A/N: This chapter has been changed because I realized that I utterly forgot about the rest of the world, a mistake the anime makes repeatedly, but one that I had been trying very hard to avoid.

First thing first though.

Yusei is due back in three days according to Ara and I needed to deal with Kalin before that.

The crab-haired duelist is like catnip to the ex-leader of the Enforcers, and if they dueled… Either Kalin loses and dies, or worse still, Yusei loses and we presumably all go to hell.

Keeping in mind, the Crimson Dragon is too weak to aid its agents in battle, but the Ruler of the Netherworld is not.

And that's why I was standing heroically (I imagine) in front of the iconic black D-Wheel, "Kalin, we need to talk."

The Ex-Enforcer wasn't hard to find. Believing themselves to be the top of the food chain, neither Kalin nor Demak bothered with disguises or hiding.

"As much as I enjoy our little chats," Kalin turned his bike to swerve around me, "I'm afraid now is not the time."

"Because you've got another duel to get to?" I challenged, grabbing onto the handle of his bike, "then I must insist we chat first." The more duels he had, I suspected, the crazier he got.

Kalin shook his handles a couple of times, childishly trying to shake me off, I stubbornly held on.

"This is getting stupid," he captured the situation perfectly "What do you want?"

"I need you to stop dueling and stop summoning the immortals." I told him flatly, "it's interfering with the timeline of our construction projects."

Plus, if he would agree to not duel Yusei, I might be able to destroy or at least weaken the Ruler of the Netherworld enough to turn him sane, thus avoiding the need for a duel altogether.

"My all-powerful monsters, who will eventually take over this earth, are getting in the way of your projects to fix up the sidewalk, and you want me to stop?" Kalin asked sarcastically, as though I was the crazy one.

So I answered in an equally sarcastic tone, "Your card games are getting in the way of roadwork, something that would actually improve this town. So yes, I do need you to stop summoning those monsters."

"Do you have any idea of the enormity of what I'm trying to do?" Kalin pressed.

"There have been many a fool who have tried to destroy the world," I grimaced despite myself, remembering the situation in the Satellite compared with my world.

"Some succeeded, most failed, but none of them ended well. I don't want you to become one of them. I'd much rather that you joined me in trying to save this world. As far as I'm concerned, it's messed-up enough as it is."

"I no longer care for this world," Kalin shrugged off my concern and my offer, "all that concerns me is my revenge against Yusei Fudo."

"Not true," I emphatically rejected the idea, "or none of our little chats would have happened. You risked your life to defend this city, now you're telling me you're no better than the duel gangs you defeated?"

"I have more important things on my mind now, like vengeance. I'm afraid words won't deter me." Kalin dismissed my accusation. "If you really want a duel, Yuki, become a Signer. Then I'll face you again in a game of life and death."

"Don't become a Signer, Yuki," he paused, his eyes turned from black to gold then back to black with traces of golden light still shining through, "I don't want to kill you, and you'll be miserable if you kill me." He struggled with the last part of the sentence, his own soul battling the darkness that controlled him. "So I won't. Unless you're a Signer, I won't duel you. Unless you're a Signer, you don't stand a chance. "

His eyes are really pretty like this, I lamented over the fact that after I defeat his Immortal, I'd never see his eyes like this again. Maybe he'd be willing to wear contacts?

"Did you forget our last duel?" I reminded him, amused. But since I'm not a Signer, I'll have to phrase this carefully, "I grow up in a world that believes mortals have unlimited powers and potential. Whether or not I have activated the Seal of the Crimson Dragon, I'm the same person I've always been, and no less threat a mortal than I am a Signer."

"There's nothing you can do to force me into a duel, Yuki." Kalin wrenched the control of his duel runner from my hands, ready to end the conversation.

"We'll see about that," I was once again amazed at how little these people thinks of actual humans.

"Tread with caution, you'll die if you lose." Kalin warned.

"And you'll be freed if I win." I continued smoothly, ignoring his surprised look. "You'll see. Your immortals are very vulnerable, one defeat and they're gone for good."

"I told you, I am free!" Kalin rebuked my claims, "This is what I want to do!"

