Author's Notes: Time for the first Trial and for Hikari's debut.

Chapter Thirty-Three: The Testing of Hikari

Azure smiled and shut down her DD2 while Takuya deactivated his Duel Pod. "Congratulations Takuya Shinomori, congratulations all of you. Now it is time for you each to be tested. The Trials begin now."

She held the Tempus Astrum up, and the sapphire sent a bolt of energy out a few feet. It pierced through the air like a knife, and began to split it down the middle. The blue line of light spread outwards, becoming something like a door. "All of you must enter immediately."

Dalin entered first, followed by Kirani and Hikari. Takuya paused at the entrance, and look at Azure. "You still aren't telling us something, but I'm willing to accept that." Then he entered, and was gone from her view. Finally she entered, and the doorway closed leaving no sign that they had ever been there.

This place, it was a long metal pathway that seemed to extend forever. Dalin recognized it as the same pathway he had been on when he slipped into the realm of the dead to bring Kai back for that brief time. "What first?"

"We'll walk down the path until a door appears. One of you will know that it is your who is to enter it. You must do so alone, in order to face what lies beyond. No assistance can be given." With that said she started walking, and they all began to follow after her.

To their surprise it took less than a minute before a door rose up from the ground. It was a simple white door with numbers on it. It read: Room 751. Other than that, there was nothing unusual about this one. "Whose door is this one?"

There was a pause, and then Hikari raised her hand. "This...this is room number that I was admitted to in the hospital. It was where I was for all those years." Each of them, Dalin aside, started to express their sympathies. But she put her hand up to forestall them.

"It's okay. I just need to get this done. A test of mind, spirit, and body. What could be so hard about that right?" She paused with her hand on the doorknob, and then she turned it. Light washed over her, and in moments there was no sign of her or the door.

Azure leaned up against the wall and closed her eyes. "Now we wait, and we pray."

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"Welcome Hikari Ihachi. You've come back to your home, a place that you never should have left. It's so good to see you again." Hikari turned around, and found that she was standing inside of the very hospital room that had been her home for years. Standing in the doorway was a man from her dreams. She was fairly sure he was her doctor in real life, but she didn't know him as anything but a dream specter.

"This isn't my home, not anymore. I won't be staying, I'm just here to take a test and be done with it." The doctor chuckled, shaking his head in amusement. He snapped his fingers, and suddenly wires shot out of the walls and wrapped around her limbs, pulling her upright so she was hanging above the ground.

"You can't leave quite yet. Your brother cut a deal to restore you to full health and strip away your disease. But we're lonely here without you, so we're calling you back. Or...perhaps that's just what you think has happened?" Hikari blinked, not quite understanding what he was saying.

"I see that you don't quite understand. All those dreams that you had while in your coma, they all seemed fairly real didn't they? This seems pretty real as well, only there's magic and evil begins and a world turned topsy turvy. What's to say that this isn't just another one of your dreams?" Her breath caught in her throat as she realized that this was a possibility. Only in her dreams was she ever devoid of her weakness, and here she was without that liability.

"I...I just can't believe that. I don't want to believe it. I WON'T, I REFUSE TO BELIEVE IT!" She pulled against the wires, but found that they held her tight. The more she struggled the tighter her bonds seemed to become.

"Struggling does nothing. But I guess there is one option. This is your nightmare, so things do operate under certain rules. You can accept this fate only if you can defeat me. Now I know you play Duel Monsters, and I know that I happen to have learned how to play for the sake of my kids. Not only that, but because this is your nightmare I know how to duel. Otherwise it wouldn't work out would it?" He smiled brightly and fixed a DD2 on his arm, a deck already inserted.

