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]

25. The Seeker

Gate 0087, Undisclosed Location in the Eredian Border/Termnnia

Tel. XVIII, Year 18 4AOS

---

A boy in a leather jacket and jeans stopped in front of the Gate. He dug his sneakers into the ground as though he were ready to lead his troops into battle and glared menacingly at the Gate. He turned around and called on his companions. "Listen up!" he shouted as he stood on a rock to make a great speech before an army of 150 young Duelists who were incited by the reward the House of Flowers promised to those who could bring them Yuri's head. Some came on their bikes, others skateboarded here, and dozens came riding in horse-drawn carts. When they all gathered around the boy with the leather jacket, he continued his speech.

"Beyond that Gate lies our salvation. Beyond that Gate is the greatest prize of them all! The future High King's head!" He held up a machete he stole from his father's farmhouse. "When we destroy that royal bastard and bring his head to the House of Flowers, not only will we be paid so much gold that our families will be fed for generations and generations, but the war will finally come to an end. And when it does, our continent will find peace. Too long have we lost fathers, brothers, cousins, mothers, and sisters, who have bravely gone to battle fighting for him. Well, now I say no more. We end him today! Win our fortunes, and bring about the rule of the true High King of Termnnia. King Forrest!"

His friends held up their fists and cheered. "Whether the God Cards choose him or not, it doesn't matter to us, for we will be living with our families in great mansions in the rolling fields of Gardenrealm, the tall skyscrapers of Eredas, or the warm tropical waters of the Citrus Island Kingdom. And the war will end. Let those morons in government figure out who rules. Now, who's with me!?"

All 150 of the boys raised their fists and cheered. Yes, let them decide who the next ruler would be. All they cared about was filling their bellies and living large with all the gold the House of Flowers was going to give them. And so they marched across the fields and into a secret tunnel dug in a mountain that was protected by a cloaking device. The boy leading the army of Duelists knew just what to do. He followed Alexis Rhodes to this place when he thought she was heading for the waterfall to bathe. He was much more surprised to see her lifting a rock by the mountain and walking right through it. As the weeks went by, he saw the likes of Yusei Fudo, Zane Truesdale, Bastion Misawa, and many others flying ships into it or hiking into the rocks. So the boy went to the rock they seemed to press and uncovered a secret panel, which he smashed with his machete. The invisibility cloak turned to static for a moment and then vanished, revealing the tunnel that led to the Gate, which could take them to whatever Dimension they wished to go. And they wanted to go to the Standard Dimension where Yuri was said to be.

And so they marched through the tunnel in full force. When they got to the end of the tunnel, they saw the Gate in all its fury standing there in the middle of a secret garden of red flowers. The leader held up his arm and then boys with carts pulled by donkeys came through the small army to meet the leader at the end. The carts were full of huge sacks filled with brand-new Duel Disks they stole from a game shop they looted and burned down. There were enough for each of them. The boys started handing them out like armorers would give out swords to an army ready to fight. When they were all equipped with their gear, the leader signaled them all to follow him. They let out one final cheer before marching across the field of flowers.

"Hold it!" said the leader. Two girls were standing in their way, one with red hair and the other with black hair. They were facing the Gate, studying it with notes and magic reading equipment. "Hey!" the boy shouted at them.

They turned.

"Yeah?" said a girl with red hair.

One of them gulped, for he recognized them both. "Uh oh. That's Jasmine. And that gem around her neck is the Nazaleem, the Heart of the Ocean. And her. She's Mindy, the Tamer of Therondor the Stallion of Kings."

"Not anymore," said Mindy, the girl with black hair. "Me and Therondor have sadly parted ways now that Yuri is set to come home."

The leader of the army was perplexed by how calm they were. Hundreds of foes were standing before them and they didn't even move and spoke as if they didn't care. He found that rather insulting. "So you think Yuri is coming home, eh?"

"Well...yeah," said Jasmine. "Why wouldn't we be?"

"Because we're here to put a stop to that!"

"Oh, are you?"

"Yes, and you both better not try and stop us. We'll have no trouble taking you both down. We've got you outnumbered, girls. Stand aside or face us. Your choice."

"Yeah, we got you all alone!"

"Who says we're alone?" said Jasmine. "We all knew you'd be coming."

"We...all?" said the leader.

Woosh! Before he knew it, dozens of Cloudships soared over their heads, dropping Legendary Duelists down like rain. Soon, they were the ones who were surrounded. They were now facing the likes of Crow Hogan, Jack Atlas, Alexis Rhodes, Zane Truesdale, Tyranno Hassleberry, Yusei Fudo, Chazz Princeton, Syrus Truesdale, Akiza Izinski, Yuma Tsukumo, Yuto, Kaito 'Kite' Tenjo, Reginal 'Shark' Kastle and his little sister, Rio. Joining the fray were Princess Evelyn Alteria and the Maiden with Eyes of Blue herself, Cora Kaiba, daughter of Seto Kaiba and wielder of the new Blue-Eyes White Dragons.

"Y'all didn't think you could just storm in here and just waltz through the Gate did ya?" said Tyranno Hassleberry.

"These guys never seem to learn," said Zane.

Shark snickered, watching a group of boys who had the misfortune of being the victims for him and his sister. "You think you can handle this, Rio?"

"Yeah, can you?" she replied defiantly. "You sure you don't need my help?"

Jack Atlas approached a group who would fall victim to his wrath and he was sharing with Yusei Fudo. "Take your pick, Yusei," said Jack. His was so regal and thundered with confidence. "There's plenty for the both of us."

"May the best man win," said Yusei.

"I plan to, Yusei." Jack cracked his knuckles.

Cora Kaiba went back to back with Alexis Rhodes as they were surrounded by eager Duelists ready to take them on. "I haven't dealt with a swarm since the Duel Carnival at Kaiba Land last summer," she said. "Long time no see, Alexis."

"Yeah, good to see you, too, Cora. Uh, why don't we catch up later?"

Cora laughed, raising her Duel Disk over her face. "You got it, babe. First round's on me."

"Don't let them intimidate you!" shouted the leader. "We can take them on in full force. Together, we can overwhelm them! CHARGE!"

And the Battle of Gate 0087 began. Five young Duelists ran for Syrus Truesdale and started the Duel by swarming the field with strong monsters. They knew his reputation at Duel Academia was poor. They heard he was a coward and lacked confidence. But they were too stupid and proud of their monsters that they didn't take into account that was how Syrus was years ago. Despite their strong monsters, Syrus knew what to do to keep them at bay. Turns went by and he held his own with amazing resiliency, stalling unit he had a strong arsenal of monsters to deal with them. Syrus was no coward anymore. He was a Master Duelist and he was about to show them why.

He summoned Barbaroid the Ultimate Battle Machine, Super Vehicroid Stealth Union, and then summoned two super-powerful machines called Super Vehicroid Mobile followed by his newest ace Divine Arsenal AA Zeus - Sky Thunder.

"Attack!" Syrus commanded when he finally got his army of giant mechanical monsters set up. They blasted the other monsters on the field with great ease, the explosions caused by their massive fists sent the enemy Duelists flying in all directions, smashing the ground. Some got back up for more, and others chose not to go through that again and lay defeated in the flowers as chaos erupted all around them.

Alexis ritual summoned two of her strongest monsters this turn. Cyber Angel Vrash with an ATK of 3000 and a prized monster called Drytron Meteonis Draconids with an ATK of 4000. She commanded her monsters to attack and destroyed her foes in just a couple of turns. Cyber Angel Vrash fired lasers from a golden halo hovering behind her, send a dozen fallen foes into the air. Drytron Meteornis Draconids opened lancers from its shoulders and released a volley of photon missiles, striking another group of boys and their monsters.

Behind her, Cora Kaiba laughed for she had a very full hand. When her opponents started their turns, she played a card called Maxx "C", meaning that each time her opponents special summoned, she drew a card. And they were all fools, believing that Special Summoning an army of Marauding Captain was going to make her submit. She summoned Lord of Dragons and used two Flute of Summoning Dragon cards to summon all three of the Blue-Eyes White Dragons Seto Kaiba forged when he began searching for an heir two years ago, as well as a dragon Tuner called Debris Dragon, which she Tuned with Lord of Dragons to create Chaos Ruler, the Chaotic Magical Dragon. With his effect, she excavated five cards from the top of her deck, chose a Light monster to add to her hand, and sent the rest to the Graveyard, allowing her to banish three Light and a Dark Monsters to special summon Chaos Dragon Levianeer

The dragons swooped in and attacked, their power causing the field to quake with multiple explosions. "Anyone else wanna piece of House Kaiba?" Cora boasted, thirsty for more opponents.

Across from her, a group of boys began running away from Tyranno Hassleberry, the master Dinosaur Duelist from Feldia. He summoned his beloved Ultimate Tyranno, a creature so merciless and bloodthirsty, it attacked every monster it could see. And not too far from him, Akiza Izinski with her Black Rose Dragons teamed with Princess Evelyn and her Branded Buster Blader deck to bring their foes to their knees. Some chose to fight, but many more began surrendering.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! The entire field was rattled with explosions. The leader of the group led his best Duelists behind a rock and gave them water.

"They're too strong!" one of them babbled.

"Sir, we have to surrender!"

"No! We get through that Gate at all costs. There are still many of us left and so long as have the determination to keep on fighting, we can bring them down. Now get your Duel Disks ready and Duel those guys. How long can they last against all of us?"

Zane held up his hand activating Power Bond. "I now Unleash CYBER END DRAGON!" he shouted, summoning his ultimate monster as he joined his little brother against a few boys who summoned giants and monstrous machines to do battle. With Power Bond, Cyber End Dragon's ATK doubled to 8000, making short work of their foes.

"Nice work, Zane!" Syrus shouted over all the explosions going on around them

"You weren't so bad yourself, little brother," Zane said with a smile.

The battle raged on, with some of the defeated Duelists getting back up and attacking the guardians of the Gate again and again. Shark and Rio made quick work of the group surrounding them with their best monsters, which they quickly summoned from the Extra Deck. They fell under the might of Shark's Cosmic Ocean Deck and the opponents Dueling Rio were chilled to the bone by her beautiful but deadly ice-winged beasts.

