Review responses-
Time Mage: KIRBIN has the multiple essences. Not Term, KIRBIN!
Yoshimo: Actually, to be honest, I just script the duels before writing the chapter, then while writing I put it in dialogue.
Younglink87: No, I do not have the cards laid out in front of me. However, I do spend a lot of time looking at cards on the Internet. Yugioh-Haus I use most often, as the site has enlarged pictures of cards, so you ca actually read the effects.
Tokyo Tournament
Chapter Seventeen-Completing the Key
Also Entitled-End Round One
(AN: Unlike in other chapters, I'm just going to get right into the duels this time, instead of having ominous foresight.)
"That Gravekeeper's Chief of yours is strong," complimented Mai as she drew and immediately played a Pot of Greed, drawing two more cards. "But the two cards I've just drawn are going to let me beat it."
"How so?" inquired Kreva as he grinned maliciously.
"Pretty simple," replied Mai as she placed both cards on her Duel Disk, "I'm playing another Elegant Egotist, which will summon another set of Harpie Lady Sisters. Meanwhile, Monster Reborn will revive the trio your Gravekeeper's Chief destroyed." The two sets of sisters appeared in front of Mai, joining her three other Harpies.
"So you summoned another bunch of birds," mocked Kreva, "what are they going to do? My Gravekeeper's Chief can easily defeat them, as can Fang's Fushioh Richie."
"Not for long," said Mai, "because now I sacrifice both sets of Harpie Lady Sisters." At her words, six of the nine Harpies disappeared in a shower of feathers, leaving the remaining three behind. "With those two sets sacrificed, I can now summon Harpie's Pet Dragon (2000/2500) in attack mode!" A large red dragon appeared, an iron collar about its neck. A chain was attached to the collar, and one of Mai's Harpies held its end. "Harpie's Pet Dragon (2900/3400) gains 300 attack and defense for every Harpie Lady on my side of the field," Mai explained as he dragon let out a roar. Kreva and Fang both took a step back as they looked on at Mai's awesome creature before she called out to it, "Harpie's Pet Dragon, destroy the Gravekeeper's Chief!" The dragon belched out a great stream of fire, enveloping the Gravekeeper's Chief in its red-hot inferno and burning him to a cinder.
Fang: 3800 Kreva: 1550 Joey: 2800 Mai: 2550
"Even our most powerful monsters are unable to defeat that dragon," admitted Fang as he drew, "so all I'll do this turn is sacrifice my facedown monster for another in its place."
[Why didn't Fang have Fushioh Richie attack?], Joey asked himself as he drew, [If he had attacked one of Mai's Harpie Ladies, then Harpie's Pet Dragon would have been weakened. Oh well, that just gives us an advantage.] "Flame Swordsman, attack the facedown card Fang just set!" The Flame Swordsman swung his sword, releasing the Salamandra flame at Fang's newest monster.
"I activate Ordeal of a Traveler!" countered Fang as his lone facedown card flipped up to reveal an enormous sphinx whose eyes glowed red. "Ordeal of a Traveler will return the Flame Swordsman to your Fusion deck if you fail to guess the type of card that I hold in my hand now." Fang randomly selected a card from his hand and held its back up to Joey.
"What kinda Trap is that?" Joey spat, "That's gotta be one of the cheapest Traps ever!"
"Cheap it may be," conceded Fang, "but it is a legal card, so I suggest you quit complaining and guess."
"Well, that's not very difficult," said Joey, "you've been playing monsters every turn, but you've only played one Trap the entire duel. So that card must be a monster."
Fang frowned and placed the card back in his hand, then watched as the Salamandra flame struck his monster, revealing it to be another sphinx. But then Fang grinned as the sphinx vanished, "You just destroyed the Guardian Sphinx (1200/2400), which will send the Flame Swordsman back to your hand. Actually, because Flame Swordsman is a Fusion monster, it will be sent back to your Fusion deck." Joey watched in surprise as his swordsman vanished.
"Now you're defenseless," said Kreva with a smirk as he drew, "and now I'll eliminate your partner."
"Take your best shot," Mai challenged, "Harpie's Pet Dragon can take anything you can throw."
"Who says my target is your dragon?" responded Kreva, "I don't need to destroy your strongest monster to take you out. Observe, I'll summon Gravekeeper's Cannonholder (1400/1200), who will immediately get a power boost from Necrovalley (1900/1700)!" A man with black robes appeared, a strange red canister slung over his shoulder. "Next, I activate my Cannonholder's special ability, sacrificing Gravekeeper's Curse to deal 700 points of direct damage!" The Curse became a being of light, which floated into the Cannonholder's cannon. The cannon's wielder then fired his weapon at Mai.
Fang: 3800 Kreva: 1550 Joey: 2800 Mai: 1850
"Next," continued Kreva with a grin, "I activate Rite of Spirit, summoning Gravekeeper's Curse from my graveyard again and then launching him again!" The Gravekeeper's Curse appeared a third time, then became a being of light again and was launched by the cannon holder at Mai.
Fang: 3800 Kreva: 1550 Joey: 2800 Mai: 650
"Finally," concluded Kreva, "Gravekeeper's Cannonholder, destroy one of Mai's harpies!" The cannon launched another stream of energy, this one aimed at one of Mai's three harpies, which gave out a cry of agony as it was killed.
Fang: 3800 Kreva: 1550 Joey: 2800 Mai: 50
Mai collapsed to her knees as tears streamed down her face from the pain she felt. Joey and Serenity looked on in horror at Mai, who was no doubt on her last legs.
-...Ground floor...-
Yami drew a card and smiled as he placed it and another card on his Duel Disk, "I place a card facedown, as well as a monster in defense mode. I'll then end my turn by placing the Queen's Knight in defense mode." As the two new cards appeared in front of him, the Queen's Knight crouched behind her shield.
"My move," declared Veli as she drew, "so I'll play Giant Orc (2200/0) in attack mode!" A large, green creature with an enormous gut appeared, a large bone club clenched in its hands. "Prepare to be defeated, Kaiba! Giant Orc, attack Kaiba directly!" The enormous orc lumbered towards Kaiba, swinging its bone club wildly.
"I'll defend Kaiba with Queen's Knight!" countered Yami as his knight nimbly leapt into the path of Veli's monster.
"Kaiba may still be in the duel," said Veli, "but you'll still take 500 points of damage once your Queen's Knight is destroyed, Yugi."
