Yami Marik - The City of Domino, Termnnia

October 1 - Year 18 4AOS

"He has grown so much," the deep-voiced demon said leaning back in his booth. A glass of sweet, burning, scotch with a sphere cube jingled in the clutches of his long, tan fingers like snakes adorned in rings of gold and different precious stones.

A neon sign hung on the red-brick wall beside his table. It read Salazar in a tantalizing red light that washed the dull marble table in red and blue. His Millennium Item reflected the light of the neon sign perfectly making it look like there was a hellish blaze within the relic. Soothing noir-style jazz played from a neon-lit jukebox on the lonely corner of the bar. The music mixed with the soothing sounds of the rain tapping against the window of the bar. Outside, the city was lit up by an explosion of color from the various red light signs of the Red Bunny's District.

There were animated signs of pink and red, shaped to look like the silhouettes of women in sexual poses and dancing on poles. Even from his seat, Marik's companion, Bakura could see the pretentious form of the House of Gray looming over the poorly kept apartment buildings which housed the unwanted and forgotten of Domino City.

Marik took a long gulp of his drink as a large truck drove by. Its wheels washed against the soaked streets outside. Some water from a puddle it ran over splashed against the window. As Marik raised his glass to his lips, the leather of his hooded brown leather jacket groaned while keeping up with his movements. Underneath he wore a sleeveless black shirt that was torn from a Duel he had earlier. The leather of his jacket even showed signs of wear and tear.

He smiled and said: "His Dueling skills, no doubt, have improved. But that Black Tyranno card. No. That is a rare gift indeed."

Bakura sniggered, leaning casually against his orange leather seat. He straightened his dark denim jacket, bringing the fur-trimmed collar closer to his neck to warm him from the chill of the fan swirling overhead. His Millennium Ring shined brightly over the gray t-shirt. A veil of smoke clouded the roof from the tobacco gobblers sitting about the bar hoping to wash away their long and miserable day with a stiff drink, cheap steak, and buxom beauties to look at.

The waitresses were in small orange skirts and tight black tank tops that fit snuggly over their chests. One of them stopped by to refill their drinks. Bakura tipped her for a nice view down her shirt. He picked up his refilled glass of scotch and drank slowly.

Sitting beside him was Dartz, one of the officers in charge of the assault on Karad-Antha, the mountain fortress where their lord and master, Anubis, was slain by Prince Daveed when he was only a few hours old. His black overcoat still glimmered with ice-cold rainwater, for he had just arrived a few minutes earlier.

Bakura peered towards the bar and saw a man with a United States bandana on his head, chugging down an entire bottle of Forwost beer. His cards slipped out of his hands and fell on the black-and-white-tiled floor.

Bakura found it quite queer that a man, an Eldori of all things, would be wearing the colors of a flag from another world. What was so special about it? He wondered. But he had no time to ponder that sort of thing. Right now, he and his fellows were in quite a precarious position.

The Black Tyranno.

"I wonder how he got it?" said Bakura, bringing his drink to his lips again. "That card was said to be locked up in the vaults of House Delgado's castle."

"No doubt it was that stupid girl, Serenity," Dartz said, stirring his drink in his hand, causing the ice cubes to jingle along the sides of his glass. "She has such a love for the boy it was sickening. I wanted to barf every time I saw her cradling him in her arms as though he popped out of her own twat."

Bakura sniggered at his crudeness.

Marik sneered. "In any case, the Black Tyranno has found its way to the Prince. Not only do we need to take that card from him for its rarity, but for his own safety. An ancient power resides in that card. One that only the Lords of House Delgado can only wield."

"Aren't you being a bit melodramatic?" Bakura sniggered, putting his arm on the top of the booth seat. "The card's not even that good."

"I wasn't talking about the card effect," said Marik. "The Black Tyranno only listens to the Kings of Feldia. The Sisterhood knows of this as well. If they detect that power, they could find Yuri."

"And kill him before the plan can be set in motion," Bakura added.

"Then we just take the card from him," said Dartz. "Simple as that."

Marik, again, gave a mischievous snigger to withhold the obscenity he wanted to throw at Dartz for his impudence. "Were it so easy," he said calmly. "I told you, an ancient force resides in that card. We can snatch it from Yuri a thousand times, and a thousand times that card will return to him."

"Why?" said Dartz.

Bakura tapped the table with his finger and answered before Marik could. "That card is an Oath Monster. They are bound by the will of the Goddess who blesses the House of the monster's keeper. The only way to get that card is by beating the owner in a Duel under the Pact."

Dartz pinched the bridge of his nose, remembering the holy vow Termnnian Kings used to settle their disputes so as to avoid total war. "What must we do then?"

