Heather plays Yu-Gi-Oh

Chapter 6: Heather vs Bridgette

"So, you admit I'm the unbeatable duelist?" Heather says, smugly.

"I admit you think you're unbeatable." Bridgette replies. "I'm here to wipe that smirk off your face."

"You ain't got the skills to take me on, blondie!" Heather says, smug as ever. "I'm on the best winning streak ever!"

"Every winning streak ends, Heather. No matter how long, they always end." Says Lloyd, shaking his head. "You're good and all, Heather, but Bridgette's way out of your league. I think you're better off rejecting her challenge."

"No way, Lloyd! I can take her!" Heather replies with full confidence. "Come on, blondie! It's go time!"

"This will be over quick." Bridgette says. "Alright, I'll flip the coin. Heads?"

"Tails." Heather calls out. The coin lands tails. Jefferson and Lloyd watch the duel, Lloyd sighing to himself, while Jefferson smirks.

"I draw." Heather has in her hand Spear Cretin, Card Destruction, Summoned Skull, Axe of Despair, La Jinn the Mystical Genie, and Gross Ghost of Fled Dreams. "Just a face down monster. You go."

"I draw. Like you, a face down monster, a face down on my Spell-Trap Zone, and I play the Field Card A Legendary Ocean. It raises the ATK of all Water monsters by 200, and lowers their levels by 1. Also, it's treated like Umi. So, you go."

"I draw." Heather has drawn Trap Hole. She thinks to herself. "I'll just lay down a face down in my Spell-Trap zone. You go."

"Guess it's my move. Draw. I flip my Penguin Soldier, and it's flip effect allows me to return two monsters on the field to their owner's hand. So, take back your monster, and I take back my penguin. Next, I play another facedown monster, and one more face down in my Spell-Trap zone. You go."

"I draw," Heather has drawn another Spear Cretin. A facedown monster, and I activate Card Destruction!"

Heather discards her hand and draws the same number of cards, as does Bridgette. Heather draws Beast of Talwar, Zera Ritual, Zera the Mant, Malevolent Nuzzler, and Metalmorph. She plays that last card face down, and passes.

"My move. I draw, and I play Bait Doll on that facedown card you've had since the start of this game!" Bridgette points to Heather's Trap Hole, destroying it. "Next, Star Boy in attack mode. I attack your facedown!"

"Hah! You attacked my Spear Cretin, allowing me to Special Summon my other Spear Cretin from my grave!"

"And it also allows me to Special Summon Penguin Soldier from my graveyard, also in face down position! Not so tough now, eh Heather? Your move."

"Well, I draw." Heather is nervous. She has drawn Souls of the Forgotten. "I...I play a facedown monster..."

"I think you know what comes next/" Bridgette draws. "I flip Nightmare Penguin, returning your Cretin to your hand. Next, Penguin Soldier, returning your facedown and itself to our respective hands. Next, I summon The Legendary Fisherman! Thanks to A Legendary Ocean, Nightmare Penguin, and Star Boy, it gains 900 ATK, meaning it has 2750 ATK! My Star Boy as well has 1450 ATK, and my Penguin has 1800 ATK. I attack for a total of 6000 damage!"

"OK...I draw..." Heather is sweating. "I play...Zera Ritual! I tribute Beast of Talwar and Headless Knight to summon Zera the Mant! I attack your Star Boy!"

"I counter with Tornado Wall!" Bridgette says, flipping her card over. "I recieve zero damage!"

"Wha..." Heather is flabbergasted. "I...pass..."

"I play a facedown in my Spell-Trap zone. Your turn, Heather."

"I draw... and I play Baron of the Fiend Sword in attack mode!"

"I counter with Torriental Tribute, destroying every monster on the field." Bridgette smirks. "My move?"

"Yeah..."

"Time for me to end this. I draw! I play Piranha Army, attack mode! With my Ocean, it has 1000 ATK, and when it attacks directly, it deals double damage! I attack for game!"

"Just..." Heather is speechless.

"I'm sorry, Heather, I tried to warn you." Lloyd says, dejectedly. "Bridgette is no ordinary duelist, she's actually one of Canada's finest. She's scored in the top four in the last four National's, and she's a member of Super Machines, one of the best gaming teams in all of Canada."

"Yeah, noob! Don't you study?" Jefferson taunts Heather. "Every duelist worth his salt knows the names of 'Cyber Harold' and 'Bridgette of the Tidal Wave'!"

"Just...why?" Heather asks softly. "I was on a winning streak..."

"You were. But all winning streaks have to end. Heather, Harold called me because he told me your streak was getting to your head." Bridgette replies. She gets angry. "You almost dueled one of the Game Ghouls! You never duel those guys, Heather!"

"I know...Harold told me." Heather replies, all pride in her gaming capabilities gone. "I bit off more than I can chew..."

"True. You've been lucky this whole time!" Jefferson says, only to get smacked by Lloyd.

"Heather, let me tell you something, OK?" Lloyd speaks up. "Everyone loses. I lose a lot. I'm not at the level of Harold or Bridgette, few of us are. But that ain't what makes a champ, OK? A champ is someone who takes her losses, learns from them, and uses what she has learned in order to win her next game, you know what I'm saying?"

"What?" Heather is surprised. "But...losing..."

"There is no shame in losing. It happens to everyone. Harold has lost before, tons of times. So has Bridgette, and so has every duelist worth his or her salt." Lloyd smiles. "It's not the amount of times you lose that define you, it's the amount of times you try again!"

"Yeah, Heather." Bridgette extends her hand at her former enemy. "Harold asked me to help you build a deck for the upcoming tourney you're participating in. How about it? I'll teach you tons of things Harold didn't."

"OK!" Heather takes Bridgette's hand. Though she's lost the game, she has won a friend.

"OK, so I think your Spear Cretin combo is, right now, the best combo in your deck. Right now, your deck is too focused on beating down your opponent with big vanilla monsters equipped with Spell Cards that increase their ATK. Personally, I think we need to focus less on raw power, and more on Combos that give you an edge on your opponent..." Bridgette and Heather walk out of the store, with Lloyd and Jefferson watching them. Lloyd nods in approval.

"I wanna duel her." Lloyd says.

"Why? She ain't that good." Jefferson replies.

"I just..." Lloyd blushes.