"Alright, Bakura! I'll first play Pot of Greed to draw two cards, then I'll play the Armageddon Knight in Attack Mode (1400/1200)!" Beryl, having more cards on the field and just stopped one of Bakura's big plays, was now feeling and sounding much more confident. "When he's played, I can place a Dark Monster from my Deck into my Graveyard. I choose Darklord Superbia," She explained. "Then I Flip Summon Meltiel, Sage of the Sky (1600/1200)! Finally, I shall play my own Field Spell, The Sanctuary in the Sky, Set a card and end my turn," She said. The room again disappeared, this time being transformed into pretty much the polar opposite of Bakura's Field.

Angels versus devils… this will be fun to watch, Neflite mused. Bakura did not look amused to be in the position he was in as he drew.

"Fine! I flip the Morphing Jar card (700/600)! We both-"

"Do nothing, due to my Divine Punishment card," Beryl interrupted calmly. A rain of brimstone showered on the Jar, shattering it. "And since a Counter Trap went off, Meltiel gives me an additional 1000 Life Points (8000 9000)! In addition, since my Field is in play, Meltiel will obliterate one card you control," She said. Bakura ground his teeth.

"Blasted angels… I Chain my Gateway to Dark World! By giving up my ability to Summon otherwise for the remainder of the turn, I may Special Summon a Dark World monster from my Graveyard. Grapha, in Attack Mode (2700/1800)!" He shouted as the dragon rose. Beryl's eyes widened at the sight of the behemoth. "Now, Grapha! Destroy Meltiel before it can do any more harm!"

Beryl could only watch as her angel was obliterated. She smiled at the look on Bakura's face when he noticed she'd taken no damage. "In case you were wondering, I don't take Battle Damage from battles involving my Fairy monsters when my Field is up," She explained. Bakura developed a facial tic.

"Two cards facedown and the Dark Door, your turn," He ground out. A doorway appeared before him as he passed.

"Before your turn is over, I activate the Call of the Haunted trap, which-"

"I know what it does, Beryl. Have you forgotten that I am a master of undead strategy?"

"Fine then. I revive Darklord Superbia (2900/2400)! And since you know all about these sorts of cards, I'm sure you know what it does," She shot back. Bakura frowned.

"I said necromancy, not Fairies. I have no idea what that winged cauldron does," He snapped. She smirked.

"Well, for your information, when it is Summoned from the Graveyard it can bring another Fairy with it!" She said. Bakura snorted.

"The only Fairy in your Graveyard is Darklord Asmodeus, and it cannot be Special Summoned from the Deck or Graveyard," He reminded her.

"Oh, I did forget to thank you earlier for your Dark World Dealings," She replied. Bakura snarled as he remembered the all-too quick discard she'd made. "I Summon Darklord Zerato(2800/2300!" She declared. A red-winged devil of an angel rose from Superbia's "cauldron" and pointed its sword squarely at Bakura, who growled in response.

"Now I'll draw!" Beryl announced. Bakura looked over at Beryl, wondering how the hell he'd gotten into this mess. She had five monsters: Darklord Zerato (2800/2300), Darklord Superbia (2900/2400), Armageddon Knight (1400/1200), and her Asmo (1800/1200) and Deus (1200/1300) tokens! AND still had two cards in her hand! For Zorc's sake, the only other competition she'd participated in was on Dueling Network!

"Those face-down cards are quite the threat, Thief King," Beryl commented. Bakura's face didn't give; indeed, his Dark Spirit of the Silent worked well with the Dark Door, as only one of her monsters would attack at a time. And the other card…

"I activate Darklord Zerato's ability, discarding one Dark monster to do so. In exchange, I wipe out all monsters you control," Beryl said.

"WHAT?!" Bakura was furious as Grapha was sliced in twine by her Zerato's sword. "What kind of neiking louteh shit is this?!" He went off. Beryl and Neflite both raised an eyebrow. Bakura took a moment, calmed himself and took a breath. "I apologize. Continue," He said.

"Moving on… I'll attack with Darkord Superbia!" Beryl declared.

"I activate Dark Spirit of the Silent! Whenever a monster attacks, this spirit will stop its attack and possess another to strike instead, switching its position if it must! Deus Token will instead attack!" He responded (8000 6800). "And since my Dark Door is active, you cannot attack again," He said. Beryl motioned with her hand to end the turn, which caused Zerato's negative effect to kick in and destroy it.

