Yu-Gi-Oh! CHRONIXII Chapter 16: 1-16: Teen Girl in a New World, Part 1, a yu-gi-oh fanfic

Earlier that afternoon, around the same time Ushio explained Homanu and Karamar's situations to Mira, Kero, and Sister Golas, Karamar was transported to an isolated area in the city's facility, just as Ushio had claimed. The room in question looked like an execution chamber, complete with a gurney. Ironically, the heinous atrocities Karamar committed weren't enough to warrant him a death sentence – rather, it was part of the precaution Ushio mentioned, considering how dangerous Karamar had proven to be.

At this moment, two medical attendants of the facility entered the chamber with Karamar, who was still attached to a stretcher. The attendants carefully lifted Karamar from the stretcher and began to secure him to the gurney. "Well, that takes care of Karamar," one of the attendants said as they strapped him down. "What about those other Devil's Hand thugs?"

"The warden assured us that they're securely locked in their cells," the other attendant said. "And separate cells, at that."

"Man, whatever those 'Devil's Hand' guys did must've really made them dangerous, huh?"

"All gangs, big or small, are dangerous – but you're right, the crimes the Devil's Hand just committed make them more dangerous than most! However, we can't worry about those other thugs – right now, we gotta put Karamar on support."

The other attendant nodded in agreement. Once Karamar was secured, they carefully began to remove his shirt. But once they did, they discovered something extraordinary: some kind of tattoo on his chest, but nothing like the attendants had seen before. They weren't even sure if it could be considered a 'tattoo' to begin with. It was a pattern of the Krana Xa, with eleven connected circles forming a crude cross, four of which were between the intersecting points.

"Holy hell!" one of the attendants cried. "What kind of tattoo is that?!"

"Not sure," said the other attendant, producing a small high-tech rod and expanding a holographic screen to take a snapshot of the tattoo. "But just to be safe, we'd better tell the warden about this and see what he thinks. But in the meantime, we'd better get Karamar set up."

"Right!"

The two attendants proceeded to hook up electrodes and other medical equipment to Karamar. They were so preoccupied with their task that they didn't notice how the markings on Karamar's chest faintly glowed red for a brief moment.

YU-GI-OH! CHRONIXII

LEVEL 1-16
TEEN GIRL IN A NEW WORLD, PART 1

Our story now continues where it left off: a young girl falling out of the sky, for some unexplained reason, and landing smack in front of the orphanage's main entrance, all in the dead of night. Mira carefully carried the young girl inside and laid her on a nearby couch. Sister Golas and the other orphans gathered around the unconscious girl, making all sorts of comments.

"Whoa, who is she?!" the amazed Reggie asked, looking over the back of the couch.

"I'm not sure," was Sister Golas's reply. "But what we have to find out now is whether or not she's okay!"

Mira immediately placed her hand on the girl's neck. "I can feel a pulse, so she should be fine," was her confirmation.

"That's a relief," said Sister Golas. "But do you suppose she'll wake up? We need to get more information about her so we can try to bring her back home!"

This declaration slightly startled Mira. She strongly suspected that whoever this girl was, she was still one of the 'Wielders' she kept hearing about, so she didn't want the girl to be sent back home just yet. Regardless, she remained silent in an attempt to maintain her secrecy about being a Wielder herself.

Kero, however, had other plans. "Don't worry, Sister Golas!" he said, rolling up his sleeves. "I know how to handle this!" After spitting into his palms and rubbing them together, he loudly screamed at the girl, "HEY, KID, WAKE UP! SISTER GOLAS IS MAKING HER HOMEMADE SHOKUPAN TOAST WITH JAM!"

Most of the other orphans, Mira included, looked at Kero squarely. "What'd you do that for?!" Mira scolded.

"What!? That always wakes me up whenever I oversleep!" Kero whined.

"Hold on, I think she's coming to!" Yusaku said, pointing to the girl on the couch – and she did. She slowly opened her dark brown ovular eyes. The vision before her was blurry after the injuries she sustained. But once her vision cleared, her eyes shot open at the unfamiliar building she was in, and at the unfamiliar people around her.

"Oh, no…! Where… Where am I?!" the girl cried, immediately panicking. "What is this place?! Who are you people?!"

"Don't worry, child," Sister Golas said, placing an arm around the girl to calm her. "You're in the hospitality of God now. But we'd like to know who you are, so that we can try to get you back home."

"I… I… I don't know!" the girl lamented. "I don't know who I am!" She sorrowfully buried her face in her hands.

"She must've gotten amnesia from those falls she took!" Mira reasoned.

"Indeed," Sister Golas said in agreement. "In that case, we'll have to find her a room where she can rest for the night, and then bring her in for a checkup in the morning. With any luck, she might be able to get some of her memory back by then."

"Why wait until then, when we can try to get some of her memory back now?" Kero eagerly suggested.

"How do you figure that?" asked Reggie.

"It's not gonna involve Sister Golas's homemade shokupan toast with jam, is it?" Yusaku flatly asked.

"Oh, no, this is much better!" Kero said. He shot off like a rocket up to his bedroom. In no less than five seconds, he returned, holding something behind his back. "I challenge this girl… to a GAME DUEL!" He proudly pulled out the D-Gear he was carrying behind him.

"A Game Duel at this time of night?!" Mira cried in disbelief.

"Why not? She's got her Duel Disk with her!" Kero said, pointing to the D-Gear fastened onto Marcy's left wrist.

"Kero, we don't even know if she remembers what Game Duels are!" Mira argued.

"Besides, you know very well that curfew at this orphanage is nine o'clock at night, and it's already five minutes past that hour!" Sister Golas scolded.

"Yeah, but you know how these things go!" Kero enthusiastically explained. "If we duel someone who's lost their memory, then we duel them, and they get their memory back! Simple as that!"

"Or maybe we can do things the old-fashioned way and see if she has anything like some photos on her phone that'll trigger her memory," Yusaku bluntly suggested.

"Yusaku's right," said Mira. "No sense in disturbing anyone this late at night."

"Fine…" Kero grumbled, crossing his arms. "Though I think my idea's better…"

"Kero, behave!" Sister Golas scolded. Turning to the girl, she spoke more gently, "Now, child, do you have a cell phone or the like on you?"

"I… think so," the girl said rather nervously.

Still, she patted her waist until she felt something in her right hoodie pocket. She reached into it and pulled out a smartphone, which she hesitantly handed to Sister Golas. The lock screen's background displayed what appeared to be a selfie with three girls, including the mysterious girl on the far right. On the far left was a brown-skinned girl of Thai descent with messy auburn hair and dark brown eyes. In the center was the classic case of the Caucasian girl with blonde hair and blue eyes, her hair fashioned in a ponytail and her eyes almond-shaped. A small beauty mark was underneath her left eye. All three girls were dressed in nearly identical school uniforms, save for the one on the far right who was the only one wearing a hoodie.

"Well, I can definitely see you among the trio," Sister Golas said, showing the screenshot to the girl. "Perhaps this can help you remember who you are."

The girl took the phone back, and closely looked at the trio of girls on the lock screen. That's when her eyes widened as a jolt flashed through her brain. "Wait! I know who I am!" the girl cried. "I'm Marcy – Marcy Wu!"

