A Song from the Divines

by TheSingingSword

[Rewrite] The story of a boy named Yuri, who is taken from all that he knows and loves into a world where he must rule as High King and wield the God Cards to bring peace to the continent of Termnnia. But his task will not be an easy one, for he is surrounded by foes looking to take away his crown by any means necessary. [AU-Fantasy]

23. Banisher of the Light

Bakura's Report

---

An odd phenomenon occurred not too long ago involving the girl named Patty, who I have kept a very close eye on since the day our little prince met her. There is darkness in her heart. Something I have not felt since the day Marik found his dark side via the Millennium Rod. I left Yuri alone and proceeded to observe the girl.

She has a troubled life. Her father is a drunken mercenary with ties to a criminal syndicate living in the shadows of this floating city. Ah, and her stepmother. She is the one with the foulest mean streak in the household. Far greater than her father's I must say.

The other day, before I discovered the girl's affinity for the shadows, I saw the mother beating the poor girl to the point where she was knocked out. Then, both the mother and the father left her there on the floor as they enjoyed a microwaved dinner and a movie.

I have my reasons for being who I am, but, Goddesses, even I am not that cruel. Not towards children. The girl turned nine today. All she wanted to do was celebrate her birthday. I am beginning to believe this is why darkness is manifesting in her heart so strongly. She has a lot of hate for her family and this world. I like it.

She tried committing suicide today. She refrained from doing so, with my help of course. I had to knock her out. As I took her to bed, I noticed some strange activity coming from her nightstand. A card was beginning to take form there. Two actually. A Ritual Monster and it's Spell Card. There is nothing benign about these cards.

These are gifts from the Shadow Realm; of this, I have no doubt. In fact, a plethora of poltergeist activity began to erupt as the cards took form. Her toys, trinkets, clothes, and drawers were flung about. The lights go out and I heard a fearsome growl coming from under her bed. I lay the girl down and tuck her in for the night. I sense these malevolent forces are here for her, and they don't mean her harm.

I check the card. It was Zera the Mant, one of the strongest monsters of the Fiend-Type. A dark beast if I ever saw one. I heard the growl again and when I looked under her bed, I saw burning red eyes staring at me from the darkness.

No doubt the beast wants me to leave her alone. Well, it seems to me like I have no more say in what happens to the child. Zera the Mant is her guardian now. Be that as it may, I have no intention of leaving the girl alone. She has proven to be far too interesting.

I am puzzled by all this. There is far too much wonder and magic at work here for this to be an affair for Earthlings. I will look into this matter soon. The girl is good friends with Yuri, and now has Zera the Mant as a guardian of some sort, but she needs a better 'influence'. She is still young, and who knows?

She may one day prove of great use to me.

---

Brett - Aquarius/Standard Dimension

Tel. XVI - Year 18 4AOS

---

SLAP went the sound of Brett's hand on the exposed flesh of her buttocks. Crystal whimpered from the sting of the impact as she helplessly lay over his lap in her bedroom. The rain violently poured against the window facing the sea, dark and choppy from the storm. Outside the palm trees swayed to and fro in the fierce winds, trying their best to stay put. A warm fire crackled on a log in the fireplace across her room, making it nice and cozy. Crystal's lunch of steak seasoned with herbs and served with mashed potatoes and a bowl of jello for dessert was waiting for her on a cart. But despite these comforts, Crystal would have rathered been walking out in that awful rainstorm than here in this...prison being humiliated by Brett Martinetti.

"Why do you always have to get in the way of my business?" Brett asked. He raised his hand and struck her again.

"Ack! Stop!" Crystal cried out, tears flowing down her cheeks.

Brett struck her again and told her to be quiet. "Why did you stop those Delphina Academy guys from Dueling Yuri?"

"Because...because I wasn't about to let them gang on up on him three-on-one. It's not fair!"

"You are such an idiot, Crystal?" Brett asked, striking her again. "You think I like doing this to you? Why do you always force me to take drastic measures against you? If you're going to act like a little girl," he smacked her rump again, Crystal whimpered through her clenched teeth, her fists shaking. "then you're going to get punished like a little girl."

Another smack. Then another. And another. And another. They started coming in rapidly and harder. "What...have...I...told you...about...getting in my...way, Crystal!"

"STOP! STOP!" Crystal cried out. "Please!"

"If you ever do anything like that again, Crystal, then I'll have no problem giving your dragons to someone else."

Crystal gasped, looking over her shoulder at Brett. "No, you can't!"

"I can. And I will." He smiled to let her know he was in power. His phone suddenly vibrated in his pocket. Brett cursed and answered it at once. "What, I'm kinda busy!" he said. "Oh? Oh, really? Okay, I'm on my way." He hung up. "Gotta go, babe." He pulled her underwear back up, lowered her dress, and roughly pushed her off his lap, sending her crashing to the floor.

"Got some business to take care of. Now, are you going to get in my way again?"

"No," Crystal sobbed.

"Good girl." He patted her head as though she were a dog. "Get out of my sight."

He walked out of the bedroom as Crystal slowly got up from the ground and scampered away.

An hour later, Brett found himself waiting on the Enron Island docks. What beastly luck, Brett thought. Aquarius was sailing close to the very tip of the South American continent and it was getting awfully cold. For the first time in forever, the heater of his armored SUV had to be turned on. The RAPTOR security officer who gave Brett the favorite locations of Yuri and his friend walked out of a warehouse. He looked bloated in a black leather jacket with fur trim and earmuffs. He knocked on the window and sneezed.

Brett groaned and rolled the window down. "And?" he asked.

"The crates with the booster packs from the new sets are being loaded onto a truck. It's going to head to your place within the hour."

"I don't care about the cards, Chuck, I want to know where the Berettas are. You know, the ones for my boys?"

"Oh, those. Yeah, those still haven't come in yet." Brett groaned and slammed his head against the seat. "D-d-don't worry, buddy, don't worry. My contact Renzo says there was a bit of a hold-up on their way out of Peru. There's a brush fire war going on between the Chilean government and some rebel army. It's spread to Bolivia, too. It's hard to do any business."

"You told me my guns would be here by the time Aquarius docked in the Strait of Magellan."

"I understand, boss, I really do. But things are tough, especially for weapon smugglers. You know Renzo says he lost ten of his best guys to the rebels?"

Brett took a pistol out of his jacket and aimed it at Chuck's head. "My guns wouldn't by any chance have been lost, too, would they?"

"No, no, no, no, no, no, boss! No, they're fine. I promise. Your order is still intact. But like I said, business is tough with so many of the best routes out of commission. Look, he asked me if you'd like to just do a pick-up in Peru. They're about to send ships to Aquarius with a cargo full of spices and minerals and shit. He knows some guys who can put the guns on the boats. When they dock, a few of my boys will take it from there and get them to your place. I know, I know, there's a slight delay but they're coming, boss. Just...just gotta wait a few more days."

Brett took a deep breath and put the weapon back in his jacket. "Well until then, don't expect to get paid."

"What? But...boss."

"No guns, no money! Capiche? That's twice that you've failed me, Chuck!" Brett said holding up two fingers. "Twice! My guns are not here and those jerk-offs from Delphina Academy didn't get the Black Tyranno from Yuri like you said they would. You're on thin ice, man — thin ice. I'm not afraid to make your pay. You think you're the only cop from RAPTOR I have? I'll make no hesitations about taking my business elsewhere."

Chuck nodded sadly. "Yes, sir."

"The guns better be on those boats, Chuck. I'm not gonna tolerate failure a third time." He closed the window and told his driver to take him home. As the car zoomed away, Brett pinched the bridge of his nose. "Just once, just once, I want something to go right."

Santiago chuckled in the seat opposite his. "Chuck's not the brightest guy in RAPTOR."

"No need to tell me twice."

"What makes those guns so special, if you don't mind me asking?"

"They're custom. Sleek paint job, they're engraved with gold scrollwork, the family emblem is on the grip, and they've got these holographic red dots like something outta Star Wars. They cost me a fortune."

"I see why you got so mad at Chuck. But I do have some good news."

"Let's hear it."

"There's a guy from Delphina Academy who says he'd love to get revenge against Yuri for beating Cornelius the other day. He wants to know if you're still offering that gold reward for his card and his eye."

"Just the card," chuckled Brett. "I was being...dramatic when I said I wanted his glowing eye. If anything happens to that kid, both Mr. Montgomery and Uncle Lee are gonna be on me like stink on a Stowaway. And then the party's over before it even begins." As the SUV took a turn into a highway over the ocean leading to the next island, Brett smiled, admiring the cityscape. "The party can't end now. I've got big plans, Santiago. Big plans. When I win big in the Millenium Tournament and snag that prize money, this whole city is gonna be our playground."

Santiago laughed. "I like the sound of that. So, what about my pal from Delphina Academy? His name's Floyd. And he's really good. He says he's come up with a strategy that's sure to beat Yuri."

"I don't care what his so-called strategy is. If he can deliver, I'll pay him. It's as simple as that."

"Then I'll send him over to the Ruby Dragon right away. You're going to be so happy with this one, Brett."

---

Patty - St. Augustus Senior High School/Aquarius

---

Patty let out a heavy yawn as she walked into the girl's locker room. She wanted to fall asleep in there and rest, for not only did she not get enough sleep the night before but because she hated gym period — just absolutely hated it.

However, she followed Yuri's advice and decided to muster up her strength and attend. If she missed class, she would have detention again. And her father would not tolerate her in trouble (The bruise on her ribs was proof of that). She found her locker at the end of the chamber and slid her backpack off.

"Has anyone seen Yuri?" a red-headed girl from the cheerleading team asked as she and her friends undressed to change into their gym uniforms.

"No," a girl with a ponytail replied, unbuttoning her blouse. "I heard he called in sick today. What a damn shame. I finally mustered up the courage to ask him to the dance."

"You mean homecoming?" the third girl asked. "No way! I totally forgot about that. But what happened to him? I hope he's okay. Is it serious? There's been a rumor going around that he's suffering from severe anxiety from his nightmares."

"That's just a rumor," the redhead corrected her sternly as she slipped her skirt off. "Some people are saying he's snorting the good stuff."

"Okay, that's bullshit," the girl with the ponytail agreed, taking her skirt off as well. "Yuri's an angel. He would never resort to doing that shit."

"So you really think he's just going insane?"

"I don't care. All I want from him is that fortune he's gonna inherit. Can you believe it? Ten trillion dollars! And he's a hottie to boot. I don't know about the rest of you, but I find that glowing eye of his really sexy."

Patty wrinkled her nose. She hated when girls spoke of Yuri that way - seeing him as nothing more than a meal ticket to fame and fortune — an immense fortune, yes, but Yuri deserved better than golddiggers like them. She undid her tie and unbuttoned her blouse, trying her best to ignore their gossip.

"So hypothetically speaking," the redhead said, "if Yuri were to date one of you, what would you do with his fortune?"

The girl with the ponytail pondered this for a second. "I would buy a garage full of the world's hottest cars. And I would also buy myself a huge plot of land in the country all the way in Texas or something. Maybe an island all to ourselves! I can't say, the possibilities are endless."

"Yeah, I'm definitely going to be living well for the rest of my life with that fortune."

"I've got a question myself," said another girl. "Who do you think has the best shot of getting out of high school with him?" the third girl asked.

"I'd like to say me," the redhead replied, "but I think Madison has a better chance than any other girl in this school, even though she's going out with Mark. But I don't think her relationship with him will last long. I heard he's going to be dropped from the team as the quarterback because of that injury. Word around the halls is that he isn't playing as well as he used to. He missed three game-winning opportunities last season. And you know Madison. She's picky. If her man doesn't make her look good, she wants nothing more to do with him, just like she did to Adam Knight last year. She dumped him big time because he broke his arm in last year's game. If Mark doesn't deliver, I hear she's going after Yuri next."

"No way!" said the girl with the ponytail. "Didn't you girls hear the daughter of the US President is in town? I hear she's had the hots for Yuri since her mom came into office."

"Well, of course, she would start flirting with him now. Unless you have a parent in a position of power like the President of the United States, there's no way Yuri would choose them."

"What about that girl, Patty? Isn't she like his best friend or something?"

"Patty!" the redhead laughed. "That skank? I honestly don't know what she did to qualify as a friend for Yuri, but I'm not worried. Yuri would never mix himself with a girl like her romantically. Have you seen her Instagram and her account? She's doing cosplay and we all know once cosplay girls get older, they start acting like porn stars."

"It's already happening," laughed another girl. "She's teasing a special surprise for her followers on her eightieth birthday. Ew, Thot City, population her and her big ass. I wouldn't worry about her dating Yuri. There are better girls out there than her."

Patty slammed her locker with all her might, dressed as quickly as she could, and stormed out before she heard another word. She gritted her teeth and hoped with all her might that school would end quickly.

"Duel Monsters," she muttered. "That's all I need. A quick round of Duel Monsters."

After school, the storm died down. It was still cloudy and windy, but the sun's rays were peering through the clouds and it stopped raining. Patty walked alone to the card shop and immediately started to play against other Duelists to blow off some steam. She played her Zera Ritual spell, causing the boy in front of her to get sweaty and nervous. He couldn't believe he let her get away with summoning that monster.

His ultra-rare monster, Chakra; with an ATK strength of 2450, saved him from the wrath of her 2000 ATK monster, Swordstalker, and pummeled all of Patty's other monsters the entire game. Chakra was practically winning the Duel for him, shaving Patty's Life Points down to a mere 800 points.

He looked at the Duel Screen, watching in grief as Zera the Mant raised his massive claws and sliced Chakra down to small pieces and dealing enough damage to his Life Points to win Patty the game.

"What? That can't be!" a young man cried out in disbelief when his Life Points reached 0. "You couldn't have beaten me so easily!"

Patty yawned with boredom, having defeated another mediocre opponent that afternoon. "Why, because I'm a girl?"

"But I ranked fourth in the shop's tournament last year! I'm one of Ruby Dragon's best players! There's no way I could have lost this easily. You...you must have cheated!"

Patty scoffed, curtseying her head up and down while she twirled her eyes. "Uh-huh, yeah, yeah. You're so inadequate." She picked up her cards and shuffled them back into her deck. "Accept the fact that you lost and move on, you big baby. Better yet, why don't you Duel with your own reflection? That way if you lose, it'll be to yourself."

Her opponent picked up his things and left, obviously burned by her statement. She heard him mutter 'bitch' as he made his way out the door.

Sergei approached the table, placing his hands on his wide hips. He chuckled and said: "Made him think twice for underestimating you, eh?"

Patty took a long gulp from her bottle of ice-cold chocolate milk before she answered. "Wouldn't be the first time it's happened." She wiped her mouth with her sleeve. She rested her chin on the palm of her hand and yawned.

A lock of hair flew over the right side of her face, tickling her skin. She rolled her eyes again and blew it off with a puff of air from the corner of her mouth.

Sergei scratched the bottom of his chin ponderously. "You don't look happy about this victory, Patty." He checked the win/loss ratios on his tablet. When he found Patty's name he tapped it happily.

Patty

W/201 - L/43

"Wow. You went seven-and-one today, sweetheart, yet you're so bummed out. Do you know how many Duelists would kill for a ratio like that?"

Patty smirked but brushed away that remark with a shrug. "I have to admit that I'm a little bored. Only one person out of the eight people I've Dueled beat me? Some of these guys were the best Duelists in your store. Makes me wonder how with those skills."

Sergei's face lit up. He sat down on the chair across from Patty. "You're saying that my store is home to mediocre Duelists?"

"I meant no disrespect, Sergei. This isn't about the store. It's just me being picky."

"No, no. I understand completely. In fact, I think you're building quite a reputation here. You know, I overheard some players the other day talking about you and your Zera the Mant card, Patty. A lot of kids started calling you the Grim Reaper, oooooh," he wiggled his fingers around. "Well, Patty, in all seriousness I've come to give you some good news. You've reached 200 wins and you've won five tournaments here at the shop. That solidifies you as the Ruby Dragon's top player. For that, I present you with this card. Something truly fitting of that deck of darkness you carry around."

From his pocket, he handed her a small black velvet box with the Ruby Dragon's emblem on it. Patty slowly took it and hugged him, then she opened the box and beheld the card awaiting her inside. It was a powerful card with 2800 ATK called Belial - Marquis of Darkness.

"Oh, cool!" she said, her voice coming out hoarse from all the excitement. "Sergei this is amazing!"

"And it gets better. Because you're the best of the best here in my shop, I made a few phone calls to a few friends of mine in the independent circuit."

Patty looked up from the card and stared at him with wide eyes. "W-whhat?"

"That's right. VIP Dueling is looking for excellent young Duelists for their roster. And I told them all about you and your accomplishments here in the Ruby Dragon. The Head of Talent Relations wants to see you this coming weekend to see your skills for himself. I know you always talked about joining VIP Dueling for quite some time now. Well, wish granted, my sweet."

"Sergei..."

"Ah, ah, ah," Sergei said wagging his finger. "Since they've upgraded to the new Duel Disk system, I took the liberty of making some other arrangements." He got up from the table to the counter. He brought out a black carrying case that looked like it was made for carrying an assault rifle. It had Patty's name laser engraved on a metal nameplate on the front. Sergei flipped open the locks and opened the case, revealing a customized jet-black Duel Disk with a stealthy design based on the F-117 Nighthawk. Sergei touched a button on the top of the Duel Disk, activating pinkish-purple RBG patterns and orbs.

Patty placed both her hands over her mouth, her eyes welling up with tears. "I...I don't know what to say."

"You don't have to say a thing, my dear. I know how hard it must be having a father who refuses to buy you anything. Heh, Yuri's father is strict with money but at least he gets presents for his birthday."

"Sergei..." Patty said, trying not to hiccup. "It's been forever since I've gotten any presents. I get some cool cards now and then from the guys but...wow, nothing like this. My very own Duel Disk?"

"No more working at restaurants or laundromats for you, young lady. Now, you're going to make some real money in VIP Dueling. Oh, yeah, and no more begging your dad for money either. When you become champion, hah, that's where the real money starts rolling in. You'll never have to rely on them again."

