Hello! I'm back with another chapter! Now, we finally get into some dueling action! I might mess around with a few things here and there, but for the most part, it will follow the episode word-for-word and card-for-card. I'll add a few of my own personal Ava-centered touches to it. Also, in case people wondered why I sometimes use names from the English dub, as well as names from the Japanese dub…there's not really an excuse for it. Certain names (like Malik) are easy to spell, while others names (like Jonouchi) trip me up. I will admit, I prefer the Japanese names but…"Joey" I am more comfortable with, since I grew up on the English dub over the Japanese. I know all the Japanese names (Anzu, Honda, Jonouchi, etc.) but…Joey, Tea, and Tristan are the names I think of immediately when I think of the characters. If it really bothers anyone, I'll use the English names solely, so I'm not switching between the two, but if it's no big deal for most…I'll just leave it the way it is. Also, I probably will not be calling the games "Shadow Games", like they call them in the dub. Don't get me wrong, "Shadow Games" has a nice sound to it, but, really, I like "Yami no Game" better. I mean, some of those "games", after all, were just things put in to get rid of the fact that people died. Instead of showing death, for whatever reason, 4Kids thought it was better for kids to believe that people went to a realm where you're forever alone and stuck in a hell-like world made up of darkness. That's horrifying, if you think about it. Honestly, I'd pick death over that hellish eternity…

So, how about we begin, huh?

Chapter begin!

"Wow…dinner before dueling?" Ava asked, taking a few things on her plate. "Hopefully there isn't a 'no dueling for thirty minutes after eating' rule…"

Ava looked around, taking in everything. Tea, Serenity, Malik and Tristan were standing around the table that had fruit on it, Joey and Duke were standing by the table that housed the meat and what appeared to be the starches of the meal. Yami and Bakura were standing somewhat close to each other in an area between the two food tables. Even so, the only ones holding plates were Joey, Tristan, Duke, Bakura, and Ava.

She looked down at her plate. "…Am I seriously the only girl that is eating…?"

"Eh, who cares?!" Joey exclaimed, greedily looking at his piled-high plate of food. "This looks delicious!"

"…I guess guys are different…" Ava said with a sigh, taking a bite of meat. "Usually, I don't eat before dueling, but…I feel like I'm starving!"

"Probably because you weren't feeling good when we all got here," Joey pointed out, Ava giving a shrug in response.

"I will agree, though…this food is pretty good!" She said, taking another greedy bite.

Ava had noticed Joey's eyes fall on who he'd believed to be Malik, a dark glare aimed at the man. Ava could only imagine what was going through the blonde's head, but who could blame him? Malik had been pretty rotten to set him and Yugi up to a death match.

"Only if he knew that that guy isn't even Malik…" She thought to herself.

As she sighed once more, she turned around and began walking towards the opposite side of the room, but before she could get anywhere close to her destination she'd bumped into someone.

"Ah, excuse m—huh?" She ended her statement with a question.

It was Bakura. In an immediate reaction, Ava's eyes went to the ground, her not noticing the sly grin that appeared on the white-haired duelist as he gazed at the girl. This look, however, immediately faded when Joey got close, the blonde giving Bakura a questionable gaze. "You okay, Bakura? Your arm looks pretty bad still…"

"Ah! It's fine, really. I have some pain meds, which work great!" Bakura faked. "I'm glad I was able to make it this far! Actually…I'm a bit nervous…"

Ava glanced up at those words.

Sure he is…

"Oh, by the way…" Joey began. "What type of deck do you use?"

"Ah! My deck is an Occult Deck," Bakura replied with an innocent expression. If Ava hadn't known better, she would have sworn that the Bakura before her was truly the real one and not some possessed person.

"Are you kidding me?! You have a creepy deck like that Bones-guy from Duelist Kingdom?!" Joey exclaimed.

