Trouble at the Mall
The Morningstar Foundation. A successful company where people specialize with data programs for computers, electronics, etc. And, the CEO, Mason Morningstar, was currently sitting silently inside his office, appearing to be in deep thought.
The silence was broken by a knocking sound from the door. "Enter."
The door opened, letting a certain glasses wearing woman enter the office, carryings some documents. "Sir, I'm bringing in today's reports regarding the working progress of the latest data management."
"That's good." He nodded to his secretary who walked up to him and placed the documents on his desk. She bowed to him slightly and turned around. "Before you go, there's something else I'd like to know."
She turned back to him. "What is it, sir?"
"What's the status of Cody Cooper?"
The secretary adjusted her glasses before answering. "I'm sorry, sir. But the boy is still on the loose. Our agents haven't found him since his escape."
Mason merely narrowed his eyes. "Then keep looking. I want him brought here."
"If you don't mind, sir, I'd like to ask. What's so important about that boy?"
Mason stood up and away from his desk, facing the big window behind it. "Well, for starters, he's the son of Cedric and Sandra Cooper. The former owners of New Domino Techno Corp. Famous for their technical products, including duel runners. But ever since one of my agents took over that company, we were able to take things higher than those two fools would ever dare. However... I've learned that they were hiding some kind of secret. A secret that I believe could be revolutionary. Which is why I have my agent look through everything that was left behind."
"And you believe that Cody Cooper might know something about this secret?" The secretary inquired.
"Naturally." Mason smirked. "Which is why I want him captured. Wether I get it from my agent or the boy, that secret will be mine. And with it, I'll be able to make sure that my grand plan comes to fruition."
"And here I thought you guys could avoid trouble." Cindy sighed, rubbing her head. She was relaxing in her apartment, taking it easy, just like Cody and Jeremy told her. But when the boys returned, she certainly was shocked to see Jeremy supporting Cody, who looked like he'd been walking through an oven. Not only that. She was also shocked to see a small, pink-haired girl accompany them. And right now, Jeremy was using Aloe Vera to treat Cody's burn marks. Miraculously enough, they weren't serious enough to be permanent or something. The little girl was sitting on the couch right next to them, watching this in total silence.
"I know we said we'd try to avoid trouble, but it's almost like trouble finds us." Jeremy said while treating Cody.
Cody winced a little as the Aloe Vera was applied to his skin. "Kind of like our typical day back home."
"Good point." Jeremy gave him a concerned look. "Are you absolutely sure you don't remember what happened back there?"
"Like I said, the last thing I remembered was that I dueled that guy. The rest is a blank."
"If that's all, then I guess we can't do anything about it." Jeremy replied as he put some bandages all over Cody's body.
"In any case, you should rest." Cindy advised. "After everything that happened up to now, I think we should take a break from... you know what."
"Got it." Cody nodded before putting his grey t-shirt on.
"So then..." Cindy turned to the little girl. "What's her story?"
The girl fidgeted in place and avoided eye contact.
"Not sure. She barely said anything at all. All we know is that she was being chased by that stranger."
"And you said he was the one who caused this fire you mentioned?" Cindy inquired.
Cody nodded. "Yeah. I don't even know how he did that. In fact, all the flames that came from his cards felt real. How is that possible?"
Cindy narrowed her eyes at that.
"Let's just hope we don't see that guy again." Jeremy muttered.
"Right." Cody turned to the little girl. "So, how are you feeling?"
She looked up slowly as she faced him. She didn't say a word.
Cody smiled slightly. "It's okay. You don't have to be afraid. You're safe here." He got off the couch and kneeled down before her. "How about we introduce ourselves? My name is Cody." He glanced at Jeremy. "This guy is Jeremy."
"Hello there." He greeted, smiling a bit.
Cody then turned to Cindy. "And this one here is Cindy."
"Hi there." She greeted, also smiling a bit.
Cody then turned back to the little girl. "And what's your name?"
She still didn't say anything. She was clearly hesitant about what to say. But as her green eyes focused on the gentle look Cody was giving her, she started to fidget again, but also spoke up a bit. "...mi..."
"Huh?" Cody tilted his head a bit.
"...My name... is Mimi..." The girl finally said.
"Mimi." Cody repeated. "That's a fine name. So, Mimi, would you like to tell us about something about yourself? Like... where are your parents?"