Patty giggled. "Isn't it kinda funny how our parents are all Nazis when it comes to giving us money?"

"I think it's a good thing," said Sergei. "You and your friends work hard for the things you want unlike the rest of the spoiled brats around here, always flaunting what they didn't earn. If you all did get showered with money, well, something tells me you wouldn't be the amazing group of angels I've grown to know and love with all my heart. Now, let's get you ready. Go out there and make a name for yourself."

Patty smiled, but, again, she shrugged it off. "I don't want to build a name for myself. I just wanna play."

"And by all means, please do. Ah, and having a VIP Dueling star in my shop with definitely bring more customers into my store. I bet you dollars to donuts they're going to be lining up just to Duel my little goddess," he reached over and tapped her nose.

"Sergei, thank you, but..." Patty closed the case. "I can't accept this."

"But Patty...what is the matter?" Sergei asked.

"Why are you really doing this? This is a lot of money and too big of an opportunity just to award your shop's best player."

Sergei shook his head. "You read me like a book, Patty. Yes, I was hoping getting you into a high-tier league like VIP Dueling would help you get off the streets and keep you busy from doing all those things you used to do."

Patty's smile faded. She bit her lower lip; for she knew this was just a ruse for Sergei to check up on her again. "I knew it," she said disappointed.

Sergei helped reintroduce Patty to Duel Monsters a few years ago when she got herself into trouble with alcohol and drug. More times than he can count, Patty was arrested multiple times for possession and public intoxication which broke Sergei's heart. He had hoped Duel Monsters would help her stay away from her sins.

Sergei made sure no one was around before he spoke. "So how have things been, Pamela?"

Uh-oh. Real name. Now she knew he was serious.

"Sergei, not now," she said, pocketing her deck. She fumbled through her backpack to avoid looking at him, hoping he would walk away and leave her alone.

"No, no, no!" said Sergei. "Ever since Mr. Montgomery busted you out of jail, I've made it my personal responsibility to watch over you, young lady. Lord knows your father is too much of a drunk to do it himself. How he's able to have the job he has and afford that mansion here on the central island is a big mystery for me."

"He has ties with the Martinettis," said Patty. "All he has to do is perform their dirty deeds and he rolls in the dough. They've made him a shell of what he once was."

"I was afraid of that," said Sergei. "But his crap with the mafia is not my concern. Natalya says she saw you and some friends going inside a certain...establishment last night? Club Nexus."

Patty gasped. Sergei nodded his head. He drummed his fingers on his biceps and his leg shook, eager to hear her reply.

"I didn't drink," said Patty. "Security was tight because it's a place for us teens. Nothing hardcore like those places I used to go. All we did was have dinner and dance, Sergei, I swear."

"Don't lie to me! She saw you go into the Nexus. The Nexus is not a place for young kids like you, Pamela. You paid someone to get you a fake ID again, didn't you?"

"I'm sorry."

"What were you doing going in there so late? It was a school night." He watched Patty hunch her shoulders and played with a lock of her hair. "Yuri told me over the phone that you got in trouble numerous times for sleeping in class. Why are you doing this again? Hmm?" He waited for an answer.

"I'm sorry."

"Sorry?" Sergei's voice got louder. "No! Sorry isn't going to cut it when you repeat the year, Patty!" Sergei tapped his finger on the carrying case. "Sorry isn't going to cut it when you're sitting in the penitentiary wasting years of your life for messing up so badly! What the hell has gotten into you, child? This isn't you! These things you're doing. What would Yuri think?"

"I'm not going to live my life to just have Yuri's approval!" Patty snapped. "Yuri maybe my best friend, but he's not in control of me. My world does not revolve around him. I'm turning eighteen in a few weeks, Sergei. I'm grown up. I've got my own life now!"

"Oh," Sergei replied mockingly. "So you think because you're eighteen years old that means you're going to go drown yourself in drink and let guys do whatever they want with your body? You may be turning eighteen years old but damn it, Patty, you're just a child!"

"Why are you doing this to me?" Patty whimpered.

"Because I care for you! And if Troy McKnight is too uncaring and too drunk to bear the responsibility of being your father, then I will take that responsibility, and I do so proudly! I've known you since you were a little girl, that is why I do this! I know you're getting older, Pamela, and I know without self-control and love — these issues with your behavior — they're only going to get worse. Believe me, I know girls like you. You're adventurous. You want to live life and explore things you've never done before, even if it means degrading yourself. You're a smart, kind, beautiful young lady, Pamela. I don't want to see you hanging around some dumbass spoiled rich punk who thinks it's cool to have a flock of bimbos in his arms doing anything and everything at his whim like dogs! That's not what I want for you. I know you love to paint and draw. You aspire to be an artist, yes?"

"I do," Patty said, wiping a tear from her eye. "More than anything."

"So that's what I want you to be. Please, Patty. Do something to better yourself. You're a good Duelist. And the money and opportunities you'll get from VIP Dueling will help you get the money you need to go to FZD in Singapore. Don't let that beautiful dream die, my love. Please."

Patty nodded her head, her face scrunched up in shame and sorrow. Sergei got up from his seat and gave her a hug. When Patty felt the warmth and comfort coming from his embrace, she could no longer contain her feelings and sobbed.

Sergei patted her back, then rubbed it to soothe her. "You know you can come to me when you need to, right? And your friends, too. You're not alone, Patty. We all want you to be something better."

Patty sniffed and hiccupped. "I will be. I promise."

"Good girl. You, Natalya, Sabrina, Yuri, Tyson, Carter, Nick, and Sam — yes, even Sam — are like my own children. I want to see you all grow and be taken care of."

Patty just nodded her head. She heard Sergei chuckling, forcing her to look up at him. "I almost forgot," he said. "I've found your application to be a waitress at my store's diner. Are you sure you want to do this, Patty? You're already working at the Crab Shack."

"I need money," Patty said, wiping tears and the mascara that they smudged off the corner of her eyes. "And besides, there's no guarantee working in those indie leagues means big money right away. We all know it will take a while before I get to play in the Main Event. So until then, I'll come to work part-time here at the Ruby Dragon and make some extra money. It'll be fun! Yuri and now Tyson work here. He's your head chef now, right?"

"Da," said Sergei. "That Tyson is one hell of a good cook if you can believe that."

Patty chuckled. "Get's it from his father."

"So I heard," said Sergei. He moved in on Patty for another hug. "But I do hope you take your career in VIP Dueling seriously. And remember, no matter how deep in despair you are, there is always a light that can help you succeed."

"Yes, Sergei," Patty said nodding her head, her hair tickling the bottom of Sergei's chin.

Then Sergei's gaze focused on the window. "Hey, I think I see an opponent worthy of your talents."

Patty gently pulled herself out of Sergei's embrace and saw Yuri walking by the window. A black HUMVEE from RAPTOR rolled by, patrolling the streets looking for stowaways and pirates.

Yuri stopped to look at it and waved at the mercenaries. Knowing he was the son of the man who signed their paychecks, they waved back and hollered. Yuri went through the sliding glass doors and walked into the store. He tossed a quarter into the atrium's fountain before greeting Sergei.

"Afternoon, Sergei. Oh, Patty, what are you doing here?"

"She works here now," said Sergei, putting an arm around her. "Say hello to my new waitress."

"Well," Yuri said, rubbing his chin. "I can tell Nick and Sam are going to be happy about this. Those shorts are kind of tight in the hindquarters."

"YURI!" Patty shrieked.

"Well, when do you start work?" Yuri said, waving his hands up and down to calm her.

"Not till next week," Patty answered him, feeling relieved that he was here. "But I thought I'd sharpen my skills today." She sat up on her seat and blinked to dry the moisture in her eyes.

Yuri removed his cap and set it on the counter. "Were you crying, Patty?"

"Da," said Sergei. "I told her a joke about the shoe cobbler and the sea monster. I have never seen her laugh so hard before. I had to get her a bottle of water to keep her from laughing herself to death, da?"

Yuri laughed. "Oh, man. That joke. Sergei, you almost killed me the first time you told me that one. Is it a slow day today?"

Sergei shrugged. "You know how it is around this hour. After lunchtime, the Duelists start pouring in. And they should. I just got a shipment of that new pack, Pharoah's Servant. It's full of rare and powerful Trap Cards to stump your opponents. I think it's a good thing. We need more traps so players who don't have access to those rare cards like Natalya's Simorgh and your Black Tyranno can have a better chance. These will certainly keep the battlefield even."

"Yeah, I agree," said Patty. She finished the last of her chocolate milk. "One thousand Life Points every turn if you don't have at least two face-down cards? And Black Tyranno attacking Life Points directly? Where do these rare cards come from?"

"I don't know," said Yuri. "But I think it's kind of cool some players out there have cards they can call their own. Such as the Red-Eyes Black Dragon. Can you believe there are only five of them out there?"

"Only four of them have been found," said Patty. "I'd give my left arm and my mansion for that dragon. He's said to be worth millions."

Sergei coughed into his hand. "Well, since you both are here, why not have yourselves a quick match? I've never seen you two play before."

"But I have to clock in, Sergei," said Yuri.

"Forget about it, Yuri. Look at the place. In fact, Patty's been having an off day. Why don't you spend the rest of the afternoon with her?"

Patty shook her head. "Sergei, I don't want to be any trouble."

"Nonsense," said Sergei. "I think you kids need to go out there and enjoy your youth. Yuri, today is on me." He took out his wallet, took out a few hundred dollar bills, and slapped them on Yuri's palm. "After your match with Patty, take her out to a lovely lunch by the sea."

"What's gotten into you, Sergei?" Yuri asked. "You're paying me to skip work?"

"Yuri, don't bicker," said Patty. "I think I could use a little lunch. Besides, Sergei wants to see us Duel. Who are we to argue, right?"

Yuri stuffed the bills into his pocket. "Well, all right. Just...just give me a minute. I need to head to the stockroom. I have to tell Natalya something."

He ran into the stockroom as fast as he could. "Weird boy," Sergei said. And he went back behind the counter, leaving Patty alone so she took this time to fix the wings around her eyes. As she applied her makeup, a Duelist approached her.

"Hey," he said. "You want a real challenge?"

---

Jon - Castle Vattefang, Riftgaard - Termnnia

---

"You're going to tell your father about us now?" Summer asked, following Jon out of their bedroom. Jon locked the door then looked at her, smiled, and kissed her on the forehead.

"Be brave, my love," he said. "We can do this."

"But tensions are so high right now what with the war going on. Your father might be so mad about us. He will disavow you from the clan, you know."

"Not with Forrest's forces coming to our country at full force," Jon said storming away from the door to their chambers. His black and gold crown flashed in the flames of the torches that lined the halls of his home. "But we'll be ready for them."

He walked on.

"Be ready how? Jon?" Summer was quick to follow him. She was so frightened that just being a mere foot away from him made her feel like she was in imminent danger. The hem of her long purple and gold gown brushed loudly against the dusty stone floors and her jewelry jingled frantically, trying its best to stay on her person. "What happened?"

"The Senate has agreed to send Skyships into our kingdoms this morning," said Jon. "We're going to be given tanks, fighter ships, and thousands of Black Luster Soldiers. I'm about to be sent to Akuuda."

"Akuuda? What for?"

"Prince Marcel says the Naralians have started making landfall in his kingdom, slaughtering civilians and burning as they go. We're going over there to stop him."

"Jon..." Summer whispered. "Wait, wait up! You can't seriously mean to leave now, do you? I have something important to tell you. Jon? Jon, please talk to me. We cannot see your father now."

Even as she power-walked by his side, Jon could see her trembling with fear. "You're still worried Father might disavow me?" Jon asked. "No. Have no fear of that, Summer. He's short-tempered but he's not foolish. If I go, so does Gearfried. And my sisters for that matter. Their bond with me is stronger than he knows. The king's children are his best military assets. He would dare not lose them."

"I understand," said Summer."But..."

"Besides, he needs my help in defending Riftgaard. I received a message from the warriors on the Blue Plains that Forrest's army has recuperated at the capital and is marching here in full force. Three-hundred-thousand men and just as many robotic knights."

"Goddesses!" Summer gasped.

"Yes. It seems Gearfried is needed once more to defend the home of the Berja. I must venture on this quest Father told me about to find the spell to unlock him from his armor. Once I do, I'm off the Akuuda to help Marcel."

"But you're needed here!"

"I can't let Akuuda fall! It's too important. I have to leave Riftgaard for some time, so be it. You can either agree to this or go home, Summer!"

Summer gasped, her heart broken by his harsh words. "Are you kidding? Go home? Well, I never! You...you...well, I should have seen this coming a mile away. Honestly, other than making love to my rump, it feels lately like you want nothing to do with me."

"Poor you," grumbled Jon, shuffling towards an armory.

Summer lifted her arms in the air in agitation and slapped them against her hips. "Poor me? So what? Was I nothing but a whore to you? A plaything to relieve you from the stress of battle?"

"I don't know if I want to go through with this anymore, Summer. I'm a fool to believe this would have worked. Perhaps we shouldn't let my father know about you." He slammed himself against the wall and pounded it with his fist. The stress was infuriating him. So many questions with no answers in sight. "The man could disavow me from the House. If he does, I will never see my sisters again. I will never claim the crown that was meant for me. Now, I'm sent to go find Gearfried's true form. The Alliance always calling on me to fight. And you!" He scratched his head. "Fuck! Why did all of this have to fall upon me? Why is nothing simple!? Why? Why? Why?!"

Summer placed her hands on his bear-fur cloak. She knew what was happening to him. Jon's severe anxiety getting the better of him again. "Jon, be strong. Come on. No matter what," she began, but she was interrupted when he pushed his shoulder up, forcing her hand off him.

"Oh don't start with your theatrics," Jon said.

"What theatrics?" cried Summer. "All I'm trying to say is..."

Jon turned furiously. His emotions went out of control and he didn't realize it but he found himself shouting: "SHUT UP!"

He was so furious that he could not think. All reason had left him and he wanted to silence her with violence. He raised his hand ready to strike her, but as soon as his arm was up in the air, he felt a sharp pain grasp his wrist. Then, he was struck by a bolt of lightning that seemed to manifest from the walls, sending him flying across the room. He smashed against the wall, smoldering and sparking with electricity. He grunted and tried to pick himself up, but his axe appeared from out of nowhere and dropped on his back. The pommel felt like it weighed as much as a mountain. Jon grunted in agony, and spit sprayed out of his mouth.

The Axe of Thunder, Anduin; Artifact of the Thunder Goddess

Summer could not move. For one, she could not bear to see him suffering like that. And the second thing. She had not anticipated Zéuna, the Goddess of Thunder would show herself now.

Zéuna, Goddess of Thunder and Lighting, Patron Goddess of Riftgaard and the Berjan Race

Her presence was chilling and frightening for poor Summer. Zéuna's beauty was unmatched. Her long, graceful, hair looked like lightning made into silk. She wore a white and gold loincloth around her waist, crusted with amethyst with lightning bolts sparking inside them, and a matching cloth that she had wrapped around her breasts. Her skin was fair and radiant and glowing with blue lightning-bolt-shaped runes. Her eyes were violent and flashed like a thunderstorm.

"Do not fear me, child," she said to Summer. Her voice was powerful like a clap of thunder but was as gentle and soothing as a river. "Prince Jon. I am disappointed in you. I give you Anduin, the greatest weapon in my armory as a token of my thanks for your devotion to me. I name you my champion, I bless you with the force of lightning and convince my sister to lend you her mightiest warrior. Here I am, thinking thou has been using my fine gifts to restore order and bring justice to the world. But no. I find you striking a woman — the keys to all life. I am disgusted."

"No!" Jon cried. "I didn't —"

"Give me one good reason why I should not strip you of these blessings, Jon of Riftgaard."

"Wait!" Summer cried, standing in front of Jon and holding out her arms. "Please, your eminence, I beg of you to spare him any consequences. Please have mercy."

The Goddess of Thunder snapped her fingers and Anduin disappeared, releasing Jon of its near-infinite burden. Summer ran to him and helped him up. She wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Why do you defend him?" Zéuna asked, placing her hand on her hip, which she cocked to the side. "He who would strike you?"

"I did not mean to," Jon said, breathing heavily. "I feel overburdened with so much. This war. The safety of my friends. And her. I want to be with her. I love her so much, I would break an alliance to be with her." He placed both hands on her cheeks. Summer's lips trembled at those words and she let out a few tears. Jon wiped them off with his thumbs and kissed her forehead with affection. "I love her so much. I would never harm her, your eminence, I swear. I just...I let my anxiety get the best of me."

"Hmph, if you keep doing that, you will not be an ally of Master Yugi, or my champion, for long, Prince Jon. You must learn to control yourself. Control your emotions. You're at war now. Welcome to the world. It's not what we had envisioned for you, but we created heroes like yourself to make it better. That is the task that has been given to you. Keep a cool head and find the solutions needed to keep the cancer of injustice from spreading across this fair world. One of the ways to do that is to speak the truth. I know what you have done to have this woman by your side. You must tell your father about her. A love that is kept secret is not real."

Jon nodded. "All right. All right. If Summer wants anything to do with me anymore."

"Of course I do," she said, placing her soft, warm, hand on his cheek. "I'm with you to the very end."

"Why?" Jon asked. "Why do you forgive me? Especially after what I've done. A man must never strike a woman. I don't deserve you!"

"That's not true, babe," said Summer. "There were a lot of handsome princes back in the Summerlands. But I chose to be with you. Do I have to spell it out for you Jon?"

"I know," Jon said, nodding his head. "I wish I wasn't a Prince. I wish this didn't have to happen."

"Well, unfortunately, it has," said Zéuna. "Your fellow Princes all have burdens to share in this war-torn world. The three that come to you now, leave their homes behind to help you. They have a thousand problems of their own to solve, yet they come here because they must. You are their brother in arms. Be strong. Be the warrior I thought you were."

Jon felt something forming in his palm. His legendary ax appeared out of a burst of storm clouds and he grabbed it at once. Before he could thank her, she disappeared.

