Yuri - The McKnight Family Estate/Paradiso Prima, Aquarius

October 15 - Year 18 4AOS

"Here we go," Yuri thought standing outside the door to Patty's mansion, although by the architecture, it looked like a compound of glass, steel, and concrete. The aquatic garden, though a lovely sight, did not do much to deter the dullness of the building. He took a deep breath, hoping Patty's father would not answer the door. He was 'nice' when the Prince of Aquarius visited, but he smelled of alcohol and marijuana. He rang the doorbell this time. He heard Max barking from down the hall and the sound of footsteps coming towards the door.

The chains rattled and the locks clicked. The door opened, thankfully it was neither one of Patty's parents, but Patty herself. However, her attire made Yuri very uneasy. She wore a long black sweater with the letters NSFW written in pink plastic letters on the front. And that was it. Patty chewed sweet-smelling bubble gum as she gave Yuri an awkward look.

"So, you gonna come in or what?" she asked, obnoxiously chewing her gum.

Yuri cleared his throat. "You got nothing under that sweater, do you?" he asked.

Patty blew a bubble with her gum. She popped it and brought it back into her mouth. "Just panties, what else do I need?"

"Is this a bad time? I can always come back later."

"Stop being so ridiculous," Patty said, grabbing Yuri by his wrist and dragging him in. He yelped as he was brought inside. Patty shut the door behind him, and locked it tight, as though she had taken Yuri as his prisoner. The mansion smelled so dull and clean, with a hint of mothballs from the closet, mixed with a fruity scent of pink champagne coming from a diffuser on the table by the door.

"Shoes off, please," said Patty. Yuri did as he was told, and left his shoes on a white towel by the door. Max scampered around at their feet, barking to get attention.

"Hey, Max," Yuri said, kneeling down to pet him. "How you been buddy?"

Max whined and licked Yuri's hands, wagging his little tail like crazy. "Come on, you silly goose," Patty said picking up her puppy. She kissed him loudly and repeatedly. "Yuri and I have work to do. We can play later, okay?"

Max licked her neck and the bottom of her chin. "Hey, Yuri," Patty called as she went down another hall. "Go ahead and make yourself comfortable in the kitchen. I'm going to take Max outside so he can pee. Speaking of which I gotta go, too. We got soda and chips in the pantry closet. Help yourself."

"Uh, thanks," Yuri said, heading for the kitchen. The walls were made of glass, offering a view of the central island's skyline and Phobos Tower. And the pool as well, with its waters in a crisp and cool shade of light blue. A fountain was in the center, as well as a jacuzzi that overlooked the bay behind her home. Yuri took off his backpack and sat down on the kitchen table with a very modern design. A lantern with a sphered chandelier of capiz crystal hung over it, reflecting perfectly on the glossy black surface.

Patty came back moments later with her things to work on their project about Macbeth. "I don't understand Shakespeare at all, man. He has to make his characters speak in such long and complex sentences just to express their feelings. Lady Macbeth went on and on just to say: Give me courage."

"It's not hard to understand," Yuri said, opening his textbook. The reflections of the water in the pool outside danced on the ceiling.

Patty ruffled his hair. "Yeah, well, you're a literature nerd, I'm not. Do you want anything, Yuri?"

"I'm good for now," he replied, searching his backpack for a pencil.

"Well, I'm parched," Patty said. She went for a cabinet high up over the counter to get a glass. As she went on the tips of her toes, her sweater lifted. Yuri pulled on the collar of his shirt as her black undergarments came into view. There was a message written in white that said: No Free Rides.

He coughed and looked away.

"Is everything all right, Yuri?" Patty asked, feeling around for a cup.

"It's fine," he coughed. I knew I should have brought Nick and the others. "So, uh, we're not going to be expecting your parents any time soon, are we?"

"Nah," Patty said, opening the closet to find herself a can of orange soda. She opened it and chugged down a little before going to the table and pouring it into her cup. "They just finished their business, if you know what I mean. So, they'll be out for a few hours."

"I see," Yuri said.

"So are you eager to see Nick's Duel against Andre tomorrow?"

"Not really. We all know Nick's going to lose big time."

When their paper was done, the sun had finally set behind the horizon, and the lights of the city began to twinkle across the water. The two friends breathed in relief and leaned back on their chairs.

"I'd thought we'd never get that done," Patty groaned.

"Me neither," Yuri said, examining his pencil, now smaller than his thumb from all the sharpening he did. "This should keep your grades up in class."

"Great!" Patty said. "So wanna go somewhere?"

"It's getting kind of late, don't you think?"

"It's only six o 'clock," said Patty. She leaned forward. "Or does little Yuri have a bedtime?"

