As Ushiō's bellow set off panic, everyone in the intelligence department raced to the exits.
"Everyone, calm down."
A voice echoed from the ceiling.
It was a composed voice, but as it reached each listener's ears, it felt imbued with some extraordinary power, instantly soothing their panic.
Looking up, they saw Director Rex Goodwin's image floating midair by a holographic projector, his expression serene.
"It's just a prank."
Kira addressed everyone through the projection.
"No need to worry."
Ushiō was stunned, hesitating, "But, Director… there really was an explosion just now—"
"There was only one bomb, and it was outside in an unimportant area. It caused no real damage."
Kira stated calmly.
"They only planted that single bomb; the rest is all bluff. Our specialists are handling it—there's nothing to worry about."
With that, the projection ended.
Staff glanced at each other, shrugging helplessly.
Moments later, Ushiō spread his hands. "Well, the Director said so… let's just get back to work, everyone."
…
Sherry LeBlanc was far from pleased.
Nothing was going according to plan.
Originally, Elsworth was supposed to sneak in and plant a trojan program, then trigger a bomb threat to flush people out; she'd use the distraction to "borrow" the Security's supercomputer.
But up till now, Elsworth hadn't returned, nor had there been a single sign from him. She had to assume the worst—he'd likely been caught.
So she changed plans, triggered the bomb herself, and prepared to infiltrate—hopefully even rescue Elsworth if possible.
But even after the bomb threat, the Security showed no real reaction. Sherry grew more and more irritable.
What's with you people? Aren't you even the least bit afraid? There's a bomb! I said there are bombs in your building—how can you stay so calm?
A mellow, magnetic male voice rang from behind her: "Found you."
Sherry spun around warily—somehow, several people had silently closed in on her. She hadn't noticed them at all.
She saw: the Security Director, Rex Goodwin; a beautiful girl with rose-colored hair; and—
Elsworth?
Sherry was stunned.
Elsworth—what are you doing with the enemy!?
Kira glanced at Elsworth, "There was only one bomb, right? Just a bluff?"
Elsworth wavered, but then nodded, "Yes. We only prepared that one bomb. We never intended to hurt anyone. Our sole goal was to use the Security's supercomputer, so we wanted to clear the building by deception—"
"Elsworth!"
Sherry cried out in shock.
"Even you betrayed me!?"
The man who had risked his life to save her from the enemy's bullets, who'd brought her up like a second father—could even he betray her?
Sherry's heart froze.
If even this could happen, what else in the world was left to trust?
Elsworth wept, "Forgive me, my lady, but I really had no choice…"
Kira gently interceded, "Don't blame him. The power of a Shadow Game isn't something mere mortals can resist. It's not his fault."
"Shadow…what?"
Sherry gritted her teeth, clenching her fists.
"In that case, if you won't let us through, then I'll force the issue—!"
Kira shook his head, "Violence? That won't do. We're all civilized people—primitive methods like that are outdated. How about this instead—?"
Kira activated his duel disk.
Akiza gave him a surprised glance.
Still insisting on dueling at a time like this? Is he addicted to playing cards?
Sherry frowned, "You want to duel me?"
"You call yourself a Duelist, don't you? Well, so do I," Kira grinned. "Conflicts between duelists ought to be settled by duels. Isn't that the principle?"
Sherry: "And if I win?"
"Absolutely. I'll do my best to fulfill your need," said Kira promptly, "It's just borrowing the main computer, nothing major. I can authorize that much."
Sherry knew he was the one in charge, and if he respected the honor code of a duelist, there'd be no need for a risky forced break-in.
So she nodded, "Fine!"
She was confident in her dueling skills, always considering herself among the best in the world. She might've been able to win world titles, but her true goal was revenge, not fame.
Indeed, as Kira remembered, her dueling strength ranked alongside Yusei's in the early series.
But that's as far as it went. Sherry had no spirits or Mark of the Dragon or plot armor. Yusei got much stronger later on; at best, Sherry equaled early-series, pre-power-up Yusei.
"Duel!" x2
[Kira, LP: 4000]
[Sherry, LP: 4000]
Elsworth worried, "My lady, be careful. His dueling is… strange."
"You think I'll lose, Elsworth?"
Sherry was supremely confident.
"You've never seen me lose a single match, have you?"
Elsworth: "…"
It was true. Since mastering her skills, Sherry had never once lost, at least not in Elsworth's sight.
But after dueling this Director, Elsworth had a bad feeling. Everything had a first—maybe today would be her first defeat.
"I'll go first. Draw!"
Sherry's opening turn.
"I summon 'Apprentice Knight' in defense position!"
A young knight appeared, armored in gear a bit too heavy for one so youthful. She held a knight's sword and shield, her face beneath the helmet radiating an eager spirit despite its tender features.
[Apprentice Knight, DEF 1000]
The Apprentice Knight's backstory was a girl who took her ailing father's place at war, hiding her gender—the army all took her for a boy.
This card was never printed, but it was an important piece in Sherry's "Knight" archetype—part of her deck's story.
The girl began by donning her father's armor, becoming the Apprentice Knight. As she gained experience and weathered battle, she earned her own title, rising up—eventually evolving into the renowned "Fleur de Chevalier", and then even further to the iconic Synchro monster, "Baronne de Fleur".
Yes, the same Synchro Ace that once dominated the metagame in real life—"Baronne de Fleur". Though never seen in the anime, it was meant as the ultimate evolution of her ace, the Fleur de Chevalier.
Kira was quite interested in this card game lore; if only he could get "Fleur de Chevalier" printed early…
For now, Sherry set another card to her back row.
"I set one card face-down and end my turn!"