A/N: Going to take a break from the fantasy stuff for a while until it gets all sorted out. For now, I'm just going to finish a few requests I've left unfinished and working on some smaller projects. Not something I normally write, but I had some fun with it. See you around and happy holidays!


Six years have passed since he left the events of Duel Academy behind him. His time there began to feel like a distant memory, and some days —when he was really down— he oftentimes questioned if he ever went there.

"Deck's almost ready," Aster thought, as he prepared for the main event of the night. Outside his locker room, he heard the muffled roar of the crowd reverberating from the walls. A holographic screen projected on the ceiling, displaying a duel. Chazz Princeton was up against a duelist with a pyro deck. The red-haired duelist bragged that Chazz stood no chance against his Infernal Flame Emperor, whose power was increased thanks to the Molten Destruction field spell he activated, which gave Fire attribute monsters a significant boost in attack power.

Chazz being Chazz showed no fear and summoned his Armed Dragon Thunders, evolving them one after another with the greatest of ease until Armed Dragon Thunder Level 10 stood tall over the field and wiped out Infernal Flame Emperor and the rest of the fire duelist's Life Points.

Without so much as a knock, his manager burst inside with his datapad hanging on the crook of his arm. The man was tall, stout, and tan-skinned. He had a pompadour hair-style and sported a red blazer and slacks. Heavy golden rings shined on each of his fingers. Over his beady eyes, he wore gold-framed aviators with dark lenses.

"Aster, baby! You ready?" He called out in a sing-song manner.

That was a stupid question. Aster was still damp from his shower and he still had a towel wrapped around his waist. He looked over his shoulder and gave his impatient manager a cold stare. The man still stood there at the door with that stupid grin on his face. His large, obnoxious, bowtie flashed, for it had LED polka dots.

"Does it look like I'm ready, Antosson?" Aster replied coldly. Water droplets cascaded from his hair.

"I dunno you tell me," his manager said, still grinning. "Do you plan on making the ladies excited by coming out in a towel? If so, that's genius! We could make big bucks with that gimmick!"

"OUT!" Aster shouted.

"Okay, okay, okay. But do hurry up. You've got a duel in ten minutes. You don't want to be late now do you, Aster baby? You're the Arena Grand Champion. The King of the Kaiba Corp Colosseum! Try not to let down your fans. You know what happens to those who fall from grace in this business."

"I said I'll be there, okay? Get out and let me change."

"Ten minutes!" Antosson said, closing the door as he muttered obscenities.

When he was gone, Aster buried his face in his palms. He let out one sob and groaned. Despite all being champion of Kaiba Corp's premier dueling league, he found himself sinking deeper and deeper into a world of depression. Yeah, he was the Arena Grand Champion, but that meant that every player in the league was relentlessly coming after him. If he lost his title, he would plummet to the bottom in no time at all and would most likely be forgotten. He had seen it happen numerous times. Duelists on the top of the mountain, suddenly falling because of one defeat. When you lost your title, the league turned on you, the locker room turned on you, and the fans turned on you.

He thought holding that title and wearing that prestigious belt would be awesome when he was younger, but now it was weighing him down with a deadly burden. His right hand started to get that feeling again. He looked at it. It was vibrating like the tail of a rattlesnake..again.

"Shit."

He got up from the bench and walked to a cabinet to find his pills. He gulped them down without water and just stood there leaning over the counter, thinking about how something so good as being champion could be so wrong.


Alexis

Though it was seven pm, the annoying buzz of an alarm disturbed the silence. Alexis stirred around underneath her blankets. Her hand reached out and fumbled stupidly over the side table, knocking down empty cans and piles of cards she hoped would sell for a good price online. Her slender fingers finally found the phone and with a jab of her thumb, she turned it off and snoozed for a few more minutes.

"Kill. Me. Now," she thought. Her face was buried in her pillow, moist with her drool.

She wiped it off her chin and brushed a few messy bangs off her eyes before throwing the sheets off and sitting over her bed to motivate herself into getting out of bed and enduring another rough night ahead. She took a look around. Her studio apartment was a helter-skelter mess. Piles of clothes and old Duel Monster cards littered the floor. A pink neon sign hanging on the brick wall beside her mattress provided her only light, washing her and her belongings with a sorrowful warm glow.

A box of Chinese food sat on the corner of her desk, the uneaten contents festering inside and perfuming her room with a starchy smell. She didn't care at all to clean it up. After all the bills she paid and all the money she lost, she felt so unmotivated to even clean up. In front of her was the cityscape of Paradise City, a metropolis by the ocean full of dueling-obsessed citizens.

