And… We're back!

7th Librarian gets the nod for this chapter, and before you ask, yes, the opponent in this chapter is, indeed, someone who appears in "Shadowchasers: Backwater".

I hope to have updates more often from this point. So without further ado…

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Ever since I was a little girl, I never felt comfortable wearing a dress, or playing with dolls, or having tea parties. As far back as I could remember, I wanted to play with the bigger kids, to wrestle and play contact sports. I didn't care whether they were reluctant to hit girls; in fact, I liked the ones who weren't better, because I could give one as good as I got.

I guess choosing Beasts as a duelist (along with calling myself "Ace") just came naturally. The deck I was using… The wild animals of the forest, savagery at its most unspoiled, wild state… That was what I was inside.

I guess there's some irony here, to be sure. My opponent may resemble a few of my monsters, but certainly isn't the King of Beasts, and yet…

I've seen all the James Bond flicks, but if I ever re-watch one where Ernst Blofeld is the villain… I may not see it the same way…

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DRAW TWELVE

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Beast Rising

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As the sun rose, Xander was walking through the forest, not far from the spot where his anger-prone associate had dueled last night. Now and again, he looked at the plant life around him, the trees, the shrubs, and even the grass.

A small rabbit's eyes met his, wrinkled its nose, and then hopped away. He sighed. Then he looked at the sun, then the grass, then where the rabbit had gone.

The sun and soil feeds the plants, they feed the rabbit, and the wolves hunt the rabbit… he thought. In this endless cycle of life, all things have purpose… Some are born with it, some choose it… Some go through life without ever realizing it, but they have it…

And yet…

"SEPHIROTH!"

His train of thought was interrupted by a shout from the blue. He turned his head, and ran through the brush to see what the commotion was.

"VERGIL!"

"SEPHIROTH!"

"VERGIL!"

"SEPHIROTH!"

"VERGIL!"

"SEPHIROTH!"

"VERGIL!"

"SEPHIROTH!"

Xander opened his eyes widely at what he saw. The fight — not merely an argument, but an actual fight — was between two young women. Metal collided against metal as Kenshin's staff once again got in the way of Ace's sword driving itself into the spirit's neck.

The two women pressed their weapon lock, the weapons nearly shaking with effort as they glared daggers at one another.

"Sephiroth is useless! All he is some a generic supposedly tragic monster who flipped the hell out because he learned he was born like everyone else!" Ace barked, digging her heels in. "He's a cliché!"

" A cliché!? Oh and Vergil's backstory of 'ooh, mommy got murdered by an evil force – I better just become as evil to kill it!' works out so much better!?" Kenshin growled back, bracing her free arm on the head of staff and pushing forwards with all she had to give herself some more leverage. "He didn't even succeed at it! He became a Darth Vader rip-off!"

"Yeah, well, Sephiroth didn't win either!" Ace broke the lock by flipping her grip on her sword and knocking the staff wide. She smashed her hilt into Kenshin's gut and lashed out with a roundhouse kick to the head. "He just coined a TVTrope and got piece of theme music that is even more cliché than he is!"

"One-Winged Angel is not cliché!" Kenshin ducked the kick and retaliated by smashing her shoulder into Ace, sending the other Shadowchaser reeling. "And it's not like Vergil ever even got a good theme song! The best he got was being voiced by the Quantum Ranger!"

Ace caught her footing and their weapons clashed again and again with a great ringing sound. "At least Vergil never got voiced by a washed up boy-band singer!"

"THAT ONLY HAPPENED ONCE!" Kenshin roared and practically tackled Ace, the two of them becoming a cartoonish could of dust and violence that carried itself through the woods and out onto a cliffside.

"Pretty boy couldn't even defeat his own brother –"

"Kept crying for mommy –"

"All he does is spike his hair –"

"Where's he hide that giant sword? Up his –"

"Has no character development –"

There was a brief pause in the fighting as they suddenly both realized something.

"...where'd the ground go?"

They looked at each other, then looked down to see the churning ocean waves below.

They looked back at each other, blinked in unison...and clung to each other for dear life.

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!"

It was a long time until the splash.

