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

65. Snu-Snu: Part Deux

Chapter 65: Snu-Snu: Part Deux

(Jamie Lancaster POV)

As we ventured back out into the desert, another night was upon us. To protect the camp from potential duel spirit encroachments, we slept in shifts with one watcher awake at all times. I took the first watch, and along with it the opportunity to report discreetly to Kaiba. After I was sure Jesse, Aster, Zane, and Erin were asleep, I walked beyond the nearby dunes to transmit.

Kaiba had left me a message earlier to call when I could get away from the group. I withdrew my communicator, a device built by Kaiba's people that resembled a flip-phone. It had far superior service than any cell phone I had ever used before, possessing the capability to span dimensions. Dialing his number, I waited in the cold desert winds for a pickup.

"Lancaster." Seto's voice was a bit groggy, and I had probably woken him up in the middle of the night. "To what do I owe the pleasure of this call?"

"Now was the only time I could get away from the group to deliver a status report, as you requested."

"Oh, right. Continue." He said.

"Did you forget...?" I wondered.

"No, I did not forget! Now continue!" Kaiba barked a bit too defensively, causing me to chuckle a bit.

"We are no closer to finding Jaden and Sartorius than before, although we've made inroads with a group of duel spirits. The Witchcrafters. We are keeping in contact through Jesse's crystal beast spirits, so any communications we receive from them are probably being sent to Pegasus as well. And he's probably getting them first."

"Yes, that is unavoidable since your own duel spirit is away at the moment. I will corroborate your findings with Pegasus, and if he tries to lie to me I'll know it. Still, it is good to have additional allies. Although they're not exactly the strongest ones I could imagine. What were their terms?"

"I defeated their leader and they fell in line afterwards."

"Excellent. Continue to find duel spirits and I have no doubt you'll find a clue as to where our missing friends have gotten. I have a special welcome in store for Sartorius when he is returned to my care." He darkly alluded. "The only spirit to be wary of is Yubel. I don't believe any of you are a match for her yet."

"Yes." I spat, the truth of it causing my hatred of Yubel to fester.

"Heh, all in good time." Kaiba could understand the rage. "Speaking of duel spirits, let me know if you find the duel spirit of the Maiden with Eyes of Blue. I'd like to...have relations with her."

"That doesn't seem likely at this time." At his glare, I amended, "Finding her, I mean."

"Alas, I must content myself with Ishizu for the time being then. Well, there is no need to contact me again for a week or until you have something more substantial, whatever comes first. I suppose I should mention that the tournament has begun. Your girl Rhodes will be fighting Adrian Gecko of East Academy in the first round tomorrow."

"Keep an eye on that scheming worm Adrian. He's up to something, I just don't know what. I wouldn't trust the man to hold my umbrella on a sunny day." I bid.

"Oh, I do hope to catch him in the middle of something naughty. That family has always had a spotty reputation, and their behavior regarding the heir is so apparently foolish that I must believe something more nefarious is going on beneath the surface. But I confess I have little experience with the Gecko clan - our lines of work are largely separate." Seto mused.

"I told you what he did in my timeline." I stressed, my words heavy as stone. "The man is a grand visionary, and he'll make any sacrifice to achieve his utopia. Unless you desire him as your new god, he'll have to be stopped, preferably in violent fashion."

"Ironic how the greatest damage to the world is often caused by utopians, while those who pursue their own selfish desires end up benefiting others, or at least doing no harm." came Kaiba's incisive riposte. "But I assure you, he is being properly monitored."

"Good. If he wound up dead, it wouldn't hurt my feelings any. And keep the goddamn Exodia cards under lock and key, whatever you do!" I calmed myself, realizing I was beginning to yell. "But enough of that subject. I'm glad to hear Alexis is doing well. I'd like to talk to her sometime. Is she available?"

"I'm certain she is sleeping now, it's two in the morning here. But I'll do what I can." Kaiba paused. "So, you're really in love with her, huh…actually, never mind, it's none of my business."

"That's alright, sir." I forgave him awkwardly.

"Farewell, then. And good luck."

XxXxXxXxXxXxxXxxxx

Our travels continued. We made our way from the river flowing through the Witchcrafter's encampment, going where the water took us. Having a reliable source of water constantly nearby was something of a relief, although I couldn't be sure we were any closer to Jaden and Sartorius than before. Utilizing duel energy, we were able to boil the water so it was safe to drink. Furthermore, having the stream close by was good for grooming since the current wasn't too fast.

Zane, Aster and I had just finished bathing, dressing while Erin and Jesse prepared to go in the water after us. Stroking my newly shaved chin, I handed my razor to Aster. "Here you go, just replace the blade on it with a clean one."

"No thank you." Aster politely put a hand up. "I have vowed not to shave until Sartorius is safe and sound." I could see some slight gray peach fuzz on his cheeks.

"Uh, sure. It might be a long time, though." I responded cautiously.

"That may be, but the beard will represent my conviction." Aster's tone was grim and determined as always."

"...Alrighty then." I shrugged and put my shirt on. Although part of me thought Aster strange, another part of me admired his iron will. He had taken a walking stick with him from the Witchcrafter's base, a long wooden pole that was taller than him when upright. If he grew a beard people might start calling him "Gandalf". And by people I mean me.

We walked again. The walking brought uncomfortable thoughts to the forefront, thoughts that would normally be subsumed by the constant noise and drama that characterized my existence as of late. Perhaps on some level, I seek that stuff out so the mind grows quiet on its own. Every time my mind turned back to the past, I forcibly diverted it away, towards logistics or even something silly like movie trivia. My legs were initially sore and stiff as boards from the constant walking, but had grown used to the strain over time. Emptiness, all around. The only sound was the howling wind, and the only colors were the overcast iron sky and the indigo sands. But finally, after days and days, we began to hear the rumblings of civilization once again. "Let's be quiet, it's probably another group of duel spirits. They haven't exactly been friendly so far…unless we beat them down first." Erin said.

"Yeah, let's all get up that hill and see what we find." Jesse pointed to a nearby slope, the five of us quietly and slowly ambling up the rocky soil.

Just barely peeking over the hilltop, I saw campfire smoke rising into the air, the well-controlled flames surrounded by tents, tables, and people walking about. "They look human…" I whispered.

Zane recognized them first, rolling his eyes. "They're all women, see? Amazons." He said drolly as he recalled his duel with Tania way back when. Sure enough, the tanned women were clad in animal furs and wielding all manner of weapons.

"Looks like we get to fight after all." I grinned. "Let us proceed."

"Maybe fighting isn't always the best option?" Jesse sighed.

"Well, I should specify that I mean dueling. If it came down to physical fighting, each of those ladies could kill us with one punch." I joked while ignoring his substantive complaint. "Say, do you think Tania is down there with them?" I posed the question, drawing a confused look from Aster and Jesse. "If she is, I want to take her down this time."

"No fair, you got to duel last time." Erin pouted.

"So, you guys know somebody down there already?" Jesse asked.

"Tania was one of the seven Shadow Riders that invaded our school…oh, about two years ago now. She was an amazoness who had come to Central Academy in order to find a husband for snu-snu." Erin explained with a hint of wry humor mixed with slight undertones of bitterness…being passed over on the spirit gate keys still rankled, although she usually hid it well.

"Snu-snu? That sounds sinful." Aster narrowed his eyes.

"Oh, it most certainly is. But luckily, Zane beat her ass and sent her packing." I replied, fondly recalling the memory as Zane nodded proudly.

