[h2][u]Duel between Michelle and Tsukiko[/u][/h2]

[hider=The Beginning]
Tsukiko decided to get up for a moment to walk over toward one of the vending machines to at least get something to drink. She was rather thirsty and this was as good time as any to quench one's thirst. She hadn't had  anything to drink for the most of the day other than the times she ate. All that walking around would make one thirsty too. Especially having to walk from the arena all the way to Floor 44 to retrieve a card she  left in the Fusion Room then back to her room where she decided she was going to change her clothes since she didn't want to wear her uniform all day taking personal preference to the clothes she wore when she was not in school. One thing hit Tsukiko when she went over to choose what beverage she was going to drink, which was that she never knew how crowded public teaching institutions were.

Unlike most students, Tsukiko lived a sheltered life where she was isolated from the public at the request of her father so she never got to make any friends or know what being around others was like aside from her journeys with her brother when he dueled in the tournaments. She had  been home schooled, which  meant she had little to no outside contact with the rest of the world  so she never had any of the luxuries that these students had such as  vending machines and other gadgets such as card trading machines since  her father's multi-billion dollar company provided her without almost  everything she ever needed. She was the same as her brother even though  she knew he didn't really care about the luxuries inside society since  he was an isolationist almost his entire life. There was a time where he  tried to make friends, but that time was short lived. [i]At  least these students get to live a life outside of being secluded from  society, because that is what my father thought was best.[/i]  She thought to herself as she made her choice then picked up the  beverage that was deposited from the dispensor below as she walked back  to her seat and popped the can open to enjoy the refreshing sweet taste  of citrus flavor touch her tongue, giving her an invigorating feeling as if it gave her life again.

[b]"Much better."[/b] She said to herself as she was completely restored from  the cooling refreshing taste of the orange soda she picked. It was  actually also one of her favorites even though she prefered to mix it  with alcohol, but that certainly wasn't allowed in the academy. She knew  that was for sure as most public areas were alcohol and drug free  zones. You couldn't just bring a pack of cigarettes or an alcoholic  beverage if you wanted to. [b]"Huh?"[/b] She questioned as she noticed someone else was sitting where she was. She certainly didn't take notice earlier since she was enjoying herself a moment ago where she had lost  track of who was in the area. She noticed a black haired girl had taken a seat right across from where she sat. She knew that black haired girl  wasn't sitting there earlier, because the table was completely vacant when she got there to take a seat from her exhausting journey around the academy. 

[b]"Rough day, I take it?"[/b] Tsukiko questioned toward the girl as she set her  drink down on the table to relax once again. Hopefully she didn't have  to walk around anymore than she had, because her feet were just killing her. Thank god she didn't wear high heels or her feet would be littered  with blisters.

Michelle had been staring off into space at the direction of the pool, lost in thought like usual. She thought about her first few days here at the academy, thinking how interesting they have been so far. Suddenly,  someone came and broke her out of her thoughts. [b]"Rough day, I take  it?"[/b] Michelle turned away from the pool to look at a silver-haired girl with a drink in hand. She was quite pretty too, although Michelle thought she looked familiar for some reason. She didn't know why; she certainly never met someone like her before. Putting the thought side  for now, Michelle decided to say something friendly. "It's, um, it's  been alright," Michelle replied. "How about you?" 

Tsukiko took another drink first before she decided to answer her question, though how to do so when she had been through so much today. She wasn't going to say anything about what happened in the Fusion Room, because that would be completely embarrassing. She let a boy get close to her,  which would have made the other boys very jealous had they saw Ben hug  her like he did. [b]"Umm well..."[/b] Tsukiko said with hesitation as  she didn't know what to say. The parts before the Action Duel were fine aside from having to get up at the crack of dawn just to get in a warm  shower. She placed her finger at her lip to contemplate what was  necessary to say and what should just be left out. It was hard to find  any place to start since most of the interesting things she would take interest in were not matters that Tsukiko really wanted to talk about at all. Well, maybe the showers, but other than that the rest were off-limits to anyone else's minds. Especially what happened with Ben. No way she was going tell her about that.

She then decided to not saying anything about those events as she took out  the chain that Hayato handed her earlier which was her locket. She had not even realized she dropped it on the ground earlier so she was fortunate and grateful that he had picked it up for her. [b]"I guess, you could say my day has been okay."[/b] Tsukiko paused for a moment as you could notice some of the stress inside the tone of her voice. She extended her hand out toward the black haired girl who thought she could  trust by her aura where she opened the claws of the hand to reveal her chain that was supposed to be around her neck. [b]"Think you could help me get this back around my neck? Somehow it fell off earlier?"[/b] She  asked politely toward the girl since it would be hard to get the thing  back around her neck by herself without eyes in the back of her head  where she would only have to rely on her instinct rather than her eyesight.