"I shall send my Rare Hunters to take it from Yuri," said Marik. "The non-Eldori ones, of course."

"Yuri won't give up his monster without a fight," said Bakura. "Even if the boy loses, he has skill in hand-to-hand combat."

Marik looked at Bakura with his crazed look. "A feat you and the Paradox Brothers so generously taught him."

There was a vexing tone in that statement. Bakura's face creased into an expression of agitation. "It had to be done," Bakura brooded. "The people of that world were chewing him up and spitting him out. I had to do something to make him stronger. Which is more than I can say for Yugi and his pitiful band." He brought his glass to his lips to sip the last bit of scotch.

"You aided Yuri in getting stronger?" chuckled Dartz. "Why, you practically raised him from what I heard. You loved the boy."

Bakura slammed his glass on the table. "I did what I did for Lord Anubis. He needs a King, not a wimp! And you sure as hell didn't do anything to help him. Yuri would have been dead if it wasn't for me. We need him!"

"Why do you want him alive so badly?" said Dartz. "We could have killed him long ago if it weren't for you. Just who's side are you on I wonder?"

"I am on the side of Odiva!" said Bakura, making his oath to the Fallen Goddess and Mother of Zorc Necrophades. "And if the plan is to succeed, Yuri has to be strong. You know this. Or are you too busy trying to resurrect your 'pet' to care about the master anymore, Dartz?"

"My child will serve his purpose. At least he has one unlike the cockamamy plan of yours, Bakura."

"You can gather a thousand souls with that bloody Seal," said Bakura. "You will never get the Kovan-Tara to revive and regain the power it once had thousands of years ago."

"You call it by its Elvish name?" chuckled Dartz. "How amusing."

"That's enough," said Marik. "Are we in favor of sending in the Rare Hunters or not?"

Bakura chuckled, making the sound of a knife scraping against stone. "They're your lackeys," he said. "If you want them to go after Yuri, so be it. I've learned there are going to be two tournaments being held. There is a Duel Carnival being planned during the winter. And then one that takes place before the summer when Yuri comes home. That is the big one. Those games will determine whether Yuri comes home or not."

"Hmm," said Marik. "Then see to it that he doesn't win those games. I want that Black Tyranno card. It would make a nice addition to my collection."

"I'll bet," said Bakura. "As I said, send the bloody Hunters. Deep down, I have a feeling that you're only going to be wasting your time, Marik."

Marik nodded at the challenge. "You feel that Yuri's skills surpass that of my Rare Hunters?"

Bakura signaled the waitress for another refill with his finger. She nodded, swelling up another glass for a poor laundromat owner at the corner, who was eyeing the golden items Marik and Bakura possessed.

"The boy just beat a regional champion," Bakura said after ordering his drinks. "I think he has a few more surprises up his sleeve. While I have faith your Rare Hunters will get the job done, I still have my money on the boy."

"I'll wager you these," Marik said happily. He reached into his jacket and took out a deck box of polished mahogany decorated with gold. He opened it and tossed out a stack of Gold Rare cards from the Premium Gold Series.

Handsome red rubies also fell out of the deck case. The laundromat owner saw this and stood up in his seat. He wanted to take the items from them at gunpoint with the fire-enchanted pistol he kept tucked in the waistband of his trousers. But there was a terrifying aura coming from the three men. He thought better of it and sat down.

Bakura, meanwhile, chuckled. He poured from an exquisite leather sack, two handfuls of gold Star Chips and Crowns. He added his own Gold Rare cards to sweeten the pot.

"Hmm," said Dartz, rubbing his chin. "Impressive."

"You're on, Marik," laughed Bakura. "I say Yuri kicks the Rare Hunters out of the other world in no time at all."

"Ha!" said Marik. "And I will wager these if he doesn't. But don't underestimate my Duelists, Bakura. They are the elite of the elite."

Bakura laughed out loud. "Yeah, look how well that turned out in the Battle City Tournament."

"Those were the old Rare Hunters," said Marik. "These Duelists are the Neo Hunters. A new generation of Duelists, who will take down Yuri. I oversaw their training personally."

"I do hope you're ready for a bit of a disappointment," said Bakura.

A woman entered the bar, dressed in a black hooded coat. She tsked angrily when she saw the three men sitting in their booth getting drunk. Darkness kept her eyes hidden, but the light of the diner revealed beautiful red lips and locks of golden hair, and a slender neck. The coat hugged her round, perfect form causing the laundromat owner to go red and breathless.

"So here I find you," she said. "Drinking the night away when there is so much work to do."

