Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh!-Kazuki Takahashi/Konami

CFGX: "Here's my next chapter. With my inability to apply a grammar check at my home computer, my writer's block and juggling other projects, it took much longer than usual to post this chapter. As usual please read and review and ask questions, and if possible, let me know if you'd care to be a beta-reader or co-writer for one of your favorite stories or those you're just curious about..."

It was late in the evening and a commotion was being made that caught the attention of most of the street. The gathered around the front door of an apartment building.

"What're you all staring at? Get lost!" a television was thrown at them to scare them away. "Guess it's true: T.V. is bad for ya health!" he shared a laugh with a couple more thugs lead by a short, round man in a suit.

"Please, Don Piero! I promise to pay back the money, I just need more time!" a man got on his knees and begged to the round man.

In another corner, a mother and son huddled together an another thug kept rummaging in their dressers. "Hey, look what I found here! Some duel cards!"

"Hey, those're mine!" the child spring up to get his cards back, but were out of reach.

"Were yours." the thug scowled before knocking him back and giving his cards to Piero. "Here, boss."

"These aren't any good," Piero eyes the cards, "Of course then again, When you owe Piero, I own you! And everything in your possession." the don chuckled as he left the sniveling family to wallow in their sorrow...

Sunlight filtered through the windows of Yusei, Jack, and Crow's makeshift garage in Zora's basement. Yusei is once again working away on the test runner to prep for the Grand Prix coming up.

"Yusei?" A kid, maybe nine or ten, entered the room from the entrance. "Hey there, have you got anything for me to recycle today?"

"Marco! It's good to see you again, pal," Yusei greeted. "How've things been with you?"

"Oh, well, you know. Busy as ever. But I'm not complaining, that's the way I like it. In fact, I've got nine more stops today."

"Then I won't keep ya. I'll get you what we have."

After getting what he had, Yusei saw Marco off as he left with a card full of other recyclables.

"Thanks, Yusei, see ya!"

"Take care, Marco!" When Yusei closed the door he found coming out of the other room, looking weary. "Heya, Crow."

"Huh? Oh. What's up," Crow groaned. "Hey, that wasn't a bill collector at the door, was it? I swear, those guys just don't ever let up!" he then sighed and looked at the WRGP poster. "Who knew it would be so hard to make a living and train for the Grand Prix?"

"Come on, we're makin' ends meet."

"Yeah; I guess so, dude. I'm just glad Magic and Jack's finally out pullin' their weight."

"I think you mean 'throwing' their weight."

"Uhh, throwing their weight?"

"Faster, faster, it's gonna get cold!"

"Sorry for the wait, Mister Atlas!"

Jack's sitting at an outdoor cafe table, waiting until the waitress brought his cup of coffee to his table. "Ah, the sweet aroma of Blue-Eyes Roast. Nothing better!"

The waitress still stood there until she noticed the customer looking at her, "Excuse me, Mister Atlas!" she squeaked, bowing, and ran back inside the cafe to hide agaist the wall. "no one could love 'im like I do!"

"Jackie!" The waitress gasped and looked back around the corner to see Carly hurry up to Jack's table. "Hey, Jack. What's up?"

"Oh right, except for maybe her!" the waitress huffed, jealous.

"Yes, Carly. Is there something I can help you with?" Jack asked, apparently not wanting to be bothered.

"As a matter of fact there is: the Duel Statue!"

"Duel Statue?"

"Don't tell me you haven't heard about it. I'm doing an exclusive story on it for the newspaper. See, ya make a wish, give an offering, then your dreams come true! Look! See?" Carly opened her satchel and took out some photos to bring them right up to Jack's eyes. The top photograph showed a small stone or concrete shrine sitting in the middle of a tiny park. At its center is a winged angel, with a bouquet of picked flowers set before it. "So? Whaddaya think?"

Jack scoffed. "Pure bunk."

"Jack!" Crow came hovering over the two with a hardened look on his face.

"Oh, hey there, Crow. You care to join us for some coffee?"

"You care about making rent?" Crow growled as he sat down in fron of him.

"Uh, hiya, Crow!"

"Hi." C row flatly replied back to Carly.

"You really need to relax, Crow." Jack said in a calm tone. "Can't I enjoy a simple cup of Blue-Eyes coffee?"

"Blue-Eyes coffee...? But..." It's then that Crow spotted the check on the table. He jumped back seeing the price Jack paid on that one cup of coffee: 3000 yen! "That...that's over thirty bucks!"

"Yes, but it makes you feel like a million," Jack smirked. "By the way, I'm a little light today, d'you mind picking up the tab for this one, buddy?" both fists slammed hard against the table almost tipping the cup over. "You forget your wallet?"

"No I didn't forget my wallet!" Crow snapped. "I forgot what a dimwitted, thickheaded imbecile you are!"

Jack frowned, then replied condescendingly, "You're all worked up. Let me order you a coffee and we can-"

"No! Don't you see, that's the whole point, Jack! We can't afford coffee! We can barely afford the very basics like food and rent! Bottom line is, you need to start earning your keep, like everyone else around here!"

"That reminds me, I heard someone just recently lost her job." Jack looked over Crow's shoulder. Isn't that right, Magic?"

Crow's head snapped back to see someone sitting on a table behind them. A newspaper fell down showing an angry Margaret behind it. "That's for covering for me, snitch!"

"Hey, did I hear right?!" Crow stomped over to Margaret's table. "You got fired again?!"

"Look, first of all, I wasn't 'fired'; I was just suspended for a few days!"

