Chapter 19: A Duel in the Bakery

It was an inexplicable sight before Bryan. This monster that filled the room wasn't the same as the one that confronted him in his vision, but it was similar. Did that mean he remembered it wrong? People usually forget their dreams. Bryan forgot them all the time. Maybe this simian creature was the same new god he saw.

Or maybe…

He needed to see that card up close. The crowd was thick, but a guy his size would be able to muscle through easily enough. Or so he thought. Everyone's attention was pretty fixed on the duel. It was a new card, after all; one that managed to reach past the opponent's monsters and attack directly. That was a pretty handy effect for a monster with 2800 attack points. Everyone wanted a better look, meaning Bryan couldn't get any closer. He was stuck in the back where his only solace was his height.

Struck with another idea—or at least something that would kill time while he waited—he looked back toward the pastries and saw a short person with platinum-colored hair. She wasn't wearing her yellow Duel Academy clothes, but the platinum hair was pretty much a giveaway. "Leila!" he shouted. The narrow walls of the cellar allowed his shout to bounce around loudly. He didn't need that kind of reverberation again, and so he moved closer.

"Leila! What is this place?"

When the platinum-haired person turned to look at Bryan, he noticed the features were much harsher than he normally associated with the older duelist. In the light of the cellar, her skin tone held a greenish tint, but otherwise she looked the same as always. Her street clothes were a little boyish, what with the baggy pants and the loose-fitting t-shirt, plus she wasn't wearing her earrings.

Actually, she didn't even have pierced ears.

"Oops!" Bryan blushed a little as he realized his mistake. "Sorry, Linear. I thought you were your sister." It was an honest mistake. Leila and Linear Locklear were twins. Bryan still felt bad since they were separate sexes, but Linear didn't do a lot to distinguish himself.

Linear simply growled in reply. It was a situation he had grown accustomed to over the years.

"Maybe if you cut your hair somewhere above your shoulder, people wouldn't make that mistake anymore."

"I like my hair the way it is," said Linear.

"It is cool. You have sort of a Sephiroth-thing going for you." He hoped Linear would be just enough of a video game nerd to feel encouraged by that. The grin peeling across his face suggested he enjoyed the comparison. Maybe it was manipulative, but it was also a little bit true. "So, what is this place?"

"You came here without having a clue what it was?"

"Considering how much gambling is going on here, I'm surprised no one invited me sooner. I keep telling Matt that I'm not addicted. You guys don't need to protect me."

Linear frowned. "Your personality flaws aren't my problem. You weren't invited because you can't participate."

"What?"

Pointing vaguely with his chin, he said, "Everyone is here because they get to live out their dreams of being a star duelist without being threatened by those of us with proven knowledge and skill. The only duelists you'll find here are amateur townies."

Bryan took another look at the all the people watching the duel. The looks on their faces were like the ones he and Matt hadn't shown since their first few duels. That was the kind of excitement only a novice could show while he still possessed the illusion of invincibility. A feeling like that was priceless.

"That's a pretty brilliant little business."

"I'll let Vic know you said that."

"Victor Rocks came up with that?!"

"Yes."

That gave Bryan pause as he scratched his head. Obviously Vic was a lot smarter than Bryan ever gave him credit for. This business also explained why Vic's grades had been slipping a little bit recently: Why worry about school when he was probably making a killing in wish fulfillment?

"This is so cool. But, um, go back to the part where they are all amateurs acting like all-stars. Do they bring their own cards?"

"They don't have to. We provide them with Duel Academy decks, if they choose to rent one."

"Awesome! Give them powerful cards to play with and make them really feel on top of the world, but also let you watch the way the deck gets played so you can find any holes in the build or weaknesses that can be exploited." Of course Bryan was able to notice that. In order, he recognized instantly the primary and secondary reasons for renting out decks to amateurs. He really was a good strategist.

Linear cleared his throat. "Did you want to rent out your deck? You do get a commission for it, but it won't be full price. Something has to go toward reserving locations."

