Shadowchasers: The Mercury Emperor

by Lonely Ghost666

History is decided by the victors. Sometimes this means changing "the facts" so that the losers seemed unappealing or to remove evidence that the victors can be defeated... but sometimes... it can be used to leave people ignorant to the plans of the victor. Inspired by Cyber Commander's "Shadowchasers".

Greetings and salutations. Some may know me, most likely don't... probably for the better. But anyways, I'm proud to say that this will be the first chapter of my very own Shadowchasers story. It is easy to say that I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh!/DM/R/GX/5D's/ZEXAL, and that Shadowchasers itself is a theme belonging to Cyber Commander, but with his approval I have been permitted to write a story of my own set in the marvelous universe he's established and has been expanded by other great authors.

That being said, I'm going now establish some of the story's setting in regards to background and rulings. This story is set in the city of Xi'an, located in the Shaanxi province of China (or the People's Republic of China if you want to get technical). I understand that this is a beautiful and historically rich city, and that being said... I've never been there. So while I'm going to do as much research as I can to make sure I am correct in all things I write down here, and will likely use some "historical artistic license" to make alterations as the city has advanced as any other, do forgive me if I make some mistakes, I am only human. Additionally, this is set post-Shadowchasers: Ascension, so the events of 5D's have been long done, yet haven't transitioned into ZEXAL's timeline yet. That means there will be Xyz monsters, but Riding Duels will still exist (Seriously though, what happened to Riding Duels? I see people like Shark driving what look like D-Wheels all the time, yet they seem to have just... died out... along with Synchro Monsters it seems).

An additional note, as you have noticed, I prefer Japanese terminology regarding things. I watched subbed episodes, so that's how I know this stuff as. But in regards to that, I will refer to cards based on their names in the TCG (unless there's an absolute necessity for select reasons otherwise). In the case of OCG only cards, I'll used the most agreed upon translation. Anime cards I'll use dub names, unless again there's another need (such as the Drunken cards).

As many individuals have done, I will post Original, Anime/Manga only, and OCG cards that are appearing in the story for the first time at the end of the chapter for reference. Additionally, for this story I will be using the September 2013 Ban List, and will stick to it even if it changes before the story is over. Specifically, I will be using the TCG oriented one (because apparently they decided that how the TCG and OCG strategies work play differently).

I think that pretty much covers everything. So here goes the story. I want to thank Cyber Commander for allowing me to get involved in the Shadowchaser universe and hope not to disappoint him, as well as MultiplePersonas for agreeing to be my beta reader and lay down the hurt whenever I try to pass off anything half-assed as acceptable. I hope you enjoy, and if you have any criticism and/or advice be sure to let me know.

-o-o-o-o-o-

Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's

Shadowchasers

The Mercury Emperor

-o-o-o-o-o-

This world is filled with lies. I don't mean that in a mean wait, trying to say this is a rotten world that must be tossed aside because lies have corrupted its very essence. But it's the truth, which is sorta ironic. Whenever a corrupt businessman embezzles money from a company, he's lying to the people who trusted him with their money. Whenever a politician makes promises to get elected, but doesn't carry through, he's lying to the people. Whenever I tell my teammates that I'll get the groceries, I'm lying... just, you know, don't let them know I said that.

But not all lies are bad. Given they tend to be smaller in comparison to the bad ones, they can still be good. If you lie to a woman to spare her feelings about how she looks in a dress, you're being nice. If you lie about where you're taking a friend so that you can surprise them for their birthday, you're being nice.

Heck, it's even in nature for things to lie. Creatures that use camouflage are essentially lying to defend themselves. It's all a part of the intent of the lie that determines if it is good or evil, but it is also how much someone believes into a lie that determines the intensity. Perhaps the best example came from the movie, The Usual Suspects, where Kevin Spacey's character says "The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist".

Now, the sort of entity that my team and I are to go up against, he's not a devil, and the world believes he existed very much. Still, he lied to the world and fooled everyone into believing it. So what's the impact of it? Well... it depends on whether a handful of people can make a difference. And if the events around the world where a group as small as us prevented its utter destruction, I believe we can... or at least, I hope so.

-o-o-o-o-o-

Turn 01: Return of the Monarchs

-o-o-o-o-o-

China, or the People's Republic of China as it is officially called, is one of the world's most culturally rich nations in the world. A land where empires have risen to peaks before crumbling, only to make way for new ones. But for the particular focus of this story, we come to the city of Xi'an, a place that could represent this cycle of rising and falling empires as it holds the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor, Qin Shi Huang, and the Terracotta Army that supposedly serves him in death. Even more than this, there are theaters, parks, towers, all representing the city's beauty and-

"AAAAAAYYYAAA! What do you think you're doing!?"

-grace. Or rather, it usually was, but in a small restaurant located along the busy Erhuan Road, currently lit up like a Christmas tree to provide illumination in the growing dark of night, there was an encounter going on between the owner of said shop and one of his customers.

The client, a young woman by the name of Candice McClain who was in her mid-twenties, narrowed her emerald green eyes at the owner. Rising from her seat, hands planted on either side of the bowl of soup before her, resting against the bar that separated her from the kitchen and the owner/chef in charge, replying "I'm adding soy sauce to it, got a problem with that?"

A growl of irritation emanated from the back of the owner's throat, an almost inhuman threat that would send most people backing away. And to call it inhuman would be an accurate description, because even though the angry chef looked like a simple short man with a big nose and sparsely a hair on him, with the exception of a shoulder length ponytail of black hair at the back of his head, he was not so simple, not in the customer's eyes.

He was a goblin. Green skin and pointed ears all. While the 'inhuman' part of his growl was not as intimidating as it would be for many other creatures that go bump in the night, the accompaniment of his gnarl-toothed scowl at the golden haired woman before him would still send a shiver down the spine of those who knew goblins were real creatures, as well as how their tempers might match their greed when given the right source of anger.

"My yangrou paomo is perfect! Perfect amount of lamb, perfect amount of soup, perfect amount of flat bread! The seasoning I put on that lamb before adding it to the stew was perfect! Adding soy sauce will ruin that balance!" the goblin snapped, pointing a finger in the woman's face, causing her to go cross eyed as she looked at it.

Pushing the finger out of her face, Candice collected a lock of blonde hair that had fallen out of the ponytail she kept it in, revealing a mark beneath her eye that could not be seen by normal individuals, causing the goblin to tense a bit as she locked eyes with him. And why wouldn't he? It was the mark of a Shadowchaser, the group that kept the mythical, supernatural, paranormal, and numerous other oddball creatures that existed on this world after they or one of their ancestors were snatched by some unknown force.

"Listen here bub, I like my food a bit saltier, particularly because of soy sauce. I'm not insulting your cooking, but I don't like it the way it is alone. Don't make me out to be some sort of fiend just because I like my food a different way" the Shadowchaser countered, arms crossing in defiance as she straightened her stance out, still glaring daggers at the uppity goblin.

"No! Pai Lao's yangrou paomo is perfect! You and your-your... your uncultured, American tongue have no place in my restaurant! Get out!" the goblin, who now seemed to take on the characteristic of talking in the third person, demanded, going so far as to snatch the soup bowl and dumping the contents in the trash.

Jumping back a step to avoid a few drops of soup from hitting her black leather biker jacket, Candice scowled at him and stepped forward again, now slamming her fist on the bar, causing the contents of other customers' meals to shift slightly. "You can't talk to me like that, I'm a customer! And how dare you insult me for being an American! I thought people got past this xenophobic bullshit decades ago! And someone like you should really know what it's like to have people looking down on you for being different!"

Pai Lao's eyes darted across the restaurant, taking note of the confusion displayed on some of his more valued patron's faces at the woman's accusation. With a few exceptions, most of them were just Mundane humans, far from knowledgeable about Pai Lao's true nature, let alone the entire world hidden before their very eyes. Given there would be no way to prove he was a goblin in their eyes, he still questioned what the Shadowchaser was thinking. Would she really go to such lengths to try and besmirch him? She did seem truly angry at his actions, but her very position would not permit such behavior.

