To all my readers-This is the first time that I'm going to do Yugioh without making any character name changes. I want you all to know that my OC Paige Muto is related to Yugi and her looks are based on him. So, think of Paige as a feminine Yugi and Atem. Before anyone asks, yes, I will be doing all 5 seasons of Yugioh and that includes Capsule monsters as well. I was once asked if Paige would be dueling and yes, she will. You won't be able to see her duel until season 2 when Kaiba starts his Battle City Tournament.

As I write this chapter, you see Yugi talking to Atem. Since this is season 1, in this chapter, Yugi was asking Atem about the Black Luster Ritual on behalf of him and Paige.

If anyone, and I mean anyone tries to rush me while writing this fanfic or any of my other fanfics, all written chapters will be delayed for a week. No exceptions. Leave a positive review and Happy Reading!

I DONT OWN YUGIOH AT ALL! I ONLY OWN THE OC AND HER DUELING DECK!

Shoutouts:

"Whoa. Mai's really got Yugi on the ropes." said Joey. "She's got him down to 300 life points, and she hasn't lost any."

"As long as Mai's Shadow of Eyes card is still active, I can't play any of my monsters in defense mode. But if I try to attack, my monsters lose half of their power when they hit Mai's Mirror Wall." thought Yugi.

"Please, let me help you." said Yami.

"No. I can't risk turning you loose." Yugi tells him.

"Poor Yugi-boy seems to have a lot on his mind. I sense much conflict." thought Pegasus. "Instead of embracing the powers of his millennium item, he seems to be struggling against its forces, and that will be his undoing."

"Whats the problem, Yugi?" asked Tristan.

"Mai, is. She's gone and put aside all of her silly card tricks and played this duel flawlessly." said Tea.

"Who would have thought she was this good?" asked Joey. "Could it be that it was just sheer dumb luck that I beat her before?"

"I know I didn't." said Paige.

"It wasn't luck, Joey. I lost that duel to you because you knew something that I didn't." said Mai.

"Huh?" they said, gasping.

"I learned more from that duel than any other I've played before." she explained. "It's true, Joey. I learned a lesson from you that day that I never really wanted to learn. I didn't know it then, but it would change me and the way I looked at dueling. I had to take a hard look at myself and admit that the reason I relied on tricks was because I was afraid, afraid to trust in my own abilities, afraid to trust in myself, like you trusted in yourself, Joey. And facing up to that wasn't easy, believe me."

"You've really changed, Mai." said Yami.

"Joey, do you know how you made it all the way to the final round of this tournament?" Mai asked the blonde.

"Huh. Heck, yeah, I do." replied Joey. "I made it this far because I got my friends Yugi and Paige and Tristan and Tea and Bakura behind me, cheering me on and telling me that I can go all the way."

"That's true. That's very true." said Mai. "Your friends were with you all the way. But you also had the guts to look inside and face up to what you saw there. You looked your demons in the eye and dealt with them. And that's a lesson everyone should learn."

"I did that?" asked Joey.

"That's right. In that game, you taught me that a duelist can learn more from her defeats than her victories." said Mai. "You taught me to face up to my fears, not just try to bottle them up."

Yami gasps at this, realizing something. "So, Yugi, have you faced up to your fears?" asked Mai. "Whatever freaked you out in your battle with Kaiba, have you come to grips with it?"

"How can I?" asked Yugi when Yami realized what he was trying to do.

[Flashback]

Kaiba and Yugi were dueling outside on the castle turrets.

"Kaiba was willing to risk everything in our duel. And the spirit from my millennium puzzle was willing to do anything to stop him." thought Yugi.

"Surrender unless you have the courage to unleash your monster." shouted Kaiba as Celtic Guardian attacks his Blue Eyes White Dragon.

"But if I had attacked, Kaiba might have been seriously hurt." thought Yugi.

"Stop!" shouted Yugi as he fell to his knees.

"And I couldn't let that happen….even if it cost me the duel." Yugi thought.

[Flashback ends]

"No matter how badly Paige and I need to rescue Grandpa, hurting someone else is something I will not do." thought Yugi.

"I meant no harm. I only wanted to help." said Yami as he turns to Yugi. "And I vow never to go against your wishes again."

