Duel Monsters Are Magic: ARC-V

by snivygamer97

City Woes and the Mysterious Ignis

In Den City…

A white skinned and brown haired teenage girl was pacing back and forth in her bedroom, somewhat uneasy as she went over her thoughts.

Recently, the girl had been dealing with a lot of different things. For starters, she had been put into a coma by the Knights of Hanoi. This coma lasted for only a few days, but it still had a huge effect on her life. Not only was she heavily restricted in what she could do now, to the point where she could rarely leave her house, but she wasn’t even allowed to go into Link Vrains. One of her escapes from her issues in life was taken away from her. The one time she was able to go there, she also learned that the elusive Playmaker was also someone who suffered greatly and was looking for a way to find closure. She could understand him greatly, not having had the best life either. She just wished there was something she could do to help him out. But that wasn’t even the worst of it.

You see, the girl, known as Skye Zaizen, had very little family left in her life and lacked deep friendships. Her loving mother and father had been taken away from her when she was only six years old. Ever since then, she was raised by her older step-brother Akira Zaizen. He did everything he could in order to provide for them both and she even remembered recently hearing that he would have been broken if she ever disappeared. The problem was, he wasn’t really around all that much due to his job at Sol Tech, which she understood. He was just doing his best to give them a good life. But she still wished there was some opportunity to spend time together, seeing as how they really only had each other at this point. Being alone was a lot to bear, with no one left to spend time with. It hurt seeing her brother get overly protective and limit her so much that she couldn’t do anything at all.

“Ah! This is getting boring!” Skye yelled. “There must be something that Akira will allow me to do here. I could just reread the latest Dueling tip book…or…Akira said I couldn’t go into Link Vrains, but he never said I couldn’t watch it!” Skye realized as she opened up her phone and went to a news feed.

“And once again, Playmaker has proven himself to be the hero of Link Vrains. Not only has he fought another Knight of Hanoi and won, but he also saved many people from deletion! Is there anything he can’t do?” The announcer asked.

“I guess he can’t move on from trauma,” Skye sadly noted. She was just about to shut off her phone when suddenly…she felt something. She didn’t know what it was, to be fully honest. For the longest time, she was able to sense things from within Link Vrains, but they usually were small and ignorable. And when she did try to see what the feeling was she didn’t find much. But what she did know was that something was telling her to go to Link Vrains now. “But…should I go? After all…I’d be disobeying Akira again…breaking his trust…but this could be something important! I’m sorry, Akira!” Skye cried out as she looked for the house robot before placing her Deck into her Duel Disk. “It’s time to Link into the Vrains!” Skye pushed a button on her Duel Disk. In an instant, the girl’s mind was suddenly beginning to be warped into the cyberspace known to many as Link Vrains. “I just hope this isn’t over nothing…”
—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Skye was flying around on her Blue Angel wings, looking for whatever the source of her weird feeling was. In order to avoid detection, she tried to keep to the shadows as much as possible. This seemed to work, as she didn’t end up seeing or hearing other citizens or fans notice her or ask for a Duel. “So far so good,” Skye sighed in relief, still not fully liking what she was doing, but wanting to find closure in what was going on. Besides, maybe she could wind up helping someone in danger. That would be nice.

It was at this point that Skye found herself in an alley in the middle of Link Vrains. She suddenly felt yet another strange feeling. This time, it was incredibly strong. Skye took this to mean that she was getting close to the source of the sixth sense. She decided to take a quick look around outside the alley to make sure no one else was nearby. She popped her head out of the alley to look…only to hear a strange female voice from behind her.

“A-Are you okay?” The voice asked, scaring Skye as she jumped out of the alley. Thankfully for Skye, it didn’t look like anyone had seen her, so she slipped back into the alley.

“Okay, buddy! I don’t appreciate the scare! You could have gotten me caught by Akira! And I don’t need him having another heart attack over my safety!” Skye warned.

“Sorry! I didn’t intend to scare you, miss!” The voice apologized.

Skye’s pouted for a moment before thinking it over. Not long after, her anger began to cool as she responded, “That’s okay. I probably could have been nicer. And to answer your first question, I’m doing…not the best. But don’t tell anyone else about that. I don’t want my fans to worry.”

“Sure thing miss,” The voice said.

“So…who are you supposed to be anyway?” Skye asked as she began to look around.

At first, she didn’t see anything, though she soon heard the voice say, “Um…I’m down here, miss.” Skye looked down and saw a blueish creature that was incredibly small and looked a lot like Ai. She was multiple shades of blue, light cyan for her body and code lines of a darker blue. She also had small pigtail-like things near the side of her head and had pink eyes. Strangely, even though she spoke to her, like Ai, the creature had no mouth.

“Oh…there you are. If you don’t mind me asking, what are you supposed to be and why do you look like Ai?” Skye asked.

“Ai? Who is…? I’m not sure who that is, but if you must know about me, I’m a very unique AI called an Ignis. And the others…,” The AI struggled thinking for a moment.

“But wait…Ignis? And others? If you don’t mind, can you please explain to me who you are and what you mean?” Luz asked.

