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]

24. Part III: The Neo Rare Hunters

Neo Rare Hunters - Enron Island Wharf, Aquarius/Standard Dimension

Tel. XVII - Year 18 4AOS

---

In the darkest parts of the wharf, five men in cloaks with armor plating trimmed in silver steel gathered together despite the harsh weather. The silence of the wharf was only disturbed by their heavy footsteps and the splashing of the choppy waters against the stone walls of the pier. The central island glowed in the distance. Even from here, the five men heard the soft rumble of cars and the occasional police siren. A few seagulls hovered in the soft night winds, looking for some choice morsels from the trash bins before the garbage trucks came to pick them up.

"Take a look at this little paradise they've built for themselves," a sixth hooded figure said, coming out of the shadows. "A city that floats and is powered by its own sun at the core. Heh, even in a world so plain and boring, these simple folk still manage to find ways to make themselves seem magical. No spells can be cast, and no monsters can be summoned, and yet they try and try to make it so. Technology for them is the only way they bring any form of magic into this dismal world. How I would have loved to summon a real beast to hunt the little prince. But we must make do with these Solid Vision Holograms."

The hooded figure looked at his Duel Disk. "These machines. Back in your world, they were meant to make people feel better, for not everyone can have the power of summoning their own Eidolon into battle. And now...with these so-called Duel Disks, everyone can. A pity they're not as powerful as the ones we possess in the Fusion Dimension. We used our Solid Vision monsters to invade the Xyz Dimension and slaughter thousands."

"These can still do a lot of damage," said a short Neo Rare Hunter. The sixth looked at him. Even though he could barely see inside his hood, he could tell the short Neo Rare Hunter was wearing some sort of mask. "Seto Kaiba tested these Solid Vision Holograms against condemned criminals until they reached absolute perfection," the short one continued. "The criminals, so I heard, fell into a state of madness, for their minds were too weak to handle the realism."

"Was it wise for Seto Kaiba to unleash such technology here?" asked a Neo Rare Hunter.

"Perhaps it was," said the sixth one. "If the little prince can hold his own against these, he'll be more than ready for the monsters in our world when he returns."

"But we won't let that happen!" said a giddy-voiced Neo Rare Hunter. "Hahahahaha, send him to me, I'll give him quite the magic show."

"No, send him to me!" said another Neo Rare Hunter. "I've got the all-powerful Exodia in my deck! This ultimate beast will make the boy beg for death!"

"Oh, because you did such a good job last time with your Exodia deck," said a tall Neo Rare Hunter.

"You shut up!" the Exodia player shouted, pointing his finger at the tall one. "You forget, this isn't Yugi Muto we're dealing with, it's Prince Yuri! The curse the Witch-King placed on the boy has weakened him and filled him full of fear! Now will be the perfect time to strike against him!"

"Hold on!" said the sixth one. "No one can go after Yuri until we clear the city of those Lancers. The Duel Gangs of this city are almost afraid to go out at night because of them. So unless you want to get jumped by them in the middle of your Duel with Yuri, we need to play this safe."

"We can take them," said the tall Neo Rare Hunter.

"Let out subordinates handle them," said the giddy-voiced Neo Rare Hunter. "There are plenty of us out there to keep them preoccupied while we move in for the kill."

"This is why you all failed in Battle City!" a seventh Neo Rare Hunter said jumping down from the top of a warehouse. She was one of the few females in the Neo Rare Hunters. When she stood still, the scent of peppermint perfumed the air. And she did not wear this scent for the sake of smelling pretty. It was her calling card, a way to let her opponents know she was near and frighten them. Each and every one of her victims reported this smell earning her the nickname, Annaviel, which was Eredian for 'The Sweet-Smelling Maiden'.

She sashayed toward the group, snickering within the darkness of her hood. "You're all so eager to get things going that you don't think or plan carefully. If you're not two steps ahead of Yuri or the Lancers, well, I just don't see you guys succeeding with the task of defeating him. He's got powerful friends, you fools. And they're all watching him day in and day out. You all were pulled out of the Shadow Realm and given a second chance because the master believes in you. Don't let him down, lest you find yourselves taken back there again!"

"She's right," said the sixth Neo Rare Hunter. "We have the tools we need to put that pathetic prince out of the picture once and for all. Don't waste this opportunity for a second life glory-hogging."

"He's right," said the short one. "Yugi Muto's apprentice is out there."

"I'll deal with him," said the sixth Neo Rare Hunter. "Annaviel, you and your group handle Axel Brodie and his crew, Regal Squad. The rest of you. You know what to do."

"YES, SIR!" they all shouted in unison.

The sixth one nodded his head and walked to the end of the pier to stare at the city. "Okay, gentlemen. Let the hunt begin."

---

Axel Brodie - Sukari's Apartment. Gondolin Island, Aquarius

---

Sukari's Apartment

---

Axel knocked on the door about five times. There was still no answer. He had a mind to yell out Sukari's name but he didn't want to disturb anyone. There was only one thing left to do. He went for the doorknob and to his surprise, it was opened. Axel opened it all the way, then closed it on his way in. The apartment smelled of eggs, bacon, and fresh coffee meaning she was probably making breakfast. But where was she? Axel went down a long hallway lined by stone water walls until he entered the living room. The walls were made of glass, offering splendid views of Gondolin Island's city and the beach behind the hotels that lined it. As he got further into the apartment, he heard the sound of music playing from the large stereo in the reading area upstairs. Aster couldn't see anyone, since the balconies were curtained with falling water for the sake of looking aesthetic.

In the light, he saw someone slowly dancing around. The music was a song called Pieces of a Dream by Nightvision, and the dancer enjoying the slow and calm beat was Sukari herself. She was still clad in her pajamas and a cup of coffee from the cafe downstairs in the lobby was in her hands. She spun around, arms in the air as she shook her hips to the beat.

Sukari enjoying a rare cold Aquarian morning

"Meow!" Axel looked to the left. There was a regal-looking black cat sitting on the couch, staring at him with misty gray eyes. He tilted his head slightly upward as if telling Axel, well, there she is, aren't you going to talk to her?

Axel cupped his hands over her mouth and yelled: "Ey! Can you hear me?"

Sukari stopped dancing with a smile and strode to the balcony. "There you are," she said. "What's up?"

"Get down here so we can talk. You mind telling me why the door was open?"

"My bad," she said. "I had another bad date last night. Some creep wanted more than just a pasta dinner if you get my drift. Ha! I sent him home without his pants and I guess I forgot to lock the door after he left. But this is a really secure building. They got like two checkpoints. The Neo Rare Hunters won't find me up here. You want some coffee?"

"Yeah, sure," Axel said, taking off his jacket.

"Damn, look at you," Sukari said coming down the glass stairs. "Is it cold out there?"

"It's chilly," Axel said. "We aren't that far from Antarctica, you know. I really hope this city can get back to warmer waters. I can't stand the cold."

"You and me both," Sukari said. "Hey, Chadwick!" she patted her cat on the head as she passed by. "So what's up? Duel Gangs causing trouble again?"

"Worse. Neo Rare Hunters."

Sukari froze just inches from the kitchen. "You serious? I thought you and the others were taking care of that?"

"Whoever these guys are, they're really good. That Duelist with Exodia cards attacked ten people last night. After he beat them with the Solid Vision monster, five more goons jumped out and beat them before taking their stuff."

"Man..." Sukari whispered. "I feel really bad for the people here. For them, Duel Monsters is just a game to have fun. With the Rare Hunters around, this is a matter of life and death now."

"And it's going to get worse," Axel said sitting down on the island counter. "I don't know how these guys are able to find the means to come here, but they have to be stopped."

"So what do you suggest we do?" Sukari asked.

"We start asking them questions. I just had a talk with Declan about the situation. He says he can send Lancers from his facility to teleport into the Standard Dimension and arrest them. Then agents from Kaiba Corp's Office 501 can interrogate them and get some answers. It means we have to work double shifts. I know you're exhausted, Sukari. I know I gave you a few days off but I need you back on the field. Our enemies are starting to find other ways besides Gates to get to Yuri. I want to find out how and destroy that means before it's too late."

"I understand," Sukari said. She handed him his coffee and sat down on the counter opposite him. "If it's for the safety of the future High King, then I'll do what I must. But what about the Duel Gangs? With those new Duel Disks in hand, they can ambush Yuri from anywhere in the city. Clover and Saxton were up all night and encountered five gangs with Duel Disks. And all of them claim they were going to get Yuri. That loser Brett equipped them with those Duel Disks. He offered a reward for Yuri's Black Tyranno. Come on, Axel, don't you think something needs to be done about him?"

Axel shook his head. "We have our mission, Sukari. As much as I'd like to punch Brett Martinetti's teeth out and serve his head to his friends on a platter, he's the prince's problem. Let him grow up and defeat him on his own."

"Do you think he can?"

Axel did something he rarely did. He smiled. "Yeah. I believe he can kick his ass. All in due time though. As for the Duel Gangs, I'll have a few teams deal with them but right now, I think Yuri can handle himself against some posers from the Duel Gangs. It's those Neo Rare Hunters that I'm worried about."

"Then why don't we ease that anxiety of yours and go hunt?"

"Sounds good. I'm glad we have Duelists like you in the Lancers, Sukari. Oh, before I forget. I have something to tell you. Since you're one of the Lancer's best Duelists, Declan sent you a little gift through the teleporter."

"Oh?"

Axel took some keys out of his pocket and tossed them at her. She caught them with ease. Moments later, Axel led her to the garage underneath the apartments where a custom motorcycle was waiting for her. "Oooh! Mama, likes!"

"Now we can ride together," Axel said.

"Hell, yeah. Let's go kick some ass."

---

Yuri and Crystal - Sapphire Coast Airport, Aquarius/Standard Dimension

---

The early light of dawn cast a golden aura across Aquarius. And even though Yuri was dead tired, the beauty of the world filled him with joy and wonder. He sipped on his coffee and watched as a private VTOL jet hovered over the landing pad of Aquarius's main airport. The gust from the engines sent water from the water surrounding the landing pad rush up in curtains of thin white mist, spraying Yuri a little and cooling his face, which was getting hot from standing in front of the sun for so long.

"Thanks for coming along," she said.

"You sure Brett doesn't care that I'm here?" Yuri asked.

"Nope. So long as I'm a good little girl and get my sweet ass back to the mansion by dinner, he doesn't care that we're hanging out."

"I really hate that guy."

Crystal looked at him and gave his hand a squeeze. "Hopefully, you can do something about it one day."

Yuri scoffed and rolled his eyes while shaking his head. "Keep dreaming, Cinderella."

The VTOL jet landed. The landing crew got right to work and brought out an escalator to put on the door of the jet, which slid open and revealed a little girl wearing a black school uniform, holding a teddy bear in her arms. "Crystal!" she called out. She waved her arm wildly as the escalator took her down.

Annabelle Anderson, Crystal's Cousin

"Heeey!" Crystal yelled over the sound of the jet's engines powering off. As the girl climbed down the escalator, Yuri couldn't help but think how remarkably similar she was to Crystal when she and Yuri first met. True, she lacked the heterochromia eyes her older cousin had but heaven's above, they looked so alike. For Yuri, it was as if he watching a ghost from his past running down those stairs to greet him.

"Crystal!" she called again. Once the little girl got off the jet, she ran across the landing pad and hugged Crystal. "I missed you!" she said.

"So did I, kiddo!" Crystal said. She picked her up and joyfully spun her around. She set the girl down gently on her feet and then proceeded to introduce her to Yuri. "Annabelle, this is Yuri, the boy I told you about. He's my best friend in the whole world. Yuri, this is my cousin Annabelle. She's here to celebrate your big birthday party."

"You don't say," said Yuri. "But, uh, the birthday party isn't for another eight or so weeks. Shouldn't she be in school?"

"Oh no, not me," said Annabelle. "I've taken a...uh...uh..." she placed a finger to her lip whilst putting on her thinking cap, wondering what in the world the word she tried to say was. "Saddle-cole. Seebacle?"

Crystal giggled. "Sebatacle, baby."

"Right," Annabelle said with a nod. "I've taken a sebatacle from school. My mother got me a nice penthouse suite just for me on the central island right next to the three big buildings over there." She pointed to the Phobos Corp Tri Towers. "Plus, my teachers gave me plenty of work to bring along to keep my grades up. So don't worry about me. Crystal tells me you're an expert Duelist so I was wondering if maybe you could teach me how to play. I bought a structure deck and everything."

"She's even got her own Duel Disk," Crystal said. She turned around in time to see the crew getting Annabelle's things out and there was a black case with her name written in gold letters. She asked one of the crew members to bring it to them. When he did, Crystal paid him handsomely with a gold Aquarian coin. "Here you go," she said handing the case to Annabelle.

Annabelle opened the case with a security code to show Yuri her brand-new Duel Disk. "It's one of the first ones to ever ship to Monaco," she said. "Do you have a Duel Disk, Yuri?"

"Haha, later I will. Uncle Sergei and my father actually got me one too. We're just waiting for it to ship to the Ruby Dragon."

"Oh, why don't we head there now?" suggested Crystal. "I'd love for the gang to meet her. And Annabelle's heard so much about you guys on Instagram. Come on, Yuri, what do you say?"

"Well...why not?"

"Yay!" Annabelle said with a cute hop. She grabbed Yuri's hand as he led her to the Karlmann King that awaited them. "This is going to be so great!" she said getting inside. Once they were all in, the SUV sped away over the bridge and into the city.