"I'm sure the baker took a lot of convincing for you to bring in lots of people willing to buy his day-old snacks at raised prices," Bryan replied sardonically. Another point he pegged perfectly: The space was free to borrow with the pastry deal. "I don't blame your business model, though. Vic wants money, so he keeps a little bit of everything. It's smart.

"Sign me up for a duel."

"You mean you want to rent out your deck?"

"Are you kidding? No one touches these cards but me… and maybe Matt since he did give a few of them to me. I want to duel that guy."

Linear was taken aback. "You can't, though!"

But Bryan wasn't listening to him anymore. He was already looking around for someone who looked like he was in charge. "Just tell me who to talk to." Near the front of the crowd was Abel Shinzou, a guy Bryan recognized as Vic's best friend. Or possibly his Number 2 gang member—he wasn't quite sure how to categorize this "duel club" just yet. Either way, Abel would be the guy to talk to.

He stopped for a moment to take another look at that giant, black monster. The air from it felt no different from other holograms, yet still Bryan received a chill from it. And the knots in the crowd loosened with the end of the duel. The game didn't last long once that creature hit the field. While not proof of its godly status, it was also a feature commonly associated with the most powerful beings to be part of Duel Monsters.

"Abel!" he shouted. It was a successful attempt to get the senior duelist's attention. Like Linear, he was dressed in street clothes rather than his Duel Academy garb. Likely it was more difficult to accuse them of violating school rules if they weren't obviously associated with it.

"Bryan Knight?" Abel appeared to be surprised by Bryan's presence that night. "What are you doing here?"

"Dueling against that guy, as soon as you set me up." He pointed at the man who only moments earlier held a potential god card on his field. He was somewhat elderly, or else he'd ailed a few times in his life. He didn't move too well on his own and his skin was splotchy with multiple bruises. The man's appearance made Bryan feel guilty about wanting to duel him so badly.

"Sorry, man," Abel replied. "You're not eligible to duel here."

"That's ridiculous. The guy wants to feel like a winner, right? Then why not let him duel against a winner?"

"That's not how we roll here. These people want to win. Against each other, they actually feel like they can win."

"So give me a starter deck!" Bryan insisted. "Seriously, there's no problem if I have a weak deck, right? He'll still get to feel like a winner while I get my duel."

Abel shook his head. "I appreciate your attempt to negotiate, but the rules are ironclad. There's no bending them for any acknowledged duelist. Besides, I'm not so stupid as to think you couldn't still win with a starter deck. These guys are all amateurs and your whole deck relies on dumb luck."

Bryan flinched. "Hey! Low blow." His tone lightened immediately after he spoke. "It's true, though. Still, I need to duel that guy."

"Why that guy? Does he owe you money?"

"No. I collect debts through fingers," he said, veiling his threat heavily. "I just want to see what he can do."

"Because of that Earthbound Immortal card?" The name of that card was news to Bryan. He hadn't heard of such a thing before. "It's pretty cool, but this isn't the type of place where the winner gets to keep an opponent's card." Abel stopped to consider Bryan's interest in the card and wondered, "What is it about that card?"

Thinking about all the people who have obtained the god cards throughout their history and used them to amass power and sorrow, Bryan hid his true intentions. "Is that card special? I don't even know what it is."

"You're a terrible liar."

"I'm a great liar, but that's off topic."

Abel narrowed his eyes. "Is that a god card?"

Bryan narrowed his right back, mimicking the expression Abel made to him. "Why would you think that?"

"There's only one kind of card you go seeking that vehemently." Neither said anything more about the card for another minute. Abel finally mentioned, "No one has ended up in the Shadow Realm. You're wrong, I'm pretty sure."

"I didn't say anything about the Shadow Realm."

"I was here two years ago when the Guardian Duelers went nuts and started using the god cards to collect people's souls for the Shadow Realm," Abel reminded him. "I heard the rumors. I know who the culprits were. It's not hard to put two and two together."

"I think you've read too many fairy tales."

