With the initial shock of Van's offense left behind, the adopted Kaiba was ready to continue.

Turn 3

Haruko 4000 LP – Van 4000 LP

Haruko finally made her move, starting off by revealing a new spell card. "I activate my spell Swords of Revealing Light!" she exclaimed.

And soon A rain of swords made of light fell over Van's side of the field. Blocking the passage of his monsters.

Van observed this and pressed his teeth, clicking his tongue as he was familiar with this spell card, "Damn it…" "Now that'll put a stop to my offense…" Crossed his mind before looking at the cards in his hand. "Nothing to deal with that…"

"Then, I'll play pot of greed, so I can draw two cards!" she quickly drew those cards and looked again and after a quick glance at one of the cards she just drew, the girl, picked it from her hand and placed it on the front of her board, declaring. "Now I'll summon Breaker, The Magical Warrior, in Attack position!"

With that, Breaker emerged from a shining light in the summoning slot he was summoned in. The Magical warrior possessed a sleek and regal appearance. It stands tall, with a confident and imposing posture. The monster is adorned in ornate, dark red and gold armor, which covers its entire body, giving it an aura of strength and power. The armor features intricate engravings and glowing gems, adding to its mystique. Its helmet resembled a knight's helmet, with a pointed crest on top and a faceplate that covers its upper face, leaving only its glowing, piercing eyes visible. The eyes radiate an intense, magical energy.

In one hand, he wielded a gold and green sword and in the other a great shield which matched the arrangements of the armor. Both Sword and Shield shared the gemstones and engravings from the armor as well.

Breaker The Magical Warrior ATK 1600/1000 DEF

"And due to his special ability, Breaker obtains a magic counter that increases his attack by 300 points!" Haruko then declared, pointing at her Warrior.

Breaker The Magical Warrior ATK 1600 → 1900

With a smirk on her face, the Kaiba step-sibling pointed at 'Marauding Captain'. "Alright, Breaker. Attack and destroy Van's Captain!"

Breaker then raised his blade and held it firm in front of his face. His echoing grunting voice could be heard as the magical energies concentrated on his blade and finally, with a single swing, sent a magical slashing wave that exploded upon impacting with Van's warrior.

To his surprise, Van felt his platform shaking upon the destruction of his warrior. "Ah-Woah!" He exclaimed in surprise as he tried to hold his balance on the spot. Then sighed when the trembling ceased, "Ugh… so this is the real thing…" Then looked over at Seto who was observing the duel. His eyes met with him, before his smug expression got to him once again.

Damage Calculation

Van 4000 LP → 3300 LP

"With that, I'll end my turn!" Haruko announced, nodding at him with a confident smile. That smile, however, was met with Van's more cold and calculation expression characteristic of him during duels.

"Well, well. Looks like she is back at it!" Mokuba noted while observing their step-sister with a smile.

"That it seems to be the case, It appears that Miss Haruko has managed to collect herself and think things through." The butler stated before looking over at Van, and adding, "But, if I may. I wouldn't rest easy before Mister Van. He might turn out to be a formidable opponent for the miss."

"My turn then!" Van drew his card and almost without looking at it declared its summon. "I'll summon 'Marmiting Captain' to the field!".

After slapping the card on the board, the blonde, cook knight made its appearance. Armed with his cooking supplies and donning his peculiar attire consisting not only of his set of armor, but also an apron and chef bandana.

Van then continued, "With its special ability, I send a card from my hand to my deck, shuffle it, and draw a new one. And if it's a monster, I get to special summon it!" He then quickly let his fingers slide the card at the top of his deck, and bring it with the rest of his hand, "Hm… lucky you." He muttered before looking at it again, "Not what I expected, but not an unwelcome draw." Crossed the boy's mind.

Then he placed a card face down on the field. "I will set a card and switch Rahz to defense position. That is all."

Turn 3 END

Turn 4

Haruko 4000 LP – Van 3300 LP

"Alright!" Haruko drew the next card, starting her turn. "Now I will use my Breaker's special ability and use his magic counter!"

