"All fights start the same: They begin simple, with a few parries and testing of your opponent's strength. But as it moves on, the strikes grow harder, the body weaker and the moves complex. The winner is not the one with the strongest hit. It is the one who can keep up with the growing difficulty of the battle"

-Geno Roads

Upgrade

Kelli watched as Owen returned to the room, and quickly observed how the duelists reacted. While when he had been in there, they had been not approached him, now things were different. Each one stood up and slid down to one end of the room, giving the man all the room that he needed.

The joys of figuring out which Owen you're talking to. Kelli thought as Owen smiled and hugged his sister.

"How did you guys enjoy the room? Did anyone bother you?" He asked, looked over her shoulder.

"NO!"

Owen and Tressa jumped as every duelist shouted this. They all chuckled nervously and moved an inch farther from the Roads. Tressa looked over at the screen, her eyes wide.

"Kelli, it's your turn to duel!"

Kelli looked over and nodded, figuring that if she went now, she would have 2 minutes to breath and calm herself before she needed to enter on time. She turned to Owen and smiled. "You going to watch me duel?"

'I look forward to a show." He said, flashing a grin.

Thank you Dr. Jeckil. Kelli thought as she turned to Tressa. "I'll see you after I get done, and we can make sure you are ready to duel." Tressa bobbed her head, glad for any help she could get, and waved. "Bye guys."

"Break a leg!"

Yugi grinned as he watched Kelli enter the arena. "Well Seto, we saw your son duel, it's time to see how my daughter fairs."

"She should do well enough, if she has your luck." Seto said, looking down at the girl.

"Luck?" Rebecca asked. "What does luck have to do with it. Our daughter is skilled. We personally taught her all about duel monsters. Besides, her father is the first King of Games"

Yugi turned to Joey, knowing what Seto was going to say and trying to avoid it. "So, Heather did really good in the duel yesterday…hey, are those Snickers? Man, I love Snickers, don't you all love Snickers…"

"First King of Games?" Seto asked, leaning back. Yugi sighed and put his head in his hands. "Seems to be your husband is the second…and he didn't get the title fairly either." Seto smiled. "Geno Roads is the King of Games." Yugi repeated the last line with Seto silently.

"Yes yes, the great Geno Roads, who can do no wrong." Rebecca said, annoyed with Seto too much to think. "The man that you always brag about, your "Great teacher." Of course he is the King of Games. I mean, even if he competed in a secret tournament that most don't even talk about while Yugi actually battled everyone and their mother to win."

"Rebecca…" Yugi said quietly.

"I am so tired of you Seto! So what if Geno trained your son? I could care less if your child was trained by that cocky, arrogant, Son-of-a-…"

CLICK

Rebecca turned and looked down the barrel of Guy's golden revolver, letting out a squeak. Guy had his head rolled back, his legs spread, his body slouched as he fingered the trigger. Rebecca knew that click meant the safety was off.

"Guy." Gala said calmly.

"Ya sis?"

Gala looked at her brother carefully, knowing she had to be careful here. Though Guy had improved a lot in the last 20 years, he was still a bit bi-polar, and as such…you had to treat him carefully.

"Could you do me a favor?'

"Just a sec, I have to deal with some…thing."

Gala shook her head. "Now."

Guy nodded and clicked he safety on, grinning. But as he turned, Rebecca flew from her chair and floated above Guy. He turned and looked up at her.

"Rebecca…..don't ever insult my father again." With that, Rebecca flew back to her seat. "And Seto…if you ever make someone feel like insulting my father…you will wish all I do is shoot you."

Seto frowned, and was about to say something, and a fireball flew out of Guy's hand and stopped right between his legs, hovering. It faded and Guy turned back to the duel. "Next time, my wife won't be able to stop it."

Seto looked over to see Raia's eyes glowing white, then fade back to normal. She shrugged and stroked Guy's arm, trying to soothe him. Seto and Rebecca made a note not to pull that lever again.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, the following duel will be between Miss Kelli Moto and Miss. Sarah Moret. Begin."

Kelli looked over as she drew her cards, trying to figure out her duelist. She knew of Sarah, a French teen who was in the top 5 in France. Kelli also knew about Europeans. Each country seemed to get a different style.

North Americans like Geno, Bandit Keith, and of course, her mom, focused on getting rid of the LP with fast cards and making their monsters bigger and badder. As such, they tended to focus on monsters that either cleared a path to the lp, or simply bypassed your defenses.

Those from Asia were more into long combos that got you the win. Like Seto and her father. Both who loved to use a few cards to get out a deadly monster that dominated the field. It might take an extra turn, but when that monster was there, it was rough goings.

The South Americans were very into effects, loving to make decks that were pesky. For them, it was all about driving an opponent mad when their monsters screwed with strategies. There had been known cases of South American championships where no one ever bothered to attack.

And of course, there were those from Africa. The duelists from there were in love with spells and traps. While a monster was great and all, they preferred to focus on the other half of their equation. That made them so deadly, as people were use to monster control.

