Disclaimer: I do not own the properties of the Yu-Gi-Oh franchise or the work of the cards; I only own the OCs that could or may be involved in this series. I own nothing of the real OCG cards, just the formal OC character.

Chapter 10: A Broken Solitude; Yasuko Yukihana vs Kalin Kessler Part 1

Never in his wildest dreams would Yuya get arrested. He's been respectful of law enforcement, but this was different. The Sector Security officers didn't treat him or any of his friends with fairness; they just grabbed them and hauled them into the prison car.

Enraged, Yuya bangs on the small open compartment to see two officers riding the prison car, hitting the glass to get their attention. "Let us out!" he yelled. "Hey, can you hear us!? Let us out of here!" He bangs his fists on the compartment glass. "Stop this car, please!"

He was the only one standing. Everyone else sat on the seat with their wrists cuffed by the red Solid Image binds.

"Calm down, Yuya," said Crow. "There's no point in yelling right now."

Yuya glares at Crow for being so composed when they are arrested. "But Yasuko and Riley…" The last time he saw them was Yasuko riding a duel runner with Riley sitting behind her and escaping from Sector Security's containment. He was glad they escaped, but Yuya could not afford to have Yasuko be alone again. "I can't just leave them alone!" he exclaimed.

"No need to worry about Yasuko or Riley," Serena stated, making Yuya turn to him with a one-eyebrow raised. "They managed to get that thing working and escape." Serena snorted with amusement. "Guess all that work on that rust bucket was worth it."

Crow nodded in agreement. "It was meant to be for a friend, but he declined to take it," he said. "I'm just surprised Yasuko wanted to work on that thing." Crow smirks with satisfaction, recalling the moment Yasuko made her escape with a bang. "Man, that girl's something else."

Shinji scowls at the handcuffs on his wrist. "Still, even if they escape, they will get caught eventually. She's not from the Tops," he rebuked. "They have her picture."

Yuya tensed after hearing Shinji remarking on the state of being a fugitive by Sector Security. He thought of what Crow said about fugitives being shown as amusement for the Tops, and with Yasuko in the middle, it's horrific. He grits his teeth, angered at the thought of Yasuko dueling in front of thousands of people from the Tops, and then gets humiliated before getting captured.

Sylvio got up and stared at the small camera on the roof, watching them. "Hey, this is a clear case of a big mistaken identity! I'm with Akiza! She was with us! Do you know who I am?! My father will hear about this and get you all fired!" he yelled, but there was no response. "Hey! Are you listening to me, you jerks!"

"You, calm down," Serena called.

Crow turns to Shinji beside him. "Sorry, Shinji," he said. "Because you came to let us know…"

"Well, the silver lining is that the kids weren't taken," Shinji assured. "I think Akiza will take them in somewhere safe."

"I hoped," said Crow. "I know she's got a good heart, but I can only hope someone will take them in, but if not, then I'm sure our friends would."

Yuya looked around to see that the windows were blocked off. He has no clue what is outside or where they are going. "Still, where are they taking us?" he asked.

Shinji sighed. "If they're taking you away in a Security car, there's only one place it could be," he divulged. The Lancers turn to the young man. He gives them all one name. "The Facility." The sound of Shinji's monotone voice gives away the feeling of deep depravity for the Lancers.

"What is the Facility?" Serena asked Shinji.

"It's a prison," Crow revealed. "Whenever someone gets arrested by Sector Security, they all go to the one place where they all go. The Facility is a prison that houses over a thousand prisoners, but many of them are all Commons, like me and Shinji." Crow narrows his eyes in anger. "It's a discriminatory justice system."

As Crow describes the prison, Yuya won't like this place. It would be brutal for him and the others if the Facility had more Commons. He felt the car stop momentarily before large gear-grinding sounds were heard from outside.

"Looks like we're here," said Shinji.

The car moves again, and just minutes later, the grinding gears from outside turn again, seemingly what sounds like gates closing behind them. The car stopped, and commotion was being heard outside. The doors opened, and three Sector Security officers came into view.

"Alright, get out," said one of the officers rudely. One officer gets in and grabs Serena by the cuffs, making her grunt in pain as she is being dragged out before the officer throws her to the two officers outside. One by one, all of them were dragged into the opening.

Yuya notices the sun is blocked and turns his gaze to the sky. He gasped, looking at how humongous the Facility was. He's never seen a prison as big as the others are in. The Facility is a giant complex with one diamond-shaped structure in the middle and what appears to be five high towers on each side.

"No way," said Yuya, astonished at how massive the Facility is. Before he could go sightsee more, the officer pushed Yuya behind him.

"Get moving and line up."

Yuya nearly stumbled before he lined up with Crow and the rest of the prisoners who came with him. He saw the officers talking to the prison guards with a tablet in his hand. "Five prisoners accounted for," he said.

"Acknowledged," a female prison guard responded.

"Prisoners?!" Sylvio exclaimed, outraged by the treatment. "I am Sylvio Sawatari! You're going to—" He was cut off when an officer from behind grabbed his collar shirt.

"No one cares. Pipe down," the officer ordered.

The female guard turns to Serena. She points at the girl. "You there," she called. "You're to be separated from the others. So come with me."

Yuya was surprised Serena was getting separated from the others. Before he can protest, Serena calls to him to give him some assurance. "Don't worry, I'll be fine," she reassured. "Just don't make a fuss about it." Serena did what the prison guard told her and followed her into the courtyard.

As for the rest of them, the other guard guides the other prisoners into the facility. Yuya makes a quick glance over to Serena, walking in a distance. He can't help but worry about her if something bad happens. He turns to the giant front door, and the guard returns to them.

"We're confiscating the duel disks," said the guard. "Duels are off-limits without permission." He takes the duels from each of them. However, the guard returns their decks to each owner whenever they have one. "But you can take this."

Yuya was confused and offered back his deck despite duels being off-limits. "You're giving us back our decks?" Yuya inquired.

"Yeah? What's the big deal? You aren't confiscating our decks?" Crow questioned, also perplexed.

The guard turns back to the group. "Too bad for you guys," he snarked. "Here in this complex, that's worth as much as your life." He starts to approach the console at the end of the door. "Well, better take care of them." He takes out a badge reader and inserts the card inside to give access to the doors. They open after the guard pulls the security card back. "Welcome to Complex 9, the dead end for deadbeats like you."