"Not if I protect her with the Trap, Magical Hats," responded Yami as a large top hat decorated by a yellow question mark appeared over the Queen's Knight and dropped onto it. The hat then separated into three different ones, all the same size as the original. The Giant Orc struck the middle hat, which was revealed to be empty. The hats then disappeared and Queen's Knight then walked back to her position in front of Yami.
Veli: 1000 Jerry: 4000 Kaiba: 1300 Yugi: 2000
"Nice move Yugi," said Kaiba in a reluctant tone, which quickly turned to one of pride, "but I could have easily dealt with that attack."
[Yugi's acting really foolish], thought Jerry as he watched Kaiba draw, [by playing Magical Hats, he set out two decoy cards from the bottom of his deck. At the end of the turn Magical Hats is activated, Magical Hats and the two decoy cards go to the graveyard, meaning Yugi just cost himself 1000 more Life Points than if he had just allowed Queen's Knight to be destroyed. What's he up to?]
"One thing you should know about my Vampire Lord," said Kaiba, "after being destroyed, it will be summoned back to my field on my next turn. So say hello again to my Vampire Lord!" The vampire appeared, its cloak whirling about it. "And now I'll play another monster in defense mode and a card facedown."
"Don't forget the damage you take from Minor Goblin Official," reminded Veli.
Veli: 1000 Jerry: 4000 Kaiba: 600 Yugi: 2000
"Prepare to have another dose of Dark Necrofear," said Jerry as he drew, "now you're going to lose."
"I disagree," said Kaiba as one of his facedown cards flipped up, "because now I activate Thunder of Ruler, keeping you from attacking."
"You might still be in the duel," snarled Jerry as he ended his turn, "but now you only have a sparse 100 Life Points!"
Veli: 1000 Jerry: 4000 Kaiba: 100 Yugi: 2000
-...Elsewhere on the first floor...-
"One more turn and you'll lose," mocked Mask as Yamato examined the card he had drawn, "you should just surrender now and spare yourself the sight of watching your own monster finish you off."
But Yamato simply showed Mask the Pot of Greed he had drawn before playing it, then playing the two cards he had drawn, "The first of the two new cards I've drawn is Heavy Storm, which will destroy all Spell and Trap cards on the field." A monsoon appeared in the middle of the field, ripping both masks off of the Cyber Raider and sucking them into its vacuum along with a barn, the Mask of Restrict, and a cow. The twister then disappeared, and Yamato continued as Mask began to sweat, "The second card I play is Change of Heart, which will allow me to take control of your Masked Sorcerer." The angelic/demonic being appeared before him, then floated into the Masked Sorcerer and brought it over to Yamato's field."
"This can't be good," muttered Mask to himself as he found that there was nothing on his field to defend him from the coming onslaught.
"That's not all," said Yamato, "I've been trying to get this card on the field, but your Mask of Restrict has kept me from playing it. Until now, that is. I sacrifice the Masked Sorcerer to summon my strongest monster, the Cyber-Tech Alligator (2500/1600)." Mask's Masked Sorcerer vanished, and in its place appeared a tremendous mechanical beast. Its torso, head, and claws were all made of brass. Its tail and upper-arms and upper-legs all appeared to be from a real alligator. Twin wings of brass sprouted from its back, adding to it fearsome appearance. "Cyber-Tech Alligator, Cyber Raider, attack directly." The Cyber Raider leapt onto the enormous machine's back, and it took flight into the air, circling above the field before dive-bombing Mask. The two struck together, Cyber Raider with fist and Alligator with tooth. Then the two faded along with Yamato's remaining Scapegoats.
Mask: 0 Yamato: 500
Mask's face was one of disappointment as Yamato stepped forward. Mask offered him his chips, which Yamato accepted. "You have some skills, Mask," complimented Yamato, "continue to build your deck up, and you could be one of the greatest."
"Thank you, Yamato," replied Mask with a smile, "you're not so bad yourself."
Yamato and Mask then took their separate paths, Yamato to find his friends, and Mask to leave the tournament.
-...Near the elevators...-
"Let's see you survive this, Stone," challenged Leif after looking at the card he had drawn. He placed the card on the field with a grin, "Megamorph will double Fiend Skull Dragon's power (4000/1200). Now, Fiend Skull Dragon, attack The Rock Spirit!"
"Not so fast," countered Stone as his Trap flipped up, "I activate Earthshaker! This allows me to pick two monster elements, and then you pick one. The type you pick will then be destroyed!"
"I can activate my Ryu Senshi's ability to negate that-" began Rick, but he was cut off.
"Wait, brother," said Leif, "let's hear what elements Stone chooses."
"I choose Earth and Wind," replied Stone.
"Fool!" cried Leif in glee, "I choose Earth, which will leave you defenseless for my Fiend Skull Dragon's strike!" A large crevasse in the earth appeared, and Ryu Senshi and The Rock Spirit fell down into its great abyss while Fiend Skull Dragon continued its onslaught.
"I still have one last defense, called Arrow of Magic Destruction!" Stone's facedown card flipped up, and a blue arrow shot out and planted itself in the ground at Leif's feet before exploding. "That destroys every one of your Spell cards and deals you 500 damage for each one destroyed!"
"My Fiend Skull Dragon will still attack!" cried Leif as the dragon breathed a stream of black fire from its mouth at Stone, enveloping him in flames.
Leif: 1100 Rick: 3650 Burn: 3350 Stone: 2000
Burn snarled as he drew, determined to finish the duel before Stone suffered any more injuries. "I summon Berserk Gorilla (2000/1000), and then remove Blazing Inpachi from my graveyard to summon the Spirit of Flames (1700/1000)!" A large, red gorilla and a red, muscular being appeared around the Lady Assailant of Flames. "Berserk Gorilla, attack the Fiend Skull Dragon!" The Gorilla and the dragon both breathed out a blast of fire, each one burning to cinders from the other's attack. "Now both your fields are clear, so Lady Assailant of Flames, Spirit of Flames, attack Rick directly!" Both of Burn's two remaining monsters shot fire from their hands at Rick, and he became enveloped in flames.
Leif: 1100 Rick: 0 Burn: 3350 Stone: 2000
Joy cried as she watched Rick's soul become claimed by the Shadow Realm, but still grateful that it had not happened to Burn or Stone. Leif, meanwhile, cowered in terror as Stone took his move, "With Rick out of the duel the turn passes to me, so I'll simply summon the Giant Soldier of Stone (1300/2000) and finish the duel." The large creature of rock appeared and drew its swords. The goliath of stone then stampeded towards Leif and crushed him with its twin stone blades, ending the duel.
