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(Yes I forgot to add the op and the ending to last chapter. My bad)

(3rd Person PoV)

Everyone was waiting around as the news on whether Yusei would be ok or not still hung around the air, thick with worry and fear.

Joel let out a sigh and got up.

"I'm going out. I won't take too long," he glanced at the four friends who were wrapped in blankets due to their clothes being haggled. Also it was cold.

"Joel wait. I'm coming with you," Etho said as Joel was walking out.

The BoatBoys went outside and that's when Etho got in front of Joel.

"Why are you going out? What's got you so worried?" Etho asked.

"Karma."

"What?"

"They...Rally, Nerve, Blitz and Taka, they all risked their cards and their clothes just to get Yusei's Duel Runner back. From what I've heard, those cards are their life. They're important to them but that Duel Runner even more. They have been nice to us so...it's time to pay back that kindness," Joel explained.

"...you're going to get those cards back, are you?" Etho asked.

"Now you're on my level," Joel snapped his fingers.

"Fine, I'll go with you. Don't strain yourself though because you fainted before and we don't want that to happen. Wouldn't be beneficial for the both of us," Etho pointed out.

"I'm fine, Etho but sure I guess," Joel shrugged.

The two of them drove off on their Duel Runner to the same place where the four friends tossed their cards in the air.

It was empty but surely the sound of the Duel Runner would have a bunch of people appear. And appear they did.

People with criminal marks, raggedy clothes and greed in their eyes, stared at the BoatBoays as they got off of their Duel Runner.

Joel first got off and shouted, "Hey! You got something that doesn't belong to you!"

Some of the people looked at each other confused. What does this small man mean?

Etho also got off. "Hey we don't necessarily want any problems. We just need our friends' cards back," he explained.

"Ohhh. Yeah not happening," one of them shook their head.

"We were given these fair and square," another said and held up the cards.

Joel recognized one of the cards as Rally's and he made a fist.

"Well...I was hoping that we would do this the easy way but turns out everyone likes doing it the hard way," Etho sighed and took out his Duel Disk.

"Oh? You want to duel us for their cards? Alright then," the first one said and jumped down to face the BoatBoats.

"That's the plan," Etho nodded.

"Alright then. If you lose, we get your cards and that Duel Runner of yours," the second one said who also jumped down to face the two of them.

"We won't lose but deal anyway," Joel grabbed his Duel Disk.

Simultaneously, the BoatBoys placed their Duel Disks at the same time while the other two also put their Duel Disks on.

"Duel!"

Joel/Etho - 4000 LPS

Vs

Man#1/Man#2 - 4000 LPS

"I'll go first," Etho offered and everyone else nodded.

"Draw! I place a monster face down, then I place two cards down. That's all for now," Etho said.

"Lame. My turn, I draw!" Man #1 exclaimed. He looked at his hand and grinned.

"I place Thunder Nyan Nyan (ATK: 1900. DF: 800) and I'll place a card down," he said.

"Joel, be careful," Etho said as Man #1 ended his turn.

"I will, don't worry," Joel nodded before saying, "Draw!"

"I summon Mystic Elf (ATK: 800. DF: 2000) in Defense Mode! Then I place a card down. I end my turn," he said.

A blue skinned woman with blonde hair and green clothes appeared, sat down, turned fully blue as she was in defense mode, held her hands together and seemed to be chanting.

"Heh, my turn. I draw!" Man #2 said.

"I summon Biofalcon (ATK: 1700. DF: 1200)! Then I set a card down and you'll just have to wait for his turn for your complete destruction," he said.

"Yeah...not going to happen," Etho shook his head before flipping over a card.

"I tribute my flipped over card to tribute summon Red Dragon Ninja (ATK: 2400. DF: 1200). Then by banishing a Ninja card from my graveyard, I can reveal a set card that you have, return it to the top of your deck and you can't activate it due to Red Dragon Ninja's effect. Fiery Return!" He exclaimed.

A young man wearing red ninja robes appeared and summoned a fire dragon to reveal one of the set cards.

That was a spell card of the name Limiter Removal.

"Pity. Could have used that boost up your monster. Now that returns to your deck and you can't use it on your turn. Now, battle! Red Dragon Ninja, attack Thunder Nyan Nyan! Fire Dragon Ninjutsu," Etho said.

4000 —> 3500 LPS

"I end my turn," he said.

"Alright, go Etho!" Joel cheered.

"Grr! I draw! You're going to pay for that! I summon Card Trooper (ATK: 400. DF: 400) and I activate their effect. I can choose between one and three, send that many cards to the graveyard and for each card that I send, this monster gains 500 attack points until the end of my turn. I choose the number three so I send three cards to the graveyard!" Man #1 shouted.