"How can I believe you?" Yugi asked Yami.

"Your grandfather once urged you and Paige to trust in the power of the millennium item, right?" Yami asked.

"Maybe your right." said Yugi.

"Mai, thanks for reminding me that a true duelist faces his problems." said Yami, smiling.

"He talked to the spirit." Paige muttered to herself as a grin formed on her face.

"What was that?" asked Tea.

"Nothing, Tea." said Paige.

"You're right, I was holding back. But not any longer." said Yami, then looks up at Paige and gives her a thumbs up.

"Hmm. You're a little late to the party, Yugi." thought Mai. "I've been dueling for real all along."

"Here we go." said Yami, about to draw a card.

"Just remember, you promised we'd do this my way, right?" Yugi asked as he appears beside the spirit.

"Yes, I did. And my word is my bond." said Yami as Yugi nodded.

"Ok." said Yugi.

"Hmm. I play the magic card, Brain Control." said Yami.

"Brain Control? What is that?" asked Mai.

"With this card, I can brainwash one enemy monster and control it for a turn." Yami explained as Brain Control appeared on the field, sending brain waves towards the dragon. "I'll use it to seize control of Harpy's Pet Dragon."

Pet Dragon roared as Harpy Lady steps back, watching it turn on her for the moment. "Nice move, Yugi." said Mai, chuckling. "But Harpy's Pet Dragon is only a servant of Harpy Lady, and even brainwashed, it would never think of turning on its master."

"Huh?" gasped Yami.

"Yugi, you just made your final mistake." said Mai, then laughs. "Even under Brain Control, Harpy's Pet Dragon wont attack her master."

"I know that, Mai. But I don't intend to attack your Harpy." said Yami.

"Huh?"

"First I play this card face down, and add Catapult Turtle." said Yami as he places both cards on his side of the field. "Now let's put Harpy's Pet Dragon on the Catapult in attack mode."

Harpy's Pet Dragon lands on Catapult Turtle and was aimed at Mai. "Because I've called an attack, your Mirror Wall appears, and I'm going to knock it down with your own Dragon." said Yami.

"Oh, no." thought Mai as she growls. "The Catapult Turtle has the power to destroy walls and fortresses."

"Catapult, launch!" shouted Yami and Catapult Turtle launches Harpy's Pet Dragon at Mai's Mirror Force, crashing it down as Paige and the others cheered.

"He shattered my Mirror Wall to pieces." said Mai, shocked by what had happened.

"And that's not all I've done, Mai." said Yami, smiling. "My assault has accomplished more than destroy the defense you built. Because it was your monster I fired from Catapult Turtle, half of the Pet Dragon's attack points get deducted from your life points. The tide of this battle is turning, Mai."

She gasps as her life points dropped to 850. "All right! Way to go!" shouted Joey. "Now you're socking it to her, Yugi."

"Go Yugi!" shouted Paige.

"Hmm. Most unexpected." thought Pegasus. "It seems Yugi-boy has somehow begun to regain his inner strength."

"You wanted my best, Mai? Well, you're about to get your wish." thought Yugi. "If Paige and I can trust the spirit of my millennium puzzle, if we can really work together, then nothing can stop us!"

"It's my turn." said Mai. "Hmm. Ok. The only monster Yugi's got on the field is that reptilian launch pad. I could send Harpy Lady to destroy it, then Yugi's life points would drop to zero and I'd be the winner. But then there's that other card he's laid face down. If it's a trap, I'd be walking right into it, and that could finish me. This is the toughest decision I've had to make all game…to attack or not to attack."

Mai gasps as she looks into Yami's eyes, seeing the hard stare he was giving her. "Bring on your assault, Mai." said Yami.

"Hmm." said Mai, quickly glancing at his face down card. "Now I will…..not attack. I'm not falling into your trap, and there are other moves that I can make. For example…I can use this card to triple my Harpy attack force. I play Elegant Egotist!"

Soon as she played it, Harpy Lady had finally brought in back up. "Not bad, huh?" Mai asked. "That end's my turn, Yugi, but next time around, you'll get a taste of my ladies' claws, and I promise you won't enjoy it."

