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fable-writeworth · 6 years ago

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Pawn Love

Title: Pawn Love

Summary: Yugo couldn't sleep. Yuri comforts him.

AU Name / Description: Academia Yugo AU - An AU where Leo kidnaps Yugo from the Synchro Dimension when he was young and messes with his memories so that he's only loyal to Academia.

Rating: T (Teens) - For mild swearing

Genres: Romance / Hurt / Comfort

Main Shippings:

Pawnshipping (Yugo x Yuri) [Named so because Yugo doesn't want to be known as a 'pawn of fusion' and Yuri is part of the Fusion Dimension.]

Minor Shippings:

[OC] Interruptshipping (Clear Wing Synchro Dragon x Starving Venom Fusion Dragon) [Named as such because Starving Venom and Clear Wing's first duel was 'interrupted' by Zuzu's bracelet and their second duel was 'interrupted' by Aster and Kite.]

It was late one night in Academia. After another day of hunting down Xyz rebellious scum most of the students were tired and were all fast asleep. All except one, who couldn’t seem to clear his head.

Yuri awoke that night from an uneventful sleep. It wasn’t uncommon for Yuri to wake up in the middle of the night but as he rolled over to go back to sleep he realized that the room was quiet.

Too quiet.

Yuri sat up and looked around but the room was dark and empty. The quiet part was odd since Yuri’s roommate snored like a cow. Yuri looked over at his partner’s side of the room to see that his blankets that were on his bed was pushed to the side and was vacant. Yuri lets out a sigh and stood up, pulling on his boots in the process.

His partner has been doing this nearly every night for the past month. Now Yuri really wouldn’t look too much into this. After all, what his partner did late at night wasn't his business, but at this point in time Yuri really couldn’t afford to have his partner’s dueling skills lacking because of a loss of sleep.

The hallways were long, dark, and ominous. Yuri kept on walking with purposeful strides, his purple duel disk clutched in one hand till he reached the front doors. He pushed them open and looked around. The sky was dark, saved for the lights of the stars and the moon.

When Yuri immediately didn’t spy his partner he pulled out his deck and took out his ace monster’s card. A card with a purple border. A Fusion monster.

Starving Venom Fusion Dragon.

“Hey, wake up.” Yuri spoke softly. It didn’t take much to rouse Starving Venom from his slumber. Yuri waited a few seconds and he soon felt the familiar sensation of Venom's shadow wrapping around him. “He’s gone again. Can you find him?”

His dragon grunted in acknowledgement and Yuri watches as his dragon’s shadow disappeared from his own and slipped into the night. Yuri decided not to wait and followed after his dragon, wanting to get back to his warm bed as soon as possible. As he walked he hugged himself to keep the chill away. His purple pajamas were thin and the air was chilly.

Academia was a large school, but the school and dorms didn’t take up much room on the island they were on. Maybe about 20%. The rest was dense forest and woods, beaches with boating docks, and even an active volcano that no student was allowed near.

Of course, Starving Venom had no trouble tracking down his roommate, returning to Yuri’s side only after Yuri had taken just a couple of steps into the dark forest.

“You found him?” Yuri question. The Dragon-Type hissed and slipped away again. Yuri followed, picking his way carefully through the woods till he ended up at the boating docks.

“Of course.” Yuri thought, annoyed. “He would be at the docks. Because he couldn’t pick an area closer to the dorm rooms.” As he approached, Starving Venom waited patiently at the start of the docks. Yuri could see his partner more clearly.

A boy his age, with dual colored hair, yellow bangs swept to the right and blue in the back. He was still dressed in his white and red pajamas, but had on his black boots. He was sitting at the edge of the docks, his head tilted up at the sky.

Yuri didn’t have to say anything to make his presence known. He already knew he was there.

“Yuri? What are you doing up?” He asked without turning around. Yuri didn’t answer until he was standing right beside him.

“Shouldn’t I be asking you that?” Yuri counter. His partner finally looked up at him. His roommate’s eyes were an aqua blue color. It sort of reminded Yuri of the morning sky.

“Couldn’t sleep.” He answered. Yuri glance to his left where he could make out the soothing presence of Clear Wing Synchro Dragon. A card with a white border. A Synchro monster.

Starving Venom curled up beside Clear Wing, in which Clear Wing began purring softly. Being together since their two Duel Masters were kids, of course the two ace monsters would be comfortable with each other.

“Every night? That’s some insomnia you got.” He only mumbles in agreement before looking back up at the stars. Yuri waits for him to provide more insight but he doesn’t.

Because nothing was ever simple with him.

Yuri is silent until he notices that his partner was playing with something in his hand. A card, in fact. Clear Wing’s card to be exact. And that’s when everything fell into place.

And Yuri couldn’t help but face palm.

“You have got to be kidding me, Yugo.”

“Eh?”

“This is what’s keeping you up at night?” Even in the darkness Yuri could see Yugo’s cheek flush red in embarrassment at getting caught as he quickly hid away the card.

“What?! I-uhh…” Yuri lets out a long sigh.

“Are you really that ashame of your dragon?”

“O-of course not! Clear Wing is awesome! I just-” The words die at Yugo’s throat as Clear Wing lets out a whine of understanding. “The sis-”

“The Taylor Sisters?! Them?!” Yuri shook his head in disapproval as Yugo bites his lip. “Oh Yugo, those two are so beneath you. Their words mean nothing.”

“I-I know...but…”

“But nothing, Yugo. I could wipe the floor with them. You could wipe the floor with them. And if we did a tag team duel as they so love to do, we would destroy them.” Yuri waits for him to start agreeing with him, but that doesn’t happen. Instead Yugo’s gaze drifts back down to his card.

“Yugo, you’re not the only student who uses a summoning method other than Fusion. Dennis uses Xyz and you don’t see him getting all moody about it.”

“But he still uses Fusion. He has Performage Trapeze Witch and the Ancient Gear Hounds. I don’t have any Fusion Speedroid Monsters. I-I...I don’t belong here, Yuri.” Now that actually shook him.

“What are you talking about? You belong here just as much as anyone else. You’re one of the top students here, only second to me.”

“I know all that, but...the way everyone looks at me and Clear Wing. Like we’re freaks….” Clear Wing lets out a soft rawr, his wings drooping down. Yuri blinks at him. This was going to be a lot harder than all the other times. What were those kids saying to him when Yuri’s not around? Yuri sat down on the docks beside him.

“Yugo, look at me.” At first, he didn’t do anything, then slowly he turned his head to face Yuri. “There’s a reason you’re my partner. The Professor wouldn’t just partner me up with anyone. You and your dragon are strong and you know how to get a job done. You’re just as loyal to Academia as anyone else.”

“I know. I know.” Yugo said softly, turning away.

“The Professor is a smart man. He knows that you and Clear Wing belong together or he would have made you get rid of it long ago.”

“Damn it, Yuri! I know! I know! I know all of that!” Yugo exploded. “But it doesn’t matter how much stronger I am than them! It doesn’t matter how much good I do for this school! I have a Synchro Monster so that makes me an enemy of Academia!” Yuri was shocked as actual tears began to brim Yugo’s eyes. This was much, much worse. Those kids weren’t just teasing him.

Yuri suddenly grabbed the sides of Yugo’s face with both of his hands, forcing him to look at Yuri in the eyes. Yugo grabbed his wrists and tried to pull away, but Yuri kept him firmly in place.

“What have those idiots been telling you?” Yuri asked calmly. Yugo’s lips tremble and his eyes are wet with tears.

“The-they said that...when it’s time to take over th-the Synchro Dimension, the Pr-Profesor is going to...card me, because Fusion is superior and there’s no room for…”

“You are such an idiot, Yugo."

“H-huh?”

“If you actually believe those kids you’re more of an moron than I thought.”

“Hey! I am not!” Yugo protested.

“Yugo, that will never happen. Even if your grades are lackluster your dueling skills are on a much higher scale than anyone I have ever seen. It would be a dumb move on the Professor’s part to card you.” A few lone tears escaped Yugo’s eyes. “Besides, the only one in this school who would have the actual skills to beat and card you would be me.” Yuri wiped away the tears gently with his thumb. “And I would never do that to you.”

Starving Venom’s tail curled around Clear Wing protectively as he roared in agreement.

“You...you promise?”

“...Sure.” Yuri said, rolling his eyes as he lets go of Yugo’s face. “If it will make you go back to bed faster.” Yugo actually smiled.

Yuri has always been Yugo’s only friend. Despite his cold appearance and barbed tongue, Yuri was really the only one Yugo could talk too. At first, the one thing that really caught Yugo’s attention was Yuri’s likeness to him. They both shared the same face but with such major differences in personality. Yugo could only assume that’s why Yuri was so drawn to him as well.

When the Professor assigned him as Yuri’s partner Yuri wasn’t all too happy about it. Even though they shared the same face, Yuri would rather work alone. Their partnership was like putting oil and water together for the first few months, but after awhile they both got used to each other. Yugo has proven that he was just as capable as Yuri in a duel and Yuri wasn’t ‘always’ a complete asshole to him. Yugo knew the softer side of Yuri that no one really knew existed.

“Now stop crying, you’re a duel soldier for Slifer’s sake.” As Yugo wiped away the rest of his tears he felt an arm wrap around his waist. The next thing he knew, he was being pulled into Yuri’s chest.

“Y-Yuri?!”

“And if those kids say that type of shit to you again, you come find me.” Yugo sense Starving Venom’s presence flaring to life. Yugo knew better than to argue when Yuri was in this state so he just nods.

“Ok-okay Yuri.” The presence dies down after that and Yuri removes his arm.

“Come on. We’ve wasted enough time here. It’s going to be dawn soon and I need my beauty sleep.” Yuri said as he stood up. Yugo followed suit. The two tucked their cards back into their decks and started the walk back to their dorm room, with their dragons following ever so loyally behind them.

#fanfiction #yugioh arc v #yaoi #oneshot #yugo #yuri #pawnshipping #academiayugoau

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real-life-pine-tree · 8 years ago

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Seed of Darkness: How It All Begins (1/?)

All it takes it one bad seed to spoil the whole bunch. An AU collab with @violetganache42.

"So, you wish to not let this path be your destined fate."

"Of course! I'll do anything!"

"Then perhaps I can help. I'll give you the power you need to break from the chains you wear, but in return, you must join me."

"Join you? Why would I do that?"

"Because in my perfect world, you can do whatever you want. You're not restricted by chains. You can be anything you want to be."

"Anything?"

"So what do you say? Do we have a deal?"

"...Alright."

"Excellent. Now stay quiet for now. When the time comes, we will strike, and your destiny will finally be your own."

Two Years Later...

"Clear Wing, attack Dark Rebellion XYZ Dragon! Spinstorm Sky Strike!"

It was the night of the Arc League Championship in the town of Paradise City. The first set of matches were over, and as of now, a lot of crazy stuff has been occurring, beginning with an intense duel heating up between Shay Obsidian from Heartland City and Sora Perse of Duel Academy, who was forcibly teleported back there right as he was in the middle of dueling two look-alikes: another XYZ resident and member of the Resistance named Yuto and the Pendulum pioneer known as Yuya Sakaki. After Sora’s sudden teleportation and the duel ending with no result, Yuto explained to Yuya about his hometown was also a place full of smiles until the Invasion struck, resulting in the carding of so many innocent people at the hands of Duel Academy. He also went on to mention that there are four dimensions in this universe: Standard, XYZ, Fusion, and Synchro. Despite his skepticism, Yuya knew that dueling should never be used as a weapon for fighting but to bring happiness among others, something he learned from his dear father Yusho.

Before the two counterparts could continue talking, a Duel Runner suddenly appeared, with the driver revealing itself to be Yugo, who looked like the formers and was anticipating his duel against Yuto since their last encounter. Before Yuya knew it, the two began their duel and it was quickly shown that Yugo is the Synchro counterpart to Yuya and Yuto when he Synchro Summoned Hi-Speedroid Kendama. Pretty soon, they brought out their respective ace monsters—Clear Wing Synchro Dragon and Dark Rebellion XYZ Dragon—and fell into a berserk state, with their eyes shotting open and glowing aqua green and periwinkle. A concerned Yuya helped Yuto get back into his senses when he feared that the hatred he has for Yugo was getting to him and dueling shouldn’t be used to express hatred. As a result, he ended his turn.

Yugo initiated his turn, and thanks to the effects of Speedroid Razorang and Clear Wing, he was about to claim victory as he declared his attack with his 4500 ATK dragon to destroy Yuto’s 3000 ATK Dark Rebellion. To make matters worse, Yuya was caught in the crossfire and it looked like he was the one receiving the attack until…

"GAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!"

Yuto used his cape to shield his eyes from a sudden flash of red light. "What the...?" he muttered to himself. He had tried to push his Standard counterpart out of the way to avoid getting hit from the attack, but something had just happened that prevented him from doing so, but what? What exactly caused this red light to flash out of nowhere?

At that very same moment, Yuya had just felt a sharp, stabbing pain pierce him through his heart. The penetration wasn’t lethal thankfully, but it was far from lethal; it felt too painful to even describe with words alone yet it would seem meaningless to even try to because a simple agonizing scream that was heard through the red light was all that was needed to even describe what happened.

Suddenly, Yugo's eyes stopped glowing as he regained his senses. At the same time, Clear Wing stopped the attack. "What is it, girl?" the banana-banged Duelist asked his dragon.

Clear Wing let out a soft growl, causing Yugo's eyes to widen. "Holy crud, you're right!" he exclaimed. "The Friendship Cup! I completely forgot about that!" He removed the remaining cards in his Duel Disk, ending the duel as both dragons vanished.

Yuto ran over to Yugo. "Where do you think you're going?" he asked.

"Look, I'm so sorry for the misunderstanding," Yugo said. "Somethin' was clouding my judgement and I completely thought you were someone else."

"Who?" Yuto asked, surprised by the change in Yugo's personality.

"I don't have time to explain," Yugo said. "Right now, I have to get back to my home dimension." He held up Clear Wing's card. "Clear Wing Synchro Dragon, let's head back to New Domino City!"

With a purring sound of agreement, a bright light flashed from Clear Wing’s card covered Yugo in its rays until he was gone, leaving Yuto more confused than he was a few seconds ago. First off, it looked liked his Synchro counterpart was talking to his dragon almost like if it was his pet. Does that meant he can also talk to Duel Monsters spirits too? But was he even aware about the high possibility of people saying cards can’t talk? Then again, Yuto was kind of a hypocrite since he can also hear their voices and communicate with them too, most particularly Dark Rebellion. Secondly, New Domino City was Yugo’s hometown in the Synchro Dimension? If so, then he needs to find him to try and gain more information about his misunderstand because whoever this person is, he must have the same facial traits as the two and Yuya…after this Friendship Cup event he mentioned. Speaking of Yuya, third of all, was he going to be alright after this abrupt ordeal? His head and body shifted to where he was only to find him still standing even after the red light faded away, which was rather peculiar. Did he really endure this combination of the light and the force of Clear Wing’s attack?

"Yuya?" Yuto asked. "Are you alright?"

But Yuya didn't respond. Instead, he fell to his knees, a blank gaze in his eyes.

"Yuya!"

Off in the distance, a pink-haired girl in pigtails ran to where the two Yu boys were. Yuto immediately recognized her as Zuzu Boyle, whom he had encountered on multiple occasions prior to the Arc League Championship. Right as she arrived, something even stranger was in the air: Yuto wasn’t sent back to Heartland this time. But why? With him and her so focused on Yuya, they didn’t even noticed that the bracelet that she had ever since she was a baby had vanished from her right wrist. Did that meant it had some kind of connection with them? As if there was a reason to keep them away from each other at all costs?

However, Zuzu was more concerned about Yuya, who had just lost consciousness. "Yuya, what's wrong?" the Melodious user asked, shaking the tomato-haired teen's body. "What happened?"

"I'll tell you what happened," Yuto said. "A Duelist with blonde and dark blue hair named Yugo challenge me to a duel, but things got so crazy. Not only was Yuya caught in the crossfire, but there was a sudden flash of red light coming from his body. Then Yugo said something about a 'friendship cup' and disappeared."

Zuzu was alarmed. "Are you saying Yuya got hurt?" she asked.

"Judging by his loud, pained scream, I think he did," Yuto said.

Zuzu looked deeply concerned. "Yuya..."

Meanwhile, in a different location, there was a remote island located nearby from a city that was surrounded by a large body of water. On the island was a large structure that looked like it was integrated onto the island itself. This was without a doubt Duel Academy, a duel school from the Fusion Dimension run under the Professor’s control where he has his students learn how to duel and use Fusion Summoning as a way to fulfill his plans; in fact, he executed the Invasion of Heartland City, which initiated the Interdimensional War as a result. It was also the same place where Sora was forcibly transported back to and was now resting in the infirmary due to the injuries he received from his duel against Shay. But his loss and revelation of his true colors weren’t on his mind right now; all that he could of was the students.

He remembered seeing his eyes locked into deep stares at each and every faces as he was being escorted indoors, including a pale-skinned, spiky black-haired Obelisk Force soldier maintaining his composure, a mathematically intelligent Ra Yellow boy deducing what’s going on, and two Slifer Red girls—one with long blue hair and brown eyes and one with tealish-blue eyes and brown hair that has gotten longer over the years—comforting each other. All he heard as he struggled to regain consciousness was the sounds of terror among those indoors and out. Mass hysteria and panic was around every corner no matter where you turned. Terrified screams echoed through the long halls and tall walls of the Academy. It felt like the paranoia went on forever and seemed like there was no end to it at all. Sora wasn’t sure if what he witnessed was all but just a bad dream…or if it was all too real.

Suddenly, a 14-year-old boy with slicked back purple and pink hair wearing an elite soldier's uniform slammed the infirmary door open. "Sora, we have to get out of here!" he exclaimed, speaking in a slightly high-pitched voice.

"Yuri?" Sora asked. "How come?"

The boy, Yuri, seemed a bit hesitant to answer. "Well... You see..."

"What's wrong?" Sora asked, sounding a bit serious.

"I don't know how to explain it," Yuri admitted, brushing a hand through his hair. "It all started when the Professor was murdered-"

"What?!" Sora interrupted, sitting up in the provided bed. "The Professor is dead?!"

"Yes, but that's not all," Yuri continued. "Every person we carded is being restored. Yet while all of the non-Duelists are returning to their home dimensions, the others...well..."

"What happened to the Duelists we carded?" Sora asked.

"They came back different," Yuri further explained. "At first I thought them attacking the other students was merely just payback, but they kept on winning. And whoever they defeated appeared to have joined their side, even our most elite Obelisk Force soldiers."

"But who killed the Professor?" Sora asked.

"Who else?" Yuri asked in response.

Sora looked deeply alarmed. "You don't mean..."

"Precisely," Yuri answered.

Sora got off the infirmary bed. "We have to do something to stop this!"

"I'm already ahead of you," Yuri said. He took out his Violet Flash Spell card, his preferred mode of transportation. "We must gather as many allies as possible and warn them about this sudden takeover."

Knowing what was going to happen, Sora strapped on his Duel Academy Duel Disk, put his deck in the Duel Disk, and grabbed on to Yuri's arm. "So where to?" the Frightfur user asked.

"Our first stop is the Standard Dimension," Yuri explained. "If my suspicions are correct, our dear friend Dennis McField is already there. No doubt he will be a prime target. Now then, shall we bring peace back to our home?"

"You bet!" Sora cheerfully replied. "Onward to the Standard Dimension!"

In a bright flash of violet light, Yuri and Sora dematerialized and vanished from the infirmary to the Standard Dimension to search for Dennis, leaving the room empty and leaving behind a horrifying viral outbreak that was only going to get worse if it’s not dealt with.

#Seed of Darkness #yugioh arc v #Yuya Sakaki #cardfight!! vanguard #Link Joker

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ygoreviews · 8 years ago

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Super Vehicroid - Mobile Base ———————————————— 1 "roid" Fusion Monster + 1 "roid" monster You can target 1 face-up monster your opponent controls; Special Summon 1 "roid" monster from your Deck or Extra Deck with ATK less than or equal to that monster. You can only use this effect of "Super Vehicroid - Mobile Base" once per turn. Once per turn, during the End Phase: You can target 1 "roid" monster in your Main Monster Zone (other than this card); return that monster you control to the hand, and if you do, move this card you control to that monster's Monster Zone. ———————————————— Can Be Found In: Legendary Duelists (LEDU-EN030)

Vehicroids have been in a very odd spot since their debut. Although appearing in a time where Fusion Summons gained big improvements, the archetype aimed for all kinds fo roles and situations that made its main premise not prevalent until very recently. Vehicroids is far from one of the strongest builds out there, but they have obtained efficient tools to setup nearly unbeatable Fusion Monsters as well setups in other field. The latter cna also involve any Roid monster outside Vehicroids, allowing the build to work with Speedroids and further expand their options.

"Super Vehicroid - Mobile Base" is one of the oddest Fusion Monsters in the game, starting with no ATK yet one of the highest DEF stats in the whole game. "Mobile Base" doesn't need to get into any battles however, as once per turn can target an opponent monster to let us summon a Roid monster from our Deck or Extra Deck with same or lower ATK than the chosen enemy. To make things even more interesting "Mobile Base" is one of the first recent monsters to interact with Monster Zones, as at cost of bouncing another Roid in our field "Mobile Base" will take its spot on the board. Overall, while the latter effect will mostly have an use to clear our Extra Monster Zone for other big summons, "Mobile Base" becomes quite threatening just for its summoning effect ranging from gathering materials to preparing lethal combos with ease.

Despite being a Fusion focused Deck, the archetype is quite poor in that objective in comparison to other builds. But even though "Mobile Base" asks a Roid Fusion among its materials, Vehicroids are still able to perform an affordable Fusion Summon without much effort. The best Fusion candidate for its summon will be "Pair Cycroid", one of their weakest Fusion Monsters yet capable to immediately arrive on the field by "Instant Fusion". The second material can be anyone including outside the main Vehicroid theme, ranging from "Expressroid" recovering materials in late game to Speedroids assisting us with effects like "Speedroid Terrortop". When comes to effects to perform the Fusion Summon "Vehicroid Connection Zone" will become our best bet, as not only will bring out "Mobile Base" but also provide it a variety of protective effects making it harder to counter. Keep on mind that "Mobile Base" can use its own effect to summon other copies, but will be only truly effective under particular circumstances.

The pressence of "Mobile Base" can lead us to gathering other monsters to improve our field or even achieving lethal results as soon is on the field. Its summoning effect might be restricted to the opponent's monsters, yet "Mobile Base" has a huge liberty of choices in both Extra Deck and Main Deck. Not only we can bring out members like "Steamroid" and "Super Vehicroid Jumbo Drill" to deal with tough enemies, but also Speedroids such as "Hi-Speedroid Chanbara" to declare double attacks or "Speedroid Terrortop" to gather more Speedroids with its effect. "Mobile Base" itself can become a good choice for its own effect thanks to its lack of ATK, and with two of them together we can perform an OTK with the help of "Shield & Sword" and maybe "Limiter Removal" to turn their DEF into lethal attacks. And if this setup doesn't completely finish off the opponent, "Mobile Base" and its copy can overlay together to Xyz summon a monster such as "Superdreadnought Rail Cannon Gustav Max" and chip away the opponent's remaining Life Points. However, keep on mind to summon monsters from the Extra Deck "Mobile Base" must clear the Extra Monster Zone it will most likely be occupying. So to achieve its best summons we must invest a roid to bounce back as well protect "Mobile Base" from the opponent's turn, or bring a Link Monster to provide additional Zones.

Vehicroids might have severe flaws when compared to many other archetypes, but with Fusion Monsters such as "Super Vehicroid - Mobile Base" they can become a very threatening build. Even with no ATK, "Mobile Base" summoning effect can range from bringing powerful monsters in our Extra Deck, gathering materials, to even performing an OTK with its own copies. The Extra Deck summons are "Mobile Base" greatest ability, and that's why we must prepare a roid to move this monster to another Zone or start with a Link Summon. Fortunately the Fusion Summon of "Mobile Base" has some solid shortcuts despite its heavy requeriments, so we can invest more on the powerful outcomes of its summons. "Mobile Base" might take a full turn and/or assistance of other monsters for its best performance, but with solid support and powerful targets to finish off the opponent together makes it a potential lead for the whole build.

Personal Rating: A-

+ Can summon a Roid from our Deck or Extra Deck + Ability to move to another Zone and clear the Extra Monster Zone during our End Phase + Several targets and setups with its summoning effect including OTKs with its own copies + Easy to cheapen its summon

- Lack of ATK - Summoning effect relies on the opponent's monsters - Requires Link Monsters and/or a full turn to prepare its Extra Deck summons

#yugioh #Yu-Gi-Oh #Yu-Gi-Oh!#yu gi oh #ygo #super vehicroid - mobile base #super vehicroid mobile base #fusion #super vehicroid #vehicroid #roid #mobile base

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real-life-pine-tree · 8 years ago

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Arc-V Spirit Day: Day 4 - Demon

In the world of Yu-Gi-Oh, the characters don’t celebrate Halloween. Instead, they call it Duel Monsters Spirit Day. And on the days counting down to this year’s Spirit Day, the Yu-Salad Boys and the Energy Girls proceed to make new memories with their new lives. Takes place after the events of Arc-V Aftermath.

From the moment Yugo defeated Yuya in the Team Duel Tournament finals, Team Turbo's life changed forever. One minute they were mere commoners, the next they were officially Topsiders and on their way to becoming Turbo Duel pros. However, with Turbo Duels being more popular in America, they ended up leaving their home, far away from their friends.

At the moment, Yugo was in a hotel room in Vegas. Team Turbo was there to take part in the Riches Cup, a massive countrywide Turbo Duel tournament that also served as a charity fundraiser. But despite being the team leader, he chose to sit out, letting Shinji take his spot for the tournament. Besides, given by the feedback he was watching on TV, he had nothing to worry about. He knew his team would win.

"And now I call on my animal friends!" Rin announced as she began her lap around the Turbo Duel arena. "Majespecters Nekomata and Bunbuku, bring forth my Windwitches!"

"Incredible!" the announcer exclaimed. "It appears the Snowflake Princess herself has now mastered Pendulum Summoning!"

Yugo smiled softly. When Jack Atlas brought Team Turbo to America, Rin quickly developed a reputation as a real life Cinderella. It didn't take long before she quickly adapted to that reputation, even adding those two American-exclusive Pendulum cards to her deck to improve her dueling strategies.

But not even seeing his girlfriend duel could fully cheer up Yugo. This was going to be his first Spirit Day away from his home country. Even with his teammates (and Jack, of course), he still felt lonely.

Letting out a sad sigh, Yugo took out his Clear Wing card from his deck and looked at it. "Was it really worth it?" he asked his dragon. "Even I know you feel the same way. The other dragons probably miss their brother too."

"Actually, Clear Wing is a girl."