One card was sent.

Another card was sent.

And a final card was sent.

400 —> 1900 ATK

"That still isn't enough to take down my Red Dragon Ninja or his Mystic Elf," Etho said.

"You may be right but who says that Limiter Removal was the only one that we had. You sent his Limiter Removal to his deck but not mine," Man #1 said.

"...Dang it," Etho muttered.

"I activate my spell card, Limiter Reactor. Every Machine monster that we currently control," Man #1 glanced at Man #2, "gets doubled the attack points until the end of this turn!"

1900 —> 3800 ATK

1700 —> 3400 ATK

"Now attack his Red Dragon Ninja!" Man #1 shouted.

4000 —> 2600 LPS

"Ha! Those cards and Duel Runner are as good as ours!" Man #2 said, happily.

"Tch!" Joel hissed under his breath. This isn't going on.

"Limiter Reactor has another effect that the Machine monsters that gained those attack points, get destroyed at the end of the turn so...," Man #1 said.

"Then I activate my trap before you end your turn!" Joel suddenly shouted.

"What?" Man #1 and 2 asked.

"Gift of the Mystic Elf! She has been chanting this whole time and all for this trap! For every monster on the field, we gain 300 life points. There are three monsters on the field meaning we gain 900 life points," Joel explained.

Mystic Elf then stopped chanting and began to glow.

2600 —> 3500 LPS

"We're not giving up easily. As cheesy as it sounds, we just won't. We won't," Joel shook his head.

"Damn it! Why are you resisting the inevitable!" Man #2 snapped.

"We're not. You are resisting. We will win this duel," Etho pointed out.

"Yeah!" Joel agreed.

"Ugh fine, I end my turn then," Man #1 said.

Biofalcon and Card Trooper got destroyed, meaning that their field is open but Joel was more worried how will he be able to get the life points down. He could attack directly but...

Will that be enough? Which monster should he go with?

Joel...

"Huh? What was that?" Joel asked, looking around.

"What was what?" Etho asked, confused.

Even their opponents were confused.

Joel, listen. You need to summon me if you want those cards back. Summon me, you know how to.

Summon...who?

Joel's eyes glazed over and he stood there ridged, hand over the top of the deck.

"Joel? Joel!"

(1st Person PoV: Joel's)

I was standing on a field, unsure of where I was.

Last I remember, I was with Etho and dueling to get the four friends' cards back and then I heard a weird voice and now...

"I'm here?" I said, out loud.

Then the grass on the field turned to stone and disintegrated where it was just now mud and dirt.

"How the-!" I cried but got cut off by cries of monsters.

Many were running by me, some giving me the side eye while running and I saw what they were running from.

A shadowy figure hovering around a large stone tablet. It had the imprint of a dragon.

The dragon seemed unfamiliar to me.

"Sad sight isn't it?" Someone asked and I turned around to see...a blurry face.

I couldn't tell whether they're human or a monster.

"Who are you? And where I am?" I asked.

"Second question first. You are in the spirit world of Duel Monsters. Other humans have this ability but it's somewhat rare. I brought you here to get a grasp of what's going to happen soon," the voice explained.

There's a spirit world of Duel Monsters? I thought.

"But who are you?" I asked.

"Summon me in the real world and you'll see," the voice said.

"Summon you? How?" I asked with more urgency.

"Synchro Summon me. Do it, Joel and you'll understand who I am. The door has creaked open and now it is up to you to open it fully," the voice said.

"Open up? I am very confused about everything," I admitted.

"Time will tell," the voice and I got hit with a blinding light.

(3rd Person PoV)

"Joel!"

Etho's voice snapped Joel out of his trance and he realized that he drew a card.

"Are you ok?" Etho asked, concerned.

"Uhh y-yeah," Joel nodded and looked at the card that he drew and his eyes widen.

A level 4 tuner monster? He thought.

"Hey! How long are you going to make us wait for our prize? You're going to lose you know," Man #2 shouted.

"Uhhh, how about no," Joel shook his head.

"I summon the tuner monster, Masked Chameleon (ATK: 1600. DF: 1100)!" He shouted.

"A tuner monster?" Man #1 gasped.

"I tune level 4 Masked Chameleon with level 4 Mystic Elf! Defense is the best offensive, patch up the walls so they wouldn't be breached. Protector of all defenses!" Joel shouted.

"Synchro Summon! Giant Wall Life Dragon(ATK: 2300. DF: 2100)!"

A large serpent like dragon with jagged scales, almost looking like slabs on stone, appeared, baring his stone teeth. Three different colored hearts were on his forehead, green, yellow and red with yellow shining more brightly.

