A Dragon's Destiny

by Magi Mana

Talesverse. Kisara is a new student at Domino, returning after years of being away. She sees her childhood friend Seto has become cold and distant while she quickly makes friends with his soon-to-be rivals Yugi Muto and Joey Wheeler. While facing the return of the Shadow Games, Kisara will have to face both her past with Seto and the truth about the Millennium Items.

22. Battle City Begins

Hey, everyone... I know it's been a while. Far longer than it really should have been. I have some excuses for why, but the biggest is that I lost a lot of writing drive. Writer's block was an issue, and my motivation was way down. On the other hand, this chapter is around 31 pages, so hopefully that makes up somewhat for this.

Normally this is where I'd put some witty statement as a disclaimer, but given the news this week... Yu-Gi-Oh! does, and always will, belong to Kazuki Takahashi. May the Heart of the Cards be with him.

Chapter Twenty-Two: Battle City Begins

Yugi gave his newly assembled deck one final look. "You've assembled a fine deck," Yami said.

"But what if it's not good enough?" Yugi pushed back on the anxiety that came when he thought about the dangers they faced. He already almost lost his friend once.

"There comes a time when there's nothing left to do but believe in the deck you've assembled," Yami assured him. "And… Yugi, I'm going to need your help in this tournament. There are answers I must find."

"What kind of answers?" Yugi asked. Did this have to do with what Yami and Tea saw at the museum?

"I have to find the path I must follow," his partner answered, his eyes locked on their new deck. "I want you know I have faith in you and your deck. I always have."

"That means a lot," Yugi smiled at him. It seemed he still wasn't ready to share what was on his mind.

"You're not going to ask?" Yami blinked, obviously expecting Yugi to press him.

"Not until you're ready to tell me," Yugi said. "I know this tournament is going to be important. And you stood by me and helped me save Grandpa. So now it's my turn to stand by you. Whatever you need to face, whatever answers you must find, I'll be right there with you."

"Thank you, Yugi."

Bolstered by their conversation, Yugi slipped his deck into the case and strapped on his belt. It was time to face the tournament.

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Joey wadded up another failed strategy. He needed to find some way to get back Red-Eyes from that goon that jumped him. But Exodia was unbeatable. How could Joey work around that?

"I can't believe I lost my best card before the tournament even began," he grumbled, flopping on his back. Why did Serenity have to get all the brains in the family? I mean, I got the good looks, but… "Serenity!" he shot up. Joey was supposed to call her before heading to the tournament. He quickly dialed the room number.

"Hello, Serenity Wheeler's room," a familiar male voice answered.

"Tristan! Is that you?" Joey yelled into the receiver. What was he doing with Serenity?

"Joey, what a coincidence," Tristan said, and Joey could hear the grin on his face. "Serenity and I were just talking about you."

"You were?" Joey repeated, a scowl coming to his face. "What do you think you're doing in my sister's room?"

"Well, I know how busy you are getting ready for the Battle City tournament," Tristan feigned innocence. "So I thought I should keep Serenity company. Right, pal?"

"You're the last thing she needs, Romeo!" Joey shouted. That jerk would regret making the moves on his sister!

"Hi there, Joey," Serenity's voice came through the receiver. "Why didn't you ever tell me that Tristan taught you everything you know about Duel Monsters? Or that you finished second at Duelist Kingdom thanks to his training? And you never mentioned that if it weren't for Tristan, you wouldn't have won the prize money to pay for my surgery. You're lucky to have such a sweet, caring guy as your friend."

What the heck was Tristan telling her? Tristan couldn't duel his way out of a paper bag!

"Anyway, good luck in Battle City," Tristan said. "And don't forget about that super three-card combo I taught you. Bye!" And he hung up.

"TRISTAN!" Joey yelled at the receiver. "I'LL KICK YOUR LYING BUTT!"

The phone rang again, and he quickly pushed the answer button. "Hello?"

"Hi, Joseph," his mother greeted him. "Serenity and your friend Tristan said you just called."

"Hi, Ma," Joey glanced to make sure his dad wasn't coming in. Hopefully he wouldn't be back before Joey left for the tournament. "Sorry. I should've checked in with you too."

"No, it's all right," Talia assured him. "I know you've got your tournament starting today. I promised Serenity that she could go watch when the doctors say she can remove the bandages."

"Thanks, Ma, that means a lot," Joey grinned. Serenity was going to watch him in the finals. That was even more motivation to get Red-Eyes back from those creeps.

"I may not agree with the idea, but this is important to the two of you," she said. "And… I have something to ask you."

"Shoot."

"How would you like to come live with Serenity and me?"

Joey froze at the question. Was he dreaming? Could he actually live with Serenity like they used to, not limited to phone calls during the rare moments his dad was away?

"I know it's sudden," Talia continued. "And I know I should have asked a long time ago. If you don't want to, I'd understand. You have your own life, and I—"

"No, that's not it, Ma," Joey spoke up before his mother could ramble more. "Just… is this real?"

"Yes, Joseph," Talia breathed. "I should have been there for you long before this. I know this doesn't make up for what I've done, but I want to try."

"Do I gotta decide now?" Joey winced. He already had enough to think about with getting back Red-Eyes, helping Yugi against the other Rare Hunters, and winning the tournament for Serenity.

"Of course not," his mom assured him. "I know I just sprung this on you. Take your time. Serenity and I will be in town until the end of your tournament. And no matter what you decide, I promise I will be there for you from now on."

"Thanks, Ma," he smiled. He wasn't sure what he should do, but he appreciated her effort. "I'll try to make a decision by the end of the tournament. And if you want to come watch too, that'd be great."

"I'll see if I can make it," Talia promised. "I love you, Joseph."

"You too, Ma."

With that, they hung up. Joey sighed, lying on his back again. He watched the ceiling, the same one he'd stared at for years. I wanted to be with Serenity again ever since she and Ma left. He finally had the opportunity. But… he'd leave Yugi and Tristan and the girls. His friends were the reason he'd come so far, as Tristan reminded him when he was at his lowest. What should he do?

"I can't worry about this now," Joey grabbed his deck and duel disk to head to the tournament. First he'd get back Red-Eyes, then he'd win the tournament, and then he'd give his mom an answer.

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Kisara secured her deck box to her belt with the clip Yugi had recommended. This would make it easier to carry what she needed for the tournament, especially since she didn't want to make multiple trips back to the house.

Okay, I've got my deck… my duel disk… money for food… cell phone… whatever this clear card is… Kisara had yet to figure out the purpose of the card that had been with duel disk's packaging. She would just have to ask Yugi when she got there. Deciding she had everything, Kisara tucked her duel disk under her arm and slipped her shoes on. "Are you ready, Tea?" she knocked on her foster-sister's door.

No answer.

"Tea?" she knocked again.

Still nothing.

"Come on, Tea, we're going to be late," Kisara knocked louder. "We're supposed to meet Yugi and Joey at the plaza for the tournament opening."

"Is she still not up?" Gabriel came by, running a hand through his brown hair.

"Apparently," Kisara checked the time on her phone. If she didn't get going, she'd miss the start of the tournament.

"Why don't you go on ahead?" Gabriel suggested. "Yumi and I will send her along when she gets up."

"Okay," Kisara sighed. It was Tea's own fault for not waking up on time. "I'll call to check in later."

"Good," Gabriel headed downstairs. "And good luck, Kisara."

"Thanks, Gabriel."

With that, Kisara headed out, navigating the extra confusion surrounding the city with the impending tournament. There were a lot of people roaming around with duel disks.

She sighed in relief when she made it to the plaza on time. "Hey, Yugi!" she spotted her friend.

"Hey, Kisara," he greeted her. "No Tea?"

She didn't miss the slightly disappointed look on his face. "Apparently she slept through her alarm," she told him. "Hopefully she'll catch up to us later."

"She never has been a morning person," Yugi nodded.

"Hey, guys!"

They turned to see Mai waving at them. "Hi, Mai," Kisara greeted the blonde.

"Are you ready for this?" Yugi asked.

"You know I am!" Mai gave them a thumbs-up and glanced around. "Pretty big turnout for this thing. By the way, where are Joey and the others?"

"Tea will be coming later," Kisara answered.

"And Joey should be around here somewhere," Yugi glanced around for their friend.

"Great, so he is participating," Mai grinned. "I've been looking forward to a rematch against him."

I wonder if that's the only reason. Kisara kept her face neutral at that thought. She was pretty sure the blonde's response would be deny, deny, deny.

"Anyway, so whose butt should I kick first?" Mai's violet eyes took on a predatory sheen as she sized up all the potential opponents.

"I thought I'd see you buzzing around."

Kisara barely kept the scowl off her face as they turned to face Weevil Underwood and Rex Raptor. It seemed the insect duelist was still as obnoxious as ever.

"I thought I smelled something," Mai grimaced.

"I'll never forget how you played me like a chump-a-saurus at Duelist Kingdom, Mai," Rex glared at the blonde, clenching his fist. "Now it's payback time! And that goes for you too, Kisara!"

"And you won't be so lucky the next time we duel, Yugi," Weevil sneered at the game king. "My deck is infested with swarms of rare and powerful insects." He broke into hysterical laughter.

The insect duelist was silenced by a muscled, tanned arm pulling him into a headlock. "Those are large words coming from such a small guppy," Mako Tsunami stated.

"Hi, Mako," Kisara waved at the ocean duelist.

"If anyone will be making waves, it shall be me," Mako declared, releasing Weevil.

Kisara winced as the three descended into bickering. A glance at Yugi and Mai showed they had the same expression. At least some people are in this just for the competition. Someone might as well be.

"Some duelists never change," Mai rolled her eyes.

"Maybe that's for the best," Kisara shrugged. "As crazy as they are, I don't know how I'd react if they were as calm and collected as you."

"Good point," Mai sighed as the other three ran off in different directions.

"Hey, Kisara!"

Kisara grinned at the pair of teens—one with black hair and one with violet—coming towards them. "Haru, Roku!" she waved. "I didn't know you were coming!"

"I wasn't going to sit this one out," Roku stated. "Battle City, beware!"

"You going to introduce us, hun?" Mai raised an eyebrow at them.

"Sure," Kisara turned to the blonde. "This is Haru Amano and Roku Misawa. I met them when Seto, Mokuba, and I went to Heartland City a while back."

"Nice to meet you," Yugi extended a hand. "I'm Yugi Muto."

"The name's Mai Valentine," the Harpie duelist tossed her hair over her shoulder.

"Yeah, I've heard of you two," Roku eyed them. "First and Fourth in Duelist Kingdom. But I'll beat you."

"And that's why I'm here," Haru bonked him on the back of the head. "To keep him from getting too into it."

"So you're not a duelist?" Yugi turned to her.

"Nope," Haru grinned. "I barely get the basics. But I am undefeated at carnival games. Ask Seto Kaiba."

"I thought he just edged ahead of you?" Kisara chuckled.

"No way!" Haru glared at her. "I totally beat him!"

"So what happened?" Mai exchanged a look with Yugi.

"When we were in Heartland, Haru and Seto nearly broke the bottle toss while they were competing," Kisara sighed. "Both came out with giant prizes, but in all actuality it was too close to call. And the worker sure didn't want to be in the middle of it."

"Oh, Luke was fine," Haru waved her hand in a shooing motion. "He needs to learn to go with the flow."

"You say that about everyone," Roku rolled his eyes.

"Well, if you worry about what will go wrong, you'll miss out on what can go right," Haru glared at him. "Don't tell me you act any differently when you duel."

"Whatever," Roku sighed.

"Well, good luck, you guys," Kisara chimed in. "I hope to see you in the finals, Roku."

"Same," he grinned.

"Yeah, good luck," Yugi wished him well.

"We should get going," Haru waved to them. "We'll see you later, Kisara."

"Bye, guys," Kisara waved back. The duo vanished into the crowd to scope out their own competition.

"I suppose I should get going too," Mai said. "Remember, you two, next time we meet, we're rivals."

"Right," Yugi nodded.

"Good luck, Mai," Kisara wished her well.

The blonde headed off, leaving the two Domino students alone. Not seeing anyone else, Yugi and Kisara decided to wander the area until the tournament started.

I wonder if those Rare Hunters are going to be in their cloaks or not. Kisara carefully watched the other duelists around them. Joey described the same cloaks Bandit Keith wore when he encountered them. In broad daylight, they would be rather noticeable. But if they were trying to blend in… the Hunters could be anyone. And they still didn't know if the Rare Hunters were the ones after the Millennium Puzzle, or just the Egyptian God card Ishizu gave Seto.

"Hey, you okay?" Yugi's voice broke her out of her thoughts.

