Legal Disclaimer: This story follows the same rules as "The Preliminaries Begin". Martin and Sharon are mine and can't be used without my permission. Adriana Cosimo, Bianka Felicia, and any physical descriptions associated with them are the properties of sm-candy.
Hell's Fury Tournament
Chapter 2: The Road to the Tournament
The next day, Joey immediately called her sister on his cell phone. When the cordless phone rang at her sister's home, Joey's mom answered it.
"Who is it?" asked Joey's mom.
"Hi, mom, " said Joey. " Is Serenity there?"
"Yes, she's here. Stay on the phone, and I'll get her, " said Joey's mom.
Joey's mom took the cordless phone with her into Serenity's room, where Serenity was writing in her journal.
"Mom, do you mind? I'm writing some personal stuff in here, " said Serenity.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt you, but Joey is on the phone, " said Joey's mom.
"Great, give me the phone, " said Serenity as her mom handed the phone to her.
"Hey, big brother. What's up?" asked Serenity.
"Hey, sis. Have you heard about the Hell's Fury tournament?" asked Joey.
"Of course. It sounds like a great opportunity, " said Serenity.
"Are you planning to enter it?" asked Joey.
"I've already entered it, " said Serenity.
"You did? That's great, " said Joey. "How do it go?"
"Let's me start at the beginning, " said Serenity.
FLASHBACK
Earlier that day, Serenity's mom had dropped Serenity off at the Shinjuku Stadium.
"Are you sure that you are ready for this?" asked Joey's mom.
"Relax, mom. I'll be fine, " said Serenity.
"Ok. Good luck. Bye," said Joey's mom.
"Bye, " said Serenity as her mom drove off, and she got at the end of a line.
After an hour waiting in line, Serenity found herself facing a desk where a man with brown hair and green eyes named Martin, who was typing names into a computer.
"Hello there. Can I help you?" asked Martin.
"Yes, I would like to register for the Hell's Fury tournament, " said Serenity.
"That will be no problem. What's your name, miss?" asked Martin.
"Serenity Wheeler, " said Serenity Wheeler.
"Wheeler, as in Joey Wheeler?" asked Martin as he typed Serenity's name into the computer.
"Yea, I'm his little sister, " said Serenity.
"Yugi's friend and Joey's sister will definitely make this tournament interesting, " said Martin.
"Wait a minute. Do you mean that Tea is in the tournament as well?" asked Serenity.
"Correct. She registered yesterday, " said Martin.
Within minutes, a printout was produced.
"Ok, Ms. Wheeler, here is your duel disk, " said Martin as he gave a Duel Disk similar in design to Yugi's. "Your dueling judge is in room 304 on the third floor. You may proceed."
"Thanks a lot, " said Serenity as she left.
Serenity headed toward the elevator and took it to the third floor. Then, she walked down the hall searching for room 304. When she arrived there, Serenity saw a woman with green hair and blue eyes, who was wearing a Duel Disk.
"Are you my judge?" asked Serenity.
"That's correct. My name is Sharon, " said Sharon as they shook hands.
"Nice to meet you, " said Serenity.
"Same here. Therefore, choose my deck, " said Sharon.
Sharon immediately turned around and presented Serenity five decks. Serenity looked over them carefully and made her choice.
"I choose the second deck from the left, " said Serenity as she slipped her Duel Disk on her arm.
Sharon quickly picked up the deck. Serenity took her deck out of her pocket. The two walked up to each other, exchanged, shuffled, and cut their decks. They quickly gave them back to each other and placed them into their Duel Disks.
"Are you ready, Ms. Wheeler?" asked Sharon
"Let's go!" exclaimed Serenity.
"Let's duel!" they both exclaimed.
Their Duel Disks activated and moved into position.
Sharon: 8,000
Serenity: 8,000
Both of them drew five cards.
"I'll go first, " said Sharon as he drew a sixth card. "I'll set a monster in defense mode and place one card facedown, ending my turn."
Sharon placed one card facedown and sideways on top of her Duel Disk. A facedown card positioned sideways appeared on Sharon's side of the field. Another facedown card then appeared behind the set monster.
"My move, " said Serenity as she drew a sixth card. "I summon Witch of the Black Forest in attack mode."
Serenity placed Witch of the Black Forest on top of her Duel Disk. A grape-haired woman with a green eye in the middle of her forehead, who was wearing a black gown with a white stripe around the collar and a jewel in the middle, appeared on Serenity's side of the field. (1,100/1,200)
"Witch of the Black Forest, attack her set monster with Midnight Strike!" exclaimed Serenity.
