Xero Freeze Turn 3: Vex

[ShadowBlade]

All righty; here it is! Not as much dueling this time around. It's amazing how differently an episode pans out length-wise when there's not as much dueling. Those descriptions, monster summons, and attack scenarios really eat up space. Ah well. Good stuff anyway.

I'll be doing math pretty much all week. But, it doesn't look like many people have been posting new chapters lately; so, I should get to Opera and Renegade this week.

Anyway, enough of my ramblings. Enjoy!


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OP - Blow Me Away
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Yu-Gi-Oh! Xero Freeze
Turn 3: Vex

Dante leapt over a guard railing, sprinting into a large and vacant park. The night sky eclipsed the area, leaving only a flickering street post as a source of light. The moon was covered by thick, black clouds. Dante drew his pistol, slithering around a large tree. He fumbled with his ammunition, reloading the weapon and throwing away the spare cartridge. He breathed heavily and wiped his forehead, smearing his uniform’s left sleeve. The officer held the gun in front of him as he leered around the corner.

A bullet hurled straight at him. He managed to roll and duck under it, swiftly returning fire in the darkness of the night. His shots seemed to miss as he heard the pitter-patter of a fleeing man’s feet. The trench coat of the retreating individual concealed his face. Dante gave chase, attempting to fire once more. He discovered he had used all his shots, taking out more bullets to reload again. The shrouded man disappeared behind a large set of trees. Dante pressed buttons on his small, curved communication device. But, unknown interference prevented him from calling backup.

The officer panted for air and coughed before aiming once more. The masked individual launched more furious shots at Dante, barely skimming the side of a nearby tree. Dante ducked and rolled, giving off several more shots of his own. Before he could react, the herald of death was upon him, kicking his gun from his hand. Dante squirmed to reach his firearm. His side soon shifted as the murderous man delivered another blow with his thick boots. Dante spat as he attempted to punch the man. He found himself outmaneuvered by the athletic gentlemen, who kneed him in the face.

The officer coughed, reaching up in almost a begging fashion. The masked man chortled at him, pointing the barrel of the gun straight at him.

“You lose again, Dante,” taunted the man before firing a shot.

---------------
Dante’s eyes raced open as he leapt from his bed. He turned around, looking in each direction for the assailant. He pounded on his head with his hands, cursing under his breath. His alarm clock buzzed in his ears. But, it was soon silenced as he ripped it from the wall and threw it across the wooden-floored room. Light peeked in through the closed, beige curtains, stinging his left eye. He winced, grappling his issued pistol and rising from his slumbered state.

---------------
Massive, fluffy, white clouds loomed over the city, almost parting the above blue sky. The sun peered through a hole in one particular cloud, radiating light throughout the stadium.

“Welcome to our Sunday event!” hollered Pete’s voice all over the Main Sunset Stadium. The entering crowd roared with anticipation. “We have quite a show for you all today! In just another hour, we will begin our matches for the day! Tell them about today’s main event, Troy!”

“Will do, Pete!” responded the enthusiastic Troy. “In case you haven’t heard, we’re in for quite a treat today!” He paused as the stadium graphics all shifted to the same promotional poster, depicting Eve Steelheart and a masked opponent with long, blonde hair. Behind Eve was a strange, blue-painted robot. Behind the masked opponent was a larger, black robot. “Today our Vintage Duel Champion is finally in action as she takes on the strange Savanna Mysterio!”

“Now, this is a non-title bout, of course,” Pete interrupted. “But, we have seen in the past that the mystifying Savanna can duel with top-ranked opponents and generally perform well! Savanna and Eve have not met in competition for quite some time, so we will see how they prepare against each other! Stay tuned for a special interview with the Vintage Duel Champion herself – Eve Steelheart!”

---------------
“We’ve got something!” Jericko proudly exclaimed as Dante walked into the station.

“On the Harvey Nielsen case?” Dante questioned anxiously.

“Yes.” Jericko shuffled through the large number of folders he was holding. “We have an eyewitness in the other room who claims that he saw someone holding a gun fleeing from the block where Nielsen lived.”

Dante blinked, holding out his hand. “I see. Did you have a forensic sk –”

Before Dante could finish, Jericko answered, “Yes, we had someone draw the description of the person. You may be interested to know that the hair and figure he described is almost identical to the figure in the video.”

Dante twiddled his fingers, waiting for Jericko to find the drawing. “That is good news. And the witness wasn’t introduced to the tapes in any way?”

“No. It was all from his memory.” He stopped fumbling with the papers. “Ah, here it is.” He handed it to his partner, waiting for his reaction.

Dante stared long and hard at the picture, as though in disbelief of what was handed to him. “This is the drawing for our suspect?” he asked for clarity. He turned to Jericko, receiving only a nod. As though baffled by the picture, Dante slowly muttered, “If this is true, I know exactly who this is.”

“You do?”

“Hey, I know that guy,” a third officer chimed into the conversation. He leaned over Dante’s shoulder and pointed at the face of the supposed suspect. “He plays in the duel league almost every weekend.”

“That’s right, Rick,” Dante acknowledged with a tilt of the head. “I think we finally have someone to interrogate over this matter.”

“Ain’t that guy still a kid?” another dark-skinned peacekeeper queried as he took hold of the picture.

Dante hummed, “I guess so. However, we cannot count anybody out just because of age. Come on, Jericko. We’ll head to his place now and ask him a few questions. At the very least, this is the closest thing to a lead we’ve had for this case. We might as well take it.”

“Gotcha,” confirmed Jericko as he set the rest of the papers down on a nearby desk.

---------------
“Lilith, you have to control Victor and his attitude,” scolded Alyssa as she stood in front of a bathroom mirror. She was combing her hair with a pink brush. Her friend stood in the other room, which was green-carpeted.

Lilith fell backwards, crashing into the green, blue, gold, and black-patterned sheets of the large bed in the chamber. She peered up at the ceiling fan as it rotated in an entrancing manner. “I know,” she apologetically realized. “Sometimes I don’t think he’s interested in what I have to say, though.”

Alyssa rolled her eyes, commenting, “Well, you’re dating, so you have to have some say in what you guys do. He’s running around like a loose cannon out there!” She shook her left arm, which still stung from her fall off the D-Wheel. “Does he even respect you at all, even when you two are alone?”

Lilith bit her lip, thinking about the question.

Alyssa turned and walked out of the bathroom, flicking off the light. She was wearing a light-green tank top with cutoff jeans. “If you have to think about it, then he probably doesn’t.”

“No-no-no,” insisted the nervous girl, waving her arms as she sat up. “It’s not like that, really. He can be a compassionate and caring guy when it’s just the two of us. He just acts like a jerk to impress his friends, really.”

Alyssa sighed, putting her hands on her hips. “If you say so…” She glanced at the dresser mirror in her room, walking over to a small, golden box. She opened it to reveal numerous earrings. She selected several silver ones from the box, beginning to put them on.

“Where are you and Slade going after the match?” Lilith scrambled to change the subject.

Even though Alyssa caught on to Lilith’s tactic, she decided to play along. “We’re thinking about going to the Laxsel tonight.”

“Aw,” whined Lilith as she slid off the bed and stood. “I want to go.”

Using the opportunity to jump subjects again, Alyssa grinned, “Then, why don’t you ask Victor to go with you, if he’s such a compassionate and caring guy?”

The girl mumbled silently to herself, before piping up, “All right, I will ask him if he’ll take me.”

“Good. Well, we should get going. Slade wanted to see Eve duel before we go out.”

Lilith walked to the wooden door. “Isn’t that the main event today, though?”

“Yeah, but it’s all right. We haven’t been out in a long time so we’re willing to risk being a little late to school on Monday if we stay up late.”

---------------
Dante and Jericko traversed the streets of Sunset in Dante’s squad vehicle. The traditional, standard, white and black vehicle slowed to a halt as a traffic light turned from yellow to red.

