Hi everyone! Sorry about the one week off, but now I'm back! Just so you don't get confused later on in this chapter, I recently edited the first chapter, replacing Dark Magician with an original creation known as Abyss Magician. Also thanks to bailkatanas for the character Caleb. Enjoy!

Arlene and Fay had left their hotel and were now on the move again. Arlene was getting increasingly frustrated by their lack of progress - after all, they had no idea where to go. At least, Arlene didn't.

"Fay." Fay had been walking in front of Arlene. She turned and saw Arlene leaning against a wall, her eyes unfocused.

"What's wrong?" Arlene continued to look at the ground. "Arlene?"

"How did you get involved with Begia in the first place?"

Oh great! Fay thought to herself. Just when I thought Arlene couldn't be more annoying she asks me THAT! Well if she expects me to tell the truth she can forget it!

"They've been chasing me for as long as I can remember. They just never told me why." Fay had to struggle to stop herself from giving herself away by scratching the back of her head. Arlene looked at her for a few moments, and Fay had the feeling that she could see through her. Then her eyes returned to normal.

"Look, Fay. I don't want to have to chase at nothing all day. I just want to find my brother, and it stands to reason that at some point he'd return to their base, right?" Fay nodded. "So. Let me ask you. Have you ever been there?" Fay nodded again, slower this time. "Where is it?" Fay shook her head. Arlene had to clench and unclench her fists several times to get rid of her excess anger. "Why can't you tell me?"

"I was blindfolded, so I couldn't see where it was." Arlene's anger seeped out of her. What Fay was saying made sense.

"Do you remember anything about what the inside was like?" Fay looked thoughtful for a few moments.

"Ummm...it had a lot of flashing machines...aaaannndd...that's it." Arlene's anger returned, though she did her best to hide it. Not very well it seemed, as Fay looked at her with a quizzical look.

"I'm fine!" Arlene snapped, but Fay shook her head and pointed behind her. Turning round, Arlene's jaw dropped as she saw the examiner who'd dueled her for the entrance exam to Duel Academy!

"Hello, Arlene." She said in a brisk voice. The examiner inclined her head to Fay, who still looked confused. "I was just looking for someone to duel." Arlene and Fay glanced at each other, then stared at the examiner. "Where are my manners?" she said after the two girls had stared at her for a minute. "You can call me Mendoza. Now, how about that duel?"

"You're one of them aren't you?" Arlene snapped at Mendoza. She shrugged.

"And if I am? You're not exactly going to get away before you've dueled me, are you?" Arlene turned to walk away, but found herself blocked by an invisible barrier.

"What...?" Fay started.

"The Fate cards don't allow duelists to refuse a challenge. Now, who will it be? Ms. Ramirez, or the other girl, Fay?" Fay took a step backwards. Arlene sighed and brought out her Duel Disk from her backpack.

"Stand aside, Clayton! This job is for me!" The boy called Clayton shook his head vigourously.

"For the last time, Caleb, the job was assigned to ME! You need to keep your nose out of other people's business!" Caleb's dark brown eyes stared at Clayton with a look of hate.

"It's MY business! An amateur like you would mess up this job, so I need to take charge of it before you can!" Clayton turned red. He was preparing himself for a fight against Caleb, one that he knew he would win - Clayton was built like a boxer. Caleb smirked drew himself up to his true height and looked down at Clayton. "You want to settle this, then let's do it in the appropriate way." A gust of wind swept by them at this point, buffeting Clayton's long blonde hair but having little effect on Caleb's short spiky hair. "Let Fate decide!"

"I shouldn't even be agreeing to this!" Snapped Clayton as he activated his Duel Disk. "I've been on Duel Academy Island far longer than you, and I was entrusted with this mission! Still, if it'll shut you up then it's worth it!" Caleb snorted and begun the duel.

Mendoza: 4000
Arlene: 4000

"I'll go first, shall I?" Mendoza announced. "I activate Different Dimension Charge, allowing me to remove 2 cards from my deck to the out of play zone, so I'll choose two of the Fate cards!" Fay backed further away from the duel as memories of her duel with Marie resurfaced.

No...it can't happen again! Mendoza continued with her turn.

"I'll now summon Apprentice of the Abyss (1800/1800) in attack mode and play Spell Absorption, so whenever a magic card activates I gain 500 life points. Also, my monster now gains a spell counter! I'll finish with a face down card." Arlene drew her card.

"I'll summon my Balance Warrior Gyunn (1600/1400) to the field in attack mode, and equip it with Shadow Cannon! This increases Gyunn's attack by 700 and gives it a Dark Aura (1600/1400 - 2300/1400)!" Mendoza nodded approvingly as her life points went up thanks to Spell Absorption.

Mendoza: 4500
Arlene: 4000

"Well, it seems as though you have your Balance Warrior's abilities under control, though Hayden tells me that you lost your cool demeamour when you saw one of their fusion forms." Arlene bristled at this, but said nothing. "Well? Are you going to attack me or not? After all, my monster has 2 spell counters on it and it only needs one more!"

It's obvious that she has a trap set up. If I don't attack now, then she'll have it for another turn!

