The Bond Between Master and Student

Yuri - Ruby Dragon Gaming Shop/Aquarius

Tel. XI - Year 18 4AOS

Yuri tried to hide a yawn as his father stepped up to the podium to commemorate the newly opened Ruby Dragon Garden promenade, which was made in loving memory of his mother. The shop's staff and its best customers, all of them youngsters, eagerly awaited him to finish his speech so they could make use of the garden and its Duel Tables. First, he awarded Sergei with the Aquarian Medal of Citizenship, commemorating his outstanding work ethic and for being a father figure to not only Yuri and his friends but to all the youths of Aquarius. A lot of youngsters whose hearts were touched by his kindness walked up on stage and read speeches of their own, thanking Sergei for his wise council and for making the Ruby Dragon a good place to not only play games and hang out with friends, but to grow and learn about themselves, not just as Duelists, but people. A lot of the children he knew were now graduating from high school, and some even flew in from universities around the world to thank him and praise him.

Patty got up on stage with her guitar and sang him a song of thanks, afterwards, he got up on stage and gave a tearful speech as well, thanking everyone for coming and for making the Ruby Dragon the special place that it was. But the presentation wasn't done yet. In a collaboration with Mr. Montgomery, Sergei had two special awards for two very important people in the store. He called up his daughter Natalya and Tyson. Both of them were the hardest workers in the Ruby Dragon. Even though Natalya was consumed by so much homework, projects, and working round the clock to get into the Ivy League school she dreamed of going to, she always came to work on time and stayed extra hours as a stockroom manager, judge, clerk, and event planner, making sure the festivities at the Ruby Dragon were always memorable and the best that they could be. Then Tyson. Sergei admired his kindness and generosity to his fellow man. Every weekend, even when he had to work, Tyson would work with his grandmother in the church preparing food to bring to the people living underneath the plates of the central island. Even though Stowaways were not citizens and lived in a very unorthodox way underneath the city, they were still people, and thanks to Tyson, hundreds of them went to bed with full bellies. And, though he already had to work with his father in the restaurant, Tyson would always come on by and work in the kitchen of the Ruby Dragon's diner.

For their hard work and dedication, Tyson and Natalya were given special medals of their own and plagues with the Ruby Dragon's emblem emblazoned on them. And to go along with their medals and plagues, they were awarded two very unique cards to call their own. Tyson got a very powerful monster called Chimaera, the Master of Beasts to match his beast deck and since Natalya loved Winged-Beasts monsters, she was awarded Kaiser Eagle, the Heavens' Mandate.

"Aww man, why can't I get cool cards like those?" Nick groaned as Tyson and Natalya held up their prizes.

"Oh, save it, Nick," Patty said as she clapped.

"Thank you, for coming, everyone!" said Sergei. "There's food and special packs on sale at the table over there. Enjoy the new gardens. Long live the Ruby Dragon!"

Andre - Phobos Island

"I can't believe I'm late!" Andre declared, running through the streets. He had been up all night patrolling the streets with Axel and the Lancers and slept in, forgetting of the festivities at the Ruby Dragon. "Aw, man! How am I going to leave a good impression on Yuri if I'm late for these things? Oh, well. At least there are fewer Duel Gangs on the streets."

Andre's foot came down on the sidewalk, time seemed to have frozen. People stopped walking, cars stopped in the streets. And then silence. The next thing Andre knew, he was sucked into a vortex and was taken into a world of bright white light. The whole dimension seemed to spin. It spun faster and faster and faster. And then everything was still.

Andre opened his eyes and found himself in a garden paradise with an ancient ruin covered in flowers and emerald green vines. "What is this?" Andre asked. "What the? Where am I?"

"Chill, man," someone said. Ser Tristan Taylor walked out of the shadows of a nearby ruin. Someone else stepped into the light. Duke Devlin.

"Tristan? Duke?" Andre said. "What's going on? What is this?"

"We heard you became a Duel King," said Duke. "You know. It's what the Aquarian kids call the best Duelists in their school?"

"I sure did," said Andre.

"Why?" Duke asked with disapproval.

"What's with you?" Andre asked. "Am I in trouble?"

"You're damn right you are," said Tristan. "Yugi put you in the Standard Dimension to watch Yuri and monitor the progress of the Duels taking place in his dreams. We haven't gotten a report from you in days. Honestly, if it wasn't for the Seeing Stones Serenity gave us, we'd have no clue as to what's happening with him."

"Oh really? Well, if you big dogs have Seeing Stones, why do you need me here?"

Duke narrowed his eyes. "We don't need you here. But if it wasn't for Yugi constantly having your back, we would have pulled you out of this operation a long time ago, Andre. You had a job to do and instead, you've made wowing the cool kids here in the Standard Dimension and impressing Yuri and his friends your agenda. That's not what you were supposed to be doing."

"Look, I've got this covered!" Andre shouted. "I know what I'm doing. If I'm not fulfilling the job you expected me to do, it's because you won't let me! I'm getting so sick and tired of you guys constantly monitoring me all the time."

"After your mishap with Belladonna Wyvernheart and Bahamut, you shouldn't be surprised the Kingsblades and the House of Intelligence are keeping a close eye on you," said Duke. "Yugi put a lot of faith in you after he took you in. A lot of time was spent training you and for a while, I thought you had turned a new leaf. But after seeing you come here and make yourself known to everyone in the city, and using your overpowered cards to beat Yuri numerous times, I can't say I'm surprised that I'm disappointed. You're still the same egotistical punk that cost House Wyvernheart their home and their legacy. And I'll be damned if we let you jeopardize Yuri's safety just to make yourself look cool, kid."

"WHAT!? How am I jeopardizing Yuri's safety? Tell me! Tell me!"

"The influx of Duel Gangs that have been hunting him for one," said Tristan. "In your quest to be Aquarius's best, you failed to notice them putting a target on him. That's why the Lancers were called in by Declan. They have to do the job that you were supposed to be doing!"

"And let's not forget the Rare Hunters," said Duke. "Yes, you heard me. Rare Hunters. The info on Yuri's location here has been compromised and they've been pouring in like crazy trying to hunt him down. Andre, how could you let them slip right through your fingers like that?"

Andre realized he had let his ego get the best of him. Again. He swore he wouldn't do it, but...Yuri, Patty, Tyson, Carter...even Nick. He so wanted to get to know them better. They were such a good group of friends. How could he not want to get close to them? "Okay, okay. I admit it. I screwed up. Seeing as how the Lancers are around and you guys have Seeing Stones, I guess my duties here aren't wanted anymore. Well, I don't care. Even though they barely know me, I've grown attached to them."