Yugo was startled by the sudden voice. "Who said that?!" he exclaimed.

"Calm down, Yugo. It's me, the great Zarc Nightstone."

That didn't help the blonde-banged Duelist calm down. "What're you doin' in my head, you psycho demon?!" he demanded.

"Look, it's not like I had a choice. When Leo separated Ray and myself back into you and the other seven counterparts, I ended up sticking around in spirit form. Now I can communicate with you and the rest of the salad-haired guys in each of your minds. Ray can do the same with her other selves."

"Wait, so you're stuck in my head?" Yugo asked.

"Sort of. I can switch between each of your minds whenever I want. And with Yuto helping his girlfriend's family with decorating the house, Yuya helping his dad with an upcoming celebration, and Yuri working on a costumed party for Duel Academy, I figured I should check in with you to see what you're doing for Spirit Day this year."

"Well not much," Yugo said, pouting slightly. "I miss my home."

"But didn't you always wanted to be a Topsider?"

"Not like this," Yugo admitted. "If I had known Turbo Duels were more popular in America, I wouldn't have set out to become a pro." He brushed a hand through his now-short hair, a result of him having to look the part of being a Topsider. "Not to mention how much time will pass before my hair grows back."

But Zarc snorted a laugh. "What's so funny?" Yugo demanded.

"Everyone gets homesick. Sure it'll take time for you to adjust, but you'll be alright. I'm sure everyone else on the team feels the same way, even your girlfriend."

"But what about everyone else back home?" Yugo asked. "They probably miss me."

"Of course they miss you, but they're also proud of you. Sure I kinda feel guilty for putting you through so much, but you're living your childhood dream with your girls. This should be the happiest time of your life."

Yugo's gaze went back to the TV, which now showed Rin bringing out Windwitch - Crystal Bell as the arena was covered in sparkles. "Well she is pretty special," the Speedroid user said. But then he realized what Zarc said. "Wait, did you say 'girls'?"

"Yeah, you ditz. You're holding the other one."

Yugo looked at his hand, realizing he was still holding his signature ace. "Wait... That means..." His eyes widened in embarrassment. "Clear Wing's been a girl this whole time?!"

"You didn't notice how curvy she is compared to the other dragons?"

Yugo heavily blushed, causing Zarc to let out a frustrated sigh. "Everything is different now..." the Synchro counterpart muttered.

#YGOtober #Arc V Aftermath #yugioh arc v #Yugo (arc v)#Clear Wing Synchro Dragon #Zarc (arc v)

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real-life-pine-tree · 8 years ago

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Arc-V Aftermath: The After-Party (25/26)

When all is said and done, things have quickly recovered in the four dimensions. But when weird things start happening, the Yu-Salad Boys and the Bracelet Girls quickly realize they have some loose ends to fix. Co-written with @violetganache42.

WARNING: Dub names will be featured in the story.

Later that night, in the New Domino City section, the Topsiders were getting ready for the Team Duel Tournament after-party to celebrate Team Turbo's victory, including the winning teammates themselves. Yesterday, shortly after the Fusion Parasite was removed from her ear, Rin had made a promise to Yugo on how he was going to wear the handmade dress he made for her and she wasn't letting this opportunity slip on by.

"Seriously?" a Topsider seamstress asked. "You want to wear that old rag?"

"A friend made it for me," Rin explained, holding the handmade dress. "I know it's not fancy, but I like cute and comfortable outfits."

"Oh great," the seamstress said in disdain. "You must be that girl Akiza talks about."

"Akiza?" Rin asked. "As in, Akiza Izinski?"

"Of course," the seamstress answered. "Despite being born a Topsider, Akiza preferred to hang out among the Commons. She currently owns a donation center in that section."

Rin already knew that because she enjoys shopping for clothes there and was close friends with Akiza. "I visit her donation center a lot for new clothes," the green-haired girl explained. "She even gives me tips for hair and makeup, although I didn't know she's actually a Topsider."

"Well, if you really are a good friend of Akiza's, I'll suppose you can wear this...ragged old dress," the seamstress said.

Meanwhile, Yugo was at a barber shop getting a haircut. That's right. An actual haircut. …Much to his dismay, of course. This was the style he grew up with all his life even after he combed out his bands during the semifinals, so it seemed normal to him.

"No way!" Yugo protesting, clutching the top of his head. "I've had this hairstyle my whole life! Why should I change it?!"

"Because I was told you wanted the full Topsider treatment," a Topsider barber explained. "And that includes fixing those unruly locks."

Yugo knew he wanted the full Topsider treatment, but he wasn't expecting something like this. His natural and perfectly-coiffed hairstyle was definite proof that he never understood why he has to get a haircut. He spent his whole life trying to not die hungry. He never had time to worry about his hair getting too long.

"I don't know..." Yugo said, tugging on a dark blue lock of his hair. "Do I really need a trim?"

"Yes, you do," the barber answered. "Now please sit in the chair."

Yugo took a deep breath. "Alright," he said, sitting in the provided chair. He closed his eyes. "Do your worst."

Some time later, the TDT after-party located at the Duel Palace began and everyone who participated were invited along with their friends and families. They all wore their best suits and dresses, made their hair presentable and elegant-looking, and donned their matching accessories; in other words, they were dressed nicely enough to "fit in" with the Topsiders since they were known to discriminate Commons (although wealthy people from the Heartland City section were able to blend in easily).

Despite not being a dress person, Celina wore a gray, strapless dress that went past her knees with a black ribbon tied around where her hips were, a black bracelet on her right wrist where her old bracelet used to be, and a pair of heeled sandals tied with black ribbons. Lulu pinned up her dark purple hair and adorned in an aquamarine, floor-length dress with silver sparkles in the breast area and around the waist along with diamond flats. Zuzu wore her pink hair down as she arrived in a white, knee-length dress that exposed her chest and was decorated with green vines and bushes of white, yellow, and red roses with matching sandals. As for the guys, Yuya wore a silk black suit, Yuto wore his black formal suit, and Yuri wore a dark purple tuxedo with coat tails and white gloves.

"Uh... Don't you think you're overdoing it?" Yuya asked Lulu.

"Don't be ridiculous," Lulu answered. "This is one of my more casual gowns."

She was right; since she lives in an elite environment, she can distinguish high class attire on whether or not it's casual. Besides, she has a lot of fancier dresses back at home. Yuto can also agree with her response even if he didn't have that same ability as her.

"Oh, don't you worry," Lulu said, looking a bit sad. "In a few years, you'll be able to tell the difference between silk suits and cloth suits."

Even since the duel where Zuzu got corrupted by No. 52: Diamond Crab King, Lulu couldn't stop thinking about the alternate timeline. It was kind of depressing to learn the sole reason she existed was to prevent this timeline from collapsing and maintain its balance. Who was she supposed to replace? Was her love with Yuto even real to begin with? Was she more than just a replacement and actually an individual? She didn't want these questions bothering her, so for now, she decided to focus on celebrating the after-party.

Elsewhere, Team Turbo were just about done getting ready for tonight. Crow and Shinji simply wore suits because they didn't want to go all out like their friends. Rin and Yugo have dreamt about living their lives among the Topsiders since they were younger and they wanted to take full advantage of it. Rin wore the dress Yugo made for her with sapphire flats and had her hair pinned up with her side tails curled. However, someone was missing and they knew exactly who this someone was.

"Where's Yugo?" Crow asked. "He should have been here right now."

"Your friend is running a bit late due to personal reasons," Jack explained.

"It was probably about getting a haircut," Rin guessed.

"No, I said it was because of personal reasons," Jack repeated.

"I know Yugo," Rin said. "I know that moron has issues about getting haircuts."

She was right. She has known Yugo for a long time and knew he never was a big fan of getting haircuts. But as if on cue, a certain someone finally showed up.

"Sorry I'm late," Yugo said. "I think those Topsiders overdid it- Why are you guys lookin’ at me like that?"

His blonde bangs were now trimmed and brushed forward and his dark blue locks have been cut short. For tonight, he wore a white suit instead of his usual Turbo Duelist outfit. Unbeknownst to him, his teammates were staring at him because this was the first time he looked formal and clean, especially in Rin's eyes since she was having a sparkly vision about him.

"Yugo..." Rin said, completely in awe. "You look so handsome!"

"You actually like this monkey suit and stupid haircut?" Yugo asked. He clearly didn't like his new look, everything from his haircut to the suit. It wasn't much his style and it made him feel insecure about it, which Rin took notice on.

"No, she's right," Shinji disagreed. "You look pretty nice."

"Yeah," Crow added. "You look like a real Topsider."

Yugo was still skeptical on their reactions, so he wanted to know if there was a room with a mirror in it to see for himself. He did find a full-length mirror, but he wasn't pleased with what he saw.

The Speedroid user let out a sad laugh. "I don't even recognize my own reflection anymore," he admitted.

Seeing his reflection made him realize that he was right; his hair was too short and he was actually wearing a suit. He was practically a new person and he didn't like it.

Rin walked up to Yugo. "Don't say stuff like that," she said. "You do look different, but don't let that bother you. You're still my goofy moron under all that Topsider stuff."

As Yugo turned around, he noticed how Rin dolled herself up for the big night, showing that she has easily adapted to her new life and how she was comfortable with it. His smile became happier as he planted a kiss on her lips.

"Thanks RinRin," Yugo said.

"You're welcome," Rin replied. She held her boyfriend's hand, intertwining their fingers. "Now let's show the world the new us."

The two caught up with Crow and Shinji as Jack escorted them to the Duel Palace's ballroom where the party was held to present them to the partygoers. As they all entered, everyone applauded for New Domino's newest Topsiders.

"Everyone, this is Team Turbo," Jack announced. "Starting today, they are officially Topsiders and dueling professionals."

Dueling professionals?! Already?! How is that even possible?! Team Turbo all kept their surprise to as subtle as they could for the Topsiders' sake, but deep down, Yugo and Rin were super ecstatic because they thought they were living in a dream where their childhood plans for the future were coming true. The two squeezed each other's hands, happy with this reveal.

"Of course, I will have to train them as their personal manager," Jack added. "But they will still take part in official dueling tournaments."

Much like earlier today, he was applying the winning rules of the Friendship Cup to the Team Duel Tournament where they're not only given access to live in the Tops, but were also starting a career as pro Turbo Duelists. Needless to say, this was the best thing that has ever happened to Yugo and Rin.

After Jack gave out the rest of his introductory speech, the after-party had officially begun as participators, friends, families, and loved ones communicated with one another, ate and drank some of the Tops' finest cuisines and beverages, and got the chance to interact with Team Turbo. So far, everything was going well as Yuya socialized with his parents and closely knit group of friends—including his counterparts—while also trying to get an understanding of how fancy parties like this work. It was bad enough he had a small hassle with the Obsidians' robot maids, so he wanted to be sure how the food and drinks tastes while also using the right amount of proper etiquette skills; him almost getting that full body pampering virtually gave him an experience of taking part in high class events. But at least that experience helped him with how to style his hair for those events, since his tomato-colored locks were currently combed back with a small ponytail.

"Mato!"

Yuya turned his around to see baby Riley in Moon Shadow's arms as she held her free arm out in the direction to where he was, with her other arm holding a small C/C Critical Eye plush. She was clearly happy to see him several weeks after Zarc's soul was cleansed of the darkness.

"Moon Shadow?" Yuya asked. "What are you doing with Riley?"

"Declan informed me that the young Akaba was able to retain all of her memories," Moon Shadow explained. "So because she also remembers her past abuse, he thought it would be better for my brother and I to raise her."

"Mato!" Riley repeated.

"That is all she can say at this point," Moon Shadow clarified.

Yuya instantly knew what Riley meant whenever she said "Mato". It was obviously a nickname she gave to him because of how his hair normally resembles a tomato and he thought it was sweet and appealing.

"She remembers me?" Yuya asked, letting Riley grab his pinky.

"Of course," Moon Shadow answered. "I have also made plans to enroll her in the You Show Duel School once she completes her Ninjitsu training."

Ninjitsu training? Was she going to be a ninja? Yuya was informed on how she will receive the same training Moon Shadow and Sun Shadow did at the Fuma Clan Duel School before she enrolls at You Show. Basically, she was going to be the first Ninjitsu Dueltainer in Duel Monsters history.

"That's pretty cool," Yuya remarked. "But what about her C/C deck?"

"Declan instructed me to give it to her once she is at the proper age," Moon Shadow explained. "But her training will be different since a majority of her monsters are weapons. She will learn how to wield those monsters in duels."

The plan was to have Critical Eye as her primary weapon because of its ability to turn into the different Fusion, Synchro, and XYZ monsters in her extra deck, so once she has masters the techniques of wielding and attacking with her C/C monsters, she'll transfer to You Show to integrate what she'll learn in Ninjitsu with Dueltaining.

"Then I hope she grows up to become an amazing Ninjitsu Dueltainer," Yuya said.

Meanwhile, in contrast to Riley's future, things may not be looking too bright for Lulu's, mainly because she was still sad about what Yuto explained earlier during the finals. She still couldn't prevent herself from questioning if her love with her boyfriend was real at all; before the Invasion and after the separation, she had lived a normal high class life in Heartland with her family and boyfriend until just recently. If they were meant to replace this Yuma person and his love interest, does that mean their relationship was a replacement as well?

So when Lulu went to excuse herself for some hors d'oeuvres (which were far more delicious than the ones she ate at previous events), she was confronted by Aura. "I know what you're thinking," the younger girl said. "It's a bad idea."

"What ever do you mean?" Lulu asked.

Aura held up her crystal apple. "You want to break up with Yuto," she stated.

She wasn't wrong; Lulu felt like it could be the only way to truly find herself instead of just substituting a girl who harbored feelings for Yuma Tsukumo. Because of her previous encounter with Declan and her strong beliefs in fate and destiny, Aura practically knew Zarc and Ray's reincarnations were meant to be together.

"You shouldn't," Aura said. She held up the card Arcana Force VI - The Lovers. "You and Yuto Osaku were destined to be together regardless of why you were created."

"But is my love for him real?" Lulu asked. "And does he genuinely love me as well?"

"Of course," Aura answered. "I can tell you and Yuto are meant to be together. Your soul becomes brighter when you're with him."

This piqued Lulu's interest a little; it was true that they did felt like they belong together, but was it really true? Did destiny knew about this all along regardless of the truth about the alternate timeline? She still wasn't completely sure about what Aura just stated, so the latter decided to show her crystal apple as proof; she used it to check out what was wrong with Yuya back in the Arc League Championship when she encountered the cousins' souls and Zarc's darkness. Hopefully, Yuto's soul does end up illuminate a brighter color whenever he's nearby his girlfriend. Before they knew it, he walked over to where the two girls were, prompting Aura to look up at him. Speak of the devil, she thought.

"There you are, Lulu," Yuto said. "I was wondering where you went."

Through the crystal apple, the two souls started to glow brighter as he walked closer to her. It was exactly what Aura predicted what would happen. "See?" the red-haired girl asked. "You two were meant to be together! Don't fight it!"

"Don't fight what?" Yuto asked.

Lulu looked a bit hurt. "I..." She took a deep breath. "I think we should break up."

Yuto blinked. "Very well," he said. "If that's really what you want, I'll allow it."

"What?!" Aura asked. "But you two are soulmates!"

Yuto closed his eyes. "There's no point arguing with Lulu Obsidian," he said, looking away from her. "She's too stubborn."

Stubborn. That word echoed in her head just as he finished his sentence. A word that others know it defined her. It helped her take on Yuri back at Heartland City. It pulled her through the back surgery she had to remove the spinal plates. Even so, Yuto still respected her wishes like the true gentleman that he is, but before he could head back, Lulu recalled on why she fell in love with him in the first place.

"You're the miracle child," Lulu said.

"Huh?" Aura asked.

Lulu reached up and placed her hand on Yuto's cheek. "You're the miracle child who was created by angels," she repeated. "They wanted to create a person so perfect that everyone admired him. So when the timeline created you, those same angels decided to change you into the prophesied miracle child." She started to caress his face. "They sprinkled moon dust in your hair to make it very soft and planted starlights into your eyes so they always sparkle."

Yuto automatically recognized what she was talking about as he opened his eyes. Although they now have Dark Rebellion XYZ Dragon's golden eye color, it didn't change the fact that they were beautiful on him. "Lulu..."

"So I do love you," Lulu said. "But I'm not sure if those feelings are my own or not."

Own feelings… It rang a bell to Yuto…almost as if he's been to a similar situation before… Correction: he has been into a similar situation before and he understood exactly what she was talking about.

"I think I have a way to help," Yuto said. He glanced at the marking on her heart. "But we need some privacy."

Lulu looked down on where her marking was and acknowledged on what he meant; it does seem like a smart idea to get some privacy for whatever his method of helping is. Aura obliged on his wishes as he walked through the crowded ballroom to find a room, with his girlfriend wheeling on his tail. They didn't expect this many people to be at the after-party, but only 1% of New Domino City does consist of Topsiders, so they should have seen that coming.

Ultimately the XYZ counterparts were able to find privacy on an enclosed balcony. "A few weeks ago, I also questioned my existence," Yuto said. "I wasn't sure if I dueled because I wanted to or because I replaced a Duelist from the other timeline."

"You seem alright now," Lulu said.

"Only because I was able to get a glimpse of who I replaced," Yuto explained. "I also saw who you replaced."

"You did?" Lulu asked.

Yuto nodded in response. "And I think I can show you," he continued. "During the tournament finals, I think I saw how Yuya and Zuzu were able to communicate through a mind merge." He lifted up his hand. "I could try the same thing with your permission."

Lulu looked down again at where her marking was; it was located near her heart, which was above her young, teenage breasts. She immediately knew why he asked permission. He never touched her near that area before.

"It's okay," Lulu said. "I'll allow you to touch my marking."

She then slid her arms through the straps of her dress before pulling the top part down, exposing her upper chest where her En Birds marking was. Yuto gently placed his hand near her heart, causing her to softly gasp from the contact.

"Are you alright?" Yuto asked, slowly withdrawing his hand.

"I'm fine," Lulu answered, blushing heavily. "Please continue."

Yuto began to try out Yuya and Zuzu's newfound mind-channeling ability as he focused his thoughts on where her marking was. After a few minutes of deep concentration, a blue glow illuminated from underneath his hand as their minds started to channel with each other.

"Yuma, quit being such a moron!"

Lulu shot her eyes open as she heard her alternate self say that exclamation; Yuto's hand was still on her chest, so the channel wasn't broken, but hearing her yell like that caught her off guard. Based on what she saw through his memories, the girl had orangey-hazel eyes and green, shoulder-length hair with two light green bangs and tied into a bun with a light red ribbon on her left side. She wore a white, shoulder-sleeved T-shirt with a yellow-striped decal and yellow edges along the sleeves with small yellow bows, a pink choker with a pink heart attacked to a beaded chain, a pink miniskirt with a brown belt, black, knee-length socks with gray linings on the top, and white shoes.

Yuto replayed all of his memories of that girl. To Lulu's surprise, the girl wasn't even a Duelist! She did play Duel Monsters, but only rarely and she wasn't very good at it. If that wasn't enough, her relationship with the Duelist Yuto replaced was more like Yugo and Rin's relationship.

Some time later, Yuto ended the mind merge, removing his hand from Lulu's marking as it stopped glowing. "You see?" the eggplant-haired teen asked. "You're nothing like the person you replaced."

As Lulu put her dress back on, she pieced together that he may be right; Yuma and this Tori Meadows girl may be XYZ users, but their personalities were nothing like them and mirrored Yugo and Rin, especially given the fact that both girls have green hair and hazel eyes.

"That girl didn't seem very ladylike," Lulu pointed out.

She was right. She also didn't understand why Tori fell in love with Yuma despite being childhood friends. Yuto was much more gentlemanly and knightly than the Legendary Duelist and Lulu was practically unstoppable thanks to her Lyriluscs, but it was because dueling was a requirement for her dream of becoming an actress.

But that wasn't all. Yuto is incredibly handsome. Although both boys had spiky hairstyles and dressed casually, Yuma had tanner skin and his clothes were a lot brighter than Yuto's dark-colored clothes. He also behaved much like Yugo: energetic, loud, short-tempered, and even rude at times, but cares deeply about his friends; Yuto, on the other hand, was noble, chivalrous, kind, loyal, and normally calmer. The two have been dueling since they were kids, but Yuma initially wasn't the best at it and got better with his skills thanks to some kind of alien being, whereas Yuto uses his Phantom Knights to reflect how they made him into a completely new person.

As for the girls, Lulu has much longer hair and wears dresses fit for a high class environment when compared to Tori's shorter hair and casual clothes. She was also sweet, polite, feminine, loyal, and kind-hearted, but also brave, confident, and especially stubborn; Tori was pretty much Rin's personality with her own quirks: cheerful, protective, fiercely loyal, sometimes easily annoyed at Yuma's antics, and also worries about him and his safety. As Lulu saw in Yuto's memories, Tori wasn't good at duels as she had lost all her duels, but she does have the capability of XYZ Summoning and even Chaos XYZ Summoning when under a mind control spell; this was a strong contrast from the Lyrilusc user who demonstrated herself to be powerful with her cards, even able to pull off a OTK with Assembled Nightingale.

"Besides, I don't understand why she would fall for that guy," Lulu said, reaching up to place her hand on Yuto's cheek. "You're far more better-looking than him."

Her compliment was a clear indicator that the reason she fell in love with Yuto wasn't because of the alternate timeline. It was because of how handsome, cute, protective, loving, and gold-hearted he is. To her, he's perfect in every way. Even though she was immobilized in a wheelchair, he leaned forward towards her to give her a kiss on the lips. It was brief, but it showed unspoken emotions.

"Shall we head back inside?" Yuto asked.

"Of course, sweet knight," Lulu answered. "You should try the hors d'oeuvres. They're far more delicious than the ones I had during previous parties."

"I'm not sure what that is, but I like the sound of it," Yuto replied.

With the couple now resolved the timeline issue and officially not breaking up, they returned to the main ballroom as Lulu explained what hors d'oeuvres are. At the same time, Zuzu has been talking to Byron Arclight about the Number card and this "lucky-hand draw" Skill she pulled during her duel against Rin. She wanted to speak with him because she saw different versions of him and his sons in the vision from the Millennium Necklace and felt confused on how her new card and Skill were considered normal in the alternate Heartland City yet they almost disqualified her from the tournament and ended her dueling career.

"So you never had this Skill before?" Byron asked.

Zuzu shook her head 'no' in response. "It's Diamond Crab King," she explained, showing the card to Byron. "Ever since I somehow obtained him, he's been giving me these weird powers. I think it's similar to how Yuya communicates with his dragon."

"How fascinating," Byron remarked. "The XYZ monster Diamond Crab King is considered common among XYZ Duelists, but this variation is decorated in alien text."

"What alien text?" Zuzu asked. "It says it can only be destroyed by other Number cards."

Byron informed Zuzu about how the Number cards are written in this alien text that apparently only those who wield them can understand. "I also heard about this 'lucky-hand draw' Skill," he continued. "It seems you now have alien blood inside your body thanks to that card."

Alien blood? Does that means she has become a human-alien hybrid of some sort? "Is there any way I can control it?" Zuzu asked.

"I think I can come up with a way to help neutralize the Number's influence on you without you becoming completely corrupted," Byron answered. "How do you feel about bracelets?"

Zuzu responded that she was completely fine with having bracelets and mentioned how she used to have one since she was a baby thanks to Ray splitting herself into four along with Zarc and the Original Dimension. "My wrist has been feeling a bit bare ever since Leo..." she started to say.

Byron knew exactly what she was going to say because he was among the civilians of all four dimensions who witnessed the Original Dimension's return and the eight counterparts returning with the boys having their ace dragons' eye colors and the girls bearing the markings of the Natural Energy Cards somewhere on their bodies. He took note on the En Flowers marking on her right cheek.

"If you want, I could harness the power of your marking into your new bracelet," Byron offered.

"You can?" Zuzu asked.

"Of course," Byron answered. "But I will need a few skin samples from you."

She stared at her right arm where her Standard Dimension bracelet used to be. A blood sample was no big deal since it was just a simple prick on the finger, but she's never had a skin sample before. What is it like? How does it work? …Does it hurt? Whatever's the case, it would feel nice to wear a new bracelet with a power-controlling ability.

"Thank you, Dr. Arclight," Zuzu said.

Meanwhile, Yuri and Celina were spending some time together, and needless to say, he was disappointed about the after-party. Sure people are dressed fancy and have proper etiquette and manners like he does, but there was something about it that didn't sit well with him at all.

"I don't understand," Yuri said. "If this is a formal party, where is the orchestra and dance floor?"

"Were you expecting some kind of grand ball?" Celina sarcastically asked.

"Precisely!" Yuri answered. "Back in Duel Academy, all Duelists of every rank were allowed to attend grand galas. I was hoping these Topsiders had similar celebrations."

Celina internally cringed as she remembered those events occurring every year. There were honestly painful for her because of how everyone took part in such fancy parties; within her mind, she was thinking that she actually might be preferring the Topsiders' parties over Duel Academy's galas.

"Those parties are part of why I transferred to Paradise Prep," Celina said. "At least I'm not forced to wear over-the-top poofy dresses and painful shoes."

Yuri let out a gasp. "But Miss Celina, those parties are the best part of Duel Academy!" he argued. "Can you imagine dancing lovingly with a beautiful person as romantic music is provided by a professional orchestra?"

"Compared to Paradise Prep school dances that have hired DJs and have no strict dress codes, I would rather attend one of those than those Duel Academy balls," Celina replied.

What was she talking about? Why on earth would she make that preference? It confused Yuri because he remembers what happened yesterday at the tournament during the preliminaries. They were dressed formally (obviously not over-the-top), slowly becoming love-struck with each other, and finally danced all around the Moonlit Ball Action Field. After all that, she enjoyed the dances held at Paradise Prep more than those galas? Before he could respond, an idea popped into his head. Well, idea was a bit of an understatement because it was more of an…"experiment".

"But Miss Celina," Yuri said, his glove-covered hand holding her bare hand. "What about what happened yesterday during the tournament preliminaries?"

"It was a fluke," Celina answered. "You looked..." She briefly glanced at him. "...just like that and I lost control of my thoughts."

Yuri let out a small laugh. "I see..." he said. "Then I suppose what happened afterwards was also a fluke."

Was it a fluke? It was shown and proven yesterday through the Center Duel Field's monitor that the two enjoyed their kiss after the dance, but what does this discussion even mean? Are formal events not Celina's cup of tea? Does she only dislike them it they go extreme with the fashion choices?

"What if you were to attend one of Duel Academy's galas now?" Yuri asked, guiding Celina towards...somewhere.

"Yeah right," Celina replied. "I wouldn't have someone to dance with."

Yuri stopped walking and faced Celina. "What about me?" he asked, placing his free hand on her waist. "I could be your dance partner."

