I'm back again! Wow... it's been nearly a year since I first posted this, and I haven't finished yet. It's kinda sad, if I do say so myself, but I simply didn't have a lot of time to write ever since May 2003 came around. Fortunately, this season is coming to a close!There is only two episodes left after this! I'm so thrilled! These last episodes are going to be very exciting, I guarantee you. And after they are done, I'll start writing Season 2! I hope you enjoyed this season, and I hope you enjoy the last few episodes! Thanks to all who gave this fic a chance! I really appreciate it!

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Duelists of The Future - Season 1 (2002-2003) - Episode 18, "Boiling Point" (11/6/2003)

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The sun shone brightly in the partly cloudy skies. The Crystal Kingdom Championship was well underway. The island was bustling with activity as people walked the streets, visiting all the exciting places the island had to offer. At Pegasus's castle, however, it was much more quiet. The only people around here were guards only, no civilians were allowed. It was even more desolate in the dungeons located underground. The dungeons is where Pegasus's "guests of honor" resided. His current "guest of honor", Morty, was still in the cell, being kept alive by a feeding tube which fed him everything he needed. Pegasus still hadn't got the Millenium Key from him, and Morty wasn't about to tell him the secret. The Millenium Key had been passed down through the generations of his family for several centuries, and he wasn't about to disrupt a family tradition by letting Pegasus take the key.

Footsteps could be heard in the hallway, and Morty already knew who was coming. It was nobody other than Pegasus. Sure enough, Morty's guess was correct. Pegasus ordered a nearby guard to lower the force field, then walked inside the cell, grinning sinisterly.

"Well, hello there, Morty. We meet again," he greeted with open arms.

Morty rolled his eyes. "Don't play nice with me, prick. Just cut straight to the point. I already know why you're down here, and the answer is the same as before: No," he stated bluntly.

"Morty, why can't you just give it up? I promise, I won't keep it forever. I just need to borrow it for a short while, then I'll return it to you."

"I seriously hope you don't think I'm falling for that, because I'm not, and if you were expecting me to, you're even sadder than I thought," Morty quipped.

"I didn't think you would agree to that, but I do know that in a few moments, your key will be mine," Pegasus announced in a matter-of-factly fashion.

"Oh yeah? And why do you think that?"

Pegasus whistled loudly, then a few seconds passed before three guards came strolling into the room, dragging a restrained and unconscious woman with them. Morty's eyes immediately bucked open as he looked on in disbelief. "Recognize her, Morty?" he asked.

"Jasmine!" he called, then turned his head in the direction of Pegasus. "You evil bitch! What did you do to her?!" he demanded to know.

"Nothing... yet," Pegasus replied maliciously. "Here's the deal, Morty: If you don't agree to hand me that Millenium Key, then I'm afraid I'll have to subject Jasmine to a wide array of vicious assaults. You wouldn't want your woman to go through all that, would you?"

Morty frowned and growled angrily as Pegasus continued. "But, if you do agree to hand me the Millenium Key, I'll release both you and Jasmine. I'll allow you some time to think it over," Pegasus told him, then started to walk away with the guards, who still had Jasmine.

The Millenium Key wasn't nearly as imporant than his girlfriend. "No, wait! I'll give it to you, now!!" Morty yelled with haste.

"I think it'd be best if you wisely considered your options. In the meantime, I'm gonna have me some fun... with Jasmine," Pegasus announced and cackled evily.

"NOOO!!!! Don't!!!" Morty shouted desperately, but Pegasus and the guards walked away, with Jasmine in tow. The force field raised back up, and there was nothing Morty could do. "Shit!!!" he cursed angrily. He tried snatching himself off the wall, but to no avail.

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Mai walked down one of the busy avenues, getting a few glances from male passerbys. She adored the attention, but she didn't stop and talk to none of them. Her high heel boots clacked against the sidewalk as she walked along, sucking on a blowpop. She was heading to one of the expensive hotel resorts on the beach, Radisson Resort, to be exact. That was where Geoff resided. Mai didn't think she would become such good friends with the guy. The night they shared, it was only supposed to be a one-night-stand. After she got done screwing him, they'd part ways, and she'd never see him again. But, he turned out to be quite the charmer, and quite the gentleman. Mai didn't see this coming in a million years. Lately, he was the one thing on her mind, for the most part. Was it possible that she was.... falling in love with him? He was cute, and he was nice, and good to her too. A very friendly guy that she couldn't seem to forget was Geoff. A smile began to form across her lips, but it instantly dissappeared when a familiar person approached her.

"Hey, Mai." It was Tori, who again managed to show up at the most annoying time. At least he had the decency to be fully clothed in her presence, unlike last time.

"What do you want?" she asked while throwing her blonde hair behind her.

"I just came back from a nearby hospital."

"Is something wrong?"

"No, and my checkup confirms that. I just got a call from the boss. He thought it was a good idea if we headed down to the hospital to get ourselves all checked out, just to make sure we didn't contract any viruses or other sicknesses. I came to relay the suggestion to you, and I think it's a good idea if you get yourself examined," Tori informed her.

"For what? Nothing's wrong with me," Mai responded matter-of-factly.

"But you don't know that. There could be some kind of sickness slowly creeping up on you. You never know," Tori said.

"Nothing's wrong with me, Tori. If it was, I'd know."

"C'mon, Mai, just go do it to confirm that you're fine."

"Tori, I know there's nothing wrong with me. Now, if you'll excuse me I have something to do," Mai told him, then started walking away.

"Mai," Tori called while walking after her. "What will it hurt? What's wrong with going to get a checkup, just to make sure that everything's fine? (voice lowers) You don't want something to come up while you're on the mission, do you?"

Mai sighed heavily. "Fine, fine. It couldn't hurt. I'll do it, but don't tag along," she chimed and walked off.

"Don't worry, I won't," Tori assured her. "I already got a check up," he added, then turned and walked across the street to the other side.

Mai caught a shuttle bus which took her to the nearest hospital. When it arrived, she stepped out, then headed toward the front entrance. The doors slid open for her, and she continued through. Eventually, she found a doctor to give her a quick checkup. The doctor lead her to a quiet, sparsely decorated room, then instructed her to sit down in a chair, which she did. The doctor pulled a scanning device out of his coat, then activated it. He pointed it at Mai. An orange light flashed across her briefly before vanishing. The doctor observed the results showing up on the screen.

"Well, how am I?" Mai inquired.

"Oh, physically, everything's fine. You're in good shape. Your blood pressure's normal, you're not overweight, or underweight, you're not suffering from any cardiovascular problems or anything like that. You're fine, physically. However, you are pregnant, about one week along, to be exact," he informed her rather bluntly. For a few seconds, Mai stared in space, too stunned to say anything, or even express her feelings. Afterwards, shock spread across Mai's face. She was thrown by this unexpected, overwhelming news. She was pregnant! She was unable to say anything, for she was at a loss of words. How could she be pregnant? (BTW, due to advances in technology, doctors were now able to detect pregnacies far earlier than before)

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Joey and Misty walked along the beach of Crystal Kingdom. Gentle winds blew against them slightly, and the ocean waters were calm, with a few gentle waves forming every now and then. They were talking about various things. "Oh, Misty, you dueled great! That was awesome, how you cornered Sydney by playing Revival Jam/Jam Defender with that Mask of Accursed. There was nothing she could do!" Joey complimented Misty.

"Thanks, Joey."

"You're welcome. Heh, with 'dem strategies you played, you have a good chance at winning the tournament and getting the prize money. Just keep hangin' on, Misty. You can do it," Joey encouraged her.

Misty smiled and brushed a few strands of hair out of her face. "Thanks, again. So, how come you're so optimistic?" she wondered.

"Hey, optimism is the key to success. If you set your mind to something, and believe you can do it, trust me, you can do it. Optimism works for me all the time."

"All the time, Joey?" Misty looked at him.

He grinned sheepishly. "Well, most of the time. But hey, pessimism will do nothing but bring you failure. If you think negatively all the time and don't believe you can do something, chances are you'll actually fail, because you'll worry so much about failure, you won't be concentrating on success, and instead, you'll wind up failing. Focusing on success is the key to success," Joey told her.

"Please give my brain time to digest that run-on sentence," Misty joked, making Joey laugh. She laughed herself, then continued. "But, I do understand what you're saying, Joey. (slight pause in conversation) I don't know why, but it seems like you always know the best thing to say to someone, and exactly when to say it. It's one of the qualities I like most about you," Misty commented.