"Draw! I'll play Ceruli, Guru of Dark World in Defense Mode (100/300). I also place another card face-down and pass," He said with a wicked smile. Beryl drew and opened her mouth, but Bakura got there first.

"I activate Crush Card Virus! By sacrificing one monster with 1000 or less ATK, I will infect your entire side of the playing area with a virus that automatically decimates all monsters with ATK power 1500 or greater, including in your hand and any you draw for three turns!" Beryl's eyes widened. She discarded Archlord Krystia from her hand, while Superbia was blasted off the field. "…Why isn't Asmo dead?" Bakura asked.

"He can't be killed by card effects, Mr. Duel Expert," Beryl replied. Bakura smiled and nodded.

"Fine then. I draw! I'll play my final Dark World Dealings!" Bakura said. He smiled as he drew and discarded Broww. "And now another from Broww," He added. "Then another Gateway to play Grapha back!" He said. "I attack Asmo!" The Dragon unleashed an energy blast that annihilated the token (Beryl: 9000 8100). "One card face-down, your move," He finished.

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"Well, someone sure is freakin' confident," Lita commented as Serena drew.

"I'll perform a Fusion!" Serena declared. Atem blinked and scanned the field. No Field Spell like Fusion Gate… She hasn't played Polymerization or another fusing card, either. How…?

"I saw these cards in the case and remembered what you said about letting your Deck reflect yourself. This one is all about teamwork, something I've had to learn ever since I became a Scout. And this Fusion is no different; two monsters work together to achieve a greater cause! By returning Gladiator Beast Bestiari and any one other Gladiator Beast, in this case Murmillo, I can Fusion Summon Gladiator Beast Gyzarus!"

"I play the Horn of Heaven! I must sacrifice my Beta, the Magnet Warrior to do so, but in return I blast the Horn's celestial tune right at your Gyzarus, negating the Summon!" Atem responded.

"No!" Serena cried as her new monster was blown apart by the sound of the holy instrument. "Fine! I still have Secutor, who I'll equip with Gladiator Beast's Battle Halberd! When Secutor attacks, you'll lose one of your Spell or Trap cards! But that's not all! I'm also going to ensure his attack goes through with the Gladiator Beast's Archfiend Shield, which will protect him from one destruction effect. I attack!" Secutor rushed forward, but Atem was ready.

"I'll activate the Spellbinding Circle! This freezes your monster, rendering it unable to attack or change positions," He said. Serena nodded and passed.

"Alright… I'll play the Monster Reborn spell to revive the Dark Magician!" Atem began. Her Gladiator can't attack, but no matter how I try to destroy it she'll protect it. A smart move, not attacking with Stardust Dragon… keeping it safe. Atem marveled at just how much skill the new player was showing. "That ends my turn," He said.

"Dang. You don't see Atem on the ropes like dis very often," Joey commented.

"Alright! I'll Set this and end!" Serena said.

"Mmm… I'll pass for now," Atem said after he drew.

"Excellent," Serena said as she drew. "I'll activate the Trap Stun card, which will negate all Traps for a turn," She began. The spell ring flickered and faded around Secutor. "Then I attack!" Secutor rose and ran at the Dark Magician, raising the Archfiend Shield to protect itself from the counter strike (8000 5900). "Then Battle Halberd will destroy a Spell or Trap," She continued as Secutor threw his axe at Yugi's Soul Rope. "Finally, Secutor will Summon Murmillo and Laquari (1800/300) from the Deck!" The blue seahorse and a new flaming lizard entered the Field. "Laquari will gain 300 ATK from his own effect (1800/300 2100/300) and Murmillo will destroy Dark Magician! Then I perform another Fusion Summon!"

"Oh no! I can't stop it this time!" Atem realizd. Serena smiled dangerously.

"I'll return Secutor, Murmillo and Laquari to the Deck…" Serena said. Joey whistled low from the sidelines. "And summon Gladiator Beast Heraklinos (3000/2800) in Attack mode!" A muscular warrior dressed in battle gear with a huge sword and shield rose. "Finally, I'll play Fusion Reload! I choose one Fusion monster on the field, halve its Level rounding down, then draw that many cards!" Serena drew four cards. "Pass turn" She finished.

"3000 points… I draw! And now I'll again activate my Dark Magic Curtain (4000 2000), this time to Summon the Dark Magician Girl (2000/1700) in Attack mode! Her ATK increases 300 points since the Dark Magician is in the Graveyard…" He said as the famous Spellcaster burst through the curtains. "Then I'll play my Magic Formula to raise her ATK by a further 800 points!"