“What do you think this guy is after?” asked Jericko in an inquisitive fashion.

“Hmm?” grunted Dante as he broke out of his trance. “The killer? Don’t know; someone like that could be after any number of things. If it is X-V.eX, then it was an act against the government probably. Or, they could’ve been after the key.” His words trailed off as he mentioned the strange artifact.

“A key?”

“Some of the boys back at the station don’t really believe in this theory, so I left it out when I explained X-V.eX to you. But, I’m under the impression that whatever’s causing X-V.eX is also after the key to what’s referred to as the Xero Freeze Hourglass.”

Jericko’s eyes lit up as he recognized, “The famous sculpture artist Xero?”

Dante tilted his head in affirmation as the light turned green. The squad car lurched forward. “Xero was an artist of the Old Era who was so determined to communicate with otherworldly spirits that some think he went insane with his projects. He quit his job and did nothing but study the abnormal. He wanted to harness some type of spiritual essence within his work, and that led to the creation of his Freeze Project.”

“The Freeze Project,” repeated Jericko. “That was his last project before the loss of the Old Era, right?”

“Yes. The Freeze Project was his dedication to the mysteries of time and space. He wanted to mold objects in time, so that’s how the project received its name. The name was a bit forced, but he wanted to get his points across as much as possible. So, he constructed three objects to represent his thoughts. One of them was a clock; one was a pyramid; the final one, of course, was the hourglass. They were nicknamed the Xero Freeze Clock, Pyramid, and Hourglass.”

“Why the key then?”

“Well, if you’ve ever seen pictures of the Xero Freeze artifacts, you’ll notice that all of them have a small keyhole in them. Speculation was that he was successful in harnessing the mystic energies he sought and placed them within each of the items.” He tapped his fingers on the wheel, soon continuing, “But, when the Old Era went, so did the Xero Freeze Clock and Pyramid. That left the Hourglass as the only remaining artifact, and easily one of the most sought after and valuable pieces of art in all the world.”

Jericko mulled over the facts, inquiring, “What happened to the key and the Hourglass?”

Dante thought for a bit before responding, “Well, the Xero Freeze Hourglass was secured and it’s brought around museums in time intervals on all three major Skylands. I think it’s in Resonant right now. They’ll be transferring it to us soon, though, which is why I’m becoming pretty nervous. Every time the Hourglass comes back to Sunset, I get jittery because I think it will be the time that the culprits try to get their hands on the Hourglass.”

“So, you’re a firm believer that Xero was able to capture some type of energy in the Hourglass?”

Dante chuckled at the question, admitting, “Even growing up, I thought things like magic and spirits were just children’s play and a waste of time. But, for some reason, I’m drawn to this legend of the Xero Freeze Hourglass. I’m left wondering, ‘Why would Xero give us a key to the Hourglass if there wasn’t anything inside of it? What did he know and what did he keep away from us? Is it hiding in there? What if someone opens it?’” His eyes widened as he pondered his own questions.

Jericko seemed to catch Dante’s feelings, recognizing, “It’s the mystery of the Hourglass that draws you to it. Even though it’s unlikely there’s anything inside of it, it’s the probability that gets to you.”

Dante grunted, “Yes.” He could imagine the strange object hovering above him. “Nobody knows where the key is, but conspiracy theorists against the government are certain that they own it somewhere. If X-V.eX is related to it, or even if it’s just Society of Sin, it’s possible they would go after the Grand Ambassadors looking for it.” He shook his head, muttering something to himself. “Open that compartment there,” he suddenly commanded, pointing to the glove compartment.

Intrigued, Jericko flipped open the hatch. Revealed was a newspaper featuring the Hourglass. It was a large, crystal-blue object with golden sand settled at the bottom. The transparent glass was reflective even in the photograph of the paper.

“I’ve had that picture for years,” the officer admitted. “I’ve had it for so long that sometimes I even forget what edition of the paper that was.”

Jericko gulped, suspiciously starting, “But, they don’t print newspapers any –”

“Exactly.”

---------------
“Oh, come on!” hissed Slade as he rolled out of his dark-red sheets and slammed onto the floor. He gazed at his alarm clock, which flashed ’12:17 PM.’

Estelle opened the door to his room, giggling, “You really need to get to bed earlier or something. I was about to come see if you somehow left without me noticing or if you were dead in here.”

Slade squinted his eyes, sarcastically mumbling, “Thanks, Esty. Maybe next time you could just pound on my door and wake me up.”

Estelle shrugged and mocked, “I’m not going to wake you up every day. You tell me to be more responsible with my schoolwork but you can’t even wake up in the morning?” She folded her arms across her chest. “Well, I’m going out now.”

“Where are you going?” he groaned, throwing his white pillow back on the bed.

“Out with friends. You better get to the stadium if you want to meet up with ‘Lis and them.” She left the room.

Slade smacked his forehead with palm, remembering, “I told ‘Lis I would take her to the Laxsel. Curse the King…” He fumbled with his clothes as he whipped open the closet and took a white t-shirt and a pair of jeans. He nearly tripped over his sheets as he ran into the bathroom, slamming the door behind him.

As the clock shifted from “12:19” to “12:20,” Slade burst through the door, dressed in his new attire. He shook the jacket to even out the sleeves, and then started his trek out of the apartment. He moved into the main front room, which was bare with Estelle gone. He noticed the television still on, showing a duel at the stadium. Slade grumbled, searching for the remote and turning off the display. He wrestled into his shoes and then blew through the door, closing and locking it quickly. He started jogging down the balcony and then the adjacent hallway. He spun around the corner and ran his hand across the railing as he stepped down the stairs.

He moved through the small tunnel-like opening, coming out into the wide-open parking lot of the apartment complex. He twirled the keys to his D-Wheel, walking over to unlock the machine from its chain. As he knelt down to the vehicle, he noticed a police vehicle pulling up to the parking lot. He stood as Dante and Jericko stepped out of the car, closed the doors and approached him.

“Slade Silver?” Dante greeted inquisitively.

“Yeah…?” Slade slowly acknowledged.

“We’re Officers Dante and Jericko of the H-Block Security Bureau. We’d like to ask you a few questions.”

---------------
Alyssa stared at the clock, which read “12:40.” She bit her lip as she looked around nervously, putting her hands together. Crowds of people gathered around the arena concessions and stands. However, Alyssa could not find Slade in the masses. She turned to Lilith and Crystal.

“Where do you think he is?” she timidly asked. “As soon as this next duel is over, Eve’s match is going to start. We can’t wait much longer.”

Lilith and Crystal shrugged at each other before Crystal quietly responded, “Well, maybe he overslept a little again. You know how hard it is for him to wake up early.” She knew her explanation was a stretch, as it was past noon.

Alyssa folded her arms across her chest and huffed, “I guess. Well, we might as well go find our seats then. He knows where we usually sit anyway, right?”

“Good point,” Lilith nodded, beginning to weave through the large number of individuals. “Besides, we’re probably missing some good matches!”

Alyssa grumbled as she followed the two, sighing, Great, I tell Lilith off about Victor, and now Slade looks bad because he’s late. Lilith must be laughing at me now. She rubbed her right arm as the trio entered into the main stands of the seemingly alive stadium.

The crowd stood and clapped as a massive monster exploded on the duel track below them. Two duelists in D-Wheels raced around the track as one player’s Life Points dropped from 1400 to 0. A large, winged beast hovered over the arena. It had long, emerald wings and a scaly, snake-like body. Its golden eyes matched its sharp, needle-like tail.

“An amazing play!” Pete clamored from the announcing microphone. “AJ Jackson takes the win after the phenomenal combo attack!”

“Slade’s going to miss the beginning of the match!” groaned Alyssa in an annoyed fashion.

