Tea's Time to Shine
Magicman: So where were we?
Joey: You were giving away my best cards.
Tea: You're not still griping about that, are you?
Joey: I think it's pretty obvious that I am!
Pegasus: How on Earth did he make it to the final match of my tournament?
Tea: Search me.
Magicman: Okay, enough with the banter. Lets get things on the move.
***
Chikara snorted as Tea drew a card. Her lifepoints were at 1000 while Tea's were at 3000, but she had three powerful monsters on the field. She couldn't attack her strongest creature, and if she attacked the weaker ones the stronger monsters would crush her. "You're outnumbered and outgunned, Tea. Your Elves can't take on all three of my monsters at once."
"Maybe not. But they can take out your Flame Swordsman!" Tea switched her Gemini Elf to attack mode. "Get him! Tag Team attack!"
One elf leapt into the air and rolled forward. The Flame Swordsman jumped aside and avoided being crushed. Then the second elf attacked with a series of hard punches and kicks. The Swordsman blocked these attacks too, but he forgot about the first elf, which buried a sword in his back. The swordsman shattered and dropped Chikara's lifepoints by 100.
Chikara (900 LP) was a bit surprised by this. Most people she duelled would be defending like crazy by now, and she had several traps to negate monster effects. But Tea's sudden aggression was surprising. "I don't suppose you're done yet."
Tea (3000 LP) shook her head. "I'll play one card facedown and summon the Mystical Elf (800/2000) in attack mode. That ends my turn."
"What's Tea doing?!" Yugi was nearly felled by apoplexy. "She's going to lose because of this!"
Koji laughed. "It looks like your friend has cracked up."
"Don't bet on it." Yami smiled. "She sees the way out."
"What way out? Look, next turn your friend will be off of this island like a bat out of Hell."
"I don't think so."
Asuka sighed. She reached into her purse and pulled out a magazine, which she proceeded to flip through. "Stupid games" she muttered.
Chikara drew. "Your facedown card is obviously a trap to protect your vulnerable monsters. So I'll set a card of my own facedown. Now I'll take the liberty of smashing your defences. Black Skull Dragon, attack the Mystical Elf with Molten Fireball attack!"
The dragon screamed and launched its attack, a blazing fireball. It screamed toward Tea's monster at break neck speed.
"Quick, my elves! Dive under the water!"
Just before they were struck, Mystical Elf and Gemini Elf dove under the water where they were protected from the attack above.
Tea smiled. "Nice work girls! Now, lets get ready to counter attack!"
While Chikara was trembling with anger, Yugi cheered. "She did it! That was great!" He jumped up and slapped palms with his counter part. Koji snorted.
"She was lucky."
Asuka rolled her eyes. "Don't be such a spoil sport Koji. She made a fair move. Do you really think that screaming will help Chikara?"
"I thought you didn't care about this duel."
"I don't. You're just bugging me."
Koji fell over while Yami and Yugi sweat dropped.
Meanwhile, Chikara was considering. 'She hid her monsters under water and they can pull that trick anytime they want. I admit I didn't suspect that. I hate losing control like that. But she didn't reckon on this!' Thousand Dragon attack with Ancient Blaze!"
Tea shrugged. "You wasted this attack too. Dive for cover, girls!"
As the elves dove under water, Chikara laughed. "I wasn't attacking your monster. I was attacking the water field! Fire plus water makes steam, removing your water field. Now try to hide from my attack!"
The fire boiled away the river field to steam, leaving the elves defenceless. Tea shook her head in frustration. "This is getting annoying!" she grumbled. "Every move I make, she comes up with a counter move."
Chikara overheard Tea's talking to herself. "I told you earlier, you don't know what control is. In a duel, you have to prepare for every possible contingency. That way you always know what the opposition has planned.
"Oh yeah? Well plan for this!" Tea drew. "You remember my Mystical Elf? When I placed her on the field, she began chanting a spell. Now, that spell lets me transfer her attack points to My Gemini Elf."
Mystical Elf glowed as she chanted her magic. Then that glow transferred to the Gemini Elf, raising its attack points up to 2700.
"Now" Tea continued, "My Elf is strong enough to take out your Thousand Dragon. Sooo.....ATTACK!"
The elves whirled into another attack and the facedown card on Chikara's field burst into life.
"My Energy Drain magic card will drain your monster's attack points down to zero! I told you that I prepare for every contingency!"
"Yeah? Well you need contingencies for your contingencies, because I play Imperial Order!"
