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Yu-gi-oh 5Ds: Rise of Darkness and Corruption (Athene/ImaginaryMuse & Razgriz)


"I know they aren't. That's a good reason I'm going with them over anything else."

It wasn't the only reason, of course. But it was the only truth she would allow both Yusei and this shop owner to hear. When the owner began moving away, Fayth lifted her head and took note of where his footsteps seemed to be going. She even pushed her ground a bit more firmly against the floor, detecting where the vibrations were going as well as how far back into the shop. That was but one of her secrets as to how she got around in streets and alleyways fine. Because of the fact almost no one would think about trying to literally feel a person's presence, Fayth was often to get away with it.

Her gaze didn't leave; however, she did pay heed to Yusei's warning as he took the opportunity to warn her about the owner. When he finished, she gave a nod of her head to signal Fayth had heard Yusei.

"I do appreciate that bit of advice. Trust me when I say ... I'm already wishing I'd been way more careful with how much I showed. Yeah, you're completely right. It was my sign of good faith; supposed to be, anyway. But .... yeah. Definitely should have been much smarter with doing that."

Her teeth latched onto her lower lip as Fayth's mind began quickly racing. She was definitely going to have to make up for that error, and it would have to be executed in a much smarter manner than simply showing money to some random stranger. She needed a good chunk of that for herself still, after all.

The moment the man returned, Fayth went right to work. Her fingernails carefully traced over the letters across the top of each card. For any she failed to recall the effect of, she slid it into her Duel Disk and allowed it to relay the information to her.

... Hmm. So it really is something specifically linked to the teleporting function that's broken, she thought, fighting off the urge to frown. Granted, it was good to know it otherwise worked, but ... damn. That really was annoying in its own rights.

Fayth would continue going through the piles, making a keep and return pile respectively. By the time she felt confident with her selections, at least thirty to thirty five new cards had been chosen. The others were back at her place.

"If you don't mind," Fayth spoke up, "I'd like to make an offer. A flat rate, rather than going with whatever you would usually normally use. I'm sorry if that sounds offensive or anything, but I am in a bit of a hurry to get this worked on for the upcoming mini-tournament. While I realize you did see I had quite a bit on me, the truth is, I'm living in a studio. About half of that will need to be put towards my residence; however, I can still offer you what should be a rather fair amount, going off what I chose, rarity, and so on."

Fayth paused, beginning to do some quick calculations in her head.

"Fifty-six thousand, two hundred and thirty three yen. Plus some change. Alternatively, if that's not enough ... then I can add more after the WRPG. I fully intend to win, or at least place high enough to be given some money at the end of it. So, if I fulfill that condition, I'll give a portion of my winnings to you. Otherwise ... you can have everything you saw when I return. Does that seem like a fair deal?"

Gods was she relieved Reiji wasn't around. He would chew her out for making such a risky bet, let alone with his money. But ... this was more of a win-win despite the risks it held. In fact, she felt more confident giving this offer than she had navigating her way through the Satellite.
"Fun, huh? Hmmm. I can consider trying your version next time. For now though ... I'd kinda prefer sticking to what I know best. I intend to expand my horizons later on though. I promise that much."

Yuna licked her lips, sighing and moaning as she felt Hotsuma's cock twitch from her touches. Her hand continued its gentle teases and caresses, knowing fully well she was driving him ... well, not full fledged mad. But definitely lighting quite the fire within Hotsuma.

That would, in fact, be the main disappointment with tonight; that she was wounded and some caution would have to be included. But it wasn't like she wanted to have that arm permanently damaged. So, she'd accept it, simply because there was an actual reason. One that, thankfully, wouldn't be as irritable or petty as pity.

"Heh, yep. Definitely over-dressed, my dear. Please .... do get more comfortable."

While Hotsuma began getting his shirt off, Yuna took the opportunity to spin around, making herself face her lover, and begin assisting in removing his pants and boxers.

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh. Mmmmh, fuck. That feels so good .... "

Her muscles almost immediately began massaging and clamping around the two digits as they entered her wanting pussy. Yuna panted softly, lightly bucking her hips against the fingers every now and again. After establishing and maintaining a certain rhythm, her hand resumed moving up and down. Now, however, it did so on an exposed cock rather than clothed, which would very likely make quite the difference in how good it'd feel for him.
 

Yusei nodded as Fayth agreed with him; he figured she knew the error, but it was more a warning for her to watch out for any shady deals he might try to pull. But he kept silent, watching as she would trace her fingers over the top of the card; she truly is blind, he thought to himself. Must have remarkable senses otherwise to stop herself from running into every wall and corner that was in this city.

The shopkeeper, not knowing exactly who she was or her handicap, was studying her curiously; and when she picked up a card and slid it in, he protested, "Hey hey, don't mark up the merchandise!" Yusei at this point stepped in, "She's just trying to see if the cards will read properly on her disk...And I think we both know you've had some problems with defunct cards in the past." The shopkeeper stared at Yusei, but the young man didn't back down; while Yusei didn't exactly lie about the problem, it was more to keep the shopkeeper from asking too many questions.

After all, she wasn't exactly fond of him learning she was blind and it wouldn't do good to have it spreading around she was as such unless she wanted it to be known. "Fine, but if she doesn't want it and there's a scratch, you're paying for it." he grumbled, seeming nonetheless satisfied with the explanation. And as Fayth continued her selection, the card piles of keep and return both growing, Yusei kept watch; what kind of deck was she building, he wondered.

Only when her selection was finished did he finally say anything, "Well then...A healthy purchase. You chose some fine cards, Miss; now about pricing..." However, he stopped when she would propose her offer. "Fifty-six thousand?! That pile you bought is worth at least, and I mean at least eighty thousand!" he protested; though it seemed his words went unheeded...Until she proposed her deal on top of the offer.

Either way, he would stand to make a nice profit...Even so, she was an unknown. No one he had ever seen, and without some form of insurance that she wouldn't split, he couldn't go through with it. "I'm afraid that's a no go on the offer, missy...You see, unlike you, I have to scrape and scrounge for everything I've got. Part of being in the Satellite...And as much as I would love to help you out and help you build this new deck...Understand that I am running a business here. And over here? Credit's only good if you work with people you know...But, if you give some form of collateral, something I know you'll be back for...I might be more willing to oblige your bargain."

And it was here that Yusei spoke up again, this time to help her out, "She's not from here and you know it; the Satellite's dangerous territory to those that don't know it. Can't you cut her a break?" The shopkeeper shook his head, "Sorry, kid...No can do. If she doesn't have something of value, how can I be sure she won't stiff me and split? I have a bad enough time trying to keep robbers out of my shop, you know think I need word getting around that a freaking girl ripped me off? Every cutthroat in this hellhole will be gunning for my stock by then...No offense meant, of course. But you know how women are viewed, Yusei...And you know how those punks will respond if they hear I couldn't collect from a woman."



Hotsuma moaned hotly in her ear as she turned to face him, her hand working quite well to dropping his pants. His legs quickly kicking them aside, leaving the two of them bared before the other. "You're not too bad yourself..." he breathed, his cock seeming to stiffen even more under her gentle touch. The hard rod pulsing in her light grip as she continued to rub him, himself delving deeper as her hips began to work against his hand.

Grinning, he then captured her lips in a heated kiss, slowly working them towards her bed before gently working to lay her down. "I know...you're not any measure of weak, but just let me if anything hurts, alright?" he then told her, continuing to touch and massage her body to help her relax and feel even better.

"Shit, Yuna...This is incredible..." he whispered, his own hips starting to move as they pleasured each other; before long, however, he could hold himself back no longer. "Much as I'd like to do what we did that first night in Arcadia...Probably best if you were on top. Don't need me going too hard and busting up your arm all over again, yeah?" he told her; and while part of it was a light-hearted joke, she would see he was serious. If they were going to enjoy this and declare war on Sector the last thing they needed was her having a broken limb going into the Facility.
 

Fayth softy sighed. She wasn't an expert in making deals, and it showed. Then again, she hadn't expected this to go over as smoothly as she wanted. It would have been dumb of her to assume the man would take a low amount, especially when the unfortunate truth was ... he was correct. Eighty thousand was more fair, and Fayth knew that much perfectly well. Still, she would have to make her funds last, definitely long enough to hold over until the exhibition match.

Still, she couldn't help but raise an eyebrow and scoff when the topic of collateral was brought up.

"What kind of bullshit is that? A business is one thing. I get that. But you're not a goddamn loan shark or some person that usually includes such an aspect like collateral. Ugh. Fine, whatever. Your place, your rules."

Fayth didn't agree with it, but she would respect it.

Or she would have ... up until he went on and on and finally pressed a very sensitive trigger she had. The one known as daring to utter a very sexist remark. The next sight would be almost an exact reversal of what Yusei had seen minutes ago. Whereas he'd found Fayth outnumbered and in a very dire situation, he was looking at basically the opposite. Without a second thought, Fayth set her purchased cards down, leaned forward, and grabbed the man's lapel tightly.

"I was going to leave it as asking you not to fucking talk about me as if I'm not here. But no. Men like you are the WORST!" Her fingernails dug deeper into the cloth as rage seethed through her. "Be very lucky that an amazing female friend of mine is on a very long trip of her own, otherwise I would gladly have her show you first hand that we're more than just pretty faces. Asshole."

Mustering every ounce of strength she could, Fayth shoved the man back, not caring if he kept his balance or not.

"Just for those comments, seventy-five thousand is what you're getting. I'm not accepting no for an answer, and you sure as shit aren't stopping me from changing my mind. If you ever talk shit about women in front of me again, I won't hold myself back."

Her right hand dug quickly into the nearest pocket, pulling the promised amount of money out and borderline slamming it on the counter. It then wrapped quickly around the cards and held them firmly but carefully; not wanting to bend them but also not wishing to risk losing them somehow. She would stay silent, only speaking again when the tell-tale sounds of Yusei's footsteps catching up to her echoed in her ears.

"You know? Ever since coming here, you're literally the first - and maybe only person - living here that I can sincerely trust. Everyone else .... well, they're not here. Alive, just elsewhere. I mean, I'm glad. But it's kinda disheartening in some regards."

It was even more of a miracle simply because of how long she'd been around Yusei. An hour, almost two at most. And yet, Fayth felt more confident in being around him than basically anyone else within Satellite.

"As such, I'll trust you to either choose a place or go to my own with directions. I know I left early in the morning and while it doesn't feel overly late, it's easier than usual to lose track of time."

No further explanations as to how or what she meant would be needed, so Fayth opted to leave it at that.

" .... Meeting you really has been the only thing that kept this from being one of the absolute worst days of my life this far. I'm glad we met." By now, her voice and body were both shaking; a bit from a breeze that had lightly brushed against her. Even without looking at her, Yusei would be able to pick up on the real reason. She was barely restraining herself from crying, and it was pretty simple to assume what was fueling the near tears on. Frustration, both at how he found her and what she'd just been forced to listen to.

This truly is the worst fucking Dimension Reiji's sent me out to ...

At this rate, Yusei and keeping her faith in Reiji were her only saving graces. She'd try to keep her vow and wait for her disk to be fixed. But it was becoming clear that doing just that would be so much easier said than done.

When the two arrived beside the Wheeler, Fayth would wait for Yusei to get on first. She would then sit behind him, wrapping one arm tightly around his waist while the other kept holding onto her new deck. It wasn't yet complete; but the moment she could return to her studio, that would be fixed. At longest, sometime tomorrow. Soonest? After Yusei stopped his Wheeler again, should he choose to heed her directions. Either way, those were acceptable time frames, as neither would cause her to risk being late for the exhibition duels.

Well ... I hope I'm not too bad. It'd be pretty horrible if that was the case ...

Leaving the thoughts unspoken, Yuna merely smirked, continuing her own slow, sensual movements. When the couple shifted from standing to laying atop her bed, Yuna carefully followed his lead, already silently hinting that despite it being an annoying thought, she would take precautions and expected that same gesture back.

"Shhh. I will, don't worry. It's not at a point where simply moving it will result in the damn thing breaking."

Still, it wasn't fully healed either and while not quite as fragile as she half-teased, it was in a bad enough state that all it would take was one really wrong move. And if Yuna needed anymore incentives ... they'd arrive when, admittedly, she winced. Although the joint didn't cave in and snap, it did sting during certain movements.

"Alright then. Point made. I suppose more reasons to take it easy -- so we can be as wild as we want. Within reason, obviously."

Slowly unwrapping her hand from around Hotsuma's cock, Yuna re-positioned herself. Soon, her pussy was inches above the throbbing member, teasing it with a rather fragrant scent and the sight of her aroused hole. The teasing and stimulating alone had made Yuna rather drenched, shown off by the droplets of juices trailing along her nether lips and thighs, a few now landing on top of Hotsuma's crotch.

Leaning down, Yuna pressed her lips tightly against Hotsuma's, catching them in a deep, passionate kiss.

Then, without warning, she followed suit with her lower body, eagerly guiding his rod deep into her cunt, groaning as it penetrated her with ease. Her hips began moving as she rode on top, helping guide him deeper and deeper inside her moist sex.
 

The shopkeeper probably should have kept gender out of the discussion, even if his intent was only to help her see it from his point of view. It wasn't that he disrespected women, it was that other men - minus her companion Yusei, of course - viewed them only as sexual objects, things without any sense of self. "Me being in the loan shark business is not a factor at all; if you want a real loan shark, go see Don Piero. This is about making sure I don't lose a profit!" the man replied heatedly, himself getting a little aggravated, seriously, a loan shark? Did she not see where she was?

Of course, he was taken off-guard when she grabbed him; but even then she would notice that he didn't tense up. "You think you scare me, girl? I've had a gun pointed in my face more often than you realize...So unless you got one of those, you can shove your sexist fanaticism up your own ass!" he shouted; at this point, Yusei did step in, hands coming to rest on both of their arms "Ok, ok...Let's just calm down..."

But that didn't last long, for soon Fayth had thrown her money down and taken the cards, the shopkeeper straightening the collar of his shirt as he collected his money. "Yusei, you'd do well to keep your friend out of my store. I don't care what her deal is, if she comes in here again comes at me like she did now, she might not walk out of here the next time." the elder male grumbled, Yusei's eyes narrowing "I don't fully agree with her getting rough...But you stepped over a line. Just remember to choose your words."

The man was old, stuck in his ways...And though Yusei knew the man was being honest in how women were viewed, he made the mistake of bringing it up in the first place. There was such a thing about being too honest.

And he could see and hear it from her as he approached listening to her words; he knew too well what females went through her. Those that were taken seriously to any degree had to climb a mountain of shit so high it blacked out the sun, and those that didn't were treated worse than dirt.

Seeing her shivering, he removed his own jacket - both to help keep her warm and hopefully let her see that she wasn't alone - and placed it around her shoulders. "I'm glad we met too...But it's starting to get dark; I'd take you back across the bridge, but unfortunately I'm not exactly on Sector's good side and it would do neither of us any favors if you got caught with me. If you're alright with it, I'd like you to stay the night at my place. I have a spare cot you can use."

Thankfully, she seemed to agree, and soon they were speeding off to his own little abode. It wasn't much to look at it; the place had a small woodburning stove and some reclaimed and fairly clean furniture. It made do as a crash-pad and was tucked away enough that Sector wouldn't notice it, plus there was an alley where he could stash his Runner.

"If you want to just sit, I'll make us some food. Nothing exciting, but it should fill your belly." he said; the meal would consist of soup mix and some crackers, soon a pot boiling water to make the soup itself. Finding actual ingredients to make better meals wasn't something that one could easily do alone, and try as some people did to actually help those in the Satellite through food drives and such, the gangs that ran rampant often hindered the efforts as much as helped them.

Once the meal was hot and ready, he poured out two healthy portions and sat with her at the small dining table. "Tomorrow, if we leave just before ten in the morning, we should be able to get across the pipeline before Sector does their sweep through the area." he then said, blowing on a spoonful of the soup before consuming it. "If you don't mind my asking though, which tournament are you going to join? The Fortune Cup's not for a couple of weeks; I know there's a number of small ones before then though...Is it one of those?" he then asked her, hoping to take her mind off of what the shopkeeper had said earlier.

"I know it sucks...But we'll both be thankful for showing some restraint." Hotsuma muttered, groaning as she teased him, her wet slit poised directly over his
erect manhood. It was empowering to know that he'd succeeded in helping get her ready like this...Meant he wasn't a complete moron when it came to making a woman feel good.

