"You can't play with us, your cards are crap," she says, standing over me. Her wild red hair flows in every direction, her eyes piercing me like daggers. "You can't even beat a monkey, the way you duel."

"Please don't say that. I just want to play with the cards I like and get better."

"You won't get better, you'll stay the same. You're trash, don't you get it?"

My senses are returning to me. There is light behind my lids, noises coming from around me. A dream?

"Yusei! Stand up!"

"An-chan!"

What happened? I was with Himuro before breakfast and... Himuro!

I'm alert within seconds, pushing myself into a sitting position. "Nrgh!" It pains me, my body is sore all over. Himuro was also beaten, I have to make sure he's alright. The pair that stare through the window finally notice my state of wakefulness.

"Pinoko!" Yanagi jumps from his place. "Yusei is dueling now."

"Let us help, you shouldn't be moving all over..." Himuro helps me hobble to the window, sitting me on the windowsill.

"Resurrect, Chain Snake! I activate two continuous spells! With Poison Chain, if I didn't battle during this turn, the opponent sends cards in his deck to the graveyard equal to the total level of my chain monsters. My total monster level is ten! Therefore, you send ten cards in your deck to the graveyard." Takasu is facing off against Yusei in the widest walkway of our cell block. "You built that deck using cards from those losers. Garbage will always be garbage. Hurry up and go to the graveyard." Yusei follows his direction. He stands inside a cage. It must be Solid Vision, it looks like Nightmare's Steelcage. If so, he's in trouble. Himuro realizes this as well.

"I see. His real target is to destroy his deck! If he discards ten cards per turn, then Yusei's deck won't last two turns."

"The effect of Nightmare's Steelcage is backfiring," Yanagi agrees.

"Then, Paralyzing Chain! When an effect that sends cards from the opponent's deck to the graveyard activates, it deals 300 points of damage!" Takasu barks, smirking at the trap he has Yusei walking into. I stare aghast when Yusei screams, seizing up while losing 300 life points.

"What's happening? Why is he screaming?" I look to my two companions, hoping for an answer.

"Takasu put chains on the Duel Disks, see?" I nod, finding the chains attached to the duelists. "He hooked them up. Every time they take damage, they get an electric shock. The chief's, conveniently, was having technical issues and didn't shock him," Himuro finishes.

"Bastard."

"My turn!" Yusei pulls the top card from his deck with flourish.

"That's the spirit, hero," Takasu says mockingly.

"I set three cards." Yusei is stoic, even after being shocked by the dastardly deviced that's chained to him. I'm struck by how much I admire this man. He stands up to people when others would back down, and he does it so often for me, for our friends.

"The quick play spell Psychic Cyclone! With this card, I declare whether a set card is a spell or a trap. If I'm correct, that card is destroyed and I get to draw one card. I'm going to select... Let's see... The very left card! That's a trap card!" The cyclone effect strikes Yusei's trap card, destroying it. "It was Dust Tornado. Too bad for you. A trap card cannot activate on the turn it was set. If you destroyed Poison Chain with that card, you still would've had a chance."

"That punk's insticts are working well at this crucial time..." Himuro groans.

"Yeah, that or he's cheating. With what he did to you and me, I don't expect transparency or fairness." I turn my torso further towards the window, fully facing the men that duel below us.

"It's not out of the question."

"I set one more card. I end my turn."

My head is beginning to ache, my stomach turning from nothing to eat all day. Himuro is probably in the same position, sicne we forced to skip breakfast. Seeing Yusei, unfaltering, standing at the brink, makes me feel stronger. I won't let something so small keep me from supporting him. The chief laughs, thinking he has Yusei beat.

"My turn! I summon Chain Shooter! Due to Poison Chain's effect, you send cards in your deck to the graveyard equal to the total level of my Chain monsters. Discard 12 cards!" Yusei slips twelve of his cards into the graveyard slot. "Your deck has 6 cards left. If you have no cards left to draw during your turn, you lose! Furthermore, due to Paralyzing Chain's effect, when you send cards in your deck to your graveyard, you take 300 points of damage."