Strengthening his resolve on that alone, Pai Lao furrowed his brow, holding a hand up and snapping his fingers a couple of times. Two men stepped up to the young woman of a Shadowchaser, one to her left and right, dressed in the same sort of cheesy floral patterned robe that the woman working the front of the restaurant had on, albeit for men, indicating they were employees. One was a human, simple enough, while the other was a bald, red skinned oni. While the human seemed cocky enough, the oni saw the mark on the woman's face and seemed uneasy, even if he was clearly more muscular than Candice.

"I retain the right to deny service to any customer, no exceptions! If you do not leave my restaurant right now, I will have Kung and Pao forcibly remove you!" Pai Lao exclaimed.

While the irritation of being told to leave caused a rage vein on her temple, Candice's brow raised as her eyes shifted between the two men. "Kung? Pao?... really?" was all she uttered, their only responses being a shrug. Whether it was a nickname Pai Lao had given to them or they had the misfortune of working for a restaurant with such... stereotypical names like that, she didn't know, and she didn't care anymore.

Closing her eyes and exhaling deeply, the blonde woman put her hands up and turned her back to the goblin owner, making her way out. "I've honestly got better stuff to do than argue with you over this crap. If you want to look like the ignorant one for insulting my heritage, that's your deal, I'm done here." While Candice seemed done with the incident, Pai Lao seemed unwilling to let her walk away with the last word.

"That's right! Run away! You think you're so great, but when things get hot, you blonde American bimbos always run like cowards!"

There was a pause, with an almost instantaneous silence permeating through the restaurant, with only the sound of oil sizzling in the kitchen keeping it from being absolute. Customers looked at Pai Lao with expressions of mild shock, knowing he was in the wrong here, if he hadn't already been. Kung and Pao flinched, knowing that their boss crossed a line.

After what felt like hours, but in reality was only a few seconds passed, Candice seemed to release a still breath as her shoulders slumped. This seemed to put everyone else at ease, thinking she was able to contain her own tension and anger at the man. The manner in which she took the harsh insult in stride, not sinking to Pai Lao's level, had instantly raised the opinions of others in the restaurant, and to Pao the Oni, a true credit to the Shadowcha-

"THAT'S IT YOU INSUFFERABLE SHORTSTACK OF GREEN DICK! I'M COMING ACROSS THAT BAR AND RIPPING YOUR NOSE OFF YOUR FACE AND SHOVING IT UP YOUR ASS SO YOU CAN SMELL WHAT KIND OF SHIT YOU REALLY ARE!"

Before they could react to it, Candice had already spun on her heel and dove between Kung and Pao, appearing to make good on her words as she already had Pai Lao by the nose, starting to pull him across the bar by it. As they grabbed her arms to pull her off their boss, they were met with a flailing of limbs that struck harder than their thin appearance would imply. Getting her off Pai Lao was going to be no easy feat, not without taking a few fierce blows themselves.

-o-o-o-o-o-

While one of Shadowchasers of Xi'an were getting into a... dispute with Pai Lao, off in the Lingtong District where the national treasures of the Terracotta Army and Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor were located, another conflict was occurring within a building that sat at the border of the city itself, or rather, an estate.

Built upon the same farmlands owned by those that had accidentally discovered the Mausoleum and Terracotta Army was now the private, residential property of a wealthy individual who separated the land that was now his from the rest of the world by high set walls, at least twelve feet tall, blocking the view of property from those outside, and wrapped around the entirety of the massive property. The only method of entrance or exit was through a single set of of gate doors, flanked by a tower with armed guards stationed within, ones of similar design and guard located along the walls at set intervals of fifty feet apart.

If one was gifted the right to enter the sheltered off property, they would find what appeared to be a small, almost overflowing with a variety of gardens that surrounded pavilions based off classic Chinese architecture, and the roofs of each pained to match the color of the flowers that surrounded them, with no one type of flower being used in more than one garden. Some pavilions were even situated near man-made ponds, waterfalls, and fountains for artistic appeal, a series of imported black sand paths connecting one pavilion to the next.

The only thing that seemed to rival the beauty and majesty of the gardens was the mansion located at the direct center of the property. While there were other buildings along the property, also designed with Chinese architecture in mind, they only seemed to function as servants quarters and essential checkpoints to the main building. A layered building that seemed to be as tall as it was wide, so much so that the gold tile roof that sat atop the deep red walls might glimmer in the morning light so that even those from outside the property may catch the shimmering. Its towering heights and clear imperial architecture seemed to demand respect and awe from even the most skeptical guests that would enter.

Within the regal mansion, a small group of men were gathered just beyond the entrance to the domicile. While one would usually be captivated by the red pillars that rose up to the top of the ceiling, supporting great weight of the building, or the regal, gold embroidered drapes that hung from said pillars, the attention of the men was solely on each other.

One man seemed to be the center of attention, and clearly not in a good way as he was left kneeling before another man, his hands clasped together in a pleading stance as he looked up hopefully. This man however was not just a man, but a male dark elf, with skin as dark as the species' name suggested and pale, shoulder length hair tucked behind his pointed ears, but unlike Pai Lao in his own restaurant, everyone in the room (or rather unnecessarily large entrance hall) knew it.

"Xu F-Fu, there is a perfectly r-reasonable explanation for this" the dark elf begged, his groveling earning a look of disgust from the other Shadowkind, a varied bunch from lycanthropes to yokai.

The only human of the bunch gave the dark elf a look of indifference, a black gloved hand rising up to stroke the well groomed beard-and-mustache combo that reached down to the base of the man's neck. The man, who appeared to be a balding Chinese man in his late thirties, turned his back to the pleading Shadow behind him, the silken black hair at the sides and back of his head whipping around. "I'm sure you do Kren. I do not hire men that cannot complete a job without good reason. So please, do explain why I am not currently in the possession of a fine pair of Rui Shi" the man demanded.

Rui Shi, also known as Chinese Guardian Lions, were the common enough sculptures set in front of imperial and government temples, palaces, and other such buildings during the Han Dynasty, and similarly viewed as the Komainu in Japan. What was unknown to the majority of the world was that Rui Shi, at least a small handful, were living creatures composed of bronze or stone for the most part. Loyal to whoever was their designated master, they would maul to death anyone who so dared to try and harm their master. The reason so many statues modeled off of them had been made was to trick would-be assassins who would be too fearful to do any harm if they had reason to suspect the statues were the real thing. To own them was to both be in the possession of a fiercely loyal and strong guard and have a symbol of power in hand.

Knowing that he dropped the ball by not providing these rare and valuable creatures to his boss, the dark elf placed his palms on the ground, followed by his head between them. "W-we were tricked! The Yaoguai Syndicate never had a pair of Rui Shi! It was a set up to obtain the money you were p-planning to pay. We were able to get out, with the money, after a gunfight! You d-didn't lose anything, I swear!" the sniveling subordinate explained, lifting his head at the end to see the expression on Xu Fu's face, still featureless as he dropped his hand from his beard, hiding it within the pockets of his pants. The clearly culturally rooted man was oddly enough wearing a black business suit, like the rest of the men there, which at least indicated the seriousness he took his business.

Casting a glance over his shoulder to view the look on the faces of some of his men, Xu Fu gave a nod. "I will take your word for it then, Kren"

"Th-thank you boss! Thank you so very much!" Kren nearly shouted with gratitude as a grin spread across his face at those words, scrambling to get to his feet, only so he may bow with fervor to his boss.

"However..."

Kren froze, one knee still against the ground, his other leg firmly planted with a hand against that knee to support him as he was rising up, his eyes now locked on Xu Fu's back as he spoke.

"You said you got away with the money during a gunfight? That means to say that you did not kill the Yaoguai Syndicate members that tricked you?" Xu Fu inquired, the expression on his face unseen to Kren, but he knew it was likely featureless, cold and calculating, determining what mistakes Kren had made and what insults he had laid upon Xu Fu for failing him.

