RPG Yu-Gi-Oh:Rising to the top

[Kesaki_Inedia]

Dereck frowned as he handed over his cards then left.

Serena smiled then looked around. "So what now?"

ooc: I'm sorry but I don't have much to write for this. Please don't Smote me Harlequin I promise to make my next post much longer.

also I apolagize for lack of posting. School started monday so I'm so busy with highschool. It's hecktic. so yeah...

[SS3Vahn]

The man in black smirked slightly as he saw the card he drew. He placed it on the duel disk and crossed his arms.

"I offer my Blood Vors as a tribute to summon the Total Defense Shogun in attack mode!" He said. His Blood Vors then glowed brightly and formed into a bright ball. The ball took the shape of his new monster, which seemed to be covered in nothing but armor, with two swords on his back and one in its hands(6/1550/2500). The creature then kneeled down on one knee, as if in defense mode.

"Why is it in defense mode instead of attack mode like you said?" Hiro asked, frowning.

"Because of its effect. When it's summoned, I place it in defense mode. While in defense mode, he can still attack as if in attack mode!" the man replied, laughing viciously. "Now, Total Defense Shogun, attack his facedown monster!"

The creature stood up straight and then threw it's sword at the card.

Hiro smirked. He pushed a card on his duel disk and his facedown card went face up. "I activate my facedown card, Magic Cylinder!"

The sword that the monster threw went through a cylinder that appeared before the facedown monster. It came out of another cylinder behind the Shogun and hit the man in black.

"Magic Cylinder negates your attack and redirects it at you!" Hiro said.

Hiro:4000 ????:2450

The man growled and placed another card on the duel disk. "I set one card facedown. Your turn."

[DeathBug]

OOC: No prob, Keskai. =)

IC: Seth took Dereck's Tournament card and his rarest card. He placed the tournament card in his pocket and handed Dereck's rare card to Serena.

"Wait, what's this?" Serena asked, puzzled.

"It's for you," Seth said, smiling. "I told you I was dueling for you. I don't need it, so you can have it."

"Thanks, I guess...what are you going to do now?"

"I'm afraid I've got to go," Seth said apologetically. "Sorry, but I need to find three more strong opponents, and quickly. Be sure to check me out in the finals, okay?"

Seth smiled and turned away. Just like that, he was gone.

[Kesaki_Inedia]

Serena blinked then shrugged. [i] I'll never get how he does that [/i]

She then noticed all her freinds weren't around. "Wha? Hey! Where'd everyody go?" Serena noticed the KAiba Corps building in the distance.

"wow, I'm getting some strange vibes from that building." She started twards it. When she reached the doors she pulled on them only to find out that they were locked. "Hey! i want in..." She looked in through the window and saw the light of something . "There's some one in there."

Serena went around back and snuck in through a back door. She snuck down the halls knowing that she had broken in. She didn't know why she did it but she was drawn in by something. As she turned the corner a hand reached out and covered her mouth. the guy pulled her against him and held her tight from struggling.

"What are you doing here?"

Serena just made muffled sounds tring to screamed and the guy laughed at her struggling efforts. a second guy walked up a and shook his head.

"what are you doing here?"

[i] i'm sick of that question already [/i]

Serena stepped on the guys foot causing him to yell then bit his hand.

"stupid little-"

Serena just missed the second guy and started running. As she ran she saw hiro out of the corner of her eye. She stopped and looked over. [i] Hiro? [/i]

the guys grabbed her from behind while she was distracted.

"hiro!"

[DeathBug]

Seth strolled through the crowds, looking for just the right opponent.

"Heyo!" he called out. "Anyone want a real duel? I pull out all the stops!"

"I'll take you on, hotshot!" A voice called back. Seth turned around suddenly.

"Well....I guess I'm in for a real challenge, aren't I...Rex?"

Rex Raptor approached Seth, grinning. "My dions will chew you up and spit you out, tough guy."

"Yeah, if they're not blinded by the light," Seth snapped back.

"Enough talk! Time to duel!"

"Right!"

They activated their duel disks as a crowd formed around them. Rex drew his cards.

"Get ready to eat my dust," he said. "I play Twin-Headed King Rex in attack mode!"

A large, two-headed purple monster appeared on the field, roaring ferociously.

"And I power him up with the magic card, Ax of Despair! His attack raises by 1000 points!"

Seth paled a bit as he looked over his cards. Nonthing he had in his hand could beat a 2600 attack monster...He'd have to play defense...

"I play the magic card, Swords of Revealing Light!" He cried as a trio of shining swords surrounded the dinosaur monster. "I also place one monster in face down defense mode!"

Rex chortled. "The duel just started, and I've already got you on the defensive! You're about to be blown back to the stone age, and out of this tournament!"

[Exodus]

OOC: Sorry I haven't posted in a while guys, my bad.

Rio smiled at his oppenet
"Alright tuff guy, let's see how you got those two tourny cards. You first!" Rio pointed at his opponent and waited.

"Fine, and by-the-way, my name's Yaano, and I set one card face down and one monster in defense mode. Your turn sun-shine."
Two cards appeared on the field.

"Okay then, I summon a new card; Gravekeeper's Assailant (1500/1500) in attack mode and I'll attack your face-down monster!"

The black-dressed spellcaster rushed towards the face-down card and sliced it in half with it's sword, and the card dissapeared (1400/1200).

"Aww man, my Cyber Falcon. Well fine, I summon the card I just drew, Winged Sage Falcos (1700/1200) in attack mode, now my Winged Sage, attack his Assailant!"
The priest-like Falcon created a large wind with it's wings and shot it at the Assailant, who dissapeared.

"Now..." Said Yaano, "Let me till you Winged Sage Falcos' effect..."

[DeathBug]

Rex smiled, already sure of his victory. "I've been practicing ever since Joey Wheeler beat me in Duelist Kingdom," he bragged. "That cheater Espa Ropa messed up my plans for a comeback, but this time I'm going right to the top. I play Anthrosaurus, in attack mode!"

A small, man-shaped dinosaur appeared on the field, and roared. Seth blinked.

"Uh...Rex, that monster only has 1000 attack points...what do you think you're doing?"

Rex laughed. "I'll let you figure it out!"

Seth examined the situation. His face-down card was the Kaiser Seahorse, with only 1750 attack points. His Swords of Revealing Light protected him, but only for the next two turns. On the other hand, Rex's King Rex was powered up by the Axe of Despair card, giving it 2600 attack points.

So why would Rex throw down such a weak monster like Anthrosaurus in attack mode? Rex wasn't a rocket scientist, to be sure, but this just seemed stupid...Seth could destroy that thing and still have time to switch his monsters back to defense mode. So why...?

"Okay, Rex, I'll bite," Seth said slowly. "Why do you have the Anthrosaurus on the field?"

"So I can do this! I play the magic card Polymerization! I fuse my Twin-Headed King Rex on the field with the Crawling Dragon in my hand, to form the mighty Brachio-Radius!"

The King Rex disappeared, and from the fusion vortex emerged a gigantic dinosaur creature. Seth read his duel disk; this new monster had 2200 attack.

"You just wasted cards, Rex," Seth gloated. "Your T-Rex with its Axe was stronger than this beastie."

"...And that's where my Anthrosaurus comes in," Rex sneered. "Ax of Despair went to the graveyard when my first dino left the field. But Ax's effect says that I can sacrifice a monster on the field to send it to the top of my deck!"

Seth sighed. "I see where this is going..."