“Well…,” The AI began, only to be interrupted.

“Well, well, well. Look who we have here! Looks like the world famous Blue Angel has made it to my neck of the woods!” A cruel voice said as both Skye and the AI turned from their conversation and saw an overweight but intimidating man in leather clothes standing over them.

“Um…hello? Look, I’m sorry for trespassing, but I didn’t know this was a sector that belonged to someone else. I’d rather avoid a fight, so the two of us will just leave and get out of your…hair?” Skye asked, her confidence lowering a bit as she noticed the man looked unmoved. If anything, he was ecstatic to see an intruder.

“Oh, you’re not gettin’ out of here so easily, girly! I don’t take kindly to intruders, no matter the reason. But…I’d be willing to let you go if you’d give up all the cards in yer deck to me. I mean, with a champ Deck like yours in my hands, I’d be world famous in no time!” The man sneered.

“No way, man! I mean, this Deck is one I’ve put my heart and soul into over the span of many years! I’m not going to give it up to you just like that!” Skye rejected. “Now, if you’ll excuse us…” Skye dismissed the man as she grabbed the AI and began to fly away…only to be grabbed by the ankle before she could get away.

“No one says no ta me, girly! Ya know what happens to the few who even try ta attempt to do that?!” The man growled.

“I…dunno?” The blue AI asked.

“They…wait. What in da world is you?” The man was confused.

“I’m an Ignis. I happen to be an advanced AI, one of six, …and that’s about all I remember…,” The AI struggled before sadly admitting the latter part.

“Wait. You don’t know who you are?” Skye asked sadly.

“No…I don’t even remember my name…,” The AI noted sadly.

“Aw, how sad!” The man sarcastically said.

“Y-You're mocking us, sir,” The AI bluntly said. “Please don’t do that.”

“Well, ya make it too easy! But…I think youse just gave me an idea. I’ll let the girl go without a beatin’ and card stealin’ if she gives the blue Ignis thingy up to me! Something this rare outta be worth something somewhere!” The man propositioned.

“B-But…You can’t just take-,” Skye yelled, looking ready to throw down if need be, though she was a bit nervous.

“Blue Angel, he’s lying about letting you go,” The AI suddenly said.

“W-Wait. He is?” Skye asked.

“O-Of course not! The thing is lying to make me look worse than I am!” The man yelled.

“He lied again just now,” The AI responded.

“How did you guess that?” Skye asked.

“It wasn’t a guess, Skye. I just remembered that I have a unique power, unique to me. I can tell when someone is lying or hiding something. I bet the man here would still hurt you even if you did give me up!” The AI warned.

“Wait…you know my real name? How?” Skye was confused. “Oh…you know because of your power, right?”

“Yes,” The AI confirmed.

“Well, I’m sick and tired of playing games with ya both, Blue Lucy and Blue thing! I don’t care about youse bringing me down! Give me yer stuff now, or else-,” The man was suddenly interrupted by Skye.

“Then allow me to make a proposition. We’ll have a Duel. I win, you let us go! I lose and you get my cards! But…don’t expect to beat me so easily!” Skye proposed, trying to hide her fear in this situation.

“Deal! But, don’t expect ta win! I’m the best there is in da world! I bet I’ll even beat dat Playmaker guy someday!” The man said.

“You do know that win or lose that he’ll not accept your deal for real, right?” The AI asked.

“True…but listen, I have a plan. Just give me a minute,” Skye whispered.

“Alright den…Let’s Duel!”

Blue Angel 4000 LP

Dusk 4000 LP

“I’ll make the first move! I play my spell card Pot of Greed in order to draw two cards! Next, I summon Trickstar Candina in Attack mode (Trickstar Candina 1800 Attack LVL 4). I’ll use her effect in order to add a Trickstar to my hand. So…say hello to Trickstar Lilybell! And…since she was added to my hand outside a draw, I can now Special Summon her Trickstar Lilybell 800 Attack LVL 2)!”

“You have what you need in order to perform a Link Summon,” The blue AI noted.

“Yeah…but I have something else in mind. I now return both Lilybell and Candina to my hand in order to Special Summon two Trickstar Lycoris(x2 Trickstar Lycoris 1600 Attack LVL 3)! Finally, I place two cards facedown and end my turn!” Skye ended her move.

“Really? Dat’s yer big move? Summonin’ two turkey broads I could easily steamroll? Yer Igna thing was right! Ya sholda Link Summoned!” Dusk mocked. “Now…it’s my turn! I draw!” The man sneered.

“But…since you did, you take 200 damage for drawing a card and since I control two Lycoris, you get to take 400 damage (Dusk-3600 LP)!”

“So what? Dat was nothin’! With my current hand, I’ll win!” The man yelled.