"Now it's my turn to thank you," Joey returned with a smile.

"You're welcome," she replied, and grinned.

Out in the ocean, someone slowly emerged from the blue waters. It was Ronnie (who was wearing red swim trunks). After finding out that Misty was heading to Crystal Kingdom, he immediately went to a nearby Voodoo shop, purchased ingredients necessary for a Locator Spell, then used the spell to locate Misty's current location. The spell lead him to the Crystal Kingdom, of course, and he had been keeping a watchful eye on her. Ronnie rubbed water out of his eyes to help clear his vision, fixated his eyes on Joey and Misty, then began to watch them carefully.

"You know, Misty, I really like your hairstyle. Those curls in your hair (which is shoulder-length), it looks great on you," Joey complimented her once again.

"Thanks, yet again," returned Misty, then she went on to say,"You know, you're looking great yourself. I..." Misty was cut off as Joey suddenly grabbed her, whirled her around so she could face him, then plunked a passionate kiss on her lips. She was very surprised at first, and made no motion to return the kiss. But she calmed down and began to return the favor. Both of them began french kissing each other passionately, obviously enjoying one another's presence, and kisses, for that matter.

Ronnie saw this and glared. Jealously and hatred for Joey burned it his eyes. [You blonde punk-ass. You think you can steal my girl, don't you? She's my bitch, not yours, but my bitch!] he exclaimed to himself. His eyebrows frowned as the jealousy increased ten-fold. [You haven't gotten away with this. She's mine, and I'm not sharing her with anyone else. This isn't over... I'll be back...] Ronnie sunk back under the surface, then swam away, leaving a trail of bubbles behind him as he swam.

Misty and Joey, oblivious to the fact that Ronnie had just been watching them, continued kissing each other, neither making any motion to stop.

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Meanwhile, the tournament was still going on strong. Many duelists were getting eliminated in the preliminary round. Those that are victors earned themselves a secure spot in the second round of the tournament. At Dome 2, another duel was brewing, involving Geoff Okasinski. Recognized as the third best duelist of the world, Geoff had many avid fans, and a lot of rivals. Several duelists also envied his dueling skills, but this did not bother him. Geoff didn't care about the jealous duelists who hated him and his skills. All he cared about was the popularity, and the fun. Geoff had many fans in the audience giving him their loudest cheers as he teleported onto the stage, wielding a powered up Duel Disk on his right arm. He waved to the fans, then awaited his challenger, who was a young, thirteen year- old kid named Tommy. Tommy was a fan of Geoff himself, and he considered himself very lucky to be squaring off against him in a tournament match. He teleported onto the stage, also equipped with a powered up Duel Disk. He stared at his idol and grinned. He always dreamed what it would be like to face-off with one of the best duelists ever.

[And now I'm about to find out,] the spiky, blonde-haired boy thought to himself.

Both shuffled their decks, and the duel begun.

Geoff: 4000 LP | Tommy: 4000 LP

"Well, I guess I'll make the first move," Geoff said as he drew five cards from his deck. He looked them over and smirked. He pulled up three of them. "I set two cards face-down, then I'll place one monster face-down in defense mode," he said while doing so. Three face-down holocards materialized in front of him. "Your turn."

"Okay, here goes," muttered Tommy as he drew five cards from his deck, forming his hand. Looking out over the field, he began to formulate a strategy. Chances are at least one of Geoff's two face-down cards was a trap, but they might've been there to scare him and stop him from attacking his defense monster. The defense monster itself could've had somekind of special ability Geoff could trigger. Tommy made sure to analyze every possible detail before making a move.

"I place two monsters, Beast of Gilfer, and Celtic Guardian, both in defense mode," he spoke. The two monsters appeared in front of him in a defensive stance.

(Celtic Guardian) ATK: 1400 DEF: 1200 | (Beast of Gilfer) ATK: 2200 DEF: 2500

"And that ends my turn."

"Very well," Geoff chimed and drew another card, which turned out being the Head of Exodia. "I pass control back to you, Tommy."

"What?" Tommy was slightly surprised, but he quickly regained his composure and drew another card. He wasn't sure what Geoff was planning, but whatever it was, he had to be ready for it. There was a reason why Geoff was playing such peculiar moves. "I'll summon Mystical Elf, also in defense mode," Tommy stated. The monster appeared on the field a few seconds afterwards.

ATK: 800 DEF: 2000

"Your turn, Geoff."

"Okey-dokey," said Geoff as he drew another card. He chuckled, then said, "I choose to end my turn without making a move."

"What?" Tommy was now confused. Why did he keep ending his turns like this? It was almost as if Geoff was waiting for him to attack, so he could spring a trap card on him. But he was not about to fall for that. Drawing a card, Tommy placed it face-down in the magic/trap zone, then ended his turn. Geoff drew a card (which was the Left Arm of Exodia), then ended his turn again. Growing frustrated, Tommy decided to play Geoff's game. He drew a card (Alpha the Magnet Warrior), then ended his turn as well.

Geoff frowned. [Damn, Tommy's not placing any more monster cards down. Oh well, I guess I'll go ahead and execute my strategy.] Geoff drew a card, but it wasn't a piece of Exodia. He shrugged and added it to his hand. "All right, Tommy, you want me to make a move, I'll make a move! I activate my face-down card, Just Desserts!"

A huge gasp sounded from Tommy as his eyes bucked. Geoff continued, "With Just Desserts, I can inflict 500 points of direct damage for every single monster you have on the field!" he announced. A pair of transparent hands reached out of the holocard and wrapped around Tommy, then electric energy surrounded him.

Tommy's Life Points - 2500

"Next, I'll rid the field of every creature you have! Activate Thunderbolt!" Geoff yelled. Tommy watched in shock as thunder roared ominously. Geoff's magic card began to dispel several lightning bolts, each striking a monster and obliterating them. There was no monsters left to defend him!

"And with no monsters left to defend you, I am free to attack your life points directly! I switch my defense monster into attack mode!" The holocard rotated into a face-up position, then glowed white as Tri-Horned Dragon emerged from it, taking an offensive stance.

ATK: 2800 DEF: 2350

"Now, attack Tommy's life points directly!!" Geoff commanded. His monster reared back and prepared to finish off the thirteen-year old.

"Uh-oh, it looks as if it could be all over for Tommy! Tommy doesn't have enough life points to withstand a powerful attack from Geoff's Tri-Horned Dragon! Unless he has a back-up plan, it's all over for him!" yelled the spectator.

Tri-Horned Dragon gathered a huge ball of flames in its mouth, then fired it at Tommy with a blazing force. Tommy quickly activated his face-down card, Dian Keto the Cure Master, which reinforced his life points by 1000.

Tommy's Life Points - 3500

Then he was struck by the fireball. He shielded himself and screamed, trying not to fall over from the amazing force of the fireball. Eventually the ball dissipated, and Tommy sighed heavily.

Tommy's Life Points - 700

"Whoa! Will you look at that? Thanks to Geoff's brilliant strategy, Tommy is now down to a scarce 700 life points, while Geoff is still at 4000. If it hadn't been for that magic card, he would've been blown right out of the tournament here and now! But, one question remains: Can Tommy turn the duel around?"

"I doubt it," Geoff answered the spectator confidently.

"We'll see about that," Tommy spoke up. "I may be down to 700 life points, but this duel isn't over until it's over. I still got 700 life points, and as long as I have life points, I remain in the game."

"Well, by all means, make your move," Geoff suggested.

Tommy drew a card from his deck. It was Pot of Greed, so he played it and drew two more cards from his deck. He looked them over, then started to make his move. "I play one monster card face-up, in defense mode, then I'll play another card face-down," Tommy spoke while plopping the cards onto slots. Two holocards appeared in front of him, and one spawned another Mystical Elf, in defense mode.

ATK: 800 DEF: 2000

"Hmm... I would attack you, but you've played a card face-down, and it could be a trap..."

"How do you know it's a trap?" Tommy interjected, "It could be there just to stop you from attacking me, and I'd say it's working. You're too scared to attack my monster."

"I'm not scared to do anything, Tommy. I'm thinking strategically," Geoff spat, then drew a card from his deck. [Perfect! The Left Leg of Exodia! When I draw the Right Arm and Right Leg, this duel will be over instantly!] "For now, I'll simply end my turn without making a move," he stated.

