Between My Brother and Me: Alea Iacta Est

by Green Phantom Queen

Part of the "Between" series. Duels can happen any time, anywhere and against anyone. The duelists of tomorrow never have a dull moment with Duel Monsters nor does the fun stop after the duel ends. (Fifth Roll: Molly Hale spends a night in Domino City Museum trying to stop a thief from stealing the Sphinx's Heart!) Please Read and Review!

5. So Weird

The cards used by the opponent of this Duel were all created by MultiplePersonas. All creative credit goes to him.

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If there is one aspect that all humans share, it is the curiosity and desire to know more.

How else does one learn? By wanting to know more, we enrich ourselves with knowledge, one of the greatest powers in the world.

Of course, the more we uncover, the more we question. And the more we question, the more we search, then uncover, and then question again. It's how people evolve; nothing is accomplished unless one seeks out the answers to their questions.

Take for example, investigation shows. Whether the hosts focus on criminals, ghosts or aliens, people will use what they can to uncover the truth. And I intend on following in their footsteps.

Thus, my journey of a thousand viewers starts with my first ever request from a scientist with a peculiar set of monsters based on creatures that have been recorded but never scientifically proven.

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Roll 4

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So Weird

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The setting is a haunted mansion.

To one girl, wearing an olive green trenchcoat and an emerald eye mask, this mansion is nicknamed "The House of No Return", as it is here that she changed from being afraid of the dark to chasing after it, enthralled by the strange creatures that come out at night. She stands inside the House of No Return once more, dueling someone whose deck is filled with nothing but nightmares, to which she says "Bring it on".

Her opponent, a man standing at 5'6" wearing a tan trenchcoat and fedora and with a green and black Duel Disk strapped to his arm, chuckles as he says,

"Now then, Skate. Let me ask you something...Are you terrified yet?"

His monster, Ghostrick Alucard (actually the girl's monster which was taken from her via Creature Swap) flings a swarm of bats from his cape that latch onto the opposing Ghostrick Ghoul which devour him whole while an ugly raven swoops overhead and pecks the opponent's head, the girl brushing the raven aside with a hand as her lifepoints fall.

The girl snarls, blue eyes behind that domino mask glaring at her opponent.

"If you think I'm gonna be freaked out by my own monster used against me," she says, curling a hand to a fist. "Well, let me answer that question with a title of one of my favorite Goosebumps books…

"You can't scare me!"

The girl activates face-down card, Shock Draw, and begins to draw cards. Then, she draws one more before asking her opponent (Marcus) a question, which has Marcus mutter "Monster Blood" under his breath just as...

"Hikari!" says a voice accompanied by three knocks. "Are you done with your bath yet?"

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"Hikari!" Shinji shouts, pounding on the bathroom door. In the crook of his arm is a towel and the clothes he will be wearing today. "You've been there for half an hour ready! Hurry up!"

Hikari pauses the video on her phone and sits up, water falling down her body as she turns to the door. "Sorry!" she exclaims. "I'll be out in five minutes!"

"It better be five minutes!" Shinji snaps. "We can't go out until I get myself cleaned up. What are you doing there anyways?"

Hikari pulls the bathtub plug, hearing the water drain itself alongside the remains of a bath bomb she used to luxuriate herself, before she steps out of the bathtub and sets her phone down on top of the toilet. "I was just looking over a video of mine," she answers, picking up a fluffy cyan towel from the towel rack. "You know, the one from when Serena and I met up with that Nightmare duelist?"

"You've been watching that over and over again for the past two weeks! I don't think you're gonna get more views by doing that."

Hikari pouts as she grabs a smaller towel to dry her hair. "Everyone starts off somewhere. After all, Chasing Shadows didn't immediately become the popular website on supernatural occurrences in Domino City overnight."

Shinji sighs as he hears his girlfriend opening cabinet doors and drawers for a bottle of moisturizer and the hairdryer respectively. He looks at his watch; it's almost 11:30. "You better hurry up or we'll miss out on our appointment."

Hikari, hands running through her head towel through it to dry her hair, blinks. "What appointment?"

"While you were luxuriating yourself with a cherry blossom bath bomb, you got a phone call from someone who goes by the name of Professor Seymour of the Domino Mystery Club."

"Who of what?" Hikari replies, plugging in the hairdryer.

Shinji pinches the bridge of his nose. "He said that he found your website and he wants you to come to his office for a special one-on-one interview regarding a deck he has. And thus-"

"Are you saying that I already have a fan?" Hikari interrupts, nearly dropping the hairdryer from her hand. "And he wants me to come and visit?"

"Um, that's what I just said."

"...Give me five minutes to get dressed, then you have your shower, and then both of us will be having a bite to eat at The Veldt. They're having a lunch special for their popular lion burgers with a side of golden-eyed French fries! Ooh, I can't wait! This will definitely garner more viewership for my blog!"

Hikari then starts to blow-dry her hair - indicated with a loud roar - as Shinji sighs. Ever since she showed him the recording of Serena's duel against Marcus, all she can think about - aside from how she'll steal the show as Alice in their school's production of Alice in Wonderland - is planning out how to find duelists with interesting decks. She has combed through various articles on Chasing Shadows and the Domino Duelist Database, a website that keeps track of duelists in the city of Domino alongside their win-loss records and the type of decks they use, but has had no such luck in finding anyone willing to duel her. So she has begin spreading the word about her website via links on Chasing Shadows - under a username that calls themselves "Lady Platina" - and various other sites dedicating to dueling in the chance that someone would be interested in what she posted.

There is no way that Hikari can expect plenty of traffic on her site, though. After all, it's only been two weeks since she started that blog, which she affectionately calls, Dawn of the Duel.

The name comes from how she ended the video of Serena's duel and somehow, the name stuck when Hikari planned out the website. She hasn't spread news about her side-project at school yet, but that is only because she's been busy with her job as a columnist for the school paper and selfishly using the newspaper to plug-in something like that would get her in plenty of trouble as it is.

Still, as Shinji waits for Hikari to finally leave the bathroom, he has to admit that Domino City has a lot to offer when it comes to the supernatural. Now if only he can use that site to find his brother…

Shinji shakes his head; he knows that Reiji is out there, and that he will return safe and sound. Today, he will be by Hikari's side to make sure that Dawn of the Duel has a second successful post.

And, who knows? Maybe Reiji has already seen the duel of Serena vs Marcus. Maybe he'll request a special duel against Hikari if Dawn of the Duel becomes successful.

The sound of a door opening causes Shinji to wake up from his thoughts as he sees Hikari step out of the bathroom, her blue hair now dry and decorated with hair clips of large blue diamond. She is dressed in a strapless white dress with an applique of three bright blue diamonds on the bottom left corner, a pendant of a silver Treble clef adorning her bare neck and she clutches her cellphone (which is protected by a slip-on case and also decorated with diamond stickers) in her hand. She smiles at Shinji - who is dumb struck at seeing how elegant Hikari looks - before she pulls the boy inside the bathroom and closes the door.

"Don't spend too long in there!" she says. "The sooner you finish, the sooner we can go! Ooh, this will be amazing!"

Shinji groans as he hears Hikari race down the hall before he sets his towel and new clothes on the toilet and then removes the clothes he's currently wearing before tossing them into the hamper at the corner. He then opens the shower curtain and turns the water on. Waiting a few seconds for the water to warm up, he steps inside to let the warm water soothe his body.

As he spends time scrubbing himself with soap, he feels a sudden chill fall down his spine. He knows what this is.

"Hikari!" he screams. "You used up all the hot water again!"

"Sorry!" Is Hikari's reply from her bedroom.

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Fifteen minutes later, after Shinji is clean and now wearing his clothes for today - a white zip-up vest trimmed with black and yellow on the sides, blue-grey jeans with a large black belt holding it together, and matching white sneakers with black laces and yellow lining - the two say goodbye to Hikari's mother, Ayako, and head off for lunch. Hikari has her Duel Disk strapped to her right arm - and so does Shinji, in the event that he needs to duel with her - while she looks through her blog on her cellphone and a white purse strapped to her shoulder. Shinji has a backpack strapped on him, containing all of the equipment needed for Hikari to prepare for her newest blog-post.

The two of them quickly walk to the restaurant known as The Veldt which is themed after the collection of short stories by famous American author Ray Bradbury. When Hikari and Shinji enter, they can see rooms based off of Bradbury's works-a red one room with rockets and stars painted on the walls to represent The Martian Chronicles, one room with an evening sky and the image of a black tree that bears glowing jack-o-lanterns as fruit based on The Halloween Tree, and another room with the silhouettes of a carnival painted on a creamy colored wall and the illustration of a man with numerous tattoos decorating his muscular frame that reference both Something Wicked This Way Comes and The Illustrated Man.

Most of the booths are illuminated with something called "sun-domes", bright white lamps that are perfect for those who read or use the laptop for work or recreation. There's a corner where someone in a wonderful white ice-cream suit serves fresh gelato all with a bright smile on their face. There's even a reading room with shelves of classic literature, boasting a complete collection of Bradbury's works, decorated like the inside of a haunted house (which, as Hikari notes, would be perfect for Serena to get her homework done).

After being seated at a booth, they quickly take their orders of lion burgers (Hikari requesting hers to have "All Summer in a Day", which means that she wanted hers with avocado and bacon, while Shinji wanted his "Touched with Fire", grilled well done and drizzled with the restaurant's signature hot sauce) along with a plate of golden-eyed fries and a "Death and the Maiden" milkshake (a creamy concoction of cookies and cream blended with milk for a sweet end).

As the two wait for their order, and while a narration of "The Homecoming" blares throughout the restaurant, Hikari pulls out her deck and looks through her cards. She takes one card out and sets it on the table, inspects it, then shakes her head before slipping bit back with its brethren. Then she draws five cards, sets them down, then groans and puts them back on the deck. A minute or two of this passes as Shinji takes a sip of his ice water, before he sighs.

"Hikari," he begins. "Can I ask you a question?"