Witch of the Black Forest created and threw a black energy sphere at the set monster. Sharon quickly flipped her set card upright on top of her Duel Disk. A silver jar with a blue lid with a green jewel on it and yellow and white stripes around the rim appeared on Sharon's side of the field, immediately sucked up Witch of the Black Forest into itself, and self-destructed. (900/900) Sharon moved Cyber Jar from the top of her Duel Disk to her Graveyard. Serenity also moved Witch of the Black Forest from the top of her Duel Disk to her Graveyard.
"Sorry, you attacked Cyber Jar, " said Sharon. "First, it destroys all monsters on the field including itself. Second, we pick up five cards from our decks that we show to each other. Finally, we can summon any monster, whose level is at most four, in either face-up attack mode or facedown defense mode."
"I summon both Armed Dragon Level 3 and Mystic Swordsman Level 4 in attack mode, " said Sharon as she placed both cards upright on top of her Duel Disk.
First, an orange and tan dragon with spikes on its head, shoulders, arms, and chest appeared on Sharon's side of the field. (1,200/900) Then, a man, who was wearing a purple and white outfit and was wielding two white energy swords, appeared next to Armed Dragon Level 3. (1,900/1,600)
"I set one monster in defense mode and summon Beautiful Headhuntress in attack mode, " said Serenity as she placed one card upright and another card facedown and sideways on top of her Duel Disk.
First, a violet-haired woman, who was wearing a blue robe and red ribbons tied in her hair and around her waist and was wielding a glaive, appeared on Serenity's side of the field. (1,600/800) Then, a facedown card positioned sideways appeared next to Beautiful Headhuntress.
"Beautiful Headhuntress, attack Armed Dragon Level 3 with Guillotine Swipe!" exclaimed Serenity.
"Nice try. I activate my facedown card, Negate Attack, which cancels your attack instantly, " said Sharon as a facedown card flipped up.
Beautiful Headhuntress used her glaive to slice Armed Dragon Level 3 in half; however, a force field appeared in front of Armed Dragon Level 3 and stopped the attack.
"Since you destroyed my Witch of the Black Forest, I can search my deck for a monster with a defensive strength of at most 1,500 points, " said Serenity as she pulled her deck out of her Duel Disk.
Serenity searched through her deck, found and showed The Agent of Creation - Venus to Sharon, and shuffled and returned her deck to the Duel Disk.
"I place two cards facedown and end my turn, " said Serenity as two facedown cards appeared behind Beautiful Headhuntress.
"My move, " said Sharon as she drew a card. "I sacrifice Level 3 Armed Dragon Level 3 to summon Armed Dragon Level 5 from my deck."
Once Sharon moved Armed Dragon Level 3 from the top of her Duel Disk to her Graveyard, it vanished from her side of the field. Next, she placed Armed Dragon Level 5 on top of her Duel Disk. A brown and red dragon with more spikes covering its head, shoulders, arms, and chest and a drill-like tail appeared next to Mystic Swordsman Level 4. (2,400/1,700)
"Now, Mystic Swordsman Level 4, attack her set monster with Lightstorm Slash!" exclaimed Sharon.
Mystic Swordsman Level 4 used both of his swords to attack the set monster. Serenity quickly flipped her set card upright on top of her Duel Disk. A woman, who was wearing a black robe and a green and brown hood, appeared on Serenity's side of the field and instantly shattered into pixels. (850/2,000) Serenity moved The Forgiving Maiden from the top of her Duel Disk to her Graveyard.
Sharon: 7,900
Serenity: 8,000
"What happened? The Forgiving Maiden shouldn't have been destroyed since her defensive strength was higher than your monster's attack strength, " said Serenity.
"True, but my monster has a special ability. When it attacks a set monster, that monster is instantly destroyed, regardless of flip effects and any damage calculation, " said Sharon.
"Now, I understand, " said Serenity.
"Next, I activate the special ability of Armed Dragon Level 5. By discarding one monster, I can destroy one face-up monster on your side of the field with an attack at most the attack of the discarded monster, " said Sharon.
Sharon discarded Silent Swordsman Level 5 to the Graveyard.
"Armed Dragon Level 5, destroy Beautiful Headhuntress with Shrapnel Blast! " exclaimed Sharon.
Armed Dragon Level 5 fired its spikes at Beautiful Headhuntress, shattering her into pixels. Serenity moved Beautiful Headhuntress from the top of her Duel Disk to her Graveyard.
"Now, Armed Dragon Level 5, attack her Life Points directly with Infernal Roar!" exclaimed Sharon.
"Not so fast. I activate my trap, Ring of Destruction, to destroy your Armed Dragon Level 5 and inflict damage to both our Life Points equal to the destroyed monster's attack, " said Serenity as a facedown card flipped up.