"That is also why we're here," said Duke. "Your task was purely observation. You weren't supposed to be friends with them."

"Can you blame me for trying? Every hero in Termnnia is mad at me with the whole Belladonna thing." Andre sighed heavily. "It would have been nice to have a few friends."

Serenity Wheeler suddenly walked out of the shadows of the temple. "Andre..." she said softly. "So that's why you broke protocol and approached them. You were looking for a friend."

"Serenity?" said Andre. "I..uh...I mean. Yes ma'am."

Serenity sighed. She did pity him. "It mustn't be easy. Knowing your heroes don't like you because you made a terrible mistake. Belladonna Wyvernheart was a beloved figure in Duel Academia. We all depended on her and her dragon to aid us."

"I know," said Andre. "She called on me for help but I was so focused on being the best. I...I even forced her to fork over her dragon if she lost to me. I get it. I was a creep. But I've changed. Really, really, I have!"

"Your recent actions have made that hard for me to believe," said Serenity. "Honestly, I see no wrong in trying to befriend the Prince and his friends. I've been watching them for days and they truly are a good group of kids. However, instead of finding ways to protect Yuri from his enemies, you've been far more preoccupied with elevating yourself so they could praise you. How can you say you've changed if you're behaving like that?"

"We ought to send you home right now!" said Duke.

Tristan nodded. "Indeed. He still needs further training. Protecting the Prince was clearly not a mission for you. It's back to the abbey with you, Andre. However, we can't do that just yet. Because this little lady has something else in mind."

"What do you mean?" Andre asked.

"I'm a just girl," said Serenity. "I see how much you really care about Yuri despite your eagerness to be better, dare I say cooler than him. So, I've come up with a proposition. A Duel."

"Let me guess," said Andre. "You and I Duel to see if I remain here or if I have to be sent back to Conqueror's Abbey to study and train with the brotherhood again."

"Close," said Serenity. "But it's not just you and me. You have to take on me, Tristan, and Duke in a Duel. Defeat the three of us, and you can stay. We won't bother you again. We'll even talk to Declan to ease off the restrictions a bit, too. Because with so many enemies pouring through, we need everyone at their best. Including you."

"Thanks, Serenity," said Andre. "Thank you for understanding."

"Now all that's left is for you to understand that you can't make this mission about yourself. Yugi is depending on you, Andre. Can we count on you not to let him down if you defeat us?"

"Yes, ma'am!"

"Good." Serenity took her hairpin off her hair and transformed it into a Duel Disk. Tristan and Duke then materialized their own Duel Disks and got into position on either side of her.

LP 2000

"I'll start things off," Serenity declared. "First, I'm going to summon Red-Eyes Black Chick in attack mode!" She summoned a baby Red-Eyes still covered by a crimson red egg. It chirped as it poked its head out. "But this little cutie won't be a baby for long. I'm going to tribute it so that I can summon Red-Eyes Black Dragon from my hand!"

"Red-Eyes!" Andre gasped.

"You go, girl!" Tristan cheered.

"Nice!" Duke said with approval.

The baby Red-Eyes started glowing and transformed into a full-grown adult Red-Eyes Black Dragon. It roared then slowly glided behind Serenity, glaring at Andre menacingly.

"All right, Andre. I'm going to activate Red-Eyes Insight!" She held up the spell card to show him. "With this spell, I'm allowed to discard a Red-Eyes monster from my hand, and then I can add a Red-Eyes spell or trap card to my hand. I'll set one card face-down and then I'm going to discard Red-Eyes Archfiend of Lighting to special summon Red-Eyes Alternative Black Dragon."

"Alternative Black Dragon?" Andre tried to say. But he stood shocked, watching the strange dragon take form behind Serenity, joining her Red-Eyes Black Dragon. He heard Serenity was a terrible Duelist but she really knew how to play her monsters well.

"Now, I'm going to send another Red-Eyes Black Dragon from deck to the Graveyard so that I can special summon Red-Eyes Black Meteor Dragon."

"Another Red-Eyes," said Andre. "Great. She's literally a spitting image of her older brother."

Serenity giggled. "Now, my dragon's rank increases by 1, making him a Level 7 monster. I'll finish things off by setting one card face-down."

"Serenity!" jeered Tristan. "You're a natural! Joey taught you well."

"Thanks, Tristan!" Serenity replied happily.

"My turn," said Tristan. "I can't summon a Red-Eyes Black Dragon like you can, but I'm full of surprises of my own. I've watched Yuri's last Duel with Jaden Yuki carefully and learned a few tricks."

"Show me! Show me!" Serenity said with an excited squeaky voice.

"With pleasure. Draw!" He examined his hand and made that famous toothy wide-grinned expression he always made when he was excited. Oooh, man! Won't Serenity be impressed when I summon these? "All right, Andre. You think you can outperform Yuri, huh? Let's see about that. First, I activate Pot of Greed and draw two cards. Next, I'm activating the spell, Unexpected Dai! This lets me summon a Level 4 or lower monster from my deck if I've got no monsters on my field. Say hello to Gagagigo!" He summoned a lizard humanoid with shiny green skin, sharp claws, and a long tail. His 1850 ATK points were displayed beside him.

"Oh!" said Serenity. "Yuri has that one!"

"That he does. And now, I'm activating Double Summon! This lets me conduct a second Normal Summon this turn. If you thought one Gagagigo was impressive, wait till you see three, cuz I'm summoning two more of them to the field."

"Heh," Andre scoffed. "Are your lizard warriors supposed to scare me or something?"

"Alone they don't look like much," said Tristan. "But I'm going to combine them all. I open the Overlay Network!" All three of his Gagagigo Monsters jumped into the vortex. "Now, I'll Xyz Summon! Rank 8! Gagagigo the Risen!"

"Tristan! So cool!" Serenity chimed.

"You ain't seen nothing yet, Serenity. Last but not least, I'm activating Ancient Rules! This lets me special summon a high-level Normal Monster from my hand. And I choose, Gogiga Gagagigo!"

"Oh, great!" Andre thought. Three strong Red-Eyes Black Dragons and now two fully evolved Gigabyte monsters with 2950 ATK a piece. This Duel was not looking in his favor.

"Lastly, I set a card face down and end my turn. Duke, you're up!"