A slight grunt left him as she heatedly caught his lips, feeling her body press against him before she lowered her hips. She would feel him shaking a bit as her tight pussy enveloped him, her wetness allowing the turgid flesh to slide all the way inside of her, their hips soon meshing perfectly together with a faintly audible wet 'smack'. Followed quickly by moans vibrating from his throat as she started to ride him, her walls stroking his member as it seemed to stiffen and swell even more within her depths, the length pulsing as he started to move his own hips with her, the thick tip knocking against her deepest parts with every thrust.

Grinning as their kiss continued, he would whisper between breaths, "You...feel amazing...Yuna." One of his hands would come to rest on her ass, the fingers gripping the lobe of flesh whilst the other went to her chest, palming the bouncing mound as he gently squeezed and rubbed it, trapping the perked bud between his fingers to try and help stimulate her more.
 

I guess I should have accepted his offer too have Masumi accompany me ...

The Gem-Knight user was one of the few students in LDS who wasn't a Lancer. Because of this very fact, Reiji had recommended she go along with Fayth. Her stubbornness, pride, and knowing she had been able to successfully complete dimension-traveling missions on her own all helped her kindly decline the offer. Man was she regretting that choice now. They had become as close to sisters as one could without being related by blood.

Yet it was also partly due to their bond that, in truth, Fayth had been taking all of these assignments up on her own.

Every single thing that was happening back at her home wasn't something she forgot about. Not even for one millisecond. Still, Fayth was trying to keep everything balanced; all the things she needed to do now, for example. Her new and current situation, no matter how much she disliked it, was what she needed to concentrate on. This world, though, really was giving her one fuck of a hard time.

This truly is the worst fucking dimension ...

The feeling of something warm being lightly draped over her body helped Fayth return to the here and now. A small smile crossed her face as she slid her arms through the sleeves, ensuring that the whole ride back, it wouldn't find a way to slip off and get lost.

"Food?"

It hadn't really dwelled on her until Yusei brought it up, but he was right. She had been in such a rush to get everything done this morning, that she'd even skipped breakfast. Her stomach clenched, then growled, as she blushed and nodded. "Please. That'd be greatly appreciated."

Even when she was alone, Fayth was perfectly capable of cooking for herself. Mind you, it had been quite the task to learn, with and without help. But she'd had a very patient teacher aid her out to ensure she never burned anything. Right now though, trying to cook would be a disaster for an array of reasons. So she would trust someone else to do a task Fayth would normally insist on doing for herself. While Yusei prepared the meal, Fayth pulled her newly purchased cards out, set them down, and began reminding herself of what she had and still didn't have. There were indeed, as she was helping herself correctly recall, some cards that would need to be put in.

Mentally tucking those missing names away in the back of her mind, she nodded and leaned back in the chair, trying to relax. Or at least think about anything but the shop owner, as well as her impatient stomach, which was acting up more than usual. It all became that much simpler to work on when Yusei walked over and sat the bowls down. Her head politely bowed as she gripped the utensils included, holding the spoon firmly between her fingers. Moving close, she blew across the steamy soup before pulling back, allowing the dinner to cool down slightly.

"Ten. Alright. That works for me. I usually wake up pretty early anyway."

Her own spoon would move in time with Yusei's as she lowered hers into her bowl. Seconds after swallowing the first gulp, Yusei finally spoke to her, this time in the form of a question. It would have been more amazing - at least in her thoughts - for him not to ask about her. What was truly interesting was that he didn't bombard her with questions from the get-go like Jack had. "Heh. Tournament is what it's called but - if I had to label it - it's a small exhibition match between some of the locals. Eight people ... that's all it's gonna be. Chosen in more or less a lottery-esque system. I'm not really a gambler, but I do feel confident enough to attend and see if I can press my luck anyway."

"I've done much stupider shit before, anyway."

Given that last line wasn't really something to boast about, though, she kept it to herself. After downing a few more spoonfuls, she lowered her voice - more out of habit than any other emotion - and continued on. "Word is the top two will be guaranteed an entrance into the Fortune Cup. So despite the selection being completely randomized, the prizes are well worth it. That plus some extra money until I do obtain a job. I'm not gonna complain."

Her shoulders shrugged as she leaned back, holding her bowl tightly but cautiously in her hands.

"Apparently, this was all Jack's idea. Sounds like he's trying to find a worthy opponent or something; I dunno. I can't read minds. Plus, it's as much of a rumor as whether the top two will truly get that great of a prize or not."

Leaving it at that to avoid giving away she knew much more than she was letting on, Fayth merely leaned back and continued eating the soup.
Her own groans joined in with Hotsuma's erotic sounds, steadily becoming more frequent and louder with each new, rough thrust her pussy registered. Her muscles quaked, the upward motions helping her massage the member buried deep inside her. Up and down ... her own hips mimicked the same directions as the young woman made sure on each down motion to help her body collide once more with Hotsuma's, literally becoming one with him.

"Fuck!" she hissed, panting and murmuring the curse only after she had to pull away from the kiss and regain air. "S-So good! Mmmmhhhh!"

Yuna was already rather aroused as it was. Feeling her rear and chest being fondled, however, made her pussy become even more soaked. Her head tilted back as she sighed and moaned, cooing in sheer bliss. "Mmmmmhmmmm, fuck yessssss. Ohhhhhhh!"

Her hands shakily grabbed onto Hotsuma's shoulders as Yuna continued to grind down, further assisting his rod in going deeper and deeper inside. Her eyes widened as a new gasp elicited from her. Had he gotten this far before?

She couldn't recall. But Yuna was almost positive that he was now rubbing along the entrance to her womb. Glorious as the first night had been, it was a bit of a blur. Namely because of all the bullshit that happened afterward soooo .... either he had, or she simply forgot how it felt up until now.

But that didn't matter.

Risky as it was, she wanted to feel him back there again.

"Agggggghhhhh!"

One more harsh shove combined ith Hotsuma's thrusts helped her achieve that. "SHIT! OHHHHHHH!" Her teeth latched down, trying to muffle herself even if only for a few seconds. Just in case anyone was still in the base. The moans were merely quieted. But the orgasm that quickly followed was definitely as powerful as Hotsuma's body would feel with how often and hard she was shaking atop him. Finally, her body caved in and soon, the first of many juices began coating the throbbing member, coating it and ensuring it remained firmly embedded in Yuna's deepest parts.
 

Yusei and this strange new woman would eat in silence, the only sounds at first the clinks and clacks of metal against ceramic. However, as she confessed she would be attending a tournament, he sat up and listened. So it was a smaller one; not uncommon for the Tops to host smaller tournaments to find contestants for its larger ones. They only wanted the best performing there, to give the crowds a means to truly watch spectacular Duels.

And it was because of this that he knew exactly who was going to be there. The one that had abandoned them so easily, so long ago: Jack Atlas. King of Duel Monsters.

Still, he showed no real anger, even as she mentioned his name. Only looking at her as she mentioned that the tournament spot selection was his idea, a small amused smile on his face. "Can't say I'm surprised; though he seems to have gotten tighter control over how these things function. Last year a tournament allowed the top four to advance; maybe he's still looking for that ultimate challenge. Someone he wants to consider an equal in Dueling." And he knew that being the idol of the Dueling Circuits that Jack was, his opinion mattered greatly on things like this.

"And whatever might happen, Fayth, I'll do everything I can to get you back across. That much I can promise...Hopefully if we leave at the right time, we'll not have to worry about Sector catching us." he then added

The young man knew better than to press, even if it was fairly clear that she wasn't telling him everything; she never did explain why she traveled all the way from the Tops just to get some cards in Satellite. Especially since then she wouldn't have to deal with owners like Yoichi making potentially sensitive topics the reason for a scuffle in their own store.

What was that old saying? Lesson learned, yeah, that was it.

Once their food was finished, he cleaned up and helped direct her to the spare cot he had; there was still someone he kept in touch with, hence his having it here in case he needed a place to crash. But lately he'd been so busy that he hadn't had a chance to see him in a while...Maybe tomorrow after dropping off Fayth, he would go swing by and see how things were.

"Sleep well, Fayth" was all he then said, letting her keep his jacket if she so wished; it was going to be cold tonight, and the blankets he did have weren't exactly the familiar thick kind that held heat well. He was used to it, but not knowing if she was it made more sense to give her another layer in case she wanted it.


Hotsuma's body was alive with sensation, delighting in feeling his lover lose herself even with the cast on. Her tight sex clenched around his, helping him reach even deeper and deeper each time their hips met, that thick tip hitting her depths harshly as their passion rose higher and higher.

Truth be told, there wasn't any telling how the next few days or weeks would play out, however long it took them to plan their final rallying cry against Sector. So it was best they enjoyed themselves as much as possible tonight...Because both of them knew it could likely be the last for a little while.

"Sh-shit, Yuna!" he gasped as she rode him harder and harder, her heated cries spurring his own pleasure further onward. His member beginning to twitch inside her as the familiar tingle of impending release grew in his loins. And even if he wanted to pull it, it was becoming increasingly obvious that she wanted no such thing...

"Yuna!"

That was his last cry before both of his hands gripped her rear forcefully, holding her down just as her climax would start milking his madly throbbing cock, the tip pressed firmly against her cervix as his head threw itself back against the pillow. A thick shot of cum shooting out of the tip and flooding her with heat. With each contraction of her pussy, a thick wad would pump into her womb, filling her more and more until her body was full; a thin stream soon leaked from where they were joined as his climax died down, leaving him panting as he fell against the mattress, his chest heaving and the pleasant afterglow starting to set in.

"W..hoo...Damn...Yuna..." he breathed, grinning devilishly up at her, "That was...fhu...incredible...".



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The next day, Fayth and Yusei were up at near the crack of dawn, a small breakfast consisting of precooked rice and some furikake sprinkled on it to give some flavor. It wouldn't be much of a meal, but hopefully something to hold her over until she got back to her place.

Thankfully, with her not having packed anything, it was a simple affair to get their things together and head out for Domino City. And while he did have some business over there, he thought that maybe now wouldn't be the best time; another point in the future would be a likelier opportunity. He knew how things worked over here, even if he didn't come over here that often.

Once they arrived at her place, Yusei helped her disembark and lead her to her studio: It was a decent place, that much was certain, and he was happy she was able to find something out here.

"Well Fayth...I guess this is where we part ways for now. But maybe we'll see each other again; one thing I've learned is that the world's a lot smaller than we realize." he then said after being let in to help guide her to a good point in her house, shaking her hand and adding, "And good luck to you in the tournament; I hope you find what you're looking for." And all that would be heard was the tell-tale 'click' of the door being shut, the young woman left alone again to forge onward.
 

Oh? Does he know him on a personal note?

The way Yusei reacted to her news about the tournament and her guess on what Jack appeared to be doing hinted that seemed to be the case. Especially when he replied with him not being surprised. It suggested that at least in some regard, Yusei knew Jack. Well ... that was typically what these things meant, anyway. But it was his business if he wanted to admit that much to be true or not, just as it was her own to decide if she wanted to reveal more of herself.

While she felt rather confident in trusting Yusei, it was fear in others getting anything she could tell him.

Although he'd proven in the earlier fray back in the alley Yusei was indeed strong, he was still only human. With the right button pushing, per se, even he could crack and relay any information she may end up telling him. Furthermore, with everything sounding like it was escalating to rather dire levels back in the Pendulum Dimension, Fayth actually did have enemies that would resort to really violent measures. Some on the same level as taking away sight ... and some even worse. It wasn't an easy thought to dwell on it, but it was most certainly possible.

When he repeated his promise to get her back to the Tops, Fayth lifted her head and offered Yusei a smile. "You don't have to reassure me, if that's what you're trying to do. You really are one of the few people here I can trust, it seems."

How'd she know?

Because there were tons of opportunities Yusei could have tried anything. From attempting to rob her then and there or abuse her in any fashion. But whilst Fayth had stayed around Yusei, he made no such efforts. It was those types of displays which strengthened her belief he was one of the few good men residing in the Satellite.

"But ... thank you all the same. For everything; the rides, being a temporary guide and bodyguard ... literally, everything. I really don't wanna think on would have happened if you didn't show up."

When the last of her meal was consumed, she set her spoon down in the now empty bowl and followed Yusei into the bedroom Fayth was given to use. Her hands moved down, slowly brushing against the sheets so she could feel exactly where everything was. Once her fingertips felt the sheets and pillow, Fayth kept her hands down on top of the surfaces. Her feet, meanwhile, kicked her shoes off before finally, she slid under the covers. Soon, the jacket was placed back over her.

"I'll definitely try to. Sleep well also, Yusei."

Her eyelids shut, concealing the empty sockets hidden beneath the blindfold. That was one of the few good things about her forced state. With no way to stare at any distracting ceilings or anything, it was usually easy for Fayth to fall asleep. Staying asleep was, more often than not, the true challenge.
"Ahhh, yes! Mmm, fuck!"

It was annoying; the nagging voice in the back of her head constantly reminding her they weren't completely alone. Even if they were for now, that wouldn't last forever. And it was the only thing keeping Yuna's moans and cries from increasing in volume.

Even still, she at least managed to keep most of her attention on her lover as opposed to fretting about anyone walking in on them.

Yuna's breasts bounced as she kept riding. Her already sensitive nipples seemed to stiffen more, as did her clit. Her teeth latched tightly onto her lower lip as she threw her head back and let out a muffled but still audible mewl. The moment Hotsuma caved in and erupted inside her, she joined suit, soon beginning to coat his rod in copious amounts of slick juices.

"YESS!!! MMMMHHH!"

Her hands instinctively gripped onto Hotsuma's shoulders, forgetting one was still in the midst of healing until her muscles moved and she winced. Yuna chuckled, flashing a sheepish grin to her lover.

"Fine. Point made. It was indeed for the best I stayed on top this time around. Aside from my brief stupidity though, mhmmm. It was most definitely incredible."

Leaning down, Yuna lightly pressed her lips atop Hotsuma's. She meant to roll off of him and sleep on her side ....
But, alas, ended up passing out quicker than Yuna could move.

When morning arrived for the two leaders, Yuna first had to do a few other tasks before meeting up with her men. Replace the sheets was step one, followed by a needed shower.

It wasn't a surprise to see both Yamichi and Hajime already awake and even looking like they were waiting for herself and Hotsuma.

"Soo ... Yamichi-san? Since you're the best with tech stuff, this question's for you. Any chance you may be able to somehow hack into the Facility's cameras? It'd be easier to know the layout ahead of time, so that even when we declare our war, we won't be completely lost. But if absolutely necessary, I'm sure me and Hotsuma can figure something else out."

Fayth, meanwhile, had gotten up easily enough. The lack of sight made it easier to wake her up; more so compared to most others, who probably would have bitched and whined about being shaken at dawn.

But because she couldn't see it had been that early, she didn't protest.

... Not for more than a few seconds, anyway.

"This is a nice jacket. Thank you."

She'd wait until being led back to the table to drape it over the chair beside her, not caring if it was empty or the exact one Yusei was using. Once she finished her meal, all Fayth needed to do was grab the cards she'd bought and followed behind Yusei. Both arms would wrap again around his waist, ensuring she didn't fly off his Wheeler or risk any type of injury to herself.

Between her directions and him seeming to know his way around, the drive would be relatively short.

A grin was on her face as she walked forward, tracing her fingers over the numbers to confirm this was the right location.

Her smile couldn't help but widen as she listened to Yusei's musings.

"One thing I've learned is that the world's a lot smaller than we realize."

Smaller? On the contrary, it's huge. Way more than any of you realize.

But ... that was alright. For now, she was alright with keeping him and everyone else in the dark about where she truly hailed from. No one needed to know certain facts about her.

The true origins of where Fayth actually belonged was definitely one of them.

"Indeed, it is," she agreed; not as a lie. In some regards, he was right. It definitely felt small, even though that wasn't how shee viewed it. The odds of having certain encounters, however, did give truth to his own thoughts, and that was mainly what made her concur with him.

"You seem to know how to do this well but ... take care."

Lifting her head in hopes of making eye contact as best as Fayth could, she waved before turning and walking further into her house. Sure enough, the half-expected closing of her door echoed in her ears.

... And then ... nothing. Soon, Fayth was surrounded by the all-familiar sound of silence.

Which while it wasn't a bad thing, it was tiring to be constantly around at times. Now seemed to be one of them.

