Yu-Gi-Oh! 6D's: Legend of the Six Dragons

by SF64Rules91

It's Spring 2012, with Matt Fudo and his friends all being invited to compete in a Turbo Duel tournament in New York City by a man named Rex Godwin. Along the way, they will meet new friends, with two of them having access to powers and servants of the Crimson Dragon. Eventually, this group of heroes must unite and fight against a cult of evil duelists known as the "Dark Signers".

10. Framed!

This story was done in collaboration between me, Jriddle41 (Sodormatchmaker on DeviantART), and DaveMan1000 (both here and on DeviantART), and we own the OCs that are used in the story. AaronCottrell97 (known as stevecottrell on DeviantART) provided the Duel Layouts and additional ideas. Everything else belongs to their respective owners:

Thomas and Friends (c) Hit Entertainment and Mattel

The Railway Series (c) Rev Wilbert Awdry

Yu-Gi-Oh! (c) Konami

Gundam SEED characters, Orb, Blue Cosmos, M1 Astray, Strike Rouge, Murasame (c) Sunrise

Character of Lisa Drake (c) DaveMan1000

Character of David Xadashi (c) DaveMan1000

WARNING: Once again, this story is rated T for violence, some blood, suggestive themes, and some language. Reader discretion is advised.

WARNING 2: If you haven't read "Yu-Gi-Oh! The Sodor Chronicles Season 2", "Yu-Gi-Oh! The Sodor Chronicles Season 4", "Yu-Gi-Oh! The Sodor Chronicles (Pyramid of Light", "David Xadashi", "Lisa Drake", or "Team 4D's", you might want to do so before reading this story

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Title: Framed!

Opening up in the almost empty streets of Brooklyn at 11:00 pm, all was very peaceful for a night in New York City. Too peaceful in fact. It probably wouldn't be any fun without excitement to fill in the void, right? Just then, smoke was shown coming from one street…

"FIRE!" A man's voice hollered in panic.

Down the street, an old antique shop was shown on fire, and a man was shown staring on in horror at how his long time business was going up in smoke (literally). Very soon, the Fire Department roared onto the scene.

"Grabs hoses five and seven, now!" The lead fire chief commanded loudly, as the firefighters spread out, "C'mon, move it! We have to contain this fire before it spreads further!"

Before long, the fire hoses, after being connected to the fire hydrants, were being turned on, and water was spraying on the flaming building. As the fire was being battled, a small crowd of people had gathered to watch the grim situation.

"Oh, how horrible…" A woman whispered.

"Who on Earth would be so heartless as to set fire to such an old antique shop?" An old man wondered sadly.

Before long, the fire was put out. The antique shop was still standing, but all of the man's work was mostly gone. This devastated the owner, as he had been owner of the old shop since he inherited it from his deceased parents.

(later…)

Soon, several police cars had arrived on the scene as the Fire Department took their leave, and the police were then searching the area for possible clues on who the culprits were. While that was going on, Paul was instead busy speaking to the distraught shop owner.

"Why? Why did this have to happen?" The man asked again, "All I worked for and earned has been pretty much wiped out…"

"Easy there, friend," reassured Paul, "We'll find the ones responsible for the destruction, and make sure they pay the price for it."

"Please… Do just that!"

"Officer Truman!" A police officer called from inside the burnt building, quickly poking his head out, "Could you come here for a moment? I think we found something."

"I wonder what it could be?" thought Paul, looking over his shoulder before turning and approaching his fellow officers, "Alright, what did you find?"

"Duel Monsters cards!" Another police officer answered, holding up three familiar-looking cards, "The punks who set fire to this place obviously play the game. They must have dropped them while fleeing."

"Tch… That's not going to be much-" Paul started to say, but froze when he got a closer look at the cards, "W-What the-?"

"Sir?" A third police officer blinked, "What's the matter?"

"You look like you've seen a-" The second police officer, carrying the cards, started to say.

"Give me those cards!" interrupted Paul, taking the three cards from his fellow officer and looking at them with shock, "I… I recognize these ones from somewhere…" He stared at the three cards for a long, long time before…a big, evil-looking smile formed on his face, "This is perfect… The scumbag finally crossed the line, and I have actual proof of him doing the crime!"

Oh no…

(elsewhere…)

Outside Discord's New York City mansion in Queens, all was quiet…

(inside…)

Within Discord's room, the jolly man was shown sleeping in bed with what appeared to be a stuffed 'Blue-Eyes Toon Dragon' in his arms.

(elsewhere…)

In another bedroom, Matt was asleep in his bed.

(elsewhere…)

In yet another room, Michael was also shown to be asleep in bed.

(elsewhere…)

In a third room, Carlie was sleeping peacefully in her bed.

(elsewhere…)

In a fourth room, Zack, with his glasses set on a nightstand, was fast asleep in his bed.

(elsewhere…)

In the kitchen, James R. was shown sleepily getting a midnight snack before heading back to his room to sleep.

(elsewhere…)

Just then, the front door was being bashed upon quite loudly before being smashed open, with two police officers shown carrying a large battering ram (having used it to break down the door).

(elsewhere…)

Back in his room, the front doors being smashed open caused Discord to shoot himself up, wide awake.

"Unbelievable!" he cried out.

Inside the rooms of Matt, Michael, Carlie, and Zack, the four young adults immediately woke up from the loud noise going on.

(elsewhere…)

In the kitchen, James R. snapped out of his sleepy daze when he heard the loud noise going on.

"H-Hey! What's all the racket?" said James R., shocked.

(elsewhere…)

Before long, multiple police officers, led by both Paul and Maria, were entering the mansion en masse.

"The NYPD? What's this all about?" yawned Discord, walking down the stairs in his pajamas and noticing the arrivals, "Do any of you know what time it is?"

"Discord J. Crawford, we're sorry to barge in unannounced," apologized Maria, "However-"

"We're here because three of your adopted kids have a warrant out for their arrest!" barked Paul.

"What?!" Discord flinched in response.

"Hey, Discord, what's all the noise?" came from Michael, as he, Matt, Zack, and Carlie all came down the stairs. He then noticed the police, "Huh? What brings the NYPD here at this hour?"

"Aha! There you are, criminals!" accused Paul, pointing at both Matt and Michael.

"What did you say?! Criminals?" stammered Matt, while Carlie, Michael, and Zack each recoiled.

"Hey, hey, hey, what's going on here?" mumbled James R., emerging from the kitchen. He was then surrounded by four police officers, "T-The police-?"

"We've reports of you, Michael Atlas, and Matt Fudo setting fire to one of the oldest antique shops here in the city," declared Paul, watching as both Matt and Michael were led to where James R. was standing. He then took three cards out of his pockets, "I believe these look familiar to you three?"

He held out the cards, revealing them to be the 'Stardust Dragon' Synchro Monster Card, the 'Red Dragon Archfiend' Synchro Monster Card, and the 'Black-Winged Dragon' Synchro Monster Card.

"What the-?!" exclaimed Matt, aghast.

"'Red Daemon's'?!" put in Michael.

"It can't be!" finished James R..

Discord, Carlie, and Zack each were equally shocked by the evidence provided by the police.

"Officer Truman, you have to be mistaken!" protested Matt, "Mike, James, and I would never do something so heinous!"

"He's right!" agreed Michael.

"I swear we're not delinquents of the sort!" panicked James R., "Sir, please, you have to believe us!"

"Oh really?" asked Paul sarcastically, holding up the three Synchro Monster Cards and waving them about, "Unfortunately, the evidence here doesn't lie, and it's all pretty damning stuff, too."

James R. fell into silence, knowing that the gruff police officer made a good argument.

"Ma'am!" pleaded Zack, speaking to Maria, "This has to be some sort of mistake! Matt, Mike, and James each couldn't have done something like this!"

"I'm sorry, Zack," said Maria, shaking her head sadly, "As much as I want to believe they didn't do anything wrong, the fact their cards were left at the scene of the crime means they are the key suspects in this investigation."

"That's right!" agreed Paul gleefully, before giving a command to his fellow officers, "Take the three of them away! We're bringing them to headquarters and keeping them there until we give Governor Godwin a call in the morning. Once we let him know of their terrible crime, they will be out of the dueling world forever!"

The group of police officers reluctantly obeyed, taking hold of Matt, Michael, and James R. before dragging the three of them away, with the latter two young men yelling and protesting of their innocence to no avail. While Matt was being led away, Paul stopped beside him (Matt) in order to gloat on the arrest.

"I always knew you had a dark side to you, punk," he whispered to Matt, "I've always known that one day you'd stoop to a low level. I'm glad I was right about that."

"Sir, I'm telling you that we never did the deed," countered Matt, "And besides, I know for a second that our innocence will be proven once the truth comes out!"

"Right, keep telling yourself that, scumbag."

(outside…)

Outside the mansion, Matt, Michael, and James R. each were loaded into the back of a police van, and it and the other police cars then drove away. Standing outside and watching the scene, Discord, Carlie, and Zack each had sad looks on their respective faces.

"Matt… James… Mike…" whispered Carlie.

"They couldn't have caused that fire," insisted Zack, looking frustrated, "They were with us the whole time."

"I wouldn't be surprised if Officer Truman was being badly misled," figured Discord, "Despite taking his job as a member of the law enforcement seriously, he always was well known for jumping to conclusions before knowing the full truth. The last time he did something like that, he got into severe trouble."

"That we can tell," acknowledged Carlie, "But this time around, he actually provided some proof on the matter at hand."

"Again, it's not possible," Zack pointed out, "There are only 'one' exact copy of 'Stardust Dragon', 'Red Dragon Archfiend', and 'Black-Winged Dragon' in existence, and they are owned by Matt, Mike, and James respectively."

Discord then turned and walked back into the mansion, with both Carlie and Zack following.

(inside…)

Back inside, Discord took hold of the nearby phone, about to make a couple of calls.