Yusei screams. No matter how well he masks his face, the shocks are getting to him. He may be able to win the duel, but will he be able to walk away?

"I activate Chain Shooter's effect! I send Chain Snake to the graveyard. Fire! Due to this, you take an additional 800 points of damage. Then due to Chain Repairer's effect, I special summon a level 4 or below Chain monster from my graveyard."

"This is bad. At this rate, Yusei will lose against his looping effect." I listen to Himuro but my eyes are glued to the young man I care for so much.

"I end my turn. Your Nightmare's Steelcage vanishes this turn." Yusei is breathing hard. He's not doing this for himself. He could have avoided all this pain, but he's choosing to fight.

"Yusei!" I call out. The two duelists snap their heads to my cell. "Yusei, you are a hero! You're my hero. Rally's hero. Yanagi's hero. You can win a duel with one card, I know you can! I'll be with you the whole way, Yusei!" Himuro and Yanagi look at me in the same way, surprised at my outburst.

"Shut up! Your scummy boy toy has lost his fighting spirit. If you haven't I'll be sure to deal with you next. But I'm not evil. I'm willing to accept either of your surrenders."

"Is that all you have to say?" Yusei breathes to the large man, looking ready to fight an army.

"As you wish, I'll send you to hell!"

"Yusei hasn't lost his spirit, but he needs to know we have his support. And Himuro, if I ever hear you say that he'll lose, you'll be crying for Takasu to come and take you away from me."

"Pinoko! You're right, I'm such a fool! Of course An-chan will win!" Yanagi happily concurs. Himuro looks almost shameful.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't say that. I can see you have more faith than I. You're very strong, Pinoko." Himuro is smiling while he speaks.

"My turn!" But the lights go out before Yusei can begin his counterattack.

"What? What's going on?" The cheif's voice calls, but the emergeny lights kick in.

"I'll continue the duel. I activate the trap Jar of Greed. I draw one card."

"You intentionally decreased the number of cards in your deck? Now you only have four cards remaining in your deck!"

"The trap card Call of the Living Dead. With this card, I special summon a monster from my graveyard in attack position. Ressurect, The Kick Man!"

"Even if you ressurect that worthless card, nothing is going to change."

"When The Kick Man is special summoned, it can equip an equip card in the graveyard. Among the cards that you forced me to discard is a card with infinite potential! I equip Daemon's Axe onto The Kick Man!"

"Alright! The Kick Man gains 1000 attack points!" Himuro grins at Yanagi and I. I can't help but smile back.

"Then I summon Exiled Force! The Kick Man attacks Chain Snake!" The snake is destroyed and Takasu reacts as though pained.

"Check out his bad acting," Yanagi grumbles.

"I thought you said his Duel Disk didn't shock him?"

"I did, but there's something different than before."

"Exiled Force, attack the other Chain Snake!"

"No, wait a second!"

I shake my head, only wincing when it causes a rush of pain. "My head!" I breathe through the pain as best as I can. "He, he doesn't look like he's acting now."

"No way..." The chief says in disbelief. "Why is there electricity flowing through my Duel Disk?" He stutters, falling to the floor.

"I despise violence, but I can't say I don't feel a little smug at his response to the electricity he'd been torturing us with. He's getting a taste of his own medicine." Yanagi turns to me, probably to say something, but he's cut off. An alarm blares over the PA system.

"There is a trespasser in the electric maintenace room. I repeat, there is a trespasser in the electric maintenance room."

It seems they had already apprehended the trespasser by the time the announcement was made. Within seconds, there were three guards approaching the chief, one inmate between them. I think it's the inmate that shares Yusei's cell, but my eyesight is foggy from the headache. I only see blobs of color at this distance. "We brought the trespasser," says a guard.