Michelle certainly wasn't expecting a request for help. Michelle pondered what to do. Of course, it'd be rude to say no, but some inner instant made  Michelle hesitate to say yes. Michelle mentally combated her inner turmoil intellectually, thinking, [i]It's just a locket. It's not going to bite or anything.[/i] After a couple seconds, Michelle responded, "Sure." and got up to help. Taking the locket, Michelle walked behind Tsukiko and began to loop the chain  around Tsukiko's neck. After a few short moments of Michelle fumbling  with the chain, she eventually managed to get the chain connected. "There we go," Michelle said, walking back around. Now that she looked  at the locket, though, she noticed the two dragons on it. Michelle  couldn't help asking Tsukiko, "Hey, um, uh, this is, uh, a bit of an odd  question, but... are you... do you know who, um, Shinrei Ikushirou is? You kinda remind me of him."

[b]"Thank you."[/b] Was Tsukiko's immediate response though the tone was a little lighter than usual so it was hard for other people to hear. It was just loud enough to catch the black haired girl's ears. She was relieved to have her locket back around her neck where it belonged since she didn't go anywhere without it. She was going to say something else until her thoughts were interrupted by the mention of her brother's name? Tsukiko looked at the girl in surprised when she mentioned her brother, because nobody really knew who he was aside from those who have met him in actual person. She thought to herself as she was trainwrecked in thought  over the surprise over the mere mention of her brother's name. [i]How does she know about my brother? Unless...[/i] She thought to herself, pausing her thoughts at unless until she got a broader view of why this girl actually knew her brother or just heard of him from someone.

[b]"That's my brother. I'm Tsukiko Ikushirou, his twin sister. The person you spoke of is my brother, though why do you ask about him? Other than the tournaments, not too many people know who he is anymore and he was... well..."[/b] She wanted to speak of how skilled he was, but she knew her brother was working hard at concealing his own identity for reasons of  his own. She couldn't just carelessly say something about her brother since it would go against what he was trying to do even though she did want him to go back to how he used to be where he wasn't as cold in nature as he was now. It was like he didn't want anything to do with anyone and why in that classroom earlier was he looking at Hayato and what possessed him to take Hayate away who fainted in his hands. These were strange things that Tsukiko would have to sort out later in her mind.

"Well..."  Michelle began, her hands fidgeting. "I, uh, really like Dueling, and, um, I used to look up old Duels to watch them. Shinrei, your brother, he was in the World Circuit, wasn't he? When I was watching his Duels, I noticed the one for his Finals match was missing. Every place I tried to find it was either deleted or cut off. The news didn't announce his  victory or defeat, either. I guess that's why I remember him so well out of all the other Duels I watched." Michelle wasn't sure what else to  say now. She had said all that she remembered. Then Michelle asked Tsukiko, "So, do you know what happened?"

There was a finals match, but the media she knew covered the whole incident up. The accident that happened during his duel and then the unfortunate event that happened in the finals. Shinrei had made it to the finals, she knew that, but he withdrew where she knew the reason why. She had a  flashback  of what happened during that semifinal duel where she saw her brother  had lost control of himself and had slipped into a great despair. She  saw he not only struck down his opponent in a brutal flash of dark light, but also was prompted by some urge inside him as you could see the sadistic look on his face and the cold smile and demon's eyes gazing  at the crowd wishing for them all to die. Tsukiko remembered that some  girl stood in the way of that blast shielding the crowd from her  brother's onslaught. When she saw who that girl was she remembered.  [i]That girl... it was...[/i] She thought to herself as she paused for a  moment catching the downed girl who had silver hair.

She surveyed the surroundings where she noticed that same cold smile on her brother's face just as they were still downed where the dust slowly  lifted from the impact of that explosion. [i]It was me...[/i] She thought to  herself when the black haired girl with glasses brought up the semifinal  duel. She didn't know how to put what happened in words, because she  had been in a coma for almost three months just like his opponent. All  she could think is how could her brother do something so heartless and  cruel like that. That side of him she saw she didn't think was him at  all. When Michelle asked her what happened, just as she was experiencing  the trauma when she spoke of it, Tsukiko didn't look like she really  wanted to answer that question as you could see the shameful look on her  face and the disappointment within the serious toned nature of her  voice. [b]"Well... it's really hard to explain. From what I saw happened  so fast and when I came to realize what just happened I was waking up  in the hospital after recovering from a comatose state."[/b] Tsukiko looked away down toward the ground with a gloomy look on face, because  talking about it certainly troubled her.

