This story was done in collaboration between me and Jriddle41 (Sodormatchmaker on DeviantART), and we both own the OCs that are used in the story. Everything else belongs to their respective owners:

Thomas and Friends (c) Hit Entertainment and Mattel

The Railway Series (c) Rev Wilbert Awdry

Yu-Gi-Oh! (c) Konami

WARNING: Again, this story is rated T for some violence. Viewer discretion may be advised.

Title: From the Ashes

Opening up outside Yong Bao's residence during the evening, the duel between Lady and Yong Bao against Da Li and Xiao Hu was ongoing. These were the standings for both teams:
-Lady and Yong Bao (LP: 9500): Controlled 'Harpie Channeler' (Level: 4/ATK: 1400/DEF: 1300), 'Harpie Oracle' (Level: 4/ATK: 1300/DEF: 1400), 'Alluring Mirror Split' (Spell Card), 'Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Rooster' (Level: 3/ATK: 1500/DEF: 100), 'Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Eland' (Level: 6/ATK: 2400/DEF: 2000), 'Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Tiger King' (Rank: 4/ATK: 2200/DEF: 1800), 'Fire Fortress atop Liang Peak' (Spell Card), 'Five Brothers Explosion' (Trap Card), and a Set card.
-Da Li and Xiao Hu (LP: 8000): Controlled 'Ancient Warriors - Graceful Zhou Gong' (Level: 4/ATK: 2800/DEF: 1600), 'Ancient Warriors - Virtuous Liu Xuan' (Level: 4/ATK: 2600/DEF: 1200), 'Ancient Warriors - Deceptive Jia Wen' (Level: 4/ATK: 2300/DEF: 1800), 'Ancient Warriors - Ambitious Cao De' (Level: 8/ATK: 4200/DEF: 2500), 'Ancient Warriors Saga - Sun-Liu Alliance' (Spell Card), and a Set card.

"This isn't enough," remarked Da Li deviously, "I think it's time to show you both what you're really up against," He pressed a button on his Duel Disk, "Face-down card, open!" It was then his Set card flipped face-up and revealed itself to be… "'Ancient Warriors Saga - Defense of Changban', activate!"

"Ah, good choice!" praised Xiao Hu.

Lady and Yong Bao were not at all pleased.

"Anyway, here's how it works," offered Da Li, "If my 'Ancient Warriors' monster battles, my opponent cannot activate any Spell/Trap Cards until the end of the Damage Step."

Lady was now even more afraid as not only were she and Yong Bao not able to activate cards or effects in response to the activation of Da Li and Xiao Hu's 'Ancient Warriors' cards and effects, or activate the effects of Yong Bao's FIRE monsters this turn, but now they couldn't even activate Spell and Trap Cards. Yong Bao knew this, but did his best to keep her calm and not begin panicking.

"Take it easy, young one," advised Yong Bao, causing Lady to look over, "We can still win the duel."

"Yong Bao…" uttered Lady wearily.

"Oh? Why do you look so afraid of us?" snickered Da Li cruelly, with Xiao Hu looking equally as amused, "In my opinion, you should be more afraid of Yong Bao on account of his FIRE monsters!" He then entered his Battle Phase, as "Here I go! Battle! In addition to preventing you two from activating cards or effects in response to the activation of Xiao Hu and my 'Ancient Warriors' cards and effects, 'Ancient Warriors Saga - East-by-South Winds' has granted 'Graceful Zhou Gong', 'Virtuous Liu Xuan', and 'Deceptive Jia Wen' each an additional effect for this turn, and now you're about to witness that effect in action!" 'Ancient Warriors - Deceptive Jia Wen' stood ready as he eyed which field would be struck, "'Deceptive Jia Wen', attack 'Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Rooster'!"

'Ancient Warriors - Deceptive Jia Wen' obeyed, unrolling the scroll in his hands as he chanted a spell of sorts.

"As of this moment, the additional effect of my Continuous Spell, 'Ancient Warriors Saga - East-by-South Winds', activates!" Da Li declared, as focus went towards Lady's Set card before it flipped face-up and revealed itself before shattering into shards of glass from destruction, "When this card declares an attack: I can destroy 1 card my opponent controls!"

"That was 'Mirror Wall', wasn't it?" chuckled Xiao Hu, as Lady weakly scowled, "Your card would have halved the ATK of the monsters Da Li and I control, and also allowed you and Yong Bao to survive the turn," He shrugged without remorse, "I wonder why you hadn't activated it sooner; is it because you're oh-so scared of everything? Regardless, 'Mirror Wall' would have been destroyed upon attack declaration anyway!"

'Ancient Warriors - Deceptive Jia Wen' then proceeded to attack as normal, striking 'Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Rooster' and destroying him. Still eager to attack, Da Li quickly issued the next order…

"'Ambitious Cao De', attack 'Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Eland'!" he demanded.

Obeying without hesitation, 'Ancient Warriors - Ambitious Cao De' quickly unsheathed his sword and jumped into the air, but before it would make contact with its target, there was much more to come.

"At this moment, I'll activate the second effect of 'Ancient Warriors - Fearsome Zhang Yuan'!" declared Da Li, as he held up a card ('Ancient Warriors - Fearsome Zhang Yuan') from his hand, "At the start of the Damage Step, when my 'Ancient Warriors' monster battles an opponent's face-up monster: I can Special Summon this card from my hand, and if I do, that opponent's monster loses 1000 ATK," He then quickly placed his card onto a Monster Zone on his Duel Disk, "Come, 'Ancient Warriors - Fearsome Zhang Yuan'!"

Appearing on the field was a human male wearing Chinese armor and helmet while wielding a spear-like weapon (Level: 6/ATK: 2300/DEF: 2000). 'Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Eland' then got weaker (ATK: 2400 → 1400).

"Tear 'im to shreds, 'Ambitious Cao De'!" laughed Da Li.

'Ancient Warriors - Ambitious Cao De' finally began his descent, and with a mighty slash of his sword, sliced the weakened 'Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Eland' clean in half, causing him to explode in an eruption of flames. Lady and Yong Bao could brace themselves from the impact of the attack (Team LP: 9500 → 6700). The surge of fire, however, was far more damaging to Lady, as it once again brought back painful memories… She saw, to her horror, what appeared to be 'The Winged Dragon of Ra', and standing within the flames laughing like a maniac was Dark Marik. Frightened, Lady closed her eyes for a moment and opened them, finding no sign of the 'God' monster or the sadistic madman. Yong Bao, however, saw how disturbed Lady was, and so did Burnett and Hong-Mei.

"Lady…" murmured Hong-Mei.

Back on the field, Da Li and Xiao Hu both were growing more and more amused when they saw Lady looking so scared of the flames from the destruction of Yong Bao's monster. Of course, they could always push it further…

"And FYI, 'Fearsome Zhang Yuan's' first effect makes it so that all other 'Ancient Warriors' monsters Xiao Hu and I control can't be destroyed by battle. But he also has a third effect!" Da Li pointed out, as focus went towards the field belonging to Lady and Yong Bao, "If a card(s) my opponent controls is destroyed by battle or card effect: I can target 1 card my opponent controls; I must destroy it!" He gestured towards Lady's 'Harpie Channeler', "Say farewell to your 'Harpie Channeler', you wimp!"