"What?" Crossed the boy's mind as his eyes widened a bit, even though he mostly kept his cool, waiting to see what Haruko's knight was about to do.

"Now, here is how his ability works. By using my warrior's Magic Counter, yes… my warrior will lose 300 attack points, becoming weaker, of course. But on the flip side, I get to destroy your face down card!"

The gems in the breaker's armor, shield, and weapon started glowing and finally sent a channeled beam of magic to the face down card, shattering the card's projection.

Van sighed and shook his head, showing a faint smile, "Of course you'd have that trick up your sleeve." He commented.

Haruko's face expression changed from that confident smile to a more worried and serious expression, "Why does he look so calm?" Her eyes narrowed and set on Van, trying to see if his behavior was nothing more than a bluff.

Then Haruko pointed at Marmiting Captain "Breaker, it's time to attack once again, destroy Marmiting Captain!"

The magical warrior, once again, charged his magical powers through his weapon and sent another magical slash towards its target, effectively destroying it. Leaving Van once again down to one monster.

With Haruko's turn reaching to an end, the boy drew his next card, "One more turn until the swords are out." The boy then took a card from his hand, "Alright, firstly. I'll play my copy of Jar of greed and draw two cards!" The boy then drew said cards, giving him now a total of four in his hand. The boy's eyebrows went up a bit when he saw the new cards in his hand. "Ah, perfect." Crossed his mind before declaring his next move. "I'll tribute Field Commander Rahz and summon Freed The Matchless General in Attack Position, and that will be all!"

Freed The Matchless General ATK 2300/1700 DEF

With Van's turn, over. Haruko drew her next card. Then smiled a bit with said draw. "Alright Van, sorry to spoil the fun for you, but Freed will not be around for long."

"Is that so?" The boy calmly responded, tilting his head a bit, yet keeping his calm and cold demeanor at all times. Something that particularly caught the eye of Seto.

"Now, I will tribute breaker and bring to the field, my powerful 'Blizzard Princess'!" She exclaimed with energy, before placing the card on the platform's board and giving way for the projected animation of breaker to be engulfed in a shining light; letting his form morph into what seemed to be a bright, circular gateway.

Just shortly after, The princess would fly through the gateway and into the field, leaving a trail of what seemed to be glowing, ice dust as she flew about. The ice spellcaster playfully flew around the field before finally landing with one of her tip toes on her designed monster slot, standing ready for battle.

Blizzard Princess ATK 2800/2100 DEF

From the spectator's view, Mokuba and Dean seemed to be quite cheerful and eager by how the duel was turning to Haruko's favor. It seemed that for every move Van made, she was able to easily outdo him and keep the pressure more and more against him. However, it was Seto who wasn't that easily convinced. It's not that he wasn't pleased nor disinterested in his step-sister's victory. Much the contrary, he wanted—No, he expected her to win this duel. After all, she was a Kaiba. Even if she wasn't at his level, her current skills should be more than enough to cut her above the rest of the duelists of Domino High. With Van, being included among them.

"Alright, Blizzard princess, Attack Freed and leave nothing but a shattered ice statue of the warrior he is, but soon will be no more!" The girl commanded to her summon.

And with that, the princess moved her long, chained staff around, starting to channel what it seemed to be a blizzard storm that would be directed towards Freed. The brave knight seemed to be struggling to resist it, but remained firm on its feet. However, even though he didn't back down, the ice powers of the princess soon turned him into an ice statue, that quickly shattered a moment later after being finished. With the shards disappearing with small glittering lights.

Damage Calculation

Van 3300 LP → 2800 LP

"Alright, that's another one down!" Mokuba exclaimed, raising his fist, celebrating his step-sister's lead.

Dean calmly clapped his hands at her display of dueling skills. "Very impressive miss Haruko, you've certainly taken control of the duel's momentum now!"

The words from both of them prompted the girl to acknowledge and nod at both her step-brother and friend with a bright smile. Then turned her attention back to Van, with her expression changing back to her more serious and determined one. "Okay, that will be all!"

