A/N: So with the conclusion of his duel against Samantha, Kyle prepares for his third challenger! But first, a small back-story... I work for a shipping company/drop-off center, and a couple months ago, I spotted a dropped-off package with the name "Samantha Cross" on the pickup label. This was after I had written that last duel – I've been writing them for several months now – and I could hardly believe my eyes. I made a photocopy of that label and to this day I use it as a bookmark. And now, back to your regularly scheduled chapter!

Chibigreen: I've been updating abnormally quickly these days since my materials are mostly complete anyway. Makes it easier to update in a timely fashion.

Mira: Up until recently, my deck wasn't all that organized, either; I much preferred Kyle's way of deck construction – that is, I would insert the cards I thought would be the most liable to help win. Nowadays, though, there's more emphasis on having a theme or a base in decks.

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Kyle felt guilty over not being able to stay long enough to see that Samantha's brother made it safely to the hospital. The surrounding adults had chosen to err on the side of caution, a position that Kyle would also have taken in a split instant.

Now, though, he needed to focus his attention on finding the remaining duelist the magicians had charged to stop him. He'd briefly exchanged goodbyes with Samantha already, who'd firmly insisted that they find a way to stay in touch and gave him her cellular phone number. He'd nodded politely and then disappeared into the crowd.

He gently rubbed at the scrapes on his arm and chest. These're gonna hurt for a while to come.

The boy is safe. That is what matters above all else.

That much is true. But now I have to find the last one. She was just the second, and she's about as tough as Monica in duels. That doesn't bode well for me.

Then modify your deck accordingly, so that you will have a greater chance of success. You now have two Blue-Eyes White Dragons in your possession, and it would be folly not to at least consider their use.

Also true. Kyle found a seat on a bus bench whose purpose had been lost since the beginning of the tournament; the streets were closed to traffic. He pulled out his main deck and side deck, then began a painfully tedious process of choosing which cards to keep and which cards to stow. I can't afford to lose; I have to have my best. But with these things in my deck, I won't be able to help but think of Monica. It feels like sacrilege.

You must use all available resources. Your Amphibian Beast and Tri-Horned Dragon, while powerful, are still weak by comparison; now you have much greater monsters at your command. If you wish to succeed, it would be prudent of you to put those monsters to use, rather than let them sit idle in your side deck. They may be the determining factor in a duel.

Let's hope my Life Points don't get low enough that we have to find out.

Kyle slipped his deck back into his duel disk and got to his feet. Let's also hope that we can find the other duelist. I don't care about the locator cards anymore; all I care about is making sure that we all get out of this alive and safe.

That is all either of us cares about anymore.

Kyle got up and roamed through the plaza, not really looking for anyone in particular. It was a sure thing that anyone who even so much as caught a glimpse of him would consider him an oddity and worth looking at again, considering the rather ornate, expensive-looking plate of gold hanging on his arm.

But after several minutes of simply walking around, he felt himself growing impatient, so he headed toward the parking lot where he'd left his motorcycle. He mounted the vehicle and took off at a leisurely pace, making sure his shield stayed visible at all times to those he passed. To be sure, he got some very odd looks, but he didn't care. The sooner this third duelist finds me, the better off I am. 'Cause sure enough I'm not going to find them.

Riding around Domino didn't seem to do the trick, either – the next fifteen minutes were full of nothing but him riding around at running speed on his cycle, just looking for someone to approach him or flag him down. Neither happened.

He finally dismounted his motorcycle and groaned in frustration. Throw me a bone, here!

Whether by coincidence or by some form of supernatural intervention, the sound of a horse whinnying caused Kyle to perk slightly. A horse on a Japanese street?

Sure enough, when he looked up, that was exactly what he saw – and astride that horse was a man in dark robes, sporting a long white beard and a smile full of mottled teeth.

"I trust you are enjoying yourself?" The magician smirked at Kyle.

Kyle glared. "Not at all, thank you very much. All I wanted out of this tournament was a little friendly competition, but then you had to come along and make something sick out of it."