A tall man in robes appeared on the field. He raised a hand and Chikara's magic card broke apart like Dracula at sunrise. The elf twins then demolished Thousand Dragon, weakening Chikara's lifepoints to 600. Chikara clenched a fist. "You'll pay for that!"
"Maybe. But for now I switch my Mystical Elf to defence mode. That ends my turn."
Chikara drew while Yami blew a raspberry at Koji. "What do you think of Tea now?"
"Bah! She's all luck."
"Luck?! You wouldn't know duelling skills if they bit off your leg and beat you over the head with it!"
"At least I don't look like psychedelic porcupine! What the Hell were you thinking?! Are you some kind of fashion radical?"
"Hey! You insult the hair, you risk getting beaten up!"
"Bring it, hair job!"
The two started circling each other, violent intentions in their eyes. Just before they lunged, Yugi slipped in between them and screamed with all the breath of his small body.
"KNOCK IT OFF!"
Silence rang through the forest. The squabbling teenagers, Tea, Chikara, and even Asuka stared at Yugi with astonishment. The diminutive one coloured at the sudden attention and sidled away behind a nearby tree, and out of the surprised looks.
At last, Chikara said, "Shrieking fans aside, your trap won't stop my attack. And your Gemini Elf is in attack mode. Now attack, my dragon, and drop her lifepoints!"
With no water to hide under and no traps to protect them, Tea's Gemini Elves were blown to bits. Tea (2500 LP) shielded herself from the blast as Chikara lay down a card. "Okay" she said, "First of all I won't pay the cost to keep Imperial Order. Second I'll set two cards down and end my turn."
"Abandoning your Mystical Elf, eh? Or is it just an obvious trap? No matter. I can still damage your lifepoints with the magic card Big Bang Shot." Chikara equipped her dragon, which gained a large cannon strapped to its back. A couple of fairies hovered about the cannon, loading it.
"This magic card increases my dragons attack by 400 points."
Tea waved a hand airily. "Aren't you forgetting? My Mystical Elf is in defence mode."
Chikara laughed. "It doesn't matter."
"Pardon?"
"Big Bang Shot also gives my dragon the ability to deal damage even when it destroys a defending monster. So it really doesn't matter whether or not your elf defends you. She's going to go boom in a big way, and you're going to lose a lot of lifepoints!" Chikara pointed dramatically. "Black Skull Dragon, attack with your Molten Fireball! Show the Mystical Elf who's boss!"
The dragon leaned forward, pointing its cannon at Tea's monster as the fairies finished loading. One of the fairies pressed a series of buttons at one end of the cannon and a low humming sound filled the air. Nothing happened, though the humming increases in pitch.
"I think your cannon's busted."
Then the cannon fired without warning, filling the air with fire and a screaming howl as the projectile streaked toward its target. Chikara laughed. "Say goodbye to your lifepoints!"
"I don't think so!"
Tea turned over a Mirror Force trap and sent the blast back at the dragon. But suddenly Chikara activated her other facedown card. A tall robed figure arose from the field and spoke a word that rippled the air with its power. The Mirror Force cancelled and the attack suddenly swerved back at the Mystical Elf. "What the?!"
Chikara showed off her card. "It's called Solemn Judgement", she said. "By giving up half of my lifepoints, I can negate the last card played. Now your elf is toasted wheat!"
The fireball struck the Mystical Elf, causing an explosion that drained Tea's lifepoints to 900. Chikara smiled pleasantly. "Now you see? My monster is bigger than anything in your deck, and there are only a handful of magic and trap cards that could help you. If you attack, my dragon will bust you up. If you defend, my magic will make sure that you still lose. And I'll play one card down just to make sure that things go my way." She gestured airily. "Make your move."
Tea took a deep breath and drew. "Alright!" She smiled happily. "Just what I needed!"
Chikara raised an eyebrow, as though to say 'Huh?'
"My hand wasn't helping me any, so I play Card Destruction. Both of us discard our hands and then draw new ones." Tea looked at her new hand and smirked. "Just the combo I needed."
Koji scowled as a grinning Yami gave him the finger. "Ah shut up!"
"I didn't say anything," the ex-pharaoh answered smugly. "I was just about to point out that Tea's going to win this duel."
"Ha!" Chikara laughed scornfully. "She's got nothing."
"Don't talk as if I'm not here!"
Chikara sighed. "Look Tea, I'll admit that I'm fairly impressed that you lasted this long. But be realistic! You're totally out matched here!"
