Author's Notes; I apologize for messing up a few minor names and such in the last chapter, as one of my reviewers pointed out. Still, I am glad you guys and gals are enjoying the story thus far. I'm still having trouble completing decks even with Minaly's help, but I'll do the best I can with what I know. These first few duels aren't going to be much of a challenge, but there's one I'd pay attention to. You'll see why soon enough, either in this part or the next. D Adios!

As a quick side note, I have seen bits and pieces of Arena, but none of the Ultimate Suplex version of Persona Arena. So again, if I can, I'll try to add what I do know. Anyway, on with the duels!

The two days he had to prepare came and went entirely too fast, but Yu was fairly confident that he could manage to win at least a couple duels if nothing else. Dressing in his best black jacket and gray undershirt, along with a pair of black jean pants, Yu looked at the new dueling belt that Rise had bought for him just yesterday. It had multiple pouches for multiple decks, but he only had the one. Even so, the similarly black leather belt was a nice addition to his outfit, and he cinched it tight, admiring the buckle she had added to it.

It was made from silver, and a single zero resided in the center of the buckle, as if it were an eye about to open wide. The buckle itself was polished until it shined, but the metal was a dull gray. Gray, like the number zero, empty, but holding limitless potential. The thought made Yu smile as he pulled his cellphone out of his pocket and checked the time. He had an hour yet, but he wasn't about to be late for his first duelling tournament.

"Ready Big Bro?!" Nanako asked, excitement practically radiating off of her as she hopped from foot to foot, turning away from the bacon and eggs she had been preparing when she heard him come downstairs.

"Yeah, about as ready as I'll ever be I think. What about you, are you planning to sit with the rest of the guys?" Yu asked as he grabbed a plate from above the sink, just as Nanako moved away from the small stove, the pan she had been using held aloft with one mitten covered hand until she put it on the table.

"Nope, I want to enter!" Yu was surprised by that as he stopped in mid step, amazed by Nanako's willingness to attend an event that would no doubt be aired on television, as well as gather a large crowd in the arena itself. He'd have thought she'd be frightened by the mere idea of being in front of thousands of people, but it seemed he was wrong. "You're going to be there, and where you go, I want to go too! Besides, I've gotten a lot better thanks to Rise's lessons. I might even make it to the finals!"

"You know what Nanako, I honestly hope you do." Yu said, his gray eyes full of pride for his little cousin. If they had to duel each other, then he'd cross that bridge when and if they came to it, but for now, he was content to relax until it was time to go. Besides, Igor didn't say how he was supposed to stop whatever was coming, he only said that he had to do it. If that meant losing to Nanako, he could think of worse ways to draw the enemy's attention. Not that he'd throw the match for her sake, but the thought had still crossed his mind. However, with that thought in mind, he dug out his phone, took his plate of bacon and eggs, and went up to his room. "I'll be right down Nanako, I just forgot to check something."

"Oh, alright. Oh, does your bike have gas in it? We have a spare tank in the garage." Nanako explained as she sat down to eat her own breakfast.

"I think so, but if you can, top her off for me Nanako." Yu said, and even with his thoughts elsewhere, he couldn't help but smile at her excited cheer. He had promised to take her on his motorcycle yesterday night, and with the tournament today, it was all she could do to hold still. With the new dueling arena that had been constructed on the edge of town, they'd just make it on time if they left within the next half hour.

Once he was in his room, Yu put his plate down on the table and sat down on his couch before opening up his speed dial menu on his phone. While he trusted his friends to step in if anything strange happened, he wasn't about to leave anything to chance. Besides, after fighting them in that messed up tournament ran by 'General Teddie' and the shadowy entity that had been behind it all, Yu was confident they were up for the task. Hitting the key on his phone, Yu took a bite of his food while he waited for the person on the other end to pick up.

When she did, Yu breathed a little easier. "I had a feeling you'd call Mr. Narukami." Mitsuru Kirijo said after picking up on the second ring. "What do you need?"

