Author's Note: There comes a time in every writer's life when he looks back at a creation they worked on, and they take a step back and realize that, for all intents and purposes…

It's bad.

And for me, that's the first rendition of City of Angels. Somewhere down the line, my passion for it went out the window, and finally, I know why. It's because I have no idea where I was going for it. There's a lot of conflicting facts in there that upset a lot of people, and it quickly spiraled into a story, whose end game I had no idea where it was going.

And that's where I'm going to fix it.

Me and my beta, partner in crime and good friends Metal Overlord 2.0, and 7th Librarian have decided to rework the story. The characters will remain, of course. You'll keep Damian, and Jerian and Angua and of course, Vlad. But the end game will be different. There will be a coherent plot of course.

I'm sorry for fans of the previous story, but in the end I just wasn't happy with what was being displayed. I hope you all enjoy this story a lot more than the previous one. Because don't stories with great potential deserve a second chance?

As such, here are some quick notes. The storyline does, of course, take place well before Tournament of Shadows, as a very important piece of Shadowchaser history happens here. This happens sometime after the Dark Synchro Arc of 5D's, with XYZ's being an occurance but no where near as popular as Synchro monsters.

As such, this story handles the 2011 March Banlist.

And now, on with the show.

…

It was rarely ever quiet in the City of Angels. When it wasn't the hustle and bustle of the city life, it was ultimately the criminal activity that the city had seen an increasing number in.

"What's the damage?"

"Give me one second, I'm surveying the situation."

Three figures sat on a rooftop opposite that of bank where quite the commotion was stirring. About a dozen cop cars sat outside with one of them holding up a megaphone and demanding the perpetrators give up before the situation got even more out of hand. Based on the amount of guns pointing at the front, it was a very intense situation to be apart.

"Okay, I got a good look I think. One of them's a Fire Paraelemental and he keeps pacing in front of the door like an idiot and yelling at a ghoul. I think there's one more, a Dwarf, but I don't think he's really got much of a say in this situation." Mumbled a beautiful young lady with long, strawberry blonde hair tied up in a professional pony tail that reached the back of her neck. She wore a suit more commonly used by those who drove D-Wheels. She held a pair of binoculars up to her eyes, her eyes sharp under them.

"How many hostages?" A figure knelt down behind her. His hair was short and black, very well kept with a white stripe going down the side of it. He wore a simple, dark blue t-shirt, a black leather coat (despite the heat…) over it, and a pair of ratted old jeans, covered in holes and markings.

"Looks like eight, maybe nine. Plus…a downed security guard. I can't tell if he's alive or not but he's not moving."

"That poor man." Spoke up the third figure beside the other two, kneeling down and still managing to match the other two in height if they chose to stand straight up. He was bigger and bulkier than either of the two, with even stranger clothing than the other two. He was wearing a straw hat that covered everything except for his glowing green eyes, and a scarf adorned with Chimeras Trees wrapped around the lower half of his head. He wore a long trench coat that brushed past his knees and fluttered against his parachute pants, finishing the outfit with a pair of thick gardening sheers that didn't seem to fit him properly. His voice spoke with a strange inflection, as if he were speaking through a tin can. "I do hope he's okay."

"We won't find out until we get in there and see what the damage is." The man stood up and clapped his hands, a little smile crossing his features as he pointed at the bank. "You two ready to be heroes?"

"Well I'm all ready a cop, so…"

"Are we not all ready heroes, Master Damian?"

"…Rhetorical guys, it was..never mind, let's just go."

…

"Hey, don't yell at me!"

"Of course I'm going to yell at you, you fucking IDIOT! You ruined the ENTIRE plan!"

The Paraelemental, a fiendish looking creature with a burning, bleached skull for a head and wearing far too much fire retardant clothing for one's own liking glared as best as he could without any eyeballs at the ghoul before him, a younger man with sickly green skin and clothing in tattered, the whites of his eyes black and his iris' red. Off to the side sat a dwarf, a smaller than average creature with a large bushy beard and muscular arms crossed in front of his equally muscular chest.

"This was supposed to be simple; Get in, get the money, get out. No one had to get hurt, but you and your stupid trigger finger ruined it! Now look!" The Ghoul gestured widely to the door, where the police were stationed. "We're not gonna get out of this anymore! This was the most simple thing and you made it impossible!"

