"What did you say?"

"You heard me right, Kan'u Uncho! I challenge you to a duel!"

In the streets of Kikai, Kan'u and Chohi were in the middle of spending time together, as a way to make up for Kan'u interrogating Mukade rather than join Chohi and the others on patrol duty. They had enjoyed themselves thus far, but as they were walking through the markets, doing a bit of window shopping, a young man had challenged Kan'u out of the blue. He had swept-back brown hair and gray eyes, along with a piercing glare. For his outfit, he had a simple green shirt, and a dark brown jacket hung off his shoulders like a cape. He also wore simple brown slacks and boots, with a pair of gray fingerless gloves and a standard Duel Disk on his wrist.

"Why do you challenge me?" asked Kan'u, noticing his Duel Disk. 'It doesn't seem like he's affiliated with the White Clothes, but I've been fooled before.'

"Oh, come on!" said the duelist. "Everyone in the country wants a piece of the great Kan'u Uncho, the bandit-crushing duelist who placed second in the En Kingdom Tournament! Anybody who can defeat you has to be good! And I intend to do just that! So what do you say?"

"While I'd usually never turn down a challenge, I'll have to pass," said Kan'u. "I promised my sister here that I would spend the day with her."

"Oh, please, big sis?" asked Chohi, hands pressed together. "Rinrin doesn't mind a bit!" As she made her request, a small crowd began to surround the three, murmuring with excitement, as Kan'u turned back to the mystery challenger.

"Mm, alright then," said Kan'u, turning to her challenger, who smiled as they both began to shuffle their cards. "Since you know my name, it's only fair that I know yours."

"It's Tsubasa Seifu!" said the gray-eyed man, now revealed to be named Tsubasa. "And my Winged Beasts will soar to victory!"

(Tsubasa: 4000 LP)(Kan'u: 4000 LP)

"I'll be making the first move!" said Tsubasa. "I draw!" And as he saw the six cards in his hand, he began to laugh. "Oh yeah, this will be fun! First, I play Polymerization!"

As the card appeared on the field, Tsubasa plucked two cards from his hand, eyes scanning the crowd. "I bet you already know what this does, but for anybody who doesn't, I'll fill you in! This sweet Spell Card lets me fuse monsters in my hand and on my field together and bring out a more powerful Fusion Monster! And I think I'll fuse Faith Bird and Skull Red Bird to Fusion Summon my Crimson Sunbird!"

Two monsters appeared on Tsubasa's side of the field. One was Faith Bird, a blue bird with very long tail feathers and green eyes (LV 4: ATK 1500). The other was Skull Red Bird, a red bird with a purple choker with spikes and yellow blades stored in its wings (LV 4: ATK 1550). Both monsters swirled together, and a portal appeared, with a new monster flying out. The new monster was a bird with yellow head feathers, pink wings, pink plumage on its head, and red feathers on its body and tail. It let out a chirp as it landed on the field (LV 6: ATK 2300).

"And if you think that's impressive, just wait! I activate another copy of Polymerization!"

"Another one?" said Kan'u in surprise as two more monsters appeared. The first was Blue-Winged Crown, a bird with blue feathers and an orange crest shaped like flames, its wings seemingly covered in blue fire (LV 4: ATK 1600). The second was Niwatori, an oversized chicken with tan feathers and a green crest, lying on its back (LV 3: ATK 900).

"Yep, another one! And I'll use it to fuse my Blue-Winged Crown with my Niwatori to create Punished Eagle!"

The blue flaming bird and the plump chicken fused together in a blue portal, and out of it flew a massive eagle with teal feathers, a red mark on its head, and piercing red eyes (LV 6: ATK 2100).

"What do you think of this? It's only the first turn, and I brought out two powerful Fusion Monsters! That's all I can do for now, though, so now it's time for you to show me what you've got!"

"Rinrin knows you can beat this guy, big sis!" cheered Chohi as Kan'u drew, looking over her cards as her lips curved into a smile.

"You're not the only one who can summon multiple powerful monsters in one turn!" said Kan'u. "I activate my Black Luster Ritual, and to begin the ritual, I tribute Armed Samurai - Ben Kei and King's Knight from my hand!"

The coat of arms and urns appeared as the two Warrior-types entered the urns, being consumed by the flames. The pillars of light shot skyward from the urns, swirling together and creating a single ray of golden light (4+4=8).

"The forces of light and darkness intertwine! I open the gates of chaos! Bring forth Black Luster Soldier!"

The mighty Ritual Monster leapt out of the golden tower, landing on the ground and rising to his full height, sword pointed at the opposing Fusion Monsters (LV 8: ATK 3000).

"This could be trouble, but it's nothing I can't handle!" bragged Tsubasa. Little did he know, Kan'u wasn't quite finished yet.

"Next, I'll banish the LIGHT-attribute King's Knight and DARK-attribute Armed Samurai - Ben Kei from my Graveyard!"

As Kan'u said this, the two monsters swirled together in a black and white vortex as a blue portal appeared in the center.

"When the forces of dark and light combine, a new soldier is born, and comes to your defeat! Behold, Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning!"

Out of the portal stepped her second Black Luster Soldier, the Effect Monster standing beside the Ritual Monster and getting into a battle stance (LV 8: ATK 3000).

"Now my Black Luster Soldiers will end this duel! Envoy of the Beginning, destroy Punished Eagle with Luster Blade!"

Her monster leapt into action, sprinting towards the airborne monster and jumping into the air. The Fusion Monster let out a cry and flew towards it, talons bared, only to be slashed into pixels by the Warrior-type (Tsubasa: 4000-3100 LP).

"Yay, way to go, big sis!" cheered Chohi.

"And since my Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning destroyed one of your monsters in battle, it can attack again right after! So now I'll destroy Crimson Sunbird!"

The Winged Beast-type flew upwards towards the Warrior-type, attempting to avenge its fallen comrade, only for Black Luster Soldier to perform a downward slash, using its falling to gain additional momentum, and Crimson Sunbird was destroyed as the mighty soldier landed (Tsubasa: 3100-2400 LP).

"No way…" said Tsubasa as the Warrior-type returned to its owner's side of the field. "So this is the kind of skill that comes from Kan'u Uncho…"

"Now you're wide open for a direct attack from the original! Black Luster Soldier, finish this duel with Chaos Blade!"

Her Ritual Monster raised his sword skyward, and with a mighty cry, he swung downward, a yellow trail of light speeding down the field before it reached Tsubasa, a pillar of energy bursting from the ground and knocking the duelist a good few inches into the air before he fell onto his back with a groan (Tsubasa: 2400-0 LP)(Winner: Kan'u).

"That's game," said Kan'u as the small crowd began to cheer for her, Chohi laughing and wrapping her arms around her sworn sister, all of them amazed by her victory.

~KD~

"That must've been so cool!"

Kan'u smirked as her lord and lover gushed over her story. It had been a couple of days since she dueled Tsubasa, and she was busy regaling her story to Anthony as they walked side by side through the halls of the palace. "I suppose it was. Rinrin went on about it for twenty minutes afterward."

"I can't believe I missed it because of some paperwork," said Anthony as he put his hands into the pockets of his jacket.

"Well, it was supposed to be a day between just Rinrin and I. I'd be surprised if any of your other peerage members saw the duel."

"You've got a point, but still! To see both Black Luster Soldiers in action at the same time!"

Kan'u beamed with pride, before giving Anthony a peck on the cheek. "Would it be alright if I took a lunch break? It shouldn't take more than an hour."

