It was a beautiful day in Los Angeles California, the sun was setting on the beachfront and things were going as normal for the residents of LA but in an office, building overlooking the waterfront it was business as usual and that business was duel monsters.
Five men sat in the office at the top floor of the building, all of them were major figures in the Duel Monsters world and they sat in silence, waiting for the sixth person to appear, however one man grew impatient.
"Do we really need to wait for Ms. Pegasus?" The man asked as he leaned back, he was a tall, handsome man with dark green shoulder length hair and matching eyes dressed in a teal business suit. "We are here to discuss the tournaments planned for Duel Monsters in the coming year, are we not?"
"Claudio, do you really expect to start such a meeting without the current CEO of I2 present?" Seto Kaiba asked as he turned to the man. "After all, her company creates the cards that we make money off of."
"You mean her father's company." Claudio scoffed and the other men present murmured in agreement as the elevator doors opened behind them. "I will give Ms. Pegasus credit, she has done a lot for the game since she took over from Maximilian, but she is just a child."
"This "child" is twenty four and happens to be standing right behind you." Sophia's voice rang out and the men in the room looked up seeing the attractive brunette woman walking forward, her waist length hair was tied into a low ponytail and she was dressed in a black business suit with a skirt that went down to her knees. "Apologies for my delay gentlemen, just had some things to finalize." Sophia apologized as she took a seat next to Claudio and crossed her legs.
"Things to finalize outside of the most important business meeting of the Duel Monsters calendar year?" Claudio scoffed as he turned to the younger woman. "This had better be good." Claudio added, and Sophia grinned.
"It is better than good." Sophia responded before turning to Kaiba. "A little secret project that I've been working on with Seto since the Orichalcos business five years ago is finally ready to be unveiled."
"Secret project between KaibaCorp and Industrial Illusions?" Claudio echoed as he raised an eyebrow. "Now you've got my attention."
"Before we get started, I want to make one thing absolutely clear." Kaiba interjected as he leaned forward. "Until Sophia is ready to unveil her plans for this project news of its existence is not to be leaked, anyone caught doing so will suffer severe consequences." Kaiba warned the men and they nodded before Sophia stood up and walked to the front of the room. "Slides are ready Sophia."
"Excellent." Sophia smirked before turning on the projector, by the end of the meeting not only where the men on board with the idea, but they were giving her a standing ovation.
*two weeks later*
It was an average day at Industrial Illusions, at least for the rank and file employees, for the CEO, it was anything but normal.
"Ms. Pegasus, we have compiled the files you requested." The technician commented as Sophia watched on, currently wearing the crop top with the I2 logo on her chest and jeans with her hair down Sophia watched on with her arms crossed. "Which profile do you want first?"
"Start with the one who competed in a tournament most recently." Sophia responded as she glanced over at the technician who inputted some commands.
"Duelist profile: Name: Chelsea Cunningham, Alias: The Shock Rock Chick, age: 23, Nationality: American, Hometown: Chicago, Illinois, current residence: Woodstock, Illinois." The computer read off Chelsea's profile as her picture loaded up. "Spouse: Elizabeth "Beth" McKenzie, Deck: Wattitude."
"Still hasn't gotten around to changing her deck name I see." Sophia chuckled as she glanced at Chelsea's picture. "So, what's she been up too?"
"Ms. Cunningham has been competing on the National Circuit since she graduated from Duel Academy several years ago and is one of the forerunners for the D-Wheel method of dueling." The technician responded as he typed away. "Her conviction for assault at the age of fifteen remains her only criminal conviction."
"And from I remember, that is unlikely to change any time soon" Sophia responded with a nod. "What off her old roommate?" Sophia asked and the technician typed away some more.
"Duelist Profile: Name: Chloe Richardson, Age: 22, Nationality: American, Hometown: Brooklyn, New York, current residence: Domino City." The computer read off Chloe's profile as the image loaded. "Spouse: Lance Alvers, Deck: Swords and Sorcery."