"Yep! I sacrifice my Anthrosaurus to send the Ax to the top of my deck! My Brachio-Radius can't attack until next turn anyway. But just to make sure I won't have any problems...I play De-Spell! It destroys one Magic card. Kiss your Swords good bye!"

Seth actually smiled. Sure, he was in trouble; his Seahorse would be destroyed next turn if he didn't act, and its special ability was of no help. However, he now knew how Rex thought.

"Dinosaur cards are strong," Seth said. "But that's really all they have, their strength. Your whole deck is based around power up monsters and removing obstacles. But, tell me, Rex..."

Seth drew his next card. "What do you do if your opponent doesn't charge you head-on?"

Rex glowered. "Who cares? Play your next monster!"

"I don't play a monster this turn, Rex," Seth said, full of confidence. "I place one card face-down and end my turn."

"Then you're as good as dead!" Rex snapped. "I draw Ax of Despair, and use it on Brachio-Radius, raising his attack to 3200! Now, attack!"

[SS3Vahn]

Hiro looked to the side and saw Serena getting pulled away by the men that took his mom. They threw her into a chair next to his mom and tied them to the chairs with rope.

"Serena!" Hiro yelled and started to run towards her.

"Not so fast, Hiro!" the man dueling him shouted. "If you take one more step towards them then this duel is over, and that means you're out of this tournament!"

Hiro looked back at the man and frowned. "Fine, then, I quit. Just let them go and I'll back out of the tournament."

"No, you see, it doesn't work that way. Why do you think I accepted this job from our boss? I wanted to duel you and see if were worth the money boss paid us for. I accepted this job to beat you personally. Now if you don't continue this duel...." he said, and pointed to his mom.

The men grinned and pulled out their guns. "Jus tell us when, Kieth."

"Keith? Bandit Kieth?!" Hiro said, frowning.

"Yup. That's me." He replied. He grabbed his (fake)hair and pulled it off, revealing his real hair, which was a golden blonde. He then pulled a bandanna out of his pocket and tied it around his head. "I had to go undercover for this job because I didn't want to be distracted by others." he said calmly. His mood quickly changed and he grew angry. "OK enough of this get over here and finish this duel!"

[Domon]

[SIZE=1][COLOR=darkblue][i]To be quite honest I was on the verge of walking over to Weevil and wringing his little neck for doing that to my Gazelle but it was just a game, breath in Aidian, its a game heh. Anyways, I drew my next card and practically yelled in happiness.[/i]

"Weevil, its time to end this, I play Premature Burial and take 800 of my Life Points out to bring back my Gazelle but I then play the magic card Proof of Dragon Destruction and bring a Buster Blader straight from my deck to my hand and now!! I sacrafice my two monsters for Buster Blader!!! His 2600 ATK force is something to really worry about." [i]I said happily seeing as how Weevil was leaving himself open for a direct assualt from my warrior.[/i]

"Now Buster Blader to his life points for 2600!!!!!!" [i]And with that the knight took a mighty leap into the air and brought his massive sword down upon Weevil and I was laughing like a mad man but when I saw that his Life Points hadn't dropped I about passed out, and then I saw a card he sent to the graveyard.[/i]

"I guess that pitiful furball Kuriboh actually came in handy, HAHAHAHA!!!!!" [i]Oh thrill, this is going to drag on for how long?!!?!?[/i][/COLOR][/SIZE]

[DeathBug]

Seth smilied. "I activate my face-down card, Defusion!" he said. tHe card rose, and the Brachio-Radius monster shimmered and returned to its component monsters.

"What?! No!" Rex shouted.

"Your Ax is also destroyed," Seth continued. "Unless you want to sacrifice one of these two to get it back..."

"That would leave me defenseless! No way!"

"Fair enough. I reveal my face-down monster, the Kaiser Seahorse!" A blue sea serpant bearing a trident rose into the air.

"Seahorse! Destroy his Crawling Dragon!"

The monster hurled his trident at the black dino, and it was destroyed. Rex's LP dropped to 3850.

"My Kaiser Seahorse has a very special ability," Seth bragged. "It can serve as two tributes if I use it to summon a Light-type monster. Next turn you could be facing down one of my strongest monster!"

Rex drew a card and smiled. "There won't be a next turn for you, hotshot! I sacrifice my Twin-Headed King Rex to summon my newest and rarest card!"

The King Rex was pulled into the base of the card, and a robotic dinosaur with large wings emerged.

"Meet the Cyber-Tech Alligator! He has an attack of 2500! Alligator, destroy his fish!"

The Cyber-Tech Alligator roared and charged the Kaiser Seahorse. The Seahorse was detroyed, and Seth's LP dropped appropriatly, to 3250.

"You might as well give up," Rex said, grinning. "This duel is in the bag!"

"Not yet it's not," Seth replied. "I have several ways to destroy your monster!"

"Yeah, right! The Cyber-Tech Alligator is unbeatable, especially when I draw a Limiter Removal! That will double it's attack points instantly!"

Seth examined his cards. There was only one that could save him right now...

"I place one monster face-down, and one other card face down, and end my turn."

"Typical," Rex laughed. "Playing defense again. Some hot-shot you are. Cyber-Tech Alligator, destroy his face-down card!"

Seth grinned as the Gator swooped down to attack. "My face-down monster has a surprise for you!"

When the monster was revealed, it turned out to be a beautuiful young woman glad in a knight's armor.

"Meet the Dimensional Warrior Girl," Seth said. "Her sword was forged in a twilight dimension. If she activates its powers..."

The DWG deflected the Alligator's claws with her sword, and there was a blinding flash. When it was over, both monsters were gone.

Rex gasped. "Wha-where'd they go?!"

"They have left the game," Seth explained. "Her special ability has transported both of them to another dimension, out of the game. they aren't even in the graveyard. You won't be seeing either of them again."

"No! Not again!"

Seth drew a card. "It's my turn nolw, Rex. you've been controlling this duel long enough. Now, you'd better be ready to play the defensive!"

"But...I ca'nt..."

"I know. You don't have any defensive monsters. Tough break. I, on the other hand, can defend *and* attack. But the time for defending is over!"

He set his monster card. "I play Dunames Dark Witch in attack mode!" A beautiful angel rose from the card, with 1800 attack points.

"I also activate my face-down card, Bright Castle! It raises her attack by seven hundred points!"

The angel grew taller as her point totals rose to 2500. "And just to seal the deal, I set my Field card, Luminous spark!" She grew taller yet again as her total attack rose to 3000.

"Now, attack his life points directly!"

The now Amazonian angel released a blast of yellow energy right at Rex. His LP fell to 850.

Rex drew, and sighed. "I give," he said. "There's no way I can beat a monster that strong."

Seth smiled. "It was a good deal, dude," he said. He walked over and extended his hand. Rex hesitated, then shook.

"Here you go," he said. "My Tournament card and my Cyber-Tech Alligator. tHey're yours now."

"Thanks," Seth said. "Hey, listen. I'm gather an assortment of duelist for a little side-project I'm working on. I'd be honored if you'd like to join."

Rex considered. "Well, I'll think about it, but on one condition."

"What's that?"

"The only people who beat me, at least without cheating, always go all the way in Tournaments. So you'd better make it to the finals, or I'll beat you up and take my Alligator back!"

Seth grinned. "No prob."

As he placed the Cyber-Tech Alligator into his deck, Seth wondered how the others were doing. He was already half-way to the finals. Two more duels and he'd be in.