Someone knocked on the door to their room. Jon and Summer released themselves from their embrace and fixed their clothing. Jon was about to answer, but Summer stopped him. She adjusted his crown, kissed his cheek, and stepped back as he opened the door to see Prince Marcel, shivering in a sleeveless parka. The two princes hugged each other fiercely.

"Jon!" Marcel cried out. "So good to see you, my old friend."

"Marcel," Jon said stepping back to get a good look at his friend. They were but small, skinny boys when they last saw each other. Marcel had grown big and strong and his arms were bumped with scarification to make him appear scaled like the Red-Eyes Black Dragon his family kept. Jon knew that each scar he got was a tally mark for each person he killed in battle. And his arms were covered with them. "I'm sorry about your cousin, Marcel. I swear we will avenge him."

"The time for vengeance will come," said Marcel. "For now, we must protect the Heart of All Worlds from the cancer that festers up North."

"Indeed. You look good," Jon complimented, slapping the thick arm of his friend. "Wow. Seen many battles?"

"A little too much, my friend," Marcel said, stepping aside to let in Princess Aisha, his future bride.

"And who is this?" Jon asked with a big smile.

Aisha bowed. Her golden hair smelled like berries and there was gold dust glittering on her olive skin. "You are the legendary Prince of Iron and Thunder my beloved speaks of." She hugged Jon and kissed both his cheeks. "I have heard so much about you."

"And so have I," Jon said bowing. "Marcel's descriptions of your beauty in his letters do it no justice. Allow me to introduce you to my blushing bride. Summer."

"Ah, the face that broke an alliance," said Marcel. He bowed respectfully. "I sure hope you know what you're doing, Jon."

Aisha walked to Summer and kissed both her cheeks. Then she stepped back to examine her. "She's beautiful!" Aisha said, fixing Summer's hair. "But that is not the only reason why Jon would break his oath to a lord. There is much about this girl that is to be cherished, I can sense it."

"I feel it, too. Jon wouldn't break his vow to just anyone." Marcel closed his eyes and held up his palm in front of Summer to measure her aura. "Hmmm. Interesting. Jon, I hope you know what you're doing. This could affect your family politically."

"Politics be damned!" said Aisha. This is love. And it's a rare thing to find these days with all these customs of forced marriages. I'm sure Jon knows what he is doing if he is willing to risk so much to have this girl in his life."

"I am," said Jon. "Even if it means I have to separate my branch from the family tree."

Marcel took thunderous steps toward Summer. He wrapped his arms around her and lifted her up, making her yelp. "I welcome her with open arms," he said. He looked back at Jon. "If anything happens and your father disavows you from the House, you are always welcome in my halls."

"Thank you, my friend."

"Well, I suppose it's the moment of truth. The king is ready, Jon. Good luck."

They walked out of Jon's quarters after they dressed for their audience with the King. Jon wore his armor of fur leather, and iron. Marcel and Aisha trailed behind Summer, who was wearing a red gown with a cloak cape trimmed in white faux fur. She had red earmuffs and red mittens, making her stand out like a rose amongst a field of weeds in a cold and unforgiving sea of brown and gray stone. The wild-like Riftgaardians looked at her like she was a dangerous animal that needed to be put down. The children pointed and laughed at her strange clothing. The women eyed her jealously, and the men snorted with disapproval like the winter beasts. Summer pressed herself closer to Jon as he led her up the stone tunnels carved into the mountain which trailed to the castle above.

Guardsmen blew on horns announcing his arrival. The iron gates opened slowly. Then, like a pack of ravenous wolves, Jon's sisters came running out of the dark and jumped on him, knocking him down to the ground. "Sisters!" he cried out joyfully, trying to free himself from their grasp. "I'm glad to see you, too!"

"Good morning, hermandali ," said Liola the White Lynx, casually walking towards Jon, buried under his sisters. She looked at Summer and grinned. "And this must be the bride who's behind all the trouble?"

Summer's smile faded. Liola placed her arms behind her back and circled her. "Your Graces," Summer said to Marcel and Aisha. The two of them just looked at each other as Liola examined Summer. "Does she fight?" Liola asked.

"No," Jon said, getting up from the ground.

"Does she know how to hunt?"

"No," Jon answered again.

"Does she know how to cast magic?"

"Liola stop!" Jon commanded.

"Does she know anything?" she said, taking strands of Summer's hair and sniffing them. "So you ended a perfectly good alliance...because of one pretty face and a cute rump? She smacked Summer's backside and laughed."

Summer released herself from her grasp. "Excuse me! I don't have to put up with this!"

"Ooo," cooed Liola. "The little cub has some bite."

"She's teething," chuckled Alfsigr. She took her turn examining Summer.

"Are all girls from the south this fruity?" Sassa asked, touching Summer's cheek.

"I..." stuttered Summer.

"Don't worry, Feyu (Pretty thing)," said Alfsigr. "I find that rather cute. If there is time, we can teach you the ways of the ax, the bow, and the sword."

"Leave her alone!" said Jon.

"It's something she must do, hermandali ," said Saga. "If she is to marry a Berja, then she's going to have to become a Berja. Father will not approve of having a weak Summerland maiden in the family."

"The time will come for that," said Jon. "Right now, we're at war. Weddings and traditions can wait until we have defeated our enemies."

"Indeed," said Liola, still looking at Summer like she was a wild boar that needed to be skewered immediately. She loved her brother and wanted the best for him. Summer, in her eyes, was not the best thing for Jon right now. "Well, let's see what Father has to say about this. He is waiting for Jon. We can't keep him doing that. His patience runs out faster than air in a child's balloon."

Liola stormed into the hall. The others followed. Astrid sprinted next to Summer. "Don't worry," she said. "You'll get used to them. I'm Astrid."

"Oh," said Summer. "You're Jon's baby sister, correct."

Astrid did not approve of that. "Youngest, yes, but I don't know about the baby."

"It's how he refers to you," said Summer. "Well, it's nice to meet you."

"Let's just hope my father feels the same way," Astrid said cautiously.

They approached the throne room and noticed a Werevegun, the Wolfmen of the East.

He was named Ser Xaxeras, a dear friend of the family and champion of the House. Summer hid behind Astrid like a frightened child. He wore heavy-plated armor colored black with detailed scrollwork and statuettes of wolves carrying axes. Summer tried her best not to scream or run, and keep herself from shivering. Since she was very young, wolves were the creatures she feared the most in the world.

Nothing terrified her more than the werewolves of Termnnia. She was but a little girl during the infamous Autumn of Silver, when a Lycnantrophy epidemic ran wild in her country, turning hundreds of the local villagers outside the walls of the city into ravenous hairy monsters that howled at the moon constantly. Even though she was safe behind the walls of the castle, their infernal howling from the forests and the mountains haunted her dreams and gave her long, sleepless nights. Even though she read much about the Werevegun and had come to know some of them as great scholars, poets, philosophers, and even politicians, it did very little to quell her fear of them.

He stood over her and Jon with a toothy smile on his face. He bowed politely. "Is this her, my lord?" he asked. His voice was low and raspy, but articulate and very formal.

"Yes. She only just arrived a couple of days ago. Summer, this is Ser Xaxares. He is my oldest and dearest friend. As well as one of my greatest teachers in the arts of war. And..." He sighed. "Mathematics. Oof, I remember the ear-pulling every time I got a formula wrong."

"It helped you remember at least," said the wolf warrior. "Although I wish I could have taught you more in terms of loyalty. You made an oath to the lord of the valley that you'd marry his daughter, Jon. You have cost your father much because of this."

"I'd risk anything for her," Jon said, holding his head up and taking Summer's hand. "I do not love the daughter of the valley lord. And I should not be obligated to marry a woman I do not love because it is good for trade and relations. There has to be a better way we can form an alliance with them. I assure you I will find a way."

"I hope so, your highness, for your sake. If the king does not favor this girl, you could face exile. Or worse. Please, try not to make any more stupid mistakes."

"Um, excuse me," Summer said with a squeak.

"You may speak up," Ser Xaxeras said with a chuckle. "I do not bite."

"Yes, forgive me. It's just my first time seeing your kind before."

"Do I terrify you?"

Summer's face went horribly red. "I did not mean to offend you. I have had a fear of wolves since I was small."

"Did something happen to create this fear?"

Summer lifted up her dress to show him her ankle. There was terrible scarring on the flesh that looked like the bite of a savage animal. "When I was a little girl, my family was attacked by a pack of Silver Fang on our way home from the Duchy of Applehold. They ate the horses and killed our rider and most of our escorts. They encircled our wheelhouse all night. At dawn, we thought they left. I went out to pee and they sprung out of the bushes and attacked me. One of them got me right there and started ripping and tearing. I would have lost my foot had it not been for a group of hunters from the local village who had come to rescue us just in the knick of time. And then, a year later, there was an epidemic of Lyncanthrophy in my country. I heard werewolves howling at the moon for three long months without end. I drove me quite mad."

Ser Xaxeras nodded. "The Autumn of Silver. I heard about that. Do not worry, dear lady. I am not offended. It's natural for us to be associated with those feral beasts, werewolves, because of the way we look. I assure you unless you are my enemy, you have nothing to fear. If Jon loves you, then so do I. Welcome to our home, Lady Summer."

Summer felt the warmth of joy wash over her and quelled her fears of the Wervegun warrior. She performed a curtsy and thanked him for being so kind to her.

"Come forward!" King Audun commanded Jon and Summer, once he saw them standing at the entrance.

Aisha fixed summer's hair and patted her cheek. "Good luck," she whispered.

Summer thanked her, then looked at Jon who only nodded. He stepped back to allow her to go forward towards the Topaz Throne of Riftgaard, where her (hopefully) future father-in-law was waiting. Summer cautiously walked towards the king. The clip-clop of her heels broke the silence of the hall. Every Berja from every head clan in Riftgaard had come to see the pretty Summerland maiden that Jon chose to marry. The girl with a face so beautiful he would betray the alliance his father had with House Brooks.

Jon went to go follow her, but his father held up a calloused hand. "Not you!" he said.

Jon stopped dead in his tracks. He rubbed Summer's quivering shoulders to calm her before sending her on her way toward the king. As she passed by, she heard sniggering and crude whispers coming from the tables all around her. Berja warriors were slamming their cups on the table, yelling their disdain for her. Poor Summer felt like she was a little lamb in a dark den surrounded by ravenous wolves and dominant lions. Some were so bold as to grab her cloak and examine the furs. Upon discovering they were fake, they scorned her for it and mocked her.

With each step she took, the Topaz Throne seemed to get farther and farther from her. She felt as though the throne was moving back away from her so she could be stuck in the gaze of the warriors of the mead hall forever. After what felt like an eternity of walking across the mead hall, she, at last, made it to the throne.

"Your Grace," she said bowing.

The King examined her as she stood before him. What would he say? What would he do? Queen Ara smiled warmly at Summer. That brought some comfort to Summer, and she kept her eyes focused mostly on Ara. The king noticed this, however, and commanded Summer to look back at him. He grumbled and snorted, squeezing his gold cup.

There was a young boy of thirteen sitting on a wooden chair inlaid with carvings of battle stories. He had a long braid going down his back, and cold blue eyes. His skin was pale as the snow blowing outside. His crown was obnoxiously more ravishing than the crown worn by the king. He had black markings painted under his narrow eyes, and his lips resembled the color of a peach. No doubt in Summer's mind, the boy was Jon's cousin, Theo. He examined Summer with a far more poisonous glare than Audun. He coldly stirred his cup in his hand, his fingers glimmering with jeweled rings.

"A pretty face, yes," said the king. "Can't see with that cloak on you, though. Let me see you."

Summer shyly nodded her head and undid the stings of her cloak until it slumped off her shoulders and fell on the floor with a thud. King Audun bobbed his head as he looked at Summer from heel to brow.

"It's a beautiful dress you're wearing," Queen Ara commented

"Very nice," King Audun agreed. "Beautiful face, and quite the body to compliment it. Now I know why my son was fool enough to break his oath with House Brooks."

"Father," began Jon. "I didn't break my oath because she's beautiful. Summer has a..."

"Be silent!" Audun commanded.

There was a long pause before King Audun gave Jon a gesture to come forward. Jon quickly made his way forward toward his bride. He picked up the cloak and put it over Summer's shoulders.

"Father. I love her."

King Audun gave a disapproving shake of his head. "You love her?" said he. "You destroy our alliance with House Brooks and risk the economic stability of our kingdom because you love her? I thought I raised you to be better than this, my son."

"Were you any different?" Jon asked. "You broke an oath with another clan because you wanted to be with Mother, remember?"

Queen Ara smiled and gave one nod to her husband. King Audun went red in the face. Veins began to bulge in his temple and his body quivered. He gripped his cup so tightly that the stem screeched. "Well, I...but...but...No! No! No! This is an entirely different matter!"

"Is it father?" asked Jon. "Look, I will find a way to make it up to House Brooks. And I know you disapprove of the love Summer and I share but..."

"I never said I disapproved, son," said Audun. "Am I angry that our alliance is broken? Yes. But if you can find a way to restore what we had with House Brooks, I will be content with you being betrothed to her." King Audun let out a heavy sigh and sat back down. "I'm sorry for all this, Jon. Son, I only want you to be happy."

"Then why did you force me to marry Lord Brook's daughter, Father?"

"Because, my son, your mother and I are not going to be around forever. And...I just want to make sure my House and my children are taken care of. I want my son to be the fiercest king in Riftgaard since the Iron Knights. And I want my daughters to marry fine men and create more children so that our House can go on forever."

"Jon is a strong and able warrior, my love," said Ara. "And remember, he has Gearfried as a companion. Jon will bring our country into prosperity when he is king one day."

"Uncle, you cannot be seriously accepting this ridiculous proposal do you?" Theo asked, standing from his wooden throne. "Jon broke an oath, an act punishable by death!"

Audun looked at his nephew. "When last I checked...it was Audun, not Theo, who was King of Riftgaard."

"Keep acting this way with your children and you will not be king for long!" said Theo.

"Watch your words, boy!" said Audun. "I may have agreed to take you in and raise you, but damn it I have my limits! One more outburst and you'll be washing the pig pens for a week!"

"Why is cousin Theo with us, father?" Jon asked.

"His parents were killed in a Naralian ambush. Theo lost his family and his House. So, your mother and I have decided to take him in as our own."

Jon looked at Theo and bowed his head. "I am sorry for your loss, Theo."

"Bah!" Theo spat. "It was a loss that could have been avoided had you just accepted your oath to marry Lady Axiva a long time ago. Our borders would have been secured by their troops and their Summoners! My family is dead because of you and your love for that whore from the Summerlands."

"Shut your mouth, boy!" shouted Audun. "This girl is going to be the future Queen of this kingdom, alongside your cousin, who will be King. Like it or not, oath or no oath, the Naralias would have come to your village and burned it. There was nothing that can be done to avoid this. He has robotic knights in his arsenal. They have powerful magic-resistant armor designed by Keith Howard or do they call him Bandit Keith these days? I digress. These robotic soldiers get produced by the thousands day after day. For each army Jon and his friends destroy, ten new armies of robotic soldiers take their place. Does that sound like something that a simple marriage could have stopped?"

"What can we do, father?" said Jon.

King Audun rose from his throne. "You will do as the Thunder Goddess told you to do. You said she sent you on a quest to a hidden temple that could unlock Gearfried from his armor, yes? Well, go forth and do it. Riftgaard marches to war again. And this time, the unlimited power of the Swordmaster will be in our hands."

The Riftgaardians stood up and cheered, chanting Jon and Gearfried's names. Marcel suddenly came walking into the throne room. "I am sorry to interrupt," he said over the chanting.

"Young Master Marcel," said Audun. "What brings you here?"

"I'm afraid your son and I must make our leave. Master Yugi calls for us."

---

Yuri - The Ruby Dragon Gaming Shop, Aquarius/Standard Dimension

---

Yuri splashed cold water over his face for the tenth time before he started slapping his cheeks with his palms. As much as he wanted to confess what was truly wrong with him, he couldn't. He couldn't let anyone find out. He just couldn't! He splashed water on his face repeatedly, praying that his efforts would dull the color of the dark bags underneath his eyes and relieve his heavy eyelids from the burden of sleepiness.

Dreaming again.

"Stupid," he said, splashing more water on his face and slapping his cheeks. He looked at his reflection. "Get a grip on yourself. They're not real..." As much as he tried to convince himself of that, Seto Kaiba's monologue the other night was too real...too true...too personal. He knew about Crystal and Brett and his fear of playing on a more professional level.

There was a loud banging on the door. "Yuri!" Natalya shouted. "Can you hurry it up in there? Come on, I gotta pee!"

"I'm sorry," Yuri muttered, trying to come up with an excuse. "Those scrambled eggs mom made me didn't go down so well."

He heard Natalya laughing followed by Sergei stomping his way into the door. "Well, you have one minute to finish what you're doing in there and return to your duties, young man. How dare you keep a lady waiting. Oh! And everything better be clean when you get out of there. If I so happen to see a shit smear on that toilet bowl, I will personally tell Natalya to shit in your mother's fish pond. She'll do it, you know. She's a rebel."

"What!?" shouted Natalya. "I would never!"

Yuri splashed one last handful of water on his face, dried himself, and then walked outside into the storage room to pick up the latest shipment of figures. He heard Sergei's radio blasting Bryan Adam's song, Everything I do.

That made his stomach feel ice cold. The song was used as a promo for an old Robin Hood movie when he was very young. He recalled all the dreams he had. They were all set in a strange medieval world. Castles, old villages, majestic forests, and people in old clothing.

That just made Yuri laugh. It reminded him of how foolish it was to think these dreams were anything more than just dreams. The middle ages were over and most importantly, monsters and magic did not exist. He looked around at the stockroom, examining all the logos on the boxes. He stopped and listened to the sound of the hanging lamps on the ceiling humming. Electricity. Modern technology. Normalcy. He was just Yuri and this was his home. That was that.