Chazz Princeton Dueled a group many feet away from the Kastle Sibling's Duel and he pummeled the foolish boys with his Armed Dragons A-Z deck. The first group fell victim to the onslaught of his A-Z Dragon Buster Cannon, a mechanical monstrosity with 4000 ATK. The second had it worse, for they now had to face the fury of the Armed Dragons. The air around Chazz sparked with lighting and the Thunder Dragons he played conjured thunder clouds over his spot, which shook the field louder than any of the explosions taking place around him. Those very beasts were the reason many in Duel Academia called him Black Thunder and the Thunder Prince of Ibelia.

Three boys surrounded Yusei Fudo, hoping to defeat him and take his Stardust Dragon. They each summoned a Five-Headed Dragon, a monster with 5000 ATK and DEF points who could not be destroyed by anything except Light monsters. They all thought themselves as powerful with their 5000 ATK behemoths standing over them. Yusei began his turn and used Clear Mind to begin his onslaught.

First with his Junk Synchron, he revived Junk Convertor and then Special Summoned Doppel Warrior from his hand. He then tuned Junk Synchron and Junk Convertor to Synchro Summon Junk Speeder, which let him Special Summon as many Synchron monsters as possible from his deck. And so he did, filling his entire field with them. He then tuned Junk Speeder and Fluer Synchron to bring forth Power Tool Dragon from his extra deck.

And he continued, his eyes turning into a shade of molten gold as he tuned another Junk Synchron with Doppel Warrior to Synchro Summon T.G. Hyper Librarian, which let him draw a card each time he Synchro Summoned. And since Doppel Warrior was sent to the Graveyard as a Synchro Material, he left behind two Doppel Tokens for Yusei to use. And he used his Jet Synchron to Tune with one of the Doppel Tokens to create Assault Blackwing - Sayo the Rain Hider. Yusei then used Foolish Burial to send his Assault Beast from his deck to the Graveyard. He then tuned Road Synchron to fuse with the second Dopper Token and create a Synchro Monster called Martial Metal Marcher, which let Yusei summon Junk Synchron from the Graveyard.

And since Martial Metal Marcher was a Tuner as well as a Synchro, Yusei Tuned him with Power Tool Dragon and Sayo to Synchro Summon Stardust Sifr Divine Dragon, a magnificent monster that shined with the light of a thousand distant stars and was white as snow. It had multiple wings and a devastating ATK of 4000.

"All of that just to summon a monster weaker than our dragons?" one of the boys shouted.

"Be quiet!" shouted Yusei. "I'm not done yet!"

No, he wasn't. Not by a long shot. He discarded a card from his hand to revive his Jet Synchron and Special Summoned Boost Warrior from his hand in defense mode. Then he Tuned them to Synchro Summon Celestial Double Star Shaman, a monster that allowed Yusei to Special Summon up to 4 Level 2 non-tuner monsters from his hand or Graveyard. And so he brought two back. Doppel Warrior and Junk Convertor. And so he Tuned Junk Convertor and Junk Synchron to Synchro Summon Assault Blackwing - Sohaya the Rainstorm. Then because Junk Convertor was used to as Synchro Material, he allowed Yusei to bring back Martial Metal Marcher from the Graveyard for another Tuning, using Metal Marcher and Doppel Warrior to create another Sohaya the Rain Storm for the sake of using Hyper Librarian's effect to draw cards each time he Synchro Summoned. The second Rain Storm with its special effect let Yusei bring back the Rain Hider and then he Tuned all three of his Assault Blackwings.

"DELTA ACCEL SYNCHRO!" shouted Yusei. "Cosmic Blazar Dragon!" Yusei summoned another of his powerful Cosmic Dragon monsters, great wyrms who sailed the stars with the Goddess of Light. Like Divine Sifr Dragon, it had 4000 ATK, still not impressing the boys, but they knew better than to disrupt Yusei. Something told them he wouldn't be going through all this trouble just summon creatures weaker than theirs for nothing. So all they did was watch as he continued Dueling with Clear Mind.

When Blazar Dragon appeared, Yusei activated the effect of the Rain Storm. If it was sent to the Graveyard this turn and there was another Rain Storm with him, he could banish the second one and Special Summon the first. So he did and when it revived, Yusei immediately used it for a Synchro Summon, Tuning it with Hyper Librarian and Celestial Double Star Shaman to create another Cosmic Dragon.

"LIMIT OVER ACCEL SYNCHRO!" he shouted, pushing the ability of Clear Mind to its limits. He was so powerful and radiated with so much energy that his entire body turned to gold. Yusei set the card down on his Duel Disk and shouted the monster's name. "Shooting Quasar Dragon!"

Shooting Quasar Dragon, another powerful cosmic beast with 4000 ATK soared from out of a golden arcane portal and zoomed around the battlefield like a comet before flying back to Yusei and joining his brethren.

When Shooting Quasar Dragon was in play, Yusei activated a spell called Emergency Teleport, which allowed him to summon a Lv 3 or lower Psychic monster from his deck. And he chose Psi-Reflector, which revived Yusei's Assault Beast allowing him to Tune them both together to create the very heart and soul of his deck. The original Stardust Dragon. The prize dragon the boys lusted for appeared before them, spreading his wings and releasing a majestic cry in the name of the Goddess that created him.

Yusei then activated Monster Reborn to bring back Celestial Double Star Shaman so Yusei could Tune her together with Stardust Dragon. "ACCEL SYNCHRO!" Yusei roared, feeling the power of the stars rush through him. "Shooting Star Dragon!" He called on a massive armored white dragon with wings that looked like that of a fighter jet. Though it had 3300 ATK Yusei was not afraid, for his plan was reaching the final stages. He activated a spell called Stardust Shimmer, with it he could choose a Dragon-Type Synchro Monster in his Graveyard. Then, he banished monsters from the Graveyard whose total Levels equaled the Level of his Stardust Dragon, allowing him to revive it. Then, using the Living Fossil Card he got with the Power Tool Dragon, he revived Celestial Double Star Shaman again and tuned her with Stardust Dragon to Synchro Summon Shooting Star Dragon T.G. EX.

Five powerful dragons were on the field...and there was room for one more. Yusei used his Necroid Synchro Spell to banish 1 Tuner and 2 non-Tuner monsters from his Graveyard to Synchro Summon his final dragon. Stardust Chronicle Spark Dragon, a golden dragon with 3000 ATK.

All six dragons gathered above him roaring and spreading their wings, showering the battle with stardust. Yusei gazed up at his dragons with tears in his eyes. It was such a beautiful sight.

"They're still not strong enough to defeat our dragons!" shouted one of the boys. "You did all that work and reduced your deck thin for nothing."

"I think not," said Yusei. "Behold! Forbidden Droplet!"

The boys screamed in horror. Forbidden Droplet let Yusei discard cards from his hand and then he chose that many Effect Monsters his opponent controlled. Since there were three dragons, all he needed to do was discard three cards. Now, the Five-Headed Dragons lost their effects and had their ATK cut in half. All six of Yusei's Cosmic Dragons took to the sky and rained down their cosmic energy breaths on the weakened dragons creating a massive snowy-white mushroom cloud sparking with lighting.

After many hours of fighting, the enemy Duelists took off their Duel Disks and surrendered. They couldn't go on anymore. Their Duel Disk's battery was running low and their bodies were battered and bruised. Black Luster Soldiers arrived via military dropships from Eredas and surrounded the boys to arrest them.

"Now that's what I call a battle!" Tyranno Hassleberry said. He took a long gulp of water.

"Well, done," said Yusei. "You all did great."

"Not as good as you!" said Yuma, he was dirty and blood trickled from scratches on his right cheek. "Mr. All-Powerful Accel Synchro. Where did you learn to do that?"

"It took a lot of practice," Yusei chuckled. He sat down and massaged his arm, sore from holding his Duel Disk for so long.

"You Synchro Duelists are built differently, that's for sure," said Kite.

"Are you kidding?" said Akiza. "Don't sell yourself short. Those Xyz Monsters you and your friends summoned were amazing."

"Of course," said Yuma. "But I think we can all agree that Master Yusei here stole the show."

"Yeah, he did," Alexis said, approaching with Cora by her side.

"I'd like to boast that my Blue-Eyes did a good job," said Cora, "but yeah, I have to give props to Yusei for that amazing display of mastery with his Cosmic Dragons."

Jack Atlas slowly walked to the group to join them. He reached into a cooler Yusei brought full of drinks and food. "I never thought I'd see someone other than Seto Kaiba using Blue-Eyes White Dragons."

"Come on, Jack," said Akiza. "You've never heard of the Maiden with Eyes of Blue?"

"Only some stories, but I never really got to see her dragons for myself. They say you use them as well as your father does."

"Not even close," said Cora. "I'm good but I'm not that good."

"Quit being so modest," said Alexis. "You and those new Blue-Eyes work so well together. Alicia thought so too." She gasped. "Oh no! Alicia! I almost forgot."

"What happened?" asked Yusei.

"I have to go," Alexis said at once. "There's trouble brewing in Polonia."

"Trouble?" said Zane. "What's wrong?"

"The House of Flowers knows the whereabouts of Alicia, remember?"

"And has Forrest sent any troops to attack?" Zane asked.

"No, but I'm not going to wait to find out."

"Do you need any help?" Princess Evelyn asked. "Polonia is quite close to our borders and my brother is one of the Princes of the Alliance. He can send troops down there."

"No, my friend, I appreciate the gesture but your brother has his hands full with Forrest's troops in your own borders. I can deal with his robotic knights myself."

"Don't underestimate the power of those mechanical soldiers," said Shark. "They're really dangerous."

"I know, but you all have your own problems, too. We're all spread so thin, I can't afford to have you all gather in Polonia."

"So be it," said Zane. "But most of us will be in Master Yugi's training facility. If you need aid, call us right away. There's a Wayshrine about a mile from the place. We can be there in two hours tops."

"Thanks, you guys," said Alexis. She summoned her winged stallion. "If anything happens, I'll call you."

"Be careful, Alexis!" Zane shouted as Alexis's stallion galloped across the field and took off into the sky.

