Patty - McKnight Family Estate, Aquarius
October 16 - Year 18 4AOS
The alarm on her phone buzzed, announcing that it was midnight.
"Happy Birthday to me," Patty said glumly and she lit a candle.
She had turned eighteen this day and bloomed into a young woman. But, like all her birthdays, there was no one around to celebrate it.
As usual, Patty's father and step-mother had gone out after a long day's work, no doubt to drink their troubles away in the towers of Phobos Island with their friends and forget that it was Patty's birthday.
Patty had her own way of dealing with her troubles. Painting. Tonight, she thought she would try something new.
"Well, Zera, let's see if I can do this," she said to her ace monster, Zera the Mant, the closest thing she had to a best friend.
She mounted the card on a black easel and put black candles around it forming some sort of shrine. Paintings that she made of the beast were hung all around it. One painting depicted Zera holding the severed heads of her father and stepmother.
She went to her laptop and started blasting her favorite song. Ich Tur Dir Weh by Rammstein. She laid out a large white canvas on the floor after moving her furniture around. Then she brought out her paints.
She turned her head to look at Zera and smiled, then she stripped down to her purple panties. She blew the card a kiss and then dumped dark blue paint all over her body.
She got on the floor and started rolling herself all over the canvas. The heavy metal blasting on her laptop filled her with adrenaline and she grinned feeling the paint cool her. She felt her skin get dotted with goose prickles while rubbing herself on the canvas and mixing the colors to just the right shade of blue that matched the armored flesh of Zera the Mant.
She let herself loose this night. Nothing could stop her. It was just her and Zera alone. When she had the color she wanted, she danced to a large canvas on the wall and started to create her masterpiece.
As she was painting Zera the Mant with her body as she twirled and shook her hips to her favorite song all the while looking back at Zera and sending it kisses. She went back to the canvas on the floor to mix colors again.
She was on her back dancing to the music, shaking her shoulders and kicking her legs up and down. Patty peeled her underwear off and flung it across the room. She pretended that Zera liked what he saw.
Was the girl insane? Indeed, she was. Nick often said that Patty was one Trap Card short of a Dueling deck.
But succumbing to her insanity was the only way for her to feel alive, especially being confined to such a family. Though Yuri and her friends meant the world to her, it was not enough to keep her sane from the madness of her life. So much heartache. So much pain.
It took three hours and constant replays of the song for her to finally finish her piece. To celebrate she snorted a powder she bought from one of her shady friends. As her head became light and the colors of the world turned bright and hot, she looked back at her work.
Patty finally fell asleep late that night. She was still covered in paint and undressed. Little did she know, Bakura entered her room, clad in his long black cloak. He appeared through the curtains as though they were doorways to whatever realm he came from, hands in his pockets. He smiled at her state and coughed when he smelled the drugs she poisoned herself with lingering in the air.
"Poor girl," he said. He stepped over her and placed a blanket over her body.
Bakura then walked to her dresser and set a card down on it. "So, Serenity thinks she can sneak around and give cards, eh? Well, two can play at that game. If this world goes crazy for one rare card, imagine if there was another."
He turned and covered Patty with a towel, then he walked back into the curtains, disappearing into the night.
That afternoon, Patty went outside to do her chores. The air was heavy and humid and thick. The sun baked the city with its harsh light. The sky to the east was blackened with rain clouds, which many of the citizens prayed would reach them soon, to quell this infernal heat.
But despite the great discomfort, Patty had a job to do. It was time to paint the shutters again, a job she didn't mind. To combat the heat she put on a very short white midriff top under loose denim overalls to let in some air. She climbed up the ladder to reach the shutters on the second floor and started to paint while singing a song.
Someone whistled from down below. Patty turned and frowned at what she saw.
Nick waved at her. Sam was right beside him admiring the view. Meanwhile, Yuri was across the street waiting for the traffic to pass. Trucks and military vehicles from RAPTOR rushed by, not giving him a chance to cross, leaving him cursing and screaming.
The sight made Patty laugh, but she did so quietly, keeping her smile and giggles concealed behind her fingers. She knew how sensitive Yuri could be when people made fun of him when he was struggling.
"Hot damn, you know how to make me happy!" Sam said admiring the view below the ladder.
Patty ignored him and kept an eye on Yuri. She was high enough on the ladder to see that there were cars coming, but they were at a safe distance for Yuri to cross. "Go!" she called, and Yuri darted across the street before a RAPTOR Humvee drove by. The private security contractors honked to get Yuri's attention, as well as Patty's from her perch. She blew them kisses as they drove by.
"What are you guys doing here?" Patty asked, brushing the hair from her face with her fingers. Beads of sweat rolled down her face. The hot tropical sun was practically cooking her from her spot on top of the ladder. It made the boys feel ill seeing her act like it was nothing. "Nick. Glad to see you're out of your house. You feeling better?"
Nick frowned and shook his head. The last thing he wanted right now was to be reminded of that horrible loss. "Let's not talk about that," he said. "We came to wish you a happy birthday. So let's forget about Brett and Crystal. We bought some gifts for you." He stepped forward, showing her the bags and parcels they brought for her. "Some of this stuff is from Natalya and Sergei."