Natalya was leaning against the wall checking her phone, waiting for Yuri. She looked up from her phone and smiled. "Feel better?" she asked, trying to suppress her laughter.

"Shut up," Yuri mumbled, picking up the boxes of Anime figures. "What are you looking at?"

"Patty," laughed Natalya. "She's been hinting a special surprise to her followers on her eighteenth next week."

"Oh, gee, I wonder what it could be," Yuri said, checking his phone to see Patty's update.

She was clad in a Misty cosplay, looking innocent and sweet as she held her stuffed Pokemon in her arms.

"That girl is going to run into trouble one of these days," Yuri said, feeling horribly displeased.

"Oh, don't be such a pain in her butt," said Natalya, putting her phone away. "Let the girl have some fun."

"You haven't been here for too long," said Yuri. "You don't know Patty like I do. Sergei chipped in to get her out of jail because she went out to 'have some fun'. Eighteen is a dangerous age for girls like her. They think they can do anything now because they're adults. And then RAPTOR is on the news excavating a dead body from the harbor."

"I had no idea it was that bad," Natalya said, pocketing her phone. "What did she do?"

"Party late on school nights, fabricated fake IDs to get into the clubs, attending yacht parties, that kind of stuff. And we can add petty theft to that list as well."

"She's a bad girl?" Natalya said scratching her chin. "Funny, she didn't strike me as being that kind of person."

"My friends and I have done what we could to keep her straight," Yuri explained, leading her down the hall to the store. "But this whole lewd cosplay scene she's been playing out is making me uncomfortable. And I fear it's going to get worse once she turns eighteen next month. I'm scared for her, Natalya."

Natalya laughed and lightly elbowed him on the arm. "Come on, Yuri. Patty is a sexy girl. You know you're going to like her content."

"I'm serious! This is how it starts, Nattie. First, she poses in raunchy cosplay, then it's her underwear...scratch that, she already did that last week in a twerking video she posted. Man, then it's nudes. After that, it wouldn't surprise me if she started doing amateur porn."

"Yuri!" Natalya almost shouted. She conked him on the head with her palm. "I'm VERY disappointed in you. How could you think of your friend in such a way?"

"You think I'm happy making conclusions like that? No, of course not! But when you see the ones you love hanging out with certain types of people, going to stupid parties, and acting a certain way, what else are you supposed to do?"

"Grow up, will you?" Natalya said, holding open the door for him. "What a stupid way to think. Not to mention dangerous — to both you and to Patty."

"Sorry," Yuri said sadly.

"AAAAHH!" someone at one of the Duel Tables shouted in the shop's Dueling Room. "NOOO!"

It was Patty.

Yuri and Natalya ran out in time to see a battle on the Duel Screen. The Duel Screen showed a monk called Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer spin his staff and destroy her Zera the Mant with ease.

"Bye, bye, Zera!" laughed her opponent.

Patty's cards dropped out of her limp fingers. Even though he couldn't see her expression, Yuri could hear her babbling and even sniffling.

"And that's that," said a young man, clad in the white and gold Delphina Academy uniform.

"You didn't pose much of a challenge. I knew all that talk about you was just crap. It goes to show that those followers are more in love with your pictures than your Dueling skills. But I'm not surprised you were so mediocre."

"I...I lost?" Patty breathed. "But...but how? I didn't even get a chance to play my best cards."

The young man chuckled and slid his fingers through his thick, multicolored hair. His thick bangs bounced over his forehead. "You lost indeed. I won fair and square. Now, it's time to hand over my prize."

"Here," Patty said, handing him some cards which included an ultra-rare spell Axe of Despair, United We Stand, and even Belial - Marquis of Darkness, the new card she got from Sergei.

"Excellent," the lad said, swiping the cards from her fingers. "It makes me wonder how cards like these can find their way to such insignificant specks."

"What was that?" Patty growled, grinding her teeth and clenching her fists in anger.

"Nothing," said the lad. "Tell me, is there anyone here worthy of my talents? I grow weary of you, Patty. Do the world of Duel Monsters a favor and just throw your deck away. Stick to showing off your bubble butt to drooling mongrels. It's the only thing you're good at."

"Now wait just a second!" Natalya said hurrying to the table. "Just what is going on here, Floyd? Don't you have anywhere better to be? A garbage dump perhaps? Or thousands of feet beneath the sea and away from humankind?"

"Natalya," said Floyd. "I'm surprised to see you working here."

"You know this creep, Nattie?" Patty asked, picking up her cards.

"Sadly, I do. He's Floyd Patterson, captain of the new Phobos Academy Duel Monsters Team. His skills are top-notch, but his attitude is total garbage. But as far as I'm concerned, those cards belong to Patty. Give it back to her right now!"

"No can do, babe," Floyd said, tauntingly waving the cards in between his fingers. "Patty put them up for grabs — those were the terms of our game. I won, she lost, so the cards are both mine."

"Then I'll play you for them!" Natalya dug into the pouch in her apron. She held up her deck.

"You wish to play?" Floyd chuckled. "Very well, but you must put that Simorgh bird on the line."

"Natalya, don't do it!" Patty urged her. "Not for me. Like you said, he's good. Don't worry about United We Stand, I can just find another one."

"No you can't," Natalya said with a smile. "You put up a lot of good cards and a handful of cash to get it from Parker. Please, let me win it back for you."

"I can find another one!" Patty continued to argue. "But you won't find another Simorgh. Natalya, that card is special to you. It's a keepsake from your grandmother. I won't stand to see you lose it to this creep."

"Are we going to play, or what?" Natalya asked Floyd, feeling insulted that Patty would think she would lose to the arrogant boy. "Axe of Despair and United We Stand for my Simorgh."

"Nattie!"

"It's a deal," said Floyd. "Sit down. Let's play."

LP 2000

T1 - Natalya

"I'll begin first," Natalya announced. She drew. "I set a card face-down and summon Takuhee in Attack Mode."

She placed her card on the sensor. The screen beside her displayed the large brown bird monster flapping its wings in the ancient Colosseum.

ATK/1450

She continued her turn. "Then I equip him with Follow Wind, which increases his attack and defense by three hundred points. But I'm not done yet, for I use the Field Spell, Mountain. This will increase my Winged-Beast's attack points by two-hundred points."

ATK/1950

"I end my turn."

T2

"My turn," Floyd grinned as he drew. "I set a monster face-down. That ends my turn."

T3

"Playing chicken are we?" Natalya taunted.

Patty bit her lip. It was unwise for Natalya to be so overconfident. She made the same mistake before and it cost her dearly. She chose not to say anything to Natalya so as not to rile her.

Natalya drew. "I summon Faith Bird!" She called on her blue-feathered falcon with a long graceful tail and brilliant white claws.

ATK/1500 + 200 = 1700 ATK

Natalya attacked with Tukuhee first. The bird screeched and soared into the air, flying high over the Colosseum. Like a jet plane, it roared as it zoomed through the ice-cold mountain air. It extended its claws. They flashed in the dim sunlight. It approached Floyd's face-down monster. The monster was flipped up, revealing a monster called Banisher of the Light

Banisher of the Light was man wearing orange robes with an ornate blue shoulder cape and matching hat. He slowly rose out of the ground from a white glowing portal. He held out his palm and created a divine-looking arcane glyph with animated rings and flowing runes written in an ancient language. Tukuhee ran into the barrier and was knocked back. It screeched and then landed flat on its back when it hit the ground with a thud.

Natalya stuttered when she saw the battle taking place on the screen. She lost a mere 50 Life Points, but the nasty look and obnoxious chuckle coming from Floyd made her feel like she lost 10,000 points of damage.

Floyd rudely declared his turn. He slowly slid the top card off his deck, chuckling at Natalya's misfortune. "I summon a monster face-down and set this card on my backboard. Your move."

Natalya was nervous at this point. Another face-down monster. She started feeling sweat moistening her underarms. Floyd didn't seem to care if he was attacked or not. What if he wanted her to attack? What if he didn't? What if he was just playing with her emotions? She batted her eyelashes nervously. Losing against him was bad enough, but to know her grandmother's keepsake card would soon be his was just unacceptable.

Patty was right, she thought to herself. Accepting Floyd's terms was a big mistake. At this point, she would rather deal with his taunting than lose her card. But it was too late now. Forfeiting was still a loss. She decided to gamble and attacked the face-down monster. This time, Faith Bird was attacking. It screeched, turning into a turquoise blur in the air. It finally struck the face-down monster, which was revealed to be a Needle Worm.

"Allow me to explain what my little friend does," said Floyd. "And hold on tight because his effect is gonna...'bug' ya." He laughed at his lame humor. "When flipped, Needle Worm forces you to discard the top five cards of your deck. But here's where my Banisher of the Light comes to play. So long as he's out on the field, all cards are banished instead of being sent to the Graveyard. So those cards you have to discard are removed from the game. Go on."

Natalya did as she was told. She gasped. Simorgh was one of the cards. He was banished and there was nothing she could do to bring him back to the game. Just like that, Floyd prevented her from using her best monster. Was it a premonition of things to come? Was she really going to lose her prized monster?

"My turn," Floyd said laughing. "So much for your oversized chicken, eh? And without him, there's nothing you can do to stop me. I use the spell, Card Destruction. We now discard our hands and draw the same amount of cards we previously held."

Natalya gulped. Her hand only had two cards, so she could only draw two cards. But Floyd still had a full hand pretty much. He had more cards than Natalya did, giving him an advantage over her.

He held up his next card close to his face. "Now, I flip up my face-down card, Ultimate Offering. With this trap card, we can summon more monsters at the cost of 500 points per monster. I'll set this monster face-down and offer up five hundred of my points to set these extra cards. Now, I play the Spell Card, Delinquent Duo. At the cost of one thousand of my Life Points, I can select a card in your hand and discard it. Or in this case, banish it, thanks to Banisher of the Light. Oh, Skull Red Bird. Good card; too bad you can't use it anymore. Ah, but my spell has another effect. If you have more cards in your hand, you have to select a card to discard. And since you only have one card, you don't have much of a choice."

Natalya sighed and sent her Queen Bird away. She bit her lip and tightened every muscle in her body to keep herself from shedding any tears and giving this bully any more pleasure.

"You're in the lead now, Natalya. Silly me. Oh, wait! Never mind, I'm going to get those points back with this card, Poison of the Old Man. This lets me choose to either regain my points or take points from you. I'm choosing to increase my Life Points. Now I gain 1200!"

Natalya wrinkled her nose. Her toes curled in her shoes and her fingers trembled. He was starting to annoy her. Mind games; this she knew. He was messing with her to make her emotional and do whatever it took to take him down. Sadly, it was working. She could not bear to listen to him trash-talking her and belittling her cards. And most of all, she could not bear to lose her keepsake.

What was I thinking?

She attacked. "NO!" shouted Patty. But it was too late. Takuhee attacked the face-down monster. Another Needle Worm. Another five cards were banished from the game. She was too scared to attack the other face-down monster and ended her turn. Floyd continued using cards to damage Natalya's deck, picking it apart piece by piece until she had nothing left.

She lost via deck out.

"No," she moaned. "I lost."

"That you did," he laughed, picking up his cards. He held up his prized Banisher of the Light Card. "You were worse than the last one. Patty at least did damage to me. Now, a deal is a deal. Fork over your rarest card now."

"Natalya, don't do it," Yuri said, running towards the table. "That card is..."

"No, Yuri," Natalya sniffled. "My grandmother taught me to honor my word. No matter what. And that's just what I'm going to do."

She handed Floyd the card. He quickly swiped it from her fingers.

"Give it back!" shouted Patty. "You don't need that card in your deck. You don't even run Winged-Beasts."

"My deck?" Floyd laughed. "This bloody chicken doesn't deserve a spot in my deck. But don't worry, maybe he'll serve as a coaster for my drink."

Natalya's nails dug into her palms.

Patty slammed both fists on the table. "If I so much as see a wrinkle on that card I'll..."

"You'll do what?" snickered Floyd. "My father's the head of the Aquarius Bankers Guild. "If you lay a finger on me, he'll find ways to make your lives financially miserable. It would certainly be a real shame for the legendary Troy McKnight to suffer because of his stupid daughter's mistake, wouldn't it? He's already ashamed of you enough as it is, isn't he?"

"You little punk!" said Patty.

"Patty, stop!" Natalya said, head still down on the table. "Don't do anything reckless. Just stop. Please. As rare as those cards are, it's not worth the damage his dad could do to you. I've seen him ruin families before."

"You won't get away with this!" Yuri shouted.

Floyd slid his fingers through his hair. A few locks bounced over his forehead. "You sound like a cheese ball Saturday morning character." He examined Yuri's glowing green eye. "Ah, Yuri!" he said nodding. "Of course, how did I not see it? Yes, you're the one I was looking for. Hmph! Here I thought you'd be bigger." He crossed his arms. "So you're the Prince of Aquarius. Word on the street is you got some mystery monster in your deck. The Black Tyranno!"

"That's right," said Yuri. "I used him to beat the regional champion, a member of the Dragon Sisters, and...heh, heh, you're lame class president, Cornelius Landow. He talked a big game but I sure showed him what for."

"You got lucky!" Floyd said angrily and dramatically pointing his finger at Yuri as though he committed a crime. "There's no way Cornelius Landow could have lost to the likes of you."

"Oh, he did. Just ask Black Tyanno. You should have seen it. He made Cornelius beg for our Duel to end. It was pathetic."

"Yuri..." said Natalya. "Stop, don't antagonize him.

Patty just stood where she was perplexed and shocked by the arrogance coming out of Yuri's mouth. Her eyes twinkled and she blushed, watching as the glow in Yuri's eye seemed to get brighter as he stood his ground against Floyd. Wow, that was so cool! Yuri...is that really you buddy?

"Let's cut to the chase," said Yuri. "You said you came here looking for me and you're taking cards from people you beat, so that must mean you want my Black Tyranno. Well, if you want it? Then you'll have to Duel me for it. I win, you give BOTH Patty and Natalya their cards back. I lose, you can have the Black Tyranno."

"Yuri, no!" said Patty.

"Sure, nothing will please me more than defeating the son of Jacob Montgomery. And winning the monster that beat Randall Lawson and Pink_Dragon Layla will be a great pleasure."

"Fine," Yuri said, crossing his arms. "But, I don't have my deck on me right now. So let me go and get it. And why don't we make things interesting by using the new Duel Dome to settle this."

"The Duel Dome!" both Natalya and Patty shouted.

"Ah, I like your style, Yuri," Floyd said, stuffing his three prizes into his breast pocket. "I accept! Go get your deck and I'll meet you there. I sure hope you're ready."

"I'll beat you alright," Yuri growled, narrowing his eyes. "Now get the hell out of my uncle's store!"

Floyd scoffed, stood up, and put on his backpack. "Not that it matters to me. Once the new Dueling Grounds are complete, this dump will be obsolete. Smell ya later, losers. And you enjoy your Black Tyranno while you can, Yuri."

He got waved at them and stepped out the door.

Patty placed her hand on Yuri's shoulder. "Yuri, I think it's really cool how you're starting to grow some backbone, but I sure hope you know what you're doing. That Black Tyranno is the strongest monster you have. Please, don't do this."

"I'm going to whether you like it or not, Patty. Don't talk me out of it."

"Yuri, don't," Natalya sobbed, wiping tears from her eyes. "You saw what he did to me. I don't want the same thing to happen to you. Don't do this. Please."

"I'll find a way to do it," said Yuri. "Nobody messes with my friends and gets away with it. I'll get your cards back, girls. Don't worry."

"Ooooooo," hooted Patty. She arched her back provocatively and leaned on his shoulder. "You hear that, Nattie? We've got ourselves a knight in shining armor here."

"I suppose we do," she said. "Well, after what you did to Cornelius, I believe in you, Yuri. And thank you."

Andre Martin suddenly ran into the Duel Room. He placed his hands on his knees and bent over, trying to catch his breath.

"I just saw a guy named Floyd Patterson walk out of here!" he said. "I hope none of you Dueled him. He's been going to card shops all over Aquarius and challenging people for their best cards."

"You're a little late," said Patty. "Floyd whooped both my ass and Natalya's." She lightly patted Natalya's backside.

Andre gasped and stood up straight. "Aw, man. I...I'm so sorry. I wish I could have gotten here sooner."

"There was nothing you could do about it," Sam said as he walked into the Duel Room while slurping on a soda. He most likely saw the whole ordeal from the other side of the room. "Patty and Natalya are very stubborn girls. Believe me, they're not shy from backing out from a challenge."

Natalya clicked her tongue and shuffled her deck. "I hate to admit it, but the kid's got a point. I really wanted to show that guy what for. Especially after all the horrible things he said to Patty."

"I could get your cards back if you want," Andre suggested.

"That won't be necessary," Patty said. She placed her hand on Yuri's shoulder and shook it. "But we've already selected our hero for the task."

"Me?"

"Him?" Andre said. "Sorry, girls, I admire your confidence in your pal, but I hate to say it. He's not fit for the job."

"What are you saying?" Patty said in a graveling tone. "You dissing my boy?"

Andre shook his head at once. "Yuri, I'm just stating the facts, man. You're a good Duelist and all, but compared to Floyd Patterson, you don't stand a chance. I've heard students from every school in the city talking about him. He's good. Don't let your victory over Randall and Cornelius get to your head."

"Don't tell that to me," Yuri replied. He shook his hands around. "You got to tell it to this little lady. But, I already said I would and I'm a man of my word."

"I have no doubt about that." Andre stuffed his hands in his pockets. "But I'll be more than willing to take your place. I'm not so bad myself when it comes to Duel Monsters."

Sam laughed at him. "Dude, you think that just because you beat my lame-ass brother that you're good? No offense, guy, but Nick is just about the worst Duelist on the island. If you want a challenge, I say you go against me."

Andre looked at the boy while his mouth formed a grin of intrigue. Maybe the boy wasn't all talk like his brother. "So, is that a challenge, Sam?"