Ava's ears perked at those words, her heart feeling heavy. "Not exactly something I enjoy reminiscing about…"

"Ah, yes! I dueled him not long ago and won quite easily," Bakura confessed, Joey's gaze narrowing.

"Wait a second…" Joey said in his thoughts. "Ava said he dueled Bones and him and his weirdo friends were dragged away by some black things, but…Bakura said he didn't remember hurting anyone…"

"Actually, Ava watched that match." Bakura continued, Joey's eyes falling to the girl, her face growing pale just by listening.

"Yeah…so we heard…" Joey said, his voice losing its previous cheerfulness, gaining distrust instead. "Umm…I'm gonna take Ava and catch up on some stuff. She wasn't feeling good earlier, you know."

Ava looked to Joey, but when he tried to ask if she was alright once they were away from Bakura she just shook her head. "It just brought some memories back…"

"So, that bastard really is back, huh? It was such good acting, it had me completely fooled…" Joey stated, a look of sympathy pointed towards Ava. "Sorry, Ava…"

Ava didn't say anything as she shook her head and departed from Joey. Joey walked over to the table Tea, Tristan, and Serenity were standing by. He was quiet, which was already kind of freaked out the small group. His face told them something had happened.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Tea asked.

Joey looked at her, then to his little sister. "…I think trouble is going to be starting up soon. Remember Ava telling us about that duel Bakura had taken part in? The one where Bones and his crew basically just disappeared off the face of the Earth? I think I just saw the evidence for her words…"

"What?" Tea asked, immediately growing serious. "How do you mean?"

"It's not important…" Joey said, attempting to close that piece of conversation for the time being. His eyes fell to the Kaiba brothers. "Kaiba, how are we going to determine the final match-ups?"

"Hmph," Kaiba scoffed. "Can't you even wait quietly?"

Despite his cool and calm words, however, Kaiba had to admit that the deadbeat had a point. Pressing a button on his collar, he spoke, "What are you waiting before? Begin already!"

"Well…the eighth duelist has yet to arrive…" Replied someone.

"I don't care," Kaiba scoffed, demanding the event to begin already.

At this signal, a device of some sort rose from within the floor until it was completely in everyone's viewpoint. Ava had to stifle a chuckle when she noticed it had been made to look like Kaiba's all-time-love, the Blue-Eyes White Dragon. No, actually…it was Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, Ava noting the three heads.

Ava walked forward, standing beside Yami. Oddly enough, she hadn't even realized she'd stood beside him. "I guess it's because I feel safest when he's around…"

"We will now draw lots to determine the first-round match-ups!" Announced one of Kaiba's suits.

"Lots?" Ava asked aloud, blinking in confusion. "So…in other words, who your opponent will be is completely left to random chance? Interesting…"

The suit either didn't hear Ava or just chose to ignore her. "Each and every match-up will be decided in this format, starting with a first match. The match-ups will be decided using this Ultimate Bingo Machine. And when the winners of each duel are determined, the next draw will be held. In other words, you will not know who your opponent's identity until mere moments before the match!"

Ava nodded.

So, there was no real room for preparation before a duel—just the way she liked it to be! Now, with this new development, she was even more pumped!

"The Bingo Machine was equipped with each of the numbers we assigned the participants, and it will randomly choose two of them." The suit continued explaining.

The numbers went as much, starting from one and ending at eight: Kaiba, Joey, Yugi, Ava, Namu, Bakura, Malik, and the mysterious Eighth duelist no one had seen or heard from upon taking off.

"So…I'm number four, then." Ava said in her thoughts.

During this explanation, the other suit went to see the eighth duelist, requesting she accompany everyone else for the first dueling match-up. However, she declined, stating she already knew the match-ups. In fact, she even went a step further and stated she would be in the fourth match-up. Whether he believed her or not, she could see into the future, thus she had needn't to go anywhere just yet. Yes, she knew what was coming, and soon…the Pharaoh would fight his first true test of Battle City against a man who wielded an evil mind. The Pharaoh and this man would be the first-round match-up.

