Inspector Fey was speaking, though he thought nothing of it. Ever since he was a boy, he could engage in conversations while separating his internal monologue like two staticked layers of cloth. It was hardly difficult at this particular moment, since he was doing all of the talking. Ori and Otaro Yamatano stood in front of him, the sister a shed skin of her cold-blooded brother. Their dingy room in the Apogee District was empty, the windows drawn, a fluorescent bar light buzzing above the door. In ten minutes, Clavis would arrive, and they would be on their way like a spark strolling down the fuse.

The twins listened as he drilled them about the truth of their mission, its utmost secrecy, and his need to report to his superiors, both of our superiors, he reminded Otaro. Being beneath the boy in their hierarchy was only made manageable by his ability to appeal to something greater than them both. The leadup to the Atrium Royale had made clear that duradine stood above them all.

"To be clear," he heard himself say, "Clavis Barnes is not to know. Not until he has won the day can his prize be made clear."

Three cards moved between his gloved hands, as he manipulated them end over end, cycling them past each other in near contact like a three-body system. The cohesive abilities of duradine had amazed him as a child, when he would, like every San Domino youth, put a card on either side of his fingers and watch them struggle to close the gap. Then, once they were joined, the crystals could only be separated randomly into their constituent cards. Practically testing the true random chance of duradine would take thousands of years, but Fey was already assured of its divine properties. Someone more devout than him would surely unlock its secrets, spill forth God from stone. As for Davis Fey, all that mattered to him was the people, their toils and emotions.

Otaro Yamatano, the King of Games, and his bleeding heart sister with her ancient petdeck. Though the Mist Fang always made his public appearances alone, it was clear that he and his sister were close. Close enough to where the boy was willing to pull rank so that his sister could cosplay a professional duelist when there was work to be done.

Fey's annoyance had turned to fascination when the earthquake struck. The Yamatanos lived and breathed Duel Monsters, but he was beginning to sense some obligate function in doing so. What was their relation to the high-grades?

He spoke quick and low, offering a card to each of them. The three identical high-grades let off a stinging ultraviolet light when held individually; when two were joined, they became clear crystal again, amplifying the glare of their remaining neighbor. As he stuck them together and pulled them apart, his rotating fingers cast wormlike shadows on the ceiling and floor. And now, he was speaking of the powers of this purposefully-designed card, and the trust signified from their superiors by placing such weapons in his possession. How proper, Davis Fey, how unlike you. How necessary to spite Otaro.

Otaro sneered and pointed out that you rely on this artificial card because you are weak, or some other machismatic dogma so common among boys his age. Fey already knew he would turn down the opportunity, foolishly, for Otaro knew the extent of the chaos that would soon befall the Atrium.

Ori, meanwhile, looked doubtful. Fey's offer had really been aimed at her. The "Dust Lord" was the greatest liability among them, both for her subpar dueling strategies and attachment to the people of the Atrium. But Fey had always been skilled in leveraging liabilities: Yuu Tokari, in particular, had seemed to cause a reaction in both Yamatanos, something that had revealed a latent vulnerability in Otaro. Fey wouldn't pursue it to the point where he could be accused of dereliction of duty, but if he found out the secret behind Heart's golden boy, then that could only secure his position.

It went beyond just the supply of cards, to be sure. The high-grades that were so cherished in the professional circuits had a sinister significance down in the mines. By rumor and eyewitness, he had managed to identify five of these rogue, undocumented cards:

Ruin Varudras, wielded yesterday by the megalomaniacal Gozu Daimonji.

Junk Jailer, in the grubby possession of Heart Foreman Abel Oga.

Jormungand Turtle, see directly above, though Fey heard that Zato Sanada had been involved somehow.

Gigavolt Eagle, originally in Zato's possession and given to Yuu Tokari.

Crime of Prometheus, the monster that had caused such a stir among the community. Or perhaps it was its wielder, Yuu Tokari, that was the cause of such commotion.