"Go ahead," said Anthony.

"Thanks," she said before they split ways. "Just be sure to get your own work done, my lord!"

"Come on, you know me better than that!" laughed Anthony as he went towards his office. When he reached it, he sat down in his chair with a sigh of relief, before he set his satchel to the side and began to look over the papers stacked on his desk. As he did his duties, his mind began to wander to the three prisoners that they had. Kan'u had managed to get some more information out of Mukade, and both Ken siblings were very cooperative. Unfortunately, they weren't able to get everything: they still had no idea where the White Clothes had their base, nor did they know what kind of cards this "Saji" guy had. But they did know one valuable piece of information, one that revealed the source of both their powers and their rare cards: a familiar bronze mirror.

When the twins mentioned the mirror that granted them the power to create Shadow Games, Anthony almost did a double take. A bronze mirror? Like the one that had sent him here? As soon as the initial shock was gone, his mind had gone to that man who had initially tried to steal the mirror. After all, he had been there when the mirror broke and that light came out.

'Maybe he was sent to the past too, just like I was,' thought Anthony. 'Maybe I can discuss this with Aisha.' He then paused, the pen in his hand having stopped moving. 'Wait. Did I ever tell Aisha I was from the future?' There was no doubt in his mind that the mirror had sent him to the past. After all, despite a few…oddities, the presence of Duel Monsters being the most obvious, the older terminology and the much less advanced tech was a giveaway. But he never recalled telling Kan'u that, or anyone, for that matter. He did deny being the Messenger from Heaven when Kan'u and Chohi believed him to be so, but where he was really from never came up.

Then Anthony became worried. 'I've known Aisha for months and never mentioned something like this. How will she react? What if she gets angry for not telling her something this major?' Beads of sweat began to coat his brow as he started panicking, the pen trembling in his grasp. 'How could I be so stupid as to forget something this important?! I should have told her way earlier! Sure, it's far-fetched, but no less that being the 'Messenger from Heaven.'' With that in mind, he stood up, grabbed his bag, and made his way out of his office and through the palace. 'This can't wait any longer. I can't deceive her again, even if it was unintentional. Aisha has done so much for me ever since I arrived here. I owe her the full truth of how I got here at the very least.'

As he made his way through the halls and out the door, he remembered Kan'u saying she was going on a lunch break, and made his way to the first place that came to mind, unaware that as soon as he left the palace, somebody was in pursuit of him.

~KD~

"Ah, Kan'u Uncho! Welcome!" said the restaurant owner as he approached Kan'u, who was seated at a table in the somewhat busy restaurant. Kan'u was having lunch in the same place that she had taken Anthony for their first date, although he hadn't known it was a date until after they had left. Since then, she had become somewhat of a regular customer, and got along great with the staff. And the staff, in turn, were always happy to serve her (and the fact that her being a regular diner increased their business didn't hurt). "Take a seat, we'll be with you in a flash!"

"Thank you," said Kan'u as she sat down at an empty table. As she waited for her service, she couldn't help but remember the first time she visited the establishment, and ended up with her lord, although not without trouble, said trouble going by the name of Yokubo.

'Ah, Anthony…' she thought. He certainly meant a great deal to her. She still remembered the first time they met, where she rushed to answer his cry for help, only to be surprised when he took care of the issue by himself, using cards she had never heard of before that day. And even after all this time, he was still an enigma.

'Well, even if he denies being the Messenger from Heaven that prophecy foretold, what can't be denied is how he's helped the people of this country. Even with the current threat, he's still determined to protect us. I'm glad that I chose to serve him, and nothing will change that.'

"Aisha!"

Kan'u nearly jumped out of her seat as she turned to see Anthony, as he ran up to her and stopped, panting to catch his breath. The other patrons had their eyes on the two of them, a few hushed conversations breaking out. "Anthony? What's wrong?"

"I…need to…talk to you…" said Anthony, still out of breath from running halfway across the town. In hindsight, he probably could have walked.

"What is it? Is it the White Clothes?" asked Kan'u in a somewhat hushed voice. While the general public was somewhat familiar with the White Clothes, she'd rather not cause a panic.

"No, nothing like that," said Anthony. "But it's still important."

"Okay, what is it?"

"Um," said Anthony, looking at all the pairs of eyes on their conversation. "It's something I need to tell you in private."

"A private conversation, hmm? Is there room for one more?"

A familiar voice shattered Kan'u's concentration. Everyone in the restaurant turned to the door, as Yokubo leaned against the frame, facing away from them. Her arms were crossed, left arm over the right, her Chaos Duel Disk on full display. "I was planning on dealing with you, Lord Anthony, as payback for rejecting me. But it looks like I have a better target. Long time no see, General Kan'u."

"Yokubo," growled Kan'u, standing up. "It hasn't been long enough. And here I thought you had left for good after I had defeated you."

"That was before I joined my new master," said Yokubo, seemingly admiring her nails before glaring at the black-haired general and her lord from the corner of her eye. "I've seen their power for myself, and once I did, I knew I had to make it mine. And now, I'm going to enjoy getting revenge on the two people who made a fool of me!"

"Quit acting like you were a victim!" said Kan'u. "You were planning on leeching off of Lord Anthony's status like the parasite you are!"

"Parasite, am I?!" snapped Yokubo as she turned to the duo, Duel Disk unfolding. "Enough talk, it's high time we had a rematch!"

"No problem! I've beaten you once, and I can-"

"Hold it!" said the owner. "No duels in here! I don't need this place being wrecked!"

"Fine," said Kan'u. "We'll take our duel outside the city, just like last time."

"Sounds good to me," said Yokubo.

"Wait, Aisha-" started Anthony.

"Don't worry, Anthony. She may have a new deck now, according to Mukade, but I'm sure I'll be able to beat her."

"That's not it. There's something really important that I need to tell you."

"I'm sure it can wait a little bit," said Kan'u as Yokubo left the building, the pair following her as she bid farewell to the owner.

'I'll admit I'm a bit curious, and even worried, about what's on Anthony's mind. Whatever he needs to talk about certainly sounds important. But right now, this takes priority.'

'I guess that I can wait a bit longer to tell Kan'u how I got here, given the circumstances. I just hope that she takes it well when I do.'

~KD~

In the desert outside of Kikai, Kan'u shuffled her deck as Anthony stood a distance away, with Yokubo's Duel Disk shuffling her own cards.

"I'm ready to go," said Kan'u, before she turned to Anthony. "Wish me luck."

"Good luck," said Anthony, although he was still a bit concerned about what he had to say to Kan'u. Meanwhile, Yokubo finished shuffling her own cards.

"It's payback time," said Yokubo, both women drawing five cards as a dark mist covered their cards, and the Shadow Game began.

"LET'S DUEL!"

(Yokubo: 4000 LP)(Kan'u: 4000 LP)

"I think I'll make the first move!" said Yokubo, drawing a sixth card. "And for my first play, I'd like to introduce you to a new friend of mine! I summon Fire Princess!"

Yokubo's monster took the form of a fair-skinned woman with silver hair and two orange roses in her hair, long leaves sticking out. She had a mark on her forehead, and she wore a flowing orange robe and a red cape, a wooden staff in her hands (LV 4: ATK 1300).

"And then I'll set three cards and end my turn!" said Yokubo, the three vertical backings appearing behind the Pyro-type.