"Oh, Yuri, can you show me the Black Tyranno card everyone's been talking about?" Annabelle asked, giving her teddy bear an even tighter squeeze. "Please! Please! Please!"

"Sure, of course," Yuri said. He showed her the card. When the sun touched its surface, a thousand multicolored lights reflected on Annabelle's face.

"Oh, wow!" said Annabelle. "It's so pretty, Yuri. I hope I can get a rare card that looks like him someday. But I just started my collection."

"You just started playing?"

"About a month ago. My mom and dad didn't want me to get into the game because they thought it would interfere with my studies. But I did so well in school."

"You did?"

"Yeah! I won a spelling bee and everything." She reached into her blouse and took out a gold medal that she wore proudly around her neck.

"Oh, very good, Annabelle," said Yuri. "Hey, that's much cooler than my Black Tyranno."

Annabelle's eyes twinkled when he said that. "Really!? Thanks! Well, because I did so well at school and won the spelling bee, mommy bought a structure deck for my birthday. I made a few tweaks with some booster packs Crystal gave me. But..." She looked at the ground sadly and blushed. "But I still lose...a lot. Maybe you and Crystal can teach me."

Yuri laughed. "Oh no, I can't teach you, Annabelle. I'm still learning, too."

"Oh, now I know you're holding out on me," Annabelle pouted. "How are you still learning when you're beating former champions and expert players? Crystal told me about that awesome win against that Floyd creep the other day. How do you explain that? Admit it, Yuri, you're good. Isn't he, Crystal?"

"He's only as good as he believes himself to be. Yuri could be a lot better if he had a little more faith in himself and a little more trust in that deck."

"Trust in my deck?" he asked. That's what Yugi keeps telling me to do.

Annabelle hopped up and down in her seat. "Oh, I can't wait to meet your friends, especially Patty. She's really cool."

"Patty!" Yuri and Crystal said at once.

"Whoa, whoa, you haven't been following her Instagram have you?" Yuri asked.

"Nope. I hate Instagram. I just follow what you guys do on Dueling Network."

"Good," said Crystal, breathing a sigh of relief.

After a long ride, and a stop for chocolate milk for Annabelle, the Karlmann King arrived at the Ruby Dragon. The driver opened the door and Annabelle immediately jumped out. "Wow, so this is the Ruby Dragon Gaming Shop!" she whipped out her phone and started taking pictures to show her friends. "Oh, they're gonna be so jealous."

Crystal held her hand. "Come on, sweet pea. Let's get out of this cold weather."

"Hey, you told me Aquarius was nice and warm."

"It is," said Crystal. "But the city had to do a trade with its partners in Argentina. And we're supposed to pick up some very important people in California so we have to go all the way around South America to get to America's West Coast."

"But wouldn't it make more sense for the city to be in one place?"

"It wouldn't be as cool then," said Yuri. "The fact the city can sail all around the world like a boat is just my father and his engineers flexing their genius to everyone. Aquarius does what it does because only the best of the best were able to work on her."

"Wow. You guys are so lucky to live here."

They entered the shop and were blasted by a gust of warm air. And low and belold, Sergei was awaiting them. "Crystal!" he said. "It's been too long. How have you been?"

"Hanging in there. Oh, this is my little cousin, Annabelle. Remember her?"

"Annabelle!?" Sergei said in surprise. "My goodness! She was a little tiny thing when I last saw her. How are you, little one?"

"I'm doing well, sir," Annabelle said, clutching her bear even tighter. "I came here to learn how to Duel with Yuri and his friends."

"Ah-hah! Then you've come to the right place. Everyone is here already, Yuri. Andre booked an entire table for you guys for the whole day."

"Andre?" said Yuri. "Is Nick there?"

"Da, and so is Sam."

"I hope they're on their best behavior," said Yuri. "Nick and Andre don't exactly get along well. And you know how he and Sam can be around girls."

"I'll keep an eye on him, don't worry," said Sergei. "If he or his brother try anything, I'll boot them out of the store, I promise."

"Thank you, Sergei," said Yuri. "Come on, guys. If I know my friends, they'll have Table Thirteen all to themselves right about now."

"Wow, this place is so big!" said Annabelle. "It's like a mall or something."

"Sergei's got the best games in the world here," said Yuri. "And each level is dedicated to a certain game or hobby. Down here on the first floor you've got cafes, an arcade, and small stores that sell lots of Aquarius souvenirs and Red Dragon Gaming merchandise. Then on the second floor, you got Duel Masters. The second floor is Magic the Gathering, the Third floor is Digimon and Pokemon, the Fourth floor is for Dungeons and Dragons, and the fifth floor is for Duel Monsters players."

"And there's a garden where we can hang out, too," said Crystal. "I promise to take you back there when it's warmer though."

They took an elevator upstairs to the fifth floor where the Duel Monsters players were. Since it was Saturday, it was a full house. The room was loud with the sounds of monsters roaring, swords slashing, and explosions that were caused when a monster was destroyed.

"Oh, wow!" Annabelle said. "We don't this kind of action in Monaco!"

All of a sudden they were swarmed by Yuri's friends. Patty, Tyson, Nick, Carter, Sabrina, and Natalya all came rushing toward the elevator door to see the legendary Queen of Dragons herself.

Sam, Nick's little brother

"Hey, what's going on, where are they going?" Sam asked. "They're not gonna see me beat you."

"They want to see that famous friend of Yuri's. Crystal Anderson. You know, the so-called Queen of Dragons."

"Meh, her music sucks. Your turn."

Meanwhile, the rest of the group seemed to push and shove one another to get a good look at Crystal and shake her hand. "Patty wasn't joking!" said Carter. "You really are friends with Yuri! It's you! It's really you! Oh, God! I followed you ever since you debuted years ago."

"You must be Carter," Crystal said. She pointed at his hat. "The fedora."

Carter turned red. "Awww, man, she recognizes my fedora. I'm gonna remember this moment for the rest of my life."

"Well, I'm glad you're all cool about this," said Nick. "But don't you guys find it odd how Yuri's kept her on the down low from us after all these years? First, it was Ren. And now Crystal Anderson."

"Given your behavior around girls, it doesn't surprise me Yuri didn't tell you about her," said Sabrina.

"Speaking of Ren, where is he?" asked Patty. "We only saw him once and then he was gone."

Crystal shrugged as she signed a notebook Natalya handed her. "Ren's a weird guy. I don't know what goes on in that family business of his but it sure keeps him away."

"I talked to him last night," said Yuri. "He said he'll drop by for a visit when he comes back next week."

"Oh yeah!" Nick said punching his palm. "Good, 'cause I'm itching to go another round with him."

"Aww, I would have really liked to meet Ren Kakihara," said Annabelle. "Crystal's told me a lot about him."

"Hey, who's this?" Nick asked. "She looks like a mini Crystal."

"This is my cousin, Annabelle," said Crystal. "She's going to stay with us until the big party for Yuri. She's always wanted to meet you guys."

"Hi," Annabelle said. "I know each and everyone one of you." She pointed at Patty first. "I know that hair. You're the Reaper of Aquarius! Patty."

"That I am. Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you! I've been a fan of yours since I heard Yuri beat Randall. I heard you're really good."

"Have you heard anything about me?" Nick asked pointing at himself.

"Uh..."

"That answers the question," Tyson laughed.

"No, no, I know all about Nick. I saw how close you were to beating that Cornelius jerk. I hope you can get better at the game soon. I bet you know more about it than me."

Nick bobbed his head up and down, his fingers on his chin. "Well, I don't mean to boast, but my game is improving day by day. So if you need some pointers, I'd be more than happy to give you a few pointers."

All of a sudden Sam came into the mix, shoving Nick out of the way. "Wow, I heard from all the way over there. Who's the poor soul that needs pointers from you...huh!?" He saw Annabelle and his face flushed bright red. "Uh...uh..." was all he could say. He had crushes for various girls around the city, Patty and Natalya included, but this little angel. Something else filled his body. Something warm and cozy. It was love. If this were like one of those old cartoons, hearts would have been floating all around him and popping like bubbles.

"Uh...are you okay?" Annabelle asked. Sam didn't answer. "What's with him?"

"Hey!" Patty said snapping his fingers in front of Sam's face. "Don't even think about it. Forgive him, Annie — can I call you Annie? This is Sam, Nick's obnoxious little brother."

"Uh..." Nick drooled.

"Say hi to Annabelle, Sam!" said Nick.

"Hey, back off! I know how to say hi. Sorry about this guy. He thinks he's the best Duelist in town. I'm Sam by the way. So are you a Duelist?"

"I'm learning how to be one," Annabelle replied. "Yuri and his friends are going to teach me."

"Well, I'd be more than happy to teach you how to play. Do you have a deck?"

Annabelle happily nodded. "Yes, do you wanna play?"

"You want to Duel me?" Sam asked.

Patty laughed. "Go ahead, Sam. I'm sure she'd loooove to see those skills you keep bragging about."

"Oh, well, of course. Come on, Annabelle. Let me show you to your chariot." He offered her his arm. Annabelle giggled and took it, allowing him to lead him to the table.

Patty had her fingers over her mouth to conceal her laughter. She looked at her friends one by one. "Are you guys seeing what I'm seeing? Aww, how cute!"

Crystal laughed as well. "Young love."

"I just hope he knows what he's doing," said Sabrina. "She may be young, but I have a feeling Annabelle's a waaaay outta his league."

Sam and Annabelle got to the table, littered with all of Andre's things. "Clear out the table, scrub. I'm gonna teach the lady how to play."

"Sheesh," said Andre. "I get it, I get it." He picked up his cards and his binders and stuffed them in his pack. "The throne's all clear, your majesty."

"Don't mind him," said Sam. "He thinks he's one of us."

"One of us?" Annabelle asked.

"A part of Yuri's group," said Sam.

"Are you?" Annabelle asked.

"Well...uh...not yet, but with my skill, I'm about to be."

"You must be really good if they're considering you joining the group. Let's see how good you are."

Yuri, Crystal, and the others surrounded the table to watch the match taking place on the screen next to them. Anabelle took her gilded deck case out of a secret compartment on the back of her teddy bear and shuffled it.

"You don't want to go over the basics, Annabelle?" Andre asked.

"I know the basics," said Annabelle. "But thanks anyway."

Andre continued to insist she needed help. Sam looked like he was ready to go all out against there and worried it would take the fun out of the game for her. "I don't know, Annabelle, I still think you might want some help. Sam's pretty good. He almost beat me twice today."

"I think I can handle myself, don't worry."

"You sure, Annabelle?" Crystal asked. "You said you just started playing."

"Well, I won't learn how to hold my own if everyone keeps treating me with kiddie gloves."

Sam nodded. "Yeah, that's right. With an attitude like that, you'll be a good Duelist in no time. Please, do. I don't want you to be stuck in my brother's level forever."

"Har, har," said Nick. "Go easy on the girl, Sam. I know how much you like showing off."

"Hey, the lady says she doesn't want to be treated with kiddie gloves, so I'm going to honor her wishes. Now, ladies first."

"No, thanks. You can go, it's okay."

LP 4000

T1 - Sam

Sam loved her more and more. His feelings for her were so strong it felt like having a stomachache. "You're such a lady," he said drawing his opening hand. He snickered when he saw the combination he could make to keep her against the wall and look like a pro in her eyes. "All right, Annabelle. You want the gloves off, well, they're off. I activate Pot of Greed. You're going to want to get cards like this so you can draw more cards like this." He drew his two extra cards. "Oh, I'm gonna have some fun with you, Annabelle. Check it out! Two Polymerizations! And with it, I'll fusion two powerful dragons! First, Steel Ogre Grotto Number One and Lesser Dragon will combine to make Metal Dragon, and then I'm going to fuse Winged Dragon Guardian of the Fortress and Fairy Dragon to create the mighty Kaiser Dragon!"

"Oh!" Annabelle went. She looked at the screen and saw the dragons forming in it inside the default colosseum where the monsters fought.

"Impressed?" Sam asked.

"I have to admit those are really strong," said Annabelle.

That was music to Sam's ears. He leaned back in his chair and placed his hands behind his head. "Yeah, it takes a lot of hard work and skill, but eventually you'll learn how to summon and tame cool dragons like these. I set this card face-down and end my turn."

T2

Patty rolled her eyes. "Give me a break."

Annabelle drew. "My turn."

Sam, still leaning on the back of his chair, head down and eyes closed, continued to boast to make himself seem strong. "You better come up with something to take out my dragons, Annabelle. Because I have plans to make another one next turn."

"Yeah, I don't want that," said Annabelle. "So I'm going to summon Horus the Black Flame Dragon Level 4 in attack mode!" She set the card down and intrigued her new friends when the 3D render on the screen showed a falcon made of platinum armor with burning red eyes.

Sam laughed. "So you think that metal chicken of yours is going to stop my dragons."

"He can't?" Annabelle asked, to which Crystal started sniggering.

"Wait, hold on!" said Andre. "That monster is far weaker than anything he has. You should have placed him in defense mode. That way you can avoid taking damage next turn."

"Oh, gee. I guess it's too late for a redo," said Annabelle. "So I'm going to activate the spell card Swords of Revealing Light. This will stop your monsters from attacking me for three whole turns! That's it for me."

T3

"Good move," said Sam. "Oh ho, but check this out. It's called Aurora Draw. If I have no other cards in my hand, I can draw two cards. And get a load of this one! Spellbook Inside the Pot, now the both of us draw three cards."