"If she's the strongest one there, it's not worth my time to fight any of them." Zane idly commented.

"But if they are stronger than we think…I suppose it might be best to try things the peaceful way first." Jesse suggested.

"Jesse's right, and I have a great idea that will help ingratiate ourselves with the local population. Zane, do you have those handcuffs in your backpack?" Erin suggested with a devious smirk.

"That I do." Zane faintly smiled as he reached into his bag.

"Wait a minute…wait just a gosh darn minute!" Jesse panicked, the first to catch on. And as I realized what Erin's plan was, I agreed with Jesse.

XxXxXxxxXxxXxXxx

"Walk faster, slaves!" Erin cackled in parodically villainous fashion as she yanked on our collars.

"I think she's enjoying this a bit too much…" I grumbled internally while externally grumbling, "This is horseshit…how did I get talked into this!?" I rounded on Zane. "And why the hell did you bring this bondage gear along with you anyways, Zane!? In what scenario did you predict they would come in handy?!"

"If the amazons think we're Erin's snu-snu slaves, they might not bother us. There's no way we'll be able to evade them without their scouts catching onto us, so we have to deal with them somehow. And if it doesn't work, we can always fight our way out. Now then Erin, is there a way you can make my collar and handcuffs tighter? I think it would really...uh, sell the situation better." Zane the sadomasochist hastily covered his ass with the rationale.

"I think he's enjoying this a bit too much!" I thought with some alarm.

"You are to refer to me as mistress at all times! Your bonds are tight enough, now keep it moving!" Erin kept in character.

"Yes, mistress…" Zane was quick to obey.

"They're certainly having fun...well at least Jesse's a normal guy." I turned to the teal-haired boy, who was making small talk with his Ruby Carbuncle duel spirit.

"Say Ruby, did I ever tell you the story about the first time my grandma had me butcher a chicken? Man, it was crazy! It ran around for like ten minutes after I cut the head off! Got blood everywhere, I had to throw my shirt out! What a wild eighth birthday party that was!" Jesse and Ruby laughed.

"...at least Aster's a normal guy!" I turned to the silver-haired pro duelist, who was muttering a prayer under his breath.

"The Lord draweth cards and He discardeth them; 'twas without ultra rares I arrived from mother's womb, and it is without them I shall leave this world. Blessed be the name of the Lord." He finished with a contented smile.

Unable to take it anymore, I burst, "I'm surrounded by weirdos..."

"Judge not lest ye be judged, Jamie. You should be happy to deal with another group of lovely ladies. After all, you're the harem protagonist here." Aster replied with a smirk.

"I AM NOT A HAREM PROTAGONIST!" I yelled, causing everyone to laugh at me. "I guess we're all weird in our own ways…"

"Hey, what was that noise?" A far-off voice wondered.

"There they are. Oh, you'll be a harem protagonist once the Amazonian tribe is through with you, Jamie. They give boys like you plenty of...attention, I'm sure."

"If memory serves, the plan specifically was for us not to get kidnapped for snu-snu. We're just supposed to be passing through. Do try to remember that. I'm just worried Jaden and Sartorius are captured there. Now then mistress, if you would be so kind as to retrieve the Jack Daniels from my backpack? I'd like to have some liquid courage in me before we face these lovely ladies, as Aster put it." I requested.

"You need five more good boy points before you get a drink, Jamie." Erin said to annoy me, and she succeeded.

"Tch, forget it. Oh look, we're here already. Time flies when you're having fun."

The Amazoness village seemed larger from this perspective, the tents nearly two stories high and the surrounding structures far too complex to be quickly set up and torn down by a nomadic tribe. Some sort of magic had to be involved…the spell card Amazoness Spellcaster came to mind.

With efficient, swift formation, the five of us were encircled by a band of scouts, muscled girls wearing animal furs and roughspun tunics. Some were on foot and wielded spears while the others sat astride horses. Facing us head-on was an orange, black-striped tiger with ornate golden bangles about its limbs and a scar covering its left eye. The duel spirit of Amazoness Tiger…or was it Tania herself?

"We heard yelling, is there a problem here?" One of the scouts brandished a short sword, her tone seeming to hope there actually was a problem. Preferably one that could be solved with violence.

"Apologies ladies, my snu-snu slaves were getting uppity again. You know how it is." Erin laid on the smarm, and the Amazons nodded in commiserating fashion. "But yes, there actually is an issue, two of my boys ran off. One was a tall, creepy guy with long blue hair and pale skin. The other one was an excitable kid with ginger-brown hair. If you met him, he was probably babbling about some comic book. Sound familiar?"

The scouts looked between each other before shaking their heads. "As a matter of fact, we have."

My eyes widened. This could be our chance to secure the bag, as the kids like to say nowadays. "Take us to them, now!" Aster bellowed, causing Erin to yank on his leash and the Amazons to stare at him as if he had grown a tail.

"Silence!" Erin roared while shooting me a frantic look that said, 'Don't screw this up.' Aster shot her a heated glare in return, but quieted himself nonetheless. Ultimately, I had to agree with her approach. If Jaden and Sartorius were these women's prisoners, then any misstep could result in them being hurt or worse. Of course, Sartorius would be hurt or worse if our mission succeeded, but we'll burn that bridge when we get to it.

Erin gave the scouts an unctuous smile. "They're two of mine that ran off. I apologize for the trouble, but if we could see your current stock and verify their identities, we'd sure appreciate it. I could take them off your hands, easy as pie."

"They're ours now. Our clan won't survive without snu-snu slaves and we're in short supply. We'll give you them if you trade." Looking us over, the brown-haired Amazoness said, "Personally, I'd take the blue-haired goth one and the silver-haired guy, but the final decision will be up to our leader."

"You two lucky guys get to be roommates." I chuckled before something dawned on me. "Wait a second, how come they don't want to ravish me?!"

"Poor Lancaster, today's just not your day." Aster smiled.

Zane smirked, but his expression grew serious again as his senses prickled. "That duel energy…it's…"

In front of us, the tiger at the center of the pack grew taller and leaner, luckily metamorphosing clothes as it transformed into the shape of a human being, and a familiar one at that. Long russet hair, tanned skin, and dense musculature…it was Tania, the duel spirit of Amazoness Tiger and a former Shadow Rider. The four other Amazoness Scouts spread apart, allowing Tania a full look at the five of us.

"Long time no see, boys." Her cobalt eyes bore into us, Zane in particular. Luckily, she somehow was wearing human clothes after her bestial transformation, a tight red muscle shirt and light denim jeans. "You look good in chains, Zane. Have you decided to take up my offer of marriage after all?"

"Not interested. I'm wed to Erin now. However, I can appreciate the compliment." Zane kept in-character, his plain expression causing Erin to cough slightly before she remembered her own role.

"Ok, you guys can drop that. It's funny, but we all know you're not really about that life like we are." said Tania, with her tribeswomen nodding and snickering in accompaniment. "I can appreciate trying to meet us on our level though."

"Thank Ra that's over." I rubbed my neck sorely as Erin released us from our chains. "While we're cutting through the bullshit, why don't you just tell us if you have Jaden or not? You remember what he looks like, Tania. And then you can tell us about Sartorius. He would be the blue-haired one we mentioned earlier." I stood tall and stared fiercely at the amazoness.

She looked less than intimidated. "Oh, Jaden Yuki? No, we don't have him. We got a different brown-haired guy named Jaden. He's right in that cage over there." She pointed behind one of the tents, and sure enough there was a different guy who happened to be named Jaden asleep in the cell. "Small world, huh?"