And then…there were the Europeans. What made them so deadly was that they merely focused on decks that only grew harder as you went. Unless you were prepared, they and their cards could easily overwhelm you.

Kelli looked over her hand as Sarah observed hers. Both were wearing translators, which allowed the other to understand their opponent. Kelli finally smiled and the duel truly began. "I will start by set this monster and these two cards, ending my turn." The three cards flashed on field and Kelli smiled again. The translator technology truly was cool. Instead of a robotic voice, the computer actually duplicated your voice almost flawlessly, allowing for the duel to be more real.

"For my first move, I shall play the Knight of the Cross Roads." On the field, the monster came into view: A French knight, with a tight fitting helmet that covered his head but allowed his face to be seen, as well as the French flag printed on his arm. He wore chain mail and plate armor, but held no weapon. (Attack-1000, Def-1000)

"Next, I will activate Heart of Clear Water. This card will prevent my monster from being destroyed in battle as long as his attack remains at 1200 or less. Finally, I will play Chain Weapon-Base" The knight held out his hand, and a long, thick silver chain appeared in his hands. "This equip will increase his attack by 500."

Kelli frowned. "But that makes your Heart of Clear Water null and void."

Sarah shook her head. "The second effect of Chain Weapon is that its increases do not count in effects based on attacks." Kelli nodded as Sarah looked at her monster. "Now, attack!"

The Knight nodded and ran at Kelli's down face monster, only to strike a shield, flying back. "Reveal Royal Magic Library." Kelli said as Sarah's lp dropped. (Sarah-5500)

Yugi smiled. "Kelli is off to a good start."

"It's only the first turn Yugi, don't wet yourself. There is still a lot of dueling left before your daughter wins."

"So you think she can win?" Yugi said, smiling slightly.

"anything is possible." Seto merely said, before receiving an elbow from Tea. "I mean, she is very skilled….ow."

Kelli drew. "For my next move, I will sacrifice my library in order to summon Chaos Command Magician!" The Royal Library faded as the Command Magician marched onto the field, spinning his bladed wand. "And now, attack Knight of the Cross Road." The spellcaster nodded, and slammed his blade into the knight. It grunted, but stayed on the field. (Sarah-4600)

Sarah, despite dealing with the big monster, didn't even blink. "For my next turn, I will now set this monster." The card appeared. "And now, I will activate my Chain Weapons final effect."

"Final effect?" Kelli asked.

"After a turn goes by, my chain weapon upgrades into a new….deadlier version." Kelli watched as the chain glowed, forming a large black ball at the end. The knight tested it out, smiling. "My Chain Weapon-Base has upgraded to Chain Weapon-Mace. This card increases my monster's attack by 1000." Kelli watched as the attack points slowly climbed up till they reached 2000. "But that isn't all."

Kelli frowned. "there is more?"

Sarah nodded. "The final effect is that I can increase my monsters attack by another 500, but he can't attack next turn and returns to 2000." The knight smiled as he grew to 2500 attack power. "Now…attack!"

Kelli shielded herself as the Chaos mage shattered under the weight of the mace. (Kelli-5900)

"Wow." Mai said, leaning forward. "Hard to believe that Sarah's wimpy little knight could turn into that."

"It didn't." Mokuba said. "its weapon has. You know, I heard stories about those type of cards….a LV series for magic cards…seems like they aren't stories anymore."

Yugi nodded. "Kelli will handle it…she will figure out how to stop them, and then she will blow Sarah out of the water."

Kelli drew, and smiled. "First, I will set this monster. Next, I will set this card and end my turn."

Sarah nodded as she drew. "Now, my mace, while not allowing me to attack this turn, will still transform into it's deadliest form: Chain Weapon-Spiked Mace." The ball shuddered as silver spikes shot out, wicked and thick. "These spicks will break through your monster's defense and destroy it and your lp."

Kelli shook her head. "Don't think so far ahead Sarah…because you won't be making it to your next turn with that weapon. Reveal Dust Tornado!" Sarah felt the wind kick up, and could only watch as the mace flew from he warrior's hand. "I will set this monster, and end my turn."

Sarah smiled. "They tell me you are Yugi Moto's daughter. You have his skills."

"I am also the daughter of Rebecca Hawkins, and I have her brains." Kelli bowed. "The stories of you are true, if I can say so. You are a clever woman."

The teen nodded. "I will now flip summon my down face monster, Pikesman." In front of the Knight of the Cross Road appeared a French pike wielder, holing a long and thin shield in front of him, his spear held out, ready to strike. "this monster must be destroyed before any other monster can be attacked." (Attack-100, Def-1900)

"I will now equip him with this card: Shield Weapon-Base" Kelli frowned as the monster grabbed a wider shield, holding it out. "This card increases his defense by 300."

"And I suppose it has bigger upgrades too."