Come to think of it, there was still no explanation for the boy's Lazarusian return from the collapsed mine. Yuu Tokari's circumstances were an enigma, but this was irrelevant to Fey: he had seen the make of the boy's character, and it was entirely unremarkable. Without the will to win, he would have no say in how the game was played.

In the murk of his internality, he sensed his dialogue reaching its conclusion. Davis Fey surfaced back into himself. "I'll give you this copy, Miss Yamatano," he said, watching how her whole body reached for it as though it were magnetized iron dust. "Remember, its power is untested for field use. Make sure you're ready to leave when Clavis gets here."

Duradine shuffled and snapped together, creating once more the random configuration called a deck. Fey smiled. In his machinations, chance always starved.

Today was not a lucky day. It had been sealed by the fate and dirt.

In ten minutes, Valz would pretend to have slept all night. He was starting to drool now, to work up a convincing lather by the time Yuu shook his shoulder. The miner's internal clock had been honed by growing up underground, not relying on the sun with its shifting schedule of seasons. In ten minutes, a workday would start that was not a workday at all, as the mine had been blocked off and most every resident of the Atrium would be attending the tournament. Their duel belts hung by the door, the faint glow of duradine visible through the pouch. Much of Yuu's hospital stay had been spent talking about new strategies; his deck, enhanced by cards he had mined in a frenzy during his near-death experience, would be a solid contender, at least as far as the Atrium's competition went.

He still didn't know what to make of his friend's story. Had he really received a divine message from a duradine spirit? When he had decided to investigate the Unlock Project, he'd naturally had to broaden his horizons of believability, but he would need to see this spirit to confirm its value. Unlikely, since Yuu had no way to contact the thing again. Frustration soaked his mind, pooling in whatever side of his head he rotated onto the bedroll.

Unable to sleep, he had replayed his duel with Otaro on his Duel Disk camcorder, watching the grainy pixels frown momentarily before effectively surrendering the duel. This was just before the earthquake, which placed it at the center of all these supernatural phenomena. Something had reacted, been amplified by the duradine and nearly killed them all. Something that Heart's King of Games wanted to keep hidden.

It certainly sounded like a curse, if he took his father's insane ramblings as prophecy. Whatever the truth of the matter, what Heart had done to him was unforgivable. Valz knew he might find no magical secrets, only a dull, exactable revenge.

He would take what he could get.

Yuu stirred, and Valz shut his eyes. Yuu Tokari would have a complicated day to say the least. His mentor, his father figure, on the side of the Yamatanos, on the side of Heart's pro dueling machine. Maybe Yuu only aspired to take Clavis's place in that machine. Maybe he was just excited to duel his friend. Either way, Valz pitied him.

They dressed in silence, grim focus taking hold. After they had made their preparations and stepped out into the street, Valz looked up, knowing that the sight would horrify him the way it had for the past month: The steel ribs of the Atrium, joined at the center of a skyless world.

The first to gather were the layabouts, those who had no way of continuing work in the mines, nor any way of buying themselves back to the surface. They dragged themselves to Leviathan Plaza and draped themselves over the park benches, kicking rubber pellets out of the astroturf. Conversations ensued. The first fight broke out over seating, and it was then settled over dice. The second fight was about the dice.

Children wandered out, their parents trailing nervously behind. It had been a long time since enough people had gathered to the point where you could truly lose a face in them. Slight undercurrents of panic mingled in the plaza as people once more became the masses, swept up in sheer spectacle.

Every flyer had long since been torn down and used as bedding or toilet paper, leaving brightly colored scraps stuck in the vents of the algae exchange tanks. Their destruction had made them even more widespread; the people of the Atrium now lived in Fey's words, inhaling his promise: A show like none other, an opportunity like none before. The stage was actually quite meager; Inspector Fey stood at a folding table which doubled as his podium, and the pompous twit was grinning in every direction like an oscillating fan tower. Before him was a roster of nametags and Duel Disks, and behind him stood a raised bleacher for duelists to rest between rounds.

