ARC V - Wings of the Dragons: Synchro Saga

by SurvivorTierEXO

Book 2: Smile happens if you win, right? Enter the Synchro Dimension. A dystopia divided by two sides: the Commons, the poverty-stricken masses, and the Tops: the wealthier and urban elite groups. Winning is everything. A wall between two sides that cannot be crossed. That's where Yasuko Yukihana comes in. She will do everything to help Yuya Sakaki realize the dream of smiling now.

12. Chapter 12: The Smuggler

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.

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Chapter 12: The Smuggler; Yasuko Yukihana vs Elsa Padelicki

---

At the high rise of the Tops, the twins were staring out on the balcony, wondering if Yasuko is okay. It's been days since Aliza told them Yasuko was staying at someone's place in the Commons, and she hasn't sent a message or even come back ever since.

Luna was worried about Yasuko. Sector Security has issued a BOLO on her and some child she was with. They got her picture posted all over the news and the internet. That's bad. Really bad. Because of their involvement with the girl, it's only a matter of time before they are busted by security. Akiza told them not to worry as she would get someone to help her if she could get to Yasuko before security does.

"Hey Luna," the sound of her brother, Lua, called to her. Luna glances over her shoulder at Lua. "Are you worried about that Yasuko girl, too?"

Luna nodded. She can see how concerned Lua felt about Yasuko. "Yeah," she said. "I just want to be safe, especially if Security is going after her now." Luna did not want to believe that Yasuko was anything but a criminal. She didn't act like a criminal when they first met her. She just wanted to find her teammates.

"Well, what can we do?" Lua inquired.

"I don't think we can do anything about it," said Luna. "Security is out looking for her, and we can't say anything that will get us in trouble as well."

Lua felt outraged, facing his sister with adamant fury. "That's ridiculous!" he exclaimed. "Yasuko's not a Common, but she helped us and is a friend." He gestures to the city below them. "We have to do something."

"I know, but if we get caught, our parents will get in serious trouble," Luna pointed out. "Plus, we'll get Akiza in trouble too. We have to be sure Akiza knows what she's doing." Luna's hands unconsciously grip each other, and her feelings clearly show up to her brother.

Right on cue, a doorbell rang, catching the twins' attention. They know it has to be Akiza since no one comes to their apartment often unless it's their friends. They come to the door and let Akiza inside.

"Hi, Akiza," the twins greeted.

"Hey," Akiza smiled. "How are you?"

"Good!"

Akiza settles in at the table with a glass of water. The twins sit across from her. They wanted to know if Akiza had someone who could help them with Yasuko's case. "So, Miss Akiza, did you have something to help Yasuko?" Luna asked.

The older girl sighed, disappointed in their news. "Unfortunately no," she answered. "Even with my status, security won't back down from their search." She drinks some of her water. "They're really going hard searching for Yasuko."

"But there's something you can do," said Lua. "Don't you know that other girl in school whose mother is a member of security?"

Akiza raised an eyebrow. "You mean Amanda?" She shakes her head. "No, I can't. Her mother has no authority to get Yasuko's fugitive status off." She looks at the glass, upset that no one can help the girl without getting exposed as a foreigner or not a Tops. Akiza then thought of something. An idea that may be some help. "Unless…"

"Unless what?" Luna repeated.

Akiza then had an idea. "Unless I think I know someone who could help us," she said. "I just need a calling card."

---

Yasuko and Riley were on the couch watching TV since Yasuko wanted some time to relax before returning to the field. She was so tired of being on the run from security and her duel with Kalin. She never thought that Turbo Duel could be exhausting, especially when she's driving and dueling simultaneously. She can only hope the heat dies down when they forget her. Yet, Yasuko wanted to find her way back to the Tops. The whole thing was more troublesome than she thought it would be. The Lancers are in prison, Zuzu is still missing, and Declan hasn't been seen since forever. On the other hand, Riley seemed fascinated with the whole TV thing despite being around six years old. It seems Riley never got to do anything that kids do at his age.

Marlene and Casey are in the kitchen preparing meals for the two of them. Casey called to the two of them when their lunch was ready. "Riley, Yasuko, food's ready," she said.

Yasuko heard Casey and turned off the TV before getting up with Riley, who was following behind. They can go to the kitchen with Marlene and Casey setting up the table.

"Come, kids, I've made some curry and fish sticks," said Marlene, beaming at the sight of her work. "I hope you love it."

"Thank you," said Yasuko. "I'm amazed you all have food on the table."

"Grandma grows produce in her backyard," said Casey, putting some plates and utensils on the table. "It's much more affordable than going to the grocery store."

Yasuko and Riley sit beside each other while Kalin and the house residents take their seats. The meal was decent enough for the residents and guests. Yasuko and Riley took a spoonful of curry and some fish sticks to start eating.

"So, Kalin, can I ask you a favor?" Yasuko asked.

"What kind?" Kalin inquired, stuffing his face with curry.

"I need to get back to the Tops," Yasuko answered. This earned a flabbergasting reaction from Kalin and Casey; they nearly choked on their food.

"What the hell?!" Casey gasped.

Kalin laughed with amusement, believing Yasuko to be insane about her decision: "Are you kidding me right there?" he bemused. "You think I know people that far back? Please, girl. I've been nothing but trouble to those scumbags." Kalin points his spoon to the markings on his face. "You see this? I was busted trying to steal some seeds and other stuff. I was in the Facility for eight years before I got released. There is no way I would do that again."

"I don't think you understand what Riley and I are doing here," said Yasuko. "We aren't from around here."

"Yeah, yeah, I get it," Kalin dismissed, waving his hand as if he didn't care to hear it many times over. "You and your little friend here aren't from the city, so what else am I supposed to know?"

Yasuko has been through many things trying to convince people of a Dimension War going on, but she wouldn't expect any of them to listen or know. "We're from an alternate universe," Yasuko replied.

Kalin nearly spits out his water from the laughter and chuckles at Yasuko. "Oh, man. That's hilarious," he mocked. "An alternate universe? What is this, the multiverse?"

Yasuko shrugged. "That's what I used to think until I saw my classmate and a twin brother being teleported right before my eyes, and this kid's been with me this whole trip" she said, pointing at Riley with her spoon. "Nobody would believe me, so I need someone to help us."

Kalin raised a skeptical eyebrow. "You guys? What? Like really bad?" he quipped.

"More like worse than bad," Yasuko replied, eating a fish stick. "I know a guy. Yuya Sakaki. He and his friend, a girl with a bad attitude, a jokester, an idiot, and a guy who doesn't play well with others, are in the Facility. And my so-called "boss" is missing along with his ninja sidekick. So it's only me and Riley."

The residents in the house were giving each other skeptical gazes, though most were in disbelief of Yasuko's "made-up" story. Yasuko makes another nonchalant explanation of her proof being from another dimension to give her more clarification. "Tell me, did you ever heard of a Fusion or Xyz Summon?" she asked.

Casey shook her head. "No," she said.

"Then there you go," said Yasuko. "Riley and I are from an alterrnate universe."

Casey was also skeptical about Yasuko's talking. "What do you mean you and Riley are from an alternate universe?" she questioned.

"I'm not going to explain the whole thing, so the short answer is that there are some very bad people, and we are here to stop them," Yasuko explained. "We are here to gather allies to fight back, but we cannot get allies so long as security is tight on us." She didn't want Kalin to know everything, only subtle details he could understand about her situation.

"What are you saying?" Kalin questioned.

"I'm saying is that I need to get back to the Tops so I can get people who can help me get people," said Yasuko. "Do you know anyone from the Tops, or at least know someone from the Tops?"

Casey held a hand to stop Yasuko from pressing into more regarding Kalin's background. "Slow down there, girl," she said. "I don't think Kalin's got connections from the Tops. You know Tops don't like Commons, and even if he does know people from the Tops, that doesn't mean he can get you connected." She dips some fish sticks into the curry. "Kalin was in the Facility. There's no way he can get you people."

Yasuko rolled her eyes, eating some curry. Yet, Casey didn't notice Kalin deeply thinking while eating his food. He held a finger, proving to them he did know someone. "Actually, I think I know a guy," said Kalin. "He used to be a Turbo Duelist before going broke after a Turbo Dueling accident. Been working as a smuggler and doing outside jobs for a living. He knows his way in and out of the Tops and Commons."

His answer made Yasuko give her full attention to the guy. She stopped eating and leaned a bit closer to hear what Kalin knew. "You know someone who can get me and Riley to the Tops?" she asked.

"Not legally, that is," said Kalin.

Yasuko looks at Casey, who gives her a brief, concerned expression. It won't be a pretty meetup, but it's a risk she'll have to take.

---

Kalin and Yasuko are going to the Red Keep, a bar situated at the border of the city limits of Tops. Only Kalin knows where the Red Keep is, considering that it has only been frequented by people with dirty backgrounds, criminals, and dissidents against the Tops. He claims that Sector Security never gets to that place since they are more focused on Commons. Yasuko has a gut feeling about going to the Red Keep, but it's the only option if that's what it takes to get back into the Tops.

Yasuko was getting her duel runner ready to move. Kalin was putting on his helmet and turned to the girl. "You ready?" he asked.

The girl was about to answer when Yasuko paused herself. She glanced over her shoulder, looking at Riley standing at the door. He looked disconcerted watching her leave. She never left him out of the picture, but considering how shady the place is, Yasuko thinks it's for the best that Riley stays with Casey and Marlene since he won't be causing trouble. She can assume Riley thinks she will leave and never return.

"Hold on, give me a minute," said Yasuko. She approaches Riley and kneels over to look at Riley in the eyes. "Riley. Now listen to me. I'm going with Kalin to get somebody to help you find your brother." She grips his shoulder with one hand. "But if I'm going to help you find your brother, I need you to stay here with Marlene and Casey until I return."

Despite her assurance, Riley seemed unconvinced of her. Yasuko wasn't sure of how to make Riley trust her enough. She notices the red pendant keychain still hanging from her jean belt loop. She never thought of doing this one thing, but if that's what it takes to calm Riley down, then so be it. She takes out her red pendant keychain and shows it to Riley. She shows the keychain to Riley. "Here. I want you to hold onto this for me," she said. "It's been with me since my entire life, and I don't want to lose this thing, so I'm going to let you hold onto this until I return, okay?" She takes Riley's hand and gently gives the keychain into his small palms before enclosing it. "This is a reminder that I will come back for you and get your brother back, okay?"

Riley looked at the keychain hanging from his palm. He seemed calmer when Yasuko spoke to him. Riley looked up and nodded once, affirming to her that he would be okay.

