory equipment crumbled into nothing.

"Well then, I suppose I have little choice but to switch my monster to defense mode." he remarked, all to calmly. "But I'll also lay this card face down."

'I don't like his face down card, but I need to get rid of as many machines as I possibly can.' I though.

"I attack with Harpies's Brother." I called out as a tall, lean man with large red wings, brown leather garments, and a red mask over its eyes emerged, armed with a long, curved claw attached to his right wrist. "Attack, with Crimson Claw!" I cried. He flew across the field with incredible speed, rose above the reptilian monster, and slashed through it with ease.

"That was entertaining." he laughed again. "But now that you've put such a week monster in attack mode, I can attack with this." he chortled as he held up a card. "Barrel Dragon." What appeared next was a nightmare of steel and advanced weaponry. It had the main body of a dragon, except that its skin was metal armor, but its arms and the top half of its head was instead the grip of a long barreled gun. "And I'll focus all of its attack power on that Harpy of yours. Proton Blast!" All three barrels charged up and each released a high powered beam of energy. And all three struck my weaker monster. He cackled a maniacal laugh as I stared horror struck at the score. I had plummeted from 1450 to 650. "You see. This 'Heart of the Cards' that you preach about doesn't really exist. If it did, then how could I have hurt your Life Points so much. Your pathetic. You can't rely on faith. Only on building a deck with the most powerful monsters, so that you don't need to worry about which card you draw."

'He's wrong.' I told myself. I couldn't let him shake me, or my faith. 'Please Deck.' I pleaded with all my heart. 'I need a card that can help my to defeat him.' I clenched my eyes as I pulled a card off the top of my deck. I opened them slowly, and examined the card.

"I play Magical Hats, to conceal my Magician." I said as a black top hat popped out of the ground and covered my monster. Then, three more emerged, and then they all shuffled around. "Now then, pick a hat." I called over.

"Hm." he scoffed. "Do you think that those hats will hide him for long. Not this time round." Takaru slapped another card down. "Zoa, in attack mode." he shouted as a blue demon creature appeared. It sat in a crouch. It had fangs, horns, and long arms that ended in long, spidery fingers.

'Why that card?' the voice in my head asked. 'It isn't a machine monster, so why would Takaru use it? Sure its attack of 2600 is formidable, but still, it doesn't make much sense.'

"And I'll lay this card face down." he smirked. "Now, dragon. Proton Blast!" All three barrels fired again, and I understood what Takaru had meant. Each beam could hit a different hat, meaning that only one hat would survive. And as the attack closed in, I silently prayed that it would be the one with my mage. A huge explosion flared up on the field, and when it had cleared, I could see the one surviving hat. I quickly checked my Life Points.

"WHAT!" Takaru screamed. "How did your Dark Magician escape my dragons wrath?!"

I couldn't answer. I was in just as much shock as he was. 'Alright Deck.' I went off again, surveying the cards in my hand. 'We're surviving. Now, I need something that will help me to go on the offensive.' I drew the card and looked at it only for a second. I put it in my hand, and grabbed another. "I play Shadow Spell!" I cried as dozens of black chains reached out and grabbed the dragon, holding it tight. "Shadow Spell will prevent you from attacking, but it will also lower your attack points by 700." I instructed Takaru, who was glaring at me, knowing that his attack was only 1900 now. "And next," I said, grabbing the newly drawn card. "I'll play the Summoned Skull in attack mode." Out of the ground came a creature that looked like a demon from the underworld. It was flesh, covered in a skeleton, with a fiendish face, and twin horns that extended from the sides and curved down. "And I'll combine it with the Dark Energy magic card to raise its attack power from 2500, too 2800. Summoned Skull, Lightning Strike!" I shouted. It raised its arms up and its body lit up with electricity. White energy lanced forward, and completely desolated his monster. I smiled as I saw his Life Points drop to 550.

When I looked up, Takaru had a glare so strong, it made me shutter. It was like I was gazing into the very soul of the purist evil. "I activate this Trap card!" he screamed as he flipped it over. A large metal chamber ascended from the earth, opened, and out walked a steel dragon with three cannons. I looked on in horror. "I see that you remember this Trap Card from the regionals. And how I used it to finish you then. Well, my dragon is back, and now I'll also play the Labyrinth Tank in attack mode." His next machine was a blue tank, only instead of hosting cannons, it had seven red drills to strike with. "And I'll activate my other face down card, Metalmorph, and a Magic Card, Dian Keto, the Cure Master." Fist an elderly woman with a shimmering orb appeared. She held up the glass ball, and it exploded with light, blinding us both. When I looked back, two things had happened. Fist off, Takaru now had an extra one thousand Life Points, putting him at 1550. Second, Zoa was gone. In its place was a metalized version of it. Bearing black armor, and appearing to be technologically advanced, I now was staring at what was perhaps the ultimate machine monster.