Leif: 0 Rick: 0 Burn: 3350 Stone: 2000
Burn and Stone then merged together, and Kirbin took their place. Joy sobbed uncontrollably. Kirbin made attempts to comfort her, but he did not get far before a figure emerged where the dueling field had been and addressed him. "Congratulations on making the finals," said the figure, which was a being of darkness and shadow, "here is your reward for winning the duel." The figure held out one appendage, and the two chips that Leif and Rick had carried floated to Kirbin's open hand. "I expect to see you at the finals." Then the thing vanished, leaving Kirbin and Joy staring in shock at the hallway that was empty except for the remains of Leif and Rick.
-...The roof...-
"Time to end this!" cried Giyan in victory as he slapped two cards into his Duel Disk, "Now that the CRUSH Card Virus has ended, I can summon the Duke of Darkness (2500/500)!" The black warrior appeared, its menacing black blade held at the ready, "That's not all, I also flip the Lord of Light (500/2500)." The robed white warrior appeared where Giyan's facedown monster had been, its own blade of light held ready.
"That will do you little good," said Drake, "the Great Maju Garzette (7200/0) has reached a level of power that is unmatched."
"Not for long," replied Giyan, "because now, with Polymerization, I shall fuse the Lord of Light and the Duke of Darkness together, forming the mighty Warrior of Balance (2500/2500)!" The two monsters became beings of pure light and dark, which then swirled together into the symbol of Yin and Yang. The symbol then manifested into Giyan's most powerful monster, the Warrior of Balance (6500/6500). "Warrior of Balance, attack Luke!" Drake didn't even bother to order the Great Maju Garzette to block, he simply grinned as he watched the Warrior of Balance rush Luke and slash at him with the dark blade of its sword.
Luke: 0 Drake: 4000 Giyan: 4600
Drake snickered as he watched Luke's Duel Disk power down. "You fool!" he yelled at Giyan, "your Warrior of Balance is weaker than my Great Maju Garzette, and while you're unable to draw from your deck, there's no way around it."
"That's what you think," countered Giyan, "now that it's my turn again, I activate the Warrior of Balance's most powerful ability! By paying all but one of my Life Points, I can place my entire deck into my graveyard. Seeing as how all of my monsters are Light and Dark, that should power him up to a strength more than capable of defeating you!" Now the Warrior of Balance (11500/11500) narrowed its eyes at the weakened Great Maju Garzette (1800/0). He leapt at the demon and brought the light blade of his sword down upon it, destroying it almost instantly.
Luke: 0 Drake: 0 Giyan: 1
Drake let out a cry of frustration and vanished in a puff of smoke, leaving behind his chip. Luke then picked up the chip and walked over to Giyan and held out the chip as well as his own to Giyan, who accepted them with a nod. "Your duty here is not yet done," said Luke, "good luck in the finals of this tournament." Then there was a bright flash of light, and he disappeared. Giyan set the two chips into his KS, making it full. Then he walked to the elevator and pressed the call button.
-...Somewhere in the hotel...-
"You're finished, Mai," mocked Kreva as his opponent drew, "with only 50 Life Points left, you'll lose before your next turn. While I may be knocked out of the duel, my partner should easily finish off your weakened Harpie's Pet Dragon!"
"No," denied Mai through gritted teeth, "no I won't, because now I play the Spell card Phoenix Formation!" Her two remaining harpies suddenly turned into a tremendous bird of blue flame, which flew forth at Kreva's cannon holder, destroying him. "Phoenix Formation destroys all your monsters," explained Mai, "then it deducts their combined attack power from your Life Points!"
"But that means...," said Kreva in shock.
Fang: 3800 Kreva: 0 Joey: 2800 Mai: 50
"NO!" Kreva yelled in despair an instant before his soul was wrenched from his body. All the others present stared in shock before Kreva's soulless body crumpled to the floor in a heap.
Mai switched her monsters to defense mode and Fang instantly took his turn, "You'll pay for killing my partner! I summon Pyramid Turtle (1200/1400), then flip Fushioh Richie, which allows me to summon one Zombie monster from my graveyard! I choose the Royal Keeper (1600/1700)." A large turtle with an Egyptian pyramid for a shell appeared, then the Fushioh Richie appeared. These appearances were followed by the materialization of a zombie dressed like an Egyptian guard and carrying a spear and shield. "Next I play the quick-play card, Pyramid Power, which will either increase my monsters' attack by 300 or their defense by 500. I choose to increase their attack!" A great, golden pyramid appeared next to the large sphinx, and a light shone from it down onto Fang's monsters (Royal Keeper: 1900/1700, Pyramid Turtle: 1500/1400, Fushioh Richie: 2900/2900). "Royal Keeper, attack one of Mai's Harpie Ladies!" The Royal Keeper staggered forward, its staff held ready to pierce through the harpie's flesh.
"Oh no ya don't!" yelled Joey as he flipped up his one card, "I activate Graverobber, which will activate the Pyramid Power from your graveyard!" The same pyramid appeared behind Joey, and it shone its powerful light down upon Mai's monsters, this time boosting their defenses (Harpie Ladies: 1300/1900, Harpie's Pet Dragon: 2600/3600). The Royal Keeper's spear was suddenly caught in one of the harpie's taloned claws, and she shoved the weapon aside.
"It looks like there's nothin' else for ya ta do," stated Joey as Fang growled in frustration, so I'll go." He cried out in triumph as he glanced at the card he drew before placing it in his Duel Disk, "I play Raigeki, destroying all of ya monsters!" A lightning bolt struck down from the heavens, blowing apart Fang's monsters. Then Joey nodded at Mai, signaling her turn.
"It doesn't matter," said Fang, "I still have the Ordeal of a Traveler to protect me, and it should buy me enough time to regroup my forces!"
"I disagree," stated Mai after drawing, "because now I play Harpie's Feather Duster, destroying all of your Spell and Trap cards!" Mai's two harpie's flapped their wings in Fang's direction, destroying the large red- eyed sphinx.
"No!" yelled Fang, "I'm done for!"
"You've got that right," agreed Mai, "Harpie Ladies, Harpie's Pet Dragon, attack together!" The two harpies flew at Fang and struck him with their talons, knocking him back and leaving large gashes across his chest. Then the large dragon let out a roar that drowned out Fang's cries of pain and breathed out a great fireball, incinerating its target.