Van just hummed and closed his eyes, adjusting his sunglasses before his free hand reached to the top of his deck and drew the next card. "Huh… nah, I don't think I'll need this one." He thought to himself. Then tilted his head a bit, smirking at the girl again, "Alright, I'll just set a monster in defense position. And that should do it."

"Right… of course…" Kaiba muttered, though he was loud enough to catch both Mokuba and Dean's attention.

"What's wrong, brother?" The younger brother asked.

"He is playing around with her." The young adult responded, without getting his eyes off the duel. "He is not posing, nor bluffing. That brat does have an ace up his sleeve, probably has for a while now. And is leading Haruko right into it."

"What… wait, do you think is that monster he just set?" Mokuba then asked, sounding a bit worried about how the duel might turn out from this point on.

"Who knows…" Seto then responded, with his arms folded, seemingly unfazed by what was going on so far. "Is she gonna be foolish enough to fall for that?"

Turn 5

Haruko 4000 LP – Van 2800 LP

Haruko drew once again, and after taking a look at her hand, she looked over his opponent's field. "No spell nor traps set. That one could be a flip effect… At least from what I've seen in his duels, Van's deck tends to have effects oriented to summoning extra monsters, or adding them to his hand. If that flip is the former, then waiting is just granting him the chance to have a double tribute served on a silver plate…" At that thought, Haruko's eyes narrowed, "I have to take this risk…" She clenched her free fist for a moment before pointing at Van. "Okay, Princess. Attack Van's set monster!"

"She is going for it?" Seto thought with his eyes widening slightly.

The princess, once again, channeled her powers and sent another freezing gust of magical ice against Van's card. Said projection of the card would initially freeze, but after a moment, the ice would crack and a humanoid with pointy ears, armed with a sword, and donning a green and silver armor emerged from it; taking a defensive, yet aggressive stance on its spot.

"Well, I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I'm perfectly safe thanks to my 'Obnoxious Celtic Guard'." He shrugged with a smirk on his face, "A monster as strong as your princess will do nothing against it!"

Obnoxious Celtic Guard ATK 1400/1200 DEF

"Was this all that taunting led to… Or is that brat still hiding his move?" Seto thought, slightly relaxing after seeing that the card that was revealed wasn't a flip effect monster, but just a solid barrier of defense for the boy.

"That certainly will complicate things for miss Haruko. If she can't get rid of that defense quickly, her momentum will stop and will give, Mister Van, a chance to recover." Dean noted as he observed the duel.

"Damn it…!" Haruko muttered under her breath before looking at her hand once more. "No, nothing too much any difference so far…" "Fine, I'll end my turn then!"

"Thank you very much!" Van responded before drawing a card. "So, I think I've taken enough of a beating so far. Let's try to even the score a little. I activated my spell card 'Soul Exchange'!"

"Oh no, Seto that's!" Mokuba exclaimed, looking over at his brother, as he recognized that card.

Seto then, responded, "That was the brat's plan… he waited for Haruko to bring out one of her stronger monsters…"

"With soul exchange, I will be able to use your monster as part of my tribute to my next summon!" Van explained.

"That's going to leave me open for an attack!" The girl thought in silence, pressing her teeth, frustrated by this new turn of events.

Van, then, pointed at the Blizzard princess and declared, "So I will tribute your princes along with my Celtic Guard in order to bring my powerful… 'Gilford of The Lightning'!" As he quickly placed the card on his board. The new gateway was open, with the glowing essence of both Blizzard Princes and Obnoxious Celtic Guard, opening the way for Van's new monster.

And soon, he appeared… Visually, Gilford embodied strength, speed, and a fierce warrior spirit. The monster depicted a heavily armored knight, ready for battle. Its armor is predominantly silver, with accents of gold and red. The armor is intricately designed, featuring engraved patterns and sharp edges, giving it an imposing and intimidating appearance. His helmet of resembled that of a medieval knight, with a narrow, visor-like faceplate. The faceplate is decorated with lightning bolt motifs, emphasizing the monster's association with lightning and thunder. The eyes behind the faceplate emanate a determined and fierce gaze, reflecting its unwavering resolve in combat. In his right hand, wields a massive, double-bladed sword. The blade is long and razor-sharp, crackling with electrical energy. The hilt of the sword is wrapped in golden fabric, providing a secure grip for the wielder. This iconic weapon represents the monster's lightning-themed abilities and its ability to unleash devastating strikes in battle.