“Well then…I’ll just need to win before you can use those cards! I play my trap Trickstar Reincarnation! With it, you now must banish your hand and draw until you have the same amount you banished!” Skye announced as the man groaned before doing just that. “But…since you drew, you now must take 1200 damage twice! (Dusk-1200 LP) Oh, but that’s not all! I play my other facedown! A second copy of said trap card! So, banish and discard six cards and take a total of 2400 damage again!” Skye cried out as she depleted her opponent’s LP to zero, her opponent being knocked over. Quickly, before he could get back up, Skye grabbed the AI and flew away, logging them both out shortly after.
—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After returning home, Skye panted from exhaustion. “Phew! Well…that could have gone a lot worse! At least we’re safe!”

“Correct, Skye. Hopefully we don’t have to deal with that man again,” The AI noted, popping out of Skye’s Duel Disk.

“Yeah…though seeing as how things go, that may happen at one point. So…you can’t remember certain things?” Skye asked the big question. “We were kinda interrupted back there.”

“Well…you see, I remember some things about myself. For instance, like I said earlier, I remember that I happen to be what is called an Ignis. They were created to help humanity with their future problems and someday even succeed them,” The AI answered.

“Sounds interesting. So, if you live in the Cyberse, how’d you end up here and how are you related to Playmaker’s Ignis, Ai?” Skye questioned. “Remember anything about that?”
“I-I don’t…I’m sorry,” The blue AI apologized.
“Oh…,” Skye sighed.
“Hey, it’s okay. It’s not your fault I lost my memories, Skye,” The blue AI reassured.

“I know. I just wish there was more I could do. I mean, I always want to see the best in others for the most part. Sure, there are people that are horrible like that one guy, but most people are at least somewhat good. I wanna give some of that goodness back to the world. I just…wish I knew how,” Skye confessed.

“Well…perhaps given time you can find an answer,” The blue AI suggested.

“Maybe,” Skye said with a yawn. “Look, I’m feeling kinda tired right now. Maybe we can talk more tomorrow when I’ve gotten some rest, Aqua.”

The blue Ignis asked, “Aqua?”

“Well…we gotta have some name for you, right? It would be rude not to give you one. Whadda ya say?” Skye asked.

“Aqua…it’s nice,” Aqua agreed to her new name.

“Well, goodnight!” Skye began to fall asleep on the couch, the new friend giving a figurative smile at having made an ally in this world.
—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

That evening, in Neo Domino City…

Applejack found herself in a luxurious park, something that gave her a sense of awe…for a moment.

“This is all so strange. One minute Ahm with ma friends in Ponyville’s park having’ fun, the next ah find myself waking up in a strange place in a new form with work duds on me,” Applejack noted to herself, wearing cowboy boots, denim shorts, a white shirt, both with yellow trimmings, and her signature cowboy hat. “Ah need ta find the others soon. The last thing ah need is for any of us ta get hurt or end up in trouble due to a misunderstanding. Ah should probably start by askin’ around…,” Applejack looked around for anyone she could ask for help. Unfortunately, not many people seemed to be at the park at the moment. Still, she wasn’t one to give up easily, so she walked around the park, calling out for someone who could give her a hand.

Eventually, however, she found her assistance.

“Leo? Are you really sure that looking around the park this late in the evening is a good idea? What if we get hurt?” A girl with green hair and with pigtails, red shoes, white shorts, red long sleeved shirt with gold trimmings, and pink overshirt asked her older twin brother.

“Aw, come on, Luna! Where is your sense of adventure? We’ll be fine! I mean, how many crooks could we seriously run into being in the park anyway?” Leo pointed out, him wearing similar clothes as his sister, though blue instead of red and pink and with his shirt short sleeved.

“Uh…hello? Can you two kids give me a hoof here, please?” Applejack questioned the two kids, who were shocked to see the teen.

“Whoa! Who are you?” Leo was in awe at the stranger.

“Ma name’s Applejack. Ahm kinda a stranger to this place. I have a few questions and Ah’d like some answers if y’all can give em,” Applejack asked.

“Sure! What do you need answered?” Leo asked without hesitation. However, his sister was quick to grab his hand and pull him aside.

“Look, as much as I’d love to help this lady out, it may not be the best idea to jump into a conversation with a stranger, Leo…For all we know they could be a killer or kidnapper!” Luna warned.

“But Luna…she looks lost…like she has amnesia and needs help remembering something!” Leo pleaded.

Luna was about to retort, but upon looking at Applejack again, she realized her brother was right. The girl did appear to be in need of help, and they couldn’t just ignore her. Besides, seeing as how they were the only ones present, it was unlikely she would hurt them. If she wanted to she would have done so already. After a sigh, Luna agreed, “Okay…we can talk. So, what are your questions for us miss…?”

“Applejack is ma name. And yers?” Applejack asked.

“My name is Luna and the boy who wanted to help right away and was a bit too trusting is named Leo,” Luna answered.

“Hey!” Leo was annoyed for a moment. “So, the questions?”

“Right. I wanted ta know if y’all can tell me where we are, what species we are, and if y’all have seen anybody named Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Spike, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, or Fluttershy?” Applejack asked.

The two kids looked confused for a minute before Luna finally responded, “You may be right, Leo. She may have memory problems.”