"I got you a new card by the way," boasted Sam. "Took me a while to find it, but you're going to love them."
"No," said Nick, "Yuri was the one who got you the new card. It's this really awesome card from Mr. Montgomery's collection. And from the Gold Series to boot."
"A Gold Series card? For me?" Patty's face lit up with joy and she slid down the ladder to greet Yuri. "Yuri, you shouldn't have."
"Not a card," Yuri corrected, checking the pockets of his backpack for the gift. "Cards."
"Cards!" Nick almost shouted. "You told me there was only one."
"For good reason," Sam chuckled, for he found Nick's overly dramatic reaction quite humorous. "If Yuri told you how many cards he got Patty, you would have bothered Mr. Montgomery for cards too. Say, Patty, what's with all the paint on your neck?"
"Huh," Patty asked. She checked her reflection on the water window by the sides of her door. "Oh, yeah, I was painting a mural of Zera last night."
"Must have been messy," said Yuri, still trying to find the present.
Patty giggled. "It was, baby, I was using my body."
"Hurk!" Yuri went as he froze.
Sam bobbed his head up and down. "With your bod, huh? Now that's lit!"
"Where have you been all my life?" growled Nick. "You are so awesome, Patty."
"Ew," said Patty, taking a step back from the rapist stare he was giving her.
"Ah, here it is," Yuri said, taking out the present. "But you've got to promise you'll use them right away."
"Okay," Patty said, ripping open the black wrapping paper and pink bow to reveal a black velvet box. "Oooo," hooted Patty. She opened it. "Oh wow! Oh wow! Oh wow!" she cried out and leaped with joy. "Yuri you have no idea how long I was looking for this!"
She hugged him, wrapping her arms around his neck. Yuri cringed, feeling his windpipe get clogged. He could smell the sweet scent of her suntan lotion, and the fruity shampoo in her hair.
"What did you get?" Sam asked, jumping up and down all around them. "Come on, don't leave us dangling!"
"Dark Ruler Ha Des!" Patty shrieked."He's almost impossible to find! And Gold Rare to boot! Oh, Yuri!" Patty opened her arms and wrapped them around Yuri, again, crushing him. Nick and Sam seemed to glow red with jealousy.
"What else?" Nick asked, trying to remain calm. "Yuri said cards. Plural, meaning more than one."
"Wouldn't you like to know?" Patty said, shutting her box and stuffing it into the pocket of her overalls.
"So why don't we head to the Duel Dome and find out?" Sam asked. "Yuri's father gave us money so we could get a spot there."
"Maybe we should come back another time," said Yuri. "Looks like Patty has a lot of stuff to do. Should we drop by later and pick you up tonight?"
"Maybe we can help out," Nick suggested. "You know the old saying? Many hands make light work."
"Forget it," said Patty, she held on tightly to her butterfly necklace. "I'll hire some guy to do it. It's my birthday after all."
"Won't your parents get mad?"
"I don't give a…"
"Mmph!" went Yuri to remind Patty there was a child in their presence.
Patty put her gear away and called the nearest painter to get the job done for her. As she showered upstairs, Yuri, Nick, and Sam helped themselves to all the snacks in her food closet. She came down wearing terribly tight denim cutoffs with shiny zippers in odd places, and a black midriff top with a white escutcheon; the logo of her favorite rock band. Bangles jingled on her wrists and a shiny navel piercing glistened in the light. She put on her black baseball cap backward and placed her hands on her hips as if she was modeling her ensemble for her friends.
"When did you get that?" Yuri asked, referring to her navel piercing.
Patty looked at her new 'gift' and smiled. "Last night," she answered. "Isn't it cool?"
"Ha!" Nick blurted out loud. "If Consuelo was your mother, she'd rip it out with pliers. Personally, I'm not one for those kinds of piercings. But you do you, Patty. So, did you add those new cards to your deck?"
"I did," Patty said, reaching into the deep pocket of her trousers. They were so loose that when they jerked, the waistband of her underwear poked out for a second, causing Sam's eyes to widen.
She pulled out the deck. The cards were protected by black sleeves with a 3D purple mist. The sleeves, thankfully, would not prevent the microchips in the cards from being read by the scanners on the gaming systems she'd place them on.
"So, let's get this show on the road," she said, putting her cards back into her pocket.
They took a bus downtown on Neros Island where the Duel Dome stood. Inside, their ears were bombarded with all sorts of noises. Children were screaming and laughing. Monsters roared on the giant screens displaying various Duels going on in the arenas. An arcade was recently built in the main atrium, which was lit up with fluorescent lights and a fountain that could glow in different colors. Sam quickly ran to the nearest booth about a tactical shooter while Yuri and the others registered themselves to confirm their reservations for an arena all to themselves.
"What about Carter and Tyson?" Patty asked. "It's not going to be a happy birthday without them."
"I just texted them," Nick said, looking at his phone. "Tyson is doing something with his family in town and Carter has his own birthday celebration right now. But he wants to know if we can meet up with him later, Patty."
Patty nodded. "Sure. I want to enjoy this day with all my friends. As I said, it's not a happy birthday without all you guys."