Just as Armed Dragon Level 5 began its attack, a ring of fire suddenly appeared around Armed Dragon Level 5's neck, causing it to self-destruct. Sharon moved Armed Dragon Level 5 from the top of her Duel Disk to her Graveyard.
Sharon: 5,500
Serenity: 5,600
"Nice move. I place one card facedown and end my turn, " said Sharon as a facedown card appeared behind Mystic Swordsman Level 4.
"My move, " said Serenity as she drew a card. "I play Pot of Greed."
Serenity drew two cards from her deck.
"I now summon The Agent of Creation - Venus in attack mode and equip her with Cestus of Dagla, increasing the attack strengths of Fairy-type monsters only by 500 points, " said Serenity.
Serenity placed The Agent of Creation - Venus on top of her Duel Disk. A blond woman with wings, who was wearing lime green armbands, a lime green choker, and a white and lime green dress, and was wielding a pair of curved blades, appeared on Serenity's side of the field with its attack strength changed. (2,100/0)
"Finally, I play the Field Magic card, The Sanctuary in the Sky, which reduces all battle damage done to a Fairy-type monster to zero, " said Serenity as she pressed a button on her Duel Disk.
A slot opened up on the right edge of the Duel Disk. Serenity placed a card onto it, which immediately closed up. Suddenly, an ancient, white, and Italian palace set in white clouds appeared on the entire length of the field.
"The Agent of Creation - Venus, attack Mystic Swordsman Level 4 with Seraphim Slash!" exclaimed Serenity.
The Agent of Creation - Venus came flying at Mystic Swordsman Level 4 and used her blades to cut Mystic Swordsman Level 4 in half, shattering him into pixels. Sharon moved Mystic Swordsman Level 4 from the top of her Duel Disk to her Graveyard.
Sharon: 5,400
Serenity: 5,800
"Cestus of Dagla has a second ability, allowing me to increase my Life Points by the same amount of battle damage inflicted by the equipped monster during my Battle Phase, " said Serenity. "I end my turn."
"My draw, " said Sharon as she drew a card. "I play Monster Reborn to bring back Armed Dragon Level 5 from the Graveyard. "
Sharon moved Armed Dragon Level 5 from her Graveyard to the top of her Duel Disk. Armed Dragon Level 5 reappeared on Sharon's side of the field. (2,400/1,700)
"Now, I play Level Up!, allowing me to special summon Armed Dragon Level 7 to my side of the field by sacrificing my Armed Dragon Level 5 and ignoring the summoning conditions, " said Sharon.
Once Sharon moved Armed Dragon Level 5 from the top of her Duel Disk to her Graveyard, it vanished from her side of the field. Next, she placed Armed Dragon Level 7 on top of her Duel Disk. A red and black dragon with silver armor covering its head and wings and long spikes covering its chest, legs, and tail appeared on Sharon's side of the field. (2,800/1,000)
"Now, Armed Dragon Level 7, attack The Agent of Creation - Venus with Dragon Talon Terror!" exclaimed Sharon.
Armed Dragon Level 7 used its claws to slice through The Agent of Creation - Venus, shattering her into pixels. Serenity moved The Agent of Creation - Venus from the top of her Duel Disk to her Graveyard.
Sharon: 5,300
Serenity: 5,100
"I place one card facedown and end my turn, " said Sharon as a facedown card appeared behind Armed Dragon Level 7.
"My move, " said Serenity as she drew a card. "I play Graceful Charity."
Serenity drew three cards from my deck and discarded two cards from my hand.
"Next, I play Polymerization, combining The Forgiving Maiden and Goddess with the Third Eye in my hand to summon St. Joan, " said Serenity as she discarded all three cards into the Graveyard and moved a card from her Fusion Deck to the top of her Duel Disk.
A redheaded woman, who was wearing a silver breastplate with gold trim, long black pants, and black shoes and was wielding a long sword, appeared on Serenity's side of the field. (2,800/2,000)
"Are you sure you want to play that card?" asked Sharon. "Both of our monsters are equal in attack strength. If you declare an attack, both monsters will be destroyed."
"True, but not if I play the magic card, Shield & Sword, " said Serenity, "It switches the attack and defensive strengths of each monster on the field."
Armed Dragon Level 7's stats were switched. (1,000/2,800) St. Joan's stats were also switched. (2,000/2,800)
"Now, St. Joan, attack Armed Dragon Level 7 with Sacred Blade Strike!" exclaimed Serenity.
St. Joan suddenly grew wings, flew toward Armed Dragon Level 7, and used her sword to slice through it, shattering it into pixels. Sharon moved Armed Dragon Level 7 from the top of her Duel Disk to her Graveyard.