"Well, it's about time!" said Duke. "Draw! Heh, it's a whole new game now. I activate the field spell, Dice Dungeon!"

A white holographic grid formed in front of them. "With this card, the Duel turns into a dice game. Also, it allows me to add the spell, Dimension Dice to my hand. Next, I summon Cuben in attack mode!" He placed the card on his dice-themed Duel Disk and summoned a block with arms and legs.

"He doesn't look like much, I know," Duke said confidently. "But, he won't be sticking around for long. Because I'm activating the spell my dungeon awarded me! Dimension Dice!"

Cuben started to glow and was encased inside a giant red die. "With this card, if I control a card with a dice roll effect, I can tribute a monster and Special Summon a stronger monster with a dice effect. DIMENSION THE DICE!" Duke held out his hand dramatically as the dice slowly unboxed. "AND UNLOCK THE MIGHTY ORGOTH THE RELENTLESS!"

A giant with blue skin and armored in purple armor trimmed with gold cut out of the die with a giant sword made of diamond. He growled as he swung, and when he was finally free, he let out a loud battle cry.

"There!" said Tristan. "Andre, there is no way you can manage to take down our monsters."

"Careful, Tristan!" said Duke. "Remember, Yugi trained this kid. We can't underestimate him. I set three cards face-down and end my turn."

"I would listen to Duke if I were you!" Andre said and drew. "I activate Pot of Greed and draw two. Next, I'm activating Graceful Charity. Now, I draw three cards and discard two. All right, now I activate Raigeki! Now all your monsters will be wiped out!"

"I think not!" Tristan retorted. "I activate Magic Drain. Now, you can either discard a spell from your hand to cancel my trap or you don't, and my trap cancels your spell out."

Andre had none and his Raigeki was canceled and destroyed. Andre started getting nervous. Maybe he was the one who needed to take caution. Tristan, Duke, and Serenity weren't as famous or high-tier as Yugi, Joey, or Kaiba back home. But that didn't mean they weren't any good. "Fine. I summon a monster in defense mode and set three cards face-down. It's your turn, Serenity."

Serenity said nothing as she drew her card. "All right, Red-Eyes Alternative Black Dragon, attack Andre's face-down monster!"

"Now my Dice Dungeon field activates!" said Duke. "Each time our monsters battle, we have to roll a die. And our monster's attack with either increase or decrease depending on the roll of the dice. Serenity, you roll first."

"Okay," said Serenity. "Go, Dice Roll!"

A red die appeared from out of nowhere and rolled on the ground until it came to a stop. "Excellent!" said Duke. "You rolled a two. Now your Red-Eyes Alternative Black Dragon's ATK points will increase by 1000.

Red-Eyes Alternative Black Dragon roared and opened its mouth. It charged up a shimmering ball of black and red flames. When it was fully charged up, the dragon released the fireball at Andre's monster.

"You've activated my trap, Serenity! Magic Cylinder! Now you take damage equal to your monster's ATK points."

Two colorful cylinders appeared on either side of Andre. Red-Eyes Alternative Black Dragon's fireball was sucked into the left cylinder and shot out the other aiming straight for Serenity.

"Oh no!" she cried.

"I've got your back, Serenity!" Duke declared. "I activate the trap card, Damage Polarizer! If Serenity would take effect damage, that damage becomes zero and now each of us gets to draw a card."

The fireball dispersed just a few feet from Serenity. She sighed with relief. "Awww, thank you, Duke! That was so sweet of you."

"Aww, it was nothing," the Dice Master said, flicking his black hair confidently.

"Grrrr!" Tristan growled jealously. Awww, man! She was impressed by that! I gotta do better than him if I want to get her to notice my skill!

Now Serenity was free to continue attacking Andre with her Red-Eyes Black Dragon. She attacked and the dragon unleashed its Infernal Fireball Attack that destroyed a spellcaster Andre had summoned face down.

"You attacked my Apprentice Piper!" Andre declared. "When he's flipped face-up, I can summon a monster from my hand. And I choose the Dark Magician!"

"What?" Serenity gasped. She watched the magician she mostly saw under Yugi's control appear before her, swirling his staff around.

"So Yugi did present you with a Dark Magician card, huh?" said Tristan.

"Of course, he did," Andre said as the magician lowered himself in front of him. "He's the only one who believes in me! He's the only one who sees past my faults and sees the potential I have to be of great help to Prince Yuri. I passed the tests of the abbey with flying colors and I was rewarded with a Dark Magician of my own. And with him, I'm going to wrong my mistakes and plow my way past all my naysayers. Oh, and sorry Serenity, but when Apprentice Piper is destroyed, I can summon another monster from my hand. Dark Magician of Chaos!"

"Of...Chaos?" said Duke.

Another more powerful version of Dark Magician appeared from a purple arcane glyph. He smashed out of it and spun his long scepter around before coming to a stop. 2800 ATK points were displayed beside him.

"Two magicians on my turn?" said Serenity. "Looks like you learned a lot at the abbey, Andre. But don't think you've won just because you got your Dark Magician on the field. The only Duelist with a Dark Magician I'll ever fear is Yugi."

"You can still use my Dice Dungeon to make your monsters stronger," said Duke.

"No, that's a gamble I can't make right now. So I'll set a card face-down, and then I'll Overlay Red-Eyes Black Dragon and Red-Eyes Black Meteor Dragon to Xyz Summon! Rank 7! Voloferniges, the Darkest Dragon Doomrider!"

Serenity summoned a giant humanoid dragon in black and white armor riding a mount covered in white armor with six legs. The holographic ATK point screen displayed 2500.

"My turn!" said Tristan. "Your Dark Magician is strong, Andre, but my Gagagigo the Risen is far stronger! I'll attack him now!"

"Don't forget my Dice Dungeon!" said Duke. "Roll Tristan!" The red die appeared again and rolled. "Not bad, Tristan. It's a four. So your monster gains 500 extra attack points. Now, Andre, it's your turn."

"Fine, I'll roll."

"Not like you have much of a choice," Duke said as the die appeared. It rolled around slowly and stopped.

"I got a five!" said Andre. "That must be good. Right?"

"Heh," Duke chuckled. "Sorry, Andre, but a five cuts your monster's attack in half."

"What! This doesn't make any sense!" His Dark Magician's ATK went down to 1250.

