Lux-Nero: Greetings to everyone who bothered to click on this story because you might be interested in my take of a Shadowchaser story… Or that I might be over stressing myself, but, meh.

Now, I've got a few things I need to say before we get the show on the road.

First, I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! DM/GX/5D's or the Shadowchaser theme that this story was based off of. Now, don't get me wrong, I would love to claim that I do own them, but I'd rather not take my chances with that, what with the chance of lawsuits and getting kicked off this site… -shivers-

Anyway, back to the matter at hand, I have to give a little foreword, for example the background for this story – The location that I decided to base this story on was the futuristic version of Las Vegas, and I figure that since Domino City was able to update itself with Technology, why not the rest of the world? But since its still a little debatable when 5D's takes place in our time frame, I'll just leave it as a possible future (what do ya want from me? I'm not psychic like Aki or Psycho Mantis, but it'd be cool if I was) and its not to be taken as what may happen.

Next, for those of you who had read my work before, you know that I have quite a few tricks hidden in my author sleeve, and those will be used here as well. One such trick is that I prefer to use the original Japanese terms for my fictions. For example:

Duel Runner = D-Wheel

Turbo Duel = Riding Duel

And etc.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not denying the work of the dubbers, but everyone has their own style and I have the First Amendment on my side here.

For the next key point, this concerns the duels in my stories. I wasn't a fan of the whole forbidden lists in my previous stories, cause I figured that people could just do custom jobs on the Duel Disk system to accept the cards (It's the future again, a lot of people can be tech savvy). But, in order to get people off of my back, I will be using the September 1 forbidden list for this fiction, so yeah.

Finally, we get to another section of the dueling aspect – Riding duels!

This story takes place two months after the events of the second season of 5D's, when the second Speed World is still in development so, I will be using the original Speed World… But, that may or may not change.

Now, people might be wondering why I decided to start a story like this… Since most of my works tend to be original. Well, I became interested in Cyber Commander's concept, and decided to throw my hand into the mix as well.

So, to all you readers, pull up a chair, turn on your favorite action song, and scroll down to enjoy the story.

-0-

Choices…

Everyday we are presented with them and depending on the answers we give, we affect our life. It's actually quite amazing to see what kind of power those answers have upon us, especially since a number those choices can be fulfilled with one of two words – 'Yes' or 'No'.

Some people and situations however don't grant the luxury of a choice. Other times, a choice can almost be like stepping into the fray of hell. I'm sure everyone has experienced at least one of those choices in their life at one time or another.

I know I have.

Hell, the reason why I'm here today is because of that. What I wouldn't give just to have a normal life, but I know that it's out of my reach. It has been for a long time and as far as I can see, I won't be able to get that normal life any time soon.

In fact, as history would dictate, several famous duelists were in situations that wouldn't give them a choice except to fight back. Case in point, the match that started Yugi Mutoh's career, the unofficial match against the former champion – Seto Kaiba, is an excellent example. The 'King of Games' was practically forced to face against Kaiba, just to avenge his grandfather for being cheated. I don't need to tell you what happened as a result of Kaiba's near-sightedness and cocky attitude.

As we turn the pages through history a little further, another duelist who went by the name of Judai Yuki, who was almost a living legend with his miracle draws and complex strategies, was also given a choice. That choice being simple – To join the Duelist Academy or not. According to several biographies written by his peers, Judai was forced into several dangerous duels that wagered not only his own life, but that of his allies, the rest of the duel academy island, and even in a few instances (now this is just rumors I've heard of) perhaps maybe the world as well. Maybe his choice of attending the Duel Academy affected why those events occurred – But then again, if we were to spend our lives considering about 'what if's then we would most likely waste away our lives.

Take another page from the text books of Duel Monster history, mostly from a couple months ago involving an incident involving several beings called the 'Earthbound Gods' and the opposition that was victorious in the end. Knowing the dangers, the few 'chosen' known as Signers did whatever it took to defend the world from destruction. They knew that their lives were on the line, and that the odds were stacked against them, and yet they made the choice to fight.

(Makes me wonder why all this stuff happens in Japan sometimes…)

But regardless, those three examples show what I mean about choices and how they can have major effects on not only the individuals who make those choices, but also the world around them too.

Hmm?

What? Me? Why would you want to know who I am?

I'm a man who lost his choice a long time before I had any options…

… And unlike those people I mentioned only moments ago, I have only one path in front of me to trail. No other choices remain for me…

DRAW!

0-0-0-0

Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's

Shadowchasers

Risen Nemesis

0-0-0

Humming neon lights and glittering raindrops aren't enough to stave off the inky night. Blackness always envelops the city. Only the rising sun unveils the familiar world.

This unrelenting cycle of light and dark grinds on, just as it has for millennia.

But there are things that remain hidden even in the light of day. Inhuman vapors come from the tangle of sun-cast shadows. And at night, those shadows merge with the darkness, and the creatures that dwell there are temporarily released.

No one can pull back this curtain between worlds and see things as they truly are.

No one… Except a select few…

This is their story…

0-0-0-0-0

Draw 00

Shadow Delver

0-0-0

Las Vegas…

The Entertainment Capital of the World, one of the greatest cities in the world, known for its exotic shows, colorful casinos, countless hotels and endless streams of people that flooded the streets during the blazing days and the neon lit nights.

Everywhere you would turn, people could be seen walking over the almost overflowing traffic, which thanks to the recent changes to the motor industry managed to tame the heat a little bit at night. And thanks to technological advances in general, the Entertainment Capital was able to become more spectacular and improved the experience.

Almost as a second level to the city, a new road and walk was created to 'clean up' the streets as it were, all the while maintaining the magnificent hotels that were part of the vacation experience while adding more to the sights.