"Do you like my Metal Zoa?" Takaru taunted. "And his attack power is 3000. Metal Zoa, attack the Summoned Skull. Electron Blast!" Metal Zoa held its arms out in front of it, and a blue ball of raw power formed. A single beam extended from it, and completely devastated my Skull, and dropped me to a sparse 450 Life Points. "There isn't a single card in your deck that can save you now. Surrender!"

'Surrender? Me? Can I?' a doubtful voice spoke up in my head. Then, two voices I knew all to well cried out to me.

'KAI!'

"Seya. Allentha." I muttered under my breath. Then, one more that I had never heard before.

'Kai. You can do this. But you must believe. You must trust your deck. You must trust in yourself. Everyone else does. They're all relying and depending on you. Do not let them down.'

"That's right." my eyes widened. "The lives of the most important people in my life are at stake. Its all up to this." I reached down towards my deck, gripping what would most likely be my last card. When I saw it, I nearly wanted to hit myself for having forgotten it.

"I lay one card face down, and switch the Dark Magician to defense mode." I finished my move.

"Ha! And so it ends." he sneered. "Stop Defense." he slapped the card down. I looked on as the last hat melted away, and my mage was standing in attack mode. "Metal Zoa, attack!" The blue laser rushed forward.

It all happened so quickly, but I remember it well. I flipped my card over, "Mirror Force!" An aurora colored barrier materialized in front of my Dark Magician. The beam hit and split into three separate attacks, and bounced back, each on hitting its mark. Each of his monsters. He could only shake as his strongest monsters were destroyed by his own attack. His Life Points returned to 550, which was more than satisfactory to me.

"My move." I declared. I picked up the card, and stared at it. I then remembered something Takaru had said.

'You can't rely on faith. Only on building a deck with the most powerful monsters, so that you don't need to worry about which card you draw.'

Then, a plan began to formulate in my mind. "I play Monster Reborn!" I said as the card came into play. A flash of light appeared on my side of the field, but it never got the chance to fully form.

"I attack with Slot Machine!" he shouted. A monster that resembled a gambling slot machine appeared; only it had a left arm, and a cannon of some sorts on it right. "Plasma Laser Cannon!" he yelled. The right arm aimed at my forming creature, charged up, and a single beam of light struck. That is when my newly summoned monster fully appeared. It was a silver ball with a large green lense. "MY CYBER JAR?!" he demanded.

"That's right. All monsters on the field will be annihilated, we draw five cards, and play only the ones with a level of four or less." I looked up from the new cards, and noticed him grit his teeth. We both knew. "And one thing I know about machine monsters, Takaru, is that very few of them have a power level that low. And I would like to guess, that most of the ones in your deck have already been destroyed. And, that you didn't draw one." He began to shake with rage and frustration.

"I didn't get a single monster in the draw either, but that doesn't matter. Because it's my turn. So I get to draw a new card." My hand reached down and took hold of the top card. I raised it, and recognized it as my prize card. "Takaru! I already saw your most powerful monster." I held the card up. "Now, you get to meet mine! Go;" The image of a short dragon with no wings stood up. Its long neck was lined down the back with ivory spikes, and its head had three curved horns making a sort of fork. "Tri-Horned Dragon!" (2850/2350). I smiled.

"No way. I didn't even know that card existed. How could someone like you have it?!"

"And since you don't have any monsters on the field, you have nothing left to protect your Life Points. Meaning I can attack them directly."

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

"Tri-Horned Dragon; attack. Eternal Inferno!" I shouted as it released a wave of blue flames that washed over Takaru's entire field. "I win."

"But it's impossible. How could I loose." he cried. And then I saw it again. That same evil. It was swirling all around him.

What I did next, I don't understand. I raised my right arm and focused. I felt something leave me, and when I opened my eyes again, I couldn't see that shadow anymore. Takaru was on his knees with a lost and confused look, staring into space.

I walked over to him and extended my arm. He looked at me, but almost didn't see me, if that makes any sense. H e extended his own above mine, opened it, and into my palm dropped two silver stars. Then, Takaru turned away, indicating that he wanted me to leave. And so, turned on my heel and walked out of that clearing, staring at the chips the entire time, and turning many questions over in my head.

'What did I do to him? Are the others just as strong? And am I really any closer to saving them? I don't know. But I'll keep on fighting until I am.'

I clenched the stars in my fist. I looked up the plateau to the castle. "Pegasus."

To Be Continued...

****

What did you all think? Please excuse spelling errors. I'm not that good. Just review please. Chapter Three is in the making.