"What gave you the idea that I called to get a favor from you?" Yu asked, knowing that was a mistake when he heard an amused sound from the leader of S.E.E.S. Considering she and her own team had cleaned house in the Arena, until they had came up against him and a few of his own friends, he should have known better than to try and play dumb with her.

She proved that with the next words she uttered without a moment of thought. It also became painfully obvious that she had been paying attention to current events. Not only that, but it became clear that she had also been keeping tabs on him. "You're about to enter a Duel Monsters tournament, when previously you had no interest in the game whatsoever. Rise Kujikawa is working as an announcer, and if I know anything about your familial relationships, your cousin has no doubt also displayed an interest in following you into this recent endeavor. The only reason you'd call is to have additional backup should something come up." Leader of S.E.E.S and of the Kirijo Group, one, Yu Narukami, zero. He could only sigh when he realized the depth of his mistake in trying to act natural with her.

Instead, Yu changed tactics, hoping to placate the woman that could change his mind about allowing Nanako anywhere near a dueling arena for the foreseeable future. "I had hoped to talk to you outside of anything life threatening, but that seems to have changed. You're right, Nanako has displayed an interest in joining the regionals here in Inaba. I trust my friends to do what they can to protect her and the crowd, but if something comes up, I'd rather have all of my bases covered. Since your reveal during the 'tournament' last year, and our involvement with freeing Labrys, and stopping the source of all of the recent trouble, I had hoped you'd be willing to send whoever you could to watch out for anything unusual."

"I had already planned on it Yu." Mitsuru stated, surprising Yu as she freely admitted her plans to get involved. "We have our own way of detecting an increase in Shadow activity that doesn't involve an old man and his assistant, among other things. There's been a large number of Shadows appearing in a new Dark Hour, however, with our current forces, we've been able to keep cases of Apathy Syndrome down to virtually non existent levels. However, the enemy has been steadily growing in strength, which leads us to believe something else is coming, and the closer to the tournament it becomes."

"The more powerful the Shadows become. So there is a connection." Yu sighed heavily as he rubbed at his temples with his free hand. "All the more reason to stop Nanako from getting involved."

"That's where you're wrong." Mitsuru stated firmly, stopping Yu in his tracks as he started to get up from the couch. "She has already gotten involved when Namatame kidnapped her two years ago. I know how deeply you care for her Yu, but she must be allowed a chance to come to terms with it all in her own way. I know that while she wasn't touched during our fight in the Arena, she is far from dumb. Ask her, and I imagine she'll surprise you about how much she truly knows. Besides, you assume I was talking about THIS tournament, when in reality, I was referring to the Duelist Kingdom tournament. Also, you neglected to ask when these events started to unfold."

"Alright, I'll bite, when did all this begin?" Yu asked after he had gotten his head around the fact he had misjudged once again in as many minutes. He was usually smarter than that.

"Mere days after a young boy beat the reigning champion, Seto Kaiba." Mitsuru replied in her usual no nonsense tone.

"Wait, you're talking about Yugi Moto aren't you?!" Yu shouted into his phone, having heard Yugi's name mentioned quite a bit since he himself had signed up for the Inaba Regionals. What respectable Duel Monsters duelist hadn't heard Yugi's name? He was a celebrity after only one duel, and it hadn't even been an official one. Even so, Yu found it suspicious that such a young kid could be involved with Shadows and the Dark Hour, or in his case, the Midnight Channel.

"Yes. Yugi Moto has been the sole reason for Naoto Shirogane's current investigation, hired by me if you're curious. If you wish to know what she has found, I imagine she'll share her findings with you and your group. So far however, we've yet to discover a link between Yugi and the increase in Shadow activity. Until we know more, I would be careful if you encounter Yugi Moto at a later date."

"Right." Yu replied, nodding his head for emphasis even though Mitsuru couldn't see the action.

"I'll be rooting for you in the regionals, Mr. Narukami. Expect your requested backup in the audience at the very least."

"Thank you for the support. When I can, I'll be sure to repay the favor." Yu promised, his tone leaving no question as to the validity of his statement.