"Yes...well, I guess we're off then." I sighed, but Tania's expression suggested otherwise.

"You know, I remember you had a big mouth back then, Jamie. More than anyone, you could use a good humbling."

"The last duel spirits we came across said the same thing." I let them wonder what we did with the Witchcrafters. Really nothing, besides having an awesome party. But they didn't have to know that.

"I think you're still going to be our snu-snu slaves regardless. What do you think of that?" Tania flexed her duel energy, her amber aura causing an upswell of gravel and sand around us.

"Not happening! Let's take them down, you guys!" I roared, and our own aura flared in a symphony of gold, blue, white, black, and Jesse's rainbow shimmer.

Tania grinned. "For our tribe, battle is not a means to an end, it is the end itself. We will fight anyone who crosses our path for no other reason than to test our own skills. If you defeat us, we relish in battle for its own sake!" Tania keeled as her scouts withdrew duel disks and moved to engage us.

"I guess we really don't get to do things the easy way…" Jesse sighed with a bemused chuckle.

"The easy way is boring! Let's fight!" Zane bared his teeth maniacally as he squared up to two of the amazon scouts, apparently not interested in dueling Tania. I guess he really wasn't keen on fighting someone he had already prevailed over, especially a duel spirit that was unlikely to vary her core strategy from last time. I tried to face Tania myself, only to find that Erin had gotten there first.

The tanned girl glanced back to me, her blue eyes focused intensely like a surging wave. "I got this, Jamie. Tania was a former shadow rider, so I've got something to prove."

Suddenly, the memory of talking to her after the spirit gate keys were distributed came flooding back. Her desire for attention and recognition was childish, but I could understand wanting to be rewarded for hard work and long years of effort. And even still, Erin had grown a lot as a person since then. Seeing the sheer depth of the evils that face us, combined with her role of leadership in the Obelisk Force, had given her some much needed perspective. And her power had grown significantly due to the abundance of water cards brought about by the blast. All I had time for was a quick nod as I was soon surrounded by two scouts, duel disks in hand.

XxXxXxXxXxxXXxx

(Erin Reid POV)

The Obelisk Force fourth seat squirmed under Tania's predatory gaze, part of her wondering if engaging the leader was such a good idea. After all, Zane had beaten her last time, so sending him to the front would have made logical sense in this case. But for better or worse, she was not governed by logic. She was a duelist and a sportsman, and she was driven by passions first and foremost.

"You could almost be an Amazon, Erin." Tania sized her up appreciatively, and Erin could acknowledge she bore resemblance to many women in the tribe with her tanned, muscular frame, as well as her appreciation of competition and combat. "I remember thinking the same when I saw you back then. If you'd like, you're welcome to join our clan. You'd fit right in, and would never have to subordinate yourself to a man again. You can't be satisfied taking orders from that silly Lancaster boy."

Once, Erin might have agreed with her, but after seeing the constant pressure Jamie dealt with as first seat in the Obelisk Force, she was glad not to hold his position. And despite his leadership position, he had seldom ever given her an outright order. "Probably because he knows I'd give him grief if he ever did try to boss me around." Erin thought with a small smile. Looking back at the ill-advised, briefly mutual crush between them still was painful. The ambiguous, charged entanglement they had briefly shared was embarrassing, and it was a miracle Jamie still had any positive feelings toward her with how awkward their semi-breakup had initially been. If anything, the establishment of the Obelisk Force had at least helped ground their relationship. With how busy his life had become after apprenticing under Kaiba, getting back together was never really on the table.

Noticing Erin's smile, Tania quirked a brow. "Am I misreading something?"

"Yes, you are. You're misreading that the dynamic between men and women is always a zero-sum game of leverage. Jamie and I respect each other as duelists and are capable of working together without your cringeworthy power dynamics even arising. By joining your side, I would only be restricting my own freedom. So I'll have to say no thanks." Erin's oceanic eyes flashed with power as she activated her duel disk. "The way you guys like to fight though…that I can support!"

Tania disagreed with Erin's view, but had no lived experience that could serve to counter her points. She was an amazon born and raised, and never had an interaction with a male the same way Erin had. "Then let's forget the debate! I'll begin by playing the spell card Amazoness Call, allowing me to search for an Amazoness card from my deck and add it to my hand. I'll then summon Amazoness Princess (1200/900) in attack mode!" Tania's first monster was a slight, young girl with bright white hair and a sharp halberd in both hands that contrasted greatly with her innocent smile. "When this monster is summoned, I can add an Amazoness spell or trap from deck to hand." Tania quickly searched her deck for the continuous trap Amazoness Onslaught. "I'll set two cards and end my turn."

"Alright…" Erin drew smoothly, peering thoughtfully over her cards. She had upgraded her deck once again after it was decided she would be on the team sent to retrieve Jaden and Sartorius. "I'll cast Moray of Greed, a spell that lets me shuffle two water monsters from my hand back into my deck. Then, I can draw three cards." Smiling, Erin revealed one of her new resources. "I'll now summon Neptabyss, the Atlantean Prince (800/0) to the field." Erin's first monster was a trident-wielding warrior with long black hair and shiny blue armor.

"This monster's effect lets me send an Atlanetean monster from my deck to the graveyard in order to add another Atlantean card from deck to hand." Rifling through her deck, Erin sent a monster to add the Atlantean Attack Squad monster to her hand. "The monster I sent to the graveyard is Atlantean Dragoons (1800/0). When this monster is sent to the graveyard in order to activate a water monster's effect, I can use its effect to add another water monster from deck to hand!" With that, Erin had access to another search.

"Very impressive. The dueling capability of humans has increased quite rapidly in the last year." Tania noted with a catlike smile.

"I'm not near done! The monster I added was the level five tuner Lappis Dragon (0/2600). When this card is added to my hand due to a card effect, I can immediately summon it to the field!" Erin's next monster was a sea serpent seemingly composed of pure, effervescent blue salt water, its hide gleaming as if sunlight were always shining upon it. "Now, I'll tune Lappis Dragon with Neptabyss for a level six synchro summon!"

A torrent of water rose up from the dry ground, its quantities rarely seen in this bleak desert. Flying brightly against the dark purple sky was a vivid pink and orange beast with a hide that seemed hewn from perforated sea anemones. "I summon Coral Dragon (2400/500) to the field!" Despite its calming color scheme, there was nothing soothing about the dragon's high roar or its rows of sharp teeth. "I'll now use Coral Dragon's effect, discarding a card to destroy a card you control!" Erin targeted the Amazoness Princess.

"Not so fast! I flip over my trap, Expendable Dai! This lets me tribute a warrior monster in order to destroy another card on the field! And then, I get to draw a card!" The Amazoness Princess leapt into the air and swung its halberd down at Erin's dragon. In response, the beast defended itself with one of the curved claws at the end of its wings. After a momentary clash of blades, both defenses broke simultaneously and each monster was destroyed. Due to Coral Dragon's additional effect, Erin got to draw a card when it left the field.

"Darn. I guess I should have figured it wouldn't be that easy. You're a former shadow rider after all." Erin frowned, setting a card to end her turn.

"Damn straight, although I'm not proud of being an accomplice to that wacko Kagemaru. But at the time, he was stronger than anyone I had ever met because of that accursed Predaplant deck he had." Tania replied with a tight grimace.

"You don't need to tell me twice, that bastard nearly killed me when he and the rest of his goons invaded the island. That was before the blast, though. Now, any of us could take him out." Erin boasted.