"And I'll give him a little boost," said Serenity. "By removing two Dragon-Type materials from Voloferniges, he can destroy a card on the field. And I choose your Dark Magician of Chaos! And that's not all!" Serenity continued. "If the card I destroyed was a monster, I can make a monster on our side of the field have its ATK increased by the destroyed monster's original Level or Rank times 300. Since your Dark Magician of Chaos was a Level 8, Tristan's Gagagigo the Risen's ATK will increase by 2400 for a grand total of 5850 ATK points."

Voloferniges's steed reared on its hind legs and galloped towards Dark Magician of Chaos to do the deed. If this attack worked and Gagaigo's ATK went up, Andre would lose the Duel. And he would be sent home. Back to that abbey in the middle of the woods. No more freedom. No more missions. No more...Yuri.

"NO, YOU WON'T!" Andre roared. "My Dark Magicians will not be defeated so easily! Thanks to Duke's Damage Polarizer, I was able to draw a card. And that card was this! Ghost Ogre and Snow Rabbit!"

"OH NO!" Serenity cried.

"What does that do?" Tristan asked.

"When one of your monsters activates its effect, I can discard Ghost Ogre and Snow Rabbit from my hand and your monster will be destroyed!"

BOOM! Serenity's monster was destroyed and the effect did not activate.

"It doesn't matter!" said Tristan. "My Gagagigo the Risen is still stronger!"

"So you think!" said Andre. "I activate my face-down card. Command Silencer!"

A totem pole with large speakers appeared in front of Andre and it released a loud high-pitched screeching sound that caused Serenity, Tristan, and Duke to wince in agony and cover their ears with their palms.

"WHAT.....IS...THAT?!" Serenity wailed. "Ugh! It's...it's so loud!"

"Command Silencer stops a monster from attacking," Andre explained. "And I get to draw a card. Sorry, Tristan, but Dark Magician is going nowhere."

"So close!" said Tristan.

"Looks like I'm going to be the one who has to finish things off," said Duke. "Can't trust a boy to do a man's job." Tristan narrowed his eyes at him, fighting back the urge to jump over there and strangle Duke. Duke drew and flicked his locks off his face to appear suave. "All right, Andre. You've done well to avoid our attacks for now. But you've got no more face-down cards and your Dark Magician is left without defenses. Now he contends with Orgoth the Relentless! First, I'm going to activate his effect. I roll three dice and his attack points will increase based on the roll of the dice times 300. And, if any of those dice rolls are the same, he gets different effects. If I roll all ones or twos, Orgoth cannot be destroyed by card effects this turn. If I roll all threes or fours, I get to draw two cards. And if I roll all fives or sixes, Orgoth can attack you directly this turn. Now, let's see what the Goddess of Luck's got in store for me. GO DICE ROLL!"

Three golden dice with black filigree engravings rolled out of three magical holes that formed in front of Orgoth. Andre could not believe the results.

"YES! ALL SIXES! So not only with Orgoth's ATK increase to 4300, but he can ATK directly this turn. Not that I will. I'm taking down that Dark Magician and breaking your spirit! Consider this punishment for thinking you could get a one-up over Prince Yuri, Andre!"

"What incredible luck, Duke!" said Serenity.

"What? How is that possible?" said Tristan. "You must have cheated!"

"Cheat? No way? Lady Luck favors me today. Then again, every lady in all the Dimensions fancies a piece of Duke Devlin. Now, I'm going to attack Andre's Dark Magician and the Dice Dungeon activates. GO DICE ROLL!" Duke shouted again. The red die manifested itself and rolled slowly. It finally stopped. "YES! Another six! Now Orgoth's ATK doubles to 8600!" Orgoth felt the power in him growing and he roared, flexing his powerful muscles. "Now, Andre, it's your turn."

"Roll!" Andre called. The die came out. It rolled. It stopped. "A one!"

Duke reared his head back and laughed. "Sorry, Andre. Your Dark Magician loses 1000 ATK points."

"Okay, you're just fucking with me, aren't you? This dice game makes no friggin' sense!" His Dark Magician's ATK decreased to 1500.

"This is it!" said Serenity. "Duke's going to finish Andre off!"

"Awww, man!" Tristan wailed on the inside as he clenched his fists. "I wanted to be the one to take him down."

Orgoth sprinted across the garden toward the weakened Dark Magician. "GO ORGOTH!" shouted Duke. "DIAMOND BLADE STRIKE!" Orgoth lifted the massive sword over his head and smashed it on Dark Magician, destroying him and creating a massive cloud of dust.

"And there you have it," said Duke, flinging his hair again. He looked at his Duel Disk and noticed he still had Life Points. "Huh? What gives?"

The dust cloud dispersed and revealed Andre still standing strong and holding up a card. "The Dark Magician isn't the only card Yugi taught me how to use," said Andre. Duke took a closer look and noticed that the card he was holding was a Kuriboh.

"Shit! Now he takes no damage from my attack!"

"So it wouldn't have mattered if you attacked him directly or not," said Serenity. "Andre had what he needed to defend himself."

"That had to be the luckiest draw I've ever seen!" said Tristan. "So does this mean Andre is in tune with the Heart of the Cards like Yugi is?"

"It doesn't matter!" said Duke. "We'll defeat him next turn. I don't know what you have planned with that face-down card Andre. The fact you didn't use it to stop Orgoth makes me nervous. So I'm going to make sure you don't get a chance to use it. So I'm activating Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy it!"

The fierce green gale erupted from Duke's feet and swirled around Andre's card, shattering it to pieces. Andre waited for the wind to die down to finally tell Duke what he had done. "Big mistake," Andre said. "The card you destroyed was Chaos Scepter Blast! If it's destroyed by one of your effects, I'm allowed to summon the Magician of Black Chaos from my deck ignoring its summoning condition!"

"What the!?"

The Magician of Black Chaos, a legendary magician rose out of the ground and stood next to the Dark Magician of Chaos. Both monsters shared the same looks and 2800 ATK points.

"Oh no, Duke! Look what you did!" shouted Tristan.

"What? Me? How was I supposed to know his face-down card would be that powerful?"

"I draw!" said Andre. "I activate Spellbook of Knowledge. With this card, I'll tribute my Magician of Black Chaos and draw two cards." Andre looked at the cards and smiled. "Do you guys remember when my Dark Magician of Chaos was Special Summoned to the field? When he was, I got to add a Spell card from my Graveyard to my hand. And guess what it is?"

"Oh no!" cried Serenity. "It's Raigeki!"