[b]"I'll tell you what, if you can defeat me in a duel; I'll tell you what I know."[/b] Tsukiko stated as she tried to shrug off the  horrors of what she just experienced just a moment ago. It was like she  went through some horror movie where she just didn't want to talk about the events of the past. Especially since she was sworn to secrecy. She  loved her brother and didn't really want to say anything that would  cause him to distrust her or anything that he didn't like other people  to hear. When it came to her brother, she knew he hid everything that bothered him from everyone keeping them bottled up inside. She knew he didn't trust anyone with what was going on in his mind which is why she never questioned his logic.

Michelle noticed how quickly things had escalated after she had asked that question. Things felt awkward for a while as Tsukiko talked. Before Michelle could offer an apology, Tsukiko offered a Duel to settle the issue. Michelle certainly wasn't expecting that development. After a few short moments, though, Michelle recovered from her surprise and responded, "Uh, ok." [i]Well, that's one way to start a Duel,[/i] Michelle thought. Looking around, Michelle wondered if there was enough space for a Duel with their Duel Disks. "You brought your Duel Disk, with you, right?" Michelle asked.

Tsukiko was asked if she brought her duel disk with her and on the side that was at her side was her Duel Disk which was attached to her wrist. She suddenly stood up from her chair and decided to stand at an opposite end of the room so there was a good separation between her and Michelle before they engaged in their duel."[b]I didn't catch your name."[/b] Tsukiko replied as she activated her duel disk where the part where the cards were slotted onto finally fanned out. Her duel disk also shuffled her deck for her for where she pulled out the cards and offered to allow Michelle to break the cards if she wanted to.

Michelle pulled out her Duel Disk as well, attaching the device to her arm and unfolding the blade. She also moved back a bit to ensure there was enough distance between them for the Duel. When Tsukiko asked for her name, Michelle replied, "My name's Michelle Kine." When Tsukiko offered her cards to Michelle, Michelle held up a hand to decline, trusting that the Duel Disks' auto-shuffling feature would be enough. At last, the Duel would begin.

As the Duel Disks readied up and the space between Michelle and Tsukiko emptied out, Michelle and Tsukiko cried out, "Duel!"
[/hider]
[hider=DUEL!]
[b][u]Turn 1: Michelle[/u][/b]
Michelle: 4000 LP, 5 cards, 0 Mon, 0 S/T
Tsukiko: 4000 LP, 5 cards, 0 Mon, 0 S/T

"I'll go first," Michelle said, drawing her first five cards. Looking over them, Michelle pondered her options for a moment, then made her decision. "I Summon Lumina, Lightsworn Summoner in Attack Position!" Michelle declared, the mage appearing on her field.

[b]Lumina, Lightsworn Summoner - Level 3, ATK 1000[/b]

"I also play the Field Spell: Realm of Light, and the Continuous Spell: Lightsworn Sanctuary!" Michelle continued, the area around them transforming. "Lastly, I play one card facedown, and enter the End Phase, where I mill 3 cards from my deck due to Lumina's effect," Michelle ended, sending Minerva, Breakthrough Skill, and a Realm of Light to the Graveyard. "One of the cards I sent was Minerva, Lightsworn Maiden, which means I send 1 more card to the Graveyard," Michelle explained, sending Ehren, Lightsworn Monk to the Graveyard.

"Due to the effects of Lumina and Minerva, Realm of Light and Lightsworn Sanctuary get 2 Shine Counters each," Michelle explained further. "For each counter on Realm of Light, my Lightsworn monsters gain 100 ATK!"

[b]Realm of Light - C2[/b]

[b]Lightsworn Sanctuary - C2[/b]

[b]Lumina, Lightsworn Summoner - ATK 1000 --> ATK 1200[/b]

"Turn End," Michelle ended.

[b][u]Turn 2: Tsukiko[/u][/b]
Michelle: 4000 LP, 1 cards, 1 Mon, 2 S/T, 1 Field
Tsukiko: 4000 LP, 6 cards, 0 Mon, 0 S/T

"My turn then," Tsukiko replied as Michelle ended her turn, drawing five cards into her hand. She didn't entirely like the draw she just got, though some of the cards were actually quite useful. Unfortunately, it wasn't the draw she wanted since only one Monster Card was present in her hand.

[b]"Okay, here I go. I draw!"[/b] Tsukiko exclaimed as she drew a sixth card into her hand not taking a look at it for a moment as she viewed her other ones. She noticed it was a Monster Card though not one that would help her so she slid it into her hand. She grabbed the fifth card on her far left which was a Monster Card but more useful than the other one she drew. She grabbed it in between her two fingers as she laid it down in attack position. She was about to play when heard her brother's voice telling her to be careful. [b]"Don't forget about the face-down card. You have two cards of your own that can give you an edge, but don't go recklessly playing a card until you analyze the entire field. The card could be Lightsworn Barrier. Though you're fine since she only has one card."[/b] Tsukiko stopped herself from playing Drillago then turned her eyes back onto the other Monster Card she drew. 