"Bah…" said Xander, with a shrug. He waved his hand, then turned in the other direction. "Worst part is, even people like that have a purpose… Sometimes the universe tells you things in a cruel way…"

TTTTTTT

"So, have we learned something today?" The speaker was a handsome, statuesque man with ebony skin. He was seated on a log in front of the sodden pair that was Kenshin and Ace. He took a drink of a mug of coffee as he spoke.

"Yeah, that Ace really can't throw a –" Kenshin's obnoxious remark was silenced as Ace stuffed a damp sock in her mouth.

"That we should really pay attention to where we are going," Ace said.

"And?"

"And not let our tempers get the best of us," Ace grumbled sullenly.

"Perhaps swimming lessons would be in order as well," the man commented with a twinkle in his eye.

"We were handling it just fine," Ace muttered and folded her arms.

"Yeah, right! This bruise on my cheek is totally an example of you demonstrating perfect swimming technique!" Kenshin, having dislodged the damp sock, threw it back over on the rock that most of Ace's clothing was lying on to dry in the sun. "I know you come from the middle of a desert, but still! Screaming and panicking! If I wasn't a spirit, I'd have drowned!"

"The ocean water was cold, alright!? And if you weren't a spirit, I'd have strangled you by now!" Ace growled and then pointed a damming finger at Kenshin and then the man. "And quit your whining! You and mystery rescue man over there are dry as a bone!"

"Duh. I'm a spirit. I just have to imagine myself dry or something, I am," Kenshin's mane of red hair briefly became blue to highlight her point, then she jerked a thumb over at the man. "And he's not mystery rescue man, he's Jonathan."

Ace felt her eye twitch for reasons she couldn't quite rationally grasp. "You know him!?"

"Sure," Kenshin said nonchalantly, stretching her arms above her head. "He and his wife run the Cunning Little Vixen. Backwater's only clothing store. His suit is probably enchanted to be water-proof, dust-proof and dust bunny proof. Thank you, by the way."

"No problem." Jonathan took another drink of his coffee and offered an apologetic smile to Ace. "I'm sorry we couldn't find anything else to put on you while your clothes dry."

"It's fine. I suppose I should be glad I have something." Ace was wearing a pair of baggy sweatpants and sweater that Jonathan had produced from his suitcase. They felt nice, almost silk-like and she ducked her head in sheepishness after realizing how ungrateful she had just been. "No, sorry. Thanks, I mean it. Just...yeah...I…"

Jonathan laughed. "I know. Wearing an old man's exercise clothes probably isn't doing you any favors. I should be the one apologizing."

"No, it's fine! Really!" Ace scratched the side of her cheek in embarrassment. Then straightened, perking up. "Why don't we just use magic to dry out my clothes?"

"Because there isn't any clothes drying spell in existence and we can't have open flames on the island," Kenshin pointed out, swiping a cookie from a tray that sat on the table between the two Shadowchasers and their rescuer. "If one of the Blue Knights saw us, it'd be trouble."

"Don't worry, I won't tell a soul if you do," Jonathan promised as he poured himself more coffee. Either this man was a coffee gourmand, or he was downright starved for caffeine.

The two women stared at him with mouths agape as he nonchalantly took another drink, idly noting their expressions. "Oh, did I tell you that I was a Blue Knight?"

He smirked a little, and casually pushed the blue scarf he was wearing from one shoulder to another.

"No!" Both Kenshin and Ace shouted at once, arms flailing.

"Well, before Alanna and I went into clothing business, she used to be a Pro Duelist," the big man explained. "Retired now, of course. So it was kind of a surprise when they tapped her for this tournament. But since she was 'unavailable', I was a good substitute."

"Unavailable...how?" Ace tilted her head.

"It's kind of hard to play card games when you have no opposable thumbs," a mewling voice chimed in. Ace glanced off to the side to see a tabby cat trotting up to their little campsite. And there was a distinct pout on her face. "Baleful polymorph really stinks!"

What do you know? Ace thought. A real-life Cheshire cat!

"Which is why I'm here," Jonathan stroked Alanna's head as she hopped into his lap. "To be her hands, caretaker, and litterbox changer."

"You want to duel!?" Kenshin and Ace both started, realizing they had leapt up and practically shouted the words at the same time. Their eyes narrowed and they pointed fiercely at each other. "I said it first!"

A second later, their weapons were in their hands and sparks seemed to collide between them. "You wanna fight about it!?"