Apparently that was the line Abel drew. "Whatever. You can't duel anyone here. Now go away." Abel was not a small man, and so Bryan's size didn't intimidate him much, despite his efforts. He also knew Bryan was fully a pushover—only violent on the football field and completely harmless anywhere else.

"I have to duel him," Bryan insisted. Letting honesty break through a little, he said, "I need to know what that card is."

"No can do. Amateurs only here."

"Let me duel!"

And that cry was the note that brought the club's bouncer into the conversation. Well, it was no longer a conversation at that point. Just like earlier in the night, Logan jumped in and attacked Bryan, twisting one arm behind his back and shoving him up against the wall.

"Is there a problem here?" he asked, his voice low and provocative like Clint Eastwood just asking for the bad guy to try something.

Abel answered first. "Bryan needs an escort. He can't seem to find the way out."

"I just happen to have a map," said Logan, balling his free hand into a tight fist. "Would you like me to paint it on your eyelids? That way you can find your way out even with your eyes closed." He pressed Bryan's arm a little further up his back, just to showboat the way he had the upper hand.

The pain stacked up in Bryan's lungs. Even though his ribs didn't suffer the brunt of his twisted shoulder, the pain jerked upward and made him forget how to breathe. He managed to grunt out, "I just want to duel that guy."

"I love duels," Logan gloated. The excitement made him push on Bryan's arm again, reinvigorating the pain he was inflicting. "But the boss man says you had enough. Time to cut you off, my man. Let's get going." Using arm pain in the same way as a cattle prod, Logan pushed into Bryan's back and herded him toward the stairs leading back into the bakery. Bryan wanted badly to resist, but there was nothing he could do from that position.

"Just let me see that card," Bryan requested. "Just for a moment."

"Get moving, Doomed Man." He leaned in as if he were going to share state secrets. "Get it? Because you're engaged? You're doomed because married men are whipped and don't get to have fun anymore." Oddly enough, Bryan didn't laugh.

The whole situation was stacked against him. The rules of this underground dueling club precluded him from dueling against any of the Kazuki citizens in order to preserve their self-esteem and Vic's coffers. And Vic's flunkies were too numerous for Bryan to muscle his way around them. He could no longer see any sense in fighting against the system Vic established. He would have to figure out who that old man was outside of this place if he wanted to get closer and figure out the secret of that card.

"I'll go," he told Logan, hoping to get his arm back. His claim didn't have the desired effect, however, and it was more painful going up the stairs because Logan tightened his grip to make sure his prey didn't slip free. "You can let go!"

"This is more fun for me. I so rarely get to exercise my hurting-people muscles. The school has too many rules. It builds character when a duelist learns how to play through a black eye or two."

That's not really the type of character most card players desire, Bryan thought. But the other reason Logan couldn't just run rampant and start fights at will was how many other students on campus knew how to fight back. He could hold his own thanks to his big size and the strength he built during football conditioning; Mitsuro and Tai both studied jujitsu as part of their Naval training; and Lili Von, who Bryan hadn't seen in a while, was a skilled stick fighter. Logan wasn't the only badass around, but he did have the upper hand when it came to fighting desire and stupidity, which were closely correlated.

Unable to say much over the pain, Bryan followed Logan's lead through the bakery and through the door without further comment. Logan didn't stop talking, of course, but Bryan successfully ignored his wild declarations and oddly self-aware witticisms.

At least until the moment the door to the bakery slammed shut. That precise moment was when Logan released his grip on Bryan's arm, though he did offer a light shove. Bryan stumbled forward, nearly slipping off the curb into the street, but he retained his balance at the last moment. It was little surprise that Logan waited until they left the secret arena to let him go. The surprise was that he let go at all. A sadistic guy like that? He should hold on as long as possible.

"Why let me go already?"

Logan snickered. "That's what you were asking for."

"It's not like you to take requests."

"No, but it is like me to accept a duel."

Bryan narrowed his eyes. "What duel?"

"That duel you wanted. I'm happy to accept."