Apparently, whatever Xu Fu had planned was already known to at least two members of the collection of men, likely to all of them, but those closest to Kren suddenly stepped up to his sides, grabbing his arms and pulling him to his feet, keeping him restrained. As the dark elf struggled, eyes darting between those he considered his allies, but now looked at him with disappointment for his failure, they stopped on Xu Fu once more, now facing Kren. More specifically, they were drawn to one of Xu Fu's hands, the black glove now removed, and in it a orb of fire that was held between his fingers, indicating Xu Fu was more than just an Aware human.

The flames sense Kren into a frenzy, struggling with all his might to get free, but unable to break free from the clearly stronger men holding him in position, one of them even grabbing the back of his head and holding it in place as Xu Fu took a step forward, arm extended and the orb of fire drawing closer to Kren's face.

"Leaving those men alive implies there are no repercussions for insulting me with the belief that people can try and double cross me. Now, I plan on punishing those Yaoguai men later, but you... you need to learn your lesson now" the flame wielding man stated as he pressed his hand further forward, the heat from the sphere washing over his face by now. Knowing there was no escape, Kren shut his eyes and prayed that it would be over with soon...

Then, something happened. Whether it was some divine being answering Kren's prayer or coincidence that the forces of nature would act at the moment, the dark elf did not know, but he was not picky.

A tremor shook the land, causing all the men to fumble in their stance, some even falling against one of the pillars. Those holding Kren in place had their grip weakened and let him go, instead serving to keep themselves up, while Xu Fu himself braced himself, the flame in his hand going out and sparing Kren the misfortune of a scorch mark across his elven face.

It lasted only ten seconds, but it left some of the men cursing, adjusting their suits as they had gotten ruffled in event. There was a miniscule smile on Kren's face, pleased that he was let free from the hold. If he turned tail now and ran for it, he might be able to get out. Given he'd have to get out of China as soon as possible, or Xu Fu's men would hunt him down and rip the flesh from the bone if they caught him. If he stood and took his punishment, he might at least get off with that.

During Kren's mental scramble to figure out what he could do and the others' work to make themselves presentable again that none of them realized the look on Xu Fu's face. No longer indifferent to what was going around him, his eyes were wide in astonishment, an incredulous look upon his face. His hand went to Kren again, but this time only pushing the younger man out of the way as he made his way for the door to the mansion.

The other men had taken notice to this and followed their boss with their eyes, some even taking a step closer to him as one called out. "Hey boss, where are you going?"

Xu Fu's response was swift and almost silent, not even directed at the subordinate who had addressed him, but spoken more as a general statement for his own affirmation. "He has returned."

-o-o-o-o-o-

Back with the Shadowchaser who had been getting into it with Pai Lao, she was currently on her D-Wheel, with a design similar to a navy blue Honda ST1300 but noticeably with a Duel Disk fitted over the handlebars, driving along Erhuan Road. Thankfully for Pai Lao, Kung and Pao had been able to pry the angry Shadowchaser off of his nose before any lasting damage happened. They quickly dragged her out of the restaurant and locked the door behind them before she could get back in. And to her luck, Pao was able to yell over her shouting that they wouldn't press charges since Pai Lao was sort of asking for it.

After she left, she had hit Erhuan Road, looking for somewhere else she could kill time before her patrol was over. She'd have gone straight home if she could, but the rest of the team would harp on her about doing her job and not lazing around. So what if she likes to lounge around their home instead of going out on patrol? So what if she liked to spend her shifts lounging around restaurants and stores? So what if she missed that one alert about the Bashe, a giant elephant eating snake, that was imported and accidentally let free because she was at a matinee? That last one was not intentional and simply because she has good movie etiquette by turning her phone off.

As she had been traversing Erhuan Road, the same tremor that had interrupted one dark elf from getting a face full of fire had hit the rest of Xi'an. While earthquakes were a common enough event due to Xi'an's location in China's seismic zone, there was still a level of danger to those driving, Candice in particular because the D-Wheel's balance was easily thrown off, as most two wheeled vehicles were. It was only by slamming on the breaks and steering off to the side of the road. With luck and fact that there was only so much traffic at night, she was able to get herself situated safely until the tremor passed, and then stayed a few extra minutes to curse her luck that night.

"Candice, are you there? Please respond if you are"

The blonde Shadowchaser was taken by surprise from the sudden words directed at her, looking around for a moment before realizing it was a radio transmission from one of her team members. It was a bit of a surprise, because the rest of the team likely should have been asleep, so there must have been an emergency, like the earthquake just now... that, or Pao lied and she was in trouble over what she did to Pai Lao. Pressing down on a white button at the base of the handlebar to open the radio channel from her end.

"Yeah, I'm here. What's up Ashleigh?" Candice responded with an exasperated sigh.

"Oh! Good, you're actually here this time" Ashleigh said with a surprised squeak, earning a look from Candice that she wouldn't see. Apparently it wasn't actually expected of her to pick up... maybe she shouldn't have. "Anyways, I was checking in with you to see if everything was alright. We just got hit with a tremor and I wanted to make sure you were okay"

Rolling her eyes, Candice replied "I'm fine. It was just a tremor after all, we've all lived through them... was it just you that wanted to check in on me?"

"Of course not... I mean, the others didn't really ask about you, but that's because Riboku is checking to see if we're needed anywhere after that tremor and Akagi is out on personal business at the moment. I'm sure they both care about your well being as well" the Shadowchaser on the other end assured Candice.

"Riiiiiight" Candice dragged out, seeing through the thinly veiled lie made to spare her feelings.

"A-anyways" Ashleigh continued, clearly wanting to keep Candice's mind of the apparent lack of interest her teammates had for her safety. "It would seem that during the tremor, a kappa was at some restaurant and in all the commotion, he said he saw what looked to be viper wine in the kitchen. I did some checking and that restaurant doesn't have a permit for it. Now, he may have been mistaken, but can you go check it out?"

Groaning, Candice dropped her head against the front of her D-Wheel, her helmet thankfully protecting her head. "But I don't wanna! Can't Riboku do it? He's the boyscout of the group, I'm sure he gets off on this stuff."

There was a slight awkward pause as Ashleigh likely tried to shake off what Candice said before giving her response "I guess I can if you really need me to, but Akagi's been pushing for you to do more work and for Riboku to be doing less. It's a shame, Pai Lao's Soup and Noodles has some of the best yangrou paomo in city, so if it was a bust I'd have figured you could enj-"

"Hold up, hold up, hold up" Candice interrupted, her interest suddenly piqued. "Did you say... Pai Lao's?"

Another curious silence followed, much shorter as Ashleigh overcame her apparent wonder as to why Candice was suddenly interested. "Y-yeah, it's owned and run by a goblin who makes some good foo-"

Candice cut the transmission off, a dark grin spread on her face as she revved up her D-Wheel. "Pai Lao... your green ass is grass"

-o-o-o-o-o-

The drive back to the restaurant was swift one, with Candice moving with intent instead of a lazy pace that she usually moved at. She was barely even parked outside the restaurant before she jumped off her D-Wheel, practically prying her Duel Disk from the vehicle as she started making her way in.

Doors slamming apart as she entered, she tucked her helmet under her left arm as she put on a cocky grin, declaring "I'm baaaaaack."

The sudden and loud arrival of Candice had surprised... nobody. That was to say, there was nobody immediately present in the front of the restaurant. Something she have deduced from the lack of lighting and clear presence of a "Sorry, we're closed" sign on the front doors. But in her defense, the tremor could have knocked out some power, and she didn't actually speak or read Chinese, be it Cantonese or Mandarin, but was heavily reliant on a universal translator.

"Tsk, he better not have already made a run for it" Candice grumbled with a click of her tongue. Making her way to the back where the restaurant was, her eyes scanned over the empty establishment. Something about its almost perfect emptiness was... off. While it had taken a little while for her to get here, she arrived in record time none the less. If the kappa called in about something he saw after the tremor hit, there wouldn't be enough time for the place to clear out and for the staff to leave after cleaning up.

