Hey everyone, I'm back with a new story!

This time 'round, I'm taking a try at one of the Yu-Gi-Oh! series/spinoffs. So, I hereby enact the following disclaimer:

I do not own in any shape or form the plot nor the characters of Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal. Such copyright and ownership belongs to director Satoshi Kuwahara, writer Shin Yoshida, Gallop Studios, and 4K Media Incorporated.

I've got as good a feeling about this as I've had about my other stories, so off we go! Read, Review and Enjoy!


(Step...step...step...)

Our story begins at a place unknown to any, dark clouds making up the sky, the area lit only by the mysterious lights floating from an endless pit surrounding a dangerously-narrow ravine...

The brave soul who was carefully making their way down the path on top of the rocky structure, was a young teenage girl with waist-length black hair tipped copper-red, wearing an outfit consisting of a gray tank-top with a light blue flame design in the middle under a black leather jacket, a pair of dark-wash jeans with suspender belts hanging loosely down her hips and a tear in her left knee, dark red sneakers, and a strange, golden pendant shaped in the likeness of a key tied around her neck.

Getting a better frontal view, we see she has lightly-tanned skin, and rare red eyes that seemed flaked with silver and gold, they currently wide and wary as she looked ahead towards the object of her perilous walk:

A ginormous door sitting in the middle of a fenced beyond, pillared and created with the likeness of a demon right down to the long, sharp fangs and mean yellow eyes. It had a massive chain running at different angles over its surface, held by a singular lock...

"Back here again, huh...?"

Her tone suggests that the girl had experienced this event before, so it's fair to say she would be prepared for what many would not, that being the door emitting an ominous message.

"Whoever can open this door, will gain a great new power...But know that with such an award, comes great risk...Have you the courage to unlock this power?"

The door's eyes glow red in time with the gold-yellow emitting from the pendant around the girl's neck, and she takes a step back while muttering with narrowed eyes,

"Great risk? Of what? It's not like I have anything to lo-"

(Crick-CRACK)

"Whooooooooooaaaaaaaaaa!"

(Jolt)

"Guh!"

And just as she loses ground and falls into the abyss, we find out that the girl was actually dreaming, waking up to find herself safe in her bedroom! Taking a moment to compose herself and slow her breathing, she looks around to check her surroundings.

The room itself was a fair size, with mahogany-washed walls, an oak hard-floor, a single window with two panes that open, and the ceiling held an entrance in the right corner beside the window to the attic, which was accessible by either a rope line or a foldable ladder. Her bed was positioned near the attic, simple-framed with a blue comforter and white sheets with the head facing away, complete with matching side-table that had one drawer and an alarm clock sitting on top in front of a photograph frame, reading 5:00 AM. On the window's right side sat a desk of average size, gold-brown-washed with a matching chair and the girl's Duel Monster deck spread out on it next to her dueling equipment, right down to her duel disk and gazer, they both a matching red with a black wash.

"Hah...hah...hah...Well, that wasn't how I wanted to wake up, but better that dream than my usual nightmares..."

She looks over and sees the time:

"Hm, five in the morning? That's not so bad...Welp, guess I better get ready to head out."

Moving out of bed, we see that the girl was wearing a very large gray t-shirt as her pajamas. She moves towards the closet sitting in the wall opposite of her to grab out her outfit for the morning: A dark green halter top with black bordering the sides with matching leggings, and a pair of black running sneakers. In her backpack (coloured dark grey with black outlining), tucked away along with her schoolwork and dueling things, was her school uniform, consisting of a white sleeveless top with a pink collar, blue pants, black socks and brown shoes, assumingly a mash-up of the different gendered attires.

Once she was dressed and had done her long hair up into a high ponytail, the teen heads downstairs with her backpack slung over her shoulder for the kitchen for something to eat and pack her lunch for later.

"...Up already, are we, Athena?"

"Hm?"

She, now identified as Athena, looks over into the living room, furbished in a more modern, bohemian style, and sees someone sitting on a light green rocking chair posted by the front windows:

An older man in his late sixties, with pale-olive skin, a sweet face that seemed to always have a smile, yet his brown-red eyes held a knowing glint, gray hair cut short enough to be pulled back into a small ponytail, and wore a blue kimono with a dark grey vest overtop.

"Oh, mornin', Grandpa."

"I see you're about ready to head out the door. (Chuckle) You've become quite the early bird this last year or so..."

"Yeah, I know, but I can't seem to fight it. (Sniff) That bacon and eggs I smell?"

"Freshly made, and your water bottle's already filled. Just remember to grab your lunch before you go."

A small smile graces Athena's lips:

"You're a saint, Gramps. Thank you."

After she eats her fill of breakfast, and packs away her food while attaching her water bottle to the side of her backpack, she would soon be making her way out the door, her grandfather seeing her off.

"Have a good run and a good day at school, Addy dear!"

"See you later, Grandpa!"

(Ka-chank)

Getting a quick view of the house, we see it to be a rather interesting hodge-podge of cottage and modern construction, the main building showcasing the more classic look complete with a barn red roof, an abstract white attachment on the right, and the garage being more high-tech with a small garden overtop, the door made from blue steel.

Coming down the side steps leading out from between some thick hedges, Athena pulls out her Mp3 Player from her leggings pocket to scroll through her song list for the first of many to listen to as she did her early morning run before school.

"Hm, let's see...Ah, Diamond Eyes; that's a good starter!"

(Note: I do not own references to any songs by the band Shinedown. They alone attain such.)

Clicking the song alive, she stretches her limbs to the beat of the intro, musing neutrally to herself,

Alright, Athena Fujina: Time to start a new day.

Small Time Skip, Athena's POV

Hah, well, it's been another fairly average morning so far. Not alot of foot traffic during this time of day, other than a few random people like me who do some early cardio before they get on with the rest of their routines...