Fang: 0 Kreva: 0 Joey: 2800 Mai: 50
Tears began to flow slowly down Serenity's face as she witnessed the deaths of the two. Joey and Mai bowed their heads and started to leave, Joey wrapping his arm protectively around his little sister. But before long, the same being that had addressed Burn and Stone appeared in front of them, barring their path. "You dueled well," it complimented before holding out an appendage and sending the chips floating into the victors' hands, "I expect to see you in the finals, so I suggest you get moving." Then the thing vanished.
"That guy must have been the one who sent out those two," realized Joey. Then his tone became one of rage, "He was willing to kill two people over a card game!"
"Something tells me that a little more than prize money is at stake," mused Mai. Then the three made their way to the elevators.
-...The ground floor...-
"It's time for you two to lose," declared Yami as he drew. He then played the card and drew two more, "This Pot of Greed will allow me to draw two additional cards." He examined the cards he had drawn and grinned, "So now I'll flip the King's Knight (1600/1500) into attack mode!" A man with a black beard appeared, fitted into armor much like the Queen's Knight's, except that it was yellow. "When King's Knight is summoned and Queen's Knight is already on the field," explained Yami, "I can Special Summon the Jack's Knight (1900/1000) directly from my deck!" A blonde man younger than the King's Knight appeared. He was fitted with a blue version of the armor the other two knights were wearing.
[Wait], realized Kaiba suddenly, [I remember these cards! Yugi used them in our Battle City duel, and he tributed them for...]
"I now sacrifice all three of my monsters," declared Yami as all three of the knights were swept off the field by a mighty, invisible force, "in order to summon Slifer the Sky Dragon (3000/3000)!" The immense, snake-like body of Slifer appeared, its red coils slithering through the air. The great blue gem set in the top of its head glowed with power, grasping more attention than the great yellow eyes did. However, despite the power the gem displayed, the twin mouths of Slifer attracted much more attention, the maws dripping drool onto the field. Veli and Jerry stepped back in awe and horror from the majestic and terrifying beast. "Slifer," commanded Yami, "destroy her Giant Orc!" The enormous dragon opened its lower mouth and fired a blast of energy, obliterating the orc.
Veli: 500 Jerry: 4000 Kaiba: 100 Yugi: 500
"I'll end my turn here," Yami said simply as he crossed his arms over his chest in wait.
Veli nervously drew her card, the last one that had been affected by Big Eye's effect. It hadn't been a good card. "I'll build up my defenses by a placing a monster in defense mode," she declared shakily as her shaking hand fumbled with the card and made several attempts at placing it on her Duel Disk before succeeding.
"You've just made a very costly error!" yelled Yugi as he raised his right arm, "Slifer's second mouth will deduct 2000 defense points from your monster, and if that drops its defense below 0, your monster will be destroyed!" Slifer opened its upper mouth, and a stream of yellow energy swept out of it, revealing Veli's card as the Gross Ghost of Fled Dreams (1300/1800) and destroying it.
Veli: 0 Jerry: 4000 Kaiba: 100 Yugi: 500
Veli sighed as the turn immediately was passed to Kaiba, who played the next card he drew, "The Life-Shortening Treasure allows me to draw five cards now, but I must discard my entire hand five of my turns from now." But as Kaiba drew the five cards, a grin came across his features, "It looks like I won't have to discard my hand at all. I flip the Lord of Dragons (1200/1500) into attack mode!" Kaiba's facedown monster flipped up, revealing a man covered in dragon bones with a long black cape around his shoulders. "Now, I play the Flute of Summoning Dragon, summoning the Hyozanryu (2100/2800) and Chaos Emperor Dragon-Envoy of the End (3000/2500)!" A horn with a dragon's head instead of a mouth appeared in the hand of the Lord of Dragons, who blew it. Around it, the mighty dragons appeared with a series of bellows. "But that's not all," continued Kaiba, "I also play Monster Reborn, summoning the Enraged Battle Ox from my graveyard!" The Minotaur appeared once again, bringing the number of Kaiba's monsters to five.
"An impressive series of moves," complimented Jerry, "but face the facts, only one of your monsters has enough power to destroy one of my Dark Necrofears, and as soon as they do so, they will fall under my control!"
"You're forgetting that I still haven't used my Normal Summon for this turn," said Kaiba with a broad grin.
Suddenly, Yami realized what Kaiba was planning, "Kaiba, don't! One Egyptian God is enough, and it was the last option I had!"
"Sorry, Yugi," said Kaiba, "but both of them have annoyed me quite a bit. I plan to end this now." He then plucked three of his monsters off his Duel Disk and sent them to the graveyard, "Now I sacrifice the Lord of Dragons, Vampire Lord, and Enraged Battle Ox to summon the almighty Obelisk the Tormentor!" The three monsters vanished from the field, and the enormous blue stone God appeared, a trail of gases seeping from its body. Jerry cried out in fear as he saw the great beast towering before him. "Time to end this, I sacrifice the Chaos Emperor Dragon and Hyozanryu to Obelisk, which will destroy all of your monsters and deal you 4000 points of direct damage!" Both dragons transformed into pure energy, which Obelisk sucked into its immense hands. Then Obelisk formed one hand into a fist, which glowed with a yellow flame. "Obelisk!" cried Kaiba as he swept his arm in front of him in a sweeping motion, "God Hand Crusher!" Obelisk threw a punch at Jerry, the fist smashing through all of his monsters before landing the blow.
Veli: 0 Jerry: 0 Kaiba: 100 Yugi: 500
Yami glared at Kaiba as the CEO of Kaiba Corps. Stepped forward to claim his prize. Jerry had been knocked to the ground by the blow, though it had been holographic. To Yami's surprise he was grinning, despite the fact that he was now out of the tournament. He emptied his KS of its chips and handed them to Kaiba while he said, "That was an excellent duel. I am honored to have faced a monster as powerful as Obelisk as well as a duelist as skilled as you."
Veli stepped up to Yami and handed him her own chips, "The same for me. That was an excellent strategy you came up with Yugi, almost as good as the time you used it in Battle City." Then she turned to Jerry, "Come on, Jer, let's get out of here."
"Good luck in the finals," Jerry said to Yami and Kaiba.
"Alright, Seto!" cheered Mokuba as he leapt up to his brother, "You really showed them how tough you are."
Kaiba allowed himself a short smile before turning to Yami, "Let's get to the elevator, I want to duel you as soon as possible." He then strode off towards the elevators, with Mokuba in his wake.
Next chapter: the finals of the Tokyo Duel Monsters Tournament commence!
