The Young Master of the Dragonmaids

by The Imperator 2 you

Joseph Takara is a young man who has come into the ownership of the Dragonmaid cards, a rare set of cards that seem to only appear to a single duelist and whom only 'they' call master. With dreams of becoming a professional duelist, he attends Duel Academy, and with the help of his family of girls, and the help of the rare and beautiful Dragonmaids, his dream might come true.

14. Chapter 13

"I remember a story that she once told me, back when I was not quite as young but nowhere near as old as I am now, she once told me a little bedtime story, about the sky and the stars up above. She told me, there is always a star waiting for you high above, and if you are lucky, when you see it, it will shine brightest but for only you. I sit down here on the earth, my wings at my side, and I'm not alone staring up at the sky, yet no matter what I do it feels like my star does not shine…"

"I've been waiting for so long now. How much longer… until it finally… shines?"

= Chapter 13 Prologue =

Phillip sat in his office holding his face in his hands while trying to figure out how to get himself out of the predicament he was in. Outside there was a thick fog rolling through the city and he was sitting in the dark with only a few lights on just so he had them. On his desk sat a piece of paper from the board of directors… in short, it was a notice for him, saying that 'due to recent 'decisions' taken by him that went against the company's best interests, he was now on notice that he was being terminated from his position as CEO of Dragtech, and would only remain in his position until a 'suitable replacement has been' located and assigned', in other words, he was being fired.

The only reason he was still in this office, was because a 'suitable replacement' hadn't been found yet. Now he could find a way to save his job, but the only way he could save it was if he could get her card.

"Unfortunately, now that she's under 'his' protection, there's no way I can take possession of it while she's with him."

'Mhmhmahaha… to think…' A voice filled with cruel mirth cackled as a pair of red eyes gazed upon him from the shadows, while sitting within the shadows, this almost dark, serpentine form rested. 'That the one thing to stop you, was a young boy of your own flesh and blood, that you tried 'so hard' to push out of your life!'

The eyes squinted, almost as if they were 'smiling', in the only way a pair of eyes could smile.

'So amusing, you… with all your money, power, influence, and your stopped because you decided to step out of your corner when you did not have to…' It said with sheer delight as it taunted him. 'You were perfectly fine; you'd gotten rid of the baggage, you had the highest position you always wanted, all the money you could have asked for, you were set for life… all you had to do was stay in your corner of the world and leave the welp you bred alone. But no… you wanted 'her'… Mhmmnnot that I can blame you, she is quite the catch. I wouldn't let her go if I ever caught her eye let me say~!'

"Will you shut up, if you aren't going to help me then go away!" He grunted as he turned to look outside, but since it was dark, and the fog was thick, all that happened were the eyes rotated to look at him from 'outside'.

'Have you forgotten… so long as 'I' bind my spirit to your soul, I'll always be in the corner of your eye!' It growled, but in a playful tone. 'I'm only telling you what you already know… what you don't want to hear… you 'knew' that even after she left, you were still in charge. Even 'after' she vanished with the others, you did not risk anything by simply staying put. Even 'when' you discovered her new owner, and that owner was your own son… all you had to do was ignore him, and you would not be here. Instead…'

The eyes grinned once again, in the only way they could, by squinting.

'Instead, not only did you make yourself look like a fool, you 'also' wasted money, power, and influence to do what… make a few 'proxies' and then lose humiliatingly to a boy, who may I remind you, grew up in 'debt', with nothing to his name… except a collection of cards that chose 'him'.'

He sighed in frustration as he turned away, and again, lurking in the shadows was 'him', smirking at him in amusement.

'So, what will you do now?'

He sighed as he shook his head, tapping his desk as he was trying to figure out the answer to that very same question.

"At this point the only way to keep everything I've worked for is to reclaim her from that boy, but as long as he's around I can't take her back from him. He's too good for me to defeat in a duel, and if I or another try to duel him, he can just refuse now. Not to mention, as long as he has them, he's difficult to defeat since he's learned to use their powers. Even 'after' everything I did…"

'You never did learn how to duel properly, what were you expecting, he studied hard just to get 'into' Duel Academy, he studied harder to rise in the ranks, you left him with nothing while you had everything… what were you expecting to happen, that a few prototype cards and an instant win would secure your future?' The thing said as it rolled its eyes at him. 'And now we are back to square one… what to do?'

"I need to get rid of him… that's all I 'can' do… but I can't just… off him, I'll be a murderer and that is something I can't do… even if I don't care about him, he's still my son."

'A son you spent well over two million yen claiming he wasn't yours and wasn't your responsibility.'

"Shut up… point is… I can't just 'kill' him, she's protecting him, she'll not let anything hurt him if she can help it."

There was silence as they sat in that room, the only sound being the hum of the AC and Phillip rapping his fingers on the table.

"Then since I cannot 'kill' him, I will have to use other means of getting rid of him." Phillip declared as he got up and walked over to a nearby shelf with several books.

As he perused through the collection, he found the book that he was thinking of that would aid him in his effort to help keep his livelihood. A book containing the transcribed writings of one Aknadin, sold to him as a 'joke', but the more he read, the more he realized how much of it was actually talking about how the Ancient Egyptians were able to capture and contain 'duel spirits' known to them as Evil Spirits. Everyone knew the game of Duel Monsters was based on the Shadow Games that were supposedly played in Ancient Egypt, where tales were told of how powerful sorcerers were able to conjure and control, capture and manipulate monster spirits much like how modern everyday kids do the same but with playing cards.

He knew they were real, after all... he's got one watching him out of the corner of his eyes in the shadows of his office.

'Summoning a duel spirit, do you know how difficult that is? It's considered sheer luck to attract one without having a connection to the Duel Spirit Realm, but to actually summon a spirit into your world and then have it do your bidding?' His 'friend' stated in a quiet tone. 'It is not something a human, no matter who they are, should ever attempt. We spirits are not so easily brought to heel. If you summon a spirit who's will stronger than yours then they will not do as you desire."

"I won't need them to listen to me forever... just long enough to do what I need them to do." Phillip declared as he examined the methods needed to bring them into this world and 'bind' them. "All I need to do... is offer a bit of 'something' for them."

'You can't possibly be thinking what I suspect you are thinking... you are treading a dangerous road, is this truly necessary?'

"I have no intention of sacrificing a human soul... besides what I have planned I don't need to sacrifice any human soul, just a small piece of my own..." He said as he turned the page and read more.

'Sacrificing even the most minute portion of your soul is still dangerous, to even tamper with your own soul is a risk no human should ever undertake, I only tell you this because of the risks it entails!' His 'friend' said, though his tone was far from kind. 'Even if the failsafe you could put into place works, if something happens to the charm you intend to bind not only your soul to, but also a Duel Spirit, then that piece of your soul will 'not' return. Then there is the distance... the closer the object remains with you the easier it is for the piece of your soul to return, but the further the distance the harder it is. No matter how far it may stretch, the hardiest of rubber bands will still eventually 'snap' if stretched too far.'

"I don't care, it's worth the risk!" Phillip shouted as he turned to yell at the shadowy form behind him. "If you're not going to help me then butt out of my business!"

The second he turned around again he saw the pair of glowing eyes with the massive shadowy form before him, because he himself was casting the shadow on the shelf. The eyes were glaring at him with anger.

'Do not think for a second that I do not wish to assist you... I only speak what you yourself are aware of but seem to not wish to consider!' It whispered. 'A Duel Spirit's soul in this world is not NEARLY as powerful as a human's. Even if a duelist's soul is hurt here, their soul will eventually recover... but for us, losing even the tiniest portion of our soul can be all it takes to cross the veil of the void... it isn't like how it was in that little 'game' you played with your son. Even though I hurt him and those lovely dragons of his... their spirits were unaffected because his 'soul' protected them...'

'No matter what suffering or pain I may endure in a duel, my spirit, my soul, all that I am, will not suffer any pain. But if anything happens to 'your' soul... I will 'feel' that agony, that suffering, as if it were my own a thousand times over. Why do you think the more I hurt 'him'... the more their rage boiled beyond what they could visually retrain. Even when she appeared, her rage... her fury... well let's just say that I was lucky she could not harm me in a duel!'

"Now you understand why it's important that I get rid of that son of mine." Phillip said politely as he returned to his book. "We don't need to remove him forever, just long enough to make her see reason..."

'Ah... I see, so you will use 'him' as collateral to make her bend to your will... I didn't think you had it in you... to think you'd risk your own son to-'

"He's not my son... he's a mistake that should not have been made!" Phillip interjected.

There was silence for several minutes, and it only ended when the duel spirit slowly began to fade away, seeing as all that has been said, has indeed been said. 'A mistake who is still your own son... I wish you would see that...'

= Chapter 13, Joseph vs Mystery Duelist =

= Become Tributes to my Lord Erebus =

"For the last time PAY ATTENTION Takara!" Doctor Crowler screamed. "I don't care how boring this lesson about the various summoning methods may appear, it is still very important to learn the difference between the three summoning forms, knowing the distinction may save yourself a humiliating defeat in a future duel!"

Joseph flinched as he got yelled at, it was true, he was trying to pay attention, but he was having difficulty since last night he'd had a very tough time sleeping after he had to do some makeup homework for a test he'd failed in Professor Stein's class. Besides, he got a B on the basic knowledge test Crowler gave them that day before he went into this long thirty-minute lecture, he knew the differences between a Normal, a Special, and a Tribute Summon.

"Sorry Doctor Crowler, was up really late last night, I'll try not to doze off anymore..." He said wearily.

"See that you don't!" Crowler muttered as he returned to the blackboard, while other students were poking fun at him behind his back.

"Still a Slifer Lifer even after all this time."

"Maybe he should spend more time 'sleeping' after class."

He sighed as he heard them taunt him, at least things had gone back to relative normalness, meaning those students who respected him didn't tease or make fun of him for being in Slifer, and those who were at least friendlier to him only poked fun at him. Today was no exception, classwork, schoolwork, tests, lectures and Crowler trying to push him harder in his class. While this happened though he turned to his notebook and began writing down some facts and other points that Crowler was talking about, just as his Dragonmaid friends began to appear around him.

'Yawwwn, who does 'Tribute Summons' nowadays?' Tinkhec said as she looked at his notes.

'Yea, like... why bother wasting your 'Normal Summon' on a monster that's probably 'slightly' stronger than what you have out?' Lorpar asked when she flopped onto Joseph's shoulder.

'We can do all that for free!' Nudyarl giggled.

"Can you please keep it down?" He asked them quietly.

But one thing that hasn't changed is his draconic friends laughing and having fun with him during classes, as other than him, and apparently Chazz, nobody else could see them when they decided to show up and chat it up around him. Every chance they had they tried to tease him and see if they could get a reaction out of him when he was in class, such as a giggle or a smirk, and of course they were doing it even as he copied notes from the board.

'Blyeeeeh...' Tinkhec said as she stuck her tongue out at him, smirking as she knew he was trying super hard to resist chuckling.

He just smirked a little and shook his head as he continued to write.

'Knew he couldn't keep a straight face forever!' Lorpar muttered.

'Hehehehe~!' Nudyarl giggled.

Class continued as normal, with Crowler occasionally writing stuff on the board while popping questions to random students. When Syrus was called upon, he spouted something random that was completely unrelated to the topic of summoning methods, resulting in several students laughing at him.

"Alright that's enough lecture, time for some practical dueling applications, now then, everyone activate the Practical Dueling Tablets imbedded into your desks, and get ready for todays Standardized Test Duel!" Crowler declared as he walked over to his desk and pushed a button on it. "For today's Standardized Test Duel, please select Crowler PQ 7 Class 3, listed on the tablet."

Instantly everyone's desk had a small tablet flip over in front of them and activate, and everyone began tapping the buttons and bringing up the test as instructed. Joseph looked with his draconic friends watching over his shoulder as he got ready to take his Pop Quiz Duel. There were three decks listed, one labeled 'Normal Summon', one labeled 'Tribute Summon' and finally the third labeled 'Special Summon'.

"Huh... cool." Joseph muttered to himself.

"Oh man, don't tell me we have to use these decks... who focuses their entire decks on the 'normal summon' mechanic?" Syrus complained next to him.

"This is so stupid..." Chazz whispered bitterly. "Like this is a no brainer, Tribute Summoning is the same thing as normal summoning, only you don't get another monster..."

"Well, I can say with certainty that nearly everyone will be using the Special Summon deck." Bastion said a row behind him. "If not then I owe everyone a soda..."

"I'll take that bet Bastion!" Joseph replied behind him.

"Quiet please, now then, as you all see there are three decks listed before you, you each will select one deck, and then be randomly matched up with another student in this classroom. You will then 'duel' until one of you loses." Crowler declared as he stood at the front of the class. "For this test your life points will not matter, so don't worry about failing because you were defeated too fast or took too long to win. Instead, you will be scored based on how much you 'used' the summoning mechanic of the deck you selected in comparison to the cards you used during the duel. You will also not know who it is you are dueling during this test duel. So, the more you use the mechanic based on the cards you were dealt, the better you'll score. With that said, students select the deck of your choice."