"Not to mention since he hurt a Mundane, there's a good chance the Shadowchasers're on their way here now." Grumbled the Dwarf, sounding non-too bothered about the situation at hand.

At that, the Paraelemental gave a cackle and swung his gun around for emphasis, making the ghoul flinch and the hostages pressed up against the walls duck their head down. "Then let them come! You think I give a damn about Stormbringer and his attack dogs! I'll take them all on and burn them to cinders!"

"You can throw away your pathetic life all you want; I'm not going down for your mistake! If we just give ourselves up, maybe they won't-"

Tink. Tink. Tink.

A small, metal cylinder bounced between the two of them, spinning idly and rolling to a stop. Both of the Shadows glanced down at it before they stepped back in shock.

"Oh shi-"

The can exploded, filling the entire room with smoke and obscuring their vision. The Ghoul, having no need to breath, only stepped back and tried to fan the fumes away to see more than a few inches in front of him.

When the large, furry form of…something, appeared in his vision, he wished he couldn't see anymore. Dark red eyes met feral red eyes, and teeth, far bigger than anything the Ghoul had seen before, filled his vision. Time stood still for the two of them.

The ghoul screamed. The beast pounced.

The Dwarf had pushed himself off the wall and began to cough; his eyes squinted in some attempt to see in front of him like his partner did. He wasn't afraid to get into a fight, either. He swung his arms around as if preparing to strike at anyone who dared to come near him. Given his strength, he was sure he could handle anyone in a one on one fight.

His arm struck something with a loud, hollow *CLUNK* and he froze for a moment, wondering if he hit a steel beam. He turned his attention up slowly.

A tall, foreboding being stood in front of him, its attention turned down and its head tilted to the side as if in utter curiosity. Its eyes went from a dull, calming green to a bright, vivid purple as he reached down. The Dwarf didn't get a chance to cry out as its head was grasped by gardening sheer-clad hands.

The Paraelemental stood in one place, hacking up burning spittle as the smoke billowed around him. Then, turning his attention elsewhere, he snarled. "I know you're in here, dog! Why don't you come out and face me like a man you're so proud to be?!"

"Okay."

A glove shot from the smog and struck the Paraelemental with such force he went flying back, crashing through one of the doors leading into the back and slipped, landing on his back and crying out in pain. As the smoke began to billow into this room, the black haired youth with the white stripe appeared, adjusting the gloves and grinning.

"So, I really, really hope what you did was worth it, cause your jaw just got dislocated."

The Shadow could only grunt and feel his now loose jaw with one of his hands. Snarling in annoyance, he popped it back into place and scrambled to his feet, holding his gun up.

The Shadowchaser didn't seem all that concerned, the smile never leaving his face. "So, do you know why you're in such trouble, or do I get to make a few new cracks in your skull before it sets in?"

"Just who the hell do you think you are?!"

"Well, my name is Damian Ogitaka, and I'm the leader of the Los Angeles Shadowchasers. My hobbies include picnics, long walks on the beach, and making sure the tooth fairy has a nice, steady business." He clashed his gloves together, shooting sparks up as he did. "And you? What name should I put on your report when I'm dragging your ass in kicking and screaming?"

Snarling, the Shadow twitched. "You can just call me Cynder, cause that's all you're gonna be when I'm done with you!"

"Ahhh, I love when they're in over their head and they're in such denial. Makes it a lot more fun when I smear the smug off their faces!"

Damian moved quickly and struck Cynder in the chest with his gloves, the Shadows eyeholes widening in pain as the air was forcefully pulled from his body. As he bent over, grasping his stomach, Damian swung up and clocked him in the jaw with a wicked uppercut, sending him through the air and hitting the ceiling. As he fell shakily onto his feet, Damian continued to make conversation.

"Look, I know you were expecting a sword, or something, but I…well, yeah, I can use a sword but have you ever gotten into an actual fist fight? Besides, Jerian's the sword guy in the group, and lord knows if Master Ario saw me trying to steal his prize pupil's shtick, I'd be in more trouble than I care to say! Besides…something more personal about a little fist to fist, huh?" He laughed.

"Fist to fist, huh?" Snarled Cynder, straightening himself out. "I don't see much of the appeal, personally. I'm more of a BURNER!" The halo of flames around his head began to burn even more fiercely, rising to an inferno of almost two feet from his skull.