"Then it's my turn," said Kan'u. "I draw! And I summon my Warrior Dai Grepher to the field!"

The mighty warrior appeared on the field, swinging his glowing sword (LV 4: ATK 1700).

"And now I'll have my Dai Grepher attack your Fire Princess!"

The Warrior-type rushed towards the opposing monster, only Yokubo to flip up all three of her Trap Cards.

"I don't think so! I activate Gravity Bind, preventing all level four or higher monsters from declaring an attack! And I also chain my other two Trap Cards, Solemn Wishes and Life Absorbing Machine!"

The second Trap Card to flip up, Solemn Wishes, depicted a woman standing in a ray of light as it rained around her, having been spared from getting wet, while the third, Life Absorbing Machine, depicted an old man in agony, a mechanical parasite on his back draining his life force. Once their activations were resolved, the effect of Gravity Bind activated, a green net of gravity trapping both monsters on the field.

'Damn, I wasn't expecting that,' thought Kan'u. "I set one card on the field and end my turn."

"Not bad, I guess," said Yokubo as she drew her next card. "But now it's my turn! I draw, which triggers the effect of my Solemn Wishes! Each time I draw a card, I gain five hundred life points!"

A ray of light shone down on Yokubo, the White Clothes member letting out a sigh of comfort as she basked in the healing light (Yokubo: 4000-4500 LP). As this was happening, the tip of Fire Princess's staff became alight.

"What's happening with your monster?" asked Kan'u.

"Oh, this is when things get really fun! You see, whenever I gain life points, my Fire Princess deals five hundred points of damage to you! Burn, Kan'u Uncho!"

Fire Princess shot a fireball from her wand, which struck Kan'u and made her cry out in pain (Kan'u: 4000-3500 LP).

"Aisha!" screamed Anthony, as Kan'u managed to recover, as the fire thankfully didn't manage to burn her clothes or skin, although it certainly hurt.

"Don't worry, Anthony, I'm fine," she said, her lord letting out a sigh of relief.

'What is she made of?!' thought Yokubo, surprised by the resilience displayed, although she refused to show it. "Time to demonstrate just how powerful my deck has become! I summon my Injection Fairy Lily!"

The new monster was an angel with light orange-pink curly hair and white wings, wearing a white and red nurse's outfit that was complete with white gloves and a white hat with a red heart on it. In her hands was a gigantic syringe filled with a green liquid (LV 3: ATK 400).

"And since she's level three, she can attack your Warrior Dai Grepher!"

"Why would you do that?" asked Kan'u as Injection Fairy Lily flew towards Dai Grepher, needle in hand. "My monster has far more attack points than yours!"

"Not for long!" said Yokubo. "I activate the effect of Injection Fairy Lily! Once per battle, if my Lily attacks or is attacked, I can give up two thousand of my life points to increase her attack points by three thousand during damage calculation!"

"What?!" cried Kan'u as Yokubo's life points took a huge hit (Yokubo: 4500-2500 LP) and the syringe of the Fairy-type drastically increased in size (ATK 400-3400). The syringe stabbed the Warrior-type as he shattered into pixels (Kan'u: 3500-1800 LP)(ATK 3400-400).

"Now I'll switch my Fire Princess into defense mode," said Yokubo, her Pyro-type moving into a defensive stance (DEF 1500). "That should end my turn."

"Okay, I draw!" As she drew, Kan'u looked through her hand, trying to think of a way to get rid of Injection Fairy Lily, as it was currently the biggest threat, although Fire Princess was dangerous too, especially with cards like Solemn Wishes out.

"I think I'll set one monster in defense mode, and one other card. Your move."

"Then I draw, which means I gain five hundred life points thanks to Solemn Wishes! And you know what that means!"

As the holy light replenished some of Yokubo's lost life points (Yokubo: 2500-3000 LP), Fire Princess shot another blast of fire at Kan'u, although the general managed to block it this time using her arms, although it still stung (Kan'u: 1800-1300 LP).

"But it's not over yet! Now during the Standby Phase, the effect of Life Absorbing Machine activates, and I gain life points equal to half of the life points I paid during my last turn!"

"And since she paid two thousand for Injection Fairy Lily…" said Anthony.

"She'll gain a thousand, bringing her back to what she started with!" finished Kan'u as Yokubo's life points increased further (Yokubo: 3000-4000 LP). Fire Princess blasted Kan'u again, the general once again blocking it with her arms (Kan'u: 1300-800 LP).

"And now I summon Cure Mermaid!"

Onto the field swam a blonde-haired mermaid with a golden tiara, a pink sleeveless blouse with fins and scale patterns, pink gloves that reached her elbows, a blue gem on a necklace, and a red fish tail (LV 4: ATK 1500). As soon as she appeared, the net of Gravity Bind kept her from moving any further.

"You may have more monsters out now, but only one can attack right now!" said Kan'u. "And after you use Lily's effect again, you'll only have two thousand life points, meaning you can't use her effect until your next turn!"

"Oh, woe is me! Whatever shall I do?!" said Yokubo overdramtically, before she smirked and slipped a Spell Card into her Duel Disk. "Maybe Dian Keto the Cure Master has a solution!"

As the Spell Card appeared, the woman in the image, Dian Keto, appeared, holding out her hands as yellow light covered Yokubo, who let out a wicked cackle (Yokubo: 4000-5000 LP).

"This Spell Card gives me another one thousand life points, which also means that my Fire Princess gets to blast you again!"

Once again, flames coated the tip of the FIRE monster's staff as she shot a blast of fire that Kan'u once again blocked with her arms (Kan'u: 800-300 LP). As she lowered her arms, Kan'u noticed that her sleeves had scorch marks.

'My life points are dangerously low, and hers keep increasing. I can't take another blast from Fire Princess, and my stronger monsters can't attack with that Gravity Bind in play. Hopefully I can get rid of some of her cards.'

"And now, I'll have my Injection Fairy Lily destroy your monster!"

The Fairy-type flew towards the set monster, flipping up to reveal Warrior Lady of the Wasteland (LV 4: DEF 1200). The Warrior-type prepared to defend herself, only for the needle of Lily to increase in size (Yokubo: 5000-3000 LP)(ATK 400-3400). The syringe made the Warrior Lady shatter into pixels (ATK 3400-400), only for Kan'u's deck to glow as she looked through her cards.

"When Warrior Lady of the Wasteland is destroyed in battle and sent to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon an EARTH Warrior-type monster with 1500 or less attack points from my deck in attack mode! And I know just the monster to bring out! Make your way to the frontlines, Exiled Force!"

The gang of warriors appeared on the field, ready to battle (LV 4: ATK 1000), only for the Gravity Bind to trap them in place.

"If that's the best you can do after all this time, I'm not impressed," remarked Yokubo. "I end my turn!"

"I draw!" said Kan'u. "And now, I'll use the effect of my Exiled Force, tributing them to destroy one of your monsters! And seeing how much of a threat she is, I think your Injection Fairy Lily is the best target!"

As Exiled Force shattered, orange particles of light surrounded Injection Fairy Lily, who let out a scream before she exploded.

"And when a card on the field is destroyed by a card effect, I can activate my Chain Whirlwind, destroying two Spell or Trap Cards in play! And I think I'll get rid of your Gravity Bind and Solemn Wishes! And on top of that, I'll chain Emergency Provisions, sending Chain Whirlwind to the Graveyard to gain a thousand life points!"