The two men I sit beside gape at the trespasser. "Is that Yusei's cellmate?" I ask.

"Yeah. We heard he was supposed to escape tonight." Himuro's voice is still rough from overuse. "He was shouting at Yusei about it earlier, seems they were supposed to escape together. Yusei was going to bring us all along."

"You didn't hear it because you were sleeping, Pinoko-chan."

"After I get rid of this garbage from Satellite, I will kill you!"

"Say whatever you want, but you won't beat Yusei." It stumps me that within days, Yusei was able to get through to his cellmate. He could've been home free, but he stayed to help Yusei. He has faith in him. It had scared me when I realized just how much I trusted the D-Wheeler. I thought that kind of trust was beyond me. I know now that the many years I spent alone had been the result of foolish self-pity, I thought I could never trust in someone the way I trust in Yusei now.

"Why did you come back?" It's so like him to worry about others, even those who were going to ditch him.

"It's just like you said," Aoyama answers. "If I escape and leave my friends behind, then there will be shackles around my heart. Even if I live like that, I will never truly be free."

That sounds poetic enough to have come from Yusei's mouth.

"If you're personally going to judge his crime, then I'm adding a new stipulation to this duel. If I win, you will ignore his escape attempt."

"Fine. But if you lose, he's going down with you!" The chief consents.

"Let's continue the duel. I release Exiled Force to destroy Chain Repairer. I end my turn."

Himuro shares his excitement. "Alright. On the next turn, he will only lose three cards due to the effect of Poison Chain."

"He's hanging on by the skin of his neck." Yanagi whimpers.

"Don't say that. This is just what I'd expect from Yusei. He cooly handles each obstacle thrown at him. He knows what cards he needs, I can see it. The way he's dueling right now, he's leading up to his finale," I interject. The conversation is steering too close to negative territory in my opinion. "I don't like what you're implying, Yanagi."

"If he summons a monster on the next turn, then he will lose four cards. That means Yusei loses."

"Himuro, quit saying those things. There's no way Yusei will let that happen."

"My turn!" The chief draws and looks down at his card. "It's not a monster. You're lucky." He stops, thinking about his next move. "I activate the spell car Reload! I add my hand to my deck. Then I draw the same number of cards that I returned! Ha! The spell card Cyclone. With this, I destroy the left card on your field. Activate!"

The chief is startled upon seeing the trap card Taunt being destroyed by his card effect. "What? It's not Battle Mania?"

"At this moment, I activate my trap. Battle Mania. Due to the effect of this trap, monsters on the field must battle this turn!"

"Well done. Poison Chain's effect can only be used when he doesn't battle. If he battles, it can't activate," Himuro says.

"Himuro, I hate to say I told you so... Wait, no actually I don't. I told you so."

"I summon Chain Coil! Chain Coil tunes Chain Shooter. Synchro summon. Appear, Chain Dragon!" Takasu summons a huge, forest green dragon, chains draped on its shoulders. "Until the end of the turn, for every Chain monster in my graveyard that I remove from play, Chain Dragon gains 200 attack points. There are five Chain monsters in my graveyard! Therefore, Chain Dragon gains 1000 attack points! Go Chain Dragon! Chain Blast!"

The dragon attacks The Kick Man, bringing Yusie's life points down to 400. His cries ring in my ears, likely leading to more nightmares in the future.

Who am I kidding? This place is a nightmare.

"Chain Dragon's new monster effect activates! When this card attacks, you have to send three cards in your deck to the graveyard!" The blue eyed duelist does as instructed. "Then due to Paralyzing Chain, you take 300 points of damage!" Electricity runs through the chain once again, stiffening Yusei's muscles before he drops to the ground.

"Yusei!" I cry. The others call his name with me. We all are worried for him, but unable to do a thing.

"I end my turn." Takasu laughs as though he has won the duel already. Yusei, grunting, forces himself to stand.

"Yusei, thank the stars!"