"Work?" scoffed Marik. "All you have to do is keep those sisters of yours on a leash before the time comes to bring Yuri home."

"And I assure you that's no easy task," said the woman. She put her hands on her hips and tilted to the left. "Do you boys know how much trouble I'm in right now? There was a meeting earlier tonight involving the Sisters and Lord Denethon. They know the Black Tyranno is missing. The card is bound only to Delgado blood. The boy is of Delgado blood. And last I heard, he summoned the damn thing. The island where he lives is talking all about his Duel. Those stupid fools working for Yugi did that no doubt."

"They are too self-righteous," Dartz agreed.

"But what reason do you have for worrying?" said Bakura. "If I'm not mistaken, you have half the Sisterhood siding with me? Do you not?"

"I still have much work to do in that prospect," said the woman. "Nevertheless, some have listened to our cause. But it's caused much division within the Sisterhood. Denethon knows this and suspects me. Bakura, you must keep Yuri from playing that card. If Yuri is found out, they will come for him. They will kill him. And if he's gone, Lord Anubis is forever doomed."

"You don't have to keep reminding me," said Bakura. "Now stop worrying, my dear. You're doing beautifully. Everything is going according to plan."

The laundromat owner suddenly approached them after gathering the courage to confront them. He could take it no more. Gold. Jewelry. Rare golden cards. And a beautiful Eldori woman to boot. He loomed over them with a drunken fury and tossed a black bag on the table. "All right, boys, drop the loot and the bag and nobody gets hurt!" he commanded. "And the lady is coming home with me!"

Marik, Bakura, and Dartz just kept their trademark grins. "I'll take him," said Marik. "Are you familiar with the game Duel Monsters?"

"I don't have time for games!" said the owner, Mr. Guss Driscol was written in gold letters on the nametag pinned to his striped suit. The logo for his business, Suds and Suds Co., was in blue underneath the letters, dwarfing them in size.

"Of course," said Marik. "We're all busy. But Duel me, and not only will you win all we have laid here on the table, but you'll get so much more."

"I'm listening," said Guss.

"I have many beautiful friends," said the woman, putting a sexy tone into her voice. "And they're all dying to make the acquaintance of a very promising businessman such as yourself."

"Oh yeah?" said Guss, his mustache shivered in excitement.

"Uh-huh. We live downtown near the House of Gray. You know. The King's District."

"So, you ladies have money?" said Guss.

The woman nodded and pulled on Guss's tie. "Indeed I do. Now, there is no need to get nasty. We all just want to get on with our night in peace. I can tell you're armed. Naughty, naughty. There is no need for that. You win, you get to keep the gold and the cards. And I take you home to meet my lovely friends. Lose, well, you don't get the cards, but I can tell you're a hard-working hunk." She put her hands around his neck. Guss made a crooked grin from the corner of his mouth. "I'll still reward you with a night with me and the girls."

"Sounds good," said Guss. "But I'm in dire need of some money. As much as it'll please me fucking you and your lady friends, I fear I'll still be left penniless. The King has made it hard on all of us ever since his do-gooder son, Prince Michael, eliminated the slave trade."

"So you were a human trafficker?" said Marik.

"Once upon a time," said Guss. "Thanks to him, I lost my condo. My Limo. My entourage. Sorry toots, but I need gold."

The woman smiled and unzipped her jacket to reveal the swell of her breasts. Guss's face looked like it turned into an apple. "We don't live in the King's District for nothing," the woman said. "Have some fun with us, and we'll pay you handsomely. My girls are lonely. They want someone to play with. Accept the Duel, handsome. You win either way."

Guss cackled nervously. "Oh yeah!" he said. "Let's play." He held up his wrist. There was a D-Pad strapped to it.

Marik then led Guss outside in the rain. Their cards and equipment were thankfully waterproof so they had no problem Dueling the cold rain. Marik stood on one end of the sidewalk, and Guss on the other. The hooded woman was leaning against the wall, shielded by the rain by the red awning over her head.

"DUEL!" They both shouted.

"I'll go first!" said Marik. "I summon Necrolancer the Time Lord in attack mode."

Marik summoned a one-eyed green creature with skinny arms and legs. There was a horn protruding from his head and two long fangs came out from his overbite. A golden dimensional ring appeared behind him. His weapon could send his foes to different points in time and be lost forever. (ATK/800 DEF/900)

Guss was next. "I summon Doron in attack mode!"

The card projected by his side jumbo-sized. Then, a vortex of glittering light swirled over the card's art. Out came a strange-looking character with a shadowy body striped in red with a tinge of green. (ATK/900 DEF/500). Guss laughed. His monster was 100 ATK points stronger than Marik's, and he was about to get stronger.