"You and your pots," said Carter.

"Well, you need the right amount of cards to refill your hand, man. Now I'm going to rid the field of your chicken with this card, Tribute to the Doomed. Your Horus is destroyed. And there's more. The card I discarded was called Card of Compensation. When it gets sent from my hand to the graveyard I get to draw two more cards."

"Oh!" Annabelle said nervously.

"Now I've got a full hand again," Sam boasted. "But how about I make things even more interesting with this card? Roll of Fate. Now I can roll a die and I get to draw cards depending on what I roll but I have to send cards from my deck to the Graveyard equal to the result of the roll as well."

"Augh, no more dice," said Yuri.

"Ha, ha, sorry, Yuri," said Sam, forgetting Yuri's last opponent was obsessed with dice, "but I gotta do what I gotta do." He rolled a die from his pocket. "Excellent. Four so I draw four cards and send four to the Graveyard."

"Why don't I get that kind of luck when I play?" Tyson asked. "Every time I roll my Graceful Dice card, I get like ones or twos."

"See? It pays to have cards to refill your hand."

"Because you foolishly want everything you have thrown out on the field at once," said Andre.

"Ah, who asked you?" Sam said waving him off. "Sorry, Annabelle, but here comes some more pain. I activate my trap card. Fusion Reserve. Here's how it works. I Reveal a Fusion monster in my Extra Deck. In this case, it's going to be Darkfire Dragon. Now, I'm going to add one of his materials to my hand. This one is called Firegrass. Also, I can add a Polymerization card from my Graveyard to my hand. And I'm gonna activate it. I fuse together Firegrass and Petit Dragon to summon my Darkfire Dragon!"

"Now that's three dragons that you have to contend with, Annabelle. What do you think?"

"Don't get intimidated by him," said Andre. "Otherwise, you won't think straight. Did you get anything with the three cards he made you draw?"

"I'm not telling you," said Annabelle. She winked to let him know everything was fine.

"Hey, I saw that," said Sam. "I see you've got something up your sleeve. So I'm gonna lay these two cards face-down." He grinned at the monster in his hand.

Excellent, he thought, Man-Eater Bug. This will come in handy if she summons something stronger, which I doubt she has. She is a beginner after all. Heh, heh, I really hate having to do this to her. She's so cute. "I'm going to end my turn by playing a monster face-down in defense mode. Your turn."

T4

"I draw!" said Annabelle. "I have something similar to that Pot of Greed card. Graceful Charity, I can draw three cards."

"Yeah, but you also have to discard two," Sam said with a laugh.

Annabelle looked closer at the card. "Oh... oops. Oh well."

"And now I'm activating my trap card," said Sam. "Dust Tornado. This will destroy your swords, so my monsters are going to go all out next turn."

"Oh no, this is bad," Natalya whispered. "Come on, Annabelle."

Again, Crystal suppressed a snicker as Annabelle continued with her turn. "First, I'm going to bring back Horus with this spell card, Water of Life. If I control no monsters, I can bring back a monster in attack mode so here's Horus again. Now I set two cards face-down and activate Messenger of Peace!"

Nick scratched his head in confusion. "Messenger of Peace? I've never heard of that one before."

"It's an excellent card," said Crystal. "Now monsters with more than 1500 ATK points can't do battle so long as it's in play and she pays 100 Life Points during each of her standby phases. So long as Annabelle has that card in play, Sam's monsters can't attack her."

"Darn it!" said Sam. "I guess you saved yourself this turn again."

"Your move," said Annabelle.

T5

Sam drew his card and began to think. Damn, she's got me locked down with that Messenger of Peace card. And something tells me that Horus the Black Flame Dragon of hers is just going to keep coming back so I can't waste Man-Eater Bug's effect on it. But that name. Level 4? What does that mean? I mean yeah, its level is four but why must it be elaborated in its name like that? Well, if she does try anything with it, I'll have this trap card ready for her. And if she's even capable of summoning a stronger monster, my Man-Eater Bug is going to ruin her day.

"All right, Annabelle, I set a card face down and end my turn."

Andre noticed Crystal snickering again. Why is she laughing all the time? Does she know something we don't? Maybe it's Annabelle. She keeps saying she's just a beginner but so far she's been doing a good job keeping Sam's dragons at bay. Maybe she's not as new to this game as she lets on.

T6

"I draw," said Annabelle. "I choose not to pay 100 Life Points this turn so Messenger of Peace gets destroyed."

"You sure about that?" Sam asked. "That was your only line of defense against me."

"I've just had about enough of your showing off," she said. "I may not Duel like Crystal or Yuri, but I know how to hold my own. Now it's my turn to take off the kiddie gloves. First, I summon Horus's Servent in defense mode!" Annabelle summoned a sage dressed in a decorative Egyptian attire that matched the armor design of Horus the Black Flame Dragon

"Are you kidding me?" said Sam. "Girl, that guy has only 100 ATK points. He can't stop my dragons."

"No, he can't but he'll guard my Horus as he gets stronger. Horus attack his face-down monster!"

Horus screeched and flew around the Colosseum, engulfing himself in bright golden flames. He dove toward the face-down monster to destroy it.

"Sorry, Annabelle, but you just activated my Man-Eater Bug. Your Horus is toast!"

Man-Eater Bug snapped its jaws and sprinted across the field to attack and take Horus down with him.

"That's where you're wrong!" said Annabelle. Horus' Servant protects Horus from all of your monster, spell, and trap effects.

Horus' Servant jumped in front of Man-Eater Bug and chanted a spell that created a protective barrier. Man-Eater Bug smashed into the barrier and fell back to the ground hard, creating a crater on the stone floor. Horus took a deep breath and fired a spiral of yellow-red flames at Man-Eater Bug, destroying him.

Sam was disappointed that his Man-Eater Bug strategy didn't work but now he found a chance to strike at Annabelle's Life Points. "All right, Annabelle, you saved yourself for now. But next turn, one of my dragons is going to take him back to the Graveyard."

"Oh, is that what you think?" said Annabelle. "Well, sorry to disappoint you, Sam, but when Horus the Black Flame Dragon wins a battle, he evolves into something stronger."

"Stronger?"

"Uh-huh. Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV 4 evolves into Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV 6!"

Yuri and his friends watched the screen in wonder as Horus took flight and began to glow. After a few seconds of dazzling bright light, Horus's new form was revealed. He was bigger and sported a long dragon tail. His whole body had a sleeker metallic white finish to it and its eyes were glowing like hot furnaces. The dragon screeched as its 2300 ATK points were revealed on the holographic window beside it.

Anabelle covered her mouth with her hands and giggled, loving the shocked expression on Sam's face. "What's the matter, Sam? I thought you dragons were going to stop my Horus."

T7

"Oh, they will," Sam remarked as he drew. "Just because he's bigger and shinier than before, it doesn't mean you're going to beat me. I have just the card I need to end him right now. I equip Kaiser Dragon with Dragon's Treasure! Now his attack increases to 2600! Next, I'll have Darkfire Dragon destroy that annoying servant!"

Darkfire Dragon slithered through the air and then burned Horus' Servant with its flames, burning him to cinders in seconds.

"Now Horus is going to suffer without his servant protecting him. I activate another Tribute to the Doomed spell to vanquish Horus. And the card I discarded was another Card of Compensation, so that's two more cards that are added to my hand."

A thousand burial bandages slithered out of the ground and wrapped themselves all over Horus. "Haha!" Sam laughed. "Say goodbye, Horus!"

Annabelle smiled. "I don't think so."

"Huh?" He watched the screen and gasped when he saw Horus screeching. Rays of light burst out of the bandages, then Horus stretched his wings, breaking free with ease, sending the bandages scattering all over the place in pieces.

"What happened?" said Nick. "That card is supposed to destroy a monster it targets."

"It does," said Crystal. "But Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV 6 is immune to spell cards, so Tribute to the Doomed didn't work."

"Whatever," said Sam. "His special ability won't save him from my powered-up Kaiser Dragon! Destroy Horus!" he commanded, and Kaiser Dragon sprung into action. He flew towards Horus and ran into a reflective wall of crystals.

"What now?" cried Sam.

"I activated my Mirror Wall," said Annabelle. "When your monsters run into it, they strike a reflection of themselves and lose half of their ATK points. So now, Horus is the strong one! Counterattack!"

Horus flew from behind the Mirror Wall and blasted a hole through Kaiser Dragon's heart with a laser, causing it to explode and deal 1000 damage to Sam.

"Oh no, he was my strongest monster. I...I set two cards face-down and end my turn."

T8

"Thanks for ending your turn," Annabelle said. "I won't pay the 2000 Life Point cost for Mirror Wall so it gets destroyed. Oh, yeah, since Horus defeated another monster, he transforms into his final form."

"F-f-final form?"

"This girl don't play around," said Tyson. "You sure she's new to this game, Crystal?"

Annabelle laughed and held up the ace of her deck. "Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV 6 evolves in Horus the Black Flame Dragon Lv 8!"

"Level 8!" Yuri whispered.

Horus underwent another drastic transformation. He was enveloped in black flames and when they dispersed, his new form was revealed. He was colossal in size and had two arms and more dragon-like features, appearing less like a falcon than he did before. Now he truly was indeed a dragon. And a powerful one, for he had 3000 ATK points.

Yuri and the others ooohed and ahhed at the sight of the little girl's dragon. They all saw the twinkle in her eye and knew she wasn't finished yet. "I activate Monster Reborn and bring back Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV 6. And then I'm going to use the spell Level Up! This card lets me evolve a Level Monster so now Horus evolves again! If you can't handle one Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV 8, then you've got no hope against two of them!"

"Two!" Sam cried out. "Oh no!"

"And it gets worse," said Crystal. "With Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV 8 on the field, Annabelle gets to choose if Spell cards can activate or be negated. So don't bother trying to destroy them with spells, Sam. Annabelle will make Horus negate the activation and destroy it."

"I'm not afraid," he said, placing his two fingers on his face-down card.

"Traps?" Annabelle laughed. "No can do. I activate my second face-down card. Royal Decree. With this card in play, trap cards cannot be activated and any that are up on the field have their effects negated."

Sam groaned and felt himself sinking into his chair. No trap cards could be activated and Annabelle could destroy all his spells if she wanted to. There was nothing he could do. Both her LV 8 Horus attacked and destroyed his Darkfire Dragon and Metal Dragon, the combined damage reduced Sam's Life Points to a mere 350.

"Ouch Town, population you, bro!" Nick said.

"Oh man, Sam," Yuri said, trying his best not to laugh. "You...ckkkk you got your ass kicked."

"I surrender," said Sam. "I know when I'm beaten. Good job, Annabelle. You got me."

"Thank you," Annabelle said, hugging her bear.

Patty walked up to her and crossed her arms. "Newbie huh?"

"Well...I only started playing a month ago."

---

Joey - Mellowfields, Thara/Termnnia

---

People ran from their homes and crowded along the Yellow Road to get a good look at the parade of knights and Duelists marching towards the town of Maplewood in heart of the county of Ravenhill for the upcoming Duel Monsters tournament offering a very hefty reward. They had spent weeks scouring Emboldor and beyond looking for contracts, and Joey thought a good old tourney was a great way to earn money for Yuri's expenses in the Standard Dimension.

There were many famous players heading to the fairgrounds, but none struck the people more than the Black Dragonknight of House Wheeler. Children pushed and shoved through the throng of villagers to get a good look at him. Ever since he slew the vile giant who lived in the mountains, he became a great hero to the people here. The villagers cheered and waved black and red flags fashioned from torn sheets or clips of cloth tied onto sticks to show their support for him.

"Ser Joey!"

"It's Ser Joey!"

"Look, mama, it's Ser Joey!"

Tristan, riding on a gray mare, grumbled, riding behind Joey and his black stallion adorned in Red-Eyes Black Dragon-theme chanfrons and cruppers. Joey waved from atop his horse like a conquering hero. His helmet, crested with a statue of his black dragon and a red and black plume, was tucked under the crook of his arm.

"All hail the conquering hero," he said glumly.

Duke sighed, twisting a lock of his black hair around his finger. "Let him have his moment. It's not often that he does, you know. Besides, everyone knows you as Ser Tristan the Brave. Just not around these parts."

"Or any parts," Joey vexed him.

Tristan growled. "Why you..."

"Hey, just joshin' ya, man," Joey said with a wink.

"Now, now, Tristan," Serenity said, riding up to catch up with him. "No fighting. This is supposed to be fun. Besides, I think you guys need a break from all that monster hunting."

Tristan was at a loss for words. Serenity rode atop a Golden Emboldorian Stallion, which took her ten years to breed. She wore a bodice corset, green with burgundy laces and short, white sleeves; a tan skirt, and polished leather boots with floral engravings on the side. Her saddle was even etched with scrollwork and loaded with books, her purses, and her sword, which hung from the back. She had silk flowers in her hair and a black choker with a gold tag around her neck. The mere sight of her caused him to calm down.

"So, are we good?" she asked.

"Yyyyeah," he said.

"Is it a good idea to let Joey represent us?" Mai said from all the way in the back. Instead of a horse, she rode atop a brilliant white stag armored in silver steel. She drank the last gulp of wine from the leather sack around her hip.

"Have faith, Mai," said Serenity. "After this, we can finally head to Yugi's castle in the storm coasts and plan our next move."

"I just hope your artifact is worth monster hunting these past few days," said Duke, looking back at her from behind the black high collar of his cape.

