Hello ladies and gents! I'm here, once again with another chapter for you all, as promised. Sadly, the comic has stopped, but it's a blessing in disguise, because now I can do whatever the heck I want when it comes to monsters. Of course, I will get those links up eventually, because we do have concept art.

Once again, thank you to Matt and Felix for their help storyboarding this project.

Yugioh and all related properties are owned by Konami. The characters however belong to me and my creative team. Same with the cards we made up. Except one case which I'll bring up in the endnote.


Rui was already tinkering with a Duel Disk when Yuko came down to start work. "Morning." She yawned out, still a little sleepy. Rui gave her a lazy wave from where he was sitting. "So what do you need me to do today?" She asked him.

Rui didn't even look at her. "Really, I can't think of much. You've done a pretty good job cleaning the place, and we won't get new parts delivered until tomorrow, so I guess you can man the counter."

Yuko got behind the counter and took a seat, and took this chance to ask a question that had been eating at her for a while. "Where do you get most of your parts anyway? Aren't Duel Disks expensive?"

Rui closed up the one he was tinkering with, before turning it on to make sure it worked. "Shopkeep's out ordering them now. He always gets whatever I need for the repair jobs. That's what most of these Disks are, and it's mostly what I do. Repair fancy gadgets."

"And the others?" Yuko asked.

"Either scrapped ones I find I can make work fine or they're in such bad shape that if I fix 'em, I can keep 'em. The one you use was actually one of the latter. I wasn't even sure I could fix it. Either way, I return them more solid than the company that makes them."

Yuko nodded before Rui brought something up. "So what's your deal? I still don't know much about you, and I haven't really done any digging. Mostly because I don't think you exactly have anything to hide."

Yuko shrugged, "Well, my parents and I don't exactly… get along." She began, figuring out how to phrase her words carefully. "We're newer to town, so one night I decided to sneak out and have a little fun and a night out on the town."

Rui nodded, "And I know the rest. But shouldn't you be in school for something?"

Yuko suddenly adopted a sheepish tone, "Well, the thing about that is… I don't know what to do… That's part of the friction with me and my parents. So I guess I'll work here and see where life takes me until I know what to do."

"Well, at least you're doing something. Next time we get some junk, I'll teach you a little about mechanics. Even if you don't think you'll want to do it, it can't help to learn a thing or two."

"Thanks Rui." Yuko said with a smile. "It's only been a few days, but you've really warmed up to me."

Her comment was met with a laugh. "Aw, that's cute. You think I'm doing this just to be nice. As soon as you learn some of this stuff, you can take some of my workload."

Yuko rolled her eyes. "I figured. So what do I do here?"

Rui got out his next repair job, setting the finished one aside. "If someone comes to pick up a repair, ask for ID so I know who it was. I'll handle the pricing since you don't know how much the parts cost. It all comes to a similar amount though.

The next hour or so passed by quietly with Rui working and Yuko looking through her deck, letting new ideas fill her mind. She was snapped out of her thoughts when she heard the chime on the door ring, and in walked a man who Yuko would guess to be in his mid-20s with black hair. "Good morning. I'm here to pick up a Duel Disk that had a problem with the auto-shuffler and the Life display."

Yuko decided that she needed to act professional. "Can I please see some ID?" The man pulled out his wallet, and showed his driver's license to Yuko. She took it and read the name out loud so Rui could hear in the back. "Clark Gables."

As she handed it back, Rui came forward to return the Duel Disk, and rang up the man's total, which he quickly paid and left. Once the door closed, Yuko gave Rui a look.

"What now?"

"Didn't that cost seem kind of expensive?"

Rui sighed, "We charge a little extra for quality. People don't complain and business stays decently well. I'd charge a hell of a lot more if it wasn't for how sketchy the area is."

The day seemed to pass by pretty quickly after that. Four more people came in, three to pick up repairs and one to drop one off. Yuko got into the habit of making idle chatter with the customers in order to steal if Rui needed to find something, but everything ran pretty smoothly.

In the afternoon, business slowed drastically and when the sun was starting to dip, Rui tapped Yuko on the shoulder, breaking her out of the daydreaming state she was in. "Hey Yuko. It's about time to lock up. Good work today. I'm impressed."