"We're going to get this straightened out," he reassured, "But, first, I need to make a couple of calls to some friends of ours."

(later…)

Twenty minutes later, Discord. Carlie, and Zack (each fully dressed) were in the living room explaining the situation to David, Sean, Janice, Ren, Ms. Simmons, Mr. Kisaka, Lisa, Asagi, Juri, and Mayura. Only Gabriella and Futaba were not present for obvious reasons.

"Matt…" whispered Asagi, worried.

"Mike…" came from Juri, equally worried.

"James…" finished Mayura, also pretty worried.

"A clear cut case of fabrication if I ever witnessed one," deducted David, "Somebody, or perhaps even several somebodies, must have framed Fudo-san, Atlas-sama, and Hogan-kun."

"That's what we think, too," acknowledged Zack, "Even then, there's a small problem—and that problem's Officer Truman. Ever since he lost to Matt in San Francisco, he's been looking for any excuse to go after and arrest him."

"Agreed," put in Discord, "I don't think he's going to listen to reason."

"I'll bet you anything it was 'Officer' Truman himself who started that fire just to frame Matt," grunted Lisa, with utter disdain for Paul in her tone.

"As we know, Mr. Truman's a stubborn man, but he's definitely not stupid enough to do something like 'that'," corrected Mr. Kisaka.

"In that case, might I suggest we go and get our three guys out?"

"We'll have to do that tomorrow morning," reminded Ms. Simmons, "It's almost midnight right now."

"Actually," said Lisa, with a confident twinkle in her eyes, "I was more or less thinking of…mounting a rescue operation, right now."

"WHAT?!" Asagi, Mayura, and Juri each yelled out in surprise.

"You mean…you actually want to break into the NYPD's headquarters?!" stammered Janice, quickly getting the general idea of the plan.

"Again, more or less," confirmed Lisa, "This is just to rescue our framed companions."

"Lisa, are you out of your mind or something?!" demanded Zack, "Breaking into one of the biggest Police Departments in the whole country? Do you have any idea on how unbelievably stupid and dangerous that is?! It's-"

"I'm in," cut in Carlie, agreeing with Lisa's idea.

"HUH?!"

"As dangerous as it sounds, it also sounds like fun," The brown-haired young woman admitted, who was on Lisa's side, "Does anyone else here agree with me on that?"

Discord, Zack, the Orb representatives, Janice, Sean, and Ren all remained quiet on the matter, but there was one individual who seemed interested in the idea…

"I'm in, too," spoke up David.

"Dave?!" Both Sean and Janice gasped.

"No, son, I forbid it," refused Ren.

"Dad, this is explicit injustice, and I cannot allow three innocent lives to be ruined by someone abusing their power for personal gain," David pointed out, "You would know that better than anyone."

Ren tensed up at his son's last comment. Leaning in closer, he spoke firmly to David.

"David, I will not allow you to go through the same hardships I did back in Tokyo," said Ren sternly, "My record may have been cleaned after everything, but my reputation there is tarnished forever."

"But-" David tried arguing.

"No, David, this is too dangerous for somebody like you to go and do. If you were to be caught, your Mom and I would not be able to bail you out, and it will follow you for your whole life!" While speaking hard, Ren slipped into Japanese at the end of the sentence, "(わかりますか？) Wakarimasu ka? (Do you understand?)"

"Dad…" whispered David.

"Sir, Dave will be just fine," cut in Carlie, defending her aqua blue-haired friend, "He'll be with Lisa and I, and we'll make sure the police don't get their hands on him."

"Izayoi-san, I'm afraid I cannot agree with you on that," declined Ren seriously.

"Listen, Ren, we solemnly swear that David will be okay," promised Lisa, "In fact, 'I' solemnly swear to make sure he stays safe. After all, I'm his friend, and I always do my best to protect my friends."

"Lisa-chan…" mumbled David.

Zack turned to Ms. Simmons, "Hey, can't you try talking Lisa out of trying something like this?" he asked, "I mean, this is an operation that can go wrong very easily."

"Well, Zack, then you really don't know Lisa as well as we do," replied Ms. Simmons, shaking her head while smiling slightly, "Once she's made up her mind on doing something, it's hard to make her change it."

"Believe me, we learned that when she challenged Blue Cosmos in an attempt to stop Orb from being shut down," added Mr. Kisaka.

"Was it a very stupid decision due to her inexperience at the time? Definitely," acknowledged Juri, "In the end, she still managed to win."

Zack sighed in response. At last, Ren, looking at Lisa, made an important decision regarding his son going with Carlie and Lisa to rescue Matt, Michael, and James R. from the police…

"I… I hope that you're right, Drake-san," agreed Ren, before looking towards David, "Okay, Dave… If you say you can look after yourself, then…I'll trust you at your word."

"(お父さん,) Otōsan, (Father,)" thought David, mentally speaking in Japanese.

"But please… PLEASE be careful out there," Ren went on, "Stay close to both Drake-san and Izayoi-san, and do as they say. And remember, your Mother and Gabriella both would never forgive me if anything bad were to happen to you."

"I solemnly swear, Dad, I shall not leave their side," reassured David, before looking to both Lisa and Carlie, "Izayoi-san, Lisa-chan… (行こう!) Ikou! (Let's go!)"

"Not without me, you're not," interrupted Zack, standing by his aqua blue-haired friend, "You might need some help with some security hacking."

"Zack-senpai?" blinked David.

"You sure?" worried Carlie.

Zack nodded, "Positive."

"Hold on a sec, a few moments ago, you wanted nothing to do with the rescue," accused Lisa, "What made you change your mind so quickly?"

"Just a thought that your loud mouth would cause the operation to get blown too easily unless an alternative plan came about," answered Zack. When Lisa glared in response, he continued in a more genuine tone, "However, I suppose the real reason I'm willing to help is because your friends were right about you; deep down, you do have a good heart."

"Hey, always have, always will," grinned Lisa, as she turned around to leave, "Now, what do you say we go and spring some friends of ours from the slammer?"

With that agreed to, she, Carlie, Zack, and David all left the mansion.

"Oh man…" mumbled Janice.

"Do you think they can pull it off?" wondered Mayura.

"If they work together, there's a possibility they will," said Sean.

Agreed, but again, it's a plan that could go wrong very quickly, very easily…

(elsewhere…)

Out in the middle of the city, midnight had finally struck. Four Duel Runners were roaring across the Brooklyn Bridge on their way to Manhattan and the NYPD headquarters.

"It shouldn't be much further!" hollered Lisa, riding Strike Rouge.

"Once we find a parking lot to store our Duel Runners, we'll have to avoid the police patrols roaming outside the building until we get close to it," remarked Carlie, riding Bloody Kiss.

"We'll have to choose quite an inconspicuous location to avoid arousing suspicion," agreed David, riding The Wild Card.

"Getting inside should be simple," finished Zack, riding his Duel Runner, "After all, I have my laptop and some cables. Once we're inside, however, it will get difficult. Very difficult."

"Bring it on then!" dared Lisa boldly, "Difficult is my middle name!"

And so, the four Duel Runners continued driving across the Brooklyn Bridge, heading for their destination in order to mount a rescue on three friends who were framed for almost destroying an old shop.

(elsewhere…)

Eventually, the four youths, after parking their Duel Runners, arrived outside the NYPD headquarters.

"Oh man… The NYPD's headquarters…" whispered Lisa in awe.

"A rather imposing structure," put in David quietly.

"Shhh!" hushed Zack, "Come on."

He, David, Lisa, and Carlie snuck towards the huge police station, avoiding police patrols the best they could. Since it was pitch black outside, the police had flashlights to help them see in the dark. Thankfully, the quartet managed to get to the back entrance without any mishap so far.

"This is my favorite part," smirked Zack, pulling out his laptop and connecting some cables, "This shouldn't take long to hack."

To the black-haired young man's surprise and frustration, it wasn't as easy as he expected it to be.

"Gee, Zack, what's keeping ya?" joked Lisa, "I thought it wouldn't take you long to get us inside?"

"Very funny," grumbled Zack, typing away, "The department must have made a few updates and upgrades to the system. I've managed to crack through a few of the layers, but the rest is giving me a big headache."

"Mind if I give it a try?" offered David.

"Sure, be my guest."

From there, David began typing on the laptop in his own attempt of cracking the system while Zack watched. Surprisingly, David managed to crack a few of the codes, unlocking the door.

"What the hell?" gawked Zack, "How did you-?"

"My Mother hacked the Shibuya Scramble Crossing traffic control in Middle School on a dare, so naturally she passed on her prowess to me," David said with a grin, before becoming serious, "Come on, let's head inside."

Zack and Carlie both stayed outside for a few seconds as David and Lisa both entered the building.

"He got you there, Zack," teased Carlie, before heading inside.

Following from the rear, Zack simply snorted over the jab, but he was secretly impressed by David's computer skills.

(inside…)

Inside the building, there weren't nearly as many police officers patrolling the area. That was a good thing, but as the quartet searched the building, they were soon presented with a new, more complicated problem—red security beams.

"Aww crap…" groaned Lisa, "I should have known it wouldn't be easy."

"Hey, I did warn you that things could, and would, go wrong," Zack pointed out.

"If even one part of our body or an object touches those beams," warned Carlie, "we'll be in for some big time trouble."

"Namely police being alerted of our presence," figured David.

From there, he, Lisa, Carlie, and Zack began to avoid touching the security beams; they needed to reach the end of the hallway and find where Matt, Michael, and James R. were being kept.

"This isn't so bad," whispered Lisa, managing to avoid touching the beams.

"Less talking, more sneaking," scolded Zack.

They were nearly across the hallway when…

"Careful, there's a small spillage of water over here," advised Carlie, while avoiding a security beam.

"Huh?" peeped David, who accidentally stepped in the spilled water, "(しまった!) Shimatta! (Oh no!)"

He cried out as he slipped and started to fall.

