State of the Meta

by Yung Warrior

A self-insert in which a competitive player from 2016 finds himself warped into the world of GX. Between adjusting his deck to make up for the inverted power creep, making grades, and saving the world, there's much to do, but all good players know how to adapt to their circumstances. SI-OC, 1st Person POV

47. The Monarchs Stormforth

Chapter 47: The Monarchs Storm Forth

(Bastion Misawa POV)

The evening was proving enjoyable, the respite most welcome after the trials of the day's journey. After hitting the hot springs, the group of Central Academy students all gathered in his and Adam's room to watch a movie. He was allowed to pick the film, and thus he had tremendous pressure placed upon him. Jamie had once told him the best movies to watch with girls were horror films, but Bastion was afraid he would actually be more scared than Jasmine. Besides, he wanted to enjoy some quality dialogue and acting. He settled on The Princess Bride.

One of Adam's friends had secured some alcohol, and they were drinking small bottles of some cheap vodka called UV Blue. Bastion thought it tasted terrible, but he pressed on anyways for the sake of keeping up social decorum. Interestingly, Alexis and Erin downed the stuff like water. Still, he vowed not to get drunk, in the case another battle arose.

"Hey, you guys! Jaden's back!" Syrus looked up from his phone with a grin. "Jamie got a text from him, I guess. He's in Domino City!"

Mackenzie paused mid-drink and listened attentively. Jasmine, who was cuddling in Bastion's arms, leaned forward in interest. "Where did Lancaster find him?"

"He didn't, Jaden apparently just texted him. He didn't tell me where Jaden was – maybe he didn't know." Syrus shrugged. "I'm sure he'd update us if he knew anything else."

"What is Lancaster even doing, anyways? We're not supposed to leave the hotel! And why is he our sole informant on Jaden? Jaden has hands, he can text us himself!" Jasmine protested.

"Maybe he got in a duel or something. The guy's always itching for a fight. Maybe Aster Phoenix met him for a rematch." Kenzan supplied. "The sarge can handle himself, and we're under orders not to leave the building. As for Jimbo, he's probably doing some errand for his boss."

Jasmine looked frustrated that no one was as concerned about the situation as her. "Fine, if you guys want to be idle, so be it." Was her waspish reply. Mackenzie seemed to sympathize with Jasmine, but said nothing. Likewise, Erin looked conflicted about the situation.

"I wonder why Jamie didn't let one of us know where he was going?" Alexis asked, looking rather upset. It made sense, Bastion supposed. She and Jamie were good friends.

"Perhaps Professor Crowler knows where those two are." Bastion offered, wanting to be useful. "I'll go ask him. Either way, he'll want to know that Jaden is alright."

"For legal liability reasons, if nothing else." Atticus japed.

"Hurry back." Jasmine squeezed Bastion's arm. He went to his bedroom and changed back into a green t-shirt and khakis before he left the room, loping down the hall towards Professor Sartyr's room. Just in case, he kept his duel disk with him.

Crowler's location was easy to get out of the weak-willed head of Ra Yellow, and thus he moved down to the lobby.

Suddenly, a loud THUMP could be heard outside, like a hunk of metal has just fallen to the ground. It made Bastion's teeth rattle, and he nearly lost balance from the force of the apparent landing. "What on earth was that?" He murmured to himself. He glanced over to the receptionist, a questioning look in his eye. Strangely, the receptionist didn't seem to notice the noise, judging by the way she was clacking away on her computer's keyboard. Bastion crept to the window, peering out between the blinds.

Professor Crowler was outside, standing across from two enormous duel spirits. Easily surpassing ten meters in height, one of their legs was larger and thicker than Crowler's entire body, or his own for that matter. The two beings had huge, billowing cloaks ade of clearly fine material. Their armor was similarly fancy, with giant rings adorning the back plate. The first spirit had golden brown armor with huge gauntlets, while the other was adorned with lighter, minty green mail and a helm in the shape of a hawk's head.

Bastion rushed outside, the sliding doors quietly announcing his arrival. "You two seem to be mistaken. There are no students here. If you must know, I'm here on vacation – a vacation you two louts are currently spoiling, I'll have you know!" Crowler protested, his back to Bastion.

"Our master's sight allows us to easily see past your futile deceptions, Vellian Crowler." The brown knight rumbled in a hard, unforgiving voice. "We are here to gauge their strength – otherwise, we mean no harm."

"I find such words hard to believe from a duel spirit. Your arrival has never bode well for us humans, you understand. There is nothing here! Now turn around and go look somewhere else." Crowler shot back.

"Listen, doc, we came here ready for a fight. Are ya sure ya wanna try fightin' the two of us without any help? We're monarchs – we used to rule over lands and castles in the spirit realm. We didn't get to our position by birthright. We made the other spirits bow and give us fealty." The green one said with a easy cadence.

"We know about the threat the human known as Sartorius presents. We are not under his command, I swear it." The brown one added.

"Whoever you serve doesn't matter to me. I will not let a duel spirit do as they wish with my students! I will not have it! This is your last warning! Turn around now!" Crowler was ever defiant, despite the monarch's words.

The green one sighed. "Man, these humans are really stubborn. I guess you'd have to be in order to seal the spirits into cards in the first place, all those millennia ago. You guys always like to settle things by force."

Bastion wondered at that. He knew well that the bloody history between humans and duel spirits went back almost ten thousand years, to the days of Atlantis and the stone of Orichalcos. Was the first contact between humans and duel spirits in a war? A war over what? Humans evidently must have won somehow in order to seal the spirits away into cards, but how did they possibly win without cards to fight with?

"Go ahead and deal with this clown, Raiza. I'll go search for the others." The brown-clad Monarch ordered.

"Sweet! I get the fun part!" The one known as Raiza whistled. Crowler despaired – he had no chance of holding the two Monarchs back by himself.

"You won't have to look far!" Bastion made his presence known at last, raising his voice to what he hoped was a brave tenor. He stepped forward. Crowler wheeled around in shock, while the Monarchs looked on in interest.

"You do not match the description of the Unseeable Ones…yes, I know you for Bastion Misawa, of Ra Yellow." The brown one remarked. Bastion recognized him now – this was Granmarg, the Rock Monarch.

"What do you two want?" Bastion asked sharply.

"Our primary orders are to bring the duelists known as Reggie Mackenzie and Jamie Lancaster to our master, Lady Sarina of the Twin Mirrors. Our secondary orders are to prevent contact between the students of Central Academy and Sartorius." Granmarg was more forthcoming than Bastion expected, but he had little time to think on the words before Crowler approached him.

"What are you doing here, Signore Misawa? You are not allowed to leave the building!" Crowler reprimanded.

Bastion had come to tell Crowler about the return of Jaden, but he wasn't sure if revealing that information was wise in the presence of these enemies. Still, he was not skilled at lying, so he just remained awkwardly silent.

"Still…" Crowler's voice softened. "You have some experience in these matters, and I could use some help. As much as I dislike to have students take part in these battles, I am not strong enough to protect you all." The last words were spoken with a hint of self-loathing that made Bastion greatly uncomfortable.

"There is no need for a battle between us. Tell us where Jamie and Mackenzie are, and in return we will protect you from Sartorius." Granmarg interjected.

