"Look closer. Because the more you think you see. The easier it'll be to fool you." said someone as a person was shown with a deck of cards; they were constantly shuffling them and moving the deck about in different shapes and sizes. "Because... what is seeing? You're looking, but what you're really doing is filtering. Interpreting. Searching for meaning. My job... to take that most precious of gifts you give me. Your attention. And use it against you."

The person shuffled the deck of cards as they were shown sideways. They then flicked the hand holding the deck as a card jumped, and the person grabbed the card with their other hand as its backside was facing the camera. The person flipped it over to reveal the card before flipping it over again to reveal the actual card the audience was thinking of.

"Do I have your attention now?" said the person as they stepped into the spotlight to reveal the World Champion.

Audience sounds began to be heard as it was revealed to be a broadcast. Roll was in her dorm as she was watching a broadcast of her father, who was currently interviewing for a TV station and had decided to entertain the audience and the viewers with a little bit of magic. The teen smiled as she saw her father being the showman that he was and making others smile.

"Hey, Roll!"

"Hey, Sunny!" stated the girl as she saw her friend enter her place.

"What are you watching?" asked Sunny.

The girl sat next to her friend as she looked at the TV. She was amazed to see Isaac as he stood before a TV audience and was preparing to do a magic trick.

"What is magic? Our argument: nothing but targeted deception. So I want you to look. Look as closely as possible. Because the tricks you are about to see may not seem connected. But I assure you, they are. Is what follows 100 different tricks... or is it one giant illusion?"

The lights dimmed briefly, and when they came back on, Isaac was shown with a spotlight on him. The man put his hands together and began to pull them apart as in between them, bubbles were forming. The farther and farther apart he had his hands out, the bigger and bigger the bubble got. Soon, the stage was filled with bubbles that amazed the audience and TV host as they saw all the objects floating about. Isaac then snapped his fingers as the bubbles popped and turned into drizzle rain, sprinkling the audience.

"Now, I hope you all enjoyed that trick because what I'm about to do next will blow your mind," stated Isaac with a smile as behind him, some stage crew were bringing out a table and some chairs. "Now then, if I could please have two volunteers from the audience. Who would like to take part in this next trick?"

Some audience members began to raise their hands and voice their enthusiasm for wanting to be part of the World Champion's trick.

"Love the enthusiasm. Alright, um. Let's go with the gentleman in the green shirt and the woman wearing the blouse. Would you please come up here?" said Isaac as the two participants he selected were helped by the stage crew and guided through the aisleway toward the stage.

"Now, I want to confirm this with the folks at home. We've never met, correct, ma'am?" asked Isaac.

"That's correct."

"Well, in that case, what's your name?"

"Rachel."

"Rachel. What a lovely name. And you, sir?" asked Isaac as he turned left.

"Butch."

"Butch, a pleasure to meet you," stated the World Champion as he shook his hand. "Alright! Now that introductions are out of the way let's get on with the trick!"

The audience applauded as Isaac and the two audience members were at the table. On the table was a deck of cards; the World Champion grabbed it and held it in his hand as he began to speak.

"Now, believe it or not, I have found that how people shuffle cards depends on which part of the world they've come from. Now... we have 52 playing cards; we've taken the jokers out," said Isaac, spreading the deck for all to see. "Now, I don't know if you have a preferred way of shuffling the cards, but I'd like to give you, Rachel, about half the cards, and I'd like you to mix them up as much as you like."

The World Champion picked up all the cards and gave half of the deck to the woman as she began to mix them up in her hands.

"And you can mix them up too, Mr. Butch. In fact, if you would, can you wash them here on the table? Like this." asked Isaac as he put the other half of the cards all face up and began to clump them up like he was washing dishes. The man nodded as he continued to do what was asked.

"The hardest part is collecting them all," chuckled Isaac as he scooped up the cards from the man. "So we're going to square all these cards up. And you feel those are pretty well-shuffled for yourself?" asked Isaac to the woman as she shook her head.

"Okay. Now, I'm going to spread these face-up. And Ms. Rachel, I will take your cards and spread them face down. Now, I'm going to do a crazy shuffle." stated Isaac as before him it was shown that one-half of the cards were spread faced up and the other was spread faced down. "And I'm going to shuffle them together. But- before I push them in, I want you to see the state they're in. All right, very well mixed up."

On the table, both sides were against each other as it followed a pattern of face down, face up, face down, face up, etc...

"Now, Ms. Rachel, can you please take your hand and place it like this?" asked Isaac as he gestured for the woman to position her hand as he instructed. "And can you take your hand and place it above?" instructed Isaac to the man. "And now press them together."

The two adults pushed the cards together as they were pressed into a row pile.

"That way, you not only see them down the line, but you actually feel them being shuffled. Working so effortlessly! Perfect!" said Isaac as he turned to look at the woman. "Now, Ms. Rachel. Would you say those are really well-mixed?"

"Yeah," said the woman.

"Now, I'll say this. There's only one other shuffle that mixes the cards in a more thorough way. And this is a shuffle that children and drunks prefer."

