What is up everyone! I know that it's a little overdue, but guys...this story has just gotten past the 1,000 view mark. Even though that doesn't compare to my first story, which has accumulated more than 9,000 views, this is just amazing. It tells me that you guys like this story enough to keep coming back for more, and I hope that you will all continue to read this story and support it as it goes through all that I have planned (no, literally, I was stuck on the Yusei vs Jacob duel for so long that I literally typed up a summary for at least eight future arcs). Anyways, I hope that this story can be just as successful, it is now my 9th most viewed story, and it is most likely going to be the longest one out of all in a collective sense. By the way, there is now a total of 31,362 views in total for all of my stories. Let's get it up to 50K!

Chapter 15

Skyler leaned against her Duel Runner, eyes closed and a smile on her face. She opened her eyes and looked out of the corner of her eyes to see Jacob not too far away from where she was: at the base of one of the mountains. She closed her eyes again and listened to him panting and gasping for air as he arrived. She heard him stop and take a breather for a minute or two, and then looked at him as if nothing was the matter.

"You..." Jacob said, gasping for air, "are something...special...you know that?"

Skyler giggled at his comment and curtsied, "Why thank you. Now, shall we begin?" Jacob held up a finger and he stood up straight, taking in a huge breath of air and leaning back until his back popped. He grunted, sighed, and stood up straight again, wearing his game face.

"I'm ready if you are." Jacob held up his left arm and his duel disk began to materialize. The standard Duel Pad and arm brace appeared first, and then golden dust began flowing out of the Duel Pad. The dust took shape and turned into a blue wing-like shape, like the Nazca Lines. There were six "feathers" and between each one was a card slot, with the spell and trap card zones behind them running along the side of the wing.

Skyler also held up her left arm and her Duel Pad appeared as well. The golden dust flowed out as well, but took the shape of a Harpy's wing. Their Life Points went up to the standard 8000, and they both shouted, "Let's duel!"

Jacob: 8000
Skyler: 8000

Jacob drew his hand of five and went first. He decided to use his new Lightsworn deck, having already added cards into the Extra Deck while he was chasing down Skyler and changed it until he liked it. "Okay, I'll start things off with Lyla, Lightsworn Sorceress (ATK/1700)!" A woman wearing white and gold robes appeared on the field, holding a scepter in one hand.

Skyler was caught off guard by the new monster, and she called out, "Hang on, that's not from your deck! Is it?"

Jacob shook his head no, "Actually, I just got this one and I'm taking it out for a test run." Skyler growled in rage, and Jacob was a little intimidated by this.

"Whoa, whoa, come on. If it makes you feel any better, I'll end my turn now. I should also mention, at the End Phase of my turn, since Lyla is on my side of the field, I have to send the top three cards of my deck to the Graveyard." A halo appeared around Lyla's head and Jacob was blinded by it as three cards moved from the top of his deck and into his Graveyard.

Skyler's tantrum stopped and she shouted, "Alright, fine! It's my move then!"

Jacob: 8000
Skyler: 8000

Skyler drew and smiled at her hand. "First, I activate Harpie's Hunting Ground." The field didn't change much, but the mountains behind her flattened out so it was a clear expanse of land. "Now I summon my Blizzard Falcon, and it gains 200 ATK since it's a Winged-Beast (ATK/1500-1700)!" A blue falcon appeared on the field, looking mechanical.

"And guess what? Now that his ATK increased, he deals 1500 points of damage directly to you!" A sudden blizzard came out of nowhere, and Jacob shielded himself the best he could against the stinging cold winds. "Now, I'll set one card face-down and end my turn."

Jacob: 6500
Skyler: 8000

Jacob drew his next card, a spell, and he began thinking about Skyler. 'She's a pretty good duelist, and she pulled off that Blizzard Falcon effect perfectly. But let's see if I can turn the tables on her.'

He smiled and said, "Alright, I activate the spell card Solar Recharge!"

The spell appeared on the field and Skye asked, "What does that do?"

"It's simple, really. I discard one Lightsworn monster from my hand, like Aurkus, Lightsworn Druid," Jacob showed the card to Skyler before putting it into his Graveyard, "and then I get to draw two cards as long as I send two more from the top of my deck to the Graveyard." Jacob drew his next two cards, The Fabled Cerburrel and Lightray Daedalus.

'Nice, now if I can get the right cards into my Graveyard...' The next two cards were revealed, both Lightsworn monsters. Jacob's eyes widened and he smiled.

"I'm afraid this is where it ends." Skyler was confused, he couldn't be saying that he was about to win. "First, since I currently have five LIGHT attribute monsters in my Graveyard I get to Special Summon this: Lightray Daedalus (ATK/2600)!" A yellow and white portal appeared and a large Sea Serpent monster flew out. It was white with an electric blue sail along its back.

