Fort Kasterrak - Naralian Army Stronghold

The Mountains of Katina

Naralian troops rushed out of the ancient mountain fortress on high alert. Someone or something caused all the power in their base to go out. They lost communications with their reinforcements and the base commander could not call on the Engaion for support. They were all alone.

To make things worse, Alliance forces were spotted marching through the dense forests of pine. That meant there was going to be a prince on the way, meaning a warrior of great power was going to give them the fight of their lives. Soldiers with sniper rifles or crossbows remained on the castle walls, aiming their weapons at the forest, looking for the slightest bit of movement. Down below, 10,000 Naralian footsoldiers and riflemen stormed into the edge of the forest overlooking a clearing with rolling hills. Others flooded into stone bunkers equipped with heavy cannons, hoping their weapons would be enough to hold back the hero the Alliance brought with them.

It was so hard to see anything. It was the crack of dawn and it was snowing a lot, making the sky cloudy, washing the world in a bluish-gray filter. Add the fact that they were in a deep pine forest in the farthest reaches of the Great White Mountains. Their shadows made the battlefield almost as dark as twilight.

The soldiers were nervous. Which Alliance Prince was coming to lead the troops? Was it Prince Michael and his Archfiends? Prince Marcel in his magical Red-Eyes Black Dragon armor, now augmented with advanced technology from Truesdale Enterprises? That meat his Red-Eyes Flare Metal Dragon would be with him. Yeyu save them if that was the case.

"We've got movement!" shouted a soldier from one of the watchtowers positioned in the forest.

250 troops stormed into the forest shouting a ferocious battle cry to make themselves sound like the bear roaring on their banners. They disappeared behind a curtain of snow and the shadows of the pine trees. Slowly, their triumphant battle cry turned into screams of agony and despair as the earth shook from a great and powerful foe. The pines shivered, dropping snow from their branches. The rumbling stopped and the screaming died down. All was silent.

The other soldiers readied themselves. Something told them at all 250 men were dead. A moment later, a Naralian soldier came wobbling out of the darkness. His armor was torn and his face was bloody, his eyes wide with horror. Blood oozed out of his mouth as he let out one final gasp of air and fell dead.

Vroom! Vroom!

What was that? The soldiers wondered. Something glowing red was coming out of the snow. It was Prince Michael, clad in a long leather trenchcoat adorned with belts and a high fur collar. He was riding a black chopper with Summoned Skull ornamentation and glowing red neon on the body and even the wheels. He was carrying a long black sword embedded with rubies and enhanced with fiery red runes forged into the blade by the Archfiend Emperor himself as a token of his esteem. Terrorking Archfiend and Archfiend General came walking out of the snow and stood on either side of him.

He revved up his bike. Vroom! Vroom! Vroom! The engine was powerful and loud, sending fear surging down the bodies of the soldiers in front of him. Not fearing the lone prince, the commander of the forces garrisoned here called on all ten of his CUIRASS pilots to fly down and intercept him. And they did, their cocky laughter ran from the intercoms. They circled the prince laughing and the Naralian soldiers cheered, knowing this would be the end of Prince Michael.

"Think you're so cool, hotshot!" said one of the pilots. "You were dumb thinking you could take us on alone."

But he wasn't alone. Out of the sky came Phoenix Lockheart with flaming wings. She landed next to Prince Michael, her hair blazing like a wildfire. Jon fell out of the sky and landed on the ground with a mighty quake, creating a large crater. Gearfried the Iron Knight rose out of the ground beside him. With a touch of his finger, Jon caused the armor to shatter to unlock Gearfried's true power as the Swordmaster. The armor magically merged into the axe Gearfried forged for Jon.

Ryon came walking out of the forest as well, his hands burning with rainbow flames and rock music blasting in his headphones. Jaeyoung and Xiefeng also walked into the light with Ancient Warriors - Rebellious Lu Feng riding behind them on his crimson red steed.