'Ooooh what's Master going to pick?' Nudyarl asked the other two Dragonmaids.

'Let's see, boring Normal Summons or even more boring Tribute Summons, or really awesome Special Summons...' Tinkhec pretended to ask.

'What lovely choices...' Lorpar finished with a grin.

'Well, that's a no brainer... Special Summoning!' Joseph thought as he selected the 'Special Summon' deck.

As one all three of his Dragons rolled their eyes with smirks.

"Alright, now students, get ready, when you are paired up with your opponent the duel will begin."

He nodded and waited as the tablet showed him 'being matched up', and then the duel field was created on it with his opening hand. He was marked as Duelist A – Special Summon Deck while his opponent was Duelist B – Tribute Summon Deck.

"Huh, who'd pick Tribute Summoning?" He asked as the hands were dealt and life points set.

[Duelist A – 4000 / Duelist B – 4000]

[Pinch Hopper, Howling Insect, Insect Queen, Insect Imitation, Graceful Charity]

A digital coin flipped and it revealed that he was to go second.

His opponent drew a card, and after several moments of his opponent 'thinking', he played the magic card [Card Advance], they then looked at their deck's top five cards, rearranged them, and then replaced the cards. Then they played the monster [Whirlwind Prodigy, lvl 4, Wind Attribute, 1500 Atk / 1600 Def], they then immediately tributed it to summon Simorgh, [Bird of Divinity, lvl 7, Wind Attribute, Winged Beast, Effect Monster, 2700 Atk / 1000 Def]. They then played two magic cards, [Advance Force] and [Precious Cards from Beyond].

They then passed the turn.

He saw his draw was [Insect Armor with Laser Cannon]. 'Hmmm that bird is going to be difficult; I need to defeat it this turn or else I'll be suffering a ton of life point damage.'

He looked at his options and decided to see what these 'bugs' could do, and what bugs he had access to after he played Graceful Charity.

'Bleh, I hate insects... so... buzzy!' Lorpar complained.

'Why couldn't master get a nice 'dragon' themed deck?' Nudyarl asked.

After playing Graceful Charity he drew three cards, [Metal Armored Bug, Insect Soldiers of the Sky, Ultimate Insect LV 5].

"Alright... let's see if I read these conditions correctly..." He muttered as he discarded Howling Insect and Insect Queen. "Then what I can do is... this then this..."

He played Pinch Hopper on the field face up, [Pinch Hopper, Earth Attribute, lvl 4, insect type, Effect Monster, 1000 Atk / 1200 Def], followed by the magic card [Insect Imitation], and activated its effect on Pinch Hopper. With Pinch Hopper Destroyed, he activated 2 effects, first was Insect Imitation's, allowing him to special summon [Ultimate Insect LV 5, Wind Attribute, lvl 5, Insect Type, Effect Monster, 2300 Atk / 900 Def], then he activated Pinch Hopper's ability, which allowed him to next summon [Metal Armored Bug, Earth Attribute, lvl 8, Insect Type, Normal Monster, 2800 Atk / 1500 Def].

With his two new insects on the field, he activated his next card, [Insect Armor with Laser Cannon], and equipped it to his Metal Armored Bug, increasing its attack power to 3500.

'Where's the boot to the head card?' Lorpar asked.

*Smack*

'Ow, what was that for?!' Lorpar squealed.

'Master is taking a test, no talking!' Nudyarl said.

Then he declared an attack on the Bird of Divinity, destroying it and dealing 800 points of damage.

[Duelist A – 4000 / Duelist B – 3200]

A follow up attack by Ultimate Insect LV 5 resulted in a further 2300 Atk points hit.

[Duelist A – 4000 / Duelist B – 900]

He had Insect Soldiers of the Sky left in his hand, but as he ended his turn, he really wished he had a trap card to protect his bugs. They certainly weren't a deck he'd run if given the choice between them and his Dragonmaids, at least if his maids lost their Dragon forms, they could just return to the field next turn.

However, it was now his opponent's turn and they drew a card, and played [Pot of Greed], drawing 2 cards. With three cards in hand, they then played [Double Summon], followed by [Hourglass of Courage, Light Attribute, lvl 4, Fairy Type, Effect Monster, 1100 Atk / 1200 Def], Which was then tributed for [Strong Wind Dragon, Wind Attribute, lvl 6, Dragon Type, Effect Monster, 2400 Atk / 1000 Def]. After that it gained 550 Atk, increasing it to 2950. They went into the battle phase and launched an attack on Ultimate Insect LV 5, destroying his bug and dealing 650 life points in damage.

[Duelist A – 3350 / Duelist B – 900]

It was his turn and he drew a card, and it was, [Doom Dozer]. He looked at the field and knew it was game, his opponent's 2 face up magic cards didn't help him and his monster only had 2950 attack points. He choise to banish Ultimate Insect LV 5 and Pinch Hopper, to summon [Doom Dozer, Earth Attribute, lvl 8, Insect Type, Effect Monster, 2800 Atk / 2600 Def]. Once it was on the field he went into his battle phase and had Metal Armored Bug attack with its 3500 Atk points into Strong Wind Dragon's 2950, resulting in 550 points of damage, and then had Doom Dozer finish his opponent off with its 2800 attack points.

[Duelist A – 3350 / Duelist B – 350]

[Duelist A – 3350 / Duelist B – 0]

"Yay!" He whispered happily as he watched the duel calculate his score and saw a B+.

'And Master wins another duel, three cheers!' Nudyarl squealed.

'Hip hip hooray!'

He took a deep breath as he relaxed and waited until everyone else completed their tests as well, and soon he was hearing groans of frustration and sighs of relief from around him. Syrus next to him was moaning that he messed up his summoning order, Bastion chuckled that he actually had to 'think' for more than a second on his test before acing it, Chazz complained that the deck sucked, and other then that the attitude of the test was pretty calm and collected. Further down the line he looked over and saw Alexis with her friends chatting it up, she noticed him glancing and nodded to the test before doing a thumbs up and thumbs down motion.

He gave her a thumbs up and she gave him the universal 'sweet' sign. Reason for this is she'd helped him out a couple of days ago with brushing up on 'special summoning' in preparation for this test. Despite the fact that he special summoned so much via his Dragonmaids, she showed him that the 'order' he special summoned them could mean a big deal with how he performed in a duel. He learned a sweet trick that he could do with his maids thanks to her help, specifically using Ernus and Tinkhec's quick effects just before his maids went into their dragon forms. He was really eager to put his theorizing into practice before his next test duel.

"Alright class, I've got the scores down and congratulations, 'everyone' scored above a C... which I'm glad to see is an improvement considering how many 'Slifers' slacked off last test." Crowler said as he looked over the scores on his screen. "And now to show off the ratio of those who picked which deck."

The screen changed and it showed the percentage usage of duelists who picked which deck. Over eighty-seven percent picked the Special Summon deck, seven percent picked the Tribute Summon deck, and six percent picked the Normal Summon deck.

"Wow... that many picked the Special Summon deck?" He asked as he looked at the number.

'Guess Master picked the winning deck.' Tinkhec muttered from his right shoulder.

'Master always picks the winning deck~!' Nudyarl giggled on his left shoulder.

'Master has good tastes, what do you expect~?' Lorpar smirked as she flopped onto his head.

"As you all can see, this score represents the pick percentage from not just 'this' class but all of my classes across all years and dorms, and not the 'win' percentage, those are kept secret from everyone except teachers. Since everyone knows that Special Summoning is by far the most dominant and popular method of summoning monsters, it's no surprise why Special Summoning is so high up in the percentage usage. Compared to 'older' dueling formats, Special Summoning has come a long way and it is now far easier to special summon more powerful monsters than it was when I picked up my first booster pack. With that said, thank you all for today, you are free to go, and don't forget I want that homework tomorrow!"

He stretched and began packing up his backpack with his notebook, looking forward to lunch, ignoring some of the chatter going on behind him as students got up to leave as well.

"Can't believe I lost to someone who only knows how to spam out monsters... no skill in that whatsoever... stupid mechanic should never have-"

"Oh, it's no big deal, that's just how the mechanic works, you still put up a fight right?"

"I barely 'scratched' them! They rigged it, if that had been 'my' deck..."

"Relax, it's only a test duel, no big deal, we got passing marks at least, let's just go to our rooms and relax."

"I need to go to my room anyway, I've got a package waiting for me apparently..."

Others were also talking as he and Syrus got up to join the throng.

"How can anyone even use that deck, like wow, I can normal summon two whole monsters in one turn, biiiig deal..."

"Like they were only beat sticks with high attack and no defense... what good are they?"

"I can see why I should have gone with the Special Summon Deck... only got a B because I summoned out monsters... I got my butt creamed big time... who balances those decks anyway?"

"Everyone really hated those decks." Joseph commented as he walked out with Syrus and Bastion beside him with Sheou walking behind him, hands clasped before her and smiling contently.

"Well, what would you expect, of the three decks only 'one' is actually a viable option when it comes to defeating your opponent." Bastion stated plainly. "Every duelist knows that you only get '1' normal summon per turn, that normal summon can also be treated as a tribute summon, whereas a special summon can be performed as many times as your monsters are able to achieve the result. How else can you possibly expect a duel to go when one duelist is only allowed at 'most' with the help of specialized cards, a 'single' summon per turn?"

"You're telling me, I actually could have won if I didn't ruin my summoning order..." Syrus moaned. "I got a C+, a 'C'... I always freeze up when it comes to tests..."

"Heh, The Chazz aced the test with flying colors, I even let my opponent keep going just so I could get a higher score by extending the duel and pretending I made a mistake when I didn't." Chazz said with a big grin as he abruptly strolled up to Joseph's right. "So how did 'you' do?"

"Eh... I got a B+?" He muttered, slightly embarrassed at having to tell Chazz he did better.

"Shoulda known, better step it up 'Jo' or else I'll leave you in the dust!" Chazz snickered as his Ojama friend appeared.

'You tell him boss, nobody's smarter than you! He's got nothing on you, you're so cool!' Ojama Yellow said with a big grin.

'Grrrrrrr' All three of his Dragonmaids growled as they glared daggers and emitted angry draconic auras at the 'yellow potato' as dubbed by Nudyarl.

'Come on ladies what did I do this time?' Ojama Yellow panicked before he was roasted by three draconic flames of different color.

When he was only a smoldering black mess he coughed and slid back into Chazz's shadow and out of sight.

'Ever heard of 'personal space' you stupid yellow potato, get away from us!' Nudyarl growled.

'Only 'we' get to be this close to Master, stay away!' Lorpar also growled.

'And nobody calls us 'ladies' but Master, get that through your head!' Tinkhec sneered.

After a few moments they began to vanish, huffing as they did.

"Heh, that never gets old." Chazz chuckled under his breath as they left the main building.

"Well, that was still a splendid performance on your test Young Master, as your maid nothing puts a smile on my face like seeing you succeed in your academic studies." Sheou said warmly. "Showing you have room for improvement is nothing to be ashamed or embarrassed about, you performed well in your studies and showed your work has paid off today."

"Yea, now how about we all head over to the café to chow down before heading to our dorms to do our homework for Crowler?" Joseph suggested as Alexis now joined them with her two friends.

"Sounds like a plan, I could use a good meal after that class." She said warmly.

"Same here, we're in on this little get together!"

"Yea!"

With that they all headed off to the café to enjoy a nice fun filled evening of chatting and enjoying their off time. At the café Sheou seated them all and after Alexis' two friends paid their entry fee, Bastion not having too since he was now an 'official member' of the group, they all got to order their food and drinks as well as deserts for free. They all decided to eat from a huge bowl of spaghetti and meat balls with several different sauces of Kite's own creation. As per usual her cooking was above par, as she walked out with a massive tray in hand and deposited it for them all.

"Here you go everyone, enjoy~! Catch you in a bit little bro~." Kite snickered with a wink as she walked back with her cosplay dragon tail trailing behind her.

"You know I wonder how they walk around without tripping on their fake tails?" Syrus asked as Luna and Sun walked past with trays, delivering drinks to several tables while Sheou poured them tea.

"That is something I've always wondered, I tried wearing a fake tail just like them as a dare, and that thing kept on catching on chairs and tables, in doorways and the stairs, and I tripped over one time falling face first into a bowl of soup... it was not a good day for me." Joseph muttered as he remembered that incident.

Sun had to treat him for burns and he spent three hours with a cold towel with packages of ice wrapped in Ziplock bags to help him recover. He gained a ton of respect for the girls since they started doing their 'cosplay' routine at the café, it must take a lot of skill and awareness of their surroundings to be able to keep from tripping on their outfits every minute, let alone be able to do all the things they do while working at the café.

"Speaking of the café, what's it take to get on the 'friend list' so we don't have to pay anymore?" Jasmine asked with a smirk.

"Yea, Alexis is your close friend but what about us, can 'we' get on that special list so we don't have to work for all of our Dragon-coins anymore?" Mindy asked with a playful wink.

"Uh... well I guess I can ask Sheou to maybe... let you have a discount?" Joseph muttered as Alexis snickered at her two friends trying to flirt with him.

