A/N: Part 1 of Kyle's final duel against Jade. How will it turn out? Two people know: myself, and this duel's generous co-writer Ankhutenshi. I owe a huge shout out to her, without whom I don't think the duel or the writing would have been nearly as good. Now, on with the battle!

Lumen: Well, you'll just have to see for yourself who wins, then. Resolutions don't come easily, and neither did this duel... even with Ankhutenshi co-writing, we must have tried it at least half a dozen times before coming up with a satisfactory result, both to us and the story.

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Kyle's LP - 4000

Jade's LP - 4000

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"I place three magic/trap cards face-down, and one monster in defense mode," he announced. "That'll end my turn."

"Very well," Jade said, more to herself than to him, once she drew her card. "I'll place two cards and then summon a monster in defense." She grinned at him. "Don't let the pressure get to you."

"What pressure?" he asked blithely. "It's only the first turn, enemy mine."

She grinned wickedly at him. "You're forgiven. End of my turn."

He rolled his eyes as he drew his next card. "One more defensive monster for me. End turn."

Jade drew, smiled, and then replaced her face-down monster for another one. "I'll sacrifice my face-down for another monster and end my turn."

Kyle drew again, surveyed his hand for a moment, then rolled his eyes once more. "Yet another monster face-down. Goody, I have tribute fodder." He didn't sound particularly enthused. "End turn."

"That you do," she agreed, looking at the card she had just drawn and sounding equally non-enthused. "But I'm not really worried. In fact, I end my turn without playing a card."

"Quite the confident one," he noted, drawing as he spoke. "One more monster face-down, and that ends my turn."

"You, of all people, should know I'm never confident without reason to be," she countered. "One card face-down. Your turn."

He felt no actual humor in the situation, but he still smirked evilly as he drew. "Are we having fun yet?"

"I would be if you would get on with it," she chided.

"Usually I'd have a smart remark to counter that, but I think I'll let my cards talk for me. I play Heavy Storm. No trap cards for either of us."

"And I counter with Imperial Order. No magic cards for either of us. Particularly magic cards that destroy other m/t's. Nice try."

Just as Kyle's Heavy Storm appeared on the field, Jade's Imperial Order flipped face-up and blasted a lightning bolt at the magic card. Kyle's card was blown apart, but only partially to his dismay. Now she'll lose 700 Life Points every turn she keeps it out, and meanwhile, I keep the traps I set. "Fine, then. I flip Sangan (1000/600) to attack mode."

The monster card to his left turned up, and a pumpkin-shaped creature with greenish limbs and splotchy hair wavered into existence.

Jade grinned. "Fine, then I'll counter with another trap, to offset the cost of Imperial Order in the coming turns. Activate Solemn Wishes – I'm sure you remember her."

"I do, indeed," he responded. He narrowed his eyes at the Solemn Wishes representation. And now she'll only lose 200 Life Points per turn, as long as she keeps drawing. "What fond memories they are, too. Guess that just means I'll have to work harder to take out your Life Points. Next I flip Wall of Illusion (1000/1850) to attack mode."

On Sangan's right, Kyle's Wall appeared. Theoris emitted a wave of surprise. Kyle, that monster is not any stronger than Sangan.

True, it's not really meant for attack, but its effect comes in handy, no matter what position it's in. Kyle watched Jade. "This may be one of the most reckless plays in existence, but if there's anything I've learned about dueling you, it's that I have to take chances. Sangan, attack the monster she just played!"

Sangan rolled forth – in that strange manner it moved – and thrust a fist down through the monster card.

"Careful," she laughed. "That's a strategy that'll come back to bite you in the end, being reckless." Nevertheless, her card became the holographic image of a stage-magician, who vanished a second later. "My White Magical Hat (1000/700) is destroyed," she noted.

"Then, apparently, being reckless has its rewards," Kyle commented. "And now to push my luck. Wall of Illusion, attack her remaining monster!"

The mask-like face adorning the center of the wall made of flesh and bone suddenly came to life. Its eyes blazed with power, and it opened its mouth. Three dark energy beams – two from the eyes, one from the mouth – emitted from it and blasted out at Jade's face-down monster.

Jade crossed her arms as the figure of a crouched, humanoid creature was revealed. "And my Illusionist Faceless Mage (1200/2200) easily withstands your attack – and knocks a piece of your Life Points out, too. Hey, Kyle, a friendly reminder – you're supposed to take out my Life Points."

He grunted as he was deprived of 1200 Life Points, taking him down to 2800. "Now I know what it is, at the very least. That's the reward. I'll end my turn there."