"That's too bad, Mai." said Yami. "You really should have attacked me."

"Hmm. Well, that's your opinion." Mai tells him.

"No, it's fact." Yami stated. "If you had called an attack, then you would have won."

"But your trap card." said Mai.

"It's not a trap card, Mai." said Yami as he turns it over and shows her. "It's a Monster Recovery Card." Mai gasps in shock. "You fell for my bluff. It's a whole new duel now, Mai. For this turn, I'll activate the Monster Recover Card, pull all my monsters back into my deck, reshuffle, and now I can draw five new cards."

"Oh no! Not one of these cards is strong enough to bring down Mai's harpies." thought Yugi.

"Each of my three Harpy Ladies now has an attack power of 2,450." said Mai. "There are only a handful of cards in all of duel monsters that can stand up against that, and from the look on your face, you havent drawn one."

"Yugi, don't let up! Keep fighting!" shouted Tea.

"Thanks a lot, Tea. I may never hear again." said Paige, rubbing her left ear as Joey gives her a look.

"Without a monster on the field, Mai's free to attack my life points directly." said Yugi. "I'll never survive against her. Unless…"

"This card, in defensive mode!" shouted Yami.

"But you cant. Shadow of Eyes. It lures all monsters into attack mode, remember?" asked Mai.

"All monsters? No, Mai. And that's what'll save my life points in this turn." said Yami as he revealed Mystical Elf. "Mystical Elf! Shadow of Eyes may lure men into battle, but it doesn't work on female monsters."

"No! I forgot about that!" said Mai, shocked about it.

"You'll have to attack it instead of me." said Yami.

"Made it! Whew!" said Tea. "With all of his life points still intact."

"Way to go, Yugi!" cheered Paige.

"Sure, he may have gotten through this turn, but that does not mean he's out of the woods just yet." said Bakura. "It won't take Mai long to destroy that Mystical Elf."

"Oh." said Tea.

"Ok, so lets see where we stand." said Mai. "You're on the board with one measly Elf, and it's my turn. First, I'll use this Monster Reborn Card to bring back an old friend."

"Monster Reborn!" said Yugi as Harpy's Pet Dragon came back onto the field.

"What's that?!" asked Joey.

"Remember Harpy's Pet Dragon?" asked Mai as Pet Dragon's attack points rose to 2,900. "He's ba-a-ack! And he gets 300 more attack points for each Harpy on the field."

"Oh, no! He now has 2,900 attack points." gasped Yami.

"And every single point aimed right at you." added Mai as each Harpy Lady fired up an energy ball. "Harpy Ladies, combine your power!" All three Harpy Ladies fired up their attack in a triangle formation. "Exterminator Attack!"

Everyone but Yami gasped as Mystical Elf was obliterated off the field. "She wiped out his last defense!" exclaimed Tea.

"Your time's run out, Yugi!" Mai said as Yami plans his next move. "Next turn I eliminate the remainder of your life points! And then, looks like I go onto the finals. He might as well admit it, I'm unstoppable. There's nothing he can do against my monster's attack power. One more turn and it's all over."

"No! There must be something I can do!" thought Yugi as Yami looks down at the deck. "But I need more time! The next card I draw is going to decide the fate of so many lives. But what happens if I draw the wrong card? What happens to Grandpa and Paige? To Joey and his sister? And to Kaiba and Mokuba. I can't do this!"

"We can do this!" Yami said to Yugi. "Together. Just trust me, trust in the heart of the cards."

"Come on, now. We both know I'll wipe out any card you play on my next turn." Mai said, taunting Yami.

"Swords of Revealing Light!" shouted Yami.

"Swords of Revealing Light?" asked Mai as the swords appeared on the field. "He actually drew Swords of Revealing Light? How can anybody be that lucky?"

"Yes!" said Paige.

"All right! That holds Mai at bay for 3 turns." said Joey. "And buys Yugi some time to figure out a way out of this mess."

"Mm-mm. Decided to go down fighting, huh?" Mai asked. "Well, alright. A surrender would be easier, but if you're really determined to go out in a blaze of glory, I'll only be too happy to light the fire."

"No, Mai. What I intend to do is to go out in a blaze of victory." said Yami.