"Hey, she remembered her name!" Kero cried.

"That's good," Yusaku said calmly but proudly. "Now, can you try and tell us where you're from?"

"I… I don't think I can…" Marcy murmured, drooping her shoulders.

"Do you think that thing on her hoodie might give us an idea?" Reggie asked, pointing to the emblem on the front of her hoodie. It was a miniature version of the shield embroidered on the back of Marcy's hoodie, which Sister Golas recalled seeing. Carefully turning Marcy around, she took a closer look at the shield. The emblem was divided into four colors in each direction – yellow on the upper left, pink on the upper right, blue on the lower left, and purple on the lower right.

Sister Golas carefully read the letters on each colored corner aloud. "'S… J… M… S…'" she said thoughtfully. "Those letters sound familiar… but it's still pretty late, and I'm sure Marcy needs her rest. I'll find her a room to stay in for the night – the rest of you better head to bed."

"Aw, do we have to?" Reggie whined.

"I'm afraid we do," Sister Golas said sternly. "Remember what happened last week when you snuck out past curfew?"

Unfortunately, Reggie did. After a heavy gulp, she sheepishly said, "Er, what I meant to say was yeah, I should get getting to bed now!" After a quick but frightful yawn, she scurried up to her bedroom. Several of the other orphans began to head upstairs to bed as well.

"Come on, Marcy, let's get you to bed," Sister Golas said to Marcy. "Then we'll get you checked over to make sure you're not hurt."

Marcy's face was still sad, but she nodded and went with Sister Golas up the stairs. But it wasn't long before Mira stopped her. "Wait, can I see your phone real quick?" Mira asked Marcy.

"What for?" asked Sister Golas.

"I'm just curious about those other two on the lock screen," Mira explained. Marcy calmly handed her phone over to Mira, and Mira turned it on to display the lock screen. "Are those two… your friends?"

"Yeah," said Marcy, blushing a bit. "My best friends, Anne and Sasha." She pointed to the brown-haired girl, Anne, and the blonde-haired girl, Sasha. "They're not here, but wherever they are…" Her face became sad again. "…I hope they're okay…" She sniffled a bit, but Sister Golas patted her shoulder as she continued leading her to her room.

'Marcy,' Mira worriedly thought as she watched her caretaker escort the girl, 'I don't know where you came from or why you're here, but if you're a Wielder like us… I hope you stay safe…'

But unbeknownst to anyone, right in a junkyard in the outskirts of Alba Litora – the same junkyard where Homanu previously had his duels against Kero and Karamar – the silhouette of a slender, almost feminine, android lay motionless beside a scrap heap. Its yellow eyes began to glow as it slowly creaked upright. After flexing its joints, the mysterious mechanoid began leaping out of the junkyard and into the darkness of the night without the faintest detection.

The following morning, Sister Golas took Marcy to the hospital for a quick checkup, just as she had promised. Mira voluntarily accompanied the two, partially for companionship, but mostly so Mira could try and keep a close eye on Marcy. At this moment, the two were sitting in the waiting room awaiting the results, although Mira was evidently more anxious.

"What's taking so long?" Mira asked, almost frustratingly. "I thought these checkups don't take any longer than twenty minutes!"

"There's no need to be so impatient," Sister Golas scolded, putting down a Catholic magazine she was reading. "We'll get the results when we get them. …But I can't help but notice you taking an unusual interest in Marcy. You're not developing a crush on her, are you? 'Cause you know homosexuality is sinful-"

"I don't have a crush on her!" Mira cried defensively. This not only startled Sister Golas, but also garnished some brief unwanted attention from the others in the waiting room. Calming down, Mira explained, "It's just that… her coming to our orphanage last night just seemed a bit sudden, and I just want to be sure she's safe."

"Oh. That makes sense, I suppose," Sister Golas said before resuming her reading.

A few seconds later, the doctor who previously attended to Mira and Homanu's injuries entered the waiting room with Marcy beside him, holding a lime-flavored lollipop. "Ah, Sister Golas!" the doctor cheerfully greeted the caretaker. "Sorry we took so long – based on the incidents involving Mira and Homanu, we decided to play it safe and run some extensive tests."

"How is she, doctor?" asked Sister Golas.

"Well," said the doctor, pulling out a rod to display Marcy's holographic medical chart, "she miraculously didn't break anything, she doesn't have any internal injuries, and her vitals are perfectly normal for her age. Looks like she has the classic case of amnesia."

"So, what should we do with her?" asked Mira.

"The best thing to do is to have her take it easy," the doctor insisted. "I'm sure she'll regain her memory over time, like how she partially did last night. But if it helps, I would also recommend having her engage in activities that she likely partook in before this started."

"Well, when we get home, I'll look up the school she attended," Sister Golas said. "Once we're able to confirm which school she went to – if she can remember, that is – we might be able to get somewhere."

"Sounds like a good idea," said the doctor. "As always, if anything else comes up, please call our offices as soon as possible."

"Thank you, doctor," said Sister Golas, bowing her head before the doctor. "Come on, you two, let's go home."

"Bye, doc! Thanks for the lollipop!" Marcy said with a friendly wave. As they exited the building, Marcy tore the wrapping off the lollipop and began sucking on it.

"So, you're really going to track down the school Marcy went to?" Mira asked as the trio boarded a white hovercraft resembling a minibus, with Mira sitting up front and Marcy sitting towards the back.

"That's the plan," Sister Golas said, starting the hovercraft's engines. "At least that way, we'll have some kind of idea as to where she came from, and how she even got here."

"But does she really have to go this soon?" Mira asked. "She pretty much just got here!"

"Mira, this girl might not be an orphan, so she can't stay with us forever," Sister Golas reasoned. "Besides, we've had a bit of some financial struggles, what with you and your friends having to go to the hospital and all! …Are you sure you don't have a crush on Marcy, Yukiko?"

Upon hearing this, Marcy nearly choked on her lollipop, but she pulled it out of her mouth just in time. "A crush?! On me?!" the astonished Marcy cried.

"I swear, I don't have a crush!" Mira argued. "I just… don't want you getting hurt or anything…"

"Really? Wow, that's so nice of you to say!" Marcy cheerfully replied, immediately resuming to sucking on her lollipop.

"Well, if you're really that fond of Marcy as a friend," Sister Golas suggested, "what you could do, as soon as we get home, is try to find a present for her to try and cheer her up. And with any luck, she might regain some more of her memory."

"Sounds good, Sister Golas," said Mira. "I'm gonna bring Kero along, 'cause I know how he can get if he's… unsupervised for too long."

"Indeed," said Sister Golas. "Welp, we'd best be on our way, before Kero has all those mizu yokan before dinnertime again…" Mira gently chuckled as Sister Golas kept driving the trio home.

Thirty minutes later, Mira and Kero – who, as it turned out, didn't sneak in any mizu yokan before suppertime – were in a bustling shopping district in one of Alba Litora's city streets, trying to find something that would not only cheer Marcy up, but hopefully regain some more of her memories. But considering that they pretty much just met the girl, finding the proper gift for her proved to be quite the challenge.