"Yeah, sorry," Kisara shifted her hold on her duel disk. "I can't help but worrying about the Rare Hunters. They already took Joey's Red-Eyes. And aside from the tournament's antes, we don't know for sure what they want."

"True," Yugi agreed.

"Have faith in yourselves, and we will prevail," Yami appeared next to them.

"You're right," Kisara nodded. "One step at a time. By the way," she took out the clear card from her jacket pocket. "Do you know what this is for? I couldn't find anything in the instruction manual."

"No," Yugi shook his head. "I'm guessing it has something to do with the tournament, but I think we'll have to wait until Kaiba tells us."

"Greetings, duelists," Seto's voice rang out over the area. "Welcome to Battle City."

"Well how's that for timing?" Kisara glanced around trying to find her friend.

A shadow covered them, drawing their attention to a large blimp with the KaibaCorp logo and a large monitor on it. On the monitor, Seto smirked. "It's time to put your dueling skills to the test. I hope none of you entered my tournament looking for friendly competition. Battle City's going to be an all-out war."

"Just when I thought things couldn't be more dramatic," Kisara rolled her eyes. "Though given he rode on the outside of a helicopter at the announcement, I suppose I shouldn't be too surprised."

Seto went on to describe the new duel disks, emphasizing he decided who was worth entering. The duel disks also had a microchip to monitor all the duelists' progress. I do hope that system will let him catch the Rare Hunters. I think I'll feel safer after Ishizu has locked up those God Cards again.

He also described the ante rule, forcing the defeated duelists to give their rarest card to the winner. On one hand, it was good insurance to make sure the God Cards were recovered. On the other hand… duelists like Weevil or Bandit Keith could be excessively cruel to those they defeat. Sportsmanship might be in short supply this time.

And Seto himself was participating in the tournament, so anyone was free to duel him as well. I wonder how much of this Ishizu anticipated. Everything is set perfectly for Seto to track down the Egyptian God Cards. I just hope we don't get caught in the crossfire. I should find Seto and see if he's found anything about those other two cards.

"Speaking of winning," Seto continued. "Only the sixteen best duelists will make it to the final round. And these finals will be held in a hidden location. In order to find the finals, you'll need these locator cards." He held up a clear card. "You each received one with your duel disk, but don't get too excited, because one's not enough. You'll need six of them to make it to the tournament finals. Every time you win a duel, you get a locator card from your losing opponent. When six cards are stacked on top of each other, they reveal a map of Battle City and activate a global position satellite which will transmit the location to you. But the tournament finals are a long way away, and most of you will be eliminated before that.

"Remember, only one duelist can win and claim the title of Number One Duelist in the World. Now get ready, duelists. Let the tournament begin!"

The various duelists around them cheered as the monitor went dark. "Time to get started," Yugi said.

"Where do you think we should head?" Kisara asked.

"Where are you, you creep?" Joey's voice drew their attention.

They spotted him down in the main area of the plaza. "What's he doing?" Yugi asked as Joey stormed his way through the crowd.

"We'd better find out," Kisara led the way to meet up with their fiend.

They found him yelling at an older guy with spiked silver hair and dressed in a dark blue shirt, black pants, and a black cloak. "Joey, what are you yelling about?" Yugi called to him.

He's dressed like Bandit Keith was at the warehouse! Kisara swallowed as she made the connection. This had to be a Rare Hunter.

"This is the guy who swiped my Red-Eyes!" Joey pointed at the guy. "And he owes me a rematch so I can get it back!"

"I already told you that you have nothing of use to me," the guy closed his laptop. He grinned as predatory eyes landed on Yugi. "But perhaps your friend would be interested in being my next victim? It would be my pleasure to hunt the Duelist Kingdom champion and snare his Dark Magician. So I challenge Yugi Muto to a duel!"

"Look, this is between you and me, got it?" Joey stood between them.

"Joey, wait," Yugi stepped forward. "Rare Hunter, I accept your challenge!"

"But, Yuge—" Joey protested.

"It's the only way to get back your Red-Eyes Black Dragon," Yugi stated. "I promise I'll beat him, Joey."

"Just be careful," Kisara said, pushing down her own worry. With all these other people around, I don't think he's going to try harming us like when he beat Joey. But that doesn't mean he won't try anything during the duel itself. "Keep your guard up."

The Millennium Puzzle flashed, and Yami took control. "So do we have a deal, Rare Hunter?" he said. "If I win, you must return Joey's Red-Eyes. And if I win, I'll give you my Dark Magician."

"Yugi, I can't let you risk your Dark Magician," Joey argued. "I got myself into this mess. Let me get myself out of it. I can take him. And I'd never forgive myself for letting him take your favorite card."

Yami held out his arm to silence him. "Thank you, Joey, but I have to duel this Rare Hunter," he said. "I'll have to risk losing my Dark Magician eventually. This is something I have to do."

"Let him do it, Joey," Kisara spoke up. "We all know if the roles were reversed, you'd be doing the same thing."

"Okay," Joey relented.

"Let's get on with this hunt already," the guy sneered. "The sooner I collect my prey, the better."

"I'm ready to duel whenever you are," Yami stared him down.

"Yuge, wait—" Joey started.

"Ah, ah, ah," the Rare Hunter silenced him. "Don't you think about revealing my strategy, Joey Wheeler. If you say a word about how I defeated you, I'll tear your Red-Eyes Black Dragon to shreds."

Joey and Kisara froze at that. Kisara remembered how painful it was when Seto ripped apart Grandpa's Blue-Eyes. They couldn't let that happen to Red-Eyes. "Yugi can handle whatever this guy throws at him," she whispered. "We just have to believe in him."

"Yeah," Joey hesitated, unable to say more.

"Activate hologram projectors!" Yami powered up his duel disk, and the two pieces shot from either end of the device. The Rare Hunter did the same, and they drew their hands.

"You can do it, Yugi!" Kisara cheered for him. "Take him down and get Red-Eyes back!"

Yami nodded and took the first move, setting two cards and summoning Beta, the Magnet Warrior. "Can you handle my newest monster?" he challenged his opponent.

The Rare Hunter played Graceful Charity, drawing three cards and discarding two. That card's almost as useful as Pot of Greed. Kisara couldn't help comparing it to the magic card Yugi had recommended she add to her deck for the tournament. It might be worth getting a copy.

"If only you knew what was in my hand," the Rare Hunter taunted, "You'd forfeit now!"

"I may not know what's in your hand," Yami revealed his face-down, "but my trap card Light of Intervention reveals all your hidden monsters on the field! There will be no surprise attacks from you."

"Doesn't matter," the hunter sneered, summoning Stone Statue of the Aztecs in defense mode. A green and blue stone monster with yellow eyes rose to the field.

It's kind of strange that someone who goes on and on about hunting his prey wouldn't attack. Unless despite all those extra cards, he doesn't have anything stronger than Beta. Kisara watched the opponent carefully. She really didn't like how sure of himself he seemed.

Using Battle City rules, Yami sacrificed Beta to summon Berfomet in attack mode. Then with Berfomet's effect, he was able to add Gazelle, the King of Mythical Beasts. With the Polymerization he had set, he could fuse the two into Chimera, the Flying Mythical Beast. Its 2100 attack points was more than enough to take out the statue, but due to the new rules, fusions were unable to attack on the turn they were summoned.

Joey tensed at Yami not attacking. "Listen, Yuge, this creep's got a plan to wipe you out. Check out the grin on that ugly kisser of his. This is what he did to me! There's—"

"Silence, Wheeler!" the Rare Hunter cut him off. "Or say goodbye to your Red-Eyes!"

"Take it easy, Joey," Kisara tried to pacify the blond.

"How can I?" he frowned.

"You must," she insisted. "Remember what happened to Grandpa's Blue-Eyes? When it was damaged, my heart felt ripped in two. It was painful. You think Red-Eyes getting destroyed will hurt any less than that?"

Joey fell silent, her words seeming to get through.

"I'll end my turn by placing this face-down," Yami glanced at them.

"Graceful Charity," the hunter again drew three cards and discarded two, grinning at the result. He furthered strengthened his defense with Gear Golem, the Moving Fortress.

"I really don't like that look," Kisara frowned at him.

"You have no idea," Joey grimaced.

"You may be protecting your LifePoints with fortresses and stone walls," Yami stared him down, "but in order to win this duel, you must attack me eventually. So what are you waiting for?"

"Oh, you'll find out soon enough, Yugi," the Rare Hunter sneered. "The hunter will attack his prey when the time is right."

Wait… Kisara remembered the end of her duel with Yugi at Duelist Kingdom. She'd managed to get past his most powerful monsters, and at the end, all he could do was stall for time. Until he summoned…

"Yugi, I can't stand by and watch this," Joey ran forward. "No way! I won't let you risk your Dark Magician for me!"

"That's enough, Joey," Yami cut him off. "You must not reveal his strategy. I'm fighting this duel for you, just like you would do for me."

"Just like when we went swimming at Duelist Kingdom," Kisara added in, hoping Yugi and Yami would pick up the hint.

"Swimming?" Joey blinked at her.

"Yeah, in the ocean," she flicked her eyes at the Rare Hunter. With the Rare Hunter's threat hanging over Red-Eyes, she didn't dare say the cards by name. "While we were swimming, Yugi lost something, and we tried really hard to find it."

"Exactly," Yami nodded. "The two of you risked your lives to recover my Exodia cards that Weevil tossed overboard. Not because Exodia was powerful, but because I was a friend in need." His eyes widened.

He got it. Kisara grinned as Yami smirked.

"I'm on to you, Rare Hunter," Yami turned his attention to his opponent. "You're planning to summon Exodia, the Forbidden One!"

The Rare Hunter recoiled, jaw dropped in disbelief.

"Thank you, you two," Yami gave them a thumbs-up. "You allowed me to figure out his strategy without actually telling me." Joey and Kisara returned the gesture.

"Just because you figured out my strategy doesn't mean you can stop me from succeeding," the Rare Hunter scoffed. "Everyone knows Exodia's the most powerful creature in Duel Monsters. How will you stop the unstoppable Exodia?"

That statement's not entirely true if Ishizu is to be believed. Kisara bit her lip. Having faced Exodia herself, she'd been unable stop it. And aside from maybe Obelisk—assuming the card didn't reveal the dangers Ishizu feared—Kisara had no idea how to counter it.

"It's true no one has ever defeated Exodia," Yami stated, "but in order to win back Joey's Red-Eyes Black Dragon, I'll be the first."

"Take him down, Yugi," Kisara encouraged him. If anyone could figure out how to beat Exodia, it had to be Yugi.

He nodded, setting two cards down and sending Chimera to destroy the Stone Statue.

"I knew even you couldn't beat me in one turn," the Rare Hunter cackled, ready to draw his card.

"Not yet!" Yami revealed one of his face-down Time Seal trap, skipping his opponent's draw phase. "This duel is far from over, Rare Hunter!"

"That was close," Kisara relaxed, just a little. He seems far too certain of what his next card is. Even if he only needs one more piece, odds aren't exactly in his favor. And he certainly hasn't bonded with his cards like we have.

"Yeah, I thought Yugi was a goner," Joey breathed a sigh of relief.

Yami stared at his deck, seeking answers. Kisara saw Yugi hover next to him, and together they drew. "Lightforce Sword!" Yami called, playing the card. A double-edged blade with a wooden hilt materialized in front of him. "It will randomly attack one of the cards in your hand, preventing you from using it for three full turns. And I'll aim for a piece of Exodia!"

The blade shot forward, impaling the silhouette of a hand. "It pierced Exodia's Right Arm!" the hunter wailed.

"All right!" Kisara cheered. Now Yugi had a few turns to defeat the Hunter. I should get that card for our next duel.

"I'm not done yet, Rare Hunter," Yami continued his turn. "To wipe out your monsters, I'll start by sacrificing Chimera for Summoned Skull!" The two-head beast dissolved, and the blue-winged fiend stared down his opponent. "Summoned Skull, attack with Lightning Strike!" Lightning shot from the Skull's claws, vaporizing Gear Golem.

"Way to put that caped clown on the endangered species list!" Joey pumped his fist in the air.

"Your Exodia may be unstoppable," Yami taunted, "but the five pieces that make it up are easy prey."

"My turn," the Rare Hunter grumbled, scanning his hand as he drew.

"Does he not have any other monsters?" Kisara asked. She tried to count how many cards were in his hand, but if four of those cards were Exodia pieces, what else did he have to stop Yugi's attack?

"You have no monsters to defend you," Yami pointed out to his opponent. "Looks like a whole new game."

The guy chuckled, then burst out laughing. "What is with this guy?" Joey narrowed his eyes at him. "He's just as nutty as a fruit cake."