She yelped as the wires dropped her, letting her land on her feet. She rose back up, and snapped her own duel disk into position. "If that's how this works, then I intend to prove this is no nightmare, no dream! This is real, I'm real!" (HLP: 4000)

"If you say so. But it is my duty as a nightmare specter to teach you that this isn't real. Just to prove the point, whenever you lose life points you will weaken, quite reminiscent of your normal state outside of dreams. If you lose, then you return to your comatose state. And you have no choice about accepting this." He smiled brightly and drew five cards from the top of his deck, holding them up to take a look. (DLP: 4000)

Hikari tried not to let her fear show, but she knew that she was afraid. If she lost now, then she would forever return to her coma. But somehow, she wasn't certain if this was exactly what she wanted. 'What if this isn't real? What then?'

Trying to shake off the feeling she drew, and immediately held up her new card. "I play Card in Hand, allowing me to take one monster from my deck and add it to my hand!" She popped her deck out of the slot and searched through it before she came to the monster she wanted. Then she returned her deck to its normal position and shuffled it.

"Searching for more than a monster aren't you? Searching for hope within that deck of yours. Fine with me, but the cold mechanical demise of a coma will be all that waits for you at the end of this duel. Until then, go ahead and continue." He smiled cheerfully, acting as if he wasn't threatening her with a return to her old state.

"I activate Polymerization, fusing together Gazelle and Berformet from my hand to create Chimera the Winged Mythical Beast(2100/1800)!" A two headed brown beast roared as it appeared in front of her, shaking its horned heads. Its tail whipped back and forth wildly as it eagerly awaited its chance to go on the offensive.

"Is that really all? Then I guess it's my turn. The doctor is in the house!" The doctor drew, and took two different cards from his hand. When he showed them to her, she saw that each of them was identical to the other. So he was playing two copies of the same card.

"My two cards are both Cost Downs, which require me to discard a card to activate. So together that uses up four cards from my hand. In return all told I get to reduce the level of every monster in my hand by four. That means I can now summon Perfect Machine King(2700/1500) without a tribute!" A tall mechanical humanoid now stood in front of him, barely fitting the hospital room. It looked like some sort of mech from an anime.

"Although my monster is already more powerful than your creature, I have to tell you its ability. For each other machine on the field the perfect king gains five hundred attack points. Now, in order to get more machines I'll have to do some quick thinking. For instance, my Card of Sanctity." He drew six cards, smiling brightly the whole time. In accordance to its effect Hikari drew three new cards.

"Perfect as always, just like my Perfect Machine King. I play Junk Dealer, which lets me bring back two monsters from my cemetery with half of their stats. I think I'll revive Machine King(1100/1000) and Big Core(1150/550)!" Another mech-like monster, this one less complex looking was summoned, along with a large spaceship.

"Thanks to their presence my Perfect Machine King(3700/1500) is now stronger than most monsters in the game. Also, Machine King(1400/1000) gains one hundred attack points for each machine on the field, including itself. That's not all though, because I activate the field card Machine City!" The hospital room vanished, and they were suddenly standing in a city of pure metal, where robots of all shapes and sizes darted about.

"As long as Machine City is active every machine in play gains two hundred attack points. Also, the sacrifice cost of all machines is reduced by one. So my Perfect Machine King(3900/1500), Machine King(1600/1000), and Big Core(1350/550) are all stronger because of it." His three monsters were buffed down by passing drones, and started shining brightly with polish.

"I continue my turn by activating the continuous magic card Junkyard. Each turn I may send a machine to the cemetery from my deck to increase my life points by three hundred. Also, whenever a machine is destroyed in battle that amount increases by one hundred. Another perfect card isn't it?" Hikari didn't bother commenting, as she had already realized this doctor liked to think of himself and his plays as perfect.

"Perfect Machine King, crush her imperfect biological monster and show her its limits." The mechanical ruler grabbed Chimera and with a mighty heave ripped it in half. Hikari nearly lost it as blood sprayed across the city scape. In seconds it was all cleaned up by drones. (HLP: 2200)

"I activate Chimera's special ability, and special summon Berfomet(1400/1800) back to the field in defense mode!" A red two armed beast appeared in front of her, crouching down and crossing its arms in front of itself.