"My turn." I can no longer see his eyes with how his head has dipped. He's surely exhausted. He draws his last card, the only card left.

Seeing the empty slot in his Duel Disk, Chief Takasu begins to laugh, a horrible rattling thing that causes goosebumps to erupt on my nape.

"You only have 100 life points remaining and one card in your hand. There are zero cards in your deck! And you have no set cards. This battle is over."

"Yeah. This battle is over." Yusei finally raises his head. "You lose."

"What?"

"Since you sent so many of my cards to my graveyard, I'm going to win. You called us garbage. But you're wrong. This duel proves that no one in the world is useless. I knew that you were spying on my hand with the security cameras. That's why during the blackout, I changed how I held my special card so the cameras couldn't see it."

"Wow. Himuro pick up the phone because I just called it. Did I not say he would be cheating?" I turn to the blue haired duelist, eyebrow raised. He just scoffs, not dignifying me with a response.

"When you learned that the information from the security cameras were wrong, you should have been more careful."

"You bastard!"

"Here I go! From my hand, I summon Rubble King! With this card, when there are 30 or more monsters in my graveyard, I can activate a trap from my hand! I activate this card. The trap card Blasting the Ruins. When there are 30 or more cards in my graveyard, you take 3000 points of damage."

"Yusei!" The end is amazing, Yusei has expertly played the chief. The amount of electricity was monumental, frying him so badly that he falls over, his hat flying off his head and fluttering down. "You got him! Yusei, you're out of this world!" I cheer at the top of my lungs, even if it hurts.

"You did it, Yusei!"

"Impressive, An-chan!"

"That guy!"

The shouting eventually turned to chanting. Everyone in the entire cell block was screaming his name, including the three of us, sat all leaned up against the window.

Unabashed, Takasu orders Yusei's arrest. His word clearly meant little to him.

"What?"

"That's not what you promised!" Aoyama struggles against his captors.

Looking on from between the harsh iron bars of the cell, my heart squeezes when guards start closing in on him.

"No! He beat you fair and square!" I shout.

"I don't recall making a promise with you!"

"Stop it, Chief Takasu," a cold voice commands from above. The director stands upon a higher walkway. "You're painful to watch. I observed the duel. It seems you do not have the skills to run this place. The person who's going to vanish is you." The chief lowers his head ad Godwin stalks away.


"Yusei!" When the man is in my sights, my longing for his embrace manifests itself. My hobbling run feels pitiful but I make it to Yusei faster than if I had walked. He awaits us in the gymnasium, where we had first encountered Himuro. It feels like it had been forever since then, so much had happened.

I slump into Yusei's chest when I reach him, winding my arms around his middle. "I'm so glad you're okay. You're incredible." My words are spoken into his jacket. He returns the hug.

"I have to be. I'm your hero, right?" I look up at him. The little grin lights his face up. It feels special, like it's just for me. Our moment has to end, though, as Himuro, Yanagi and Aoyama have come to see us off. I was instructed by the guards that I was free to go. Yusei's charge had been rescinded, meaning my charge went with it. I'm lucky the Director saw fit to let me out. Without Yusei, even for a few days, I'm not sure I'd make it out alive.

"Right," is my last word as I pull myself out of his hold.

"Hey, lovebirds!" Yanagi happily teases. He could never let it go unsaid before, why start now?

"Jii-san. Himuro. Aoyama." Yusei nods to each in greeting.

"Yusei. It's good you both get to leave right away." The way his eyes sparkle, I can sense Himuro is being honest. He is happy that Yusei and I can leave.

"Thank goodness that Godwin person showed up when he did," adds Aoyama.

Yanagi is next to speak. "You're right. It looks like we can leave here soon too."

"Since that old guy showed up here personally, he must be interested in you." Yusei looks grim, but before he becomes wrapped in thought, Yanagi pulls out a card.

"An-chan, I have a farewell gift for you."

