Azure

"I don't understand everything that's going on." Shiho said. Adachi sighed.

"I don't blame you. After months of hanging out with the Signers of the Crimson Dragon, I can understand the trepidation you must be feeling," Adachi replied, "to learn that there is an Azure Dragon."

"But what does this mean for the Signers?"

"We go beyond opposite, Shiho." Adachi replied. "The Dark Signers are mere rivals compared to the Azure Dragon. We go back. Back so far that the bad blood is ingrained in our very spirit."

"So we're destined to destroy one another."

"Not really. Not every battle between the Light and the Dark involves destruction. See, every battle causes a release in positive and negative energy." Adachi explained. "Regardless of who wins, negative energy is released. The more negative energy, the more strength that goes towards the Darkness. But even more negative energy is drawn in when more members are made."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that we carry with us a dark miasma. One that was gifted to you by Frelt, the Ender of Lives."

Shiho recalled the dark wave of energy that hit him just as Frelt was summoned during Mateo's duel with Anya. "I've got a what?"

"A wave of dark energy flows from you when you duel, multiplying and branching off in order to flow through Signers you defeat, turning them to our cause."

"So by defeating other Signers, they flock to us…"

"…potentially weakening the Crimson Dragon and magnifying the strength that flows into the Darkness. Correct."

"So what do we have to do?"

"We have to find the other Azure Signers." Adachi answered. "And fast."

"Very well, then." Shiho replied.

Mateo tapped quickly on the keyboard. So far, no results had come up on Shiho's Duel Runner, or any of his monsters. "Damn it!"

"Still no luck?" Luna asked, as she stepped into the room. Mateo sighed.

"Not a trace of Shiho." He picked up a photo of the remains of the chip Shiho had removed from his Duel Disk. "I'm still wondering who placed this tracker in his Duel Disk, and why. But if he maybe had some means of knowing what Shiho was going to do at some point, he placed this tracker in the Duel Disk to keep track of Shiho."

"Do you think it was the man he was with in that alleyway?"

"Yes. Maybe. They had just concluded a duel when I got there. The Piercing Light linked in to the Duel Info, so I know that his name is Adachi Hatazo, using a deck as unique as Shiho's." Mateo replied. "They seemed to have history, so it's possible that it was his design for the chip."

"So what does that mean?"

"He left with Adachi. That means they're working together. I think. I'm hoping that if I can find Shiho, I can turn him away from the path of darkness by telling him about Adachi."

"Let's hope so. If we want any chance of preventing him from doing anything he might regret."

"Indeed. I might have an idea, though. Shiho has a blue Mark of the Dragon, similar to how we have crimson ones." Mateo pondered. "Maybe we can create a trap by telling people where one of these… Blue Signers are."

"But we don't know where they are."

"Exactly."

"Ahhhh. I get it. Well, don't let me stop you." Mateo nodded and began clicking away at the keyboard, typing up a mass email as Luna left the room. In the other room, she sat down next to Yusei and Crow.

"What's the word?" Crow asked.

"He thinks Shiho might be looking for other Signers like him, so he's gonna try and trap him. What did you find, Yusei?"

"His suspicions about Adachi might be correct." Yusei replied as he held up a plastic bag with the remnants of the tracker. "This tracker is about six years old. It looks like it was made with scrap metal, but it's pretty sophisticated."

"Who could have built something like that out of scrap metal?"

"Besides Yusei? Your guess is as good as mine."

"Well, at least we know it wasn't built recently, so it might support Mateo's theory." Luna replied as she took the plastic bag with the chip in it. "Shouldn't we get the Securities in on this? They can help us to find Shiho, can't they?"

"Potentially, yes. Or they could just make Shiho even harder to find." Yusei answered, sadly. "If we want to get Shiho back in good health, we should just leave it up to Mateo."

"I guess."

"Besides, if he's got a plan, we should just leave him to it and see if it works."

The man hit the wall hard. He looked up, groaning, at the mighty Justiciar Dragon that had just reduced his Life Points to zero. From out of the darkness, Shiho appeared. "Looks like you've lost, Reginald."

"You've got quite the power there, Shiho Bengo." Reginald replied. "Heh. Fine. I'll tell you what I know. There's this warehouse down by the Daedalus Bridge. Real old, at least twenty years. Rumor is that there's this loner type that hangs around there with a blue symbol on his arm that glows when he duels."

"You swear?"

"I do."

"Good. Adachi, would you?" From next to the man, Adachi stepped out of the darkness. With one punch, Reginald was out cold. "Let's go find our fellow Signer."

Adachi nodded, and they walked away from Reginald's limp, unconscious body.

