Hey guys, here's chapter 9 of Duel House. This chapter will center around someone that can see duel spirits just like Lincoln. Who is this person, you ask? Let's start the chapter and find out.


It was a beautiful day at the Royal Woods Mall, and one Leni Loud was busy shopping. "Ah, another successful day of shopping, I bought some amazing new clothes and accessories!" She then checked her watch, "Uh Oh! I better hurry up and get to the bus stop I don't want to be late!"

The blonde beauty made a run for it when, out off the corner of her eye, she spotted a certain store, the card shop. She looked at with some interest, but soon stopped in her tracks.

"Yeah right, like I could ever be a duelist like Linky and the others…" she thinks. "Besides, he always says the deck has to match the duelist, and what kind of deck would fit me?"

Leni then began to leave once more. Unbeknownst to her, a pair of bright red eyes were watching her, as if they were taking interest in the second oldest Loud child. Exiting the mall, Leni made her way to the bus stop. However, she was stopped upon hearing a light meow. Curious, she searched for the source of noise. There was another meow. Looking down, she saw a dark brown kitten with brown eyes.

"Aww, so cute!" Leni gushed as she picked the kitten up. "Hi, I'm Leni, what's your name?" she asked before noticing a collar around the kitten's neck with the nametag reading: RC. "RC.? Is that your name?" the girl asked, the kitten replying with an affirming meow. "Well, if you have a collar then you must have an owner. Maybe your collar can help me out…" Leni turned the tag over, reading the inscription on the back.

"If found, please return to the RD temple"

"RD temple?" Leni questioned. "I've never heard of it" Her answer came when RC meowed and pointed in another direction. Looking in said direction, she saw a bleak, dark building in the distance. "Huh, never noticed that building before. Is that your home, RC?" she asked, the kitten replying with another meow of affirmation. "Alright" Leni then looked at the schedule on the side of the bus stop. "Hmm. Another bus should be coming after the one I'm catching. If I hurry, I should be able to reunite you with your owners with enough time to catch either bus. Just let me text my family to let them know I'll be a little late"

The blonde teen pulled out her phone and sent the message to her family about her running a little late. Once that was done, Leni head in the direction of the building. Unknown to her, the kitten's eyes began to glow bright red. "Could she be the one?" the kitten asked in her head before following the second oldest Loud sibling.


The Temple…

"Hello? Anbody home? I've brought your cat" Leni said as she entered the building.

This place was kind of spooky. Sure, the outside was creepy, but the inside was even more so. This kind of place seemed more to Lucy's liking than anything else.

"Where could your owners be, R.C?" Leni asked the kitten that was walking beside her. R.C sniffed the air and began leading the way. As Leni was following R.C in the temple she couldn't help but feel a strange and dark presence that would make Lucy feel right at home. When she heard a strange trumpeting sound and saw RC scratching at a cell door, "Is something wrong R.C?" She asks the kitten, RC points frantically at a set of keys near the door. "Is something in there that you want free?" To which R.C meows affirmatively.

Leni then took the key ring and noticed 6 keys, each one with a unique appearance, one with an elephant head and an orange gem, one with a tiger head and a yellow gem, one with a turtle head and a green gem, one with an eagle head and a blue gem, one with a horse's head and an indigo gem, and one with a cat's head with a violet gem.

"What an odd set of keys." Leni said, "Hey this one with an elephant head matches the design on this door!" sure enough there is a similar carving on the cell door. Leni used the elephant head key to unlock the door and when it opens, much to Leni's surprise, out comes an orange elephant. "Woah, I've never seen an actual elephant before, let alone an orange one." She then notices R.C rubbing up against the strange pachyderm's leg, purring. "Is this a friend of yours R.C?" To which she meows affirmatively. Leni then notices a collar around the elephant's neck like the one RC's wearing, this one bearing the inscription AM. "AM? That's an interesting name. Still, nice to meet you, AM" To which he trumpets affectionately. Leni then noticed that RC had run off, leading her to another part of the temple. "RC wait for me!"

She eventually manages to catch up, shortly afterwards she notices that AM has started following them. She then hears RC meowing again, she catches up to the cat, and sees her scratching at a cell door like the one they found AM in, but with a tiger's head like the second key.

"Is this another one of your friends, RC?" Leni asks, the kitten meowing in confirmation. Leni quickly realizes that the tiger head key goes to this door and unlocks it. From within a low growling sound comes. "Uh are you sure you want whatever is in here free?" She asks R.C with a hint of fear in her voice.

Once again, the cat answers yes. Soon the source of the growl becomes evident, when a yellow tiger comes out of the cell. Leni screams, before realizing that the tiger isn't attacking her. She looks and sees that RC is rubbing up against one of the tiger's legs purring, just like she did with AM.

"Is this tiger another one of your friends RC?" She asks, to which RC replies with confirming meow. Leni looks at the nameplate on the tiger's collar, "TT. Wow, your guys' owners aren't ones for long names, are they?" Leni jokes before R.C runs off again.

Leni sighs in defeat before following the cat once again, unknown to her, AM and TT Share a look.

"Could that human really be the one?" TT asks.

"Ruby seems to think so, she definitely has the gift. She wouldn't have seen her or the temple if she didn't" AM says before the two start to follow Leni on her quest to find RC's owners.