"Maybe, but I'm not giving up. You see", she added, "I may be a wannabe but I'm a wannabe that's not giving up. I'm going to get where I'm going and not you or any other duellist is going to stop me!"
Chikara raised her eyebrow again. Her look seemed to, at last contain a measure of respect. "Well then show me what you've got. I'm ready for you!"
"Here's what I've got!" Tea slapped down a monster. "Maha Vailo (1550/1400)!"
The blue robed magician appeared on the field and a hole opened up beneath his feet, swallowing him up.
"I activate Trap Hole, destroying your monster!"
"So? I play Monster Reborn and bring him back from the graveyard!"
Maha Vailo reappeared on the field, his long blonde hair flailing as though there was a strong wind. Chikara considered the facts as she watched the monster. 'What is she planning? That things is too weak to stand up to my dragon.'
"I know what your thinking" Tea said. "You want to know why I'd play Maha Vailo in the first place, right? Well you must not know about his special skill. For each equip card attached to him, he gains an additional 500 attack points. So I'll give him this!" Tea activated a magic card. "It's called the Axe of Despair, and it raises my monster's attack points by one thousand. Combined with his special effect, Maha Vailo has a full attack of three thousand and fifty!"
"That's still not enough to beat my dragon."
"Isn't it?" Tea pointed at Chikara's monster. "Maha Vailo, prepare to attack her Black Skull Dragon!"
Chikara stared incredulously as the Vaillo grasped lightning energy out of the cloud itself. "What in the world are you doing?! Your monster will be destroyed!"
"Not really. Did you forget my trap card?" Tea activated her other facedown card. "It's called Blast with Chain! It raises the attack of the Maha by another five hundred."
"But my dragons till outranks it by fifty attack points!" Chikara could only watch as the Vailo's attack finished powering up.
Tea nodded. "Yes, but when Blast with Chain is activated, it's treated as an equip card, so Maha Vailo's special effect happens again. His attack is now boosted all the way up to four thousand and fifty. So now that he's ready, Maha Vailo attack with Sacred Lightning!"
Lightning blasted out from the spellcaster's fingertips, winding its way through the air at a very fast pace. It struck the dragon, which screamed in pain. Then it shattered with a final roar, taking with it the last of Chikara's lifepoints.
"And that is how the game is played!"
***
Chikara smiled a bit regretfully at her now empty duelling glove. "So I'm out of the tournament. Ah well. That's the way things go."
"It was a great duel." Tea offered her hand with a smile. "No hard feelings?"
"No. But we will have to do this again." Chikara took Tea's hand and shook it gravely. "Sorry about insulting you earlier, you're no weakling."
"Like I said, no hard feelings."
Koji was sulking and Yami was teasing him while Yugi kept the two apart. Asuka yawned. "Well that spectacle was slightly entertaining."
Chikara shook her head in disgust. "Well, I'd better go before those two get into more trouble. It was good to meet you Tea. I'll see you next time."
Tea and friends waved goodbye as the triplets walked off into the forest. Then she looked down at her glove. She smiled with pride. "Only two more star chips to go. Then I'll be in Pegasus' castle!"
Yugi smiled up at Tea. "That was a great play at the end, Tea. I didn't even know about Blast With Chain's effect."
"Thanks Yugi. But it was nothing really." She turned thoughtful. "If the matches before the finals are tough, I wonder how hard the duels in the castle will be?"
"There will be some tough opponents," Yami answered. "I wouldn't be surprised if you ran into Crawford."
"I hope I do." Tea scowled.
"But it doesn't really matter who you duel. We'll be right by you wherever you duel."
Tea smiled. "You two are such good friends." She hugged them. "I guess it doesn't really matter who's in the finals. I'll just have to beat them too."
"Well put." Yami laughed at a sudden thought. "I'm just glad that this tournament is just for fun, and that there isn't any dark forces or Rare Hunters or someone trying to do evil things. It's a nice break."
"Yep. Now," Tea turned back to the river, "If you two will excuse me I have a break to get back to." Still clad in her bathing suit, she turned and jumped into the river, splashing her friends as she went.
***
Magicman: That was a good one, if I do say so.
Tea: Yay! Eight stars! I'm almost there!
Pegasus: I'll start drawing up a list of the finalists.
Joey: That part's not written yet.
Pegasus: It's best to have a plan for the future, right Magicman?
Magicman: Exactly. And now, while that's in the works, see ya tomorrow!