Now, I know what some of you must be thinking: What the heck is a thirteen-year old girl doing jogging around the big city for close to three hours before school starts?

Well...let's just say for now that I'm not your average teen. Contrary to most kids my age who try to sleep in for as long as possible on the weekdays before they get disturbed by their alarm clocks (or in some cases, hard-ass parents), I actually love getting up bright and early. It allows me to get a glance of Heartland City in a quieter light before it really hums to life once the eight o'clock rolls around.

In that event, aside from my Grandpa (Homare to his friends), I'm usually the first in my house to wake up and last to come home at the end of the day (unless my brothers are working late).

...It wasn't always this way for me, though: There was a time before that I wasn't an 'early bird' or this much inclined to working out...but I don't like talking about it.

"Trash identified."

Hup, sounds like I'm comin' up on the morning clean-up crew.

Turning the next corner down the one neighbourhood that leads near the park, I spot two of the city's LitterBots picking up some minor debris from the pavement. I sometimes find it a little odd that we have sentient machines picking up the slack for the more lazier humans that barely think about the health of our planet, but as long as they do their job, who am I to complain?

"Trash contained."

"'Scuse me!"

I do a splits-jump over one of the LitterBots, which makes them have a minor panic-attack.

"Error! Error!"

I called over my shoulder upon landing and continuing my jog,

"Take it easy, man; you're fine!"

"...Addy!"

Next thing I knew, one of my best friends, Jamal comes rolling in on his tricked-out scooter, he already dressed for school in his full-boy's uniform of a white button shirt with red bordering and a red tie under the collar, blue pants and brown shoes, his backpack strapped over his shoulders while his dreadlocked hair was tucked under a dark blue helmet. Now, when I say 'full-boy's uniform', it was a play on what I wear for the Academy: I basically protested like a wildcat against that 'little pink menace' they call a skirt for the girl's uniform, and given how serious I must've looked to the principal, he allowed a compromise which states that as long as I wear the girl's shirt, shoes and socks, I can get away with wearing the boy's pants...

Anyway, getting back to now, as Jamal and I rolled/ran through the streets down our usual meet-up path to school, he asks me,

"Think your brothers are up by now?"

"Well, it's about seven-thirty last I checked my watch, so...I'm thinkin' Adam's draggin' himself out of his room for a shower, while Terry's just done his bonk-on-the-floor wake-up call."

We both laugh at the imagery, but, I guess we should've paid attention to where we were going, for just as we came down the small incline leading to the corner we'd have to turn before we see the Academy, two LitterBots zipped out of nowhere and blocked our path!

"Guh!" "Oh crap!"

(Crash)

"Malfunction!" "Whah!" "Agh!"

We would smack into the tin cans hard, Jamal flying a bit off his scooter before skidding to the ground, while I got gut-checked and landed on my side...Now to most, that would've hurt considerably, but here's another blurb about me: I can't feel physical pain.

...No seriously, I feel zero; aside from a 'sensation' from the impact (like a tickle or a quick touch), I get nothing. Again, it's not something I like to talk about...partly because I'm still trying to wrap my head around it even to this day.

"Trash identified. Trash identified."

But moving on, the two LitterBots we ran into weren't the only ones nearby, and as soon as they collected themselves, they began picking up the garbage spilled from their canisters...There was just one little problem: Mixed into the trash, was mine and Jamal's Duel Monster cards!

"Whoa whoa whoa!"

"Hey, you bolt-brains; those aren't part of your daily pick-up!"

We quickly scrambled off the ground and began to snatch back our cards, as the LitterBots inquired about our distress.

"Not, trash?" I bark back,

"Of course not: Those cards are part of our decks!"

"Your, decks?"

Jamal and I answer together in an obvious tone,

"For Dueling, duh!"

And guess what these buckets of bolts started blurting next?

"Dueling Trash. Dueling Trash. Dueling Trash..."

Geez, how clueless can ya get?! You'd think a city crazy about Duel Monsters like ours would program these jerkbots to know what the cards look like!

Growling in frustration, Jamal and I then shout,

"Listen, you tin-creeps: They're not trash!"

Eventually, we did swipe all our cards back, spent a minute or two trading back ones that belonged in the other's deck, before getting back to the business that was getting to school on time.

Man, what a stupid delay...Tiffany's lucky she's got a monorail pass and doesn't have to deal with this insanity.

No POV

Unbeknownst to Athena, her other best friend had caught a glimpse of the said 'stupid delay' as she and a classmate in the same year as her rode the monorail up above.

Tiffany was a rather pretty girl, her skin being a pale olive shade, making her cornflower blue irises pop along with her bobbed black hair. Unlike Athena, she was comfortable with wearing the full-girl's school uniform, right down to the mid-thigh short, pink pleated skirt. She also wore a green hair clip with a white daisy decor on it to hold up her right fringe.

"Did you see that, Tiff? Seems like Addy and Jamal might need to reconsider their Dueling decks."

"Hm? Why's that?"

"Well, it looked like those LitterBots thought they were garbage."

Tiffany blushes slightly with a somewhat embarrassed smile and partly-agrees:

"Ah-heh...maybe...but that one bot seemed more concerned with taking away Jamal's scooter."

Eventually, we turn eyes to the Heartland Dueling Academy, a popular school where most of the city's children wind up attending after completing their elementary education. The set-up of the place was more akin to that of a state-of-the-art university, with one large glass building shaped like a hollow bowl acting as the connecting center to all others, right down to the gymnasium field and swimming pool.

We hear a male voice call through an intercom,

"Second-Period Gym will now begin. All students please report to the field-house."

(Slap)

"Twenty! Ha, if you can jump this many vault boxes, Addy, you'll set a new school record!"