Andre flipped it around. "Not quite, Serenity. It's a spell called Dark Burning Magic. But we'll get to it in a second. Right now, I'm activating Monster Reborn to bring back my Dark Magician."

"He's back!" Tristan yelled when the Dark Magician arose from the Graveyard.

"And finally, I'm going to activate the spell, Bond Between Teacher and Student! If I control a Dark Magician, I'm allowed to Special Summon Dark Magician Girl from my deck!"

"He's got Dark Magician Girl, too!" said Serenity.

The female magician made her grand entrance and stood side-by-side with Dark Magician.

"Now, I'm finally going to activate my Dark Burning Magic spell," said Andre. "If I control both Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl at the same time, they can destroy ALL cards on your field!"

Dark Magician and his apprentice jumped up, smacked their two staves together, and released a ball of black magic that completely annihilated every card Tristan, Serenity, and Duke controlled. A dark purple mushroom cloud flashing with lighting burst over the garden. The next thing Serenity, Duke, and Tristan knew, Dark Magician of Chaos, Dark Magician, and Dark Magician Girl flew out of the cloud and struck their Life Points directly, ending the match.

The three of them screamed as they were knocked backward and fell to the ground defeated.

Yuri - Ruby Dragon Gaming Shop

Sergei was quite puzzled by what he was seeing on the Duel Screens. Black Tyranno was there, fully rendered in a 3D model. Yuri commanded it to attack and it destroyed Nick's new Freed the Matchless General, an ultra-rare warrior-type monster with 2300 ATK.

Sergei would have been notified if there were updated models added to the system, but he received no such notification at all. Yet Yuri's new and mysterious Black Tyranno was right there rendered in full detail as though he belonged to the game. It was like magic.

"I don't know," he said, rubbing his chin, trying to come up with an answer for what was going on. "Jacob isn't one to keep secrets from me. He would have told me if he added a new monster to the game. And it's unlike him to just give special favors to his kids. He won't give them so much as a penny if they didn't work for it. I don't know."

"It's best not to worry about it," Patty said. She was sitting beside him with a basket of fries in front of her. She quickly drowned them in ketchup. "It is what it is. Yuri's new ace monster is real. He's in the holographic systems in the Duel Dome and, apparently, he's working just fine here."

"Could Yuri have hacked the..."

"I don't think so," said Natalya. She helped herself to one of Patty's fries. "Yuri can't even mod his Fallout or Skyrim games without some help. I seriously doubt he knows anything about hacking systems or rendering such high-quality models like that monster we see on screen."

"I set a monster in defense mode," Nick said nervously. He couldn't tear his gaze away from the Black Tyranno on the screen next to their table.

Yuri chuckled confidently and showed off his game-ending spell card. "I activate the spell, Giant Trunade. This will send all our spell and trap cards back to our hands. And since you've got nothing but defense position monsters on your field, Black Tyranno can use his special power and attack you directly. That's game."

"Hooray!" Natalya clapped her hands. She got one last glance at the Black Tyranno before the screens faded to black and displayed the Ruby Dragon Gaming logo.

"Aw, crap!" Nick threw the cards in his hand on the table. "Man, Yuri, you and that new monster of yours are unreal. You seriously don't know where you got it from?"

"No." Yuri picked up the Black Tyranno card and held it close to his face to look at it. "I really don't know who gave this to me. Most likely it was my dad. He's probably just covering things up."

"He certainly has the money to," Sergei said approaching their table. "That card is legit. It has its own code, microchip, 3D models, and holographic models for the advanced holographic systems they're using in the Duel Dome. If it's safe to use there, then I guess it's okay with me. However, until we can figure out where it came from, I'm afraid I have to ban it from being used in the shop's tournaments."

"Aww, how come?" Patty asked.

"He's a strong card with a strong effect," said Sergei. "And he's not in the card database. I've looked at all 1200 cards and he's just not on the list. Until he's at least in the card database, he's an illegal card. But you guys can play squash matches with him. I'll have no problem with that."

"I understand," said Yuri. "Man, hopefully, we can get to the bottom of this."

"Indeed," said Sergei. His expression went from serious to somber in a few seconds.

"What's the matter?" Patty asked.

"Ah, nothing. It's just...this is going to be the last year I see you kids in my shop. I know after graduation you're all going to be off achieving your goals and becoming the men and women you were destined to be. I just wanted to let you all know, from the bottom of my heart, I love you all. And I'm going to miss you when you leave."

"Aww, Sergei," Patty said softly. "You know we'll never forget you."

"Not in a million years," said Carter. "You didn't just make good Duelists out of us. You made us better people. You helped me gain the courage I needed to tell my dad I didn't want to go to RAPTOR but open my own hair salon instead."

"And I wouldn't have met these guys," said Nick. "After Yuri became my buddy, you introduced me to some really cool people. Of course, none cooler than Yuri, Patty, Tyson, and Carter."

"Ah, Nick," said Sergei. "Yes, it took some time adjusting to the blessings that God gave you. It was no accident that you were there the day those boys wanted to throw Yuri over the bridge. You were a guardian angel, my friend. And even though you can be a bit difficult, you're a young man with a heart of gold."

"Yeah, well, too bad that heart of gold doesn't grant him the skills he needs to win a few matches," Tyson teased. He bumped Yuri's shoulder with his fist, clutching his deck. "Mind if I step in, Yuri?" he asked. "I think Nick would like to get his ass handed to him by another opponent."

"I won't be so easy," said Nick. "You and me, Tyson. Let's do this. I'm not afraid of your Beast King Deck."

"He's all yours," Yuri said getting up from the chair so Tyson could sit down. He shuffled his deck and set his cards on the touch-screen playing mat.

LP 2000

"I'll go first," said Nick. "I'm gonna play the Sogen spell. This will increase the ATK of Warrior and Beast-Warrior monsters by 200 points. And here's Masaki the Legendary Swordsman in attack mode. Then, I equip him with Fusion Sword - Marusame Blade."

Tyson suddenly looked worried. "Damn, looks like you opened a lot of packs this morning, Nick. I don't remember that in your deck before."

"Yeah, it's one of the new sweet equip spells. I traded a Witch of the Black Forest for it. And judging by that impressed expression on your face, I can tell you know what it does. It will increase Masaki the Legendary Swordsman's ATK by 800 points. Add that to the field advantage he gets from Sogen, and that's a 1000-point boost, so his ATK is now at 2100. I set a card face-down and end my turn. Your move."

