“There.” Eula approached Juno, who was enjoying a salad in an outside food court beside one of Athens' brick roads. She pulled some Euros out of a wallet and stuffed them into her pocket before tossing the wallet in a near-by trashcan.
“You really think you should be doing that in broad daylight?” Juno pushed a small tomato around in her bowl while she spoke.
“Calm down, mom.” Eula pulled a chair from another table to Juno's, “It's like you've forgotten that I'm a professional or something.” Eula pointed behind her to a group of policemen who were making their way through a gathering crowd in the opposite direction, “Those pigs can't catch me, and these locals can't keep up with me. It's like I've got magic fingers. Well, there was this one incident earlier... N-not important.” Eula tried to reassure her partner with a smile. It didn't seem to work, “What's really bothering you?”
“N-nothing.” Juno said as her eyes darted away from Eula's.
“Don't give me that.” Eula prodded, “We've been working together too long for you to be able to dodge my questions. Is it about your van? We'll make those jerks pay that van one way” Eula smirked, “Or another.”
“I just,” Juno stabbed the tomato with her fork, “I-I thought that last job we pulled was going to be the last job we pulled.”
Eula's smirk faded as she sighed, “You know as well as I do that things don't always go as planned.”
“Yeah... I know.” Juno's eyes darted, “I guess I just let myself get lost in the future.”
“Hey, don't worry.” Eula stood up, “We'll settle down once we take care of whoever it was that hired Osamu. After that we'll settle down, promise.”
Juno smiled, “I guess I would like to make those guys pay for my van and all of equipment they took.”
“Now you're talkin'. Whenever you're finished we'll head for the museum.” Juno laughed, “What?”
“Nothing.” The girl shook her head, “It's just weird hearing you say we're going to a museum when we're not going there to... You know.”
“I guess.”
Fourth Stop – Fated Crossroads
“Holy wow!” Larissa's eyes sparkled as she looked around, “It's pretty old school. Well some of it's old school but some of it's reaaally old school!” Larissa looked at Anastasia, who was silently laughing, making her realize how much of her composure she had truly lost.
Anastasia couldn't help but to smile, though. Watching her best friend lose herself in the awe of a new land. It almost made her feel nostalgic about the first time she went to a new country herself, “Yeah, if I remember correctly the neoclassical style swooped in around the nineteenth and twentieth centuries but they never bothered to uniform the style so you get this mix of neoclassical and old-world Greco-Roman designs.”
“Sounds like you've spent too long at the school.” Larissa teased.
“No, not really. I learned about this place and lots of others when I started traveling. My father always said it was important to know the cultures of the people you'd be doing business with.” Ana's eyes narrowed. She reached her hand back and caught another person's wrist that was too close to her pocket, “He also taught me to be wary of thieves when walking around on the streets.”
“You're good.” Eula said with a smile.
“You're not.” Anastasia said back.
Eula snatched her hand back, breaking Anastasia's grip, “Well, I guess I'll be going now.”
“You think I'm just going to let you walk away after trying to steal from me?”
The challenge only made Eula's smile widen. The thrill her lifestyle brought on was always more important to her than the money, “It doesn't really matter if you let me or not.”
“Guess there's thieves everywhere.” Larissa scoffed.
Eula's eyes darted through the crowed. Not him, not him, him! She paused on a tourist with a green vest. Him. The selection was not random. Unbeknownst to anyone else, Eula had taken that man's wallet just moments before trying to take Ana's. The second Anastasia caught Eula's hand, Eula dropped the wallet at Anastasia's feet, moneyless of course, “Sir! Hey you in the lame vest!” The man turned around.
“What are you doing?” Anastasia asked out of annoyance.
“I just saw that woman take your wallet! She dropped it! It's right there at her feet!” Eula backed away as the crowd advanced on Anastasia and Larissa, “Wasn't really expecting that to work so well.” Eula said under her breath as she made her escape.
“You've got it all wrong! We're not thieves!” Larissa protested. The crowed blocked their escape as a pair of officers approached the two.
“When I see that girl again...” Anastasia growled.
xxxxx
A large crowd had gathered in a Californian courtroom where a young man in a gray suit was being tried. The judge was an intense-looking woman.“In the case of The State of California verses Aornum Enterprises and its CEO Sar Terrian, the defendant, Mr. Terrian, is charged with the unauthorized use of Momentum without the Fortune System. How does the defendant plead?”
“Guilty, Your Honor.” the thin man said. He swung his straight black hair with a head movement as he spoke. A portly man, Sar's lawyer. He smiled as he watched his client work.
“I here by fine you a total of sixty five thousand dollars. For the negligence displayed by your staff, I hereby fine the company an additional thirty thousand. Any questions?”
“No, Your Honor. I will see to it that these issues are dealt with.” Sar grinned as he spoke. There wasn't a hint of regret or shame in his voice.
“Very well. Case dismissed.” The judge hammered her gavel down. The chatter began immediately as everyone began to pile out of the doors.
Outside of the courtroom, Sar eyed the reporters waiting for him outside of the building, “You know what I love about this country?” Sar asked his lawyer as the two of them began to walk.
“Apple pie? Baseball? Democracy?” The lawyer's answer made both Sar and himself laugh.