Seth decided not to challenge Hiro yet. That ewould wait until they were both in the finals, assuming Hiro made it that far.

I wonder what he's up to now," Seth thought to himself as he and Rex re-entered the crowd.

[Kesaki_Inedia]

Serena rolled her eyes. "oh great."

One of the guys with a gun pointed it in her face.

"Shut up little girl or kiss your pretty face good bye!"

"Oh yeah that's original" serena shot back rolling her eyes again. Serena then started forming a good Idea in her head.

"Hey why are you two down here holding the guns while he gets to duel? Are you not as good as him?"

The guy laughed. "No way. i'm just as good as him he just got the funner job."

"Is he being paid more?"

"No! we're all being paid the same."

"Are you sure? how do you know that he's not lieing?"

[DeathBug]

Seth, with Rex in tow, came upon a crowd where a duel was just ending. The loser, a shoert guy with red hair, walked away in a sullen mood, having lost his rarest card and a chance at the championship.

The winner was a pale young lady in fishnet stocking, platform boots, and rather scruffy black attire. Her t-shirt said "Vampiress", and she had a pentagram medallion on her neck.

"Does anyone else wish to duel?" she asked in a soft, monotone voice. "I take on all challengers."

"What do ya' think, hot shot?" Rex asked sEth. "Think you can take her?"

"Well, I never like to disappoint a lady..." Seth said. He raised his hand. "Me! I'll take you on."

The girl nodded. "Come on, then. My name is Lydia. Let's begin."

He stepped into the center of the circle the crowd had formed. "I'm Seth. Very nice to meet you."

"Meetings are just the first part of saying good bye," she said. "i'll go first."

Seth blinked. "Uh, okay." Well, he thought. Not very chipper, is she?

"You better not loose, Seth!" Rex called. "I have a rep to maintain!"

"Winning or loosing doesn't matter," Lydia said. "What difference does it make? I set one monster face down, and set on other face down card. Your turn."

Seth drew a card and looked at his hand. "Hmm...well, I play the Hysteric Fairy, in attack mode."

A male angel wearing a strange sort of business suit appeared on the field. "Attack her face down monster!"

The angel nodded and flew into the air. He dove onto the card, destroying the monster instantly.

"The monster you just killed was the Nimble Monomoga," Lydia said, still unphased. "I gain 1000 life points because of it."

"Great..." Seth muttered. "We just started, and now she's at 5000 life points! And I still don't know her strategy!"

"Also, the death cries of their fellow bring two more Nimble Monomogas from my deck to the field," Lydia explained. "Are you done with your turn?"

" Not quite," Seth said. "I place on card face down. Now I'm done."

"Whatever," Lydia shrugged. "I draw. Now, I activate my face-down card, Painful Choice."

Seth was confused. "Huh? Painful choice? What's that do?"

"I select five cards from my deck," Lydia said. "You pick one of them and it goes to my hand. The other four go to the graveyard."

Seth chuckled. "You're got to be out of your mind, but go ahead. Pick your cards."

"Already done," She said. Holograms of five different cards appeared on the field. Sinister Serpant, Dark Bats, and three Dimensional Scouting Machines.

"Well, obviously," Seth said. "I choose the Sinister Serpant; he'd only end up in your hand after each turn anyway."

The other four cards disappeared, and Lydia added the serpant to her hand. "I place one face down card and end my turn," she said simply.

What is she doing? Seth wondered. This is crazy...her strategy is completely random...

"I activate *my* face-down card, Regeki Break!" seth said. "I discard one card from my hand, and destroy one of your Monomogas!"

A small bolt of lightning shot from the card, wiping out one of Lydia's squrriels. "And because it was destroyed by a trap card, you won't get the 1000 points! Now, Hysteric Fairy, wipe out the last Monomoga!"

The Fairy struck again, and Lydia's LP rose another 1000 points, to 6000. At least that's the end of her defenses, Seth thought. Next turn, I go for the kill!

Lydia drew a card. "I just drew the card I was waiting for," she announced without a trace of emotion in her voice. "My most powerful card. I summon Bazoo the Soul Eater, in attack mode."

A fat blue baboon appeared on the field. Seth had to stop himself from laughing.

"That's your most powerful monster? It's only got 1600 attack points. Even my Hysteric Fairy has 1800, and he's not nearly my strongest card! This is crazy."

"I play the magic card Beast Fangs," Lydia said. Bazoo's fangs doubled in size, making him look far more intemidating. "His attack raises to 1900."

"That's better," Seth admitted. "But still...that's the best you can do?"

"You oviously don't know about Bazoo's ability," Lydia said. "Watch. Bazoo, feed."

The spirits of the three Dimensional Scouting Machines rose before the ape, and it gabbed them greedily. To Seth's disgust, it began to devour them.

"Ewww..." Rex said, sticking out his tongue.

"My sentiments exactly," Seth said. "What's he doing?"

"Eating their souls," Lydia explained. "Three souls each turn fills him up. Thath's why I used Painful Choice to dump monsters into the graveyard for him."

As Bazoo fed, he got larger. When he was done, he had doubled in size, and his attack had risen to 2500, plus 300 more for the Beast Fangs...2800, with no tributes.

"I think I get it..." Seth said quietly. His Hysteric Fairy backed away from the big baboon.

"Bazoo, kill his Fairy," Lydia commanded. With a wild howl and a swipe of his claws, Bazoo wiped out the Hysteric Fairy, and 1000 of Seth's LP.

"I think I'm in trouble..." Seth said, as Bazoo howled again.

[Domon]

[SIZE=1][COLOR=darkblue][i]I about wanted to strangle Weevil for using Kuriboh, grrrrr.... He was going to pay for this and believe me it wasn't going to be pretty when I did get him for this.[/i]

"I summon the Petit Moth in defense mode and play the Cocoon of Evolution and now watch and wait for my most powerful monster, but first I set 4 m/t face down and end my turn." [i]I knew what was coming, the Ultimately Perfect Great Moth, and if I didn't act fast enough my Buster Blader would be mince meat. I drew my next card and nearly freaked.[/i]

"Weevil its time for this to end now!!!! I play my magic card Raigeki and destroy your Moth and its cocoon and now I equip my monster with the Axe of Despair and now I summon forth my Gemini Elf in attack mode!!! Now Buster Blader eradicate him!!!" [i]And with that Blader took a agile leap into the air and brought his sword down upon Weevil but that only left him at 400 life points and then I sent Gemini after that and ended the game, I walked over to Weevil and held out my hand.[/i]

"Fork over your Ultimately Perfect Great Moth and the other two cards required for it and your puzzle card and hand them over now!!!" [i]Weevil gave me the most defeated of looks and then forked over the cards and I strode off to look for another duel.[/i][/COLOR][/SIZE]

[Exodus]

"Now that your Gravekeeper's Assallinet has been destroyed by my Winged Sage Flacos, your monster is returned to the top of your deck."

"Ooh, I'm sooo scared!" Rio joked. "Well, I play the magic card Dark Hole!"

The Winged Sage was removed from the field.

"Now, I summon again my Gravekeeper's Assaillent and attack your Life Points directly!"

Rio: 3800
Yaano: 2500

Rio ended his turn.

"Alright, I play Red Skull Bird and destroy your Assaillent and I'll end my turn."

Rio: 3750

"Ok, i summon Opticlops and destroy your Red birdie and set one card face-down and end my turn."