"Yuri!" someone shouted. "Yuri Montgomery!"
"Well, well, well," Patty chuckled cruelly upon seeing Randal Lawson. "How's the pro-leagues going little man? I'd imagine they're difficult without Brett managing you."
"Well, that's why I'm here!" shouted Randall. "My life has been hell because of you, Yuri. Ever since I lost to you I've been nothing but a joke."
Patty laughed. "You've been nothing but a joke even before Yuri beat you, Randall."
"I wasn't talking to you whore!"
"What did he say!?" Sam shouted. Nick grabbed him by the arms to keep him from starting any trouble with Randall. "Don't talk about my girl like that, you big jerk! Lemme go, Nick! Lemme go! He can't say that! He can't say that!"
"Now just wait a minute!" shouted Yuri. "First off, I don't have my deck right now. Secondly, I'm not going to Duel you even if I did. You're a loser! How dare you call my friend such a nasty word?"
"Did I strike a nerve, Yuri?" Randall sneered. He looked at Patty, examining her from head to toe. "She is one, Yuri. I expected your taste in girls was poor, but never did I think anything like this. Beautiful platinum blonde hair ruined by those ridiculous pink highlights. Your eyes are masked behind some stupid anime-blue contacts and darkened by lord knows how much mascara."
He examined her curves. "Such a nice body she has. Girl, you are fit to be a model. But you choose to degrade yourself by acting like some punk harlot. I wonder how many men you've slept with."
"Why the hell does that matter!?" Nick shouted, still keeping Sam's arms locked; his legs flailing up and down.
"It only proves my point," Randall answered obnoxiously. "Just look at her. All that skin she's showing. You're nothing but an attention seeker. Ah yes, I've also seen your MyLife account. You may have been Yuri's cheerleader during that Duel, but nevertheless, you were a very pretty face. I just had to learn who you were." He cackled. "Oh, Yuri you should see her MyLife. Lots of...'cheeky' photos were posted all over the place since last night. You just love showing off that ass of yours, don't you?"
Patty shrugged and slapped her behind twice. "It puts food on the table and adds cards to my deck," she responded calmly, although the fluorescent lighting accented the flushing of her cheeks, showing that was getting rather bothered by his remarks. "But if you want, I'll Duel you. No one calls me a harlot and gets away with it!"
Randall hooted. "And what do you got, princess? Fairies and cute little warriors?"
"You'll be surprised what I've got in store for you, Randall," Patty retorted confidently. "Now, are we going to play or what?"
"I think not. Brett said he'd give me a second chance if I faced Yuri and beat him!"
"I'm just as good," said Patty.
"Maybe even better," Yuri added.
"Fine, but Yuri's next in line, no ifs, and, or buts! Why don't we go out for some fun after I beat you?"
"Don't even think about it," said Patty. "I wouldn't bet to sleep with you even if you were the last man on this fucking island. Yuri, I believe your father rented us an arena for the evening. Let's go, please."
"Sure," Yuri said. "Teach him a lesson, Patty."
They found the arena reserved for them to play upstairs on the second floor. It was time to start the match.
Patty and Randall shuffled each other's decks and then choose which platform to use for the match. Randall chose the blue one, so Patty was going to use the red. They hopped aboard. The platforms rose ten feet high over the stadium. The scoreboard above them displayed their Life Points.
"Why don't you save yourself the humiliation!?" Randall called from his side of the field. "Yuri got lucky because his daddy got him that super-rare card. But I don't think you've got such luck, do you?"
"Probably not," Patty. "You going to stand there boasting? Or are we going to play?"
"I'm going first!" Randall declared. Patty shrugged her shoulders to show she didn't care. "Watch closely, Yuri, I'm about to give your friend an ass whooping she's never going to forget. Which is exactly what I'm going to do to you."
"I'm willing to take you on again, Randall," Yuri yelled from the bleachers. "All you have to do is beat my friend."
"I won't lose! I've beefed up my deck with lots of strong cards. I've grown far more powerful since we've last met, Yuri. It's very sad you're going to let your little girlfriend over there take such a beating. Again, Patty, it's not too late to back out. Just step down from there like a good little girl, and let the men play."
"Blah, blah, blah!" Patty said, fanning her face with her cards. "Are you going to make a move or are you going to bore us with your rhetoric all night?"
Sam stood up from his seat. "Yeah! Shut up and just play!"
Patty smirked and put on her fingerless gloves. "While we're young, loser," she said, stretching her fingers until they got used to being confined in the leather.
"Watch it, girlie!" Randall snarled.
Andre burst into the arena, hoping that he would have gotten to Randall before he got close to the group. But it was too late. The Duel had already begun. He spotted Nick down below and decided to keep his distance. He heard about what happened to his Red-Eyes Black Dragon as well. He was probably in a foul mood already and he didn't want to make it worse with his presence.
"I summon Judge Man with a powerful force of twenty-two hundred!"
"Is that all?" Patty asked, drawing her card.
Yuri looked at her in disbelief. She sure is confident. If I saw a monster like that get played on the first move of the game, I'd be terrified. But Patty's got this look on her face. Confidence? What could she be up to?