"Dave!" panicked Lisa, just as David collided with her, "Auuugh!"

The two teenagers fell over…

"Nooooooooooo!" Zack and Carlie both yelled in slow motion.

…and landed on a security beam. Seconds later, the alarm in the whole NYPD headquarters was loudly going off.

"$*#^! Busted!" cried Zack.

"This is really bad!" added Carlie urgently.

David, at the moment, was a little dazed from slipping, colliding with Lisa, and falling. After putting his glasses back on, he seemingly put his hands onto the floor (more like onto something soft and lumpy) and started to get back up…

"Dave, you idiot!" The voice of Lisa exclaimed angrily, "Get your friggin' hands off me, this instant!"

David shook his head and looked down, just before his eyes widened with surprise and embarrassment over something. He was on his knees, and he saw that he was looming over Lisa who was laying on her back after the two teenagers crashed into each other by accident. But that was not the worst part; David saw that his hands were not on the floor, but were instead…gripping onto Lisa's chest.

"Wah-WAAAHHH!" yelped David, letting go and scuttling back, "I-I am so sorry, Lisa-chan!"

"If the alarm wasn't going off right now, I'd so slug you in the face for doing that!" fumed Lisa, slightly red-faced, standing up while briefly covering her chest with both arms. She then recovered and addressed both Carlie and Zack, "It looks like the operation's a failure. Let's get the hell outta here!"

With that said, the four friends (after David got back up) bolted back towards the exit.

(elsewhere…)

In another part of the station, Matt, Michael, and James R., locked inside a cell, were hearing the alarm blaring like no tomorrow. Also in the area was Paul, who was looking after the three prisoners.

"What's happening?" pondered James R..

"We have intruders, that's what!" figured Paul, rushing to the nearest microphone and making an announcement, "All available units, catch whoever's snuck into the building! Don't let them escape!" He then turned towards the nearby cell, "I don't know who's come here, but if they think they can sneak in without being caught, they have another thing coming."

The gruff police officer then left to help out with the search, leaving the prisoners alone in their cell.

(elsewhere…)

Meanwhile, Carlie, Lisa, David, and Zack were still in the process of fleeing the building, and several police officers were chasing them. As the quartet neared the exit, David suddenly stopped running.

"Dave, what are you doing?!" demanded Carlie, briefly stopping to look at her friend.

"I'm going to buy you three some time to get out," replied David, "I'm going to let the police catch me."

"What?!"

"You'd let yourself get caught? Dave, don't be such a dumbass!" panicked Lisa, not wanting David to do something as stupid as that, "You can't do that! I promised your folks I'd keep you safe from those guys!"

"Sometimes we have to betray someone's trust to keep the people we care for safe," David said softly, "Something just like this…"

"Don't you even dare!" threatened Lisa, harshly.

"Dave won't be alone," cut in Zack, walking up to stand beside David, "I'll stay with him."

"Zack, no!" objected Carlie.

"Hurry! You two get out of here, now!" Zack ordered fearlessly, "Everything will be okay! Dave and I'll be just fine."

As the two girls reluctantly made their escape, the two boys were caught by the officers.

(outside…)

Lisa and Carlie both escaped from the NYPD headquarters and made their way back to the Duel Runners in the parking lot, believing to be safe for the time being.

"That… that was way too close for…comfort…" panted Carlie, leaning against Bloody Kiss, "I thought…for certain we would be…caught."

"Goddammit!" cursed Lisa, angrily slamming her fist onto the dashboard of Strike Rouge, "That bastard! Dave knew I was supposed to look after him!"

"Lisa…" whispered Carlie, feeling sorry for her friend.

"What am I supposed to tell his folks?!" Lisa continued, blaming herself for what happened, "They'll never forgive me when they find out I let the stupid fool get himself locked up!"

Before Carlie could say something…

"Hurry! We must catch those two remaining intruders!" The voice of Paul exclaimed.

"Oh no!" wailed Carlie, "We gotta get out of here!"

"No need to tell me twice," retorted Lisa, slipping her helmet on.

Carlie nodded, putting her own helmet on and climbing aboard Bloody Kiss. Soon, both Duel Runners were fired up and roared out of the parking lot as Paul and a trio of police officers showed up, too late to catch whoever had been here.

"They got away!" One of the police officers bemoaned.

"They won't get far," reassured Paul, "Hurry and get the Security Duel Runners, we're going after them!"

"Yes, sir!" The second and third police officers both obeyed at the same time.

(inside…)

Back inside the NYPD headquarters, Zack and David both were being led to a jail cell. The officers had also confiscated David's gauntlets.

"We don't know what you were thinking breaking into our department, but perhaps spending some time here should do you good," The first security officer said informingly.

"Have a good night," The second security officer huffed coldly, opening the cell door.

Zack and David both walked inside, and the door was then shut and locked. They then noticed Matt, Michael, and James R. up ahead.

"Zack? Dave?" wondered Matt.

"It's you three!" realized David.

"Matt! Mike! James!" added Zack.

"What are you two doing here?" asked Michael, as he, James R., and Matt walked over.

"We tried to rescue you three," replied Zack, "Unfortunately, we hit a snag, and…here we are."

"Lisa-chan and Izayoi-san are still out there," reminded David, "Maybe they-"

"Wait, you guys tried to rescue us? By actually infiltrating the NYPD headquarters?" interrupted Matt, "Why would you do something so reckless, stupid, and dangerous?"

"Funny enough, or not, I wondered the same thing," admitted Zack.

"What are you implying?" frowned Michael.

"Lisa thought it was a good idea to break in and save you guys," Zack sighed with irritation, "She has a good heart, I'll give her that, but she really needs to think out her plans a little better," He sat down, "and I also need to use my head more often and not go along with such risky schemes."

"I agree with you there, Zack-senpai," agreed David, "Then again, Lisa-chan sounded like she knew exactly what she was doing," He shook his head, "Regardless, we're all stuck in here for who knows how long."

"Not to mention Lisa and Carlie both are being hunted by the police," agreed Zack.

That was a bad thing…

(elsewhere…)

In Times Square, both Strike Rouge and Bloody Kiss roared down the road as they tried to escape the police. Some people wandering around the area were confused as to what was going on, but decided to just mind their own business and go on with their daily lives.

"Are they still after us?!" exclaimed Lisa.

The sounds of police sirens were heard, and four Security Duel Runners were shown to be on the move. That's a clue they were still pursuing the two girls.

"When you have a captain as stubborn as Paul Truman leading the chase, then it's quite difficult for someone to give up their target," deadpanned Carlie, before getting an idea, "We'd better split up."

"Right!" agreed Lisa, "See ya later!"

With that said, the two Duel Runners split up at the next set of traffic lights. Bloody Kiss went right, and Strike Rouge took the left.

"Sir, they're splitting up!" The second police officer reported.

"Heh! Those two delinquents think they can escape the law?" thought Paul with a scoff, "Well, they had better guess again!" He then gave orders to his fellow officers, "You three head after the Duel Runner that turned left, and I'll go after the one that turned right."

"Sir, yes, sir!" The three police officers obeyed without question.

From there, the trio chased after Lisa while Paul gunned it for Carlie.

"Hey, you! The one riding the Duel Runner Bloody Kiss!" he yelled out, "I know it's you Carlie Izayoi! I honestly never would have expected someone as pure-hearted like you to commit any sort of crimes! In any case, you might as well give it up now! You can't escape the law!"

"I've a better idea!" retorted Carlie, looking over her shoulder at the stubborn Paul Truman, "How about you duel with me?"

"A duel?"

"So, how about it… Are you game?" The brown-haired young woman pressed, before adding as a taunt… "Or are you scared of losing to a girl like me?"

"Why, that little-!" snarled Paul, "You think I'd lose to somebody like you?!" He then smirked, "Prepare to return to the NYPD headquarters after you're defeated by the great me; have we got a nice cell for you!"

With the Turbo Duel agreed to, both Carlie and Paul pressed a button on the dashboard of their respective Duel Runners (Carlie: Bloody Kiss, Paul: Security Duel Runner).

"Duel Mode, engaged," came a computerized voice aboard the two, respective Duel Runners, "Autopilot activated."

That was all that needed to be said…

"Turbo Duel!" began Carlie (LP: 4000).

"Acceleration!" added Paul (LP: 4000).

With that, the two Duel Runners turned off the corner and onto the next street. Because it was so late at night and early into the morning, there were very few cars out. This meant traffic wasn't going to be of concern.

"Here I go!" announced Paul, drawing a card, "It's my turn!"

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Turn One: Paul Truman (LP: 4000)
Deck: 54
Current Hand (6): "Terminal Countdown", "Fire Flint Lady", "Synchro Gift", "Descending Lost Star", "Jutte Fighter", and "Discord Counter"

---

His drawn card was a Trap Card called 'Discord Counter'.

"Alright!" thought Paul, before adding the card into his hand (which contained 'Terminal Countdown', 'Fire Flint Lady', 'Synchro Gift', 'Descending Lost Star', and 'Jutte Fighter'), and selecting the last card, "Alright, Izayoi, watch this!"

Carlie, looking over her shoulder, waited to see what would happen next.

"To begin my move," began Paul, "I'll Summon the Tuner monster, 'Jutte Fighter'!"

Appearing onto the field was the familiar Asian man, armed with his lariat (Level: 2/ATK: 700/DEF: 900).

"Next, I'll activate the effect of the 'Fire Flint Lady' in my hand," continued Paul, placing another card onto his Duel Runner, "If I control a Warrior monster: I can Special Summon this card from my hand."

Appearing onto the field was a small woman with facepaint, a rock, and a flint in her hands (Level: 1/ATK: 100/DEF: 100). Seconds later, did a few fighting moves before jumping into the air.

"I tune Level 1 'Fire Flint Lady' into Level 2 'Jutte Fighter'!" The voice of Paul raged, while the above scenario played out.