Yaano: 2250

[DeathBug]

At the end of Lydia's turn, Bazoo shrunk back down, with only 1900 attack points. "Just to be safe, I place one card facew down before I end my turn," she said.

Seth checked his options; Lydia could keep feeding that freak for at least one more turn, with the other three monsters in her Graveyard. He'd have to take it out now....but it had 1900 attack points, and only his Thunder Nyan nyan could match that. He didn't have his Thunder Nyan Nyan yet....

"I play the magic card Mystical Space Typhoon," Seth said. "I use it to destroy your face-down card!" A small cyclone formed on Lydia's face down card, blowing it away.

"I also placeone card in defensive mode and end my turn."

Lydia drew. Suddenly, three monsters appeared on her side of the field; her Dimensional Scouting Machines.

"Hey...what?"

"These Machines return to the field after being removed from the game," Lydia explained. "That's why I selected them to go to the Graveyard. Now, Bazoo, devour the Nimble Monomogas."

Bazoo fed once more, powering back up. With a single swipe, he destroyed Seth's monster, Spirit of the Harp.

"Your move."

Seth drew a card. Aha, he thought. Asura Priest! I think I have an idea...

"I play Asura Priest, in attack mode!" A six-armed man appeared on the field, with 1700 attack points.

"His six arms can attack as many of your monsters on the field as I want. Asura Priest, destroy those Scouter Machines!"

Asura sped to the side of the field, striking each of the three machines. They exploded instantly. After Seth made his attack, Asura Priest left the field.

"Your move, ma'am."

"That wasn't very smart," Lydia said. "I play my other face-down card, Miracle Dig. It brings my three Monomogas back to the grave. Now, Bazoo, feed again and attack his life points directly."

Bazoo did feed, and did attack. Seth was knocked backwards by the forec of the blast. With no monsters to defend himself, Seth's LP dropped to a measly 200.

"I'm afraid you're done," Lydia said.

I might be, Seth thought. I'm risking everything on this one gambit. I have all the cards needed for this next attack but one....if it's not the right card...I'm done for good!

[Domon]

[COLOR=darkblue][i][SIZE=1]Hmmm....Who to look for, that's a good question to ask yourself when you really want an opponent to duel, that answer came to me in the guise of a pink haired girl who looked like one of those cutesy goody-tushoes that almost made any sane person gag on their tounge right then and there, except she had a rather determined look on her face and a duel disk, I held my own up.[/i]

"Wanna duel shrimp?" [i]I asked jokingly but she gave me one of the most deadliest looks, hell I thought I was going to wet my pants just from that look.[/i]

"Fine, I'll duel you, what's your rarest card?" [i]She asked, I held up my Buster Blader.[/i]

"This bad boy, and yours?" [i]She held up a card with a little fairy riding a syringe, I knew that card by instinct, one of my very good friends had this card but would never hand it over in a trade or anything. It was Injection Fairy Lily.[/i]

"All right let's duel!" [i]I said as I slapped my deck into the disc and the life point counter popped up with the 4000 Life Points, she followed suit and the duel began.[/SIZE][/i][/COLOR]

[DeathBug]

REx Raptor cringed. "Seth, you idiot! Asura Priest is a Spirit Monster! He returns to your hand each turn! Why'd you leave youyrself wide open?!"

"It was cutting it a little close," Seth admitted. "But it's all part of my plan."

"I see," Lydia said. "Did you plan to loose?"

"Nope, sorry. I've got all the cards I need for my strategy to work, save one. And I know I'm about to draw it. My deck won't let me down."

At least, Seth thought. It better not. Come on, deck, come through for me...

Seth drew his card, and smiled. "This duel is over. I summon the Magician of Faith!"

A young girl with a staff appeared on the field. Rex laughed. "Seth, you moron! The Magician's effect only works when she's flipped over! It's useless to summon her in face-up defense mode!"

"He didn't," Lydia called. "She's in attack mode."

"What?!"

"You better believe she's in attack mode. She's going to win this duel for me! Because now, I play the magic card I just drew, Creature Swap!"

Lydia stepped back. "No...that card..."

"It gives me one of your monsters in exchange for one of mine. And I choose to take your Bazoo in exchange for my Magician of Faith!"

The dueling field shimmered, and suddenly, Bazoo was in front of Seth, the Magician in front of Lydia.

"Bazoo," Seth commanded. "I have two monsters in the graveyard. Eat up!"

Bazoo did. He still had the Beast Fangs equipped to him, so his attack grew to 2500.

"Nice trick," Lydia admitted. "But I still have other monsters. I can win, even without Bazoo."

"Maybe, but you won't have a chane to use them. Bazoo isn't strong enough to wipe out your Life points yet, but once I equip him with the magic card Megamorph, his attack strength will double, because my Life points are so much lower then yours!"

"You let me attack you on purpose..." Lydia muttered.

"Yep. I risked the entire duel on one card draw. Now that Megamorph is in effect, Bazoo has 5000 attack points. You're done for! Bazoo, attack the Magician of Faith!"

Bazoo screeched and swiped his claws. the Miagician was wipped out, along with Lydia's Life points.

Lydia came to Seth, smiling a bit. "That was an excellent duel," she said. "I'll just have to work harder to beat you next time."

"I look forward to it," Seth said, blushing.

"Here. My Tournament card and my Bazoo the Soul Eater Card. You deserve them."

"Thanks," Seth said, taking both cards.

Only one more duel, and I'm in the finals! he thought.


_____________________________________

OOC: Well, it's been a few days since anyone posted. Rather than double-post, Il'l just add onto this one. ^_^

IC:

Seth was cheerful as he examined his two new cards: Bazoo the Soul Eater and the Cyber-Tech Alligator. Sure, they weren't of the Light-attribute, but they were symbols of his victories, like badges of courage.

He placed them into his deck without a second thought. [i] Besides,[/i] he thought. [i]I know that they're strong cards. They'll do fine. Plus, they'll make me more unpredictable. I'll be able to surprise Rio, Hiro and anyone else with them. Now...I need one more duel to guarentee my place in the finals...Who to pick?[/i]

"Hey! Seth!"

A loud voice broke his concentration. He turned around and saw Rex and Lydia running up to him.

"Uh, hey guys. What's up?"

"We found a duelist worthy of your talent," Lydia said calmly.

"I want you to murder this guy!" Rex yelled "Come on!"

"Wait a sec...what?" But it was too late. Rex was practically dragging Seth with him, until they finally reached the duelist everyone was so excited about.

Green hair, a pink shirt, and white slacks after Labor Day. The only duelist with the guts to wear that kind of outfit was...

"Espa Roba!"

Espa looked up. "Hey, Rex," he said. "Long time, no see."

Rex wasn't happy to see him. "Don't give me that! I remember how you cheated me at Battle City, jerk!"

"Hey, now," Espa said. "I gave you your Serpant Knight Dragon back."

"For all the good it did me! I was kicked out of the Tournament!"

"I sense animosity," Lydia said.

"Espa, the name is Seth Niteshade," Seth said. "And I challenge you to a duel."

Espa grinned. "All right; I accept. The future is clear; you won't win."

"where are your brothers, you cheat?" Rex demaned.

"Right there," Espa pointed to a group of young boys who looked almost exactly like him.

"Can we just duel?" Seth asked impatiently.

"All right, let's go!"

Seth and Espa drew their cards. Rex laughed. "Ropa, Seth will take you down! Joey Wheeler won your Jinzo, and I bet you're hopeless without it!"