Inside, we see Jamal directing his hand to a towering stack of plastic boxes used for vaulting, he now wearing his gym uniform of a white t-shirt with red bordering, blue shorts and white shoes matching his socks. Athena was nearby in a runner's pose, she wearing the girl's uniform of a blue-washed white t-shirt with red bordering, pink shorts and white shoes matching her socks, a confident smirk on her face, while Tiffany stood by with an anxious smile.

"Alright, here we go: Today's the day we make history!"

She sprints forward and makes the leap off the jumping board, getting fairly good propulsion...However:

(Crash)

It wasn't quite enough to make it over all twenty, just barely scrapping the seventeen mark, so she would smack right into the boxes and topple to the floor...Tiffany immediately rushes to check on her friend:

"Addy?!"

The red-eyed girl pops out of the pile and flashes a slight smile of assurance:

"I'm okay, Tiff! Just wasn't the day."

(Bonk)

"Oh! (Looks around) Where'd that come from?"

One of the boxes bounces off her head, and everyone in the class bursts into laughter, while Tiffany shakes her head with a sigh and Jamal chortles,

"Points for effort, bud!"

(Splash...)

Their next half of gym class would be spent in the pool, and Athena, now dressed in the school-designated swimwear for girls (they being a pink/white one-piece) would dive headfirst into the water for yet another challenge dared by her peers. Tiffany cheers her on from her stand on the other side of the pool:

"Go, Addy!"

Jamal, he wearing the boy's swimwear of blue swim-trunks with three red arrowhead designs pointing down on the sides, was more playfully skeptical on his friend's chances.

"Tch, I'll be surprised if she makes it halfway compared to her latest vault jump..."

Under the chlorinated blue, Athena kicks off in a steady pace, eyes narrowed in concentration and lips shut tight.

Hold my breath for a whole lap...Got it!

She makes it to one corner, and kicks off from that wall to gain some distance and speed, doing it again for the next corner to boost herself for the second longer length, before kicking off a third time back to where she started!

(Splash)

"Haaaah!"

The other teens gasp in shocked disbelief when they see her burst out of the water with a gasping breath, before breaking out into excited cheers for the red-eyed teen for finally completing one of the challenges.

"Yeah!" "Alright, Addy!"

"She actually made it this time!"

While Athena took in some coughed gulps of air, Tiffany and Jamal rush to meet with her, excited smiles on their faces and helping hands already stretched out.

"That was awesome, Addy!"

"Damn! I was so sure you weren't gonna make cut this round...You okay?"

Pulling back her drenched black locks, she looks up at her friends and replies a bit breathlessly with a small smile,

"Y-Yeah...I'm good. Real good."

Small Time Skip

"So as this example clearly shows, a sentence has a noun and a predicate..."

The next class we'd be joining is English, one that only the girls of the trio shared, while Jamal had Science down the hall.
As she sat in the back with the other, Tiffany found herself asking Athena with a frown of mixed concern and exasperation,

"So...you mind explaining why you do those things, Addy?"

Looking up from her Duel Disk that was set to laptop mode, the girl with long black hair highlighted with copper-red tips replies with a smirk,

"The dares, you mean? Why not? It's good-clean fun."

"You mean you enjoy catapulting into vault boxes and barely walking away from an underwater lap?"

Catching a slight tease in the blue-eyed girl's tone, Athena's smirk falters a little in annoyance.

"...Very funny, but obviously no: It's the challenge that drives me. The only way you can move forward in life is taking it by the horns without any fear of falling down. And even if you do, who cares? Just get up, brush it off and try again. I wanna be able to take chances like that, Tiff, and there's no time like the present to get started."

She reaches to her torso and takes hold of the mysterious golden pendant around her neck, a ghost of a smile on her lips.

"Nothing's gonna stand in my way of today and tomorrow, and this key will help unlock the road gate ahead."

"That's the one your dad gave you, right? When he and your mom went on that one expedition?"

"Mhm. Don't remember where exactly they found it, though; somethin' about a new temple...Anyway, this key has helped me through some tough times, and still does do this day. I believe it has the power to unlock true potential."

Tiffany widens her eyes slightly in awe:

"Really? You think it might work on me?"

"Probably not."

She slips over onto the desk in surprise, before asking with a disappointed frown,

"How come?"

"Because the key's become a part of who I am. I don't think it can work for more than one person at a time...But anyway, someday it's gonna open the door to my real calling in life. And when it does..."

Athena grips the pendant closer to herself in an almost desperate gesture, her pupils dulling with an emotion unreadable to the average eye, and finishes in a whisper,

"Maybe...maybe I can find my missing happiness."

Small Time Skip, Athena's POV

I guess I must've scared Tiffany a bit with that thing I said in English Class, for she kept on staring at me with pity out of the corner of her eyes until the period was over. I can't really blame her for it, either: This last year and half has had alot of touch and go since I...began battling with depression.

It's nothing too serious that I need to take medication or anything, but, I used to go and see a therapist every two weeks to talk about my progress in putting myself back together again since I quit that more...extreme coping measure, and that's the more discreet and polite way of putting it. Part of the problem stems from the fact it's been a couple years since I last saw my mom and dad, and, I miss them so much. Even so, it's been getting harder to keep up the hope for their return...but I'll keep trying.

One thing that's been bringing me some form of enjoyment in my existence is Dueling: It's one of the few games where logic is only a piece of what's required to be a keen player. The other part is knowing when to expect the unexpected, and how to do such.

So obviously, my mood would perk up considerably come Duel Period, as it does for a good number of the students in this academy, who were already hard into their own matches by the time Tiff and I made our way to the field.

"Shall we?"

"Yep."

(Click) (Click)

"Duel Gazer: Set!"