What she and the others didn't know was that at that exact moment, with exception to Sheou who just so happened to be tending to the teachers at the time, quickly taking their orders and offering them appetizers, all the maids, Amber, Lora, Sun, Luna and even Kite who was holding a tray with cakes and puddings for the buffet, immediately turned and glared 'daggers' at them, menacing draconic auras emanating from them as Mindy and Jasmine suddenly felt fear after noticing them. Just to add to the scene, Kite 'slowly' pulled out a surprisingly long and sharp knife and even more slowly, 'carved' up a slice of cake while 'still' keeping eye contact with them. Luna slooowly lifted an empty glass from one of the tables and held it in just a way that looked like she would throw it. Amber and Lora just simply stared at them with malicious intent and cold expressions that went unseen by the guests they were taking orders for. Sun pulled out a tiny bottle of medicine and offered a single pill to a Professor Banner who was complaining about an upset stomach, but she still kept glaring eye contact with their table.

Joseph noticing how they were looking turned around to see what they were looking at, and only saw the girls going about their business with smiles and chuckles, happily serving students and teachers with Sheou now walking over.

"Someone was asking about a discount here Young Master?" Sheou asked politely, seemingly unaware of what just transpired behind her back.

"Uh yea, Alexis' friends were asking about possibly getting a discount or some-"

"Never mind we're fine!" Mindy and Jasmine shouted instantly.

"Hard work makes for greater rewards after all, why spoil all of our efforts to eat here every day?" Mindy chuckled nervously.

"Yea just forget about it, really, we're fine, we're completely fine with it, no discounts needed, we're totally fine!" Jasmine said hastily.

"Well, isn't that lovely to hear, I was worried that our prices might be a bit steep, but Obelisk Students obviously excel in classes so they would earn more for our café then Slifers. It eases my worries of thinking that I had been overcharging you students."

Jasmine and Mindy continued to chuckle nervously, trying to pretend they did 'not' see what they'd seen.

Meanwhile hours later as some students began leaving and heading to their dorms, a single Obelisk was walking back to his dorm room, laughing as he left the café behind. Today had been a great day for him, he aced the test, scored a date with an Obelisk Blue girl after impressing her with his deck and strategy, and he didn't have any homework.

"I love being an Obelisk Blue... it can't get any better than this!" He laughed as he rounded the corner down the path to Obelisk Blue's dorms.

As he did however, he saw someone standing before him, wearing what looked like weird 'robes' of what appeared to be pieces of different dorm jackets all sewed together. They wore a bandana to disguise their face and had heavy lidded dark sunglasses to conceal their eyes, with an Academy issued Duel Disk powered up, and another Duel Disk being held.

"Huh, what's this, someone practicing for next Halloween?" He asked as he walked on, but immediately after they raised their left arm that had a shiny gold wristband and snapped their fingers.

Suddenly a ring of purple fire erupted and encircled him and this mystery duelist, before enshrouding them in this strange dark purple fog that wisped and flowed around them, concealing everything outside from view and surrounding them.

"Hey what's going on?!" He shouted.

"A 'shadow duel' is what's going on..." They said menacingly, though they changed their voice to hide who they were. "And if you want out, you'll duel... and put up a card as an Ante, but not any card, I want a card that 'special summons' something or itself."

"Wha, the Ante Rule, but that's against the rules!"

"I make the rules here... I can leave whenever I want, but you're stuck until you accept my conditions... so what's it going to be, be grateful, I'm not asking for your rarest card..." They said as they tossed the Duel Disk to him.

"F-fine, I put up my Revival Jam!"

His opponent began to chuckle as their duel disks activated. "Get ready to have your card become my 'tribute'..."

All was quiet around Duel Academy Island, until the screaming shout of a cry for help sounded, rousing several Obelisk Blue students from their dorm to discover their fellow Blue was sprawled on the ground, breathing heavily and baring the marks of minor burns and scratches, but more notably his cards littering the ground, many of them covered in dirt, but one he kept on telling them was taken, was his Revival Jam.

However, in the café, just as she entered her room after tending to her young master's final needs for that night, Sheou paused as she looked out the window. She had sensed it... it was faint, but she'd sensed it. The dark energies of a Shadow Duel taking place.

Her eyes narrowed as she turned and blew out the candle, it didn't involve her, or her young master, so she would not get involved... 'yet'.

The next day, Joseph woke up with his friends to go for classes after Sheou went about her routine of cleaning and preparing him, only to have a notice be sent to their little Duel Academy issued phones.

"All classes today are suspended, pending an investigation involving an Obelisk Blue student and an illegal duel that took place late last night involving illegal usage of the Ante Rule, as well as physical harm being done to said student. Any student with information about the incident is asked to please immediately inform Campus Security." Joseph read out loud so that everyone could hear.

"Oh my, that is very distressful." Sheou said mildly shocked. "Perhaps you should avoid leaving your dorm for today so you aren't harmed until Campus Security catches this ruffian?"

"For once I think we should listen to Sheou Joseph, I mean based on these reports, whoever this guy is really hurt that Obelisk." Syrus said.

"Like seriously, the Ante Rule is no joke, you don't enter a duel with the Ante Rule and expect to come out unscathed.

*Knock Knock Knock*

They all turned to the door and Sheou politely walked over, opened it up and allowed Alexis and Bastion in.

"Hey guys, guess you all just heard the news?" Bastion asked as Sheou quickly stepped to the side so that there was space to stand.

Slifer Red dorms, even 'after' they got worked on over a month ago were not known for being spacious, there was barely enough room for them to sit and stand.

"About the Obelisk Blue, yea we just read, he was forced into a duel with the Ante Rule and he had to give up his rarest card if he lost right?" Joseph asked as he knew that routine all too well.

It was one reason why he kept a tight hold on his Dragonmaid cards, back at the café some bullies from his school tried to make him duel using the Ante Rule, and it was only when Sheou stepped in and chided him for being late, shooing them along and getting him inside, did he avoid a duel just so they would leave him alone.

"No, that's the thing, the card they took wasn't worth anything, it was hardly the 'rarest' card he had, it was just a simple Revival Jam, he had two other copies in his deck, losing one was no big deal but whoever he dueled took it from him." Alexis said. "It was more like they wanted them to suffer and cause them pain. According to the Obelisk, their opponent prolongued the duel, deliberately let them try to come back and then continued to hurt them over and over, especially their monsters. They seemed more interested in defeating their monsters over and over, instead of actually winning the duel."

"Wait... they just wanted a Revival Jam?" He asked. "What does it do?"

"I think it's rather obvious just going off its name, it 'revives' itself, specifically it special summons itself to the field at the cost of 1000 life points, pretty high cost and not something I'd run, but that's what it does essentially." Bastion explained. "So far nobody knows anything, the Obelisk Blue was just heading back to his dorm last night alone, turned the corner and saw someone strange standing before him, wearing a bunch of duel academy jackets all sewed together to look like robes."

"He then was challenged to a duel, and some strange purple fog or something completely concealed him and his opponent, and the only way out he was told was to duel after putting up one of his cards as an Ante." Alexis continued. "But the thing is, they didn't care what it was as long as it 'special summoned something' or itself. They even taunted him saying 'I'm not asking for your rarest card'. It's got all of the Obelisks spooked, because he was actually one of the top twenty students in the sophomore year, he was hardly a Zane but he was no pushover."

"That is not licious at all man, who could do that to anyone?" Chumley asked.

"Well, whatever it is, I suggest you all stay in your dorms for tonight, at least until Campus Security gets this sorted out." Sheou said warmly. "No need to get involved with something that doesn't concern you after all right?"

"Are you kidding Sheou, this totally involves us, I mean they're targeting students, for all we know we're next." Joseph said. "Hey Alexis, do you know where this took place?"

"Yep, everyone does by now."

"Master, you aren't thinking of going out there to the scene of the crime are you, really now, this sounds dangerous, you should not risk your own safety if this vandal is going to inflict bodily harm over something like a duel." Sheou chided him.

"Yep, that is exactly what I'm planning, besides it's not like I'm going alone, I say we go check out the crime scene and see if maybe we can find a clue or two that Campus Security might have missed. Safety in numbers, right?"

"Well with no classes today, and all my homework done, I've got no plans, why not do some investigative work?" Bastion stated.

"As an Obelisk Blue I need to try and help, we Obelisks have our pride as the top students after all, no offense Joseph but I'm still a taller pillar than you~!" Alexis chuckled.

"Yea right, Slifer Red's aren't pushovers... okay some of us are but still." He replied. "What about you guys, you in?"

"Uh... yea but only because I don't want to leave Chumley alone in here!" Syrus said.

"Yea and you might need some backup... you know, from a professional." Chumley also agreed.

"Young Master I really must protest; you should honestly stay here where it is safe." Sheou said as they all got up and started leaving. "As your maid, it is my duty to inform you of the unnecessary risk you are taking by doing this."

"Sheou I need to at least 'try' to help out, like I said, this guy is targeting students, any of us could be next. Besides we're only going to look at the scene, we'll look around see if we find something that nobody else noticed and that's it, promise!"

Sheou sighed as she followed after him, and nodded in understanding. "Very well, then I shall also accompany you, as your maid it is also my duty to assist you however I can."

"Wish I had a maid now." Alexis chuckled.

"Don't we all." Bastion agreed.

As they were leaving, they were held up as Chazz yelled that he was joining them as well.

"Hey Chazz, hearing about that Obelisk being attacked got you riled up as well huh?" Joseph asked as Chazz joined them.

"Please, I'm joining you cause you might need my 'superior skills' to get you out of a jam if the worst happens." Chazz said as he walked beside him. "We all know I'm the best around here, just admit it."

"Dream on Chazz, dream on." Joseph said as his draconic friends began appearing as well.

'Iuno which is weirder girls, Chazz hanging out with Master, or that I'm actually starting to tolerate him.' Nudyarl asked

'Chazz is tolerable, that yellow potato that hangs around him is not.' Tinkhec said.

'Agreed.' Ernus also said.

'Why does he even have that thing?' Lorpar asked.

They walked for half an hour to the site of where the Obelisk Blue was attacked, following the path he took from the café to the dueling site that just led from where he dueled to where the Obelisk Blue dorms were. When they arrived, they looked around to see if they could find something, 'anything' that could help Campus Security.

"Alright, so the Obelisk Dorms are there, and our Blue friend was here when he dueled." Joseph said as he and the others looked at the dueling site, which wasn't hard considering it was outlined in a weird circle.

"He rounds the corner, sees his mystery duelist, they challenge him and then... something happens that causes this weird circle of fire to appear." Alexis said as she and the others were looking on the outskirts of the circle for any clues.

"He's nowhere near the trees... I don't see what kind of flame could leave such a clean mark in the ground without leaving scorch marks or causing a bonfire. Even the grass didn't catch fire..." Bastion muttered. "This doesn't seem to be possible and yet... the pattern clearly indicates it was man-made. Fire doesn't spread so precisely unless its guided... and yet..."

"Well, I don't see anything on my side here, no little gizmos or gadgets, not even a smoke machine, not that you could hide one out here, the ground's flat as a pancake... oh man I could go for some pancakes right about now." Chumley said.

"Yea I don't see anything that could create any weird circle of fire or fog around here." Syrus agreed.

"I got nothing either, all I can tell is that whoever attacked him had a clear getaway shot to 'any' of the dorm locations." Chazz said as he looked around. "The Obelisk Blue dorms, both boys and girls can be reached pretty quickly here, but you can also hit the Ra Yellow dorms with some running, and since he came from the Café, he can reach the Slifer Red dorms as well with more running. For all we know our 'mystery duelist' could be anyone, Slifer, Ra or Obelisk."

'Boss this doesn't feel right, can't we just go somewhere else, this place is giving me the creeps.' Chazz's friend, Ojama Yellow said nervously as he floated around his shoulder.

"Will you cool it and buzz off while you're at it..." Chazz muttered as he punched the space beside him to try and get rid of his annoying 'pest'.

'For once I agree with the Yellow Potato, this place feels weird master, let's go...' Nudyarl whispered nervously as she floated as close to Joseph as she could.

'I don't like this place either master, let's just leave this to Campus Security and go do homework or something...' Ernus muttered.

'Homework sounds really nice right about now...' Lorpar agreed.

'Yeaaaa let's go do some trigonometry or something, have Bastion tutor us in super complicated and boring math so we sleep tonight and don't leave our dorm till tomorrow.' Tinkech said.

"Master, as there's nothing else to learn here, I suggest you and your friends return to your dorm now." Sheou said from the sidelines, keeping a keen eye on everyone and everything.

"Hold on just a bit longer... hmm maybe we're not seeing things properly." Joseph muttered. "Let's see if maybe standing where the attacker was helps..."

He walked over into the circle and looked around, trying to put himself into the shoes of whoever the Obelisk Blue was dueling and then going to stand where they stood. All the while his draconic friends were getting more nervous the longer he stayed and more fearful as he moved into the circle now.

'I think I saw something... ya know waaaaaay outside the circle master, how about we go investigate it~?' Nudyarl pleaded with a fake cheery smile, but Ernus, Lorpar and Tinkhec nodded in agreement.