“Uh…I don’t. See, Ah come from a faraway place that you may or may not have heard of. There, I’m an earth pony that owns an apple farm and…y’all think ahm insane, aren’t you?” Applejack asked the last part upon seeing the weirded out faces of Leo and Luna. However, after a moment, Leo responded.

“Sounds cool! So, what is it like being a pony turned human?” Leo asked, trying to accept this weird information.

“It took a while to get used ta walkin’ right, but Ah’ll manage,” Applejack answered.

“So…yeah. We want to be of help, but are you sure you didn’t get hit on the head and need to go to a hospital?” Luna questioned.

“No! Ahm fine! Now, can ya please just answer ma questions?” Applejack asked, a little annoyed.

“Well…we live in one of the world’s largest cities in Neo Domino City. Like was said earlier, we are humans. And…as for seeing your friends, no. I’m sorry, but we haven’t seen them. Do you need help finding them?” Luna asked the last part sympathetically.

“No…ahm fine. Thanks fer the help. And…sorry if what ah said sounded crazy. Ah guess ma life story is hard ta believe,” Applejack admitted, not noticing that there was a tanner man in brown boots, black pants, black shirt with red symbol on it, red helmet, and blue jacket watching them from afar on a motorcycle-like vehicle.

“It’s…fine. Though you may want to be careful who you tell your story to, miss. Not everyone is going to be kind to you over it,” Luna warned.

“Well, it’s not like ah can just lie!” Applejack countered.

“Maybe not…but you can omit it when asking for help,” Leo suggested.

“Omit? Is that really…?” Applejack was uncertain.

“Well, if it isn’t the twins Leo and Luna!” A fancily dressed man said as he approached the two kids. “It’s nice to see you again.”

“Nice to see you again, too Mr. Black!” Leo chipperly said.

“So…taking a late evening stroll?” Luna aksed.

“Yes, and I was going to go get myself a luxurious cake from…,” The man stopped upon seeing Applejack. “Who is this barbarian with you?” The man rudely asked.

“Oh, she’s a new friend we just made. She needs some he-,” Leo began only to be interrupted.

“A friend my monocle! She must be planning to rob you…while trespassing in our lovely park to boot!” The man yelled.

“No, really! She just needs some help to find her friends!” Luna tried to stop the man…only to see he was already on his cell phone..

“Hello? Sector Security? We have an intruder in our lovely park! Order as many of your men to arrest her as possible! We can’t have her coming back to rob us of everything we worked for!” The man yelled into the phone.

“You know, Applejack? It may be time for you to run!” Luna warned.

“If you don’t, you’ll end up in the Facility! And only bad people should end up there!” Leo agreed.

“What is that place? And why should ah be worried? Ah mean, ah can just correct this misunderstanding when the cops or whoever these Sector Security people are show up and…,” Applejack noted before a motorcycle-like vehicle showed up, with the man watching them on it.

“I’m afraid that it won’t be that simple, miss Applejack,” The man warned.

“Wha? Who are y’all?” Applejack asked.

“The name’s Yusei Fudo, and I’m here to help. Just get on the Duel Runner now!” The man said.

“Something about this feels wrong. How can I trust y’all aren’t a crook yerself?” Applejack asked.

“I agree with Applejack. You could just be planning to hurt her for all we know,” Luna warned.

“I understand the cause for doubt. But if she doesn’t come with me she’ll be doing time in the Facility for doing nothing wrong,” Yusei said.

“Well…we don’t wanna see her arrested unfairly, Luna…,” Leo started to agree.

“We’re running out of time. Are you coming with me?” Yusei asked Applejack.

“Ah…ah will…,” Applejack agreed as she sat right behind Yusei on the red bike, putting on a second helmet she was handed.

“Then let’s rev it up!” Yusei cried out as he hit the gas on the Duel Runner, sending the duo blasting off, leaving Leo and Luna to be waving goodbye as Applejack left with Yusei.
—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Applejack was doing her best to remain calm and hold on to Yusei as they sped down a highway, not wanting to fall off the bike at the speed they were going. Still, she was confused as to why this man was helping her after just meeting. So, she decided to ask, “So, Yusei…can y’all explain ta me why y’all are giving me a hoof? It’s nice and all. But we just met.”

“It’s just…I don’t like seeing innocent people hurt for no reason,” Yusei answered.

“Whadda ya mean?” Applejack asked.

“Applejack, how much do you know about Neo Domino City?” Yusei asked, having picked up on her being new here.

“Well…ah don’t know much yet…though seeing how it looks it looks nice. Though somepony like Rarity is more likely ta appreciate it,” Applejack answered.

“Maybe from a first impression it looks nice,” Yusei admitted, causing Applejack some confusion. “Simply put, in this city, there are two different ways of living. You either are born a Topsider and are rich, with everything you could ever hope for and dream of up here…Or you are most people that live down there…,” Yusei motioned to the ground level, which Applejack hadn’t gotten a chance to see yet. Though, upon looking, she saw that there was many buildings below them, all filthy and damaged looking, with several people down there, many with ragged or damaged clothing on.

“Ah may not be one ta focus on visual junk, but yeah…looks a bit like it may not be good…,'' Applejack admitted.

