Jack didn't like the look of things.

As it stood, Aki was behind in the duel. She only had the one card in her hand, Revival Rose in Defence Position, and two face-downs. Black Rose Dragon had been banished by PSY-Framelord Zeta, and would presumably be banished again when Divine needed it gone. Things were not looking good.

As for Divine, he had no monsters on the field at the moment, the Brain Research Lab field spell up, the Mind Block continuous spell, a card face-down, and one card in his hand. Divine had the field set for the long run.

"Aki's in hot water here," Leo murmured quietly.

"She is," Jack agreed. "Mind Block protects Psychic monsters from effects, and it's Life Point cost is negated by Brain Search Lab. But If Aki can manage to destroy Brain Research Lab, it's secondary effect will prove destructive."

"What was it again?" Leo asked.

"If it's destroyed, it deals as much damage as it has counters," Jack said. "So once it's Divine's next turn, he'll have three on it. That's three thousand damage if Aki destroys it." Leo nodded, keeping up well.

"Divine might be protected though," he said. "He's played well so far."

"Indeed. Let's hope the card Aki drew is a good one.


Divine: 3200 Life Points.

Aki: 3900: Life Points.

Aki stared down at the card she drew, knowing what her plan of attack was. Divine seemed to be under the impression that she didn't have many new tricks. She smirked at this thought. He couldn't have been more wrong.

"Before we continue," Divine said, "I activate this card's effect! When a Psychic-type monster on my field is banished by a card effect, I can special summon this card! Go, Psychic Berserker!"

A mountain of a man was brought forth by the summon, wearing no shirt and tattered pants. He had what steel conduits in his shoulders that radiated energy, and he let out a maniacal roar as he clenched his fists. His brown hair was floating around his head, sparks flying across his forehead.

Psychic Berserker

Warrior/Effect

Atk: 2400/Def:2200

"I apologise for stealing your turn, Aki," Divine said. "You can go now."

How thoughtful, she mused to herself. She looked down at her singular card and gave it some thought, trying to figure out what it was she wanted from it. She knew what to do, but it had a secondary effect that required some thought.

Finally, she nodded and steeled herself.

"I summon Roxrose Dragon in Attack Position!" She shouted. Placing the card down, she watched as the small dragon popped to life with a cute growl, narrowing it's eyes at Divine.

Roxrose Dragon

Dragon/Effect

Atk:1600/Def:1200

"Roxrose Dragon's effect activates! When this card is summoned, I can add a card that lists "Rose Dragon" in it's text!" Aki's deck spat out a certain card from somewhere in the middle, and she added it to her hand as the Duel Disk shuffled her deck.

"And what do you plan on doing, Aki?" Divine asked, "that's seven levels between them, but Black Rose Dragon is banished until my turn." Aki grinned at him.

"Did you really think I made no changes to my deck?" She asked, making his eyes widen. "I tune my Roxrose Dragon with Revival Rose! Synchro Summon! Black Rose Moonlight Dragon!"

The wind around them picked up speed, Roxrose Dragon and Revival Rose disappearing in a flash of light together. The light they created expanded, and began to take a familiar shape. It was Black Rose Dragon, but it also wasn't. It's skin was a darker black, and it's rose petal wings a little lighter in tone. Aki made a mental note to thank Yusei for this gift. It was already saving her life.

Black Rose Moonlight Dragon

Dragon/Effect

Atk:2400/Def:1800

"What is that?!" Divine demanded, "where did you get a second dragon?!" Aki smirked at him.

"Did I throw you off?"She demanded, "I told you, my decks changed! I activated Black Rose Moonlight Dragon's effect! When this is card is Synchro or Special Summoned, I can target a special summoned monster and return it to the hand! And since he's not a psychic type, he's unprotected from Mind Block! Say goodbye to Psychic Berserker! Black Rose, remove his Berserker! Dragon Whip!" The massive dragon roared, and flew towards Psychic Berserker. With a swing of it's thorny tail, Psychic Berserker was sent back to the hand. Divine gritted his teeth at this, clearly thrown off guard by the appearance of the dragon.

"Seems you're wide open, Divine," she noted carelessly. "Sucks, I imagine. Black Rose Moonlight Dragon, attack him directly! Moonlight Spark!" The dragon opened it's mouth, a white beam of energy erupting from it's mouth. Divine could do nothing except brace for impact. The beam struck him head on, and Aki got a decent amount of satisfaction from hearing him roar in pain. She waited for the dust to clear, and when it did she got to see the fruit of her labours. Divine's closes had been torn at from the blast, and his slicked back hair was hanging over his face now. It almost felt evil of her to relish in his pain.

Almost.