"Aw, man, this is so hard!" Kero whined as he was walking beside Mira. "Why didn't we ask Marcy what her interests and hobbies are? It would've made this job a whole lot easier!"

"Kero, I keep telling you," Marcy sternly reminded him, "we're not certain if Marcy remembers what her interests and hobbies are! Besides, just before we got home, Sister Golas found out about the school Marcy goes to, from the letters on her hoodie, and she needed Marcy with her to try and contact the school. So whatever we find for Marcy is really gonna be a leap of faith."

"Yeah, but what can we get her?" Kero asked. That was the question on the two shoppers' minds as they kept walking through the district's outside shops. But as they were passing one of the shops, Kero's eyes widened as an idea flashed through his brain. "THAT'S IT!" Without warning, he ran to the shop, forcibly pulling Mira by her hand.

"Wait, where are we going?!" Mira cried as she was being dragged along.

"Right here!" Kero proudly declared, presenting the shop before them, which was one of several Game Duel shops that sold booster packs, preconstructed decks, and individual cards.

"Kero, we don't have time to go shopping for new cards!" Mira scolded. "We have to try and find something for Marcy!"

"Exactly!" Kero enthusiastically replied. "And what better gift than special Game Duel cards?"

"But we still don't know if she knows about Game Duels!" Mira argued.

"Well, she has a Duel Disk that looks like the kind used for Game Duels, so she must know something about 'em!" Kero said. A booster pack featured in a display case caught his eye. "Ooh! Let's get her some cards from this pack! It contains some new Attribute Core Cards!"

"It contains what?" the perplexed Mira asked.

"Oh, you still don't have your Duel Disk with you, so you probably haven't gotten notified about it," Kero said. "Giichi just released a new mechanic for Core Cards that now have Monster Card Attributes, and give Upgrade Monsters additional effects when they're injected with 'em! I actually have one with me!"

He still had his D-Gear on him, so with a few taps and swipes on the touchscreen, a virtual card was displayed before Mira. To her surprise, however, the card was 'Thunder Upgrade Core – SUP'. "Wait a minute, isn't this the same card Karamar used against Homanu?" she asked.

"I mean, it kinda is," Kero replied, "but it's still cool!"

"But if they released these kinds of Core Cards today, how did Karamar get a card like that?" Mira suspiciously asked.

"Um… maybe he somehow found a way to hack into the database to get that card?" Kero awkwardly responded. "But c'mon, let's pick out something for Marcy!" Mira lightly sighed, but willingly went with Kero as the two began to see which cards would best be suitable for Marcy.

After another thirty minutes of shopping, the pair returned to the orphanage. But Kero, being the more energetic of the two, arrived at the orphanage before Mira. When he did, he flung open the door of the main entrance and bombastically chimed, "Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeere's Kero!" This only earned him some groans from the morbidly annoyed orphans present in the same room.

"Jesus, Kero, this is an orphanage, not some kind of live performance!" Mira scolded as she calmly entered through the doorway.

"Hey, can't I have any fun?" Kero complained.

Mira ignored that comment and looked around. "Sister Golas? We're back!" she called.

"I'm in my office, Mira," Sister Golas called back.

"C'mon, Kero, let's tell Sister Golas what we got," Mira directed. Kero cheerfully nodded and followed Mira into the caretaker's office. And there was Sister Golas at her desk, busily looking over some paperwork and bankbooks before her.

"Hey, Sister Golas!" Kero beamed, presenting some plastic cards with QR codes imprinted on them. "We totally got some QR codes for neat packs and cards Marcy might like!"

"That's very nice, Nobuyuki," Sister Golas said, still completely focused on her work. "But how many times do I have to tell you not to make bombastic announcements when entering this building?"

"Aw…" Kero whined.

"Sister Golas?" Mira asked. "Is everything okay? You look kinda worried."

Sister Golas sighed through her nostrils, but looked up at the two. "I told you that we've had a bit of financial struggles, what with all these trips to the hospital," she explained. "But I've been looking over our records, and… we're in worse shape than I thought."

Hearing this horrified Kero. "Oh, no!" he melodramatically wailed. "We're not… We're not gonna have to close this place down, are we?!"

"No, we're not on the verge of bankruptcy, thank goodness," said Sister Golas. "However, all of those medical expenses have put quite the dent on our treasury account, so that means we'll have to cut back on the essentials like groceries and electricity usage."

"Is there anything we can do to help?" asked Mira.

"Aside from fundraisers, I'm not sure if there's much you could do," Sister Golas replied. "It'll take a miracle for us to be financially secure again."

"Well, I'm sure we'll get all that money back, one way or another!" Kero chirped. "But for now, let's give these gifts to Marcy!"

"Where is Marcy, anyway?" asked Mira.

"She's up in her room," Sister Golas replied. "Just be careful when entering – she's up there bawlin' her eyes out."

"Wait, she is?!" Kero cried. "Man, what'd Yuri say to upset her?"

"Kero, what's Yuri got to do with this?!" Mira argued.

"Come on, you know how he is!" Kero said, rolling his eyes. He proceeded to mimic Yuri by saying: "'Oh, look at me, I'm the greatest Fusion Champion, and I'm gonna let everyone know that they're worse than me while not caring about their feelings!'"

"That's quite enough, Kero!" Sister Golas scolded. "You should know better than that! Yes, he is troublesome, but we should learn to see the best in people!"

"Yeah, but this is Yuri!" Kero whined.

"Kero, stop it!" Mira scolded, and he did. Turning her attention to Sister Golas, she calmly asked, "What happened that made Marcy so upset?"

"Well, remember when I recognized the letters on Marcy's hoodie?" Sister Golas explained. "They stood for 'Saint James Middle School,' the name of several schools in the United States, which Marcy confirmed that she attends. Of course, when I looked it up, I needed her assistance to confirm which precise school she attended. We were able to pinpoint it after a few minutes; but when I called the school to ask about Marcy's enrollment, the principal informed me that Marcy actually doesn't attend that school, nor do any of the girls we saw on her phone. After a failed attempt to try and convince the principal otherwise, that's when Marcy broke down and ran upstairs."

"Man, poor Marcy!" Kero cried.

"Hold on a minute, you said it's a school in the United States?" Mira suspiciously asked. "If that's true, then how did she get here?"

"Honestly, your guess is as good as mine," Sister Golas said. "But right now, I just want to focus on calculating our finances, to see if any cuts need to be made."

"Fair enough," said Mira. "C'mon, Kero."

She and Kero were about to leave the office when Sister Golas stopped them. "Although," she said, "if you're really that curious about Yuri, he's actually been unusually quiet these past few days."

"Really? Yuri has?" Kero asked with a scoff. "That's hard to believe!"

"But it's the truth," said Sister Golas. "He hasn't been his usual boisterous self or trying to prove how he's the 'greatest Fusion Champion.' And a part of me can't help but worry about this kind of behavior…"

"He's probably up to something," said Mira. "But we can't worry about him right now – we gotta try and cheer Marcy up." She and Kero left the office as Sister Golas resumed looking over all the paperwork.

Just as Sister Golas said, Marcy was in her bedroom lying face-down on her bed in anguish. And while she wasn't 'bawling her eyes out' like Sister Golas said she was, she did have her face buried in her pillow. It wasn't long before she heard a gentle knock outside her door. "G-Go away!" Marcy shouted, her voice breaking and her eyes filled with tears. "I don't wanna see anyone!"