Celina quickly caught onto what Yuri said; he was taking her out to dance! This is the second time she has been tricked by Yuri and it's only been a few weeks since he set her up on a date with him. Next time, she better come prepared for whatever sneaky tricks he has up his sleeve.

"What's going on?" Celina demanded.

"Oh, hush," Yuri said. "This is a private room. No one will disturb us." He briefly lifted his hand from her waist to snap his fingers.

As if by magic, the lights turned on to brighten the empty private room, indicating that there are no light switches but ones that responds to snaps and claps. There was definitely plenty of space for the two to dance. However, Celina looked more tensed.

"What ever is wrong?" Yuri asked.

"You're doing it again," Celina answered.

Yuri looked a bit surprised, then a bit hurt. "Doing what?" he innocently asked.

"This!" Celina said. "Doing this stuff to make me act like a girl!"

"But isn't that what you are?" Yuri pointed out. "A stunning young lady with a pretty face?"

And there he goes again with the flirting as Celina's cheeks brightened to a light shade of pink, but…was it really flirting? Was it coming from how he feels or was it this more than just another trick? From the feel of things, it may be the former choice because this doesn't feel like it was entirely set up as part of a plan. It felt more like a real deal was taking place right now in this very room. It felt like…she may be genuinely falling for him.

"Fine," Celina said, placing her free hand on Yuri's shoulder. "I'll bite."

"Excellent choice," Yuri said.

The two initiated a slow dance that was like what they did yesterday at the preliminaries: a pacing waltz across the room. As time went by, the realization of Celina harboring feelings for Yuri were becoming more evident by how head-over-heels she was in her gaze and soon concluded that she may be wrong about cutting ties with Duel Academy. She can still maintain her own identity and date him at the same time; she also thought about how her old school did have some perks after all. Paradise Prep wasn't a dueling school, so she never got to duel a lot like she did in Duel Academy.

Then there was Yuri himself. She initially saw him as a crazed psycho with an ugly personality, but she came to realize he genuinely wanted redemption for his past actions. His makeover didn't hurt either. Without the cabbage-shaped hairstyle and tacky uniform, he actually looked rather cute, especially when his eyes became dragon-like. Her infatuated stare glued onto every feature he had as they danced for what felt like hours. She actually wished this could go on forever just so she can analyze everything that he has changed, from his appearance to his personality.

"I love you," Celina blurted out.

That caused Yuri to stop the dance. "What?" he asked.

"I love you," Celina repeated.

She has never said those three words to him, let alone him never hearing her say that to him. So this statement genuinely surprised Yuri.

"You...actually love me?" Yuri asked.

"It's your fault," Celina explained, punching Yuri in the shoulder. "You've become too cute."

Of course, her explanation left Yuri confused again because he always thought he was a hottie. However, throughout the Interdimensional War, he did have moments that were proven to be adorable, such as his bewildered expression to Yugo's answer when he asked about Zuzu's whereabouts and his laughing smile when he dueled against five students from Fusion Dimension's You Show Duel School.

"You honestly think I'm cute?" Yuri asked, his eyes becoming more dragon-like.

"Yes," Celina answered. "Like what you're doing with your eyes."

She had just noticed his pupils becoming more shaped like a dragon's, triggering a small memory of what Dennis and Sora said about this ability whenever he was about to win. As it turns out, he can slit his pupils in scenarios besides winning duels; it was also a reaction to being with love with her, which is another common situation he gets himself in whenever his heartbeat increases, and she liked it.

"Alright, so you think I'm cute," Yuri said. "Are you sure you don't think I'm also a hottie?"

And here she thought Yuto was the one who enjoys getting his ego fed, but he's not the only one apparently. Yuri's new haircut helps flesh out his newly-redeemed persona, yes, but she never thought of him as a hottie. She has stated that he was cute, especially with his slitted pupils. So she let out a small laugh and gave him a loving kiss on the lips.

"Come on," Celina said. "Let's get back to the party."

The couple exited the private room, with Yuri clapping his hands twice to shut the light off before shutting the door. They made their way back to the ballroom—which wasn't too far away compared to Yuto and Lulu returning from the balcony—when they ran into an approaching Leo.

"Yuri and Celina, I wish to speak to you two," Leo said.

"What ever is the matter, Professor?" Yuri asked.

"Due to causing the Interdimensional War and nearly killing countless lives, I decided to turn myself in," Leo stated.

The two quickly became distraught from what they heard. Why on earth would he turn himself in at a time like this? There was no trial going on at the moment, so what gives?

"How come?" Celina asked, sounding a bit concerned. "Shouldn't you wait for a trial?"

"No need," Leo explained. "I would still be viewed as guilty for what I have done, especially towards you two and your counterparts."

"Well I still have severe nightmares," Celina sheepishly admitted. "Suddenly ceasing to exist can really damage a person's mind."

"Whereas I simply blacked out," Yuri recalled.

"So there won't be a true reason for a trial," Leo continued. "I caused both physical and mental damage towards so many people. And since I'm going to prison for probably the rest of my life, I would like to leave Duel Academy in your care."

The two looked at each other and then back at Leo. They weren't at an old enough age to run an entire school; heck, they need to find someone to train them to run the Academy. Out of the people they have known and met in the Original Dimension's four main cities, who would be the perfect tutor for them? This question ran through the couple's heads after hearing they were now going to be in charge. Just then, Celina raised her eyebrows after processing why he spoke to her and not just Yuri alone. Her childhood desire was coming true; she has proven herself to Leo and he was accepting her as the former Obelisk Force soldier's equal.

"Even me?" Celina asked.

"Especially you, Celina," Leo answered. "I have come to accept you as a strong Duelist-"

Before he could finish, Celina ran up to him and gave him a hug with tears in her eyes. "Thank you," she said. "I won't let you down."

Celina may be a student at Paradise Prep, but deep down, she always had Duel Academy's blood coursing through her veins. Even though she didn't agree with what they did to Heartland as part of Revival Zero, she spent her entire life growing up there learning how to duel and strengthening her skills. Besides, her current dreams for the future were to improve Duel Academy. She just wasn't planning on starting this early.

"Hey Yuri!"

The three glanced over at Yugo, who was heading over to where they were. Does he have anything he wants to talk about?

"What is it, XYZ?" Yuri asked.

"First of all, stop calling me that!" Yugo said. "Secondly, RinRin wants a group photo with all the counterparts."

"A group photo?" Celina asked, separating from her hug with Leo.

"We'll explain everything once everyone's together," Yugo said.

Yuri and Celina said their goodbyes to Leo before following Yugo back into and through the crowded ballroom. It felt more like a maze or a labyrinth when trying to get by so many people…or more technically, Topsiders.

Ultimately all eight counterparts were able to meet up. "Why do you want a group photo?" Yuya asked.

Rin let out a sad sigh. "Jack Atlas plans to enter Team Turbo in a Turbo Duel tournament in Florida," she explained. "There's a high chance me and Yugo won't be able to see you again."

The Pendulum, Fusion, and XYZ counterparts grew dismayed at why they were gathered for a group photo. Rin and Yugo were going to be leaving for America soon now that they have officially started their careers as professionals. It'll be weird knowing the two will be gone and busy with their Turbo Duel tournaments. Just when will they find time to see and talk to each other again, regardless if it's through their Duel Disk webcams or visiting in person? Rin knew they would get upset at the news and told them that taking this picture will let them never forget about each other and illustrate how much they have changed since getting involved with the War.

"But that's why I want this photo of us," Rin continued. "All of us have formed our own identities. Zarc and Ray must've known this would happen, so that's why they gave us this." She held up her left hand, revealing her En Winds marking.

Zuzu placed her hand on her right cheek where her En Flowers marking was, Celina looked up and moved her hair from her forehead to uncover her En Moons marking, Lulu glanced back down at her upper chest and put her hands on top of her heart near her En Birds marking, and the Yu-Salad stared at each other to see the changed eye colors to match their respective dragons: Odd-Eyes' red and green colors for Yuya, Dark Rebellion's golden eyes for Yuto, Clear Wing's yellow eyes for Yugo, and Starving Venom's neon green eyes for Yuri.

"They're reminders that we're still connected," Yuto recalled.

"Correct," Rin said. "And there's more. Think about any random thing you love about the person you're dating."

The six got glimpses of each other before figuring out the first quality they like popping into their heads: the three Energy Girls loved their boyfriend's cute hairstyles while Yuya admired Zuzu's smile, Yuto thought about Lulu's natural beauty, and Yuri pictured Celina's eyes.

"I take it that my counterparts immediately thought about the guys' hair," Rin said.

Lulu blushed. "How did you know?" she asked.

"Because I also like Yugo's hair," Rin answered. "Which means Ray must've also liked Zarc's hair."

The Yu-Salad stared back at each other to see their different and iconic hairstyles. Yuya and Yuto's haven't changed one bit and still resembled a tomato and an eggplant respectively. Although Yugo has gotten used to his new look, he still missed his banana bangs whereas Yuri was glad he changed his cabbage-haired look because it reminded him of his old self. Regardless of what style it was, Rin was right about Ray taking an interest to Zarc's hair.

"Wait a minute," Yugo said. "Are you sayin' we got together because of Zarc and Ray?"

"Maybe they were always soulmates to begin with," Rin guessed. "But regardless of what happened in the past, I want each of us to remember that despite becoming individuals, we're still spiritually connected."

Everyone agreed on the spiritual connection they all share and how they all developed their own identities. At least it was better than being merged because they were fused back into their incarnations out of their own free will; the Energy Girls were kidnapped and sent to ARC-V whereas Zarc's lingering darkness caused the Yu-Salad's souls to be absorbed.

"You are quite right about us becoming individuals," Yuri said. "Why, Miss Celina and I have become the new heads of Duel Academy."

"Technically you are," Celina corrected. "I want to finish my education at Paradise Prep first."

"So whaddya say?" Rin asked, holding up her Duel Disk. "One last picture in honor of the start of our new lives?"

The seven other counterparts all gave out their words of agreement and grouped together for the picture, with Rin joining in to take a selfie with them. She opened up the Camera app and pressed the switch camera button to have it aimed towards the group. Once they paired up with who they were dating, as seen with Yugo getting closer to the camera and standing next to his girlfriend, Rin clicked the white button to take the picture, preserving a cherishable memory that they will all remember forever.

#Arc V Aftermath #yugioh arc v #Yuya Sakaki #Zuzu Boyle #Yuzu Hiragi #FruitShipping #Yuto (arc v)#Lulu Obsidian #Ruri Kurosaki #Yugo (arc v)#Rin (arc v)#AppleShipping #Yuri (arc v)#Celina (arc v)#Serena (arc v)#PredatorShipping

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real-life-pine-tree · 8 years ago

Text

Arc-V Aftermath: Knight and Prince (22/26)

WARNING: Dub names will be featured in the story.

As a girl who grew up in an elite environment, Lulu has access to everything she needs to look absolutely perfect. Shampoo to keep her hair silky soft, face cleanser to avoid possible acne, lotion for making sure her skin is smooth... She even has the finest ear picks in the city so her ears always remain clean.

Yuto, on the other hand, was a completely different story. Born in a middle class environment, he didn't mind if his face was slightly dirty or if his hair was out of place. Even when he started living with the Obsidians, he wasn't completely obsessed with his looks.

The next morning, at the Obsidian house, the couple were getting ready for the second round of the Team Duel Tournament. Needless to say, there was a strong difference in their morning routines. While Lulu was carefully brushing her hair before she could style it, Yuto was having a hard time cleaning his ears. After hearing yet another frustrated sound, she put her brush on her vanity and wheeled over to her private bathroom.

"Are you having a hard time?" Lulu asked.

"Sort of," Yuto answered, holding up an ear pick. "I don't really clean my ears a lot."

"Come here," Lulu said, patting her lap. "I'll help you get your ears clean."

Yuto walked over to where Lulu was and handed her the ear pick before kneeling down and placing the right side of his head on her lap. With her right hand holding the pick, she began helping him clean his ears. She used the ladle of the ear pick to scrape out ear wax, using her other hand to stroke his hair. Yuto let out a content sigh, closing his eyes as he let his girlfriend continue the intimate gesture.

When Lulu finished using the down puff to remove any extra ear wax, she gently patted Yuto's head, indicating him to switch sides. He shifted his head so the left side was on her lap. Lulu then tucked Yuto's stray bang behind his ear before repeating the process. He sighed again, adoring her gentle touch.

Suddenly, Lulu hit a sweet spot, causing Yuto to moan. "Lulu..." he muttered.

She suddenly remembered about his sensitive area near his right ear, where his small, faint, and somewhat noticeable scar was, hiding underneath the locks of light purple hair. Smirking, she finished cleaning out ear wax with the ladle before switching to the down puff. But this time, she removed extra ear wax very suggestively, using her other hand to gently touch his outer ear.

Yuto moaned from his girlfriend's gentle touches, his hand gripping the skirt of her pale yellow sundress. He adored this pleasurable feeling, wishing this moment could last forev-

"What are you two doing?"

The two looked up to see Shay standing in front of the bathroom door. They didn't hear him come in, but hearing his voice made things somewhat…embarrassing.

Yuto lifted up his head. "This isn't what it looks like!" he exclaimed, blushing heavily.

"I get that you two are bound to get these kind of moments, but we have a tournament to get to," Shay reminded the lovebirds.

"Right," Yuto said, leaving the private bathroom to get dressed. "Sorry about that."

After shutting the bathroom door when Lulu wheeled out to follow him, Yuto headed towards the bed where his clothes laid nicely across. He couldn't believe he was going to be wearing his pre-Invasion attire again; he wore it when he first met Lulu. Speaking of her, she was tying her hair into her signature bow-shaped style and secured it with her feather-shaped barrette before putting on her sunhat and white flats. To them, they were almost getting a blast from the past.

Yuto smiled softly. "Isn't that the sunhat you wore during the Heartland Spring Festival?" he asked as he finished getting dressed.

"Of course it is," Lulu answered. "It was the first time we hung out outside of school."

"And look how far we came," Yuto said, putting on his glasses. He gave Lulu a loving kiss. "Not even a horrible crisis can separate us."

"Of course, sweet knight," Lulu said. "Our love is unbreakable."

"You can flirt on the way over to the Center Duel Field," Shay pointed out. "We have a tournament to get to."

The trio headed out of the bedroom and went downstairs, with Kameron and Astra meeting up with them before making their way to the car and driving to LID. With this being the second day of the tournament, all the people who attended yesterday—including some of the Cardfighters—were returning to their seats while some of the losing teams joined the audience and took their own. As for the winning teams, they were brought to the Center Duel Field with their families and friends: Team Smiles with Yusho, Yoko, Skip, Mr. Strong, Allie, Tate, Frederick, Aura, and the Lancers, Team Noble with Kameron, Astra, Cathy, Alex, and Kite, Team Turbo with Akiza and a few other Turbo Duelists, and Team Obelisk with Leo and the former Obelisk Force members.

All around the stadium, many people were cheering for the four teams, especially for Team Smiles, who have become the fan favorite team…much to Yugo's chagrin. Despite realizing that Jean-Michel Roget was responsible for the High Council's disbandment, he still wasn't pleased with how everyone was preferring Yuya over him. They both endured contradicting sufferings, but he still believed the people loved the Performapal user more than him.

Rin quickly noticed Yugo getting tensed. "Calm down," she said, rubbing her boyfriend's shoulders. "Your Speedroids are just as entertaining as Yuya's Performapals."

"I hope so," Yugo said, still not relaxing.

With the four teams gathered, Declan and Aichi began the opening ceremony. "Welcome to the Team Duel Tournament finals," Declan said. "While yesterday's matches showed promising Duelists, only four teams were able to move on to the finals. Today the four teams will take part in a standard elimination round. The four teams will split into two groups with the teams dueling each other. Once the final two teams are determined, they will battle it out with the winning team being crowned the winners of the first-ever Team Duel Tournament."

"The teams facing off were selected based on their performances from yesterday," Aichi said. "We have the fan favorites of Team Smiles, the unbeatable Team Noble, the Turbo Duelists of Team Turbo, and the Wicked Dueltainers of Team Obelisk."

The audience applauded for the announced and outstanding finalists, especially for Yuya. Yugo stared at him from a not too far distance and wondered if everyone loved him because of his natural charm. He then started considering about changing his current hairstyle into a more attractive style.

"You alright, pal?" Crow asked Yugo.

The banana-banged Duelist ran a hand threw his hair. "I think I might need a comb-"

His response was cut short by the startled gasps of everyone in the Center Duel Field. He turned around to see what the big deal was, only to find Yuto strangling someone out of sheer anger. From the looks of things, the eggplant-haired teen must have recognized the former Obelisk Force student, as well as Sora, who was rushing from his team to where the incident was coming from. Sure enough, he also spotted his face and immediately knew who it was: the same person who killed Lono Osaku… Chazz Princeton.

"Well well, if it isn't the goth loner," Chazz said.

Yuto tightened his grip. "You're going to pay for killing my mom!" he snarled.

Chazz scoffed at the threat. "Like I was trying to kill her," he said. "I found out about the Professor's ultimate goals: save Ray Akaba and prevent Zarc Nightstone's resurrection. I thought killing one of Zarc's fragments might get me promoted. That woman was only an interference."

Yuto couldn't believe what he was hearing coming out of this psycho's mouth. If he was killed by the Chaos Ancient Gear Giant, he and his counterparts wouldn't have received new chances to find themselves and learn their Skills given to them by Zarc. He wouldn't have been able to get a job at ObsidianCorp and determine his future. He wouldn't have gotten his first kiss from Lulu. The words made him furious because he knows Zarc felt bad for what he has done yet Chazz doesn't seem to care in the slightest. Meanwhile, with Sora, he was just about to help calm Yuto down when he heard footsteps coming from Leo, who had overheard the explanation behind Lono's unfortunate murder.

"Mr. Princeton, how did you find out about all of this?" Leo asked.

"I overheard you talking about your plans to some crazy bug-eyed man," Chazz answered.

Leo knew exactly who he was referring to as his eyes shifted towards a certain someone in the audience: The Doktor, who was unsealed from his card once Yuya was revived and the dimensions split back into four. Yesterday, during the preliminaries, he was initially concerned when he was watching Team Turbo's duels and saw Rin Fusion Summoning Crystal Bell; he eventually relaxed and was pleased with how she integrated the Fusion monster into her deck and brought out the card's true beauty. Today, he heard what Chazz was talking about in regards to the Invasion and Revival Zero and how those plans inadvertently gave him an idea for a promotion. The poor guy can't seem to catch a break throughout the tournament's duration.

"Yuto, please unhand Mr. Princeton," Leo said. "I'll have to speak to him about not straying from direct orders."

Yuto let go of Chazz. "This isn't over," the eggplant-haired teen said, sounding calm yet miffed.

With the interruption taken card of, Declan proceeded to announce the pairings. "As I was saying," he said. "The first round is Team Smiles vs. Team Noble, followed by Team Turbo vs. Team Obelisk."

Well, isn't that peachy? Yugo gets to have a rematch against Yuri and no doubt he's going to show the Predaplant user just how strong he, his Speedroids, and his Clear Wings really are. As for Yuya, he was surprised to see him going up against his own cousin.

"How about that?" Yuri asked his teammates. "I get to duel XYZ again."

"Don't you mean 'moron'?" Dennis asked.

"Of course, my friend," Yuri answered. "But Rin is proof that the word doesn't seem to affect him. Luckily I found a new nickname that would have better results."

He remembered the conversation he had with Yugo, Yuya, and Shay back at Heartland Park. He was aware of this Yuma person that Yuto replaced in this timeline. Apparently Yuma was the opposite of Yuto: rude, loud, and quick-tempered. In other words, he was more like Yugo. Yuri noticed how that comparison irked the banana-banged Duelist more than being called a moron, so he decided to take full advantage of that.

"The first round is about to begin," Declan announced. "So will Team Smiles and Team Noble please step up?"

The two teams walked towards the center of the arena to get ready for their matches against each other. Unlike yesterday, Shay knew Gong would be able to withstand his Raidraptors, so he would take part in the round. Lulu happily greeted Zuzu, while Yuya felt content with dueling his cousin. With the dividers and Action Fields set up, the three simultaneous duels begin.

"Alright Yuto, let's get this duel started!" Yuya happily exclaimed.

Yuto's furrowed his eyebrows out of perplexity on what was up with Yuya. Was this his Dueltaining style? Even if their souls were merged and he got some glimpses of Dueltainment during the Arc League Championship, it still confused him on how it is done. However, his cousin clearing his throat snapped him out of his thoughts.

"Come on..." Yuya half-whispered. "Aren't you gonna say something?"

"What am I supposed to say?" Yuto asked. He wasn't a Dueltainer like Yuya; heck, he hasn't learned what Dueltaining is throughout most of his life back at Heartland.

"Anything!" Yuya half-whispered again.

"Okay..." Yuto said. He straightened his posture. "This shall be a show worthy of a good performance!" Deep down, he knew that was a bad attempt at saying an introductory Dueltaining sentence.

Yuya was too embarrassed and surprised to even respond. "Let's just duel!" he said as he activated his Duel Disk.

Yuto activated his Duel Disk as well to initiate their first Action Duel with each other, following a shout of "Let's duel!" from the two.

The eggplant-haired teen went first. "I'll start things off with a couple of face downs," he said. "Your turn."

Yuya instantly caught on to the two face-downs; they were Yuto's signature starting move. He may have to plan out his turn carefully, and after scanning the Action Field for where the Action Cards may be located, he figured out his strategy. "My turn!" he announced as he drew a card. "And I'll activate the Ritual Spell Odd-Eyes Advent!"

"What's this?!" Nico exclaimed. "Yuya is Ritual Summoning?!"

"You bet!" Yuya answered. "And I'll use Performapal Splashmammoth and Performapal Odd-Eyes Unicorn for the Ritual! Descend from the depths of space and emerge in all your galactic glory! I Ritual Summon Odd-Eyes Gravity Dragon!"

Odd-Eyes Gravity Dragon is a Level 7 EARTH Dragon-Type monster with 2800 ATK and 2500 DEF. He had grayish-navy blue scales with dark orange skin, heterochromia eyes (red on the right, light blue on the left), and light gold borders all over his body, surrounding purple stones on his tail, arms, legs, and feet, keeping hold of a light blue orb on the center of his chest, and supporting the powder blue stones that help him levitate and fly. When this card is special summoned, all Spells and Traps the opponent controls are sent back to the hand and can't activate cards or effects in response…unless they want to pay 500 LP if they want to use card effects. Gravity Dragon's effect can only be used once per turn.

Aura was in awe. "An Odd-Eyes Ritual dragon!" she exclaimed. "How wonderful!"

"I activate Odd-Eyes Gravity Dragon's special ability!" Yuya declared. "All of your face down cards are automatically returned to your hand, so don't even think about using them on me this turn!"

The two face-downs dematerialized from the field and reappeared back into Yuto's hand, much to his frustration. "When did you get that card?" he asked.

"When I got my other three new Odd-Eyes dragons," Yuya answered. "Now I activate my Skill: Mind Merge!"

With a roar from Gravity Dragon, he and Yuya merged their minds together, as seen by the teen's body falling limp onto the floor and the dragon gaining his owner's personality and mannerisms.

"And there it is, folks!" Nico exclaimed. "Yuya has pulled off another mind merge! What an amazing Skill he has!"

Odd-Eyes Gravity Dragon roared happily as the crowd chanted Yuya's name. Meanwhile, Team Turbo was watching the simultaneous duels from the sidelines, including Yugo, who still couldn't get over how everyone was rooting for Yuya. Why did everyone like him anyway? Was it his hair? His face? His personality? Or even his dueling style?

Shinji noticed Yugo's frustrated expression. "You feeling alright?" he asked.

"No," Yugo admitted. "Those cheers should be for me! Yuya shouldn't hog the spotlight!"

"You said something about needing a comb, right?" Shinji asked.

"Yeah," Yugo answered.

Shinji gave Yugo a comb. "Here," he said. "You can borrow one of mine."

Yugo thanked him before taking off in search for a mirror or some sort of reflective surface. As he ran through the halls, he stopped in front of two bathrooms and headed insides the one designated for males; sure enough, there was a mirror hung up on the wall above some sinks, so he took the time to figure what hairstyle he should go with.

After a bit of pondering, Yugo started to comb out his bangs. As he did so, the blonde locks started to become less banana-shaped. Ultimately his bangs ended up looking more whispy with the shorter locks hanging in front of his eyes. He grinned as he winked and pointed at his reflection, a clicking sound coming from his mouth.

"Lookin' good," Yugo said aloud, happy with the results. "This should help attract some attention."

Meanwhile, back in the arena, Yuto was XYZ Summoning The Phantom Knights of Break Sword. "Rise, my mighty beast!" he exclaimed.

Break Sword galloped onto the field as the headless knight attached to the armored horse brought out his giant sword and wielded it on his right hand. Outside of the arena, a lot of female Duelists cheered for Yuto after successfully performing an XYZ Summon. Although he didn't care about his looks, he does make himself look nice enough up to the point where he looks handsome. Even if Yuya had more fans than his cousin, it was clear the eggplant-haired teen's natural charm can cause the ladies to swoon; it was practically the Kastles' party all over again.

Yuya noticed Yuto smirking as he adjusted his glasses, looking a bit surprised. "Looks like those fans are feeding his ego..." he mused.

"Since I used Ragged Gloves as an Overlay Unit, I'll use 500 life points to give Break Sword an additional 1000 attack points," Yuto said. "Now Phantom Knights of Break Sword, slay Yuya's dragon!"

With an ATK of 3000, Break Sword sped up towards Gravity Dragon as the headless knight readied his sword to unleash his attack. However, the tomato-haired teen was prepared.

"I activate the Action Spell Miracle!" Yuya exclaimed. "So Odd-Eyes Gravity Dragon is here to stay!"

Break Sword slashed his sword through the dragon, not fazing it in the process; however, the normal 200 points of damage was halved as Yuya lost only 100 LP. Yuto then had no choice but to end his turn.

"And with that, Lulu Obsidian has secured Team Noble's first win for the round!" Nico announced.

Her duel against Zuzu ended somewhat early due to how powerful her Lyrilusc monsters were, especially her Assembled Nightingale. Even Zuzu was amazed. "Wow," she said. "I didn't think you were that good."

"Well I was the one who taught Shay how to duel," Lulu replied.

Zuzu was confused by that choice of wording. "Don't you mean he taught you how to duel?" she asked.

"Nope," Lulu answered. "I taught him."

When the Obsidian siblings were growing up, Shay never got a chance to duel because he was busy preparing himself for when he becomes the new head of ObsidianCorp. Once he was given permission to play Duel Monsters, Lulu let him borrow some of her old cards so she could teach him how to play.

Zuzu was surprised to hear that. "Oh..." she said, recalling how powerful Shay's Raidraptors are. "That's...pretty unexpected to hear."