Damian took a step back, holding his hands up and wincing as the rush of hot air blew past him, ruffling his hair as he did. Oh, right. Paraelemental, temperamental lot. If I keep making him mad he's gonna go nuclear and take the entire city block with him.

He glanced behind his shoulder for a moment before he took a deep breath and grunted. He noticed his gloves had singes on them from where he held them up in the direction of Cynder.

And now I can't even get close to him, because apparently, he's getting hotter and hotter by doing this! I can't get a clear shot and hit him, I'll burn up. I can't just sit here and do nothing, he's gonna detonate, and Scraps and Angua are having their own issues out there! Looks like there's one thing I can do…the good ol' fallback.

"Hey, Ghost Rider reject! As a Shadowchaser, I challenge you to a duel!"

Almost immediately, the fire began to ebb away and the Paraelemental glared at him. "A duel?"

"A duel, yeah. I think you'll like the prospect." He lowered his hands and gave an annoyed little grunt when he saw the palms were blackened from the heat. "It can work in your favor too. If you win, you can escape and I won't pursue. You go on your life and I go on mine, and the only ones we take in are your two pals. I win, you come in nice and quietly."

"And why the hell would I agree to any of that?"

"What's better: A fifty fifty shot of you walking out of here, scot free, or a one hundred percent shot of going up in a blaze because you got pissy over getting punched?"

"…" Cynder glared at him before his smirk turned upward and he threw his right hand out to the side. A snake of fire began to coil around his arm, ending at his wrist and extending out into the shape of a red and black, molten duel disk. A small plume of fire erupted from the deck slot, and in it, filled a deck of forty cards. "You got it, flesh heap."

"That's the spirit." Damian smirked, pulling his own duel disk onto his right hand.

Cynder tilted his head. "Left hander, are we?"

The playful tone Damian had since he first appeared was gone when he snapped, "None of your damn business."

"Geez, testy…"

"Let's duel!"

(Damian: 8,000) - - - - - - - - (Cynder: 8,000)

"First move to the Shadowchaser." Damian swiped the top card of his deck and added it to his hand. Scanning over the six, he swiped two and slammed them facedown. A facedown defense position monster and a facedown card appeared behind that card. "A facedown card, and a monster in defense mode is my opening turn!"

"Oooh, real fun. Now let me show you a real move! Draw and I activate-"

"Full Salvo, activate and FIRE!"

"Wait, what?"

The trap card lifted up, and Damian's remaining four cards in his hand vanished. A large rocket launcher appeared, aimed right at his opponent that fired four cartoonishly large missiles. He barely had time to cry out before the explosions drowned him out.

"By discarding every card in my hand, you lose two hundred for each one. So, first blood to me!"

"You are getting on my nerves more than anything else ever has. I'm gonna look forward to melting you! I summon Solar Flare Dragon!"

The ground in front of him bubbled as a pool of lava appeared at his feet. Suddenly a long snake like dragon pulled itself from the ground and bobbed in place, lava dripping from its teeth. (1500/1200)

"Mmm, how…repetitive." Damian said, blandly.

"I'll show you, repetitive! Solar Flare Dragon, attack his defense monster!"

The dragon spat a burning ball of fire at the facedown monster, which quickly flipped up and let loose a loud, terrifying cackle. It looked like a creature in the shape of a shield, made of chipped obsidian with a grimacing skull in the middle of it. The attack bounced off it like it did nothing. (1200/1700)

"Ooooh, close but no cigar, big boy. Infernity Guardian is just a little too tough for you. But, if it makes you feel better, you wouldn't have been able to destroy him anyway. When I'm handless…" He held up his hands, waggling his fingers as emphasis, "he's invincible!"

Cynder's flames erupted a bit more before he slammed two cards angrily into his duel disk. A facedown card appeared behind the Solar Flare Dragon, and a face up card appeared beside that one, one of the more infamous spells, Dark Room of Nightmare.

"I end my turn, flesh sack. And you know what that means." Cynder grinned and snapped his fingers.

Damian glanced down as the ground around him began to bubble and boil, before a pillar of white hot flames erupted from under him. His eyes closed tight as he grunted, and he took a shuddering breath, shaking his head and glaring at Cynder.