"You got things to do," she muttered to herself, slipping her shoes off and hurrying into her room. There were two major things Fayth needed to do, with one being much easier than the other for the small tournament.

Complete her deck ... and come up with a fake name. Just in case.
 

The night before had certainly been a wild one, even if it had been only one round. All the same, he was glad they went for it...And if anyone heard, well, they'd just deal with that in the morning. "Just remember that we're about to blow the war horn against Sector...And tough as you are, don't need those cowards trying to exploit a jacked-up shoulder." he teased, giving her a light touch on the nose.

However, both of them would fall asleep, their bodies still as she laid atop him. The bed messed with evidence of their carnal activities, both of them looking rather content. They both knew that bringing their relationship up now wouldn't do them any good, so unless anyone asked they had an unspoken agreement to keep it silent. And when she would take her turn in the shower, he would follow after she'd finished. Following close behind her as they went to greet their underlings.

Yamichi paused when she asked about hacking the Facility's cameras, looking up from his meal as he pondered her query. "Honestly? I have no clue; I haven't even tried yet. But if it's as tight on security as I've heard, it'll more than likely be completely closed circuit. Hard back-ups of all footage to local storage, heavily encrypted transmissions, the whole deal like that. Not saying it would be impossible...But when exactly are you guys planning on doing this suicide mission?"

Hotsuma just laughed, "Suicide? Buddy, you're getting all worked up for nothing. We'll stroll in there and come right back out, I promise." At this Yamichi slammed his chopsticks down and looked fiercely at his boss, tears pricking the corners of his eyes "That's what you said when you went across the bay, and look what happened there! Seriously, Hotsuma, you're not invincible you fucking idiot!" And without giving them another chance to ask, Yamichi got up and left the table, Hotsuma asked as he tried to chase him "Hey, hey, wait man, where you going?" to which the young techie responded harshly "Out, I need some air".

And just like that, he was gone. Leaving Hotsuma thoroughly confused but also knowing exactly what Yamichi was referring to; maybe he was being too care-free though. "Uh...Yuna, I hate to say this, but I think we're going to be on our own for this one."

"Boss...You know he'll come around...Just give him some time" Takeshi chimed in, Hotsuma just shaking his head, "Not in enough time he won't; it's going to get a lot worse." The young man knew what was up, to an extent: The poor guy had his own tragedy, lost someone important. but that was all he got out of him. And Yamichi earned the right to a secret; Hotsuma knew if he wanted to share he would.

"So, what is the plan exactly? We gotta hold down the fort again?" asked his fourth, Hotsuma nodding, "Yeah...But I won't lie, if things go as we expect them to, we'll be kicking the hornet's nest hard as fuck this time. Sector's going to respond violently, and there's no doubt going to be fallout. Which is what I'm going to make asking of you all even more important: Spread the word. Don't say we're going in, but let them know shit is about to hit the fan."


Yamichi, meanwhile, had taken the D-Wheeler used for transport and rode; thankfully he'd traveled enough with Sosuke/Hotsuma and knew his way around. And with the rig on his wrist, he could pick up incoming Sector patrols all too easily. He was tapped into virtually everywhere on Satellite that had reliable electricity, something his boss had used many times to great advantage.

But the moron was being too reckless now; just what had happened in the Tops to make him want to storm the Facility? The place was a fortress, even if they did get in, how the fuck were they going to get back out? If they started a riot in there, the guards would sure as hell execute the two of them.

Eventually Yamichi reached his destination: A small overlook on the South Side of Satellite, overlooking the city and the ocean that it bordered. Memories came back, memories of that day. Memories of a lover lost, someone that had given their life to make sure he could escape Security's wrath. A place he had thought safe, even in the harshness of the Satellite.

"Yamichi...You talk like this is our last goodbye. When Sector comes, I want you to run. I'll hold them back, and meet you at the rendezvous. Don't worry, little guy...I'm a lot tougher than the girly figure implies."

The voice was warm, kind, even when faced with such overwhelming odds...It was a bittersweet comfort, an event that made his eyes wet and glisten with tears. Especially since he couldn't even be around to help him in a time of need.

"He said the same thing too, Hotsuma...And now he's dead. Baka, all this bravado's just going to get you killed." he whimpered, eyes squinching shut as his fists clenched.


Goodwin and Jack decided that this first series of tournaments would be a far better selection process than just letting anyone apply; by scanning multiple groups of people across several tournament platforms, it would help weed out those that clearly weren't fit to participate. And plus, by downsizing the slots, it would make sure that only the best and most talented would have the greatest chances of showing up. And the prize pool wasn't half bad either: The top two of each smaller tournament would get a chance to compete in the Fortune Cup, one of the hottest tournaments that would precede the World Racing Grand Prix. But what surprised Goodwin the most was that Jack wanted to participate in the first one; he was already given a spot in the Fortune Cup, but he supposed the boy was following his impulses and wanted to remind everyone of his status.

"So Jack...I'm assured that you're ready to face whoever comes your way? I was informed of your encounter with that strange woman by your associates; you really should have come to me. I would have seen her barred and jailed." Goodwin remarked, Jack just letting out a 'Tch' and replying "Someone as insignificant as her isn't worth your attention or mine. Besides, she'll face the King's wrath if she comes near me again."

Goodwin just chuckled, "Yes, yes...Well, I'm glad to see you're excited for this. We should get a nicely sized contestant pool once all the smaller Selection Tournaments are concluded. You'll have a chance to crush them all and show everyone who the real King is." Jack only nodded, "They already know who the King is, and this tournament will be a reminder as to why I'm at the top." adding as he clenched a fist, "Why I'm the Dueling King!"

However, before their meeting could continue, Goodwin received a message on his personal communicator. One of his field agents reported in, saying it was urgent. "Pardon me, Jack, but it seems this requires my attention." Jack just said, "Sure; I'll be here preparing for the tournament."

Stepping outside, "Officer, there had better be a damned good reason you're calling me directly..." However, he stopped as he heard the other voice on the line state his reasoning, the white-haired man's eyes going wide as his pace noticeably increased, nearly sprinting back to his office and meeting a familiar face.

"They got WHAT!? Officer Kazama, I demand an explanation; you had better not be joking with me! Especially since you risked breaking your cover!" Goodwin practically shouted, the blue-haired male taking a step back, "Director, s-sir, I just thought you should see this..." and the man gently placed a white-bordered card on the table. One Goodwin knew all too well...

"Beelze...How did those rats get this?" Goodwin snarled, taking a seat as he looked at the powerful Dragon card. And he was so damn sure Divine had something to do with it; that circus show of his had freaks of every nature there...But this was irrefutable proof that thugs from Satellite had raided their convoy. "Sir...Syd got it from the Fiend. He hand-delivered it to him personally." Kazama explained, the revelation only seeming to make the Director angrier. That damned punk, he thought; this 'Fiend' was starting to become more than just an annoyance. If he coordinated a successful raid on a Sector convoy and gave cards like Beelze out as if they were candy...Maybe he should mobilize now.

"And your friend...Where is he?" Goodwin asked pointedly, Kazama replying "R-right outside, sir..." This was followed by Kazama being dismissed, Goodwin saying "Keep the card for now; now that Syd gave it to you he'll be expecting you to use it. Do what you must." And right as Kazama left, Goodwin would see another face come in, his right arm bandaged and still in a sling

"Well...Glad to see you're not too hurt; I do hope Officer Yui apologized." said the Director, the young man nodding "Thankfully her gun was the only one trained on me...And that she has terrible aim. I'm sorry sir...I heard about the convoy attack; I had no way of knowing he would do something like this." Goodwin seemed rather easy to forgive with him, saying "Well...You were sent somewhere different. We had hoped you could provide intel at that point, especially their base of operations." The young officer shook his head, "Unfortunately, the base is somewhere hidden among hundreds of other warehouses in a large processing district. And each route we took only two people knew, and it was changed every time to counter the beat officer's routes."

Goodwin sighed, "And you, Agent Raiko, were not one of those people. We put you undercover so that you could infiltrate and discern the location." At this the officer replied, "Sir, with all due respect, these aren't amateurs. They stripped their headquarters of any and all markings, filed off all company logos; looking for it by name would take way too long. Let me back out there; I can get him, sir!"

At this Goodwin placed his chin on his interlaced fingers, "No...He'll believe you're either dead or detained in the Facility. Exposing you again would be too much of a risk; and if he finds out you were part of his organization...There's no telling how he would react. I'm sorry, Agent Raiko, but effective immediately you're being reassigned to the Facility. It's the best cover for you now...Report to Overseer Armstrong in the morning."

Raiko, that young man that had tagged along with Sosuke for so long, seemed despondent at being stripped of the chance to nail the Fiend. But, orders were orders, and he just crisply saluted with his good arm. "Sir!" he replied, Goodwin just saying "As you were." before Raiko would take his leave. Leaving the Director to rub his temples and groan, "These fools...They don't see I'm trying to help them..."



On the eve of the tournament, the New Domino Duel Stadium was quickly filling up. Contestants and spectators alike poured into the respective entryways, those wanting to participate laughing and joking with each as they stood in line to register. Sector was here in force, mostly to ensure no one got TOO rowdy but at the same to escort those using forged cards; more than once, someone would see a contestant being pulled aside after their decks were verified to have fraudulent cards or they had made illegal modifications to their Duel Disks. Because they kept the pools small for this tournament, there would be no Turbo Dueling yet. Only Ground Duels, and those would not be selected this time around would get another shot at one of the other Selection Tournaments.

"Name?" asked a young male volunteer, wearing a shirt emblazoned with Jack Atlas and his signature monster Red Dragon Archfiend on the back, the symbol of perseverance and Dueling as a whole. A true icon to Duel Monsters players everywhere...Thankfully, the woman he was asking wouldn't be able to see this, despite him not knowing that.

"And when you're done, please slide your deck into the reader...Nothing personal, but we were instructed to make sure all cards are legal; I can't believe someone would use fake cards...Who does that?"
 

Yuna nodded after thinking over Yamichi's reply. "Fair enough," she mused softly under her breath. "I suppose you've never really had any reason to try hacking into the Facility. Alright then." Her good arm crossed over her chest as she listened to the other Disciple, mentally noting his beliefs on how strong it'd be. "Well ... yeah. Makes sense. It's fine. Like I said, it's just preferred, not mandatory. Don't stress if you think it'll be too difficult. Besides, we're --- "

Her original sentence had been to finish with the following words.

"Not trying to put anyone else in danger."

But as quickly as it echoed in her mind, she heard Rose pipe up.

"And they should accept the fact you're about to do that so easily why now?"

Yuna grimaced, biting lightly on her lower lip before nodding to herself. Point made.

Sooo ... she altered it, deciding if it had to be done, she'd at least use a true sentence instead of a half-lie. "Adaptable. We'll figure something out." Not her preference, but she felt much better than if she had made herself utter complete bullshit to Yamichi.

"... Yamichi?"

It wasn't surprising that he didn't like this plan. But seeing him on the verge of tears? She hadn't thought this would go over that badly. Her head bowed slightly as she sighed, allowing Hotsuma to deal with him should he choose to. Yamichi was his comrade, after all. That being said, the feeling of a hand on her shoulder made her look back and see her own second-in-command.

"Honestly?" Hajime asked in a stern tone, "I can't blame his reaction. Do you two really need to do this?"

"I'm not gonna argue that this is definitely one of the craziest things I've done. You're all right about that much. But .. Hajime. I'd have thought you of all people would realize and understand nothing is going to change if we don't act. Hell, even if we tried to play it safe, that wouldn't guarantee our safety. If anything, not taking any action is - in my eyes - riskier. It gives Sector more chances to do whatever the fuck they want. Then what?"

When Hajime failed to come up with a quip, Yuna added, "Exactly. They're going to keep arresting people for bullshit reasons. And if they're not doing that, they will find other ways to abuse their power. You really want that to keep going on? It's a miracle Satellite hasn't officially become ruled by a dictator with how crappy everything is."

Hajime's hand squeezed down on Yuna's shoulder. Almost as if that grip alone would stop her ... or at least make her change her mind. But when he failed to see the determinatio leave Yuna's eyes, it slid down, finally falling at his side in defeat.

"I was going to tell Yamichi this but ... he ran off. Anywhere from a few days to a week. That's when we'll leave. We're gonna try to give my arm some time."

"Then make it two weeks!"

"I doubt I'll need that much time. If it turns out to be the case though, I will. Not happily, but I will. I promise." Her head tilted as Hajime spun her around, making her look right into his eyes. "Hm?" Her own widened slightly, a bit of crimson painting her face as Hajime wrapped his arms tightly around her. Yet somehow, he'd made sure to be cautious of her arm still in the sling.

"I'm fucking holding you to that promise, Yuna. You're all I have ... you know this. Shit, you're all any of us have. Don't you dare make this a suicide mission! It already sounds impossible enough as it is! What aren't you telling me?! You have a way to ensure this won't fail, right?! So what is it?!"

Yuna felt her heart sink. She didn't want to lie ... but giving an honest response would lead to more questions. Thus, she took the less popular but still usable option of staying perfectly silent. Were she in a video game, it'd be the "..." option.

"Goddamnit, Yuna. I wish you'd .... ugh! Fine! If you're not gonna talk, I guess I can't make you. But you damn well better come back much faster than wherever you just got away from."

"Hajime. When have I ever broken my promise to you?" When he weakly shook his head, Yuna smiled. "Exactly. I intend to keep that record going, okay? Now ... go relay to the others that I'll be leaving again soon. In case it does take more than a week for my arm to get better, omit any amount of days. At most, you can say before a month, because I'm pretty sure that much is fair enough to assume."

" ... Fine .... " Shakily pulling away from the embrace, Hajime looked between both Yuna and Hotsuma, silently hoping one of them would change their minds. When his eyes noticed no change in how the two looked or seemed to feel, he elicited a defeated sigh and walked away, beginning to work on the task Yomi's leader had given him.

"... You really can't make everyone happy as the old saying goes," Yuna muttered, looking just a bit disheartened as she watched Hajime leave. She didn't like making people on her better side upset. Even still, she wasn't about to change her mind, despite the display she'd gotten. Her own words had held truth in them. And besides, it'd make the entire point of creating Yomi and disguising herself as Yukio pointless. She wasn't about to make all the various risks and sacrifices she'd taken - be it or herself or her men - in vain. It'd be an insult, and Yuna refused to make such a gesture to everyone in this building.
Just like Fayth had expected, making her new Fairy deck complete had been the easy part of getting ready for the tournament.

The naming process, however, was a different story.

She had tried to figure out something that gave an almost fairy-like ring to it ... but one that was obviously real enough. Her first thought, thus, had been changing 'Fayth' to 'Fae' but ... no. That was dumb. And even if that wasn't the case, it didn't sound half as good to her.

Nothing immediately came to her so .... she slept on it.

Luckily, Fayth woke up and seemed to know exactly what she wanted to use.

When her turn in the seemingly eternal line finally arrived, she would reply to the young man with her new, fake name. "Celeste Belrose, sir."

Indeed, it was definitely for the best she didn't see such a shameless promotion for a shirt. Otherwise ... well ... she'd have quite the reaction. And it'd likely be unpleasant; enough to draw the wrong kind of attention.

"Oh?" she inquired, playing along at sounding as taken aback as this man was with the concept of people using fake cards. On the inside, however, she was hiding a smirk.

Good. It meant you opting to buy this deck from Satellite wasn't done solely from sheer paranoia.

She knew this had been fueled on by her encounter with Jack. It took every bit of Fayth's willpower not to scoff in annoyance. Her Sylvan deck was perfectly legal. These idiots just didn't know that yet. "Well," she stated, "Some people sink to the absolute lowest of measures just to get what they want. I swear, some people are so selfish that they act more like children than their actual age."

Just like a very certain king of yours ...

Hoping he was focusing more on her than her hands, Fayth discreetly made sure to lightly brush the device so she knew where it was before raising her other hand and complying, sliding the deck into place. She'd wait ... and grinned when the tell-tale beep confirmed the cards were fine.

In truth, Fayth had been a bit worried she may have gotten ripped off by that shop owner. So it was good to know that much had been genuine from the bastard.

"Thank you."

Offering the young man a polite bow of her head, Fayth - now posing as Celeste - walked forward, joining the crowd of others who had gotten through the registration process. Now .... she had to play the waiting game for a bit.