"I would expect nothing less from you, holder of the Wild Card." With that, Ms. Kirijo hung up, leaving Yu to hang up his cellphone and put it back in his pants pocket. She had given him a lot to think about, needless to say, and while he was still worried about letting Nanako play in the tournament, Yu also knew that if he had tried to stop her, she most likely would have found her own way there.

On that particular note, he still hadn't eaten, but after talking to Mitsuru, he found he couldn't look at his food without wanting to toss it into the nearest garbage can. Not because it had grown cold, but because his stomach had decided to twist itself into knots. "Ryo's going to kill me if I let her get into this….but Mitsuru's right." With a heavy sigh, Yu picked up his plate and emptied its contents into his waste bin before carrying his empty plate back downstairs. Just because Nanako was wanting to stick her neck into the noose didn't mean he had to let her walk into this blind, and remembering Mitsuru's words, he made it a point to ask her as soon as he was downstairs.

He never got the chance as Nanako greeted him at the door, her helmet already secured and strapped onto her head. "Come on Big Bro, we're gonna be late!" Before he could open his mouth, his little sister was dragging him outside and down the front steps, where his bike waited in the front driveway. "Daddy said he'll met us there, he had to do something at the police station real quick first though. Come on come on!"

"Okay okay, just don't yank my arm off Nanako." Yu managed a small chuckle as he pulled his own helmet off of the handlebars of his bike and put it on his head before hopping on. Once Nanako was securely in place behind him, her hands wrapped around his waist, only then did he take off.

Yosuke and the rest of the team met them on the way there, their own bikes following close behind his own once he passed by the Junes parking lot. "Hey, there ya are Sensei!" Teddie shouted, throwing his arms into the air in obvious excitement, which almost caused Yosuke to crash as the overjoyed Shadow knocked off his already precarious balance. "This is so exciting! Monsters, battling, spells, traps, passion, excitement! It's almost too much for one bear to handle alone!"

"Watch it bear! Are you trying to kill us?!" Yosuke growled as he righted himself at the last possible moment, swerving away from Kanji and Naoto's respective bikes in the process. "Still, gotta admit, this is pretty intense Narukami! The band's been back together for only a few days, and we're already on the prowl! Booyah! And hey Nana-chan, good luck in the tournament today. Hope you brought your best game!"

"I planned on it!" Nanako shouted back in equal excitement, her eyes as big as they were likely to get as Yu looked over his shoulder at her. Despite his misgivings, he couldn't deny her this.

Before he could open his mouth to try and tell her what she might be walking into though, Kanji interrupted him. "Don't worry Senpai, we'll keep her and the crowd covered! And before ya ask, it's all over your face dude."

"Indeed. And I imagine you called Mitsuru Kirijo as well, thus you know of my involvement." Naoto added in, and Yu nodded. "I had assumed as much. I would have done the same if our roles were reversed." She made it a point to look at Nanako, who looked between her and her Big Brother in confusion. "We'll tell you when we get there Nanako-chan."

"Are you talking about that bad place again?" Nanako asked, stunning them all as she looked at Yu's back.

"How do you-"

"I remember...I remember more than you know, and it's not like you kept it a secret Big Brother. You were just talking about it the other day." Nanako replied, stopping Yu in his tracks with ease. "You forgot I was even there, and while I didn't mind since I was with everyone, I still listened to what was said."

"Oh boy. This just got awkward." Chie managed to get out, while Yukiko could only nod dumbly in response.

"No, it's okay, because you just wanted to keep me safe, but you don't have to keep me in the dark either. You got daddy to tell me what happened to mommy, and why he put all of her pictures away. I'm a big girl now, I don't need you to lie to me anymore." Nanako finished with a determined nod of her head, leaving Yu tongue tied for several seconds.

"It would seem we underestimated you again Nanako-chan." Yukiko finally said, breaking the silence that was only interrupted by the hum of their respective motorbikes. "What do you think Yu?"

"I think you're right Yukiko. Alright, from now on, we'll keep you in the loop Nanako, I promise." Yu's voice left no room for argument, and the others agreed as one.

CRASH!