As the door opens, Yuya and the others look inside their so-called Complex 9. Inside, the walls have thousands of cells filled with prisoners. They all wear green jackets with white stripes over the sleeves on top of their white shirt and green pants with numbers on them. Some prisoners were sneering at them, anticipating fresh meat in the prison.

"I doubt we'll be getting fluffy beds or full-course meals here," Sylvio remarked.

Crow looks around the cells. "With only a few exceptions, most of the prisoners here are all Commons, arrested for minor things, and potentially dissidents against the Tops," Crow explained.

"Many of them are being held on false charges," Shinji added.

"False charges? You mean like us?" Yuya questioned. "They can't do that!"

"They can, and they will," Shinji chided. "There are two types of prisoners here. Those whose eyes are dead and those whose aren't dead." He glances up to a cell.

The guard throws a pair of prisoner clothes to each prisoner before him. "Get changing," he ordered. "No civilian clothes are allowed."

As Crow and Shinji start changing without a word, Sylvio is appalled when he is given a prison uniform. "What the hell is this?! I will not wear this kind of vulgar here!" he exclaimed.

Yuya removed his school jacket and pendant, putting it in his cargo pocket for safekeeping. He stops halfway, removing his shirt to tell Sylvio off. "Just do it, Sylvio," he said. "We just got here."

Sylvio glares at Yuya. "I will not! I am Sylvio Sawatari, and I refuse to even wear something as pungent as this—" Sylvio was hit in the back hard with a baton, making him crash into the ground. The other prisoners stopped changing, shocked at the sight of the brutality Sylvio was subjugated into for resisting a guard.

"Sylvio!" Yuya gasped.

Sylvio grunts as he lays on the ground with his face glaring at the guard who struck him from behind. "Damn it, you bastards…," he growled, seething in anger at the treatment.

Crow was already done changing and turned to Sylvio on the ground. "Just do it," he retorted. "It'll be easier if you just do what he says." No matter how much Sylvio wanted to lash out, he was powerless with the handcuffs on his wrists.

Yuya can only look on somberly, knowing this prison will be brutal. Once the prisoners have changed into their uniforms, the guard escapes them into their cell. Everyone gets inside their cell, and the guard taps his device, disabling the Solid Image handcuffs on their wrists.

"From now on, this shared cell will be your happy home," said the guard. He closes the cell door, giving them a sneer. "I'm sure you'll get along with the other trash here." He chuckles before the guard leaves the cell.

"Happy home, my ass," Crow cursed. He adjusts his sweater jacket to make it more comfortable. "Uhg. Man, where do they get these uniforms? It smells like sweat and shit."

Yuya noticed that his uniform had been worn down for a long time. The uniforms have holes in them. He looked at his prison number, "456," stamped on the left chest. "How can anyone live like this?" he wondered, pitting on those unfortunate prisoners in the facility.

"Well, nothing we can do about it," said Crow. "But now, we have to do something." He and the others looked at the prisoners in the other cell. Excluding the four of them, four other prisoners are in the cell. Two of them were glaring at the new prisoners.

"Oh, newcomers?" said one of the inmates.

Yuya was confused, but they were getting suspicious of them.

"Well, aren't you going to say hello?" the other inmate threatened as he and his accomplice approached them.

"Uh… hi there," Yuya greeted uncertainly.

"A proper greeting…" the first inmate began.

"…would be to prostrate yourself on the ground and say, "I'm at your service," the second inmate finished.

Yuya looked between them, unsure what to make of them. "Uh…why should I do that?" he asked.

"Well, if you want me to sit, you can produce me a sofa," Sylvio mocked. His taunt made the other prisoners glare at the boy.

"What was that?"

Before things could escalate even further, they were stopped by someone bigger than them as he approached the group. "Don't be so vulgar," he said. "They're with me."

Yuya instantly realized who the person was. Gongenzaka was in the cell with him. "Gongenzaka? What are you doing—" He didn't get to speak just as Gongenzaka came over and hugged Yuya, nearly crushing his windpipes into his green jacket.

"Yuya!" Gongenzaka cried. "You're safe?!" He was practically crying with joy to see his friend safe and sound.

"Gongenzaka!" Yuya called with his voice muffled under his jacket. "Can't breathe—"

"I never thought I'd see you again," Gongenzaka cried joyfully. "To think we'd meet here again, in all the places! I, the man, Gongen…Gongen…" He couldn't hold it in and cried streams of tears, overjoyed to see Yuya after being missing for so long.

Crow didn't know what to expect with Gongenzaka. "Uh, who's this overbearing weirdo?" he inquired.

"Oh, Gonny, stop overreacting," another prisoner called to him. "I told you we'd find the others soon enough." He was resting on the bunk beds at the far end. He glances over to reveal himself to be none other than Dennis McField. "Hello, Yuya," he announced.

"Dennis! You're here, too?" Yuya questioned.

Dennis gets up and adjusts his green jacket. "Yeah, when they caught us, I was dueling Shun at the underground venue," he explained, coming to them.

"What? Shun Obsidian's here too?"

"Yep. He's safe and well enough for now," said Dennis.

"For now?" Yuya wondered what Dennis meant.

"The same day we arrived here, he got into a fight with about twenty other prisoners," Dennis explained. "He was about to cause a riot before they threw him into solitary."

The other inmates in the other cell turned to Gongenzaka with surprise. "Big boss Gon, you know these guys?" he asked.

"Yep," Gongenzaka confirmed. "This young man's Yuya Sakaki, and he's my best friend." The inmate gasped before Gongenzaka introduced the other to Sylvio. "And that's Sylvio Sawatari. We're not particularly close…" Sylvio shot an annoyed look at Gongenzaka.

"Big boss Gon's best friend…"

"And his distant acquaintance?!"

They immediately bow in respect for them while shouting repeatedly, "We're sorry!" over again. They seem to be overexaggerating.

"Um…it isn't a big deal…" Yuya muttered.

Gongenzaka turns back to Yuya. "By the way, Yuya, where are Declan Akaba and our other comrades?" he asked.

Yuya nearly forgotten about Yasuko and Riley for the moment. He was so preoccupied that he never realized what was more important. "Riley's safe," he answered. "He's with Yasuko, but Zuzu…." He paused when he thought of Zuzu.

"What?" Gongenzaka gasped. "You saw Zuzu?"