"There must be something he has," Kisara tensed. "And I have a bad feeling it'll be worse than just another defensive monster."

"A whole new game?" the hunter cackled. "Hardly, Yugi. A professional card hunter like me is prepared for any situation."

Just when I thought players in this game couldn't be more over the top. The way he talks, you'd think he was slaying some big elk or stealing priceless jewels. Kisara stared down their foe, waiting for whatever scheme he had planned.

"Take this: Swords of Revealing Light!" the Rare Hunter finally made his play. Glowing blades planted themselves in front of Yami, preventing any attacks from coming through.

"This is bad," Kisara bit her lip. "Lightforce Sword will wear out before the Swords do." This was now the second of Yugi's strategies the Rare Hunter was using against him. Yami had no choice but to pass for his turn.

"That's all you can do," the guy mocked. "I should just end your misery. Why wait for your Lightforce Sword to expire when I can just draw another Right Arm from my deck? Exodia cards are so rare, and yet I've assembled three copies of each. That means there are two more copies waiting in my deck."

"He seriously has that many copies?" Kisara turned to Joey.

"So he claims," the blond answered. "He said something about multiplying their conquests after he beat me, whatever that means. But Yuge's in a real jam."

Kisara caught their friend's expression. "You wouldn't know that by looking at him."

Yami smirked at his opponent. "What's so funny?" the hunter demanded.

"Your deck's so loaded down with Exodia body parts, the odds of drawing the Right Arm are slim to none," Yami chuckled. "Your mistake is you're relying on one monster, but a good dueling deck requires the right balance of cards. And your Swords may hinder me for now, but they are not invincible. So this duel will end in three turns no matter what." He held up three fingers to emphasize his point.

"You're right about the three turns, Yugi," the Rare Hunter sneered as he started his turn. He frowned at his draw, but shrugged as he ended his turn.

"Come on, Yugi," Joey encouraged him. "You've still got two turns to beat this card-swiping freak!"

"I know you'll find away," Kisara added. "After all, you're the best gamer I know."

Yami nodded and drew his card. "I play one card face-down," he inserted the card into his duel disk, "and I summon Alpha, the Magnet Warrior, in attack mode!" A metal-grey warrior with red and blue edged magnets on it brandished a sword at the opponent.

"Did you forget about my Swords of Revealing Light?" the opponent mocked. "You can't attack."

"Not yet," Yami smirked. "But once I destroy them, my monsters will be let loose."

"You won't," the hunter snarled.

"And your deck has a tragic flaw," Yami continued. "It's so cluttered with Exodia parts you've squeezed out other cards needed to protect your LifePoints. You need more magic and trap cards to destroy my monsters. But all you have in your hand are Exodia cards."

"He's right," Kisara commented. "With the new direct attack rules, Yugi could wipe him out if not for the Swords. And a simple De-Spell could fix that."

"Good point," Joey nodded. "And Yugi's already taken out all that creep's monsters."

"There's no way you'll summon Exodia in time," Yami pointed out to his opponent.

"My turn!" the Rare Hunter drew. He grimaced at his card, his hand shaking as he weighed his options.

Yugi's definitely getting to him. Kisara kept her eyes on their adversary. So far there hadn't been any obvious signs of cheating. Though if there were, he probably would have already slid the last Exodia piece into his hand like Bandit Keith had against Joey.

"I summon Exodia's head in defense mode!" the Rare Hunter finally made his move. The head of the Egyptian monster hovered on his field. "Now you can't strike my LifePoints."

Yami smirked. "That's exactly what I wanted you to do. Now it's time for me to destroy Exodia. You activate my trap card—a costly mistake! Chain Destruction!"

"I have no idea what that does," Kisara looked to Joey. The blond shrugged.

A golden chain with a spear on the end passed through Exodia's brow and pierced the Rare Hunter's deck. "While Chain Destruction can't destroy your Exodia head on the field," Yami explained, "it can destroy the ones in your hand and your deck."

"My Exodia heads!" the guy wailed.

"Are gone," Yami finished. "And with them destroyed, you can no longer draw all five pieces into your hand to summon Exodia."

"Way to go, Yugi!" Kisara cheered.

"Show that ugly creep who's boss!" Joey pumped his fist in the air.

"I've also found a way around your Swords of Revealing Light," Yami revealed his other face-down. "Activate, Dust Tornado! This trap destroys one magic card, shattering your Swords of Revealing Light!"

"Now he can finish him off," Kisara grinned.

"I play Monster Reborn!" Yami inserted the card into his duel disk. "Revive, Chimera, the Flying Mythical Beast!" The two-headed creature snarled at the hunter. "Now, Alpha, the Magnet Warrior, destroy the final Exodia Head!" The metal warrior charged forward, slashing apart the last monster. "You're now defenseless against my last attacks. Summoned Skull and Chimera, attack the Rare Hunter directly!" The fiend fired its lightning as Chimera pounced, wiping out the rest of their prey's LifePoints.

The Rare Hunter fell backwards as his score dropped to zero. "Yeah, Yuge, you won!" Joey cheered along with the crowd surrounding them.

"Way to go!" Kisara joined in.

Yami nodded and walked over to the fallen Rare Hunter, shifting through the cards. "There it is," he pulled out a card. "I'm taking Joey's Red-Eyes Black Dragon and your Locator card," he said to guy. "You won't need to find the finals now." Yami frowned at the cards he still held.

"What's wrong?" Kisara asked.

"Something's rubbing off on my fingers," Yami examined the cards more closely. "All these cards are fake!"

"So he is a cheat," Joey growled, glaring at the guy. "Are any of his cards real?"

"None," Yami ripped apart the cards and tossed the scraps into the air.

"I lost…" the guy muttered. "Forgive me, Master," he yelled, bolting to his feet. "I tried my best! Please don't be angry!" He clutched his head, screaming.

"That wacko's lost his mind," Joey stepped between the guy and Kisara and Yami.

A golden symbol appeared on the Rare Hunter's head as his eyes glazed over. That's the same symbol on the Millennium Items. Kisara tensed. Was this the same guy who controlled Bandit Keith?

"Remember me, Pharaoh?" the guy droned. "Actually, perhaps you don't. You were trapped in the Puzzle when I dueled Little Yugi."

"So it is him," Kisara frowned. Yami tensed next to her.

"Congratulations on defeating my Rare Hunter," their foe continued, "though he was the weakest duelist in my crew. My other minions will prove much more formidable."

"What is with this freak show?" Joey asked.

"He's being controlled," Kisara explained. "By the guy behind the warehouse."

"What?" Joey

"Pharaoh, I've waited for you for years," the guy continued. "And finally after all this time I will destroy you. And I will not allow my other Rare Hunters to fail me like this one did. I have little time for foolishness, so I've taken over his mind." He wobbled around unsteadily, like a puppet on strings. Kisara shuddered as the invisible threads pulled the guy into a twisted flip.

"This guy's creeping me out," Joey backed away from the fallen hunter.

"How do you control him?" Yami stared him down.

"Each of the Millennium Items contains its own unique power," their foe answered. "So mind control is a simple task for my Millennium Rod."

"No good can come from that power," Yami stated.

"Millennium Rod?" Kisara repeated. Why did that seem familiar?

"Allow me to introduce myself," the foe's voice brought her out of her thoughts. "Remember my name: Marik."

"What is it you want from me, Marik?" Yami glared at him.

"I want what belongs to me," he answered. "And I'll take it using the strength of the Egyptian God cards!"

"Egyptian what?" Yami blinked.

"God cards," Kisara explained. "Three extremely powerful and dangerous cards. So powerful and dangerous even Pegasus feared them and had them locked away. The Rare Hunters already stole two of them."

"Someone is well-informed," the hunter's blank eyes flicked to her and back to Yami. "With the three Egyptian God cards, I can destroy you, Pharaoh, and claim the power I deserve!"

"You'll never claim the Millennium Puzzle," Yami stated.

"You misunderstand," Marik snickered. "I want more than the power of the Puzzle. I want the Pharaoh's power, the boundless energy of the ancient ruler himself. The end is near, Pharaoh."

"Not yet, Marik," Yami didn't back down. "I'm beginning to understand why Ishizu asked me to participate in Battle City. It's my destiny to stand between you and the powers you seek. And I will."

"Then your destiny is easier said than done you fool," Marik laughed. "Your days are numbered, Pharaoh, so enjoy them while you can, because your reign is coming to an end!" The glowing symbol disappeared from the Rare Hunter's forehead, and he fell to the ground, unconscious.

"That was nuts," Joey knelt down next to the guy and checked his pulse. "Looks like he just passed out."

"I'm sure Seto has employed some medics for the tournament," Kisara took out her cell phone. "I'll call Mokuba to see if he can send someone here."

Before she could dial, a pair of guys ran over to check on the fallen Rare Hunter. "Let us," the taller one said, and Kisara saw the KaibaCorp Medic Team badge on his shirt.

"We'll take it from here," the shorter one said, waving to the tent in the corner of the plaza labeled Medical. Another guy came over with a gurney, and they loaded the Rare Hunter onto it and took him.

"Thanks, guys," Kisara nodded as they left.

"Man, I knew that guy was a big creep, but who knew he was a front for an even bigger creep," Joey looked around, as if expecting Marik to control someone else around them.

"And we don't have any idea where he's hiding," Kisara added.

"We should stay on our guard," Yami agreed.

"By the way, Kisara, how did you know about those cards that guy wants?" Joey turned to her.

"Ishizu, the person in charge of the museum's Egyptian exhibit, told me," she answered, biting her lip. Seto surely had added Obelisk to his deck, and knowing him, he wanted to use it against Yugi. Kisara didn't want to place herself in the middle of their rivalry, but given what Marik just said… "I really only know their names, and I have an idea where the third card is. But I don't have much more than that."

"Then we'll need to be ready," Yami said as he held out Red-Eyes to Joey. "Here you go, Joey, take your card back."

Joey looked at the card and shook his head. "Nah, Yugi, you hold on to it. It isn't mine to take. You won it fair and square. Besides," he stuck his hands in his pockets. "I bet the Rare Hunters have collected tons of rare cards. They'll be tough to beat, even for you."

"What are you saying, Joey?" Yami glanced at the dragon still in his hand.

"I'm saying you'll need all the tough monsters you can get," Joey turned his gaze to the sky. "And you can think of me whenever you play my Red-Eyes. It's the least I can do for you. In Duelist Kingdom, you taught me everything I needed to get to the finals."

"Joey's right," Kisara chimed in. "You were the reason we got as far as we did in the tournament."

"That's what friends do," Yami looked between the two of them.

"That's my point, buddy," Joey met his eyes. "You always have my back, so it's time I had yours. That's why I want you to keep my Red-Eyes. I know it's going to come in handy for you sometime. And it means a part of me will be a part of your deck. But it won't be forever."

"What do you mean?" Yami asked.

"I want to duel you again," Joey smirked. "Someday, I'll challenge you again. When I'm good enough, I'll take it back then. But it's yours until that day."

"Aw, Joey," Kisara smiled at him.

"Hey, I'm still in the tournament," Joey pulled a card out of his deck, "and I still have the rare card requirement covered." He flipped the card around to show them. "I guess technically Yugi has it covered—the Time Wizard you gave me way back when I started playing. It bailed me out of jams in Duelist Kingdom, and I know it'll help out in Battle City."

"You know, in a way, it's like both of you each as a piece of the other in your decks," Kisara pointed out. "Yugi gave you the Time Wizard, Joey, and you gave him your Red-Eyes. If that's not putting heart in, I don't know what is."

"That's 'cause we're a team, and nothing can stop us," Joey grinned, clenching his fist. "We'll whoop that Marik creep and his goon squad so hard they won't know what hit them. They'll be sorry they ever decided to mess with us."

"Thanks, Joey," Yami smiled. "I'll take good care of your Red-Eyes Black Dragon.

"And you'll have me fighting with you too," Kisara clenched her own fist. "All the way and until the end."

With that, the three parted ways, ready to take Battle City by storm.

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It occurs to me… Kisara wandered the streets looking for an opponent. I'm not really sure how to challenge someone.

At Duelist Kingdom, all their duels had been initiated by their opponents. The only exceptions were when Kisara challenged Kemo for Mokuba's safety and when Yugi fought Panik for Mai. And the only friendly challenge—at first—came from Tohru.

It would be great to duel Tohru again. She was so nice last time. Kisara couldn't help but smile at the fairy duelist.

She caught sight of another girl watching the duelists like she was. The girl had auburn hair that went just past her shoulders with bangs clipped back by a pair of barrettes. She wore a black vest over a white blouse and red tie, and her blue pleated skirt went to her knees. Spectacles framed her nervous gray eyes as she bit her lip.