Approaching the door leading into the kitchen, Candice's hand gripped the door knob and turned it, but kept the door shut. For a full minute, she just stood in the darkness of Pai Lao's, eyes closing to further immerse herself in the presence of the shadows. And then... a small grin formed on her mouth.

Spinning on her heel, she chucked her helmet back towards the entrance of the building, shadowy figure now at the door, and hitting the unknown individual square in the head, causing a grunt of pain, the figure stumbling to their knees. Whoever they were had little time to try and recover from the blow, as Candice darted across the room, when she was within mere feet of the individual's presence, she transitioned into a flying drop kick. A blow that would have dealt some good damage, had the individual she was attacking not crossed their arms before themselves, letting Candice's boot bounce of their apparently strong body, leading her to perform a backward flip before landing in a crouch.

Rising slowly to her feet, her eyes still on her target, Candice addressed them "Well, you've got a pretty strong body there. I may not be the strongest woman around, but blocking a kick like that after a blow to the head is fairly impressive. Then again, if you couldn't take that much, you wouldn't be very good at your job... would you, Pao?"

An irritated growl was the immediate response as the individual opposing Candice rose, their hand going to the wall to flip a light switch, revealing it was indeed the oni guard from earlier, Pao. "My name's not Pao, it's Hitsuji. Pao's just what Pai Lao calls me on duty, same thing with Renten, or 'Kung' as you know him" the oni spat as he rubbed his head, presumably from the helmet blow he received earlier.

"Huh, I was wondering about that" Candice muttered as she scratched her chin in thought.

Snorting, Hitsuji narrowed his eyes at the Shadowchaser and growled out "How did you know it was me? We met, like, twenty minutes ago."

Shooting him a grin, Candice dropped her hands to her hips as she stared Hitsuji down. "It was simple really. When my teammate Ashleigh sent me a call that someone spotted viper wine in here, I wanted so badly to believe that the reason your boss was so pissy with me was to make me leave, but that wasn't it. Rather, if Pai Lao was actually carrying viper wine, he'd have had as little interaction with me as possible to avoid getting me to say or do anything"

"That short tempered goblin was going to blow a fuse and make a mess of things.. well, more of one" Hitsuji grunted.

"Indeed" Candice snickered, her eyes narrowing slyly at the oni. "That's why you insisted you'd make sure charges wouldn't be pressed. You didn't want to give any Shadowchasers a reason to return here, because than an investigation might be opened and they'd discover the viper wine you've been hiding in the back. But when the tremor hit earlier, it slipped out of its hiding spot and not only the kappa, but Pai Lao discovered it, didn't he? Considering how quickly you're trying to get out of here, I'd say you didn't kill him, just knocked him out and tied him up, otherwise you'd take your time to clean up, so he's likely in the kitchen. When I showed up, you stayed hidden in the shadows, waiting for me to leave the room before making your escape."

Hitsuji's scowl grew as Candice's description of the events that transpired hit the nail on the head. His brow furrowed as he spoke with venom "I thought you were a short fuse Shadowchaser, how did you figure all this out?"

Despite the insult, Candice actually let out a short laugh, her response different than those she presented when faced with Pai Lao earlier. "It's true, I'm not the best Shadowchaser around. I like to skip patrols, ignore alerts, and push off my jobs onto my teammates."

The scowl on Hitsuji's face weakened as a sweat drop rolled down the side of his smooth head. "This girl was able to deduce what happened here?"

"However!" Candice suddenly shouted, making Hitsuji jump slightly, "I am still a member of the Shadowchasers, and even the laziest, no-good members of us are capable of at least this much, and anyone who believes otherwise deserves what they get! So come in quietly and I'll make sure you-"

"I invoke the Fair Fight Clause"

Candice actually fell against a table from the sudden interruption of Hitsuji's demands.

Jumping back to her feet, she clenched one of her hands into a fist while pointing at the oni with the other "You stupid Shadow bastard! I was almost finished a dramatic line and you cut me off like a total prick!"

"Look lady, I've been stuck at this dead end job with a stupid half-pint calling me Pao, trying to make some real money by moving viper wine, only to have to give all of it up now that you Shadowchasers know the truth. So I either want to use my right to the Fair Fight Clause to win a Duel and go free or at least get arrested already" Hitsuji replied flatly, clearly done with any further physical or verbal confrontation. This point was accented by the addition of a pocket Duel Disk he placed on his arm, the panels unfolding as the machine came to life (HLP: 8000).

Her head hanging low for a moment, a sigh escaped Candice's mouth before she accepted how things were about to turn out (CLP: 8000). "Fiiiine, but I'm taking the first move"

"Whatever"

Candice mumbled something inaudible, and likely offensive, as she made her first draw. "I think I'll start my opening move rather simply. First, I'll set one monster face down, then I'll end by using Trade-In to discard a Level 8 monster to draw two cards" Candice said simply enough as a horizontally laid card appeared face down before her, all while sending a monster from her hand to the grave and replacing it with two more cards.

"That's it? You weren't even going to wait until you knew what you drew before you finished?" Hitsuji inquired, drawing his card regardless since he wasn't ready to lose this Duel to give someone a second chance.

Shrugging, Candice merely replied "I can wait one turn to see what you can do before trying anything else."

"That may be a mistake, because my monsters aren't pushovers. For example, let me introduce you to Goblin Attack Force" the red skinned yokai began as a small squad of goblins appeared, a bit larger than Pai Lao but otherwise very similar considering they were goblins, each wearing purple rags and a small amount of bronze armor, wielding spiked metal clubs as they chuckled at the woman before them (2300/0).

"I'm well versed Goblin Attack Force actually. Almost everyone should be at this point" Candice yawned, partly because she was indeed tired, but also to tick Hitsuji off.

Ignoring the clear sign of disrespect, Hitsuji continued "Perhaps, but maybe the appearance of a more advanced group of warriors would be more appealing. So I'll use my Double Summon to Normal Summon a second time this turn, and this time bring out the Goblin Elite Attack Force". Once more, a small squad of goblins appeared, looking like they could be the very first group that exist, but were instead outfitted in knight's armor with red capes, wielding regal swords instead of clubs (2200/1500).

"Now, I'll have my Goblin Elite Attack Force lead the charge and destroy your face down!" Hitsuji announced as each of the armor wearing goblins held their swords before them, giving a battle cry before charging forward. Each of the green skinned humanoids stabbed their swords into the face down card, which then shattered to reveal the swords were now impaling what looked to be a shriveled, semi-humanoid root-like creature with black thorns jutting out of its body at certain spots (1500/1000). That creature gave a wail from the numerous blades sticking into its body before also shattering into numerous pixels.

Despite the fact that Hitsuji had another attack and Candice was currently wide open, the Shadowchaser had a smile on her face and the oni knew why. "Lord Poison. When it's destroyed by battle, you get to summon any Plant-type monster in your graveyard, with the exception of Lord Poison itself. Not typically an opening move-"

"But with the monster I discarded for Trade-In, I not only have an eligible monster, but a powerful one" Candice finished for him as a series of roots began growing out of the ground before him. In the center of the cluster of roots, a single red flower emerged. Slowly, it grew larger and larger, becoming greater in size than any one being in the room, perhaps even any two. Then, the petals spread to reveal a woman, or at least the upper half of one, in the middle of the flowers, dressed in leaves and more petals, wearing jewelery composed of flower buds, and even her hair seemed to be a mixture of flowers and leaves (2800/2600). "Hitsuji, meet Tytannial, Princess of Camellias. I'm sure you've heard of her before" Candice gloated over her summoning of a much more powerful monster.

"I'm well aware... I think I'm just going to set two cards and end my turn, and since my battle phase is over, my Goblin Elite Attack Force switches to defense" Hitsuji grunted as two more cards appeared behind his squads of goblins, with the better armored ones now on one knee, swords held regally before them.

