To Demonrider: Throughout Yugioh Vrains, Earth was shown to have very strong romantic feelings toward Aqua. Even though it was never revealed if she felt the same way, I believed she would have if given the chance. That's why I paired them up.
Also, I think I'll be updating this every one to two weeks. I'll try not to take too long between chapters.
Okay, time for the first Duel of the story! Let the fun begin!
Yugioh: The Hope of Six
Chapter 2 – A Harpy's Melody
"Now that's a heck of a story." Duke commented. Yuya, Yuzu, and Joey just told him, Solomon, Serenity, Bakura, Mai, and Valon about all they have been through in their world. They were amazed by everything, but shocked about Zarc's near fatal attack.
"Zarc, E'Rah, and Lightning all sound like bad news." Mai said.
"Those three make Dartz look like a saint." Valon added, with nearly everyone nodding in agreement.
"Who?" Yuzu asked. She heard Mai mention him before, but she didn't elaborate.
"A really bad guy, let's just leave it at that." Joey said with a sigh.
"What are we going to do about Zarc and the others?" Bakura asked.
"Yeah, it's obvious we can't travel between worlds again without another surprise attack from them." Yuya said.
"Let us wait until Yugi returns. I'm sure he'll have some idea." Yusho suggested.
"Yeah. Anyway, I'm so glad you guys all got back alive, especially you three." Serenity said to her brother, Tristan, and Tèa.
"Not as glad as we are." Tèa said.
"You really think I'd let you be an only child, sis? No way!" Joey told her with his confident grin while pointing at himself.
"I definitely wouldn't want to leave you alone." Tristan said. He sweat dropped from the look Joey gave him. "Woah! Hey man! I didn't mean it like that! That totally came out wrong!" He said in a panic.
"You watch what you say to my sister, you hear?! Or else!" Joey threatened furiously, shaking his fist mere inches from Tristan's face. Serenity then came between the two boys.
"Joey, it's okay! I'm sure Tristan meant that in a good way! Right?" She said, looking over at Tristan. He felt grateful for her support.
"Of course I did! I would NEVER do anything to hurt her, Joey! You know me!" Joey seethed for another moment before he took a deep breath and let it out.
"Fine. But that doesn't mean I'm giving you permission to date Serenity!" He snapped. Tristan flushed with embarrassment.
"Where did that come from?! I never said anything about dating her!" Tristan quickly turned to the now confused younger Wheeler. "Uh, not that I wouldn't want to! Don't ever get that idea! You're a great girl!"
"You're just making your grave deeper pal!" Joey shouted.
"I'm not digging anything!" Tristan retorted.
"Guys, please!" Serenity begged.
"Knock it off you two! We have guests here!" Tèa added heatedly. Before she could do anything to break up the fight, someone else had gotten there first…
WHACK! WHACK!
Next thing everyone saw, Joey and Tristan were on the floor rubbing their aching heads. Standing above them was an annoyed Yuzu, holding a paper fan clutched tightly in her hand. "Do you guys fight like this all the time?! Over a simple misunderstanding?! Honestly!" She groaned before marching away. The ones who only just met Yuzu stared at her, stunned.
"Hey, Tristan?" Joey said.
"Yeah?" Tristan asked.
"Remind me never to pick a fight with you while she's around." Joey said as the two of them got back up.
"Deal. That fan of hers smarts." Tristan commented. Yuzu pouted, still staring daggers their way.
'Glad it wasn't me this time.' Yuya thought, feeling sorry for Yugi's friends on the receiving end of Yuzu's wrath.
"Hahaha, she does have a temper. Ray used to punish me in a similar way back when we were dating." The good Zarc said inside Yuya's mind.
'What did she do?' Yuya asked out of curiosity. Zarc sighed.
"Let's just say it involved something harder than a paper fan… and her aiming a lot lower than the head." He said with a grimace. Yuya didn't ask any further. He didn't want to know.
Serenity felt bad that the boys got a punishment like that. Still, she truly wasn't offended by Tristan's words. She knew he was a good guy, a guy that would give his life to protect others… like he once did for her. Serenity never admitted this, but Tristan's act of self sacrifice had more of an impact on her than she led others to believe. She actually wanted to go out on a date with him. All he had to do was ask her and she would say "yes" just like that. She hoped he actually would one day.
"Sorry you all had to see that." A much calmer Yuzu said to everyone present.
"Oh no worries, young lady." Solomon said with a hearty laugh. "I actually found it kind of funny." Yuzu couldn't help but laugh along with the kind old man. Pretty soon, everyone joined in, including Joey and Tristan.
"Hey, did I miss something?" The whole group turned to their right and were surprised to see Yugi standing there, returned from his trip to Cyberse World.
"Yugi! When did you get back?" Shuzo asked.
"Just now. What's everyone laughing about?" He looked so confused. Duke chuckled.
"Oh, nothing much. Just a couple of knuckleheads getting fanned, that's all." Joey and Tristan glared at him for a split second before turning back to Yugi.