Time Mage: KIRBIN has the multiple essences. Not Term, KIRBIN!
Yoshimo: Actually, to be honest, I just script the duels before writing the chapter, then while writing I put it in dialogue.
Younglink87: No, I do not have the cards laid out in front of me. However, I do spend a lot of time looking at cards on the Internet. Yugioh-Haus I use most often, as the site has enlarged pictures of cards, so you ca actually read the effects.
Tokyo Tournament
Chapter Seventeen-Completing the Key
Also Entitled-End Round One
(AN: Unlike in other chapters, I'm just going to get right into the duels this time, instead of having ominous foresight.)
"That Gravekeeper's Chief of yours is strong," complimented Mai as she drew and immediately played a Pot of Greed, drawing two more cards. "But the two cards I've just drawn are going to let me beat it."
"How so?" inquired Kreva as he grinned maliciously.
"Pretty simple," replied Mai as she placed both cards on her Duel Disk, "I'm playing another Elegant Egotist, which will summon another set of Harpie Lady Sisters. Meanwhile, Monster Reborn will revive the trio your Gravekeeper's Chief destroyed." The two sets of sisters appeared in front of Mai, joining her three other Harpies.
"So you summoned another bunch of birds," mocked Kreva, "what are they going to do? My Gravekeeper's Chief can easily defeat them, as can Fang's Fushioh Richie."
"Not for long," said Mai, "because now I sacrifice both sets of Harpie Lady Sisters." At her words, six of the nine Harpies disappeared in a shower of feathers, leaving the remaining three behind. "With those two sets sacrificed, I can now summon Harpie's Pet Dragon (2000/2500) in attack mode!" A large red dragon appeared, an iron collar about its neck. A chain was attached to the collar, and one of Mai's Harpies held its end. "Harpie's Pet Dragon (2900/3400) gains 300 attack and defense for every Harpie Lady on my side of the field," Mai explained as he dragon let out a roar. Kreva and Fang both took a step back as they looked on at Mai's awesome creature before she called out to it, "Harpie's Pet Dragon, destroy the Gravekeeper's Chief!" The dragon belched out a great stream of fire, enveloping the Gravekeeper's Chief in its red-hot inferno and burning him to a cinder.
Fang: 3800 Kreva: 1550 Joey: 2800 Mai: 2550
"Even our most powerful monsters are unable to defeat that dragon," admitted Fang as he drew, "so all I'll do this turn is sacrifice my facedown monster for another in its place."
[Why didn't Fang have Fushioh Richie attack?], Joey asked himself as he drew, [If he had attacked one of Mai's Harpie Ladies, then Harpie's Pet Dragon would have been weakened. Oh well, that just gives us an advantage.] "Flame Swordsman, attack the facedown card Fang just set!" The Flame Swordsman swung his sword, releasing the Salamandra flame at Fang's newest monster.
"I activate Ordeal of a Traveler!" countered Fang as his lone facedown card flipped up to reveal an enormous sphinx whose eyes glowed red. "Ordeal of a Traveler will return the Flame Swordsman to your Fusion deck if you fail to guess the type of card that I hold in my hand now." Fang randomly selected a card from his hand and held its back up to Joey.
"What kinda Trap is that?" Joey spat, "That's gotta be one of the cheapest Traps ever!"
"Cheap it may be," conceded Fang, "but it is a legal card, so I suggest you quit complaining and guess."
"Well, that's not very difficult," said Joey, "you've been playing monsters every turn, but you've only played one Trap the entire duel. So that card must be a monster."
Fang frowned and placed the card back in his hand, then watched as the Salamandra flame struck his monster, revealing it to be another sphinx. But then Fang grinned as the sphinx vanished, "You just destroyed the Guardian Sphinx (1200/2400), which will send the Flame Swordsman back to your hand. Actually, because Flame Swordsman is a Fusion monster, it will be sent back to your Fusion deck." Joey watched in surprise as his swordsman vanished.
"Now you're defenseless," said Kreva with a smirk as he drew, "and now I'll eliminate your partner."
"Take your best shot," Mai challenged, "Harpie's Pet Dragon can take anything you can throw."
"Who says my target is your dragon?" responded Kreva, "I don't need to destroy your strongest monster to take you out. Observe, I'll summon Gravekeeper's Cannonholder (1400/1200), who will immediately get a power boost from Necrovalley (1900/1700)!" A man with black robes appeared, a strange red canister slung over his shoulder. "Next, I activate my Cannonholder's special ability, sacrificing Gravekeeper's Curse to deal 700 points of direct damage!" The Curse became a being of light, which floated into the Cannonholder's cannon. The cannon's wielder then fired his weapon at Mai.
Fang: 3800 Kreva: 1550 Joey: 2800 Mai: 1850
"Next," continued Kreva with a grin, "I activate Rite of Spirit, summoning Gravekeeper's Curse from my graveyard again and then launching him again!" The Gravekeeper's Curse appeared a third time, then became a being of light again and was launched by the cannon holder at Mai.
Fang: 3800 Kreva: 1550 Joey: 2800 Mai: 650
"Finally," concluded Kreva, "Gravekeeper's Cannonholder, destroy one of Mai's harpies!" The cannon launched another stream of energy, this one aimed at one of Mai's three harpies, which gave out a cry of agony as it was killed.
Fang: 3800 Kreva: 1550 Joey: 2800 Mai: 50
Mai collapsed to her knees as tears streamed down her face from the pain she felt. Joey and Serenity looked on in horror at Mai, who was no doubt on her last legs.
-...Ground floor...-
Yami drew a card and smiled as he placed it and another card on his Duel Disk, "I place a card facedown, as well as a monster in defense mode. I'll then end my turn by placing the Queen's Knight in defense mode." As the two new cards appeared in front of him, the Queen's Knight crouched behind her shield.
"My move," declared Veli as she drew, "so I'll play Giant Orc (2200/0) in attack mode!" A large, green creature with an enormous gut appeared, a large bone club clenched in its hands. "Prepare to be defeated, Kaiba! Giant Orc, attack Kaiba directly!" The enormous orc lumbered towards Kaiba, swinging its bone club wildly.
"I'll defend Kaiba with Queen's Knight!" countered Yami as his knight nimbly leapt into the path of Veli's monster.
"Kaiba may still be in the duel," said Veli, "but you'll still take 500 points of damage once your Queen's Knight is destroyed, Yugi."