They then arrived at a cell door with cat head. Leni then pulled out the violet key that unlocked the cell. Once unlocked, out came a large pink cat.

"Heh heh. Nice kitty..." Leni greeted the large cat nervously. Noticing the collar around its neck, she saw a tag that said AC. She then saw RC purring up against its leg. "Another one of your friends?" Leni asked, R.C replying with affirmative meow.

A few moments later they arrived at another cell, this one with a tortoise head. Leni pulled out the green key that unlocked the door. When it unlocked, out came a green colored tortoise. It's collar had the initials ET.

"Ooh, this one's a turtle!" Leni said excitedly. The tortoise facepalmmed, annoyed at the girl's confusion. There's between a difference between a turtle and a tortoise. As RC started running once more, with Leni chasing her, the four animals started talking.

"Could she really be the one?" AC asked.

"She doesn't seem very bright. I mean, she called me a turtle, when clearly I'm A Tortoise!" ET retorted.

"Intelligence doesn't matter, Ruby seems to think she has the potential to free us all. Besides, she has the gift, and only one with the gift can help us." AM said.

"Very well then." AC and ET said together.

Soon Leni finds RC at a door with an eagle's head, "Let me guess, another friend?" she asked. Not needing another answer, Leni stuck the corresponding key into the lock and unlocked the door, freeing a sky-blue eagle with a collar inscribed with the initials CE. "Wow what a pretty bird!" Leni said in excitement, to the eagle's embarrassment. It's at this point that Leni notices the others, "What's going on today?" She asks before noticing RC scratching at a door with a horse head.

Without a word Leni sticks the last key in the door and unlocks it freeing a majestic indigo horse with a collar inscribed with the initials SP.

"Wow, RC, you sure have a lot of unique friends here. But, wait, why were you all in those cells, and why did you want me to free them so badly?" Leni asked. Without another word R.C once again started leading the group, with Leni checking her watch, "I already missed one bus, if I don't get out of here soon I'll miss the other one! Hopefully It won't be long."

Soon the group arrive at a dark chamber with a giant statue that resembles a giant serpentine dragon.

"Woah, what is this place? And what's with that statue?" Leni asked her animal companions. When she turns around to see if the animals are still with her she sees them shivering in fear before running away. "RC, AM, TT, AC, ET, CE, SP, where are you going?!"she asked, attempting to get them back.

However, before she can go after them a deep booming voice asks, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!"

Leni turns around to see a dark-skinned man in black robes with white trimmings.

"Oh, hello. I'm sorry, but you see, I found this adorable little kitten, whose collar said to return to this temple, so I-"

"SHUT UP!" The man said, interrupting the girl. "You have trespassed on sacred ground!"

"Oh, I'm so sorry. Like I was trying to say, I found this cat-"

"What part of 'shut up' do you not understand?!" the man shouted, making Leni gulp in fear. "There's only one way for you to get out of here alive, and that's to beat me in a duel! Win and you will go free. Lose…" He chuckled evilly. "…well, let's just say you better hope to win."

"But I'm not a duelist! If you were to talk to my brother then you would be able to get a duel, a real epic one at that. But I don't even have a deck or disk!" Leni told him.

"Then what's that?!" The man asked pointing to an object protruding from Leni's purse. Curious Leni pulled it out, only to discover a cyan colored duel disk with a deck in the slot!

"How did that get here?!" Leni looked at the item in confusion.

"Now you have no choice but to face me in a duel!" He said while pulling out his own duel disk. Seeing no other way out…

"Very well then…" Leni said, she and the man activating their duel disks and equipping their duel gazers before drawing their opening hand.

"DUEL!" they shouted.

Leni: 8000 LP (Hand: 5) (Deck: 35)

Mystery Man: 8000 LP (Hand: 5) (Deck: 35)

"Hmm…what would Linky do?" Leni asked in her head, looking at her hand.

"Come on already!" The mystery man said rather impatiently, "Make your move!"

"I set one card face down and end my turn" Leni said, setting a card in face down defense position.

Leni: 8000 LP (Hand: 4) (Deck: 35)

"My Draw!" The Mystery Man said, he looked at his hand and smiled, clearly happy about what cards he had. "I start my turn by playing the field spell Necrovalley!"

Suddenly, the temple turned into a dark creepy canyon-like area that Lucy would feel at home in.

"Thanks to my field spell all Gravekeeper monsters gain 500 attack and defense points. Furthermore, any monsters in the graveyard can't be banished. Also, any card effect that moves a card in the graveyard somewhere to else or change types or attributes of monsters in the graveyard are negated!" he told her.

"Uh, I have no idea what that means…" Leni said with a look on confusion. The mystery man sighed.

"My monsters get stronger and can't be removed and as long as Necrovalley's in play, your cards can't move them from the place where they go when they die or change anything about them" the man tried to explain to her in a dumbed-down version of what he said.

Leni gasped in horror.

"Next I summon Gravekeeper's Curse!" He said as a dark-skinned man wearing a dark cloak, with dreadlocks carrying a big cane appeared in a defensive position.

(Gravekeeper's Curse lvl.3 ATK: 800/DEF: 800)

Due to Necrovalley, its attack and defense points were increased by 500.