But the most noticeable thing was the duel disk strapped to her left arm.

Taking a chance, Kisara walked up to her. "Hi," she smiled. "Are you in the tournament too?"

"Y-yes," the girl ducked her head. "My name is Reiko Kitamori."

"I'm Kisara White," she extended a hand to her. "Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too, Miss White," Reiko shook her hand. She jumped at the explosion from the nearby duel.

"Want to find a quieter spot?" Kisara suggested.

"Yes, thank you."

The two wandered into the park where there were fewer people. "So how long have you been playing?" Kisara asked.

"About two months," Reiko answered. "But this is my first tournament."

"Cool," Kisara grinned. "This is my second tournament."

"Would you like to duel, Miss White?" Reiko took a shaky breath.

"Only if you want to," Kisara nodded.

"I do."

"Then let's do it."

Both girls inserted their decks and readied their duel disks. "I'll go first," Reiko drew. "I summon Puppet Pawn in defense mode!" A black and white checked monster with a golden helmet and shield knelt on her field. "And then I'll play Battlefield Tragedy! Now every time a player wishes to attack, they must send two cards from their deck to the graveyard." A magic card with a battle-scarred field appeared behind the Pawn.

That'll make this a challenge. Kisara grimaced. If she wasn't careful, she'd end up losing her best cards before she had a chance to use them.

"I'll end my turn with a face-down," Reiko finished.

"Then it's my turn," Kisara drew. "I summon Alexandrite Dragon in attack mode!" Light reflected off the iridescent scales of her dragon. "I'll send two cards to the graveyard so my dragon can attack your Puppet Pawn!" Fire gathered in the throat of her dragon.

"I activate Trap Hole of Spikes!" Reiko countered with her face-down. A cavern opened up underneath Alexandrite Dragon, and it fell, impaled on the pointed edges of the bottom. Kisara's LifePoints dropped to 3000 as the hologram shattered.

"What was that?" Kisara tried to process what happened.

"My Trap Hole of Spikes triggers when a newly summoned monster declares an attack," Reiko explained. "It destroys that monster and takes half its attack points out of its owner's LifePoints."

"Great," Kisara looked over her hand. "I'll set a card face-down and end my turn."

"My go," Reiko started her move. "I summon Puppet Bishop in attack mode!" Another black and white checked warrior materialized, this one with a rounded helmet like a chess piece. And when Puppet Bishop is summoned, I can look at one face-down card you control, and if it's a magic card, I can destroy it." The bishop held out his golden scepter, and Kisara's Sakuretsu Armor trap revealed itself. "You wanted me to attack."

"Well it would have helped," Kisara shrugged. "And it may still serve a purpose."

"Perhaps," Reiko smiled. "I'll play two cards face-down and end my turn."

"Okay," Kisara started her turn. With 1900 attack points, I can't beat that Bishop just yet, but… "I summon my Luster Dragon in attack mode!" A dark blue dragon flew onto her field. "Now I'll send two cards from my deck to the graveyard so Luster Dragon can attack Puppet Pawn! Breath of Fire!" Luster Dragon roared at the defensive pawn.

"I activate Attack Guidance Armor!" Reiko revealed one of her face-downs. A silver cuirass materialized around her bishop. "This will redirect your attack to my Puppet Bishop!" The bishop waved its scepter, releasing a flash of golden energy. Both monsters were destroyed.

"Well at least I got rid of one monster," Kisara commented.

"No you didn't," Reiko activated her other face-down card. "By discarding my hand, my Rope of Life will bring back Puppet Bishop with 800 more attack points!" The bishop returned and pointed its scepter at Kisara.

"I'll end my turn with a face-down," Kisara set a card. She's good. She's already deflected both my attacks and knows to avoid Sakuretsu Armor. She definitely plays this like a chess game.

"My turn!" Reiko drew. "I activate Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy your Sakuretsu Armor!" A swirl of wind shot from her magic card into Kisara's trap, shattering the hologram. "Next I'll send two cards to the graveyard so Puppet Bishop can attack you directly!" Golden energy gathered at the tip of the chess warrior's scepter.

"I play Negate Attack!" Kisara countered with her other face-down. "This cancels out your attack and ends the battle phase."

"Oh," Reiko looked down, oddly dejected. "I end my turn."

"Okay," Kisara drew her card. "I summon Koumori Dragon in attack mode!" A dark purple dragon with red underwings crawled forward to roar at the chess warriors. She doesn't have any face-downs to stop me this time. "I send two cards to the graveyard so Koumori Dragon can attack Puppet Pawn!" Her dragon raced forward and slashed the pawn with its claws, shattering its hologram. "And now that Puppet Bishop is the only monster on your field, I can use my Fissure magic card to destroy it!" A crater opened up underneath the bishop, swallowing it up. "I end my turn."

"I-I'm not out yet!" Reiko started her turn. "I play Pot of Greed to draw two cards!" She carefully read the cards she pulled, the gears turning in her head. "I summon another Puppet Pawn in defense mode!" The chess pawn knelt on her field once again. "And then I'll place this face-down and end my turn."

"My turn!" Kisara drew her card. "I also play Pot of Greed to draw two more cards!" Perfect. "I play Monster Reborn to bring back Seiyaryu!" Her sparkling pink dragon roared.

"When was that destroyed?" Reiko recoiled.

"I ended up sending it to the graveyard one of the times I tried attacking," Kisara answered. "Seiyaryu, destroy Puppet Pawn! Razor Fire Blast!"

"I play Negate Attack!" Reiko countered with her face-down. "Just like you did before, this neutralizes your attack!"

"Very well," Kisara set a card. "I end my turn."

"Here I go!" Reiko drew. "I activate the magic card Promotion! With this, I can sacrifice Puppet Pawn to summon Puppet Queen from my deck!" The kneeling warrior was replaced with a black and white checked warrior with a bell-shaped dress with a gold pointed crown, scepter, and shield, and a red cape with purple lining stood tall. "When Puppet Queen is summoned through the effect of Promotion, I can return one monster you control to your hand!" The queen pointed her scepter at the pink dragon and fired. Seiyaryu vanished, removed from the field.

"Oh no," Kisara saw the writing on the wall.

"I send two cards to the graveyard so Puppet Queen can attack you directly!" Reiko squared her shoulders. "Queen's Gambit!" The chess queen charged forward, energy gathering on her scepter. She stopped right before Kisara and released her scepter's energy, knocking the dragon duelist down to 800 LifePoints. "I end my turn."

"Nice combo," Kisara drew her card. "I summon Lord of Dragons in attack mode!" A warrior with off-white armor and a navy cape stood on her field. "Now I'll play the Flute of Summoning Dragon! With this, I can again summon Seiyaryu!" Her pink dragon flew overhead. "I'll send two cards to the graveyard so Seiyaryu can attack. Destroy Puppet Queen with Razor Fire Blast!" Blue flames shot from Seiyaryu's mouth, incinerating the chess queen. Reiko's LifePoints fell to 3700.

"Ah!" Reiko recoiled.

"I'm not done yet," Kisara glanced to her other monster. I've already lost half my deck thanks to Battlefield Tragedy. But… "I'll send two more cards to the graveyard so Lord of Dragons can attack you directly!" Her lord shot forward and struck Reiko, knocking her LifePoints down to 2500. "I end my turn."

"M-my move," Reiko started her turn. "I play Card of Sanctity so we each draw until we have six cards in our hand." She carefully read the cards she drew. "I'll play Monster Reborn to bring back my Puppet Queen!" The chess queen pointed her scepter at Seiyaryu. "Now I sacrifice Puppet Queen to summon Puppet King!" The queen was replaced by her consort, a checked warrior with a red cape and a cushioned crown. He leaned on a golden cane.

So there's the King. "You must really like chess," Kisara smiled at her opponent. "Is that why your deck is built around them?"

"Y-yes," Reiko ducked behind her monster. "But… I always played defensively, letting my opponents wear themselves out until they had nothing. I did the same thing when I started Duel Monsters. Then about a month ago, I dueled someone who told me that a duel with no attacks had no excitement, that I was too afraid to really battle. And he was right. I ended up losing, but… for once I was attacking, and I actually had fun. It was the first time I truly enjoyed playing.

"So I'm trying to get better, to not be so afraid of a battle," Reiko bit her lip as she looked back at Kisara. "It's still frightening though. It's much easier to hide. But I don't want to do that anymore." She took a shaky breath. "And with my Puppet King, I'll do it! I send two cards to the graveyard so Puppet King can attack your Lord of Dragons! Checkmate!"

"I'm not out yet!" Kisara revealed her trap. "I play Gift of the Mystical Elf! With this, I gain 300 LifePoints for each monster on the field." Her score rose to 1700 as the King destroyed her Lord. Her LifePoints fell to 100.

"So close," Reiko bit her lip. "I play two cards face-down and end my turn."

"Time to turn this around," Kisara drew. "First I play Heavy Storm to destroy all spells and traps on the field." A hurricane came through, blowing away Battlefield Tragedy and Reiko's two face-downs. "Next I'll summon my Mirage Dragon in attack mode!" A golden serpentine dragon flew up next to Seiyaryu. "Next I play the magic card Mountain!" Peaks rose up around them, the highest ones dusted with snow. "This field card increases the attack and defense of all dragon, winged-beast, and thunder type monsters by 200 points."

"My Puppet King is still the strongest monster on the field," Reiko pointed out.

"For now, but I'm not done," Kisara held up one more card. "I equip Mirage Dragon with United We Stand! This gives my dragon 800 points for each monster on my field." The gold dragon's strength rose to 3400.

"Oh no," Reiko took a step back.

"Mirage Dragon, take out Puppet King!" Kisara commanded her monster. The dragon roared, obliterating the chess warrior. Reiko's LifePoints fell to 1900. "Seiyaryu, finish this duel with Razor Fire Blast!" The pink dragon breathed blue fire once more, wiping out the rest of their adversary's LifePoints.

"Darn, I lost," Reiko drooped, pulling a card from her graveyard.

"Hey, it was a close duel," Kisara smiled. "You're really good, Reiko."

"Thank you, Miss White," the chess duelist held out Puppet King and a locator card to her. "Here, you won these."

"I don't want your Puppet King," Kisara shook her head.

"But you won the duel," Reiko protested. "The rules say I must give it to you."

"To be honest," Kisara winced, "I don't really like the ante rule this tournament has. Locator cards are one thing, but… my friends taught me to put my heart into my deck. And I can't help but feel like I'd be taking a piece of someone's heart with their card."

"That is what it feels like right now," Reiko's gaze fell to her card. "Puppet King was my first Duel Monsters card."

"So keep it," Kisara smiled at her. "It belongs with you."

"Thank you!" Reiko bowed so deep Kisara thought her spectacles might fall off.

"You're welcome, though I will take the locator card."

"Oh, yes!" Reiko handed her the clear card. "This was actually my second one, so I'm not eliminated yet."

"Then good luck," Kisara grinned at her. "How about we try to have a rematch in the finals?"

"Deal," Reiko gave her the widest smile she'd wore since they met. "Thank you so much, Miss White."

"You're very welcome," Kisara waved as the other girl took off. Now, where to next?

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Joey grinned as he spotted the duel happening ahead. Maybe he could make his Battle City debut.

It was pretty easy to recognize Rex Raptor with his Serpent Night Dragon. It was also easy to see Rex was in a bind. The Serpent Night Dragon was asleep, hypnotized by the pocket watch swinging in front of it. Joey didn't recognize the humanoid monster facing the dragon, but it sure looked mean and powerful.

"How could you know I was going to play that?" Rex glared at his opponent, a guy with shoulder-length mint hair wearing a pink shirt with black zigzags across the middle and khaki pants.

"It's simple," the opponent stated. "I'm psychic. Finish him off, Jinzo! Attack with your Psychic Wave!" The humanoid held up his hands, and red energy erupted in waves, shattering the Serpent Night Dragon. Rex's LifePoints fell to zero.

"You see that? Rex Raptor got creamed big time!" someone from the crowd said.

"I didn't think he was psychic, but then he predicted my every move," Rex muttered.

Joey grimaced as the dino duelist handed Serpent Night Dragon and his locator card over. Someone who could predict everything his opponent would play? That sounded an awful lot like what that goon Pegasus pulled. But this guy didn't have a creepy magic eye to help him. Maybe he was just really good at guessing cards?

"Something's not right," a voice sounded right next to him.

Joey jumped away and turned to the voice. "Geez, Kisara, don't scare me like that!"

"Sorry," Kisara rested a hand on her deck.