"I want to duel Ace," Alanna said calmly, washing her ear with a paw. When both of the girls gave the cat funny looks, she cocked her head and added, "Kenshin doesn't have any fashion sense."

The pair stared at her blankly for a moment, then Ace cheered while Kenshin slumped in defeat.

But it only lasted a moment, Ace glanced down at what she was wearing. The clothing about swallowed her up, so big that only her fingers showed from the sleeves. "Ummm... Kenshin, can I borrow your clothing?"

"Sorry, it's all my magic, so there's not anything 'real' to share," Kenshin grinned wickedly. "Which means, since you can't duel like that, I guess I'll –"

"I have some clothes for you, Ace," Alanna said, scratching behind her ear with a hind leg.

Again, the two stared at her and then Kenshin slumped while Ace cheered.

Standing up, the talking cat stretched and raked her front paws across the ground a few times, an eager gleam in her. "Alright, time to do this…"

"Do... what?" Ace suddenly looked a little nervous as Alanna's intense gaze focused on her, the cat crouching down. "No, wait, I really think I can manage like this –"

What happened next could be described as 'cartoonish'. Alanna launched forwards and suddenly was a blur that surrounded Ace. There was a flurry of string, thread and all manner of fabric, followed by a chainsaw noise and some hammering.

When it was over, Alanna was sitting back on her haunches with a definite grin on her kitty face while was spinning a little dizzily. "There! You look marvelous!"

"I think my life flashed before my eyes... and I wasn't even in it!" Ace shook herself out, trying to regain her stability enough to figure out what she was wearing. When she did, she couldn't surprise a whistle. "Damnnnnn…"

The Las Vegas Shadowchaser was now dressed in skinny jeans, but instead of a belt, had a pair of small chains through the loops that criss-crossed at the front. Her t-shirt was dark red and sleeveless and over it was a loose dress shirt that hung open and also sleeveless. A weight on her wrist caused her to glance at it so see a studded leather strap around it. Best of all, the clothing felt light and soft. "Oh, hey, this is awesome…"

"Thank you," Alanna preened, purring loudly at the compliment. "Of course, they're not for free. Lose the duel and you'll have to wear those baggy clothes for the rest of the tournament!"

Ace's eyes bugged out of her head. "What?!"

Alanna covered her mouth with a paw mischievously. "Little incentive to make you fight harder, dearie."

Kenshin flopped down on the log, elbows propped up on her knees and head in her hands with a pout. "Fashion sucks, anyway…"

Alanna hissed at her, prompting Kenshin to hiss back as the two duelists squared off and raised their Disks.

"Uh, you are going to make an official bet, right?" added Kenshin.

Ace stopped as she realized what she meant. She looked at her purse where her wagering chips were stored, which had, miraculously, not been spilled.

"I've got two grand…" she muttered.

"Well, I'm not so cruel as try to leave you dead broke too," replied Alanna. "One thousand."

"You're on!" replied Ace. She fit the D-Gazer over her left eye, and the special interface started.

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While this was going on, Jalal has been reviewing Zanth's entry application on the computer files.

It seemed mostly legit. Apparently, he hadn't been truthful about his charity being "The Golden and Rosy Cross". His application said he was playing for the Centre for Medical Health. That was a real charity… A very well-known charity in Britain.

So why did he lie and name one that didn't exist? thought Jalal. Was he trying to sound special while the camera was running?

A stranger thing about Zanth was the information on his history, or rather, the lack of it. He hadn't found anything about him going back more than seven years. And while he claimed to be a dark elf, it seemed sunlight didn't bother him – there was plenty of footage of him being out in broad daylight without so much as sunglasses. It wasn't impossible for a dark elf to learn to tolerate sunlight, but it usually took a long time.

Of course, this alone wasn't proof of any wrongdoing (even if Mr. Z's "half-fiend or tiefling theory" was correct), but it did warrant further research. Especially that name, "Levistus". He hadn't found any information on it yet, especially since he didn't have access to his complete files here, but it rang a bell somewhere…

Better give Adrian a call, he thought. Maybe he can find something in the Library that can shed some light on it…

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"I'm first, draw!" shouted Ace.

(ALP: 8000) (BLP: 8000)

She drew and then plugged another card from her hand into disk. "I activate Obedience Schooled, summoning out three Level 2 or lower Effect Monster Beasts from my deck!"