Magicman: So where were we?
Joey: You were giving away my best cards.
Tea: You're not still griping about that, are you?
Joey: I think it's pretty obvious that I am!
Pegasus: How on Earth did he make it to the final match of my tournament?
Tea: Search me.
Magicman: Okay, enough with the banter. Lets get things on the move.
***
Chikara snorted as Tea drew a card. Her lifepoints were at 1000 while Tea's were at 3000, but she had three powerful monsters on the field. She couldn't attack her strongest creature, and if she attacked the weaker ones the stronger monsters would crush her. "You're outnumbered and outgunned, Tea. Your Elves can't take on all three of my monsters at once."
"Maybe not. But they can take out your Flame Swordsman!" Tea switched her Gemini Elf to attack mode. "Get him! Tag Team attack!"
One elf leapt into the air and rolled forward. The Flame Swordsman jumped aside and avoided being crushed. Then the second elf attacked with a series of hard punches and kicks. The Swordsman blocked these attacks too, but he forgot about the first elf, which buried a sword in his back. The swordsman shattered and dropped Chikara's lifepoints by 100.
Chikara (900 LP) was a bit surprised by this. Most people she duelled would be defending like crazy by now, and she had several traps to negate monster effects. But Tea's sudden aggression was surprising. "I don't suppose you're done yet."
Tea (3000 LP) shook her head. "I'll play one card facedown and summon the Mystical Elf (800/2000) in attack mode. That ends my turn."
"What's Tea doing?!" Yugi was nearly felled by apoplexy. "She's going to lose because of this!"
Koji laughed. "It looks like your friend has cracked up."
"Don't bet on it." Yami smiled. "She sees the way out."
"What way out? Look, next turn your friend will be off of this island like a bat out of Hell."
"I don't think so."
Asuka sighed. She reached into her purse and pulled out a magazine, which she proceeded to flip through. "Stupid games" she muttered.
Chikara drew. "Your facedown card is obviously a trap to protect your vulnerable monsters. So I'll set a card of my own facedown. Now I'll take the liberty of smashing your defences. Black Skull Dragon, attack the Mystical Elf with Molten Fireball attack!"
The dragon screamed and launched its attack, a blazing fireball. It screamed toward Tea's monster at break neck speed.
"Quick, my elves! Dive under the water!"
Just before they were struck, Mystical Elf and Gemini Elf dove under the water where they were protected from the attack above.
Tea smiled. "Nice work girls! Now, lets get ready to counter attack!"
While Chikara was trembling with anger, Yugi cheered. "She did it! That was great!" He jumped up and slapped palms with his counter part. Koji snorted.
"She was lucky."
Asuka rolled her eyes. "Don't be such a spoil sport Koji. She made a fair move. Do you really think that screaming will help Chikara?"
"I thought you didn't care about this duel."
"I don't. You're just bugging me."
Koji fell over while Yami and Yugi sweat dropped.
Meanwhile, Chikara was considering. 'She hid her monsters under water and they can pull that trick anytime they want. I admit I didn't suspect that. I hate losing control like that. But she didn't reckon on this!' Thousand Dragon attack with Ancient Blaze!"
Tea shrugged. "You wasted this attack too. Dive for cover, girls!"
As the elves dove under water, Chikara laughed. "I wasn't attacking your monster. I was attacking the water field! Fire plus water makes steam, removing your water field. Now try to hide from my attack!"
The fire boiled away the river field to steam, leaving the elves defenceless. Tea shook her head in frustration. "This is getting annoying!" she grumbled. "Every move I make, she comes up with a counter move."
Chikara overheard Tea's talking to herself. "I told you earlier, you don't know what control is. In a duel, you have to prepare for every possible contingency. That way you always know what the opposition has planned.
"Oh yeah? Well plan for this!" Tea drew. "You remember my Mystical Elf? When I placed her on the field, she began chanting a spell. Now, that spell lets me transfer her attack points to My Gemini Elf."
Mystical Elf glowed as she chanted her magic. Then that glow transferred to the Gemini Elf, raising its attack points up to 2700.
"Now" Tea continued, "My Elf is strong enough to take out your Thousand Dragon. Sooo.....ATTACK!"
The elves whirled into another attack and the facedown card on Chikara's field burst into life.
"My Energy Drain magic card will drain your monster's attack points down to zero! I told you that I prepare for every contingency!"
"Yeah? Well you need contingencies for your contingencies, because I play Imperial Order!"