"No, thanks."

"Let's do it!" Logan shouted. "I said I'm accepting your challenge. I've been looking forward to dueling you for a long time."

Stretching his shoulder, and feeling his rotator cuff pop painfully with every rotation, Bryan said mournfully, "I don't want to duel you right now. What would I get out of it but more pain? Holding up that Duel Disk is tough enough as it is."

"Then duel for the sport of it. Think of it as conditioning exercise. Just a friendly duel against someone who knows every person who comes into the duel club. Who they are, where they live, which Ninja Turtle they prefer…"

That got Bryan's attention. Was Logan offering him a chance to find out who the old man with the god card was in exchange for this duel? Would it be as simple as winning against him, or would Logan need to win in order to share that information? Nah! Logan wouldn't give the time of day to a duelist who couldn't put up a good fight. Bryan couldn't play the duel half-heartedly if he wanted his prize.

He'd let a question decide. "Who's my favorite Turtle?"

"Michelangelo."

Wow! He's good. "I win and you introduce me to the old man."

"I'll tell you who he is," Logan agreed, "but you introduce yourself."

Bryan nodded. That was good enough for him. He loosed the strap that held his Duel Disk to his hip and reconnected it to his arm—the very image of a duelist. He gave his deck to Logan to shuffle, and he shuffled his opponent's deck in turn. The grin on Logan's face was intense. Clearly this duel would be the highlight of his night, although inflicting a little bouncer-style pain was probably equally high up there.

Both duelists stood ready to play as the portable hologram projectors lit up the dark street corner. Their Duel Disks beeped loudly with the filling of each Life Point counter.

"First person to draw goes first," Bryan claimed, eagerly drawing his opening hand and first card.

Logan wasn't upset by such a sneaky move. If anything, he respected it. Some duelists were better suited to making the first move. It was a show of decisiveness that he was willing to take what he wanted, balking at the conventional use of Rock-Paper-Scissors or flipping a coin.

"I'll start with E – Emergency Call." The air exploded into a cloud of orange smoke, producing a solid E signal that loomed above Bryan's head. "This lets me move an Elemental Hero from my deck to my hand. I choose Stratos. In fact, I'll also summon him." The E faded slowly, replaced with a blue-skinned man decked in blue and white body armor, with a pair of gyros on his back offering him at-will flight. "When Elemental Hero Stratos (4/1800/300) hits the field, I can also move another Hero from my deck to my hand; this time I choose Captain Gold.

"I'll set one card on the field and end my turn."

Bryan 8000: Logan 8000.

Logan had much more difficulty suppressing his excitement than his opponent did. He drew his first card with such gusto that he could have ripped it by accident if twisted only slightly off course.

A cyclone wrapped around the entire field, obscuring the duelists in a fleeting wall of wind. A single bolt of lightning shot from the sky and struck the card face-down in front of Bryan. "Mystical Space Typhoon," Logan said simply.

"No response," Bryan said. Logan's card successfully destroyed Bryan's Trap card.

"Too bad. One for One." The body of a caped man collapsed in front of him, dropping to the side a huge scythe. There was no need to determine who it was, though, because his soul emerged from his body as a blue wisp. It grew into the form of a chameleon wearing silver armor and red silk cape. "XX-Saber Ragigura (1/200/1000)." In defense mode, of course. But the same card he just discarded popped back out of his Graveyard. "XX-Saber Darksoul back to my hand."

All those cards moving around and Logan still hadn't used his summon. "XX-Saber Emmersblade (3/1300/800)." A man-sized insect bearing blades the length of its arms appeared across from Stratos. "And of course, XX-Saber Faultroll (6/2400/1800)." Logan's third monster could have been a man, with its rippling muscles and red armor, but its body was actually more akin to a gorilla's with cybernetic enhancements. It carried alongside a sword much larger than one that could be wielded by a normal man.

Bryan was taken aback. He had forgotten how fast an X-Saber deck could be. So many monsters summoned in just one turn, and that still wasn't even at full capacity.