"So Yug, what's the 411 from the cyber side of things?" Joey asked.
"There's a lot to tell, Joey." Yugi then looked over at the whole group. "Before I get started, I want you all to meet someone."
"Who would that be?" Yuya asked, not seeing anyone else that appeared. Yugi smiled as he held up his Duel Disk and looked down at it.
"You can come out now." To the surprise of the group, Aqua rose out from the center of the Duel Disk until only her feet were still attached. She bowed to them in respect.
"Hello. My name is Aqua. It is an honor to meet all of you."
"Aqua? Wait, so then she's…" Yuzu started to ask. Yugi nodded.
"Yeah. She's one of the Ignis that aided Ray in finding me and the others to help her. She is going to be staying with us for a while."
"Oh, she's so cute." Serenity said kindly.
"Thank you." Aqua replied. One by one, everyone introduced themselves to the female Ignis. She seemed to like them all. "I can tell that each of you is a good person. Yugi is fortunate to have friends and family such as yourselves."
"Thanks Aqua." Yoko replied. Mai, however, didn't quite agree with that.
'I'm not that good… not after everything I did while working for Dartz.' She thought to herself. Joey may have forgiven her, but she was still unwilling to forgive herself. She doubted she ever will.
Unaware of Mai's inner thoughts, Yugi and Aqua proceeded to explain what was discussed on Cyberse World. They were surprised to learn that the other Ignis went with the other protectors to be safe from one of their other newest allies. Yugi told them it was a precaution. Everyone, especially Yuya and Yuzu, were truly thunderstruck to learn of the Airship's destruction. "I can't believe it's gone!" Yuya said in disbelief.
"But… that's our ride home!" Yuzu shouted in a panic.
"Calm down guys. Once we get the Numeron Code, the Airship will be completely rebuilt." Yugi reassured.
"I hope Ai succeeds in his mission." Yusho said.
"I believe in Ai." Aqua told him. "If anyone can do it, he can." They all took her word for it.
"So until we restore the Airship and stop Zarc, E'Rah, and Lightning, we have to sit tight. That's the plan." Yugi said. He then turned to Yuya, looking serious. "There's one other thing, and it concerns you Yuya." The boy looked stunned.
"Me? What did I do?" He questioned. Yugi shook his head.
"You're not in trouble or anything. I just need to know if you and Yuri talked since we got here." Yuya then grew nervous. Could he know what happened to him? Still, he thought he should be honest but say as little as possible.
"Uh… actually, we haven't. Why?"
"While on Cyberse World, Judai told us that Yuri somehow appeared on his world and back in his own body." This drew a gasp from Yuzu and everyone else.
"Yuri's with Judai, with his own body?!" She said incredulously. Yugi nodded.
'So that's what you meant.' Yuya realized, remembering his previous conversation with Zarc's good self.
"Yep. Hopefully, Yuri can have a fresh start there." Zarc said.
"He is. We don't know how it happened, though." Yugi looked at Yuya again. "Yuya, do you have any ideas?"
Yuya hesitated. He had promised he would keep the good Zarc a secret from everyone except Yuzu. However, he hadn't had a chance to tell her yet. He wanted to wait until they were alone. So, instead of answering Yugi, he took Yuzu by the hand. "Yuzu, can I talk to you for a minute? Just the two of us?" She gasped by his sudden question, and started to blush.
"Uh, sure." She said.
"We'll be right back." Yuya said as he and Yuzu headed back outside.
"What was that about all of a sudden?" Valon wondered, to the confusion of him and the others.
Outside the game shop, Yuzu stared at Yuya in confusion. "What's going on Yuya? Why didn't you answer Yugi's question?" After a quick look to see no one else was present, Yuya got to the point.
"Sorry about that, but I really can't tell him what happened with Yuri and I don't want to lie." He said.
"Because you don't know? That's all you had to say. It would have been fine." Yuzu replied. Yuya shook his head.
"That's not it. I do know, but I promised I wouldn't tell anyone… except you." Yuzu eyed him suspiciously.
"Not tell anyone what? Who did you promise?" Yuya paused before he finally told her.
"Yuri regained his body and got sent to Judai's world… because of Zarc." Yuzu stood stock still, eyes widened with fear. Yuya could tell she was about to rant on how this was something that Yugi should know about, so he stopped her. "I know what you're going to say, but listen! It's not the Zarc you think!" Yuzu stared at him, incredulous.
"What the heck does that mean?! Zarc is a heartless monster that tried to eat me alive and kill the rest of us! He can't be anything else!" She retorted angrily. Yuya grabbed both her shoulders and looked back at her intently.
"Yuzu, please listen to me. There is another Zarc, a good one. He's been helping me recently. He even helped save us from dying on the Airship." Yuzu paused.
"What are you talking about?" Yuya then explained about the mysterious voice that aided him and Yuri in the Duel against Leo and during the Airship attack. Yuzu listened with growing astonishment as Yuya told her about Zarc's original self revealing himself to him and how he came to be with Yuya in the first place.