And yet, to this city filled with lights, there exists a darkness hidden in the back streets of the city, a shifting shadow as it were, growing with every passing second…

"AAAAH!"

As such an example, just look to the discarded lower streets, known as the Under, that were left practically untouched by the new age of technology.

Running through the dimly lit streets, one could swear that this was a scene for a horror flick, with a young tourist lass ran through the ruined streets, dodging the discarded trash and ruins of vehicles.

Slowly, the young lass turned her head back…

"Run, run, run as fast as you want," cackled a sinister and brutish voice, echoing through the air to make the girl turn back sight forward.

All she wanted was to see the sights, but getting lost was a common trait to tourists, although, they didn't usually have people chasing after them for such. Unless you were in the Under at night…

The man who was chasing her wasn't even running all that fast, but with every four steps she took, the man stomped once. He was a mountain of a man dressed in brown and black loose street clothes that did a fine job of showing off his muscular and dark body. His greasy black hair was long like a horse's mane and flowed down his shoulders, passing left and right with each stomp he took.

But the very thing that marked this man was that his face had a quite a few piercing rings, one at his nose and one at each of his ears. "But I'll catch you, no matter what."

Her breathing was beginning to panic, the man kept getting closer and closer no matter how fast she ran…

Then it happened.

Tripping over her feet, the young girl fell face first into the ground, wincing in pain as she slowly began to push her self off of the ground.

"Heh, heh, heh, what did I tell you?" the mountainous man snickered as he loomed over the fallen girl, his speed surprising despite his towering size. "When someone perks my snout – I don't lose interest…"

With a lick of his lips, the man almost began to turn feral, his hand getting closer and closer towards the frozen-stiff girl, "… Until I finally sink my teeth into my target… Especially when I can smell fear dwelling in ya!"

A scream echoed through the air… But it was neither human nor beast that was the source; rather, it was the screech of lead flying through the air. The two froze in place, almost like a terrifying statue only moving at the sound of ping.

The mountainous man's eyes widened, realizing that his right earring was now laying on the ground a few feet ahead of him, a small stain of crimson painted the jewelry slightly.

"Unless you want to lose that ear completely," suggested a voice from behind the scene. "I suggest you stand up and keep away from the girl…"

The mountainous man slowly began to cackle, starting out as a small innocent laughter and began to grow to maniacal laughter, "BWA-HA-HA-HA! Are you serious?!" He chortled, standing up with his shoulders slumped along with his head. "I never thought LVPD would dare come down to the slums…"

The girl slowly began to crawl away from the deranged man, her eyes locked on the insane look that continued to plague the man's face.

"… You want to really do this?" the man snickered as he licked his teeth, revealing the golden tooth he had replaced long ago. "I was just about to enjoy…"

Another scream of lead echoed through the air, making the mountainous man growl in annoyance, "How about you put that pop gun down? It's obvious that you don't know how to use it."

The mountainous man slowly turned around and there was the one who had fired the two rounds. Due to the limited light in the area, only the silhouette of the assailant was visible to the mountainous, the figure suggested male draped in a large overcoat with a high-crowned, wide brimmed hat that was pulled down slightly. And in the figure's right hand, was what appeared to be a black semi-automatic pistol…

… Its aim pointed directly at the mountainous man's head. "You sure you wanna test that theory?"

"Listen cop punk," The mountainous man sighed loudly rubbing his slightly sore right ear. "I'm not really interested in punks like you… And since I've already caught my prey for tonight…"

"Make another move," the figure growled tilting his gun towards the side. "And this next silver tipped bullet is going right between your eyes."

"Heh, yeah right, like you could…" The mountainous man started…

Until it sunk in.

"S-Silver tipped?"

The figure nodded, his hat bobbing up and down to the rythem of his nodding. That's when he turned towards the victim, "… Unless you want to stay, I suggest you run."

With a scared look in her eyes, the victim quickly managed to get to her feet and ran off.

"What the?!" The mountainous man snarled as he started to turn about face.

Until another bullet flew into the concrete at the man's feet, making him freeze in his tracks.

"So, your choice, we can either do this the messy way," The figure stated lifting the semi-automatic to blow the smoke away from the barrel of the gun. "Or…"

"Humph, who you fooling punk?" The mountainous man cackled returning his glare towards the figure. "You must be some LVPD rookie who thinks he can get high in the ranks by taking a criminal of my reputation…"

"Cut the BS, beast," the figure stated making the mountainous man blink a few times in surprise.

Even more surprise appeared when the figure's left arm began to light up, revealing that the character was equipped with what appeared to be a cybernetic device known to anyone who had at least heard of.

A duel disk.

"Still think I'm with LVPD?" the figure asked.

The mountain of a man snickered loudly reaching into his pants pocket, "I shoulda figured," He cackled as he pulled out a small device, and held it in front of him. "You've got them silver tipped bullets… You wouldn't have packed that certain heat unless you knew what you knew was hunting."

A scene like this was quite unnerving and too uncommon…

… At least to the eyes of a regular person.

But, to those who were not blind to the truth could see what the mountainous man for what he truly was. Had the victim had seen what this man truly was besides being a muscular midnight prowler, she would've become frozen in fear.

The man's face became more feral, protruding his mouth and nose slightly while his hair grew wilder and grew all over his body. His teeth (including the gold tooth) began to curve into sharp fangs while his ears began to take the form of a beast – Like Doberman or better described – A wolf…

With a loud howl the man slammed his now clawed foot into the ground, making his nose ring and remaining earring jingle slightly. "Though, I ain't ever seen a Shadowchaser use a gun 'fore though."

