Chapter 3
Yugi was waking up to see that Tea was groaning while rubbing her back due to the two of them camping outside for the first night.
"Man. It was nice, but the ground was a bit rough on my back." Tea said as she stretched her back to relieve the knots in it until she sighed in relief before checking her Star Chip count.
"Well, thanks to those other duelists yesterday, we were at fifteen combined," Yugi said as he recalled the two duelists that faced them both last night before they headed to bed. It was a close match, but thanks to Yugi pulling out the win, both Tea and Yugi had twelve Star Chips in total, with Yugi having all ten of his while Tea had five Star Chips in their respective gauntlets.
"Yeah, sorry for dragging us down, Yugi. This tournament is really meant for the best of the best." Tea said as she felt like she was dragging Yugi down since the difference in their skills was huge. Tea was strong when it came to fighting her classmates at school in a duel, but for Yugi, who was able to beat Kiba, one of the best duelists in the world, it made her confidence go down by a lot.
Yugi saw this and tried to reassure her that she wasn't dragging him down, but it was in vain since the past few duels were close, with them barely pulling through due to Tea's Deck not having a lot of power to help him in their battles.
The two then decided to change the topic as they had some breakfast before they saw their phones send out a notification.
"Huh?! A pair have already made it to Duelist Kingdoms Castle?!" Tea shouted as she checked the names and gasped to see that it was both Issei and Vivian Wong who were the first pair to enter the castle.
"Woah, so both Issei and Vivian are in the castle? They must've had a powerful opponent if they were able to get in the castle on the third day of the tournament." Yugi said as he realized that he needed to be prepared for future matches since the Eliminators took out a couple more teams in the past three days.
"This is crazy. There were fifteen teams, but now there are only ten of them left. With Issei and Vivian already taking their place as the first team, that means that there are only nine teams left, and that's including us in that count. I bet Pegasus is only expecting eight or sixteen players in total to make it. We need to get the Star Chips quickly so we can get you in that castle, Yugi!" Tea said with confidence, as she was more than determined to help Yugi get to the castle to save his grandfather until they saw a notification pop up.
"Now, I hope you all are doing well since the first two of the Top Eight have entered my castle. I wish to mention that other challenges will have special rules and conditions for the players to follow, and the victor will not only be able to obtain the Star Chips needed to complete the quest to enter my castle. There will be four special challenges that can only begin when two teams are there and agree to the challenges." Pegasus explained as he smiled at another team being taken out
"Oh my. It seems that only eight teams are remaining, which means that only six out of the sixteen players can enter my castle to join the other winners. Good luck, and watch out for the Eliminators. Hehehe." Pegasus said as he ended the transmission before notifications began to pop up on their phones.
"Woah, so these are the challenges huh?" Yugi said as he looked to see if any were nearby before smiling. "Hey, there's one nearby. It's called the Bonds of Friendship Challenge. And there's already a team there, so that means we won't have to wait long!"
Tea smiled at this as she was glad that Yugi was being his energetic self while also giving herself a pep talk to make sure that Yugi made it to the castle.
"Well, then, what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Tea said as she quickly cleaned up their dishes before picking up Yugi and carrying him towards the challenge soon. The two headed past the forest and made their way to the Oceanside to see that two duelists were waiting for them.
"Ah. I see our challengers are here. I am Sona Sitri, and this is Mako Tsunami. We shall be your opponents for this competition." Sona said as she pushed up her glasses while observing her opponents. She could tell that Tea was the weak link of their team, similar to her team, since Sona knew that she was more substantial than her partner, but the difference was that their play styles worked together.
"Oh! My name is Tea Gardner, and this is Yugi Moto. It's a pleasure to meet you both, so do either of you know what this challenge is?" Tea asked as Mako shook his head.
"Sorry, but we haven't got a clue. Sona and I were eating some fish for breakfast until we got the notification from Pegasus. After the broadcast, we saw that the challenge was right on top of us, so we were waiting for someone to show up to explain it to us." Mako said as Sona nodded in agreement before one of Pegasus's security officers approached the four of them.
"Ah, it's a pleasure to meet you all. I welcome you to the Bonds of Friendship Challenge, and this one is a special challenge since the two teams will be participating in a tag team duel." The agent said as he pulled out a tablet and explained the rules while the duel arena appeared behind the group.