True to her words, three orbs of light flew out from her deck and settled onto her field. They resolved into a cute little mouse-like creature with a key on its collar, a flying squirrel with a rather devilish look on its face and a black tapir that merely yawned and flopped on the ground lazily. "Key Mouse, Nimble Musasabi and Dark Desertapir are summoned! And then I'll tune them all together!"

The monsters broke apart into the Synchro rings and stars, a loud roar heralding the arrival of a new creature: a green-furred lion with a mane of leaves, with limbs made out of gnarled wood. "Naturia Beast!" (2200/1700)

Two cards flashed down behind the Synchro monster. "I'll set these and end my turn."

Alanna had hoped up on Jonathan's shoulder, making herself comfortable as her husband drew for the start of their turn. She studied the cards they had, then nodded at him.

"I discard Thunder Seahorse to let me add two Light Thunder monsters from my deck to my hand, so long as their attacks aren't above 1,600 and they are the same monster. So I pick two Mahunder." Jonathan discarded the monster and then caught the cards his deck spat out. "And I'll summon one,"

A bolt of lightning struck the field in front of him, resolving into a woman in a pink armor. Her hair crackled viciously as it was made of nothing but lightning and she snapped her hand out. A second bolt struck the ground nearby, this time resolving into a yellow-and-black pheasant. "When Mahunder is summoned, I can Normal Summon another level 4 or lower Thunder-type monster like Wattpheasant!" (1400/700) (1000/800)

Ace grit her teeth. "But you can't special summon thanks to your Seahorse…"

"Don't need to," Wattpheasant cawed and then took to the air, flapping its wings. Lightning arced along its body and then slammed into Ace hard. "When this monster attacks directly, I can banish a monster on your field until the End Phase!" (ALP: 7000)

"Forgot... forgot they could do that…" Ace groaned, watching as Naturia Beast simply faded away. Then her eyes went wide as Mahunder morphed into a ball of energy that shot across the field and into her gut. (ALP: 5600)

"Oohhh…" Kenshin snickered as Ace reeled a bit, the wind obviously knocked out of her. "That looked like it hurt…"

"No...no...duh, Sherlock!" Ace snapped back, both of the Shadowchasers sticking their tongues out at each other. Then she flinched as there was flashes of light on the playing field.

"Not an attack this time," Jonathan chuckled at his reaction, then gestured to the glowing green swords now lodged in place on Ace's side of the field. "Swords of Revealing Light will keep you from attacking for three turns. So I'll just set one card-face down and end my turn."

There was a flash of light and Naturia Beast reappeared on Ace's field, looking around confusedly.

"My draw!" Ace snapped up the card. "You can't keep the fury of the jungle in a cage! Reveal Dust Tornado!"

A howling blue wind built on the field, rocking the swords until they blew apart into pixels. "And with them gone, it's time to beat in some face! I summon Gyaku-Gire Panda!"

With a low growl, a panda that was easily the size of Naturia Beast appeared. It caught sight of the monsters across the field and roared, its eyes burning red as an aura sprang to life around. "And he gets Attack Points equal to the number of monsters on your field times 500!" (800-1800/1600)

She pointed at the bird. "Gyaku-Gire Panda! Attack that bird and serve me up a roast! Bamboo Fury!"

The beast roared in agreement, somehow producing a massive bamboo stalk from out of nowhere. Winding up like a baseball player, it stampeded across the field with the full intention of smashing the Wattpheasent to a pile of blood and feathers.

Jonathan tapped a button on his disk as Alanna grinned smugly. "You activated our Trap, Thunderstruck. This negates your attack since you targeted a Thunder monster and then equips to a monster on the field, cutting off both its ability to attack and its effects as well!"

A bolt of electricity launched out of the trap card, striking the charging panda dead-on. It spasmed cartoonishly, becoming covered in ash. Letting out a puff of smoke, it toppled over. Meanwhile, the trap launched out a second blast that became crackling chains which snared themselves around Naturia Beasts limbs. It strained and tried to roar, but a few hundred volts from its shackles drove it to its knees.