"Wow," said Nick. "I did some searching around Patty's profile. There's no sign of her in anything provocative. But there's a tag on someone else's profile. A promoter of hot and sexy girls on MyLife. Patty has a pic on one of his albums. And hot damn she's got a big ass."
He was gawking at a photo of Patty in front of the mirrored doors of her closet. She was wearing a black hooded sweater, a baseball cap placed backward, and black thong wedged so tight into her yoga-frim buttocks that it was almost invisible.
"Patty?" Yuri said looking at the picture, adoring the caption of the photo that read: Let's cuddle and watch hentai tonight. "Well. That's a side of you I've never seen before."
"What!" cried Sam. "Let me see! Let me see!"
Patty gave a loud laugh. "Put that away, Nick. My content is not for children's eyes. I don't want to get in trouble with Consuelo now."
"So you're just cool with all this?" Yuri asked as Nick scrolled down to see more pictures of her, all of them taken within the last 24 hours.
Patty giggled and calmly replied: "Yup."
Yuri felt a chill in the pit of his stomach as he remembered Patty from their elementary school days. She was so sweet, so kind, and so proper. And here she was all these years later modeling for Instagram and other social media platforms. She just didn't feel like the person he used to know anymore.
Randall slammed his fist on the board. "And you fools complained that I take too long. What's going on over there? Make your move or forfeit the match."
Patty glared at her arrogant opponent. "Put your tampons on and relax, will you? I'm thinking here. Your Judge Man is a pretty formidable monster. Hmm. I summon the Thirteenth Grave in defense mode!"
A skeleton wearing teal-colored rags and carrying a large, heavily rusted claymore rose out of the ground from a veil of purple mist. It let out a hideous laugh as it stared at Randall's Judge Man.
With a DEF of only a mere 900 points, the 13th Grave was not a capable monster to play. Randall knew this all too well and laughed at Patty.
"Really? I heard you were better than Yuri. You've proven me wrong if you think your puny skeleton stands a chance against my Judge Man."
"Hmm, I guess not," Patty replied uncaringly. "I set a card face-down. That ends my turn."
"I draw!" Randall said. "I play the Ritual Spell known as Novox's Prayer. This lets me sacrifice these two weaker monsters in my hand as a sacrifice to summon the all-powerful, Skull Guardian!"
The warrior rose out of the ground after a ritualistic circle appeared. He had bladed arms and dark brown armor.
Skull Guardian
ATK/2050 DEF/2500
LV 7
Sam started jumping up and down in his seat. He balled both his fists anxiously and whined. "Come on! That just isn't fair. What's she doing?"
Patty meanwhile braced herself as Judge Man was ordered to attack the 13th Grave. He gave a mighty battle cry and ran towards the skeleton monster. He brandished his heavy steel maces in the light and lifted the right one, slamming it down on the 13th Grave's skull. Or he tried to at least. The mace seemed to freeze a mere inch from the 13th Grave.
"Your attack activated my Trap Card. Spellbinding Circle! It freezes your Judge Man and prevents him from attacking."
The golden magical circle spun under Judge Man's feet. It rose up to his chest and bound him tightly. Judge Man growled, writhing; moving his shoulders from left to right in frustration. He spat as the 13th Grave laughed at him.
BWAH! Ha! Ha! Ha! The skeleton hollered.
Randall looked at the field in disbelief. "No!" he cried, placing both hands on the sides of the board and leaning forward to get a better look at the card on his help screen.
Yup. There was no getting out of Patty's trap.
"Your Spellbinding Circle may have stopped my Judge Man, but I've still got my Skull Guardian to finish the job. Attack and silence The Thirteenth Grave!"
Skull Guardian raised his bladed arms, crossing them over his chest ceremoniously. Then he sprinted towards the 13th Grave and sliced him up with a powerful cross-slash attack.
It almost laughed at the blow. Bwah! Ha! Ha! Ha! GYAH! He exploded.
Bones flew in all directions and the rusty claymore fell to the ground with a loud clank. Randall laughed, relieved that he no longer had to listen to the 13th Grave's infernal laughter anymore.
"Nice try, Patty. But not good enough. Come on, now. I expected so much more from you. Especially with all that praise Yuri just gave you. I bet it was just a bluff to get you from Dueling against me tonight, wasn't it, Yuri? I knew that defeat was nothing more than sheer dumb luck. Why, if you hadn't drawn that beast, I would have been the victor that night. You're pathetic. Just like this little whore you've sent to play against me."
Nick stood up at once. "One more word, Lawson, and I'm going to break my foot up your ass."
"Nick forget it!" Patty cried, trying to calm him. "He's not worth it."
"Not worth it?" Randall slammed his fist on the board and laughed. "It's you who is not worthy. It should be a privilege for local players like yourselves to even be playing against a champion like me. Go on, Patty. Play your next pathetic card so I can end this Duel and take down the kid who ruined my life!"
"If you say so," Patty said. She drew her card. "I summon Reaper of the Cards!"
She laid the card on the board and summoned the wraith said to be lurking in the Card Graveyard, taking the souls of fallen monsters. The phantom was hovering over the board, howling and moaning.