"Now, I activate Daedalus' special ability!" Daedalus opened its mouth, an orb of light forming inside, "Once a turn I can target a Field Spell and two other cards on the field and then destroy them!" Skyler gasped, because Harpie's Hunting Ground was a Field Spell and she had a monster and a face-down. "Lightray Daedalus, wipe her field clean with Lightray Blast!" Daedalus unleashed the orb of light, turning it into a brilliant beam of light that destroyed all of Skyler's cards.

"No way," she said, hardly believing it herself.

"Now I can summon Lumina, Lightsworn Summoner to the field (ATK/1000) and she's got a pretty good ability." Another woman clad in white and gold robes appeared on the field, but her robes were more loose, allowing more freedom of the legs. "By discarding one card from my hand to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon a Level 4 or lower Lightsworn monster from my Graveyard. So I'll bring back a monster that was discarded by Lyla's effect on my first turn: Jain, Lightsworn Paladin (ATK/1800)!"

Lumina's hands glowed as soon as Jacob discarded a card and another yellow and white portal appeared. This time a woman clad in body armor with a shield, sword, and red and white cape jumped through. "But that's not all, because the card I discarded was The Fabled Cerburrel!"

"Okay, so what does that mean?"

"It means that Fabled Cerburrel is automatically Special Summoned to my side of the field (ATK/1000)!" A small, red-furred, three-headed dog appeared on the field, with a small black demon that kept it on a chain leash. Skyler stared in awe and fear at Jacob's side of the field, because now he had a total of five monsters out.

"One last thing, when Jain attacks, she gets a boosted 300 ATK."

"But wait, with all five monsters their total attack strength becomes-"

She gasped in horror and Jacob finished her sentence, "8,400 points of damage! Now go! Light of Justice!" Jacob's monsters lined up as an orb of light formed in front of each of them. Their five lights joined together to create one massive orb of light. Fabled Cerburrel and Lightray Daedalus roared while the Lightsworns stretched out their weapons and the orb of light was thrown at Skyler. She screamed in fear as the orb of light exploded and her Life Points dropped from full to empty.

Jacob: 6500
Skyler: 0
Win: Jacob

Skyler dropped to her knees in defeat, and Jacob smiled. "Man, I never finished a duel that quickly before." He looked to his Duel disk, watching as it and his cards disappeared. "I think I'll use that deck more often."

Skyler cried out, and Jacob looked back at his defeated opponent. "I wanted to beat you and that deck you used in the tournament, not some recently purchased starter deck! You robbed me of a perfect victory!" Jacob felt a bit of guilt, and he walked over to Skyler. He sat down in the sand with her and said, "Uh...I'm sorry." She stopped and looked up at Jacob, who looked away and began looking back and forth between Skyler and the desert.

"Well," she said, standing up, "I guess I can accept your apology, on one condition." Jacob stood up and asked what it was. She looked at him with a stern look, which suddenly changed to a sweet, almost flirtatious look. "In the City Zone there's a special cafe that serves some of the best virtual lattes. You can make it up to me by buying me a drink."

Jacob was processing what she said; he was expecting a duel, but this sounded okay. "Alright, but this time don't leave me behind."

Skyler giggled and said, "It's a deal." She turned to her Duel Runner and pressed a few buttons, which created a second seat behind the driver. She got on and said, "Hop on, unless you want to be left behind again." Jacob didn't argue with her, and instead got on the Duel Runner. Jacob held on tightly to the edge of his seat, feeling a bit awkward.

"If you don't want to fall off, I suggest you hold on to me and not the seat."

"I think I'll be fine," he replied and Skyler shrugged her shoulders.

"Suit yourself." She revved up the Duel Runner and began to race across the sand at high speeds. Jacob held on tighter to the seat, but they soon encountered some rocks buried in the sand, making it a lot bumpier and also making Jacob lose his grip. Skyler made a sharp turn and Jacob let go of the seat and latched on to Skyler like a tick. She laughed as she drove onto an asphalt road, leading straight out of the desert. Skyler looked back at Jacob, who had stopped holding on to her and moved his hands back to his seat. She noticed his face was a little red and struggled to hold in a giggle.

She looked ahead and said, "Alright, there it is; the City Zone." Jacob looked ahead and saw the looming skyscrapers ahead. Skyler suddenly sped up and Jacob held onto her again, making Skyler release her contained laugh as they left the desert and entered the city. Skyler slowed down and Jacob let go of her again, his face still red. He began looking around as Skyler made her way through the empty city and parked in front of a small cafe.