Without any objection, the man simply left, confusion clouding his mind.

Even so, he brushed everything off and went about his next job—whatever that would've been.

Back at the Bingo Machine, the man beside the machine spoke, "If all are ready, we shall begin the lottery for the tournament's first match-up."

The machine began shuffling the numbers, the first one being spit out seconds later—Number Six, Bakura's number.

Ava's eye, as well as everyone else's, fell to Bakura, but her gaze didn't hold the shock of him being chosen first. Duels that involved him never ended well—who would have to deal with him, though? Oh, she hoped it wasn't going to be her…

Ava hadn't noticed it, but Yami's gaze towards Bakura hadn't exactly been the friendliest of sorts, either.

"Hey…are you sure your arm is alright, Bakura?" Tea asked in concern. "Your face seems a bit pale…"

"Yeah, you should be in bed…not on the dueling field," Tristan added.

Bakura just continued with his innocent smile. "I'm alright! Even so, I'm just a bit shocked to be chosen first."

"Now, the other duelist is…" The suit said, watching the machine as it began choosing once more. Finally, when a number was spit out on the other side of the machine, he spoke, "The duelist match-up against Ryo Bakura in the first match is…Number 3, Yugi Mutou!"

Ava's eyes looked to Yami, who looked confident as ever.

"If there was ever a better match-up," Ava thought in her mind, relieved at this match. "If anyone can handle that guy, it's him…"

"It's been decided!" The suit continued on, "Yugi Mutou VS Ryo Bakura!"

"Eh?! With Yugi?!" Bakura said, his shock and intimidation sounding fairly real. "Oh man…"

"Ha!" Tristan exclaimed in amusement. "You're out of luck, Bakura!"

"Having to fight Yugi so suddenly! It kind of feels like you've got no chance…" Duke added.

"No way~!" Bakura said with a lighthearted chuckle, further masking his true evil self. Inside, however, he was truly pleased with this match-up.

Malik—the real Malik—just stood by, smirking at the situation. Two Millennium Item wielders…so, then, the Millennium Battle had already started. There would be no waiting around! And soon…his eyes fell on Ava, who still looked at Bakura with distrusting eyes. She was protected from Millennium Magic, but if she ever chose to remove that bracelet of hers, she would be vulnerable. Whatever presence was protecting her, Malik was certain it came directly from the Millennium Item she wore. As such, for now, she was untouchable. No matter…the time would come.

"The tournament will be held on a special ring on the Battle Ship!" The same suit from before announced. "The Aerial Dueling Ring Platform!"

"Aerial…?" Ava asked aloud, not exactly liking the sound of that. "Don't tell me…"

The suit continued, "Those participating in the first duel, please take the central elevator to the area. Those wishing to act as spectators, please follow me."

"Awesome!" Joey and Tristan both exclaimed, everyone getting extremely pumped for the dueling action that was only minutes away.

As everyone walked followed Kaiba's employee, Ava looked towards Yami, who had turned towards the elevator that the guy had previously mentioned. Ava hurried over his way, "Hold on!"

Yami's eyes widened at her voice, his body turning her way. "Ava? Is something wrong?"

"No…" She denied, but she quickly changed her tone. "Yes…I don't know. I just…promise me you'll take this next duel serious. No messing around, please? He's dangerous…"

Yami could see the fear in her eyes, and he understood that fear.

Bakura was not someone to take lightly—he knew this well. He could feel the evil presence that currently possessed the white-haired boy. Ryou was elsewhere, locked away so that the spirit of that evil ring could do as he wished.

"I am very well aware of the dangers, Ava, but sometimes danger is inescapable. I promise I will be victorious in this battle." He assured the girl, but either way, she still didn't feel that confident. Yami could see she was putting on a brave face, but her eyes told her true feelings. "My word is my bond, Ava."

