Ok, no more filler duels for a while, or so I plan. ^_^;

LunaticChaos: I'm glad you enjoyed these chapters. Don't expect them to be beaten again… not easily, anyway. Cut shorter? Maybe… it is hard to write 42 chapters on only one plot line, but certainly possible. We'll see. And a few ideas… it depends. What exactly would these ideas be? Run them by me-I might approve, I might not.

Zander: Yes sir! No sir! Three bags full sir! _

John: Remember, he's never been to an airport. And his sense of direction is wacko. You try finding the correct location like that. _

Whispering Hope: Nah, he knows enough to stay in America. =P

*Chapter 16: The Wisdom of a Loved One*

"I never get tired of being here," Miles commented as they walked through the forest.

"It is a nice place, but shouldn't we be concentrating on more important things?" Gaston pointed out.

"Yeah, just saying," Miles shrugged.

After a few minutes of silent walking, they heard a rumbling from the distance, and many high-pitched cries of terror. They only managed to hear one clearly.

"THE SHEEP ARE BACK!"

"I didn't know the officials would come so soon," Gen stated dryly, as everyone else held back their laughter.

Daine seemed more concerned. "I think some are here though. At least, someone is nearby."

As he finished speaking, a group of ten officials crashed through, ending up right in front of them.

The two sides faced each other, waiting for the other to make their move first. That's when Hope got an idea.

"Stay here and the British will get you!" she shouted.

The officials were paralyzed for a whole ten seconds before running, screaming.

"What… the… hell?" Draken said in disbelieve.

Neo had nearly collapsed laughing, and Rue was almost at that stage himself.

"The officials seem to hate the British," Hope informed the confused Draken.

"I see." He shook his head wonderingly.

With no further words, they continued into the forest.

*****

"This is RIDICULOUS." Matt folded his arms across his chest. "No. You are in no condition to do this."

"I must."

"Why? Why can't I go alone?"

"It will be better for her if she sees me."

"I can't argue with that… but this will only make your health worse!"

"I do not care."

"But… argh! Why must you be so stubborn? Alright, fine! Just know I strongly disapprove of this."

"I am well aware," she replied with a small smile.

*****

"I hate times like this!" Neo complained. "It gets boring, just walking around all day."

"Please, for the sake of me, shut up," Will requested. "I have a headache the size of Mount Everest."

"You're no fun," Neo muttered. But he was quiet after that.

Suddenly, they heard a loud crash. A tree nearby had toppled over. Malon ran ahead to investigate. In a few seconds, he ran back, howling as he ran into Larka's arms.

"What's wrong?" Larka asked him. His quaking was the only thing that answered her.

Then a Soul Monster emerged from the depths of the forest. Miles swore loudly while Draken drew his sword instantly. Larka stepped backwards instinctively as Fell braced himself.

Everyone else instantly recognized the monster though. Mana immediately retreated into her Soul Card while the others tried to explain.

"It's ok!" Hope assured their wary companions. "It's just Masque! He's a friend. But what is he doing here? I thought Matt was busy elsewhere."

Masque hissed softly.

"Do you think he wants us to wait here?" Gaston inferred.

"Is that it?" Brandi asked him.

Masque hissed again.

"Let's take that as a yes," Miles suggested as Draken sheathed his sword.

An uncomfortable silence filled the clearing, except for an occasional whine from Malon. A few minutes later, they heard a few more people approaching.

Matt emerged first, a woman following behind him. She had on a pale white dress that went down to her ankles. The bottom of it was made of lace though, revealing the white tights she wore. Around her neck was a golden pendent. Her short hair was a blonde similar to Brandi's, but a little darker. Her eyes were a soft green.

Beside her was a female Soul Monster. She had on a short, purple shirt over her top that covered her shoulders, and a long, purple skirt on her lower portion. It was open in the front though, leaving her legs exposed. On the left side of her stomach and leg was a golden tattoo that appeared to be a Chinese dragon. Her purple gloves went up to her elbows. She had two golden bracelets around each of her arms. Her red hair went all the way down to her legs, mostly loose but with two braids. Around her head was a thin, gold tiara. Her blue eyes held a kindly look.