"Nice play, Nick. Seems like you're getting the hang of this game. All right, I'm playing the field-spell Forest. This will increase my Beast monsters by 200 points. Now I'm summoning Leogun in attack mode!"

The Duel Screen showed a jet-black lion with a golden mane roaring on a rock in a clearing in the middle of the forest.

"My Forest field spell will increase his ATK to 1950."

"Pfft!" Nick waved it off. "He's no threat to my Legendary Swordsman, Tyson. He's still too weak to take him on."

"I wasn't done, Nick. Cuz now I'm using Ancient Rules. It allows me to Special Summon a high level Normal Monster from my hand. Heh, and I think you can guess which one it is."

Nick's cards fell from his fingers. "Oh shit!"

Without a word, Tyson smacked his rare prize monster on the field.

"Now it's time for Leogun to get a sweet boost. I equip him with the spell, Beast Fangs!" Leogun's fangs were enhanced with sharper metal teeth, with the canines made of gold. "This will increase his ATK by 300. Now Leogun stands at 2250. And I'm not done yet. I activate the spell, Poison Fangs." Suddenly, green acid began dripping from Leogun's teeth as well as Chimaera's.

"What does that do?" Nick asked.

"You'll see soon enough. I attack you with Leogun!"

Leogun sprinted through the forest until he reached Masaki. The two did battle for a few seconds but Leogun got the best of Masaki the Legendary Swordsman and sliced his back with his sharp claws, cutting right through his armor. The battle reduced Nick to 1850.

"Well, at least I didn't take too much damage."

"Oh no, sir. You are going to take some heavy damage. Here's where Poison Fangs come into play. When you take damage from an attack involving a beast monster, you lose 500 Life Points."

"Damn it, Tyson! Give me a break!" grumbled Nick, now at 1350 LP. "Is it my turn?"

"Nah, I'm just gonna mess with you some more with this. In case you got any ideas about beating my Leogun. I use Polymerization to fuse Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts with Berfomet and create Chimera, the Flying Mythical Beast! Now, I end my turn."

Nick slapped both hands on the table and propped himself up with his arms. He leaned forward to get a better look at the card. "Wow, thanks a lot, Tyson! Man, it seems for every rare card I get, you guys get like five! Man, this isn't fair!"

Tyson leaned back against his chair, folded his arms, and nodded his head. "Mmm-hmm. Mmmm-hmm. That's right. My deck is full of the great kings of the wild. The strongest beasts to ever roam the jungle. You and your puny warriors got no chance."

He smiled all of a sudden. "Meh, that's something I would have said a while ago. But I just got my hands on the brand new starter decks."

"A starter deck?" Tyson mocked him with a sarcastic laugh. "Man, Nick, you crack me up."

"Hey, it comes with good spells. Like this one. Dark Hole."

"Huh!"

Patty wanted to laugh but she didn't want to encourage Nick. She placed her fingertips over her mouth and snickered through her nose instead. "Oh, damn. Sorry, Tyson, but the spell card wipes the whole board clean of all monsters."

"Yeah, well, when Chimera the Flying Mythical Beast is destroyed, I can summon Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts in defense mode."

"Heh, not like that card's gonna do you much," Nick boasted. "I summon a new monster that will not only defend me but help me cut your monsters down, too. Total Defense Shogun in defense mode!"

"What in the world is that?" Tyson wondered.

"He's a cool monster that can attack you even when he's in defense mode."

"Wait? What? He can do that?"

Patty leaned over the card to get a better look at the text, in case Nick misread it. "Yup. He can do that. But if he does, his ATK applies not his DEF."

Tyson slid his hand up his face and sighed. "Man, cards are getting so weird nowadays. All right, I'll accept that. He's got an ATK of 1550,"

"1750," Yuri corrected him. "Remember, Nick's Sogen is in play."

"Right, 1750. And my Gazelle only has 1200. So I guess that's it for my monster, huh."

"And a chunk of your Life Points," said Nick. "I reveal my face-down card. Burning Strike. I can equip this trap card to a face-up monster I control. And when it attacks, it can inflict piercing damage on you."

The 3D rendering of Total Defense Shogun sliced through Leogun with his giant sword.

"Oh, crud!" Tyson grunted, surprised that Nick of all people was doing this. "You got...better, Nick."

Nick - 1850 LP

1450 LP - Tyson

"He got a lead over Tyson?" Carter said aloud.

Andre walked in to join them. His face was red from walking out in the summer heat. "Wow. Looks like that starter deck did wonders for you, Nick."

"Andre?" Nick said with a tone of disappointment in his voice. "Just great."

"Easy, there, Nick," Patty said. "No need to get hostile. What are you doing here, Andre?"

"Oh, nothing. I just beat some gang of students called the Red Suns. Man, they were some of the toughest players I've ever faced."

The gang paused what they were doing and looked at him.

"You beat the Red Suns? All of them?"

"Well, all except their Duel King. But he was impressed. He told me to prove my skills at some tournament Mr. Sergei is holding here. The Wyvern Cup."

"You plan on entering the Wyvern Cup?" Nick asked. "Heh. Too bad. I'm entering that tournament and I plan to win. Like you said, this starter deck has done wonders for my deck, which was already good, to begin with. Your turn Tyson."

"One starter deck isn't going to be enough for you, Nick. I play Graceful Charity. This lets me draw three cards so long as I discard two from my hand. Now, I'll set a monster in defense mode and end my turn."

"So much for your beast kings," Nick said with a sneer. "I knew you were all talk, Tyson. I attack your monster with Total Defense Shogun. And remember, you take damage even if your monster is in defense mode."

Total Defense Shogun was shown charging through Tyson's forest. He slammed his giant sword on the ground, striking what looked like a flying squirrel.

"What was that?" Nick asked. "Huh? Hey, wait! Why did your Life Points go up by 1000?"

"You attacked Nimble Momonga, Nick. When you destroy him in battle, he increases my Life Points by 1000. And I can summon two more from my deck face-down. And because you destroyed a beast-type monster, I can banish two Beast monsters from my Graveyard and special summon this guy from my hand. Yellow Baboon, Archer of the Forest, with an ATK of 2600. Your Total Defense Shogun ain't gonna protect you from him."

"Aww, no!" Nick almost threw his cards down. Man, this ain't fair."

Andre knew he shouldn't tease but after talking so much smack and boasting about winning the Wyvern Cup, he just had to speak out. "I thought you were ready for the tournament, Nick. Doesn't look like you're even ready to take on Tyson. It's your move man."