Gilford Of The Lightning ATK 2800/1400 DEF

"I thought he was bringing Buster Blader… I didn't know Van had a monster like this one, and my trap cannot do much against it." Thought Haruko, taken aback by the imposing presence of Gilford.

"Now, Gilford. Attack her directly with your Lightning Sword!" The boy commanded before his powerful warrior made his move.

Gilford reached for his blade, and would be struck by a struck of lightning coming from the top of the virtual arena. Instead of damaging him, it seemed to imbue the power of his attack as he down dashed forth, like a bolt of lightning itself. Appearing right next to Haruko's platform in a blink of an eye, and delivering a powerful, electric slash.

"Ahh!" The girl exclaimed, as her platform started trembling and shaking from the direct attack.

Damage Calculation

Haruko 4000 LP → 1200 LP

"That fool…" Seto muttered, catching the attention of both Dean and his brother. "She had to be this reckless and give away the momentum she had gathered until this point of the duel. Now she got herself into a corner once more…" Before sighing in both frustration and disappointment.

"Hey, come on, she is our sister. She'll get back on her feet!" Then looked over at the arena. "Come on, sis, it's not over yet!"

Haruko just looked at Mokuba from the corner of her eyes and smiled a bit, then looked back at Van, "For a moment I thought that your dueling was off, you know?"

"Well… I would say 'sorry to disappoint' but entertaining you is not exactly my role in the duel." He then responded with the same smirk on his face as before.

"Tsk, you are still a jerk at times, you know that, right?" The girl pouted at the boy's response. However, right after that reaction from her, Van would shrug in a bit smug.

The girl, then, drew her card.

Turn 6

Haruko 1200 LP – Van 2800 LP

Upon looking at her card, Haruko thought of something quite simple and precise, "This is what I needed." Then she just set a card and a monster face down. "Very well then. I will only set both a monster and a card face down. And with that, I'll end my turn."

Van narrowed his eyes a bit, "A basic defense… That one face down card hasn't been played in the whole duel. I'm inclined to rule it out as something useless for her at this point" Then he looked at his hand, "This would be a funny back up plan…" Finally, he looked back at his opponent and declared, "Okay, it's time for battle once more. Gilford, destroy her monster!"

Thus, Gilford prepared to perform his next attack; however, he would soon be interrupted by Haruko's call.

"Hold on. That means you've activated my trap card 'Dark Liberation'!" The step-sibling exclaimed.

"Dark Liberation…?" the boy through, silently.

"In order to activate this card, I need to have at least four spellcasters in my graveyard!" Haruko explained.

"Hold on…" Van then questioned, "I only destroyed three of them…. Breaker, Neo and Princess!"

Haruko then smiled, mentioning, "Have you forgotten at the start of the duel? When you forced me to use 'Hollowed Life Barrier'? At that moment, I was forced to discard this!" Then, shed Van, the fourth spellcaster in her graveyard. None other than the Dark Magician Girl. "Thanks to this, I can trigger my trap's effect. Which lets me send these four cards back into my deck and then destroy all of your attack position monsters!"

"Shoot!" Van thought before seeing how the figure of her trap card started to illuminate and take the shape of pure, dark, magical energy. Concentrated in a ball that seemed instable and was fired in a beam of energy against his monster. Obliterating him instantly.

"Great going sis!" Mokuba exclaimed.

The boy closed his eyes by the brightness of the explosion that caught Gilford and left no trace of him. Once things settled down, Van clicked his tongue and replied, "I'll end my turn…" with a clear annoyed tone. "I wonder if she was planning that… expecting me to destroy her princess and lure out one of my strong monsters and bring all her cards back, while also destroying my summon…"

Turn 7

Haruko 1200 LP – Van 2800 LP

"Okay, now it's my turn!" Haruko called before reaching to the top of her deck, thinking "I got an opening… please deck don't fail me!" Then pressed her eyes shut before drawing her card and looking at it, gasping in surprise.