What amazed everyone were the two children that followed the woman. They both looked very young, about six or so was Hope's guess. The boy wore a black shirt and black shorts. His tennis shoes were black too. He had short brown hair, and hard green eyes.

The girl's looks astonished Hope. She had on a white shirt that resembled a blouse, with a blue shirt under it. Her black pants didn't quite reach her ankles, but they were too long to be considered shorts. Her hair was a mixture of brown and blonde, and was kept back in a ponytail. It was her face that caught their attention though. Her eyes were the same soft blue that Brandi's were. Actually, her whole face resembled Brandi's, just much younger.

Brandi had grown pale when she saw the woman emerge. She was only able to say one thing.

"Mom!"

The woman nodded.

Unable to stop herself, Brandi rushed forward to hug her mom, completely breaking down. Her mother didn't seem to mind the tears as she embraced her daughter.

"Huh? Did I completely miss something?" Rue asked, bewildered.

""Nice to see you guys again," Matt greeted. "Looks like everyone is here… wait, who are you two?"

"I'm Miles, he's Draken," Miles said. "You?"

"Call me Matt," he replied. "And the others will be introduced in a minute."

Brandi finally allowed herself to let go of her mother, who smiled. "It's been six years… it's natural to see that you've changed. I still can't get over it though."

Brandi nodded, casting a curious look at the children by her mother.

"So Brandi, that's your mom?" Gaston asked.

"Yes, that's right. You may call me Abby," her mother answered.

"I'm more puzzled by these kids," Rue admitted. "Who are they? How can they enter Teknisk Wereld?"

"My name is Chasity!" the girl said enthusiastically. "And that's my brother, Ender! I'm happy to finally meet my big sister!"

"Sister?!" Brandi stared, shocked.

"What? I thought Max was Brandi's only sibling?" Neo asked.

"I did too. Apparently, something happened that even Brandi didn't know about," Hope inferred.

"Yes Brandi, these are your siblings. Chasity's father is Randall, and Ender is from Jason. So technically, he's your half brother," she told her gently.

"…Oh," Brandi said. She knelt down before Chasity. "You do look a lot like me."

"Yep!" Chasity grinned.

Ender did not seem as excited to meet Brandi. He just observed her from a distance.

"So how old are you?" Brandi asked.

"I'm six, and Ender's five! Don't mind him-he's really shy around new people."

"I see…" She seemed sad as she said this.

Abby could sense her daughter's distress. "Brandi, what's wrong? It seems you are sorrowful about something."

Brandi couldn't contain the feelings that had been plaguing her, and found herself telling everything.

"I killed someone… so brutally it is disgusting. She had no chance to defend herself-no matter how cruel she was, she couldn't even fight back! I did it out of rage, for she was hurting Max, but now he's frightened by my actions. If it had been before he had amnesia, it might have been different. But now… he'll never feel comfortable around me again!"

"So that is the problem," Abby sighed. "Well, here is what I have to say about the issue. Anyone with amnesia can become easily scared at the smallest things. A major event like this would indeed frighten him. But remember, this is not Max. The true Max will come back with time. When he does, I have no doubt that he will forgive you for what you did, especially if it was to help him. All of us have things we are ashamed for, and we will never completely recover from them. In time though, you will learn to forgive yourself."

"But she stood no chance!" Brandi protested.

"Would she have been any better off with a weapon?"

"…"

"You know full-well that she would have died anyway. And then she would have gone on to kill other innocents. Is that what you wanted? Your brother to die, leaving you with a murderer?"

"I guess not…" Brandi admitted. "You're right… Max will recover eventually. Thanks mom… I feel a lot better now."

"That's my goal," Abby smiled.

"Ok, question and answer time," Matt announced. "What's going on here? Everyone is talking about these criminals who broke down Teknisk Wereld's barrier. I go to find more information, only to learn that everyone here, and some other guy who I do not see here, is wanted!"

"Here we go again…" Draken muttered.