---

Annabelle - Somewhere in Phobos Island, Aquarius/Standard Dimension

---

"Why do I have to give up two rare cards!?" Annabelle shouted at a tall bully. They both stood in an alleyway where Annabelle had cornered him.

"Because I said so, twerp! Nobody accuses me and gets away with it!"

"I know you're part of this whole Neo Rare Hunter business. Your friends almost killed Yuri and Patty last night and I'm gonna make you pay."

"Gonna make me pay!" the bully mocked her with a babyish voice. "Well, if you want to Duel me so badly, you're gonna have to give me the two rarest cards in your Dueling deck and fast!"

"We're Dueling for just one!" Annabelle shouted. "And that's final. You better do what I say or else!"

"Or else what?"

"Or you'll have to deal with me," Crystal said coming into the alleyway.

"Hey, Crystal!" Annabelle said cheerfully.

"C-C-Crystal Anderson!" the bully said nervously.

"Get behind me Annabelle," Crystal said. Annabelle did as she was told but not before she stuck her tongue out at the bully and ran behind her cousin. Crystal looked down at Annabelle and glared at her angrily causing Annabelle to shrink.

"What's your deal?" the bully said.

"You, asshole. Nobody talks to my little cousin that way and gets away with it. So I've come to teach you a lesson. You want rare cards so badly, then you have to beat me. What do you think about that?"

"Sure, I'm not afraid of either of you!"

Crystal and the bully took their places.

"Time to see if you're as good as you say you are, Crystal!" the bully said.

Crystal smirked. "All it's going to take is one beast to teach you a lesson you'll never forget...I summon Chaos Emperor Dragon - Envoy of the End!"

Flames burst all over the alleyway and Crystal's mightiest dragon rose out and unleashed its fury upon him, destroying him in one turn.

"NO! NO! NOOOOOOOOO!" the bully shouted.

When the holograms dispersed, he was on the ground, shivering in fear at how real the dragon's fury was projected with the Solid Vision Systems. "It's true what they say about him," he said. "He's almost unstoppable!"

"What a waste of time," Crystal said. She flung her hair and turned. "Come on, Annabelle. Let's go."

Annabelle went after her. She then stopped and turned to look at the bully, who was frightened by the dragon's realism. "Loser!" she called out before catching up with Crystal."

Crystal looked down at her and smiled. Nobody messes with my little cousin. "Did that guy corner you in there?" Crystal asked.

"Nope. On the contrary. I was the one who lured him there in the first place."

"You chased him down? Why? You shouldn't be running around town all by yourself. You heard what happened to Patty and Crystal."

"I know, Crystal, I know. But I really wanted to help. Yuri and Patty are my friends, I couldn't just let those guys get away with that. And that guy looked like trouble."

"Well, no more of that! These Rare Hunter guys are dangerous. If they're willing to strap a bomb on Yuri's arm, imagine what they would do to you."

Annabelle looked at her feet sadly as she walked. "I just wanted to help."

Crystal gave her a comforting laugh. "I know, sweet pea. But don't go looking for trouble, please. If anything happened to you, I don't know what I'd do."

"I'm sorry. I just wanted to help."

"I know. Now come on. Let's go get you some ice cream. Peanut butter and chocolate were your favorites, right?"

"Yes!" Annabelle said jumping.

As they entered the ice cream shop, two Neo Rare Hunters, one short and the other tall, snickered villainously from the rooftops.

"I think we just found the Queen of Dragons' weak spot!" said the tall one.

"Indeed we have," cackled the short one. "The little one is the perfect bait to get our plan in motion."

---

Yuri - St. Augustus High School

---

Even though they had the perpetrators in custody, the RAPTOR security officers didn't believe Yuri, Patty, or even Crystal. He tried to explain to them what Zander and Talfen had done, but the two boys could not speak for they were brain-dead. To make matters worse, Yuri and Patty both testified that they came out of the Infernoid club, a place notorious for teens doing shady activities. For this, the officers believed the youngsters were either drunk or high as most kids who hung out there. That drove Yuri mad; Patty, as well, but the officers did not listen to her especially - not with her record as a delinquent and her multiple run-ins with the law.

Yuri and Patty both had to give urine tests to prove they were neither drunk nor buzzing with drugs. Even though they came clean, the officers came up with more ways to denounce what the kids were telling them. To be called crazy was not going to look good on the tabloids tomorrow. Bad publicity, in general, was not good for the family name, but that was the last thing on his mind. The two Neo Rare Hunters and their master, Denethon, knew too much about his dreams. Just like Yami before them, the three of them called him 'Prince' and 'King'.

Yuri did not know what the man named Denethon did to them, but whatever spell he had invoked turned his toe foes into nothing more than empty shells. Yuri smacked his head a dozen times as he sat on the rooftop of the school with his friends while having lunch.

"Spell," he said, doing his best to bring logic into the situation. "There has to be a reason behind all this."

"That's what they want you to believe," Patty said, mixing her pasta around so it could be doused in the tasty meat sauce. She tapped the heel of her thigh-high boot against the ground. Yuri hated the sound it made, and he placed his hand on her knee to make her stop. Patty sighed and dug her fork into one of the meatballs and stuck it in her mouth. She spoke with her mouth full. "I still can't believe any of this. I peed into two cups just to prove I wasn't wasted. I came clean and they still didn't believe me."

"Well, what are you gonna do?" Carter said, sitting with his back against the chain-link fence as he ate the fried shrimp his mother made him. "The people of the city want to live quiet lives. After all, only the world's one percent live here. If they get wind of terrorist attacks or, in your case, strange, black-hooded Duelists with voodoo magic, they're going to want to avoid the place. That would ruin both the island's reputation and revenue."

"It makes me so mad," said Tyson. "They care more for the dough than their own people. We got psychos running around out there, and nobody wants to do anything about it."

"It's politics," said Natalya, helping herself to a chicken salad bowl. "They always care for the money first. It's been that way since...I don't know, forever. But, maybe it's best to let RAPTOR deal with this issue covertly like they always do. We've already got a bad rep with the Stowaways and the occasional pirate raids. And the Martinetti family's occasional slip-ups. The last thing this city needs are terrorists who play card games."

Patty broke out laughing. "It sounds funny when you put it that way, Nattie."

"Well, they strapped bombs to your wrists," Natalya said with a shrug.

"Well, it makes sense those Neo Rare Hunter morons targeted you and Yuri. He's Jacob Montgomery's son. Of course, they'd use him as an example. Something tells me these freaks, these Rare Hunters, want to put Yuri's life in jeopardy so they can get a large sum of cash from Jacob's coffers. What else would they need?"

Patty rested her cheek on Yuri's shoulder. "I don't know what they want but I hope that was the last time we see them. I hope this really is nothing but some kind of prank set up by a couple of weirdos. I don't want to go through that again. Ever."

"I doubt it was just those two," said Nick. He wiped salt from his chin with his tie. "I suggest we all keep an eye on Yuri and be on the lookout for those so-called Rare Hunters."

"I agree," said Carter. "Something tells me this isn't going to be the last time we see those guys."

"I suppose so," Patty said, wrapping up her trash. "Come on, let's get back to class."

"Try not to fall asleep again, baby," said Natalya. "You dozed off twice in English class."

"Nah, I'll be fine," Patty said confidently. "With my belly full, there's no way I'll fall asleep again."

---

Later...

---

"Shall I repeat the question again, Ms. McKnight?" the geometry teacher said sternly. His arms crossed over his chest, and he tapped his foot on the ground.

"Patty, wake up!" Nick said, shaking his friend from her sleep.

"Oh…huh?" Patty said, raising her head from her arms. She blushed, feeling her sleeves moist and the corner of her mouth dripping with saliva. The class laughed out loud at her misfortune.

The teacher shook his head. His face went red, and his foot tapped in a more impatient rhythm. "Pamela, see me after class."

"Yes, sir," Patty said, looking down at her lap.

The bell rang, signaling their math period was over. The students stood up from their seats and dashed out the door for lunch, ignoring the teacher's announcement of a pop quiz later that week.

"She's such a skank," one of the girls said passing over Patty.

"No wonder none of the guys will go out with her," the girl's friend said, following her out of the classroom.

"I know! Seriously, what does Yuri see in her anyway?"

Yuri rubbed Patty's back, trying to comfort her when he saw her eyes glistening. She tightened her grip on her sleeves and grunted, trying to hold back her agony. This would be the third time she fell asleep in class, meaning her mother and father were going to get a phone call.

"Leave, Yuri," the teacher said, and then threatened him with detention if he didn't do as he was told.

Yuri apologized and walked out of the classroom. He heard the teacher yell at Patty behind him as he went down the hallway to join his friends by their lockers to put their math books away.

"That's the sixth time she's fallen asleep in class," Carter said, banging his locker open with his fist. He now sported long hair and his fingernails were colored red and pink. "At this rate, Patty's going to be held back a year."

"Oh, don't be ridiculous," Yuri said, putting away his books. "It's only the second month. She's most likely to get suspended."

Nick reminded Yuri that a suspension would do damage to her record as well, to which Yuri pursed his lips and remained quiet until he gathered what he needed for the next lessons.

When the halls went quiet and the bell rang for the next period, Patty stormed into a nearby bathroom. She looked around. The bathroom was all hers. Good. She slid off her backpack and stared at herself in the mirror. Her eyes were red with sleep. The bags underneath were turning a darker shade of purple. She even saw her skin, once a vibrant shade of cream was now turning pale. Carter is right, she thought. If she slept in class any longer, she would inevitably fail.

She opened the breast pocket of her blazer, then furiously took out her Zera the Mant card, protected in a hard plastic sleeve. She set it on the sink behind the faucet.

"You..." she said. She started pacing back and forth across the bathroom. "I never should have listened to you!" She laughed at herself for saying that. She raised her arms in disbelief. "Listen to me. Listen to me. I'm taking orders from a damn card!" She laughed again, banging her head against the pink-tiled wall. "I've gone nuts. Oh yeah, oh yeah. I've gone nuts. It's gotta be the drugs you told me to take."

She gasped. She went quiet as if she was listening to something.

"No, no, no!" she shouted. "I did everything you told me to do. Everything. I literally turned myself into a skank just to show you I am an obedient girl. That I'm worthy of your power. That I'm worthy of you visiting me in my dreams."