"It is not a game, Kyle McCraine. It never was. Not in our time, and not in this time."

"Things change."

"Yet the balance of life and death remain. To that end, I suggest to follow me if you ever want to see her alive again."

The magician rode off towards the edge of town. Kyle quickly mounted his motorcycle and followed.

The horse's speed was demonic. Kyle found himself moving at well beyond 100 kilometers per hour, yet he was still losing ground. Good lord, what do they feed that horse?!

The magician turned a corner, and Kyle had to clench the brake lever with all his might and even lean to his right side in order to make the turn. He almost fell off the bike in the process, and just barely managed to right himself before twisting the accelerator again.

The chase led Kyle to a decrepit warehouse that was half-destroyed. The magician began to slow down as he approached the center of the old building, and Kyle also slowed.

There was nothing to be seen here. Kyle, be careful. It is a trap, it must be.

Duh. But what choice do you think I've got? They were willing to kill Samantha's brother. They almost succeeded. And that shows they won't hesitate to kill Monica.

Not true. As far as we are aware, Monica remains the only bargaining chip they have.

Once they get hold of another one, they'll be free to kill either her or the other to ensure my cooperation in negotiating the release of the remaining hostage. It happened before, it'll happen again.

Kyle brought his bike up next to the magician and scowled at him. "Okay, I'm here. What is it you want?"

"We want you to duel."

"With...?"

The magician gestured grandly toward the middle of the warehouse... where there was nothing but empty air.

Kyle snorted. "Got someone lying in wait? How dramatic."

"You have no idea."

Suddenly, the air itself began to waver, as if it were nothing more than a mirage on a highway or a dune of sand. A moment later, the true intent of the magicians was revealed.

Kyle looked up at the scene... and all he could do was gasp in shock.

The platform in front of him loomed like something out of a nightmare. Black wood composed the framework, gleaming red fixtures at the corners. In place of the usual rope, a thick chain snaked down to wrap its noose around Chubs' neck, its links tight enough that he couldn't break free of it without the key to the padlock hanging behind his neck.

Kyle stared. It's not real, he thought to himself. "It just... can't be real."

"It's real," Chubs said, sounding faintly hoarse, making Kyle start; he hadn't realized he'd spoken out loud. "Kyle, the chain.... I can feel it. It's real."

Kyle's face contorted in sheer revulsion as he looked back at the rider. "What the hell are you doing? I'm not going to duel him like this!"

"You must," the rider said simply. "He is the third duelist. So unless you hand over your Millennium Shield and your deck to us, of your own free will, you must duel your male friend. And rest assured, if you find victory against him, he will die."

"Kyle," Chubs uttered softly, "let's do this, okay? If you're not going to give them that shield – and God only knows why you would put the worth of that thing above the worth of a friend – then the only option is for us to duel." His eyes narrowed. "Unless you want to look in the mirror tomorrow morning and see the face of betrayal. Unless you want to prove, once and for all, that you never really did care about anything but yourself."

"Don't preach to me, Chubs," Kyle mumbled. "Neither of us came here to do things this way. I never wanted any of this to happen."

"It's a bit late to think about that, now, isn't it?" Chubs snapped. "Either give them what they want or duel me. 'Less you want to see someone die today."

"I don't."

"Well, then?"

Chubs raised his left arm, which still bore the duel disk that he, Monica, and Kyle had all retrieved alongside two others.

Kyle let out a shuddering breath. "I don't want to duel you like this, Chubs."

"There's not much choice in the matter, Kyle. If I'm going to die, I want to do it knowing I was doing something I loved... something that got me an invaluable friend. Even if I had to fight him."

"You think I'm going to win?"

Chubs inclined his head slightly. "You're a good duelist. Don't get me wrong. I want to win. And to live. But in case I don't, I want to make sure that I've got no regrets about it. About this, anyway. So... get your duel disk ready, because it's time for us to find out just how well you can do against the one who taught you the game."