"Sartorius is one man, while you are a group of spirits we have no reason to trust." Bastion said, realizing that were certainly more Monarch spirits in the city. "Beyond that, I would never sell out my comrades to people I don't know, regardless of their intentions."

"Man, what a pain in the ass…let's get these two out of the way and move on. All this talky talky is boring!" Raiza whined.

"…if it will shut you up for a while, then it could be a worthy investment. Very well. Which one do you want?" Granmarg didn't seemed too choked up that discussion failed – if the Monarchs truly were ordered to keep the peace, Bastion suspected it was an order carried out half-heartedly.

"I know the clown pisses you off, so you can have him. I'll deal with Poindexter over here." Raiza casually insulted.

Bastion and Crowler activated their duel disks. "Remember your studies, my boy. This is just another test." Crowler offered words of encouragement.

"Always, professor." Bastion's thoughts were focused on his friends, and Jasmine. "It is not in my nature to be a hero, like Jaden. But I do have things to protect, like anyone. And more than that, I have the ability to fight to protect those things!"

"Duel!" Crowler and Granmarg called out the beginning of combat.

"Duel!" Bastion and Raiza echoed.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

(Yugi Moto POV)

He pulled the Escalade into the driveway of Kame Game, his Grandpa's card shop and his former home. Nowadays, Yugi owned a property out on the coast and paid rent on a penthouse in Tokyo, but this place would always have a place in his heart.

Grandpa was upstairs, resting in bed while Tea was making tea in the kitchen. He never should have climbed that ladder - at his age, it was a needless risk. For Yugi, a hip fracture would be painful and arresting, but highly manageable. For Solomon, it wasn't, and Yugi wanted to be there to help aid the man who raised him in any way he could. Tea greeted him on arrival. His wife wore a jean jacket, a red top, and dark blue polka-dotted joggers – a few years ago, she made the career move to break into the fashion industry, getting a design gig for Gemini Elf, a popular brand based in Domino. Hell, she made more money than he did, depending on how many tournaments her cared to attend on a given season.

"And she always looks better than me, but that's no surprise." Yugi had never entirely outgrown his goth phase in high school, still at times wearing edgy bracelets and leather pants. "Hey honey." He stood on his tiptoes to give her a kiss on the cheek – she had always been taller than him as well.

"Hey sweetie." She reciprocated the gesture. "Did you just get back from KaibaCorp?"

"Yes, I spoke to the brothers, Headmaster Crowler, and one of Kaiba's employees."

"Need a drink? I would after talking to Seto." She said with a wry smile. Tea didn't like Kaiba much, not that he ever gave her any particular reason to like him. If she had her way, Kaiba would never have come to their wedding five years ago, but Yugi managed to persuade her in the end. For what it was worth, Kaiba took them to a luxury car dealership, gave them a blank check, and told them to pick whatever they wanted out of the lot as a wedding gift, so that made Tea rather glad she let him come after all. He also paid for the strippers at Yugi's bachelor party – now that was a hell of a night!

"No, it was a rather short talk, all things considered. He and Mokuba appear more than capable of handling the situation. I told him that taking care of Grandpa is my first priority, so I should be in for the night, unless something strange happens." Yugi went to the sink for a glass of water.

"Unless something strange happens." Tea repeated. "How many times have those words been a prelude to some misadventure? There's never a dull moment with you, Yugi." She handed him the hot teacup. "He might be sleeping, but if not, have him drink this with his pills."

"Right, will do." Yugi slipped off his shoes and went upstairs, carefully handling the cup. Quietly, he opened the door to find his grandfather in bed, the room silent other than the low hum of the humidifier.

"Yugi!" Solomon Moto's tired face lit up at the sight of his beloved grandson. Yugi was the only one around to take care of him, since neither of his parents wanted anything to do with them. Yugi tried calling his father after he won the 1999 world championship, but apparently the man changed his phone number and address somewhere along the way. Yugi had no clue if the guy was even alive, and he didn't want to know. His mother had met someone new and lived with him now. Yugi never saw much of her either. He tried not to think of them too much, but in moments like this, the emotions began to rise towards the surface again.

"Hey, grandpa!" He leaned in to gently hug his aged caretaker. "I brought you some tea. Have you taken your medication yet today?"

"No, no I haven't." Solomon said. His memory problems being what they are, Yugi relied on Tea to keep track of when Grandpa took his pills. He asked anyways just to stimulate him and keep his mind active.

"Good, you weren't supposed to. You can take them in fifteen minutes. How is your hip feeling?" Yugi sat down on a chair at Solomon's bedside.

"Oh, better. What have you been up to, youngster?" Grandpa asked wearily.

"I was just talking to the Kaiba brothers, remember them?" Yugi doubted that Solomon would ever forget the man who tore up his prized Blue-Eyes White Dragon and hospitalized him. Still, Kaiba paid for that crime, and he was a different man now.

"Yes. I'm glad you made peace with that boy Seto, even if it did take a few battles for the lesson to sink in." Solomon said reflectively.

"A little mercy makes life less harsh." Was Yugi's response.

"Did he ever take my advice and get laid?"

Yugi smiled at the candor that only came with old age. "I believe he did. In fact, he applied your advice a little…overzealously." The two men shared a laugh at that.

However, a sharp, loud vice from the street interrupted their good cheer. "Yugi Moto, alleged king of games! If you're inside, come out immediately with your cards! Do it now!"

The voice startled Solomon something fierce, while Yugi's steely nerves kept him from showing too much surprise. The spiky-haired champion strode to the window, peering through the blinds to the street outside. Underneath the light stood a tall, demonic figure in jutting black armor, a russet cape flapping in the winds. Yugi recognized the look – it was the same design as the monster card Angmarl, the Fiendish Monarch.

"A duel spirit..." Yugi muttered. Duel Spirits had been his steadfast allies in the past – the spirit of Dark Magician Girl helped him awaken Timaeus during the war of the Orichalcos. He had an eternal bond with the spirit of the Pharaoh's former priest, Mahad, whose Ba and Ka had fused to form the spirit of the Dark Magician. He was unaccustomed to facing them on the field of battle. Hopefully he could make this quick.

"Yugi!" Tea had rushed upstairs. "There's someone outside-" She was panicking, for she did not truly understand the deeper world of dueling as he did. Yugi knew he could not afford to be afraid, not when his loved ones counted on him. He put on a determined expression to face Solomon and Tea.

"I know. I'm going to take care of it." Yugi's trusted cards were already sleeved in his duel disk. "I'm sorry about this, Grandpa."

Solomon smiled and shook his head. "Go get em, kid."

"Stay safe." Tea practically commanded.

"I will." Yugi could sense his foe's energy, and this Monarch was a petty king at best. Going out the front door, he saw the spirit's eyes follow him restlessly.

"What is the meaning of this?" Yugi demanded. "Under whose orders are you here?"

"No one ordered me to come here. I am Angmarl, the Fiend Monarch. We Monarchs have come to this city under orders from Lady Sarina of the Twin Mirrors!" The arch-demon answered with clacking, sharp teeth.

"Can't say I've ever heard the name. What would the lady Sarina have of me? I would welcome the chance to talk things out – there is no need for a battle." Yugi offered.