Hopefully not too long, she inwardly prayed.
 

Hotsuma just watched on as Hajime confessed his own fears; so much for no more secrets, he thought. But it was for the best, for the exact reasons Yuna was thinking. It would be too much too quickly, and right now they couldn't risk anyone else getting too involved.

No, this was best something kept secret for now. Later, when they got out, they would tell everyone. And he would make sure Yuna followed through on it...Tell them everything. They'd been too loyal to not deserve the full truth, even if it would lead to some uncomfortable revelations.

"Besides, boy...These soldiers of yours are right; without this power, you would virtually no chance of success." he then heard the Emperor pipe up; much as he wanted to tell the armored dickbag to shut it, his Spirit was dead-on. They would be catching Sector by surprise, and it was too risky to assume that everyone in the Facility would be willing to help them once they got in.

This was of course, assuming they didn't get shot on sight...After all, this plan was quite literally going to be handing themselves over to Sector. They had to play this smart, otherwise it would go very wrong very quickly. He didn't know what to expect.

"So...Guess you guys are really going through with this..." Takeshi asked again, Hotsuma nodding "We have to. Sector won't change unless something drastic happens, and if it falls to us to make it happen...Then so be it." Takeshi, despite being cool with it, still didn't seem totally sold on it being able to work. "Just tell me what I need to do..." his number four stated, Hotsuma saying "Like I said...Let the others know that the hammer's going to fall. Within the month at the latest, tell them all to ready up. Because once this is over, it's going to get messy." Before Takeshi would leave though, Hotsuma asked, "Find Yamichi, would you? Just make sure he's alright."

Once Hajime and Takeshi left, finished trying to talk them both out of this craziness, the two leaders were alone again. "No...And I don't really blame them." he replied, resting a hand on his lover's shoulder. "But what you said isn't wrong; appeasement doesn't work. Not with a force like Sector; they're a group you have to punch in the mouth to get them to listen. And I can promise you this: Everything we've sacrificed to this point, everything those blue-suited bastards stole from us will be repaid in full and then some."

Giving Yuna a smile, he then added "We will do this, Yuna; there's no reason we can't succeed. Not now, not with the gifts we've been given...But now the question is, do we just march up to the Facility? Or do we find a smaller patrol and have them arrest us? My only problem is that if we want to minimize casualties, we'll need to have a smaller force bring us in. I only say that because I also don't want us giving away our powers if we can help. At least not until we're inside, you know?"


"No problem at all, Ms. Belrose; you're contestant number eight. Just in time too; this particular tournament is only meant for that many people." he replied, sliding a placard that could be pinned to her clothes, the edge just touching her fingers. "Please make your way through the double doors behind me, that will lead you to the main arena floor. Best of luck to you."

Once she might be outside on the main floor, surrounded by six others who were chosen to participate, she would hear that the stadium was packed. The Fortune Cup was a large announcement in its own right, and the tournaments that were made for selecting those able to participate in it were equally attractive prospects.

But wait, there was supposed to be eight, right? Where was the last contestant? That was a question she would hear some of the others asking.

And in a matter of moments, the announcer ascended from a platform in the center of the stage, his lithe figure dressed in a sharp red pink-red suit and holding his microphone up in front of him.

"Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the VERY FIRST SELECTION TOURNAMENT! I'm your Master of Ceremonies, but you can just call me MC! Now listen, we have a short but exciting night for you all! Eight contestants, and only two will advance to the Fortune Cup! Who's ready for a clash of brave souls? Let me hear you, New Domino!" At this the crowd seemed to erupt in cheers, MC holdng the microphone high to capture the sound, or at least that was how he made it look.

"And that's not all everyone; fitting to his title, we have a special someone enrolled in the very first Selection Tournament! You all know him, you all love him! Introducing the King, the Master of Faster, JACK ATLAAAAS!" If the first set of cheering wasn't loud enough, when the blonde-haired Dueling icon rose up from the same pedestal that MC came from, it seemed like the very stadium would fall apart from the noise.

Jack listened to the thunderous applause, unresponsive and passive as his eyes traveled over the group of seven others...Until he saw a familiar face, his fists clenching; so, she snuck in here to try and Duel her way into the Fortune Cup too. No matter; even if she made it to the finals of this tournament, he would utterly destroy her. She would feel the weight of his stare as he glared at her, but saying nothing as MC would approach.

"Jack, anything you'd like to say to the fans and everyone at home?" he asked, Jack taking the microphone and saying, "You are all here because you either love Dueling to its core, or because you wanted to showcase that you were some of the best New Domino has to offer. For those that compete here today, I give this solemn advice: Fight with every fiber of your soul, give every ounce of strength you can muster! Even if you are down to but a single Life Point, never back down, never surrender! So says the King!" This of course was met with even more applause, Jack handing the device back to MC casually.

"Alright, folks, now here we go! Let's get this party started! Who will be the first matchup?!"

A giant screen showed names being randomly generated...But finally it landed on two names:

Jack Atlas vs. Hagarty Blanther.

"And just like that folks, Jack Atlas is the first to Duel!" MC declared, jumping back to let the two duelists - the other being a scrawny male in a blue vest and jeans with nearly fluorescent green hair - square off against each other. And once the coin toss was called, Jack had won it, saying he would attack later.

And once their LP reached 8000, both Duelists just said "Duel!"

And four turns later, Jack Atlas emerged the victor; his opponent had tried to use a burn combo with Bad Reaction to Simochi, but Jack's Resonator Destruction put an end to that. Combined with his Exploder Dragonwing and Crimson Blader, the opponent was essentially deadlocked. And Atlas, meanwhile, didn't lose a single Life Point, even without Red Dragon Archfiend or Stardust Dragon on his field.

"And Jack Atlas takes the first round! Now listen, the next round is about to begin! Let's see who our next two contestants are!" And once more, the names cycled through, this time landing on:

Celeste Belrose vs. Johnny Cage.

"Allllllllright, will the next two contestants please make their way to the stage?" Everyone would see that her opponent, unlike the last guy, was absolutely enormous. "Hah, what's this scrawny bitch gonna do, throw a frying pan at me? Only place she belongs is in the kitchen! Funny because I'm about to serve her up a serious asswhooping!"

MC just stayed silent, only saying "Alright and a flip of the coin! Call it!" "Heads!" Johnny shouted, a few moments later and the call came out, "Tails! Ms. Belrose has the call!" Cage just snorted and said, "Don't matter; whichever she chooses, I'm going to just flatten her where she stands! You hear that, Belrose?! Women don't belong in Dueling!"
 

As quickly as the two had been surrounded by their comrades and co-workers, the leaders would find themselves alone once more. A weak smile spread over her face as she felt her lover's hand rest on a shoulder. Her head tilted up as she looked at him. The same resolve Hajime had noticed was most definitely still easy to see in her eyes. Now, however, the sorrow she'd been hiding had mingled in with her determination. A low sigh passed her lips as reached back and intertwined her hand into one of Hotsuma's.

"Oddly, I'm not scared about us failing this. I'm a bit more worried ... "

After a temporary pause, Yuna smirked and chuckled softly. "Nah. I'll just leave it unspoken for now. Not because I don't trust you or anything, but as a precaution. I somehow find the damnedest ways of jinxing myself. I used to always tell myself I'd never be found out. It was like a shitty morning prayer. And look what happened? Granted, the guise remained for a while buuuut ... still. This is something I don't want to push my luck with."

Turning around so she could properly face Hotsuma, Yuna leaned forward, giving his cheek a peck before listening to his suggestions.

"I would have opted to say smaller force myself anyway; not because I'm scared of too many Sector bastards. However, less is more. Especially on the possibility we find rookies, or relatively new members. It'll decease our chance of getting shot on sight. Then again ... I think the focus will be a bit more on you, to be honest. Unless they somehow piece I'm the same person who's been keeping so many others hidden away ... I'm just going to look like a very unlucky and unfortunate bitch to them."

The mischievous glint that shined in her hazel orbs hinted she'd be fine with that.

"Ignorance really can be bliss. And that's why they can think whatever they wish. It won't matter in the end."

Now ... how to kill time? Repeating yesterday, sadly, wouldn't be an option. Hajime and Takeshi would be looking for them, and likely sooner than later. "Hmm. Maybe there's something amusing to watch?" Yuna din't typically resort to watching TV. However, during times like now when she had literally almost nothing to do ... it seemed like a good choice. "Heh! I'll have to thank whoever was last using this! They chose something very interesting, I see!"

The live broadcasting of the mini-tournament immediately came into view, with Jack delivering his speech before it officially started. Her eyes rolled as she finished listening to the so-called King. "Shame. That would have been a pretty damn appealing address .... if it wasn't so fucking easy to see and hear he's the most fake King I've ever seen in my life. Good riddance."

It didn't surprise Yuna that Jack was "randomly" chosen to duel in the first round. In fact, her eyes rolled again as she scoffed. "Ugggh. If we didn't have to worry about planning shit, I'd beg for a drink. I do have some sake stowed away for appropriate moments."

None had really ever arrived ... not before their recent set of incidents with Arcadia. So it was only natural that, unless him or any of his men had somehow stumbled upon her secret sake stash, it would be another secret Hotsuma was just learning about. But at least a pleasant one ... hopefully.

"Unfortunately," she muttered in a slightly irritated tone, "He can at least do one thing Sector can't; back up his bravado. And that's about the only thing I'll applaud him for." As the opponents for the second fight appeared, Yuna leaned forward, an eyebrow raising. She even got out of her seat and moved closer to the screen, stopping when her face was mere inches away from the display. "Oi ... am I seeing things?"

She would move aside before pointing to the woman whom had been addressed as Celeste, "Is ... she really blind?!"

The musing sounded something in between intrigued and horrified. How did she intend to duel at all? Clearly, she had a way. Otherwise, she wouldn't have applied and entered this tournament; that was Yuna's hopes, anyway. "It may be slightly biased, but I think I'll root for her." A grimace appeared on Yuna's face when her opponent immediately decided to try to talk her down. "Yep. She's definitely got my vote, regardless. Scum like him just needs a good beating."

Yuna stayed sitting on the floor, watching eagerly and hopefully as the match officially started up.
Fayth bowed her head, not needing to be told twice to walk through the double doors. "Thank you. I definitely intend to make an impact." Whereas before, she had been able to wear a hood to help hide the blindfold, it had been too warm today. As such, it was out in the open. Not her preference ... but it wouldn't do the guised woman any good to pass out from something like heat stroke. After navigating her way, she felt the twin set of doors and entered, taking note of the voices that briefly stopped ... only to resume. Suffice to say, her eyebrows raised when they were asking why they were one short.

Huh? I'm the eighth, though. That's what he just told me, right? Sooo .....

That was indeed a damn good question. Where was the last person, then, if she wasn't it?

Slowly, the MC began revealing why there had only been seven instead of eight. It took every ounce of Fayth's will power not to groan out loud. Of course. Of fucking course Fate would make her have to risk going against that pathetic, egotistical prick again.

Whyyyyyyyyy?! Ugh! This dimension, I fucking swear!

A faint smirk spread over her face as she felt what had to be Jack staring at her. It was similar to the sensation Fayth had felt when dueling his bodyguards. And it was a glare that all but screamed 'How fucking dare you come here!'.

Hmph. Joke's on you; I got my own good reasons, like 'em or not.

Her head stayed raised proudly, heeding his own advice as she refused to back down. Including from the attempt to intimidate her.

If you have any brains, you'll know I have a legal - and thus new - deck.

But should he have not assumed that? Well, for one, he was even stupider than she'd originally thought. Two, he would find out soon enough. Although the entrance into the Fortune Cup was a bonus, only the top 3 duelists would earn the money. So, she had to get to the Semi-Finals, if not the very last round.

Fayth would have been more than ready to mimic Jack and simply say the word 'Duel'.

... But no. She had been put against a goddamn, sexist talker. Fayth would stay silent, placing her deck into her disk as he went on and on. Blah, blah, blah, women are jokes. Blah, blah, blah, get ready to cry. Nothing she hadn't heard before.

"Hmph. Every time I run into another bastard like you, I hate how you can't back your words up. Don't worry though, you won't need to. I'll simply ram them right down your throat. If I'm really as easy as you believe, then I doubt you'll care if I go first?"

Sure enough, he even gave up on trying to partake in the coin toss. Her head shook from side to side, merely drawing her cards.

... And as her fingertips traced over the names of her neck deck, her smirk widened.

"Heh. Now I'm really going to make you pay for your words."

This is for you and the other gals, Masumi; since none of you can be here.

... Could they watch though? The thought briefly amused her mind before Fayth set it aside and focused on the main task at hand; her first duel. "I activate Valhalla, Hall of the Fallen. Forgive me for not wanting to explain, but this is where actions speak louder than words."

Plus, the MC can do that much for me.

"And so, I'll use it to special summon my goddess! Deity of love and beauty! Arrive, and help show our opponent why you're one of the most well-known, envied, and feared of all! The Splendid Venus, I summon thee! I then normal summon Dunames Dark Witch, set two cards, and end my turn."
 

Hotsuma smirked as she reaffirmed her confidence in this endeavor; it was good to see that she hadn't lost her nerve even though having her own team speak up against what she was doing. Something he had seen and had happen to him, even before they had ever met.

"That's just it though; all these new recruits aren't going to be expecting us to turn ourselves in. So we'll have the element of surprise on our side; plus, as you said, I have a fair bit of notoriety. They'll definitely jump on the chance to haul my ass in; in a way, it's kind of good you stayed behind the scenes mostly. You're a secret - and very much power-packing - weapon."

Unfortunately, he knew their attitude in general: Women were empty-headed and useless; he just about laughed as he pictured Yuna delivering a glorious smackdown to some Sector punks after making such an assumption. And thinking back to their first Duel together, it was even funnier when he realized they'd gotten their asses handed to them by the very people they looked down on more than others.

At the prospect of something amusing to watch, Hotsuma just shrugged, "Sure...Maybe we can find something that isn't a press conference about how good Sector's doing their job." However, he found that it was quite the opposite: A Dueling Tournament! "Aw, nice! Much as those pricks hoard all the good stuff, I suppose I can give them credit for hosting some killer tourneys.

Except that much like his partner, he just about face-palmed when their 'King' gave his speech about power. "Ah, what does that prick know about strength? I'd like to see him try and survive down here for a day, take him off his golden throne and throw him down in Cindy's territory. She'd rip his ass apart." The first Duel was short, naturally their 'King' coming out easily on top.

The next Duel, however, would show to be more interesting; the young woman was blind? Giving a low whistle, he just said "I'm right there with you; I hope she fucking humiliates. Dickheads like that give the rest of us a bad name."


Johnny just snorted as she talked back to him, "Like I said, arrogant bitch; order don't matter! I'll grind you under my heel!" his whole body tensing up as she made her first move.

"Whoa, and just like that Ms. Belrose summons a powerful Level 8 on the first turn! I can say this, she's definitely not going to be easy to beat! Johnny's going to have to come up with something to overcome THAT kind of wall! Can he back up his harsh words?" MC declared, Johnny just laughing "Fairies? You're gonna fight me with Fairies? Oh please no, don't let those winged pussies near me! Hahahaha!"

With his turn, he drew and grinned, "You want to see power, I'll show you power! I activate Ancient Rules, and Special Summon a Level 5 or higher Normal Monster. Arise, Gaia the Fierce Knight!" The monstrous beast appeared, posing majestically as its 2300 ATK appeared on the screens around the Stadium. "I then activate Pot of Greed and draw two cards!" When his hand was reinforced, he just grinned even more, "Now I'll show why women aren't allowed in Dueling! I summon Armed Samurai - Ben Kei in Attack Mode!"

With those two monsters he then said, "Here's where it gets fun! I activate Mask of Brutality, Demon's Axe and United We Stand! And I equip all three to Ben Kei!" The one monster, once at a measly 500 ATK, rose to 1500 with Mask, to 2500 with Axe, and then to 4100 with United We Stand. "Holy cow, folks, to have a monster with over 4000 ATK on their first turn! Unbelievable! Johnny may have given himself an edge here!" Grinning even more at MC's commentary, he then said, "I activate my final Magic Card, Hidden Armory! By sending the top card of my Deck to the Graveyard, I can add an Equipment Magic to my hand from my Deck or Graveyard..." A card slid out from somewhere near the bottom, his voice full of malicious joy as he said "I add Mage Power and of course, Ben Kei's ATK will rise even higher! It gains 500 ATK for every Magic Card I control, including this one!" And with this, Ben Kei stood at an impressive 6100 ATK. And with his hand at zero, it was clear this was his finishing combo.