A Trap Card with a picture of a whirlwind ripping apart a chain appeared alongside the Quick-Play Spell, as the Trap Card was sent to the Graveyard to replenish Kan'u's meager life points (Kan'u: 300-1300 LP) and a windstorm sent both Continuous Traps flying before they shattered, the web of gravity fading away.

"Alright, now she's finally turning things around!" said Anthony to himself. "Go Aisha!"

"Now that your Gravity Bind and Injection Fairy Lily are gone, I can attack with my stronger monsters again, and not have to worry about them being destroyed! So now, I can bring out one of my heavy hitters! Since you control at least two more monsters than I do, I can Special Summon The Fiend Megacyber!"

The gold-armored warrior appeared on the field, letting out a war cry (LV 6: ATK 2200).

"And I think I'll summon a familiar face to join him on the field! I'm sure you remember my Queen's Knight!"

As the red-armored knight joined Megacyber on the field (LV 4: ATK 1500), Yokubo snarled. "Unfortunately."

"Now I'll have Queen's Knight deal with your Fire Princess!"

"You can try, but seeing as her defense points are equal to your monster's attack points, I doubt you'll get very far."

"Luckily, I have a solution! I activate Shield Spear!"

The spear manifested in the hands of Queen's Knight as her power increased (ATK 1500-1900).

"Now my Queen's Knight has her attack and defense points increased by four hundred until the End Phase, meaning she can get rid of that Fire Princess before she can deal any more damage!"

Yokubo grimaced as her Fire Princess was pierced by the combination weapon, shattering into pixels.

"And now I'll have my Fiend Megacyber deal with Cure Mermaid! Cyber Flash!"

The WATER monster let out a scream as she was blasted into holographic shards by a white blast of energy (Yokubo: 3000-2300 LP).

"And now, I end my turn!" said Kan'u, the Shield Spear disappearing as Queen's Knight regained her sword and shield (ATK 1900-1500).

"There you go, back in control," said Anthony with a small smile, which made Kan'u raise an eyebrow.

'He's much less enthusiastic than he was earlier today,' she thought. 'Whatever he was trying to tell me must be really getting to him. I'll try to win this duel quickly so that he'll be feeling better.'

"It's my draw!" snapped Yokubo, her Life Absorbing Machine replenishing her life points (Yokubo: 2300-3300 LP). "And I play Stray Lambs, summoning two Lamb Tokens to defend me!"

The two sheep floated lazily onto the field, protecting Yokubo (LV 1: DEF 0).

"Then I'll end my turn."

"Then I draw! And I'll have my monsters attack and get rid of those Lamb Tokens! Queen's Knight, attack with Majestic Sword Slash! Megacyber, attack with Cyber Swipe!"

The pink Lamb Token was sliced in two and shattered by the steel sword of Queen's Knight, and The Fiend Megacyber made short work of the white one with his wrist claws.

"Then I'll tribute both of my monsters to summon Buster Blader to the field!"

The two Warrior-types disappeared, and the mighty slayer of dragons appeared in their place, a tight grip on his legendary blade (LV 7: ATK 2600).

'Things are looking up,' thought Anthony. 'Now Aisha has one of her stronger monsters out, and Yokubo is wide open. Of course, even if Aisha can take her out, there's still what's gonna happen after… No! I can't worry about that! There's something more important happening right now!'

"Are you okay?" asked Kan'u, as Anthony noticed she was staring at him. "You don't look so good."

"I'm good, just focus on your duel," he said, which seemed to do the trick, as Kan'u gave him a smirk and a thumbs-up before turning back to a waiting Yokubo, and he tried to shake off his paranoia for both their sakes.

"There's nothing else I can do here, so I'll end my turn," said Kan'u.

"Then it's my draw! And I activate Graceful Charity!" As the card materialized, Yokubo drew three cards, and looked over her new hand carefully before deciding to part with Token Thanksgiving and Polymerization. "Now I activate Messenger of Peace!"

A Continuous Spell appeared, displaying an image of a man in gold robes with a red sash and fuschia cape, a book in one hand and the other hand raised with his palm out, and a dove on his shoulder, a bright light shining behind him. "This handy Spell Card keeps any monsters with 1500 or more attack points from declaring an attack as long as this card is in play! And now, I summon Hysteric Fairy to the field!"

In a flash of light, a new monster appeared, an angel with short blue hair, pointed ears, and red-trimmed glasses. She wore a blue skirt suit with gold trim, brown stockings that went well past her knees, and blue slip-on shoes, beautiful white wings with a blue glow sticking out of her back. In her hands, she held a black book with a green ankh on the cover (LV 4: ATK 1800).

"That should be enough for now," said Yokubo.

'Another card that keeps my monsters from attacking,' thought Kan'u as she drew her next card. 'I need to get rid of that as soon as possible.' "I pass my turn."

"Good! I draw! Then I pay one hundred life points to keep my Messenger of Peace in play!" And as she said, her card began to glow as a small sliver of her life points vanished (Yokubo: 3300-3200 LP). "And then I summon Dancing Fairy!"

Despite the name of her monster, there were actually three fairies that appeared, all of them being rather small with big eyes, pointed ears, detached white wings, and white robes. One had straight brown hair with a blue collar and sleeves, one had red hair and a collar made of leaves, and the last one had lighter red hair in a braided ponytail with a wavy blue collar (LV 4: ATK 1700).

"And that's it for now!"

"I draw! And I summon Axe Raider to the field!"

The axe-swinging warrior joined Buster Blader on the field, although Messenger of Peace kept him from doing much (LV 4: ATK 1700).

"I end my turn with that."

As Yokubo drew her next card, she began to laugh. "Perfect! Get ready to witness the most powerful monster in my deck!"

'Most powerful monster?' thought both Kan'u and Anthony.

"But before that, my Life Absorbing Machine will give me half of the life points I paid last turn!" said Yokubo, her Trap Card doing just that (Yokubo: 3200-3250 LP). "And I choose not to pay the maintenance cost for Messenger of Peace, so it's destroyed!"

'If she's getting rid of it,' thought Kan'u as the Continuous Spell shattered, 'then she's about to attack.'

"Now I tribute both my Hysteric Fairy and my Dancing Fairy to call upon the glorious power of my Guardian Angel Joan!"

Both Fairy-types were consumed by a pillar of light, as the mighty Guardian Angel descended from the heavens, before she came to a stop midair, the spotlight fading as she flew high above the field and duelists (LV 7: ATK 2800).

"I remember that monster!" said Kan'u, before she turned to Anthony. "Shuyu used this one when she dueled you, correct?"

"Yeah, she did!" said Anthony. "And whenever it destroys a monster in battle and sends it to the Graveyard, then Yokubo will gain life points equal to the original attack points of that monster!"

"Oh, so you've seen this monster in action, hm?" said Yokubo. "So you know just how outclassed you are! Joan, destroy that Axe Raider!"

The Fairy-type held out her hands, gathering a golden light, before she shot a flare of light at the Warrior-type, blasting him apart (Kan'u: 1300-200 LP).

'This is really bad…' thought Anthony.

"And now, my Guardian Angel Joan's effect comes into play!" laughed Yokubo as she began to shine, a bright golden glow filling her with energy (Yokubo: 3250-4950 LP). "Now do you see? This duel is mine!"

"One powerful monster on the field doesn't mean you've won, even if it's stronger than my Buster Blader," said Kan'u.

"Oh no? I think otherwise! Power is everything, after all! Now then, I end my turn!"