Divine: 800 Life Points

"I end my turn," she called. "Go, Divine." The man didn't reply right away, his arms hanging limp at his side. It looked like he was struggling to stand. Good. He deserved this for nearly ruining her life twice. She wanted more, she wanted to wipe out that last eight hundred points and see if it ended him.

She was thrown from her thoughts when she heard him laughing. A chill went down her spine as the laughter increased, his shoulders rising and falling quickly. He finally raised his head, a maniacal look in his eyes.

"There's the strength I taught you!" He shouted, "I knew you had it in you still, Aki! I knew it!" Divine righted his Duel Disk and reached for his deck. "Good, you haven't lost your touch! Once we're done here, we can go right back to being as we were! I draw!"

Aki's enjoyment quickly turned to disgust. Her stomach churned as she realised just how much she'd enjoyed Divine's pain. Had she really not changed at all? Was she really still a psycho?

"PSY-Framelord Zeta's effect activates, returning both it and Black Rose Dragon to the field," Divine said. Black holes appeared on both sides of the field, the respective monsters appearing out of it. The tiny alley they were in was too small for both Rose Dragons, and as a result Black Rose Dragon caved in part of the building to it's left. Aki spared a glance inside, but it looked abandoned. That was good, she hadn't hurt anyone with her monsters.

"Mind Block's effect activates, so I give up 1000 Life Points to continue it's effects! But Brain Research Lab gains a counter to negate that lose. Then I activate Pot of Greed!" Divine said, "would you like me to tell you what it does, Aki?"

"Just draw," she seethed, still wrapped up in her thoughts.

"Are you sure? It's been a while since you played, you might have forgotten."

"Draw!" She shouted angrily, whipping her head up to glare at him. When she saw his eyes, she remembered. This was his whole plan. Catch her off guard, mess with her head. He wanted to control her responses, just like in real life.

Aki's eyes widened at this. Control.

Divine had always been a control freak, but the more she thought the more she realised how true it was. After all, he could have destroyed Black Rose Dragon with Zeta's superior attack power, but he hadn't. He'd opted to banish it, and would probably continue to do so with either dragon to prevent her from using them. To stop her from controlling her own board, to stress her out. And if she was stressed, she'd be more likely to make a mistake. She couldn't let that happen. She may have had the better board, but Divine was beating her in the mind games. Could she change that?

As Divine pulled his two new cards, Aki gave this some thought. What could she do to make Divine lose control of the duel? What would get under his skin? Well that was obvious.

A lack of control.

She couldn't help but let out a chuckle. She would enjoy this.

"What are you laughing about?" Divine demanded. Good, her seemingly cheerful nature had already ticked him off.

"Oh, nothing," Aki replied as she fanned her face with the single card in her hand, mocking him. "I was just thinking how silly you look over there, clothes and skin singed, talking about how it's what you wanted. Like you have any say in what happens here, or anywhere."

"I have more say than you think," he said with a smirk. It was his attempt to fight back. Aki let it slid off her back like water.

"You don't have any say," she replied simply. "You're a pathetic weasel who conned his way to the top of an organisation, who lashed out at an innocent reporter who found his secret. Let me be frank, Divine; you're just a loser. I mean really, you sat in prison for ten years and couldn't think of anything to do when you escaped, except murder Yusei and my friends? That's kinda sad." Divine narrowed his eyes at her, practically seething from her comments. His mouth still twitched upwards though.

"How is Yusei, by the way?" He asked leisurely. "I imagine he's having trouble getting back on his feet, if you know what I mean." Aki felt her temper flare, but she forced it aside. She needed to when this fight. What would piss Divine off the most?

It dawned on her. He only hated one thing more than losing control.

Losing control of her.

She grinned.

"He's fantastic," she said, voice oozing with confidence. "I healed him up nice and quick. Barely even a scar from your work."

"So why didn't the gallant prince accompany you here?" Divine demanded. Aki forced out the most feminine giggle she could.

"Well, I imagine it's because of me," she teased. Divine made a face, but she continued,."if anything, I'm surprised I can walk."

It dawned on him what she was talking about, and his demeanour changed considerably. She didn't care. She wanted to hurt him. She wanted him to hurt they way he'd hurt her. It was payback for all the times she'd woken up in cold sweats after nightmares about him.

"If it matters at all to you," Aki continued, "he's a better lover than you are. Bigger, too. You're insignificant compared to him, honestly. My only regret is that I had to waste my time with you." She smirked as she saw his fists clench. Good, she was hurting him. That was the idea. "You're just worthless to the bone, Divine. A waste all the way down." Divine grit his teeth, his form shaking with rage.