“Don’t worry,” insisted the passive Crystal, smiling innocently. “I’m sure he’ll be here.”



The two D-Wheels drove off the field, emptying the main stadium once more. After a few moments, the lights around the track dimmed. The blue door whipped open and the crowd began standing and roaring once more. The promotional poster from earlier in the morning flashed across the main screen display high above the arena. A masked woman, looking identical to the one presented in the poster, walked out of the door. She had long, blonde hair worn down and out of her thick, black mask. She wore a full-body attire with a similar shade as her mask, despite the warm and clear weather. It covered her thin figure, giving off the illusion that she was taller and larger. A cape fluttered behind her, depicting a bold, white, letter “A.” Her eyes, poking out of small sockets on the mask, were blatantly dyed silver.

“Folks, this is our main event for the day!” Pete reminded everyone.

“Here she comes!” Troy pandered, introducing, “She is the mysterious duelist who came to us only last season with the full intention of capturing the attention of all types of duel enthusiasts! Some question her motives, but no one can question her dueling prowess! Some believe her to conceal possible psychic dueling abilities. However, she refuses to discuss these matters with anyone! From parts unknown, she is sixteen years old. She boasts a seasonal Vintage Dueling record of 18-5. Ladies and gentlemen, she is Savannaaaaa Mysterioooo!”

Most of the audience let out cheers for the young, masked woman as she bowed to them. She waved her thin, pale, hands. All but her fingers were gloved. Her disk arm had a strange, mirror-like design to it; it was almost transparent, allowing visual access to her graveyard slot. She stepped to the painted square and stood firmly, awaiting her opponent.

The audience hushed, anticipating the entrance of the champion. Soon, several blazing, pink fireworks erupted around the grassy field. Part of the ground parted, giving rise to a small, metallic platform. On the platform stood Eve Steelheart, outfitted in her academy-esque uniform. She held a red and black disk arm to her side as she slowly descended the escalator-like steps of the platform. Her presence was almost hidden by the pyrotechnics that shot up around her.

“Next,” started Pete, “we have come to accept and love her as one of the fan favorites. Her family recently moved to Sunset and it did not take long for her to ascend to championship status! She is also sixteen years old. She comes to us from H-Block. I give to you the current reigning Vintage Duel Champion, Eeeeeeve Steelheart!”

Rabid “Eve” chants spread through the crowd like wildfire. The Vintage Duel Champion stepped off the elevated platform, which then descended underground once more. Eve curtsied out of respect for the audience, lazily walking to meet her opponent. A frown drooped over the exposed, thin mouth of Savanna. The two ladies glared at each other as they activated their disk arms.

“You don’t look too happy,” the analytical Eve commented.

Savanna lifted her hands in a shrug, remaining silent. Her demeanor shifted from unhappy to fierce. “I think it’s about time we started this thing,” her confident and moving voice suggested. She spun around in place, holding her disk arm to the air as she struck a perfect-stance battle pose. “We aren’t here to be awestruck by your fireworks. We are here to duel, so let’s begin.”

Eve maintained a usual, standing stance. “Very well,” she calmly agreed, suspicious of the girl’s odd behavior.

“It seems the champion and her opponent are not taking a liking to each other at all!” Pete noticed.

“Well, can you expect them to?” questioned Troy. “We’re lucky if Savanna takes the time to comb her hair. Eve is standing there all dolled up in her academy uniform, bowing and showing respect to the crowd!”

The first announcer hummed, “It makes me wonder what exactly it is that makes this crowd get behind Savanna. Perhaps it is her relentless defiance that draws them in.”

“Holo Force, activate!” both girls decreed as the disk arms lit. “Duel Gate, open!”

The audience stood anxiously as the Duel Gate began scanning the arena. The shrouded, foggy Duel Realm soon enveloped the region with a blanket of stars and darkened skies. Eve watched her first five cards fly in front of her. She then noticed her opponent’s deck was not even inserted into the disk arm. Eve lifted an eyebrow, grunting as she waited for Savanna to fully arm herself.

Finally, Savanna plopped her deck into the disk arm and mocked, “What’s wrong? Someone looks a little anxious to lose.”

“Confidence exuding from Savanna,” Pete commentated, “although, that’s not really anything new.”

Hearing Pete’s words, Eve noted, “You are pretty confident from behind that mask, aren’t you?”

Savanna blinked, manually drawing and holding her five cards. “This mask is more about confidence,” she finally answered. “I wear it to keep old traditions alive.”

Eve shrugged and soughed, “Right,” as though doubting the validity of the explanation.

“Duel!” both cried. The graphic on the massive display screen flashed once more.

(Eve: 4000) (Savanna: 4000)

Savanna grabbed a portion of her hair, beginning to play with it. As she twirled her soft hair around her finger, she slyly asked, “Why don’t we just skip the little minigame and let our loyal princess go first?” She angled her vision on her adversary.

Eve put away the Jan-Ken-Pon cards, accepting, “As you wish.” She held up a finger, adding, “But, I insist; why don’t you draw first?”

Savanna bit down on her strand of loose hair, eventually agreeing in a playful and almost jeering manner, “Well, I guess.” She stressed the ‘e’ in ‘guess’ as she held her hand to her deck, allowing a sixth card to shoot into her grip.

“It appears Savanna wants to play some mind games with our Vintage Duel Champion,” observed Pete. “However, we will see what, if any, advantage they give her!”

Savanna finally took her eyes off Eve, spreading out her cards and peering through them. “I suppose this will have to do,” she muttered in almost a disappointed fashion. She held her cards together, releasing one with her ring finger and allowing it to drop onto a Monster Zone of her Holo Mat.

A train-like whistle sounded throughout the stadium as a spherical, chrome, black object ascended to the field. The top suddenly popped open, revealing the cylindrical figure of a machine. Magma dripped from the surface of the machine’s upper-body, dripping down into the now moat-shaped area between the body and the hemisphere core. Several circular, white gauges ignited on the sides of the monster. Two grey arms ejected from the sides of the cylindrical body. Each had rough, triple-pronged, claws-like hands. The upper-body had a smaller, almost jug-like head. The head had a singular glass eye. On the sides of the head were two additional, more flattened attachments that emitted steam.

“Normal Summon, Real Genex Magna (1000 ATK/200)!” hollered the masked Savanna. Before the crowd could even cheer for her, she continued, “Effect activate; when Magna is Normal Summoned, I add one Level 2 ‘Real Genex’ monster from my deck to my hand.” She started searching through her cards. Magna’s upper-body traveled higher away from its molten core, revealing a white, safe-like attachment. The safe opened, giving off the projection of another Duel Monsters card.

“It’s not too often we see Magna in attack mode on the first move,” Pete analyzed. “It looks like Savanna is planning something for the champion already!”

“Set two cards,” the girl decided, releasing a pair from her hand. The holographic and reverse images materialized, one on each of her sides. She ominously peered back at Eve, challenging, “Let’s see what you got.” Steam from Magna brushed by her, temporarily hiding her in the fog.

Eve glanced at her disk arm as it suddenly read ‘Draw Phase.’ She held her head down, thinking, Maybe that wasn’t the best idea. I think she expected me to pass priority to her. Pretty smart and tricky move. She stared at Savanna, almost piercing a hole through her with her mind. Let’s see, she likes to revive her monsters and summon them in masses quickly. So, one of her face-down cards must be a Trap Card that revives a monster from the graveyard. Her other one, though, is more of a mystery. I wonder if I can counterattack before she uses them. The Holo Mat drew her card. She glimpsed at it, closing her eyes and admitting, Nope.

“The careful mind of Eve Steelheart is at work, folks,” Pete announced. “What will she come up with?”

Eve pointed at the left-middle card of her hand, declaring, “I’ll Normal Summon a monster.”

