World Duel Carnival

by ZeXal Fanatic

Basically, this is my rendition on the World Duel Carnival! It's a fun little story full of twists, turns, and best of all, dueling!

35. Smells Like Keen Spirit

Chapter 35: Smells Like Keen Spirit

---

Gauche paced the floor uneasily as Droite watched him. He had been doing this for a good five minutes now without getting tired, which was more than the female onlooker could say.

His black shoes clicked and clacked in a harmonious, almost rhythmic pattern as Gauche took quick, but even strides around the room. Alternating between scratching his head, tapping his chin, and placing his hands behind his back as he ambled around, he tried his best to ponder every possible outcome of his situation.

"How do I tell him, Droite?" Gauche asked for what seemed like the tenth time (in his defense, it was only the eighth). His repetitive voice was beginning to sound like a broken record.

"Just be honest and tell Mr. Heartland that you don't want to continue this job anymore," she answered, growing bored of having to repeat her words to the man. "That's what you want, isn't it?"

"But if he needs proctors to administer a safe and friendly tournament environment, what if I'm abandoning him in the lurch?" questioned Gauche. "What if he can't find a replacement for me and cheaters start running amok?"

"How hard can it be to replace one proctor?" Droite shrugged. With a hint of a smile, she teased Gauche by adding, "Especially one of your caliber."

"Oh, ha ha," Gauche pretended to laugh. "I'm serious! I don't know what I should do. The chances of me getting my rematch with Yuma Tsukumo are slim to none if I continue this gig."

"If that's the case," said Droite, exhaling her breath upward and making her bangs move lightly, "then you know what to do. If your duel against that kid won't come to you, you'll have to seek it out on your own by entering the World Duel Carnival."

"It appears that that's the only way at this moment," Gauche sighed, defeated by logic. This was why he was a much bigger fan of action than thought.

Droite nodded, her smile retracting. Her face once again had its usual, distant expression. She liked it better that way because it made it incredibly difficult for people to read her emotions, to know what she was thinking.

"Droite…"

"Yes?" she replied.

"Will you accompany me?" Gauche sheepishly asked, his voice growing rather soft and pleading. "If I get the permission from Mr. Heartland that I need in order to enter the World Duel Carnival as a participant…will you join me?"

Droite turned her head quickly to Gauche. Oddly enough, she had been so wrapped up in helping him with his problem that she had overlooked her own situation. Was she to remain a proctor and maintain the peace and serenity of the tournament on her own, or would she too join the fight and aim for the finals.

"I…do not know," she truthfully revealed.

"Please, think about it," Gauche requested. "I'm going to ask Mr. Heartland for permission in ten minutes. If you've made your choice by then, I'll be in his office to discuss it with him."

Droite gave a non-verbal nod. She too was a proponent of the dispute that actions spoke louder than words.

Gauche nodded too before turning around. As he reached the door to the dimly lit room, he turned the knob slightly. Looking forward, just before opening the exit way, he broke the silence suddenly.

"Thank you for being a loyal partner during this tournament, Droite," he said. "Whatever your choice, it has been a pleasure to work with you. You and I together again…like old times."

Gauche looked down at his feet, imagining the life he and Droite used to share. He recalled those long nights in which they get caught in the torrents of rain with no home to go to. He recounted those times when lightning would strike and Droite would hold onto him for protection.

He scoffed at it now, almost embarrassed by his irregular childhood. Certainly, most children didn't have to face living on the streets.

But even through all those rough patches in his life, Gauche still considered the good times to heavily outweigh the bad.

His mind brought him back to the summer where he and Droite spent most of the daytime trying to catch butterflies, Droite's favorite animal, with their hands. The laughter they had shared on those days…It was a relic that was unforgettable, something that he was sure to cherish for a while.

Snapping back into the harsh reality of the current world, Gauche shook his head and remembered where he was. He tilted his head back up to see the door was now open, although he had no recollection of opening it.

With one deep inhalation through his nostrils, Gauche took a step outside of the room.

"Farewell…Droite," he uttered before the squeaky door closed behind him softly, leaving the purple-haired analyst to contemplate.

---

True to his word, once ten minutes had transpired, Gauche found himself standing in front of Mr. Heartland's door. Truth be told, he was thinking of aborting his plan because his mouth was becoming unbelievably parched and his knees were wobbling like jelly.

He reached out his hand to grip the doorknob, but retracted it quickly, as though the object was fatal and hazardous. His palms dripped with sweat and it didn't help his image much when he tried rubbing them dry on his shirt.

Taking short labored breaths, he tried again. This time, his hand was able to grab hold of the handle, but he found turning it to be the new task at hand.

"Come on, Gauche," he said to himself in frustration. "If you ever want to get that rematch, you've got to do this now. For the rematch, for the rematch…"

He had to continue to remind himself that as he slowly turned the knob. Grinding his teeth from anxiety, Gauche shakily jiggled the knob before pushing the door open ever so slowly.

Mr. Heartland, who had been scrawling something on one of the hundreds of blank pieces of paper at his mahogany desk, looked up from the parchment at the entrance to his domain.

"Who is it?" he asked hesitantly, his left hand sliding down underneath his desk where a large, red button was located. Naturally, it would sound an alarm that would send a pseudo-SWAT team of workers to his office in a heartbeat, assuming the person at that door was an unwanted visitor. Being a mayor in all, he wasn't unused to someone being at odds with his more radical policies.

"Mr. Heartland…" came a familiar voice accompanied by the appearance of a familiar face.

"Oh, it's just you, Gauche," exhaled the edgy town mayor, sliding his hand back onto his desk before cupping the two together and staring at the man. He sat back in his claret chair, stretching his back in his green business suit. Parting his hair, he asked, "Did you want something?"

Now or never…Gauche told himself, taking one moment to survey the room. He had been in here enough times to recognize that everything seemed to be in order. After all, the room was mainly filled with different monitor screens that showed the locations of the more important duelists in the tournament. What Mr. Heartland needed them for, Gauche never understood. He found that some things were easier to just accept rather than argue.

Nevertheless, those weren't what he was looking for. He frowned as he noticed that the room, save for himself and Mr. Heartland and himself, was devoid of any other life.

So she's not here…Gauche sullenly comprehended. What a shame.

"I asked if you wanted anything, Gauche," reminded Mr. Heartland, his voice patient.

"Yes, there is something that I came in here for," Gauche owned up.

"What would that be?"

"I've come to ask for your permission in joining the World Duel Carnival," came the outburst from Gauche's mouth.

Mr. Heartland momentarily looked down at the piece of paper on his desk. Gauche followed the man's gaze.

"Permission to enter the World Duel Carnival?" he repeated.

"T-That's right," Gauche corroborate. "I want to prove my worth by being one of the finalists…"

Mr. Heartland took a deep breath and rose from his seat. Walking over to Gauche, he locked eyes with the man. Unbeknownst to Gauche, Mr. Heartland understood the real reason behind this declaration. Yuma Tsukumo…

That's his aim, he knew all too well. Gauche wants his rematch against that Yuma Tsukumo boy. But, if he does win against him, that will be another Number card in our possession. And if Kaito wasn't able to defeat him, maybe Gauche can.

"If that's how you really feel," smiled Mr. Heartland, resting his hands on Gauche's muscular shoulders, "then I support your choice wholeheartedly. However…"

Gauche's smile faltered at that last word. However, he repeated in his head.

"However," continued Mr. Heartland, "it would be a shame for me to lose one of my finest proctors, don't you agree? But I'll tell you what…"

He walked back to his desk and opened the bottom drawer. Fishing through the contents inside, his hand finally made a reemergence as he lifted two items which he was searching for.

Gauche instantly identified them as a deck box along with a boxy D-Pad. His eyes opened in understandment.

"You want to duel against me for my right to participate?" he questioned.

"That's correct," Mr. Heartland beamed. "Paperwork is so boring, so I'm going to take a break and give you a chance to fulfill your goals. What do you say? You win and you have my participation approval."

Gauche debated it inside his head. Unfortunately, it seemed like Mr. Heartland would be unwilling to settle this any other way, so it looked like he was stuck with only one choice.

"Alright then…You've got yourself a…"

Gauche turned his head as a knock on the door came from behind him. Mr. Heartland also shifted his gaze.

Both men watched as Droite's high heels hit the ground with a "click" when she took a couple steps forward. She looked at Gauche for a second before her eyes slid to the right to meet with Mr. Heartland's body.

"Droite!" exclaimed Heartland's overseer. "What an unexpected surprise. Did you come to ask for permission to join the World Duel Carnival too?"

"That's correct," she verified, causing Gauche to smile.

So she came after all, he thought, overwhelming relieved by this exposure.

"You're just in time then," Mr. Heartland proceeded. "Gauche and I were just about to duel for his entry into the tournament, but now that you're here…"

A fun idea ran through his head as he outstretched his arms theatrically. He raised one finger to the sky.

"I propose that we have a two on one duel! If you two win, you're both allowed to partake in the festivities!"

Droite and Gauche both gasped, obviously shocked by this proposition. Was Mr. Heartland serious? Did he really mean that he would take both of them on at the same time?

"Well, that is what you two want, isn't it?" he interrogated. "This way, it'll be easier for you to accomplish your goal! So, how about it?"

Droite looked back, exchanging an uncertain look with Gauche. He met her glance with an eager face. Whatever Mr. Heartland threw at them, Gauche knew he'd be okay if he had Droite by his side.

"We accept," she said, turning back to Mr. Heartland.