Control shifted to Tommy, who proceeded to draw a card. It was Beta the Magnet Warrior, and he added it to his hand. "Now, I'll activate my face- down card, Castle Walls, which will reinforce Mystical Elf's defense power by 500!"

A beam of white light shot out of the holocard and landed in front of the Mystical Elf. Brown, brick walls began rising around her, and her defensive strength began to power up as well.

DEF: 2500

"Ha! You mean that's all you had waiting was Castle Walls? Even with the extra defense power, my Tri-Horned Dragon still has enough attack power to destroy your monster! Tri-Horned Dragon, attack with Dark Fireball!!" Geoff ordered, and his dragon complied. It powered up a large, dark red fireball in its mouth, then hurled it at Mystical Elf. Without warning, however, the dragon's attack strength suddenly dipped.

(Tri-Horned Dragon) ATK: 2300

"What the hell?! What's going on?!" Geoff yelled in confusement.

"All right, my plan worked! You fell into my trap Geoff!" Tommy exclaimed as the fireball rammed into the wall and exploded, but when the smoke cleared, the wall was still standing, as well as the Mystical Elf, who was completely unharmed. She successfully withstood the attack.

"How the fuck did my dragon's attack strength drop 500 points?!"

"Allow me to explain, Geoff. When you used your Thunderbolt to destroy all my monsters, you destroyed my Beast of Gilfer in the process. And Beast of Gilfer has a special ability. Whenever it is sent to the graveyard, I can activate the aforementioned special ability, which drains the attack strength of any monster I choose by 500. And I chose to drain your Tri- Horned Dragon, Geoff. Your failed attack costs you 200 life points," Tommy finished.

Geoff's Life Points - 3800

Geoff was amazed, but he quickly shrugged it off. "Nice strategy, Tommy, but I still have the upper hand. You still trail me by over 3000 life points. Before you manage to tie the score, I will have released something that'll obliterate any chance you have of actually winning. Nothing in your deck can withstand it," Geoff stated defiantly.

Tommy gulped silently. He wasn't sure what Geoff was talking about now, but he was certain he didn't want to find out. The Castle Walls dissappeared, and Mystical Elf's defense strength dropped back down to 2000. He drew a card from his deck, but it wasn't what he wanted. [Shit! I don't need this right now!] he thought. "I choose to end my turn without doing anything."

Geoff drew a card from his deck. It wasn't an Exodia piece, so he simply added it to his hand. "My Tri-Horned Dragon may have lost some of its strength, but it's still strong enough to destroy Mystical Elf! Attack now!"

As soon as Geoff gave the order, Tri-Horned Dragon shot a blast of fire out of it mouth. Mystical Elf screeched as the fiery explosion fried it into oblivion. There wasn't a trace of the monster left when the attack was finished. Tommy frowned and reached out to draw a card. If he didn't get a monster card, Geoff would finish him because there was no monsters on the field to defend him from attacks. On the other hand, if he didn't get a monster, he could play one out of his hand, but that would ruin his plan. Pulling the card up to his face, he sighed a sigh of relief, then slapped the card onto a slot. "Water Omotics, in defense mode!" In a flash of brilliant lights, Water Omotics materialized onto the field in front of Tommy.

ATK: 1400 DEF: 1200

Geoff drew yet another card, but frowned when it turned out not to be an Exodia piece. "Tri-Horned Dragon, destroy Water Omotics!"

Tri-Horned Dragon roared before firing another huge fireball. It impacted with Water Omotics and exploded on contact. A scream from Water Omotics was heard for a brief moment, then its shattered pieces could be seen erupting out of the smoke. Tommy frowned, then reached out to draw a new card. Upon getting it, he smirked.

"Just what I needed! All right, Geoff, your Tri-Horn Dragon is finished! (draws two more cards out of hand) First, I play Alpha, Beta, and Gamma the Magnet Warriors, all in attack mode!" Tommy slammed three cards down. The three magent warriors appeared side by side, standing on their respective holocards.

(Alpha) ATK: 1400 DEF: 1700 | (Beta) ATK: 1700 DEF: 1600 | (Gamma) ATK: 1500 DEF: 1800)

"And now... with three magnet warriors on the field, I can activate their special ability, Monster Transform!" Tommy shouted, forcing Geoff to buck his eyes in the process. Everyone's eyes were locked on the duel as Alpha's body broke down into separate parts. Beta and Gamma's bodies did the same thing, then the individual parts began hooking together to form one, brand- new creature. A large metal warrior that looked like a fusion of Gamma, Alpha, and Beta was created, and electrical energy shot out in various directions when it took a stance.

"Behold, Valkyrion, the Magna Warrior!" Tommy announced proudly.

ATK: 3500 DEF: 3850

"Oh shit, that monster's attack strength is much greater than Tri-Horned Dragon's, and to make matters worse, I have nothing on the field to stop its attack!" Geoff acknowledged, then proceeded to scold himself mentally.

"Now.. Valkyrion, the Magna Warrior, attack Tri-Horned Dragon!!" Tommy yelled while sticking his fist out at Tri-Horned Dragon; a huge smirk formed on his face. This would be sweet... Valkyrion's steel sword began flowing with electrical energy as it flew toward Tri-Horned Dragon. Arriving it striking distance, it reared back and sliced down the dragon's midsection, cutting a deep hole. Tri-Horned Dragon roared in pain as the electrical energy flowed into its body and shocked it severely. Suddenly, it exploded from the inside out.

"Your dragon has been destroyed!"

Geoff's Life Points - 2600

"Ha! Like I said, it ain't over 'till it's over, Geoff! I'm not going down without a fight!" Tommy told him with confidence.

Geoff smiled. "I must admit, you are a pretty good opponent. You're definitely the best thirteen year-old duelist I've faced off against in my dueling career. You should be proud of yourself," he complimented.

"Uh.. thank you," Tommy returned with a friendly smile. Then his demeanor became serious again. "Now, let's finish this duel."

"You're on!"

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Meanwhile, back on Emerald Island, Brock was resting peacefully in the medical clinic. Not much had happened to him regarding mutations, fortunately. The doctors were as baffled as ever, and were still running tests in order to try figuring out what was causing the mutations. Brock knew they couldn't do anything, though. This was something beyond technology. This was a supernatural problem, so chances were only something supernatural could fix it. Unfortunately, Brock didn't know where to go to get any help. Shifting onto his side, Brock sighed heavily and decided to think about something else. He wondered how Tristan was doing. Was he performing well in the tournament? He probably was, after all, he had two powerful Egyptian God Cards to help him. Aside from the duelists that also had a rare Egyptian God Card, there wasn't any duelists that could beat him. If there was a duelist that could defeat him, they'd have to be a VERY skilled duelist. Brock hoped that Tristan could win the tournament and the prize money. If Tristan used the money to help pay for Flint's surgeries, he would be very pleased. It would mean a lot to him if Tristan did that for him. Brock rolled onto his back, then sat up. Climbing out of bed, he walked over to a small bathroom and entered it. Since he was staying in the hospital for a while, he got a bathroom with a shower installed, which would take care of his hygiene. Preparing to pull off his boxer shorts, Brock stopped when he heard a noise coming from the bedroom. Frowning, he walked back into the bedroom, and there stood a nurse.

"Hey, you're up," she chirped as she approached him.

"Uh... do I know you?" Brock asked, slightly confused.

"Oh, I'm Nurse Stevens. I came to check up on you," she replied.

"What happened to Nurse Richards?"

"Oh, Nurse Richards? Well, she's come down with a bad case of Influenza B, so I have to take her place until she's well enough to come back. Don't worry, I won't harm you. Now, it's best that you get a lot of rest, so how about we march over to the bed and climb in, okay?" she suggested in a friendly manner.

"But I was about to shower," Brock informed her.

"Oh! Silly me," she chuckled. "Well, before you do, allow me to check your temperature right quick. You've been getting several fevers over the last week."

"I don't really feel hot, nurse. I'm okay," he answered.

"Well, we don't wanna take any chances, do we? Fevers don't necessarily have to stay at 101 degrees. Sometimes they get so bad that they can cook a person's insides. And we don't want that to happen, now do we?"

"No."

"Thought so. Now, come take a seat on the bed and I'll take your temperature," the nurse spoke. Brock complied and strolled over to the bed, climbing into it upon arrival. He positioned himself so that his legs was dangling off the side of the bed. The nurse approached him, preparing to take his temperature. She suddenly pulled out a needle filled with sedative and stuck it into Brock's shoulder, which immediately began to make him drowsy. He moaned as he dropped off the bed and onto the floor, unconscious. A few men entered the room, then walked over and picked up the unconscious male. They had been standing outside the entire time, waiting for the "nurse" to make her move.