Hikari stops looking at her cards and looks up. "You can ask me anything, Shinji!" she says. "No need to worry; I can take anything!"

"This has been on my mind for a while, but…" Shinji leans forward and whispers, "Why are you so obsessed with these investigations? What are you trying to find?"

At this, Hikari pauses before she looks at her cards. Then, she places her deck on the table and sighs.

"Shinji," she begins. "You know how you always go out to pursue any and all leads in regards to your brother?"

"Yeah."

"Well, I pursue all of these things because I'm trying to find the leads on some very powerful figures."

"Like what?"

At this, Hikari pulls out her phone, touches it a few times before showing the screen to Shinji. In front of him is a news article from Satellite Supernatural, a news website that talks about the strange going-ons in Satellite (or "Domino Below" for those who actually live there). The event in question happened almost a year ago, depicting a picture of an abandoned shopping district which looks like it has been hit with a barrage of dynamite struck by lightning.

"The old trafficking ring case?" asks Shinji. "The one that made Kaibaman a legend?"

"No, not him," says Hikari, scrolling down with a finger. "Take a look at this."

Shinji leans closer and squints at the miniscule text. "Crimson Dragon Signers…"

Hikari nods her head. "So named because of those strange symbols that they bear on their arms, that if you combined them together, they form a dragon. From what people have found, there's the wings, the front claw, the back claw and the tail."

"And, why are they so important?"

Hikari looks at the phone before she closes the website app and pulls up the photo gallery. She scrolls through numerous photos before she taps at one. It enlarges, and Hikari can feel her hand trembling as she grips onto the phone.

"Because I happen to know one of them," she says. "And I never thought that I would see him again after all this time."

"You know one of the Crimson Dragon Signers?" Shinji exclaims.

A few of the restaurant patrons turn to Shinji who glares back at them with an eyebrow raised. Seconds later, those same pairs of eyes are back on their phones, or menus or whatever their owners were doing prior to hearing Shinji's exclamation.

While Shinji glares, a waitress appears, handing them their milkshake topped with two straws. Hikari takes the glass towards her side and takes a tiny sip, savoring the sweet creaminess of the drink.

"Well, yes and no," she answers. "I knew him before I learned that he had one of those marks on his arms, but I haven't heard from him in years."

"Does he have a name?"

"...Kengo," Hikari answers, staring at the photo of herself from when she was five or six years old, sitting next to a boy around her age with short maroon hair and dressed like The Little Prince, a toy sword by his side and a hand on his hip. Meanwhile, Hikari is dressed like a princess (Snow White, to be precise) with a basket of flowers in her hands. "Kengo…"

"Utahoshi?" Shinji finishes. Hikari just glares at him, causing Shinji to raise his hands in the air in defense. "Just joking."

Hikari sighs in annoyance. "Kengo Kikuchi, my old childhood friend. He was always the type of guy who'd like to ride in on a white horse to save the innocent maiden from the clutches of the evil dragon or wicked stepmother. The type who always believed that good triumphed over evil, things like that."

"I see. So…"

Hikari hands him the milkshake before unleashing a sigh. "This happened a few years back, when Kengo and I and our parents were invited up north to spend the weekend at my friend, Yumomi's, onsen during winter vacation. It was situated near the mountains, so it was perfect to relax in the hot springs, or go out and play in the snow if we wanted to. For three days, it was going to be a winter paradise…

"Until Kengo opened his big fat mouth and caused nothing but chaos.

"It was just after Yumomi, Kengo and I finished dinner; we were all relaxing in a bedroom, looking at all our decks. Yumomi had some Dragon-type monsters, I had some penguins, and Kengo, ever the knight in shining armor, had all of these cool warriors. The one that was his favorite was Buster Blader, for how he would always be strong enough to stop the evil dragons that roamed the land, burned villagers' crops, horde massive amounts of treasure to themselves and steal innocent maidens. That was when Yumomi showed us her favorite card, Rabidragon."

"Rabidragon?" Shinji blinks. "That rabbit-dragon hybrid?"

"Yumomi thought he looked adorable," Hikari explains, smiling at the memory. "She said that she saw something like it in the mountains when she went with her mother to collect bamboo shoots one day. Of course, Kengo was all, 'If a Rabidragon really did appear, I would save you!'"

"And then he did something stupid by trying to summon the real thing, right?" asks Shinji, taking another sip of the milkshake.

Hikari waits as a basket of French fries is set on the table, along with a sour cream and onion dip, before she takes a fry and dips it into the milkshake. Then, she takes a bite.

"He decided to take Yumomi's precious card and then dared the ferocious beast to appear in front of us. 'O mighty dragon, come forth! Show yourself! I am not afraid of a mighty beast like you!'

"And the dragon did come.

"First came the roar that shook the ryokan we were staying in. Then, there was the large gusts of wind that sounded like a rampaging storm was coming. We put our coats on then left our room to see what was going on, and the shadow of the Rabidragon descended. It was absolutely angry at us; after all, who would dare challenge something as strong as it?

"Yumomi and I tried to tell Kengo not to fight it, but Kengo was too stubborn. And just before you could say 'Puff the Magic Dragon', Rabidragon swooped down...and took me in its claws."

Hikari sets her phone down. "I could only watch the world grow smaller and smaller as the dragon flapped its wings, taking me to who knows where, away from my friends, my family...from everything I knew. All I had on me were the clothes on my back and a backpack...and then…"

Suddenly the waitress has returned with their lion burgers, setting two plates down before walking off to fulfill another order. The lion burgers consist of the burger cooked to the customer's request acting as the head of the lion and two sliders acting as the lion's ears. These are placed on top of an assortment of lettuce leaves before the top bun of said hamburger is pressed with a food branding iron that depicts a cat's face. On any other day, Hikari would coo at how cute they are and take a photo just before takes a bite.

Not today, though.

Seeing how sullen she has become, Shinji takes Hikari's phone into his hand and closes it. Then, he slips it inside of the front pouch of his backpack, much to Hikari's shock.

"Hey!" she says, leaning across the table. "Give that back to me this instant!"

"Only when you decide to stop feeling mopey and have your lion burger before it gets cold," Shinji teases. "You can't have that type of attitude before you go live, after all."

Hikari blinks before she sits down and cracks a smile. "You're right. I can finish this story later; the Dawn of a Duel awaits the two of us!"

Shinji just smiles as Hikari takes one of the sliders off of her plate, his eyes never leaving that smile that spreads across her face even as a bit of melted cheese sticks to the corner of her mouth.

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After paying for their meal, the two take the bus to Domino University, Hikari looking through her deck and Shinji watching people walk by. He spots a teenage boy with a younger boy by their side and smiles sadly. He recalls how his brother would take him to the park on the weekends to play. And while living with Hikari is nice, all he wants to know is the truth about his brother's disappearance.

What he knows about this missing persons case is that Reiji was challenged by Kaiba on the phone and went to duel the CEO, the last words he told Shinji were to not worry and that Reiji would return in the morning. But when three days passed and Reiji never returned, that's when he begins to worry.

Three days after Reiji left, as Kaiba is being interviewed about the mysterious Kaibaman spottings at the front of the Kaiba Corp. building, Shinji pushes through the sea of reporters and asks if the CEO knew about the challenge he gave to his brother Reiji. Kaiba, instead of looking like his usually snarky self, honestly replies that, while Reiji's skill was something he has observed, he hasn't requested anything even close to a challenge.

That caused Shinji to feel as if his world has come to an end.

He is lucky that his brother won money from the various tournaments he entered, thus letting him live by himself for a few months. But the wait to find his brother, combined with the fact that the tournament winnings weren't going to last forever, causes him to withdraw from others. He becomes quiet, or sometimes lash out at others, and the few friends he made eventually decided to leave him…

Just like his brother left him.

That is the reasoning that was in his mind. Reiji didn't want to take care of him anymore. Reiji wanted to become a professional duelist instead of taking care of his brother...all of these excuses circle his head wherever he went, and there is no one he can talk to about it. This continues for months on end, and his routine of waiting for Reiji to arrive home in the living room up to midnight persists even as he was found sleeping in class and his grades dropping.

He is also picked on by the other students for his sullen attitude, and talks to the school counselor doesn't help his depression. It feels like he was going to die alone (their parents dying when Shinji was small), without anyone knowing that he just wants one question answered…

What happened to my brother?

All of this culminated into that day when Hikari, president of their class, suggests that Shinji would become part of the Animal Care Committee- with various students going along with the suggestion since Shinji didn't speak up for himself -and the boy is left alone with the rabbits that wet, rainy day. Upon taking one of the baby rabbits into his hands, all he could do is talk to it.

"You have someone who can take care of now," he remembers telling it. "Aren't you lucky?"

And that's when Shinji started shedding tears.

There is no one who can see this boy sobbing as he clutches the rabbit tighter, the clear hood of his poncho covered with raindrops as he finishes cleaning the hutch and sits there for who knows how long, not wanting to return home, not wanting to be hit with the reality that his brother is never coming back for him, not wanting to admit that he is all alone.

And then, someone hands him an umbrella. When he turns to see who is holding it, he is shocked to find it is Hikari.

"You haven't had lunch today, have you?" she asks, pulling out a plastic bento box. "Here. Have some."

It is through this small act of kindness that Shinji knew that he can finally talk to someone about his problems.

Hikari takes Shinji to her mother's office, where Shinji is handed a cup of hot tea and a towel to dry himself. When asked why he is crying, Shinji tearfully confesses the story of his brother's disappearance, how he has been waiting for Reiji to return for quite some time, how he's afraid to believe that Reiji just walked out on him. Neither mother nor daughter make any comment until Shinji finishes and the tears fall freely. Then, this is when Hikari extends a hand out and asks him an important question.

"Would you like to stay with us until we find your brother?"

The wet, sobbing Shinji looks at the blue-haired girl with shock and disbelief. All he knows about Hikari up to that point is that she has a slightly haughty attitude, is rivals with Serena over Duel Monsters and Drama, sometimes acts as a cheerleader for DCIS basketball games, and plays flute from time to time. She has above-average grades but struggles with science. She runs a newspaper article called Light the Night in the school paper that talks about any potential supernatural sightings going on.

