Tea's Time to Shine

Joey: It's about time you got around to updating!

Magicman: What can I say? What with work, driving school, and planning for Anime North, I've been busy.

Pegasus: That's what you say all the time.

Magicman: Well it's true! All the time. Anyway, down to business. Two things really. First of all, to all the reviewers and readers and such who figured out Ami's strategy and know how Tea will break it, expect some tricks from Ami. I have a friend who used an Exodia deck, and I figured out all sorts of Exodia tricks from him. And to the guy who keeps pointing out the little details wrong with the duels, I know that Mirror Force isn't used that way. It's a lot cooler though, and please keep in mind that the TV show rules are different from the card game rules.

Tea: You done yet? I'm pretty curious as to how I'm going to beat Ami before she beats me.

Magicman: Of course. Let the games continue!


"So how have you two been?"

Ishizu sipped her Earl Grey tea, which Ryou had boiled to perfection. "Quite well actually" she said. "The museum recently received a shipment of ancient Aztec artifacts, including the sacrificial dagger of a high priest. A deal like that doesn't come around very often."

Marik grinned. "I had to threaten the owner into making the sale."

Ishizu rolled her eyes at her brother. "I've been trying to get him some psychiatric help, but he keeps refusing. I guess I shouldn't worry though. As long as Odion is around to keep him out of trouble, he can't do much. Right now though he had some important business at one of my digs, and I couldn't leave Marik back at the house. You know how he is."

"Besides which, I'd starve to death" Marik put it. "I've been known to ruin instant noodles."

Ryou smiled. "That is quite a predicament. What brought you here in the first place?"

Ishizu hesitated. Should she tell Ryou? He was a good person. It couldn't hurt. "My Millennium Necklace showed me something. A great darkness will invade the tournament. I must be there at the finals to try and stop it."

Marik sighed and leaned back against a tree. "This is what I don't get. Last I checked, the pharaoh, Yugi, Pegasus and hordes of other good duellists will be there. Why do we need to come too?"

"Have you ever heard of the saying 'if you want something done right you have to do it yourself'?" Ishizu asked her brother. "I suppose that has something to do with it."

"Hmm. No wonder my Rare Hunters kept getting pulverized by Yugi and Kaiba." Marik sighed in annoyance. "If you'd mentioned that to me a year or so ago, I might be the pharaoh now." He looked up at Ryou's snickering. "What?"

"You sound almost like my yami."

Ryou grinned, knowing what Marik's reaction would be.


"Ami's got Exodia! Ami's got Exodia!" Ami sang as she danced around, waving her hand in the air. "Four pieces down, one to go! Good for me!"

Yami sighed. "She's going to give me a headache."

"Come on Tea!" Yugi called out. "Just draw the right card and shut down her plan to summon Exodia!"

"I'll certainly give it a try," Tea answered. Breathing deep, she slowly drew. When she looked at the card.....

"Yes! Awesome!" Tea cheered and did a little dance of her own. "Now who's ahead? Take this! Card destruction!"

Tea laughed when all cards in both duellists' hands were sent to the graveyard and they redrew. "Exodia's gone now, and without him I doubt your deck has the firepower you need to win. I think I may have just won this thing."

Yugi whistled appreciatively and Yami grinned proudly. 'That's my Tea' he thought proudly.

Ami just grinned. "The unstoppable is like a good meal. Gone but not forgotten."

The analogy was lost on Tea. "What? Are you hungry or something?"

"Ooh! Food! Yum!" Ami shook her head and refocused. "Exodia players know how to protect him before the knockout. Yes we do. He's gone for now, but not for long! Time to start all over again! Say hello to my little friend, Fibre Jar (500/500)!"

A jar that appeared to be made of leaves and vines appeared on the field before flooding the arena with a bright green light. Tea blinked, protecting her eyes, and when she could see again the entire field had been emptied. No Fibre Jar, no Amazoness Swordswoman, no Dark Magician Girl, and no Gravity Bind. Ami was shuffling her deck and graveyard together when she decided to explain.