Mimi looked sad all of a sudden, making him and the others concerned. She looked down before answering. "...I have no parents..."
That made the three of them frown. "No parents?" Jeremy repeated.
"You mean this girl is an orphan?" Cindy muttered.
Cody then asked Mimi another question. "Then... where did you come from?"
"I... I..." Mimi hesitated again. And then, something flashed in her mind.
Images of a chamber with duelists and uniformed people. And after that... was the image of someone inside a tube.
"No!" She cried out, surprising everyone. She then covered her face with her hands and sobbed.
Cody looked at her with pity. "It seems she's been through something terrible."
"Poor thing." Cindy added.
"So, what now?" Jeremy wondered.
Cody turned to him. "Well, if we're going to take it easy for a while, we might as well try to figure out how to help her."
"Right."
Cody then patted Mimi on her head, making her stop sobbing and look up. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you. I don't know what you've been through, but I promise that everything's going to be fine from now on."
Mimi stared at him for a moment before nodding. "Okay..." And then, she blushed as a growling sound came out from her stomach.
"Hungry, huh?" Cody noted.
"Come to think of it, we haven't eaten anything since we left." Jeremy replied.
Cindy smiled. "Let me whip up something."
Some time later, all four of them were sitting together in the kitchen. They were currently eating some kind of beef stew.
"Wow! I've never tasted something like this before." Jeremy said, taking another spoon of beef stew from his plate.
"Yeah, this is really great." Cody agreed.
"Just help yourselves. There's enough for everyone." Cindy said.
Cody was about to take another bite until he noticed Mimi staring at her own plate, seemingly hesitant. "What's wrong?"
"Oh!" She looked up to face him. "I, um..."
Cody smiled. "It's really good." He took another spoon. "See?"
Mimi stared at him for a brief moment before turning to her own plate again. She then grabbed her spoon and scoped up some stew slowly. And then, after a little hesitation, she put it into her mouth. And when she did, her eyes widened before pulling her spoon out of her mouth. "...it's good." She then kept eating it.
Cody nodded, glad that she was eating.
"(Yawn)" Mimi yawned as she sat on the couch. The gang had just finished their meals, and Cindy was currently washing the dishes. Cody and Jeremy watched as Mimi lay down on the couch and fell asleep.
"Poor girl. She really had it rough." Jeremy muttered.
"Well, she won't have it anymore." Cody replied. "Not on my watch."
"If we're going to help, we should start getting her some new clothes." Cindy said, not turning away from the dishes. "Did you notice how worn the ones she's wearing are?"
"Yeah, they really are." Cody eyed on the little girl's clothes.
"And I know where to buy some new clothes for her."
Jeremy gave her a concerned look. "Do you really think you should walk around after what happened to your foot?"
Cindy gave him an assuring look. "It's not as bad as it was earlier. I should be fine by the morning."
"If you say so."
"Cody, on the other hand, will have to stay to recover from the burning. Plus, someone needs to keep Mimi company while Jeremy and I are out."
Cody picked up a nearby blanket and draped it over Mimi. "Got it."
Next day
"You guys better be careful." Cody said, standing in the doorway, with Mimi peeking from behind him.
"You're the one who should be careful." Cindy countered. "Just relax and don't push yourself while we're gone."
"It's fine, Cody." Jeremy assured him. "We're just gonna go for some errands. Nothing will happen."
"Fine." Cody nodded.
"Just relax. We'll be back before you know it." Cindy said.
"Right. Se you guys later." At that, Cindy and Jeremy left.
Cody walked back to the living room, with Mimi right behind him. He then sat down on the couch. The girl sat right next to him.
"Are you okay?" Mimi asked.
Cody gave her a small smile. "Don't worry. It's not that bad." But that didn't stop him from rubbing his left bandage covered arm.
Mimi looked down, ashamed. "It's my fault. You got hurt because of me. You were dragged into my problem..." She stopped as she felt a hand patting her on the head. She looked up and saw Cody giving her an assuring look.
"Don't blame yourself. It was my choice to come after you. I chose to help you when that man hunted you. Like I said, everything's going to be fine."
Mimi widened her eyes a bit, staring at him for a while. And then... a small smile was formed on her face. "Okay."
Cody nodded before staring out a nearby window. 'I wonder if Yusei is okay?'