"Fat chance," Espa replied. "I've got a whole new deck, and a new monster even more powerful than Jinzo!"

"If you two are done," Seth interrupted. "I place one monster face down and end my turn."

"Good; I summon Zombrya the Dark, in attack mode!" A tall monster wearing a dark super-hero costume appeared on the field.

[i]Zombrya?[/i]Seth thought. [i]Hmm...a strong monster, but his attack drops every turn...what could Espa be planning?[/i]

"Zombrya, destroy that pesky face-down monster!"

Zombrya leapt into the air and struck the card with a flying low kick. The card was the Dark mgaician Girl's little sister, Magician's Valkryia. She was destroyed instantly.

"I place one card face-down and end my turn."

"Nice move," Seth said. "But your dark hero's about to be wiped out by a hero of the more old-fashioned variety. I summon the Blade Knight, in attack mode!"

A knight in a shining suit of armor appeared on the field. He bore a shield and a large sword.

"I equip the Bright Castle card to my Knight; his attack points raise from 1600 to 2300! Because your Dark hero lost 200 points after destroying a monster, that puts him at 1900 points...Blade Knight, attack!"

The Knight charged and, inches from striking Espa's monster, the face-down card activated.

"Waboku!" Espa called. "It negates any damage I take! I loose Zombrya, but my life points are unharmed!"

Sure enough, Espa took no damage as Zombrya was sliced in half.

"Well, then,' Seth replied. "I end my turn."

"That's all you can do," Espa snapped. "I summon the Saphire Dragon, in defense mode!"

[i]What's going on here?[/i] Seth wondered as the green dragon appeared on the field. [i]Why summon a monster like the Saphhire Dragon in defense mode? He's clearly made for attack...also, what do Zombrya and the Dragon have in common? What's Espa's strategy?[/i]

"Blade Knight! Destroy the Sapphire Dragon!"

Espa didn't even flinch as his dragon was sliced in half. Even his brothers, looking on, didn't seem bothered.

"What's going on?" Rex asked Lydia. "This isn't anything like when I played this creep! Seth's slaughtering his monsters with no trouble!"

"He's waiting for something," Lydia replied. "Every time he draws a card, he has an aticipating look on his face, then slight disappointment."

"But Seth is killing him!"

"Niether of them are in control," Lydia explained. "True, Seth's Blade Knight is a force to be reckoned with, but Espa hasn't taken any damage yet. He's waiting for something, and once he gets it, this whole duel could turn around."

Espa drew his next card. "I play the Skilled Black Magician, in defense mode!"

Seth was taken aback. [i]That's it, something's up here! That card is only used in Dark Magician decks! Plus, he already played a dragon and a dark warrior! None of his moves make sense! He's playing like a kid who just tossed together the cards with the highest attacks![/i]

[i] But...Lydia's strategy seemed random at first, and she turned out to have a nasty surprise waiting...Look at him; he's not even worried. I've got to break through his monsters and figure out his strategy, or he might spring something on me that I can't beat![/i]

_________________________________

OOC: Hello? Anyone home?

IC:

"I also place one card face down," Espa said. "I end my turn."

Seth looked over his cards. Sure, he could quickly gain field advantage by rushing Espa now, but if he was planning so spectacular move with his unorthodox strategy...then maybe it's best to keep some cards in reserve.

"Well, i guess it's pretty obvious what to do," Seth said. "Blade Knight, wipe out his Magician!"

The Blade Knight charged forward and struck the Skilled Black Magician with his sword, destroying him.

"I'll admit, Ropa," Seth said. "I have no idea what you're doing. so far, all of your strategies have been completely off the wall."

Espa grinned, full of confidence. "I wouldn't expect you to comprhend my stratgey," he said. "After all, i'm in touch with the currents of the universe! You're out of your league! I summon the Dark Elf in defense mode, and place one card face-down."

A dark-skinned elf in a green dress appeared on the field. She had a huge attack of 2000, but only 800 defense. So why play her like this?

"Blade Knight, destroy the elf," Seth said half-heartedly. In his mind, he was trying to discern Ropa' strategy.

[i]What is going on here? Espa's not some rookie...I must be missing something...All right, he's played four monsters so far: Zombrya the Dark, Sapphire Dragon, Skilled Black Magician and Dark Elf; what do they all have in common?[/i]

[i]They all have 1900 attack or higher...but what does that mean? Without a clear stategy, monsters are useless, no matter how strong....unless...oh no! He couldn't be planning that...Oh man...[/i]

"I discard Megamorph from my hand," Seth said. "My card count is now six. Your move."

"Time's up for you, Seth," Espa said. "I place one more card face down, and play Goblin Attack Force, in attack mode!"

A quartet of Gblins appeared on the field. They were evenly matched with Seth's powered Blade Knight.

"I now end my turn."

"I draw...and discard my trap card, Light of Intervention. I can't attack, so it's your move."

Espa laughed. "It's over for you, Seth! I was stalling until I drew a card your Knight couldn't overpower! Now, Prepare to face a monster whose power is limitless!"

Seth backed away. "Oh crap...I was right...you're going to play *him*, aren't you?"

"Yes!" Espa laughed, and his brothers looked on in anticipation. "I sacrifice my Goblin Attack Force to summon the great Demon Gaazetto!"

The Goblins disappeared, and a dark cloud formed in their place. From it arose a hideous demon warrior.

"What is that thing?!" Rex asked.

"The Great Demon Gaazetto," Seth replied. "A rare and ultra-powerful monster card. His attack and defense strengths are both zero, but his ability makes him almost unbeatable. His attack and defense become double the amount of the attack and defense of the monster tributed to summon him!"

"That's right," Espa said. "And because my Goblin Attack Force had an attack strength of 2300..."

"Gaazetto has an attack of 4600." Lydia finished. "Impressive."

Espa smirked again. "Now you'll see why he's called the Great Demon! He's even more powerful than the Blue eYes Ultimate DRagon! Nothing in your deck can stop me! Great Demon Gaazetto, unleash your power on his Knight!"

________________________________________

Gaazetto unleashed a dark blast of incriedible power at the Blade Knight, who was instantly destroyed. Seth's LP dropped to 1700.

"This duel is over," Espa declared, full of confidence. "My Great Demon Gaazetto will wipe you out!"

"You've obviously got a lot to learn about Duel Monsters," Seth chided. "Brute strength alone never wins a match. Ask Rex."

"Hey!"

Espa laughed. "Usually, that's true. However, in this case, we've moved beyond brute strength. We're talking ustoppable force of nature here! Gaazetto's too strong for you to do anything but sit back and loose!"

"Is he?" Seth asked. "Well, that's where you're wrong. I draw..."

"Not so fast!" Espa said. "I play my trap card, Time Seal!"

Seth looked up suddenly. "What?"

"I know you could find a way to destroy Gaazetto on your own," Espa explained. "So I'm not leaving you a chance to draw new cards! That'll shut you down real quick!"

"I do'nt need to draw cards; I already have one ready for your demon!" Seth produced a magic card. "I play Ebykio Drakmord, the Black Dust Virus! This magic card will riddled your monster with the plauge, rendering him unable to attack or defend. After two turns, he'll be destroyed!"

"nice try," Espa said. "But I play my other trap card, Solemn Judgement. At the cost of half my life points, I destroy your magic card."

The Black Dust dissipitated, leaving Seth with no new options.