(Gravekeeper's Curse lvl.3 ATK: 1300/DEF: 1300)

"And he's got one terrifying ability, whenever he Is summoned the opponent loses 500 life points!" the man said as the monster's cane then started glowing, making Leni glow as well before screaming in pain.

Leni: 8000 – 500 = 7500 LP (Hand: 4) (Deck: 35)

"What's wrong human can't handle the pressure of a shadow duel?!" The man asked in a mocking tone.

"A shadow duel? What's that?" Leni asked, wincing a bit.

"A shadow duel is a special kind of duel, one where your life points aren't the only things at risk, it's your very life! Just look behind you." The man pointed behind her. Looking over her shoulder, Leni notices a small portal opening. "That portal will seal your doom. The more life points you lose, the bigger it gets. And if, no, WHEN your points reach 0, you will be sucked in, never to return!" he explained with an evil laugh. "And to help you lose I activate double summon! Now I can do 2 normal summons this turn, so now I summon Gravekeeper's Assailant!" As soon as he said that a young girl completely covered in a black cloak, wielding a wicked curved dagger appears.

(Gravekeeper's Assailant lvl.4 ATK: 1500/DEF: 1500)

And like with his other monster, Gravekeeper's Assailant's attack and defense points increased by 500.

(Gravekeeper's Assailant lvl.4 ATK: 2000/DEF: 2000)

"And now I'll have her attack your face down. And just so you know, since Necrovalley is out, her effect allows her to switch the battle position of the monster she's attacking!" he said.

"Oh no!" Leni gasped, shocked.

The assailant's eyes flashed and soon Leni's facedown monster, which is revealed to be Crystal Beast Emerald Tortoise, is forced into an attacking position.

(Crystal Beast Emerald Tortoise lvl.3 ATK: 600/DEF: 2000)

The sight of the monster makes the mystery man grimace a little, but never the less, he continues his attack.

"Gravekeeper's Assailant, make soup out of that shellback! Shadow knife slice!" the man commanded as the assailant vanishes in a blink of an eye only to reappear above Emerald Tortoise, her knife grows and in one downward slash destroys the reptile dealing Leni 1400 points of damage and leaving behind the emeralds that were previously on his back which moves to her spell/trap card zone. The backlash hits Leni, causing more damage and the portal behind her to grow even more.

Leni: 7500 – 1400 = 6100 LP (Hand: 4) (Deck: 35)

"I'll end my turn there, your move, if you dare" he said

MM: 8000 LP (Hand: 2) (Deck: 34)

Leni drew her next card. "I activate the spell double summon, allowing me to normal summon more than once this turn" she said. "I summon Amethyst Cat and Topaz Tiger to the field" she said as a tiger with a horn and cat came out.

(Crystal Beast Amethyst Cat lvl.3 ATK: 1200/DEF: 400)

(Crystal Beast Topaz Tiger lvl.4 ATK: 1600/DEF: 1000)

"I equip Topaz Tiger with Crystal Release, allowing it to gain 800 attack points" Leni explained as her tiger gained a rainbow aura.

(Crystal Beast Topaz Tiger lvl.4 ATK: 2400/DEF: 1000)

"I activate Amethyst Cat's special ability, allowing it to attack you directly for half of its attack points" Leni commanded her cat. Amethyst Cat leaped towards the man, slashing his chest with its extremely sharp claws, dealing him 600 points of damage.

MM: 8000 – 600 = 7400 LP (Hand: 2) (Deck: 34)

"And now, Topaz Tiger will attack Gravekeeper's Curse. And when Topaz Tiger attacks, it gains 400 attack points" Leni explained.

(Topaz Tiger lvl.4 ATK: 2800/DEF: 1000)

The tiger roared and lunged at the old man, the old man screaming as the tiger crushed his throat in its jaws before being destroyed, the mystery man losing 1500 life points.

MM: 7400 – 1500 = 5900 LP (Hand: 2) (Deck: 34)

"Clever move, girlie" The mystery man said. "BUT NOT CLEVER ENOUGH!" Leni nervously gulped at her opponent's outrage. "You may have freed those prisoners, but you will NEVER free him!" He said gesturing to the statue behind him, the only thing in the room that wasn't changed.

"Prisoners?!" Leni asked in shock. "What do you mean?" she asked, as she ended her turn.

Leni: 6100 LP (Hand: 2) (Deck: 34)

"No time for that. It's my move" He said before drawing his next card, "I summon Gravekeeper's Spear Soldier!" Once he says that, a dark-skinned man in a dark cloak wielding a long, menacing-looking spear appeared.

(Gravekeeper's Spear Soldier lvl.4 ATK: 1500/DEF: 1000)

Necrovalley increased its attack and defense points by 500.

(Gravekeeper's Spear Soldier lvl.4 ATK: 2000/DEF: 1500)

"And now I'll have Gravekeeper's Assailant attack Topaz Tiger! And don't forget, as long as Necrovalley Is In effect, my assailant can switch your tiger's battle position!" As he said the assailant's eyes flashed and Topaz Tiger took on a defensive position. "Now attack Shadow knife slice!" Once again assailant disappeared in a blink of an eye before appearing above Topaz Tiger and, in one downward slash, destroyed him, leaving behind a piece of topaz gem which moved to Leni's spell/trap zone.