Yuri stared at the girl, narrowing his eyes. "You really like to push people's buttons, don't you? Besides, it's going to cost us a lot of money to use their machines. Sixty bucks per person, plus the fee we have to pay to get to the central island."

Patty laughed and leaned back in her chair. "The Prince of Aquarius worrying about too much money." She put her head down on the table and pounded it with her fist. "I love this guy."

"You know I run on a very strict allowance," said Yuri. "But if you want to go so bad, I guess we can do something. Let me check my bank account real quick."

"You go do that," Patty said, getting up from her chair. She stretched. "So, what's the damage?"

Yuri ignored her while going through his passwords and key codes to unlock the information to his account. Meanwhile, Patty picked up their trash from the table. Finally, Yuri was able to log in. He clicked on the link to his checking, and what he saw astonished him. His eyes went wide like saucers; his mouth went dry, and his heart was beating like a war drum. The sound he made when he saw the sum in his account caused Patty to worry. She dropped the trash on the floor, gasping.

"Yuri? You okay? What happened?"

Yuri tried to speak, but the back of his throat was dry. "Nothing," he managed to croak.

Patty was not very pleased with that response. Yuri heard her hands slapping her thighs out of frustration, followed by a few choice words. "Nothing!" she repeated. "Oh my God, asshole! Are you serious? I could have been killed!"

Yuri turned to look at her, finding her remark very dramatic. "Killed? How?"

"I don't know," Patty said, bending down to pick up the trash. "I could have slipped or something. What is it? Are you that broke?"

Broke? No, no, no. Yuri was far from it. His eyes were still glued to the sum.

Hello Yuri. Your account balance is: $16,000,035. 87

"So are we good to go out, or what?" Patty asked.

"We...we are good," said Yuri. "Just uh...do me a favor and don't keep us out too late. You're in trouble enough as it is at school for sleeping in class."

Patty rolled her eyes. "Yuri," she said opening the lower cabinet door and pulling out the trash can. "I'm not in any trouble."

"Are you kidding?" Yuri said, growing rather impatient with her obliviousness to her situation with the teachers. "Mrs. Perizow forced you to stay after school because you fell asleep in class."

"Yeah, I still feel it," Patty said, rubbing her bottom. "She got me good."

Yuri slammed his fist on the table. "Patty, this is serious!"

"Will you calm your ass down?" Patty almost shouted. "Fine, we won't stay out too late if you're that worried. For God's sake. We'll stay out in town until ten."

"Eight," said Yuri. "After that, we head home."

"Eight?" Patty whined. "But that only leaves us two hours, Yuri. Be a man. Have some fun for once in your life."

"We're staying out until eight," said Yuri. "And that's final."

Patty, again, gave a roll of her eyes. "Fine. Fine. We'll stay out until eight."

"Good," said Yuri. "I don't want any problems at school tomorrow."

St. Augustus Senior High Schoo, Aquarius

October 16 - Year 18 4AOS

"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.

"You didn't go home after we parted, did you?" Yuri asked.

"Oh…huh?" Patty said, raising her head from her arms. She blushed, feeling her sleeves moist and the corner of her mouth was 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. "I saw her walk into The Red Rose last night. That place is for hoes."

"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. Yuri told her not to listen to them, but his words were interrupted when the geometry teacher told him to leave. His talk with her was going to be private, and very stern. In a vain attempt to make her feel better, Yuri chuckled and told Patty to be glad it wasn't Mrs. Perizow who kept her after class. Patty said nothing, keeping her head down in shame.

"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. "I heard she got a new job," Nick said, following his friends to the cafeteria.

"Two, actually," Tyson said, finding a place to sit by the window with a beautiful view of the ocean and the skyline. On the beach below, the students of a special club were having a pizza party making Nick awfully hungry, and jealous. Being a stowaway from Los Angeles Rojos, Consuelo could not afford to pay for the expensive foods they served at the school. All he could afford was two sticks of garlic bread and an apple.

"What do you mean she works two jobs?" Yuri asked. He slid off his backpack and sat down on the bench of their table before taking his lunch out. "Patty never told me she's working two jobs."

Natalya, who had beaten them to the table, was reading her book. She peered over the cover towards Tyson and, shook her head.

Tyson nervously yanked on his tie, coughing and clearing his throat. His erratic behavior told the boys he was hiding something. He knew they suspected something of him, and the awkward silence they gave him along with their vulture-like stares eventually broke him into telling the truth.

"Before summer vacation ended, I saw Patty was being bullied by some jerk. I intervened and punched his lights out because it got physical. He was grabbing her, pushing her, calling her names. I figured she was having some bad romance, so I wanted to help. Well, it turns out that this guy was her boss's son. She told me she was working a shift at both Burger World and the Blue Crab Shack near the waterfront of Enron Island."

"Oh, Tyson," Natalya sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose in frustration.

