Alexis couldn't fathom what Aster just said. "What do you mean? What show?"

"The duelists here in the performance center get their matches evaluated close to the end of the month," Aster explained. "Those who do really well get to duel at an event in the convention center. Scouts from indy dueling promotions come by to pick who they deem worthy to enter their shows. It could be your chance to get noticed by a legit league, Alexis."

"But, I haven't dueled here for the whole month. I'm not ready to..."

"You are. I was able to pull a few strings for you, Alexis."

Brandi scoffed. "By pulling strings, you mean flashing a fat, juicy, check in our corporate overlord's faces, eh? Seriously, Aster, do you know how many people you're going to piss off by doing this?"

"Just the ones who didn't make it to the show," said Aster. "I just read the list. Seriously? Only three of you were able to duel this month? I'm shocked. No wonder Chumley Huffington left without a potential star. And I guess he wasn't impressed with the ones who did make it."

"Not yet," said Brandi. "But once the show at the convention center starts, I'll get him to notice me."

"Still, such a small turnout is bad for business," said Aster. "You know how picky the big leagues are. If they see a PC with little talent, they'll soon ignore it. The guys running this place surely don't want that."

"But yet you push for HER to get into the show? Aster, if you only knew about the blotch in this girl's past, you'd most likely reconsider your choice in taking her under your wing."

Aster stepped back and crossed his arms over his chest. "I know what I'm doing." He looked at Alexis. "And if she doesn't want to share her skeletons in the closet, I'll respect that, too. But I just hope it's not going to affect your dueling. It won't, will it?"

"No, no, I promise that it won't," said Alexis. "I'm ready for this event."

"That's the spirit," said Aster. "All right then, you both are paired up then. Alexis, I'm going to take care of a few things at the colosseum. Why don't you and Brandi get some practice for a bit? I'll be back at nine to pick you up."

"So long?"

"Yeah. You're going to need all the practice you can get, Alexis. Trust me if you want to get noticed by the scouts, you need to play your best. No offense, but your skills are very rusty and lackluster."

"You don't say?"

"I do. No disrespect, Alexis, but defeating guys who use simple beatdown decks isn't exactly something to boast about. Brandi here will show you what I mean. So practice, practice, practice. Don't hold back on her, Brandi. Try to come up with ways to make not only a great duel but a great show."

"You got it," Brandi said with a wink. "Alexis, I hope you're ready."

Once Aster left, Alexis and Brandi got right to work on their dueling. For the first few games, Brandi knocked Alexis out in a couple of turns. The game had indeed evolved since she graduated from school. Back when she was in Duel Academy, Black Luster Soldier was nothing more than a 3000 ATK ritual beat stick. But now, the monster had his own archetype. Gaia the Fierce Knight as well. He wasn't just some horseman who could occasionally fuse with Curse of Dragon anymore.

There were horsemen in her deck called Gaia the Mid-Knight Sun and Gaia, the Polar Knight, who helped Brandi find tributes to use for her golden Black Luster Soldier, which was called Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Evening Twilight. Or if she couldn't get them out, she always had Arisen Gaia the Fierce Knight, who could special summon a Black Luster Soldier monster if it was Tributed.

"Oh no! Not another one!" Alexis cried when Brandi summoned a new Black Luster Soldier monster. Black Luster Soldier - Sacred Soldier, who appeared out of an arcane circle and a flash of light as bright as the sun. Using some cards to wipe out Alexis's backboard, Brandi cleared a path for her soldier to charge forward and destroy Cyber Angel Natasha, and winning her another victory.

"Ow!" Alexis fell on her backside for the umpteenth time. "Wow. You're good."

"No, your deck is just...horrible," Brandi said. She shut off her Duel Disk and the holograms disappeared. "I mean, you have some brilliant combos but it takes forever for you to get the right cards to use them. By the time you can summon a Cyber Angel or one of those awesome Draytron monsters, I've already got what I need to win the game. Can I see your deck?"

"I guess," said Alexis. "But I have a feeling you're going to chew me up. Except for the Draytrons, my deck hasn't exactly changed since I graduated from Duel Academy."

"Just let me see," Brandi insisted.

Alexis got up and took the deck out of the duel disk. Brandi flipped through her cards, eyebrows going up and down as she passed by interesting spells and traps. "It's not bad actually. But there's a lot of fat you need to trim. You need searchers more than anything, girl."

"I know. But money's been tight and I haven't been able to get the cards I needed. Even online. I'd have to sell one of my kidneys in order to get the right cards for a competitive deck these days."

Brandi chuckled while giving a roll of her eyes. "You're telling me. But I'm willing to help you out, Alexis. I actually have some searchers in my binder you could use."

"Oh, I can't. I don't have any money to buy any cards from anybody. I don't think I have any cards I can trade because..."

"That's all right. You can pay me back when you're rich and famous in the Colosseum. I'll have your word on that, won't I?"

"Oh, of course," said Alexis. "Anything I owe you I'll pay back in full. You have my word."

Brandi led Alexis off the arena then they walked to a nearby bench where Brandi's duffle bag was tucked underneath and protected by a lock that could only open with her fingerprint. As Brandi showed Alexis what cards she was going to need and how to use them, the red-haired lad and his group watched from afar. They continued watching the two girls as they made their way back to the arena to duel.

"I ritual summon Drytron Meteonis Draconids in attack mode!" Alexis shouted.

"WOW! That was fast!" Brandi shouted as the mech-like dragon appeared over the field. "See! What did I tell you, Alexis? Searchers! Now you can call the big boys out in no time!"

The two continued playing late into the afternoon, each of them scoring wins against one another as the day progressed. For the first time in what felt like ages, Alexis was beginning to grow confidence in herself. Dueling all of a sudden felt like fun. And to top it all off, she found herself a new friend in Brandi. When they were tired of dueling, they merrily hopped off the arena and walked to the cafeteria to get something to eat, laughing as they disappeared into the hall.

"Keep a close eye on her, boys," the flaming-haired duelist said. "I have this strange feeling about the new girl."