The audience laughed after hearing Isaac's comment. The World Champion smiled as he dropped all the cards he held as they fell onto the table in a giant mess, with a few falling on the floor.

"Like that. We even dropped some on the floor, but it doesn't matter. The cards are completely mixed up. In fact, why don't you two get in there and feel like a kid again?" suggested Isaac as he motioned for the two adults to start washing the cards as they did what was asked. "Mix them up. Face down, face up, it doesn't matter. So... now we'll collect them. I will gather the cards together, and now... this is my favorite part! Even though the cards have been thoroughly mixed, they're mixed. I'm gonna find your two cards, which is really impressive because you haven't picked them yet."

The audience was engaged as Isaac fanned the cards out again, now a mix of face-up and face-down cards.

"So let's do this. I'll go through here, face-up or face-down. Here's what I'd like you to do, Ms. Rachel. Reach in here and grab one, face-up or face-down. It's your choice." assured Isaac as the woman picked a faceup card. It was the Ace of Clubs.

"Thank you so much. Truthfully, it doesn't matter what the card is. If I know what it is, it's okay." said Isaac as he saw the card the woman picked, but it didn't seem to matter. "What matters is which way you take it out. Now, Mr. Butch. You do the same. Pick a card, either face-up or face-down."

The man reached into Isaac's fanned-out cards as he pulled out another face-up card. It was the three of clubs.

"Now, you both can put your cards back in however you like. Face-up or face-down, it's completely up to you," stated Isaac as the woman slid her card into his fanned-out hand, face-up. "And now, you, Mr. Butch. Face up or face down?"

"Face down," said the man as he slid his card in the way he mentioned into the fanned-out hand.

"Okay. So we'll leave it sticking out there until the last moment," said Isaac as he ran through each of the cards in his hand until he reached the end and straightened them into a single pile. "Now look, at this point, some cards are face up, and some are face down. Look, I'm not even going to touch them. I'm gonna let them sit there."

Isaac now set the cards down on the table.

"And if I let them sit there, they start to move on their own. They start to move on their own and turn over so that every card faces the same way. Every card is faced up..."

The audience and the two participants looked at Isaac with some confused looks. They didn't seem to believe the duelist as he had a smile on his face.

"Except for one-"

Isaac began to fan the cards out as almost all of the cards before he stopped halfway faced up except for a sole card.

"Except for two-"

Isaac finished fanning out the second half of the deck as true to his word; there was another card among the face-ups as it was facing the opposite direction. The two adults were starting to lose their minds, and the audience was shocked as Isaac grabbed the two cards face down.

"The only two face-down. And, hopefully, lucky for me, they are your two cards!" said Isaac as he revealed them as they were the ones that the man and woman picked.

The entire audience lost it as they couldn't believe what they had just seen. The man and woman nearly fell out of their seats as they were amazed to see the insane magic trick that Isaac did, as it did indeed feel like magic. They were at a loss for words as they soon applauded the World Champion and the studio audience and TV host as Isaac took a bow.

Sunny and Roll, who had been watching the TV, all smiled and applauded as they, too, were impressed by the magic trick of the World Champion.

"Wow. Your father really is an entertainer. When he decides to retire finally, he might have a career in show business." stated Sunny.

"Yeah," said Roll as she smiled, looking at the screen of her father.

While the girls were watching TV, another thing was happening on campus. Pink clouds with sparkles appeared as they cleared off to show someone, a magician, floating in front of a crowd of students.

"Behold. The awesome power of The Great Houdini!" announced the boy to the crowd, which was only three other students looking at their phones while feeling bored with Izzy there. Izzy waved to the magician on her scooter.

"Oh, hey, Rufus!" Izzy greeted her classmate with a wave of her hand and a smile.

Rufus continued his magic tricks.

"Oh, that he floats in the air! Yes, as he levitates objects." He said as he floated around while lifting a bunch of bushes and plants in a pot as he spoke to the students below. "How does he do it? It's miraculous!" He announced as he gave the teens below a smile.

"Wow!" Izzy cheered with a smile, awed at his tricks.

"He clearly uses his wires." One of the students in the middle blankly said, clearly seeing through his fake magic tricks. They soon walked off as they didn't seem interested in Rufus' illusions and fake magic.

Rufus dropped his allusions as it revealed he was using wires to float as he gave a down depression. "Ugh. Who am I kidding." He said to himself as he lowered himself back to solid ground. "Nobody is interested in my tricks."

Izzy then came zooming right in front of him. "WHAT?! That can't be true, Ruf…" She stops when she is about to say his real name before going to his magician's name. "...I mean Houdinit." She said with a smile as she placed a hand as the two teenagers gave out flashbacks to when Rufus gave out his magic shows.

(Flashback)

Rufus took off his hat in front of two of his classmates and waved his hand a bit as he took an irritated rabbit out of his hat by the ears with his arms crossed. The two students gave an unamused, bored expression, clearly not impressed. The bunny shook around awhile to get free; once it did, it gave an irritated critter noise at Rufus for using him for tricks as he hopped away. Rufus gave a sheepish smile at his two classmates.