Right now, Yusei was lying on one of the beds in his and Yanagi's cell in the Facility. And he was in deep thought. 'How much does Goodwin know about that mark?'
Flashback
"I know all about the Mark of the Dragon that appeared on your arm." Goodwin said.
"Really? Then tell me what you know about it. What does it mean?"
"That is what I hope to uncover with your help. I can't do it alone."
"Well, I don't believe you. You're hiding something. You're just gonna use me."
"Just come with me so I can study your Mark of the Dragon. Together, we may be able to unlock the secrets of the Signers. But say no, and well, without that knowledge, we have a special place to send you to, and who knows what might happen to you once you get there?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well, here in the Facility, anything's possible."
"I'll take my chances."
"Yes, you will."
Flashback end
'What's Goodwin up to?'
The director was sitting quietly in his office as Lazar entered. "How's it going?" He asked.
"Everything's going smoothly, Director." Lazar smirked. "Yusei will be moved to his new cell. Of course, it will take some days before that happens."
"Good. All that matters is to make his mark appear."
"And I'm sure Armstrong will see to it to happen." The clown-like man chuckled.
Meanwhile, Cindy and Jeremy were onboard a bus that was driving through the city.
"So, Cindy, where exactly are we going?" Jeremy asked.
Cindy smiled. "Do you remember that big mall I mentioned to you the other day?"
"Yeah?"
At that moment, the bus made its next stop, Cindy got from her seat. "Well, it happens to be the one right there."
After they got off the bus, Jeremy looked up and saw a huge building with lots of holographic signs floating in different places around it.
And the interior was big and impressive. There were lots of people walking around and so many shops everywhere. There were even escalators leading to higher floors.
"Wow." Jeremy simply said, glancing around. "This certainly is an amazing place."
"You got that right." Cindy replied. "Now, come on. There's a clothe store not far from here."
"Okay." The two of them started to walk, heading to wherever Cindy was leading.
As they walked around, Jeremy glanced at the various shops they passed by. A shoe shop. A pharmacy. A jewel store. And more. Moments later, they walked past a toy store. However, Jeremy suddenly stopped when he saw something through its window. He walked up as his eyes landed on a red and blue jet plane with flame-like marks on its wings.
'Hey, that looks like that toy I fixed that one time.'
Flashback
There were a number of people, some of them having criminal marks, working on variable things. Like recycling.
At a corner, Jeremy was sitting by himself, tinkering on the toy plane in question.
Flashback end
He smiled a bit. "Good to see that it got a good place."
"Jeremy, what's the hold up?"
He almost jolted as he turned to Cindy, who was giving him a confused look. "Sorry, it's nothing." He quickly caught up with her.
Later on, the both of them found themselves in a relatively big clothe store. Cindy was checking on some of the clothes while Jeremy simply watched.
"What do you think of this one?" She asked as she held up a green shirt with a yellowish circle in the middle.
"Pretty good, I think." Jeremy replied, a little uncertain.
As Cindy turned around to look at some other clothes, two female staff members, with shoulder length black and brown hair respectively, watched the scene.
"Well, would you look at that." The black-haired woman said, amused. "Another cute couple visiting here."
"Though I'd feel bad for the guy who might carry his girlfriend's bags." The brown-haired woman replied.
Unfortunately, Jeremy overheard their words and turned bright red. 'Couple!? Girlfriend?! There's no way it's anything like that!'
"How about this one?"
"Gah!" This time he jolted upon hearing Cindy's voice.
"Huh?" Her eyes widened. "What's wrong?"
"Oh, uh... nothing. Just in deep thought." He replied rather nervously.
That earned him a skeptical look from the former pro duelist. "If you say so."
"That will do." Cindy said, sounding satisfied as they left the clothe store, with Jeremy holding a couple of plastic bags.
"Yeah..." Jeremy sweat dropped at this.
"There are a few more things I need to get for myself, though. So let's move on."
He groaned at that.
But right before they could go, they were suddenly approached by a couple of guys who dressed in matching leather jackets and ripped jeans. One of them had tanned skin, black dreadlocks and a piercing on his lower lip. The other guy had lighter skin and blonde hair that was slicked back.
"Well, hello there, baby." The blonde guy greeted, eyeing on Cindy like a predator. "What brings a pretty lady like you here, huh?"