Candice took a card from the top of her deck as she began examining her hand. "I think... I'll start by summoning Revival Rose" Candice began, a human sized rose appearing before her, with the stem splitting off into three groups of petals, each with an eye in the center of them (1300/1300). "Then, I'll have Tytannial attack your Goblin Attack Force with Petal Storm!". Tytannial's arms spread out, as though she was looking to embrace her opponent, but instead released a fierce wind that was directed at the Goblin Elite Attack Force, carrying with it a number of surprisingly sharp petals that would surely slice them apart.

However, a sudden change in the laws of physics occurred, causing the petals to be redirected upwards and hitting the ceiling. Every monster on the field was lifted off the ground slowly, causing some confusion and disorientation among them. The alteration to the physics in the room stopped abruptly, causing all the monsters to drop back to the ground again, now in different positions so that some vines were wrapped around Tytannial, two of Revival Rose's flowers were crossed, and the Goblin Attack Force had taken to lying down instead of standing, while their elite comrades were now standing proud.

A chuckle drew Candice's attention to Hitsuji, now pointing to one of the previously face down cards on his side of the field. "Sorry Shadowchaser, but my Zero Gravity changed your Tytannial to defense before her attack could get through. And now my Elite Attack Force is free to attack a turn earlier" he explained before depositing the physical copy of the card in his graveyard.

"Please, if I didn't expect at least one copy of that card in a deck with two forms of Goblin Attack Force in it, I'd have to be a beginner" Candice said in a 'matter-of-fact' way, all while setting two more cards behind her monsters. "I'll end with two face downs and leave it at that."

Hitsuji's narrowed his eyes at Candice's apparent cockiness, but when he saw what he drew next, he couldn't help but grin. "I summon Goblin Black Ops to the field" Hitsuji declared with pride as another small squad of goblins arrived, this one appearing out of the shadows of their companions, dressed in all black outfits to look like ninjas and wielding a variety of bladed weapons (1300/0).

Blinking a few times, Candice whistled at the appearance of the new group. "You know, I thought you were just using strong monsters that require no tribute to summon, but you're really using a Goblin Force Deck? I've never seen someone really do that all too successfully" the blonde young woman analyzed.

"You just don't know how to use them properly. All it takes is a little patience... but for now, I'll change my Goblin Attack Force back to attack, then get some direct results with Goblin Black Ops' ability to attack you directly" Hitsuji countered as his ninja-like goblins disappeared into the shadows of their now standing comrades. Tytannial and Revival Rose looked around, trying to spot where the hidden creatures went, but unbeknownst to them, they were already climbing out of the plants' shadows and lunging for Candice, striking her mercilessly before sneaking back to Hitsuji (CLP: 6700).

Shaking off the blow as her monsters, or at least Tytannial, gave her a concerned look, Candice glared at Hitsuji. "First blood goes to you, but remember that your attacks can only go so far while I have a powerhouse like Tytannial on the field"

"I'll take care of your precious flower soon enough, but for now I'll have my Goblin Attack Force destroy your Revival Rose" Hitsuji retorted. His goblins, eager to destroy something, quickly ran over to the rose and began trampling it with their feet, fists, and clubs until the petals fell to the ground, the stem bent and broken before the poor flower finally shattered into pixels. "And with that, my turn is over, meaning both my Attack Force and Black Ops are going to take a rest" Hitsuji sighed, his goblins joining him as both attacking squads for the round relaxed, their way of taking a defensive position.

"I'm doubtful of that" Candice muttered as she drew. "I'll start off with Foolish Burial, sending Gigaplant from my deck to my graveyard"

"Gigaplant, like I didn't see one of those coming. Should I try to act surprised when you use Lonefire Blossom?" Hitsuji snorted as Candice placed her copy of Gigaplant in the graveyard.

"I don't plan on using one against you, but don't be surprised by how quickly I bring this Gigaplant to the field" the Shadowchaser retorted as one of her face down cards flipped up, revealing Call of the Haunted. An eerie purple mist formed over the ground next to Tytannial, allowing an enormous plant to grow out of the ground that grew up to the ceiling. With a thick trunk of a stem leading up to a mossy top that had roots growing down to the ground, a number of branches ending in mantis like arms, and semi-floral red head clearly inspired by carnivorous plants (2400/1200). "But to make him really useful, I'll Gemini Summon this big boy"

"Seems like a waste, since all you can summon is Lord Poison or Revival Rose with his effect, unless you have something special in your hand" the less than impressed oni pointed out.

"True" Candice agreed, snapping her fingers, leading Gigaplant removing one of its root-like protrusions from the ground, leaving a mossy patch. From the patch, roots began to grow up and take the form of Lord Poison (1500/1000). "However, with the weak defenses of your monsters, I can very easily use the weakest of these monsters to destroy your own. But to start, I'm going to have Tytannial return to attack and begin the assault by destroying your Elite Attack Force with Petal Storm"

Once more, Tytannial emitted a fierce wind that sent a number of sharpened petals towards one of the goblin squads. Unlike last time though, nothing worked to prevent the petals from reaching their target. Despite the knight armor each goblin wore, it appeared to be no match for the force propelling the petals through the air, each slicing through the armor as a knife through butter. Little gushes of blood spurting through the new holes in the armor seemed to be the only gore that came from the attack before the goblins shattered into pixels (HLP: 7600).

"Now I'll follow up by having Lord Poison destroy your Goblin Attack Force"

The humanoid root let out a wail different than the first one, this time more of a battle cry than the distinction it was in the last moments of life. Most of the goblins, who appeared to be napping at this point, cracked an eye at the plant, which quickly widened in panic. Just as Lord Poison was upon them... they all suddenly jumped to their feet, clubs in hand, and began pummeling the monster, leaving Candice's mouth agape.

Holding his gut as he laughed, Hitsuji wiped a tear from his eye. "Oh! Oh that's a priceless look! Haha. Aaaah, sorry to inform you, but my Gamushara changes my Goblin Attack Force battle position because you attacked it" the oni explained, directing Candice's attention to the previously face down card, showing a track runner running from a group of monsters, just as the goblins finished pummeling Lord Poison (CLP: 5900).

Then, the goblins directed their attention towards Candice, causing her to step back nervously. "Wh-why are they looking at me like that?" she asked, taking another step back as they started moving towards her.

"I forgot to mention that if my monster destroys the attacking one and sends it to the graveyard, you then take that attacking monster's original attack as damage" Hitsuji added, grinning as his goblins jumped Candice. What followed was basically a comical cartoon cloud of limbs as the goblins slapped Candice around with their clubs, before finally returning back to Hitsuji (CLP: 4400).

Pulling herself back to her feet, her hair a mess and dirt smudged on her face, Candice growled at Hitsuji and his goblins, making the monsters actually take a step back this time. "You forget, when Lord Poison's destroyed by battle, I get a Plant back" Candice snarled, Revival Rose doing just as it name suggested (1300/1300). "But now, Gigaplant!" the green-eyed lady snapped, causing her plant to jump somewhat, looking at her fearfully. "Teach those goblins what happens when you mess with me."

The enormous plant didn't need to be told twice, clearly not wanting to upset its master. Shifting across the ground without uprooting itself, it towered over the goblins, now cowering in their poorly made boots. With a swing of its menacing limbs, it sliced through the cowardly bunch with ease, leaving only pixels behind (HLP: 7500).

"Tch, you still took more damage from attacking me this turn than I did" Hitsuji growled.

"Aaaaaactually" Candice dragged out with glee, her other face down revealing itself, the image on it being that of a flower losing its petals, which then proceeded to blow up. "You're not the only one with a trap card that can deal damage to the opponent equal to the attack of the monster that was just destroyed by battle. Blossom Bombardment being only usable if I did so with a Plant-type monster"

Following Candice's explanation, the remaining pixels of Hitsuji's destroyed goblins seemed to take a new form as petals, but as they wafted toward the oni, one made contact with his body. This caused it to blow up, the flames triggering a chain of explosions as they hit the other petals, eventually sending Hitsuji rocketing into the wall behind him (HLP: 5200).