I snap on my gazer, it coloured a deep red with a black wash, and the AR World comes to life before our eyes, adding on the visual effects such as the statuses of each player's Life Points, and an individual monster's Attack and/or Defense Points.

Still amazing each time I log in...

Tiffany and I begin walking around the area, minding ourselves so we didn't get caught in the dueling crossfire, while I scouted for any free duelists.

"Let's see: Who to duel today?"

"You sure you don't mean 'who to lose to' today?"

I shoot Tiff a glare and retort,

"Oh shut it, would you? So I don't have best dueling average: We can't all be prodigies."

"Uh! Addy, look!"

"Huh?"

Following her point, I peer over at the top of one set of stairs, and see my other friend already engaged in a duel.

"Jamal?"

We rushed up to meet behind him, and getting a closer look, it seems he wasn't doing very well in this match, his face reflecting nerves. We'd quickly find out why:

"Oh great: Look who he's dueling!"

Peering across the way, I'd form a glare of distaste in seeing the one boy I'd hoped Jamal wasn't in a duel with.

Shark.

Quick explanation about him: He's a year ahead of us (as noted by the green-bordered shirt and blue necktie), has pale skin, sharp cerulean eyes, blue-purple hair styled to resemble what I see as tentacles with a light blue crown over his forehead, and is your average school bully. He's always dragging kids into duels who are less-experienced than he is so he can wipe the floor with them, usually accompanied by a dumb-ass wager.

Fan-freaking-tastic...

He doesn't even bother hiding his arrogance and cocky attitude as he addresses my best guy-friend.

"I've got you now, Jamal. See, since I got two monsters on the field and they're both at the same level, I can use them to summon an XYZ Monster!"

XYZ?! Oh man, Jamal's gonna be in huge trouble now!

"So watch as I overlay my Skull Kraken and Big Jaws to do just that!"

The Level Three monsters on Shark's side form into their own streams of contrasting blue light, which twirl with one another before diving into the red vortex monsters dive into before becoming a whole new beast.

"Watch as I unleash a terror from above land and sea! Watch, as I summon, Aero Shark!"

Next thing we knew, a gigantic, two-bodied shark cyborg monster comes crashing out of the ground, Rank 3 with 1900 Attack Points and 1000 Defense Points!

"...Jamal's gonna need a big guy to combat against that."

"Wish it was that simple, but I don't remember him having any monsters strong enough to take on something like that."

And even if he did, attack strength's the least of his problems:

Because the monsters used to summon aren't sent to the Graveyard but join up as Overlay Units for the XYZ's special ability, there's always more than one way to best your opponent than just charging like a bull...

'Course, mind you, I think that might be what Shark's plan is, today, at least.

"Now then, Aero Shark: Dig in on that chump!"

And right I was: His monster is sent to lunge down on Jamal, wiping out his last 800 Life Points and knocking him backwards to the ground so hard his gazer falls off. We all log out of the AR, and I mutter Jamal's name in concern as he struggles to push himself up into a sitting position, just as Shark comes waltzing over to him with a smug smirk on his face.

"Thanks for the duel, and this."

He then reaches down in front of him to...take Jamal's deck?!

Oh Hell No!

"Hey: Drop the deck, you creep!"

Shark's smirk is replaced with a frown as Tiffany and I rush to Jamal's side on the defense.

"Who're you?" Glaring evenly, I reply,

"Name's Athena, and you've got some nerve pickin' a fight with one of my best friends, Jamal."

Two other second year boys, one with curly blue hair with a yellow outline while the other sported spiky sand-brown hair with light orange highlighting the front come up by Shark's sides, and the former says to me,

"Buzz off! Or don't you know who you're messin' with?"

Taking a step forward before folding my arms, I retort dryly,

"Duh, 'course I know him: Who the hell doesn't know the school bully?"

Shark chuckles a bit before replying calmly,

"I'm no bully. You see, Jamal and I, we had an arrangement."

"Which was...?"

"It went like this: Whoever won got the other's duel deck."

...Are you fu-?!

I whirled my stare to Jamal's form as he got to his feet, a grimace of frustration on his face while I was preparing my lecture glare.

"Please tell me you didn't fall for the, 'You got the guts or what' banter and actually anted your deck!"

...He says nothing...

"Oh my god, you did! Dammit, Jamal!" He tries to argue back in his defense,

"I had little options: He called out the challenge and called me a chicken!"

I counter with sarcasm,

"Oh yeah, 'cause it's always a good idea to let lame-ass insults like that get to you! (Groan) Alright, I'll deal with you later..."

My eyes fall back on Shark, changing my focus to getting back Jamal's deck.

"Look. As far as I'm concerned, we can do this two ways: Either you do the right and hand back his deck so we can all just walk away like this never happened, or, you accept my challenge for a duel."

His sidekicks seemed about as amused as he looked at how ballsy I was being.

"What? You're outta your mind: You're not even close to being in the same league as Shark!"

"Nah, you're not even in the same sport!"

I found myself smirking at their weak insults before casually countering,

"That so? Tuh, then I think we all know who the real chicken here is, and it sure as hell ain't Jamal, right, Shark?"

Something in his irises shifted from my tease, and he steps towards me with a more hardened expression.

"...Chicken? You know what happened to the last person who called me a chicken?"

"Oh, somethin' bad, perhaps? Please enlighten me." He blares back,

"I dunno, 'cause it's never, ever happened before!"

"Ah, so this is a first for you, then. Regular milestone for the school bully; 'bout time."

Shark stares at me in surprise by how unaffected I was by his burst of anger...before laughing slightly with a new smirk.

"Wow, you really are as gutsy as some of the others talk."

Hm, so he's heard of my rep too, huh? No surprise for me, the Academy Outcast.