"Ms. Richardson has been maintaining a low profile since her graduation, despite coming third in Battle City when she was still an Osiris Red Student and second in the Las Vegas Battle City when she was in Obelisk Blue, she has stated that she would rather work her way up than rely on past success." The technician explained as he typed away. "From what we could gather, it seems her stepfather is setting her up to run his game shop once he retires should her duelist career go nowhere, and she currently works there alongside her spouse."
"Doesn't surprise me, always struck me as someone who valued hard work over being given anything." Sophia nodded as she looked at the screen. "Aside from working at the shop, what has her spouse been up too?" Sophia asked and the technician typed away.
"Duelist Profile: Name: Lance Alvers, Age: 22, Nationality: American, Hometown: Phoenix, Arizona, current residence: Domino City." The computer read off the profile and Sophia did a double take as the profile picture loaded. "Spouse: Chloe Richardson, Deck: Hellfire."
"He's certainly changed his appearance a bit since the Duel Academy Days." Sophia nodded as she looked at the picture, unlike the girls Lance had his hair up in a ponytail and was now sporting a goatee. "What was he been up too?"
"Much the same as Richardson really, he's been focused on working his way up." The technician responded as he read off the info. "His brother has been competing in regional tournaments in Arizona, his sister is currently a student at Duel Academy, seems she's in the Osiris Red Dorm."
"I guess the old adage is true, dueling runs in the family." Sophia responded with a nod. "Let's go with someone from outside of America next, what has Andreas been up too?" Sophia asked and the technician typed the info in.
"Duelist profile: name: Andreas Freshier, Age: 23, Nationality: German, Hometown: Berlin, Germany, current residence: Queens, New York." The computer said as it read off the info. "Spouse: Nicola Hastings, Deck: Lords of the Jungle."
"Andreas lived in Germany for two years after graduation before he moved to New York to be closer with Nicola." The technician responded with a frown. "It seems he also moved away to escape his brother's shadow, even as Otto continues to serve a life-sentence for his role in the Orichalcos infiltrating Battle City and it's well established that Andreas is nothing like Otto no sponsor in his home country would take him on."
"Shame, his deck was on par with mine when we dueled." Sophia sighed in response as she glanced up at the profile picture. "And whilst we're talking about Nicola, what has she been up too?" Sophia asked and the technician typed up the info.
"Duelist Profile: Name: Nicola Hastings, Age: 22, Nationality: American, Hometown: Queens, New York, current residence: Queens, New York." The computer said as the profile picture loaded up. "Spouse: Andreas Freshier, Deck: Crystal Brilliance."
"Nicola has pretty much become a role model for people with learning disabilities in general and not just Autism, doesn't hurt that she has been open with her Autism diagnosis since she joined the Pro-Leagues." The Technician explained as Sophia noticed a hint of appreciation in his voice as he got choked up. "Sorry Sophia, she is my niece's hero for that reason, she's also become an animal rights activist and has been vocal in her opposition to PETA and similar organizations."
"She's living out her dream, can't say I feel too bad about that." Sophia admitted with a small smile. "That just leaves on person who started in Ra Yellow." Sophia added and the technician nodded before loading the profile, however when the pic loaded up, she did a double take. "Well, he's certainly changed."
"Duelist profile: Name: Marcus Reynolds, Age: 23, Nationality: American, Hometown: Bensonhurst, New York, current residence: Bensonhurst, New York." The computer read out as the picture of the once chubby student loaded up showing that he had lost a lot of weight since his Duel Academy Days. "Spouse: Marie Gray, Deck: Descent of Dragons."
"Yeah, and from all reports, it was on doctor's orders, Marcus has stated in several interviews that he changed his life after a doctor told him in no uncertain terms that he wouldn't live another five years in his current life style and that was after his graduation." The technician responded and Sophia nodded. "Happy to report that he's still alive and on the national circuit."
"Good for him, can't imagine that news being easy to take." Sophia responded with a nod, "So that covers everyone from Ra Yellow and Osiris Red, what about those who started in Obelisk Blue?"