"We'll see whose worthless!" He shouted, grabbing one of his newly drawn cards, "I set a card face-down and summon Mindful Servant in defence position!" Aki watched as a small, frail looking woman knelt down on the ground, refusing to look up.

Mindful Servant

Spellcaster/Effect

Atk:0/Def:2000

"I tune my level one Mindful Servant with my level seven PSY-Framelord Zeta!" Divine shouted. The servant disappeared in rings of light, wrapping around the android. "With this I summon my old friend! Come to me! Thought Ruler Archfiend!"

Aki felt her blood run cold as the Synchro Summon went off, revealing a monster that often haunted her nightmares along with it's wielder. Thought Ruler Archfiend was a monster of a card, a demonic force standing upright on two legs with bony, solver armour on it's extremities. It's skin was bright green, and yellow accents ran down it's body. It let out a roar that shattered any remaining windows nearby, before flexing and taking an offensive step towards her and her dragons.

Thought Ruler Archfiend

Psychic/Effect

Atk:2700/Def:2300

Aki tried not to show irritation at the sight of the monster. She used to look up to Divine and this card, thinking they both went well together. Now she knew that was true, but in name only.

"I activate Black Rose Moonlight Dragon's effect!" She shouted, "when a level five or higher monster is special summoned, I can return the target to the hand!"

"I activate the effect of Mindful Servant!" Divine replied, "if this card is used as Synchro material, the monster summoned is immune to targeted monster effects until my next turn! None of that, Aki!" Black Rose Moonlight Dragon tried to advance, but was stopped by a barrier around the Archfiend. Aki could have sworn the monster smiled.

"You think just because you've lived a little you're better than me, Aki?!" Divine demanded, "you're nothing! You were nothing without me, and without you'd have stayed nothing! I'm better than you, better than all of you! And after I'm done with you and your pathetic friends, I'll show everyone! I'll make sure the world regrets throwing me aside! Thought Ruler Archfiend, destroy Black Rose Moonlight Dragon!" The monster roared in response, and Aki was powerless to stop it. She watched as Thought Ruler Archfiend tore through the new dragon Yusei had given her, making her grimace. The Archfiend's talons scrapped her arm, even though she blocked with her Duel Disk. She hissed quietly as blood began to drip down her arm.

"Thought Ruler's effect activates!" Divine shouted, "when he destroys a monster, I gain Life Points equal to it's attack!" A green glow surrounded Divine, his Life Points increasing.

Divine: 3200 Life Points.

Aki: 3600 Life Points

Make your move, Aki!" He demanded, "save your dragon if you can! You can't stop me!" Aki tried to ignore him and focus on her next move, but it was hard to do with her wounded arm. Grimacing, she raised her other hand to it and let a small glow envelop her forearm. She assessed the damage, noting it was only skin deep. Appropriate for only 300 Life Points of damage. She quickly healed herself, taking a deep breath as she did so. That was better. Looking up, she tried her hardest to come up with her next move.

"I draw," she said weakly, looking down at her new draw before eyeing her board. Black Rose Dragon was still here to defend her, and she still had her face-down to protect her. Unfortunately, her second face-down was dead unless she could Synchro Summon Black Rose again. That being said, she wasn't without a play.

"I summon White Rose Dragon in Attack Position!" The dragon was similar to Roxrose Dragon before it, save for the white petals instead of red. "It's effect lets me summon another Rose Dragon Monster from my hand or graveyard, so I'll summon Roxrose Dragon in defence position from the graveyard!" White Rose Dragon glowed, and soon Roxrose Dragon reappeared nearby it.

White Rose Dragon

Dragon/Effect

Atk:1200/Def:100

Roxrose Dragon

Atk:1600/Def:1200

"Roxrose's effect lets me search a card with 'Rose Dragon' in the text!" Aki took her card from her deck, and examined her board. What did she want to do here? She had options, but what did she want exactly? How could she get over Thought Ruler Archfiend? The monster was going to be defended until her next turn from monster effects, so that ruled out her extra deck plays. All but one, but she didn't want to risk it being stopped. That was also why she chose to resurrect Roxrose and not Moonlight Dragon. Her hand was limited, but there was one card she could play. Her eyes drifted to the Laboratory-like surroundings. She wasn't foolish. She knew that if Brain Research Lab, Divine's field spell was destroyed, he'd take damage equal to the amount of counters times a thousand. With the three counters present, he'd be dropped back to 200 Life Points.

"I play Black Rose Blast!" She shouted, placing the card on the field. The wind picked up around them as the classic card activated, "This card lets me destroy a spell or trap for every Rose Dragon Monster on the field! You only have three spell or traps up, Divine, say goodbye to all of them!"