And...she is also kind enough to let him stay at her house until Reiji can be found.

Shinji doesn't hesitate to take that hand and, after a month or two of Ayako signing papers, Shinji moves all of his possessions out of the small apartment he and his brother used to share and brings them to Hikari's mansion of a home. And that is where he has been living ever since.

Shinji sighs as he looks at his Duel Disk, drawing two cards from his deck. Gem-Knight Sapphire and Crystal Rose. Hikari had these cards sitting in a box of cards she collected over the years as she fine-tuned her deck. The minute Shinji saw them he instantly felt a connection to make a deck with the Gem-Knight archetypes. He smiles at the Crystal Rose card, as it represents how he and Hikari are now connected, and he hopes that, even after he eventually learns about Reiji's whereabouts, that he can stay close to her.

His thoughts are interrupted when the bus stops in front of Domino University. Shinji stands up and helps Hikari exit, where they walk onto the campus in the hopes of finding this elusive person. As this goes on, Hikari has her video camera ready, recording everything around her with a vigilant eye.

"What's this guy's name again?" asks Hikari, looking at various students running about and heading for class.

"He calls himself Professor Seymour," Shinji answers. "He leads something called the 'Domino Mystery Club', where they look for evidence on some of the strangers creatures out there."

"What type of 'creatures'?"

"He didn't say on the phone. He wanted to explain it to you face-to-face."

"Hmm...sounds suspicious. You sure he isn't trying to just grab a cute little girl like me for some deadly photo shootings or something?"

"If he was, he wouldn't request you to come to the university, now would he?"

Hikari tilts her head to the side in thought. "Yeah, good point."

"Oh, and he also said that some members of the Mystery Club will be meeting us by the fountain depicting a boy riding on the back of a kirin."

"You mean those two people dressed in black with those visors waving at us?"

"Yeah. How did you -" Shinji just sees HIkari point straight ahead at the two people dressed in black and visors waving at them. From where they are standing, they seem to be in their early 20s. One of them is a man with green hair, the other is a woman with purple hair. "...Oh."

"There you are!" says the woman, racing towards the teens. "We've been waiting for you! You're Hikari, right?"

"Yep! Hikari Hitagi, at your service!" says Hikari, bowing to the woman. "And this is my boyfriend, Shinji."

"Pleasure to meet you," says Shinji. "And you are?

"I'm Mary, and this is my partner Ken," Mary answers as the man, Ken, approaches them. "We are the premiere members of Domino University's Mystery Club...DMC, for short. Professor Seymour has been super excited to see you, Hikari, ever since he saw the website link on Chasing Shadows."

"Has he?" says Hikari.

"Of course," says Ken. "He's already cleared a proper dueling arena for the two of you today. Here!"

Ken and Mary lead Hikari and Shinji towards the back of the campus, leading to a large garden filled with brilliant flowers and willow trees. Shinji nearly brushes his foot against a clay statue of a girl playing with a rabbit and smiles softly at it.

"All of these flowers are hypoallergenic," Ken explains, plucking an orange lily. "Our professor is allergic to pollen, you see?"

"Ah…" Hikari notes as she spots a splash of white in the distance. "And that must be…"

Mary follows Hikari's gaze and smiles. "Oh Professor Seymour!"

The white blob looks up, revealing themselves to be a man in his late 20's with tan hair and glasses. Underneath his white lab coat, he wears a simple cyan shirt and brown pants. He smiles at the four and waves at them.

"Good to see you brought them here safe and sound!" he says. "I'm sure you've been aware of the strange kidnapping and coma incidents going on."

"Coma incidents?" asks Shinji.

Professor Seymour nods his head. "Yes. It's been posted on Chasing Shadows for a month or so, but it seems like children around your age somehow collapse on the road or in their rooms unexpectedly. I'm amazed that you haven't heard about it! Then again, it would cause widespread panic if word got out and all.

"But enough talk, I'm taking the girl with the video camera is the creator of Dawn of the Duel?"

Hikari giggles. "That's me! And, let me just say, it's such an honor to find someone who wants to help a rising star! Be honest, what did you think about that duel?"

"I found it to be quite thrilling!" Professor Seymour answers as Hikari records everything around them. On a wooden picnic table are a laptop, various papers, a mug of cold coffee and a Duel Disk designed to resemble the claws of a large beast. "That Marcus fella has quite a mysterious past if he requested those cards from Pegasus himself! And his opponent; I happened to like Phantom Investigators and was disappointed that it got cancelled just because the protagonist was a girl."

"Yeah, yeah, enough about them," says Hikari with a wave of her hand. "Let's talk about you, Professor! So, what are you a professor of?"

"Oh, right! Well, I have a Major in Medieval Folklore, but I am also a well-certified Cryptzoologist! I find it quite interesting that, despite our greatest technological achievements, we seem to be curious about the creatures of the past that seem to lurk about in our wildest imaginations!

"I wanted people to get involved with these magnificent creatures and, seeing as so many mythologies and aspects can be taught in Duel Monsters, I submitted my idea of an archetype to I2 a few months ago and...voila!" Professor Seymour produces a deck of cards from the pocket of his labcoat. "This wonderful deck has the first set of monsters called 'Cryptids' that are sure to leave quite an impression to whoever wants a challenge."

"And that's why I'm here!" says Hikari. "Are you ready then?"

"Of course!" said Professor Seymour. "Why, I could use this little duel to help educate all of the viewers about my field of study!"

"Go Professor!" Ken cheers.

"We're rooting for you!" Mary adds, picking up a piece of paper that shows a website on it. She then shows it to the camera. "Go to this website to learn about Professor Seymour's research and how to join the DMC!"

Hikari nods her head as she hands her camera to Shinji. Shinji takes three steps to the side as Hikari takes her place at one side of the clearing. Professor Seymour picks up his Duel Disk and slips his deck right in before taking his place.

"You ready, Professor?" asks Hikari. When Professor Seymour nods his head, Hikari smiles and then turns to her camera, ready to announce to the world her new intro.

"Welcome, ladies and gentlemen to the first ever recording for Dawn of the Duel!" she shouts. "The sun rises today on a duel that will sure to get you up and about, I, Hikari Hitagi assure you!

"Today, my opponent is Professor Seymour of Domino University! Will his creepy Cryptids stand against the chance against me, the Melodious Lady? We'll see about that!

"And with that, the Dawn of the Duel has risen! Let's duel!"

(Hikari: 8000) - - - - - - - (Seymour: 8000)

With Shinji manning the camera, Hikari locks eyes with her opponent then draws a card.

Okay. Hikari thinks as she looks at her hand. I have no idea what type of cards he'll play, but I better give him something that proves that I'm no pushover. Here goes.

"For my first move," she announces. "I summon Opera the Melodious Diva in Attack Mode!"

With the sound of chimes blown in the wind, Hikari's first monster rises. She has short pink hair with two yellow strands and bright blue eyes. She wears a blue sparkling strapless top and a light purple gossamer skirt with pink lining and decorated with blue eight notes. Her tiny wings let her flutter in the air as she clasps her hands in prayer and sings a high note. (2300 ATK)

"Opera can't attack on the turn she's summoned," says Hikari, "So I'll end this with one face-down card and end it there. Your move, Professor!"

"Indeed it is," says Seymour, drawing his card. "And I think I'll start off by playing a Spell Card, Jackalope Display!"

"Jackalope?" says Hikari. "You mean like those rabbits that somehow grow antlers on top of their heads?"

"Correct!" says Seymour, playing the Spell Card that depicts a rabbit with a pair of antlers growing from its head. "The legend states that in 1932, a man known as Douglas Herrick tossed a rabbit carcass onto a set of deer antlers, thus creating the hoax of the jackalope."

Ken picks up a picture of a jackalope and shows it to the camera. "But scientists also found evidence that this phenomena existed thanks to rabbits being infected with Shope papilloma virus which could cause horn-like tumors to grow all over a rabbit's body."

"And in Central America," says Mary, pulling a whiteboard into view which has a map of North America taped at the corner. "There were myths about how a horned rabbit gave up its antlers to a deer, and the two were grouped together as day signs, like the sun or moon!"

"Good to know," says Hikari, watching as the Spell Card transforms into a rabbit with a pair of antlers growing from its head. "But what exactly does the card do?"

"You'll see," says Seymour. "Next, I'll summon one of my favorite monsters. Come forth, Mothman Cryptid!"

A form begins to shimmer in front of Seymour, like a mirage. From what Hikari and Shinji could tell, it is a tall creature that stands on thin spindly legs, and has large wings of a bat. It blinks its large red eyes at them and lolls an extremely long tongue at the Melodious monster. (1300 ATK)

"Um, don't take this wrong way but," Hikari points at the monster. "Is it supposed to look like that?"

"You don't expect Cryptids to show their faces out in public, right?" asks Seymour. "And it's said that if one takes a good look at the Mothman, they could sense pure evil from its eyes. Or they suffer from prolonged fear or psychological distress."

"Okay, I'll take your word for it…."

"Now, time for a history lesson!" says Seymour. "This little guy was first spotted in West Virginia on November 12th, 1966. And since then, it's been said that they appear as omens of doom and destruction. Witnesses say that it appeared before the nuclear meltdown at Chernobyl and just prior to the infamous terrorist attack of 9/11. Who knows where it would strike next and what terrors they are trying to warn humans about…

"But for now, since I can't do anything against your monster, I'll just play one card face-down and end my turn. Which means…"

As Seymour plays a card face-down, his Mothman Cryptid suddenly flies into the sky and vanishes.

"Huh?!" asks Hikari, looking around. "What just happened?"

"Oh, forgot to mention that little detail," says Seymour. "All Cryptid monsters are Banished whenever I end my turn. They don't like staying for very long."

"You do realize that you're now open for a 2300 attack point beatdown, right?" asks Shinji, pointing the camera at a grinning Opera the Melodious Diva.