"Oh, I'm under orders not to fight you." Angmarl's answer surprised Yugi. "But that doesn't matter to me. For the longest time, I have been known as the weakest, most useless of the Monarchs. I cannot destroy backrow like Mobius or Granmarg, nor monsters on the field like Zaborg. I cannot force a discard like Thestalos, or banish like Caius. Everyone looks down on me and my abilities! So I will prove my worth to lady Sarina and the rest of the duel spirits by defeating you, the so-called King of Games, and show that even the weakest duel spirit is worth more than the strongest human." He ranted about his motives in a fashion Yugi was more than familiar with at this point.

Yugi was rather unimpressed with this rationale. "Well, I'm sorry you feel that way. But if you don't mind, I have to take care of my grandfather. Let me give you my email and we can find a time that works better, I'm a bit busy right now."

Angmarl tilted his head, amazed that Yugi could blow him off. He gave out a whole speech dedicated to his motive and everything! This called for drastic measures. "Don't try and feed me that crap! If you dare turn down a Monarch, then you should prepare for punishment! I will, shall we say, take care of your grandfather if that is your concern! If that is what it takes for me to gain glory, so be it!"

That was the wrong thing to say. Yugi's face darkened, and all gentleness was gone from his expression. "You don't know what you're saying. I take the safety of my family very seriously."

"Shall I make an example of them, or are you sufficiently motivated, king of games!?" Angmarl foolishly pressed.

"Yes, I think so." Yugi's tone was icy and polite as he turned on his duel disk. "By all means, take the first turn."

"I will! I'll start by playing Upstart Goblin, letting me draw a card while you gain 1000 life points. Then, I'll play Terraforming, letting me search a field spell. Then, I'll play it! Now, we step into the Domain of the True Monarchs!" The side street faded away into a spacious, dark and empty throne room, pale light casting through long windows.

"Then, by banishing a spell card from my graveyard, I can special summon Spell Striker (600/200)!" Appearing to Angmarl's field was a cutesy looking take on a Viking, the chibi warrior wearing a helm with bullish horns curving from the sides. He wore a flowing red cape and held a sparkling wand in his hands.

"But he won't be around long, because I'm going to sacrifice him for a tribute summon!" Unceremoniously and with little dramatic fanfare, Angmarl stepped onto the field. "I summon myself, Angmarl the Fiendish Monarch (2400/1000)!"

"As monarchs, our abilities are triggered immediately upon tribute summon! Mine allows me to banish a spell from the grave, so that I may add another copy of that spell from deck to hand! By banishing Upstart Goblin, I get another Upstart Goblin, which I'll now activate!" Angmarl drew another card while Yugi's life points rose to 6000.

"Furthermore, since a tribute summoned Monarch is on the field, Domain of the True Monarchs goes into effect. Now, as long as I am on the field, you cannot summon monsters from the extra deck. No fusions, no Synchros, no Exceeds, no nothing! Now what will you do?!" Angmarl cackled.

"I see." Yugi responded icily. "That was a wise precaution on your part. But you ought to know that I am not a man to be undone so easily as that."

"Go and try your luck then! I set two cards face-down and end my turn!" Angmarl seemingly couldn't stop laughing. "Once I have defeated you, I shall be the most legendary Monarch in existence! And without access to your extra deck, your strategy is crippled!"

Yugi drew. "I normally don't like to crush my opponents right away – it's just not my style. But circumstances being what they are, I guess I might have to make an exception."

Yugi felt the familiar building of adrenaline that came with a life-or-death duel. "The card I have drawn is Pallidium Oracle Mahad (2500/2100), and when it is drawn, I can special summon it to the field." Yugi's first monster was the spitting image of the true Mahad, clad in white and gold Egyptian garb, with a mage's scepter clasped in his hands. His tanned, tattooed face was resolute.

"Not happening! I activate my trap, Bottomless Trap Hole! This destroys and then banishes your summoned monster!" Angmarl countered. A swirling pit of chaotic energy swallowed up Mahad quickly, but Yugi did not appear troubled by this.

"Very well. Since Mahad was destroyed, I can special summon Dark Magician (2500/2100) from my deck to the field." Yugi did not bother with any elaborate summoning chants or the other hallmarks of duelist pageantry – he was focused on eliminating this obstacle as soon as possible and returning to Grandpa's side. His faithful servant and ace monster silently took the field, his purple armor and green scepter and image that had been burned into the memories of thousands of young duelists that had watched Yugi duel growing up.

Without access to his extra deck, Yugi's options were admittedly limited, but he was sure he could finish this now. "I'll then play the spell Dark Magic Attack to destroy your remaining spells and traps." Dutifully and efficiently, Dark Magician charged a violet energy sphere at the tip of his scepter, controlling the pulsing magic with expert control. Taking aim, he swiped aside Angmarl's set card with contemptuous ease.

"Let's see…" Yugi still had four cards in hand, and they were rather conducive to a big play. "I'll then cast the Super Soldier Ritual." Twin chalices of flame appeared on either side of Yugi's slim frame. "By offering up monsters whose level stars are equal to eight, I can perform a ritual summon!"

In one of the cups appeared Swift Gaia the Fierce Knight, the lancer sitting atop a proud destrier. In the other goblet, there was the humble Kuriboh, one of Yugi's most enduring staples. Both came form Yugi's hand, leaving little doubt what the last card in his hand was.

"By sacrificing the level seven Swift Gaia and the level one Kuriboh, I can summon Black Luster Soldier – Super Soldier (3000/2500)!" In a pillar of combative light and darkness energy, Yugi's ritual monster emerged wreathed in crimson energy. It bore great resemblance to the original Black Luster Soldier, as well as the infamous Envoy of the Beginning, in frame and general looks. But there was more than enough to mark the difference – his armor was bulkier than before, and glowed with a harsh red light, like a siren. His sword was longer, and each edge was serrated roughly – the blade would now rip and tear, not cut smoothly. Red tassels drifted proudly from his ornate helm.

Angmarl stood speechless. "Buh…uh…no way!" He dumbly exclaimed.

"Not much for banter, I see. At least you didn't shout out "impossible" or "this cannot be!" If I had one yen for every time I've heard such lines…but I'm sure you'd rather not hear about that." Yugi inclined his head. "Super Soldier, attack!"

The powered-up super soldier leapt skyward, his heavy armor clearly not an issue for mobility. Without any spells or traps to defend with, Angmarl's monster form was destroyed and his field was bare. (Yugi 6000/Angmarl 3400)

"When Super Soldier destroys a monster by battle, that monster's attack value is done to you as damage. It's rather similar to that Jaden kid's Flame Wingman, now that I think of it." Yugi stroked his chin casually as Black Luster Soldier bludgeoned Angmarl with his shield. (Yugi 6000/Angmarl 1000)

"With no monsters on the field, I attack with Dark Magician for game. Hey, that doesn't happen very often!" Yugi noticed while his faithful friend ended the duel on his first turn. (Yugi 6000/Angmarl 0)

The would-be top dog of the monarchs collapsed on the ground from the force of the Dark Magic Attack, his body smoking from the damage. He sputtered, his mind reeling from the swift defeat.