Yuya shakes his head. "No, not yet," he responded. "But she seems to be nearby…" He thought of what Yasuko and Riley would do since they escaped from the Security. "And Yasuko…she's alright, but now security's after her…." He turns to the cell, holds the cage, and looks at the other cells outside. "That's why we must get out of here fast and search for them." With him behind bars, he can only hope for Yasuko to get herself away from security and keep Riley safe.

"Yasuko…please be careful."

A duel runner streaks past the buildings in a barren suburb of the Commons. It is going so fast that it is a blur before anyone can see it. Yasuko is riding the duel runner with Riley in toll. She has to get away from Sector Security. They've already caught the other Lancers and Yuya. But this time, she knows where to find him. There can't be any other prisons nearby other than the one Neo Domino City has.

She can feel her arms tiring from the drive, wondering how far she's come since leaving Crow's place. Yasuko scans the area and sees no more Sector Security officers pursuing her. She must've slipped away before they could respond.

"Okay, looks like we're clear," said Yasuko. "No one's chasing us." She drives her duel runner to a left alleyway and stops to park it. She exhales, nearly tired from fleeing her officers. She glanced over her shoulder to Riley behind her. "You can let go now," she said. When Riley didn't respond, Yasuko took a more active approach. "Riley, I said let go," she stated, but Riley did not do it. He held the back of her jacket, refusing to give Yasuko any time for his timidity.

"Alright, fine, but don't be so scared if I crash with you on me," said Yasuko. She got off the duel runner with Riley on her back, but she gripped the kid. She let Riley down and removed her helmet. She shook off the sweat and then went to Riley.

"Come on, let's get you out of that thing," said Yasuko, adjusting the helmet on Riley's hooded head with a cap. She removes the helmet and adjusts Riley's head to get the hood and cap back in shape. "There, that wasn't so hard, now was it?" Yasuko comes back to the duel runner and checks on her gym bag. She opens it to get something for Riley. She'd never forgotten Riley holding his teddy bear all the time, so she packed it with her right before Sector Security could take them into the garage.

"Here," Yasuko offered. "I kept this because I know you always have it." Riley looked at the teddy bear Yasuko held for him before he took it into his arms.

The girl looks around the surrounding buildings. She wonders what side of the city they are on after fleeing Sector Security. Yasuko doubts they'll let them off the hook so easily. Now that she's fled the crime scene, She is bound to be put on the wanted list.

"Now, where are we supposed to be?" Yasuko wondered. "I hope we got away from any more security." She talked to Riley even though she knew he didn't respond to her whenever she talked to him.

"We need to get back to the Tops, so maybe Lua and Luna can help us," said Yasuko. "Oh wait, no. They're just kids. And Akiza's still at Crow's place, but they'll expect us to return there." She doesn't mind Riley never responds to her; she just talks to him as if she's talking to a normal person.

Yasuko checks on the duel runner. It was the first time she'd ever ridden one. She rode with Akiza many times and saw Yugo ride his, but never would she have to ride one herself. She doesn't know the mechanics, but Yasuko can tell the duel runner is still functional enough to help her and Riley escape security.

"Not a bad start for you," said Yasuko. "Crow really did you good." She turned to Riley, who stared at her back. "Okay, so the first thing we need is to find shelter. I mean, the Commons have a lot of old and rusty homes, but we should find somewhere to sleep until the heat dies down." She pulled out her duel disk and rechecked the DPS to see if other Lancers were in their area. Nothing was beeping or a single dot on her disk.

"Crap, nothing," Yasuko muttered, putting her duel disk back in her holster. "Now, let's go find somewhere to recuperate, alright?"

Yasuko comes over to get Riley back on the duel runner. Just as her hand grabs Riley, he suddenly grips her arm, making her halt in surprise. She had never expected Riley to react like that before, and the boy looked at her nervously.

"Are…are they okay?" Riley asked, surprising her even more. "Are…are the others okay?"

The girl has no clue how to respond to Riley's question. She wanted to be truthful and tell him Yuya, Sylvio, Serena, Crow, and Shinji are sent to prison, but the kids are alright, and Akiza is too. Yet, Riley is still as timid as ever.

"I'm sure they're all going to be fine," Yasuko assured. "Let's focus on us for now, alright?" She picks up Riley in her arms, surprising the girl with how light Riley weighs before placing him on the duel runner. She puts the helmet back on his head, and even though Riley's wearing a hood and a cap, she puts on goggles for him. After putting her helmet on, she turns the duel runner on and, in a smooth jolt, takes off from the alley.

Now that security is no longer pursuing them, Yasuko handles the duel runner with ease and control. She rides past many houses that are too old to be in use. Some look like they haven't been renovated for decades. She couldn't imagine living in the Commons if she had been born in the Synchro Dimension.

"Now, where are we going to sleep?" Yasuko wondered, almost to herself.

She looks to her left and the right for any open places she and Riley can stay. Yasuko is sure Crow's house was full of security, maybe waiting for her to return. She can't take her chance of getting caught.

Making her way down, she emerges from the suburbs and into a clearing where plants and roots overtake the buildings. She slows her duel runner to see that despite all the progress and decay rotting in the Commons, nature has ways of taking back the land that was grown. She stops at a house that seems to be in fair condition.

The girl stops at the front of the house, examining it from the top to the bottom. Yasuko thinks the cottage is a fair game they wish to take. "Looks like we got ourselves a house," said Yasuko, looking behind her to Riley. "Well, thinking about sleeping here?"

Riley didn't reply but stared at the house curiously before looking back at Yasuko. "I'll take that as a yes," Yasuko presumed what Riley might want and parked the duel runner at the front. She and Riley get off to check if anyone is at home. Yasuko felt Riley holding her hand while also holding his teddy bear. She glanced down at the kid before facing forward. She knocks twice on the door, wondering if anyone will answer.

"Hello?" Yasuko called. "Anyone home?" No one answered. It was all quiet from the inside. She peeks at the window, wondering if anyone lives in there. She doesn't find somebody or any use of furniture inside. She decides to inspect the house inside. She carefully twists the doorknob, revealing it to be unlocked, and enters the home. Riley stays close beside her, refusing to let go of her hand as they enter. It was all barren, nothing but a table, a bed, and a cabinet full of stuff.