Tsukiko thought to herself that her brother could be right though she wasn't sure what this Lightsworn Barrier card did. He didn't explain either, but if he was warning her about it must mean he's trying to warn her about Trap Cards. [i]Should I play this card or not?[/i] She questioned toward herself as she just heeded her brother's voices words as she rethought her entire strategy. He had a point, holding onto Drillago would be a good idea though if she didn't find out what that face-down was, it could lead her to digging herself a hole. [i]All right, brother. I understand what you're saying, but if that's a Trap Card, then probably best I find out what it can do. Can't just delay attacking and dig myself a hole.[/i] "All right, thank you for the warning, brother. Here I go with what I'm going to do. I'll go with the same move I was going to do. Which is this." She said as she moved the card that was in between her two fingers and set it on the field in face-up attack position. [b]"I summon Drillago in attack position."[/b]. She declared as she made her first move of the duel leaving her five cards still in her hand. She heard the voice once again tell her. [b]"Don't use all your Trap Cards in just one turn. Set only two of them and hold onto which ever one you feel will benefit you later on or set it on your next turn. Always try to keep as many cards in your hand as you can. It makes the opponent think differently when you have more cards in your hand since more options are available to you. Remember that."[/b]

[b]Drillago - Level 4 - ATK 1600[/b]

[b]"Drillago has more attack than the monster on the other side of the field. Be careful though, that monster could have an effect, so always be prepared in case it does have one."[/b] Her brother's voice warned her just as it was about to become her Battle Phase. It seemed he wanted her to learn most of what cards can do on her own without influencing the situation too much though she didn't understand why she could hear his voice or why it seemed like they were so connected. [b]"Battle, Drillago attack Lumina!"[/b] Tsukiko said as she was prepared to launch her attack on Lumina moving into her Battle Phase.

Michelle allowed the attack to connect, and Lumina was destroyed. Michelle found it sad, but not out of control. She could easily recover from this.

[b]Michelle - 4000 LP --> 3600 LP[/b]

[b]"Now set those two cards. Save that other card, because you cannot use it right now."[/b] He informed her as Tsukiko then placed two cards face down in her Trap/Spell zone. She sure hoped that his advice was going to be any of use toward her since this was her first actualy official duel. He reminded her she was doing good, but not to get full of herself and focus on the duel. Not to let herself get distracted at all. [b]"This is my first actual duel though I don't think I'm doing too bad right now,"[/b] Tsukiko stated as she tried to encourage herself as her brother's voice would try to assist her as much as he could without actually getting too involved. It was Tsukiko's job to win the duel, but he would at least give her tips and hints which was completely up to her if she wanted to listen or not. She did great by ignoring his suggestion of playing her other Monster Card instead of Drillago. It was a decent move and he was a bit impressed with it since it worked out for her in the end, but as he reminded the duel was far from over and that she should not let herself get too engrossed into winning and focus on what she needed to do which was to defeat her opponent.

[b]"I will end my turn there, your turn, Michelle,"[/b] She nodded with a smile as she was actually enjoying herself and was able to forget about the dark looming thoughts which haunted her mind like a hallowed ghost. She thought to herself as she waited for Michelle to start her turn. [i]I cannot afford to lose if I want to remain silent about my past.[/i]

[b][u]Turn 3: Michelle[/u][/b]
Michelle: 3600 LP, 1 cards, 0 Mon, 2 S/T, 1 Field
Tsukiko: 4000 LP, 3 cards, 1 Mon, 2 S/T

"Draw!" Michelle said, drawing her next card. Not a bad card; it gave her more options to pick from to use this turn. Problem was, there were only so many she could use. Plus, there was also the possible threat of Tsukiko's face-downs. It was alright, though, she had defenses of her own.

"I activate the effect of my Lightsworn Sanctuary!" Michelle declared. "By sending a Lightsworn monster from my hand to my Graveyard, I can add another Lightsworn card from my Graveyard to my hand." Michelle sent Gragonith, Lightsworn Dragon to the Graveyard, then returned Ehren, Lightsworn Monk to her hand. "Now I Summon Ehren, Lightsworn Monk in Attack Position!" Michelle continued, the warrioress assuming a fighting position as she appeared.

[b]Ehren,  Lightsworn Monk - Level 4, ATK 1600 --> 1800[/b]

"Battle! Ehren, attack Drillago!" Michelle commanded, Ehren running towards the drill beast monstrosity without fear.