In the next flashback, Rufus was shown doing the trick on a girl by picking a flower from behind her ear. The girl rolled her eyes as she wasn't impressed and stomped away. Rufus just looked on with a sad look as the flower in his hand died out.

Rufus was then on a stage as he gestured to an apple on a crate; he then raised his hand, which levitated off the crate and floated into the air. Rufus then looked behind him as another student was shown levitating a table into the air; it was much more impressive than the boy could do.

(End of Flashback)

"See? I'm all washed up," said Rufus as he felt his time as a magician was over.

Izzy gave her classmate a sympathetic look, feeling bad for him.

"Come on, Rufus. Don't give up. Whenever I try to grow plants, it takes forever when I forget to water them, and they all die." She added while recalling that when she tries to grow plants, she doesn't take good care of them when they take forever to grow but keeps forgetting to water them, and once she adds too much, they die out.

"What's the use? All I got is my tricks. Now they belong in the garbage dump." said Rufus as he could see that nobody else was interested in seeing his magic. The boy lowered his head in depression.

"Lucky for you, my specialty is giving you all kinds of things a second chance," said Izzy as she informed Rufus.

The pair made it to Izzy's scooter as the girl opened her compartment.

"See? Garbage..." said Izzy as she took out a bike steering piece she collected before twirling it around. "... Into a fabulous... uh?" She stopped briefly before thinking of how she pictured the bike steering piece. "Bow tie!" The teen announced as she bent the bike steering piece into a bow tie. "Ta-da!" The girl cheered as she placed the bent metal bowtie on Rufus, but then the boy fell to the ground with a yelp from the weight.

"Little heavy," pointed out Rufus with a little strain that the bowtie was too heavy to lift.

Izzy then got in between their faces as their cheeks smoosh together. "Come on! We're going to turn you into something new and awesome, too!" She cheered that she would make Rufus feel special again.

"My target audience is mainly young adults and others. I have a growing fan base on social media, and I'm looking to expand my reach through different channels. Can you tell me more about your current sponsorship deals and obligations?" asked Ms. Haven as she was on a video call.

"My client is currently signed to his latest sponsorship deal. Besides, my client wants to grow his brand and provide financial support for his training and competitions," responded Juniper Montage.

"We can definitely help with that. Our sponsorship packages include financial support, marketing, and promotion. We also offer exclusive merchandise and events for our sponsored athletes. Can you tell me more about your upcoming competitions and events?"

"My client currently has several competitions coming up in the next few months, including some international events. He also plans to attend conferences and events to network and build our brand."

"That's great. We can help you with promotion and sponsorship activation at these events. We can also provide exclusive merchandise and apparel to wear during your competitions. Can you tell me more about his long-term goals and plans?" asked Haven.

"Mr. Isaac's long-term goal is to become the best professional duelist and compete at the highest level. He's also interested in building and starting his own Duel Monsters-related school in the future. He wants to provide a place where new and upcoming duelists can learn the ways of the game." said Juniper.

"That's very ambitious. We can help you with branding and business development as well. Our flexible sponsorship packages can be tailored to your needs and goals. Would you like to see some examples of our previous sponsorships and athletes?" stated Haven as a nearby assistant went off to fetch the paperwork.

"Yes, that would be great. I'm excited to see what you can offer and how we could potentially work together," stated Juniper.

"Excellent. Let me show you some of our success stories and packages, and we can discuss the details and next steps. Thank you for considering us for sponsorship, and we hopefully look forward to working with you."

"Likewise," said Juniper as she pushed the end video call button.

The agent sighed as she turned around and looked at her client, who was listening to the conversation between the two businesswomen. The World Champion was leaning against a wall with his arms crossed as he looked at his agent.

"So?"

"It seems everything checks out. Everything she's mentioned is 100% honest. She does want to sponsor you in hopes that your name value can help boost her company." said Juniper. "She's offering a decently sized package."

"You know money is not a top priority to me, Juniper. Besides, as you said, there are some things that I want to do."

"And she seems to be fully behind it. I don't want to sway you, Isaac. But this might be the best deal you've ever gotten in your career." said Juniper.

"So it seems," responded the World Champion with a sigh.

"We still have other commitments to finish before considering this sponsorship. Let's focus on that for now," said Juniper.

"Right," stated the World Champion.

The two then prepared to leave as they had some commitments that they had to take care of. Meanwhile, nighttime had fallen far away in a secluded area, as the only light shown was from the moon above. It proved useful for a certain individual with a goal; he then started jumping through the trees as he closed in on his destination. He was able to gain enough height as he leaped over the security gate with ease. He then snuck back into the shadows as two guards passed on patrol. Once they left, he quickly went through a small vent and followed it to his desired room. He then saw the room he was looking for, and there it was, hidden behind a thick glass. He then used a small device; it sprayed and revealed tons of little lasers surrounding the object inside the case.

"At long last, we've finally found it," The stranger smashed the glass as the alarms went off, and the guards started making their way to his position.