Jeremy gave those guys a disturbed look while Cindy rolled her eyes.
"Are you here to have some fun?" The guy with dreadlocks asked, giving her a similar predatory look. "How about you come with us? We'll give you a good time."
As a response, Cindy simply smiled and wrapped her arms around Jeremy's left arm, making him blush. "Sorry, but I'm already having fun with this cutie here. Let's go!" At that, she dragged him away from the punks.
"What was that all about?" Jeremy wondered, still a little flustered.
"Never mind that." Cindy replied. "Those two punks wouldn't be the first ones trying to hit on me."
Jeremy looked away from her. "And I can see why..."
"What was that?" She asked, curious about his muttering.
"Oh! Nothing!" He quickly replied.
Cindy stared at him for a moment before shrugging. "Anyway, let's head to the next shop. We still have a few things to buy."
"Oh boy." Jeremy muttered nervously.
As they kept walking, the two punks sneered to them.
"Give me a break." Jeremy groaned as he was standing outside a perfume shop. There were a few more bags standing near his feet.
Cindy was inside there, looking at the different perfume bottles in the shelves.
"Do you need any help, miss?" A female staff member with short blonde hair and oval-shaped glasses.
Cindy shrugged. "I'm not really sure. There are so many different kinds of perfumes here that I don't know which one to pick."
The staff member smiled. "In that case, may I recommend this?" She brought up a blue perfume bottle. "This one has a clean and elegant fragrance that perfectly balances the freshness and saltiness of seawater with the sweetness and sensuality of amber, while woody notes bring more depth." After the explanation, she grabbed Cindy's right hand and sprayed it a bit.
Cindy held it up and sniffed a bit. She hummed a bit delighted. It smelled like sea salt and a gentle breeze touching the skin.
Meanwhile, Jeremy was still waiting outside. "I hope she's done soon."
As he talked to himself, someone approached him quietly.
"That's a nice smell." Cindy said to the staff member. "You know what? I think I'll..."
"AAAAAHHH!"
They both jolted upon hearing that scream.
"Jeremy!" Cindy rushed out of the shop immediately. Once outside, she found all the bags they had lying on the floor in a mess. "Oh no!" She muttered worriedly.
"Ah!"
After hearing that yelp, she immediately rushed around the corner, and saw some fellow customers acting surprised while looking at one and the same direction. It was then she noticed some movements from a distance. Cindy narrowed her eyes. "Jeremy." She ran after whoever moved there.
That was none other than the punks who bothered Cindy and Jeremy earlier. They were currently carrying Jeremy who appeared to be unconscious. They passed by customers who cried out upon their rush.
"Come on, will you!" The blonde guy said.
"Don't get bossy on me!" The guy with dreadlocks snapped.
Eventually, they snuck into a huge storage room, with lots of cardboard boxes piled up in different places. They then tossed Jeremy's unconscious body tossed down. "You ready?" The blonde guy grinned as he brought up a crowbar.
His friend mimicked his grin brought up a crowbar on his own. "You bet!" Then, both them held their crowbars right above their heads, ready to strike...
SWOOOSH! Only to stop when they heard some kind of movement.
"What the...?" The blonde guy muttered.
"Who's there?!" His friend called out.
But no answer came. Only silence. Silence. Even more silence.
SWOOSH!
"GAH!" Both them cried out when something passed by, swift like the wind and snatched their crowbars.
"What the hell was that?!" The guy with dreadlocks exclaimed.
"Whatever it was, it's so damn fast." The blonde muttered, glancing around. After a moment, he spoke up again. "Come on, let's find that bozo."
"Why?"
The blonde gave his partner an annoyed look. "So we can jump on that bastard! Why else?"
"Okay, okay." At that, the two them walked around the place. They walked past each pile of of boxes, trying to find the attacker. "Now where is that freak?"
"Ssh! Shut up, or they'll get on us..."
SWOOSH!
"Wha!" They stopped when they saw something move nearby.
"There!" The blonde exclaimed and rushed over to the area.
"Hey! Wait up!" His partner cried out and ran after him... "Agh!" Until something struck him from above.
"Huh?" The blonde turned around and saw his partner knocked down. "What the hell?" He said slowly before noticing something else. "Eh?" To his confusion, he saw some scratch marks on the wall behind his partner. "What is that?"
SWOOSH!