While Rui went about cleaning up inside, Yuko went to lock the door, but just as she was, she saw a girl running toward the shop. She looked to be about her age and had a schoolbag slung over her shoulder. The most noticeable feature was her hair, which was all colours of the rainbow. She burst through the door, very nearly bowling Yuko over. She rested her hand on her knees, panting. "You're…. not closed yet… are you?" She asked in between deep breaths.

Yuko was about to speak when Rui stepped up. "We were just about to, but we can take care of whatever you need."

The girl brightened at this. "I'm here to buy a Duel Disk."

This caught both Yuko and Rui off-guard. Clearly able to see this, she explained, "I'm a student at the local university, and I overheard some classmates talking about this place. They mentioned it's less expensive and the quality's better."

Rui nodded. "Not the first time we've had a college kid in. They usually break their stuff doing stupid things, so I'm not surprised. I'll be back in a second."

While he was gone, Yuko and the girl were left with an awkward silence. "So, what's your name?" Yuko finally asked.

"Aurora. And yours?" She asked in return.

"Yuko. Nice to meetcha'" She said, before her eyes drifted down to her messenger bag. "What're you studying?"

Aurora looked a little embarrassed. "I'm looking into Astronomy. I've always loved stargazing, and I'm hoping to shoot for an internship at the Moonvale Observatory." She looked like she could have gone on forever, but Rui came back with her Duel Disk.

"Here you go. One brand-new Duel Disk." He said, before seeing Aurora looking it over. "Is there anything wrong with it?

She jumped a little bit as she was addressed. "Um, no. Not at all… just do you mind if I duel one of you, just to make sure it works?"

While Rui was hurt by her skepticism, Yuko jumped at the chance. "Of course. I guarantee it'll work just fine, but I understand your concerns. Come on outside."


Yuko and Aurora stood apart from each other as they activated their Duel Disks. Rui had brought a folding chair and had set it up near Yuko. "You better win and show this chick for insulting my craftsmanship."

Yuko rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah." To Aurora, she called, "Ready?"

The other girl nodded.

"Duel!"

[Yuko: 4000 LP, 5 cards in hand]

[Aurora: 4000 LP, 5 cards in hand]

Yuko took the first move. "I'll play first, if you don't mind. I'll summon my Carboneddon in Attack mode (800 ATK)." A grey dinosaur that looked like it was made of graphite stood proudly on her side of the field. "I'll also set one card face-down and end my turn."

Aurora drew her card. "I'll summon my Polar Archer Lv 3in Attack mode (700 ATK)!" The monster that appeared was a young girl with long light-blue hair, wearing a leather helmet and a parka, bow and arrow in hand.

Upon seeing the monster, Yuko immediately knelt down to its level. "Oh my god, it's so cute!" She cried. At this, Polar Archer blushed and tried to hide behind her bow while Rui facepalmed.

Aurora was more confused than anything. "Um, can we get back to the duel?" Yuko stood up and got back into her dueling stance so Aurora could continue her turn. "Next, I'll activate my Archer's special ability. Once per turn, she can decrease a target's attack and defense by her level times 100. So I think I'll use that on your monster!"

Polar Archer loosed a volley of arrows that froze Yuko's monster in place as ice formed around where the arrows impacted its feet (800 500 ATK). "Now attack!" Aurora commanded, which destroyed Yuko's monster with a single arrow to the chest. "I'll set one face-down as well, and end my turn."

[Yuko: 3800 LP, 3 cards in hand]

[Aurora: 4000 LP, 4 cards in hand]

Yuko drew her card. "I summon my Ruby Dragon in attack mode (1600 ATK)." A red version of Luster Dragon appeared in front of her. "And then I'll-"

Aurora revealed her set card. "I'll stop you there. I'll activate my Trap card, A Rival Appears! Since you summoned a level 4 monster, I'm allowed to Special Summon one of my own from my hand! So I choose Solar Guard Lv 4!" A stream of white hot plasma came out of Aurora's Duel Disk until it cooled and formed a burning lion that crouched (1800 DEF). "And before you try to attack, a Solar Guard can intercept all attacks aimed at a Polar monster."