'Harpie Channeler' shattered into shards of glass.

"Ha ha ha! Just as you both lose another monster, 'we' are about to gain another one!" bragged Xiao Hu.

"Quite right!" agreed Da Li, before gazing at the opposition, "When 'Ambitious Cao De' destroys an opponent's monster by battle and sends it to the GY: I can Special Summon that monster to my field in Defense Position!"

Reappearing on the field (now on Da Li's field) in a defensive stance, was 'Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Eland' (Level: 6/ATK: 2400/DEF: 2000).

"My Battle Phase is not over!" boomed Da Li, "'Virtuous Liu Xuan' will attack 'Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Tiger King'!" As he spoke on, 'Ancient Warriors - Virtuous Liu Xuan' crossed both swords together and prepared for battle, "And now, the additional effect of 'Ancient Warriors Saga - East-by-South Winds' activates again!"

"We know," frowned Yong Bao, "Now you can destroy a card belonging to Lady or I."

Only a second after that was said, 'Harpie Oracle' shattered into shards of glass, leaving Lady without any monsters. From there, 'Ancient Warriors - Virtuous Liu Xuan' suddenly rushed forth and slashed at 'Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Tiger King', causing Yong Bao's monster to explode into a blast of fire from destruction. Yong Bao braced and covered himself with his left arm (with the Duel Disk), but Lady screamed as she got pushed back a bit as she and her partner lost more LP (Team LP: 6700 → 6300).

"Now you both have no monsters!" gloated Xiao Hu.

"Which I'm gonna take advantage of!" added Da Li, before giving a command to 'Ancient Warriors - Fearsome Zhang Yuan', "'Fearsome Zhang Yuan', attack Yong Bao directly!"

'Ancient Warriors - Fearsome Zhang Yuan' obeyed, charging towards the defenseless Yong Bao.

"The third effect of 'Virtuous Liu Xuan'!" declared Da Li, "When an attack is declared involving another 'Ancient Warriors' monster I control: I can…" He drew a card, "…draw 1 card."

'Ancient Warriors - Fearsome Zhang Yuan' readied his weapon and stabbed it into Yong Bao's chest, causing the famous Chinese hero to groan in pain as he and Lady sustained more damage (Team LP: 6300 → 4000).

"Uncle!" hollered Hong-Mei.

"Dear Lord!" gasped Burnett.

Yong Bao collapsed onto a knee, clutching at the bloodless wound on his chest as he weakly glared at his two opponents.

"Yong Bao! Yong Bao, are you okay?!" panicked Lady.

"Ugh… I'll…be alright," Yong Bao replied, slowly standing back up, "I… I won't lose to Da Li nor Xiao Hu!"

Xiao Hu looked at the frightened Lady Stone, knowing that if Da Li attacked her next, there would be a high chance she would give up. Not wanting to miss seeing that, he looked at his partner-in-crime.

"Do it, Da Li," encouraged Xiao Hu, causing Da Li to look over with an evil smile, "Attack the foreign girl next."

"With pleasure," accepted Da Li, as he issued a command to 'Ancient Warriors - Graceful Zhou Gong', "Go forth, 'Graceful Zhou Gong'! Attack Lady Stone directly!" He held up his right hand and pointed the index finger upward, "Once again, this activates the additional effect of my Continuous Spell, 'Ancient Warriors Saga - East-by-South Winds'!" The face-up 'Five Brothers Explosion' Trap Card shattered into shards of glass, "Say goodbye to your 'Five Brothers Explosion', Yong Bao!"

"You will regret doing that," warned Yong Bao, "I activate the second effect of 'Five Brothers Explosion'!" He held up his destroyed 'Five Brothers Explosion' Trap Card, "If this face-up card you control is sent to my GY by my opponent's card effect: I must inflict 500 damage to my opponent for each Continuous Spell/Trap in my GY!"

Parts of the field around Da Li and Xiao Hu started exploding, causing the two men to yell out as they lost some pretty high LP due to the amount of Continuous Spells/Traps in Yong Bao's GY (LP: 8000 → 6500).

"Damn it!" cursed Da Li in anger, "But my attack is ongoing, and you'll lose more LP than Xiao Hu and I lost!"

'Ancient Warriors - Graceful Zhou Gong' raised his sword and brought it down, slashing Lady and throwing her to the ground as the LP she and Yong Bao shared dropped to very low levels (LP: 4000 → 1200).

"POLLY!" howled Burnett in horror.

But with him being handcuffed to Hong-Mei and the tree, there was nothing else he could do, and his attempts at trying to lunge away from the tree only resulted in Hong-Mei having her head banged against the tree.

"OUCH! H-Hey! Knock it off!" exclaimed Hong-Mei painfully, before glaring in annoyance, "Remember? I'm stuck in this tree with you!"

"My apologies," apologized Burnett, before looking out at the field, "I'm just really scared for Polly."

Lady managed to return to her hands and knees, struggling to get back onto her feet after suffering a powerful direct attack. Panting and trembling, she was desperately trying not to succumb to another panic attack.

"I end my turn," finished Da Li coldly, not at all caring about how Lady was feeling before looking at Yong Bao, "Alright, Yong Bao, it's your turn!"

Yong Bao glared as the second effect of 'Ancient Warriors Saga - Sun-Liu Alliance' expired, causing the ATK of 'Ancient Warriors - Graceful Zhou Gong' (ATK: 2800 → 1600), 'Ancient Warriors - Virtuous Liu Xuan' (ATK: 2600 → 1400), 'Ancient Warriors - Deceptive Jia Wen' (ATK: 2300 → 1100), and 'Ancient Warriors - Ambitious Cao De' (ATK: 4200 → 3000) to return to their original values.

"I'll do as much as I can for this turn, but, in the end, victory will be decided if Lady decides to properly fight or not," Yong Bao thought to himself, just before drawing a card, "It's my turn! Draw!"

Turn Six: Yong Bao Sifang (Team LP: 1200)
Deck: 44
Current Hand (2): "Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Panda" and "Card of Demise"

On cue, the 'Card of Demise' Spell Card flipped face-up and revealed itself.

"Spell Card, 'Card of Demise', activate!" began Yong Bao, "I must draw until I have 5 cards in my hand!" he drew four cards, "I must send all cards in my hand to the GY during my 5th Standby Phase after activation!" Looking at his hand—containing 'Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Panda', 'Fire Formation - Yoko', 'Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Gorilla', 'Fire Fist Protection'(!), and 'Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Leopard'—he nodded and looked up, "And then I'll activate the second effect of 'Fire Fortress atop Liang Peak'!"

"Tch! Here it comes," grumbled Xiao Hu.

"Once per turn: I can remove Fire Fist Counters from my field to activate 1 of these effects," explained Yong Bao.

These were the effects written on the Spell Card in-question:
-"2: If my Beast-Warrior monster attacks this turn, my opponent cannot activate cards or effects until the end of the Damage Step."
-"6: I must add 1 Beast-Warrior monster from my Deck to my hand."
-"10: I must Special Summon 1 Beast-Warrior monster from my Deck or Extra Deck, ignoring its Summoning conditions."