Marcel soared out of the clouds and landed on the ground, clad in his Lord of the Red Armor. Just as the soldiers feared, his Red-Eyes Flare Metal Dragon was with him, flying in the sky and roaring, as if giving one final warning to the Narlian troops. This was their last chance to surrender.

Prince Stas came riding out of the mist atop his golden-armored pegasus mount. The bells on her mane rang blissfully with a rich and beautiful sound. Alexis Rhodes, donning her armor as the Champion of the Termnnian Stars also rode into the battlefield on a winged horse mount, save hers had six wings, and they glowed like the sun with gold and white feathers.

And marching next to her was a beautiful winged girl, one of the last of a dying race.

King's Raid

Alicia Thaddeus, who was one of the Arva, the race of beautiful winged people who were thought to have gone extinct long ago. The armor of white and gold steel and the divine silks she wore were made of light from the Goddess Entuli. Her wings, also plated in armor, glowed so brightly it made the area around her shine as though Helios was out.

Jaden Yuki and Elemental HERO Electrum joined them at the top of the hill. He brandished his grand rainbow-jeweled blade, the Sword of Heroes. Ser Jaime, his Black Luster Soldier companion joined him as did their sorceress, Della, who was the last Celtra in the world. His dark and shadowy partner, Yubel, sniggered from the shadows and blessed Jaden with increased strength and agility for the coming fight.

The Naralians were growing fearful, but their worries were just beginning as more warriors came out of the shadows to join their friends in the frontline.

Princess Maria and her knight-champion Hasselberry came walking out of the forest on the left flank of the Narlian army. She rode atop her Destroyersaurus and Hassleberry fired his T780 SAW into the air cheering atop his Sabersaurus mount armored in heavy layers of steel. Lady Raven, now the royal summoner of Maria's court, slowly and menacingly joined them. The forest behind her lit up with purple light and the mountains trembled with the footsteps of her Ultimate Conductor Tyranno.

Chazz Princeton cheered as he circled around a mountain in his own set of cybernetic armor, which he stole from Zane years ago. He landed on the ground next to Alexis and then a bolt of lightning struck the ground behind him, revealing Armed Dragon Thunder LV 10.

"Yeah! Who wants some?" Chazz arrogantly cried out.

"Yeehaw!" cried out Yuya Sakaki, the legendary Duelist from the Pendulum Dimension. He was riding atop his beloved Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon. He raised up a magical gauntlet and transformed it into Odd-Eyes Revolution Dragon, a fitting name considering the war taking place.

Michael raised his sword, pointed it at the Narlian troops, and shouted: "CHARGE!" His enchanted voice filled his companions with great strength and fortified their will to fight. They let out battle cries and ran across the forest towards the troops.

The Naralians, not fearing death, raised their weapons and roared a battle cry as well. Their most elite knights and most powerful heroes ran to the frontlines, eager to take on the warriors from Yugi Muto's Alliance. One of them was a knight in colossal armor of cinderblock and steel. He had two giant shields for arms, which doubled as hammers to smash his foes.

"So, you're the Heroes of the Alliance, huh? Come on! You don't look so tough!"

Jon came running through the hilly clearing of the forest at great speed. He smashed the heavily armored warrior with his shoulder.

WHAM!

"WAAAAAAAAAAUUUUGHHH!"

With just one tackle from Jon, the Naralian hero was tossed into the sky and flew into a mountain many miles away.

Alicia flew towards a squad of elite Naralian knights clad in red with wolf helmets and armor carved to look like roses and thorns. They all snickered amongst themselves, thinking they could defeat the pretty winged warrior. Her sword and shield were orbiting over her back, sheathed and unready for battle. They started to laugh when they realized she was coming at them with her fists. They got into formation and raised their red javelins at her. She then smashed the ground with her fist, knocking the knights into the air, shattering their arms and armor.

"Too easy!" she said. She followed Alexis towards a bunker where two tanks came out ready to blast them. Alexis held up her tower shield as the tanks fired. The giant rounds from the tanks bounced off its surface like tennis balls against the wall and flew back at them, blasting them to bits.