"Sorry. Like I said, this isn't usually my style, but I'm in a hurry. Maybe we can have a rematch some time, as long as you give up your evil ways." Yugi said with a casual wave as he began to turn his back on his fallen enemy. However, he paused when he noticed Angmarl's body begin to disappear into flecks of light.

"What on earth?! You didn't mention this was a shadow game!" Yugi raised his voice.

"Lady Sarina made clear the consequences of failure – our life energy is forfeit, farmed for some purpose I was never privy to. But it was a risk I was willing to take – death or glory!" Angmarl wheezed on the ground.

"You fool! Have you no regard for your own life! Don't you have anything worth protecting, anything worth carrying on for?" Yugi couldn't understand the spirit's reasoning.

"Nothing at all." Angmarl said with a hint of sadness. "But I can die satisfied, knowing that I had the chance to fight you, the strongest human…your reputation is well-earned, king of games."

Yugi looked on wistfully as his beaten foe faded away, his energy filling the air like fireflies before being whisked across the city, to some unknown end. The king knew that Angmarl would have destroyed his house and killed Tea and Grandpa if he was not there, but a part of him still had some sympathy for the spirit nonetheless. Kaiba had always accused him of having a bleeding heart, and perhaps it was true, but it was not in Yugi's nature to gloat over a defeated enemy, and a dead one even less so.

He paused for a moment before silently deactivating his duel disk and heading back inside. "That was fast." Tea smiled, her worries gone now. "I knew you could do it, babe."

He knew she still compared him to Atem in her heart – the pharoah's true name had slipped out in some very vulnerable instances, early into their relationship. Yugi tried not to think about that as much as possible. There were a lot of things he tried not to think about.

"I'm sorry about all that noise, Grandpa. I hope it didn't disturb you." Yugi nodded deferentially.

Solomon hid his pain – the battle, however brief, was stressful to him. But he smiled to his grandson nonetheless. "I love ya, Yugi." He said.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

(Alexis Rhodes POV)

"What's going on out there?" When Bastion didn't return for twenty minutes, the group began to worry that something dangerous was afoot. They turned off the movie and gathered their cards. Changing into street wear, they instinctively equipped their duel disk with their newly updated decks.

"Bastion hasn't come back for a while. We should go see what's going on. Something about this situation gives me a bad feeling." Jasmine said seriously – how much she had changed in the past two years. She bore little resemblance to the silly girl that Alexis went to middle school with. And yet, with the unlocking of her potential, Jasmine grew envious and grasping for power. The taste was not enough – she seemed to want more and more. Alexis knew that part of that envy was directed towards her. How would Jasmine react if she knew about her and Jamie? Another reason to keep it a secret.

"There's also Jaden and Jamie to think about." Mackenzie spoke up. "I would be happy to go for looking for them, if that works for you all." She said eagerly. It was true that Mackenzie was likely the strongest duelist of them all in the absence of Jaden and Jamie. But still, Alexis thought the request was odd. Mackenzie seemed to want something from the two missing boys – Alexis wasn't sure what exactly it was, but she didn't like it nonetheless. Still, to refuse her would be to reveal her mistrust openly, and that could be costly.

"Thank you, Mackenzie. We'd all be glad to see them safe. But the city is full of unknown dangers, too much for one person. I'd feel better if you had some friends with you." Preferably ones I can trust, Alexis thought.

"I'll go with!" Atticus' ears perked up like a dog's at the idea of accompanying Mackenzie. "There might be some trouble out there if Duel Spirits are involved." Doubtless he was planning on getting into some trouble of his own with Mackenzie, but that was none of Alexis' concern. After all, it would be hypocritical of her to criticize a secret tryst. Still, it would be better to send someone to actually keep the mission on track.

"Kenzan, I hate to ask, but would you be alright with going out as well?" Alexis asked the buff Ra Yellow.

"Yes, ma'am." Kenzan agreed immediately. Out of everyone in the group, he was the most comfortable with taking orders and probably had the least capacity for scheming. "I'll utilize my search and rescue operations to recover the Sarge."

Alexis nodded, granting him a smile. The rest of them would look around the hotel for Bastion and Crowler and go from there.

"I'm going as well." Jasmine spoke up in a strident tone. "The chances of an enemy appearing are extremely high, with the possible presence of duel spirits along with Aster and Sartorius lurking around. It's a better idea to divide our strength more evenly. Mackenzie, Atticus, Kenzan and I will go out while you, Erin, Syrus and Adam will look around here. When you find Bastion and Crowler, your position will be further solidified – there's no need for me to stay here when I could be more useful out there. Perhaps Professor Hibiki could help as well, if a big battle is at hand." Jasmine outlined her reasoning. She neglected to mention Professor Sartyr, as everyone knew he wasn't worth jack shit in a duel.

Something about the notion made Alexis uncomfortable, but she decided to trust her once-best friend. "Alright, Jazz. Just be careful." The ice queen of Obelisk Blue sighed.

"Thanks, Lex." Jasmine smiled.

"Man, talk about a pain in the ass…can't we ever do anything fun without some crazy shit going down?" Adam complained, tugging at the collar of his Supreme hoodie.

"I suppose not. You people have a knack for getting into these sorts of situations, I must say. By the way Adam, you never told us the story about what happened with that duel spirit you encountered this summer." Mackenzie commented idly.

He shrugged carelessly. "Some other time, maybe."

"Let's go, everyone!" Alexis led the group of eight into the night.

XxXxxXxxXxXxXxXxX

(Bastion Misawa POV)

He and Crowler stood, facing the wind and the earth. Although they were two separate duels, he was close enough to overhear the battle between Crowler and Granmarg, even as he focused on facing Raiza.

Bastion won the roshambo and elected to go first. "I'll set two cards face-down and summon Mathematician (1500/500) in attack mode!" To Bastion's field appeared a wizened gnome with a snowy beard taller than he was, the braided ends trailing on the ground.

"When this card is summoned, I can send a level four or lower monster from my deck to the graveyard." Bastion explained. "I'll end my turn with that."

"Our intel said you were a bit of an egghead, Misawa, but playing a card literally called Mathematician…I mean, come on! Isn't that a bit on the nose!?" Raiza taunted. Bastion did not react – he was used to people mocking him for his love of learning and knowledge, and it would not throw him off his game.

"Alright, calculate this! I cast the quick-play spell The Monarchs Stormforth!" The wind picked up into a gust, although luckily Bastion's hair always looked like it was in a wind tunnel, so at least that wasn't a problem. "This spell allows me to use one of your monsters as a tribute this turn, at the cost of preventing me from summoning from the extra deck for the rest of the turn." Of course, Raiza's extra deck only had a few cards in it, and Bastion deduced that they were probably Instant Fusion targets or something unessential to his opponent's overall strategy.

"Then, I'll play the continuous spell March of the Monarchs! As logn as this is on the field, tribute summoned monsters I control cannot be targeted or destroyed by card effects! Now, I'll sacrifice your Mathematician to tribute summon the king of the four winds! Lord of the hawks, the insects, of all creatures whose wings are borne on the sky! I summon Raiza the Storm Monarch (2400/1000)!" The green-armored warrior took the field, his voice clear and breezy over the roaring winds.