"Yeah, you bet it is. Yuri's got some skill. It's not much to boast about, but it's blooming. Come on, big guy. You talk a big game. Let's see what you got. Ladies, step aside, please." Patty and Natalya got off their seats. Sam sped for Patty's seat and took off his backpack. He then looked up at Yuri and winked when he felt the warmth clinging to the seat. "Aww, yeah. It's still warm."

Patty rolled her eyes. "I'm getting a soda," she said walking away.

Sam looked behind his chair and howled as Patty walked off. "Damn, baby! It's not even my birthday and Patty's giving me some cake. Bam, look at that!

"You're a real ladies' man, aren't you?" Andre shuffled his deck and placed them on the LED mat. "Maybe a match with me will teach you some manners."

LP 2000

T1

"Whatever, let's Duel!" Sam declared. "I'll go first. I summon Lightning Conger in attack mode!"

An electric eel-like monster flashed onto a field surrounded by the ruins of an ancient castle on the Duel Screen. It screeched as it reeled its head up and blasted lighting all over the place as a sign of dominance.

T2

"So that's all you can muster, little man?" Andre said with a snigger. "Man, the perks of being so young. Try this on for size, kid. The Mysterious Puppeteer. At 1000 attack points strong, your Lightning Conger is no match for it. Beat it, Puppeteer!"

The purple-robed puppet master knelt down and sicked his little wooden puppet at Sam's Lightning Conger. The puppet grew long claws which it used to slash the eel's body. Lightning Conger wagged its head from left to right before falling lifeless on the floor, his body disappearing.

T3

"You fell for it!" Sam said. "Did you really think I'd start off like that on purpose? Now you've left your monster open for this. Your Puppeteer is strong, but wait till you see this. First, I set this card face-down. Next, I activate the field spell, Mountain." The scenery in the game world changed. Now the monsters were standing on a temple on the top of a mountain, surrounded by a vast range of smaller, snow-capped mountains. "Now I summon this guy. Winged Dragon, Guardian of the Fortress Number One! Take that!" He smacked his card down with all his might and the screen displayed a big-headed blue dragon with two large wings and spikes going down its back to its tail.

"My Puppeteer's effect activates!" Andre declared. "When you summon a monster, my Life Points increase by 500."

Sam didn't care. He was proud his monster was now the strongest on the field. He held up his fist in triumph. "Cool! Now with my mountain spell, his attack points increase to 1600. Looks like your Puppeteer is about to head into early retirement. Destroy him, Winged Dragon. Fireball attack!" The blue dragon flapped its wings forward to thrust him upward above the field. It then opened its mouth and fired a large fireball at Andre's Puppeteer. The Mysterious Puppeteer screamed, then was turned to ashes, dropping Andre's Life Points.

T4

"I draw," said Andre.

"You should have seen the look on your face!" Sam declared. "Oh, man, it was priceless!"

"No need to be rude," Natalya commented. She was watching the Duel over his shoulder. Patty came back with her drink and stood right beside her. She bit into her thumbnail nervously, hoping Andre would find some way to turn the game around. But he didn't. He went defensive the next turn and that was it.

T5

Sam burst out laughing. "Man, that's all? You're no better than my brother, Andre. Awesome! Check this card out. Polymerization! Now I fuse together Winged Dragon Guardian of the Fortress and Fairy Dragon together to become the mighty Kaiser Dragon!"

Andre let out a gulp and glared at the screen, watching Sam's two dragons get sucked into the fusion vortex. From it emerged a golden serpentine dragon with skinny arms and legs and large wings. Sam giggled confidently in his seat. Seeing the creature come out of the vortex like that brought such joy to him. A feeling of power. And, the dragon was a super-rare. Holographic, which was more than anything his older brother had in his collection.

"Whoa," Natalya said. "I've got to say that's one impressive dragon, Sam. Nice work."

Sam looked over his shoulder. "Thanks, Nattie. That means a lot. If you think he's impressive now, babe, just wait till you see what he can do next. I equip Kaiser Dragon with Dragon Treasure. This card will increase his attack to 2600. And don't forget about my Mountain spell. This will give him another juicy boost, raising his attack points to 2800! Now he's the strongest monster on the field. Combo attacks are devastating, huh? Hope you're taking notes, Yuri. This is something you need to do, too. You can't always rely on brute strength to win your Duels. Not all players are as weak as my brother."

"He's got a point," Patty said reluctantly. Even the little prick's advice, as insulting as it was, came out as magnanimous. Sam pointed at Sam's monster and declared his next move. "Go, Kaiser Dragon! Attack his face-down monster!"

Andre chuckled and flipped over his monster. "Sorry, junior. You've just attacked my Man-Eater Bug. And he'll automatically destroy one monster when he's flipped."

"Yeah, that's not gonna happen, moron. I activate my trap card. Royal Command."

"Damn!" Patty cried out. "That's a very rare trap card, Sammy. And not only that, it will cancel out all of Andre's flip effects. Sorry, big guy, but your Man-Eater Bug is useless."

"Where was that card when I needed it," said Natalya. "That card is the bane of Floyd's deck."

"It's up for grabs," Sam boasted. "The cost is one date. Any takers?"

Patty shook her head and flicked him off. "No, thanks, chump. Yuri's going to take care of Floyd for us."

T6

"I still say you're making a mistake," said Andre. "If you want your cards back, you're just going to have to trust in my skills. I can help you. I summon another monster in defense mode and end my turn."

T7

"How lame," Sam said with a laugh. "Stop saying you can take on Floyd. Admit it, chump. You're just trying to impress the girls." Andre said nothing. "Yeah, just as I thought. They're way out of your league man. Patty is the daughter of RAPTOR's commander. And Natalya is the heir to a multi-million dollar franchise. Ruby Dragon Gaming. And just who are you, huh? Where did you even come from, dude? You know what, don't answer that."

"I feel sorry for the woman that shit you out, dude," Patty said to Sam. "God, you're so obnoxious!"

"And you are so friggin' hot!" Sam said. "All right, it's my turn. And I activate Pot of Greed. I draw two cards." He used his two fingers to slip the two top cards into his grip. "Now that's what I'm talking about! I activate Fusion Sage. This card lets me add Polymerization to my hand. And I'm going to use it. I merge together Steel Ogre Grotto and Lesser Dragon together so they can become Metal Dragon!"

Andre bared his teeth and balled his left hand into a fist. He looked at the fusion taking place in the field. After a bright flash, the long, metallic dragon formed. It let out a low, metallic, call, then circled around the field.

"I'm not through yet, Andre. I equip my dragon with Gust Fan, which increases his attack points by 400! My dragon's attack increases to 2250! There, now I've got two strong dragons on the field. If you can't take these guys down, what makes you think you can beat, Floyd? Hah!"

"He just wants to help," said Yuri.

"He just wants to stroke his own ego," Sam declared. "I know his type. Except for the skills, you're just a carbon copy of my brother, Nick.

"I'll beat your dragons, kid," Andre boasted. "First, I activate this card. Tremendous Fire. It may cost me five hundred of my Life Points, but it's a meager price to pay for taking down your Life Points by 1000. Now, I summon Hyozanryu!"

Andre set the card down, summoning the diamond dragon, who was usually quite favorable with beginners because of his high ATK and even stronger DEF. He was strong and very easy to find.

Sam scoffed. "He's a strong dragon, but he's no match for my monsters."

"So you say. Thanks to your Mountain spell, its attack increases to 2300. But wait till you see this. Monster Reborn. With this card, I summon my Mysterious Puppeteer from the Graveyard. Don't say he's weak, because, after this attack, it's all over for you. I increase Hyozanryu's power with United We Stand!"

Sam's heart skipped a beat and his cards dropped from his hand. "What! But...that's not fair. Where did you get a spell that rare?"

"Who cares?" Andre said, finally glad to shut Sam up. "All that matters is I'm going to win. United We Stand will increase Hyozanryu's power by 800 for every monster I have on the field. So, with my Puppeteer in play, Hyzonaryu's power increased by sixteen hundred points. I attack your Metal Dragon and end this game."

"Aw, nuts!" Sam said. He threw his cards on the mat and leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms in a pout. "Well, I could have gotten you if you didn't use such a cheese, spell. That card should be banned with how powerful it is."

"Well, that's why it's so rare," said Patty. She went glum, remembering her lost United We Stand card. "Man, how could I have been so dumb?"

"I said I could..." Andre started to say.

"I appreciate the help," Patty interrupted him. "But it's okay. I'm fine. Yuri's going to help me out."

"If you say so. But Yuri's got a lot to learn. Don't you, man? I mean that in the best way possible."

"I suppose," Yuri replied.

"I could teach you."

"What good is teaching him if he doesn't have the cards he needs?" Natalya said. "Yuri can train with you from dusk until dawn, but that won't matter unless he's got some good cards in his deck." She pursed her lips. "Hmm, you know, Patty, maybe sending Yuri to Duel Floyd wasn't such a good idea."

"It's too late," Yuri groaned. "I already accepted. Patty, anything from your collection I can use?"

"I have a Sakuretsu Armor. But it's ultimate rare. I can't just give it to you."

"How about a Duel?" Andre said. "Your trap card on the line."

"Uh, no." Patty put on her backpack. "I've already lost a rare card and I don't plan to lose another one. Yuri, you better get home and get your deck. But make it fast. If I'm late, dad's gonna whip my ass. See you."

"Bye Patty!" they all said.

"Hold on!" said Sam just as Andre got up. "Let's go again. Best two out of three."

"Sure, kiddo. You're on. Yuri, want to watch? You could learn something."

"No, I can't. I have to get my deck and meet up with Floyd. You two enjoy yourselves, though."

As he walked out the door, the thought of his Duel with Floyd came to mind and a pang of doubt and fear washed over him. "Oh no..." he whined. "What the hell was I thinking?"

---

Yugi Muto's Secret Alliance Training Ground, Somewhere in the Stormcoasts.

---

Over a dozen Cloudships soared out of the storm clouds and landed in front of an odd-shaped building that served as the training ground and a social hub for the heroes of Termnnia. From the legendary Seven Princes of the Alliance to Zane Truesdale's Kingsblades organization, who were more than eager to aid them in their fight to keep King Forrest out of their lands. And they were all called to this facility for a very important...class session. Yes, even though high school was still far behind them, they were still very young, especially the members of the Kingsblades, who were all graduates of the elite Duel Academia. These heroes were still just children in the eyes of many, for the early twenties or 'tweens' as the Termnian elders called them, were still n the infant stages of their lives. The likes of Zane Truesdale, Alexis Rhodes, Hassleberry Kenzan, Aster Phoenix, Jaden Yuki, and his companion, Della, Yusei Fudo, Yusaku Fujiki, and many others were sitting together in a classroom, even though they would have rathered be in the training grounds under the tower testing out their combat and Dueling skills against one another. Even the Princes of the Alliance were here, taking a sort of...break from defending other countries from Forrest.

Chancellor Sheppard, the headmaster of Duel Academia, was the one teaching them. And aiding him in the lessons was Duel Academia's Head Professor and Department Chair of Techniques, Dr. Vellion Crowler, his original name being Chronos de Medici but he left that name ages ago when he rebelled against the poor leadership of his House and left. Behind him was a screen displaying information about the Noctix, the strange dream worlds that only those with high levels of magic, focus, and willpower could create. A Noctix could be used as a training ground, a place to visit people far away, or...in some cases, assassinate someone in their sleep. But even the skilled wizards, sorcerers, mages, and other students of the spellcaster classes who could create a Noctix needed to do so with great caution, for they could be very dangerous.

"And as Bastion Misawa accurately predicted in his thesis on the subject," Chancellor Sheppard explained. "The ability to use the Noctix on someone in another dimension has been proven true. However, creating and using a Noctix to challenge Prince Yuri to a Duel is going to be much more difficult. Yuri is in the Standard Dimension, a realm where the strings to anything magical, divine, or supernatural are severed completely. So using magic there is impossible. The only way to connect with him is through a type of magic called Kordokenisis, the art of dragging Yuri's heart and soul into the world of your design."

Alexis raised her hand.

"Yes, Miss Rhodes?"

"But that's still a form of magic. How do we connect with Yuri with a magic spell if he's in the Standard Dimension, sir?"

Chancellor Sheppard nodded. "Bastion, if you could please explain."

"Yes, sir," said Bastion. "After extensive research, I have learned that there is a way we can bypass the laws of the Standard Dimension. We use the ability of Kordokenisis on Yuri when he's dreaming."

"Dreaming?" asked Akiza Izinkski, the Red Rose Knight of Gardenrealm.

"Yes. When we dream, our hearts, mind, and souls get teleported into a world of our brain's creation. A dream world to put it bluntly. When you're in this world, you are not restricted by the rules of the real world you live in. In your dreams, you can do anything. You can fly, breathe fire, become a king,"

"Shoot fire from my ass," Chazz Princeton added pretentiously.

Bastion merely glared at him. "If that's what your simple mind wishes to create. Anyway, when we dream, we leave the real world and dive into a world of our brain's making."

"Kind of like a Noctix, right?" asked Yuma, a hero from another world called the Xyz Dimension.

"No, not quite. The worlds in our dreams that our brains make are...messy to say the least. They are scenes created randomly by panels made from images we've seen, what emotions we felt during the day, what desires we have, and so in. Heh, even our own memories can form building blocks for our dreams. However, we have no control over what we do when we step into the dream. We must live out and experience whatever scene our brain created until it ends or when we wake up. A Noctix is something far more complex. It's something we can create with our own two hands. We can design our Noctix to look like anything we want and we can do whatever we want inside of them."

Hovering over Blair's desk was a holographic screen showing images of the Noctix she created. A secret garden with dragon statues, a fountain, and beautiful red flowers. Alexis's Noctix was a palace made of ice and light, and Jaden's was the city where his Elemental HEROES lived.

"And we can bring Yuri in from his dreams with the Kordokenisis effect, right?" asked Crow Hogan from the Synchro Dimension.

"Yes. So long as Yuri is in the dream world, he is not confined by the laws of the Standard Dimension. When he's dreaming, he's free. And that's where we step in."

"How do we know if he's dreaming?" asked Blair Flannigan.

"Oh, he's always dreaming," said Sheppard. "There's a lot going on in his mind."

"These Noctix are truly strong, aren't they?" asked Yuma.

"Oh, indeed," said Bastion. "Prince Ryon and I use it as a training ground to exercise our magical abilities."

"Yes," said Ryon, "they are truly effective for we've learned some new spells while training in there. Jon and I spar in there as well and I learned some new techniques to help me stick it to the Naralians and the Confederates."

"Oooooo," the class went.

"Impressive," said Chancellor Sheppard.

"Wow, that's really cool!" said Syrus Truesdale, brother of Zane Truesdale. "Does that mean we can make use of our own Noctix and learn new abilities, too?"

"It's not so simple," said Dr. Crowler. "The intellect of Bastion and Prince Ryon far exceed yours, Syrus."

Syrus narrowed his eyes, staring at him furiously. Damn, he hated this man. Even years after his graduation, he still treated him like a Slifer Slacker.

"To create a Noctix, one must have a strong mind and an even stronger will," Crowler continued. "If something goes wrong, well, your minds will pay the ultimate price. You could slip into madness, lose it, or fall into a coma. So that is why we ask you all to exercise great caution when venturing into the Noctix and using the spell to snag Yuri from his dreams to your world with the Kordokenisis spell. Any questions?"

Chazz raised his hand. "Uh, yeah, I have a question. Why did you drag us out of the frontlines to bore us half to death with this elementary school bullshit!?"

"A new theatre of war has opened up," said Crowler. "And it's in Yuri's dreams. You have to Duel him and expel the curse that was put upon him."

"Oh please!" Chazz slouched in his seat. "I don't even wanna Duel his royal highness!"

"You're going in there whether you like it or not!" shouted Kaito Tenjo, who also came from the Xyz Dimension with Yuma. "As a member of this Alliance, you will do as you are told. And you are to use this spell to help us free Yuri from the curse that corrupts his soul with fear and doubt."

"Why's it so important that we have to trouble ourselves with helping the little dipshit find his balls?" Chazz asked defiantly.

"If we don't eliminate it, he will fail the trials Antilles Dragonheart so unfairly placed upon him," said Alexis. "And we will remain without a High King. Without the power of the Heart-EartH Crown and the God Cards, both us and Naralia will forever be in a stalemate. We're going to be locked in combat, doomed to fight again and again and again until one or both of us is dead. Kaito isn't even from this world and he cares more about this matter than you do."

"Whatever, I don't see why I'm getting all the hate. Where's Jaden Yuki? I see he isn't in class today."

"Jaden Yuki doesn't need this training," said Chancellor Sheppard. "He's already Dueled Yuri in the Noctix plenty of times. He's been helping Master Yugi expel the curse."

"What the hell's this curse I keep hearing about?" asked Jack Atlas, a Dueling King from the Synchro Dimension. "I'd like to try my hand against this supposed High King but I need a little more information first."

Akiza rolled her eyes. "Why am I not surprised you're only in on this training just to sick your Red Dragon Archfiend on Yuri."

"Hmph. You want him to be a High King, yeah? Let me show him what being a King is all about."

Chancellor Sheppard smiled and put his hands behind his back. "I'm pleased that some of you are taking this course seriously. The curse that was placed on Yuri is more potent than we thought. It tore his soul to pieces. And each of these pieces was formed into a light that represents an important part of his character. Leadership, honor, bravery, willpower, Dueling skill, and above all, loyalty. These pieces of light were given to monsters that guard a Noctix of nightmares that formed deep in Yuri's soul. So long as this Noctix resides there, Yuri will never be the King we wish him to be. We know that there's only one person capable of such a curse. The Witch King of Anubis."

"Bakura?" gasped Tori Meadows, one of Yuma's friends from the Xyz Dimension.

"Yes. However, the Noctix is more powerful than we thought. As strong as you all are, none of you will be able to enter it. Only one being has...and he's running out of time."

They all nodded, for they knew of whom he was speaking. Norman the Conqueror visited more than a dozen of the heroes in the class, asking them to aid him in fighting the monsters guarding Yuri's light.