Yuko rolled her eyes, "I'm not surprised. So I'll just play my Dragon's Gunfire spell card! Since Polar Archer has 800 defense points, I can destroy it!" As Ruby Dragon spat fire, Solar Guard jumped in front of Polar Archer. "What?"

Aurora laughed. "Sorry, but Solar Guard means that targeting effects can't affect a Polar monster either."

Yuko gave her a nod of understanding. "I'll keep that in mind. Normally my spell would just misfire, but Dragon's Gunfire is special. So since I can't use the second effect can't activate, I'll use the first effect!"

"What first eff-AH!" Aurora cried out as Ruby Dragon launched a fireball at her, which she quickly raised her arms to block, losing 800 Life points. "Oh, that effect." She grumbled.

Yuko smiled, "I'll set a card, and let you go."

Aurora drew her card. "Thank you kindly. Now, in my Standby Phase, since my monsters both activated their effects, I can level them up to Polar Archer Lv 5 and Solar Guard Lv 6!" The little girl that was Polar Archer was now in her older teens, taller and had a more defined figure (1500 ATK) and her Solar Guard was much larger with a second head (2400 DEF).

Yuko smiled. "Looks like they grew up! And let me guess, they have more adult effects?"

Aurora nodded, as Polar archer shot an arrow that struck Ruby Dragon, weakening it. "Polar Archer's effect is the same, except now she's Level 5! (1600 1100) And Solar Guard still protects Polar monsters." Polar Archer fired a second arrow slaying the dragon and inflicting more damage to Yuko's life points. "That's all for now."

[Yuko: 3400 LP, 1 card in hand]

[Aurora: 3200 LP, 4 cards in hand]

Yuko closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Alright, just gotta focus. I know my deck can help me." She drew and smiled. "I summon my Hyozanko in attack mode!" A small baby dragon with glittering diamond scales appeared on Yuko's field (800 ATK)."

This time, it was Aurora's turn to kneel down. "Oh my god, that's so cute! Can I pet it?"

Rui held his head in his hands. "Of course you can't pet it. It's a projection of a dragon."

Yuko waved off his comment. "Don't mind him. But while he's pretty cute, he won't be around for long. I can tribute him to summon a "Hyozan" monster from my hand to the field. So I'll do that that to summon my Hyozanmajo!" The chick was replaced with a witch who had a white cloak, pale skin and blonde hair. She held in her hand a white staff with a glowing diamond on the top. (2500 ATK)"

Aurora looked on in surprise. "Well, I can say I wasn't expecting that."

Yuko smirked. "Well then, you're going to love my next trick. Hyozamajo, attack Solar Guard!" The diamond witch raised her staff and a flurry of diamond shards ripped through Solar Guard, before continuing onto Aurora.

"Once per turn, Solar Guard can prevent its destruction!" Aurora proclaimed, only to see Yuko activate one of her face-downs.

"I use Breakthrough Skill to negate your monster's effect for the turn! Meaning Solar Guard bites the dust! And when Hyozanmajo destroys a monster, you take that monster's level times 100 as effect damage! So that's 600 points! Yuko smiled. "And that's the end of my turn."

Aurora took a deep breath as she drew her next card. "Sadly, Polar Archer takes two turns before it can level up again. But I can work around that with the spell card Level Up! Now come on out, Polar Archer Lv 7!" Polar Archer changed again, this time she wasn't a girl, she was a full-grown woman, with hair down to her waist. Her bow looked like a professional longbow (2100 ATK). Aurora smiled. "And with age comes experience. Polar Archer Lv 7's effect is the same, expect she can also freeze a card you set in your back row, and it won't defrost until your End Phase."

Yuko's jaw dropped. "You're kidding!"

"Afraid not. Now Polar Archer, do your thing, and freeze her cards!" The monster in question loosed two arrows, one hitting the Diamond Witch in the leg, making her stagger, while the other one hit Yuko's set card, covering it with a sheet of ice (2500 1800 ATK). "Now I've got a few tricks left up my sleeve. I'll activate Level Modulation! You get two cards, and I can summon a Level monster from my graveyard! Come back, Solar Guard Lv 6! And I have a second Level Up! Card in my hand to use!"