"Hmmm..." He muttered, ignoring them as he positioned himself where the attacker stood, and then looked around. "Let's see, I challenge my opponent to a duel... aaaand then ring of fire appears."

"Well, the flames appeared from behind you, that much I can see. But I can't see any trace of anything that could 'create' those flames. Not even a thrown away match." Bastion said as he stood behind him.

"Yea, and as for the injuries he sustained, well apparently, they were slight burns, cuts, bruises, only way someone can sustain injuries like that is to physically assault someone 'after' the duel." Chumley said.

"But according to him his opponent never laid a finger on him, it was all damage from the duel itself." Alexis stated as she joined them with Syrus and Chazz.

"Well, we can rule out anything from the nearby woods, nothing there but trees, no hidden cameras, no weird equipment, not even a discarded paper cup or tin can." Chazz said.

"Can confirm, cause Chazz made me do all the searching!" Syrus shouted indignantly.

"I supervised him." Chazz chuckled.

"Then if there's nothing else to learn, may we leave this area and leave this whole issue to Campus Security to sort out?" Sheou asked, not once leaving her spot and keeping an eye on all of them, Joseph in particular. "As a student you should really focus on your studies young master and not involve yourself in issues that need not require your presence."

He sighed as he nodded, he really wanted to try and help but, Sheou had a point, there was nothing else to learn here, so all they could really do 'was' go back to their dorms.

"I really thought I could help out somehow." He muttered as he and the others headed over to the café to at least hang out together, while his Dragonmaids all breathed sighs of relief as they left the place behind.

"I know young master, but the best help one can often offer is to stay out of the way of others." Sheou said respectfully. "You should focus on your studies, that is the best help you can offer."

"Yea but still..." He muttered as he glanced back.

For the rest of the day, they all hung out at the café, talking and occasionally having duels with one another. Chazz kept on trying to beat Joseph's Dragonmaids but it was only three of the eight duels where he got close to beating him, for some reason he kept on throwing away Ojama Yellow to the graveyard the instant he hit his hand. Alexis and Bastion had their fun with him and while Bastion kept on shaking his head in frustration as he tried to find a way to completely shut down Joseph's deck like before, it was obvious he was having fun with the challenge. Alexis continued to prove to be a good rival to his maids, and it always seemed to come down to Vrash versus House, the two forever seemed to be locked in a battle of dominance as once one hit the other came after, from there it was down to whoever timed their effects well would often win. Syrus and Chumley had their own fun with each other, with Syrus tutoring Chumley and trying to help him learn how to duel so he could actually 'win' a duel with his Koala monsters, but Chumley being Chumley, was slow to catch on to certain plays, still he had fun.

As for the girls, Kite, Luna, Lora, Amber and Sun were present at the café and continuously found excuses to got be near their table. Sometimes they watched the duels and would cheer for Joseph when he won or made some cool play, but for the most part they just served them the occasional drink or desert. Sheou of course was always present, not once leaving their table and always asking if anyone needed something, and if nothing was needed, she seemed more than content to simply stand there with a smile, watching and waiting to see if her services were in fact needed.

But, as day turned to night, without fail all of the girls grew tenser, though they didn't show it at all while tending to patrons or to Joseph and his friends. To the constant chatter of students, the occasional sly pickup line some of the male students tried, and the various teachers who simply enjoyed quiet moments with their food, nothing was out of the ordinary or seemed off.

Yet for Sheou and the other maids, every time they walked by a window, they would glance out with carefully scanning eyes. When the door opened, almost instantly every one of them glanced at it with tense muscles, before breathing a short sigh of relief and returning to what they were doing without missing a beat. Sheou almost never left Joseph's table, unless it was to quickly grab something for them.

As the time came for the café to close, all of their patrons began returning to their dorms, and Sheou herself chose to instead 'escort' Joseph back to his dorm room to get him ready for bed.

"You know Sheou you don't need to help me into bed every night... all I'm doing is changing into my pajamas and climbing into bed." Joseph said Sheou walked back in to collect his clothes.

"I know, but please forgive me for this, I am simply doing as a maid should, and tending to her master's needs before they need be met." She replied with a heartwarming smile.

Joseph sighed as he climbed in and curled up to sleep, with Sheou politely folding his uniform so it would be clean for tomorrow, taking her sweet time to make sure he fell asleep properly. Once he was most assuredly sound asleep, she took a brief moment to give a gentle kiss on his forehead, and a simple, "Sleep well my young master" before she finally opened the door and walked out, though she uncharacteristically locked the room from the outside. As Syrus and Chumley slowly made their way to their room she idly passed them the key and told them to 'please' lock the door.

As for his draconic spirit friends, two of them were cuddled up and curled around him as normal while he slept tonight, bet every few minutes one would float over to the door, peak outside, and then return to the bed giving a silent nod of confirmation.

So far all was quiet and safe, but that would change as Bastion yawned, making his way back over to the Ra Yellow dorm. The café had put on a documentary series for entertainment purposes tonight, and it was actually one he had been excited to see but surprised that they managed to get a copy, considering it was one about Dr. Eisenstein and one of his periodical formulas about the Theory of Relativity. Mostly everyone else at the café chose to ignore it, but he'd gotten front row seats and borrowed a notebook since it was one of his favorite professors to read up on.

"I have to thank Joseph's sisters for letting me keep the documentary for my own collection." He said as he held the little case containing the video. "Honestly why don't more people watch documentary series; they are very educational? Oh well, some people just don't have good tastes, I guess."

As he walked up a small hilly embankment to the Ra Yellow dorm, he saw just down the path a Ra Yellow student lying on the ground in a crumpled heap. Shocked he ran over, tossing his book and movie case to the side as he moved to help the student up.

"Hey, are you alright, wake up!" He yelled.

"M... my... cards..." He moaned painfully. "He... he..."

Bastion looked to see what he was talking about, in front of him were several cards strewn about the dirt and ground, most of them were fine but several monster cards were torn the shreds, by the looks of it they were warrior monsters, but he couldn't tell what cards were what given their state.

"Who did this?" Bastion asked.

"Who else but ME?" a loud voice declared behind them.

Bastion turned to see 'someone' behind him, wearing a bandana to cover their face, heavy tinted glasses to conceal their eyes, and what looked like a robe made up of sewn together academy jackets, and now that he had a closer look, a complete set of Slifer, Ra, and Obelisk clothes to hide which dorm they belonged to. They had an academy issued duel disk on one arm, on the other a weird golden wristband. In their empty hand they held a duel monster's card, [Marauding Captain] by the looks of it.

"What do you want, why are you attacking students?" Bastion demanded.

"I'm just ridding the game of Special Summoning, we didn't need all these 'special summons' before, and we don't need them now." They said, but they changed their voice to disguise who they are. "The fewer special summons, the better off this game will be... I'll rid the world of this stupid mechanic... and everyone will thank me for it, when we return to better ways... until then, tell your friend I said thanks for the 'tribute'."

With that they turned and fled in the direction opposite the Ra Yellow dorms, but they weren't heading to either Slifer Red or Obelisk Blue from where they were.

"WAIT!" Bastion tried to yell, but growled in frustration as he couldn't chase after them while another student was hurt. "Come on, let's get you to the infirmary."

"Ugh... my card... why'd he take it... it wasn't even that special..."

The next day, once again classes were suspended, but now it was Bastion who was explaining the whole situation to Joseph and his friends at the café.

"I couldn't tell who it was beneath the weird outfit they had, and the way they ran I couldn't tell which dorm they were going to." Bastion said bitterly while Sheou poured drinks. "For all I know they could have doubled back and returned as a Ra Yellow student with the others who left the café after me. Or they could have returned to Obelisk Blue or Slifer Red without anyone being any the wiser."

"Hmmm, this makes 'two' attacks in two days, and this time they vandalized the duelist's cards, while 'also' taking another card as an Ante." Alexis muttered.

"But what's the point in vandalizing a duelist's cards?" Chumley asked.

"What were they after, just to ruin someone's deck?" Syrus asked.

"No, all of his magic and trap cards were left alone, it was his monsters that were damaged." Bastion said. "Nearly every monster that was torn up were ones that special summoned other monsters, and the Ante card put up was just a basic Marauding Captain, not the rarest or even slightly valuable card to a deck. Heck the Ra who I took to the infirmary said he had like seven, so it's no loss, but still."

"All of the evidence we have points to this guy obviously having some kind of a gripe against Special Summoning!" Chazz said nonchalantly. "It's plain as day, they are just mad that Special Summoning is a thing, and they just want to ruin everyone's day if they use that mechanic."

"But with how much people use Special Summoning, that means everyone is a target for this guy." Joseph muttered as Sheou finished pouring drinks and Kite placed a small tray of muffins for them to enjoy.

"Regardless of this ruffian's intent, you should all just stay out of it and leave it to Campus Security to solve." Sheou said warmly. "This does not concern you Young Master, you should focus on your studies."

"Doesn't concern me, Sheou this concerns everyone, we all use Special Summoning, and this guy has already hit an Obelisk blue and a Ra Yellow, that means if they are targeting in order, Slifer Red students are next on the list!"

"But Joseph, if a Slifer Red is next then that means you should 'really' stay in your dorm and stay safe!" Kite said politely, though she was a little more nervous.

"Kite's right, just stay inside where you'll be safe." Lora said as she walked over from the buffet table with a worried expression.

"I actually agree with your sisters and Sheou, if we're next let's just stay inside our dorms." Syrus said.

"We could just all go together, safety in numbers, this guy's is picking on lone students so if we travel in groups, they'll leave us alone." Chumley also said.

"What's to say they won't target us when we are alone anyway?" Joseph asked.

There was silence as everyone thought to themselves about that.

"All the more reason to stay safe and sound." Sheou said calmly. "Young master, I only want you to be safe, as your maid I just want you to stay safe, I'm confident that Campus Security will soon capture this individual, and you need not have to concern yourself anymore with it."

He sighed as he took a muffin and ate it, a part of him wanted to believe it and just hope Campus Security would solve this problem. But this was now two days in a row, two attacks, and so far, nothing. He wanted to help however he could, if he could, just so other students wouldn't be attacked.

"Please listen to Sheou little bro, we don't want to see you hurt." Luna said as she walked over, an empty tray in arm.

"I took a peek at the Ra Yellow student, those injuries he had weren't serious, but they were still 'serious' in that they weren't something you want to have happen to you Joseph, please listen to us and stay safe?" Sun now said politely as she walked over a drink tray in hand as well.

He listened, but he still didn't like that he 'wanted' to help, but was being told not to help for his own safety. He understood, but he still wished he could help, if one of his friends were attacked next...

There was a knock on the door to the café and Lora politely opened it up, welcomed in their new guests who turned out to be Professor Banner and Chancellor Shepard.

"Greetings, pardon me for the sudden arrival, but I figured it would be faster if we came to you." Shepard said as he politely bowed himself in and walked over to Joseph's table.

"What can we do for you Chancellor?" He asked, getting nervous as when Chancellor Shepard came to ask him stuff it wasn't always with the best intentions.

"You see Joseph, I came to ask you if you and your friends would be willing to help the academy with something very important." Professor Banner now said.

"By now I'm sure you are aware of the fact that there have been attacks on students recently." Shepard said. "Two attacks so far, two nights in a row, but despite our attempts we can't find anything about this student to pin who it was and who it is."

"What do you mean, can't you figure out who it is, if they're dueling surely, you can..." Alexis started saying before Banner shook his head sadly.

"That is the problem, we cannot find 'anything' about them, we attempted to use the data from the duel disks, but the disks seemed unable to record duel data." Banner explained. "We even asked for some data from Kaiba Corp, but for some reason, no data was 'recorded' from the duel for us to see. Despite our attempts we can't find anything about this student attacking other students."

"Nothing?" Syrus asked in shock.

"Nothing..." Banner sighed.

"Not even their deck?" Chumley asked.

"Not even a single card..." Shepard said with a heavier sigh. "We're starting to get phone calls from parents demanding we take action. Our sponsor wants us to do something as well, if we don't do 'anything'... I fear for the fate of Duel Academy."

"But what about the students, don't 'they' remember what cards their opponent ran?" Bastion asked.

"That's the thing, it's like they can't remember them, every time they try to recall 'any' of the cards, their memory seems to get 'fuzzy'." Shepard said. "It is weird, they just kept mentioning a weird 'fog' surrounding them when the duel began, shortly after a ring of fire circled them. Then when the duel started... they say they fought as hard as they could but still... we're pulling at strings here; we can't just give up but we need more help trying to catch the perpetrator, preferably before another poor student is attacked without warning."

"Which is why we came here to ask-" Banner began saying before Sheou instantly clapped her hands together, and gave both men a stern look.

"Absolutely not, you will 'not' put my young master or his friends in jeopardy or danger by having him pursue or attempt to bring out this miscreant." She said with a cold glare. "Joseph is a student, not a police officer or an investigator! He should be 'focusing' on his studies, I understand your predicament but..."

"I'll do it!" Joseph said instantly.