"Ah!" He jumped as he felt some movements real close. "Who's there!? Show yourself?!" He yelled as he moved around, eyeing toward every possible direction. "Quit hiding and face me like a man!"
SWOOSH!
"Gah!" He yelped as he jumped down and barely avoided whatever it was that flew by. It was so fast he couldn't make it out. But it was something... purple and green. "This is getting annoying!" He growled as he looked up. "Huh?" He then realized that the pile of box that was currently right in front of him... was standing right behind the unconscious Jeremy. With that in mind, he grinned evilly. "Hey! May I ask you something? Do you care about this dork? If you don't... then you won't mind if I do this!" At that, he kicked the pile, causing all the boxes to fall.
"Jeremy!" And then, out of nowhere, Cindy jumped out and tackled Jeremy, saving him from the collapse.
"Well, so you're the one behind this crap." The punk commented, sneering at her. He noticed that she was wearing a duel disk for some reason and a card that was placed on it fell down on the floor. But he didn't mind that as he glared at Cindy. "Now what's with the game of the hide and seek?"
Cindy got on her feet and gave him a glare of her own. "How about you answer my questions? Why would you kidnap Jeremy?"
The punk scoffed. "I don't see what you see in that loser. You should have agreed to come with me and my pal. We could have given you so much more excitement."
"So you thought getting rid of Jeremy would make me change my mind? Both of you are such idiots."
While they spoke each other, the guy with dreadlocks suddenly woke up and groaned. "Huh?" He looked and noticed them from a distance. He then noticed the boxes that have fallen over. Also, he noted what came out of those boxes... duel disks. He then grinned.
"Listen, doll, just dump that loser and come with us." The blonde guy persisted. "Trust me, you won't regret it."
Cindy gave him a dark look. "You really have no idea who you're messing with, you creep."
"Is that so?"
She turned around and saw the other punk grinning widely as he was blocking the exit, with a duel disk ready.
The blonde guy smirked. "Haha! Now this is getting interesting!"
Cindy raised an eyebrow. "A duel? Really?"
The guy with the dreadlocks chuckled. "Unless you choose to dump that twerp and spend the day with us, then sure!"
Cindy clicked her tongue. "If that's how it's gonna be, then fine! You asked for it!" She picked up the card she dropped and inserted it into her deck, allowing it to shuffle automatically before she drew five cards.
The punk followed suit and drew his own opening hand.
"Let's duel!"
Cindy: 4000
Punk: 4000
"I'll go first." Cindy drew. "And I summon Vortex Trooper in defense mode!" A blue robot appeared and kneeled down. Its was a propeller that belonged to some kind of boat. Speaking of propellers, it had another one in a different shape on its left arm. (ATK: 0 DEF: 600 LV: 3) "With this monster normal summoned, I can take two cards from my hand and shuffle them into my deck." She picked two cards and put them into her deck, allowing it to automatically shuffle itself. And after a moment, it stopped, with the two top cards sticking out. "After that, I draw two new cards." She drew the cards and looked at them. She nodded before inserting a card into her duel disk. "I place one card facedown and end my turn."
"As if that can help you!" The punk commented and drew his sixth card. "Because this is gonna smash your toy to pieces! Here comes Goblin Attack Force!" A group of green goblins appeared. They were wearing purple shirts with tan leather armor and holding metal clubs. (ATK: 2300 DEF: 0 LV: 4) "Now crush that Vortex Trooper!" The goblins surrounded the robot and clobbered it with their metal clubs until it exploded.
"Yeah! That's it!" The blonde guy cheered.
But Cindy wasn't bothered. "When Vortex Trooper is destroyed, I get to draw 1 card from my deck." She drew.
"Whatever." The goblins returned to the punk's field and kneeled down and turned blue. "Since my goblins attacked, they had to switch to defense mode. But I'm not worried. Not after I play these two facedowns, that is." Two cards appeared near his feet.
"Oh really?" Cindy asked and drew her next card and looked at it. She smirked. "Then you're about to get a wake-up call. I activate the field spell card, Harpie's Hunting Ground!" The storage room was suddenly replaced with a stony clearing with a bunch of mountains surrounding the place and clear, blue sky.
"Hey, what gives?" The blonde guy questioned, startled with the change of scenery.