"It will be," Serenity assured him. "When we finally give it to Yuri, no one, not even the Senate, will deny him his return. And we can finally stick it to Antilles for proposing that stupid law. But in the meantime, I would still like to raise money for Yuri so he can be a little more independent of his father. He still walks home for goodness sake. If you ask me, he needs a car."

"Don't you go getting him one, baby bird," said Mai. "Yuri's in enough trouble as it is with that Black Tyranno you gave him."

"You can't blame me for wanting to try to help him," said Serenity. "I can't let him walk home all alone. He was attacked the other day by those creeps from that rival school. It sure was a good thing Crystal came by."

"Ahhh," said Mai, raising her eyebrows up and down. "So does anyone besides me think something's going on with those two."

"Not me," said Duke. "My money's on that girl, Patty."

"Ugh," Mai said in disgust. "My Yuri and that...that bimbo! No, no, no. Yuri needs a girl with class. Not a girl with ass. And that Patty sure likes showing hers off a lot. I swear it seems all she's got in her wardrobe are low-rise pants that show off her crack or miniskirts. No, no, no, that's not a girl for our Crown Prince."

"I don't know about the rest of you," said Tristan. "But I'm thinking that girl with the red hair might be the one. That girl who's the daughter of some president."

"Oh, Tristan, no!" said Serenity. "Not that Darla Deets bitch! I see her getting too close to Yuri and I hate it. I'm with Mai on this one. Crystal is the perfect girl for Yuri. They've been friends since they were babies and they care for each other more than anyone else in that entire city."

"Crystal's a lady," said Mai. "She has my approval."

"Well, you all need to get a grip," said Joey. "When Yuri comes back home it won't matter if he dates any of those girls. He's already got a bride that Yugi picked out himself. Princess Antoinette. Well, if anyone finds her that is."

"Oh, yeah!" said Serenity. "She went missing about a month ago, right? I hope she wasn't captured or anything."

"Yugi's gonna look into that once he gets back from Akuuda discussing terms with Prince Marcel's dad regarding the Alliance," said Joey. "Iron out the last bit of details of ya get my meaning."

"He better do it quick," said Mai. "Forrest is inching closer and closer into our lands and I'm getting really nervous."

"Don't worry, Mai," Joey said. "Everything's gonna be all right."

They, at last, made it to the fairgrounds, which appeared to them from over the hill. Already champions participating in the tourney set up pavilions along the wide grassy meadows. Serenity pointed out a great spot for Joey. There was a willow tree by the river, and the other participants were so busy trying to find spots closer to the Dueling Grounds that they hardly noticed it.

"Last one there pays the winner a gold crown!" shouted Joey. He kicked his stallion into a gallop. Tristan and Duke followed.

"Such, children," said Mai.

Even though Joey's horse was armored, it ran like the wind. Unknown to any of them, he had the horse's armor enchanted to make the animal run faster and have more stamina, even regain it quicker. Then again, so did Tristan and Duke's steeds. Before Serenity knew it, she saw them at the willow tree. She turned to look at their workers and servants, who trailed behind in a caravan of wagons and covered carts.

"We'll make set up my brother's pavilion down there," she called out.

"Yes, My Lady," said Jaque, the chamberlain of House Wheeler.

Serenity and Mai sped down the hill towards the willow tree. The three knights who raced ahead of them were already tackling one another playfully. Serenity stopped her horse underneath the willow tree and tied her to the trunk. She opened a sack of oats and fed her three handfuls before her servants arrived with a troth so the tired steed could refresh herself with a long drink.

"Good girl, Sunny," Serenity said, petting the mare's blonde mane. She wrapped her arms around Sunny's neck and kissed her before joining Joey and the others in setting up their command tent. With a little bit of telekinesis from the Wheeler family's court wizard, Zoey, the command tent went up in ten minutes. The flag bearing the colors of House Wheeler flapped from the center pole. Scarlet and gold pennons flapped along the sides of the tent as well, the colors of the House where Joey's mother hailed from.

"All right, y'all!" Zoey hollered with her palm beside her mouth. "Bring 'em in."

The servants rolled their wagons toward the tent and unloaded their furniture. "I've got my own tent," she said pretentiously to her own band of servents. "We'll set it up over here."

Zoey then stood outside the tent with her knuckles on her hip like some sort of conquering hero. She had the dirty blonde hair that all the Wheelers had, tied into two long braids then went down to her waist. A splash of freckles on her face gave her a very innocent look, one that deceived many who tried to get the best of her. Her bright, sky-blue eyes were ghostly but completed her cute appearance. She wore a green and tan corset, heavy brown boots, and a tan miniskirt that barely covered her rump. She was small but not to be trifled with; for she spent a great deal of time training with Joey and the Black Luster Soldiers of Rassay when she visited Joey and Serenity during the summer after school let out for the holidays.

Serenity wanted to play with dolls and quilt with the handmaidens in the tower, but Zoey had other ambitions. She wanted to joust in the tournaments like the colorful knights she adored since she learned to walk. And she wanted to be an expert swordswoman; perhaps even be a guardian for the High King when he returned.

"Any word on Yuri?" Mai asked. She was helping herself to a bowl of strawberries covered in cold cream.

"Dinnae call 'im that!" she snapped at Mai when she referred to him by his cute nickname. "Yuri's a pansy's name. Not one fer a High King. I'll call him by his rightful name, Daveed, thank ya. And ya will do well t' refer t' him that way in me presence."

"She's definitely got that Highland fire in her," Mai whispered to Serenity.

Zoey ordered someone to pitch her tent right next to the river and then scratched her butt long and good.

"And their mannerisms," Serenity said in disgust. "But she's the daughter of the Baron of Glowerness, so that gives her some right to be pretentious."

"Why did you guys make her your Court Wizard?" Mai said, biting into an apple.

"I know she's a little smelly and rough and has horrible manners, but it's her skills with both magic and weapons that made us choose her after we kicked our father out and established our family as a Great House. Her schooling with the Black Luster Soldiers taught her enough to join her father in battle last summer. Jaime himself taught her."

"Ser Jaime? The Black Luster Soldier of the Evening Twilight?" Mai gasped. "Wow. He's the one who saved Yuri from Anubis. I had almost forgotten about him."

"She put her skills to good use," Serenity continued. "She and Jaimie fought back a rival clan who wanted control of the loch their castle resides by. See that axe she carries on her back?"

Mai nodded.

"She used that to cut off the head of the clan chieftain."

A blare of trumpets sounded off behind the camp. A large party of knights suddenly rode past the camp. Halberds and spears bearing banners of periwinkle and gold flapped over them. There must have been a hundred of them. A white and gold two-floored wheelhouse rolled in the center of the flood of periwinkle knights. It was being pulled by two Mad Sword Beast draped in bright blue armor edged in gold.

Some powerful Lord must be arriving, Joey thought. A curtain behind one of the windows to the coach was pulled aside. Joey couldn't make out who it was, but whoever was in there seemed to smile at him. The face was concealed behind the curtain again and the wheelhouse moved on.

"Oooh, aren't we impressed," Zoey said, mocking the caravan of knights with her fingers. "Yeah, go on! Flash yer bright colors. If you ken who this man is, you'd turn back right noo."

One of the knights stopped and pulled his visor up. "Show some respect, girl! This is the caravan of Jack Ganon."

"Ya think I don't know that?" she shouted. "I saw 'im whilst I visited Domino weeks ago."

"He defeated you, so I heard."

"Yer bum's oot the windae!" she shouted. "I dinnae lose to 'im! It was a draw, it was!"

"Says you, welp!" yelled another knight.

"Welp!" shouted Zoey. "I am da Lady of Loch Stormhammer! Yoo'd do well to respect me, Ser Knight."

"A Lady?" said the other knight. "A Highland one at that. No wonder your manners are that of a lowly peasant. You watch yourself, girl. Say one more word about the Lord, and I'll break my foot up your royal ass!"

"HA!" shouted Zoey. "Thinking about me arse are we? Well, here you go!" She bent forward and lifted her skirt up, mooning the knights. "Come and kiss it, ya bastards!" she said, pulling her panties down. She laughed and started smacking her exposed rump.

"Oh, Goddesses!" Serenity groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Despite her history as a warrior, there are some days I regret choosing her."

Mai laughed and stepped forward, standing in front of Zoey's buttocks, wiggling in the wind. "Pardon her, good Sers," she said with a bow. "She's still young. For your trouble." She removed two pouches with gold coins from her belt and tossed them at the knights.

"Thank you, My Lady," the knights said, both recognizing Mai for her infinite beauty.

Mai turned around and kicked Zoey, knocking her forward.

"Wot was dat fer?" she shouted, yanking her underwear back up.

"For acting like such a pig!" Mai yelled. "That is no way for a Lady to act. Who in the Shadows taught you to behave that way?"

Zoey jerked her thumb to the west.

Joey and Tristan had their breeches down mooning the knights as well and boasting about their success in the future.

Mai shook her head. "That stupid monkey."

---

Later that day...

---

After many hours of preparations, the Mellow Fields Tournament began. Joey woke up once the cock started crowing at dawn. He dressed into his armor and marched into the fairgrounds to buy himself something to eat before the games began. The morning smelled sweet with sausages, pancakes, pretzels, eggs, and bacon. Joey asked for one large pork sausage and a horn of ale to wash it down with. The air was fogged with smoke from the cooking carts and from the smith that came by to sell and repair arms and armor. Something big flew overhead. Joey looked up and saw a party of knights riding Phantom Griffons over the fairgrounds. One of them blew on a horn, announcing their leader to the crowd.

He stopped and waited as a merchant selling exotic pets and mounts walked by showing off creatures such as Dark Gray, Serpent Marauder, and a flaming plant called Firegrass, a creature that could keep gardens clean by eating weeds and pesky rodents. But the real prize of his stock was a mystical beast called Sunlight Unicorn; a fair creature with a bright, white coat and a flaming mane of blue fire. The price for it was an astonishing 100,000 Star Chips.

"You sure about this Joey?' Serenity asked. "A lot of skilled Duelists have come here."

"Don't worry, sis. With that money, Yuri's gonna get what he needs to hunt down some new cards and you will be one step closer to getting the money for that lady Mai wants to hire."

"I'd rather we just hunt for monsters."

Arrrgh, come on, sis. That's takin' way too long. We've been on that venture for days and you're still not happy with the money we've made. C'mon, Serenity, the war's escalating and our friends are getting tired. I need to do this."

Serenity merely nodded and didn't say a word after that.

As they got closer to the festival, Joey's excitement increased when he heard lively music coming from the pens where the horses and other mounts were kept, groomed, and fed. The merry chirp of a windpipe, the hearty beating of a drum, and the sweet rhythm of a tambourine. The players didn't draw much of a crowd. As Joey approached, he began to see why. He noticed their pointed ears, brightly-colored eyes, fair faces, and silky hair. They were Elves. Had it not been for their pretty dancer, they wouldn't have even gotten their decent pile of pennies and halfpennies. He saw a silver or two in the hat to place the tip, so unlike the other human players, whose bags, hats, or purses were filled with silver and gold or even a gem. The Elven girl spotted Joey and slowed down. Her shoulder was sensuously raised to her chin. She batted her eyelashes and smiled before continuing on with her dance.

A little boy wanted to watch her but his mother pulled him away. "Stay away from them, child!" she said sternly. "Elves. They'll charm you with magic and rob you blind!"

The Elf girl paid no heed to the woman and continued dancing away. She had flowers speckling her long, cool-brown hair, which sprayed the air with its sweet, citrusy aroma as she whipped her hair around. Joey reached into his pouch and threw three silver shields into the hat. The Elf girl bowed.

"I had no idea ya fancied pointy-eared ones," Zoey said, standing behind Joey. She was munching on a sausage crafted to look like a unicorn, with the other end of her wooden skewer.

"I don't mind 'em," said Joey. "I'm not like you."

"Have ya forgotten dat they enslaved our kind fer thousands of years in the First Age of the Sun?" she said. "Their kind has blood on their hands."

Joey looked at her. "And you're seriously going to hold a grudge for something you took no part in and ended long ago? It was they, not the Kings of Men who came to Prince Yuri's aid when Anubis attacked."

"Say what ya want," said Zoey. "I dinnae like 'em. They should go back to the forests where they belong. It was the people of the Highlands who suffered the worst of their brutality. Had it not been for Lazaria Whiteglint, the human race in Termnnia would be all but extinct."

The Elf girl giggled as she spun. "You should know Lazaria's campaign would have been a failure had it not been for the Red Leaf Council. Do you know what it was?"

"Da hell do I care?" said Zoey.

"It was a pact of Golden Elves and Crimson Elves, who rejected the idea of slavery from their Meteoran counterparts. Before the council, your so-called 'Liberator' would have fallen to Taros-Nezzenthrien, and your kind would still remain in chains."

"Ah, to hell with ya," said Zoey. She turned and walked away.

"Don't mind her," said Joey.

"I'm rather used to it," the Elf girl said, continuing with her dance, and still wearing her smile. "Prejudice can turn one blind to their emotions. Even their own history."

"Zoey doesn't like to be proven wrong," Joey said with a chuckle. "When da facts are stacked against her, she resorts to her fists and foul language. Such is the way of those who are ignorant."

"I couldn't agree more, Ser Joey the Black Dragonknight," said the Elf girl. "I wish you luck in the tourney today."