I am thou, thou art I! Thou hast strengthened thy old bonds, and hast forged a new one.

The Heart of the Cards has been awoken!

Heart of the Cards? It was a phrase he had heard once or twice, but Yu didn't understand it. What he did understand was that at some point, either before she had recovered from her abduction or some time before that, Nanako had become a part of the group. It just hadn't been acknowledged until now. That explained why they had talked about the Midnight Channel around her without even thinking about it at the time. Besides that, Mitsuru was more right than she knew, and Yu was glad to see his friends agreed with his promise to keep Nanako up to speed. It was only right, after everything she had endured.

Meanwhile….

"Hey Joey! The tournament's starting!" Yugi shouted over his shoulder, excitement etched on his face as he situated himself between his two best friends, Tea and Tristan. His grandpa was in the kitchen, humming merrily to himself, but that was a distant concern at that moment.

Joey was on the couch in a flash, squeezing in between his best buddy Yugi and Tristan. "Alright, made it just in time! So, who's up Yugi?"

"I don't know, they're just getting to the starting ceremony. The roster hasn't been revealed yet, but from what they showed of the crowd, it looks like it's going to be a good line up. There was one gray haired kid that stood out though." Yugi said as he put a hand under his chin in thought, anxious to see who would be dueling. Not because he had any intention of learning their strategies for future reference, although it was always exciting to see new people come up with new and exciting ways to use their respective decks, but because you could learn quite a bit about people from the way they dueled and treated each other during the matches. And since this was the first official tournament held in a small town called Inaba, Yugi had a feeling that the day's duels would be especially interesting. How he knew that, he couldn't honestly say, but his heart said as much, and it hadn't steered him wrong yet.

Back in the Inaba Stadium.

Rise was in her element as she took up her spot in the announcer's booth that overlooked the stadium, and the dueling arena that was in the center of the building. Her excitement was just as palpable to Yu, who stood amidst a long line of duelists like himself, with Nanako on his left side. Rise herself was dressed to impress in a black strapless dress that was two parts modest and one part sexy, and everyone's eye was on her as she waved to the crowd in her unique fashion, eliciting a roar of approval from everyone, himself included. Grabbing the mic off of its stand with a flourish, Rise stood up in the booth and struck a pose before she started speaking, her hair flying wildly with the sudden movement. "Alright duel fans, it's time to get your game on! Please allow me, your hostess, Rise Kujikawa, to introduce the people you've all been waiting for, the duelists!" Another loud roar greeted the pop idol's words, and Yu only smiled up at her, and to his surprise, she returned the gesture with a wink thrown in his direction.

"You and her are a couple huh?" The man on his left said, drawing Yu's attention towards him. He couldn't have been younger than thirty years old at least, and Yu saw that he had a white rose sticking out of his green and brown suit and matching tie. Despite the odd choice of clothes, Yu had a bad feeling about the man standing next to him, and Nanako seemed to sense it as well as she took a hesitant step behind him. "I wonder if she'll feel the same way after I turn you into fertilizer."

"Save your threats for the match." Yu calmly countered, crossing his arms in mild annoyance as he met the man's green eyes with his gray, neither of them willing to back down. It wasn't until his name was called that Yu broke eye contact.

The man next to him bowed when his name was added to the roster and announced by Rise about the same time. Sam Tywell it turned out had at least one tournament win under his belt. He'd be a man to watch out for. Deck profiles weren't displayed, just in case someone got it into their head to cheat by stacking their deck between matches.

"Our first duel of the day is between Yu Narukami and a local favorite, Shu Nakajima! Let the dueling commence!" Rise had to shout just to be heard over the roar of the crowd as Yu stepped up onto the waiting red platform while his former student, Shu, took up residence in the blue platform. The moment they were standing in their respective platforms, the motorized lifts kicked in and they were elevated above the arena, giving them a bird's eye view of the action while exposing them to the crowd at the same time. The whole setup had Yu's mind wondering if someone had paid attention to the days of Rome a little too much since the raised platform put them above everyone around them, in more ways than one. The crowd wanted blood, sweat, and tears, and the dueling arena was the perfect way to get it since no human lives were at stake, only digitized copies of monsters created for their enjoyment.