"OW!" Alexis yelled. "Augh, I think I hurt my wrist holding those back."

"Want me to take a look at that?" Alicia asked.

Alexis looked at her and smiled as she galloped across the frozen hills. "Don't worry about me. Show these guys what you can do. It's payback for what they did to you. And don't forget to keep an eye on Prince Michael. We don't want those Archfiends to have too much control over him."

"Yes! You're right." Alicia flew toward the enemy barracks where Michael and his Archfiends were wreaking havoc. Phoenix was trailing behind him, burning everything in her path with walls of fire from her palms. Her Mavelus provided her with air support, attacking soldiers or burning them with its flames. Prince Ryon ran towards an bunker and strummed on his guitar, shattering it to pieces with a colorful wave of sound. "Ooooooooh Yeah!" he said. "Thank you! Thank you!"

Meanwhile, Marcel flew over a squad of archers and destroyed them with red lasers coming from the wings of his armor. The nanoparticles in his armor formed two swords made of red light, which he used to destroy four more tanks that were rolling in to do battle. His actions got the attention of Two CUIRASS mechs. They pointed their swords at Marcel, challenging both him and his Red-Eyes Flare Metal Dragon to keep them away from the Naralian troops.

"If it isn't the famous Lord of the Red!" said a female pilot. "So, we meet at last!"

"Yeah for the first and last time," Marcel said, hovering in front of a cloud. Red-Eyes Flare Metal Dragon roared behind him. "You want us, come get us!"

He and his dragon flew off into the sky. The CUIRASS mechs gave chase, but one of them was struck from behind with a laser blast from a heavily augmented Cyber Dragon.

"Need some help?" Zane said, flying around in his cybernetic suit of armor.

"One for both of us, baby!" Marcel cheered. "Let's hit 'em low, let's hit 'em fast! Wooooooooooooo!"

The CUIRASS pilots split up to engage their foes.

"This is so much fun!" Maria jeered with joy. "YAAAH!" she stabbed a soldier with her beautiful gold lance. She felt like Gaia the Fierce Knight, except she was riding a Destroyersaurus instead of a mythical purple horse.

"Just another day at the office, huh, guys!" said Hassleberry from down below. He was picking soldiers off his rifle while his Sabersaurus rampaged across the field. He had to raise his voice over the heavy stomping of Lady Raven's Ultimate Tyranno and Yuyua's Revolution Dragon beside him.

"We're ready to swing into action!" Yuya said, summoning his golden bow, which was crafted to resemble Odd-Eyes Pendulumgraph Dragon. He shot red arrows of light at the enemy, which created huge explosions to disperse them, causing many to fall back and retreat.

"He's amazing!" shouted Maria.

"Look out!" cried Hassleberry.

Two CUIRASS were heading their way. "Where do you think you're going, dino breath!" One of them shouted. They were coming for him.

"Uh oh," said Hassleberry. A shadow suddenly wooshed rushed by.

"Wahooo!"

"Huh?" Hassleberry looked around.

He heard a girl shouting directly over him. He looked up and saw Seto Kaiba's daughter, Cora, and her lover, Princess Kasumi Ako-Nami, riding atop a heavenly wyrm known as Baxia, Brightness of the Yang Zing, a creature they found back in the early months of spring when they were questing for Kasumi's hidden power.

Cora raised up her sword, a legendary heirloom of the Rosenkruz Dynasty. A portal opened behind her and a Blue-Eyes Chaos MAX Dragon stuck its head out and blasted her sword with a beam from its mouth. The sword started glowing bright blue and the excess energy made the blade grow over twenty feet long. When the sword was powered up, the Chaos MAX Dragon stuck its head back into the portal and vanished. Cora stuck her middle finger at the CUIRASS and made kissing gestures with her lips before throwing the energized blade at them. It sliced right through them, forcing the machines to freeze in midair. The blade continued flying and fell into a bunker, creating a giant mushroom cloud with lightning flashing around its stem. When the blast died down, the sword found its way back to Cira's hand.