"Anyway, I would love to help out, Crow," Jack continued. "But jobs aren't my thing, I mean they're just so much work, you know?"

Crow marched back to Jack. "Yeah I know, that's why they're called 'work'!"

"Oh! How 'bout a job as your boss?" Carly hopefully suggested.

"How about 'no'!"

"I'd hire Jack any day...!" the waitress said dreamily to herself.

"Good morning!" Marco greeted as he came with his cart. "Here for today's recyclables!"

"Oh, hey, Marco, it's good to see ya."

"Always right on time!" A waiter came with a stack of cardboard for him.

"Hey, that's part a' the job, right?" Marco said.

"Here's this week's pay."

"Thanks."

"Boy, you could really learn a thing or two from Marco," Crow said after watchig the excange from the table. "That kid works odd jobs day and night to help take care of his family. The only thing you work on lately is your hair!"

Jack scoffed. "Well, it is a full-time job. Speaking of, do you have any more gel?"

"I know ya still think you're some kinda bigshot. The 'Master of Faster', the 'Sultan of Speed', all that guff. Well, think again! When's the last time you did anything of use!"

Carly gasps dramatically, and exclaimed, "Crow, take it back, you've hurt his feelings!"

"Sure, I'll take it back, when he proves me wrong! The gauntlet has been thrown, Jack, ya think you're up to the challenge?"

"Challenge?!" Jack shot up, "You call this a 'challenge', mate? I'll land so many jobs your head'll spin!" he then stomped off while on his way out he swiped the paper from Margaret's hands.

"Hey!" Margaret exclaimed and ran off after him.

The weather outside today is perfect for a stroll, although Axel uses an alternative method as he rode down the street on his duel-runner. It's actually a favor form Misaki as she asked to deliver a parcel to a friend on the other side of town. She never told him why she couldn't do it on her own but he didn't mind. He took this time hoping to soothe his thoughts, because they were still jumbled from his mystery duel with that large suit of armor. When they carried it back to the local scrapyard, Tanner was surprised they found it. Axel and Toru were about to tell them about what happened but Misaki held them back from it. He wouldn't believe a suit of armor can walk on its own, let alone work a duel-disk.

As a beeping on his runner was heard and when Axel looked down at the screen, a warning indicated another vehicle approaching from the back-view camera, where from its CPU's basic programming indicated a request to duel.

"Hm? I guess someone wants a duel," Axel thought aloud, "Well who am I to say no? Besides, I'm sure they won't mind if I'm late for delivery." After that, a button clicked.

"Duel-mode engaged," the computer said, "auto-pilot activated."

When the vehicle got closer and Axel got a better look at it, a few questions rose up as the opponent's runner in question is actually shaped like a giant snake's head, the size of a small car and as wide as two motorcycles side-by-side. "Now that's some weird runner. How's someone supposed to duel in there?"

"A turbo-duel is about to commence," the loudspeakers along the streets called, "combat-lane transfiguration underway. All non-dueling vehicles vacate the combat-lane immediately." As the other cars cleared away, another road rose up piece-by-piece. When the track is done, Axel and his opponent steered over to the new race-way.

"Duel!"

Axel: 4000

Victor: 4000

"I'll be going first!" a voice came from Axel's connection on his runner.

"So there really is someone under there!" Axel said, "Mind giving me a name?"

"My name is Victor," the mysterious opponent replied, "And as to the parameters of this challenge, we will be playing by Speed Duel rules, meaning we use the same deck we use in Ground Duels."

"So we'll be using regular spells as usual, fine with me."

"Let's begin. I summon (6) Don Turtle(3/ATK: 1100/DEF: 1200) in DEF mode!" a turtle appeared hidden in a large, decorative hump of a shell (DEF: 1200), "And according to its special-ability, when it's summoned like any other monster, I can summon up to two more copies from my hand; so I'll summon two more Don Turtles!" two more appeared, completing a set of three (DEF: 1200x2), "I will end my turn there."

"It's my turn!" Axel drew his sixth card, 'I could summon up something to destroy one of his monsters, but I rather not lose life-points if he summons something stronger. That's why I'll get tow birds with one stone with this move.' "I set one monster in DEF mode, and end my turn with a face-down card!"

"My turn," Victor drew, "I switch all of my turtles to ATK mode, and summon (7) Razor Lizard(3/ATK: 1500/DEF: 300)," in ATK mode," a dilophosaur-like creature appeared, with actual steel razors across it's fan-like crown (ATK: 1500), "Razor Lizard attacks your face-down monster!"

"And I activate my trap card, Robbin Goblin!" Axel opened his reverse-card, "When you take damage from battle, one of your cards are taken out of your hand! And you couldn't have attacked at a worse time!"

"Wrong. You couldn't have set your monster at a worse time."

"Wha?" Razor Lizard spun with its crest fanned out and flew past the monster as it reveal itself. Krebons was cut to pieces and destroyed, "What just happened?!"

"Razor Lizard automatically destroys any monster that's set face-down. And now with your field empty, my turtles with attack you directly!" All the turtles spun on their shells and slammed into Axel's runner.

Axel: 700

Victor: 4000

"That ends my turn."

'That backfired quickly!' "It's my turn!" Axel drew his next card, "I summon the Legendary Jujitsu Master in DEF mode!" the shapely carved martial-art golem appeared (DEF: 1800), "And since he's face-up on the field, you can't do anything with that lizard's special-ability! And for extra defense, I end my turn with a face-down!"

The first job Jack took was at a restaurant. The cooks had him test his skills, but all he came up with was a box full of mismatched, uneditably combined foodstuffs. "Look, is Jack Atlas not the finest sushi chef in the land?"