"I know, I know!" Nick snapped at him. "Shut up, I don't need commentary from you."

"Now, I'll use Monster Reborn," said Tyson. "To bring back Behemoth, the King of All Animals from the Graveyard."

"Man, now I've got to confront his ace monster, too?" Nick tossed his hand down. "Forget it, man. It's over."

Andre laughed. "Fail! Epic fail, dipshit. You got fucked over sideways. Looks like you need some more practice, Nick. You're not ready for the big leagues."

"Back off!" he heard someone say. To his surprise it was Yuri.

"What the hell's your deal? You think because you're a Duel King at school you can just waltz on over and force us to bask in your glory or something? Just because you're better than him doesn't mean you get to make fun of him!"

"But...you guys make fun of him all the time."

"We're his friends! You're not! Stop pretending like you are!"

Those words hurt Andre deeply. "Oh...uh...sorry, Yuri. Say, are you going to be participating in the Wyvern Cup?"

"No, you can count me out! I don't do tournaments."

"Aww, Yuri, come on!" Patty begged him. "You just have to join."

"No!" Yuri almost shouted. "I uh...no. I...I got a lot of homework to do. See you guys later." Yuri picked up his backpack and stormed out of the shop.

"What was that all about?" Nick asked. "You'd think he was offended or something."

"What did I tell you?" Carter said to Andre. "Even with that Black Tyranno in his deck, Yuri is still afraid to enter big events. He'll never be a good duelist like this." He noticed Andre still standing there probably nursing the wound to his pride that Yuri's harsh words inflicted on it. Carter put his arm over Andre's shoulder and led him away from the group. "Hey...don't take what he said to heart, all right. Nick and Yuri, they're like brothers. He saved his life a long time ago so if he sees anyone but us taking a jab at him, he'll defend him right away."

"I didn't mean to upset him," said Andre.

"Yuri's a sensitive guy, my dude. Why do you think they call him Flower? And by the way, if you're beating all these elite Duelists just to impress Yuri into being your friend, you've got another thing coming. You take care now."

Little did they know, they were being watched by Joey with the Seeing Stone he got from Serenity in Termnnia. He was sitting on the head of a giant he, Tristan, and Yugi killed for the 10,000 gold bounty put out by the Duke of Arboreen, who was troubled by it. The Duke's men and some villagers were tying ropes around his corpse so they could take his body to the meadow and burn it.

"Yuri..." Joey whispered. Now that the Dueling was over, the images faded and he could see no more. "What's wrong, man? Why are you so scared of going to tournaments?" He formed his hand into a fist and shook it. "Bakura. He had something to do with this. It's probably that curse Yugi was talking about."

He put the Seeing Stone into his knapsack and stood up so the Duke's men could cut the giant's head off to keep as a trophy. Yami Yugi approached him, cleaning the giant's blood off his regular sword with a handkerchief.

"What news?" he asked.

"Yuri's scared of entering tournaments, Yugi. It's just as Andre said."

"What of the other informant?"

"He says the same thing. Yuri runs away at the mere mention of a tournament. You think it's dat curse Bakura placed on him."

"Perhaps. There's nothing we can do about the curse, though. Someone else is taking care of that. And for the sake of Yuri's safety, I will not say who. By the way. Is it true that he has...it."

"You mean the Black Tyranno? Yeah, they've bonded. I was hoping he would give Yuri an edge in overcoming his fears but...it doesn't even look like he's helping."

Yami Yugi wrinkled his nose. "Your sister is a defiant one. I didn't think she would go behind my back and steal the card from me."

"But Black Tyranno's been looking for Yuri, right?"

"It matters not. I was going to give him the card when he got back to Termnnia. Instead, he's running around with a card many are believing was made by Jacob Montgomery to give him an unfair advantage over the competition. I will deal with her when we get back to the East but as of now, I forbid her from becoming involved with any mission regarding Prince Yuri. Am I understood? I will not be afraid to have her locked up, Joey. Sister or not, she broke the law by sneaking Black Tyranno into the Standard Dimension."

"I know, Yuge, I know. Ever since Yuri's eighteenth year began, she's been growing out of control. I'll understand if you'll have to send her to the big house."

"Thank you. This operation must be conducted with the greatest of care. One slight misstep and our enemies will play their hand and ruin everything we've worked so hard to achieve. So, now that this monster has been taken care of, what do you plan to do now?"

"I plan on going South to Mellowfields," said Joey. "There's a big tournament going on down there with a huge sum of gold coins for the winner. I plan on giving those winnings to Yuri."

"Ah, that's very thoughtful of you, Joey."

Joey winked. "Forget about it. And to make things even more interesting, there's a Monster Hunters Guild down there, so I'll be able to hunt for more monsters and make more money as I kick butt in the tournament. I project I'm going to make a killing over the next few days. You just watch, man."

"Then best of luck to you, Joey."

Joey laughed. "Best of luck? I think you forget who yer talkin' too sometimes."

Andre - Standard Dimension

Despite getting yelled at by Yuri, Andre was still feeling in good spirits. It had been some time since Andre started getting the hang of St. Augustus Senior High School and its rules regarding Duel Monsters. He had made a few friends since coming here and was slowly starting to get to know Yuri and his so-called Misfits, though his relationship with Nick was still rocky. The guy was full of himself and did not want anyone to be within their ranks. He seemed to want to keep Andre away from them. And what were Yuri's ties to Ren and Crystal, two people who he felt were powerful and mysterious? There was something odd about those two, especially Crystal. There was almost some sort of magic to her and he wanted to figure out what it was.

"I have to meet her," he said to Yami through the magic sphere he created with his palm. "I feel something about her."

"Is it important?" Yami asked.

"It is to me."

"Do not bother her!" Yami commanded him. "We know a great deal about that girl. She may be Yuri's best friend but she's surrounded by very dangerous individuals. Trust me, Andre, it's best you don't get involved. Leave her alone, I'm only going to tell you this once. Upset her in any way and you will be punished. Don't test me, Andre."

The feed was cut and Andre was alone again. He only smiled at Yami's threat. There must have been something up with Crystal if even Yami Yugi didn't want him getting involved like she was some classified subject that was above his pay grade. Still, that didn't deter him from wanting to find out more about her. He grabbed his things and left his apartment to go find her. When he stepped outside, he grumbled, for it was still raining.