"Behold, the Equip-Spell, Legendary Sword!" He shouted, equipping his monster with a sword that had a bluish-white blade and a golden hilt. "This card will increase my monster's ATK and DEF by 300 points! (ATK/1200) Your Necrolancer is history!"

Doron sniggered cruelly, raising his new weapon and slashing Necrolancer in half.

"Argh," Marik said calmly, still grinning despite seeing his monster getting slaughtered and losing 400 of his Life Points.

Yami Marik-1600 LP

Guss-2000 LP

"My turn," said Marik. "Draw." He examined his hand and broke out into a laugh. Lightning flashed and thunder bellowed, making his amusement much more dramatic.

"This is going to be one short game," Marik laughed. "You're a Decker. Duelists who are all talk and no game. You avoid the new rules because they are far too complicated for your feeble mind."

"Hah!" laughed Guss. "I assume you're talking about Synchros, Xyz (X-eez), and Pendulum Summoning. Don't make me laugh. This is how you play the game, bub!"

"So be it," said Marik. "I play the Spell Card, Polymerization. Fusing together my Possessed Dark Soul and Frontier Wiseman together to create...Dark Balter the Terrible!"

Yami Marik summoned a frightening fiend lord who stood ten feet tall. He was almost concealed in the darkness of the night. A streetlamp nearby highlighted his silhouette. The beast had a golden, layered, spiked body. The upper body was covered by a bright green robe with white fur trimming. He had long, mangled, blond hair and green eyes that pierced the night.

Dark Balter the Terrible

ATK/2000 DEF/1200

"Two thousand Points!" gasped Guss.

"Ha!" Marik bellowed. "If you were more informed with the new gameplay, monsters like him would seem like nothing. Survival of the fittest, Guss. I now Equip my Dark Balter with Megamorph. This card will double my monster's ATK if my Life Points are lower than yours, thereby raising Dark Balter's ATK to 4000!"

"NO!" cried Guss.

"Dark Balter!" shouted Marik. "Attack and end this match!"

Dark Balter the Terrible lived up to his name. He picked up Doron from the throat and held him up high. Using his claws, he eviscerated the little warrior monster and wiped out Guss's Life Points. The woman in the hooded cloak approached the man with open arms.

"Well, I sure got my butt kicked," said Guss. He took the pistol out of its holster. "All right, pretty boy. Hand over the stuff."

Marik scoffed. "I thought we had an agreement. Foolish man."

Guss sneered, grabbing the woman by the front of her coat and dragging him towards him. He put an arm around her shoulder. His hand slid down her back and stopped over her buttocks. "Nice," Guss said, rubbing his hand in circles over the woman's rump. "And you say there's plenty more of this back at your place, huh?"

"I did," the woman said coldly.

"I'm going to be rich tonight," said Guss. "Gold cards. Gems. Coins and Chips. And all the girls for me to feast on. Ah. I'm in Heaven."

"Not yet," the woman said, and she jabbed a jewel-encrusted knife into his back.

Guss croaked from the pain and dropped his pistol. His fingers stiffened from the pain and could no longer grip the weapon. Guss dropped to his knees, arms stretching up to the sky He gasped for air; for the pain grasped his lungs like a vice. Dark Balter the Terrible, still being rendered on the field, crossed his arms and laughed.

Marik approached the senile old fool and held up his Millennium Rod. A blade slid out of the bottom of the rod with the press of a button. Marik looked down at Guss with madness in his eyes before he slid the blade across the poor man's neck.

A river of blood poured out of the wound. Guss gagged and purled in fright. He pressed his hands over the wounds in hopes of slowing down the bleeding enough to find help. But he was no fortunate this night.

In a matter of moments. He fell face-first into the ground. He was gone. A river of blood slithered from underneath his empty shell.

"Dumb bastard," the hooded woman said, picking up his body.

Marik watched as she dragged Guss's corpse by the arms into the alley where she tossed the body into a dumpster. Bakura came out of the bar, gripping the collar of his jacket over his neck. "He still wanted more, didn't he?" Bakura asked.

Marik tilted his head down the alley to point out their hooded companion doing what she could to hide the body. Bakura laughed maniacally. "Amateur," he said. He took a lighter from his pocket, flicked it on, and tossed it into the dumpster. A wall of flames erupted from within, and he shut the top of the dumpster to keep the rain from putting out the flames.

"Well," said Marik. "That was rather enjoyable. "Let's make these weekend outings a regular thing, shall we?" He bowed. "Now you must excuse me. I have to prepare my Neo Hunters for their mission."