"And that's nowhere near all of it, bitch! Ben Kei's a special monster, and one of my favorites. You see, with every Equip Card he's hooked up to, he can attack once more during each Battle Phase! So, I'll spell it out for you: You're finished!" Johnny shouted, putting a thumbs down gesture at the end as to solidify his victory. "My goodness, ladies and gentlemen! 5600 ATK and able to attack five times?! I think this might just spell the end for Ms. Belrose!" MC declared, jumping on top of his desk at the announcer's podium as he tried to use his talent to hype up the crowd, something which clearly was working.

"Battle! And first, Gaia will attack Dunames! Spiral Spear Strike!" he shouted, the mounted warrior charging at the weaker Fairy.


Yuna and Hotsuma watched on, seeing the battle unfold. Seemed this Cage guy cared only about power. "I get the feeling those two Set cards Celeste's got are going to have that roid-jockey some serious headaches." he said, having fetched a bag of crisps for both himself and Yuna along with some water.

However, when she didn't activate her face downs, Gaia's attack plowed right into Dunames...And both monsters ended up destroyed. "What the hell happened?" Johnny shouted, MC clarifying "Oooh, it seems Johnny made a slight miscalculation folks!" The screen showed Ben Kei's attack dropping from 6100 to 5600. Hotsuma just rose a brow; did she have something else in store? The answer came when the man then declared his first attack with Ben Kei. "Even if it's 500 points lower, it's more than enough to grind her pussy ass into dust! Strike down Venus, Ben Kei!" And as the armed warrior charged madly, it seemed that this attack would go through. "She's gonna feel this one if she doesn't do something..." Hotsuma mused; however, the set Card she placed would come in VERY handy.

"Trap card activate, Lumenize!"

And with its effect, the attack was negated...And soon Splendid Venus stood at a towering 8400 ATK, her aura now dwarfing that of the mountainous meathead that was her opponent. Which meant Johnny was about as useful as a wet tissue in a sneezing contest. Hotsuma just chuckled, "Dumbass; that's what he gets for not making sure to deal with her two face-downs first. I think you're going to get your wish, Yuna; his hand's at zero and all he has is Equip Cards on the field. That guy's toast."

"What a turnaround, folks! Miss Belrose has just used Johnny's own massive strength against him! It's not looking good, everyone! I think he might regret his bravado!" MC shouted, the crowd now cheering behind Fayth/Celeste as the situation had shifted rather unfavorably against her opponent. Snarling, Johnny just said "Turn end...Even if you destroy Ben Kei, I got others, bitch! 2800 points won't even faze me!"
 

Yuna's attention was so invested in the match that she didn't realize Hotsuma quickly snuck away to grab some snacks for them to nibble on. Turning and taking her bottle and bag, she bowed her head politely, eagerly whipping her head back around. "Fairies, huh?" she mused, unable to help but feel her smile widen. "They definitely aren't used much nowadays. I won't lie though; if it weren't for the fact that alone would have raised tons of eyebrows, I probably would have used that sorta deck instead of a warrior. But I knew you and everyone else would question why Yukio had a fascination. And ... I'm a shitty liar. Even when I have to, it's usually easy to tell."

Obviously, far more caution had been used before. Still, Hotsuma would know and remember what she was talking about. Yuna had purposely passed up multiple opportunities to lie when he walked in on her injured and feminine form.

But she hadn't ... not just because it wasn't something she hated resorting to. Every time she attempted to utter a new fib, it got caught in her throat.

"Unprepared lies are much harder for me to make convincing is what I'm trying to get at, I suppose."

When it shifted to Johnny's turn, Yuna clicked her tongue. "Good god; all brawn, no brain at all. I mean, sure. Now he's got a huge Ben Kai. But ... this is gonna be a train wreck for him. He just doesn't know it yet."

Hopefully it will be ...

She, too, had noted the two set cards. When the first attack went through though, Yuna couldn't help but feel her heart sink a bit. That wasn't a bluff, was it?

"HELL YEAH!"

She raised a clenched fist up, blushing slightly as she realized just how loud her voice had suddenly gotten. "Damn ... I kinda hope I can better meet her. She seems like a good, potential ally ... comrade .... whatever you term you wanna use."

But where had she come from? She didn't feel nor look like a Tops gal. And Yuna certainly hadn't seen her in the Satellite. It was odd to think she had really been able to stay hidden away for all these years. Then again, it wasn't completely impossible.

After all, you fooled so many into into believing you truly were a man. Why couldn't she have done the same?

Dismissing the matter, Yuna subconsciously leaned forward, simultaneously scooting back to prevent her own self from being too close to the TV screen. When she was at a better distance, Yuna opened her water bottle and took a sip of her drink, sighing contently as she continued to watch.
"Hmm .... "

As Johnny went on with his turn, Fayth couldn't help but feel torn between wanting to snicker and grimace. If she hadn't put her cards down, she would definitely be a lot more terrified. Still, she waited until she mentally counted the number of cards that got used.

And when it was noted he spent his entire hand on a bunch of spell cards, she caved in. Her foot stomped the ground as she began to bust out laughing. "Hahahaha! Oh my god! Seriously?! You may think I'm an idiot with my deck, but at least I have more intelligence than you. I'm going to show you why you just made the worst mistakes ever!"

It was that under any other circumstance, she would have activated Scrap-Iron Scarecrow.

But as it was?

There was no point in doing so.

Your sacrifice won't be in vain, Dunamas, she silently vowed, lowering her hand as she pushed down on one of the buttons near the lower portion of Fayth's duel disk. "Trap card activate, Lumenize! Thank you for buffing your Ben Kai up so much; now Splendid Venus gets all of the attack you gave in an effort to take me down."

If she could, Fayth would roll her eyes. Instead, she chose to click her tongue in annoyance, "Good riddance. Do shut up. You can't back your bravado up. And on the off-chance you don't know Venus' other effect, you have no way to stop any of my spells or traps from being activated. Your best chance is if you had any fairies, since they won't lose 500 attack. Given the insult you threw at me, though, it's safe to assume you don't. You literally have no chance of beating me at this point. But if you refuse to believe it .... I'll gladly show you. Draw!"

Reaching down and increasing her hand to three cards, Fayth felt the new one and smiled.

"You're just making this match even easier for me to win. Since you killed my Dunames, I get to do this. I activate Solidarity!"

The attack display shot again from 8400 to 9200.

"I'm not done either, boy. I summon Freya, Spirit of Victory. Because I have Venus on the field, you can't go after her. And I promise you that I have no intentions of allowing you to kill my goddess. Furthermore, Freya boosts all fairies - including herself - by 400."

While the smaller fairy was normally a laughable sight, going from 100 to 500, everything that Fayth relayed would make the situation more grim than usual. So unless he had something to wipe her field clean ....

"Annnd even if you have something like Raigeki ... "

Fayth lightly tapped her Valhalla card, "I can make up for it, and with even worse troops to send against you."

Apparently, Venus wasn't her ace card. That was the easiest assumption one could make with her insisting there was such a thing as 'worse', even though it wasn't easy to believe.

"Venus, you're up first!" The now 9600 attack point fairy flew over, wings flapping gracefully yet furiously. Her hands stretched out, stopping inches from Ben Kai's face. She would utter something in an unfamiliar tongue - likely Celestial - before a bright flash of light shined throughout the arena.

When it disappeared, Ben Kai was gone ... and a large, explosive aura from the life points that Johnny was rapidly loosing soon followed. His own duel disk would soon change. What used to read as "8000 LP" would now register as "4000 LP".

Knowing there was no way for Johnny to stop her, she would add once the tell-tale sounds of Ben Kai being sent away finished echoing in her ears, "Freya, your turn! Direct attack! With these attacks, I end my turn!"

Within the span of one turn, he wold be lowered down to 2700; more than less than half his life. But perhaps worse than him losing life points would likely be his injured pride, ego, and anything else Fayth had yet to mentally include.
 

"Can't be any worse than a Fiend wearing Dark Magician Girl around his neck; I'm sure you'd have gotten away with using Fairies. I mean, Sector pretty much wants me gone and I still have her." he joked, touching the pendant around his neck. "But no I get it; you had to keep up the guise. And you say you're bad with lying." he then teased her; she would know he was just messing with her. It was hard for most to come up with a lie on the spot, definitely a learned skill.

Still, watching the set again Hotsuma saw this Celeste woman completely deadlock her opponent, cutting his life by over half in one turn; basically now all his monsters were forced to attack her beatstick, and he had no cards in his hand or backrow to stop it. Not that he foresaw him being able to draw anything at all that would help him.

"I can't believe this, folks! Splendid Venus is all juiced up with nearly 10000 ATK! This is incredible; Miss Belrose is showing no mercy at all! Will Johnny be able to overcome this wall?" MC continued to announce, Hotsuma just laughing "Talk about energy, huh Yuna? You can tell that guy loves his job." And when her turn ended, Lumenize's effect did as well; still, even his Demons would have some trouble with a 4000 ATK card like Venus. And with Freya on the field, anything he had had to attack Venus.


The crowd cheered her on as Splendid Venus turned Ben Kai into fairy dust, followed up by the smaller but still strong Freya delivering a blast of her own. Cutting the giant man's LP down by a signficant margin. Meanwhile, on the stage, Johnny was fuming; this arrogant bitch! His massive fists clenching in anger, he looked like he was going to run over there and just start pounding on her. "My turn, I draw" he said, looking at the card he drew. "Funny you mentioned Raigeki, bitch...Because look what I just drew! I activate Raigeki and annihilate all your monsters! Now disappear!"

And with that, the bolt of lightning crashed down and vaporized her monsters. "You only have one card in your hand, two at your next Draw Phase! I got other monsters in this deck that make Ben Kai look weaker than you! Turn end!" Johnny laughed.

Jack all this time had been watching ringside, looking over every play Fayth had made; annoyed as he was she had intruded on his tournament, he was actually glad she was able to put this loudmouth in his place. Nothing was worse than someone who talked without any means of delivering through; now all that remained to be seen was how she was going to finish this match.



Hotsuma just watched on, seeing him pull Raigeki out and destroying her monsters. Going on a tirade about how he had even worse beasts than Ben Kai, the Disciples' boss rolling his eyes. "Ouch. Even so...Correct if I'm wrong, but Valhalla's effect will let her Special Summon any Fairy now, right? If she's got a decently powered monster in her hand, this guy just signed his own death warrant."

Leaning back in the chair he sat in, he just finished with "And honestly? I'm hoping she sweeps him this turn; his boasting getting's on my nerves."
 

Yuna whistled as she observed Venus jump to basically four times her original attack. Maybe three and a half if she wanted to actually do the math. But a quick glance said it was close to, if not, four times the attack Venus started out with. Granted, half of it had been from a trap but ... hey. She made it work out.

"Hmmm. Wonder if there's something for Warriors like Lumenize. I do have a select few things, but ... damn. I don't think I've gotten my monsters that high ever. I suddenly feel like a slight newbie now that I'm watching her."

Yuna's eyes rolled, a very audible groan of frustration passing her lips. "Duuuuude, seriously. Shut the fuck up. You didn't listen to anything she said at all. Prick." Her head would nod to confirm Hotsuma's question. "Mhmmmm, that's exactly what it's meant to do. Basically a Fairy version of Call of the Mummy. Between you and me though, he signed his death wish the moment he started smack talking her. Sure, I curse too. But it's not always directed at a person. And when it is ... it's justified. He's got nothing and .... ugggh! I'd be beating his ass if I could."

A quick glance at her arm hinted it wasn't just because they were in the wrong spot. This was the closest thing Yuna was having to a day off of work in hopes of allowing her arm time to recover. Supposed to be, anyway.

It was really odd for Yuna to find herself so intrigued at watching someone else, let alone wanting to meet them in person. She was typically much more selective on those types of thoughts. But with Celeste? She felt ... a kindred spirit of sorts.

And hell, the fact she's able to duel despite a major handicap like being blind? Fucking admirable.

Most people would probably have given into the usual emotions like despair, fear, or even anger. But not this one. That alone displayed she was mentally and psychologically stronger than most people - regardless of gender - in Tops and Satellite.
Cursing wasn't a new thing for Fayth. She'd already done it several times, both today and while in this dimension. Oddly, just as another woman in the Satellite was going on about doing so only when justified, the same was true with herself. And that was what was making her more and more frustrated with this opponent. In fact, she didn't really care that he played Raigeki; she had predicted that move because it was a believable one that would happen. Maybe not that soon, but it didn't phase or freak her out.

"You know? Our cards aren't monsters. There's only one monster ... and that's you. Your attitude is unnecessary. And at the same time ... it's all I need to hear to know just how scared and desperate you truly are."

Drawing her next card and tracing over the top, she chuckled softly.

"Whatever you may or may not have in your deck doesn't matter. You're not going to be able to show your cards off. I tried to warn you about Valhalla, but you didn't heed me. Final turn! I activate Valhalla's effect to summon my second goddess! O most holy paladin and deity of war - the domain most forget you are linked with - you're needed! Come prove your strength and help me defeat our foe! Athena, I special summon thee!"

Just like the Greek myths, an armored maiden wielding a shield and spear - albeit one that appeared to be modified more akin to a trident - formed. Seconds after the image completed forming, Johnny's LPs would drop again.

"That's but the first effect of Athene; every time a fairy is summoned, you lose 600 life. I wasn't intending to normally summon this one .... but you truly have been such a sore opponent. You deserve this. I normal summon Honest, and use Athena's second effect. Honest will go to the grave. In exchange, I bring Venus back!"

As the second goddess returned, Johnny would note Fayth's own hand was empty.

But ... it didn't matter, either.

"It seems only fitting that you get served a major dose of Karma for trying to talk down a woman by being beaten by female cards. Athena and Venus! Charge forth!"

Since he hadn't set anything, Fayth knew she was soon about to proceed onto the next round.
 

"I'd be right there with you, Yuna...This guy needs a fucking reality check; she hasn't been touched yet and he's down by over half his Life Points." Hotsuma nodded, taking another sip of water. What else could the guy do though? Unless he had something else set up in the Graveyard, but frankly...This clown didn't seem to have the brains to come up with plays like that. He tried to win through sheer force alone, and against a Fairy deck it was proving to be a very poor choice.

Evidenced more so when she did the very thing Hotsuma was expecting: Summoning another high-level monster, and with Solidarity to back it up, this game was as good as over. And it seemed she really wanted to put him in his place, using her first monster's effect to summon back the one he destroyed last turn. "Hell yeah, knock him on his ass!" Hotsuma shouted approvingly.


"And just like that, folks, Celeste's gone and reversed the balance again! Johnny's Raigeki didn't help him much there, and now he's got to stare down with two powerful beaters! It looks like this is the end! Even with an empty hand, I dare say Miss Belrose has cinched her victory!" MC shouted, the crowd watching on as both monsters appeared, the maidens' respective ATK stats rising to over 3000 apiece.

Johnny grimaced as he looked down at his Duel Disk, seeing his LP at less than either one of her monster's power. Even lower after Athena cut it to 2100 with her effect; she got lucky, he told himself. "Bah, no weak ass fairy will put me down! So come on, bring it!" he roared, pounding his chest as both Athena and Venus rushed him, the former sending a powerful bolt of energy at him while the latter used the same annihilating technique that had killed his Ben Kai...And when the smoke cleared, Johnny's eyes were all swirls, his balance teetering before he fell down with a heavy thud, his LP dropping to zero.

"Celeste wins! The giant has been felled by this modern day David!" MC shouted over the roaring thunder of applause, staying relatively neutral despite the urge to comment about how Johnny's remarks were completely unforgivable. And just as their King had done, the win was a clean sweep, her LP staying at a tidy 8000 while the holograms dissipated cleanly. Leaving Fayth to her own devices.

Jack still just watched on with mild interest, arms crossed over his chest as Fayth might make her way off the stage; even he had to admit that was an impressive combination, despite her opponent's obviously short-sighted nature in deck-building. "Her Fairy deck is an unusual choice, but she still managed to sweep him...No matter, even if she faces me, I'll make sure she falls before me."