Casey comes to the doorway right beside Riley. "Don't you worry about this little peanut? Grandma and I will take care of him," she assured me.

"Okay," Yasuko responded. She can't be sure if she's doing the right thing, but it will be a dangerous journey from now on. She gets up and heads back to her duel runner. Yasuko puts on the helmet and turns on the vehicle, creating a smooth engine sound.

"You ready, kid?" Kalin asked.

"Let's go," said Yasuko.

And with that, the two duel runners speed off into the road and away from the house.

---

Kalin and Yasuko are back in the Common slums, where the day is bright. They rode across the passages and intersections in the neighborhoods as the air stinks their nostrils with filth and garbage. Most of the roads are still barren, but as they move further inland, the more they can see some people. Of course, these people aren't the kind Tops wouldn't want to be with.

"Where is this Red Keep we are going?" Yasuko asked loudly over her speeding duel runner. "Isn't it supposed to be for the Commons?"

"It's actually for everyone, but most Tops who do shady stuff also do business here," said Kalin.

"And by business, you mean, like criminal stuff, right?" Yasuko clarified.

"You watch crime drama?" Kalin quipped.

"Anything I see on TV, I can imagine what kind of business happens in the underworld," Yasuko replied.

The duel runners come into a left turn and enter the highway leading to the Tops' middle upper section. Yasuko has never seen the downtown area before. The skyscrapers aren't as big as the ones from the Tops, but based on the urban development and lots of construction, she can guess that there is a small portion of middle class between the Tops and Commons.

"This is downtown?" Yasuko asked.

"The one and only," Kalin confirmed. "If you ever work for the Tops, this is where you'll end up."

Kalin turns right, and Yasuko follows right behind him. The duel runners are coming into a back alley in a poorer rural part of the city. Despite the urban developments, some parts of the city haven't improved. Kalin parks the duel runner right at the parking spot. Yasuko parks her duel runner on the blue spot that was supposed to be a handicap, but it is not like it matters since Sector Security won't bust her for parking in the small blue spot.

"Alright, we're here," said Kalin. "Now, let me clear when we are inside. Don't be an ass. There are people here who are from the Tops and will come and get you if you screw with them. Just mind your own business, and don't cause any trouble." He takes off his helmet. "And remember, I'm here to help you, not clean up the mess you're going to make."

Yasuko nodded, understanding her place upon entering the hub.

Kalin leads Yasuko down the stairs and into the closed door of the tunnel. When they approached the door, Kalin gave it two loud knocks that echoed the metallic sounds behind. Then, a slot to the door opens, allowing a guy inside to see who it was.

"Kalin?" the guy said from behind the slot.

"Harry, thank you for being an upstanding citizen," Kalin smiled, giving the bouncer a toothy greet. "If you don't mind, I've got someone I want to meet, and I'd like to get by." He takes out what appears to be a gold coin and slots it into a hole. The guy notices the gold coin and closes the slot. A minute later, the door opens wide. The bouncer stands tall with both hands in the front. Kalin enters the door, and Yasuko follows him in. Upon entering the doorway, however, the bouncer held a hand over to Yasuko, stopping her from entering the pub.

"Uh. Uh. Uh. No," said the bouncer. "This place is for adults only. No one under 18 or younger is allowed."

Yasuko frowns at the bouncer, but Kalin steps in to utter a few words. "Hey. Hey. Hey. It's okay, Harry, she's with me," he said. "She's got some…business to take care of." The bouncer looked at the young girl with a scowl before returning to Kalin, nodding once with acknowledgment.

Without a word, Yasuko enters through the door.

Upon entering the Red Keep, Yasuko probably saw the place in a movie before, or it might be somewhere else. Regardless, she is in a very dark room with green lights flaunting above them and red lights flaring the curtains as backgrounds for the pub. The jazz music fills her ears as a band plays a song. People from all backgrounds have their drinks and meals in the pub. Yasuko could see people with well-dressed, overpriced suits, female customers with expensive make-up, and men with groomed hair. Her nostrils cringed at the smell of cigarettes filling the air. It makes her nauseous just to be here.

Yasuko does her best to avoid prying eyes looking at her as if they're wondering what a young girl like her is doing here in the Red Keep. She keeps close to Kalin, not wanting to get caught up in whatever business these people are doing. She follows him, leading to a bar stand where one stands out above the rest of the occupants in the pub.

"Yo, Blister, what's up?" Kalin called to him.

The guy sitting at the stand turns his head before going about-face to view the two of them. Yasuko doesn't know what to make out of Blister. He has an unkempt appearance and sports a small stubble. He also has short brown hair and eyes and is wearing a sleeveless green jacket with rips around the edges along the shoulders over a long-sleeved white shirt. He also wears brown pants with two belts and boots.

"Kalin," Blister greeted with a smile. "Nice to see you here again." He offers a hand, and Kalin takes it, bringing themselves together for a one-arm hug before letting go. "As I recall, you said you wanted to retire and live on a beach away from the city. How's that working out for ya?" Blister takes his drink from the stand before eyeing the girl beside Kalin. "Who's this kid?" he questioned, gesturing his hand holding the cup to Yasuko.

"This is Yasuko, someone I'm helping," Kalin answered, giving Yasuko a light pat on her shoulder, earning her a scowl. "She asked me to help her get to the Tops, and I think you are the guy who can give her and her friend some documents."

Blister nodded. "Ah, I see. Hate to break it to ya, Kal, but Sector Security's been looking after her," he answered. "I don't think my skillset can eliminate a fugitive status. It's a big hassle and a big reward." He drinks his cup again before placing it down, giving Kalin a serious look. "Now, what's in it for me? I know you didn't come to me as a favor for last time."

Kalin shakes his head. "Nah, Blister, I came because of her," he pointed at the girl. "You see, she's not from around here. Like, not from around here," he emphasized. "She's from out of town and wants in the Tops."

Blister snorts with amusement. "Wants in the Tops? What? Can't even get a calling card from them?" he teased. "Sorry, but I don't think I can get you to the Tops without getting security on my ass."

Yasuko was pissed. She wanted to lash out and grab Blister's collars to make him look at her directly in the eyes. She sighed in frustration, feeling almost defeated with the security running after her. "Well, what if I can tell you I know Akiza Izinski?" she asked Blister.

The man turned to face Yasuko with a raised eyebrow, wondering if she was still crazy to go to the Tops despite the odds of being slim to none. Blister heard her words and inclined his head with interest. "The senator's daughter? I'm surprised you got people in high places," he said. "What kind of business do you have with the rich girl." He raised his hand to call the female bartender for another drink.

"Let's just say…I'm teaching her small dueling club at school," said Yasuko. "And she knows me, so I want you to help me get back to the Tops so I can get out of my sticky situation with security." She won't allow security to get Riley. Yasuko will find the twins or Akiza before security finds her and Riley. "So, can you do it?"

Blister seem to be taken into consideration. He drinks his cup before settling it down on the bar. "If I'm going to get you back to the Tops, there's one more person I'd like you to meet," he said. Blister got up from his seat and adjusted his jacket vest. "Come on, I'll take you to her," said Blister.

"Her?" Yasuko inquired.

"Elsa Padalecki. She's a manager who knows her way around the Tops and Commons," said Blister. He pays the bartender for the drink before he starts walking. Kalin and Yasuko follow him across the pub.

Yasuko was getting tired of running in circles. Whenever she comes to someone, they assume they know someone else who can do the job for her. It was very annoying for her. All she wanted was to get to the Tops and rendezvous with the twins or Akiza, hoping they could get security off her back.

The three come across a section of the pub at the far corner where some of the more prestigious customers are there to congregate amongst themselves. As they come to a corner, Yasuko meets a strange young woman with thigh-length blonde hair with orange and green highlights tucked into a high ponytail. Her bangs mostly swept to the left, where it has a single orange highlight and bright orange eyes. Yasuko can assume the woman is Elsa Padalecki.

"Hey, Elsa," Blister greeted with a small salute.

Elsa looked up from what she was reading, a small book with a drink close to her. She smiled warmly at the sight of Blister and Kalin right before her. "Son of a bitch. Blissy, Kal," she said. "Great seeing you mates back in the Keep!" She leans up and gives a peck on the cheek to the two men.

"Hey, Elsa, nice to see you," said Kalin.

Elsa takes notice of Yasuko's presence just by the sight of her figure. "Who's this cutie? A new recruit?"

Blister shrugged. "If you like her," he said. "I'm not here for another job, but I want you to help this young lady with something." He gestures to the girl right beside him. Yasuko takes it as her cue to explain herself to Elsa.

"Blister and Kalin told me you can get me to the Tops. Is that right?" Yasuko questioned.

Elsa snorted with amusement. "Did they? Love. I know many things about the city. I know people. I know every cram and secret in the city hall. What I don't know is…why would a fugitive like you be risking so much to come to me?"

Yasuko was slightly taken aback. "You know Sector Security's after me?"

"Of course I know," said Elsa, drinking her cup. "They offered a bounty for anyone willing to turn you in."

The girl should be slightly nervous if security would come barging in right now and shooting her to the ground with their net guns. "So, why am I still here?" Yasuko inquired.

"Love. I'm the manager here. No one, and I mean no one, is allowed to conduct business here," said Elsa. "Whether it's Tops or Commons." She leaned forward. Unexpectedly, Elsa takes Yasuko's hand, much to her surprise. She paused as Yasuko felt her palm being gripped by Elsa's. "A duelist, aren't you? You have hands of very great dueling skills. I can use a girl like you."

Yasuko retracted her hand away from the woman. "I don't want anything from you; I just want to get to the Tops. End of story," she affirmed.

Elsa raised an eyebrow, intrigued by what Yasuko said. "So, you want to get to the Tops? Even though you are a fugitive?" she questioned. "That's a heavy price you'll be getting. And I don't come cheap."

"What do you want?" Yasuko asked. "Money? Rare cards? I can give. But I'm not for sale."

Elsa supports her head with her elbows, examining the girl from her boots to the forest green pigtails. She smiles softly when Elsa has something in mind for the girl. "You can drive, can you?" she asked.

"A duel runner is parked outside," Yasuko answered.

"Good. I need someone to do a delivery for me," said Elsa. "But first, a test."

"A test?"

"Yeah. A test, love. To see if you can evade Duel Chasers," Elsa proclaimed. She turns to Blister and Kalin. "She can duel, right?"

Kalin looked at the girl. He doesn't seem interested in discussing their duel the other day, but he's dueled with her before. "She's good. Better than anyone you can hire." Kalin made Elsa piqued with interest.