"Aw, man! You'd think the guys operating this thing would move the city away from the rainstorms."

He put the hood of his jacket over his head and trudged off into the night to find Crystal. The likely thing to do was ask Yuri about it but he didn't appear at the Ruby Dragon this afternoon. And it didn't seem like the others knew about her either. He passed by a cafe with an outdoor patio as he headed downtown.

"Andre?"

Andre stopped. Patty was sitting outside by a wooden table having tea. A red umbrella with string lights around its base shielded her from the rain. Her laptop was in front of her displaying complicated equations for her calculus class. A black slouchy beanie covered her head with only a few curls of her platinum blonde hair streaked down over her face, which had a bruise.

"Patty. Hey. Funny running into you out here. What happened to your cheek?"

Patty rubbed it. "Oh, I uh...I ran into the door on my way out of the house. I guess it's even worse than I thought if even you can see it."

"You know Patty, I know it's none of my business but I can't help but notice you coming to school with different injuries. First, you're limping, then your ribs hurt. You have bruises on your arms and now your cheek. Are there...you know...problems at home?"

"No. Everything's...peachy." She raised her cup to her lips and drank some tea. "So where are you running off to?"

"I was looking for that blonde-haired girl that brought Yuri to the Duel Dome the night he defeated Randall. Do you know anything about her?"

"No. I had no idea Yuri was friends with someone like that. She was a hottie, too, so I'd definitely remember her. Although....she looks kinda familiar. I can't quite put my finger on it. I feel like I've seen her before."

"I see. Well, if you happen to see her again, can you let me know?"

"Why's that?"

"I just wanna ask her a few questions, that's all. Something tells me she had something to do with Yuri's victory over Randall Lawson."

"You think she gave him the Black Tyranno?"

"Maybe. I'm not ruling it out. But this has something more to it than just cards. I feel like she has a great influence on him. I mean, no offense to you guys but Yuri seemed really happy with her. Happier than usual. I daresay even happier than he's with you guys."

"Really?" Patty shut her laptop. "Now I'm kinda piqued about who this mystery girl is."

"Wanna help me look for her?" Andre asked.

Patty's phone started to jingle with a tune from her favorite cartoon series. She took it out of her pocket. The Zera the Mant chibi hanging from the case with other charms she added clanked when it brushed alongside them. "Oh, it's Natalya." She answered the phone. "Hey, baby. Yeah. Uh-huh. I'm on Neros Island, downtown sector. Why, what's going on? No way. You're kidding me. Okay, I'll be right there."

"What happened?"

"Yuri and Natalya went back to the Ruby Dragon to pick up a few things when some jerks in expensive black suits attacked them. Thankfully, Sergei was the World Sambo champ back in Russia and he kicked the guys out of the store."

"Guys in black suits? That doesn't sound good."

"I recall some guys like that around the arena when Yuri faced Randall. And that girl you mentioned. She was in the VIP box with him. Hey, wait! I think that's her over there! Look! Look!"

Andre turned around and noticed a convoy of black armored SUVs rolling down the street and started parking by the sidewalk.

The doors to the armored luxury SUVs opened upwards like a sports car and then a group of young men in expensive black suits like Natalya described on the phone walked out. They had vests over their suits and carried LVOA warsport rifles. One of them opened the door and Crystal stepped out in a glittery white dress with a plunging neckline. Another one of the men held an umbrella over her and walked her inside an expensive-looking restaurant. Without thinking, Andre darted across the street ignoring Patty's calls to come back. She warned him that the men escorting her looked like trouble but he didn't listen. He darted inside the restaurant's atrium.

A man stopped him in front of the fountain by placing his hand against his chest. "Sir, do you have a reservation?" he asked.

Andre pushed him aside and darted into the restaurant looking for Crystal. He found her by the window with a plate of pasta already waiting for her. She was being accompanied by four other young ladies. They were in the middle of toasting their success when Andre stepped up.

"Excuse me," he said. The girls set their glasses down and looked at him. "Sorry, to interrupt. But which one of you knows Yuri Montgomery?"

They all pointed to Crystal, who raised her hand. "I do," she responded. "What do you want?"

"I just wanted to ask if..."

He was grabbed by someone strong. He was turned around and came face to face with the guy Crystal was with the night of Yuri's Duel. "What the hell do you think you're doing barging into my place and disturbing my friends?"

"I just want to talk to..."

"Yeah, well, you can't. Lose him!" He told two of his guards. They grabbed Andre by the arms and literally threw him outside into the rain. He fell hard on his back, the impact knocked the wind out of him. "Aaaaugh!" he groaned in agony as the two men mockingly dusted their hands. "Thanks a lot." Andre groaned, rolling around on the wet pavement.

The guards who threw him out laughed at him and walked back inside, slamming the door shut. Andre heard someone walking towards him. He rolled to his back and saw Patty looking down at him as she shook her head. "You idiot. You just barged into the Malebolge."

"The what?"

"The Malebolge. It's a restaurant owned by the mafia. Only they and their closest connections are allowed in there."

"I just..." Andre winced as he tried to stand up. He finally got back on his own two feet. "I just wanted to talk to her."

"Well, I saw everything from the window. That guy who...escorted you out was Brett Martinetti. The nephew of the city's mob boss, Lucio Martinetti. That girl must have some kind of relationship with him. Trust me, the last thing you want to do is mess with Brett Martinetti's girls."

"I didn't know a mafia ran this place," said Andre. "What's a mafia doing in a city like Aquarius?"

"It's a long story. But let's just say the lowest forms of human life were able to find ways to slither around the city and even squeeze the great Jacob Montgomery into letting them slide. When you can get a multi-trillionaire like him to look the other way, you know you have power. And the Martinettis are a family you shouldn't mess with. Yuri tried to stand up to them a long time ago."

"And what happened?"

"Brett and his boys beat him so bad he was put in a vegetative state for weeks." She shook her head to blot out the memories of Yuri laying in a hospital bed with tubes down his throat. "You're lucky all he did was throw you out."

Andre got back up, rubbed his back, and glared at the restaurant. "Thinks he's a real tough guy, doesn't he?"

"He is a tough guy, dumbass. He's an experienced street fighter, business prodigy, playboy, and he's an elite duelist who's won lots of tournaments and had multiple championship reigns in an American junior's league. Trust me, you don't want to mess with him."

"Whatever. But this isn't over. If anything, Brett's the one who's messed with the wrong guy. He's going to get what's coming to him. You'll see."