Hotsuma whooped as Celeste beat him down, using both of her monsters. Damn, now that was how you got a point across. "Serves that punk right; maybe now he'll realize he needs to check himself." Hotsuma laughed; however, he then heard a familiar voice come through his mind. Spouting a thought that he would end up being not totally against.

"A tournament of strength and skill...Interesting. Whelp, I demand we join and show them the true meaning of power. And if this 'Fortune Cup' is even grander in scale, what better way to show our might than landing an appearance there?"

Hotsuma was about to protest and tell the Emperor to shut it; however, the thought did intrigue him. And they had some time to kill; maybe when Yamichi got back, he would see if his friend would be up for trying to get into a tournament. Plus, wouldn't that be funny as all hell to have some of the Tops' own cash funding Yomi's operations?

"Oi, Yuna...You hear that? What do you think? Could be fun, right? And hell...If we both make it in one of those 'Selection Tournaments', give people from Satellite a real show about us underdogs making an upset. Now that would be ironic."
 

With Celeste's match officially over, Yuna moved off of the floor and back into the chair she'd originally been sitting down in. This wasn't to say she wouldn't pay attention to the other matches. But unless they had another person that would grab her attention, she doubted the rest would keep her as eager and curious as that last fight had been. "They started with eight so ... should be two more," she muttered, nodding after confirming her math was correct.

Indeed, she did hear the internal thoughts from Hotsuma's Fiend.

"It'll be more fun if I can partake in it. We'll need to find out when exactly that'll happen. But .... I'm gonna assume it'll be hosted after my arm's fine. Which, should that be the case, count me in."

Her teeth lightly gripped onto her lower lip as she contemplated whether trying to enter in case it wasn't fully healed would be a wise option. Not likely. But it was annoying enough she hadn't heard of this small tournament.

"Hopefully, I won't need to risk being an idiot and entering even if it's not fine, but -- "

"What are you all going on about now?"

A turn of her head revealed at least Hajime had returned, and looked calmer than when Yuna last saw him leave.

"Nothing dire, I promise. The Fortune Cup and entering."

"You're ... going to go for that?"

"Yeah. And honestly? I think you should too. You're not only my right-hand because of your loyalty. Your deck does play its own role."

Hajime blushed, chuckling slightly as he walked beside the couple and began watching with them. "I'm flattered, but ... I'll think on it. I'd prefer you going if your arm is completely fine by the time it rolls around. But ... knowing you, it won't matter, will it?" When Yuna shook her head from side to side, he elicited a sigh. "Fine. But do be careful, okay?"

"Oi. Don't forget who's leader. It's my job to worry about you guys."

"That doesn't mean we can't return the same gesture."

Yuna smirked as she lightly shrugged, "No. But you shouldn't, anyway. I got out of Arcadia. Maybe not quickly, but I did all the same. I can handle myself."
... Now what?

Fayth was finding herself regretting not asking Yusei to accompany her so she would't look stupid. Now, she found herself uncertain on where exactly to go. Likely the area where the other contestants were. But where the fuck was that exactly?

Her face was quickly beginning to turn red as her heart raced.

"I'm sorry, Miss Celeste. I got here as quickly as I could."

A new voice that revealed itself to be another woman - something Fayth was inwardly relieved about - made her lift her head to try to make eye contact. "My name is Mikage Sagari and I've been assigned to help you out. We didn't realize up until seeing you battle about your ... condition."

"We? May I ask who 'we' is?"

Mikage's head tilted curiously. "Huh. You really aren't from here, are you? Anyone else would have known the answer. Here, this way."

Fayth would feel a gentle tug on her arm. Soon, she was guided to the exact spot she'd correctly guessed she would have had to walk to. It was indeed where the winners and other duelists were sitting. A good number gave both females some catcalls, whistling as they came into view. Mikage shot them a glare, doing so for herself and Celeste, before turning back to the other woman. "Before I answer your question, do you want anything? Water? Something to eat?"

"... I suppose water would be nice. Please."

"Of course! I'll be right back."

Thankfully, Mikage was true to her word and reappeared within a few minutes. Fayth would hear - and feel - a bottle of water placed beside her right hand. Mikage would stay silent, only speaking after watching Celeste finish the first sip of water and set her bottle back down. "So, to elaborate more on who I am, I - more specifically - am Mr. Rex Goodwin's assistant."

Fayth raised an eyebrow and tilted her head. "Pardon my ignorance, but why does he matter? Jack is supposedly King here soo ... who is Goodwin, exactly?"

"Oh my!" She tried to fight the temptation .. but ended up chuckling softly, "You poor thing. You really are new here, aren't you? How have you been getting around?"

"I adapt. Very quickly."

"Anyway, Mr. Goodwin is the director of Sector."

Fayth immediately felt her muscles tense up.

Calm down. They have nothing on you. Not here, anyway. And Jack never did give proof about your deck so .... it can't be about that!

"Okay. And why would a man that's likely as busy as he sounds be sending his assistant over?"

Mikage was confused. The girl seemed to have no idea about who Goodwin was. Yet, she could better see and understand what Goodwin had meant. There was something ... unique about her. She couldn't pinpoint it, and neither could Rex. Not yet, anyway. "In all honesty, I only know the bare basics. I'm essentially the messenger for now. What I can say and do know, though, is to meet and speak with you. He sends his best wishes to you, by the way."

"... I won't lie. It's nice to know there's at least one male here who won't give a damn about my gender so ... tell him thanks when you can."

Mikage nodded, looking over and relaying the results of the last duels between the remaining contestants. Filling her in on who ended up winning, and even dropping hints on what decks had been used -- in case the MC's words failed to give them away.

Why?

Because these had all been Goodwin's orders. And if Jack really didn't like seeing her helping Fayth, then he could try to argue about it. Not that it'd result in anything positive .... but it was an option for him.
 

"Haven't decided yet...Besides, I'm sure they have some way of filtering us out. People from Satellite, I mean; I'm going to need some serious cover if I decide to show my face over there." Hotsuma chimed in; Yuna had the benefit of being a lesser known quantity than himself. For her to even use her real name, he doubted she would have an issue. Him, though? He would need to somehow hide his face and make sure that no one there would recognize his deck choice.

"They do, Hotsuma...These selection tournaments are that filter."

Another voice joined in, Hotsuma turning to see both Takeshi and Yamichi back in the common area of Yomi. "Hey, Yamichi! Glad you came back. Have a seat...You too Takeshi; you guys just missed a blind duelist kicking this meathead's ass!" Hotsuma stated amusedly, Yamichi narrowing his eyes before letting out a sigh; well, if Hotsuma didn't care that he lost his cool and nearly punched him in anger...Then he supposed it was no good to hold on to it.

"Yeah, sure..." Yamichi said, Takeshi stating, "A blind Duelist? How the hell does that work?" Hotsuma just shrugged, "Beats me, but she fucking destroyed him! It was awesome!" At thsi Yamichi started to smile a little; so like him. Maybe it was because he always lived on the edge, being reckless was in his nature. And like most, Satellite people just wanted a chance to have the same type of fun those in the Tops did without being persecuted for it.

"But hey, Yamichi...You were saying something about these selection tournaments" Hotsuma then asked, the young tech snapping out of his little mind thought before pulling out his datapad. Typing in something, he then showed Hotsuma an article, "They released a press statement a few days ago: There are going to be others as well. They're really going all out with this selection process; no other tournament has had this kind of screening before."

Indeed, Hotsuma found it odd, even showing Yuna what Yamichi was talking about by going the news articles. "Well, you have any thoughts on how many more there might be?" Hotsuma asked, Yamichi shaking his head, "No, but it seems like there will be quite a few of them. Are you really going to try and get in one, Hotsuma?" The Disciples' boss just shrugged again, "I don't know; the appeal is definitely there. But sadly, my rep's going to make it difficult to get into one...Even so, with what I just saw as prize money, even if I placed third or fourth, that kind of cash would go a long way."


Jack said nothing as Fayth might walk past him, deciding to ignore her for the time being; she was nothing, only fortunate that her opponent was a complete and utter dunce. There was an art to applying power, and it was because he had mastered it that he was on top. More and more he actually found himself wanting to challenge her here and now.

At least until he saw a familiar face going over to the blind woman; maybe she was just trying to help her feel welcome, but he was kind of annoyed that she bothered in the first place. It was her job to be his manager, not play the welcoming committee. However, his acute hearing picked up parts of their conversation. And the part about this being another responsibility of hers definitely pushed a button. Even more so when she began sitting with her, telling her about the other Duels that had been going on.

Why was Goodwin so interested in her now? Did he not hear what he had said of her?

Eventually he decided to get some answers for himself, going over to see for himself what was so special. "Mikage..." he said in that typical authoritarian tone, clearly voicing his displeasure even without using the words to do so. "Ah, Mr. Atlas, enjoying the competition so far? The semi-finals should be interesting, especially if you're going to be competing in it."

Ignoring her statement, he just asked her, "I'm curious why the Director is having you watch over another contestant. Aren't there more important matters you should be looking into?" At this the young blue-haired woman sighed and said, "To be perfectly honest, I do not know; I figured you would be able to answer that yourself. You spend more time with him than anyone, after all. However, this came from him directly; and until such time he instructs me otherwise, I'll remain by her side." Jack's eye seemed to give one errant twitch of annoyance, "Rest assured, I intend to find out myself once this tournament is complete. Good day to you." Only after he finished would he walk off, ready to hear who the first match up of the semi-finals would be.

Letting out a small breath, Mikage then said "Don't mind him, dear; being the King puts a lot of pressure on him at times, so he can definitely be abrasive. And between you and me, it doesn't help that the Director constantly puffs him up and reminds him of being the top Duelist in New Domino." Just then, the MC would take the spotlight once more.

"Alright, folks! It looks like this first tournament's going to be over in no time! We're already down to the Final Four! Now listen, this might just be the first of many, but I promise you that each one will get more intense than the last! Now, let's go to the panels and see who will be the first match of the Semi-Finals!"

And of course, the names came up again:

Jack Atlas vs. Hatsui Ryuka

"Looks like there's no rest for the King! Time for the next Duel! Will both contestants please step into the arena!" And moments Jack stood up facing a shorter atheltic looking male this time. His hair a dark brown and his green eyes looking at her opponent determinedly, she stood at the ready. And when the coin toss was called, Jack was once again the victor, opting to go first this time.

Taking his draw, he surprised everyone by going immediately on the offensive; he summoned Vice Dragon in defense before normal summoning Force Resonator and immediately going into a Synchro Summon, bringing out Exploder Dragonwing before setting two cards face-down and ending his turn.

And when Hatsui took his turn, he would reveal that Jack wasn't the only one that used DARK Dragon-types. He summoned Luster Dragon, before removing it from play and summoning Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon in its place. Using its effect, he then summoned a Red-Eyes Black Dragon from his hand and played the Spell 'Red-Eyes Fusion', dispatching Summoned Skull and a second Red-Eyes to the graveyard to Fusion Summon Archfiend Black Skull Dragon.



And back at Yomi, they both noticed that this guy was putting up far more of a fight than his last opponent. "Red-Eyes? Damn, talk about an old archetype..." Takeshi commented, watching as the two of them fought it out. "No kidding; but he seems to be making it work." Evidenced as such when Hatsui successfully activated Black Skull's effect to deal 2400 burn damage to Jack before trying to attack directly; however, Jack used the 'Shrink' spell card from the field to halve Black Skull's ATK, the enusing battle making Hatsui lose 800 LP and Exploder's effect dealing an additional 1600 as it struck back, making their LP even at 5600.

"You know...If I do decide to join the tournament, that Atlas guy is someone I want to fight." Hotsuma quipped, most of the others looking at him stunned. The Disciples' boss looked around, "What? He might be an arrogant douche, but he looks tough in a Duel. I want to see just how tough he is."
 

Now that the tournament was essentially taking a break, her focus turned to Yamichi and Hotsuma's talk. A hopeful glint reflected in her eyes as she heard there would be more tournaments like the ones they were watching. And if there truly were as many as Yamichi was hinting ... she nodded, grinning in a slightly smug manner.

"I'll definitely try it out. And I seriously think you should also, Hajime. Tag or normal duels, we could easily get high enough to win those money prizes. There would only be one real challenge as far as I'm concerned .... "

Her gaze shifted, moving from her second-in-command to her lover. "And that's if you do go to any of these competitions and we somehow end up against one another."
When a new set of footfalls approaching caught Fayth's ears, her head turned. And the second the new voice spoke, she fought the urge to groan in irritation.

Go fuck off already, wanna be King. You're still a tyrant in my mind and eyes ....

Her hand quickly shot down as Fayth grabbed her water bottle, unscrewed the cap, and began taking slow, long sips. Giving herself a reason to avoid talking or lashing out against Jack. Making a scene in such a public place wouldn't do her any good, especially if this Mr. Goodwin really did wish to talk to her.

Goodwin .... Rex Goodwin ... hmm. Nope.

It was odd. She knew of the Jack Atlas in the Pendulum Dimension. But there wasn't a person by the name of Rex Goodwin there. Did this mean he would die later on here? That's typically what it implied. And it would make sense as to how Jack was in this location as well as her home dimension.

Fayth waited until Jack finally left, moving her head from side to side as she set the bottle back down. "I'm used to the harsh talking ... though I will confess that I wish he wouldn't talk as if I'm not literally inches away from him. Smug ... " Her teeth held onto her lower lip, forcing the curse word she wanted to originally use remain in her thoughts instead. "Anyway, I'm assuming you're here on your own accord, right?"

"Essentially. It is true this was an assignment from Mr. Goodwin himself. Still, the choice to refuse accepting this remained. I opted not to go down that path so, in that regard, yes. I am here on my own will."

"Then your 'king' should understand everyone has a role to play."

Mikage couldn't help but grin weakly. She definitely had her own fair points. "I get where you're coming from. Unfortunately, it's not as easy as you make it sound."

I'm starting to comprehend that much, Fayth inwardly agreed, leaving her thoughts as just those. There was no point in taking her negative feelings out on this woman. She was doing something that no one else probably would have done; helped her out. Even though she was nervous about the future meeting, at least Mikage herself seemed ... real. Genuinely wanting to assist her, and that was something Fayth would appreciate rather than stupidly shove away.

The two would finally give their full, undivided attention to the next round as it began. Although Fayth knew this had very few opponents to begin with ... was this randomized selecting process truly random? It didn't exactly feel like it.

Buuuut ... best not to question that.

"Hmmm. Another dragon user, huh?"

"Mhm. I don't believe Mr. Atlas has been against any, if many. It'll be interesting to see how he handles himself."

Fayth merely nodded. It would be one of the few things she could envision herself agreeing with Mikage about as far as the topic of Jack went.

Yuna couldn't help but snicker as Hotsuma stated he wished to go against Jack one of these days. "Don't you already attract enough opponents as it is, Hotsuma? Going straight for some self-declared king as just as crazy as some of our plans. Still ... I have to agree. I'm curious if he's really that competent or what. I mean, what we're seeing right now probably is the real deal. Even with all the support he gets from whatever minions he has, I doubt they can help him cheat his way through these tournaments."

Yuna tapped her fingers lightly against her side a few more times, nodding as she stated, "Which is why ... I'm going to take a bet. I feel good that Celeste can end up going against him. Should I be right, the best way to assess Jack's skills - or lack of - will be when that fight arrives."

"Celeste? That the blind chick Hotsuma was speaking of?"

"Mhm. And, as far as I've seen, only female in this tournament."

"That's not the only reason you're rooting for her, is it?"

Yuna playfully scoffed and rolled her eyes, "Of course not. Goodness, I thought you knew me better, Hajime. However, I will plead guilty to being slightly biased with seeing another gal, yes. But ... no. If you'd seen her entire first fight, you would understand better why I'm siding with her. She's ... different. The good kind, too. I'm hoping she'll get far."
 

"What, scared?" Hotsuma playfully challenged as Yuna joked about there being an issue if they were to somehow go up against each other. "I like to think we'd show those cowards a real Duel. Lives on the line, a fight to the death, all that jazz." At this Yamichi just laughed, "Man, Hotsuma, you're starting to sound like the announcer." The Disciples' boss couldn't help grinning, "What can I say, I'm getting fired up. We got huge moves planned, and we're gonna shake the foundation on everything Sector knows and thinks is true. You have my word on that."