[i]I'm screwed,[/i] Seth thought. [i]No monster can go toe-to-toe with Gaazetto...And none of my magicc ards will help me...better play the defensive...[/i]

"I place Freed, the Wandering Hero, in defense mode!"

A blond-haired general with a cloak appeared on the field.

"I now end my turn."

"Good! Gaazetto, destroy his monster!" Gaazetto unleashed another volley of energy, wiping out Freed.

"My turn's over," Espa said. "But don't bother drawing a card. My other face-down card is also a Time seal. You'll only get one more draw in this duel before I finish you."

Seth reached to his deck, but Espa mearly activated his trap card.

Seth looked over his hand...[i]Nothing! I've got the Copycat....he has stats of 0/0, but can take the base attack of one opponent's monster...that won't help me, though, because Gaazetto's base attack is 0![/i]

"I place the Reflect Bounder, in defnse mode."

"And I have my Great Demon detroy it," Espa chuckled, as his monster went to work. "You've got one more move; your hand is almost empty. Hurry up and draw."

[iThis is it...[/i] Seth thought. [i]If I don't draw the card I need right now, all my work was for nothing. There's one card that can help me, and cinch the duel....I have to draw it![/i]

Seth drew his card....

.....And smiled.

"It's been a good duel, Espa," Seth said. "Your Great Demon Gaazetto is extemely powerful. I'll take good care of it."

Espa frowned. "What are you talking about? You're bluffing!"

"Watch and learn," Seth said, confidently. "I summon the Servant of Catabolism, in attack mode!"

An ancient mollusk creature appeared on the field. Espa laughed.

"That thing only has700 attack points! My Great Demon will slaughter it!"

"Your Great Demon is going to help me win this match!" Seth declared. "I play the magic card Riryoko!"

Lydia smiled. "I know exactly what he's doing."

"Care to fill me in?" Rex asked.

"Riryoko allows me to take the attack points of one monster on the field, divided them in half, and add them to the attack of another monster," Seth explained. "I'm sure you see what comes next."

Espsa wasn't worried. "You're going to give half my Great Demon's attack to your Servant of Cataboloism. Big deal. Riryoko only lasts for one turn. You'll destroy Gaazetto, but next turn I'll just summon one of my super-powerful monsters to destroy your mollusk and the rest of your life points!"

"Ther'es no next turn," Seth said. "Riryoko, take half of Gaazetto's attack points and give them to my Servant of Catabolism!"

A magical aura surrounded both the Servan and the Demon. Gaazetto's attack dropped to 2300, and the Servant's roose to 3000.

"Your mistake was choosing such a weak monster," Espa gloated. "Your Servant is one of the weakest monsters I've ever seen. He'll destroy my Demon, but he won't live long enough to brag about it!"

"I'm not going to destroy your Demon at all," Seth said. "You obviously don't know about my Servant of Catabolism's special ability. True, his attack points are low, but he makes up for it. You see..."

"My Servant of Catabolism can bypass all of your monsters and attack your life points directly!"

Espa turned pale. "But I only have 2000 Life points left...."

"Exactly. Sevant of Catabolsim, wipe out Espa's life points!"

The tiny mollusk glowed brightly and unleashed a stream of bubbles. THey passed directly through Gaazetto and hit Espa.

"No...I lost....."

"Youre out of life points. I win. Your Tournament card and your Great demon Gaazetto are mine now."

Espa looked to his brothers. They smiled. "It was a great duel, Espa," One said. "You don't have to be embarassed." The others nodded.

Espa smiled slightly and handed Seth his two cards. "It was a lot of fun dueling you," he said. "I hope you do well in the finals."

"Agreed," Lydia said.

"You'd better," Rex muttered.

Seth smiled as he added the Great Demon Gaazetto to his deck. "Thanks, all of you. But I need to check up on a friend of mine. I'll be ayt the finals, don't worry. And i'll win."

Seth waved goodbye and ran off to find Hiro.

[Onix]

OOC: Since no one said I [i]couldn't[/i] join...
IC: Tao stood atop the building, duel disk strapped to his arm. He scanned the crowd for duelists who might be a challange. Then he saw one duel. A guy in black defeated a kid Tao recognized as Esper Ropa. The guy in black defeated him, and claimed some card.
'I'll leave him for the finals. Then I can see how he duels when he's playing for real,' Tao thought. He jumped off the roof and landed in a clearing of people.
"Hey! Dude! You wanna duel!"
Tao looked over and saw some kid with a duel disk on his arm.
"You're serious?" asked Tao, cocking his eyebrow, his trademarked look.
"Duh! I asked you if you wanted to duel! So, you gonna, or not!?"
Tao smirked and snorted.
"Sure. Whatever. What's your top card?"
"My best card is the Cosmo Queen!"
"How did some punk kid get a good card like that?"
"I got McDonalds Promo Packs until I got one. I had more than 20 packs before I got it, and now I have tones of great cards! Let's duel! And my name's Tom, by the way."
"Call me Tao."
The holographic field appeared.
"First, I play Fairy's Gift in attack mode. It may be weak, but it'll destroy you anyway!"
A slender green girl with large butterfly wings appeared on the field (1400/1000).
"And I play one card face down!"
A vertical face down card appeared behind the fairy.
"Hm. Pathectic. First, I play Sorceror of the Doomed," said Tao, laying down the card.
A skeletal wizard with heads on his cloak appeared (1450/1200).
"Then, I play 4 cards face down."
Four cards appeared behind the Sorceror.
"And then, I have my Sorceror attack!"
The Sorceror fired a bolt of energy from his staff. It obliterated the fairy.
Tom snarled as his life points dropped to 3950.
"So, what's your next move?"
Tom snarled at Tao.
"I'll show you! I play Destroyer Golem in attack mode!"
A huge, stone man in strange clothes appeared on the field (1500/1000).
"Destroyer Golem, attack!"
The huge stone beast slammed it's massive fist into the sorceror. Tao's LP dropped to 3950.
"So what, kid?"
"Errr, don't call me kid!" screamed Tom.
"Fine. My turn, Tom?" asked Tao, sarcasm readily appearent in his voice.
"Yeah."
"Fine. First, I activate Monster Reborn," Tao said, flipping up the card on the field. "Then, I bring back my Sorceror."
The Sorceror appeared on the field again.
"I destroyed it before, and I'll do it again."
"And [i]then[/i]," said an obviously annoyed Tao. "I play Book of Secret Arts, raising my Sorceror's attack to 1750. Sorceror, attack!"
A book appeared at the Sorceror's feet. Blue light shot up from the open pages and wrapped around the skeletal being. It fired a blue blast of energy at the Golem. Then stone creature crumbled to dust, and Tom's LP dropped to 3600.
"Your turn, Tommy boy."
"My name is Tom! I play Three Legged Zombie in defense mode and end my turn."
"All right. I play a monster face down in defense mode and a magic card face down."
Two cards appeared on the field, on horizontal and next to Sorceror of the Doomed, on vertical and behind it.
"And then, I attack with my Sorceror, destroying the Zombies."
The two Zombies turned into a pile of dust as the energy hit them.
"Your turn," said Tao, smirking at the kid.
"Fine. I play Rogue Doll in attack mode and one card face down."
A legless metal doll appeared on the field with a vertical card behind it.
"All, right. I attack with Sorceror of the Doomed. Your Rogue Doll is destroyed," Tao said, his Sorceror firing another energy blast.
"Not so fast! I activate Reinforcements and increase my Doll's attack power by 500, raising it to 2100! Your attack is deflected, and my Doll attacks instead."
"No it doesn't. I activate Spellbinding Circle, freezing your Doll."
"No way!" screamed Tom.
"And now that your turn is over, I will activate one of my magic cards, the Axe of Dispair!"
On the field, a card flipped up revealing the Axe of Dispair. An axe fell from the sky into the Sorceror's hand.
"That raises his attack power to 2750. And when I add my second Book of Secret Arts, it raises his attack even further, to 3050!"
Tao placed another card onto the field, and another book fell at the Sorceror's feet.
"Now, Sorceror, attack!"
The Sorceror fired a huge blast of energy at the doll. The doll exploded into cybernetic dust and Tom's LP dropped to 2150.
"All right, now I'll beat you! First, I play Frog Jam in defense mode. Then, I play one card face down, and play Block Attack, meaning your Sorceror can't attack til after my next turn!"
Tao grumbled as he drew his card.
"I don't play anything this turn. Your move."
"Now, you'll lose for sure! I tribute Frog Jam to summon Millenium Shield!"
"That's still not strong enough to block my Sorceror's attack! It's time to finish you and take your cards! Sorceror, attack!"
The skeletal wizard fired his energy at the shield.
"Not so fast!" yelled Tom. "I activate Castle Walls, increasing my Shields defense to 3500!"
As the Sorceror's energy hit the Shield, it was reflected back at the skeleton.
"That wont hurt me, though. I activate Waboku!"
Three nun-looking figures appeared around the Wizard, blocking the attack.
"No!"
"I could still defeat you! And I will this time. But first, make your last move!"
"Fine! I'll summon Rude Kaiser by tributing my Millenium Shield and equip it with Invigoration! That raises it's attack to 2200! Rude Kaiser attack the face down card!"
The crocodile creature slashed the face down card with the blades on his arms. The card was revealed to be a Man-Eater Bug.
"With my Bug's effect, your Kaiser is destroyed anyway!"
Both cards were destroyed.
"And now, I attack you directly with my Sorceror!"
The skeleton fired his energy at Tom. The kid was knocked back by the blast. His LP dropped to 0.
"You lose, Tom. Now I get your blank card and your Cosmo Queen," said Tao, walking over and holding out his hand.
"No! You won't get my cards!"
Tom ran off, darting through the crowd.
Tao scowled as he darted towards the kid. In a matter of moments he caught up to him.
"Listen kid," said Tao in a low voice. "I can either take those cards the easy way, or," he said reaching into his cloak. "I can take it the hard way." He drew his concealed sword. "So, what'll it be?"
Tom whimpered, wiped his eye, and took his Cosmo Queen out of his deck and handed it to Tao, along with the tournament card.
"That's better. You need to focus less on sheer power and work more to power up your cards with magic and traps, as well as some effects. If you only use powerful monsters, you can easily be defeated. It your skill, not your might, that make or break a duel."
Tao strode off after telling Tom this. The kid stormed off, hunched over, muttering the closest things to curses he knew.
Tao slipped the Cosmo Queen into his deck. A powerful card like that would certainly help him out in the long run.
He darted up to the top of another roof and scanned the crowd.