"Weren't you just accusing my cards of being on the nose? At least I didn't summon myself in attack mode." Bastion muttered wryly, wondering what his card effect would be.

"When I am tribute summoned, I can place one card on your field on the top of your deck! I choose the set card on your left!" It was a powerful effect, since not only was a card removed from the field, Bastion's next draw was essentially nullified as well. However, Bastion was ready to act in response.

"I'll chain the face-down Twin Twisters you targeted! By discarding a card, I can destroy up to two spells or traps on the field. However, since you only have one, I'll settle for destroying March of the Monarchs!" Bastion countered, meeting his foe's gales with powerful winds of his own. More importantly, since Twin Twisters resolved, it would go to the graveyard rather than the top of his deck.

"Okay smartass," Raiza's temper briefly flared at his move being matched, "I'll just launch a direct attack!" Slicing blades of wind sent Bastion spiraling to the ground, and the acute pain made him realize that this was a game of death. The idea would have scared the wits out of him a year ago, but now he was successful in keeping his stiff upper lip. (Bastion 1600/Raiza 4000)

"I set a card face-down and end my turn. That won't be the last time you'll be eating pavement, nerd!" Raiza ended.

Bastion felt more comfortable now his preconceived notions of his opponent's strategy proved correct. These duel spirits were exactly what met the eye, to their peril.

"I believe I've figured this problem out! All that's left is to show my work!" Bastion said as he drew. "I'll start by summoning Mathmech Subtra (1000/1000)!" Bastion's next monster was a rusty red mech wielding a long sword sideways. "I can special summon this monster from my hand by targeting a monster on the field – then, 1000 attack points are subtracted from that monster's attack total! However, Subtra cannot attack the turn I use this effect." With a single swipe of the blade, Bastion's monster weakened Raiza down to 1400 attack points. However, that was still strong enough to swing over Subtra.

"Still too weak-" Raiza began before Bastion cut him off. "You villains should wait until my turn is over before judging it! I cast the spell Mathmech Formula! This lets me summon a Mathmech monster from my graveyard and boost its attack points by 1000 until the end of the turn! Now, I'll summon the monster I sent to the graveyard for the cost of Twin Twister – Mathmech Addion (1000/1000)!"

This was a mech as well, and similar in color to Subtra. The difference was in its posture – while Subtra hunched and leaned, this creature stood up straight. Its sword had a wide guard that brought to mind a plus sign – clearly, the symbolism in the card's design was exceedingly subtle.

"Now, I'll attack with Mathmech Addion!" The straight-backed robot raised his two-handed greatsword, digital pixels of fire trailing from its edge. It took a heavy swing at the weakened Raiza.

"As if! I activate Escalation of the Monarchs! This continuous trap allows me to tribute summon monsters during your turn!" An energy sphere formed in Raiza's hand, blocking the sword strike. As the blade grinded against the sphere, Raiza's form began to shift. He grew taller, bulker, more imposing.

"I summon Raiza the Mega Monarch (2800/1000)!" Raiza now hulked far above Bastion and his two monsters, looming down at him like a golem.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

(Vellian Crowler POV)

Crowler had the second turn, although Granmarg was taking such a long time making his move Crowler wondered if he would ever actually get to play. He knew that Granmarg was considered the monarch of earth and stone – he certainly had the speed befitting a rock. This was why official tournaments had time limits.

"…I set two cards and end my turn." Granmarg finally decided.

"You would have to move faster than that to excel in my class, monarch!" Crowler said snappishly. "Now, take in this lesson, free of charge! I summon Ancient Gear Wyvern (1700/1200)!" Like all Ancient Gear monsters, this lesser dragon was built from old steel and spinning cogs, self-sufficient despite the seemingly aged technology it was built with. "When this monster is summoned, I can add an Ancient Gear card from deck to hand." Crowler quickly thumbed through his deck, careful not to break a nail of course.

"The card I added is Ancient Gear Box (500/2000). When it's added, I can add another Earth Machine with 500 or less attack points to my hand." Gaining another search, this time Crowler retrieved Ancient Gear Gadget (500/2000), accumulating hand advantage.

"Now, I'll play Ancient Gear Fusion! By fusing together Ancient Gear Box and Gadget in my hand, I can summon this!" Gears, cogs, wires and plates crashed together in a cacophonic typhoon, the all-too-real sound of metal on metal causing Crowler's sensitive ears to ring. He clasped his hands together tightly.

"Fusion summon! Ancient Gear Howitzer (1000/1800) in defense mode!" Skeletal wings of iron lead to a bipedal mech with multiple cannons extending from its sides. Despite its low attack value, the card was completely unaffected by other cards, an immunity few cards in the game could boast even in the new frontier.

"Once per turn, Howitzer lets me deal 1000 points of damage to you directly!" Crowler wasted no time. The effect was absurdly powerful with only 4000 life points allotted to each player. Such effects were becoming more common in the wider dueling world, and Crowler would be very surprised if the life point total wasn't raised sometime in the near future. For now though, Crowler was going to take full advantage of it and step on the gas. The beast shot six cannonballs upon the monarch, causing Granmarg to stumble back. (Crowler 4000/Granmarg 3000)

"…I see, your cards indeed have become more powerful. I wonder if this was the work of the Unseeable Ones…." Granmarg pondered.

"The Unseeable Ones?" Crowler had never heard that term, despite his recent exposure to the shadowy vernacular of prophecy. "Surely he means Aster and the Slacker – hey, that could be a good name for a comedy duo – but I have never heard of that moniker before. Still, it is not as if I can ask him who he means – the term Unseeable Ones implies a certain lack of knowledge."

"Whomever's work it was, it's your problem now." Crowler said, entering the battle phase.

"At the beginning of the battle phase, I'll activate my trap card, The First Monarch (1000/2400)." A shadowy creature vaguely in the shape of Granmarg's body slowly assembled its body from nothingness, misty like a wraith. "This is a trap monster, providing me with defense." The timing of the activation was necessarily awkward – Granmarg could not have activated it upon Crowler's offense, due to the Ancient Gear's common ability to ignore spells and traps when attacking. Nevertheless, Crowler was forced to back off.

"Very well, then. Turn end." Crowler wasn't allowed to set any cards due to using Ancient Gear Wyvern's effect.

"Draw." Granmarg again was ponderously considering his next move. Crowler wondered if this was some sort of tactic to scare him. As if! Nothing could scare him so easily…well, except spiders. And needles. And bees. Insects in general, really. Oh, and he hated heights. Other than that, nerves of steel!

"I activate the continuous spell Return of the Monarchs. Then, I shall set a card. Then…I shall offer The First Monarch as a tribute." The shadowy emperor drew closer to Granmarg, closer, closer…until it merged and become one with the mighty duel spirit. "I summon Granmarg the Rock Monarch (2400/1000)." His gauntlets swayed heavily as he took the field.

"And since I tribute summoned, the effect of my continuous spell activates, letting me add a monster with 2800 attack points and 1000 defense points with the same attribute as the summoned monster." Even if the searching pool weren't ridiculously small, Crowler could guess what he searched. He was the headmaster of the largest Duel Acadmey on the planet – he knew the extent of the new card pool better than most. It had taken up so much of his time these past few weeks, he was beginning to see cards in his sleep.