"Did it really take all that dumb acting? You could've just stuck the prick the moment he came out of the bathroom," one of them quipped while getting a better grip on Brock.

"Well, it fooled him, didn't it? Now, stop bitching and get the prick back to Surge," the nurse in disguise barked.

The masked figures escaped out of the room via a window, with Brock in tow...

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Duke, hands in pants pockets, walked down the street, heading to Pegasus's Palace. It was about time he got revenge for everything Pegasus put him through. He took his invention from him, stole his girlfriend, and a lot of other things. And he was gonna pay. Duke wouldn't rest until Pegasus was six feet under... Something caught Duke's eye and snatched him out of his thoughts abruptly.

"Hunh? Is that..." his voice trailed off as he watched who was walking toward him. It was Ash. What was he doing here? Duke was surprised to see him, but quickly regained his composure and approached Ash.

"Ashton Ketchum?" he called, gaining Ash's attention. Ash looked at him, one eyebrow raised.

"Who are you? How the hell do you know my name?" Ash inquired rather hostily.

"Look," Duke began, "I need to talk to you. I gotta tell you something, and I need to tell you..."

"I don't have time for games. Who are you, and what the fuck do you want with me?" Ash snapped.

Duke was taken aback at Ash's icy hostility, but he shrugged it off. "Listen, my name is Duke. What do I want with you, you ask?" Duke let out a sigh. "I don't wanna take too much time with this. I also don't wanna be too blunt, but I guess I don't have much of a choice, considering the fact that you're not very talkative at the moment. Okay, Ash, you may not believe this, but... I'm your father..." Duke announced. He stared at Ash, who's facial expression was unreadible.

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Misty slowly pulled out of Joey's lovely kiss. She was still pretty astounded. She didn't think Joey felt that way for her, but she was certainly pleased that he did feel romantic feelings for her. She had a secret crush on Joey for a long time, but was too scared to make a move. Obviously, he wasn't. She looked up into Joey's eyes, which seemed to tell her that he loved her. She smiled, then brushed some strands of her orangish-red hair out of her face.

Joey stared at her; he seemed to be entranced by her beauty. Misty was such a magnificent girl. She was absolutely gorgeous, and Joey couldn't express the joy bottled within. He was overwhelmed by happy emotions. She actually liked him! Joey thought she was going to push away, and ask him what was he doing. But instead, she returned the kiss... much to his extreme delight. His smile grew even bigger as he gently rubbed his hand down her face. He began to speak in a soft, gentle tone of voice.

"Damn, that kiss was good, and hot damn.. you are gorgeous," he commented softly.

Misty couldn't help smiling. "Thank you, Joey,"' she answered. The two of them began to lean into another kiss.

Unbeknownst to them, Ronnie had returned. He had to see if they were still carrying on with their sappy kissing. He slowly emerged from under the surface of the ocean, and saw them leaning into another kiss. Bitter jealously burned in his eyes. He was not about to let Joey get away with this. Misty was his girl! His bitch! And this lanky, blonde punk-ass was not going to take her from him... Joey was definitely going to get punished for doing this...

The two kissed for awhile, then they slowly pulled out of it. They stared at one another for a while, before Misty interrupted their moment of silence with speech. "Well, Joey, I really like this, but I have to go."

"Go? Go where?" he wondered.

"To visit a friend of mine. I need to ask a favor," Misty said.

"A favor? What kind of favor? Hey, I can help you. Just name it, I'll help you with anything," Joey offered, but Misty shook her head.

"No, you can't help me with this, Joey. This had something to do with my sisters. Look, I'll catch you later, okay?"

Joey sighed, a bit reluctant to see Misty leave. But, he knew he couldn't stop her. "Okay. But, promise me that you'll come see at my hotel room later tonight, a'ight? I won't let you leave until you promise me that," he told her, but it was in a friendly manner, not a bossy one.

"I promise," Misty replied, smiling afterwards. Joey smiled back at her, then watched her as she walked away. He stared at her fine body as she grew smaller and smaller, until she was out of his eyesight. He sighed, then decided to leave the beach himself. After all, it wouldn't be long before his first duel, and he thought some practice with Yugi was a good idea. He started to walk away, but a voice stopped him.

"Hey!" a man's voice shouted. He turned around to see a large, tall, well- built man in red swim trunks approaching him.

"You addressing me?" Joey asked.

"Yeah. I was uh, wondering if you knew where a pizza restaurant was," he requested.

"Um, no, I ain't got a clue," Joey responded.

"Oh. Well, would you happen to know about a bitch with orange-looking red hair, she goes by the name of Misty Chase?" Ronnie asked in a threatening manner.

Joey frowned at him. "Hey, what'd you just say?!"

"You heard me, you punk-ass bitch! In case you didn't know, Misty has already got herself a boyfriend, and that boyfriend is me!"

"What the hell are you talking about?! Misty isn't seeing anyone!"

"Oh, that's what she wants you to believe. That bitch wants you to think she's single, but she isn't! Me and her, we're an item, and I'm not about to stand back while you take her from me!!" Ronnie screamed and lunged for Joey. He threw three punches at him, all of which Joey dodged. Joey tried countering with a kick to the head, but Ronnie ducked to evade the blow. Upon rising, Ronnie blocked four of Joey's punches, then flipped into the air, avoiding a low sweep kick. When Ronnie landed, Joey continued his offensive assault by throwing several jabs at Ronnie's jaw, all of which Ronnie blocked. Joey tried roundhouse kicking him, but Ronnie intercepted the blow by grabbing his foot. Ronnie punched Joey's ankle as hard as he could, making Joey yelp in pain. He pushed Joey back, hoping he would fall, but Joey managed to keep his balance. Joey dodged three kicks from Ronnie, but couldn't move fast enough to dodge the fourth, which landed in his stomach. He hunched over in pain, unwillingly giving Ronnie an advantage point. Ronnie snatched Joey into an upright position, then laid into him with several brutal punches to the stomach and chest, then delivered a roundhouse kick which made Joey fall onto the ground. Ronnie reached down and grabbed Joey by his neck, then pulled him up.

"No one ever tries to steal Misty away from me without being punished, you prick. You just tried, and now you're gonna suffer the consequences.."

"The only person whose gonna be suffering consequences is you!" Joey retorted, then spit up some blood, which flew into Ronnie's eye. Ronnie yelled while releasing Joey from his grip. He grabbed his eye and growled, enraged. He yelled while charging for Joey, fist raised into the air. Joey easily dodged the shot, then countered by roundhouse punching Ronnie across the face. His next punch was stopped by Ronnie, who grabbed his wrist. Ronnie twisted his wrist, causing to make cracking noises.

"Aah!!" Joey screamed. Ronnie mustered up some strength and triple kicked Joey in the nose (A Triple kick is three consecutive kicks all at once). Joey stumbled backwards, lost his footing and fell down, blood trickling out of his mouth and nose. Ronnie snatched him up by his hair, then delivered one mighty blow to his forehead. Joey's eyes rolled up in his head as he fell onto his back, unconscious.

"You motherfuckin' prick. No one gets away with trying to steal Misty from me. She's gonna be my bitch for eternity, and there's nothing you can do to change it. Heh, I can't wait to subject you to the punishment I have planned for you," he spoke sinisterly. His lips slowly curved into a smile as he cackled maliciously. He grabbed Joey's limp arms, then said something in an unknown tongue. Suddenly, the two men dissappeared...

-------------------------------

Maximillion Pegasus walked down the halls of his palace, smirking evily. He was proud of his accomplishments today. What made him swell with pride even more is what he had just done moments ago. It was one of the most enjoyable things he had ever done in his life. Torturing Jasmine was very fun, and with Jasmine as a bargaining chip, the Millenium Key would be in his hands very soon.

[I'll check to see if Morty's ready to cooperate later today. Right now, there's something else I need to do,] he thought to himself. Pegasus walked down the hall until he reached the telelporter square. Stepping onto it, he set the coordinates to his Rooftop Observatory which was reserved for him and him only. No guards could set foot on the observatory level, unless he called for them. The teleporter activated, warping him to his observatory. The observatory was on the very top of the palace. It was outside, and it offered a spectacular view of the concrete jungle (the city) below, as well as a great view of the ocean surrounding the island. When he reappeared, he stepped off the tile, and walked pass the patio area, heading toward a large pool with jacuzzi features built into it. He immediately noticed something. The jacuzzi features had been turned on. But who turned it on? His guards was not allowed to come onto the observatory, unless he called for them. So who dared to barge onto his observatory, without permission, and use his jacuzzi/pool?