"Magnificent!" applauded the overdramatic man. "Before we begin, do you two mind relocating? If this place gets trashed, I'm the one who's going to be stuck picking up the pieces."

---

"Ready?" asked Mr. Heartland, as he took a whiff of the Heartland City Park air. It smelled crisp and pure, despite the fact that numerous buildings surrounding the natural preserve of land emitted bulky clouds of unhealthy smog.

The sunset at this time of day was a beautiful thing, but given the ultimatum that the two proctors had, they weren't exactly allowed to enjoy it. Nevertheless, the last bits of radiating sun warmed the crooks of their necks.

"Yeah," Gauche announced.

"Yes," Droite seconded.

"Great!" cheered the zealous man as he unfolded his D-Pad and placed it haphazardly on his arm.

"You know how to work one of those things, right?" inquired Gauche.

"Admittedly, it's been a while," Mr. Heartland chuckled, clicking a button on his glasses that allowed him to see the AR Vision in the duel. He adjusted his D-Pad so that it fit more snuggly, although that wasn't exactly saying much.

"D-Pad, set! D-Gazer, set!" Gauche and Droite chanted together.

For the former duelist, blazing, virtual flames coated his arm before his D-Pad of the same design materialized on his arm. Then, a pink marking appeared underneath one of his eyes.

For the latter duelist, purple specks of light shot down her arm, morphing into an hourglass shape that appeared in the form of a butterfly wing styled D-Pad. Like Gauche, a blotch appeared underneath one of her eyes as well, albeit this one was blue.

"Duel!" all three shouted in unison as they picked up five cards each.

Droite & Gauche – 8000 LP

Mr. Heartland – 8000 LP

"Since you initiated this duel, how about you go first?" offered Gauche, pointing to the mayor.

"If that's what you wish," Mr. Heartland nodded. "Is that alright with you, Droite?"

The woman nodded, her violet bangs masking her pupils.

"Very well!" Mr. Heartland agreed, making his draw.

Gazing at the six cards in hand his, he looked back up and shocked his opponents by saying two words they certainly didn't expect.

"Turn end."

"Are you serious?" Gauche inquired.

"You're going to end your turn without playing any cards?" Droite interrogated further.

"That correct," confirmed Mr. Heartland. "Since this duel is a two on one, the rules state that each player must wait one turn until they're able to launch attacks. As such, by the time my turn comes again, my life points will remain untouched."

Droite bit the inside of her lip slightly, a tad concerned by such a bold declaration. It was one thing to pass a turn, but when a player had a full hand and an open amount of strategies, it was a completely different story.

Gauche instead stood scratching his head, confusing evident on his face. Truth be told, Mr. Heartland had always struck him as odd, eccentric even…but to end his turn like this? He had never witnessed the man with the orange glasses duel before, and with a move like this, he questioned if Mr. Heartland had ever had a previous duel.

"Well then," Mr. Heartland smirked with open arms, "let's continue, shall we? Ladies first, Droite."

He bowed and gave the young woman a wink while maintaining his eerie smile.

Droite's emotional state remained the same as she tilted her head to look at Gauche. He offered to her a small grin of his own and nodded his head.

Although she wasn't the world's biggest advocate of feminism, there was something demeaning about her being allowed to go before her partner based on her gender. Nevertheless, she returned Gauche's nod and placed two purplish acrylic nails atop her deck.

"In that case, it's my turn!" declared the independent woman. "Draw!"

As she drew her card, she picked another one in her hand that would set her plan into motion. She already knew what to do…It was all a matter of if Gauche could keep up.

"I summon Phantom Butterfly Assassin Morpho in Attack Position!"

Beauteous dark blue wings tinged with black hind wing fringes pushed against the air, lifting up the butterfly woman with the pointy abdomen. She steadied the two green pickaxes in her hands, aiming them at Mr. Heartland's head. (1200 ATK)

"Furthermore," proceeded Droite, "because I just Normal Summoned a monster to my side of the field, I can Special Summon the Phantom Butterfly Assassin Ulysses!"

Another monster appeared to the right of Morpho. At first glance it appeared to be a pretty similar version of the first butterfly, although there were a few minor cosmetic differences upon closer inspection. For instance, the wings were tinted a more refreshing mint green. Additionally, as opposed to pickaxes, this new monster carried with it two double-pronged skewers connected by what appeared to be a cherry-colored orb. (0 ATK)

"Alright, Droite!" praised Gauche, his spirit flaring. "It's time to show 'em how it's done!"

"With these two monsters," shouted the woman as she raised her hand upward, "I will now construct the overlay network! Xyz Summon!"

Both monsters compressed into balls of light before becoming one. Emerging from the standard red Xyz portal was Droite's favorite monster, Photon Butterfly Assassin, who was now wearing both overlay units as a gravitating belt. The female monster with the three foot long wingspan flapped her majestic appendages to keep afloat. Bright blue shone from her arms as she juggled her spiked armaments. (2100 ATK)

"Photon Butterfly Assassin!"

"Oh?" Mr. Heartland mused. "Photon Butterfly Assassin…"

I'd expect nothing less from her, smiled Gauche as a feeling of pride for his teammate swept over him like tumbleweeds in a ghost town.

"Lastly, I'll set this card facedown," concluded the calculative beauty as she did just that. "I'll end my turn with that."

Gauche and Mr. Heartland looked from Droite's facedown card to each other, each one wondering who would go next. After five seconds of complete silence, Mr. Heartland adjusted his glasses and put his hand out for Gauche.

"After you," he implored. "I insist."

"If you say so," chuckled the purple-eyed proctor. "It's my draw!"

As Gauche picked up a card of his own, he started to weigh his options. He looked to Droite's field, remembering the facedown card and the Xyz Monster before turning back to his hand.

"If she's going all-out, then I'll do the same," he thought aloud. Firmly grasping the card he had most recently drawn, Gauche elevated the paper rectangle and forcibly slammed it on his D-Pad with enough force to nearly break the contraption. "I Special Summon my Sword Bouncer!"

Two sword blades popped out of the ground, each one making two three-foot incisions in the ground, one vertical and one horizontal. The result of the slicing was a 3x3 opening in the ground, a passageway that the monster underneath the earth used to leap out. Hurdling from underground was a spotted, anthropomorphic bobcat wearing a loose-fitting ashen turban and a thawb robe of the same color. The Arabian-inspired Bouncer lugged around two silver scimitars, one in each hand. (2000 ATK)

"This card can be Special Summoned to my field when I have no monsters," Gauche stated while dropping a card into his discard slot. "Of course, I have to discard one Bouncer monster as well, but it's worth it."

A Level 6 monster? Mr. Heartland deduced in his head. Could he be going for his ace monster too?

"Moreover, I've still got my Normal Summon. You're up, Blade Bouncer!"

Gauche's famous Blade Bouncer, master of the one-turn-kills, appeared beside Sword Bouncer. The pink blades on the panther's wrist glinted as the animal in control of them snarled ferally. (1800 ATK)

"And next," Gauche said as he picked up the card he had sent to the Graveyard seconds before, "I can use the effect of the Advance Bouncer in my Graveyard!"

Behind Gauche's Blade Bouncer came the ghostly outline of another creature. A shaggy brown mane surrounded a droopy lion face as another animal became slightly more visible. From what was seeable, the beast wore an airy toga and a crown made of olive leaves. Truth be told, the card's image was like one big allusion to an animalistic Julius Caesar. The beast, who was more than likely drunk, staggered as he took a few steps closer to Blade Bouncer, waving around a golden chalice that rested in his paws. (900 ATK)

"Due to Advance Bouncer's effect, I'm able to Tribute one Bouncer monster on my side of the field in order to Advance Summon a Bouncer monster from my hand," explained Gauche as his Blade Bouncer vanished suddenly. "Therefore, I'll get rid of Blade Bouncer to play my Phantom Bouncer!"

In place of Blade Bouncer now crouched the excited man's tough cougar monster. The joints of the red-eyed mountain cat popped audibly as it straightened its knees and positioned itself in an upright position. (2400 ATK)

Droite could only simper as she watched Gauche perform his plays exquisitely. There was something about his precision that was admirable. But there was something more too…

"Activate, Spell!" proclaimed Gauche as his turn droned on. "Bouncer Payment!"

A tiny cumulus cloud opened up in the sky above Gauche's head. As though a barrage of raindrops were about to fall from the amorphous blur, the cloud darkened. However, the only thing that rained down from the accumulation of water vapor was a torrent of gold coins. Gauche picked one up and flipped it unworriedly before elaborating.

"Bouncer Payment allows me one free draw for each Level 5 and above Bouncer Monsters I've summoned this turn!"

Gauche reached for the second card from the top of his deck and pulled it out of his D-Pad. The first one instantly came off too.

"Next, since I've got two Level 6 monsters now, I'll construct the overlay network with them!" chanted Gauche. "Xyz Summon!"

Falling down from the swirling vortex that lined the sky was the burly, doglike monster in the streamlined crimson armor. This was oddly enough contrasted by the particles of cyan blue that flared up the being's arms. Shrugging its overgrown shoulders, the scarlet titan growled menacingly, its bloodshot eyes fixated on Mr. Heartland. (2700 ATK)

"Photon Streak Bouncer!"

"Ah, yes," reminisced Mr. Heartland. "I remember that one too."

"To conclude," finalized Gauche, "I'll set this card facedown and end my turn!"

Much like Droite, the only other card under Gauche's immediate possession, save for his ace Xyz Monster, was a reversed card.

"Come on, Heartland," Gauche prodded excitedly. "Show us that spirit of yours!"

