Chapter 4: Changing the Game
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"I still can't believe the nerve of that guy!" fumed Zero as she, Kaje, Koukin, and Dylan finally trudged onto a path of hard-packed sand that marked the limits of a small town. "First, he steals your Deck, and then he lacks the balls to take a good hard punch in the face for it!"
"Zero, I'm glad you've got my back, but you've been going on about how wrong Reboot acted for the past hour and a half…" Kaje sighed, leaning on a sign that read WELCOME TO RAPLAIQ TOWN. Atop the sign was a screen displaying the remaining time for the tournament, its white numbers ticking away tirelessly. The town itself wasn't much; it had a sizable inn, a card shop, what appeared to be a small grocery, and perhaps three or four snug-looking houses. "I've been walking for, like, eight hours. Not to mention said wrongdoing that occurred, so I'd like to just get some rest and start fresh tomorrow."
"Start fresh with what?" pondered Dylan. "It's not like you brought any of your spare Decks with you."
"I gotta side with him on this one," Koukin agreed. "I told you that you should probably grab your Volcanics or one of those annoying stall Decks, but—"
"But God forbid he listen when he's trying to hurry," chipped in Zero.
"Emphasis on 'trying to'," Kaje retorted with a weak grin. "You guys are right, I'm not denying that. All I'm saying is that maybe I can build a new Deck with cards from the shop tomorrow."
"I suppose that could work," mused Koukin. "You'd be at the mercy of whatever they'll let you have for free, but I've seen you Duel pretty well with worse odds." Dylan and Zero nodded, and the four of them headed down the path to the building marked as the inn. Despite being such a small town, Raplaiq was littered with streetlamps, allowing the group to identify the building easily. Inside the inn was a single hallway, in the middle of which stood a cramped-looking reception desk. Behind the desk sat a bald man in white clothes, looking sleepy and none too comfortable, given that his girth took up nearly all of the space allotted by the desk. "Excuse me," Koukin said politely. "but is there room for four here?"
"Is there room?" answered the bald man with a snort. "You get your pick of the rooms! Nobody bothers to stay in a little podunk town like Raplaiq. They all want to get to the big city." He said the last two words with a heavy slathering of derision.
"Why would anyone bother walking even farther just to get to a bigger place?" Dylan asked. "It looks like this place has everything it needs." This seemed to soften the man's mood just slightly. His expression eased, and he brought out eight simple silver keys.
"There are four rooms on each side," the man explained. "You'll find a room on either side of me, two rooms on each side if you turn the corner at either end of the hallway, and two rooms at the back." The man indicated a sign on the door to his left that was emblazoned with the number 1, and the door to his right that was marked by the number 8. "Each of you, go ahead and take a key, and return 'em before you leave the building. Don't hesitate to call the front desk here if you need anything."
"Thank you very much," Koukin said before taking the key marked with the number 3. Zero took the key marked with a 5, Dylan took the key to Room 7, and Kaje, who was barely standing, grabbed the key marked 8 in a big limp hand.
"So do we owe you anything for our stay?" asked Zero.
"Not at all," the bald man said, his voice still gruff, but a tad warmer than it had been when they had first arrived. "We couldn't charge money from outworlders when they've barely got any money to speak of."
"Well, that's a relief," said Dylan as he walked off toward the end of the hall. Koukin walked silently to his side of the inn, and Kaje opened the door to Room 8 and went inside without another word.
"What do you think he meant about us barely having any money?" Zero whispered to Dylan as they approached Dylan's room.
"I don't know," replied Dylan with a shrug. "Maybe Accolades are contest pieces to us, but the people who live in this world trade them for money."
"I guess," Zero said doubtfully. "but if that's the case, why wouldn't Goste tell us that we were wagering this world's money?"
"Who knows?" countered Dylan in an exaggerated suspenseful voice. "I'll think about later, but first I gotta go conk out for awhile."
"Good idea," Zero agreed, and walked off toward her room at the back of the inn.
x—x
"I can't believe this is all they have…" muttered Kaje, his voice still muddy with sleep. After a long sleep, he had awakened and trudged out of the inn, placing his key on the reception desk with a scrawled note to his friends on a Post-It from the nightstand drawer in his room. Now, the giant stood at the glass display case in the card shop, perusing through the collection of common cards, mostly Normal Monsters with low Attack Points and situational Trap Cards. "What am I supposed to do with any of this?"
"You'd be surprised what you can do with random cards," said the clerk, a pretty blonde woman in her mid-thirties dressed in a white blouse with long loose sleeves and a long white skirt. "In some worlds, they don't even have cards that match up with each other. You just have to grab what works with this or that and hope for the best. Some say those Decks are the strongest, as a matter of fact."
"Well, that's all well and good," Kaje replied, as kindly as he could. "but that's not the way I usually prefer to play. If I could make my own cards, this wouldn't be a problem."
"Sadly, this little shop doesn't have that amenity," said the clerk with an optimistic smile. "You'd have to go all the way to Desolas to get your own cards made, and I hear that's not exactly free."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Kaje asked, trying not to sound demanding.
"No one's really been too clear about it," supplied the clerk, scratching her chin. "though I seriously doubt any store would have contestants pay any money, so it's a total mystery to me."
"Hmm…" contemplated Kaje. "Clearly, I can't make anything from the cards here, so I guess my best bet is to go to… what was it, Desolas?"
"Yes, sir," the clerk responded, clearly attempting not to be resentful. "It's one of the biggest cities in the Desert Zone. Just a trek west, and you're there."
"Thank you, ma'am," said Kaje as he turned to leave. When he stepped outside, he was greeted by his three friends.
"Any luck finding new cards?" Zero asked, to which Kaje just shook his head.
"Their selection can't be that bad," insisted Koukin. He looked through the glass door at the display case, and quickly turned his back. "Okay, that's pretty terrible."
"You'd have to find at least five shops like this one to build a decent Deck with selections like that," Dylan added.
"I'd lend you Yubel or Seven if I could," offered Koukin. "You know, if I had brought them."
"Luckily, that's not quite necessary," said Kaje. "There's a big city called Desolas, just west of this town."
"So, more desert traveling?" Zero asked, clearly not looking forward to such a prospect. Kaje nodded, and she sighed. "Well, this time, we're stocking up on supplies before we head out."