"I see, a defense that my two weakened monsters cannot break. Very well, I set one card face down. Now I send one machine to my cemetery and end my turn." He ejected a card from his deck and then slid it into his cemetery. A passing drone darted up to him and combed his hair back. (DLP: 4300)

Hikari grimaced, realizing that he had a huge advantage over her right now. But she could make this work. "I sacrifice Berfomet to summon Legendary Pegasus(2200/1400) in attack mode!" A white winged horse flew down from above, and the drones immediately combed its glossy fur down.

"Legendary Pegasus, attack his weakest monster, Big Core!" Her monster flew over and pounded its hooves against the ship, but it didn't budge. It appeared to have been chipped and dented a little, but Pegasus' hooves hadn't done any significant damage. (DLP: 3450)

"Such a rash and imperfect move. Big Core cannot be destroyed in battle, and normally it would die after battling with no counters on it. But my Machine City provides for all my monster's needs, and grants it one new counter each turn. So it was a wasted effort." Hikari frowned, and looked over the remaining cards in her hand. She knew what to do, so she set two face down and finished her turn.

"I start my new turn by sending a machine to the cemetery. That means I will yet again gain three hundred life points. Of course had you killed one of my machines, that would have been four hundred points instead." Another drone appeared to primp him, this time making sure his mustache was in perfect order. (DLP: 3750)

"Ah, here we go. I summon Fusilier the Dual Mode Beast(1400/1000). Normally this monster is a level seven, and even with my Machine City it would require a sacrifice. But by reducing is attack and defense by half I can summon it without tribute. Now it gains two hundred points, and Perfect Machine King gains five hundred, while Machine King gains one hundred." Each of his monsters except for Big Core gained attacked points, becoming even deadlier.

"Perfect Machine King(4400/1500), destroy her newest imperfect creature!" The mechanical monstrosity reached out to grab hold of Hikari's monster. But a burning phoenix suddenly swooped down and began flapping its wings. The gust started pushing the Perfect Machine King backwards.

"You let me play my trap card, Phoenix Wing Wind Burst! By discarding one card from my hand I can return one card on your field to the top of your deck. So say goodbye to your so-called 'Perfect' Machine King!" The doctor frowned as his monster vanished, and he was forced to take it off his duel disk and place it on top of his deck.

"Very well then, it seems you have performed better than I would have guessed. Turn end." Hikari nodded and then drew a new card, determined to take the lead now that she had the chance. Also, she had the perfect method to do so.

"I summon Harpy Lady #1(1300/1400) whose effect increases the attack of all wind types by three hundred. That boosts her to sixteen hundred, and Legendary Pegasus to twenty-five hundred. Now, I attack Big Core and Machine King!" Her two monsters blew apart the two machines, whose remains were carted away. However, Big Core reformed itself just moments later. (DLP: 2600)

Hikari set a single card face down, and then her turn was over. The doctor drew his next card, already knowing that it would be his Perfect Machine King. Not that he was in the slightest bit bothered by this, after all, it was his perfect monster. "Your time is running out little girl. I send another machine to my cemetery." (DLP: 3000)

"Now, I sacrifice Big Core in order to summon back Perfect Machine King(3400/1500)!" His mighty machine monster appeared, and then suddenly flickered and vanished. He looked outraged, but Hikari was smiling. She motioned to her newest card, which was now face up.

"You triggered my trap card, Selection of Ark. This works when the opponent tries to summon a monster of the same sub-type as another on the field. I can negate that summon. Since you already had a machine on the field I negated your summon, and now your Perfect Machine King is in the grave as is your Big Core." The doctor's eyes went wide and he felt his calm demeanor start to slip. That was twice she had defeated his monster with little effort.

"Very well, I activate the equip card Necklace of Give and Take and equip it to my Fusilier. Next Fusilier shall attack Harpy Lady #1!" The two monsters clashed, and were instantly destroyed. But since their attack power was equal neither player took any life point damage.

"Since the monster equipped with my necklace was destroyed in battle I may choose one of two effects. I choose to draw one card." He snapped another card off his deck, returning his hand size to a consistent three.