"Well, I'm going to test you. And if you beat me, I promise you to get to the Tops, but if you must do a delivery for me," Elsa explained. "Don't get caught by Sector Security, and deliver a package to someone from the Tops."

Yasuko doesn't trust the job to be so simple, considering that she has security going after her, and if possible, she'll be in the spotlight in front of the entire city, just like Yugo and Zuzu when they were being chased by Sector Security. "What's the catch?" she inquired.

"The catch is…if you get caught, I'll have plausible deniability for my involvement, and you'll be a scapegoat and be shipped to the Facility for stealing from me," Elsa divulged.

Yasuko should've seen this coming, but she was not surprised. If there's one thing she comes to learn from crime dramas on TV, she's the fall girl to take the blame for doing dirty work that crime bosses like her will be left untouched. "But you can get me to the Tops, right?" she doubted.

"Blissy here will handle the documents and papers, and a new ID will be ready and waiting to be made. All you have to do is deliver my package," said Elsa, gesturing to Blister.

"And what package am I supposed to be delivering?" Yasuko inquired about the package Elsa kept mentioning.

"Oh, someone from the Tops wants something to escape a sticky situation," said Elsa. She finishes drinking her wine before eyeing the girl. "It's nothing illegal." How Elsa sees Yasuko narrowing her eyes slightly gives her a different perspective. "Now, why not we put on a show?"

Yasuko isn't very fond of putting a show in front of the entire pub with anyone possibly going to catch her for a bounty Elsa proclaimed she has on herself.

---

Surprisingly, the pub has a duel arena where spectators can watch duels shown in front of the crowd. Elsa leads Yasuko to the dueling arena, where she can test Yasuko whether she's the girl for the job. Kalin and Blister were back in the stands watching the duel with their drinks as Yasuko and Elsa prepared to duel.

"Are there any rules I'm going to be following?" Yasuko asked.

"No. Just duel," said Elsa. "Are you ready?"

Yasuko takes her duel disk from her leg holster and attaches it to her arm. She makes quick adjustments to ensure she won't catch the attention of the spectators since they are adults and not interested in the duel. She will make sure that the Action Duel setting is disabled because Yasuko cannot use Action Duels when she's on the run from the law, especially since there are customers and bar attendees from the Tops.

"Declan better not have made Action Duels in my duel disk permanent," she thought. Yasuko checked the settings. Surprisingly, there was a feature in her duel disk to disable Action Duels. She turned it off and hoped for the best that it would not activate in front of the crowd.

"Alright, love," said Elsa. "You ready to rock the bass?"

Yasuko isn't sure what Elsa is talking about, considering she speaks in an accent, but she is ready for her test. "Uh, sure, why not?"

"Alright, let's do this!" Elsa beamed. When it's all settled, Elsa activates her orange duel disk, emitting a yellow blade from the device. In return, Yasuko turns on her duel disk to emit her blue blade. Both duelists are ready.

"DUEL!"

DUEL

Yasuko Yukihana (LP 4000)

VS

Elsa Padalecki (LP 4000)

Yasuko was lucky the Action Duel attachment in her duel disk didn't go off; though, Action Duels are what the Lancers should use in their fight against Academia. She wanted to maintain a low profile until, by some miracle, get allies.

"Why not you go first, love," said Elsa, gesturing to the girl across from the arena. "A courtesy of the house."

Yasuko has no idea what Elsa has in mind, but she is going through it anyway. "Alright, if you say so," she said.

Turn 1: Yasuko (5x cards)

"My turn!" Yasuko declared. She takes a card from her hand to activate Servant of Endymion (Scale 2). "I Set the Pendulum Zone with my Scale 2 Servant of Endymion!" Yasuko places the servant at the left Pendulum Zone. Once that's done, the servant floats up under a pillar of light.

Upon hearing about the thing called a Pendulum Zone, Elsa was astonished at the sight of it. "Blimey, what is this?" she inquired, never taking her eyes on the servant floating in the air with her respective Pendulum Scale number underneath her.

"It's a whole new game," said Yasuko. She takes a second card from her hand to activate Magical Abductor (Scale 3) at her other zone. "Now, I activate Magical Abductor!" With that, the abductor magician floats into the air with her respective Pendulum Scale number appearing before Elsa. "Each time a Spell Card resolves, Servant of Endymion's Pendulum effect activates, gaining 1 Spell Counter." Due to the abductor magician being treated as a Spell Card in the Pendulum Zone, the servant gains a Spell Counter.

(Servant of Endymion: Spell Counter 0 → 1)

Elsa comes to realize what Yasuko is trying to do. "No way, a monster being treated a Spell; I've never heard of such a thing before," she smirked, interested in the girl now. "Now that's what I'm talking about. Show me everything."

Yasuko proceeds to activate the Quick Play Spell Card: Mythical Bestiary. "I activate the Quick-Play Spell: Mythical Bestiary!" The Spell Card reveals itself. "This card lets me send the top two cards from the top of my deck to the graveyard, and I get to target one card I control that I can place a Spell Counter on, and it gains 2 Spell Counters!" She gestures to the abductor magician on her right. "By targeting my Magical Abductor in my Pendulum Zone, this card gains 2 Spell Counters, and when a Spell Card resolves, both my Servant and Magical Abductor gain 1 Spell Counter!" She takes two cards from the top of her deck to the graveyard, allowing the spell to give the abductor Spell Counters.

(Magical Abductor: Spell Counter 0 → 2)

Once the Quick-Play Spell resolves, both monsters gain one more Spell Counter.

(Magical Abductor: Spell Counter 2 → 3)

(Servant of Endymion: Spell Counter 1 → 2)

Blister and Kalin were watching the duel, with the latter interested in the girl's cards. "A Pendulum card? I didn't know the Tops have released those new cards," said Blister. He wasn't the only one intrigued by Yasuko's sudden appearance of new cards. Most of the audience watched the duel between Yasuko and Elsa, all wondering who the new girl was.

"They didn't," Kalin replied, drinking his glass. "She's from out of this world."

With all her Spell Counters stacking up, Yasuko gets a move on. "I remove 3 Spell Counters from Magical Abductor to activate her Pendulum effect! Once per turn, I can add one Pendulum monster from my deck to my hand!"

(Magical Abductor: Spell Counter 3 → 0)

Yasuko needs some firepower and adds Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon. "I add Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon to my hand!" she declared. After resolving her monster's Pendulum effect, she activates the Continuous Spell Card: Endymion's Lab, which triggers the servant's pendulum effect. "I activate the Continuous Spell, Endymion's Lab! Now, each time a Spell Card resolves, this card gains a Spell Counter."

(Servant of Endymion: Spell Counter 2 → 3)

Now that her servant has the Spell Counters she needs, Yasuko then activates the Pendulum effect of her servant. "I remove three spell counters from this card to activate the Servant of Endymion's Pendulum effect!" she declared. "I can Special Summon one monster from my deck that I can place a Spell Counter on, and this card from my Pendulum Zone! And both monsters gain 1 Spell Counter!"

(Servant of Endymion: Spell Counter 3 → 0)

Upon activation, the servant disappears from the Pendulum Zone, as Yasuko Special Summons Servant of Endymion (ATK 900/DEF 1500) from her Pendulum Zone in Defense Position and Mythical Beast Jackal King (ATK 2400/DEF 1700) in Attack Position. "I Special Summon Servant of Endymion from my Pendulum Zone in Defense Position and Mythical Beast Jackal King from my deck in Attack Position!" The servant appears under a glowing blue circle on the ground with the jackal king beside her, and both monsters gain a Spell Counter.

(Servant of Endymion: Spell Counter 0 → 1)

(Mythical Beast Jackal King: Spell Counter 0 → 1)

"I end my turn," Yasuko concluded.

Turn 2: Elsa (5x cards)

Elsa was more than impressed; she was enchanted by the new arrival of Pendulum monsters and what features they've got in their abilities. "So, this is what a Pendulum monster can do? Interesting. Now we're 'bout to get the fun going," she said. "My turn!" Elsa draws a card. She looked at the card she drew, and it was Dragunity Remus.

"Excellent," said Elsa. "I activate Dragunity Remus' monster effect from my hand! By discarding this card, I can add one "Dragon's Ravine" Field Spell from my deck to my hand!" When Elsa discards her Dragunity Remus for cost, her deck ejects the Field Spell Card: Dragon's Ravine. "Now that I have my Dragon's Ravine, I will activate it!" Elsa activates the field spell, allowing Yasuko's cards to gain Spell Counters upon resolving.

"And since you activated a Spell Card, Jackal King's effect activates, gaining 2 Spell Counters when it resolves!"

(Mythical Beast Jackal King: 1→ 3)

(Endymion's Lab: 0 → 1)

(Magical Abductor: Spell Counter 0 → 1)

"And as I recall, all your cards gain Spell Counters each time a Spell Card resolves, right? Well, that doesn't mean I can still activate my field spell's effect!" Elsa declared. "Once per turn, I can discard one card to either add one level 4 or lower "Dragunity" monster from my deck to my hand or send one Dragon-type monster from my deck to the graveyard!" Elsa chooses the first and discards Dragunity Phalanx to the graveyard to add Dragunity Dux from her hand to her deck. "And I think I'll add myself a Dragunity Dux." After resolving the field spell, Elsa is going to make her first summoning. "I summon Dragunity Dux!"Elsa Normal Summons Dragunity Dux (ATK 1500/DEF 1000).

The monster Elsa summoned is an Egyptian soldier wearing falcon armor with wings and holding a multi-whip in his hand. "When Dux is Normal Summoned, I can activate its special effect to target one level 3 or lower "Dragunity" monster in my GY and equip it to this card." Elsa targets the monster: Dragunity Phalanx and equips it to dux. The monster Elsa equipped with the dux soldier is a small blue dragon with gold armor and two horns. "I equipped my Dux with the tuner monster: Dragunity Phalanx!"

Yasuko's ears perked up after hearing the word, "Tuner." If Elsa already has a tuner monster on her field, she's going for a Synchro Summon. "A Synchro Summon," she muttered.

"Now, I activate Phalanx's monster effect! When this is equipped to a monster, I can special summon this card from my Spell and Trap Zone!" She activates Phalanx's effect to Special Summon Dragunity Phalanx (ATK 500/DEF 1200) in Defense Position.

"Now, I tune my level 2 Phalanx with my level 4 Dux!" Both monsters flew in the air as the blue dragon turned into two green rings. The rings scan the dux, turning the soldier into four glowing white orbs.