"Anyone in particular?" The technician asked and it didn't take Sophia long to answer as he loaded the profile up.
"Duelist Profile: Name: Tyler Saritas, alias: Tyler Kaiba, Age: 24, Nationality: American, Hometown: Domino City, Current Residence: Domino City." The computer said as the profile loaded up and Sophia kept her eyes locked with his picture. "Spouse: N/A, Deck: Psycho Psychics."
"Good, he's honored the agreement." Sophia thought before glancing over at the technician. "Last I heard, he was working at KaibaCorp with his sister on the side."
"Correct, they work as Duel Disk testers, the last line of defense before the latest models are sent to us to ensure that they work with the cards we produce." The technician nodded and Sophia folded her arms. "They recently started on the International Circuit, we haven't had time to put together a profile on his sister."
"She can wait." Sophia said dismissively as she glanced at Tyler's picture. "Miranda and Tyler are talented duelists but very different in their approach, should be interesting to see what happens, load up the last two profiles." Sophia added and the technician nodded before loading them up.
"Duelist profile: Name: Theresa Daniels, Age: 24, Hometown: Midtown, New York, Current Residence: Syracuse, New York." The profile read out as the picture loaded. "Spouse: Brandon Thomas, Deck: Soldier Strike."
"Since starting on the pro-leagues, Theresa has retired all but one of her decks." The technician said as he typed away. "Like Chloe, she doesn't want to be handed anything, even though she came in second at Battle City she wants to fight for everything she owns."
"Two girls from humble beginnings fighting their way to the top, sounds like something from a movie." Sophia chuckled before motioning for the technician to load up the last profile.
"Duelist profile: Name: Brandon Thomas, Age: 24, Hometown: Los Angeles, California, Current Residence: Syracuse, New York." The computer read out the last profile but even then, Sophia was getting ready to leave. "Spouse: Theresa Daniels, Deck: Tides of Chaos."
"Since moving in together, Theresa and Brandon have rarely, if ever, entered a tournament alone, whether it be singles or tag team." The technician added before chuckling. "The promoters often try hard to make it so that they face off in the finals, mixed results for obvious reasons."
"Off course, the game can be unpredictable." Sophia nodded as the door opened. "Send the profiles to my office on the double, including Miranda's when you get the chance, and compile the rest of the profiles whilst you're at it" Sophia added, and the technician nodded. "Take all the time you need, just remember, we have a deadline to meet and I won't be happy if your late with the info I need."
"With all do respect ma'am." The technician responded as he turned to her. "You are talking about duelists from all over the world, from the regional to the national championships, before we even started in those profiles, we had only compiled one profile."
"Yes, the Eastern European duelist." Sophia nodded as she folded her arms. "Let me spell it out for you, you have a wealth of information at your fingertips and I expect results, I realize that you are over twenty years my senior but surely, you've heard of Google and Social Media?"
"I'll get right on it." The technician nodded before he returned to his work, satisfied Sophia smirked before she left, as she walked down the hallway Sophia put a hand to her earpiece. "It's Sophia, did you get all that?"
"Loud and clear." A female voice rang out on the other end, the voice had a strong Eastern European accent and to the untrained ear it would be hard to understand, however Sophia had dealt with the woman several times by this point and was able to decipher her accent easily enough. "So, when do you want me to send them the package?"
"As soon as possible but try to get footage of them dueling first, even if that means dueling them yourself." Sophia responded as she entered the elevator to her office. "The 40th anniversary of Duelist Kingdom is drawing closer by the day Raven, I don't need to tell you how much rides on it being a success."
"Off course, quote the raven, nevermore." Raven responded before hanging up and Sophia sighed before pressing the button for her office.
"Sometimes I wonder how father dealt with people as eccentric as Raven." Sophia thought as the elevator doors closed and she was taken up. "Then again, I think father would've mentioned knowing someone from Eastern Europe who ends each conversation with the one quote everyone knows from "The Raven" by Edgar Allen Poe."