"I activate Monster Reincarnation, and discard one card from my hand to return Perfect Machine King to my hand. I have just discarded Repayment of Losses, so I get to draw another card." Despite having played a card and discarded one, his hand was still at three cards. Hikari began to wonder if he would ever lower his hand beyond that point.

"Next I play the continuous card Weight Reduction, which allows me to once per turn shuffle a level seven or higher monster from my hand into my deck to draw one card." He took his recently returned Perfect Machine King to his deck, and then shuffled it up. After that he drew a card, leaving him with two cards in his hand.

"To continue I activate the continuous magic card Machine Recycling Plant, which allows me to send a machine from my deck to cemetery in order to draw two cards. Also, since a machine went from my deck to my cemetery I may gain life points according to the effect of my Junkyard." Energy flowed into his disk as once again he gained life points, and he drew to restore his hand to three cards. (DLP: 3500)

"My next play consists of activating Pot of Greed, and then activating Monster Reborn to revive the Perfect Machine King(2900/1500) that I discarded with Machine Recycling Plant. Since this was my second main phase, my turn is over." He smiled at her, cockily waving his three card hand back and forth.

Hikari drew, and felt rather uncertain as to what she should do. She had just three cards in her hand, much like the doctor, but her only monster was her Legendary Pegasus and it was no match for Perfect Machine King. Her face down card wouldn't be of any use either. 'He's got all the advantage, and I'm feeling weaker each moment. If I don't defeat him, then I'll go back to how I was before!'

She felt a shiver run through her body, and stared blankly at her hand of cards, trying to figure out a way to make things work. There was only one combo she saw available to her that might help. "I shift Legendary Pegasus into defense mode, and then I set one card face down. End turn."

The doctor smirked and popped a card out of his deck right after drawing. "Another monster goes from my deck to my cemetery, and thanks to the joint combination of Junkyard and Machine Recycling Plant I gain five hundred life points and draw twice." He did so, and energy flowed into his duel disk. (DLP: 4000)

"I activate the effect of Weight Reduction, and shuffle a Perfect Machine King from my hand back into my deck in order to draw once." He returned the named card to his deck, and then smirked confidently as he saw his newest card.

"For my next card I shall play Foolish Burial. I choose to send a monster from my deck to my cemetery, therefor increasing my life points by a further five hundred and letting me draw two cards." He popped the card out of his deck and flashed it, showing it to be Perfect Machine King. He slid it into his cemetery, and then picked up the top two cards of his deck. (DLP: 4500)

Already he had seven cards in his hand, and it didn't look like that number would be truly reducing anytime soon. "I play Monster Reincarnation and discard one card from my hand to pick back up the Perfect Machine King I just sent to the cemetery."

"Next I activate another Cost Down, discarding a card in order to let me summon Perfect Machine King(3400/1500) to the field. That makes two Perfect Machine Kings and each one assists the other in gaining attack points." Just like that his hand size was back down to three, and he had two of his favorite monsters in play. His card combos weren't really hurting Hikari, but there were making the situation worse for her.

"I'll play the equip card Necklace of Give and Take on Legendary Pegasus. That means when I destroy it I'll be able to draw one card. Now, Perfect Machine King the first, attack Legendary Pegasus!" The machine launched its fist out, blowing straight through Legendary Pegasus. Then the doctor drew a card, returning his hand to three cards.

"The second Perfect Machine King shall attack you directly for the win!" It extended its fist, but suddenly Legendary Pegasus flew up, catching the strike in the chest. For the second time in the turn the Legendary Pegasus was destroyed, leaving her field devoid of monsters.

"My Spirit of the Monster let me block your attack by removing a recently destroyed monster from the game. This continuous card will remain in play as long as I have monsters in the grave. So I can block a total of four more attacks." The doctor frowned, and then folded his arms over his chest, indicating that his turn was done.