A few unfamiliar faces had appeared around the plaza, clad in dark suits similar to Fey. Clearly they were there in the role of security. The crowd didn't think much of their presence, as they were, in truth, seeing many Atrium residents for the first time that day. If anything, it was a relief that someone was taking responsibility for keeping order in this strange environment.

More shocking than any visitors from the surface, though, was the appearance of Clavis Barnes. His stature, scattered and flattened over years of work, was suddenly all collected into this pillar of a man, a professional-grade Duel Disk strapped to his arm.

The old man's cee-lo buddies, the ones who had been lucky enough to escape the mines with only career-ending injuries, regretted arriving so early. If Clavis had worn this pro dueling getup any other day, they would have laughed him to a thin paste, but at the eye of all this endorsement, his position was shockingly clear. The entire town gathered around this sense of awe, and though his name was never spoken, all were his witnesses: The old fool, the crazy duradine hoarder, was going pro. Each miner wondered what they themselves could have been, though the skeptics reserved their judgment. Would Clavis outlast the tournament?

More and more people detached themselves from the audience, walking up to the table and confirming their registration. Chief Oga was the seventh, though he had been there from the start. He had been working on something to say to Clavis (congratulations? A friendly jab?) but forgot when he approached the table and so meekly said his name and confirmed his duradine crystal with the saccharine Fey. They fitted him with one of the larger Duel Disks, and as he put it on, he was worried the unusual machine would suddenly constrict and sever his forearm in half. Without warning, the banded cuff telescoped down his arm, spiral-tightening until it fit snugly. Oga tugged on it like a rudder, unsure if he had been given a weapon or a wing. Noticing the stares from his employees, he occupied himself with looking very grumpily into the middle distance.

Murmurs abounded as an escort of Monji goons split the crowd. Gozu Daimonji appeared astride her family's entourage, holding up her Duel Disk to show that she needed none of the provided resources. If she truly was the new head of the Monji, then her participation in this tournament only cemented its importance. The crowd could only wonder at what could have convinced her.

Some of the other registrants were met with surprise by their peers (No way, you?) as well as derision (You? No way.) though the presence of the pro duelists seemed to have enforced a divide between participants and audience. The audience of the Atrium was ecstatic to see themselves represented, but they were still the outgroup, pressed behind an invisible wall. Quickly, groups formed around who to cheer for.

Around nine o'clock, it became clear that Clavis was staring at something in the crowd. Heads turned, creating a furrow in the audience that led back to the boy, the myth and mystery at the core of the Duel Monsters craze.

Yuu Tokari excused himself to the front. The other contestants, scattered about the plaza, all tracked him with their gazes as he made his way to the table. He waved in a few directions; the crowd just now noticed an unassuming woman with a purple coat standing at Otaro's side. Clavis and the boy greeted each other warmly, but the difference in their attire was starkly apparent now.

Inspector Fey welcomed him with open arms. When the registration was finished, he raised his voice.

"Attention, Duelists and all passersby! I, Inspector Fey, welcome you all to our very first celebration of Duel Monsters talent, the Atrium Royale! Sponsored by Heart Excavation, and joined by the reigning champion, Otaro Yamatano!"

The crowd looked at Otaro with new eyes. They'd known he was a professional, but his title revelation was a shock to everyone but the participants.

"It's my personal belief that hardship creates the greatest talent. That's why the winner of this tournament will be able to sign with my agency and begin their ascent into the world of professional dueling!" Excited whispers flowed through the crowd.

Oga chuckled to himself. With the high-grades he'd gathered in his position as foreman, his chances were better than most. He wasn't too serious about the possibility of going pro; it just amused him that weaker people were. He was still unsure how to judge Clavis by that standard.