"I'll tell you what." Cindy replied. "For starters, with this in play, every winged beast type monster on the field gains 200 attack and defense points. And the first one to come out is Harpie Dancer!" And from a flash of light, a new Harpie appeared above the field. She had long, platinum blonde hair and was dressed in a black and grey body suit. And the feather wings on her arms were pure white. She spun around gracefully as she descended on the field. (ATK: 1200-1400 DEF: 1000-1200 LV: 4)
Her opponent scoffed. "Ya gotta be kidding me. A chick with a mere 1400 attack points? What's that gonna do?"
Cindy smirked. "Well, to begin with, her name becomes Harpie Lady while on the field or in the graveyard."
"So?"
"So... that means the second effect of my field is automatically activated. As soon as a Harpie Lady or Harpie Lady Sisters is summoned to the field, the player who conducted the summon must destroy one spell or trap card on the field. And luckily for me, you were kind enough to give me two targets."
The two punks gasped at her words.
"And I think I go with the one on the left... YOUR left, that is." Winds started to pick up around the card in question.
The guy with dreadlocks growled. "In that case, I activate it first!" The card flipped up. "It's called Final Attack Orders! This trap card keeps all monsters on the field in attack mode! Sure, it may not stick around for long, but at least it helps my Goblin Attack Force to rise up!" The goblins stood up. And right after that, the winds got stronger and blew the trap card away. Not that the punk was complaining. "Now there's no way you can get through my gang!"
Cindy merely shook her hand, much to his confusion. "As clever as that move was, I wouldn't give you so much credit."
"Says you!" The blonde said from the sideline, giving her a glare.
"Then allow me to make my next move... which includes my Harpie Dancer." The blonde Harpie glowed with a green aura. "You see, she has an interesting ability. Once per turn, I can return 1 wind attribute monster I control to my hand and then summon another one from it."
"Come again?" His opponent gave her an incredulous look.
"So I'll take back Harpie Dancer..." The Harpie returned to Cindy's hand as she grabbed another card. "...to bring out Cyber Harpie Lady!" The familiar Harpie in black armor appeared. (ATK: 1800-2000 DEF: 1300-1500 LV: 4) "And this card's name is always treated as Harpie Lady. Which means another card is destroyed. There goes your other facedown card.
The guy with dreadlocks watched as his facedown card shattered into pixels. He then growled. "Big deal! My goblins are still stronger than your pet chicken!"
Once again, Cindy smirked as she held up another card. "Not after I equip her with the Cyber Shield spell card." Cyber Harpie's armor glowed brightly for a moment. And then, it was no longer black. It was golden. "Thanks to this, my Harpie gains 500 more attack points." (ATK: 2000-2500)
"No way!" The blonde guy muttered.
"Now, Cyber Harpie! Attack his Goblin Attack Force!" The armored Harpie took flight and dive bombed the goblins, slashing each of them with her claws and talons, shattering them into pixels.
Punk: 4000-3800
Her opponent growled.
As the Harpie returned to her field, Cindy inserted a card into her duel disk, making a spell card appear. "With that done, I activate the continuous spell card, Alluring Split Mirror. That's it for me this turn."
"Come on, buddy. Don't let that chick make a fool of you!" The blonde guy called out.
"Just shut up! I won't!" His partner snapped before drawing his next card. After looking at it, he grinned. "Now we're talking..." He grabbed another card from his hand. "First I summon Goblin Elite Attack Force!" A new group of 4 goblins appeared. But unlike the previous one, this group was wearing knight armors. (ATK: 2200 DEF: 1500 LV: 4) "Then I activate the spell card, Riryoku!" He held up the card he drew. "Thanks to this, I can take half the attack points on one monster and then add them to another one. And I think I'll let my goblins have some points from your Harpie!"
Cindy grimaced as Cyber Harpie groaned and fell to her knees as green energy left her body before being transferred to the goblins. (ATK: 2500-1250) (ATK: 2200-3450)
"And now my goblins, cut that overgrown chicken to seize!" The armored goblins charged forward, each of them stabbing the Harpie with its sword, causing her to cry out in pain before she exploded.
Cindy: 4000-1800
"Yeah! That's what I'm talking about!" The blonde guy cheered.
"Ha! What do you have to say to that?" The guy with dreadlocks asked with a cocky tone.
Cindy merely closed her eyes and shook her head. "You mean besides... you're an idiot?"