"And when Granmarg is summoned, you can destroy a set card, yes yes." Crowler said drolly. "And since the only set card here is your own, I take it you gain some kind of advantage from destroying it."

"I suppose a professor like yourself doesn't need to have his hand held. Yes, you are correct. I destroy my own set trap, Wild Tornado. When it's destroyed, I can destroy a face-up card on the field." Pointing at Ancient Gear Wyvern, Crowler's draconic machine was swept away in a sudden gale of wind, although it was nothing compared to the vortex Bastion and Raiza were currently battling in.

"Fight on, boy. I swear if you win this you'll be putting on a bloody blue coat whether you want it or not." Crowler was well aware that he was despised by the majority of the student body, even his favored Obelisk Blues thinking themselves better and smarter than him. That was all fine by him – Crowler had never been much liked in his entire life, which in some ways prepared him for leadership. Leaders had to be ready to take shit from the people following them. That was something the constantly appeasing Sheppard never understood. A leader had to act, and all action was open to criticism, especially by the smart-mouthed little twats that were his students. If he started second-guessing himself…that would mean death in both his career and literally in battle.

"I'll end my turn with one more set card." Granmarg said. "I know what that beast of yours does upon destruction. It summons another Ancient Gear monster, regardless of its summoning conditions."

"Hmph, so it does." Crowler sniffed. Granmarg was clearly a cautious player. That wouldn't get him far against Crowler. Perhaps he would have fared better against Bastion, another deliberate player, but Ancient Gears were good at breaking through defenses. It was against aggressive opponents who could summon strong monsters that the deck struggled. "That was the lesson the slacker taught me, that day at the entrance exams." It seemed like a lifetime ago.

"I cannot die here. Someone needs to oversee Jaden's detentions when he returns!"

"I draw. And since my turn has rolled around again, I'll use Ancient Gear Howitzer's effect to burn for another thousand points!" The cannons boomed again, denting the foe's brown armor. (Granmarg 2000/Crowler 4000)

If his monster lasted two more turns, then victory would be assured. He didn't have a way to swing over Granmarg, so Crowler was forced to sit on his haunches for the time being. "I play the spell Fusion Conscription. By revealing a fusion monster in my extra deck, this lets me add one of the fusion monster's materials from deck to hand. I reveal Ultimate Ancient Gear Golem, allowing me to add Ancient Gear Golem to my hand. Apart from that, I'll set a card and end my turn."

The game was turning out to be a bit of a grinder – Granmarg didn't want to attack Ancient Gear Howitzer, while Crowler currently couldn't swing over the monarch. Granmarg drew. "I play Card of Sanctity, allowing us to draw until we have six cards in hand each. Then, I'll play Pantheism of the Monarchs! By sending a Monarch spell or trap from my hand to the graveyard, I get to draw two more cards!" Granmarg now had tremendous hand advantage over Crowler.

Granmarg then set an additional card. "From my hand, my field spell activates! Go, Domain of the True Monarchs!" The two duelists were ensconced in a dark castle with high walls and long windows, the same surroundings that Yugi and Angmarl were currently in. "Now, since I have no monsters in my extra deck and I'm the only one in control of a tribute summoned monster, you can no longer summon from your extra deck!"

"Now, I sacrifice Granmarg to summon forth Granmarg the Mega Monarch (2800/1000)!" Granmarg was already the largest of the Monarchs, but his mega evolution caused him to surpass even the likes of Ancient Gear Golem in height. Now, he was even rivaling the size of the hotel building. His gauntlets had grown comically large, and a violet kilt-cape flowed from his hip.

"When this card is summoned, I can destroy up to two set cards on the field! I'll destroy both mine and yours!" One of Granmarg's fists swing down, flattening his own set card – however, Crowler activated his own set card before it could be destroyed.

"Activate reverse card, Ancient Gear Reborn!" The headmaster could do nothing with the continuous trap for now, but having it flipped up was better than letting it be destroyed.

Granmarg inclined his head, acknowledging the move. "Be that as it may, my own set card activates upon destruction – the trap card Dark Coffin! When this card is destroyed, you may choose one of these effects to trigger. You must either discard a random card in your hand, or you must destroy a monster on your field."

Crowler had no choice but to discard a random card since his only monster, Howitzer, was unaffected by all other card effects. "And since I tribute summoned again, I get another search off of Return of the Monarchs. Furthermore, Mega Granmarg allows me to draw a card after successfully resolving its effect." Granmarg again weighed his options before continuing. "Now, I'll attack your Ancient Gear Howitzer!"

"He should have done that from the beginning." Crowler thought as the massive fist smashed his machine like a child would smash his father's carefully built model train set. He was beginning to suspect that Granmarg filled the dumb muscle mandate of this particular group of minions. If he just destroyed Howitzer last turn, he would have an extra thousand life points and otherwise be in the same situation. Perhaps he was hoping to draw something useful this turn and it didn't happen.

"When Howitzer is destroyed, I can summon any Ancient Gear monster from my deck!" The shattered cogs and metal began reforming, quickly growing larger and more elaborate. Eventually, great wings formed out of bent rebar, and a maw filled with fangs made out of drill bits soon followed.

"I summon Ancient Gear Reactor Dragon (3000/3000)!" Crowler declared, the titanic steel beast facing down an enormous armored warrior – it looked like some sort of Steampunk monster movie.

"Not quite! I play my face-down card, Black Horn of Heaven! This trap negates your special summon and destroys your monster!" The dark sound caused the hulking dragon to break apart as fast as it had been built, leaving Crowler's field relatively empty.

"Then, I'll play Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy your Ancient Gear Reborn!" Now Crowler's field was actually empty, instead of relatively empty. Granmarg ended his turn, and Crowler was facing down a titan with nothing to defend himself with.

XxXxxXxXxXxxx

(Bastion Misawa POV)

Glancing towards Crowler's battle, Bastion saw that he was facing down a Mega Monarch as well, the two monsters equal in height, power and presence.

"When Raiza the Mega Monarch is summoned, I can bounce two cards on the field – one to the top of the deck, and one to your hand! Go, slicing winds!" Raiza called out.

"I'll lose if I let that go through!" Bastion thought, panicked. "I chain my trap, Breakthrough Skill! This negates your monster's effect until the end of the turn!" An energy barrier formed around Raiza, preventing the winds from getting anywhere and eventually causing them to peter out. However, Bastion's attack was effectively done for the turn.

"Hey, Bastion!" Jasmine's voice called out to him from behind. Under the gateway canopy stood his flame, along with three friends – Mackenzie, Kenzan and Atticus. "We figured something was up after you didn't come back for a while. Plus, these guys are hard to miss." She gestured to the gargantuan monarchs with a laugh.

"We're heading out to find the Sarge – Jaden, that is." Kenzan explained. "And Jamie as well. We figure there are other spirits out there, and probably that troublemaker Phoenix and his manager. We're supplying backup."

"Plus, there's something exciting about the city at night! Who knows what sort of fun we'll find!" Atticus wiggled his eyebrows at Mackenzie, whose gaze was focused on the KaibaCorp headquarters in the distance.