The lights of the skyscrapers twinkled and the neon signs flashed, flooding the night with green, red, pink, blue, and orange. It was the good side of Paradise City, the place where all the winners were. Alexis would stare at it every night as she cried herself to sleep. The buildings were a reminder of what she had lost.

Hard to believe that six years ago she had her own room to herself in the Obelisk Blue Dorm. Its luxury was on par with a five-star hotel. A reward for all the hard work she did in the dueling prep-school her parents sent her to after she was done with elementary school. What good all that studying did her now. If she had known putting all that effort into Duel Monsters would lead her here into this miserable room in the ass-end of Paradise City, she most likely would have pursued another career.

How far one can fall after being at the top for so long.

She formed an O with her mouth and patted her hands on her cheeks to get herself to wake up. "You can get out of this, girl. Just a few more victories and we can leave this shit behind us. And we'll be back there in no time."

She got out of bed and stretched. Then she picked up the remote, which was buried under her clothes at the end of her bed, and turned on the television to the Kaiba Corp Network. She didn't watch the duel, she just wanted to add some ambiance to the room. The rain tapping against the windows of her apartment started to annoy her.

As she stripped out of her sweaty clothes on her way to the shower, a big duel was taking place on TV — the main event in the Kaiba Corp Dueling Colosseum. Aster Phoenix, the arena grand champion, was going up against his hundredth challenger, Carlos Ollanta. A bald, bulky, beast of a man hailing from the mountains of Peru. He was clad in nothing but a colorful poncho and baggy cargo pants bloused into combat boots.

Aster Phoenix- 8000 LP

Carlos Ollanta - 4400 LP

Aster so far looked dominant, for he had Destiny HERO Dreadmaster on his side of the field, along with the Destiny HEROs Drilldark and Dynatag. Dreadmaster's ATK and DEF was equal to the combined ATK of all his Destiny HERO monsters on the field, so his strength was at 2600. Aster commanded his hulking hero to attack the man's Boulder Battleguard.

"You've activated my trap card!" shouted Carlos. "Battleguard Howling! When you attack a warrior monster I control, I can select a monster you control and inflict damage to your Life Points equal to its attack points."

The Boulder Battleguard sniggered and let out a howl that stopped Destiny HERO Dreadmaster in his tracks. Aster grunted. The holographic scoreboard beside him displayed his Life Points falling down to 5400.

"And that's not all, O' mighty grand champion. The monster that I choose goes back to your hand."

"Aw, no!" shouted Aster.

Dreadmaster faded into a light and the Dreadmaster card on Aster's Duel Disk was launched off the blade. Aster caught it and added it to his hand.

"I set three cards face-down and I end my turn."

"Draw!" Carlos said. He held up a spell and shouted: "I activate Mystical Space Typhoon! This card will get rid of your Clock Tower field spell!"

Aster held his arm over his face, bracing himself as a fierce wind blew around him, causing the dark clock tower behind him to collapse into a pile of rubble.

"Yes, now you can take battle damage again!" said Carlos. "You may have held me down during the start of our match, but now it's my time! Prepare for a world of hurt as I toss you out of your throne, you little punk! I activate Feast of the Wild Level 5. With this card, I can special summon two Level Five warrior monsters from my hand but their effects are negated. I summon Swamp Battleguard and Lava Battleguard!"

Two portals opened above him. From them emerged two ogres, one red and one green. They were both wielding spiked wooden clubs.

"Now, I tribute Boulder Battleguard, Swamp Battleguard, and Lava Battleguard to summon the mighty Battleguard King!"

The crowd roared as the three monsters turned into flames, which erupted into the sky to form a twister. It then dispersed to reveal a giant red ogre in grayish-purple armor, wielding a club the size of a building.

"OH!" shouted the MC. "And Carlos Ollanta summons his ace monster! The Battleguard King! Whose power is at a mighty 3000! This beast has led to the doom of many talented duelists. Will our arena grand champion be his latest victim?!"

"Oh, yes, you will!" Carlos hissed. He was so close to victory, he could taste it. "I activate my face-down card. Battleguard Rage! This trap card will increase the power of my Battleguard King by 1000, raising his strength to 4000!"

"Aw, crap!" Aster grunted.

"Oh, and it's going to get worse for you, boy. Battleguard King can attack again for each warrior monster I used to summon him. Since I had three, my Battleguard King can attack you three times. It's over! After this attack, I will be crowned the Arena Grand Champion! Go, Battleguard King, attack Destiny HERO Dynatag!"