"I knew it!" Nick said, pounding his fist on the table. "I knew that guy at Burger World was a jerk! Consuelo took me and Sam out for dinner last week. The manager turned out to be prejudice against us stowaways and forced us to leave."

"Enron Island's waterfront's not a nice place in general," Carter said with a sigh. "That's where all the workers and traders from the mainland and pretty much other non-citizens work and hang out."

"How did Patty not get fired after you punched the lights out of his son?" Yuri asked.

Tyson rubbed his head and groaned. He was saying too much, but Yuri, Nick, and Carter loved Patty too much to be left out of the loop. "She had to pull some special 'favors' with the boss's son to keep her job. Don't ask me what they are."

"You don't need to say anymore," said Carter, he put his lunch away, having lost his appetite at the news. "I already get the idea. Now I know why the girls keep calling her a slut and stuff. Why didn't she tell the rest of us?"

"She wanted to keep it a secret," Tyson replied, taking a small bite of his sandwich.

Yuri nodded slowly, finally understanding everything that was going on with her online. "It makes sense to me now. Her profile went dark all of a sudden. Could it have something to do with that?"

"You are correct," said Natalya. "I knew about Patty working multiple jobs long before Tyson did. She trusts me a little more; It's a girl thing, okay? Yuri, you say Patty hasn't updated in months, correct? Well, take a look at this."

Natalya showed him her phone. What Yuri saw broke his heart. Patty was still very active, despite her telling him months ago that she no longer bothered to use her profile. He saw her with her other friends at bars, no doubt sneaking in with a fake ID; at the beach, in the arms of boys Yuri had never seen before; and dancing at the beach around a bonfire.

There was another of her at a club, laying on a table laughing as she let a man twice her age drink a shot from her belly. The last was a photo of her smiling with her new boss in a raunchy outfit while in the kitchen at the Blue Crab Shack, welcoming Patty on her first shift. Many of the posts on her Message Board were very crude, with conversations about drinking late at night, thanks for special favors, and being part of a young man's group of 'sister wives.

"Most of these are recent," said Nick, looking at the dates. "And judging by these icons, she has these photos and posts set to close friends only. I haven't seen any of this before, so most likely she blocked us or something."

"Woof," said Tyson. "Patty went all out this week. She turns eighteen tomorrow."

"She lied to me," said Yuri. "It makes sense to me now. It wasn't that she was bored with her account, she was hiding her double life from us." He slammed his fist on the table. "She promised us she changed! She promised!"

"She lied to all of us, Yuri," Carter said sadly. "This is a shame is what it is. After everything we've done for her. She called us brothers. She called us her greatest treasure. The only family she ever had. And THIS is how she repays us? By wandering off with another crowd? So what, are we not good enough for her anymore? Does she think she's so much cooler than us because she goes to all these parties and fancy places?"

"Calm down, will you?" Natalya said, putting her phone away. "Patty's going to kill me when she finds out I told you guys. She wanted me to keep this a secret from you."

"What for?" Nick asked. "Why would she want to slave away working three jobs when she has all that money?"

Natalya looked at him with a disgruntled look. "Well, if you paid more attention to Patty instead of her ass, you would know her father is a horrible man. He won't even lend Patty a nickel for the ferry. And with us graduating soon she decided to save up to go to some art school designed by Phobos Corp."

"My older sister goes there," said Carter. "Now I see why Patty wants a head start. The tuition is like fifty-thousand."

"Wow," said Nick. "Think of all the cards I could get with that amount of money!"

"Is there anything in that head of yours that doesn't revolve around cards?" Yuri asked, sitting beside Tyson.

"Hmm, let me see," Tyson said, making an O with his hand and peering through it like a telescope. "Nope, it's empty."

"Screw you guys," Nick said, tossing his backpack under the table. "I'm getting more food." He stomped for the lunch line, hoping to get a bag of chips.

Carter slapped the table with his palm. Patty was coming down the escalator to the cafeteria. She tossed a quarter she found on the floor into the fountain. A few girls having lunch there pointed and laughed at her. Patty folded her arms and hunched her shoulders to keep out of their view.

"Shh, here she comes!" said Natalya. "Not a word about this, please."

"Well, well, well," said Tyson, acting a little more gleeful to hide the horrible things he saw from Patty's other life. "If it isn't sleeping beauty."

"Laugh it up, Tyson," Patty said, throwing her backpack on the table. She sat next to Yuri, and for some odd reason took his hand into hers and squeezed it with all her might. Yuri felt himself getting warm. She felt her fingers, gently rub the back of his.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"So how did it go with Mr. Stone?" Carter asked, taking a meager lunch out of his backpack.

"Detention. Just. My. Luck." Patty said, slamming her fist on the table.