"Fair enough," agreed Kaje. The four friends located the building whose hand-crafted sign declared it to be a grocery, and walked inside. There was a refrigerated section with large bottles of milk, juice, and water, as well as a small stand of produce, and one wall was lined with shelves containing backpacks and other travel supplies. A counter at the back where various baked goods, cheeses, and meats were on display. Behind the counter were two people wearing white gloves and aprons over their plain-looking white attire. One was a plump, tan-skinned woman with curly dark hair. The other was a bony-looking man with a tangled bunch of gray hair.
"What's with this place and people wearing white?" Dylan asked to no one in particular.
"In many cultures, wearing a uniform color is usually a tradition backed by history or religion," offered Koukin. "I've never seen a whole town do it, though. Usually, it's a monastery or other sacred place that practices such a thing."
"Maybe they just can't afford other colors of clothing," Zero said.
"Either way, let's get some food for the road, so we can head toward Desolas," suggested Kaje. They walked to the shelves of traveling equipment and selected backpacks, then to the produce stand.
"Dude, you can buy that stuff that comes inside of cactuses!" Dylan exclaimed, holding up a wrapped cylinder of a green plant that appeared to have had spines at some point.
"It's pronounced cacti," corrected Kaje.
"Your face is prounounced cacti," Zero shot back, amiably enough.
"No, your face is pronounced your face," interjected Koukin.
"However you pronounce it, I'm getting one," Dylan bragged, tucking the cylinder under his arm. Each of them took a bottle of water, and Zero selected some fruits and vegetables, after having found a stack of baskets near the front door for carrying goods. The group then headed to the counter, where they were greeted by the old man.
"What can I get for ya?" he asked in a raspy but kind voice. "I'd tell you that we've got a sale on our fresh armadillo steaks, but the world's a sale to contestants, isn't it?" The words would have seemed bitter, were it not for the chuckle that followed.
"Who cooks armadillo meat?" asked Kaje, sounding quite apprehensive.
"When you live in a small town, you make the most out of what's around ya," the man replied tolerantly. "Not everyone gets stocked by the big boys in the City Zone, y'know."
"I hadn't thought of that," Kaje said apologetically.
"Not like steaks are really relevant," pointed out Koukin. "We're about to be going on a journey, so probably dried meats and bread will be the most we want to carry."
"Smart thinkin' there, boy," the man said with a grin. He turned from the group and spoke to the woman behind the counter with him, then came back with two large paper sacks. "This should last the four of ya for a few days. Hopefully you don't run out before you get where you're goin' to."
"It shouldn't be that bad," Zero assured him. "I don't think anything could be worse than forgetting to bring water for our walk to this town."
"Oh, believe me," said the man, his eyes glinting. "In the desert, there're plenty of worse things." After thanking the man for the supplies, the four friends packed their backpacks and exited the store, which was near the edge of Raplaiq.
"Well, here's to God knows how long of walking in endless, monotonous sands," Kaje muttered, looking down at the end of the path. "At least until we get to Desolas, that is."
"Did I just hear you say you were going to Desolas?" asked a voice from in front of them. Kaje looked up to see a short boy with shaggy green hair. The boy wore a pale blue button-up shirt with rolled-up sleeves and the top few buttons open, as well as a pair of tight blue jeans. "I just came from Desolas, actually. Are you going there to try and win the Desolas Cup?"
"That wasn't our intention until just now," Koukin said with a glimmer of anticipation in his eyes.
"I see," said the boy with a smirk. "My name's Joshua, by the way."
"Hah!" Dylan shouted. "I knew he'd be here somewhere!"
"I'm sorry, have we met before?" asked Joshua, scratching his head in puzzlement. "I must admit, if we have, I don't remember your face. Although, the four of you do sort of look like the kind of people I might hang around with."
"I think he's got you confused with someone else," Kaje explained, looking embarrassed. "The name's Kaje, and these are my friends, Zero, Dylan, and Koukin." He indicated each person for Joshua's benefit.
"If I might be so bold," began Koukin. "may I inquire as to why you left Desolas before their contest began?"
"I've got my own game to play," Joshua replied with a laugh. "You see, I'm from a world called Shibuya's Phantom, and I escaped here to try and avoid the Reapers' Game. Unfortunately, it seems as though all I've done is prolong my fate, endanger my friends, and lose sight of whatever the goal is of this mission."
"Mission?" asked Zero. Joshua nodded and turned his right arm to show the group. Between his wrist and the inside of his elbow was a timer that matched the one posted over the entrance sign to Raplaiq, second for second.
"In the Reapers' Game, we're given a series of missions to complete," he explained, gaining the unmistakable air of a know-it-all. "Those who fail the missions face erasure – complete obliteration at the hand of the Reapers. Normally, these missions are issued every day, and the time limit is only about an hour or so."
"But the timer on your arm is the same as the tournament's timer…" Kaje contemplated. "Do you think it's a sort of glitch in the Reapers' Game?"
"Possibly," admitted Joshua. "It's either that, or the Reapers intercepted my escape from their world. They couldn't stop me from leaving, but they could give me one last mission. Have a look at this." He fished around in one of his jeans pockets until he brought out a small flip-phone. He opened it and accessed the mail function, where a message was displayed.
"'The gloves are off forever'," Koukin read. "'It's time to Duel, until your time's up. – The Reapers'. So part of the Reapers' Game is based on solving riddles sent through text messages?"
"Precisely," confirmed Joshua. "Assuming the Reapers were able to manipulate my escape, as well as that of my friends, I can only conclude that my objective is to make it to the final round of this competition. At least they didn't leave me without cards to use."
"What do you mean?" asked Dylan.
"Yeah, and where are your friends?" Zero added. "Wouldn't they be with you?"
"Oh, they're with me," Joshua assured her. "Would you like to meet them?"
"You know what they say," said Dylan. "The more, the merrier."
"I concur," Joshua said with a smirk. "In light of that, I'd like to propose a Duel." He held up his left arm, showing off a black Duel Disk with a stylized skull on it.
"What does that have to do with anything?" asked Dylan skeptically. This only brought a laugh from Joshua.
"Trust me, it does," he said confidently. "You kind of remind of my friend Neku, but you'll see why pretty soon."
"All right, I'll bite," Dylan replied with an exasperated expression.
"I beg your pardon?" asked Joshua, once again looking puzzled. "Does that mean you'll be my opponent, Dylan?"
"Yes," Dylan confirmed. "Yes, it does. How many Accolades will you bet on this?"
"Oh, I wasn't aware that you wanted to put stakes on this Duel," said Joshua in surprise. "Well, I really only need one to stay in the tournament, right? That's all I have to do to complete the Reapers' objective, so I'll put down four Accolades. That'll leave me with five still, and you can almost double your total."