*two days later*
It was the day that many people in the Illinois area had been looking forward too all year long, the regional championships often drew large crowds and the defending champion was getting ready to defend her title.
"Everything in place?" A tall, blonde man in a business suit asked as the he watched the engineers work over a D-Wheel that was red, yellow and blue in color. "She'll be here any minute and I don't want any issues."
"Everything's in place sir." The lead engineer responded before the door opened behind them. "Should we tell her about that…"
"Tell me about what?" Chelsea's voice rang out as she approached the two men, appearance wise Chelsea hadn't changed much from her Duel Academy days, whilst her hair was still black with blue streaks in it she had let it grow out a bit so that it now went past her shoulders as opposed to it's original shoulder length but she still had the piercings on her nose and navel and the tattoos on her arms and cheek. "Sorry I'm late, traffic was murder and for some reason, I was told to take my regular bike around the back." Chelsea added and the agent nodded.
"Just another day in Chicago if you ask me." The agent responded before sighing. "And that was because of the usual Christian groups complaining about their kids looking up to someone who's a Satan worshipping metal loving lesbian." The agent added and Chelsea raised an eyebrow. "Their words, not mine."
"And my family wonders why I grew disillusioned with religion." Chelsea muttered under her breath as she shook her head. "They never got so bad that they forced me to go around the back though."
"We just want to avoid controversy the PR firm is still recovering from the rant you made at the last championships." The agent responded and Chelsea rolled her eyes. "Not saying that I disagreed with your points but…"
"But you don't want me to call out republicans on their bullshit again." Chelsea interrupted him before shaking her head. "Don't worry about it Brad, it blew over last year, it'll blow over next year." Chelsea added as she grabbed her helmet. "So, anything I should know about my opponent?"
"Rodney Flannigan, American duelist of Irish descent, uses a Dragon Deck." Brad responded as he showed her the picture. "Shouldn't be too much trouble for the Shock Rock Chick and Wattitude."
"And that's the other thing." Chelsea added as she put her helmet on. "Fire the PR firm that came up with that corny nickname for me, I mean seriously, my three year old niece could come up with better nicknames in her sleep! And remind me to finally change my deck name."
"We literally just hired them." Brad pointed out as a sweat-drop rolled down his head. "And it's marketing."
"I hired you because your managing company worked with my dad when he was starting out on the pro-league." Chelsea responded as she walked over to her bike and hopped onto it. "And the best PR firm you could hire was one who based my nickname on a lame pun? They never even asked what music I actually listen too, they just took your word for it that I listen to rock instead of metal."
"Aren't they basically the same thing?" Brad asked earning an annoyed glare from Chelsea.
"Don't get me started on that again Brad, otherwise I'll be forced to forfeit the title because I stood here arguing with you on that point!" Chelsea responded with a grunt as one of the assistants handed over her deck. "Everything in place deck wise?"
"Err, yeah, all your signature cards are in there as are your staples." Brad responded and Chelsea nodded. "As for the PR firm, the budget is lower for duelists on the national/regional level like yourself." Brad asserted as the engineers got out of the way. "As soon as you go international, I'll hire a better PR firm."
"See that you do, otherwise I might have to fire my first agent." Chelsea responded as the door to the track opened. "Seriously, The Shock Rock Chick? That's the kind of lame joke that Lance would make!" Chelsea thought as she heard her theme song, "Rhythm to my Madness" by Dust Bolt, and sped out onto the track. "Come to think of it, I haven't seen the others from the Orichalcos days since we left Duel Academy, Beth's the sole exception off course, going to have to rectify that as soon as possible."
"Ladies and gentlemen, it is the moment you've been waiting for, the regional championships!" The MC called out over the cheering crowd as the two bikes sped around the corner. "Introducing the challenger, his dragons lay waste to the competition throughout the tournament and now he seeks to dethrone the champion, please welcome Rodney Flannigan!" The MC added and the crowd cheered as the Irish-American duelist brought his bike to a stop. "And his opponent, she exploded onto the scene five years ago and has been turning away challengers ever since! As controversial as she is talented, please give it up for "The Shock Rock Chick" Chelsea Cunningham!"