"I do," Seymour replies. "But do you know what lies within my deck, Hikari?"

"Guess we'll have to see," says Hikari, drawing her card. "Since I have at least one 'Melodious' monster on the field, I can Special Summon Sonata the Melodious Diva from my hand!"

In a burst of cerulean music notes, a new monster appears. She has teal hair and matching teal eyes with her right eye covered by a mask similar to the Bass Clef that curls upwards. She dresses in a cyan dress decorated with eight notes and slits to expose her long legs, her left leg decorated with an eighth note. Adorning her neck is a matching cravat, and on her right arm is a cerulean treble clef. She has wings that look similar to a harp with a cerulean border and light green trim. (1200 ATK)

"And as long as Sonata is on the field, she increases the attack and defense of all 'Melodious' monsters I control by 500!"

Sonata sings a few quick notes as she and Opera rise into the air. (Sonata: 1200/1000 -) 1700/1500, Opera: 2300/1000 -) 2800/1500)

"Now my monsters, attack directly!"

Opera and Sonata rise into the air, combining their voices into an ear-piercing duet that strikes Seymour's Duel Disk, whittling his lifepoints down.

(Hikari: 8000) - - - - - - - (Seymour: 3500)

"Huh?" asks Hikari. "Did you seriously take 4500 points of damage without playing anything to stop it?"

"I did," Seymour answers. "Because I have this! I activate my Trap Card, The Golden Apples!"

His face-down card lifts, revealing an apple crafted out of gold floating above a pool of water.

"When this card is activated and I have no monsters on the field, not only do I receive lifepoints equal to the damage I took, but I also get to Special Summon a 'Malus Token' that gains attack and defense points that are also equal to the damage I took!"

"But that means you have a token with 4500 Attack and Defense Points!" Shinji exclaims. "And you gain all of your lifepoints back!"

"Exactly!" Seymour answers, watching as the card produces a golden apple which hovers in the air before resting just a few feet in front of him. (4500/4500) Then, a shower of golden sparkles rains down on him.

(Hikari: 8000) - - - - - - - (Seymour: 8000)

"That's our professor!" says Ken.

"Nothing can stop him when he's on a roll!" Mary adds.

"...I'll have to end my turn at that," says Hikari. "Your move!"

"All right then," says Seymour as he draws a card. "And now, here's when I show you the real power of my Cryptids!"

Descending from the sky is Mothman Cryptid, still blurry as ever, unfurling his wings as he looks at Hikari's monsters in delight. (1300 ATK)

"Huh?" asks Hikari. "It comes back on its own?"

"Correct!" says Seymour. "And if my Cryptids are Special Summoned back onto the field by their own effect, two things happen.

"First, Jackalope Display gains one 'Cryptid Token'."

The antlers on the Jackalope Display glow before they grow a few inches. (JD: 0 -) 1)

"And then, I can activate Mothman Crypid's special ability. When he's Special Summoned thanks to his own effect, I get to destroy one face-up monster on the field…like Opera the Melodious Diva!"

"Wait, hold on a second!" Hikari exclaims, as Opera the Melodious Diva flies around in circles. Meanwhile, Mothman Cryptid's eyes begin to glow like searchlights before a large sinkhole is formed underneath the Fairy-type monster. Opera has no time to scream as she is dragged in, leaving Sonata alone on the field.

"And I'm not done," says Seymour. "Now I sacrifice my Mothman Cryptid to summon my favorite Cryptid! I play Jersey Devil Cryptid!"

Mothman Cryptid vanishes and a larger Cryptid takes its place. It has the head of a horse topped with antlers. It also has the wings of a bat, a forked tail and cloven hooves to make sure people couldn't mistake it for the Devil. It stands on its hind legs and glares at Hikari's monsters. (2200 ATK)

"Okay I can see the Devil part, but what's with the 'Jersey' in front of it?" asks HIkari.

"That's where I come in!" Ken states enthusiastically, flipping the whiteboard around to show the map of the United States. He points to the state of New Jersey. "Once upon a time, there lived a woman that went by the name of Jane Leeds, otherwise known as 'Mother Leeds'. Mother Leeds had already given birth to a dozen children and was about to give birth to the baker's dozen. Frustrated that she was in labor again, she cursed that her child must have been the devil.

"So when the child is eventually born, it essentially does a Lovecraft and transforms into a strange monstrous being that eventually killed someone and then flew out of the chimney, never to be seen again…" Ken pauses. "Actually, the last time someone saw it, it was in 1909 although rumor had it that the brother of Napoleon Bonaparte saw it while hunting."

"So even famous people can see crazy things," says Hikari. "I certainly would never want to put Serena in danger from this beast."

At this, Jersey Devil snarls and exposes its teeth..

"But you're putting your monsters in danger of his attack!" says Seymour. "Go and attack Sonata with Pine Barrens Blitz!"

Jersey Devil squawks and flaps its wings. Then, it swoops towards the lone Melodious monster before he slams her down onto the ground with his front hooves, shattering her.

(Hikari: 7500) - - - - - - - (Seymour: 8000)

"And then, my Jersey Devil activates his effect! If it successfully destroys a monster then it gets to attack again! Go Jersey Devil! Attack directly!"

Jersey Devil makes a U-turn before speeding towards Hikari once more, preparing to stab the girl in the heart with its pointed tail.

"Not so fast, Seymour!" says Hikari. "I activate my face-down card, Pinpoint Guard!"

Her card flips, revealing a massive stone hand rising from the ground with Beaver Warrior behind it.

"This Trap Card lets me Special Summon a Level 4 or lower monster in my graveyard in Defense Mode. And when I do so, the monster can't be destroyed in battle or by card effects this turn."

Emerging from the card is Opera the Melodious Diva, hands clasped in prayer as the Jersey Devil's attack harmlessly bounces off of her. (1000 DEF)

Seymour frowns. "I'll end my turn with a face-down card."

Jersey Devil Cryptid shimmers like a mirage before it vanishes from the field.

"My turn, draw!" says Hikari, drawing a card. "And I'll start war once again by playing Soul Taker to destroy your Malus Token!"

"But you also give me an additional 1000 lifepoints," Seymour notes, watching his Malus Token shatter.

"Then that's a thousand more reasons I have to beat you then!" Hikari exclaims.

(Hikari: 7500) - - - - - - - (Seymour: 9000)

"Next, I summon Solo the Melodious Songstress in Attack Mode!"

In a burst of red notes, the newest Melodious monster appears. She has bright pink skin and wears a red dress with puffed sleeves. The skirt of her dress ends with golden diamonds and a purple petticoat underneath. Wrapped around her lower arms and legs are pink bandages with golden lines. On top of her head is a red helmet with white treble clefs to resemble wings. She strikes a pose with a big smile on her face. (1600 ATK)

"And that's not all, I'll have Opera join in on the fun too!"

Opera the Melodious Diva sings once again as she floats in the air. (2300 ATK)

"Now my divas, attack directly!"

The two twirl around each other before they fly towards their opponent, eyes locked on his Duel Disk.

"I activate my face-down card, Scapegoat!" says Seymour.

Four adorable little sheep tokens appear in front of the Professor: one orange, one red, one pink and one blue. The Melodious Divas attack the red and pink ones before they return to HIkari's side. (0 DEF x 2)

"I see," says Hikari. "Since your monsters leave the field during the End Phase, that leaves you completely defenseless unless you have a lot of lifepoints or cards that can save you from a beating."

"That's the Achilles Heel for this deck, unfortunately," Seymour notes. "But don't all archetypes have one?"

"True, true," Hikari replies. "And with that, the stage is yours once again, Professor!"

Seymour draws his card while Jersey Devil Cryptid returns to the field (2200 ATK) and the antlers on Jackalope Display grows another inch or two. (JD: 1 -) 2)

"Here's a Spell Card that will get you thinking," says Seymour. "I play Confirmation Conundrum!"

He plays his Spell Card, showing numerous scientists about to dissect a poor platypus.

"I take one 'Cryptid' monster in my graveyard back to my deck to draw a card," says Professor Seymour, showing Hikari his Mothman Cryptid before slipping it back to his deck. He then draws a card. "Now if I should happen to draw a copy of that monster, I Banish them instead."

"Why would you want to Banish a monster like that?" asks Hikari. "I mean, it has a pretty nifty effect and all."

"Maybe he plans on Special Summoning it later," Shinji suggests. "If he has a Return from a Different Dimension somewhere, I don't think you'd like it if three Mothman Cryptids came to ruin your parade."

Hikari shivers. "I definitely wouldn't."

"Now then," Seymour continues. "I play my next monster, Tatzelwurm Cryptid!"

With a loud hiss, the newest Cryptid monster appears. It is reptilian in appearance, the color of mud, with front legs of a lizard and a long serpentine tail. The frill around his neck revealed strange yellow eye-like markings. Also, for some odd reason, its face looks similar to that of a cat. (800 ATK)

"This is one of my favorites!" Mary squeals, showing a drawing of a tatzelwurm. "They are said to be found in middle Europe, specifically in Bavaria and Switzerland. They are commonly called the 'burrowing lizard' and are known to be quite venomous!"

"And unlike my other Cryptid monsters, this one can attack you directly!" says Seymour. "So go!"

The strange burrowing lizard digs deep into the earth, causing Hikari to look around. Then, the Tatzelwurm emerges from the earth and slices Hikari's Duel Disk before it returned back to Seymour's side the same way it came.

(Hikari: 6700) - - - - - - - (Seymour: 9000)

"Your turn, Jersey Devil Cryptid!"

Jersey Devil Cryptid flies towards Solo and stabs her in the heart with his tail, causing the Songstress to gasp before shattering into triangles.

(Hikari: 6100) - - - - - - - (Seymour: 9000)

"When you destroyed Solo, her special effect kicks in," says Hikari. "I get to Special Summon a 'Melodious' monster from my deck! And the one I choose is the brilliant genius known as Mozarta the Melodious Maestra!"