"Before we begin, I'd like to take a moment to thank Zato Sanada for helping arrange this tournament," Fey said solemnly. "It would truly have been impossible without him."

Of course it would've. As punishment for allowing Fey and the Yamatanos on-site behind his back, Zato had been assigned to the drill line's reconstruction while Oga participated in the tournament. His presence would not be missed.

"Now, on to the bracket!" Fey said, his demeanor flipping like a coin. He pressed a button on his own Duel Disk, and a holographic display appeared, the resolution sacrificed for size. "The sixteen participants will compete in a single elimination bracket! Top seed, of course, goes to the Mist Fang, Otaro!"

Chief Oga squinted at the bracket and nearly had a heart attack when he saw the name listed there. But wait, "Otaro" had more letters than that. His first opponent was a different Yamatano.

The woman beside Otaro looked at the chief. Mist Fang or not, she was still a pro duelist. His hoard of high-grades would finally get a chance to shine.

Around the plaza, other duelists were seeking each other out, locking eyes as Fey explained the format. "For our duels, we'll all be using this plaza! There are four available duel locations, and so in the first round, we'll have two rounds of four simultaneous duels! Round two, with eight remaining players, will have two rounds of two concurrent duels! Following this, the semifinals and finals will be three consecutive duels! What an absolute gauntlet for our competitors today! But it's all to bring you the most amount of Dueling action possible!"

With another screen tap on Fey's Duel Disk, four pyramids of light shot up from the ground around the plaza, flattening to sectioned dueling fields. Startled, the crowd moved off of the lines.

Fey's screen display listed the names of eight duelists, two each assigned to a duel field, denoted by its letter which appeared rotating in the air above each hologram display. "Will the eight duelists listed here please approach the duel fields!"

Duel Field A - Ori Yamatano / Abel Oga

Duel Field B - Hester Locke / Beaumann Black

Duel Field C - Shurit Johnson / Templeton Kaye

Duel Field D - Hannah / Yuu Tokari

There was a great clamor as the crowd shifted to the new spectator's zones. The black-suited ushers in Fey's employ were no match for the tide of dueling fans. They were so pressed together that, although the playing fields were in the same plaza, they were quickly walled off from each other. A tower of children, stacked on each other's shoulders in the middle of the plaza, reveled in their hyperactive viewing of all four duels at once. As the people closed in, Oga saw Yuu pushing through the crowd. The boy was fixated on Ori Yamatano, whose name Oga had put to the face across the duel field. But Ori didn't see Yuu, or maybe she ignored him, and either way the crowds closed ranks and forced each duelist to their separate fields. All Oga could see now was Fey's Duel Disk projecting a countdown in the air.

"Duelists, let your fates be written! The Atrium Royale begins!"

The crowd spit him out into Duel Field D, his designated section. Yuu barely had time to register Fey's words before the lines on the duel field flashed snow-white. The duel disk Gozu had given him flashed blue three times, signaling a direct link with the field. The projectors would enhance the display size and resolution of their cards for the entire audience to see.

Yuu could no longer see Ori through the sea of faces. He'd wanted to talk to her one-on-one before the tournament, but just like yesterday, he'd been foiled, stunned by the situation. Even now, he was unsure what he could say to her to dislodge the wedge his dueling had forced between them. For now, all he could do was hope that they'd have a chance to communicate through a duel.

Gozu and Valz took seats on the bleachers as the spectators filled in the area. Yuu waved to Gozu, and smiled when she returned a reserved nod.

A middle-aged woman in the Heart Excavation jumpsuit was jogging across the field to him. The moment he made to close the gap, she was right in front of him, faster than she looked. Startled, Yuu let his hand be grabbed and shaken up and down.

"Nice to meet you, Yuu Tokari! I'm Hannah, from work." She had a tooth missing on the bottom, but the smile was so wide that other teeth appeared to compensate.