'What is she talking about?' thought Anthony, with Kan'u thinking the same thing as she drew.

"I set a monster on the field, then switch my Buster Blader into defense mode," said Kan'u, a horizontal face-down joining Buster Blader as he sheathed his weapon on his back and crouched into a defensive stance (DEF 2300). "That's all I can do."

"My move!" said Yokubo. "And I play my Nobleman of Crossout!"

A Spell Card depicting a knight with long blonde hair appeared, as a yellow glow surrounded Kan'u's set monster. "This card of mine lets me destroy and banish one face-down monster, and if it was a Flip Monster, both of us banish all copies of that monster from our decks!"

The yellow light destroyed the set monster, as Kan'u flipped it back over to reveal Masaki the Legendary Swordsman, a Normal Monster, before she gave it to Anthony to hold onto, noticing he was a bit shaky when he grabbed the card.

"Are you sure that you're feeling alright?"

"It's just, what I need to tell you is very important, and I want to keep it secret," said Anthony, eyes flickering over to Yokubo.

"I understand, but right now, there are more immediate concerns. You'll be able to tell me as soon as I beat her and we get back to the palace. You know I trust you, right?"

"Y-Yeah," said Anthony, as she gripped onto his other hand and smiled.

"Ugh, I think I might be sick. Are you finished?"

"I am. Let's get back to the duel," said Kan'u.

"Perfect! Guardian Angel Joan, send her Buster Blader to the afterlife!"

The mighty swordsman was soon blown apart by a powerful blast of light, Yokubo being covered by a brilliant light once again (Yokubo: 4950-7550 LP).

"Do you see, General Kan'u? How outclassed you are? Why not spare yourself the trouble and surrender yourself to the shadows?"

"Having been to the Shadow Realm once before, I'll be declining your invitation," said Kan'u. "Besides, I have zero intention of surrendering. A duel isn't over until the last card is played."

"Suit yourself! Judging from the massive gap in our life points, this duel is already over! Not to mention how powerful my Guardian Angel Joan is!"

"So what?" said Kan'u, which seemed to royally tick off the White Clothes member.

"So what?! Power is everything! I learned that for myself!"

"What do you mean?" asked Kan'u.

"Well, seeing as I'm practically guaranteed victory, I suppose I can tell you a tale real quick. You see, I wasn't always as gorgeous, as magnificent as I am today. When I was younger, I was practically a nobody. Especially when I moved to another village…"

~KD~

In a modest town in southern China, a young teenage girl was walking through town. Her brown hair had been tied into a ponytail, red eyes bright as she had a sweet smile on her face. Her outfit consisted of a simple red shirt, a purple skirt, ankle high socks, and black shoes, a Duel Disk strapped to her wrist. This was a young Yokubo Don'yaku, age thirteen.

With both of her parents busy with their respective jobs, Yokubo was allowed to explore the town, within reason of course. The adults working in the area paid her little mind as she walked down the street, humming a little tune to herself, before she saw two girls her age with fancier clothing, one with black hair and one with blonde hair, gossiping and laughing, as she walked up to them.

"Hi there!" she said with a wave, the two girls turning to look at her with weird looks.

"And who are you?" asked the blonde with a stuck-up tone.

"Oh, my name is Yokubo! I just moved here so that my parents could get new jobs! I'm sorry to interrupt, but I was wondering if I could hang out with you? I don't have many friends, I'm afraid…"

"Not surprised there," snarked the black-haired girl as she looked up and down. "Very…common clothes there, save the Duel Disk. You said your parents both moved here so they could have jobs? What do they do, if I may be so bold?"

"Oh, my mom is a carpenter, and my dad is a blacksmith. They make some really cool things!"

"Should've known she was poor," said the blonde, as the black-haired girl stifled a laugh. "Sorry, but we don't deal with those…beneath us."

"Oh, okay," said Yokubo as she walked away. This was how most of her attempts to make friends went in this new town; no matter who she talked to, they always seemed to blow her off. But she refused to give up.

"Heads up!"

Yokubo yelped and ducked as a ball flew past her and bounced against a wall before rolling up to her, as another group of kids her age, three boys and one girl, ran up to her.

"Can you pass that ball back?" asked one of the boys, a kid with short orange hair. "We kinda need it for our game."

'Okay, let's do this again, Aiko,' thought Yokubo to herself. "Maybe I can play with you four?" she asked as she picked up the ball with both hands.

"Sorry, we kinda need an even number," said another boy, one sporting a crew cut.

"Besides, you probably can't keep up with us," said the girl, flipping her long green hair, the others laughing.

"Sure I can!" argued Yokubo.

"Then prove it. Toss it over here," said the orange-haired boy, backing up a bit. Yokubo did as he requested, only for the ball to go right past him and land on the ground, rolling to the final member of the group, a taller boy with spiky black hair, as he picked it up.

"Yeah, we'll pass," said the tall boy as the quartet went back to their game. Yokubo, left alone once again, kept walking until she saw two more kids, two boys playing a game of Duel Monsters.

'Perfect!' thought Yokubo as she ran up to them as one of the boys, a redhead with glasses, set a card. "Hey, can I play the winner?"

The two looked at her, and the other boy, who had mint green hair that had been slicked back, just sneered at her. "Doubt you could last two turns against me. Nobody has ever beaten me in a duel."

"Oh yeah? We'll see about that when this duel becomes my tenth win in a row!" said the redhead.

"Well, maybe I can watch?"

"I don't need somebody going 'ooh' and 'ahh' at every move," said the green-haired boy. "Why don't you run along?" Yokubo opened her mouth to protest, but her throat tightened as she lowered her head and walked off.

~KD~

"Day after day, I would try to befriend people, but apparently, if you didn't have status or you weren't the best at something, nobody cared about you, no matter what age you were," said Yokubo. "But that all changed one day."

~KD~

Yokubo sighed as she sat against a wall, arms wrapped around her legs. Another day, and still no luck making any friends. It seemed like having a positive outlook and words of encouragement from her parents could only get her so far. And so she sat there, fighting back tears.

"Hello there."

Yokubo was surprised. This friendly voice, this was coming from somebody her age, from the sound of it. Somebody her age wanted to talk to her. Looking up, she saw a young man with well-groomed black hair wearing fancy indigo and gray clothing. This boy was royalty, she thought. But what did he want with somebody like her?

"I don't think I've seen you around here before. Are you new to our village?"

"Y-Yeah, I just moved here a couple weeks ago. My house is right over there," said Yokubo, pointing to her home a block or two away.

"Ah, yes, I remember Father talking about that," said the boy, snapping his fingers, much to Yokubo's confusion. "Oh, right, excuse me. My name is Hideo, and my father, Hideki, is the chief magistrate of our humble village." He then leaned a bit closer with a frown on his face, causing a pink tint to appear on Yokubo's face. "Is something wrong? You seem distraught."

"I've been trying to get along with some of the other kids my age," said Yokubo, "but nobody seems to care about me."

"That's ridiculous," said Hideo as he held out a hand to Yokubo. "A cute girl like you?" The young teen girl felt even more flushed as she took his hand and he pulled her to her feet. "How about this? I'll take you on a tour of the village tomorrow. It'll help to know your bearings, and I'd be honored to be your first friend… apologies, I don't know your name."

"It's Yokubo," said the brunette, managing a genuine smile. "But since we're friends, you can call me Aiko. See you in the morning then?"

"It's a date," said Hideo with a wink, leaving a blushing Yokubo standing there with her hand still outstretched as he walked away.