[b]"Go face-down card, Mirror Force, activate. If a monster declares an attack when I activate this Trap Card, all monsters attacking are destroyed."[/b] Tsukiko said as she flipped Mirror Force face up to show her face-down card was a trap.

Fortunately, Michelle had anticipated a Trap card like that would be used. "I activate the other effect of my Lightsworn Sanctuary," Michelle countered. "If a Lightsworn card I control would be destroyed by a card effect, I can remove 2 Shine Counters for each card that would be destroyed instead." Ehren gained a glowing yellow aura, allowing her to break through the force field and continue the attack.

[b]"Don't lose focus, you still have that Spell Card, so don't worry about your Trap Card being negated."[/b] Tsukiko heard the voice say as she was disappointed her Trap Card failed, but the Spell Card her brother was talking about was one that could become very useful toward her if she used it at the right time. [b]"You see what I meant by using your cards too soon. You need to carefully plan every one of your moves. You could have used your Mirror Force Trap Card later, because you were holding another card which would have been more useful."[/b] The voice said to her trying to get her to regain her confidence and not let herself get discouraged from the mistake she made a moment ago. She was sure her brother's voice didn't say anything, because he wanted her to experience for herself the errors of her own way and learn how to remedy them in case she made them. [b]"I knew it..."[/b] The voice thought to itself as it had predicted that Trap Card was exactly what he anticipated it to be.

Tsukiko was impressed that her brother knew what it was. Then again, he dueled more than she ever did so he was far more experienced to the point where he could read certain card movements. Tsukiko thought to herself as she looked at the three cards she still held, her brother had a point. She wasn't out of it just yet and it was too early to just give up. Even her brother would see things through to the end and she would too. Tsukiko covered her face as she took damage from the attack and her monster was destroyed and sent to the graveyard. Luckily, it was only a small amount, being 200 points.

[b]Tsukiko - 4000 LP --> 3800 LP[/b]

Michelle wondered what else was in store for her. From the way Tsukiko was playing, she seemed to be a beginner, yet Michelle noticed a few times she made smarter moves than most beginners would have made. In any case, Michelle reasoned that Tsukiko was not an opponent to be underestimated. 

"At the End Phase, I mill 3 cards as per Ehren's effect, and my Realm of Light and Lightsworn Sanctuary gain 1 counter each," Michelle explained, milling Vylon Prism, Necro Gardna, and Jain, Lightsworn Paladin. 

[b]Realm of Light - C3[/b]

[b]Lightsworn Sanctuary - C1[/b]

[b]Ehren,  Lightsworn Monk - ATK 1800 --> 1900[/b]

"Turn End," Michelle said.

[b][u]Turn 4: Tsukiko[/u][/b]
Michelle: 3600 LP, 1 cards, 1 Mon, 2 S/T, 1 Field
Tsukiko: 3800 LP, 4 cards, 0 Mon, 1 S/T

[b]"I draw,"[/b] Tsukiko said as she drew the card facing it away from her for a moment, noticing something different. When she fanned the card toward her she noticed it was the same card that brought her to Floor 7. [i]How did I draw this card... even though it's not very useful right now.[/i] She better think more clearly about this next move she was about to make. There was only one Monster Card she could use since the other one was too high level to summon without a tribute. She knew had Drillago survived one more turn, she could have used the card, but if she got two other cards along with it she could probably use it later on. [b]"Use that card's effect to destroy both your card and Ehren. Even if it is destroyed, you get something out of it, so take that risk."[/b] The voice said as he wanted her to take a look at the effect of the card and take a gamble with it. It would leave her wide open for an direct attack, but at least she could clear the field and prevent Michelle from building up an offensive.

Normally, aggressive reckless moves are what her brother would do since Tsukiko preferred to be a bit more balance, though he did have a point. Staying on the defensive too long would allow her opposition to build a wall of offense that she should have saved her Mirror Force for, but ended up wasting it too early. [b]"Let's see, here. If I use this card like he said I should be able to give myself time. I don't want to use this card yet though."[/b] She stated as she tried to regain her confidence pointing at the Spell Card in her hand which she would save until later. She couldn't let that card go to waste or she would limit herself down to very scarce options. Knowing she had to be careful because the card's effect also meant sending cards from the top of her deck to the graveyard. Hopefully none of those cards were what she needed to bring out her ace monster. [b]"I summon Card Trooper in attack position. Once per turn, I can send the top three cards of my deck to my Graveyard to increase this card's ATK by how many cards I sent X500."[/b] [i]This is awfully risky, if I send any of the material monsters I need it's going to leave me in a big hole. But I cannot let cards that I cannot use get in my way either so I will use this double-edged sword like my brother said. She thought to herself as she played it in attack position.[/i]

[b]"I send the top three cards of my deck to the Graveyard to increase this card's ATK by the amount of cards sent X500 until the end of my turn. My monster gains 1500 Attack points, giving it a total of 1900."[/b] She nodded as she send the top three cards of her deck to the graveyard. She hoped none of them were material cards she needed as she would boldly do one of her brother's reckless moves which was to attack head-on without hesitation. She had less cards than she did so it wasn't a bad decision except the fact it left her without a guard afterward and hopefully no card would prevent her attack.