"If it's a guard, I will capture their soul," he said quietly to himself. Maximillion took soft, slow steps toward the pool in order to minimize the sounds of his footsteps. He crept toward the pool as quietly as he possibly could. Maximillion hoped the noise the water was making would help to mask the sounds of his footsteps as he approached the pool. Thanks to all the bubbles on the surface of the pool, he couldn't tell if someone was underneath the surface or not. He strolled over to the side of the pool. There was a switch on the ground, which toggled the jacuzzi feature on and off. He started to manually turn the jacuzzi feature off, but two hands suddenly reached out of the pool, grabbed his legs, then pulled back, snatching him toward the pool.

"Whoa!" he screamed before splashing into the pool. Under the surface was a naked Sakura, who proceeded to try stripping him of his clothing. He pushed her hands away and tried returning to the surface for air. However, she grabbed his leg and pulled him down, bringing them face-to-face. She grinned seductively before she made another attempt at taking off his clothes. He pushed her hands away again, then swam up toward the surface of the water quickly. He surfaced, taking in breaths of air. Sakura emerged from the water, taking in oxygen herself.

"Sakura, what the hell are you doing here?!" Pegasus yelled at her. "How... how did you even get up here?! How did you get past security?!"

"I have my ways," she responded calmly, then smirked. "After all this time apart, I am finally in your presence again, Maximillion. Oh, I've missed you so," she told him.

Pegasus stared at her in disbelief. "How dare you just barge onto my observatory and hide out in my pool, completely nude at that! Where's your clothes?!"

"Does it matter? You didn't have a problem with looking at me naked before, why do you have a problem now? What's changed?"

"We broke up, that's what changed," he snapped in response to question. "What are you doing up here, Sakura?"

"I came to see you. It's been a while since we last seen each other, hasn't it? I know you've missed me, and I know you must miss the wonderful times we shared together. You can't convince me that everytime you take a swim in this pool, you're not reminded of the rousing times we shared here. Remeber the first night we had underwater sex, Maximillion? Remeber how different it was? How fun?"

"I remeber... perfectly..."

"I know you do. It was an unforgettable night. Boy, you really rocked the joint under there. The water was sloshing, gurgling, and bubbling like mad, remember? There was bubbles everywhere.... You really gave it to me that night. That was some of the best sex we ever had while we were together," Sakura said softly. "And I know you miss it."

She stared at Maximillion. "We could still be together, Maximillion, if you hadn't have cheated and slept with Cecilia. But, I'm not about to bring that up right now. That's not what I came here to talk about. I'm willing to give our relationship another try," she stated, her eyes fixed on his face.

Maximillion's facial expression told Sakura that he didn't seem to be surprised at this. He had looked into her mind, using the magic of the Millenium Eye. "Yes, I see... I see it all. You long for me, don't you, Sakura?" he inquired.

"Yes, I do," she replied rather innocently. "I want us to be together again, Maximillion. Our love was too great, too strong for us to simply let it fizzle out. Please... come back to me, dear," she pleaded, hoping that he would come back to her. She longed for him so much, the feelings were undescribable.

"I feel it... you want me," Maximillion mused softly. "And I have an answer for you, Sakura..." his voice trailed off as he began to pull his suit jacket off. Sakura's lips slowly began to curve into a grin as she realized what Maximillion was doing. Maximillion pulled off his shoes and soxs, then began to pull up his shirt. He eyed Sakura seductively. Her facial expression was of completely joy, her eyes were shining radiantly with happiness. Maximillion took the shirt off, then stripped off his pants and underwear. Now he was naked, just like Sakura.

"Maximillion..." Sakura began slowly, "Does this mean.. what I think it means?"

"Well, what do you think it means, Sakura?"

"I think it means that you want me just as much as I want you... if you didn't, you wouldn't have stripped down in front of me. Oh Maximillion, I knew all along that you still loved me. Deep down in your heart, I knew you felt love for me. Come here, honey, come ravage me!" she exclaimed.

Maximillion immediately threw himself onto Sakura, kissing her rousingly. She moaned as she returned the favor, while beaming inside. She had done it. She cracked Maximillion! She knew that she loved her, and now that they were together again, nothing would bring them apart. All her dreams and fantasies about them were coming true! He loved her, much to her delight, which meant they could finally go away to that tropical island, stay there for eternity, and live together, forever. Her thoughts were broken when Pegasus suddenly pulled her underwater, but he was still kissing on her ravenously. Sakura kissed him back happily. The two began to frolick and roll around in the buoyant setting; the water gurgled, sloshed and bubbles appeared with their every movement. Sakura was extremely happy at this point. He was giving her underwater sex again! She had forgotten exactly how blissful it was, how satisfying, but all her delightful, ecstatic, jubilant emotions and dreams shattered when she felt Pegasus break the kiss, then proceeded to shove her away from him. She floated away from the man, stunned. What happened? Why did he... push her away? She stared at him in immense shock; he stared back at her sinisterly before gliding up to the surface. She followed him, and upon surfacing, she took in breaths of air.

"What was that for? Maximillion, I thought you wanted me... you said you loved me," she spoke, shock evident in her voice.

Maximillion simply chuckled, giving her an unnerving stare. It was as if he was looking through her exterior, and into her mind. "You really thought I wanted you back, Sakura?" he asked her in a taunting fashion, then laughed. "Are you out of your mind?! You must be seriously fucked up. To think that I would want you back, that's absurd! It's ridiculous! It's sad! You're sad, Sakura! Boy, I played you well, didn't I? You always said I was the world's best actor..." he giggled.

"You bastard..." Sakura murmered, tears beginning to well up in her eyes.

"Thank you very much for the comment, Sakura. I love it when people call me names. It means that I've successfully hurt them in some way, shape, or form!" he cackled in delight. "Heh, I'm still tripping off the fact that you thought I actually you wanted you back! Oh no, I don't leave a superior woman, then return to use and abused slums. You're nothing but a washed-up, used, two-bit tramp, Sakura! A useless troll who simply can't give me any kind of pleasure. You're an old, worn, torn hag, and to think that I want you..." Maximillion burst out into cruel laughter.

Sakura began to break out into tears. She shook her head and shouted, "Stop it! Just stop, Maximillion, please.... stop ridiculing me. (Her voice begins to break) I can't stand it... I can't stand to hear you talk that way..."

Maximillion laughed harder. "Oh! Now look at you, bawling like an infant! And you wonder why I don't want you... you're the most despicable woman I've ever seen!"

"Why are you saying stuff like this?! What I have done to you, Maximillion?! I've done nothing, but given you everything I had! I gave all the love I could give! You were my all and all, Maximillion! Tell me, what have I done to make you say these awful things about me?!" she queried.

"You were inferior, for one! Cecilia was a far better woman than you! Just think: There has to be some reason why I left you and got together with Cecilia."

"I know the reason: Because you are a cold, soulless bitch whom I should've gotten over a long time ago!"

"No, that's not the reason! The reason is because you were unsatisfying! I didn't get any hot love from you! You grew repetitious, stale! So, I left. I moved on, from the walking dead, to the living..."

Sakura snickered. "Yeah, she isn't 'living' anymore," she remarked, her voice void of any sympathy.

Maximillion's eyes grew wide. "How'd you know about that? We haven't seen each other for about a year. How would you know she was dead?" He didn't give her anytime to respond to that on her own, but instead, probed her mind with his Millenium Eye...

(Flashback)

It was around 11:30 PM. Cecilia could be seen walking down a dark, quiet street, which was hardly lit with any street lamps. The few cars that passed by had to rely soly on their headlights in order to the see the street in front of them. One car whizzed by her, causing her hair and her loose, white dress to blow slightly. She continued walking along the dark street, her destination being a nearby payphone. Cecilia's car had stopped on her. She didn't know a thing about cars, so she decided to call for a limo to take her back to Pegasus's mansion. Tomorrow, she would arrange for the car to be taken to a shop in order to be fixed. The main thing on her mind now was to get to the payphone. She began to walk more briskly. She was eager to go back to the warmeth and safety of the Pegasus estate, where her fiancee resided. For some strange reason, she was getting spooked. It was dark, there weren't many people around. She just had the odd feeling that she was being followed somehow, she couldn't shake the feeling. She began to walk faster, hoping that a payphone would rear its face sometime soon, as she had been walking for a while now. Another car could be seen approaching her from behind. As the car got closer, it began to slow down. Without warning, it suddenly turned off the road and onto the sidewalk, coming to a stop in front of her. The door swung open, and a masked figure got out, wielding a katana blade.