The chef groaned before throwing Jack out. "We're a pizza joint, ya nut!"

"It's my turn," Victor drew his next card, "I summon (8) Lion Alligator(4/ATK: 1900/DEF: 200) in ATK mode," a plump alligator with an wild, orange mane appeared (ATK: 1900), "And while there's another reptile on my field Lion Alligator can inflict piercing-damage. Attack!" Lion Alligator lunged with its large mouth open.

"I activate my face-down: the quick-play called Shrink!" Axel revealed his reverse-card, "this spell cuts your gator's ATK points down by half!" the alligator shrunk down and was caught by Legendary Jujitsu Master (ATK: 1900-950), "And since Jujitsu Master's DEF points are stronger, he's able to send its opponent back to your hand!" the rock golem won the wrestle match and tossed the alligator over his shoulder, sending it flying from sight.

Axel: 700

Victor: 3150

"And let's not forget Robbin' Goblin's effect! Taking damage means you have to send a card to the graveyard!"

"Then I'll switch my remaining monsters to DEF mode and end my turn." Victor concluded.

"It's my turn now!" Axel drew his next card, "I summon the tuner X-Saber Pashuul!" the dwarven-sized warrior appeared (ATK: 100), "Next I tune him with Legendary Jujitsu Master to synchro-summon X-Saber Wayne!" the two monsters merged and created the high-tech cowboy in their place (ATK: 2100), "And when he's here by a synchro-summon, I can summon a warrior-type monster from my hand, like my next X-Saber, Anu Piranha!" the armored female warrior joined Wayne on the field (ATK: 1800), "X-Saber Wayne attacks Lion Alligator!" Wayne struck with his bayonet and destroyed the alligator.

Axel: 700

Victor: 2950

"And more damage means one less card in your hand! Now Anu Piranha attacks your Razor Lizard!" Piranha lashed out with her whip-blade and destroyed the lizard. "Finally I end my turn with a face-down!"

"Delivery!" Someone came into the bookstore with a shipment of books, when Jack came with a duster in hand.

"I don't think so," he waved. "I ordered the kung pao chicken with a side of soup!"

"You nincompoop!" The supervisor snapped before tossing Jack out. "That's our store delivery, not your lunch! Beat it!"

"Whatever." Jack scoffed under his breath.

"It's my turn," Victor drew, "I activate the spell card Viper's Rebirth and summon a reptile-type monster from my graveyard for this turn. And the card I choose to summon will be (9) Terrene Toothed Tsuchinoko(3/ATK 1600/DEF: 500)," a bloated, spined brown snake appeared (ATK: 1600), "When this monster is special-summoned, all other monsters that shared its similar condition will be forced to their face-down position," the remaining monsters sunk back under their cards, "then I release one face-down Don Turtle to advance-summon (10) Spawn Alligator(5/ATK: 2200/DEF:1000)," the turtle was replaced by a brown-scaled, armored alligator (ATK: 2200), "Now my alligator will attack your face-down X-Saber Wayne!" Spawn Alligator spun into a corkscrew and dove into the face-down, snapping its jaws into Wayne and destroying him."

"You may have a stronger monster, but I have a trap! Activating Liberty at Last!" Axel's reverse-card opened, "When a monster on my field is destroyed in battle, two of yours get sent back to your hand! It's a two-one-special!" both Tsuchinoko and Spawn Alligator vanished from the field.

"Then I set one card face-down and end my turn, which triggers Spawn Alligator's effect and summons the monster released for its summon: Don Turtle." The decorative turtle shell returned (DEF: 1200).

"Now it's my turn!" Axel drew his next card, "I release my face-down monster to summon Saber Beetle to go on the attack!" the sharp-horned beetle appeared (ATK: 2400) and flew towards the turtle, "And when he strikes, the difference from your monsters DEF points go straight to your life-points!" the horn charged and sliced through the turtle, destroying it.

Axel: 700

Victor: 1750

"And after Robbin' Goblin does its job, I'll end my turn with a face-down card!" a reverse-card appeared.

"It's my turn," Victor drew, "I summon (11) Balloon Lizard(4/ATK: 500/DEF: 1900) in DEF mode," a small brown lizard appeared (DEF: 1900), "Next, I activate the continuous-spell card Nightmare's Steelcage, so no monster may attack until the end of your next two turns. I'm finished there."

"My turn!" Axel drew his next card, "Nothing I can do here. I pass."

"My turn," Victor drew his next card, "And during my standby-phase, Balloon Lizard's effect activates," the lizard suddenly became bloated like its namesake (CTR: 1), "And by sending it to the graveyard, you take 500 points of damage per counter."

"That's not good…" Axel muttered.

"Next, I release my two face-down cards to advance-summon Gogiga Gagagigo(8/ATK: 2950/DEF: 2800)," the two reversed monsters vanished in place for a giant red and gold bipedal reptile (ATK: 2950), "that ends my turn."

"What's with this hole in my shirt?!" the man screamed as he looked for the iron-shaped hole Jack.

"What? You said 'get rid of the stain', and that's exactly what I did." and that sent Jack right out the door. "People are so strange..."

"Alright, my turn!" Axel drew his next card, "I place these two cards face-down and end my turn!" two reverse-cards appeared. "That means the effect of your steelcage wears off!"

"It's my turn," Victor drew, "And during my standby-phase, my Balloon Lizard gains an additional counter." The lizard bloated to double its size (CTR: 2).