Yuri felt her grip growing tighter over his hand. He wanted to respect her privacy, but he just cared about her way too much to let her live in such a way. He had to speak up. Hopefully, she would listen to him. He mustered all the courage he had and said: "I heard you got two more jobs."

"Ah, Tyson," Patty said, giving her friend a deadly stare. "Is it just me or does word travel fast around here?"

"Sorry," said Tyson.

"We also know you've been keeping things from us on Life," Carter added.

Patty looked at Natalya. "I trusted you!" she said, slamming her hand hard on the table. "This is why I don't bother telling anyone anything! Everyone has to come up on me and start lecturing me about what's right and what's not like I was a little baby or something."

"This isn't healthy," said Yuri. "You'll work yourself to death."

"I'll do whatever it takes to get out of this island of misery," Patty said, putting her head down.

Yuri looked at Tyson who shrugged in compliance.

"If you keep sleeping through class, you're likely not going to graduate," Carter said, hoping to get through to her. Unfortunately for him, that wasn't something Patty hadn't heard before.

"I have to do this," said Patty.

"Even if it means repeating the year?" said Carter.

"Patty," Nick said, coming out of the lunch line. His tray piled with fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and corn. "Yuri, did you slip me this hundred, bro?"

Yuri smiled and shrugged. "Eat up," he said.

"Thanks, man." Nick sat down.

"Hey, Nick," Patty said with a yawn.

"Hey, Patty. Do you want to meet up at Ruby Dragon after school and play Duel Monsters?" Nick asked.

"Sorry, I got detention."

"Sleeping in class is only an hour's worth," said Nick. "We'll still be there after…"

"I have to go to work!" Patty said, slightly raising her voice.

"Calm down, Patty; I was just…."

"I'm sorry, guys, I…I gotta go," she picked up her things.

"But, Patty…." Nick started. But it was too late. She dashed out of the cafeteria, running up the escalators and out of sight.

When she was clear from view, Patty quickly ran to the girl's bathroom. She looked around. No one was using it. 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. 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. I love the things you do to me. I feel so alive when you visit me. You make me feel like I have a purpose. That I mean something. I've done everything you asked of me."

And you're doing marvelous, my dear. A Strange, demonic 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. "I've done everything you asked me to. You were right about the results and I'm grateful." She tore her gaze away from the card. "I got my parents off my back, and I was able to find the man of my dreams, but the sex, the drugs, the long nights in the city. How are they helping me? Also, you telling me to hide all that stuff on my profile is making me lose my friends. They found out what I did, and now they're mad at me. You never said I was going to lose my friends."

The lights flickered again, this time even more feverishly.

You asked me to help you. And help you, and help you I shall. As for your friends, I'd be careful not to get to close to them if I were you, Pamela. It's you caring too much that got you into this mess in the first place. 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. Your friends are doubting, yes; that is a very sad predicament. But it says a lot about them if a few pictures online being hidden from their view determines their friendship with you. Doesn't it?

"I..." Patty began.

Sacrifices must be made, but I assure you, if you follow my instructions to a T, you will get everything you've ever wanted. All that you ask will fall to your lap. And all of your dreams will come true.

"But what do you want me to do?" Patty asked, bashing her fists against the sink. "How is this behavior going to help me get those things? It's only making me feel worse. It's making everyone I care about turn away from me."

You are a fool if you believe those you love will show you the same love in return. Time and time again, you tell those fools how much you care for them. How much they mean to you. And yet they never show gratitude for that love, do they? What's worse is they do nothing to help you when your time is darkest. Yuri has all the money in the world, but does he even lend a penny to help you finance your dreams for school? Nicholas ogles you like a common whore. Tyson ruins your chances with his interference, and Carter forgets you even exist sometimes.

"You're right," Patty surrendered. "What do I have to do now?"

I will tell you all you need to know, my dear. Be a good girl, and I will visit you tonight. Patty nodded and panted like an excited dog. Good girl. Now, take your medicine. Your next class is about to start, and 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.

After School

The final bell rang, and the students stampeded out of class and outside into the warm rays of the sun. Yuri sniffed the air. It was crisp, with just a dash of salt from the ocean on the other side of town and there were seagulls overhead circling above in the azure sky.

"Hey, Yuri!" Nick said, dashing in from behind him. "We're going to the Ruby Dragon. Want to play?"

"Oh, I'll be going alright," said Yuri. "But not to play."

"You gotta work?" Tyson asked.

"Sorry," Yuri said with a heavy sigh.

"See you there then," Nick called. "We're going to Carter's house to get his deck."

Yuri grinned, watching his friends leave. He then heard a commotion behind him. He saw Patty being followed by a pretentious young fellow.

"I said I'm not interested," Patty said ignoring him. The butterfly on her choker dangled from side to side with every movement she made.