Everyone looked to him as he stared with a determined expression. "I'll help you out Chancellor Shepard, just tell me what you need to do?" He asked.

"Young master, you can't..."

"Sheou, I know this is dangerous, but students are being attacked and 'someone' has to take a risk to stop them." He replied. "Whoever they are needs to be stopped, I'm not the rookie I was when I first came to Duel Academy, I can handle myself in a duel now. Whoever this mystery duelist is probably is afraid of being caught, and if I can get them to duel me and learn who they are, maybe even beat them in a duel, we can put a stop to their attacks for good! My Dragonmaids are up for the task, I trust them to take on this guy and bring him to justice!"

While everyone else nodded in approval of his little speech, his adopted sisters, wearing their cosplay uniforms, gave slight heartwarming smiles, and as one gave a silent nod of approval, glancing at Sheou who looked disapprovingly at him but sighed, nodding in acknowledgement of his decision.

"Very well young master... but please... take care of yourself, don't take any unnecessary risks."

"Thanks, Sheou, and don't worry I will be careful~!" He said with a smile. "So, Chancellor, how can me and my friends help you?"

As they all resumed talking, Sheou chose to remain silent and stepped back so she was no longer a part of the conversation or the scene with those in the café. However, out of the corner of everyone's eyes, the other maids glanced and saw that even though she had a worried expression on her face, she was smiling proudly at Joseph.

And so, Joseph and his friends listened in and came up with a plan to draw out this 'mystery duelist'.

"So, let's go over our plan again, I'll be sitting in the field at the crossroad between Slifer Red dorm and Duel Academy, leading to both as well as the pier, pretending to be doing some astrology homework at night. There's a stretch of woods that someone can hide in and keep an eye out for me." Joseph said hours prior to him 'actually' sitting in that field, a telescope in front of him and some random papers to write on.

"And that'll be me, keeping an eye on Joseph ready to catch the perpetrator in the act." Alexis said, also hours prior to hiding behind some trees, watching Joseph's back. "With me will be Sheou, who'll keep an eye on both of us."

"I'll be right there if you need me young master." Sheou said warmly.

"Why can't I be the lookout, I'm the sidekick here!" Syrus complained.

"Because 'you're' going to act as bait, duh, you'll be hanging near the hill just past Ra Yellow, telescope in hand and doing the same homework as Joseph." Chazz interrupted. "A 'Slifer' is most likely the next target, so we need Slifers to be the bait."

"And just so Syrus isn't alone and gets scared of something he heard, I'll be watching from Ra Yellow's roof with a pair of binoculars and a walkie-talkie to communicate with him." Bastion said many hours ago, prior to his current location being on the roof of Ra Yellow Dorms, watching Syrus with a walkie-talkie in hand. "I'll also be there to step in and duel if someone suspicious shows up, as well as to catch the perpetrator red handed."

"Don't I have a say in this?" Syrus asked.

"No of course not, because 'I'm' going to be chillin like a villain at the crossroad between Obelisk Blue Boys dorm and Duel Academy." Chazz said hours before he was currently found, sitting in a lounging chair and drinking a cup of Blue Eyes Soda.

"And I'll be hiding in an empty trash can nearby... just in case Chazz needs me." Chumley said before he was... very inconspicuously hidden inside of a very large trash can that had two holes for his eyes to see through just within visual range of Chazz.

Joseph kept looking up at the stars above them, yawning tiredly as he pretended to write down the names of constellations he could see and sketching them with time indexes, as well as writing various facts about them. It was very boring, sitting and waiting to be attacked with his duel disk strapped to his arm. The only thing keeping him going 'was' that constant threat at the back of his mind, knowing that at any moment he could be threatened and challenged to a duel.

He had sounded brave earlier... but now he was getting worried, he was afraid of dueling and potentially risking his cards.

The first attack, only a lowly Revival Jam was lost, the second attack many cards were lost... and their cards weren't the rarest or nearly as precious as his Dragonmaids were to him. If anything happened to them...

'Master?'

He glanced over and saw Nudyarl looking at him with a worried smile.

'How are you feeling master?'

"Tired... wish this guy would show himself so we can catch him and get it over with." He muttered

'Master, can we ask you if you're worried about... 'us'?' Nudyarl questioned him as the other Dragonmaids began showing up around her.

"Worried that I took a huge risk doing this when I didn't need to, knowing I'm risking you girls getting hurt or your cards being taken and..." He said before shutting himself up, not wanting to say the obvious. "Yea... I am really sorry for taking this risk... I shouldn't have put you girls in danger but... I just can't stand by and let other students get hurt without 'trying' to do something to help."

'Master, we're not upset, not in the least!' Nudyarl said cheerfully.

'Yea, in fact we're super proud of you, standing up the way you did!' Ernus declared happily.

'It was very macho of you, and nothing says 'I'm awesome' like standing up for your fellow students!' Tinkhec told him with a smirk.

'Point is master, we'll help you no matter what you decide, as your Dragonmaids we will always follow in your shadow... lighting the path upon which you choose to walk!' Nudyarl said proudly. 'If you need to take a risk with 'us' to help achieve your goal, we accept that risk, we're with you all the way no matter your choice!'

He chuckled as he scratched Nudyarl's head and pet her, causing her to purr lovingly. "Thanks a lot girls, I promise I won't let anything bad happen to you."

'How come 'we' don't get head pats; I want head pats!' Lorpar squealed angrily, but it was more 'play' anger.

'Yea I want a head pat, give me one!' Tinkhec demanded playfully as well.

'Give me one too, I want one!' Ernus pleaded.

He chuckled at their demands and began patting and scratching them one by one, causing them to purr and sigh happily at his touch.

They were like that for a while before suddenly all of the Dragonmaids and Joseph snapped their heads and looked in the same direction. The cause of this sudden attention to their surroundings was a twig snapping nearby, resulting in them looking in the same location. The source of their gaze was a student by the looks of it, standing just behind him, a stick in their hand that they had snapped in two to get his attention.

Their face was concealed by a bandana, they wore heavy lidded sunglasses, they wore a mismatched set of Duel Academy uniforms, Slifer Red pants, Ra Yellow shirt, Obelisk Blue blazer, and covering their body from head to knee was a heavy robe made up of bits and pieces of Duel Academy jerseys all sewed together.

"Well well, a Slifer Red all alone at night, my lucky day... a new target for another 'tribute'." They said as they tried to disguise their voice by constantly changing its tone, pitch and making it sound hoarse. "And it's not 'any' Slifer, but someone I've been wanting to make 'suffer' for the longest time... Joseph Takara of Slifer Red!"

"Okay you can drop the voice change routine 'ma'am'..." He said as he instantly saw through the disguise.

"Wh-what?" They said, breaking character. "How could you..."

"Uh hello, I've lived with girls my 'entire' life, especially 'cosplaying girls'?" He said with a smirk, a smirk matched by his Dragonmaids.

'And another one can't hide their identity from Master Joseph~!' Ernus said with a grin.

'You think a bunch of stitched together shirts and mismatched uniforms will fool us.' Tinkhec muttered with a smirk.

'It's almost midnight and 'still' they can't get up early enough to fool our master~!' Nudyarl chuckled.

'As long as he has cuties like us in his deck, we'll never be fooled~!' Lorpar said past a big smile.

"W-h-how did you figure it out?" They demanded.

"For starters, how you stand... girls stand differently than boys." Joseph said as he began scowling, the 'fun' part of the encounter was over, now came the part where he unmasked his opponent. "Now spill it, who are you, and why are you attacking innocent students for no reason?"

"Tch, well since you figured that out, I guess we can just forgo the formalities and get things started! I initiate a Shadow Game!" They shouted, raising their hand which had a golden wristband on it, and snapped their fingers.

Instantly afterwards, a ring of fire erupted starting from behind the girl with a mysterious 'whirl' sound as it began to envelop them. The flames were purple in origin, confusing him as they completely encircled him, because despite being in the middle of a dry grassy field the grass didn't catch on fire, and neither was there any smoke to be seen or smelled. It was almost like the fire wasn't there, but he could still feel the heat as it pushed him away with how hot it was and how hot it felt.

His Draconic friends looked shocked and floated closer, almost looking terrified as they beheld the flames. They shuddered in fear as they were surrounded with no escape.

Then the 'fog' began to roll in.

As this was going on Alexis from the nearby tree line as the mystery duelist showed themself, pulling out her academy issued phone and calling the others to hurry on over.

"Alright, now all Joseph has to do is unmask them and..."

"Alexis, please keep an eye on my young master for me, I must... go and inform campus security, I shall return soon after!" Sheou said suddenly and quickly ran off.

"Wha-but..." Alexis replied, not getting a chance to respond before the maid was gone. "How does she move so fast in that dress?"

Suddenly she heard a strange whirling sound and turned to see a fire rise up, expanding and circling Joseph and his mystery opponent without any signs of 'anything' causing it. It simply just appeared, as quickly as she could imagine, and just as quickly it encircled and trapped the two duelists within its confines. Then a strange purple fog began enveloping and enshrouding those within.

"Joseph!" She tried to call out and ran to try and help, but by the time she reached them both he and his opponent were completely consumed by that fog which took on a dark spherical appearance, blocking all vision into its confines.

Strange blots of purple and black colors flowed around the strange barrier with tiny volts of lightning it seemed striking out and denying anyone outside from approaching. Unafraid Alexis set her expression and tried running through it, heading to where she last saw Joseph standing. Instead of being inside the sphere she found herself suddenly looking at grass and trees, causing her to stop and look behind her as said foggy sphere was now 'behind' her. Undaunted she tried again, turning around and running at it as fast as she could, instead she found herself now back where she was prior.

"What... what is going on here?" She asked in confusion. "I don't know why... but for some reason I have the sneaking suspicion... that we're not allowed inside."

Inside the sphere, Joseph was looking around him in deep confusion, but also impressed with the effects that this guy was pulling off.

"Whoever you are, you could really go into special effects, this is one of the most realistic holographic environments I've ever seen." He muttered, though his Dragonmaids looked nervous and afraid.

'Master, I don't think this is a hologram...' Lorpar whispered fearfully.

"A hologram... you really think this is all a hologram?" Their opponent said casually. "If it's a hologram then why don't you try walking out... go ahead."

"Oh please, leme guess, this is where you say something like 'once a shadow duel has begun, the only way out is for you to beat me' right?" He said with a smirk. "Please, I've already been challenged to a 'shadow game' before, and it turns out that guy was just a big phony, there are no such things as Shadow Games. Whoever you are, you're not scaring or impressing me with your routine."

"Then you have nothing to lose by trying to walk away..." They said again. "Go ahead, if you manage to leave then I'll reveal my true identity..."

"Alright, just to prove you wr-AAAARGh!" He screamed in pain as he tried walking away, but the instant he took one step his hand was jabbed with lightning and it severely burned him!

'Master!' His Dragonmaids screamed in fear as they looked at his hand, and saw the severe burn mark left upon it.

'Your hand...' Nudyarl moaned fearfully.

He shuddered as he looked at the red burn mark left upon his hand, he looked over at his opponent who slowly removed their bandana to reveal a sadistic smile, which grew only wider as 'she' knew that comprehension was dawning upon him.

This was 'not' an illusion, this was 'real'.

"How... how did..." He stuttered as she returned the bandana to her face.

"A 'Shadow Game' does not end until the one who initiated it is defeated or declares victory." She said sadistically. "And once a Shadow Game is initiated, neither of us is allowed to leave until it is concluded. If you try to leave before it's over... well... you see the consequences are quite 'harsh'. That was just a warning... the next time will be more... severe. So, boy... ready to 'get your game on'? Of course, I won't just duel you, there must be stakes or else there's no point to a Shadow Game... so if I win, I want one of your cards... but not any card... I want one that special summons a monster."

"F-f-fine... I wager my Masked Dragon!" He said fearfully as he gently cradled his burnt hand.

"Tsk, too scared to wager one of your oh so precious Dragonmaids huh, should have known... 'fine'... and if you win, you get to walk out of here with my identity." She said as she held her arm up, revealing an Academy issued Duel Disk. "Now with the rules established, let the Shadow Game Commence!"

Joseph nodded as his good hand activated the duel disk, glad that his good hand was spared being burned. His Dragonmaids vanished as the duel was about to begin, his duel disk set his life points, his deck was shuffled and his opening hand was distributed to him. His opponent's duel disk activated, set her life points and then shuffled her deck before distributing cards for the opening hand.

"Duel!" They both shouted.

[Mystery Duelist – 4000 / Joseph Takara – 4000]

"I call the opening turn, I draw!" Joseph declared as he drew his first card.

[Masked Dragon, Dragonmaid Tinkhec, Cyber Dragon Vier, Dragonmaid Welcome, Numinous Healer, Dragon Shrine]

"Alright, I start off with my Dragon Shrine magic card, this lets me send one Dragon from my deck to the grave, and I'm sending Dragonmaid Lorpar!" He declared as Lorpar was extracted and sent to the grave. "Next, I activate the Dragonmaid Welcome magic card, this gives my monsters a power boost and other nifty effects depending on the number of Dragonmaids I have on the field. After that I'm placing one monster face down, and one card face down to end my turn!"