"Aah!" Cecilia jumped in fear and held her hands in the air. She thought it was a mugger. "Please, what do you want?!"

"To see you die." The voice sounded like it was trying to come out as a deep voice, but couldn't get that low.

"Wha... ahh!!" Cecilia screamed as the figure began running toward her. She turned and darted away from the figure, panting heavily. "Help me! Somebody help me, please!!" she shouted as she ran.

"There's no use in running, bitch, you won't escape my wrath!"

Cecilia wondered who was it that was after her, but she wasted no time asking. She ran as fast as she could, heading for an abandoned shack in the distance. But, severe pain suddenly erupted in her back, forcing to scream in pain. Her legs gave out and she dropped to her knees. The figure had thrown the katana in her back. "Ohh..." she moaned.

The figure chuckled as it kicked her, causing her to fall face-first onto the grass. It suddenly snatched the katana blade out of her back and laughed sinsterly.

"I'm gonna enjoy watching you die, you two-cent, vapid whore," it spoke, eyeing the fallen woman.

"Who are you? What... do you want.. with me?"

"Funny you should ask that, because you've met me before," the figure used its foot to roll Cecilia onto her back. Cecilia winced and groaned in pain, then watched the figure pull off its mask. It was Sakura, whom she instantly recognized from the night when Sakura intruded on her and Pegasus's 'charade'.

"You..."

"Yeah, it's me, the woman whose man you stole from me. You snatched him away from me, you tramp. Took him right out of my arms! He loved me and you stole him from me!" she yelled, then kicked Cecilia in her stomach, making her cough and clutch her abdomen. "Rotten bitch.. just looking at you disgusts me, makes my stomach turn. You took my man from me, and I'm gonna enjoy taking you away from my man..." she threatened in an icy tone of voice.

Fear simmered in Cecilia as realization dawned on her. She was going to kill her... she was about to die... "No! Please don't, please! Don't do this!"

"How dare you beg for mercy, bitch!!!" Sakura yelled angrily while sharply kicking Cecilia in the abdomen again. "You should've thought about what would happened before you ran off and took my everything from me!! Some women don't take kindly to that, and I'm one of them!!" She kicked her again.

Cecilia coughed while drawing up in pain. "I.. I didn't know... that he was yours. He didn't... tell me. He said he was single, I swear," she told Sakura, who didn't believe a word she said.

"You worthless piece of shit! If you think you can use that lie to calm me down, you're fucking wrong! There's no way you're gonna get off the hook! This is payback for sleeping with my man!!" Sakura yelled, then reared back and stabbed through Cecilia's chest.

"OHH!!" Cecilia yelped, then started gasping for air afterwards. Her breathing became labored. Blood began to run out of the hole constantly. Cecilia could feel her life draining away, she could literally feel death closing in on her, gnawing away at her life... slowly, constantly, relentlessly. She could feel the energy oozing out her system, much like the blood which flowed out of the wound. She couldn't stop it... she couldn't do anything... she was helpless... Time seemed to elapse very strangely for her. It seemed as if she was dying very quickly, yet so slowly that it seemed like every second was an eon passing by. The pain was excruitiating... devastating... her heart wasn't beating anymore. There was a hole in it, from where the katana blade punctured. Slowly, but surely, Cecilia laid there and died, staring up into the night sky. The last thing she thought about was Maximillion Pegasus...

(End Flashback)

Pegasus's eyes were wide as emotions began to build within him. The vision was so real, he literally felt what it was like while she died. He was awestruck... That's how it happened... Sakura murdered her. He remembered her body turning up sometime later, but she had been stripped, her body had been burned with acid, then torched (That was to erase all evidence). How it happened had been the deepest of mysteries... but now he knew. Sakura Avalon had done it... She took away the superior woman, the one who satisfied him; now she had the nerve to show up and try begging for his love.

"You murderous bitch..." he spat bitterly, tears of his own beginning to fall. "You killed Cecilia."

"What are you talking about?"

"I saw it... the whole thing, I saw it all... you chased her down, you stabbed her with a katana blade, and you let her die a slow, painful death, you punk-ass bitch... I'll kill you for this!!!!" he screamed in sorrow, then attacked Sakura, pushing her underwater. Sakura reached up and punched him in the gut, then snatched him underwater as well. She proceeded to punch him twice, but on the third punch, he caught her fist. He delivered a sharp kick to her chest, forcing to let out a gust air. Since she was submerged, it came out as a muffled groan, and bubbles blew out of her mouth. He pulled her closer to him, then landed a solid punch to her face, knocking her back a good distance. She recovered from this, and suddenly charged straight for him, swimming as fast she could. She rammed into his stomach head-first, which caused him to cough out a small gust of air (with bubbles) as well. She rammed him into the wall behind him, then laid into his face, delivering four jabs. He ducked down to the avoid the fifth blow, and her hand crashed into the wall instead. He manuvered himself into a tight ball, then thrusted his two legs into Sakura's face, knocking her back. He used the buoyancy to easily perform a flip back into a upright position. He began to swim back toward the surface for air. Sakura quickly grabbed both his legs and used her strength to snatch him toward her, then bit into his right leg.

"Ahh!!" he screamed, but it was muffled and gurgly sounded. He kicked and squirmed until his left leg eventually whacked the side of Sakura's neck, forcing her to let go. He swum up to the surface and gasped for air as he emerged out of the water. Sakura also surfaced, taking in deep breaths of air.

"You won't get away with this, Sakura!! I'm gonna kill you no matter what!!! You'll never get my love!!"

"I don't want your motherfucking love anymore!!! I want you dead, you no- good son-of-a-bitch!! Get over here!!!" Apparently, Sakura was fed up with him. She charged for him, digging her fingernails into his face upon arriving face-to-face with him. She dug deep, making Pegasus scream. "How you like that?! How you like that, dick?!!" she yelled.

Pegasus kicked her harshly in the chest, causing her to back off. She retorted by kicking him in the penis as hard as she could, which resulted in far greater pain. Pegasus moaned in agony as he began to sink. He wasn't concentrating on keeping himself afloat, but instead, he clutched his privates in pain. Sakura proceeded to push him under. She was about to submerge herself, then attempt to drown Pegasus, but she stopped. She didn't want him to drown. That'd be too quick. She wanted Pegasus to suffer, she wanted him to pay dearly for all the pain he caused her. Drowning would pretty entertaining, but not entertaining enough, and it wouldn't be as painful as brutal torture. Cutting his leg off with a chainsaw, then letting him die a slow, agonizing death would be much more satisfying. Sakura swam over to the ladder and climbed out of the jacuzzi/pool. Grabbing the parachute she had brought with her, she jumped off the roof. Pegasus was still underwater, trying to cope with the pain that came with getting his crotch kicked. He forced himself to swim up toward the surface. Upon emerging, he gasped for air and tried making his way over to the ladder in order to climb out. Sakura was going was pay for killing Cecilia...

-------------------------------

Geoff: 2600 LP | Tommy: 700 LP

So far, Valkyrion the Magna Warrior (ATK: 3500 DEF: 3850) was the strongest card on the field. Geoff's Tri-Horned Dragon had just been obliterated by it, and Geoff lost a large chunk of life points as a result, because Tri- Horned Dragon was in attack mode. Geoff knew there weren't many monsters in his deck that could withstand the might of Tommy's Magna Warrior. But he knew of one that could destroy it instantly... Exodia, The Forbidden One. If he could draw all the necessary cards, the duel would be finished easily. He just had to hold out long enough until he drew the cards. He reached out and drew a card, which turned out to be Lady Assailant of Flames. "I'll play Lady Assailant of Flames, in defense mode, and I'll play this magic card (pulls card from hand), Magical Hats!" Geoff slapped the cards onto the console, loading them into the duel. Four black hats with yellow question marks on them appeared. The Lady Assailant of Flames was covered up by them, and afterwards, the cards shuffled around at blazing speeds. Tommy had no idea which hat was protecting the Lady Assailant of Flames, and the fact that the hats looked exactly the same made it that much more harder to figure out which was the right one.