"Yep, that name still makes me cringe!" Chelsea thought as she brought her bike to a stop and the cheers continued, however there was some noticeable boos from the audience. "Great, the religious nuts have made their way inside." Chelsea thought as she eyed a few of the signs in the crowd, shaking her head she turned her attention to Rodney. "You ready to get your ass kicked back to Ireland!?"
"In your dreams Chelsea!" Rodney responded with a good natured grin.
"Good, it has begun." A female figure in the crowd thought as she had an ally tape the duel, she was short, around Chloe's height, but her body and face where concealed in a long, zipped up trench coat with the hood up. "Your getting all of this, yes?" The woman asked with an Eastern European Accent and the ally nodded.
"Would've been easier if you had gotten me a press pass Raven." The ally responded and Raven remained motionless. "But yeah, I have a good view of the action up here." The ally added before turning to her. "Why does Sophia want this footage again?"
"She signs our paychecks, does she not?" Raven asked as she stepped closer revealing that the lower half of her face was concealed with a black bandana and that she had cold blue eyes. "Then don't ask questions." Raven added and the ally nodded before turning his attention back to the duel. "Quote the Raven, nevermore."
"I don't get paid enough for this." The ally thought as the two duelists got into position.
"So that leaves just one question, fans are you ready for some high speed dueling?" The MC asked and the crowd cheered, much to Chelsea's relief the loud cheers were more than enough to drown out the booing from the religious nuts. "THREE! TWO! ONE! Start the duel!"
"He needs to work on how he starts duels!" Chelsea thought as the two duelists sped off, for the first few minutes Chelsea had the lead as they neared the first corner, but Rodney was able to pull out in front at the last second giving him the first turn as Speed World 2 came into play. "Well, at least I won't have to wait to attack!" Chelsea thought as their Speed Counters went up by one.
"I set two cards facedown and I summon Alexandrite Dragon!" Rodney called out as he played the cards and the beautiful sapphire dragon appeared on the field with a roar (4/2000/400) and it started flying behind Rodney's D-Wheel. "My dragons will make shoes out of your Watts Chelsea! I end my turn."
"Hey, someone who's actually done their homework on me!" Chelsea thought as she drew her card and whilst they turned a corner their Speed Counters went up to two. "Most of my opponents just enter the match expecting something different, well, let's see how well that does him!" Chelsea thought before picking up three cards. "Not to sound like a broken record, but I set two cards facedown and I summon Wattcobra!" Chelsea announced as she played the cards and the small, multicolored snake appeared on the field somehow keeping up with Chelsea's d-wheel (4/1000/500). "Your dragon's strong but my cobra doesn't care about that! Because most of my Watts share the same ability to attack you directly! Wattcobra, show him what I mean!" Chelsea commanded and the snake raced towards her opponent…
"I activate my Trap Card Scrap Iron Scarecrow!" Rodney announced as the facedown card flipped up and Chelsea frowned as the scarecrow appeared on the field blocking Wattcobra's path. "This card negates your attack and gets set facedown." Rodney added as the card returned to its original position. "I know exactly what your deck is capable off Chelsea, and that's why I don't plan to give you a chance to attack me directly in this duel!"
"Not the worst Anti-Watt strategy I've encountered on the pro-leagues but not great either, fortunately my deck's come prepared as well." Chelsea thought before going over her hand. "It's your move Rodney!" Chelsea called out and Rodney drew his card whilst the speed counters went up to three.
"And just to make sure that you can't defend either." Rodney announced as his facedown card flipped up. "I activate Dragon's Rage! Now all my dragons inflict piercing damage and I'm about to draw first blood! Alexandrite Dragon, attack her cobra!" Rodney commanded and the dragon took flight as he prepared his attack.
"Did you really think it would be that easy? Guess again!" Chelsea responded as her facedown card flipped up. "I activate Interdimensional Matter Transporter! For the rest of the turn Wattcobra is removed from play!" Chelsea added as the snake disappeared from the field. "But please, do try again."