"Well, this is home, so let's get settled," said Yasuko. She noticed Riley wasn't letting go of her hand. "Hey, come on now," she soothed. "Don't be like that." She kneels to match Riley's height, making him stare at her. "Listen, the others will be okay. Don't worry about your big brother, Declan. I'm sure he is going to be just fine. I need you to be strong for me, okay? It's you and me now, kid. We're all we've got." She thought of what Chloe used to do when she needed some comfort. Yasuko raises Riley's pinky finger with her own to show Riley something.

"Look here," said Yasuko. "This is called a "pinky promise." We each make a promise to each other, and what I'm going to tell you is you must promise me one thing, alright?"

Riley nodded once with understanding, watching Yasuko with interest. "Promise me that you will grow to be strong and then be the brother Declan can rely on, okay?" she requested. "Will you promise me that?" She waits for the boy's answer. As usual, Riley didn't speak but looked at the pinky grip before nodding once. "Okay. Now that you promised, I promised to keep you safe so that when you find your brother, you'll protect him, understood?"

Riley nodded in agreement. "Good," said Yasuko. She was grateful no one was watching them and was glad Yuya wasn't here. When she released Riley's pinky, the little one stared at his pinky. It's like he's been captivated by the experience. "Now then, let's eat. Hopefully, there's still something after that fiasco." Yasuko comes to her gym bag. She opens it and realizes that there's barely any food left for them to last for days. She was running low, and Yasuko didn't have the dimension's money.

Without Akiza or Crow, it's only her now. Riley's under her care now. "Damn, I never thought I'd be running out faster," she murmured. She will never leave Riley alone if he's with her, but they need something to recuperate until the security stops hunting for them.

As she was lost in her thoughts, footsteps creaked on the wooden floor, and an old female voice sounded off from the other side of the room.

"Hello? Is anyone there."

Riley gets tensed right after an old woman's voice sounds off and hurries on over to hug Yasuko. She holds Riley close as an old lady comes into the bedroom. She was just as short as Riley, with her black hair pulled behind into a bun. The lady was wearing spectacles.

"Hello?" The old lady called. She adjusts her glasses to get a better look at her guests. "Oh, hi there, kids. Where'd you come from?" she wondered.

Yasuko and Riley were confused. The girl thought no one lived in the house. Guess she was wrong. She looked down at Riley, who stared back up at her.

"Uh…sorry for the confusion, but I thought no one was living here," said Yasuko. "Riley and I were getting away from some bad people, and we thought we could stay here. I apologize for intruding into your house, miss. We'll leave right now."

The old lady smiled and waved it off with dismissal. "Nah, it's all good," she said. "I'm not used to having guests for a long time now." She walks over to a counter. "Are you kids hungry?" She digs into whatever she can get. "I've got pruned tomatoes and peppers. Some watermelons. Cabbage. I don't have the luxury to do shopping, so my granddaughter and her friend come over and help out."

Yasuko let her mouth agape, unsure what to think about the old lady in the residence. She picked up a small stool and climbed on to check the cabinets. "Are you kids going somewhere?" she asked.

"Uh…nowhere I have in mind," Yasuko responded. "But I don't think we'll go anywhere for a while."

"Oh sure, we all want to go somewhere," said the old lady. "What's your name, kiddies?"

"I'm Yasuko Yukihana, and this is…Riley Akaba," Yasuko introduced.

"Marlene," the old lady, Marlene, replied. "Are you kids, brothers and sisters?"

Yasuko and Riley had been caught off guard for a moment. They looked at each other in curiosity. Yasuko doesn't seem to be Riley's sister, but she cared for him while Declan was MIA.

"Uh…not exactly his sister," said Yasuko. "But I am taking care of him for someone else."

"Oh, you're such a sweetie, young Yasuko," said Marlene. She managed to grab a can of peaches and cream from the cabinets. Then she turned to Riley. "Little one, please be a dear and wash those two bowls for me?"

Riley was surprised and unsure of what to do for Marlene. He turned to Yasuko as if looking for approval, and Yasuko nodded once to let him. Riley let go of Yasuko and walked over to pick up the bowls on the counter. He came to the sink and started washing the bowl.

"Thank you, young man," said Marlene. "And Little Miss Yasuko, please clean the table for me."

Yasuko doesn't have to be told, but she does so without hesitation.

After cleaning the table, Marlene offered to put the two peaches and cream in a bowl. Yasuko and Riley ate without any delays. It had been a long day. Security was after them, and Marlene was the only one willing to help.

"So, it's just you here, miss?" Yasuko inquired, eating some peaches from her bowl.

"Of course not. My granddaughter and her new friend live with me," said Marlene, sitting across from both.

"Oh, okay," said Yasuko. She looked around the house and inspected the interiors. "I haven't seen a house this tidy before." She looked back to Marlene. "Must've been lucky to live in this place. Most houses were all rotting in the city."

"I've lived here my whole life," said Marlene. "And for what it's worth, living here is nice. No noise, no city fuzz. It's all so quiet." She notices that Riley is quietly eating the peaches without making a sound. "And this little one's whom you've been taking care of? Is it a friend's little sibling?"

"Uh, not a friend," Yasuko answered. "More like… a co-worker." She glances at Riley beside her. "I'm an only child, and Riley's got a brother. We're looking for him in the city and came across some bad people."

Malene inclined her head. "Oh, well, do you have someone to help you?" she inquired. "I'm sure plenty of people out there know his brother."

Yasuko thought of a couple of people, but they were from the Tops, which meant trying to contact the twins or Akiza would be much harder. "Hopefully," she murmured under her breath.

As they talked, they heard the door open, and everyone diverted their attention to two people entering the house. One was a pre-teen girl close to Yasuko's age with red hair tied in a braid and bright hazel eyes. She seems to be holding a basket full of produce and vegetables.

"Grandma, we're home," she said, walking into the kitchen.

The next person who followed inside was a lanky young man with light blue hair and long bangs that covered his face. He also has pale skin, blue eyes, and a mark from the right forehead to the right side of his cheek. He wore a light blue shirt, black pants and shoes, and a long-flowing trench coat.

"Hey, Marlene, we're back," said the young man. "And we brought something good tonight."

The old lady greets her granddaughter and her friend with a beam on her face. "Oh, Casey, Kalin, I have some guests here," she said. "Would you two please be a dear and show them their beds."