“Well, those things, of course!” Sar spoke in a tone that one would expect from a phoney actor interview, “But even more than that, those Momentum projects made me hundreds of billions of dollars last year, and I didn't have to spend a dime upgrading them to be compatible with the Fortune System for a whole year! My salary alone is around a hundred thousand an hour because of 'illegal' projects like these and all they cost my is less than an hour's work. God bless America!” A ringing noise diverted Sar's attention. Sar pulled a phone out of his pocket. A silhouette with a large question mark in the center of it appeared on the video screen, “I have to take this. Stall the press for me, please?” Sar left his Lawyer and pushed against the crowd until he reached a secluded corner, “Speak.”
“”We're in Athens.” a voice said from the other side of the phone, “Our leak tells us that the two girls we're looking for have actually been acquainted with and even employed by one of our lower-ranking members in the past.”
“You mean other than our most recent failure, that is?”
“Yes sir. It's only a matter of time before those girls show up.”
“Don't let me down.”
xxxxx
“Understood, sir.” A large man with curly brown hair clicked a button on his own video phone, shutting it off. He turned to a gruff-looking man, “So that's it. According to Osamu those two girls should be around here somewhere.
"You take care of them, Durward." the man said, "I'm going for the other thing."
xxxxx
Anastasia and Larissa sat in a dark interrogation room. Fluorescent lights illuminated the table and the policeman in front of them, but left the rest of the room in shadow. The uniformed officer put out his cigarette before speaking, “So let me get this straight...” He exhaled the last bits of smoke from his lungs directly at Anastasia, much to her irritation, “You didn't steal the wallet, some other girl did and then framed you after you caught her trying to pickpocket you?”
“Yes sir.” Larissa said. Miami had taught her that the best way to handle the police was to be cooperative and polite.
That was a philosophy that Anastasia did not share. She stood up, slamming her hands on the table, “How many times are we going to repeat this story? You've been trying to 'Get it straight' for about thirty minutes now and the story has gone unchanged!”
“Please calm down, ma'am.” The police officer lit another cigarette.
“Calm? This is me when I'm calm. You don't want to see me when I'm not calm.”
“Ana...” Larissa tugged on her friend's sleeve.
“Threatening an officer of the law isn't in your best interest right now. You're both a long way from home, the courts won't be easy on you girls here, especially if you're lying.”
“You.” Anastasia growled.
A knock echoed through the room. The door. The knocker didn't wait for an answer before opening the door. A suited man entered, “Detective?”
“You can go now. I'll handle it from here.” the detective shooed the man out the door and made his way to the table. As he sat down the light revealed his face, “Don't think too harshly of him, girls. He's trying to work his way up to detective.” The detective held his fingers less than an inch apart, “He's this close.”
“Ladon?” Anastasia stared at the man.
“You remember me, huh? I had hoped so.”
“Of course I remember you! You were supposed to find my mother.”
Ladon averted eye contact for a moment, “They pulled the case a few months in. They said we were taking too long. I'm sorry, truly.”
“Whatever.” Anastasia sighed, “I already knew all of that.”
“Is that why you went off the grid yourself?”
“Not exactly. I suppose you've already contacted the company as to my whereabouts?”
“Nope.” Ladon leaned back in his chair, “I figured you had your own reasons for leaving. You can consider this as part of my apology for failing to do my job, along with your swift release.”
“Really?” Larissa pepped up.
“The girl you described fits descriptions of a young woman who was recently arrested in a failed Kaiba Land heist in America and has been suspected in a heist in Cyprus. Doesn't seem like a coincidence to me.”
“Good. Then I'll be going.” Anastasia began to leave before she felt Ladon grab her arm.
“One more thing.”
Anastasia snatched her arm away, “What?”
“There's something... fishy about the accusations against that girl. The man who bailed her out of prison in America is linked to some dangerous people. Don't go looking for her.”
“I'm not an idiot, Ladon... Thank you.”
“Don't mention it.”
xxxxx
“Alright, let's get down to business.” Eula said. She and Juno stood before a neoclassical building, white in color. The giant pillars in front of the doorway made Eula uneasy. “This place looks too much like a damn courthouse.”
Juno flinched at the word. 'Courthouse.' Just one of many buzzwords that reminded her of the seven months she spent without Eula.
“I hope the old man's still working here.” Eula said. She adjusted her backpack strap before advancing to the door. The museum was open, but since it was the middle of the week there were few people around, meaning less people to keep an eye on.
Once inside, the girls began to look around. Eula could feel a twitch in every part of her body. All this priceless art just sitting there. She resisted out of necessity, but she she really did love her 'job'. Could she really leave it all behind? She looked over to Juno and the twitches stopped.
“I hope you aren't here for what I think you're here for.” A commanding voice said from behind. It belonged to Anastasia.
“Who the hell are you?” Eula spun around. Anastasia and Larissa were standing Eula stared at Anastasia for a few seconds. No use, “Look we're kinda busy here.”
“Don't play dumb with me.” Anastasia snapped, “You've got a lot to answer for.”
Larissa sighed. She truly believed that Anastasia would punch a small child if it spoke back to her. “Ana, that thief isn't worth it. We're here for other things, remember?” Anastasia didn't so much as break eye contact with Eula.
