"Now if you're done?" Mai inquired as she placed her fingertips upon the top card in her deck. Yugi nodded the affirmative and she drew.
"Okay Yugi here we go." Mai called out as she pulled three cards from her hand.
"I'll summon my second Harpie Lady number one, again bringing her attack to 1600 due to her effect. But to make her a true threat I'll play this card, Monster Reborn!" Mai explained sliding the two cards into her Duel Disk.
"Bringing back your other Harpie eh Mai?" Yugi smiled as he watched his opponent play out her hand.
"You know it. But there's more still. now I play the magic card Elegant Egotist allowing me to special summon my Harpie lady Sisters to the field." Mai answered activating yet another card.
"And, thanks to my two harpies the sisters are more than strong enough to destroy your little Dark Magician Cheerleader." Mai joked as the armor clad threesome appeared upon the field shrieking menacingly.
"Now My sisters will attack your magician and my Harpies will follow up with a direct attack!" Mai commanded her winged beasts.
The five forms flew across the field in a standard "V" formation, as though they were fighter jets on a seek and destroy mission. As the Harpie Lady Sisters closed in on Yugi's Dark Magician Girl she shimmered from view only to be replaced by a floating silk hat.
"Reveal TRAP! Magical Hats!" Yugi called out, concealing his Magician girl in one of the four floating silk top hats.
"You've got a one in four chance of destroying my Magician Mai. Choose wisely." Yugi's eyes flashed as Mai's squadron came to a screeching halt befor the four floating hats.
"Damn you Yugi." Mai swore as she made her choice.
"Harpie Lady Sisters, Destroy the left most Hat!" The flying creatures obeyed launching into the air and diving down upon the black hat.
Silk was thrown into the air as the three Harpies tore into the hat only to find empty space below it.
"You guessed wrong Mai." Yugi called out, his grin growing wider.
"My Turn's over Yugi. And your Hat's are gone!" Mai declared as the four hats vanished leaving the Dark Magician Girl exposed ont he far right side of Yugi's field.
Yugi drew his card and grimaced. 'All this will do is stall... No choice.' He thought briefly before setting the card into one of his empty Magic and Trap slots.
"I'll set one card and end my turn." Yugi spoke.
In the Stands
"Man what's up with Yugi? He hasn't launched a single attack. Osiris would end this duel in a heart beat." Ryu observed.
"You've got a lot to learn kiddo. Just because you've got power doesn't mean you should always use it. That's how it is with Yugi. He's got the raw power to drop almost any Duelist but he doesn't like to just out and out destroy his opponents." Joey explained.
"He treats his opponents with the respect they deserve. He plays the game the way it should be, for fun not fame." Joey finished.
"But winning is the point." Ryu relied confused.
"No, Winning is nice. having fun is the point." Joey shot back as Mai began her turn.
Back on the field
"This isn't like you at all Yugi. One monster and one Face down card with no attacks launched?" Mai observed and activated a card.
"Harpies Hunting Ground! It gives my Harpies a two hundred point power bonus. Bringing them all to a power rating high enough to wipe out your little Magician. But just to be sure I'll summon one more Monster, my third Harpie Lady number one!" The winged beast type monster appeared on the field in a flurry of feathers creating a cyclone.
The freshly created vortex of wind streaked across the field destroying Yugi's set card.
"What?" Yugi called out in surprise as he brought his arms up to shield his face from the howling winds.
"My Harpies Hunting Grounds effect. It destroys one magic or trap card ont he field each time a Harpie is summoned." mai explained.
"So, for this turn at least, no more magic tricks from you. Harpies, hit him hard!" Mai called out once again and her assembled beasts obeyed.
Yugi's Magician Girl was gone in a flash of razor sharp talons. Wiped out by Mai's Harpie lady Sisters.
Yugi: 6950
Mai: 6000
"Now My remaining Harpies will end this. I really wish you'd put up more of a fight Yugi." Mai lamented as the three Harpies remaining on her side of the field descended upon Yugi like ravenous Vultures upon a freshly fallen ox.
"You should know by now Mai, you never count me out until the last Life Point is gone!" Yugi called out holding up one card.
"No!" Mai gasped in surprise.
"Yes! Kuriboh blocks the attack of one of your Harpies, leaving me with more than enough Life points to finish this Duel properly!" Yugi shot back.
Yugi: 2150
Mai: 6000
The crowd went absolutely insane as Yugi shot down Mai's advancement to the final round with one card that most Duelists never even put in their decks.
"Now if your turn's over Mai, It's time to turn this around." Yugi spoke calmly yet firmly, his hair waving slightly in the wind. Keen eyes shinning in the bright sun.
"Go ahead Yugi, you're the king of stall tactics after all." Mai sniped.
Yugi drew his card and smiled. "I activate the magic card Pot of Greed!" Yugi called out and drew his two cards.
"Now I'll set one monster face down and my two new cards and that's the end of my turn." Yugi was smiling again.
Mai drew her card and set it immediately.
"I'll set this card and attack your face down card with my Harpie Lady Sisters!" She called out sending her powerhouse across the field to tear into Yugi's monster yet again.
"Not so fast Mai! Activate Trap, Magic Cylinder!" The twin tubes appeared before the three sisters and launched them back at Mai.
Yugi: 2150
Mai: 2950
"Damn you Yugi!" Mai shouted, her voice hoarse with her frustration.
"My remaining Harpies can finish you no problem though, only one Magic Cylinder per deck!" Mai reminded him while attacking again.
"Oh I know. But Mirror Force works just as well!" Yugi replied activating the second set card on his field.