"Your Serpent Night Dragon doesn't deserve a slot in my deck," the opponent mocked Rex. "But I suppose it will make a decent coaster."

Joey recognized the hard look that crossed his friend's sapphire eyes. "Don't go dragon-crazy." He put an arm out to stop her.

She took a breath to calm herself. "Right," she nodded. "But there's something weird. Rex shouldn't have lost that easily."

The duelist walked over to them. "You want to duel?" he challenged Joey.

"Take my advice and stay away from this freak!" Rex interjected. Kisara flinched at his choice of words. "He's Espa Roba. He duels using ESP."

"You mean he's psycho?" Joey blinked.

"Psychic," Kisara corrected him. "But my first instinct is that it's a hoax."

"He'll mind-read the cards in your hand!" Rex insisted. "He'll know what move you'll make before you do!"

"You gotta be kidding me," Joey rolled his eyes. Yeah, this was definitely like Pegasus. But he agreed with Kisara that something wasn't right. "You say he beat you using mind-magic?"

"He destroyed me," Rex admitted.

"Then let's get going," Joey grinned. If he wiped the floor with the guy who creamed Rex, then Joey would prove he was the best. He couldn't wait to rub Rich Boy's nose in it when he got to the finals.

"Weren't you listening?" Rex protested.

"Yeah, but I smoked you at Duelist Kingdom," Joey sneered at him. "And I play by my own rules! Rule Number One in the Joey Wheeler Handbook!" he held out a finger in emphasis, "is never back down from a challenge! Rule Two!" he held up a second finger," always take on duelists with crazy dueling techniques!"

"Just don't forget what happened with Duke," Kisara sighed.

"I won't," Joey rolled his eyes.

"Joey Wheeler," Espa placed a finger on his chin as he processed the name. His widened as it clicked. "Aha! The runner up in the Duelist Kingdom tournament!" A sly grin came to his face. "I'd be honored to try out my dueling skills against you."

Ha! The guy actually knew who he was! Maybe this duel would give him the respect he deserves. "I guess my reputation precedes me," Joey grinned.

"Yeah, your reputation as a fool," Rex muttered. "I tried to warn you, peabrain."

"Joey, do I need to get Duke to bring some dice here?" Kisara pressed a hand to her forehead.

Joey flinched at the memory of the cubes striking his forehead. "No!" he glared at her.

"Then don't get ahead of yourself," she sighed.

Joey and Espa took their places as the crowd backed up to give them room. "Let's get the stakes straight," Espa yelled so the crowd could hear. "I'm putting up my rare and powerful Jinzo card. But since I've already foreseen your defeat, I'll be taking your Time Wizard!"

"We'll see," Joey powered up his duel disk. "Let's duel!"

He glanced over his starting hand, smirking. No too shabby of a lineup. "For my first move," Joey selected Giltia, the Dark Knight, to play, but paused when Espa starting humming, pressing his hands to his temples.

"Celestial force, I call upon you!" Espa said. "Make me one with the psychic universe! Show Joey's thoughts to me! And every card in his pathetic hand!"

"And your little dog too," Kisara rolled her eyes.

"What's he muttering about?" Joey turned to Rex, hoping the dino duelist could shed a little light on the nuttiness of his opponent.

"You're toast," Espa smirked at him.

As if! "Well here's another prediction, Espa," Joey glared him, Giltia at the ready. "I'm going to mop the floor with you! Go, Giltia, the Dark Knight!"

"Uh-uh!" Espa held out a hand. "You'll have to think of a different move."

The crowd muttered in agreement, commenting on his mistake. But what mistake? Why wasn't Giltia coming out? "What do you mean?" Joey glanced around the field and at his duel disk. "Why can't I summon him?" Wait, was Espa really psychic? Did he predict this? "Did you see it in the stars?"

"Try the rulebook, Joey," Kisara pinched the bridge of her nose.

Rex burst out laughing next to her. "You've dueled before, right?"

"Joey, the new rules say you need to sacrifice a monster to summon one that has five stars or more," Kisara sighed. "Two monsters are needed for seven stars or more."

"Wait, it's five stars?" Joey recoiled. "I thought it was six stars that needed a sacrifice?"

"It's five stars, bonehead," Rex mocked him. "You just played an illegal card. And you were runner-up in Duelist Kingdom? What a joke!"

"All right, that's enough from the peanut gallery," Joey grumbled at them. He was going to have to check the rulebook again. He could have sworn that thing said six stars. Stupid tiny font.

"I predicted you were dumb, but who knew you were that much of a fool?" Espa sneered.

"What yourself, you mind-reading freakshow!" Joey yelled at him.

"Joey, calm down," Kisara told him. "Sure, you messed up, but it's not the end. Just keep your focus."

Joey nodded as Espa started humming again, his fingers returning to his temples. "Cosmic energies, come to me!" Espa commanded. "The celestial forces in the universe of psychic truth tell me that the top card in your hand is the Swordsman of Landstar!"

Joey looked to the little warrior on the top of his hand. How the heck did he know that? There definitely wasn't some creepy magic eye helping him! "This is a scam!" he accused his opponent.

"You're just jealous of my psychic powers," Espa brushed it off. "My ability to tap into the cosmic universe is too complicated for your peanut-sized brain to understand."

"Now you're ticking me off," Joey clenched his fist. Sure, Yugi and Tea and Kisara were way smarter than him—and maybe Rich Boy—but no way was this punk going to get away with insulting him like this!

"Too bad," Espa made his move. "Now I'll summon Cyber Raider!" A blue-clad warrior with a silver helmet materialized onto his field. "And since you have no monsters on your field, he can directly attack your LifePoints!" Cyber Raider raced forward and punched Joey, knocking him on his back. His LifePoints fell to 2600.

"This isn't my day so far," Joey looked up at the warrior standing over him. I can't lose to this misfit.

"What's wrong?" Espa mocked him. "Cyber Raider got you down? Or are you ready for more?"

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Tristan took a breath to steady his nerves as he knocked on the room's door. "Who is it?" the musical voice from the other side called.

"It's just me," he answered as he stepped into the room, catching sight of the auburn-haired girl with bandages over her eyes. Right, she can't see me. "Oops, I mean Tristan. I'm back."

"Hey, you," Serenity smiled, and Tristan's heart rate increased. She was so pretty. And he couldn't wait until she got her bandages off so he could see her beautiful eyes too.

"I brought you a little entertainment," Tristan set down his motorcycle helmet and gloves and took out the laptop he'd borrowed from his older sister.

"A yo-yo?" his friend guessed, reminding him again she couldn't see what he had.

"No, a laptop," he sat on the edge of her bed. "I thought you might be going nuts up here. KaibaCorp is streaming the whole Battle City tournament live on the internet. I thought we could watch Joey's next duel together."

"Um…" Serenity paused, as if trying to figure out what to tell him. "Tristan, I can't."

Right. "I meant I'll watch the duel and I'll provide you the exciting play by play," Tristan scratched his face. Real smooth, Taylor.

"Thanks, Tristan, that'd be awesome!" Serenity's face lit up, and he felt his face warm. "Joey will be so psyched we're keeping tabs on him!"

"All right," Tristan clenched his fist as he grinned. "One duel simulcast coming up!" He opened the laptop, ready to start the duel… Uh oh… I don't even know how to turn this thing on. No wonder Julie was snickering when she lent it to him. Tristan should have asked her how to use it before he rushed over here.

"Has the duel started yet?" Serenity cocked her head as she asked.

"Uh… give me a minute," Tristan scurried into the hall. A nurse happened to be walking by, and with a quick rundown of what he needed, she agreed to come help.

"Okay," she said as she booted up the computer. "Let's see… here's the Battle City Tournament," she pulled up the webpage. "Now we just need to search for Joey. Is this the correct spelling for Wheeler?"

"Yeah," Tristan nodded.

"Okay," she hit the enter key, and Joey's picture came up. "And voila, there he is."

"I could've done that," Tristan winced, hoping he could remember the steps if the computer turned off."

"Sure," the nurse raised an eyebrow at him as she left the room.

Tristan turned his attention to the screen which showed Joey facing off against a duelist with mint hair. The screen listed the duelist as Espa Roba. "Hey, we're in luck. Joey's duel is just starting."

He winced as an X appeared over a monster zone on Joey's field. With nothing on the field, Espa summoned a monster and took out a chunk of Joey's LifePoints. What's going on? Joey's getting creamed. Joey couldn't lose his first duel of the tournament. If he lost now, then he'd be eliminated.

"How's he doing?" Serenity's voice brought him out of his thoughts. "You're supposed to be giving me the play-by-play, remember? Is something wrong?"

"Um…" Tristan couldn't tell her Joey was losing. It would crush her. "No, it's all good." He rubbed the back of his head. "It's just that this duel's been so totally one-sided it's a total snooze."

"Oh, so that means my brother is winning, right?" she lit up.

"Um, sure," he fibbed. "Come on, he was the runner-up at Duelist Kingdom. And this time he's going straight up to the top." He laughed, though he wasn't sure if it was to convince her or himself.

"Thanks, Tristan," Serenity smiled.

He slumped over the laptop, glad she believed him. Don't make me a liar, Joey.

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Joey got to his feet, staring down his opponent. "You're finished, Wheeler," Espa stated.

"You wish, Roba," Joey drew his card. "This duel's not over, and I know you're up to something." He smiled at the Graceful Dice magic card. If he was lucky, he could combine that with his Swordsman of Landstar to turn the duel back in his favor.

"Tapping in," Espa's hands returned to his temples as he hummed.

"Not this stuff again," Joey growled.

"It is getting real old," Kisara nodded, turning to Rex. "Did he do this on every turn in your duel?" she asked the dino duelist.

"Yeah, it was real annoying," Rex grumbled. "But he still knew every card I was going to play. His trick works; it's how he stomped me."

"It almost reminds me of Mai's perfume trick at Duelist Kingdom," Kisara glanced around. "But I know Joey's cards aren't sprayed. What is Espa's game?"

Espa pulled his hands from his head, smirking at Joey. "You just drew another Graceful Dice card," he stated. "Am I right, Wheeler?"

Yeah, he drew Graceful Dice. Joey scowled before the so-called psychic duelist's words sank in. Another Graceful Dice.

"Don't feel bad about it," Espa droned on. "No one expects you to keep up with my unique telepathic dueling powers. I perceive your Battle City dueling days are over."

Joey looked over his hand, eyeing the singular Graceful Dice in his hand. Time for some mind games of his own against the cheat. "I summon Swordsman of Landstar!" The warrior smiled at his opponent as he readied his sword. "And I'll place two cards face-down and end my turn." He set the Graceful Dice and another card, ready for Espa to take the bait.

"Let me guess," Espa sneered. "You plan to activate both of your Graceful Dice cards as soon as my Cyber Raider attacks and multiply your Swordsman's attack points. Am I warm?"

"You're burning up," Joey grinned. And will be real steamed when you see what I got in store.

"What are you planning, Joey?" Kisara pressed her knuckle to her chin as she analyzed the duel.

"It won't work," Espa rolled his eyes. "The new rules say you can only play one Graceful Dice per turn."

"Is that right?" Joey shrugged.

"My powers psyched you out again," Espa drew his card. "I'll sacrifice Cyber Raider and summon The Fiend Megacyber!" The blue warrior dissolved, and a new one took its place. This one was taller, wearing electric yellow armor.

"I'm ready for you," Joey revealed his magic card. "Go, Graceful Dice!" A little fairy rolled a blue die. His Fiend Megacyber's attack is 2200, more than four times the strength of my monster. But if the die comes up five or more, I'll win!

The die landed on a three.

"Ha," Espa laughed. "That makes your monster's attack strength a measly 1500 points, which means my monster won't even break a sweat. Fiend Megacyber, bring him down!" The yellow warrior charged forward, pulling his fist back to punch the swordsman.

"Hey, slow down, Roba," Joey smirked. "You forget my other face-down card?"

"What did I just get through telling you, Wheeler?" Espa scowled. "You can only use one Graceful Dice card per turn!"

"Who said it was a Graceful Dice?" Joey grinned. Man, it felt good to get the drop on this clown. He revealed his trap card.

"A Skull Dice trap card?" the so-called psychic duelist recoiled. "Is this some kind of trick?

An imp rolled a red die. "Skull Dice reduces your monster's attack strength depending on the roll of the die," Joey explained. "The higher the number, the more your monster's attack points are reduced."

There was the five he was hoping for. Fiend Megacyber's attack points fell to 440. Swordsman of Landstar slashed through the weakened warrior, knocking Espa down to 2940 LifePoints.