"Rrrr..." Ace let out a breath, trying to not let how annoyed she was show. "I end my turn,"

"Draw," Jonathan drew and waited as Alanna studied their hand for a moment. She purred suddenly and nuzzled his cheek, moving her head upwards to his ear. "Right, that's a good plan,"

Kenshin tilted her head at the pair curiously. "I wonder if I could learn to speak cat…"

"I open the Overlay Network!" Mahunder and Wattpheasent faded together into the swirling portal that spat out a glittering white-and-old technorganic centaur, much like the ones Gomi had summoned. It reared up, brandishing a sword and flaring metallic wings. "Sacred Omega is summoned!" (2400/500)

With a flash of lightning, a second Mahunder appeared. An instant later, a second bolt struck the ground, resolving into a young girl. She struck a pose, attempting to look impressive while Mahunder just giggled at her. "This one is Sishunder and with it, I can banish a Thunder monster from my graveyard. During the End Phase, it comes into my hand."

Jonathan held up Thunder Seahorse before placing it in the appropriate slot on his disk. "Once again, I open the Overlay Network!"

This time, the monster that resulted was a bulky warrior covered in head-to-toe in blue powered armor. It reached around to its back, pulling out a bulky-looking handle. With a low 'snaphisss!', the handle ignited into a blazing blue broadsword. "Starliege Paladynamo!" (2000/1000)

Paladynamo thrust out its free hand, the orbs of light that had been orbiting it breaking free and launching across the field. They crashed into Gyaku-Gire Panda, sending it reeling. "By removing its materials, Paladynamo can reduce the attack of a monster you control to zero!" (1800-0)

"Not good, not good..." Ace braced herself as Paladynamo flew across the field and cleaved her panda in half with a single mighty swing. A moment later, Omega smashed a barrage of glowing fists into Naturia Beast and the Synchro blew apart in an explosive, but colorful, array of light. (ALP: 3400)

Alanna chuckled behind her paw again as her two monsters returned to her field. "You are correct, dear. It is most definitely not good…"

"It's not good…" Ace said as she lowered her arms, revealing a smirk on her face. "It's great!"

There was an echoing roar as a massive form rose up behind her. It was a bulky, armored baboon with an absolutely furious look on its face wielding a giant longbow whose arrows could probably be called harpoons. "By banishing two Beasts from my graveyard when you destroy one in battle, I can summon out Yellow Baboon, Archer of the Forest!" (2600/1800)

She held up one of the cards that slid free from her graveyard. "And since I banished Dark Desertapir, I can bring out Nimble Musasabi from the graveyard!" With a chattering noise, the devilish looking flying squirrel reappeared. (800/100)

Alanna's tail twitched, the only sign of her frustration while Jonathan patted her on the head before reaching for his Disk. "I end my turn, recovering my Thunder Seahorse as I do so."

Kenshin regarded Ace's field with a bored expression. "Ooh, a giant monkey in a Beast deck. Totally original," The spirit snickered again. "Ace likey monkey! Ace smash like monkey! Ace lose temper like monkey! Ooo! Ooo!"

"I swear to God, keep it up, red! Keep it up!" Ace growled, waving her sword. "We'll see who gets the last laugh when I unplug you permanently!"

"Why would you do that?" Kenshin adopted a puppy-eyes expression, clasping her hands and fluttering her lashes. "Aren't I so much fun to be with?"

"NO!"

Kenshin shrugged. "Well, you're just a fuddy-duddy."

"Fuddy-duddy... what does that even... how does that…" Ace let out a growl of frustration and turned her attention back to the dueling field. "I'll deal with you later! Draw!"

A spell card shimmered into existence on her field. "With Monster Reborn, I revive my panda!" The panda reappeared in a flash of light, growling and roaring in obvious eagerness for a fight. (1800)

A second Spell card appeared in front of her. "Creature Swap forces us to both select a monster on our field and give it to our opponent!"

Jonathan grimaced slightly and then pointed at his Starliege Paladynamo. Ace grinned as the monster shimmered and was replaced by her Nimble Musasabi. "Thanks, but you can have it back the hard way! Paladynamo attacks Musasabi!"

The Xyz complied with the command, flashing across the field to strike at the little Beast monster. Unlike the panda, who had been cleaved in two, Musasabi was so small that the strike didn't just cut in two, it obliterated the animal. (ALP: 6800)

"And when Musasabi bites the big one, not only do you take five hundred damage, but I can summon two more from my deck to your side of the field!" Ace flung the two cards out, where they morphed into a pair of chattering flying squirrels that landed gracefully on Alanna's field. (ALP: 6300)

Gyaku-Gire Panda roared, flexing its biceps as power rose thanks to the increased number of monsters o Alanna's field. (2300) "Go! Bamboo Fury!"