Sharon: 4,300
Serenity: 5,100
"I place one card facedown to end my turn, " said Serenity as a facedown card appeared behind St. Joan.
St. Joan's stats returned to normal. (2800/2000)
"My move, " said Sharon as she drew a card. "I set one monster in defense mode and place one card facedown."
Sharon placed one card facedown and sideways on top of her Duel Disk. A facedown card positioned sideways appeared on Sharon's side of the field. Another facedown card appeared behind the set monster.
"That's all for now, " said Sharon.
"My move, " said Serenity as she drew a card. "I now play The Warrior Returning Alive."
Serenity quickly grabbed a Warrior-type monster from her Graveyard.
"I now summon that monster, Kanan the Swordmistress, in attack mode, " said Serenity as she placed it on top of her Duel Disk.
A woman with brown hair, who was wearing green armor covering her chest, arms, and legs and was wielding a sword and a blue and light blue shield, appeared on Sharon's side of the field. (1,400/1,400)
"Kanan the Swordmistress, attack his set monster with Rapid Sword Strike!" exclaimed Serenity.
Kanan the Swordmistress used her sword to slice the set monster. Serenity quickly flipped her set card upright on top of her Duel Disk. Magician of Faith appeared on Serenity's side of the field and instantly shattered into pixels. (300/400) Serenity moved Magician of Faith from the top of her Duel Disk to her Graveyard.
"You've attacked my Magician of Faith, allowing me to retrieve my Level Up! from my Graveyard, " said Sharon as she immediately grabbed it from her Graveyard, showed it to Serenity, and placed it into her hand.
"St. Joan, attack her Life Points directly with Sacred Blade Strike!" exclaimed Serenity.
St. Joan used her attack to hit Sharon, causing her to twitch.
Sharon: 1,500
Serenity: 5,100
"I end my turn, " said Serenity.
"My move, " said Sharon as she drew a card. "I first play Level Modulation. It allows you to draw two cards while allowing me to summon any Level monster in the Graveyard. Unfortunately, the monster can't attack or activate its special ability."
Serenity drew two cards.
"Now, I summon Mystic Swordsman Level 4, because of Level Modulation, " said Sharon.
Sharon moved Mystic Swordsman Level 4 from her Graveyard to the top of her Duel Disk. Mystic Swordsman Level 4 reappeared on Sharon's side of the field. (1,900/1,600)
"Thanks for the two cards, Sharon, " said Serenity.
"Next, I play Tribute to the Doomed, allowing me to destroy St. Joan by discarding a card to the Graveyard, " said Sharon.
Sharon discarded The Graveyard in the Fourth Dimension to her Graveyard. Suddenly, bandages appeared and wrapped St. Joan up. A mummified hand appeared from underneath Serenity's side of the field and dragged St. Joan into the Graveyard. Serenity moved St. Joan from the top of her Duel Disk to her Graveyard.
"At least you can't attack me, " said Serenity.
"Think again. I play Level Up! to special summon Mystic Swordsman Level 6 in attack mode, " said Sharon.
Once Sharon moved Mystic Swordsman Level 4 from the top of her Duel Disk to her Graveyard, it vanished from her side of the field. Next, she placed Mystic Swordsman Level 6 on top of her Duel Disk. A man, who was wearing a purple and white outfit and was wielding two dark energy swords, appeared on Sharon's side of the field. (2,300/1,700)
"Mystic Swordsman Level 6, attack Kanan the Swordmistress with Shadow Blade Strike!" exclaimed Sharon.
Mystic Swordsman Level 6 used his swords to cut Kanan the Swordmistress, shattering her into pixels. Serenity moved Kanan the Swordmistress from the top of her Duel Disk to her Graveyard.
Sharon: 1,500
Serenity: 4,200
"I place one card facedown and end my turn, " said Sharon as a facedown card appeared behind Mystic Swordsman Level 6.
"My move, " said Serenity as she drew a card. "I play Re-Fusion to bring back my St. Joan at a cost of 800 Life Points."
Sharon: 1,500
Serenity: 3,400
Serenity moved St. Joan from her Graveyard to the top of her Duel Disk. St. Joan reappeared on Serenity's side of the field. (2,800/2,000)
"St. Joan, attack Mystic Swordsman Level 6 with Sacred Blade Strike!" exclaimed Serenity.
"Time for a blast from the past. I activate one of my facedown cards, Ring of Destruction, to destroy your St. Joan again, " said Sharon as a facedown card flipped up.
"Are you about that? That card would hurt you more than it would me, " said Serenity.