"When Crystal Release Is sent to the graveyard, I can take one Crystal Beast Monster From my deck and place it in my spell/trap card zone!" Leni said as a random gem appeared.

"Impressive. But that will not save you! Gravekeeper's Spear Soldier, attack Amethyst Cat! Dark Spear Strike!" With that Spear Soldier threw his spear towards amethyst cat destroying her, leaving behind the gem that was previously in her brooch, which joined the other 3 gems In Leni's Spell/Trap Zone, and dealt 800 Points of damage.

Leni: 6100 – 800 = 5300 LP (Hand: 2) (Deck: 33)

"With that I'll end my turn." The man said.

MM: 5900 LP (Hand: 2) (Deck: 33)


The Loud House…

Back at the Loud house, Lincoln was in his room organizing his deck, with Rinyan at the foot of his bed taking a little catnap. It was in that moment a chill ran up Lincoln's spine, as if there were something wrong.

"Hmm. Weird…" Lincoln said, glancing off to the side.

"Something wrong Lincoln?" Rinyan asked, waking up from her little nap.

"I can't help but feel like something is going on somewhere and I need to be there." He replied. It was then that his necklace then started glowing and a familiar voice filled his room.

"Your intuition is correct, Lincoln" the voice said, surprising both Lincoln as well as the Lightsworn Rogue. It was a voice that they knew well.

"Judgment Dragon? What do you mean? What's going on?" Lincoln asked.

"What's going on is that one of your sisters is in grave danger, and If you don't do something fast, she may meet her doom!" The dragon's voice informed him.

Rinyan closed her eyes and used her ears to scan the house. After a few seconds, she looked at the white-haired boy. "He's right, Lincoln. Out of your 10 sisters, I'm only detecting 9!" she told him.

"WHAT?!" Lincoln looked at the cat in shock. "Which one isn't home? And what do you mean she's in grave danger?" he asked.

"It's Leni, I'm not picking up her presence!" Rinyan said.

"And as for what I mean, just follow your necklace and you will see what It is I mean" Judgment Dragon said. Curious, Lincoln pulled out his necklace. the moment he did, the bottom part of the pendant straightened out and started pointing towards a specific direction. "Your pendant will guide you. Follow it and you will soon reach where Leni is. Be careful, Lincoln!" Judgement Dragon said before his voice fading.

"C'mon, Rinyan" Lincoln said, a determined look on his face. The Lightsworn Rogue rode on his shoulder as he exited his room and ran out of the house in search for his second oldest sister.


The temple…

After a while, Lincoln had eventually reached the temple, his necklace pointing to the entrance.

"What is this place? And are you sure Leni's in there? Because It looks more like the kind of place Lucy would hang out in" Lincoln looked at the cat spirit with a skeptical expression.

"It would seem so. We have no choice, Lincoln" Rinyan said before they ran into the temple, passing through some sort of force field before they enter the temple.

"Where could Leni be, I wonder?" Lincoln asked.

"I don't know. I guess we just have to keep following the necklace." Rinyan said.

"You're right," Lincoln said before noticing something about Rinyan. "Woah, Rinyan, what's going on with you?"

"What do you mean?" Rinyan raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"I mean you look more physical than you normally do!" he told her.

Rinyan looks down at herself and, sure enough, she looks less like a cat spirit and more like an actual cat. "You're right! That can only mean one thing, we must be in the duel monsters spirit realm!"

"How did we end up here? And more importantly, what's Leni doing here?" Lincoln asked with a tilt of his head.

"Only one way to find out!" Rinyan said before the two continued running and looking for Leni.


Leni drew her next card. "I summon Amber Mammoth" Leni summoned the prehistoric pachyderm to the field.

(Crystal Beast Amber Mammoth lvl.4 ATK: 1700/DEF: 1600)

"I play the field spell Ancient City- Rainbow Ruins" Leni declared as the field changed from a spooky valley to a colosseum, all the Gravekeeper's monsters losing their 500-point boost. "And since I have four monsters in my spell/trap card zone, I'm allowed to draw one card" she said as she drew another card.


Lincoln had been walking through temple with Rinyan in the search for Leni. That's when he came across a cell door with a horse head carving on it.

"Hey Rinyan!" He said, calling out to the Lightsworn rogue. "Check it, out this is the 6th open cell we've come across since we've been here. What do you think could have been locked up in them?" he asked.

"I don't know but look! The key ring is still in the lock!" Rinyan pointed out. Either Leni forgot to take the keys out of the lock, or she felt they served their purpose and they wouldn't be needed anymore.

"What an odd set of keys." Lincoln said, rubbing his chin "Wait a minute. Rinyan, look!"

"What?" she asked.

"These keys. I think they might be a clue as to what might have been in those cells. For example, the key that was in this door has a carving of a horse's head, and check out this gem, It's sapphire. This key with the elephant head has a piece of amber. This key with a tiger's head has a piece of topaz. This key with a cat's head has a piece of amethyst. This key with a tortoise head has a piece of emerald. And this key with an eagle's head has a piece of cobalt!" the white-haired duelist pointed out, examining the keys.

"How do you know all this stuff?" Rinyan asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm one of two men in a house with eleven women, what do you expect?" Lincoln asked, raising an eyebrow of his own.

"Good point, but what does this have to do with anything?" Rinyan asked.