"Too bad you won't be able to use them! I activate my face-down card: Forbidden Chalice!" Axel revealed one of his reverse-cards, a quick-play spell. "This card raises a monster ATK power by 400, at the cost of its special-ability! And guess who I'm gonna use it on!" a short shower poured over Balloon Lizard until it deflated (ATK: 500-900). "Now there's no counters to take with him, which means no damage to give me!"

"Then I'll have my Gogiga Gagagigo attack your Saber Beetle!" the reptile charged at the insect, "With enough ATK points it should be able to destroy your monster."

"Think again! I counterattack, with my trap card! Go, Half-Counter!" Axel revealed his second and last face-down, "This add half your monster's ATK to mine (ATK: 2400-3875)! So Saber Beetle's still the strongest monster on the block!" with its newfound power, Saber Beetle zipped past Gagagigo, striking it down with its charged horn.

Axel: 700

Victor: 785

"Any other tricks you'd like to try, 'cause I'm gonna finish it on my next turn!" in response to Axel's boast, Victor sped up past him, driving away, "Hey, where ya going?! We're not finished!"

"If you want victory, then you have to catch it." Victor replied.

"You think I can't keep up? We'll see!" Axel pressed the accelerator and chased after Victor.

Axel never broken his pursuit of the mystery turbo duelist. Even chasing him back downtown, but in an entirely different street.

"Saber Beetle, end it right here!" after the long chase the beetle finally made its mark and sliced the lizard in two.

Axel: 700

Victor: 0

As soon as it hit zero Victor's runner let out steam from his runner, forcing it to skid to a halt with Axel in the middle of the street. "Tag! What'd you think of that?!"

"I suppose your skills are alright," Victor said, "Now I'm sure my master's project hasn't gone to waste."

"Hey thanks I…wait, master?"

Then the sheet metal doors of a nearby garage opened and out came a girl with short blonde hair. She wore jeans with a green shirt and purple vest. "Looks like everything's back in one piece, Vic. Great work!"

"Thank you."

The girl turned to Axel, "As for you, you turned out to be a great test subject, if you don't mind me saying."

"I guess not…but I'm a bit strapped for time so if you don't mind, see ya!" Axel turned his runner and prepared to leave.

"Wait a minute!" the girl yelled, and Axel halted, "You got my package or what?!"

After delivery, Axel was invited t the woman's garage, which he saw as a sort of auto shot. There were small tools scattered on a table nearby with several small computer chips, with similar chips lined up neatly on shelves. "You coulda just came to me yourself if you want a duel. There's no way I'd say no."

"I would, then again I couldn't pass up a chance to try out my new gear on the field."

Axel looked at Victor's duel-runner parked in the middle of the garage. "Say, you wanna come out so we can meet face-to-face?"

"If that's what you want. But you might want to brace yourself for what you're about to see…" the vehicle hissed with steam causing Axel to step back. The head then rose up from the back until it's standing 50 degrees.

Axel was prepared to meet his opponent, but under the shell was nothing but a green duel-runner. "Huh? Am I missing something? Where's this turbo-duelist I'm supposed to greet?" Axel's brain hurt as he was trying to figure this situation out.

"You's looking right at him," the girl smirked as she rested against the vehicle's shell and looked under towards him, "I don't think we've been properly introduced. Meet Victor, an artificially intelligent duel-runner."

"Artificial?!" Axel gasped, surprised, "You mean I was dueling a robot?!"

"I take offense to that," Victor stated, "You should know there's a difference between the two."

"And the one who built him is standing right here" the girl pointed her thumb to herself, "And her name's Sarah!"

After a while of searching, Margaret found Jack looking over a nearby bridge. "So, how's your job search coming along?"

"Fine," Jack muttered. "Just peachy!"

"I take it that means 'terrible'," Margaret sighed. "Holding a job isn't as easy as you think, huh?"

"Hey, I would've kept the job if I want!" Jack snapped back. "They're the one giving me a hard time! They're just jealous."

"Right. 'Cause nobody but you can fail at making a simple pizza, harassing customers and burning holes in clothes," Margaret sassed. "It's me you're talking to, Jack. No use putting up a brave front."

"I never put up a front."

"Are you kidding? You overcompensate yourself when you're nervous."

"For your information I do not over compensate!"

"You know how other people skip rocks across a lake? You're tossing boulders into a river."

"...Fine, so maybe work isn't exactly my thing," Jack huffed and tossed the rock over. "But that doesn't mean Crow's right and I'm 'useless'!"

"Jack..." Margaret nudged Jack and pointed him to the end of the bridge, where they spotted Marco, the recycling delivery kid, walking past all alone. They quietly followed him through the dark streets until they stopped through a forested lot across from the apartment buildings. There they saw Marco standing in front of a familiar alter...

"The Duel Statue..."

"But what's he doing there...?!" Margaret suddenly hear footsteps coming their way and moved behind the hedge. "Company."

"No, Jack, don't-GWAH!" Carly came in and literally ran into Jack; he had to cover her mouth before she could give away their position.

"Quick, this way!" Jack lead her into the trees where Margaret is, "Can you be quiet?!"

Carly nodded and Jack let go. 'That's weird, he doesn't seem surprised to see me. In fact, he seems kind of distracted and nervous! Wait a sec, he wasn't planning to rob the statue, he was planning to propose!'

Margaret stood there as she watched Carly making pucker faces. "Does she even know how she looks right now?" she muttered.

Eventually Carly realized that Jack was ignoring her, "...Yoo-hoo, my sweet love... I'm right here, and ready..." then she realized what Jack's looking at and saw Marco was standing before the Duel Statue. "Hey, it's that kid... The one from the coffee shop, yeah?"