"I don't think so. I now activate my other facedown card, Barrel behind the Door, " said Sharon as another facedown card flipped up.
"I've never heard of it. What's its function?" asked Serenity.
"Any damage except for Battle Damage is inflicted on my opponent's Life Points rather than mine. In other words, you are about to receive over 5,000 points of Direct Damage, " said Sharon.
A ring of fire suddenly appeared around St. Joan's neck, causing St. Joan to self-destruct and Serenity to fall to her knees.
Sharon: 1,500
Serenity: 0000
The monsters and the field instantly vanished. Every card remaining on the Duel Disks were removed and placed back into both Sharon's and Serenity's decks.
"It was a close duel. You played with spirit, " said Sharon as she shook Serenity's hand.
"I agree. I just hope that I inflicted enough damage to get one of those wildcard spots, " said Serenity.
"Before you leave, take these cards, " said Sharon as she handed a red and blue card to Serenity.
"I don't understand. Why do I need them?" asked Serenity.
"They represent our deal. Keep up with them until we announce the quarterfinalists on television, " said Sharon.
"Thank you very much, " said Serenity.
"Good luck in the tournament, " said Sharon as Serenity left the room.
END FLASHBACK
"6,500? I'm definitely impressed, " said Joey.
"Thanks. I've learned from the best, both Yugi and you Joey, " said Serenity.
"Thanks, sis. Don't worry about the wildcard spots. The qualifying rounds are just beginning, " said Joey.
"Ok. Bye, " said Serenity.
"See you soon, " said Joey.
The duels continued all over the world until it was two days before the tournament began. Serenity had arrived at the Game Shop to await the quarterfinal announcements with Joey, Yugi, Tea, Tristan, and Yugi's grandfather.
"I'm getting nervous. When are they going to announce the quarterfinalists?" asked Tea.
"Don't panic. We find out soon enough, " said Yugi.
"Do you think I still have a chance, Joey?" asked Serenity.
"Of course. Don't forget. You're a Wheeler. We never give up no matter what, " said Joey.
Suddenly, a special broadcast interrupted them. Pegasus himself appeared on the screen.
"Greetings, duelists. I'm Maximillion Pegasus, and I'm here to announce the quarterfinalists for the Hell's Fury tournaments. Let's begin. Representing Africa, we have Natalie Granger and Ishizu Ishtar, " said Pegasus.
"Ishizu is in this tournament. This tournament will be real challenging, " said Tea.
"You're right. She nearly brought Kaiba to his knees, " said Tristan.
"Representing Asia, we have Tea Gardner and Vivian Wong, " said Pegasus.
"I can't believe that I made it, " said Tea.
"Congratulations, Tea, " said Yugi.
"Vivian wants a shot at the title to compensate for losing to Rebecca in the first round of the Grand Championship, " said Joey.
"I still have the four wildcard spots, right?" asked Serenity.
"You're right, Serenity. Don't give up hope, " said Joey.
"Representing Australia, we have Vanessa Lymon and Betty Parker. Representing Europe, we have Courtney Fletcher and Mai Valentine, " said Pegasus.
"I knew Mai would get involve in this tournament, one way or another, " said Joey.
"Representing North America, we have Rebecca Hawkins and Christine Simmons, " said Pegasus.
"Christine Simmons, the former Olympic champion, is a duelist? I didn't know that, " said Serenity.
"It also looks like Rebecca wants a shot at becoming 'Queen of Games' so she can get closer to Yugi, " said Tea.
"Right, " said Yugi nervously.
"Representing South America, we have Rachel Sawyer and Melody Chambers, " said Pegasus.
"Melody Chambers? I remember her. She used to go to our high school, but she moved away before Yugi defeated Kaiba for the first time, " said Tea.
"I had the biggest crush on her, but she liked Bakura more, " said Tristan.
"Finally, the wildcard spots will be held by Jessica Williams from Australia, Adriana Cosimo from Europe, Serenity Wheeler from Asia, and Bianka Felicia from Europe, " said Pegasus.
"I did it, big brother. I'm in the tournament, " said Serenity.
"Congratulations, sis. You're on your way to the top, " said Joey.
"Congratulations to all qualifiers. Before I leave, I have a few more things to add. First, please remember to bring the special cards you received at the end of your qualifying duel to Domino Airport in order to board a special plane that will take us to Duelist Kingdom. Finally, you are only allowed to bring two guests with you, " said Pegasus. "Thanks for your attention."
Then, the telecast concluded.
"We are going to Duelist Kingdom again. That makes perfect sense, " said Joey.
"We all need to get prepared because tomorrow our journey begins, " said Yugi.