Then, she quickly reached for a second card in her hand. "I activate 'Dark Magic Veil'!"

"No way, she drew it again!" Ran through Van's thoughts with his eyes widening a bit behind the blue lenses of his glasses.

"Now I'll pay one thousand life points, so I can special summon from my hand, my Dark Magician Girl!" And with that, Haruko's lifepoints descended. She placed the card on the board and the projection of the spell began its animation. As a magical, black veil started forming in the middle of her field. Creating what it seemed to be a black void portal from which the Dark Magician Girl would emerge in all it's all cute, and energetic fashion; typical of her.

Damage Calculation

Haruko 1200 LP → 200 LP

Dark Magician Girl ATK 2000/1700 DEF

Haruko smirked, and then picked another card from her hand "Now, I'll play the spell card 'Magic Formula', an equip spell that can only be equipped to 'Dark Magician' or 'Dark Magician Girl'. With it, I'll grant my magician a boost of 700 attack points!" declared, with the card placed on the slot and being projected on the field.

Soon, The ancient book would materialize in her hands, imbuing her with more magical energies and creating a dense magical aura around her. Which hinted how her powers were now higher than before.

"Now, I enter my battle phase and attack you directly, Van! Dark Magician Girl, blast him with your dark magic attack!" The girl commanded.

And with that, the magician began levitating over the air, with both grace and a playful demeanor, preparing her attack by charging her energies in her magical rod. Leaving a trail of a light purple light following the trace of the rod. Finally, she pointed her weapon at Van and gave him a coy wink before firing her magical attack at him. The light blinded the boy for a moment, forcing him to cover his eyes during the duration of the same, as his platform trembled and his lifepoints descended once again.

Damage Calculation

Van 2800 LP → 100 LP

Van grunted due to the flashing light that managed to catch his eyes for a moment, though thankfully, his glasses managed to block part of it and thus not being entirely blinded. Still, the light was strong enough to make his body react as he did.

However, he didn't seem annoyed anymore, nor angry… or tense as he was during the duel. Van just collected himself and looked at Haruko with a smirk on his face. An expression that matched her current confidence on how the duel was going. "Her being skilled is not a surprise, however…" Crossed his mind before he reached the top of his deck, "It's actually been a while since I've had this fun while dueling."

"They are both so low on lifepoints…" Mokuba commented, immersed in the duel they were watching.

Dean nodded and calmly added, "Indeed, this is the final stretch of this duel. And victory could go for any of them at this point."

Seto, however. Remained quiet, just observing both duelists and then shifting his attention more over to his step-sister while thinking, "Well then, let's see if you can overcome any further plays he brings up to the table, dear sister…"

Meanwhile, Van looked at his hand and the field. Then closed his eyes, smiling a bit and saying "You know…" and pausing for a bit, thinking…

"Huh?" The girl blinked before asking, "What, what is it?"

"Heh, Nah. Never mind. Let's continue with this." Then picked up two cards from his hand, stating, "I'll start my turn by summoning 'Bull Blader'!"

Quickly, what it seemed to be a Minotaur emerged from the shining monster slot in the field. The monster, visually, besides resembling the form of that mythical beast, had also the distinction of being fully clad in an outfit that seemed to be a combination of both armor and clothing, with vibrant shades of red and silver. Its head held two long, curved, red horns and was covered with a dark helmet which clearly didn't leave the actual shape of his head to imagination. In one hand, the monster held a large, sturdy blade. Its grip showing details of both red and gold. Giving Bull Blader, the overall look of a wild, yet skilled fighter.

Bull Blader ATK 1600/1200 DEF

"My Dark Magician Girl is still far stronger than that bull, what are you planning, Van?" The girl then asked as her expression changed again to a more serious one, unknowing what to expect from him.

"Pretty simple!" The boy stated, showing a card in his hand with a confident smile. A spell card that showed the picture of a large sword, with a long golden grip and details of long, golden, wings at the base of its edge. "I'll activate 'Double Edged Sword'!"