She activated it, making Solar Guard becoming much larger, and now it had three heads instead of two. "Say hello to Solar Guard Lv 8 (1500 ATK)! Now, I'll start with Polar Archer attacking your Hyozanmajo! Arrow Blizzard!"

The archer loosed one arrow that split into a hail that showered and destroyed her witch. "But I'm not done. Solar Guard, Ultraviolet Tri-beam!" Each of the three heads let loose a stream of purple fire that blasted Yuko, sending her reeling. "Oh, are you okay? I didn't hit you too hard, did I?"

Yuko dusted herself off and stood up. "Nah, I'm fine. Thanks for asking." She said, smiling as Aurora ended her turn by setting a card.

[Yuko: 1600 LP, 2 cards in hand]

[Aurora: 2600 LP, 1 card in hand]

Yuko drew her card. "Now I'm going to banish the Carboneddon in my Graveyard to activate its effect." Yuko pulled it out of her Grave and sent it to the banished zone on her Duel Disk. "I'm allowed to summon a Dragon-type Monster, as long as it's a Normal Monster." Yuko only had one monster in mind. "Come on out, Hyozanryu (2800 DEF)! Next, I construct the Overlay Network!" She looked at Rui, "Can I do the thing? Can I? Can I please? Please!?"

He sighed. "Go nuts. I'd say you earned it."

Yuko beamed. "Alright, normally I need two Light Dragons, but I can use a Hyozan monster to act as material.

Heart encased in brilliant crystal

Break free of your gilded cage

Open the gates and let your rage break free

XYZ SUMMON!

With that cry, Fiery Hyozzanryu was summoned, one Overlay Unit orbiting it (2300 2500 ATK). Aurora looked up at the beast, which was about the same size as her Solar Guard. "I'm impressed. You might want to work on you chant though."

Yuko blushed. "Hey! I worked hard on that!"

"More like you came up with it on the spot while tipsy." Rui muttered.

"Silence from the peanut gallery!" She shot back. "Once per turn, I can detach an overlay unit, and destroy a monster with less attack than Fiery Hyozanryu's defense! Now destroy Polar Archer!"

The jet of flame was pulled off-course and hit Solar Guard, with Aurora activating her face-down card. "I reveal Butterspy Protection! I can put a monster in defense mode, and all damage I'd take this turn is cut in half. And Solar Guard can prevent its own destruction once!" The beast took a defensive stance in front of Polar Archer, protecting both her and Aurora (3000 DEF).

Yuko looked over the three cards in her hand. She needed something, and she needed it fast. Of course! I can do that!" She thought, as she put her plan into motion. "I'll activate Treasure Trove! "What I need to do is target on Dragon-type monster on my field. I banish one Hyozan monster from my Graveyard, and until my End Phase, the targeted Dragon gains that monster's attack and ability! And I select my Hyozanmajo (2300 4800 ATK)!"

A silhouette of the witch appeared behind Fiery Hyozanryu as Yuko made her move. "I'll also activate the Equip Spell Fairy Meteor Crush! While it doesn't give any extra power, it does let my monster do piercing damage! Now attack Solar Guard!"

The jet of fire from Fiery Hyozanryu destroyed Solar Guard, and kept going through to Aurora, who cried out in pain from the intense heat. As she recovered, Yuko couldn't hide her grin. "I think you're forgetting something. My monster still has Hyozanmajo's ability." Eight crystal shards fired out toward Aurora, knocking her onto the ground. "And that's game!"

Rui shook his head. "Are you sure."

Yuko nodded. "Uh, yeah. I can do math. That was 2600 point of damage."

Aurora climbed back to her feet. "Not quite. You forgot about my Butterspy Protection halving all the damage I take. So you only did 1300 points to me."

Yuko shrugged. "Then I'll set a card and end my turn. That means my monster's attack returns to normal (4800 2300)."

Aurora drew, "Then it's my move. Polar Archer, do your thing. Same card as last time!" She hit Yuko's Dragon and set card with her arrows, weakening the dragon and covering the card in a sheet of ice (2300 1600 ATK). "Now Polar Archer, attack her XYZ Monster! Arrow Blizzard!"

There was a huge cloud of smoke, and when it cleared, Yuko had both of her set cards revealed. "What? But I froze that one! You can't activate it!"