As the two Energy Girls waited in the arena for their teammates to finish their duels, Yuya and Yuto continued on with stunning progress. They were neck-and-neck with each other, always finding counters and strategies to ensure them a victory. At that point, Yuya was able to set the Pendulum Scale with Odd-Eyes Mirage Dragon and Odd-Eyes Persona Dragon to Pendulum Summon Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon. He then overlayed Odd-Eyes Gravity Dragon and Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon to XYZ Summon Odd-Eyes Absolute Dragon. He was a Rank 7 WATER Dragon-Type XYZ monster with 2800 ATK and 2500 DEF. it had red and blue heterochromia eyes, dark purple skin, and light gray and light blue armor all over his entire body, encasing a dark blue orb on his chest. By using an overlay unit, Yuya can special summon an Odd-Eyes monster from the Graveyard if any of his or the opponent's monsters declares an attack. If this monster was sent to the Graveyard, an Odd-Eyes monster is special summoned from the Extra Deck except Odd-Eyes Absolute Dragon. Each effect can be used once per turn.

"So that your replacement for Dark Rebellion," Yuto commented. He smirked. "Not bad, but Break Sword is still stronger."

"Not for long," Yuya said. "I activate the Spell card Spiral Flame Strike to wipe out your Break Sword!"

Using the first effect of Spiral Flame Strike, Absolute Dragon blasted out a magenta beam with black streaks spiraling around it to destroy Break Sword. However, Yuto was then allowed to bring Ragged Gloves and Silent Boots back on the field in defense mode, now at Level 4.

"Nice try," Yuto said. "But I still have the materials I need to-"

"Oh, I know," Yuya replied. "Odd-Eyes Absolute Dragon, attack The Phantom Knights of Ragged Gloves! Double Slash Strike!"

Absolute Dragon used its signature move to attack and destroy Ragged Gloves; since it was in defense position, no damage was dealt. But oddly enough, Yuto wasn't annoyed. He was actually smiling.

"I can't believe it," Yuto said. "You actually fell for it."

Fell for what? Was this a trap that Yuto set up this whole time? That statement confused Yuya because he knows what his strategies are. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"You'll see," Yuto answered. With Yuya's turn over, he drew a card and smiled even more. "By banishing The Phantom Knights of Ragged Gloves from my Graveyard, I can transfer Phantom Knights' Wing from my deck to my Graveyard. And by banishing that card, I'll bring back The Phantom Knights of Break Sword."

Before Yuya knew it, Break Sword was special summoned back onto the field, lacking any Overlay Units. "But that's not all," Yuto said. "I activate the very card I drew during this turn: The Phantom Knights' Rank-Up-Magic Launch!"

He targeted Break Sword and used it to rebuild the Overlay Network; since its ability prohibits Yuto from special summoning non-DARK monsters for the rest of his turn, he managed to work his way around it.

"Cloaked in shadows and relentless in its objective, I call upon the most dangerous of dragons!" Yuto chanted. "Go, Rank-Up XYZ Evolution! Come forth and strike, Dark Rebellion XYZ Dragon!"

Yuto's ace monster appeared onto his side of the field, with his tail whipping out, his wings bolting open, and his long chin reflecting the luminescence of the lightning before bellowing out his iconic roar. But Yuya wasn't worried. He knew Yuto has a hard time using his Skill.

"Now, Dark Rebellion, use your special ability and absorb half of Odd-Eyes Absolute Dragon's strength!" Yuto commanded.

Dark Rebellion extended his wings and shot out purple lightning to encase Absolute Dragon in it while halving his ATK and adding it to his own, increasing it from 2500 to 3900 until the end of this turn. But the eggplant-haired teen wasn't done.

"I activate my Skill!" Yuto exclaimed, running over to Dark Rebellion. "Mind Merge!"

Throughout the past few weeks of training and practicing, he has learned a new way to manage his Skill. Once he got on top of Dark Rebellion, his eyes started to glow periwinkle—much like when he Awakened—as their minds started to merge and they acted as a single entity.

Yuya was flabbergasted. "You can do that?!" he asked. He always thought Yuto continues struggling to manage with his Skill, so seeing this was quite the surprise for him. But he didn't want to miss out on the fun, so he proceeded to activate his Skill. Seeing that he wanted this duel to be a Dueltainment show, there was no way he's missing this opportunity since his own cousin was involved.

"I activate my Skill: Mind Merge!" Yuya cheerfully declared. He and Absolute Dragon synchronized and unified their minds into one until he saw that he has become one with his monster, as seen by his unconscious body on the floor of the arena. The sapphire-scaled dragon let out a cheerful roar, indicating to the audience that the fun has begun.

"Now hold on a minute!" Melissa exclaimed. "Since when can Duelists use their Skills on their opponent's turn?!"

"I'm not sure," Nico admitted. "But it seems Yuya has other ideas in mind." He looked at their bios. "He and Yuto recently found out their mothers were sisters prior to the dimensions separating, so Yuya wishes to perform alongside his cousin."

"Well that's mighty nice," Melissa commented.

As Nico and Melissa commentated on the first round, Yuya started his performance through the body of Odd-Eyes Absolute Dragon; he knew it was still Yuto's turn, so he decided to encourage him—who was still fused with Dark Rebellion XYZ Dragon—to join in as well.

However, Yuto was deeply confused. Why was his cousin running around the arena? A confused sound appeared from Dark Rebellion, but Absolute Dragon happily roared again. It sounded like the two were communicating through their dragons. Absolute Dragon continued to cheerfully growl and roar at Dark Rebellion, wanting to convince him to join in on the performance. The latter was still confused on how Dueltaining even works; even if Yuto saw glimpses of it when his soul was fused with Yuya's, he still didn't quite understand it.

Lulu laughed in amusement as she watched the duel. "Come on, Yuto!" she called out. "Don't you want to have fun with your cousin?"

Despite the arena being split into three, Dark Rebellion started to softly purr, mostly because Yuto had a feeling Lulu liked the thought of him spending time with Yuya more. The last time they spent some bonding time together was a few days before the Paradise Prep school dance. Letting out a playful roar, the XYZ dragon proceeded to fly into the sky, ready for the performance.

As Dark Rebellion soared through the air, Absolute Dragon shot crystals out from his body as the XYZ dragon produced electricity from his wings. A display of crystals and electricity sparkled all around the dragons, astonishing the audience. "Incredible!" Nico exclaimed as Dark Rebellion did a midair backflip. "I've never seen such a performance!"

Everyone cheered enthusiastically at the stunning and marvelous presentation the two dragons were creating. Yuto was amazed by the reactions. Is this what Dueltainment is all about? Was it really all about keeping the world entertained and smiling? That's what Lulu believes in, and needless to say, Dark Rebellion looked pretty satisfied.

The two dragons continued their performance, shooting out electricity and crystals through the air. Electric bolts then came into contact with the colored gems, which caused them to explode and transform into fireworks. But while Absolute Dragon couldn't fly, Dark Rebellion soared in the sky, the fireworks causing his scales to shine. Yuto enjoyed seeing everyone cheer for him and his cousins. Maybe this Dueltainment thing isn't so bad after all-

"And the winner is Gong Strong!"

The two dragons quickly finished up their last round of fireworks shortly after hearing that Gong won. Through Absolute Dragon's gleeful roars, Yuya was happy to know Team Smiles was tied with Team Noble. With Dark Rebellion back on the ground, the two cousins ended their mind merges.

"So what did you think?" Yuya asked.

Yuto got off of Dark Rebellion, a soft smile on his face. "That was amazing," he answered.

"Aw, you can do better than that!" Yuya said, wanting his cousin to smile wide.

"Trust me, this is my biggest smile," Yuto clarified. He's usually a soft-spoken and quiet person, so in a way, he wasn't as energetic and outgoing like Yuya.

"Alright!" Yuya cheerfully said. "Now let's finish this duel!"

"Of course," Yuto agreed. "Dark Rebellion XYZ Dragon, attack Odd-Eyes Absolute Dragon! Mauling Mandible Charge!"

Dark Rebellion charged his wings with purple lightning as the purple orbs on them began to illuminate. He then flew over to Odd-Eyes Absolute Dragon to pierce him with his long, sword-like chin. However, Yuya was prepared.

"I activate the Trap card Cross Damage!" Yuya announced. "Now you lose the same amount of life points I'm about to lose!"

As Dark Rebellion's chin stabbed through Absolute Dragon, the destroyed monster exploded, engulfing part of the arena in dark gray smoke that barely covered the two, who both lost 1100 LP each.

"Not bad," Yuto said as he ended his turn with a face down. "But Dark Rebellion still has an Overlay Unit."

"I know," Yuya replied as he drew a card. "But this duel is over. This is the final turn!"

Outside of the duel, the Cardfighters who were sitting immediately recognized that phrase Yuya said. They all know "final turn" meant a Cardfighter thinks they'll win based on the card they drew; does that mean he’s going to claim a victory for his team?

"Since Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon was Odd-Eyes Absolute Dragon's Overlay Unit, I get to Pendulum Summon him back onto the field!" Yuya exclaimed. "So return to the spotlight, Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon!"

The Pendulum "portal" opened up and Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon ricochet back onto Yuya's side of the field. "But I'm not done!" the tomato-haired teen continued. "I activate the Field Spell Sky Iris to protect Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon!"

Sky Iris was…well, a Field Spell card that prohibits the opponent from using card effects to target Magicians, Performapals, or Odd-Eyes in the Pendulum Zones. Yuya can also select and destroy a face-up card he controls in order to add one Odd-Eyes card from his deck to his hand, but this effect can only be done once per turn.

"I'm also setting this monster face down on the field before I end my turn," Yuya said, knowing Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon is weaker than Dark Rebellion XYZ Dragon.

Suspicion crept up Yuto as his turn was about to begin. Yuya never played a monster in face-down defense position before. What is he planning? Regardless of the plan, Yuto drew a card, deciding it would be safer to attack Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon.

"Dark Rebellion XYZ Dragon, attack Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon!" Yuto exclaimed. "Mauling Mandible Charge!"

As Dark Rebellion charged for the attack, Yuya smirked. "I activate the Action Spell Trick Distraction!" he declared. "Now Dark Rebellion is forced to attack my face down monster!"

Yuto was flabbergasted. "When did you get that?" he asked.

"During our little fireworks show, I secretly used Odd-Eyes Absolute Dragon's body to bring the Action Spell over to my actual body," Yuya answered.

The face-down card appeared on the field and flipped itself up to reveal itself to be Purple Poison Magician, who was pierced through Dark Rebellion's sword-chin. Purple Poison Magician was a Level 4 Scale 1 DARK Spellcaster-Type monster with 1200 ATK and 2100 DEF. His Pendulum effect gives a battling DARK Spellcaster-Type monster that Yuya controls an additional 1200 ATK during the Battle Phase before sending this card to the Graveyard. His monster effect, which treats him as a Fusion Dragon card, enables his owner to select and destroy a monster on the field after he is destroyed through battle or card effects. Yuya knew exactly which effect he is going to choose.

"Since Purple Poison Magician was sent to the Graveyard, he's taking Dark Rebellion XYZ Dragon with him!" Yuya declared. "Vine Whip Ensnarement!"

Purple Poison Magician brought out some vines from the ground and commanded them by whipping them at Dark Rebellion, wrapping him around them, and pulling him down into the Graveyard with the former. Yuri watched on and was proud with this strategy he witnessed because that's something he normally does.

"Not bad, Yuya," Yuri commented. "It seems my best features have rubbed off on you."

Yuto clenched his fists. "I see," he told Yuya. "You have become a lot stronger." He set a card face down.

"Yep!" Yuya happily answered as he drew a card. "Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon, finish this off with Phantom Spiral Flame!"

"Then it's a good thing I have this," Yuto said. "I activate The Phantom Knights of Wrong Magnetring to negate your dragon's attack!"

For quite some time, the two equally-matched Duelists kept going back and forth with each other in an seemingly endless chain of summoning, activating, destroying, and banishing monsters, Spells, and Traps, losing and regaining Life Points, and mind merging with their monsters. Three archetypes against one. It was almost like a special summoning galore… Almost… Eventually, the duel ended up getting a bit boring because of how long it's been going and no victor has been decided; fortunately, this stalemate revived some lost tension as they stood looking exhausted with 100 LP each.

Declan let out a frustrated sigh. "New rule," he spoke into the microphone. "If a duel goes on for too long, whoever has the most life points after four turns is the winner."

This was a problem; the two neither had more nor less Life Points than each other. How are they going to declare the winner if they are tied? Worse, the two were already exhausted and their strongest cards were in the Graveyard.

"Yikes," Yuya said. "How are we supposed to-" His eyes widened upon seeing his cousin. "Yuto?"

Suddenly, much to everyone's shock, Yuto collapsed out of exhaustion. Because the Invasion made him slightly buffer than his counterparts, he had been recently working out at the Obsidian family gym, resulting in him getting exhausted easily; he also rarely took part in Action Duels, and seeing this one was his longest one yet, it wore him out immensely.

"Yuto!" Yuya exclaimed. He ran over to his cousin and kneeled next to him, holding the back of his head. "Speak to me!"

Yuto weakly opened his eyes and smiled. "I see her," he quietly said. "I see my mom." He took out Dark Rebellion XYZ Dragon. "I leave Dark Rebellion in your care, Yuya."

"What?!" Yuya asked.

"Take care of him," Yuto said. "And remember to use your power...to keep the world entertained...and smiling."

Yuya panicked a bit. "But Zarc's no longer a problem!" he pointed out. "You can't-"

Just then, the sound of an amused laugh came out from Yuto; as it turned out, he was joking this whole time. Yuya looked offended, but he couldn't help but smile as well. "You sneak!" he exclaimed.

Yuto got back up, still laughing softly. "Gotcha," he said.

Yuya stood up. "Okay, you got me," he said. He playfully punched his cousin on the shoulder. "But that was a pretty good show we performed."

"It was," Yuto agreed. He held both of Yuya's hands. "Love you, cuz."

Yuya smiled even more. "Love you too, Yoot," he said.

All around the Center Duel Field, a collective sound of "Aww" was heard from the audience, who were touched by the cousins' fluffy moment. The two may have formed a bond during the Interdimensional War, but the revelations of their moms being sisters helped bring them closer.

"I hate to interrupt this moment, but I must declare a winner," Nico said. "So because Yuto Osaku was the first one to pass out, the winner of the final duel goes to Yuya Sakaki! Team Smiles is moving on to the final round!"

As the audience cheered and applauded after hearing the results, Yuya, Zuzu, and Gong's faces showed how genuinely content they were with advancing onto the tournament. The members of Team Noble, on the other hand, were all proud at how far their companions have gotten through, including themselves.

"Yuya, we did it!" Zuzu exclaimed. As Yuto released his grip on the tomato-haired teen, she ran over to him and hugged him tightly.

As Gong walked over to his teammates, Shay and Lulu approached Yuto. "It's alright," the heiress said. "We tried our best."

"Speak for yourself," Shay said. "I spent last night practicing for dealing with Fusion monsters and I happened to get stuck dueling the only non-Fusion Duelist on Team Smiles."

It was true; he was in the family dueling room last practicing his skills against simulations of Fusion Duelists because he was hoping he would go up against Team Obelisk, most particularly his rival Sora. Because of the arrangement of duels for the semifinals, he got stuck with Gong, his Superheavy Samurais, and his Synchro Summoning technique. The powerful effects and high DEF of his all-monster deck did a number on Shay, helping Team Smiles in moving on with a 2-to-1 score.

"Alright Team Turbo and Team Obelisk," Aichi announced. "It's your turn to duel. Good luck to both of you."

With the dividers already lowered back into the floor, Teams Smiles and Noble exited the arena to watch from the sidelines during the second round. Team Obelisk got up and walked away from where they were sitting to make their way towards the arena's center. At the same time, Team Turbo—albeit their stand-in Shinji—grabbed their Duel Runners from behind them and followed Yuri, Dennis, and Sora to begin the next set of simultaneous duels.

#Arc V Aftermath #yugioh arc v #Yuya Sakaki #Zuzu Boyle #Yuzu Hiragi #FruitShipping #Yuto (arc v)#Lulu Obsidian #Ruri Kurosaki #FallenAngelShipping #Yugo (arc v)#Rin (arc v)#AppleShipping #Yuri (arc v)#Celina (arc v)#Serena (arc v)#PredatorShipping

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real-life-pine-tree · 8 years ago

Text

Arc-V Aftermath: A Duelist’s Revenger (23/26)

WARNING: Dub names will be featured in the story.

The start of the second round was quickly approaching as Teams Obelisk and Turbo walked towards the Center Duel Field's arena. Since Yugo, Rin, and Crow brought their Duel Runners with them like yesterday, that would mean Yuri, Dennis, and Sora may have to take part in three simultaneous Action Duels or Turbo Duels. At that point, it currently didn't matter what type of duel they'll be engaging in because the two dimensional counterparts are more focused on their encounter and their potential rematch, depending on what the monitor says who's dueling who, of course.

So when the pairings included Yugo vs. Yuri, the Turbo Duelist got on his Duel Runner, put on his helmet, and sped over to Yuri. "You're gonna pay for what you did!" he exclaimed.

"Now now, don't act so rash," Yuri said as Yugo braked his Duel Runner. "You already had your Rin-union."

"It's not that!" Yugo clarified. "Tell me what you did to my memories!"

"I would if I could," Yuri explained. "But after Yuya poofed Astrograph Sorcerer into existence, I, too, experienced a strange case of amnesia."

He wasn't exactly wrong. Ever since Zarc was revived, the Yu-Salad completely blacked out…except for Yuya, who managed to temporarily regain control to help Riley and Ray win the duel and put a stop to the continuing onslaught. Because of that, he was the only reincarnation who was able to recover prior to Leo's separation procedure.

Yugo wasn't sure how to respond, but the Fusion Duelist cleared his throat. "Aren't you going to say something?" he whispered.

"Huh?" Yugo asked.

Yuri let out a frustrated sound. "That's the whole point of Wicked Dueltainment," he whispered. "My teammates and I play the role of villains to entertain the crowd. It was Dennis' idea and so far it's working."

Dennis did got the idea of Wicked Dueltainment when he was dueling against Yuya back in Heartland City. He, Sora, and Yuri clearly have no ill will towards Yusho; their evil behavior is all part of the act. Luckily Yugo quickly caught on.

"You liar!" the blonde-banged Duelist exclaimed. "And I'll never forgive you for kidnapping and brainwashing RinRin!"

Yuri let out a sinister laugh. "You are certainly persistent," he said. "But once this duel is over, your beloved dragon and soul will be mine once more!"

The duo knew Zarc accepted himself being split back into his reincarnations once again, so there was no way their souls were getting absorbed, regardless of who wins or loses. The two then headed towards their section of the arena where they will be dueling.

Dennis smirked as he saw Rin. "Why hello there," he said, approaching the Windwitch user. "How funny for us to meet up once more." He proceeded to kiss the back of her hand, but she pulled back in disgust.

"I have a boyfriend," Rin pointed out.

"Oh, hush now," Dennis said. He caressed her cheek. "A beautiful lady such as yourself deserves someone far more civilized." He knew Rin and Yugo were dating; him flirting with her was all part of the act.

Unfortunately, Rin didn't understand that. "Beautiful...?" she asked, swatting Dennis' hand away from her face.

"But that's what you are," Dennis said. "Absolutely beautiful."

But Rin got on her Duel Runner. "Let's just duel already!" she said, wanting to get this over with.

She was more used to Yugo calling her cute nicknames, so hearing Dennis treat her the same way kind of annoyed her. After putting on her helmet, she drove to her section of the arena with her opponent following her. With two matches already figured out on who's dueling who, that would mean Crow was going up against Sora.

Sora whimpered. "Pwease don't hurt me," he told Crow, looking at him with a sad look in his eyes.

"Nice try," Crow said. "I remember what your dueling style is really like."

With that, Sora dropped the act, a sinister grin appearing on his face. "I see," he said, taking out a lollipop. "Then crushing you will be all the sweeter." He bit into the lollipop, the hard candy making a loud CRUNCH.

Well, that isn't scary, Crow thought to himself with a somewhat surprised look as he got on his Duel Runner and put on his helmet. He then revved his engine and drove to the last empty section of the arena as Sora pursued him. All six members readied and activated their Duel Disks, three of which were programmed into the Duel Runners, and shouted, "Let's duel!" Blackwing vs. the child psycho. Windwitch vs. the polite mastermind. Speedroid vs. the deranged psychopath, a long-awaited rematch that Yugo has been looking forward to. Team Turbo sped their way to the different tracks to begin their duels against Team Obelisk.

"Dearest me," Yuri remarked. "I suppose I'll have to keep up. So I'll start things off with Polymerization. Arise, Starving Venom Fusion Dragon! Your master is in need of transportation!"

A Fusion Summoned Starving Venom appeared on the field with a malicious growl to help stay in character as part of the Wicked Dueltainment. Yuri then stepped onto the palm of his ace's hand and proceeded to follow Yugo with his dragon carrying him. Dennis and Sora did something similar by summoning Shaddoll Hound and Frightfur Bear and using them to give them a lift in their Turbo Duels.

"I need your assistance, Shaddoll Hound!" Dennis commanded.

"Come to me, Frightfur Bear!" Sora exclaimed.

"My goodness!" Melissa remarked. "Looks like Team Obelisk has decided to use their monsters to keep up with Team Turbo! That's some pretty cleva thinkin'."

As the three former Obelisk Force soldiers rode their monsters, they managed to catch up with Team Turbo. Unlike most of the duels that took place throughout the Team Duel Tournament, the simultaneous Turbo Duels weren't divided into three smaller arenas; instead, they took place in one Action Field with the three sections as each of the member's starting points.

"My turn!" Yugo exclaimed as he drew a card. "And I'll start things off by setting the Pendulum Scale with Speedroids Passinglider and Dominobutterfly!"

Yugo placed his Scale 3 Passinglider on the left Pendulum Zone and his Scale 8 Dominobutterfly on the right, allowing him to summon monsters between Levels 4 and 7. "Time to show this rich snob the true power of Speedroids!" he exclaimed. "I'm bringing out Speedroids Double Yoyo, Horse Stilts, Razorang, and Rubberband Plane!"

The four Pendulum Summoned monsters flew out of the "portal" and onto the field. Double Yoyo, Horse Stilts, and Razorang are all Level 4 while Rubberband Plane is a Level 5; whatever Yugo is planning, this Pendulum Summon was only the beginning.

"But I'm not done!" Yugo continued. "I summon Speedroid Red-Eyed Dice, which I'll tune with Speedroid Rubberband Plane to call forth a mystical cross-sword with the power to cut every enemy down to size! I Synchro Summon Hi-Speedroid Kendama!"

Hi-Speedroid Kendama is Level 6 WIND Machine-Type Synchro monster with 2200 ATK and 1600 DEF. If it's in defense position, Yugo can inflict piercing damage to his opponent. It also has two other effects, which can be used once per turn: a Machine-Type monster can be banished from the Graveyard so that 500 damage can be inflicted to the opponent or it can be special summoned from the Graveyard if no cards are in control, but normal summoning/setting is prohibited on the turn this effect is activated.

Yuri was confused but also amused on why Yugo would choose Hi-Speedroid Kendama. It has less ATK than Starving Venom, who has 2800 ATK. He let out an amused laugh. "Seriously?" he asked. "All this hype for a sword?"

"Oh, I'm not done," Yugo said. "Since I have over two wind-attribute monsters on my field, I can special summon Windwitch - Snow Bell!"

"What?!" Yuri asked. "How could you have that in your deck?!"

Yugo chuckled. "Kinda a funny story," he answered. "RinRin originally had four Snow Bells, but she gave her extra one to me." He held up the card, which had a pink heart drawn on it. "I save it for special occasions like this tournament."

Yugo placed Snow Bell on his Duel Disk to special summon it. She flew out of the materializing light from her card and onto the field; what makes her stand out is she has the same pink heart on her. Not too far away, Rin saw the copy of her Tuner monster that she gave to Yugo as she dueled Dennis. She let out a loving sigh, not letting this distraction interfere with her duel.

"Now I'm gonna tune this extra-special Snow Bell with Speedroids Razorang and Double Yoyo!" Yugo continued. "Come on out, Giganticastle!"

Giganticastle is a Level 9 EARTH Rock-Type Synchro monster with 2900 ATK and 2800 DEF. Its effect allows it to gain 200 ATK and DEF for every non-Tuner Synchro Material used to Synchro Summon it. Since Razorang and Double Yoyo are non-Tuners, Giganticastle gains 400 ATK and DEF, making it 3300 ATK and 3200 DEF.

"Alright Giganticastle, punch out that overgrown weed-dragon!" Yugo exclaimed.

As the humungous Synchro monster clenched its left fist and prepared to throw a punch to deal 500 damage, the sound of Yuri's whip cracked. Starving Venom was being commanded to help him find an Action Card as fast as he could. "Starving Venom Fusion Dragon, I wish for you to seek out an Action Card!" the Predaplant user exclaimed.

The dragon growled obediently and scanned the Action Field for an Action Card, preferably a Spell. Ultimately he found an Action Card, so he flew over to it, allowing Yuri to grab it with his whip. "Thank you, my treasured pet," he said. "Now I activate the Action Spell Evasion to protect you from harm!"

Evasion's effect negated Giganticastle's attack as it lowered its fist and unclenched it. Starving Venom purred in satisfaction because this is one of the many examples of his undying loyalty to Yuri. He is willing to assist him in any situation and vice versa.

Yugo wasn't happy with the results. "I'll get rid of that dragon somehow!" he exclaimed, ending his turn with a face down.

"Don't get your hopes up this early," Yuri said. "I draw!" He checked his hand, ready to-

"Pummeling Paw!"

Yuri's turn got interrupted by Sora, who was just about to attack Crow. Unfortunately, the attack nearly startled Starving Venom because of how in close proximity the two duels were. "Sora, control that mutated teddy bear!" the purple-haired teen exclaimed. "You nearly startled my dearest pet!"

"Sorry about that!" Sora replied.

Sora and Frightfur Bear took off to continue their Battle Phase. What the heck was that all about? Hopefully, this time, nothing will interrupt Yuri, who has already concocted a strategy for his Main Phase.

"I activate the Equip Spell Mark of the Rose!" Yuri declared. "By banishing Predaplant Flytrap from my Graveyard, your Giganticastle becomes my obedient servant! Now come to me, Giganticastle!"

A black rose mark appeared on Giganticastle's forehead and was quickly engulfed in a bright purple light that dragged it to Yuri's side of the field. "What the?!" Yugo asked, alarmed. "You never had that card during our last duel!"

"You are quite simpleminded," Yuri said. "I went to a local card store with my team weeks ago for a new booster pack sale. This card was one of the cards I purchased."

Yugo let out a small frustrated scowl at his Synchro monster being taken from him. Apparently, he wasn't the only one who has been upgrading, improving, and strengthening his deck. But Yuri wasn't done with his turn.