As soon as the spell as set on the field, Bull Blader's weapon would glow white, and morph into the new blade, increasing his attack point significantly.

Bull Blader ATK 1600 → 3600 ATK

Haruko, was certainly shocked and taken aback by such an equip card. "W-what, 2000 attack points!?" She exclaimed, finding it hard how an equip spell could be that strong.

Van grinned before pointing forth, "Alright bull, time to wreak havoc on our opponent's field!"

And thus, the bull's eyes glowed red before letting go a bestial battle cry and charging directly at the dark magician girl. The magician seemed startled and nervous while the warrior charged at her.

"Oh no, she is gonna lose!" Mokuba exclaimed, while both Seto and Dean observed in silence. Dean looking quite nervous about what was happening, while Seto rather unfazed.

Then, Bull Blader leaped and brought the sword down on her with a violent swing, apparently annihilating the monster in the process as it appeared that nothing but a dust cloud was left there. However, a flock of pigeons would soon start flying across the virtual area from what seemed to be a hat that was chopped in a half by the warrior.

"Hah, another trick up your sleeve?" Van commented, smirking at her.

Haruko, caught her breath, and wiped a single sweat drop from her temple. Then looking down at the card she had played during the attack. "Indeed… my quick spell, 'Magical Pigeons' which allowed me to take my Dark Magician Girl away from danger. On a grimmer note, that means I lost the Magic Formula… but upon doing so, I'll recover one thousand life points."

Damage Calculation

Haruko 200 LP → 1200 LP

"Magnificent reaction ma'am!" Dean cheered while clapping at her play.

"Great job, you still got this!" Mokuba cheered along.

Van, just lifted a finger and shook it from side to side. "Tsk, tsk, tsk. I'm afraid to tell you… 'got cha'!"

Haruko raised an eyebrow and asked, "Uh… what?" confused by what he meant.

Then Van couldn't help but to start laughing a bit, "Hahaha, well… you see!" Then winked playfully, explaining. "You were never in danger, you know!"

"What!?" she exclaimed.

"Bull Blader's special ability, makes it so neither of us takes battle damage." Then shrugged, adding, "Knowing that your Dark Magician Girl is your ace. I was… well no, I am' sure you have plenty of support on your deck around her. So, basically, I managed to force you to use one of your escape routes with her."

She then slammed her palm on the board, "Well of course I would react like that with such a strong spell on him from all sudden. How can one card boost a monster's attack that much?!"

"Well… there is a drawback, that fortunately is nullified by bull blader." Then Van lifted a finger, explaining, "Normally, both of us would take the battle damage resulting from a monster equipped with Double Edged Sword." Finally, he'd declare. "Anyway, I end my turn."

"W-WHAT!?" Haruko reacted, flustered and frustrated, "Of course, OF COURSE this jerk would make a play like this! Now not only I've wasted a save, I have to deal with a monster that can easily keep control of the field and potentially leave me exposed for another summon to attack me!"

Haruko picked the next card from her deck and looked at it, grumbling a bit. "ugh, not good enough. I could have used some support for my dark magician girl…" Her eyes suddenly widened a bit "With this card I could…." then looked over at Bull Blader and narrowed her eyes and pressed her lips "Tsk, I can't believe I'm thinking about this!" "Vah, fine, I'll do it!" she then exclaimed, sounding as annoyed as she looked.

Van just raised an eyebrow, confused by her.

"I'll tribute my Dark Magician Girl!" she declared, while the projection of the dark magician girl winked at Van once again and waved goodbye as she started to glow in a bright light. "… And with it, I'll bring my Chaos Command Magician!"

From that light, a new magician would emerge. A mysterious looking green magician, covered by a hooded cape, concealing most of its facial features and adding an air of mystery. Peering from the shadows of the hood, the monster's eyes glow with an otherworldly radiance. On his robes, various celestial symbols and mystical runes can be seen, probably connected to his magical powers. The monster's hands are adorned with fingerless gloves. In one hand, the magician held a tall and ornate staff, serving as a conduit for its magical abilities. The staff was topped with a glowing crystal orb, emitting a faint ethereal light.