Brandi explained all that had happened, including how they met Miles, Draken, and Zack. Eventually, she concluded the narrative by saying that they were trying to find Malady, and any other Commanders.

"What a pain," Matt said when she was done. "If only there was concrete evidence! Then I would have them thrown in front of Supreme Court-no exaggeration," he informed Hope, who looked slightly shocked at his threat.

"Here's my question," Will said. "How can Chasity and Ender be here?"

"It's an experiment," Abby explained. "The officials are trying to find a safe way for children to come to Teknisk Wereld. They finally came up with a permanent way."

"What would that be?" Gen asked.

"It's a simple barrier that makes it so that they cannot be hurt by wild monsters," Matt replied. "Pretty nifty. That's the only reason Abby could come anyway-her health is still very frail, I'm afraid."

"Matt never would have let me sign up," Abby laughed. "That's why I had to do it behind his back. He was furious when he found out."

"So you're new to this world?" Larka assumed.

"That's right. But I have dueled for a long time."

Malon was bored again. He whined, and ran over to Chasity, licking her face.

"Hey!" Chasity attempted to get him off.

Malon jumped off, wagging his tail.

"Hi puppy!" she said, holding out her hand for him to sniff.

Malon licked it and jumped around her excitedly. She laughed, trying to pet the enthusiastic dog.

"So do Chasity and Ender know how to duel?" Will asked.

"Yes," Matt nodded. "And they are pretty good, but that's to be expected. Just look at how good their parents are!"

"We know about Randall, but how good are you Abby?" Hope inquired.

"Well, how about you see first hand? I haven't seen my daughter play in quite a long time. Brandi, let's have a duel."

"What? Mom, are you sure about this?" Brandi asked doubtfully.

"Um… I wouldn't be so overconfident," Matt warned. "She nearly destroyed me when I dueled her, and I'm no newbie when it comes to playing!"

"If you're sure…" Brandi accepted. "But I need Mana, and she's not about to come out with Masque here."

"Oops, I forgot about that," Matt said sheepishly. Masque vanished into his Soul Card, and after Brandi whispered a few things to hers, Mana emerged.

Mana's eyes darted between Brandi and Chasity, who was playing with Malon.

"Ok… I did not know you had a ten-year younger twin," Mana joked.

"Very funny. Now get over here; we have a duel to win."

"So that is your Soul Monster… what is your name?" Abby asked.

"I'm a Black Magician Girl called Mana! Hey, what about you?" she inquired to Abby's Soul Monster.

"An Otohime, you may refer to me as Hime."

"Alright! Then what are we stalling for? Let's begin!"

Hime leaned over to Abby, and whispered, "Are you sure about this? You don't even know what my ability is."

"It shouldn't make that much of a difference," Abby assured. "I'll find out soon enough, right?"

Brandi: 8000

Abby: 8000

"You may go first," Abby offered.

"Sure. I summon Igzarion Universe! (1800/1900) Then I lay one card down."

"It seems weak enough," Abby murmured. "I will summon Susanoo. (2000/1600) He attacks, destroying your Igzarion! But you only lose 100 Life Points, due to his effect of halving the damage you take."

Brandi: 7900

Abby: 8000

"Now I play Spirit Fixation Equipment."

"What does that do?" Brandi asked.

"My spirits now do not need to go back to my hand at the end of my turn."

"What do you mean?"

"I've heard of spirit monsters," Draken said thoughtfully. "They are monsters that cannot be special summoned, and they go back to the owner's hand at the end of their turn. That must be why she played Spirit Fixation Equipment-so that her Susanoo would stay on the field."

"That's correct," Abby replied. "I end my turn. In doing so, I discard Maharagi (1200/1700) to pay for Spirit Fixation Equipment. If I refuse, the card is destroyed."

Hime frowned, and whispered something to Abby. Abby gave a mischievous smile in response.

"It's time to get Susanoo off the field," Brandi declared. "I activate Cyclone! This destroys your Spirit Fixation Equipment."

"Susanoo actually stays on the field. Spirits only return to the hand at the end of the turn they were summoned," Abby explained.