“Don't be ridiculous, I'm just a tourist.” Eula's grin was filled with condescension, “That's some pretty harsh talk from someone who just got into trouble with the law.”
“Trouble? Hardly. People who have done nothing wrong don't get into trouble with the law.” Anastasia shot back.
Eula twitched, “That so?” Her arrogant smile had faded.
“The proof is standing in front of you right here.” Anastasia gestured at herself.
“We don't really have time for thi-” Juno began to say.
“So did you come for payback or something?” Eula asked.
“Don't flatter yourself.” Anastasia said.
Eula looked at Juno and then back to Anastasia and Larissa, “Well then I guess we don't have anything to talk about.” Eula turned to walk away.
“Glad that's over.” Larissa said with a sigh of relief.
“Don't think I'm going to just stand idly by while you go around picking stuff out from this museum to steal.”
“What makes you think a humble pickpocket such as myself would try a museum heist?”
“Don't use words like that so loud.” Juno said.
Anastasia's eyes narrowed. There was just something about the way she referred to herself as a pickpocket so innocently that got under her skin, “I know you're more than that. I heard about Kaiba Land, and I heard about Cyprus. You're not just a common pickpocket.”
“You seem to know a lot about me.” Eula said. She turned to face Anastasia again, “Yeah, that was me.”
“Eula!” Juno snapped. She recoiled when she realized she had let Eula's name slip.
“We heard you work for some dangerous people.” Larissa said.
“We don't work for anyone at the moment.” Eula paused. She had to get these girls out of here, or at least the aggressive one. Eula handed her bag to Juno, “Take this.” she whispered, “I'll be back.”
“Where are you going?” Anastasia said.
“I need some fresh air... And maybe I'll help myself to your ride. I doubt you walked here.”
“And how do you know what I rode here on?”
“Someone stuck-up like you?” Eula didn't break stride as she spoke, “I'll just go for the nicest looking vehicle out there.”
“Wait here, Larissa.” Anastasia said as she followed Eula, who was now close to the door. She knew this ‘Eula’ person was likely bluffing, but she couldn't risk losing the D-Wheel. Anastasia exited the building and her eyes darted for where she had parked. She sighed in relief. It was safe.
“So that's your ride, huh?” Eula was leaning against a parked car, “Don't try and deny it. I saw you eye the thing. A D-Wheel, huh?” Eula could feel her Anastasia's glare. It was like a fire, burning into Eula's skin, “Relax. I don't want it. It'd be hard to steal that with my own ride parked over there.” Eula pointed with her thumb.
“A D-Wheel?” Anastasia said.
“Wanna give it a shot?” Eula pulled her deck out of its case.
“Why would I give someone like you the time of day with a duel?” Anastasia said.
“I figured you were the type of person who fancied themselves better than others. Maybe put me in my place or something.” Eula shrugged. She put the deck back in its case, attached to her belt, “I was looking forward to wiping that self-righteous look off your face too.”
“You really think you can?” Anastasia said.
Eula smiled. Got her. “I know when someone's all talk. Ana, was it? You, Ana are all talk.”
“I would love to put you in your place.” Anastasia pulled out her own deck, “And it's Anastasia to you. Only my friends get to call me Ana.”
xxxxx
Juno and Larissa stood in the Museum, neither moving or looking at the other. “So uh, did they just leave us here?” Larissa asked.
“I guess.” Juno shifted. She wasn't too keen on getting to know this stranger, but she lacked Eula's ability to be blunt and rude.
“I hope Ana doesn't do anything crazy. They were kinda in their own little world there.” The sound of D-Wheels revving up could be heard outside. “W-was that?”
“Eula's D-Wheel is moving.” Juno said, poking at a PDA. “It looks like she challenged your friend.”
“Well that's just great.” Larissa harrumphed.
“You don't seem to hold your friend's passion, so I'm going to go take care of what I actually came here to take care of.” Juno pocketed the PDA.
Larissa watched as Juno started to walk away. She should just let her go and save the trouble, but could she live with herself letting a thief go? “W-wait!”
“We're not here to steal anything.” Juno said. She turned to face Larissa, “We're here to ask the museum director a question, if that eases your mind.”
“No way.” Larissa mumbled.
“You don't believe me? I guess I can't blame you since it seems you've already... met Eula.”
“No, I believe you.” Larissa shook her head.
“Now that is hard to believe.” Juno laughed softly.
“It's just that we're here to see the director too.” Larissa reached into her bag and pulled out the gray box, “We're here to ask about this.”
Juno's eyes widened, “Where did you get that?”
“Who's your new friend, Juno?” a voice from behind made Juno jump. It belonged to an elderly, but fit man. He twirled his mustache with his finger as he spoke, “I must say, I didn't expect to see you here.”
“Director Demetrius.”
xxxxx
“I summon The Bewitching Phantom Thief” Eula announced. The monster let out a deep laugh, sweeping its large, black cape so it could kneel down in a protective position. Eula glanced at her remaining cards in hand. (DEF: 700) ”Turn end.”
“That weak monster suits you,” Anastasia remarked with a smirk. She didn’t even spare a glance at the top-hat wearing monster, opting to keep her eyes trained on the road ahead.