A hefty, bright, beige figure started rising behind Eve. The bulky and tower-like creature had a strange, orange triad symbol on each of its massive forearms, as well as on its rhombus-shaped upper-body. A single, partly round boulder separated the upper-body from the waist and legs. Each leg had the appearance of a perfectly chiseled block, with no distinct feet. Grasped in the left hand of the mammoth was a stone sword made of similar material as its wielder. It had a long, carved blade with a minor dent near the thin handle. The giant had a goat-like head, with flaunting horns sticking out in front of it from its sides. Deep, twinkling, white eyes flickered from its helmet.

“Koa’ki Meiru Guardian (1900 ATK/1200),” Eve finished introducing as the crowd went wild.

“1900 attack,” hummed Savanna, still playing with her hair. “Not bad.”

“I use an Equip Spell Card.” Eve launched another card onto her field. “Iron Core Storage.” A thick, gray and rock-made plate of armor displayed over the massive upper-body of Guardian. It had insignias similar to the Core symbol on Guardian. Faded, yellow indents and patterns ran throughout the plate. “When the equipped ‘Koa’ki Meiru’ monster battles, the attack power of the opponent’s monster is reduced by 100 times the Level of the equipped monster. Level 4; 400 attack power.”



“Well, it can technically fight off monsters with up to 2300 attack,” Lilith pointed out. “That’s pretty good.”

“It also lets her protect her monster if she can’t send that Iron Core card to the graveyard,” Crystal remembered, “or reveal a monster of the same type.”

“I’m a bit surprised she sent Guardian out so fast, though,” Alyssa added in a concerned tone. “She’s usually more careful with it.”

“Well, her and Savanna have been trying to psyche each other anyway,” figured Lilith as she leaned forward.

“Slade should be here to see this,” the concerned Alyssa iterated. “He could really see how his strategy might have to change to keep up in a championship match.”



“Koa’ki Meiru Guardian attacks Real Genex Magna,” Eve alerted as she held up her hand. Let’s see those face-down cards, Savanna.

Guardian trampled across the field, aiming its weapon at Magna (1000 ATK/200 ---> 600 ATK/200). Magna emitted more steam, as though trying to conceal itself behind the fog. Guardian’s weapon pierced through the smoke and drilled into the smaller body of the machine. The strength of the Guardian allowed it to lift the impaled Genex machine into the air and drive it into the ground. The magma core of Magna erupted, leaving the robot in pieces on Savanna’s field.

(Eve: 4000) (Savanna: 4000 ---> 2700)

Eve raised one of her eyebrows, questioning, No Trap – Her thought was interrupted by Savanna’s booming voice.

“Trap Card, open!” the girl cried, pointing to the card to her left. It raced up as she called, “Damage Condenser! All I do is discard a card from my hand when I take Battle Damage.” She threw a card into her transparent graveyard. “Then, I can Special Summon a monster from my deck as long as its attack power is less than the damage I took!” She flicked another monster from her deck.

This time, a thin-figured and blue robot leapt onto the field. Its legs were long, thin, silver sticks. Water cannons were in place of its hands. Cables and tubes connected from the bottom of the arm cannons to a large, double-pronged pack on the robot’s back. Reflective blade-like attachments stuck out of the being’s arms, shoulders, and helmet. Large, red panels served as eyes on its spherical head.

“Ally Genex Solid (500 ATK/1200)!”

Eve squinted, tilting her head and noting, She could have searched a monster with up to 1300 attack power. The image of Magna flashed in her mind, causing her eyes to widen. So, that Level 2 monster she added to her hand must combo with Solid in some way. She glanced at the massive display screen above her, recognizing that Solid was also a Level 2 monster.

“What’s wrong?” wondered Savanna as she leaned towards her adversary. “Is that all?”

Eve blinked, tapping the far-right card in her hand. “I set one Spell or Trap Card.” The card flew into its proper zone. “On the End Phase, I must either send an ‘Iron Core of Koa’ki Meiru’ from my hand to the graveyard, or reveal a Rock-Type monster from my hand to keep Guardian in play. It is unnecessary for me to substitute the destruction of Iron Core Storage, because I have another Rock monster in my hand.” One of the cards in her hand expanded to a transparent image, rotating to show itself. “Koa’ki Meiru Boulder.”

“Fine,” exhaled the impatient Savanna. “Can I go now?”

“You may.”

Savanna picked up another card, holding her hand in front of her face. She quickly formulated her moves in her head before declaring, “Activate Machine Duplication!” The familiar Spell Card took to the field. “I can Special Summon more copies of a Machine-Type monster from my deck as long as it has 500 or fewer attack points.” She snapped her fingers before pointing at Solid. “Solid, copy!”

Solid was engulfed in a bright light, which fazed into three separate coronas. As the three coronas dispersed, three Solids (500 ATK x3) now stood on Savanna’s field.

Level 8 total with the monster she’s added to her hand, calculated Eve. Is she going to try and Synchro Summon? Or will she try to use Solid’s ability to tribute a Water ‘Genex’ monster and draw two cards?

Suddenly, a whirling blade of turquoise light leapt into play. It expanded and formed a circular shape, brightening the stadium. As the light died out, the circular blade now served as the base to a levitating, saucer-like body. The machine was of a faded, violet shade. It had large, round openings on its sides and back. A type of electric coil sat on the front of its body, charging electricity. It had a helmet-like face with violet panels for eyes. Four different antennas extended from bulbs on its shoulders, as well as its head.

“Normal Summon, Real Genex Coordinator (200 ATK/100). Plus, when it’s Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon a Level 3 or lower ‘Genex’ monster from my hand.” Another card fell from her hand.

A short and thin robot rose to the field. Its arms, upper-body, waist, and clodhopper feet were painted bright green. The visor-like face of the being was a faded yellow. It had white funnels on its open palms. Its fingers were colored grey, similar to the legs and arms of the machine. A sound box was present on its chest, with four more funnels and a red-circled center.

“Ally Genex Changer (1200 ATK/1800)!”

“You’re going to tune,” assumed Eve with a calm voice, but suspicious expression.

Savanna lifted her left arm, gazing to the sky and proclaiming, “I’m tuning two of my Level 2 Ally Genex Solids and my Level 3 Ally Genex Changer with the Level 2 Real Genex Coordinator!”

The two Solid models joined hands, leaping into the air. Changer knelt down, somersaulting into the air and colliding with the two in a joint pose. Coordinator’s circular base ignited brighter, scanning through the monster and changing it into the two reflective stars. The stars surrounded the spinning machines as they dove back to the ground. The three models all turned into orange silhouetted outlines as they spiraled towards the surface. The two stars shifted form once more, changing into the spinning and green rings.

Savanna clenched her fist, chanting, “The elements of ‘Real’ and ‘Ally’ intersect to form a new power; let their shining darkness reign supreme as machines’ new evolution!” The models all imploded on the ground, shooting an outfacing explosion around the battlefield. “Synchro Summon!”

The white light expanded, giving rise to the enormous silhouette of another machine. The thick, towering body of the Genex ascended higher than even Koa’ki Meiru Guardian. Eve and the crowd stared in awe as Savanna folded her arms across her chest, smirking in triumph.

**==**
Card of the Day:

Koa’ki Meiru Guardian
EARTH / Rock / Effect / Level 4 / Atk 1900 / Def 1200
During each of your End Phases, destroy this card unless you send 1 "Iron Core of Koa'ki Meiru" from your hand to the Graveyard or reveal 1 Rock-Type monster in your hand. You can Tribute this card to negate the activation of an Effect Monster's effect and destroy that monster.
(ART: http://yugioh.wikia.com/wiki/File:Ko...BT-EN-C-1E.png)

[ShadowBlade]

**==**
Character of the Day:

Eve Steelheart
Age: 16
Height: 164.5 cm
Weight: 40.0 kg
Build: Small
Style: Koa'ki Meiru Vintage
Career Highlights: Current Vintage Duel Champion
Favorite Card: Koa'ki Meiru Guardian
Ace Card: Koa'ki Meiru Rooklord
Trivia: Eve is the first intercontinental transfer duelist to win a championship in Sunset.