[Kesaki_Inedia]

I'm still waiting for the due playing hiro to post..so I'm stuck until then. Sorry guys.

[SS3Vahn]

OOC: Sooooooooo sorry guys. I jus moved into a new house and couldnt get online for a while.
--------------------------------

"It's my turn now, and I draw." Hiro said, placing the newly drawn card into his hand.

'Hmmmmm.....I can't break the defenses of his Shogun yet, but...' Hiro thought. He bit his lip, then nodded to himself. He took a card from his hand and put it on the duel disk.

"I tribute my facedown card to summon the Chaos Magician!"

The facedown card disappeared, and a new magician appeared in a flash of light. He opened his eyes and smirked at the Shogun, ready to strike (6/2400/1900).

"Now I activate one of my facedown cards, Monster Reborn!" Hiro said, pushing a button on his duel disk. The Skilled Black Magician that he tributed appeared back on the field.

"And now the other, the Big Bang Shoot! It increases one of my monsters attack by 400 points. I choose my Chaos Magician, who will now destroy your Shogun!"

The magician looked up lazily, with an evil smile on his face. He quickly lunged at the shogun and destroyed it.

"By the way, due to Big Bang Shoots other effect, the difference between my attack and your defense is inflicted to your life points."

Hiro: 4000 Kieth: 2300

"Now I'll finish you with my Dai Greyfar and Skilled Black Magician!" Hiro said triumphantly, pointing at Kieth.

Kieth said nothing, just standing there blankly as the two creatures lunged at him. They both struck, and the force sent him flying back through the big window behind him. He landed on the ground unconsious, his cards flying everywhere.

Hiro turned to the two with the guns and said, "You two had better leave, if you don't want to be in serious trouble with the law."

The two looked at each other, then took off down the corridor. Hiro smirked, then walked out the front door. He kneeled next to Bandit Kieth and took his tournament card and Total Defense Shogun. "I believe these belong to me....." He said, walking back into the building.

He walked up to Serena and his mom and untied them. "Are you guys Ok?" He asked, helping them out of their chairs.

"I...think." his mother slowly said, checking herself for injuries. "Anyway, what the heck was that all about!? I was baking cookies for when you got home today and the next thing I know, I'm waking up in this dark storeroom..."

"I think I know what's going on, but I don't have time to explain. I have to find Kaiba. I'm sorry, but I'm afraid you guys will slow me down." Hiro said, starting to walk up to the reception desk. The woman there was cowering behind the desk, shaking in fear.

"Call the cops. I need to find Seto so I'm going up." Hiro said.

"O-ok." the lady said. She picked up the phone and pressed a button.

Hiro turned away and started up the stairs, a look of anger and hatred on his face. 'I'm coming Seto Kaiba, and this time I will avenge my father's death with your own!'

[DeathBug]

"...And he's about yea tall..." Seth said, describing hiro. "Seen him?"

The duelist thought for a second. "Actually, I saw a guy who looked like that go into the Kaiba Corp building a while ago," he said.

"Thanks," Seth said, running in that direction.

"Don't tell me Hiro's gonna' jump right in and challenge Seto Kaiba," he said to himself. "Even I'd think twice before doing that, and I'm awesome. Either Hiro's got a lot more guts than I gave him credit for, or he's crazier than me. Still, I gotta' see this!"

He passed into the building, then saw the receptionist at the desk.

"Hey, I'm looking for a duelist. You seen one?"

The lady stared at him blankly. "Sir, this is Kaiba Corp. Iv'e seen more duelists this morning alone than you probably have in a month."

Seth sweatdropped. "Uh...yeah, I guess that makes sense. It's a guy about my age, probably in a huff to duel Kaiba himself..."

The lady nodded. "Him? He seemed very upset; do you know what's going on?"

"Nope; where'd he go?"

"Upstairs," she gestured to the stairwell.

"Thanks! Remember me when Im' famous!" Seth called as he ran up the stairs.

"Hey, Hiro!" he called, looking up the stairwell; it seemed to go on forever. "You up there?"

[Kesaki_Inedia]

Serena turned her head at the sound of seth's voice.

"Seth? Hey! We're up here!" She shouted.

"Hold on i'll be there in a minute!"

Seth Rushed up the stairs stopping halfway to catch his breath and then catching his breath again at the top.

"next time I'm taking the elevator."

"Hey Seth, what are you doing here."