"With pleasure," Mr. Heartland grinned, touching the top card of his deck. "It's my turn again! Draw!"

As he picked up his card and examined his hand, Droite and Gauche exchanged a look. Gauche smiled widely at the woman while Droite's beautiful eyes seemed to give him a signal. She knew very well that they were both thinking the same thing.

Although we've never seen Mr. Heartland duel, she thought…

We know what kind of deck he uses, Gauche smirked, as though he and his proctor partner were sharing a telepathic connection. As well as every card that's in it, like the backs of our hands.

"Decisions, decisions," came Mr. Heartland's exhausted voice. "So much to do, so little cards…"

"Well, we ain't got all day," muttered Gauche under his breath.

"What was that?" Mr. Heartland questioned.

"I said take your time," lied Gauche, stuttered through the first couple of words.

"No need," replied the man with the green hair as he raised a card in his hand. Sliding it into his Spell/Trap Zone, he said, "I activate the Spell Card known as Photon Sanctuary!"

"Photon!?" Droite and Gauche shouted in unison. This was not the deck they recalled…

"You got it," winked Mr. Heartland as he pointed to his new Spell Card. "I figured Kaito wouldn't mind me giving his deck a spin. After all, I did help to co-create it…

"Anyway, through the power of Photon Sanctuary, I'm allowed to immediately Special Summon 2 Photon Tokens to my side of the field!"

Two similar orbs floated in front of Mr. Heartland, expelling the same light blue hue of energy that the two Xyz Monsters on the field shared in common. (0 DEF x 2)

Photons, huh? Gauche thought, a sly smile crossing his face. Alright…It'll give me some practice in case I have to go up against Kaito's deck…that is, after I beat Yuma Tsukumo and the Original Number before him! Bring it on, Heartland!

Droite looked at the two Photon Tokens, thinking about whom they belonged to. She remained silent, her face unmoving.

"Now that I've got two perfectly useable monsters," Mr. Heartland spoke, clearing his throat, "I can get rid of them both for a Tribute Summon of my own. Be gone my Photon Tokens and arise now…Photon Wyvern!"

An inferno of blue flame engulfed the two spheres of photonic light as a monster melded from the heat. Thin, chartreuse wings complimented the reptilian body of a dragon headed monster. A lengthy tongue wriggled from the roaring wyvern's mouth. Slithering back and forth underneath the creature was its golden tail, which was perhaps the only feature on the beast that appeared to be made of something other than fire. (2500 ATK)

Both Gauche and Droite released their held breaths. When they saw that the monster wasn't Galaxy-Eyes, a feeling of elation washed over like a tidal wave.

"I wouldn't be so relieved just yet," sniggered Mr. Heartland. "After all, Photon Wyvern still has an effect of his own."

The heraldic-based monster in question bellowed deafeningly as the flames coating it rose up. Mr. Heartland wiped a couple droplets of sweat from his brow before pointing to Gauche, or rather, the card resting behind Photon Streak Bouncer.

"When Normal Summoned, as he just was," educated the man in the business suit, "Photon Wyvern can then destroy all Set cards that are under the control of one of my opponent's. Gauche…that would be you!"

Photon Wyvern's tongue made its reappearance, this time dripping flaming saliva of sorts. Collecting enough of the hot moisture on its tongue, Photon Wyvern then launched a fireball at Gauche's facedown card.

"As if I'd allow you to do that!" Gauche intercepted. "Photon Streak Bouncer's effect now activates which negates your effect and deals you 1000 damage!"

Gauche's beast whipped its head back before emitting an earsplitting mixture of a bark and a howl. The air pressure created by the attack was potent enough to manifest itself in the air and propel the oncoming fireball retrograde. As the ball of fire exploded, a tiny ember scorched a strand of Mr. Heartland's hair. Patting it down quickly, he was able to prevent major damage.

"I would have thought you'd remember that effect," Gauche admitted. "After all, you were the one that gave me this deck."

Mr. Heartland laughed, seemingly amused by Gauche's statement.

"I must be getting forgetful in my age," he said. "But if I recall correctly, neither of your monsters can stop me from completing my battles!"

He pointed to Droite's Photon Butterfly Assassin and Photon Wyvern shot another fireball at the insect-woman. Her eyes enlarged as she watched the attack hurdle closer to her. However, Droite merely smirked as she went to press a button on her D-Pad.

"I activate…" she began before a louder, more dominant voice overpowered her words.

"Trap, activate!" Gauche yelled. "Bouncer Guard!"

In a moment's notice, the direction of the fireball sharply curved to the left. Droite and Mr. Heartland gasped as the sphere of flame readily approached Photon Strike Bouncer instead.

"Due to the effect of Bouncer Guard," enlightened Gauche, "one Bouncer monster on my side of the field becomes the target of all attacks during this turn! Therefore, your Photon Wyvern with an attacking power of 2500 is now up against my Photon Streak Bouncer who has strength of 2700!"

A heroic Gauche laughed heartily as Photon Streak Bouncer caught the fireball in one hand and began squeezing it dry.

"So in other words," Mr. Heartland assessed, "my monster will end up being the one destroyed."

"You got it," Gauche verified.

"In that case," sighed the man as he slipped another card into his D-Pad, "I've got to do something about that. Because it's now the Damage Step, I'll activate my Photon Trident!"

"Oh no…" Droite gulped.

"When used, Photon Trident temporarily increases the ATK of my Photon Wyvern by 700 until the end of the turn!"

"No way!" huffed Gauche, gawking at the fireball in his monster's grasp.

Instantly the scorching hot circle morphed into a sharp, three-horned trident. (2500 – 3200 ATK)

The immediateness of the transformation caught Photon Streak Bouncer off-guard, and the monster howled in pain as its fingers were jabbed with the sharp ends of the weapon. Gauche too felt a bout of pain in his left arm as he received the backlash.

"However," he grunted, "because I activated Bouncer Guard, my Photon Streak Bouncer is unable to be destroyed in battle during this turn!"

"Be that as it may," Mr. Heartland shrugged, a playful look on his face, "because the monster that received Photon Trident's boost inflicted damage to you, I can now destroy one Spell or Trap on the field! Yours will do nicely, Droite!"

Bracing herself from the impact, Droite raised her arms up to cover her face. Although her vision was impaired by doing so, she could clearly see another trident jamming itself into her Trap Card. It lifted momentarily, revealing Scales of Subordination to the two men.

"That might have been trouble," chuckled Mr. Heartland, quickly understanding what the card could have done. "That could have switched my attacking Wyvern to Defense Position, as well as theoretically given you complete control of it…It's rather fortunate for me that Gauche decided to intervene though."

"Yes, it is," Droite grimaced, her vocal tone upset. She turned to Gauche, but he averted his gaze from her. She could be rather frightening at times…

"To conclude," Mr. Heartland coughed, earning the attention of both proctors, "I'll set two cards facedown!"

The backs of two vertical cards formed in front of the businessman. As this event happened, some of the burning blue flames on Photon Wyvern's wings died down. (3200 – 2500 ATK)

Droite & Gauche – 7500 LP

Mr. Heartland – 7000 LP

Droite inhaled deeply and fixed her wrinkled business suit before drawing the top card of her deck quietly.

Berserk Scales, she thought as she looked at the card. With this, I can add an additional 1000 ATK to my Photon Butterfly Assassin, which would make it more powerful than Mr. Heartland's Photon Wyvern. However, if those facedown cards are designed to counteract that scenario, I have to gain the upper hand first!

"Phantom Butterfly Assassin Apollo, I summon you!"

Stunning white wings glistened as the insect they were attached to fully formed. A fairly human-sized charcoal black body was kept aloft by the wings and kept in the know by a pair of antennae atop the dark head. Red, meteor-shaped circles neatly covered the otherwise white wings that appeared to be secreting nectar of some sort. (1500 ATK)

"Whenever it's summoned," clarified Droite as her monster glided on the air over to Mr. Heartland's side of the field, leaving the town mayor in a state of mystification, "Phantom Butterfly Assassin Apollo is able to target one set card and make it unable to be activated during this turn."

Droite motioned to the card directly behind Photon Wyvern and watched with a small smile of satisfaction as her butterfly unloaded a huge glob of nectar onto the card. After quickly hardening, Mr. Heartland glared, finding himself stuck with a provisionally frozen card.

"Now," Droite continued, finally managing a full smile, "I'll activate my Berserk Scales Spell, which will power my Photon Butterfly Assassin by 1000!"

A hot-blooded crimson coursed through the wings of Droite's favorite monster. The photonic blue parts of her skin were then altered to match that color. (2100 – 3100 ATK)

Droite looked at Mr. Heartland's other facedown apprehensively, but shook her head. Although Gauche's reckless playing had impaired them earlier, she was quick to recall that this duel was more for him than herself. And that meant that she would try to help him achieve that goal through all means possible…

"Photon Butterfly Assassin…Attack Photon Wyvern now! Butterfly Death Dance!"

The monster hollered "Butter…Fly" before a rainbow glow overtook her body. Her figure began to blur as she shook violently. Mr. Heartland them found himself twisting his neck all around as another copy of the Xyz Monster appeared followed by another. Soon enough, there were seven different Photon Assassins, each one a different predominant color of the rainbow. They all flew over to Photon Wyvern, but it was the original one who was now a pure yellow color that led the rest of the clones.

"Sorry," apologized Mr. Heartland as he bowed his head, his free facedown rising, "but I'm going to have to clip your Butterfly's wings! Trap activate, Photon Current!"

Gauche glowered at the man while Droite looked to the ground in a bitter self-frustration. They knew what this meant all too well.