“Of course it isn’t. Millions of what the Tops call Commons live down there. We barely are able to even get enough to survive. While the Tops have more than enough, but most are unwilling to help those they see as beneath them…,” Yusei explained.

“Well…that Leo and Luna seemed nice. They were willin’ ta help me out,” Applejack noted.

“Yeah…not every Topsider is bad. But many of them can be very greedy and selfish, not caring that many innocents, especially children, are suffering down in the lower pits of the city,” Yusei answered. “And then there’s Jack…”

“Jack? Jack who?” Applejack questioned.

“It’s…nothing for you to worry about right now,” Yusei said. “We need to find you a place to hide for now. The question is wh-.”

“Halt! This is Sector Security! Come to a complete stop right now, or else you will be arrested with the intruder, Runner Boy!” A man yelled out.

“Looks like we may be in more trouble than I thought…Not unexpected, though, seeing as how the man called for Sector Security,” Yusei noted. “Look, we’re not stopping! We left the park we were in, so there’s no need to come after us any more!”

“So you say…look, there’s only one possible out in this situation here!” The man warned.

“So, what do we do?” Applejack asked.

“We do what we are forced to do in this situation. We Duel…,” Yusei answered.

“Right you are, punk! I pay the field spell Speed World Neo!” The officer cried out.

“Uh…I have a question…,” Applejack began.

“Duel mode engaged. Auto Pilot Activated,” A screen on the Duel Runners said.

“We’ll see what kind of Duelist you are. Are you trustworthy or not?” Yusei asked.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” The man was in disbelief.

“Sector Security is usually not to be trusted. You oppress the weak and don’t care who you hurt. But…as a Duelist, I’m willing to trust everyone and give themselves a chance. So, officer, let’s get this Duel on!” Yusei yelled.

Suddenly, a computer voice began to announce, “A Turbo Duel is about to commence. A Turbo Duel is about to commence. All vehicles please vacate to a non-Dueling area” Many people, Common and Tops alike, looked on in interest.

“Uh, what is a Duel supposed ta be?!” Applejack was confused.

“You don’t know?” Yusei asked, looking at Applejack who shook her head. “Well, you see…”

“We don't have time for that nonsense! Right now, all you need to know is that you’re gonna lose and head to the Facility, and it’s all because of Officer Tetsu Trudge!” The officer yelled.

Suddenly, a helicopter nearby flew right up to the two runners.

“Land sakes! What on earth is that?” Applejack asked.

“What this is is a Duel! Melissa Trails is on the scene ta give all that are in our glorious city a chance to see this exciting chase, with a Duel attached! Now…let’s see. The Duel hasn’t begun yet, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t any excitement in the air. The question of the day is who will win? The long arm of the law or the runners up front?” Melissa asked.

“Fine! It will be even more fun to win knowing my victory has been broadcasted for all to see! Anyways, it’s time we begin! Now…” The officer said.

“Let’s Duel!” Both Duelists cried out.

Yusei Fudo-4000 LP

Tetsu Trudge-4000 LP

“Sir, we seem to have a Duel that is about to begin in Combat Lane Sigma Alpha 2. In fact, the news seems to have been alerted as well. What should we do?” A woman asked a man in purple clothes in Sector Security Headquarters.
“It’s simple. Allow the Duel to go on. I mean, we might as well give the Topsiders some entertainment for right now. Their lives can be so dull without some action,” The man responded.

“Of course, I’ll be the one making the first move, you piece of trash! To begin, I’ll summon my Assault Dog in Attack Mode (Assault Dog 1200 Attack LVL 4)! I’ll also play two facedowns and end my turn,” Trudge ended his move.

“Not much of a move he made. Then again ah can’t really judge the move very well. Whadda you think?” Applejack asked.

“He’s up to something. Most Sector Security officers perform a Synchro Summon on turn one. But he didn’t. Either he drew a bad hand or he has counters set up to stop my moves. I can’t underestimate him. Let’s go! My turn! And…I summon to my field Speed Warrior(Speed Warrior Attack 900 LVL 2)!” Now then…I’ll play two facedowns of my own and attack your Assault Dog!” Yusei cried out.

“Uh…weird move to pull, given how the runner’s monster is so weak,” Melissa noted.

“Ha! Good luck with that attack attempt, fool! You must have gotten a concussion to believe your puny monster can beat man’s best friend!” Trudge laughed to himself….before he saw Speed Warrior’s points change (Speed Warrior Attack 900->1800). “What in the…? But how did…?”

“You see, on the turn that Speed Warrior is Normal Summoned, his Attack Points are doubled! Now then…Speed Warrior, attack with Hyper Sonic Slash (Trudge-3400 LP)!” Yusei cried out.

“Ha! That move hardly slowed me down, Common trash! Watch as I activate Assault Dog’s effect! Since he was destroyed in battle, I can now summon up to two more of him from my Deck (Assault Dog Attack 1200 LVL 4 x2)” Trudge countered.

“Uh…is that bad that he just summoned more dogs?” Applejack asked.