Some of the nerves shook out of Yuu's collar. "Nice to meet you too!" he said. "That's an A-Block uniform, right? What team are you in?"

"I'm a demo tech on the main line!" Hannah beamed. "Worked ol' Maggie since five years now. Takes a lot of love to keep her going, that's for sure. You're one of B-Block's branch solos, right? That's how you found your Crumb of Promiscuous thing."

"Yeah!" Yuu wasn't going to correct such a nice lady. "I'm excited to see what cards you're using, too!"

Hannah tapped her Duel Disk to her head with a smirk. "Be careful what you wish for, Mr. Tokari!" She laughed.

Just then, a flash of blue appeared in the field lines, traveling clockwise about the duel arena. It circled the two of them for a moment; then, it stopped on Hannah's side of the field, which was suddenly lit up blue. "Think that means I go first!" Hannah said, jogging backwards to her dueling position.

"Alright," Yuu said, taking a deep breath as his hand rested atop his deck. Five cards. Clean break. It would be just like the old days with Clavis.

"Let's duel!" Yuu shouted, but no sooner had he said this than his field flashed blue, indicating that his draw phase had begun.

"I set five cards and end my turn!" Hannah shouted over the roar of the crowd. "Your move!"

Yuu - 4000 LP

Hannah - 4000 LP

Around the arena, the crowd cheered as players began their first turns. Thick miasma clung to Hannah's field, the backs of her cars oversized on the holographic field in front of her. Yuu recoiled at the sight of her filled Spell/Trap Zone. Five facedown cards, he thought, blood pounding in his head from the roar of the audience. It's like five doors. Or five walls - actually I suppose they'd be five parts of just one wall. Either way, I've got to break through! And my hand is…

He'd drawn the perfect opening. This had been the strategy he'd practiced against Valz, honed by his near-death experience in the collapsed mine, but made possible by all of the cool cards he'd gotten out of it.

"Dig this!" he unironically proclaimed. "I'm summoning Destructotron in attack mode!"

Destructotron / Level 4 / EARTH / Psychic / ATK 1600 / DEF 400

Green plasma knit together a mess of electromagnetic coils, stretched out like fingers across a sphere of pure charge, each digital flex manipulating the surface of the orb. Destructotron strode forth on four cobalt-chrome legs, violet charge fields akimbo.

"And now, by paying 1000 of my life points," Yuu continued, barely hearing the scrolling beeps of his Duel Disk, "Destructotron takes out one of your facedown Spell or Trap ones! I choose the second from left!" As he made his declaration, an intricate cursor symbol appeared above the card he'd selected. It was considered something of a maker's mark for the Duel Disk brands, a little bit of artisanal automation.

Yuu - 4000 LP ~ 3000 LP

"Destructotron," Yuu declared, bringing his arm back in synchrony with his monster, "Unleash Psychoplasm Cannon!"

Hannah smiled. "That's 'Chain Link 1,' then."

Destructotron's arm thrust forward, palming the sphere charge, which stretched like rubber around its fingers. It shot across the field, the imparted force distorting it into an oblong ray. As it neared Hannah's card, time seemed to slow down, and all of a sudden, the card flipped over.

"Time for some fireworks!" Hannah said. "I'm activating the Trap Card, Fire Darts! When I have no cards in my hand, this card lets me roll three dice and deal 100 points of damage per pip!"

Fire Darts / Normal Trap Card

"You can use the Trap in response to me destroying it?" Yuu asked.

"Well, that's just cause you haven't actually destroyed it yet!" Hannah replied, grinning. "You lit the fuse, but my Trap Card won't blow 'til your effect resolves. In the space before that happens, my Traps will tear you apart! Chain Link 3!" she cried. "Secret Barrel!"

Secret Barrel / Normal Trap Card

A second one of her face-downs flipped over, this time rotating a brightly colored cannon into place. "Secret Barrel will deal you 200 damage for every card on your field and in your hand!"