"Yeah. He shouldn't be out alone this late." Jack wondered as they watch Marco paying tribute before saying a prayer. "What's he doing?"

"Please, Duel Statue. I don't have any money; but still, I beg you. Take my deck, and let us be free of Piero."

Carly gasped at the name. "Piero...?!"

"What's a Piero?" Jack asked.

"Not what, who," Carly intensely replied. "He's an underworld crime boss who preys on the weak. He'll loan someone a little money and make them sign a contract, but the fine print on it says that until he's paid back in full... he can take everything they own!"

"Big bro!"

Marco turned and was greeted by a boy younger than him. "Huh? Mikey!"

"What're you doing here, Marco?!"

"Nothin', little bro. Come on, let's just go home."

"Don't lie to me! I see that deck sitting behind you!" Mikey pointed at the offering on the alter. "And I recognize it; it's yours! And I'm not gonna let you toss it away- not when you wanna be a duelist!"

Jack: Huh?

"I hear ya, Mikey," Marco sighed, "but there are some things that are more important than what I want; than my dumb 'dreams'. And getting out from under Piero's thumb is one of those things! We can't keep living this way. He's taken everything our family has! All our money, all our stuff, and still he wants more!" Marco stared back at his offerings, determinant. "Which is why I'm gonna wish on this deck and prove Piero wrong!"

Before, Jack thought working wasn't all that important. But seeing as what Marco was willing to go through, what he's willing to sacrifice, made Jack even more guilty...

"Big bro...?" Mikey called, trying to snap his brother out of his daze.

"Come on, Mikey. Let's get home so mom doesn't worry about us."

As Marco walked his brother back home, Jack, Margaret and Carly rose out of hiding to watch them go.

"That Piero guy sure is a worm!" Carly hissed.

"Ditto!" Margaret agreed. "If only there's some way we can help!"

"Well, maybe there is."

"Wait, Jack, you're not suggesting...?" Carly trailed off. "W-wait, what're you suggesting?"

"A duel." Jack picked up the deck Marco placed on the altar.

"Wait, Jack, you can't take those, they're Marco's offering! Uh... for his wish...!"

'And I plan on using these to grant that wish!'

Later that night...

Elsewhere in the city, Piero and his henchmen were kicking back after another hard day of scamming and plundering.

"Don'tcha just love how that kid Marco grovels?"

"Yeah; 'please, Don Piero, don't take all our money, then I can't buy my sick mom her medicine'!" as they were filling the room with cruel laughter there was a knock on the door. "Who's there?!"

"Girl Scouts!"

"Hey, my order of girl-scout cookies are here!" one was about to open the door but was knocked back as the door itself was kicked open, whereas Jack and Margaret let themselves in.

"You got a lotta nerve!"

"Yeah, since when did Girl Scouts let guys in?!"

Jack coolly surveyed the room until his eyes fell on the loan shark behind the desk. "I'm guessing that you're Don Piero."

"Why, yes I am!" Piero cheerfully greeted. "And unless I'm mistaken, you're Jack Atlas. The Master of Faster!

"The master of wha...? Of plaster?" Jack quietly seethed being forgotten by mere thugs.

"Just breathe, Jack." Margaret soothed, patting him on the shoulder.

"You'll have to excuse them, Jack. These kids today; they simply don't know the old-timer duelists like they really ought to!"

"I'm not here for them. I'm here for you, Piero," Jack glared at the contracts one of the goons were holding. "And those contracts!"

"The contracts?"

"I want them. And I'm prepared to duel for them. So are you man enough? Or are you gonna hide behind your goons!"

"I say hide!"

"Don Piero is afraid of no duelist on all of planet Earth. But those contracts are worth quite a bit to me. If I'm going to put all of them on the line, then I think it's only fair that you put up something that's of equal worth!"

"Figures." Margaret muttered.

"Let's see, something like, oh I don't know, maybe one of your duel cards? Maybe one of your most prized duel cards? Maybe your Red Dragon Archfiend?"

"My Red Dragon Archfiend?!" Jack gasped.

"And let's add your duel runner as well, just for good measure," Piero then pointed towards Margaret. "Oh, and while we're at it, let's add her to the offering plate!"

"Wait, me?!" Margaret cried as she jabbed herself.

"That's my offer, take it or leave it." Piero snickered, "Of course if you're not man enough, I understand completely."

"...You're on." Jack agreed.

"Wait a minute, don't I have a say in this?!" Margaret argued.

"... Seriously, Yusei, why're we out here?" Crow muttered as he and Yusei wandered across the street. "Jack is fine, trust me!"

Yusei kept looking around until he was able to spot what's going on across the street. On a small parking lot they saw Jack and Margaret among others. "Are you sure?" he asked, deadpanned.

"Uhh... no. What's goin' on?" They looked to the other side of the lot, where Don Piero himself was with his own duel-disk; his flunkies standing aside as company.

"A duel."

Jack!" Crow called as he and Yusei entered the lot.

"Hullo, boys." Jack greeted.

"We've been looking for you; what's happening?" Yusei asked.

Where're you taking me?" they turned to see Marco being lead by Carly to the lot. "W-what do I care about some duel?"

"He's here." Jack said.

"Marco?"

Marco spotted Jack and the others, "Huh? ...What's this? The guys? But why?" the then looked to the other side and frowned as he spotted... "Piero!"

The loan shark snickered. "Remember, I win, and I get your legendary Red Dragon Archfiend card your duel runner and a house maid to boot."