“Yes, it is. I see now…you plan on performing a Synchro Summon next turn by ensuring at least one of your Assault Dogs survives…Well I’ll just have to ensure that doesn’t happen! I play the effect of the quick play spell Multi-Slash! Since a Level 2 or lower monster destroyed a monster on the field and you still control at least one monster, Speed Warrior can now attack all monsters on the field once each! Plus, his attack gain will now last until my next turn! Speed Warrior! Strike them down once more with Hyper Sonic Slash (Trudge-2200 LP).”

“Whoa nelly! Y’all managed to deal more damage than a bull in a rodeo!” Applejack was impressed.

“Also, since you lost more than 1000 LP this turn, I am also allowed to draw a card and, if it’s a spell or trap, set it to my field,” Yusei drew his card and set it. “And with that, I end my turn. Your move, Trudge,” Yusei ended his move.

“Amazing! This here buckaroo not only stopped an early Synchro Summon, but he also managed to almost half the copper’s Life Points!” Melissa was amazed.

“Well, well. Looks like our little friend here is a bit more skilled than I pegged him for. But no matter,” Roget noted.

“Sir? What do you plan to do with them now? You know, in case they escape?” One woman asked.

“For now, we’ll give them a fair chance to Duel the officer…But raise the number of Sector Security in the surrounding area and prepare for any potential escape, regardless of the Duel result. We can’t have those that fight our authority just get away,” The man answered.
“Yes, Chief Roget,” The woman responded.

“Grrr! You may have gotten an early lead, but I plan on turning things around very quickly! I draw!” Trudge drew as he grew a massive grin. “Perfect! I play my facedown Call of the Haunted! With it, I can now bring back my Assault Dog!”

“Not so fast! I play my facedown spell Mystical Space Typhoon! With this card, I will now be able to destroy a spell or trap card on either side of the field! Say goodbye to Call of the Haunted, Trudge!” Yusei countered.

“Well, I’ll be! The crook managed ta counter Security’s move just like that! Ah wonder what’s next,” Melissa wondered.

“Yusei? Ah notice y’all look concerned. What ya thinking?” Applejack asked.

“It’s Trudge. Normally, losing the ability to pull out a Synchro Monster would be seen as a big deal. However…he seems unphased. That can only mean one thing…,” Yusei warned.

“He has another plan!” Applejack realized.

“Oh course I do, cowgirl! I play the spell card Double Summon! With it, I can now Normal Summon twice this turn! So, first of all, say hello to my mighty Search Striker(Search Striker Attack 1600 LVL 4)! And joining him on Duty is Jutte Fighter(Jutte Fighter Attack 700 LVL 2)! And now…I’ll tune my Jutte Fighter with Search Striker! I Synchro Summon Goyo Predator (Goyo Predator Attack 2400 LVL 6)!” Trudge cried out with a grin.

“Well ah’ll be! Sector Security’s good ol’ boy is doing the city proud by summonin’ an amazin’ Synchro monster out ta counter the runner’s own card! What will this mean?” Melissa asked.

“I believe…it’s time we bring this Duel to overtime! Goyo Predator, wipe out that pathetic Speed Warrior!” Trudge cried out.

“He’s not pathetic, nor is he being wiped out! I play my trap card Scrap Iron Scarecrow to block your attack!” Yusei yelled out.

“Thanks…you just wasted yer trap because I play Wiretap! When this card is played, I can negate your trap’s activation and return it to your Deck! So much for that card saving your hide!” Trudge mocked as Yusei groaned, his monster being destroyed (Yusei-3400 LP). Oh, but don’t worry, kid! Your monster ain’t done with work just yet! Due to Goyo Predator’s ability, I can now revive your Speed Warrior to my side of the field (Speed Warrior Attack 900 LVL 2)! Now to hit em’ again! Speed Warrior, wipe out his Life Points with a direct attack!” Trudge cried out.

“He does realize that yer not gonna lose from this, right?” Applejack questioned.

“That may be, but he still seems confident in being able to hurt us, Applejack. It may be best to play it safe! I play the trap Defense Draw! With it, I can reduce the damage I take from an attack to zero and then draw a card!” Yusei drew his card.

“Grrr! You may have saved yourself a few Life Points, but that doesn't mean you're out of the woods yet! I’ll end you next turn you roaches…that’s a promise!” Trudge cried out.

“Hey! We ain’t roaches, ya sad excuse fer justice!” Applejack yelled out.

“How am I sad? I’m just keeping the city of Neo Domino City safe from the roaches that leach off of the good people of this city!” Trudge countered.

“Seriously? Yer good?” Applejack raised an eyebrow.

“Applejack here has a point. Rather than treating people well, you treat anyone you see as beneath you like they’re trash. And your Dueling is no different! So far, you see all the cards I’ve played as worthless!” Yusei said.

“It’s because they are! And now that my turn is over, we aren’t far away from proving this as such!” Trudge countered.

“No…no card is worthless, as I’ll soon prove! I draw! But…for now I’ll set one monster and two facedowns and end my turn,” Yusei ended his move. “Enjoy your final turn of this Duel.”