"And I wish you luck," said Joey. "Wit da Church of Yeyu and people like Zoey running around, it's a dark time fer yer kind. Here, take this." He handed her an ultra-rare Gilford the Legend card. "I have like ten copies of dis guy," Joey insisted when the girl refused his gift. "He'll be worth a lot. I can guarantee you and your troop can find some fine dining and bedding tonight."

"Etherina bless you, kind Ser," the Elf girl said with a bow.

Joey heard a blare of trumpets coming from one of the towers in the pearly-white castle overlooking the town and the fairgrounds. He said farewell to the girl and hurried to a great gathering of players who stood underneath the balcony of the tower where the trumpets sounded.

Two women stepped out over the balcony hand-in-hand. One was dressed in black and the other was draped in a bright white dress with a plunging neckline. It was short, barely reaching her thighs, but it flowed on the back, the cloth touching her ankles. Their tiaras glistened in the bright light of Helios. They were both Axeri, a race of people from the Lionheart region of Thara, a country to the south of the continent.

Then, from behind, came a creature that caused the crowd to gasp and some to even cheer. A tremendous dragon, black as burned steel and heavily armored. The membranes on its wings were navy blue and its eyes burned red as did a scar on its chest.

They were two of western Termnnia's greatest heroes. The Queens of Black and White. No one knew why, but they were immortal and blessed with everlasting youth and beauty. These two had been alive since the Waltz of the Dragon Queens and witnessed the fall of House Rosenkruz and High Queen Evangelia's disappearance.

"Look at that!" said a knight. "The legendary Black Brutdrago. A survivor of the Night of Flames and Tears."

"Aye, that's him all right," said Zoey. "He's kept the kingdom safe for thousands of years. Rumor has it that he's even granted long life and eternal youth to his two mistresses there."

"No way!" said a knight in red armor. "I've heard the Queens of Black and White had an ancient bloodline. But immortality? That simply cannot be."

"None are sure what it is," said a knight in azure armor. "But immortality is what they have. Those women may look like they're in their blooming twenties, but they are actually more than a thousand years old. Many wizards begged to know their secret. But it's one that only Black Brutdrago knows. And it seems like he's not telling. Had they told their secret to Tiberius or Evangelia, we'd probably be in better days. Some say that as soon as their dragon dies, they will die with him."

"I suppose that makes sense," said the knight in red armor. "Dragons can live for more than a hundred thousand years, so those two are going to outlive us and even our grandchildren."

Joey stroked his chin, marveling at the two women above. He had heard of them before. Their legend was told over a dozen times at dinner by his mother and sister, and in the dozens of inns he entered. Having long life, great wealth and power, and one of the last True Dragons in Termnnia made them a force to be reckoned with. They motioned to the crowd and the participants below, who were waving banners and throwing confetti in the air. Balloons floated toward the sky, mixing with the dozens of kites that lazily glided in the air over the town.

A man dressed in purple with a round hat plumed with a red feather blew into his trumpet. "Presenting their Royal Majesties! Queens Angeline and Della Blackdragon. And their ever-faithful companion Ser Blackbrute."

The Black Brutdragon roared loudly, shaking the countryside. The man in purple cowered and covered his ears, but Queens Angeline and Della still smiled, holding hands, and continued waving to the crowd.

"Greetings all of you!" Queen Angeline, the woman in black, called out. "Welcome to the three-hundredth annual Mellowfield Autumn Tournament. Let's not waste any time. Once the fireworks go off, the games begin."

She and Della kissed. The crowd cheered and Black Brutdragon blew dark-red fire at the sky as rockets launched into the air and burst into clouds of colorful smoke.

"Well, here goes," said Joey. "If I win dis tourney, we'll get the prize money and fund that expedition of Serenity's."

Hee hee hee hee!

"Aw, no," Joey turned and saw two familiar faces approach him. "Red and Weevil," he said in disdain. "Why am I not surprised to see you two fuckers here?"

"Keep talkin', Wheeler!" Rex grunted angrily, remembering all the losses he suffered at Joey's hands, one of them resulting in the loss of his Red-Eyes Black Dragon at Duelist Kingdom. "Things are going to be quite different in these games, I promise you!"

"And Wheeler," laughed his friend, Weevil. "Don't think I forgot how you have beaten me in the Battle City Tournament. You won't get far in these games, I assure you. My deck is swarming with new rare and powerful insects. Hee hee hee, hee, heeeee, heeee!"

He stopped laughing when someone came up from behind and put him in a chokehold. "Strong words coming from such a small guppy," said the stranger.

"Mako Tsumami?" Joey said. "Wow, you're here, too? Didn't expect to see you all the way out here."

"I couldn't pass this up," Mako said, still keeping a hold on Weevil. "This tournament has my name written all over it."

Weevil broke free and turned to yell at him. "You think you can win this!" he shouted, standing up on his toes and shaking his fist at him.

"Of course, I can," said Mako. "My new denizens of the deep will assure me victory here."

Rex sneered and crossed his arms. "Don't think your sardines will stand a chance against my dino horde!"

"Ha!" laughed Mako. "My new White Aura Whale will be more than a match for your Two-Headed King Rex."

Joey shook his head. "Some things never change."

He walked away, hoping to get as far away from them as he possibly could from them. He found Duke and Tristan eating fried chicken on a stick. They held their snacks up as a means to wave him down and welcome him.

"Want some?" Tristan asked. "This stuff is amazing! Best chicken I've ever tasted."

"Nope," said Joey. "There's still time before the tournament begins. I'm heading for the guild and see if there are some monsters for us to hunt so we can give Yuri some quick cash."

"Hunting monsters?" Tristan whined. "Now? But we just got here."

"We need to help him, Tristan. I know we've come a long way, but I ain't stoppin' now. I heard from the sheriff that there are a ton of monsters around here that need to be eliminated. And if it means money for Yuri, I'm all in."

Tristan and Duke looked at each other, shrugged, and followed him to the guild hall, which was on a hill overlooking the town.

"But you're the Lord Commander of the Kingsbrand!" said Duke. "What the hell do you think you're doing working for the Monster Hunters Guild? And what about the tournament? Don't you have a match coming up? You need to prepare your deck."

"We got a couple of days to take a break," said Joey. "My sister needs some extra cash to embark on a quest. And I need a little backup in case the tourney doesn't work out. Not that it won't, mind you. I'm gonna win. Come on, guys, there are some puny monsters that need taking down. They don't stand a chance against us. It's gonna be easy work!"

---

Hours later...

"Easy work, huh?" Duke said, up to his ankles in the muddy sand surrounding a lake in the middle of a forest. Up on a small ridge were the ruins of what was once a humble abode with a farm. The farmer and his family were driven out by the monster they claimed came out from the lake. It smashed their house to pieces with huge claws and made a horrible sound like a woman screaming. Had it not been distracted by the cows and pigs, they would never have escaped with their lives. Now, it was up to Joey, Tristan, and Duke to hunt the creature down, but they had been here for hours and there was no sign of the beast.

Joey licked his dry lips and looked around. He stood up from where he had been sitting on the small patch of grass on the beach. No monster attacked him but he was constantly assaulted by huge swarms of blood-sucking insects. Now he knew he had been duped.

"High paying work?" he grumbled. "We're on pest control!"

Tall trees swung back and forth in the wind. For such a beautiful beach, Joey thought it was an ugly place. Man, how can some place so serene be home to so many annoyances, he thought. When he read through the poster detailing the job, he read that the lake here had a very bad reputation. Every now and then, the beaches around the lake would be closed because of goblin gang wars or a lake monster would emerge from the underground caverns and snap at the swimmers. He had no idea what caused the farmer to build his home in such a place. Probably desperation, he thought. With the war raging up north, he imagined the farmer and the family must have come from Upper Katina, Fara, or even Elleria to try and settle down in Alliance territory. And knowing the landlords of the area, they must have made a deal with a very shady one to purchase this cursed land.

"Ey, Tristan!" he shouted to his companion.

"Yeah?" Tristan called back, scanning the sands carefully. His hand kept a firm grip on his battle axe.

Joey stretched and put his hands on his lower back. "Nyeh!" he cried out, listening to the sickening song of the pops in his spine. He groaned and squinted in the harsh light of the sun burning his face through the treetops.

He hated it. But most of all, he hated the sand. Ugh. It was everywhere, and it was no doubt going to seep through every crevice in his armor and pour into his forbidden places. He could already feel it accumulating in his boots where it crunched between his toes. "Goddesses, I hate this place."

"You do?" Tristan asked, kicking a rock into the water. The sturdy metal of his boot clanked upon impact. "And here I thought you were tough."

Joey mopped the sweat dripping on his forehead with his cape. "I mean it, bro. I'm from da Crystal Mountains. The springs are soft and sweet and all I gotta worry about is a pack of wolves or giant spiders. But down here, man, seems every foul creature is drawn to the hot sun, ya know what I'm sayin'?"

"I guess," Tristan said, looking away from Joey. "Look, less yakking and more hunting. Crab Turtles burrow through the sands. They could pop out at any second and drag me down for breakfast. Besides, I want to get back to camp so we can clean up for the tournament pageant."

"Hell, yeah!" said Duke. "Come on, Joey, screw this job. We've been searching for hours and there's still no sign of this Crab Turtle. Think about it, they're gonna have a swimsuit contest. Itsy-bitsy bikinis, pretty girls from the countryside flaunting all they got. Maybe some of them are available."

"Come on, I'm going to need you at the top of your game here, guys," said Joey. "Yuri needs us."

"He turned down the idea of beautiful women!" Duke cried out loud, his voice ringing across the forest.

"Will you guys knock it off!" said Joey. "I need you to focus. There's a dangerous monster lurking in the sands and the two Queens are paying us a hefty bounty in gold to get rid of it. Instead of thinking about girls, think about this. With this last contract, we could hopefully get the money we need to support Yuri and possibly even begin the expedition my little sister was planning. If we can finally make her happy, we won't have to hunt monsters anymore and we can join our friends in the war."

Tristan and Duke looked at each other. They knew he was right. Just as Duke was about to speak, the monster they were searching for popped out of the sand and gave out a horrid screech. Crab Turtle.

In the game of Duel Monsters, it was a Ritual Monster with 2550 ATK points, making it a formidable foe to go up against. It had a strong, green shell, and eight crab leg-looking appendages — four on its belly and four larger ones on its back.

It had two powerful legs, colored purple with a shiny green shell that was used to shield his soft flesh. One slimy, yellow eye wriggled from a stalk forming from its head. The monster was as tall as a man and was equipped with two powerful pinchers that it used to grab its prey and drag it deep under the sand. They could also be used as awesome weapons, and the creature wasted no time chasing after Tristan after it smashed its big claw on Duke, knocking him clear over the tree tops where he vanished.

Tristan flipped out of the way, the hem of his brown trench coat flapped over his legs as they lifted into the air. The Crab Turtle's charge missed him by mere inches. Mid-flip, Even though it weighed a lot, Tristan swung his axe gracefully, cutting off one of the Crab Turtle's legs.

Dark green liquid oozed from the severed limb. Crab Turtle shrieked, waving its body from side to side. Tristan landed feet-first on the sand and quickly lifted himself up with another powerful leap. He flipped through the air and smashed the family axe into the shell with enough force to crack it.

Crab Turtle shrieked again, going into a frenzy. It spun - a move Tristan did not expect - and smashed him in the back with one of his pincers. Tristan was thrown a few feet through the air and landed on his face in the sand.

He got up, spitting thousands of grains out of his mouth. Crab Turtle snapped his pinchers repeatedly to intimidate Tristan. The sounds they made resembled that of hedge clippers snipping in rapid motion.

"Hang on, Tristan!" Joey called, jumping off a rock that stood over the Crab Turtle. He raised his sword and ignited the blade with fire with just a thought, thanks to an Elvish charm that dangled off the end of the pommel - a gift from his sister.

"YEAH!" Joey said, flipping for the sake of showmanship. "HASSAN CHOP!" he shouted, attempting to slice off another of the Crab Turtle's legs. But it was too smart for him; much too smart. The Crab Turtle used its long legs to jump up high. "Nyeh!" Joey grunted in confusion.

He saw white light flash through his eyes when the Crab Turtle's foot smacked him square in the face. Joey rocketed at the boulder, smashing his back against it. The searing pain forced his fingers to open, dropping his sword. It fell with a clang on the ground. He grunted in agony, blood dripping from his nose.

"Aw man," he groaned. The impact caused him to see double. "Aww, man, I don't remember there being so many of them."

Tristan charged, smashing his axe against Crab Turtle's shell again. A direct hit. Tristan gritted his teeth when he felt his wrists stinging from the impact. He put all his strength into that swing. Though it caused massive damage to the Crab Turtle, he wound up hurting himself. Crab Turtle made a blood-curdling shriek and backed-kicked Tristan away. Tristan rolled to a stop, again, he lost grip of his axe.

Joey could see that age was starting to catch up to them. There was once a time when he would take on two Crab Turtles or even a Wyvern in the mountains with the greatest of ease. But now...all those years of constant fighting were taking their toll on him. As much as he wanted to take down the Crab Turtle by himself, he realized that he needed help, and fast, or he and Tristan would surely die.

Using the charm his sister gave him, Joey mustered all the Mana he could and summoned a flaming warrior called Mighty Flame Swordsman.

Mighty Flame Swordsman

ATK/1300 LINK-2

The warrior was an alternate form of the Flame Swordsman Joey once used in his early years as a Duelist. His look was more powerful and his armor a little exaggerated in terms of craftsmanship, and instead of one flaming orange sword, he carried two. Crab Turtle knew it was in trouble.