"I activate my Skill: Mind Merge!" Yuri declared.

Starving Venom roared loudly as he could as he mind merged with Yuri as the Predaplant user was absorbed into the dragon. Yuya was flabbergasted. "How is he doing that?!" he asked aloud.

It never occurred to him until just now on why his counterparts can mind merge in various ways. Yuto overlays his mind with Dark Rebellion whereas Yuri fuses with Starving Venom. He hasn't seen what Yugo's Skill variant is, but he does have an idea on what they may represent. The Skills that have been used seemed to have reflect a different special summoning method; the only question is why his mind merge is standard. Is it because the dimension he resided in was also standard? Did he not unlock a Pendulum variant of his Skill? …What would a Pendulum variant of a mind merge look like?

"Earth to Yuya?" Zuzu asked. But the tomato-haired teen was too lost in his thoughts to even hear her.

Back at the duel, with Giganticastle under Yuri's control and his mind successfully fused with Starving Venom's, he was ready to begin his Battle Phase, with his ace making the first move. Yugo drove on his Duel Runner, struggling to figure out a counter strategy as he looked at his cards and his Hi-Speedroid Kendama. Even if he does use one of its effects, it wouldn't make a difference because the double attack would deliver a whopping 3900 points of damage, leaving him with only 100 Life Points! In other words, he is screwed.

"I activate the Action Spell Miracle!"

Yugo turned his head to see Crow driving by him, who has already gotten and used the Action Spell. He couldn't help but notice his friend was in grave danger, so he decided to mash their two duels and make it a 2 vs. 2 tag team duel. It was a clever idea to do so for two reasons: 1. Kendama isn't destroyed and Yugo only takes 300 damage from Starving Venom's attack, and 2. Since Crow was already dueling against Sora, the intrusion penalty doesn't apply, meaning he won't lose 2000 LP.

"Can't forget about me!" Rin added. "I activate the Action Spell Big Escape to end Yuri's Battle Phase!"

Correction: it is now a 3 vs. 3 tag team duel and the intrusion penalty wasn't utilized since Rin was dueling against Dennis. As a result of this epic save/duel conversion combo, the crowd went insanely wild.

"Incredible!" Nico commented. "Team Turbo has decided to combine their duels into a single tag team! I've never seen anything like this!"

"Neither have I," Melissa agreed. "Looks like these folks are the first Duelists to try such a trick."

Yugo heard the announcements Nico and Melissa made and the sound of the audience cheering like crazy, and needless to say, he was highly thrilled with it. He wasn't expecting his friends to help him out by making an amazingly impactful tactic, causing everyone to root for them. This just may be the first time where people are starting to support him.

As for Yuri, he was strongly taken back by what Rin and Crow did because he nearly had his Synchro counterpart on the ropes. Starving Venom reluctantly growled as the mind merge was cancelled and his owner reappeared in his hand to get ready to end his turn, only for him to see that Dennis and Sora were accompanying him.

"My goodness," Dennis said. "This is quite a surprising twist."

"Indeed," Sora agreed. "But if this duel is now a free-for-all, crushing them will be sweeter than before."

Yuri quickly snapped out of his funk. "You're right," he said. "How dare they try to gang up on me! We shall attack them with everything we have!"

Yuri concluded his turn by playing two more face-downs before passing it on to Rin. As she drew a card from her deck, she carried out her Main Phase based on what cards she currently has. So far she was able to summon Winter Bell and she just drew Fusion Sage. If she uses that and the Glass Bell in her hand, she could bring out Crystal Bell. However, since this was now a 3 vs. 3 duel, she came up with a better idea.

"Hey Yugo, is it alright if I borrow your Speedroid?" Rin asked.

Yugo nodded and replied with a "Sure thing".

"Good," Rin said. "I summon Windwitch - Glass Bell!" the green-haired Duelist continued. "Not only does she let me retrieve my third Ice Bell from my deck to my hand, but I'm gonna overlay her with Yugo's Speedroid Horse Stilts, allowing me to XYZ Summon Tornado Dragon!"

Tornado Dragon is a Rank 4 WIND Wyrm-Type XYZ monster with 2100 ATK and 2000 DEF. During either Duelist's turn, Rin can detach one XYZ Material to target a Spell or Trap card on the field and destroy it.

Rin's teammates and Team Obelisk were all surprised at how she perfectly executed an XYZ Summon. They were also perplexed on how she even learned how to XYZ Summon when she's capable of Synchro and Fusion Summoning. She explained that Lulu taught her about it during their imprisonment back at Duel Academy.

Yuto looked over at his girlfriend. "Is that true?"

Lulu nodded in response. "Rin also taught me how to Synchro Summon," she explained. "It's fun, but it doesn't really fit with my Lyrilusc cards."

"I activate Tornado Dragon's special ability!" Rin continued. "By using one Overlay Unit, he'll free Giganticastle from Yuri's control!"

Tornado Dragon blew a gust of wind that destroyed Mark of the Rose, causing the black rose mark to vanish and Giganticastle to return to Yugo's side of the field. A stunned Yuri couldn't believe what he was witnessing; how can someone he abducted some time ago be incredibly handy and strategic in a variety of special summoning? The last thing she might end up doing is learning how to Pendulum and/or Ritual Summon.

"But I'm not done," Rin added. "I activate the Spell card Fusion Sage to retrieve my Polymerization from my deck!"

The deck slot of Rin's Duel Disk brought out Polymerization, and as she retrieved it, it caught the audience's attention, especially Yugi. Through the monitor's screen, he and everyone else immediately recognized it as the vintage Polymerization card.

"Now I'll use this same Polymerization card to fuse my Winter Bell with the Ice Bell in my hand!" Rin continued. "Maiden of snow and ice, become one with the magic of crystals and shed your ragged disguise to reveal the princess within! I Fusion Summon Windwitch - Crystal Bell!"

The two Windwitch fusion materials glowed light blue and light red respectively as a huge shard of ice appeared, encasing Crystal Bell in it. Instead of her breaking the ice apart prior to Revival Zero, sparkles lit up from the ground and orbited around her, melting the frozen water while enabling Rin's Fusion ace to twirl around and bring out her true, inner beauty once more. The Windwitch user let out a cheerful laugh as the field was covered in sparkles.

"My goodness, I never get tired of seein' that Fusion Summon!" Melissa remarked.

"That's no surprise," Nico added as he checked Rin's bio. "According to her official dueling bio, Rin is known to bring out true beauty in everything, especially in her dueling style."

What Nico just said was exactly right. No matter how many times it's been repeated, Rin bringing out true beauty was quite the spectacle to watch. Even Yugo couldn't help but stare in awe at her wonderful Fusion Summon; in a way, there's no need for a sparkly vision since the sparkles are already there.

"Yeah!" Yugo cheered. "That's my adorable snowflake princess! I love you so much, RinRin!"

At this point, Rin didn't mind Yugo announcing to the entire world about how they're dating. Due to his high energy, he just can't help but blurt it out loud; he really loves her and is so gosh darn proud about it.

Blushing slightly, Rin continued her turn. "I'll activate Crystal Bell's special ability!" she said. "By using her discarded shell from the Graveyard, she'll deal out 1400 points worth of damage to Sora!"

Thanks to Crystal Bell's effect, the Fusion spellcaster inherited Winter Bell's name and effects for the duration of Rin's turn, then proceeded to take out 1400 LP from Sora.

"Now Crystal Bell, attack El Shaddoll Grysta!" Rin exclaimed. "Sparkling Snow Gust!"

Crystal Bell aimed her attack at El Shaddoll Grysta and blasted a windy strike that contained sparkly snowflakes that destroyed the target, delivering 350 damage to Dennis' Life Points. However, thanks to Grysta's effect, if it was sent to the Graveyard, Dennis can select a Shaddoll Spell/Trap card that is in the Graveyard and add it to his hand.

"Nice try," Dennis said. "But thanks to El Shaddoll Grysta's special ability, Shaddoll Core is retrieved from my Graveyard!"

Shaddoll Core is a Continuous Trap card that is also treated as a Level 9 DARK Spellcaster-Type monster with 1450 ATK and 1950 DEF when special summoned. By doing so, it can be substituted for a Fusion Material with a listed attribute on a Shaddoll Fusion Monster. If it's sent to the Graveyard, Dennis can target a Shaddoll Spell/Trap card in the Graveyard—except Shaddoll Core—and add it to his hand.

The selected Trap card slid out of the Duel Disk's Graveyard slot and Dennis retrieved it with his right hand.

"But you're still open for a direct attack!" Rin pointed out. "Tornado Dragon, blow him away!"

Tornado Dragon inhaled and blew out a giant, powerful gust of wind in a similar manner to a dragon that breathes out fire to reduce Dennis' Life Points down by 2100. "I place one card face down and end my turn," Rin concluded.

"Not bad," Sora said. "But it's my turn!" He drew a card and smiled wide. "Oh yeah!" he said. "I summon Fluffal Mouse from my hand!"

Fluffal Mouse scurried onto the field with a chocolate donut in its hand. Its special ability allows Sora to special summon up to two copies of Fluffal Mouse from his deck during his Main Phase, buy only when it's face up on the field. He also can't special summon monsters from his deck on the turn it was activated…except Frightfur monsters, which was perfect for him because he had a Fusion monster in mind that he plans on bringing out.

"Now I'll activate Fluffal Mouse's special ability to call on two more Fluffal Mice!" Sora continued. "So I'll use Polymerization on these three mice along with the Edge Imp Sabers, Fluffal Dog, and Fluffal Cat in my hand! Edge of sharpness, mayhem of mice, barking warrior, and paws of fury! When they all come together, get ready for a flurry! I Fusion Summon Frightfur Wolf!"

The Fusion materials fused together as they glowed light blue and yellow. A pair of scissors cut open a plush stomach before being sewn back in place, with two more scissors using their blades to jab onto the upper torso and support the front paws. A stitched up head turned around in place and howled as two magenta eyes glowed in its mouth before Frightfur Wolf appeared on the field.

Its appearance may look scary, but its effect was the true nightmare. It is allowed to attack multiple times during each Battle Phase based on the number of Fusion Materials used to Fusion Summon it. With a total of five Fluffals and one Edge Imp, Sora can attack six times in his Battle Phases!

"Well done, Sora," Yuri remarked. "You really have mastered Frightfur Wolf's special ability."

"You bet!" Sora replied. "Frightfur Wolf, wipe out Team Turbo once and for all!"

"Not so fast!" Rin exclaimed. "On your attack, I activate Quaking Mirror Force!"

Quaking Mirror Force is a Trap card that is similar to regular Mirror Force, but instead of destroying all attack position monsters the opponent controls, they are switched to face-down defense position and cannot change battle positions due to this effect.

Frightfur Wolf unleashed its attack on Team Turbo, but it was blocked by Quaking Mirror Force, causing the ground to shake and switch it to face-down defense-position. Unfortunately for Sora, the Trap card affects all attack position monsters, and before he knew it, Frightfur Bear was also switched to face-down defense position and he fell down onto the Action Field just as the shaking stopped.

"No fair!" Sora complained, running up to Starving Venom and grabbing onto his tail to keep up with his teammates. "I was this close to winning!" He set a card on his field before ending his turn.

It was now Crow's turn, and as he drew a card from his deck, he glanced at what he's got before making his move. He placed the drawn card into his hand and then summoned Blackwing - Kris the Crack of Dawn; thanks to its effect, he can special summon another Blackwing monster besides this one, and he chose Mistral the Silver Shield. He then activated Monster Reborn to bring back Ghibli the Searing Wind. Now he has everything that he needed. He tuned his Level 2 Mistral with his Level 4 Kris and Level 3 Ghibli to Synchro Summon his Level 9 Assault Blackwing - Kusanagi the Gathering Storm.

"Kusanagi, wipe out that weed-covered dragon!" Crow declared.

Kusanagi's effect allows it to gain ATK equal to the total ATK of the Blackwing Synchro Materials until the End Phase; with a total of 2000 ATK from the three monsters, its ATK shot up from 3000 to 5000 and began to deal 2200 damage to Yuri's 4000 Life Points. However, the Predaplant user has his two face-downs and he was ready for a counterattack.

"Not so fast!" Yuri said. "I activate the Quick-Play Spell Battle Fusion to strengthen my beloved pet!"

According to Battle Fusion's effect, Yuri can target an attacking monster and the targeted Fusion monster gains ATK equal to the ATK of said attacking monster; in this case, Starving Venom's ATK skyrocketed up to 7800, so Crow will end up taking 2800 damage, which is equal to the Fusion Dragon's original ATK.

"Starving Venom, clip that pesky bird's wings!" Yuri ordered, aiming his whip at Kusanagi.

Starving Venom extended his wing and shot out purple and magenta lightning bolts at Kusanagi, followed by an aquamarine blast that destroyed the monster. Prior to the three duels becoming a tag team duel, after Sora Fusion Summoned Frightfur Bear, Crow summoned Ghibli in defense position, which was destroyed and then equipped onto the opposing monster, gaining 1000 ATK due to its effect. In other words, he hasn't lost any LP until now, which makes his current LP 1200.

"Dang it!" Crow said. "I set two cards face down and end my turn!"

"Then it's my turn!" Dennis said. "I draw!" He checked his hand. "Excellent. I summon Shaddoll Dragon!"

Shaddoll Dragon flew out from his card and onto the field. It is a Level 4 DARK Spellcaster-Type monster with 1900 ATK and 0 DEF. Its flip summon effect can send a monster the opponent controls back to their hand while its monster effect can target and destroy a Spell/Trap card on the field if a card effect send it to the Graveyard. The downside is only one Shaddoll Dragon effect can be used once per turn, and only once that turn.

"But that's not all," Dennis continued. "I play the Spell card Nephe Shaddoll Fusion, allowing my Shaddoll Dragon to become a light-attribute monster so I can fuse it with the Shaddoll Beast in my hand! Now I shall Fusion Summon El Shaddoll Construct!"

The many doll-like limbs attached itself until it formed a female body that looked like she was wearing a long-sleeved dress that went passed the knees, except the front part of the skirt was more open. She is a Level 8 LIGHT Fairy-Type monster with 2800 ATK and 2500 DEF. She must first be Fusion Summoned using a Shaddoll monster and a LIGHT monster as Fusion Materials. If she was special summoned, a Shaddoll card can be sent from the deck to the Graveyard. During the Damage Step, if she was battling a special summoned monster, that monster is destroyed. If she was sent to the Graveyard, a Shaddoll Spell/Trap card can be selected in the Graveyard and added to Dennis' hand.

"Now attack that oversized sword, El Shaddoll Construct!" Dennis commanded.

Not too far away from where Team Turbo was, Yugo spotted an Action Card right next to the track and sped up to grab it from the ground. "I activate the Action Spell Evasion!" he exclaimed. "So now Kendama is safe!"

As fast she was getting ready to attack, El Shaddoll Construct had her attack negated and went back to her standard position. "You got lucky this time!" Dennis said, setting a card.

"My turn!" Yugo happily said. "I draw!" He brought his hand towards him so that he can see what card he drew. He became starry-eyed because he had a feeling this was a winning card. "Final turn!"

As the Card Fighters cheered after hearing Yugo say those two words, he carried out his turn that will potentially lead his team to victory. "First I'll summon my second Speedroid Dominobutterfly from my hand!" he declared. "Then I'll tune it with Hi-Speedroid Kendama to pave the way for a dragon even mightier than Clear Wing! I Synchro Summon! Take flight, Crystal Wing Synchro Dragon!"

Crystal Wing Synchro Dragon is a Level 8 WIND Dragon-Type Synchro monster with 3000 ATK and 2500 DEF. Once per turn, her quick effect allows her to negate an opposing monster's activation, destroy said monster, and gain ATK equal to the destroyed monster's original ATK until the end of this turn. If she's battling a Level 5 or higher monster, she gains ATK equal to the target's current ATK during damage calculation.

Rin was amazed, glancing at Yugo. He looked back at her and winked, making her blush slightly. She knew exactly what he was planning on doing.

"Now I equip Crystal Wing with the Equip Spell United We Stand!" Yugo continued. "Allowing my dragon to get stronger thanks to my girlfriend's monsters!"

"So what?!" Yuri asked. "I defeated you once, and I'll defeat you again!"

"I don't think so," Rin said. "I activate the Trap card Lost Wind!"

"That's not all," Crow added. "I activate my newest Trap card: Oasis of Dragon Souls!"

Lost Wind enabled Rin to target a special summoned monster and simultaneously half its ATK and negate its effects while Oasis of Dragon Soul allowed Crow to target a monster in the Graveyard and special summon it in defense position as a Wyrm-Type; if the Continuous Trap leaves the field, the monster is destroyed and vice versa.

"How dare you use that Trap card on me, you little witch!" Yuri exclaimed.

"What can I say?" Rin cheekily asked. "Didn't want my boyfriend to have a repeat of your last duel with him."

Starving Venom's ATK got cut in half from 2800 to 1400 due to Rin's Lost Wind. As for Crow, he special summons Kusanagi the Gathering Storm back onto the field as a Wyrm-Type and in defense position. Including the resurrected Synchro monster, there was also Giganticastle, Tornado Dragon, and Windwitch - Crystal Bell, meaning Team Turbo had a total of four monsters on the field aside from Crystal Wing. With United We Stand, she gained a 3200 ATK and DEF boost, making her current ATK and DEF 6200 and 5700 respectively.

"But that's not all!" Yugo continued. "I activate my Skill: Mind Merge!"

The Skill's activation resulted in his Duel Runner becoming synced for two reasons: his Duel Disk has been programmed into it and the mind merge helps prevent it from crashing. His mind then began to tune itself with Crystal Wing's, creating what seemed to be a humanized Synchro Summon; in reality, this was definitely Yugo's Synchro variant of his Skill. Yuya was still watching the duel from the Center Duel Field's monitor screen, and after seeing yet another mind merge variation, his mind was pretty much broken by now.

"I..." Yuya stammered. "H-How..."

WHACK!

Zuzu had taken out her paper fan and used it to whack Yuya's head. It has been weeks since she last brought it out. Thankfully that was enough to snap Yuya out of it.

"Thanks Zuzu," Yuya said.

Zuzu smiled and gave Yuya a loving kiss, her fingers in his hair. "You're welcome," she replied.

Back at the duel, Yugo had completed tuning his mind with Crystal Wing's and saw that s/he had punctured through Starving Venom, who roared in agony before exploding that sent Yuri flying towards the ground as he lost all of his Life Points. Because the Fusion dragon was in the air at a pretty high altitude while going at a fast speed, and combined with the devastating attack he received, it caused him to nearly break his spine upon impact. Sora, on the other hand, lost his grip on the dragon's tail when he exploded and the force from the explosion pushed him back, landing face first on the ground at a good enough distance away from the tag team Turbo Duel; the last thing he needed was to get run over by Duel Runners.

"Hey Red!" Sora called out to Dennis. "A little help here?"

Dennis heard his friend's cry. "El Shaddoll Construct, please assist our friend," he commanded.

Construct left the duel and levitated over to where Sora was before lowering her right arm down and opening her hand to offer him a lift. He got up from the ground and hopped on her hand while rubbing his face, which had a few scratches here and there. He was kind of glad that he didn't end up with a bloody or broken nose from that faceplant. Raising her arm back up with Sora sitting on her palm, they glided back to where the Turbo Duel was currently at. As they whisked by, his eyes caught something; he could have sworn he saw Yuri. He turned his body around and found himself staring at his Obelisk friend, laying down because of how hurt he was. There might even be a possibility that he might lose consciousness.

From the sidelines, Celina also saw Yuri. She activated her Duel Disk. "I activate Polymerization!" she declared. "Lunalight Cat Dancer, retrieve Yuri and bring him to me!"

Lunalight Cat Dancer grooved her way out onto her field and immediately obeyed Celina's declaration, hovering to where Yuri laid, picking him up, and returning back to her owner with him being cradled in her arms. With the Fusion monster setting him on the ground, she returned to Celina's deck as the Duel Disk deactivated.

Celina's eyes were locked in place shortly after she deactivated her Duel Disk, staring deep into Yuri's face to make sure he wasn't in too much pain. Yet…she couldn't help but think about how cute he was when he's sleeping. The thoughts overflowed her mind and gradually consumed her until she placed her lips onto his and sealed it with a kiss.

Yuri's green eyes slowly opened. "Celina...?" he muttered.

Celina smirked. "Welcome back, Sleeping Cutie," she said.

Sora and Dennis had briefly spotted Cat Dancer carrying Yuri off to the sidelines for some help, meaning it was time for them to go full force on Team Turbo. Once Yugo cancelled his mind merge and ended his turn, the "child psycho" drew a card and then activated his face-down.

"I activate the Trap card Frightfur Designer!" Sora declared. "This'll allow me to retrieve Fluffal Cat from my Graveyard and treat her as a Frightfur monster!"

The special summoned Fluffal Cat pounced her way out of the Graveyard and onto the field. Sora then jumped off from El Shaddoll Construct's hand and landed on Fluffal Cat's back for transportation. "Good kitty," he said, patting the top of her head. "Now I just need something to get the rest of the team back into battle..."

Cat scurried along the track as Sora searched throughout the Action Field. He doesn't have anything in his hand that could help him, so he's hoping he can find an Action Card somewhere. Fortunately, he spotted one on the right side of the track. With help from the Fairy-Type monster, he retrieved it.

"I activate the Action Spell Backflip!" Sora exclaimed. "Allowing me to get back my two Frightfurs!"

Backflip was an Action Spell card that can negate card effects on monsters that flipped them from attack position to face-down defense position. The two face-down cards turned around vertically and then flipped up back in Attack Position, bring back Frightfurs Bear and Wolf, much to Rin's dumbfoundment.

"But that's not all!" Sora continued. "Now I can activate the Spell card Frightfur Fusion, allowing me to fuse Frightfur Bear and Frightfur Wolf with the Edge Imp Frightfuloid in my hand! Fury of bear, beastly huffer, ragged stitches! When the three come together, prepare for some glitches! I Fusion Summon! Come out my mighty mashup! Frightfur Chimera!"

The three banished Fusion Materials glowed red, green, and gold as they swirled around into one monster. A dark blob morphed itself into shaped before revealing its monstrous form to the public. Sora's greatest creation has surfaced once again and he is showing no mercy; it is part of the Wicked Dueltainment, after all.

"Your repulsive monstrosity is no match for us!" Rin exclaimed.

"Oh, I wouldn't get your hopes up too soon," Sora said. "I activate Frightfur Chimera's special ability! He gains 300 additional attack points for every monster on the field!"

Crystal Wing, Crystal Bell, Tornado Dragon, Kusanagi, El Shaddoll Construct, Shaddoll Hound, and Fluffal Cat. That makes seven monsters, meaning Chimera gains an additional 2100 ATK for a total of 4900 ATK!

"Now how about I put that pathetic excuse of a Fusion card out of its misery?" Sora asked. "Frightfur Chimera, attack!"

Chimera's bear head opened up its mouth and fired a missile that destroyed Crystal Bell, lowering Rin's LP down to 1900. Unfortunately for Sora, he triggered her second effect.

"Nice try," Rin said. "Crystal Bell returns to the field in her previous form!"

"Yeah, well I'm still taking your Fusion card!" Sora pointed out. He then special summoned Crystal Bell on his side of the field, increasing Chimera's ATK up to 5200 due to its effect. Because Crystal Bell hit the Graveyard upon being destroyed, her effect still activated as Rin special summoned Winter Bell and her Level 3 Ice Bell.

"Alright Rin," Crow said. "Think you can finish things off?"

"Gladly," Rin answered. She drew a card. "I activate Fusion Recovery!" From her Graveyard, she retrieved Polymerization and another Ice Bell, the one used to Fusion Summon Crystal Bell.

"And she's done it again!" Nico announced. "Just like during yesterday's duels, Rin has successfully retrieved her only Polymerization card!"

"Now I'll combine Winter Bell with one of my two Ice Bells!" Rin continued. "Sparkle to life once more, Windwitch - Crystal Bell!"

The second Crystal Bell Fusion Summoned in the same manner Rin's first copy did: a giant chunk of ice containing her rising up on the field and sparkles orbiting around and melting the ice, giving her the freedom to twirl around to demonstrate her true beauty.

"So what?" Sora asked. "I've heard all about your new Fusion-Synchro strategy. As long as I have your first Crystal Bell, you can't deal any massive effect damage."

Rin giggled. "Not true," she replied. "Tornado Dragon, attack the Crystal Bell that Sora imprisoned and return her to my Graveyard!"

Tornado Dragon breathed out another gust of wind that was aimed at the first Crystal Bell, whose ATK was halved to 1400, destroying her and bringing Sora's Life Points down to 1900. This worked to her advantage because her monster was sent back to Rin's Graveyard, meaning she can activate her monster's effect.

"Now I activate Crystal Bell's special ability!" Rin continued. "Use your former shell and absorb your twin's level into effect damage!"

Crystal Bell absorbed Winter Bell's name and effect to target the destroyed copy of herself to deal 1600 damage to Sora, leaving him with only 300 LP. However, he wasn't impressed.

"Nice try!" Sora exclaimed. "But I still have a couple of life points!"

"I know," Rin said. "Why else would I have the Trap card Secret Barrel?"

Secret Barrel is a Trap card that deals 200 damage for every card the opponent controls and that are in their hand. Right now, Sora controls two monsters on the field and has used up all the cards in his hands, meaning he will take 400 damage; in other words, he will lose the duel.

"What?!" Sora asked. "You tricked me!"

"That's RinRin's strategy!" Yugo explained. "She's a pro at dishing out effect damage!"

"Precisely," Rin agreed. "And with this final attack, Team Turbo officially wins the duel!"

Secret Barrel fired out bright yellow orbs of light towards Sora, dwindling his Life Points down to 0, giving Team Turbo the victory. Even if Dennis did end up pulling a win in his turn, it still wouldn't make a difference because the tournament rules say the team duels are best two out of three.

"And with that, Rin has allowed her team to move on to the final round!" Nico announced.

The audience cheered and applauded for Team Turbo as they slowed their Duel Runners down to a stop and the Action Field and monsters dematerialized. Dennis landed safely by jumping off of Shaddoll Hound whereas Sora fell butt-first onto the ground once Fluffal Cat vanished. In terms of constantly getting hurt, today was not his day.

"Aw man!" Sora complained as he stood up. "We were this close to winning!"

"Don't worry, Sora," Dennis said, placing his hand on the blue-haired boy's shoulder. "Rin is a tricky one. It's a good Yuri disarmed her in the Synchro Dimension."

It was true that Yuri easily took care of Rin before abducting her. Besides, the former Obelisk Force trio not making to the finals wasn't a complete loss; their first ever Wicked Dueltainment was a huge success. Speaking of which, Sora and Dennis had to get Yuri for their closing monologue.