"But this is..." Yusei starts to refuse, only to be cut off by the older male.

"It's fine. You'll use it better than me, An-chan." He starts to wiggle his brows. "And you have Pinoko-chan to look after now!"

Placated, Yusei nods firmly. "I'll take care of it."

"Yusei, take this card." Himuro pulls the same pose, offering a card to the man. "At a store downtown named Bootleg, there's a man named Saiga. If you show him this, he'll help you." Yusei takes the proffered card.

"Thank you."

"Waah, you guys! I'm going to miss you so much! I was trying to hold it in but I'm not cool like Yusei!" I grab all three of them into a hug. "You'll have to deal with my blubbering goodbye!" There were smiles all around. I let go of the men. Even Aoyama had earned a place in our little group by now.

"Pinoko, let's get out of here." Yusei had plans to see through, after all.

"I know, I know. I'm going!"


We had walked for what felt like miles. Once we were through the painted green metal of the rattling main doors, a breath I didn't know I was holding flew from my chest. It felt too good to be true at first.

This Godwin character rubs me thr wrong way. And why does he look so familiar? What's his angle?

The task that lies ahead demands my attention, however. The sidewalk is well maintained, for the most part. I catch myself in a stumble. Yusei's hand flies to my waist, helping me to right myself.

"Sorry, didn't, uh I didn't see the curb." My warm cheeks tell me I'm blushing as his hand remains on my side. He uses it to reposition me further from the road. "Thanks."

His hand parts from me, allowing my blush to calm down. The lighting here is very bright, neon signs adorning every inch of available wall space. This far downtown, most buildings are either bars, restaurants, or strip clubs. This isn't an area of the city I would frequent.

"We're going to that bar, right? The one Himuro mentioned," I clarify.

"Yes. When I was being... interrogated, Takasu said Godwin was interested in my belongings. They were taken to the security vault to be inspected. Speaking of belongings..." At the end, he pulls Marshmallon from his deck. "Even though it didn't take the field, this monster was important for my victory. Without the cards in my graveyard, I would have lost then."

Smiling, I take back the card. "Thank you, Yusei. Marshmallon was the last gift I recieved from Ryuuga before his passing. He never understood my fascination with cute cards, but he did enable it. He always tried so hard to include me. He was the one who gave me CheepCheepCheep too. My first and last gifts from him." My smile turns sour. "My deck is in my purse still, under the seat of your D-Wheel. We are going to get your D-Wheel back, right?"

"That's right." We walk past swanky little bars with singers in elegant dresses and classy restaurants decorated fashionably with crystal chandeliers. Yusei simply stares at the highrise ahead. That must be the place where it's being kept.

"We'll figure it out. Together." As we go, the neon lights are replaced by strung out addicts that line the alleys. The busy crowds are replaced by litter left on the road. The restaurants and bars are replaced by dives and clubs. "Do you feel... Do you feel like we're being watched?" I whisper in his direction. He must have noticed the men in black suits that seem to disappear around each street corner.

"Yes, I do. Just act natural," Yusei calmy replies.

"That's easy for you to say. Your natural is cool and collected, it's not a fair comparison." He almost laughs as he points out the bar we've been in search of.

"Bootleg" is proclaimed on a noisy, hanging sign next to a recessed door. A set of stairs leads down to the door, the corridor dim and cold. Yusei enters first, holding the door for me. "Thanks," I squeak out, positioning myself at his side. There's another set of stairs, a bar, and four tables laid out in the room. Most of the tables are occupied, but not a souls sits at the bar. This is where we find ourselves. It's a little difficult to perch myself on the high stool, but I make do using the foot rail.

The men at the tables enjoy their drinks and smoke hookah, but their gazes are drawn to us. The bartender rounds on us as we seat ourselves.

"What is it, little ones? Got separated from mommy?" His hands slam on the counter. "This isn't the lost children center. Hurry up and go home."