"Some reward. Too many more of those and I won't even have to try." She drew her card. "Solemn Wishes gives me 500 LP, which brings Imperial Order's cost down to a measly 200 LP a turn." She slipped a card into one of the empty slots on her Duel Disk. "One more card face-down, and I end my turn."

Kyle drew. "Oh, what, you're worried about not even getting the chance to hit me yourself? Sorry if I'm depriving you." He scoffed, then made his play. "One monster in defense mode, and then I switch Wall of Illusion to defense mode, as well. That ends my turn."

Kyle, you left your Sangan in attack mode?

She's not going to attack it. She knows better. Sangan is safe.

She rolled her eyes but made no comment as she drew her next card, and then immediately set it onto the disk while her LP scrolled down another 200 points. "One monster face-down. Back to you."

He drew his next card. "Hm. All right. I sacrifice Sangan to play Millennium Golem (2000/2200) in attack mode." As the creature of brick emerged onto the field, Kyle pulled his deck out of its slot and searched through it for a monster to fulfill Sangan's effect. "I don't know if you're familiar with Golem, but it's done wonders for me."

Jade gave it a frank look, and stated bluntly, "It looks like an oversized stack of building blocks gone wrong."

Kyle offered a wry smirk. "If you say so. I'm willing to bet it's still more powerful than your face-down. Speaking of which... Golem, attack her face-down monster."

"That it is," she agreed, as a dark-haired female monster was revealed before disintegrating, "but my Witch of the Black Forest (1100/1200) works for my favor from the grave anyway." She pulled her deck from its slot and thumbed through it.

Kyle scratched his chin and idly fingered his pendant. "That ends my turn."

Jade pinched her hand in two fingers so she could shuffle her deck, then replaced it into the disk's holding piece. With that done, she drew again for her turn and lost another 200 LP. "I'll play one monster face-down, and that will end my turn," she announced, smiling. "Care to try your luck again?"

Kyle drew his next card and chewed his lip for a moment. "No, I think I'll pass this turn."

"Not losing your nerve, I hope." She frowned as she drew, her Life Points arriving at 3200. "I'll play another monster in defense, and end my turn."

"Losing my nerve?" Kyle raised an eyebrow as he drew. "Not really. I'm racking up my hand just in case you wipe my field. I know you can do that; you've done it before. But if you insist... I place one card face-down, like so." A face-down Duel Monsters card appeared at his feet. "And then Millennium Golem will attack the monster you just played."

Jade's face transformed into a triumphant smirk. "Come out, my Stern Mystic (1500/1200)! Let's get a good look at the field!"

Kyle narrowed his eyes and harrumphed slightly, as most of his field was face-down. His monsters – Aqua Madoor (1200/2000), Kotodama (0/1600), and Spirit of the Harp (800/2000) – appeared for a few seconds, followed by his magic card Riryoku and his trap cards The Eye Of Truth, Waboku, and Magic Jammer. "You have a habit of finding things that other people don't necessarily want found. Now show me what you've got."

"It's a gift," she said sweetly, "and a useful one at that. I've got nothing that needs hiding." Her face-down monster was revealed to be Mystical Elf (800/2000), and her back row contained A Feint Plan and a Seven Tools of the Bandit.

He sighed slightly. Okay, well, that does me little to no good. Except that I know if I play a trap, she'll counter it. And without Heavy Storm, that Seven Tools is going to stick around a while. "Over to you, then."

She nodded once. "With that helpful look at your field, I'll let Imperial Order expire, so I can reap the full benefits of Solemn Wishes," she illustrated, gaining 500 more LP as she drew her next card. "I'll place one card face-down, and then sacrifice my two monsters for blue Dark Magician (2500/2100)!"

Holographic swirls took away her Mystical Elf and Illusionist Faceless Mage, and the powerful blue-robed sorcerer appeared in their place, holding his battle staff at the ready. "That will end my turn."

Kyle blinked in surprise. "No attack? We both know you'd be able to counter my Waboku."

"Why waste it so quickly?" she asked, giving him a grin. "I can take care of myself, Kyle. Let me duel."

He drew and shrugged. "Who am I to argue?" He chewed his lip and nodded at the card he'd drawn. "I switch Millennium Golem to defense mode, and then equip it with the Horn of Light, to boost his defense to 3000. Well beyond your Magician's tolerance level."

The Horn of Light appeared on the Golem in the center of its chest – presumably because there was no room on its head. Golem knelt down in a defensive pose. "That's the end of my turn."