Kyle, he is right. There is no other alternative. You must duel. If nothing else, you can use the duel as a stalling maneuver while you try to find a way to get yourself and him out of this situation.

Kyle closed his eyes. His shoulders slumped. Theoris and Chubs were both right. He had no choice but to duel.

"All right," he said. "Fine. Let's do this."

The duel disks began communicating with each other through the specially designated radio frequency meant for the disks.

"You go first," said Kyle.

"Fine by me." Chubs drew his first five cards, and then a sixth. "I place one magic/trap face-down, and one monster face-down, and my turn ends there."

A pair of larger-than-life holographic Duel Monsters cards appeared in front of Chubs.

Kyle drew. "My turn, then. And for it, I play Mechanicalchaser (1850/800) in attack mode."

The clicking, whiny-motored machine monster shimmered to life in midair. Once, it had been Chubs' monster. Kyle realized the faux pas almost as soon as he played the card, but there was little he could do about it now. He made a face for a moment, then ordered, "Mechanicalchaser, attack his face-down monster!"

Kyle's Mechanicalchaser rocketed forward and stabbed its lower javelin into the face-down monster card on Chubs' field. The monster revealed itself for a moment, a warrior festooned with ornate metal.

"Looks like my Robotic Knight (1600/1800) rusted out a bit early," Chubs scoffed. "Ah, well."

Kyle tried, and failed, to smile at the remark. "I end my turn."

Chubs bobbed his head, then drew. He then slipped a card into one of the empty slots on his m/t field, then pressed the corresponding button on the opposite edge of his duel disk. "I play the magic card Final Flame, which deals 600 damage directly to your Life Points."

A ring of fire surrounded Kyle for a moment, and his disk's LP counter scrolled down to 3400. He grimaced. Yeah, gotta keep those burn cards in mind. I can only hope he doesn't have a Tremendous Fire sitting in there somewhere, or I'm even more screwed.

"And then I'll place a monster face-down and end my turn," Chubs supplemented. Again, his field had two cards on it.

Kyle drew his next card and chewed the left side of his bottom lip for a moment. Hmm... not really much better, and nothing I've got is really good on its own... but I may as well. And knowing him, he may just have a better defense than Mechanicalchaser can punch through, now. Best I go for it. "I sacrifice Mechanicalchaser to bring out Black Dragon Jungle King (2100/1800) in attack mode."

The hologram of Mechanicalchaser bulged, as if spontaneously pregnant, and shattered. The golden orb that had been the center of the mechanical monster had apparently contained a small, black, wingless dragon-like creature. The creature enlarged until it had grown twice as tall as Kyle. It snarled, its claws singing through the air, its teeth gnashing.

Kyle would have gotten into the spirit of the moment, were the circumstances not so gruesome. "Jungle King, attack his face-down!"

The fearsome creature ran forward and swiped its claws at the face-down card on Chubs' monster field. The monster beneath showed itself in the midst of its own destruction... and to Kyle's slight surprise, it proved to be another Robotic Knight.

At Kyle's expression, Chubs could only shrug. "Never hurts to have more than one. You know that."

"Suppose I do," Kyle conceded. "Your turn."

"And I'll make good use of it," Chubs said, "by placing one monster face-down. Back to you."

This is getting rather monotonous, Kyle thought.

What would you prefer?

Something a bit more head-clearing. I need to focus. I could duel like this for days on end, just attacking, one after another. And it's kind of hard to duel like this, anyway, when your best friend's about to be lynched by a bunch of ancient, power-hungry monsters. You're working on a way to get him out of it, right?

Let me worry about that, Kyle. Keep your attention focused on the duel. Nothing else must be allowed to pervade your thoughts. Not the presence of the magicians, not the chain, not your best friend... nothing. Your intent is to win.

No kidding. Kyle drew his next card, a spark of determination beginning to glow within him. All right, then... "I place one monster face-down. Jungle King, attack his monster!"