"The rules are simple. The two teams will duel in a set of three matches. The winner of the first two will advance to the third round. Each Duelist, during their turn, will have a special button called Life and Death. This challenge allows your teammates to transfer up to a thousand life points to their partners, but the condition is this. The Life Points your partners have as a result at the end of the Duel, which means it's carried on to their Duel. However, know that only the victors will be able to move on after the Duel." The agent said as the two teams nodded before a screen appeared on the arena as Sona and Tea's pictures were revealed.
"This'll be interesting. Let's see if you are more than just a cheerleader." Sona said as she walked over to her side while Tea huffed in anger and headed to her side as she pulled out her Deck.
"Let the first match begin. It's time to Duel!" The agent shouted as the first match began.
Sona Sitri: 4000
Tea Gardner: 4000
"I'll be going first. I draw." Sona said as she observed her hand and then looked at Tea struggling with what to do on her turn.
'This'll end before she even understands the situation she's in.' Sona said in her mind as she made her first move. "First, I'll activate the Field Spell: The Frozen Land Cocytus."
The Frozen Land Cocytus.
Field Spell
This card allows all Water monsters on the users' side of the field not to be affected by card effects. All Water monsters gain 300 attack points times their Level. Also, if a Water Monster is destroyed in battle, this card prevents them from being killed in battle.
"And now I'm going to play Double Summon, which I'll use to put two monsters in defense mode," Sona said as she placed two monsters in defense mode. "And then I'll place two cards facedown and end my turn."
Sona said as Tea was worried about what her move would be until she saw Yugi give her a nod of approval. Tea smiled in thanks as she began her first turn.
"Alright, then, my turn. I summon Fairy's Gift!" Tea declared as the small fairy appeared before Tea made her next move. "And then I'll equip her with Elf's Light, which increases her power by 400 attack points but decreases her defense by 200."
Tea said as the fairy appeared glowing with a golden aura as her power increased.
Fairy's Gift
ATK: 1400400=1800
DEF: 1000-200=800
"And now she'll attack your facedown monster on the left!" Tea declared as the fairy fired a beam of light that destroyed an octopus-like creature, which made Sona smile.
"Thank you, and because you destroyed Shocktopus in battle, your little fairy now loses all its power and can't change its battle position," Sona said as the octopus appeared behind the fair and bound it in its tentacles, which made Tea gasp in shock until then decided to end her battle phase.
"Okay then. I'll place two cards facedown and end my turn." Tea said as she put her two cards facedown until Sona drew her next card and eyed the facedown cards.
'She's definitely hoping I'll go on the attack. If that's what she wants, then why not.' Sona said as she then summoned her monster.
"Appear now, Big Jaws," Sona said as the massive shark emerged and roared at Tea until Sona made her next move. "Then I'll use my Equip spell card, Cleansing Jewel, which prevents my shark from using his abilities. And thanks to my field spell, his power goes up by nine hundred."
Sona said as the shark growled while its power rose even higher.
Big Jaws
ATK: 1800900=2700
DEF: 300
"And now, Big Jaws will attack your weakened fairy," Sona said as Big Jaws roared as the shark roared and blasted through the fairy until the mighty creature hit Tea.
Tea Gardner: 4000-2700=1300
"I-I don't understand. My trap should've worked on it." Tea said as she revealed that she had used Mirror Force, but the trap didn't activate, as Sona explained.
"That's simple. Cocytus's magic keeps my creatures of the ocean safe from the traps you've laid out, and as long as Cocytus is on the field, my creatures of the ocean are safe from your weak little fairies." Sona said as she then revealed her next facedown card.
"And this match is over thanks to my last card facedown. Meet my favorite trap card. Revenge of the Sea." Sona said as she explained its effects. "It's a continuous Trap Card that makes you take damage equal to a Water monster with the highest original attack possible. Oh, and guess what? Shoctopus's attack power was 1600."
Tea Gardner: 1300-1600=0000
Tea then collapsed as she was hesitant to hit the button she was given but held her hand back as the fairy user took the damage and let herself fall while Sona smirked at the defeated girl. Sona then walked off her side of the arena, looked at Mako, and nodded in his direction.
"Good luck," Sona said as Tea got off her side to see Yugi approach her. He then placed a hand on her head.
"It's okay, Tea. You didn't know what Sona had in store, but now you'll know for next time." Yugi said as Tea wiped her tears and smiled in thanks as she walked away before turning back to see Yugi ready himself.
"I won't let Tea fall after what your partner said to her. Prepare yourself, Mako!" Yugi declared that Mako was excited about this and drew his five cards as well.
"Ready when you are Yugi Moto! Prepare to be blown away by the power of the sea!" Mako shouted as the Duel began.