"Well, here we are." Jacob got off the Duel Runner and looked around; the cafe was a dwarf compared to the skyscrapers around it, and when Jacob sniffed the air he could actually smell the hot beverages inside. Jacob felt a hand being slapped on his shoulder and Skyler said, "Remember, you're buying." Jacob nodded, remembering the agreement and they sat at one of the outside tables. An NPC waiter walked out and handed them a menu each and they ordered their drinks: Skyler a mocha latte and Jacob a lemonade.

While they waited for their drinks, Skyler decided to go ahead and break the ice, "So how does Duel Net look so far?" she asked him.

"It's okay. I mean this is as far as I've explored so far." He opened his deck box and brought up the map, noticing the areas adjacent to the City Zone had been revealed. The mountain range continued on, and the City Zone also extended to the north. To the east, however, there was a multiple area zone. It contained parts of the Jungle and City Zones, as well as a lake in the center and surrounding the remaining area was an open meadow. Jacob showed her the map and Skyler asked where he got it from.

"I got it from the old man in the tent, back in the Desert Zone." Skyler sighed, and Jacob had a feeling why.

"Never mind, I'll grab the map later. Let's see, the City Zone expands to the North, and to the east there seems to be a Meadow Zone." "So, what's up with all of these zones?" Jacob asked, thinking Skyler might have an idea.

"Obviously, it's for diversity. However I think there might also be a feature where our monsters can recieve a Field Power Bonus."

"A what?" Jacob asked as the waiter brought out their drinks. "Think of it like an already active Field Spell, but it only gives a bonus to certain types of monsters. For example my Harpies, being both WIND attribute and Winged Beast monsters, would have gotten bonus points from the mountains." Jacob drank his lemonade and Skyler continued, "However, since the Field Bonus never activated I assume it's actually optional." Jacob finished his lemonade in a flash, and nodded in understanding.

Skyler sipped her latte and looked at Jacob. He was fidgeting like crazy: looking around, tapping his feet by the heels, drumming his fingers on the table. Skyler set her drink down and asked, "Jacob, have you ever been on a date with a girl before?" That one question suddenly turned Jacob into a tomato, and he began tripping over his own words trying to respond. Skyler giggled at that and she said, "I take that as a no. That explains why you didn't try to make a move on me."

"Make a move? What are you talking about?"

Skyler nearly fell out of her seat and replied, "Have you forgotten who I am already? Skyler Beaufort, world famous model and duelist?"

Jacob shook his head no and said, "No, I only remember you from the tournament." Skyler hung her head and the waiter refilled Jacob's lemonade.

"That explains a lot," Skyler mumbled to herself. She looked back up at Jacob, who went back to fidgeting, and she said, "So why haven't you made a move?" Jacob stopped and Skyler said, "I mean, even if you don't know me from my reputation you probably would have still said something about me."

Jacob's mind was drawing a blank, and he quickly said, "Uh, you have nice...eyes?"

Skyler blinked and asked, "Oh, really?"

Jacob decided to keep it rolling, "Uh, yeah. As a matter of fact when we first met that's why I was unresponsive at first. I just couldn't look away from your eyes." Skyler began to blush a deep scarlet and Jacob felt a sense of relief.

"To be honest, I never really asked a girl out before because I didn't know what to do or say." Skyler sipped her latte again and Jacob continued, "I loved to play Duel Monsters, a little too much now that I think about it, and eventually my friends just drifted away from me until the only friends I had were my cards."

Skyler used a hand to hold up Jacob's chin and said, "Well they made a mistake by doing that. Already I can tell that you're a really sweet guy, you just need to come out of your shell." Jacob turned his head, looking away from Skyler and out of her hand. Jacob suddenly felt her plant a kiss on his cheek, making his entire face as red as the blood under his skin. Skyler got up and said, "One last thing I should tell you: the drinks here are actually free."

Skyler got onto her Duel Runner and raced back into the Desert Zone, leaving Jacob all alone. His face was still red and he sighed once she disappeared. All of a sudden, he felt himself being pulled away and his eyes shut tight. When they opened again, he found himself staring at the ceiling of his room. He looked up and saw his father, the helmet in his hands.

"I think it's about time you stop playing and come down for dinner, Jacob." He nodded his head and stood up, the feeling in his legs temporarily gone and then gradually returning. "When you're ready, come downstairs. It's Chicken Parmesan."

Jacob smiled, his favorite, and waited until his father left. He sighed once he did, and his thoughts wandered to Skyler. 'If this feeling is what I think it is, then I hope it never ends.'

Well, it seems like it was more character development for Jacob instead of Skyler, but oh well. Next up: more duels and the Number Hunt begins. I am now officially allowing people to add in "Number" cards to their decks, however "Number C" cards I am not allowing just yet. So if you guys had Numbers in your original deck lists, feel free to PM me on which ones they are. I think for Jacob I'll only give him four for now, which will be revealed next chapter. As always, R&R, PM, and I'll see you guys next time.