"I was about to ask you the same question. have you seen hiro?"

"Yeah, he's going to challange kaiba."

Seth thanked her and started off after him.

"hey! Don't leave me here like Hiro did! Wait up!" Serena took off after him.

[SS3Vahn]

Hiro was running up the stairs 3 at a time. He was starting to fatigue but was otherwise ok. A drop of sweat rolled off of his head and onto his duel disk. Hiro glanced down and wiped off his duel disk. 'Kaiba...'

He continued until he came to the 47th floor, where he stopped and glanced at the sign before a door. It read: 47th floor: President Seto Kaiba's office- 4701 Vice President Mokuba Kaiba's office- 4702 Marketing- 4703

Hiro opened the door and slowly walked down the hall. He glanced left and looked at the door that said '4701' on it. He turned and stood in front of the door. 'This is it...'
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Looking down at the city from his room on the 47th floor of the Kaiba Corp. building sat President Seto Kaiba. He snickered to himself and took a drink of his wine, and then grabbed his duel disk off of his desk. He slipped it on and stood up. "Little do you realize young Hiro is that I've been watching you this whole time. I had my receptionist call me when you entered the building. I watched your little encounter with Bandit Kieth and now know your meager strategy. And now, when you arrive at my room, you will be taught a lesson. Just like your father...."

He picked up his duel deck and placed it in the deck slot in his duel disk. He then grabbed his white trenchcoat on the back of his chair and slipped it on, waiting for Hiro.....
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Yea! I win!" normal Yugi said, jumping in the air and collecting his cards from the loser(which just so happened to be the ever-so-lovely Mai Valentine).

"Oh shut up, Yugi. I merely let you win that one." Mai said, shutting off her duel disk and walking over to Yugi.

"Awright! Good goin Yuge!" Joey said, walking over to Yugi and congradulating him. "How many tournament cards do you have now?"

"That was my 3rd one! Just one more and it's the finals for me! How about you, Joey?" Yugi said happily.

"Awwww, man! I've only got 2! I'll just have to catch up to ya."

"Man, Yugi never ceases to amaze me." Tristan said.

Yugi had his group with him, which was Tea, Joey, Tristan, Mai, Serenity, Bakura, Otogi, and himself. Also with them was Mako Tsunami, but he was in the arcarde getting a soda.

'Yugi, I have the strangest feeling that something bad is going to happen at Kaiba Corp.....I think we should head there.' Yami Yugi said.

'Yea, I've got that feeling too. I'd better go alone. It would look pretty wierd for a group of kids to run into Kaiba Corp. looking for Seto.' Yugi replied.

While the others were talking amongst themselves about Yugi's win, Yugi slipped out and went into an alley. He then went through the alley and down the next street onto the street Kaiba Corp. was on.

'Don't worry, Kaiba. We're coming to help.' Yugi thought as he entered the building. He went inside of the elevator and pushed the '47' button.

'Yugi, I think you'd better let me take over for now. We might come across a duel up there, maybe even with Kaiba himself. But you never know, we may end up teaming up with Kaiba this time. Nevertheless, I think it may be best for me to take over for now.'
Yami Yugi said.

'Yea, good idea.' Yugi siad. His Millenium Puzzle then flashed, and when the light faded, Yami Yugi stood there.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hiro reached his hand out for the door. Just before his hand touched the handle, he heard someone call out "Hiro!"

He looked to the door and saw Seth standing there, nearly out of breath. Behind him was Serena, also out of breath from the loooong trip up the stairs.

"Really, now's not the time Seth! I know you want to beat me and all, but I have more important things to do right now than wor-"

"No, that's not it. I'm waiting for the finals to face you. Right now, I'm here to help." Seth said, finally catching his breath.

"I hate to be rude, but the only help you can offer right now is morale support. I have to do this alone." Hiro said.

"Well, let's do this already." Serena said.

The three of them entered the room.

[DeathBug]

Seth smiled, clearly enjoying the whole situation. He had no idea why Hiro was so psyched up to duel Kaiba, but it promised to be a good show.

"Just so you know, Hiro," he said. "I've already got all four cards needed to go to the semi-finals. Also, I snagged three new, very powerful cards. You'd better not loose out and be disqualified, because I'll be peeved if I don't get to beat you myself."

Hiro sighed. "Seth, this isn't the time..."

"Hang on, now," Seth pulled a magic card from his deck. "I want you to use this card in your deck for this duel; you'll have to give it back when you're done."

Hiro took the card. "'Creature Swap?'"

"Yeah," Seth nodded. "You give your opponent one of your monsters in exchange for one of theirs. It could save your hieney in a tight spot. Just remember, if you loose, I'll be ticked."

[Onix]

Tao lept across building tops until he reached the Card Shop.
'Ahh, I can upgrade my deck.'
He jumped down and walked in. A few minutes later, he stepped out with a satisfied smirk.
'With these new cards, I can easily...'
"Hey!" yelled a raspy voice.
Tao turned and saw a tall, broad man in a dark blue coat with spikey blue hair stiking out from under a black cap.
"I challange you to a duel!" he yelled.
A murmur ran through the crowd.
"Fine. My strongest card is my Relinquished, and I'll even throw in my Dark Illusion Ritual. I have two Tournament Cards. What about you?"
"I offer my Dark Necrofear and my Tournament Card!"
"Allright, let's duel!"
And duel they did.
Tao looked at his hand. It was pretty good, as far as first hands go.
"All right," said Tao. "I play one monster in face-down defense mode and three face down magic or trap cards."
The four face down cards appeared on the field.
"Your move, um, what was your name?"
"I'm Panic, which is [i]just[/i] what you're going to do! I play Crass Clown in attack mode. I also equip him with Dark Energy and play Yami, increasing his attack power to 1850!"
The hideous clown grew in size as the ground at Tao's feet turned into swirling shadows.
"Crass Clown, attack his face down monster!" yelled Panic, pointing to the card.
The Clown jumped high into the air before crashing it's staff onto the face down card. It was revealed to be the Giant Soldier of Stone.
"Your attack is deflected, causing you to lose 150 LP!" said Tao.
Tao: 4000/Panic: 3850
"Your turn," snarled Panic.
Tao drew his card...and smiled.
"I tribute my Soldier to summon Summoned Skull!"
The stone warrior exploded into cyber-dust and was replaced by a huge, difigured beast with huge bat wings.
"Thanks to your Yami, my Skull's power is raised to 2700. And to make it more fun, I activate Fissure!"
A card on Tao's side raised up revealing Fissure. A crack shot from it's base at the Clown, swallowing it up.
"And to end it, I attack with Summoned Skull!"
The Skull raised it's hand and fired a bolt of lightning at Panic.
Tao: 4000/Panic: 1150
"Your move, Panic."
Panic drew his card and his face fell.
"I put one monster in defense mode," he muttered.
"All right. First up, I summon Cure Mermaid in attack mode."
A beautiful blonde mermaid with a red tail and a pink, frilly shirt appeared.
"Then, I activate Ookazi, decreasing your LP to 350. [i]Then[/i] I attack your face down monster with my Mermaid."
The Mermaid slapped the face down card with her tail. It was revealed to be a Dream Clown, which was destroyed.
"And, finally, I attack you with Summoned Skull."
Panic stood numbly as his LP dropped to zero.
"N...n...n...no! NO! I can't lose!"
He sunk to his knees and threw the two cards at Tao.
"Thanks, big man," said Tao, as he calmly strode off.