"Think about it, this is the duel monsters spirit realm right?" Lincoln asked, the Lightsworn Rogue replying with a nod. "And what duel monsters archetype would have motifs that match these keys?"

Rinyan gasped, "The Crystal Beasts!" she said in realization. "Wait a minute!" she began.

"What?" Lincoln looked at the cat.

"Ruby Carbuncle. Where's the key for Ruby Carbuncle?" Rinyan looked around with a look of concern.

"Not sure. You look worried. Do you know Ruby Carbuncle or something?" Lincoln asked.

"Know her? Lincoln, she's my best friend!" Rinyan said. "What if she's in danger?!" the cat got up in his face with a worried expression, their noses practically touching.

"Hey, hey, hey! Relax…" Lincoln told her, holding the feline close to his chest. "I don't know where she is, but I'm sure if we keep going and find Leni, we'll get the answers we need" he said as he stroked her back to calm her down. Rinyan nuzzled his chest with a purr before looking up at him with a light smile.

"Thanks, Lincoln" she said, giving him and affectionate lick on the cheek.

"C'mon, let's find my sister" he said, placing the cat on his shoulder.


"I activate Crystal Beacon to special summon Ruby Carbuncle from my deck" Leni declared, summoning the four-eared kitten.

(Ruby Carbuncle lvl.3 ATK: 300/DEF: 300)

"And when Ruby Carbuncle is special summoned I can special summon as many crystal beasts from my spell and trap card zone" she added, bringing back Topaz Tiger, Amethyst Cat, and Cobalt Eagle.

(Topaz Tiger lvl.4 ATK: 1600/DEF: 1000)

(Amethyst Cat lvl.3 ATK: 1200/DEF: 400)

(Cobalt Eagle lvl.4 ATK: 1400/DEF: 800)

"Topaz Tiger, attack Gravekeeper Assailant!" Leni commanded her saber-toothed tiger, "And my tiger gains 400 attack points when it attacks" she added.

(Topaz Tiger lvl.4 ATK: 2000/DEF: 1000)

The large cat got its revenge by crushing the opposing monster's neck in its jaws, destroying it and dealing the mystery man 500 points of damage.

MM: 5900 – 500 = 5400 LP (Hand: 2) (Deck: 33)

"Amber Mammoth, attack his Gravekeeper Spear Soldier" Leni commanded her ice age elephant. Amber Mammoth charged and thrust its tusks upward, impaling the spear soldier, destroying it and dealing the mystery man another 200 points of damage.

MM: 5400 – 200 = 5200 LP (Hand: 2) (Deck: 33)

"Now, Cobalt Eagle, Amethyst Cat, Ruby Carbuncle, attack him directly!" she commanded her remaining crystal beast.

Cobalt Eagle flew at him with a screech, slashing his shoulder. Amethyst Cat lunged at him and, once again, slashed his chest, leaving several cross marks. Finally, Ruby Carbuncle leaped at him, scratching up his face with tiny claw marks. All this dealt him damage with a grand total of 2900.

MM: 5200 – 2900 = 2300 LP (Hand: 2) (Deck: 33)

"With that I end my turn" she said.

Leni: 5300 LP (Hand: 1) (Deck: 31)

"This Is bad," The mystery man thought to himself. "Not only am I down on life points, but she's only 2 cards away from being able to break the seal!" he added, casting a quick glance to the statue behind him, which started getting cracks. "No matter what, I WILL DEFEAT YOU! THE CRYSTAL BEASTS AND THEIR DRAGON LORD WILL NEVER BE FREE!" He shouted at Leni, confusing the Crystal Beast duelist.

"What are you talking about?" Leni asked, when suddenly, a familiar voice called out.

"Leni! Where are you?" The duelists temporarily turned their attention from the duel to the entryway, where Lincoln and Rinyan stormed in.

"Linky! What are you doing here? And where did you find that super cute kitty cat on your shoulders?" Leni asked with smile.

"I'm here for you, Leni and… Wait, you can-"

"The limitations of who can and can't see me are moot in the duel monsters spirit realm." Rinyan explained. That's when she noticed a certain monster on Leni's field. "Ruby! You're alive!" she said with glee.

The crystal beast cat looked over her shoulder at the lightsworn cat and smiled, giving a confirming nod, the Lightsworn Rogue giving a nod of her own.

"That makes sense, I guess. But what are you doing here Leni?" Lincoln looked at his older sister with a quizzical expression.

"Funny story. You see, I was on my way to the bus stop, after another successful day of shopping, when I found this super cute kitten. Her collar said to return her to this temple. Once there I found this odd set of keys, each unlocking a different cell door, freeing these cool looking animals." Leni explained.

"You mean these keys?" Lincoln asked while holding up the key ring.

"Yeah, those are the ones! Eventually I found my way to this room, where the animals disappeared, and this creepy guy…" She said pointing to her opponent, "Tells me I'm trespassing and the only way for me to get out of here is to defeat him in a shadow duel—"

"A SHADOW DUEL?!" Lincoln looked at her in shock, before looking down and seeing the portals behind the 2 combatants.

"You know what I'm talking about? Because he had to explain it to me." Leni said.

"And once a shadow duel has started it cannot end until someone falls in defeat! And to make sure you don't try anything," He said before snapping his fingers, and a bunch of Fat, bald men carrying spears, dropped down aiming their weapons at him, "Get him!"