"Wait, you weren't aware that he wanted to bet Accolades, but you knew he only had five of them?" Zero asked dubiously. "How would you know something like that?"
"Let's just say that being a part of the Reapers' Game comes with certain perks."
"Seems legit," said Koukin, not being clear on whether or not he was being sincere.
"I don't wanna bet all but one of my Accolades!" Dylan protested, as if he'd been holding it in while his friends had been questioning Joshua.
"Fair enough," said Joshua kindly. "As the challenged Duelist, I reserve the right to determine the terms of the wager. I've already got nine Accolades, so any further acquisition is fine by me. Put down however many pieces you'd like, Dylan."
"Good," said Dylan with a sigh of relief. "I'm only putting down one." The compartment in his Duel Disk opened, and he slipped in one of the tiny gems. Joshua did the same, and the compartments disappeared.
"That's quite a nice Duel Disk, by the way," Joshua complimented, admiring the forest green disk emblazoned with a golden snake's eye.
"Oh, thanks," replied Dylan, a bit taken aback. "Now…"
"Let's Duel!" shouted both participants, causing their Duel Disks to open. The spaces on Joshua's were a predictable white that matched the skull symbol, while Dylan's were a royal blue. The Life Points were set to 8000, and each Duelist drew his cards.
"If you don't mind, I'll go first," said Joshua politely, drawing his sixth card. "First, I'll summon Player Shiki, in Attack Mode." In a burst of light, a tall, slender girl appeared. She wore a red shirt that cut off high up on her midriff and a very short green denim skirt with a brown pouch strapped to it, as well as brown knee-length boots and an open yellow hoodie. Her shoulder-length, reddish-brown hair was partially concealed by a black-and-white cap. As her Attack Points display appeared, showing 1200, a look of terror spread across her face.
"Where am I?!" she shouted, much to the surprise of Dylan and his friends.
"Since when do Duel Monsters talk?" Koukin wondered calmly.
"Watch who you're calling a monster, mister!" shouted the girl, still sounding hysterical.
"My apologies," Koukin said with a bow.
"Dylan, Koukin, Zero, and Kaje, this is my good friend Shiki Misaki," introduced Joshua with a laugh. "Shiki, you may not be a monster, but the card you're trapped in is classified as a Monster Card."
"Oh," Shiki said simply, blinking a couple times. "Wait, what?! Why am I trapped in a card?"
"It's my theory that the Reapers trapped you all inside of Duel Monsters cards when we escaped from Shibuya's Phantom," Joshua summated. "They most likely did it for the purpose of limiting our chances of succeeding in their modified challenge."
"So this is all a Reaper trick…" thought Shiki out loud. "Well, if they insist on following us, we'll just have to beat them at their own game!"
"Agreed," Joshua answered with a grin. "That being said, I'll place three cards face-down and end my turn."
"Look at all those Spell and Trap Cards," observed Dylan. "I summon Alexandrite Dragon, in Attack Mode!" A white dragon decorated with various precious stones flew in as an Attack Points display appeared over its head, reading 2000. "Now, Alexandrite Dragon, attack Player Shiki!" The dragon flapped its wings and flew forward, raking its clawed feet forward toward the redhead.
"Aaaahhh!" screamed Shiki, bringing her hands up to try and protect her face. "Joshua, help me! I don't want to die!"
"Already on it," Joshua assured her. "I activate the Trap Card called Noise Combat!" A card depicting an orange-haired boy fighting a group of strange frog creatures flipped up, and the Attack Points displays changed suddenly. In their places floated new displays that showed two values each, marked "COM" and "HP".
"What's going on here?" asked Dylan. "What happened to our monsters?"
"I've changed the rules," Joshua explained. "You see, in our world, we fight creatures called Noise. This card allows us to battle each other as though we're fighting the Noise. Instead of Attack Points, our monsters – or your monsters and my Players – have Combat Points. Instead of Defense Points, they have Health Points. As you know, the monster with the higher Attack Points wins the battle. The same applies here, as does Battle Damage done to our Life Points. However, instead of destroying each other's cards, the difference in Combat Points is deducted from the losing side's Health Points. A monster is only destroyed when its Health Points decrease to zero." Shiki's Health Points registered as 1100, and Alexandrite Dragon's appeared as 100. "Now, since your dragon has 800 more Combat Points than Shiki does, she'll lose 800 Health Points, and I'll take 800 damage." Shiki was slashed viciously by Dylan's dragon's claws, and her Health Points dropped to 300. Joshua's Life Points spiraled down to 7200.
"Well, this isn't too bad," said Dylan passively. "I can still destroy your monsters, and do more damage while I'm at it."
"Stop calling me a monster!" Shiki protested, her bottom lip quivering slightly. "I'm very sensitive!"
"Clearly she's an actual person," insisted Kaje. "I'm not one to question weird circumstances, given our own. Treat the lady right, Dylan."
"Sorry," Dylan said flatly.
"Thank you," responded Shiki, smiling at Kaje. Kaje nodded and gestured toward Dylan to continue.
"I set a face-down and end my turn." Dylan concluded.
"During your End Phase, I activate another Trap Card," informed Joshua. "It's called Making a Pact." Shiki's face lit up as the card flipped up, showing a bony hand and one with slender, elegant fingers, engaging in a handshake. "If I control a Player, I can Special Summon another one from my Deck, but I can't do this if I control an even number of Players, and I can't Normal Summon during the next turn after I activate this card. As for my choice, I'm summoning Player Neku." Shiki clapped her hands and giggled happily as a burst of light brought forth a very skinny boy with messy, spiky orange hair. He wore a black shirt with a gold-outlined indigo stripe going down the front, a matching pair of shoes, and baggy white shorts held up with a loose-fitting belt. Perched securely on his head was a pair of indigo headphones, connected to a small MP3 player that hung around his neck. His Combat Points equaled 1600, and his Health Points display measured 1300. After the display appeared, both Players' Health Points changed to 1600.
"What…?" the boy asked groggily, looking around before epening his eyes wide. "What the hell is this?"
"It looks like we're trapped inside cards as part of a Reapers' challenge," explained Shiki quickly. "Are you okay, Neku?"
"Fine, I guess," answered the boy curtly. "What's the challenge? How do we win?"
"Advance to the final round of a Duel Monsters tournament," Joshua supplied. "At least, that's what the goal is, as far as I can tell."
"The final round of a what tournament?" demanded the boy, who had just spotted Alexandrite Dragon.