[b]Card Trooper - Level 3, ATK 400 --> ATK 1900[/b]

[b]"Battle!"[/b] Tsukiko said as she moved into her Battle Phase. This move could either bring her salvation or destruction, but she didn't know which of the two it would bring since it was a very risky gamble she wouldn't normally take. [b]"Card Trooper, attack and be a martyr. Vanquish Ehren along with yourself!"[/b]

Michelle noted the kamikaze attack Tsukiko used to destroy Ehren. A risky gamble, that was for certain. Admittedly, it did bring down her offense, but it was still only a temporary setback, and nothing that could not be replaced.

[b]"Not bad."[/b] The voice said to her slightly impressed her gamble worked. The voice did admit that it was a move itself would perform since he was pretty much a quick strike guy. That was a hard strategy for Tsukiko to follow, since her brother had better cards than she did and was far more experienced than she was, though she was refreshed when he complimented her. The card she held onto might not be useful right now, if she allowed the duel to progress, maybe it may be useful in the later stages as she set it face-down where she was now holding two cards in her hand. [b]"Dont' forget about Card Trooper's effect when it's destroyed."[/b] The voice reminded her which she almost forgot about. [b]"When Card Trooper is destroyed and sent to the graveyard, I'm allowed to draw one card."[/b] She said as she drew one card from her deck and added it to her hand. She noticed it was a card which could help her creep closer to victory if she used it correctly.

The voice again went silent since it appeared he wanted her to win under her own power. Tsukiko was curious if Michelle sensed that she was playing better than her skill level? She was certainly a beginner, but the moves she made aside from the one blunder with the Trap  Card were how her brother would have played. He scolded her earlier for losing her focus and he had all the reason to do so. She jumped the gun and forgot about Michelle's actions, which cost her dearly along with a very useful Trap Card. Nothing she couldn't recover from since she held cards in her hand, which would help propel her to victory if she played them correctly and if she drew the card she needed. [b]"All right, I need to make sure I stay focused."[/b]  She reminded herself as she tucked the new card in with other two giving her three cards in her hand before she ended her turn. [b]"That's it for now."[/b]

[b][u]Turn 5: Michelle[/u][/b]
Michelle: 3600 LP, 2 cards, 0 Mon, 2 S/T, 1 Field
Tsukiko: 3800 LP, 3 cards, 0 Mon, 2 S/T

"My turn. Draw!" Michelle declared, drawing her next card. Not all that useful at the moment, but it would do for now. "I Summon Lyla, Lightsworn Sorceress in Attack position!" Michelle declared, the sorceress appearing on the field. 

[b]Lyla, Lightsworn Sorceress - Level 4, ATK 1700 --> ATK 2000[/b]

"Battle! Lyla, attack Tsukiko directly!" Michelle commanded, Lyla firing a beam of light from her staff.

Tsukiko realized that neither of her cards were useful at the moment and she needed some sort of defense to on her next turn or she'd be forced to play the card she was holding in her hand. She saw her brother, then noticed that she was about to take damage, but the damage didn't hurt as bad as she anticipated. Was it because her brother somehow shielded her from the harm and took some of the damage himself. She thought to herself as she felt his presence a moment ago though he wasn't actually there. His voice and presence both could be seen and heard by her though he was somewhere with Hayate where she had no idea where that was.

[i]Brother, please don't do that. You don't need to burden yourself for my own sake.[/i] He then reminded her that he didn't like to see her get her and was going to be there to protect her no matter. When it came to dueling he could withstand about anything, but Tsukiko's duel spirit was weak, meaning it needed to be honed before she could realize her true potential. She had covered her eyes to shield herself, but the damage subsided and she was still standing managed to maintain her balance, because somehow her brother intervened and shielded her from harm.