Yuu quickly took count of his cards. Six times 200 is 1200 damage! Adding that to whatever she rolls with Fire Darts, I'm going to be pretty beat-up!

His heart skipped a beat. No, it's worse than that. Right now, I've got 3000 life points because I paid 1000 for Destructotron's effect. If Secret Barrel reduces my lifepoints down to 1800, then if Hannah rolls the maximum amount for Fire Darts, I'll lose on the spot!

Unbidden, a chill wormed through his back. I could lose. I could lose right now and there's nothing I'd be able to do about it. Is this really going to be it?

Staring past the crowd, he looked to the row of duelists in the bleachers. Clavis sat at the top, staring down at him calmly. He was atop the summit that Yuu was hoping to reach, but every step of the way meant putting his faith in his skills. No matter the outcome of Yuu's duels, he needed to duel to reach Clavis again, and his tournament run ended before that could happen, he felt he would lose Clavis forever.

Hannah tapped her Duel Disk clumsily, and a third card flipped. "This card can only be activated as Chain Link 4 or higher of a chain! Accumulated Fortune will let me draw two cards from my deck!"

Accumulated Fortune / Normal Trap Card

With each new activation, time on the field had slowed incrementally, Destructotron's attack moving as though time was physically bunching up in front of it. Yuu stared down Hannah's 4-Link Chain, a combination of cards that could end him on his very first turn.

Chain Link 4 - Accumulated Fortune

Chain Link 3 - Secret Barrel

Chain Link 2 - Fire Darts

Chain Link 1 - Destructotron

"Any response?" Hannah asked, looking hawklike.

Yuu braced himself. "I'm ready when you are," he challenged.

"Then let's set it off with Chain Link 4!" Hannah shouted, and the crowd cheered in anticipation. "I'm drawing two cards with the effect of Accumulated Fortune!"

Yuu nodded, though his stomach had long dropped away. There was a multicolored light collecting at the nozzle of Secret Barrel.

"Chain Link 3! Secret Barrel! Fire!"

Rainbow orbs of light peppered Yuu's chest and neck, the electronic effects caustic on his exposed skin. Grimly, he saw his life points drop.

Yuu - 3000 LP ~ 1800 LP

"Alright now, it's Fire Darts time!" Hannah cried, tossing a wooden bowl at her feet, where it skipped like a stone to the center of the ring. As she held up three dice, the cee-lo enjoyers in the audience made an uproar. Clavis, for all his new attitude, also leaned forward in interest.

Yuu had lost control of his breathing again. Dry air floated over his lips, wordless in its descent. This can't be how it ends. I still haven't changed dueling!

Every eye in the crowd was on Hannah as she drew back and pitched the three dice into the air. Their vertices cut the air as they tumbled and spun, and when they landed in the bowl, the three of them arced up out of the corners, meeting in the center and, embracing, beginning their descent.

Yuu remembered his promise to Zekara, to maintain his dueling spirit and someday answer the spirit's request. But even if I haven't, even if I can't. I don't want to stop dueling! I don't want this to end! Please!

The players' Duel Disks projected the number at the same time. Yuu's heart stopped as he saw the sixes.

Dice Result: 6 + 6 + 3 = 15

Yuu had no time to feel relieved before three flaming arrows clipped across the field, striking him in the ribs.

Yuu - 1800 LP ~ 300 LP

The crowd of miners and gamblers, awed by Hannah's deadly Chain and enthralled by her roll, burst into applause. On the bleachers, Yuu saw Otaro roll his eyes and mouth something to Clavis about "Chain Burn."

"Congrats on surviving that!" Hannah called across the field good-naturedly. "I was sure I'd blow you away."

"It'll take more than that!" Yuu shot back. "Now, since Destructotron still destroyed a card on the field, I'm able to Special Summon this monster from my hand! The gift of light, descend! Crime of Prometheus!"