"It's a card game that reigns supreme in this world," exposited Joshua. "It's also a popular game in a myriad of other worlds. Everyone, this is another of my friends, Neku Sakuraba."
"He reminds me of Dylan," Zero commented, looking at the two. "Not many people are that skinny."
"Hey!" Neku and Dylan shouted in unison, pointing at one another. "I look nothing like him!" This brought laughter from everyone else present.
"So, why did the Health Point totals change to equal Shiki's and Neku's individual Health Points combined?" asked Koukin thoughtfully.
"It's another rule of the Noise Combat card," Joshua explained. "When fighting in the Reapers' Game, each team shares one life force. If one Player dies, any Player who's made a pact with that Player also dies."
"So I was so close to destroying Shiki, but now I'd have to attack her twice more?" sputtered Dylan incredulously. "That's bull!"
"You already took a hit from that guy?" Neku asked Shiki, his face contorted with annoyance. "Don't tell me I have to babysit you here, too!"
"I can take care of myself!" defended Shiki. "Just… not against that giant dragon…"
"Don't worry," Joshua assured her. "I have just the thing to help you two out. I draw, and I'll activate the Force Rounds Pin Spell Card to equip to Neku." A round pin with a picture of a yellow and white fireball appeared and attached itself to Neku's shirt. Instantly, his hands lit up with flashing yellow energy. "Next, I'll equip Shiki with a Spell Card called Attack Boost Sticker!" A square sticker depicting a sword and an arrow pointing up appeared and stuck itself to Shiki's cap. Her Combat Points rose to 1800 as it was applied. "Now, time to attack. Neku, go get that dragon."
"What?" demanded Neku angrily. "How am I supposed to take on that kind of beast?"
"Use your Force Rounds," Joshua offered. Neku sighed and started throwing punches at thin air, causing six fireballs like the one on the pin to appear and fire toward Alexandrite Dragon. "When a Player attacks while Force Rounds is equipped, each round that hits will lower the target's Attack Points by 50, multiplied by that monster's Level. Let's see how many rounds will hit your dragon, Dylan." A huge black die with stylized white numbers materialized and rolled, landing on a three. Three of the fireballs careened off-course and dissipated, but the other three hit Alexandrite Dragon square in the chest. Its Combat Points dropped to 1400 as Shiki cheered her partner on.
"Now what?" asked Neku, still looking annoyed. "I didn't actually do any damage."
"You still have to attack," Joshua said evenly. "That was just the effect of your pin. Just approach Dylan's monster and hit it. Trust me."
"All right…" sighed Neku, walking forward and delivering a karate chop to Alexandrite Dragon's neck. The attack resulted in Dylan losing 200 Life Points, leaving him with a total of 7800, and his monster shattering as its Health Points meter showed 0.
"Now, Shiki, it's your turn," Joshua instructed. Shiki nodded and sprinted forward, sending a high kick that struck Dylan in the face and taking his Life Points down to 6000.
"Well, that wasn't entirely unpleasant," commented Dylan. Shiki merely scoffed and sauntered back to her place beside Neku. "My turn yet?"
"By all means," Joshua said, gesturing with his free hand.
"Dylan, I think I know a way around having to use the Noise Combat card's rules," advised Koukin. "I'm pretty sure it'd be cheating if I told you what it was, but it may be your best bet against Joshua and his friends."
"I think I know where you're going with this," Dylan said, drawing his next card. "I'll set a monster face-down and end my turn."
"Very well," remarked Joshua. "I suppose there's no real point in putting anything else down, so I'll just start by having Neku attack your face-down monster." Neku held up his hands to fire off the Force Rounds, but nothing happened.
"What the hell, Joshua?" Neku yelled. "How can I weaken that thing if I can't shoot it?"
"Sorry, Neku," said Joshua sheepishly. "but the effect of Force Rounds only applies when you attack a face-up monster. You'll have to attack it and hope for the best." Neku gave a small nod and ran forward, holding his hand up for his karate chop. Before he could bring his hand down, the card turned over and transformed into an androgynous figure wearing a black turban and a black robe with two two green stripes near the center. Her Combat Points showed 1200, and her Health Points were 2000.
"You're good as gone!" Neku shouted, bringing his hand down.
"Neku, no!" cried Shiki. "That person's like us; trapped inside of that card!"
"Actually, Gravekeeper's Spy is like any other Duel Monster," Dylan corrected. "and it's in Defense Mode, so battle goes back to the way it should be." Neku ignored Shiki and delivered his attack, causing the woman to bring her arm up to block. Her Health Points dropped to 1600 as Gravekeeper's Spy used the block to right itself from it crouching position, facing Neku defiantly. "What? Why did she change to Attack Mode?"
"I'm afraid that face-up monsters have no discretion between battle positions when under the change of Noise Combat," explained Joshua. "Once it's flipped face-up, its Combat Points will always come into play. You'll save yourself some damage, though."
"Not to mention my Spy's special ability," Dylan said excitedly. "When it's discovered by the enemy, it'll call in some backup, like another Spy!" The Deck slot spat out a card, which Dylan placed on the field. Another of the black-clad warriors popped into existence, and both monsters' Health Points jumped up to 3600.
"That's a lot of Health Points…" murmured Shiki.
"We'll get rid of them," Joshua said. "Just keep hitting them where it hurts. Go on, Shiki." Shiki sprinted forward and punched at one of the Spies, who once again brought up an arm to block, but her Health Points dropped to 2800. "I think we'll leave it at that."
"Good, because during your End Phase, I'm activating a Trap Card of my own," announced Dylan. "Go, Solemn Wishes! Now every time I draw cards, I gain 500 Life Points. Oh, and look! It's my turn!" He drew a card, and his Life Points jumped up to 6500. "Now, as for the rules of your little game… you can defend your cards all you want, but that only applies in battle. For example, I activate Lightning Vortex. By discarding a card, I can destroy all face-up monsters you control." As Dylan's card hit the Graveyard slot, a huge lightning storm brewed above the field, sending two jagged shafts of energy down toward Neku and Shiki.
"Neku, I don't want to die!" sobbed Shiki. Neku nodded and placed a hand on her arm, though it looked as though he wasn't too comfortable doing so.
"Don't worry," Joshua soothed. "Unlike the Reapers' Game, Duel Monsters is a game of second chances. I can revive you, or you can come right back in the next Duel."
"How's that supposed to help us right now?!" demanded Neku. Before Joshua could answer, the lightning overcame his friends, obliterating the Attack Boost Sticker and Force Rounds Pin in the process.