"Hold it right there!" shouted a guard.

The intruder began to book it as he managed to slip away from the guard. The intruder met up with comrades as all four cloaked individuals began to run through the dead of night as they exited. The thief was long gone when the guards figured out what had occurred. They then did a perimeter sweep to see if he was still there; the head guard came in and saw a few of his comrades talking with each other. Then the lieutenant approached him, explained the situation, and asked him what they should do.

"Inform HQ. The boss will want to hear this."

"At once, sir."

"… police have yet to ascertain how the unknown individual could access the building without being caught on security cameras or tripping the alarm. Thankfully, nobody seems to have been hurt during last night's break-in. According to authorities, no hazardous substances that could threaten public safety have been stolen. Asked what the ultimate goal of the robber might have been, the captain declined to speculate, citing the ongoing investigation. We will update you on this story as more information becomes available. For Canterlot News Radio, this is Wallflower Blush."

"Hmm."

"Zipp? Zipp! ZIPP!" shouted Pipp.

"Huh?" said the older sibling as she looked at her little sister.

"I have been asking you if you want extra cheese on your pizza for, like, ten minutes!" stated Pipp as she was placing an order for them and their friends when she noticed her sister was thinking to herself. "What's up with you?"

"Oh. Sorry. Just thinking about the news report of something being stolen," said the girl.

"Ugg. Seriously?" said Pipp as she looked at her older sister.

"I just have this weird feeling that it might be dangerous," said the athletic teen.

"That's just the stuff they say to draw attention. You want to pluck at people's minds. Remember what Mom always says: Perception is reality." stated Pipp. "Besides, you heard the report nothing hazardous that could threaten public safety was stolen. So relax, I'm sure the thief will be caught."

"Maybe," said Zipp as she looked out the window.

"...We will update you on this story as more information becomes available. For Canterlot News Radio, this is Wallflower Blush."

Isaac and Juniper were also listening to the new report from the limo's radio. The pair were heading to their next appointment when the radio was turned on, and they heard the breaking report.

"Hmm," mumbled the World Champion as he began to also think about the thief that occurred. While the report said nothing dangerous was stolen, there was something he was thinking about.

"Isaac? Are you okay?"

"I don't know... I have this weird feeling in my stomach."

"You don't think-"

"That's what I'm afraid of. Let's hope I'm wrong," said the World Champion.

The limo stopped as the pair got out. They had arrived at the Baltimare Morning News studio as the World Champion would be on the show as a semi-host/interviewer. The pair entered the building as Juniper got to work on getting her client ready for the cameras. After some time in the makeup department, the morning show began to go live on the air as Isaac walked out onto the stage and in front of the cameras. The audience cheered as the World Champion appeared before them as he waved and played to the crowd.

"I can only imagine how lucky your wife must be," said the female host.

"Well, stick around, everybody. Coming up, we have a special celebrity chef showing us how to make his special family recipe!" stated the male host as the camera cut to the commercial.

Once the live feed was cut, Isaac stood up and shook the hands of the hosts as he was looking to stick around for a bit longer before heading out. With everyone taking five, Isaac approached Juniper as she adjusted her client's appearance and handed him a bottle of water.

"Great work as always," said Juniper.

"Well, I have a good PR team," said Isaac as he looked at his agent. "I'm gonna step out to get some air. Be back in a bit."

The World Champion made his way to the side exit as he stepped outside into an alley. He began to walk down the alley a bit as he came across an alleycat on top of a dumpster; the animal spotted the human as it initially hissed at him for showing up in its territory before it got a sniff of the human and ceased hissing. Isaac smiled as he approached the dumpster to lean on it; he looked at the cat, which allowed him to pet it.

"Hey, girl," said Isaac as he scratched the cat's head and ears, which resulted in a soothing purr. He then reached into a pocket of his unzipped hoodie and pulled out a treat for the cat as she began to eat it.

"So, how's it hanging?" asked the World Champion to the cat.

"Meow."

"I see. Word of advice: there's a fish market near the harbor where you can get tons of leftover fish," said Isaac as the cat seemed to like that idea.

"Meow."

"Go down Central Avenue, do a left turn, and once you smell the scent of fish, you'll know you're going the right way."

"Meow."

The cat thanked the human as it approached him and rubbed its body along his arm and chest while Isaac scratched its ears one last time. The feline then jumped from the dumpster and began to head down the alleyway to the streets as it began to head toward the harbor. The World Champion smiled at seeing the feline leave as he pulled out his phone and began to send a text.

Hey, did you hear?

Isaac sent the text as he put his phone away. Once the message was sent, the World Champion began to head back to the studio; as the World Champion was heading back to the door, someone wearing a cloak appeared as they stood before the man.

"Can I help you?" said Isaac as he stuck his hands in his pockets and looked at the figure.

"You have something that we desire," said the cloaked figure as another person who was the person's comrade also appeared behind him.

"Is that right?" responded the World Champion. "Well, I'm a busy man, so if you want to make an appointment, you'll have to talk to my agent."