It tried to burrow back into the sand, but Mighty Flame Swordsman - in a cloak of flames - dashed for the creature and stuck it in the soft underbelly with both his flaming swords. The sword seared the creature's insides. It shrieked one last cry and was finally gone from the world. Mighty Flame Swordsman removed his swords from the monster's body, crossed them over his chest, and vanished in a column of fire.

Joey wearing crawled to a rock to rest. He spat blood out his mouth and sat up against the rock. "Damn it," he whispered. "That was too close."

Tristan slowly got up. He hunched over, placing both hands on his knees as he gasped for air. "You know, you could have saved us both a lot of trouble had you just summoned him earlier."

"I can't," Joey whispered.

Just summoning the warrior made him feel like he ran around the city wall four times. Plus, his bones were hurting and his back ached from the impact. He cracked a few ribs but cured them instantly with a gulp of some medicine given to him by the Elves when he hunted a Snake Hair that stalked their burial grounds a few days ago.

"They're getting stronger, man. I'm still in my prime, man, but I feel as though I were in the Twilight of Five-Thousand (The final years of the toon-folk). The days are gettin' darker, bro. Every day the Diamond Throne sits there empty, we're one day closer to dark times - and I mean darker than usual. Monsters are crawling from every pit and stumbling closer to people. Without the light of the Heart-Earth Crown and the God Cards defending the world, they grow bolder and stronger. We need Prince Daveed back and we need him now."

Tristan sat down next to him and placed his hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry, bro. We'll think of something. We've come too far now. Come on, get back on your feet and let's deliver this money to Yuri pronto."

---

Yuri - Eden Island

---

Arm-in-arm, Yuri and Patty walked out of Club Infernoid, which was hosting an event called Evening of the Kings, which had the club decorated in an Ancient Egyptian theme.

What were they were doing there, you ask. Well, after Annabelle and Crystal left, Yuri and his friends were approached by the class president of their school, saying that he was having a birthday party at the Infernoid, and he was wondering if the now-famous Misfits would have liked to join him. So, Yuri, Patty, Carter, Nick, Tyson, Natalya, and Sabrina left the shop and dressed in their best clothes for a night of fun with the class president. They were in there for hours and hours. One by one, Nick and the others grew tired and left, but Yuri and Patty remained. Usually, Yuri would be the first one whining to go home but he was filled with so much energy and bravado that the wanted to stay even longer and dance with Patty until the club played its last song before closing down.

"That was so amazing!" Patty said as they walked down the steps. "You were amazing!"

"I didn't know I had it in me," said Yuri.

"I know! That's a side of you I've never seen before, Yuri! Wow! I hope we see more of that at your party next month. Oh, I saw Darla Deets watching us from the balcony. HA-HA-HA! Did you see the look on her face when I was grinding my ass on your leg? Jealous much?"

"I wouldn't toy with her like that if I were you. Jealousy can make people do some really stupid things. And the last thing I want is drama with the president's daughter."

"Ah, forget about her. This isn't the Corrupted States of America, Yuri. This is Aquarius! Her mommy can't do shit here!"

Their feet were aching and their ears rang, beaten by the loud music that assaulted them for hours. Even Yuri was enjoying himself, he was kind of glad to be out of there at last. It was soothing for Yuri to hear the crashing waves and the crickets chirping in the gardens. Patty was drunk with joy and excitement. Clearly, this was the most fun she had in forever. "Yuri's a dancing god, everybody!" she called out into the night. "Woooo!"

She looks amazing, Yuri thought as they walked into the gardens around Montgomery Towers. She seemed to know it, too, for she walked with confident strides as she clung to his arm. Her shoulderless punch-colored dress barely reached her thighs making poor Yuri feel a tad overwhelmed and nervous. Her glossy black stilettos clopped loudly with each step, and she wore black leg-length socks with little red bows on the back to compliment them. Her trademark bow was still clinging in her hair despite her aggressive dancing, which turned many heads while they were at the club.

Yuri still felt his heart pumping. It pumped so hard he felt his ribcage trembling. He felt his face getting hot and he was glad it was dark, for his face was bright red. But Patty was glowing. With all the abuse going on in her life, Yuri was glad he was able to give her a good time, even though she acted a tad wild. He never thought he would act that way with a girl before. Not in a long time, not he; even with the great fortune awaiting him. He felt relieved until he looked up and saw Phobos Tower looming over him. The green and blue neon and the emerald green surface of the twin skyscrapers. It looked like a castle, and the city of Aquarius would be his kingdom.

"What are you thinking about?" Patty asked, leaning on him, wrapping her arms around Yuri's shoulders, and burying her face in his neck while making a cute whining sound.

"Nothing," Yuri replied immediately.

"Well, want to know what I'm thinking about?" she asked.

Yuri looked into her eyes and laughed. "Knowing you, it's probably something filthy."

Patty burst out laughing. She, too, looked at the towers standing proudly at the center of the island for all to see. She formed an ear-to-ear grin, entertaining the thought of probably living up there with Yuri after high school. But she abandoned it quickly, knowing the thought of inheriting that office way up there was bothering him. Patty looked up at the towers and grinned. "You're going to do fine, buddy. I mean, it's not like anybody's asking you to be king of the world or anything."

Yuri swallowed. "Sure feels like it," he said, remembering all those people in his dreams, calling him Your Highness.

"You wanna get some ice cream on the way back to my place?" Patty asked.

"At eleven o'clock?" Yuri asked. "And how can you keep eating? You had an entire plate of chicken tenders in there."

Patty laughed and held Yuri's arm even tighter. "Come on, babe. The ice cream is going to taste even better on me."

Yuri yelped and backed away. He almost fell into the pool behind him. Patty grabbed him by the tie and held him there. She pulled him towards her and wasted no time in burying her mouth into Yuri's. When she finally let go, Yuri gave them a little space.

"What was that!?" he cried out.

"What did you think it was?" Patty said. "Do I have to spell it out for you, Yuri? I like you...a lot! And I have since forever. When my bastard ex left me, you were there for me. And you never left my side. Can I be yours?"

"Patty, I don't know. Let's think about this, okay? Let's take our time. This isn't exactly something I want to start jumping into."

Patty was not too pleased to hear that. She let go of Yuri's arm and stepped back. "What?" she asked. "Is it that bitch, Crystal, who's on your mind?"

Yuri took another few steps back. He knew that look in Patty's eye. He braced himself in case she was about to slug him hard with her fist. She was shaking and breathing as though she ran a mile.

"Will you calm down?" he cried. "That isn't fair! Besides, I have no hope with Crystal. And remember, she's under contract with Brett's family. They hate me, remember? A guy like me can't..."

"A guy like you?!" Patty cried out. "You're the Prince of Aquarius, dumbass! You can get any girl you want if you made the effort!"

"Well, I don't want any girl..." He saw the look of hurt in Patty's face and her eyes bubbled with tears against the harbor lights. "I mean...not yet anyway."

"Would you consider me?"

Yuri didn't know what to say. "Well...of course, I would. But you have to make some changes with your lifestyle if you want anything between me and you to work."

His words caused Patty to simmer down a little. Patty wanted to smile, but she fought back the urge so it came out as more of a smirk from the corner of her mouth. She folded her arms and turned away, walking toward one of the fountains nearby. She stopped and gazed at the colorful fish swimming in the lit-up water. Yuri was still rooted to the spot. When Patty realized that he wasn't anywhere near her she scoffed. "Come over here, you lousy Duelist. Or do you need an invitation?"

Yuri straightened his tie and fixed his blazer before making his way toward her. He stopped next to her, expecting her to curse him out, or even punch him in the arm the way she used to back in the fourth grade when she acted like a tomboy. Instead, she leaned on his shoulder. "Sorry. I shouldn't have acted like that or called Crystal that name. You mean a lot to me, Yuri. I just couldn't stand it if someone else took you from me. I was never the same after Luke left me."

"Tell me about it," Yuri agreed. "You just weren't the same after he left. I mean, you were always a livewire, but this? The hypersexuality, your blatant disregard of other people and the rules, hell, even the law. You got arrested six times last year and..." Patty gripped Yuri's hand quickly as if telling him to stop talking. Yuri understood and pursed his lips. But he could not refrain from speaking. Patty had gone through many changes, and he was not happy about it.

"I'm shaking? What side of who's bed did you wake up on, Pats? What's gotten into you?"

Patty wished it was the wind she heard as a gust blew past them. It caressed her exposed skin, dotting it with goose prickles. The hairs on the back of her neck stood as the chill slowly turned into fright. She squeezed Yuri's hand even tighter, realizing that the sound she heard was cackling. Someone or something was laughing at her.

She fumbled with her purse containing her deck, pushing the opening tighter and tighter against her hip, hoping she could muffle the sound, but to no avail. He was in her mind and only she could hear him. She could hear him taunting her like a pesky mosquito buzzing around her ear. And she could feel him filling her with a lust for Yuri.

"You okay?" Yuri asked, observing her awkward behavior. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Patty whispered. Zera laughed at her one last time. She sighed as a sense of normality filled her body once again.

"Yuri? Patty?"

They both turned to see Crystal running towards them, still dressed in the uniform of the private school she attended on Gondolin Island. From the heavy bags under her eyes, the small stains of coffee on her blouse, and the state of her hair, Yuri guessed that she was having another late-night study session in the library. She straightened her flannel skirt and fidgeted with the tie hanging loosely around her neck as she jogged towards them. Her supplies rattled perilously against one another inside her backpack.

"What happened to you?" Patty asked.

"Trigonometry test on Tuesday," Crystal said, loosening her tie. "Woo!" she hooted.

"Tuesday?" Patty said, slipping her arm around Yuri's waist. "Come on, baby, you've got the whole weekend to have some fun."

"Not for me," said Crystal. "My manager demands I get good grades in school. He wants to represent a smart girl who still puts her studies over her career. Otherwise, I don't go on tour and make money. So, uh, you two are looking very sharp. This a date, Yuri? Love the dress, Patty."

Patty looked down at her low-cut dress, smiling joyfully at the fact that the world-famous Crystal Anderson complemented her attire. "Thank you," she said. "And naw, this isn't a date. Our class president was having a party tonight and we all came. Plus, it's a good way to get that Darla Deets bitch to get off our backs."

Crystal let out a soft laugh. "Oh, her. You know some of her friends sent me threatening messages, telling me to stay away from Yuri after we went out the other day."

"Went out?" Patty said.

"Yeah, we went to the beach and had dinner."

Patty narrowed her eyes and looked at Yuri. "Did you indeed."

"So where are you two headed?" Crystal asked, pulling the collar of her blouse off her neck. "Woo, did it get hot in here?"

"Oh, nowhere in particular," Yuri replied, feeling awkward. "Do you want to get a soda or something by the pier, Crystal?"

Crystal felt a little emotional to hear him say that. Even with someone like Patty clinging to his arm, he still made her happiness a priority. "I wouldn't want to intrude."

"It's okay," Patty said, insisting that she join them. "Come on, there's a lot we should talk about."

Crystal shrugged. "Like what?"

Patty also shrugged. "Oh, I don't know, let's just catch up or something."

The lights began to flicker around them. They suddenly heard a sniggering coming from the top of the fountain. The three friends gazed at the statue of the angel. Standing atop her head was a figure dressed in black hooded robes with gold chains.

Patty burst out laughing when she saw his attire. "Are you kidding me!" she cried out. "What the hell are you supposed to be?"

"Trust me girly, this ain't no laughing matter," the hooded man said. "Are you three blokes Duelists?"

"You're on Aquarius, dude," said Crystal. "Almost everybody who lives here is a Duelist. I take it you want to play? If you do, you can drop the mysterious hood act and just ask."

The hooded man laughed. "You three have no idea of the situation you're in, do you? But yes, a Duel is something we seek. Meet us over there by that black building." He hopped off the statue and landed in front of Yuri and his friends. The hooded man dashed for Yuri and swiped his music box pendant with ease.

"Hey!" Yuri shouted. "Thief!"

The hooded man held up Yuri's pendant and waved it around to taunt him before sprinting toward the black building where he wanted to play. Yuri, Patty, and Crystal dashed after him. The building had a tall curved entryway with no doors. It led into a pavilion with a tall black fountain. The curved ceiling was dotted with round lamps providing them with good light.

They saw the hooded man joined by another hooded figure who was stouter and taller.

"See," said the short one. "I told ya he would come after his pendant."

"Give it back!" Yuri shouted.

"Oh, you'll get it back," sniggered the tall one. "Provided you and the girl with the Zera the Mant card can beat us in a Duel."

"I take it I'm sitting this one out," said Crystal. "Yuri, Patty, good luck." Crystal dashed for the fountain. She took off her backpack and sat down on the edge of the fountain to watch the Duel.

The two men removed their hoods. The short one was a bald lad about nineteen years of age. The stout one, though taller, was younger by a year. He had dark skin and a flaming pink Mohawk and nose piercings. He reached into a black duffle bag by his ankle. He took out two black Duel Disks and tossed them at Yuri and Patty. They caught them with ease and put them on without thinking.

"What do you want from us if we lose?" Patty asked, adjusting hers from digging into her skin.

"Simple," laughed the short one. "We want your rarest cards. Yuri's Black Tyranno and your Zera the Mant, Miss Patty."

"Really?" said Patty. "You two are going through an awful lot of trouble for these two cards. As rare as they are, do you think they're worth being charged for theft? We would have happily played you without the need of taking Yuri's pendant.