"Well played," admitted Joshua.
"Thanks," Dylan accepted. "Now I summon Flamvell Guard!" A small green dragon appeared in a fiery explosion, which settled to become a sort of barrier. It had 100 Combat Points, and the Health Points total jumped up to 4800. "I'm not keeping him around for long, though, because I'm tuning him with one of my Spies!" Flamvell Guard become a sphere of fire, and Gravekeeper's Spy became one of dark energy as the other Spy's Health Points dropped to 1600. "I tune Level 1 Flamvell Guard with Level 4 Gravekeeper's Spy to Synchro Summon Ally of Justice – Catastor!" The spheres of light swirled together, creating a mass of dark light that solidified into a silver and gold robot. Four mantis legs extended from the long body, and a single glassy lens eyed its opposition from a head that curved down into a sharp beak shape. It had 2200 Combat Points. The Health Points on Dylan's side bumped back up to 2800.
"What a strange summoning," Joshua mused, tapping his chin and staring at the new monster. "I surmise that Flamvell Guard must have been the Tuner. Otherwise, you would have just tuned your Spies together to form a stronger creature."
"Oh, that's a completely different concept you're going into, there," remarked Kaje. "If Dylan has his way, you'll likely see it as well in this Duel."
"I look forward to it," said Joshua, his eyes locking onto Dylan expectantly.
"Look forward to this!" Dylan shouted proudly. "I switch my Spy to Attack Mode, and I'll have both attack you directly!" Both monsters rushed forward; Gravekeeper's Spy slipping behind Joshua and delivering a sharp jab to his back, and Catastor firing a series of red laser bursts that hit Joshua in the chest. The attacks hit simultaneously, kicking Joshua's Life Points all the way down to 3800. "Your turn, Joshua."
"Thank you, Dylan," said Joshua as he drew his next card. "Next, I'll summon Player Beat, in Attack Mode." In a burst of light, a muscular boy wearing a white muscle shirt and khaki pants that cut off at his calves materialized. On one wrist, he wore a spiked wristband, and his head was covered by a black bandana marked with a large white skull. A pendant with a matching symbol hung around his neck.
"Whoa!" the boy yelled, wheeling his arms as if he had been falling. He looked around, and then back at Joshua. "Joshua! What is this place, yo?"
"This is the world we escaped to," Joshua told him. "You've been trapped in a card as part of the Reapers' last attempt to keep us in Shibuya's Phantom. My friends, this is Daisukenojo Bito."
"Hey!" snapped the boy. "Don't be usin' my full name, dawg! The name's Beat, got it?"
"Right, right," Joshua apologized. "Anyway, the rules of this game are a bit like you're used to, Beat, so just attack when I say so, all right?"
"I feel you," agreed Beat easily enough. A display appeared above him, showing that he had 2000 Combat Points and 800 Health Points.
"Now, how about a sticker?" Joshua asked. "I think you could use the Jump Sticker Spell Card, personally." A square sticker with the outline of a jumping silhouette stuck it to Beat's bandana. "Now, that should do it. Your turn, Dylan."
"I attack with Catastor!" said Dylan triumphantly as his Life Points rose to 7000. "With its effect, I can get rid of a non-Dark monster right away!"
"Yo, what's your beef with me?" Beat yelled, but the bug robot was already firing a black laser beam.
"Sorry, but Beat happens to be a Dark card," corrected Joshua.
"Oh, so I turn to the Reapers to try and revive my sister, and now I'm a Dark card?" Beat accused.
"It's just how your card turned out," Joshua defended. "In any case, you won't be doing anything to me this turn. I activate the ability of the Jump Sticker. Quick, Beat! Jump over the laser beam!" Beat nodded, produced a skateboard and used to ollie up and over the attack. "You see, with the Jump Sticker, I can negate one of your attacks every turn."
"I need to stop letting you use those Equip Spells…" muttered Dylan. "I place two cards face-down and end my turn."
"Time to get your partner out here," Joshua said to Beat, drawing his next card. "I summon Player Rhyme, in Attack Mode." A burst of light brought forth a small blonde girl wearing a loose orange shirt with a skull and crossbones on it, as well as white shorts that came down just above the knees. A white pouch was strapped to her shorts, and a bell hung around her neck. On her head sat a black hat with a small skull charm attached to one side. Her Combat Points were only 900, but hers and Beat's Health Points jumped up to 2900.
"Sis!" gasped Beat, throwing his arms around the girl and trying to keep his composure. The girl blinked a couple of times, then smiled sweetly at Beat.
"How long have I been out?" she asked him, returning the hug as best she could.
"Not sure," answered Beat with a laugh. "Been out for awhile myself, you know what I'm sayin'?" Even Joshua was smiling; a genuine expression of happiness, instead of his usual smug grin.
"This is Raimu Bito, Beat's sister," he introduced distractedly.
"Please, just call me Rhyme," said Rhyme with a giggle and a bow.
"Now, Rhyme, I'll equip you with the Pteropus Pin," Joshua told her as a black pin with a mess of swooping white lines stuck to Rhyme's cap.
"It's like they wanted to put kanji on that pin, and then they just decided to scribble randomly," groaned Koukin.
"I'll admit, it looks a bit sloppy," Joshua admitted. "The power it grants to the holder is well worth it, though. Before I show you that, though, I'll have Beat attack Gravekeeper's Spy!"
"I gots this, yo!" Beat yelled, pulling out his skateboard and rolling rapidly forward. When he closed in Dylan's monster, he lowerd himself and delivered a shoulder charge that knocked the dark-haired woman backward, causing the Health Points meter on Dylan's side to drop to 2000.
"That's not all," Joshua continued. "I activate the Puck Pass Trap Card!" Suddenly, Beat lit up with a green aura. "When one of the Players successfully completes an attack, this energy is passed to another Player, increasing that Player's Attack Points by the amount of damage done."
"Catch, sis!" called Beat, flinging his arm out toward Rhyme. The green energy left him and formed a disc that flew in the direction he had flung his arm.
"Got it!" Rhyme replied happily as she snagged the disc. Her Combat Points shot up to 1700.
"Wait a second!" interrupted Zero. "Beat didn't do any damage to Dylan when he attacked."
"That's true," Joshua agreed. "but he did do damage to Gravekeeper's Spy, and while Noise Combat is active, that damage qualifies as Battle Damage. Now, Rhyme, attack Catastor, won't you?"