"Quick Lincoln, activate your duel disk and place a monster on it" Rinyan told him. Confused, but willing to do anything, Lincoln did as the lightsworn rogue instructed. Lincoln placed a monster card and, much to everyone's surprise, Ryko, the lightsworn hunter appeared with a dagger in his mouth. "R-Ryko…" the lightsworn rogue muttered her crush's name under her breath. The cat shook her head, "Really, Lincoln? You summoned Ryko?!" she glared at her duelist.

"He was the first monster I saw" Lincoln darted his eyes back and forth. In retrospect, he just wanted to see the look on Rinyan's face. "Anyway, it's cool how I can summon you without being in a duel"

"So long as you're in the duel monster's spirit realm, you'll the ability to do so" Ryko told him, looking over his shoulder.

"Nice." Lincoln smiled as the wolf monster charged at the minions, slashing away as he fought them off.

"Lincoln don't let him fight them all off by himself. Give him some back up!" Rinyan said, shaking his shoulder.

"Alright, alright! I'll bring out… Wulf!" Lincoln said, summoning the wolf man beast-warrior. Wulf then joined Ryko in fending off the enemies. "And to make sure they won't attack the two of us… Lightsworn Barrier!" Lincoln used his trap card, a barrier of crystal shielding him and Rinyan from harm.

"While your knight in shining armor is busy, it's my turn! I activate the spell Pot of Greed! This lets me draw two cards!" He does so, looks at the cards and starts laughing maniacally. "Your doom has been set, girlie! First, I Activate Monster Reborn, to resurrect Gravekeeper's Curse!" The spellcaster monster returned.

(Gravekeeper's Curse lvl.3 ATK: 800/DEF: 800)

"You remember his special ability, don't you? Whenever he is summoned you lose 500 life points!" the man said. Once again, Leni screamed in pain from the monster's ability.

Leni: 5300 – 500 = 4800 LP (Hand: 1) (Deck: 31)

"Leni!" Lincoln shouted as he watched his sister take damage.

"And let's not forget, that was a special summon, meaning I still have a normal summon left! So, I'll sacrifice Gravekeeper's Curse, to summon… MYSELF!"

"WAIT, WHAT!?" The Loud siblings looked on in shock.

Sure enough, both curse and the mystery man were enveloped in light. Once the light subsided, the mystery man had moved from his spot to where Curse was moments ago. "That's right, I'm actually The Gravekeeper's Chief!"

(Gravekeeper's Chief lvl.5 ATK: 1900/DEF: 1200)

"I'll admit, even I didn't see this coming." Lincoln commented, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Thanks to my special ability, since I was tribute summoned I can special summon one Gravekeeper's monster from my graveyard. Rise again, my assailant!" Gravekeeper's chief said. Soon the gravekeeper's assailant rose again right next to her chief.

(Gravekeeper's Assailant lvl.4 ATK: 1500/DEF: 1500)

"It is an honor to fight alongside you master." The assailant said with a bow.

"And now I'll attack!" the chief generated glowing red orb in his hand which he threw at Leni's field.

"Sorry Chief, but Amber Mammoth's special ability means that any attack directed towards a crystal beast is automatically re-directed towards him!" Leni said. Sure enough, the chief's energy attack was directed towards the ancient beast, destroying it, leaving behind the piece of amber that was previously on his forehead, dealing Leni 200 points of damage, and opening the portal behind her even more slightly.

Leni: 4800 – 200 = 4600 LP (Hand: 1) (Deck: 31)

"Impressive. But that won't be enough. Assailant attack Ruby Carbuncle!" the chief commanded his monster. For the third time since she first appeared, the assailant disappeared appearing above the kitten, "And if you think her special ability can save you, think again! Assailant's battle position change can only be activated if Necrovalley is in effect!"

"I may take damage from your attack, but because I have 2 crystal beasts in my spell/trap zone, Ancient City - Rainbow Ruins' effect activates, allowing me to halve the battle damage I would normally take once per turn!" Leni countered. Sure enough, once the assailant's attack goes through, Leni only takes 600 points of damage instead of the usual 1200.

Leni: 4600 – 600 = 4000 LP (Hand: 1) (Deck: 31)

The ruby that was previously on Ruby Carbuncle's tail rolled into Leni's spell/trap zone, where she picked it up, held it close to her heart.

"Ruby!" Rinyan shouted in horror, her eyes the size of pins at the sight of her friend being destroyed.

"I promise, your sacrifice will not be in vain." She whispered. She did the same to Amber Mammoth's amber and Emerald Tortoise's emeralds, "And neither will your guys'."

"Touching," The chief said, "But you will fall. I end my turn."

Gravekeeper's Chief: 2300 LP (Hand: 3) (Deck: 30)

"Leni!" Lincoln called out as his monsters fought off the attackers. Leni looked over her shoulder at her younger brother, "You can do this. You've just got to believe in the heart of the cards! You need to summon him!" he told her.

"Who are you talking about, Linky?" Leni raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"Him!" He said, pointing at the statue.

"How am I supposed to summon a statue?" Leni asked with a tilt of her head. Lincoln facepalmed, running his hand down his face.