"You see, it was the good Zarc that caused the huge light that kept the bad one's energy ball back long enough for us to get away! He's done nothing but help me, help us, all along!" Yuzu was speechless. She couldn't quite believe this.
"Yuya… are you sure he can be trusted?" She was skeptical. Zarc used to be a good person on Ray's old world, and look how he turned out. Yuya seemed to know what she was thinking.
"Yes, I am. I could feel his honesty, Yuzu. He really is on our side. Remember, you thought the same thing when you learned Yuri was with me. I was right about him, and I know I'm right about Zarc. So, I'll say it again: Trust me, Yuzu."
Yuzu gave this some thought. 'I never doubted Yuya before, and he has been right so far. I guess I shouldn't start now. Still, it's kind of hard to imagine Zarc as a friend and an enemy at the same time. If Yuya really trusts him…' She decided to do what she did regarding Yuri. "Okay." Yuya smiled.
"Thanks Yuzu." He said. His smile faded when Yuzu brought up her original question, this time rephrased.
"Why does he want you want to keep this a secret from everyone but me?" Yuya looked uncomfortable.
"Zarc doesn't want the others to think I'm in danger of him, not even Yugi. I convinced him I could share this with you, but it has to stay that way… at least for now." Yuzu didn't like this.
"Yugi has done so much for us. I don't want to keep secrets from him." She said. Yuya shook his head.
"Neither do I. Maybe one day Zarc will change his mind, but for now let's keep this between us. Please." Yuzu sighed.
"Alright, fine." She then took out her fan and waved it menacingly at her boyfriend. "But if Zarc does try something that hurts you or anyone else, then all bets are off. Deal?" He nodded nervously.
"Deal." He and Zarc said at the same time. Satisfied but still cautious, Yuzu walked back inside with Yuya right behind her. Yugi, Aqua, and the whole crowd were talking about future plans when the couple returned.
"What did you two talk about? Plans for an upcoming date?" Mai teased. The teens blushed.
"No, not really." Yuya replied.
"Yuya, you did not answer Yugi's question about Yuri's situation." Aqua reminded him.
"Yeah. Do you know something we should know too?" Yugi asked again. Yuzu stepped in front Yuya and answered for him.
"That's what we were discussing outside. Yuya does know how it happened, but he can't talk to anyone about it, aside from me that is." This stunned the group.
"Really? Why all the secrecy, Yuya?" Duke asked. Yuya sighed.
"I made a promise that I wouldn't. I'm sorry. I just can't tell you guys now, not even to you Yugi." He said regretfully. Yugi was definitely not expecting this.
"I sense that Yuya is trying to protect something, or someone. We can be sure of that much at least." Atem said to Yugi in his mined.
'I got that vibe too. It must be extremely important if Yuya was willing to tell Yuzu but not us.' Yugi replied.
"We will just have to trust Yuya to know what he is doing." The ancient Pharaoh advised. Yugi agreed.
'Okay.' Yugi said to him before talking to Yuya. "Yuya, we trust you. If you don't feel comfortable telling us now, we understand." His reply got further surprise from his friends.
"Are you sure, Yugi?" Tèa asked. Yugi nodded at her.
"I am." He said firmly.
"I also trust his judgment." Aqua added. She could see no deception from Yuya or Yuzu. They were just hiding the truth. Eventually, everyone else accepted Yuya and Yuzu's words.
"So, What now? Do we have any leads on Vivian?" Tristan asked after a moment. Other than their otherworldly adversaries, Vivian Wong was their only other enemy to be concerned about.
"I did hear on the news about the attack on the von Schroeder brothers, but the attacker was never identified." Serenity said.
"No doubt Vivian was good at covering her tracks." Mai said.
"I'll bet at least one of them knows, if only they would just wake up." Valon said with hope.
"Why don't we just tell the authorities about Vivian being the culprit?" Yoko asked. Yugi shook his head.
"I don't think we should. She is much more dangerous now that she's gotten help from Lightning. It might cause more harm than good. Remember, I'm the one Vivian really wants. The less people that get involved, the better." Tèa didn't like the sound of that. Still, she was more than willing to protect Yugi if it ever came up.
"Do we know why Lightning is aiding her in the first place?" Duke asked.
"He never said, and I never asked him when were briefly captured." Yugi admitted.
"So, we are not doing anything to find her?" Yuya asked, afraid for his friend.
"Not for now. The next move is hers." Aqua told him.
After a long moment, Solomon had a new suggestion in mind.
"You know, with all this life and death stuff you had to deal with today, I think it would be good to have a little fun to get our minds off it."
"Something fun? Like what?" Serenity asked. The old man smiled.
"How about a Duel?" He offered. Valon liked the sound of that, as did the others.
"Great idea." He then turned to Yuya. "What's say you and me have a go, eh Yuya? I'd like to see your skills." Valon challenged. One look from his mother made Yuya cringe and chuckle with embarrassment.