"My turn will end with Revival Rose eliminating your Black Ops" Candice stated smugly, arms crossed as Gigaplant returned to her side. The flower made its attack swift, encompassing the ninja-like goblins in a series of thorny vines, slowly squeezing the life out of squad while them, pricking at their skin, until eventually they shattered into pixels like the rest.

Hitsuji peeled himself from the wall, grunting from the impact his feet made with the floor. With his next draw, he knew his moves were fairly limited. With nothing left to defend him and only two cards in his hand, he was in serious trouble...

But what he just drew gave him an evil smirk. "I finally got my hands on it. Now I just need to get a few more goblins in hand and I'll be ready to flip this around on that smug Shadowchaser."

He set one of the cards, then activated the other, causing a dome of thick, steel bars to appear around Candice and her monsters, then waved his hand toward his foe to indicate it was now her turn.

"Gone silent, huh?" Candice chuckled, lifting a card from the top of her deck and adding it to her hand. "I'll start off by bringing Lord Poison back with Gigaplant's effect once more" Candice started, the giant carnivorous plant repeating the earlier process of producing an excess amount of moss on the ground, which then worked to form Lord Poison (1500/1000).

"Then, I'll Normal Summon my Botanical Lion" Candice continued, now growing out of the ground was true to its name, a lion, but one with a wood base for its body, roots for limbs and claws, and rose petals for a main instead of fur (1600/2000). "And here's the good part, my Botanical Lion gains 300 attack for every face-up Plant-type monster I control, and my field is full of them" Candice topped off, her lion roaring as its roots sank into the ground, its body growing in the presence of its fellow plants (1600/2000 + 1500/0).

"I'm going to end with one more set card. Hope you can get a good draw" Candice teased, another face down appearing between her and her monsters, the steel bars around her rusting over.

When Hitsuji saw what he got, he chuckled and set it, a face down monster appearing before him, as he chided "You best be careful what you wish for, it just might come true."

"Oh, someone's got some confidence now" Candice countered, drawing a card, just to gesture that her turn was over, the bars crumbling away.

"Allow me to show you why" the oni chuckled, not even looking at the card he drew as his face down monster flipped face-up. A simple stone jar, apparently empty. But as it fell over, a cycloptic eye with a pink hue and a mouth full of yellow teeth appeared. A shadow extended from the jar, swiping at Hitsuji and Candice's hands, sending them to the graveyard, and leaving them opening for five new cards they would each draw.

While Candice didn't seem at all perturbed by the loss of her hand, nor was she very ecstatic about what she drew afterwards. Hitsuji on the other hand, seemed absolutely delighted by his cards.

"Now is the beginning of your defeat, Shadowchaser. First, you'll be familiar with Foolish Burial, which I'll use to send Toon Goblin Attack Force from my deck to the grave" Hitsuji laughed, showing a copy of the card to Candice before sending it to the grave, earning a curiously raised brow at the choice. "Next, I'll activate Flute of Hammelin to select one monster that was sent to the graveyard this turn. Both of us now send all copies of that monster that's in our hands or decks to the graveyard"

"Well as you might have guessed, I don't have a single one" Candice noted.

"Oh, that's fine. I only wanted to take care of the ones in my deck" the red-skinned Shadow chuckled, producing two more from his deck, also depositing them into his graveyard. "And now that I finally have enough pieces in place, I activate my face down Soul Fusion!"

The card in question lifted up to reveal the classic image of two monsters being sucked into a swirling vortex with a large "S" at the center of it.

"With this card, I pay 1000 Life Points" Hitsuji explained, his Life Points taking a dip as he did so (HLP: 4200). "And with that, I can now fuse monsters in my graveyard by removing them from play! So I'll remove two Goblin Attack Forces, Goblin Elite Attack Force, Goblin Black Ops, and three Toon Goblin Attack Forces for this!"

Appearing before Hitsuji was each of the monsters, or rather groups of monsters, that he named. Slowly, each member of the of the individual squads were sucked into a vortex, disappearing until none were left. Then, with a bright flash, the vortex disappeared, and in its place was... all of the goblins that were sucked into it, with the small edition of a banner with 'Goblin' on it being waved, as well as the notice that almost half of the were cartoonish versions of the Goblin Attack Force (?/0).

"What... what just happened?" Candice asked, eying the number of goblins that were now filling the restaurant.

"I just formed the Goblin Coalition Army. By fusing Goblin monsters that include Force, Squad, or Ops in their name, this massive group was formed" Hitsuji explained, the goblins on his side giving a cheer.

"Army? There's a lot of them, I'll admit, but this is hardly an army" the skeptical Shadowchaser pointed out.

"Look, I didn't name the card and Army sounds more menacing than Platoon or whatever" Hitsuji countered flatly, his brow furrowed at Candice poking holes in the plausibility of the card.

Coughing into his hand, Hitsuji continued "Now, the Coalition Army only needs two monsters to be formed, but for every monster I used, it gains 500 attack points. That's a total of 3500 attack!". The army cheered once more, their spirits rising to the words of their controller, as well as their attack (3500/0).

"That's... that's not very good" Candice gulped, her own monsters concerned as Hitsuji finally summoned a monster that was stronger than Candice's strongest since the beginning of the Duel.

"For you, but for me it's a rather good. Now, before I carry on, I still have three more cards in my hand, and I plan on making use of them all. For example, Mini-Guts" Hitsuji near gleefully stated, his Morphing Jar becoming encompassed in an aura and shooting forward. "By tributing one monster of my monsters, I can lower the attack of one of your monsters to zero. Furthermore, if I destroy that monster in battle, you'll take its original attack in damage"

"I'm going to have to stop you there" Candice interrupted. Before Morphing Jar could reach any designated monster, it was suddenly encompassed in a series of vines, the source of which was quickly revealed to be Tytannial. "By tributing one face-up Plant-type monster I control, I can negate the activation of a card that targets one or more cards on the field and destroy it". Candice's tribute was made clear as Revival Rose shriveled away, with Tytannial squeezing the vines and crushing the Morphing Jar, the loss of one of the plants causing Botanical Lion to weaken (3100/2000 - 300/0).

Not disturbed in the least, Hitsuji sneered. "I knew you'd do that, everyone's heard of Tytannial's effect after all. I was just thinning the field and getting rid of the direct line to my Life Points that Morphing Jar had become. Now I just need to summon my second Goblin Elite Attack Force". Arriving on the field was another well armored squad of goblins, but among all their brothers, they sort of seemed lost in the crowd (2200/1500). "And now... Elite Attack Force, destroy her Lord Poison!"

For the second time that Duel, the elite squad of goblins crowed around the living root. It didn't even let out a wail this time as they jumped it, their swords piercing the plant's body with virtually no resistance. Candice could only grit her teeth as the pixels flew into her (CLP: 3700), with the only consolation being Revival Rose's return, albeit in defense position this time (1300/1300).

"And now, to make sure you don't keep summoning back your monsters over and over again, I'll have my Coalition Army destroy your Gigaplant! Rip it to shred with Coordinated Goblin Strike!" Hitsuji demanded of his monster, or rather, monsters.

Whatever this attack was, Candice didn't see much of it. The goblin army basically climbed over Gigaplant, making nothing more than a group of goblins displayed, before eventually returning back to Hitsuji, Gigaplant no longer there (CLP: 2600) and Botanical Lion a little bit weaker (2800/2000 - 300/0).

"And now, I'll end my turn with a single set card, which sends my monsters to defense. Enjoy your last turn" Hitsuji gloated as every goblin on the field began to laze about, except for those of Elite Attack Force origin.

Drawing her card, Candice eyed Hitsuji, then his monsters. "Seems your Coalition Army carries the same flaw your other goblins have."

"Only slightly. I can change him back to attack at the beginning of my next turn and not at the End Phase like my others. Furthermore, I can make another Goblin monster the target of any attack directed at him. After all, a small unit is worth only so much compared to an entire army" the confident oni corrected.