On the field two holographic cards appeared, Masked Dragon in defense mode, and Numinous Healer.

"Hmhmhmh, I 'draw'..." His opponent said with a chuckle. "I play the magic card, Pantheism of the Monarchs!"

On the field a magic card featuring a split image of two powerful individuals with their arms raised, one with their hand open as the world burned around them, the other clasping a staff as life flourished.

"This magic card lets me send one of my 'Monarch' spell or traps from my hand to the grave... to draw 2 additional cards." She said as she took another card from her hand. "And I choose to discard 'The Prime Monarch'!"

She discarded her card and drew two cards, and she chuckled as she saw what she drew.

"Hmhmhm, this is going to be 'fun'... I activate the effect of my Pantheism of the Monarch, now, by banishing it from my grave, I can select up to three Monarch spells or traps, and have you select one to add to my hand! Too bad I'm not going to give you a choice." She declared as she pulled three cards from her deck and placed them on the field.

The three cards were all the same, [Tenacity of the Monarchs x 3].

"Wha... but... then no matter what I pick you get the same card?" He said in shock.

"That's the idea, so let's skip the formality of you picking and add one to my hand~!" She said as she took one of the cards and placed the other two into the deck. "Next I 'activate' that Tenacity of the Monarchs spell that you oh so happily picked of your own accord."

[Tenacity of the Monarchs, is a spell card that lets you reveal 1 monster in your hand with 2400 atk and 100 def, or 2800 atk and 1000 def, to add 1 Monarch spell or trap to your hand from your deck, but you cannot select Tenacity of the Monarch, or activate its effect more than once per turn.]

"Now then... I reveal from my hand, Zaborg the Thunder Monarch in my hand, to add Return of the Monarchs from my deck to my hand! Now I 'play' Return of the Monarchs!" She declared as the magic card appeared on the field. "With that in play, I now activate my monster's effect, I special summon Mithra the Thunder Vassal."

On the field lightning erupted from the ground as a golden yellow light shown, and from that light a woman clad in purple clothes, a yellow gown, and wearing a mask which only showed red glowing eyes while a special head dress sat behind her.

[Mithra the Thunder Vassal, lvl 2, Light Attribute, Thunder Type, Effect Monster, 800 Atk / 1000 Def]

"For someone who hates Special Summoning, you sure use it yourself." He commented.

"The difference is, I only use it when I must, you however... all you know how to do IS special summon... endlessly, you've forgotten the true origins of this game and you've abandoned your roots and how this is supposed to be played... but I'll remind you soon enough." She said with hint of distaste in her voice. "Due to Mithra's special ability, since she was summoned successfully, I can now special summon one Vassal Token... but to 'your' side of the field!"

Mithra clapped her hands together before launching a ball of electricity at his side of the field, which shimmered and wavered before it coalesced into an exact copy of Mithra, looks and all, but she was placed in defense mode, indicated by the fact that her arms were crossed and she was kneeling.

[Vassal Token, lvl 1, Light Attribute, Thunder Type, Token, 800 Atk / 1000 Def]

"Okay, so you gave me a token, why?" He asked curiously.

"Awww what's the matter, you don't like my gift? Well then, my vassal has another special ability, but we'll get to that later..." She declared as she took another card from her hand and played. "Now allow me to reveal to you yet another of my 'Vassals'... Berlineth the Firestorm Vassal! Now by discarding one card from my hand, I can special summon him to my field! I discard 'another' Pantheism of the Monarchs to special summon my Firestorm Vassal!"

On the field a swirling circle of fire erupted and rose, and as it began to die down a man with similar clothes and armor to Mithra stood, but around his arms were swirling vestiges of fire.

"Now then, the time has come... I Tribute summon you Zaborg the Thunder Monarch, accept my offering of Mithra the Thunder Vassal!" She declared as Mithra raised her arms and was enveloped by electricity, and as she was a MASSIVE bolt of lightning struck her.

He watched as his opponent laughed and cackled as a massive being rose before him, clad in white armor and with a yellow robe flowing from his waste, with bolts of lightning constantly firing from his hands as he looked down upon Joseph, crossing his arms as he was finished being summoned. Her 'Monarch' stood tall, taller than he was expecting.

[Zaborg the Thunder Monarch, lvl 5, Light Attribute, Thunder Type, Effect Monster, 2400 Atk / 1000 Def]

"And now my monarch Zaborg, activate your effect, when he is tribute summoned, I can target one monster on the field... and DESTROY IT!" She declared.

Zaborg raised his hand and pointed it at Joseph's face down monster and struck it with lightning, revealing it to be Masked Dragon. He grimaced as his monster was destroyed, but since it wasn't destroyed in battle, only by card effect, its effect was not triggered.

"And that's not the only effect, due to the effect of Mithra, since she was tribute summoned, I can now tribute summon 'another' monster this turn in addition to my normal summon. On top of that, since I tribute summoned a monster, Return of the Monarch now activates, so now I can select a monster with 2400 or 2800 attack, as well as 1000 defense from my deck to my hand, and I choose Thestalos the Firestorm Monarch!"

A card was added to her hand.

"Now I tribute summon once more, Thestalos I offer you Berlineth my Firestorm Vassal as a tribute!" She declared, and Berlineth was wrapped in flames.

From the field a massive pillar of fire erupted and another monarch stood tall, wrapped in fiery red armor, a blazing red cloak and folding his arms empirically, her next 'monarch' emerged.

[Thestalos the Firestorm Monarch, lvl 6, Fire Attribute, Pyro Type, Effect Monster, 2400 Atk / 1000 Def]

"And now, just like Mithra, when Berlineth is used as a tribute for a tribute summon, his effect activates, now I can see into your hand and banish one of your monsters, if you have any that is..." She said, and on the field two holographic cards appeared, alongside Berlineth who held a ball of flames in his hands. "Oh, your precious Dragonmaid... oh it would be so much fun to banish her, but I have other plans for her... so instead I'll send that Cyber Dragon Vier you have from this game until the end of the turn!"

Her monster nodded and launched both fireballs at the card, and though they flew past him to vanish into nothingness, he still felt the heat from both, causing him to flinch.

'It's just my imagination, it's just my imagination, it's only a hologram...' He thought to himself as he placed Vier into the banish zone of his draconic duel disk.

"Now then, because I tribute summoned Thestalos the Firestorm Monarch, his effect activates... his majesty now sends a card from your hand to the graveyard. Since I know you only have one card in your hand, and it's a monster to boot... hehehe..." She said as Thestalos pointed a hand at him and blasted him with a string of fire.

"AAAAAAGH!" He screamed in pain as he felt his body burning up.

"Since you were forced to send a 'Monster' to the grave, you lose life points equal to its level times 100, your dragon is lvl 8, so enjoy 800 points of searing burning damage!"

He felt the flames wrapping around him, but as he did he felt them suddenly die down, causing him to pant and look up and see Tinkhec had wrapped her wings around him in a protective shield, grimacing in pain the entire time.

'Quick master, discard me before your hurt anymore!' She pleaded.

He nodded and quickly sent her card to the graveyard, once that was done and his life points began to decrease, the effect ended and she vanished.

[Mystery Duelist – 4000 / Joseph Takara – 3200]

"Since I've lost life points, I activate my face down, Numinous Healer!" He declared and activated his trap card on the field. "Now that I've lost life points, this trap card gives me 1000 life points back!"

[Mystery Duelist – 4000 / Joseph Takara – 4200]

"So, you recovered, well then let's battle and see how much you recover then, Zaborg the Thunder Monarch attack and destroy that Vassal Token!"

Zaborg unfolded his arms and released a bolt of lightning from his hand, zapping the token and destroying it with no effort at all.

"With no monsters on the field and no cards in play besides that Dragonmaid Welcome card, I attack you directly, Thestalos the Firestorm Monarch, attack him my monarch!"

Thestalos clasped his hands together and launched two separate strings of flame at him, burning him to cinders and causing him massive damage, but the heat, the flames, it felt to him like he was being burned 'alive'. 'This can't be fake, there's no way a student could make this feel real... then that means...' He thought as the attack ended and his life point counter went down. "This... is a 'real' Shadow Game?"

[Mystery Duelist – 4000 / Joseph Takara – 1800]

"That's right, this is the real deal... but I'm going to let you enjoy the first turn of your demise, I'll end my turn with one face down." She said as she kept two cards in her hand.

He was panting as he took his card back and drew his next card [Parlor Dragonmaid].

'Master, say something!' Lorpar said fearfully as she appeared before him.

"What... was I thinking... this is way over my head..." He muttered as his hand shook. "This isn't like that fake Shadow Duel with that guy who took you Lorpar... this is real... this is 'real'! I don't think I can do this..."

'Don't give up master, we're not about to abandon you, no way, we're in this together, remember!' Lorpar said with a determined expression.

"But... what if I lose... what if she..."

'It's a risk we're willing to take, as long as it's with you.' A gentle voice said, and to his left he saw 'Chamber Dragonmaid smiling in spirit form, twirling her feather duster lazily. 'You may have risked our safety with this Shadow Game, but your conviction to protect your fellow students hardens our hearts and fortifies our belief in you. We know the risk, but as long as we're with you, we'll accept it. Now master, now is not the time for such thoughts as 'what if I lose'... we know you can win, and as your Dragonmaids, we will help you to achieve that win..."

He smiled a little at her gentle voice, her acknowledgement of his mistake, but her telling him that because he wanted to stand up to this 'student' to protect other students they are behind him all the way gave him some courage. "Alright I play the Parlor Dragonmaid in attack mode!"

On the field a pillar of emerald green flame rose, and from it Parlor Dragonmaid emerged with a determined expression on her face, wings fluttering and tail curling around him.

'I am ready master, give the word~!'

[Parlor Dragonmaid, lvl 3, Wind Attribute, Dragon Type, Effect Monster, 500 Atk / 1700 Def]

"Parlor Dragonmaid activates her effect, so now I send one Dragonmaid card from my deck to the grave, and I send Dragonmaid Tidying!"

Parlor nodded and turned to blast his duel disk with her signature energy, once it ended her powers took effect and Tidying was extracted and then sent to the grave.

"Now I activate its effect, by banishing it I special summon one Dragonmaid from my grave or hand to the field, and I pick Tinkhec!"

Tinkhec emerged onto the field in a pillar of crimson draconic flame, she roared in fury as shecurled her wings 'and' tail protectively around Joseph, snarling at the monarchs opposite them who seemed disinterested.

'Touch my master again and I'll incinerate you!' She snarled.

[Dragonmaid Tinkhec, lvl 8, Fire Attribute, Dragon Type, Effect Monster, 2700 Atk / 1700 Def]

Now that they're both on the field, my Dragonmaids gain a power boost, two hundred for two Dragonmaids!

[Dragonmaid Tinkhec, 2700 Atk / 1700 Def – 2900 Atk / 1900 Def]

[Parlor Dragonmaid, 500 Atk / 1700 Def – 700 Atk / 1900 Def]

"Now I initiate the battle phase, Parlor Dragonmaid change into your Dragon form!"

Parlor nodded and glowed, grew and eventually emerged as her true form of Dragonmaid Lorpar, who snarled and curled her tail and wing around Joseph, protecting him while glaring daggers at the Monarchs.

[Dragonmaid Lorpar, lvl 8, Wind Attribute, Dragon Type, Effect Monster, 2700 Atk / 1700 Def]

[Dragonmaid Lorpar, 2700 Atk / 1700 Def – 2900 Atk / 1900 Def]

"Dragonmaid Lorpar take out Thestalos the Firestorm Monarch!"

Lorpar roared as she unleashed fiery destruction against her target, destroying the monarch and causing their opponent the same burning flame that Joseph suffered.

"Graaaaaaargh..." They moaned as their life points fell.

[Mystery Duelist – 3500 / Joseph Takara – 1800]

"Not too shabby, but your pathetic excuse for monsters will NOT stop me from ridding this world of their kind's filth!" They shouted as the battle phase ended and Lorpar returned to her maid form, but in defense mode.

"I end my turn, now due to the effect of my tidying trap card, Tinkhec returns to my hand."

Tinkhec nodded as she vanished in a cascade of lights, but in her place Parlor spread her wings to ensure he had as big a shield as could be had to protect him.

"Good now it's my turn..." She said as she drew her next card.

Outside of the bubble field, Alexis and the others were staring at it and trying to figure out how to get around or get inside of its confines.

"I can't tell what this is, but just based on your story... I would gather that this thing is beyond the realm of science." Bastion said.

"Oh really, what was your first clue Sherlock, the fact that there's a giant purple foggy bubble just sitting smack dab in the middle of the field?" Chazz asked.

"Come on guys we have to figure out how to get in there, Joseph could be in trouble." Alexis said.

"Well, if we can't get in there what else 'can' we do?" Bastion said. "We've tried running at it, throwing random objects, heck we even tried sacrificing Syrus' jacket to see if we could have some effect on it."

"Why did 'my' jacket have to be the one we had to risk?" Syrus asked indignantly.