"Indeed, his ambitions were all for naught at the end of the day. Even if he did succeed in obtaining the sacred beasts, he would never have survived against Yubel's power. One of the sacred beasts, Raviel, now belongs to one of her lieutenants. If your friends Jaden and Sartorius have been taken by Yubel, then best to consider them lost." Tania responded cynically.

"I refuse to believe that! Jaden is strong, he'd find a way to survive!" Erin protested, not bothering to speak a word in Sartorius' defense.

"If you cannot defeat me, then Yubel is far beyond any of your abilities. Joining my clan would be a mercy compared to that." Tania's tone almost seemed concerned.

"We won't give up! Jaden wouldn't give up on us, no matter who stood in our way. So we're gonna do the same for him! That's all there is to it!" Erin stridently declared.

"You poor girl…I suppose some people never learn until it's too late. I activate Polymerization, merging together the Amazoness Tiger and the Amazoness Fighter in my hand to summon the Amazoness Pet Liger (2500/2400)!" Tania's monster was a larger, fiercer version of her own animal form, a white-blonde jungle cat with one eyelid scarred over and the other an angry red. Spiked steel pauldrons sat on its shoulders, and golden bangles adorned its limbs similar to the ones Tania was wearing on her wrists. "Now, I'll attack directly!"

"I play my continuous trap card, Abyss-Sphere! This lets me summon a Mermail monster from my deck. However, its effects are negated on the field." Deep azure bubbles, a shade far more vivid than any you'd find in the actual ocean, sprang up around Erin. The greatest of the bubbles popped and revealed a blue-haired mermaid draped in copper armor. "I summon Mermail Abysslinde (1500/1200) in defense mode."

"In response, I flip over my own trap, Strike Slash! This will increase the attack points of my liger by 700. In addition, it will grant piercing capability!" The cat suddenly picked up speed, sparks trailing from its sharp claws as they made contact with the sand. "Not only that, but Liger's effect gives it an additional 500 attack points in the damage step whenever it battles!" Now up to 3700 attack points, the head-on collision dealt unexpected damage to Erin, although it had no effect on her greater strategy. (Erin 1500/Tania 4000)

Flinching from the sudden upswell of sand and dust that the battle caused, Erin tightly squinted as she searched through her deck once more. "When Abysslinde is destroyed, I can summon another Mermail monster from my deck - make a splash, Mermail Abyssleed (2700/1000)!" The all-encompassing effect of Abysslinde allowed Erin to immediately bring out one of the archetype's more powerful monsters, a bipedal fishman clad in gleaming red plate and wielding a curved, jagged scimitar made of coral.

"Good, but not good enough. After my Liger attacks, its secondary effect is triggered, allowing me to reduce the attack value of another monster on the field by 800. That fish of yours is a big meal for me, but I'm sure I'll manage!" The beast's glare seemed to cow Erin's Abyssleed as its strength dropped to 1900.

"Actually, it's a sea serpent, not a fish." Erin felt the need to point out the meaningless distinction. "I think Bastion's been rubbing off on me…" She thought with a wry grin.

"Oh, who the hell cares? I never got the difference anyways, they're all water monsters usually. And then on top of that there's aqua type monsters! What's an aqua? What even is that?" Tania replied, exasperated. Erin could see her point and didn't feel like arguing about it besides.

"Well, a sea serpent is pretty much a larger fish. I'll try and ask Pegasus about it once we get back to our world with our friends." Of course, Erin held no such sway with Pegasus to demand even a moment of the man's time. The only way would be to ask Jesse to bring it up. He seemed to be a disciple of Pegasus in the same way Jamie was apprenticing under Kaiba, although Erin suspected Pegasus' management style wasn't as stress-inducing as Kaiba's. "Wait, what am I thinking about, I'm not really going to ask what the difference is between an aqua, a sea serpent, and a fish!" She realized and nearly slapped her forehead. In her amused reverie, Erin barely noticed it was her turn again.

"Draw…" As she considered her moves, Erin saw Tania smile patiently like a cat would look at a juicy fish. Vaguely uncomfortable, Erin looked away to see how the others were doing. It appeared Zane and Aster had quickly obliterated their competition and were now watching her duel, while Jesse and Jamie had more patient, slower games on their hands. Sweating a bit under the scrutiny of the two pro duelists, Erin vowed to make as few misplays as possible.

"I'll start by playing the spell Salvage, allowing me to add back two water monsters from the graveyard with 1500 or less attack points." She retrieved Neptabyss and Lappis Dragon.

"Fewer." Erin overheard Aster comment, and cringed before continuing with her play.

"When Lappis Dragon is added to my hand from the graveyard, I can summon it to the field, although it'll be banished the next time it leaves the field." Erin called forth the aquatic serpent once again. In fashion, she went on to summon Neptabyss once again, the lithe prince visibly intimidated by the sight of Tania's liger. "This time, I'll use the effect of Neptabyss to send the Atlantean Heavy Infantry (0/1600) from my hand to the graveyard to add an Atlantean monster from deck to hand. More importantly, this triggers the effect of my heavy infantry, allowing me to destroy a face-up card on the field!" Erin pointed at the Amazoness Pet Liger, the cat yelping in shock as it was swallowed up by a tidal surge. Now, Tania's field was seemingly bare.

"Now, I'll tune Lappis Dragon and Neptabyss for another level six synchro summon! Arise, White Aura Dolphin (2400/1000)!" The alabaster flash was blinding in the dark, arid sands, the fish's luster equally as dissonant to the environment as its water attribute. The harsh light caused Tania to flinch, doubly so as she realized the "porpoise" of the maneuver.

"Once per turn, White Aura Dolphin can cut one monster's attack points to half of its original value until the end of the turn! However, since you don't have any monsters, I think I'll just attack with my dolphin and my Abyssleed for 4200 damage!" Erin could hardly believe her luck as Tania had no more interruptions, both attacks successfully landing for a one-turn kill. Tania was swept off of her feet in an geyser of water, landing flat on her back with a wheeze. (Erin 1500/Tania 0)

"Huh, that was it?" Erin thought, a bit disappointed. "I suppose she's at the same level she was back then, while we've all grown stronger…and to think I made such a big deal out of being a key keeper. It seems so silly now. I'm far beyond this." Erin had barely thought of previous opponents as she had trained with the Obelisk Force. It was all about being better than the way she was yesterday. Without realizing it, she had left many old rivals in the dust. Swiftly deactivating her duel disk, Erin crossed the field to give her opponent a hand up.

Gratefully accepting it, Tania brushed herself off. "Sorry about that, battle is a customary greeting for our people. We didn't want to kill you, just test your strength. And in that regard, you and the rest of your group surpassed all expectations. I figured Zane would be just as powerful as last time, but you and the other boys are fierce as well. It would appear the dimensional shifting that occurred has favored your side, at least in terms of power."

"Hey, thanks! But at the moment, the full effects of the blast we all experienced are tough to wrap my head around. I tend to leave that stuff to the thinkers of the group. It's definitely not my specialty! We may find out more during our travels, which will continue because I expect you have no idea where Jaden and Sartorius are, do you?" Erin segued into their main focus.

As they conversed, both the scouts and Erin's four friends congregated around them. The battles had all finished in swift fashion, with Jamie and Jesse claiming victories shortly after Erin did. "I am sorry. We do not have either of the men you seek. However, they may be traveling with Yubel's army. They were traveling west along the castle road, last we heard. We heard their caravan moving through the area a few days ago. While I can't be sure, this is the only help we can offer at this time. I'm sorry." Tania said gravely.