Now that it was her turn again, she had to figure out a way to get past his combination real quickly. He wasn't even trying to defend himself, because all he needed was his monsters at such a great strength. 'Is he too strong for me, or is it really because the dark is always stronger than the light in a nightmare?'

"I...I...errr." She frowned, trying to decide exactly what she could do. Finally she settled on a move. "I play Reasoning. You have to guess a level, and then I draw cards until I reach a monster. If it's the right level then I discard it along with the other drawn cards. If it's not the right level, it gets special summoned."

The doctor smirked and held up three fingers, indicating that he thought it was going to be a level three monster. Hikari idly wondered what the doctor's obsession was with the number three. "You guessed wrong Mr. Perfect! The top card of my deck comes out, revealing Sacred Phoenix of Nephtys(2400/2000)!" A massive bird of flame roared out onto the field, flapping its wings and creating small tornados of flame.

"I set one card face down, and that ends my turn!" The doctor quirked an eyebrow, obviously not amused by her new monster. He also didn't see it as being of the slightest threat.

"First, I throw out a monster from my deck to draw twice and gain five hundred life points. Then I'll do so again. It's quite amusing to have two cards that benefit each other with similar effects. All told, I draw four times and gain one thousand life points." He began searching through his eight cards, trying to decide what to play. At the same time his life points took a spike upwards. (DLP: 5500)

"I'll use Weight Reduction's effect and return Perfect Machine Queen(2600/1400) to my deck in order to draw a card." He slipped the named card back into his deck, and then popped another one off the top.

He reached for another card, but was stopped when he noticed something spinning around the neck of his opponent's phoenix monster. "No...but that's the Ring of Destruction!"

"That's right, and I'm destroying my own phoenix to deal you twenty-four hundred life points of damage. In the meantime I'll discard a card from my hand to activate my remaining face down card. It's called Hallowed Life Barrier which saves my life points from damage this turn!" The phoenix exploded, spraying flame all over the doctor. Hikari on the other hand was shielded by a glowing barrier. (DLP: 3100)

"What a worthless move. I may not be able to hurt you quite yet, but I do have to say that shortly I will be able to. Watch and learn little girl, because your nightmare is about to come true!" He grabbed two cards from his hand, and slipped one onto his disk first. A warp began to appear above the head of the first Perfect Machine King.

"My Dimensionhole will remove Perfect Machine King from the game until the end of my turn. Then the second one will do the same with my other king. Curious as to why I did this? Just wait and see." His two monsters vanished into the warps above their heads, leaving his field empty. Then the doctor reached for his disk, and pressed a button on it.

"At last my strategy is complete since five turns have passed and this card has been face down for that long. Now you will see why I kept sending monsters to the graveyard as I reveal my continuous magic card Rise of the Machines! When activated it counts up the total turns it was face down and lets me sacrifice it to revive that many machines from the grave!" Hikari's eyes widened as she realized he was about to summon five monsters to the field in a single turn.

"Rise up, V Tiger Jet(1700/1200), W Double Wing Catapult(1400/1600), X Head Cannon(1800/1500), Y Dragon Head(1500/1600), and Z Metal Tank(1500/1300)!" Five machine monsters appeared, each of them looking somewhat like a monster except for the W. Hikari frowned, not recognizing any of them. Then again, she was four years behind on Duel Monsters cards.

"I activate their special effects, and remove them all from the game to bring out a fusion monster like none other! VWXYZ-Dragon Catapult Cannon(3200/2800) whose effect once per turn removes one card on your field from the game! So Spirit of the Monster is gone!" The massive mecha pointed at her trap and blasted it, instantly vaporizing it. Hikari was just lucky that he couldn't deal life point damage to her this turn.

"Now, I set two cards face down, and end my turn, returning both of my Perfect Machine Kings(3900/1500) to the field!" He laughed brightly, amused by her predicament. She had just one card in her hand, and no field whatsoever. In addition he had three behemoth monsters and the ability to remove one card from her field each turn.