In a pillar of light, a porcelain skin figure in a long red ballgown appears. The dress is covered with gold trim and eighth notes and pink trimming. She unfurls her wings, edged with gold as she sings a high note. (2600 ATK)

"And with an attack strength of 2600, she's strong enough to protect me from your little devil's second attack," Hikari smirks. "What do you say to that?"

"I play a card face-down and end my turn there," the professor answers. Then, Jersey Devil Cryptid blinks out and Tatzelwurm Cryptid burrows into the ground.

"My turn!" says Hikari, drawing a card. "And now, I'll use the effect of Mozarta to Special Summon a LIGHT Fairy-type monster from my hand. And the monster I choose to summon is one of my favorites! Go Aria, the Melodious Diva!"

In an orange glow, a purple haired fairy with lavender skin rises. Her dress is maroon colored with sleeves that end in long gloves and orange markings on her left arm. Her skirt is like an orange rose which ends with pink nylon stockings decorated in black lines and music notes. She has an orange crescent mask covering her left eye and a matching orange wing. (1600 ATK)

"The Professor's in trouble now!" says Ken. "Since she was Special Summoned, Aria protects Hikari's monsters from being targeted by card effects and from being destroyed in battle!"

"Correct!" says Hikari. "Now my monsters, attack his Scapegoat tokens!"

Both Opera and Aria rise into the air and after counting to three, they sing a duet that causes the blue and yellow sheep tokens to shatter like glass.

"Your turn, Mozarta! Attack directly!"

Mozarta rises into the air, her wings unfurling before a dazzling beam of light appears in front of her. She hurls it straight towards Seymour's Duel Disk.

(Hikari: 6700) - - - - - - - (Seymour: 6400)

"Not bad," says Seymour, clapping his hands. "But, if I were to give you some advice, you should've attacked directly with Aria instead of Mozarta."

Hikari raises an eyebrow. "And why's that?"

"Because if you did, I wouldn't be able to effectively use my face-down card! I play Damage Gate!"

Hikari's eyes widen at the well-known Trap Card (as she herself has a copy of it in her deck) all while her opponent grins..

"Now I get to summon one of my more powerful Cryptids!" says Seymour. "Come to the field, Mokele-Mbembe Cryptid!"

At his words, a large fuzzy green image appears in front of him. Seconds later, Hikari cranes her neck up to see a sauropod, a dinosaur with a long neck and tail along with four stubby legs, appear in front of her, chewing on some leaves. On its back is a spiny sail and is strange eye markings on its shoulders. It lowers his head to eye Hikari and growls. (2400 ATK)

"So…" says Hikari, noticing how the monster eyes her. "Is he like the cousin to the Loch Ness Monster or something?"

"You could say that he's the African equivalent to Nessie," says the Professor. "Known as 'One who stops flows from the rivers', he resides in the Congo river and was said to attract lots of attention in the 20th century when dinosaur mania was running wild."

"Oh. And speaking of the Loch Ness Monster…"

"Ah, dear Nessie. Now that's a monster I should not make mention of if we have some very sensitive folk out there who are like the kinds of people who want to deny that pro wrestling is fake."

"...Right," Hikari mutters. "I guess that's all I can do. Your move."

Seymour draws his card while his two Banished Cryptid monsters return to the field. His Jackalope Display has the antlers grow even taller. (JD: 2 -) 4)

"Now I get to activate the effect of Tatzelwurm Cryptid," says the Professor. "When Tatzelwurm Cryptid is Special Summoned by his own effect, you have to send the top card of your deck to the graveyard."

Hikari wordlessly draws her card, which happens to be Polymerization, and slips it into the graveyard.

"Also, quick question," says Seymour. "Why do you use Melodious monsters?"

"Oh, that's pretty easy," Hikari answers. "I like music and performing! Ever since I was young, music has been a part of my life. This is kinda embarrassing, but my first experience with music happened to be when my mom took me to a festival when I was five. I heard someone play a beautiful melody from an ocarina and I begged my mother to buy me one. She relented after four or five times and I never regretted it.

"After that, I spent every day learning each and every song that came with the ocarina until I could play it in my sleep. In fact, I wowed my school's talent show when I played each and every melody with my eyes closed! I later learned that all of those brilliant ocarina songs came from a video game, but to me, they were just so magical.

"So it became a no-brainer when I learned of these Melodious monsters. Dueling with music in mind? I'd take it! Plus, having a deck by my side would be good if I have to face any threats that come my way."

"From the way you word it, it seems as if you've had some strange encounters of your own," Seymour notes. "Tell me, have you ever had to use your music to soothe a savage beast?"

At this, Hikari pauses, her face looking like she has gotten stage fright. Then, she shakes her head.

"No," she answers, albeit with some hesitation. "But, I do play some flute on the side so if I ever have to soothe a savage beast, I'm prepared."

At this, Shinji raises an eyebrow. Clearly, this is something that Hikari Hitagi is not going to tell the public.

"Now," says Seymour. "Back to the duel. Where was I…" he looks at his cards and blinks. "Oh, that's right! I was about to offer Jackalope Display to draw a card for every 2 'Cryptid Counters' on it."

The jackalope vanishes as Seymour makes two more draws. Then, he smirks.

"And wouldn't you know it? I get to play Lightning Vortex!"

Hikari gasps when she sees the dreaded Spell Card on the field.

"All I have to do is discard a card from my hand, and all face-up monsters you control go to the grave!" says Seymour. "Aria can't protect you from that, can she?"

She couldn't, seeing how a lightning bolt immediately strikes the orange dressed Melodious monster down. Two more lightning bolts later and Hikari's field is empty.

"Ohh…." Hikari groans. "I always hated that card!"

"Then you're going to hate this more," says Seymour. "All right, Cryptids! Get into formation! Ready? And CHARGE!"

At that command, the three monsters race toward their opponent. Tatzelwurm Cryptid burrows underground then rises to bite Hikari's ankle, Jersey Devil unleashes an updraft powerful to knock Hikari onto her back and Mokele-Mbembe raises one massive foot into the air.

"HIKARI!" Shinji screams as the sauropod crushes Hikari underneath. Fearing the worst, he nearly stops the recording as the dinosaur-like cryptid walks back to his master's side and Hikari lies on her back, unmoving.

(Hikari: 1300) - - - - - - - (Seymour: 6400)

"Hikari!" Shinji exclaims and both Ken and Mary look in horror when they see the girl not respond. "Are you okay?"

After a few seconds of silence, Hikari grins before she slowly rises up.

"I'm okay!" she shouts, slowly standing up. She adjusts her dress before turning to Shinji, "I can't lose my cool during the inaugural episode after all!"

Shinji sighs in relief. Hikari can sometimes be a bit over dramatic, but that's what he likes about her (even if he will never admit out loud)

"Still alive, I see," Seymour sighs. "We'll see if that lasts on my next turn. Until then, I play two cards face-down and then…"

All three of his Cryptid monsters vanish into thin air, leaving the field completely empty of monsters once more. Meanwhile, Hikari draws her card and grins.

"First off," she says. "I'll play Pot of Avarice!"

The large purple grinning pot appears as Hikari takes five cards out of her graveyard and into her deck. Then, she makes two draws, making her hand contain seven cards.

"All right!" she exclaims. "You may have made me discard my Polymerization, but there are plenty of ways to Fusion Summon! I play my newly drawn Spell Card, Ostinato!"

She plays her card, showing a young girl in a sky blue dress standing in the middle of a large flower with the word 'riff' in front of her in golden letters.

"Since I have no monsters on the field, this card allows me to Fusion Summon a 'Melodious' Fusion Monster by sending Fusion Materials from my deck or hand to the graveyard! So now I send Schuberta the Melodious Maestra and Tam-Tam the Melodious Diva from my hand to the grave to bring forth one of my favorite monsters!"

Hikari sends two cards from her hand to the graveyard as the Ostinato Spell Card transforms into a beautiful flower bud. The flower then unfurls itself as Hikari spreads her arms out like wings.

"Rhythmic drum! Brilliant pianist! With the guidance of the baton, gather your power! Fusion Summon! Now come here to the stage! Sing the song of victory! Bloom Diva the Melodious Choir!"

The flower blooms, revealing a small fairy in a cyan gossamer dress with lavender hair curled upwards like horns and white blossoms dangling down her hair as decorations. She opens her cyan eyes as four ribbon-like wings emerge from her back. (1000 ATK)

"She's...beautiful," Mary gasps.

"She only has 1000 attack points," Ken points out.

Hikari nods her head. "She may not look like much, but Bloom Diva holds a great power! Also, since I used Tam-Tam as Fusion Material, I can reduce Bloom Diva's attack by 500. And in exchange, I get to inflict 500 points of damage to your lifepoints!"

A spectral version of Tam-Tam appears,beating the drum three times and sending a powerful shockwave that deducts 500 lifepoints from Professor Seymour's score while Bloom Diva doesn't seem unphased that she lost half of her attack points. (1000 -) 500 ATK).

(Hikari: 1300) - - - - - - - (Seymour: 5900)

"Now Bloom Diva," says Hikari. "Are you ready to make your debut at the Dawn of a Duel? I know you are! Attack Seymour directly!"

Bloom Diva raises her hands into the sky as large pink flowers surround her. Then she flings them towards her opponent.

"Not so fast," says Seymour. "I play...False Sighting!"

His first card flips over, depicting a black-and-white photo of a long...something, emerging from the middle of the water.

"Um….isn't that a photo of the Loch Ness Monster?" asks Hikari, tilting her head.

"You wish it was!" Ken huffs. "It's an absolute fake!"

"This photograph was just a wooden floatie sticking out of the water and someone zooming in on their camera to fake Nessie's existence," Mary explains. "The things people believe these days."

"Like how a crazed loon can become Emperor of San Francisco?" asks Shinji. When everyone stares at him, he rolls his eyes. "No one has ever heard of Joshua Abraham Norton, Emperor of the United States and Defender of Mexico?"

When everyone else continues to stare at him, Shinji sighs. "Look it up after the duel, okay?"