"We are not leaving until we get what we came for!" said the cloaked figure as he revealed a Duel Disk on his arm.

"So you want to play it like that, huh? Fine," said Isaac as he pulled out his Duel Disk and strapped on the rectangular device as it projected a golden card tray.

"This duel will be unlike any you've experienced before, Champion!" said the cloaked figure as he held out a pendant as it began to shine.

The light from the pendant shined as Isaac put a hand up to dim the brightness; the light created some barrier that surrounded the two duelists. The barrier made some of the nearby trash fly due to its power; it soon died down as the pendant the cloaked figure held now glowed with a symbol. Seeing the symbol made the World Champion realize how drastic this situation was.

"This isn't my first time dealing with Shadow magic, and it won't be my last!" said Isaac. "Get ready because it's time to duel!"

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said their Duel Disks.

Isaac's Life Points: 8000-
?'s Life Points: 8000-

Turn 1: Isaac (Hand 5)

"I'll begin," said Isaac as he drew his card. "I'll start by summoning Beta the Magnet Warrior(1700/1600)! And place one card facedown!" His monster appeared before him as a single card appeared behind the creature.

"And I'll end my turn there," stated Isaac.

Turn 2: ? (Hand 5)

"Prepare to experience a power that will have you quaking!" said the cloaked figure as he drew his card. "I play the field spell, Insect Hive!" The entire field inside the barrier began to transform as all around were hives upon hives of insects as a few crawled about. "With this field spell, all my Insect creatures gain 500 extra attack points. And that will benefit me greatly because I summon Pheromone Wasp(800/800)!" A wasp appeared, letting out a buzzing sound before it powered up from the field spell(800 → 1300).

"And set two cards facedown!"

Turn 3: Isaac (Hand 4)

"Very well, my move! Now, Beta, crush his Pheromone Wasp!" instructed Isaac as his monster rushed forward.

"I don't think so! You just activated my trap! A handy little card called Mimesis!" said the cloaked figure as his facedown flipped up. "It allows me to trade in my insect monster for another one! So I get to choose which monster your Beta attacks! And now, my Pheromone Wasp... return to my hand! And my Parasite Caterpillar will take its place!"

The insect the mysterious figure had before him turned into a white light as it disappeared. Soon, another light appeared as it took the shape of another monster and revealed Parasite Caterpillar(800 → 1300).

"Not that! It has the power to infect my monster!" said Isaac as he knew about the card.

Isaac's monster took out the insect as the cloaked figure laughed evilly.
?'s Life Points: 7600-

"You're absolutely right! Your Beta has been infected!" said the figure as Isaac's monster began to feel weaker and inflicted with some poison. "And they call you the World Champion? How can you be a Champion if you rush head into an attack without a plan?"

"It takes more than just attack points to win," replied Isaac.

Turn 4: ? (Hand 3)

"My move and this next insect should look familiar. It's Pheromone Wasp!" said the cloaked figure as he replayed his first monster, which got the power boost.

His Parasite Caterpillar has infected my only monster! That means it's no longer able to defend my Life Points!

"Go, my Pheromone Wasp!" instructed the cloaked figure as he had his monster go in for a direct attack.

The wasp flew toward Isaac's side of the field as it flew by his monster and went straight for the World Champion. He covered up, but upon being attacked by his opponent's monster, he suddenly felt actual pain. He wasn't expecting that as it caused him to drop to a knee as he clutched his arm.
Isaac's Life Points: 6700-

"I warned you this time of duel will be different. When you take damage, it becomes real!" snickered the cloaked figure as their pendant glowed, and the reflection of Isaac appeared on its surface. "And I'm far from done. Because attacking you directly just activated his special ability! Which means my wasp allows me to summon any insect monster in my deck directly to the field! And I know just who I'm going to choose! I summon a leech known as Leghul(300/350)!"

A fanged worm appeared as it looked at the World Champion before being powered up by the field spell in play(300 → 800).

"Then I'll activate the spell card, Insect Barrier! This barricade provides the perfect protection against any insect monster you try to attack with!" said the cloaked figure as he strengthened his defenses. "And because my Parasite has infected your Beta, it makes him part insect! And that's not all! He's slowly transforming into a new creature known as Poison Butterfly! And while it may have 2700 attack points... it can't hurt me thanks to my Insect Barrier. And since it can't attack or defend, it's virtually useless!"

Turn 5: Isaac (Hand 6)

"Alright! My move!"

Meanwhile...

"Going live in three, two..." said the show director.

"Welcome back, everyone. And now it's time for Hey, Good Cookin'!" said the male host as he began their cooking session. "Now, we were going to be joined by the World Champion you all saw earlier in the show, but he seems to have disappeared. But moving on-"

"Where's Isaac?" said Juniper as she found it strange her client wasn't back.

The woman excused herself and took off her headset to give to an assistant as she went to find the World Champion. She reached the side door exit, pushing it open to enter the alleyway. Juniper walked about the alleyway until she soon saw Isaac dueling against the mysterious cloaked figure.

"Isaac!" called out the woman.