Kasumi leaned forward and gave Cora's cheek a long, wet kiss. "Good job!" she said. "Your powers have gotten more potent. Let's find some more targets."

"Oh, baby! I'm glad we got out of school early for this!" Cora yelled. Baxia took a dive toward some bunkers full of soldiers trying to shoot them down. "WAAAHOOOO! DOWN WITH KING FORREST!"

"Haha!" Zane laughed, relishing at the sight of Cora having fun with her new powers. She had grown from a spoiled bratty E-harlot to a strong warrior worthy of Master Yugi's Alliance. "Seto Kaiba should be watching this," he said.

"Of course, he is!" Alexis answered into her mouthpiece. Her six-winged steed galloped toward soldiers riding tanks and jeeps from Elleria. She sliced them in half with Cyber Angel Izana's sword. "She's come a long way, hasn't she, Zane?"

"I'll say. Can we get confirmation on that tech these guys are using?"

"Roger that. It's JayceTECH."

"Veran Jayce. I knew it," Zane said coldly.

"I think we all did, bro," Michael said, riding through the forest and chopping soldiers down with his sword. His two Archfiends smashed into enemy vehicles, making short work of them. "I figured he wouldn't just retire after the Cyberdark Dragon Crisis."

"Nope, looks like Narlia gave him a job. That explains their new weapon."

"Speaking of which," said Yuya, "we're not going to be expecting that thing any time, are we?"

"Can't say for sure," Stas answered. He sliced his way through enemy soldiers up the path to the fortress. "That's why we gotta complete this mission as fast as we can."

"No problem!" Chazz said. His Armed Dragon Thunder LV 10 and Jon rose up into the air and blasted the enemy soldiers with a rain of lightning. When the forces outside had been dealt with, the heroes charged into the fortress and took out the base commander and his men. The entire raid only took half an hour. When the fort was taken, they discovered a horde of information and arrested troops willing to give them more info on the Engaion in exchange for their lives.

Chazz, Jaden, and Marcel found an underground bunker loaded with tanks ripe for the taking, enough for over a dozen kingdoms. One of their tasks in the Alliance was modernizing the Termnnian military and what a way to start than to give their allies some firepower to keep back the Naralian armies. But that was just a secondary prize. What they were really looking for was hidden deep at the base of the mountain. A mine, full of Kaiberium Crystals — a rare energy source discovered by Seto Kaiba many years ago when he was looking for the White Crystal Throne of House Rosenkruz.

These rare and magical crystals are formed after the body of a Blue-Eyes White Dragon decomposed. And this must have been the site of mass suicide, probably during the Night of Flames and Tears, for the cave was full of crystals and bones of hundreds of Blue-Eyes White Dragons. The crystals were no doubt the source of the Engaion's power. Even though they captured this deposit, who knew how much the Naralians had mined. Probably enough to keep the weapon going for eons, since Kaiberium Crystals contained all the energy needed to keep the dragon strong.

"Do you think there's time to get it all out?" Alexis asked.

"Not a chance," said Cora. "I just informed my dad about the mine. He wants us to seal it shut."

"Figures," said Zane. Hundreds of Alliance ships had arrived to pick up the tanks and perhaps even the Kaiberium Crystals. "But let me guess. Once the war is over he's going to reopen the mine and harvest them for himself."

Cora shrugged. "Basically. Like it or not, those crystals are a Kaiba Corp discovery and since we are the last descendants of House Rosenkruz, we own it. It is what it is."

"Makes sense," said Zane.

"Sir!" said an Elleria Spec Ops soldier. "There's enough tanks to make an entire brigade. Permission load 'em up."

"We can't load all of them," said Zane. "This place held the fuel to keep that weapon of theirs operational. I'm sure they would have noticed that their base commander isn't responding right now."