"Good thing he doesn't have six or more of those Fire Fist Counters," mused Da Li.

"I remove two Fire Fist Counters…" As Yong Bao went on, two of the five Fire Fist Counters placed on the face-up 'Fire Fortress atop Liang Peak' Spell Card, "…to activate the first option, preventing both of you from activating cards or effects until my Damage Step ends!" He then took a card from his hand and slotted it into his Duel Disk, "I'll also activate the Continuous Spell, 'Fire Formation - Yoko'!" The mentioned Spell Card materialized face-up on the field, "When this card is activated: I can target 1 face-up card my opponent controls; I must discard 1 Beast-Warrior monster, and if I do, destroy that card!" A card ('Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Leopard') was sent to the GY, causing focus to go towards 'Ancient Warriors - Fearsome Zhang Yuan', "I target your 'Ancient Warriors - Fearsome Zhang Yuan' and discard my 'Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Leopard' to destroy it!"

"Not a chance," denied Xiao Hu. He then held up a card ('Ancient Warriors Saga - Chivalrous Path') taken from his GY, "Remember this? 'Ancient Warriors Saga - Chivalrous Path'!"

"No!" remembered Yong Bao.

"I activate this card's third effect!" continued Xiao Hu, "When a card or effect is activated that targets an 'Ancient Warriors' monster(s) on the field: I can…" The 'Ancient Warriors Saga - Chivalrous Path' Trap Card faded away into oblivion, "…banish this card from my GY; I must negate the activation!"

The face-up 'Fire Formation - Yoko' Spell Card shorted out, but remained on the field in a mostly useless state. Luckily, Yong Bao still had use for his card—in a way.

"I still have the second effect of 'Fire Formation - Yoko'!" insisted Yong Bao, "All Beast-Warrior monsters I control gain 100 ATK!" He then took and placed a card ('Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Panda') onto his Duel Disk, "Then I'll Special Summon 'Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Panda' in Attack Position!"

Appearing on the field was a burly warrior wearing Chinese armor and wielding two large sticks for weapons, one containing the black and white spirit of a panda (Level: 5/ATK: 2200/DEF: 400).

"If I activate a 'Fire Formation' Spell/Trap Card (except during the Damage Step): I can Special Summon this card from my hand," revealed Yong Bao, "then I can Special Summon 1 'Fire Fist' monster from my GY, except 'Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Panda'," He held up another card ('Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Ram') taken from his GY "also I cannot Special Summon monsters for the rest of this turn, except 'Fire Fist' monsters!" He looked grim, "But first there's the first effect of 'Fire Fortress atop Liang Peak'!" The face-up 'Fire Fortress atop Liang Peak' Spell Card got marked by another Fire Fist Counter as the explanation was underway, "Each time a 'Fire Fist' monster(s) is Normal or Special Summoned, I must place 1 Fire Fist Counter on this card!" With that done, he placed his retrieved card onto his Duel Disk, "I Special Summon 'Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Ram'!"

Reappearing on the field was the ghastly green-skinned human male wearing Chinese clothing wielding a scepter that contained the purple spirit of a ram (Level: 3/ATK: 900/DEF: 200). Due to the Summon of another 'Fire Fist' monster, the face-up 'Fire Fortress atop Liang Peak' Spell Card got marked by another Fire Fist Counter, returning its total counters to five—but the second effect couldn't be used again until the next turn. Yong Bao just carried on without worrying about that.

"I activate 'Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Ram's' second effect!" began Yong Bao, as a card slipped from the middle of the Deck—which he took and slotted into a Spell & Trap Zone on his Duel Disk. This caused a face-down card to materialize on the field, "If this card is Special Summoned by the effect of a 'Fire Fist' monster: I can Set 1 'Fire Formation' Spell/Trap directly from my Deck, with a different name from the cards in my GY!"

"Your tactics are worthless against us!" spat Da Li, "I activate the second effect of 'Ancient Warriors Saga - Sun-Liu Alliance'!" The face-up 'Ancient Warriors Saga - Sun-Liu Alliance' Spell Card glowed in a gold aura, causing all his and his partner's monsters to get energized with new power, "If my opponent Special Summons a monster(s), or I activate an 'Ancient Warriors' monster's effect (except during the Damage Step): I can make all "Ancient Warriors" monsters I control gain 300 ATK for each 'Ancient Warriors' monster I control until the end of this turn (even if this card leaves the field)!"

Because there were five 'Ancient Warriors' monsters on the field, 'Ancient Warriors - Graceful Zhou Gong' (ATK: 1600 → 3100), 'Ancient Warriors - Virtuous Liu Xuan' (ATK: 1400 → 2900), 'Ancient Warriors - Deceptive Jia Wen' (ATK: 1100 → 2600 ATK), 'Ancient Warriors - Ambitious Cao De' (ATK: 3000 → 4500 ATK), and 'Ancient Warriors - Fearsome Zhang Yuan' (ATK: 2300 → 3800) all got supercharged. Lady grew even more worried now that their opponent's monsters have once again been given a tremendous boost in power. Yong Bao, however, was not fazed by that.

"It will take far more than mere intimidation factor and strength in numbers to extinguish the mighty fire in my soul," rebutted Yong Bao fiercely, which Lady made out in an instant. He then pointed to his first Set card, "Face-down card, open!" The card flipped face-up and revealed itself to be… "'Fire Formation - Ingen'! When this card is activated: I can Fusion Summon 1 Beast-Warrior Fusion Monster from my Extra Deck, using monsters from my hand or field as Fusion Material," Focus went towards 'Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Panda' and 'Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Ram', "I fuse 'Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Panda' and 'Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Ram' together!"

'Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Panda' and 'Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Ram' started fusing together while the artwork of the 'Polymerization' Spell Card loomed in the background.

"River dragon! Resourceful strategist! Combine your roaring flames and become the striking hawk!" chanted Yong Bao, before bringing both hands together, "Fusion Summon! Level 8! Burn, 'Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Swan'!"

Appearing on the field, as the Fusion Summon sequence ended, was the familiar warrior wearing white clothing and Chinese soldier helmet and wielding a spear that contained the white spirit of a swan—speaking of which, he spun the weapon about before posing with it for battle (Level: 8/ATK: 2700/DEF: 2200). As such, a sixth Fire Fist Counter was placed on the 'Fire Fortress atop Liang Peak' Spell Card.

"Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Swan's' first effect activates!" reminded Yong Bao, "If this card is Special Summoned: I can inflict 200 damage to my opponent for each 'Fire Formation' Spell/Trap I control," Focus briefly went to the 'Fire Fortress atop Liang Peak' Spell Card, the 'Fire Formation - Yoko' Spell Card, and the 'Fire Formation - Ingen' Spell Card, "I control three of those, meaning the both of you will take 600 damage!"

"And 'Fire Fortress atop Liang Peak' is always treated as a 'Fire Formation' card," recalled Xiao Hu, just as the three face-up Continuous Spells started getting caught on fire, "Damn you!"

The flames were launched at the two Chinese men, causing them to yell in pain as their LP went down (Team LP: 6500 → 5900). Yong Bao then thought it was then time to activate his remaining Set card.