She took a deep breath, and as extended one hand out over her field. "I just drew, so that makes it my turn. Now, rise up from the depths great Sacred Phoenix of Nephtys(2400/2000) who is revived whenever destroy by an effect! Next her special ability destroys all magic and trap cards!"

The phoenix formed and flapped its wings, sending sprays of flame down upon the field. The doctor scowled as his impressive card combo and his two face down cards were utterly blown away by her phoenix's effect. "You destroy my combo...for that you shall pay!"

"If you say so. I summon Goblin of Greed(1000/1800) in defense mode. Then I activate Graceful Charity. Since Goblin of Greed makes it so neither of us can discard for a card effect, I draw three cards at no cost." The doctor scowled again as she drew three cards from her deck, giving her more to work with.

"I set two cards face down, and activate Piece of Cake, which increases my life points by twelve hundred points." A little cake with white icing appeared in front of her, and she took a big bite out of it. She swallowed it down and grinned as her life points rose. (HLP: 3400)

Since she had no further plays that she could make, the doctor felt that it was once again his move. So he drew a card, leaving him with five cards in his hand. His best cards were gone, along with his mighty Machine City. Now they were just back in the hospital room. "VWXYZ-Dragon Catapult Cannon will remove your Phoenix from the game!"

"Not if I chain that with my Assault on Goblin Headquarters! This lets me select one monster and destroy it, then you have to send the top two cards of your deck to the cemetery. Since I've just sent my phoenix to the grave, your effect fails and she'll be back next turn." The doctor growled and ditched the top two cards of his deck.

"You'll pay for that girl, and I will crush your creatures! Watch as I play Premature Burial at a cost of eight hundred life points to revive one of the two cards just discarded. Rise up, Perfect Machine King(4200/1500)!" Now he had three of his ultimate monsters in play, along with his combination monster with its deadly abilities. (DLP: 2300)

"I'm not done yet! I play Polymerization to fuse together the three Perfect Machine Kings and create Deus Ex Machina(4000/4000)!" The room warped, and the city from before seemed to reform. His monster was like a city in itself, and though Hikari could vaguely see a face in the massive form, there were smaller machines everywhere.

"This is my ultimate monster who gains one thousand attack points for every machine monster on the field and cannot be destroyed by any targeted trap cards! Now, I activate Renewal of Triplets since I have three identical monsters in the graveyard, and revive my three Perfect Machine Kings(4700/1500)!" They appeared once again, giving him a total of five monsters.

"Their presence perfects Deus Ex Machina, raising its attack to an untouchable eight thousand! Now I activate my ultimate magic card! One With The Machine! By sacrificing all my life points I join together with Deus Ex Machina, and make it immune to all destruction effects! I only lose when it is destroyed!" The face warped, and became that of the doctor. The machine-like city let out a booming laugh. (DLP: 0)

"Now, prepare to lose your entire self! For though during this turn I cannot attack you, my other monsters can! VWXYZ-Dragon Catapult Cannon attacks your Goblin of Greed, initiating its ability and moving your monster into attack mode!" A burst of flame from the mecha's fists incinerated the cubby goblin, and did a real number on Hikari's life points. (HLP: 1400)

The machine god that was formerly the doctor laughed darkly as her knees buckled and then she collapsed, losing all of her strength. "You can feel it closing in on you can't you? The darkness is coming for you, ready to take you back and embrace you forever in eternal night! You'll never wake up!"

Everything quivered around her, like the world was shaking apart. Had she been fully conscience, she would have realized that it was from the steps of the three approaching Perfect Machine Kings. 'I'm going to return to how I was, forever lost in my own mind. Is that really what I want?'

She felt herself falling deeper into herself, and then the world changed.

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"You said earlier that you know my brother. How is Daisuke, and where exactly is he?" Hikari took note of the look on Kirani's face when the question was asked. There was a flash of pain there, she'd have to remember that.

"He's...probably not the same person you remember. A lot of things happened to him after you slipped into a coma, but he's been getting better. He's risked everything for you more than once, you're lucky to have such a devoted brother. He'd do anything for you...literally." Kirani dropped her eyes, the pained look returning.