"If that's not the biggest bluff ever I'm the King of Ireland!" Rodney thought with a frown as he glanced at his opponent. "But at the same time, I'm not one to pass up an opportunity like this." Rodney thought before pointing at Chelsea. "Alexandrite Dragon, attack her life-points directly!" Rodney commanded and the dragon prepared a second attack right at Chelsea.
"Thanks for that." Chelsea responded with a grin as her other facedown card flipped up. "Defense Draw reduces the damage I'll take to zero and I draw a card!" Chelsea added before drawing her card as the attack hit though her life-points remained untouched.
"I thought so, at least I won't have to worry about taking damage from her cobra." Rodney thought as they rounded a corner on the track. "It's your move Chelsea." Rodney called out and Chelsea drew her card once Wattcobra returned to the field.
"One trap prevents me from attacking directly once per turn and the other allows his dragons to inflict piercing damage, if this was a standing duel, I'd be bemoaning the fact that Heavy Storm is still banned!" Chelsea thought before playing a card. "I activate Speed Spell – Angel Baton, since I have four Speed Counters this allows me to draw three cards and discard one in exchange for those counters." Chelsea added before she slowed down a bit and drew her cards. "Let's see just how long he can keep this up." Chelsea thought as she discarded a card. "I summon Wattbull!" Chelsea announced as she played the card and a large bull in the same color scheme as Wattcobra appeared on the field (4/1300/1000).
"What a load of bull!" Rodney responded and Chelsea rolled her eyes.
"That joke wasn't funny the first ten times I've heard it!" Chelsea called back before pointing to Rodney. "Wattbull, attack him directly!" Chelsea commanded and the bull charged right past Alexandrite Dragon….
"Fine, I'll just negate the attack with Scrap-Iron Scarecrow!" Rodney announced as his facedown card flipped up, however as soon as it did Wattbull smashed straight through the scarecrow and Dragon's rage. "What the?!"
"You really should've let that attack go through Rodney, because when Wattbull's direct attack is negated he destroys all face-up trap cards, he's pretty much the Duel Monsters version of a bull in a china shop!" Chelsea responded before pointing to Wattcobra. "And speaking of attacks, Wattcobra, finish what you started last turn!" Chelsea commanded and the cobra sped towards her opponent before biting him on the arm and bringing his life-points down to 7000.
"And the champion draws first blood!" The MC called out as Rodney slowed down a bit. "Can Rodney recover from this setback?"
"Not if I have any say in the matter." Chelsea thought before she started inputting commands into her duel disk, "Since Wattcobra just inflicted battle damage I can add one Watt monster from my deck to my hand!" Chelsea continued before she added the card to her hand. "I set two cards facedown and end my turn."
"She's definitely as good as her reputation suggests, and as for what I've heard from those religious nuts, well, they seem to be full of it." Rodney thought before he drew his card and his speed counters went up to four whilst Chelsea's went up to one. "Perfect!" Rodney thought before playing the card. "I sacrifice Alexandrite Dragon to summon Strong Wind Dragon!"
"Shit!" Chelsea thought as Rodney played the card and Alexandrite Dragon disappeared from the field only to be replaced by a larger green dragon (6/2400/1000).
"This big guy can't be destroyed in battle by a monster with the same attack points as him and since I sacrificed a dragon to summon him half of that dragon's attack points get added to his!" Rodney added as Strong Wind Dragon's attack points went up to 3400. "Best part is? I don't need Dragon's Rage to inflict piercing damage with this guy! Strong Wind Dragon, blow away her cobra!"
"Yep, that guy's going to be a problem!" Chelsea thought as the dragon beat its wings at Wattcobra destroying it and bringing her life-points down to 5600. "I activate Damage Gate, since the damage I just took accounts for a lot of the cards in my deck, this will let me Special Summon Wattkitten from my graveyard!" Chelsea announced as she played the card before discarding a card from her hand and the small, multicolored kitten appeared on the field (3/100/100). "Sending a kitten out against a dragon, if Nicola could see me now, she'd be freaking out!"