They began to run their way to where Lunalight Cat Dancer brought their friend to safety. Meanwhile, anguish and pain filled up Yuri's body and brain, which Celina quickly noticed. Was it because his back was hurting after falling from such a tall height? Was it because his team didn't make it to the finals? Whatever the reason is, she decided to show him some affection. The same kind of affection from yesterday by kissing his neck. Unbeknownst to them, Sora and Dennis had already arrived to get him for their closing monologue when they saw their…display.

"Yuri, you can spend time with your girlfriend later," Dennis said. "We have to conclude our Wicked Dueltainment."

"Oh, right..." Yuri said, closing his eyes as he embraced his girlfriend's affection. "Oh no, Team Turbo has defeated us. Guess we must retreat for another day. Yugo's dragon and soul will be mine, blah blah blah blah blah."

This sounded very unlike Yuri to be speaking like that; one might even say he was out of character. For starters, he called Yugo by his actual name this time. No "moron". No "XYZ". Just Yugo. Secondly, and more importantly, he was too distracted by the amount of affection he was receiving from Celina.

"No... Seriously..." Sora said, feeling embarrassed. "We should get going."

"Do you mind?" Yuri asked. "I just realized Miss Celina dressed up nicely for me and I wish to spend time with her-" He moaned a bit when he felt her nipping at his neck, reaching up to put his hand on the back of her head. "Oh yes, please continue."

Well, this was…awkward for Sora and Dennis. But after a few more nips, Celina stopped her moment of affection. "Well, that's enough affection," she said.

"But Miss Celina, I see you are wearing a dress and the Solid Vision rose I gave you on our first date," Yuri said. "Let me spend more time with you."

"No, your team's right," Celina said. She gave Yuri a single kiss on the lips. "Now go knock 'em dead."

Yuri took out his Violet Flash card and asked Sora and Dennis to place their hands on his shoulders. They wondered why he would question something like that when they were informed that he had a feeling others that are making physical contact with him will teleport along with him. Honestly, it was a good thing he was using Violet Flash because the shirt he bought from the store a few weeks ago didn't exactly cover his neck, so a red bruise was exposed after the nips he received. He figured he and his friends need a costume change for their closing monologue before the finals begin.

"So what do you say?" Yuri asked. "Shall we begin our closing monologue?"

"You bet!" Sora answered.

"Indeed," Dennis agreed.

One Violet Flash later, the trio was now changed into their respective costumes they wore during their opening act. They headed off to the center of the arena, fully prepared to give out their ending speech on how successful their first Wicked Dueltainment act was.

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real-life-pine-tree · 8 years ago

Text

Arc-V Aftermath: The Calm Before the Storm (21/26)

WARNING: Dub names will be featured in the story.

"Yugo, would you care to explain what happened during the second set of duels?" Declan asked.

As everyone else headed home, Team Turbo stayed behind in regards to what the Speedroid user did in the first round. Rin, Crow, and Shinji were worried about their friend, who was feeling guilty and ashamed of himself for what he did.

"It's not my fault!" Yugo blurted out. "It's Yuya! That guy ruined the Friendship Cup by winning! If it wasn't for him, the High Council wouldn't have disbanded!"

"Why would you say that?" Declan asked.

"Because they realized Yuya was such a 'perfect Duelist' that they decided to cancel all future Friendship Cups!" Yugo guessed.

"That's what you think happened?" Declan asked. "Didn't Crow or Shinji tell you about Jean-Michel Roget?"

Yugo has never heard of this Roget person in his life, so Crow and Shinji filled him in on what he missed. Jean-Michel Roget was a defected deep cover agent from Duel Academy who became the director of New Domino City's Sector Security not long after arriving in the Synchro Dimension. His assigned goal was to make the city vulnerable for an invasion from the Fusion Dimension, but he betrayed them to fulfill his plan of recreating New Domino into his kingdom with an iron fist, but thanks to the Lancers, it backfired, leading to the Topsiders and Commoners to unite and revolt. During his plan, he had Zuzu captured to watch it unfold, but soon used her as a bargaining chip for betraying Duel Academy and kept her in tow throughout his attempts to escape. He even activated a machine to send New Domino into a void in between dimensions; consequently, he got sucked into one of the wormholes and his current whereabouts remain unknown.

"Wait... So the High Council disbanding wasn't because of Yuya?" Yugo asked.

"It wasn't," Crow answered. "Turns out the High Council disbanding was mostly out of fear for any future betrayals."

Yugo face-palmed as hard as he could because of how guilty he felt for accusing Yuya of not being able to take part in any more Friendship Cups. A threat that he had no idea about until now resulted in a blind and furious accusation because he may not be able to become a professional Turbo Duelist like he and Rin dreamt about.

"I would also like to apologize for what you went through during the Interdimensional War," Declan said. "If our paths had crossed, we could have helped prevent you from getting absorbed by Yuri."

He explained to Yugo how he and Riley reunited with Yusho and were struggling to prevent Leo from fusing the four dimensions. Yuya having difficulty with not giving into Zarc's darkness was a factor to him not meeting the Synchro Duelist in person because Yusho wouldn't have gotten carded and they would have had a chance of reducing the chances of Zarc returning.

"Well I was suffering too!" Yugo explained as he took out his deck and started searching through his Speedroids. "I was struggling to prevent that darkness from taking over- Wait, where’d they go?"

"Where did what go?" Rin asked.

"Skull Marbles and Maliciousmagnet!" Yugo explained. "Those two cards are proof that the darkness was starting to control me!"

Rin skimmed through Yugo's deck as well and was shocked to see those two monsters weren't there. Declan questioned what those two monsters were and learned they appeared during the banana-banged teen's last duel with Yuri and gradually consumed his dueling style for the past several weeks up until this point. Could this be a sign that their disappearance from the revelation of the High Council's disbandment resulted in the darkness starting to fade away?

"This is quite a discovery," Declan said. "While the darkness from Zarc's heart had vanished, there appears to be traces of it inside you and your counterparts."

Traces of Zarc's darkness? How is that possible? In Yugo's case, it was understandable. But even after their absorption and separation, they were still lingering in Yuya, Yuto, and Yuri, with the three not noticing? This might be bad news for all four of them; just when they thought Zarc was dealt with for good, his dark remnants still existed. Was this a warning that Zarc's darker self was resurfacing?

"But...didn't you say Zarc was at peace now?" Yugo asked.

"That is what my father said," Declan answered. "But perhaps this is only a minor side effect from the absorption. Zarc might be gone for good, but you and your counterparts could possibly have random bursts of rage."

Maybe Yugo should inform his counterparts about this later on today. If he experienced this burst of rage during the first round, who knows when this side affect might affect the others. "Thanks for telling me," he said.

"You're welcome," Declan replied. He looked over at Rin. "By the way, Shay told me what had happened during Lulu’s surgery. You might want to clean out your ears."

Rin was confused on what he meant by that. She doesn't recall anything being in her ears; she has seen her reflection in the mirrors multiple times and they were completely empty. Her bafflement quickly turned into alarm as she realized what he was talking about: the Fusion Parasite in her brain. It has been inside her head all this time and she hasn't noticed until now; she feared if Zuzu and Celina still had their Fusion Parasites in their heads too, which was definitely a certainty.

The green-haired girl took out her deck, looking at her two Crystal Bells. "Is... Is that why...?"

Yugo looked over at Rin and placed his hands on hers. "Don't you dare say that," he said. "The Fusion Parasite has nothing to do with how you're currently using Crystal Bell. As long as the bug is absent in your deck, you'll be fine." He touched foreheads with her. "I refuse to let you get brainwashed again."

Rin smiled back at her boyfriend knowing he'll do anything to make sure the Fusion Parasite won't control her anymore. "Thanks Yugo," she said, smiling softly.

Yugo grinned. "There's that adorable smile!" he said.

Rin giggled a bit and gave Yugo a brief yet loving kiss. The two thanked Declan for the talk before heading towards the doors to meet up with the other teams. They, Crow, and Shinji saw Cathy congratulating Lulu for her victory, Yugi meeting Yoko and Yusho—who were both proud of their son for winning the preliminaries—and talking with Yuya, Yuto, and Yuri about how the three teens saw Kaiba not too long ago, and Akiza waiting for Rin to felicitate on Team Turbo's win.

"Since when did you learn how to Fusion Summon?" Akiza asked Rin.

"You saw everything?" Rin asked.

"Of course I did," Akiza answered. "I think you're the first official Turbo Duelist to combine Synchro with Fusion."

Rin had a lot to explain about her integrating Fusion Summoning in her deck, and she knows it was connected to her absence Akiza mentioned on the evening of the Heartland Park Festival. "Well... It's because..."

"Because of how that card works well with RinRin's dueling style," Yugo interrupted, putting his arm around his girlfriend and pulling her close. "She quickly learned that incorporating Fusion into her pure Synchro style would help her get easy wins." He chuckled as he gave her a kiss on the cheek. "I usually don't win against her, but when I saw her use Fusion for the first time, I had a feeling she became unstoppable."

Well, Yugo wasn't entirely wrong; Rin's main concern was about having to tell Akiza about her abduction and brainwashing that led to her Fusion incorporation. She was kind of glad that he already took care of it. Meanwhile, Cathy had just finished praising her childhood friend on her team's advancement in the tournament.

"That was absolutely incredible!" Cathy had exclaimed, hugging Lulu tightly. "You actually incorporated acting into your dueling!"

"Aw, thanks Cathy," Lulu said, smiling wide.

"Don't be so modest," Cathy said as she separated from the hug. "If your team wins the tournament, this could mark the start of your acting career."

"Not exactly," Lulu admitted. "Mother and father have already planned to have me enrolled into acting school." Her thoughts went back to what Yuto blurted out earlier. "Although..."

Cathy noticed Lulu's expression. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"It's Yuto," Lulu said. "He said something about medical school."

"Medical school?" Cathy repeated. "Why would he mention that?"

"I think that's what he decided to do," Lulu realized. "Become a doctor."

She explained that he was most likely going to attend medical school after they graduate from Heartland Duel School. She didn't care about the long distance, but her main concern was the two not being able to maintain a relationship if he does go somewhere far away; she was worried she may never see Yuto again.

"Yuto is going to take a completely different path," Lulu explained. "With him being a doctor and me becoming an actress, there's a high chance we won't see each other again."

But Cathy wouldn't let her friend mope. She grabbed Lulu by the shoulders and looked at her straight in the eyes. "Don't you dare say that," she said, speaking in a firm tone. "Yuto Osaku is a commoner, but there's no way you'll ever find a guy who's as kind and cute as he is."

"But-" Lulu started to say.

"But nothing," Cathy insisted. "You love him, don't you?"

"With all my heart," Lulu answered.

"Then you'll figure something out," Cathy said. "You're Lulu Obsidian, the most stubborn person I know. Even I know you wouldn't let something like that interfere with your desires."

Cathy was right about her friend being stubborn, but Lulu was unsure of what she can do. She has seen the movies and knows long-distance relationships rarely work. But she still smiled. "Thanks Cathy."

"There's that smile!" Cathy said, smiling wide as well. "Now do your best tomorrow!"

Not far from where the two girls were, Team Lancer was discussing on how they couldn't believe they didn't make it to the top like Celina said. Speaking of her, she started to feel something in her head, almost like it was clogged.

"Is something wrong?" Sylvio asked, sounding concerned.

"I'm not sure," Celina admitted. "I feel...something inside me."

"Want me to take a look?" Aura asked, taking out her crystal apple.

"If you want to," Celina answered.

Aura used her crystal apple to view what was in Celina's head and saw some kind of bug in between her brain and one of her ears. The indigo-haired girl immediately recognized it as the Fusion Parasite that was implanted in her after Barrett captured her. She became concerned.

"Is something wrong?" Aura asked.

"That thing is still inside my head?!" Celina asked out loud, placing her hand over her ear.

"It's a Fusion Parasite, isn't it?" Sylvio asked.

"It is," Celina answered. "But I tore up the card that was in my deck. Why is it still in my head?!"

"It doesn't appear to be active," Aura pointed out, looking at the image in her crystal apple. "If you're right about the bug giving you trouble, it shouldn't be a concern anymore."

Zuzu ran over to Team Lancer because she overheard Sylvio mention something about a Fusion Parasite being stuck in Celina's head. "What do you mean, there's a Fusion Parasite inside your head?!" the pink-haired girl asked.

Aura held up her crystal apple. "It's inactive, but it's still inside her head," she told Zuzu. "And I sense that you also have the same problem."

Zuzu was stunned to hear this and even a bit worried. Although the cards that controlled the parasites were ripped up, she feared if they will find an alternative to brainwash her and her counterparts. "I better see if there's some way to remove it," she said, gently touching her ear.

Aura wasn't much of a doctor as she used her apple to figure out if they stumble upon someone who knows how to remove the parasites. While that was going on, Yuya, Yuto, and Yuri were pondering on how they and Yugo were able to see Kaiba and not everyone else. Yugi admitted that he had a feeling Declan's past incarnation was the one taking over to give out his apology.

"I recognized the way he spoke," Yugi said. "That was definitely Kaiba speaking."

"So how come my counterparts and I could see him?" Yuri asked.

"I'm not sure," Yugi admitted. "But it might be because Zarc once saw him."

The three Yu-teens realized that he may be right. Maybe they and Yugo seeing Kaiba instead of Declan was Zarc's way of witnessing the public apology. It might have confused the audience like Aichi said, but at least they all knew what was going on.

"Aichi..." Yuya said.

"What about him?" Yuto asked.

"Declan said he's the CEO of the Vanguard Association," Yuya recalled. "But he looks a little young."

"I heard the previous CEO died," Yugi explained. "So with no one else to turn to, Aichi volunteered as the new CEO."

Yuya was nonplussed on what he heard. That explained why Aichi looked rather young to run a corporation. "Poor guy," the tomato-haired teen said. "He must have a lot to deal with. And with that Link Joker virus..."

Yuto put a reassuring hand on his cousin's shoulder. "He said he was able to purify it," he pointed out. "He clearly far more skilled than he appears."

Later that evening, at the Obsidians' house, Yuto and the entire family were still getting themselves adjusted to the new changes to Lulu's schedule. It's the same, but she now needs help with walking because she has difficulty standing, especially when she and her boyfriend are getting ready for bed.

"Careful," Yuto instructed, his hand on Lulu's waist as he guided her towards the bathtub. "I don't want you to slip."

"I'm fine," Lulu said. "You don't have to help." She blushed slightly. "It's kind of embarrassing..."

"It's alright," Yuto said. "You still look beautiful."

It wasn't that; sure, she’s beautiful, but she needs to get into the tub to get undressed, and getting undressed requires privacy. At least it was a good thing she wears dresses all the time because wearing skirts or pants would have taken more time and work in her case.

"Are you sure you don't need help getting undressed?" Yuto asked. "I promise to look away."

"We're only fourteen," Lulu pointed out. "We have plenty of time to see each other naked when we're older."

She does have a fair point; the age of consent in Japan is 16 years old, so they were still considered minors. Yuto helped her get into the bathtub and, respecting her wishes, left her private bathroom to give her some privacy. While that was going on, he figured he would take some time to talk to Shay. He checked his bedroom, the halls, the living room, and all the other rooms in the house before finally finding him in the family dueling room. From the looks of things, he was battling against a simulation to practice for tomorrow.

"Your new card doesn't scare me!" Shay exclaimed. "Go Satellite Cannon Falcon! Attack that mutated wolf!"

Raidraptor - Satellite Cannon Falcon soared to the air to prepare for its attack. With Team Obelisk heading to the semifinals, this simulation was based on his previous duel with Sora, so he was trying to locate a weak spot. So far, he's gathered that Frightfur Wolf can attack multiple times based on how many Fusion materials used to summon it are in the Graveyard and quickly got an idea after checking his monster's effects. By removing an Overlay Unit, he can target and make the opposing monster lose 800 ATK for every Raidraptor in the Graveyard.

"INCORRECT MOVE," the robotic simulation of Sora stated. "ACTIVATING THE TRAP CARD ALBUM OF MEMORIES TO NEGATE THE ATTACK."

Album of Memories is a Continuous Trap card that can negate one attack for every Fluffal monster in the Graveyard. The more Fluffals sent to the Graveyard, the more attacks Simulation Sora can cancel out; in other words, Shay was rendered powerless and can't attack.

"What?!" Shay asked. "Computer, why is that card in the deck?! I told you to program every card Sora has into the simulation!"

"PRECISELY, MASTER SHAY," the simulation informed. "I COLLECTED DATA FROM ALL OF THE FINALISTS THAT TOOK PART IN THE TOURNAMENT. SORA PERSE USED THAT CARD IN HIS DUEL AGAINST AURA SENTIA."

Was this how Sora defeated Aura earlier? Did he dupe her into believing he was on the brink of losing just to use that Fusion monster and Trap card? Regardless, Shay knew he was going to have a challenging time against the light blue-haired Fusion Duelist knowing that there was a reason why Frightfur Wolf improved his deck.

The simulation projected an image of the Sora vs. Aura duel from earlier today. "HE STARTED OFF THE DUEL BY FUSION SUMMONING FRIGHTFUR WOLF USING FIVE FLUFFALS," it explained. "NEAR THE END, HE COMBINED ALBUM OF MEMORIES AND FRIGHTFUR CHIMERA TO DEFEAT HER."

So Sora did found a way to get stronger, Shay thought to himself as he viewed the image. "Computer, calculate any possible weak points in that combo," he ordered.

"VERY WELL," the simulation replied. "BY THE WAY, MASTER YUTO HAS ENTERED THE ROOM."

Shay turned around to see his friend standing not too far away from the dueling room door. "Yuto?" the older heir asked. "What are you doing here?"

"It's about what I said," Yuto explained as he approached his friend.

"You want to become a doctor?" Shay asked.

"Not exactly," Yuto exactly. "I want to use the skills I learned in ObsidianCorp to open my own health clinic."

Shay understood why Yuto wanted to pursue that career as he looked down at his prosthetic leg and thought about how the spinal plates affected his sister. "So you want to attend medical school for education purposes."

Yuto nodded in response. "I refuse to let anyone else suffer from any injuries," he said, placing his hand above his heart. "I feel that path is the right one for me."

"Because your heart is what makes you unique," Shay added.

Yuto knew his heart not only makes him unique, but it also defines him. Thanks to his mom, the Phantom Knights, the Obsidians, and especially Lulu, he has become his own person. One that is chivalrous, brave, loyal, noble, and knightly. One that could be simplified as gentlemanly in the most genuine way. However, his heart could also be his biggest weakness.

"You haven't told Lulu about your plans," Shay realized.

Yuto clutched his chest. "Ishizu showed me a vision weeks ago," he said, his voice cracking with slight sorrow. "She said Lulu and I...would ultimately get married. But my dreams of owning a health clinic..."

It was boiled down to destiny vs. choice as of now. Yuto knows he will marry Lulu, but going to medical school could alter this destined path. If he has to go away, they may never see each other again; the overwhelming thought was becoming too much for him to handle.

At that moment, Lillybot entered the dueling room. "MASTER YUTO, MISTRESS LULU WANTED ME TO TELL YOU THAT SHE IS DONE WITH HER BATH," she informed. "IT IS YOUR TURN TO FRESHEN UP FOR THE EVENING."

"Thank you, Lillybot," Yuto said, still looking a bit sad.

"Don't worry about Lulu," Shay said. "I know she'll support you, much like how you have been supporting her."

Yuto hoped so too, but he was also concerned about telling her his future plans. He thanked Shay for the talk before heading back upstairs to take his shower.

"Lillybot, is Lulu alright?" Yuto asked.

"I AM NOT QUITE SURE," Lillybot answered. "THERE WAS A FOREIGN EMOTION IN HER VOICE, BUT SHE DID NOT SOUND HAPPY." The former nursemaid bot looked at Yuto, her eyes glowing red. "DID YOU DO SOMETHING TO UPSET HER?"

Her tone and glowing red eyes startled Yuto because he did accidentally slip out his desire of going to medical school, but he didn't mean to upset her. He definitely picked a bad day to trigger Lillybot's mama bear instincts.

"I didn't!" Yuto explained. "All I did was-"

"Lillybot, stop spooking him."

Yuto turned his head to see Lulu approaching him and Lillybot from her bedroom door. She had finished getting changed into her pajamas and was letting her hair dry.

Yuto couldn't help but look at his girlfriend's pajamas. Instead of her usual short-sleeved, light yellow nightgown, she was wearing silk light blue lingerie that reached her knees. He simply blushed and headed for Lulu's private bathroom, not saying a word to her.

"What's wrong with him?" Lulu asked Lillybot, whose eyes stopped glowing.

"I AM NOT SURE," Lillybot admitted.

Yuto walked into the bathroom and shut the door to take his shower. He put his glasses on the bathroom counter and took off the clothes he wore for today and put them into a nearby hamper before stepping into the tub and closing the shower curtain. After turning on the nozzle and setting it at a warm temperature, water poured down onto his body and soaked his spiky, eggplant-shaped hair.

As the XYZ teen applied some Thick and Spiky shampoo to his hair, he thought about Lulu. He knew he was destined to marry her, but what about his dreams of owning a health clinic? Would he even have time to also have a happy marriage with a movie actress? He pondered this as he washed his hair, scrubbing out any possible sweat.

He then grabbed a bar of soap to lather it all over his body to get it sudsy, but he still couldn't stop thinking about what his true future really is. Greek tragedies like Oedipus have conveyed the message on how it is impossible to avoid a predetermined fate, but he remembered seeing Kaiba's duel against Ishizu when he was witnessing the different visions of the alternate timeline, which showed that people do have the capability of changing their paths to avoid aligning with the expectations of fulfilling a future event. At this point, Yuto wasn't sure if he should follow what was destined to happen or if he should get his medical degree.

As he continued thinking, he rinsed off the soap suds from his hair and body once he was done using the soap and turned the shower off. He grabbed his towel that was hung resting on top of the hamper to wrap it around his body. He stepped out of the tub and onto the bathmat as water dripped from his locks, limbs, and torso. Using the towel he had, he rubbed all the water off of him before putting it back on his body and walking towards the sink. He took out a hairdryer from the cabinet and plugged it into a nearby electrical socket on the wall to blow dry his hair.

As Yuto made sure his hair was dry and nicely-brushed, he thought about the facts he knew. Does he love Lulu Obsidian? Of course. Would he want to marry her? Absolutely. Was he upset about what happened to her and Shay during the Invasion? Deeply. And what about future generations? Shouldn't he do something to make sure they don't end up scarred as well? Obviously.

Inside the cabinet next to the sink were a pile of folded towels, mats, and facecloths, along with Yuto's pajamas. He buttoned up his long-sleeved, dark blue shirt and slipped on his dark gray pants. He exited the bathroom with Lulu already returning to her bedroom thanks to some assistance from her former nursemaid.

"Oh, hi Yuto," Lulu said, sounding a bit innocent as she had already been laying across her bed. "What do you think of my new pajamas? Mother bought them for me as a reward for making it to the tournament finals."

Yuto blushed at seeing Lulu in her new lingerie Astra got for her daughter. He complimented her that it looked really nice on her. However, he looked away. He really didn't want to talk to Lulu right now.

"What's the matter?" Lulu asked, causing him to look back at her. "You don't like what you see?"

Lulu knows when her boyfriend is upset and she does whatever she can to cheer him up. This time, she decided to flirt with him a little as she sat up and struggled to get off her bed. He spotted her having trouble to stand, so he helped her get on her legs; as rapidly as it happened, she proceeded to unbutton his pajama shirt and caress his dual-colored hair. But Yuto wouldn't give in.

"I'm serious," Yuto insisted. But he couldn't help but moan due to Lulu's fingers in his hair. "I..." He bit his lower lip. "...really need some alone time- MMPH!"

His sentence was never finished as he was caught completely off guard by the sudden yet passionate kiss from Lulu. Before he knew it, she was able to pull him over to the bed while she kept her lips locked onto his. Her legs may not work, but her arms were still functional and this was a good opportunity to continue using them. Just as they were about to engage in a make out session, Yuto felt a slap on his butt, surprising him in the process.

Yuto pushed back for air. "What was that?" he asked, surprised.

"Awww, can't a girl think her boyfriend has such a cute butt?" Lulu pouted.

A startled Yuto has never seen her act like this before. What has gotten into her and why was she doing this? "Lulu, I-"

But the Lyrilusc user quickly shushed him. "Less talking, more snuggling," she said, running a hand through his hair. "We have four years left together. We should spend as much time doing this kind of stuff."

What she said pretty much answered Yuto's questions. She understood what was going on with him since he inadvertently blurted out his future plans during the revealed results from the preliminaries. They were both concerned with not seeing each other again, but Lulu's solution was the most feasible one to date.

"Cathy's right," Lulu said after a few loving kisses. "You're kind and cute. There's no way I'll find another guy as perfect as you."

Yuto did remember hearing Cathy say that on the night of the Kastles' party; his gentlemanly and dorky personality landed him with the most beautiful and strong-willed girl from the entire XYZ Dimension. He also flashbacked to the time when they were getting to know each other and she compared him to a miracle child that was mentioned in one of her mother's songs, which eventually became their song. Then a sudden thought came into his head.

"The song said those angels sprinkled moon dust into the miracle child's hair," Yuto recalled. "Is that why you like mine so much?"

"Probably," Lulu answered, ruffling Yuto's spiky hair. "It feels so soft."

Amid his flustered face, Yuto became more convinced that this song perfectly suited the couple. He knew she adored him from his personality to his gravity-defying hairstyle. With that in his head, he always loved how long and Rapunzel-like her hair is; the dark purple locks spread out on the bed, the few stray strands sticking out, and the tips of her lilac side tails lying on top of her chest. He was tempted to stroke it, but she may not be comfortable with it due to her issues of others touching her hair.

"You have nice hair too," Yuto added. "Can I...?"

"Please don't," Lulu bluntly said. "I spent years learning how to properly maintain long hair. I don't want anyone else touching it."

"Alright," Yuto said. He ended up touching her cheek instead. "But that doesn't make you any less beautiful."

There he goes again with saying that word: beautiful. The single word that started their relationship and it never fails to make Lulu warm and fuzzy inside because she knows he was much better suited for her than Reginald. Yuto doesn't care that she came from an elite background; he loves her looks and personality traits the most and that's what mattered to them.

"Can you...say that word again?" Lulu asked.

Yuto was surprised by the request. "What word?" he asked. "Beautiful?"

Lulu nodded after hearing the word again as a blissful feeling filled up her entire body. "I love hearing that word come from your mouth," she said.

Yuto let out a small, happy sound. "You actually like being called beautiful?" he asked, aware that usually other girls would ultimately get tired of that word.

"Of course," Lulu answered. "That word is proof that you're different from other guys who approach me. They all wanted me because of my wealth, so you loving me because of my beauty is quite refreshing."