"Oh well. I'll just summon Critter, (1000/600) and then activate Deck Destruction Virus of Death! By sacrificing my Critter, all of your monsters with 1500 attack or more are destroyed in your hand and on the field!"

"All that is destroyed is my Susanoo."

"I get to search my deck for Critter's effect to get a 1500 attack or lower monster. Then I lay another card down, ending my turn."

"I summon Fushinotori. (1200/0) My fire bird will attack!"

"Does it have a special effect?" Brandi asked cautiously.

"When it inflicts damage to your Life Points, I gain the same amount."

"I will counter with Destruction Ring, destroying it! We also both lose 1200 Life Points."

Brandi: 6700

Abby: 6800

"It matters not. I lay one card down, ending."

"I summon Executioner Makyura! (1600/1200) He attacks directly! That's all."

Brandi: 6700

Abby: 5200

"This is turn two of the Virus?"

"Yes."

"Hm… I need a way to get around your high attacker. This should do. I summon Inabashirousagi! (700/500)"

Everyone stared at the cute white rabbit in the center of the field, and the rocket it carried.

"That is wrong on so many levels," Miles commented.

"Just watch what he can do!" Abby grinned.

The rabbit jumped on the rocket, and took off into the sky, out of sight. A few seconds later, Brandi yelped in surprise and pain as the rocket crashed into her from the back. The rabbit then flew back to Abby's field.

Brandi: 6000

Abby: 5200

"Cute," Brandi growled, rubbing her back. "A direct attacker."

"Yes. Now I end."

The rabbit vanished, due to his Spirit effect.

"It must be embarrassing, getting owned by a rabbit," Rue joked.

"It must be embarrassing, getting beaten up to the point of death by a girl," Brandi retorted.

Rue shut up after that.

"I sacrifice my Executioner Makyura to summon Vampire Lord! (2000/1500) He attacks directly!"

Brandi: 6000

Abby: 3200

"When Vampire Lord inflicts damage to your Life Points, I call either monster, magic, or trap. You search your deck and discard one of the types I choose. So I call magic."

"I will discard an Elemental Spring," Abby decided. "Is it my turn? And the last turn for that Virus… I summon Inabashirousagi again. Another direct attack!"

Again, the rocket crashed into Brandi, bypassing her Vampire Lord completely.

Brandi: 5300

Abby: 3200

"And now I end."

This time, the rabbit did not vanish.

"Ok, why is that fur ball still here?" Mana demanded.

"That is Hime's Deck Master ability. I can choose whether to return my Spirits to my hand or not."

"Then I wasted a Cyclone," Brandi snarled. "Just my luck. I summon Giant Orc. (2200/0) Vampire Lord attacks your rabbit!"

"I activate Emissary of Harmony, saving him."

"I can do no more."

Abby smiled at her next card. "Perfect! I activate Cost Down, discarding Asura (1700/1200) to lower all of the monsters in my hand levels' by two. Then I sacrifice my Inabashirousagi to summon Yamatanodragon! (2600/3100) I lay one card down, and then he attacks Vampire Lord!"

The eight heads each shot a stream of fire at the Vampire Lord, easily destroying him.

Brandi: 4700

Abby: 3200

"Now his effect is triggered. When he does battle damage to you, I get to draw until my hand contains five cards. So I draw four cards. Then I end my turn, choosing to keep my Yamatanodragon on the field."

"As if you wouldn't," Brandi muttered. "I summon Drillago! (1600/1200) Then I play Dark Zone, raising all of my Dark Main-Types attacks by 500, and lowers their defense by 400. (2700/0) (2100/800) Giant Orc attacks!"

"I counter with Holy Barrier-Mirror Force. All of your monsters are destroyed."

"Oh joy… I end."

"Now it is over!" Abby declared. "I activate another Cost Down, discarding Sand Specter (2200/1800). Now I sacrifice Yamatanodragon to summon Hinokagutsuchi! (2800/2900) He attacks directly!"

His hand began to glow red-hot. Flames leapt around it as he slammed his fist into Brandi's stomach.