"Make it quick," said Bakura. "If Yuri is called, all the years of planning would have been for naught."

Yuri - Montgomery Palace

October 2 - Year 18 4AOS

Even though he would have rather stayed home reading, 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 woke up early on Saturday, as he said he would. About 7 in the morning. He dressed, made sure Black Tyranno was in his deck, had a quick breakfast, and stormed out the door into the city.

He took the bus to the central island and then hailed a cab, which took him downtown where the shop was located. The lights to the giant shop were opened already from the inside and the LED lights placed around the windows flashed in different colors. Yuri stopped and looked up at the 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."

"Hey," someone said. Yuri looked away from the dragon and saw that it was Crystal. She was smiling at him as she peered through the door. "You going to stand there all day or what? We're all waiting for you?"

"All?"

"Yeah, me, Ren, and that Andre guy who followed you to the beach. We're going to have a few squash matches to help better prepare you for the future."

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. She 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 bellowed 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.

As she passed by, the sweet smell of passion fruit and cherries perfumed the air.

She said: "I know this is a bit early to call you for Dueling, but it needs to be done. Now that you're famous around here, everyone's going to want a piece of you, buddy. You know as well as I do how many hotshots inhabit this floating metropolis of ours. 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. To his surprise, she led him even farther into the shop. Ah, yes! That's right. Ruby Dragon Gaming's new patio was opened the night before. If it wasn't for the need to study for his math test, Yuri would have been there that night. Crystal walked through automatic sliding glass doors into the warmth of the morning sun. The patio gave off a view of the ocean, which was colored in a lovely shade of turquoise as far as the eye could see. Over the railing, Yuri saw expensive megayachts sailing below. The sky was a brilliant shade of blue and there were only a few clouds in the sky.

Nirvana, Yuri though.

Ren was sitting beside one of the tables, which had a red umbrella trimmed with string lights providing the players shade from the sun. The surface was cluttered with four booster boxes Crystal bought and some packs Ren picked up along the way. He sat up in his chair and made a face of discomfort. He loosened his black tie a bit and said: "Good morning, Yuri. Glad you could make it." The silver and gold rings on his fingers flashed when the sunlight beaming through the window touched them. He sported black slacks, and a red buttoned shirt under a black vest damasked with royal flowery patterns. The silver chain of his prized pocket watch hung from one of his buttons. He wore sleek black sunglasses with red mirror lenses to shield his delicate eyes from the sun.

"Where's Andre?" Yuri asked.

"Pfft. You mean the great and mighty future 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 coffee. "Perhaps it was destiny 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, pulling 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 back 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 coffee 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."

"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, stirring her latte. "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. "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 Yuri wanted for his deck, he added to his deck. 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 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 Saturday," said Yuri. "Nick's working at the restaurant with his foster mom, Tyson's at his father's establishment for breakfast, Carter hates waking up on Saturday mornings, and Patty...she's not answering."

"Aw, I would have liked to meet your friends," 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."

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, big man," he mocked Ren's words. "But now Yuri's the one who is screwed. You know, with monsters as strong as this guy, I wonder why people are up in a buzz about your Black Tyranno. I mean, on paper, his effect is pretty good but when you think about it, there are much better monsters out there."

"People love Black Tyranno because he's the only one of his kind out there," Crystal answered. "And it's kind of cool for Yuri to have his own unique signature monster."

Andre shrugged. "But Valkyrion is far stronger than him so..."

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, don't end your sentences with so. It makes you sound like a smart ass."

"Dumb ass is more like it!" 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. "It's a pet peeve of mine! I absolutely HATE it when people end their sentences with so. DURRR I dunno what else to say so..."

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

"Yeah." That was all she had to say and she stormed out of the patio. Her high-heeled sandals plopped loudly against the wood.

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

"She's easily triggered," said Ren. "Still, it's a dick way to make a point. Try to be more polite."

"Sorry," Andre said. "Force of habit is all. But I'm not gonna change just because one person doesn't like it."

"Then I suggest not to be around when Crystal is. She's a lady. Respect her wishes. Now make your move, teach."

"The final move," said Andre. "Look, Yuri, even when the coast looks clear, it's best not to let down your defenses. Anything can happen, man. Like I said, your Black Tyranno is strong, but, there are stronger monsters out there. Valkyrion attacks and that ends the game. Once again, the Prince of Aquarius loses to me."

"Aw, damn," Yuri said. "Sorry, Ren."

"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. "You really think so, Ren."

"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."

"I apologize if I appear perturbed," Crystal said, taking her deck out of her purse. "I just lose it when someone triggers me with my pet peeves."

"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."