Patty got on her knees, clasping her hands together as if she was begging the card to listen to her. "I love it when you visit me. Look at me, look at how I dress. Look at how I act. I did it all to make you happy."

And you're doing marvelous, my dear. A strange, fiendish voice slithered through Patty's brain. The lights in the bathroom flickered.

"It sure as hell doesn't feel like it," Patty whispered, breathing heavily. "Other than pleasing you by seeing me dress up in skimpy skirts and little panties, it feels like you're doing nothing to help me. Well, come on! I fulfilled my end of the bargain. I'm your little plaything. I'm yours — all yours! Isn't that what you've wanted?"

The bathroom lights flickered violently and the sinks trembled. So why do you flirt with Yuri?

"I have to do something to make it seem like I'm normal. If the world finds out my true love is a Duel Monsters card, they'll think I'm crazy. And I've already got a bad rep as it is. Please, Zera, my love. I need your help. My friends are in danger and I don't want them to get hurt."

Your friends. I'd be careful not to get too close to them if I were you, Pamela. You care too much. Yes, you care far too much but the world does nothing to repay you for your kindness. That is why you are always finding yourself in trouble. Remember, you sold your soul to me to save the life of that boy you so loved. And how does this mongrel repay you? By running off with some twat halfway across the world, and leaving you without a word. That is not what a faithful servant of mine deserves.

"I..." Patty began. "They're different. Zera, please. What do I have to do? These Neo Rare Hunters are dangerous and I'm worried they'll hurt my friends. I don't want them to get hurt."

Fight them. Do not be afraid of the Neo Rare Hunters. They are going to want you to break. If you do, it will be easier for them to get Yuri. And we don't want that. Something tells me Yuri is going to prove useful to us both. He could provide a way to keep us both together.

"Oh, Zera, you really think so?"

Yes. He could provide you with a home and much comfort. After all, he will be a king soon, heh, heh, heh.

"A King? Well, if you mean the future president and CEO of Phobos Corp, then yeah, I guess I can see why you'd call him that."

Of course, of course. Ah, and since you were such a brave girl the other night, I will visit you in your dreams this evening.

"Oh, thank you!" Patty said bowing.

You're late for your next class. Do hurry and get there fast, Pamela. And take the medicine as I instructed. We don't want you falling asleep again, do we?

"I won't fail," Patty said to her reflection. She unzipped her backpack and took out a white bottle with no label. She unscrewed the top and shook the bottle until two small green pills fell onto her hand.

"Just a few more months," she said to herself. "I can make it."

She swallowed them with one gulp.

---

Alexis - House of Parliament, Principality of Termnnia/Termnnia

---

Alexis took a few long steps inside a great room with walls and a floor made of green marble with tall black marble columns. Clop, clop, clop, went the gold heels of her white boots underneath her gown of white and baby blue to match the colors of the Flag of Lorin. "I've been here since midday," she said checking her phone. She was getting awfully impatient. Somewhere out there, Naralian troops were on the move and poised to strike this country at a moment's notice. But no, here they were wasting time squabbling over the kingdom like children throwing a tantrum for the last piece of pie.

A man in red garments knocked, to which Alexis said: "Enter." The man walked in. Alexis had hoped he would be here to give her news about the meeting but he was just the House of Parliament's waiter. It was lunchtime and he was tasked with going from room to room and asking people for food. "Good afternoon, Princess," he said. "Would like anything from the menu?"

Alexis was not in the mood for food but she knew this would probably her chance to get something to eat for another few hours and kindly took the menu from him. She ordered a steak made from a beast called Faranese Red Angus. It was as tall as a small hill and had enough meat on its body that just one could serve dozens of cities across the kingdom. Alexis heard her mother talk of this delicacy lots of times when she traveled on political business or vacationed in Fara many times over the years, and decided to give it a try herself, alongside a glass of fine Embolodrian wine from the Rosehollow Vineyards in the Summerlands. When the waiter left, Alexis then remembered that her friend Summer from Duel Academia lived there and was in Riftgaard with Prince Jon. She figured she would give her a call and dialed her number.

After a few rings, Summer answered, her cheery face appearing on the screen. "Hello?" she said. "Hey, Alexis!"

"Hey," Alexis said, walking to the window to view the city. She saw Pharmellica's tower in the fields miles away in the distance. "How are you? How are things in Riftgaard?"

"Cold," Summer replied with a laugh.

"Are you holding well?" Alexis asked.

"Oh, of course, I am. Tensions against Forrest have died down since Jon and his sisters beat his expeditionary forces in the Battle of Mt. GUÐRÚN. After coming face-to-face with Gearfried the Iron Knight, too, hah! I think they'll think twice before stepping foot on Riftgaardian soil again. I just wish poor Prince Marcel was as happy a story. Did you hear what those Naralian bastards did to his cousin?"

"Yeah. I still can't believe it, either. We went to class with that poor boy. He was such an excellent poet and a skilled Red-Eyes Duelist, too. And now the world will never hear his sonnets or see the skills he learned at school."

"I know. You know it was Okechuku who wrote the sonnet Jon sang to me when he was after my heart."

"Aww."

"Yeah, so when I heard the news of his violent death, it broke my heart. If it wasn't for him, Jon and I wouldn't be a thing right now. Jon vowed that every Naralian will pay for what happened to Okechuku. It was Baldric Atzwig the Iron Claw of Naralia. I had the misfortune of having been betrothed to him when we were living in Naralia a few summers ago."

"Really!?"

"Yes. My father thought he would be an excellent match for me but then Baldric started getting too involved with technology and modern warfare. Mix that with a radical love for the Covenant, and you got a horrible mess of a man. Father luckily got us out of there before the Gate Wars picked up."

"That happened after we graduated, right?"

"Right. And the same time Belladonna went rogue and vanished into the wild. I tell you, Alexis, if she had unlocked Bahamut from the card and could summon him like it was foretold, the Gate Wars would never have happened."

"Well, there's nothing we can do about that," said Alexis. "And apparently the scumbag who could have stopped what happened to her family is now watching over Prince Yuri in the Standard Dimension."

"I still can't believe, Master Yugi would give him such a task. Has he gone mad?"

"The guy is a Dimensional Walker," said Alexis. "And he didn't train in magic or did anything to unlock that power. He just knew it right from the get-go, so I guess that's something special."

"Master Yugi calls it Divine," said Jon, coming into the screen, snuggling with Summer's neck, tickling her, and making her laugh.

"Hey, you!" Alexis said loudly

"Hey, Alexis!" Jon greeted her.

"Aww, look at you two. How's our legendary axe-wielder doing?"

Jon kissed Summer's shoulder. "I am doing extraordinarily well. Now, I want you both to listen. I know that Andre guy didn't treat you guys all that well in school. And as much as I want to hate him, I can't. Master Yugi assured all of us that he turned over a new leaf and wanted to help us with the protection of the Prince."

"Is he even qualified for such a thing?"

"I mean he is a skilled Duelist and a Dimensional Walker, so he sounds pretty useful for our side."

"I don't know babe," said Summer, "he did ignore Belladonna's pleas for help. He could have stopped them with that Arcana Knight Joker he kept bragging about."

"And you helped me destroy an Alliance."

"Right."

"And even with his warrior, would it have really helped?" Jon asked. "A strong Eidolon is no match for a large army. Master Yugi says he tried to stop them even though he lost the battle."

Alexis rolled her eyes. "Wow. What a hero."

"Hey, none of that, princess. He took 500 knights out before fleeing the battle, wounding the House of Martin's already small military force. Except for Arcana Knight's Joker, he had no help whatsoever in the battle. Even I have to respect that, and Belladonna was my friend, too."

"Pfft, big deal," said Summer. "You, Ryon, and the others can take on thousands of robotic knights by yourselves."

"Can you beat 500 knights, dear?"

Summer pouted and rolled her eyes, looking away from the camera.

"I thought so."

"You say he wants to help," said Alexis. "Let's just hope he does. For Yuri's sake. How are things there in the Standard Dimension?"

"I can't discuss that, Alexis. Anyway, nice chat. But I gotta get going. You two behave now. If you don't...call me."

"Jon!" Alexis and Summer laughed together. Jon kissed Summer's cheek and left.

"See, what did I tell you?" said Summer.

"Hmm, and it sounds like you're very cheery. I remember before you accepted Jon as your boyfriend, you were all scared and nervous. But look at you. It's all cold and shit behind you but you look like you're glowing. Has Jon been treating you well?" Alexis asked, walking toward a bowl of chocolate cubes.

"Oh, Jon's been such a dear. He gives me presents, cooks me breakfast, and he's teaching me how to fight."

"Really?" Alexis asked, plopping a cube into her mouth. "You, Summer Goldenwyne, a fighter? Ha! If you had told me that when I met you in Duel Academia, I would have laughed my ass off. They say you're more of a flower than Yuri is."

"It's the truth!" Jon called from across the room, for he could still hear them.

"Yes, it is," Summer giggled. She brought the phone closer to her face and whispered. "Oh, and you're not going to believe this but King Audun accepted me."

"No way!"

"Yes! I got his royal blessing. You are looking at the future queen of Riftgaard." She raised the phone back so Alexis could see the large diamond ring on her middle finger.

"Yes!" Alexis cheered, raising her phone over her head. "I knew it! I knew it! I knew it! Oh, I'm so happy for you, Summer. And here you thought you were about to get your head chopped off."

"I know, I know, I'm a worry-wart. I guess having a lover in the Alliance really has its perks."

Alexis heard the door open. "Alexis," Princess Pharmellica said. "Come on. It's almost time."

Alexis turned. She almost dropped the phone when she saw Pharmellica joined by her old friend, Alicia the Arva.

"Hey, Summer, I need to go."

"Is everything all right?"

"Yeah, I'll call you back, okay? Parliament is about to begin."

"Oh, I see. All right. Let me know how it goes. See ya."

"Bye." Alexis hung up. She dashed across the room and hugged Alicia with all her might. Alicia did the same and her wings folded, almost as if they wanted to embrace Alexis, too. It had been so long since they last saw each other.

"It's so good to see you."

"Likewise," Alica said. "You've been hard to reach since you got to Polonia."