"Sorry, but uh… I can't. Not for a while anyway." He said while scratching the back of his head.
"What's that mean?" Duke asked.
"He's grounded with no Dueling for two weeks." Yoko said bluntly. Nearly everyone stared at Yuya in shock.
"Why are you grounded? You seem like a good lad to me." Solomon said.
"I did something behind my mom's back that she strictly told me not to do. Now I'm being punished for it." Yuya said with a groan. Yuzu patted his back in pity, remembering that saving her was the very reason Yuya got grounded in the first place.
"It's fine. I can duel in his place." Yuzu offered. Valon looked her over and frowned.
"Actually, I don't think you can handle my dueling style. It's very intense." Valon told her before glancing at his girl. "Mai, on the other hand, might just be more up your ally." Mia looked at him in surprise.
"Me?" She asked. Valon nodded.
"Sure, love. Why not? It's been a while since you dueled for the fun of it, hasn't it?" The two girls then looked at each other.
"I actually don't mind who I have a Duel with, as long as we enjoy ourselves." Yuzu said. Mai thought it over and realized this could actually be good for her. She smiled at the younger girl and nodded.
"Alright, I'll do it. You sure want to take me on, Yuzu? I have to warn you. I happen to be a pro." Yuzu smirked.
"I'm no pushover either, Mai. I accept." Everyone approved.
"Then it's settled. Let's head outside." Mai said in a challenging voice. Minutes later, everyone was outside the game shop and stood along the side lines. Yuzu and Mai stood several feet apart, their Duel Disks at the ready. "Ready, little girl?" Mai asked, activating her Duel Disk. Yuzu nodded and returned the smile. She had a very special surprise not just for Mai, but for all that were present.
"More than ready! I think you're going to love this!" She told her, activating her Duel Disk as well.
"This should be good." Bakura said as the match started.
"DUEL!"
(Yuzu: 4000) (Mai: 4000)
Just as the Duel began , a new voice spoke from Yuzu's Duel Disk.
"Field Magic: Crossover Activated." Mai and the others watched in fascination as dozens of glowing gold light scattered throughout the area. At the same time, several holographic platforms materialized in midair.
"What's going on?" Tèa asked.
"You weren't around for it, but this happened during the Duel against Leo. Mai is about to have a Duel unlike any she's ever had." A smiling Yusho said.
"What just happened, Yuzu?" Mai asked. Yuzu still smiled.
"This won't be an ordinary Duel. This will be an Action Duel!" She declared.
"Action Duel?" Mai asked.
"I've never heard of that before." Bakura said.
"Me neither." Duke added.
"They are very popular where we are from." Shuzo said proudly.
"Leo and I developed them many years ago. It was a huge success." Yusho said, still sad that his friend would never come back…
"How is an Action Duel different from a normal Duel?" Serenity asked.
"First and foremost, the holograms are more realistic than what you're used too. Even the Monsters themselves seem more life like. You can even interact with them during the Duel, which is a huge advantage for the other big aspect of an Action Duel: Action cards." Yusho explained.
"What are Action cards?" Valon asked. Yuya took over.
"There are cards exclusive to Action Duels. Those were the golden lights you saw when the Duel started. They are holographic, but in the Duel they are as real as any card. There are all kinds of Action Cards, and most of them are pretty helpful. At any given time, both players can search for Action Cards around the dueling area to get the upper hand. However, you can only hold one at a time. They can turn the tide in a Duel if you have the right card and use it at the right time. Yuzu and I were trained for those kinds of Duels." He said, smiling. Yuzu nodded. Before leaving their world, Yuya copied his Action Duel program to Yuzu's Duel Disk so she can also use it.
"And now Mai, you get to be the first Duelist here to have that experience. You up for it?" She challenged. The older woman smiled.
"I'm not one to shy away from anything. Let's give this "Action Duel" a try. I'll go first. My turn! Draw!" Mai decided to see for herself what Yuzu was capable of. "I Summon Harpie Lady in Attack Mode!" (WIND; Level 4; ATK: 1300; DEF: 1400) On Mai's Field stood a light blue woman in gold armor with long red hair and sharp talons for hands on pink wing-like arms. "Next I play a Magic card, Elegant Egotist! This transforms my Harpie Lady into three Harpie Lady Sisters, Special Summoned from my Deck!" (WIND; Level 6; ATK: 1950; DEF: 2100) Now standing with the red haired Harpie Lady, two more appeared next to it. One had spiky blue hair with darker purple wings, while the other had short orange hair with green wings.
"A favorite of Mai's." Joey said, remembering all the times he's seen Mai duel.
"Then I Set two cards facedown and end my turn. Show me what you got, Yuzu." Mai dared.