This time around, the panda's baseball swing connected and launched the poor Musasabi into the sky so hard and far that it was nothing more than a twinkle of light in the distance. (ALP: 4300)

"Yellow Baboon attacks Omega!"

Jonathan and Alanna braced themselves as the giant baboon unleashed a pair of shots that skewered the centaur, knocking him over and pinning him to the ground harshly where he shattered. (ALP: 4100)

"Oh yeah!" Ace pumped a fist in the air. "That evens things up a bit! I end my turn!"

"Draw," Jonathan drew. He and his wife exchanged glances, then he returned his attention to his hand. "I discard Thunder Seahorse to add two Pahunder to my hand!"

After doing so, a Spell card appeared in front of her. "Next, Spellbook Inside the Pot lets us both draw three cards!"

The duelists promptly did so, and barely a second passed before an electric-sounding hiss let out and a vibrantly-colored cobra appeared on the playing field. "Wattcobra attacks you directly!" (1000/700)

Ace yelped as the snake shot across the field, sinking its fangs into her leg and zapping her with a few hundred volts. "This is why I don't like reptiles!" (ALP: 2400)

"Had a bit of a shocking experience with them, huh?" Kenshin giggled at her bad joke, which erupted into actual laughter as Ace fired a glare in her direction.

"Since Wattcobra dealt you damage, I can add another Watt monster from the deck to my hand, like Wattpheasant," Jonathan slid the named card into his hand and then slid a card face-down. "End of turn."

"Draw!" Ace drew and studied the field carefully. "...I switch my Panda to defense mode…" The panda grumbled, but knelt all the same.

"And then sacrifice your Paladynamo for Manticore of Darkness!" The Xyz vanished, replaced by a roaring beast-man with great wings. Its body bulged with power and bloodlust surged in its eyes. (2300/1000)

"Tear that snake a new one!"

The Beast charged across the field, literally ripping the snake in two as Jonathan's set card flipped up. "Impenetrable Attack has two effects and I select the one that prevents me from taking battle damage during this Battle Phase."

Both Ace and Yellow Baboon grumbled in frustration, the duelist fold her arms in a pout. "Was gonna win, too... I end my turn."

"Draw," Jonathan drew and then slapped down a card. With a flash of lighting, a new monster appeared. Like the other 'hunders before it, it had electricity for hair. A second later, a burst of lighting heralded the arrival of familiar electrical bird. "This is Pahunder and, like Mahunder, it gives me another summon of a Thunder monster!" (1300/600) (1000/800)

He plugged a Spell card into his disk and Pahunder began to glow. "Lightwave Tuning makes a Level Four Light monster a Tuner and so now I can tune them together!"

The monsters broke apart into the Synchros rings and stars, forming a massive demonic shape that let out an angry bellow. Dark muscle was lain bare as bone armor fell into place on it. Jagged golden formed its claws and support for the great wings as power surged around it. (2700/1700)

"Meet Thought Ruler Archfiend!"

The Synchro didn't even wait for the order, charging across the field. Yellow Baboon roared back and dropped its weapons, the two titans locking hands. They roared challenges at one another, straining and grappling for leverage.

Kenshin watched the fight excitedly. "Oh, yeah, that's awesome!"

"Indeed. But unfortunately, my Thought Ruler is stronger than your Baboon." True to Alanna's words, the Synchro opened its mouth and began to charge up a beam attack.

The beam attack exploded violently, swallowing up the Beast monster up entirely. "And when Thought Ruler destroys a monster –"

Jonathan's explanation was cut short as a massive fist erupted out of the still blazing attack, seizing Thought Ruler around the throat violently.

"Sorry! But I still have a Trap, remember?" Ace grinned and pointed at the now face-up card on her field. "Horn of the Phantom Beast equips to my monster and raises its attack by eight hundred!" (2600-3400)

The Thought Ruler's attack was cut off as the Baboon literally squeezed its throat shut. With a mighty roar, the beast slammed the Synchro into the ground so hard it cratered. Seizing its dropped arrow, it roared again and drove the weapon into the other monster's head. It let out a strangled cry and exploded into dust. (ALP: 3400)

"And since Baboon destroyed a monster in battle, I can draw one card. " Ace did so, smirking. "Looks like I caught you off-guard."