"Then, I'll hold you to it. Always." She said with a nod. Then, he turned her body away. "I better go join everyone else."

"Ava," Yami called, the girl looking at him. "Promise me one thing: If you're matched against Malik, forfeit the match."

Ava looked down, a small smile on her face. "If that time comes, we'll address then."

"There is no 'addressing' anything, Ava. If that match-up is decided…you're to forfeit the match." Yami demanded, his tone being one that actually surprised Ava.

She looked him in the eye—he was serious about this.

Inside, she felt troubled. She didn't know why, but the air was unsettling. It wasn't due to his demand, though. No, it was his words—the possibility of Ava being pitted against Malik, the real Malik. Yami's words before seconds before came to her memory. He was correct when he said that; in some cases, danger was impossible to avoid. Fate was to decide these duels. That was the point of the Bingo Machine.

"No, Yami…" She said in her thoughts. "If that match-up happens, I will duel him."

Outwards, however, her answer was different. "Okay. I promise."

A dueling area had folded out atop the blimp's surface before anyone had arrived. As Yami and Bakura exited the elevator, Yami just looked at the platform before him. They would be dueling here, in the open air? Everyone else had arrived, too.

"It's freezing out here!" Ava exclaimed, her eyes pointed at Kaiba. "If I catch Pneumonia out here, I'll be sending you the bill, Kaiba!"

Kaiba just scoffed at her threat. "The Battle Ship is now flying at an altitude of 1,000 Meters. The air current will feel like blades cutting into your bodies, adding even tougher conditions for the duelists! This test of endurance is meant to be the ultimate test of who is strong enough to inherit the title of 'Duel King'!"

"I'm really excited about this!" Tristan exclaimed, Ava feeling chill after chill pass through her.

"Yeah!" Duke added. "There's a reason this is the finals!"

"Yeah…you guys will be standing here, while the duelists are lifted into the air, meaning the air the duelists feel will be even colder than what you're feeling…" Ava said with a slight growl.

"Haha…sorry…" Duke apologized.

"Still…you have to admit, everything is kind of cool," Tristan said with a shrug, Ava rolling her eyes.

That better had not been a weather pun…

Yami just stared at Bakura, a dark gaze pointed at the white-haired duelist. Finally, he spoke, "How about you drop the act and show your true identity? You're not Bakura. You're the dark personality residing within the Millennium Ring."

Bakura's physical presence began to change ever-so-slightly, such as pieces of his hair rising upward. A smirk grew on his face at Yami's words, a chuckle escaping. Then, the Millennium Ring appeared out of nowhere, the item dangling around his neck as it stopped at his chest.

"I knew it!" Joey exclaimed. "Ava was right all along! It was the dark Bakura that dueled Bones and his creepy crew!"

"But…that's impossible…" Tristan muttered, his voice growing louder. "I threw that thing away. How did he get it back?"

Namu, as he was still being called, spoke, "Hey…what's going on? What's a 'Millennium Ring'?"

"That's right…you don't know anything about this, do you?" Tea inquired, obviously knowing the question's answer. "But…ever since Bakura got the Millennium Ring from his father, the Item coming from Egypt, he's been controlled by a dark spirit. In fact, he even kidnapped Ava—twice! For some reason, he seems to have his eyes set on her."

Another chuckle came from the evil Bakura. "Ah…is that what she told you? That I kidnapped her?"

Ava blinked. "I never said anything about kidnapped…they just assumed it."

"Sure," Bakura stated, a dark smile pointed at the girl. "You didn't exactly seem bothered during that little walk we took."

"Then, apparently you're remembering it wrong!" Ava shouted, a glare now pointed at the evil being. "Remember when you had those…those things drag those three away?! Their screams echoed in my mind for what seemed like ages! That's hardly something I enjoy remembering, Bakura!"

"They were weak," Bakura replied, unscathed.

"They were human." Ava corrected, her unaware that her eyes had suddenly began glowing for part of her following sentence. "Which is more than I can say for you…heartless thief."