"It wouldn't be as fun," said the short one. "Besides, we're going to need that box to help Yuri discover more about himself."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Yuri wondered. "What do you mean more about myself? Are you saying I'm something I'm not? What's going on here? Does the name Yami or Bakura ring the bell?"

"There he goes again with his imaginary friends," Patty groaned, slapping her sides with her hands. "Forget the riddles, Yuri. These jerks are obviously here to psyche you out or something. Or, perhaps they're just cosplay nerds who watched too many Duel Monsters cartoons. Either way, if they want a Duel, they'll get a Duel. Let's make this quick so we can get your pendant back!"

"By all means," laughed the short one. "But let's introduce ourselves first. I'm Talfen!"

"And I'm Zander," the stout one introduced himself with a bow. "Now, how's about we let the lady start first? Then it goes to me, then to Yuri, and back to Talfen."

"So long as we can play, I don't care who goes first," Patty yelled, drawing her six cards. "Let's Duel!"

LP 2000

Crystal braced herself in her seat. These two characters looked like over-the-top players who did seem to get their choice of attire from a cheesy Saturday morning cartoon, but she couldn't help but feel there was something more to them. Much more. Be careful, guys.

"I summon Ryu-Kishin Powered in attack mode!" Patty placed her card on the Duel Disk and summoned a cybernetic gargoyle with razor-sharp claws that could be used as awesome weapons.

ATK/1600 DEF/1200

"Next, I place a card face-down, and end my turn," Patty said, sticking the card into the slot. "You're up. Huh?" She noticed a timer counting down on her wrist. "What the hell is this?"

Zander chuckled mischievously, holding up a finger as he explained. "You fell right for our trap, Yuri and Patty. These Duel Disks have high-powered explosives wired into their systems. You two have exactly twenty-five minutes to defeat us before those Duel Disks explode and blow you to bits."

"What!" Yuri shouted.

"Are you serious!" Patty cried. She started struggling to get it off but it seemed welded into her arm.

"Don't even think about it, toots," said Zander. "Those don't come off until you beat us...heh, heh, heh, or they blow up."

"Why would you do something like that? You didn't bring us all the way out here to Duel! You wanted to kill us!"

"That's the plan," said Zander. "If you're unlucky enough to lose against us. And you WILL lose this Duel, make no mistake of that."

"Help!" shouted Patty. "Help! Somebody help!"

"Help!" Yuri and Crystal shouted.

The three of them were silenced when Zander took out a pistol and held it sideways like a thug. "There will be none of that," he said. "You fellas play nice and try to win the game, or I pop a cap in your asses right where you stand? So what's it gonna be?"

"Okay, okay, okay," Patty said, holding up her arms. "Okay. We'll play. But know that I'm even more determined to kick your asses. It's your turn."

"Good girl," said Zander. He pointed the gun at Crystal. She gasped, picking up her backpack to shield herself. "As for you Crystal, no funny business, or I'm blasting your pretty head off?"

"I won't make any moves," Crystal assured him. There's got to be a way to get them out of this.

"All right," Zander said, putting the gun away. "My turn. Draw! Hmm. I set a card face-down and end my turn. Your move, Yuri! Let's see what ya got, Prince!" Zander and Talfen laughed.

"Prince?" said Yuri. "What do you know?"

"You're the Prince of Aquarius, Yuri!" shouted Patty. "Everybody knows that. Now stop playing twenty questions and get on with the game. I don't want my sweet ass blowing up, so do me a favor and just play."

"Is he just the Prince of this floating ego-fest?" sneered Talfen. "Or is he something more?"

"Shut up!" shouted Patty. "Yuri, hurry up and make your move."

Yuri drew. "I summon Black Stego in attack mode!" Yuri slapped the card down. The Duel Disk whirred and projected the monster. Though he was called 'Black' Stego, its body was a rich forest green color with an olive underbelly. Red plates went down its back, and the meter-long spikes on his tail could prove to be a lethal weapon.

ATK/1200 DEF/2000

"It's your turn," said Yuri. He shivered, looking at the timer on his wrist. Panic overtook him when he saw the timer going down. If it hit 0, both he and Patty would be killed. And who knew what these two men would do to Crystal if she was left alone? He could not afford to lose. He just couldn't. "Go!" he said, urging Talfen to go faster. He was stalling for time on purpose.

"With pleasure," Talfen said drawing his card. He examined his hand. He had good options, but he took his sweet time picking a card to play just so he could waste time.

"You coward!" shouted Crystal. "Where is your honor? Go!"

"If you say so," he said mockingly. "I summon Leopard Girl in attack mode!" He summoned a raunchy-looking Duel Monster, which was a tall, slender woman with feline features on her head such as pointed ears and whiskers. She wore a revealing one-piece suit of black latex and had long metal claws. She roared making the sound of a fierce big cat.

ATK/1950 DEF/1700

"Oooo," hooted Patty. "She looks hot. Wanna trade for her?"

Talfen laughed. "Sorry, babe, but this one ain't for trades. I'm not finished yet, though. I place a card face-down, and use the Spell Card, Double Summon, and bring forth Nekogal Number Two!" He summoned another scantily-clad cat woman with useless pixie-like wings. At the end of her long, purple tail was a sharp blade, which she could use with the greatest of ease to slice her foes in half. "Meow! Meow!" she said, licking the back of her hand.

ATK/1900 DEF/2000

"Someone's deck is rather kinky," said Patty. "Draw! I set another card face-down. That ends my turn."

"My turn!" Zander called for all to hear. "I summon Magical Ghost (ATK/1300 DEF/1400) in attack mode. Then, I use the spell, Block Attack, forcing your Ryu-Kishin Powered into defense mode, making him weak enough for my ghost to destroy. ATTACK!"

Zander's ghoulish creature was a green-skinned ghost with a long, shadowy tail. It wore a red shirt and a purple, pointed witch's hat that gave her magical powers. She laughed, conjuring up a purple shadow ball attack that blasted Ryu-Kishin Powered to pieces.

"Damn!" Patty cried out, shielding her face from the blast with her forearm. "My monster!"

Zander burst out laughing, loving the shock his combo left on Patty. "Did you like that, Patty? I hope you did, cuz that was only the beginning. Your move, Yuri."

"I draw!" Yuri called out. "I summon Uraby in attack mode!"

He summoned what was now one of the many icons of his deck. Uraby snapped its jaws and slashed the air with his claws. With an attack of 1500, he was ready for a good fight. "I equip my Uraby with the Spell Card, Malevolent Nuzzler, increasing his attack points by 700, for a grand total of..."

"I don't think so, Yuri!" Talfen shouted. "I reveal my face-down card, Magic Jammer. At the cost of one card in my hand, I am able to negate your spell and destroy it. Your Uraby won't be receiving any power-ups this turn. It was all for naught." He laughed.

"Nice moves, Talfen!" Zander said, winking and giving a thumbs-up to his partner.

"Don't mention it. Now it's my turn. Leopard Girl, attack his Uraby now!"

Leopard girl howled and leaped towards Uraby with a powerful leap. "Don't worry, Yuri, I've got you covered!" Patty shouted. "I activate my Quick-Play Spell, Rush Recklessly. This card will boost Uraby's strength by seven hundred points, making him more than a match for your Leopard Girl."

Uraby made a powerful bound as well, zooming towards Leopard Girl. He raised his sharp claws. They started to glow neon green and grew another ten inches. He sliced Leopard Girl mid-flight, lacerating her across the belly. She screeched and exploded into a thousand pieces. Talfen grunted, shielding his eyes and face from the blast with his forearm. His Life Points dropped to 1750. He cursed under his breath.

"Shut up!" he shouted at Zander, who was laughing at him. "I end my turn!" he growled.

"Nice move, dumbass!" Patty said, and then slapped her rump, taunting Talfen for his amateur move. Talfen growled, he found the gesture appealing, but at the same time, his blood boiled. Patty stuck her tongue out at him to tease him once more, then she drew.

"I summon Swordstalker in attack mode!" she shouted, summoning her demonic warrior; a fiend created from the vengeful souls of those lost in battle, joining together to form one powerful creature with a sword forged from the flesh and bone of fallen warriors. He had no lips so his teeth were bared in a sinful grin. He growled ferociously, brandishing his weapon.

Swordstalker

ATK/2000 DEF/1600

Still feeling the need to taunt Talfen, Patty ordered her Swordstalker to attack his Nekogal #2. He swooped towards her with a powerful bound, releasing a gust of wind that caused Patty's hair and the hem of her dress to flap. Swordstalker roared and slashed Nekogal #2 across the belly. "EEE-YAAAA!" she screeched in agony before shattering into a thousand pieces and dealing 100 points of damage to Talfen's Life Points. Zander placed his hands over his large belly and laughed at Talfen's humiliation.

"Shut up!" shouted Talfen. "I'd like to see you do better, fat ass!"

Zander stopped laughing. He was annoyed, but he still kept an amused grin on his lips. "You wanna see me do better? Fine, I'm done playin' around. You assured me you could handle them both, but it looks like the lady has you on the ropes. If I keep you leading us in this match, the master is gonna kill us both. Yuri, you haven't lost any points, so I'm gonna take a good chunk of them from you this turn. I summon the one and the only Karate Man!"

The warrior Zander summoned looked like a stereotypical 80's African American action star complete with an afro hairstyle. A red headband was wrapped around his forehead and waved dramatically in the wind. He was built like a god and wore a gold uwa-ji and black trousers. "Ooooooo," he howled making exaggerated movements with his hands and bending his knees to form battle-ready stances.

Katate Man

ATK/1000 DEF/1000

"But he's so weak," Patty said. "Yuri's Uraby has an attack of fifteen hundred and your Karate Man has only a grand."

Crystal rolled her eyes and wagged her finger. "Patty, you're starting to sound like Nick. I think these guys know better than to summon weak monsters for nothing. You need to-"

-Before she could finish, Zander ordered his Karate Man to attack. A golden aura enveloped Karate Man and various Japanese symbols formed all around him. He raised his fist and slammed it right on Uraby's chest. A shockwave burst from underneath Uraby, and then he flew across the atrium before smacking into a column.

"Woah!" shouted Yuri, looking over his shoulder. He saw Uraby fall from the column and land on a heap on the floor before shattering to pieces. His Life Points dropped to 1500. "What happened? Your Karate Man is weaker than my Uraby. There's no way he could have won that battle."

"Special ability, kid," Zander boasted as he held up his card to show it off. "Once per turn, I can double Karate Man's attack. So that means, even if Patty would attack me with her Swordstalker, I can raise his points, too. It would be a draw, but at least her monster won't be around."

"Nice work, Zander," Talfen said giving his partner a thumbs-up. "I never would have thought of that."

Zander scoffed and put the card back on the Duel Disk. "Ha! Of course, you wouldn't."

Talfen bared his teeth and growled in displeasure.

It was Yuri's turn. "Draw," he said. "I summon Big-Tusked Mammoth!" He placed the card on the Duel Disk. The holograms and the technology inside whirred, working even harder to conjure the large creature he played. Finally, it rendered. A colossal mammoth with royal purple fur and bronze-colored tusks more than ten feet long raised his trunk in the air and gave a fierce battle cry.

Big-Tusked Mammoth

ATK/2000 DEF/1000

"Nice monster, Yuri!" Crystal cheered.

"Thanks!" said Yuri. "And I'll attack Zander's Magical Ghost with it. Big-Tusked Mammoth, go!"

Big-Tusked Mammoth roared, waving its head from side to side. He reared on his hind legs and charged the Magical Ghosts. He stopped before her and swatted the ghost with his tusks. Zander was hit with a blast of ectoplasm and a fierce gust. He crossed his arms over his face to shield it from the fierce wind and debris. His Life Points fell to 1300.

"Lucky hit," he growled. "But I assure you, Yuri, you're not going to be so fortunate next time."

"For your sake, I hope so," said Yuri. "You're going to pay for what you've done to us. It's your move, Talfen."

"Ha! It's about time. Okay, so my kitties weren't as tough as I thought they were, but wait till you see this. I use the spell card, Polymerization, fusing together Zambrya the Dark and Maryokutai to create the all-powerful, one and only, Last Warrior from Another Planet."

A purple vortex ripped open behind Talfen. He stood there confidently and laughed like a maniac; for he was confident that his creation was going to be a thorn in Yuri and Patty's sides for the rest of the Duel. A giant extraterrestrial with dull-gold flesh stomped out of the portal. He had plates of armor over his shoulders, with the left entwined with blue tubes and the hand encased by an adamantium claw. A plasma cannon was mounted on his right shoulder. It whirred from left to right, scanning Patty's Swordstalker and Yuri's Big-Tusked Mammoth.

Last Warrior From Another Planet

ATK/2350 DEF/2300

The Last Warrior from Another Planet's laser cannon targeted Karate Man. It fired a burst of hot, blue-colored plasma, reducing Karate Man to nothing but a pile of smoldering goo.

"What the hell!" shouted Zander. "Your monster destroyed mine, not theirs!"

"Don't worry, Zander," laughed Talfen. "With the big guy out, we won't need any other monsters. See, my warrior comes equipped with a Special Ability. When he's Special Summoned, he destroys all monsters we control, as you no doubt have seen. But, there's a bonus to that. Now that he's out on the field, Neither players can't Normal Summon, Flip Summon, or Special Summon any more monsters."

"What!" Crystal shouted. "That's so unfair!"