(4 + 2 = 6)

"Orange-clad warrior of the winds! Ride your beast to the battlefields of your enemies! I Synchro Summon! Come, leave 6! Dragunity Knight – Vajrayana!" Elsa tunes the level 4 Dux with Phalanx to Synchro Summon Dragunity Knight – Vajrayana (ATK 1900/DEF 1200) in Attack Position. The Synchro monster Elsa summoned is an orange-armored dragon ridden by an orange-winged knight.

Kalin is watching the duel with stern focus, keeping an eye on Elsa. "Looks like she's about to go in for an assault," he said.

Blister converses with Kalin. "You think Elsa's going easy on her?"

Kalin shakes his head. "Nah. When Elsa sees someone with a unique set of skills, she's going to push 'em to the limit," he said. "Watch. You'll find this girl to be more than meets the eye."

With her Synchro monster on the field, Elsa activates its monster effect. "When Vajrayana is Synchro Summoned, its special effect allows me to target one level 3 or lower Winged-beast or Dragon monster from my GY and Special Summon it," she explained. "I'm going to target my level 2 Phalanx to Special Summon it!"

Yasuko knows what Elsa is trying to do, and she's climbing up her Synchro monster so she can get into another more powerful Synchro monster. She cannot let it happen. "I won't let you!" she exclaimed. "When my opponent activates a monster effect, I can activate Jackal King's special effect by removing 2 Spell Counters to negate the activation and destroy that monster!" In response, Yasuko activates the effect of her jackal king to remove two Spell Counters from her field to negate the activation of a monster effect and destroy it.

(Mythical Beast Jackal King: Spell Counter 3 → 1)

"Howling Rage!" The jackal king opens its jaw and fires a blue flame attack to negate the vajrayana and destroys it with an explosion.

Elsa covers her eyes slightly before standing back up to smirk at Yasuko. "You've got something. I give you that. Now the real test begins!" Elsa takes out a card from her hand to activate the Spell Card: Dragunity Glow. "I activate the Spell, Dragunity Glow!" she declared. "This card lets me add one level 5 or higher "Dragunity" monster from my deck to my hand, and I think I'm gonna add…this one!" A card pops out from her deck, allowing Elsa to add Dragunity Arma Mystletainn to her hand. "Dragunity Arma Mystlrtainn!" Upon resolving, the card in Yasuko's field gains spell counters.

(Mythical Beast Jackal King: 1→ 3)

(Endymion's Lab: 1 → 2)

(Magical Abductor: Spell Counter 1 → 2)

Elsa doesn't care if Yasuko gets more Spell Counters since she's bringing out the cards for her boss monster. "Seems like you've got a lot of counters, let's see if I can change all that," said Elsa. "I activate my Dragunity Legatus' effect from my hand! If I control Dragon's Ravine, I can Special Summon this card!" She activates the monster effect of her Dragunity Legatus (ATK 1800/DEF 1200) to Special Summon itself from the hand in Defense Position. The next Dragunity monster Elsa summoned is another bird soldier with green falcon armor and wings from the back. "Now, I activate my Arma Mystetainn from my hand! By sending 1 "Dragunity" monster I control to the graveyard, I can Special Summon this card!" She gestures to the legatus. "I send my Legatus to the graveyard and Special Summon Dragunity Arma Mystetainn!" The legatus disappears under a yellow light, to let Elsa Special Summon Dragunity Arma Mystetainn (ATK 2100/DEF 1500) in Attack Position.

The yellow light reveals a yellow armored dragonoid with a sword in its claws. "When Mystetainn is summoned, I can target one Dragon monster in my GY and equip it to this monster! And the monster I target is my Dragunity Knight Vajrayana!" She activates her mystertainn's effect to target one Dragon monster in her graveyard and equips it with Dragunity Knight – Vajrayana. The orange armored dragon rider reappears on the field right behind the yellow dragonoid.

Yasuko wanted to say something, but she can't be sure what Elsa is capable of since she's the boss of the Red Keep. She has to know what kind of cards Elsa will use if she is going to pass her test.

"By banishing my Dragunity Glow Spell in my graveyard, I can activate its effect to target one "Dragunity" monster that is equipped to a monster and Special Summon it from my Spell/Trap Zone," Elsa explained. "And I'm going to target my Vajrayana!" She activates the Dragunity Glow's effect from her banish to banish itself and then targets Dragunity Knight – Vajrayana and Special Summons it in Defense Position.

"Next, I equip my Mystetainn with my Equip Spell, Dragunity Divine Lance!" Elsa activates the Equip Spell Card: Dragunity Divine Lance and equips it to mystertain.

(Mythical Beast Jackal King: 3 → 5)

(Endymion's Lab: 2 → 3)

(Magical Abductor: Spell Counter 2 → 3)

"Thanks to Lance's effect, once per turn, I can equip a Dragon Tuner monster from my deck, and the monster I equip to mystetainn is Dragunity Couse!" The equip spell appears on the field and opens a portal, allowing Elsa to equip mystetainn with Dragunity Couse, a small dragon with purple armor and a bladed horn shaped like a sword on its head. "Now, Couse's effect lets me Special Summon this card from my Spell/Trap Zone if it's equipped to a monster, and since my mystetainn is equipped with Couse, I'm going to Special Summon it!" Elsa activates the effect of Dragunity Couse (ATK 1000/DEF 200) and Special Summons it in Defense Position. "And don't think I'm not going to stop there love. While on the field, Couse can be treated as a Level 4," Elsa added.

Yasuko realizes what kind of monster Elsa is going to summon. "That sucked," she commented.

"Maybe, but now I'm in control of this game, love," said Elsa. "I tune my treated level 4 Couse with my Vajrayana!" The couse dragon flies up along with the orange dragon rider, turning into four green rings that scan the orange dragon rider into nothing but six glowing white orbs that align themselves in the center.

(6 + 4 = 10)

"Mighty rider of the winds! Come and unleash the storming hurricanes of pure destruction to all your enemies I Synchro Summon! Come, level 10! Dragunity Knight – Areadbhair!" Elsa tunes the level 4 treated Couse with the level 6 Vajrayana to Synchro Summon Dragunity Knight – Areadbhair (ATK 3300/DEF 3200) in Attack Position.

The dragon appears massive on the field right behind Elsa with its long serpentine body covered in blue-scaled armor and four white wings spread out, giving a mighty roar. The rider in orange-clad suit raises his sword to give a war cry.

The whole pub was watching the keeper going hard against someone as young as Yasuko. Even Kalin and Blister were amazed Elsa is going all out. "She's bringing out her best monster? It's been a while since I saw her use that thing in a duel," said Blister.

Kalin was keeping his eyes on Yasuko's undaunting face. "Maybe, no one's ever survived one duel against that thing, so what will Yasuko do now?" Kalin wondered.

Blister glanced at Kalin. "You don't sound concerned," he pointed out. "Shouldn't you be rooting for her? You didn't wish her good luck."

In return, Kalin smirked and peeked at Blister over his shoulder. "You'll find something special about her," he said. "That girl's got a fiery spirit."

Back to the duel, Elsa would've expected anyone to cower in fear at the sight of her areadbhair, but when she saw Yasuko's face, she isn't afraid of it. "Not scared, aren't ya?" Elsa inquired.

"Nope, just hit me," Yasuko responded, which made Elsa smile delightfully.

"Gladly, love," Elsa replied. "Now, time to battle! Areadbhair, attack Jackal King with Storming Blow!" the areadbhair dragon raises its head towering over all of Yasuko's monsters, aiming its sights at the jackal king. The areadbhair dragon then unleashes a green flaming beam, incinerating the jackal king to ashes. Yasuko covered her face from the green flames as her life points were taken a hit.

(Yasuko: LP 4000 → 3100)

"Now that you've destroyed my Jackal King, it gets sent to the Extra Deck instead of the graveyard," said Yasuko.

Elsa gasped, unexpectedly surprised by the Pendulum monster's mechanics and features. "You mean, it gets sent to the Extra Deck when it's destroyed?" She then smirks at Yasuko. "How exciting, now we're getting to test new things. But will it be still there when Areadbhair's effect activates?" Yasuko's ears heard Elsa as she continued with her battle. "I activate Areadbhair's special effect! When this card destroys an opponent's monster, that monster is banished instead!"

Yasuko flinched, caught off guard by the areadbhair's abilities to banish any monsters it destroys, including Pendulum monsters. "What?!" Yasuko looked at her Extra Deck, upset that her monster negation is gone. She knows that Pendulum monsters that are banished cannot return to the Extra Deck. "Damn…" she growled in anger. She had no choice but to banish her jackal king.

"Now, mystetainn, attack Servant of Endymion!" The mystetainn raises its sword and flies over to slash the servant, destroying the monster.

"Now that a Spellcaster was destroyed by battle, I can activate my Servant of Endymion's effect and Endymion Lab's effect! When Servant is destroyed by battle or card effect, I can place this card in my Pendulum Zone with the same Spell Counters she had, and by removing 6 Spell Counters on my field, Lab's effect lets me Special Summon 1 level 7 or higher Spellcaster from my deck, and I Special Summon Endymion, the Mighty Master of Magic."

(Endymion's Lab: 3 → 0)

(Magical Abductor: Spell Counter 3 → 0)

Yasuko pays the cost of her continuous spell to Special Summon Endymion, the Mighty Master of Magic (ATK 2800/DEF 1700) in Defense Position. The mighty endymion sorcerer flies out of a portal underground and lands on the field. "I place my Servant back into the Pendulum Zone!" Yasuko then takes her Servant of Endymion (Scale 2) which was destroyed and places the card back to her Pendulum Zone with the same number of Spell Counters she had.

(Servant of Endymion: Spell Counter 0 → 1)

The servant reappears on the field back into the Pendulum Zone. Elsa was impressed, wondering what else the girl could use for her jobs. "Not bad, love," she commented. "Let's give this duel the best." Elsa takes out the last card from her deck and Sets it on the field. "I Set a card face-down and end my turn," she concluded.

Turn 3: Yasuko (2x cards)

Now that she knows what she's up against, Yasuko is going to bring out the heavy artillery. "My turn!" Yasuko draws the Spell Card: Triple Tactics Talents. Just what she might need.

"I activate the Quick-Play Spell, Pendulum Shift!" Yasuko activates Quick-Play Spell Card: Pendulum Shift. "By targeting one card in the Pendulum Zone, I can change the Pendulum Scale from 1 to 10 until the end of the turn." She points at the servant on her left. "And I target my Servant of Endymion to change her Pendulum Scale to 8!" The Pendulum Scale beneath the servant changes upon Yasuko's decision.