"I'd say it's finally time to attack." Faultroll hoisted its massive sword on its shoulder like a giant, metal club. Pulling down with both powerful arms, it smashed Stratos straight into the ground, obliterating the Hero instantly. "And another." Emmersblade dashed forward, its exoskeleton shimmering in the light of the duel. But it seemed a lot spectacular as both scythes slashed through Bryan's chest.

With nothing else to play at the moment, Logan ended his turn.

Bryan 8000 – 600 – 1300 = 6100: Logan 8000.

It was a tough situation. Logan put together some powerful cards in just a single turn. The new Hero deck he put together was better at matching that speed than any he'd ever played. And part of that was because it no longer relied solely on Elemental Heroes.

"I'll special summon the Photon Thrasher (4/2100/0)." A celestial warrior jumped to the field, his body glowing like the photon he was named for.

"That's the best you've got?"

"It's pretty close." Bryan laid a Field Spell in place. Tall buildings erupted from the ground, moving the two duelists from the downtown of a small college city into a garden of urban skyscrapers. An apt environment for a Field known as Skyscraper. "This little spell is necessary for me to summon Elemental Hero Captain Gold (4/2100/800)." Creative in naming scheme, Captain Gold was covered head-to-toe in gold plated armor. He stood atop the highest skyscraper, claiming the high ground against Logan's X-Sabers.

Yet it only made Logan more interested in the events to come. "Go ahead!"

"Alright," Bryan agreed. Skyscraper was a basic Elemental Hero card and one that everyone at Duel Academy knew well. Captain Gold dove from the top of the building's spire. As gravity took hold and pulled him ever faster toward the ground, his power grew by 1000 points. Flipping over just at the bottom of the fall, Captain Gold (+3100) pummeled Faultroll (2400) into the simulated concrete.

"Unfortunately, Photon Thrasher can't attack if I have another monster on the field with him. But he can still serve me another purpose. You know what he and Captain Gold have in common?"

"They're true Beliebers?"

"They're four-star monsters. That means I can overlay the both of them to summon my new Xyz monster: Number 39: Utopia (4/2500/2000)." The luminance of the photon warrior merged with the brilliance of the gold armor to form a crowned warrior shining in white and gold. "You know about Xyz monster or do you need a summary?"

"Are they the ones that sing to kindergartners about apples and bees?" The sarcasm meant Logan was perfectly aware of how Xyz monsters worked. In fact, not knowing was likely grounds for expulsion from Duel Academy.

"Fine. That's all I have for now. My turn ends."

Bryan 6100: Logan 8000 – 700 = 7300.

"Not that I'm afraid of your monster just because he glows in the dark," said Logan, "but Emmersblade (800) looks better in defense mode. But XX-Saber Boggart Knight (4/1900/1000) looks good out there." He summoned a cybernetic warrior that resembled a vicious beast with spikes sticking out of its head, elbows, and fingertips. "That means XX-Saber Darksoul (3/100/100) also." His fourth monster was shrouded in a similar red cape as the others were, but the scythe he carried, as big as his body, was unique.

"That's not all. United We Stand." The three monsters he placed in defense mode each placed their hands on Boggart Knight's back. The display of solidarity expanded the beast warrior's attack power by a whopping 3200 points! The beast leaped across the field, flexing its new muscle and planning to rend Utopia asunder.

"Don't forget that Utopia has an effect," said Bryan. He removed Photon Thrasher from beneath his Utopia card. "By removing one Xyz material card, Utopia negates the attack your monster unleashed." Utopia focused his energies into producing a brilliant flash of light. Boggart Knight (+5100) continued the attack through temporary blindness. When its mighty claws broke into the floor, it realized that Utopia had taken advantage of the moment to sidestep the attack.

Logan shrugged. "That's cool. Go ahead and take your turn."