"Point is we got 'nothing' on this, and it's getting on my nerves." Chazz said in frustration, even as Ojama Yellow reared his ugly mug onto the scene.

'Boss you need to stop stressing yourself out, look at your neck, you can see your veins are about to burst!'

"Will you get out of here; you're not helping anyone!" Chazz yelled to his annoying 'friend'.

"I mean... you don't have to be so mean about it Chazz." Chumley muttered sadly

"Wha, no I didn't mean... ugh whatever, point is, this is extremely frustrating, my nemesis is stuck inside that weird sphere and I'm stuck out here unable to even shout at him!" Chazz screamed in frustration. "Joseph, I don't care if you can hear me, in fact I don't care if I'm wasting my breath, but you BETTER NOT LOSE! CAUSE I'M THE ONLY ONE ALLOWED TO BEAT YOU!"

"You mean 'besides' me and Bastion?" Alexis asked with a smirk.

"Whatever, you know what I mean!"

Alexis snickered a little before she looked worried at the sphere again, constantly hearing that thundering sound, as if a storm were rolling in but there was not a cloud in the sky. Joseph had been in there for a while, and she was worried about him. Joseph is good, she's not going to say anything less than that, she knows he can handle himself in a tight spot. But she was 'still' worried about him.

Inside the Mystery Duelist looked at her card and smiled again. "I play Pantheism of the Monarch 'again'... now I discard my equip spell, Restoration of the Monarch to activate its drawing effect." She declared as she did just that, drawing 2 cards after placing the two cards in the grave. "Next up I activate Pantheisms effect once more, banishing it to select three separate 'Monarch' spells and traps from my deck to have you select which one to add. Not that you really have a choice in the matter."

Once again three spells appeared for him to choose, [Tenacity of the Monarch x 2, Domain of the True Monarchs]

"I really don't like you; you know..." Joseph muttered.

"Sticks and stones now pick from my three bones." She countered.

"Fine, you can have that one, Tenacity of the Monarch!"

She extracted the card and snickered. "What a lovely choice, now I activate it, revealing one of my Monarchs... I reveal Mobius the Frost Monarch, now I add one Monarch spell or trap from my hand, and I pick, Domain of the True Monarchs! Which I'm going to activate immediately..."

As she played the field spell the ground and space around them became warped started shifting and shaping. While the purple fog remained, the ground and even the space around them became cold and dark. It looked like everything was cast in shadow and darkness. Above their opponent a single ray of light shined down, lighting the area around them but all he could see was emptiness and shadow beyond the confines of their little space. But behind her was something... just out of sight, just beyond his vision, something made of stone that he could not see.

"I activate my trap card now, The First Monarch, allowing me to special summon it as a Trap Monster!"

[The First Monarch is a trap card that allows you to special summon it as an effect monster, with 1000 attack points, and 2400 defense points. It also carries the effect where if you discard 1 card you can declare an attribute, and it becomes that attribute. Then if it is used as a tribute, it can count as 2 tributes for a monster with the same attribute.]

Hmhmhmh, I don't need any more tributes at this time... one is enough, now that my trap has been special summoned to the field, I now tribute it to summon forth yet 'another' of my Monarchs..." She declared as her trap was wrapped in a frozen pillar of ice. "Come forth Mobius, accept my tribute and join me on this field of battle!"

The pillar of ice exploded and a wave of freezing cold air and shards of ice, Parlor saw them and spread her arms and wings as wide as possible, absorbing as many of the shards as possible so he was not harmed. But the freezing cold air still stung him.

Mobius stood before him, eyes glowing yellow and wrapped in cold silvery white armor, a flowing blue cape adorning him and waves of cold air leaving him as he looked down upon him and Parlor.

[Mobius the Frost Monarch, lvl 6, Water Attribute, Aqua Type, Effect Monster, 2400 Atk / 1000 Def]

"Now that my new monarch has appeared, I play yet 'another' spell card, March of the Monarchs, as long as this magic card is in play, my Tribute Summoned Monsters cannot be destroyed by card effects, and neither of us can target t hem with card effects! Next because I tribute summoned a monster, Return of the Monarchs now activates... and I choose to add a new monarch to my hand. I think I'll add Angmarl the Fiendish Monarch!"

She revealed a new monster which was then added to her hand.

"And don't think for a moment I've forgotten about Mobius' effect, when he is tribute summoned he can destroy up to 2 spell or traps on the field... so say goodbye to that Dragonmaid Welcome of yours!"

Mobius raised his hand and pointed it at his field, blasting his cards with a blast of ice and snow, freezing Welcome and destroying it.

"Next, I play one more magic card from my hand, Card Advance!"

[Card Advance is a spell card that lets you look at the top five cards of your deck and rearrange them in the order of your choosing. You can then tribute summon one monster in addition to your normal summon/set this turn. But you can only gain this effect once per turn.]

"Now then, I look at my deck, but I see no reason to rearrange them, after all I activate my trap card, The Prime Monarch from my grave. By banishing my Tenacity of the Monarch spell card, I can special summon this card as a monster!"

Another trap monster appeared on the field, her 'Prime Monarch' trap card in defense mode.

"Now I tribute summon it, thanks to the effect of Card Advance... now come forth Angmarl, accept my tribute and bring devastation to my enemy!"

In a blaze of dark energy a new monarch, clad in black armor with a tattered blood-red cape and menacing red eyes rose from a kneeling position to stand next to Mobius.

[Angmarl the Fiendish Monarch, lvl 6, Dark Attribute, Fiend Type, Effect Monster, 2400 Atk / 1000 def]

"I think I'll skip his effect this turn... there is nothing I need in my graveyard again... this duel is about to end afterall. Now it's time to battle..."

"I activate my Parlor Dragonmaid's ability, she transforms into her true dragon form, Lorpar!" He said instantly.

Parlor nodded and once more appeared as her true form of Lorpar.

[Dragonmaid Lorpar, lvl 8, Wind Attribute, Dragon Type, Effect Monster, 2700 Atk / 1700 Def]

With that Lorpar snarled and roared, daring their opponent to attack.

"Your dragon looks ready to dance... let's begin shall we, I attack with Zaborg the Thunder Monarch!" She declared. "And just so you understand the futility of your situation, my field spell has a special effect, any Tribute Summoned monster that 'I' control attacks a monster of yours, it gains 800 attack during the damage step. So, say goodbye to your pathetic Dragon... Zaborg attack his Dragonmaid Lorpar NOW! Lightning Strike!"

Zaborg gathered a surge of electricity into his hands and then launched them at Lorpar who launched her counter attack.

[Zaborg the Thunder Monarch, 2400 Atk / 1000 Def – 3200 Atk / 1000 Def]

"Hehaahaha-wha?"

Joseph's opponent watched as a duo burst of emerald and crimson flame pushed back the lightning surge to incinerate an off guard Zaborg, destroying him and dealing burning damage upon her.

[Mystery Duelist – 2000 / Joseph Takara – 1800]

"Impossible, how did you..." She shouted until she looked at Lorpar, who was grinning as she stayed near her Joseph, smirking as her wings continued to shield him from any potential harm.

[Dragonmaid Lorpar, 4700 Atk / 1700 Def]

"How did her attack points rise, that's impossible, that's not what they were 'before' I attacked"

"Thanks to Tinkhec, you see she has a quick effect, at any point I can discard her and target one Dragonmaid on my field, and then that maid gets a 2000 attack point boost." Joseph said as he took out Tinkhec from the grave and showed it to her. "So just as your Monster was gaining 'it's' power, Lorpar gained her own."

=Flashback=

Joseph waited until Zaborg began to launch its attack, then immediately discard Tinkhec from his hand, targeting the only Dragonmaid on the field.

As Lorpar launched her counter attack, Tinkhec appeared in spirit form and blasted her own power into Lorpar's attack, aiding her sister maid and boosting her power by 2000.

[Dragonmaid Lorpar, 2700 Atk / 1700 Def – 4700 Atk / 1700 Def]

=Flashback ends=

"Resulting in you taking 1500 points of damage, and your monarch getting a butt whooping!"

"Grrrg, you'll pay for that insolence... I end the battle phase!"

"Then Lorpar will go back to my hand, and Parlor will come back on out!"

Lorpar nodded and vanished, being replaced by her maid form who once again crossed her arms and knelt before her master to protect him.

"Now I activate her effect, I send Dragonmaid Changeover to my graveyard."

Parlor nodded and blasted his duel disk once again with her power to send Changeover to the grave.

"Ugh... I end my turn!"

"Thank you. Now it's my turn, I draw!" He declared as he drew [Cyber Dragon Drei].

He nodded and turned to his graveyard.

'I need to get House, she's my best chance in this duel... I need her power to help me win this, my Maids won't keep me safe forever. That trick with Tinkhec won't work a second time on this girl.'

"I activate Dragonmaid Changeover's graveyard effect, now by sending a Dragonmaid from my field to the hand, I can add this card to my hand from the grave." He declared and Parlor nodded as she vanished, allowing Changeover to be added to the hand. "Now I play Parlor Dragonmaid again in attack mode... and have her send another of my Dragonmaid Tidying to my graveyard."

Parlor nodded and appeared in a cascade of light, before nodding and once more blasting his duel disk with her draconic energy, sending Tidying to the grave.

"Now I activate the magic card, Dragonmaid Changeover!"

The instant he placed the card in the slot, a huge 'GONG' sounded from around them, followed by maniacal laughter. It was as though someone was 'laughing' at his attempt to play the card, laughing in amusement as he looked around with parlor for the card to appear.

"What... what's going on, where's my magic card?" He asked.

"Hehehee... oh I guess I forgot that little detail about my field spell." Their opponent said as Angmarl and Mobius crossed their arms, unimpressed by his actions. "You see, as long as 'Domain of the True Monarchs' is in play, you cannot special summon 'any' monsters from your extra deck while I and I alone possess a tribute summoned monster. In other words, you just wasted your card!" She laughed again, but it sounded way more sadistic. "Let me guess you were planning on sacrificing your maid and her dragon form so you could bring out your oh so precious fusion monster, then you'd send that Tidying to the banish zone to bring Parlor back... and then strike both of my monarchs down. You 'Special Summon' enthusiasts are all the same, you want to have your cake and eat it too, special summon all the monsters you want without paying a price. Sorry but you don't get away with that against me... but look on the bright side, since you can't activate your magic card to begin with, you don't lose it... it can stay right in your hand until you get a chance~!"

'Master, we need a plan B...' Parlor told him.

"Well, the only plan I have is just to attack now... so I initiate the battle phase, Parlor transform into Dragonmaid Tinkhec!"

Parlor nodded as she glowed, grew and turned into Tinkhec, who roared as she made ready for battle with her flames and claws.

[Dragonmaid Tinkhec, lvl 8, Fire Attribute, Dagon Type, Effect Monster, 2700 Atk / 1700 Def]

"Tnikhec attack Angmarl the Fiendish Monarch with Crimson Draconic Flame!"

'As you wish master!' Tinkhec called out as she unleashed her flames upon the monarch opposite her.

Angmarl gathered a sphere of dark energy into his hands and flung it at Tinkhec who dodged it and unleashed her powerful flames upon him, incinerating the monarch and ending his short-lived reign on the field, and dealing 300 points of damage to their opponent.

"Graaarg... this isn't over yet... do you HEAR ME?!"

[Mystery Duelist – 1700 / Joseph Takara – 1800]

"Not while Tinkhec returns to my hand and Parlor goes to take her place."

Tinkhec nodded and vanished as she was replaced by Parlor, who once more acted as his protector.

"With that I end my turn."

"Good because now it's 'MY' turn..." She yelled as she drew her next card. "Hmpf... I already 'know' what your planning, as soon as I try to attack, you'll go into that same combo as before... but like I said all you special summoning enthusiasts only know how to spam out monsters who special summon 'other' monsters. From the hand, the grave, the field, all the same..." She said as she played a magic card.

"So, I keep a few cards in my deck specifically to mess up their oh so precious plans, but first I play the magic card Pot of Greed. Which lets me draw '2' cards!" She said as she drew her two cards and smirked. "That's more like it, I play one card face down and then activate the magic card Exchange! Now we each swap one card in our hand with our opponent's."

He scowled as he stepped forward while his opponent did the same. As they met in the middle, she offered him her 'one' card in hand. [Lucius the Shadow Vassal]

"And I know what I'm taking... that 'dragon' of yours." She said with a grin as she looked at his hand.

He took her card while she accepted his card and they both returned to their own sides of the field.

"Now that you can't boost your dragon's power anymore... I'm going to go into the battle phase, Mobius the Frost Monarch prepare yourself!"

"Parlor Dragonmaid go into your Dragon form of Lorpar!"

Parlor nodded and vanished, emerging as Dragonmaid Lorpar, snarling and roaring emerald draconic flame as she prepared for battle, but she was played in defense mode.

[Dragonmaid Lorpar, lvl 8, Wind Attribute, Dragon Type, Effect Monster, 2700 Atk / 1700 Def]

"Defending won't save you from the wrath of my monarch, Mobius attack Dragonmaid Lorpar now!"