"Yes, which you will see now. I play Reinforcer, which will allow my shield to upgrade to Shield Weapon-Spike" The shield jutted forward, till it had rows of deadly spikes all along it, forming a wall of needles around the Pikesman. "This card increases my monsters defense by 700, and makes it that if you attack it, you lose a monster automatically"

Seto had to smile. "The girl came prepared. She knows how to recover from a lose, and has many different combos. She will make life hard for your girl Yugi."

"She'll win." Rebecca said, watching her daughter. "She knows how to duel, and will be able to find the weakness in this combo. She did it with the chain, she can do it with the shield."

Kelli drew and smiled softly. "I knew you would come out." She said quietly. "I sacrifice my two defense monsters to summon the Dark Magician!"

Yugi pumped his hand in the air. "That's what I am talking!" He grinned happily. "You can do it Kelli!"

As if she heard him, Kelli nodded to the crowd as the dark robed magic, made famous by her father, appeared from his card, holding his green staff in his hand. "This is my father's monster, who served him well. I searched the world, seeking out my own Dark Magicians, and now have found this one, who serves me. Now…Dark Magician, Dark Magic Attack!" The mage nodded, and fired the energy from his staff, shattering the shield and the Pikesman.

Sarah nodded. "Very well done. You are truly skilled at finding my mistakes."

"They aren't mistakes." Kelli said with a smile. "They are great combos. I am just getting lucky."

Sarah smiled. "For my next turn, I will shift my Knight to defense, and then equip it with Staff Weapon-Base. This card increases my monsters attack by 800." The knight took the staff and bowed. "And with Heart of Clear Water, my monster remains on the field."

Kelli nodded, enjoying the duel. This teen would not roll over, but continues to fight, and Kelli liked that. "Sadly, this weapon will never upgrade. I play fissure!"

The knight's eyes went wide, and it tumbled into a crack in the field, leaving Sarah open. "And now…attack!" Sarah stood tall and took the hit, her hair billowing in the wind. (Sarah-2100)

Sarah drew. "I set this card, and summon Bowmen of the Tower!" (Attack:1000, Def:400) From up on a communications tower, there shimmered a new monster, a French archer. "I also play Arrow Weapon-Base. This card allows him to attack your lp directly!" (Kelli-4900)

Kelli nodded, rubbing her shoulder where the duel disk had shocked her, simulating an arrow hit. "I will now attack with my Dark Magician!"

"I don't think so!" Sarah said. "reveal my trap card, Mirror Force!" Kelli watched in shock as her Dark Magician shattered from the redirection of it's attack, the pieces flying past her. She gritted her teeth and ended her turn. "And now watch as I transform my Arrows from base to concussion!" The arrows shimmered, as a large exploding pack tied to them. "If I attack you, and you have no monsters, the attack of his monster doubles!" Kelli's eyes went wide as the arrow fired, and she toppled back, her lp racing down. (Kelli-2900)

Guy watched Sarah, observing her. "She's good…very good. She has gone from behind…and could win this."

"And if she does, she gets that bonus for coming from behind." Raia said.

"Don't rule my daughter out yet." Yugi said. "Come on Kelli…you can win this…believe in the heart…"

..of the cards Kelli thought. Please help me out… She drew, focused…and smiled. "I have enjoyed this duel…but it ends now. First, I will summon Magical Scientist to the field." The mage appeared, studying Sarah and her monsters carefully. "Next, I will activate my trap card, Cold Hearted. It prevents my lp from changing for this turn, while allowing all effects to still go through Next, I will have my scientist summon 2 Sanwitches."

"Sandwich?" Sarah asked, confused.

Joey ran up tot eh window, his eyes wide as he searched for them. "Where are they?" His stomach growled. "Hope it's turkey! Or Ham! Or maybe a nice tuna fish! Or…"

"Not sandwiches you half wit!" Seto shouted. "Sanwitch, the level 6 Sangan/Witch of the black forest fusion." As he said this, the two green skinned witches appeared, leaning back.

Joey frowned. "those are the ugliest sandwiches I have ever seen."

"And next, I will sacrifice two to summon my ultimate monster…The Sorcerer of Dark Magic!"

Te two monsters faded from view, replaced by the black robed Magician, his staff held out as he emerged from the sorcerer's circle. He glanced at Sarah from under his dark cap, his left hand balled into a fist, his right gripping the staff hard, his eyes cold He spun his weapon and nodded to Kelli, ready to take part in battle to aid her now, at this moment.

Sarah smiled and bowed her head, knowing what was about to come. "Finish it Kelli."

The black robed mage smiled and turned to Kelli. "Yes…end it…Celestial Blast!" The mage leapt, and struck out with his weapon, a ball of magical energy slamming into Sarah's stomach. (Sarah-0)

Kelli smiled, and turned to see her score: 51. It wasn't great…she had wished it would be about 10 points higher, but knew there was still the second round. Also, she wouldn't trade this duel for anything. She walked over as the field faded, and looked up at Sarah. "Good duel." Sarah nodded, and spoke something in French, then shook back, grinning.

They both turned as the crowd stood up, giving them a standing ovation for the hard fought duel.