Bryan drew his card and looked over his hand. There wasn't a lot to choose from, considering how powerful Boggart Knight was at the time. The best chance he could think of was to weaken it. United We Stand increased its target's power by 800 for every monster on that side of the field. If Utopia destroyed one of the other X-Sabers, then Boggart Knight would lose points. Plus he still held another Xyz material card to avoid the next attack. With only one more evasion tactic resting in his repertoire, Bryan would need a better card on his next turn.

"I'll place one card down and have Utopia attack Ragigura (1000)." His shining knight flew into the air, spiraling in his descent and slashing heavily through the armed chameleon defending Logan's Life Points. "My turn ends."

Logan scoffed when he drew. "Well, this turn is going to be new and exciting! Boggart Knight (-4300)? Let's try attacking again!" His feigned delight was justified when Utopia emitted a second flash of brilliance and Boggart Knight's claws missed their target again. "What a shame. I guess that ends my turn."

Suppressing a grin that threatened to give away his monster's negative effect, Bryan thought to himself, That was lucky. It seems that Logan doesn't know what happens to Utopia when he runs out of Xyz materials cards. If he did, he would have attacked with one of his other monsters. I'll just have to take advantage of that.

"I'll move Utopia (2000) to defense mode. That's it for now."

Logan yawned widely. It could have been past his bedtime, but more likely he was telling Bryan how boring that move was. "One card set, and XX-Saber Fulhelmknight (3/1300/1000)." This new monster was decked out in orange armor and carried a long sword with noticeable segments in it. But Fulhelmknight slashed that sword around and the blade extended at each segment like a whip, resonating loudly as it wrapped around Boggart Knight and merged the two warriors into a hulk of a man—as wide as a truck capable of wielding dual swords.

"You tuned them into X-Saber Souza (7/2500/1600)?" Bryan noted.

"United We Stand is good, but even better is monster effects. I tribute Darksoul so Souza can destroy Utopia instantly in battle." Souza lashed out at Utopia with one sword, parried easily by Utopia's own blade. But then he struck with the second sword, and Utopia vanished before the attack was even complete.

"That's a cool effect," Bryan noted. "Did you realize that Utopia is instantly destroyed when he's attacked without any Xyz materials?"

Giving credit where due, Logan did an excellent job of hiding any frustration or annoyance when he realized he wasted his United We Stand card. Had he attacked with any monster—even Darksoul (100)—he would have had a clear field to end the duel. It was such amateur moves that made Bryan look like a better duelist than he should sometimes. But it was tough to blame him, too. With so many new cards being produced all the time, no one could be expected to know all of them at any given time.

Then again, he could also be less zealous during a duel and just take a moment to read the card's effect.

"Well, Emmersblade (1300) still gets to attack." A second time, the insect warrior lashed out at Bryan, the hologram scythes piercing his midsection. "My turn ends, and Darksoul's effect activates. Faultroll moves from my deck to my hand."

Bryan 6100 – 1300 = 4800: Logan 7300.

With the draw of a card, Bryan felt a wave of excitement wash over him. By the end of this turn, he would be able to find out who the old man was with the monkey-god card!

"I'll activate Miracle Fusion! Even with no monsters on my field, this card lets me fuse together Stratos and Captain Gold in the Graveyard to summon Elemental Hero (8/2800/2200)." A bright H appeared on the field, drawing out the essences of two Heroes from the Graveyard and merging them as gusts of wind danced wildly across the field.

"And cut my monsters' power in half?" said Logan. He was well aware of Great Tornado's special ability, and he wasn't about to let that happen right then and there. Taking another gamble, he declared, "Solemn Judgment."

A brilliant light shone on the field taking corporeal form as an old man. With the appearance of ancient wisdom in his eye and a touch of omniscience, the man reached out to touch Bryan's Trap card. The wind dissipated at his fingertips and the force of the coming tornado was instantly quelled.

"I guess your hero changed his mind."

Bryan scoffed. "That move cost half your Life Points. You think it will be worth it?"

"Life Points are free. I can afford as many as I need."