Mako Tsunami: 4000
Yugi Moto: 4000
"I'll start my turn by placing a monster in defense mode and two cards facedown," Yugi said as he did as he said while Maki pondered what Yugi's strategy would be until it was his turn, which he started by drawing his sixth card before smiling at his hand.
"Yes," Mako said as he started his turn. "I'll start my turn by activating my Field Spell: The Legendary Ocean!"
The entire arena then started to appear as an underwater kingdom as Mako made his next move.
The Legendary Ocean
Field Spell
(This card's name is always treated as "Umi".)
All WATER monsters on the field gain 200 ATK/DEF. Reduce the Level of all WATER monsters in both players' hands and on the field by 1.
"And now I'll play Double Summon so I can bring out two of my favorite monsters," Mako said as he summoned two massive monsters.
"Now appear, Terrorking Salmon and Uminotaurus!" Mako declared as two massive beasts emerged.
Uminotaurus
ATK: 1700200= 1900
DEF: 1000200= 1200
If a Fish, Sea Serpent, or Aqua-Type monster you control attacks a Defense Position monster, inflict piercing battle damage to your opponent.
Terrorking Salmon
ATK: 2400200=2600
DEF: 1000200=1200
A feared salmon, master of the Sea of Darkness as its roe is the best delicacy in the World of Darkness.
"And now Terrorking Salmon will attack your facedown monster first!" Mako said as the Salmon roared before it charged at the facedown monster, only to reveal itself as the Mystical Elf.
"Thanks for attacking her because now I use my trap card: Magic Cylinder!" Yugi said as the trap flipped up; the attack was absorbed and sent right back to Mako, who took the full blast.
Yugi Moto: 4000
Mako Tsunami: 4000-2600=1400
"You good to continue, Mako? If so, then stand up and fight." Sona said as she impassively spoke before Mako smirked and nodded her way as he faced Yugi again.
"You got it, Sona! Thanks for the pep talk." Mako said as he ended his turn with two facedowns.
"Now it's my turn. I draw." Yugi said as he drew his fourth card before nodding. "I play the Black Luster Ritual!"
Two pots appeared in front of Yugi as he revealed two cards in his hand. "I sacrifice both the monsters in my hand: Feral Imp and Beaver Warrior. And with this sacrifice, I summon Black Luster Soldier!"
The two sacrifices closed their eyes as they turned into light and went into the pots until they both blasted a black aura as a massive black armored knight emerged from the aura itself. The Black Luster Soldier then cut through the aura as it held it within before Yugi gave the order for the soldier to attack the Terrorking Salmon.
The Salmon roared in pain as Mako took the damage from the massive knight.
Mako Tsunami: 1400-400=1000
"But I'm not done yet. Lastly, I play Pot of Greed, which lets me draw two new cards." Yugi said as he drew two new cards in his hand. Yugi smiled as he looked at Mako. "And this match is over."
Yugi then played a spell card from his hand. "I activate the spell card: Soul Collector!"
Soul Collector
Quick Play Spell
When a monster you control defeats an opponent's monster, then the user can summon that monster to their side of the field until the end of their next turn.
"And with this spell, I can bring your Terrorking Salmon to my side of the field!" Yugi explained as the Salmon appeared with purple eyes this time as it still retained its power bonus. "Now attack!"
The Terrorking then attacked Uminotaurus. Maki grunted as he felt his Life points drop even more.
Mako Tsunami: 1000-500=500
"But now I activate my final card, Mystical Blessing!" Yugi declared as Mystical Elf glowed into golden pixels as Black Luster Soldier readied itself for another attack.
Mystical Blessing
Spell Card
During the Battle Phase, if all other monsters besides Mystical Elf attacked, then the user sacrifices Mystical Elf and grants any monster on the user field the attack and defense points of Mystical Elf and the ability to strike again. This effect only lasts until the end of the turn this card was activated.
"Now Black Luster Soldier! Attack Mako Tsunami directly!" Yugi ordered as Black Luster Soldier sliced Mako's life points as he submitted his defeat.
"Heh. Looks like my ships have been sunk." Mako said in sadness as Sona walked towards him and patted his back before taking his place for the third match. She narrowed her eyes at the Millennium Puzzle on Yami Yugi's chest.
'There's something strange about that puzzle. Some magic, perhaps. Definitely Egyptian.' Sona said in her mind before the Duel began.
Sona Sitri: 4000
Yugi Moto: 4000
"I'll go first if that's okay with you," Yugi asked as Sona nodded in reply.