Jade drew, and her LP scrolled up to 4200. Then she looked at the card she had drawn and chuckled, putting it into her disk. "I'll play Dian Keto for another 1000 LP, which gives me 5200 total. Your move."

Kyle drew his next card, and his eyes widened somewhat. Should I play this?

It is your decision, Kyle. I would suggest that you do, as it possesses a higher attack strength than her Magician.

Still, this is Monica's card. It's almost sacrilegious.

I cannot make the decision for you, Kyle. You must decide for yourself.

...You know, your nobility is a trifle annoying at times.

My apologies. But I believe you have more important things to worry about.

True. He sighed and looked up at Jade. "I guess you were aware I have monsters more powerful than the Brothers."

Jade raised an eyebrow, inviting him to continue, but said nothing aloud.

"Perhaps not necessarily more renowned, but more powerful. Well, here's something that fits into both categories. And I need a free space in my magic/trap field. That said, I sacrifice Millennium Golem and my face-down Aqua Madoor... to play Blue-Eyes White Dragon (3000/2500) in attack mode."

The ivory dragon rose up onto the field over the vanishing essences of the sacrificial monsters and let out an ear-splitting roar.

"You...?" Jade gasped, her eyes widening. She took a half-step back at the appearance of the enormous creature. "You have Kaiba's Blue-Eyes?"

"For the moment. This one, anyway," Kyle answered. "But he lost ownership of them a while back, as I'm sure you heard. Whether stolen or not, they're not his anymore." He pressed one of his magic/trap activation buttons. "And that's not all. I also play the magic card Riryoku, to cut your Magician's attack power in half and add it to Blue-Eyes."

A pair of energy-imbued tentacles whipped out of the Riryoku card, one toward Dark Magician and the other toward Blue-Eyes. Magician began to sag in midair, suddenly looking much less powerful. His armor began to fade and rust, as his attack power sank to 1250. Meanwhile, Blue-Eyes seemed to grow only larger, and its neon blue eyes blazed with the power boost that took it up to 4250.

Kyle's heart leaped to his throat as the words came out. I shouldn't be saying this, but... "Blue-Eyes, attack Dark Magician!"

Weakened and facing a much more powerful creature, Jade's Dark Magician did not withstand the blast for more than a half second before shattering into holograph sparkles. The simulated force of the explosion knocked her back another step, and her Life Point counter scrolled quickly, trying to keep up with the damage, having lost 3000 LP in one fell swoop.

He emitted a sigh. "All right, that ends my turn."

Jade drew her next card and looked at it.

Then she did something very unexpected... she started laughing.

Damn it, she's got a way to come back.

One would think that to be the case.

Kyle crossed his arms and sighed. "I'm almost afraid to ask what you've got, Jade. You know it's good, which means I know it's good."

"No argument here," she smirked. "I draw and collect my 500 LP, and then play Miga, Dark Elf (2000/800) in attack mode. Then I equip her with the magic card Megamorph, which will double her attack power!"

Kyle raised an eyebrow at the name she'd given her Dark Elf, but he wasn't going to argue with her on it. I know this isn't going to do any good, but if I can shave off a few more of her Life Points... "I activate Magic Jammer to stop Megamorph, and discard Morphing Jar from my hand to accommodate the cost."

"And as you knew I would, I counter with Seven Tools of the Bandit," she responded, her LP dropping another thousand points.

"Fair enough. But you know what else I have on my field," he said.

"Waboku? I do indeed. That's precisely why I laid this in a previous turn. Activate the magic card Spiritualism!"

A myriad of skeletal ghosts appeared upon Jade's command. Jade ordered, "Send Kyle's Waboku back to his hand." She grinned at her opponent. "Since this card can't be countered by anything, my attack will go through, and your Blue-Eyes is doomed."

He sighed as he pulled his Waboku off the field. Great. Guess I should kiss Blue-Eyes good-bye. Oh, well. It served well.

"Dark Elf, attack Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"

Dark Elf was perhaps only 1/4 the size of the creature she was attacking, but that apparently made little difference, especially considering the glowing circle of runes that had appeared around her – the visual representation of the Megamorph card. She pressed her hands together, as if in prayer, and the very air around her seemed to shimmer and crackle with power.

A sphere of dark energy appeared over her head. She reached up and jammed her fingers into it, then hurled it at Blue-Eyes.

The sphere blew a hole straight through the massive dragon, and Blue-Eyes crumpled where it stood. The ground was saved from the impact only by the impeccable timing of the holoprojectors, which chose that particular moment to make it vanish... leaving Kyle's monster field that much less adorned.