"I'm not too keen on swords," The so-called Shadowchaser replied spinning his gun on his finger before he slid the firearm into his overcoat. "Ya got a name, beast?"

"Bleh, I thank ya kindly to call me a werewolf," the mountainous monster snarled as the device in his hand began to fold out into a duel disk. "But since you chasers are for formalities – I got the name Gaueko."

"… Seem a little too formal for a beast," the 'Shadowchaser' admitted.

"I can actually agree with ya on that," Gaueko scoffed to the side. "But then again, I was never able to choose my name, blame my old man. How 'bout you?"

"Why tell a name to a beast?" the 'Shadowchaser' said with a shrug.

"Grr… Ya know," Gaueko cackled looking down at the duel disk in his clawed hands. "Any reason why I shouldn't just throw this to the side and rip you to shreds?"

"… Three words," the 'Shadowchaser' replied holding up three of his fingers on his right hand. "Fair. Fight. Clause."

"Humph," Gaueko snarled. Loudly.

Fitting his duel disk over his furry arm, Gaueko produced a deck and snapped it into his duel disk's deck slot. "I've actually been wondering something about you fools… If you fight several of us, then you've gotta have some fight to ya."

"Your point is?" the 'Shadowchaser' asked.

"Nuthin' much," Gaueko said as he licked his teeth. "I was just wondering what would make you chasers so tough... Possibly something I can sink my teeth into…

The 'Shadowchaser' pulled down his hat over his eyes. Hearing that from a werewolf, well, let's just say that there's a deeper meaning.

"You gonna keep flapping your jaws?" the 'Shadowchaser' asked as the five cards popped out of the top of his deck. (SLP: 8000)

Gaueko slowly made his first draw. (GLP: 8000)

"Quick to the point," he cackled, looking at the six cards in his hand. "That's a style I can love. I'll start by setting a monster face down…"

"Talk about counter productive," the 'Shadowchaser' admitted.

"What d'ya expect?" Gaueko continued fitting another card into his duel disk. "I'll set a card face down. And to end my turn, I'll activate my continuous spell – Vanilla Blast."

The spell card appeared in front of the werewolf, revealing a several notable normal monsters appearing on it, all of them being wrapped up in a powerful bright light.

"Go for it Shadowchaser," he cackled.

The 'Shadowchaser' slowly drew.

"… I summon Giant Rat," He announced slapping the card onto his duel disk.

As the card was played, a large blue furred rat appeared in front of the cowboy hated man, screeching loudly as it clutched onto the human skull in its spiny fingers (1400/1450).

"Attack the face down monster!" he commanded.

Tossing the skull to the side, the large rat leapt through the air, slamming its paws directly into the face down card.

The card disappeared to reveal a small blue insect like creature that was clinging onto many trinkets that you'd find at a yard sale (200/700). But with a shriek, the bug was crushed.

"Heh thanks," Gaueko snickered as a powerful glow appeared over his duel disk. "That monster you destroyed was my Magical Merchant. Now, I'm allowed to pick up cards from my deck until I come to a spell or trap card."

The werewolf carefully placed his fingers on the top card from his deck and turned the first card around, revealing a powerful monster – Sengenjin (2750/2500). "Hmm… Nope, not a spell or trap. Maybe the next one…"

Flicking the next card off, Gaueko turned it around to show a Soul Tiger (0/2100). "I guess not…"

For the next three cards, the werewolf continued to pull normal monster cards that ranged from Battle Ox (1700/1000), Nin-Ken Dog (1800/1000), and Mad Dog of Darkness (1900/1400).

"Hmm… a trap card," Gaueko announced turning the card around to show Birthright. "So I get this lone card into my hand, while the other five go to the graveyard."

"What a waste," the 'Shadowchaser' growled.

"Not really," Gaueko snickered as his Vanilla Blast card glowed brightly as he slid the five cards into his graveyard slot. "Ya see, whenever a normal monster is sent to the graveyard, my spell card makes its move. For each normal monster sent to the graveyard, you take two hundred points of damage!"

A ring of white light appeared at the 'Shadowchaser's feet, revealing the man's form. His hat and overcoat was black, but his under clothing was considered more like street clothes consisting of wore-in jeans and a black shirt. His long greasy hair curved around his still hidden face however. (SLP: 7000)

"Humph, that all you got beast?" The 'Shadowchaser' questioned as the light dwindled down. "I've seen pups that got more bite than you."

"I wouldn't talk if I were you, Shadowchaser," Gaueko cackled with his arms crossed. "All you've got out is an overgrown rat."

Holding up a card, the 'Shadowchaser' fitted the card into his duel disk, making the card appears behind the Giant Rat.

"… Smart ass,' Gaueko growled drawing his next card. "Hmm… I summon a personal favorite of mine – Come out Gene-Warped Warwolf!"

With a loud howl echoing through the slums, a large white furred werewolf slammed into the ground in front of Gaueko, its four arms clawing into the ground (2000/100).

"Kinda reminds me of you," the 'Shadowchaser' remarked. "But he's a little easier on the eyes."

"You just love to push buttons," Gaueko snarled throwing his clawed hand forward. "Gene-Warped! Wipe the floor with that rat!"

Howling loudly, the mutant beast leapt through the air, slamming all four of the claws into the Giant Rat, ripping the monster into millions of shreds. (SLP: 6400)

"Bad move," the 'Shadowchaser' stated as a card popped out of his deck and into his hand. "Since you destroyed my rat, I can summon any earth monster I want. Level doesn't matter, but all I worry about is making sure it doesn't have more than fifteen hundred attack points."

He slapped the card on his duel disk.