"My pleasure!" bubbled Rhyme, taking a stance. A boomerang of energy appeared in her hand, and she threw it at Dylan's stronger monster. Catastor stood idly by as the boomerang flew in its direction, passing right through it and reversing direction. The projectile passed through Catastor again, coming to rest and disappearing in Rhyme's hand.
"Another Dark monster?" Dylan said in disbelief.
"Hey!" roared Beat. "You watch what you say to my sister, son! I don't take that stuff lightly, yo!"
"Right, sorry," Dylan said quickly, not wanting to have everything explained yet again.
"In any case, yes," explained Joshua, much to Dylan and Zero's apparent chagrin, based on their groans. "Rhyme was erased in the Reapers' Game, which turned her into one of the Noise. Even though her heart is as pure as can be, her affiliation with Beat and the Noise has affected her Attribute. Don't worry though, Rhyme. Dark doesn't mean evil."
"I wasn't worried," Rhyme said with a smile. Meanwhile, Catastor shook violently and flipped over, exposing its black underside and the red mark near its head. Its Combat Points dropped to 1200, but the Health Points meter rose from 2000 to 3000.
"By the way, the attack that Rhyme used has flipped your monster's Attack and Defense Points," pointed out Joshua. "Now her attack can go through with no ill effect. Go ahead, Rhyme."
"If you say so," she complied, jogging forward and backhanded Catastor across the face, sending Dylan's Life Points down to 6500 and the Health Points on his side down to 2500. "Here, Beat!" called Rhyme, flinging her arm and sending the green energy back to her brother.
"Thanks, li'l Skulls!" Beat said, catching the puck. His Combat Points rose to 2500.
"Well, that's it for me," said Joshua with a wave of his hand.
"I sacrifice my Gravekeeper's Spy to summon Total Defense Shogun!" Dylan announced as he recovered back to 7000 Life Points. Gravekeeper's Spy was shredded into pixels and replaced with a man wielding a sword and an enormous shield. His Combat Points showed 1550, and the Health Points readout showed 4200. "As soon as he's summoned, my Shogun switches to Defense Mode, but that doesn't mean he can't attack!" The warrior nodded and readied his sword at Dylan's words. "Now, sights set on Rhyme! Attack, Total Defense Shogun!" Dylan's monster hefted his shield and rushed forward, intending to crush Rhyme.
"No way, dawg!" denied Beat, kicking his skateboard over to Rhyme. "Dodge that shizz, sis!" With a quick nod, Rhyme jumped onto the unmanned board and used it to propel herself up and over the oncoming assault.
"Stupid sticker…" Dylan muttered. "All right, Catastor! You may not be what you used to be, but you can still do some damage! Attack Rhyme!" Even from its struggling position, the mantis machine was able to fire a few short laser bursts that hit Rhyme and took hers and Beat's Health Points to 2600, and Joshua's Life Points to 3500. "It's your move, Joshua."
"All right, then," said Joshua. "I'll summon yet another of my friends to the field. Come on out, Player Sora!" A boy with long spiky brown hair materialized next to Rhyme. He wore a gray hoodie with a red hood, the sleeves of which had red edges. Under that was a black shirt with a white X on it, and the boy also wore baggy red shorts with black edges at the bottom. His gloves and shoes were primarily yellow, with parts of them colored black. Around the boy's neck hung a pendant shaped like a crown. As his eyes opened, his Combat Points showed up, totaling 1700. The Health Points on Joshua's side jumped up to 3400.
"Huh?" the boy asked, shaking his head to clear his head. He looked over, saw Rhyme, and his face lit up. "Hey! It's good to see you, Rhyme!"
"You know this guy?" Beat asked his sister, jerking a thumb at their new ally.
"Uh-huh," said Rhyme, nodding. "He's the one who helped me find you when we were fighting the Dream Eaters."
"So that's your Game Partner?" the boy asked. "Nice to meet you. I'm Sora!"
"Any homey of Rhyme's is a homey of mine," said Beat. "Good to meet ya, Sora. The name's Beat."
"So… does this mean I'm back in the dream?" Sora asked, scratching his head.
"That would be my fault," explained Joshua. "When my friends were trapped inside cards, I called you and Riku in for some backup. If I've done everything right, only enough of your consciousness has been pulled here to lend us a hand. You should still be doing whatever you were doing before you appeared here."
"Man, that's confusing…" Kaje mumbled, rubbing his temples. "So this world is, like, an actual planet in space, and it's some sort of a dream world."
"Don't pay it too much mind," suggested Joshua.
"It's not too bad," Sora said with a chuckle. "Some of my friends were trapped inside cards before, so I know a little about how it works."
"Good to know that you're hitting the ground running," commented Joshua. "Now, I believe it's Beat's turn to attack Catastor."
"Aw, yeah!" Beat shouted excitedly. He jumped on his skateboard and zoomed toward the bug robot, but he was stopped by a shimmering barrier.
"Boop boop, Mirror Force," stated Dylan. Beat flailed in midair before being thrown back at his teammates.
"No!" Joshua cried as all three Players exploded into light.
"Ah, that was satisfying," said Dylan. "Sorry about your friends, but I'm sure they're fine. My turn yet?"
"Yes," Joshua responded glumly. Dylan drew his next card, and his Life Points were restored to 7500.
"This is almost too easy," Dylan said, sounding nearly disappointed. "I summon Lancer Lindwurm, in Attack Mode!" A worm-like dragon with thin green wings burrowed up from the ground, brandishing a long lance as its Combat Points appeared, showing 1800. Dylan's Health Points display jumped up to 5400. "With these three monsters, I can finish you. First, Total Defense Shogun will have his piece!" The defender charged, pushing his shield swiftly, but an aura of light shone around Joshua.
"Disk Mode, activate!" said Joshua, raising his voice for only the second time since Dylan and his friends had met him. His Duel Disk contracted back into its base form, then began to spin. The components used for assembling the field spiraled out and surrounded Joshua. The Monster Card Zones enlarged to become shoulder pads, hip guards, and a codpiece, and the stylized skull symbol became a breastplate. On the green-haired boy's head appeared a helmet, marked with the arrow that had pointed to his Graveyard slot. The arrow that marked his Deck slot became gauntlets, and the arrow that marked his banished cards section became heavy boots.
"What's going on?" Dylan and his friends all exclaimed in variation. As they said this, Joshua's cards arranged themselves onto a floating metal rectangle, which became evident as being a temporary playing field.