Jamie stepped forward. "So, it seems likely we're going to come across more of Yubel's troops. At the moment, we'd prefer our traveling party ro remain small. However, if any craziness breaks out, we would appreciate any help you might be able to provide. We will keep in correspondence through our friend Jesse's duel spirits." He gestured to the teal-haired boy, who nodded with pursed lips in accordance with the directive.

Tania's tribeswomen moved to stand behind her, deferring to her leadership. "Your quest is noble. I would do the same if any of my friends were taken from me. And we have no love for Yubel's tyranny, although neither of us have the force to combat her directly. Do you have any other duel spirits you can call upon?" She questioned.

"Yeah, the Witchcrafters among others. And we may have more over time. Although our goal is to rescue Jaden and Sartorius, we don't much like Yubel either. But time will tell." Erin spoke up, and Jamie nodded in agreement.

Tania moved to shake Erin's hand. "We shall be in contact, then. Thanks for the good fight! Farewell, and good luck on your journey."

"Thanks, we'll need it." Erin said as the five of them turned away once more. Now they had a direction, at least...a direction that led them to the heart of darkness.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

(Alexis Rhodes POV)

"Well, it's a relief to have a break for a short while. How are you holding up, Bastion?" Alexis drank from a water bottle and took a seat on the bench below the duel platform. Bastion shed his blue overcoat due to the heat, his pine green t-shirt dotted with sweat. Rolling his khakis up to the ankles, he took a seat next to Alexis. Jim was out and about, taking Shirley for a walk about the grounds. The last of the clouds had burned off, and the sky was a vivid azure.

"Bit nervous, but mostly for Jasmine. Whether I win or lose, I know I'll have learned something. But she's a lot more sensitive about that sort of thing. She hasn't been a serious duelist for very long, and there are still bad habits that need addressing. She'll need some real discipline against a West Academy student." Bastion said, keeping an even-keeled assessment of the situation.

"A lot of people would get off-kilter if their significant other was dueling in the same tournament as them. I guess you guys wouldn't fight unless you both made it in the finals though. Oh shit." Alexis' musings were cut short as she caught sight of Chazz approaching. To both of their surprise, Chazz merely stood next to them and said nothing.

When he saw them staring, he explained dully, "I can get a better view of the match over here."

"Oh."

"Yeah." Chazz withdrew a lighter and a cigarette from his black coat's pocket and lit up.

"How are you not dying in this heat? You're wearing all black and you're smoking." Alexis had to ask - it was an unusually warm day.

"I'm a skinny guy, so it was harder adjusting to the cold up north. That's part of the reason I started smoking, that and the stress." Chazz answered.

"Okay, this is weird. Where are the insults and claims of superiority? Are you feeling alright, Chazz?" Alexis asked with a hint of a smile.

"Something about that Gecko guy didn't seem right." Chazz said tersely, disregarding her jibe.

"Agreed. The way he was dueling, it wasn't top eight material. He was distracted and didn't seem to care about winning." Bastion clasped his hands in thought.

"Yeah…and I haven't seen him since the game, he just left right away. But whether he's up to something or not, I'm sure the teachers will be keeping an eye on him." Alexis was able to put the matter out of her mind easily - she couldn't stand the idea that Adrian went easy on her, for it offended her duelist's pride.

"Beyond that, this Axel guy's energy reminds me a lot of Jesse's." Chazz went on to say.

"How? They couldn't be more different, personality-wise. Unless…" Bastion's eyes widened as comprehension dawned.

"I only hope Jasmine is strong enough to draw his full power out and confirm my suspicions." Chazz gazed intently upon the stage as both duelists shook hands, Axel taking the first turn.

"Good luck and have fun." Jasmine said with a tight smile. Axel said nothing and his expression remained unchanged as he turned on his duel disk.

"Merde! He has a gun! Everybody get down!" Crowler wailed, causing waves of panic to surge throughout the arena until Kaiba got on the microphone in the teacher's booth.

"Relax, it just looks like a gun, it doesn't actually shoot bullets. We conducted security checks on it, it's perfectly safe." Kaiba raised his voice with exasperation as Crowler apparently didn't get the memo about the subject. Nevertheless, Axel's duel disk was unique compared to the academy models. Gold in color and retractable at the hinges, the barrel unfurled to the side to reveal the card slots as Axel switched it from standby mode. In contrast to the flashy, personalized disk of her opponent, Jasmine used the standard Central Academy machine, albeit one with blue accents to reflect her position in the Obelisk Force.

"Begin!" Crowler bid, and the crowd cheered.

"Draw for turn." Axel said mechanically. "I play Volcanic Rocket (1900/1400)." The Pyro monster soared in on a streak of orange flame, its body vaguely reptilian but clearly robotic overall. "This monster lets me add a Blaze Accelerator card from hand to deck upon summon. Then, I'll set two cards face-down and end my turn."

"This guy's no-nonsense, that's for sure…" Jasmine thought, feeling slightly intimidated as she drew. "I'll play Reinforcement of the Army, a spell that lets me add a level four or lower warrior-type monster to my hand. Then, I'll summon Secret Six Samurai - Fuma (200/1800) to the field!" The level one tuner monster was a masked shinobi wearing pink and magenta robes while wielding twin shuriken in each hand.

"In response, I flip over my continuous trap card, Blaze Accelerator Reload. During either player's turn, I can send a Volcanic card from my hand to the graveyard to draw an additional card. I'll do that now." Axel cycled his hand as a triple-barreled steel cannon arose on his side of the battlefield, smoke perpetually trailing from the barrels.

"He's anticipating a negation…he must be familiar with what the Six Samurai cards do." Jasmine thought with dismay. "Since I control a Six Samurai monster, I can call forth the Legendary Six Samurai - Kizan (1800/500) to the field!" The warrior's black armor matched his long hair, a slim silver katana gleaming in the sun. "Now, I'll tune the level four Kizan with the level one Fuma!"

The crowd grew more attentive as white pillars of duel energy shot through the green ring provided by the conversion of Jasmine's monster into pure duel energy. "I synchro summon the level five Legendary Six Samurai - Shien (2500/1400)!" Jasmine had the resources available to summon her boss monster on her very first turn, an imposing warlord clad from head to toe in vibrant crimson plate. "Attack!"

The samurai lunged towards Axel's monster without delay, successfully cutting it apart with a single swing of the sword. Axel tensed slightly as he took the damage, but otherwise showed no emotion. (Jasmine 4000/Axel 3400)

"She got the first hit in! Jolly good show, love!" Bastion cheered with uncharacteristic enthusiasm.

"Jasmine has come a long way…" said Alexis, "But the game is far from over." She went on to think.

"So, it looks like she's been training with you quite a bit. The Jasmine I knew back in middle school was a pathetic duelist." Chazz turned to Bastion.

"Times have changed and so has Obelisk Blue. We have Jamie to thank for that. By practicing and studying together, we've become much stronger than we ever could have managed alone. Jasmine and Jamie don't really get along, but even still he's tried to help her. So it's not just my training, it's his. Alexis, Erin, Atticus…all of the blues have finally united under a common cause." Bastion said humbly.

"How very touching. But it'll take more than one good move to win." Chazz unknowingly echoed what Alexis was thinking. Even as he blustered outwardly, Chazz's insecurities raged at Bastion's words. "Maybe I could have been a part of that group too…had friends like that...but that ship sailed long ago."