"So I summon," He announced as the ground began to rumble. "I choose Ancient Gear Cannon!!"

The ground receded revealing a small robotic gun turret that was made up of several gears (500/500).

"And you questioned my taste in monsters," Gaueko scoffed looking at his hand. "But if you want to waste time with weaklings, be my guest."

The werewolf slowly slid a card into his duel disk. "I'll be too busy wiping the floor wit' ya."

The 'Shadowchaser' slowly drew, and immediately pulled another card from his hand, "I'll start this turn with the spell card – Machine Duplication!"

Two blurs appeared next to the Ancient Gear Cannon, immediately solidifying into two exact copies of the ancient cannon (500/500 x2).

"And as the name suggests," the 'Shadowchaser' explained tapping his foot. "My spell duplicates my machines, just as long as that machine has only five hundred attack points or less."

"Blah, blah, blah," Gaueko growled. "More junk headed for the scrapheap."

"It's not junk," the 'Shadowchaser' stated as two of his Ancient Gear Cannons charged up energy. "These are antiques, and by relinquishing two of them, I can blast you for five hundred points each!"

The two cannons exploded, unleashing two waves of energy that sliced through the air and crashed into the werewolf's bare chest, sending him skidding back slightly. (GLP: 7000)

"Grr…" Gaueko growled.

"Next, I'll activate another spell card," the 'Shadowchaser' continued as the ground behind him began to rumble. "This one falling under the continuous kind – Ancient Gear Castle!"

The ground behind him exploded in a flurry of debris and concrete, allowing a large ancient castle to emerge from the darken streets, several gears and cannons mounted on the castle.

That's when the Ancient Gear Cannon began to glow brightly (500/500 + 300/0).

"Heh, you think that your rust buckets will help ya?" Gaueko questioned raising a bushy brow.

"I don't think," the 'Shadowchaser' retorted as his Ancient Gear Cannon disappeared in an orb of light. "I know! I sacrifice my cannon…"

The orb of light shattered, forming into a four legged machine that resembled that of a mechanical wolf that was made up of rusty armor and gears. Letting out a rustic screech the antique machine dug its claws into the ground (2000/2000 + 300/0).

"To summon Ancient Gear Beast!"

A small flame erupted on the Ancient Gear Castle…

"Another junk heap?" Gaueko muttered.

"Ancient Gear Beast!" the 'Shadowchaser' announced as the ancient machine pulled back slightly. "Destroy that mutated monstrosity!"

The large metallic beast charged through the air, its claws gleaming in the little light that was on its armor.

"Don't think you can get a cheap shot on my life points!" Gaueko roared pushing a button on his duel disk. "I activate my trap card – Magic Cylinder!"

Just as the face down card on the werewolf's field began to lift, a powerful jolt of electricity kept the card down. "What the?!"

The Ancient Gear Beast sliced through the Gene-Warped Warwolf, shattering the monster into millions of shards. (GLP: 6700)

"Why didn't my trap card work!?" Gaueko snapped, checking his duel disk.

"I guess a mutt like you wouldn't know how antiques work," The 'Shadowchaser' stated as he pulled his hat down.

"I'm a wolf! Not a dog!" Gaueko roared with his teeth barred.

"You act like a dog not on its leash," the 'Shadowchaser' stated with a shrug. "But anyway, Ancient Gear monsters possess the ability to prevent you from activating spells or trap cards when they attack. Although, I'm more concerned why your spell card didn't activate…"

"Grr, Vanilla Blast doesn't activate if the monsters are destroyed in battle," Gaueko explained.

"I guess this makes things a little easier," the 'Shadowchaser snickered.

"Ya making me look bad," Gaueko snarled with his eye's irises thinning. "And I can't have that…"

The 'Shadowchaser' merely shrugged and crossed his arms. "Turn end."

"Just what kind of Shadowchaser are you supposed to be anyway?" Gaueko asked as he pulled his next card. "I never heard of any chaser packing heat before…"

The Shadowchaser just kept his gaze covered by his hat.

"Ya ain't going to talk?" Gaueko scowled. "Fine then… I'll just let my actions do the talking for me!

"I summon Vorse Raider!"

Appearing from the shadows one of the most famous monsters in duel monster history, a dark skinned demonic beast-warrior dressed in black leather carrying a nasty battle axe (1900/1200).

Another flame erupted from one of the torches on the Ancient Gear Castle.

"Now I know what you're thinking," Gaueko snickered as he ran his finger on his duel disk. "Why would I summon a weakling like this? Simple, I've got another heavyweight who can send your 'antique' to where it belongs – the junkyard! I activate my trap card – Birthright!"

A large pillar of light erupted from the ground, immediately melding into a terrible blue skinned beast-warrior that was a mass of muscles with several weapons attached to its back along with a large spiked mace clutched in its large fingers.

It let loose a loud roar that shook the foundations of the streets above (2750/2500).

"Thanks to my trap I can special summon a normal monster – like the powerful Sengenjin?" Gaueko laughed with his arms extended. "And now… Time to send that antique to the junk heap!

"Sengenjin! Crash that Gear Beast!"

With a loud roar, the mighty blue skinned beast-warrior pulled back its mace…

"I activate my trap card!" the 'Shadowchaser' shouted as a powerful barrier appeared around his field, catching the Sengenjin's mace in the energy, forcing the monster stumbling backwards. "Negate Attack is quite the handy card, stopping your attack and ending your battle phase."

"Damn you…" Gaueko snarled looking at his cards once more.