Shiho and Adachi stepped into the decrepit warehouse. They walked around, looking for the Signer, and finally see someone sitting in the moonlight, facing away from them. He stands up, and runs up the nearby ramp. Shiho and Adachi run after him, but he stops at the top of the ramp, turns, and throws something in Adachi's direction. Adachi dodges out of the way, but Shiho isn't so lucky, and a claw clamps onto his Duel Disk. "What the hell is this?"

"A duel." A familiar voice spoke from the darkness. Adachi and Shiho both stared at the man as he pulled off a mask and revealed himself to be Mateo. The claw on Shiho's Duel Disk is on a cable, and Mateo attaches the other claw onto his own Duel Disk.

"A trap. I never thought that would be your style, Mateo." Shiho replied.

"We need to talk, Shiho. I figured this was the best way to do it."

"Like I have anything to talk to you about!"

"Just listen to me!" Mateo shouted. "You have to trust me!"

"Trust you? You bugged my Duel Disk!"

"You really think I would do that? Someone else did it first, and I think it was you, Adachi!"

"Hah! You really are naïve if you think you can just accuse me of that!"

"The tracker is about six years old."

"So?"

"That's how long ago it was since we had last seen each other."

"Exactly."

"It proves nothing! You aren't what we came here for, so we'll be leaving."

"Not quite." Mateo replied. He pointed back to the cable. "Recognize these, Shiho?"

"These look like the devices Jet and Depp's bounty hunters used to force us into a Duel, only for Duel Disks." Shiho looked along the cable to Mateo's Duel Disk, which is also connected. "I assume you want to duel me, don't you?"

"Yes."

"Then bring it on."

"Let's Duel!" Mateo and Shiho shouted at the same time.

Mateo: 4000 LP
Shiho: 4000 LP

"I'm taking the first move!" Mateo drew a card from his deck. "Draw!"

"And I'm activating my spell card, Arrest Warrant!" Shiho sneered as his card appeared to the field, much to Mateo's shock. "Surprised? I'd expect you to be, because this quickplay spell card can only be played from my hand on your turn, and it prevents you from playing any cards this turn!"

"What?"

"That's right! Now it's my turn!" Shiho drew a card from his deck. "I summon Azurian Prosecutor! Prosecutor! Attack Mateo directly!"

"Agh!" Mateo raised up his arms to defend from the Prosecutor's attack, but a small shockwave made the walkway Mateo was standing on creak.

Mateo: 4000 LP-2100 LP

"I'll set two cards facedown to end my turn!"

"Locking down your opponent's field? That's something I'd never think you'd do!"

"Heh. I've made a few changes to my deck strategy."

"I've noticed. But it's not like you. How long until you realize that these drastic changes will destroy your way of life?"

"Shut up and make your move, Yurigaya!" Adachi shouted. Mateo sighed.

"My turn, then! I summon Alexandrite Dragon!" Mateo called as his dragon appeared to the field. "My mighty dragon, attack his Azurian Prosecutor!"

"I activate my facedown trap card, Civil Disobedience! This allows me to change your monster's battle position, thereby negating the attack! Next, I can change the battle position of up to two Azurian monsters I control!" Both Shiho's and Mateo's monsters changed their battle position, a blue hue coating them. "What's wrong? Your monster's attack was what you were hoping on?"

"Grr! I'll set two cards facedown and end my turn!"

"My turn, then!" Shiho drew a card from his deck. "I summon Azurian Peacekeeper in defense mode! And next, I'm gonna activate my facedown trap card, Search Warrant! I can change the battle positions of any Azurian monsters I control in order to look at a corresponding amount of set cards on the field! So by switching my Prosecutor and my Peacekeeper to attack mode, I can look at your facedown cards!"

Mateo looked down at his cards as they flipped faceup, revealing them to be the Castle of Dragon Souls and Starlight Road. "I see. Well, by discarding one card from my hand, my Peacekeeper can destroy one spell or trap card on the field, and I'm choosing your Castle of Dragon Souls! Now that that's out of the way, Peacekeeper, destroy his Alexandrite Dragon!"

The Peacekeeper leapt at Mateo's dragon, and as soon as it hit, all the crystals embedded in the dragon cracked, the monster exploding. "And now, my Azurian Prosecutor! Attack Mateo directly, again!"

"AGH!" Mateo, once again, was struck by the Prosecutor, and the shockwave caused the walkway to creak again. "What was that?"

Mateo: 2100 LP-200 LP

"I thought you were the unbeatable Mateo Yurigaya?" Shiho goaded. "This is the last thing I was expecting when I thought about the prospect of dueling you! And now I've almost defeated you by my second turn! Ha ha ha ha!"