'Jutte Fighter' turned into two Synchro Rings, which hovered over, lowered, and overwhelmed 'Fire Flint Lady' while turning her into a single orb of light as a short Summon Chant from Paul followed.

"Taste the power of authority!" chanted Paul, as the symbols 1 + 2 = 3 were shown for a few seconds before the lone orb of light within the two Synchro Rings turned into a massive beam of light, "Synchro Summon! Appear! Level 3! 'Goyo Defender'!"

Appearing onto the field was a small 'Goyu' warrior armed with a shield and a lariat (Level: 3/ATK: 1000/DEF: 1000).

"If all monsters I control are 'Goyo Defender' (min. 1), I can Special Summon this card (from my Extra Deck), but it cannot attack this turn," explained Paul, taking two cards ('Goyo Defender') from his Extra Deck and placing them onto separate Monster Zones on his Duel Runner, "I Special Summon two more 'Goyo Defenders'!"

Appearing onto the field were two more copies of 'Goyo Defender' (Level: 3/ATK: 1000/DEF: 1000) x2.

"Three monsters at once!" gasped Carlie.

"Finally, I'll Set two cards face-down and end my turn!" finished Paul, just as two face-down cards materialized on the field in-front of his Security Duel Runner, "Now then, it's your turn now! Are you even capable of getting through my three 'Goyo Defenders'?"

"Three 'Goyo Defenders'… They must have some annoying effects," thought Carlie, "I'll have to get rid of them as fast as possible!" She then drew a card, "My turn, draw!"

---

Turn Two: Carlie Izayoi (LP: 4000)
Deck: 54
Current Hand (6): "Dark Rose Fairy", "Rose Princess", "Closed Plant Gate", "Frozen Rose", "Evil Thorn", and "Synchro Material"

---

Her drawn card was a Trap Card called 'Synchro Material'; it was definitely something to use later on when it was time.

"From my hand," As Carlie spoke, she placed a card onto her Duel Runner, "I'll Special Summon 'Rose Princess'!"

Appearing onto the field was a female pixie of sorts, and it wore a red dress and with hair the appearance of a rose (Level: 3/ATK: 1200/DEF: 800).

"If only my opponent controls a monster, I can Special Summon this card (from my hand), and if I do, it is treated as a Tuner," explained Carlie, explaining her monster's effect. She then took another card from her hand and placed it onto her Duel Runner, "Furthermore, if a Tuner(s) is Special Summoned (except during the Damage Step): I can Special Summon 'Dark Rose Fairy' from my hand."

Appearing onto the field was a green-haired, female pixie wearing a gown shaped from black rose petals (Level: 2/ATK: 800/DEF: 1000).

"From there," continued Carlie, holding another card ('Evil Thorn') up before placing it onto a Monster Zone on her Duel Runner, "I'll Normal Summon 'Evil Thorn'!"

Appearing onto the field was what appeared to be a viney plant with a black, spiky-looking explosive attached to one end (Level: 1/ATK: 100/DEF: 100).

"The effect of 'Evil Thorn'!" exclaimed Carlie, holding her right hand out as 'Evil Thorn' started reacting, "I can Tribute this card; I must inflict 300 damage to my opponent, and if I do, I can Special Summon up to 2 'Evil Thorn' from my Deck in Attack Position, but their effects cannot be activated."

From there, 'Evil Thorn' exploded, causing some of its fragments to hit Paul and damage him slightly (LP: 4000 → 3700). From there, two more copies of 'Evil Thorn' appeared on the field (Level: 1/ATK: 100/DEF: 100) x2.

"Two more copies have appeared," grimaced Paul, "However, you can't activate their effects because you Special Summoned them by the first 'Evil Thorn's' effect!"

"In that case, I'll activate a Spell Card from my hand," offered Carlie, holding a card ('Closed Plant Gate') out, "'Closed Plant Gate'! If I control 2 face-up Plant monsters with the same name: My opponent cannot declare an attack during their next turn."

From there, a huge gate of vines enclosed Carlie's monsters, protecting them from harm.

"I tune Level 2 'Dark Rose Fairy', Level 1 'Evil Thorn', Level 1 'Evil Thorn', into Level 3 'Rose Princess'!" said Carlie harshly.

"Damn," grumbled Paul, remembering 'Rose Princess's' effect, "Because she was Special Summoned by her effect, 'Rose Princess' can be treated as a Tuner monster."

On cue, 'Rose Princess' fluttered upward and turned into three large Synchro Rings, which 'Dark Rose Fairy' and the two 'Evil Thorns' soared into at the same time. The three monsters turned into a combination of four orbs of light (two for 'Dark Rose Fairy' and one a-piece for the two 'Evil Thorns') as Carlie echoed a Summon Chant…

"Chilling flames engulf the entire world. Pitch-dark flower, set into bloom!" Carlie chanted in a surprisingly chilling tone, as the symbols 2 + 1 + 1 + 3 = 7 were shown briefly. From there, the four orbs of light within the three Synchro Rings turned into a massive beam of light, which slammed down over Bloody Kiss, "Synchro Summon! Appear now, 'Black Rose Dragon'!"

Appearing out of the bursting beam of light and flying through the night sky, was the dragon made of rose petals (Level: 7/ATK: 2400/DEF: 1800). Carlie now had the upper hand, when, suddenly, Paul's grimaced look became one of triumph.

"Nice try, Izayoi!" he insulted, "I actually knew you'd try to bring out your ace monster this soon, to use its destructive first effect. Which is why I have this…"

One of his Set cards reappeared on the field in-front of the Security Duel Runner, flipped face-up, and revealed itself.

"I activate a Trap, 'Discord Counter'!" Paul went on, "When my opponent Synchro Summons a monster: I must return that monster to the Extra Deck, then Special Summon all of the monsters that were used for the Synchro Summon from my opponent's GY to their field. My opponent cannot Summon a monster until the End Phase of their next turn."

From there, 'Black Rose Dragon', to Carlie's shock, vanished in a ball of light as it separated into four separate orbs of light, which became the monsters used for 'Black Rose Dragon's' Synchro Summon—to which they all returned to the field in its place, and they were as followed:
-'Dark Rose Fairy' (Level: 2/ATK: 800/DEF: 1000)
-'Evil Thorn' (Level: 1/ATK: 100/DEF: 100)
-'Evil Thorn' (Level: 1/ATK: 100/DEF: 100)
-'Rose Princess' (Level: 3/ATK: 1200/DEF: 800)

"Just like that, 'Black Rose Dragon' was-!" stammered Carlie.

"Yes! I got rid of your ace the second you Synchro Summoned it!" laughed Paul, "And, as of now, you're unable to Summon a single monster until your next turn is over!"

"Then I have no choice now…" thought Carlie, dismayed by the turnabout, "Whatever tricks those 'Goyo Defenders' might have, I'll just have to chance it with an attack or two," She entered the Battle Phase and spoke aloud, "My 'Rose Princess' attacks 'Goyo Defender'!"

'Rose Princess' obeyed, diving towards one of the three 'Goyo Defenders'. Sadly, the 'Goyo Defender' being attacked began to respond to the attack… That was something Paul noticed almost immediately.

"Man, this is too easy of a duel!" The gruff police officer bragged, just before revealing his monster's effect, "When 'Goyo Defender' is attacked by an opponent's monster, during damage calculation: I can make this card's ATK become equal to the number of 'Goyo Defender' on the field x 1000, during that damage calculation only (Quick Effect)!"

From there, 'Goyo Defender' grew much stronger (ATK: 1000 → 3000). Unfortunately for Carlie, 'Rose Princess' was in the middle of her attack, and she was unable to call it off.

"You've declared an attack just now!" Paul rambled on, "I'm afraid it's too late to call it off! You're gonna lose your monster AND take major damage at the same time!"

"I'll save my LP with this!" cut in Carlie, before making a Spell Card called 'Frozen Rose' materialize face-up on the field behind Bloody Kiss, "Quick-Play Spell, 'Frozen Rose', activate!" She began to explain what her card did, "I must send 1 face-up monster I control to the GY; I must apply the following effect, depending on the Type of monster sent."

"Following effect depending on type?" repeated Paul anxiously, "You're gonna send 'Rose Princess' to your GY in order to stop its attack!"

"Yes," confirmed Carlie, "There are two following effects written in my card."

These were the effects written on the card:
-"Plant: During the End Phase of this turn, I must draw 2 cards, then discard 1 card."
-"Non-Plant: I must add 1 Level 4 or lower Plant monster from my Deck to my hand."

"Now I see!" realized Paul, "Since 'Rose Princess' is a Plant monster, you'll activate the first effect of your 'Frozen Rose'!"

True to Carlie's prediction of saving her LP, 'Rose Princess' vanished in blue streaks just before the attack could collide with one of the 'Goyo Defenders'. With the Battle Phase over, 'Goyo Defender's' ATK returned to normal (ATK: 3000 → 1000).

"And now," reminded Carlie, "since I've sent a Plant monster to the GY, the first effect gets to activate. During the End Phase of this turn, I must draw 2 cards, then discard 1 card."

"Heh! In that case, I'm gonna set up the countdown to your defeat!" sneered Paul, just as his remaining Set card reappeared on the field beside him (on his left), flipped face-up, and revealed itself, "Continuous Trap, activate! 'Terminal Countdown'! While this card is face-up on the field, I cannot activate Spell or Trap Cards. During my turn, I can only Set 1 Spell/Trap," He smiled with malicious intend, "During my Main Phase 1: I can send this card and all Spells/Traps Set by this card's effect to the GY; I must inflict damage to my opponent depending on the number of cards sent to the GY this way."

These were the following number of cards listed on the mentioned Trap Card's errata:
-"2 cards: 500,"
-"3 cards: 1500,"
-"4 cards: 3000,"
-"5 cards: 6000,"

Carlie became very worried, knowing that her opponent was going to first try and get the highest amount of Spells/Traps Set before delivering the finishing blow.