"Aw, come on babe. It's beautiful weather for the beach."

"I have things to do, Rick," Patty said again.

"No, you don't, baby. Come on let's go for a ride."

"You don't expect me to believe you have a car, do you? You don't even have a license."

"I wasn't talking about cars," Rick said, with a wink.

"Ugh," Patty said, ramming her palm on his chest. "You're revolting!"

"You have a problem hearing, sir?" Yuri said walking towards them. "I believe the lady told you to buzz off."

"Yuri?" Rick spat. "Why don't you do us both a favor and get lost."

"Hey, Yuri," Patty said walking towards him. But Rick grabbed her forearm in a vise-like grip.

"No, no. Hold on second. You can't just walk away from me."

"I can, and I just did," said Patty, yanking her arm free.

"Hold on a minute," Rick said, stroking his chin. "Yeah, I heard you defeated Randall Lawson, the regional champion, at the Duel Dome."

"That's old news," said Yuri.

Rick didn't seem phased by that. "I'm a good Duelist myself," he bragged. "And I know skill when I see it. You lose almost every game here at school. There's no way you could have beaten a champion like Lawson. Admit it, Yuri, you must have cheated."

"He defeated Lawson fair and square," said Patty. "I saw the match from start to finish with my own two eyes. Yuri won."

"I can't take your word for it. You seem to know Yuri well. How do I know you're not lying just to cover up this loser's cheating ways?"

Patty put her hands on her hips. "Why don't you and Yuri have a match to see if his victory against Lawson was skill or pure dumb luck? Go for it, Yuri. That Black Tyranno has to be one of the most powerful cards I have ever seen. I'm sure you can teach this creep a lesson."

"Fine, we'll Duel," said Rick. "I happened to rank tenth in the regionals last month. I can take you on."

"There's just one problem," said Yuri. "The Duel Dome is far on the other side of the island, and I've got work in a couple of hours."

"You ever heard of a table, Yuri?" Patty asked, shaking her head.

"The kid wants to Duel in style," said Rick. "Well, so do I. And you're in luck because Phobos Corp just built a Dueling arena in town for easy access to the students around this part of the island chain. Why don't we have our match there?"

Yuri scratched his head. "I forgot about that one. They finished building it already? Okay, then, it's a Duel."

Rick obnoxiously sneered. "Good. But if I win, Patty goes on a date with me?"

Patty gulped nervously as she looked down at Yuri.

They left the school grounds and walked into town towards the new arena already packed with Duelists young and old, eager to try the Dueling platforms, once used for championship tournaments, but were now for everyone to use for affordable prices. Yuri and Rick paid their fee and found an empty arena to play in. It was not as big as the stadium in the Duel Dome, but it was still large enough to seat two hundred people.

There was a scoreboard above the arena to display their 2000 Life Points.

"You're going to regret accepting my challenge!" sneered Rick. "I'm going to prove today that you're nothing a but a no-good cheater. And, I'm about to head to into town with the girl of my dreams."

He winked at Patty, who was leaning on the bronzed rail over the arena. She glared at him and growled.

"For my opening move," Rick said slapping his card down. "Mountain Warrior!"

The field started glowing. The projection system finally rendered the monster to the field. It was a green-furred giant in bronzed armor with a green skirt and wielding a wooden club. He snarled at Yuri and beat his chest, as he was ready for battle. Yuri took off his school blazer and tied it around his waist. He loosened his tie to let himself breathe a little easier. He Dueled using holograms before, but he was still getting used to seeing life-like monsters glaring at him.

Mountain Warrior

ATK/600 DEF/1000

Rick tapped on the card, impressed by the holographic form of the monster in front of him. "All right, Yuri, hurry up so I can win this Duel and go on my date!"

"Don't make your dinner plans just yet," Yuri said drawing his card. "Cool," he said. Then he summoned his monster. "Ancient Lizard Warrior!" Yuri called out, summoning a two-legged lizard with green armored scales and three long, sharp claws on each hand. His face and underbelly were colored dark brown.

Ancient Lizard Warrior

ATK/1400 DEF/1100

"Attack, his Mountain Warrior!" Yuri commanded the reptilian monster. Ancient Lizard Warrior hissed then slapped its claws together, making sparks fly. It ran to the other side of the field and slashed the Mountain Warrior in the gut. The giant howled and disappeared.

Rick looked perplexed as his points dropped to 1200.

"It looks like you got lucky, kid. But don't let it go to your head. I summon a monster in defense mode."

"Running scared already?" Patty laughed. "Go get him, Yuri!"

"Will, do," Yuri complied. "Ancient Lizard Warrior, attack his face-down monster!"