“Keep talking,” Eula shot back, more on instinct than anything. Her thoughts were on the duel. What was her opponent’s strategy? Given Anastasia’s personality and her aggressive self-righteousness it wasn’t far off to assume a direct assault was her mode of opposition. Straight-up beat down perhaps?
“No thanks. My actions speak for me. Draw!” Anastasia snapped as her fingers forced the top card of her deck to leave its brethren.
Eula’s Speed Counters: 1
Anastasia’s Speed Counters: 1
“I’ll summon Transforming Sphere in attack mode!” A white armored golden brown winged creature suddenly swooped down from the skies and joined Anastasia so it was flying alongside her master. The ball clutched its massive talons glinted off the sunlight, its surface a mass of swirling storm gray. It let out a cry as its attack rose by 200 from the field boost. (ATK: 100 → 300)
“And you called my monster weak,” Eula laughed as the cards battle stats appeared on the monitor of the D-Wheel.
“If I wanted raw power I’d have just normal monsters,” Anastasia replied as she set a card face down, “And don’t forget it gets a boost from the field spell. Now observe! I’ll use its effect to equip your monster to it!” Wisps emitted from the orb suddenly shot forward, solidifying into tendrils that snaked around the thief. Eula’s monster let out a cry of protest as it struggled against its bonds as it was dragged forward. Its efforts yielded little to no effect. As soon as it made contact with the glass like sphere it disappeared instantly before re-materializing inside. The thief swung its weapon down against the glass-like shell, but each blow seemed to be more taxing for it than the last.
“Through this effect, my monster gains attack points equal to the strength of its captive,” Anastasia explained. (ATK: 300 → 1000)
“And you look down at me for taking stuff without permission,” Eula mocked as the winged-beast’s attack rose.
“Don’t compare me to you,” Anastasia’s tone remained the same but there was a hint of something in it. More anger and she must have struck a nerve because was there a little hurt in it too. Eula smiled a little feeling some slight satisfaction from it. It was short lived, “Transforming Sphere attacks you directly!”
Eula: 3000
The orb the monster was carrying opened slightly unleashing a thin stream of energy, drawn from its inhibitor’s life force. Eula felt her D-Wheel shudder for a moment but the damage was small enough for her to regain control almost immediately. Eula cast a look behind her; Anastasia’s eyes still blazed intensely with whatever that was fueling her from when they first met, even more so than before. But what she wasn’t letting it control her. That alone was impressive enough but the fact how aggressively while maintaining control made her dangerous.
“When my turn ends, Transforming Sphere returns your monster back to you,” Anastasia’s voice cut through her thoughts. The Bewitching Phantom Thief struck at the cracked surface and the gap widened, allowing it to escape its prison. No sooner had it left, the sphere reformed, sealing its previous openings. (ATK: 1000 → 300)
“Why thank you.”
“We’re not alike,” Anastasia stated bluntly, her voice was somehow louder. Closer. And it was no longer coming from behind but to her left now. “Now go.”
“Draw!” Eula declared. Her eyes narrowed as she glanced over the bike. Based on performance alone, it definitely wasn’t a standard model or any that she recognized.
Eula’s Speed Counters: 2
Anastasia’s Speed Counters: 2
“You know it’s too bad you wasted your birdie for a quick shot because now it’s going to die! I summon Phantom Ghost in attack mode!” The ghostly green heads emerged from the card portrait each one letting out a wail as it joined the Phantom Thief. (ATK: 600) “Next I switch my other monster to attack mode. Get ready, they’re coming for you!” (ATK: 700)
“You won’t hit me that easily.” Before either monster could attack, they both dropped to the ground as some invisible force smashed weighed upon them. Likewise Transforming Sphere was experiencing a similar effect. It let out an indignant caw before as it was forced to land. “Zero Gravity switches the battle positions of all monsters currently on the field.”
“Damnit,” Eula muttered.. She had been a little too hasty. “I’ll set two cards and end my turn.”
“Draw,” Anastasia announced.
Eula’s Speed Counters: 3
Anastasia’s Speed Counters: 3
“Hold it there, Missy! I activate Lightforce Sword!” Eula said before pointing at the card Anastasia had just drawn. The blade shot forward and pinned a holographic image version of the card down into the road. “You’re going to have to wait a few turns to see it again.” Anastasia’s stunned expression was all that she needed to see. Eula flashed her opponent a smirk, “Got a good one didn’t I?”
A little of the composure slipped and handed a bit of control over to the anger on its way out. Anastasia scowled as she reached for another card. “I’ll summon Fire Bird in attack mode!” The crimson avian let out a screech as its attack rose from the Speed World setting. (ATK: 1000 → 1200) Anastasia looked at her empowered monsters. Mountain. This must be her field. “Sphere switches to attack mode and takes your Thief again. Now get her Phantom Ghost out of my sight.”
“Looks like I’ll have to let these two pass,” Eula taunted. The sphere unleashed another beam, this time striking the vengeful spirit composed of multiple souls. When the attack was over nothing was left.
“Now Fire Bird attacks you directly!” The scarlet bird slammed itself into Eula’s D-Wheel causing it to shudder from the impact.
Eula: 1800
xxxxx
“I see.” Demetrius said, still twirling his white mustache.
“U-um, I didn't actually say anything.” Juno said.