Fitting one of the cards into his duel disk, the werewolf huffed to the side, "One card face down," He growled. "And call it a turn…"

"Not yet you don't," the 'Shadowchaser announced pushing a button on his disk, making a red flashing light erupt overhead. "I activate my trap card – Ancient Gear Alert Alarm!"

"Wait… There's a trap that works with Ancient Gears?" Gaueko questioned blinking a few times as his newest face down card flipped up, revealing the trap card – Bottomless Trap Hole. "Huh?"

"My trap forces one of use to activate one face down spell or trap card," the 'Shadowchaser' explained before the Bottomless Trap Hole shattered like glass. "And if that card doesn't fit its requirements, it's gone. And your Trap Hole only activates when I summon a monster."

"You little…" Gaueko spat.

Taking his trap card, the 'Shadowchaser' held it up before he shuffled the card into his deck. "And just like its spell counterpart – Bait Doll," He explained before he fitted the deck back into his duel disk. "It gets shuffled into my deck."

"Wait a second…" Gaueko muttered.

"My draw…" The 'Shadowchaser' announced slowly flicking one card from the top of his deck.

His eyes widened slightly, but nodded to himself as he tossed the card into his hand of three cards before he pulled one of the others, "I set one card face down," he announced before he snapped his fingers making the Ancient Gear Beast roar loudly through the air. "And now… Ancient Gear Beast! Tear apart his Vorse Raider!"

The mechanical beast roared loudly, making its rusty gears grind loudly before it pounced on the surprised Vorse Raider, ripping the beast-warrior into shreds. (GLP: 6300)

"… Turn end," the 'Shadowchaser' scoffed.

Gaueko drew his card, his eyes trailing over the cards he had, 'Damn it! I have the monster, but where's the spell I need?' He thought looking over his hand. 'Oh well, I can still take him down a few pegs without resorting to my best trick…'

"I summon Mad Dog of Darkness!"

The card was played, and a large feral dog appeared in front of Gaueko snarling loudly as its yellow hair stood on end (1900/1400). "Heh, now this is a monster that I can respect…"

Another torch lit up on the Ancient Gear Castle…

"Mad Dog! Attack his beast!"

The feral mutt howled in the air before it stomped forward, the 'Shadowchaser' shrugged, his actions saying that if the beast wanted to ruin his chances on his own, then he has the right to do so…

"And to make things better…" Gaueko cackled spinning a card around in his hand. "I activate a spell card known as Rush Recklessly! Empowering my Mad Dog by six hundred points!"

The 'Shadowchaser's hat shifted over to the side as the Mad Dog leapt upon the Ancient Gear Beast, ripping the machine to scrap parts. (SLP: 6100)

"Good riddance to bad rubbish," the werewolf cackled as his dog returned to his field, one of the legs of the Ancient Gear Beast in its mouth. "I was getting tired of dealing with your rust buckets."

"… Talk about my cards like that again," the 'Shadowchaser' growled. "And you'll regret it."

"Humph, take it up with the big guy here," Gaueko cackled as the Sengenjin stomped forward. "He can attack your life points directly now!"

The 'Shadowchaser's eyes widened before the mace collided with his body, making him skid across the ground holding his chest with the pain burning through his chest. "Damn it…" (SLP: 3350)

"I should duel more often," Gaueko cackled as his large beast warrior stomped back to his field. "It gives just as much of a rush as hunting!"

"What?" the 'Shadowchaser' asked slowly gathering his breath.

"You see my nose?" Gaueko posed as he tapped the nose ring at the end of his snout. "When I was born, I was granted an extra sensitive sense of smell… And when I was able to control my transformation ability I was able to tame my smelling abilities and convey them to tracking any prey that fancies my taste.

"That girl you save earlier might've gotten away, but I know the brand of perfume she wears along with the mixture of her body order… Also what kind of cheap shampoo she uses as well."

"And what's that got to do with feeling a rush?" the 'Shadowchaser' asked pushing his hat up slight to get a better look.

"Simple – It's called the thrill of the hunt," the werewolf explained holding his claws up. "The release of adrenaline that rushes through my veins is enough to excite anyone! And I wish to experience that feeling more and more! It's a thrill! Everyone has a thrill they wish to experience again and again – I'm just following my instincts to do so."

"… You're an animal," the 'Shadowchaser' growled with his arms crossed.

"Exactly," Gaueko cackled looking at the remaining cards in his hand. "I'm not a weak human like you. I'm a proud lone werewolf who has the thirst to have that chill run through my veins. Oh, if only you could feel that rush!

"Especially when you can have the blood drip down your nails and teeth at the very end… Oh, just thinking about it makes my fur stand on end!"

Taking a moment to find himself, Gaueko calmed himself down before he could slobber over himself, "And I'm not just 'bout to allow some gun totting Shadowchaser like you stop that thrill…"

"I'm getting tired of you calling me that," the 'Shadowchaser' growled as he pushed up his hat, revealing a small silver mark under his left eye on his sleek, yet handsome face. "My name is Jack…"

"Jack?" Gaueko snickered before he broke out into pure laughter. "You kiddin' me?! What kind of name is that?"

"Suits me just fine," Jack replied adjusting his hat. "But that's beside the point; you think you can pull stunts like these? You've got another thing coming beast, and when this is duel is done…

"Judgment will fall…"

"You shouldn't make empty threats," Gaueko snickered as he licked his lips. "I on the other hand, can make threats and get away with them. I may not be suited to having a male prey – But its not every night I can have the blood of a Shadowchaser run down my claws…"

Jack merely pulled down his hat, as if that last comment didn't even phase him. "… You done flapping your gums?"

"Knock yer self out," Gaueko sighed licking his fangs.

Jack drew, immediately pushing a button on his duel disk, "I activate my trap card – Jar of Greed! Now I can draw once more."