(Servant of Endymion: Scale 2 → 8)

"Now that I have my Scale 8 Servant and Scale 4 Magical Abductor, I can Pendulum Summon monsters between levels 5 and 7 simultaneously!" The girl explained. "Hear my soul roaring upon thy! I called forth upon the energy of my heart to unleash the flames of solemnity from within! I Pendulum Summon! Appear, my monster!" Yasuko Pendulum Summons Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon (ATK 2500/DEF 2000) in Attack Position. "Rise! Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon!" A single blue light falls from the portal between the two Pendulum monsters, allowing Yasuko to summon her dragon with blue scales covered in bone armor that holds red and green jewel orbs at the backbone and a single purple one at the forehead. Odd-Eyes Phantom flares its red and green eyes as it roars in the field.

The audience was invigorated by the sight of a Pendulum Summon. They are not more focused on the duel between Yasuko and Elsa.

"A Pendulum Summon?! What the hell is that? I've never heard of a Pendulum Summon before!" Blister gasped, nearly spilling the drink he's holding.

"You'll bout to find out why," said Kalin. "There's more than what's coming next."

Elsa looked at Odd-Eyes Phantom with wide eyes, amazed by the sight of a Pendulum Summon. "Bloody hell, that's not something I've seen every day," she uttered.

"You'll 'bout to find out more," said Yasuko. "I take my Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon and Endymion to build the Overlay Network!" Upon her command, Odd-Eyes Phantom and the endymion master into two purple energy lights. They shoot in the air before falling into the galaxy portal below Yasuko's feet.

"Blazing dragon of the lava! Rise up and melt away the despair and be the supreme ruler of all fire! I Xyz Summon! Rank 7! Blaze, Supreme Ruler of All Dragon!" Yasuko Overlays both her Odd-Eyes and Endymion to Xyz Summon Blaze, Supreme Ruler of All Dragons (ATK 2800/DEF 1700) (OU: 2) in Attack Position. The dragon Yasuko summoned is a molten lava beast with rocks and magma flaring from its body, roaring on the field with sparks from the lava buzzing out. Two orange Overlay Units circle the dragon.

The Xyz Summon is now attracting a lot of attention despite how much Yasuko doesn't want to come to it. She had no choice but to risk getting exposed by someone who knows or had seen these summons before.

"Bloody hell, that was gorgeous!" Elsa beamed. "Spectacular scene. Are you sure you can defeat my Areadbhair with that monster?" She dared to know if Yasuko could beat a boss monster such as the areadbhair dragon.

"No, but I wonder if it can do something else," said Yasuko. "I detach one Overlay unit to activate its special effect! I can destroy two cards, one from my hand or field and one card my opponent controls!" She detaches one Overlay Unit as the orb bursts like a bubble. The dragon unleashes a magma earthquake that springs up fire from the ground toward the areadbhair

(Blaze, Supreme Ruler of All Dragons: OU 2 → 1)

"Oh, now that's a special ability I cannot let pass," said Elsa. "I activate my Areabhair's special effect! When my opponent activates a monster effect, I can banish one "Dragunity" monster from my GY to negate the activation and destroy it!" In response, Elsa activates the rreadbhair's effect to negate the activation and banish her Dragunity Knight – Vajrayana. "I banish my Vajrayana to negate and banish your dragon!" Once the Synchro monster is banished, the areadbhair opens its jaws and blows green flames at the blaze supreme dragon, causing its effect to cease before the green flames hit the dragon, vanishing it in thin air.

"Sorry, love, but I'm afraid that's all you can do," said Elsa.

"Not all," Yasuko snapped. "When my opponent activates a monster effect during the Main Phase, I can activate this Spell, Triple Tactics Talent. This lets me either draw two cards, look into your hand, and shuffle one card into your deck, or take control of one monster you control until the end of the turn!" Yasuko chooses to draw two cards. "I draw two cards!" She looked at the two cards she drew: Majespecter Racoon – Bunbuku and Balance of Judgement.

"This might come in handy," Yasuko thought. She then Normal Summons Majespecter Racoon - Bunbuku (ATK 1200/DEF 900). "I summon Majespecter Racoon – Bunbuku!" The monster Yasuko summoned is an orange raccoon with a red and blue cape around its small neck with a device emitting an orange tornado.

Elsa was enchanted by the cuteness of the raccoon. "Aw, how cute," she cooed.

Yasuko ignores the reaction and moves on with her turn. "When Racoon Bunbuku is summoned, I can add one "Majespecter" monster from my deck to my hand!" Yasuko chooses to add Majespecter Porcupine – Yamarashi. "I'm adding Majespecter Porcupine - Yamarashi to my hand, and while I control a "Majespecter" monster, I can Special Summon this card!" Since she controls a Majespecter monster on her field, she can Special Summon Majespecter Porcupine – Yamarashi (ATK 1500/DEF 1500) from her hand in Attack Position.

The next Majespecter monster Yasuko summoned is a khaki porcupine wearing the same red and blue cape as the raccoon bunbuku, but this monster has multiple tornados as quills.

"What will be the point of summoning those little things?" Elsa asked, pointing at the two monsters at Yasuko's feet.

"They don't look much, they just need some help from the monsters that are in my graveyard, I activate Destrudo, the Lost Dragon Frisson's special effect!" Upon her declaration, the ground opens a portal. "If this monster is in my hand or graveyard, I can pay half my life points to target one level 6 or lower monster on my field and then Special Summon it, and its level is reduced by that targeted monster's!" The grotesque dragon emerges from the ground as Yasuko activates her Destrudo, the Lost Dragon's Frisson (ATK 1000/DEF 3000) from her graveyard to target one monster she controls. "I target my Racoon and reduce its level by 3!" She targets her raccoon and then Special Summons the grotesque dragon in Defense Position.

(Yasuko: LP 3100 → 1550)

(Destrudo, the Lost Dragon's Frisson: Level 7 → 4)

"Gross, mate, why cutting half your life points for something that will make you fail this duel?" Elsa inquired.

"You'll find out, I tune my level 4 Destrudo with my level 3 Racoon!" The raccoon bunbuku and the grotesque dragon fly up in the air. The grotesque dragon turns into four glowing green rings, scanning the raccoon until it becomes nothing but three white glowing orbs at the center.

(4 + 3 = 7)

"Wonderous white dragon, spread those beautiful circuit wings to soar into the sky as fast as the winds can take you! I Synchro Summon! Appear! Level 7! Clear Wing Fast Dragon!" She tunes the level 4 Destrudo with the level 3 Raccoon to Synchro Summon Clear Wing Fast Dragon (ATK 2500/DEF 2000). The green rings shoot a big white light that shines on the two duelists' area. Clear Wing appears on the field with its green armor plates outlined by white scales and four large panel wings on both shoulders. It flies backwards before floating above Yasuko.

"Bloody hell, that's one crazy beast," said Elsa.

"I activate Clear Wing's special effect! I target one monster my opponent controls that was Special Summoned from the Extra Deck, change its ATK to 0 and negate its effects until the end of the turn!" She points at the areadbhair. "I target your Areadbhair! Cryptographic Reflection!" The circuit inside of Clear Wing Fast's crystal wings started to light up and sent a wave of circuits to blast the areadbhair dragon, negating its effect completely.

(Dragunity Knight – Areadbhair: ATK 3300 → 0)

"No way!" Elsa gasped.

"Battle! Porcupine, attack areadbhair!" The wind porcupine puffs its back to unleash a barrage of tornados across the field, hitting the areadbhair. The areadbhair starts to crack before it cannot maintain its structure and explodes after being destroyed.

Elsa felt the winds covering her face with her hair, keeping her bangs away as her life points were hit.

(Elsa: LP 4000 → 2500)

"Nice one, now let me show you what I can do!" said Elsa. "When the Synchro Summoned Areadbhair is destroyed by my opponent's card, I can activate its special effect to destroy all the Spells and Traps my opponent controls! And since you destroyed a level 10 Dragunity Synchro monster, I can activate this! The Trap, United Dragunity!" Elsa flips up her face-down Trap Card: United Dragunity, which depicts the riders of each dragon swearing an oath with their swords clinging to each other. "This card lets me target one Dragunity monster in my GY, shuffle it to my deck, and then Special Summon "Dragunity" monsters whose levels are equal to the total sum of the monster I shuffled!"

With that, Elsa targets her Dragunity Areadbhair and shuffles it back to her Extra Deck, and her duel disk ejects the monsters she is going to summon: Dragunity Couse, Dragunity Dux, and Dragunity Legatus from her graveyard and Special Summons them in Defense Position. "I summon Couse, Dux, and Legatus!" Elsa summons the two bird soldiers and the smaller dark dragon from her graveyard in the field.

"Clear Wing Fast Dragon, attack Mystetainn!" Clear Wing Fast flies up in the air before descending to create a green torrent whirlwind. "Whirlwind Raiser Dash Slice!"Clear Wing Fast destroys the monster, dealing damage to Elsa's life points.

(Elsa: LP 2500 → 2100)

The audience gives a round of applause for the little girl's performance, making her known as the duelist who has an equal footing with Elsa.

"God, this duel is 'bout to get better by the turn," said Blister. "Where'd you get her?"

"Nowhere, she came to me," Kalin replied. "And trust me, there's more for the show."

With her battle gone, Yasuko Sets a card on her field. "I Set a card face-down and end my turn," she concluded.

Turn 4: Elsa (0x cards)

Elsa clapped her hands together. "Great show," she commented. "Now that I've seen what you can do, I can go all out." She smirked and pressed two fingers on her deck. "My turn!" Elsa draws a card.

"Now, I tune my level 4 treated Couse with my level 4 Dux!" The small black dragon and the dux soldier fly up. The small black dragon turns into four green rings to scan the dux soldier into four white glowing orbs.

(4 + 4 = 6)

"Green warrior in clad armor, ride your beat to take charge of your fellow comrades! I Synchro Summon! Dragunity Knight – Barcha!" Elsa tunes the level 4 treated Couse with Dux to Synchro Summon Dragunity Knight – Barcha (ATK 2000/DEF 1200) in Attack Position. The next Synchro monster Elsa summoned is a green armored dragon with purple wings being ridden by a winged warrior in green armor.

"When Barcha was Synchro Summoned, I can target and equip this card with as many Dragon Dragunity monsters that are in my graveyard, and Barcha gains 300 ATK for every Dragunity monster it's equipped with!" Elsa targets Dragunity Couse, Dragunity Remus, Dragunity Phalanx, and Dragunity Arma Mystletainn from the GY and equips them to barcha. "I target my Couse, Remus, Phalanx, and Mystletainn and equip them to my Barcha!" The green warrior swings its sword to make four portals, allowing a small dragon with white armor over its blue scales, a small dark dragon with gold armor, the couse dragon, and the mystletainn dragon to reappear on the field, all behind the barcha. With four dragons behind it, the barcha dragon gains additional attack power.