**==**
---------------
Slade was perched on one of the stools to his kitchen counter, holding his hands over his face. He grimaced as he looked over at the clock.

After 1:00… he muttered to himself, looking up to Dante and Jericko. “Come on, guys. I didn’t kill anyone and I don’t know anything about it. I have to get going because I’m meeting someone somewhere.”

“May I remind you that if you choose not to comply with us,” Dante warned as he waved a finger, “that we can just take you to the station and continue the questioning there.” He produced an innocent and compelling smile.

Slade grumbled to himself, putting his elbows on the table and allowing, “Fine, continue.”

“Now, keep in mind that we have a witness who describes you as being at the scene,” Jericko reminded him. “Don’t lie to us. Did you kill Harvey Nielsen?”

Quickly growing annoyed with the accusations set against him, Slade cringed, “I’m not lying to you. I don’t know where to buy weapons or anything.”

“Did you kill Harvey Nielsen?” Jericko repeated, seeking a direct answer to the question.

“No. I don’t even own a gun.”

Dante and Jericko glanced at each other before Dante asked, “And just how is it you know the murder weapon was a gun?”

Slade blankly stared at each of them for a minute, before breaking out in a nervous laugh. “Is that a joke question? Really?” He pointed at his television before explaining, “They told everybody in the news report that he was shot in the head.”

Dante nodded, turning to Jericko. He led his partner away before leaning closer to him and whispering, “I’m becoming a little annoyed with this. I wasn’t aware the media had been told the murder weapon. We could have used that to our advantage.” He sighed, glancing at Slade once more with an unforgiving eye.

“Stare all you want,” challenged the flustered teenager. “It might as well be worth your time since it’s a waste of mine. I’m not going to make any sudden movements because I have no reason to.”

Jericko turned to the teenager, snapping, “Now, calm down there, son. We can’t place you at the scene; our forensic artist, however, has drawn a figure that bears a striking resemblance to you. Were you dueling that day? Is there anyone that can confirm your whereabouts as an alibi?”

“’Lis and I stayed after school to study for our tests. Go to H-Block High and look around the security tapes. I know they have them there. I should show up in the library or something like that.”

Dante rubbed his chin, agreeing, “Very well. We will keep that in mind for now. I suppose since there’s nothing more to question you about, we’ll take our leave now.”

“Yeah.” Slade was greatly displeased and not amused with the two gentlemen at all.

Dante walked out the front door with Jericko. As they walked down the balcony, Dante fumed, “That’s a shame. But, I suppose there’s no charges we can bring him up on at this point.”

“I guess,” agreed the other officer. “We searched that place pretty well and there weren’t any signs of any type of weapon matching the description of the firearm.”

“There was no sign of a way to store a Copybot either. Even if he used a Copybot as an alibi, we would have noticed something like that pretty easily.” Dante held his head down, groaning, “Well, I suppose this is a dead-end unless there’s somehow proof that he wasn’t at the school library, or that he has access to a Copybot.”

“Now, we didn’t have a lot of those Copybot things back in my country. They just take on the appearance of a person?”

Dante tilted his head. “More or less; I’m not sure what they were originally designed for, but they’ve long since been outlawed. People usually use them to commit crimes if they’re lucky enough to get their hands on one. They can be dangerous creations, because without a way to determine the difference between a Copybot and a human, someone can easily be framed. So, even if we could link a Copybot to Slade, we would have to prove that he’s the one that owns it and used it at that specific time.”

Jericko put his arm behind his head, beginning to get a headache from the array of disappointments in the case. “Ah, well,” he started, pausing as he gathered words. “Should we go to the school and look at those tapes? We might as well see if we can let this guy off the hook or continue investigating him.”

Dante held up the forensic drawing, replying, “We’ll keep tabs on him just in case, anyway, at least until we can dismiss him as a suspect. It’s our only lead, in any case.”

They approached their squad car, jumping back in their seats and preparing to pull out of the complex. They noticed Slade rushing for his D-Wheel, which was blue and had silver and green streaks lining its sides. The trio locked eyes once more before Dante and Jericko elected to leave. Slade soon sped off in the opposite direction, heading for the stadium.

As Dante’s car rounded the corner and stopped at a light, the officer’s eyes widened. He hummed, garnering the attention of Jericko. Dante turned to his partner, wondering, “You didn’t happen to catch something by chance, did you?”

Curious, the rookie asked, “Like what?”

After a short pause, Dante finished, “Was that kid left-handed?”

---------------
The crowd, Lilith, Crystal, Alyssa, and Eve all gaped anxiously at the massive robot ascending behind Savanna. The light died out, revealing the full figure and design of the model. Its hands and feet were nearly identical, all having four evenly spaced cylinders as fingers and toes. Each of the cylinders, as well as the open disks at the bottom of its hands and feet, gave off a turquoise light similar to the base of Coordinator. The robot was coated in reflective, black paint. Its left arm and both legs were similarly designed with octagonal plates and had lit panels on various parts of them. The right arm, however, looked more like a cannon with its perfectly cylindrical shape. Several handles lined the sides of the right arm. The upper-body of the machine contained a large disk with an almost sky-blue light. The black center closed and opened, suggesting it was an eye. A single smokestack was present on the back of the being, emitting steam as the robot activated.



“What the heck is that thing?” asked Lilith with a puzzled look.

“Savanna must have gotten a new Synchro Monster,” Alyssa assumed as she glared at the behemoth.

Crystal cupped her hands near her chest, observing, “One of its hands is like four times as big as her!” She made the mental comparison to the being and Eve’s thin body.



“Synchro Summon!” Savanna prompted as she snapped her fingers. “My latest mechanical advent, Real Genex Kuriokishian (2500 ATK/2000)!”

Kurokishian acknowledged its name by raising its left hand far above its body. It clamped its fingers open and shut, as though testing its movement. The arm, fastened by a connector, was able to rotate in every direction. Thick vapor spewed from the attachment above it, temporarily glossing Savanna’s field once more in a warm haze.

“Oh, and there it is!” Pete yelped into the microphone. “It seems that Savanna is once more showing off her new Level 9 Synchro Monster, Real Genex Kurokishian!”

“I bet that thing could see my house from where it’s standing!” gasped Troy, amazed by the stature of the machine.

Eve blinked as she peered at the ominous and daunting monster. However, she remained silent.

“I know,” mocked Savanna as she winked her right eye. “I would be speechless too. Effect activate!” She held her hand up to her new monster again, explaining, “When Kurokishian is Synchro Summoned, it lets me take control of the monster with the highest Level on your field.” Her fingers snapped again. “Koseino Assimilation!”

The disk near the eye of Kurokishian launched light waves in a narrowing, shadow-like pattern. It moved across Eve’s field, stopping at Guardian’s position. Darkened letters flashed in a curve to match the contour of the disk’s shape, reading, “Four; Koa’ki Meiru Guardian.” The letters vanished, soon replaced by, “Target locked; assimilate.” The left arm of Kurokishian pointed at Guardian, beginning to utilize a visible, turquoise tractor beam. The beam wrapped around Guardian, pulling it across the field.

“I won’t allow that to happen,” Eve countered as she eyed her monster. “I will chain the activation of your effect with Guardian’s own. By tributing Koa’ki Meiru Guardian, your monster’s effect is negated, and your monster is destroyed.”

Guardian’s sword emitted a heavenly glow as the rock-created monster started to break into bits. Guardian’s remains were embedded in the fiery sword, which soared across the field and pierced Kurokishian through the eye. The machine stepped backwards, losing control of its tractor beam. Pieces of its armor broke open, shooting steam and liquid as the foundation of the Real Genex began to crumble. The right arm detached, crashing to the ground and hurling dust throughout the battlefield.