Battleguard King stomped toward Aster's side of the field. Aster could feel the ground moving underneath his feet. He swayed left and right, trying to keep himself balanced. Battleguard King finally stopped. He roared and raised his giant club, then smashed it on Aster's monster. The impact knocked Aster off his feet and sent him flying backward. His Life Points plummeted to 2400.

"Now, Battleguard King!" Carlos shouted. "Smash his Destiny HERO Drilldark! This will finish you, Aster Phoenix!"

"I don't think so!" shouted Aster. "Have you forgotten something?"

"Huh?"

"Your Battleguard Rage trap card. When a monster does battle with a monster powered up by it, the monster gets sent back to the hand instead of going to the Graveyard. And how fortuitous that you selected Dynatag as your first target. Before I take any battle damage, I can discard him and negate that damage."

But that did not stop Drilldark from being destroyed. Aster crossed his arms over his face. The blast caused his silver blazer to flap violently over his torso and his tie whipped around over his chest.

"Not good enough, boy," said Carlos. "My Battleguard King still has one more attack. Go! Finish him and end this duel, my ace!"

Battleguard King let out one final roar before lifting up his club. He smashed it on top of Aster. A column of smoke and debris zoomed into the sky until it stood over the colosseum. The building shook. Those sitting in the front row cried out in shock and shielded themselves from the blast the giant weapon created. The explosive thud still resonated in the air as the arena went silent.

"I AM THE KING!" Carlos shouted. He paused. He saw something flying around in the cloud of debris. They were cards. A wall of cards was flying around Aster. They blocked the attack.

"What's this!?" shouted the MC. "I don't believe it! Aster has protected himself with the trap card, Card Defense! Ladies and gentlemen! Aster saved himself! For those who don't know, here's how it works! When an opponent's monster declares a direct attack! Aster can send a card from his hand to the graveyard and stop the opponent's monster from attacking. On top of that, Aster can draw a card. Hold on, ladies and gentlemen! This duel isn't over!"

"I...I was so close!" said Carlos.

"You're not good enough to be the arena grand champion," Aster said. "You're not good enough to even be playing here in this arena. Time to send you back to the minor leagues where you belong. I activate Destiny Draw! I discard a Destiny HERO monster from my hand and draw two cards."

Aster looked at the cards and smirked. It was displayed on the giant screens across the stadium, causing the audience to cheer.

"I activate the spell, Fusion Destiny!"

Carlos felt himself growing stiff. "Grrrk! Fusion Destiny!" He had seen the tapes of Aster's past matches. He knew the end was near.

"You know what this does?" Aster said. "Good. I send Destiny HERO Dogma and Plasma from my deck to the graveyard to summon Destiny End Dragoon!"

ATK/3000 DEF/3000

"And Aster summons probably one of the most powerful monsters in his deck!" shouted the MC. "Will he activate his beast's superpower?"

"Go ahead," sneered Carlos. "If you destroy my Battlguard King with Destiny End Dragoon's special ability, you have to forfeit your battle phase, giving me another turn, which I will use to wipe you out."

"I will not be using Dragoon's special effect," said Aster. "No, no, I have something much better planned for you. I activate my next trap card. Necro Fusion!"

"Oh no! Now you can conduct a fusion using monsters in your graveyard!"

"You bet your ass I can. I banish Destiny HERO Drilldark and Destiny HERO Dreadmaster to fusion summon, Destiny HERO Dystopia!"

A purple vortex morphed on the ground and from it rose a warrior in a tight blue jumpsuit with white and yellow armor pieces. A big red D glowed on the center of his helmet.

ATK/2800 DEF/2400

"What's the point of all this?" shouted Carlos. "Your monsters are not strong enough to take out my Battleguard King! And you didn't activate your Dragoon's special ability. Are you merely prolonging the inevitable?"

"Not at all," said Aster. "I now activate my final trap card. D - Soul! Now, I can banish a Destiny HERO from my graveyard, and Destiny HERO Dystopia's attack will be increased by the banished monster's attack for the rest of the turn."

"Gggkkk!"

"I banish Destiny HERO Dogma to increase Destiny HERO Dystopia's attack!"

Dystopia balled his fists and flexed his muscles, feeling Dogma's power surge through his body. A fiery aura enveloped him and he let out a menacing battle cry as his attack points increased to 6200."

"He has more than six thousand attack points!" shouted Carlos. "No! No! This cannot be!"

Dystopia had a special ability that allowed Aster to destroy a monster if his current attack was different from his original attack points. But being the showman that he was, Aster didn't want to deny the crowd the satisfaction of seeing another cocky opponent getting his ass whooped by giant monsters.