"Harpy's Pet Dragon is the most powerful monster she's got. Unless we can defeat it, there's no way to win." said Yugi.

"We can defeat it, but only at great risk." replied Yami. "It involves the Black Luster Ritual, and three turns might not be enough."

"Black Luster Ritual? What's that?" asked Yugi.

"If I draw the correct cards, you and Paige will see soon enough." said Yami. "My only move for this turn, I play Kuriboh!"

"Ooo!" squealed Kuriboh, appearing on the field.

"Oh. It's the attack of the giant three-toed hairball." said Mai, sarcastically. "Look, it's totally ferocious, Yugi."

"But it's a cute one, though!" said Paige as Kuriboh tries to scare Mai off.

"I think it wants to attack Harpy's Pet Dragon single-handed." said Mai, ignoring Paige's comment as she laughs and points at Kuriboh. Obviously, Yami wasn't laughing with Mai on this.

"Hmm. What, you don't think its funny, Yugi?" she asked.

"Its not, Mai." answered Yami. "Laugh all you want, but don't mistake the Kuriboh for a joke when its an important step on my way to victory in this duel."

"That hairball couldn't be an important step on the way to anything, except maybe choking a cat." said Mai. "Anyway, I cant attack as long as Swords of Revealing Light is still in play, so I draw this one card and that will end my turn. But soon, you're gonna be history."

"Hmm." said Yami as he looks down at his hand. "That Kuriboh was a good start, but with just the cards I've got in my hand now, I can't initiate the Black Luster Ritual. I still need one more card." He then draws the next card from his deck, revealing it to be Polymerization. "But this isn't the card I need!"

"I don't know what kind of maneuver you're trying to pull, kiddo, but go for it." thought Mai. "If you got to lose, you might as well lose with some flair."

"This card worked for you. Monster Reborn!" shouted Yami as he brought back the monster he needed. "I use Monster Reborn to bring back Gaia, the Fierce Knight!"

"Oh, Fierce Knight, Schmierce Knight. I guess he's an improvement over that little Kuriboh, but he hardly represents a threat to my Harpies and their super charged Pet." Mai said, dismissively. "Two turns to go."

"That'll be enough, Mai." said Yami, drawing his next card. "Still not the right card."

"Yugi." said Tea and Paige.

"Just maintain your cool, girls." said Joey.

"Huh?" said Tea.

"Relax. You can tell from the look in his eyes, he's not about to give up." said Joey as they look to see the determined look in Yami's eyes.

"Ah, I see. Very daring, Yugi-boy." thought Pegasus. "You mean to attempt the legendary Black Luster Ritual. But you've only one turn left in which to draw the necessary card. Are you really prepared to risk everything on the outcome of a single draw? Are you?"

"Its my turn now." said Mai. "Ha ha! Ha! I did it! I drew another Harpy Lady Card. On my next turn, I can play this card, giving me a total of 4 Harpies, and raising Pet Dragon's attack power to 3,200. Once Yugi's Swords of Revealing Light wear off, its all over for him."

"Mai isn't trying to hide her next move." said Joey. "She's got so much firepower; she thinks she's got this in the bag."

"My turn is over, as are the effects of your Swords of Revealing Light. Didn't get much help out of your 3 free turns, did you, Yugi?" asked Mai.

"Huh." gasped Yami as he looked over at his deck. "One card. It all comes down to this."

"Hm." said Joey, Tea and Paige.

"Ahh." said Bakura.

"Ah." said Tristan as Pegasus chuckles.

"No! No! I-I don't think I can do this. Yugi was right." thought Yami, hesitating. "There's too much riding on the draw of a single card. Who am I to gamble with the lives of Yugi's friends and family? And what will happen if I should fail? There's too much riding on the draw of a single card. I shouldn't be risking Yugi's friends and family this way. Its…too dangerous. I cant."

Unknown in the wings, Paige starts to feel a bit faint as she grabs her head with her hand.

"We can do it, together." said Yugi, placing his hand over Yami's as a small feminine hand was placed over it.

"I believe in you." said Paige. Yami looks down at both Muto siblings who looked up at him with smiles on their faces.

"Yugi? Paige?" he questioned.