"Right," says Seymour. "Now, this card allows me to make a copy of any of my Banished 'Cryptid' monsters. I choose Mokele-Mbembe."

The "image" of the Loch Ness Monster is quickly replaced by its African cousin.

"And the, this token gets to copy the states of the monster I selected."

Then, the Mokele-Mbembe image steps out of the card, its massive feet shaking the ground with each step it takes. (2400 ATK)

"That's not gonna stop Bloom Diva!" says Hikari. "Since you have a Special Summoned monster on the field, you take the damage I would've taken from Bloom Diva!"

"Wait, what?!" Professor Seymour gasps.

"That's right!" says Hikari. "The difference between your monster's original attack and Bloom Diva's current attack goes directly to you! And after that, Bloom Diva can destroy that monster without worry!

"So Bloom Diva, the spotlight is yours!"

Bloom Diva unleashes a storm of flower petals that slice the monster in half, causing Seymour to gasp in horror as his only defense vanishes.

(Hikari: 1300) - - - - - - - (Seymour: 4000)

"I end my turn with two face-down cards," says Hikari, placing two cards into her Duel Disk. "And good luck trying to get Bloom Diva off the stage! She just loves being the center of attention, after all!"

Seymour draws his card as his trio of Cryptids return onto the field. At the sight of Tatzelwurm Cryptid, Hikari sends the top card of her deck to the graveyard.

"Time for a bit of charity," says Seymour. "I play Card of Sanctity!"

Coins fall from the sky as both Hikari draws four more cards and Seymour draws until he has a full hand, although he does slip a card into the pocket of his labcoat. He then takes another card from his hand.

"Your Bloom Diva may be immune from destruction, but what about Banishing?" he asks. "Let's see how she does when I play Dark Mambele!"

He slips the Spell Card into the Duel Disk, depicting Dark Armed Dragon about to be attacked by an orange shockwave.

"Since I control three DARK monsters, I'm allowed to Banish one card on the field! So it seems like your Diva has become nothing more than a one-hit wonder!"

The Spell Card unleashes a similar shockwave that zips towards the calm Melodious Fusion Monster, all while Hikari smiles.

"I don't think so!" she says. "I activate my face-down card, Forbidden Lance!"

Hikari's first face-down card lifts, depicting a young woman with short auburn hair and decorated with a bunch of grapes leaning against an ivy topped column. In her hands is a brilliant lance.

"This reduces Bloom Diva's attack by 800, but it also makes her immune to the effects of all other Spell and Trap Cards this turn!" Hikari smirks. "And I don't think you're willing to risk your lifepoints to attack her, correct?"

Seymour frowns as the petite fairy grips onto the Forbidden Lance before she swings it in front of her. The shockwaves bounce back as Seymour takes his Spell Card to the graveyard. (500 -) 0 ATK)

"Your monster may not be affected by Spells or Traps this turn, but mine are!" he says. "I play Rush Recklessly to increase the attack of Tatzelwurm Cryptid by 700!"

Tatzelwurm Cryptid glows with power as he eyes Hikari's Duel Disk. (800 -) 1500 ATK)

"Go my monster! Attack her directly and end this duel!"

Tatzelwurm Cryptid digs its way towards Hikari's side, emerging seconds later to give a good injection of venom into Hikari's leg.

"You...fell for it!" Hikari shouts. "I activate my Trap Card, Radiant Mirror Force!"

Her face-down card lifts, revealing a blue barrier deflecting an attack.

"Since you have three or more monsters in face-up Attack Position, I get to destroy all of them!" Hikari grins. "Now, get ready to see the light!"

A brilliant barrier covers her side of the field as Tatzelwurm Cryptid is launched back to his fellow Cryptid monsters. The trio of DARK monsters disintegrate, leaving the Professor's field empty.

"Oh no!" Ken gasps..

"The Professor is in trouble!" Mary adds.

Seymour frowns before placing a card in his Duel Disk. "That's all I can do. You're up."

"All righty!" says Hikari, drawing her card. "First off, my hand is a bit bloated. I think I'll start off by playing Photon Lead!"

She places a Quickplay Spell Card onto her Duel Disk, depicting two well-known LIGHT Fairy monsters, Shining Angel and Nova Summoner, shining brightly in front of black and blue background.

"This lets me Special Summon a Level 4 or lower LIGHT monster from my hand," Hikari explains. "And I choose to summon Serenade the Melodious Diva in Attack Mode!"

With a twirl, a lavender skinned fairy appears, dressed in an orange dress with yellow sleeves, wrapped in a red sash decorated with green eighth notes and a yellow and orange pleated skirt. Her rose colored hair is curled into ringlets that blend with the mask over her left eye. Emerging from her shoulder is a small wing with a magenta border. A calm look is on her face. (400 ATK)

"And when Serenade is Special Summoned, she counts as 2 tributes for a Fairy-type monster. Not only that, but after she's Special Summoned, I can get an additional Normal Summon once per turn, provided that summon is used for a 'Melodious' monster.

"So, why don't we go through an old song and dance. I sacrifice Serenade to summon Mozarta the Melodious Maestra and Normal Summon Opera the Melodious Diva to the stage once more! It's time for an encore, ladies!"

Serenade bows as she disappears into a ball of light. Taking her place are Mozarta and Opera, their butterfly wings flapping lightly. (Mozarta: 2600 ATK, Opera: 2300 ATK)

"Opera is unable to attack this turn, but I can use Mozarta's Special Summon ability to bring out Elegy, the Melodious Diva for some fun!"

With a sigh, a light green skinned Melodious monster appears, wearing a navy blue sleeveless dress trimmed with gold. The skirt of the dress exposes legs covered in purple leggings. She has a lavender quarter rest over her right arm and a large lavender wing over her left shoulder. Her green hair is tied up into an elegant ponytail, with long strands of hair blowing in the wind, while one of her matching purple eyes is covered by a lavender mask. In comparison to her energetic sisters, she looks like she is mourning. (2000 ATK)

"When Elegy is Special Summoned, all Special Summoned 'Melodious' monsters I control can't be destroyed by card effects," Hikari grins. "So if you try to use your Mothman Cryptid's ability on me, then you're out of luck. Plus, Elegy grants all Fairy-type monsters I control an additional 300 attack points!"

Elegy clasps her hands and sings a melancholic song as she and the other Melodious monsters glow. (Bloom Diva: 500 -) 800 ATK, Mozarta: 2600 -) 2900 ATK, Opera: 2300 -) 2600 ATK, Elegy: 2000 -) 2300 ATK)

"Now my monsters, let's end this duel with a bang! Attack directly!"

Mozarta and Elegy turn to each other and nod their heads. They hold hands and prepare to sing….

Bit just as they are about to utter a single note, they are blown back by a loud roar from a monstrous creature, causing them to shrink back in fear.

"W...what was that?!" Hikari stammers, looking around.

"Oh, nothing special," says Seymour, flipping his face-down card over. "Just my Threatening Roar card to make you skip your Battle Phase this turn."

"Ugh," Hikari groans, slipping a card face-down. "That's all I can do."

Seymour nods his head before he draws a card. Then, a big grin appears on his face as he jumps to the air.

"All right, time for my ultimate combo!" he shouts. "First, I play Soul Release!"

A Spell Card depicting a blue-skinned green haired woman wearing a white dress appears.

"I'm sure you know what this does. I get to Banish up to five cards in our graveyards, and I choose to Banish five monsters in my grave."

I don't like the sound of that. Hikari thinks, watching her opponent take three cards out of his graveyard and two out of hers.

"And now," says Seymour. "It's time for my most powerful card. I play...Massive Hoax!"

He plays a new Spell card that depicts a photograph of a blurry figure that either is supposed to be Bigfoot or some man in a gorilla suit.

"What is that?" asks Hikari.

"Are you talking the origins of the card or what the card does?" Ken clarifies. "Because for your information, this is the infamous frame 352 of the Patterson-Gimlin film that 'supposedly' shows proof of Bigfoot."

"Uh-huh...and what does it do gameplay wise?"

"This is essentially the Cryptids version of Return From a Different Dimension," Seymour explains. "All I have to do is pay 2000 lifepoints and I can Special Summon as many Banished 'Cryptid' monsters as I can. So, pop quiz! Care to name me each and every 'Cryptid' I'm summoning?"

(Hikari: 1300) - - - - - - - (Seymour: 2000)

Hikari gulps as she sees four blurry figures emerge: Tatzelwurm, Mothman, Jersey Devil and Mokala-Mbebe. Then, she blinked.

"Wait, when did Mothman get Banished?" she asks. Then, she pauses. "Right, the effects of the Conundrum card; you pocketed it when you played Card of Sanctity."

"Correct! Now I sacrifice two of my monsters to summon the one and only Loch Ness Cryptid!"

Mothman and Jersey Devil vanish as the ground begins to shake. A large sinkhole forms where the two monsters once stood and gradually begins to fill with water. Then, rising from that water is a creature that easily dwarves the Mokala-Mbebe. If the Mokala-Mbebe is compared to a sauropod, this monster looks similar to a plesiosaur. Its large barrel-like body, massive flippers and extremely long neck that would make a giraffe jealous absolutely shadows Hikari. There are fins on its cheeks that have eye-markings painted on there and strange whiskers that trail down its neck. When it opens its mouth, Hikari sees numerous needle-like teeth ready to devour her whole. It unleashes a gurgling sound like a scream. (2900 ATK)

"Um...nice Nessie," Hikari says, waving hello.

"On a good day, she can be nice," says Seymour. "And speaking of which, that Trap Card of yours means nothing to Nessie. She can't be destroyed by Trap Cards!"

"Go Professor, end the duel right now!" Ken cheers on.

"She's defenseless now!" Mary adds.

"Indeed," says Seymour. "Elegy can't stop me from destroying your monsters, Hikari! Attack Loch Ness Monster!"

Loch Ness Cryptid screeches once more as it latches its whiskers towards Elegy. Elegy is dragged towards this creature who opens its massive maw...all while Hikari grins.