The lizard ran and hit his mark, but something grabbed him. A hideously deformed beast that was made up of three creatures. A stone body of a human with a blue serpent-like creature chewing on the head. The serpent's body made a creepy tail for the beast, and there was a dark-green monster on the back with glowing yellow eyes snickering as its stone-bodied host clutched onto the claws of the Ancient Lizard Warrior."

"What the?" said Yuri.

Rick laughed. "You ran into my Dark Artist."

"No harm was done," said Yuri. "That creature's defense and my lizard warrior's defense are equal. They don't get destroyed, and no damage gets taken."

"So you say," Rick said confidently. "From my hand; I play the quick-play spell known as The Reliable Guardian. This spell will boost the defense strength of my Dark Artist by seven hundred points this turn, bringing it up to twenty-one hundred. So now that his defense is stronger than your lizard's attack, you take damage to your Life Points. Seven hundred points may I add."

"Damn," said Yuri. The Dark Artist tossed Ancient Lizard Warrior back to his side of the field. The lizard warrior landed with an almighty bang and then Yuri's Life Points dropped to 1300.

"You didn't think you could keep me down that easily did you?" Rick sneered. "You lost a good chunk of your points, and I didn't even have to do anything. Now it's my turn. I summon Minomushi Warrior!" Rick summoned a barbarian with a stone sword and wearing the hide of a beast. "And now I'll boost his strength with Invigoration, which will increase his attack to sixteen-hundred."

"Oh crap!" said Patty. "Now he's strong enough to beat his Ancient Lizard Warrior."

"Attack!" Rick commanded.

Minomushi Warrior gave a loud battle cry and charged forward, attacking Yuri's monster, slashing it in half. Yuri's points dropped to 1100.

"Black Dragon Jungle King," Yuri said summoning the third strongest card in his deck. "Attack his Minomushi Warrior!"

With 2100 attack points, the dragon made quick work of the warrior. Rick snarled as his Life Points dropped to 700. His hopes of going out with Patty were being dwindled with each attack. He took a heavy breath and drew his next card. What he saw when he lifted the card filled him with adrenaline. "All right, I just had about enough of you, Yuri. I summon a dragon of my own! I use my Polymerization to fuse Winged Dragon Guardian of the Fortress and Fairy Dragon together to form Kaiser Dragon!"

"Woah!" shouted Patty. "That thing is huge!"

The winged serpent-bodied dragon had scales of polished bronze and a fifty-foot wingspan. It had skinny arms and legs with sharp claws.

Kaiser Dragon

ATK/2300 DEF/2000

Rick snapped his fingers and pointed at Yuri's monster. "Okay, Kaiser Dragon, attack Yuri's Black Dragon Jungle King!" The dragon screeched like an eagle and fired a spiral of golden flames at Yuri's Black Dragon Jungle King. His monster roared in agony and disappeared. Yuri's Life Points dropped to 900. "And to end my turn, I play a card face down."

"My turn," said Yuri. "Giga Gagagigo. He has enough points to tear your dragon to shreds."

Giga Gagagigo raised up his claws and darted for the dragon. With a mighty bound, he leaped up to where the dragon hovered, but Rick was fast and activated a trap.

"No, I don't think so, Yuri. I activate my trap card, Threatening Roar. Now I can stop your battle and save my dragon."

"Your turn, I guess," said Yuri. "But, I wouldn't let it go to your head. I will beat you!"

"Ooh, scary talk coming from a guy whose name means hot lesbian anime sex!"

"Yeah, you would know the meaning of that kind of Yuri." Patty cringed, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Oh wow, really? Wow," said Yuri. "Did you come up with that one all by yourself?"

"Aw, screw you, man, it was funny!" said Rick. "I draw. I will activate the spell card, Ancient Telescope. Now I get to see the top five cards on the top of your deck."

"Here," Yuri said picking them up and placing them on the interface so Rick could see them.

"Now let's see," Rick said looking at the cards. "Huh?" he gasped. "A Black Tyranno! So I guess it was true what they said about you. Look at that attack strength; and that effect. I could use a heavy hitter like him. And you're about to draw it in your next phase. No matter, after this power-up, he'll be too weak to face my dragon. Because I equip him with Axe of Despair, boosting his attack to thirty-three-hundred. Now he's stronger than your Black Tyranno."

Patty gripped the rail even tighter. "What's worse is that now he's stronger than your Giga-whatever-the-hell-it's-called!"

"Yeah, you're right," said Rick. "Hope you like steak, Patty, because my Kaiser Dragon once again brings me closer to our date!" The dragon screeched and attacked Giga Gagagigo burning him to a crisp. Yuri's Life Points dropped to 550. Rick smiled and rubbed his chin. "It's your move, Yuri. But nothing you got is stronger than my dragon. Give up your card, and the girl now so you can save yourself some embarrassment."

"I play Pot of Greed," Yuri called out. "I draw two cards. And now I summon my Black Tyranno!"