Bakura's eyes darkened with those two words, his gaze pointed at Yami. He needed to focus on the duel! "Well, Yugi…now I think about it, we haven't dueled each other since the Yami no Game back at Duelist Kingdom, have we?"

Yami wasn't going to play this game of his. "What do you hope to accomplish this time? Why have you taken control of Bakura? Are you still after my Millennium Puzzle, or…are you after something different altogether?"

"Smart," Bakura replied with a grin. "But, what makes you think I'm just going to spill everything to you? If you want those answers, you'll have to wait your turn. However, I will let you in on one thing: I've entered this tournament for two thing, one of which is your God Card!"

"My God Card?!" Yami exclaimed in shock. Next, his eyes narrowed. "And the other…?"

"That's it for sharing time, but if you must know…if one wishes to dominate the gaming world, you must obtain the strongest pieces in the game. Only then can someone ever hope to earn a title such as 'Duel King'…" Bakura explained, although this sounded more like a tease than any real explanation.

Bakura knew that the person before him—the Pharaoh, not Yugi—hadn't bought his excuse, but that didn't matter. Once he had obtained the God Card, he could trade it for Malik's Millennium Rod. Part of his plans included Ava, but…he didn't plan on using the girl. No, he would return her to where she should have been all along, back when she had still been "Amara", not Ava—the afterlife!

"Now, let the duel begin already!" Bakura announced.

As such, the guy from before announced, "Round one of the tournament finals will now begin!"

"Now, show me if you've improved your dueling skills or not!' Yami provoked, his words making Ava look at him with worry.

"Don't lose your temper already…" She scolded inside her thoughts.

Bakura smirked at those words. "I'll do more than that! I'll go first! Draw card! I'll put this guy in Attack Mode! Turn over!"

Bakura's very first move puzzled Yami. Why had he summoned the creature in Attack Mode, especially when it was so easy to destroy? It only had 1200 Attack Points, after all. Was it to lure him into attacking, or had it been done without thinking?

"Take that card out, Yugi!" Joey shouted, strong and proud.

And, it would seem that Yami intended to do just that, announcing his move, "Draw! A summon Illusion Beast Gazelle! Attack Possessed Painting!"

Immediately, Bakura's Life went from 4000 to 3700.

"I also set a reverse card!" Yami announced, ending his turn.

"My turn! Draw!" Bakura shouted, summoning another low-level monster. "Spirit of Traumatic Nightmares in Attack Mode!"

Suddenly, a bed with a sleeping person appeared, a monster springing up from within the person's nightmare. Needless to say, the spirit monster freaked Joey out, but Ava just looked at him. "The card is 'Spirit of Traumatic Nightmares', Joey…what did you think it would like?"

"I don't know! How are you not creeped out by this?!" Joey exclaimed.

Ava couldn't help but glare Joey's way, the blonde twitching at her irritation. "I guess when you see someone get dragged to some shadowy hell, you lose your fear of projected monsters and sounds…"

Still, Ava had to ponder something, something she didn't like to think about—back during the duel with those zombie-crazed group, if Bakura could make stuff like that 100% real back then, could he do the same thing through a duel? Was that what a "Yami no Game" was? Bakura had mentioned "Yami no Game", saying that it'd been a long time since he and Yami had battled on such a field. So, then…was he going to make this duel into one of those Shadow Games? Ava inwardly prayed for a "no".

"Using Attack Mode again?" Yami asked, a little confused, as well as cautious, of this choice. Yami noted the lack of any Magic or Trap cards, making Bakura's fighting style have little-to-no meaning at all, but…Yami knew better than to take this spirit lightly.

His eyes fell to Ava. She was still heavily cautious of this evil spirit, namely because of what she'd witness him do to that group from before. No doubt, Bakura had a plan—Yami just needed to figure out what is was!