"I have nothing against your plans for revenge," I assured him. "Let's duel in three days' time, after that, you're free to do whatever you want."

"This is an all or nothing duel then," Kalin smiled in a way I'd never seen before, malice radiated from every pore as he eyes went back to a deadly shade of black, "prepare for your doom."

"Don't forget," I reminded him, "Battle City rules, winner gets loser's rarest card."

"How barbaric," He decried, "but I guess my deck could use a little tune up."

Yusei would be back in 4 days, Vincent and Chaos would be back tomorrow, which would give us plenty of time to plan and plot- of course I wasn't going to duel somebody unprepared when they have Magic in their corner.

"Atlas-sama, you're pushing yourself too hard," Mina said for the sixth time that day, carefully putting another cup of coffee beside her champion. "You can't keep going like this. Can I get you some lunch at least?"

"Go away Mina." Jack Atlas ignored the plea like he did the rest and stared at his deck spread out in front of him. "There has to be something wrong," He muttered, "There has to be!"

His loss to Yusei had brought about this most recent bout of tantrums. Jack simply could not accept that the boy he beat with relative ease two years ago could defeat him now, possibly ending his reign over Domino City. Even though Yusei was in the Facilities now, thanks largely to Jack, the blond still sees his face every time he closes his eyes.

Jack had requested a large number of cards and locked himself in his penthouse, talking to himself and trying out new combinations for his deck. That was three days ago, and as much as Mina loved the man who she would always consider the King of Games, even she had to admit, he was beginning to smell.

Jack adjusted the balance of his deck again, taking out a Dark Resonator to add in Tuning instead. "It's not enough," Jack's glare could have lit his entire deck on fire, "it's not enough! I can't win with this deck!"

He swept his arm across the table, sending half of his cards flying onto the ground. A look of regret quickly flashed on his face at seeing his cards on the floor, immediately replaced by haughty resentment.

"Jack," Rex Goodwin cursed silently. Lazar hadn't come back from the Satellite yet, forcing him to deal with the numerous fits of an increasingly difficult Jack Atlas. Of course, Rex Goodwin should count himself lucky. After Seto Kaiba lost his first game, his emo period lasted months.

Goodwin bent down to pick up Red Dragon Archfiend from the ground, putting the card back into Jack's hand, "To be a champion, you must never give up. When things grow more difficult, it's your job to conquer these challenges rather than be conquered by them."

"Right now, I'm the challenge my opponents conquered," Jack replied, taking the card from Rex Goodwin's hand and the rest of his deck from Mina. "I'm going for a walk."

"Atlas-sama, where are you going? Wait for me." Mina chased after him, only to be waved aside.

"I'll be at the pier," Jack replied, the closest he'll get to a sincere thank you to Mina for picking up his cards.

Mina sighed. Jack needed his space and she would respect that. Hopefully, a little fresh air would help Jack get out of this rut.

Meanwhile, other people had arguably more pressing problems.

Akiza looked down at the letter in her hand. She had received it from a senior member of Sector Security normally above suspicion. Even Sayer had believed the officer came on Director Goodwin's orders, to check up on the participants of the Fortune Cup before its grand opening next week.

The message only had one line. 'Yusei was arrested'.

No date, no location, no signature. Her father would have called this the kind of messages good girls never received let along acted on. The redhead frowned at the memory of her father, then forced herself to concentrate again as she studied the building in front of her. She had traced Yusei's whereabouts in the past couple of days, which eventually led her here, the Domino City prison, commonly referred to as the Facilities.

She had no way to find Yusei within its walls of course, but that's not going to be a problem.

Not being able to ride a motorcycle, she instead rode Blue Rose Dragon out into the middle of the barren landscape. She smiled at the metal gates, her eyes gleaming with pleasure. Destruction did excite her and instead of fighting it, she was beginning to embrace the idea.

"Blue Rose Dragon, Swift Aero Blast!"

The other feathered reptile in her deck opened its beak to release a ball of energy that would have been invisible had it not for the ripples in the air. It hit the gates with a quiet plop, followed by the fizzling sound of eroded metal.

A large chunk of the gates simply disappeared.