"Flipping my monster restarts our game" Ami grinned as she tapped her fingers erratically on the dashboard of the playing field. "Our graveyards and our deck meet and our hands are redrawn. Ready? Good. Now Ami sees her hand." Ami looked down at her hand and frowned. "Hmm. This doesn't work. Not at all."

Tea, her deck reshuffled and her hand redrawn, raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong? Didn't you get what you wanted?"

"No", Ami pouted. Then she brightened. "But magic can help. Ami activates Reload!"

A holographic gun materialised on the field. The switch pulled and an empty clip fell out. As a new clip replaced the old, Yami shouted out, "Be careful Tea! That card lets her redraw a new hand!"

"Demon-man is right" Ami said, scowling at Yami. "If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. Sooo....." Ami looked at her knew hand and beamed. "Yay! Is good! Ami plays a card facedown and defends with Mystic Tomato (1400/1100). Next one magic card, called Card of Safe Return. You go now."

Tea drew and studied her cards carefully. She didn't have many options, but she could still attack. "I summon Marie the Fallen one (1700/1200) in attack mode." Tea held up a magic card. "Next I'll increase her powers with Fairy Meteor Crush. Your Mystic Tomato may be in defence mode but I can still damage you. Now I'll attack with Marie. Destroy her monster with Blackened Soul Blade!"

The dark angel flapped her wings, bringing herself into the air. Placing a hand on her heart, she pulled it away suddenly, drawing forth from her body a sword of glowing black metal. She dove and with one swift motion, she disemboweled the sinister looking tomato. Ami's monster screeched as it disintegrated and ticked six hundred lifepoints off of Ami's lifepoint counter. Tea grinned and waved to Marie. "Nice work Marie!" The dark angel flapped her wings in acknowledgement. "Your move Ami."

Ami (LP 1400) smiled happily. "Thank you! Mystic Tomato lets me bring out another Mystic Tomato, whom I switch to defence mode this turn. And now Card of Safe Return activates! Yay! I get to draw a new card!" Ami drew and grinned. "Now for the toughest choice of the game of shadows. Painful Choice!"

"Whatever that is" Tea muttered, "it doesn't sound very good."

"It's not", Ami said cheerfully. "Ami gets to pick five of her best cards from her deck! Then you pick one to go to my hand. The rest are gone but not forgotten."

"You mean they go to the graveyard?"

"That's what I said."

Tea rolled her eyes. "Okay, show me the choices."

Ami pulled out the five cards and flashed them to Tea. It was an interesting selection. The cards were Exodia's Right Arm, Exodia's Left Leg, Witch of the Black Forest, Sangan, and Messenger of Peace. For Tea it was a no-brainer. "I'll pick Messenger of Peace", she said. "Now you lost two pieces of Exodia and both your special summoning monsters. Try summoning your unstoppable monster without them."

"Okay!" Ami activated her trap card. "Backup Soldier helps me out."

Tea swore as her opponent was able to redraw the two pieces of Exodia she had lost. "Are you done?"

"Nope! Now I protect myself with my magic card." Ami played Messenger of Peace. "Only weak monsters can attack now. The messenger won't let the big ones attack. And now, it's your turn!"

A man in golden robes rose up on the field, preventing strong monsters from attacking. Tea nearly swore when she drew. All her monsters had high attack points. "I'm afraid you have me at a disadvantage" Tea said, scowling. "But I can still play one card facedown. Your move."

Tea waited until Ami drew before activating her trap. "I play Dust Tornado, blowing away your Messenger of Peace!"

As a mighty wind blew up from Tea's hidden card, Ami just laughed with glee. "Whee! Such fun!" She waved goodbye to her messenger card before making her move. "Magical messenger served his purpose. He holds back players to make room for the unstoppable. But the unstoppable still needs the rest of his pieces, and that's where Ami's friends come in. Meet my Puppet Master (0/0) in defence mode!"

What looked like a marionette on steroids materialised on the field. Ami grinned at her maniacal little minion. "He's happy to be here, isn't he?" she gushed as her monster cackled insanely.