(Damian: 7,200) - - - - - - - - (Cynder: 7,000)

"That's a nice trick, wonder where you picked it up from the other seven million burn deck users in existence?" Damian quipped as he drew a card and grinned. "What a draw! Because it's the only card in my hand, I can Special Summon Infernity Archfiend!"

In a burst of fire appeared a fiend with fiery head of hair with a long white face. An immense ring of obsidian wrapped around its head. It gave a deep bow as it gave a sinister chuckle. (1800/1200)

"And when I special summon him like that, I can take any Infernity I want from my deck and add it to my hand." A card slipped out of the deck and he eagerly snatched it up. "And I think I'll summon him! Come on out, Infernity Destroyer!"

Infernity Archfiend disappeared in a bubble of darkness, which began to take shape. Its body was made of scaly black material with two large horns sitting atop its head. A bright blue vest like piece of clothing wrapped around its body with red material on the front that looked like eyes. It gave a low growl and eyed Cynder. (2300/1000)

Cynder didn't show any outward nervousness, but he did quietly gulp in concern.

"Attack his Solar Flare Dragon with Void Purge!"

A swirling black hole appeared in the demons outstretched palm that pulsated with dark energies. Barely gesturing, the darkness swung forward and struck the Solar Flare Dragon in the chest, destroying it and pulling the remains into its depths. The black, swirling mass stayed for a moment or two, however.

"Oh, and when Destroyer destroys things when I don't have any cards in my hand, he deals you 1600 points of damage. Not the only one who can deal burn damage now are ya?"

The black mass struck Cynder in the chest, throwing him back and making his eye holes glow bright red in rage.

"Since you ain't got any cards left in your hand, I'll just take my turn!" Cynder snatched a card off his deck and played it immediately. "Fire Recovery! By discarding one card in my hand, I can Special Summon a fire monster from my graveyard!"

He discarded a card, and Solar Flare Dragon reappeared on the field, and at the same time, another spell appeared behind that one.

"Then, I play Inferno Reckless Summon, to bring about the other two members from my deck!"

In separate pools on either side of the first, two more of the flaming lava dragons appeared, low growls bubbling from their open maws. (1500/1000) X 2

"You forget, I'm allowed to summon more of my guys as well! Now, more offense, or more defense…" Damian looked between Guardian and Destroyer before he gestured. A second Destroyer appeared before the first, glaring daggers at the Shadow. (2300/1000)

"Fat lotta good more offense is gonna do when I got an unbreakable defense!" Cynder boasted and took one of the two remaining cards in his hand, and set it facedown. "I set this card facedown and end my turn! And then, you're in for a world of hurt, Dog…2400 damage world of hurt to be specific!"

Another burning blast of fire erupted under Damian's feet, and it took everything in his power to not cry out in pain as it happened. His teeth grit and his eyes squeezed tight, and when it was finally over, he slumped a little bit, wiping the sweat from his brow. "Ow…"

(Damian: 4,800) - - - - - - - - (Cynder: 4,600)

"You realize how easy it can be to break that combo, right?" Damian asked with a little chuckle as he stood up straighter, but with a grimace as he did. "I've got plenty of extra deck guys that can do just that."

"Yeah, but I see you ain't got any cards in your hand. You think you can even grab any of the monsters you need?"

"Worth a shot, huh?" Damian quickly drew the card and looked at it. His lips curled into a little disappointed scowl before he set it down. "One card facedown, end turn."

"Knew that luck would run out. No cards in your hands, facing an attack lock? I could finish this off with just by ending my turn! In fact, I'll do just that! Draw, and pass!"

The pillar of fire erupted again and Damian could not hold back his cry of pain any longer. The force of the blow actually knocked him down to his knees, where he took a deep, shaky breath. "Mmmm…that puts some hair on the chest."

"That's about to get burned off." Cynder's wicked smirk stretched his bleached features into a hideous grimace.

"Draw!" Damian shouted and looked at it. "Oh, yeah, that's good. Summon Infernity Necromancer!"

A figure floated down from the ceiling with an eerie silence, a figure clad in purple robes with a head of shock white hair, and a skull for a head. It began to mumble strange incantations with its hands held in front of it. (0/2000)

"Then, I can special summon a monster from my graveyard as a result! Come on out Infernity Beetle!"