Satisfied at the commotion she caused, Akiza petted the reptile beneath her as she ascended into the air, beyond the reaches of whatever limited weaponry these guards at the prison had.

"I'm looking for Yusei Fudo," She announced to the gathering, gaping crowd below her. "I suggest that you hand him to me now."

She's beginning to enjoy this, the fear and reverence in their eyes, and a part of her hated herself for it.

"What are you?" A particularly fat man stepped out of the crowd and asked her.

Akiza decided that she wasn't going to dignify that with a response. Instead, her vines picked him up and flicked him back into the crowd.

"I'm looking for Yusei Fudo," She repeated, searching through the crowd. Many prisoners, largely ignored by the guards now, had gathered in the empty field in front of the Domino City prison to watch the woman attacking the Facilities. Seeing as the next several hundred miles is a desert, they have nowhere to run. Also there was a flying dragon hovering overhead, which is drawing everybody's attention.

"Akiza?" Yusei Fudo stepped out of the crowd. Staring up at the girl he took care of in the Satellite, who was now riding on a dragon, blasting energy balls like some sort of minor, evil demigod.

"Hey Yusei," Akiza's head poked out of her dragon, a broad smile on her face. Her eyes rested on the tattoo on his face, and her smile froze. For a second, Yusei thought she was going to attack the crowd. Instead, she smiled wider. "Com'on up, let's get out of here."

"I can't leave my friends behind," Yusei replied. He can only imagine what the warden would do to them if he left.

"Fine," Akiza had to remind herself that she liked Yusei because he makes friends with everybody. That does not mean she's not special to him. "Get everybody, we're going back to the Satellite."

She announced her destination with a naïve confidence.

X

"Yes, so I heard." Divine said into the phone, "No, no, not at all. Go ahead, you have my blessings." He chuckled as he hung up the phone.

Sector Security would need a lot more than his blessings if they want to go after the Black Rose. On the other hand, he doesn't actually think Akiza would emerge victorious against the ruthless machine that is Domino City government. Her monsters may be powerful, but she herself is very vulnerable, sooner or later she'll be captured, then he can play the savior.

Maybe he'll pick her up after she's been sent to the Facilities, the tattoo they give would be a constant reminder for her to never go behind his back again.

Carly drove towards the pier, grumbling all the way.

Stupid boss, stupid Angela, stupid viewers who don't like her work. Most of all, stupid her for accepting her newest assignment.

She had been so excited over her last assignment, the first time her boss asked her to write something instead of fetching coffee. It was a fluff piece on a puppy who survived a car crash, a simple story that, as her boss put it, 'even she couldn't get wrong'.

Hearing the news, Angela 'borrowed' her for the rest of the day, making her run errands till well after dusk. At the time, she thought Angela was just being petty. But later that night, her phone was ringing off the hook from prank calls, and the messaging software on her computer beeped constantly. Finally at 2am, she give up on her boss's request that she could always be reachable, and turned off both her phone and her laptop so she could sleep.

Carly was still yawning when she arrived to visit the dog the next morning. So when she left the car at the owner's driveway, she forgot to shift gears to 'park', leaving it at 'drive' instead. To make a long story short, there was a fluff piece in the paper the next morning about the puppy that survived two car crashes.

So that's why she was desperate enough accept the one assignment in the office that nobody else would take, "Recent Changes in the Satellite." She even got a press pass to leave Domino and everything. Of course, she's not going to, she's not that desperate. She'll just go to the pier, look at the other side and interview people who were lucky enough to come back alive.

Nobody really cares what's going on in the Satellite anyways, it probably won't even hit print, just like everything else she wrote.

She turned sharply as a piece of debris fell right in front of her. No doubt something that happens regularly as she neared the only entrance to the Satellite.

"The Black Rose!" She heard screams all around her and the crowd quickly dispersed, running in the opposite direction. Her journalist senses tingling, Carly decided to take a chance and drove against the crowd towards the source of the commotion. People might actually read the story about the enigmatic urban legend that is the Black Rose, this might be her big break.

"M'am, this is a restricted area," A man in uniform stopped her, "You're not allowed her, I'm afraid you have to turn back."