Yeah, I have a bit of a reputation at school too: It started more than a year and half ago when I used to frequent to a rougher district of the city and ditched a few days a week of education. The reason? Well...as I've mentioned before, I was going through a rough patch, and that extreme coping measure came in around this time, leaving me with more physical and emotional scars than what I was battling against. Again, not quite ready to mention said name of activity, but long story short, even though that piece of my life's being left down the road behind me, it's also kind-a made me known as a bit of a roughneck even in this first year at the academy. Thankfully, it's downgraded to a point where no one's looking at me like I'm dangerous or to be feared, but I still sometimes catch a bit of chatter down the halls that relates to 'she's too rough-cut for dueling' or 'how is she not in the hospital yet?' and whatever.

...But back to the situation at hand: Shark then holds out Jamal's deck and asks me,

"Alright then. Athena, was it, or should I call you Addy? Say we do duel: You want Jamal's deck back, but what's in it for me?"

Looking down in thought, I mutter,

"That, is a good question. What's somethin' a guy like you would be interested in...?"

Suddenly:

(Snap)

"Uh!"

Shark snatches and rips off my key pendant! I growl and would've sprang at him, if his lackeys didn't move quick to restrain me.

"What the hell, Shark?!"

"My. Now this seems important to you, now doesn't it?"

He has absolutely no idea...

"Give it back right now!"

"Settle down. Since it means that much to you, I'll give it back, and I'll duel you for it-"

He then drops it to the ground with an overly-feigned,

"Whoops. I dropped it; hope nothin' bad happens to it down there...Say like, this!"

(Stomp, CRACK)

...It felt like the entire world vanished for a split second, as the heel of Shark's foot came down on my pendant, breaking it in two...I'm released, but too numb with shock to stand, instead opting to falling on my knees, gingerly picking up the one half attached to the string. I hear my friends mutter my name with worry, and I grip that half of the pendant hard, before shooting my head up and bark in a seething tone,

"You, bastard! Why?!"

"For the same reason I'm doin' this."

He then kicks away the loose half of my pendant, it flying out of sight as he adds in mirth,

"Guess you're right after all: I am a bully!"

I watch the piece disappear, and felt something in my heart crack alongside a surfacing memory I'd hope would stay down...

(Flash)

An unknown fist comes flying...

"Hrrah!"

(Punch)

"GUH!"

My figure from another life is struck hard in the gut, before I go crashing to the ground, it surrounded by a sickeningly-familiar cable-cord fence...

(Flash)

"And since we can't duel for that anymore, you don't get this."

(...PUNCH)

"UH!"

Next thing I knew, my right fist shoots forward and smacks hard against Shark's cheek, sending him back into one of the poles in this area! Everyone else gasps, while I took a deep breath to stop myself from doing anything else too crazy, opting instead for a deadly tone of voice and stepping forward to grip his shirt and hold him against the pole.

"Let me explain something to you: There's only so few things I'm willing to gamble, like cash, favours or even the occasional smoothie...But I would rather crawl barefoot through broken glass, in acid rain, before I allow anyone, to steal away my pendant, god forbid destroy it!"

I hear Tiffany and Jamal call from their places a few feet away,

"Addy, wait!"

"Don't-!"

Glaring hard at Shark, who was looking at me with wide eyes...I then step backwards while releasing him and finish,

"Just be grateful I'm above beating the crap out of you...for now."

His lackeys help him to his feet while my friends come up behind me and place a hand each on my shoulders, chiding in whispers,

"You did the right thing letting him down."

"I'm not that worth it to get in trouble with the principal..." I mumble back,

"I know...and you would be, Jamal."

"...You're not one for giving up, are you?"

We turn our focus back on Shark, who unwrinkled his shirt while shooting me a look I couldn't read, replacing it with a taunting smirk as he then says,

"Alright: If you still wanna duel me, perhaps we can work some sort of arrangement out. (Holds up Jamal's cards) If you beat me, I'll give back this deck...But if I win, Athena, I get your deck."

Greeeeaaat. Insert 'Sarcasm'.

"This Sunday, at the Station's Courtyard. If you want this deck back, be there."

With that, he and the two half-wits turn and walk away, leaving us three to watch, myself narrowing my eyes in anger and disbelief.

What a way to get yourself in trouble, Addy.

Small Time Skip

Soon as I got home and ate dinner later in the evening, I shut myself in my room to brood about what happened in Duel Period while doing my homework until I got tired enough to go to sleep...

Unfortunately, some other force decided to give me a hard time in the dream realm, again, and I found myself facing that dangerous-albeit-cool-looking door...

"Oh man, not this again..."

"Whoever can open this door, will gain a great new power...But know that with such an award, comes great risk...Have you the courage to unlock this power?"

Just as I peer down at my now broken pendant...

(Flash)

"Uh!"

The dream cuts out a little shorter this time, and I woke up safe in my bed while the night still owned the outside world...Even so, as I puffed in and out a few breaths, I look down at the half of pendant in my palm with a saddened expression, mumbling,

"...If I don't have a working key, why would something like that still matter?"

All I cared about, was reaching true happiness again...But now...

Now it looks like the road block's back up.

Time Skip, No POV

For the next few days until the weekend rolled around, Athena's mood had taken a downward drop, as evident by her slouching form in the gym's field house during a new class.

She watches one of the other students vault over a reasonable stack, just as Tiffany comes over and asks a bit more cheerfully,

"Hey, Addy: You gonna try the twenty-block challenge again?"

Looking down at her broken half of pendant with sad, red orbs, Athena mutters in a dead tone,

"I'll pass for today..."

"Huh? Oh..."

Then during Swimming, a random boy tries to get her into repeating that one challenge:

"Addy! You gonna make another underwater lap today?"

She calls back in that same tone from the other side of the pool,

"No thanks...Maybe another time."