"There's something you're having trouble telling me, I can tell. The sooner you get it out in the open, the easier it will be to deal with." When Kirani's head lifted, Hikari was surprised to find tears in the younger girl's eyes.

"He...he was tricked, and he made a mistake. Because of how much he wanted you to be better, so that you wouldn't die, he...released Eikyuu. Now he's gone. Nobody knows what happened to him, but Taichi said that he was gone for good."

"Daisuke...he's the reason I've returned to normal, and that my disease is gone? It seems that he's become my own guiding light, and not the other way around. But if there's one thing I know about him, it's that you can't keep him down. So no matter what happens, we can both keep fighting so that we can see him again. Right?"

Kirani smiled, and wiped away her tears. The two girls clasped hands, smiling at each other. "Right. We'll both see him again, we just have to keep on fighting, no matter what happens. It's what he would do."

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'Keep fighting, for his sake. I won't let all his work go to waste by letting myself fall back into that darkness again!'

"Open face down card, Blossom of Equality! This will destroy one attacking monster and any monsters on your field with an equal or lesser attack strength! That means all three of your Perfect Machine Kings are finished and removed from the game!" A burst of flower petals washed over the three machines, and they each shattered into nothingness. Then the flower petals washed over the combination machine, and it too was destroyed.

Deus Ex Machina shuddered in frustration, its attack power falling to four thousand again. "You are lucky that as Deus Ex Machina I cannot attack in this turn. You are saved...for now."

Hikari struggled to her feet, and drew a card with all the strength of her body. "I was saved long before this, thanks to my brother! And the only way that I can return the favor is by getting through you and passing this Trial, so I WILL WIN!"

She flipped up the card, and after a cursory glance she slammed it down onto her duel disk. "I sacrificed Sacred Phoenix of Nephtys in order to summon Perseus, the Legendary Warrior(2600/2400) who requires the sacrifice of a monster with 'sacred', 'mythical', 'mystical', or 'legendary' in their name to be summoned!"

A handsome man in old Greek armor wielding a long sword and a shield that seemed shiny enough to act as a mirror now took his place where the phoenix had once been. "The moment that Perseus is summoned I can take one 'Legendary Pegasus' from my cemetery or from out of play and summon it to the field!"

The white winged horse flew down from above, landing right next to Perseus. "Now, I union the two together in order to increase Perseus attack and defense by four hundred! Not only that, but each player may now draw four cards!"

Perseus jumped up on top of Pegasus, and the horse whinnied, taking flight into the air. Feathers rained down, and Hikari drew four cards. At the same time, four giant holographic cards appeared in the massive machine god in front of her, making a total of five. "You made your last mistake girl! By discarding cards from my hand I can increase my own attack power by one thousand! So I'll discard my five cards in order to gain five thousand attack points!"

The city of a monster grew as its power increased to nine thousand. It let out a booming laugh which nearly knocked Hikari off her feet. "I'm content with that. After all, there's no need to be bothered since I know I can win! Go, Revive the Myth!"

Sacred Phoenix of Nephtys shrieked as it burst out of the ground, flapping its wings. Then Chimera the Flying Mythical Beast also burst out of the ground and roared for its triumphant return. "For each card I discard from my hand I can revive a monster with 'legendary', 'sacred', 'mythical', or 'mystical' in their name from the grave. So I throw out two cards to bring back these two."

"It means nothing, for your puny creatures are no match for the very God of the Machine, Deus Ex Machina! I am too powerful for those weaklings, and no effect can destroy me. You're grasping a straws." A slight smirk appeared on Hikari's face as she flipped around one of the cards she was discarding, revealing a Repayment of Losses. Had the now mechanized doctor known her brother, he would have recognized the smirk.

"Better watch out, because I'm not the one who drew the short straw! I can't destroy you, but I can beat you! I activate Union Breakdown, which splits my union apart!" Perseus patted his horse on the head, and then dismounted. The horse whinnied in disappointment, but let him go.