"I don't get it," said Prince Michael. "Alexis, Jaden, Aster, Zane, and so many others here say they've entered this Noctix to help Ser Norman fight the monsters. What's stopping them from going back in?"

"Fear," said Zane. "Even if I had the power to break into that Noctix the Witch King created, I wouldn't want to go back in there."

"Neither would I," said Alexis, one of the heroes Ser Norman chose to help him fight. "Every second I was there, I felt like my life force was being drained. The very air I breathed was so thick and heavy, I felt like I was suffocating. When I woke up from the dream..." tears formed in her eyes. "I felt such immense sorrow. I felt like...like I was never going to be happy again. I literally cowered into a corner and remained there for a week. No food. No rest. I didn't thirst. I didn't feel anything. Nothing except the fear that strange world put in me."

"My Destiny HEROES don't even want to go back there," said Aster. "My HEROEs don't scare easily but being in that places scared the hell out of them. Safe to say, I wouldn't go back there if I had the power to break through the Witch King's magic. Seems like only the Platnium Knight can break through the barriers of that world and bring whoever he wants into it."

"What's to stopping Ser Norman from dragging us back in there again?" asked Chazz. "I mean if he pulled you guys in there once, he can just do it again, right?"

"No," said Chancellor Sheppard. "Just doing that took a lot of energy from him. And unfortunately, I must report that he's getting weaker. Alexis and the others were only in that world for but an hour and they fell into depression and suffered severe anxiety. Ser Norman was in there for years. He's losing his power. He's succumbing to the madness. If he falls, I fear what will become of him."

"A mad god living in the nightmares of the prince," said Crowler. "The consequences could be disastrous."

Sheppard nodded. "That is why you must create Noctixes and Duel Yuri to help dispel the curse."

"How is Dueling supposed to help him do that?" asked Zane.

"I'm glad you asked," said Chancellor Sheppard. "We learned from Master Yugi and Jaden that there are strange sigils they named Shadow Crystals that get sent from the nightmare Noctix and fester in Yuri's heart. These Shadow Crystals act like beacons for the nightmare world that Bakura created and they pollute him with fear and other negative emotions that could potentially turn Yuri into someone unfit to be our High King. Or worse. They might make cause Yuri to fall into madness and lose his mind. We believe Bakura has done this to force the God Cards to lose favor with him and abandon him."

"That's terrible," said a girl named Skye Zaizen, who hailed from the LINK Dimension with Yusaku.

"Yes, and they somehow can only be revealed when Yuri is defeated in a Duel. The avatar you Duel in the Noctix is actually a manifestation of the negativity created by the Shadow Crystals. Only upon being defeated in a Duel can the crystal's true form be revealed. When they are, you must destroy them. When you do, the vile power of the Witch King's Noctix loses its effect on Yuri, however, it is only temporary."

"What?" shouted Jack. "So what's the point of doing all this then?"

"It's not all bad," Bastion added. "The Witch King's Noctix feeds on Yuri's negativity, so naturally it sends those Shadow Crystals into his heart and soul to corrupt him into being weak. The more Yuri becomes afraid and weak, the Noctix becomes stronger and it makes Ser Norman's quest much more difficult. But if we destroy these crystals, Yuri will be able to grow."

"So the more Yuri's skill in Duel Monsters grows and the more he learns to be braver and better, the less effect the Noctix and those Shadow Crystals take effect on him," said Zane.

"That is correct," said Bastion. "The Noctix's power becomes weaker and weaker. That will ultimately make the monsters there less of a threat for Ser Norman and his quest will be much easier. He can have the strength to fight the guardians and reclaim the lights that were taken from Yuri. He's already recovered some of the light and the results show."

"Yes, they are showing indeed," said Sheppard. "Combined with the Duels he's had with Yugi and Jaden, Prince Yuri has improved so much. He started to learn to be a leader and he's growing bolder and stronger, too. Serenity Wheeler said she watched him Duel some cheating punk the other day with her Seeing Stone. Even though the odds were literally stacked against him, Yuri did not back down. He was calm, cool, and collected. Ha! He was actually toying with his opponent, something he would have never done years ago."

"Oh, really?" Jack said, crossing his arms. "So he's become a cocky little bastard, eh? I like this. That will make taking him down in his dreams all the sweeter."

"Nice!" said Prince Michael. "If Yuri is making great gains like that, then we're winning!"

"Indeed," said Dr. Crowler. "But Yugi cannot keep doing this forever. And neither can Jaden, for he is too preoccupied with finding Lady Belladonna. So that's where you all come in. Can we all count on you to create your own Noctix and Duel to destroy those Shadow Crystals to keep them from doing anymore damage?"

"I'm up for it!" said Jack.

"Same," said Crow. "A chance to save the world's only hope and have the honor of saying I defeated a future High King of the Heart of the Worlds? Ha! How can I pass this up?"

Chazz shook his head. "I guess it makes sense but that's still a lot of hoopla to keep a guy from getting the throne. Wouldn't it have been more simple for Bakura to just kill him?"

Everyone looked over their shoulders and glared at Chazz.

"I'm just saying?" he said with a shrug.

"No, it's a good question, Chazz," said Chancellor Sheppard. "But it's one that none of us have the answers to. Yes, it would have been much simpler to kill him. We don't know why he didn't just do that. But we thank the Goddesses that's not what happened. Now, if there are no more questions, Testuo Trudge is awaiting you all in the briefing room. Dismissed."

When they left the lecture hall the heroes gathered outside and engaged in small talk. Alexis approached Prince Marcel and gave him a hug. "I'm so sorry about you cousin," she said.

"He was a good man," said Chumley Huffington, a fellow graduate of Duel Academia. "If you need us in Akuuda, we'll happily lend you a helping hand."

"We all will!" said Yusei.

"Than you, my friends," Prince Marcel said. "But I cannot let you do that. That is exactly what King Forrest wants us to do. He inflicts pain and suffering on us and uses it to his advantage. We cannot let him do this. We must stay in our respective countries and defend them from him. The time for vengeance will come soon. When we play our cards right, we will make him pay."

"But I heard you're going to Riftgaard with Jon," said Akiza. "What about your country?"

"I have powerful friends protecting our lands from Forrest. I personally trained them myself and they each have Red-Eyes Black Dragons of their own."

"Your sure that will be enough?" asked Zane.

"I am sure. Their Red-Eyes may be young, but they are still quite potent on the battlefield. They can make an army of a hundred men beg for death. While they do this, I will aid Jon in finding a temple that will supposedly unlock Gearfried from is armor."

"The Swordmaster?" asked Alexis. "Jon, you really know how to find the Swordmaster?"

"Is this true?" asked Zane. "Jon, if you do that, Riftgaard will have unlimited power by their side."

"I'm afraid we have no choice but to free Gearfried from the curse he put on himself," said Jon. "But his power will not go to waste. He'll have plenty of Naralians to beat with his power. And while he defends my country, I can go wherever you need me on the frontlines."

"This is amazing!" said Bastion. "Gearfried the Swordmaster might finally be unleashed after thousands of years. I wish you luck on your journey, your highness. And you said you will be going, too, Marcel?"

"I am, but first, I must take the Wayshrine back to Akuuda. I must tend to my cousin's funeral. Once that's taken care of, I will depart for Riftgaard and join you. We should all be going soon, too. As much as I'd like to catch up with you guys, there is still much work to be done."

"Yeah, you're right," said Alexis. "I have to go back to Polonia. Something tells me King Forrest is heading there right now."

"Good luck to you, Alexis," said Marcel. "Good luck to all of us. Something tells me the events that will take place in these next few months will determine our fate. I only pray we are successful. Farewell, my friends. May the Strength of the Conqueror guide us."

---

Yuri - Duel Dome, Aquarius

---

When he got to the Duel Dome, Yuri found Patty waiting for him outside but there was no sign of Floyd. He asked if she had seen him and she said no. There was no sign of him. So they entered the Duel Dome and went to the food court where they played a few games as they ate a large order of hamburger sliders.

"Wow, the food here is great!" Patty said finishing a slider. "You nervous."

Yuri shrugged. "Would it be odd if I said I wasn't?"

Patty laughed at him. "Wow, okay champ, let's see what you got. Man, with that new attitude of yours, I have a feeling things are gonna change."

Patty reached for another slider but before she could pick it up, she froze. She stared at something behind Yuri.

"What?" he asked, turning around. He grunted disdainfully when he saw Floyd coming into the shop, backpack slung casually over his shoulder by a single strap.

"Ah, so my latest victim has shown up."

Patty found herself reaching over the table and holding Yuri's hand. "Yuri, be careful."

Floyd loved the fear in her voice. It gave him a sense of control over the two. "I don't blame you for holding Yuri back. I can already tell you two are scared. That Black Tyranno of yours sure is something, Yuri. To be honest, I'm not surprised your dad made you that all-powerful card. Anything but the best for daddy's little boy."

"My dad didn't make me anything," Yuri said softly.

"Yeah, right," chuckled Floyd. "Unless that card came out of nowhere, there's no other person in this world who could authorize a card like that."

"Duel him, Yuri," someone said behind Floyd.

Floyd turned. His eyes widened and his mouth formed a wide grin and fell open. He wolf-whistled when he saw Crystal standing in front of the fountain behind him, clad in her school uniform. A flannel skirt and a white blouse. Her tie was partially undone. Her boots and long socks were custom-made — an addition she made to her Phobos Academy uniform. She carried her knapsack by its handle.

"Wow, it's Crystal!" said Patty.

Floyd ran his hand through his hair and spoke in a very suave tone. "Hey, Crystal, come to see me trample this chump?"

"Quite the opposite, Floyd," Crystal said smirking. "You weren't there when Yuri played against Randall. He completely humiliated him. The loss was so devastating that Brett completely disavowed Randall from his training program. And he hasn't been seen since. And your class president got an even worse ass-kicking." She giggled. "I swear, I've never seen Cornelius Landow so scared in my life." She paused seeing the anger growing in Floyd's face. She then patted Yuri's shoulder. "You sure you've got what it takes to challenge Yuri to a Duel and face losing your school's Dueling team? Or with Brett? I wouldn't be surprised if it was him who put you up to this. After all, he said he was going to offer you the contract in the pro leagues. A loss to Yuri would unquestionably change his mind about you, wouldn't it?"

"I'm not scared!" Floyd barked. "How dare you insinuate such a thing. I can take on Yuri with my eyes closed."

"Is that a fact?" said Crystal. "You like taking rare cards from the losers, right? Well, should you happen to defeat Yuri, which you won't, you can have the five rarest cards in my dragon deck."

Floyd flashed his horrid grin again. "No way! Any five of the rarest cards from your deck?"

Crystal reached for the deck case hanging on the back of her skirt. She popped it open with a flick of her fingers and held up some cards from the top of her deck to entice him.

"Oooooh!" Floyd hooted. "Me likey. Me likey a lot!"

"Crystal!" Yuri cried out. "What are you doing?"

"Uh-huh," Crystal said ignoring him. "That's how much faith I have in Yuri. Not only will you keep the cards you took from his friends and his Black Tyranno, but you might get my ace dragon as well as four other dragons of your choosing."

"Crystal, don't!"

"What are the stakes on my end?" Floyd asked.

"You give back all the cards you took from everyone you've Dueled in Ruby Dragon Gaming."

"Oh, really? Why don't we make things even more interesting?" He looked at Patty. "Patty's got a pretty rare monster, too. One that I had hoped she would fork over but she cheated me with a fake. I expect you to put the real thing up along with Crystal's dragons. Show me the card, baby."

"Patty? You cheated this guy?" Yuri asked.

"Yeah. I gave him a fake card. There's no way I'm putting up Zera the Mant."

Floyd pointed at her and shot her a venomous glare. "You better give me what I'm owed, Patty. Otherwise, things are gonna get ugly. My father can turn your life into a living hell. Put Zera the Mant on the table along with Yuri's Black Tyranno and Crystal's dragons. Do it or I won't agree to the terms and you won't get the cards back."

Patty sighed. She took off her backpack, dug around for her deck, then held up her most precious card.

"There! Happy!" she snapped. "Yuri, you better not lose this. There are a lot of prizes at stake in this match. If my Zera the Mant wasn't on the line, I wouldn't be doing this."

"It's a deal," laughed Floyd. "Your overconfidence sure has stunted your senses. Not only will Yuri's dinosaur and Patty's Zera be mine, but so will that Dragon Emperor of yours. This is going to make my day. Let's Duel, Yuri!"

Moments later, he found himself on a Dueling Platform in the exact same arena where he faced Randall and encountered Solid Vision Holograms for the first time. Floyd tossed his backpack into the platform and jumped in. The platform took both Yuri and Floyd twenty-feet high over the arena. There, they took out their decks and took five minutes to prepare for their match.

Crystal was sitting on one of the bleachers, helping herself to a sandwich she didn't finish at lunchtime during school. She still bore that sickening, overconfident smile on her face, even though her lips were dotted with crumbs. Patty was sitting next to her, chin propped on her palm. She didn't appear as confident as Crystal was. In fact, she hadn't said a word since she got here. She just stared at Yuri with a nervous glance, eyebrows curved with worry, already dreading the thought of losing her Zera the Mant card.

"Um, so tell me how do you know Yuri exactly?" Patty asked looking at Crystal.

"Oh...well, he and I have been friends since we were really little. You haven't seen much of me because of my career."

"I know. A world-famous pop star and fashion model. I mean jeez, I figured Yuri would have told us he was friends with you. To be honest, it's not the first time he's kept a celebrity pal a secret from us. The night Yuri played against Randall, we had a run-in with another long-lost buddy of his. Ren Kakihara."

"Oh, so you guys met Ren? Quite a character, isn't he?"

"Yeah. And judging by that look in your eye, you know him, too."

"Yuri, Ren, and I were best friends. But a lot of drama happened that split us apart. But...I don't want to bore you with all that."

"Ah, thanks," Patty said, focusing back on the match.

"So you made him go up against it, huh?" Andre Martin said coming down the steps to join them. "You guys are making a huge mistake."

Crystal narrowed her eyes at him and shook her head. "I'm sorry, who the hell are you?"

"Some hotshot from school who thinks he's all that because he became the new Duel King," said Patty. "Just ignore him. He's gonna yap our ears off about how much better he is than Yuri."

"Don't worry, Patty, I won't," said Andre. He set down his bag and sat behind them. "I'll give Yuri all my support." He turned his head. "Hey, who's that?"

"YUUUURRRIIII!" Darla Deets screeched as she ran down the stairs in her school uniform.

"Darla?" said Yuri.

"Yuri! Yuri! Yuri! I knew I'd find you here."

"Oh, no," Patty groaned. "The First Bitch found us."

Darla made it to the row where they sat. Floyd saw the girls sitting together and whistled as he nodded his head. "Well, well, well, Yuri sure does have himself a collection of beautiful friends, doesn't he?"

"Of course, he does," Darla proudly boasted. "But everyone knows I'm the crown jewel."

"You'd like to think that, huh?" said Patty.

"Who is this?" Andre asked.

"What?" said Patty. "Damn, Andre, you really were born on another planet, weren't you? This is Darla Deets. Daughter of the President of the United States?"

"And the future girlfriend of Yuri Montgomery," Darla said swaying her hips. "You must be another of those Misfits everyone talks about?"

"Not me," said Andre. "I'm not part of the group. I like to do things my own way."

"Ooooo," Darla said with her annoying squeaky hoots. "A lone wolf, huh? That's cool."

Crystal and Patty turned their heads to watch the match. They were just in time. Floyd drew his starting hand.

LP 2000

"With my rare cards and my skill, there's no way you'll win, Yuri! You go first."

"Kick his ass, baby!" Darla cheered. "Woooo!"

T1

Yuri laughed awkwardly. "If you insist! Draw! I summon Black Dragon Jungle King! That ends my turn."

Black Dragon Jungle King rose out of the ground from a vortex of sparkling light. He swung his long neck from side to side and roared. The holographic stats hovered beside him, displaying his 2100 ATK.

T2

"Not bad," said Floyd. "But I've seen better. Get ready, Yuri. I set a monster in defense mode and a card face-down. Make your move."

T3

"That all you got, loser!?" Darla shouted.

"I draw," said Yuri. "I summon Gagagigo in Attack Mode!"

He slapped the card down, summoning his lizard-like humanoid fighter. Gagagigo swiped his claws through the air and growled. His 1850 ATK was rendered beside him.

"Now, I'll attack your face-down monster with my monster! Black Dragon Jungle King, attack now!"

Black Dragon Jungle King heaved and fired a jet of purple flames at the face-down monster. The attack was blocked! An arcane barrier of divine design formed in front of the flames, completely putting them out.

From the steam, Yuri saw the contour of a figure standing there It was Banisher of the Light, just as Yuri dreaded. But Black Dragon Jungle King's ATK was 100 points higher than the Banisher of the Light. He could still defeat it. Until...

Floyd flipped over his face-down card. "I activate my face-down card, Castle Walls. This will increase Banisher of the Light's defenses by five hundred points. He stays safe, while you lose four hundred Life Points."

"I'm aware of that," Yuri growled.

Yuri-1600 LP

Floyd-2000 LP

"Oh no!" Crystal cried out, slapping both her palms over her face.

"Yuri!" cried Darla. "Oh, no!"

"I knew it!" grumbled Andre. "Why didn't Yuri take that face-down card into consideration?"

"What was he supposed to do?" Patty snapped at him. "Stand by and do nothing? That'll just give Floyd the time to come up with a new and better strategy."

"He was screwed either way," Crystal said coldly. "No! No! He can fight his way outta this. Come on, Yuri. Stay strong!"

T4

"My turn," Floyd sniggered, looking at the girls who started to look a little apprehensive about their deal with him. "Hope you have my cards ready, ladies! I play the Field Spell, Chorus of Sanctuary!"

The field was enveloped by soft, fluffy clouds. A golden gate with a warm light radiating behind it rose behind Floyd.

"This Field Spell will increase the Defense of our monsters by 500 points. Now my Banisher of the Light's defense will increase to 2500! And next, I play this monster face-down."