"I've activated a Disk Mode," explained Joshua, looking determinedly at Dylan through a gray visor on his helmet. "By banishing five cards from the top of my Deck, I'm able to form the Duel Shield and summon myself as a monster to the field, protecting my Life Points from damage." A huge black shield formed in Joshua's right hand as five cards floated from the top of his Deck into the banished pile, which was previously empty. A display popped up that showed Joshua having 1750 Combat and Health Points. "For this purpose, my Life Points are divided evenly among my Attack and Defense Points." As soon as Joshua took the shield, his Health Points jumped up to 2250. "Also, the Duel Shield gives me an extra 500 Defense Points. Care to try again?"
"Oh, I'll do better than try," Dylan boasted. "Catastor, destroy him with your effect!" The robotic quadruped wiggled its useless legs and fired its black laser beam, but Joshua reflected it with his shield, causing Catastor to shatter outright. The combined Health Points on Dylan's side dropped to 3900.
"Sorry, Dylan," said Joshua. "but the Duel Shield protects me from being destroyed once per turn. If that destruction is effect-related, the shield destroys the card that would destroy me."
"Maybe so, but I can still do a little damage with Lancer Lindwurm!" challenged Dylan. The long dragon flew forward, its weapon extended. When it struck Joshua's shield, it left a scratch, and Joshua's Health Points dropped to 2200.
"At least my Life Points are safe, since I summoned myself in Defense Mode…" Joshua said to himself. "Thank God for small mercies, as they say. Is it my turn?"
"Indeed," invited Dylan. "You may be safe for the time being, but once I get some stronger monsters out, I'll have this Duel in the bag."
"I activate the Spell Card 'Second Chance'," Joshua announced. "I can revive a Player, but its original Defense Points become 100. I'll pick to bring back Player Sora." A heart symbol made of white light flashed, and in its place, Sora appeared, lying on the sandy ground, as if asleep. He woke up, righted himself, and dusted himself down. As he did so, Joshua's armor and shield folded together, his cards were sucked into the mess of parts, and all of it reconfigured into the black Duel Disk. "Of course, once I've summoned another monster, I can no longer be in play as a monster."
"Thanks for the save, Joshua," said Sora with a grin. "What's the plan?"
"I thought you'd never ask," Joshua replied, holding the last card in his hand up. "I'll be summoning your good friend, Player Riku." A burst of light brought forth a boy with short platinum blonde hair who was dressed in jeans and a sleeveless white jacket. The jacket had an upturned black collar, and the boy's wrists were adorned with black bands.
"What the…?" muttered the boy, looking around. He spotted Sora and turned to him, grabbing his shoulders and shaking him. As he turned, a symbol resembling a heart with a loop in the middle and petal-like curves at the sides became visible. "Sora! Where are we? Has Master Yen Sid sent us on another dream journey?"
"Huh? Not as far as I know," Sora said with a confused look. "Joshua just brought us here to help us fight that guy." The brown-haired boy pointed at Dylan and his monsters, then indicated his friend's Combat Points and Health Points. The new Combat Points equaled 1800, and the Health Points totaled 1400. "By the way, guys, this is my best friend, Riku."
"Why are you chatting idly with the enemy?" demanded Riku.
"Relax," Koukin suggested. "It's just a game. No strings attached, we promise."
"Whatever," said Riku with a wave of his hand. "So, how do we play this game of yours?"
"It's quite simple," Joshua intervened. "It's my turn, so as the Duelist, I move into the Battle Phase and have Sora attack Dylan's Total Defense Shogun."
"Right!" replied Sora, taking a stance. In his hands appeared a three-and-a-half-foot long silver key with a gold handle. The teeth of the key were shaped like a crown, and a silver chain hung from the handle, with a charm at the end that was shaped vaguely like a mouse's head. Sora ran forward and swung the huge key at the shogun's shield. When the hit landed, Sora swung again, and for a third time. After the three hits, the Health Points on Dylan's side dropped to 3750. Sora began glowing with green energy, as well. "Riku, here!" he shouted, extending the key and releasing the green puck.
"It's your turn, Riku," Joshua encourage. Riku nodded and produced a weapon of his own. His was a straight black blade with blue streaks that started near the hilt. Where the teeth on Sora's key were, Riku's weapon had an angel's wing. The handle of the strange sword was formed by two simpler wings that curved around Riku's hand. One was a white angel's wing, and the other was a blue demonic wing. A similar chain hung from the handle of Riku's blade, but its charm was a black heart.
"Here goes," said Riku solemnly, running forward as the green puck was absorbed into his weapon. He did a similar three-hit combo as his Combat Points rose to 2050. The Health Points on Dylan's side dropped to 3250 as Riku passed the energy puck back to Sora. Sora's Combat Points rose to 2200.
"Nice work, gentlemen," Joshua complimented. "Dylan, it's your move."
"It looks like Dylan could win, if he could pull something with more Attack Points than Sora or Riku," observed Koukin.
"Quite so," Kaje agreed. "Otherwise, Joshua's done a pretty good job of forcing Dylan out of his masterful hand maintenance."
"Don't remind me," Dylan grumbled as he drew his next card. His Life Points refreshed to a full 8000. "I set another card face-down and summon Tour Guide from the Underworld, in Attack Mode!" A black bus with red windows and horns on the front pulled up out of nowhere, and out of it jumped a pink-haired girl wearing a dark uniform. "She's not sticking around, though, because I'm using her ability to pull out another Level 3 monster from my Deck. I choose Possessed Dark Soul." The tour guide stepped back into the bus and came back out, dragging a humanoid being made of fire with her. The bus promptly drove off into nowhere. "Now, I'll use these two monsters to build the Overlay Network!" The two monsters melted together into a black mass of light, which began to swirl in the shape of a spiral galaxy. "With these Overlay Units, I Xyz Summon Number 17: Leviathan Dragon!" Out of the galaxy flew a giant blue dragon with four massive wings. It curled its serpentine body around the mass from which it had come, and that mass became two dark spheres that began to orbit around the summoned creature. Its Combat Points showed 2000, but the Health Points on Dylan's side didn't rise at all. "Now, by using up an Overlay Unit, I can raise my dragon's Attack Points by 500, so here it is." One of the black orbs stopped its orbit as Leviathan Dragon opened its mouth and roared. The orb flew into its mouth, and its Combat Points reached 2500.
"This doesn't look good…" muttered Sora.
"You're telling me," Riku practically yelled. "You're the one with the puck, Sora! I'm left defenseless!"