“Seriously? For all your bragging, all you got is what’s likely to be a weak card and some facedowns? Well, it’s time I show what a real move is! I draw! I start by playing the spell Card of Demise! With it, I can now draw until my hand holds five cards, though I’ll have to discard my hand in five turn’s time. Of course, I plan to end things this turn!” Trudge explained as he drew a hand, looking giddy at what he drew. “If you knew the monster I just drew, you’d be quaking and shivering like the rat you are! But first…I play the spell Pot of Greed in order to draw two cards! Next, I’ll release your, or more accurately, my Speed Warrior in order to Tribute Summon Handcuffs Dragon (Handcuffs Dragon Attack 1800 LVL 5)!”

“Ya know, fer a monster he claims ta be fear worthy, ah don’t see it,” Applejack noted.

“Chances are that isn’t the card he meant,” Yusei noted.

“You’re right! Now to summon one of Sector Security’s biggest guns! I discard Level 4 Samurai Sword Baron, Level 3 Tactical Espionage Expert, and Level 3 Sasumata Gardna in order to Special Summon my Montage Dragon (Montage Dragon Attack 3000 LVL 8)!” Trudge cried out.

“Amazing! We are seein’ an amazing sight before us! Montage Dragon is a special card that gains power based on the levels of the monsters discarded for his summon. 300 points per level,” Melissa explained.

“The lady is right, rat! And since my monsters had a combined level of 10, my dragon has a total of 3000 points! So, what was that about this being my last turn? Well, to be fair, you were right! For me, that is true! Between my three monsters, I’ll be able to deal more than enough damage to win! Handcuffs Dragon, wipe out that worthless facedown monster!” Trudge cried out.

“Got any plans ta put a stop to his attack, Yusei?” Applejack asked.

“Of course! My facedown monster is Shield Wing (Shield Wing Defense 900 LVL 2)! And with his ability, twice per turn he can’t be destroyed by battle! So…looks like I’ll be sticking around for another turn!” Yusei revealed as a green bird appeared, absorbing the blow from Handcuffs Dragon.

“You know, you’re being very annoying right now, kid! But…you said that I need to attack you only twice more in order to destroy your monster, right? That’ll be a snap with my greatest treasures! Goyo Predator, attack that pathetic bird!” Trudge sneered as the bird survived yet another blow. “Now, Montage Dragon, end that pathetic bird once and for all!” Montage Dragon sent out an energy stream that proceeded to wipe out the bird at last.

“I must admit. I thought for certain that the runner’s goose was cooked, but he managed to survive three attacks from high level monsters!” Melissa admitted.

“You may say it’s impressive, but I’m afraid that doesn’t make it so,” Roget noted confidently.

“So, Trudge, any more moves you’d like to make?” Yusei asked.

“Grrr! I’ll admit, you did better than I assumed, Common, but you won’t be coming out of here with a victory. I’ll just end you on my next turn. But…I can still deal you damage now! I play the quick play spell Montage Stream! With it, if a Level 5 or higher monster destroys your monster in battle, it can attack once more! Montage Dragon, attack the Common directly (Yusei-400 LP)! And with that I end my turn. Next turn, you’re finished!”

“Y’all realize we’re in quite a pickle right now, right? I may not know much about this game, but I can tell that the lower yer points, the closer you are to losing,” Applejack noted.

“True…but if I draw the card I need, we still have a chance of avoiding the Facility. I draw!” Yusei drew his card smirking upon seeing his draw. “Just what I needed! I summon the Tuner Monster Junk Synchron (Junk Synchron Attack 1300 LVL 3)! And when this card is successfully summoned, he can bring along a Level 2 or lower monster from ym graveyard in defense mode by negating his abilities! So, say hello again to Speed Warrior (Speed Warrior Defense 400 LVL 2)! Now…I tune my Junk Synchron with my Speed Warrior! From two come one, and from one will come great power! Watch as they merge their might, combine their courage! To Synchro Summon, Junk Warrior (Junk Warrior Attack 2300 LVL 5)!” Yusei summoned his main monster.

Trudge looked in shock before beginning to laugh. You seriously believe you accomplished anything here, Common? All you managed to do is waste time you could have spent getting used to your new home in the Facility!” Trudge mocked.

“Well then, it’s a good thing this isn’t the end of my turn! I play the trap card Graceful Revival! With it, I can bring back a Level 2 or lower monster from my Graveyard in Attack mode! Say hello one more time to Speed Warrior (Speed Warrior Attack 900 LVL 2)!” Yusei summoned.

“And that move should scare me why?” Trudge asked.

“It should worry you because of Junk Warrior’s ability! When a Level 2 or lower monster is on the field, Junk Warrior gains power equal to their power (Junk Warrior 2300->3200 Attack)!” Yusei explained.

“Wha! That card is now stronger than my Montage Dragon! Still, I can easily wipe out your Speed Warrior on my next turn! Nice try, Common, but you messed up!” Trudge sneered.