"Not if I protect her with the Trap, Magical Hats," responded Yami as a large top hat decorated by a yellow question mark appeared over the Queen's Knight and dropped onto it. The hat then separated into three different ones, all the same size as the original. The Giant Orc struck the middle hat, which was revealed to be empty. The hats then disappeared and Queen's Knight then walked back to her position in front of Yami.
Veli: 1000 Jerry: 4000 Kaiba: 1300 Yugi: 2000
"Nice move Yugi," said Kaiba in a reluctant tone, which quickly turned to one of pride, "but I could have easily dealt with that attack."
[Yugi's acting really foolish], thought Jerry as he watched Kaiba draw, [by playing Magical Hats, he set out two decoy cards from the bottom of his deck. At the end of the turn Magical Hats is activated, Magical Hats and the two decoy cards go to the graveyard, meaning Yugi just cost himself 1000 more Life Points than if he had just allowed Queen's Knight to be destroyed. What's he up to?]
"One thing you should know about my Vampire Lord," said Kaiba, "after being destroyed, it will be summoned back to my field on my next turn. So say hello again to my Vampire Lord!" The vampire appeared, its cloak whirling about it. "And now I'll play another monster in defense mode and a card facedown."
"Don't forget the damage you take from Minor Goblin Official," reminded Veli.
Veli: 1000 Jerry: 4000 Kaiba: 600 Yugi: 2000
"Prepare to have another dose of Dark Necrofear," said Jerry as he drew, "now you're going to lose."
"I disagree," said Kaiba as one of his facedown cards flipped up, "because now I activate Thunder of Ruler, keeping you from attacking."
"You might still be in the duel," snarled Jerry as he ended his turn, "but now you only have a sparse 100 Life Points!"
Veli: 1000 Jerry: 4000 Kaiba: 100 Yugi: 2000
-...Elsewhere on the first floor...-
"One more turn and you'll lose," mocked Mask as Yamato examined the card he had drawn, "you should just surrender now and spare yourself the sight of watching your own monster finish you off."
But Yamato simply showed Mask the Pot of Greed he had drawn before playing it, then playing the two cards he had drawn, "The first of the two new cards I've drawn is Heavy Storm, which will destroy all Spell and Trap cards on the field." A monsoon appeared in the middle of the field, ripping both masks off of the Cyber Raider and sucking them into its vacuum along with a barn, the Mask of Restrict, and a cow. The twister then disappeared, and Yamato continued as Mask began to sweat, "The second card I play is Change of Heart, which will allow me to take control of your Masked Sorcerer." The angelic/demonic being appeared before him, then floated into the Masked Sorcerer and brought it over to Yamato's field."
"This can't be good," muttered Mask to himself as he found that there was nothing on his field to defend him from the coming onslaught.
"That's not all," said Yamato, "I've been trying to get this card on the field, but your Mask of Restrict has kept me from playing it. Until now, that is. I sacrifice the Masked Sorcerer to summon my strongest monster, the Cyber-Tech Alligator (2500/1600)." Mask's Masked Sorcerer vanished, and in its place appeared a tremendous mechanical beast. Its torso, head, and claws were all made of brass. Its tail and upper-arms and upper-legs all appeared to be from a real alligator. Twin wings of brass sprouted from its back, adding to it fearsome appearance. "Cyber-Tech Alligator, Cyber Raider, attack directly." The Cyber Raider leapt onto the enormous machine's back, and it took flight into the air, circling above the field before dive-bombing Mask. The two struck together, Cyber Raider with fist and Alligator with tooth. Then the two faded along with Yamato's remaining Scapegoats.
Mask: 0 Yamato: 500
Mask's face was one of disappointment as Yamato stepped forward. Mask offered him his chips, which Yamato accepted. "You have some skills, Mask," complimented Yamato, "continue to build your deck up, and you could be one of the greatest."
"Thank you, Yamato," replied Mask with a smile, "you're not so bad yourself."
Yamato and Mask then took their separate paths, Yamato to find his friends, and Mask to leave the tournament.
-...Near the elevators...-
"Let's see you survive this, Stone," challenged Leif after looking at the card he had drawn. He placed the card on the field with a grin, "Megamorph will double Fiend Skull Dragon's power (4000/1200). Now, Fiend Skull Dragon, attack The Rock Spirit!"
"Not so fast," countered Stone as his Trap flipped up, "I activate Earthshaker! This allows me to pick two monster elements, and then you pick one. The type you pick will then be destroyed!"
"I can activate my Ryu Senshi's ability to negate that-" began Rick, but he was cut off.
"Wait, brother," said Leif, "let's hear what elements Stone chooses."
"I choose Earth and Wind," replied Stone.
"Fool!" cried Leif in glee, "I choose Earth, which will leave you defenseless for my Fiend Skull Dragon's strike!" A large crevasse in the earth appeared, and Ryu Senshi and The Rock Spirit fell down into its great abyss while Fiend Skull Dragon continued its onslaught.
"I still have one last defense, called Arrow of Magic Destruction!" Stone's facedown card flipped up, and a blue arrow shot out and planted itself in the ground at Leif's feet before exploding. "That destroys every one of your Spell cards and deals you 500 damage for each one destroyed!"
"My Fiend Skull Dragon will still attack!" cried Leif as the dragon breathed a stream of black fire from its mouth at Stone, enveloping him in flames.
Leif: 1100 Rick: 3650 Burn: 3350 Stone: 2000
Burn snarled as he drew, determined to finish the duel before Stone suffered any more injuries. "I summon Berserk Gorilla (2000/1000), and then remove Blazing Inpachi from my graveyard to summon the Spirit of Flames (1700/1000)!" A large, red gorilla and a red, muscular being appeared around the Lady Assailant of Flames. "Berserk Gorilla, attack the Fiend Skull Dragon!" The Gorilla and the dragon both breathed out a blast of fire, each one burning to cinders from the other's attack. "Now both your fields are clear, so Lady Assailant of Flames, Spirit of Flames, attack Rick directly!" Both of Burn's two remaining monsters shot fire from their hands at Rick, and he became enveloped in flames.
Leif: 1100 Rick: 0 Burn: 3350 Stone: 2000
Joy cried as she watched Rick's soul become claimed by the Shadow Realm, but still grateful that it had not happened to Burn or Stone. Leif, meanwhile, cowered in terror as Stone took his move, "With Rick out of the duel the turn passes to me, so I'll simply summon the Giant Soldier of Stone (1300/2000) and finish the duel." The large creature of rock appeared and drew its swords. The goliath of stone then stampeded towards Leif and crushed him with its twin stone blades, ending the duel.