"My turn! Draw!" He announced as he drew a card from his deck. "I attack with this monster: Magnet Warrior Gamma! Magnet Punch!"

Another creature of Bakura's was destroyed, further reducing his Life. But, Yami wasn't finished.

"Then, I'll direct attack the player with Illusion Beast Gazelle!" Yami called out.

Now, Bakura had 2000 Life Points—he'd been completely cut in half, Life point wise. If this continued, Yami would win in only a few short turns! Still, Ava knew better. Bakura completely took out Bones without a single ounce of remorse, and if he acted that way towards him…she could only imagine what he'd have planned for Yugi and Yami. Bakura hated them, although Ava didn't really know why.

"It's like he has some personal vendetta with Yami…" She said inside her mind.

"That was really easy!" Duke said in amazement.

"It's like he's not even trying," Tristan added with his own comment.

"It's almost like he doesn't even know the dueling basics of the game…" Tea also added to the small conversation.

"I'm sure it's all part of some plan," Ava said, crossing her arms. "I know what I saw during that battle in the cemetery. This hasn't be all part of something bigger."

Even Malik didn't seem to have faith in Bakura's dueling. In fact, he was wondering if the guy even had a strategy at all.

"My turn! Draw!" Bakura called out, drawing a card. "Attack Mode!"

It was yet another low-level creature placed in Attack Mode. That was three in a row. He was up to something, but Ava didn't know this strategy. Usually, people did this when wanting to lure in attacks. And, so far, if that was Bakura's plan, Yami's played right into it. Still, what was he going to do? The duel needed to go on, meaning someone needed to attack. So, when Bakura's new monster, the Headless Knight, came out into view, Ava knew what Yami's next move would be. And, just like expected, he called out his next attack.

"Magnet Warrior Gamma, attack!" He shouted as he pointed at the Knight. "The Headless Knight is beaten!"

Ava looked at the scene with apprehension. "Third time's the charm…or so they say."

"Next, I'll direct attack!" Yami continued, ordering his Gazelle to attack Bakura's Life directly, leaving bakura will a measly 450 Life Points as a result.

"In just three turns, Bakura lost three monsters without putting up any resistance," Yami said inside his mind.

"Is this really all part of some plan? Maybe Bones was just weak…" Joey stated, his eyes glued to the duel.

"Or, maybe Bakura's just weak?" Tristan gave his opinion.

"No…" Ava said, a determined look in her eye. "Look at his face. Is that the look of pure defeat to you? In my opinion, it looks like a predator who's been patiently waiting for his time to pounce, waiting for the moment when his prey is weakest."

"You know…you're kind of cryptic…" Duke said with a slight shiver.

"I don't mean to be…" Ava said with a pout. "I just…I don't want you guys to let down your guards because the situation looks like a simple one."

As Yami ended his turn, Bakura began chuckling darkly. Then, that chuckle turned into a full-blown cackle. Ava was right—he'd been waiting for a certain moment, lining up things in just the way he needed them to be.

"YUGI!" Bakura said with a near shout. "You've fallen right into my trap!"

"I knew it…" Ava said with a glare.

"Trap? I don't know what he's thinking, but it's clear that Yugi has the advantage here!" Joey dismissed the threat.

"Yeah!" Tristan shouted. "Yugi's got two monsters on the field, while Bakura has none!"

Ava stayed quiet—she wanted to see what Bakura's next move would be. Maybe, then, it would change the group's thoughts. Either way, she had faith in Yami and Yugi's dueling. She knew they would win, but it wasn't be an easy match. That was to be certain.

Bakura continued speaking, "Hidden in my Occult Deck…lies one of the most terrifying cards in existence! But, there's a special requirement in order to Special Summon this high-level monster."

"Special Summon Monster?!" Yami exclaimed.

"So, then…Ava was right! How did she know? Does she really have instincts that are that in tuned?" Yugi asked, his voice echoing inside his and Yami's mind connection link.