"And now, I'll activate a Continuous Trap, 'Fire Formation - Tensen'!" The voice of Yong Bao proclaimed, as his remaining Set card flipped face-up and revealed itself, "When this card is activated: Target 1 Beast-Warrior monster I control; it gains 700 ATK until the end of this turn. (This ATK gain remains even if this card leaves the field,)" Focus went towards 'Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Swan' as he grew stronger (ATK: 2700 → 3400), "I target 'Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Swan' and make his ATK become 3400!"

"3400 ATK!" fretted Xiao Hu.

"But that amount of ATK can't beat 'Ancient Warriors - Ambitious Cao De' nor 'Ancient Warriors - Fearsome Zhang Yuan'!" Da Li pointed out, and even with that 300 ATK boost from the second effect of your 'Fire Formation - Tensen', it still won't be enough!"

As soon as the second effect of the 'Fire Formation - Tensen' Trap Card was brought up, 'Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Swan' got stronger again (ATK: 3400 → 3700).

"Is that so?" said Yong Bao ominously.

"Huh?" Da Lu wondered.

"I Summon 'Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Gorilla'!" declared Yong Bao, holding up a card ('Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Gorilla') before placing it onto his Duel Disk.

Appearing on the field was a warrior wearing black Chinese armor and wielding a flaming spear that housed the orange spirit of a gorilla (Level: 4/ATK: 2000/DEF: 1000). It was then a seventh Fire Fist Counter was added onto the face-up 'Fire Fortress atop Liang Peak' Spell Card. All of a sudden, both the face-up 'Fire Formation - Yoko' Spell Card and the 'Fire Formation - Ingen' Spell Card burst into flames.

"What's going on, now?" complained Xiao Hu.

"I activate 'Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Buffalo's' monster effect," answered Yong Bao, sending two cards of his to the GY one at a time, "If this card is in my GY: I can send a total of 2 'Fire Fist' / 'Fire Formation' cards from my hand and/or face-up field to the GY; I must Special Summon this card from my GY," He held his right hand out near the erupting flames, "Resurrect, 'Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Buffalo'!"

Reappearing on the field was burly male wearing Chinese-styled clothing and with the spirit of a buffalo (Level: 4/ATK: 2000/DEF: 1000). With the loss of the 'Fire Formation - Yoko' Spell Card, both 'Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Swan' (ATK: 3700 → 3600) and 'Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Gorilla' (ATK: 2000 → 1900) lost some of their gained ATK. However, an eighth Fire Fist Counter was placed on the face-up 'Fire Fortress atop Liang Peak' Spell Card.

"With 'Fire Formation - Ingen' gone, I'll activate its second effect," explained Yong Bao, as he took a card ('Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Elephant') from his GY and looked at it, "If this face-up card is sent from the Spell & Trap Zone to the GY: I can target 1 'Fire Fist' monster in my GY; I must add it to my hand," It was then the Overlay Network appeared in the center of the field, "I overlay Level 4 'Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Gorilla' and 'Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Buffalo'!"

Both mentioned monsters were absorbed into the Overlay Network. A new monster started to emerge from the Overlay Network, which was a Chinese-styled emperor with brown hair and beard wielding a mighty sword—as a Summon Chant from Yong bao followed.

"Dragon in the clouds, slice through the billowing flames and blaze forth to glory!" chanted Yong Bao, "Xyz Summon! Appear! Rank 4! 'Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Cardinal'!"

The new monster swung the sword once and posed for battle as the spirit of the cardinal soared around him (Rank: 4/ATK: 2100/DEF: 2200). The appearance of this monster added a ninth Fire Fist Counter to the face-up 'Fire Fortress atop Liang Peak' Spell Card. Da Li and Xiao Hu had been growing annoyed by all of the tedious swarming.

"Are you done yet?" grunted Da Li, "The Xyz Summon of 'Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Cardinal' has been too much of an underwhelming payoff!"

"That will be your final mistake," Yong Bao said severely, as his 'Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Cardinal' made both of its materials disappear and gave a command to its animal spirit, "'Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Cardinal's' effect! I can detach 2 materials from this card, then target 2 'Fire Fist' / 'Fire Formation' cards in my GY and/or face-up field, and 2 cards in my opponent's GY and/or face-up field; I must shuffle those targets into the Deck!"

"WHAT?!" Da Li and Xiao Hu both screeched.

The 'Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Tiger King' Monster Card and the 'Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Zebra' Monster Card emerged from the GY—which Yong Bao took and returned to his Deck and Extra Deck respectively.

"With that done, I'll have you return 'Ancient Warriors - Virtuous Liu Xuan' and 'Ancient Warriors - Graceful Zhou Gong'…" requested Yong Bao, before pointing forth, "…to the Deck!"

The two pesky Chinese men watched helplessly as 'Ancient Warriors - Virtuous Liu Xuan' returned to Xiao Hu's Deck and 'Ancient Warriors - Graceful Zhou Gong' returned to Da Li's Deck.

"He couldn't have-!" recoiled Xiao Hu.

"He did!" cursed Da Li.

"Battle!" announced Yong Bao, entering his Battle Phase. As he gave an order to one of his monsters, 'Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Cardinal' motioned an arm out and sent the spirit of the cardinal forward towards a defenseless Xiao Hu, "'Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Cardinal', let Xiao Hu have it!"

The animal spirit collided with Xiao Hu, causing him to yell in pain and fall to a knee as his team's LP dropped (Team LP: 5900 → 3800).

"And there's more!" reminded Yong Bao, as 'Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Swan' twirled his spear about, "'Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Swan', attack Xiao Hu directly!" "As of now, I'll activate 'Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Swan's' second effect!" While explaining the effect, his face-up 'Fire Fortress atop Liang Peak' Spell Card burnt away into ash and 'Ancient Warriors - Fearsome Zhang Yuan', owned by Da Li, then shattered into shards of glass, "During the Battle Phase (Quick Effect): I can send 1 face-up 'Fire Formation' Spell/Trap I control to the GY, then target 1 card my opponent controls; I must destroy it!"

'Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Swan' finally hurled the weapon and impaled Xiao Hu in the chest, causing him, with wide eyes, to gag with pain before falling onto his hands as the spear dissolved and the LP he and Da Li share dropped to really, really low levels (LP: 3800 → 200).

"Xiao Hu!" hollered Da Li, worried about his partner-in-crime before shooting the opposition a hateful glare of rage, "Damn you, Yong Bao!"

With their opponent's LP so perilously close to 0, Lady was simultaneously relieved that their opponents were so close to losing, and also extremely upset about Yong Bao just barely failing to win the duel right then and there so that her suffering would end sooner. In the stands, Burnett was looking very relieved that the duel would be won by Lady and Yong Bao very soon, but Hong-Mei wasn't very convinced by that.

"What's the matter, Hong-Mei?" wondered Burnett.

"It's my Uncle," replied Hong-Mei, "He misplayed during his turn," As she elaborated on what she meant, clips as to what could have happened earlier on played in the background, "If he had activated 'Fire Formation - Tensen' right before activating the first effect of 'Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Swan', he would have dealt an additional 200 damage to Da Li and Xiao Hu, which means that 'Swan's' direct attack would have reduced their LP to 0 and ended the duel right there."