Bastion sighed. He knew most of his friends were free spirits who did as they wished. He remembered Jamie's implacable desire to fight Zane during the first week on campus. In truth, he found it hard to relate to such whims at times – if they were fire, he was clay, useful and versatile, but lacking the romantic appeal of the flames. But in a fight, he could be as fierce as any fire – he would prove that now!

"Did you add those side deck options we spoke about?" Bastion asked. After her ill-fated match against Jamie, Bastion and Jasmine went back to the drawing board and tweaked her Six Samurai build some. For what it was worth, he tried to stay out of that little drama – he did not want to pick a side between any of his friends, but especially not between his girlfriend and Jamie, his old roommate. Of course she wanted to hear him support her and talk shit about Jamie, but he refused. She was angry with him at the time, but it appeared she was over it now…

"Yeah, for sure babe!" Jasmine smiled at him, making him more nervous. "We'll be alright, we've all been in these kind of battles before. Well, except for you I guess, Mackenzie."

Mackenzie looked to be suppressing a laugh. "I am lucky to have such formidable companions by my side. We'll find Jaden in no time." Something in the way she said that made Bastion's skin crawl, but he had no more time to think on it.

"Hurry up and end your turn, egghead! We ain't got all day!" Raiza barked.

Bastion glanced angrily at his foe before speaking to his friends. "I've got this. You all don't do anything crazy."

"Good luck!" Jasmine ran over and gave him a kiss on the cheek before the four of them ran off.

"Hey, get back here you hooligans! You're all getting write-ups for this!" He could hear Crowler shouting ineffectually after the group of retreating students.

Bastion briefly smiled before fully turning his attention back to the fight. "During my main phase two, I overlay the level four Addion with the level four Subtra to perform an Exceed summon!"

The two mechs took on the form of starlight, red bleeding into purple as the Overlay Network was constructed. Through the pathway emerged a robot in black and gold circuitry, wielding a double-bladed cleaving lance with serrated edges. "Appear, Rank 4 Batch Mathmech d'Alembertain (2000/0)!"

"Hmph!" Raiza sneered, as clearly this new creature wasn't strong enough to challenge his Mega form.

"When this monster is successfully summoned, I can detach two of its materials to search a Mathmech card from my deck and add it to my hand. I'll set that card and end my turn!" Bastion finished.

"You clearly aren't one of the duelists Lady Sarina is searching for, so I'm not having any fun with this. I'm going to finish this as soon as I get the chance!" Raiza sneered.

Bastion thought the words familiar, and he knew why – most of Jaden's opponents said such things to him, precluding a sudden reversal on Jaden's part that usually won him the duel. Bastion hoped that such luck would befall him this time, although he would never admit to fortune holding sway over his life.

"Now, begone! I attack your Mathmech d'whatever the fuck with storming impact!" Winds swirled around the oncoming fist, and surprisingly, Bastion did not activate his set card, instead letting his monster get destroyed. The winds pushed him back, causing him to brace against the walls of the hotel. (Bastion 800/Raiza 4000)

"If only I had another monster in my hand…oh well, I'll just make sure to end this next turn!" Raiza finished.

"Argh…" Bastion struggled, the wind knocked out of him. But nonetheless, he was satisfied, for he was sure that he could finish this with the tools he had now.

"I draw." Perfect! Perhaps a bit of luck would help this formula work out, as oxymoronic as that sounded. "I play Foolish Burial, allowing me to send a monster from my deck to the graveyard. Then, I'll activate my face-down card, Mathmech Superfactorial!"

Teal light streamed from the sky, holographic binary numbers raining down. Chains of yellow circuit lines met to form a triangle around the portal. "This card lets me summon up to three Mathmech monsters from the graveyard to use for either a Synchro or an Exceed summon!"

At each point of the triangle appeared a monster – there was Mathmech Addion, Subtra, as well as a new creature made of relflective black and gold surfacing. "Along with my two previous monsters, I have the tuner monster Mathmech Nabla (1000/1500). With each monster having four stars, I can tune them together for a level twelve synchro summon!"

The three monsters at each point of the triangle burned up in a sudden conflagration of digital fire, synthetically red and orange. Emerging from the three-pronged portal was a white and red mecha robot with a cape fluttering behind it like wings. It wielded a thin saber wreathed in that same, strange cybernetic fire, the blazing sword leaving no smoke or smell behind it. "I synchro summon Flame Mathmech Final Sigma (3000/0)!" Bastion declared, feeling a sudden lashing of pain at the effort required to successfully call forth the monster. Something about Synchro and Exceed summons were painful, though not life-threatening. It was like a hidden price tag attached to the power. Still, he had no choice if he wanted to win.

Raiza balked at the new adversary. "A level twelve should be a bit stronger than that! I still have all of my life points, there's no way that thing could beat me!"

"While this is the only monster from the extra deck on my field, it is unaffected by all cards, except Mathmech cards. Furthermore, all battle damage done by battle with a monster is doubled." Bastion explained, going over it like it was a subject in class.

"Ooh, that makes it 400 points of damage instead of 200! Big number!" Raiza couldn't ever seem to shut his mouth.

"Your math is correct, but there is an unknown variable you couldn't have considered – the last card in my hand, the equip spell Mathmech Divider Nayuta!" The thin sword suddenly grew bulkier, a serrated attachment latching onto the blade. "Now, I attack!"

"What does that do?" Raiza yelled.

"When a Mathmech monster attacks, I can send another Mathmech from my deck to the graveyard, allowing me to add the sent monster's attack value to Final Sigma's. I'll choose to send Mathmech Multiplier (500/2000), increasing Final Sigma to 3500!" Bastion roared as his monster's flames grew more intense. But he wasn't done – he still needed more power in order to finish the job.

"And as you might expect, Mathmech Multiplier has an effect when it hits the graveyard! Until the end of this turn, I can double one of my monster's attack points until the end of the turn! Final Sigma, rise to 7000!" Bastion's masterstroke was finished, and the flames were everywhere now, enveloping and fanning the winds into a fiery typhoon, with the two duelists at the center. Higher and higher the orange cyclone spun as Final Sigma raised its sword.

"A fire tornado? This is fuckin' awesome!" Raiza had to admit it, even as he knew defeat was certain.

"Not bad for an egghead, eh? Final Sigma, attack with Boosted Gear!" Bastion made the final push.

"BOOST!" The fiery sword cleaved Mega Raiza apart, dealing 8200 points of damage in one fell swoop. (Bastion 800/Raiza 0)

"I keep telling people math is fun." Bastion said to no one in particular as the fire tornado eventually subsided, and his foe fell to his knees.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

(Vellian Crowler POV)

This draw needed to count. He might have had untouched life points, but Crowler knew that the number of life points truly mattered very little in a duel compared to factors such as card advantage. If there was a card that let a duelist draw three cards at the expense of reducing their life points to 100, Industrial Illusions wouldn't be able to print it fast enough to match demand. But he digressed.

With that Domain field spell in play, fusion was no longer a viable tactic, so he would have to rely on something that would let him summon a powerful monster from the main deck. With only one card in hand, this needed to work.