"Marcy, it's us, Mira and Kero," Mira spoke through the door. "Can we come in?"

Marcy calmed down a little. With a heavy sigh, she gloomily replied, "Sure, come on in…"

The door slowly opened, and Mira and Kero walked inside. "Hey, Marcy," said Mira, sitting beside her. "We… heard about what happened between you and Sister Golas-"

"I don't get it!" Marcy wailed in simultaneous frustration and disbelief, throwing her hands. "I know that's the school I go to! But the principal tells me that I'm not a student there?! How is that even possible?!"

Mira had a theory about it, but didn't want to make matters worse for Marcy. Instead, she said, "Y'know, Kero and I went shopping earlier, and we got some things that'll hopefully cheer you up."

"Oh, yeah! Here ya go!" Kero said, happily handing Marcy the plastic cards with the QR codes.

Marcy examined them carefully. "What are these?" she asked.

"Oh, they're special redemption cards!" Kero explained. "You just gotta scan them, and you can receive the special Game Duel cards and booster packs we got for you!"

"'Game… Duel'?" Marcy asked. But it wasn't long before her eyes widened again as another jolt flashed through her brain. "Oh, yeah, I know all about Game Duels!" She quickly reached over and grabbed her Disk from her dresser. "I actually have a deck right here, which I used to win a competition held at my school two weeks ago!"

"A-ha!" Kero gloated to Mira. "I knew she had to know something about Game Duels!"

"There was a competition… two weeks ago?" Mira suspiciously asked. "When exactly did you first hear about Game Duels?"

"A little over a month ago, why?" asked Marcy.

"Hey, that's when Game Duels were first introduced!" Kero beamed. With an excited gasp, he added, "Ooh, maybe they released Game Duels worldwide, and it's become an international sensation!"

Mira wasn't so sure about that, but Kero was too excited to notice Mira's concern. Wildly turning his attention to Marcy, he added, "Hey, Marcy, does your deck have any super-special-awesome Upgrade Monsters?"

Now it was Marcy's turn to be perplexed. "'Upgrade Monsters'? What are they?" she asked.

"Hold on a minute," said Mira, "you mean you know about Game Duels, but you don't know what Upgrade Monsters are?"

"Nope, never heard of 'em," Marcy replied, shrugging her shoulders. This made Mira even more suspicious.

"Welp, there's only one way to teach you everything you need to know about Upgrade Monsters!" Kero beamed, raising his right arm that held his Disk. "Marcy Wu, I challenge you! …Hey, that rhymes!"

"Okay, Kero, it's on!" Marcy beamed, immediately fastening her Disk onto her wrist.

"Congrats, Kero, you're finally getting your Game Duel," Mira said, almost uncaringly. "However, I think it's only fair to let Marcy choose where she wants the duel to take place."

"Who cares, as long as I'm getting my duel!" Kero beamed.

"Then what are we standing around here for? Let's go!" Marcy beamed, her anguish fully diminished.

A jolt suddenly flashed through Kero's brain. "Wait!" he interrupted. "I just gotta take care of one thing real quick! I'll meet you when we set off!"

"But what do you have to-?" Mira began. But Kero ran out of the bedroom before she got a chance to finish.

"Well, while we're waiting, I'll just take this time to get ready myself," Marcy said, swiping through her Disk's touchscreen to view her deck's contents.

'This is really getting weird,' Mira thought as she observed Marcy. 'Marcy says that Game Duels were released in the U.S. – and around the same time they were launched here in Japan, no less – and yet she doesn't know about Upgrade Monsters? How is that even possible…?' Those were just some of the concerns on Mira's mind as the trio headed out of the orphanage and towards their destination.

After another five minutes, Mira, Kero, and Marcy finally arrived at their destination: a forest-like area in the city's central park, which just so happened to be the same location Mira and Hawk's duel took place. "Why'd you bring us here?" asked Mira.

"I actually have a deck based on tabletop RPGs," Marcy explained, "and I really love using it in forest-like areas such as this one!" She inhaled deeply through her nostrils, and dreamily sighed.

"Well, as long as you're ready, let's go!" Kero beamed, boldly bringing his Disk up to his face. Marcy determinedly smiled as she did the same.

"Not so fast, you two! Ya can't start without me!" a familiar preppy female voice declared. It belonged to none other than Andrea Davenport, who had just caught up with the group, along with her miniaturized camera drone.

"Andrea?!" the surprised Mira cried. "What are you doing here?"

"Didn't Kero tell you?" Andrea explained. "He said your orphanage is going through some money troubles, so he asked me to come over and do a charity stream!"

Mira, almost appalled, shifted her attention to Kero. "Kero, you actually did that?!" she scolded.

"Oh, come on, it's a great idea!" was Kero's excuse. "Andrea herself said that they loved the way you dueled in her streams, so I figured that if there was a charity stream for the orphanage you lived at, people would donate in a snap!"

"I mean, that's nice and all, but you could've at least told me what you were doing in advance!" Mira scolded once again.

"No time for bickering!" Andrea hastily directed. "I've got a charity duel to stream!" She tossed her drone into the air, transforming it into its camera form. Once the camera started recording, she began to make the announcement for her viewers at home.

"Whattup, Fandreas!?" she lively greeted. "This is your girl, Andrea, coming to you live from Alba Litora for another Game Duel! But this time, it's for charity! One of your favorite duelists, Mira Yukiko, is going through some hardships at her orphanage! And we gotta protect those poor orphans, right?!" She briefly made a melodramatically sad expression at this detail. "So if you truly care for the kids, better get those wallets out and show how much you love the children!" Andrea leaned towards the camera as if she were telling a secret. "And y'know, maybe if the orphanage director isn't stressed about money, she'll be inspired by our immense generosity and give little Mira her Disk back!

"But in the meantime," she resumed, twirling animatedly to present the two competitors, "we're about to stream a duel between one of her best buds, Kero, and a new friend she just made, Mandy-"

"Uh, Marcy," Marcy politely corrected her.

"Marcy, right, sorry," Andrea resumed. "Anyway, it's gonna be Kero against Marcy, and Marcy claimed to have won a school competition two weeks ago – but let's see if she's shaken off those cobwebs! Alright, duelists, activate your Disks!"

A Game Duel Field Card moved up to the center of both Disks' touchscreens, its artwork depicting a forest. "Now activating Game Duel Field: Game World, Forest," the computerized female voice announced during this sequence. Afterwards, the entire scenery around them changed to display the same kind of forest battlefield from Mira's duel against Hawk, complete with the mossy stone monolith.

"Now this is what I'm talkin' about!" Marcy said, stretching her arms wide in awe as she marveled at the forest around her. Returning her attention to Kero, she said, "You ready for this, Kero?" She projected her Disk's light blue blade.

"As ready as ever!" Kero energetically replied, projecting his Disk's spring green blade.

"Let the Game Duel begin!" Andrea declared, raising a fist up high.

"Game Duel, game start!" both duelists shouted.