"You got it. My turn! Draw!" 'This is a good start.' Yuzu thought. "I activate a Magic card called 1st Solo Movement! When I control no Monsters, I can Special Summon a Level 4 or lower "Melodious" Monster from my hand! I Special Summon Canon the Melodious Diva!" (LIGHT; Level 4; ATK: 1400; DEF: 2000) Opposing Mai's Harpies was a purpled skinned girl wearing a pink and purple dress with gold musical notes sowed into the outfit. "Now that I have a "Melodious" Monster on my Field, I can Special Summon Sonata the Melodious Diva from my hand!" (LIGHT; Level 3; ATK: 1200; DEF: 1000) A lighter colored girl covered in blue musical notes appeared next to Canon.
"Cute Monsters, but not one of them can go toe to talon with my Harpies." Mai pointed out. Yuzu smiled.
"This will. I Sacrifice both Canon and Sonata to Advance Summon this Ace of mine! Enchanting melody echoing in the heaven! Awaken the sleeping virtuoso! Come forth! Level 8! Prodigy Mozart the Melodious Maestra!" (LIGHT; Level 8; ATK: 2600; DEF: 2000) In both Monsters' places was a white fairy with gold wings in a red dress with musical notes. "Battle! Prodigy Mozart, attack Harpie Lady Sisters! Graceful Wave!" With a wave of it's wand, Yuzu's Monster sent a stream of notes toward it's enemy.
"Like I would make it that easy! I activate my Continuous Trap, Mirror Wall! When my opponent launches an attack, the opposing Monster's Attack Points get cut in half!" Mai countered, making Prodigy Mozart only half as strong.
(Prodigy Mozart's ATK: 2600 / 2 = 1300)
"Yuzu's Monster is weaker now! It's going to be destroyed!" Serenity said in worry.
"Not if Yuzu doesn't allow it!" Yuya said with a knowing smile. True enough, during the battle, Yuzu ran to a nearby platform, jumped on it before leaping off it to another, and grabbed the card laying near the edge. The gang was impressed by the girl's agility.
"Action Magic, High Dive! Until the end of the turn, I can increase the Attack Points of a Monster on the Field by 1000! I choose my Prodigy Mozart!"
(Prodigy Mozart's ATK: 1300 + 1000 = 2300)
"What?!" Mai shouted in surprise. She watched as her Harpies were blown to bits by Prodigy Mozart's assault.
(2300 - 1950 = 350)
(Mai: 4000 - 350 = 3650)
"So that was an Action card. Those are definitely game changers." Duke said, clearly impressed.
"And being in good physical shape can really help in getting ones that are a little harder to reach." Valon noted after seeing Yuzu getting that card like she did it everyday.
"I'm starting to see how these Action Duels work. I'll need to step it up if I am to have any chance of winning this." Mai said, now smiling. Yuzu smiled back.
"Can't wait to see you try, Mai. But before that, I activate Prodigy Mozart's Monster Effect! Once per turn, I can Special Summon a Level 4 or lower "Melodious" Monster from my hand! I Special Summon Opera the Melodious Diva!" (LIGHT; Level 4; ATK: 2300; DEF: 1000) Standing next to the older Monster was a small pink haired girl in a light blue dress with clear wings. "Then I Set my last card facedown and end my turn. At this time, Prodigy Mozart's Attack Power returns to normal." Yuzu stated as her Monster regained it's 2600 Attack Points.
"Why didn't you Summon your second Monster before attacking?" Mai asked, confused.
"It wouldn't matter. Opera's Effect prevents it from attacking the turn it was Normal or Special Summoned." Yuzu explained.
"Good call." Bakura said. Mai took a quick look around the area before spotting something that could help her. At least, she hoped it would help.
"Yuzu's really good." Serenity said.
"She sure is." Yuya said, smiling warmly at his girl.
"Pretty good for your first turn, but don't cocky! My turn! Draw!" Mai looked at her hand before she did something unexpected. She ran to a small nearby platform and jumped to nab an Action Card sticking right beneath it. She liked what she picked up. "I play Monster Reborn to bring back my Harpie Lady Sisters!" Her Harpie trio instantly returned to the Field. "After that, I end my turn."
"She didn't try anything else?" Shuzo asked.
"That Action Card she had gotten must be a really good one." Serenity guessed.
"We shall see." Yusho said. Yuzu eyed Mai wearily.
'She must've grabbed a good Action Card, but why didn't she use it? Maybe she's waiting to use it during my turn? One way to know.' "My turn! Draw!" She decided to see how Mai would save herself. "Battle! Prodigy Mozart, attack Harpie Lady Sisters again!"
"Don't forget about my Mirror Wall, making your Monster half as strong again!" Mai reminded her opponent, activating her Trap's Effect again. Yuzu smirked.
"I haven't! Trap card open, Melodious Illusion! When my opponent's Trap activates during my Battle Phase, I can negate that Trap's Effect and allow a "Melodious" Monster I control to attack a second time this turn! My Prodigy Mozart can attack twice now!"
"So now Yuzu's first Monster can attack more than once without having it's Attack Points reduced by half. Not only that, but her second Monster will also be free to attack." Aqua said.
"Unless Mai can somehow stop both." Yugi said.
