Sly had had enough! For the past three weeks, he'd tried every trick in the book. No matter what he did, when he did it, or how he did it, it seemed like Leo was always two steps ahead of him.

How is it possible that that brain-dead lamewad is outsmarting me like this? That's impossible!

And yet, for another week, Stardust Dragon continued to elude him, as Leo managed to block his every attempt at taking it. And every time, he came closer and closer to exposing Sly's desires. Soon enough, Yusei, Luna, or someone would smarten up and realize what Sly was doing. And then it would all be over.

"This isn't working." Sly spoke aloud to himself as he lay in his bed. Sure, it was midnight, and he had school tomorrow, but all he had to do was throw his mother the 'I hate you!' trick, and he could do whatever he wanted.

"If I can't steal Stardust Dragon... maybe I can take it fair and square." Sly realized. Sly knew he was a better duelist than Yusei Fudo. Now he just had to put his money where his mouth was.

"Hmm?" Who is it?" Yusei questioned as he heard footsteps on the stairs behind him that lead into the garage area where he was working.

"Sly. Recognize me?" Sly asked as he stepped in front of Yusei.

"Of course I do." Yusei told the young boy, standing and wiping sweat off his brow as he did. "You're the one whose Eccentric boy helped me win that duel against Professor Heitmann. You've been here a lot the past month."

"Oh, please. You could have won that duel a lot easier if you didn't try to use random cards from our decks."

"Perhaps I could have. But that wasn't the point. I wanted to show Heitmann that winning with low level monsters is just as good a strategy as winning with high level monsters." Yusei argued.

"Whatever. Let's cut to the chase. I want to duel you. But not just a normal duel, an ante rule duel."

"An ante rule duel?" Yusei repeated in surprise. "Aren't those illegal at Duel Academy?" Yusei questioned.

"Sure they are. But this isn't Duel Academy. So, what do you say?"

"Depends on the ante."

"Well, nothing in my deck is too rare, so if you win, you can pick whatever card you want from my deck. But if I win... if I manage to defeat the oh-so-great Fortune Cup champion, Yusei Fudo..." Sly tried and failed to mask the biting sarcasm in his voice. "... I want your Stardust Dragon."

"My Stardust Dragon?!"

"Yes. Your Stardust Dragon. A great accomplishment deserves an equally great reward, don't you think?"

"Hmm..." Yusei pondered the boy's words for a few moments, and then came to a realization. I could use this as an opportunity to teach this boy something I have a feeling he doesn't know.

"Sure. I'll agree to your ante duel, so long as you promise to hold up your end of the bargain."

"Of course." Sly replied, activating his duel disk as he walked out of the garage. Yusei followed suit, and the two stood across from each other in the courtyard outside.

"Let's duel!"

"I'll make the first move!" Yusei declared, drawing his sixth card. "And first off, I'll summon Shield Wing in defense mode."

Shield Wing

Level 2, winged beast type, wind attribute

0atk/900def

Shield Wing, huh? A strong defensive monster, to be sure. Sly analyzed his opponent's move. But if Yusei's just going to play defense, then this will be an even easier win than I thought.

"Next, I'll activate the One for One spell card! By discarding Stardust Xiaolong from my hand, I can summon out Tuning Supporter from my deck."

Tuning Supporter

Level 1, machine type, light attribute

100atk/300def

"And now I'll discard the Quillbolt Hedgehog in my hand in order to summon Quickdraw Synchron!"

Quickdraw Synchron

Level 5, machine type, wind attribute

700atk/1400def

"Due to Quickdraw Synchron's special ability, I'm able to use it for a synchro summon. And now I tune my level five Quickdraw Synchron with my level two Shield Wing, and my level one Tuning Supporter! In order to synchro summon... Road Fighter! Let's rev it up!"

Road Fighter

Level 8, warrior type, light attribute

3000atk/1500def

"And due to Tuning Supporter's special ability, I can draw a card. Then I'll end my turn with a facedown. Your move, Sly."

Hmph. So maybe he's a bit better than expected. Whatever. With this hand, I can take down that Road Fighter, easy.

"Argh! I can't believe I lost to you!" Sly shouted in frustration, punching the concrete with his bare fist.

"You should take this as a lesson, Sly. No matter how good you are- and believe me, I can see you're a great duelist- there's always someone better than you. That's why you should always take any chance you get to improve. Leo tells me that you don't listen to your teachers in class."

"Urgh. Yusei. Know this: This isn't over! I will have that Stardust Dragon yet! But first, I'll beat you. I'll prove that I am the superior duelist! Hmph, see ya." Sly turned and walked away, giving a slight wave with the back of his hand, kicking a pebble angrily along the street as he walked.

"Yusei." Sly muttered the name under his breath with hatred. "Things ain't over between you and me."

Man. That's some serious Trudge vibes right there. Well, things may not be over between Sly and Yusei, but that is the end of this 3-part story. So tell me, what do you think happens next? Your imagination is the limit!