"We're with you. And we're not alone." said Yugi.

"He's right, you know. And don't you forget it." said Paige as the spirits of their friends surrounded them.

"We have the support of all our friends. Just like Paige and I have had from the beginning." said Yugi.

"Ah. With all of you at my side, I was foolish to lose faith." said Yami.

"It's like you said….you, Paige and I have to trust in each other, and in the heart of the cards." said Yugi. "And once we put our hearts in the game, there's nothing we cant do."

Pegasus gasps at what happened. "Such power. I've never felt such tremendous strength. Never." he thought.

"Well, Mai…" said Yami, looking away from the card he drew.

"Hmm…"

"You've put up a good fight, but now the duel ends." said Yami.

"Huh?" she said, confused.

"Starting with this card! Black Luster Ritual!" said Yami, showing her a Ritual spell card.

"What?!" exclaimed Mai as the ritual appeared on the field.

"Watch. The Black Luster Ritual works by sacrificing all of the monsters I have placed on the field." Yami explained at Paige held onto the balcony wing for dear life as Gaia and Kuriboh were sacrificed into the two jars. "Combining the energies of my two separate monsters….and the forces of light and dark intertwined, opening the gates of chaos. Bringing forth…."

"Oh, no!" said Mai as Yami's new monster roared his way onto the field.

"The Black Luster Solider!" said Yami as Black Luster Solider (ATT: 3000/ DEF: 2500) stood before him.

"Wow." said Paige. "That's so cool!"

"I'm glad you think so, Paige." said Yami, smiling at her.

"Is that really the legendary Black Luster Solider?" asked a terrified Mai.

"Now, Black Luster Solider, Chaos Attack!" shouted Yami as Black Luster Solider strikes Harpy's Pet Dragon. It roared as it was split in half and went into the graveyard. "Harpy's Pet Dragon is vanquished." said Yami as Mai gasped and her life points down to 750.

"My most powerful monster…..it's gone." said Mai.

"This is outstanding." said Joey. "For a minute there, I really didn't think that Yugi'd be able to pull it off."

"I don't think Mai did, either." said Tristan.

"Who'd have thought there'd be a way of bring that kick-butt monster out of Yugi's deck?" asked Joey.

"I didn't know he could've done that." said Paige.

"Ohh…." Mai gasped softly, trying to recover from the shock that Yami did to Harpy's Pet Dragon.

"The duel is over." thought Pegasus as he looks over at Mai. "Mai's spirit is broken. She's lost the will to fight on."

"Ohh…" said Mai as she hovered over her cards. "Oh, one turn away. If I'd only been able to play one more Harpy Lady Card before the Black Luster Solider appeared, I would have won! But I can't revive the Pet Dragon, and there's no other card in my deck that can defeat that ultimate warrior."

"Uh…Mai?" asked Yami, seeing that Mai placed a hand on her deck. "So does this mean that you surrender?"

"No way." said Joey.

"She couldn't…." said Paige.

"Um….What….what happened?" asked Tea.

"Mai surrendered." said Bakura. "When a duelist places their hand over the deck like that, it means they concede the duel."

"I concede a couple of my duels to Yugi." said Paige.

"Poor Mai." said Tea.

"I'd rather not see my Harpy Ladies destroyed in the next turn." said Mai and looks up at Yami. "The duel is yours, Yugi."

"Wait, Mai." said Yami as she starts walking away. "There's something I want to say to you."

"Huh?" she said, stopping in her tracks, her back towards Yami.

"Thank you." Yami tells her. "You said a duelist can learn more from defeat than victory, and you were correct. But you, Mai, you taught me a lot today. I had to confront my own fears, my own weaknesses, or I could never have defeated you."

"Its awfully nice of you to say that, Yugi, but it seems to me that I also have a lot more to learn." said Mai, then bows her head. "About dueling and about myself. But then I suppose no duelist ever learns all there is to know. And maybe the most important lesson is that defeat doesn't have to be forever. You won this duel, Yugi, but there'll be others. You and I will meet in the arena again, kiddo. And when we do, you and your sister better watch out."

"Mm-hmm." said Yami, giving her a thumbs up.

"Hmm." Mai said, smiling as she finally leaves the arena.