For the third time, Kyle's monster charged Chubs' defense. This time, the monster guarding Chubs' Life Points – and the monster that found itself mauled by Kyle's dragon – was a Jinzo #7 (500/400).

Chubs sighed slightly. "Not gonna give me an advantage in this duel, are you, Kyle?"

Kyle stared at Chubs... or rather... through him. As if he were no one special, no one close... just some random duelist he'd tripped across on a particularly nice day to engage in competition. And he flatly stated, "I'm giving you everything I've got. I hope you'll do the same."

Chubs saw the expression on Kyle's face – or rather, lack of one – and found himself unable to respond.

"End turn," Kyle said.

Chubs drew. "Again, I place one monster face-down and end my turn."

Kyle inspected his next card. "I place one magic/trap face-down. Jungle King, attack his monster!"

The expression on Chubs' face was one of annoyance as Kyle's dragon devoured yet another of his monsters. "I was hoping you'd play something like Muka Muka so that my Possessed Dark Soul (1200/800) could actually make use of its effect."

"Sorry," Kyle said shortly. "End turn."

Chubs drew his next card, and a small glint of satisfaction lit his eyes. "Once again, I place one monster face-down on the field and end my turn. See a pattern here, Kyle? Maybe you'd like to get some more monsters out so that you can just do me in and get it overwith. I can only play one monster per turn."

Kyle refused to let Chubs get to him as he drew his next card. He wouldn't have anything really worth not attacking... if that makes sense. Far as I know, he doesn't have anything like Cyber Jar or Fiber Jar, so he wouldn't try to bait me into pulling out more monsters. Unless he's got something like Change of Heart or Soul Exchange, waiting for sacrifice measures? Maybe. Better keep myself safe. "I place another magic/trap face-down. Jungle King, go to!"

The snarling dragon slashed at Chubs' defender... and Kyle blinked.

Chubs smiled slightly. "About time, Kyle. Thanks for destroying my Sangan (1000/600). Finally I can make something of this duel." He pulled his deck from its slot on his duel disk and swiftly picked out the target for Sangan's effect.

Kyle pursed his lips. Now he's getting a foothold. "End turn."

Chubs drew, but barely paid attention to his hand's newest addition. "I place one monster face-down and end my turn. And by all means, attack it. I think it's proven by now I've got no way of stopping you. Sure enough my face-down magic/trap isn't going to do it."

Kyle narrowed his eyes as he drew. Okay, now he's goading me. He'd never bluff. He wants me to attack it. It's got to be another one of his effect cards... maybe with a burn power to it? Lady Assailant of Flames, maybe. I remember that one. Anyway, best to protect myself.

"I place one magic/trap face-down," Kyle announced, "and then I summon Maha Vailo (1550/1400) in attack mode!"

Kyle's blue-robed sorcerer appeared at the dragon's side. By comparison, he stood smaller, but his effect was deadly if used properly. Kyle's eyes narrowed further at the protection Chubs' single monster card offered him. I should attack with King first... make sure he doesn't have a high defense to knock my Life Points with if I attack with a weaker monster. "Jungle King, attack!"

Kyle's Jungle King leapt forward once again. Its claws scraped across a metal shell.

"And now you've destroyed my UFO Turtle (1400/1200)," Chubs smirked. "I'll put his effect to use... and the monster I choose to Special Summon to attack mode from my deck is another UFO Turtle!"

Kyle ground his teeth. He wants sacrifice fodder. He's got to have something good in his hand, he just can't play it because I keep wrecking his monsters. And if I attack this new Turtle, he'll just put out another monster.

But it's an opening I can't ignore. It lets me at a portion of his Life Points, and it deprives him of a potential sacrifice to use later. He made his choice. "Maha Vailo, attack his UFO Turtle!"

Maha Vailo cast a pale blue bolt of energy across the field, and the bolt struck UFO Turtle's metal shell. The creature's voice crackled a moment before it vanished.

"Taking the bait, Kyle?" Chubs tsked, even as his Life Points scrolled down to 3850. "Shame on you. I thought you played more wisely than that."

