Greetings to all you geeks who are reading this. Note that the past statement was not an insult, but a greeting. Being a geek myself, I cannot call someone else a geek and mean it to be an insult, because that is a case of a pot calling a kettle black. Even though pots can't talk and kettles don't have emotions. I think.

Anyways, I'm glad you guys have come for another chapter of Tokyo Tournament. This chapter is up a bit later than I wanted it to be, but due to Hurricane Jeanne, I didn't have power for almost all of Sunday and most of this morning. Thus, I lost a lot of writing time. Oh well, at least I got school off.

Now, on with the story!

Tokyo Tournament

Chapter Twenty-Six: Flock of Death

Also Entitled: Eat Your Heart Out, Hitchcock

Sight. Smell. Sound. Taste. Touch.

These are the five sensations experienced by all creatures of the Kingdom Animalia, with a few exceptions. Some species are blind, others deaf. The human race, however, is neither, with some exceptions.

These five sensations can be manipulated. Filmmakers fool viewers every time a blockbuster hits the cinema. Few of the sounds the audience hears are what they are interpreted to be. As illustrated in a certain popular British comedy, coconut shells struck together in the right pattern sound remarkably like a horse's hooves clicking against the ground.

These and other such manipulations have led some to go as far as to theorize that the entire world that we all experience is an illusion (another movie, a large-budget action film, illustrates this hypothesis). After all, the human mind can only interpret the physical world through the five sensations, all of which can be fooled.

Is the world an illusion? Is what we perceive as reality just a manipulation of our minds? And, above all, if the answer is yes, does it really matter? After all, in a place where the mind is separate from the body, such as the Shadow Realm, illusions can be real…

-…The Shadow Realm…-

Giyan carefully examined the wall. The golden-colored bricks were large, about two feet wide by one foot tall. There was no telling how thick they were. They were made of a substance unheard of on Earth, but something about them simply made Giyan think they were enormously heavy. The cracks between the bricks were highly visible, but they were also thinner than paper. The wall was obviously enchanted. However, the wall's magic extended beyond its appearance. Whenever one of them pressed against it slowly, the wall reacted normally. However, when the wall of struck with significant speed…

Giyan reared back his fist and thrust it forward. As his knuckles came into contact with the wall, it shimmered, and Giyan's hand passed through the bricks soundlessly, causing no damage to himself or the wall. He let his breath out in a sigh. "No use," he said to the others inspecting the walls. "If these were normal walls, we'd probably be able to carve right through 'em in seconds. But there's no way we'll be able to break what we can't hit."

"Why don't we just run through?" suggested Tea, "If the wall doesn't resist when you punch it, it shouldn't if we run at it."

"We probably could get through," agreed Term, "problem is, I don't think Youkai would create a prison this well-designed without thinking of that. We have no idea what we'd be running into if we jumped through the wall."

"We have to find out what Youkai's put us in," muttered Giyan, "until then, we can't do anything."

-…Earth…-

Mai grit her teeth as she stepped into the arena. The last time she had dueled in a place like this, the end result hadn't been a very happy scene. She tried to block out the memory and focus on what was to come. She wouldn't allow what had happened to happen again.

Kai was nervous himself, but not as much as his opponent. He hadn't experienced the Shadow Realm firsthand until now. Still, he had seen the blood…

Both duelists took their positions, took out their decks, and shuffled. Seconds later each had replaced their decks and drawn their opening hands. And so another duel began.

Kai: 4000 Mai: 4000

Meanwhile, Yugi, Joey, Kaiba, Shaun, Nick, and Kirbin watched. The Yugi, Joey, and Kaiba had nearly identical expressions, all the familiar look of one who can do nothing while their loved ones' lives hang in the balance. Shaun and Nick's expressions were unreadable, for different reasons. Kirbin…Kirbin was hardly watching. He knelt down in front of Joy's body with a look on his face that made it seem as though every ounce of his energy had left him.

Drew a sixth card, and yet another duel began. "I'll summon my Harpie Lady (1300/1400) to the field," she announced as she placed the card on her duel disk and the bird-lady dropped down from above, her talons held ready. "Now I place one card facedown, and end my turn."

Kai drew a sixth card from his deck, then examined it and the rest of his hand. "I summon a monster in defense mode, and then place a card facedown as well."

Mai smiled a bit and drew. "Now I'll summon a second Harpie Lady!" at her words, a second harpy swooped down from above to land beside the first. "Now, my Harpies! Strike his monster down and then attack directly!" Both the birds spread their winged arms and took flight. One swiftly cut through the facedown card and the other continued streaking towards Kai, her talons prepared to rend the flesh from his bones.