[b]Tsukiko - 3800 LP --> 1800 LP[/b]

Michelle then gave the issue of Tsukiko's last face-down card some debate, wondering if it was worth getting rid of. At the moment, it seemed like it had no purpose, and perhaps Lyla's effect would be wasted if it were to be used. However, there was still the chance that it could prove deadly if left untouched. Eventually, Michelle decided to leave it for now, and find a better opportunity to use Lyla's effect. "At the End Phase, I mill 3 cards, as per Lyla's effect," Michelle explained, milling Garoth, Beckoning Light, and Judgment Dragon. Michelle looked in surprise to see the Judgment Dragon going into the Graveyard, which was made even worse by the fact that one of her few Graveyard searchers, Beckoning Light, was sent away as well. Michelle merely dismissed it as a stroke of bad luck and continued. "Realm of Light and Lightsworn Sanctuary gain 1 Shine Counter each as well," Michelle explained.

[b]Realm of Light - C4[/b]

[b]Lightsworn Sanctuary - C2[/b]

[b]Lyla,  Lightsworn Sorceress - ATK 2000 --> ATK 2100[/b]

"Turn End," Michelle said.

[b][u]Turn 6: Tsukiko[/u][/b]
Michelle: 3600 LP, 1 cards, 1 Mon, 2 S/T, 1 Field
Tsukiko: 1800 LP, 4 cards, 0 Mon, 2 S/T

Tsukiko knew that the Spell Card in her hand wasn't useful as long as those counters were in the way. She would need a Monster Card that she could summon with high defense to get her out of this mess. She had a Monster Card, but it was a Level 6 and she couldn't play it unless she made a tribute. Also, she had no cards in her hand that were useful aside from one, but if she played it she knew it would get countered. She only needed one last card, but she was out of options. [i]There is nothing you can do now. You waited too long to play that Spell Card and now if you play it will get countered unless you had a decoy card to push the effect onto but you don't. You have two options. Go out in a blaze of glory and see a blast from the past or place your hand on top of your deck and surrender. I'd prefer if you just surrendered. You don't need to let your memories haunt you.[/i]

Tsukiko didn't entirely agree with her brother. If he finished what he started and didn't run away from facing the music like a coward. Neither would she either even if it meant risking stressing her mind to the point she would be blown into past again. Maybe if she experienced the memory one more time she might be able to learn more about it. Looks like I'll have to answer her questions even if it does go against what my brother said.  [i]Sorry brother, I failed you once again. I hope you can forgive me.[/i] She looked away in disappointment though she buried her eyes in her cards to prevent Michelle from seeing her face. [i]Tsukiko, do not worry about what affects me. You did your best and that is all that matters. You didn't give up and this will give you a chance to strengthen your deck with stronger cards. You only made one mistake. A costly one, yes but you learn from those in time.[/i]

[b]"I know..."[/b] She closed her eyes and smiled as she decided to lay one card face-down in her Spell/Trap zone knowing the next turn would be the end. [b]"I'll set one card face-down in my Spell/Trap zone."[/b] She wasn't going to run away, because that would just be like running away from her past. Even if had nothing to do with her past, she didn't want to give the impression she was afraid of going out in a blaze of glory. Because that was the only way she knew her brother lived and it would be the same way she would be defeated. [b]"Well, that is it for me. You can finish me off if you want, because we both know you have already won. Though I'm disappointed I didn't get the chance to at least get one more turn, I did enjoy our duel as it did help ease some tensions that were bothering me earlier."[/b] Tsukiko sighed as she wasn't sure if Michelle was the brutal kind like her brother who wouldn't show any mercy to anyone when he knew he won. That's the kind of duelist he was. The kind which destroyed anything and everything that stood in his way even if it was cold and ruthless.

[b][u]Turn 7: Michelle[/u][/b]
Michelle: 3600 LP, 2 cards, 1 Mon, 2 S/T, 1 Field
Tsukiko: 1800 LP, 3 cards, 0 Mon, 3 S/T

Michelle was sad to see Tsukiko giving up, but at least a final blow was offered. Michelle respected Tsukiko for that. Still, the other face-down was not a risk Michelle was not willing to take. It all depended on her draw right now to see how things would go.

"Draw!" Michelle declared, drawing her card. Michelle was pleasantly surprised to find that card coming to her now. "I activate Lyla's effect! I can destroy a Spell or Trap card my opponent controls, then switch her to Defense Position. I'll choose the card you just set last turn," Michelle said, Lyla firing another beam of light at the face-down card.

Unfortuantely she couldn't activate it, despite it being a Quickplay Spell called Cybernetic Fusion Support. She needed one more Void Dragon to be able to use it so she just decided to let it be destroyed. Without the card she needed to use it, wasn't that much of a loss as long as she held another certain Spell Card in her hand.