"Juniper!" said the duelist.

She was unaware of the cloaked figure's ally as he came behind the woman and grabbed her while restraining her. Juniper tried to break free but couldn't escape her attacker's grip.

"Let her go!" shouted Isaac as he stepped forward, only for the cloaked figure to put his arm out as he signaled his comrade to cover Juniper's mouth to stop her from screaming for help.

"If you want no harm to come to the girl, then continue with the duel!" threatened the cloaked figure as he was in charge.

Isaac gritted his teeth as he had no choice but to comply with the mysterious figures as he didn't want any harm to come to Juniper.

"Juniper, are you alright?" asked Isaac to his agent.

"I'm good," said the woman as she freed her mouth to let her client know she was okay.

"Good," said Isaac, relieved, knowing she didn't suffer any harm. He then turned his attention back to the cloaked figure he was battling as his glare intensified. The mysterious figure laughed as it seemed to annoy the World Champion. "What's so funny?"

"Take a look at your Beta, the Magnet Warrior! He's just not himself anymore!" said the cloaked figure. A light surrounded Isaac's monster. When it died down, his monster was gone, and in its place was a cocoon.

He transformed my only monster into a cocoon. He must be planning to hatch another insect monster.

Isaac looked at his hand before selecting a card, "I play Polymerization. Allowing me to fuse my Gaia the Fierce Knight with my Curse of Dragon to form Gaia the Dragon Champion(2600/2100)!" The two monsters combined as the warrior appeared riding on the dragon's back. "Now, Gaia, attack!"

"Hold on! You just triggered my trap. DNA Surgery!" shouted the cloaked figure with a snicker as his other facedown flipped up.

"No!" said Isaac as his eyes widened upon seeing that card.

"Thanks to this trap, it lets me change every monster on the field into an insect, including your Dragon Champion!" said the cloaked figure as Isaac's monster began to mutate as insect-like features began to sprout out of his monster. "And as you know, my Insect Barrier blocks all insect attacks." Soon, several lasers appeared before the cloaked figure's monster as Isaac's monster backed off.

Whoever this person is has me trapped. Now, every monster I summon becomes a bug, so long as his Insect Barrier is in play, none of my attacks will get through.

"Come on, Isaac. You can win; don't let him rattle you!" shouted Juniper as she encouraged her friend.

"I end my turn," said the World Champion.

Turn 6: ? (Hand 3)

"Now, then," said the cloaked figure as he drew his card and looked at it with a smile. "I activate this little nifty magic card, Cell Division. And I'll use it on my Leghul!" The monster appeared as it split into two, with the second one gaining the power boost from the field spell. "Thanks to my Cell Division card, I have two leeches for the price of one."

"If you actually thought I'd be frightened by a monster with a mere 800 attack points, you're sadly mistaken," said Isaac with a smile to show he wasn't afraid.

"Ha ha ha! I'm disappointed. I thought you, of all people, would recognize a good strategy. But I guess what I heard about you is true."

"And what is that?" asked Isaac.

"Let's just say when we get what we came for, our boss will be pleased."

"Please, you don't stand a chance against, you little cockroach!" said Juniper to the cloaked figure, as she knew how tough her client was.

"Why, thank you. The roach is one of the strongest insects alive," replied the cloaked figure to Juniper's comments.

"Alright, then prove it," stated Isaac.

"Yeah, if you're so tough, then show us what you've got and stop talking about it!" shouted Juniper as she was restrained.

"Very well," snickered the cloaked figure. "I sacrifice my Pheromone Wasp and my second copy of my Leghul in order to summon my Insect Queen(2200/2400)!" The cloaked figure's two monsters vanished as a much larger female bettle appeared as it had a human face with antennas(2200 → 2700).

"Long live the Queen!"

"Ugh," said Juniper, disgusted at seeing the monster.

"And let's not forget about her highness's special ability. She receives a whopping 200 extra attack points for every insect monster on the field. Ha ha ha!" chuckled the figure(2700 →3500).

"Now, it's the strongest creature in play," stated Isaac.

"Yes, but before it attacks, I've got a surprise. Leghul, sick 'em!" instructed the cloaked figure. The fanged worm leaped and bypassed Isaac's monster as it took a bite out of the World Champion, who felt another stinging pain on his arm.
Isaac's Life Points: 5900-

"Wasn't that a nice surprise? It bypasses your defenses and strikes you directly," chuckled the figure. "Now that it's served its purpose, I'll sacrifice my Leghul so my Queen can attack." Insect Queen lowered its head to bite the hind of Leghul before lifting it and began to devour the insect.

"Oh, god!" said Juniper as she almost threw up just seeing the sight and had to turn her head(3500 → 3300).

"Now, Insect Queen, attack his Dragon Champion!" declared the cloaked figure. Insect Queen roared as she fired a beam of energy from her mouth that made contact with Isaac's monster. The World Champion covered up as his monster was destroyed, and the aftereffect transferred to him as he let out another painful scream as a cut appeared on his cheek.
Isaac's Life Points: 5200-

"Isaac!" shouted Juniper, concerned for her friend.