"Not the statue, the monster it's depicting! Rainbow Dragon, the Crystal Beast equivalent of my Judgment Dragon!" Lincoln informed her.

"How am I supposed to summon something like that?!" she asked.

"You almost have everything you need," Lincoln said while his monsters continued to fend off the guards. "All you need to do is summon Crystal Beast Sapphire Pegasus and draw the Rainbow Dragon card! For Rainbow Dragon to be summoned, all 7 Crystal Beasts must be either on the field or in the graveyard, and right now you have 6!"

"SHUT UP!" The Chief shouted before snapping his fingers again causing a battalion of Gravekeeper's Spear Soldiers to appear.

"Oh, come on!" Lincoln and Rinyan groaned, rolling their eyes in annoyance.

"Linky!" Leni looked in worry before steeling her gaze. "I draw!" she drew her next card with heart. Her eyes widened in surprise at card that she had drawn. She smiled. "I summon Sapphire Pegasus to the field!" she summoned the winged horse.

(Crystal Beast Sapphire Pegasus lvl.4 ATK: 1800/DEF: 1200)

"Now's your chance, Leni, Rainbow Dragon can be summoned! Bring him out!" Lincoln told her.

"All seven crystal beast are together. All seven have come to bring out their leader...!" Leni shouted. The crystals within her spell and trap card zone, as well as the crystals of crystal beasts on in her monster zone began to glow like crazy. The cracks within the statue glowed with a white light. "Shine hope through this palace of despair..." The crystals fired beams of their respective colors at the statue, shattering it in a flash of rainbow light. "I summon the all-powerful, Rainbow Dragon!" Leni declared, the serpent-like dragon releasing a mighty roar as it was released from its stone prison.

The chief looked on in horror, his eyes shrinking to the size of pins.

(Rainbow Dragon lvl.10 ATK: 4000/DEF: 0)

"RAINBOW DRAGON!" The Chief shouted in horror, with the assailant and all of Lincoln's attackers looking on with the same horror as their master, while Leni, Lincoln, Rinyan and the other lightsworns looked on with awe. "Uh, Hey Rainbow Dragon, you're not still mad about the whole 'me and my army taking over your sacred place and sealing you in a stone statue' thing, are you?" To which the mighty beast replied with an equally mighty roar.

"I think that's a yes, master" The assailant said with a huge amount of fear in her voice.

"Now's your chance Leni," Lincoln shouted "Attack with Rainbow Dragon And end this nightmare!"

"Rainbow Dragon, attack Gravekeeper's Chief! Rainbow Refraction!" Leni commanded her dragon.

With a powerful roar, the dragon released a strong rainbow-colored beam that hit the opposing monster head on. The moment Rainbow Dragon's attack hit the chief he vanished screaming.

Gravekeeper's Chief: 0 LP (Hand: 3) (Deck: 30)

Winner: Leni

"MASTER!" The assailant shouted.

But she didn't have time to mourn as, as the chief promised, the moment his points reached 0, the portal that was behind him opened and started sucking her and the chief's battalion in, leaving only Leni, Lincoln, Rinyan, and her fellow lightsworns. The moment the last member of the battalion got sucked in, the portal collapsed in on itself, leaving Leni dumbfounded.

"I... I did it. I won! I entered my first duel and won!" Leni shouted with Lincoln looking on with pride as he approached the victor.

"Congratulations, Leni." Lincoln said.

"Thanks, Linky." She said, "By the way, where did you get that super cute kitty on your shoulders?" she asked.

Before Lincoln could come up with a believable excuse, Rainbow Dragon, who despite the fact that the duel was over and the field returned to the temple, let out another mighty roar, and soon the temple was cloaked in a bright light. When the light subsided, where once was a dark, bleak temple, now stood a vibrant, verdant field with all colors of the rainbow.

"Woah" The siblings said together.

"Thank you," A voice said, it didn't take them long to realize that it was Rainbow Dragon talking to them telepathically, "Thank you, one with the gift." He said, shocking Leni, but not Lincoln as he was already accustomed to things like this.

"What's going on?" Leni asked.

"What's going on," a female voice said, "Is That you have saved us all." The 3 turned around and saw the animals Leni freed.

"RC, AM, TT, AC, ET, CE, SP, there you are! where have you been?" Leni asked, a smile on her face.

"We never left," RC explained "In fact, we were a lot closer than you think. In fact, while you know me as RC, I'm really…" She said before being cloaked in a bright light which soon subsided to reveal… "The Crystal Beast Ruby Carbuncle" she revealed her true form.

Soon the others were cloaked in similar bright lights. When they subsided, it was revealed that they were actually Amber Mammoth, Topaz Tiger, Amethyst Cat, Emerald Tortoise, Cobalt Eagle and Sapphire Pegasus!

"No way! What's going on?" Leni asked, confused.

"Perhaps I can explain," Rainbow Dragon said before summoning a window which told the siblings and the others the story. "It all started many millennia ago. We were living happily in peace. That all changed one day, when the Gravekeepers invaded. At their chief's order they started wreaking havoc and destroying everything. They captured us and, using the strongest magic, sealed me in the statue."

"I was the only one to escape this fate," Ruby Carbuncle started explaining. "I wanted to help my friends and master, but I knew I couldn't do it alone. So, I escaped to the human world and started searching for someone who could help. Someone like you, Leni." He looks at the teenage blonde.