The great blue barrier slipped up before Mai's harpies could destroy his monster and deal him damage as well. Their forms rippled and shook briefly as the rebounded energy ran over Mai's entire side of the field destroying every one of Mai's creatures.
"Whole new Duel eh Mai?" Yugi tossed off as he drew his card.
"Holy crap! That was awesome!" Ryu was leaning over the ledge of the stands as Yugi shut down Mai's onslaught and cleared her field.
"Man Yugi really pulled it out on that exchange. Is that normal?" Sammantha asked Joey, leaning forward slightly so he could hear her better over the crowd.
"Yeah Yugi always does stuff like this." Joey confirmed with a grin. "He's the comeback kid." He added.
"Seems a bit foolish. I mean Mai almost wiped him out he shouldn't play so haphazardly." Kelly commented.
"It's Yugi's style. And it really helps knock his opponents confidence out for the final attack." Joey replied, shifting slightly in his seat to look at the blond girl.
"Maybe but it's still reckless. When he faces my brother in the finals he's going to have to be more careful. Robert won't hesitate to burn away Yugi's Life Points if it means the title." Came Kelly's response, her arms folded over her chest obscuring the "Duel Chick" printing on her purple T-Shirt.
"Here we go Mai. I flip my face down card to reveal my King of the Swamp! I also discard my second King of the Swamp to draw the magic card Polymerization from my deck." Yugi pulled his card, shuffled and reinserted his deck into his Duel Disk.
"Now, King of the Swamp will act as a substitute for my Dark Magician as I Fuse it with my Buster Blader to summon..." Yugi slid the King of the Swamp card Polymerization and Buster Blader while sliding a fusion monster card onto the now empty surface of his Duel Disk.
"...DARK PALADIN!" Yugi cried out as the huge armored magician appeared on the field, giving a few test swings of it's Naginata style weapon. A distinct whistle could be heard as the blade cut through the air leaving streaks of silver behind it as the light reflected off of its surface.
Slamming the blunt end of his weapon upon the ground the Paladin shot a look at Mai and all of the gem like ornamentation on his armor flashed a bright green.
"Now, Mystic Slash!" Yugi called out.
His Dark Paladin momentarily closed his eyes and pointed the bladed end of his weapon at Mai. Once again the gems on his armor flashed green and his blade was aflame with green fire. Sparks of green energy flashed off of the powerful Spell casters eyes as he brought the blade up and slashed diagonally towards Mai, gripping the staff with both hands as he did so.
"Not so fast Yugi, my face down card!" Mai reached forward and activated her last remaining card on the field.
"My Scape goat magic card!" Mai sounded very pleased with herself at stemming off Yugi's attack.
"Sorry Mai but by discarding my last card I can negate that cards activation through my Paladins special ability." Yugi slid the last card in his hand into the graveyard causing Mai's magic card to fizzle out before it could fully activate.
Briefly a small pink Goat token flashed on the field and vanished as the stadiums holographic systems struggled to keep up with the rapid exchange.
The Dark Paladins attack streaked across the field and impacted on Mai's chest knocking the blond woman back and to her knees.
Yugi: 2150
Mai: 0050
"My turn is over Mai." Yugi spoke softly.
Mai fought to stand once again. Looking over her hand she began calculating her odds of surviving beyond two more turns. 'This isn't good. Yugi has the power and skill to wash me out of yet another tournament.' she thought as she drew for her turn.
Casting her eyes up at Yugi she didn't see a young man with an abnormal amount of skill. She saw a powerful Duelist commanding a mighty monster. His face was in shadow as the sun was just slightly behind him yet his eyes shone like two amethyst gems.
"You've done it again Yugi..." Mai started.
"Mai don't..." Yugi tried to interrupt but was cut off as Mai continued, bringing her right hand up.
"...you snatched victory from the jaws of defeat and made your opponent rethink her entire set of views on this game." Mai placed her right hand on top of her deck and waited patiently while the five count began in the center of the field.
5
"Mai, you can still take this Duel back." Joey cried out from the stands, leaping to his feet.
4
"You really are the best Yugi. Take this tournament. Don't let that sadistic bastard Willem get away with what he did." Mai spoke again.
3
"I can't believe she'd just give up. I mean I know she was losing but..." Kelly trailed off as her roommate surrendered the Duel to Yugi.
2
"Mai, you fought well. You had me on the ropes for most of this Duel. Thank you." Yugi spoke solemnly. His voice filled with pride and regret.
1
"Win it Yugi. All of it." Mai finished, her eyes brimming over with tears.
0
Antony stepped out onto the field between the two Duelists and raised Yugi's hand in the air.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the winner. Yugi Muto, the King of Games!" The crowd cheered enthusiastically as Yugi came a step closer to the final round. Antony then released Yugi's hand and raised Mai's.
"But let's not forget Mai, She's a Duelist in every sense of the word and has given us a fantastic match and has earned all of our respect for coming this far." Antony finished and the crowed cheered even louder. Mai's name was chanted over and over again by the assembled throng. Even Flowers were thrown down from the stands to land at her feet.
"We truly do hope to see you at the next Tournament. And expect to see you in the finals again at the very least." Antony added and kissed her hand lightly.
"HEY! Get your greasy lips offa her!" Joey fumed from the stands.
"Joey calm down he's just hamming it up for the crowd." Ryu tried to placate the hot headed man.
"Ladies and gentlemen, these two fine Duelists have both agreed beforehand that no cards would be exchanged. Now after a short break for lunch we will begin the next round. Robert Marcus Versus Willem Spring. It promises to be a fantastic match." Antony escorted Yugi and Mai towards the tent at the side of the field and shut off his microphone.