"Looks like your psychic friends dropped the ball," Joey glanced around the area, trying to see if he could spot them. "I only had one Graceful Dice card." He pointed an accusatory finger at his opponent. "You've been getting some bum information, and now I know why. Because of how I held my cards, you knew I had two Dice cards, but you couldn't tell which ones. Which means your ESP game was just a con! You couldn't see my cards at all! But I bet you got friends in high places you can, you snake in the grass."

"You cheat!" Rex yelled.

"I knew it had to be a trick," Kisara agreed. "You shouldn't have lost your card if that's the case, Rex."

"Heh," Espa took a step back. "Are you accusing me of faking my psychic abilities?" He brushed at the hair around his ear. "Too bad. Because I'm getting a telepathic vision now that's just guaranteed to come true."

"You know you're a fraud," Joey didn't back down. At least Mai had the decency to come clean when he figured out her shtick back at Duelist Kingdom.

"We'll see who's a fraud when I win," Espa stated. "Even without my psychic abilities, I've never lot a duel, and I can tell that's not going to change any time in the near future."

"Espa," Joey sighed. "I may not have psychic powers, but I do have a belief in myself that a chump like you will never understand."

"You said it, Joey," Kisara chimed in. "Now take him down."

"Please, Wheeler," Espa rolled his eyes. "Rumor has it without Yugi to help you, you couldn't duel your way out of a paper bag."

"We'll see about that," Joey clenched his fist. "Bring it on, Psycho Boy!"

"It's psychic," Espa continued his turn. "I'll place one card face-down on the field and end my turn."

He's got no monsters on the field to hide behind, so I can attack him head-on, just like he attacked me. Joey drew his card, smirking at the Alligator's Sword. That was perfect to sic on Espa. "I'll summon this: Alligator's Sword!" The gator materialized on his field, his sword ready to swipe away his adversary's LifePoints. Combined with his powered-up Swordsman, Joey had enough points to wipe out Espa. "Hey, I got a vision," Joey grinned. "And you're not in it!" Alligator's Sword struck the fake psychic, knocking him down to 1440 LifePoints."

"Don't get ahead of yourself," Kisara warned.

Like Espa could stop him now. "Go get him, Swordsman of Landstar!" Joey launched his final attack, ready to claim victory. "Let's finish off this fake!"

"If you think I'm going to let you attack me twice, you're crazy!" Espa screamed, revealing his face-down card. "I play my trap card Mind Control!" The swordsman slowed, his eyes turning to swirls as he fell under the trap's effect.

Well this can't be good. Joey tensed, trying to figure out Espa's move.

"Rex, what does that card do?" Kisara turned to the dinosaur duelist.

"It takes control of the opposing monster for two turns," Rex answered. "Which is bad news for Wheeler if Roba has a high-level monster in his hand."

The two of them had to be right as Espa passed his turn. He could have used the Trap on Alligator's Sword, and neither of them would have had a monster then. Sacrifice was the only reason he'd make sure he kept the Swordsman around. Joey drew his card, smirking at Chasm of Spikes. With this, he'd be able to wipe out whatever Espa summoned. "I place one card face-down and end my turn."

"It's show time," Espa grinned. "I'll sacrifice your Swordsman of Landstar, and I'll summon Jinzo! The end is near, Wheeler!" The bewitched swordsman vanished, replaced with a humanoid monster in green armor and a creepy mask over its face.

Come on, chrome dome, take your best shot. Joey was ready. Once metal mouth attacked, he'd wipe it out with his trap card.

"You better hope your face-down isn't a trap," Espa taunted him, "because if it is, my next move may disappoint you." The monster's eyes lit up, firing a laser at Joey's Chasm. The hologram shattered. "With Jinzo on the field, all your traps are useless!"

"This is really bad," Kisara frowned. "Without trap cards to turn the tables, along with the new sacrifice rules, it's going to be hard for Joey to beat that thing."

"That's the monster that stomped me and Serpent Night Dragon," Rex agreed. "Wheeler's toast."

"It's time to end this duel," Espa selected another card from his hand. "So I'll play this: the magic card Amplifier! And I'll hardwire it to Jinzo, which will immediately boost his attack power by 500 attack points!" A silver helmet materialized around the humanoid, making him look like he came out of some alien laboratory. "And with each turn that passes, he'll gain 300 more points."

"Aw no," Joey groaned. Taking that thing down just got a heck of a lot harder.

"Send his Alligator Sword back to the swamp!" Espa commanded. Jinzo held his hands in front of him, and dark electrical energy shot forth, vaporizing Joey's monster. His LifePoints fell to 1200.

"If you think I'm giving up because of baldy and his tin-foil hat, you got another thing coming!" Joey clenched his fist. "This duel isn't over yet!" Deck, don't fail me now. He drew his card. Yes! He smirked at the little yellow dragon. Joey's back in business. "I summon Baby Dragon!"

"Aw!" Kisara cooed as the dragon flew onto the field.

"You know Jinzo's going to crush that thing, right?" Rex rolled his eyes at her. "I swear you made the same face when Wheeler summoned it against me."

"Nothing you say will change the fact that it's adorable," Kisara huffed.

"Ookaayy," Rex sighed. "You think Wheeler's going to try the same thing he used on me?"

"Technically, you crushed Baby Dragon before he could," Kisara narrowed her eyes at him. "But I think the same effect will come into play."

"I don't know whether to laugh or give your monster a bottle," Espa laughed. "But if that's all you've got, you're finished."

"It may be just a baby now, but it's possible my dragon's about to grow up," Joey smirked, holding his next card. "I summon Time Wizard!" It's a risk, but if the spinner lands right, my dragon will age up, and Jinzo'll turn into scrap metal.

"You've got this, Joey," Kisara encouraged him.

"Let's find out if luck is on my side!" Joey commanded the roulette to spin. He grinned as it landed on the clock tower, aging Baby Dragon into Thousand Dragon. His smile fell when Jinzo remained unchanged. "What the heck?"

"Why didn't it age?" Kisara turned to Rex.

"I don't know!" Rex took a step back.

"What's the matter, Joey?" Espa snickered. "Jinzo's special armor took you by surprise? He's made of a special die-titanium that's guaranteed not to age, rust, or corrode for ten thousand years."

"So Time Wizard's effect would need to be cast multiple times," Kisara reasoned.

"Cyber Energy Shock!" Espa commanded his monster to destroy Thousand Dragon, knocking Joey down to 700 LifePoints.

Without my dragon, what else can I do?

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"All right!" Tristan cheered. "One more move and Joey'll win the duel!" Sure, the idiot had messed up in the beginning, but now it seemed he had the duel in the bag. The Swordsman of Landstar just needed to land the next attack.

But Espa's face-down prevented that. Suddenly Joey was back on the defensive, helpless against that Jinzo monster. Tristan winced as his best friend's LifePoints whittled down to 700. Not even the Thousand Dragon had been able to turn things in Joey's favor. He was just barely holding on.

"Hey, Tristan?" Serenity's voice drew him out of his thoughts. "You're really quiet. My brother is still winning, right?"

"Uh, yeah, I mean, uh," Tristan fumbled as he tried to answer. He hoped he didn't look as nervous as he felt. "What was the question?"

"Joey's not losing, is he?" she frowned.

"Uh, no, don't be silly," Tristan waved his hands to assure her, only then remembering she couldn't see him. "It's cool. He's just toying with his opponent."

"Oh, okay," she smiled. "Thank you for letting me know exactly what's going on."

He winced at those words. He couldn't tell her the truth without crushing her. All he could do was hope Joey pulled through.

A knock on the door drew their attention as the nurse stepped in. "Time to take your temperature," she said.

"I'll step outside for some air," Tristan stood up, giving the nurse space to do her job.

An idea came to him in the hall, and headed for the payphones. He dropped a coin in and dialed the number.

"This is Tea," his friend's voice came through.

"Hey, it's Tristan," he said. "Are you watching Joey's duel right now?"

"No, I'm not," Tea answered. "What's going on?"

"Find him," Tristan begged. "Serenity and I are watching it online, but he's losing. You've gotta tell him we're watching so he'll pull through. And remind him of something else too." He passed along what he was sure Serenity would want to tell her brother.

"Okay, I'll go look for him." Tea agreed. "Try calling Kisara too. She left before me this morning, so she might have seen him."

"Good idea; thanks," he hung up and dialed Kisara's number.

"Hello?" she answered.

"It's Tristan. Are you watching Joey's duel?"

"How'd you know he's dueling right now?"

"KaibaCorp is streaming it online, and Serenity and I are watching it," Tristan sighed in relief that she was there. "Tell him that so he can turn it around." He also gave her the same message.

"I will," Kisara promised.

"Great, thanks," Tristan glanced down the hall and saw the nurse leave the room. "I gotta get back to Serenity. We're rooting for him."

"Call me if there's anything else."

His message on its way, he headed back to the room. Tristan knocked on the door, stepping inside with her permission. "You probably want a duel update," he plastered a smile on his face. "Joey's probably still stringing that guy along." He winced when he saw the duel hadn't improved.

"Wait, it's okay," she reached a hand out to him. "Thank you, Tristan, really, but you don't have to keep lying to me."

"What?" Tristan drooped. She knew?

"I asked the nurse to tell me what's been going on," Serenity admitted. "I know Joey's been losing the duel the whole time."

"Sorry, Serenity," Tristan looked down. "I just didn't want you to be worried about Joey, you know?"

"That's so sweet," she nodded. "But I have to know the truth about my brother. If he's in some kind of trouble, I want to be told about it. He's always been there for me when I needed him, and now I need to be there for him. I may not be next to him, but can you help me be there for him in spirit? Pretty please?"

"You bet I can," Tristan felt his face heat up at her smile. "And I called Tea and Kisara. They're going to tell Joey we're watching the duel. Knowing that will definitely push him to win. Now let's cheer him until he wins!"

"Great!" Serenity grinned.

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Kisara winced as the Thousand Dragon was destroyed. Time Wizard's effect wasn't strong enough to shift things in Joey's favor. And she didn't know what all else Joey had added to his deck that could make a difference, especially since all his traps were useless. All he could do was activate his Scapegoat magic card to protect his LifePoints with Sheep Tokens.

"That's your best move?" Espa mocked him. "Jinzo will take those things out one by one and then do the same to your LifePoints. Why don't you just make it easier on yourself and just hand me your locator card? Or you can continue embarrassing yourself and keep playing lame cards."

"The little creep's right, Wheeler," Rex said. "This duel is as good as over."

"No it's not," Kisara glared at him. "There has to be something."

"Like what?" Rex glared back at her.

"Well the person I would normally ask isn't here," she huffed. "So what do you got for me?"

"Even I couldn't beat him," Rex crossed his arms. "What makes you think I know how Wheeler can do it?"

"You have more experience than I do in this game," Kisara stated.

"All right, tough guy, let's see what you got!" Joey's challenge drew their attention back to the duel.

"You're just prolonging your defeat, Wheeler," Espa drew his card. "I summon Reflect Bounder!"

"What does that do?" Kisara asked, taking note of the red puppet covered in mirrors.

"It'll bounce any attack Wheeler makes back at him," Rex frowned. "So even if Wheeler has something that can crush Jinzo, Reflect Bounder will make it useless."

"Well that's not good," Kisara bit her lip as Jinzo's strength also increased more with Amplifier's effect. Come on, Joey. I know you can pull this off.

They could only watch as Espa's monsters destroyed two of the Scapegoats. "So much for Pinky and Inky," Joey grimaced.

"What a pathetic way to end your Battle City experience," Espa laughed. "You couldn't even make it out of the first round. With those cards, your future as a duelist is bleak and getting beaker." He made a thumbs-down motion to emphasize his point.

"Don't listen to him, Joey," Kisara glared at the so-called psychic duelist. "You still have a chance to turn this around." Her cellphone ringing cut her off, and she stepped back to answer it.

"It's Tristan," her friend identified himself. "Are you watching Joey's duel?"

"How'd you know he's dueling right now?" she looked around to see if she could spot him.

"Serenity and I are watching it online," Tristan explained. "Tell him that so he can turn it around."

"I will," Kisara promised, smiling at the extra message from the younger Wheeler.

"Great, thanks," he sighed. "I gotta get back to Serenity. We're rooting for him."

"Call me if there's anything else," Kisara hung up the phone and moved to give her friend the message.

"Joey, hang in there!" a new voice beat Kisara to it. She jumped as Tea nearly ran into her. Grandpa wasn't far behind.

"Where'd you come from?" Kisara blinked at her foster sister. Joey also turned to look.

"Tristan called me from the hospital," Tea kept her gaze on the blond. "He's watching the duel on the internet with Serenity."

"I just got the same call," Kisara nodded, "and Serenity wants you to know something."

"What?" Joey's eyes filled with desperation as he hung on their words.