"He's right," said Michael. "We can't stick around long. The Naralians will know we attacked the base. They could attack us with their weapon any moment now. Commander, take whatever you can, only what you can carry. And make it snappy. Assume the Naralians are targeting you and are ready to launch."

"Yes, Your Majesty!" He ran towards his men. "All right, you heard the Prince. Take what you can! Don't burden yourself with treasures! Assume the shiny light in the sky is on our asses! Move! Move! Move!"

"We better get going, too," said Stas. "I almost forgot Master Yugi wants us to meet him in the Stormcoasts."

Stas gathered his friends and told them to meet him in his skyship in ten minutes. Wasting no time, the tired heroes gathered themselves and hurried to his barge for the long trip to Thara."

Prince Jon – Prince Stas's Luxury Skyship

4 hours Later

Jon stared out the window into the stormy skies, lightning flashing all around the ship. Rain splattered against the glass and fierce winds howled through every crack. The Stormcoasts was truly a fitting name for such a place. Long ago, the great Thunder Dragons cursed these lands, promising that the sun would never shine until the True Dragons massacred by the Emerald Inquisition would be avenged. For a hundred thousand years, these lands knew nothing by rain and thunder.

Jon found it incredibly hard to believe people lived here. Why, Yugi Muto was lord of these lands, owning a castle on the cliffs right over the Stormy Seas.

"They say these lands were beautiful once," Summer said. She was reading an atlas of the Stormcoasts by the fire. "They say the ground bore the sweetest fruits in all of Termnnia. The sunshine beamed through the clouds and created fields of beautiful blue flowers and the beaches were always full of visitors from other kingdoms. The High Kings of the Pendragon line once called this the crown jewel of Thara."

"I know," said Jon. "This used to be called Thera-Los-Lolandeon. It's Nyrrich for Kingdom of Blue Gardens. So-called for those endless fields of blue flowers that you speak of. It all went to Zorc when the Covenant took power and created their inquisition. They created a castle somewhere in the sea below us as their base of operations. Once it was erected, they started destroying the forests and burning the flowers to make foundations for new churches."

"Bastards! All of them!"

"Yes. And they began killing anyone who didn't convert to their faith. The Thunder Dragons of the Erestar Mountains were furious at what those men did to these lands. They would rather curse it with never-ending rain than to see it under their control."

"Well, what's taking them so long?" Summer asked, shutting her book. "The Inquisition has been out of power for thousands of years."

"Yes, but the Covenant still has a strong influence over most of our people. So long as that influence poisons Termnnia, I fear this stormy curse will never lift. I asked the Thunder Goddess if she could do something about it. But she won't. The Thunder Dragons are her children and she respects their wishes. The Stormcoasts will, unfortunately, be the Stormcoasts from now until the end of time."

The corner of Summer's mouth twitched from the despair in Jon's voice. A rumble of thunder disrupted the silence. "That's rather sad," she said. "I hope one day the Stormcoasts see the sunshine again. Can you promise me that?"

Jon turned. "What?"

"I don't think Termnnia's ever had heroes like you and the princes, Jon. And we've got Zane and his friends, too. All of them doing wonderful and extraordinary things. The Goddesses haven't blessed heroes in this world since the vanishing of Evangelia Pendragon. Look at what you all have done these past few months. You know, if it weren't for that beam of light the Naralians are shooting at us, you guys would have won the war by now. And this temple that Master Yugi wishes to meet you guys in. I have a feeling it's going to make you guys ever stronger."

"You think so?"

"Of course. And when you do get stronger with this training he's about to put you and your friends through, I want you to promise me you're going to defeat the Covenant of Yeyu. I want you to beat them so badly, they won't dare send troops against us again. And when the Thunder Dragons clear the skies and the sun shines on Thera-Los-Lolandeon again, I want a nice and cozy castle right in the middle of the field of blue flowers. Maybe by the foot of the mountains where you and I can take walks. Promise me."

"Summer..."

"Promise me."

Jon smiled. "Alright. I promise you that the sun will shine on Thera-Los-Lolandeon again. And I'll secure us some land so you can be by the flowers and protect them."