Leif: 0 Rick: 0 Burn: 3350 Stone: 2000
Burn and Stone then merged together, and Kirbin took their place. Joy sobbed uncontrollably. Kirbin made attempts to comfort her, but he did not get far before a figure emerged where the dueling field had been and addressed him. "Congratulations on making the finals," said the figure, which was a being of darkness and shadow, "here is your reward for winning the duel." The figure held out one appendage, and the two chips that Leif and Rick had carried floated to Kirbin's open hand. "I expect to see you at the finals." Then the thing vanished, leaving Kirbin and Joy staring in shock at the hallway that was empty except for the remains of Leif and Rick.
-...The roof...-
"Time to end this!" cried Giyan in victory as he slapped two cards into his Duel Disk, "Now that the CRUSH Card Virus has ended, I can summon the Duke of Darkness (2500/500)!" The black warrior appeared, its menacing black blade held at the ready, "That's not all, I also flip the Lord of Light (500/2500)." The robed white warrior appeared where Giyan's facedown monster had been, its own blade of light held ready.
"That will do you little good," said Drake, "the Great Maju Garzette (7200/0) has reached a level of power that is unmatched."
"Not for long," replied Giyan, "because now, with Polymerization, I shall fuse the Lord of Light and the Duke of Darkness together, forming the mighty Warrior of Balance (2500/2500)!" The two monsters became beings of pure light and dark, which then swirled together into the symbol of Yin and Yang. The symbol then manifested into Giyan's most powerful monster, the Warrior of Balance (6500/6500). "Warrior of Balance, attack Luke!" Drake didn't even bother to order the Great Maju Garzette to block, he simply grinned as he watched the Warrior of Balance rush Luke and slash at him with the dark blade of its sword.
Luke: 0 Drake: 4000 Giyan: 4600
Drake snickered as he watched Luke's Duel Disk power down. "You fool!" he yelled at Giyan, "your Warrior of Balance is weaker than my Great Maju Garzette, and while you're unable to draw from your deck, there's no way around it."
"That's what you think," countered Giyan, "now that it's my turn again, I activate the Warrior of Balance's most powerful ability! By paying all but one of my Life Points, I can place my entire deck into my graveyard. Seeing as how all of my monsters are Light and Dark, that should power him up to a strength more than capable of defeating you!" Now the Warrior of Balance (11500/11500) narrowed its eyes at the weakened Great Maju Garzette (1800/0). He leapt at the demon and brought the light blade of his sword down upon it, destroying it almost instantly.
Luke: 0 Drake: 0 Giyan: 1
Drake let out a cry of frustration and vanished in a puff of smoke, leaving behind his chip. Luke then picked up the chip and walked over to Giyan and held out the chip as well as his own to Giyan, who accepted them with a nod. "Your duty here is not yet done," said Luke, "good luck in the finals of this tournament." Then there was a bright flash of light, and he disappeared. Giyan set the two chips into his KS, making it full. Then he walked to the elevator and pressed the call button.
-...Somewhere in the hotel...-
"You're finished, Mai," mocked Kreva as his opponent drew, "with only 50 Life Points left, you'll lose before your next turn. While I may be knocked out of the duel, my partner should easily finish off your weakened Harpie's Pet Dragon!"
"No," denied Mai through gritted teeth, "no I won't, because now I play the Spell card Phoenix Formation!" Her two remaining harpies suddenly turned into a tremendous bird of blue flame, which flew forth at Kreva's cannon holder, destroying him. "Phoenix Formation destroys all your monsters," explained Mai, "then it deducts their combined attack power from your Life Points!"
"But that means...," said Kreva in shock.
Fang: 3800 Kreva: 0 Joey: 2800 Mai: 50
"NO!" Kreva yelled in despair an instant before his soul was wrenched from his body. All the others present stared in shock before Kreva's soulless body crumpled to the floor in a heap.
Mai switched her monsters to defense mode and Fang instantly took his turn, "You'll pay for killing my partner! I summon Pyramid Turtle (1200/1400), then flip Fushioh Richie, which allows me to summon one Zombie monster from my graveyard! I choose the Royal Keeper (1600/1700)." A large turtle with an Egyptian pyramid for a shell appeared, then the Fushioh Richie appeared. These appearances were followed by the materialization of a zombie dressed like an Egyptian guard and carrying a spear and shield. "Next I play the quick-play card, Pyramid Power, which will either increase my monsters' attack by 300 or their defense by 500. I choose to increase their attack!" A great, golden pyramid appeared next to the large sphinx, and a light shone from it down onto Fang's monsters (Royal Keeper: 1900/1700, Pyramid Turtle: 1500/1400, Fushioh Richie: 2900/2900). "Royal Keeper, attack one of Mai's Harpie Ladies!" The Royal Keeper staggered forward, its staff held ready to pierce through the harpie's flesh.
"Oh no ya don't!" yelled Joey as he flipped up his one card, "I activate Graverobber, which will activate the Pyramid Power from your graveyard!" The same pyramid appeared behind Joey, and it shone its powerful light down upon Mai's monsters, this time boosting their defenses (Harpie Ladies: 1300/1900, Harpie's Pet Dragon: 2600/3600). The Royal Keeper's spear was suddenly caught in one of the harpie's taloned claws, and she shoved the weapon aside.
"It looks like there's nothin' else for ya ta do," stated Joey as Fang growled in frustration, so I'll go." He cried out in triumph as he glanced at the card he drew before placing it in his Duel Disk, "I play Raigeki, destroying all of ya monsters!" A lightning bolt struck down from the heavens, blowing apart Fang's monsters. Then Joey nodded at Mai, signaling her turn.
"It doesn't matter," said Fang, "I still have the Ordeal of a Traveler to protect me, and it should buy me enough time to regroup my forces!"
"I disagree," stated Mai after drawing, "because now I play Harpie's Feather Duster, destroying all of your Spell and Trap cards!" Mai's two harpie's flapped their wings in Fang's direction, destroying the large red- eyed sphinx.
"No!" yelled Fang, "I'm done for!"
"You've got that right," agreed Mai, "Harpie Ladies, Harpie's Pet Dragon, attack together!" The two harpies flew at Fang and struck him with their talons, knocking him back and leaving large gashes across his chest. Then the large dragon let out a roar that drowned out Fang's cries of pain and breathed out a great fireball, incinerating its target.