He flicked another card into his hand, giving him four cards to work with.

"You want thrills?" Jack asked as his Ancient Gear Castle began to rumble. "I'll show ya something that'll send a chill down your spine… I activate the effect of my Ancient Gear Castle!"

The castle began to crumble to the ground, its gears raising up a large cloud of smoke that covered the area behind Jack. "You see, each time one of us normal summoned a monster, my castle gained a counter. And that counter can be used as a substitute for a tribute summon for an Ancient Gear monster… Since there were three, I can normal summon almost any Ancient Gear monster in existence…"

'Humph… What am I worried 'bout?' Gaueko thought to himself as he looked at his two beastly monsters. 'I do know 'bout the two heavy hitters in an Ancient Gear deck… Both of them are insanely rare in this day and age – I doubt that he's got…'

That's when the gears began to lift up into the air, melding together as remains of the castle melted to change shape to form a powerful body armor that seemed to become medieval.

"… And I choose to summon the signature monster," Jack continued as the dust began to recede revealing the monster that he had summoned.

Gaueko's eyes widened at the sight of the mechanical being…

From the remains of the castle, a large mechanical being stood in its place, showing its large dark gray metallic body with many gears and cogs showing. The large machine resembled that of an ancient warrior with its left fist replaced with a small claw (3000/3000).

"Ancient Gear Golem!" Jack introduced as the Gear Golem's cogs began to turn, the sound of rust echoing through the air.

"But… But…" Gaueko muttered taking a step back as both of his beasts did the same.

"Mechanized Melee!" Jack commanded wasting no time.

The mighty ancient machine lurched forward, it's larger right fist pulled back, twisting it to use as much energy as it could for this next attack.

And then, with a mighty punch that forced the air it pierced, the Ancient Gear Golem slammed its fist into the Mad Dog of Darkness, crushing the feral beast into millions of pixels that swept the trash ridden streets. (GLP: 5200)

"Gah! What the hell!?" Gaueko snarled ramming his fist into the ground. "How the hell does a human come up with enough scratch to get one of those bad boys?!"

"… You're the hunter," Jack commented as he slipped two cards into his duel disk, making them appear behind his Ancient Gear Golem. "Why don't you hunt down the story behind that?"

"Smart ass Shadowchaser," Gaueko growled.

"Turn's done by the way," Jack replied.

Gaueko slowly drew his next card.

His eyes perking up as he turned the card around, "Heh, I activate the equip spell – Lucky Iron Axe!"

Sengenjin roared loudly as its large mace was instantly replaced by a long powerful axe with a weird ruin running along the blade (2750/2500 + 500/0). "And now my mighty beast is stronger than your iron giant! So, Sengenjin! Send his tin can to the scrapheap!"

Rushing forward, the mighty beast raised its axe over its head, prepared to slice 'n dice the Ancient Gear Golem.

"Trap card activate!" Jack announced as his face down popped up, forming into a small mighty twister with several feathers flowing from it. "Dust Tornado!"

"W-What?!" Gaueko gasped taking a step back. He looked at Sengenjin's latest weapon…

"Oh, don't worry," Jack stated as the tornado swept the field. "I have no intention of getting rid of your weapon… But I intend to make sure that your beast is gone…"

"Huh? What're you talkin' 'bout?" Gaueko growled.

Then it hit him.

"AH! Birthright?!" He snarled as the trap card shattered.

Falling to its knee, the once-might Sengenjin dropped several of its weapons, all of them falling to the ground to shatter into millions of pieces. Then when the pain was too much for the beast, the one-eyed monster dropped face first into the ground, breaking on impact.

"Urk…" Gaueko snarled, his hair starting to stand up even higher.

"So… Still think my cards belong in the scrapheap?" Jack asked with a snide smirk appearing on his face.

Ripping one of the other cards from his hand, Gaueko slapped it onto his duel disk, making the card appear in front of him – Horizontally.

"What kind of Shadowchaser are you really?" He snarled loudly.

Jack turned his head to the side before he drew.

Looking at the two cards he nodded, "Ancient Gear Golem!"

The large machine lumbered forward, slamming its fist into the face down monster, making the card bounce high into the air.

The card transformed into a large gray pot that that a crooked smile and one large eye at the mouth of the jar, cackling loudly (700/600) before it shattered into millions of pieces.

"Thanks," Gaueko stated fitting his hand into his graveyard slot. "Thanks for pounding my Morphing Jar! Now we both discard our hands…"

"And draw five new cards," Jack sighed shaking his head as he drew his new hand of cards. "I already know that. But here's something you probably didn't know… Ancient Gear Golem has a trampling ability!"

"What?" Gaueko muttered before he realized that the Gear Golem was pulling back it's larger fist once more. "W-Wait a sec!"

But it was too late, the fist collided with the werewolf's body, sending him skidding backwards into the ruined streets. "GAK!" (GLP: 2800)

"… Grr…" Gaueko snarled was drool began to seep down his maw.

Jack took notice and with a nod, fitted two cards into his duel disk. "Your move beast…"

Instead of speaking – Gaueko howled loudly as he ripped off his sixth card from his deck.

'… Now he's truly a beast,' Jack thought pulling his hat down to make sure he was prepared.

Gaueko slammed his next card onto his duel disk, making a silver light erupt from the ground, forming into a large silver statue like being appear on the field, almost countless steel hands protruding from its body (1400/1000).

'Manju of the Ten Thousand Hands…' Jack thought to himself as a card popped out from Gaueko's deck. 'When summoned, that monster allows him to take any ritual spell or monster he desires… And from what I've seen so far…'

With a loud howl, another card appeared in front of Gaueko, forming into a slightly disfigured man wearing only tattered blue pants.