~KD~

Early next morning, Yokubo was waiting outside her house, tapping her foot, as Hideo came into view. "Sorry for the delay, it took me a while to remember which house was yours. So then, shall we get going?"

"Sounds great," said Yokubo with a small smile. Without a second's hesitation, Hideo took her by the hand and began to give her the "grand tour." For the most part it was uneventful, pointing out different shops and getting familiar with the owners. On the way to the magistrate's office, however, they ran into a pair of familiar faces, the girls who had rejected her. Neither of them noticed Yokubo or her companion, the gossiping girls too enraptured by their own meaningless conversation.

"Is something wrong?" asked Hideo as Yokubo stiffened.

"It's just, those girls…"

"Did they bother you? I can straighten things out if you'd like."

"N-No, wait!" But her words fell on deaf ears as he walked up to the two.

"Excuse you? Could I talk for a minute?"

Both girls glared at the interruption, only to immediately have their eyes bug out of their heads and huddle together.

"Omigosh! It's the magistrate's son! And he's a total cutie! I'm What do I do, what do I say?"

"Just play it cool!"

The two looked back to Hideo with visible blushing, one fixing her hair. Before they could say anything, Hideo gestured to Yokubo, who desperately wished to be somewhere else. "My friend over here says that you've been bothering her," he said. "Is this true?"

The two turned to Yokubo with dropped jaws. "You…you're friends? With him?!" said one in disbelief, pointing a trembling finger at Yokubo.

"Y-Yes?"

The two girls suddenly bowed their heads. "We're so sorry!" said the other. "We had no idea!"

"Um…" said Yokubo, a bit confused by the sudden change in attitude.

"Hey, if you want to talk with us, you're more than welcome to!"

"Perhaps another time. I'm taking her on a tour of the city," said Hideo as he led Yokubo away from the two girls, both of them sighing.

"How did you do that?" asked Yokubo.

"Well, when you're the son of the most powerful man in the village, people tend to treat you differently. Don't worry, I won't let anyone badmouth you while I'm around."

"Thank you," said Yokubo, as their tour continued uninterrupted, until…

"Heads up!"

A familiar ball came flying right for Hideo, who barely managed to catch it an inch or two from his face.

"Holy crap! Are you okay?" asked Yokubo.

"I'm perfectly fine," said Hideo, although the sweat dripping off his brow said otherwise. The quartet of kids from the other day arrived, as if the two girls weren't enough.

"You again?" said the spiky-haired boy. "I thought we told you you can't play with us. Are you dense or just desperate?"

"And who's your rich friend?" asked the lone girl, looking at the clothes of Hideo, whose face was concealed behind the ball. "Clearly he's got no standards if he's with you."

"Beg your pardon?" asked Hideo, finally lowering the ball and revealing his face to all four of them, who collectively looked like they had wet themselves in fear.

"Is he-you're with-did we just-?" stuttered the spiky-haired boy, having realized his mistake.

"You idiot!" scolded the boy with the crew cut, punching the orange-haired boy in the shoulder. "You almost pegged the magistrate's kid in the face!"

"Ow! Hey, it's not like I was aiming for him, genius!"

"We're so sorry!" said the leader, as he and the girl clasped their hands together. "We weren't trying to hit you, honest!"

"We'll never do it again!"

"I'm not upset over that, it was just an accident," said Hideo as he threw the ball over to the kid with the crew cut, who caught it clumsily. "Making fun of Aiko, like that, is another story."

"We're so sorry! We didn't know!" said the girl, with the four of them crowding around Yokubo. "We won't make fun of you or exclude you ever again! Just don't tell the chief!"

"Heck, you can play with us right now!" said the leader. "If you both join, we'll still have even teams!"

"R-Really? But I can't throw right," said Yokubo.

"Doesn't matter, we can show you the ropes!" said the orange-haired kid.

"Yeah, we weren't always as good! One time, I threw the ball straight down!" admitted the one with the crew cut, which made Yokubo chuckle.

"Perhaps after the tour, we can take you up on that," said Hideo as he took a slightly more cheerful Yokubo back onto the tour. After a couple more shops, he began to lead her to the grand finale of their little journey, the chief magistrate's office. But before either of them could reach their destination, a roar was heard nearby, and with faces of surprise they turned to face whatever made that noise.

The noise came from the same two boys that were about to duel the other day, making it three for three on Yokubo's past encounters. Each of the boys had one monster on their side of the field. The redhead had Twin-Headed Fire Dragon, a two-headed dragon that was made entirely out of red and gray lava (LV 6: ATK 2200), and the green-haired boy controlled Beast of Talwar, a muscular green-skinned demon with black wings and a scimitar in each hand (LV 6: ATK 2400).

"Beast of Talwar, slice that Fire Dragon into pieces!"

The Fiend-type held out its swords and flew towards the Pyro-type, which opened its mouths and exhaled two blazing hot streams of fire. Crossing its swords, Beast of Talwar swung them in an "X" shape, dispelling the flames. Before the Fire Dragon could attack again, the Fiend-type flew towards its torso and performed a second cross slash. The Pyro-type let out an anguished roar, then exploded into pixels, the shockwaves knocking the redhead off his feet and onto his back a meter away (Duelist: ?-0). As the hologram of Beast of Talwar faded, the green-haired boy crossed his arms and smirked.

"That's the second time in a row I've beaten you," he said. "I told you I was undefeated."

"I'll get you next time," said the redhead as he crawled to his feet. The green-haired duelist was about to comment, when a loud clapping caught both their attention. They turned to Hideo, who was happily applauding the two duelists.

"That was amazing! I sure wish I had seen the rest of your duel!"

"Hey, you're the son of the chief magistrate, right? Never pegged you for a fan of Duel Monsters," said the redhead.

"Why wouldn't I be? To see those extraordinary monsters in action, the magic of those cards come to life! It's exhilarating!"

"Glad you liked the show, fancy boy," said the green-haired victor. "Do you duel?"

"Um, admittedly no, Father doesn't think it's worth the time. Though there are rumors that Emperor Reitei will be making them used to solve conflicts, in order to reduce bloodshed. Perhaps then I'll finally be able to play this game I love so much!"

"That does sound fun!" said Yokubo a bit louder than she intended, causing the other two duelists to turn to her.

"Oh, it's you again, huh? Didn't know you were so chummy with the magistrate's kid."

"Um, yeah! I am!" said Yokubo. "Hey, my offer for a duel is still up!"

Before either kid could raise an objection, Hideo put his hands together. "Oh, that sounds fantastic! Please, I'd love to see you duel, Aiko!"

"Well, if he says so, then what the hell," said the green-haired kid. "But it's your own risk! This deck of mine is unbeatable!"

"We'll just see about that!" said Yokubo with a smile on her face as they both drew five cards. Thanks to Hideo, she had finally become popular, and as such, she was really, truly happy. Little did anybody know that this one step would lead Yokubo down a very dark path.

~KD~

"Yes, thanks to the status of my new friend, this nobody had truly become somebody. I was finally content…for a while. But after some time, I still felt this emptiness inside. The attention that I was receiving was an improvement, but I wanted more. I NEEDED more. And now, I finally knew how to get it."

"What do you mean?" said Kan'u as she tightened an already clenched fist, although she had a feeling she already knew the answer. And she didn't like it one bit.