"You activated my Trap Card," she says. "Go, Solar Ray!"

Everyone gasps as her face-down card flips over, revealing The Agent of Judgment - Saturn surrounded by multiple beams of light in different colors.

"Now for every face-up LIGHT monster I control, you lose 600 lifepoints!" Hikari exclaims. "And with this, the Dawn of the Duel has come to a climatic end!"

All of Hikari's monsters hold hands as a massive blast of light forms from the Solar Ray Card, flying past Seymour's Cryptid monsters and striking his Duel Disk all the way down to zero.

(Hikari: 1300) - - - - - - - (Seymour: 0)

"And, victory is mine!" Hikari cheers, jumping for joy. "An auspicious beginning for the Melodious Diva!"

The holograms disappear as Seymour brings his cards back to his deck. Ken and Mary look a bit disappointed, but relieved to see their professor smiling.

"I say, I haven't had that much fun out of the lab in weeks!" he says. "But, tell me something. Suppose I destroyed Solar Ray, Hikari. Did you have a backup plan?"

"I certainly did," said Hikari, showing a card to him. "If Solar Ray didn't work, I would've discarded Score the Melodious Diva to reduce one of your monster's attack to 0 and then deal you a major blow with one of my other monsters on my next turn."

"Ah, I see," says Seymour, nodding his head. "Although I also had a few tricks up my sleeve too. Ah well, you live and learn."

"There's something that I noticed about your monsters," say Hikari. "Don't you have any Extra Deck Cryptids or the like?"

Seymour chuckles. "Not yet; I still have to iron out a few kinks before I send them to Pegasus. Although between designing cards and grading papers, I probably won't have them ready in a while."

"But when they're ready, would you like to challenge me for a rematch?" asks HIkari.

"It's a deal," says Seymour, shaking hands with the girl. "I'd like to see how Round 2 of Cryptids vs Melodious monsters works out."

"And we'll be here to cheer him on!" says Ken.

"Do your best, professor!" Mary adds.

Hikari giggles as she turns to face the camera. "And thus, another duel ends in Domino City. Who knows what lies ahead tomorrow, what stranger things can happen, but the dawn of a new day and a new duel awaits us. Thank you for watching and see you when the sun rises once more at the Dawn of the Duel!"

With this, Shinji stops the recording as Hikari stretches her arms. "Whoo, that was amazing! Did you get my good side, Shinji?"

"I got all of you, don't worry," says Shinji, blushing when he sees Hikari twirl around like a ballerina. Professor Seymour seats himself down while Ken and Mary quickly cleans up the discarded papers that scattered about during the duel.

"And now Professor," says Hikari. "I have one last request."

"Oh? What is it?" asks the Professor.

Hikari drags Shinji towards the table and places the video camera onto the table. "Would you mind helping me upload this video to my website?" she asks. "I need your help editing it."

"It'd be my pleasure," says Seymour, staring at his Duel Disk. "I had lots of fun dueling you today, Miss Hitagi. Perhaps I should conduct my own video series about the wonders of Cryptids. I think I'll call it 'Cryptid Cases'. Has a nice ring, don't you think?"

"It does!" says Hikari, a wide grin on her face. "I can't wait to see what the public thinks of this."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

An hour later, after uploading the video and taking a stop at Hikari's favorite frozen yogurt shop, Shinji and Hikari walk back to their house. As they walk, Shinji can't help but remember how Hikari froze when Seymour mentioned whether or not Hikari ever used her music to "soothe the savage beast".

From all the times he has been together with her, he has never seen Hikari paralyzed from something in regards to her past. It seemed that nothing could ever phase this girl. No amount of gossip could cause this diamond to break at all.

But after recalling what Hikari mentioned about the Rabidragon back at The Veldt...

"So," says Shinji, seeing how Hikari is enjoying her frozen yogurt. "You gonna finish that story about the Rabidragon or not?"

Hikari places the spoon back into her yogurt cup before sighing. "You sure you want to hear this part? It's...pretty bad."

Shinji shrugs his shoulders. "Can't be as bad as what my older brother did to become the strongest trainer in Domino."

"I guess not." Hikari looks up into the sky, watching a few birds fly off. "Okay, where did we leave off? Oh, right!

"The Rabidragon picked me up into his claws and took me up into the mountains. All I could do was cry for help and look in fear as it became so very cold. I tried telling the dragon to put me down, but dragons don't understand human language. And even if it did, it was definitely not a good idea to let me fall to my death in the mountains.

"So we flew for about ten minutes until we reached its cave in the mountains. I landed amongst a large pile of coins and treasures that the dragon collected over the years. There were also numerous blankets and coats, as if this wasn't the first time the Rabidragon has kidnapped people.

"In my hurry to keep myself warm with a scarf that I kept inside my backpack, my ocarina dropped. The Rabidragon grew curious of it and, without knowing why I even bothered, I began to play the Song of Time on it. When I did, the Rabidragon seemed to calm down.

"And so, I brought out the music sheet and began to play every single song I knew. And the Rabidragon was pleased. It was then that I was allowed to approach it...and that's when I understood why I was brought here.

"The Rabidragon was a mother and she wanted me to play a song for her children."

Shinji stays quiet as Hikari looks at her hands.

"The babies were starting to hatch, and it seemed as if they really liked the sounds my ocarina made. So I played the Song of Awakening for them and saw three or four baby Rabidragons staring at me. I couldn't believe my luck; I probably was the first person to ever see a dragon hatch up in the mountains. I would be the very first thing they would see…

"And I ended up being the last thing they would ever see."

Shinji's eyes widen to the size of sand dollars. "You don't mean..."

Hikari nods her head. "I don't know how long I spent playing music for those dragons. All I knew was that the Rabidragon kept me safe and warm from the bitter cold as I began singing every single song I could think of, or watched these babies flap their tiny wings. I thought...I thought I could stay there forever.

"But just as that wish was uttered, I heard voices. It was the sound of my mother, of Yumomi and her parents, of some local villagers who knew the mountains like the back of their hands.

"And of course, there was Kengo the Dragonslayer leading the fray.

"The moment Kengo laid eyes of this large dragon near me, he went ballistic. He deemed the dragon as a monster who wanted to take a innocent maiden inside its cavern to be a prisoner for all eternity. 'And it is my duty as a proper knight to save the princess from monsters like you!' he added, all while he held his Buster Blader card in his hand. That's when something strange happened."

"And this involved the Crimson Signers, correct?" asks Shinji, piecing it together.

Hikari grits her teeth. "A mark of a dragon's claw appeared on Shinji's arm and then, the Buster Blader card in his hand transformed into a real, living Buster Blader. And you know what Buster Blader's effect is."

"He gains 500 attack points for every dragon on the field and graveyard," Shinji replies.

"And Rabidragon only had 2950 attack points. Kengo cheered his monster on while I tried to convince everyone not to hurt the dragon. The babies...I can still see the look in their eyes as they cried out for their mother, for me, for someone to stop this useless fighting."

Hikari grits her teeth and crushes the frozen yogurt cup in her hand. She pauses before tossing it into a nearby trashcan before continuing. "But Kengo...Kengo just relished in seeing his favorite monster battle against the dragon. He absolutely did not care of the damage he had done or the lives he had just ruined.

"The Rabidragon did its best to stop Buster Blader, but in the end, just like in every single fairy tale, the brave and heroic knight saves the princess from the foul dragon. But by doing so, the Rabidragon roared and caused an avalanche to form, planning to trap all of us and suffer an icy death.

"With no time to lose, we all rushed out of the cave, all while those baby dragons cried out for their mother. And the last time I saw them, they all stared me, hoping that I could play a song to heal their wounds.

"I tried to do so, grabbing my ocarina to see if the Song of Healing would work, just this once. But my mother dragged me out of the way and the ocarina became another treasure in that horde.

"We had a long, long talk when we got back to the ryokan and I had to explain the story while Kengo went on and on and on about the mark on his arm and how his Buster Blader saved the day. At that point, I had enough and did three unforgivable things to him.

"First, I took the kettle of hot water that was used for tea and threw it in his face.

"Second, I told him that he was the worst person I had ever seen, telling him that he had just killed a mother and her babies in his 'attempt' to be a hero and that I never wanted to see him again.

"And third, I took his precious Buster Blader card and tossed it into the fires of the kotatsu, because that card deserved it."

At this, Shinji tries to imagine a younger Hikari going as far as to hurt someone like that. Sure, at school she teases people and likes to brag about her accomplishments, but she's not that malicious.

"While mom tended to Kengo's burns, this expert on Dragon Lore, Dracaena, asked me to tell her everything that happened with the Rabidragon. After I told her, she told me that…"

"That…" Shinji repeats.

"That I was destined to become a Dragon Maiden," Hikari whispers. "Dracaena offered to take me under her wing in order to hone my skills so I could ride with dragons, to tame them, and perhaps even transform into a dragon made of diamonds if I trained hard enough. But, I refused.

"You couldn't blame me for that. I was young and I had seen the dragon that could have been my friend killed by the boy that I no longer considered my friend. Dracaena wasn't upset with my decision, but she gave me a dragon flute so I could hone my musical skills for the day that they would be needed.."

"And...what happened to Kengo?" Shinji asks.

Hikari shrugs her shoulders. "Well we all went home and Kengo did his best to apologize, but I was firm. I didn't want to see him again. In fact, the last time we talked, it was before New Year's Eve. Kengo was begging to be forgiven, but I wouldn't allow it. Why should a knight have to be forgiven? He won. He saved the princess from the dragon. The princess should be happy that someone saved her.

"And then, when the Spring Semester came, Kengo was gone. Students spread gossip that he had been taken away by a dragon as a sacrifice. Others said he contracted a curse from the mountains for killing its guardian dragon. I didn't care for these rumors; as long as I didn't have to see him again, I was happy.

"Still, sometimes at night, I take out the dragon flute and play a few notes, pretending I'm playing music for those dragons on my ocarina, and hoping, praying, practically begging, that someone managed to save those babies from dying because I, the princess, couldn't do anything to save them."