"Huh?" The punk's cockiness was instantly replaced with anger. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Cindy opened her eyes, smirking as her continuous spell card suddenly glowed. "Haven't you ever stopped and wondered what Alluring Mirror Split is capable of?"
"Eh?"
"Since my Harpie was destroyed in battle, I can use its effect and summon another Harpie from my deck, as long as it has a different original name than the one that was destroyed." Cindy's deck shuffled automatically for a moment before the top card stuck out. Cindy grabbed it and looked at it. "And this one will do. Harpie Lady 1!" The Harpie with long, dark-pink hair in purple outfit emerged from the spell card. (ATK: 1300-1500 DEF: 1400-1600 LV: 4) "When this Harpie's on the field, all wind monsters gain 300 more attack points." (ATK: 1500-1800) "Also, like Cyber Harpie, her name is always treated as Harpie Lady, which means the effect of my field spell activates!"
Her opponent raised an eyebrow. "Uh, news flash. I have no spell or trap cards on my field. So you lose one of your own cards."
Cindy shrugged. "Fine by me. I wanted to destroy my facedown card, anyway." The card in question shattered into pixels. "And before you ask, that card happens to be a trap card that can only be activated when it's destroyed." The pixels gathered together and formed a face-up trap card. "It's called Dark Coffin. This card forces you to make a choice. Option number 1: Discard one random card from your hand. Option number 2: Destroy 1 monster on your field."
The guy with dreadlocks blinked twice before scoffing. "If you think I'm gonna ditch my Goblin Elite Attack Force, think again!" He shuffled his two remaining cards after turning them around. After a moment, he discarded one of them. And then, his graveyard slot glowed. "And look at that, I just discarded Card of Compensation. And since I did that, I get to draw two cards." The punk drew his extra cards and looked at it. He grinned.
"And why are you happy all of a sudden?" Cindy asked, suspicious.
"You'll see. But first, my Goblin Elite Attack Force has to go to defense mode since they attacked." The armored goblins kneeled down and turned blue. "Then I'll play the spell card, Heavy Storm!" The punk held up one of his cards. "Now all spell and trap cards on the field are destroyed!" The card released a ridiculously strong whirlwind that surrounded the entire field. First, Alluring Mirror Split shattered into pixels. And then, Cindy's field spell tray was forced open. Once the whirlwind faded, everyone found themselves back in the storage room. (ATK: 1800-1600 DEF: 1600-1400)
"Nice!" The blonde guy grinned.
And so did his partner. "Haha! Without your two spell cards, I've got the advantage now...!"
"You sure about that?" Cindy asked mysteriously.
"Eh?" He gave her an 'are-you-serious' look.
"Now what?" The blonde guy asked annoyingly.
As to answer his question, a portal appeared on the floor. "Since you destroyed Alluring Mirror Split with a card effect, you triggered its second effect, which allows me to resurrect a Harpie from my graveyard. So, welcome back, Cyber Harpie Lady!" At that, the black armored Harpie emerged from the portal, joining her armor-less twin. (ATK: 1800-2100 DEF: 1300 LV: 4)
Cindy's opponent scoffed again. "So what? That doesn't mean you can get through my defense. First I activate the spell card, Monster Reborn and use it to bring back Goblin Attack Force!" The previous goblin group appeared again. (ATK: 2300 DEF: 0 LV: 4) "And with that, I end my turn with a facedown." A card appeared near his feet.
"Yeah, you got her now!" The blonde guy cheered.
"Got that right! Come on, baby! Give it your best shot!"
"Careful what you wish for." Cindy drew her next card and looked at it. She smirked. "You might just get it! Once again, I summon Harpie Dancer to the field!" The Harpie with platinum blonde hair appeared again. (ATK: 1200-1500 DEF: 1000 LV: 4) "Then I activate the spell card, Elegant Egotist!" A multicolored light enveloped Harpie Lady 1.
"What's up with this light show?" Her opponent questioned.
"Glad you asked. Because my Elegant Egotist is a spell card that can only be activated when there's a Harpie Lady on the field. With this, I can summon either another Harpie Lady, or... Harpie Lady Sisters!" Right behind Harpie Lady 1... three more Harpies appeared at once. One of them was a duplicate of her. The other two were Harpie Lady 2 and 3. (ATK: 1950-2250 DEF: 2100 LV: 6)
"Now there are 6 Harpies!" The two punks exclaimed simultaneously.