"The monster you attacked was Kuriboh (300/200)," stated Kai as the brown ball of fur appeared and was cut in half, "and with it on the field, I can activate Multiply, giving me four Kuriboh tokens!" As the original Kuriboh was struck down, four more appeared in its place. One of the four furballs was cut down by Mai's second Harpie Lady, but Kai remained unharmed.

"I'm not done yet," declared Mai as her facedown card suddenly flipped upwards, "I activate Triple Mirror, which allows me to summon as many Harpie Ladies to the field as you just special summoned with your Multiply card!" Three more of the Harpie Ladies appeared on the field, bringing Mai's small bird army to five of the creatures.

"That's impossible!" exclaimed Kai in disbelief as Mai ordered the new Harpies forward, and his remaining Kuriboh were quickly struck down. "How can you have five Harpie Ladies in your deck? The rules specifically state no duelist can have more than three copies of one card in their deck!"

"That's right," conceded Mai, "but these aren't just Harpie Ladies. The three I just summoned are Harpie Lady 1, Harpie Lady 2, and Harpie Lady 3, who apply to any cards whose effects normally apply to Harpie Lady. Not only that, but each has their own special effect. For instance, Harpie Lady 1 powers up all Wind monsters on the field by 300 attack points, so now each of my Harpie Ladies has 1600 attack points (1600/1400 x5)!"

Kai grimaced as he drew a card. It had taken Mai two turns to summon five monsters, two of which had effects he knew nothing about. But now was not the time to hesitate, "I summon The Fiend Megacyber (2200/1200), who can be summoned without sacrifice if you have at least two more monsters on the field than I do." A large, muscular warrior covered in golden armor appeared in front of Kai. Jagged black lines decorated the Fiend Megacyber's helmet and breastplate, and iron spikes were attached to its shoulder guards and the jaw of its helmet. Dark purple eyes glared at Mai from behind the small visor. "Fiend Megacyber, destroy Harpie Lady 1!" Blue electricity crackled about the Fiend Megacyber as it charged towards the named target. As it the reached the harpy, it grabbed her with a gauntleted hand and pulled her back against its chest. Then it used the other hand to grab her head and twisted it with a sickening crack.

Kai: 4000 Mai: 3400

(Remaining Harpie Ladies: 1300/1400 x4)

Mai felt a slight surge of pain as her Life Points were reduced. While having her monster destroyed did not cause as much pain as being struck directly, she still felt somewhat drained. "I'll put all my monsters in defense mode," she stated as all four Harpie Ladies crouched down on one knee, their wings crossed over their bodies. "I also place one card facedown before ending my turn."

Kai drew a card, and immediately played it, "I play Card Destruction, so now we'll both get new hands." Both duelists discarded the four cards in their hands and drew four more. Kai grinned a little as he played one of the cards in his hand, "Now, my Mystical Space Typhoon will destroy your facedown card!" A powerful black wind swept across Mai's facedown card, destroying her Trap (Mirror Wall). "Next, I set two cards facedown and summon the Blade Knight (1600/1000) in attack mode!" A blue-armored man appeared next to the Fiend Megacyber, wielding a sword with a curved blade and a hexagonal shield. "And my Blade Knight gains 400 attack points if I have less than two cards in my hand (0) (2000/1000). Blade Knight, Fiend Megacyber, destroy her two Harpie Ladies!" The Blade Knight sprang forward and slashed at one Harpie Lady, while the Fiend Megacyber caved in the other's face with a tremendous punch.

Mai grit her teeth as she saw her defenses slowly crumble. Both the monsters Kai had on the field had at least 2000 attack points, and the way they were treating her monsters, Mai hoped neither came within ten feet of her. She nervously drew, and examined the hand Card Destruction had given her. "I play the Field card known as Harpie Hunting Area!" Immediately, from the black void of the Shadow Realm came forth life. Luscious green grass sprouted across the ground, and the two remaining Harpie Ladies became so happy in their surroundings that they took flight, soaring in circles about the arena. "Now I summon my second Harpie Lady 1, and follow that up by using Monster Reborn to revive the original!" Both the new Harpie Ladies appeared in the air, and joined their sisters in flying through the air. "And now the effect of Harpie Hunting Area activates. When I summon a Harpie Lady, I can destroy one Spell or Trap card on the field! So say good bye to your two facedown cards!" At her words, both the new harpies dive-bombed Kai's facedown cards and cut them apart with ease. "An that's not all my Harpie Hunting Area can do," continued Mai as a smile crossed her lips, "Harpie Hunting Area adds 200 points to the attack and defense of all Birds on the field! And don't forget the additional 300 attack points BOTH of my Harpie Lady 1's provide (2100/1600 x4)!"