"Who?" Casey inquired before she noticed Yasuko and Riley at the table. She was surprised to see them in their house. "What the—" She turns to scowl at Marlene. "Grandma, how many times do I have to tell you? You can't bring in guests anymore. We've talked about this." She comes to the counter to put the groceries down. Turning around, she scowls at Marlene with her hands on her hips. "Now, who did you bring in this time?"

"Just a couple of kids wanting to get away from bad people," said Marlene. "This young lady is Yasuko, and the boy is Riley."

The young man stood beside Casey, looking at the two of them suspiciously. "Isn't this a surprise? A couple of kids getting in trouble with somebody, and now they are hiding," he taunted, scoffing at them. "Some kids you are." As he placed the groceries on the counter, Yasuko scowled at Kalin.

"Hey, dumbass," said Yasuko, "In case you want to know, my people were caught by Sector Security, and I had to flee with him." She jabs her thumb at Riley behind her. "Now, we're the ones who are getting chased, and I need someone to help us."

"Help you," Kalin sneered. "Please, help yourselves if you have security running after you." Kalin spat at the girl and the kid. "After all, you're the ones Security wants, not us." Kalin was getting on Yasuko's nerves. His demeanor makes her want to punch him right now.

"What's your problem, dude?" Yasuko snapped.

"The problem…is that you brought the whole security on our doorstep," Kalin retorted, gesturing to the door. "And since you just so happen to intrude into this property, I'm calling them to get you out of here." He makes his way to find a phone.

Yasuko was not having it, not when Riley was by her side. "Like hell you're not!" she exclaimed. "I am not going to jail for something I didn't do." She comes to get in Kalin's way, spreading her arms wide to block him. "You don't understand who we are. We're foreigners. We aren't from around here."

Kalin and the other residents were taken aback, wondering how people like Yasuko and Riley were not city citizens. "What? You mean you're not from around here?" he questioned.

"Yes," Yasuko confirmed. "Riley and I aren't from here. We're not residents of Neo Domino City, and we didn't come here looking for trouble. We just want to find some people of ours."

"Your people? What other people?" Kalin questioned. "I don't care if you aren't from around here or a foreigner. But you need to leave. Now!" He shoves Yasuko out of his way. "Now you better get out, or I'm calling security."

Yasuko is infuriated. Unlike Crow and Akiza, this guy took her seriously and was not bothered with even giving her a hand. After what happened to Yuya and the others, she can't go out in the city again. S

"Kalin, sweetie," Marlene called. "I think it's best we let them stay until we can sort this out. Isn't it obvious that the kids have done nothing wrong?" The old lady tried to appease the older guy in the room, but he wasn't.

"No, Marlene," Kalin protested. "I promised to never do this again, and I will not have it here." He sounded very serious. "I'm calling security right now."

Calling security on even a child, Yasuko felt outraged by Kalin's cold demeanor. She briefly looked at Riley, who seemed afraid of what Kalin was about to do. She thought of one thing that could get him to comply.

"How bout a duel?" Yasuko proposed.

When she mentions a duel, Kalin stops at his feet and turns around with a scowl. "A duel, you say?" he repeated.

"You heard me, a duel," Yasuko confirmed. "I beat you, and you don't call security on me and Riley. I lose, and you can call them in." She is taking the big risk of getting arrested and being sent to jail if she loses, but there is no way she could not let Riley leave her side. She is going to take care of him no matter what. "Sounds fair?" she inquired.

Yasuko can only hope that Kalin will take the chance to duel her. Of course, this is the Commons she's dealing with. They don't have a lot to bargain for. She waits and waits and waits. Finally, Kalin responds to her proposition.

"Alright, then," said Kalin, sounding intrigued. "I'm in the mood to do some Turbo Duel since you came to the doorstep." He jabbed his thumb toward where her duel runner was located. "I see you have a duel runner out there," he said. "Let's go duel."

Kalin turned around and started heading outside without saying anything to the girl. Before he could get to the door, Casey suddenly grabbed his arm, forcing him to face the girl. "What?" he inquired.

"Kalin, what are you doing?" Casey questioned. "You said you wouldn't do this again. You promised me and my grandma."

Yasuko notices Kalin's hesitation. He looks like he doesn't want to do something Marlene or Casey wouldn't want him to, but he has to. She sees Kalin remove Casey's hand from his arm. "I am doing this," said Kalin. "Now, if you and Marlene want to watch, you are more than welcome to." And with that, he heads out to the door.

Casey sighed, disappointed that Kalin had decided to duel. She turned to Yasuko and scowled at her. "This is all your fault, you know," she scolded. "You never should've come to our doorstep." And with that, Casey walked out to the door.

Yasuko doesn't know what their beef is, especially when the younger people are chastising her. She faces Marlene and asks, "What's up with them?"

Marlene looked sad as she gazed at the door. "I'm sorry if my granddaughter and her friend were being rude, but it's just they had a hard time getting away from everything in the city." She turned to Yasuko and Riley. "Sweetie, whatever happens, please don't hate Young Kalin," she pleaded. "It's not his fault."

The girl has no clue what the old lady was trying to tell her. With one eyebrow raised, Yasuko comes outside with Riley holding her sleeve. They both saw that it was only Casey with the duel runner Yasuko had fixed for days.

"This is your duel runner?" Casey asked.

"Unfortunately," Yasuko confirmed sarcastically.

"Well, good, because you're going to be dueling in that thing," said Casey. "Kalin's coming back with his."

Yasuko was surprised by what Casey was talking about. "What?" Before she could ask more, a loud noise from a duel runner blared close by. Everyone could hear the noise coming closer, and Kalin then rode his duel runner.

"Alright, since you have a duel runner, we're going to do a Turbo Duel," Kalin announced. "Hope you can duel just as you can ride that thing." He twists the handle to make Yasuko impatient. "Now, get in, I've got a place where you and I can duel without eyes."

The girl narrowed her eyes with suspicion. She can't be sure what Kalin wants to do with Turbo Dueling her, but if this is what it takes to get them to back off, then it's what she will do. "Fine, but I'm taking Riley with me," said Yasuko. She holds Riley's hand to show she is serious.

"Fine by me," Kalin acknowledged. "The kid can watch when I kick you out of the bringer. Now, get on, and let's ride." And with that, he revs his duel runner on and turns around before driving off with dust trailing behind.