"Photon Current activates only when a LIGHT, Dragon-Type monster that I control is attacked," Mr. Heartland succinctly summarized. "Since those conditions are met, that monster then gains the ATK score of your attacking monster for the remainder of the battle!"

A ray of light shot from the card and blanketed Photon Wyvern. A halo materialized above the mythical creature's flaming cranium. Unexpectedly, right as Photon Butterfly Assassin's assault neared the wyvern, the halo created an impregnable wall in front of it. Photon Butterfly Assassin ran into the barrier, her face smashing against the invisible divider. While in a daze, Photon Wyvern took advantage of the situation by incinerating the monster with a supernova of heat. (2500 – 5600 ATK)

Droite felt the same hot sting as her monster as the remaining flames shot back to her. Although she covered herself, the whirlwind of fire still swept her off her feet and pushed her back on the ground. Thankfully, she landed softly, more or less, on her bottom as her clothes absorbed a great deal of the impact.

"Droite!" shouted Gauche.

Mr. Heartland watched the woman's misery with a haunting smile as he pushed his glasses up further on his slender nose. Meanwhile, his Photon Wyvern's ATK reverted to its norm of 2500.

"Tsk, Droite," he chuckled to himself. "So reckless. That's very unlike you."

"C'mon and get up, Droite!" Gauche urged, ignoring his boss. "We can still win this duel!"

The woman held her backside with one hand while turning to face Gauche. Concern for her safety was clearly evident in his face. She perceptually noticed that his breathing had seemed to accelerate too.

She couldn't help but think back to her childhood with Gauche, when it was she that normally wore this type of face. Gauche had always been the one that was there for her, rain or shine. No matter what the situation, he would always protect her from the fears, harsh realities, and pains of the world. And that was why…that was why she felt such a need to fight by his side, no matter what the outcome.

Although it wasn't the most enjoyable act, Droite fought through the pain and moved to her knees before transitioning to her feet.

"I…will set one card and end my turn," she muttered.

A facedown appeared behind her only remaining butterfly whilst the nectar covering Mr. Heartland's facedown card melted away.

Droite & Gauche – 5000 LP

Mr. Heartland – 7000 LP

Attagirl, Droite, Gauche thought with a grin before balling one of his hands into a fist. "Now leave the rest to me!"

Droite nodded and both she and Mr. Heartland turned their attention to the man in the cranberry coat.

"Time to show you my true spirit!" Gauche announced to his tough opponent. "My draw!"

As he picked up another card from his deck, his lips moved in excitement, revealing two rows of shiny, white teeth.

"That's what I'm talking about!" he applauded optimistically as he turned over the card he had drawn. "I summon my Club Bouncer!"

A white gateway opened up on the ground just long enough for an animal to crawl out. Jumping down on all four paws was a ferocious looking snow leopard wearing a slanted, tattered robe and a shabby loincloth that indicated an homage to Neanderthals. Jutting from the monster's back, slung from the robe, was the butt of a weapon. The leopard stood up on its dominant two legs and retrieved the weapon which was revealed to be a wooden club. (1000 ATK)

Droite gave Gauche a curious look. She had yet to see this Bouncer.

"Is that so?" Mr. Heartland chuckled, his glasses shining as he tilted his head downward.

"You betcha!" Gauche smirked. "Just wait until you see what it can do! I attack Photon Wyvern with my Club Bouncer!"

"With Club Bouncer?" Droite immediately reacted. "Why would you do such a thing?"

"'Cause whenever Club Bouncer attacks a monster," Gauche jested giddily, "when the Damage Step starts, my Bouncer can destroy that attack target instantly! Although we'll receive damage equal to half of that destroyed monster's ATK, that nuisance of a Photon will be gone for good!"

The snow leopard growled fiercely before dropping down on its four paws again. Making a mad dash for Photon Wyvern, the leopard exerted most of its energy reaching Mr. Heartland's field. With the last of its reserved vigor, it reached for its weapon. Unfortunately, Mr. Heartland had other plans.

"If it needs to be the Damage Step for your monster's effect to occur," he sneered, "then I won't give you the chance! Trap activate! Photonize!"

Five light blue rays of light shot from Mr. Heartland's Trap and were absorbed into Photon Wyvern's turquoise scales.

"Due to Photonize, your Club Bouncer's attack is negated. Furthermore, my Photon Wyvern gains ATK equal to your Club Bouncer's power!"

Photon Wyvern gave another shriek as it grew in size. (2500 – 3500 ATK)

"Looks like that ends your Battle Phase," Mr. Heartland condescendingly reminded Gauche. "That is, unless you would like to attack my Wyvern with your Streak Bouncer."

Gauche's brow furrowed in aggravation, but gave a submissive sigh as he picked up one of the two cards in his hand. An augmented card digitalized behind Club Bouncer.

"I'm gonna set this facedown and end my turn there."

"Then it goes back to me," Mr. Heartland said, pointing a finger at himself. "My turn! Draw!"

Picking up another card, he gave a delighted expression when he saw what it was.

"Fantastic!" he proclaimed as he flipped the card over, revealing it to be a Spell. "I will now activate Photon Risk and with it comes the ability to flip over the top card of my deck. If it happens to be either a Level 4 or 8 Photon monster, I can draw either one or two cards respectively. If not, my hand goes to the Graveyard."

"He's placing the outcome of a card on a gamble?" Droite asked no one in particular.

"Heh…He's got some balls," Gauche smirked. "I'll give him that."

"Time to find out if this works or not, don't you think?" intruded Mr. Heartland, his hand on the top card of his deck.

Droite and Gauche dropped their jaws when Mr. Heartland turned over the top card of his deck, revealing it to the Photon Kaiser.

"What luck!" he exclaimed. "Photon Kaiser, who is a Level 8 Monster, is now sent to my Graveyard, and I draw two new cards in exchange!"

After dumping the monster in his discard slot, Mr. Heartland made two draws.

Excellent, he thought as he noticed the two cards out of the corner of his eye. He snatched one of them with his other hand before turning it around so that the image could face the two tournament proctors.

"I'm now going to call upon the assistance of this handy Spell…Galaxy Expedition!"

His malicious eyes and ill-intent were concealed by his luminous glasses. Nonetheless, he continued.

"Galaxy Expedition is activated when I'm in control of a high Level Photon or Galaxy monster, my Photon Wyvern in this case. Since that's so, I'm now allowed to automatically summon another high Level monster from my deck!"

Mr. Heartland looked down at his D-Pad as a card slid out from his deck zone. Without looking, he swiped it and chanted while throwing it down horizontally.

"Incarnation of light, descend now! Appear before us!"

A tiny, blue dot appeared in the dead center of the arena. The blip began to rotate around and around slowly as hundreds of tiny particles started gravitating towards it. The dot began to feed on the particles of cyan light until it morphed into a jewel that was infused into the heart of a pointy, red cross. More particles started to develop an attraction to the cross as the connected together to create two arms, two legs, two wings, and one snaking tail. The cross expanded, accompanying for this new body until all the pieces connected together. A draconic head shot up from the gem, completing the ensemble. The familiar creature roared rebelliously. (2500 DEF)

"The true backbone of the Photons! Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon!"

"Galaxy-Eyes…" Droite and Gauche both muttered.

There had been a time long beforehand, before the World Duel Carnival had been thought up, that they had once fought alongside this fearsome creature. But they never once imagined that they'd have to be going face-to-face with it like this.

"This feeling…" Gauche said, looking down at his tingling arms. "It's…it's a rush!"

Droite held a hand over her chest as she stared at Galaxy-Eyes. The monster stared back.

"Due to Galaxy Expedition," publicized Mr. Heartland, "Galaxy-Eyes is obligated to be summoned in Defense Position."

He chose another card from his hand.

"However…I have something for that! Come out, Photon Satellite!"

A rather unimpressive looking satellite floated down from the heavens on the right side of Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon. Periwinkle solar panels that extended no more than five feet were connected to the main photonic generator powering the monster. The only other noteworthy segment of the monster was the fuel tank, which ran on the standard light blue glow as the rest of the Photon archetype. (0 ATK)

"Then I activate the effect of my Satellite!" proceeded Mr. Heartland, pointing to the spacecraft. "By selecting my Photon Wyvern, I can equalize its Level as well as the Level of my Satellite by combining the values together! Simply put, if this goes through, my Photons Satellite and Wyvern will both be Level 8, the same as Galaxy-Eyes!"

Mr. Heartland raised his head, for once exposing his eyes.

"Do I hear any objections?" he asked, cupping a hand to his right ear and leaning his head closer to his employees. His eyes were mainly focused on Gauche, or rather, Photon Streak Bouncer.

The man with the blazing spirit narrowed his eyes, understanding Mr. Heartland's mind games. If he were to use Photon Streak Bouncer's effect then and there, he could potentially prevent an Xyz Summon with the three monster, additionally rendering the Photon Satellite with 0 ATK useless.

However, the factors that were excluded in that scenario were the two remaining cards in Mr. Heartland's hand. If they somehow involved Level manipulation, that plan would have been all for naught.

Gauche clenched his fists, feeling the pressure of the duel on his shoulders. It was possible that the outcome of the whole match would be decided based on Gauche's choice, which made the man in question rather hesitant to declare anything prematurely.

The confused man pouted, looking to his dueling and business partner. She looked back with a sense of understanding, but no solution to the problem. She simply nodded in a manner that said it all.

'Whatever you do, I'll support you,' said the gesture.

Gauche nodded back and gulped. He crossed his fingers, hoping that his choice would be the right one.