"Draw!" He had the right cards, now he just needed to hope his opponent didn't have any negations to use. "I play Terraforming, allowing me to add my own field spell from deck to hand! Now, we'll step into my arena! I activate Geartown!"

The rulings still only allowed one field spell to be in play at a time, although Crowler suspected that would be changed in due time since so many decks now had field spells essential to their strategy. For now though, it served his purpose well, the dark throne room shattered and replaced with a bustling metropolis made of rusty metal cogs, screws, bolts and gears. In some ways it was Crowler's response to Skyscraper, one of his most hated field spells in the game after his first duel with Jaden. With Domain gone, Crowler could summon from the extra deck, although he didn't plan to.

"Now, since I have no monsters on the field, I can play this! Ancient Gear Catapult! By destroying a face-up card I control, I can summon an Ancient Gear monster from my deck, regardless of its summoning conditions!" The buildings and structures of Geartown fell apart, reforming again into what was surely a familiar sight for any student of Central Duel Academy – an iron golem with a single glowing red eye.

"My students affectionately refer to this card as "the big bitch". Now, you'll see why! Step forward, Ancient Gear Golem (3000/3000)!" Crowler didn't realize that the students weren't being affectionate when they called it that, but that was neither here nor there. Around the golem swirled another helter-skelter collection of parts. "And when Geartown is destroyed, I'm allowed to summon another Ancient Gear from the graveyard. Welcome back, Ancient Gear Reactor Dragon!" The metallic dragon hovered next to the golem, the two beasts looking down at Granmarg the Mega Monarch.

"How…you weren't known to have this level of strength! You were an afterthought, a bad joke! Why, you even dress like a clown!" Granmarg stuttered in disbelief.

"Perhaps your assumption would have been true before, but I have learned much in these past battles, just as my students have. After all, a teacher must devote himself to learning over a lifetime if he is to educate others, not just the span of his education. You see, that is the difference between humans and duel spirits – we learn, we improvise, we adapt, and we overcome. You, on the other hand, are as cunning as a stone, and twice as predictable. Really, the duel spirit of a monarch playing a monarch deck…even Jaden Yuki could have read your strategy like a book!" To punctuate this point, Ancient Gear Golem's ultimate pound smashed into Mega Granmarg's face, sending the foe reeling. (Crowler 4000/Granmarg 1800)

"You duel spirits may have powers we lack, and strength we lack…but when you come to face a human in battle, you had best finish what you start, for if you don't, we'll learn a way to beat you! Take this lesson to the afterlife!" Ancient Gear Reactor Dragon beat down the petty king with a swipe of its tail, leaving an outline of the monarch's body in the cement. (Crowler 4000/Granmarg 0)

The two monarchs were laid low, Raiza on one knee and Granmarg flat on his back. Finally, Crowler's single-minded focus on the battle subsided, and to his shame he just now turned his attention back to Bastion. The boy indeed had succeeded in claiming victory, though it appeared to have been a harder-fought battle on his end. Crowler supposed he should make good on his internal promise and see the boy raised to the Blues, but there would be time for that later.

"Signore Misawa, are you alright?" He made his way over. Bastion looked a bit sore, and he moved slowly and gingerly, but didn't seem too hurt.

"Yes, Professor. My apologies for not stopping Jasmine and the others." Bastion said in a wearied voice.

"It was not your responsibility. We teachers have a hard enough time trying to rein you in, we wouldn't ask it of you. You did your job, clearly." Crowler gestured to the fallen foes. "Now then, the truth. You both spoke of a Lady Sarina sending you. Who is Lady Sarina, and what does she want? Does she have any relations to Aster Phoenix or Sartorius?"

"Lady Sarina is…" Granmarg began.

"Don't tell them nothin', blockhead." Raiza cut his foolish companion off. "We got our jobs done too, clownface."

"Oh? Your jobs were to get beaten? Surely such esteemed kings like yourselves can find less degrading work." Crowler replied, although his gears were spinning. The monarchs somehow completed their jobs, despite losing? What was their purpose if not to kill him and the students?

"The twin mirrors…" Bastion said, his gaze drawn to something in the air. Looking up, Crowler saw two of them, looking glasses peering down at the results of the battle. In the mirrors was a woman, black of hair and lilac of eye, her robes clean and white.

"Misawa and Crowler…I confess I was hoping to follow more interesting characters." She said with a knowing smile. "But at least I can confirm that neither of you two are at risk."

"At risk? What do you mean by that?" Bastion demanded. This must have been the Lady Sarina the monarchs spoke of.

"Nothing. I apologize for this inconvenience, but it appears you two acquitted yourself well against my men. I mean to apply a similar test to two more students. Would you happen to know were the ones known as Jamie Lancaster or Reggie Mackenzie are?" Sarina asked as if she were a neighbor requesting a cup of sugar.

As it so happened, neither Crowler nor Bastion knew the precise location of the two students in question, but they of course would not have answered anyways. Staying silent, they forced Sarina to continue, "You do not. Unfortunate, but this city is only so large, and I will find them one way or another. It is imperative to act quickly. Have a pleasant evening, gentlemen." Again, she was oddly polite. The mirrors glowed, and somehow the two monarchs were absorbed into them, the forms twisting and stretching like water going down a drain. The mirrors then disappeared in a deceiving glimmer of light, leaving Bastion and Crowler in confusion.

A/N

Hope you all enjoyed.

This is a case where the release of cards in real life has benefitted my writing, as for a long time I wasn't sure which cards to give Bastion after the blast wave hit, but these new Mathmech (or Zanki as they're known in Japan) cards made the decision quite easy. They are not original cards made by me (I have no talent for such things) and they are not anime-exclusive (I generally do not use anime only cards with some exceptions like Card of Sanctity. Card of Sanctity does exist irl but it's trash so I don't count it), they were just announced like a month ago in the OCG, and luckily they are not really a link-based archetype, so I felt comfortable using them. There is some slight re-wording required with some of their effects since they refer to an "Extra Monster Zone" which does not exist in this story, so I took the liberty of interpreting it as being the only monster summoned from the extra deck on the field. They don't really fit Bastion's playstyle since they're kind of a simple OTK/battle-themed deck that doesn't really require much thinking, but still, the general idea of them fit Bastion's character. While I try to treat the characters fairly, I as always will make no secret of the fact that I am shilling for Bastion since he was treated maliciously by the canon material.

I also thought it would be nice to give Crowler a W. I like to characterize these characters a little differently due to the fact that this is an alternate timeline of sorts from the original GX, and for Crowler this means getting him out of the ineffectual comic relief villain role he is boxed into, which is always nice. It's tough to balance this many characters but I thought I'd give the character some shine for a change. Crowler is also less silly here due to the fact that Kaiba is breathing down his neck pretty much all the time lol. Speaking of Kaiba I wonder how he is doing against Sartorius…?

I hope you guys enjoyed Yugi's first "duel" of the story, as you can see it was a tremendous challenge for him. I also hope you found valuable the further insight into his motivations – he is very focused on family and wants peace and simplicity, and he would really rather stay out of this whole affair and leave it to Kaiba. Whether that will happen remains to be seen.

We are also coming up on State of the Meta's second anniversary, on August 20th! Thanks for supporting this story this long and here's to another great year! I'll see ya next time.