"Don't you worry, I remember!" Margaret snapped.

"What did we walk into?!" Yusei wondered.

"Some high stakes, that's what!" Crow guessed.

"Jack and Margaret's dueling Don Piero for the freedom of all those in his debt." Carly said.

"No, Jack, you can't!" Marco called out. "That card and your runner, I know how much they mean to you!"

"They mean nothing, Marco," Jack replied. "Not when you put it up against a person's wish!"

"Huh...? A wish...?" then Marco remembered what he said earlier tonight.

Jack & Magic: 8000

Don Piero: 8000

"I'll start off," Piero drew his sixth card, "And first, I activate the spell card Upstart Goblin. Now I get to draw an extra card from my deck, and you get an extra one thousand life-points!" Jack and Magic looks up, slightly confused, as shining golden bills rains down on them from above.

"Huh?! Why's he giving Jack extra points?!" Carly wondered.

Jack & Magic: 9000

Don Piero: 8000

"Because I happen to be a very nice guy," Piero slyly replied. "Why, in fact he can have all the life-points that he cares to borrow!"

"Guys, you can't trust him! It's a trap!" Marco warned. He's got something up his sleeve, I know it!"

"Just relax," Jack assured. "I'm no fool."

"Really? 'Cause I just played you for one!" Piero snickered. "I special-summon (1) Nefarious Trader(1/ATK: 0/DEF: 0)," a fiendish-looking businessman appeared with a giant phone in hand (ATK: 0), "Since you have more life-points than me, I'm allowed to bring him out. Next I'll bring out (2) Toichi the Nefarious Debt Collector(3/ATK: 0/DEF: 1300) in DEF mode!" a large minotaur suit appeared next to the trader (DEF: 1300), "And then I'll place one face-down to end my turn," a reverse-card appeared. "Now then, how about repaying those life-points I loaned you, 'friends'?"

"How about you stop that sweet-talk 'cause it's my turn!" Magic drew, "I summon Royal Magical Library in DEF mode!" the large stone slab appeared (DEF: 2000).

"So you're really not going to repay those life-points, eh? Fine, but you asked for it," Piero opened his reverse-card, which was a continuous-trap card, "I activate the trap Endless Loan. This makes it so that when you summon a monster, I can summon a Loan Token (1/ATK: 0/DEF: 0) on your field in DEF mode." Magic's new token was a tiny lizard who was then loaded down with a huge 1000 pound weight that it can barely hold up.

"What is a Loan Token?!" Jack wondered.

"Ugly's what it is." Magic gagged.

"Since you refused to pay me back the life-points I lent you, I've decided to take them back. Actually my Debt Collector Toichi will be the one doing the taking. And for every Loan Token he takes off your field, Toichi deals you one 1000 points of damage!"

"1000?!" Carly gasped. "And that's per Loan Token?!"

"Oh, and there's no use in attacking Toichi," Piero continued. "After all, so long as there's a Loan Token out on the field, my Debt Collector can't be destroyed in battle. Of course you can destroy a Loan Token yourself, but it'll cost you a card from your hand."

"The way Piero makes it sound, the only way Jack will stand a chance to win this duel is by getting rid of his cards." Yusei said.

"Quick! You gotta do what Piero says or you're going to end up taking some major damage!" Marco called out.

"Don't have to tell me twice." Magic moved to her cards...

"Stay your hand, Magic!" The spellcaster duelist held back as Jack suggested. "I wouldn't like having a paperweight on my field either, but don't give this slimeball the satisfaction of getting sucked in like the others."

"Uh, you do know what 'damage' means, right?" Magic asked.

"Just trust me. We're better off that way."

"Fine. I'll just end my turn," Magic concluded. "You better know what you're doing, Jack."

"Just leave it to me. I draw!" Jack started his turn, "First, since you already have two monsters out, I can summon this chap without having to release a thing! Come on out, (3) Power Invader(5/ATK: 2200/DEF: 0)!" hulking behemoth in several shades of purple appeared (ATK: 2200).

"And since you summoned a monster, Endless Loan then activates!" Piero said as a token appeared on Jack's field, "Which means you get a Loan Token of your own!"

"Power Invader! Attack that Nefarious Trader!" Power Invader delivered a crushing punch to Piero's bat-winged businessman and his giant cell phone.

Jack & Magic: 9000

Don Piero: 5800

"Way to go, Jack!" Carly cheered. "take it right to 'im!"

"What you should've taken was Marco's advice," Piero sneered. "But since you decided not to, you're deeper in debt, because when Nefarious Trader is destroyed in battle, another Loan Token is summoned onto your field!" one more token appeared.

"Now they got a total of three tokens!" Marco said.

"And if Jack or Magic summons any monsters, they'll only get more of them!" Carly said.

"So then what's he supposed to do?!" Crow wondered.

"Simple," Piero answered. "they should do some business with me and pay a card!"

"Jack, just pay!" Marco said. "Otherwise, next round, you'll-"

"I refuse! I play two face-downs, and end my turn!" Jack concluded.

"Fine; refuse to pay a card. Instead I'm just going to make you pay the price, and a very hefty price it's going to be!" Piero drew his next card. "I equip the spell Illegal Business Practices, onto Toichi the Nefarious Debt Collector. This doubles all effect damages!"

"Wait...! Then, with 3 tokens out, the damage Jack's gonna take will be..." Carly then gasped. "A lot!"

"It's time you gave Don Piero some respect! And by 'respect', I mean 6000 of your life-points!" just as another weight dropped on the Loan Tokens, both Jack and Margaret felt the damage drop hard on top of them.