"I…will activate the effect of my Photon Streak Bouncer," he shouted while sending the Phantom Bouncer underneath his monster to the cemetery, "thereby negating the effect of your Photon Satellite! Streak Break!"

The fiendish hellhound widened the scope of its mouth before emitting an obnoxious howl. The piercing noise disrupted Photon Satellite's frequency before slightly cracking the left lens of Mr. Heartland's glasses through the AR Vision. The man felt his minty hair whip in the wind as the howl died down.

"What a shame," sighed the middle-aged man overdramatically. "I guess I'll just have to do this instead…Polymerization, activate!"

A bright wormhole made of two bright colors, aquamarine and tangelo, appeared behind Mr. Heartland's monsters. The powerful pull of the wormhole was strong enough to entice Photon Satellite and Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon, but not the mighty Photon Wyvern.

"With this card, I will fuse together my Photon Satellite and Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon to recreate an all-powerful Fusion Summon! Be born, Twin Photon Lizard!"

The multihued rift in the continuum spat out a fresh, reptilian monster. The creature looked like the result of a kindergarten finger-painting assignment gone awry if the teacher were to give the students condiments instead of crayons. A ketchup-red color coated most of the body from the middle to the right while a mustard-yellow covered a smaller segment of the left side. Each section had one head that was connected to the body by a snakelike neck. A swirly, blue tail that was bigger than the monster itself hung from the behind of the beast. (2400 ATK)

"A Fusion Summon?" Droite analyzed.

"So that kid's deck is equipped for this as well," Gauche understood. "How interesting!"

"Twin Photon Lizard's effect activates now," divulged Mr. Heartland, "which allows it to forcibly separate itself in order to resurrect the two monsters that were used in its summoning! Revive, Photon Satellite, Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon!"

Both of the dragon's heads cried out as their body began to stretch, ripping apart neatly down the middle. When the exoskeleton of the monster fell to the ground, two well-known monsters made their reemergence. Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon bellowed while extending its encrusted arms (3000 ATK) as the majority of Photon Satellite, except for the patch of photonic blue, turned the same color of periwinkle as the solar panels, indicating a defensive stance. (0 DEF)

"He Fusion Summoned only to break the monster back into the original components?" Gauche misunderstood. "Why would he waste more cards on such a useless play?"

"Because it wasn't useless," Droite answered before Mr. Heartland could. "Although he was able to summon Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon through the effect of Galaxy Expedition, that monster had to stay in Defense Position until his next turn. By making Twin Photon Lizard and reviving Galaxy-Eyes, he was able to overcome that drawback by resummoning it in the mode of his choosing."

"You mean to tell me that all this was calculated?" Gauche marveled, almost in disbelief.

Droite nodded, which made Gauche uneasy. Not only were they down in life points, but they were up against something of a practical tactician.

But there was something about it, something about being against the odds…That gave a man like Gauche the thrill that made him fall in love with dueling. It was truly exhilarating.

Alright, Heartland…Do your worst!

Mr. Heartland looked at his two supercharged monsters before glancing at the single remaining card in his hand.

"Since Photon Wyvern still has the extra 1000 ATK from Photonize, I'll be attacking with him first! Consume Club Bouncer in your eternal flame, Photon Wyvern!"

The legless dragon opened its mouth as though it were about to yawn before beginning to launch one of its patented fireballs at the caveman-like animal.

"No, you don't!" disagreed Gauche as reached down to click the button on his D-Pad.

"Trap activate!" interrupted Droite, seizing the attention of both men. "Blinding Scales!"

A radiant light shot from the Trap Card which, for the moment, robbed Photon Wyvern of the ability to see. Whipping its head around furiously in a dazed confusion, the monster shot its fireball towards Droite's side of the battlefield.

Gauche's eyes widened as he turned his head around in time to see the projectile near the purple-haired woman. However, she calmly took one of the cards off her D-Pad and replaced it with one in her hand.

The fireball hit a target an incinerated it instantly, leaving nothing but the ashes of the enflamed insect and a plume of dark smoke.

"Are you alright over there?" called out Gauche before gasping.

When the smoke had cleared, not only was Droite standing upright and dominant, but her field also contained another monster. Persimmon wings with black lining opened up as the monster attached to it became clear. Gauche recognized the two miniature swords in its hands. (1200 DEF)

"Hey," he gawked. "That's Phantom Butterfly Assassin Swallowtail. How is it that you got her on the field?"

Mr. Heartland was quiet, but he too had the same query.

"Due to Blinding Scales," Droite explained, "when a monster declares an attack, I can change the attack of that target to a monster that's in my hand, so long as I replace one on the field. Therefore…"

She waved around Phantom Butterfly Assassin Apollo which now rested safely in her hand.

"I was able to take this back to use again."

"That still doesn't account for Swallowtail," Mr. Heartland deduced. "There's no monster that you can summon from your hand that can stop Photon Wyvern's attack."

"That's true," Droite nodded with a confident facial expression, "but there's a monster that I can use to benefit from it."

She pointed behind her and the illusory outline of Moonlit Papillon flashed.

"When Moonlit Papillon received the attack instead, its effect activated which allowed me to replace it with another low-Level Phantom Butterfly Assassin monster in my deck! Moreover, since I chose to play it in Defense Position, our life points were spared."

"Not bad," flattered Mr. Heartland, now having to rethink his strategy.

Now that Droite has one Level 4 monster on her side of the field as well as one in her hand, she'll undoubtedly make an attempt for her other ace monster, Photon Alexandra Queen.

However, there's also the matter of Gauche. His Club Bouncer can dispose of any monster that I have if he wishes too. Additionally, attacking it will inflict the most damage onto them.

If that's the case, then I've made up my mind…

"I'm going to send Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon to attack…Phantom Butterfly Assassin Swallowtail! Photon Stream of Destruction!"

"But why?" Gauche stared blankly. "He won't inflict damage that way."

"Because he figured out my plan," Droite frowned.

Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon's chest sparkled faintly before a power from inside welled up. Its gem quickly flickered as the power traveled up the monster's neck and out its mouth in the form of a rapid volley of light motes. Swallowtail burst into pixels upon impact.

"Finally," Mr. Heartland smirked, going into his Main Phase 2, "I'll reuse the effect of Photon Satellite since I resummoned it through Twin Photon Lizard's effect! This way, it and Photon Wyvern both become Level 8!"

The boxes underneath the aforesaid monsters both gained the necessary amounts of stars inside them until they were both equal at eight.

"Three Level 8 monsters…" Gauche murmured.

"Is there really a monster in Kaito's deck that can be made from those requirements?" Droite wondered aloud.

Mr. Heartland's deck box opened automatically which prompted him to grab the glowing white card inside of it. He instantly recognized the card as the same one he'd awarded Kaito during the opening day of the dueling festival.

As he held it, he felt something strange flow through his hands and travel down his body. It was like an electrical surge of power that shot down his body and recharged his energy.

"This card…" he whispered, recalling that there had been a minor infusion of Barian World energy in the making of this card. It seemed insignificant at the time, but now that he was wielding it…

Mr. Heartland broke his fixation on the card as he noticed something peculiar occurring with his hand out of the corner of his eye. A red aura was surrounding the limb and flowing up his arm to the rest of his body. He watched in fascination as his skin took on the same color as the monster on the artwork of the Xyz card.

"So this is the power of the Barian World," he surmised. "This feeling is…incredible! I feel so…powerful! Almost untouchable…"

The power-hungry mayor licked his lips in delight as he clenched his now-red fist. Then he lifted his arm to the sky and quickly stacked his three monsters atop each other with his free hand.

"I overlay my Level 8 Photon Satellite, Photon Wyvern, and Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon in order to construct the overlay network for an Xyz Summon! Come to me now!"

Three golden balls of light shot, one by one, into the odd, galactic style portal in the sky. Crackling noises and bursts of magenta streamed down from above before the true monster appeared. To say it was unlike anything that Droite and Gauche had ever seen before would have been a matter of semantics. To them, the creature greatly resembled a more untamed, carnivorous, three-headed version of Galaxy-Eyes, albeit a pinkish-red instead of blue. The fear-imposing behemoth came down slowly, gauging the mortified reactions of its enemies. (4500 ATK)

"Neo Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon!" completed Mr. Heartland, his entire body now fleeced by the intangible, ruby atmosphere.

"Galaxy-Eyes…" Droite stuttered.

"Got an upgrade!?" finished Gauche, his voice cracking on the final word.

"Quite right," sneered the glowing man. "And the first thing it does when it's summoned is utilize its effect! Go, Photon Howling!"

Each head erupted with a loud, canine-esque growl that visibly weakened Club Bouncer and Photon Streak Bouncer. Both monsters dropped to one knee, their faces twisting in pain.

"What'd you do?" snarled the hot-headed proctor.

"Since Neo Galaxy-Eyes was summoned by using Galaxy-Eyes as an overlay unit, it negates the effects of all other face-up cards that currently reside on the field, free of charge!"

"That monster doesn't need to offer any of its overlay units to activate its effect?" Droite fretted.

"That's correct," Mr. Heartland assured, making a dinging noise for fun. "As a matter of fact...it won't be using its overlay units at all!"

The final card in his hand appeared as a face-up Spell suddenly.

"I target my Neo Galaxy-Eyes and activate my Overlay Draw! That way, I can detach all Xyz Material attached to it in order to draw one card per. As such, I receive three new cards!"

The three overlay units diagonally circling around the monsters monstrous chest vanished suddenly as Mr. Heartland's red hand touched the top cards of his deck. Without counting, he pulled three out at once.