To Yuzu's surprise, Mai also smirked.
"I was expecting something like that. I play the Action Card I picked up on my previous turn! It's called Big Escape, and it automatically ends your Battle Phase!" Yuzu grunted in disappointment.
"Darn. Good move, Mai." Yuzu told her.
"Thanks. Got anything else?" With her unable to attack, Yuzu only had one move to make.
"I Set one card facedown and end my turn." She said reluctantly.
"Mai is really getting into this Action Duel stuff." Valon said. Joey nodded.
"No doubts there." He replied. It looked she was really enjoying herself, he thought.
"Okay Yuzu, I'm not holding back anymore! My turn! Draw!" She declared, now deciding to take her opponent more seriously. Before she make her next move…
"Trap card open, Melodious Song of Divine Punishment! For each "Melodious" Monster I control, you take 800 Points of damage! I have two, so the damage to you is 1600!" Yuzu declared as a light beam struck Mai.
(800 x 2 = 1600)
(Mai: 3650 - 1600 = 2050)
The older woman was not going to let that go. "So that's how it is? Have it your way! I play Graceful Charity, letting me draw three cards before discarding two. Next I activate my other Trap, Harpie Lady Elegance! I return my Harpie Lady Sisters to my Deck to Special Summon three "Harpie" Monsters with different original names, one each from my hand, Deck, and Graveyard! From my hand, I Special Summon Harpie Dancer!" (WIND; Level 4; ATK: 1200; DEF: 1000) "Then from my Deck, I Special Summon Cyber Harpie!" (WIND; Level 4; ATK: 1800; DEF: 1300) "Finally, from my Graveyard, I Special Summon Harpie Queen!" (WIND; Level 4; ATK: 1900; DEF: 1200)
"Those "Ladies" look vicious!" Shuzo said nervously. The first one had long pale hair in a pony tail with white wings. The second Harpie looked like Mai's original Harpie Lady, but with dark green wings. The last Harpie had white wings and long green hair, and wore a very revealing attire.
"Yeah, but none of them pose any threat to Yuzu's Monsters." Yoko said. Yuya, Yugi, and Aqua all felt that was about to change.
'Mai has to have a plan. Her Monsters are not strong enough to destroy mine.' Yuzu thought. She was right.
"Due to my Trap's Effect, I can only Special Summon "WIND" Monsters for the rest of the turn. Lucky for me, I have a good one to bring out! I activate a Magic card, Call of the Harpie! If I have least 2 "Harpie" Monsters on my Field, I can Special Summon this big boy from my Deck! I unleash my Harpie's Pet Dragon!" (WIND; Level 7; ATK: 2000; DEF: 2500) Mai's newest Monster was a huge orange dragon with an elaborate head ornament and had a collar with a chain attached.
"Oh boy. Yuzu's in trouble now." Tristan said, cringing.
"Why? That dragon can't take out any of Yuzu's Monsters no more than her Harpies can." Yuya pointed out.
"Look again." Joey said, returning their attention to the Duel.
"This is my Ace Yuzu, and here is why! With each "Harpy Lady" on the Field, Harpie's Pet Dragon gains 300 Attack and Defense Points! Since all three of my Harpies are named "Harpy Lady" while on the Field or Graveyard, they meet my Monster's requirements!" Mai revealed.
"With three Harpies on the Field, that means…" Yuzu said, starting to sweat. Mai smiled.
"That's right! My dragon gets an Attack and Defense Point boost of 900!"
(Harpie's Pet Dragon's ATK: 2000 + 900 = 2900; DEF: 2500 + 900 = 3400)
"Not good!" Yuzu said to herself.
"It gets better! Since it was Special Summoned by Call of the Harpie, my Pet Dragon gains another Effect! This turn, it can attack as many times as I have "Harpies" on my Field!" Mai stated, shocking her opponent even more.
"So that dragon can attack three times this turn?!" Yuya shouted in disbelief.
"Mai definitely has the advantage now. With 2900 Attack Points and the ability to attack three times this turn, Harpie's Pet Dragon can defeat Yuzu." Aqua said.
"It's not over yet, Aqua." Yugi said calmly.
"Come on Yuzu! Don't lose this!" Shuzo cheered his daughter on.
"It's been really fun Yuzu, but I'm ending this! Bat…"
"Action Magic, Battle Lock! Now your Monsters cannot attack this turn!" Yuzu said, activating an Action Card in the nick of time.
"Hey! When did you get that?!" Mai asked, stunned. Yuzu chuckled.
"I went for it when you got distracted by my Trap earlier. I hoped I wouldn't need it, but you'd never know." She told her. Mai wasn't perturbed, however.
"Nice move, but I still got something that will win me the Duel this turn. I activate… Harpie Lady Phoenix Formation!"
"Oh no." Joey paled, remembering the Effects of that card first hand.
"What?" Yuya questioned.
"This powerful card packs quite the punch! It destroys all your Monsters equal to the number of "Harpie Lady" Monsters I control, and then you take damage equal to the combined Attack Points of the destroyed Monsters!" Mai told her.