Tea rolled her eyes. "I'm sure. But what's he for? He has no attack and no defence. Does he have some effect?"

"Oh yeah!" Ami grinned wickedly. "Puppet Master, use your special effect now! Take one thousand of my lifepoints to restore three of my monsters to life!"

Tea watched, in a combination of shock and alarm as Ami dropped her lifepoints all the way down to a sparse four hundred to power up her monster's effect. Puppet Master waved its wooden arms as a dark and eerie glow surrounded its being. Then, with a blood-curdling shriek from hell, strings burst forth from the creature's fingertips and reached deep into the graveyard. With demonic strength, it hauled forth Ami's witch, her Sangaan, and her Mystic Tomato in defence mode. Suddenly the crazy girl's defences were impenetrable.

"My monsters were returned safely, so Card of Safe return lets Ami draw three new cards. Yay!" Ami drew her cards and whistled. "Not bad. One card face down ends Ami's turn. Ha! Take that voices!" She ended her turn by glaring at Yami.

"Why does she keep glaring at you?" Yugi whispered in his darker side's ear. Yami could only shrug helplessly.

Ami apparently had exceptionally sharp, because in the next second she scared the bejeezus out of the two. "BECAUSE YOU'RE NOT HUMAN, THAT'S WHAT!!!" She scowled and seemed to calm down. "You think Ami can't see? Ami sees more than she wants sometimes, but I can see that you're not what you seem to be. You're not normal. Your eyes.....they're too ancient to be normal. They're full of secrets, and not to be trusted."

Tea stared at Ami. "How.....?"

Ami turned back to her opponent and grinned sheepishly. "Sorry. I interrupted the game. Your turn."

Shaken, Tea drew a card and checked the field. Ami had four monsters and one card facedown while Tea only had Marie the Fallen One with Fairy Meteor Crush. 'If I destroy her Puppet Master', she thought, 'I can take out the rest of her lifepoints. And if her facedown card destroys Marie, then there's still her special effect.' "Okay Ami I don't know how you seem to know so much about Yami but I can finish you off right here and now! Go Marie!"

Tea's monster flapped her wings but she was suddenly pulled back to Earth, crying out in pain. She struggled to rise but her efforts were to no avail. Tea glared furiously at Ami's Gravity Bind trap card. "Okay, fine. I'll play one card facedown and end my turn."

"Okeday!" Ami drew and crowed happily. "A plague on both our houses!"

"What?"

"A plague on both our houses." The crazy girl showed the Dark Hole magic that she played.

"Ah crap." Tea groaned as all monsters on the field were sucked into a black vortex. "I guess you get two more pieces of Exodia then. Does that complete the puzzle?"

Ami shook her head almost sorrowfully. "Not quite. Just one more to go though. Then you meet my friend!" She brightened and picked her two monsters to go to her hand, due to her Witch of the Black Forest and her Sangaan. "Okay then, I play the magic card Different Dimension Capsule."

Tea blinked in surprise. Yami, on the other hand, recoiled in horror. "Oh no" he muttered under his breath.

"What does that card do?" Tea asked her opponent.

"It gets me my reinforcements!" Ami giggled uncontrollably.

"Tea!" Yami shouted from the sidelines, "That card lets her bring any card from her deck to her hand in three turns!"

Tea stared at her friend in alarm. "You're kidding me!"

"Nope", Ami said cheerfully. "He's quite right. The game ends in three turns, all in one turn. Cool, huh?"

"No, not cool", Tea growled. "Bad. Very bad." She drew, taking a 200 point boost to her lifepoints and shook her head. "Not the right card. I have to pass this turn."

"Geez" Yugi said while Ami drew her card. "This is looking really bad. Ami has Tea locked down and unable to fight back. And if she draws the last piece of Exodia, she's finished."

"I've seen Tea's deck, and I know that she has two cards in particular that will let her win."

"You sound confident."

Yami just smiled. "Tea has determination, strength, and a faith in her deck. They won't let her down."