"YES!" Patty cheered, giving a joyful jump. Her heart raced as the prehistoric titan appeared on the field and roared at Rick.

"So what?" said Rick. "My dragon is still stronger than your Black Tyranno."

"Not for long he's not," said Yuri. "I'm going to decrease your dragon's with this card. Shrink. Now your dragon's attack is cut in half,"

Rick babbled in shock as his dragon's attack went from 3300 to 1650. Black Tyranno then ran to Kaiser Dragon and destroyed him with a heavy crunch, dealing 950 damage to Rick's Life Points, dropping them to 0.

"You did it!" Patty cried. "I don't believe it. Yuri won again!"

"You doubted me, Patty?"

"Well, no offense, Yuri. But you were one of the worst duelists I've ever seen. I only egged you on to play in this match just to see your Black Tyranno again. I knew you were going lose."

"So you wanted to go out with Rick?"

"You think I would've even if he'd won?" said Patty. "I was wrong, Yuri. I don't know what's going on, but, you're winning your games."

When the holograms shut off, Rick sadly sulked away in defeat. Patty and Yuri exited the arena and headed outside.

The doors of the arena were soundproof, but as Yuri and Patty went outside, their ears were bombarded with noise. Giant screens were displaying the matches in different arenas, and the arcade booths were loud.

"Way to go, Yuri," Patty said, placing a hand on his back. "I think you're getting a whole lot better at this game."

"You think so?" Yuri asked.

"Yuri!" Crystal called out from the concession stands.

"Aww, great," Brett said with his wallet out, ready to buy some popcorn to watch a match in which his closest friends were competing. Crystal ran towards her friend despite, Brett's protests.

"Yuri! Patty! What are you guys doing here?" Crystal asked.

"I just won a duel," Yuri answered happily.

Crystal's face lit up. "You did? You mean you won again?"

"That he did," Patty said placing her hands on the back of her head. "He just beat the rank ten Duelists in the regionals last year."

Crystal looked at Yuri. Her eyes and mouth were wide with excitement. "Wow, Yuri, that's great. You're improving a lot. I'm so proud of you! Oh, Patty! I saw you participating in the Wyvern Cup. You were amazing. Say, can I ask you guys something? And forgive me if I'm delving too deep out of my business but, um, you guys seem really close. Are you two...you know...going out?"

"What…uh…no!" cried Yuri.

"You're so cute when you get defensive," Crystal said with a chuckle.

"Yeah, he makes it sound like going out with me would be bad," Patty said folding her arms sternly.

"No, no, that's not what I meant, Patty I…"

Again, Patty punched his shoulder. "Calm down, kiddo; I was joking."

At the concession stand, Brett and his party watched with venomous eyes as Crystal talked to Yuri and his friends.

"Who the hell's the freak with the glowing eye?" asked one of Brett's companions.

"That's Yuri Montgomery," Brett answered picking up the snacks.

"He bothering your girl man?" asked another of his friends. "Need us to get rid of him?"

"It's best you don't get near him," said Brett. "I'm in enough trouble as it is with that guy. He's a runt, but he's well protected."

"Yuri, huh?" said another friend. "Isn't he the guy who beat your protégé?"

"Ex-protégé," Brett said coldly. "Crystal!" he called out. "Let's go!"

"Just a minute," called Crystal.

"Now!" Brett shouted.

"Okay, okay!" Crystal pouted. "Yuri, I'll see you later, all right."

Patty shook her head, aggravated by Brett's tone. "Hey, girl, don't let that jackass push you around. He has no right to treat you like that."

"I have no choice I'm afraid," Crystal said sadly.

"We all have a choice, sweetie," Patty said, with a scowl towards Brett.

"Crystal!" Brett called again. He sounded even angrier.

"What are you stupid and deaf?" called one of Brett's goons. "Come on, let's go!" he shouted, clapping his hands.

"Coming!" Crystal called out. "Bye guys. Hey, can I add you as a friend online Patty? You look quite cool not to mention...very pretty."

"Sure," Patty chuckled. She slapped Yuri in the back of the head for the reaction he made. "Just look up Pamela McKnight on Instagram, and let me do the rest."

"Great, maybe we can talk later."

"CRYSTAL!" Brett shouted again. Everyone in the Dueling Grounds was looking at them, making the situation much worse.

"Uh oh, bye guys." She turned, her hair swung behind her as she sprinted gingerly towards Brett and his posse.

"Don't you ever make me call you more than once," Brett growled into her ear. "When I say move, you move!" He slapped her in the buttocks. She jumped and gave a yelp.

"What the!" shouted Patty.

"HEY!" Yuri cried. He felt a hand grab his shoulder. "Ren?"

"Do you remember what happened last time?" Ren said to him. "Just let it go, Yuri."