Alexis backed away, her face blushing red as she tried to come up with an excuse. "I'm so sorry, Alicia. There was so much going on. I fell asleep after my bath, then Yugi called that meeting, and then those punks wanted to storm the Gate to kill Yuri, and then I had to come here to the House of Parliament and..."

"I know, I know, I know." Alicia kissed Alexis's forehead to comfort her. "I'm not mad. You're a Princess of Termnnia and a member of the Kingsblades. I imagine you have a lot on your plate. The two of us catching up can come another time."

"You're such a good friend," Alexis said hugging her again.

"So what news from the Kingsblades?" Alicia asked.

"A lot," said Alexis. "There's so much I have to tell you."

---

Yuri -Secret Hiding Spot, Aquarius/Standard Dimension

---

It was hard not to get noticed now that word had gotten out that he had beaten the likes of Randall Lawson, Layla Lovecraft, and Cornelius Landow. All day, his phone buzzed all through the day with notifications that he was making new friends and was getting messages from some who wanted to see his Black Tyranno card or where he got it, and he was mobbed by students, all of them eager to see his new card. He was in such a rush to get out that when the final bell rang he didn't even wait for his friends. He just barged out of the school and dashed into the city, where he was never heard from for the rest of the day.

He put his phone on mute and stuffed it in his backpack, then marched to a secret beach on Paradiso Prima where he was sure nobody could find him. He was finally alone. The beaches, though manmade, were very natural-looking, hidden by a forest of palm trees, rocky cliffs, and rolling hills. Yuri remained on that spot until the sun went down and the stars began to sparkle in the heavens. When it got too dark, Yuri built himself a small fire on the sands and just sat there for hours and hours. Suddenly, he heard footsteps coming from behind him. He turned quickly and saw a big figure coming towards him. The light from the fire revealed the person's silhouette.

It was Andre.

"Whoa, there you are!" he said. "Man, everyone's been looking all over for you."

Yuri looked away and wrapped his arms around his legs. "Really? I've been avoiding them all day."

"Your folks are really worried about you, man." Andre stepped into the light of the fire. "There are rumors going around that you fell into the sea. Come on, let's get you home."

"I don't want to leave this spot." Yuri kept his eyes on the waves crashing against the shore.

"What do you want to do then?"

"Disappear."

"Why?"

"I don't like all this attention. Bad enough that my dad's pressuring me to become his heir to the company. But now this. I can't get a moment's peace anymore. I can't even sleep at night because of all these dreams, too. I just want a moment's peace."

"What kind of dreams have you been having."

"You wouldn't understand," Ren said walking out of the forest with Crystal by his side.

"Ren! Crystal!" Yuri said aloud.

"So there's our little hero," said Ren.

"Yuri!" Crystal cried. She dashed across the sand, passed Andre, and hugged Yuri tighter than she ever had before. "We were so worried about you. Didn't you hear any of us calling you? Why did you run away?"

"Because I need some space. I wasn't ready for all this attention."

"You should be," said Ren. "You're the son of a trillionaire. Isn't it common knowledge that the press would be after you? Everything you do is going to be on tomorrow's magazine, that's the life we lead, unfortunately."

Yuri rose his left shoulder to shake Crystal off. She whimpered sadly and sat back, her knees on the sand. Yuri then reached out and patted her hand as an apology. "Sorry, Crystal. A month ago people were starting to believe that I wasn't interesting. And I was happy about that." He took out his deck from his back pocket. He flipped through his cards until he found the beast that made him the talk of the whole island. "Then he came along. Now because of him, everyone wants a piece of me. And on top of that, I've got these Neo Rare Hunter guys running around going after me."

"So face your challengers," Crystal said. "You can do it."

"Not with a deck like mine," Yuri said. "I never get anything good when I open packs. The only thing I ever scored was that dragon I gave you. After that, I got nothing. My dad's the creator of the game, you'd think I'd have some luck finding some cards."

"I did say I could help you," Andre said. "I'm willing to teach you, Yuri."

"Teach him? Who the hell are you?" Ren asked.

"He's a friend," said Yuri. "And no offense, Andre, but what good are your lessons if I don't have the cards to play?" Yuri said. "You can teach, teach, teach me all day and it still won't make a lick of difference if I don't have the right cards in my deck."

"Good point."

Crystal stood up. She bent forward, brushing the sand from her knees. "I can help you get some cards, Yuri. This is silly. You can't keep running away every time you face a problem."

"And this Duel Gang calling themselves Rare Hunters are a new threat for you to battle," said Ren. "You can't run and hide from them, Yuri. If you do, then they have already won. You can't let that happen, brother. You've come too far to quit now.

"I know."

"So let us help you," said Andre. "I can for sure since I'm one of the Duel Kings at school."

"So what?' said Crystal. "Yuri's beaten opponents who were former champions. He doesn't need some guy with a funny school title to tell him if he's good or not."

"I don't see why all three of us can't teach him," said Ren. "Come on. Let's go to the Ruby Dragon for some training."

"Great idea, Ren!" said Crystal. "Come on, Yuri."

Yuri shook his head. "No, I don't think you guys can help me."

Ren brushed his hair back to keep his bangs from flapping over his eyes in the ocean breeze. "Yuri. Come on. It's time for you to grow up. I always said you had potential. Now's the time for you to show it. Not just to the gang, but to the whole world. We all want to see the Crown Prince of Duel Monsters step up his game. So what do you say?"

Even though he would have rather gone home and read a book, Yuri could not find it in his heart to break a promise to Crystal. How could he? Then again, besides her brute of a boyfriend, Brett, how could anyone break a promise to a girl with a face like hers? He agreed to their training.

They left the beach and split up, taking different routes to the Ruby Dragon. When Yuri got to the store, he stopped and was welcomed by a big surprise. On the front of the game shop was a brand-new 3D billboard showing a red dragon roaring and snarling inside its dark, flaming domain. When he blew fire at the air, pyrotechnics hidden in the walls fired flames.

"It's about time," Yuri said. He watched the dragon's looped animations. "Man, Sergei outdoes himself sometimes."

Crystal came out of the shop and waved him down. "You going to stand there all day or what?"

Yuri followed her inside. "You look nice," he said, complimenting her short white summer dress.

Crystal stopped when she heard his compliment. She looked over her shoulder and smiled at him, then gave a twirl to better show off her outfit. "Thank you, honey," she said and continued into the shop. "Are you always so sweet?" She approached him, leaning forward as though she were a toddler looking at a puppy behind the pet shop window. She blessed him with her sweet smile again, then stretched her neck towards his cheek to plant a kiss on it. She giggled and kept on strolling through the massive store.

Yuri sure did miss her. He had almost forgotten how beautiful, sweet, and playful she was. It had been a year since he had last seen her since she left on her music tour across Europe.

"I got this in Italy," she said, pointing to a white hairband with gold butterflies on the sides flashed in her hair. Yuri just chuckled softly in his throat and nodded his head. He was at a loss for words. Seeing Crystal was like finding a rare card in a booster pack. This time, he hoped he could get to keep it.

"I know it's kinda late to call you to the R.D. for Dueling, but it needs to be done. Now that you're famous around here, everyone's going to want a piece of you, including those Rare Hunter jerks. I know a couple of guys at school who are eager to slay Black Tyranno for their followers on social media."

Yuri gulped and followed Crystal upstairs where the newer tables were. Ren was sitting beside one of the tables. It was cluttered with four booster boxes. "Hey, Yuri. Glad you could make it."

"Where's Andre?" Yuri asked.

"Pfft. You mean the great and mighty Duel King? Probably running late," Ren replied. "Merry Christmas," he extended his arm and slowly waved it over the goods that were for Yuri. "Well, what are you waiting for? Dig in."

"All of this is for me?" Yuri asked, pointing at his chest.

"Awww!" Crystal chimed. "Ren. Isn't he the cutest? Come on, dear. Sit down. Open your stuff. What did you get?"

Yuri pulled the chair back and sat down. "Well, I guess it's too much to hope for some good dinosaur cards, huh?"

"Why on earth would you want to run them?" Ren asked. "There's no strategy to them. They're just big giant beat sticks."

"Well, you know me," Yuri said, struggling to open the plastic wrapped around the booster box. "Dinosaurs have been a love of mine since I was a little kid. I've had all sorts of dreams about them, too." He stopped unwrapping the plastic. "You know...aside from my dreams about that strange guy with the freaky hair, I've had some dreams about a black dinosaur."

"Ah," said Ren. He slurped some of his iced tea. "Perhaps it was destiny that Black Tyranno found you."

"Oooo," Crystal hooted like a ghost, wriggling her fingers. "Mysterious. Need some help, honey?"

She gently took the box from Yuri. She dug into her purse, pulled out the keys to her Lamborghini, and sliced open the plastic.

"There," she said, handing the box back to Yuri.

He took the box back with excitement and opened it. He grabbed the first pack and opened it. "Wait, wait!" Ren said, holding out his hand. "I heard that it's good luck to sniff the pack."

Crystal pouted and put her hands on her hips. "Ren, seriously. You've been watching way too many TeamSamurai videos. Sniffing the packs is childish and dumb. Yuri, whatever you do, don't sniff the — ugh, he sniffed the pack."

Yuri had the opened pack right under his nostrils. He took a big whiff of the cards. Yes, there truly was nothing like the smell of new cards in the morning. "Oh, boy, let's see what's in here." He shuffled through the commons. "Wow!" he exclaimed. "United We Stand!"

"Whoa!" Ren shouted. He almost spat his drink out. "An extremely rare card already?"

"Way to go, Yuri!" Crystal said with a clap. "Yaay!"

Yuri tilted the card from left to right so the holographic foil of the card could catch the light of the sun. "Hey, maybe my luck's turning around already." He opened the next pack and got an equip-spell card called Horn of the Unicorn.

"What's this?" Yuri asked.

"That gives your monster an extra seven hundred points," explained Ren. "Give that card to Black Tyranno, and he'll be a beast!"

"He already is one," said Crystal. She sat on the edge of the table, helping herself to a bag of chips. "I watched him in battle. Ren, I've never seen Randall so scared."

"I can imagine. Such a shame I wasn't there to witness all the action. Did...did Brett hurt you?"

Yuri put down his cards and looked at her. "Why would he hurt you?" he asked.