The graphic fidelity on the other duelists' cards fizzed a little as motes of light gathered from all across Leviathan Plaza. Crime of Prometheus materialized high above the square, its humanoid body cloaked in radiant, flaming dew. There were gasps in the crowd as it descended to Yuu's field. Away from them all, Inspector Fey smiled.

Crime of Prometheus / Level 7 / LIGHT / Pyro / ATK 2500 / DEF 2100

"With two monsters on the field, I can wipe out your life points!" Yuu said. "Now, the Battle Phase! I at-"

He froze. Suddenly, he was dueling Chief Oga, summoning Crime of Prometheus for the first time. He remembered Oga's cruel laugh as he flipped over 'Blazing Mirror Force,' destroying Yuu's monsters and burning away his life points.

That was one of the foreman's rare cards, though. There's no way a regular miner would have one too, right? No, wait! Even if it isn't that card specifically, there are other cards that could deal me damage when I attack! If it was something that could deal me damage in another scenario, Hannah would have activated it already! She wouldn't need much, either. I only have 300 life points!

The number echoed in Yuu's mind, his gaze transfixed on Hannah's two remaining face-down cards. Yuu felt the blood roar in his ears, the crowd pressing around him. He was entirely alone, unable to seek advice from Clavis or Valz or even Zato. And he was about to lose Clavis forever.

I can't win if I don't think this through. So this turn, I have to play it safe.

He looked at his hand. If I can set and activate Trap Stun next turn, I'll be able to attack without worrying about anything she can play! Yeah, it's the only sensible option!

"I end the Battle Phase!" Yuu said. Hannah looked confused, but it was impossible for Yuu to tell whether her expression was genuine, and now the possibility of deceit was all he could see.

"In my second main phase, I'll set one card face-down." Trap Stun went face-down on the field. "Next, I'll activate a Continuous Spell Card! Ebon Sun!"

Ebon Sun / Continuous Spell Card

Prometheus was suddenly backlit by a burst of harsh black light. The Ebon Sun rose over Yuu's field, the darkness seeming to soak into the ground and the skin of the audience. Some of the crowd cowered in fright. Yuu's overdriven mind flashed back once more, this time to Valz and him dueling, laying their cards across Yuu's hospital bed. This has got to be your strongest new card, Valz had gushed, holding the card up to the light. If you combo this with Prometheus, you've got a shot at beating the Mist Fang.

"First, in my end phase, Destructotron will self-destruct due to its own ability!" Yuu called. The psychoplasm linking Destructotron's machine components suddenly bulged and viscosified, the weight of the metal pulling its joints apart like flesh. Then, on a seemingly unrelated note, its head exploded. As it did, the clotting black light filled the air.

"Now, Ebon Sun's effect activates!" Yuu called. "Once per turn, when my monster is destroyed, I gain life points equal to its ATK!" He flexed his shoulders, letting the light settle onto him like snow.

Yuu - 300 LP ~ 1900 LP

"With that, I end my turn!"

More heads in the audience had begun to turn towards Duel Field D, some of the spectators awkwardly shifting in the packed crowd. Crime of Prometheus made a stunning display against the dark subterranean sky. Yuu's high-grade symbolized something greater than himself: if anyone could get these cards, then anyone was capable of the same.

"It's my turn!" Hannah said, drawing a card. "Aaaand I set one card. Your turn again."

"Come on, Hannah!" someone in the crowd shouted. "You almost got him last time!"

"Hey, don't worry about me!" Hannah called back, clearly recognizing the speaker. "Though if you want to help, could you go buy me lunch?"

"My move!" Yuu said, drawing in turn.

First things first: I have to prevent her from using Trap effects this turn. Then I can use the 'Dark Crusader' in my hand to attack her directly with Prometheus and win this duel! Yuu's fingers hastily went to his set card, flipping it over. "I activate my Trap card, Trap Stun! Now, all other Trap effects on the field are negated this turn!"