It wore a dark brown tattered cloak with a hood keeping its face concealed in darkness. Glowing blue eyes and a mouth could be seen glowing in the shadows of the hood. From torn sleeves came out long, bony hands with flesh stretched and brown with decay. The long fingers with black nails wrapped themselves around the wooden handle of a crude but horrifying scythe, which it used to take the souls of thousands of fallen monsters. A necklace of Duel Monster cards flapped around the neck, or what little it had.
Reaper of the Cards
ATK/1380 DEF/1930
Patty then equipped the Reaper of the Cards with Axe of Despair, increasing its attack to 2380. But Randall was too clever for her, activating his Magi Jammer card to cancel out the effect. Patty played Book of the Moon during Randall's battle phase, flipping the Reaper face down. His DEF was too weak to withstand an attack from Skull Guardian, but it still defended her Life Points.
"You're starting to annoy me," Randall sniggered. "Now, let's remove my Judge Man from your trap with the spell card Remove Trap!"
Judge Man released himself from the magic bindings of Patty's circle. He thumped his chest and grunted. "You can't do anything to stop me, Patty. You've lost. I won! You don't have a hope of defeating my two monsters. Surrender now. Whore!"
Patty drew. She smiled and held up her card. "From your darkest fears, the angel of death emerges to fill the battle with dread! I summon Lich Lord King of the Underworld!"
ATK/2400 DEF/1200
The ghastly creature was a skeleton whose bones were blackened to the color of ash. It was draped in a torn red hood cloak and carried a gold staff. Black wings spanning sixteen feet opened behind him. Patty ordered the attack and the monster used its staff to conjure a spell of death that choked Judge Man, destroying him.
Randall gulped in horror, his Life Points dropping to 1800.
"That card," he wailed. "It's so evil. But I will destroy him. I place a card face down and summon a monster in defense mode and switch Skull Guardian to defense mode, too!"
Just try attacking me, Patty. The card I set face-down is a Nobleman-Eater Bug which can destroy two monsters when you attack me. So it doesn't matter what you play next; my bug will render them useless.
Patty drew her card and began her turn. She smiled when she saw the card and looked at Yuri. "Yuri, thanks again for this awesome gift. It wouldn't be a happy birthday if this guy didn't make his debut."
"Gift?" said Randall.
"Oh yes," said Patty. "I got plenty of them for my birthday today. It's one of the benefits of having friends who love you." She looked down at the boys, beaming at them. "Friendship. It's something I don't expect a snob like you would understand. I first activate a rare spell known as Tribute to the Doomed. I discard a card and I get to destroy one of your monsters. So say goodbye to your Skull Guardian!"
Bandages slithered out of the ground and wrapped themselves around Skull Guardian. Then, a giant hand came out of the depths of the underworld, grabbed Skull Guardian, and dragged him down to the Graveyard.
Randall was shaken. Not only was his monster destroyed, but he was haunted by the sight of the hand coming out of hell and dragging Skull Guardian down. He would see that image for the rest of his days. He grew scared almost as though he had walked into some horrible nightmare. And it was far from over, for it was still Patty's turn.
She gave a devilish grin as she held her card. "From the dreaded depths of hell comes for the lord of all Fiends. The master and ruler of the dark planes of the Shadow Realm. I summon…." She slapped the card on the mat. "Dark Ruler Ha Des! In attack mode."
A fissure opened in the ground next to Lich Lord. Flames came out, followed by the moans and groans of a billion souls consumed by the Shadow Realm. Sam shivered and held his brother close when the vile demon rose from a pool of shadows that manifested on the fissure.
Dark Ruler Ha Des
ATK/2450 DEF/1600
LV 6
"Bro, how can someone so cute summon something so vile?" Sam whimpered.
"And she likes it, too," said Nick.
Patty's face was glowing red from the eerie red radiance irradiating from the ground beath Ha Des' feet. Ha Des cackled loudly. His humor echoed across the arena and sent chills down their spines. A creepy organ was playing a wicked song as the entire arena was bathed in darkness, save for the red fiery glow that illuminated the monsters on the field and Patty, who was grinning horribly from her platform.
Dark Ruler Ha Des turned to look at Patty. "What's going on?" Yuri thought as he watched Dark Ruler Ha Des lightly touched Patty's face. She smiled at him, breathing heavily, enjoying the sight of the horrible Fiend she just summoned.
Sam held Nick even tighter. "Remind me never to Duel her, bro, that deck is wicked scary."
Patty continued to her battle phase. "And now, Ha Des, attack his face-down monster!"
Dark Ruler Ha Des laughed manically while conjuring an evil spell from the eyes of his skull. costume.
"You fell for it!" said Randall. "I activate my Nobleman-Eater Bug's effect. When attacked he can…"
"Yeah, I don't think so," Patty said, blowing in her nails and rubbing them on her shirt for a quick polish.
"Wha?"
Ha Des' spell coiled around the Nobleman-Eater Bug. The giant insect screeched and wriggled as it gasped for air. Doom fell upon it and it shattered. Randall was expecting the bug to work its magic. Dark Ruler Ha Des and Lich Lord, King of the Underworld were still on the field. Nobleman-Eater Bug's effect did not work, much to Randall's horror.