"We'll see if that's true. I summon Elemental Hero Wildheart (4/1500/1600)." This was a man with broad, bare shoulders and a look of ferocity in his eye. His large body and toned musculature actually resembled Bryan's. Grabbing a broad-bladed sword as wide as his body, Wildheart leaped into the air and crunched Emmersblade's shimmering exoskeleton in a single swipe. "And that's not all.

"I'll activate Mask Change. This Quick-Play Spell transforms my Hero into Masked Hero Dian (8/2800/3000)." With the placement of a silver, tri-point mask upon his face, Wildheart became a new Hero, his taut body covered in silver armor accented by a billowing blue cape. Bryan pressed a button on his Duel Disk; Dian leaped into the air and thrust his heavy land into the wide target that was Souza's chest. "And with that, your Life Points are wide open."

Logan looked around with puzzlement on his face. "Pardon me? I think the sun was in my ears. It sounded like you were threatening me with monsters that already attacked this turn."

But suddenly a ball of white light hit the ground. No-not light. It was a boy dressed all in white, flipping through the air as one who gained a high jump off the diving board. "When Dian destroys a monster in battle, I get to summon another Hero from my deck. You know Elemental Hero Neos Alius (4/1900/1300), don't you? It's still my Battle Phase." The boy Hero dove at Logan's body and pummeled him in the belly.

The look on Logan's face only grew in smugness. "I still have Life Points. It's my turn."

"I've opted to end the duel now," Bryan said. "By discarding a card from my hand, I can activate Super Polymerization." Several streams of light pulled from another world drew toward the two Heroes on the field and connected them into a single mass of energy. With Dian's size and Neos's color, their fusion was a broad, shining Hero marked by a golden ring behind his back. Its shine gave him an angelic feature.

"The last card in this duel is Elemental Hero The Shining (8/2600/2100), and he happens to gain 600 points because I have two Elemental Heroes banished from the game." The glow from this Hero's flashing strike could light an entire football field. It was more than fierce enough to remove the remainder of Logan's Life Points.

Bryan 4800: Logan 7300 - 3650 - 200 - 300 - 1900 - 3200 = 0.

"It must feel nice to know the taste of a lucky victory," Logan mocked. "To know that your opponent could have turned the tables in an instant if only he'd known more about your newest card."

"It feels good knowing I outsmarted my opponent," Bryan agreed. "To know that he could have looked up the card's effect at any time to help determine a better strategy. Plus, my face-down card was Sakuretsu Armor. I was ready either way." He collected the portable hologram projectors and pressed them back into the sides of his Duel Disk until they clicked into place.

And then he took a single step closer to Logan. "Now tell me who the old man is."

Logan shrugged. "I have no idea. My only job here is to watch and help people maintain safety and anonymity." As if suddenly realizing that his assigned task was contrary to Bryan's request, he said, "Aha! I knew there was a reason I didn't tell you anything." His eureka moment was clearly feigned, intended to provoke a combative response.

All it got was a sigh of exasperation. "Seriously? So that duel was pointless?"

"It does look that way."

Rarely had Bryan been more annoyed than at that moment. Maybe the time a girl he dated in high school asked him to get her stuff back from her ex-boyfriend, or the time he found out he would have to fill his deck with Continuous Trap Cards in order to keep one of the god cards.

But his annoyance didn't remove Logan as the hurdle preventing him from reaching his goal. If there was one thing broadcasted by Logan's body language, it was that Bryan was not getting back inside that bakery without earning some bruising and maybe a few lacerations. A fight between them could end either way, but Logan had the advantage in that he actually enjoyed brawling. Scars would only add to his collection.

Turning away, Bryan said, "Thanks for wasting my time."

"I was happy to do it!"

Maybe Logan was just doing his job. Maybe Abel was, too. The two of them certainly knew Vic well enough that Bryan believed their claim that the young entrepreneur would never allow him to duel directly against another member of the community.

What if he put on a disguise and sneaked in!

Better yet, perhaps he could find someone decent from the community to duel on his behalf. He could lend his deck and teach his ward how to use it to win against a god card.