A dark portal appeared before Damian on the far right, and a large, Hercules beetle with orange inside the wings appeared, fluttering to a stop. (1200/0)

"Then, because Beetle is a tuner, you're about to get a really rude awakening! Destroyer, Beetle, Synchro!"

Infernity beetle turned into a set of green, spinning disks that wrapped around the second Destroyer that Damian had summoned. It then turned transparent, with six stars etched into the image like a star map. Floating into the air, it vanished…and something else appeared. Something hideous.

It appeared to be a cartoonish dragon with caricatures for its features. Tattered, broken wings spread out behind it, far too damaged and light to bring something of such mass to flight. Its claws, if one could call them that, were pincers like that of a crab. Its tail ended in a spiky barb that lashed out behind it. A long, sword like horn stuck out of its comically large nose. Four beady eyes sat underneath a crown of bones that stretched out around an exposed, pulsating brain. IT gave a low snarl, as venomous saliva dripped from its misshapen teeth. (3000/2400)

It was difficult to tell, but Damian could almost make out the grimace of disgust and fear across Cynders face.

And Damian took pride in that. "Infernity Doom Dragon has a nifty effect when I have nothing to work with. Namely, one of your guys gets melted and you lose attack equal to half its attack!"

The Dragon opened its maw and belched forth a stream of disgusting liquid. It struck the Solar Flare Dragon in the middle and melted it down into a puddle, and Cynder hopped back as the liquid touched his foot.

"Well, I don't care! It still has a lock, and I-"

"Yeah, about that lock, time to break it. Trap, activate! Infernity Break!"

The trap from before lifted up and a ghostly image of Infernity Archfiend appeared in the middle of the field.

"By banishing one of my Infernity Monsters from my Graveyard, I can blow up one of your monsters."

The image flew through one of the Solar Flare Dragons and grasped the sides of it, graphically ripping it in half.

"Now…while Infernity Doom Dragon may not be able to attack, everyone else can. And there's a distinct lack of multiple dragons on your side of the field, and I don't think Infernity Destroyer is your biggest fan…"

Destroyer formed the black hole with its claw again and threw it at the Dragon, sucking it into the abyss. Immediately after, it swung and struck Cynders stomach with the forth of a speeding car.

"That's it, I'm pissed!"

"NOW You're pissed? What the hell were you before, annoyed?"

(Damian: 2,400) - - - - - - - - (Cynder: 1,450)

"Funny guy, huh? Let's see how funny you are when I activate my facedown trap card, Soul Fusion!"

The trap card appeared, and three ghastly images of the Solar Flare Dragons appeared.

"By banishing all Fusion Material monsters in my graveyard, and paying 1000 Life Points, I can Fusion Summon!"

The three images vanished into a swirling, multicolored portal behind him and out floated a beast as tall as Infernity Doom Dragon. Three bobbing heads, all of them of Solar Flare Dragons attached to a large body of flowing lava and molten rock, on all fours and digging deep trenches with its claws.

"Solar Flare Eruption Dragon!" (2500/2100)

"Of course they have a Fusion. Of course they couldn't be annoying or obnoxious on their own." Damian bitterly grumbled under his breath. "Okay, so what does this thing do?"

"It's basically an amped up Solar Flare Dragon. Not only is it a power house, but it can burn you for five hundred damage for each of my banished Solar Flare Dragons…" He held up his duel disk and slipped open the "Banished" zone, showing the three. "And because of Fusion Graveyard, I can make the most of this ability!"

"Seems like a huge waste, especially since individually, they were burning me for a whole lot more than…1800 damage…"

"My monster is full of surprises, so how about I show you?" He grinned and snatched a card from his hand. "This being one of them! Eruption Dragon, attack his Infernity Doom Dragon!"

The three heads turned their attention on the hideous dragon and lifted open their mouths. They belched a trio of scalding hot flames that struck the dragon and caused it to buckle under the onslaught. Finally, the Dragon gave a defeated groan and exploded violently into pixels.

"What the…" Damian asked, eyebrow cocked.

"Yeah! How about those apples?! By just discarding one Pyro monster from my hand…" He held up Infernal Flame Emperor. "When my monster battles, he gets a power bonus of 1000 Attack Points, just enough to kill just about anything! So, your toughest monster is dead, and you're about to lose even more life!"