"Ren, you're here too?" said Patty. "Wow, long time no see. Where you been?"

Ren shrugged. "Here and there. My dad's business pays well, but man does it keep me busy."

No doubt in everyone's minds that Ren was making a very poor excuse as to his absence. He saw that they doubted him by the looks on their faces. But they were shocked over Brett's dominance over Crystal to care at the moment. Ren cleared his throat and fixed his tie. "I wanted to see the new arena, but obviously, there isn't pleasant company here."

"Now wait just a minute!" someone shouted. It was Nick. He darted out of the line of the concession stand where he was waiting with Tyson and Carter.

"Nick wait!" Tyson called from behind the velvet rope of the line. "Don't do it, man, he's a Martinetti! Nick! Nick, come back!"

"Who the hell do you think you are!" Nick shouted at Brett. Two of Brett's goons blocked Nick's path, but that did not stop him from getting to Brett verbally. "You never ever hit a girl you creep!" he shouted.

"And who are you?" Brett asked loftily. "Hold on a minute, don't answer that. I know who you are. Raggedy clothes. No sense of hygiene. A lack of manners. And that ridiculous Earth beanie on your head. You must be Consuelo's boy, aren't you?"

"A stowaway, huh?" said Santiago. He backed away from Nick as though he were a leper in the middle ages. "Disgusting."

"And what of it?" Nick asked, getting horribly red in the face. His fists were balled up and ready to strike.

Brett grinned to get at Nick, and it worked. Nick started seething so loudly he was spitting all over the place. "She's late in her payments, that's what," Brett responded. "If she wishes to keep that cottage down on the edge of Aquarius, she better start paying up!"

"Your family is nothing but a stain in this beautiful city you know that!" Ren growled, storming towards Brett.

"Ren, I believe you know this miscreant?" Brett asked, the horrid grin still implanted on his face, further bothering Nick, feeling quite horrid that his antics weren't working like he thought they would.

"He's a friend of Yuri's that's all I know," Ren replied, putting a hand on Nick's shoulder.

"That explains a lot, eh boss?" said another of Brett's friends.

"Indeed, it does," Brett grinned, rubbing his chin. The gold on his family signet ring flashed each time the sunlight touched it. "I'm surprised someone of high stature like Yuri would even call rat from Los Angeles Rojas a friend. But, this is Yuri we're talking about after all. Only somebody like him befriends someone of low class. Speak of the devil," he said when he saw Yuri slowly making his way toward Brett and Nick. "Yuri, would you kindly tell your…dog to back off."

"DOG!" Nick retorted.

"Brett that's going too far!" Crystal argued.

"Shut up, will you? If I wanted your opinion, I'd ask for it."

"She doesn't need your permission to speak, you jerk!" Nick tempestuously declared. "This is a free city. Everybody has a voice."

"Are you wasting my time to speak about the politics of our flawed democracy or do you have a point? If you do, speak it, otherwise, make your leave. We have things to do."

"As a matter of fact, I do!" said Nick. "I challenge you to a Duel!"

Brett and his entourage laughed. Even Yuri had to suppress a chuckle. Nick was as confident as he was stupid.

"Yeah, that's right!" Nick nodded. "And if I win the girl leaves your company once and for all.

"Who are you to set up a match with my freedom of choice as a stipulation?" Crystal asked haughtily. "You don't know me."

"No," said Nick. "But, I know he does." He turned to look at Yuri, his face blushing bright red. "Some friend," he added all the while grinning. "Doesn't even have the decency to let me know the girl of my dreams is his best friend."

"But how did…" Yuri began to ask.

"Ren told me everything, Yuri. Of how you guys were friends since you were babies. And of how this slime-ball-in-a-suit almost trashed your friendship. Well, I'm going to show him what for! How about it, tough guy? You and me. One-on-one."

"But what about your match against Andre?" Yuri asked.

"Forget that loser. I've got more important things to do right now. Duel me, money bags!"

"No, thanks. From what Ren told me you're not worth my time. Dueling someone of your level would be an insult to my title and my family."

"Oh yeah!" shouted Nick.

"But, if you're in the mood for a thrashing, then so be it. And to show you I'm not all that bad of a guy, your admittance into the arena is on me. In fact, Yuri, why not let all your pals come in? My treat."

"Whoa," Tyson said surprised. "Did the Martinetti prince just buy me a ticket into the second most advanced arena in the city?"

"Guess he did," said Carter. "Come on."

"I see Yuri's taste in friends isn't all that flawed," Brett jeered, eyeing Patty, who was standing behind Ren. "You can sit in the box with Crystal, babe."

"You're too kind," Patty shot him a narrowed look, all the while crossing her arms.

"This way, everyone." Brett clapped his hands. "This is going to be one hell of a show."