"Sure is. Of course, Harpie Lady Sisters are technically one monster. Kind of like your goblin cards. But let's move on! I activate the spell card, Triangle Ecstasy Spark!" The Harpie Lady Sisters took a certain position, allowing electricity dance over them. And then, thin lines of light were formed between them, forming a triangle. And finally... an 'X' was formed in the middle of the triangle before firing a laser beam that hit the facedown card directly.
"Whoa!" Cindy's opponent exclaimed as the explosion made him jump. When the smoke dissipated, he saw an 'X' mark on his facedown card. "What the hell is this?"
"I guess that facedown card is a trap card?" Cindy assumed. "If so, then too bad. Because thanks to Triangle Ecstasy Spark, you can't activate traps this turn."
"Are you serious?!"
"I'm never joking about cards like this. Speaking of which, another thing that happens during the turn I activate my spell card... is that the attack points of Harpie Lady Sisters become 2700." (ATK: 2250-2700)
"Say what?!" The two punks exclaimed.
"And that's enough to take out your Goblin Attack Force!" The sisters dove down on the named goblins, who tried to strike them with their metal clubs. But the Harpies simply cut them to pieces, and then did the same to the goblins.
Punk: 3800-3400
"And now it's Harpie Lady 1's turn! Attack!" The named Harpie dashed forward, swinging her clawed hands as she passed by the armored goblins. At first, nothing seemed to happen as she stood still for a moment. But right after she crossed her arms, the goblins' swords broke in halves before the goblins themselves exploded. "And now you're wide open for a double direct attack!"
"No! Wait! Hang on!" The punk protested before Cyber Harpie and Harpie Dancer quickly approached him and struck him with their clawed hands, knocking him down. "Ooff!"
Punk: 3400-0000
As the holograms vanished, Cindy had a satisfied look on her face. "And that's a wrap."
The blonde guy stared at his fallen partner in shock. Disbelief is was the only thing that could describe his expression. That was then he became furious and turned to Cindy. "You... you little... AAAAGGHH!" He then charged forward like an angry bull, intending to beat her down...
"GAH!" But before he knew it, she landed a right hook on his stomach. The force behind that strike made him cringe and gasp in pain before he fell down on the floor.
Cindy sighed. "Honestly, what a pain in the neck..."
"Ngh..." Jeremy stirred and groaned for a bit before he opened his eyes. Everything seemed blurry for a moment, but after blinking a couple of times, he saw Cindy who appeared to be smiling down to him.
"Are you awake?"
Jeremy blinked again, feeling confused. Because as he stared at her, he felt something soft under his head. "Huh?" He then blushed as he realized the position he was in... Cindy was giving him a lap pillow! "Ah!" He flailed his arms before getting up on a sitting position. When he glanced around, he noticed that they were in the mall again, sitting on a bench. "Wait a minute. What happened?"
"Those punks who bothered us earlier..." Cindy explained. "They sort of kidnapped you."
Jeremy's eyes widened. "Oh right! I was waiting outside that perfume shop, and the last thing I remember was that those two jumped on me." He sighed and rubbed the back of his head. "Guess I caused you trouble, huh?"
"Don't be stupid!" Cindy said sternly. "It was those creeps who caused trouble, not you! Don't beat yourself up for what happened." She then smiled. "Besides, there's no way I would let punks like them go after you and get away with it."
Jeremy couldn't help but blush again. "Thanks."
She winked. "Anytime. By the way..." She stood up and gestured the bags that were standing near the bench. "I gathered the stuff we bought, so we can head back now."
"Okay."
Meanwhile, some Sector Security officers were investigating the storage room Cindy was earlier. Two of them were taking the two punks away while a third one was looking at laptop he was holding. "This footage shows what happened in here. However..."
Another officer approached him and took a look. The video showed the punks dragging the unconscious Jeremy. But right after that, everything on the footage turned static. "Is that all this video shows?"
"I'm afraid so."
"I see. Well that's troubling, because I've been curious about this." He walked up one of the walls and inspected the scratch marks. "What could have made this mark?"
"It looks like it was made by some kind of... animal."
And that's that. Sorry for the long wait. Didn't think I'd take this long, but I hope this was worth the wait. Until next time.