Jack & Magic: 3000

Don Piero: 5800

"Just face it; if you want to save the last of your life-points, you'll do as I say!"

"He's right, Jack," Marco pleaded. "just give up some of your cards!"

"No way!" Jack said. "I am not gonna play by his rules!"

"Now it's my turn, I draw!" Magic drew her next card, "I activate the spell card Spell Power Grasp! With this I can give one of my cards their own spell-counter! And since Royal Magical Library gets a counter for every spell card activated, and thanks to that equip-spell you just played last round, adding it to this spell that make it a total of 3 counters (CTR: 3)! And after using Spell Power Grasp's effect, I can add another one from my deck to my hand!" she caught the copy sticking out of her deck, "Next I remove all 3 counters from my library to activate its second effect which lets me draw one card from my deck! Next, I summon the tuner-monster Arcane Apprentice!" the small, hooded magician appeared (ATK: 1000).

"My, you're a glutton for punishment, aren't you?" Piero snickered as Endless Loan activated again. "My Endless Loan will give you exactly what you asked for!" second Loan Token appeared on Magic's field.

"Now I tune my level-4 Royal Magical Library with my level-2 Arcane Apprentice, in order to synchro-summon Tempest Magician!" the two spellcasters merged to become the sickle-wielding magician (ATK: 2200).

"So you traded in two weaker monsters for something stronger, huh?" Piero said, Endless Loan dropping a third Loan Token on Magic's field. "Does that mean you finally decided to wise up and negotiate?"

"I got something to negotiate with right here! Track with me on this: first, when my Arcane Apprentice is used for a synchro-summon, I can add a card from my deck to my hand!" Magic pulled Assault Mode Activate from her deck, "And second, when Tempest Magician comes to the field, she's given her own spell-counter (CTR: 1), "Next, I activate the spell Pot of Greed to draw 2 more cards! Now for Tempest's effect: for each card I send to the graveyard thanks to her effect, I can add another counter to go with the one she already got!" Magic discarded her entire hand and added the counters to Tempest Magician (CTR: 1-8), "And here's where we get to the fun part; an offer from Tempest Magician you can't refuse: 500 points of damage for each and every counter she removes from the field!" Tempest Magician swung her scythe and fired a barrage of wind blades towards the Loan Shark (CTR: 8-0).

Jack & Magic: 3000

Don Piero: 1800

"And with that, I end my turn!" Magic concluded. "Now that's how you make a deal! You give something and you receive something! The difference is I don't ask for any more than I need!"

"Oh, please! That's just pretty much the same business I do," Piero said, "They're the ones who couldn't-oh, I mean, wouldn't pay back my generosity!"

"It's my move!" Jack drew his next card, "And first, by sending one card in my hand to the graveyard, I'm going to summon this monster: come out, (4) Smile Kid(1/ATK: 0/DEF: 0)!" a small child with butterfly wings appeared on the field (ATK: 0).

"But Smile Kid...?!" Marco gasped. "That's my card!"

"Ah, that was an excellent move, Jack, excellent for me that is," Piero said, "Because now "Endless Loan" activates! Which means another Loan Token will appear on your field." an a third token appeared on Jack's field.

Carly groaned. "That makes three now!"

"Come on, Jack! You can't owe any more!" Marco pleaded. "Just give up some cards from your hand!"

"Oh, I will, but not for Piero! I activate the trap Compulsory Recoil Device!" Jack opened his reverse-card, "Now by sending one card in my hand to the graveyard, I can return one monster on my field to my hand," Smile Kid vanished, "Next I'll send another card in my hand to the grave and re-summon Smile Kid!" the butterfly-winged child returned (ATK: 0).

"All that to summon out the same monster? Here comes another token...!" Carly then did a double-take on Jack's field. "Oh. Maybe not. Oh right! Since Jack's field is full, no more monsters can fit on it!"

"All right, you fool, I hope that you're both quite happy with yourself?" Piero sneered. "You got rid of your cards on your own terms. But what did you prove? Toichi is still going to take out the rest of your life-points next round! It's done; you've lost! And you know what that means... your possessions and your services both now belong to me, the great Don Piero! Aaahahahahahahaha!"

Jack then smirked, which caused Piero to finally stop smiling. "...Not just yet."

Go time!" Crow whispered and Yusei nodded.

Jack opened his other reverse-card. "I play Zero Hole! Go!"

"Zero Hole?!" Piero gasped.

"I guess you know what it does then," Magic smirked. "Once Zero Hole activates without a card in you hand, it take all the cards off the field to balance it out!"

"Say what?! All of the cards?!"

"Oh, so then that's why Jack was discarding from his hand." Carly said and Crow nodded.

A big huge black hole opened up in the center of the field, growing wider and wider. Don Piero nervously danced backward as it growing hole swallowed everything, including Jack and Magic's Loan Tokens.

"And knowing Jack like I do, he's not done yet!" Yusei smiled.

"Next I activate Smile Kid's ability!" Jack continued, and a young female angel with big, white feathery wings appeared, with wing-shaped fluffs of her hot pink hair and little wings on the back of each of her slippers. "And now that I have (5) Smile Angel(ATK: 1800/DEF: 300) on the field, I can turn Marco's frown upside-down!"

Piero gasped. "1800 ATK points?!"

"Got that right! And that's enough to take you down!"

Smile Angel laughed with delight, beaming a raging storm of pink hearts and bright light right at Piero.

"Your smile is so disarming!" the loan shark shrieked as he went flying backwards; along with the toupee he was wearing. He got it back when he landed on the ground and got a face-full.