Chaos Command Magician ATK 2400/1900 DEF

"And with this monster, I'll finish this duel!" Haruko exclaimed, looking at Van confidently.

With those words shocking everyone else in the room. Van, after his initial surprise, just asked "Very well, and how are you planning to beat my Bull Blader?

"You'll see…" Then, Haruko ordered her monster, "Chaos Command Magician, at 'Bull Blader'!"

Van was instantly taken aback by her decision, exclaiming, "What!"

"What is she doing!?" Seto tough, his eyes widening, surprised by his step-sister's play.

"Wait what!?" Mokuba then shouted, "What are you doing, sis!?"

The magician, then began, channeling his powers in his wand and sent a wave of etheric energy towards Bull Blader. Then, Bull Blader, responded by swinging its massive blade against the magical blast. Thus, a struggle began. With sparks of lightning surging through the holographic arena and both Haruko and Van's platforms starting to vibrate.

Finally, a large explosion in the arena covered everything within it in a dense smoke cloud, and upon dissipating it revealed… no monster left standing.

Damage Calculation

Van 100 LP → 0 LP

Haruko 1200 LP → 0 LP

"A draw!?" Mokuba exclaimed, "How… how is it possible?!"

"That is… certainly an unexpected turn of events…" Dean stated, pulling out a handkerchief to wipe some drops of sweat from his forehead.

Van, on the other hand, looked at Haruko with a small smirk on his face. And while the arena platforms were deactivating and moving back to their original spots, he spoke up, "Alright… you are gonna have to run me through what you just did right there."

Then Haruko stuck her tongue out before responding, "'Pretty Simple!'" while mimicking his tone, "Chaos Command Magician can negate the special abilities of monsters. Meaning, fighting Bull Blader -would- involve battle damage. And since you had a Double Edged Sword equipped…"

"Both of us took that damage…" Van completed the phrase before sighing and rubbing the back of his head, "Damn, I didn't expect you to go that far…"

"In no way, I was going to give you the satisfaction of getting a victory against me!" She exclaimed back

"It's not like that would be quite the achievement to boast about…" The boy shrugged was he walked off the arena.

"Hey, what did you just say!?" She exclaimed before doing the same and rushing over to him

Soon, another argument between both of them began, with the three observers now as the witnesses.

"I wonder if this is how Miss Haruko and Mister Van behave on average…" Dean commented while scratching his temple.

"Well, what do you think, brother?" Mokuba asked, looking up at Seto "Do you think she could have done something else to take a victory instead of the draw?"

"Of course…" He replied, bluntly. Adding, "The reason she was cornered like that, It's because she allowed herself to be caught surprised time after time, and made reckless plays." He then looked over at the boy arguing with his step-sister. "However… a draw should suffice for now, so long she learns to be better and reworks both her deck and strategies."

Seto then walked up to both teens, followed close behind by both his brother and the Butler. "Well, that was a rather unique result." He spoke, looking down at both of them.

Both Van and Haruko stopped their argument and focused their attention on Seto, with Haruko looking slightly tense about how he would react to the result of the duel. Was he going to berate her and go on about how she should be better, and up to the standards of a Kaiba?

Seto's eyes looked at her for a moment, but soon focused on the boy. And spoke up again, "You've certainly provided a bit of practice for my dear sister. Well enough to warrant a reward…"

Van just looked up at him in silence, his eyes narrowing at him, showing a slight change from the last time they were face to face like this. It seemed that this time, Van wasn't as nervous as he was before.

"So…" The young adult spoke again. "what do you say, kid. Do you still have some energy left to face another Kaiba right here and now?"

Haruko's eyes widened a bit, stammering, "S-Seto?" being surprised that he was considering actually giving Van a chance to face him in a duel. Then looked over at Van, who was still looking at him in silence, with his eyes set on her step-brother's.

The silence lasted for a bit more, building up more and more tension in the air. Before Van finally shrugged and closed his eyes, responding "No, thanks!" nonchalantly.