(Dragunity Knight – Barcha: ATK 2000 → 3200)

Yasuko was impressed that Elsa had legions of monsters backing one. She can guess Elsa is going to be bringing back her areadhbair boss monster. "That's kind of a legion," she said.

"You never know you need people," said Elsa. "Tell me, do you know that the Tops have the highest average income in the country?" Yasuko rolls her eyes in annoyance as a response since she's heard of the city a few dozen times. "Well, to get to the Tops, you need connections. People you can count on. I have legions of Commons and Tops standing behind me. You only have Kalin But if they fall out of their way, they're useless to you."

Yasuko narrows her eyes at Elsa. "What are you saying? I'm clearly doing this duel because you wanted to test me," she clarified.

"That is if you can pass my test," said Elsa. "But you…" She points at Yasuko, which makes her raise an eyebrow. "I see you've got potential, but do you have what it takes to pass my test? As in, are you prepared to do what is necessary?"

"I know what I have to do," said Yasuko. Of course, Elsa didn't seem mused by her comment. She proceeds with her turn.

"I activate Phalanx's effect when it is equipped to a monster and Special Summon it from my Spell/Trap Zone," Elsa declared. She activates the effect of her Dragunity Phalanx if it's equipped to a monster and Special Summon it from the Spell/Trap Zone.

"Good, that's just what I want," said Yasuko, as she activates the Trap Card: Balance of Judgement. "With this Trap, if the total number of cards my opponent controls is more than the ones I control and in my hand, I can draw cards equal to the surplus difference," she explained. "And since I only control Clear Wing, Porcupine, and this trap card, you only control Dragon's Ravine, Barcha, Phalanx, Mystletainn, Couse, Remus, and Legatus, which means I draw four cards!" Yasuko draws four cards from her deck.

(Dragunity Knight – Barcha: ATK 3200 → 2900)

"Well, then I better see what else you've got," said Elsa. "I tune my level 2 Phalanx with my level 4 Legatus!" The phalanx dragon flies up to form two green rings, scanning the legatus soldier into nothing but four glowing white orbs.

(4 + 2 = 6)

"White knight, ride alongside your beast into battle into the winds of glory! I Synchro Summon! Appear! Dragunity Knight – Gae Bulg!" She tunes the level 2 Phalanx with Legatus to Synchro Summon Dragunity Knight - Gae Bulg (ATK 2000/DEF 1000) in Attack Position.

The next Dragunity monster Elsa Synchro Summoned is a white armored dragon with its rider in white armor holding a javelin. "If you can draw cards, then so can I!" Elsa then activates the Spell Card: Synchro Creed. "I activate the Spell, Synchro Creed! If there is a Synchro monster on the field, I can draw a card, but if there are three Synchro monsters on the field, I can draw another card. And as I recall, there are three on the field, which means I can draw two cards!" Elsa draws two cards, and the cards she drew are Dragunity Draft and Dragunity Counteroffensive.

"Nice! With this, it'll sure be enough," Elsa thought. "Now, I activate this Continuous Spell, Dragunity Draft!" Elsa activates the Continuous Spell Card: Dragunity Draft. "This lets me target one level 4 or lower "Dragunity" monster in my GY and add it to my hand, and I target Dux!" She targets Dragunity Dux to add back to her hand.

Yasuko had a sudden gut feeling that Spell Card is going to be bad news if she lets it resolve, and needs to do something. "In that case, I activate Clear Wing Fast Dragon's Special effect! I target one monster my opponent controls that was Special Summoned from the Extra Deck, change its ATK to 0, and negate its effects until the end of the turn!" She points at the gae bulg. "I target Gae Bulg!"

Clear Wing Fast's forehead glows like fire before the dragon blasts a green beam over to hit the gae bulg dragon, draining its abilities and power.

(Dragunity Knight - Gae Bulg: ATK 2000 → 0)

With the gae bulge's effect negated, Elsa has to resort to drastic measures. "Now I'm getting annoyed," she said. "I activate the Dragon Ravine's field spell effect! By discarding one card, I can send one Dragon-type monster from my deck to the graveyard!" She discards one card and then sends Dragunity Partisan to the graveyard. "I send Dragunity Partisan to the graveyard." With another tuner dragon in her graveyard, Elsa Normal Summons Dragunity Dux. "I Summon Dragunity Dux!" she declared as the dux soldier reappeared on the field. "And when Dux is Normal Summoned, its special effect activates, allowing me to target one "Dragunity" monster in my GY and equip it." She targets her Dragunity Partisan and equips it to the dux soldier. "I equip Partisan to my Dux!" A light purple dragon with a long horn appears on the field. "When Partisan is equipped to a monster, that monster is treated as a tuner," she added.

"Great, just what I need," Yasuko muttered, knowing what monster Elsa is bringing out.

"My level 4 tuner treated Dux tunes with my level 6 Gae Bulg!" The dux flies up along with the partisan dragon to turn into four green rings, scanning the gae bulg into six glowing white orbs.

(4 + 6 = 10)

"I Synchro Summon! Dragunity Knight – Areadbhair!" Elsa tunes the level 4 tuner-treated Dux with level 6 Gae Bulg to Synchro Summon Dragunity Knight – Areadbhair in Attack Position. The areadbhair dragon reappears on the field again, shining brand new.

"When a "Dragunity" monster I control whose level 5 or higher attacks, it is unaffected by her opponent's card effects until the end of the Damage Step," Elsa explained. "Now you can't activate any card effects! And Clear Wing's negation effect cannot be used again!" She points at the tornado porcupine right besides the girl. "Let's battle! Barcha, attack Porcupine!" The barcha dragon flaps its wings and flies over to the porcupine. The dragon opens its jaws wide and fires a flamethrower blast at the monster.

Yasuko wasn't going to let that monster take her life points down. "When you declare an attack, I can activate Checksum Dragon's special effect!" she declared. "By Special Summoning this monster from my hand, I gain life points equal to half of its DEF points!"

"Oh, there's no way in hell you're going to do that, love!" Elsa exclaimed. "I activate my Areadbhair's special effect by banishing one "Dragunity" monster from my graveyard to negate the activation, and banish it!" A mirage of the legatus soldier appears on the field before the rider slashes it as Elsa banishes her Dragunity Legatus from her graveyard. "Take this! Windfire Rain!" The areadbhair unleashed a green flaming blast right at Yasuko, but she wasn't giving up.

"Clear Wing's secondary effect activates! When a level 7 or higher monster my opponent controls that Special Summoned from the Extra Deck activates an effect, I can negate that activation!" Clear Wing Fast floats above Yasuko and lights up its crystal panels to negate the activation. "Cryptographic Reflection!" Clear Wing Fast unleashes its circuit blast, shielding Yasuko from the green fire.

"No way!" Elsa gasped, unaware of Clear Wing Fast's second effect. "It still has that kind of power left?!"

"So long as I protect Clear Wing Fast Dragon, it shall protect me!" said Yasuko. "Now that your effect's negated, I Special Summon Checksum Dragon!" Once the areadhbair effect resolves, Yasuko Special Summons Checksum Dragon (ATK 400/DEF 2400) from her hand in Defense Position. Once she has her defenses set up, a large dragon with a wide head and six green wings appears on the field, lighting up its head to give Yasuko some life points.

(Yasuko: LP 1550 → 2750)

"That may be, but my barcha still gets to attack your monster!" said Elsa. The barcha dragon's flamethrower blast comes and incinerates the porcupine, dealing damage to Yasuko.

(Yasuko: LP 2750 → 1350)

"If that monster hadn't come to your rescue, you would've failed this test," said Elsa. "But seeing your resilience makes me want to know more." She points at Clear Wing Fast. "And when I take out your Clear Wing Fast Dragon, that monster is gonna be banished! Areadbhair, attack with Storming Blow!" The areadbhair dragon blasts green flames right at Clear Wing Fast, hitting the dragon until it is consumed by the fire. As soon as the fire blast was done, Elsa was shocked. She thought that Clear Wing Fast would be destroyed, but it still remains on the field. "What the?! How'd your monster survive my attack?"

To prove her point, a small furry cybernetic monster with a device on the back appears right in front of Clear Wing Fast. It makes two "kuri" noises from its nonexistent mouth. "When a monster is about to be destroyed by battle, I can banish my Relinkuriboh instead, which means that your banishing effect cannot activate," Yasuko explained. Since a monster she controls is about to be destroyed by battle, Yasuko banishes her Relinkuriboh from her GY instead. Once that resolves, the cybernetic kuriboh vanishes from the field.

"When did that monster get to your graveyard?" Elsa asked.

"Remember Mythical Bestiary?" Yasuko recalled.

It was right there that Elsa remembered what the spell card did, making her send the top two cards from her deck to the graveyard, and one of them was the cybernetic kuriboh. "Oh, I see." Elsa smiles delightfully. "Not bad, love. But you still take damage." Despite saving Clear Wing Fast, Yasuko was hit with battle damage.

(Yasuko: LP 1350 → 550)

"Now, you're starting to become a girl I need for the job," said Elsa. She looked at the card and then Set it on her field. "I Set a card face-down to end my turn," she concluded.

Turn 5: Yasuko (3x cards)

Blister was amused, watching Yasuko duel made him feel like he could jump right in. "Damn, all that and she still stands?" he bemused. "She's got a career ahead of her." He drinks his cup. "Still, you and both know that Elsa will keep on pushing."

"Of course, she will," Kalin agreed. "But you know, I've come to realize something." Kalin glances over to his colleague with one raised eyebrow.

"What?" Blister inquired.

"That girl…doesn't know when to quit dueling," Kalin divulged. "When I duel her the first time, she never stops fighting, even when I have her back to the corner." Kalin keeps watching the duel between Yasuko and Elsa. "The only thing that matters is if she can still fight against Elsa."

It was Yasuko's turn, so she needed to draw a card that would help her. "My turn!" Yasuko draws a card, and it was the Spell Card: Harpie's Feather Duster. "Nice!" she thought. "I activate the Spell, Harpie's Feather Duster!" she declared. "This destroys all Spell and Trap cards on your field destroy them. That means Barcha loses all of its ATK since your monster's weakened. The spell card reveals itself, summoning a violent whirlwind that decimates every Spell and Trap Elsa has on her field, including the face-down and the monsters that are equipped to the barcha.