Zander, though upset at the loss of his monster, congratulated his partner on the monster. "Hey, not bad," he said. "You've gotten better."

A rush of excitement drowned Talfen in confidence. At once, he attacked, but he could not; for Yuri's mammoth prevented monsters from attacking the turn they are summoned. This earned Talfen ridicule from Zander.

Patty drew. She got a strong monster, Beast of Talwar, who had enough points to take down the warrior, but due to his effect, Patty could not summon anything. She was trapped. She switched Swordstalker to defense mode and ended her turn.

"This is just too good," laughed Talfen. "There's nothing you guys can do to stop us." He looked at Patty and jeered. "Hey, Patty, if you give me that card and agree to come with me, I might consider taking that bomb off your wrist."

"Screw you!" shouted Patty. "I'd rather get blown up than soil my purity with a dweeb like yourself."

Zander hooted and clapped his hands. "Oh! You got burned!" There was nothing he could do, so he ended his turn.

Yuri drew. Nothing. He switched his mammoth to defense mode. Talfen went next and played the Spell Card, Stop Defense, choosing Patty's Swordstalker for taunting him earlier. Last Warrior From Another Planet raised up his arm. His plasma cannon whirred and fired. Swordstalker grunted before he exploded into a thousand pieces, the blast that followed suit dealt 350 points of damage to Patty's Life Points, draining her to 1650.

The explosion knocked Patty on her back.

"You okay!" Yuri shouted. He ran towards her to help her up. She held out her palm, telling him to stop.

"Yeah," Patty said, rubbing her tailbone. "I'm perfectly fine." She stood up and drew her card. "Aw, damn. Talk about rotten luck. I set a card face-down and end my turn. Yuri, we've got to figure out a way to take that monster out. If we can't summon monsters, they'll stall long enough for these things to blow up."

"That's exactly why they summoned that monster," said Crystal. "They're just stalling for time until those bombs blow up."

"There's nothing you can do," said Zander. "And to make sure you don't try anything, I'm going to equip Last Warrior from Another Planet with the power of the Axe of Despair. This mighty weapon will increase his attack power by one-thousand, raising it to thirty-three-fifty!"

The axe fell from out of nowhere, smashing the ground in front of the Last Warrior. He picked it up and held it over his head, letting out a loud roar as his power increased.

Crystal had her hands clasped to her mouth. Her friends were in trouble and there was nothing she could do about it. She could only watch as Yuri's turn came. Even from where she sat, she could see the brilliant holographic 3D foil of Yuri's Black Tyranno. He ended his turn. Talfen was next, this time he used a Spell Card called Card Exchange.

He walked to Zander and traded one of his cards for a Spell Zander had in his hand. Another Stop Defense card, which he used immediately. Big-Tusked Mammoth switched back to attack mode and then the Last Warrior from Another Planet blasted him with his plasma cannon. The impact knocked Yuri to his back. He rolled to a stop. Talfen's attack was devastating to say the least, dealing 1350 damage to Yuri and reducing his Life Points to a mere 150.

"YURI!" Crystal cried out. "NO!"

"Oh, no, Yuri!" Patty shouted, running towards him. She went to her knees to help him. "Yuri, are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Go, it's your move."

"Right, I'll make 'em pay for that. Draw! Ha! No more power-ups from you. I use the spell, Card Destruction. Now we discard our hands and draw the same amount we had before. With new cards, it'll be a whole new game." Patty put her cards in the discard pile.

She placed her fingers on the top of her deck and took a deep breath. She hoped her next few cards would not prove her wrong. She then smiled, sending a chill through her opponent's spines. "Now you both are going to find out why they call me the Reaper. I play the Spell Card, Heavy Storm."

A fierce wind blew all around shattering the spell. "AAAAAHHHH!" the two Duelists screamed.

"Next, I place a card face-down. Yuri, did you get anything good."

"I did," Yuri replied sadly. "But thanks to that warrior, I can't play any of them. It's your move, Zander."

"I'm just going skip my turn and bring it to you, kid. Our warrior has everything under control and there's nothing you can do about it. Play your last card, Yuri. There's not a thing you can do to stop us."

Yuri placed his fingers on the top card. When he did, he felt a warmth run through him, relieving him of all the fear and helplessness he felt throughout the Duel. An image suddenly flashed in his eyes. Yami. He was smiling at him. "The Heart of the Cards," Yuri whispered. He drew. When he saw the card, he almost burst into tears. "This...this force. This force I feel when I'm backed against the wall. It's going to save my life. And my friend's life, too. You are for real!"

"Are you going to play or what?" shouted Talfen, eager to finish the job.

"You sure you want me to do that?" Yuri asked. "I play the Spell Card, Raigeki!"

"NO!" Zander and Talfen shouted at once. Black clouds swirled over the field. Strong bolts of lightning flashed and struck the ground around them, creating smoldering, charred, craters on the once brilliant marble floor. Finally, a powerful one struck the Last Warrior from Another Planet. He let out a powerful screech as his body spasmed from the massive volts of electricity. Finally, an explosion from within his body put him out of his misery.

Then, Yuri played another spell, The Shallow Grave, allowing each player to Special Summon a monster from their graveyard Face-Down in defense position. That allowed Yuri to bring back the Sword Arm of Dragon he discarded. Naturally, Talfen decided to bring back his warrior and Zander brought Karate Man. But they would not be enjoying their monsters, for Yuri summoned the King of the Deck.

Black Tyranno appeared, roaring in a blind fury, angered that his master's foes had tormented him for so long. Crystal jumped out of her seat and hopped up and down with joy. Patty also jumped with joy and cheered. With nothing but defense position monsters on their field, Black Tyranno could activate his effect and attack one of them directly. He could not allow The Last Warrior from Another Planet to stall them any longer.

Black Tyranno stormed towards Talfen and stomped him, reducing the rest of his Life Points to 0. He fell out of the dust cloud and hit the wall with great force.

With him gone, it was Patty's turn to inflict damage upon them. She flipped her monster face up. It was none other than Zera the Mant. Zander lost his balance and fell, wondering what in the world caused the tides of battle to turn against them so quickly. Patty activated her face-down card, Fairy Meteor Crush, allowing Zera to have the piercing ability. With one swipe of his massive claws, the Duel was won.

Zander and Talfen were on the ground knocked out from the fierce attacks, but they were quickly forgotten. The Duel Disks on Patty and Yuri's wrists opened, but the bombs were still counting down. There were fifteen seconds left.

"OH SHIT!" Yuri shouted. He took his deck out of the Duel Disk. Patty did the same, and Yuri grabbed it. He ran for the overlook in front of the building and tossed both Duel Disks into the sea. He sprinted away from the railing as fast as he could. Then BOOM! He felt his bones rattle and was doused with water when the two Duel Disks blew up behind him. He heard screams in the distance as frightened guests of the towers began to scatter in all directions for safety, wondering what in the world just happened. Sirens wailed in the distance and security alarms buzzed from the intercoms outside the buildings.

Patty and Crystal hurried towards him and helped him up. They dusted him down and then hugged him. Crystal started to break down in his chest while Patty tried to laugh as she held back her emotions.

"Dude," she said, hiccuping and laughing at the same time. "Dude," she breathed, trying to control herself. "Yuri...That was badass!" She broke down, laughing and crying at the same time. "I was so scared." She kissed his neck over and over again. "You're amazing."

"I was so worried about you two," Crystal sobbed. "Yuri, you've turned into an incredible Duelist. You were amazing and brave."

"Indeed he has," Zander said. At least, they thought it was Zander. The three friends turned to look at him and saw he was in a sickly way, his eyes were rolled in the back of his head. He was glowing with a strange, golden aura. And there was a symbol on his forehead.

"Congratulations on winning your match, My Prince," said the voice controlling Zander.

"What the hell is going on?" Patty said, cowering behind Yuri and Crystal. "Just get away from us! We won."

"So you have," said the voice. "But rest assured, these two Neo Rare Hunters were my weakest. Expect more to appear as your days of returning to us draw near, little prince."

"Returning to you?" said Patty. "What the hell are you talking about? Yuri never sided with you guys before...uh, have you?"

"I've never even heard of these guys before."

"Oh, of course, you haven't. You weren't even born when the Rare Hunters were wreaking havoc across the kingdom when your mentor fought against them."

"Yami?" Yuri whispered. He didn't want Crystal and Patty to know he understood what the boy was talking about.

"This guy isn't making any sense," said Patty. "What mentor is he talking about?"

"He must be drugged out of his mind," said Yuri. "Look at his eyes."

"Yup, he's high on something alright," said Crystal.

"Is that what you believe," the voice laughed. "I would not take this threat so lightly if I were you, children. As we speak, legions of Neo Rare Hunters are pouring in from all over this city in the shadows. And they're all tasked with hunting you down, Yuri. And don't think you'll be having all the fun. Your little friends have some rare cards I would like to acquire for myself."

"Bring it on, asshole!" Patty shouted.

"Oh, you will be challenged, my dear. These Neo Rare Hunters are an improvement over the ones from the days of old. My minions will push you to the limits of your strength. I've seen what I needed to see and you've impressed me, Yuri. I see training with Yugi and those fools in your dreams have sharpened your skills."

"What are you talking about?" shouted Yuri. "How do you know about my dreams? Who are you? Where's Yami? Where's Bakura? What do you want with me?"

"Yuri, what are you talking about?" Patty shouted. "Don't tell me you're in on this bullshit, too!"

The sirens from the RAPTOR security vehicles began to get louder.

"My time with you is over," said the voice. "But before I go, remember my name. I am Denethon. And I will have my revenge, Little Yuri." The glow died out, and Zander's lifeless body fell into a heap on the ground. He was gone, as was the being who controlled him.

"What...the FUCK...was that all about?" Patty said.

"Seems like Yuri knows all about it," said Crystal. "Is this some kind of game you set up, Yuri? How the hell does he know about Bakura and Yami?"

"Who the fuck is Yami?" Patty asked.

"The guy Yuri told me about. The one from his dreams."

"Wait, so now this dream guy has a name?" said Patty.

"Don't worry about it!" said Yuri. "You know what I think? I have a lot of freaks following me. Odds are they were listening in to my conversations and pulled this prank on us to scare us."

"You don't put bombs on people's arms just to scare them, Yuri," said Patty. "These guys tried to kill you!"

"So they did," said Crystal. "But Yuri's right. These guys must have been stalking him and are using his dreams as a motive to try and scare him silly. It could be Brett or maybe even Cornelius who could be behind this."

"Hey, that's right!" said Patty. "Those Delphina Academy losers have been chasing Yuri down since he beat his ass."

"We should tell that to the police when they get here," said Yuri. The buildings ahead were turning blue and red as the security vehicles got closer. "For now, I'm just glad we're all okay."

"Sure, whatever," said Patty. "Just do us all a favor and stop talking about those dreams. I think they're starting to drive you crazy, too."

"I agree," said Crystal. "Yuri, please. No more talk about dreams. No more talk about Bakura or this Yami character. It's starting to bring out the worst in everyone."

"But..."

"Yuri...please...no more."

Yuri just gulped and nodded his head as teams of RAPTOR security guards stormed to their position and surrounded them.

---

?

---

"What a pleasure it was to finally speak with him," said Denethon, the man who spoke to Yuri through Zander's brain.

"Your powers grow stronger," said a Neo Rare Hunter in hooded armored robes. "Even when they're in the Standard Dimension, you can control their minds."

Denethon laughed in his throne and glared at his bony hands. "Zander and Talfen were weak fools, so controlling their minds proved to be no challenge even if they were in the Standard Dimension. Plus, they've been marked by my sigil, as all the Neo Rare Hunters have, so no matter where they are, I can link with their minds and speak through them."

"Master, was it wise to talk about our world and its business in front of his friends like that?"

"The laws of our worlds mean nothing to me. I only care about breaking the little prince before his big day. He grows more and more courageous. And with Ser Norman the Conqueror and the likes of Yugi Muto, Seto Kaiba, and Jaden Yuki safeguarding his dreams, it is almost impossible for the curse the Witch-King placed on him to work to its fullest potential."

"And that's where we come in," said the armored Neo Rare Hunter. "What they do in his dreams, we do the opposite outside in the real world."

"Yes," said Denethon. "Break the boy's spirit no matter the cost. Show him what fear truly is. Destroy every ounce of courage he has found and make the shadows fester his heart to keep Ser Norman trapped in the Noctix of Nightmares Bakura created. The Conqueror thinks he has saved Prince Yuri by stepping into that world when in reality, he has only sealed himself in a prison. And Yuri's fears, doubts, anger, and hatred are the iron bars that keep him trapped within. When Yuri finally succumbs to the shadows, he will finally lose his mind and fall to madness."

"And then Termnnia will no longer depend on him to be High King."

"Yes. And the key to him growing stronger and braver is his Black Tyranno. I sense much strength in that creature and it feeds it to Yuri somehow. If that beast helps Yuri's strength and courage grow, then the monsters in the Nightmare Noctix will grow weaker and Ser Norman will no doubt reclaim the lights of the boy's heart. We cannot let that happen. Do whatever it takes to claim that card from him."

"We will, Master. The Neo Rare Hunters are already in the city and will do battle with those Lancers Declan Akaba sent. And the Ghouls from Battle City will deal with Yuri and his friends."

"Excellent. And remember what I said. Break Prince Yuri at all costs. Make him wish the God Cards never chose him."

The armored Neo Rare Hunter chuckled. "No. We'll make him wish he was never born."