Carly waved her press pass at him, to her surprise, it actually worked. He stepped aside. He stepped aside with a contemptuous snort while muttering something she couldn't hear, but he stepped aside.

She hesitated, but decided to take the chance as she drove towards the shoreline, towards what seems to be…Sector Security chasing after and attacking a giant bird?

That can't be right.

Realizing she was in way over her head, Carly briefly wondered if she should turn back. Finally her desire for a good story getting the better of her, abandoned her car and stuck up on foot.

X

Jack grimaced against the setting sun. He had been staring blankly at the Satellite for the last hour and a half. That was the world he abandoned, when he gave up everything he had ever loved for a chance in Domino City. Even today, it's not a decision he ever regretted. But it does bring a tinge of, something when he looks back to the Satellite at a shoreline he no longer recognized, or when he sees Yusei somehow escaping the Satellite and getting to Domino City like they had always dreamt.

He shielded his eyes to look up at the approaching duel monster and its owner, the Black Rose. Another wimp who calls herself a duelist but refuses to play by the rules. He was quickly escorted towards the car by two Sector officers, concerned for the Domino King.

"Is that…?" Akiza strained her eyes, patting her dragon to descend despite the Sector Security on their tail. The Sector had been more difficult to shake off than she imagined. She was faster, but they were more organized, setting up barricades and aerial assault teams before she arrived.

"Jack," Yusei confirmed for her.

Yusei cellmates were dropped off in Domino City, taken away by a man named Blister, while Yusei continued towards the Satellite with her.

"Hm," Akiza mused, mischief twinkling in her eyes. She relented at the concerned disapproval in Yusei's eyes, "Okay, okay, I promise I'm not really going to hurt him."

"Akiza," Yusei wanted to laugh at the girl who was obviously determined to get revenge on his behalf, he sat back, deciding that he would indulge himself just this once.

Understanding its owner perfectly, Blue Rose Dragon swooped down threateningly, sending Jack Atlas and his bodyguards stumbling along the cracked street and into the nearest building.

"We've had our fun," Yusei looked at Jack's retreating figure and stopped Akiza from launching an actual attack.

"Maybe we can just pick him up and toss him around a little," Akiza suggested hopefully. Yusei laughed, shaking his head.

"Next time then," Akiza conceded. If Yusei keeps on stopping her from dealing real damage, there might be a lot of next times. She enjoyed the wind in her hair and the futile attempts of her enemies as her monster dodged numerous attacks, from guns to grenades, from the Sector. They could really learn something from the Satellite, Akiza thought as they made their way to the Satellite, no doubt to face more Sector forces.

Carly saw the giant bird charging towards people running on the street, and wisely decided that no story is worth risking her life like this. She ran as quickly as she could back into her car, started it up with shaking hands, and was about to floor the gas.

"Watch out!" She heard somebody scream and froze in fear. Thankfully, it wasn't directed at her. Several of Sector Security's numerous attacks on the giant bird (which she still can't quite believe was real) landed on a building nearby. The already abandoned building shook under the impact, before catching fire, the entrance collapsed entirely, trapping the people who had went inside escape the Black Rose.

She could see several of them trying to climb the burning wreckage that used to be the entrance to the building, a couple more just dodging the support beam that collapsed.

"What to do, what to do, what to do" Carly mumbled frantically as she took out her deck, drawing out a card on top. "Let's see, Fortune Fairy Hikari (lv1, 0/0)."

Carly looked up again. The building in front of her didn't look like it was going to last much longer and the people trapped inside might now make it out alive. "Alright, it seems like today is my lucky day," She took a deep breath to steady herself, "Let's see if it's yours."

Carly drove into the building, using her car to make a hole in the wall and prop up the crumbling ceiling, creating a temporary exit. What the heck, it's a company car.

"I got it!" Zigzix danced on top of his exercise wheel, a circus act he was getting quite good at. "I got it!"

"Got what?" Nervin looked up with a yawn.

"I have the structure for the Momentum!" Zigzix gestured wildly to the 'thing', that's what everybody's calling it, he built. "All we need is the core of the reactor and I can get this back online!"

"Hmm," Nervin nodded, that's a good thing, probably?

A/N : I enjoy the idea of somebody being petty on Yusei's behalf.