Tea held up her fingers in a V. "You two are a team forever, and she believes in you."

"So don't even think about giving up!" Kisara gave him a thumbs-up. She grinned as Joey stood with a renewed resolve.

"Enough stalling!" Espa shouted at them. "Are you going to quit or what, Wheeler?"

"I don't think so," Joey stared him down.

"That's right, Joey," Grandpa chimed in. "You can still win this duel. You just have to believe in yourself and in the Heart of the Cards."

Joey nodded and drew his card, smirking at the result. "Check this out: the magic card Roulette Spider!" A black and yellow checked spider with a red pointer appeared in front of him. "Attach to Jinzo!" The spider latched itself over Jinzo's face, blinding the humanoid monster. Jinzo staggered to the center of the field.

"What exactly does that spider do?" Kisara looked between Grandpa and Rex for an explanation.

"It's a risky gamble," Grandpa explained. "It all comes down to this."

"Wheeler's nuts if he thinks this'll work," Rex grimaced. "It's even riskier than his Time Wizard trick."

"This is one of the riskiest moves in the game," Joey agreed. "After I give up half my LifePoints, Roulette Spider blindfolds the strongest monster on the field and walks it to the center." A spider web materialized under Jinzo flipping the gaps between the webs with red and blue squares, creating a checkered wheel.

"So it's like a casino game?" Tea asked.

"Yes," Grandpa nodded.

"Jinzo's about to go for a spin," Rex chuckled.

"What are you playing Wheeler?" Espa scowled at his opponent.

"My Spider will spin Jinzo round and round, like a giant wheel," Joey smirked. "Then when you tell it to stop, it'll automatically attack whatever target the arrow's pointing to."

"Any target?" Espa repeated.

"Open your ears, Psycho Boy," Joey rolled his eyes. "Any target. Could be me or you directly, or any of the monsters on the field." Reflect Bounder and the remaining Scapegoats evenly spaced themselves around the wheel in between the duelists. "And since you've been so good at piling up attack points for your friend, whatever Jinzo points to will be destroyed instantly. Any predictions, Mr. ESP?"

"You're right, Rex," Kisara resisted the urge to bite her thumbnail. "This is more nerve wracking than when he used Time Wizard to take down your Red-Eyes."

"This'll never work," the dino duelist watched in disbelief. "I can't believe he's even trying this."

"Go, Roulette Spider!" Joey commanded the critter. "Spin now!" Jinzo started rotating, picking up speed until it was nothing but a green blur with a fleck of red.

"I can't watch," Tea shut her eyes.

The tension dragged on as Jinzo continued to spin. Kisara could see a growing fear in Espa's eyes as he tried to guess where the spinner would land. "Jinzo, stop!" he finally commanded.

Kisara held her breath as the humanoid slowed, the pointer gliding past Espa… the red Scapegoat… Joey… the yellow Scapegoat… and finally stopping in front of Reflect Bounder. The spider dissolved, and Jinzo gathered energy in his hands. The dark blast shot forth, striking Reflect Bounder in the central mirror. The puppet's reflection power turned the dark electrical energy white, sending back at Jinzo. Both monsters shattered.

"Both your monsters are destroyed," Joey smirked. "And you're history.

"No, I had it won," Espa recoiled, stepping back. "You couldn't beat me."

"What do you think just happened?" Joey raised an eyebrow. "Let me do the math for you, you psychic sneak. Your Jinzo started with 3200 attack points. Subtract Reflect Bounder's 1700, and you lose 1500 LifePoints." The zero on Espa's duel disk proved his defeat. "This duel is over!"

"Yeah!" Tea cheered.

"Way to go, Joey!" Kisara joined in.

"I can't believe he pulled it off," Rex blinked. "And on such a boneheaded move too!"

Espa dropped to his knees. "He beat me," he said in disbelief.

"Check out the psychic duelist now," the crowd began to mock him.

"What happened to his ESP?" one guy asked.

"Couldn't he predict he'd be a loser?" another snickered.

"It was a tough duel," Joey walked over to his defeated foe. "Now fork over your Jinzo and locator card."

"No, please don't make me," Espa begged. "You just don't understand!" He frantically glanced around for an escape, only to find none with the crowd around them.

"Then tell us so we will," Kisara went to stand next to Joey.

"Yeah, what are you freaking out over?" Joey blinked. "Just stand up and face defeat. Everyone loses once in a while" He chuckled. "Even Joey Wheeler blew a few duels in his day."

"A few?" Kisara raised an eyebrow at him. "I remember way more than a few losses on your part."

"It's not that simple!" Espa insisted, tears spilling out of his eyes. "People count on me to win! It's not an option for me! I have to win at all costs! I'm not dueling for myself; I'm dueling for my brothers!"

"Brothers?" Joey repeated.

"My little brothers look up to me," the defeated duelist sobbed. "If my reputation as a loser spreads, they'll get picked on by bullies again."

"That's crazy talk, Roba. Trust me. This duelist knows a few things about being a big brother," Joey knelt to extend a hand to his opponent. "Need a hand?"

"I don't need your pity!" Espa slapped the hand away, shaking his head in his anger. Something fell from his hair and clattered to the ground. Kisara knelt to examine it.

"Fine, be that way," Joey turned away.

"Come on, Big Bro, get up!" a voice called out.

"Where's that voice coming from?" Joey jumped.

"From this," Kisara picked up the device that Espa had dropped.

"You didn't disappoint us," the voice in the receiver continued. "You fought an awesome duel, and you did it without cheating."

"Much," Kisara corrected, unsure if the voice could hear her. There was still the bit with Joey's Graceful Dice.

"We're proud of you," a new voice said, this one not from the device. The crowd parted to reveal four boys, one barely a toddler on the oldest one's back. All four of them strongly resembled Espa Roba. They shot forward to tackle their older brother in a group hug.

"Aw," the crowd cooed.

"This almost makes me wish I had a little sibling," Kisara smiled.

"I guess these guys must be the 'cosmic forces' he was talking to," Joey nodded.

The crowd began to disperse, and Espa pulled out a clear card and the monster still sitting on his duel disk. "Here," he offered them to Joey. "My Jinzo and one locator card. You deserve them."

"Thanks," the blond accepted them.

"Look, I'm sorry about that cheating thing," Espa looked down. "You beat me fair and square. And next time we duel, I'm playing totally legit. No more cheating."

"I'll hold you to it," Joey agreed. "Smell you later, Roba brothers." He went to join Tea and Grandpa.

Kisara started to follow, but she paused at the glimpse of Rex disappearing around a corner. That's right; this isn't completely over.

"You coming, Kisara?" Joey turned back to her.

"I'll catch up to you later," Kisara could still see the Roba brothers down the street. "There's something I need to do."

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"He did it!" Tristan cheered.

"I knew he could!" Serenity grinned. She held a palm up to him. Taking her cue, Tristan gave her a high-five.

Once the excitement of the duel died down, it occurred to Tristan that they didn't have much to do until Joey dueled again. It was probably a good time to practice.

"What are you doing now?" Serenity asked, hearing him type on the keyboard.

"Well, since Joey's duel finished, I thought I'd see if Yugi was dueling," he explained. "Then I can also get the hang of the system."

"Oh, cool," she smiled.

Nothing live came up when Tristan typed 'Yugi Muto' into the search bar. There was a duel logged against some creepy old guy. Tristan clicked on it, skimming through the play-by-plays of Yugi beating Exodia. Not bad, buddy.

Seeing there wasn't anything to see for Yugi, Tristan moved on to search 'Kisara White.' Like Yugi, there was a duel logged against a Reiko Kitamori. Before he could skim that duel, a notification came up indicating she had just started a duel. "No way," Tristan blinked, making sure read it correctly.

"What is it?" Serenity cocked her head towards him.

"Kisara's dueling right now," he answered. "And you'll never guess who she's facing."

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"Espa, wait!" Kisara caught up with the Roba brothers.

"What?" the eldest brother turned to face her.

"I want to challenge you to a duel," she looked him straight in the eye. "I know you still have a locator card."

"My last one," he admitted. "But your friend already took my rarest card."

"I'm not interested in your cards," Kisara strapped on her duel disk. "But I do want the Serpent Night Dragon you took from Rex Raptor."

"Why would you want that?" Espa asked.

"You probably didn't get my name earlier," she said. "I'm Kisara White, and you could say I have thing for dragons."

"You took third place in Duelist Kingdom," one of the younger brothers chimed in.

"I did," Kisara nodded. "And I also know you didn't win that Serpent Night Dragon fairly."

"Right," Espa looked down in shame. He reached for his deck without putting on his duel disk. "You seem to know him too, so if you could give it to him…"

"That's not what I asked," Kisara shook her head. "I want to duel for it, per Battle City rules. If I win, I get Rex's locator card and Serpent Night Dragon. If you win, you get one of my locator cards and my Seiyaryu." She held up the pink dragon as emphasis. "And you can duel completely without cheating this time."

"Do it, Big Bro!" the brother with the lollipop encouraged him. "You can win!" The other brothers echoed his sentiments.

"All right, I'll do it," Espa strapped his duel disk on.

"Then it's time to duel," Kisara powered hers up.

"Even without psychic powers, I can still win," Espa said as they drew their hands.

"I won't go down easy," Kisara pulled a card from her hand. "I summon Fairy Dragon in defense mode." A green serpentine dragon with dark blue wings curled up on her field.

"That lizard won't protect you," Espa started his turn. "I summon Jinzo #7 in attack mode." A small purple cyborg with a silver helmet over a blue brain materialized. "Jinzo #7, attack her directly!"

"What?" Kisara took a step back as the cyborg slammed into her, knocking her down to 3500 LifePoints. "How can you attack me while I have Fairy Dragon out?"

"Jinzo #7 has the power to bypass your monsters and attack you directly," Espa smirked. "I'll lay this face-down and end my turn. Make your move, White."

"I will," Kisara started her turn. "I summon Divine Dragon Ragnarok in attack mode!" A shimmery pink-white dragon with lightning dancing along its scales roared at her opponent. "Ragnarok, take out Jinzo #7!" The dragon fired lightning breath at the little cyborg.

"Nice try, but it won't work!" Espa countered. "My Mesmeric Control will stop your dragon in its tracks!" A swinging pocket materialized, putting Divine Dragon Ragnarok to sleep. The lightning breath fizzled out.

"Darn," Kisara set a card face-down. "I end my turn."

"Then it's my move," Espa smirked. "I summon Reflect Bounder in attack mode!" His mirror puppet floated next to Jinzo #7. "And I'll equip him with my Raregold Armor." Silver armor edged in gold with a blue cape materialized onto the puppet's shoulders. "Now the only monster you're allowed to attack is Reflect Bounder."

"And any attack aimed at him will come back at me," Kisara connected the dots. Well this just got harder.

"Exactly," Espa surveyed the field. "Jinzo #7, attack her directly!"

"Not so fast," Kisara revealed her face-down. "Negate Attack will end your battle phase." She let out a small sigh as the cyborg slowed, held back by her trap.

"Fine," he grumbled. "I end my turn with a face-down."

Yes! Kisara grinned at the card she flipped over. "I sacrifice my Fairy Dragon and Divine Dragon Ragnarok to summon Hyozanryu!" Diamond-white scales shone in the mid-morning light as the dragon roared.

"Nice monster, but it's still no match for Reflect Bounder's effect," Espa mocked her.

"That may be true for now," Kisara conceded, setting a card. "Make your move."

"I will!" Espa drew his card. "Here's a card you should recognize. I activate my trap card Mind Control to take control of your dragon!" Hyzozanryu drifted towards the trap, swirls coming over his eyes.

"Oh no," Kisara started tallying up how much damage she would end up taking.

"I sacrifice your Hyozanryu to summon Cybertech Alligator!" Espa brought out a green-scaled monstered covered in metallic red armor. "Now I have enough power to take you out! Attack, Jinzo #7!" The cyborg slammed into her, knocking Kisara down to 3000 LifePoints.

"Way to go, Bro!" the brothers cheered.

Espa grinned at them. "Your turn, Reflect Bounder! Mysterious Mirror Ray!"

"I activate my trap card: Sakuretsu Armor!" Kisara countered. "By attacking this cursed armor, your Reflect Bounder is now destroyed!" The puppet's hologram shattered.

"I still have Cybertech Alligator," Espa sent his last monster in to attack. The machine fired an electrical blast, dropping Kisara's LifePoints down to 500 LifePoints. "One more attack and you're through."

"I'm not out yet," Kisara drew her card. "I summon Luster Dragon in attack mode!" A dark blue dragon flew onto her field. "Luster Dragon, take out Jinzo #7! Breath of Fire!" The dragon roared, incinerating the cyborg with blue flames. Espa's LifePoints fell to 2600.