"Fire away. It'll let me see what you really made of 'King of Duel Monsters.'" Sona said as Yugi made his first move.
"Very well. I'll start by summoning Feral Imp in attack mode and equip him with the spell card: Horn of the Unicorn." Yugi said as the imp appeared, and its horn glowed even brighter.
Feral Imp
ATK: 1300700=2000
DEF: 1400700=2100
"I'll also place three cards facedown and end my turn," Yugi said as he ended his turn with the three cards facedown while Sona narrowed her eyes at the three facedown cards.
'I'll have to be careful.' "Alright then, I draw." Sona drew her sixth card before Yugi stopped her.
"Apologies, Sona, but I'm going to have to see what you're up to, thanks to my Trap Card: Eye of Truth!" Yugi said as Sona narrowed her eyes at the trap before revealing her hand to the King of Games.
Eye of Truth.
Continuous Trap.
Your opponent must keep their hand revealed. Once per turn, during your opponent's Standby Phase, if they have a Spell(s) in their hand: They gain 1000 LP if they have a Spell(s) in their hand at resolution.
'Hm. Sona doesn't seem to have very many monsters, but I'll have to be careful since I don't recognize or know some of these cards.' "Since it's your Standby Phase, you gain a thousand life points for each spell card in your hand," Yugi explained. Sona smiled at this as her life points rose thanks to the effects.
Sona Sitri: 40003000=7000
"Then I'll put this to great use. I'll play Poseidon's Call, which allows me to summon a level six or lower monster from my Deck to the field, but they cannot attack the turn I summon them thanks to this card." Sona said as the spell card zone began to form a water portal of sorts until a massive creature began to emerge from the portal.
"Feast your eyes on Hammerhead Shark!" Sona said as the Hammerhead Shark emerged. Sona then continued her turn. "And thanks to his ability, by lowering his Level by one, I can special summon another level three Water Monster from my hand, so welcome back, Big Jaws. And thanks to that summon, I can also special summon Shark Stickers from my hand."
Sona had a wide grin as her trio of sharks appeared on the field, looking hungry at Yugi. "And now I play Level Surrender," Sona said as she played the spell.
Level Surrender.
Continuous Spell.
Once per turn, you can sacrifice one monster from the Deck and increase the Level of all monsters on the user's side of the field by that monster's Level, and the user gets to draw cards equal to the monster's Level.
"I'll give away Nimble Angler and increase the levels of all my sharks by two levels, which lets me draw two cards as well," Sona said as she drew her two new cards and smiled.
"And now I overlay my Level five Shark Stickers, Big Jaws, and Hammerhead Shark. And summon my favorite monster! Let me show you why I claimed my title as the Ice Queen." Sona said. As the temperature dropped by a reasonable amount, the air began to freeze until the sharks roared as they started beams of blue light as they went into the portal.
"The Queen that rules over the land of Cocytus. Come forth and drag all your enemies into the endless abyss and make them suffer an unimaginable fate at the bottom of the Hades domain. Appear, Number 94, CrystalZero!" Sona chanted as the massive figure appeared and transformed into a true Queen of the icy river. As she bellowed a melodic note, Yugi couldn't help but be hypnotized by the woman's siren call.
Number 94, CrystalZero
Rank 5
Two or more Level 5 Water Monsters.
During either player's turn, You can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card, then target all face-up monsters on the opponent's side of the field. Their ATK becomes half its current ATK until the end of your turn.
ATK: 2500
DEF: 2000
"And now I activate Nimbler Angler's ability. By sending him from the Deck to the graveyard, thanks to a card effect, I can summon two more to the field from the Deck." Sona said as two more Nimbler Anglers emerged from the water until she smiled at her remaining hand.
"And now I activate Overlay Draw. Which lets me draw new cards equal to the number of Overlay Units on all my XYZ monsters, so I draw three more." Sona said as she drew three more cards before smiling at her new four cards in hand.
"And now I'll summon Level Star to the field and use its ability to raise the level of all Water monsters in the field by three," Sona said as both her Level Star and Nimbler Anglers were now Level Five monsters.
Level Star.
Level 2
When this card is summoned, you can increase all Water monsters on your field by one, two, or three levels.
ATK: 500
DEF: 300
"And now I overlay all three of them, and I summon Crystal Zero's fortress as she finishes you off! Appear Shark Fortress!" Sona shouted as the massive Shark Fortress appeared on the field above the Queen.
Shark Fortress
Two or more Level 5 Monsters.