'… Yep…'

Two forms appeared behind the disfigured man, immediately transforming to a large blue rat in a thick shell (500/2000) and a red armored minotaur (1700/1000). A Prevent Rat and a second Battle Ox – both of them being absorbed into the disfigured man, waking him up.

Slowly the man began to convulse, his body growing more muscular as a wave of dark blue fur rushed over his body, making the man howl out in pain until a long tail sprouted out from his backside. His fingers slowly lengthened until long nails erupted from the end of them.

And slamming its claws into the concrete, the beastial man let loose a terrible cry (2400/1800) that shook the foundations of the road above.

'Lycanthrope… Its almost ironic really…' Jack chuckled inside his head. "Almost a dead ringer for you Gaueko… Only he's a little easier on the eyes…"

That's when a ring of light appeared around Jack's feet, making his eyes widened before a powerful blast of energy erupted from the ground and surged around his entire body! "URK!" (JLP: 2950)

When the energy died down, Jack blinked a few times until realization struck, 'His Vanilla Blast card… I forgot he still had that out.'

Gaueko then slipped another card from his hand, making a spell card emerge on the field, creating a powerful storm that swept the field.

'Giant Trunade?!' Jack thought as all three of his face down cards bounced back to his hand while the only visible spell on Gaueko's field and face down card popped back into the beast's clawed hands.

Pulling one of the three cards from his hand, Gaueko slipped it into his duel disk, making the Lycanthrope howl loudly before it pounced on Manju, ripping the monster into shreds as a powerful red aura appeared over the wolf-man's body (2400/1800 + 1400/0).

'I'm taking a guess that's Gift of the Martyr,' Jack thought raising his duel disk up as if it was a shield. 'Although, I've never really seen its effect played out like that before…'

"AROOO!" Gaueko howled loudly, prompting the duel monster version of himself to howl in sync.

Then, pushing itself off of the remains of Manju, the beastly monster flew through the air towards the Ancient Gear Golem. Then with a powerful spin, the werewolf became a twisting blur of itself that pierced the ancient machine's chest armor and began to tear the machine up from the inside out!

And with a powerful explosion of gears and armor, Jack lifted his duel disk as his life point counter began to beep loudly. (JLP: 2150)

The remains of his machine laid at his feet, Jack looked up to see that Lycanthrope was standing over him, its mouth dripping with saliva…

"GRRWWWOOOOWWWWLLLL!"

Jack's eyes widened as the beast snapped its jaw at him, however, at the last second, Jack lifted his duel disk to intercept the bite, the machine beginning to spark from the attack. "Urk!" (JLP: 150)

He knew all along that Lycanthrope's effect would cost him two hundred points of damage for each normal monster in Gaueko's graveyard, and it would activate each time the beast-warrior would inflict battle damage. If there was at least one more normal monster in the beast's graveyard – Jack knew his time would've been up.

"Grr…" Gaueko growled fitting his card – Magic Cylinder – back into his duel disk, making it appear behind the Lycanthrope (2400/1800).

Slowly, Jack stood up, and drew silently, "Ya wanna know something beast?" Jack asked looking at the card he drew. "I'm not a fan of Shadowkind…"

Gaueko only snarled in reply.

"And what I really hate," Jack continued fitting two of the cards that were returned to his hand into his duel disk. "Are the creatures who think they're above everyone else – The ophidia, mages, and especially beasts like you. You think that you're invincible…

"But you're the weakest of all! That pride will be your downfall! I activate my spell card – Ancient Gear Workshop! Now, I can add one Ancient Gear monster form my graveyard to my hand!"

A single card popped out of Jack's graveyard allowing him to turn the card around to show the Ancient Gear Golem card. "Only one card that can settle this now… I activate my spell card – Heavy Storm!"

A powerful storm crashed the field shattering all three of the face down cards on the field into millions of shards that flew through the air. "But those two cards I destroyed… They were the same kind of cards…"

Two clouds of green smoke poured through the air, immediately unleashing two golden serpents that seemed to be of Egyptian decent (1000/1000 x2). "Statues of the Wicked! So I get two Wicked Tokens…"

"Grrrr…" the werewolf snarled loudly.

The two tokens disappeared into two orbs of light that spun through the air, crashing into each other, "Now I sacrifice both of my tokens," Jack announced before a pillar of light erupted behind him. "In order to summon… Ancient Gear Golem!"

The pillar of light exploded, forming into the titan-like machine, its gears grinding loudly as the machine stood tall (3000/3000). "Now then… Mechanized Melee!"

The large golem pulled its fist back, making the Lycanthrope and its similar master step backwards.

"Next, while my monster attacks – I activate my spell card – Limiter Removal!" Jack shouted as the Gear Golem's fist speed grew faster (3000/3000 + 3000/0). "You wanted a rush? Then try pain! It's a thrill ride that never ends!"

The powerful fist collided with the Lycanthrope, shattering the monster into millions of shards that scattered through the air. But the fist didn't stop, the powerful mechanized fist continued its crash course until it slammed directly into Gaueko's body, forcing the werewolf to the ground – Crushed under the ancient machinery. (GLP: 0)

Slowly the holograms began to disappear, allowing Jack to deactivate his duel disk, making sure that his deck of cards was safely tucked back into his gun metal gray deck case. "Goes to show ya – Humans aren't the weak ones. The ones you call prey can learn to adapt, that's how we've learned how to evolve."

That's when Gaueko began to get to his feet, ripping the duel disk off of his arm in a flurry of parts and cards… But Jack kept his ground, "Sure, you Shadows have your edges – Your strength, heightened senses, and even your magical abilities."