"And yourself!" Kenshin called over, grinning mischievously. "You totally forgot you had that set card, didn't you?"

"D-did not! I was merely waiting for the best time to spring it!"

"Yeah-huuuuhh…"

The two Shadowchasers stuck their tongues out at each other again.

Jonathan coughed politely to get Ace's attention. "As entertaining as the two of you are, it is still my turn. So I set one card face-down and end it."

"Draw," Ace did so, already pointing at her Baboon. "Now I'm going to…"

Her voice trailed off as she caught sight of Alanna on Jonathan's shoulder, the cat's eyes definitely twinkling with mischief. "...not fall for your trap! Baboon does nothing!"

The great monster growled in confusion while Gyaku-Gire Panda stood up and Ace slapped down a monster card onto her disk. "I summon Chain Dog!" With a sharp bark, a dog wrapped in chains appeared on her field. (1600/1000)

"Alright, guys! Manticore of Darkness, Chain Dog and Gyaku-Gire Panda!" Ace snapped out a hand. "TRIPLE DIRECT ATTACK!"

Kenshin flinched as the three monsters literally stampeded over to Jonathan, swarming and attacking so fiercely that they vanished in a dust cloud. "I hope that suit is claw proof..." (ALP: 0)

"Awww...no fair!" Alanna's pout wafted out of the dust cloud as the holograms faded away, revealing Jonathan dusting himself off casually. "We had you with that card! How'd you guess?"

"It's alright, dear," Jonathan chuckled and rubbed her head. "You never could keep a poker face…"

"Hmmph," The cat merely pouted some more as Ace walked up to them.

The big man fished around in his suit jacket pocket before producing two rolls of chips and passing them to the Shadowchaser. "Congratulations on your win. That was a good duel,"

"You, too. It was a nice way to relax," Ace pocketed the chips, grinning. "And winning some new duds! Thanks! They're amazing!"

"You're welcome," Alanna preened again. "Just be sure to tell people were you got them, ya? Word of mouth is the best advertisement."

As she was pondering this, Alanna cast her gaze over to Kenshin. "And say hello to your teammates for me, dear. Tell them to drop by. Some of them, one especially who will remain nameless, could use a wardrobe makeover…"

"Yeah, well, clothes are pointless and fashion is overrated," Kenshin harrumphed back.

Alanna hissed at her. Kenshin hissed back.

"I suppose that's a good a cue as any to take our leave," Still chuckling, Jonathan picked up his suit case and donned a rather fashionable looking hat. "Good luck in the rest of the tournament, ladies!"

With that, he started humming a little tune and walked away, wife still riding his shoulder.

Ace watched them for a moment and then turned to Kenshin, cracking her knuckles with a grin on her face. "Okay, red. Now that that's over with, I'm going to –"

Suddenly, there was a soda can in her face. "...to..."

"Drink a soda!" Kenshin finished for her, shaking the can at her slightly. "C'mon! It's cold, even!"

"...yeah, sure," Ace took the drink and popped the tab, taking a long drink. True to Kenshin's words, the soda was cold. And refreshing. She hadn't realized how tired everything the day had made her. "Thanks."

She stopped to think for a minute.

Three-thousand… she thought. I'm more than halfway there… Wonder how far along she is.

She didn't mean Kenshin.

"No problem!" Kenshin wiped her lips after finishing her own and slung an arm around Ace's shoulders. "That was an awesome duel, by the way!"

"Yeah..." Ace blinked at the spirit's big, broad smile. "Ummm...weren't you making fun of me?"

"Only in good fun!" Kenshin looked a little sheepish. "Tsuki says I have a problem with 'poking sleeping lions with a stick'."

"I'm a lion, huh? Better than baboon, I guess," Ace took another drink of her soda. "You realize I'm going to have to hurt you, right?"

"Hey, hey, hey!" Kenshin waved the threat away. "I only do it 'cause I like you! You're like a female version of my teammate Tsubasa!"

"...uh, thanks, I think…" Ace grinned wickedly all of sudden and Kenshin yelped as the Las Vegas Shadowchaser put her in a headlock, digging her knuckles into the dense mane of Kenshin's hair. "Noogie!"