"What!" Seto responded, surprised by his answer, since this was the same kid who was eager to face him before.

The feeling was shared with both his step-sister and his brother, who were also aware of this fact. And Dean, only sharing that surprise, and some worry by how Van was addressing Seto, knowing that his master was a man who demanded or imposed respect wherever he was.

Van then crossed his hands behind his head, adding. "Forgot what I said already? I said I would reach to the top and -then- challenge you. You said it would take me a 'lifetime of trying, just to end up failing." Then looked at him directly, stating. "That is the challenge I took you up to. Not because of pride, but spite."

"You… insufferable…brat…" Kaiba grunted, trying to keep his composure, ONLY because he seems to be one of Haruko's friends.

Then turned and started to walk towards the elevator door. The boy looked over his shoulder and spoked again, "I know that if I beat you right there, it's gonna be enough of a sting to wipe that smug off your face. So sit tight and wait because I will get there!"

It was then when Haruko and Mokuba noticed how Van actually managed to slightly get under Seto's skin. And as a quick reaction, Haruko decided to run up to Van, "Ah, wait up, wait up! I'll accompany you to the door!"

Soon, calling the elevator. When they walked in and the lift was taking them to the mansion level, a bit of an awkward silence involved the room. But soon, neither of them couldn't just help but burst out laughing.

"Ahah-why… hahaha, why did you have to taunt him like that?" Haruko asked in between laughter

"hahahahah Ah, sorry… I just- hahahaha!" was the response from the boy, "The face he made… hahahaha!"

"PFt, stop!" she exclaimed, trying to hold her laughter, and failing at doing so. before eventually, both of them left the lift, managing to gather their bearings shortly after.

On their way out, with the rain having stopped for the moment, Van and Haruko were just chatting while walking through the large yards of the Manor. Finally, the boy decided to bring up the topic where the whole dilemma started in the first place.

"So, for fairness's sake, I guess I owe you an explanation…" he said while rubbing the back of his head, "It's pretty stupid… but I simply wanted and still want to keep anything related to being a ranked duelist in Germany just not to be seen different here."

Haruko listened in silence, looking at the boy as he explained his case to him, and just commenting "You know… you didn't lose the duel, you don't really have to…"

He then shook his head, "No, no. It's fine, it may not sound as that much of a big deal. But yeah, let's just say that things weren't exactly pretty over there with so much desperation to be the number one. And while I don't feel ready to talk about that in more detail, yet, it just boils down to trying to have a clean start in here, and not having any different treatment because of that story being known."

"I see… yes, I understand…" she nodded at him "I guess the personal implications are different, but I know how much I disliked being seen with different eyes when I had security escorting me around…"

Van then smiled a bit at her, "Some day I'll be more comfortable talking about the rest of the story behind that…"

"If that's the case, then…" Haruko looked down, a bit embarrassed. "I guess I owe you an apology…" then sighed, "I should've picked up the writing on the wall and let you open up at your phase…"

"Meh, don't worry" he replied nonchalantly once again, shrugging and smiling a bit.

"No, I mean it!" She exclaimed, "And I won't say a word about all this to the others. I'll let you speak up when you feel like it."

The boy nodded at her. Reaching to an agreement, and to and a further understanding of one another.

Finally, Haruko offered the boy to let one of their drivers to take him home safely. Which he agreed, it was getting dark, and he was quite the distance from home.

The day concluded with Haruko going back to her room and dropping on her bed. Sighing after having a bit of a discussion with her step-brother about her performance in the duel, and always pushing her to do nothing but excel at whatever she does. Yet, she was now a bit more at ease, as initially, when she learned about Van's experience as a duelist; that he didn't trust her or any of their friends enough. But it was clear that they were not the issue, it was some sort of struggle of his own that he had to come to terms with. She could understand that, she could relate to that. And thus, would be patient and let him open up to everyone, with time.


Author's note: Ayyy thought I had forgotten? Nah, I just had a busy weekend. Sorry for the delay. I hope you enjoy this chapter and I'll see you all on the next one!