"GRROOOOAAAARRRR!" Gaueko roared as he slammed his hands into the ground and began to run towards Jack, the gap between the two quickly diminishing.

And with a great leap, Gaueko snapped his jaw open and was about cut his claws right into Jack's body…

WHAM!!

Until the handle of a white semiautomatic slammed into the werewolf's chin, snapping his mouth shut and sending the wolf spinning back into the ground.

As he lowered his left arm, Jack spun the white handgun on his trigger finger, "But here's the thing about humans," He continued as Gaueko began to push himself up off the ground, slipping slightly. "When we fail at something, we're so stubborn that we'll try again and again until we finally manage to succeed…"

Gaueko pounced at Jack again, but this time, Jack didn't slam the gun… Instead he leapt to the right and fired a single shot through the air that connected into Gaueko's left arm, making the beast howl in blind pain as he fell to the ground.

"Take me for example," Jack growled standing up to take aim once more, taking note that Gaueko's left arm went limp. "I've dealt with werewolves for a while… I learn that you rely on your speed. And if you can't use your limbs…"

Another shock echoed through the Under, followed by the painful screech of a wounded animal.

"Your speed and strength is useless," Jack finished up as Gaueko fell off his limped leg and landed on the ground. "These bullets aren't silver tipped, heck they're not even bullets.

"They're specialized tranquilizer rounds that were coated with a special muscle relaxant that can pierce any organic body and figuratively turn your muscles into Jell-O. Right now, your arm and leg are completely useless – And will be for a good two hours."

Two more gun shots…

… Two more painful howls following…

Gaueko was laying on his stomach, all four of his limbs completely useless and numbed beyond feeling. Lifting his head up, the werewolf was met with the end of a handgun barrel.

Jack slowly pressed the weapon right in between Gaueko's eyes. "So you gotta ask yourself, punk," Jack spat, taking note that Gaueko's eyes widened. "Do you feel lucky? Huh? Do ya?"

"S… Stop…" Gaueko wheezed, trying to contain his beast within.

Receding the gun, Jack tapped the firearm against his shoulder, "… Alright," he scoffed. "But tell me something… You're a werewolf, so you know of others, right?"

"Y… Y… Yes!" Gaueko coughed, slowly pushing the beast inside away.

"Then tell me," Jack commanded pulling out the black gun with his right hand, making Gaueko's eyes widen. "I'm looking for a male werewolf who has an X-shaped scar right between his eyes… You know the guy?"

"I… I've never…" Gaueko stuttered, his mind drawing a blank at the brief description. "Heard of… A werewolf like… That…"

With a frown appearing on his face, Jack took aim with the black semiautomatic pistol, putting right where the white handgun was only a few moments ago.

Right between Gaueko's eyes.

"N-Now wait a sec!" Gaueko shriek with his hair standing on end. "Y-You're a Shadowchaser! Y-You ain't supposed to kill someone after the fair fight…"

Jack pulled the gun back, allowing Gaueko to sigh in relief.

But that's when Jack began to spin the two guns in his hands, tossing them over his shoulders and expertly catching the firearms behind him to continue spinning the weapons and repeating the process.

"W-What are you doing?" Gaueko questioned, his eyes watching the weapons toss and turn in the air.

"Testing your luck," Jack replied twirling the guns on his fingers before tossing them in the air a second time. "Whichever gun lands in my right hand after the third toss… Well, you've got a fifty-fifty chance of getting a tranquilizer that'll knock you out for a few hours. Otherwise…"

"Bu-But… You're a S-Shadowchaser…" Gaueko gulped, kinda hoping that he would get the tranquilizer. "Y-You can't kill…"

"You're right," Jack stated before he tossed the two guns high into the air. "But there's one thing wrong with your logic…"

The two guns began to descend, and Jack lifted his hands up to catch them…

"… I'm not a Shadowchaser," Jack stated bluntly.

The two guns landed exactly in Jack's hands and he snapped his right hand towards Gaueko's head…

0-0-0-0

While the lower streets were known as the Under of Las Vegas, the higher streets that were crowded with people and attractions was known as the Top. The under was kept in the dark most of the time while the top was basked in either the light of the sun or the neon light of the casinos.

It was always an impossibility to see the stars, even on a clear night, but the moon had a chance.

And as Jack sipped on his diet soda, he leaned against the wall of one of the newest casinos, looking up at the moon as the people walked in front of him. His white handgun still a little hot from that last shot.

The night was long… But when compared to what lay in front of him…

The journey would trail on and on…

Time: 2:29 a.m.

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Card Stats

Vanilla Blast / Continuous Spell / Effect: For each Normal Monster sent to the graveyard (other than being destroyed by card effects or battle), inflict 200 points of damage to your opponent's life points.

Image: Several normal monsters (Summoned Skull, Vorse Raider, Battle Ox, Celtic Guardian and Rude Kaiser) all standing in a blinding white light.

Ancient Gear Alert Alarm / Trap / Effect: Force the activation of 1 face-down Spell or Trap Card. If the timing of the activation of the Spell or Trap Card is incorrect, negate the effect and destroy it. After this effect is resolved, shuffle this card into your deck instead of sending it to the graveyard.

Image: An ancient alarm screeching through the halls of Ancient Gear Castle

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Who is this mysterious 'Jack' character?

If he's not a Shadowchaser, then why is this tale named after that popular story?

Find out next time as a legit Shadowchaser appears on the streets, searching for the clues to our mystery – But will this character find his answers when he has enough mysteries on his hands?

Find out next time:

Draw 1: Decayed Commander