Yasuko didn't know what to expect in the duel. She has no experience with Turbo Duel. She must know that it's all riding a motorcycle with her deck. She looks down at Riley. "Alright then, let's go." Riley looked up, perplexed about what Yasuko was about to do.

Yasuko steadily rides the duel runner to follow Kalin, and Riley sits behind her as usual. She doesn't know where Kalin is taking her, but their surroundings make it more isolated in Neo Domino City than it was. The suburbs were still rotting, but more open space. She increases her speed to catch up to Kalin slightly behind him.

"Where are we going?" Yasuko asked, raising her voice loud enough to make Kalin hear.

Kalin glanced over his shoulder at Yasuko. "My old turf," he answered. "It's far from Sector Security's radar, so we should be able to duel in peace with no spectators besides the kid."

The girl does not like where they are going. The area looked more rural, being far from civilization. She notices something up ahead. Beyond the horizon, an old stadium was slowly approaching their view. The stadium looked like it had been abandoned long before the rise of dueling highways in the city. She and Kalin enter through an entrance, and when they enter, Yasuko and Riley see that the whole stadium has a race track covered in grass and bushes. The concrete is decaying with cracks and potholes from no maintenance after so long.

"What is this place?" Yasuko asked, looking around the racetrack they were in.

"There are some places in the city where things aren't rotting," said Kalin. "And sometimes, Turbo Duels is a sport we, Commons, like to do." He parks his duel runner at the starting line. "Now, drop the kid off somewhere there so we can duel." Kalin points at one of the stands close to the starting line.

Yasuko nodded and glanced over her shoulder to Riley. "Come on, kid," she said. "You can watch over there." She points to the sidelines where Riley can be safe and watch the Turbo Duel.

The boy looked at the stands before coming back at Yasuko. She nodded once to give him approval, and Riley hopped off the duel runner before jogging to get off the track. Yasuko watched Riley closely to make sure he was off the track. Afterwards, she looks at her duel runner.

"How'd I duel with this thing?" Yasuko whispered to herself. She hadn't been able to understand the mechanics of a duel runner. She noticed a small opening in the machine, and the duel runner started to bristle to life.

The computer turns on, allowing Yasuko to view the board. "Duel mode, engage," the computer announces. "Autopilot. Standing by." The board ejects a small device and emits a blue, glowing blade resembling her duel disk.

"Whoa," Yasuko gasped, astonished that the duel runner was activating independently. The next thing that happened was something weird. The computer on the board started to sync with something. It connected to something, and before she realized it, the computer board suddenly synced with her duel disk. "Link confirmed. Action Field, on. Crossover."

"What the hell's a Crossover?" Kalin called from his duel runner. He turns to Yasuko and asks, "Hey, what'd you do to my duel runner?"

"I didn't do anything," Yasuko replied. "The computer suddenly syncs into my duel disk. We're going to be doing an Action Turbo Duel."

Kalin raised an eyebrow from underneath his visor. "An Action Turbo Duel?" he inquired.

"It's an Action Duel, but with Turbo Duel at the same time, I guess," Yasuko assumed. When the computer synced with her duel disk, it must have picked up the Action Field feature that Declan had modified before she came here. She couldn't believe her duel disk would connect to a duel runner.

Their duel runners pulse a single beam that starts to illuminate the whole track, but the difference is that there are no floating platforms. The Action Card bubble started to form above them. Kalin notices the bubble.

"What is that?" Kalin questioned. "Is this some kind of a new duel?"

"I wouldn't say "new," but it's something different," Yasuko responded. "Now, let's get riding." She wanted this duel to be done and over with.

Despite the new feature to Kalin, he doesn't care if it's a new kind of dueling. "Alright then, let's duel," he declared.

The computer board on their screens starts to count down. Yasuko takes a deep breath, trying to get her adrenaline rush flowing before she can set off.

Three.

She inhales.

Two.

Yasuko exhales.

One…

Yasuko grips her stick.

GO!

Yasuko and Kalin put the duel runners on full throttle. She felt her body jolting back, gripping the stick even tighter as the duel runners zipped past the starting line and through the entrance.

DUEL

Yasuko Yukihana (LP: 4000)

VS.

Kalin Kessler (LP: 4000)

"DUEL!" Yasuko and Kalin announced the start of the duel.

Her deck shuffles and then ejects the top five cards from the top of her deck. Yasuko could feel the duel runner cruising quickly, but she was surprised how the duel runner let her drive easily. "Autopilot? Does that mean I can use my hands freely?" she thought. "So, this is how Yugo was able to drive and duel at the same time." She remembers how Yugo drives his duel runner and then uses the cards from his deck. She better not lose her grip on the cards and the stick to navigate the tracks. She draws the first five cards from her deck and then inserts them onto her device, where she can hold them on her wrist. She always wondered how Yugo was able to keep a hand while riding.

"First corner gets to go first!" Kalin called.

Yasuko has to make the corner. She twists her stick to make the duel runner go fast, and it's gaining on Kalin. "Come on…" she muttered. Just as the corner was coming up, Kalin suddenly went into full throttle, zipping ahead of Yasuko.

"Damn it!" Yasuko cursed, frustrated that Kalin beat her to the corner.

"I'm going first!" Kalin declared. "My turn!"

Turn 1: Kalin (5x cards)

"From my hand, I Set a card face-down!" Kalin takes a card from his hand and Sets it on the field. The Set card appears before disappearing. "Next, I summon Infernity Sage!" Kalin Normal Summons his first monster: Infernity Sage (ATK 400/DEF 200). A fiendish sage wearing purple armor and a red cloak holding a sword with three blades appears from the wormhole and on the field. "Now, I activate Sage's special effect to discard my hand!" Much to Yasuko's surprise, Kalin is discarding his entire hand into the graveyard.

"What? You're discarding your hand?" Yasuko questioned. "What kind of a reckless move is that?"

Kalin glanced over his shoulder to Yasuko from his duel runner. "You're going to find out why. When Fiendish Rhino Warrioris sent to the graveyard, I can activate its special effect to send one Fiend monster from my deck to the graveyard." Kalin decides on one monster he can send due to rhino warrior's effect, and he sends his Infernity Wildcat from his deck to the graveyard. "And I think I'm going to send my Infernity Wildcat!" He removes the wildcat monster from his deck and is sent to the graveyard.

