103 The Phantom God's Clone Card! The Third Elimination Match!

With the conclusion of Yugi's duel against Marik, the time had reached high noon. Following the preparations made by the airship staff, the group took the elevator down from the observation deck to the main hall, where a grand feast awaited them.

After indulging in the meal, everyone retreated to their respective rooms for a nap. However, the two contestants for the first match of the afternoon—Mai Valentine and Joey Wheeler—forwent the rest, using the time instead for final adjustments to their decks.

Meanwhile, Yugi visited Ishizu to fulfill his promise, officially taking possession of the card Obelisk the Tormentor. As for young Marik, although the dark Marik persona had been thoroughly erased from existence and the original Marik had regained control of his body—no longer prone to his previous madness—he had still endured the agonizing torment of being a sacrifice in a Shadow Game. His soul was wounded, and he would not wake until he had rested for a considerable time. In a way, this was the price for his past actions; as for his future, that would be left to his sister, Ishizu, to manage.

...

"Slifer the Sky Dragon... Obelisk the Tormentor... The Winged Dragon of Ra..."

In his room, Yugi sat cross-legged on his bed. Spread out before him on the sheets were the three Egyptian God cards he had won throughout the Battle City tournament.

"Chirp~"
"Roar~"
"Screech~"

Shrunk to a fraction of their size, the Sky Dragon, the Tormentor, and the Winged Dragon projected their essence from the cards like 3D holograms, manifesting their spirits to converse directly with Yugi.

"You want to return to your true master, Yugi... the Nameless Pharaoh, don't you?"

"Chirp~/Roar~/Screech~"

Upon hearing Yugi’s words, the small projections of the Egyptian Gods chirped and rumbled in a display of adorable vulnerability.

"However, I won you all in duels against Marik—with the exception of Obelisk. Therefore, if you wish to return to your true master, it must be accomplished in the same way."

At these words, the spirits of the three Gods slumped in disappointment, but they soon rallied. If Yugi, their temporary master, could gather them through the power of dueling, there was no reason why their true master, the Nameless Pharaoh, could not do the same to bring them back to his side.

"Now that we’ve discussed the matter of Yugi, let's talk about my own."

Yugi revealed the reason he had summoned the three Gods. Amidst their curious, questioning expressions, Yugi accessed the System and retrieved three special-edition cards from its library—"Color UR" rarity, the highest tier of "Mirror-Crush" System-exclusive variants of the three Egyptian Gods.

"Here! I want you three to infuse a portion of your divine soul power into these cards. In other words, I want these to become your 'proxy cards'!"

After glancing at the cards, the three Gods whispered among themselves. After a brief deliberation, they agreed to inject their divine essence into the cards, allowing them to be recognized by the rules of this world. In truth, the moment they saw the cards, they understood their origin and why Yugi possessed them. Their consultation had been merely for show—parting with a portion of their power so easily would have been beneath the dignity of the Egyptian Gods.

As for why Yugi had requested this, it was entirely due to the System. The explanation provided was clear, and Yugi surmised from his knowledge of the anime and movie plots that the "events" the System referred to were likely the original story arcs set to occur after the semi-finals, as well as the inter-dimensional conflict. As for what lay beyond that, he would cross that bridge when he came to it.

...

After an hour and a half of rest:

"We will now begin the third match of the semi-finals! Joey Wheeler versus Mai Valentine!"

With the announcement complete, Isono took his place at the referee’s stand. Simultaneously, Joey and Mai stepped onto the dueling arena.

"Mai! I never expected us to face off in the semi-finals!"

"Joey! This time, I won't lose to you again!"

Their only previous duel had taken place months ago on Duelist Kingdom. Back then, Joey was merely a novice, while she, Mai, was an experienced duelist who had traveled the seas and honed her skills. Yet, even so, she had lost to the rookie Joey. That defeat had remained a thorn in her side ever since. Although she had feelings for him, that did not mean she wasn't eager for a chance to exact her revenge.

And now, the time had come to seek that vengeance with her brand-new deck.

"Mai! I'm not the same person I was back then! I'm going to defeat you fair and square!"

Facing Mai ignited Joey’s dueling spirit. His obliviousness to her romantic undertones was on par with that ten-year-old boy from the other series who traveled with a yellow electric mouse.

"Duel!"

Joey: 4000 LP
Mai: 4000 LP

"The first move is mine? I draw!"

After glancing at his starting hand, Joey made his decision.

"In that case, I'll set one monster in defense position and set one card face-down. Turn end."

Having grown stronger, Joey no longer played with the reckless abandon of his past. Not knowing what Mai’s deck contained, he chose the prudent path of setting his cards.

"All face-down? It seems you’ve truly grown."

Seeing a strategy different from his usual style, Mai offered her sincere praise. While she had been fond of the hot-blooded, reckless Joey, she hoped he would maintain this newfound rationality. After all, in Duel Monsters, strength was ultimately proven through skill.

"My turn, draw! I activate the Field Spell, 'Amazoness Village'!"

Mai wasted no time in activating the card to bolster her monsters. As she slotted the spell into her duel disk, a vast tropical rainforest sprouted from the ground, complete with several thatched huts.