"Now I'll have to depend on luck to help to me win, instead of relying on my dueling skills. That's the main reason why I hate Magical Hats," Tommy muttered to himself, then decided to strike. "Valkyrion, attack the hat to the far right now!"

The strong, swift Magna Warrior wasted no time getting down to business. It charged for the far right hat, then used its electrically powered sword to slice through it. The energy flowed all around the hat, shocking relentlessly, until the severed hat exploded into pieces. But, alas, no monster was underneath. "Damn!"

"Ha! That's one turn wasted, Tommy. You didn't take out my monster, and now, it's my turn again!" Geoff drew a card, hoping it would be another piece of Exodia. And it was! In his fingertips, he held the Right Leg of Exodia! All he needed now was the Right Arm, then he would be set. Since he had Magical Hats on the field, he decided to let Tommy play another guessing game, in hopes that he would waste another turn. "I choose to end my turn without playing any card."

"All right, Geoff, this time I'm gonna get your monster! Valkyrion, attack the middle hat!!" Tommy ordered. Valkyrion powered up its sword again and charged for the middle hat. It reached out and stabbed through the hat, shocking it with the energy. The hat couldn't withstand the attack any longer and shattered violently. Had Tommy successfully found the Lady Assailant of Flames? The answer was revealed when he saw that there was no monster underneath the hat.

"Another turn wasted, Tommy," Geoff said while smirking. He pulled up a card, but frowned when it wasn't the last Exodia piece. It was Guardian of the Throne Room. He played it in defense mode, hiding it underneath one of the two remaining hats.

A grin formed on Tommy's face. "All right! No matter which hat I attack now, I am guaranteed the destruction of one monster, because the two remaining hats both have a monster underneath! Geoff, one of your monsters is finished! Valkyrion, the Magna Warrior, attack the left hat, now!!" Tommy yelled in glee. His monster immediately powered up the sword once again and charged for the left hat. It stabbed through it, and the hat combusted into pieces. Lady Assailant of Flames was underneath, and it shrieked when Valkyrion's sword pierced through its torso while releasing electrical energy into her body. She exploded into pieces soon afterwards, and Geoff frowned.

"Shit! If Tommy had've attacked Guardian of the Throne Room, I could've drawn a card from my deck, and that would've been three draws after I placed the Lady on the field, meaning I could've inflicted 800 points of direct damage on Tommy, finishing him off. Now, I have to draw Exodia, or at least a magic card that'll weaken the overwhelming strength of Tommy's Magna Warrior," Geoff spoke to himself while drawing a card, which turned out ot be... "My Blue Eyes White Dragon!" he exclaimed quietly. "As powerful as it is, it still can't take down Valkyrion, the Magna Warrior. It's probably best if I hold onto it for now."

Geoff decided to pull Magical Hats out of play, since there was only one hat left, and within that hat resided Guardian of the Throne Room. The hat dissappeared, leaving the monster out in the open. "And that ends my turn."

"Well, since I've successfully disposed of your stupid hats, I guess I'll take the time to draw a card," said Tommy as he did so. He was pleased at the result, and played a monster card face-down in defense. "I'll end my turn and pass control over to you, Geoff."

Geoff started to grow a little confused. Why didn't Tommy take out his monster? That was the most logical choice of action. After he took it out, Geoff wouldn't have any monster left defending him, and on his next turn, he could've attacked with Valkyrion and destroyed him, that is, assuming Geoff didn't play a monster to protect himself.

"And what's up with that face-down monster? What would be the point in playing that? I got a rather strange feeling about it, but I don't want to leave it on the field either. It could be an effect card that acts similar to Lady Assailant of Flames. To be sure I have enough attack strength, I'd better play my Blue Eyes."

Geoff pulled the card out of his hand. "Now, I call forth the mighty Blue Eyes White Dragon, in attack mode!" He slammed the card onto a slot, bringing the massive beast to life. It roared while materializing onto the field, staring at Tommy.

ATK: 3000 DEF: 2500

"Blue Eyes White Dragon, attack Tommy's face-down monster card now! White Lightning Attack!!" The Blue Eyes roared before charging up a huge ball of lightning in its mouth, then aimed it at Tommy's face-down monster and fired. The lightning ball plundered into the face-down monster, which resulted in a large explosion; fierce winds blew against Tommy. When the smoke settled, the holocard was not destroyed, but instead, it was glowing.

"What the..."

"Guess what, Geoff? The monster card you attacked was Kiseitai! And now I'm activating it's special ability! When Kiseitai is attacked in face-down defense position, I am allowed to equip it onto the monster who attacked, which is in this case, your Blue Eyes White Dragon. Afterwards, whenever your standby phases come about, my life points are increased by half of your monster's attack strength!" Tommy announced happily, then he proceeded to laugh afterwards.

"Fuck, I knew I shouldn't have attacked that card!" Geoff spat and frowned.

Kiseitai attached itself to Blue Eyes White Dragon, and Tommy ended his turn, causing control to be passed back to Geoff. At that moment, Kiseitai and Blue Eyes glowed a brilliant white, signifying that the effect was underway.

Tommy's Life Points - 2200

Tommy laughed even more. "Thought it was over, hunh Geoff? The score is nearly tied now, and that was supposed to be impossible! When your turn comes back around next time, I'll be in the lead!" he exclaimed joyfully.

"If I'm lucky, this'll be my last turn," Geoff told him, then drew a card from his deck. But it wasn't the final Exodia piece. Geoff's frustration began to grow as he switched Blue Eyes White Dragon to defense mode, then passed control back to Tommy.

"Valkyrion, destroy's Geoff's Guardian of The Throne Room, now!" Tommy beckoned. His monster powered up the sword, then charged for Guardian of The Throne Room. Upon reaching striking distance, the warrior stabbed through the torso of Geoff's monster, releasing it's electricity into its body. Guardian of The Throne Room convulsed violently while screaming in pain. It erupted into pieces shortly afterwards, but since it was in defense mode, Geoff's didn't lose any life points. It was now Geoff's turn. Directly after his turn arrive, the Blue Eyes White Dragon glowed, along with Kiseitai, signifying that Tommy's life points were about to rise.

Tommy's Life Points - 3700

Geoff didn't worry about it. As soon as he drew Exodia, it wouldn't matter how many life points Tommy had. Exodia would thoroughly obliterate them all, along with any monsters Tommy placed on the field. He reached down, drew a card, and pulled it up toward his face. It wasn't Exodia, so Geoff discarded the card.

"I'll pass control back to you, Tommy," he proclaimed reluctantly.

"Hmmm... let's see here. If I attack your Blue Eyes, and you don't draw a monster card on the next turn, then I'm free to attack your life points directly, therefore winning the duel. But, if you do get a monster, I will have destroyed the only way of increasing my life points. What a tough decision. Should I kill the dragon, or should I let it remain alive so it can continue to feed me 1500 life points?" Tommy pondered the thought for a moment, then said, "I'll let your Blue Eyes live. Control passes back to you, Geoff, and you know what happens next."

The monsters glowed a brilliant white again, meaning that Kiseitai's effect had activated again.

Tommy's Life Points- 5200

"Wow! Would you look at that, Geoff?! I've recovered all 4000 of my life points, and then some! Things are definitely looking great, for me that is, isn't it?" he asked, chuckling afterwards.

Geoff sighed heavily and began to think. [I have got to draw Exodia this time around. It's about time this match came to an end, and this may be the only way for me to win the match.] Geoff pulled up the card, hoping it was the last piece of Exodia. He pulled it up to his face, and it turned out being... a weak monster card.

[Fuck! I don't need this, I need The Right Arm of Exodia!] Geoff discarded the card and ended his turn.

"No move, hunh? Well, I've got a couple move to make. I wonder... should I allow your Blue Eyes to live, or should I destroy it? I'd like to keep getting 1500 life points, but if I destroy your Blue Eyes, and you don't come up with a monster card, I can destroy you. Hmm... what should I do? Both plans sound good, but I'm willing to try the plan that involves destroying your Blue Eyes! Go, Valkyrion, the Magna Warrior, use your powerful sword to destroy Blue Eyes White Dragon!!" Tommy commanded.

Valkyrion powered up its sword once more and made a charge for the dragon. It thrusted its sword right into the chest of the dragon, and released a powerful discharge of energy. The dragon reared back, roaring in pain. Valkyrion continued its vicious assault on the creature, which eventually led to an implosion; The dragon erupted into smoke and ash.