“It appears that Savanna has walked into a trap!” the startled Pete relayed. “Savanna’s work to summon Kurokishian might have been all for naught as Eve was prepared with the perfect counter already!”



“Well, that was a lot of effort for nothing,” Lilith commentated in a stern tone. “She wasted four monsters on that summon and if she just knew about Guardian’s effect, she could have done something else.”

Alyssa tilted her head as a loud, mechanical noise echoed throughout the stadium. “What was that?” she wondered.



Eve squinted again as the smoke started to clear. To her surprise, Kurokishian rose once more, repairing and reattaching its lost body parts. The crack on the eye vanished, as though the machine had been rebuilt entirely.

“I was just messing around,” Savanna joked as she waved her hand. “That was for pretend. Now it’s time for the real thing.”

“What did you do?” wondered Eve before able to notice the Trap Card out of the corner of her eye.

“I used Call of the Haunted!” The Continuous Trap Card sparkled on the masked girl’s field. “This card Special Summons one monster from the graveyard in Attack Position, so Real Genex Kurokishian (2500 ATK/2000) comes right back to me!”

Eve gulped as she realized, So, I was right. The other Trap Card was to revive her monster. I wonder if she planned that all along.

Savanna dropped the last card out of her hand. “Equip Spell Card, Glory Shield!” A luminous, white and blue shield attached to the cannon-like right arm of Kurokishian. Various sapphire gems lined it.



“Wow, that’s a rare card,” Crystal exhaled with intrigue.

“Well, yeah,” Alyssa almost sarcastically noted. “It’s pretty powerful too; it stops Eve from using Spell or Trap Cards when the equipped monster attacks, and then if the monster inflicts damage she can destroy one Spell or Trap Card on the field.”



“Let’s battle,” asserted Savanna, glimpsing at her monsters. “Go, Solid! Attack directly!”

“Oh, a daring move by Savanna,” Troy chuckled. “This gives Eve the chance to use her set card, because the monster equipped with Glory Shield isn’t the one attacking!”

Savanna played with her hair once more, scoffing, “You wanna use it?”

Eve exhaled slowly as she replied, “No,” with a stern voice. Solid’s cannon released a stream of water, striking her in her face and drenching her hair.

(Eve: 4000 ---> 3500) (Savanna: 2700)

“Savanna has inflicted damage,” announced Pete, “But, I have a feeling this is far from the end of her assault!”

Savanna cracked a smirk, commanding, “Kurokishian, attack her directly!” The Glory Shield equipped to her monster glowed. “Now you can’t use your face-down card.”

Kurokishian’s eye ignited as it extended its right cannon-like arm. A bright particle charge formed at the end of the arm, focusing into a straight laser. Each of the hands’ fingers rotated and grappled the charge, harnessing it. Another set of “Target locked” text appeared on the disk surrounding the eye. The hand shook, almost unable to contain the increasing force behind the laser. Soon, the energy broke free of the monster’s grip, traversing the field and exploding just below Eve’s feet. The blaze reached far beyond the scope of the stadium, impressing the crowd with flickering and dancing flames.

---------------
Slade’s D-Wheel darted through the busy Sunset streets. The teenager saw the smoke emitting from the stadium in the far distance. He cringed, thinking, Great, I bet I just missed a really good play. What was with those guys? He thought of Dante and Jericko, picturing them with cackling and arrogant expressions. Who the heck thought they saw me outside a Grand Ambassador’s house with a gun? Was it Victor screwing with me or something?

The possibility of Victor being the witness made him cringe. He gritted his teeth and silently warned, Victor better not be that stupid. After breaking out of his thought, he noticed the light in front of him changing yellow. “Aw, crap!” he cursed, noticing his speed was too high to slow to a stop fast enough. Come on, freshly changed; freshly changed. He rolled towards the light, feeling his heartbeat increase as the light switched red. He crossed the intersection, moaning, “Darn it!” loudly.

He continued on, soon seeing red and blue flashing lights behind him. Another marked police vehicle rolled around the intersection he just passed, giving chase.

“Oh, come on!” growled the teenager as he flipped on his turn signal and pulled over to the curb. He nearly slammed his head against the front of the bike as the car behind him rolled to a stop.

Another uniformed officer stepped out of the car, casually walking towards Slade. He had a tall, bulky figure and wore sunglasses. Most of his short, brown hair was concealed by the standard hat he wore. He walked up to Slade, greeting, “Afternoon, sir. Do you know why I’ve pulled you over today?”

Nodding his head, Slade answered, “Yeah, sorry about the light. I didn’t notice when it turned yellow.”

“Well, yellow means ‘stop,’ son; it doesn’t mean ‘beat the red.’ Also, I’ve got you goin’ about 54 here. This is a 45 zone; do you realize this?”

Slade twitched as he glanced at his speedometer. “My mistake, officer.”

“License form, please.”

Slade nodded again, opening the glove compartment and retrieving a large, folded paper. He handed it to the officer who immediately unraveled it.

“Okay, Mr. Silver; one moment, please.” He took the paper and reentered his vehicle, beginning to check on the teenager.

Slade’s head almost collided with the front of the bike once more as he grumbled, It’s not one thing that can go wrong; it has to be three or four things all at the same time.

---------------
Excited chants exhumed from the livened crowd as more dust and debris covered the battlefield. The cube rotating above Eve’s head dropped drastically in value.

(Eve: 3500 ---> 1000) (Savanna: 2700)

“A vicious direct attack from Savanna leaves the champion in a thick cloud of destruction!” Pete described.

“She knew how to fight off Guardian’s effect after all!” Troy analyzed. “Just think what it’ll mean if Savanna can win this thing!”

Savanna giggled from behind her mask, watching Eve finally emerge from the smoke.

The Vintage Duel Champion’s hair was still drenched. She brushed part of it up with her hand and puffed up the other with a quick blow of air. She glimpsed down at her disk arm, seeing her low Life Point score staring back at her.

“Effect activate!” commanded Savanna in a much more prominent voice. “When the monster equipped with Glory Shield inflicts Battle Damage, one Spell or Trap Card can be destroyed!”

Eve jerked her head to the left, forced to watch her face-down card shatter like glass. The Holo Mat removed the card from her field and placed it in her graveyard slot, leaving her field barren.

“3000 points of damage and a clear field within the first three turns of the game!” hollered Pete in an excited manner. “Savanna is really taking it to the champion! Will Eve be able to strike back!?”

The Vintage Duel Champion glanced down to her deck, hearing the jeers and urging voices of the announcers and crowd. She refocused on the cunning Savanna. She has a strong attacking ability, the champion found herself admitting.

“Well, unless you’re star struck by the move I just made,” Savanna started with a crude tone, “then it’s your turn now.”

“The difference in Life Points and field advantage is clear!” Troy hyped. “How will Eve answer Savanna now?”

Eve frowned for only a brief moment before reverting to a blank and determined glare. She shook her hair as it naturally dried from the wind. Ignoring her opponent’s taunting, she allowed her Holo Mat to draw her next card. Her eyes widened as she picked it from her hand.

“I activate a Spell Card, Core Compression,” she declared as the Spell Card came into play. “With this card, I reveal one ‘Iron Core of Koa’ki Meiru’ from my hand and discard one ‘Koa’ki Meiru’ Monster Card.” Another Spell Card revealed itself from her hand as Boulder flew to her graveyard. “I discard Koa’ki Meiru Boulder. Now, Core Compression allows me to draw two cards.” Two more cards were whisked into her hand by the power field. She held her head up, muttering, “Now, it’s time to fight back.”

“Fight back?” asked Savanna with a squeak. “What are you up to over there?”