"I activated Rainbow Life!" Divine shouted. Aki's eyes widened as the trap flipped face-up. "Discarding a card, I now gain Life Points instead of negating them for the rest of this turn!"

No. That was really bad. But she couldn't turn back, she'd already started. She watched helplessly as her Spell destroyed Divine's remaining spells, and then as as rainbow glowed behind Divine.

Divine: 6200 Life Points.

"Anything else, Aki?" He demanded. Aki stared angrily at the field, trying to not give him the satisfaction of seeing her mad. This entire Duel was not going her way anymore. The only positive was that Thought Ruler Archfiend was no longer protected from card effects. But what could she do? At first she regretted not resurrecting Moonlight Dragon, but she'd have gotten nowhere without searching out Black Rose Blast with Roxrose. She'd still gotten rid of his spell. Aki stared at her last card quietly, nodding solemnly.

"I place a card face-down," she said, "and then I switch Black Rose Dragon to defence position." The mighty dragon furled it's petal wings and blocked her with them, a protective and reassuring gesture. Aki stared at her new face-down, hoping Divine would take the bait. It was all she had now.

"That's it?" Divine demanded, "seriously? You'd better start stepping this up, Aki! I'm not going to wait for you to get serious! I draw!" Divine drew his card and barely looked at it. "I'll give you one last chance, Aki. Surrender, and maybe I'll let your friends live." Aki growled and clenched her fists.

"As if I've ever," she snarled, "do me a favour, Divine. If you manage to win, kill me first. I'd rather it then ever listening to you talk again."

"Are you really in a position to talk?!" Divine demanded, "I've got the advantage here, Aki! Thought Ruler Archfiend is stronger than your measly petal lizard, and I just drew the card that signals your demise!" Divine drew the card and slammed it onto his Duel Disk. "I play Raigeki! With it, I destroy every monster on your field, Aki!"

Thunder boomed overhead, and Aki looked up just in time to see the cement of the highway crack open, a massive lightning bolt striking the field. She was grabbed and thrown back by Black Rose Dragon before the lightning hit it as well, destroying all three dragons at once. Aki hit the hit and immediately threw her hands over her head as she was showered by debris.

"Aki!" She heard Leo call, "are you okay?!"

"I'm fine!" she relied shakily, "don't get close!" Struggling to her feet, Aki looked up at the hole in the highway above them, rebar sticking out of it. Well, their Duel was certainly no secret now thanks to Divine's powers. Looking back at her field, all she was was her shattered and open field, and Divine smirking.

"Thought Ruler!" He shouted, "Attack Aki directly!" Her eyes widened as she turned to the monster to see it charging up a bear of energy. She had no time to run before it was fired off, so she took it directly.

Aki wasn't sure if she was screaming, but she was pretty sure she was. All she remembered was hitting the ground flat on her back, staring up at the highway. Soon Jack and Leo's faces appeared over her, but their voices were muted. Were they talking, or what? She couldn't really tell. Finally, she felt a ringing in her ears, then their voices became more muffled. She was beginning to hear again, at least.

"Damn you, Divine!" Leo shouted, "That's it! Duel me instead, right now!"

"Leo!" She coughed out at hearing this, trying her hardest to sit up. "Don't you dare! He's mine!"

"But Aki-!"

"Get back!" Leo looked extremely annoyed, but he did as she asked and stepped back by her side. Jack was still propping her up, and started to pull her to her feet.

"Are you good to continue?" He asked her. Aki tried, and realised her legs would still support her.

"I think so," she said uneasily. "Don't go far, I might take some more damage soon." Jack looked alarmed at this.

"Anymore and you might lose," he said. Aki looked down at her Duel Disk, making a face.

900LP

The display of her failure wasn't helping, so she looked away.

"Do you have a plan?" He asked her.

"Sort of," she answered. "Let me go. I have to do this."

"Aki..."

"I have to do this!" She shouted at him. "It has to be me, Jack. It has to be me to beat him." Jack watched her carefully for a moment, before nodding.

"Okay," he said. "Go, put an end to this story already." She nodded, and Jack let her go. She stumbled on her own weight, but managed to stay upright. Divine was unimpressed.

"When did I say you could take a pit stop?" He demanded, "this is a one-on-one, Aki, stop asking for help!"

"Upset you've got no shoulder to lean on yourself, Divine?" She demanded. "It must suck being a vindictive loser who has nothing and no one." Divine's eyes flared, and Aki realised late that was a mistake on her part.

"Thought Ruler Archfiend!" He shouted, "attack Aki!"

It wasn't a command for the Battle Phase. It was a command for a monster turned real by Psychic powers.

Thought Ruler Archfiend's fist connected, and dust covered the battlefield.