"Turn end," he shrugged, not bothering to look at any of the cards.

Droite & Gauche – 5000 LP

Mr. Heartland – 6000 LP

Droite frowned, not particularly taking a liking to Mr. Heartland's new demeanor. Nevertheless, she made her draw quietly. As she looked at the card, her eyes widened.

She prepared to play it before remembering that Gauche was still on her team and the card would severely hinder him too, not just Mr. Heartland.

"Do it," came a voice to Droite's left. She turned to see Gauche with a rare somber look on his face, his mind made up. He nodded at Droite, not bothering to repeat himself.

She looked back before giving her card one more look. Although she was still a bit skeptical, she followed his command.

"I activate the Assassin Gate Continuous Spell!" she announced.

In came a picture of a vacuum-like portal inhaling asteroids as Droite's Spell lingered on the field.

"Through the power of this Spell, if a monster without Assassin in its name tries to declare an attack, not only will the attack be negated, but the monster itself will perish as well."

"So this is how you plan to stop me," Mr. Heartland said. It came off as more of a cynical statement than a question, however.

"I end my turn with this," Droite concluded, not bothering to acknowledge her boss.

A facedown monster appeared in front of Assassin Gate.

"Then it's my turn!" Gauche chimed in. "Draw!"

He drew another card before hastily making two quick, turning motions with his hand.

"I switch my Photon Streak Bouncer and Club Bouncer to Defense Position…"

The animalistic warriors crossed their arms over their chests together. (2000 and 1000 DEF, respectively)

"Then I activate Bouncer Lounge!" Gauche shouted as his Field Spell Zone opened.

The world around the three duelists transformed. Their heads spun as their eyes tried their best to process this new stream of information. Somewhere in the background, techno music blared while multicolored pink and sea foam green lights alternated overhead. To Gauche's left was an empty bar while a few pieces of furniture to the right of Droite. The ground in between the three adults had morphed into an inviting, tiled dance floor. The whole arena now felt more like a nightclub than a lounge.

"Now," yelled Gauche, straining his voice to be heard over the music, "once per turn, I may banish one Bouncer from my Graveyard that's the same Level as a Bouncer I control to draw one new card!"

Gauche pointed to his Level 4 Club Bouncer before banishing Blade Bouncer from his Graveyard. Then, he made one draw.

Looking down at his facedown card, Gauche sighed before nodding to Mr. Heartland.

"My turn already?" he chuckled. "If you insist…Draw!"

The man in the glasses drew his card before placing it into his D-Pad.

"I activate Photon Revival!" he told his workers. "With it, I can take one Photon monster from any player's Graveyard and Special Summon it back to their side of the field!"

Droite's eyes enlarged as a bronze light filled her Graveyard. The glow shot from the slot and appeared in front of the woman in the form of her favorite monster, Photon Butterfly Assassin. (1800 DEF)

"You gave me my monster back?" Droite questioned. As she'd been taught, if something sounded too good to be true, it often times was.

"My plan won't work any other way," admitted Mr. Heartland.

"Plan?" hesitated Gauche.

"The first step requires you to both have face-up Xyz Monsters," he illuminated. "You two have satisfied the next step on your own."

He pointed to Assassin Gate and then motioned to their current surroundings.

"Do you mean our Spells?" Droite grasped.

"Precisely," Mr. Heartland smirked. "Since the conditions have been met, I can use this! Big Bang Panic!"

A large "bang" noise coming from the middle of the dance floor was loud enough to drown out the techno composition blasting on the stereos. Gauche and Droite turned their heads to see an implosion on the ground that lifted Assassin's Gate and Bouncer Lounge out of their D-Pads.

"Hey!" glared the male proctor.

"Don't fret," laughed Mr. Heartland with an air of superiority. "You'll get those back…as overlay units!"

Both Spells were ejected from the imploding ground in the form of two golden orbs, one for each other proctor's Photon monsters.

"Now for my reward…Neo Galaxy-Eyes gains 1600 ATK, 800 for each Spell absorbed by this trick!"

A bloodshot color darkened the scales of the three-headed dragon. A thin, flaming veil soon covered its body, but appeared to have no adverse effect. (4500 – 6100 ATK)

"What is it?" Gauche asked, noticing Droite tapping her chin from the corner of his eye.

"His maneuver," she evaluated. "Our field contained nothing but three defensive monsters before this turn. Then he played Photon Revival to summon my Assassin in Defense Position as well…"

"Uh huh," Gauche nodded, trying his best to follow the woman's logic.

"However, now that Galaxy-Eyes has an attacking power of 6100, wouldn't it have been wiser to summon my Photon Butterfly Assassin in Attack Position? After all, he could have taken away the vast majority of our remaining life points."

"I see what you mean," comprehended Gauche. "That tactic makes no sense…unless…"

"Unless I activate the Photon Spear Equip Spell!" exclaimed Mr. Heartland. "And by hooking it onto Neo Galaxy-Eyes, it receives a piercing effect!"

The spiked weapon materialized in the burly arms of the red dragon.

"Since Club Bouncer only has a measly defending power of 1000, once Neo Galaxy-Eyes attacks it, this duel will be over!" Mr. Heartland smugly declared. "Attack now with Ultimate Photon Spear!"

Giving a powerful squeeze that nearly broke the Photon Spear in two, Neo Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon hurled the barbed projectile at the useless caveman. An explosion erupted in front of Gauche, knocking the man backwards and onto his stomach.

"Well, it looks like that takes care of…"

Mr. Heartland's voice trailed off as his D-Gazer repeatedly sent him a warning message. His eyebrows rose as he saw what it said.

Droite & Gauche – 2300 LP

Mr. Heartland – 6000 LP

"Y-you managed to hold on?" he gazed with incredulous eyes. "But how is that possible?"

"Heh heh," beamed Gauche as he held onto his ribcage in an attempt to steady himself. "You didn't think I'd be so quick to give up, did you?"

He pointed to his Trap Card, which was now facing upward.

"Bouncer Sacrifice?" Mr. Heartland glowered.

"Bingo," confirmed Gauche, "meaning that after I destroyed the Bouncer with the highest ATK on my side of the field, in this case Photon Streak Bouncer, and took damage equal to its ATK, your Battle Phase stopped on a dime!"

Mr. Heartland's expression slowly morphed from one of anger into one of admiration.

"So you lasted a little bit longer, huh? Marvelous! Let's see how long you can hold out! But first…"

As Mr. Heartland placed a card on his duel disk, Photon Lizard appeared on his field. The creature with the jaundiced eyes snarled at Gauche. (900 ATK)

"Be cool," begged the man, taking a step back. Being an amateur in zoology, Gauche was nearly convinced that the overgrown gecko could give him rabies.

"Don't worry," Mr. Heartland coaxed. "It's just for show. And I think I'll show you what it's for now."

Photon Lizard hissed before turning into nothing more than millions of light particles, the same color as its eyes. Afterwards, Mr. Heartland collected a second copy of the card from his deck.

"I'll end my turn with that."

Droite looked at her field. Although Mr. Heartland had compulsorily relinquished her of her lockdown card, Assassin Gate, he had been "kind" enough to keep the monster. All she needed was another Level 4…

"Droite!" Gauche hollered from his side of the field.

She snapped out of her analysis long enough to see a goofy grin on the man's face.

"You can do it."

He said no more, but offered a thumbs-up in support. That goofy grin never left his face.

Easier said than done at this point, sighed Droite. But Gauche is counting on me…as long as I'm in this duel, I'll try to help him as best I can. It's the least I can do for…

Her mind flashed back to that rainy night from years ago. They had been running for so long before they'd finally been caught…

She shook her head and silently thanked Gauche once more before feeling the top card of her deck.

"It's my turn!" she said. "Draw!"

As she released the card from her deck, her pallid lips turned northward. She raised her head to Mr. Heartland, a sort of vindictive expression clouding her eyes.

"I summon Moonlit Papillon!"

A second copy of Moonlit Papillon took to the field, the eye in the middle of its body blinking once creepily. (1200 ATK)

"Then I will flip my Butterfly Assassin Apollo into face-up Attack Position!"

The white-winged majesty of nature revealed itself. The red circles on its wings shifted slightly as it flew upward a couple feet. (1500 ATK)

"Shit," Mr. Heartland swore horrendously under his breath. For the first time since the duel began, he had acquired a feeling that he didn't like one bit. Fear. He was beginning to lose his control over the match, after all.

"With these two monsters," Droite boomed, "I will construct the overlay network! Come together for an Xyz Summon!"

Two orbs, one bright yellow and one deep purple, shot into an inviting vortex in the sky before bringing forth a new monster. This creature with lavender-colored lipstick drifted down on her long, lush wings. Modeled after the Queen Alexandra Birdwing butterfly, the biggest butterfly in the world, this new monster didn't disappoint. One of its raspberry-colored, glowing wings alone was easily the same size as its owner, if not bigger. Instead of one big abdomen like the other Butterfly Assassins, this eyeless insect had two thin, white hindwings instead. (1200 DEF)

"Spread your wings and fly, Photon Alexandra Queen!"

"Alright, Droite!" praised Gauche, to which Mr. Heartland reacted with a nasty scowl.

"Photon Alexandra Queen's effect activates now!" announced the woman, not skipping a beat. "By detaching all of its overlay units, Alexandra Queen returns all monsters back to the owner's hands. Additionally, each player takes 500 points of damage for each of their monsters returned that way!"

The blue areas on the enormous butterfly monster's wings extended until both of the wings were decorated a matching tone.

"Go, Alexandra Queen!" commanded the independent woman. "Butterfly Effect!"