"What's going on?" he babbled. "My Nobleman-Eater Bug's effect was supposed to destroy your two monsters!"
Dark Ruler Ha Des let out a thunderous laugh which sliced Randall's ego like a hot sword through butter. Thunder boomed in the arena and the lights dimmed. Patty, meanwhile, let out a delightful giggle. It sounded so cute, which was odd; for it came from behind the two demons on the field. "I guess we 'whores' aren't as stupid as you think we are. Dark Ruler Ha Des negates the effects of monsters when they battle with Fiend-Type monsters."
"But-but!" stammered Lawson.
"Yeah, yours is about to be kicked," said Patty. "I play a card face down. Make your move. I've got more fiends on the way, and the two I have on the field are thirsty for more carnage."
Meanwhile, a the top of the arena, Randall's phone started to ring. "Hello?"
"It's me," said a familiar voice. It was the supervisor Yugi put in charge of Andre's mission. Declan Akaba.
"Declan?" Andre whispered, holding his hand over his mouth. "What is it? I'm kinda busy right now."
"You're watching a Duel not playing it. So you're not really busy, are you? Pack your stuff, Martin, you're needed back on the other side. Now. The master demands it."
"Now? But...but...I have a mission. I can't leave now. I was just starting to get to know Yuri and the gang. Declan, I've accomplished so much here."
"Accomplished things mostly for yourself!" the young CEO yelled. "Yuri is hereby under 'his' watchful eye. He doesn't need your help anymore."
"But my work here isn't finished."
"It is now. If you're not back in twenty-four hours, I'll send The Lancers after you so they can personally escort you back and into the royal dungeon. Need I remind you that they don't need Gates or Dimensional Travelers to visit other worlds. Pack your stuff and head home. Now. Prince Yuri and his friends are no longer your concern. I will say no more."
Declan hung up.
Randall gulped as he drew his next card. "I play Pot of Greed and draw two cards. Now I summon Rude Kaiser in defense mode (DEF/1600 ATK/1800 LV 5)! Then I play the Ritual Spell, Garma Sword Oath. Arise my ultimate monster!"
"That's the monster Randall almost beat Yuri with," Sam shouted over the howling winds blowing around them as the ritual was being processed.
"You remember, don't you!" sneered Randall. "Now, my beast returns to wreak his vengeance on you, my dear!" (ATK/2550 DEF/2150 LV 7) "Yes, now the first fiend to be slain will be your Dark Ruler…what?"
A vortex of decayed rose petals spun on the monster zone next to Dark Ruler Ha Des. The powerful crack of a whip caused them to disperse to reveal a woman dressed in a blood-red armored gown. The mask she wore over her face was in the same style as her dress and a veil of white hair flowed down her back.
"What is that?"
Patty explained. "When you special summoned your Garma Sword, I discarded a card from my hand to do a special summon of my own. Say hello to the beautiful Chaos Hunter!" (ATK/2500 DEF/1600 LV 7)
"More monsters!" cried Randall.
"Yup," said Patty sending a kiss his way as she fanned her face with her cards.
"It still won't save your Ha Des!"
"No," said Patty, flipping her trap, "but this will."
"Negate Attack!" cried Lawson. "No! Now my attack is nullified!"
"You're damn right, and now it's my turn, kiddo. I summon Diabolos King of the Abyss!"
Patty's newest monster gave a thunderous roar that caused all the monsters on her field to bow. Except for Ha Des, for he had some rough dealings with the beast in card lore. The red glow went out and the arena darkened, only to be lit up by a dull dark blue glow coming from the patterns on the beast whose armored body was black as night. His arms and legs were bound by chains which he released himself from upon being summoned by his master.
Diabolos King of the Abyss
ATK/2800 DEF/1000
LV 7
Patty clutched her butterfly pendant and said: "From the lowest and darkest depths of Yami emerges the king of darkness and master of all its spoils. Open your malevolent wings and unleash thy fury upon my foolish foe!"
Diabolos gave a low, metallic shout, causing the arena to rumble. "Patty, that's one sweet dragon!" Sam shouted. "Trade for it?"
Patty held up her middle finger in response to his question. He and Nick were having fun watching Patty summon those fell creatures. But Yuri was growing rather cold.
"Diabolos?" he whispered. "I didn't give her that card."
"Wow, Yuri," Nick shivered, his teeth chattering in fright. "I don't think Black Tyranno is the strongest card on the island anymore."
Yuri had no choice but to agree with that. Once Diabolos destroyed Garma Sword, Randall could take it no more, and he ran out of the arena.
"Look at that," said Patty. She placed a hand on her hip and laughed; it almost sounded the vile cackle of a witch. "And I didn't even lose a single Life Point."
"That's why I love her," Nick whimpered, he sunk in his seat, not believing the devastation that someone he found so cute had caused. All those vile, ugly, monsters swarming onto the field at her command. It felt unreal.
"She is so hot!" Sam declared as Patty tossed her hair over her shoulder once the monsters disappeared.
"Not bad for your eighteenth birthday, eh?" Yuri asked as Patty headed towards them.