"That's right!" Bakura said with another chuckle. "Out of all here, Ava's the only one to know I'm not to be trifled with! It seems she's the smart one!"

"Leave me out of this, creep!" Ava shouted. "And stop talking as if we're friends or something!"

"We used to be," Bakura said as he looked down at her, Yami's eyes widening at those words. Bakura continued his thoughts aloud, "But, then, he took you from me! Because of him, you betrayed me!"

"ENOUGH!" Ava shouted, everyone's eyes on her.

"Oh no…" Yugi gasped from within the mind connection. Even Yami was getting apprehensive about Ava's growing anger towards Bakura's words.

"I'VE HAD IT! WITH EVERYTHING! DROP THE ANCIENT PAST THING, WILL YOU?!" Ava continued shouting. "THAT'S NOT ME! MY NAME IS AVIANNA SOULE! I'M NOT GUARDIAN TO THE PHARAOH IN THIS LIFE, AND I NEVER WILL BE! I MIGHT HAVE BEEN ONCE, BUT THAT WAS THEN! THIS IS NOW! CHAPTER SHUT! YOU AND MALIK, AND ANYONE ELSE INTERESTED IN ONLY THAT SUBJECT, YOU CAN ALL JUST GO TO HELL!"

She just stood there, the only sound being the wind that passed by. Her heavy breathing also sounded, but she was too caught up in calming her own rage that it hadn't even registered that she was panting at this point.

Joey moved to place a hand on her shoulder, but she flinched away. "No…just…no."

She moved away from everyone, walking over to the other side of the field. Her words had spilled out so fast, she couldn't even comprehend them at the time. She thought she'd moved past this anger, but it still felt so raw. Why? Big deal—she was some reincarnated person that once lived in Ancient Egypt. Even if she was Guardian of the Pharaoh during that time…who cares? She—

"Pharaoh…" The word echoed in her mind.

She'd said everyone who was interested in the past should basically go screw themselves—Yami was looking for himself, though. Obviously, he'd been interested in only that. She couldn't even bear to look up at him—she was too afraid of what expression he might have right now.

Yami, however, wasn't upset with the girl.

Still, he also thought she had moved past her anger and irritation on the matter.

"She has a right to be upset," Yugi's voice echoed. "She sees herself as one person, and so many others see her as something completely different. I bet it's pretty confusing. It's not the same as other me's situation. This is Ava's life…not whoever she might have been before. For now…let's just concentrate on the duel. She'll be alright."

"Foolish girl…" Bakura stated, a growl escaping Yami when hear this single comment.

"I think you've caused enough trouble with your thoughtless comments," Yami said as a glare formed. "Now, let's return to the duel!"

"Fine…" Bakura said, a dark grin being present. "Now…where were we? Oh, I remember! You see, Yugi, the conditions to summon this monster I referred to are that I must sacrifice three Demon-type monsters from my Graveyard to summon it. Now, revive, ruler of the world of the dead! Dark Necrofear!"

Ava's eyes widened—not that card!

As the creature was summoned, an energy swirled away the field, Ava running when it seemed to chase her, although she was certain it was just the mechanics of the projection system. Still, she didn't like the thing seemingly chasing her for no good reason. As such, she retained her position of standing beside Joey. "Stupid creature!"

"Hehehe," Joey chuckled. "I thought you weren't afraid of projections…"

"Oh, shut up!" Ava said as she crossed her arms, her eyes falling to Yami. "Good, he's not upset by my earlier words. Either that, or he's too focused on the duel to care about them at this point."

When Dark Necrofear finally appeared, Ava had to admit she got a chill up her back. The creature appeared to be female. It had blue skin and looked as if it were stitched together. Oh, and it held a creepy doll that looked like its head had been bashed off something. Even worse, the doll cackled!

"2200 Attack Points…?" Ava said in her thoughts. "I knew he was up to something!"