Athena flinches when she's splashed a little by Tiffany, who asks with a small smile,

"Hey! What's with the mood?"

"...I'm not overly sure myself, Tiff."

The bob-style girl stares at the other with worry as she adds with a bit of regret,

"I just...I feel like a part of me's dying, since Shark shattered my pendant. It's like I lost my safety shield...from a different kind of pain..."

They're sitting beside eachother on the edge of the pool by this point, and Tiffany wraps an arm around her friend while carefully asking,

"...Have those thoughts been coming back?"

"Thankfully, no...but they might as well begin their haunt."

Unbeknownst to either, Jamal was watching from the corner nearby, his face set in a serious expression...

Later on around sunset, we see the girls begin their walk home from another day of learning, but then stop when they hear the third of their trio calling for them.

"Addy! Tiff!"

Turning around, they see Jamal roll to a smooth stop on his scooter, and softly address his name as he focuses his aqua-green eyes on the girl with waist-length hair.

"Athena...are you still planning on dueling with Shark in two days?"

"(Shrug) Not like I can just back out. Why?"

"...You shouldn't do it."

Athena's red irises widen in surprise, as Jamal argues,

"You won't win against him, Addy."

"The hell do you mean by that?!"

"I mean Shark made it all the way to the Nationals last year!"

Jamal then looks down and adds a bit more soberly,

"Look...it's not that I don't appreciate what you're tryin' to do...but I'm over it. Those cards...they won't be too hard to replace."

As the streetlights started blinking to life for the coming evening, Athena counters,

"This is no longer just about your cards, Jamal: There's a principle that needs to be addressed."

"Huh?"

"The unwritten principle of Pride versus Respect: Shark needs to be taught that he can't disrespect fellow duelists with these stupid antes and his callous attitude because he allowed his ego to inflate...And if no one else besides me has the guts to teach him, that's fine. Who gives a crap if he's gone to the Nationals? Anyone can get there if they set their minds to it!"

She looks up with a ghost of a smile and finishes,

"And someday...one of those anyones could be me."

Tiffany smiles proudly at her friend with a nod, while Jamal could only stare in awe...before finally replying offhandedly,

"Well, if that's that, do what you gotta...But here: You'll need this."

He then reaches into his pants pocket, and lightly tosses to Athena the missing half of her golden pendant!
She catches it effortlessly with a look of mild shock, and smiles gratefully at him while asking,

"Jamal...how did you-" He interrupts with a half-embarrassed smirk,

"How do ya think? By lookin' for it, dummy. Ah-heh, well, see ya 'round!"

With that, he whirls around on his scooter and takes off for his home, leaving the girls to smile and smirk knowingly at his retreating back...

A while later, we catch up with Athena, now dressed in her gray sleepshirt and sitting on her bed as she sorts out her deck for the upcoming duel.

"Hm, let's see...Hah, I guess these combos will do, but will they be enough for the day after tomorrow?"

She pivots her head to her nightstand to look at an old photograph framed in redwood of two adults, a man with short, spiky black hair and a balbo beard, grey eyes and fairly-tanned skin, standing alongside a woman with medium-length, feathered copper-red hair, red eyes and fair skin, both wearing similar clothing of the typical explorer, except the woman was wearing a black leather jacket over hers, the same one Athena wears nowadays. The both of them were also holding the golden key pendant in their palms together, in front of a distant view of what looks to be a temple...

Athena's lips form a tiny smile of longing as she decides,

"Yeah...they will be. After all, you gave me these cards for reason...didn't you, dad?"

Time Skip

Come that night and one more day, we find Athena getting ready to meet her friends and her opponent at the Monorail Courtyard, sporting more regular attire rather than her school uniform:

This time, it would be a plain red tank-top that showed a little of her stomach under her black leather jacket, the sleeves having opened zippers exposing an inner layer, a dark blue/red checkered skirt with four silver suspender belts resting on her hips from the material's belt loops overtop a pair of black skinny jeans, dark red sneakers, her Duel Monster deck attached to her left side, and her long, shaggy hair was styled into a simple plait.

Adjusting the straps of her smaller backpack (it sky blue with leather brown outlining) she uses outside school, Athena waves to her grandfather who was seeing her off from the doorway.

"I'm headin' out to meet my friends. See you later, gramps!"

"Hold on!"

"What? Did I forget my water bottle?"

"Not quite. (Toss) Here."

The elder man then gently throws a small cloth bundle to his granddaughter, who catches it with one hand before peeking at its contents with a curious expression.

"...Mochi?"

"Mhm. Consider it your Duel Fuel. Now, go show that bully what for!"

Athena looks at her grandfather with surprise by his words, he wearing a knowing smile...before she grins and nods...

A while later, we catch up with the red-orbed teen at the courtyard where the duel would begin, and where Shark would arrive with his cronies just a short time after. He too opted out his school attire for his regular clothes, they being a purple jacket with six aqua green diamond designs at the zipper lines (three on each side), a dark mahogany v-neck shirt, a metal shark tooth necklace, grey-black pants held up with a brown belt that had a brass buckle, and white shoes with green gems on the fronts.

"I can't believe it: You actually showed."

"You expected anything less?"

"Not really. Hope you said your goodbyes, 'cause all your cards are about to be mine."

Athena retorts back to Shark's smirk with a serious frown,

"Not gonna happen. You may have narrowly escaped in damaging one of my life tethers, but I'm not gonna allow a second pass."

The tone and words used made the cerulean-eyed boy raise a brow slightly in confusion.

Huh? Life tethers...?

"The only thing happenin' today is you getting your ass owned!"

"And why's that?"

Athena readies her duel disk and calls out in reply,

"'Cause today's the day history is made! Duel Disk: Go!"

Her main disk shoots out into the air before automatically attaching to her upper arm module, folding out the card stand at ready.