"No matter," Espa scoffed. "Cybertech Alligator will still take you out next turn."

"Think again," Kisara pulled a card from her hand. "I use my Fissure magic card to destroy your alligator!" The ground crumbled under the beast, shattering the hologram.

"Don't give up!" the brother holding the toddler yelled.

"You're still in this!" the one with the lollipop added.

"I'll end my turn with a face-down," Kisara finished. I've pulled the scale back in my favor, but he still has way more LifePoints than I do. One mistake and I can say good-bye to my chance at getting back Rex's Serpent Night Dragon.

"I can't lose again!" Espa drew his card. "I summon Cyber Raider in defense mode." A blue-clad warrior in a silver helmet knelt on his field. "I end my turn."

"My move!" Kisara drew. "Come on out, Blackland Fire Dragon!" Her trusty green dragon materialized on the field. "Blackland, destroy Cyber Raider! Flame Breath!" Dark green flames shot forth, vaporizing the blue warrior. "And now that you're wide open, Luster Dragon can attack you directly! Breath of Fire!" Blue flames burst towards Espa, knocking him down to 700 LifePoints.

"Hang in there Espa!" his brothers called to him.

"I will," he nodded to them and drew his card. "Since you have two more monsters than I do, I can summon The Fiend Megacyber without a sacrifice!" A tall warrior in electric yellow armor materialized, towering over the duelists. "And I'll boost his strength by 500 with my Sword of Dark Destruction!" A dark magenta blade appeared in his hand, bringing his strength to 2700.

"All right!" the brothers cheered.

"Oh great," Kisara bit her lip, doing the math in her head.

"Fiend Megacyber, destroy Blackland Fire Dragon and end this duel!" Espa commanded. "Cyber Swipe!"

"Go, Gift of the Mystical Elf!" Kisara activated her trap. "This will increase my LifePoints by 300 for each monster on the field, giving me an extra 900!" She relaxed a little as her LifePoints rose to 1400. Her dragon slain, her LifePoints fell back down to 300. "I'm not finished yet."

"Then make your move," Espa challenged her.

Kisara drew her card. "I play Pot of Greed to draw two more cards." It all comes down to this. She grinned at the two images. "I summon Lord of Dragons in attack mode!" The Lord appeared, his navy cape billowing back to reveal off-white armor. "And now that he's out, I can play this: Flute of Summoning Dragon!" A golden horn materialized in his hand, and he blew a long, loud note. "With my Flute, I can bring out my Seiyaryu!" Her sparkling pink dragon flew overhead, crystal blue eyes locked on The Fiend Megacyber.

"That's your big play?" Espa laughed. "Your Seiyaryu still isn't a match for my Fiend Megacyber."

"I have one more card to play," Kisara held up the last card in her hand. "My Dragon's Treasure will increase Seiyaryu strength by 300 points, giving her enough power to finish off your monster."

"Oh no," Espa took a step back.

"Seiyaryu, destroy Fiend Megacyber," she commanded. "Razor Fire Blast!" Azure flames shot out of the dragon's mouth, engulfing the warrior. Espa's LifePoints fell to 500. "Now finish him off, Lord of Dragons!" Her warrior ran forward and struck him, taking out the rest of Espa's LifePoints.

Kisara let out a long sigh as the holograms faded. She did it.

"You still did awesome," Espa's brother, the one holding the toddler, consoled him.

"That was a good duel," Kisara held a hand out to him. "You almost had me a couple of times."

"Thanks," Espa shook it. "I may have lost, but I think this was a good first step for me getting back to honestly winning."

"I'm glad to hear that," Kisara smiled.

"And here," the defeated duelist held out a locator card and the Serpent Night Dragon. "I can see why you wanted it. It goes great with your deck."

"I'm not keeping it," she corrected him. "It doesn't belong with me."

"I see," Espa look down. "I meant what I said earlier. I am sorry."

"I believe you," Kisara smiled. "That's why I wanted to duel for it. Not to mention dragon's pride."

"Well I'm out of locator cards now," Espa smiled back. "Maybe I'll get to face you or Joey at the next tournament."

"I'll look forward to that," Kisara gave him a thumbs-up. "And I know Joey will too. And by the way," she looked at each of the brothers. "You guys already have the strongest possible defense against bullies."

"We do?" the second youngest blinked.

"Yes," Kisara nodded. "You have each other. And that is stronger than any pain a bully can inflict. Trust me, I know."

"Thank you," Espa smiled.

With that, she parted ways with the Roba brothers. Stepping out of the other pedestrians' way, Kisara took out her cell phone. "Mokuba?" she said to the other person. "I need a favor."

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"Ah yeah!" Tristan grinned as Kisara's duel came to a close.

"I knew she could do it!" Serenity cheered next to him.

I wonder why she dueled him too. Tristan closed the feed on his friend's win. "All three of them are doing great in their duels. It won't be long before they qualify for the finals.

Serenity gave him a smile as bright as the sun. "I can't wait to see that for myself."

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Kisara found Rex and Weevil by the fountain. "I told you the good players were crafty," Weevil mocked his rival. "Now you're out of the tournament and you lost your best dragon again. Even Wheeler beat that guy."

"Shut up," Rex rolled his eyes. "Just because I lost doesn't make you right."

"Rex," Kisara called to him, making the shorter duelists face her.

"What do you want, Dragon Girl?" Weevil glared at her. "Or do you want my beautiful bugs to feast on your dragons?"

One… Two… Kisara ignored the insect duelist and held the locator card and Serpent Night Dragon to Rex. "Here," she said. "These are yours."

"No, they're not," Rex frowned and looked away. "I lost those."

"Your opponent cheated," Kisara stated. "And I won these back from him, fair and square."

"So they're yours," Rex's expression hardened. "I don't need your pity."

"I'm not doing this out of pity," Kisara kept the cards out. "Rex, you are a good duelist. I know because I've dueled you. You deserve to have a fair shot in the tournament. And it's the right thing to do."

Rex took hold of the cards, his eyes locked on Serpent Night Dragon. "What's the catch?" he eyed her.

"No catch," Kisara smiled. "Let's just try to meet in the finals."

"Ugh, your sappiness is making me sick," Weevil gagged. "I'm going to find a fly to lure into my web." With that, he left.

Kisara shuddered at his analogy. "I hope that's just a metaphor for win the duel."

"By any means necessary," Rex rolled his eyes. "I hope no one falls for it."

"For what?"

"Promise you won't rat him out?"

"He's going to try to cheat, isn't he?" Kisara scowled, remembering the stunt Weevil pulled on the boat. "He's not destroying people's cards, is he?"

"No! Well, I don't think so," Rex raised his hands in defense.

"Rex!" Kisara glared at him.

"I know!" he threw his hands in the air. "I'm trying to get him to not do it."

"Why do you put up with him?" Kisara let out a long, slow breath. She could see the concern on the dinosaur duelist's face.

"He's my best friend," Rex shrugged. "When we were kids, we were always the ones being picked on. Came from being the scrawny guys. Then we got to playing Duel Monsters. No one could beat us, and suddenly we were the cool kids. People stopped picking on us."

"It continues to amaze me how serious this game is," Kisara played with her hair. "So that's why you duel."

"Yeah," Rex rolled his eyes. "But after Kaiba got stomped by Yugi, Weevil got more desperate to keep winning. If one loss could do that the president of a major corporation, what chance did a couple of chumps like us have of bouncing back? We'd be back to being the scrawny kids getting beat up every other week. But…" he sighed. "I know it's impossible to keep winning forever. Now that I want to lose, but that getting back up is how we keep from going extinct."

"That's a really thoughtful way of putting it," Kisara smiled. "I like that."

"Well Weevil doesn't," Rex shrugged. "I actually let him win back at the Regionals. He came close to losing in the semi-finals, and it spooked him. But maybe I shouldn't have."

"Hard to say," Kisara said, thinking of Yugi's duel with Rebecca. "Sometimes it can teach a lesson, but Weevil might not have learned."

"He doesn't even know," Rex frowned. "I wasn't trying to teach him or anything. I just thought he wanted it more, so he should have it. And Red-Eyes Black Dragon was the second-place prize. I wanted that for my deck. So much for that."

"Well it is well-cared for," Kisara decided to leave out the fact Red-Eyes was now with Yugi. "And you still have Serpent Night Dragon."

"Are you sure you want to give this to me?" Rex held the card out.

"It belongs to you," Kisara insisted. "Yes, there's a part of me that wants it because it's a really pretty dragon, but I can see how much it means to you. It's yours."

"I don't know how to pay you back," Rex slipped the card into his deck.

"Just promise you'll keep playing fair," Kisara grinned. "And we'll see how Seiyaryu stacks up against it."

"What about Blue-Eyes?"

Kisara flinched at that. "The Blue-Eyes I used against you wasn't mine," she said. "I borrowed that from Yugi's grandpa. I was going to use my wish to get it repaired since it's damaged."

"Who would let a card that rare get damaged?" Rex blinked. "My cards are a dime a dozen compared to that!"

"Well…" Kisara bit her lip, debating what to say. Seto had been punished enough for the card, and everything had amended as well as possible. She certainly didn't want to badmouth him to Rex—or anyone really.

"Oh," Rex connected the dots. "That's why they dueled."

"Yeah," she admitted. "Blue-Eyes is certainly the dragon I'm most connected to, but I don't want to wager it."

"Could Pegasus have done anything for it?" Rex asked.

Kisara paused, considering how to answer the other duelist. She didn't want to lie or give him the wrong impression. He was honest, despite his best friend. And he willingly shared about himself. "Promise to keep this between us?"

"As long as you promise to keep what I told you to yourself."

"Okay," Kisara took a breath. "Pegasus couldn't repair the existing card, so he offered a replacement to Yugi's grandpa. But he didn't want it—the damaged one came from a close friend of his. Pegasus didn't want it back, so the new copy was given to me. No one outside of a few people know about it. And now you."

"Let me guess," Rex raised an eyebrow. "Yugi, Joey, and those other two you're always hanging out with?"

"Yes," she nodded. "I don't want to wager it, so I don't plan on using it if I can help it. Seiyaryu is hard enough for me to risk."

"Then stay on guard," Rex warned her. "Don't fall for a cheap trick like I did."

"I will," Kisara smiled. "And you be careful too. Stay away from anyone wearing a black cloak with a purple eye on the hood."

"What's their deal?" he asked.

"Short version is they're dangerous and steal rare cards," she answered. "I don't have the full version yet."

"Got it," Rex turned to leave. "Thanks for the warning. And for this," he put his hand on his deck. "I'll pay you back somehow." With that, he left.

Kisara smiled at her good deed and went to find her friends.

And there we go, guys. I also had a bit of a realization when working on this chapter. I love the scene where Joey promises to help Yugi defeat Marik, but in all actuality the Rare Hunter is still unconscious on the ground during that exchange... and Yugi and Joey just leave him there. Well at least they have their priorities. XD

And given I needed to add a few more duelists to the series, Haru and Roku have been promoted to semi-recurring. Partly because Roku has a deck I can work with (I think you guys will like what I give him) and partly because they are so fun to write.

Also for those who may not be aware, Reiko Kitamori is a character who appears in the manga-only arc Yu-Gi-Oh! R. Unfortunately, I will not be able to adapt R as a whole because that arc relies on Pegasus's death in the manga, which obviously didn't happen in this story. But I will toss in some elements where I can, as I did with Reiko. In the manga, Reiko has been playing Duel Monsters for a month, but she never attacks. She forces her opponent to attack her defenses while Battlefield Tragedy is on the field. Joey convinces her to do otherwise when they face-off. So the duel she mentioned is the Talesverse equivalent of that duel (unfortunately it had to be someone other than Joey), and this is her moving forward from that duel.

I also made her cards a little more gimmicky than they were in the manga. Up until recently, Puppet King was the only one that was made into a real card. I know Puppet Queen recently got one, but I already had the duel script written with my custom effect, so that's what I went with. And technically some were only mentioned and didn't even appear in the manga. if you guys are curious, I'll come back and the card text I wrote for this story. I'm holding off now because otherwise this author's note will go on forever.

And the last thing is Rex. Honestly, I think canon did Rex a disservice by not giving him a real Battle City duel. He is certainly the better half between him and his best friend Weevil. So I wanted to give him a second chance. What he does with that chance is up to him. And I definitely broship him and Kisara at this point (though I do broship Kisara with almost everyone).

Anyway, let me know what you guys think. I hope not to take nearly as long as I previously did. But I do have to update my other stories too, so I'd better get on it. Thanks again, and I'll see you next time.