Burnett stared in realization, "You might be right about that," he admitted, "He must have done it on purpose."

"On purpose?" repeated Hong-Mei.

"He might have deliberately thrown away a more secured victory just so that Lady would have to step up and fight her trauma," said Burnett.

"I normally wouldn't have so much of an issue with that," retorted Hong-Mei, before looking down at her hands still cuffed to the tree, "But remember that you and I are being held hostage by those two jerks."

Back on the field, Xiao Hu finally started to return to his feet, angry that he had to eat two very painful direct attacks that left him and Da Li on the brink of defeat. Now that the Battle Phase was over, Yong Bao had one more thing he wanted to do before calling it a turn.

"I Set one card face-down and end my turn!" finished Yong Bao, slotting a card into his Duel Disk.

A face-down card materialized on the field, while Da Li and Xiao Hu were fuming with rage.

"What's the matter?" taunted Yong Bao coldly, as Da Li and Xiao Hu both listened with gritted teeth, "I thought you guys wanted to get even with me for getting you both rightfully arrested years ago?"

"(你這個該死的混蛋!) Nǐ zhège gāisǐ de húndàn! (You damned bastard!)" snarled Xiao Hu in Chinese, "It's my turn!" He drew a card, "Draw!"

Turn Seven: Xiao Hu Chrzanów (Team LP: 200)
Deck: 52
Current Hand (5): "Ancient Warriors - Masterful Sun Mou", "Dian Keto the Cure Master", "Ancient Warriors Saga - Sun-Liu Alliance", "Ancient Warriors - Eccentric Lu Jing", and "Ancient Warriors Saga - Three Visits"

His drawn card was a Spell Card called 'Ancient Warriors Saga - Three Visits', which he added into the hand.

"You won't be getting a chance to do that again!" vowed Xiao Hu.

"No, I won't get another chance to defeat them," thought Yong Bao, before casting a glance at Lady, "But 'Lady' still has that chance," He then went and pressed a button on his Duel Disk while speaking out loud, "Face-down card, activate!" His Set card flipped face-up and revealed itself to be… "'Fire Fist Protection'! During my opponent's Standby Phase: I must send 1 'Fire Fist' monster from my hand and 1 'Fire Formation' card I control to the GY; until the end of this turn, I take no damage, also, my opponent cannot conduct their Battle Phase this turn!"

From there, he took and discarded the 'Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Elephant' Monster Card and forcefully caused the face-up 'Fire Formation - Tensen' Trap Card to fade away in blue streaks. With both costs paid, Lady and Yong Bao were impervious to damage, which Xiao Hu was not able to declare an attack. However, with the loss of the 'Fire Formation - Tensen' Trap Card, 'Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Swan' (ATK: 2900 → 2600) and 'Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Cardinal' (ATK: 2100 → 1800) had their ATK stats returned to normal.

"Continuous Spell, 'Ancient Warriors Saga - Three Visits'!" hollered Xiao Hu, as he took and slotted a card into his Duel Disk. The mentioned Spell Card then flipped face-up and revealed itself, "During my Main Phase, if I Normal or Special Summon an 'Ancient Warriors' monster(s): I can target 1 of those monsters; I must add 1 'Ancient Warriors' monster with a different name from my Deck to my hand!" To prove it worked, he placed the 'Ancient Warriors - Masterful Sun Mou' Monster Card onto a Monster Zone on his Duel Disk, "I Summon 'Ancient Warriors - Masterful Sun Mou'!"

Appearing on the field was a human male wearing blue armor and wielding two swords (Level: 4/ATK: 1800/DEF: 1500).

"While I control another 'Ancient Warriors' monster, my opponent's monsters cannot target this card for attacks," revealed Xiao Hu, going over his monster's first effect, "Of course, this triggers the first effect of 'Ancient Warriors Saga - Three Visits'!" He held up a card ('Ancient Warriors - Rebellious Lu Feng') taken from his Deck, "By targeting my 'Masterful Sun Mou', I'll add 'Rebellious Lu Feng' from my Deck into my hand since it has a different name."

"What else will he do?" wondered Yong Bao mentally.

"Next, I'll activate the second effect of 'Masterful Sun Mou'!" The voice of Xiao Hu went on, causing Yong Bao to flinch. 'Ancient Warriors - Masterful Sun Mou' looked towards the face-up 'Ancient Warriors Saga - Three Visits' Spell Card and pointed both swords at it, causing the card to fade away in a blue streak, "I can send 1 card from my hand or field to the GY; I must…" The drawn card was a Monster Card called 'Ancient Warriors - Loyal Guan Yun', "…add 1 'Ancient Warriors' monster from my Deck…" He added the card into his hand, "…to my hand, except 'Ancient Warriors - Masterful Sun Mou'! This, in turn, activates the second effect of Ancient Warriors Saga - Three Visits'!'" While explaining the effect, appearing on the field was a Chinese man wearing heavy armor and wielding a sword (Level: 7/ATK: 2500/DEF: 1800), "If this card is sent from the Spell & Trap Zone to the GY: I can Special Summon 1 'Ancient Warriors' monster from my hand!"

"That's 'Ancient Warriors - Loyal Guan Yun'!" remembered Hong-Mei.

"My opponent cannot target other 'Ancient Warriors' monsters I control with card effects," said Xiao Hu, going over his monster's second effect. He held up another card, "Next, as a result of controlling the highest ATK 'Ancient Warrior' monster, I'll Special Summon this monster from my hand," The card was turned over and revealed to be a Monster Card called 'Ancient Warriors - Rebellious Lu Feng', "'Ancient Warriors - Rebellious Lu Feng'!"

Appearing on the field was a Chinese emperor wearing fancy armor and riding a red horse (Level: 8/ATK: 2800/DEF: 2200). Lady once again grew concerned over how quickly Da Li and Xiao Hu had managed to swarm their field again with powerful monsters—something Xiao Hu took notice of.

"You've got more to be afraid of," he pointed out, much to Lady's further discomfort, "Like 'Masterful Sun Mou's' third effect! If my other 'Ancient Warriors' monster's effect is activated (except during the Damage Step): I can target 1 monster my opponent controls; I must return it to the hand!"

'Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Swan' found himself bursting into flames, much to Lady's dismay since it once again brought back horrible memories of her duel against Dark Marik and facing 'The Winged Dragon of Ra'. When the flames died down, 'Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Swan' was gone, back in Yong Bao's Extra Deck.

"My Uncle's monster was-!" gasped Hong-Mei.

"Oh, but you should be happy to see 'Swan' be sent packing after it had tortured you so much in your duel with Yong Bao," mocked Da Li, speaking to Lady.

"Allow me to 'help' you further," Xiao Hu offered sarcastically, just as it was Lady's turn to gasp, "I activate the first effect of 'Ancient Warriors - Rebellious Lu Feng'!" As the effect was being explained, 'Ancient Warriors - Rebellious Lu Feng' charged towards 'Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Cardinal', raised the sword, and brought it down upon Yong Bao's monster and causing him to catch on fire, "Once per turn, during the Main Phase (Quick Effect): I can destroy the 1 face-up monster my opponent controls with the highest ATK (my choice, if tied), also I cannot activate monster effects the turn I activate this effect, except 'Ancient Warriors' monsters'!"

'Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Cardinal' howled in agony before exploding from destruction and leaving Lady and Yong Bao with no more monsters, much to the great concern of Hong-Mei and Burnett as they watched from their spot.

"Lady and Yong Bao are lucky they're not able to take any battle damage this turn," commented Burnett, "Otherwise, one attack by Xiao Hu would be enough to defeat them."

Back on the field, things were not getting any better for Lady and Yong Bao as Xiao Hu made another move.

"I activate 'Deceptive Jia Wen's' second effect!" exclaimed Xiao Hu, pointing towards Da Li's monster, "If a card(s) my opponent controls is destroyed by battle or card effect: I can target 1 'Ancient Warriors' card in my GY, except 'Ancient Warriors - Deceptive Jia Wen'; I must add it to my hand," He held up a card ('Ancient Warriors Saga - Three Visits') taken from his GY for a few seconds before placing it in his hand, "I add the Continuous Spell, 'Ancient Warriors Saga - Three Visits', from my GY into my hand!"

Suddenly, the 'Dian Keto the Cure Master' Spell Card materialized face-up on the field and started glowing.

"I activate the Spell, 'Dian Keto the Cure Master'!" The voice of Xiao Hu announced, just as he and his partner-in-crime gained some LP (LP: 200 → 1200), "I must gain 1000 LP! And, with that, I'll end my turn! Which…" The face-up 'Fire Fist Protection' Trap Card shattered into shards of glass, "…ends the effect of 'Fire Fist Protection'!"

Lady could only feel herself beginning to panic even further; she and Yong Bao controlled no monsters, all of Yong Bao's resources were gone, so she was unable to rely on them, while Da Li and Xiao Hu both had multiple powerful monsters that could crush her and Yong Bao in one move. Winning the duel, freeing Hong-Mei and Burnett, everything hinged entirely on her being able to end it all on this turn, and that terrified her to death.

"You're broken and can never be fixed!" accused Xiao Hu, overconfident in his and Da Li's impending victory.

"People whose minds can't be healed are worth more dead than alive!" laughed Da Li, equally overconfident, "If you can't handle it," As he rambled on, Lady listened in complete sorrow and despair, "you should just end the pain—which is better than living through it!"

Practically being told to give up and kill herself during such a serious duel really started to get to Lady as she started contemplating surrendering the duel; she suddenly fell to her knees and clutched the sides of her head as she heard voices taunting and laughing at her—one voice in particular…

"Go ahead, end it all!" The voice of Dark Marik echoed, "You can never recover since I will always be there to continue torturing you to your death!"

From there, Lady weakly opened her eyes with a sad look on her face as she slowly reached to touch the top of her Duel Disk in order to declare a surrender. Xiao Hu and Da Li both watched with glee that they were able to completely break Lady Stone and force her to give up without finishing the duel. At the last second, however, she stopped short of placing her hand on top of the Duel Disk as she thought she heard someone else calling out to her.

"Hey! What are you doing?" demanded Da Li, "Hurry and give up!"

Yong Bao, however, knew that Lady was thinking about the whole thing and decided to add a few sagely words of advice of his own.

"Lady, are you willing to allow someone precious to her be hurt or killed because you allowed your fear to stop you?" pressed Yong Bao, as Lady looked over, "There are friends and family waiting for you to recover because they love you, those who are precious to you, those who know you're strong enough to overcome the hurdles in your way!"

"I… Of course, I want to protect those I love," stammered Lady

"Then you'll need to turn that conviction into strength and rise like a phoenix from the ashes of your past!" yelled Yong Bao, "Reincarnate, Polly!"

Processing Yong Bao's words, and thinking about all her friends back home, and her sheer desire to save Burnett, no matter how much Dark Marik plagued her heart and mind, Lady steeled her will and determination to protect and fight for those important to her.

"Come on, Lady!" The voice of Percy suddenly called out, as Lady went and slapped herself with both hands, "You're stronger than that, and you and I know it!"

With confidence she hadn't shown since before she lost to Dark Marik, Lady returned to her feet and decided to fight on.

"It's my turn!" she began, drawing a card with a Destiny Draw, "Draw!"

"It can't be!" wailed Xiao Hu, "You should be begging for mercy!"

"Apparently, our words weren't enough," fumed Da Li, "Fine! Complete your turn, then we'll finish you off!"

Turn Eight: Lady Stone (Team LP: 1200)
Deck: 52
Current Hand (4): "Symbol of Heritage", "Harpie's Pet Dragon", "Harpies' Hunting Ground", and "Harpie Perfumer"

Lady, however, was not going to let the two Chinese men do what they planned to do to Burnett or Hong-Mei, and decided she 'would' settle things on this turn. She looked at her drawn card and had an idea.

"I activate a Field Spell from my hand," began Lady, as the 'Harpies' Hunting Ground' Spell Card materialized face-up on the field, "'Harpies' Hunting Ground'!" She looked very firm while explaining how the card's first effect worked, "All Winged Beast monsters gain 200 ATK/DEF."

"Oh really?" huffed Da Li, "Like anything you Summon will be strong enough to defeat our monsters."

"This is only the beginning," retorted Lady, before placing a card ('Harpie Perfumer') onto her Duel Disk, "Appear now, 'Harpie Perfumer'!"

Appearing on the field was a female Winged Beast monster with claws for hands, green wings, long, violet hair, and wearing a purple and violet bodysuit with a good portion of her torso being exposed—receiving a small stat buff from the first effect of the 'Harpies' Hunting Ground' Spell Card (Level: 4/ATK: 1600/DEF: 1500).

"For my monster's first effect… This card's name becomes 'Harpie Lady' while on the field or in the GY," advised Lady, "Next, I'll activate my monster's second effect!" She held up a card ('Elegant Egotist') taken from her Deck before adding it into her hand, "If this card is Normal or Special Summoned: I can add 1 Spell/Trap from my Deck to my hand that specifically lists the card 'Harpie Lady Sisters' in its text."

"But there's also the second effect of Lady's Field Spell!" remembered Hong-Mei.

"Mm!" nodded Lady, before resuming her focus towards Da Li and Xiao Hu, "If any 'Harpie Lady' or 'Harpie Lady Sisters' is Normal or Special Summoned: The player who conducted the Summon targets 1 Spell/Trap on the field; that player destroys that target!" She thrust her left hand (with the Duel Disk) forward, "Go, 'Harpie Perfumer'!"

'Harpie Perfumer' obeyed, flying over and slashing at Lady's 'Alluring Mirror Split' Spell Card, destroying it.

"She destroyed her own card?" blinked Da Li.

"Why would she do that?" added Xiao Hu.

"I activate the second effect of 'Alluring Mirror Split'!" interrupted Lady, causing Da Li and Xiao Hu to recoil. She then carried on with her turn, "If this card I control is destroyed by a 'Harpie' card's effect or my opponent's card effect: I must target 1 'Harpie' monster in my GY; I must Special Summon it," Her GY started glowing white, "Resurrect, 'Harpie Channeler'!"