"I Set one card face-down…" As the brown-haired young woman spoke, she slotted a card into her Duel Runner, "…and end my turn!"

Paul checked the monitor of his Security Duel Runner, noticing that his opponent now had a Set card on her field. Nevertheless, he was not worried about it; the countdown to Carlie's defeat had begun, after all.

"Due to the effect of 'Frozen Rose'," reminded Carlie, drawing two cards and sending one of them ('Revival Rose') to the GY, "I get to draw two cards, and then discard one card."

Once again, Paul didn't care about that detail; he was in the zone, and his opponent knew it.

"It's my turn!" declared Paul, drawing a card, "Draw!"

---

Turn Three: Paul Truman (LP: 3700)
Deck: 53
Current Hand (3): "Synchro Gift", "Descending Lost Star", and "Torapart"

---

His drawn card was the 'Torapart' Monster Card, which made him even more gleeful.

"Come, 'Torapart'!" commanded Paul, placing his drawn card onto a Monster Zone on his Duel Runner.

Appearing onto the field was the two jester-like monsters that were attached to each other (Level: 2/ATK: 600/DEF: 600).

"I tune Level 3 'Goyo Defender' into Level 2 'Torapart'!" continued Paul, holding both hands out in triumph, "Here I go!"

'Torapart' turned into two Synchro Rings, which overwhelmed one of the three 'Goyo Defenders' and turned him into three glowing orbs of light as a Summon Chant followed…

"A chase to the ends of Hell! Behold! The soul of integrity!" chanted Paul, as the symbols 3 + 2 = 5 were shown briefly just before the three orbs of light within the two Synchro Rings turned into a massive beam of light, "Synchro Summon! Come forth! Level 5! 'Goyo Chaser'!"

Appearing onto the field, as the Synchro Summon sequence ended, was yet another member of the 'Goyo' brigade, branding the roped lariat to boot (Level: 5/ATK: 1900/DEF: 1000).

"And the effect of 'Torapart'!" announced Paul, "If the Synchro Monster that used this card as Synchro Material attacks, my opponent cannot activate Trap Cards until the end of the Damage Step," He pointed at his opponent, "That means whatever you have Set can't activate when I declare an attack using 'Goyo Chaser'!"

Carlie winced a little bit.

(elsewhere…)

In another part of Manhattan, two police cars were driving down the street before pulling up at a nearby parking area with a parking meter.

(inside…)

Inside one of the police cars, Maria undid her seatbelt while remaining in deep thought.

"I wonder…" she thought to herself, "I know Officer Truman means well and takes his job seriously, but did he make yet another mistake? Is there a security camera out here that recorded the true culprits setting fire to the shop?"

"Ma'am," A police officer spoke up, therefore interrupting his superior's thoughts, "Are you absolutely sure about this?"

"While I know Officer Truman did provide proof that Matt, Michael, and James committed the crime," said Maria sternly, "I can't help but feel that those three are really innocent, and that Officer Truman was completely mistaken over who the culprit truly was."

"We see…" A second police officer, who was in the backseat, mumbled.

"When you put it that way, let's search the scene of the crime one more time," A third police officer, also in the backseat, suggested.

(outside…)

Maria and a couple of police officers got out of the two police cars and gazed at the burnt antique shop for a few seconds before beginning to search around the area, with Maria wondering if there was a security camera hanging somewhere inside or outside the building that recorded who really could have done the deed.

(elsewhere…)

Back inside the NYPD headquarters, Matt, Michael, James R., Zack, and David all remained within their jail cell. While the majority remained silent the best they could, Michael was pretty upset over being locked up.

"Dammit!" The lime green-haired young man cursed, slamming his fist in the wall angrily, "So this is how it ends for all of us… Our dueling careers are all but finished because we were arrested over someone else's crime."

"Dad was right, I should've listened," sighed David, sitting down in disappointment with himself.

Matt and James R. both looked rather down over the reality they were facing (in the former's case, he remained stoic about it). Zack, on the other hand, was in deep thought over something.

"Huh? What's with the silent treatment, Zack?" pondered James R..

"I'm just doing some thinking," explained Zack, with his arms folded, "It's about this whole tournament Rex is hosting."

"Rex's tournament?" repeated Matt.

"Yeah," nodded Zack, "I mean, why would he specifically invite us to participate? It couldn't be for the publicity. There must be a deeper reasoning behind it…"

No one said anything, and so the black-haired young man just closed his eyes and resumed his thinking. Eventually…

"Hold on!" James R. realized, causing Zack to open his eyes, "I think I might know Rex's reason for it… It's because he knows that Matt, Mike, Carlie, and I have the birthmarks of the Crimson Dragon!"

With that, he rolled up his pajama shirt's sleeve, revealing the birthmark (Tail) on his right forearm. Michael, who was wearing a sleeveless undershirt, merely looked at the birthmark (Wings) on his right forearm. Matt, still wearing his normal clothes minus the jacket, then looked at the birthmark (Head) on his own right forearm. David, meanwhile, recoiled in complete surprise by what he was hearing and seeing.

"(不可能!) Fukanō! (Impossible!)" David thought to himself, briefly speaking mentally in Japanese, "They…also have those birthmarks!"

"Hm? What's the matter, Dave?" wondered James R., when he saw David looking very shocked for some reason, "Did I say something that bothered you?"

"You all have the same birthmarks as I do!" cried Dave, pulling up his sleeve.

The aqua blue-haired boy showed his new friends the birthmark (Heart) on his right forearm.

"No way!" gasped Zack.

"Dave-!" added James R..

"That means you're…" realized Matt.

"…a Signer!" finished Michael, "You're one of the two remaining Signers we've been searching for!"

"Searching for?" pondered David, "Y-You mean you guys have been looking for me?"

"That would be right," confirmed James R..

"Now that we know you're the fifth Signer," agreed Matt, before holding his arms thoughtfully, "That just leaves who the possible sixth Signer could be, and where he or she might be at this time…"

Indeed, who was the sixth Signer?

(elsewhere…)

Back in the middle of Manhattan, Carlie (LP: 4000) was waiting to see what would happen next. Well, this was what happened…

"I activate the effect of 'Goyo Chaser'!" announced Paul (LP: 3700), "It gains 300 ATK for each EARTH Warrior Synchro Monster on the field (other than this card)," He pointed at the two remaining 'Goyo Defenders' on his field, "I have two copies of 'Goyo Defender', and they are EARTH Warrior Synchro Monsters! My 'Goyo Chaser's' ATK will increase by 600!"

'Goyo Chaser' grew much stronger (ATK: 1900 → 2500).

"Just remember," cut in Carlie, "the effect of 'Closed Plant Gate' prevents you from attacking until the end of your turn. You can't strike down any of my monsters at the moment!"

"Rrrgh… I hate stupid details…" grumbled Paul irritably, before taking a card from his hand and slotting it into his Duel Runner, "I'll Set one card face-down and end my turn!"

A face-down card ('Descending Lost Star') materialized on the field beside the Security Duel Runner (on its left) before fading away for later use.

"As of now, the effect of 'Closed Plant Gate' ends," proclaimed Carlie, before drawing a card, "Now, it's my turn!"

---

Turn Four: Carlie Izayoi (LP: 4000)
Deck: 49
Current Hand (2): "Lord Poison" and "Wonder Clover"

---

Her drawn card was a Spell Card called 'Wonder Clover', and the only other card in her hand was 'Lord Poison'.

"I could Summon 'Lord Poison' to help protect my LP," thought Carlie, "but the effect of 'Discord Counter' prevents me from Summoning monsters until the end of my turn."

Without much choice, moved her right hand to the Monster Zones of her Duel Runner and shifted the cards sideways. On the field, the three monsters immediately switched their battle stances to a more defensive one:
-'Dark Rose Fairy' (DEF: 800 → 1000)
-'Evil Thorn' (DEF: 100 → 300)
-'Evil Thorn' (DEF: 100 → 300)

"I switch my three monsters into Defense Position!" said Carlie, "From there, I'll end my turn!"

"I bet you do," taunted Paul, "Considering you can't Summon a monster this turn due to my 'Discord Counter'! All paths are blocked off for you!"

With that said, Paul drew a card.

---

Turn Five: Paul Truman (LP: 3700)
Deck: 52
Current Hand (2): "Synchro Gift" and "Vigilante Gata"

---

His drawn card was a Monster Card called 'Vigilante Gata'.

"You're just about done, Izayoi!" cackled Paul, placing his card onto his Duel Runner, "Come, 'Vigilante Gata'!"

Appearing onto the field was a small, robotic creature that slightly resembled a police wagon (Level: 3/ATK: 800/DEF: 800). It was something happened to the newly Summoned Tuner monster.

"I tune Level 3 'Goyo Defender' into Level 3 'Vigilante Gata'!" The voice of Paul finished.

'Vigilante Gata' responded by leaping up and turning into three Synchro Rings, which one of the remaining two 'Goyo Defenders' soared into before turning into three orbs of light as Paul was booming a Summon Chant…

"You who bares the fangs of a wild beast, seize your prey!" chanted Paul, as the symbols 3 + 3 = 6 were shown briefly just before the three orbs of light within the trio of Synchro Rings turned into a massive beam of light, "Synchro Summon! Level 6! 'Goyo Predator'!"

Appearing onto the field, as the Synchro Summon sequence ended, was the familiar humanoid beast-like warrior also wielding a lariat (Level: 6/ATK: 2400/DEF: 1200).

"Next, I'll Set one card face-down…" As Paul spoke, a face-down card materialized on the field in-front of his Security Duel Runner, while his second Set card also reappeared on the field, "…and activate the effect of my Continuous Trap, 'Terminal Countdown', to send it to the GY along with my face-down cards!"

The face-up 'Terminal Countdown' Trap Card and the two set cards each sparked for a few seconds before exploding, causing Carlie and Bloody Kiss to both get swept up in it (LP: 4000 → 2500).