Kai gasped as he saw the power of all four bird-women skyrocket. Even though his Fiend Megacyber had more attack points than all of them, he had plenty of reason to worry. "Now, Harpie Lady 2, destroy the Blade Knight!" One of the four harpies dropped down from the sky and swung its right claw at the knight's chest. The knight quickly raised his shield to parry, but the metal hexagon was sliced to shreds by the razor-sharp talons. The force of the blow knocked the knight to the ground, and the Harpie Lady wasted no time in scratching repeatedly at his face. After several moments of this, the Harpie Lady flew into the air again, blood dripping from her now crimson talons. "Finally," said Mai, "I set a card facedown and end my turn."

Kai: 3900 Mai: 3400

Kai drew a card, and hoped that his retaliation would be successful as he cried out, "Fiend Megacyber, destroy Harpie Lady 1!" The golden-armored warrior leapt high into the air, and came down. The Harpie Lady that Kai had chosen to attack was still flying about the arena, apparently unaware of the coming strike.

But as the Fiend Megacyber reared its fist back and came closer to the harpy, Mai cried out, "I activate Suzaku Formation, negating your attack!" The remaining three birds suddenly appeared next to the first, and the four formed a square formation. Then flame swept around the four harpies. The flames formed into the shape of a large bird, which flew directly at the Fiend Megacyber. The Fiend Megacyber struck with all its might, but could not defeat the bird of flame. After the confrontation, the flames dispersed, as Mai's Trap had extinguished its usage.

"I summon a monster in defense mode," murmured Kai as the one card in his hand appeared beside the Fiend Megacyber.

Mai drew and immediately played a card, "Pot of Greed now gives me two more cards." She added the two to her hand, bringing its size to three cards. As she looked at the cards she had drawn, she suppressed a laugh. "Now I play this: Elegant Egotist!" Kai gasped as the infamous Harpie Lady Sisters (1950/2100) were summoned from Mai's deck. Now seven harpies glared at him with hungry eyes. "But that's not all," continued Mai, "I also sacrifice Harpie Ladies 2 and 3 to summon Harpie's Pet Dragon (2000/2500)!" Two of the harpies vanished, but in their place the large, red dragon appeared, its chain leash appearing in one of the harpy's claws. Then all of the power-up took effect, leaving the Harpie Lady Sisters at 2750/2300 and the dragon at 3200/3100. "And now," said Mai, "I play the Spell card Triangle Ecstasy Spark, changing the base attack of my Harpie Lady Sisters to 2700 for this turn (3500/2300)." The sisters flew into the air, and in front of them a triangle of sparkling electricity appeared, causing them to cry out in excitement. "Harpie Lady Sisters, destroy Fiend Megacyber!" The triangle of energy surged forward, immediately ripping through the Megacyber's magnificent armor and cooking its wearer alive.

Kai: 2600 Mai: 3400

"Harpie's Pet Dragon, follow up the attack by burning Kai's facedown monster to cinders!" The large dragon belched out a tremendous fireball that temporarily blinded Kai as he watched it stampede towards his last defense. As it struck the facedown card, the rectangle exploded into ashes, many of which singed Kai's arms as he shielded himself from the blast.

But as the smoke and Kai's vision cleared, Mai gasped as she saw the sphere of white tubes. Kai grinned as he said, "Cyber Jar (900/700)." With that, the sphere exploded, obliterating Mai's brigade of powerful creatures. The resulting summons gave Kai X-Head Cannon (1800/1500) and Z-Metal Tank (1500/1300) and Mai a facedown monster. Kai's first monster was a blue- and gold-plated machine with a humanoid upper torso balanced on a spiked ball. Twin, long cannons extended from hatches in the robot's shoulders. Z-Metal Tank was a yellow machine that consisted mostly of two set of tank treads between which was a simple rectangle to hold the treads together. From the front of this rectangle extended a baseball-sized eye on a stalk. Mai bit her lip as she placed three cards facedown and hoped she was wrong about what she though would happen next.