“I activate a Spell Card, Iron Core Immediate Disposal.” A card ejected from her deck. “This card sends one ‘Iron Core of Koa’ki Meiru’ from my deck to the graveyard.”

“What’s the point of that? All it does is waste a card in your hand.”

“Then, I activate another Spell Card, Urgent Synthesis.” The Iron Core card flew from her graveyard instantly. “This card returns one Iron Core from my graveyard to the deck.”

Savanna lifted her eyebrows in an annoyed fashion. “What is this?”

“From deck to graveyard to deck!” joked Pete with a chortle. “Eve must certainly have something in mind to be playing like this!”

Eve watched her deck shuffle as she continued, “Then, with the effect of Urgent Synthesis, I can Special Summon one ‘Koa’ki Meiru’ monster from my graveyard.” She flicked a card onto her field, proclaiming, “I bring back Koa’ki Meiru Guardian (1900 ATK/1200)!” Soon, the massive rock returned to the field behind her.

“This crowd has come alive for our champion once more!” Pete narrated as he noticed the gleeful expressions on the majority of the audience.

“Koa’ki Meiru Guardian serves not only as my protector, but as the gateway to a greater force.” The Guardian behind her started dissipating once more, this time into a swirling light.

“What are you doing now?” demanded Savanna in a nervous tone.

“I tribute my Guardian in order to summon a new monster!”

A mechanical being covered in Koa’ki Meiru insignias emerged from the ground. It had long, thin legs painted a traditional grey. The thin waist, upper-body, and arms of the robot were tinted sky-blue. The two-piece arms each had a round, disk-like palm with the goldenrod Koa’ki Meiru insignia carved into its front. Attached to the small shoulders of the machine were white, arch-shaped designs with four cylindrical bulbs. Each bulb shared the insignia of the machine’s archetype. Large bolts held the shield-like archs on the sides of the robot.

---------------
Slade buried his head to the right, away from the street and passing traffic. He could hear several jeering and cackling voices as open-windowed cars and other D-Wheels flew by the area. He peered into his right mirror, watching the officer’s mouth move as he likely spoke with superiors.

“Come on…” Slade grumbled aloud as he hushed his mouth by speaking into his sleeve. “I’m missing the match and ‘Lis…” He stopped as he noticed the officer finally exiting the vehicle. He perked up, sitting straight and awaiting the man’s return.

“All right, Mr. Silver,” the officer addressed as he returned with three sheets of paper. “Here is your license form. I’m going to give you a written warning on the speed.”

Slade accepted his license form and then the warning paper from the officer. “All right, sir; thank you.”

“However,” the stern-toned officer continued, “that intersection is far too busy year round. I’m citing you on running that red light. You can either pay this within a week or protest it in court.”

Slade grunted, maintaining a professional expression as he took the ticket from the officer. “Well, all right then. Sorry about that.”

“Mhm. Drive safe and slow it down a bit.” The peacekeeper turned from the teenager.

“Great,” huffed Slade as he placed all the papers in the glove compartment. “160 dollars for barely running a red light?” He struck his palm against his forehead again, before reequipping his helmet. “He gives a warning for the speed but then gives a ticket for the…ugh, whatever.” He turned on his D-Wheel, putting on his turn signal and awaiting the chance to leap back into traffic.

---------------
“When tributing a ‘Koa’ki Meiru’ monster,” Eve lectured, “I can Tribute Summon Koa’ki Meiru Rooklord (2800 ATK/2200) with only one tribute.” The tall robot loomed over her field, clamping together its two circular hands.

“2800 attack points,” cringed Savanna. She started a small giggle, realizing, “But, even if you attack my Solid, the damage will only be 2500 and I’ll have enough Life Points to survive another round!”

Eve waved a finger, revealing, “Koa’ki Meiru Rooklord’s effect activates. When this card is Normal Summoned, I can remove from play one ‘Koa’ki Meiru’ monster in my graveyard in order to destroy two cards on my opponent’s field.” Boulder shot out of her graveyard.

Savanna put her arms together as she bellowed, “Wait, what!?”

The hands of Rooklord ignited with a plasma-like energy that rushed from the limbs like a river. The force concentrated into a beam, engulfing the lower half of Savanna’s Kurokishian. The massive Synchro Monster desperately reached for its opponent. However, it was soon melted by the raw power of Rooklord’s ability. As the beam struck Solid, the blue robot vaporized instantly. Glory Shield crashed to the ground and fell to pieces.

“Oh, a twist of fate!” Pete shouted. “Now with Rooklord’s appearance, Savanna’s field has been cleared!”

“Shoot…!” hissed the masked girl as she faltered back one step.

Rooklord turned its attention to Savanna as Eve deemed, “Now, Koa’ki Meiru Rooklord will declare a direct attack.”

Savanna gaped at the large beams as they recharged, directing their fury at her. She gritted her teeth, admitting defeat as she let her head sink. The blast assimilated her, covering her field and most of the venue behind her in the cloud of energy. The cube above her head quickly rotated to zero before displaying “LOSE.”

(Eve: 1000) (Savanna: 2700 ---> 0)

“She’s done it!” yelped Pete, fumbling with the microphone as he almost fell from his chair. “Eve Steelheart has broken out of dire straits and reminded us all why she is the champion! How will Slade Silver prepare for such a competitor?”



“I don’t know,” grumbled Alyssa as she sulked and crossed her arms. “I would ask him if he ever showed up.”

Crystal nervously laughed, suggesting, “Maybe Slade got stuck in traffic on the way here.”

The girl sighed, glancing around the crowd one final time before standing. “Maybe. I don’t know.”

“We could wait around with you for a little bit if you want,” Lilith offered with a friendly smile. “If he doesn’t show up, we can all go hang out at the mall or something.”

The distraught girl lazily replied, “Yeah, I guess…”

As Eve and Savanna stared at each other to the chants of the crowd, the majority of the audience members started their trek away from the stands.



Still unsatisfied with her opponent’s appearance, Eve called out, “Why exactly are you wearing that mask? Do you have a reason to hide your face from us?”

Savanna gazed at the “0” score on her disk arm. As the Duel Gate passed by, brightening the stadium once more, the huddled girl only cracked a smirk as she slowly backed away from Eve. She soon turned, ignoring Eve’s question entirely and departing through the blue door.

---------------
“Darn it,” hissed Slade as he pulled into the chaotic parking lot of the stadium. He slowly weaved through the masses of people, attempting to locate Alyssa or the others. “It looks like I missed the whole thing; that’s pretty lame. Stupid cops…”

“Well, well,” a jeering and familiar voice called. “Am I seeing correctly?”

Slade squinted his eyes as he recognized the tone, soon turning to confirm his hearing. He found himself face-to-face with Victor and his group of buddies. “What is it, Victor?” the tired teenager mumbled.

“I’m just so surprised to see you fumbling around here by yourself, Slade,” the overconfident King of Chaos responded. “Usually you have a couple extra pairs of legs around you. Too bad they don’t really have any other tricks than walking.”

“Funny man,” Slade sarcastically acknowledged. “But, I think you’ve forgotten about that ‘third pair of legs.’ Though, maybe if you treated Lilith a little better, she would be following you around instead of ‘Lis and me.”

The rowdy teenagers cackled like hyenas until Victor held up his arm, as though cuing them to stop. Aside from the crowd’s incessant chatter, the area seemed to be silent. Victor fumed at the comment, challenging, “Why don’t you say that to me on the track, boy?” He stamped once, hissing, “Don’t be dissin’ my woman, especially when you don’t know what she wants.” He pounded on his chest, proclaiming, “I know what she wants, and I give it to her, ‘cause I’m Victor Spade.”