"Duel Gazer: Set! Duel Interface: Show me the impossible!"

Everyone's gazers are snapped on, and the AR world jumps to life, melding over reality so that they were the only ones in focus as well as the duel.

Augmented Reality Vision Link established.

Both opponents calls out confidently,

"Let's duel!"

On the sidelines behind Athena, Tiffany, she dressed today in a spaghetti-strap, knee-length white dress with light ruffling on the skirt's bottom, a light green cardigan with two pink cherry blossoms on the ends of the sleeves, and black ballet flats, cheers,

"Go, Addy!"

She sends an acknowledging nod back at her friend before focusing up front:

"Hope you're ready for defeat, Shark. Draw!"

Drawing her first card to join her hand's other five, Athena makes her first move.

"I summon, Zubaba Knight!"

A Level Three monster - their likeness to a spartan/medieval knight wearing gold armour and razor-cut blades - with 1600 Attack Points and 900 Defense Points is summoned to the field in Attack Mode.

"Zubabaaa Knight!"

"Since I went first, that's all I can do for this turn. Go ahead and make yours."

"(Chuckle) Gladly, and with it, I intend to crown that knight. It's my Draw!"

(Swipe)

"Ha! I summon forth, Big Jaws!"

His summon would be a Level Four monster - a large, blue-skinned shark with a mechanical mandible and robotic red eyes - with 1800 Attack Points and 300 Defense Points in Attack mode. Athena frowns when she sees the difference in power for both monsters:

"Shoot. Big Jaws is 1800..."

"That's right. And since Zubaba Knight is just 1600, you're in deep water. After all, when two monsters fight, the one with the least attack points is destroyed and the owner takes the difference as damage."

"Hmph, so I'm losin' 200 points this round. Big deal." Shark counters,

"Keh, still, better to play your weaker monsters in Defense Mode. Although, it really wouldn't have mattered this time, 'cause of this."

He holds up another card - a Spell - and calls out its title as it activates on the field.

"The Spell Card, Aqua Jet! Now until the end of this turn, my Big Jaws gains 1000 Attack Points!"

A set of orange boat jets attaches onto the predatory fish as its power increases to 2800 Attack Points. The duelist's tag-along friends comment,

"There it is..."

"Yep: Shark's super-spell combo!"

"Now Big Jaws, it's, feeding time! Attack!"

Shark's monster shoots into the air in a twin current of water, before diving into the ground and charging straight at Athena's, who rushes to meet in a counterattack.

"Zubabaaa Bash!"

Unfortunately, the knight's attack did little to soften the blow it would take from the fish's sharp teeth before it disintegrated into pixels, leaving the owner to gripe with a wince,

"Damn, there go those Life Points," as they drop to 2800...

"Next, I'll place a face-down card, and end my turn."

Athena mutters to herself,

"Just started this duel and I'm already teetering downward. Gotta even the score somehow..."

She draws her next card before summoning a new monster:

"I summon, Gagaga Magician!"

Level Four with 1500 Attack Points and 1000 Defense Points, this spell-caster was another average-strong choice to set in Attack Mode. Of course, Shark's response would reflect thoughts of the opposite:

"You're summoning him into Attack Mode, with just 1500 attack points? You just don't listen, do you?"

"You done using your cocky laugh?"

He frowns and faces back front to meet Athena's eyes, who smirks while holding up another card, an Equip Spell.

"Next I play, Wonder Wand!"

A mahogany-poled scepter with a green crystal ball sitting over silver appears in the magician's hand, their power rising to 2000 as the duelist adds,

"With this, Gagaga gains another 500 Attack Points! Looks more intimidating now, don't he?"

Tiffany makes a sound of excitement, and Jamal, he wearing an orange t-shirt with a black vest overtop, dark brown pants with light ripping at the ends and black converse, comments with a grin,

"Nice! Gagaga will be able to take down Big Jaws no problem now!"

"Charge on, magician! Turn that fish into sashimi!"

...But just as Athena's monster begins to attack:

"Ha, now who's acting cocky? I play my face-down!"

"Face-down?"

"That's right, Addy. Zuez's Breath! And I have a feeling it's gonna sting for you 'cause thanks to this Trap, I can put a stop to your monster's attack! "

An armoured, god-like figure appears on the field and holds out a golden staff to command a strong gust of watery wind forward, blowing off Gagaga Magician before continuing its trajectory against his summoner, knocking her into the air...

"And there's more: If I have a Water Monster on my field, you take 800 Points of damage! And there is a Water Monster on my field, so, prepared to be soaked, by a serious flash of damage."

A bolt of energy leaves the Trap's staff, and hits Athena square in the chest, making her 'mmph' with a grit before she landed in a backwards slide to the ground, her Life Points dropping to 2000. Taking in a few deep breaths, she grumbles to herself,

"Well that sucked...Wait...aha!"

She quickly jumps back to her feet and readies a new card:

"I place one card face-down on the field. That's it; your move."

"Fine then. My Draw!"

Shark swipes out another card before bringing forth a new beast to battle with:

"And first I summon, Skull Kraken!"

A Level Three monster with the equivalence of a flip-sided skeletal member of the octopodes with 600 Attack Points and 1600 Defense Points to the field in Attack Mode. Athena stares at it with no fear:

"600, huh? No prob: Gagaga can take him down easy."

"Not for long, he won't."

"Hm?"

Shark holds his arm out in a commanding gesture with a grin as he then announced,

"I activate Skull Kraken's Special Ability!"

The monster flips over with its tentacles in the air, and opens its mouth to emit a thick, hazy smog...

"With it, I can destroy one Face-Up Spell or Trap Card on the field, such as that Wonder Wand, for example."