"I let my guard down…" Yami said, realizing the seriousness of the situation. "I never thought he'd summon a first-class monster using a method like that!"

"Okay…suddenly, I feel bad for doubting Ava…" Tristan said. "That thing is way too creepy!"

Joey rose an brow, a sweatdrop from the creepy creature's summoning still present. "But why'd he put his monsters in Attack Position? He was asking for his Life Points to be destroyed…if all he wanted was those monsters in the Gaveyard, wouldn't Defense Mode have been enough?"

"Don't you get it, Deadbeat Duelist?" Kaiba scorned. "If his opponent hadn't seen his monsters in Attack Position, and had used Defense Position instead, he would have feared it was an Effect Monster and thus not attacked."

Joey's eyes widened as Kaiba's words made sense to him, more sweatdrops appearing as a result.

"Yugi, I'm going to teach you…" Bakura began. "The true terror of my Occult Deck. It's still my turn! I set two reverse cards! Turn over!"

"it's okay…" Ava said, a breath being released. "He can still win this."

Yami felt more apprehension build—why hadn't Bakura use his Dark Necrofear to attack? His monsters were too weak to survive the battle, so why? Was he being cautious of Yami's reverse card? Even so, Yami hadn't been scratched. He still had the advantage at 4000 Life points. Bakura only had 450. With luck, he could finish him off this turn!

"I sacrifice my Gazelle!" Yami announced, playing his next card. "I summon my Dark Magician Girl!"

Bakura just scoffed. "That little magician girl doesn't have the Attack Points to defeat Dark Necrofear."

"We'll see about that…" Yami replied, pressing a switch on his Duel Disk. "You thought my Reverse Card was a Trap! But, you were wrong! This card is really Spellbook of Black Magic!"

"Alright!" Ava shouted in sudden glee. "Now, Dark Magician Girl's attack can increase!"

"Right!" Yami nodded to Ava's words, his eyes taking in Bakura's shocked expression. "This card raises Dark magician Girl's Attack Power up by 500 points! Now, she is 300 Points stronger than Dark Necrofear!"

"Alright!" Joey shouted this time. "Send that creepy monster to the Grave, Yugi!"

"Go! Black Magician Girl!" Yami ordered his monster. "Black Burning!"

Now, Bakura only had 150 Life Points left. But, the celebration quickly faded when the sound of Bakura's dark laughter filled the air. Ava's heart pounded—so…Bakura wanted his creature destroyed? Why? He spent so much effort, not to mention Life Points, to summon the thing!

"I thank you for defeating Dark Necrofear, Yugi…" Bakura said with a dark grin. "Now that Dark Necrofear has been sent to the Graveyard, I can activate the Field Magic Dark Sanctuary!"

"This is why I panicked at the sight of that card…" Ava whined.

As the Field Magic card began to be projected, the creepiest sight Ava had ever seen came into being. The whole field had been plagued by a weird black and red fog, a series of mouths and eyes opening open, the eyes feeling as if they peered in your very soul. Behind Bakura there looked to be the outline of a black castle.

"You just triggered the most terrifying switch of my Occult Combo!" Bakura said, another cackle escaping.

"What did you say?!" Yami asked in pure shock at the new situation he'd found himself in.

"Not to worry…" Bakura said, his dark grin increasing. "I'll be sure to let you enjoy Dark Sanctuary to the fullest!"

Annnnd…that's where we leave it for this chapter! That was where the episode ended, so I ended it too! So, how was this chapter, folks? Was there something you really enjoyed? Or, maybe something you perhaps should have been different/better? Review! Review! Review!

Oh! Before I go, it might be a little bit before the next chapter is put up. My family is heading to Kentucky for a short trip. I'll be off work for five days, so it might take about a week before the next chapter is released. I usually work on these during my 8-hour shifts, since I work night shift. I just wanted to give you guys a head's up.

Well…I'll see you all next chapter, okay? Bye-bye!