Jack & Magic: 3000

Don Piero: 0

The audience cheered at Jack's victory.

"Piero!" his thugs cried as they scurried to him.

"No, this isn't happening!" Piero whined. "The Don never loses a duel!"

"You lost more than just that!" Jack said as he and Margaret approached him. "A deal's a deal, now hand over those contracts right now!"

"Run!" Piero and his crooks scrambled to get away. Jack threw a card which hits the guy carrying their bag of stuff, including the contracts, causing him to drop it as he kept running.

"Wait! Come back! You forgot your rat's nest!" Margaret screamed and tossed the hairpiece at them.

The contracts can be seen ripped to shreds back at the garage, "Now you and anyone else who was in Piero's debt is free." Margaret confirmed.

"Thank you so much, Jack!"

"And don't forget these." Jack offered Marco the deck he took from the altar.

"The cards I wished on...! Gee, I dunno..."

"I heard you when you made that wish. I know it's your dream to become a duelist. And I also know you've been through hard times; helping your family, your mom being sick... but that's why you must follow your dream, so you can make them proud!"

"... Ya think so?"

"I know so. And I'm sure one day we'll meet on the duel field!"

Marco nodded and took the deck. "Thanks."

"Go get 'em." Carly rooted.

"Well Jack sure proved me wrong," Crow said to Yusei. "talk about doing something of use!"

"Yeah, big-time!"

The next day...

"You're useless!"

"Oh yeah? Well you can't fire me, 'cause I quit!"

Jack stomped out of the cafe; Stephanie running out after him. "Jack, wait!"

"You people're crazy," Jack grumbled. "I did everything that you said!"

"You think clearing dishes means tossing them to the floor...?" The waitress then gave a defeated sigh. "I think I'll just let Carly have you!"

From the other side of the plaza, Magic, Crow and Yusei were watching.

"You really know how to jinx everything." Margaret muttered to Crow.

"Oh, man!" Crow groaned. "I guess I'd better pick up a double-shift tonight..."

Yusei just shrugged and smiled.

DUEL-MON DATABASE

(1) Neferious Trader

Stats: [Fiend/Effect] Level 1 ATK/0 DEF/0

Attribute: DARK

Effect: If your Life Points are lower than your opponent's, you can Special Summon this card from your hand in face-up Attack Position. If this card is destroyed by battle, Special Summon 1 "Loan Token" (Rock-Type/LIGHT/Level 1/ATK 0/DEF 0) to your opponent's side of the fieldin Defense Position. This Token cannot be Tributed. Your opponent can send 1 card from their hand to the Graveyard to destroy 1 "Loan Token" they control.

(2) Toichi the Nefarious Debt Collector

Stats: [Fiend/Effect] Level 3 ATK/0 DEF/1300

Attribute: DARK

Effect: You can only control 1 face-up "Toichi the Nefarious Debt Collector". While there is a "Loan Token" on the field, this card cannot be destroyed by battle. Once per turn, you can inflict 1000 damage to your opponent for each "Loan Token" they control.

(3) Power Invader

Stats: [Warrior/Effect] Level 6 ATK/2200 DEF/0

Attribute: DARK

Effect: If your opponent controls 2 or more monsters, you can Normal Summonthis card without Tributing.

(4) Smile Kid

Stats: [Fairy/Effect] Level 1 ATK/0 DEF/0

Attribute: LIGHT

Effect: You can discard 1 card to Special Summon this card from your hand. When this card you control is destroyed by a card effect and sent to the Graveyard, you can Special Summon 1 "Smile Angel" from your Deck.

(5) Smile Angel

Stats: [Fairy/Effect] Level 4 ATK/1800 DEF/300

Attribute: LIGHT

Effect:

(6) Don Turtle

Stats: [Reptile/Effect] Level 3 ATK/1100 DEF/1200

Attribute: WATER

Effect: When this card is Normal Summoned or Flip Summoned, you can Special Summon any number of "Don Turtle"(s) from your hand.

(7) Razor Lizard

Stats: [Reptile/Effect] Level 3 ATK/1500 DEF/300

Attribute: EARTH

Effect: While you control another Reptile-Type monster, if this card attacks a face-down Defense Position monster, destroy the monster immediately with this card's effect without flipping it face-up or applying damage calculation.

(8) Lion Alligator

Stats: [Reptile/Effect] Level 4 ATK/1900 DEF/200

Attribute: WATER

Effect: While you control a Reptile-Type monster (other than this card), if a Reptile-Type monster you control attacks a Defense Position monster, inflict piercing battle damage to your opponent.

(9) Terrene-Toothed Tsuchinoko

Stats: [Reptile/Effect] Level 3 ATK/1600 DEF/500

Attribute: EARTH

Effect: When this card is Special Summoned: Change all other Special Summoned monsters on the field to face-down Defense Position. You can only use the effect of "Terrene Toothed Tsuchinoko" once per turn.

(10) Spawn Alligator

Stats: [Reptile/Effect] Level 5 ATK/2200 DEF/1000

Attribute: WATER

Effect: During the End Phase of the turn this card was Tribute Summoned by Tributing a Reptile-Type monster: Target 1 monster that was used for the Tribute Summon of this card; Special Summon it from the Graveyard.

(11) Balloon Lizard

Stats: [Reptile/Effect] Level 3 ATK/500 DEF/1900

Attribute: EARTH

Effect: Put 1 counter on this card during each of your Standby Phases. When this card is destroyed, inflict damage to the controller of the card that destroyed it equal to the number of counters X 400 points.

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