Once again, Ami overheard the conversation. She scowled at Yami before sighing. "Ancient Egyptians" she muttered. "Go figure." Returning her attention to the game Ami went back to grinning. "One turn down, only two more to go! Wheee! And now Reflect Bounder (1700/1000) joins the game in attack mode."

A machine monster sporting a mirror in its chest appeared on the field, guarding Ami's lifepoints. Ami gestured, ending her turn. On the field, the capsule containing the last piece of Exodia pulsed.

Tea (LP 2400) drew. "I have to play a monster card in defence mode" she said, playing the card. "And I still can't do anything. It's your move again."

"Just one more to go!" Ami flashed a peace sign happily. "Now Ami plays Dark Door. Only one monster can attack now. You go." She gestured almost airily as her capsule pulsed again and started to shake.

Tea took a deep breath and drew. "Nothing."

"Nothing you can do? Yay! Ami wins!"

"Not quite."

"Huh?"

Tea pointed to her monster. "I still have my facedown card, which I flip right now. Reveal Skelengel (500/600/). This monster lets me draw a new card. I can only hope it will help."

Tea drew slowly, feeling the tension. "Pot of Greed. This lets me draw another two cards."

As Tea (LP 2600) reached for her deck, the air nearly crackled with charged electricity. Yami knew that Tea could win if she drew the right cards. Yugi hoped she could win. Ami thought she had the duel won but was experienced enough to know that one card could turn the tide. And as for Tea, she was praying to her deck not to let her down.

'I know we've been through some tough duels but this is the toughest of them all. We can't attack around her Reflect Bounder and we can't afford to wait this one turn. Please, give me the strength I need to beat her. You have my trust.'

Tea drew. The only sound was the wind through the grass.

Slowly, a smile spread across the dancer's face.

"This was the best duel I've ever had, Ami", she said to her opponent, "But it's about to end now."

"You can't stop the unstoppable", Ami warned.

"I'm not going to. I'm going to stop you from assembling him. I play the magic card Forceful Sentry!"

Ami let out a piercing scream. "NOT THAT! NOT THAT!"

"Then you know I get to look at your hand, pick one card, and send it back to your deck." Tea's smile widened as Ami grudgingly showed her hand. "I pick Exodia's right arm."

Ami scowled as she placed her card back in her deck and reshuffled. "I'll get it back soon enough!"

"No, not soon enough" Tea countered. "Because now I summon Fire Princess (1300/1500) in defence mode!"

The red-cloaked spellcaster appeared, bringing another scream from Ami's throat. "If I don't do something this turn, I'm finished!" She looked down at her deck. She needed the last piece of Exodia.

Tea nodded. "I end my turn."

"And Exodia's head comes to my hand." Ami drew the head and shuffled. "Time to draw. Here goes nothing!" She drew.

The moment seemed to stretch into an eternity. Ami stared at the card fixedly for several long seconds. Then she sighed and laid her hand over her deck. The sign for surrender.

"Ami didn't get what she needed. You win."


Tea grinned at her duelling glove. "Ten stars. Enough to enter the castle."

Ami grinned back. "Wait for Ami, kay? I'll get there soon."

"I'll look forward to it." The two girls shook hands. Then Ami turned to Yugi and tackled him to the ground. "And I'll see you too, cubling!" she crooned as she huggled the sweatdropping teenager. Then she glared at Yami. "Hopefully, you won't be there." She snapped.

Tea laughed. "There's one thing I don't get though. How did you know about Yami?"

Ami rolled her eyes. "I may be crazy, but I'm not stupid. Studying Ancient Egypt is one of my hobbies. Ah well. See you later!" And with that, she got off of Yugi and ran off in some random direction.

"There goes one crazy girl" Yami commented. "A heck of a duellist, but one crazy girl."


Magicman: I think that was my best duel yet, if I do say so myself.

Tea: And Exodia is down for the count! And the crowd goes wild!"

Pegasus&Joey: sarcastically Hurray. How wonderful.

Tea: Put some feeling into it!

Magicman: Anyway, until next time my readers!