"Now you have 2500 LP!" boasted Paul, as the smoke cleared away, "However, I'm not going to be able to damage you since your monsters are in Defense Position," He made a throat-cutting gesture using his right hand, "However, I'm gonna demolish them one-by-one until I get at your LP! 'Goyo Predator', attack 'Dark Rose Fairy'!"

'Goyo Predator' eagerly obeyed, twirling his lariat and throwing it towards 'Dark Rose Fairy', striking and causing her to shatter like glass.

"'Dark Rose Fairy'…" winced Carlie.

"Ah, but it's not going to remain gone!" teased Paul, "When 'Goyo Predator' destroys an opponent's monster by battle and sends it to the GY: I can Special Summon that monster to my field… Come to me, 'Dark Rose Fairy'!"

Suddenly, 'Dark Rose Fairy' reappeared on the field, only being bound by 'Goyo Predator's' rope.

"Now, I'll use your 'Dark Rose Fairy' to attack one of your 'Evil Thorns'!" proclaimed Paul.

'Goyo Predator' swung his rope about and threw 'Dark Rose Fairy' over to Carlie's field, striking one of the 'Evil Thorns' and destroying it.

"From there," Paul went on, "I'll attack your remaining 'Evil Thorn' with 'Goyo Defender'!"

'Goyo Defender' thrust his lariat towards the remaining 'Evil Thorn', causing another explosion to cloud the field. Soon after, Bloody Kiss and the Security Duel Runner both burst through the thick smoke.

"It's not over!" insisted Carlie.

"Oh? It's not over, you say?" said Paul mockingly, "How can it not be over? Your field is empty now! One direct attack by 'Goyo Chaser', and this duel is mine!"

"My field won't remain empty for too much longer! Resurrect, 'Revival Rose'!"

Much to Paul's surprise, appearing onto the field was a large rose with three eyes (Level: 4/ATK: 1300/DEF: 1300).

"What?! Did you-?" gawked Paul.

"If a face-up Plant monster(s) I control is destroyed while this card is in the GY: I can Special Summon this card from the GY," explained Carlie, "I sent this card to my GY using 'Frozen Rose' earlier on. That means I have one last line of defense for your attacks."

"Ngh… Your monster is done for!" exclaimed Paul, "'Goyo Chaser', destroy 'Revival Rose'!"

'Goyo Chaser' obeyed, striking and taking out 'Revival Rose' with his lariat.

"Now, I'll activate the effect of 'Goyo Chaser'!" continued Paul, "When this card destroys an opponent's monster by battle and sends it to the GY: I can Special Summon that monster to my field, but its ATK becomes halved," He then pointed at his opponent, "Your 'Revival Rose' is all mine now!"

Reappearing on the field (Paul's side) was 'Revival Rose' wrapped in 'Goyo Chaser's' rope (ATK: 1300 → 650).

"Now, 'Revival Rose', attack Izayoi directly!" ordered Paul.

'Revival Rose' was thrown towards Carlie, striking her and Bloody Kiss (LP: 2500 → 1850). The heavy damage sustained in this Battle Phase caused Bloody Kiss to slow down and allow the Security Duel Runner to catch up.

"Ha ha ha ha! Now your field is empty again!" bragged Paul with a dark laugh, "While I was not able to finish you off thus turn, I can most certainly do that on my next turn!"

"I hate to admit it, but he's right," thought Carlie, "He's wiped out my whole field of monsters, and has his own army of monsters ready to attack and finish me off on his next turn," She looked at her hand and then at her Deck, "I don't have a good enough card in my hand to help me right now, so I'll have to rely on my next draw to try and change all of that."

(elsewhere…)

Inside the main office of city hall, Rex, after checking the nearby clock on the wall, was getting ready to leave when his phone started ringing. Picking up the phone, he answered it.

"Governor Godwin speaking," answered Rex politely.

"Governor, this is Maria Strienhart of the NYPD calling," The voice of Maria was saying.

"Ms. Strienhart?" blinked Rex, surprised by the call from Maria of the NYPD, "Good evening—err, I mean morning—and what do I owe the please of you calling this late at night?"

"I think you'd better get over to the NYPD headquarters; I need to inform you on something we just found while checking out the burnt antique shop."

The gray-haired man listened on to the urgent request, and then hung up the phone before standing up from his desk with an unreadable look on his face. Whatever it was that Maria needed to tell or show him, it sounded pretty serious.

(elsewhere…)

Backi in the streets of Manhattan, both Bloody Kiss and the Security Duel Runner turned around another corner and onto yet another street.

"Izayoi, you're finished!" hollered Paul, "This duel is about to become mine! Just give it up!"

"Me, finished? Give up? Hardly," dismissed Carlie, "I'm not even close to being finished or even closer to giving up. Everyone knows that a True Duelist never gives up until the very last card is played."

Paul could only frown in annoyance over such a statement, while Carlie finally drew a card with a Destiny Draw.

"It's my turn!" she declared.

---

Turn Six: Carlie Izayoi (LP: 1850)
Deck: 48
Current Hand (3): "Lord Poison", "Wonder Clover", and "Red Rose Dragon"

---

Her drawn card was a Monster Card called 'Red Rose Dragon'.

"It's here!" thought Carlie, before placing the card onto her Duel Runner, "I Summon 'Red Rose Dragon'!"

Appearing onto the field was a small, dragon-like creature with red roses on its back (Level: 3/ATK: 1000/DEF: 1800).

"'Red Rose Dragon'?" pondered Paul.

"Not only that, I'll also activate a Trap, 'Synchro Material'!" continued Carlie, as her Set card reappeared on the field in-front of Bloody Kiss, flipped face-up and, revealed itself, "I must target 1 face-up monster my opponent controls; I can use that monster as Synchro Material this turn, as if I controlled it."

"One of my monsters?!" repeated Paul, "No way!"

"Yes way!" Carlie pointed out, before giving the final command, "I tune Level 4 'Revival Rose' into Level 3 'Red Rose Dragon'!"

'Red Rose Dragon' flew into the air and turned into three Synchro Rings, while 'Revival Rose', still binded on Paul's field, was shown struggling to break free from the effect of 'Goyo Chaser' and Tune with 'Red Rose Dragon'.

"No! Please don't break free!" begged Paul, "You're still mine!"

But, alas, it was no good; 'Revival Rose' ultimately broke free of its binds and dove into the three Synchro Rings in the air, turning into four orbs of light in the process as Carlie performed a familiar Summon Chant…

"Chilling flames engulf the entire world. Pitch-dark flower, set into bloom!" Carlie chanted in a surprisingly chilling tone (again), as the symbols 4 + 3 = 7 were shown briefly. From there, the four orbs of light within the three Synchro Rings turned into a massive beam of light, which slammed down over Bloody Kiss once more, "Synchro Summon! Appear now, 'Black Rose Dragon'!"

Appearing out of the beam of light and flying through the sky once again, was none other than 'Black Rose Dragon' (Level: 7/ATK: 2400/DEF: 1800). This time, Paul had nothing to stop this monster from destroying itself and destroying every other card on the field.

"I activate the effect of 'Red Rose Dragon'!" announced Carlie, taking a card from her Deck, "If this card is sent to the GY as Synchro Material: I can Special Summon 1 'Rose Dragon' monster from my hand or Deck, except 'Red Rose Dragon', then, if it was sent for the Synchro Summon of 'Black Rose Dragon' or a Plant Synchro Monster, I can also add 1 'Frozen Rose' or 1 'Blooming of the Darkest Rose' from my Deck to my hand."

From there, she laid the picked card ('Blue Rose Dragon') onto a Monster Zone on her Duel Runner.

"I Special Summon 'Blue Rose Dragon' from my Deck!"

Appearing onto the field was a dragon made from blue rose petals (Level: 4/ATK: 1600/DEF: 1200).

"Continuing from the effect of 'Red Rose Dragon'; because it was used for the Synchro Summon of 'Black Rose Dragon', I get to add either one 'Frozen Rose' or one 'Blooming of the Darkest Rose' into my hand," said Carlie, "However, I'm not going to do that. Instead, I'm going to activate the first effect of 'Black Rose Dragon'!" Looking determined, she pointed up into the sky at her ace monster, "When this card is Synchro Summoned: I can destroy all cards on the field!"

Paul looked very worried. From there, it finally began…

"Black Rose Gale!" The voice of Carlie hollered.

Obeying the command, 'Black Rose Dragon' let out a tremendous roar as a fierce wind began sweeping across the field. Soon, 'Black Rose Dragon' exploded into a swarm of rose petals, taking every other card on the field with it.

"All my monsters! They're gone!" cried Paul, bracing from the strong winds. When the wind ceased, he grinned cockily, "Though it doesn't matter, your 'Black Rose Dragon' destroyed itself and also wiped out your 'Blue Rose Dragon'! If I can draw a strong enough monster on my Draw Phase, I can attack you directly for the win!"

"Wrong," denied Carlie, "'Blue Rose Dragon's' effect disagrees with you there."

"'Blue Rose Dragon's' effect?"

"When this card on the field is destroyed and sent to the GY: I can target 1 'Black Rose Dragon' or 1 Plant monster in my GY; I must Special Summon that target," The brown-haired young woman reminded, "Now, return to me, 'Black Rose Dragon'!"

'Black Rose Dragon' returned to the field with a triumphant roar (Level: 7/ATK: 2400/DEF: 1800).

"Finally, from my hand, I'll activate a Spell Card!" yelled Carlie, holding a card ('Wonder Clover') out for a few seconds before slotting it into her Duel Runner, "'Wonder Clover'!"

The mentioned Spell Card flipped face-up in-front of Bloody Kiss and revealed itself. Now Paul was really scared.