The explanation of the monster's additional effects. Shifting between it and Elite Attack Force, she hummed. And then... she chuckled. A chuckle that escalated into a full out laugh.

Hitsuji, clearly confused by the sudden laughter, inquired "Hey Shadowchaser, did you finally lose it?"

Trying to stifle her laughter, Candice held her sides, taking deep breaths. "Oh! Oh! S-sorry about that. I just realized how hilarious this is"

"How hilarious what is?" Hitsuji pressed further, wondering what was so funny to her.

"This Duel" she stated simply. The blunt way she said it earned a growl from Hitsuji, only to be stopped when she held a hand up. "Sorry, I didn't mean it THAT badly, but it's true. This Duel is over. It should have been over during your turn really, but I made a mistake. I underestimated your Coalition Army, and because of that, I goofed."

"You goofed?"

"Yup, I goofed, plain and simple" Candice admitted, rubbing the back of her head in what Hitsuji assumed was embarrassment, even though he didn't know why. "However, I can end it here and now. You see, I can tell that your face down back there is important. You mentioned the whole switching battle positions thing and using other goblins to save your Coalition Army, but that's nothing really. Just an effect that would have been useful in another Duel. In reality, that face down is what is going to be useful. And considering what monsters you're using, I'm going to guess it's Final Attack Orders."

A visible wince from Hitsuji spoke more than any words Candice was looking for, causing the grin on her face to grow wider.

"I'm right, aren't I? You wanted me to focus on getting rid of Elite Attack Force first, using Botanical Lion to get rid of it. Then, with a zero defense monster all that was left, I could easily destroy it with Revival Rose. But then you'd activate Final Attack Orders, switching your Coalition Army to attack and dealing me 2200 damage. Then even if I switched Tytannial to defense, Botanical Lion would be wide open for you to finish me off through during your next turn" Candice broke down the schematic of Hitsuji's plan piece-by-piece.

"S-so what? Even if you know that and switch all your monsters to defense or just destroy Goblin Elite Attack Force, I'll end up using Final Attack Orders to change my monsters to attack and carry on then. It might take an extra turn, but I'll end up winning" Hitsuji argued for the security of his strategy.

Shaking her head, Candice tapped a finger against her Duel Disk, over the slot that her face down card was, resuming her speech. "Do you think I'd have gone through the effort of explaining your strategy if I didn't take that into consideration? As I said, this Duel could have ended last turn. I simply waited to see what your Fusion Monster was, and by the time I realized it was a threat, it was too late to activate my face down. But now your strategy relies on Final Attack Orders, and I can stop it. Besides, you gave me a full hand of new cards to work with, did you really think none of them would be useful at all?"

Taking a breath, Candice straightened herself out, the look on her face becoming serious as she glared at Hitsuji. "But talk is talk, let me show you how I back it up. And it'll start with Miracle Fertilizer, which will let me Special Summon a Plant-type monster from my graveyard, so long as I don't Normal Summon or set the turn I used this card's effect, so lets welcome back Gigaplant."

Appearing behind the rest of the Plant monsters was a large canister, painted yellow with a hollow green circle, the inside of that circle being red, and within that the green silhouette of some spiky looking monster. On top of the canister was some mechanical device that had three nozzles. A mist began spraying from the nozzles, making a now virtual patch of dirt inside the restaurant quite loamy. Growing from this patch of dirt was the ever familiar carnivorous plant, Gigaplant (2400/1200). And with his return, Botanical Lion regained some of his strength (2500/2000 + 300/0).

"Well if you can't Normal Summon this turn, that means you can't Gemini Summon your Gigaplant, even if you did Special Summon him" Hitsuji interjected.

Scoffing, Candice retorted "I don't need to Gemini Summon him. Everything I need is now on the field. So first I'll change my Revival Rose to attack, then I'll have my Gigaplant do the honors of taking care of your Goblin Elite Attack Force."

Hitsuji's finger hovered over the button to activate his Final Attack Orders, but decided against it, even as Gigaplant descended upon his goblins. Watching them struggle to hold the monstrous plant off, Hitsuji knew they'd lose whether they were in attack or not. And indeed they did, for while they fought valiantly, swords pressed against the mantis-like branches of Gigaplant, they ultimately broke, allowing the limbs to sink into their bodies, even through the metal, causing them to shatter into pixels.

"And now that your back up is gone, I'm going to have Revival Rose attack your Coalition Army!" Candice commanded, the enormous rose responding by sending a series of thorny roots growing across the field, aiming to attack the lazy mass of goblins, even those that had once been an Elite Attack Force, who had apparently been influenced by their comrades to slacking off.

"You explained what would happen here, yet you still play into my hand!? You're not some smart Shadowchaser, you're just an arrogant American girl!" Hitsuji barked, his face down flipping up to reveal Final Attack Orders as everyone had been well aware of by now.

"You've been hanging around Pai Lao for too long! You've let your opinion of people based on where they live dictate your actions!" Candice snapped back, her own face down flipping up to reveal the infamous Goblin of Greed (ironically enough) sneezing furiously into a surgical mask because of pollen. "My Pollinosis allows me to tribute one Plant-type monster to negate the summon of a monster or the activation of a spell or trap card effect! So by giving up my Gigaplant, and my Miracle Fertilizer with it, I'll negate your Final Attack Orders!"

Gigaplant's body seemed to expand, like a balloon being inflated, until like any balloon being filled too much, it popped, its disappearance costing Botanical Lion some of its attack (2800/2000 - 300/0). In its place was a cloud of pollen that was expelled towards hologram of Final Attack Orders, blocking out the card art and text, causing it to shatter. As Hitsuji stood there, mouth agape at the destruction of his strategy, Revival Rose's roots had made it over to the Coalition Army. Too lazy to fight until it was too late, as well as ignorant of their surroundings to do anything as the plant had to go at them one-by-one, the entire army was eliminated over the course of a minute, massacred by a single rose monster.

"You... you weren't bluffing..." Hitsuji muttered absentmindedly.

"Why would I be? I'm the one going on the offensive after all" Candice stressed, shaking her head at the oni's disbelief. "As I said, I goofed. I should have used that last turn when you used Soul Fusion or when your Coalition Army was summoned. A mixture of curiosity and arrogance kept me from doing so when I saw a lack of attack points for your monster initially, I'll admit that, and I'll keep that in mind. But now... now it's just you, me, and two bad ass plants. So, lets not waste any further time."

The final two monsters attacked in unison. Tytannial used her Petal Storm attack again, expelling a plethora of sharp petals at Hitsuji that were being carried on a fierce wind. However, with Botanical Lion joining in, it charged forward, leaping in the center of the petals, avoiding any of Tytannial's petals and even getting accelerated by the force of the wind. The oni closed his eyes to brace himself, but it did little good as the lion and petals hit him full force, propelling him back into the wall (HLP: 0).

As Hitsuji's exhausted form slid down the wall, groaning from the impact and his undeniable loss, Candice walked over to him in stride, the holograms disappearing as she passed by them. Holding up a large, glowing gem, Candice crouched by Hitsuji, lightly slapping her hand against his cheek to gain his attention.

"Hey buddy, want some advice? Keep your mouth shut when you get to prison. That xenophobic attitude is the reason why nobody likes Ophidia, so spouting shit about people who aren't from China or Japan or whatever being stupid isn't going to hold up so well when you're in the clink". No time for a response was given as the gem's light intensified into a bright flash, blinding anyone who would have been watching. When the light was gone, so was Hitsuji.

Rising up again, Candice made a small whining sort of noise as she stretched out. Planting her hands on her hips afterwards, she smiled and nodded to herself. "A job well done for Xi'an's number one slacker, if I do say so myself. But now, I think I can finally head home."

Confirming to herself she had done what she needed to, Candice strolled on out of the restaurant, ready to saddle up on her D-Wheel and head home. It seemed to slip her mind that, as she had deduced earlier, Pai Lao was tied up in the kitchen, still waiting for someone to set him free.