The two stop at a crosswalk as Hikari looks at her cellphone, which currently displays the video for her duel against Professor Seymour. She refreshes the page and is surprised to find a comment for the video, from someone named "Utahoshi".

Raising an eyebrow, Hikari scrolls down to see what Utahoshi has to say.

Utahoshi: What a showoff! You're still the same as ever, aren't you Pikari?

Hikari gasps and nearly drops her phone in shock, a hand covering her mouth as she looks through that message once more. Shinji takes a look at the phone and stares at the last word.

"'Pikari'?" he asks. "Hikari, are you…"

"I...it's nothing," Hikari stammers out, closing the phone and slipping it into her purse. "It's not important anyway. C-come on, let's get home; I have to practice for Alice Day."

"Wait, Hikari."

Hikari pauses as she feels Shinji's hand into her own. She turns to see Shinji stare at her before his eyes look all around.

"Hikari," Shinji begins. "Did you have a crush on Kengo?"

"...No, and I never want to," Hikari whispers. "Why would you think-wah!"

She is pulled towards Shinji's side and feels something warm on her lips; Shinji's own.

The kiss only lasts three seconds before Hikari steps back, placing a hand over her mouth. Shinji looks a bit embarrassed; he has never done this before.

"S...Shinji," Hikari gasps. "W...what was that for?"

"I...I don't know!" Shinji exclaims, looking flustered. "It's that...I...I'm not the boy that someone like you deserves. I'm moody, I don't like socializing, I brood over my missing brother, my deck is based on hunks of rock and yet…" He sighs. "I just can't stand seeing you upset."

"Me? Upset? Shinji, what are you trying to-"

"I love you, Hikari," Shinji blurts out. "I...I've been pondering about what would happen if we ever did find my brother and what would happen to us. If we never find him then I wouldn't mind being with you a little while longer. You have given me a second chance when no one ever could and I felt like I needed to repay you somehow.

"So even if you don't want a knight in shining armor to save you, will you at least accept a simple artist like me to stay by your side?"

Hikari stays still as she watches Shinji look like he's about to faint. Sure, she's developed feelings for Shinji, but she wasn't head over heels in love over him.

But when she is with him, she feels a bit...better. With Shinji by her side, she doesn't have to worry about what others think of her. She can just be with him.

Hikari takes her hand into Shinji's and smiles. "Shinji, I appreciate your feelings for me. But...let's just take it slow and steady; we don't have to rush."

"...Really?" Shinji asks, as if this is just a dream.

Hikari nods her head. "We have all the time in the world to get closer. And really, I'd...also like it if you stayed with us longer."

Before Shinji has a chance to reply, Hikari gives him a wink. "Now come on! We gotta get ready for the next onslaught of challengers that wish to challenge the Melodious Diva! Race ya!""

And with that, Hikari races off towards home, Shinji following her like she is the White Rabbit and, for just one moment, the two are a pair of lovers running underneath the warm sunset.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"Kengo, what are you doing?"

Kengo Kikuchi turns to see a young woman in a bright pink dress approach the balcony of the mansion he is staying in. He briefly looks at his cellphone before pocketing it.

"I was just...watching a video, Mache," he says.

"I see," Mache says, slowly. "So, are you ready?"

Kengo blinks. "Ready for what?"

Mache pulls back the sleeve of her dress, revealing a pair of wings on the back of her right arm. Kengo lifts up his arm and reveals a mark of a dragon's claw.

"The Crimson Dragon needs to awaken very soon," she says. "The balance of power has shifted too much to the Dark Signers recently. We need to reunite very soon."

"I know," Kengo whispers. "But...we still haven't found the one who has the mark of the Dragon's Head. How do we find them?"

Mache smiles. "Your friend should hold some clues."

Kengo blinks. "How does HIkari fit into all of this?"

Mache brings her sleeve back up as she looks at the quiet cityscape of Domino. A breeze brushes her long back hair against her cheeks.

"Because, dear boy," she answers. "A Dragon Maiden draws dragons towards her like a Venus flytrap attracts insects. Sooner or later, she'll help us unleash the power of the Crimson Dragon and order will be restored throughout Domino City...whether she wants to or not."

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MOTHMAN CRYPTID (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Winged Beast/Effect

Attribute: DARK

Level: 4

ATK: 1,300

DEF: 1,200

Card Description: Cannot be used for a Synchro, Xyz, or Tribute Summon, except to summon a "Cryptid" monster. During the End Phase, banish this face-up card. On your next turn's Standby Phase, if this card was banished via its own effect, Special Summon this card. When this card is Special Summoned via its own effect, select and destroy one face-up monster on the field.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

JERSEY DEVIL CRYPTID (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Winged Beast/Effect

Attribute: DARK

Level: 6

ATK: 2,200

DEF: 1,500

Card Description: Cannot be used for a Synchro, Xyz, or Tribute Summon, except to summon a "Cryptid" monster. During the End Phase, banish this face-up card. On your next turn's Standby Phase, if this card was banished via its own effect, Special Summon this card. When this card destroyed your opponent's monster by battle, it can attack once again in a row.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

TATZELWURM CRYPTID (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Reptile/Effect

Attribute: DARK

Level: 3

ATK: 800

DEF: 400

Card Description: Cannot be used for a Synchro, Xyz, or Tribute Summon, except to summon a "Cryptid" monster. During the End Phase, banish this face-up card. On your next turn's Standby Phase, if this card was banished via its own effect, Special Summon this card. When this card is Special Summoned via its own effect, send the top card of your opponent's deck to the Graveyard. This card can attack your opponent directly.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

MOKELE-MBEMBE CRYPTID (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Dinosaur/Effect

Attribute: DARK

Level: 6

ATK: 2,400

DEF: 2,000

Card Description: Cannot be used for a Synchro, Xyz, or Tribute Summon, except to summon a "Cryptid" monster. During the End Phase, banish this face-up card. On your next turn's Standby Phase, if this card was banished via its own effect, Special Summon this card. Negate the effect of an Effect Monster that this card destroyed by battle.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

LOCH NESS CRYPTID (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Sea Serpent/Effect

Attribute: DARK

Level: 8

ATK: 2,900

DEF: 2,400

Card Description: Cannot be used for a Synchro, Xyz, or Tribute Summon, except to summon a "Cryptid" monster. During the End Phase, banish this face-up card. On your next turn's Standby Phase, if this card was banished via its own effect, Special Summon this card. This card cannot be destroyed by the effects of Trap Cards.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

JACKELOPE DISPLAY (Spell Card)

Continuous Spell

Image: A stuffed jackelope with large, magnificent antlers.

Card Description: Each time a "Cryptid" monster is Special Summoned via its own effect, place 1 Cryptid Counter on this card (max. 6). You can send this card to the Graveyard; draw 1 card for every 2 Cryptid Counters on this card.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

CONFIRMATION CONUNDRUM (Spell Card)

Normal Spell

Image: A group of scientists preparing to dissect a platypus on a lab table.

Card Description: Select 1 Cryptid monster in your Graveyard. Shuffle it into your deck and draw 1. Afterwards, if you draw a copy of the shuffled monster, banish it.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

FALSE SIGHTING (Trap Card)
Normal Trap
Image: The famous "Surgeon's Photograph" of what is supposedly the Loch Ness monster.
Card Description: Select 1 "Cryptid" monster in your banished pile. Special Summon a "Cryptid Token". This Token's Type, Attribute, Level, ATK, and DEF are the same as the selected monster's.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

MASSIVE HOAX (Spell Card)

Quick-Play Spell

Image: Frame 352 of the famous Patterson-Gimlin film, showing what is supposedly Bigfoot.

Card Description: Pay 2,000 Life Points. Special Summon as many of your banished "Cryptid" monsters as possible. Your opponent can Special Summon as many of their banished monsters as possible.

Note: The preceding cards were created by MultiplePersonas and first appeared in Occam Razor's "Shadowchasers: Tournament of Shadows"

---

"I Understood That Reference!" - A new feature in my stories that will highlight things that most readers would not know about upon first viewing.

Professor Seymour is based on Seymour the Scientist from the Pokémon episode "Clefairy and the Moon Stone". Meanwhile, Ken and Mary are members of the Pokémon Mystery Club, who made their debut in the Johto episode "Wish Upon a Star Shape" and appeared in the Advanced Generation episode "Crazy as a Lunatone"

Shinji's reference of Emperor Norton I is correct. Joshua Abraham Norton was a businessman who lost everything after putting his money on Peru rice imports and somehow transformed himself into the Emperor of these United States after publishing articles declaring himself as said Emperor in 1859.

Hikari's nickname of 'Pikari' comes from the anime; when she was a young kid, she accidentally squeezed a pair of Plusle and Minun to hard, electrocuting her. The 'Pika' in her name comes from the onomatopoeia for sparkles. Those who watched the dub would remember the nickname as DeeDee (short for "Diamond Dandruff"). Her Chasing Shadows name is based on her manga counterpart, Platinum Berlitz.

"So Weird" - the title comes from the old Disney Channel series of the same name (essentially Disney's version of Supernatural, believe it or not)

Hikari and Shinji's outfits: Hikari's dress is based off of Rarity from My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic while Shinji is wearing Riku's outfit from Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance

The restaurant HIkari and Shinji enter, "The Veldt", is named after a short story from Ray Bradbury. Other short story references include the "Death and the Maiden" milkshake, the hamburgers being cooked "All Summer in a Day" and "Touched With Fire", the "Wonderful Ice Cream Suit" and the sun-domes from "The Long Rain".

"Utahoshi" - the last name of the character Kengo Utahoshi from Kamen Rider Fourze.

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Next time: Molly's field trip to the Domino Museum has her encounter a sphinx who is searching for his lost love and a thief who wants nothing more than the treasure that is known as the Sphinx's Heart. With some of the most unexpected monsters for a little girl to use, Molly must duel against a band of thieves if she wants to save her new friend from harm.

"Night at the Museum" coming soon.