"I set a card and end my turn. This is the pride of Obelisk Blue!" Jasmine boasted as Axel silently drew his next card.

"Not too impressive a performance from your star cadet, headmaster Viper. Could it be that the might of West Academy was overstated?" Kaiba openly mocked Viper up in the booth, much to the shock of the other principals present, although not Pegasus.

"I don't believe so, mister Kaiba. Axel is a patient player who doesn't mind taking damage in service of the larger mission." Viper replied with airy politeness as he fumed internally.

"Come on Axel, fire it up!" Pierce clenched a fist. He stood off on his own, feeling awkward as the only freshman of the top eight contestants.

"I'll start by activating the effect of Blaze Accelerator Reload, allowing me to discard and draw once again." Axel began.

"He must be searching for a specific card in his deck, but what?" Jasmine wondered.

"Now, I'll activate the spell Blaze Accelerator!" Axel declared, a small artillery cannon mounted on a tripod emerging from the ground.

"In response, I chain Shien's effect, negating the activation!" Channeling pure energy through his sword, Shien blasted through the cannon, sending it to the graveyard unceremoniously.

"That effect is strong…" Chazz grunted.

"It is, but the trick is knowing when to use it. Now, Axel can use spells and traps for the rest of the turn without worry. Hopefully Jasmine negated the right card." Bastion worried.

Axel's lips twitched upwards. "I flip over my trap, Call of the Haunted, allowing me to summon Prometeor, the Burning Star (2800/2000) from my graveyard!" Recurring one of the cards he discarded with Blaze Accelerator Reload's effect, Axel called forth a fiery apparition with a vaguely humanoid upper body wreathed in flame, with its lower body a trailing wisp of ash and smoke. "Now, I'll attack Shien with Prometeor!"

Rearing back, the spirit of flame expelled a rain of meteors from its body that burned up Shien quickly. Jasmine gasped as a whirlwind of soot engulfed her side of the field. (Jasmine 3700/Axel 3400)

"And that's not all - I play Prometeor's effect, discarding a card in order to attack again! Also, the zone that your Shien was in cannot be used until the end of the next turn!" Axel pressed on.

"I play my trap card, Return of the Six Samurai! This lets me bring back Shien, although he's sent back to the graveyard in the end phase!" Jasmine hastily brought back the crimson Samurai in order to absorb some more damage. A line of smoke floated over the center monster column, signaling to Jasmine that it could not be used until the next turn was done. (Jasmine 3400/Axel 3400)

"Alright, take your turn." Axel bid calmly, but unflinchingly.

"Good, this is shaping up to be a real fight after all! I draw!" Jasmine grinned. "I cast the spell Shien's Smoke Signal to add a level three or lower Six Samurai to my hand. Then, I'll banish two Six Samurai from my graveyard to play Enishi, Shien's Chancellor (2200/1200)!" Removing Shien and Fuma from the grave, Jasmine summoned a stout man with a salt-and-pepper beard and a topknot, his arms crossed over a green obi and a lilac hakama. "Then, I'll normal summon Six Samurai - Kamon (1500/1000) to the field!" Slinking next to Enishi was a lanky man in burgundy armor and helmet, a stick of dynamite in his hands.

"Now, I'm gonna launch a team attack! First, I'll use Enishi's effect, letting me target and destroy a monster on the field at the cost of not being able to attack with Enishi this turn. Enishi, slash up his Prometeor!" Jasmine ordered. Grunting in acknowledgement, Enishi crouched and placed two hands on his sheathed katana. The man scrunched his face in determination, his tightly shut for several log moments before suddenly opening them again and vanishing. In another instant, he landed across the field with sword in hand, between Axel and Prometeor. It was only after sheathing the blade that the effects of the sudden slash could be seen as Prometeor exploded in a cylindrical blast of hot wind. Then, Shien returned to Jasmine's side of the field.

"And now that your field is empty, I attack with Kamon!" With a smirk, the red samurai lobbed two lit TNT sticks at Axel, the bombs blowing up as soon as they hit the ground. Axel let out a low hiss of frustration as he took the damage. Smoke hung thick over the battlefield as the duelists exchanged fiery blows. (Jasmine 3400/Axel 1900)

Jasmine's smile grew wider. "My samurai have moves for everything you try! It won't be long now and I'll be able to push for the win!"

"Couldn't she have blown up that Blaze Accelerator card with Kamon's effect?" Chazz questioned with narrowed eyes.

"No, Kamon requires another Six Samurai on the field to use that effect. Enishi technically doesn't count since it doesn't have Six Samurai in its name." Bastion explained the common misconception, to which Chazz nodded.

"Ello, mates." Jim returned. "Sorry, Shirley's been riled up today, so I took her for a quick run to get the nerves down. And it helps my nerves too. What'd I miss?"

"Jasmine's been pushing it steady so far. Axel's done some stuff, but nothing crazy. But I don't know, something about Axel's dueling style makes me think he has a deeper plan." Alexis murmured. Jim raised a brow, but said nothing.

Up in the box, Pegasus gasped in faux-shock. "My goodness, this Jasmine girl is no slouch! I do wonder how Axel-boy is going to respond!"

Kaiba smirked at Viper, not even needing to say anything. "Pathetic. If this is the best the other schools could do, there truly was no need for Jamie to attend after all. It would have been a waste of his time!"

For some reason, however, Viper didn't look overly concerned. "Only summon it if you feel it's necessary, Axel." He was scared to even conceive dissident thoughts under Kaiba's scrutiny. "But do nothing for the sake of pride. That is how these islanders operate, not the men of West Academy."

"Alright, let's do this. Draw." Axel said. "Set one monster, set two face-downs. Pass."

"This guy duels just like Jamie…" Jasmine thought with a hint of distaste, and yet also she acknowledged the potential dangers lying within a seemingly "lame" playstyle. "Bring it on! I'll summon Six Samurai - Irou (1700/1200)!" The dark samurai wore deep violet and black armor with a long nodachi slung across his shoulder. "When another Six Samurai monster is on the field, this monster can destroy a monster in face-down defense position during an attack without applying damage calculation. This means any flip effects you might have won't be of any use!"

"Darn, she's thought of everything! Come on, Axel, those had better be some good backrow!" Pierce worried.

"If these attacks go through, it's over…" Jim said, although none of the islanders even seemed to entertain the idea that the game was going to end this turn. "What? It's possible…" He added to their silence.

"It's never that easy." Bastion sighed.

"Enter battle phase!" Jasmine declared exultantly.

"I activate my continuous trap card, Fiendish Chain. This will negate your Irou's effect and prevent it from attacking." Axel declared, iron-grey bindings wrapping around the Samurai and immobilizing it as he spoke.

"Damn, and now that it's the battle phase, I can't use Kamon's effect to destroy the chains…I might as well swing for it." Jasmine thought. "Enishi attacks your set monster!"

The middle-aged baron cut through Axel's defending UFO Turtle (1400/1200). "When the turtle is destroyed, I can summon a fire monster with 1500 or less attack points from the deck in attack position. I'll bring out another UFO Turtle!" Axel replaced his fallen reptile with a second copy from the deck.

Jasmine was frustrated, knowing that if Irou had attacked first, she could have negated the UFO Turtle's searching effect. "I'll attack with Kamon!" One carpet bombing later and the second turtle was destroyed. (Jasmine 3400/Axel 1800)

"I'll summon a third UFO Turtle to the field." Axel was able to replace the extraterrestrial searcher to the field, but Jasmine was out of monsters to attack with. "I'll end my turn…" She said, feeling unease.