"Alright, Gyunn! Attack her Apprentice of the Abyss." Mendoza gave the smallest of smirks.

"I reveal my trap, Astral Barrier! Now instead of attacking my monster, you attack me directly!"

"What...?" Arlene muttered as Mendoza's monster was protected.

Mendoza: 2200
Arlene: 4000

"Why did you do that?" Mendoza did not seem to hear the question.

"Are you finished, Ms. Ramirez?"

"You'll need to answer my question." Mendoza sighed.

"That will become apparent when your turn ends." Arlene set a card and finished her turn. "Good. Now I activate another Different Dimension Charge, allowing me to send 2 more Fate cards out of play. Also my life points increase by 500 thanks to my magic card and my monster gains its third counter!"

Mendoza: 2700
Arlene: 4000

"Now, it's time to bring out a monster you should find familiar. I remove all 3 of my spell counters from my monster and send it to the graveyard, allowing me to summon from my hand, deck or graveyard...my Abyss Magician (2500/0300)!" Mendoza's monster disintegrated and was replaced by the Abyss Magician. Arlene shuddered as she remembered seeing the monster in her first duel with Mendoza, and its features hadn't changed. It still had the hollow eyes and no mouth and claws for hands and feet. Fay screamed at the monster, who turned to her and gave her a piercing stare. Fay fell back and curled up into a shivering ball.

"That thing was beaten before, it can be beaten again." Arlene announced. Mendoza laughed at this.

"If you think you can, then by all means do! Abyss Magician, attack her Balance Warrior!" Arlene smiled grimly and revealed her face down.

"I activate Aura Switch! This allows all Dark Auras on the field to become Light Auras and all Light Auras to become Dark Auras!" The Dark Aura circling Gyunn shimmered and was replaced by a Light Aura. "And Gyunn's Light Aura ability increases its attack points by 400 (2300/1400 - 2700/1400)!" Gyunn fired a bolt of energy from its Shadow Cannon which smashed into the Abyss Magician.

Mendoza: 2500
Arlene: 4000

"Well done, Ms. Ramirez." Mendoza told Arlene sarcastically. "Unfortunately, my monster's effect activates now! Seeing as it was destroyed in battle, by removing it from play I get to summon another Abyss monster from my deck with 500 more attack points, so I'll choose another Abyss Magician (2500/0300 - 3000/0300)! Since it's still the battle phase I'll get my new monster to destroy yours!" Abyss Magician slashed at Gyunn shattering it into several pieces.

Mendoza: 2500
Arlene: 3700

"It's your turn." Arlene drew a card.

"I play Smashing Ground, allowing me to destroy a monster on your field with the highest defence! And since there's only one..." Mendoza's life points went up as a giant fist appeared from the sky and destroyed Abyss Magician. Just then Arlene felt a large jolt of pain as her life points went down.

Mendoza: 3000
Arlene: 1200

"Silly child!" Mendoza chided Arlene. "When my Abyss Magician is destroyed by a card effect, you take damage equal to its original attack and I get to summon another Abyss monster from my deck provided I remove the monster destroyed by a card effect from play. So I'll bring out my third Abyss Magician!" Arlene looked on in horror as another Abyss Magician appeared. "Have you understood yet? Whenever an Abyss monster is removed from the field I get to bring out another one with either a beneficial effect for me or a negative one for you! All I have to do is lose 100 life points for every Abyss monster in my out of play zone at the end of your turn, but that wont be an issue the way you're dealing with things!"

Dammit! Her strategy means that she always has a monster on the field! Arlene growled and continued her turn, determined to beat Mendoza this time.

New cards...

Different Dimension Charge
Normal Magic
Image: D.D Warrior Lady looking up at a large cylinder with sparks of electricity within it.
Effect: Select up to 2 cards from your deck and remove them from play.

Apprentice of the Abyss
ATK: 1800 DEF: 1800
Attribute: Dark
Level: 4
Type: Spellcaster
Image: A magician dressed in blood red robes. We cannot see its eyes, but it is smirking.
Effect: Place 1 Spell counter on this card each time either you or your opponent activates a magic card. This card can have a maximum of 3 Spell counters. Remove 3 counters from this card to send it to your graveyard and special summon to the field 1 "Abyss Magician" from your hand, deck or graveyard.

Abyss Magician
ATK: 2500 DEF: 0300
Attribute: Dark
Level: 8
Type: Spellcaster
Image: A magician in blood red robes. It has no mouth, claws for hands and feet and hollow eyes.
Effect: If this card is sent to the graveyard as a result of battle, you may remove this monster from play to special summon to the field from your deck a monster with "Abyss" in its card name with 500 more attack points. If this card is sent to the graveyard due to a card effect, you may remove this monster from play to inflict damage to your opponent's life points equal to the original attack of this card and then you may special summon a monster from your deck with "Abyss" in its name. If this card is returned to the hand, you may destroy 1 card on the field and then by sending this card from your hand to the out of play zone you may special summon a monster from your deck with "Abyss" in its name. During your opponent's end phase, if this card is in your out of play zone you take 100 points of damage.

Aura Switch
Normal Trap
Image: An Aura that is half Light and half Dark.
Effect: All Dark Auras on the field become Light Auras and vice versa.