Brandi: 1900

Abby: 3200

Draken winced. "Ouch! That had to hurt."

"Not as much as the rocket," Neo joked.

"Before you draw, his effect activates. You are forced to discard your entire hand to the Cemetery. I also activate Seal of Time. That makes it so you cannot draw."

"Brandi's locked!" Gaston realized.

Brandi thought. "Yeah, it looks like I am…"

"Hold on!" Mana protested. "What about my ability?"

Brandi shrugged. "Well, what do we have to lose? I use Mana's Deck Master ability. I get to look at my next five cards, for that is how many of my monsters are destroyed. Hm, good! I take Black Hole, and use it!"

"What good will that do you?"

"Well, it turns out I still have a card in my hand," Brandi smirked.

"What? That's impossible!"

"Not quite. My Regenerating Mummy (1800/1500) has a unique effect. When he is discarded by one of your cards from my hand, he comes back to my hand. So now I summon him!"

"You still cannot kill me," Abby pointed out.

"That's true…"

Mana looked at her staff. "Hey, Brandi. Remember what that Keith guy said about a new rule?"

"Yes?"

"I think I know what it is," she said confidently.

"What?"

To her amazement, Mana leapt right from her spot at Brandi's side to the dueling field.

"You forget, I'm a Duel Monster as well! I have the ability to fight! (2000/1700)"

"So that's the new rule? Our Soul Monsters can be special summoned?" Will assumed.

"There's got to be a catch somewhere," Gen thought.

"We'll have to test that another time! Mummy attacks, then Mana finishes you off!"

Brandi: 1900

Abby: 0

"You have come a long way," Abby smiled as she shut off her Duel Disk. "I'm quite impressed."

"Thanks," Brandi grinned in reply.

Malon finally ran back to Larka, panting happily as Chasity chased him.

"Hey Chasity, you and your brother duel? You want to have a match?" Hope asked.

"Ok!" Chasity agreed.

"No, let Rue duel her!" Will interrupted. "I want to see him get slaughtered by a six year old girl!"

"Hey!" Rue protested.

"What, you don't think you can win?"

"Of course I can!" Rue snapped. "Just watch!"

"I don't have a Duel Disk though…"

"We'll play without one," Rue assured. "No Deck Masters either."

"Ok!"

Rue: 8000

Chasity: 8000

"May I start? I summon Doublecoston! (1700/1650) Then I lay two cards down, ending my turn."

"I play Tempest!" Chasity began.

"Ugh… my Cry of the Living Dead and Torture Wheel are gone."

"Now I summon Amazoness Swordswoman! (1500/1600) Then I lay two cards down. It's your turn."

"I sacrifice Doublecoston to summon Black Magician! (2500/2100) Normally he would require two sacrifices, but Doublecoston counts as two sacrifices for any Dark Main-Type. Then I equip him with Power of Teamwork and Power of Magicians! Teamwork raises his stats by 800 for each monster I have out, and Magicians raises his stats by 500 for each magic or trap I have. (4300/3900)"

"You're just as stupid as you look," Chasity commented. "Raising one monster that high? When he is killed, you won't have anything to defend with."

Will almost collapsed laughing.

 "Oh can it," Rue grumbled. "Now Black Magician attacks your Swordswoman!"

"That wasn't a smart move," Chasity frowned. "You're going to take a lot of Life Point damage for that."

"How so?"

"When you attack my Amazoness Swordswoman, you take all Life Point damage I would have received."

Rue: 5200

Chasity: 8000

Rue got up, walked over to a tree, and slammed his head against it before coming back. "Ok, that's better. I end my turn."

Matt beckoned to Brandi. Curious, she got up to follow him.

"I summon Amazoness Archer! (1400/1000) Then I activate my Amazoness Gypsy! This switches my Amazoness Archer's base attack strength with your Black Magician's. (3200/2100) (2500/1000) Then I activate my facedown Destruction Ring on your Black Magician!"

Rue: 2000

Chasity: 4800

"What is it?" Brandi asked.

"I just wanted to try to comfort you," Matt said. "You're nervous, aren't you?"

"Yes."