Whatever his thought on the matter, Yu wasted no time in putting his deck on its appropriate place on the game board in front of him, and the sophisticated computer setup read his deck, no doubt preparing the holograms it'd be projecting once the first of his cards were drawn. All of that didn't matter when he saw the surprise on Shu's face.

From the look on the young boy's face, he hadn't expected to see his tutor here of all places. "Narukami?! What are you doing here?!" Despite his surprise, the young student looked up into Yu's face with open admiration. "I never would have imagined you'd be here, and as my first opponent! Because of you, I was able to find something to believe in outside of school and making my mother proud. I found something that made me genuinely happy. Baseball, and now this!"

"I'm glad Shu. And I honestly couldn't imagine a better first opponent. Are you ready to fight with all of you've got?" Yu asked, earning him a shout of approval from the young student across from him. 2000 Life Points were given to both of them, and the lights fell on them in one synchronized motion.

The game was on.

BGM, Persona 4, Reach Out to the Truth

"It's time to duel!" They and the crowd shouted together as the two opponents drew their first five cards.

"Okay. I put down Giant Soldier of Stone, in defense mode, and I'll place a card down as well." Shu said before adjusting his rectangular glasses and looked up from the four cards in his hand.

"Not a bad opening move Shu." Yu said, admiring the giant stone colossus that now resided on his former student's side of the field. The stone golem had crossed its massive arms over its chest, and had knelt down onto the arena floor after a grand light show erupted underneath the giant monster. It was quite visually stunning, but Yu merely looked over the point total it had attached to its name. With a defense score of 2000 points, it'd be tough to beat, and with a face down card behind it, Yu didn't know if Shu had put a Spell card, or a Trap card, behind his stone soldier. Either way it'd be a tricky proposition to attack it without taking some kind of precaution.

"Alright. Let's start this off right. I play this card. Persona! Principality, the Justice!" 1400 / 1000. Slapping his chosen card onto the field in front of him, the yellow circle that had accompanied Shu's summoning changed to a light blue as his monster took shape. An angelic being with golden wings, wearing green flowing robes, while the bottom half was covered in a shimmering blue and gold undercovering, and a silver helmet with three long spikes, started to form. He carried a staff with a cross as its head piece, and the Persona at last materialized in front of Yu's side of the field, front and center. "Since he only has 1400 attack points, I'm not about to try and face your soldier in open combat. Instead, I activate his special ability, and destroy your face down magic card! Principality, Holy Arrow!"

With a twirl of his staff, the angelic warrior pointed his weapon at the face down card on Shu's side of the field and unleashed a single white beam of energy on the card. It was destroyed in a blaze of holy fire. "No, my Creature Swap! What kind of card is that Sensei?!" Shu exclaimed in a mixture of surprise and awe, and he wasn't the only one impressed by the unique card Yu had pulled out.

"So, he reveals his power at last." Labrys muttered under her breath as she swept the field with her red eyes, her facial expression unreadable until a small smirk appeared on her pale face. "Not a bad look for the kid. I am curious to see how the student fares when up against such power." Having just arrived, it took the Anti-Shadow Suppression Weapon some time to find who she was supposed to protect, but when she did, Labrys nodded her head and slipped through the cheering fans like a ghost.

Feeling a tap on her shoulder, Nanako looked up and paled visibly when her eyes went up and up until they rested on the tall woman's face. "Hey there Nanako, do ya mind if I sit beside you? Don't worry, your Big Brother asked me to keep ya company." It wasn't a direct lie, but it wasn't a direct truth either. Still, Labrys smiled kindly as she knelt down so she and Nanako were almost at eye level.

"Really?! If my Big Bro knows you, then I don't mind." Nanako replied, her brown eyes lighting up as Labrys gave one of the people behind the competitor's row a glare, causing the kid to move as far as he could from the disguised robotic warrior. The sight made Nanako giggle, having seen Kanji do the same thing on several occasions.

