Yu-Gi-Oh! Love Selflessly (Version 2 - SEMI FINAL)

Chapter 4

Emiko stood out in the middle of the plains, watching the sky as fireworks exploded into bright colours, signalling the start of the Duelist Kingdom Tournament. She looked to her left, people were already getting together and challenging each other to duels, hopping onto the nearby duelling platforms. She looked to her right. The same thing. She looked behind her and saw a few people heading towards the forest and decided to go and challenge one or two of them. She thought, "Alright. My first duel in this tournament." She walked in the same direction, taking her deck out of its case. She was about to head into the forest, when she heard a voice behind her.

"Excuse me," the male's voice behind her said, "Are you seeking a duel?" She turned and her eyes lit up. She said, smiling, "Hi. Yes, I-I am. Sorry, but are you...Mako Tsunami?" He proudly said, "Why, yes, indeed. I see my reputation as a duelist preceeds me! And judging by that jacket you're wearing, you must be with Kaiba Corporation." She nodded. He asked, "So, what brings you all the way out here?" She bit her lip nervously for a moment, then said, "I'm here on a mission. I'm Emiko Kaiba. My brother is Seto Kaiba. Our company is in danger and I'm here to save it." He said, taken slightly aback, "Well, well. That's very courageous of you, Emiko. I'll tell you what," he took one star chip out of his cuff, "since it's our first duel of the tournament, we'll each wager one star chip." She nodded and took one out of her own cuff and they walked to the nearby duelling arena. She said, setting her deck face down on the board, "Watch your back, Mako, because I won't lose. My brothers are counting on me." Mako smirked, the life point counter set itself to 2,000, and the duel began.

The arena lit up and a holographic projection appeared in the form of the plains around them. The plains were skirted on Mako's side by a very small amount of water and there was a small portion of the map dedicated to the nearby forest. Emiko looked down at the screen in front of her where it showed her the percentages of each land type.

The duel started out fairly evenly matched with Emiko and Mako knocking down life points. Little by little, when one would take a small lead, the other would catch up or surpass the other within the next turn or two. As the duel progressed, Emiko started to understand one of the new rules. As she placed certain monster cards, they would sometimes have higher attack and defense points, depending on the type of monster she used. She also noticed that Mako's monsters, who only had a small amount of water to use, would get a bonus as well. She had suspicions that it was some type of field power bonus, based on the types of monsters whose attack and defense would be raised, but she couldn't be sure yet.

Emiko looked over the cards in her hand. She had a few good spells, but nothing that could turn the match in her favour. She decided to place a monster in defense mode to guard her life points, but Mako used a trap card, preventing her from using defense mode. He wiped out her defense card, along with a decent chunk of her life points. Just as she was about to give up, she drew the Magician's Valkyria. Combining her trusted monster with a few spell cards, she overcame Mako, winning the duel.

"Well," Mako said, handing her his star chip, "You've certainly got Kaiba's spunk. That was a great duel." Emiko said, taking the chip and placing it, along with her previous one, into her duelling glove, "Thank you. You duelled very well. I would expect nothing less from the duelist who placed third at the Regionals!" He laughed heartily and held out his hand. He said, "Likewise, I couldn't have asked for a better duel from the famous Seto Kaiba's little sister! Well, Emiko, I hope we can duel again someday." She smiled and said, shaking his outstretched hand, "Until next time we meet, Mako. Best of luck in the tournament." He thanked her and said, "And I hope you are successful in rescuing your brother and your company." She nodded. He turned and walked away, leaving her standing alone in the field. She smiled and thought, "Well, as eccentric as he is, Mako was an excellent first duel. I have three star chips, now."