Yuko, was beaming, and even Rui cracked a smile at her cleverness. "I activated Pyro Clock of Destiny, which made it act as if one round had passed, unfreezing my second card, Shrouded Mirror Force!"

Aurora blinked, "And what does that do?"

"It forces all your monsters in Attack mode into face-down Defense mode." As Yuko said this, Polar Archer's arrows collided with the barrier, breaking it with the sound of glass, releasing a dark mist. When it cleared, Aurora only had a set monster on her field.

"I end my turn and your monster's attack returns to normal"

[Yuko: 1600 LP, 0 cards in hand]

[Aurora: 1300 LP, 2 cards in hand]

Yuko drew and kept her card in her hand, not seeing a need to play the spell she picked up. "Fiery Hyozanryu, attack her face-down Polar Archer!" Aurora flipped up her monster, but it wasn't enough to survive Yuko's attack (2200 DEF). Yuko ended her turn, putting the ball into Aurora's court.

She looked at the two cards she had. A third Level Up! and Thunder Sea Horse. She needed a miracle. She closed her eyes, cleared her mind, and drew. She looked at the card, and her eyes lit up. It was her only chance. "I activate Guiding Star!"

Yuko and Rui both looked confused. "I've never seen that card." The boy said, and Aurora was happy to enlighten them.

"How this works is I excavate the top three cards of my deck. If any of them are a Polar or Solar monster, I can summon it, ignoring its summoning conditions! But if none of them are, then I take 1000 points of damage and send all three cards to the Graveyard." The three cards flew out of Aurora's deck and started to orbit around a large star that appeared in the center of the field. Aurora cleared her throat and called out in a powerful shout, "Revel the first card!" It flipped over and was revealed to be a Fiendish Chain.

"Reveal the second card!" The card turned over and showed it was a Level Modulation.

Aurora was sweating bullets and her voice wavered. "Reveal the third card!" Aurora closed her eyes, she couldn't look.

She only opened her eyes when she felt pain from Guiding Star failing. She looked up, and the third card was Salvage. She wanted to scream. All three cards up there were cards she could have used to turn the game around. She sent them to her Graveyard as she made the only move she could make.

"I discard Thunder Sea Horse to activate its effect! I can add two LIGHT Thunder-type monsters from my deck to my hand, as long as they have less than 1600 Attack points." She took out a Solar Guard Lv 4 and Lv 6, showed Yuko, and added them to her hand. "Since I used Thunder Sea Horse's effect, I'm not allowed to special summon this turn."

She set her monster, which Yuko knew was her Solar Guard, and ended her turn.

[Yuko: 1600 LP, 1 card in hand]

[Aurora: 200 LP, 2 cards in hand]

Yuko drew and made her move. "Even those your Solar Guard won't be destroyed, battle damage still applies. Fiery Hyozanryu, attack and win the Duel!" One jet of fire went right through her Solar Guard and knocked her flat on her back.

[Yuko: 1600 LP, 2 cards in hand]

[Aurora: 0 LP, 2 cards in hand]


Yuko and Rui walked over to the downed Aurora. Yuko helped her up and once she was on her feet, Rui looked at her hand. "If it wasn't for that Thunder Sea Horse's effect, you could have levelled up your Solar Guard and stalled Yuko until you had the advantage."

Aurora hung her head. "Well, your Duel Disk does work. I guess I need to pay for it." As the trio walked back into the shop, Yuko turned to Aurora. "You know, you can hang out here when you're not at class or doing homework."

She blinked, "Really?"

Rui nodded as he rang up her total. "You can even do homework here. We have internet access, and we're not usually that loud. You seem pretty cool. Who knows, having a uni student spending her time here will help the shop's reputation a little."

"Oh, right. And it has nothing to do with the fact that she's pretty cool."

"I was getting to that! But my business comes first!"

"It's all a numbers game to you, isn't it?"

"You'd know what it's if you actually worked for once!"

Their confrontation was cut off by Aurora, who had a hand over her mouth, trying to cover up her giggles. "I think I will come by. I can tell it'll be a lot of fun, and someone needs to keep you two from killing each other, right?"

Rui just turned away and started to clean up while Yuko walked Aurora to the door. "Well, have a good evening Aurora. See you tomorrow~" She said waving as the girl ran off to get home before it was fully dark.