"Bollocks," Elsa cursed. With the loss of the remus, couse, and the mystletainn, the barcha dragon loses attack power.

(Dragunity Knight – Barcha: ATK 2900 → 2000)

"Now that all her spells and traps are gone, I can attack," she thought. "But then…" She recalled destroying the face-down Elsa had on her field. "If I'm gonna attack, I've got to do it now." She then makes her move now. "I activate Clear Wing Fast Dragon's effect to target your Areadbhair and negate its effects!" Clear Wing Fast's crystal panels light up to start the activation, but Elsa has a response to that move.

"Not when I still got Areadbhair's special effect!" Elsa banishes her Dragunity Phalanx from her graveyard to activate the areadbhair's effect. "By banishing my Phalanx, I can negate the activation of my opponent's monster effect and banish it!" The areadbhair unleashes another green flamethrower at Clear Wing Fast.

"I activate Clear Wing Fast Dragon's second effect to negate your Areadbhair! Since a level 7 or higher monster you control Special Summoned from the Extra Deck activates an effect, Clear Wing Fast Dragon negates it!" The green firestorm was repelled by the green laser beam, breaking through the torrent of fire as the laser hit the areadbhair, effectively negating its effects, and changing its attack power.

(Dragunity Knight – Areadbhair: ATK 3900 → 0)

With the areadbhair weakened, Yasuko can finish the duel. "Now to end this!" she exclaimed. "Battle! Clear Wing Fast Dragon, attack Areadbhair!" Clear Wing Fast flies up backward before diving down into a torrent of green whirlwind. As the dragon closes in to finish off the areadbhair, Elsa isn't going to let it happen.

"Not on my watch! I banish my Dragunity Counteroffensive to activate its effect!" Elsa activates the Trap Card: Dragunity Counteroffensive from her GY by banishing itself for cost. At the moment Clear Wing Fast was about to hit the areadbhair, it suddenly disappeared into thin air like it was teleported out of the way.

"What the hell!?" Yasuko gasped. "Where did Areadbhair go?"

"By banishing my trap, Dragunity Coutneroffensive lets me target one "Dragunity" monster I control and then, during my next Standby Phase, I can Special Summon back to my field," Elsa explained. "And in case you think I didn't realize, your Clear Wing Fast Dragon only negates effects that were Special Summoned from the Extra Deck, so my Areadbhair can attack and get rid of that monster." Since the trap card is allowing her to target one "Dragunity" monster she controls, the monster is Special Summoned back to the field during the next Standby Phase, proving to be more troublesome for Yasuko.

"Damn it!" Yasuko mentally cursed. "And because Clear Wing doesn't work on monsters that aren't summoned from the Extra Deck, Areadbhair will be able to attack and then banish Clear Wing." Her eyes are set at the only monster she can attack with Clear Wing Fast. "Screw it! Just wing it!" She makes her decision and points at the barcha.

"Clear Wing, attack Barcha!" Clear Wing Fast flies up and then flares off its crystal panels, emitting a circuit blast at the barcha. The dragon monster screeched as it exploded upon impact. The blast sends a shockwave through Elsa's skin, making her flinch as her life points were taken a hit from battle damage.

(Elsa: LP 2100 → 1600)

"Impressive, you're still hanging on," Elsa commented. "I wonder if that's all you've got."

Yasuko looked at the three cards she has, and it was the only thing she's got left for her turn. "I Set two cards face-down to end my turn," she concluded as Yasuko Sets two cards face-down.

Turn 6: Elsa (0x card)

Elsa can see some promise with the girl, but unfortunately; its already the end of the road for Yasuko. Despite her best efforts, this was as far the girl can do on her last turn. "Sorry to say it, love, but I think its 'bout time we end this shenanigan," said Elsa. "My turn!" She draws a card. "And during my Standby Phase, my Areadbhair is Special Summoned back to my field." Just as Elsa foretold, the areadbhair dragon solidifies itself back on the field brand new.

Elsa keeps her eye on the field setup. "Three face-downs, and one of them is going to save her Clear Wing Fast, so all I need to do is get rid of that thing before it could defend the girl," she thought. Elsa Normal Summons Dragunity Guisarme (ATK 600/DEF 1200).

"I Summon Dragunity Guisarme!" The young woman summons a small green armored dragon monster on her field. "When Gusiarme is Normal Summoned, I can target one level 4 or lower WIND Dragon or Winged-Beast monster in my GY and then Special Summon it!" She targets her Dragunity Legatus that is in her graveyard and then Special Summons it in Defense Position. "I target my Legatus and Special Summon it from the graveyard!" Once Elsa had activated its effects, the guisarme blares a green inferno, forming a circle on the ground to resurrect the legatus soldier.

Yasuko has to think ahead of what Elsa is going to do next. Now that her areadbhair isn't a monster Special Summoned from the Extra Deck, Clear Wing Fast is vulnerable to its negation if she activates its effect. She needs to wait and see what Elsa is going to do.

(3 + 4 = 7)

"I tune my level 3 Guisarme with my level 4 Legatus!" The woman declared as the guisarme and the legatus flew in the air. The small green dragon turns into glowing rings, scanning the legatus to transform the monster into four white orbs.

"Warrior of the winds! Ride and ascend into the skies of the ravine to smite down on your enemies! I Synchro Summon! Level 10! Dragunity Knight – Gormfaobhar!" Elsa tunes the level 2 guisarme with her level 4 legatus to Synchro Summon Dragunity Knight – Gormfaobhar (ATK 2600/DEF 2300) in Attack Position. The monster Elsa has summoned is a more bigger green dragon with clad armor on its scales and a green winged warrior holding two swords.

"When Gormfaobhar is Synchro Summoned, I can target 1 Dragunity monster in my graveyard and then equip it to this card!" Elsa declared. "I target my Guisarme and equip it to Gormfaobhar!" The smaller green dragon reappears on the field next to the gormfaobhar dragon. "When Guisarme is equipped to a monster, I can activate its effect to Special Summon this card from the Spell/Trap Zone!" Elsa activates Guisarme's effect while this card is equipped to a monster: she can Special Summon Dragunity Guisarme from her field.

(3 + 7 = 10)

"Now, the level 3 Guisarme tunes with my level 7 Gormfaobhar!" The gusiarme turns into three green rings once again, scanning the gormfaobhar until the monster turns into 7 white orbs.

"Knight of the Valley! Ride your beast into battle and summon forth your strengths to defend the peace! I Synchro Summon! Appear! Level 10! Dragunity Knight – Ascalon!" She tunes the level 3 Guisarme with the level 7 gormfaobhar to Synchro Summon Dragunity Knight – Ascalon (ATK 3300/DEF 3200) in Attack Position.

The next monster Elsa summoned is just as massive as the areadbhair. The gold dragon towers over any monsters Yasuko still has on her field with its wings spread wide. Its serpentine body slithers on the ground before sprouting its wings wide as the dragon lets out a mighty with its rider raising his sword.

The first time anyone's surprised was Blister and Kalin. They knew what Elsa is capable of, but never in their wildest dreams would she summon two of the most powerful monsters in her deck.

"Holy crapballs," said Blister. "Elsa summoned her second-best monster? She's never done this before."

Kalin was also taken aback. "Yeah, it's not like Elsa wanted to go all out unless she's expecting something from Yasuko," he said. "This can't be good. Clear Wing Fast Dragon can negate the Ascalon, but that would only leave Elsa the opportunity to negate if she does activate its effects." He looked at the girl. "This is the final test."

Yasuko narrows at the ascalon dragon. "Two final bosses, not the best kind of matchup," she thought. Yasuko looked down at her face-downs. "Is Elsa trying to get rid of my Clear Wing? I bet she is." She adjusted her footing, ready to defend herself against anything Elsa had to throw at her.

"I activate Ascalon's monster effect! By banishing one Dragunity monster in my graveyard, I can target one card my opponent controls and banish it!" Elsa banishes her Dragunity Knight – Gormfaobhar and points at the face-down Yasuko has one her field. "I target your Clear Wing Fast Dragon!" The ascalon fires a burning blast from its jaws to vaporize Clear Wing Fast Dragon. "I won't let you! I activate my Quick-Play Spell! Final Bringer of the End Times!" Yasuko flips up her face-down Quick-Play Spell Card: Final Bringer of the End Times. "This card lets me target 1 monster i control and 1 card my opponent controls; and destroys them." She points at the areadbhair. "I targets both Clear Wing Fast Dragon and Areadbhair and destroy both of them!" The spell card flips up, allowing its aura to energize Clear Wing Fast. Once Clear Wing Fast is powered up, the dragon opens its jaws and fires a big blue laser beam out to hit the areadbhair. In response, the areabhair dragon fires back with its green flamethrower blast. Both attacks collide, forming a giant sphere. The sphere could not hold any longer and exploded, destroying both monsters.

Yasuko and Elsa cover their face from the sudden explosive flash. When it stopped, they both looked at the sight of their only monsters remaining.

"Damn, you still won't quit," said Elsa. "Nice. That means I can squash you again." She points at the checksum dragon. "Battle! Ascalon! Attack Checksum Dragon with Burning Winds!" The ascalon lets out another fire blast out of its jaws, hitting the checksum beast until the monster exploded violently.

"I think I'll end my turn right there, love," Elsa concluded. "I must say, you are showing me tons of resilience. I could use a girl like you." She placed a hand on her hip. "Tell ya what, if you can beat me in this final turn, then I promise to give you something to get to the Tops."

"That's all I need," Yasuko reaffirmed. "And I'm going to end this duel!" Yasuko activates the Trap Card: Pendulum Reborn. "I activate my Trap! Pendulum Reborn! This card lets me Special Summon one Pendulum monster face-up from my Extra Deck or in the GY." Yasuko is the perfect candidate to finish the duel, and chooses to Special Summon Clear Wing Fast Dragon from the Extra Deck in Attack Position. "I resurrect back my Clear Wing Fast Dragon!" Just like before, Clear Wing Fast rises from the ground and hovers above Yasuko.

"Blimey, you still giving me the goosebumps," Elsa uttered. She smirks in satisfaction. She can tell this si the end of the duel and her test. "Alright, love, finish it. I think I've seen plenty."

Turn 7: Yasuko (1x cards)

Yasuko has met opponents with their egos boosting in front of her, but this woman is one of the few who doesn't seem to be bolstering her own. She can respect that. "My turn." Yasuko draws a card.

"Battle! Clear Wing Fast Dragon, attack Ascalon!" Clear Wing Fast flies up, making a backflip before it opens its jaws to beam down a laser blast right at the ascalon.

"Didn't you forget my Ascalon has more ATK than your Clear Wing?" Elsa inquired.