Slade clapped his hands. “Boy, Victor, I don’t know how I could possibly counter logic like that.” He leaned close to the cocky King of Chaos, warning, “But, hey, I’ll tell you something. You keep acting the way you do with your little egotistic fantasies and beliefs, and maybe we’ll see each other on the track sooner than you think. I can tell you one thing though; once you’re beaten off that high horse of yours, it’s a long way down back to Earth. You can either learn to fall gracefully yourself, or I can drag you there. It’s your choice.”

After a brief moment of silence, Slade sped off in his motorcycle, continuing the search for Alyssa. Victor and his dumbfounded friends were left to stand in the midst of the packed and rushing crowd. Victor’s eyes twitched as one of his friends laughed.

“Think he’s comin’ for you, Vic,” the friend taunted in a joking fashion.

“Yeah, man,” another jeered. He waved his arms and fingers in a mocking manner. “Careful, or he’ll ‘knock you off your high horse.’”

The group joined in their animalistic chortling once more as Victor shook his head and soon joined the fun.

“Nah,” the King of Chaos finally answered as he held out his deck. “It’d never happen.” He flipped over the top card, glancing at the art of a multicolored dragon. His finger covered the name. “As long as I have this baby, I’m invincible.”

**
EP - Away
**
RANDOM XERO FREEZE TRIVIA

This episode did not originally exist. Instead, (what will now be) Turn 4 was originally this episode. I added this in-between so that (the present) Turn 4 can (hopefully) be posted on…my 21st birthday! That’s right; next Tuesday, old ShadowBlade turns 21 and it’ll be time for celebration. How to do this? Big duel; come prepared.

If Dante’s explanation and introduction of the Hourglass seemed forced, that’s because it was supposed to. He hints that none of the other officers appreciate or listen to his theories; therefore, he wanted to explain to anyone that would listen, namely Jericko since he has shown interest in the whole X-V.eX / Society of Sin situation.

This is the first (and actually…probably last) episode in all of Recon (XFZ, DYH, etc combined) that will not feature a single created card.

[magicbullet]

Slade a suspect? interesting...

[Gladiator King]

Wow, Great chapter Shadow, and I'll be looking forward to turn 4. Like magicbullet said, it's intresting that slade is a suspect.

[ShadowBlade]

Thanks for the replies, you two. I ended up watching a lot of Forensic Files and other such shows a lot this past year. So, murder mysteries have become something I tend to enjoy. I tend to notice that in most murders, the first suspects tend to be all the other residents and close friends of the victim. So, I decided to be a little more random than that and instead have the first suspect be someone that not many would expect.

There is not any CAC to be updated this week. So, I guess the only thing we have to look forward to this weekend is the preview.

[SebastiaanZ]

A lot of backstory as you promised us, Shadow. I am interested by the Hourglass, Pyramid and that other one and I definitely want to know what exactly happened and all.

I expect the duel that will take place in Turn 4 is Victor vs Slade. Interesting to see how that will turn out. Slade being interrogated was a nice touch. I think Slade will be able to beat Victor.

About the duel. I am not exactly a fan of the Genex series, why I still don't know. I like the Koaki Meiru series a lot more, wish they made a supporting archetype for it as well. Maybe a good time for you to create a supporting archetype, lol. The duel was nice overall seen.

I also like you sig. I identified the left one as Chaosrider Joust or whatever the name was, I remember to have seen the right one in your CAC site as well, but the middle we haven't seen yet, am I correct? Is it the dragon Victor was holding. I guess we'll see.

Keep up the good work and I'll be back for the preview, Turn 4 and your birthday to congratulate you.

[Cyber Phoenix]

Hmm, another interesting Turn here ShadowBlade. Let's start, shall we?

Dante's recurrent dream of him being bested by this mysterious figure seems to keep bringing him more clues to the case as well as worry for his well-being. I'm wondering if we'll eventually come to the point where Dante will have his showdown with this person or CopyBot or whatever it is.

This leads me to notice one of the clues we were given earlier. It was stated that this figure had silver dyed eyes. Now when you bring up Savannah, you state that she's not only hiding her face, but she too has silver dyed eyes. Hmm, there must be a link here unless you're trying to throw us off. I sense a conspiracy within the world of Xero Freeze, so I'm wondering who's involved (I still can't shake that feeling of suspecting Jericko despite little-to-no evidence that could convict him). And of course Slade would become a suspect. There needed to be an eventual intersection of the 2 stories at some point.

On to the duel aspect now. I see you went with the idea for Core-Chimair for Eve rather than your original idea. Either way, I was still excited to see her play and I also noticed that she's just as suspicious of Savannah as I am. We'll have to see how that little plotline plays out if she goes to Jericko to tell him something about this (father and daughter, right?)...

Anyways, great job and I look forward to the next Turn as usual. Hopefully it'll be a great birthday for you as well!

[ShadowBlade]

Sep: Eh, I don't know. I didn't like the Genex a lot until I found out about the new Ally Genex and Real Genex additions. It really branches out the archetype a bit and allows for a lot more choice in deck construction. As for the Koa'ki Meiru, I just like them; there's not much more to it there. So, there they are! Eeeyay. The Koa'ki Meiru archetype does seem a bit empty, though. Ah well. There will probably be some CAC in the future since I doubt I'll finish the other deck I had in mind for Eve.

As for the sig, you're right about Joust. The one on the right is Summoner Tara from Slade's first duel. As for the one in the middle, it's actually not a dragon; it is hard to make out, though. But, it will of course eventually be seen.


Cyber: With the Copybot thing, he's pretty much guessing that someone could have either used a Copybot to cover for their alibi, or had the Copybot commit the murder so they could, again, have an alibi.

By the way, whoever can guess what "Copybot" references gets a cookie.

Anyway, Cyber, Jericko is the father of Eve indeed. As for suspicious individuals, they just keep piling up for you don't they? Crack the case with haste, pool detective! You pretty much have it with the intersection of the stories, though, so a suspect was bound to be one of the characters we already knew.

You all seem to acknowledge Slade being a suspect; however, there aren't any guesses as to whether he could be the culprit yet. I suppose we'll build on predictions as the series continues. There are of course more clues and puzzles to solve!

Thanks for the replies, you two.


Now then, here's a little funny tidbit for everyone. You can now apparently read Turn 200 of Battle Zone in French! Some "kind" fellow </sarcasm> from a French forum decided to rip off the finale of Battle Zone...for whatever reason. Feel free to gawk at the silly antics of other people from the Final Yugi forum and wonder just what people are thinking when they decide to steal.

[Cyber Phoenix]

Wow, that French site maade me laugh. I went to a cheap online translator so I could see some of the comments posted. I think one of the comments had something to do with poor editing or choice of words. ShadowBlade, you should join the site and just post in english saying "Hey, how do you like MY story?" Or was it you stealing from this French guy? Uh oh, I smell trouble...

My guesses for Copybot would either be from "Surrogates" or those Ghost duelist robot things from 5D's.

[ShadowBlade]

Even if we assume you weren't joking, it would be hard for me to copy something from a French man two days before it was posted.

All righty, everyone, here's our preview! I had a blast writing the duel in it and I can guarantee it's going to be fun.


Next time on Xero Freeze...

The rush of the wind batting away at one's face brightens them, preparing them for the endless world of speed that awaits. Some tracks in this world are oval, some are circular, and others are created by the duelists themselves. Whether in the deep of a winter blizzard, or in the scorching heat of summer, Speed Gate opens the door to this world and allows duelists to produce unforgettable moments.

One of these moments, however, has left a scar of jealously and hatred on a duelist. For months, he has sought his revenge and jeered the opponent who refused to duel him again. Now, the two finally open the portal of Speed Gate once more. Only in the endless realm can their rivalry persist and create yet another unforgettable moment. In the midst of life's problems, there exists one beacon that serves as an outlet for frustration.

Stay tuned for Turn 4: Pressure

Riding Duel, acceleration!