"Well, as I said, power is everything. The only reason why everybody liked me all of a sudden is because I was at the hip of the magistrate's son. So after a while, the magistrate's popularity began to wane, and Hideo's as a result. So I ditched him for the son of some famous general to keep my newfound popularity and influence. And when he was old news, I made some other guy fall for me. Whenever somebody with more power or influence came, I'd repeat the process." As she kept talking, the Millennium Symbol appeared on her forehead. "As my figure filled out and I was able to afford better clothes, it became so much easier. And between the status of my flings and my dueling skills, I became more and more powerful, although I always yearned for more."

As soon as she said this, she turned to Anthony with a sultry expression. "And just when I had grown bored of my latest boy toy, I heard rumors of a new lord who had managed to defeat Totaku, and how he was apparently a bachelor. Being at his side would grant me more power and praise than I ever had before! There was no way I'd ever let a prime opportunity like that pass! But then you came along and ruined that! Afterwards, I was back to where I started as a total nobody! But now that I'm with the White Clothes, I can reclaim the power and popularity I once had and get revenge in one fell swoop! Hahahahahahahaha!"

As Yokubo laughed maniacally, neither Anthony nor Kan'u said a word, until Kan'u spoke up. "Is that it?"

"Hahaha-huh? What do you mean, 'is that it?!'" said Yokubo, the Millennium Symbol fading.

"Is that supposed to be some sort of story to make us feel sorry for you?" said Kan'u. "Because all that did…is make me loathe you even more."

Yokubo opened her mouth to speak, but Kan'u never gave her the chance. "I admit that I felt sympathy at first, but after what you did to Hideo, that's been replaced with disgust. He was the first real friend that you made there, wanting nothing in return, and yet you threw that away for the empty approval of others? The only one to blame for how you've turned out is your own selfish desires for power! Rather than making real connections with people, you feed off the status of others like a bloated tick in order to feed your lust for power and attention! And all you've done now is join a sociopath's cause for the sake of petty vengeance and that same shallow praise!"

As Kan'u dug into Yokubo, Anthony opened his mouth to speak, but chose to remain quiet, seeing as Kan'u had things more than under control. As she finished her rant, Yokubo bared her teeth, practically foaming at the mouth in rage.

"Why you little—I end my turn! Go on, make your next pathetic move so my Guardian Angel Joan can finish you off!"

"It's about time," said Kan'u, feeling as if months had passed since her last turn. "I draw! And I summon my Zero Gardna!"

The monster that Kan'u summoned looked significantly less formidable than the monsters she had played thus far. It looked like a little blue robot with plane wings for arms and a propeller on its back. A magnet was attached to cables on its chest, holding a large metal "0" that the tiny monster was somehow able to carry (LV 4: ATK 0).

As soon as the small Warrior-type fully materialized, Yokubo burst into a laughing fit. "Bwahahahahahaha! You actually Normal Summoned that toy instead of setting it?! It doesn't have a single attack point! What's it going to do, look cute as my Guardian Angel Joan scorches it?!"

"Trust me, there's a bit more to this monster than you think. I end my turn."

"Please! At least setting it would give you the slightest chance of survival!" taunted Yokubo as she drew her next card. "But a monster with such little power and completely defenseless is little more than a practice dummy! Guardian Angel Joan, bring this duel to an end and wipe that excuse for a monster off the face of the earth!"

Bringing her hands together, another bright ball of light formed in the hands of Guardian Angel Joan. With a loud cry, she thrust out her hands and fired another searing beam of holy energy. This time, however, Kan'u was prepared for it.

"Not so fast, Yokubo! This duel isn't over just yet! I tribute my Zero Gardna in order to activate its effect!"

Suddenly, Zero Gardna began to fly towards the blast head-on, heavy zero in tow. Before impact, it closed its eyes and flew upwards, and with a mighty pull, its cargo was disconnected from the magnet, the metal zero blocking the attack as both it and Zero Gardna shattered.

"Wh-What? But how did—"

"As I said, that's the effect of Zero Gardna. It may have no attack or defense points, but power isn't everything. By sacrificing it during either of our turns, for the rest of the turn I take no battle damage and my monsters can't be destroyed in battle. Think of it like a monster version of Waboku."

"This proves nothing! One lousy monster doesn't change the fact that power is everything in this game! I end my turn!"

"Then I draw! And I play Pot of Greed to draw another two cards!" As Kan'u replenished her hand, she smiled as she saw what she had drawn.

"And what are you smirking about?" snapped Yokubo.

"Simple. With the cards in my hand, I'm about to show you true strength. First, I activate Silent Doom, allowing me to revive any Normal Monster from my Graveyard in defense mode! Queen's Knight, come back to my field!"

With a glowing yellow light, Queen's Knight returned to the field with her shield raised (LV 4: DEF 1600).

"And next I'll activate Reinforcement of the Army, letting me add any level four or lower Warrior-type from my deck to my hand! And I call upon my King's Knight!"

Yokubo let out a "Hmph" as Kan'u added the knight to her hand.

"And next, I'll summon my King's Knight!"

The knight in gold appeared with a slash of his sword (LV 4: ATK 1600), before he and Queen's Knight raised their swords in the air, then crossed them as a portal appeared.

"And when I Normal Summon my King's Knight when Queen's Knight is also on the field, I can Special Summon Jack's Knight!"

From the portal, the younger knight jumped forth, sword pointed at the enemy (LV 5: ATK 1900).

"If you think that play will work a second time, you're out of your mind!" said Yokubo. "My angel here has more power than any of those knights!"

"Alone, maybe," said Anthony, knowing exactly where Kan'u was going with this. As if to confirm his train of thought, Kan'u nodded in his direction before taking a card from her hand.

"But when my monsters work together, they can overcome any lone monster! I play my Polymerization, and fuse my Jack's Knight, Queen's Knight, and King's Knight into one!"

The swirling blue vortex appeared behind the three knights as they brought their swords together briefly, then went into the portal, a tall silhouette forming inside of it.

"With these three monsters, I call upon the power of my Arcana Knight Joker!"

The mighty knight burst forth from the portal, bejeweled armor gleaming in the sunlight as his steel blades were as sharp as ever before (LV 9: ATK 3800). As soon as he appeared, Yokubo took a step back in panic.

"Wh-Wh-What? That monster… it's more powerful than my Joan!"

"Exactly," said Kan'u. "You might focus on powering up a single monster, but my Warriors work best when working together, something that you'll never understand! Arcana Knight Joker, destroy that Guardian Angel Joan with Straight Flush!"

His broadsword drawn, the Fusion Monster sped towards the Fairy-type with incredible speed. Joan began to prepare another attack, a ball of light forming in her hands, but she never got the chance. Arcana Knight Joker raised his sword above his head, and with one fluid motion he brought it down, a powerful slash cutting Joan in half as she shattered shortly after (Yokubo: 7550-6550 LP).

"And I think that's where I'll end my turn," said Kan'u.

"Grr… I draw!" snarled Yokubo, forcefully drawing her next card and practically jamming it into her Spell & Trap Zone once she saw what it was. "And I activate my own copy of Pot of Greed!" And as soon as she drew her cards, she began to chuckle.

"This can't be good," said Anthony as he narrowed his eyes, although Kan'u seemed completely stoic.

"Thank you for providing an even more powerful monster than my Guardian Angel Joan to replace it! I think I'll be taking its power for myself, thank you very much! I activate my favorite card, Change of Heart!"