Michelle saw the card before it was destroyed. [i]Cybernetic Fusion Support? Must've been a decoy I fell for,[/i] Michelle thought. [i]Still, it won't help now.[/i] Out loud, Michelle said, "I activate the Spell card: Charge of the Light Brigade! I mill 3 cards from my deck, then add a Level 4 or lower Lightsworn monster from my deck to my hand." She then milled Skill Successor, Lyla, and Raiden. Michelle was a bit disappointed to see Raiden, as she had wanted to add that card. Still, she had accounted for that to happen just in case. Adding Jain, Lightsworn Paladin instead, Michelle continued, "I now activate the effect of my Lightsworn Sanctuary! Once per turn, I send a Lightsworn monster from my hand to the Graveyard to add another Lightsworn monster from my Graveyard to my hand." Sending Ryko, Lightsworn Hunter, Michelle then added Raiden, Hand of the Lightsworn to her hand. "Now I Summon Jain, Lightsworn Paladin in Attack Position," Michelle declared, the armored champion appearing on the field.

[b]Jain, Lightsworn Paladin - Level 4, ATK 1800 --> ATK 2200[/b]

"Battle! Jain, attack Tsukiko directly!" Michelle commanded, Jain rushing forward to strike.

[b]Tsukiko - 1800 LP --> 0 LP[/b]
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[hider=Aftermath]
Tsukiko closed her eyes as she allowed the monster to attack though she fell into a flasback while the monster attacked her. She could finally see clearly her brother's turn of when he turned the tables on his opponent and it was the duel the accident occured in. Her brother had just borught Void End Dragon back from his graveyard and also reduced its attack by 1000 to add two extra counters to it. She was about to see the horrific monster that he summoned during the semifinals which was very powerful and unstable. She remembered clearly he used an effect on Void End Dragon to summon this mighty beast, and when it was summoned to the field, when he removed all five Void Counters, he obliterated all cards on the field. [i]What is that thing?[/i] Tsukiko questioned as she saw it more clearly. It was a gigantic dragon enveloped in a dark purple aura. This dragon had twelve heads and looked a little like Chimeratech Overdragon except it seemed to be far more dangerous. 

[i]"That look on his face..."[/i] She said as he had already played the monster in attack position. Quite a fiercesome beast which was Level 12 from what she could see from the card, but the writing was too blurry for her to read its description. All she knew is that when he summoned it, his opponent's monsters were gone. She was about to see what next was going to happen when he was about to play another card from his hand when she returned to her senses and found herself on the floor where she opened her eyes slowly. She looked around and noticed a few of the students were looking at her to see if she was all right.

Michelle was one of the students near Tsukiko, coming over right after the Duel ended. "You ok?" Michelle asked when Tsukiko woke up, extending a hand to help her up.

Tsukiko noticed that Michelle offered a hand to lift her up, so she extended her outward from her downward position allowing her to lift her back onto her feet. She brushed herself off first when she was back on her feet then picked up the cards that fell on the floor that she dropped. One of them was [i]Dark Hole[/i], and the other one was [i]'Void Dragon'[/i]. The last one was Power Bond and then she noticed the next card she would have drawn another [i]'Void Dragon'[/i]. The exact card she needed to win had it gone one more turn, but that was unfortuante as she slipped all those cards back into her deck along with her [i]'Graverobber'[/i] and [i]'Trap of Eraser Board'[/i] Trap Cards. One of the students told her hey that if she had another turn the duel would have went differently and they had a point since she did hold Power Bond in her hand too at the time, but it was open and there was no use thinking about what could have been. [b]"Thank you. I really appreciate it, and yeah, I'm fine. I'm probably just a little tired is all,"[/b] Tsukiko said as she walked over to take a seat as she disengaged her duel disk. 

She decided to get another drink of her orange soda to quench her thirst then invited Michelle over, because she remembered her agreement. [b]"You won, so now I will keep my promise and tell you exactly what you want to know."[/b] She paused for a moment as she relaxed back in her chair a bit. After that duel which exhausted her, she needed some rest and refreshment to invigorate her spirit once again. [b]"Congratulations on the win."[/b]

Michelle was glad to see that Tsukiko was alright. "Thank you," Michelle responded. "Oh, and don't worry about the story. You should rest; I can listen to it later." Michelle was curious about the story, but right now that was of little concern to her, especially considering how Tsukiko just collapsed like that. 

Tsukiko decided to just sit where she was enjoying herself waving toward Michelle as it looked like she was leaving the room. She wanted to ponder some thoughts that bothered her. Especially that vision she just saw a moment ago. [b]"My brother is in the Light Dorms. You can find him there,"[/b] She hinted toward Michelle hoping that she did hear him. She decided to go back to relaxing in her chair as she enjoyed the rest of her drink and pulled out a magazine that she was going to read.
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