Dystopia flew towards Battleguard King until he became a purple streak. He flew right through the giant ogre's body, smashing past his armor as though it were styrofoam. Battleguard King belched green blood and then shattered.

"MY MONSTER!" shouted Carlos. His Life Points went down to 2200.

He was now at the mercy of Destiny End Dragoon. The red dragon head at the center of his chest opened its mouth and charged up a golden ball of energy. The ball turned into a long beam that struck Carlos on the chest, sending him flying through the air. He fell on his back with a sickening crash and rolled to a stop.

"Ladies and gentlemen, here's your winner! And still the Kaiba Corp Colosseum's grand champion! Asteeeeeer Phoeeeeenix!"

By the time the duel was done, Alexis had finished her shower. She shut the TV off with her remote, then walked to her closet to grab her dueling raiment, which was stuffed in an olive green duffle bag. She left the warmth of her room and stepped out into the hall. She looked around to make sure Mr. Newziki, the landlord, was not around. When the coast was clear, Alexis turned and locked the door to her room.

"Rhodes!" said a ghastly, hoarse voice.

Alexis paused and blinked a few times. "Yes, Satan?" she answered. She turned and saw an old man in suspenders and a bowtie looking at her. "Oh, Mr. Newziki. I could have sworn you were someone else."

"Spare me the wisecracks, Rhodes." He snorted and then spat a glob of mucus on the floor, making Alexis cringe. "Your rent's due, princess."

"I'm going to get paid tonight, sir. Trust me, I've got everything taken care of."

"You told me that last week. Your payments have been coming in later and later. Now you've been dodging me. I ain't gonna have none of that. If you don't pay up on time from this point forward, I'm tossing your ass out, do I make myself clear."

"Of course," said Alexis.

When he was gone, Alexis left the building and went for a long walk to the arena where she worked. It was a new league in the independent circuits, but sadly, the promotion wasn't making enough revenue and was close to shutting down. In order to keep the arena and the tech in good shape, her boss, Wade, had to cut the salary of many of his duelists by a substantial amount. Many of them left. Alexis would have been one of them, but she needed the money to stay in her room.

As she stepped onto the sidewalk, she got a text from her boss asking her for a favor. Alexis grunted. She was running late, but Wade gave her a nice tip for taking care of his errands. An hour later, she made it to a warehouse located near the docks that had been bought and refurbished into a dueling arena. There were already cars parked outside of it and the cold air was perfumed with the smell of the food from the vendor trucks outside providing refreshments for the audience.

Alexis made her way to a motorcoach parked in the back of the warehouse that doubled as the dressing room for the show's female duelists. Well...the only two who were left anyway. The female division was just Alexis and a girl named Vivian, who was also too short on funds to quit her job here. She was sitting in front of her lit-up vanity mirror applying her makeup. When she saw Alexis come inside with armfuls of brown bags, her mouth fell wide open.

"Checking in? What da hell is all of dat?" she asked.

"Wade's groceries," Alexis muttered as she set them down on a counter.

"You can't be serious?" Vivian said. "He made you get his groceries again?"

"Hey, for a hundred extra bucks, I'd do it." Alexis threw her duffle bag on the couch and slipped out of her jeans so she could change into her costume.

"Aww, girl," Vivian said in shock. "You know this place has hit rock bottom if the boss is making you get his groceries."

"Well, like I said, it's extra pocket money. Here, I think you should take it."

Alexis handed her a bill.

"What? Me? No, girl, you can't give this to me."

"You're about to get kicked out of your room. Come on, you need it more than I do."

"Alexis, you're the best," Vivian said, taking the bill. "But what about you?"

"I'm the one who draws in the crowds," Alexis said, getting her costume out of the duffle bag. "I'll find some way to get out of this mess."

She changed into costume, which was her Obelisk Blue uniform customized with a few personal modifications. The left glove went up to her bicep and was plated in bluish-black metal with blue accents. The glove had a wrist-mounted computer built into it, which doubled as her Duel Disk, projecting a blue transcendent disk. Her leg-length boots were dark blue — almost black — with glowing blue accents like her glove. All the way at the top of the glove was a compartment to keep her deck.

On the right collar of her blazer was a gold Duel Academy medal, which she earned for graduating summa cum laude from the school. She wore it proudly, treating it like her only beacon of hope to escape the mess she was in. Supposedly the medal meant something. She prayed someone would spot it and see her worth as a duelist.

"Let's do this," she said, looking at herself in the mirror. "Come on. You're almost there."