Chapter 11: Signs of Danger

Goodwin collapsed into his chair, exhausted. It had been a long day, but not an uneventful one.

To begin, Jack barged into his discussion about his and Yusei's duel the previous night, demanding to know why Mina said Yusei almost beat him. Then, when he found out Yusei would've won if not for the timely interruption of the Crimson Dragon, he decided that the proper course of action was to go and challenge Yusei to a rematch. Thankfully, he was able to get Jack to understand why that was not a good idea, but then came the bigger revelation: Yusei was a signer.

In hindsight, he should've realized this. After all, he'd thrown the three dragon cards into the wind, hoping destiny would lead them to their proper guardians. He'd simply assumed that there had been some mistake when it came to Stardust Dragon. He should've known there were no mistakes when it came to destiny.

Then there was the matter of Black Rose Dragon. According to Jack, Yusei must've gotten it from his girlfriend Akiza before he left Satellite. Now Goodwin's mind was racked with questions. How did she get it? Was she a signer too?

Goodwin sighed, rubbing his forehead in frustration. He was just about to leave his office when his phone rang. It was an incoming call from Zigzix. Great, just what he needed, another headache.

"What is it, Zigzix?"

"Sir, it's incredible! It's unreal, I tell you! I almost didn't believe it myself, but its true, and…"

"Breathe, Zigzix."

The crazy scientist did as instructed, before starting over.

"You see, I got this huge energy reading from last night! A huge massive burst of energy that took out two city blocks worth of energy! It…"

"I know, Zigzix. Now if you'll excuse me…"

"But wait, there's more! Just before I lost power completely, I got a super strong reading of you know what coming from the Satellite district!"

This got Goodwin's attention.

"Satellite? Are you certain?"

"Without a doubt! The machine was detecting energy from the scanner placed at the old Ener-D Reactor! That means one of the signers-"

"Is in Satellite. Thank you, Zigzix. That will be all."

Ending the phone call before his headache turned into a migraine, Goodwin sat back in his chair and contemplated the turn of events. On one hand, this did confirm his suspicion that Akiza was the third signer. On the other hand, Satellite was a big island. Although, if she was affiliated with Yusei…
Goodwin sighed heavily. This would require some research, and time. Luckily, Mina came in with some tea.

"I thought you could use something to take your mind off things."

"Thank you, Mina, but I'm afraid I don't have the luxury at the moment. See if Jack has any photos of that Akiza girl, and tell Officer Trudge to keep an eye out for her."

"Er, yes sir."

Mina nervously backed out of the room, leaving Goodwin to his thoughts.

"And so it begins, brother."

Life had not been well in Satellite. Only a day after Yusei escaped, Akia overheard two Sector Security officers talking about how they arrested an escapee from Satellite the other day and threw him in The Facility.

"Yusei."

The Facility was well known by the residents of Satellite, and for good reason. Supposedly, it was there for only the worst of the worst, but really it was just where the city disposed of anyone they didn't like. Anyone who went there didn't leave for a very long time, if at all. And those who did leave were never the same again.

Despite this, Akiza wasn't worried. She knew Yusei, and he wasn't going to let a minor setback like that stop him. So for now, she just waited for him to return.

A week had gone by, and Akiza was making her way back to the hideout with the groceries. Suddenly, the all too familiar flashing lights of a Sector Security Duel Runner caught her attention.

"This is Sector Security, pull over!"

Akiza sighed, realizing it was Trudge who was on her tail. Instead of complying, she sped up, forcing Trudge to do the same.

"You can't outrun the law, Akiza! Not with that chip of yours, anyway! I activate the field spell Speed World!"

Before Akiza could react, her duel runner was forced into duel mode.

"What's the matter, Trudge? You miss Yusei?"

"Don't play dumb! Goodwin let Yusei go free, and I intend to find out why! And once you tell me, both you and him will never see the light of day again!"

This got Akiza's attention. Yusei was free?

"Alright, if that's how you want to do it, fine by me!"

DUEL!

Trudge: 4000

Akiza: 4000

"Rule abiding citizens first! And I'll start by summoning Gate Blocker in defense mode! Then I'll set two cards face down and end my turn."

Akiza drew her card silently, not fazed in the slightest by her Speed Counters not increasing.

"Wondering why your Speed Counters didn't increase? Its because of my…"

"I saw your duel with Yusei, I know what it does. Luckily, I have a counter! First, I summon Lonefire Blossom in attack mode! But she won't be around for long, because I'll tribute her with her effect to summon my Tytannial, Princess of Camellias (2800/2600)!"

Trudge could only stare in awe as Akiza effortlessly summoned a monster that could destroy his line of defense.

"Tytannial, destroy his Gate Blocker!"

Akiza's plant princess summoned a vine which she used to whip the rock type, reducing it to rubble. Unfortunately for her, two more took their place.

"Nice try, but it'll take more than that to beat the law! My Broken Blocker trap card will keep you right where I want you, which is at zero!"

Akiza just rolled her eyes, not at all fazed by this threat.

"I set two cards face down and end my turn."

Trudge chuckled darkly when he saw what card he had drawn.

Little does she know I have everything I need to defeat her right here! First, I need to bring out my Goyo Guardian. Next, I'll give him a boost with Silver Contrails, and add her princess to my side of the field. And with my face down Final Attack Orders, I'll be one turn away from putting her behind bars!

"Get ready to lose! First, I summon my Jutte Fighter (700/900) in attack mode! But he won't be around for long, because he's giving Gate Blocker a tune up! I Synchro Summon Goyo Guardian (2800/2000)!"

"Pathetic."

"What?"

"You're using the exact same strategy you used on Yusei. It didn't work against him, and it won't work against me! I activate my trap card, Tuner's Scheme! You might have summoned Goyo Guardian, but now it belongs to me!"

"No way!"

Unfortunately for Trudge, his monster warped to Akiza's side the minute it hit the field. With no other options, Trudge ended his turn.

"This duel is over! First, I summon my Botanical Lion (1600/2000) in attack mode! And for every Plant type monster I control, he gains 300 attack points (1600-2200)! Attack his Gate Blocker!"

The plant-lion hybrid pounced, crushing the stone slab into pebbles with his powerful jaws and leaving Trudge defenseless.

"Now Tytannial and Goyo Guardian will attack you directly!"

Before Trudge could recover, he was whipped by both his and Akiza's monsters, forcing his duel runner to a stop as his life points hit zero.

Trudge: 0000

"I'll get you, Akiza! Even if it's the last thing I do!"

Akiza just rolled her eyes and continued on home.

When Akiza reached the base, the first thing she noticed was how quiet it was. At once, she was on edge, and made her way cautiously down the stairs. When she reached the tunnels, she gasped in horror. The place was a mess, the few meager belongings they had thrown about to the point of almost being destroyed, and more importantly there wasn't a sign of her friends anywhere.

"Rally? Tank? Anyone?"

"I'm afraid your friends aren't here right now, Miss Izinski."

From the shadows emerged the creepiest human being Akiza had ever seen. He was very short, and his face was painted like a clowns.

"Who are you?"

The clown bowed mockingly.

"I'm Lazar, Vice Director of Security. Director Goodwin sent me here to personally give you an invitation."

He handed Akiza an envelope, in which contained an invitation to a tournament called The Fortune Cup.

"Your friends are safe, but if you wish for them to remain that way and for your parents to not know your current whereabouts, I highly recommend you attend."