Kai drew and smiled. "I summon Y-Dragon Head (1500/1600)!" A robotic red dragon appeared between the X-Head Cannon and the Z-Metal Tank, is wings spread wide and blue energy crackling in its maw. "And now I shall combine X, Y, and Z to summon the mighty force of destruction known as XYZ Dragon Cannon (2800/2600)!" The three machines floated into the air and formed into one large machine. The X-Head Cannon attached to the Y-Dragon Head, and together they rested on top of the Z-Metal Tank. "Now I'll discard two cards from my hand to destroy two f your facedown cards!" Five lasers fired from the Y's mouth and X's and Z's cannons. The lasers sliced through two of Mai's cards, eliminating them. "Now I'll play Hand Rebirth, so both of us discard our hands and draw new ones of five!" Mai gasped at the realization that more cards for Kai meant more chances for him to use XYZ Dragon's destructive effect. And with only a monster on the field and another facedown card, Mai would be hit by the full force of the tremendous machine. Kai discarded two of the new cards from his hand, clearing Mai's field. "XYZ Dragon Cannon, attack directly." Kai averted his eyes to the side, trying to suppress the sickness in his stomach. He could very well be ordering someone's death.

As the five cannons fired in a burst of white, yellow, and blue, Mai froze up. Time seemed to slow down as her pupils shrunk to protect her vision from the bright lights. Like she'd be concerned about her vision in a few seconds. But Joey sprang into action and yelled at the top of his lungs, "MAI! DUCK!"

Mai snapped out of her dies and fell forward, her legs sliding along the ground and her head stooping forward as she tried to get as low as possible. She nearly succeeded as the bottom-right and center lasers only barely singed her skin, but the bottom-left one neatly burned through the back of her right ankle. Mai cried out in pain as the laser struck her, but her yell was drowned out by the explosion of the lasers hitting the ground mere feet behind her. Kai sighed as he saw Mai's injuries were relatively small. "I place a card facedown and end my turn."

Kai: 2600 Mai: 600

Mai struggled to her knees, then tried to stand. But her weakened right ankle could not bear her weight, so she had to crouch down on one knee. Her hand shook as she drew, but as she pulled the card free, she steadied herself. She sighed as she looked at her new hand, and pulled one of the cards free, "I play Raigeki." The lightning bolt came down from the sky, but Kai's facedown card flipped up and a strange machine appeared in the lightning's path. As the lightning bolt collided with the machine, a force field sprang up around the machine, canceling out the Raigeki spell.

"I activated Spell Shield Type-8," explained Kai, "by discarding a card from my hand, I can negate the activation of one Spell."

"Nuts," said Mai, "good thing I had a back-up plan. I play Smashing Ground, which will destroy the strongest monster on your field." An enormous brown fist came down from above and slammed into the XYZ Dragon Cannon, crushing the powerful machine into scrap. "Now that the path is cleared, I summon Cyber Harpie (1800/1000)," yet another harpy appeared in front of Mai, this one more powerful than her sisters. "Then I equip my Cyber Harpie with Cyber Shield and Rose Whip, which will boost her attack power by 800 points, the exact same amount as your Life Points (2600/1000)!" A whip appeared in the Harpie's hand, and she became covered in golden armor. "Now to end this duel. Cyber Harpie, avenge the lives of all your fallen sisters! Attack directly!" The harpy swung her whip at Kai, the numerous thorns making a large gash across his chest and spilling his blood along the ground.

But the duel was not over. Kai had stumbled to the ground and was breathing heavily, but still he spoke, "That was…a good duel, Mai. Now its…over, but I'm not going to…have lost it. The card I discarded to…Spell Shield Type-8 was…Makyura the Destructor…and when he goes to the graveyard…I can activate Traps from my…hand for the turn. So I activate Attack and Receive…dealing you 700 points of damage…and ending the duel in…a tie." He managed to press the card into his Duel Disk before collapsing. The Mai felt the last of her energy drained from her as her Life Points also dropped to 0.

Kai: 0 Mai: 0

Youkai crowed with laughter, "Now THAT was a good duel! A truly stellar performance! I especially loved the ending. The next duel is between Kirbin and the Pharaoh. I'd like to see you both try and top THAT performance! HAHAHAHA!"

And so ends the eighth duel of the tournament finals. Up next: the quarterfinals, which features Yugi vs. Kirbin, followed by Kaiba vs. Shaun. Don't miss it!

Note to the readers: Many of the various combos Mai used cannot be done in the game. This is because Harpie Ladies 1, 2, and 3, as well as Cyber Harpie (also called Harpie Lady SB, simply named Cyber Harpie Lady in the show), are treated as being Harpie Ladies. Thus, you cannot have more than three total of the monsters Harpie Lady, Harpie Ladies 1, 2, and 3, and Cyber Harpie in your deck.

Note to Time Mage: What'd you think of Kai using Fiend Megacyber against the legion of Harpie Ladies? Remind you of anything?