Mobius extended his arms and launched two simultaneous blasts of ice and snow, blasting Lorpar as she screamed and whethered the storm until she was destroyed. But thanks to her sacrifice, the worst he suffered was a simple chill from the wind.

"That's all I can do for now! Consider yourself lucky that you got off easy."

He nodded and drew his next card, [Dragonmaid Downtime].

"Perfect, this might help, but if what I have planned works, I won't need it." He muttered as he looked at the last remaining monarch on the field, Mobius. "First, I summon to the field, Cyber Dragon Drei!"

On the field a mechanical serpentine-dragon with segmented plates rose to the field and roared at the opposition.

[Cyber Dragon Drei, lvl 4, Light Attribute, Machine Type, Effect Monster, 1800 Atk / 800 Def]

"And now because I played it, its effect activates and its name because 'Cyber Dragon', and that's not all, next up I special summon Cyber Dragon Vier into defense mode, I can do this because I summoned out a Cyber Dragon this turn!"

On the field Cyber Dragon Vier also emerged, curled up and in defense mode, roaring.

[Cyber Dragon Vier, lvl 4, Light Attribute, Machine Type, Effect Monster, 1100 Atk / 1600 Def]

"Next up, due to Cyber Dragon Vier's effect, all Cyber Dragons on the field gain 500 attack and defense points!"

[Cyber Dragon Drei, 1800 Atk / 800 Def – 2300 Atk / 1300 Def]

[Cyber Dragon Vier, 1100 Atk / 1600 Def – 1600 Atk / 2100 Def]

"Next, I play the trap card, Dragonmaid Tidying, by banishing it I get to special summon a Dragomaid from my hand or grave to the field, and I special summon, Parlor Dragonmaid!"

As he banished his card, Parlor Dragonmaid stood once again on the field, flanked by both metal dragons who roared aggressively at their opponent.

"And since she hit the field, now I activate her effect... I send one Dragonmaid card from my deck to the grave, and I pi-"

Mid-sentence Mobius the Frost Monarch suddenly 'erupted' in a massive unending wave of chilling cold air that swept across the field, blasting Parlor, Vier and Drei with his freezing powers. Vier and Drei had their bodies coated in freezing ice and chilling snow while Parlor shuddered as she held herself tightly in a vain attempt to warm herself up.

'S-s-so c-c-cold... can't... move...' Parlor moaned in agony.

"What's going on?"

"My 'trap' activated, did you think I would 'let you' get away with summoning THAT many monsters to the field and 'not' pay a tribute of some kind, no, not while my continuous trap card that I activated, The Monarchs Erupt is active!"

He saw face up a trap card on her side of the field, one which bore the likeness of Thestalos the Firestorm Monarch.

[The Monarchs Erupt, is a trap card that negates all face up effect monsters that are face up on the field except Tribute Summoned monsters, provided the user has no cards in their extra deck, and the user controls a tribute summoned monster.]

"That's right, as long as this face up trap card is in effect, and as long as I control a tribute summoned monster, which I do... none of our monsters besides those that are Tribute Summoned can have their effects activate. Instead, they are all 'negated', so nice try!"

[Cyber Dragon Drei, 2300 Atk / 1300 Def – 1800 Atk / 800 Def]

[Cyber Dragon Vier, 1600 Atk / 2100 Def – 1100 Atk / 1600 Def]

[Parlor Dragonmaid, Cyber Dragon Vier, Cyber Dragon Drei – Effects Negated]

"So... anything else you want to try...?" They asked.

"I... I... I play one card face down and end my turn!" He said, throwing Downtime down on the field to try and do something on his next turn.

"Good, which means your precious maid goes back to your hand..."

Parlor nodded as she vanished, returning to his hand.

'It's alright, even though my monster's effects are negated, I still have 'one' monster in defense mode, and Drei's 1800 attack points will at least shield me from the worst damage, so no matter what I'll be able to survive until my next turn. Once that happens, I can play my Downtime and send that field spell to the hand, Parlor can send my last Tidying to the grave so I can special summon her back, and House with Lorpar will get me back into this duel. I just need to survive this last turn...' Joseph thought to himself.

"It's my turn now..." The mystery duelist said as she placed her fingers on her deck to draw.

Suddenly he felt a chill wave hit him as she drew it and looked upon it, the light suddenly seemed darker, and the stone... 'thing' that was sitting in the background became slightly clearer.

"Hmhmhmhm... the time has come... prepare to become a 'tribute' to my lord..." She said with a cackle. "I activate my trap card's effect, by banishing a Monarch spell or trap from my graveyard, I can special summon The Prime Monarch from my grave to my field as a monster. I banish... The First Monarch!"

Once more a swirling vortex appeared and the trap card emerged as a monster.

"Now I activate my field spell's effect... by revealing 'one' monster with 2800 attack and defense, I can reduce the monster's level by 2... meaning it only needs '1' tribute to be summoned, and I reveal... my lord... Erebus the underworld Monarch!"

A wave of shadow and cold pushed and tugged at him as he watched her take the trap card she had summoned and sent it to the grave.

"My lord Erebus, please accept this humble tribute, now grace this field with your mighty presence and bring me victory, descend onto this field, Erebus the Underworld Monarch!"

The trap vanished and all was quiet as he waited for her monster to appear, but he saw nothing... until he looked behind her. Erebus was 'massive'... clad in this pitch-black armor, sitting atop a throne that only 'now' could he see since she played his card. The light shifted to reveal his full form, as he was larger than any of the other Monarchs that she had summoned, his armor studded with spikes and plates, a flowing pitch dark-red cape that stretched from his shoulders and flowed on the ground beneath his feet. His left hand was curled and was being used as a chin-rest while his right hand idly rapped his fingers on his leg. He stared down at Joseph and his two Cyber Dragons with a look of utter boredom, simply watching and awaiting what it was he would be 'asked' to do, and then deciding if he would do it or not.

[Erebus the Underworld Monarch, lvl 8, Dark Type, Zombie Type, Effect Monster, 2800 Atk / 1000 Def]

[Erebus the Underworld Monarch, is a dark attribute monster with 2800 Attack and 1000 Defense. If this monster is tribute summoned, you can send 2 monarch spell or trap cards from your deck to the grave, to send one random card in your opponent's hand, or select one card in their graveyard or field, back into the deck.]

"So... now do you see how futile your 'special summoning' is against 'true' dueling skill." She said with a smirk as she removed her bandana. "All that time you spent trying to bring out all those monsters last turn... and I just removed 'all' of their power with 'one' tribute summon. Speaking of Tribute Summon, I invoke my Lord's power, by sending two Monarch spells and traps from my deck to the grave... I can have him send one card back to your deck... and I pick that Vier of yours!"

As she placed two of her cards from the deck into the grave, Erebus nodded, and lazily raised his right hand to point a finger at his monster, blasting it with dark energy. Vier screeched in agony before it vanished in a cascade of light and shadow.

"Now then I enter the battle phase, Mobius the Frost Monarch attack Cyber Dragon Drei! Don't forget a tribute summoned monster on my field that attacks, gains 800 attack during the damage step when it battles an opponent's monster!"

[Mobius the Frost Monarch, 2400 Atk / 1000 Def – 3200 Atk / 1000 Def]

Still erupting freezing cold energy, Mobius gathered a blast of his power before launching it at Drei, who tried to counter attack but he was overpowered and destroyed in a wave of pure icy cold destruction.

"Gra-guugh-rreaag..." He groaned as shrapnel ice shards struck his body. "No... this can't be happening..."

[Mystery Duelist – 1700 / Joseph Takara – 400]

"Oh, but it is... Erebus the Underworld Monarch, END THIS DUEL, let the shadows consume his memories!"

Erebus slowly got off of his throne, stood at a massively imposing height, dwarfing any monster he'd previously seen. Then he directed one hand at Joseph himself, and launched a powerful blast of dark energy that struck him.

"GYAAAAAARGGH!" He screamed in agony as he felt every nerve and fiber of his body being incinerated at the exact same time.

[Mystery Duelist – 1700 / Joseph Takara – 0]

From nowhere it seemed however, three feminine dragons suddenly surrounded him and shielded him with their bodies, covering every inch of him to protect him however he could. Lorpar, Ernus, and Nudyarl screeched in agony and pain alongside their master as they shielded him from the Shadow Energy of this game, the pain was unfathomable to them but they would rather endure ten times worse than see him suffer.

"What the... where did those three come from? They weren't on the field, and two of them didn't even enter the duel!"

'They are here to protect him... they sensed what I was about to do to him, and used their own spiritual bodies to shield him.' A powerful voice said as all three of the dragons vanished upon collapsing, with Joseph falling to the ground, almost unconscious.

The girl looked up as her Lord Erebus returned to his throne as the holograms of the other cards vanished.

'We have what we came for, leave...'

"But my lord, I need to get my tribute from him, the Shadow Game's rules..."

'I make the rules. That lowly 'tribute' you would have gotten is a mere pebble compared to the diamond you now hold... leave, or 'you' will become my tribute.' Erebus declared. 'I want that Dragon... now do as I command, or your wish will not be granted, and I shall find another to grace with my power!'

"Of course... as you wish." She replied as she was about to snap her fingers and end the Shadow Game.

"Return what you have taken!"

She turned to see a woman wearing a European Maid's outfit before, her with black hair and glasses as well as draconic wings, tail, arm gauntlets and horns staring angrily at her.

"You will return that card to its rightful owner, she was 'not' part of the Shadow Game's ritual of equivalent offering!"

"What the, the House Dragonmaid... but I prevented you from being..."

'What you see is a living 'Duel Spirit', I can see through her disguise... but no matter how clever you are, you cannot stop the inevitable. Just as I am a Duel Spirit, so too is she... but she chooses 'other' means to exist in this world.' Erebus said through narrow eyes. 'You will let her leave or your fellow spirit will be destroyed.'

"And why would I do that?" House Dragonmaid asked angrily. "I can stop you with my own power right here and now! You haven't the strength to defeat me one on one!"

'Because you cannot risk fighting 'me', and you know it... true your might is greater than mine for 'now'... but can you risk using your powers when your precious 'keeper' is so weakened?' He asked with a smile. 'If you use your true powers now... you may end up killing him... 'go', she will not stop you!'

The Mystery Duelist nodded and proceeded to snap her fingers, dispelling the Shadow Arena and ending the Shadow Game. As the fog slowly began to dissipate, Erebus smiled with a wicked grin at House Dragonmaid. She looked between her master's crumpled form and Erebus with a quiet and furious expression, torn between keeping her charge safe, and saving Tinkhec.

'What will it be... 'her' and your secret, or your master's life... choose!'

Outside the others watched as the purple foggy bubble began to dissipate. Alexis and company waited, wondering what happened inside. When it ended, the first thing they saw was...

"JOSEPH!" They all screamed as they ran over to him.

Out of the corner of her eyes, Alexis saw someone running off as fast as they could, various Duel Academy jerseys stitched together. It was the Mystery Duelist, but they could go after them 'after' they checked on Joseph to make sure he was alright.

Chumley helped Joseph up and everyone saw he was covered in burns, scratches, and a host of other injuries. He was breathing, barely, but he was still breathing.

"Joseph, say something bro, what happened in there." Chumley said.

"Who did this to you man, say something!" Syrus pleaded.

"Tinkhec..." Joseph muttered weakly as he looked over to where the assailant had been, reaching out feebly with one hand. "They... took her... they took Tinkhec..."

"Your Dragonmaid, who took her?" Alexis asked.

"A name, something, anything, something Joseph give us any kind of clue!" Bastion said.

"They... used... Monarchs..." He whispered feebly, before collapsing from sheer exhaustion.

"Joseph!" Everyone yelled.

.

.

.

.

.

.

'Though it is always a risk we take when we devote ourselves to a master, we do so because it is a necessity that we entrust ourselves in their care, for without them we do not have a way to survive. I knew the risk when I entrusted us to you... but no matter what I will always believe I made the right choice in trusting you. You have protected us, and thus our trust in you is stronger than iron.'

'For you are our master, the master of the Dragonmaids~'

=Next time, ? vs Mystery Duelist, Reclaiming Tinkhec, The truth of the Shadow Games!=

.

.

.

.

Took me 3 weeks of writing on and off to try and get this chapter out, I hope you all like it, and please review away, I do like criticism, even if its not the most favorable, tell me what you liked, what you didn't like etc, I am trying to write a good story and I just hope the story is good and the duels are as good at the very least.

So, the next chapter I do write will be a rematch with this mystery duelist, but I am not going to spoil 'who' will duel them to reclaim Tinkhec, it may be Joseph or it may be one of Joseph's friends who challenges them to a Shadow Duel to reclaim the stolen Dragonmaid. If enough people want a specific friend of Joseph's I may use them. Writing a Monarch Duel was very interesting, hope you enjoyed the duel~!

But otherwise review away, I go back to writing for my Pokemon stories before I do an XCOM chapter, followed by a heart of gazelle chapter and then I return to yugioh...

This writing stuff is hard...

=p.s. edit=

changed the LP counter, was an error lol - i am tired...