A tall man in robes appeared on the field. He raised a hand and Chikara's magic card broke apart like Dracula at sunrise. The elf twins then demolished Thousand Dragon, weakening Chikara's lifepoints to 600. Chikara clenched a fist. "You'll pay for that!"
"Maybe. But for now I switch my Mystical Elf to defence mode. That ends my turn."
Chikara drew while Yami blew a raspberry at Koji. "What do you think of Tea now?"
"Bah! She's all luck."
"Luck?! You wouldn't know duelling skills if they bit off your leg and beat you over the head with it!"
"At least I don't look like psychedelic porcupine! What the Hell were you thinking?! Are you some kind of fashion radical?"
"Hey! You insult the hair, you risk getting beaten up!"
"Bring it, hair job!"
The two started circling each other, violent intentions in their eyes. Just before they lunged, Yugi slipped in between them and screamed with all the breath of his small body.
"KNOCK IT OFF!"
Silence rang through the forest. The squabbling teenagers, Tea, Chikara, and even Asuka stared at Yugi with astonishment. The diminutive one coloured at the sudden attention and sidled away behind a nearby tree, and out of the surprised looks.
At last, Chikara said, "Shrieking fans aside, your trap won't stop my attack. And your Gemini Elf is in attack mode. Now attack, my dragon, and drop her lifepoints!"
With no water to hide under and no traps to protect them, Tea's Gemini Elves were blown to bits. Tea (2500 LP) shielded herself from the blast as Chikara lay down a card. "Okay" she said, "First of all I won't pay the cost to keep Imperial Order. Second I'll set two cards down and end my turn."
"Abandoning your Mystical Elf, eh? Or is it just an obvious trap? No matter. I can still damage your lifepoints with the magic card Big Bang Shot." Chikara equipped her dragon, which gained a large cannon strapped to its back. A couple of fairies hovered about the cannon, loading it.
"This magic card increases my dragons attack by 400 points."
Tea waved a hand airily. "Aren't you forgetting? My Mystical Elf is in defence mode."
Chikara laughed. "It doesn't matter."
"Pardon?"
"Big Bang Shot also gives my dragon the ability to deal damage even when it destroys a defending monster. So it really doesn't matter whether or not your elf defends you. She's going to go boom in a big way, and you're going to lose a lot of lifepoints!" Chikara pointed dramatically. "Black Skull Dragon, attack with your Molten Fireball! Show the Mystical Elf who's boss!"
The dragon leaned forward, pointing its cannon at Tea's monster as the fairies finished loading. One of the fairies pressed a series of buttons at one end of the cannon and a low humming sound filled the air. Nothing happened, though the humming increases in pitch.
"I think your cannon's busted."
Then the cannon fired without warning, filling the air with fire and a screaming howl as the projectile streaked toward its target. Chikara laughed. "Say goodbye to your lifepoints!"
"I don't think so!"
Tea turned over a Mirror Force trap and sent the blast back at the dragon. But suddenly Chikara activated her other facedown card. A tall robed figure arose from the field and spoke a word that rippled the air with its power. The Mirror Force cancelled and the attack suddenly swerved back at the Mystical Elf. "What the?!"
Chikara showed off her card. "It's called Solemn Judgement", she said. "By giving up half of my lifepoints, I can negate the last card played. Now your elf is toasted wheat!"
The fireball struck the Mystical Elf, causing an explosion that drained Tea's lifepoints to 900. Chikara smiled pleasantly. "Now you see? My monster is bigger than anything in your deck, and there are only a handful of magic and trap cards that could help you. If you attack, my dragon will bust you up. If you defend, my magic will make sure that you still lose. And I'll play one card down just to make sure that things go my way." She gestured airily. "Make your move."
Tea took a deep breath and drew. "Alright!" She smiled happily. "Just what I needed!"
Chikara raised an eyebrow, as though to say 'Huh?'
"My hand wasn't helping me any, so I play Card Destruction. Both of us discard our hands and then draw new ones." Tea looked at her new hand and smirked. "Just the combo I needed."
Koji scowled as a grinning Yami gave him the finger. "Ah shut up!"
"I didn't say anything," the ex-pharaoh answered smugly. "I was just about to point out that Tea's going to win this duel."
"Ha!" Chikara laughed scornfully. "She's got nothing."
"Don't talk as if I'm not here!"
Chikara sighed. "Look Tea, I'll admit that I'm fairly impressed that you lasted this long. But be realistic! You're totally out matched here!"