"Now that I have no cards in my hand, I can activate my Infernity General's effect by banishing itself to target two level 3 or lower Infernity monsters, and then Special Summon them from my graveyard, but their effects are negated!" Kalin declared. "I banish my Infernity General and then Special Summon two Infernity monsters: Necromancer and Wildcat!" Kalin banishes his Infernity General from the graveyard to target his Infernity Necromancer (ATK 0/DEF 2000) and Infernity Wildcat (ATK 1200/DEF 0) and Special Summons them in Defense Position.

Once he had banished his general, two more monsters appeared on the field: a demonic red cat with glowing eyes and a flaming tail and an undead skull fiend with a purple-violet cloak and long olive green mane.

Yasuko can see the monsters beside Kalin and his sage. She notices that two of them are Tuner monsters. "Two turner monsters," she speculated. "That means he's going to Synchro Summon."

Kalin raises his hand in the air. "Now, I tune my level 3 Wildcat with my level 3 Necromancer!" Once Kalin has decided, the demonic wildcat jumps, transforming into three glowing green wings. They scan the necromancer, turning the monster into nothing but three white orbs at the center.

(3 + 3 = 6)

"Those who are inferior, show them the power of doom that will rain down hell on all those who are superior! I Synchro Summon! Appear! The ringer of doom! Infernity Doom Archfiend!" Kalin tunes the wildcat with the necromancer to Synchro Summon Infernity Doom Archfiend (ATK 2200/DEF 1600) in Attack Position. From the white light, an archfiend monster with four sets of red eyes and a fifth one in the forehead appears on the field with its cloaks blazing and two long horns extending up as it spreads its long arms.

Yasuko had seen many Synchro Summons before; it was nothing new. "What's his big deal?" she asked. "That monster's not even that scary."

Kalin wasn't surprised and turned to the girl. "You're going to find out why I'm not so small to trivial," he replied. "I tune my level 2 Sage with my Doom Archfiend!" Once he decides, the sage and the doom archfiend fly upwards. The sage turns into two green wings to scan the doom archfiend, removing all the solid mass until it is nothing but six white orbs.

(2 + 6 = 8)

"From the void of darkness, a monstrous dragon will rise to devour all those who disturb its slumber! I Synchro Summon! Appear! Level 8! Void Ogre Dragon!" Kalin tunes the sage with doom archfiend to Synchro Summon Void Ogre Dragon (ATK 3000/DEF 3000) in Defense Position.

A portal opens, allowing Kalin to summon a reddish-dark dragon with massive claws and gems on the joints. The dragon's jaws open and roar to life, with a strong echo across the track, as it whips its tail back.

When Yasuko saw the dragon, she felt uneasy. She could sense that the ogre dragon was powerful and would be a drag to beat. "This must be a boss monster," she deliberated. With a strong attack and defense, the dragon was her obstacle.

"When Sage was sent to the graveyard, I can activate its effect to send one "Infernity" monster from my deck to the graveyard," Kalin explained. "And since Sage was used a Synchro Material, I sent my Infernity Avenger to the grave!" Once he activated his sage's effect, Kalin took out one card from his deck and sent Infernity Avenger from his deck to the graveyard.

"I end my turn," Kalin concluded.

Turn 2: Yasuko (5x cards)

"Now, show me what you can do!" Kalin dared. "Do you think you can protect the kid? He's nothing to you. You're just his babysitter!"

Yasuko doesn't care what Kalin thinks or says about her and Riley. All she wants is for Riley to stay home until he is reunited with Declan. "So what? Riley's not my brother, but I am watching over him," she calls. "Now, it's my turn!" Yasuko draws a card from her deck.

"And now, I activate my Continuous Trap! Summon Limit!" Kalin suddenly declared, activating the Continuous Trap Card: Summon Limit. "With this trap card on the field, neither player can make more than two summons per turn."

Yasuko grits her teeth in annoyance. She looks at the hand, and Yasuko has Fusion Substitute, Pendulum Call, Mythical Beast Medusa, Solfachord Elegance, and Dragonpit Magician. She looked at the card she drew, and it was Harpie's Feather Duster, a lucky break for her.

"Alright, I activate the Spell, Harpie's Feather Duster!" Yasuko declared, activating the Spell Card: Harpie's Feather Duster. "This card destroys all your Spell and Trap cards on the field!" The spell card flips up, allowing her to summon a large whirlwind to destroy all of Kalin's back-row.

"You may think you have me, but I've done this before, and your efforts will be wasted!" Kalin exclaimed. "Once per turn, when you activate a Spell or Trap card, and if I have no cards in my hand, I can negate and destroy it!" He throws his hand to the ogre dragon beside him. "Go! Red Ogre Redone!" The ogre dragon's abilities go into effect, allowing the dragon to roar and release red energy beams to negate the spell card and destroy it.

Yasuko knew that the ogre dragon would be trouble, but to negate any Spell and Traps so long as Kalin had no cards in his hand is even more troublesome. "A negate and destroy…damn, that's annoying," she cursed.

Not only will the ogre dragon be a problem, but so will the Continuous Trap. "No matter, I have more tricks to deal with that," she said. "I activate the Pendulum Call Spell card!" Yasuko takes out her Pendulum Call Spell Card and activates it. "By discarding one card, I can add two "Magician" Pendulum monsters from my deck to my hand, but I cannot activate any Pendulum effects of Magicians until the end of my opponent's next turn!" She discards her Fusion Substitute to add herself a Nobledragon Magician and Oafdragon Magician. "I discard one card to add Nobledragon Magician and Oafdragon Magician!"

Once she adds two Pendulum monsters, she can see Kalin being interested. "Pendulum?" he inquired.

"You're going to find me to be a very different duelist," said Yasuko. "I Set the Pendulum Scale with my Scale 2 Oafdragon Magician and Scale 8 Dragonpit Magician!" She then activates both her Oafdragon Magician (Scale 2) and Dragonpit Magician (Scale 8) in her Pendulum Zones, spreading on her blue blade. The rainbow "Pendulum" appears on the blade, which signifies the start of her Pendulum Summon. At once, the oafdragon sorcerer and the dragonpit wizard appear from the two light beams, and then a single portal forms around the center.

Kalin looked up, surprised to see the Pendulum monsters Yasuko was using. He's never seen anything like them before. "What are those things?!" he gasped.