"I got at your Life Points and destroyed a monster, didn't I?"

"True. But now I get to Special Summon another Fire-Type monster to the field in attack mode, and you don't have any monsters left to attack with."

"Whatever monster you pull out next will be weaker than either monster I've got in attack position," Kyle noted.

"Not the point," Chubs answered. "But I really should let you see for yourself. For now, I Special Summon Lady Assailant of Flames (1500/1000) in attack mode!"

Chubs' Lady Assailant manifested herself on the field, her arms crossed defiantly as she stared down Kyle's two monsters.

Kyle mentally snorted. Well, it may be sacrifice fodder, but two of my three trap cards can take out whatever he brings to the field. So I shouldn't be worried too much. "I'll end my turn there."

Chubs made his next move. "First, I play the magic card Heavy Storm, to destroy all magic/trap cards on our respective fields."

The holoprojectors cast forth a plethora of lightning bolts to wrap about the holographic cards on their respective fields, thus shattering the images.

Kyle groaned aloud as he discarded his Trap Hole, Widespread Ruin, and Negate Attack cards. Chubs allowed himself a small smirk, himself having lost only a magic card called Spiritual Energy Settle Machine.

Upon seeing Chubs' loss of that magic card, Kyle frowned. Spiritual Energy Settle Machine only affects Spirit monsters. I didn't even know he had any Spirit monsters. Did he get lucky at the card shops recently, or did the magicians tamper with his deck?

It matters not, Kyle. He can no longer use that card, and therefore, whatever Spirit monsters he possesses maintain the fatal requirement of returning to the hand of their owner at the end of the turn in which they are summoned. Even if he summons one, it would be a potentially costly endeavor.

True. But there are a couple of Fire-Type Spirits out there that're powerful to the extreme. I can only hope he doesn't have them.

Chubs continued his turn. "Since you've been destroying a lot of my Fire-Type monsters, I'll remove one of my Robotic Knights from the graveyard – and the game – in order to Special Summon this creature... Spirit of Flames (1700/1000) in attack mode!"

Chubs' Spirit of Flames was a demonic creature. It looked as though it had been forged from pure lava, and its muscles were rippling magma. It growled menacingly at Kyle's monsters.

Kyle waited patiently – and silently – for Chubs' next play. Even with his Spirit's effect, it's not strong enough to take out Jungle King. He knows that. And he wouldn't leave his pants down.

...a disturbing image.

Pipe down.

"And since that was a Special Summon," Chubs stated, "I'm still allowed to normally summon a monster this turn. It's one you're familiar with, I'm sure. I sacrifice Spirit of Flames and Lady Assailant of Flames to play Tyrant Dragon (2900/2500) in attack mode!"

Kyle's eyes widened. This is bad...

Lady Assailant and Spirit both faded from view, and between their specters rose the familiar orange-brown dragon. Its hologram's size rivaled that of a Blue-Eyes White Dragon; it took to the air and sneered down at Kyle and his suddenly weak field of creatures.

"The attack power would be enough for me," Chubs said, "but the effect makes it entirely irresistible... and all-powerful. He can't be targeted by trap cards, and he can attack twice in the same turn if you still have a monster on your field after his first attack... like so. Tyrant Dragon, attack his Maha Vailo!"

Kyle's Vailo cringed under the burst of white-hot flames that belched from Chubs' Tyrant Dragon, and then disappeared in a shower of sparks. Kyle instinctively threw up one arm to shield himself, even though the sparks were completely harmless.

"And now, Tyrant Dragon, attack Black Dragon Jungle King!"

Kyle again threw up his arm to ward off the sparks that flew upon his Jungle King's destruction.

"That ends my turn," Chubs announced.

Kyle peeked at his LP counter as he drew his next card. He'd been knocked from 3400 to 1250 in one turn.

Not good... not good at all. He grimaced, almost afraid to look at the card he'd drawn. If I let him beat me down like that any further, then the magicians win... but if I win the duel, then he dies. Either way, I lose!