"Yep, that's why I still have Clear Wing Fast Dragon's special effect!" Yasuko exclaimed. "Cryptographic Reflection!" The crystal panels on Clear Wing Fast light up, allowing the dragon to unleash a wave of circuit beams to rain down at the ascalon, effectively negating its effects and changing its attack power.

(Dragunity Knight – Ascalon: ATK 3300 → 0)

The green makes a direct hit on the ascalon, sending off a explosion flashing before Elsa as the attack wipes out all of Elsa's life points.

(Elsa: LP 1600 → 0)

WINNER: Yasuko Yukihana

The duel ends with a resounding victory for Yasuko. The spectators in the pub were clapping their hands, giving the girl a round of applause. Still, the girl could care less of the spectators; she just wants her business with the woman.

Yasuko watches Elsa approaching her with nothing but a smile on her face. "You little cheeky bugger," she smiled. "I guess this means you passed. Now you work for me."

The girl doesn't know how to respond to that, but now the first step is over. She now has to do something for Elsa if she wants to get back to the Tops. "So, can you get the Sector Security off my back? I have to find someone," she said.

Elsa wiggled a finger to make her stop. "Ah. Ah. Not here, love," she said. Elsa nodded her head over to the spectators, reminding Yasuko why the pub was exclusively private.

---

After the duel was over, the pub was almost emptied out of its visitors and workers, leaving only Yasuko with the manager and her two accomplices. Yasuko was given a cheeseburger and fries with orange soda pop, courtesy of Elsa, on the house.

"So, now that you've passed my test, I think I can help out with your little problem, love," said Elsa. "However, security has a bounty on your head."

Yasuko munched down on the cheeseburger before drinking some pop, never realizing how hungry she was. "I know," she replied. "That's why I need to find some people who can help me get security off my backs. I can't go back with security tailing behind me." She wipes her mouth. "You said you can help me if I do a job. What kind of a job?"

"It's just a delivery job," said Blister. "Elsa said that she needed a runner to deliver an important package to a client."

"By important, he means something illegal, right?" Yasuko inquired. "Listen, I'm not looking for trouble; I just need to find Akiza."

Elsa nearly spits her drink after hearing the girl was looking for someone as important as Akiza Izinski. "What the bloody hell are you getting off to?" she asked. "Don't you know her father works for me?"

Yasuko should've been shocked to hear Akiza's father, the senator, is actually a corrupted politician, but she's not. The girl shrugged like it was not a big deal to her. She's seen this kind of scenario before, and it's all in the movies and TV for no reason. "So? Everyone gets bribed," she said. "I'd be surprised if Akiza knows you too."

Elsa chucked with amusement and snorts. "Ha. Hilarious, love," she quipped. "But no. She doesn't know me. I've only met her once, and she was 'bout wee—" she indicates the height of the girl to Yasuko with her finger, "—this tall when I first met her. I doubt she knows me." She leans in to listen closely for Yasuko's answers. "You know Akiza then?" she inquired.

"And a couple of twins from her school," said Yasuko. "I just need to get in contact with them."

"Haven't you gotten their phone number?" Elsa questioned.

"My duel disk doesn't work here in the city," Yasuko answered. "Kalin said he can help me get to the Tops, and Blister was the guy until he came to you." She eats some fries. "All I'm asking is can you help me? Cuz, I don't have time for whatever kind of BS." Yasuko was getting more impatient with all the games and no show; she wanted to get back to the Tops and she wants it now.

Elsa leans back against the cushion seating. Her face turns to become more scorning. "What's in it for me? You didn't come here empty-handed, did you?" she interrogated. "My services require something of value, and you, my little girl, came to the wrong place."

Yasuko sighed, already frustrated at how it was turning out for her. She didn't want this to happen. She just wants to get back to the Tops and find Akiza or the twins and hope for the best they can do something to get security off her back. It's been a hectic journey since coming to the Synchro Dimension.

"Fine," said Yasuko. "What do you want?"

Elsa pursed her lips together, looking up from Yasuko's low pigtails to her black-and-white striped shirt. "I need you to do a job for me," she said. "Since you're a kid, I'll let you have access to the Tops with Blister forging some ID for you if you can do this job."

"And that is?" Yasuko inquired.

"Deliver a package to someone from the Tops," Elsa answered. "Do that, I can get you back up in a snap." She snapped her fingers. "Do we have a deal?" Elsa extends out her hand to the girl.

Yasuko was wary of making handshakes with the crime bosses, especially when it comes to dealing with the worst kind. The girl would realize if she shakes her hand, then it means she's sealing the deal. Before she can process what her decision is, Kalin's hand grabs her shoulder to pull her away.

"Uh, can you hold on for a minute, Elsa," said Kalin.

The woman gives the young man a raised eyebrow as Kalin takes Yasuko to somewhere more private to speak amongst themselves. Kalin practically dragged Yasuko to a corner and slap her arm.

"Do you have a death wish?!" Kalin hissed under his breath, infuriated of the decision Yasuko was going to make. "You can't do a job for that woman. She's serious trouble if you do accept."

"Why? She's a manager, isn't she? She works with the criminal underworld and knows how the system works in the Tops, so I need her to help me," Yasuko whispered. "Besides, you said you know someone, and you thought Blister was the guy who could do that." She pointed at Kalin, clarifying what he was supposed to talk to.

"Yeah, but Blister's a freelancer, Elsa's a boss lady, she has people to "take care of" if you screw with her," Kalin warned. "Elsa doesn't hold sides of which is Commons or Tops, she only works for the highest bidder and who could pay her. Don't take this job, if you do, then you're not only endangering yourself, but that kid back at Marlene's place, and I cannot have that kind of heat down on my back!

"Do you what happened to the last guy who screw with her? She took care of him. As in like, she's going to kill you if you wronged her, or if you messed with her work," Kalin explained.

After her first experience against the Fusion summoners from Academia, and her near-draw duel with Yuri, she can guess just how bad this job will go if she fails or if Elsa deems her worthless. "Kalin, the risks are very high, but I am not going to jail. So what if I have her coming after me. I want to keep Riley safe, and if I'm going to do that, I need her to get me back to the Tops."

Kalin rolled his eyes. He knows he can't convince her otherwise, and makes a sigh. "Alright, fine," he conceded. "But just let you know, once you take this job, you're on your own, I can't let you drag Marlene and her granddaughter into this."

Yasuko nodded with understanding. "I know," she said.

The duo heads back to where Blister and Elsa are waiting for them. Elsa seemed impatient waiting for the girl's final decision. After consideration, the girl has decided on the job. "Alright, I'm in," said Yasuko.

Elsa smiles with delight, excited about getting her in the game. "Excellent, love," she said. "Come with me, I'll show you something." The woman finishes her drink and gets up from the cushion. She gestures for the girl to follow her. "Come on," she insisted.

---

The woman was taking Yasuko and the guys to somewhere in the building. The pub seems to be the socializing of the Tops and Commons, but the room Elsa is taking her seems to be very sketchy at best. The group enters a room full of women working on illegal activities. Yasuko can guess a lot of illegal stuff they're doing; drugs, money laundering, weapons, even something that are counterfeits. Of course, these are all a part of the criminal underworld. She doesn't know how deep she's going.

"Here you are," said Elsa, moving to the set of tables. "Since you've been such a strong duelist, I've taken the liberty of bringing out some of the most finest and rarest cards that are not in the market yet." She taps the table full of decks and cards that seem to be just as powerful.

Yasuko held one eyebrow raised in question. For a crime boss, Elsa does know a thing or two about dueling. "And you're just handing them to me?" she asked.

"Well, if you're going to outrun the pursuers for this job, I have to give you an edge over their superior numbers. Plus, those pursue decks are easy to counter," Elsa replied. "And also, you're gonna need this too." She gestures to another set of mannequins wearing what appears to be black jumpsuits. "You can't drive around, wearing in your casuals. You look recognizable. Even the security knows you because you have a bounty." She points at the jumpsuits on the mannequins. "So you'll need this."

Yasuko comes over to take a closer look at the jumpsuit. It's latex and polymer-based, which makes it elastic, and it has a green vest over the jumpsuit. Protective pads cover the shoulder and elbows. She even saw a belt with a holster on it and the sleeves had two gauntlets.

"What's with the spy suit?" Yasuko inquired.

"My deliveries require to be precise and fast, which means I can't have any delays," said Elsa. "But it's not the suit that's important. It's the rider and the duel runner." She leans on the table with her arms crossed. "If you're going to outrun the pursuers, you'll need speed on your side. Which is why I'm taking your duel runner for a fine tune-up." There was a mixed reaction coming from the girl. Amazed. Delighted. Intrigued.

"You're taking my duel runner?" Yasuko questioned.

"Of course not," Elsa dismissed. "I need your runner to be equipped with the state-of-the-art stuff. The finest culinary tech." The young woman smirks as if she's proud of her work. "So, are you ready to take the job?"

Yasuko shrugged. "As long as you held the end of the deal," she said.

Elsa nodded in understanding. "Alright then, I'll take you to a tailor for the suit, but first," she said. "You're gonna need a partner for this task." She then faces the other side of the room. "Oi! You there, come here! I've got a special assignment for you," she called.

Yasuko hears footsteps coming in and turns around to face a young girl entering the room. The moment she entered; her eyes widened when she saw who she is. The girl was someone very, very familiar with.

"What the fu-"

---

OC Cards

Elsa

Trap Cards

United Dragunity

Normal Trap Card

Effect: If a level 10 "Dragunity" Synchro monster you control was destroyed by battle or card effect, you can target one "Dragunity" Synchro monster, return it to the Extra Deck, and then Special Summon "Dragunity" monsters whose levels are equal to the monster you shuffled. You can only activate this effect of "United Dragunity" once per turn.

Dragunity Counteroffensive

Normal Trap Card

Effect: When your opponent declares an attack, you can target one monster you control, banish it, and target one "Dragunity" monster you control, it gains ATK equal to that banished monster's until the end of the turn. You can banish this card from the GY; and then target one "Dragunity" monster you control, banish it; and then, until the next Standby Phase, Special Summon it on your field. You can only activate 1 "Dragunity Counteroffensive" once per turn.

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Sorry for the late post, I was supposed to pose this chapter last month, but something came up, and was delayed, and I still keep procrastinating, so here's the duel with a recurring character I've come up with for this story. I hoped you are all enjoying your weekend. Thank you for your patience for the next chapter. If you like what you've read so far, then don't forget to leave down a comment on what your thoughts are, what mistkaes needs to be addressed, and what you would like to see. See ya!