"Try to relax." He kissed her gently. "That's all."

Brandi blushed slightly, and nodded shyly.

"Oh, and one other thing." Matt handed her a deck of cards. "Here's Max's new deck. Identical to the old one, as far as I can remember. It was a pain getting some of those, but they're all there."

"Thanks," Brandi nodded. "I'll give him it later."

They went back in time to see Rue's downfall.

"Now Amazoness Archer attacks!"

Rue: 0

Chasity: 4800

"I thought you would be stronger than this. You need to practice more," Chasity scolded.

Will made no move to conceal his mirth. "AHAHAHAHAHAHA! The ever-so-mighty Rue is getting told off by a six-year old girl!"

"Shut up!" Rue chased after him, trying to strangle him.

"Well, he got owned," Neo snickered.

Ruecian shook his head in a disbelieving way.

"And the funny thing is, you were right," Matt told Brandi.

"Hm?"

"He did get beaten up to the point of death by a girl, just like you said. You're psychic!"

Brandi laughed in response. Hope had found the situation amusing as well, but something was on her mind.

"Since I didn't get to duel Chasity, do you want to duel?" Hope asked Ender. "I could use the practice."

Ender just stared at her silently, and then reached for his deck. "Fine."

They sat opposite of each other, and Hope got out her deck. A flicker caught her eye. She looked up, and gasped.

Around Ender was an aura of darkness. It wasn't as thick as the one Max and Olympion produced, but she could still see it. It seemed to be made of anger and hatred.

"What's wrong?" Gaston asked.

"Can't you see it?" Hope whispered. "Around Ender… an aura!"

"I see nothing," Gaston murmured, looking confused. "Are you imagining things now?"

"No…" Hope looked down at her chest. Underneath her shirt she kept the orb she had acquired from the robed man-she didn't like too many people seeing it. It was now softly glowing with a black light.

What's going on?

"Are we going to begin?" Ender asked impatiently.

"Oh, sorry. You can go first."

Hope: 8000

Ender: 8000

Ender looked at his hand. "I've already won."

"How?" Hope asked.

"I lay two cards down, and summon Controller of the Dead: Jougen. (200/1300) Then I end my turn."

"Ok…" Hope drew her next card.

"I activate my trap card, Sealing Wall of Light. I pay as many Life Points as I want, in 1000s, when activated. I pay 7000. Now no monster with 7000 attack or lower can attack me."

Hope: 8000

Ender: 1000

"But that should be easy to destroy," Hope said, puzzled.

"That isn't the reason I used it. I activate Last Battle! This card can only be used when I have 1000 Life Points or lower. All of the monsters on our fields are destroyed, besides one I choose. Obviously, Jougen is my choice."

"Then what?"

"You special summon another monster from your deck, and our two monsters battle. The survivor wins the duel."

"Ok…"

"But Jougen's ability prevents you from special summoning any monsters. Therefore, I automatically win."

Hope: Defeated

Ender: 1000

"My God…" Hope shook her head in wonder. "Such a combo! I never knew of first turn wins, besides Exodia… amazing…" Inside though, she felt somewhat panicked. If a five-year old was capable of pulling such combos, who was to say that the opponents they faced could not?

Ender shrugged casually, picking up his deck and walking over to his mother. Hope noticed the aura get a little darker.

"Mommy! That guy I beat is trying to kill the smarter guy!" Chasity said, pointing over at Rue, who had nearly caught up with Will.

"Play nice boys," Abby chided.

"I am! But he isn't!" Will protested, jumping over a log, leaving Rue to trip over it.

Matt looked up at the sky. "We have to go. The officials will be expecting us. If they catch us with you…"

"Yeah, you're right." Brandi went over to her mother, and hugged her again. "I'll miss you."

"Don't worry. We'll see each other soon. Good luck."

"Yeah! I can't wait to see you and Malon again!" Chasity told her, patting the puppy one last time. "And to see if that other guy has gained any common sense."

"Doubtful," Miles joked. "Well, see you guys later."

"Bye!" Chasity called back as they walked back through the forest.

To be continued…