Reappearing on the field was the female Winged Beast monster wielding a scepter (Level: 4/ATK: 1600/DEF: 1500).

"Once again, through her third effect, 'Harpie Channeler' is named 'Harpie Lady' while in the GY and on the field," reminded Lady, "But you know what else happens, right?"

"Oh hell!" cried Xiao Hu.

Da Li's 'Ancient Warriors Saga - Defense of Changban' Trap Card was then slashed by 'Harpie Channeler', destroying it to the anger of Da Li—who wasn't done just yet.

"The second effect of 'Ancient Warriors Saga - Sun-Liu Alliance' activates!" bellowed Da Li, While explaining away, focus went to all of the 'Ancient Warriors' on his and Xiao Hu's fields respectively "If my opponent Special Summons a monster(s), or I activate an 'Ancient Warriors' monster's effect (except during the Damage Step): I can make all 'Ancient Warriors' monsters I control gain 300 ATK for each 'Ancient Warriors' monster I control until the end of this turn (even if this card leaves the field)!"

'Ancient Warriors - Deceptive Jia Wen' (ATK: 1100 → 2600), 'Ancient Warriors - Ambitious Cao De' (ATK: 3000 → 4500'), 'Ancient Warriors - Masterful Sun Mou' (ATK: 1600 → 3100), 'Ancient Warriors - Loyal Guan Yun' (ATK: 2500 → 4000), and 'Ancient Warriors - Rebellious Lu Feng' (ATK: 2800 → 4300) all grew even stronger.

"Oh, Polly… I hope you know what you're doing," worried Burnett.

Luckily, Lady Stone knew exactly what she was up to… She slotted a card into her Duel Disk.

"I activate 'Elegant Egotist'!" declared Lady, as the mentioned Spell Card materialized face-up on the field, "If 'Harpie Lady' is on the field: I must Special Summon 1 'Harpie Lady' or 'Harpie Lady Sisters' from my hand or Deck!" Once again, she held her left hand (with the Duel Disk) out, "Appear now, 'Harpie Lady Sisters'!"

Appearing on the field were 'Harpie Lady 1', 'Harpie Lady 2', and 'Harpie Lady 3' as a single monster (Level: 6/ATK: 2150/DEF: 2300).

"Now again!" insisted Lady, "The second effect of 'Harpies' Hunting Ground' will let me destroy one of your cards!" As she gave the order, 'Harpie Lady Sisters' flew over and slashed at 'Ancient Warriors Saga - Sun-Liu Alliance', "I destroy 'Ancient Warriors Saga - Sun-Liu Alliance'!"

'Ancient Warriors Saga - Sun-Liu Alliance' shattered into shards of glass.

"Heh! I don't know what you're up to, but it's all for nothing!" grunted Xiao Hu, as pieces of glass from Da Li's destroyed Spell Card soared past him, "I activate 'Ancient Warriors - Rebellious Lu Feng's' second effect!" As he explained the effect, 'Ancient Warriors - Rebellious Lu Feng' pulled out the sword and rushed at 'Harpie Lady Sisters', slashing all three of the 'Harpie Ladies' at the same time and destroying them, "Once per turn, during the Main Phase (Quick Effect): I can destroy the 1 face-up monster my opponent controls with the highest ATK (my choice, if tied), also I cannot activate monster effects the turn I activate this effect, except 'Ancient Warriors' monsters!"

"You sure are sad," sneered Da Li, "All of that wonderful effort of yours has gone to waste."

Lady smiled, "Actually," she corrected, "you took the bait."

"Huh?" Da Li and Xiao Hu blinked.

"I activate 'Harpie Channeler's' first effect!" continued Lady, holding up a card ('Harpie's Pet Dragon') taken from her hand, "I can discard 1 'Harpie' card; I must…" She discarded the card, as another card emerged from the top of her Deck, "…Special Summon 1 'Harpie' monster from my Deck in face-up Defense Position, except 'Harpie Channeler'!" The beautiful blonde-haired girl held her card out, "I Special Summon 'Cyber Harpie Lady'!"

Appearing on the field was 'Harpie Lady 1' wearing 'Cyber Shield' (Level: 4/ATK: 2000/DEF: 1500)—just in time for her to fly into the sky until she was above the 'Harpies' Hunting Ground' Spell Card.

"This time, through 'Harpies' Hunting Ground's' second effect," The voice of Lady was saying, "I'll destroy my own Field Spell!"

*SLASH!*

'Cyber Harpie Lady' slashed at the face-up 'Harpies' Hunting Ground' Spell Card, destroying it and causing 'Cyber Harpie Lady' herself (ATK: 2000 → 1800/DEF: 1500 → 1300), 'Harpie Channeler' (ATK: 1600 → 1400/DEF: 1500 → 1300), and 'Harpie Perfumer' (ATK: 1600 → 1400/DEF: 1500 → 1300) to lose their ATK and DEF bonuses. It was then Lady closed her eyes in deep thought.

"Yong Bao… Ashima… Please lend me your strength," she begged mentally, before opening her eyes, "I overlay 'Harpie Perfumer', 'Harpie Channeler', and 'Cyber Harpie Lady'!"

It was loud enough for Yong Bao, Da Li, Xiao Hu, Hong-Mei, and Burnett to hear, and they were outright shocked by the declaration. The Overlay Network reappeared in the center of the field, absorbing all three of Lady's monsters as something erupted from that spot. A large, hot pink dragon began to emerge from the Overlay Network, which had sharp claws and a chain for a collar—as a Summon Chant from Lady was heard throughout.

"Faithful pet of the winged beauties! Ignite the flames of your past mistakes, and be reborn from their ashes!" chanted Lady, "Xyz Summon! Manifest, Rank 4! 'Harpie's Pet Phantasmal Dragon'!"

The large, mirage-like dragon let out a roar to signal its arrival (Rank: 4/ATK: 2000/DEF: 2500).

"Polly… I'm so surprised… You've pulled off an Xyz Summon!" breathed Burnett.

Back on the field, Lady and 'Harpie's Pet Phantasmal Dragon' faced Da Li and Xiao Hu, ready to finish the duel here.

"The second effect of 'Harpie's Pet Phantasmal Dragon'!" confessed Lady, "My opponent cannot target any 'Harpie' monsters with effects or for attacks!"

"So what?" scoffed Xiao Hu, "Your monster only has 2000 ATK! It's not enough to overcome any of our remaining monsters!"

"We were expecting something scarier than that from you!" put in Da Li, before gesturing the thumb of his right hand at himself, "Once your turn is over, I'm gonna enjoy crushing it and you!"

"Are you sure about that?" quipped Lady.

"What!?" came from Xiao Hu.

"This duel will end on this turn, and I'll do it with only 'Harpie's Pet Phantasmal Dragon'," Lady went on bitterly, "In fact, I never actually told the both of you my monster's first effect…" As she explained the effect, 'Harpie's Pet Phantasmal Dragon' roared once more and eyed Xiao Hu and Da Li with malice, "This card can attack my opponent directly."

"W-W-What?!" screamed Xiao Hu.