"Maybe, but I'm not giving up. You see", she added, "I may be a wannabe but I'm a wannabe that's not giving up. I'm going to get where I'm going and not you or any other duellist is going to stop me!"
Chikara raised her eyebrow again. Her look seemed to, at last contain a measure of respect. "Well then show me what you've got. I'm ready for you!"
"Here's what I've got!" Tea slapped down a monster. "Maha Vailo (1550/1400)!"
The blue robed magician appeared on the field and a hole opened up beneath his feet, swallowing him up.
"I activate Trap Hole, destroying your monster!"
"So? I play Monster Reborn and bring him back from the graveyard!"
Maha Vailo reappeared on the field, his long blonde hair flailing as though there was a strong wind. Chikara considered the facts as she watched the monster. 'What is she planning? That things is too weak to stand up to my dragon.'
"I know what your thinking" Tea said. "You want to know why I'd play Maha Vailo in the first place, right? Well you must not know about his special skill. For each equip card attached to him, he gains an additional 500 attack points. So I'll give him this!" Tea activated a magic card. "It's called the Axe of Despair, and it raises my monster's attack points by one thousand. Combined with his special effect, Maha Vailo has a full attack of three thousand and fifty!"
"That's still not enough to beat my dragon."
"Isn't it?" Tea pointed at Chikara's monster. "Maha Vailo, prepare to attack her Black Skull Dragon!"
Chikara stared incredulously as the Vaillo grasped lightning energy out of the cloud itself. "What in the world are you doing?! Your monster will be destroyed!"
"Not really. Did you forget my trap card?" Tea activated her other facedown card. "It's called Blast with Chain! It raises the attack of the Maha by another five hundred."
"But my dragons till outranks it by fifty attack points!" Chikara could only watch as the Vailo's attack finished powering up.
Tea nodded. "Yes, but when Blast with Chain is activated, it's treated as an equip card, so Maha Vailo's special effect happens again. His attack is now boosted all the way up to four thousand and fifty. So now that he's ready, Maha Vailo attack with Sacred Lightning!"
Lightning blasted out from the spellcaster's fingertips, winding its way through the air at a very fast pace. It struck the dragon, which screamed in pain. Then it shattered with a final roar, taking with it the last of Chikara's lifepoints.
"And that is how the game is played!"
***
Chikara smiled a bit regretfully at her now empty duelling glove. "So I'm out of the tournament. Ah well. That's the way things go."
"It was a great duel." Tea offered her hand with a smile. "No hard feelings?"
"No. But we will have to do this again." Chikara took Tea's hand and shook it gravely. "Sorry about insulting you earlier, you're no weakling."
"Like I said, no hard feelings."
Koji was sulking and Yami was teasing him while Yugi kept the two apart. Asuka yawned. "Well that spectacle was slightly entertaining."
Chikara shook her head in disgust. "Well, I'd better go before those two get into more trouble. It was good to meet you Tea. I'll see you next time."
Tea and friends waved goodbye as the triplets walked off into the forest. Then she looked down at her glove. She smiled with pride. "Only two more star chips to go. Then I'll be in Pegasus' castle!"
Yugi smiled up at Tea. "That was a great play at the end, Tea. I didn't even know about Blast With Chain's effect."
"Thanks Yugi. But it was nothing really." She turned thoughtful. "If the matches before the finals are tough, I wonder how hard the duels in the castle will be?"
"There will be some tough opponents," Yami answered. "I wouldn't be surprised if you ran into Crawford."
"I hope I do." Tea scowled.
"But it doesn't really matter who you duel. We'll be right by you wherever you duel."
Tea smiled. "You two are such good friends." She hugged them. "I guess it doesn't really matter who's in the finals. I'll just have to beat them too."
"Well put." Yami laughed at a sudden thought. "I'm just glad that this tournament is just for fun, and that there isn't any dark forces or Rare Hunters or someone trying to do evil things. It's a nice break."
"Yep. Now," Tea turned back to the river, "If you two will excuse me I have a break to get back to." Still clad in her bathing suit, she turned and jumped into the river, splashing her friends as she went.
***
Magicman: That was a good one, if I do say so.
Tea: Yay! Eight stars! I'm almost there!
Pegasus: I'll start drawing up a list of the finalists.
Joey: That part's not written yet.
Pegasus: It's best to have a plan for the future, right Magicman?
Magicman: Exactly. And now, while that's in the works, see ya tomorrow!