"I must target 1 face-up monster I control and send 1 Level 4 Plant monster from my hand to the GY: During the turn, the targeted monster can make a second attack, but other monsters I control cannot declare an attack," explained Carlie, before holding a final card ('Lord Poison') and discarding it, "I'll target 'Black Rose Dragon' and send my Level 4 'Lord Poison' from my hand to the GY! Now, for this turn, 'Black Rose Dragon' is able to attack twice!"

"Ah no!" panicked Paul.

It was too late to beg for mercy, I'm afraid.

"Battle!" shouted Carlie, "Go forth, 'Black Rose Dragon'! Attack Officer Truman directly!" As she announced the attack name, 'Black Rose Dragon' was already charging up, "Black Rose Flare!"

'Black Rose Dragon' obeyed, firing a powerful blast of purple fire towards Paul and his Security Duel Runner, causing the stubborn officer to yell out from the major damage he took as a result of the attack's collision (LP: 3700 → 1300).

"And the final blow!" Carlie went on, "'Black Rose Dragon', attack directly again!"

Paul looked up with a seriously panicked look on his face, seeing 'Black Rose Dragon' about to attack him again.

"D-Don't-!" he pleaded.

Carlie ignored him, "The final attack!" she yelled out, as 'Black Rose Dragon' opened its mouth, "Black Rose Flare!"

From there, 'Black Rose Dragon' fired another blast of fire for the finishing blow, striking Paul's Duel Runner head on and causing the gruff police officer to holler in defeat (LP: 1300 → 0).

---

DUEL RESULTS: Carlie Izayoi wins!

---

To be expected, the Security Duel Runner's monitor repeatedly flashed the word 'Defeat' as the vehicle itself overheated and came to a complete stop. With Paul unable to pursue any further, Carlie was able to escape from her opponent on her Bloody Kiss.

"D-Damn…" stammered Paul, frustrated over being left behind, "She got away… Ugh! Why? Why does this keep happening to me?!"

I wish I knew the answer to that…

(elsewhere…)

Before long, Paul managed to return to the NYPD garage to park his Security Duel Runner after wheeling it for a few good blocks.

"Defeated by a girl…" he grumbled, "How humiliating! Oh well, at least that Fudo scumbag is still behind bars where he belongs. So, I guess the glass is half-full."

But I'm afraid that things were about to get much worse for Paul once he set foot inside the building.

(elsewhere…)

Inside one of the lunchrooms of the main headquarters, Paul set his helmet on the tablet before looking up…and noticing an angry-looking Maria with her arms folded staring at him, plus a disappointed-looking Rex standing beside her.

"Officer Strienhart?" blinked Paul, but then recoiled when he noticed Rex, "G-Governor Godwin! W-What brings you to the NYPD at this hour?"

"Officer Truman, what have we told you about jumping to conclusions?!" snapped Maria, letting her superior have it, "While you practically forced us to go arrest Matt Fudo and his friends, some of the more 'intelligent' officers stayed behind to review the security footage of the crime scene."

She then gestured to a nearby bench, where a small group of four delinquents were seated looking quite nervous. They were handcuffed to parts of the bench to make sure they couldn't escape. A small group of four other police officers were glaring firmly at the four troublemakers responsible for causing the fire.

"'They' were the ones who caused the fire at the antique shop!" revealed Maria, "Thankfully, I and a small squad managed to find out the truth while you and your own troops went chasing after those intruders."

"We're innocent, I tell you!" The group leader wailed pathetically, "We really didn't do anything! We have no memories of ever setting fire to a stinky old antique shop!"

A glare from Rex immediately shut him right up. Paul was a little stunned by what he was hearing, but still decided to bring up the same evidence he found that convinced him that Matt, Michael, and James R. were the ones behind starting the fire at that antique shop.

"Don't you remember their cards though?" reminded Paul, approaching the nearby table and picking up the 'Stardust Dragon' Synchro Monster Card, the 'Red Dragon Archfiend' Synchro Monster Card, and the 'Black-Winged Dragon' Synchro Monster Card before holding them out, "These were left behind at the scene of the crime! That means Matt, Michael, and James 'must' have done it!"

Rex stepped forward and examined the cards for a moment before frowning in disapproval over the sheer incompetence of Paul.

"Officer Truman, even a 'blind' person could tell that these cards are fake," Rex said firmly, shaking his head. He then tore the three cards up, "They were created by the 'real' criminals in order to make sure that you blamed Matt and his friends."

"F-Fake?!" gawked Paul, looking at the cards one more time, "These were-?"

"Paul Truman," began Maria, addressing her superior by his actual name and not as 'Officer (last name)', "because of you, at least four young men men and even a teenage boy were thrown in jail on false charges and the REAL criminals almost got away scot free, just like LAST time!" She was, of course, referring to the time Paul tried to arrest a child named Nicholas for a theft he wasn't responsible for, "Why the hell can't you ever 'learn' from your past mistakes?!"

"Well, judging from what I'm hearing now and after what Officer Strienhart told me before you came back, I'm pretty disappointed in you, too, Officer Truman," scolded Rex, arms folded, "When you first joined the police force in San Francisco, you took an oath—which is to 'protect' and 'serve', not to 'harass' and 'bully'."

Paul took a seat without a word.

"As a police officer, you of all people should know 'better' than to jump to conclusions before knowing the full story," The voice of Rex continued, as he and Maria faced Paul, "This entire misunderstanding could have been completely averted if you had just done your duties properly and…" He then looked nearby at the four arrested troublemakers, "…examined the security footage 'before' making an arrest."

"B-But I… I was only doing my duties!" argued Paul, practically cowering by this point.

"Even though you knew perfectly well what you were doing was wrong, you deliberately chose to do it, anyway," countered Rex, not letting up with the severe speech of his, "You were abusing your power all because of a petty grudge against Matt Fudo, and it will stop 'now'. In addition, I will warn you only once; if you EVER make this sort of mistake again, I'm afraid the consequences will be grave. Am I clear?"

Paul, without saying a word, looked highly subdued. Rex, on the other hand, took the silence as a promise to obey the warning. From there, Paul turned and left headquarters for his apartment. With the gruff police officer gone, Rex turned to Maria to make a request…

"Now, Officer Strienhart, can you take me to where Matt and his locked up friends are?" he requested politely.

"Right this way, sir," obeyed Maria, leading the way.

(elsewhere…)

Within one of the jail cells, Matt, Michael, James R., Zack, and David all sat or stood around. Before long, David looked up when he heard a creaking sound of sorts.

"Huh?" peeped David

"You alright there, Dave?" asked Michael, still standing with his arms folded.

"I thought I heard a sound outside our cell."

There was another creaking sound, which got the attention of everyone else. Soon, there was a clicking sound, and the cell door opened while revealing both Maria and Rex.

"Officer Strienhart?" pondered Matt, "And Godwin?"

"What's going on, now?" put in Zack.

"You're free to go now, gentlemen," announced Maria, "The misunderstanding has been cleared, and your innocence has been proven."

The captured males were left very surprised by that statement.

"Let's just say I wanted to check the scene for more clues," admitted Maria, clearing up her explanation a little bit, "While searching the area, I found something that Officer Truman nearly always seems to overlook when searching the scene of a crime; video surveillance footage."

"You mean we can leave?" pressed David hopefully.

Maria smiled, "Yes, you all are free," she acknowledged, before looking visibly disappointed with herself, "I only hope that you can find it in your hearts to forgive me for arresting you in the first place… Matt Fudo… Michael Atlas… James Hogan…"

"This isn't the first time a mistake of this magnitude was made, and something tells me it won't be the last either," insisted Matt, "Even then, we forgive you. Right, guys?"

"Right," agreed Michael.

"Of course!" winked James R. brightly.

"For sure," agreed Zack.

"Most certainly," finished David.

Maria felt relieved that the group of male duelists (and their friend) had forgiven her, and it was then Rex stepped forth and spoke to them…

"In light of this situation, I will issue pardons for you five plus your two other friends," he was saying, "Matt… you, David, James, and the King all will still be able to partake in my tournament."

"Two other friends?" repeated Zack, "You mean both Carlie and Lisa, as well—namely for helping Dave and I break into the NYPD headquarters?"

"That I do," confirmed Rex.

This brought some serious relief to Matt and the others. However, Michael, while happy he and his friends were pardoned, soon frowned with visible suspicion because he quickly remembered the conversation he had with his friends about Rex and the tournament while in the jail cell.

"Oh? King, why do you look unhappy?" pondered Rex, when he noticed that Michael didn't look pleased or something, "Aren't you happy that you and your friends have been cleared of the crime?"

"Don't get me wrong, I'm really glad about it," reassured Michael, before glaring hard at Rex, "However, I have a couple of questions for you," He then held his right arm (with the birthmark) out, "And they involve this!"

Rex raised an eyebrow over the statement. Matt, James R., and David each realized what Michael was trying to do and, after remembering their earlier conversation, held out their right arms (which had their respective birthmarks on 'em). Maria was extremely surprised, but Rex remained calm-looking and unfazed.

"We want to know what your true intentions are," said Michael sternly, "We've figured out why you invited us, and we deserve to know what you're really planning regarding the whole tournament."

Rex merely stared at the four duelists for what seemed like forever, before smiling and closing his eyes.

"I'm sorry, but I don't know what you could possibly be talking about," he denied.

"Don't play dumb!" snapped Michael, "Tell us the truth! What are your true intentions?!"

"Instead, let me ask you this; what makes you think I know anything?" pressed Rex, opening his eyes and glaring right back.

"It's pretty obvious," cut in Matt, "You invited us because we all possess the Dragon Birthmark. My birthmark is the 'Head'."

"Mine's of the 'Heart'," added David.

"I possess the 'Wings'," recalled Michael.

"And I have the 'Tail'," finished James R., "And Carlie has the marking of the 'Foot'. I think it's pretty obvious that you know we're Signers."

"S-Signers?" quizzed Maria, having never heard of this before.