"Still completely pointless! Your monsters cannot touch me, for I am perfect! Shortly you will fall to my strength, and be lost to the eternal abyss. There is absolutely no way to escape from the nightmare." Hikari closed her eyes and dropped her head for a moment. In that moment, Deus Ex Machina felt a surge of triumph fill his mechanized body. Then she snapped her head up and opened her eyes revealing...determination.

"I can't say whether this is all a dream or not, but I just have to believe that it isn't! Even if this isn't reality, then I'm perfectly happy with it. Better a dream of being awake then forever being asleep. Now, it's time to show you your flaws Mr. Perfect!" She slid the final card in her hand into a slot in her duel disk, and energy began to surge through Deus Ex Machina.

The city-like machine monster bellowed with rage as his body began to shake apart. "What's going on! What have you done to me! This cannot be happening, I can't be destroyed by effects!"

"I'm not destroying you, I'm exploiting your flaw. See, you're a fusion. And because I happen to have fusions in my deck, I had another special magic card. You wanted a Deus Ex Machina, well here one is! De-fusion which breaks you down into your base parts, the doctor and the machine!" The doctor dropped out of the face of the machine, and collapsed on the ground. All the lights in the machine went dark. (DLP: 9000)

"Lucky for you all the attack points of your city went to your life points, and since I didn't kill it you're safe. On the other hand, now it has zero attack points. And since you've got a degree, I'm sure you can manage the math on my monsters. For instance...Chimera, destroy Deus Ex Machina!" The two-headed creature charged forwards, and smashed straight through the machine's head. It fell apart into spare pieces, leaving no traces and leaving them in the hospital room again. (DLP: 6900)

"This can't be happening! I'm perfect!" The doctor struggled away, looking at the three remaining monsters in fear.

"Sacred Phoenix, make him feel his imperfections really well, and Pegasus will do the same!" Both winged creatures rose up and began flapping their wings. A burst of wind crashed into the doctor, hurling him against he wall. Then fire rained down on him, weakening his body even further. (DLP: 2300)

"Now, for the finish! Perseus, show him what kind of hero you are. Attack him directly!" Perseus charged forwards and slashed his sword across the doctor's chest. The man slumped backwards, his life points falling from the attack. (DLP: 0)

"No...I lost...so my punishment...it goes to me!" He cried out in terror and then suddenly he just collapsed, falling into the hospital bed. He was completely silent, and Hikari knew that she had won.

"Thank you my monsters, thank you for helping me win. Thank you Kirani, and thank you Drake. You both helped me realize that I didn't need to be afraid anymore, or be weak. I have my own strength, and now I understand that." She turned, finding the door was back. She stepped forwards, and turned the handle.

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Author's Notes: There you go. Hikari's first duel, and it is revealed that she runs what I like to call a Mythological Deck. Or perhaps a 'Mythology Deck'.

Review Response

G.O.T. Nick: We talked, and your guesses were pretty spot on. So, huzzah then yes?

The White Mage: Yep, that's pretty much what she is. Although she has some other jobs too.

WolfGeneral: Eh, no big. And thanks for the compliment. I thought up the deck while researching card games.

VoidTemplar: Nope, not Valkyries. Also, she never used Valkryies. That was Ihachi, who just looks like her. It's one of those creepy things.

Time Mage: Azure is too much younger than Dalin for that to at all work out. Oh, and it is weird how we do that.

Original Cards(If I put a TM next to a card, that means it was created by Time Mage who created Kai, if it has WG next to it, it was created by WolfGeneral)

Hikari: Card in Hand, Legendary Pegasus, Spirit of the Monster, Piece of Cake, Blossom of Equality, Perseus the Legendary Warrior, Revive the Myth, Repayment of Losses, Union Breakdown

Doctor: Machine City, Junkyard, Repayment of Losses, Machine Recycling Plant, Rise of the Machines(WG), Deus Ex Machina, Renewal of Triplets, One With The Machine