From the rich, developed wings of the butterfly-woman emerged a volley of diamond shaped, rainbow-colored crystal shards of energy. About a thousand of them were launched at the other two monsters on the field, both of which merited different reactions. Club Bouncer, already weakened and exhausted, acceptingly took the shots to the chest before returning to Gauche.

Neo Galaxy-Eyes, on the other hand, swiped its hands violently to ward off the shards. Although swatting them and incinerating most of the oncoming ones with oral flames succeeded as a temporary solution, there were too many crystals for the monster to handle. Eventually, a barrage of them pierced the monster's heart, stopping the organ and causing the creature to burst into numerous pixels.

Droite's own monster then turned its head to face her. Giving a satisfied nod in her direction, which Droite returned, it vanished. Her deck box opened as the card itself redirected itself into the container.

A few of the leftover gems from the fray exploded in front of the two males suddenly. They were taken aback, growling together as a bombardment of tiny splinters pierced their faces.

With nothing more than an unusable card in hand, Droite heaved a tired sigh. Hope was looking more and more unreachable with each passing turn.

"I end my turn," she muttered, her knees wobbling. It was clear that she was starting to succumb to physical exhaustion, something which was understandable in a duel such as this.

Droite & Gauche – 1300 LP

Mr. Heartland – 5500 LP

"Hang in there, Droite," Gauche whispered to himself before turning to Mr. Heartland. "Alright, boss…It's time to show you my spirit!"

Gauche touched the top card of his deck. Feeling something unusual, he looked down to see his fingers trembling.

Am I afraid? he wondered, trying to assess all possible reasons for this peculiarity. Do I fear Mr. Heartland's power? Or is this the rush again…the rush that comes from a good, no…a great, a fantastic duel! I haven't felt this rush since…

He gave his eyes a break as his mind replayed his memories of Yuma. That duel…

Since I dueled against that Yuma kid. I had forgotten how much fun dueling could be…That's why I must win this duel, no matter what so I can face him again! So I can have that kind of duel one more time! And that's why I'm going to show Mr. Heartland my very spirit! I'm going to Kattobingu!

"Get ready, Heartland!" Gauche warned. "I'm comin' at you with everything I've got! Kattobingu, ore!"

"Kattobingu?" Droite and Mr. Heartland replicated in bewilderment.

"Draw!" shouted Gauche, drawing the card that his fate and future rested on.

Although he was nervous, although he was tense, although there were butterflies dancing around the insides of his stomach, Gauche forced himself to look at the card that had been added to his hand.

He was thankful that he had done so.

"It's here…" he said, his voice trailing off in a mixture of excitement and disbelief.

"Well?" Mr. Heartland urged. "Did you get something good?"

Gauche lifted his head, his eyes meeting those of Mr. Heartland. The mayor of Heartland's question was answered by the Spell Card that appeared in front of Gauche.

"I activate Reinforcement of the Army!"

A card popped out of Gauche's deck and he grabbed it sinuously.

"Due to that Spell, I can add a low-Level Warrior-Type monster to my hand instantly. And I'll play it too! Come out again, Blade Bouncer!"

A carbon copy of the second monster Gauche played at the beginning of the duel materialized. The only difference was that the artwork on this Blade Bouncer featured the panther itself as pink while the blades were plum purple. Likewise, the monster on the field reflected this minor cosmetic shift. (1800 ATK)

"I see…" Mr. Heartland huffed, adjusting his glasses vaguely.

"Show him how we do it, Blade Bouncer!" ordered Gauche. "Straight Slash!"

The pink panther ran over to Mr. Heartland, leaping up in the air when it was twenty feet away. The businessman didn't even flinch when the Bouncer came down for an aerial assault swinging its blades and impaling Mr. Heartland in the gut.

Droite & Gauche – 1300 LP

Mr. Heartland – 3700 LP

"My tu…" started the man before Gauche made an obnoxious buzzer noise.

"Not quite," he chuckled. He anxiously threw Club Bouncer into his Graveyard before saying, "See, when Blade Bouncer attacks…I can discard a card to allow him another attack! Go and attack again with Straight Slash!"

Blade Bouncer, who had remained near Mr. Heartland for this exact reason, rose to its feet, giving Mr. Heartland and uppercut to the chops in the process. This time, the man in the suit stumbled backwards, checking to see if his mouth had been dislocated in the process. Fortunately, he seemed to be fine.

Droite & Gauche – 1300 LP

Mr. Heartland – 1900 LP

"And how about last time, Blade Bouncer!" Gauche demanded, sending the last card in his hand away. "Straight Slash!"

This time, Blade Bouncer performed a back handspring in order to return back to Gauche. As it flipped backwards, its mighty feet gave a buck in the upward direction, colliding once again with Mr. Heartland's fragile stomach. Groaning, the antagonistic adult fell to one knee, wincing in pain.

Droite & Gauche – 1300 LP

Mr. Heartland – 100 LP

Even after all that, Droite thought, maintaining her silence throughout the turn, Gauche still didn't claim his victory. Nevertheless, it's known that Mr. Heartland's remaining card is Photon Lizard. With another copy of that only, there aren't many other options that he has at the moment. If the top card of his deck doesn't go as planned, then maybe…

"Turn end."

"My my," the fallen foe said, managing to laugh through his agony. "That was quite the display of burning passion in your performance, Gauche!"

"Cut the crap…" glared the red-haired man silently.

"Well then, I guess it'd be my turn at this point."

Mr. Heartland took a deep breath before attempting to stand up. Though it wasn't the easiest feat, he had the good fortune to be able to grin and bear it. His legs threatened to collapse at any moment, so he decided not to waste any more time than necessary.

"It's my turn! Draw!"

Picking up his card, he immediately threw Photon Lizard on his D-Pad. The reptilian monster with the burgundy scales made a quick cameo. (900 ATK)

"Then I'll exchange it for another Photon monster from my deck!"

As Photon Lizard vanished, another card slipped out of Mr. Heartland's D-Pad. But he didn't bother playing it. Instead, he went for the other card in his hand.

"Photon Sublimination, activate!" he shouted, scouring his Graveyard for his two copies of Photon Lizard. He placed them in his pocket before making two draws.

A turquoise ankh appeared in front of Mr. Heartland before it dissolved into dots of light. Those dots were then absorbed by the red, four-pointed star that came to be Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon. The pallid creature gave a semi-menacing cry. (3000 ATK)

"Monster Reborn allows me to revive one monster in my Graveyard," explained Mr. Heartland as he sent the aforementioned Spell Card away via his cemetery slot.

Gauche tensed upon realizing that Galaxy-Eyes was more on the loose. However, his fears were pushed aside momentarily as he noticed something.

"Wait a minute…That monster's got an attacking power of 3000!"

Suddenly, he proceeded to guffaw like a madman. The sound was refreshing, certainly, but highly unorthodox in this type of scenario.

"Did I miss something?" stopped Mr. Heartland, his face perplexed.

"That's my line!" Gauche mumbled through breaths, his laughter apparently knowing no end. "I mean, even if you attack my Blade Bouncer with your monster, we'll be tied once again at 100 life points."

Mr. Heartland scratched his head, realizing the validity of Gauche's simple-minded statement. However, that was not his intent.

"That's true," he nodded. "That would be the case…if I were allowing the attack to completely go through."

"Huh? What was that?" Gauche questioned, his chortling dying down.

From her many times of waiting Kaito duel from various vantages points "behind the scenes" as it were, Droite was rather familiar with his cards. But for Mr. Heartland to utter a statement so enigmatic was beyond her…That was, unless he meant…

Her eyes expanded as she understood the path the duel would go. She struggled to break free of her fear, to find her voice again so she could warn Gauche. However…

"Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon!" yelled Mr. Heartland. "Attack Blade Bouncer now!"

The powerful, cyan dragon shot a blast of basic photonic light from its mouth at Blade Bouncer. The panther countered by jumping towards the blast, brandishing its blades whilst doing so.

"Banish yourself along with Blade Bouncer now! Galaxy Disappearance!"

Gauche furrowed his brow in confusion as the stream hit Blade Bouncer, causing the monster's outline to highlight a bright orange before it was lifted up into the dark, unknown sky. Galaxy-Eyes followed soon after, leaving the field without monsters yet again.

"Well that was counterproductive," blurted out Gauche. "I don't see what that accomplished."

"My victory," smirked Mr. Heartland, flipping over one of the cards in his hand.

"Dimension Wanderer?" Gauche inquired, reading the largely printed title on the piece of paper.

"That's correct," Mr. Heartland confirmed. "Its effect is one that activates only when a monster is banished through the effect of Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon. Since that condition is met…you will receive 3000 points of damage!"

"3000!?" shouted Gauche in a frenzy of anger. "You've got to be kidding me!"

"I'm afraid not! Do it, Dimension Wanderer!"

As Mr. Heartland disposed of the card, its image appeared to the right of Gauche. The spirited man looked down to see a futuristic-looking robot covered from head to toe in streamlined gold and navy protective covering. It stared back at Gauche through its spring green, "V" shaped eye. (0 ATK)

Without warning, the monster began fading from existence before it was nothing. However, it left the tiny bindle that it had brought with it with Gauche. As the man examined the bindle, it exploded, sending a wave of shrapnel flying every which way, the vast majority of which was absorbed by Gauche. The man flew backwards, lying roughly on his back as the buzzer indicated his fate.

Droite & Gauche – 0 LP

Mr. Heartland – 100 LP

"We…lost," he stuttered, recuperating from the loss of breath that the final blow had left him with. His D-Gazer tattoo quickly disappeared, leaving no reminder of his failure.