"Oh no you don't! I discard one card from my hand to activate Gladiator Beast Heraklinos' effect, negating your Spell Card!" Serena said. Atem's eyes widened. "I end my turn," He said.

"I'll play Gladiator Beast Laquari again!" Serena said. "Heraklinos attacks Dark Magician Girl!" Heraklinos rushed forward and sliced apart Atem's monster (2000 1300). "And Laquari will finish it off! Flaming Sword Slice!" Atem shielded himself with his arms as the direct attack struck (1300 0). Serena stood silent as the holograms faded. No one and nothing moved as the realization that Atem had just lost to Serena set in.

"What the… did Serena just beat the King of Games?" Rei asked in shock.

"Not quite. That's actually me," Yugi piped up, surprised as everyone else. Atem was silent for a moment before smiling, a light brightly shining in his eyes.

"You built an excellent deck, Serena. Your heart is in it, and that will lead you to many victories so long as you hold faith in yourself and your cards," He said, stepping forward to shake Serena's hand. She accepted, in shock herself that she'd pulled out such a decisive win.

"I… wow. I mean, you've beaten so many more powerful opponents. How did I -"

"Because those players did not have the power of heart. Seto Kaiba is getting better at that, albeit slowly. But Pegasus… the spirits of the Rod and the Ring… Dartz… they were all hungry for power. Their drive to win was fueled not by heart but by aggression, evil and lust. You believe in your Deck and yourself," Atem explained with a shining smile.

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How can I lose now? Beryl thought as she drew. She smiled at the card and held it up to simultaneously show and play it. "I activate Monster Reborn, targeting Darklord Superbia! But this time I won't be summoning Zerato with his effect. This time, say hello to Archlord Kristya!" She said as the holy angel rose from Superbia (2800/2300). "I once again destroy Grapha! Superbia, attack!" She declared. A dark hand came from Superbia's top and dragged Grapha in (Bakura: 6800 6600). "Dark Door stops other attacks, so it's your move," She said. Bakura drew and chuckled.

"It was a terrible idea to Summon Kristya," He said. "I play a card face-down and activate Dragged Down into the Grave! We are both forced to reveal our hands and discard one card of our opponent's choice then draw one card, but in this case we each only have one card," He said. He discarded a Grapha and she a Valhalla. "Grapha destroys Kristya!"

"Kristya's special ability puts it to the top of the deck instead of…" Beryl stopped short as she realized her error. The Crush Card would still be in effect for two more turns. Since she just placed Kristya on her Deck, that meant no helpful draw next turn as well as Kristya in the Graveyard. As well, she had drawn Gellenduo with Dragged, so it had been discarded by the Virus.

"I will now reveal my face-down card that I just set, Graceful Charity! I now draw three cards, then discard two from my hand. I discard another Grapha as well as a Snoww, Unlight of Dark World! Grapha destroys Deus Token, then Snoww fetches a Dark World card to my hand! Let's turn down the lights with my Gates again, shall we?" He said as the field morphed once more into the underworld. "No more removal cards to stop me now. I Banish Broww from my Graveyard to discard one card and draw another. I discard Beiige, Vanguard of Dark World and draw. Then, since Beiige was discarded, he will Special Summon himself," He added as a brownish demon rose to the field (1600/1300).

"Next is my Snoww," He continued. This time it was a dark angel in a flowing white dress that appeared (1700/0). "With my Gates up, all Fiends gain 300 ATK and DEF (1600/1300 1900/1600) (1700/0 2000/300). Then I return Beiige to Summon Grapha from the Graveyard!" He returned the card to his hand even as the dragon rose again (2700/1800 3000/2100). "I'll repeat the process with Snoww," He added. Now two ferocious, demonic dragons stood side by side, staring down the Negaverse Queen. "You have no monsters, no Traps to protect you. I ATTACK!" Bakura exclaimed. Beryl was nearly blasted into a wall by the twin bursts from the dragons (Beryl: 8100 2100).

"This duel is over. On the next turn you will draw Archlord Kristya, which my Virus will infect and destroy," Bakura said. He was right. Between his virus, his hand-destroying techniques and a mistake from Beryl she had lost, She drew, discard and placed her hand over her Deck in surrender.

"Not bad for a beginner, but you still need work. Keep up the practice. Soon enough, we will be entering this tournament. Then," Bakura said with a wicked grin, "we shall see just how much of a threat your 'Sailor Scouts' pose."