“Oh, sorry. I was just assessing the situation myself, “I must say, I never expected to see Anastasia Takatsukasa in the same place as Eula... What's her last name again?”
“We don't share that kind of information.” Juno said curtly.
“Wait, you're the guy Ana came here to see?” Larissa asked. She shuffled her feet, “How do you know, Juno was it?”
“Oh, so you girls aren't here together?” Demetrius asked, “I assumed when I got the call scheduling a meeting between Anastasia and myself that I'd be talking to her alone, but imagine my shock when I look out of my office window only to see four girls in my museum.”
“You were watching us?” Larissa eyed Demetrius.
“I watch everyone who steps into my museum, and” Demetrius turned his head to Juno, “No offense, but when Eula enters my museum I pay extra attention to her. I just never know what that girl's going to do.”
“That's the business, I guess.” Juno said.
“Where did Eula and Anastasia step off to anyway?” Demetrius eyed the door, “If you four aren't together, it confuses me that they would leave together.”
“They had to go... uh, work out some issues.” Larissa said.
“How irresponsible. I'm a busy man, so I'd like for Anastasia to keep up her appointments if she doesn't want to miss out on them.”
“Then how about talking to me instead?” Juno lifted the backpack, “I have something that might just interest you.”
“Very well. I imagine I'd be talking to you more than Miss Eula anyhow.”
“Wait!” Larissa shouted. She quickly recoiled and regained her composure, “I mean, I have the thing that Ana wanted to talk about right here.” Larissa lifted her own backpack, “So I can hold her appointment.”
“Well I guess I'll just have to speak to you both. Come on, this way.”
xxxxx
The Phantom Thief suddenly slipped out again, indicating that her opponent’s turn was currently at the end phase. “Before we get to my actual turn though I’m going to activate my trap card first! Menacing Phantom allows me to revive Phantom Ghost!” The souls let out another pained cry as they were returned to the living world.
Visibly less than pleased, Anastasia’s scowl deepened even further, “You must not be that much of a successful thief if you’re using such cheap cards.”
Eula’s Speed Counters: 4
Anastasia’s Speed Counters: 4
“I summon Night’s End Sorcerer,” Eula announced after she had drawn her next card. Next I’ll tune it with Phantom Thief and Phantom Ghost!”
“A Synchro summon huh?” Anastasia murmured to herself, so Eula did have some good cards on her after all.
“The’s glow casts its light and creates an ebony shadow!” Eula’s monsters had fully dissolved with Night’s End forming two green rings and her other two monsters being reduced to a total of four small clusters of light, “Synchro summon!” The clusters gave out and turned into a large pillar of light that swallowed the emerald rings whole. “Envoy of the night! Moonlighting Phantom!” It swung its large crescent scythe, swiping away the remaining residue of particles generated for its own summon. It turned to face Anastasia, long hair and tattered suit swaying to the wind, and trained its red eyes on her. (ATK: 2100)
“…Impressive,” Anastasia allowed begrudgingly as she met the monster’s stare dead on for several moments, “But I was expecting something more to follow up with its grand arrival. 2100 isn’t a lot of attack points. ”
“Don’t be so quick to judge,” Eula replied with a smirk before pointing at Fire Bird, “My monster attacks!” The targeted bird had already begun to ascend but it was too late. The phantom merely yanked the bird down with its weapon, the blade curving around the winged-beast’s neck. The latter screeched in pain as it came crashing back down. Pinning the Fire Bird down and using its foot as leverage, the Synchro monster twisted the scythe quickly triggering a distinct snapping noise.
Anastasia: 3100
“You could have dealt more damage if you hit Sphere.” Anastasia observed, unaffected by the gorish scene.
“Oh I’ll deal with it when the time comes, so don’t you worry. In the meantime, I’m going to activate my monster’s effect, allowing me to steal your face down banished card.” The monster reached into Anastasia’s banished zone and fished out the sole card resting there.
“No!” Anastasia shouted.
Something was off. Eula cast a glance at the opponent beside her. The usual composure was gone. Now completely void of anger, Anastasia’s eyes were wide with something akin to panic while her breathing lost its regular tempo. Moonlighting Phantom placed the card in Eula’s hand and her eyes scanned over it immediately to discover what kind of card warranted that sort of reaction.
“I knew it was a good card judging from your reactions, but damn,” Eula said with a grin, “Avis the Scarlet Overseer huh? That one’s sure worth a lot.” Her opponent said nothing, but the panic was now gone packed away in a little box as a steely look took hold. “Mad huh?” Eula inquired, her grin widened, “Well you’re welcome to try and take it back if you can. I set one card and end my turn.”
She was going to pay. Anastasia’s grip on the left handlebar tightened as her right hand nearly tore the top card of her deck, “Draw.”
Eula’s Speed Counters: 5
Anastasia’s Speed Counters: 5
She examined her four cards, her mind racing furiously. The first order of business was to remove Eula’s Phantom before it could snatch any more cards. Thankfully, she had the means to do so already. “First I’ll set a card face down.”
“Setting a card first thing? Kind of an amateur play don’t ya think?
Good. She was still confident from taking Avis, meaning she’d slip up eventually. That’s how people are. She reached for her next card, “I activate Speed Spell – Ignition. By destroying my set card, I can change your monster to defense mode.”