KERO: 4000 LP / MARCY: 4000 LP

"I'm going first!" Kero declared, vigorously drawing five cards with his left hand. "And I'll start by activating the Spell Card, Stage Select!" After swiping the card through one of his blade's horizontal slots, an EARTH Spell Card materialized beside him. Its artwork depicted a white checkered grid overlaying an overworld map. A pair of red arrows parallel to each other, one right side up and the other upside down, were in the center of the map.

"First, this card shuffles both of our decks!" The mildly startled Marcy looked down on her Disk's touchscreen, and she saw a light blue outline graphic of a deck being shuffled.

"Then I get to roll a dice, and excavate cards from the top of my deck equal to the result! And after that, I get to place them on top of my deck in any order I want! Here goes!" A large transparent six-sided dice outline in spring green materialized in the palm of Kero's hand, which Kero flung into the air. The virtual dice bounced on the grass until it landed… on a six!

"Aw, yeah! Now I get to pick up the top six cards of my deck!" Six cards materialized before Kero, which only he could see. But when he saw the cards, a gleeful smile stretched across his face. "Let's see, I choose this one, this one, this one, this one, this one, and… this one!" He hastily pressed his left pointer finger on each of the cards in a random sequence, each card illuminating upon being pressed. Once all six cards were chosen, the cards pixilated.

"Next, I summon my deck's top star: Gradius!" After slapping the card onto his blade's center floating zone, a spring green portal appeared above him. Flying out of the portal was a silvery white space jet fighter with a yellow-tinted canopy. [ATK: 1200]

Marcy's eyes sparkled at the sight of the space jet. "Is that the same 'Gradius' featured in those shooter games from the 80's?" she squealed. "Oh my gosh, I loved playing those games!"

"Boy, it sounds like she's liking you already," Mira playfully remarked, crossing her arms.

"Well, if she likes me now, just wait!" Kero laughed. "I equip Gradius with Cyclon Laser!" After swiping another card through one of his blade's horizontal slots, a THUNDER Equip Spell Card materialized, its artwork depicting a set of yellow and red twin laser cannons charged with white-blue electricity.

"This card gives Gradius three hundred extra Attack Points! Plus, if it attacks your monster in Defense Mode, you take damage equal to the difference!" The same set of laser cannons pictured on the card materialized underneath the space jet. [ATK: 1200 – 1500]

"But I'm not done yet! I also summon Gradius' Option in Attack Mode!" Another spring green portal materialized, and a small red space capsule flew out of it, floating beside the space jet.

"I'm only allowed to summon this monster by choosing a Gradius on my side of the field. But when I do, my Option's Attack and Defense Points will always be the same as those of the Gradius I chose! Plus, with Cyclon Laser on my field, Gradius' Option will inflict piercing battle damage, as well!" [ATK: 0 – 1500 / DEF: 0 – 800]

"I'll place this card face-down, and end my turn!" he finished, swiping the last card in his hand through one of his blade's horizontal slots. A card materialized beside him before fading from view.

"And Kero has just played his entire hand!" Andrea excitedly announced. "Even if it is something a lot of people are hoping to do in Game Duels such as this one, it's still an impressive feat!"

"Impressive or not, I ain't gonna go down so easily!" Marcy beamed determinedly.

"Hey, that makes two of us!" Kero also said determinedly, but with a hint of overconfidence. "So, show me what ya got, Marcy!"

"Okay, here goes! I draw!" Marcy shouted as she drew five cards. "Time for a change of scenery! I activate the Spell Card, The Spirit of Adventure!"

After swiping the card through one of her blade's horizontal slots, a FOREST Spell Card depicting a grassland forming in some kind of mystical forest materialized. Almost immediately, the grass underneath Mira and the participants became a lighter shade of green and slightly glossier, while some of the trees around them disappeared.

"Whoa, what just happened?!" the awestruck Kero asked, jerking his head around.

"My Spell Card, that's what!" Marcy proudly explained. "This card immediately transforms the current Terrain into 'Meadow' – the same Terrain that all Warriors, Beast-Warriors, Magical Knights, and Celestial Warriors are strong in! But there's more – since the previous Terrain was 'Forest', we each draw two cards!" Both duelists quickly drew two cards apiece.

"And after that, I'll gain one hundred Life Points, multiplied by the number of cards in both of our hands! I count eight, which means I'll gain eight hundred Life Points!" A green aura briefly shrouded her. [LP: 4000 – 4800]

"But now, the fun really begins – I summon my deck's three top stars!"

She grabbed three cards, and slapped them onto each of her blade's floating zones within a single swipe. Three light blue portals appeared before her, and three monsters – a bestial elf, a long-haired swordswoman, and a female archer – leapt out of the portals.

"First, there's Galaruk, Rogue of Tantamore's Resistance!" She was referring to the bestial elf, who was dark-skinned with a red-orange mane, whose main weapons were a pair of daggers. [ATK: 1100]

"Second is Elria, Archer of Tantamore's Resistance!" That was the name given to the archer, who had green hair and was dressed in an archer's uniform made of different shades of brown cloth, wielding a bow and arrow. [ATK: 1000]

"And finally, their leader – Zeldriel, Paladin of Tantamore's Resistance!" Zeldriel happened to be the swordswoman with long and unruly blonde hair, dressed in dark blue cloth and wielding a mystical sword. [ATK: 1500]

"And thanks to the 'Meadow' Terrain, all my warriors of Tantamore gain a power boost!" Marcy boldly declared, stretching a palm towards the sky. [ATK: 1100 – 1300] [ATK: 1500 – 1700] [ATK: 1000 – 1200]

"Amazing!" Andrea beamed. "Not only did Marcy summon three monsters, but they also got a power boost!"

"So, how's it feel to duel in a Terrain that benefits your opponent?" Mira playfully teased.

This remark made Kero embarrassed. "Shut up…" he humiliatingly grumbled.

"Now I activate the Spell Card, Hand Shattering Arrow!" Marcy continued, swiping another card through one of her blade's horizontal slots. A WIND Spell Card picturing a mystical arrow flying directly at two enlarged cards in front of a terrified duelist materialized. "This card sends one random card from your hand to the Graveyard, and then you lose five hundred Life Points!"

Kero was agape as he saw two cards materialize in front of him. The same mystical arrow then shot out of the newly activated card and shattered through the card on the right. As the card shattered into pixels, the arrow went across Kero, making him clutch his arm in pain. [LP: 4000 – 3500]

Once he recovered, he desperately looked at the remaining contents of his hand. 'Dammit, she got rid of my best card!' he angrily thought. But it wasn't long before determination returned to him. 'Luckily for me, I have a way of getting it back!'

"I place two cards face-down!" Marcy continued, taking the last two cards in her hand and swiping them through her blade's leftmost and rightmost slots. Two cards materialized behind her trio of monsters before disappearing.

"Now you used up your hand, which means you'll draw five cards next turn!" Mira cried. "You're really getting the hang of this!"

"Thanks!" Marcy said with a cheerful smile. Facing Kero, she resumed, "But now, it's time to battle! Zeldriel, take out his Gradius!"

The blonde swordswoman charged directly at the space jet, and flung her sword directly at the hull, causing the ship to self-destruct. Upon its destruction, the red space capsule self-destructed as well. Kero tried to shield himself from the wreckage of his ships' destruction. [LP: 3500 – 3300]

"Ooh, looks like someone's figured out that when Gradius gets destroyed, the Option gets destroyed, as well!" Andrea excitedly commented.