"I've got a powerful dragon on the field and the best you can muster is a kitten?" Rodney scoffed in response as the kitten turned blue indicating it was in defense mode. "Whatever, I'll end my turn." Rodney announced and Chelsea drew her card whilst her speed counters went up by one and Rodney's went up to six.
"Wattkitten won't do me much good in defense mode, let's hope I can rectify that." Chelsea thought before looking at her drawn card and playing it. "I activate Speed Spell – Overboost! For the rest of the turn my speed counters go up by six!" Chelsea added before her bike sped up and she overtook Rodney. "So, what's the view like from back there?"
"I preferred it when you were behind me." Rodney grumbled under his breath and Chelsea grinned.
"Don't feel too bad then, because I'm giving up all seven of my counters to draw a card." Chelsea added as her bike pulled back behind Rodney and once, she was far away from him she drew her card. "Not what I was hoping for, let's hope he doesn't draw something that'll destroy my cards." Chelsea thought before playing the card. "I set a card facedown, and I'm sending Wattbull and Wattcobra into battle!" Chelsea announced as she set the card and the two monsters leapt into battle before biting Rodney and bringing his life-points down to 4700. "So, what's the view like from back there?" Chelsea asked once Rodney's bike had slowed down.
"That joke worked better when you were in front of me." Rodney responded before going over his hand. "My turn yet?"
"Go for it." Chelsea nodded and Rodney drew his card.
"Yes, I can end this now!" Rodney thought with a grin as he his speed counters went up to five and Chelsea's up to 1. "I activate Speed Spell – Dragon's Wrath! I give up my remaining Speed Counters and in exchange, Strong Wind Dragon gains a five hundred attack points for each one." Rodney explained as his dragon's attack went up to 5900. "In other words, once I blow that kitten away, the duel's mine! Strong Wind Dragon, finish it!" Rodney commanded and the dragon prepared his attack.
"I activate my trap cards! Beckoning Light and Urgent Tuning!" Chelsea announced as her facedown cards flipped up. "First off, Beckoning Light forces me to discard my remaining cards and add that many light type monsters to my hand." Chelsea added as she did so, sending her three cards to the graveyard and adding three monsters to her hand. "As for Urgent Tuning, well, I'm tuning Wattkitten and Wattbull together!" Chelsea added as the two monsters leapt into the air for the Synchro Summon.,
"Hold onto your hats folks!" The MC called out as Chelsea retrieved the card from her extra deck and played it. "Chelsea is bringing out the big guns!"
"I Synchro Summon Watthydra!" Chelsea called out and once the bright flash faded and the massive multicolored hydra appeared on the field with a roar (7/1500/1500). "When Wattkitten is used in the Synchro Summon of a Watt Monster I can special summon another Watt monster from my graveyard, I chose not to."
"All that for a new hand and a Synchro Monster with 1500 attack points?!" Rodney asked before shaking his head. "All that changed was my target! Strong Wind Dragon, attack her Hydra!" Rodney commanded and the dragon prepared his attack.
"I'm going to be honest with you Rodney." Chelsea responded as she held up one of the cards in her hand. "I was counting on that, but then again, what's a little honesty between duelists?"
"What are you…." Rodney trailed off once he saw the card in question. "Honest?!"
"That's right! Now, how strong is your dragon?" Chelsea asked with a grin and all color drained from Rodney's face as Watthydra's attack points shot up to 7400. "Watthydra, take a bite of that dragon!" Chelsea commanded and the hydra lunged forward before chomping down on Strong Wind Dragon destroying it and bringing Rodney's life-points down to 2600. "Any other monsters you want to send against my hydra?"
"Take your turn." Rodney responded with a sigh and Chelsea drew her card.
"Sorry Rodney but this is over!" Chelsea announced as she played the card she had drawn. "I summon Wattgiraffe!" Chelsea announced as she played the card and the multicolored giraffe appeared on the field (4/1200/100). "It was a good duel but hey, maybe you'll have better luck next time! Watthydra, Wattgiraffe, attack his life-points directly!" Chelsea commanded and the two monsters launched their attacks at Rodney before biting him and bringing his life-points down to zero.