"Those are my Pendulum monsters; with them, I can now simultaneously Pendulum Summon monsters between levels 3 and 7!" Yasuko announced. "Hear my soul roaring upon thy! I call forth the energy of my heart to unleash the flames of solemnity from within! I Pendulum Summon! Appear, my monsters!" Yasuko placed Pendulum Summons Nobledragon Magician (ATK 700/DEF 1400) and Mythical Beast Medusa (ATK 1500/DEF 1500) in Defense Position.

"Come! Nobledragon Magician! And Mythical Beast Medusa!" The nobledragon priestess and the mythical medusa with foggy snake jackal heads appear on the field.

Kalin's eyes were wide under his visor, disbelief at what he was watching. "Two monsters at the same time?! No one's ever been able to do that under my Summon Limit before!" he exclaimed.

"Well, since that was my first summon of the turn, I still got my second summon!" Yasuko raised her hand to the two monsters flying beside her. "I tune my level 3 Nobledragon Magician with my level 4 Medusa!" Once she decided, the nobledragon priestess rang her staff and started turning herself into three glowing green rings to scan the medusa, removing all of its mass until four white orbs were at the center.

(3 + 4 + 7)

"Dragon of the swords! Unleash your wrath and slice all of your prey who dare to defy your blades! I Synchro Summon! The level 7! Kuibelt, the Blade Dragon!" She tunes the Nobledragon Magician and Medusa to Synchro Summon Kuibelt the Blade Dragon (ATK 2500/DEF 1900) in Attack Position. The Synchro monster she summoned is a bladed dragon made entirely of swords, blades, and knives. It roars as it unsheathes its wings wide.

Kalin was even more surprised Yasuko managed to Synchro Summon a monster under two summons. "So, you've managed to summon a monster like that, but it doesn't mean that thing can do anything now that you've used up your summons!" he pointed out.

"It's not my first time dealing with the Traps that do that, and that's why I have this ready," Yasuko replied. "When Kuibelt is Synchro Summon, its special effect activates to let me target one card on the field and destroy it." She swings her hand over to the face-up trap on Kalin's field. "I'm going to target and destroy your Summon Limit!" The kuibelt dragon spread its wings wide before flapping them to send a volley of razor blades over to the trap card, destroying it.

Kalin was angered after Yasuko destroyed his trap card. "You destroyed my trap!" he exclaimed. "You're gonna pay for that!"

"Bite me," Yasuko spatted. With the floodgate out of the picture, she removes her other card from her hand and activates the Spell Card: Solfachord Elegance. "I activate Solfachord Elegance!" she declared. "By placing two cards in my Pendulum Zone to my Extra Deck whose Pendulum Scale is both odds and even, I can draw two cards!" She places the dragonpit sorcerer and the oafdragon wizard into her Extra Deck and draws two cards from her deck. She looked at one of them. None of the cards she drew were enough to deal with the ogre dragon, so long as Kalin has no cards in his hands.

"Time to show you what a real Action Duel is," said Yasuko, keeping her duel runner steady. Up ahead of Kalin and Yasuko, an Action Card placed in a bubble was approaching fast. Kalin notices the first one, but he ignores the card. The girl carefully leans to her right so that she can grab it. Yasuko keeps her eyes on the Action Card with her right hand stretched out. In seconds, she successfully snagged the Action Card.

"Battle!" Yasuko declared. "Kuilbelt, attack Void Ogre Dragon!" The kuibelt dragon turns around to open its jaw, preparing to unleash a powerful beam at the ogre dragon.

"What are you crazy?!" Kalin shouted. "My Ogre Dragon has more ATK points than your Kuibelt!"

"That may be, but I have this to help me!" Yasuko activates the Action Card: High Dive. "I activate the Action Spell Card: High Dive! This lets me target one monster on the field, and it gains 1000 ATK until the end of the turn!" She throws her hand over to the kuibelt dragon beside her. "I target Kuibelt!" The kuibelt dragon's attack power increased to be strong enough to destroy the ogre dragon.

(Kuibelt the Blade Dragon: ATK 2500 → 3500)

"No way!" Kalin gasped. "You can activate a Spell Card you picked up?"

"That's what an Action Duel is," said Yasuko. "Kuibelt, attack Ogre Dragon!" The kuibelt dragon fired a red beam at the ogre dragon. With one strike, the beam exploded, sending a thick blanket of smoke into the track. Yasuko zips through the smoke along with her kuibelt dragon. Upon looking at the front, she was surprised; the ogre dragon was still on the field.

"What the—How'd the hell is Void Ogre Dragon on the field?" Yasuko inquired. She looked over and saw that Kalin had a face-up Action Card: Miracle. "Oh crap, should've known."

"That's right," Kalin replied. "Since you can activate these cards, then I can too. The Action Spell Card: Miracle negates the destruction of my monster by battle, and I have half the damage that battle." In addition to his monster being protected, his life points were only shaved off by a margin.

(Kalin: LP 4000 → 3750)

Yasuko was surprised Kalin figured out the Action Cards in the field, but since this was a whole new experience for the guy, she couldn't deny that both players could use them. Since she has nothing left, Yasuko ends her turn.

"I end my turn," Yasuko concluded, "and that means Kuibelt's ATK points return to normal." At the end of her turn, the kuibelt loses all the attack power it gained from the Action Card.

(Kuibelt the Blade Dragon: ATK 3500 → 2500)

"Now you see the duel we are moving into," said Yasuko. "This isn't your average Turbo Duel anymore." She moved closer to Kalin's duel runner. "I hope you better prepare for this."

What she didn't expect from the guy was a crackle. Yasuko was taken aback, not knowing if Kalin was enjoying this duel or if he was just batch crazy. When he shows his face, Kalin has this look of madness in his eyes.

"This…is going to be very good," said Kalin, almost maliciously. "And we're now taking this duel to a new level!"

Yasuko has no idea who she is talking to now. Kalin, the serious young man who wanted to kick her and Riley out of the house, or Kalin, the crazy one. Whoever Kalin is, she will be having trouble with him in their Turbo Duel.

Heyo readers! I hoped you are enjoying this part of the duel so far. More cards means more support, and since this one is lacking on some support. There will be more coming along the way. Now, I did originally think of the Facility arc, but I have decided to do something else besides that, and I was caught on doing something last week, so I couldn't publish this until this week. Anyways, hoped you are enjoying this story so far, if you have any you want to say, then leave a comment on the story, what are your thoughts so far, and what you might want to see. Well, that's all folk. Good night.