"That was certainly invigorating," smiled Mr. Heartland from his side of the field, cracking his knuckles triumphantly. "I haven't had a good duel like that in ages."

Gauche punched the ground aggressively. Although it hurt, that pain was nothing compared to the one he felt from losing the match.

Droite walked over to him, her heels seeming to drag on the grass. Stumbling, she made her way to Gauche and held her left arm with her right hand.

"I'm sorry," she apologized. "Perhaps if I had…"

"No, Droite," Gauche stopped her. "This duel was my burden to carry, not yours. I'm responsible for our loss. And besides, the way you played…I'm sure you would have made it to the finals for sure!"

"She still has a chance," Mr. Heartland said, strolling over to Gauche's fallen body.

Droite's head twisted as she watched the man come closer.

"What do you mean?" she wondered.

"If you two want to enter the World Duel Carnival, that's fine with me," Mr. Heartland said. "As I said earlier, I support that choice wholeheartedly."

"But then…why bother with this duel?" Gauche investigated. "If you were just going to allow us access anyway, then what was the point, sir?"

"Paperwork was boring me," Mr. Heartland reminded him, although the reason was a lie. "This was a nice reprieve from the monotonous flow of my day."

If Gauche wasn't able to defeat this deck, even with Droite's help, it looks like he won't be the one to take the Original from Yuma Tsukumo, Mr. Heartland thought to himself. Kaito…I'm counting on you to defeat him.

Gauche frowned, not understanding why he had to lose in order for Mr. Heartland to be satisfied. Nonetheless, he was happy that he would get his chance to compete after all.

A vibration came from Mr. Heartland's pocket. He retrieved his phone and saw the number on the caller ID.

"It looks like I've got to take this," he excused himself. Before leaving, he took a glimpse over his shoulder. "Droite…Gauche…do your best in the tournament. It's imperative that you both try to make it to the finals at all costs. Understand?"

"Yes," the responded, picking themselves up off the ground.

"Good. You two are hereby relieved of your proctoring duties, effective immediately," he declared before running off to answer the phone call.

When he was out of range of the two young adults, Mr. Heartland answered his phone with an exhausted "Hello?"

"Mr. Heartland," said the gruff voice at the end of the line.

"Good evening, Dr. Faker," greeted the mayor, instantly perking up.

"Do you have any news from Captain Corn?" asked Dr. Faker. "After sending him into the theme park today, I expect that he should have reported in by now."

"No, actually," gulped Mr. Heartland.

There was a long silence on the other end of the phone so Mr. Heartland quickly scrambled to fill it.

"But, I'm confident that the other two assassins that I sent after this Yuma Tsukumo boy will be even more competent than him. For all we know, Captain Corn might have just got lost. After all, he's not the smartest ear of corn in the bunch."

"Perhaps," Dr. Faker replied. "Nevertheless, keep an eye out for the boy. If he is connected to the Original, then if we get his Numbers in our control, maybe we can destroy the Astral World without all this hassle."

"Yes, Dr. Faker. I understand."

"Good."

With that, the phone call ended. Mr. Heartland closed his flip phone and pocketed it once more before walking down the sidewalk where he'd been standing. When he reached the corner, he waved his hands frantically as a taxi drove up to him. Getting inside, he made his way back to his office. Paperwork didn't file itself, after all.

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New/Anime Cards Shown In This Chapter –

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Photon Satellite (Monster)

Machine/Level 1/Effect/LIGHT

0 ATK/0 DEF

Effect: Once per turn: You can target 1 face-up "Photon" monster you control; the Levels of this card and that target become equal to their combined Levels.

Dimension Wanderer (Monster)

Spellcaster/Level 1/Effect/LIGHT

0 ATK/0 DEF

Effect: When a monster is banished by the effect of "Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon": You can send this card from your hand to the Graveyard; inflict 3000 damage to your opponent. The effect of "Dimension Wanderer" can only be activated once per turn.

Galaxy Expedition (Spell)

Normal Spell

Image: Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon flying past Galaxy Knight leaving a golden trail in the distance.

Effect: If you control a Level 5 or higher "Photon" or "Galaxy" monster: Special Summon 1 Level 5 or higher "Photon" or "Galaxy" monster from your deck in face-up Defense Position. You can only activate 1 "Galaxy Expedition" per turn.

Note: The preceding three cards can be found in Duelist Pack 13: Kaito Tenjo. This is currently slated for release in Japan in September, 2012.

Phantom Butterfly Assassin Ulysses (Monster)

Warrior/Level 4/Effect/LIGHT

0 ATK/1700 DEF

When a monster is Normal Summoned in face-up Attack Position on your side of the field: You can Special Summon this card (from your hand) in face-up Attack Position.

Photon Alexandra Queen (Xyz Monster)

Warrior/Xyz/Rank 4/Effect/LIGHT

? ATK/1200 DEF

Effect: 2 Level 4 Monsters

You can detach 2 Xyz Materials from this card; return all monsters on the field to the hand, then inflict 500 damage to the controllers for each monster returned.

Assassin Gate (Spell)

Continuous Spell

Image: A gateway to Hell opening in the earth and sucking in all life.

Effect: When a monster declares an attack, except for an "Assassin" monster: Target the attacking monster; Negate that monster's attack and destroy it.

Note: These previous three cards were first used by Droite in Episode 54 of "Yu-Gi-Oh! ZeXal". Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.

Note 2: The ATK for Photon Alexandra Queen was never specified so if it shows up again in this story before an actual ATK score is given to it, it will go by a made-up ATK.

Big Bang Panic (Spell)

Normal Spell

Image: A spatial reenactment of the big bang with tornados and lightning surrounding the initial explosion.

Effect: Each player target 1 face-up Xyz Monster they control; attach all face-up Spell/Trap cards your opponent controls as Xyz Material to your opponent's target, then, your target Xyz Monster gains 800 ATK for each card attached by this card's effect.

Note: This card was first used by Kaito Tenjo in Episode 56 of "Yu-Gi-Oh! ZeXal." Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.

Sword Bouncer (Monster)

Warrior/Level 6/Effect/EARTH

2000 ATK/1600 DEF

If you control no monsters, you can Special Summon this card from your hand by discarding 1 "Bouncer" monster.

Advance Bouncer (Monster)

Beast/Level 4/Effect/DARK

900 ATK/0 DEF

Effect: You can banish this card from your Graveyard to target 1 face-up "Bouncer" monster you control; during this turn, you can Tribute that targeted monster to Tribute Summon a "Bouncer" monster in addition to your Normal Summon or Set.

Club Bouncer (Monster)

Beast-Warrior/Level 4/Effect/EARTH

1000 ATK/1000 DEF

Effect: When this card attacks an opponent's monster, at the start of the Damage Step: You can destroy that attack target (without damage calculation). Then, you take damage equal to half that monster's ATK.

Phantom Butterfly Assassin Apollo (Monster)

Warrior/Level 4/Effect/DARK

1500 ATK/1600 DEF

Effect: When this card is Normal or Special Summoned: Target 1 Set card in your opponent's Spell & Trap Zone; this turn, that target cannot be activated.

Bouncer Payment (Spell)

Normal Spell

Image: Phantom Bouncer reaching out its hand while an unknown man places a sack of gold coins in it.

Effect: Draw 1 card for each Level 5 or higher "Bouncer" monster Summoned this turn.

Bouncer Lounge (Spell)

Field Spell

Image: Hammer Rush Bouncer blocking the Ojama brothers by standing in front of a doorway that leads to a prestigious nightclub.

Effect: Once per turn, during your Main Phase: You can target 1 face-up "Bouncer" monster you control; banish 1 "Bouncer" monster from your Graveyard with the same Level; draw 1 card.

Overlay Draw (Spell)

Normal Spell

Image: Two Xyz Materials from Gem-Knight Pearl flying into a D-Pad's Graveyard.

Effect: Target 1 face-up Xyz Monster you control; detach all Xyz Materials from that monster; draw one card for each Xyz Material sent to the Graveyard. You can only activate 1 "Overlay Draw" per turn.

Photon Revival (Spell)

Normal Spell

Image: A duelist in a white coat taking a step back as the Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon card flies out of his Graveyard.

Effect: Target 1 "Photon" monster from any player's Graveyard; Special Summon it to the owner's side of the field. This turn, that monster cannot attack or be Tributed, except for the Special Summon of a monster.

Bouncer Sacrifice (Trap)

Normal Trap

Image: Photon Streak Bouncer leaping in front of Photon Butterfly Assassin before a blast from Blue-Eyes White Dragon hits.

Effect: Activate only when an opponent's monster declares an attack while you control a "Bouncer" monster. Destroy the "Bouncer" monster you control with the highest ATK and take damage equal to that monster's original ATK. Then, end the Battle Phase.

Blinding Scales (Trap)

Normal Trap

Image: Photon Butterfly Assassin's blue light being transferred to the scales on her wings while Swamp Battleguard is covering its eyes.

Effect: Activate only when an opponent's monster declares an attack. Select one monster you control and return it to the hand; then Special Summon 1 monster of an equal Level from your hand. That monster becomes the new attack target.

Note: The above 10 cards first debuted in this chapter.

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Author's Note: Exhausted from having to face two rivals in one day, Yuma wants for nothing more than to catch up on the rest that he so graciously deserves. However, before the night is over, it appears that there is one more person that he must face. And unfortunately for him, defeating their deck is going to be the toughest challenge of the day. Just who is this person who claims to be Yuma's "messenger" and what is it that they want? Find out next time!