Trap Stun / Normal Trap Card

"Not yet, they're not!" Hannah replied. "I chain! Threatening Roar!"

Threatening Roar / Normal Trap Card

Chain Link 2 - Threatening Roar

Chain Link 1 - Trap Stun

A deafening blast blew back the negatory lightning of Trap Stun, shattering it into sparks on the plaza brick. Yuu remembered the same thing happening in his duel with Gozu, when she'd activated 'Thunder of Ruler,' erasing his ability to attack. And now, Hannah's 'Threatening Roar' had done the same.

If I'd just waited until she activated her card, it would have been Chain Link 1, and I could have activated Trap Stun to negate it at Chain Link 2! Yuu cursed his thoughtlessness.

And if she used that new card to stop me from attacking, that means she doesn't actually have a way to turn it back around on me. I could have attacked last turn! Thinking back, his hesitance had led him into this mess just as much as his haste.

He'd been able to ignore it up until now, but his tournament nerves had scattered him. It was entirely different from dueling for fun, or even dueling with an ante; the whole world had arrived to his battle, and judged him in his most helpless state. Recognizing his panic didn't help, either; knowing how poorly he was dueling only made him duel worse.

Everything was moving in slow motion now, like a chain of a thousand effects. When it resolved, Yuu would lose this duel. He would lose the ability to understand Clavis, cheering on his friend as he went professional, leaving the Atrium. And he would lose his chance to duel, regardless of his big plans to revolutionize the practice. And he would-

He met Clavis's eye. The old man was looking dead at him. In his eyes and only there, Yuu saw the familiar Clavis: the cantankerous teacher, the grounded advisor. The look on his face was guidant disappointment: Really, Yuu?

In a flash, he was back across the lunch table from Clavis, destroying an activated Trap Card with Mystical Space Typhoon, as Clavis patiently explained the rules of the game to him. What had really been determined, in that one moment. It was a misstep, but one on a path of countless other steps. There was nothing set in stone; there was always room for luck.

Yuu burst out laughing. There were quizzical looks from the audience as he wiped his eyes. "Yeah, that's enough outta me. You really got your point across with that one, Hannah!"

Hannah beamed. "When you got it, you got it!"

"For now, I'll activate Raigeki Ookazi Tower," Yuu said, the lightningrod assembling itself behind him. "It'll rack up Plasma Counters as I keep destroying your cards. When it's all charged up, you're in for a shock!"

Raigeki Ookazi Tower / Continuous Spell Card

"I'll set one more card facedown and end my turn," Yuu declared. "Your turn now. But if it's anything like last turn, I'll start planning my next move now!"

Laughter rippled through the audience. Hannah giggled too, drawing her card and examining it. Suddenly, her eyes lit up like linked dynamite blasts.

"Alright, Yuu, I've gotta say, that Chrome of Precarious is pretty impressive. But here's the card that represents my whole blasting crew! An ultra-powerful monster that no one's ever seen before!"

"That's a lie! I saw it last week!" Hannah's friend in the audience quipped.

Yuu exhaled. Every card hidden in Hannah's hand and field seemed to be glowing as though it were fresh from the crystal wall, undeveloped by the light and hands that freed it. Beyond the result of dice, the excitement of chance was everywhere in a duel, the state of luck flowing freely from player to player.

To think he'd been afraid of it.

"Bring it on!" he shouted across the field. "Come and show me your luck, Hannah!"

Hannah held her card high, its light flashing off of the field display. "Royal Rhino with Deceitful Dice!"

Five dice appeared on the field, and an ebony cup swished back and forth, capturing them in its movements. It was held by an anthropomorphic rhinoceros, who proudly presented a perfect stack of the dice in the palm of its hand, or palm of its foot.

Royal Rhino with Deceitful Dice / Level 1 / EARTH / Beast / ATK 600 / DEF 600

Yuu couldn't help but smile.