Axel's black hair began to rise as a blazing red-orange aura began to surround his body. "At last, everything is ready…I'm going to end this, now!" His voice, steady before, grew intense as his duel energy increased.

"Very good, Axel. Summon it, and vanquish your enemy!" Viper stood, causing the others to look askance at him.

"Some big boss monster, I presume?" Pegasus asked.

"Yes, you could say that. I didn't expect him to need to summon it against this girl, but oh well! Prepare to observe the true strength of West Academy!" Viper couldn't contain his excitement.

"I reveal my third face-down card, the continuous trap Firewall." The trap card could prevent direct attacks by banishing pyro-type monsters from the graveyard, but Axel didn't even bother explaining what it did, for the card would not be face-up on the field for long.

Kaiba jerked to attention. "Wait, three continuous trap cards!?" He glared at Viper. "You've had it all along, you bastard!"

"Oh yes, mister Kaiba, and now we're going to use it to our full advantage for the glory of our school!" Viper smugly replied.

"By sending Fiendish Chain, Firewall, and Blaze Accelerator Reload to the graveyard, I can call forth the powers of a Sacred Beast! I summon Uria, Lord of Searing Flames (0/0)!"

"What? Impossible!" Jasmine exclaimed. In all of her planning, she never expected to face a Sacred Beast in the tournament, especially once it was confirmed that Jesse would not be competing. On the other hand, the crowd was reveling in the opportunity to observe one of the Beast's powers in action, with the last public appearance of one being in Jesse's exhibition match against David Rabb.

Pillars of magma rose from the earth, flying high into the sky and swirling together before hardening into the shape of a serpent-dragon with skeletal, thin red wings connected by dark webbing. It bore great resemblance to the Egyptian God Slifer the Sky Dragon, its red scales and many mouths further enhancing the similarity. Axel was noticeably straining to keep the beast's vast reserves of duel energy under his control, sweating profusely and tightening his muscles as if he were lifting a heavy weight.

"So, the location of the last one is finally revealed. I wonder why Viper would have his student use Uria in a competition like this. Surely he knows Kaiba will stop at nothing to have them under his control again. Is the glory of winning a tournament such as this worth it?" Bastion postulated.

"I would have liked to see Jesse fight this guy. Well Rhodes, what do you think? See what you have to look forward to in the next round?" Chazz poked.

"It's not over yet!" Alexis hastily defended her friend.

"It is. Look at Uria's attack points." Jim pointed, the holographic heads-up display on the field showing 5000 attack points for the Sacred Beast.

"Uria gains 1000 attack points for each continuous trap card in the grave. Apart from the three I sent to summon it, I also have Call of the Haunted in the graveyard. In addition, I sent a copy of Imperial Custom to the graveyard when I previously used Blaze Accelerator Reload's effect."

"There's no way…" Jasmine gaped, dumbstruck by the sheer pressure imposed by pseudo-god's presence.

"There's no time to waste! I'm going to use Uria's effect to destroy your set card! And before you try doing anything, just know that Uria's effect prevents that targeted card from activating in response to its effect!" Axel swiftly thrust a hand forward, and Uria let loose a torrent of concentrated fire towards Jasmine's face-down Musakani Magatama, burning it up and sending it to the cemetery.

Without any protection, Jasmine could only watch as Uria then fired on her Six Samurai - Kamon, turning it and her hopes of winning the tournament to ashes. (Jasmine 0/Axel 1800)

Falling to one knee, Jasmine hissed in frustration. "Damn it, I lost!" She punched the tiled floor, the area around her scorched from the flames. However, Jasmine noticed she was unharmed despite the beast's ability to inflict real damage. "Axel really has a tight control on that monster…I guess it's no surprise a disciplined guy like that prevailed." She had to admit. "I guess I tried my best…that's all that counts." She tried to soothe the sting of defeat, but the cliche fell limp against her barely-under-control pride.

Axel took deep breaths as Uria and the rest of the cards on the field slowly faded out of view. "I didn't expect I would have to use Uria against an ordinary opponent like this…I heard that Obelisk Blue students were all privileged trust fund kids without any real fighting skill. I guess my intel was out of date, because this girl was no joke." He thought, keeping his trembling hands still with willpower as he strode across the arena to shake her hand. After a short "good game", each descended the stairs to the grassy waiting area.

"So, you had it the whole time. Even when I put out notice after notice on every public forum I could find, you neglected to inform me that you had the only fucking Sacred Beast I didn't already know the location of." Kaiba coldly rounded on Viper, the other headmasters and Pegasus watching the exchange with bated breath.

"Mister Kaiba, we only felt it appropriate to hold onto the card for safekeeping until an in-person transfer could occur safely." Viper explained smoothly, giving Kaiba pause.

"Yeah, and I'm Donald Duck." Kaiba sarcastically replied even as he found his argumentative footing growing unsteady.

"I always felt you bore more resemblance to Scrooge than Donald, Kaiba boy." Pegasus joked, deflating some of the tension as the other headmasters nervously laughed.

"Yesterday I made him piss his pants at the thought of open confrontation. Today he's cool as a cucumber. Has something changed? Or have I been playing into his hands the whole time?" The thoughts whirred through Seto's head as he ignored Pegasus.

"The card is in his deck, there's no way it could be removed in the middle of a tournament. It would compromise the competitive spirit of the endeavor!" Viper protested with a seemingly lofty interpretation of the "spirit of the game".

"We'll handle this afterwards. That card belongs to Central Academy by right. It doesn't matter anyways, your boy won't win just because of one card." Kaiba ground out, sitting down and angrily contemplating his next move.

"That remains to be seen." Viper replied calmly.

XxxXxxXxxXxxXx

"Wow, that was awesome, Axel! That Uria card is so badass! I knew dad was right to trust you with it!" Pierce excitedly clapped Axel on the back. This caused the black boy to wince in pain, although he was able to hide it before Pierce noticed.

"Don't get too worked up, it's a long day ahead. Now tell me what you learned from watching that." Axel's demeanor was tight and strict, although not without some undercurrent of affection for his protege.

"Uhh…" Pierce had to stop and think, clearly viewing the fight as entertainment rather than education. Scratching his tawny hair, he said, "Well, I know not to underestimate my opponent, no matter how ordinary they look! No offense Axel, but that girl gave ya way more trouble than I was expecting."

"That is a keen observation. When it's time for a real fight, you need to be able to come out of the gate at full strength to crush the enemy as quickly as possible. Showing off and holding back…that's the nonsense tournament prizefighters do to entertain an audience. We are soldiers and our mission is to win in the most effective and efficient way possible. The moment I had the chance to take Jasmine down, I did. That's our way. Do you get it?" Axel repeated their mission statement while sheathing his duel disk.

Growing sober, Pierce nodded. "Yeah, yeah I gotcha."

"Your opponent is one such prizefighter. Chazz Princeton may be skilled, but he's arrogant and undisciplined. Be patient, remember your training, and you'll be able to bait him into a fatal mistake." Axel half commanded, half reassured.

"I'm nervous…dad is watching up there." Pierce's gray eyes flitted up to the booth.

"He was there during training too. He knows what you can do, and he thinks you can win. So prove him right." The last thing Axel wanted to do was delve into a therapy session in the middle of a tournament. Catching on, Pierce set his mouth in a line and nodded.