-o-o-o-o-o-

While Candice was dealing with Hitsuji, Xu Fu had been traveling to the famous Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor. At this time of night, access to the necropolis in any form wouldn't be permitted, in an attempt to prevent any vandalism that might occur in the dead of night, even with what limited amount was permitted to the general populace from excavation. Security had been stationed to further enforce this safeguarding of a national treasure. Xu Fu had visited the Mausoleum many times though, and knew his way in and out without anyone so much as catching a glimpse of him.

As he strode through, the architecture astounded him as always. It was like walking through time and entering a smaller version of Xianyang, the capital of China during the Qin Dynasty's reign. Divided into inner and outer cities, the extent to which this was displayed was provided by the population of terracotta statues. For in the outer city, Xu Fu passed by pits containing statues of entertainers and strongmen, and in other locations of the necropolis' outer city was even a park complete with bronze ducks and swans to further imitate the former capital of China. Within the inner city, Xu Fu found bronze chariots and horses, terracotta courtiers and bureaucrats, and a number of artifacts that would only be intrusted to those of nobility, further signifying the importance of those who would be allowed within the inner city.

While it was always a marvel to behold the detail put into each sculpture, the very craftsmanship of the architecture to simulate the center of an empire, Xu Fu's attention at this time was not on the World Heritage Site itself. His focus was directed for the dead center of the complex. The emperor's tomb mound.

Like much of the Mausoleum, the tomb itself had not yet been excavated. There were many assumptions on what was inside, including supposed knowledge passed down from the time of the tomb's creation, most speculated to be mere legend. Replicas of palaces and scenic towers held within decorate the tomb, along with rare and wonderful objects to show the majesty of the emperor. Were it not enough, it was stated that celestial bodies were represented in some form within, along with rivers of liquid mercury to represent China's many rivers. And to guard all this, crossbows had apparently been rigged to kill any intruders. While many assumed to be myth, probes sent in by archeologists confirmed that there was an amount of mercury within the tomb that was far from natural, giving some truth to these rumors.

But the only true thing known to exist within that tomb was the emperor himself. Dead in a bronze coffin where he lay for over two thousand years now. And even knowing this, Xu Fu was heading straight for the tomb mound. Despite being covered in dirt and vegetation to look like a natural formed hill, its location was clear to all because of its dead center position inside the necropolis.

Standing at the foot of the mound, Xu Fu's eyes looked it over. It was saddening to him that the grave for the man who united China would become a spectacle for all to see.

With a sigh, Xu Fu knelt before the mound, retrieving a blank talisman from one pocket and a small case from the other. Opening the case, he took out a calligraphy brush and a small bottle of ink. Dipping the brush in the ink, Xu Fu proceeded to write a series of Chinese characters on it. Most noticeably was the one that signified water at the top of the talisman and the one signifying earth at the bottom.

Finished with the talisman, Xu Fu pocketed the writing utensils as he rose to his feet once more. Tossing it forward, the talisman darted against the ground, drawn to it by an unnatural force. The characters written on the talisman took on an unnatural glow, causing the paper of the talisman to disappear, leaving only the characters embedded in the earth. From the characters, a vortex of swirling water appeared out of thin air, looking similar to spiraling drill made out of water, digging into the earth, moving it out of the way.

When the water stopped, disappearing all together, there was a clear path in, ending at a set of stone doors. Xu Fu smiled, taking a single step forward as he intended to reach the door, he froze when something unexpected happened. The doors opened on their own. The stone structures moved aside, revealing a sight to behold.

Standing there was a young man, who looked no more than twenty years old. Straight black hair flowed from his head, reaching his mid-back, and shifted like an glistening ebony waterfall that cascaded down his back when he moved. Strong, grey eyes, which seemed unnatural on his clearly Chinese face due to their coloration, and perhaps even more unnatural in the way they shone, more metallic than hazel, were cast upon Xu Fu. Despite the fact his body was bare of any clothing, it was Xu Fu who seemed ashamed, quickly bowing his head, knees not dropping to the ground fast enough.

"My Emperor, it is I, your most humble of servants, Xu Fu" the man quickly stammered out, his eyes trained to the younger male's feet.

The young man looked at him quizzically, pacing forward until he was directly before Xu Fu. The weight of the young man's hand made itself known on Xu Fu's shoulder, carrying more to it than one would expect and actually forcing Xu Fu to brace his legs for balance.

"Xu... Fu..." the man spoke, as if discovering the words for the first time. Hearing his name, the prostrating man looked up at the one he declared his emperor, finding it difficult to look upon his face, but at the same time finding it impossible to look away. "You look... younger, Xu Fu. And your dialect has changed, as well as your choice in clothing. I suppose... a lot has changed in 1,000 years" the young man stated, a sliver of a smile gracing his face.

To Xu Fu, it was as though the heavens were making the stars shine only for him though, the sensation bringing tears to his eyes as a wide grin broke out on his face. Knowing he must maintain his composure though, Xu Fu wiped his sleeve over his eyes, choking back a few cries of joy before he addressed the young man.

"My Emperor... it has not been 1,000 years... but over 2,000 since we have last met"

The sliver of a smile turned into a frowned, but that too quickly disappeared as the young man's eyes rose from Xu Fu, moving around him to walk into the open night air. Embracing the cool sensation and lavishing in the freshness, a broad grin now taking place on his face.

Turning back to Xu Fu, he lifted a hand that invited Xu Fu to take it, stating "Then rise Xu Fu, you have much to share with me. I must learn about this new world before it learns of me."

Fighting back tears still, Xu Fu followed the order and took his emperor's hand in the process, leading him away from the burial tomb, the stone doors closing and the earth taking its place once more as they did so.

This man, bare as the day he was born, was known as Qin Shi Huang, the First Emperor of China. And while the world thought him dead, it could not be any more so wrong. He was more alive than ever before, and in the days to come, the world would feel the impact of his return.

-o-o-o-o-o-

Flute of Hammelin / Normal Spell: Select 1 monster in your Graveyard that was sent to the Graveyard this turn. Both players must send all cards from their hands and Decks with the same name as it to the Graveyard.

Image: A caped, anthropomorphic rat wearing a top hat walking through the forest on a moonlit night, playing a flute as a peculiar pink mist shimmers behind him.

(This card was used by Princess Rose in episode 74 of Yu-Gi-Oh! GX. Creative credit for this card belongs to the writers of that episode)

Soul Fusion / Normal Trap: Pay1000 Life Points. Remove from play, from your Graveyard, Fusion Material Monsters that are listed on a Fusion Monster Card, and Special Summon that Fusion Monster from your Fusion Deck (This Special Summon is treated as a Fusion Summon).

Image: Two monsters being sucked into a swirling vortex with a large "S" at the center of it.

(This card was used by Yuki Judai in chapter 5 of the Yu-Gi-Oh! GX manga. Creative credit for this card belongs to the author)

Goblin Coalition Army / EARTH / Level 8 / ? ATK / 0 DEF / Warrior / Fusion / Effect: 2 or more "Goblin" monsters that have "Force", "Squad", or "Ops" in their name. For each Fusion Material Monster used to Fusion Summon this card, this card gains 500 ATK. If this card attacks, it is changed to Defense Position at the end of the Battle Phase. If this card is selected as an attack target, you can redirect the attack to another "Goblin" monster with "Force", "Squad", or "Ops" that you control.

Image: A mass amount of goblins with a variety of armor and weapons marching forward, a banner with 'Goblin' on it being waved at the center of the group.

-o-o-o-o-o-

While the ancient emperor Qin Shi Huang makes his return to a world that thinks him dead, there are those whose stories are just now beginning. Candice was just one of those individuals, as are the rest of her team.

Next time, discover more about them as they present themselves, with one doing their job by baring the burden of a world only so many can see. And considering they tend to stay in a world of their own, it's not an easy job to say the least.

Watch and learn in Turn 02: Scrap Recycler