She smirked and stuffed her deck pack
"Hey, it's not over yet. We have to visit Carter, remember? He's celebrating his big One-Eight in the Black Rose Club." She looked at Sam and shook her head. "Ooo, sorry about that Sonny-Jim, but you have to go home. You're too young for the clubs."
But Sam was proving rather too reluctant to leave. Patty had to give him a kiss on the cheek to finally cool him down. The boy went red and silent for the rest of their walk out of the arena. They bought him a ticket back to Mobius Island and then proceeded to the center, where they would join Carter in his own birthday celebration. Usually, the group would meet at an arcade or a hamburger restaurant to celebrate each other's birthdays. But now, by law on Aquarius, they were old enough to frequent the nightclubs. Although, venturing into them was nothing new for Patty. Yuri already knew she would haunt many different places for a quick drink or even a boy to take home to satisfy her pleasure.
That always terrified Yuri about Patty. Now that she was eighteen and legal to do almost anything she wanted, how far would she go to satisfy her different curiosities? He hated to admit it, but it was a question he was rather looking forward to seeing answered. Patty was grown up and he found her rather -dare he say it? - sexy. He always did; for Patty was gifted with great beauty since she was born. Even the bright pink highlights, heavy eyeliner, and rude mannerisms could not hide that about her. She walked far ahead of them and gave a spin as she listened to her favorite song blasting through her earbuds. Everywhere she walked, men would turn to gawk at her.
"What's gotten into her?" Nick asked. "I've never seen her this pumped up about anything before."
Yuri shrugged. "She's eighteen years old now, Nick. She's finally free to do whatever she wants. However, she wants."
Nick shivered, staring at her posterior, barely hidden by her cutoffs. "Kind of makes you feel warm inside. Eh, Yuri?"
"I feel a lot of things but warm isn't one of them," Yuri said as they stopped for the traffic light. Cars rolled by them. Patty was still swinging her hips and moving her shoulders to the music she was listening to. "I still can't believe she's that little girl I met back in Kindergarten. She used to make mudpies in the beach during her free time. She painted butterflies until she ran out of paper. I remember her singing along to Barney the Dinosaur as she picked flowers for my mom at the park. Man, and those little ribbons in her hair. To see that little thing that was once so innocent and pure transform into someone like..."
Patty started twerking and she didn't care who was watching. She looked back at Yuri and laughed.
"...Like that. I'm just at a loss for words."
Nick slapped Yuri in the back. "Hey man, you've got to leave those memories where they are. In the past." The light turned green and they crossed the street. "I've got to admit, I've known Patty before this whole goth-punk stage of hers, too. It feels odd but I've come to terms that we're all grown up. I mean, no offense, but you didn't exactly grow up like an angel when we were younger."
Yuri looked at the ground and tightened his throat to keep himself from sighing.
"I mean you were a thug back in the day, man. You were dangerous. You made the Martinettis run for their money when you were the top dog in Los Angeles Rojas."
"Don't remind me," Yuri said, sliding the sleeve of his shirt down over a scar on his wrist. "Everyone on the island wanted me dead for the things I did."
"You atoned for them, though," Nick said, putting an arm over Yuri. "That's more than I can say for most folk."
"I atoned because you saved me from being thrown off the bridge by those punks. I realized what I did was wrong. Or at least I think I got the wrong inside of me blasted away."
He closed his eyes and remembered the big, red, dragon with two mouths roaring at him. His breath felt like being pushed by hurricane-force winds. He recalled the pointy-haired man shouting that he was going to be 'cleansed' of all his sins with that monster's attack. Maybe he was. He sure didn't feel the same after the first time he had the dream with Yami and his little counterpart, Yugi, who was much kinder and gentler when he Dueled.
He dreamed about the Prince dueling him the night before actually...
"Why do you sometimes appear to me so small?" the hooded prince said to the boy standing in front of him in the same chapel where they always seemed to meet.
Yugi gave a friendly chuckle. "The Spirit of the Puzzle can get a little extreme with his methods," he replied. "I thought it best that maybe we could have a little fun for a change."
"Fun?"
"Don't tell me you don't know what fun is, Your Highness."
The prince shrugged. "Dunno. Ever since you two goons showed up in my life and haven't given me a good night's sleep, I don't know what to think anymore."
"Yeah, but how else can we keep the shadows from consuming you again. They're after you, my friend, and they want to take everything away from you. Your crown. Your kingdom. Your God Cards."
"I think you got the wrong guy, Yugi."
Yugi grinned. He looked rather odd wearing that black armored trenchcoat as the prince was. "I think it's time you saw the truth tonight, Prince Daveed. Or is it...Yuri that they're calling you now?"
"What!"
"We know all about you," said Yugi.
"How do you..."
"Uh-uh, if you want answers, you have to beat me in a Duel. But not just any Duel. This is going to be a Dimension Duel."
"What's that?" asked the Prince.
"Just a little something to make things interesting," Yugi replied confidently. "You see, we can summon monsters without sacrifice by using our Spirit Energy. The attack points of your monsters is determined by your Spirit Energy. Also, when a monster gets destroyed in battle in a Dimension Duel, we don't take damage times the difference of the monsters who fought. No, we lose Life Points equal to the monster that was destroyed. Understand? Good. Now, let's go!"