As the Spell Card appeared, Yokubo began to chuckle to herself as she looked over her hand. 'Perfect! The card that once turned her signature monster against her is now going to take control of a stronger monster and win me this game! And even if she pulls out another miracle to protect her life points, I'll just use her last hope as a tribute for my Darklord Marie! Brace yourself, Kan'u Uncho, because you're finished!'

The card began to glow as the angel on the card emerged, a yellow and purple light shining over Arcana Knight Joker as his eyes began to turn white. Suddenly, the red gems on his armor started glowing brilliantly.

"That trick won't work this time, I'm afraid!" said Kan'u, a confident smile on her face. "When my Arcana Knight Joker is targeted by a card effect, I can negate that effect by discarding the same type of card. So I can negate your Change of Heart by discarding a Spell Card!" She then held out the last card in her hand, back facing Yokubo, before dramatically flipping it around. "And my Black Luster Ritual fits the bill perfectly! Go, Royal Flush!"

The eyes of Arcana Knight Joker flashed back to normal, albeit narrowed, as red constructs of the four suits surrounded him. He then pointed his sword at the angel, the constructs flying over to her and surrounding her before spinning in a ring around her. The angel and Spell Card shattered before the constructs disappeared, the armor of the Warrior-type returning to normal.

"I… I set one monster and end my turn," said Yokubo, before she put both hands on the sides of her head. "No, it can't end like this!" she muttered under her breath. "I can't go back to a life of loneliness!"

"It looks like she's just about finished!" said Anthony. "Take her down, Aisha!"

"With pleasure! I draw! And I summon my Obnoxious Celtic Guardian!"

The new monster, as his name implied, was a dead ringer for Celtic Guardian, an elf wearing green and silver armor and a purple cape, wielding a steel sword (LV 4: ATK 1400).

"Arcana Knight Joker, cut down her set monster!"

Her monster was quick to obey, flying towards the set monster as it revealed itself. The defending monster was Spirit of the Breeze, a green-skinned fairy with blue hair, a yellow cloak, and yellow angelic wings (LV 3: DEF 1800). The Fusion Monster swung his shield-mounted blade through the Fairy-type, who let out a shriek as she shattered into pixels.

"Obnoxious Celtic Guardian, attack directly!"

Yokubo braced herself as the weaker Warrior-type sprinted towards her, but to her surprise, rather than bringing down his blade upon her, he struck her in the side with the pommel of his sword (Yokubo: 6550-5150 LP).

"Wh-What?" stuttered Yokubo in confusion as the elven warrior returned to his position. "Why did you—"

"I wish to offer you a chance of possibly redeeming yourself," said Kan'u.

"Aisha, what are you talking about? Didn't you say she was beyond redemption?" asked Anthony.

"I said I loathed her, but perhaps she just might be redeemable," she replied before turning back towards Kan'u. "I'm going to give you one last chance to redeem yourself. As soon as I end this turn, you're going to end the Shadow Game and return this to a normal duel.

"And why should I do this? You've only got another two hundred life points, while mine are above five thousand! How should I know that this isn't a trick to save your own hide?!"

"You wish to avoid loneliness, correct?" asked Kan'u as Yokubo gasped and covered her mouth, realizing her greatest rival overheard her breakdown. "This is your final chance to gain true friendship, after you callously threw away your previous one for popularity. Then, and only then, will you finally be free of this. I end my turn."

"I… I…" But the words were caught in Yokubo's throat as the offer replayed in her mind over and over. Her mind then wandered back to Hideo, and how his offer of friendship, genuine friendship, was the happiest she had been in a long time. A couple stray tears rolled down her face before she slowly but surely hovered a trembling hand over her Duel Disk.

"Don't worry, I won't let anyone badmouth you while I'm around."

"End… Shadow Game."

Just like the duel with Kenkuro and Kenshiro, black shadows flew out of the decks of both duelists and gathered into a blob of darkness, before it shattered into oblivion. Kan'u and Anthony smiled at her decision, with Yokubo drawing her next card. "I… I want to regain that feeling."

"Thank you for making the right decision," said Kan'u.

"But that doesn't mean that I'll be giving up so easily!" said Yokubo with an arrogant, though much less malicious, smirk. "I draw, and set a monster before ending my turn!"

"Then it's my turn. I draw, and I activate The Warrior Returning Alive, returning a Warrior-type monster from my Graveyard to my hand! I'll return Exiled Force to my hand, then summon them to the field!"

The motley crew of fighters joined the elven swordsman and the champion poker knight on the field, smirking and brandishing their weapons (LV 4: ATK 1000).

"And just as before, I'll use the effect of Exiled Force, sacrificing it in order to destroy that set monster!"

Once again, Exiled Force faded away as orange particles of light surrounded the set monster before it shattered, with Yokubo biting her lip as she slipped it into her Graveyard.

'If she destroyed The Unhappy Maiden in battle, the Battle Phase would've immediately ended, and I would've had another shot at victory. But now, it's too late for that.'

"Obnoxious Celtic Guardian, attack directly with Celtic Blade Slash Attack!"

The enhanced Celtic Guardian ran towards Yokubo again, but this time he used the blade of his sword to attack, slashing harmlessly through Yokubo with a loud cry (Yokubo: 5150-3750 LP).

"And now for the finishing blow! Arcana Knight Joker, attack directly with Straight Flush!"

Darting towards Yokubo, Joker rose his sword above his head and brought it straight down, slashing right through Yokubo (Yokubo: 3750-0 LP)(Winner: Kan'u).

"That was awesome, Aisha!" cheered Anthony as Kan'u smirked, walking towards Yokubo, who had fallen to her knees.

"That's game, Yokubo," said Kan'u. "I appreciate that you made the right decision. However, I still need to arrest you. Fortunately, you just might be able to earn an early release if you take what I said to heart."

"I understand," said Yokubo. "And once I'm free, I look forward to our rematch."

'I wonder how much she actually learned from this,' thought Anthony as Kan'u led Yokubo back to Kikai, before he went up to Kan'u. "Hey, Aisha—"

"Once she's with the others, I'll meet with you in your chambers to talk," said Kan'u. This relieved the weight on Anthony's heart a little, but his nervousness still bore heavy as they trudged home, prisoner in tow.

~KD~

"I fear that Yokubo too has lost to Kikai," said Ukitsu, kneeling before Genho. The leader of the White Clothes had his fingers twitch as he processed this, his eyes and Millenium Symbol briefly flashing.

"I can no longer tolerate this continuous stream of failure," he said in an even tone, though his clenching and unclenching fingers showed his barely restrained rage. "Perhaps we need another new approach."

"Maybe I could duel with the lord of Kikai," said Ukitsu. "After all, he wouldn't be the first lord I've conquered."

"No, I have a better idea," said Genho. "This time, I'll be dueling him myself. And this time, we will make him come to us."


I LIIIIVE!

Holy crap, this was a long time coming. I apologize profusely for making you wait over a year for this latest chapter, but it's finally here. Between real life events like the current pandemic and my college classes, and my waning interest in the story, it wasn't easy, but I'm back in the writing mood now! The next chapter won't have any duels, being more of a preface for the final stretch, so the next wait won't be nearly as long.

So, Yokubo's new deck. This is actually the deck I was going to give her way back in chapter 18, but it works better here for a more climactic rematch. Basically, the point of this deck is amassing huge amounts of life points, while using that to her advantage through cards like Injection Fairy Lily. It was definitely fun to write about.

Happy Halloween everyone, and stay safe out there! Starpion out!