Jade grinned triumphantly at where the dragon had stood. "Down goes the legendary Blue-Eyes," she commented. "If I'd known they'd be that easy, I might have made it over here sooner to challenge Kaiba."

"I'm sorry I didn't have a Brother in my hand for you to face," Kyle sneered. "And you lose yet another thousand Life Points for that attack, so we're in the same boat where LP loss is concerned. And five thousand within one full turn is no small loss."

"No," she agreed, "but the duel is still going, and for all your 'devastating' attack, I'm still here. Your move."

He made a grumbling noise as he drew. True, she's still here. I might have played that out a lot better. "I play Swords of Revealing Light."

Jade scowled. "And it looks like you're stalling for time."

As the swords of light stabbed down on her field and around her, he surveyed his hand another moment. "It's only a matter of time until your Solemn Wishes takes your LP higher than mine, at which point, your Dark Elf's base attack power will get cut in half. I place one monster face-down, and end my turn."

She has a point, Kyle. You are stalling, to a point.

Hey, whose side are you on, anyway?

Jade drew, allowing her Life Points to increase as per Wishes. "True, but Miga has already served her purpose. Maybe I'll just sacrifice her for something stronger, hmm? And then you're right back to where you started." She winked. "End of my turn."

"It doesn't make any difference to me. Your Megamorph card is lost either way. I don't intend to let your powerups get the best of me." He drew his next card. "I place two magic/traps face-down. Back to you."

She pulled her next card, looking pleased. "I'll play one monster in defense and a card face-down. End of my turn, and your Swords only have a turn left. Hope you drew what you needed, because once my monsters are freed, you're going to be out of luck."

"I don't need luck," he answered, drawing. "All I need are some good cards. I play Vorse Raider (1900/1200) in attack mode."

On the field, in the monster slot Blue-Eyes had previously occupied, Kyle's Vorse Raider wavered into existence. It drooled hungrily, and the blade of its massive axe glinted in the afternoon sunlight that still glimmered over the buildings.

Kyle gave Jade a determined stare before ordering, "Vorse Raider, attack her face-down monster!"

Jade immediately pressed the activation button on one of her magic/trap slots. "How about... not. Activate A Feint Plan, preventing attacks on face-down monsters for a full turn."

He shrugged. "Fine. You're still pinned. End turn."

Jade drew her next card, and her LP scrolled up to 2200, finally higher than Kyle's 1800. Immediately, the rune circle surrounding her Dark Elf turned black, and the creature seemed to wither horribly, dropping her from 4000 ATK points down to a mere 1000. Frowning in what appeared to be concern, Jade spun the card on her disk to its side. "I'll switch Miga to defense position..." The creature complied, sinking to one knee and folding her arms over her chest, looking tired. "...and add another card face-down. End turn."

The glowing swords that had speared Jade's field vanished upon her announcement of the end of her turn, and Kyle discarded the magic card appropriately. He drew his next card, then began manipulating his field. "I switch Wall of Illusion back into attack mode," he announced, turning his Wall card upright on his disk as he spoke. Wall's mask-face began to move again, in its semi-live state. Kyle set his expression. "Wall of Illusion, attack Dark Elf!"

Her Dark Elf was destroyed, but Jade's hand was pressing an activation button before the holographic sparkles had winked out. "Activate Michizure, taking Vorse Raider to the graveyard."

A pair of long arms stretched out from the trap card and wrapped about Vorse Raider. The brutish creature was dragged into the same dark pit from whence the arms had come, and the trap disappeared. Kyle sniffed. "Y'know, sometimes I wonder if these holograms aren't a bit too gaudy for their own good."

"Aw, you love it."

"Fine, so I love it. Actually, I don't mind that you took out Vorse Raider."

"Oh, no?"

"Nope. As you can probably tell, up until that point, I had five monsters on my field. So to have that space cleared up does wonders." Kyle slipped a card into one of his open m/t slots. "I play Monster Reborn. Guess who's back."

He pulled the desired monster from his graveyard and placed it in attack mode on his disk. Concordantly, on the field, the Blue-Eyes Jade had destroyed returned, shining in all its horrifying, resplendent glory. It roared at Jade, and Kyle entertained the thought that it did so out of indignation from being destroyed by a monster like Dark Elf, who was ordinarily so weak by comparison that it would have presented no challenge at all. "Too bad my battle phase is over. I end my turn there."

Jade set her mouth in a grim line. "I beat your Blue-Eyes once, I'll do it again."

And every fiber of her being told her that she would. I'll beat his Blue-Eyes, his Sanga, his Suijin, and anything else he throws at me. Then I'll finally have what I've always wanted.