Not good, Yuri thought. He knew he must have played the Needle Worm he used to wipe out Patty and Natalya's decks. Even if he didn't attack it, Floyd would still flip it up and activate its effect, forcing Yuri to discard the top five cards on his deck to the Graveyard. And with Banisher of the Light in play, those cards would instead be banished from the Duel, and he would never revive them.

Trust in my deck, Yuri thought. Just like Mr. Hairdo keeps telling me to do in my deck. Come on Heart of the Cards.

He drew. "Aw, fuck the Heart of the Cards," he muttered. He drew a weak dinosaur called Anthrosaurus. He set it in Defense Mode and ended his turn.

"Didn't get what you wanted, huh?" laughed Floyd. "I didn't think so. Now, I flip over my Needle Work, activating his effect. Say goodbye to the top five cards of your deck, Yuri!"

Yuri muttered something nasty and then gasped. Black Tyranno was the first card he had to discard. No! It couldn't be! He was going to be drawn next turn. With him gone, he lost. This couldn't be happening!

Floyd laughed at the sad expression Yuri made. He looked at Crystal who was slumping in her chair.

"What did I tell you?" said Andre. "Next time, don't have too much confidence in someone just because they have one good card. Yuri's good but without that Black Tyranno, he's screwed now."

Darla wrinkled her nose. "Yuri doesn't need that card to win. You just watch. He's got lots of strong monsters in that deck."

"She's right," said Crystal. "I know even without that Black Tyranno, he can turn things around. Yuri's smart and his deck has evolved with lots of good cards. He'll know what to do to get out of this."

"I sure hope you're right," said Andre.

Floyd relished the false hope Patty, Darla, and Crystal had. "You oughta listen to your friend, girls. Sounds like he's the smart one of your pitiful band. I told you all that you were way in over your heads sending this loser to stop me! No one can beat me and my Banisher of the Light deck destruction combo! Yuri! I'll keep forcing you to banish cards from your deck until you deck out just like Patty and Natalya. I struck gold today, my friends. I get to keep the cards of those two hotties, your Black Tyranno, and now Crystal's best dragons are going to be mine. I set another Needle Work in defense mode, try and attack it, I dare you. Of course, even if you don't, I'll still force you to discard cards. It doesn't matter what you do, Yuri. This game is over!"

Yuri gulped. He looked at the top card on his deck. He didn't want to reach for it. But his deck suddenly felt like it was getting farther and farther away. "What?" he wondered. "My deck...it...it's sad. My deck is sad! Is it because I lack the belief Yugi kept telling me about? The Heart of the Cards. What if it's more than just philosophy he enjoys preaching in my dreams? What if...what if it was something more? All right. I trust my deck. Let's hope it trusts in me."

Yuri placed his fingers on the card...and drew. He looked up at Floyd and smiled. "I play Pot of Greed, allowing me to draw two cards." So he drew. He started laughing. "Hey, Floyd. You're right. This Duel is over. For you."

"Bluffing isn't going to get you far, Yuri."

"Who said I was bluffing?" Yuri replied confidently. "I activate the spell, Mystical Space Typhoon, destroying your Chorus of Sanctuary field. Now, all you have out are defensive monsters, setting the stage for your defeat."

He heard Crystal gasping with joy from her seat. He looked at her and winked.

"I activate the Spell Card, Burial from a Different Dimension!"

"OH NO! NOT THAT CARD!"

"Yup, I did my homework on your deck while we waited for you, so I added some cool spells that can help me bring Banished monsters into the game. With Burial from a Different Dimension, I can return three banished monsters to my Graveyard."

"Yay!" Darla cheered. "Uh-huh! That's my boy!"

"Way to go, Yuri!" Crystal cheered.

"It makes little difference! So what if you got your spell to bring him back? He's still in the Graveyard!"

"Oh, I'm really glad you brought that up!" He flipped a spell card in his hand to show to him. Monster Reborn."

"OH NO!" cried Floyd. "If he brings back the Black Tyranno he'll attack my Life Points directly because all my monsters are in defense mode!"

"Monster Reborn!" Yuri called. "Come back to us, Black Tyranno!"

A rain of feathers swirled over the field, followed by a ray of bright light. Black Tyranno rose out of the ground roaring triumphantly. He stomped on the ground and swung his tail, lustful to do battle and wreak his vengeance upon the fool who had him banished.

Floyd shivered on his platform. He looked at Black Tyranno's eyes. Black Tyranno roared and charged through Floyd's defenses, then chomped all 2000 of his Life Points with one powerful bite.

"NOOOOOO!" Floyd yelled. He slumped over his playing field, slamming his fists on the mat, and sending his cards flying in all directions. "I lost!"

Patty, Darla, and Crystal jumped up and down, cheering and even hugging one another. Patty was so overjoyed about Yuri's victory that she didn't mind a victory hug with Darla Deets.

"Whoa..." said Andre. "He did it. What was that aura radiating off of him a second ago? I only feel that kind of power when Yugi Duels.

Floyd straightened his tie and lowered himself down. Yuri did the same and they met up with the others below. Floyd stayed true to his word and gave Yuri back Patty's United We Stand and Natalya's Simorgh.

"Promise you won't tell anyone about this?" he asked.

"If your promise to stop making people ante up their cards every time you play them, I'll consider it," said Yuri, taking the cards from him. Crystal was standing proudly behind him with her arms crossed over her chest. She had a smirk on her glossy lips and a look in her eyes that said: "I told you so!" to Floyd.

"Yes, sir!" Floyd said bowing. "You have my word, I won't force anyone to fork over their cards again. I promise."

"Run along now, Floyd," Crystal said in a mocking tone. "Dr. Baker's science project is due in two days, so you better get hopping."

"Right, see you in class, Crystal." He walked away and stopped. He looked back at Yuri. "Hey, Montgomery. Good game. Let's play again sometime."

Yuri smiled and nodded. Floyd gave him a thumbs-up and walked out of the arena.

"That was cool, Yuri," said Andre. "You surprise me every day. Sorry about what I said earlier."

"No big deal," Yuri said.

"So, you ever thought about being a Duel King? I could give you my title."

"What?" Yuri asked.

"Yeah, I give you my title, Yuri."

"Dude, seriously?" said Patty. "Stop acting all nice and whatever. He's not some charity case. Yuri doesn't need it handed to him because you feel sorry for him."

"Yeah, kind of a dick move, kid," said Darla. "Yuri, good job. I hope we can have a Duel of our own soon." She winked. "Just the two of us. Bye Crystal. Bye Patty." She walked away and went up the stairs to exit the arena.

"Yuri, really. You can have the title."

"No, thanks. It's not a title I earned myself. And It's something I don't want."

"It won't look good either," said Crystal. "Yuri won't be taken seriously as a Duelist if he runs around with a title that wasn't properly earned. Besides, Yuri's made up his mind. It doesn't look like he even wants to earn that title."

"That he doesn't," Patty said. "The crown of a St. Augustus Duel King is something Yuri doesn't need to prove he's a good Duelist."

"Exactly," said Crystal. "Yuri doesn't need to be called a king to show the world how good he is. I have a feeling he's going to do that on his own."

"Well, I don't mean to boast," said Andre, "but I'm about to participate in the Ruby Dragon's Wyvern Cup Tournament next weekend."

"So am I," said Patty.

"Good," Andre said smiling. "I can't wait to finally face you, Yuri. Promise you won't surrender like you did last time."

Yuri smirked. "You don't have to worry about that. That's not happening this time."

---

Prince Marcel - Outside of Falanta, Akuuda/Termnnia

---

The grieving boy gently set the flowers down on his cousin's grave, which lay underneath the cool shade of the umbrella acacia where they used to play. The luminescent roses were always his favorites. He would bring them to his mother after an exciting hunt. It saddened him further, knowing Okechuku was so close to becoming the great hunter and warrior he always dreamed he would be.

The insects of the night chirped alongside the chorus of frogs in the nearby pond where Marcel, Kayode, and Okechuku used to jump in to cool down after a long day of training with the palace guards. The memory of his laughter mixed with the brief images of his violent death brought tears to his eyes. He sniffed and blinked rapidly to dry the tears, for he knew that Okechuku's spirit would not want to see him mourning. He looked up at the night sky and admired the bluish, pink, and purple aurora flashing beneath the stars and the three moons.

"He loved that view, didn't he?" his best friend, Suma asked, walking towards him, dressed in a glittering, gold, gown. Idi's Eidolon, a beast monster named Leogun, was accompanying her to keep her safe in case they ran into General Baldric and his mercenaries. It made Suma horribly upset seeing Marcel all the way out in the grasslands alone; for there were herds of Mad Sword Beast and the dreaded fiend, Hyena (ATK/1000 DEF/300), a carnivorous creature, but it seemed to pose no threat to the pair. Many of them watched them from the rocks as they stood to talk under the tree.

Marcel did not turn to look at her. The three moons were shining brightly as was the aurora in the sky. There was just enough light from them for Suma to see the tears glistening on his cheeks. Marcel quickly used the sleeves of his white blazer to clean the weep from his cheeks. He sniffed a few times and straightened his tie. He heard Suma giggling behind him. She told him how cute he looked covering up his sorrow. Marcel found no amusement in that and ignored her. Leogun picked up speed and pawed toward Marcel. He brushed the side of his face against Marcel's leg and let out an affectionate growl. Marcel chuckled and pet the other side of the lion monster's face, the scratched the back of his ears.

"What are you doing out here so late?" Suma said walking towards the prince.

She knelt down beside Leogun and scratched his ears. "You should be resting. You have a long journey to the other side of the world." She paused and bit her lip, remembering the prince's brother. "Kayode is not happy about that. I heard him arguing with your father against the notion. He suggests we take on the Naralians ourselves."

"That is why he is not going to be king," Marcel said coldly. "Maybe I shouldn't be either."

"What makes you say that?" Suma asked, standing up. Her jewelry clinked and jingled. "You are going to be a great king, My Lord. Master Yu-Gi-Oh chose you for the Alliance. You should be proud."

"I'm not," Marcel said with a grimace. "Not if I let the Naralians come for far to do such a thing. Father left me in charge of the Red Valley and the Grassland States. Now I've lost them."

"It's not your fault," said Suma, placing a hand on his shoulder. "There's no way we could have known the Naralians equipped themselves with advanced technology."

"I thought we were the ones with advanced technology," Marcel said, looking over his shoulder at the brilliant skyscrapers of Falanta, twinkling in the distance with the bright pink, blue, and red flashes of neon signs along the sides of the buildings. "All this tech from Kaiba Corp, Paradius, and the Eredian military, and we can't even find one general or his officers. I feel so useless."

A loud roar echoed in the night. Suma, Marcel, and Leogun looked at the sky at the same time and saw his Red-Eyes Flare Metal Dragon soaring overhead. His presence caused the Mad Sword Beast and Dark Zebra herds to cry out in fear and scatter into the jungle, fearing the beast could have been hungry.

Suma chuckled through her nose when she saw the beast. "He does not think you are useless. He came to you when you were born because he knows you have a strong spirit and a good heart. And great strength as well. He is a True Dragon, and you should never doubt the judgment of a True Dragon."

"I suppose," said Marcel. "I wish we had the likes of the Dragon Summoner again. I would have happily asked her to send one o her dragons to come here, but she's was captured and has since gone missing. My father wants to see her really bad."

Suma laughed. She ran her fingers through Leogun's thick, golden mane. "What mighty lord in Termnnia doesn't want to see her? No doubt he does, too," she said pointing to the Red-Eyes. "This is a special time for him, my love I have a feeling in my gut that Avi is okay. She is just the beginning of many, many great things."

Marcel laughed. "You seem more excited to be meeting her than anyone, Suma."

"Well," Suma said, gazing up at the night sky. Her bright, golden eyes caught the light of the aurora and it made the glitter on her lipstick twinkle like a dozen embers. "It's not every day we meet a badass woman in Termnnia. You men always take the glory. Ha! Not this time. You may have Yugi and the High King, but we got ourselves a Dragon Summoner, the first one in thousands of years."

"She represents us all," Marcel assured her. "As do Yugi and the High King. And Avi may have the power of the True Dragons, but Yuri's power lies with the God Cards. I feel that both Avi and Yuri will be the saving grace for us all."

"The only saving grace for our people is ourselves," Kayode said, walking out of the long grass that surrounded the tree. He was dressed in his best clothing, black slacks with a golden chain dangling over his hip from his belt. He was shirtless underneath his velvet tailcoat jacket. A thin gold chain around his neck shined in the light of the aurora above.

Suma hid behind Marcel and thought of spells to cast just in case Kayode was in the mood for a fight. Ever since the death of Okechuku and Marcel's announcement as Knight of the Royal Termnnian Table, he had been in a foul mood, even a little bloodthirsty - oftentimes killing bandits in the mountains in the most gruesome ways for the fun of it. In fact, pinned to his cuffs were buttons made from the molars of two warlords he killed. His chest was dotted with scarification, each node representing a life he had taken. And there were hundreds of them on every part of his body. From his toned stomach to his powerful pectoral muscles and even his shoulders and biceps. Marcel had scarification on both his arms as well, but not as many as his brother.

"We want no trouble, Kayode," Suma said. "Not here. Let your cousin rest."

"He wouldn't be resting if our father would man up and gather the armies to take on those demons. Instead, the Crown Prince is taking off to aid other people with their affairs when he should be here defending his people. You are weak, brother."

"Alliances are not for weak men," Marcel countered quickly. "A kingdom could never prosper alone; father told you this many times. Master Yu-Gi-Oh has told us this. There is strength in friendship. Prince Michael has been our friend and his father our ally for many years. Jaeyoung Shim, the son of the Emperor of Uzume even risked much coming to our aid all these years."

"We don't need them," Kayode said, leaning against the tree. "We have the greatest sorcerors on the continent, powerful military technology, and above all, our hordes of Red-Eyes Black Dragons. One alone can kill hundreds of those Naralian bastards. Come on, Marcel, as we sit here gathering forces, our people are getting slaughtered by General Baldric. Let us take the Red-Eyes and fly to their camps to kill them."

"We cannot do that," said Marcel. "That's what Forrest wants us to do. Don't you see? His weapons are strong. Avi thought she could match them with her dragons. instead, she got captured. If her True Dragons were no match for their CUIRASS mechs, what makes you think our Red-Eyes will be any better."

"Our Red-Eyes Black Dragons are stronger than hers. Avi was a weak little girl and her capture by the Naralians proves this!"

"They can kill our dragons. I will not go down in history as the Akuudan King who caused the extinction of the Red-Eyes Black Dragon. Many of the dragons in the nest have been in this family for generations. The same Red-Eyes Black Dragons that fought for my father and his father's father and his father before him. And you cannot take command of the Red-Eyes. I love you, brother, and while it pains me to say this, it has to be said. You may be a prince, but you are not of the blood of the King of the Sun."

Kayode frowned and held up his fist. The large ruby on his ring burned brightly before turning the ring into a Duel Disk. "Not capable of commanding the Red-Eyes? Well, I'll show you, brother. In a Duel. I win, then we attack the Naralians with our dragons. You win, I will say no more on the matter and wait for Michael and the others to arrive. What say you? Or are you like father? Weak and afraid?"

"Father is not weak!" shouted Marcel. "You should not be mocking the man who took you in and raised you like you were his own son. Bastard!"

"Duel me, fool!" Kayode shouted, taking off his jacket. "If you run, you won't be king for long."

"I will make this quick!" said Marcel. He removed his blazer and dress shirt and ripped his tie off his neck. He held out his fist, turning his diamond ring into a diamond-studded Duel Disk with a brilliant gold surface. A holographic blade colored yellow formed from it to act as his playing mat.

Leogun laid down on the grass next to Okechuku's grave. Suma sighed sadly and sat on top of him. "Be careful, my prince."

LP 8000

"I'll start first!" shouted Kayode. "I place a card face-down. That ends my turn."

Marcel drew. "Keep playing like that, and this Duel will be over before you know it. You think one trap is going to stop me from preventing you from commanding our dragons and going on your petty quest for revenge? You truly haven't been paying attention to Master Yu-Gi-Oh's lessons. I draw! I activate the spell, Red-Eyes Insight, which lets me add a Red-Eyes card from my deck to my hand at the price of a Red-Eyes card from my hand or deck."

Marcel put a Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon into his discard pile, then he searched his deck for the card he needed. He shuffled his deck. "Next," he said, "I set a card and activate the spell, Dragon Shrine. This lets me send a dragon card to the Graveyard, and if the dragon is a normal monster, I can add another to the Graveyard. I then activate Return of the Dragon Lords to revive my..."

"I don't think you will," Kayode interrupted. "I play Solemn Warning. At the cost of two thousand of my Life Points, your spell is negated. Nice try. But the dragons you so foolishly killed and sent to the Grave will stay there."

"Foolishly killed?" said Marcel. "Just like you might do if you send them off to fight the Naralians and the mechanical army. Well, you just knocked out all my options. I end my turn."

"My turn!" Kayode laughed. "Draw! What was that you said about my trap card preventing me from beating you? I didn't quite catch that. I activate the spell, Card of the Red Stone. Unlike you, sacrificing my Red-Eyes will bring me victory. With this card, I can discard a Red-Eyes card and draw two cards and send another Red-Eyes in my deck to the Graveyard."

Kayode performed more combos until he had what he needed to summon his creature. Archfiend Black Skull Dragon, who dominated the field with an attack power of 3200.

Archfiend Black Skull Dragon

ATK/3200 DEF/2500

LV 9

He attacked Marcel directly, reducing his Life Points to 4800. The flames from the demonic dragon's flames scorched the earth and caused much of the tall grass to burn and sprinkle the night in red embers.

"I end my turn, brother. You better make a good move if you want to have a hope of defeating me tonight. I will make sure those fools from across the sea do not set foot on our beautiful land. For years, we let them walk all over us. For years, we let them give us shiny skyscrapers while they rape our kingdom of its resources. Our people have the potential to make this land greater than any kingdom on the continent. But you and father and the weak kings that came before settled to becoming nothing more than their puppets. Their slaves. We serve under a High King as though he was our master. Well, we don't need him. We can take care of our own people - our own lands! Open your eyes, my brother! Break the chains that bind us to this High King, and our kingdom will flourish and become the paradise our ancestors dreamed it would be."