"Since your monster's gone, my Queen loses some attack points. But I gain something even more precious," stated the cloaked figure(3300 → 3100). Insect Queen lowered her rear as she laid an egg, which also powered her up by 200 attack points(100/100).

"Gross," said Juniper, seeing the egg being laid before it powered up(100 →600).

"My insect army is slowly infesting the playing field. Just a few more turns, and you're bug bait."

Turn 7: Isaac (Hand 5)

"We'll see," stated Isaac as he stood defiantly. "My move!"

"But first, a friendly reminder. Two turns have passed since my cocoon first appeared. It won't be long before it hatches." said the cloaked figure as the cocoon on Isaac's side began to glow and pulse.

"Now I summon Kuriboh(300/200)!" stated Isaac as he summoned his monster in defense mode. Kuriboh appeared before antennas, and insect legs appeared out of his body as it was turned into an insect.

"And that means my Insect Queen gains 200 more attack points," said the cloaked figure(3300 → 3500). "Remember, my DNA trap card turns all your monsters into bugs."

"I end my turn," stated Isaac.

Turn 8: ? (Hand 2)

"It's my move," said the cloaked figure as he drew.

"Hold on! I activate my facedown. Go, Natural Selection!" said Isaac as he revealed the card he set during his first turn.

"What?!" said the robed person.

"You heard me! There's been a change of plans! My trap card creates a clone of one of your monsters and adds it to my side of the field. Then it destroys the original!" said the World Champion.

"Impossible!"

"It's quite possible! See for yourself!" declared Isaac as his trap made a copy of Insect Queen appear on his side. The monster screeched as it sank its teeth into the original and began to devour it.

"No! My monster! You can't!" said the robed figure as he saw his monster being destroyed.

"Good, but that was still gross," said Juniper.

"You think you can defeat me at an insect game!? Please! I'm the master of all insects!" said the cloaked figure, thrusting his hand out, and the egg on his field glowed. "Meet my Armored Centipede(1600/1300)!" A large centipede covered in armor scales appeared as it flicked its antennas and fangs at the World Champion(1600 → 2100).

"All right! Destroy his Kuriboh with your poison fangs!" stated the robed figure as his insect leaned over and bit down on Kuriboh as it was destroyed. "I'm afraid there's more. My Armored Centipede gains 500 more attack points for every insect it destroys, and your Kuriboh was part bug!" said the person(2100 → 2600). "I place one card facedown. And since I'm done... so is your Queen!"

That's right. The effect of my trap card has worn off. Now, the only thing left on the field is this guy's cocoon- and it's about to hatch!

Turn 9: Isaac (Hand 5)

"It's my move," said Isaac as he drew his card.

"Your time's up! It's been three turns since I transformed your Beta the Magnet Warrior, into a cocoon! Which means it's time for my secret weapon to emerge! Say hello to Poison Butterfly(2700/2300)!" The cocoon on Isaac's side of the field began to hatch, and out came a purple butterfly with its wings designed to have a pattern as it was letting out some purple sparks.

"What's wrong? You should be thrilled you have such a strong monster," said the mysterious figure as he saw Isaac's expression. "So what if it takes away 500 of your Life Points for every turn it stays on the field?"

"I wouldn't be laughing if I were you," said Isaac.

"Huh?" said the figure as he looked at the World Champion with a serious look and then at his right arm as it was by his side with the card he drew. "What did you draw?"

"I just drew the card that will defeat you! I call forth, Breaker the Magical Warrior(1600/1000)! Show yourself!" stated Isaac as he summoned his mystical swordsman and wielded a sword and shield. "And thanks to its special ability, when it's summoned, it gains a Spell Counter, which increases its attack points by an extra 300!" said the World Champion(1600 → 1900).

"What good will that monster do? He's much too weak to take down my Armored Centipede. And after I activate my facedown, it'll be even more pathetic. I reveal, Infestation!" said the cloaked man as his facedown flipped up. "The first thing it does is drain 100 attack points from each of our monsters. But it doesn't stop there! Next, the lost attack points are added and subtracted from our Life Points!"
?'s Life Points: 7800-
Isaac's Life Points: 5000-

"My turn's not over yet."

"Who cares? I still have almost all my Life Points. You can't win!" stated the robed figure.

"I'm going to have to disagree. Now, Breaker the Magical Warrior, activate your special ability!" said Isaac as his swordsman had his sword glow with power.

"Big deal. So you can destroy a spell or trap card. Oh, wait!" said the robed person.