Summer snickered, but it turned out to be a ruse to hide her sorrow. Her shoulders quivered as she looked down and rubbed her empty womb. "I hope we can start over, dearheart. I was so close to having a family. I didn't mean to summon Endymion I just...I just..."

Jon inhaled deeply, crossing his arms over his chest and standing up straight. "Hey. It wasn't your fault. You saved our lives."

"At the cost of our child's life," Summer whispered. Tears streamed down her cheeks. "Why do we always have to fight? Why can't we just enjoy the world and get along?"

"If only it were that simple, love."

Someone knocked on the door. "Hey, Jon. Summer. It's me, Jaeyoung."

"What is it?" Jon answered.

"We're having dinner if you want to eat."

Jon looked at his wife. "Well, what do you think?"

"I think it's time we had a bite to eat," Summer replied. She set her book down and stood up, stretching before she followed Jon down the vast beautiful halls of his skyship.

When they entered, they found their Alliance companions hanging out in the lounge. It was two floors with stairs made of glass, and floors of shiny black tiles. The furniture was futuristic and sleek, some of them lit with white LED lights. Round ceiling lamps dimly lit the lounge, as did the flashes of lightning outside. The entire wall was made of glass, revealing nothing but the stormy skies outside.

"By Azeera," said Aisha. "It's so horrible out there. Thank goodness it's nice and warm in here."

Jon and Summer were surprised to see their friends dressed in casual or party clothes. It certainly was a breath of fresh air from the magical robes and armor they usually wore. Thankfully the pair packed their own set of casual clothes for occasions such as this.

"Oh, what fun!" said Summer. "Come on!"

Jon smiled, glad to see even they could have a moment to relax and be themselves without the war interrupted their lives.

Zane, Chazz, and Hassleberry were playing a game of pool with Prince Michael. Alicia was sitting on a fountain behind him, watching his every move. She was clad in a short white knitted sweater dress and her hair was tied into a long braid. She rubbed his shoulders as he weighed his options. He looked over his shoulder and nuzzled her neck, making her giggle.

"Sooooo," said Chazz, leaning on his pool stick. "Nobody finds it odd how a guy who summons some of the most evil monsters in the world is in love with a girl radiating with divine light."

"I kind of like their relationship," said Zane. He rubbed a cube of chalk on the top of his stick. "Michael's life has been clouded by darkness thanks to those Archfiends. They sometimes influence him to do terrible things to our enemies. But thanks to Alicia here, her light is used to control what they can do. I imagine they're not too happy with that, are they, Michael?"

Michael looked back at Alicia and kissed her cheek, all the while rubbing some of her feathers with the tips of his fingers. "Well, they're gonna have to get used to it. Besides, we're family. My Archfiends and I, I mean. They'll never turn their backs on me. I can always count on them. Besides, Alicia is not so bad once you get to know her. Not to mention she makes a mean cup of sweet tea."

"Soooo uh…" said Hassleberry. "Don't be afraid to call me out on this but, how do y'all have sex with those angel wings of hers. They're friggin' huge?"

Michael laughed while Alicia placed her fingers over her lips and snorted as she giggled. She wrapped her arms around his neck and said: "Carefully, very, very, carefully."

"Hahaha!" Chazz laughed and took a gulp of beer. "So, how's our boy Yuri doing in that tournament?"

Zane exhaled deeply as he shook his head. "Five thousand players. Only four can make it to the finals. Two chances. If you lose twice, you're out. So far Yuri's been doing okay. This event is going to last all summer, which will hopefully buy us enough time to destroy this superweapon the Narlians built."

"Hah!" scoffed Chazz. "All the time in the world."

"Hey, I've got another question," said Hassleberry. "I thought Avi was the only Dragon Summoner in the world. What in the hell are you doing summoning Armed Dragon Thunder Level 10, Chazz?"