"I now activate his effect! I draw the top card of my deck and see what kind of card is it. If it's a trap card, then I send it to the graveyard making my dragon gain 500 attack and defense points. If it's a spell card, I have to discard it. If it's a monster card then I can regain life points based on the monster's attack and defense points added up. I draw!" Joel explained.

He drew a card and grinned.

"What did you get?" Etho asked and Joel flipped over the card to reveal that it was a trap card.

"I send the trap card Heavy Slump to have Giant Wall gain 500 attack and defense points!" He shouted.

2300 —> 2800 ATK

2100 —> 2600 DF

"Battle! I attack you directly with Giant Wall! Stony Enforcement!" Joel shouted and Giant Wall roared as stone spikes appeared and showered on Man #1 and 2.

Thankfully this was a hologram.

3500 —> 700 LPS

"Huh?? But how!" Man #1 cried.

"Your first mistake was taking our friends' cards! Your second is accepting this duel," Joel explained.

"Wait we think of them as friends?" Etho asked.

"Eh, more of a mutual agreement. They are nice to us," Joel explained.

"Ok fair enough," Etho said.

"Now that we got you at 700 life points, I'm more than confident to defeat you! I set down two cards and end my turn," Joel finished.

"Damn it! How are they this good?" Man #2 asked as he drew a card.

"Ohohoho! Listen here, you're not the one with tuner monster and all that shabam! I summon the tuner monster, Turbo Rocket (ATK: 0. DF: 0). But I don't have another monster to tune it with, so sad," Man #2 sighed with fake sadness.

Something's up, Etho thought.

Joel made a grunt at this and clench his fist tightly.

"I attack your Giant Wall with Turbo Rocket!" Man #2 exclaimed.

"What?! But that's s^ic*de! Your Turbo Rocket doesn't have any attack points!" Joel cried.

"Maybe not but it may have an effect," Etho told him.

"Right you are! When attacking, this monster can't be destroyed and when it attacks your monster, you get half of the attack points that would have been damaged to me!" Man #2 laughed.

"Quick effect! When Giant Wall is about to be attacked, I can switch him to defense mode and when a monster gets attacked in defense mode, we don't take any damage!" Joel immediately shouted.

"Damn it! I end my turn then," Man #2 said.

"Etho...it's now or never," Joel turned to him.

"You're right. I draw! I summon Goe Goe the Gallant Ninja (ATK: 1500. DF: 1000) and when I control a ninja monster, I'm able to special summon Mitsu the Insect Ninja (ATK: 200. DF: 2100). Now I activate my continuous trap, Ninjitsu Art of Shadow Sealing," Etho started.

"Woah! I saw you use that card when we were first practicing dueling. You beat me with that card," Joel noted.

"Yeah so you remember what it does," Etho said and Joel nodded.

"You tribute a ninja to target a monster that your opponent controls and you banish it," he explained.

"Yeah so I tribute Goe Goe to target your monster and banish it," Etho said, pointing to Turbo Rocket who disappeared.

"Tch! But your Insect Ninja only has 200 attack points, not enough to take us down," Man #1 laughed while Man #2 nodded although he was sweating nervously.

"True if it wasn't for my next face down, the equip spell Fuhma Shurikin. When equipped to a ninja monster, that monster gains 700 attack points. I equip it to Mitsu!" Etho exclaimed.

200 —> 900 ATK

"Battle! Mitsu, attack and finish this duel! Insect Shurikin!" Etho shouted.

Mitsu took out some shurikins and threw them at the opponents. Again, this is a hologram.

700 —> 0 LPS

The two men fell to the ground, unable to believe what just happened.

"Hand over those cards," Etho approached them, an aura of hostility around him.

As the men gave them the cards, Joel took out Giant Wall Life Dragon's card and stared down at him.

Just when I need it, he came to help me. This is strange, he thought.

"Joel are you ready to go?" Etho asked which snapped Joel out of his thoughts.

"Hmm? Yeah I'm ready," he said.

The two of them drove off.

(Sometime later)

*clatter*

"Ruka, are you ok?" A young boy asked as his sister dropped a fork.

"I'm fine, don't worry Rua," she assured her brother.

"Are you sure?" Rua asked and Ruka nodded.

The people that were sitting at the table with them stared at her, some in concern while one out of curiosity.

I wonder if something reacted with her powers? The man named Divine thought.

Did I just see a vision of a dragon? And who was that man with that dragon? Ruka thought as she picked up the fork with trembling hands.

A/N: it's been a while. I know.

First chapter of 2023.

Whoa new dragon and lore??????

Cya in the next one -Flare

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