Yuto smiled back at her and moved himself onto the bed to hug her from behind, spooning her in the process. He conceived the fact that he shouldn't worry about not seeing her anymore after graduation. With only four years left of school, they should make the best of it and memorable for each other.

The eggplant-haired teen moved his head so his lips were near her ear. "You are so beautiful to me," he quietly sang. "You are so beautiful to me..."

His whispers flowed through Lulu's ears, serenading her with his song, which she loved whenever he does that. "Yuto..." she muttered, her voice in a love-struck haze.

"Can't you see, you're everything I hope for," Yuto continued singing. "You're everything I need. You are so beautiful to me."

Lulu's mouth curved upwards as he continued singing, feeling blessed that the two have fallen in love with each other. Elsewhere, in Team Turbo's garage, the boys were trying to find methods to remove the Fusion Parasite from Rin's head. One idea Crow was doing was using a pair of tweezers to get it out of her ear.

Rin winced in pain. "Hold still, Rin!" Crow said.

"I would, but you just pinched my ear!" Rin exclaimed.

The tweezers dug deep into her ear—much to her discomfort—until it touched something; Crow instantly knew what it was as he gently pulled them out to reveal the Fusion Parasite firmly grasped onto the pincers. His face shined with satisfaction after successfully removing the inactive insect.

"You feeling alright?" Yugo asked Rin as Crow threw out the Fusion Parasite.

Rin took out her deck, looking at her two Crystal Bells. She smiled. "I am now," she said.

"You still want to keep those cards?" Shinji asked.

"Of course," Rin answered. "I see beauty in Crystal Bell, beauty that I want the world to see."

There was no way a dead Fusion Parasite was influencing Rin for using her newfound strategy. She genuinely sees potential in her Fusion monster and is fond of how well it works with her other Windwitches.

Crow let out an amused chuckle. "I always thought you were a tomboy," he told Rin. "But now that I think about it, you're more like that girl who wears shoes made of glass."

Rin knew exactly what he was talking about when she heard "shoes made of glass". She may be motherly, headstrong, and slightly tsundereish, but underneath that persona was someone with a knack for shopping, fashion, and stuff that girls generally like. Deep down, she truly was a Cinderella. Well...except for a few key differences.

"I don't think I'm like Cinderella," Rin said. "I'm not a servant girl."

However, Yugo had an idea. "Actually... Can you hold that thought?" he asked. "I have to go get something."

Yugo headed upstairs towards his room to find what he was looking for. It was a handmade dress so Rin could wear it for the Friendship Cup, but because she was kidnapped by Yuri, that never happened. He spent most of the War looking for her that he almost forgot about the dress until now. He stumbled upon a hidden spot in his room and recalled him hiding it in there; after some searching, he found it and it was still in good condition. It was knee-length with blue from the waist down and on the sides, as well as a white line near the hem with a blue bow on the back of the waist. The inner layer was light mint green with a darker green floral pattern.

Yugo returned to the group and showed the dress to Rin, who was amazed. "Where did you get this?" she asked.

"I made it myself," Yugo explained. "It was for you to wear when we won the Friendship Cup, but since Roget indirectly caused all future Friendship Cups to get canceled, I figured I should give it to you now."

"It's beautiful," Rin said. "Thank you."

Yugo held Rin's hand, intertwining their fingers together. "Just promise me something," he said. "We're gonna win the tournament tomorrow, and when that happens, I want you to wear this dress afterwards. It might not be the Friendship Cup, but we're bound to get a special reward, so I want you to look nice."

Rin stared into Yugo's eyes as she started to see the similarities she had with Cinderella. She may not be a servant girl, but they grew up poor without their parents and find ways to let their true beauty shine through. They even fell in love with handsome princes, even though Yugo was anything but princely.

"Okay Yugo," Rin said. "I promise."

At the Sentia residence, Aura was also removing the Fusion Parasite from Celina's head, but in a different manner from Crow's while mirroring her attempt to help Yuya regain consciousness. Her bedroom was decorated with various occult-like items and measures as if she was performing a ritual.

"Begone wicked insect!" Aura exclaimed, holding a bunch of incense sticks in her hand. "Remove yourself from Celina's mind and release her from your control!"

Celina would tell her teammate that the parasite needed its card for it to control her, but she let her do this healing performance since it is the only method of healing the young girl knows. Shortly thereafter, she was recommended to wear a green and white dress or nightgown; however, she doesn't do dresses.

"Why should I wear that?" Celina asked.

"Duh!" Aura said. "Green is the color of life and growth, while white radiates healing purity." She tossed a dress over to Celina. "So you better put this on right away."

She looked at the dress she was given; it was knee-length with shoulder-length sleeves, green all over with two big, white stripes on the skirt, and had a green bow tied around the waist. It was at least casual enough to wear.

"Fine," Celina said. "I'll put this on."

Celina left the bedroom to get changed into the dress; while it was true that she wore one when she was a child, she eventually grew out of it and switched over to skirts as she got older. With that in mind, a part of her deep down felt like it was going to be weird wearing a dress for the first time in years.

Some time later, Celina returned to Aura's room wearing the green and white dress, only to be greeted by the redhead's squeals. "You look so pretty!" she exclaimed.

"Don't get too excited," Celina said. "It's just for tonight."

"Awww... But imagine how Yuri would react if he saw you in this!" Aura happily cried out.

Celina slightly blushed as she heard Aura say that. Is she still holding onto the prediction of her and Yuri falling for each other or is she already aware? "Why would you bring him up?"

"Because I saw this," Aura answered as she picked up a rose. "Did he give this to you during your date?"

Celina recognized that rose anywhere: it was the Solid Vision rose Yuri materialized and gave to her. How the heck did Aura even find it?

"He did," Celina answered. "He created it out of thin air and..." She started muttering.

"And what?" Aura asked.

"He...put it in my hair," Celina repeated, blushing heavily.

"That's so adorable!" Aura squealed. "I heard boys do that to girls as an indicator that they love them!"

Honestly, Yuri's indicator that he loves Celina was their time at Heartland Park underneath the full moon, where she demonstrated what her marking can do other than be used as a Skill in duels. Since she was new to the whole romance ordeal, she never knew about these indicators and which ones were signs of having a crush on someone. But regardless of her confused feelings, she could still recall their first kiss. His fingers grazing her spine, her fingers tugging on his hair, when he nipped on her lower lip...

"He's an amazing kisser," Celina bluntly said, speaking in a love-struck tone.

That gave Aura an idea. "You should wear this to the tournament finals!" she suggested, gesturing to the green and white dress. "And maybe this as well!" She gave the Solid Vision rose back to Celina.

The indigo-haired girl never thought about wearing the dress tomorrow, but the rose was somewhat a small possibility. As previously mentioned, she outgrew donning them, and when it comes to dresses, they were up in her counterparts' alleys. "I don't know..." she admitted, slightly lifting up the skirt. "I'm not exactly a dress person..."

"Oh, don't be ridiculous," Aura said. Then her eyes widened. "Besides, that dress might be magic."

"Magic?" Celina asked. "Why-"

Before she could ask, something was slowing crawling and slipping out of her ear. It revealed itself to be the Fusion Parasite that the girls were focused on getting rid of.

"How odd," Aura said. "I thought that insect was inactive."

"What?!" Celina exclaimed. She grabbed a tissue and used it to squish the insect dead and throw it into a nearby garbage can.

Aura was a bit surprised. "That seemed a bit extreme," she commented.

"If that thing was somehow still functioning, it could have took over my mind again!" Celina pointed out.

"Well I hope the other girls are having an easier time getting rid of them," Aura said.

Meanwhile, with Zuzu, she was at the Sakaki residence, getting her parasite removed with some help from Yusho. Since Fusion Parasites were created out of advanced Solid Vision, Yusho thought hacking into the program would get rid of it

"Are you alright?" Yuya asked, squeezing Zuzu's hand.

"I guess," Zuzu answered as Yusho typed away on the computer. She winced in pain. "It hurts a bit."

The computer screen displayed a black screen with a long arrangement of codes that were programmed into the parasite. The sounds of the keys clicking developed a variety of attempts that Yusho was testing out in order to perform a successful hack. There was one program listed on it that basically stated how the Fusion Parasite's card is what was needed to activate and control it; however, the hacking process altered some of its codes, allowing it to gradually wake up and increasing the risk of it brainwashing Zuzu again.

Zuzu let out a pained moan. "Is it-" She winced again. "I-I-I Fusion Summon P-Parasite Q-" She cringed.

"Hang in there, Zuzu!" Yuya exclaimed, his free hand touching her marking on her right cheek. "Fight back!"

Zuzu was trying her hardest to fight back, but the Fusion Parasite kept retaliating by strengthening its influence bit by bit, manipulating her into toxic Fusion Summoning more and more. The harder it got for her to break free from its control, the more frustrated Yuya got with helping his childhood friend out. There was no way she was going to follow Leo's old tactics again. Unaware of what was happening to him, as his frustration and rage grew, tiny traces of darkness from within him detected an off yet familiar feeling, causing the two's minds to merge together. It then sent a portion of itself to travel from Yuya to Zuzu's brain and destroy the insect.

POP!

Zuzu's eyes shot open as smoke came from her ear. "What just happened?" she asked.

"I'm not sure," Yusho answered. "But the parasite appears to have exploded."

"But how?" Zuzu asked. "How did-"

Yuya's eyes widened in surprise, noticing Zuzu's marking was glowing underneath his hand. "Zuzu..." he said. "I think we merged our minds together for a brief moment."

Zuzu's eyes moved to where her marking was and saw a faint pink glow coming through Yuya's hand. "My marking..." she said. "What if that caused the mind merge?"

"I'm not sure," Yuya admitted. "But I sensed Zarc's darkness. It must have destroyed the Fusion Parasite."

The two quickly realized that what Zarc's leftover darkness and Zuzu's marking did must be a secondary ability of the mind merge. Yuya reached up to touch the En Flowers marking again. Sure enough, it glowed, causing them to feel as if they could hear each other's thoughts.

"Zuzu..." Yuya said. "I think this a new ability.”

Zuzu was overcome by hearing Yuya's thoughts. She pressed her forehead against his and started caressing his hair with both hands. She sensed his love, his desires, and even his heartache. She embraced this new feeling, closing her eyes in the process.

Yuya also gave in to this moment, placing his other hand on her waist as he also closed his eyes. With his hand on her marking, he could hear every single one of her thoughts. Could they have discovered a new level of intimacy?

"Are you two alright?" Yusho asked.

Snapping out of the trance, Yuya and Zuzu quickly let go as her marking stopped glowing. "Yeah," Yuya answered, blushing heavily. "We're fine."

Once the two managed to relax after their intimate moment, they both decided to start preparing for tomorrow's semifinals. Zuzu was glad to know she and her counterparts don't have to deal with the Fusion Parasites anymore, but she also wondered how the other girls' markings react to their connections with Yuto, Yugo, and Yuri.

"Do you think the other markings have similar secondary abilities?" Zuzu asked.

"Probably," Yuya answered. "Besides, it's not like it'll have any negative results in the tournament finals."

4 notes · View notes

real-life-pine-tree · 8 years ago

Text

Arc-V Aftermath: My Fair Yugo (4/26)

WARNING: Dub names will be featured in the story.

A few days have passed since Yuto's job offer and the mystery of Yoko and Lono's familial relation. At one point, Yuto realized that if he and Lulu were to get married, then that would mean Yuya would end up being her cousin-in-law. The Sakaki/Osaku family tree might be getting crazier with every possible thought. Aside from that, life has been going normally for the Yu-Salad and Bracelet Girls.

Today, Yuya and Zuzu were continuing with their training with Frederick, Allie, Tate, Gong, and Sora at the You Show Duel School. They were practicing different special summoning methods, including XYZ Summoning, something Zuzu suggested on the day she, Yuya, and Gong dueled against Julia, Dipper, and Kit respectively. Right now, she and her tomato-haired friend were demonstrating how to Fusion Summon to everyone else.

"Alright everyone!" Yuya exclaimed. "Time to swing this performance my way with Performapal Trump Witch and my newest addition to the show: Performapal Card Gardna! I'm taking control of this duel starting now!"

Card Gardna looked like a card with green eyes, a smiling face with oval blushes, white gloves, and white shoes. Its card had a magenta and black checkered pattern on the bottom half, two light yellow rings surrounding a pink circle and a yellow star on the upper half, and a light gold border with 12 light gold studs around it. Yuya used his Scale 4 Trump Witch and Scale 8 Card Gardna to set the Pendulum Scale, enabling him to summon any monsters between Levels 5 and 7.

"I'm allowed to summon monsters from Levels 5 and 7 all at the same time!" Yuya continued. "Swing far, Pendulum! Carve the arc of victory! My monsters are ready...to SWING INTO AC-"

"RinRin!"

Everyone was surprised to see that Yuya was no longer on the Duel Field, especially Zuzu. Taking his place was none other than his Synchro counterpart Yugo. Why is he unexpectedly taking over? Regardless, the Yu-Salad boys were experiencing another side effect Declan mentioned back at the dance.

"Yugo!" Rin exclaimed after Zuzu let her take over. "What was that for?!"

"Oh, come on, Rin!" Yugo said. "These people have seen Fusion Summoning so many times! How about mixing things up with a Synchro duel?"

Rin asked why he wants to Synchro duel and he stated that all he knows is that the High Council was immediately disbanding after Yuya won the last Friendship Cup. Besides, the last time the banana-banged Duelist dueled was against Yuri. In other words, he's just finding an excuse. At the same time, the spectators thought Yugo was goofing off.

"But Yuya-" Rin started to say.

"Enough with Yuya!" Yugo suddenly yelled. "Ever since the dimensional war, it's all about him! So what if the Duelist from the Synchro dimension won't be able to fulfill his lifelong dream of winning the Friendship Cup?! Look at how amazing the Pendulum Duelist is! Don't worry about losing your Duel Runner to your brainwashed-crazy childhood friend! We should all focus on all the smiles the tomato-haired Duelist brings! Sure, who cares about all the others as long as YUYA IS ****ING HAPPY!"

Tears started to form in his eyes. Despite Yuya having to deal with his father's disappearance and Zarc's growing darkness during the war, Yugo endured much worse events. He grew up in the Commons as an orphan, almost lost his childhood friend at the hands of Leo, had his only Duel Runner destroyed when a Fusion Parasite monster controlled Rin, and he is now fused with his three other counterparts, one of them in which he had a hatred for all because of a simple misunderstanding.

Skip escorted the students back into their classroom to give Yugo and Rin a few minutes to themselves. While the Synchro Duelist snapped about how it's all about Yuya, the Pendulum Duelist felt terribly guilty. He had no idea his counterpart felt this way until just now. He wants to make it up to him, but he doesn't know how.

"Yugo..." Yuya tried to say.

"SHUT UP!" Yugo yelled, slapping midair as if he was trying to hit Yuya.

"Maybe we should give them some space," Yuto advised.

"Agreed," Yuri said. "Perhaps the girls are doing the same thing."

Yuya, Yuto, and Yuri retreated back to their shared mind, with Zuzu, Lulu, and Celina doing the same thing, leaving their Synchro counterparts the only ones left on the Duel Field.

Yugo fell to his knees, sobbing hard. "Why?!" he shouted. "Why do I always get the short end of the stick?! Why does Yuya get everything?!" He angrily punched the ground.

Rin knelt next to Yugo. "Don't feel bad," she said. "I didn't really have an easy time either."

Yugo looked up at Rin, tears staining his cheeks. "R-Really?" he choked up.

"I wasn't really sure what was going on," Rin explained. "The other girls said they believed in someone I never heard of, but if he was going to save us, I figured I had no other choice but to voice my support. But then..." She sniffled a bit.

Yugo knew what Rin meant. Throughout the entire Interdimensional War, she has never met Yuya until after the ARC-V incident started. If she was going to be completely honest, she felt the most hesitant about Yuya trying to save the Bracelet Girls from Leo's clutches, especially when the darkness from Zarc was gradually consuming him.

"I don't really remember what happened," Rin continued. "The next thing I knew, I was fused to those other three girls. The rest is a huge blank."

Yugo mentioned he doesn't remember much either. The huge blank was when all four girls fainted and each disappeared to fuse back into Ray. At the same time, all Yugo remembered was he lost against Yuri and his soul merged with his Fusion counterpart, with the darkness taking hold of him. Then, when the dimensions split back into four, he, Yuri, and Yuto were fused into Yuya; Zarc's reemergence most likely caused his memory to draw a blank.

Back in the shared mind, Yuya still felt bad about his Synchro counterpart. More so, his sudden lash of anger further upset him, especially when he was "slapped" on the face. The Pendulum Duelist placed his hand on his cheek, feeling the nonexistent pain from that "slap". All he wanted to do was help, but he felt like he ended up making things worse. Yuto and Yuri stood not far from Yuya, talking about what they should do for the rest of the day after that heated incident.

"Don't listen to that moron," Yuri told Yuya. "It was your dueling style that erased the darkness from Zarc's heart."

"He's right," Yuto agreed. "My dueling style is more passive-aggressive, so I would have made things worse if I was in your spot."

Yuya looked up at the two counterparts. He thanked them for trying to make him feel better, but he also wondered what they were going to do about this. Yuto said to leave the situation to Rin and let her handle it. He could tell she's got it under control.

At that point, Rin was hugging Yugo as he sobbed. "It's okay," she said, stroking his blueberry-colored hair. "We both underwent a lot of stress during the war. We should embrace each other's comfort."

Yugo nodded as he continued sobbing. Despite everything they went through and their differing personalities, they still have each other and that is what's important for them. As they embraced each other, he was feeling her warmth on his body and it was soothing. This may be the first time he didn't mind her motherly personality; even from the way she was comforting him was like a mother comforting their child. The two spent the next few minutes embracing each other as the Speedroids user calmed down.

Eventually, Rin spoke up. "If you want, we can have a sleepover at Zuzu's place," she suggested, her fingers still caressing Yugo's hair.

"Hmm?" Yugo muttered, still in a slight trance from the comfort.

"We can discuss new dueling strategies and come up with ideas for our new Duel Runner," Rin continued. "It'll be just like old times, just the two of us on the streets of New Domino City."

Yugo looked up, seeing Rin's smiling face. "You mean it?"

"Of course," Rin answered.

Yugo shifted his position to hug Rin in response. "Thanks RinRin," he said, happy to have a friend like her.

Later that night, at the Sakaki house, Yugo was getting ready for the sleepover with Rin; he finished taking off his Turbo Duel suit and began putting on his short-sleeved, teal shirt, white shorts, and a pair of light teal sneakers. No matter what clothes he's wearing, he's always confident about his looks… Maybe a bit too overconfident… Just when he was about to pack a toothbrush, some toothpaste, shampoo, and his deck to bring with him, Yuya, Yuto, and Yuri appeared.

"What's with the bags?" Yuya asked.

"Rin invited me to a sleepover at Zuzu's place," Yugo answered. "Nothing special."

Yuto looked alarm. "A date?" he asked.

"I beg of you, moron. Don't screw this up!" Yuri said.

"And don't get her upset," Yuya said.

"As someone who has proper dating experiences, I would advise you to be yourself," Yuto chimed in. "But that won't work for you. Treat Rin like a beautiful princess."

"So I should act like a stuck-up, one-dimensional prince from one of those old animated fairytales?" Yugo humorously asked. "Got it."

Yuri groaned in frustration as he rubbed his forehead. "At least comb your unruly hair," he said.

Yugo wasted no time as he went in the bathroom and combed his dual-colored hair. Yuri rhetorically questioned why it was even a miracle that he was going out with someone like Rin. Shortly thereafter, he began to teach the Synchro Duelist about etiquette. Since he grew up in a high class environment, it was the perfect time for him teach everything Leo taught him. As the old saying goes, "The student has become the master."

"Is this really important?" Yugo asked as he had to walk across the room while balancing a book on his head. "Me and Rin came from a poor environment."

"Yes, it is important if you want to win her heart," Yuri said. "And the correct phrasing is 'Rin and I'. Get it right!"

Yuto and Yuya watched Yuri's lesson as they waited for their turns to teach Yugo about etiquette. Yuya pointed out that this is one of the easiest lessons in history, but Yuto reminded him that they'll be teaching real lessons once Yuri was done. The Pendulum Duelist looked back at Yugo, who was still balancing the book on his head. He hoped all their advice will pay off for him tonight.

Not long after that, Yuya taught his Synchro counterpart everything he knows about acting and how it should be utilized in dates. He needs to find the right balance of when it's appropriate to act or take things seriously. As for Yuto, he demonstrated his skills on how to properly talk to girls. He used his years of growing up and his first date with Lulu as references to keep Yugo's quick-tempered, loud, and rude behavior in check. Pretty soon, they were finished with giving out their best advice.

"I hope you know what you're doing," Yugo said, combing his hair once more.

"You look great," Yuto said. "Just remember to speak in a calm tone and listen to her."

"But don't forget to keep a good posture!" Yuri emphasized.

"And you have to convince her that this is the real you," Yuya added.

Yugo took a deep breath as he placed his comb on Yuya's nightstand. "Alright," he said. "I got this."

He gathered his bags and headed downstairs to meet up with Rin. He is really looking forward to the sleepover, but at the same time, he will be darned if she finds out that the boys mistakenly prepared him for a date. For now, he gathered his courage to use the tips and tricks he learned for tonight. He was about to say "What's the worst that could happen," but decided not to because let's face it: literally anyone who says it ends up with some kind if worst-case scenario. It's a known fact.

Meanwhile, at Zuzu's house, Rin had already gotten changed into her pink top and yellow shorts, which were usually her pajamas. Zuzu asked what else she and Yugo were going to do aside from discussing deck strategies and ideas for their new Duel Runner. The green-haired girl replied that they can always watch a movie or two, play Duel Monsters, and plan for any more future tournaments besides the Friendship Cup since it was still dubious that it'll continue next year. The Synchro duo were determined about becoming professional Turbo Duelists. Celina and Lulu couldn't help but chime in at Rin and Zuzu's conversation.

"Don't you have other plans for the future?" Lulu asked, suggesting something else.

"Like what?" Rin asked.

"Maybe forming a connection?" Lulu continued, smiling wide.

"Like a dueling connection?" Rin guessed. "I'm not sure Yugo would feel alright with tag teams..."

Celina let out a groan. "I wish she was talking about a dueling connection," she said. "Lulu was talking about you and Yugo getting married."

"Oh, that?" Rin asked. "We already did that."

Celina, Lulu, and Zuzu were shocked by this revelation. When did this happen? Have they reached a decision yet or did they already decide? They asked Rin what their plans were at the moment.

"What plans?" Rin asked. "Me and Yugo got married when we were little kids. The Headmistress even helped with the ceremony. It wasn't really special."

Wait, what?! Marriage at a young age?! How is that even possible?! This further threw the three girls for a loop. …That is until they quickly realized most kids pretend to get married. Looks like they may have to explain to their Synchro companion what marriage actually is.

"Uh... Rin?" Zuzu began. "Do you know what marriage is?"

"Of course," Rin answered. "It's a friendship promise between two close friends, which perfectly describes how I feel about Yugo."

"My mother and father are making wedding plans for Yuto and me," Lulu clarified. "Do you think we're close friends?"

Rin initially was about to say "Yes," but she remembered that Lulu and Yuto were dating. She soon processed this and was staggered by this. Romance was involved in marriage? But she and Yugo aren't even dating; they are each other's best friends and practically have a mother-son relationship. She might need a minute or two to let this sink in.

"Ew!" Rin exclaimed as she heard the doorbell ring, prompting her to leave Zuzu's room and answer the front door. "I don't feel that way about Yugo! He's a great friend, but he's loud, rude, and easily angered! Why would I even fall for someone like-"

When she opened the front door, however, she saw Yugo at the front door, only slightly different. She noticed he looked a lot cleaner with neater hair and a better posture. Pink blush faintly appeared on her cheeks.

"Hello Lady Rin," Yugo said, speaking in a calmer tone. He paused to gently hold Rin's hand and kiss the back of it. "What a delight to see you this evening."

"Y-Yugo?!" Rin asked, unknown why he was making her feel like this.

"Don't worry," Yugo said as he entered the house. "This is the real me, the one I hide from the public."

Her blush grew a bit more visible as she let Yugo into the house. At the same time, there was something about him that seemed a bit off. All her life, she knew he was never a proper person until just now; she decided to keep an eye on him…without having this weird feeling interfering. What even is this? I hope this isn't love I'm experiencing, she thought.

The Synchro duo headed upstairs to Zuzu's bedroom, where Rin said they will be hanging out for most of the night. She told Yugo that he can put his bags not far from the bed and she'll set a mattress up with a blanket and a pillow for him in a few hours; if not, he can always sleep on the couch.

Yugo lightly chuckled. "I don't think a couch is necessary," he said, carefully placing his hand on Rin's hip. "If anything, we can go back to our usual sleeping methods."

Rin quickly stepped back and cleared her throat. "So...how about discussing design ideas for our new Duel Runner? I have a couple of plans to make it battle-proof."

Yugo said he would love to discuss their new Duel Runner's design, giving Rin a quick kiss on her cheek in the process. At this point, she is slowly becoming more convinced that this isn't the Yugo she knows. Lulu, however, had more of an opposite reaction, commenting on how much he improved on his behavior and is acting more gentlemanly. That's just it; Rin is completely unsure of whether or not she likes the new Yugo, despite the blush giving out a clear indication.

The two then began on what designs they should use. Although each one provides different statistics in terms of speed, traction, durability, and so on, they all have one thing in common: battle-proofing the Duel Runner.

"I was thinking about adding special shockproof shields near the handles," Rin said, her blueprints laid out on the floor. "I know they're expensive, but I was hoping Lulu could help provide them for us. And... Are you even listening to me?!"

Yugo, who had wrapped his arms around Rin's body from behind and pulled her in close, was clearly not paying attention. "I hear you, Lady Rin," he said. "Your idea is amazing."

Usually, someone would tell the other that they need personal space, but that's not the case for Rin and Yugo. Since they grew up together, they don't have personal space. Heck, they're even fine with a girl and a boy sleeping together in the same bed…platonically, of course. Yugo is not the affectionate kind of person. Correction: Yugo wasn't the affectionate kind of person. Rin doesn't mind hugs from him, but this is taking it on a whole new level. …And the blush isn't making the the situation better or worse, despite how pinker it keeps getting.

Ultimately Rin got fed up. "Enough already!" she exclaimed, pushing Yugo back. "What's with you?!"

"What do you mean?" Yugo asked, remaining calm. "This is the real me."

"No it's not!" Rin insisted. "I appreciate that you finally cleaned up, but your behavior isn't right! Where's the big-mouthed moron I made the friendship promise to?!"

Within Yuya's shared mind, Yuri heard that. "Is that why he doesn't react when I call him by that name?" he wondered aloud.

Yugo pondered at what Rin was talking about and—gradually returning to his old self while still keeping a bit of a calm demeanor—let out a sigh. Looks like it was time for him to come clean about his behavior.