"The Attack Points of Yuzu's Monsters are over 4000! If this works, she'll lose!" Bakura said.
"Yuzu!" Yuya yelled. Thinking fast, Yuzu quickly spotted another Action Card, but it was very high up. To reach it…
"Prodigy Mozart, give me a lift! Opera, swing me the rest of the way!" Yuzu ordered as she got into her Ace's arms. The bigger Fairy pushed it's master upward before the smaller one grabbed Yuzu's hand and swung her to the direction of the Action Card. Yuzu had enough velocity and had just reached the card the same time her Monsters were destroyed. "Action Magic, Stand Up! When I'm about to take Effect Damage during my opponent's turn, that damage becomes 0 and the turn ends!" She played it as she gracefully landed on a platform beneath her. Yuya and Shuzo sighed with relief.
"That was really close." Yuzu's father admitted.
"Too close. Mai wasn't bluffing earlier." Yuya said.
"Yuzu does seem quite adept at these Action Duels." Aqua said, sounding impressed.
"You can say that again." Tristan said. Mai grunted.
"You're a stubborn one, aren't you?" She asked. Yuzu nodded as she returned to the ground.
"As stubborn as they come." She said. The two smiled at each other.
"Stubbornness alone won't help you on your next turn. Show me how you will get out of this one." Mai started.
"Yuzu has no cards in her hand or on her Field. If she doesn't get something good on her next turn…" Serenity didn't complete her sentence. While it was true that she admired Mai, she also liked Yuzu. They both seemed like strong confident Duelists. She couldn't decide who to root for.
"The next draw may very well decide this Duel." Duke said, feeling that the Duel was about to come to an end soon. In spite of how much of an disadvantage she was now, Yuzu wasn't worried. There was one card that could help her out of this and win. She just needed to draw it.
"My turn! DRAW!" Yuzu gazed at her drawn card. 'This is it!' She thought in triumph. "Get ready to lose, Mai! I activate Ostinato! If I control no Monsters, I can Fusion Summon a "Melodious" Fusion Monster from my Extra Deck using 2 Monsters from my hand and/or Deck! I Fuse Soprano the Melodious Songstress and Aria the Melodious Diva from my Deck! Angel's song! Supreme genius! With the guidance of the baton, gather your power! Fusion Summon! Now come here to the stage! Sing the song of victory! Bloom Diva the Melodious Floral Saint!" (LIGHT; Level 6; ATK: 1000; DEF: 2000) Mai was stunned to see a bright pink and blue fairy now opposing her much stronger Monsters.
"Cute fairy. But it's no match for my dragon or my harpies." Mai said. Yuzu shook her head.
"You're wrong about that. I'll show you! Battle! Bloom Diva, attack Harpie's Pet Dragon!" While Bloom Diva appears to be preparing to sing, Mai's dragon counters with a stream of fire.
"Mirror Wall reduces your new Monster's Attack Points in half!" Mai reminded Yuzu, who continued to smile.
(Bloom Diva's ATK: 1000 / 2 = 500)
"Why would Yuzu attack with a Monster much weaker than her other ones?" Serenity wondered.
"I believe that Fusion Monster has an Effect that will answer that question." Aqua said.
"She's right about that." Yugi added, remembering seeing that Fusion Monster once before, and the devastating Effect it had used against it's opponent.
"Your Mirror Wall actually helps me this time! My Monster's Effect activates! When she attacks a Special Summoned Monster, Bloom Diva itself isn't destroyed, but the Monster battling does get destroyed! What's more, you take the battle damage I would've taken!" Yuzu said, shocking Mai.
"It what?!" She shouted.
"This Duel is mine! Reflect Shout!" Bloom Diva fired a wind light blast from it's mouth at Harpie's Pet Dragon.
"Mai will take 2400 Points of damage from this, more than enough to defeat her!" Duke said. The powered up beast roared in pain as it disintegrated from the rebounded attack.
"I win!" Yuzu shouted gleefully.
"Not quite!" Yuzu looked to see Mai flying out of the smoke on her Harpie Queen… holding a card in her hand. "I got one last surprise! I play the Action Magic card, Double Pain! When I take damage from a battle, you take twice the damage!"
"WHAT?!" Yuzu shouted incredulously as she was also hit by a big blast, knocking her down.
"Wait, does this mean…?" Tristan started to ask.
"It's a Draw?!" Serenity finished as the Duel ended, with no winner this time.
(Yuzu: 0)
(Mai: 0)
Mai had just landed on the ground after her Harpie Queen vanished, while Yuzu had just gotten up on her feet again. The two female Duelists approached one another… and shook hands. "Yuzu… that Action Duel was incredible! I never had such fun since… well, ever! And you are a heck of a Duelist! Thank you for that." Mai said with a genuinely warm smile. Yuzu returned the smile.