The thief’s smirk slipped as she realized the implications of the card effect, “Crap!”
“That’s right. If you’re taking my ace, I’ll just take yours” Anastasia said feeling a smirk beginning to tug on her lips, “Sphere takes Moonlighting Phantom.” Like the Phantom Thief, the Synchro monster had no means of escaping the pull and was sealed shut into the orb. Transforming Sphere let out a cry as its attack reached up to 2400. “You should have hit Transforming Sphere when you had the chance. And speaking of amateur, Transforming Sphere attack her directly.”
“Negate Attack!” Eula cried just as the bird creature unleashed another shot of energy. Before it could collide with Eula and end the duel a vortex suddenly opened and absorbed the blast completely. “Your monster is useless and vulnerable if you can’t land a hit.”
Anastasia scowled, as her monitor informed her that she was now in her second main phase. “Dodging and barely hanging on by the skin of your teeth... I set one card and end my turn.”
“That’s the way I like it,” Eula replied cheerfully. Avoiding massive consequences had always excited her, “I draw.”
Eula’s Speed Counters: 6
Anastasia’s Speed Counters: 6
“I’ll start by playing Speed Spell – Angel Baton,” Eula declared as she removed two more cards from her deck and added them into her hand before discarding one card. It was ejected out of the graveyard almost immediately as she made her next move, “I’m using the effect of Level Eater to reduce my Moonlighting Phantom’s level by one to special summon it from the graveyard.” Eula flashed Anastasia an arrogant smile as she reached for her opponent’s card, “Now it’s only fair I get to use your ace if you’ve already used mine, right?” The two monsters suddenly burst into pillars of fire, “I tribute my Moonlighting Phantom and Level Eater to summon Avis the Scarlet Overseer!” (ATK: 2700)
“So you actually managed to summon it right away. Cute, but you should know you can miss a lot when you plan on the go.” Anastasia said as she eyed her own ace monster as it opposed her on her very own field. (ATK: 2700 → 2900) Seeing it like this after so long was surreal.
“All you ever is do talk and make empty threats. Let’s get right down to the action for once! Avis attacks your Transforming Sphere.” The bird warrior spread its arms out as fire poured out of its shield and engulfed it, forming a giant fire bird.
“Pretty awesome,” Eula said, feigning awe before flashing Anastasia a smirk.
“Don’t patronize me,” Anastasia snapped as her set card revealed itself, “Mirror Mail makes it so my Transforming Sphere has the same attack points as the monster battling it.” Now bestowed an extra layer of defense, Transforming Sphere’s armor glinted in the sun, reflecting Avis’ incoming attack. Flames similar to the Overseer’s attack erupted from the armor swallowing Transforming Sphere and replicating Eula’s attack. The two flame projects slammed into each other resulting in a massive explosion above. When the smoke cleared, both monsters were gone.
“Well that’s a shame,” Eula said looking at where their monsters would have been. She shrugged as she moved onto her next play. “I set two cards facedown and end my turn.”
“Then it’s my turn,” Anastasia declared as she drew her next card.
Eula’s Speed Counters: 7
Anastasia’s Speed Counters: 7
Useless. She grimaced, not liking her options. Eula had already seen all of Avis’ effects when she had snatched the card meaning she was probably prepared for it. But given the situation, there was little to no choice. “I activate Speed World - Mountain’s effect! By removing seven speed counters, I can draw two cards but I have to discard one.”
Anastasia’s Speed Counters: 0
The next two cards were just as bad. She really had no choice now, even if Eula knew what was about to come. She discarded one of the cards at random before moving on, “I discard the rest of my hand to activate Avis’s effect. Be reborn, Scarlet Overseer!”
“Of course.” Eula watched as the small gem embedded on Avis’s weapon shield shot out of her opponent’s D-Wheel. The ruby spun in the air for a moment before fire began to pour out of it seemingly random at first. But then it began to take the shape of the monster she had taken from Anastasia a while ago. “Here it comes,” she breathed out.
“Avis. Finish this!” Anastasia ordered. The flames grew larger and wilder reshaping into the phoenix. It screeched once, as it dove towards Eula, intending to put an end to the entire duel.
“I activate Call Of The Haunted!” The attack began to slow as Eula hastily selected the card she had targeted. A hand wielding a scythe slipped out of the trap card’s frame. It pulled the rest of its body out revealing a familiar masked wearing individual. “Welcome back, Moonlighting Phantom!” (ATK: 2100)
“That won’t save you,” Anastasia snapped, “Go Avis!”
“Then let’s try this! I activate Ill Omen – Blood Moon!” Despite the sunny weather, the sky almost seemed to darken slightly as a blood red moon appeared beside the sun. “By discarding a card, I can negate my monster’s destruction and have it gain 700 attack points!”
“Hmph, you keep trying to reach me but you fell short,” Anastasia sneered as the fire projection crashed into the Synchro monster. Moonlighting Phantom staggered and fell to its knees but remained alive.
Eula: 1600
“I end my turn,” Anastasia concluded.
That was a bit too soon for her tastes. Eula tensed as the four words left Anastasia’s mouth. The beach was within sight and Anastasia hadn’t seemed to notice, but they wouldn’t reach it soon enough.
“Please make a move or end your turn.”
Crap.