Chazz took another gulp of his beer. "I don't summon him. He's already part of this world, so there's a difference. Secondly, he came to me thanks to a…special gift Avi gave me. Apparently, she has this charm called Kiss of the Dragon Summoner. Once a day, she's allowed to give someone the gift of summoning a dragon. What that dragon turns out to be, well, that depends on his constitution or whatever. I dunno, I'm not a mage. Anyway, the kiss is not really a kiss. All she has to do is touch you on the forehead and then she mutters a prayer, giving you the gift of summoning a dragon just for one day. But Avi didn't do that. She actually kissed me."

"She did!" Michael said out loud.

"Oh yeah." Chazz pointed to his lips. "Right here. And she kissed me long and good. A reward for saving her from bounty hunters when she first began her training in the temple back in January. Wouldn't you know it, Armed Dragon Level 10 comes flying out of the sky when I was attacked by Lord Aquataine's men."

"So let me get this straight," said Zane. "Avi kissed you dead-on in the lips and now you've got your own permanent dragon companion."

"That's right. Don't ask me how. All I know is, I'm the Chazz. And I'm the best."

Chazz's right-hand woman, Selena, approached him with another bottle of beer. "There you go, thinking you're all that," she said. "Hassleberry, do us a favor and don't get this guy started."

"Trust me, that's not what I want to do. All I'm thinking of right now is a way to get Avi to kiss me like she did him so I can get a dragon companion, too."

"Hassleberry, I don't think it works like that," said Zane.

Not far from where they were playing pool, Cora and Kasumi were on a black sofa by a fountain. Cora was sitting on Kasumi's lap clad in a white tank top and denim cutoffs. Kasumi, wearing a leather hooded jacket and jeans, wrapped her arms around Cora and kissed her neck repeatedly, still amazed by the immense power she could now wield.

Yuya, Phoenix, Marcel, Aisha, and their pet Leogun were having a conversation with Princess Evelyn and her friends on black couches lit with LED. They were placed in front of a display, showing off their weapons and armor. Ezra's arm was bandaged up from the bolt she took while defending her, but she was in good spirits and recovering.

"How's your arm, dear?" Phoenix asked.

"I'll live," said Ezra, her face turning red, being in the sight of her hero. "But you. Wow. You were amazing out there in the raid."

"You all were absolutely amazing!" said Evelyn.

"Here, here!" said Dancer. "Each and every one of you has been gifted with truly incredible power."

"I should have been there!" pouted Ethan. "I should have gone. I could have helped. I know a little magic that's helped us against vagabonds and thieves."

Evelyn laughed. Poor Ethan. When was he ever going to get his chance to shine? "Well, I'm sorry, Ethan, but they weren't dealing with vagabonds or thieves. These were highly-trained, well-equipped Naralian soldiers. I'm afraid they are way out of your league."

"I can handle myself."

"Just like you handled the Emerald Marches, huh?" said Antoine.

"Man! Do you always have to remind me of that?"

"Always," said Antoine. "Hopefully, it will get you to stop being so arrogant. I'm capable with magic, too, but even I know when I'm outmatched. Thankfully, we have heroes who can deal with such things. Real heroes. You all are truly a blessing from the Goddesses."

"Just doing what we can," said Marcel.

As they talked, Jaden, Della, his school friends Syrus and Chumley, and Prince Ryon were playing an arcade fighting game together in the corner by a fireplace. Ser Jaime watched from behind the couch with his arms crossed over his chest.

The others were hanging by the bar for a few drinks and a slice of Uzumenese steak that Jaeyoung was cooking up in the kitchen.

"You surprise me," said Aisha. "I didn't think princes were allowed to cook."

"Are you kidding?" said Jon. "I can make a pretty mean mammoth meat steak myself."

"JOOOON!" the entire group called out as if celebrating a great victory.

"I didn't think we'd be so missed," laughed Summer.

"We haven't seen you two the entire voyage," said Stas. He was behind the bar with Alexis, who looked like a businesswoman wearing a white blouse, a black skirt, and six-inch congressional pumps. Aster Phoenix was sitting on a stool in front of her, flirting with her and asking for more drinks.