2 Level 5 monsters
Your opponent cannot target monsters for attacks except this one. Once per turn: You can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card, then target one face-up monster you control; it can make a second attack during each Battle Phase this turn.
ATK: 2500
DEF: 2000
"And now, I activate Crystal Zero's special ability. By using one overlay unit, all monsters on your field lose half their attack points until the end of my turn." Sona shouted as Crystal Zero blasted an icy wind that made Feral Imp shiver from the cold as his power dropped, even with the horn granting him more power.
"No, my imp is weaker now."
"And if you think I forgot your little facedown cards, then I'm going to take care of those with my spell card, Poseidon's Wrath. And this spell prevents you from using your spells, traps, and any monsters you have in hand until the end of the battle this turn." Sona said as Yugi's cards were covered in a blue aura until Crystal Zero attacked Feral Imp. It yelled in pain before vanishing from the field.
"No," Yugi muttered as his life points fell by a lot.
Yugi Moto: 4000-1500=2500
"Oh, and I'm not done. My Shark Fortress will assist with the Queen since, by using one overlay unit, Crystal Zero can attack once again!" Sona declared as Crystal Zero was then equipped with a massive rocket launcher mixed with a hammer.
(Note the hammer is Nora Valkyries but with ice instead of lightning.)
"Now attack again! Crystal Smash!" Sona shouted as CrystalZero twirled her hammer and slammed it into Yugi's life points as they took a nose dive to zero.
Yugi Moto: 2500-2500=0000
Sona Sitri: WINNER
Yugi Moto growled as he lost the Duel until clapping was heard as Pegasus came out to the field and congratulated them both.
"That was truly an amazing performance. I was stunned when I saw Sona Sitri play with her opponent before going in for the kill, which was poor Yugi boy." Pegasus chuckled as he looked at Mako and Tea, who looked confused before the Game Master smiled at their confusion.
"Ah. Are you wondering where your Star Chips are? Well, sadly, the true victors of this challenge were both Sona Sitri and Yugi Moto. Since they were the winners, they gained not only their partners Star Chips but also extra ones for making it to the third and final round." Pegasus said as Sona didn't seem fazed by this while Yugi and Tea were shocked until Mako asked.
"Hold on! Your agent never said anything about that! The rules you stated were that a team needed twenty Star Chips in total!" Mako growled as Pegasus smiled at the fisherman.
"Oh, poor Tsunami. The challenges are so that only the strongest members of the teams can enter my castle, and if they have enough Star Chips to enter, then it's because of their skills alone. The purpose of this challenge was to see the bond between teams, and I could tell that Yugi's partner was tempted to play the Life and Death button but refused to do so because she wanted her previous Yugi to be ready to face Mako. Such a shame that her sacrifice was in vain." Pegasus said as Sona took Mako's five-star chips and added them to her ten before adding the additional five chips she received for being victorious in the challenge.
Tea didn't mind as she handed Yugi her share of Star Chips and even gave the extra five to Yugi. He begrudgingly accepted the Star Chips as Tea was out of the tournament but was happy to help her friend get into the Duelist Kingdom so he could save his grandfather.
"Good luck, Yugi. I'll be rooting for you." Tea said as Mako felt cheated out of the tournament until Sona whispered something into his ear before she handed him a slip of paper.
"My father had been looking for a sailor to work for him, which would allow you to have a boat of your own, a paycheck, and a way to find your father," Sona said as Mako wanted to hug Sona until she stopped him.
"Down, boy."
"Thank you, Sona."
"You can thank me when you find your father. I wish you luck and thank you for the assist in the tournament, Mako Tsunami." Sona said as she waved Mako off as the agents escorted them out of the challenge area and to a boat that would take them back home.
"And now I congratulate you two for being the third and fourth Duelist to enter my castle. If you don't have your belongings, then my team of agents shall pick them up for you while I lead you to my castle." Pegasus said as Sona grabbed her gear and nodded, as did Yugi, before they both headed toward the castle.
Yugi looked over his Deck as he saw a card appear in his Deck that he didn't recall putting in his Deck but felt that this card was essential to hold on to for the time being.
"Slifer the Sky Dragon?"
And so, the finalists for the Duelist Kingdom Tournament are halfway through, so with only four spots remaining, who shall be the final four members of the eight?
Will it be Mai Valentine and Rebecca Hawkins?
Weevil and Rex Raptor?
Bandit Kieth and the Nordic Duelist Fenris?
Or another duelist in the tournament?
Find out as the tournament continues!
Scene!
Next Time: Dinosaurs, Insects, and Machines! Oh my!