"The next round will be Jim Cook of South Academy versus Bastion Misawa of Central Academy!" Crowler declared, seeming a bit nervous at the presence of a Sacred Beast on the grounds.

The two boys nodded respectfully at each other and put on their duel disks. "May the best man win!" They shook hands and made their way up to the fighting stage.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

(Yubel POV)

It was with great relief Yubel walked about the castle again, feeling free as the powers bestowed by thousands of absorbed souls coursed within her veins. She was so full of energy that sleeping proved difficult, not helped by the frequent nightmares she had of Yugi and the greatsword that had very nearly fallen upon her head. Many a sleepless night she dreamt of how she had thrown every one of her strongest attacks at him, only for each strike to inevitably fail. It was like trying to kill a god. Worse still was his unshakeable resolve and how he had utterly refused to acknowledge her feelings, letting her impassioned words flop like landed fish as he methodically picked her apart. And even worse than that, she owed her life to Blade Knight, although why the human-turned-duel spirit revealed his true identity as they left was beyond her. And now he had command of the army while she convalesced. This partnership of theirs was growing lopsided over time…in some respects, the true Jamie Lancaster was just as slippery as the damn lion. Something would have to be done about that situation…but now was not the time.

Amidst her pondering, Yubel found herself nonplussed to hear her army of duel spirits singing a song. "~Hey now, you're an all star, get your game on, go play! Hey now, you're a rock star, put the show on, get paid!~" The thousands-strong force chanted the millennial anthem as if it were a war cry.

"And all that glitters is gold!" Some hit the high notes. "Only shooting stars break the mo~ld!" They continued to belt out whimsical lyrics as the gates closed behind them.

Jinzo and Hank dismounted and were the first to greet Yubel. Jinzo immediately grew withdrawn upon seeing Yubel up and walking again, fearing sharp reprisal for his lack of discipline. He was rightfully worried - Yubel found it quite fun to torture him. Hank held a seemingly neutral expression, although there was always an air of shiftiness to him that Yubel was quick to pick up on. "Are you drunk? What was that song you were singing?" Yubel partially mocked them, but partially did want to know, as it was vaguely familiar to her ears.

"It's his favorite song, so we sang it a lot on the road. It's really quite catchy. Must be one of those pop songs I never heard, growing up in the tombs." said Hank, tipping his red hat to her.

"Who's favorite?" Yubel raised a brow.

"Our supreme king Jaden Yuki's, of course. We found him in the desert and he rode in our convoy. He is here now." said Hank as Jaden emerged from the throng of fiends and beast-warriors at the entrance, galloping atop a black destrier and flanked by an honor guard of Goblin Attack Force.

Yubel's vision seemed to sharpen as she drank in every inch of his body. God, he was perfect. Fluffy ginger-brown locks, a bit longer than usual due to the extended time since his last haircut. Warm brown eyes, slightly rounded jawline, an easy smile ever-present on full lips. His black t-shirt hung loosely on his lithe frame, skinnier and toned from weeks of hard living but full of youthful vigor nonetheless. Yubel found herself drooling. Upon realizing this, she wiped away the spittle with her hand while never taking her greedy eyes off of Jaden. At last, he had come back to her… "He's mine now…he's all mine!" The thought brought upon her rapturous thunderbolts of joy that coursed through every vein.

"Oh, what should I say? Think Yubel, think! How many nights did I dream of this moment? This is destiny, it has to be!" She thought nervously, completely ignoring Hank and Jinzo as she advanced upon Jaden, who still hadn't seen her yet. Obliviously, he was making small talk with the Goblin Attack Force spirits. "I'm even closer to him than I was a moment ago! And now we'll never, ever be apart again!"

"Jaden…" She tasted his name, causing him to turn towards her.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxxXX

"Jaden..." A voice called the brown-haired boy's attention, causing him to glance away from the goblins, who suddenly appeared deferential toward the new arrival.

"Yeah, what's up?" He began to smile until he recognized the person standing before him...and a sudden surge of black memories, long quelled, came to the surface.

"Do you remember me?" Yubel said breathlessly.

He remembered her fist plunging through his chest, emerging out the other end with his still-beating heart clenched in her claws. "You cannot hide, my king. As the planets spin, our love is equally inevitable. One day, you shall sit upon a throne of darkness atop the bodies of our enemies, and you will know my words are true." He remembered the nightmare so clearly. "You will love no one else but me, Jaden. It is fate."

"You...I remember you..Yubel...erg, grk, AUUGHH!" Jaden's eyes widened and he let out a blood-curdling scream. Going limp, he collapsed from his mount and fell hard on the dirt, passing out from the sudden influx of repressed trauma. He was quickly surrounded by duel spirits, Yubel the first among them.

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"Jaden!" Yubel exclaimed, not knowing why he was so afraid of her. Was it from her nighttime visits in his dreams? But she was simply showing him the depth of her love? What could be so frightening about that?

"Not the reaction you were hoping for, I'm guessing." Hank snarked, partially to hide his own fear.

Yubel considered killing him then and there, but thought better of it. "I need all healing spirits to bring our king to the royal chambers at once! Discover what is wrong with him, and heal him! I will not tolerate failure! If he dies, you will join him! Now go!" Yubel shrieked, and a bevy of fairy and spellcaster-type spirits lifted Jaden inside the castle. The rest of the traveling army unpacked in silence, fearing one wrong word would set Yubel off into a killing spree. The fiend's heterochromatic eyes searched the ranks, seemingly looking for anyone who maybe, possibly was responsible for her king fainting upon seeing her again in the flesh. Then, she saw another human, one with long blue hair. Eyes narrowing in hate, she marched toward him, and the man froze in place as he felt the overwhelming force of her energy.

"Erm, hello...my name is Sartorius. I am a friend of Jaden, the king." The former cult leader managed to get the words out.

"I know who you are. You tried to kill my sweet baby boy, and now you have the nerve to stand before me and claim to be his friend?!" Yubel leaned in until she was an inch from his face, the pale man visibly shaking.

"Please! I was not in my right mind when I fought Jaden, I swear I was possessed by the Light of Destruction!" Sartorius pled, looking around for any duel spirits who would speak up in his defense. He found none.

Yubel's expression was one of pure hate. "Throw him in the dungeon." She commanded, and Sartorius found himself restrained by two Hitotsu-Me Giants. "Don't worry, we'll be taking very good care of you, scum. I can't wait to show you what happens to people who try to hurt my sweet Jaden."

"No, please! Please don't!" Sartorius wailed as he was carried off. Once he was gone, Yubel turned to Jinzo and Hank. "Meet me in the war room. We have much to discuss."

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A/N

Hope you all enjoyed. Well I suppose the Sartorius fans probably didn't enjoy this recent development actually, but you get what I mean.

I have no excuse but laziness haha. Thanks as always for reading and sticking with me even as my schedule is unfortunately infrequent. I've been bouncing between a few writing projects lately as well as other life stuff. I hope you guys have been enjoying Master Duel. I kinda like but the game made me realize how much I dislike the OCG banlist and prefer the TCG banlist haha. Really, Maxx C at 3 and Gamma at 2...wtf. Dragoon is a big problem but VFD isn't...nani?! TCG list is wayyyy better but hey it's all good. I'm glad people are getting into the game though. It's proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that modern yugioh is not this impenetrable labyrinth that is impossible to understand. It is very achievable if you actually try. So I think it's cool.

I would like to extend sincere appreciation to all of my friends and supporters once again. I'll try and post again soon! Until then have a great one!