"Sounds like you've realized I plan on destroying your Insect Barrier. Allowing me to attack you with the Poison Butterfly you gave me!" shouted Isaac as his opponent growled. "Now, Breaker the Magical Warrior, destroy Insect Barrier!" His monster threw out a sword slash that flew toward his opponent's spell card as it was destroyed(1800 → 1500). "I may have weakened my warrior's attack points by using his special ability, but it was well worth the price- for now, I can destroy you! Prepare to feel the wrath of your own monster... Go, Poison Butterfly! Attack his Armored Centipede!" The butterfly heard Isaac's command as it flapped its wings to blow the purple sparkles it emitted toward the centipede as it was taken out.
?'s Life Points: 7700-

"And now... attack him directly, Breaker!" Isaac's magical swordsman delivered another strike with its sword as it slashed across the body of his foe, who felt the attack.
?'s Life Points: 6200-

"You may have removed my monster and defense, but your turn just ended! Which means my Posion Butterfly deals you 500 points of damage to your Life Points! And come my next turn, I'll return to dwindling the rest of your Life Points!" said the mysterious figure.

"Too bad I'm not done yet," said Isaac.

"Huh?"

"Now, quiet down so I can complete my turn."

"What are you talking about? Both your monsters have attacked already! There's nothing more you can do!" shouted Isaac's foe.

"I can still play this! Go, Berserker Soul!" shouted the World Champion as he slammed a card down onto his card tray from his hand.

"What are you gonna do with that?!" asked the mysterious figure.

"First, I must throw out my entire hand!" said Isaac as he took all the cards he currently held and sent them all to the graveyard. "Now, I shall continue to draw cards from my deck one by one, and I'm not to stop until I draw a spell or trap card! Meanwhile, with each monster card I draw, I can attack you with a creature from my side of the field- as long as that creature has 1500 points or less."

"1500!?" said the person as they looked at Breaker's attack points. "Wait a sec!"

"It's the beginning of the end for you!" said Isaac as he put his hand on his deck and began drawing. "I've drawn Berry Magician Girl! And since it's a monster... my warrior can attack! Go!" stated the World Champion as he sent the card away to the graveyard and commanded Breaker to strike again. His monster lunged forward and delivered another slash to his foe, who felt the attack.
?'s Life Points: 4700-

Isaac growled as he drew his next card, Lemon Magical Girl, and looked at his foe, "Looks like you're out of luck. Attack again!" His monster delivered another painful slash to his foe.
?'s Life Points: 3200-

"I draw again!" shouted Isaac as his next card was his Apple Magician Girl. "Another monster!" His monster delivered another slash as his foe yelled in pain.
?'s Life Points: 1700-

"This just isn't your day!" shouted Isaac angrily as he drew his next card, his Chocolate Magician Girl. His monster delivered another painful attack to his foe, who screamed.
?'s Life Points: 200-

"Breaker, attack him again!" yelled the World Champion as he drew his next card, Kiwi Magician Girl. His monster delivered the finishing blow, slashing at his foe to take out the last of his Life Points.
?'s Life Points: 0-
Winner: Isaac.

Isaac was still in his focused state of mind as he drew his next card, as it was his Dark Magician Girl. The boy was about to have his monster continue to punish his foe despite the duel being over before the barrier around them began to crack and break.

"Breaker!" shouted Isaac.

His monster then turned and lunged at the grunt holding Juniper; he slashed and knocked him back onto the ground as he was knocked out.

"Juniper!" said Isaac as he quickly rushed to the woman's side and checked on her. "Speak to me!"

"I'm okay, Isaac," said Juniper as she looked at her client and wrapped her arms around him. He returned the gesture as he wrapped his arms around her tightly and sought to protect her from harm.

The pair stood up as Juniper removed her arms from around Isaac. She pulled out a handkerchief and touched his face as she began to clean the cut on her client's face as he smiled at her act of concern.

"Thanks for the save," said the woman as she finished.

"Anytime. Now, let's..."

Isaac turned to speak with his foe but was surprised to see he was gone. He also looked at the grunt he saved Juniper from as he, too, was gone. Both were confused as it seemed that both mysterious figures just vanished. The only thing left was the pendant that Isaac's foe had left on the ground; the World Champion bent down to retrieve the item as he held the charm.

The charm had a strange symbol on its surface as it was focused on. The scene then transitioned to a secret lair as more mysterious robed figures were shown as they gathered around a wooden pedestal. One of them presented the item they stole as the words Isaac spoke at the beginning began to play.

"Look closer. Because the more you think you see. The easier it'll be to fool you. Because... what is seeing? You're looking, but what you're really doing is filtering. Interpreting. Searching for meaning. My job... to take that most precious of gifts you give me. Your attention. And use it against you."

The item began to glow as some of the figures all held up their arms as they began to glow. Their life energy resonated and seemed to trigger the item as it was lifted into the air. In front of each person were some Duel Monster cards, as their life force was also used to fuel the item. The item then spun quickly as it transformed into an amulet that shot through the air and into someone's hand; they seemed to be sitting on some throne with an aura of magic resembling some flames that appeared in their hand.

"Do I have your attention now?"

The final words repeated by Isaac echoed as the last image shown was the person sitting in the dark with a sinister smile on their face.

Author's Note: Well... like he said: Do I have your attention now? Going from the Fall Formal in the previous chapter to this is a massive shift. The seeds are now being planted for something major down the line. It wouldn't be a Yugioh story if we didn't have some crazy Shadow magic and a villain bent on destruction using cards. Things are getting interesting to say the less.