Rather than a pillar of fire this time, the three heads fired a huge fireball directly at Damian, which struck him in the chest and knocked him back, landing on his back and almost out the door he entered at the beginning. Laying on his back, he weakly opened his eyes and could only mumble out a pathetic "Ow…"

"Hmmm, still got some life in ya, huh? What a shame. Ah well, if you can even stand, your move, Shadowchaser."

Damian picked himself up into a sitting position and grunted. "Okay…I'm mad now…"

(Damian: 100) - - - - - - - - (Cynder: 450)

"But you know what the funny thing is?" Damian asked, looking at his newly drawn card and smiling. "You screwed yourself over so very badly. You really shoulda destroyed Necromancer."

"Huh?"

"Necromancer effect, activate!"

Cynder, however, could only smirk, as he watched the black portal appear. Heh, jokes on him. If he tries to bring back Infernity Doom Dragon, I got my facedown card still. Destruction Jammer'll-Wait…that ain't Infernity Doom Dragon…

Infernity Beetle appeared, wings fluttering. (1200/0)

"Then, I'll summon Infernity Dwarf."

A Dwarf, not unlike the one Cynder was working with appeared, wearing a pair of dirty looking overalls and a blazing axe appeared, swinging it menacingly and adjusting the pointed hat atop his head. (800/500)

"Now then. Let's see…one…two…three…that'll be more than enough." Damian gestured. "Synchro Summon!"

Again, Beetle dissolved into two rings which wrapped around Dwarf and Infernity Guardian, long since forgotten on the field. Together, they all flew into the air…and a new figure floated down, one that most certainly NOT an Infernity monster.

A handsome young man, wearing bright scarlet armor that looked made from the hide of a dragon appeared, golden blonde hair peeking through the helmet and shrouding a handsome face with pointed, sharp features. In his hand rested a fierce blade, which he swung defiantly. (2500/1900)

"Dragonprince Jalal, welcome to the battlefield!"

"Dragonprince…Jalal?"

"Yeah, long story short, we got a brand new card. Personally, the old one worked better with my deck but…I'll take what I can get. See, here's the long and short of it: He gets a Fortune Counter when I summon him, depending on how many monsters went into his Synchro summon. So, that's three. And I can remove up to three Fortune Counters to activate a new effect!"

His hand came to his chin as he eyed his field. "Well, let's see. That facedown is something nasty I bet. I can't beat your monster in raw battle; no one comes even close to beating it with its power up ability, so I doubt it's anything like Dimensional Prison or anything like that, probably some kind of Destruction Negation or something like that. So I won't use my three counters effect…but your monsters defense score is pretty pathetic, enough for Destroyer to finish off…in fact…" He flashed him a toothy grin. "Jalal, bring his monster to his knees!"

Nodding, the monster, an Avatar of the Leader of the Shadowchasers himself gestured with his sword, where a glowing sphere of energy flew out and struck the Dragon in the chest. The Dragon gave a confused snarl before it was reduced to a facedown card on the field.

"Why yes, by the steam erupting from your face, I can assume you made the comparison that I can switch your monster to facedown defense position and make it a burning, steaming duck. However did you guess? Destroyer, end this now!"

Lather, rinse, and repeat, the black hole struck and absorbed the three headed fusion into its depths. Then, it struck Cynder, even harder this time, and blew him back with a loud cry.

(Damian: 100) - - - - - - - - (Cynder: 0)

"Hoo man…not gonna lie, I was getting nervous there for a moment! Normally, Infernity decks tend to rely on top decking but when you got a good set up, it's hard to-" He turned his attention to Cynder, who lay on the ground, his flames almost out, "-and you're unconscious. Shoot, I like talking with my opponents." He gave a sigh and walked over, grabbing him by the front of his shirt. "Well, come on then, big guy. Let's go see where your destiny leads you." Holding up the gem, Cynder vanished in a flash of light.

"Hey, Damian?" Asked a voice from the doorway. The female from before, Angua, stuck her head in and glanced about. "You done hamming it up in here?"

"Yep." Grinned Damian, holding up his gem. "Locked away for his crimes. How did you guys do?"

"We did good! The hostages are safe and being led away. The Dwarf and the Ghoul are being carted away by the police but Jalal can take it from there, before, it was the Paraelemental that needed to be detained."