"Yuri...that name...it sounds familiar."
"This should clear up your memory," Yugi said, placing a black GEN 5 Duel Disk on his wrist. He removed a holo-lense from it and put it over his eye. "I'll start first. Try getting past this. I summon Sentry Soldier of Stone in defense mode!"
He summoned an enormous homunculus made of dense rock with three legs. He removed two stone cleavers from the sheaths over his chest and swung them around to intimidate the Prince.
DEF/2000
"I'll play your little game, Yugi," the Prince said, holding up his wrist and forming the arcane circle Duel Disk. "I Dimension Summon, Dark Driceratops!"
He squeezed his muscles and his body was outlined in a light blue auro. He clenched his teeth, feeling his energy being drained to summon the monster he wanted.
He chose a card from his holographic hand. It digitized and then formed a green-skinned four-legged ceratopsian dinosaur with gold-feathered wings. It had an ATK of 2400, and it could inflict damage to Yugi's Life Points even if his monster was in defense mode.
Yugi grinned, not at all phased by such an attack. "I'm impressed," he said. "You were able to Dimension Summon with your monster's attack points to the max. Well, I suppose I shall take things up that level, too. With this. I use the Ritual Spell, Chaos Form!" he shouted. "Behold, the Magician of Black Chaos MAX!"
Behind Yugi, the gateway to chaos opened and from it emerged an all-powerful form of a monster he once used. Magician of Black Chaos MAX wore all black that was hued with dark magenta. His blackish-purple hair waved behind him like a cape and three long sashes flapped behind him as well. He wore baggy, black, trousers with magenta flame designs on both his legs. The magician wielded a scepter that could double as a battle axe.
ATK/2800
Yugi commanded his magician to strike. The Chaos MAX magician swooped forward and smashed the axe-blade on the dinosaur's head. Dark Driceratops groaned and exploded. With that attack, Yugi was allowed to add a Spell Card from his Graveyard.
"Are things starting to get clearer?" Yugi asked. "Don't answer that. I can tell you want to keep this match going and go back to sleep." He laughed. "But if you want to lose that badly, be my guest. I set two cards face-down and end my turn."
"He's new," Prince said, referring to the Magician of Black Chaos MAX. "But each time I face you two I get better. Watch! I draw!"
"Yuri..."
"Huh?"
Nick and Patty were staring at him.
"What happened?" Yuri asked.
Patty shook her head. "I dunno, you tell me. You just stopped and phased out there for a few minutes. People were starting to think you went brain dead."
Yuri felt his face getting hot. People? Goodness. Who knew how many people had been watching him just stand there.
"Come on." Patty grabbed him by the arm and yanked him further down the street. "The club is this way. You'll feel better once we're inside. I'll order you a basket of fries."
They waited in line outside of the club. The building was painted black and outlined with rose-red neon. Bushes with hundreds of roses growing from them lined down the red carpet where the people were waiting their turn to get inside. Patty took her phone out and started taking a dozen selfies before she posed with Nick and Yuri. It was finally their turn to go in. They showed the bouncer their IDs. He told Yuri to stay off the bar since he was younger by a year. That caused him to grumble. At last, they went inside.
There was a black stage lit up with small, round, bulbs. Dancing on there was a woman in a revealing red dress with blonde hair. She shook her hips and blew kisses to the crowd as the song You Make Me Feel Mighty Real by Sylvester played loudly on the speakers around the stage. Bubbles flew out of machines and a few rose petals rained down on the woman.
"Damn!" said Nick. "We just walk in and already we see a fine-ass...OH, GOD! IT'S CARTER!"
Yuri took a closer look. He burst out laughing when he figured out that it really was Carter. He was having the time of his life up there. He had not a care in the world what anybody thought about him. Nothing. He was who he was and whoever was around him had to shut the fuck up and accept it. Carter looked down from the stage and saw his friends. When he saw Patty among them, he called up her. He took her by the hand and dragged her up on the stage. The two of them started dancing. Patty bent forward and began grinding her butt on Carter's crotch. Carter playfully put his hands on his hips, making a disapproved face. He wagged his finger and started smacking her derriere.
"Man, Carter gets more action from her than me, God damn it!" Nick shouted. He turned and walked to the bar for a drink. Yuri went to join him, finding it rather odd to see his friends act so crazy.
"I'll just have a soda," Yuri told the bartender. "That's going to be burned in my memory forever."
"I should have gone home," said Nick. "Now I'm not in the mood to party anymore."
"Why, because Patty's having a good time with someone else other than you? Come on, Nick. We've been through this before. Patty is not for you. And she never will be. How many times does she have to reject you in order for you to figure that out?"
"I don't expect you to understand," Nick said sadly.
"Hey, wipe away that long face," said Yuri, patting Nick's back. "Come on, let's have some fun."
Far off on the beaches of Eden Island, Andre checked to make sure he had all of his things because he wasn't sure if he would be coming back to this world anytime soon. He looked back at the city, already missing the friends he made here. Andre quickly looked away so as to make it a lot less harder to leave. He opened a portal and jumped back to Termnnia.