"That's right," said Dylan menacingly. "Leviathan Dragon, attack Player Riku!" The blue monster roared again and fired a torrent of water that enveloped Riku, taking the total Health Points on his side to 700, and lowering Joshua's Life Points to 2800. "Your turn, Joshua. Draw your last pathetic card…"
"My Deck has no pathetic cards," Joshua assured him. He then turned his head to the left and winked. "Anyway, I'll set this card face-down and end my turn."
"Joshua, what are you thinking?" demanded Riku. "If you had Sora attack Dylan's Lindwurm, we could've dealt him a total of 800 points of damage!"
"Not necessarily," Joshua said sagely as Dylan drew his next card, and his Life Points increased to 8500.
"Oh, this is too good!" he rejoiced. "I equip my Lancer Lindwurm with United We Stand! This gives him 800 Attack Points for every monster I control." A golden aura surrounded the snakelike dragon, and its Combat Points skyrocketed to 4200. "This is it, Joshua. Lancer Lindwurm, attack Player Riku!" The green-winged monster flew forward, but Joshua held up a hand to stop him.
"Not so fast, my new friend," he said. "I activate my Trap Card, Mission Failure!" A giant timer appeared in the air between Joshua and Dylan, its time showing seven minutes. "First, I select a number of cards you control. I'll choose your Shogun, your Lindwurm, and your two face-downs." A dark glow surrounded each of the cards Joshua had mentioned. "Now, I'll banish a card from the top of my Deck for each card I've selected. For each of those that's a Player, one of your cards gets destroyed. For each Spell and Trap Card that gets banished, I'll take 500 points of damage."
"Wait a second…" Zero thought out loud. "If he's wrong all four times, he'll lose 2000 Life Points, and Dylan's attack will go through. That'll kill him!"
"On the other hand, he only needs to get two right to clear Dylan's field of monsters," countered Koukin.
"I suppose it's the only option he has," Kaje said. "Knowing Dylan, he's got face-downs that'll stop Joshua's attacks in their tracks."
"Okay, so let's get this over with…" urged Dylan impatiently. "I want to get my first win and move on, already."
"So confident…" Joshua said with a mysterious smile. "I like that. Well, let's find out if your certainty will pay off." A card was spit out of the Deck slot, and it was revealed to be a copy of Neku's card. Without a second's hesitation, Total Defense Shogun shattered, leaving only the two dragons behind. Another card was spit out, which was a copy of Sora's card. Lancer Lindwurm promptly vanished, taking United We Stand and Leviathan Dragon with it.
"What the hell just happened?!" sputtered Dylan.
"You had no more Health Points on your side of the field," Joshua explained. "Playing monsters with no Defense Points is extremely dangerous when Noise Combat is active. Now, let's see what the third card will be…" The third card was a copy of Shiki's card, and one of Dylan's face-down cards shattered.
"Damn it, there goes my Scrap-Iron Scarecrow!" Dylan fumed. "Okay, you got lucky, but there's no way you'll get four out of four."
"Don't speak so rashly, Dylan," warned Koukin. "Statistically, it has to happen sometime. I can't calculate the exact probability, but if Joshua's constructed at least a fairly balanced Deck, the chance is around fifty percent that you'll lose your last card."
"My thoughts exactly," Joshua agreed as the Deck slot spat out another card. Joshua held it up to reveal that it was a card depicting himself.
"No," stated Dylan as his last Trap Card shattered.
"And that concludes the effect of Mission Failure," Joshua said as the timer disappeared. "Is it my move?"
"Sure, but you won't take me out this turn," relented Dylan dismally.
"Excellent," Joshua continued, drawing his next card. "No sense in beating around the bush, so I'll just have Sora and Riku attack you directly. You boys ready?"
"You bet!" cheered Sora as he produced his weapon.
"Nothing better to do," Riku muttered, mimicking his friend's actions. Both of them ran forward and performed three-hit combos that took Dylan's Life Points all the way down to 4500.
"Hah! I'm still in the game!" shouted Dylan triumphantly.
"Yeah, about that…" Joshua said apologetically. "During my second Main Phase, I equip Riku with an Attack Boost Sticker, and I'll proceed to activate Riku's special ability." Another square with a sword and an upward arrow appeared, sticking itself to Riku's wristband. His Combat Points jumped up to 2300.
"What special ability?" asked Riku dubiously.
"When two Game Partners are joined on the field, one of them can activate a special power once per Duel," Joshua explained. "First, both of you produce your Keyblades." Sora and Riku both nodded as they summoned their weapons. A black keyhole with a glowing border appeared on Dylan's chest. "Now, I'm pretty sure you know what to do."
"Hm!" they said in unison. Each boy held out his Keyblade, and the ends lit up with a swirling energy.
"What's going on?!" demanded Dylan.
"It's simple," Joshua said matter-of-factly. "Riku's ability allows me to inflict damage to you equal to the combined Attack Points of Sora and Riku, but in exchange, Sora cannot use his own power. Anyway, take it away, O Guardians of Light." With that, Sora and Riku each fired a beam of light from their Keyblades. The two lines converged at the keyhole, causing Dylan's Life Points to drop to 0.
"I call hacks!" raged Dylan as the Accolade compartment on his Duel Disk glowed briefly. "There is no way you should have gotten all those cards right."
"Sometimes fate is on my side," Joshua said. "That was an intense Duel, though."
"Yeah, an intense Duel that I should've won," mumbled Dylan.
"As a reward for a Duel well fought, how about I help you guys out?" Joshua offered.
"That would be nice," replied Zero. "It's gonna be quite the chore, getting through all that desert."
"It is a long journey, if the sands are constantly blowing around you," Joshua said with a smile. "Of course…" He pulled a pin from his pocket and held it out toward the shifting landscape outside of Raplaiq. With a flash of light, a wide path of packed sand formed, stretching out into the distance, with sandstone walls rising at the sides. "Now that shouldn't be too bad, should it?"
"That's amazing!" Koukin marveled. "Is there anything we can do to repay you?"
"Sure, just one thing," said Joshua with his mysterious smile. "Meet me at the finals, and put up another good fight." Without another word, the green-haired boy disappeared in a scattering of light pixels, leaving the four friends to begin their long journey along the road of sand.
0:364:00:13:52
Whew! You would not believe how long it took me to write that chapter. Then again, I wrote myself into a pretty bad corner. Sometimes, you really have to work to decide the outcome of a Duel for yourself. Many thanks to all who waited patiently for this chapter, and thanks to IRL Koukin for proofreading this chapter before I posted it.