And at this, he actually looked right at Yamichi and Takeshi and stated, "And hey, you guys should enter too. Show those clowns the real underground, and how we get things done." Both Takeshi and Yamichi seemed shocked, Hotsuma chuckling "What? You guys are getting a real weird staring habit lately, you know that? I picked you guys because I knew you had the balls and the skills to make things happen, and besides...How long has it been since we've had a real challenge? Sector's getting sloppy with their Dueling, so if we want real practice without beating on each other, I say we enter one of these tournaments and see if we can't shake things up a little."


A few more moves in, and Jack Atlas was actually starting to press an advantage. Granted, the largest threat had been removed; even so, there was a bit of a struggle in finishing off Hatsui's remaining LP. And so, the crowd would get a rare sight indeed: Using his other Synchro Dragon.

"I'm tuning my Dark Sprocketer with my Dread Dragon and Power Giant! Synchro Summon! Stardust Dragon!"

And just like that, the brilliant and lustrous spread its wings and descended, the crowd cheering as Hatsui stared at the creature in awe. For a rare card, this one was truly spectacular. "I use Dark Sprocketer's effect and destroy your Return of the Red-Eyes!" Jack declared, the destruction bringing another Red-Eyes Dragon back to the field in Defense mode.

"Stardust Dragon attacks Red Eyes!" That was the declaration before the white dragon destroyed the dark-armored one, Jack then saying "I then activate my Trap, Lineage of Destruction! When I destroy a Defense Position monster by battle, I can target one Level 8 monster and use it to attack once more! Stardust, Direct Attack!" And just like that, Jack made his way to the finals of this first tournament.

"And there you have it, folks! Jack Atlas shows his strength once more! Give it up for Hatsui though, he put on a fantastic display!" And sure enough, MC's antics paid off, Hatsui waving meekly before making his way off stage.

"Now listen, we have one more match before we go to the Finals for real! Let's give a standing ovation for our last two contestants! Come on up, Celeste Belrose and Mister E.!"

And when she would come up, she would find a short man wearing a heavy brown trench coat, brown tweed pants, his eyes hidden behind dark goggle-like spectacles and a clean fedora covering his head. "A fine day to you, madam...Let us show these fine people a riveting display of skill yes?" he said to the young woman, lifting his fedora off as a sign of respect.

"Alright and coin toss! Call it!"

"I choose heads." said Mister E, MC catching the coin deftly and checking it, "Heads it is! Attack first or later?" Mister E gave a small smile, "I'll attack first." And with this MC pointed dramatically to the sky, "Here we go, all you fine people out there! The second match of the Semi-Finals starts now!"

And as both their Duel Disks would set up, the displays reading '8000' apiece...This next battle was ready to begin.

"Duel!"



Absolutely no one said anything when they announced Celeste's opponent; this guy chose THAT as a stage name? Or maybe it was his real name and he just shortened it...But really? "Uhh...Seriously?" said one of the other younglings, Hotsuma groaning and not sure whether to laugh or cry, "I mean...I guess give him credit for trying. But, ouch, that was painful to hear. How does MC do it when people ask to be referred to as something like that?"

Yamichi was trying to hold in his laughter and actually had to bite his finger, adding "Hey, don't be so hard on him...There was a guy a few years ago that came in dressed as a knight. Head to toe in medieval style armor..." Hotsums just stared at the tech, as did Takeshi, the latter saying "Dude, shut up? Are you for real? With the ponytail and everything?" Yamichi let out a small cough, "It's actually called a helmet plume, Tak, but yes...Complete with cloak and sword. His Duel Disk was even modified to look like a shield...Here I'll show you."

And a quick few touches later, everyone would be treated to quite a sight: A news article from about four years ago, saying "Knight Ransford wins Locals!" captioned by "A fine day for Society everywhere, says Randsford." Needless to say, both Hotsuma and Takeshi were stunned; man, some of these people really went all out!
 

Yuna shrugged. "Honestly? A bit, yes. Your deck's a powerhouse in its own rights. I wouldn't wanna screw you or anyone affiliated with us over. The thought of having to go against one of you guys and that being a very real possibility ... yeah. That does kinda scare me. I guess ... it'd at least be a way to ensure one of us advances, buuut ... " Yuna smirked, looking between the Disciples and her most loyal member. "It wouldn't be half as fun if we knocked each other out, would it? Not at the get-go, at least. Maybe if we could be cetan to avoid butting heads until the last rounds, fine. I'd feel better. But not before then."

When the next match had the duelists introduced, Yuna couldn't help but chortle. "For fucking real? Mr. E? What kinda bullshit name is that?"

Her head shook as she calmed herself down, leaning back in the chair. "True. He does get credit for his enthusiasm and stuff but ... wowwww. Just wow. That's about all I can say."
Across from Mr. E, Fayth found it hard not to react in a similar fashion most people were. She quickly rose a hand to hide and muffle what would have otherwise come off as an immature set of giggles, only lowering it when she felt in control of herself. "Very well. Duel!"

An eyebrow raised when he took his first turn ... and revealed this was, apparently, a deck full of dark creatures. "Draw! I discard Hecatrice and use her effect to get Valhalla, Hall of the Fallen to my hand. I then activate said magic card and use it to special summon Splendid Venus! I then normal summon Consecrated Light and end my turn."

Fayth was by no means a sore loser. She never had been and never would be. However, with each turn that passed, she began to felt a fury building within her, only worsened as Ally of Justice Core Destroyer was summoned.

Justice? Pfft. What-fucking-ever. That's the very opposite of justice!

And Jack thought her Sylvan deck had been cheap? Fuck no. This was much worse.

Her body was trembling as shame and rage continued to build inside her.

... I can't do any fucking thing ...

If she could, she would have seriously considered caving in and crying. But she didn't. Her head stayed up as she fought the urge to clench her fists and risk ruining this deck. It wasn't their fault and it certainly wasn't hers.

This whole thing is a fucking set up! It was limited to eight fucking people! How? How is this happening?! And why against me?!

The more furious Fayth felt herself getting, the warmer her body got. Except, it wasn't just her whole body. No, it was her right shoulder. It started out as little than an irritating stinging sensation. And then, something began to form on it, as if created with an invisible iron brand that had just been hovered over an open flame. "Nghhhh!!!!" Her eyelids tightly shut behind the blindfold as she grasped her shoulder tightly, confused and scared on what was happening.

This was new for her .... but very familiar for a certain number of other individuals.

Fuck, now what's happening?!

Fayth began panting quickly, feeling beads of sweat forming and steadily falling down her forehead. Every time she tried to declare her turn, the words got caught in her throat, or ended up being replaced by winces and more sounds of agony. "I ... unngh! ... use V-Valhalla to summon Athena to the field! Her ... her effect activates and ... you lose 600 for every fairy I summon. Including her. Athena then .... then .... ahhhhh!! -- attacks ... your ... Ally of Justice Unlimiter!"

Her head was spinning faster than if she were on the swiftest rollercoaster, and her shoulder was killing her. Maybe it was just the hot sensation flooding her flesh, but she was almost positive she was feeling a bit of blood falling down. Whatever tattoo she was somehow getting, it was really happening. Somehow.

The pain combined with her emotions was making the desire to not only cry but pass out that much stronger.

"Turn ... turn end ... "

It wasn't immediately obvious to the audience or anyone watching, but she was barely keeping herself awake and conscious in order to finish this duel. What was easy to note, however, was whatever was going on, it was taking a heavy toll on her physical health, as she at least gave into the silent command of collapsing to her knees. All while still eliciting labored breaths, sweating, and occasionally muttering curses under her breath, her arm never daring to leave her right shoulder.
".... What the?"

When everything started happening to Celeste, her eyes narrowed as she moved forward again. Her first observation had been the same as Celeste's; how likely was it actually that she happened to be put against an Anti-Light deck?

"Mannnnn, what kind of bullshit is that? Ugh."

But then when things got even weirder - something she didn't think possible - her eyes widened.

"Oi ... either of you got a thought on what the fuck this is? It ... I don't think it's anything Psychic-related. But what the fuck else could it even be?"
 

Mister E just smiled as he took his turn, summoning Ally of Justice Core Destroyer right off the bat, setting one face-down before he ended his turn. Yes...He could feel the pulse; this woman had a strong pulse. The pulse that would signal the end of this world, and he had to stop it. He played polite to keep her offguard, make her think he was just another Duelist that ran into her out of luck...Or in her case, out of bad luck.

Evidenced as such when she would summon Splendid Venus, only to not attack; seemed she understood the danger of attacking this monster. Smart girl...But then again, she was one of them. A member of the destructive legions that would swarm this world as they had done so many others. And as she would summon another monster to attempt to negate his effects, he pursed his lips. "I think not; I activate Book of Moon, flipping Consecrated Light face-down. And then I summon Ally of Justice Nullifier. And now it is time to erode your defense! Core Destroyer, eradicate her Splendid Venus! Nullifier, attack Consecrated Light!"

And with this move, the match would go on; she tried to summon another powerful monster, but his face-down took excellent care of it. He would attack her directly, the damage seeming to take its toll. "Yes...This is your retribution for being an agent of them...All who seek to spread the Light must be eliminated." he thought to himself maliciously. And when she would succeed in summoning yet ANOTHER high powered angel, he found himself ill-equipped to deal with it, taking a heavy blow of 2000 LP damage, his total now cut by a quarter of his starting value.


Even with the last attack finally being able to get through, Hotsuma was also extremely annoyed at this Celeste girl's bad luck; he was no math genius, but or eight people there was no way she should have been matched to an exact counter to her deck. Even Yamichi seemed to pipe in, "Something's not right; with the number of possible deck combinations being virtually limitless and only eight other contestants, the odds of her being matched to this exact counter are next to none." Hotsuma just firmly nodded, "This is ridiculous; she's getting screwed. I can feel it in my gut."

However...Things would take a turn for the strange when all of a sudden, a giant spectral dragon appeared in the sky. The crowd cheered, thinking it was part of the show...But Hotsuma felt a surge of strong power, and from what Yuna's mental question was implying she felt it too. It was strong whatever it was; even from here, he could feel that energy roaring around him, like it was a momentary whirlwind of pure chaos.

"What manner of power is this? I feel like I recognize it from somewhere...But where?" he then heard the Emperor say, Hotsuma watching the screen as the dragon circled overhead.


"I knew it..." Mister E muttered as he saw the Dragon appear; this was the proof he needed. This was the Harbinger of Destruction, the Light that would wipe the slate clean. All the more reason he had to destroy her, here and now.

And Jack was having a reaction all his own, clutching his right arm; poor Mikage was trying to juggle who to tend to first, seeing Fayth down to a knee and her own charge grimacing in pain. "Damn...What is this?!" Jack muttered, looking up to seeing the dragon above.

Rex Goodwin, meanwhile, was watching from a booth on high...So, it was exactly as he suspected. He knew there was something special about this woman! "So...In this tournament alone I've found another. How many more will there be? Well, that's what the Fortune Cup is for. I'll have Mikage send her up to me once she's finished down there." the Director mused, watching on with great interest.

Mister E, meanwhile, shook himself free of his trance. "This is where it ends, Ms. Belrose! I summon Ally of Justice Quarantine! Now you can't special summon Light Monsters! I then activate my face-down, Limiter Removal!" A green flash would appear over his Ally of Justice Omni-Weapon, Core Destroyer and Quarantine. Doubling their respective ATK stats, and at 4400 Omni-Weapon would finish her. "And now, Omni-Weapon! Attack directly!" And as the blast from Omni-Weapon's arm cannon would fire, impacting Fayth's kneeling body, the Dragon let out a harsh shriek and wavered. Disappearing into star dust and letting the pressure be relieved from both her and Jack's bodies.

Once the spectacle was finished, MC just jumped on his desk and shouted, "Incredible! I don't know how this came about, but what a spectacle, huh folks! But it looks like Mister E's deck choice helped him prevail! He goes onto the Finals against the King!"

Jack looked to the dark-clad man, eyeing him suspiciously; much as he despised the woman for showing up at all, this 'Mister E' was even more suspicious. And at the very least, Fayth had opted to use a legal deck. Not that her opponent's wasn't legal, but...Something felt off.

"Mikage...Help Celeste off the stage and see if she needs any treatment." he stated , Mikage saying "But, you looked like you..." with Jack's response being "I'm fine; this is nothing a King can't handle." Mikage seemed to want to protest, but just nodded and rushed up to get Fayth off the stage.


Hotsuma and the others were in shock, not really sure what to say or do after that display. "Uhm...Someone want to say something? Anything?" Takeshi asked, Yamichi himself at a complete loss as to what to say.

"What the hell happened..." Hotsuma muttered, staring at the screen as the twinkles of light faded away. When the dragon creature vanished, that roaring tide stopped with it. This whole world was getting weirder; there was no way that was just some simple light show either. He could feel it, the raw power that surged forward as soon as it appeared, and how it left a void when it disappeared.

"Emperor...Any thoughts?" Hotsuma asked his contracted spirit, the Emperor only saying, "As I mentioned, I recognize this power...But what it is I cannot say. It is not the same as the bond you have with me; I do know that it is somehow tied to this plane, but unless it appears again I have no means of figuring out its nature."


After the excitement died down, Jack and Mister E would be facing off against each other. Jack would determine this man's nature through this Duel; something about him was off. And he would not cease until he determined this man's motives.

"Just know that your anti-Light tactics will not work against me...You face the King!" he declared, MC shouting "Ooh and the King is quick to display his dominance! Coin toss, call it!"

Jack called 'Tails!' just as Mister E called 'Heads!', MC declaring 'And the King gets first pick!" Jack raised a fist, "I'll attack first!" with the announcer punctuating "And the King declares the offensive! Will Mister E's Allies of Justice be able to withstand the King's brutal onslaught? We'll find out right here, right now!"

And just like all the Duels before, their respective counters reached '8000 LP' and both opponents said quite seriously,

"Duel!"

And with Jack taking the first move, Mister E would see that he was going full bore right off the bat. The King declared, "By sending one monster from my hand to the graveyard, I can Special Summon Power Giant with its Level reduced by that of the sent monster! I discard the Level One Synchro Gunner and Summon Power Giant as a Level Five monster! Then I normal Dark Resonator and tune them!"

Raising his right arm as the column of stars became encircled by those three green rings, he then chanted, "The ruler's heartbeat will now file through here! Take witness to its creation-shaking power! Synchro Summon! Red Dragon Archfiend!" And in a blaze of fire, Jack's signature monster descended, spreading those obsidian wings wide and roaring its might. "I then set two cards face-down and end my turn!" was the King's final move, two set cards appearing behind his monster.

"Incredible! A first turn Synchro Summon for the King, and his ace monster no less! Jack isn't going to hold back against this mystery man; will his opponent be able to fell such a mighty creature!"

Mister E just smiled, his glasses flashing as he mused on MC's commentary, "Well now, that monster will certainly cause me some headaches. I can see why you are the King, with such a destructive beast at your command. Shame you have underlings who conspire to destroy..." Jack's eyes narrowed at this comment, "What are you talking about?" The dark-clothed man just snickered, stating "It matters not, for now it is my turn. Draw!" Taking a look at his hand, Mister E calmly said, "I summon Ally of Justice Core Destroyer in Attack Mode, set two cards face-down and end my turn."

Jack just gave a 'Humph' and said, "My turn, draw! Attack, Red Dragon Archfiend! Crimson Fire!" And as his monster went to strike, Mister E chuckled, "Did you honestly think I wouldn't have a plan for an eventuality like this? I active the Permanent Trap Card, DNA Transplant! I can choose one attribute and change all face-up monsters to it! Naturally, I'm choosing Light! Just as Celeste's monsters were powerless, so too is your Dragon!"

Jack just scoffed, "Your cowardly tricks won't beat me! I chain the Trap, Crimson Cocoon and attach it to my Red Dragon! With this, when it attacks a face-up monster you control, its effects are negated until the end of the Damage Step! Once more, Red Dragon! Crush his pathetic toy! Crimson Fire!" Mister E seemed quite surprised at this, Core Destroyer being annihilated and his LP dropping to 6200, the man having to shield his face from the explosion of might.


"Haha, that's what that dickhead gets! Core Destroyer just got junked!" Hotsuma jeered, seeing his Core Destroyer turned into scrap. "And you said you want to fight him, Hotsuma?" Takeshi asked, Hotsuma laughing, "Hell yeah, I do! I just hope he wipes the floor with this clown, I want to see everything he's got!"