Crystal bit her bottom lip, remembering how Brett punished her by whacking a golf ball resting on the put in her mouth. "I'm fine," she said. "He can't hurt me. Otherwise, his uncle will..." She slid her finger across her throat. "Kkkkccccckkk. Haha, I'm not afraid of him."

"That doesn't really answer my question," said Ren.

"No, it doesn't. But keep asking and the one getting hurt might be you. Or even Yuri. You remember what Brett did to him last time, right? Stop trying to be a hero, Ren."

"If that is what you wish." He looked for a way to ease the tension. "So, what else did you get, Yuri?"

"I got a dinosaur. Mad Sword Beast."

"That's great," Crystal said, returning to her cheerful demeanor. "Now you can inflict Life Points even if your opponent's monster is in defense mode. I can't wait to see what you get next. Go on, go on."

"Okay, okay," Yuri said, pulling out the next pack.

After an hour, the table was covered with stacks of new cards. The ones he wanted for his deck, he added immediately. At that moment, Andre came in. "There you are," he said. "I looked all over the store for you guys. Man, this place is big. And this new outdoor patio is lit."

"I personally asked Sergei to build it," Crystal bragged. "Well, I paid for it actually."

Ren slapped her on the thigh gently. "All right, Princess Money Bags, we get it. You're filthy rich. Have a seat, Andre."

"Where are Nick, Patty, and the others?" Andre asked. "I thought they'd be here."

"It's a school night," said Yuri. "Nick's working at the restaurant with his foster mom, Tyson's at his father's establishment, Carter is helping his mom set up that new hair salon, and Patty...well...she's not answering."

"Aw, I would have liked to see your friends again," said Crystal.

"Wow, what's with all these cards?" Andre said. He picked one up. "These are brand new."

Yuri swiped it from his hand. "Yeah, and they're mine."

Andre chuckled. "Well, man, it's good to see you got yourself some new cards. Want to try them out and see if you can last longer than two turns."

"Andre beat you in two turns, Yuri?" Crystal asked.

"Yeah, but I didn't have these," Yuri replied, holding up his deck. "All right, Andre. Let's go."

Andre sat down, then waited for Yuri to clear the table. "Aww, man. I've been waiting for this. Yuri, try not to rage quit this time."

"Who knows," Yuri said. "Maybe you'll be the one rage quitting this time."

LP 2000

T1

As soon as both their decks touched the mat, a wide monitor rose out from the side of the table to display the 3D battles. "Man, I love this place," said Andre. "All right, Yuri. I'm glad to see you're confident enough to talk a little smack. Let's see if you can back it up. I'm not holding back."

"Neither am I. You said you're here to teach me, so don't disappoint. I'm starting first. I summon Uraby in attack mode! And that ends my turn."

"Yuri!" Crystal began until Ren held up his hand.

"He's here to learn. So let him learn."

T2

Andre grinned and nodded, agreeing with what Ren said. "That's not good, Yuri. Summoning monsters like that with no protection? I figured after your Duel with Randall that you'd know better than that. All right, I summon Darkfire Soldier Number One!" He placed the card on the mat. On the cliffside ruins on the screen, fire burst out of the ground and revealed a strong-bodied warrior with a curved blade. "And then," Andre continued. "I equip him with the Salamandra spell card. This increases the power of fire monsters by 700 points."

ATK/2400

"Oh, shit," Andre heard Crystal mutter. He bobbed his head confidently and commanded his monster to attack Yuri's dinosaur. The attack was devastating, the speakers boomed from the explosion Darkfire Soldier's sword created. Yuri's Life Points went down to 1100.

"Odds don't look so good for now, Yuri," Andre said. "It's only the first round and you're already at a disadvantage."

T3

"Well, attack points aren't everything. I set a monster in defense mode, set two cards face-down, and end my turn."

T4

"Don't disappoint me, Yuri. I summon Celtic Guardian and equip him with Legendary Sword, increasing his attack to 1700. Then, I set a card face-down and attack your monster with him."

"The monster you attacked is Sword Arm of Dragon!" Yuri declared, revealing his brand new dinosaur monster. The creature appeared in the game world, slashing Celtic Guardian back with its spear-shaped tail and dealing damage to Andre's Life Points, reducing them to 1670.

"Now, that's a cool card. But his defense won't save him from Darkfire Soldier. Attack."

"And you just activated my set cards. I reveal Reliable Guardian and Castle Walls. Reliable Guardian increases the defense of a monster by 700 and Castle Walls gives it another 500 points. Now his defense is more than enough to hold against your Darkfire Soldier."

Sword Arm of Dragon roared, halting Darkfire Soldier #1's attack. The soldier stumbled for a moment but continued on with his charge. Sword Arm of Dragon whipped his tail, parrying the soldier's flaming sword with the diamond-shaped end of the tail, which was as hard as steel. It pushed him back with a headbutt, then it swung its tail again, slashing Darkfire Soldier on the chest and sending him flying across the field back to Andre's side. Andre's jaw dropped when he saw his Life Points go down to a mere 840.

"Wow!" Crystal exclaimed. "Andre took a lot of damage, and it's not even Yuri's turn yet.

"Aw, man," thought Andre. He got way better. Those cards Crystal and Ren gave him worked wonders for his deck. But if that's the way he wants it, so be it. "Good move, Yuri. I end my turn. And now that the turn is over, your Sword Arm of Dragon's defense points go back to normal. I'll finish him off with Darkfire Soldier."

"You won't do such a thing," Yuri sneered, for the first time in a while feeling like he was in control. "I activate the spell, Eternal Rest!"

"Yes!" Crystal cheered.

"You're screwed, big man," Ren said. "Eternal Rest destroys all cards outfitted with Equip Spells. Your two monsters are toast."

"And now that he's gone," said Yuri. "I'll switch Sword Arm of Dragon to attack mode since he's the strongest card in play right now. Your turn."

T5

Andre bit his tongue in agitation. But he was not scared. He knew what he had to do. "Good game, Yuri. But I'm afraid I have to end it right here."

"What do you mean?"

"First, I activate my spell card, Pot of Greed. Now I draw two cards. Next, I reveal my trap card, Ultimate Offering. I can offer 500 Life Points and get an extra normal summon this turn. But I don't have enough Life Points. Well, for now anyway." He held up his card. "I cast the spell, Dian Keto the Cure Master. With this card, my Life Points go up by 1000. Now, I summon Alpha the Magnet Warrior in attack mode. Then, I pay 1000 Life Points to summon Beta and Gamma the Magnet Warrior."

"Oh no!" Crystal groaned when she realized what it was that he was going to summon. "Where did he get a card that powerful?"

"Now that I've got all three magnet warriors on the field, I can sacrifice them, merging them together to become Valkyrion the Magna Warrior."

Yuri took a look at what was happening on the Duel Screen. The three little magnet warriors disassembled. Their pieces floated in midair for a moment and then they suddenly merged together to form an even larger magnet warrior

"Sorry, Yuri, but it's over. Once again the prince loses to me."

Crystal's face went red. She started storming toward him; it looked like she was about to murder Andre. Ren grabbed the part of Crystal's dress over her rear to hold her back. "Hang on, my friend. Calm down. As for you, it seems like you're more interested in beating Yuri than teaching him."

"Huh?"

"What he means is you haven't done anything to teach him!" Crystal said. She turned and smacked Ren's hand. "And let go. You're pulling on my underwear, asshole." Ren did as he was told. Her dress snapped back into place. Crystal straightened it out and looked back at Andre. "You haven't given him any tips or given him ideas for combos or anything. I should have known this was all some ruse to show Yuri you're better than him."

Andre gulped nervously. Oh no, I did it again!

"Easy, Crystal, come on." Yuri grabbed her hand. "Why don't we get a drink or something?"

"Yeah." That was all she had to say and she stormed out of the patio. Yuri picked up his card and stuffed them in his back pocket.

"Hey, wait," said Andre. "We're still in the middle of a Duel."

"Forget it," said Yuri. He turned and left.

"Wow," Andre said, trying to process what happened. "I didn't mean to make them mad."

"Crystal's easily triggered," said Ren. "Especially, when it comes to Yuri. But I don't blame her for getting mad. What you did was a dick move. Crystal and I bought Yuri those cards to boost his confidence. Instead, you just discouraged him from wanting to play. Was letting him win a few practice matches too much for you to handle?"

"No, but I was always taught to never hold out against your opponent."

"That's true if they're on an equal level with you," said Ren. "Giving your opponent a false sense of victory is an asshole thing to do. But Yuri was here to learn. If you are going to teach my friend, use a practice deck next time so that he can have an idea about how his deck works. When he finally gets the hang of it, then give him a final test with your real deck."

"Sorry," Andre said.

Yuri came back with a huge cherry-flavored slushie. "Sorry, for folding, guys."

"Don't be," said Ren. "You've got a lot to learn. And that's what these squash matches are for. But here's a tip. Reduce the size of your deck, man. I mean look at that brick. You got like, what, sixty-five cards in there? Trim the fat from your deck. And you've got a lot of it. Lots of weak vanilla reptile monsters. I know how much you love dinosaurs, Yuri, but there just aren't that many of them. So you're just going to have to add something else or make a new deck entirely until your dad comes up with some support for them or something."

Yuri looked at his deck sadly. "Aww, man. You really think so, Ren? A lot of these cards are my favorite."

"Damn it, Yuri, stop being such a baby!" snapped Andre. "Come on. Do you want to get better at the game or not?"

"Don't raise your voice at him!" Crystal said coming through the doors with a tall cup of lemonade. "You beat him. But it doesn't give you the right to scold him. And lord help you if you scold him in front of me again."

Ren backed away from the table. "Aww, hell no. She's got that crazy look in her eyes. She wants to Duel."

"I'd be more than happy to," Andre said. "Have a seat. But, uh, calm down. You look like you're about to burst."

"Yeah, come on, Crystal, don't be mad," said Yuri. "We need to work together, remember?"

Crystal sighed. "All right, all right. Sorry, guys."

"Well, a friendly Duel should take care of that," said Andre.

"Maybe some other time," said Crystal. "You don't want to Duel me when I'm mad. Besides, we've got a little prince to train. Okay, Yuri, shuffle that deck, and let's go at it again. You're not leaving here until you start playing like a pro."