“Then it’s a good thing my turn isn’t over yet! Junk Warrior, attack Handcuffs Dragon! Scrap Fist! (Trudge-800 LP) And just like that…this Duel is about to be over,” Yusei said cryptically.

“Yeah, it will be…for me!” Trudge snickered as Handcuffs Dragon locked onto Junk Warrior (Junk Warrior 1400 Attack). “You idiot! Even a noob Common would know that you should have not attacked Handcuffs Dragon! You could have wiped out Goyo Predator or even Montage Dragon, but instead you made things even worse for you! Heck, you may have done better saving your spell card from earlier for this turn!”

“Ah hate ta admit it, but he has a point,” Applejack noted.

“No…we’ll be fine. I play my other facedown card Equip Shot! With it, I can take an equip card on my monster and move it to another monster…like Montage Dragon (Junk Warrior 1400->3200 Attack/Montage Dragon 3000->1200 Attack)!” Yusei revealed his plan.

“Wh…wha?! You can’t use my own monster against me!” Trudge yelled.

“Says the cop who stole from his opponent earlier on!” Applejack reminded his hypocrisy.

“Now…Junk Warrior, end this! Scrap Fist!” Yusei cried out as his opponent’s Life Points hit zero. “Now, Trudge, we’ll be getting on our way…”

“No, you won’t, ya filthy Common! The last thing you and your girlfriend are doing is escaping!” Trudge said as his Duel Runner broke down from losing.

“What does he mean by…oh no…,” Applejack realized as she saw a whole bunch of Sector Security appear on the road ahead of them. “Any ideas on how we can escape?” Applejack asked.

“I have a way…,” Yusei said as he summoned Junk Warrior and proceeded to use him to lift the runner over the heads of Security.

“Can you explain ta me what is going on?!” Applejack was shocked.

“What in the…?! How did?!” The Security goons were at a loss.
“He has an Arc System?! But how?! Only we at Security have that!” Roget was outraged.
“Roget, sir? What should we do about the escapees?” A woman asked.
“Put the city on alert until further notice. The last thing we need is for trash to get away with defiling the record of our city’s Security forces. And bring in that useless Security goon. He has a lot of work to do to make up for his failure,” Roget said dismissively.
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A little bit later, in the middle of the night…

“So, where in Sam Hill are we goin’ ta go, Yusei? Also…what in the world was that flyin’ move with no wings?!” Applejack yelled.

“The latter? When I made my Duel Runner, I ended up reverse engineering parts of it based on Security’s Runners. They have something in them called an Arc System. With it, you can create real monsters in and out of Duels. Still…mine is still in the prototype stage. It can only last for a short while right now,” Yusei explained. “As for the latter…I think I should take us to an old friend…”
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Back at Duel Academy…

“Any progress in learning more about those different dimensions yet, Doktor?” Leo Akaba asked.

“Well…not at the moment. Per your orders, Dennis has already left for the new Dimension and will begin looking for the bracelet girl as soon as possible. Yuri will follow after shortly. Still…it may take a long time for us to find her without any leads. The Arc Area Project may fall behind schedule at this rate,” The Doktor noted.

“So…if I understand correctly, we need to find a way to speed things up?” Leo Akaba asked menacingly.

“Y-Yes? But…how we can speed things along is a separate matter. We just found out about this place and from what we know of the other dimensions, there are millions, even billions to search through! We’ll be stuck for weeks, even months finding her!” The Doktor noted. Suddenly, a message began to appear on a screen in front of Leo Akaba.

“Doktor? What is this? Who is trying to message us?” Leo asked.

“Uh…don’t look at me sir. I didn’t ask for anyone,” The Doktor shook his head.

“I guess there’s only one way to find out,” Leo Akaba cautiously noted, ready to stop the message or fight back if need be.

With the push of a button, the screen showed what appeared to be a stone cave. There was also a figure that couldn’t be explained on the other end. “So…my friend. Mind telling me who you are? My servors told me that a strange phenomenon of an energy source had entered the digital network. However, I never would have guessed it would be a human so…weird-looking.”

“Insult aside, who are you?” Leo demanded.

“Relax, my friend. Contrary to that negative remark, I mean you no harm…at the moment. See, I am currently looking for a method to make the world a better place for all. I have created a few programs that will make things go swimmingly. However, if I understand correctly, you have some forms of technology that I don’t possess, and vice versa,” The figure noted.

“So…you suggest a trade? Thanks, but no thanks. I’m confident that my forces will be more than equipped to deal with any potential threats to our plans. Now, I suggest you leave,” Leo Akaba demanded.

“But…what if I were to help you find that one girl you are looking for?” The figure asked, causing Leo shock.

“H-How did?” Leo Akaba asked.

“When I sensed the energy, I also found a few files, including a secret file regarding some girls with the same face. See, I know where a girl that looks similar to the description is located. But since you already said no I could just…,” The figure said with a smirk.

“Wait! Go on…,” Leo Akaba said, ready to make a deal with the figure, though not without some backup plans in place in case things went wrong.

Author's Note:

I hope you all enjoy this chapter. Hopefully within the week I can have the next chapter out.