And there you have it, the third of our little group, Aurora. I like her a lot and she helps the group dymanic a lot I've found. And so I've expanded on the Gem Dragons for Yuko. For those of you who don't know, "Hyozanryu" translates in Japanese to "Diamond Dragon." So "Hyozanmajo" is "Diamond Witch." And Yuko will make the Gem Dragons into a proper archtype.

We also get to see Aurora's cards. The Polar/Solar mix. Level cards like hers haven't been a thing since GX when Chazz used them, but they're still viable, if slow to start.

Anyway, that I mentioned in the top is Shrouded Mirror Force. For those of you who are familiar with the OCG card list, you'd know that very recently, a card was released called Burying Mirror Force with almost the exact same effect. Though ours was in conception since July, so we did it first!


False Card Corner:

Polar Archer Lv 3

Level 3, Warrior/Effect WATER

700 ATK/800 DEF

Once per turn, target one face-up monster. Decrease that monster's Attack and Defense points by this card's Level x100. During your Standby Phase, if this card has activated its ability, you can tribute it to summon a "Polar Archer Lv 5" from your hand or deck.

Polar Archer Lv 5

Leve 5, Warrior/Effect WATER

1500 ATK/1600 DEF

Once per turn, target up to two face-up monsters on the field. Decrease the selected monsters' Attack and Defense points by this card's level x100. If this card has activated its ability, you can tribute it in the second Standby Phase after summoning it to summon a "Polar Archer Lv 7" from the hand or deck.

Polar Archer Lv 7

Level 7, Warrior/Effect WATER

2100 ATK/2200 DEF

Once per turn, target one face-up Monster and/or one Spell/Trap card. The targeted monster loses Attack and defense points equal to this card's level x100. The targeted Spell/Trap has its effects negated until the opponent's End Phase.

Solar Guard Lv 4

Level 4, Thunder/Effect LIGHT

800 ATK/1800 DEF

Once per turn, this card cannot be destroyed by battle or card effects. If a "Polar" monster is on the field, it cannot be targeted for attacks or card effects. During your Standby Phase, you can tribute this card to summon a "Solar Guard Lv 6" from your hand or deck.

Solar Guard Lv 6

Level 6 Thunder/Effect LIGHT

1200 ATK/2400 DEF

Once per turn, this card cannot be destroyed by battle or card effects. If a "Polar" monster is on the field, it cannot be targeted for attacks or card effects. If a "Polar" monster would be destroyed, you can tribute this monster to negate the destruction. During your second Standby Phase after summoning this card, you can tribute it to summon a "Solar Guard Lv 8" from your hand or deck.

Solar Guard Lv 8

Level 8 Thunder/Effect LIGHT

1500 ATK/3000 DEF

Once per turn, this card cannot be destroyed by battle or card effects. If a "Polar" monster is on the field, it cannot be targeted for attacks or card effects. If a "Polar" monster would be destroyed, you can negate the effect and destroy the card.

Guiding Star

Spell

Excavate the top three cards of your deck. If any "Polar" or "Solar" monsters are revealed, Special Summon them (ignoring their summoning conditions) and shuffle the remaining cards back into the deck. If none of the cards revealed are "Polar" or "Solar" monsters, take 1000 points of damage and send all revealed cards to the Graveyard.

Hyozanko

Level 3 Dragon/Effect LIGHT

800 ATK/1200 DEF

Send this face-up card you control to the Graveyard. Special Summon one "Hyozan" card from your hand.

Hyozanmajo

Level 7 Spellcaster/Effect LIGHT

2500 ATK/2200 DEF

When this card destroys a monster, inflict damage to the opponent equal to the destroyed monster's level x100.

Treasure Trove

Spell

Target one Dragon-type monster on your side of the field and one "Hyozan" monster in your Graveyard. Banish the "Hyozan" monster. The selected Dragon monster gains the banished monster's Attack, Defense, and Effect until the End Phase of that turn

Shrouded Mirror Force

Trap

When an opponent's monster declares an attack, negate the attack, and change all your opponent's Attack Position monsters to face-down Defense position. Cards cannot be activated in response to this effect.