"We only have 1200 LP remaining!" recalled Da Li (Team LP: 1200).

And they did.

"Battle!" declared Lady, entering her Battle Phase, "Let's finish this, 'Harpie's Pet Phantasmal Dragon'!" As she continued giving instructions to her monster, 'Harpie's Pet Phantasmal Dragon' leaned its head back and charged a blast of fire, "Strike at Xiao Hu and Da Li directly! Saint Mirage Giga!"

And 'Harpie's Pet Phantasmal Dragon' was more than happy to let loose the flame attack upon the two vulnerable targets.

"Hurry and protect us, our monsters!" A desperate Xiao Hu howled in panic.

The remaining supercharged 'Ancient Warriors' monsters got in the way of Saint Mirage Giga in hopes of protecting the pair, but the fire instead went right through them.

"NO WAY!" freaked out Da Li.

The direct attack struck both enemy players, causing them to scream in pain and defeat before the attack ended. When it did end, Da Li collapsed onto his back while Xiao Hu fell onto his knees as their combined LP total completely drained (LP: 1200 → 0).

DUEL RESULTS: Lady Stone and Yong Bao Sifang both win!

"Alright! They won!" cheered Hong-Mei, before pulling too hard and causing her to smack herself face first into the tree, "Ouch…"

Burnett chuckled weakly, but, at the same time, was happy that Lady overcame her fear enough to win the duel. Speaking of Lady, she was equally relieved the duel was over, but believed that Da Li and Xiao Hu needed to be taught a bigger lesson. Looking nearby, Lady found a broomstick laying on the wall near the door leading into the house and walked over to grab hold of it. Meanwhile, the two Chinese men, unaware of what was coming, continued to be in disbelief over their loss to Lady and Yong Bao.

"This is impossible-!" stammered Da Li.

"How could we lose?" protested Xiao Hu.

"You lost because you were overconfident in yourselves, and you felt the need to resort to underhanded tactics to give yourselves an advantage," answered Yong Bao, before a slight grin came to his face, "But that's the 'least' of your problems, right now."

The two crooks looked up and noticed Lady glaring intensely at them with the broomstick in her hands.

"You think it's funny to kidnap innocent people over a petty grudge?" began Lady, raising the broomstick and bringing it down on Xiao Hu's head as she began ranting, "You think 'all' people with post traumatic stress disorder should be given up on, and not be allowed the chance to get better?" She then smacked Da Li on the head with the makeshift weapon, not letting up, "You both know absolutely nothing about what it's like for people like me!" By now, she was making the two crooks cower before her, "I am not a broken toy that should be thrown away if I can't be fixed!"

"Please, we give!" whimpered Xiao Hu, "Just stop it!"

"Stop? Stop?! I haven't even gotten started yet!" snapped Lady hotly.

"Hey! Yong Bao!" Da Li called out, while Yong Bao used a key to unlock the handcuffs on Hong-Mei and Burnett, "Do something! Call off this girl!"

"Oh, I don't know about that," joked Yong Bao, finding the scene of Lady beating on Da Li and Xiao Hu with a broomstick to be hilarious, "You did provoke her in a bad way, you know, and that really isn't my-"

He never got any further, as Da Li and Xiao Hu got up and started making a run for it. Not about to let the two Chinese men get away with it, Lady started chasing after them while still ranting and wanting to make them pay.

"Wow, that has got to be the most exciting thing I've ever seen all day," remarked Yong Bao pleasantly.

"You know, Uncle, that was a huge risk you took by misplaying on your last turn," Hong-Mei pointed out, "You could have totally wrecked…" She started addressing Da Li and Xiao Hu, who were still running from Lady, "…those two yet you didn't."

"That is true, Hong-Mei, but sometimes risks such as that are worth taking," confirmed Yong Bao, as Lady raised her broomstick again, "It helped Lady overcome her demons to allow her to defeat Da Li and Xiao Hu."

Before long, Da Li and Xiao Hu fled from the home of Yong Bao Sifang, running across the street when they bumped into a police car with two police officers inside.

"The police! Oh, thank heaven you're here!" wailed Xiao Hu.

"Quick! Arrest us! Get us away from that crazy foreign girl!" begged Da Li, "She's insane, I tell ya! Insane!"

Nearby, Lady watched with the broomstick still in her hands. The two police officers looked very confused with the events that transpired, but they remembered the two crooks from years ago and decided to grant their request.

(inside…)

Later inside the living room of Yong Bao's home, Lady collapsed onto a nice comfy chair, having spent most of her energy trying to get even with Da Li and Xiao Hu.

"Boy, with the way you went at those two, I don't think we'll be having any problems with them for a long, long time, if ever again," chortled Hong-Mei, sitting down on the couch.

Lady weakly chuckled back.

"Now, Lady, I want to tell you that I'm glad you've fought off your demons long enough to win us the duel," praised Yong Bao, as he arrived with a tray with four tea cups and a pot of hot tea, "Even so, it may still take time for you to fully recover from your trauma, and you can't rush that recovery, but…" He carefully placed the tray onto the little table and smiled, "…as long as you doesn't allow that trauma to overshadow your desire to help or be there for those you love when they need help and support," As he finished his little speech, he watched as Lady poured herself a cup of tea, "you will grow into a stronger person, and someday you will be able to enjoy dueling as much as you used to."

"Well, I do need some more time to get over it," sighed Lady, but recovered a little bit, "However, this is indeed my first big step towards improving for the better."

"And we're all very proud of you for taking that step," came from Burnett.

"Until then," said Yong Bao kindly, as Burnett and Lady looked over, "you two are more than welcome to stay with Hong-Mei and I for as long as you'd like."

"Oh my…" murmured Lady.

"Oh, thank you," accepted Burnett, "That is so kind of you to offer."

"Think nothing of it, my friend," Yong Bao replied.

"(我的天啊!) Wǒ de tiān a! (Oh my God!)" cried Hong-Mei in Chinese, growing excited. She suddenly rushed over and took Lady by the hands, "This is great! That means you and I can properly hang out, share secrets, take baths together, sleep together, and possibly become besties over the New Year celebrations!"

An annoyed Lady Stone closed her eyes and smiled sheepishly, hoping that she (Hong-Mei) was at least kidding (she was) about the both of them sleeping together bit as Burnett and Yong Bao both shared a laugh over Hong-Mei's eagerness in getting to know the beautiful blonde-haired girl and potentially become best friends with her (Lady).

(elsewhere…)

Two days later, on February 14th, it was Chinese New Year. In downtown Beijing as night fell, people, including Lady and Burnett, had gathered to watch Hong-Mei, dressed as a lion with another girl around her age, and Yong Bao performing the dragon dance with several other men on a large stage. As the performance intensified, Lady found herself really enjoying it. She then felt Burnett's right arm wrapping around her shoulders and smiled fondly, happy to have him as her guardian and parental substitute. Pretty soon, the dragon dance ended with an explosion of fire on the stage.

"Happy New Year! (新年快樂!) Xīnnián kuàilè! (Happy New Year!)" The Chinese people all chanted, first in English then in Chinese.

And everyone, including the performers on stage, burst into applause over the raging success of that Chinese New Year.