"Actually, I have to get going," said Yuri. "McRaven and my security team are here to pick me up."

"They are?" Ren asked.

"Yeah, that Exodia Duelist struck again not far from here. The poor guy he attacked was in a state of madness when the cops found him. I don't know why, but something tells me he's one of those Rare Hunters."

Crystal and Ren looked at each other with worry. "All right, guys. I think we should call it a night."

"I'll follow you home," said Ren. "If the Rare Hunters are up and about, it might be too dangerous for you to go alone."

"Thanks, Ren. And you, too, Andre."

"Yeah, take care, you guys."

Yuri looked out the window and saw the Karlmann King parked outside along with two SUVs from his estate's private security force. He, Ren, and Crystal went down to the lower level while Andre stayed behind and cleaned up their table. When they got outside the door, who else but Nick was calling out to them from way across the street.

"Yuri, Crystal! And Ren! Hey, it must be my lucky day. What are you guys doing here?"

"We're heading home," said Crystal. "Shouldn't you be doing the same, Nick?"

"Aw, I thought I'd stop by the Ruby Dragon for some packs and a few Duels. Carter gave me a shoe box of cards he didn't want and I wanna use 'em. Especially against you, hotshot." He pointed at Ren. "How about you and me have a little one-on-one, huh?"

"We can Duel tomorrow, Nick," said Ren. "You better get home. It's not safe."

"Yeah, you bet it's not safe. My deck is full of new butt-kicking monsters ready to tear you a new one."

"Nick," said Crystal, "Come on. It's getting late. We should get some rest. Maybe tomorrow I'll stop by the shop and we can trade and Duel."

"Really? With you? Sounds great."

Crystal and Yuri hugged and said goodnight. And just as Yuri was about to say goodbye to Ren. BOOM! BOOM! Two cars parked in front of the store exploded, knocking them off their feet.

"YURI GUYS!" Nick cried out over the screams of frightened citizens and the alarm bells buzzing from the Ruby Dragon. He looked at the rooftops. He could make out the silhouette of a cloaked figure. The figure turned and dashed into the darkness.

"Rare Hunters!" he said and he dashed into the darkness.

"CONTACT! CONTACT!" McRaven shouted. He and the second passenger of the Karlmann King stepped out, rifles at the ready, aimed at the darkness.

"Crystal!" Yuri shouted. Crystal was lying on the ground unconscious. "CRYSTAL!" Yuri cried. "HELP!"

"Stay down!" Ren yelled.

McRaven told them to stay put as well as he scanned the rooftops. Even though their rifles had thermal/night vision scopes, they saw nothing. "GET YURI!" he shouted. Two men grabbed Yuri and Ren while McRaven dashed toward Crystal and picked jer. Yuri and Ren quickly jumped inside and McRaven gently laid Crystal down on the floor. He shut the door. "Ace of Spades is secure! You stay and guard the store!"

"Roger!" "Roger!" said the remaining team. They formed a perimeter outside as Sergei and his staff barricaded the entrance with iron doors.

"Everyone stay calm!" Sergei shouted inside the store. "Stay calm! Natalya! Make sure the back doors are shut. Be careful."

Suddenly, Andre dashed out the back door.

"ANDRE!" Sergei shouted. "ANDRE! COME BACK!"

Meanwhile, Nick was dodging and weaving across the alleyways looking for the Rare Hunters. When he turned left behind an auto repair shop, he was jumped by a Neo Rare Hunter from the shadows. He lunged at Nick with a knife. But Nick was quick, for he had spent many years fending for his life against thieves in the underbelly of Aquarius.

"So you guys are willing to hurt my friends to get some shiny card, huh? Man, you guys are all kinds of insane."

"We do what we must, junior!" said Rare Hunter. "Now kindly get out of here before I slice your guys out. My boss has work to do."

"So there's more of you, huh?"

"More than you think."

"So you didn't plant the bombs in those cars?"

"No, none of us did. That's not how we operate. Now get lost."

"Not until you tell me where the rest of you are."

"I'm not talking! Now get out! This is your last warning, kid."

"Put 'em up, cowboy!" Nick said. He dodged the knife-wielding Rare Hunter and put up his fists. The Neo Rare Hunter thrust his knife forward, and Nick dodged out of the way, then he found his opening and punched the hunter square in the jaw, knocking him out. He saw the black Duel Disk in his arm and looted it. "Nice!" he said. "A Duel Disk. Finders, keepers, man."

He ran into the alley and didn't get too far before he ran into cloaked figures standing in the darkness ahead of him.

"What's the big idea?" shouted Nick. "Why did you guys set off that bomb!? That's a bit too extreme to want to get a shiny card for your collection."

"We had nothing to do with that," said the Neo Rare Hunter in the center of the group. "It seems your friend Yuri has more than just us for enemies in this city. Whoever it was that set off those bombs, ruined our plan and let him get away."

"Is that so?" said Nick. "Well, now you've got to contend with me."

"We want nothing to do with you, boy. Get lost before you get hurt and suffer a fate worse than your friends."

"Oh, is that what you think?" said Nick. "Come on. You guys like forcing people into Duels, right? So take on me. I win, you tell me what you guys are all about."

"You have nothing that interests me, boy!"

"How about this?" Nick said, holding up the Duel Disk he looted from the Rare Hunter he knocked out.

"Where did you get that?" the leader of the group shouted.

"From one of your goons. He tried to shishkabob me, but I was too fast for him. You want this back, then you have to go one-on-one with me. Got it?"

"Very well, you leave me no choice. But I assure you, boy, you will be sorry you ever crossed with us." He activated his Duel Disk.

LP 4000

"I'll start things first!" said the Rare Hunter. "I set a monster face-down in defense mode. and lay one card face-down."

"Lame!" said Nick. "Watch a real Duelist in action! I summon Panther Warrior in attack mode!" Nick summoned a humanoid panther in bright blue and yellow armor and a green cape. He had a curved blade in one hand and a large decorative tower shield in the other. His ATK points were 2000 making him a formidable beast.

"Hmph, an impressive monster! But he can only attack if you Tribute a monster."

"And I've got plenty of monsters to use for Tribute," said Nick. "I activate the spell, Scapegoat." He summoned four little sleeping lamb spirits that floated in front of him. "This spell lets me use a different type of monster called a Token. And there are four of them. So that makes four tributes to use for my Panther Warrior to attack. And I sacrifice one so he attacks your face-down monster. Go, Panther Warrior!"

Panther Warrior snarled, raising his sword. A blue lamb turned into a ball of light, which was then absorbed into Panther Warrior's soul, making it glow. Panther Warrior dashed across the alley and sliced the face-down monster in half.

The Rare Hunter laughed. "The monster you attacked was Skelengel. When it is flipped face-up, I get to draw a card. And Why stop there? I activate the trap card, Jar of Greed, which lets me draw an additional card."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," said Nick. "I end my turn."

"And I shall end this Duel!" said the Rare Hunter. "I activate Pot of Greed and draw two cards. Now, I set all five pieces of Exodia on the field."

"What? Exodia? Oh no! It's you! You're the one everybody's been talking about!"

"Yes, and now you are about to come face to face with the most powerful creature in all of Duel Monsters!" The Seal of Exodia formed behind him. From it the unstoppable force that was Exodia the Forbidden One came lumbering out, snarling and growling through his teeth, letting out clouds of steam.

"Exodia! Obliterate!"

Exodia created a small sun with his hands and fired it at Nick, sending him flying more than twelve feet before he crashed to the ground and rolled to a stop. As he was down, the other rare hunters ran to him and beat him down with stomps to his face and kicks to his gut before reclaiming the Duel Disk he looted from the Rare Hunter he defeated.

"Shall we take his rare card, Seeker?" said one of the hunters.

"No, I know all about this boy. He's apparently the weakest Duelist in the entire city. There's nothing in his deck that interests me. Come, let us go. Whoever caused that explosion created quite a ruckus. Soon the whole city and its security forces will be upon us. We must move now."

"Someone is coming," said a hunter.

The Seeker looked in the direction his subordinate was pointing. Andre came running down the alleyway as a curtain of heavy rain began to fall from the sky. Thunder blasted in the clouds, mixing with the hundreds of sirens wailing in the distance. "Ah, I know him," said Seeker. "It's the boy Yugi Muto trained. Leave him to me. The rest of you return to the hideout."

"Yes, sir!" The other hunters ran away. As they did, Andre stopped for Nick and helped him up. "Nick, Nick. Are you okay?"

Nick slowly opened his eyes. The raindrops fell on them, making them hard to open.

"Nick!" Andre said.

Nick finally came to and recognized the voice. "You!" he tried to yell, but it came out as a cough. Andre tried to set Nick down against the wall, but Nick shoved him away and crawled to it himself.

"Nick, you okay?"

"Do I look okay?" Nick said through his teeth. "Ugh, it's him! He's still here." He tried to point at the Rare Hunter, but his arm fell limp as he passed out from the pain.

"Nick!"Andre looked at the Rare Hunter. "You're going to pay for this!" Andre shouted. "I should have known the Rare Hunters finally going away was too good to be true. I know you! You're the one who battled my master many years ago."

"How perceptive," said Seeker. "Likewise, I've heard much about you, Andre Martin. Your arrogance caused the extinction of one of Termnnia's most noble families, the House of Wyvernheart. And now it seems Yugi Muto has taken you under his wing and sent you here to safeguard the future High King. Ha! From what I've seen, you're doing a very poor job. " He started laughing like a madman.

Andre pointed at him. "You shut your mouth! Better yet, I'll have my magicians take care of that!" Andre removed his backpack to take out a Duel Disk he purchased that morning.

"Perfect. I was waiting for this."

"But how did you come back? Why did Marik give you a second chance?"

"Marik!?" the Seeker laughed again. "Is that what you believe you stupid naive fool!? Marik Ishtar is history! I work for someone much more powerful than him! But don't you go thinking that I'll be telling you anything! Let's get this Duel over with so I can take the Dark Magician card you earned at the abbey!"

"How did you know I was in the Conqueror's Abbey?"

"There is much we know about you, Andre Martin. Now, why don't you start things off!"