"Fair enough." Damian shrugged, then narrowed his eyes a lttle bit at her. "You got some…ghoul…in your teeth…"

"Mm?" Angua blushed and pursed her lips. "Shut up!"

"May we go now?" Scraps asked from the other room. "I would much rather be home now…"

…

The ride back was uneventful, which is just what the three needed, as they returned to their loft. Damian stretched his arms over his head and flopped down on the couch as he did, finally able to relax. Angua stepped inside next as she sat down in her armchair, the arms shredded by some strange means. Scraps entered last and took to immediately removing his clothing.

Underneath the heavy and rather atrocious fashion choices stood a being that looked like a distant cousin to Junk Warrior. Cobbled together from various machines and trash and still being capable of functioning, nothing short of a miracle. It took to the kitchen and grabbed a pot and pan. "Are there any preferences for dinner tonight, Master Jerian, Miss Angua?"

"Anything cheesy. I'm starved." Angua spoke up, resting her head back.

"I'm skipping dinner tonight; I'm gonna go play a set."

Angua gave an annoyed groan while Scraps shook his head. "Don't you think you could just…not go there? We had a really busy day and-"

"And this is how I relax. People work differently, Angua. Sometimes, this is the only way I can even relax anymore." He rose to his feet and walked over to the door, grabbing an acoustic guitar that rested in a chair right beside it. He slung it over his shoulder and turned around. "I won't be gone long, how about that?"

Angua looked at him, worried, before she rolled her eyes and turned her attention forward. "Do whatever you want…"

Damian could only frown for a moment before Scraps spoke up. "Master Jerian would not appreciate it if you missed his match, sir. A fair reminder that he is defending his title."

"He's always defending his title, Scraps. Besides, they play the match every time. Jerians got more fanboys there than he does at the schools, that's for sure." He opened the door. "I'll be back tonight."

"Do have fun, Master Damian."

Angua could only sigh and scowl, looking down at the ground in worry.

"Idiot…"

…

If you were ever in Los Angeles looking for a good time, a good majority of people would direct you to the best bar in the town, the Golden Chalice. Constantly busy, constantly bumping, and constantly full, the Golden Chalice opened up approximately twenty years ago and was a meeting place and relaxing point for Shadows and Mundane alike, whether they knew or liked it at all. Established by an Aware and a Shadow businessmen, they wanted both worlds to have a place to come and relax, to watch games and generally ignore the fact that some of their worst enemies were mere feet from each other, and instead focused on the booze and the games.

And lord, did it work!

The inside was dim enough to not be a bother to anyone who may be even the slightest bit inebriated, with people talking and chatting amongst themselves and friends, discussing local topics and events such as the bank heist from earlier that day or the upcoming Pro-League match. Near the back, sitting on a stool with a guitar slung over his chest was Damian…and he was singing to the people who could give half a damn.

"Those stars need to be wished on
your skin needs to be kissed on
my eyes baby they're fixed on you in your snapback.
T-Shirt of your favorite rock band,
Checking your make-up in my Ray Bans,
Breaking hearts like only you can…in your snapback…"

The guitar solo ended as he let the song die out and took a deep breath. "Breaktime." He grunted and hopped off the barstool, crossing through the bar and ending up at the bar itself, where Mack, the Bartender sat. "Hey Mack, think you could hook a guy up?"

To a Mundane, Mack was an older man with quite a bit of weight to him, balding and a goatee circling his mouth, one eye duller than the other. To an Aware, he was a bipedal stegosaurus with razor sharp ridges running down his spine and a sharp beak sticking out quite a few inches from his face. Mack didn't speak, but he nodded and slid a glass full of ale in front of him.

Damian reached over with his right hand, but winced when he did, pulling it back and holding it to his chest. Pressing his thumb against his wrist, he watched his fingers remain in their locked position as he tried to ease them out. "Come on…not now…not when I got another set to do…"

"Talkin' to yerself ain't gonna help ya out, lad, in terms of seeming like a sane individual."

"Ah good, Fourteen. I was wondering when you'd show up to make snide judgments."

Fourteen gave a grin and lifted his glass. Fourteen looked like someone had seen every single scene of Sean Connery's career as James Bond, and took the intense effort to look just like him, from the slicked back hair all the way down to the suit, with the flower in the chest pocket as well. Fourteen was shrouded in mystery, and any past he may have had was an even bigger one. No one, sans Jalal, even knew about his true name and only responded to Fourteen. Why Fourteen?