“Draw!” Eula announced.
Eula’s Speed Counters: 8
Anastasia’s Speed Counters: 1
She was out of steam and there were no plays she could make at the moment. Without Mountain’s field boost, Moonlighting Phantom would be able to overpower Avis. All she could do was stall. “Tch, no choice,” she muttered before stepping on the accelerator, willing her bike to move faster.
“Trying to get away?” Anastasia called. Despite the difference in speed counters the distance between them hadn’t increased much. Even if she was a smug entitled brat, Eula found herself grudgingly acknowledging that Anastasia was smarter than she had initially given her credit for. Even if Anastasia didn’t know what she was planning, the woman’s instincts weren’t off.
“How is your bike so goddamn fast?” Eula asked incredulously.
“Please continue your turn,” a robotic voice cut in. Eula’s breath hitched. This was bad. “Please continue your turn,” it repeated again helpfully.
“Shut the hell up,” she snarled, slamming her fist down on the display, “Damn machine.”
“You should treat your D-Wheel better. It deserves some respect, though I guess you wouldn’t care since you probably stole it.”
A twinge of anger knotted in her chest at hearing those words, “Not that you’d believe me but no, I didn’t.” she snapped.
“Turn end.” The D-Wheel announced.
She lost focus. Anastasia had effectively distracted her. “Dammit!”
She heard a laugh from her left. She turned to glare and found Anastasia struggling to regain her composure before she drew her next card. It took a moment for the laughter to stop shaking her body, which made it all the more infuriating
Eula’s Speed Counters: 9
Anastasia’s Speed Counters: 2
She was almost there. She still had a chance. She floored the accelerator. If she could just change the field before Anastasia- “Avis attacks your Phantom. Magna Inferno!” Eula could only stare as in disbelief as her opponent’s bike still continued to keep pace with hers. There was no delay in the attack. Moonlighting Phantom was quickly reduced to ash.
Eula: 1500
“And now I activate the card I discarded for Avis! Spirit of the Second Wind! When Avis destroys another monster by battle. I inflict damage to half of its current attack!”
“Looks like her card revolves around that one card. No one wonder why she was so mad,” Eula muttered as the harsh winds struck them. The girl was too damn fast.
Eula: 50
Anastasia: 1650
“Speed World – X activated. New terrain detected! Umi Field set. Speed World – Umi activated.”
“So that’s what you were up to,” Anastasia observed as her monster’s attack dropped back to its original 2700. “Not that it matters, you barely have anything left. Turn end.”
She was at the brink of losing. Being pushed into a corner like this was something she hadn’t foresaw at all. “Get it together, Eula,” she muttered to herself as she drew her next card, “You can still win this.”
Eula’s Speed Counters: 10
Anastasia’s Speed Counters: 3
She drew her card. It wasn’t what she wanted exactly, but she could fight back now. “I drop seven of my speed counters to activate Umi’s effect! By revealing a normal monster, I can draw 2 more cards!”
Eula’s Speed Counters: 3
“What are you up to now?”
“Just watch! I summon the tuner monster Nightingale” (ATK: 700)
“You don’t have any monsters to Synchro summon though, “Anastasia noted.
“I will now! I special summon Caligo Claw Crow from my hand,” (ATK: 900) the small raven let out a small caw as it hovered around the tuner monster’s head. The tuner’s body began to dissolve into the rings while the bird broke down into the small clusters of light, “Dark waves crash against the light sand! Synchro summon, beauty of the lonely sea! Synchro Siren!”
As the waves surged forward a slender figure shot out of the sea. It was fast. Anastasia’s free hand instinctively shielded her eyes from the glaring sun as her gaze tracked her opponent’s new monsters movements. The monster descended down onto the field moments later revealing a women dressed in elegant black armor all the way down to her waist. The lower half of its body glittered in the sun, courtesy of the navy blue scales of its exposed fish tail. It smiled mischievously at Avis before making a slow beckoning motion, intending to lure the bird monster into a very obvious trap. (DEF: 1700 → 1900)
“I was expecting something more,” Anastasia eyed the mermaid with disinterest as it 'swam' in the air alongside them.
“And you’ll get it! When Nightingale is used to Synchro summon, I can add one of you traps from your graveyard to my hand. Zero Gravity seems nice so I’ll have that.”
“So you’re going to use my cards again.”
“Maybe I just like showing people how to actually use their cards. I’ll set two cards face down and end my turn.”
“My turn, draw!” Anastasia declared.
Eula’s Speed Counters: 4
Anastasia’s Speed Counters: 3
“Avis attacks your Synchro Siren!” Eula had Zero Gravity set but it was still better to get out it out of the way now to avoid further problems. “I’m sure you know Avis inflicts piercing damage.”
“Then why bother mentioning it?” Eula asked.
“I just wanted you to know that no matter what you do, you cannot hide from me,” Anastasia snarled.
“Hiding is part of my job description, baby,” Eula answered with a cheeky grin.
“Attack!”
“Zero Gravity!” Eula cut in as the trap revealed itself. The pressure forced Avis down to the ground.
“As I thought,” Anastasia said as she moved one more card into the spell and trap card zone “I’ll end my turn.”