"I think I will!" Andre said, drawing his opening hand. He was thankful for the fact that they were in protective sleeves to guard his cards against the rain that seemed to pour down in violent torrents.

LP 4000

"I must say, I was looking forward to this," said the Seeker. "My new master will reward me greatly for taking down the apprentice of Yugi Muto, but then again, why should a title like that matter? Everyone knows Yugi Muto's pride and joy is Prince Yuri and those Seven Princes of the Alliance."

"What did you say?"

"You heard what I said, fool! He has no trust in you to defend Termnnia the way the others do."

"You're just trying to psyche me out!" said Andre. "Master Yugi saw great potential in me."

"Oh, is that so? Then why do you think he dumped you in the Abbey of the Conqueror for two years and then place you here in the Standard Dimension to watch Yuri? Those Princes he loves so much are blessed with weapons and great power given to them by the Goddesses! What do you have? An ability to travel from world to world as you please? As impressive as such a feat is, it means little when it comes to the defense of your nation."

"I'm just as gifted as they are," said Andre. "I had the ability to Dimension Walk without the need of becoming an all-powerful wizard or mage."

"You think that's something to brag about?" said Seeker. "Yes, by some miracle you have been able to achieve that skill from the get-go, but you lack the power and wisdom that others with the ability of Dimensional Walking have. You see, REAL Dimensional Walkers train for many years, some even for hundreds of years, to master that rare and powerful gift. Doing so, they've learned advanced magic spells and acquired great knowledge, something you lack greatly."

"I get that, but I can hold my own in real combat, too."

"Yes, I know all about that Eidolon of yours."

"Good, and you're lucky we're here in the Standard Dimension where I can't summon him. If we were back him, I'd have him destroy you for what you did to Nick and Yuri. Was blowing up those cars necessary?"

"We had nothing to do with those explosions," said the Seeker. "And I don't care if you believe me or not. Hurry up and make your move so I can begin the hunt!

Andre - 4000 LP
LP -4000 Seeker

T1

"I'll start you cloaked freak, I'll set two cards and special summon my Apprentice Illusion Magician Girl by discarding one card. Next with her effect, I add Dark Magician to my hand. Next, I play Monster Reborn to summon Dark Magician to my field and that ends my turn."

T2

The Seeker stared at the magicians and scoffed, rain drops plopped from the edge of the hood cloaking his face in shadows. "It's not Yugi's Dark Magician but I suppose it will do." He looked at his hand and grinned. Excellent, I've already gotten two of the five pieces needed to obliterate this imbecile. ""I think I'll go easy on you, for now, boy. I'll set one monster in defense mode and set three cards face-down ending my turn."

T3

"My turn, I draw and you know something you must really think I'm stupid?"

"And?" the Seeker said.

"You don't think I don't know what you're planning? Well, then if I happened to take a guess that you're stalling to play Exodia the Forbidden One, would you be surprised?" I asked him.

"You really think it matters if you knew what I was planning boy? I might have guessed Yugi Muto told you all about his past victories. So stop acting smug because the fact you know I have Exodia in my deck means absolutely nothing."

"I'll beat you before it comes to that."

"Oh, will you?"

"Yes, because now I activate my face-down trap card Eternal Soul and I'll use its effect to bring my Dark Magic Attack spell card to my hand from my deck. Then I'll activate Dark Magic Attack to destroy all your face-down cards since I control Dark Magician."

The mighty wizard jumped into the air and destroyed the Seeker's back row.

"Now, Dark Magician attack his face-down monster!" Dark Magician spun his staff and attacked but what he didn't expect to destroy was a metal jar-like monster.

"Oh no! A Cyber Jar," Andre cried out. His two magicians cried out in agony and shattered to pieces.

"Didn't see that coming did you, boy? Think twice before you call someone arrogant! Now, thanks to Cyber Jar's effect, we pick up five cards from our decks, and if any of them are monsters, we summon them directly to the field."

Andre and Seeker picked up the five cards from their decks and summoned all level four or below monsters. Andre's monsters were Beta The Magnet Warrior, Celtic Guardian, Beaver Warrior, and monster Kumori Dragon.

The Seeker than Special Summoned Three-Headed Geedo, Hannibal Necromancer, Stone Statue of the Aztecs, and Gear Golem the Moving Fortress.

He then laughed as his turn began.

T4

"Well, I thank you for giving me a good wall, you fool! But I can't go defense this whole time, I play Pot of Greed to draw two cards." Perfect! Another piece of Exodia. Now all I need are two more pieces and I can summon the all-powerful beast and destroy him!

T5

"I draw and I activate the Card of Sanctity so we have to draw until we have six cards."

The Seeker began to laugh maniacally. "You fool! It's over for you. Thanks to your Card of Sanctity, I've assembled all five pieces." He heard Andre snickering through the sound of the rain falling all around them. "What's so funny?"

"Good, I was hoping you would do that."

"Huh?"

"I activate the face-down card. One that should be familiar to you. that seals your fate I activate Lifeforce Sword!"

"WHAT!? OH NO! NOT AGAIN!"

The Lightforce Sword could strike a card in the opponent's hand and banish it for four turns. And the card it pierced was the Right Arm of Exodia. "NO! YOU PIERCED EXODIA'S RIGHT ARM!"

"Yeah. And now I'm ending this. I activate the effect of Eternal Soul to bring Dark Magician to the field!"

The Rare Hunter screamed, for there was nothing he could do to stop the Dark Magician from coming back."

"And now I activate Upstart Goblin! It lets me draw a card and you gain 1000 Life Points."

'Why would you give me the lead?" Seeker shouted.

"So I can activate this card. Megamorph, which doubles my Dark Magician's ATK since my Life Points are lower than yours. And Diffusion Wave Motion lets me attack all your monsters at the cost of half my life points.

"No!"

Unfortunately for Seeker, he set Three-Headed Geedo and Hannibal Necromancer in attack mode, which cost him the Duel. The double attack from Dark Magician dealt 7300 points of damage. A great blast shook the alleyway, followed by a dust cloud. When it cleared, Seeker was gone. Andre was left all alone in the rain.

"WHERE DID YOU GO!?" Andre shouted. No one answered. "COWARD! THIS ISN'T OVER!" He turned around to tend to Nick, but he wasn't there. He was gone, too. "Nick! Nick!" Andre shouted. He ran across the maze of alleyways and corridors lit with neon signs. But there was no sign of him. He then saw Nick walking out of the alley, using the wall to support himself. He tried calling his friends, but his phone's battery had died down. His arms stung him awfully, and his legs felt like lead.

"Nick!" Andre said. "Hey! Hey, let me help you."

"I can take care of this myself!" Nick said, flinging his arm to keep Andre away. "Who the hell told you to butt in?"

"Nobody, but you needed help."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, always wanting to be the big hero. First, you take Yuri's title as Duel King, then you try and nudge yourself into our family, and now this? I bet you just couldn't wait to march on over to the Ruby Dragon and brag about how you saved poor Nick, huh?"

"I'm not going to do that, Nick. Come on, let me help you."

"Forget it. I can get home on my own. Acckk!" He fell to his knees. "Don't touch me!" he said in case Andre wanted to help him up.

"Nick we have to get you to a hospital, man. I can't let you head over there alone in your condition. Not in this weather. I can get us a cab."

Nick hated to admit it, but he knew he was right. "Fine. But I don't want anyone to hear about this in the morning. You tell this story to anyone, and I'm knocking all your teeth out and stuffing your deck down your throat, got it!"

"Sheesh, man, chill. I just want to help."

"Then shut up and help. Take me over there under that awning so I can sit down. You can call the cab from there."

"Got it, bud."

"I'm not your bud!"

"Heh, heh, right." Andre put Nick's arm over his neck and carried him to the patio Nick directed him to. "Why are you acting like this with me, man?"

"Just keep walking."

"But Nick..."

"LOOK! I don't know what your obsession is with our group, but I don't like it. We're not just a group of friends. We're a family! Just us! And no one else, you got that? You wanna hang with us and play cards with us, fine. I'm cool with that. But stop trying to be one of us."

"One of you? What exactly are you?"

"Family! Do I have to spell it out for you? What do you want? Do you want Yuri as your best buddy? Or is it Patty you want?"

"Ah, I see what this is all about. Well, you don't have to worry about any of that. I can't be Yuri's best friend even if I tried, Nick. You have that honor. And Patty, heh, yeah she's hot and has a dynamite body..."

"You better stop right there..."

Andre laughed. "Just kidding. Anyway, she's way out of my league. Even I know that. She has her flaws but I can tell she's a really special girl. And I know how much this group of yours means to you, Nick. As much as I'd like for you and the others to hold me in high regard the way you do each other, I know it's not my place. I'm doomed to be alone."

Nick sniffed to clear his nasal passage and looked away. "Sucks to be you."

"But we can both be Yuri's friends, too, you know. You'll just be a rung or two higher than me on the ladder. I know I can never have a group of friends like you guys."

"Like I said, so long as you're just going to play cards or whatever, I'm cool with having you around. But try anything to hurt my friends or put any of them in danger, I'll never forgive you!"

"You got it, Nick. Don't worry." Andre set Nick down on the patio, and then dialed for a taxi. But there was none since the city was in lockdown at the moment. He was instead directed to an emergency line that got them the help they needed. And before they knew it, a RAPTOR emergency vehicle approached.

Medics got out while a small security team guarded the perimeter. Even the paramedics had guns as well. "Back away from the patient!" said the medical soldier. Andre did as he was told to give the medical squad the space they needed to set up their gear and help Nick.

A soldier asked Nick to look at a retinal scanner so he could get his information. "Look right here, son. Okay. Scanning. Wow! Platinum Coverage. He must be really important around here."

The team attached IV bags to Nick's arm. And lifted him into the emergency armored vehicle while Andre was asked to go to the front seats with the troops so the medical squad to work on Nick.

"Good work out there, kid," said the soldier. "He was in bad shape. What were you doing out on a night like this?"

"We were on our way home when the bombs went off," Andre lied. "And then we got ambushed by a Duel Gang."

"Yup, that seems to be happening more now with those fucking Duel Disks. I told you guys those things would cause more problems." The soldier handed Andre some water and after that, he fell asleep.