As he slipped into dreamland, he determined yet one other plan that could work—something that precluded the need for a dueling proxy by tapping into every man's one weak spot.

"Hayley Wilson!" He caught up with the raven-haired beauty outside the Yellow Dorm's dining hall. It was an odd place to find someone one of the Blue duelists, but no one bothered them. Hayley was at times equally the most ogled woman on campus and the most avoided. Though no woman was more beautiful in the face or body than Lucy Mercer, Hayley was a close second. People often wondered why she would date a guy as far beneath her as Victor Rocks. Hayley was also prone to extreme mood swings and violent outbursts. People stopped questioning her love life.

"Bryan? What can I do for you?"

Lucky me, he thought. I get to deal with the friendly Hayley today.

And so he told on Vic.

He told how Vic's flunkies wouldn't allow him to duel against an old man even though Bryan was interested in seeing his cards closer, plus he was even willing to rent a deck so Vic could get his money. But the story didn't sound quite dramatic enough. It sounded exactly like Bryan was being a tattletale because Vic's rules hurt his feelings.

"You were at his duel club?" she clarified. "I don't think he even does the card ante. It's just gambling and renting decks."

"Look." He paused to look over each shoulder and ensure no one might overhear. "I didn't really want to spread the news around, but I think that card might be another god card. I need to get a better look at it to be sure."

"Oh, wow. No wonder you're so concerned."

"Yeah. So do you know of any loopholes in Vic's rules that would allow me to duel that card?"

She shook her head. "Sorry. I don't go to the duel club very often, so I'm not well-versed in the rules. Just that he doesn't let Duel Academy students duel against any paying customer."

"What if you just threaten to make him miserable unless he helps me?"

Bryan's presumption that she might be so eager to help elicited a chuckle from Hayley's lips. "I'm sorry. It's just funny that you think I would voluntarily sow misery into my own relationship over a single card that is probably not even that dangerous. I mean, if it were a god card, something bad would have happened by now, right?"

That was a good point. Devastation tended to follow the god cards, yet nothing more happened with these cards than a terrifying vision during Bryan's dream. "Maybe you're right. For all I know, that card is perfectly harmless. It's not even the same entity I saw in my dream."

"Oh, the giant monster with the pitch-black skin? Maikeru told a bunch of people you were looking for it. I overheard."

Bothered by being misinterpreted, Bryan shook his head. "You know, I never even said the monster was pitch-black. My vision was pitch-black because it was in the dead of night. The only thing I saw for certain was a few sharp, blue lines forming a giant eyeball. Actually, it may not have been an eyeball. It could have just been a great big circle in the middle of its head that I assumed was an eye."

"I think I saw that card."

"You what?"

Hayley nodded, slowly putting together the recollection of that night. "Yeah. Yeah! Real recently. Few days ago, maybe? A guy played a monster just like that at the duel club gathering. It seemed pretty powerful, but I didn't realize there was anything that special about it."

Was there yet another card just like the monkey god from last night? Bryan had assumed when he saw the golden monkey that he had just misremembered the blue giant. "You're sure it wasn't a monkey?"

"Positive."

"I can't believe it. Who was the guy?"

"I don't remember names. Um… white, blond hair, six foot, two hundred pounds, about. Very strong, solid chin. He was in great shape. I mean, his lats were out of control!" Hayley was attracted to men with broad backs and shoulders. Off considering Vic wasn't especially muscular.

"Do you remember who he was?"

"Anonymity is kind of a thing for some of these guys. They like to gain reputation points, but overtly participating in an organization like this violates a few contracts Kaiba Corp. has with the industries in town. I rarely know who anyone is unless they choose to brag a little, or on the off chance Vic already knows them."

That settled it. If anyone knew who these people were with the god cards, it would be Vic.

"Where can I find Mr. Rocks?"

Hayley's gaze suddenly dropped to the ground. "Um… I haven't seen him in the last few days. I don't know what to tell you."

Of course not. Nothing ever came easily where god cards were concerned.