The smog overtakes the Equip Spell and destroys it in a flash of purple sparks, causing the scepter in Gagaga Magician's hand to disintegrate into pixels, his Attack Points dropping back to the original 1500!

"Aw crap!"

"Oh yes: Now Gagaga Magician is back at the bottom of the food chain."

Jamal grits his teeth at the sight of Shark's two monsters and mutters,

"Damn, not good." Tiffany asks worriedly,

"Not good how?"

"Those are the same monsters he used to summon Aero Shark and annihilate me. He's obviously gonna do it again, which means Addy...she's gonna get pwned by an XYZ..."

She looks back at her other friend currently in battle and whispers her name in concern, while Shark mocked the girl with red irises with a mean smile.

"You fool. Did you really think you could beat me, the best of the best and win Jamal's deck back?"

Athena looks down at her broken pendant with a frown of frustration and her forehead dripping a bead of sweat, gripping it tight like it was a stress ball.

That was the plan, but I guess the universe wants a different outcome.

What the hell am I gonna do now?

"Face it, Athena: I stomped your little key to pieces, and now, I'm gonna stomp you!"

She darts her head up with a hard glare, which only fuels Shark's banter:

"That's right, Addy: This duel is over, and after I win your deck, I'm gonna trash it just like I trashed your key! Then maybe you'll learn your lesson: Don't pick fights you can't win."

"...Funny, that's what I should be telling you."

"Huh?"

Athena forms a determined expression and alliterates,

"Don't talk to me about fighting the impossible! No matter how many times I crash and burn, I always get back on my feet to run for tomorrow. That's what it means to make your history: Never give up, block out the haters and push past your limits to leave your mark on the world! And speaking of marking my place..."

She rips off her pendant:

"That's what I'm doing now!"

(...Sheen)

"Uh?"

Athena's POV

What, the...?!

Suddenly, before I could have time to process it after my little counter-speech, my pendant blinded me with a overflowing flash of golden light...!

...Once it settles, I look down in my palm and saw that my key was completely whole again, before cluing in on my new surroundings.

"Ugh, seriously?! Of all the times, my dream had to come 'round now?!"

"This, is no dream..."

I wince with shock from the mysterious deep voice of the demon door, as it asks me that same question again.

"Have you the courage to unlock this power? It is time to decide, Athena...What will it be?"

...You know what? Screw it: Let's get this over with.

Forming a readied expression, I puff out a breath before making a mad dash to the locked door!

"(Leap) Time to carve a new chapter!"

I punched in the key and heard a click...before I get thrown back by a new burst of blue-white light!

"Mph!"

The chains broke off, and the door rattles open, before...a figure with mismatched eyes, flies towards me from an endless spiral of rainbow light...!

I shut my eyes to brace myself for impact...but felt nothing, except a shift in the atmosphere.

Hm?

I open my eyelids, and gape at the sight of a sphere of blank cards surrounding me in a black space!

...What the heck is this?

I didn't have time to process this either, before the cards shot out in dozens of directions out of sight, the scene fading away back to my original position in the Station courtyard...

"O-kaaay, that felt a little too real this round..."

My suspicions would be confirmed when I look down in my palm, to see that my pendant was whole once more.

"The key...It's like it never broke at all..."

My ears then pick up on the sound of Shark gasping from...pain, and looked up to see him struggling against some other force!

"Yes, 'cause you...you're the one who's gonna break! Hah-Yaaaaaaaauuuuuuhhhhhhhh!"

W-What's going on? Is he trying to mess with me, or...did something else happen while, I was-

"Yeees, Shark. Let the number take hooold..."

I stiffen up on alert with a shiver, when I suddenly heard a voice deeper than the demon door's echo through the air, but it had a distant, static quality to my ears, like a radio signal being interfered with...

What the hell was-

"I overlay Level 3, Big Jaws and Kraken! Now I can build the Overlay Network!"

Despite the major change I felt in this Duel's intensity, I scrambled to my feet at the ready for the monster to come out on Shark's latest draw.

"Now, Number 17: Leviathan Dragon! Be born!"

Did he say...number?

...Uh: That's what that voice said too! Oh man, somethin' screwy's going on here!

With wide eyes, I watch as a giant, deep purple-scaled dragon with six fishtail-like wings emerges from the summoning vortex, Rank 3 and packing a strong 2000 Attack Points!

"Where the hell did this behemoth come from...?" Jamal and Tiffany were just as floored as I was:

"Holy-I've never seen an XYZ of that variety before!"

"Neither have I...!"

"And what about that number bit: Why is that bein' announced special-like?"

Neither his nor my question would have time to be answered, when Shark began activating this new beast's power.

"Now, by removing one of my Overlay Units like my Skull Kraken, I can power up my Leviathan by 500 Attack Points."

"Come again?!"

"Leviathan: Attack with Shock-Stream Blast!"

After consuming the unit in its jaws and increasing its strength to 2500, the dragon would then unleash its fire-like electricity straight at Gagaga Magician, destroying it before I get thrown back by the aftermath of the destruction.

"Agh!"

My Life Points drop to 1000 just as Tiff calls out my name in worry, and Shark taunts,

"This duel's just about done! One more attack and you're through!"

I push myself up to a kneeling position, not feeling any actual pain from the impact (as per usual) other than some muscle stiffness, and mutter dryly with a mixed grim and wry chuckle,

"That was, one hell of a blast...So much for my comeback."

"Rise."

"Huh?"

I turn my head to the right where I heard a new voice - young male, about my age or a year ahead, and calm-toned with a bit of a wise edge - echo in, and let out a hitched breath of shock, when I saw a, being of sorts, with ice blue skin and those mismatching irises I remember from a moment ago!

"...Rise up."

"Guh! Who...W-Who the heck are you?"

This duel just took a major one-eighty to crazy town...!