“Then I’m activating Hook Shooter before we move on to my turn!” Eula said as the trap card revealed itself. “Here’s how it works, I discard a card type and then I can add one card of the same type from your graveyard to my hand. So if I discard my Phantom Dewan, I can add one monster from your graveyard to my hand!”
“And you’re taking-“ Anastasia’s eyes widened as the grapple dragged one of her cards out- “No!”
“Yep! Transforming Sphere.” Eula affirmed. “Now it’s my turn, draw!”
Eula’s Speed Counters: 5
Anastasia’s Speed Counters: 4
“I summon Transforming Sphere in attack mode.” The familiar bird monster returned to the field, this time to Eula’s side of the field. (ATK: 100)
Anastasia watched as her monster had once again been taken by this thief.
“Well you know what happens now, I’ll use its effect to take Avis!” Eula declared as the orb absorbed the Overseer. “You’ve got no monsters left, I attack you directly!” (ATK: 100 → 2800)
There was no stopping it now. Her set card was Power Frame. As Sphere unleashed its attack backed by Avis’s sheer power Anastasia could only wonder how she lost.
There was little time for Anastasia to dwell on the loss. Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of an explosion coming from the city behind them.
"What the hell?" Eula said, spinning her D-Wheel around. She drove by Anastasia and began to head back to the city, “Juno.”
Anastasia followed, “Larissa.”
xxxxx
Demetrius sat at his desk, staring at the gray box and the stone, “Interesting.”
“What do you mean?” Larissa asked. She and Juno were sitting in chairs opposite the desk.
“Director, I apologize, but we're here on a very pressing matter.” Juno scooted forward, “Could you please be a bit less vague?”
“Of course.” the director laughed, “First off, this stone is written in the Enochian language, not Greek. Enochian is a language many assume to be fictional.”
“What does it say?” Juno asked.
“Well, I don't know. I'm sure you could translate it literally using something as simple as an internet search, but I'm almost sure that it'd be clouded in riddles or something to that effect.”
“I see.” Juno slouched, “Well, thank you for having us.”
“Wait.” Demetrius said, “I haven't gotten to the interesting part. This box...”
“Yes?” Juno and Larissa said in unison.
“I've seen this before. It was in-”
“Italy?” Juno cut him off.
Demetrius was taken back for a moment, but quickly recovered, “That's correct. Furthermore, the symbols on it aren't from the Greek alphabet either. No, these are also Enochian.”
“This is getting spooky.” Larissa leaned forward, “So do you think these things are connected?”
“They could be. My advice? Check Italy and Britain, specifically Sicily and London. I know two people there that could possibly help you with these.” He paused, “I'd also advise that you go together.”
Juno and Larissa stared at each other. Neither of them were really crazy about teaming up with strangers, but both were willing. The question was, would the other two be?
Demetrius jotted some names on a piece of paper, “These are the names of the people who I want you to meet with. I don't know what kind of connections you girls have, but if you mention my name then they'll gladly help... probably.”
“Probably?” Juno took the paper.
“So you have no idea how to open this?” Larissa asked.
“The man in Sicily is a locksmith. I'm almost certain that he can help you with that box.”
“Thanks!” Larissa stood up. She inhaled, “So I guess... We're working together?” She extended her hand.
“I don't know.” Juno said, “We need to discuss this first.” Larissa's hand didn't move. It didn't seem like it would anytime soon. Juno smiled. It was almost cute. She eyed the box on Demetrius' desk. Juno stood up and returned the gesture, “Let's go talk to the others.”
“Right.” Larissa smiled, “Oh, uh, thanks Mister Director.”
“No problem, ladies.”
xxxxx
Juno and Larissa walked out of the museum. Neither was sure where this new union would go, if anywhere. Juno eyed Larissa. She wanted to know about the stone and the box, but there were dangerous people after them. Could she really get this innocent girl involved? Even the other one, 'Ana'. Could she get her involved? Maybe it'd be easier is she and Eula just took the box and went about their way. These thoughts were cut off by a blinding green light coming from behind them, followed by a deafening bang.
“What in the world?” Larissa spun around.
“That sounded like it came from the Director's office.” Not two seconds after Juno finished her sentence did Larissa rush back into the building, “H-hey, wait!” Juno called out in vain. Before she knew it, she was running after the girl.
xxxxx
Eula and Anastasia drove back into the city, following the source of the green explosion. “Why are you following me?” Anastasia snapped.
“Juno wasn't at the museum.” Eula said, “The best bet I have to finding her right now is finding your friend.”
“Larissa wouldn't hurt a fly, if that's what you're insinuating.”
“No, that's more your department.” Eula didn't look at Anastasia, but she was constantly checking the surroundings for signs of Juno, “There's no traffic on these streets. It's eerie.”
“I don't think I've ever met someone who got under my skin as much as yo-”
“There!” Eula pointed to a wrecked D-Wheel with two bodies on the ground near it.
“That's Larissa's!” The girls picked up speed. They stopped just feet from the crash site before parking their D-Wheels.
“Juno!” Eula rushed to Juno. She checked her pulse, “She's alive. What about yours?”
“She doesn't seem too beat up.” Anastasia didn't have the emotional attention span to keep up her banter with Eula.
“Well, what do we have here?” Roger’s imposing partner stepped out of the shadows, “My my, this is quite a mess.”