"Hey, what can I say?" Marcy said with a playful shrug. "I'm a whiz at retro games!" She ended her remark with a cheerful smile.

As soon as the wreckage cleared, Kero shouted, "I activate the Trap Card, Option Hunter!" A BLACK MAGIC Trap Card picturing several magenta-colored monstrous crustaceans materialized. "You may have destroyed my Gradius in battle, but I'll gain Life Points equal to its original Attack Points – all twelve hundred of them!" He was briefly shrouded by a magenta aura. [LP: 3300 – 4500]

"Not bad," said Marcy, "but I still have my two other warriors to attack with! Go get 'im, guys!" The bestial elf flung some daggers and the archer skillfully shot an arrow. Both attacks struck directly at Kero, who once again shielded himself from the attacks. [LP: 4500 – 2200] "Okay, Kero, you're up!"

"I'll admit… you're better than I thought," Kero grumbled. "But you'll see just how strong I really am! It's my turn!" He bravely drew four cards.

"I activate the Spell Card, Vic Repair!" A THUNDER Spell Card picturing a heavily damaged Gradius being repaired at a space station materialized. "This card lets me return up to two THUNDER-Attribute, Machine-Type monsters with twelve hundred or less Attack Points, from my Graveyard to my hand! And I know just the two!"

Two streaks of spring green light shot out of his ring's green-slotted ridge and into his hand, transforming into two cards. Afterwards, he smugly asked Marcy, "You said that you've never heard about Upgrade Monsters, right?"

"No, I haven't," Marcy said, feeling somewhat uneasy.

"Well, get ready, 'cause you're about to see one up close!" Kero beamed as he grabbed a card and raised it towards the sky. "Behold, my ultimate weapon – VIC VIPER T-300!"

After slapping the card onto his blade's center floating zone, a pillar of yellow electricity shot up behind Kero. Flying out of the pillar was a silvery white space jet that closely resembled Gradius, except it had green trim and laser cannons equipped to its front end. [GRADE: BASE / BASE ATK: 1200]

Marcy was awestruck at the newly summoned ship. "That's an Upgrade Monster?" she said.

"Sure is!" Kero proudly replied. "They're special monsters that can have high Attack Points and powerful effects, based on their current Grade! I'll show you what I mean by injecting it with a Core Card, which is needed to really power 'em up!" He revealed a Core Card that had the hexagonal graphic tinted yellow and shrouded by electricity. "I inject Vic Viper T-300 with Thunder Upgrade Core, Super!" He immediately placed the revealed card underneath Vic Viper's card form. Afterwards, its laser cannons became shrouded in electricity.

"This card immediately brings Vic Viper to its 'Super' Grade! Not only that, but it'll acquire the number of Cores it'll get when acquiring its new Grade – which, in this case, is two!" Instead of unlit hexagons, the space jet's Cores were represented by two small blue orbs appeared in between its front end. [GRADE: BASE – SUP / BASE ATK: 1200 – SUP ATK: 2400 / CORE: 0 – 2]

Marcy only stared at the spaceship after its 'upgrade' sequence. "That… has got to be one of the COOLEST things I've ever seen in my life!" she squealed, her pupils dilated and sparkling with excitement. "Seriously, who would've thought Upgrade Monsters would be this awesome!?"

"Wow, she's reacting to them better than Homanu did," Mira commented.

"Tons better!" Kero cheerfully added.

"Wait, who's this 'Homanu?'" the curious Marcy asked.

"He's one of our friends, but he's a real stick in the mud when it comes to new mechanics," Kero explained, rather snootily. "He just doesn't realize how strong Upgrade Monsters can be! Speaking of which, regular Core Cards are used to bring Upgrade Monsters to their fullest potential – but the Core Card I just used is part of a special series of Core Cards that were released only recently, which'll give Upgrade Monsters even more effects once they're injected! And in the case of my Vic Viper being injected with Thunder Upgrade Core Super: every time it destroys one of your monsters in battle, you lose Life Points equal to the number of cards in my hand and on my side of the field, multiplied by one hundred!"

"And they recently released Core Cards that not only strengthens Upgrade Monsters, but gives them additional effects just like that?!" Marcy cried, still amazed by what she was hearing. "O-M-G, this is so awesome, I can't stand it!"

"Well, how's this for 'awesome?!'" Kero excitedly shouted as he grabbed another card in his hand. "I summon a monster you might find familiar – Gradius' Option!" After slapping the card onto one of his blade's two unoccupied floating zones, a spring green portal appeared, and the red space capsule flew out of it.

"Hold on, I thought you needed Gradius in order to summon that Option of yours!" Marcy protested.

"I do," Kero corrected her. "But thanks to Vic Viper's Continuous Base Effect, its name becomes Gradius while on the field! And since that's the case, Gradius' Option will always have the same Attack Points as Vic Viper T-300!" [ATK: 0 – 2400 / DEF: 0]

"And just as another little surprise, I have another copy of Gradius' Option!" he continued, slapping another card onto his blade's final floating zone. Another green portal appeared, and another copy of the red space capsule flew out of it. [ATK: 0 – 2400 / DEF: 0]

"O-M-G, Fandreas!" Andrea commented after a heavy gasp of excitement. "Kero has easily brought out three monsters that each have twenty-four hundred Attack Points! The excitement just keeps on coming!"

'I can't believe I'm saying this,' thought Mira, who was just as amazed at Kero's move, 'but Kero's become a better duelist since the last time he dueled.'

Marcy was just as amazed at Kero's monsters, but her confidence remained intact. "I kinda had a hunch you'd make a move like that," she said. "That's why I have my Trap Card – United Formation of Tantamore's Resistance!" Stretching out her arm, an EARTH Trap Card materialized on Marcy's field. Its artwork depicted Galaruk, Elria, and Zeldriel, all of whom were defiantly standing their ground before an army of Zombie Warriors and Skull Servants led by a crowned skeletal king. "Since you just summoned a monster, this card will prevent my Galaruk, Elria, and Zeldriel from being destroyed this turn! Plus, if you attack them this turn, you can't attack the same monster more than once!" Each of Marcy's monsters made a heroic pose, staring into the face of danger.

"I may not be able to destroy your monsters, but I can still inflict you with damage!" Kero said. A mischievous smile soon crossed his face. "And end the duel, at that!"

"Huh?!" Marcy asked, once again perplexed.

"I activate Vic Viper's Super Effect!" Kero declared, pointing to his space jet floating above. "By using one Core, all of my THUNDER-Attribute, Machine-Type monsters will gain four hundred Attack Points for every THUNDER-Attribute, Machine-Type monster that's on my side of the field, until the end of your next turn! And since I have three of such monsters, they'll all gain twelve hundred Attack Points apiece!" One of the space jet's blue orbs dissipated into pixels. [CORE: 2 – 1] Afterwards, all three of Kero's monsters were briefly shrouded by an electrical yellow aura. [ATK: 2400 – 3600] [SUP ATK: 2400 – 3600] [ATK: 2400 – 3600] This time, Marcy was horrified at what she just witnessed.