"Hah! He says he's lost," says a man at one of the tables. This is going downhill.

"I'd like some milk." Of course. Yusei isn't old enough to order booze.

The barkeep grabs him by the collar of his shirt. "Are you making fun of me, kid?" He releases the duelist when two customers enter the bar, long coats and brimmed hats concealing their identities. Yusei lays the card from Himuro on the counter, stopping the man's anger from boiling. "He told me about this place."

The bartender fills a glass with milk, placing it on top of the card. "It's on the house," he says, shifting his eyes to the back of the bar. The men who walked in had removed their hats and coats.

Men in black suits wearing sunglasses indoors, why am I not surprised? They followed us all the way in here. He's either giving us a heads up, or he's saying Saiga is in this bar. Maybe both?

"Kids. After you finish drinking, go home quietly." Yusei nods and proceeds to empty the glass. I slide the card into my pocket. The two of us quietly stand and leave the bar as he instructed. Yusei takes a left down the alley and I stick close to him. There's no place I want to be alone in less than here.

We're crossing an empty street when a noise like squealing tires stops us. I track the sound to the roof of the building behind us, startled to see a man jump his D-Wheel right off of it. He sails down right towards us.

"AAHHHHHH!" I scream. The wheel brushes right over the top of his head. "OH MY STARS! Yusei, are you alright? Oh God he could have knocked your head off." The D-Wheel screeches to stop before us. "YOU COULD'VE SEPARATED HIS HEAD FROM HIS NECK! What the hell is wrong with you?"

"No time! Get on." Behind, the black suits from the Bootleg race after us. Ahead, a crazy man on a bike wants us to get on said bike. I'm not given time to dawdle. "It's gonna be a tight squeeze with three people, get on the D-Wheel!" He's yelling now. Yusei makes the decision for us, sliding on the bike behind the stranger and pulling me into his lap.

"Woah! Okay." My face reddens. My arms instinctively wrap around Yusei's neck. "Sorry. For stability," I murmur into the fabric of his jacket. It's scary being on a D-Wheel again after so long, but holding Yusei gives me something to ground myself. It always had. The man provides us with helmets strapped on the back of his bike.

We've only ridden a few minutes when he shines a flashlight in our faces. "Hey! Watch it!" I grumble.

"This is enough to block your markers' signal. Shine them on each other," he tell us. Pushy much?

I bite my tongue, shining one of the little blue flashlights on Yusei's marker. He does the same for mine, the light bouncing off my cheek.

It strikes me as a little too intimate to do someone who is strictly a friend. Wrapped around each other in this way it certainly doesn't feel platonic.

"You're..." Yusei trails off for the stranger to fill in.

"I'm Saiga."

"You know what you are? You're dangerous. You could've killed Yusei with that stunt back there." I fall quiet as we pull up to an abandonded office building.

On one of the higher floors rest Saiga's place. With sections of windows upon the wall, there is a bit of ambient light that filters in. There are no lamps or anything of the sort inside.

"Who are you?" Yusei is gazing out the window while I rest on the floor by his legs.

"I'm not so sure about that myself, but I can acquire almost anything. I guess you can say I'm a jack of all trades."

I giggle. The saying had been used against me more times than I can count.

"A jack of all trades is a master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one."

"What does that mean, Nii-san? I'm not a Jack, I'm a Pinoko!"

"It means, darling one, that your deck has to be able to do many things. If you can't adapt, you'll lose against people who can."

"A jack of all trades is a master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one," I quote. Yusei glances in my direction.

"You don't know how right you are. Anyways, you don't have to worry about my fee. Before Himuro went into the detention center, he had me hold onto his money. So, what can I do for you?"

"I'm going to sneak into the security vault building," he says. I want you to help me.

"What?" Saiga chokes.

I parrot him. "What? You can't go alone!"

"You're still healing. I'll come back with the D-Wheel and both of our decks."

"Sure." Saiga is nonplussed about the direction this path has taken him.