Rex shook his head, "I'm afraid you won't get anything from me," The gray-haired man dismissed shortly, "Now, have a good night…"

From there, he walked away from the group.

(outside…)

A few minutes later, Matt, Michael, James R., Zack, and David all exited the police station.

"Well, that was a bust," sighed Zack.

"Maybe," remarked Matt, "However, Rex possibly knowing about our birthmarks is just an assumption that might carry some weight to it."

"Still, even though he helped us out, it would have been nice to get some answers!" complained James R., resting his hands behind his head.

Just then, the roar of a Duel Runner was heard, causing the fivesome to stand still as Bloody Kiss suddenly came screeching from around the nearby corner before stopping nearby. Removing her helmet, Carlie looked deeply relieved when she saw that her friends were safe and sound.

"Guys!" The brown-haired young woman called out.

"Carlie!" cried Zack, as he and the others ran over to see their friend.

"You're okay!" proclaimed David.

"I sure am," smiled Carlie, "I had to teach Officer Truman a little lesson after Lisa and I escaped."

"Speaking of Lisa, do you know where she is?" asked James R..

Carlie shook her head, "No idea," she replied, "Still, I'm pretty sure she can take care of herself. For now, let's return and let everyone else know all is well again."

"There's one more thing," said Matt, before gesturing towards David, "While we were in jail, we discovered that Dave here is one of the two remaining Signers."

"What?!" gasped Carlie, before looking at David, "Dave… Are you really-?"

"It would seem so," replied David, "We'll fill you in on the way back to the mansion."

Carlie remained stunned-looking over the truth of the aqua blue-haired boy, but recovered enough to nod in response.

(inside…)

Back inside the NYPD headquarters, Rex was preparing to leave so he could return to his apartment for some sleep when Maria ran up to him.

"Yes, Officer Strienhart? Is there anything else?" asked Rex slowly.

"B-Before you leave," panted Maria, about to bring up the reason why she stopped the governor, "there's something I forgot to mention…" When Rex said nothing, she continued, "It's about the security footage. When I watched it, I noticed something about those criminals… In it, their eyes looked rather dull as though they were in a sort of trance. And they had a strange purple glow on their arms."

That certainly got Rex's attention.

(elsewhere…)

Before long, the group of friends returned back to Discord's mansion in Queens. When the front doors opened up and they walked inside, there was an extremely big greeting from everyone else waiting for them.

"Everyone!" began Janice, being the first to notice the arrivals.

"Matt! Mike! James! Zack! Carlie! David!" added Mayura.

"We're so happy you're all okay!" finished Ren.

"We're all glad to be as such as well," agreed David.

It was then Sean noticed that somebody was missing…

"Wait a minute, where's Lisa?" he asked, "Wasn't she supposed to have come back with you guys?"

On cue…

"I'm baaaack!" announced Lisa, walking into the mansion.

"LISA!" Asagi, Mayura, and Juri each exclaimed at the same time.

Before she knew it, Lisa was tackled to the floor by her three best friends, who were both happy and relieved she was not hurt.

"Wow! You three missed me that badly, huh?" chuckled Lisa, being hugged tightly.

"We thought something awful happened to you!" wailed Asagi.

"Don't you ever scare us like that again!" put in Mayura.

"Well, not to worry; nothing bad has happened to me," Lisa reassured, as she was helped back up by Juri, "It'll take more than a few police officers to keep me down."

"What happened?" quizzed Janice curiously.

"Well, after the break in failed, Carlie and I were being chased by the police," explained Lisa, "We split up, and three of those officers were after me. And so, without much choice, I dueled the three in a one-on-three duel, and even though I was outnumbered I managed to defeat them!"

"You defeated three police officers all by yourself?" asked David in amazement, "Lisa-chan, are you being serious?"

"You're damn right, I am," confirmed Lisa proudly, "Was it difficult to win? It was, but I did succeed."

"Well now, that's impressive," admired Ren, "You were able to keep my son safe as you promised to."

Lisa then lost her confidence, "N-Not exactly…" she admitted, becoming ashamed, "I…actually failed in that part."

"Huh?"

Before the pink-haired girl could explain herself, David interrupted to confess his misdeed…

"During the failed rescue attempt, I chose to sacrifice myself and allow the officers to capture me so that the others could escape safely," explained David, "It wasn't Lisa-chan's fault, it was 'mine'."

"Dave…" whispered Lisa, surprised that David was defending her.

"I'm sorry, Dad… I knew that it was irresponsible of me to do something like that, but I wanted Lisa-chan and Izayoi-san both to get away safely," continued David, before finishing his sentence in Japanese, "(ごめんなさい!) Gomen'nasai! (I'm so sorry!)"

"If it helps in any way, Mr. Xadashi, I stayed behind with Dave as well," put in Zack, trying to defuse the situation.

"That he did," said David sadly, looking at Ren pleadingly, "You were correct all along Dad. I… I was a fool not to h-heed your words," His voice began to crack as his lips quivered and he tried to speak on, "B-B-Being detained, e-e-even in that manner… I was so s-s-scared…"

Seeing a few stray tears beginning to form in his son's eyes, Ren wordlessly brought David in for a hug, to which he accepted, hiccupping slightly. Everyone looked on worryingly at David, while Ren just allowed his son to cry softly and calm down on his own.

"Don't worry, David, it's all over, now," Ren reassured soothingly, "You're safe."

Slowly, David's sobbing began to subside and he looked up at Ren as the older man wiped a stray tear from his son's face.

"Feel better?" asked Ren.

David sobbed before answering, "Much," he confirmed, "Thank you, Dad."

Seeing their friend begin to perk up, the others smiled warmly at the affectionate display between Father and son.

"I bet it was scary," commented Lisa, walking up to David, "Being in prison is no fun, at all."

"It really isn't," agreed David, "But Fudo-san, Atlas-sama, Hogan-kun, and Zack-senpai were not scared at all. I cannot help but wonder how they obtained such nerves of steel."

"It's because we're all used to danger," answered Matt, "We've been experiencing such situations throughout our careers."

"If there's ever some time, we can tell you guys about some of our adventures," added James R..

"I would very much like that, Hogan-kun," accepted David.

"Oh, and Dave?" cut in Lisa, rather sweetly.

"Yes, Lisa-chan?"

*SMACK!*

The aqua blue-haired boy reeled back and clutched his cheek as he stared in surprise, while Lisa, who had slapped her friend across the face, became angry for some strange reason. Everyone else, meanwhile, looked pretty surprised from what they witnessed.

"That's for doing something stupid back at the station, you pervert!" snapped Lisa.

"T-That was an accident!" protested David, insisting that his accidental groping of his (female) friend was, as he put it, a freak accident, "Drake-san, I'm telling you I didn't mean to do that!"

"Accident?! Ha! I seriously doubt that! In fact, I bet you 'liked' it!"

"Um… Did we miss something here?" blinked Asagi in confusion.

"It's best not to ask," deadpanned Zack, who, along with Carlie, saw what happened back at the NYPD headquarters involving those two teenagers, "Just take my word for it."

As they all watched David and Lisa begin to argue, the rest of the party wisely agreed not to dwell on it.

(elsewhere…)

Back outside the NYPD headquarters…

"As I mentioned, those criminals had a strange purple glow on their arms," The voice of Maria was explaining.

(inside…)

Inside one room of the headquarters, Maria was holding up the same video tape containing the recorded footage of the four delinquents. She already played it once before, but Rex hadn't seen it at the time. Speaking of Rex, he was seated in the nearby chair waiting for Maria to play the recorded footage.

"Unfortunately," continued Maria, "I couldn't make out what the glowing was all about."

"I wish to see it for myself," Rex requested, "Put it on."

Obeying the order from the governor, Maria inserted the tape into the player and turned the TV set on, causing footage of the crime scene to play. In the video, the four delinquents were shown vandalizing the antique shop before setting fire to it and leaving three fake cards behind. As mentioned earlier by Maria, the four criminals seemed to have rather dulled eyes, as though they were in a sort of trance. And just like Maria also mentioned, their left arms were glowing a shade of purple.

"Could you perhaps enlarge the footage, please?" asked Rex.

Maria nodded and pressed a button on the player, causing the footage on the TV set to zoom in a bit. Rex frowned a little bit.

"Enlarge it one more time?" he suggested quickly.

From there, Maria pressed the button once more, causing the footage to zoom in even closer. Thanks to this, Rex could clearly make out the glowing symbol on each right forearm of the delinquents… The symbols were of a spider. The sight seemed to surprise Rex quite greatly.

"Governor? What's wrong?" peeped Maria, when she noticed the stoic, almost curious, look on Rex's face. She then turned and shut both the TV and player off, "Are you alright, sir?"

"O-Oh… Yeah… yes, I'm fine," sighed Rex, standing back up, "I will say that was some good work you did, tonight," He then turned to leave, "Now, I must be going. Have a good night, Officer Strienhart."

"Good night, Governor," bowed Maria, as she watched Rex leave. Then, when she was alone, she had a thought about the delinquents she and her squad had caught, "Those boys said they had no memory of doing the deed… Perhaps I'd better have a talk with them later on when the sun rises."

(outside…)

Outside the NYPD headquarters, Rex was walking up to the nearby limo with a ton on his mind—namely about what he saw from the security footage.

"It has begun," he murmured seriously to himself, beginning to climb into the limo when the suit opened the door for him, "They are beginning to make themselves known in a way…"

'Themselves'? 'They'? What did those foreshadowing words even mean? Did Rex know of something that nobody else knew of, and did he actually foresee that antique shop being set on fire along with Matt, Michael, and James R. each being framed for the crime? And what exactly were his reasons for inviting Team 4D's to compete in the tournament? Were they regarding not only the dragons, but also the birthmarks Team 4D's and David all had? At this point, it was unknown as to what Rex was thinking about. For now, he would have his tournament continue and see what the end results of it would be.