Stas began pouring Jon and Summer a blue glowing drink from Mondé where it came from. The bottle was shaped like a Blue-Eyes White Dragon, with glowing crystals for eyes.

"What is that?" Summer asked.

"Dragonflame," said Stas. "In Blue-Eyes Blueberry flavor. There's Red-Eyes Cherry Blast, Meteor B. Dragon Spice Fruit Mix, and Dark Rebellion Xyz Passion Fire. But I keep Blue-Eyes Blueberry because it's the strongest of the bunch. Try some of this stuff. It'll calm your nerves."

"I doubt it will," Summer said, following Jon to the bar. "The Naralians have a weapon that can shoot a beam of light and we're up in the air. I've been nervous since we took off."

"Don't worry, dear," said Stas. "Zane Truesdale himself helped me build this barge. It comes equipped with an advanced stealth system that only his Cyber Dragons have. Of course, I paid an arm and a leg to have those stealth capabilities built onto this ship. The Naralians will need to possess the ability to see through thin air in order to shoot us down. I only wish all our ships were built with such a thing. But sadly there are still many Termnnians who downright refuse technology."

"Well, that's what this Alliance is for, is it not?" Summer asked, picking up a glass of the glowing stuff. "To not only unite our kingdoms but move them forward into the future."

"Easier said than done," said Aisha. "Come on, Summer, you gonna sit there staring at it, or are you gonna drink it."

"DRINK! DRINK! DRINK! DRINK!"

Summer chugged down the drink. Her eyes widened and her face turned beet red, making everyone snicker, for her expressions were priceless. She thumped her chest with her fist and opened her mouth. A big ball of blue fire burst out and everyone burst out laughing.

"Goddesses!" she croaked, as steam hissed from her lips. "That…ack…that was good."

Kasumi and Cora laughed at her expression. "Hey, I'd like some of that," said Kasumi. "Cora, mind if you pick up a few for us?"

"Anything for you, babe," Cora said standing up, to which Kasumi laughed and swatted her derriere, one of her favorite things to do.

"It's really nice hanging out with you guys," said Jaden. "I've got to say, this has been the most fun I've had in a while."

"It's good to get some downtime," said Michael. "How long before we reach the monastery?"

"Another two hours," said Stas. "But we have to stop and pick up Jasmine, Mindy, and Prince Ven from Hagersville. We've got time to chill and get a bite to eat before we land. Apparently, Master Yugi has some serious training for us."

"Training?" said Chazz. "We're strong enough as it is. Why do we need more training?"

"One should never stop training," said Jaeyoung, he was feeding Xiefeng a cut of steak. "And we may be strong, but I don't think we're strong enough. Especially if we keep on hiding every time the Naralians fire that weapon. I fear they have the upper hand even with all of us fighting together."

"I'm afraid he's right," said Aster. "You saw what they did to Maria's Evolzars. What they did to our fleets. If Master Yugi has a way for us to defeat that thing, I'd like to learn about it."

"Same here," said Alexis. "More than anything, I'd like to get my hands on Veran Jayce for building the Naralians that weapon and those CUIRASS mechs."

"He's mine," said Zane. "This is personal."

"Whatever," said Marcel. "So long as I get to fight and defend my home, that's all that matters to me. But let's not worry anymore about these matters. We're on break and we have some time to spend with each other. So let's make the most of it while we can before we get back to work."

"I hear that!" said Cora.

"Then it's settled," said Stas. He poured each and every one of them a glass of the Blue-Eyes Blueberry Dragonflame. When they all had a glass in hand, he raised his own glass up. "To Master Yugi. To friendship! To Termnnia. To the return of Prince Yuri."

"To the Alliance!" Zane added.

"To the Alliance!" they all said and then drank the strong beverage. Everyone's eyes widened and they aimed for the ceiling, simultaneously launching a giant blue fireball into the air.