Fang: 0 Kreva: 0 Joey: 2800 Mai: 50
Tears began to flow slowly down Serenity's face as she witnessed the deaths of the two. Joey and Mai bowed their heads and started to leave, Joey wrapping his arm protectively around his little sister. But before long, the same being that had addressed Burn and Stone appeared in front of them, barring their path. "You dueled well," it complimented before holding out an appendage and sending the chips floating into the victors' hands, "I expect to see you in the finals, so I suggest you get moving." Then the thing vanished.
"That guy must have been the one who sent out those two," realized Joey. Then his tone became one of rage, "He was willing to kill two people over a card game!"
"Something tells me that a little more than prize money is at stake," mused Mai. Then the three made their way to the elevators.
-...The ground floor...-
"It's time for you two to lose," declared Yami as he drew. He then played the card and drew two more, "This Pot of Greed will allow me to draw two additional cards." He examined the cards he had drawn and grinned, "So now I'll flip the King's Knight (1600/1500) into attack mode!" A man with a black beard appeared, fitted into armor much like the Queen's Knight's, except that it was yellow. "When King's Knight is summoned and Queen's Knight is already on the field," explained Yami, "I can Special Summon the Jack's Knight (1900/1000) directly from my deck!" A blonde man younger than the King's Knight appeared. He was fitted with a blue version of the armor the other two knights were wearing.
[Wait], realized Kaiba suddenly, [I remember these cards! Yugi used them in our Battle City duel, and he tributed them for...]
"I now sacrifice all three of my monsters," declared Yami as all three of the knights were swept off the field by a mighty, invisible force, "in order to summon Slifer the Sky Dragon (3000/3000)!" The immense, snake-like body of Slifer appeared, its red coils slithering through the air. The great blue gem set in the top of its head glowed with power, grasping more attention than the great yellow eyes did. However, despite the power the gem displayed, the twin mouths of Slifer attracted much more attention, the maws dripping drool onto the field. Veli and Jerry stepped back in awe and horror from the majestic and terrifying beast. "Slifer," commanded Yami, "destroy her Giant Orc!" The enormous dragon opened its lower mouth and fired a blast of energy, obliterating the orc.
Veli: 500 Jerry: 4000 Kaiba: 100 Yugi: 500
"I'll end my turn here," Yami said simply as he crossed his arms over his chest in wait.
Veli nervously drew her card, the last one that had been affected by Big Eye's effect. It hadn't been a good card. "I'll build up my defenses by a placing a monster in defense mode," she declared shakily as her shaking hand fumbled with the card and made several attempts at placing it on her Duel Disk before succeeding.
"You've just made a very costly error!" yelled Yugi as he raised his right arm, "Slifer's second mouth will deduct 2000 defense points from your monster, and if that drops its defense below 0, your monster will be destroyed!" Slifer opened its upper mouth, and a stream of yellow energy swept out of it, revealing Veli's card as the Gross Ghost of Fled Dreams (1300/1800) and destroying it.
Veli: 0 Jerry: 4000 Kaiba: 100 Yugi: 500
Veli sighed as the turn immediately was passed to Kaiba, who played the next card he drew, "The Life-Shortening Treasure allows me to draw five cards now, but I must discard my entire hand five of my turns from now." But as Kaiba drew the five cards, a grin came across his features, "It looks like I won't have to discard my hand at all. I flip the Lord of Dragons (1200/1500) into attack mode!" Kaiba's facedown monster flipped up, revealing a man covered in dragon bones with a long black cape around his shoulders. "Now, I play the Flute of Summoning Dragon, summoning the Hyozanryu (2100/2800) and Chaos Emperor Dragon-Envoy of the End (3000/2500)!" A horn with a dragon's head instead of a mouth appeared in the hand of the Lord of Dragons, who blew it. Around it, the mighty dragons appeared with a series of bellows. "But that's not all," continued Kaiba, "I also play Monster Reborn, summoning the Enraged Battle Ox from my graveyard!" The Minotaur appeared once again, bringing the number of Kaiba's monsters to five.
"An impressive series of moves," complimented Jerry, "but face the facts, only one of your monsters has enough power to destroy one of my Dark Necrofears, and as soon as they do so, they will fall under my control!"
"You're forgetting that I still haven't used my Normal Summon for this turn," said Kaiba with a broad grin.
Suddenly, Yami realized what Kaiba was planning, "Kaiba, don't! One Egyptian God is enough, and it was the last option I had!"
"Sorry, Yugi," said Kaiba, "but both of them have annoyed me quite a bit. I plan to end this now." He then plucked three of his monsters off his Duel Disk and sent them to the graveyard, "Now I sacrifice the Lord of Dragons, Vampire Lord, and Enraged Battle Ox to summon the almighty Obelisk the Tormentor!" The three monsters vanished from the field, and the enormous blue stone God appeared, a trail of gases seeping from its body. Jerry cried out in fear as he saw the great beast towering before him. "Time to end this, I sacrifice the Chaos Emperor Dragon and Hyozanryu to Obelisk, which will destroy all of your monsters and deal you 4000 points of direct damage!" Both dragons transformed into pure energy, which Obelisk sucked into its immense hands. Then Obelisk formed one hand into a fist, which glowed with a yellow flame. "Obelisk!" cried Kaiba as he swept his arm in front of him in a sweeping motion, "God Hand Crusher!" Obelisk threw a punch at Jerry, the fist smashing through all of his monsters before landing the blow.
Veli: 0 Jerry: 0 Kaiba: 100 Yugi: 500
Yami glared at Kaiba as the CEO of Kaiba Corps. Stepped forward to claim his prize. Jerry had been knocked to the ground by the blow, though it had been holographic. To Yami's surprise he was grinning, despite the fact that he was now out of the tournament. He emptied his KS of its chips and handed them to Kaiba while he said, "That was an excellent duel. I am honored to have faced a monster as powerful as Obelisk as well as a duelist as skilled as you."
Veli stepped up to Yami and handed him her own chips, "The same for me. That was an excellent strategy you came up with Yugi, almost as good as the time you used it in Battle City." Then she turned to Jerry, "Come on, Jer, let's get out of here."
"Good luck in the finals," Jerry said to Yami and Kaiba.
"Alright, Seto!" cheered Mokuba as he leapt up to his brother, "You really showed them how tough you are."
Kaiba allowed himself a short smile before turning to Yami, "Let's get to the elevator, I want to duel you as soon as possible." He then strode off towards the elevators, with Mokuba in his wake.
Next chapter: the finals of the Tokyo Duel Monsters Tournament commence!