"Time to end this, Marcy!" Kero laughed. "Vic Viper T-300, take out her Elria!" He pointed directly at the archer, and yellow electricity began charging in the space jet's cannons.

But Marcy once again came prepared. "I activate my other face-down card, Lich King's Curse!" A DEMON MAGIC Trap Card picturing the same crowned skeletal king unleashing a black mist from its mouth materialized. "Now every time you attack with a monster, I get to choose a monster on your field, and it'll lose four hundred Attack Points! And the monster I choose for your first attack is none other than your Vic Viper T-300!" The same black mist shot out of the card and briefly shrouded the space jet. [SUP ATK: 3600 – 3200]

"Smart move on her part!" Andrea commented. "If Kero's Options attack, then Vic Viper will lose four hundred Attack Points – and when Vic Viper loses Attack Points, so will his Options!" And that's exactly what happened to Kero's space capsules as they slightly powered down. [ATK: 3600 – 3200] [ATK: 3600 – 3200]

Kero got annoyed after overhearing this bit of exposition, but he, too, remained confident. "Well, at least I'll be able to inflict you with massive damage! Now attack Eldria, Vic Viper!" The space jet fired an electrical laser at the archer. The archer withstood the attack, but the laser struck at Marcy, making her wince in pain. [LP: 4800 – 2800]

"Option number one, attack her Galaruk!" Kero commanded, stretching his arm directly at the bestial elf.

"Don't forget about my Lich King's Curse! Your Vic Viper loses four hundred Attack Points!" Marcy shouted as the black mist briefly shrouded the space jet, causing the space capsules to weaken as well. [ATK: 3200 – 2800] [SUP ATK: 3200 – 2800] [ATK: 3200 – 2800]

"I haven't forgotten, but I'm still gonna attack! Now go!" The space capsule fired a red laser at the bestial elf. Like the archer, the elf withstood the attack, but the laser still struck at Marcy. [LP: 2800 1300]

"And finally, I'll attack your Zeldriel with my last Option!" Kero declared as another red laser formed in the other space capsule. Suddenly, the black mist shrouded the space jet, which once again weakened all of Kero's space vehicles. [ATK: 2800 – 2400] [SUP ATK: 2800 – 2400] [ATK: 2800 – 2400] Regardless, the space capsule still fired a laser at the blonde swordswoman, striking both her and Marcy, who fell to one knee. [LP: 1300 – 600]

Marcy struggled to get herself up. "Wow… even with what I've been throwing at you… you're still really good!" she groaned while ironically cracking a smile.

"Hey, you're not so bad, yourself," Kero said, almost pompously. "But even if you did manage to save yourself, you're still down to your last six hundred Life Points, and I still got some pretty strong monsters on my field! So come at me with all ya got, Marcy!"

"Okay… but only because you asked for it!" Marcy said, getting herself up. "Here I go!" Five stacked cards materialized in front of her ring's red-slotted ridge, which she valiantly drew. When she looked at the cards, determination once again crossed her face. "Aw yeah, that's what I'm talkin' about!

"I activate the Spell Card, Crystal Heart of Tantamore!" she shouted, swiping the card through one of her blade's horizontal slots. A WHITE MAGIC Spell Card picturing three triangles inside a white gold ring materialized. The bottom-left triangle was red with a crude carving of Galaruk, the bottom-right was green with a crude Elria, and the glowing triangle on top was blue with a crude Zeldriel.

"With this card, I bring Zeldriel into her true form!"

With that declaration, Zeldriel closed her eyes as she started to float. Almost immediately, she was enshrouded in a lustrous white veil. It wasn't long before a burst of white energy flashed before the duel.

"I Special Summon – ZELDRIEL, TEMPLAR OF TANTAMORE!"

As soon as the light cleared, Zeldriel was now in pearl white knight's armor with a pair of angelic crystalline wings, wielding a crystal sword with a jeweled golden hilt. In the center of her armor was the same three-triangle relic inside the golden ring. [ATK: 2000]

"Whoa! What a monster!" Andrea commented.

"And because she's a Magical Knight, she gets stronger from this Terrain!" Marcy reminded her opponent. [ATK: 2000 – 2200]

But Kero was too distracted by the knight's emergence to remember that. "Whoa… she's beautiful…!" he said in awe, before shaking his head. "But I have three monsters that are stronger than yours!" [ATK: 2400] [SUP ATK: 2400] [ATK: 2400]

"Not for long!" Marcy laughed. "Templar Zeldriel's Continuous Effect kicks in! Every one of my monsters named Galaruk, Elria, and Zeldriel gain three hundred Attack Points for every one of those monsters that has different names on my field! And since all three of those monsters are on my field, they each gain nine hundred extra Attack Points!" The emblem on Templar Zeldriel's crest shone lustrously as she raised her sword high. [ATK: 1300 – 2200] [ATK: 2200 – 3100] [ATK: 1200 – 2100] Kero's face immediately dropped as he knew what was about to happen next.

"Let's battle!" Marcy beamed. "Templar Zeldriel, take out Vic Viper T-300!" Templar Zeldriel's sword began to glow as she unleashed a burst of white energy directly at the space jet's hull, causing it to self-destruct. [LP: 2200 – 1500]

"And now the effect of the Crystal Heart of Tantamore kicks in!" Marcy continued. "Since I had all three adventurers of Tantamore when I activated this card, every time a card on your field is destroyed this turn, you lose three hundred Life Points for each one!"

"I what?!" Kero panicked. Templar Zeldriel unleashed another burst of white energy from her sword, striking at Kero. [LP: 1500 – 900]

"Galaruk and Elria, attack Kero directly and end this duel!" The bestial elf flung his daggers while the archer shot another arrow. Both attacks struck at Kero – which, for some reason, created a brief flash of blinding white-gold light as he fell backwards. [LP: 900 – 0] As the light cleared, the defeated Kero was lying on his back, and a virtual screen displaying Marcy's profile with 'WIN' written underneath popped open before Marcy's monsters faded away.

"It's over, Fandreas!" Andrea wildly announced. "Marcy has officially won the Game Duel! Guess she hasn't lost touch after all!"

Kero groaned as he struggled to get himself up. "Wow… you were awesome!" Kero chirped with a bounce.

"Aw, thanks!" Marcy said, slightly blushing. "You weren't so bad, yourself – you nearly had me there! And I loved the theme of your deck!"

"Yours was pretty awesome, too!" Kero energetically complimented. "Hope we get to duel again sometime!"

"You said it!" Marcy beamed. She was about to rush to Kero when she tripped over a pebble and landed flat on her face. But she got herself up after a few seconds to catch up with Kero. When she did, she held up a friendly fist, and Kero gently placed his fist against hers, as a sign of their new friendship.

Andrea was just as heartfelt by this act of friendship, but quickly fished her phone out of her pocket. "Ooh, the duel was great!" she squealed. "We got plenty of people making donations already!" Turning her attention to the camera, she announced, "Looks like that's all the time we have, Fandreas. This is Andrea Davenport, signing-"

"Wait, hold on a minute," Mira interrupted. "Haven't you noticed anything strange?"

"'Strange?' What do you mean?" asked Marcy.