"There we are. All nice and comfy. Good luck out there kiddo." Labrys said once she was situated behind the young girl, giving her a thumbs up for good measure. Nanako gave Labrys a wide smile, determined to do her best. I get why she's so strong. Yu really is somethin' special.

Elsewhere in the stadium, Ryotaro was watching the match unfold with a mixture of awe and intriguement. "So that's a Persona." Dojima said to himself, having never seen one himself, until that moment. While his nephew and his friends had told him about the other world and the trials they had pushed through, they hadn't been able to show him the source of their strength since, according to them, it only worked in that other place. Now that he had, he finally understood everything fully and completely, and his scowl gave way to a determined veneer. "Come on Yu! I know you can win this!"

Yu meanwhile was preparing to answer Shu's question, having seen Labrys talking to his cousin. He gave her a simple nod of thanks, which she returned with a nod of her own before Yu turned back to his opponent. "It's a Persona. In laymen's terms, a Persona is a 'mask', used to deal with the hardships of day to day life. Everyone has one, mine just take a more literal approach." If only people knew how true that statement was. Yu thought as he replied evenly, putting two cards face down before nodding his head. He had three cards in his hand, but from the few duels he had seen, all it took was one to win when played at the right time.

"A Persona. It's a powerful card, and with your virtually unknown deck, I don't know if I have the cards to beat you, but I'm still gonna give it my all! I draw! And I put a monster face down, in defense mode. I also put another card face down behind that as well." That left Shu with three cards in his hand. With two more cards, a monster and another magic card, flanking his giant stone soldier, Shu looked towards his opponent and sighed heavily. Despite his words, it seemed Yu had intimidated him already, and he had started to fold under the pressure.

Yu couldn't allow that. Putting his cards on the edge of the playing field, the gray haired young man made it a point to stare at the bespectacled youth. "Shu. Whatever happens here, know that I couldn't be prouder. I know being here can't be easy, not with the whole world watching as well as your mother. But if I know her as well as I know you, then she's no doubt cheering the loudest for you right now." Yu's tone brook no argument as Shu looked up, the fire returning to his eyes as he stood up, straight and proud. Yu's small smile returned as he nodded his approval before adding a card to his hand. Looking at his cards, a plan started to form. "Okay, I summon my next monster. Persona! Lamia, the Hermit!" 1400 / 1000.

A woman from the waist up slithered out of the blue light on Yu's side of the field before laying herself out on top of her green, scaly hide. She was also naked from the waist up, but it was hard to tell since laying down on her snake coils or standing up, she was always covered since her raven black hair fell over her back and chest in voluminous waves. "She also has an effect. Once she's summoned to the field, she can destroy a monster that's level four or lower. Go! Agiloa!" Rearing up much like a king cobra did before it struck, the snake woman hissed menacingly before putting her hands out in front of her. The next moment, Shu's Giant Soldier of Stone was consumed in a focused fire spell, shattering the monster into countless pixels as the resulting explosion generated its own small wind storm. "And I still have an attack I can launch, but I'll save that for another time." With two monsters and two magic cards on Yu's side of the field, and only a single monster on Shu's side, it looked like a one sided duel. With three cards in hand, his options looked pretty good, while Shu's were growing slimmer and slimmer with every passing turn.

"I draw….and I put another monster in defense mode." Shu said, building up a defensive wall without anymore backup. That meant his face down was likely a trap that he couldn't use yet.

"It's time to end this Shu." Yu said as he drew a card and nodded his head before adding to his hand. "First, I activate one of my face down cards. Transmogrification Ritual!" A pale blue pentagram appeared behind Yu as card silhouettes appeared on several points of the mystical rune floating behind him. "With this card, this duel is about over. I can use this card to summon forth a new power. To do that, I have to sacrifice Tomoe, the Chariot, from my hand as well as another from my field or deck, and I choose Lamia, the Hermit! Come forth, Persona! Suzuka Gongen, the Ultimate Chariot!" 2500 / 2000

Stretching his arms out wide, Yu closed his empty fist in front of his face, and the two cards he had used appeared on the pentagram before fusing into one, dead center of the arcane symbol which flared brightly as the power changed and transmogrified his monsters into an all new form.