"Interesting...For him to tame a beast such as that, his soul must burn hotly" both Yuna and Hotsuma would hear the Emperor quip, Hotsuma himself repying "Don't tell me you're envious now." The Emperor snarled, "Hardly boy; it isn't called the Demon's Dragon for nothing. It is a beast of war that my Empire has bred to perfection, and soon after their creation they formed their own warband. Their own King instills his power upon the young ones, granting them nearly unmatchable offensive striking ability, and those that try to cower before them are unflinchingly eradicated."
 

The weakest of smiles crossed Mikage's face as she heard Jack insist to help Celeste. It was good to see and hear despite him constantly being reminded to stay on top that he hadn't lost his humility. Or humanity, for that matter; hinted when he adamantly declared for her to worry about a complete stranger - as far as she knew, of course - over the very person she was supposed to be the manager for. "Of course, sir. Right away."

Even with the blindfold on, the trembling body of Celeste hinted well enough just how the poor girl was probably feeling. Although Mikage wasn't a duelist herself, she was still human, and did at least comprehend emotions. "It's me. Here. I'm gonna help you up."

Fayth whimpered, weakly nodding as her shaky hands managed to place her deck in her disk. And as her hand was forced to move off her shoulder, it was revealed she had indeed ended up bleeding.

"O-Oh goodness! Okay, okay. Let's hurry and get that taken care of." Mikage's brows furrowed as she stared down at the wound, quickening her pace so Celeste wouldn't be in the way when Jack went to face Mr. E.

He must have done something to harm her this badly. Unless .. there was something else ... ??

Was it linked to when Jack had been in pain?

Maybe. But then, Jack wasn't bleeding. In fact, he looked fine ... as much as he could be deemed that, anyway. No. Something was off. Even Mikage - and likely a good portion of the nearby audience or anyone watching - could detect that much. And how right they were; it was just how correct that no one yet realized.

Half-way to Goodwin's office, Fayth finally found her voice and managed to ask Mikage a question. "Oi. Was ... that really random?"

Mikage blinked, clearly not expecting to hear such a thing. "I'm ... assuming so, yes. I'm not in charge of that, but .... I'm pretty sure that yes. It was random."

Fayth grimaced, her fists angrily clenching before she slowly nodded. Just as Jack didn't have any proof to arrest her for fake cards, the same was true with this tournament. Granted, she had secured herself high enough to win some of the money. But .. it didn't feel like it was enough. She felt so very cheated. And that, more than anything, was causing Fayth's anger to keep swimming.

"Here. Just a bit more. You gonna be able to walk alright?" Mikage inquired, looking nervously at the young woman who was still shaking rather harshly.

"Yes," Fayth managed to reply, stumbling forward and clumsily tryig ot place her left arm over Mikage's shoulder. Seeing what the duelist was aiming for, Mikage smiled and helped her out, keeping Fayth standing up on her feet, albeit not without some difficulties. "Hang in there," she repeated once more, continuing to guide Fayth closer and closer to Goodwin's office.
"God-fucking-damnit!" Yuna hissed, not bothering to hide how disappointed she was in the outcome of Celeste's match. "What grade A bullshit that was."

Furthermore, there was the display of that huge red dragon. One that, apparently, even Hotsuma's fiend seemed to know?

If that wasn't nerve-wracking, Yuna didn't know what was.

"So ... this mean that dragon is a big, red sign of something huge will happen later? Or ... what?"

Her teeth lightly held her lower lip. Sure, she had her own tattoo. But Yuna had been almost posiitve that would be the last of overly weird shit to happen to her. Somehow, though, it didn't feel like it was over. Which was weird ... more so given everything she'd just seen had happened to someone she didn't know prior to seeing her on TV. "Uggggh. What-fucking-ever. Tyrant-yaro better beat the fuck out of that creep. I'm sure he cheated somehow. That was literally too perfect."
It only took longer than usual since a few additional detours were made. Namely to grab bandages and patch Celeste's wounds up. But within ten more minutes, Mikage opened the door to Rex's office, bowing her head politely. "Sorry about the lack of knocking. But given you asked to see her, I figured it wasn't needed as badly. Celeste? Before I leave, do you want any thing?"

"Water," Fayth managed to reply, her voice low and hoarse from the screams and cries that had come with receiving her forced tattoo. Adrenaline had helped her stay conscious ... and that was all but it. The only thing left - aside from the remaining rush - was knowing a very important man linked with Sector wished to speak with her, and Fayth didn't exactly want to pass out in his office. She was already feeling more than enough shame and humiliation; no sense in making it worse by giving into exhaustion.

When she felt a cold, new bottle of water placed in her hands, Fayth wrapped around it, nodding politely to Mikage. The sounds of heels would click, moving further and further away. Finally, the double doors would close and Fayth knew she was alone with only this Mr. Goodwin.

"So ... you wanted to see me why now?"

Blunt and to the point; she'd had those traits even before encountering Reiji. He just strengthened them. And given she was about to talk with the man in charge of the same group that caused her sight to disappear ... oh yes. She definitely wanted to know what this was all about.

Just stay clam. Keep it together. He's got nothing on you. It can't be about anything recent ... or even an incident back home. Breathe ... breathe ...
 

When Celeste Belrose was brought into the Director's office, Rex was waiting patiently; it was almost as if he were expecting Fayth to be here. Seeing that the medics had treated her, he could rest easier; he knew this was the same woman Jack had met. As well as being a holder of different cards, she was a Signer? How very fortuitous for him, to have found one as soon as he started these selection tournaments.

"Thank you, Ms. Sagari; I'll take over from here. Try to make sure dear Jack doesn't hurt himself...Or his opponent, will you? Will hardly do us any good if things get too hectic." Rex said, Mikage giving a polite nod and taking her leave.

Now...How to approach her? He wouldn't bring up what he already knew about the Dragon; the girl already looked on edge. No, he'd keep that tucked away for later. So he'd keep it informal for now.

"Ms. Belrose, thank you for being able to meet with me...Or should I call you Ms. Milner?" he then asked her, cluing her in that he was indeed informed of her real identity. "Don't worry; you won't be disqualified for registering under an alias. As you can tell, we do allow certain liberties when it comes to names...Hence our semi-finalist Mister E. A real shame about your Duel though...Seems rather unfair to have gotten matched like that, especially with such a small pool."

Sitting up in his chair, he then said, "But I can tell you're not exactly from around here; Jack relayed as such. Frankly, I admire your courage for showing up here in the first place. Try not to judge him too harshly though; he's worked very hard to keep his title. If you don't mind my asking though..."

He paused here to let her collect herself for a moment before asking "You had said to Jack you needed to speak with him directly, and even defeated two of his strongest bodyguards to make the meeting happen. Who exactly are you, young lady?"


As the Duel progressed, Jack continued to press the advantage; even effect damage wasn't able to pierce through Jack's powerful offense, cards like Solemn Strike and Breakthrough Skill able to save his Red Dragon from destruction time and time again.

Mister E knew that by this point he was still safe; even if he didn't win, he had his entry to the largest congregation. The one place where all who supported the Light would gather in a large group...Only then would he reach out to the others, let them know he had finally tracked down the last of the Light-worshipers. And being down at less than 1000 LP after five or six turns, he knew this Duel was over.

"I'll give you one last chance to explain yourself...What did you mean when you said I have underlings who conspire to destroy?" Jack demanded to know, Mister E saying nothing before Jack just gave an annoyed 'Tch' and added "Fine then! I'll beat the answer of you! Red Dragon Archfiend, end this Duel! Crimson Fire!" And as the massive dragon would rush forward, its fist ignited before it crashed into the King's adversary, his LP dropping to zero.

"And that's it, ladies and gentlemen! Give all the contestants here one last round of applause, that was a great performance! But don't worry, this is just the first! Who knows what kind of line-up we'll see in the next few tournaments!"

Mister E just chuckled, "Perfect...Now I can destroy the Light at its source. I must thank you, Mr. Atlas, for hosting this tournament. My mission would have been very difficult to complete had you not; the Light hides in the most secluded corners, after all...And this drew it out nicely." MC commented, "Hold on, folks, it looks like the King and Mister E are going to have words! A little post-Duel trash-talking?! This could get interesting, maybe even a rematch!"

Jack narrowed his eyes, "The Light? What are you talking about? Is this about that Dragon that appeared?" Mister E chuckled, "I didn't know what to expect, but its appearance is a sign. And now that I've defeated a host of its strength, the Darkness will take it back." Jack sensed something was wrong, and pointedly asked, "Your Duel with Celeste...You tampered with the selector, didn't you?" Mister E just smiled, "I had to make sure I fought her; don't you see, she will bring about the end of everything!"

And of course, MC took this opportune time to silence his normally boisterous voice and up his microphone settings...Letting the crowd catch every word of the exchange. Almost immediately, the crowd started to boo, Mister E noticing the sudden shift. "You fools! There is no other recourse! This was the only way!"

And it was here that Fayth would find herself an unlikely ally, the King's fists clenching as he hurried forward, gripping Mister E by the lapel and growling "How dare you! You dare commit show such shamelessness for your actions? In front of the King!" MC too came out, his voice frantic as he shouted, "I don't believe this! Mister E rigged the selection program!? Mr. Atlas, how will you resolve this?!"

Jack would then reply just simply, "The only answer is the obvious one! I renounce this charlatan's victory and declare him disqualified! Second place will go to Celeste Belrose, effective immediately!" Mister E seemed shocked, and shouted, "NO! You don't understand! The Light will kill us all, and I will not let you stand in the way of completing my task!" Mister E even went so far as to throw a punch...Only to catch a hard elbow from Jack himself, planting the man on his backside, his consciousness swimming. "Guards! Take him away, and get him out of my sight! So long as I'm King, you'll never participate in another Dueling Tournament again!"

The crowd around the television at Yomi grew quite a bit, cheers erupting from the group as Jack dealt the final blow. Only to see that things were starting to take a turn...And the onlookers in the hideout shouting their disapproval.

"What a fucking tool. Who's going to believe that bullshit story? He just cheated because he knew she had a LIGHT-based deck somehow." Yamichi muttered, his arms crossed, Hotsuma adding "Even more fucked up, the girl was blind. She already has enough working against her; if you have to cheat against someone, at least don't do it to a handicapped person. Fucking cocksucker!"

Those angry yells quickly turned into shouts of approval as Jack immediately disqualified his opponent on the spot, and even more so when the King laid out Mister E on the floor of the arena. "Well damn...Silver-spoon boy knows how to fight. Even so, good to see he's got some decency; after the shit he pulled, she deserves at least second place." Hotsuma said firmly, watching the screen...

If there was ever more reason for him to want to join the Fortune Cup...This definitely fueled that fire.


Goodwin, however, also took note of what was being said, a grunt of disapproval leaving his lips as he watched the feed on the screen. Having let it play while he would talk with Fayth to keep on an eye on tournament proceedings; and the volume was loud enough that she would hear it, but not enough to impede decent conversation. "It seems I'll need to do some pruning in Sector's ranks; whoever let him back there will be fired." He then looked to Fayth and said, "Ms. Milner...On behalf of the Dueling Tournament Committee, let me apologize for this egregious behavior. I honestly had no clue the randomizer had been tampered with...And rest assured, even though Jack did not consult with me about the action, I fully support his decision. In fact..."

He then reached into his coat pocket, and pulled out a check; he was going to present this personally at the end, but with the recent turn of events he felt it best to give it to her. Sliding it along the table, she would also feel a hard piece of metal along with it, the tiny trinket in the shape of a five-pointed star. "This check is the sum of 250000 yen, the agreed-upon prize for the runner-up position. The small metal badge is your key into the Fortune Cup; all you need do is press your thumb in the middle and state your name."

Standing up, he then buzzed, "Ms. Sagari....Could you please come back in and escort Miss Belrose off the premises? There are some matters that require my immediate attention."
 

If Mikage telling her the director of Sector hadn't been itnimidinatg enough, the very first thing Rex chose for his greeting most definitely was.

"Ms. Belrose, thank you for being able to meet with me...Or should I call you Ms. Milner?"

... Okay. I get he's in charge of Sector. But there are only so many people who've seen you. How in the fuck?!

Fayth swallowed, feeling equally relieved in addition to more on edge than she'd already been. At least she didn't have to worry about her disguise. They really were annoying in some regards, and having to remember you were supposed to be someone completely different was one of those things she didn't like doing. It just had felt completely necessary, mainly as a precaution. "Since you already seem to know, yes. Fayth Milner, to be more exact. Just use Fayth though, if you don't mind."

More relief swam through Fayth as even Goodwin admitted with such a small pool, she just happened to go against one of the few decks that could have wrecked her secondary deck.

Good. Glad I'm not crazy about this thought, at least.

Finally, he got down to his actual point. Just as she'd done by asking what he actually wanted. It seemed like a fair enough exchange. But how should she go about this? Reiji hadn't specifically forbidden her from revealing where she hailed from.

But at the same time, common sense revealed it'd be dumb to do that. For many reasons.

Slowly, Fayth sighed softly, crossing her arms over her chest. "With all due respect, Mr. Goodwin, I already tried to give parts of that answer to Jack. He didn't believe me .. and while I can't blame him to some degrees, he really could have been a bit more open-minded with me. Certainly less ... harsh. My cards are real, and he saw that when he saw me duel. If they'd been fake, my disk wouldn't have registered any of them, nor would everything have worked like it did. I'm rather disappointed that someone who is supposed to be a 'King' acted in such a stupid manner."

A brief pause would linger before Fayth shook her head from side to side, "Unless you can give me some guarantee you'll actually listen to me and not blow my reply off, I'm not going to repeat myself. Not if it won't be worth my energy and time. Especially the latter; after all, I'm sure someone as busy as you has more important things to do than speak with a completely foreign teenager."

It was a very bold response. Fayth knew and understood that. But at the same time, she was being very serious. It would have been more foolish to try to bullshit Rex with a half-assed answer, so she didn't do that.

Luckily, a turn of events came from behind her. She had been so focused on the talk that prior to now, Fayth hadn't realized Rex was watching the ongoing tournament. Jack and Mr. E's exchange made her eyebrows narrow as she turned around.

Wait, what?!

"Your Duel with Celeste...You tampered with the selector, didn't you?"

"I had to make sure I fought her; don't you see, she will bring about the end of everything!"

"... That ... ohhhhhh! I knew something was too perfect about that match up! Damnit all, I don't even know him nor the nonsense he's spouting!"

Fayth wasn't quite sure what she was expecting. But hearing Jack give her rightful spot to her had definitely not been it. If she could, she would cry then and there. Finally! The justice she had been hoping for arrived, and from the least likely of sources. "Thank you both," she managed to weakly reply, voice and both both shaking in shock, disgust, anger, and finally relief. "I ... am still going to stand by my answer. Just ... a precaution. But if you do want to find a better time and day to hear me out, I'd be fine arranging that. Clearly though, now isn't it, as even you just admitted."

Fortunately, Mikage arrived at the most perfect opportunity. Reaching a still shaky hand down, she grabbed the check and five-star trinket, keeping one item in each hand.

"Thank you for making Jack's decision official, Mr. Goodwin."

Soon, Fayth was out of sight ... but very likely not out of mind. Soon, she was being helped out of the building and being escorted to her own residence.
"HELL YEAH!"

Yuna smirked, feeling much better as she watched and heard the reveal. "What a fucking moron. I can't believe he openly admitted to cheating. What a fucktard. THAT'S WHAT YOU GET, ASSHOLE!"

Still, his words had been .... disturbing. Light easily could have simply referred to the angels and fairies Celeste had played.

But .... it felt like there was more.

" ... Either of you feel like he was trying to say something else? Or ... am I just over-thinking? I wanna believe I am buuut ... between seeing that Dragon and all the other weird shit, I don't know. Thoughts?"

"Indeed," she agreed out loud, "Maybe Jack' not the absolute worst 'king' we've ever had. Heh. There may be a slither of hope for that brat yet. Thank fucking god."

Unfortunately, it was now over. "One of you mind shutting the TV off? I'm gonna go wash away what annoyance is still lingering in my tongue. That Mr. E fucker really has left an even worse taste in my mouth than most other bastards I've encountered or watched."

And that was a feat in itself for them all to hear.

Bowing her head to all of the Disciples plus Hajime, Yuna stood up and went up to her room. A fair assumption any of them could be make were she was going to get a shower in or even very thoroughly brush her teeth to make damn sure she got the "taste" Mr. E had left out.
 
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