"Good choice, Ruby" Rinyan thought.

"Me? Why me?" She asked.

"It's because of your rare gift, Leni" Rainbow Dragon said, "One your courageous brother here knows all too well."

It didn't take long for Lincoln to realize what the beast meant. "The ability to see duel monster spirits!" He said, shocking and confusing Leni.

"Yes, you both possess the ability to see us, which are normally invisible to human eyes" the dragon said.

"Woah" Leni said. "Wait so does that mean—"

"That I can see them, too?" Lincoln said while pulling out his deck, "Yes. Yes, it does" He said showing Leni his Rinyan, Lightsworn Rogue card.

"Woah, this is so cool! Oh" She said taking the duel disk with deck still in the slot, off "I suppose you'll be wanting these back." She held it out to the dragon.

"Why would I?" Rainbow Dragon asked. "They're yours, not mine." He said. Leni was shocked. "The fact that you were able to wield the powers of the Crystal Beasts with such ease proves that you deserve the title of Crystal Beast Duelist."

"Yay!" She shouted while hugging the disk. "I've actually been wanting to become a duelist like you, Lincoln, but I wasn't sure as to what kind of deck would fit me! In fact, I almost entered the card shop while at the mall but hesitated!" she told him.

"Well the Crystal Beast archetype definitely fits you, Leni." Lincoln said.

"And now the time has come for you to pick out your duel monsters spirit partner, Leni." Rainbow Dragon said.

"Duel monsters spirit partner?" Leni asked, tilting her head.

"It's this monster from your deck that hangs out with you all the time and helps you out in dire times." Lincoln explained, "Rinyan's mine," He said scratching the Lightsworn Rogue behind the ears, causing her to let out a light purr, "and you can pick out anyone of the Crystal Beasts to be yours!" He said.

Leni looked at the 7 monsters that she had used in the duel and after a few moments she decided. "I pick the one that started me on this journey, Ruby Carbuncle!" she said, the cat she had previously known as RC smiled and jumped up on Leni's shoulders in a pose mirroring Rinyan's.

"Excellent choice, Leni. May the 2 of you have as strong a bond as your brother and the Lightsworn rogue." Rainbow Dragon said hopefully.

"Thank you, Rainbow Dragon. Now to hurry up and—OH NO!" Leni said worriedly.

What's wrong Leni?" Lincoln asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I lost track of time and missed the last bus home!" she replied.

"Don't worry, Leni" Rainbow Dragon said as his eyes flashed, and a portal opened, showing the Loud family home. "Step through here and you will find yourself home!"

"Thank you, Rainbow Dragon!" Leni smiled.

"No, thank you. And know that we," He said gesturing to himself and the others, "Will be here waiting at your beck and call." Leni nodded as she, Lincoln, and their respective spirit partners walked through the portal.


The Loud House…

"Wow, that was totes fun!" Leni said, the portal closing behind her and her brother, the two now standing in the living room.

"Almost dying is fun?" Lincoln thought, looking at his second older sister with a raised eyebrow. "Uh, yeah, you did great out there, Leni" Lincoln smiled at her.

"Thanks, Linky!" Leni smiled back.

"Hey, do me a favor and don't mention your shadow duel or duel spirit partner to anyone, ok? I don't want the family worrying or thinking we're crazy" Lincoln told her.

"Don't worry, I can totes keep this a secret" Leni said, ruffling his hair. "But do you think we can have a duel sometime?" she asked.

"Oh, sure, I'd love that" he said. "You can duel whoever you want. Hell, you can even duel Lori if you two get into an argument" he half-joked, the two siblings chuckling as they entered the dining room.

"Lincoln, Leni, is that you?" the mother asked from the kitchen.

"Yeah, mom" the two siblings said in unison.

"What've you two been up to?" their mother asked.

"Good news, I'm a duelist now!" Leni said as she and her brother walked into the room that their mother was in.

Meanwhile, their duel spirits sat behind on the dining room table, the two now in spirit form.

"So, what's it like being someone's duel spirit?" Ruby Carbuncle asked her friend.

"It's nice. Lincoln and I joke around with each other, but we have a good bond" Rinyan told her. "Don't worry, your bond with Leni will grow just like my bond with Lincoln"

"Thanks, Rinyan" Ruby said, smiling. "So, out of all these kids, only two of them can see—"

Ruby was cut off midsentence, she and Rinyan meowing in pain as they were pulled back by their tails. Looking over their shoulders, they saw the infant Loud child, Lily pulling them towards her.

"Kitties!" the baby said with glee as she hugged both cat monsters close to her body.

"Uh-oh…" the two cats said in unison, looking at each other with terrified expressions.

Make that three siblings that can see them…


And that's the end of this chapter. Looks like Leni has joined the group of Loud siblings that are duelists, bringing the total up to 6.

God damn, this was a long chapter. I hope you all enjoyed it because I've never written a chapter this long before. Ever. And I probably never will again…

Anyway, this chapter was co-written by me and my friend JTWAS1994, who brought up the idea for this chapter. Thanks, dude!

Next chapter will be chapter 10, so I might do something special for it. I don't know what at this moment, but I'll cross that bridge when I get to it.

Remember to Read, Review and Favorite/Follow.