Marcel looked his brother in the eye. Seeing him act this way disturbed him. Kayode had always been distrustful of outsiders for years, but now, ever since the war had broken out, he had become blinded by hate. He spoke some truth, though. His lands were rich in resources from Mana Crystals, gold, adamantium steel, dragon bone, precious gems, silks, spices, and so many other goods. Even Red-Eyes Black Dragon eggs to those who could earn their trust and afford them. They would be richer than even Pegasus or even Seto Kaiba by now had they played their cards right. But Marcel needed the help of the other kings. Naralia had been harassing Akuuda for hundreds of years. But it was even worse now with King Forrest in power - this he had to admit. They were murdering his people now. But he had to stay strong and not cave into his hate.

"I draw!" he said. "Brother. You are blinded by your hate for King Forrest that you fail to see the big picture. We need help. While we are strong, rich, and resourceful, the Naralians are even stronger in both technologies and in hate. I told you this before, no kingdom can survive alone."

"You are a fool to believe that!" Kayode shouted. "What of Sobek? They have been living secluded from the world since the death of Norman the Conqueror. No one bothers them. No one can conquer them. And they don't need anyone."

"Sobek is bigger than Akuuda," said Marcel. "And they are up to their necks in gold. The son of one king has enough gold to put Termnnia out of debt for thousands of years because they have the know-how to make gold pour out of their fingers. Sobek is a supernatural force, which we are not. So do not compare, will you? Our alliances come with great sacrifices, I know this. But it's a small price to pay to keep our people safe from the swords of King Forrest. The true demon!"

"The Men of the West! They are all demons!" said Kayode.

"And that is why you'll never be king," Marcel said sadly. He performed a series of combos to Xyz Summon his Red-Eyes Flare Metal Dragon. He was weaker than Archfiend Black Skull Dragon, so he placed a few cards face down to keep it safe, and hopefully discourage Kayode from attacking him long enough to bring his bigger monsters out.

Red-Eyes Flare Metal Dragon

ATK/2800 DEF/2400

Rank 7

"So, you managed to bring out your Flare Metal Dragon," said Kayode, amused to see his best monster, Archfiend Black Skull Dragon, against his brother's beast. "Not bad. This is going to get interesting."

He began his turn, and Marcel quickly activated a spell that powered up his dragons' attack points. He had to boost the power of his dragon as quickly as possible; for Archfiend Black Skull Dragon prevented Marcel from activating any card effects when it battled.

The both of them countered one another and canceled each other's cards. Once it was time for battle, Suma held her breath and accidentally pulled some of Leogun's fur. The beast growled and she let go, apologizing to it.

Red-Eyes Black Flare Dragon and Archfiend Black Skull Dragon took flight, leaving behind a powerful gust that almost knocked the tree down. Marcel and Kayode anchored themselves to the ground as best they could, but the blast was so strong, it almost pushed them backward. Suma screamed, holding on tight to Leogun so she didn't get blown away. The two dragons soared in front of the moons. They locked claws with one another and grappled through the air. Suma began to wonder whose cards were working best. But judging by the way the two phantoms fought in the sky, it was anyone's battle. Suma didn't want to, but she had her doubts about Marcel's dragon.

After all, Archfiend Black Skull Dragon prevented Marcel from activating card effects during the damage step so there was not much he could do. Just what in the world did those two use to make their dragons fight so fiercely in the sky? Archfiend Black Skull Dragon swiped his claws through the air, hoping to slash at Red-Eyes Flare Metal Dragon, but it held out its claws, blocking each attack. Finally...BOOM! Red-Eyes Flare Metal Dragon fired a beam or orange-black energy at the enemy dragon's face, but he, too, countered. There was nothing either dragon could do to stop each other; for Marcel and Kayode played their cards just right.

"You did not activate your monster's effects?" said Kayode.

"I have no need to waste them on you," Marcel countered. "Win or lose, Kayode, this Duel will prove nothing."

The dragons suddenly stopped fighting when a powerful voice rang out in the night.

"STOP THIS IN THE NAME OF YOUR KING!" It was their father, surrounded by his best soldiers, Yugi was there as well as Princess Aisha, who had worried for Marcel the entire night. Marcel and Kayod knelt for him, as did Suma. The two dragons above them crossed their arms over their chest in respect for the Akuudian King.

"What the hell is going on?" shouted the king. "What reason do you two fools have for fighting beside the grave of your cousin?"

"Sorry, father," said Marcel.

"Silence!" shouted the king. "You both should know better than to be treading outside the wall at night. Not with the Naralians out and about killing our people and burning our villages. What will become of us if I were to lose the only bloodline of my House?"

"We are sorry, Your Grace," said Kayode.

"And you!" he said. "I told you to watch my son. Instead, I find you playing cards with him out in the open for a Naralian sniper to kill. You should be ashamed of yourself, Kayode. I bring you into my household, name you a prince, give you the prized card my mother once used, and this is how you repay me?"

"And you, young lady!" said Colonel Izi, Suma's father. He stepped beside the king and crossed his arms. "Why are you out so late? And outside the city walls? I told you to stay in the city. You disobeyed me!"

"You all have," said the king. "Hand over your decks and march back to the castle."

"Father, I..." began Marcel.

"Not another word!" yelled the king. "Hand them over NOW!"

And so they did, and then, along with Suma, were both led back to the palace.

---

After a long scorning from his father, the young prince entered a lavish theatre in the market where he ordered his companions to meet. They were grouped together in a private lounge directly in front of the stage where a young pop star from Earth was visiting to sing in Termnnia. As Marcel walked by, a lot of girls' heads turned.

Many who were bold enough surrounded him, followed him, and even touched him. Marcel was waved down by his old friend, Idi Katlego. Beside him sat a great beast named Legoun, a lion monster with dark gray fur, a blazing yellow mane, and bright green eyes turning a shade of fiery lime in the dark lights hanging above the stage where the Earth girl sang. Beside the boy sat a mage dressed in brown robes with intricate designs of the Grassmen from the plains. Her staff doubled as a spear decorated in feathers and inlaid with colorful gemstones. Suma Okonjo Izi, the girl who accompanied Marcel to Okechuku's grave before he engaged in the Duel that got him in trouble. She was the daughter of a legendary colonel, one of the finest officers in the Royal Akuudan Military. Kayode sat at the far corner of the lounge kissing two girls sitting on both his laps.

"You're late," Idi said, petting his Leogun's mane. The beast snarled.

"Had your fun with Aisha, Your Highness?" Suma asked. "I thought this raid meant a great deal to you."

"He needs to wind down," Kayode said, tickling a girl under her chin. "The death of Okechuku was not clean nor was it quick. They made us drag his corpse back here to show our father."

"The cowards!" said Suma.

"Yes," agreed Marcel. "If only Master Yugi was there. All of Termnnia would have seen the true ferocity of Naralia then. It would have been enough to rally every country to war."

"We do not need them," snarled Kayode. "East, West, North, or South, White Demons are White Demons!"

Suma looked at the prince with disgust. "Your prejudice is as dark as your skin, Kayode!"

Idi nodded still petting his Leogun's mane. "That is why Marcel is going to be king and join Prince Yuri. Not You."

"I do not care who sits beside Prince Yuri!" said Kayode. "That is not why we are here! We are here to find those Naralian mercenaries and capture them. Personally, I'd rather stick their heads on a spike and be done with it."

"A foolish move to make," said Suma. "We will end up making ourselves look like savages and rile the Naralians to continue their acts of aggression against us. We should not give King Forrest any more reason to go to war with our country."

"You are all fools to trust those people," Kayode said, sending a girl away.

"Enough!" Marcel said, almost in a shout. "Put your prejudice aside, brother, and see the big picture. The men of the west want to help us, but feeble-minded fools like you are always the cause of negotiations and trade relations always ending on a sour note. I will be king soon. And when I have the throne, I will see to it these prejudices against the west are put behind us for good."

"If you side with the white man, you will not be king for long!" Kayode said, furiously getting out of his seat and storming out of the lounge.

Marcel bolted up, jumped over the booth, and blocked Kayode's way. He went face to face with him, snarling like an angry lion. "Is that a challenge!" he shouted.

Kayode said nothing. He walked around Marcel and stormed out of the theatre.

"Forget about him," said Suma. "I found the location of a Naralian encampment located in the swamps."

"And it is there that we will strike!" said Marcel. "Come, my friends. For Okechuku!"

---

Later...

---

"I see the camp!" Idi said through his earpiece. He rode atop his Leogun through the fields of tall golden grass. He drank a potion earlier that allowed him to see in the dark. The word was tinged in white and green. He could see everything around him as clearly as day. Ahead, he saw lights coming from a campsite with steel walls and watchtowers with searchlights scanning the lands around them for enemies. "They will fear us this night!"

"There is to be no killing!" Marcel commanded on the radio. "We take prisoners. Our monsters and our speed will prove more than a match for their guns. Aisha and my Black Flare Dragon will distract them from the skies. Suma; you and Babar do the same."

"Understood!" Suma responded over the roar of the winds. She was flying atop a Duel Monster called Flying Elephant."

"Kayode, you still there?" Idi called.

"Yeah, I'm still here," he answered. "Personally, I'd rather just kill them and call it a night."

"Then you will doom our country to a long and costly war with King Forrest!" shouted Suma. "It's best to install fear into these fools. Show them that we are not to be trifled with."

"Heads on spikes install fear," Kayode responded coldly.

"For a time they do," Aisha responded. "But then that fear is replaced by anger. And that anger will lead to a lust for revenge. For every one of them we kill, the Naralians will want to kill a hundred more of our people. The fallen soldiers will die anyway. I've read that by order of King Forrest, any soldier who is captured or fails in the line of duty is to be immediately executed."

"So look on the bright side, Kayode —" Idi said, squeezing his innards tightly as Leogun hopped over the river that was thirty feet wide. Leogun landed softly on the ground and kept sprinting towards the camp. "— these men will get their just rewards this night. Be it by our blades or theirs, these soldiers are going to be killed."

"I'd rather it be my blade that kills them. But you do you, guys."

"Glad we understand each other," Marcel said. "Kayode, Idi. You guys are up."

"Understood," Idi replied. "Tut! Tut! Tut! Tut!" he ordered while tapping Leogun on the side of his neck.

The Leogun stopped immediately. Kayode drew his compact bow and equipped an arrow with an explosive head. He aimed at a watchtower where a mechanical Duel Monster called Saber Slasher stood watch, scanning the darkness of the night with its ancient technology. Crude, but very effective.

"Odd," Idi said, putting the bow away and putting the arrow back in its quiver. He took out his binoculars to look at the beast. The crest of the Church was inlaid on one arm and the grizzly bear of King Forrest was on the other. But that was not all the Naralians had to guard their fortress. "I don't believe this," he said. "Marcel, we've got ourselves a problem."

"What's up!" Marcel replied.

"You're not going to believe this, my friend. But the Naralians have Machine-Type Duel Monsters guarding the place. Old ones! Some of these things look ancient. I'd say Dawn Era or First Age tech. And they have a lot of them."

"What do you see?" Aisha asked.

"Saber Slashers on the towers and ramparts. Ancient Tool as well. We got lancers riding on Steel Scorpions by the river. Marcel, they tricked up their mounts with rocket launchers and laser cannons. The Naralians don't play around."

"Idi, is there anything else we should keep an eye out for?"

"Oh, there's a lot of things," Idi answered. "At the first checkpoint, they have Pendulum Machines being recharged in garages. Canon Soldiers are marching with squads of patrolmen over in the hills. And Golgoils are skulking around the jungles. I thought those machines were wiped out during the rule of High King Kroth."

He heard Marcel click on the radio. Just then, Kayode rode out of the darkness on his Duel Runner. He equipped his bow with an explosive arrow and launched it at one of the Canon Soldiers, bringing it out of commission. The explosion knocked the patrol off their feet, scattering them in all directions and knocking them out. Kayode spoke not a word for his actions. He put his bow away, revved up his Duel Runner, and sped toward the camp at full speed.

In the sky, Marcel saw the explosion through the clouds. His Red-Eyes Flare Metal Dragon. Flying behind him flew two young Red-Eyes Black Dragons. Suma trailed not too far behind Babar, her Flying Elephant. Marcel gripped the horn of his mount with all his might, wondering why his half-brother could have been so stupid.

But that did not matter now.

The Naralians were riled up as though they were hornets angered that their nest was disturbed.

"Fool," he thought.

"What now?" Aisha asked, holding onto Marcel tightly across the waist. "We've lost the element of surprise."

"Kayode is brash, but I fear surprise is all but impossible with those machine monsters. And there are too many soldiers. I think I'll have to join the fray a little sooner rather than later. Do you have the mirror, love?"

Aisha cautiously reached for her pack. She took out a magical mirror and gave it to Marcel. The rare and powerful artifact from the days of old. The Ring of the Dragoon, the magic item he needed to transform into Akuuda's mighties warrior. He looked at Aisha and nodded. "Forgive me," he said, activating the ring. The Red-Eyes Flare Metal Dragon disappeared. Aisha screamed as she felt herself start to fall. As she saw the ground get closer and closer, she wondered what happened to Marcel and his Red-Eyes Black Flare Dragon.

Just then, Suma came soaring towards her on Babar, who grabbed her with his trunk and tossed her on his back.

"Did you know about this?" Aisha asked.

"Don't be mad," Suma laughed. "I thought it was kind of funny."

Aisha clopped her in the ear. Being the tough young woman she was, Suma just laughed at her chastisement. Not that it hurt all that much, considering Aisha had such a soft hand.

"Where is Marcel?"

A red and blue flash streaked over their heads. Marcel, clad in the armor of the Dragoon of Red-Eyes soared toward the enemy stronghold and hacked two Canon Soldiers in half with his powerful sword.

The Dragoon of Red-Eyes

"Show off," Aisha said softly as she smiled, watching Marcel and his two Red-Eyes Black Dragons decimate the base.

Kayode rode around the fortress, decimating the machine monsters guarding the roads with his bow and explosive arrows. Any soldier that he saw caused him to immediately find self-control so as not to kill any of them despite the fact that many of these men were responsible for the brutal death of his cousin.

He bashed them in the head with the pommel of his sword or kicked them hard under the jaw with the steel tips of his boots. Meanwhile, Idi and Leogun were taking care of the patrol robots on the ramparts, though it was a hard task to do while watching Marcel fighting beautifully in his Nekroz of Red-Eyes Flare Metal Dragon.

Despite the Naralian's military training and superior weapons, the youths attacking them were just far too powerful and far too skilled to be taken down so easily. The base commander, despite sending forth a robotic Duel Monster known as Cyber Soldier of Dark World to stop them, had no choice but to walk out of his bunker and surrender to Prince Marcel.

It was a solid victory, in fact, they decimated the soldiers without the need of taking any lives. Yes, there were a few broken bones and some bruises, but no soldier had his life taken from him. It took an hour, but Marcel and his friends rounded up every soldier in the base, bound their hands, and sat them in a row at the center of the camp, while the base commander, stood with a blazing sword to his throat.

"Where is he?!" Marcel shouted. "Where is the man who killed my cousin?"

"He's not one of us!" pleaded the base commander. "He's just some mercenary scumbag hired by the king to install fear into all of you. We're sorry for what happened to your kin. That man's methods are barbaric. You may be the enemy, Your Highness, but there is no reason for any of us to kill the way he does."

Kayode spit. "You and your soldiers outnumber him a hundred to one! You disapprove of his actions and yet you do nothing as he slaughters men, women, and children. Burns down villages, and desecrates our land!"

"You don't understand!" the base commander cried. "He knows every base of operations we got here. Every soldier. Every name. Every rank. If anything is out of the ordinary, they'll know. If we stand against General Baldric, he won't just kill us for going against the will of the Church and the King. But they'll make us suffer for it. They'll order the capture of our family members and send us bits and pieces of them until the day of our execution."

"The Naralians truly are animals!" said Suma, feeding Babar peanuts from a small burlap bag. "Is this really the evil that walks freely in our lands?"

"Yes, yes," said the base commander, grunting and sweating from the heat of the flames from Marcel's magical sword. "I know we're working together, but let's just say Baldric freaks me out. But I can't help you when it comes to General Baldric. The man is like smoke."

Aisha walked towards the defeated soldiers. "You all should be ashamed of yourselves," she said. Her olive skin and golden hair glowed ruby red from the flames of the ruin of the camp.

"Kill us now, will you?" said a soldier. "Grant us all the mercy of a quick death. If the general finds us like this, our deaths will not be fast. Our families back home will suffer from this as well. At least give us the mercy of making it look like we died with honor."

Kayode drew his sword. "That is the best thing I've heard all night long," he said. "Which one of you will go first?"

"NO!" Marcel said, holding up his hand. "We will not kill them."

Kayode smiled. "Well, brother, I did not think you were that cruel. Sorry, boys. But it looks like you're just going to live with the shame of dishonoring your country."

"No," said Marcel. "We will take them back to the city as prisoners."

"WHAT!?" Kayode and the others shouted.

"Are you mad!?" Kayode roared. "Prisoners? Would they have shown our people the same mercy!?"

"Your Highness," said the base commander, still stuck in Marcel's grip. "I know what your intent is, but I fear there's nothing you can do to stop the oncoming scourge. Grant your people mercy and just surrender to the Covenant. General Baldric. He's but a taste of the horrors Balodrum and Naralia will inflict upon you. They will burn your country to the ground if that's what it takes."

"Is that so?" said Marcel. "Your weapons and technology are strong. But we are stronger. A High King will return to this world. And when he does, the fury of the Gods will be unleashed upon you. Once I find Baldric and have his head, I will be ready for the bulk of your forces. We are not as weak as you think we are. Akuuda does not stand alone. Long Live the High King."