"Usually, the entire scenery goes back to normal once a Game Duel ends," Mira said, suspiciously eyeing the scenery around her, which was strangely the same mixture of the meadow inside the mystical forest. "Why isn't it changing now?"

"Hey, you're right!" Kero said, looking around. "Why doesn't it look like a regular park now?"

"You have me to thank for that!" a female robotic voice shouted. It belonged to the silhouette of the same feminine android who leapt out of some nearby bushes and was lurking under the shade of some trees.

"Wait… who are you?!" Mira demanded.

"Aw, man, I HATE cliffhangers!" Kero frustratingly shouted. Indeed, the identity of the android wouldn't be revealed until later.

FEATURED CARD – LEVEL 1-16

Zeldriel, Templar of Tantamore
WHITE MAGIC/Magical Knight – Effect/8/2000/2000
This card's name becomes "Zeldriel, Paladin of Tantamore's Resistance" while in the Graveyard.
REQUIREMENT None
CONTINUOUS EFFECT This card's name becomes "Zeldriel, Paladin of Tantamore's Resistance". If you have "Crystal Heart of Tantamore" in your Graveyard, all face-up monsters on your field named "Galaruk, Rogue of Tantamore's Resistance"/"Elria, Archer of Tantamore's Resistance"/"Zeldriel, Paladin of Tantamore's Resistance", gain ATK equal to [the number of the aforementioned monsters with different names on your field] x 300, also your opponent cannot activate Trap Cards when any of the aforementioned monsters declares an attack.

GIICHI CORPORATION CARD DATABASE

Stage Select
EARTH/Spell Card
REQUIREMENT None
EFFECT Shuffle each player's Deck. Then, roll a six-sided die. Excavate a number of cards from the top of your Deck equal to [the result, then place them on the top of your Deck in any order.

Gradius
THUNDER/Machine – Normal/4/1200/800
A high-performance jet fighter with power capsules for variable attack capabilities.

Cyclon Laser
THUNDER/Equip Spell Card
REQUIREMENT Equip this card to 1 face-up "Gradius" on your field.
EFFECT The equipped monster gains 300 ATK, also it inflicts piercing battle damage (if the ATK of the attacking monster exceeds the DEF of the attack target, inflict the difference), if it attacks a Defense Position monster.

Gradius' Option
THUNDER/Machine – Effect/1/0/0
Cannot be Special Summoned. Cannot be Normal Summoned, unless you choose 1 face-up "Gradius" on your field. If the chosen "Gradius" leaves the field, destroy this card.
REQUIREMENT None
CONTINUOUS EFFECT This card's ATK and DEF are always the same ATK and DEF as the "Gradius" you chose when Normal Summoning this card. If "Cyclon Laser" is face-up on your field, this card inflicts piercing battle damage (if the ATK of the attacking monster exceeds the DEF of the attack target, inflict the difference), if it attacks a Defense Position monster.

The Spirit of Adventure
FOREST/Spell Card
REQUIREMENT The current Terrain is not Meadow.
EFFECT Replace the current Terrain with Meadow. (Celestial Warrior, Magical Knight, Warrior, and Beast-Warrior Type monsters gain 200 ATK/DEF. Spellcaster Type monsters lose 200 ATK/DEF.) Then, if the current Terrain was Forest when you activated this card, each player draws 2 cards, then you gain LP equal to [the number of cards in both players' hands] x 100.

Galaruk, Rogue of Tantamore's Resistance
FIRE/Beast-Warrior – Normal/3/1100/100
A bestial elf chosen to embark on a quest to liberate the kingdom of Tantamore. His courage is equaled only by his heart.

Elria, Archer of Tantamore's Resistance
WIND/Warrior – Normal/3/1000/400
An archer specially chosen to embark on a quest to liberate the kingdom of Tantamore. Her archery skills are unmatched.

Zeldriel, Paladin of Tantamore's Resistance
WATER/Magical Knight – Normal/4/1500/0
An ordinary swordsman chosen to embark on a quest to liberate the kingdom of Tantamore. But another destiny may await her…

Hand Shattering Arrow
WIND/Spell Card
REQUIREMENT Your opponent has 2 or more cards in their hand.
EFFECT Send 1 random card from your opponent's hand to the Graveyard. Then, inflict 500 damage to your opponent.

Option Hunter
BLACK MAGIC/Trap Card
REQUIREMENT When a monster on your field is destroyed by battle.
EFFECT Gain LP equal to [the original ATK the destroyed monster had on the field].

Vic Repair
THUNDER/Spell Card
REQUIREMENT None
EFFECT Add up to 2 THUNDER Attribute Machine Type monsters with 1200 or less ATK, from your Graveyard to your hand. This turn, you can only attack with THUNDER Attribute Machine Type monsters.

Vic Viper T-300
THUNDER/Machine – Upgrade – Effect
ATK {BASE 1200 / SUP 2400}
CORE {SUP 2}
Can be Normal or Special Summoned.
This card's name becomes "Gradius" while in the Graveyard.
REQUIREMENTS
●CONTINUOUS BASE EFFECT / Grade BASE or higher
●SUP EFFECT / 1 CORE
CONTINUOUS BASE EFFECT This card's name becomes "Gradius".
SUP EFFECT All face-up THUNDER Attribute Machine Type monsters on your field gain ATK equal to [the number of face-up THUNDER Attribute Machine Type monsters on your field] x 400, until the end of your opponent's next turn.

United Formation of Tantamore's Resistance
EARTH/Trap Card
REQUIREMENT When your opponent Normal or Special Summons a monster during their turn.
EFFECT For the rest of this turn, monsters on your field named "Elria, Archer of Tantamore's Resistance"/"Galaruk, Rogue of Tantamore's Resistance"/"Zeldriel, Paladin of Tantamore's Resistance", cannot be destroyed by battle, also your opponent cannot attack the same monster on your field more than once.

Lich King's Curse
DEMON MAGIC/Trap Card
REQUIREMENT When an opponent's monster declares an attack.
EFFECT Each time an opponent's monster declares an attack (including when you activated this card), 1 face-up monster on your opponent's field loses 400 ATK.

Crystal Heart of Tantamore
WHITE MAGIC/Spell Card
REQUIREMENT Send 1 face-up Normal Monster whose name is "Zeldriel, Paladin of Tantamore's Resistance" from your field to the Graveyard.
EFFECT Special Summon 1 "Zeldriel, Templar of Tantamore" from your hand face-up to your field. If you had "Galaruk, Rogue of Tantamore's Resistance", "Elria, Archer of Tantamore's Resistance", and "Zeldriel, Paladin of Tantamore's Resistance" face-up on your field when you activated this card, for the rest of this turn, cards on your field cannot be destroyed, also each time a card(s) on your opponent's field is destroyed, inflict damage to your opponent equal to [the number of their cards that were destroyed] x 300.

Next time on Yu-Gi-Oh! CHRONIXII…

The unidentified android adversary has entrapped Mira and the gang in an inescapable illusion, and now it's up to Marcy to free them all through a Game Duel! But with Marcy's soul potentially on the line, will she be able to come out victorious? See what happens in Level 1-17: Teen Girl in a New World, Part 2! Game Duel, game start!