"Wahhhhh! No, no, no, no, no, no, no!" Kenshin flailed in protest before seizing Ace and flipping them over with one hand scrabbling over Ace's stomach. "You noogie me, I'll tickle you!"

"No... not if I –" Ace gave up trying to talk around her struggle to fight laughter and simply grabbled with the spirit, the two of them tumbling across the grass in a flurry of giggles and limbs.

When they finally came to a halt, Ace found herself on all fours above the spirits prone form, Kenshin's hair splayed out like she had landed in a puddle of it. "Oh..."

"Ahhh, wow Ace..." Kenshin's eyes sparkled and she put on a coy smile. "I'm attractive, but we only just met…"

"Wha – no, no, no, no!" Ace leapt back off of Kenshin, flailing and blushing madly. It quickly became a glare as Kenshin began to laugh uproariously. "You're horrible, you know that? Absolutely horrible!"

"I know!" Kenshin flipped herself to her feet as Ace stood. A broad smile still in place, she swooped upon the Las Vegas Shadowchaser with a hug. "Friends?"

"Yeah, friends," Ace couldn't resist smiling herself. "Even if you are obnoxious,"

"Yaayy!" Kenshin jumped back, doing a little dance. "I made a new friend!"

Ace stared. "You're also insane…"

There was a moment of silence as Kenshin froze in mid-dance and they stared at each other.

"...yaaaaayyy! I'm insane!"

"Oh god," Ace giggled a little bit. "You just can't help yourself, can you?"

"Nope!" Kenshin stopped dancing and produced her staff, which also had her backpack tied to the end and her Duel Board at her feet.

"...wait, we went into the ocean, how did those –"

Kenshin cut off Ace by holding out her fist. "See you in the finals?"

Ace stared at it and then grinned, bumping her fist against Kenshin. "See you in the finals!"

Beaming, Kenshin kicked her Duel Board onto the ground and hopped aboard. The device hummed to life, rising a half-foot in the air. "Oh by the way..."

"Yeah?"

"Check your Facebook!"

"Check my Face –" But Kenshin was already zipping away. Ace frowned and pulled out her phone. A few quick taps carried her to her Facebook page.

Where, prominently displayed, was a giant picture of Sephiroth and a comment that 'Ace' had apparently made of "My Number #1 Bishie Lover!"

And under that was a comment from Kyon. "Ace!? Who is this mysterious yet handsome gentlemen!? Why do you have a bit on the side?"

Ace stared for a long moment.

Then...

"KENSHIN! YOU COME BACK HERE SO I CAN KILL YOU!"

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In the meantime, Jalal was leaning on his head and drumming his fingers on the desk.

Lord, I hope he's not on some long trip right now… he thought.

Then he shook his head. For all he knew, Adrian could be in Eternal Spire of Nibelung right now. His schedule was sort of erratic.

He picked up the phone.

Maybe I should call Leslie while I'm at it, and hope she isn't somewhere I can't reach…

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Next:

Gomi: There was once a time when it wasn't hard to trust someone. You could count on someone to hold up his end of a bargain if he shook on it (or in some cases, "spat and shook on it"). Earning trust was easy way back when.

It's harder these days. Trust and respect has to be earned not just in word, but in deeds. And it's harder for some than others.

Katsuya Jonouchi was one guy who often found it hard to earn respect; the people he was close to knew he could be trusted, but the public was harder to convince, and as a result, he was often looked down on by his opponents. People like Insector Haga, "Dinosaur" Ryuzaki, Bandit Keith, and even that sleazy KaibaCorp lawyer Chikuzen Ooka. They thought he was a punk, an amateur, and a loser…

even after he beat them, in some cases, more than once. These guys had an odd way of defining "loser". Of course, this had little to do with the type of person Jonouchi was and the way they handled defeat: Very, very badly.

I've seen my share of sore losers myself. Guys who seem the biggest egotists when they win, taunting their opponent with unsportsmanlike gloating, but then acting like spoiled four-year-olds when they lose. The kids at the orphanage I visit behave better.

And some people who are sore losers as me and this fellow Shadowchaser I've just met… Their efforts to regain their wounded pride seem more serious than I ever imagined.

"Double Snare" is coming soon.