"Because, Lad, I'm twice as good as Double-Oh-Seven in every single way."

"Come on, Damian, you know we're friends here. Can't imagine the lass is having a fun time worrying about you."

"Angua worries more about my liver than I do. I appreciate it, but-"

"Ya gotta acknowledge that ya may have a bit of a problem, lad."

"I don't have a fuckin' drinking problem, Fourteen, I keep telling you." Damian snapped, glaring at his partner from the corner of his eyes.

Fourteen shrugged. "You can live in denial until you realize yer hurting yer friends, lad. I'm just saying, from one Shadowchaser to another, you need just a wee bit of help."

"Noted." Damian grunted and downed the ale. "Have you been here all day?"

"Hey, I'm a busy man too who needs to relax as well." He sounded offended. "I was handling that Brownie situation just out of town."

"Fair enough." Damian shrugged. "Buy the next round?"

Fourteen smiled. "Don't I always?"

Damian couldn't help but smile as well and thought about his words for a moment. He reached down and pulled his deck from the deck box out, sifting through the cards until he reached the extra deck, filled to the brim with his Synchros and even a few XYZ's. One card, however, stood out over them all. A blank white card that sat at the very bottom, no picture, no description, no nothing. Except for the card backing, one wouldn't even be able to tell it was a Duel Monsters card.

"How about you?" He asked after a moment of staring. "Do you think I have a problem?" He gave a little chuckle and adjusted it, tipping it further to the light. "Still don't wanna show up huh? That's fine…I can wait it out."

"Ah yes, talk to yer cards, that's some good proof of sanity right there."

"Hey, Jerian does it and no one-"

"Hey everyone shut up! Onihana is dueling now!"

And just like that, all eyes in the bar turned to the massive big screen, Damian and Fourteen's included.

The screen flicked on to show the two duelists staring each other down…

…

Soul Fusion
Type: Trap
Image: Two black figures swirling into a stylized "S"
Effect: Remove from play Fusion Material Monsters in your graveyard and pay 1000 Life Points to Special Summon a Fusion Monster.

Note: Soul Fusion was first used by Judai in the Yu-Gi-Oh! GX Manga. All creative credit goes to the writers.

Fire Recovery
Type: Spell
Image: Molten metal being poured into a cauldron while a bonfire burns in front of it.
Effect: Discard one FIRE-Type monster from your hand to Special Summon one FIRE-Monster from your graveyard.

Note: Fire Recovery was first used by Axel in episode 125 of Yu-Gi-Oh! GX. All Creative credit goes to the writers.

Solar Flare Eruption Dragon
Type: Pyro/Fusion/Effect/Fire
Attack/Defense: 2500/2100
LV: 8
Effect: Solar Flare Dragon + Solar Flare Dragon + Solar Flare Dragon
When this card battles, you may banish one PYRO-Monster from your hand or Graveyard: Increase this cards ATK by 1000. During your End Phase: Inflict 500 Damage to your opponent for each "Solar Flare Dragon" you have in your banished Zone.

Note: Solar Flare Eruption Dragon was created by Metal Overlord 2.0 with slightly tweaked effects. All creative credit goes to him.

Dragonprince Jalal:
Type: Warrior/Synchro/Effect/Light
Attack/Defense: 2500/1900
LV: 8
Effect: Tuner + 1 or more non-Tuner monsters
When this card is Synchro Summoned, place 1 "Fortune Counter" on this card for each monster used in the Synchro Summoning. Once per turn, during your turn, you may remove any number of Fortune Counters from this card to activate the following effect.
1 Counter: Select 1 card on the field and place it in set position (If a monster is chosen, switch it to Defense Position)
2 Counters: Draw 1 card from your deck.
3 Counters: Destroy 1 card on the field.

Note: Credit for this card goes to fanfic Author Darkblur, first used in Cyber Commander's fic "Shadowchasers: Torment." All creative credit goes to him.

…

"Come on, Onihana's gonna wipe the floor with this guy!"

"No way man, this guy's got a grudge on him, he's gonna go all out!"

"Whoa…this guy doesn't look normal."

Next time, on Shadowchasers: City of Angels:

"The Blind Duelist and the Wicked Beast."

"Whoa, what kinda monster is that!?"

"Jerian!"