"Well, that was certainly entertaining," Tommy commented with a smile.

Geoff frowned and drew another card. And to his surprise, it was the final piece of Exodia! He held all five pieces in his hand! His frown turned upside-down, and his lips curved into a smile. "Tommy, I must admit, you were a great duelist, and you certainly put up a good fight. You dueled valiantly, you never gave up, you fought a honorable, clean duel, but now... I hold in my hand the cards that'll destroy your mighty Magna Warrior, and it'll destroy you in the process!" he announced.

"What?!" Tommy gasped, alarmed by this. "What do you mean?!

"This is what I mean, Tommy! Allow me to place these five cards onto the field, and bring forth... the ultimate monster of destruction... the unstoppable Exodia, the Forbidden One!!" Geoff slammed the five cards onto the card slots. Tommy's eyes were wide as the ground began to rumble and shake.

"What's happening..." he murmered, his voice barely above a whisper. All of his confidence, his valiant demeanor had dissappeared.

"My ultimate creature is awakening, that's what happening, Tommy. And there's nothing you, or your Magna Warrior, can do to stop it. Exodia is completely indestructible, and is invulnerable to all magic, traps, or special abilities! No monster can stand up to its might! Now, Exodia, come forth and show your ultimate power!!!" Geoff shouted proudly.

The ground shook even more as brilliant green light began shining on Geoff's side of the field. The pieces of Exodia slowly began to hook themselves together. Geoff laughed triumphantly as light engulfed the field. The audience gasped in complete awe as the rumbling intensified until the pieces attached together, forming the god. His eyes glowed a bright red; he stared at Tommy and his Magna Warrior. Valkyrion clutched its sword, preparing itself, while Tommy stared at the monster in disbelief.

"I... I was so close... to victory.... but with Exodia on the field... I don't.... stand a chance..." his voice trailed off.

"Exodia, unleash your infinite power!! OBLITERATE!!!!" Geoff screamed. The monster laughed maliciously as it powered up an enormous ball of energy in its hand, then reared back and hurled at Tommy's side of the field with an unbelievable force. The ball was large enough to cover Tommy's entire field.

"AAHH!!!" Tommy hollered in fear as the ball collided onto the ground, erupting in a devastating, ear-ringing explosion. Winds blew everywhere as Valkyrion, the Magna Warrior's pieces could be seen flying in several directions. Tommy was thrown a few feet away by the force of the winds. The audience was, to say the least, astonished by this. Geoff smirked in satisfaction as smoke covered the field.

Geoff: 2600 LP | Tommy: 0000 LP

The smoke finally dissipated after about thirty seconds. The Magna Warrior was completely obliterated; there was no trace of it, except for small trails of smoke rising into the air from where Valkyrion was last scene. Tommy had slid near the end of the arena, and was lying on his back, staring up at the glass top of the dome. He had lost. He fought as hard as he could, but in the end, Geoff blew him out, literally. NO monster in his deck were a match for Exodia, the Forbidden One. It was over now, though, and the best he could do was learn from the experience, and try to become a better duelist.

Geoff walked over to the young boy and extended a hand. "Hey, kid, good duel," he complimented. Tommy smiled, then grabbed his hand and pulled himself onto his feet.

"Same here, and it was a true honor dueling against you, Geoff. You're awesome."

"Thanks," Geoff was flattered.

"And the winner of this duel is.. Geoff Okasinski!!" the announcer announced. The crowd gave both Geoff and Tommy robust applause as they walked toward the teleporters, preparing to teleport back to the Duelist Prepping Area.

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Misty stepped off the shuttle bus, her destination: Utopian Twin Towers, which was two twin-towers standing side by side. It was a hotel resort, the one in which Seto Kaiba resided. She had bumped into him after her duel, and they told each other where they would be staying. She thought it would be nice to talk to him, considering they hadn't talked in a while. Plus, she had a favor to ask of him. He had lots of resources and power at his disposal. It was entirely possible that he might be able to help her find a cure for her sisters and John. Time was ticking, and she couldn't afford to waste any time trying to win the tournament. It was highly possible that she could get far in the tournament rankings, only to lose to someone more powerful that she is. And quite a bit of time would've passed by. If there is a slight possibility that he could help, she knew he would. They were best friends; they've known each other for a long time. If he couldn't help her, then the tournament would be her last resort. She sighed deeply, then started walked toward the entrance of the second building. The doors slid open automatically, creating a clean path into the lavish building. She walked through, then approached a small desk with a computer sitting on it. A woman was sitting behind the desk.

"Um, excuse me," she spoke, gaining the woman's attention. "Is there a 'Seto Kaiba' staying at this hotel? I'm a friend of his."

The woman began pulling up files on the computer. She did this for a few moments, then replied, "Yes, he is. He's on the eighth floor, room 900," she answered in a professional manner.

"Thank you."

Minutes passed before Misty finally figured out how to navigate the confusing structure. She teleported up to the eighth floor, then began walking down the granite hallways, looking for room 900. After walking for a while, she finally arrived at her destination. She approached the wooden door, knocked on it, then waited for a little while. No one answered, so she knocked again.

"Seto?" Misty called. She knocked once more, but still didn't get an answer. "Hmm, maybe he's not here right now," Misty said to herself. She started to leave, but that's when something caught her eye. The door was slightly cracked open. It was barely noticeable, but the door was still slightly opened, nonetheless. A confused frown appeared on Misty's face as she slowly pushed the door open, then walked into the white living room. That's when she heard someone talking. It was more like a whisper, she couldn't make out what it was saying.

"Seto?" she mused quietly. She made a mental note not to say anything else. If there was an intruder in the house, she didn't want them to hear her. She crept quietly toward the source of the whispering voice, hoping the floor wouldn't make any creaking noise. Who was that? Was it Seto, or someone else? Misty eased her way through the suite, getting closer and closer to the voice. It began to get more audible and understandable as she got closer. She approached the entertainment room, which is where the voice was coming from. The door was open, so she stood against the wall, beside the opening, in order to stay out of sight. She decided to listen to the voice, trying to make out what it was saying. Now that she was so close, she could hear it perfectly.

"Oh shit, what do I do, what do I do?" Pacing footsteps could be heard, and the voice sounded like Seto. "I had no idea she would be here. I thought she had got kicked out of the Sub-Competition! She had gotten kicked out! Mai beat her in that all-out match, and took all her stars away from her. So how the fuck is she here, at the Crystal Kingdom?" he was asking himself.

[Is he... is he talking about me?] Misty was baffled. [Unless that uppity cow has eliminated someone else, then he must be talking about me. He sounds as if he is upset at my presence, as if he doesn't want me to be here... but why? What's the meaning of all this? I don't get it.]

Seto sighed heavily, looking down at the wooden floor. "This doesn't make any sense at all. I saw Mai beat Misty in that duel. I saw.. all the drama, everything. Misty's stars were taken from her, so how did she get here? Even if someone won the stars back for her, she wouldn't be able to use them, because the stars wouldn't be hers, technically. The stars would belong to the person that won them. That security feature Pegasus installed on the stars should have prevented her from ever getting back into that tournament. But, alas, she's here, she's spoken to me once." He sighed again, rubbing his forehead. "This is bad. Misty has a chance to win the tournament, and if that happens, I'm sunk. I infected the four to keep them silent, but if Misty wins the tournament, she'll have enough money to pay the old wench (Yelola), who will proceed to find a cure and cure them. And if that happens, those damn sisters of hers will tell about everything. I've beat up John, stole from him, stabbed Daisy.. nearly killed her, which will be construed as assault with a deadly weapon and attempted murder. I've got to make sure she doesn't win the tournament! My life will not be ruined by those bitches!" he shouted in anger.

Misty's eyes were huge. She was seriously shocked and thrown. She couldn't believe what she just heard... Seto was behind it all? He infected her sisters (and John) with a deadly disease? It wasn't just a random strain of viral infection they contracted. He gave it to them, in order to silence them and cover up his crimes! Her best friend was... her worst enemy...

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Episode Written By: GateGuardian 3500.

That's a wrap, folks. That's it for today episode. Only two more episodes left until this season ends. The next update will be the first part of the Season Finale event, and I promise you, it's gonna be good... ^_^. I hope I can upload the next episode pretty quickly, though I doubt it. I'll try uploading it as fast as I can. Well, I don't really have anything else to say. I hope you liked the episode, and please send me feedback! I'd appreciate it.