"The winner of the match and STILL Illinois Regional Champion, the Shock Rock Chick Chelsea Cunningham!" The MC called out as the two bikes came to a stop and Chelsea waved to her fans whilst Rodney looked dejected.
"Did you get all that?" Raven asked the cameraman who nodded as he stood up.
"Yeah, had some difficulty keeping up with the action but I managed okay in the end." The cameraman nodded in response and Raven looked up. "What's the plan now?"
"Sophia booked us first class plane tickets to Domino City, plane's leaving in the morning, so we won't stick around." Raven responded before turning her back on her ally and revealing that the back of her trench coat had a raven on it. "Are you coming or not?" Raven asked and the cameraman nodded.
*later*
Once the ceremony was over Chelsea was ready to leave, as she headed back to the parking lot where she had left her motorbike, she noticed a group of youths surrounding her motorbike and shook her head.
"Yeah, yeah, it's a nice bike, now clear off before…" Chelsea trailed off as she heard a certain sound coming from one of the youths and quickly recognized them as some of the religious nuts from the arena. "HEY!" Chelsea called out and the youth urinating on her bike quickly zipped up his fly as Chelsea ran over. "Ugh, that smell is going to take forever to come out!" Chelsea groaned as she used her sleeve to cover her nose.
"What, you mean like the stench you've left on your championship?" The leader of the youths asked as he walked up to her. "God will have his judgment on you, you dyke!"
"News flash, I've read the bible, nothing about hating gay people in it, so why don't you fuck…." Chelsea never finished her sentence as the leader sucker punched her in the jaw knocking her down as the rest of the youths surrounded her. "Hitting a woman, your moms must be so proud."
"Don't you talk about my mother…..." The leader trailed off as he went to deliver a kick before they heard footsteps approaching them. "What the…."
"Zadzwonilem na policie, rozsadnie byloby odejsc." Raven said calmly and the youths looked at her confused. "Don't you speak Polish? I just said, "I have called the police, you would be wise to leave."." Raven clarified and the youths' eyes widened before they ran off, Chelsea rubbed her aching jaw before Raven walked up to her. "Are you hurt?"
"My ego's hurt the most." Chelsea grumbled before Raven offered her a hand and pulled her up when she accepted it. "Do I know you?"
"We met during Battle City, briefly." Raven responded as she started to walk off. "We will meet again Chelsea, but you will find a package waiting for you back home."
"A package?" Chelsea blinked but before she could enquire further Raven was gone, shaking her head Chelsea got her phone out and called home. "Hey Beth, I'm going to be hone late."
"How late are we talking?" Beth asked over the phone, since Battle City they had moved in together in Woodstock, Illinois. "If your stopping to get pizza on the way back, don't, I've got dinner in the oven."
"I wish I did, I got attacked by a bunch of homophobic idiots, caught them as one of them was pissing on my bike." Chelsea sighed and Beth gasped in shock. "I'm okay, a mystery woman intervened, sounded like she was from Eastern Europe but that's not important, did you receive a package today?"
"Package? Let me check." Beth responded before waking to the front door. "Yeah, I got a big one this afternoon, huh, that's weird, it's from Industrial Illusions."
"I2?" Chelsea asked before frowning. "Don't open it until I get back, the woman who saved me said there'd be a package waiting for me."
"Well, that's not suspicious," Beth responded sarcastically before shaking her head. "Did you get a name at least?"
"No, but I think I recognize her from Battle City." Chelsea responded as she shook her head before she heard a cop car pulling up. "Gotta go, she said she had called the cops on those idiots, got a statement to give and all."
"Sure, you want me to call you a cab? I can't imagine your bike smells that great." Beth responded and Chelsea nodded.
"That would be great, thanks." Chelsea responded before hanging up. "Why do I get the feeling things are only going to get weirder as the week goes on?"