"Thank you for dueling me, Mai. You are really strong. I had a lot fun too!" They both turned to Yugi, Yuya, and the others as they all clapped and cheered for the amazing Duel. Even Aqua seemed to have liked it.
"They were both awesome!" Bakura said.
"Yeah, and Action Duels are amazing!" Serenity shouted.
As they all congratulated the two Duelists for the spectacular performance, they were unaware that the whole thing was being recorded on a camcorder by a man hidden nearby. After he made sure he got everything, he took out his cellphone and made a call.
"Hello, Mr. Kaiba. It's me. I got something here I really think you should look at."
/\/\/\/\/\/\
"I had a really great time, Tèa. How about you?" Yugi asked. Tèa nodded.
"Yeah, I did too. I hope our other dates can be like this." She said.
"So do I." Yugi replied.
Yugi and Tèa stood at a balcony, overlooking Domino City. The sun had started to set. After Yuzu and Mai's Duel, everyone helped Yuya and Yuzu's families find a suitable apartment building for them to stay. They found a place that was reasonable shortly thereafter. Yugi had transferred Aqua to Yuzu's Duel Disk at the Ignis's request. She felt it would be the best way to stay with Ray's and Zarc's Standard fragments. As the families got settled in, Yugi and Tèa finally got to have their date.
First they had a peaceful walk in the park, went to a movie (nothing with huge monsters of course), and had eaten just outside a local café. Now here they were, watching the sun set in the distance. All in all, it was the perfect ending to a rather unpredictable day.
"Man, what a day this has been." Yugi said.
"I'll say. It's hard to believe that earlier today, we almost got killed by a giant dragon commanded by murderous psychopaths." Yugi sighed.
"It was a miracle we all made it. But..." He then frowned.
"But what?" Tèa asked, sounding worried. Yugi looked down.
"Even though we got back safe and sound, the fight isn't over. Zarc, Lightning, E'Rah… they are all out there, plotting who knows what. And then there's Vivian. She attacked Leon and Zigfried to get to me." He sighed deeply. "How are we going to deal with all that?" Tèa turned to him, clearly concerned.
"We'll figure it out. We've dealt with a lot of nut jobs that were after you, and we always came out on top. And this time, it won't be just us." She said, her becoming stronger. "Now we have lots of friends outside our world! They won't let us fight this battle alone! And Yugi…" Yugi then looked up at her determined face. "I will be with you every step of the way! No matter what, I'm not going to lose you! You mean too much to me! I…" She stopped, struggling to say the words. Yugi smiled, taking both her hands into his.
"I know, Tèa. I feel the same way. Thank you." He said softly. Tèa smiled back before she leaned in and kissed him. As he closed his eyes and kissed her back, Yugi felt every fiber of his being telling him that Tèa was right. Somehow, someday… they will win and save everyone.
/\/\/\/\/\/\
1 Month later…
Vivian Wong had just finished her afternoon exercises and returned to her room for meditation. She felt like the most bored person on the planet. She groaned.
"Dammit, it's been a month since those weird voices spoke to me. I want to pursue Yugi again, but I keep getting this nagging feeling I should stay put and wait for something. I don't even know what that something is!" Vivian groaned again as she plopped on her bed. "When the hell am I going to get another chance to take my precious love slave?" She asked herself while whining.
"How about now?" The Chinese woman screamed as she feel off her bed in a comical fashion. She was on her feet again and searched frantically around her room. She saw no one.
"Who the hell's there?! Come out! I'm warning you! I know martial arts!" She declared, assuming a fighting stance. The voice chuckled again.
"Take it easy, Vivian Wong. Do you not recall our last conversation?" It took a moment, but Vivian did indeed remember that strange male voice. It was the one that made her a stronger Duelist and promised her that Yugi Muto would be hers.
"So it's you again, huh? Why wait so damn long to get back in touch?" Vivian called out again.
"Go to your computer monitor." The voice simply told her. She walked over to a small computer on a nearby desk and sat in the chair. She only saw a blank screen.
"I don't see any…" Vivian yelped when a bizarre face suddenly appeared on her monitor. It was yellow and mouthless with neon green eyes. "N-Nevermind. What the heck are you supposed to be?" She muttered. The face chuckled.
"Call me Lightning. I am here because your skills are needed once again." Vivian eyed him with suspicion.
"Doe this involve me getting Yugi Muto?" She asked.
"It does." That brought a broad smile to the sick minded woman's face.
"Finally! You sure took your time getting back with me after the von Schroeders!" Vivian complained.
"I was busy. But now I'm in a position where outside help is necessary." Lightning told her.
"As long as Yugi will be mine, I'm in! What do you want me to do now?" She asked, eager to get moving.
"Actually, I'm really here to inform you that you will be taking orders from a new associate of mine. He will be your "employer" from here on out."
"What employer?" Vivian asked. Just then, another face appeared next to Lightning's. This time it was the face of a dark blue eyed young man with green and teal hair. He gave a very evil grin.
"Hello, Vivian Wong. My name is Noah… and you will be my weapon."
To be continued.