"No way! He can fuse here too?!" Chie shouted and stood to her feet, her eyes wide as saucers at the monster that pushed her way out of the pentagram and landed beside Yu's other monster. She was a samurai dressed entirely in silver armor. Carrying a double bladed naginata, Suzuka Gongen spun it around her in a deadly yet graceful dance before she stopped and held it behind her back.

Principality nodded his head to his companion, as if giving respect and deference to his far more powerful superior who now stood beside him. "This is so awesome! Get him Yu! Kick his monsters into next week!"

As if hearing her mistress's words, Suzuka Gongen looked towards Chie and held her double bladed staff weapon before her. No one else seemed to notice the action as the tomboy blinked in surprise. I shall not let you down, Chie-san. The silver armored warrior said before turning back to the assembled monsters in front of her.

"I know you won't." Chie whispered to herself as she turned to Yukiko, who nodded her head, her own eyes alight with wonder. She didn't have to ask if the inn manager had seen what she had seen. Their silent exchange had been all the answer Chie needed.

"I'm almost afraid to ask what she can do." Shu stated before drawing his last card. He sighed but looked up at Yu, knowing that he couldn't pull out a win with what he had. "Take me down Sensei. I know when I'm defeated."

"Alright. I only hope that you've learned something from this Shu." Yu stated as he drew his last card before turning to his two monsters. "First, I activate the Spell Card, Heat Riser, and use it on Suzuka Gongen!" A white light surrounded the female samurai, giving her a boost to her attack and defensive scores. 5000 / 4000. "Next, I activate the trap card, A Downed Enemy! With this, if she's able to destroy one monster, then she can attack again. And with the special effect that comes with Suzuka Gongen, it allows her to do Piercing Damage, meaning even though your monsters are in defense mode, you still take damage. Suzuka Gongen, Agneystra!"

Shu had to cover his face when Suzuka Gongen started to glow brightly from head to foot before she jumped into the midst of his defensive wall, her naginata spinning in every direction. Every creature on his side was sliced apart like rice paper before disintegrating into pixelated dust particles. With every attack, his life points dropped like a stone until his readout hit zero. Looking up into the warrior's face, Shu could have swore she was looking down at him in respect for standing his ground, even if it hadn't been enough before disappearing, the game having come to an end when he had ran out of life points.

"And what a spectacular win by Yu Narukami!" Rise was barely heard through the clamor of the crowd as Yu and Shu's platforms were lowered to the ground. The two duelists met in front of the stadium and shook the other's hand firmly, meeting the other's gaze in a show of respect and admiration for the other's skill. "And with that, the next duel is about to commence after this ten minute break! Be ready by then folks, this tournament is only just beginning!"

Ending Notes; I'm not entirely happy with how the duel wound up going because I had a hell of a time trying to figure out what Shu's monsters should be and everything, but as for the chapter itself, I am very happy with that. It's not the best one I've ever written, but it's certainly not the worst. This duel business is harder than it looks lol. Still, reviews are always welcome, but beyond that, if anyone can guess what's going to happen, bonus points to you lol. As for the duel itself, hopefully those turn out better in the future.

Nanako's current deck list. (Will most likely only get two to three duels max so not to worried about it just yet.)

Monsters

Watapon

Airknight Parshafh

Kuribon

Marshmallon

Fairy Archer

Honest

Absorbing Kid from the Sky

Spirit of the Breeze

Shining Angel

Nova Summoner

Gellenduo

Dancing Fairy

Archlord Kristya

Winged Kuriboh lv9

Winged Kuriboh lv10

Spells and Traps. (Haven't had a chance to look them over.)

Valhalla, Hall of the Fallen

Photon Lead

Cards from the Sky

Constellar Belt

The flute of summoning kuriboh

Berserker Crush (kuriboh lv9)

Transcendent Wing (kuriboh lv10)

Waboku

Change of Heart

Silver Bow and Arrow