Yugo let out a small laugh. "Sorry about that," he said, relaxing his body. "The guys thought this was a date, so they gave me this weird advice on how to act."

"That's more like it," Rin said. "But I like your cleaner look more."

"Really?" Yugo asked.

"You smelled worse than Yuto," Rin explained. "And you look a lot nicer with neater hair."

Yugo blushed heavily. "RinRin..." he breathed out.

"Don't get carried away," Rin said. "We still need to improve our initial Duel Runner designs."

The two continued working on improving their new Duel Runner and eventually settled on a design that is battle-proof and has some useful stats. They agreed to work on building once the separation is successful. Until then, they practiced their dueling skills, trying out different strategies to what works and what doesn't. As usual, Yugo is still persistent and claims he will never give up whenever he's backed into a corner.

Rin let out a heartfelt sigh. "You still don't give up," she remarked.

"'Course I won't," Yugo replied. "That's one move I'll never make."

"Then I guess I'll have to keep up," Rin said as she played a rather interesting-looking card.

It was Polymerization. She hadn't used a Fusion card since her previous duel with Yugo when she was brainwashed by the Doktor. How is it in her deck? Rin didn't mind it because she has no ill will towards Fusion, even when Yuri kidnapped her. The only question is how Yugo will react to this. There's only one way to find out.

"I'll combine Winter Bell with the Ice Bell in my hand to Fusion Summon Crystal Bell," Rin explained as she did so with her cards.

Yugo was shocked that Rin still had Crystal Bell. He started flashbacking back when she first used that monster and how it decimated him in that duel and destroyed their first Duel Runner. Rin noticed there was something wrong with him and asked him to see if he was okay.

"Why do you still have that card?!" Yugo asked, still hyperventilating. "You should have ripped it up by now!"

"Calm down, you moron," Rin said. "The card actually has nice stats, so I decided to incorporate it into my dueling as a secret weapon. Zuzu and Celina have even gave me some advice on how to properly Fusion Summon, with Zuzu giving me this vintage Polymerization card as a starting point."

Yugo had slightly calmed down at this point, but he was still concerned. "But what about-"

"Lulu ripped up Independent Nightingale as soon she could," Rin explained. "Even though the rest of us are using Fusion, she's still traumatized."

Yugo let out a sigh of relief. He is glad to know not all the Bracelet Girls are using Fusion in their decks. Can you blame Lulu? Ever since the Invasion, she developed resentment for this special summoning technique, and her getting abducted and brainwashed didn't help at all. Now having calmed down, Yugo and Rin continued with their practice duel.

Later that night, the two were watching a movie in the living room. They were left speechless at the amount of movies Zuzu and Skip owned, but they both settled on watching Beauty and the Beast; right now, they're at the scene where Belle and the Beast were dancing. Rin always loved reading that fairytale as a kid, so seeing its movie adaptation was enjoyable for her.

Without warning, Yugo held Rin's hand, intertwining his fingers with hers. "Yugo...?" Rin asked softly.

The green-haired girl stared experiencing the same weird feeling from earlier, only this time, it felt more comfortable. The blush returned and became a visible light pink on her cheeks as she looked at Yugo. His typical personality seemed to have coincide with his cleaner appearance, as if she was seeing him in a different light. For the first time, she thought that he looked cute.

Without thinking, Rin leaned in and gave Yugo a quick kiss on the cheek, causing Yugo to blush heavily. "RinRin..."

He realized that Rin had been cute all along and never batted an eye on it until now. Her short, apple green hair and orange eyes helped display her cuteness; he even liked the way her nose scrunches up whenever she gets angry. He softly smiled and laid his head on her shoulders, slightly surprising her. She looked at Yugo resting on her and couldn't help but smile back. She turned her head back at the TV screen as the movie played.

Yuya, Yuto, and Yuri were astounded at how everything turned out. Even though it may not have been a date, their advice have paid off in the end.

"We should have just let Yugo be himself," Yuto pointed out. "He seems to have things working out."

"Only because I told that moron to clean his appearance," Yuri informed. "There's no way he could have won over RinRin looking like a slob."

Yuya was taken back by what Yuri said. "Come again?"

"Yuri's right," Yuto said. "Now we're finally dating Rin."

Yuya and Yuri were nonplussed at what Yuto just said. He quickly corrected himself and said he meant to say "he's" instead of "we're". They both knew what he meant to say, but they were more concerned about what he said. Based on the worried looks on their faces, they soon caught on as to what may be happening to them. It looks like the mind merge may be occurring quicker than they initially thought.

"Guys..." Yuya said. "We need to speak to Leo as soon as possible."

6 notes · View notes

real-life-pine-tree · 8 years ago

Text

Arc-V Aftermath: Performance Disaster (13/26)

WARNING: Dub names will be featured in the story.

"I activate my Skill: Mind Merge!" Yuya exclaimed.

Team Smiles continued with their training at You Show Duel School for the Team Duel Tournament. With it inching closer and closer, it almost feels like time is flying by fast, so Yuya, Zuzu, and Gong had to practice like there's no tomorrow. So far, they were making great progress on testing out strategies and noting the ones that worked well with their archetypes to use for the tournament.

Today, the three were in another Battle Royale with each other. It was Yuya's turn and he just Pendulum Summoned Performapals Hip Hippo, Helpprincess, Elephammer, Whim Witch, and Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon. He focused his power into merging his mind with his dragon, hoping Zuzu and Gong can tell the merge was a success if he displayed his mannerisms. He then fainted with his body collapsing on the floor. Surely, it must have worked like a charm when all of a sudden…

"Uh... Zuzu?" Gong asked. "Why is Hip Hippo running around acting like a dragon?"

Zuzu wasn't sure what was up with Hip Hippo, nor did was she certain if anything went wrong. From the looks of things, Yuya's mind merge worked based on his unconscious body, but the results were far different than what anyone expected. He accidentally merged with Hip Hippo, but since he believed it was a success, he started acting like Odd-Eyes. How are they going to explain to him?

"Yuya...?" Zuzu asked, nervously looking at Hip Hippo. "You might need to look at a mirror..."

Hip Hippo stopped moving once he heard Zuzu's voice. He looked rather confused on what she was talking about. Look into a mirror? That's impossible. There aren't any mirrors around in the field. He didn't need one because it quickly saw how short he was to the ground. A thunderstruck Yuya panicked a little because he knows he fused with Odd-Eyes; he shouldn't be this low to the duel field. The panicking made Hip Hippo freak out as well, so Zuzu told him to calm down and to try again. He ended up regaining consciousness back in his own body with his Performapal returning to normal. That was a bizarre mind merge. With his eyes matching his dragon's, the Skill was supposed to work with only Odd-Eyes and no other monster.

"Did I just mind merge with Hip Hippo?!" Yuya asked.

"Looks like it," Gong answered.

"Alright then..." Yuya said, standing back on his feet. "Let's try this again. I activate my Skill: Mind Merge!"

He concentrated on merging with ace again, but once his body passed out, his mind was transferred into Elephammer. He noticed how higher he was from the floor yet he wasn't able to make to Odd Eyes. He attempted his Skill multiple times, ending up in Helpprincess, Whim Witch, and cycling between all four Performapals with only increased frustration.

Yuya was fed up with this; first, he had to get adjusted to his new eye colors, and now his Skill isn't working properly. Based on what Yugo said, he got it right on his first try…and that one was an accidental discovery. If it worked for him, then it also must work for Yuto and Yuri, so why is he the only one faced with this hiccup?

"What gives?!" Yuya shouted once he returned to his own body. "Why can't I use my Skill?!"

Suddenly, Odd-Eyes made an angry growl. "Huh?" Yuya asked, looking at his dragon.

Odd-Eyes' growl sounded like he was preventing Yuya from doing something, but what was he even doing though? The tomato-haired teen realized why he was unable to perfect his Skill. Because of his Dueltaining techniques, his monsters have treated the duels as performances with his ace dragon as the lead. The mind merge felt like Yuya was try to take away the spotlight from him. It's also worth mentioning that during Yuya's duel against Declan, he thanked the other dragons, but Odd-Eyes wanted to be praised too. As a result, he is unable to utilize his Skill because his dragon has become an attention-hogging diva.

"You diva!" Yuya exclaimed. "You've been purposely preventing me from merging minds with you!"

Odd-Eyes continued behaving like your average everyday diva as his owner kept calling it out on his actions. It was embarrassing the Performapals because of the behavior he was displaying. Even the summoned Melodius and Superheavy Samurai monsters were a bit nervous about this conflict since they were sweating bullets.

"You're not the only monster I have, mister!" Yuya exclaimed. "That behavior might have been fine when we dueled Declan, but you can't keep the spotlight to yourself!"

With a loud roar, Odd-Eyes left the field. "Don't you leave when I'm speaking to you!" Yuya exclaimed as his dragon vanished.

"What just happened?" Zuzu asked.

"That Odd-Eyes thinks he can get away with anything just because he's my ace!" Yuya ranted. "How am I supposed to use my new Skill if he refuses to corporate?!"

This was going to be quite the dilemma to resolve. Given that Yuya's an aspiring Dueltainer and Odd-Eyes has become divaish, trouble was bound to ensue, meaning Team Smiles won't be able to train for the next few weeks before the tournament. It was a big deal and the three need to figure out a way for the Pendulum Dragon to decrease his prima donna ego to enable Yuya to use his Skill.

Gong patted Yuya on the back. "Don't worry, Yuya," he said. "He'll get over it by tomorrow."

"I hope so," Yuya said.

Later that evening, Yuya had already finished his dinner and was already in his room, lying on his bed and thinking about earlier. He and Odd-Eyes have been through everything together ever since his first Pendulum Summon. Why is it now that his dragon is acting so stuck-up? He really hoped he does get over it because this is one of the most awful timing to be in a pickle like this.

As he turned his body around so that he was facing towards the wall, Sora came in and saw his adopted brother what appeared to be sulking. He wondered if anything was bothering him; never hurts to ask, right?

"Yuya?" Sora asked. "Is everything alright?"

"Not really," Yuya admitted. "Odd-Eyes won't let me use my Skill."

"So you can't mind merge with him?" Sora guessed.

"Pretty much," Yuya answered.

"Why don't you ask your other selves if they're also having problems?" Sora suggested.

"Oh yeah!" Yuya realized. "They might figure out what's going on. Thanks, Sora."

Yuya took out his Duel Disk and opened up the Webcam app. He initiated a group chat with his counterparts; so far, Yuto and Yugo haven't responded, but Yuri has, and his new haircut surprised his Pendulum counterpart. He questioned himself if he contacted the wrong Duel Disk because the guy in the chat doesn't look like Yuri. He was informed about how the latter went to the barber shop the other day because he wanted to find a way to win over Celina. Yuya was impressed with how it came out and sincerely wished him good luck, receiving a "Thank you".

Yuri asked why the group chat was set up. Yuya responded that he wanted to talk to him and their other two counterparts, but Yuto and Yugo haven't answered yet. They assumed that the two were watching a movie with Lulu and playing a tabletop duel with Rin respectively. Yuri indicated that things can get quite intimate with the Synchro duo whenever they play tabletop duels, especially with the occasional hand-touching. Yuya let out a chuckle before clearing his throat and began explaining to the Predaplant user his issue with his Skill and what's causing it.

"I see..." Yuri said. "So you appear to be having a hard time mind merging with your dragon."

"So do you know what's going on?" Yuya asked.

"Not a clue," Yuri answered. "I never have problems merging my mind with Starving Venom."

Suddenly Yugo joined the group chat. He was out of breath, his hair was tussled, and his shirt was absent. "Hey guys," he said. "Yuri, is that you? You look different."

"Of course I look different, you moron!" Yuri exclaimed. "I recently got a haircut."

"What?" Yugo asked. "That can't be it. That cliché is too overused."

Sora overheard what Yugo said and sat next to Yuya, unofficially joining the chat. He told him that Yuri did get a haircut while casually mentioned that he and Dennis were with him at the barber shop.

"So what happened to you?" Yuya asked Yugo.

"Me?" Yugo asked. "I was helping Rin with Duel Runner maintenance when we accidentally touched hands. Then these strange thoughts came into my head and...well... Things got weird."

The other three boys had a feeling that it was intimacy he experienced; much to Yuya and Yuri's luck, they briefly discussed about how the Speedroid user had moments like this with Rin. But can you blame him? Since he is one of Zarc's reincarnations, he has some moments that could be described as…perverted… It was all because of the former champion's fantasies he had about Ray, which were passed down to Yugo, leading to these moments that were being described, including the most recent one.

"Dear god, you are only 14!" Yuri assumed.

"What?" Yugo asked. "Nah, we didn't do that. We only kissed a lot. Nothing much."

"Then why is your shirt off?" Yuya asked.

"RinRin got a bit handsy," Yugo answered.

At that moment, Yuto joined the conversation. "What is it?" he muttered, half-exhausted. "I was just sleeping."

"You sure?" Yugo asked.

Yuto moved his Duel Disk to briefly show he was in bed with Lulu, but unlike Yugo, he was fully-clothed in his pajamas. "Yes, Yugo," the eggplant-haired Duelist muttered. "I was. Now can someone please explain who had the crazy idea to call me this late?"

"I did," Yuya answered. "I'm having trouble with mind merging. Odd-Eyes isn't really cooperating."

"Then you really don't need my advice," Yuto said groggily. "I only have a hard time moving because Dark Rebellion is disproportional."

"Weird..." Yugo said. "Clear Wing is alright with me using my Skill."

"As does Starving Venom," Yuri repeated.

"So I'm the only one who can't seem to mind merge properly?" Yuya asked.

"Looks like it," Yugo replied.

"Great," Yuto muttered. "Goodnight."

Yuto disconnected his webcam from his Duel Disk to get some sleep, leaving Yuya, Sora, Yugo, and Yuri the only ones left in the group chat.

"Pfft... Party pooper," Yugo said.

"Yuya, your dilemma is rather curious," Yuri remarked. "Have you done anything that lead to your dragon acting so odd?"

"Not really," Yuya answered. "But I have to ask. What's it like when you mind merge?"

"It feels rather...unusual," Yuri answered. "You're you, but you're not exactly you. There is also a voice you constantly hear, almost as if you are in perfect sync with your dragon."

"I don't get what any of that mean, but Yuri's right," Yugo replied. "Your mind is merged with your dragon's mind. Your thoughts become one."

Could that be it? Are Yuya and Odd-Eyes not perfectly in-sync because of their "clashing" personalities? Maybe what Yuri and Yugo said helped explain the Dueltainer vs Diva situation he was in. Just then, he had an idea. If he can at least reason with his dragon tomorrow, then there may be a chance of him practicing his Skill. From the sound of things, he may have found the answer to his problem.

"Thanks guys," Yuya said. "I think I managed to figure something out."

"No problem," Yugo said.

"Glad to be of service," Yuri said.

The three ended the group chat, but before Yuya got ready for bed, Sora asked how he was going to solve his conflict with Odd-Eyes and if it'll work. He was reassured that it was bound to work, no matter how stubborn he may act or how difficult the conflict may get. Besides, the worst case scenario is the rest of the Yu-Salad and their dragons getting involved…albeit Yuto since he was having trouble moving around after merging with Dark Rebellion. Sora nodded his head and reminded Yuya if everything works out tomorrow.

The next day, back at You Show, Team Smiles was about to start another day of training. Yuya informed Zuzu about his discussion with his counterparts and how he may have found a solution to his problem. She was glad to hear it; hopefully, he will start practicing his Skill in no time. However, the conflict worsened because when Yuya was starting today's Battle Royale, he looked at his hand and noticed his ace was no longer in his Pendulum form; he reverted back to Odd-Eyes Dragon. Why on earth would he do something like that? Regardless, it shocked and disappointed him.

"Odd-Eyes?!" Yuya asked. "What happened to you?!"

Zuzu laughed a bit. "Guess someone's still being stubborn," she pointed out.

"Okay, that's it!" Yuya said as he sent text messages to his counterparts through his Duel Disk. "I'm getting backup!"

Well, it looked like the worst case scenario ended up happening earlier than Yuya anticipated. Several minutes have passed and his counterparts arrived, wondering what was going on when they were shown Odd-Eyes' original form. He took things too far for his owner, and what's worse is that Yuya wanted to try out his solution he came up with last night.

"Oh dear," Yuri said. "That does look troublesome."

"So what do you want us to do?" Yugo asked.

"Bring out your dragons," Yuya explained. "They might be the only ones who can snap Odd-Eyes out of this act."

Yuto, Yugo, and Yuri took out Dark Rebellion, Clear Wing, and Starving Venom. The Yu-Salad activated their Duel Disks and drew the cards that they needed to perform their respective special summons.

"Turn up the heat, Odd-Eyes Dragon!"

"I XYZ Summon Dark Rebellion XYZ Dragon!"

"I Synchro Summon Clear Wing Synchro Dragon!"

"I Fusion Summon Starving Venom Fusion Dragon!"

All four dragons appeared on the dueling field after being summoned by their owners. Upon seeing each other, they roared and bellowed to one another—this was their way of communication. With them inheriting distinct personalities, their "conversation" reflects the Yu-Salad to an extent. Clear Wing is quick-tempered, Starving Venom is snobby, and Dark Rebellion keeps the dragons in check; usually Odd-Eyes is a cheerful performer, but since he became more of a stuck-up diva, this conversation was necessary to try and reason with him.

At one point, Clear Wing slashed at Odd-Eyes, surprising Yuya. "Yugo!" the tomato-haired teen exclaimed.

"Sorry, Yuya," Yugo said with a shrug. "That's usually how Clear Wing tries to reason with others."

Dark Rebellion growled at Clear Wing for slashing Odd-Eyes like that while Starving Venom let out a huff at it. Yuri described that it was his dragon's way of calling Yugo's a moron. "Like owner, like dragon", as his modified version of an old saying goes. Then again, Yugo didn't mind being called a moron, so he wondered if Clear Wing did the same; as it turns out, she didn’t mind that nickname. Yuri couldn't believe what he witnessed between the two dragons, and naturally Yugo played the "Like owner, like dragon" card, slightly annoying his Fusion counterpart. If that was the case, then how does Winter Bell call Clear Wing a moron?

After that little shenanigan was settled, the three Dimension Dragons continued with their intervention with Odd-Eyes as everyone else watched on.

At one point, Odd-Eyes growled a bit, causing Yuya to look surprised. "Odd-Eyes, watch your language!" he exclaimed.

Even his counterparts and the other dragons were shocked at the…colorful vocabulary they just heard. The dragons glared at Odd-Eyes, as if they were pointing out that he said some 'bad language words'.

Zuzu grew worried about this conversation; what if it grows worse, and if does, should she have to contact her counterparts and use their ace monsters to assist the Yuto, Yugo, and Yuri's dragons? She had to voice her concern to the Yu-Salad about Odd-Eyes.

But then, Dark Rebellion growled at Yuto. "You want me to activate my Skill?" the eggplant-haired teen asked.

Dark Rebellion nodded "Yes". There was another reason why this worst case scenario was made last night: Yuya's counterparts demonstrating their Skills to show Odd-Eyes that the mind merge is not bad and helps establish teamwork between the Duelist and the dragon. Yuto hasn't perfected his Skill because his dragon was disproportionate and hard to move around in. Starving Venom and Clear Wing also wanted Yuri and Yugo to activate their Skills as well to aid the XYZ Dragon-Duelist duo in convincing the reverted dragon, just in case he does stumble. Without any hesitation and further delays, the three began to concentrate their power as they chanted out their Skill activation.

"I activate my Skill: Mind Merge!" Yuto exclaimed.

"I activate my Skill: Mind Merge!" Yugo exclaimed.

"I activate my Skill: Mind Merge!" Yuri exclaimed.

With the sound of the three roars echoing throughout the duel field, the three boys' minds became one with their respective dragons, causing their bodies to fall and lie limp on the floor and Dark Rebellion, Clear Wing, and Starving Venom to gain their owners' mannerisms. As predicted, Yuto couldn't maintain his balance because of how heavy the wings were and the bent legs weren't helping. This was admittedly embarrassing, but aside from that, it caught Odd-Eyes' attention.

"You see?" Yuya asked Odd-Eyes. "I'm not taking the spotlight from you. We're sharing it, like a team. So will you let me mind merge with you?"

Odd-Eyes looked down at Yuya, whose dual-colored eyes stared calmly back at him. He soon realized how much of a jerky, attention-hogging diva he acted since yesterday and wanted to apologize for his behavior; fortunately, he knew the best way possible. Yuya's pendant started glowing out of the blue as a light blue aura surrounded the dragon, transforming him back into Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon. Yuya's eyes lit up with glee, indicating his ace that he forgives him, and to show how the two will always make an amazing team, he exhaled as he shouted out his Skill activation once again.

"I activate my Skill: Mind Merge!" Yuya exclaimed.

The power Yuya was concentrating on began surging from his body to Odd-Eyes, who let out his famous roar; everything was going well so far. His body then fell on his knees as he fell face first on the floor. Now all four boys laid without consciousness, with Zuzu and Gong watching and waiting to see if the mind merge worked this time. Before anyone knew it, Odd-Eyes slowly lifted his head, looking around to get a feel of his surroundings; he was surprised to see how high he was off the ground. He turned his body around a few quick times to see if what was happening was real. Sure enough, it was. He growled and bellowed happily upon discovering that the merge was a success. Even the other merged dragons were proud of Yuya's achievement. Below them, Zuzu was celebrating her heart out.

"Yuya, you did it!" Zuzu cheered.

"How are ya feeling?" Gong asked.

Despite the fact that the Yu-Salad can't speak when merged with their dragons, Yuya tried to respond to Gong's question regardless. All that came out of Odd-Eyes' mouth were the sounds of growls. Gong had no idea what he was saying, but Zuzu can tell their friend is really happy to finally utilize his Skill for the first time.

A few minutes later, the Yu-Salad returned to their original bodies. "That was amazing!" Yuya exclaimed, feeling so overjoyed. "It was like I actually became Odd-Eyes!"

"It is rather a delightful feeling," Yuri said. "Being able to become one with your monsters brings out the best in them."

"It is!" Yugo agreed with a thumbs up. "I even get to experience what flying feels like!"

"I just hope I can get my balance right," Yuto sheepishly admitted.

Now that the Yu-Salad have all gotten opportunities to try out their Skills, Zuzu, Lulu, and Celina haven't yet brought out their marks full potential, making them the remaining three of the eight counterparts who never tried out a Skill. Thanks to Rin, they have gotten a sense of how it works; she even came up with a name for it: Natural Energy Burst. They're hoping they don't run into any problems themselves because each concluding day brings them, their friends, and the other teams closer and closer to the big day of the Team Duel Tournament.

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real-life-pine-tree · 8 years ago

Text

Arc-V Aftermath: A Duelist’s Skill (10/26)

WARNING: Dub names will be featured in the story.

"And then he had the nerve to call my Speedroids weak toys!"

"Can you hand me a wrench?"

"That swirly-haired jerk thinks he's sooo great with Ancient Gear cards! They don't even look like Ancient Gear monsters!"

"Are you gonna help me, or...?"

"I swear, the next time I see him, I'll shove my fist into his face! That outta show him!"

"Yugo, wre-"

"Cardfighters are the wor-"

Fed up with Yugo's rant, Rin leaned over and kissed his lips without taking her eyes off the Duel Runner. With the Team Duel Tournament approaching, Cardfighters have been showing up more frequently across the Original Dimension. In a way, it was understandable why the Clear Wing-eyed Synchro user was upset. His squabble with one of said Cardfighters really put him in a bad mood. Good thing he had something else on his mind thanks to Rin.

Ultimately the two parted. "Now will you shut up?" Rin asked.

But Yugo was love-struck. "That was our first kiss..." he realized.

Rin rolled her eyes. "Just hand me the wrench, you moron," she repeated.

Now sidetracked from ranting, Yugo handed the wrench to Rin, using it to tighten the bolts. After the mishap with the engine, she and the rest of the Synchro crew wasted no time with fixing the Duel Runner and adding modifications to make it battle-proof. Crow and Shinji were looking at the blueprints and the constructing Runner to see if there were any more parts that may be included. Rin soon wiped off any sweat that may have formed on her forehead after she finished tightening the last bolt.

"Not bad!" Shinji remarked. "It looks just like Yugo's previous Duel Runner."

"Then what are these blueprints for?" Crow asked, revealing blueprints for a completely different Duel Runner.

"Oh, those?" Rin asked. "They're for my own Duel Runner."

She explained how her Duel Runner will look different from Yugo's and how it have a design based off of Crystal Bell. So far, its color scheme will be white and purple with purple crystals. She planned on drawing out and listing more parts to deduce which ones will work best for the design before finalizing the blueprints. Despite Crystal Bell being a corrupted version of Winter Bell, Rin knows there is true beauty within the card, so using it as inspiration for her Duel Runner was an indicator. She also figured that she should build one of her own since she won't have to share one with Yugo.

"This looks pretty cool," Yugo complimented, looking at the blueprints. "You really know how to bring out the best in everything."

"Yep," Rin agreed. "Even hot-headed Turbo Duelists with loud and rude behaviors."

It took Yugo a few seconds to realize who Rin was referring to. "Hey, wait a minute!"

Rin let out a small laugh and gave Yugo another kiss. "But I still love you," she said.

Yugo blushed at Rin's second kiss. Usually, he would say that he prefers being called "energetic and short-tempered", but not this time. Ever since his sleepover with Rin, he was gradually improving on his behavior… Well, he still has his moments here and there, such as his rant, but at least he's trying his hardest to take Yuya, Yuto, and Yuri's advice seriously. Obviously not become a different version of himself like last time, but applying it to good use. It was actually quite amazing to be in love with a tomboy… Is she a tomboy?

A few moments later, the Synchro crew went on their break. They decided to pass the time by playing a couple rounds of Duel Monsters. Right now, Yugo and Crow were spectating Shinji's duel against Rin, who was about to start her turn.

"Nice Battle Wasps," Rin said. "But let's see if you can face my icy spells!" She drew a card. "Since I summoned Windwitch - Ice Bell on my previous turn, I think I'll summon a second one to join her on my field! So you lose another 500 life points!"

Ice Bell's effect deducted Shinji's LP by 500 before Rin continued with her turn.

"Now that I have my two Ice Bells, I can bring out Windwitch - Snow Bell to tune them together!" Rin continued. "Midwinter wind, make ice and snow my power and appear in all your wintertime glory! I Synchro Summon Windwitch - Winter Be- What the?!"

Rin noticed her En Winds marking starting to glow on her left hand just as she was about to Synchro Summon Winter Bell. She wasn't the only one because Shinji, Crow, and Yugo also saw the light green glow, leaving them a little shocked. Unlike her counterparts, who didn't quickly learn what their markings did when they performed a distinct special summon since they were on body parts they easily can't see, she was the only one who caught on to her marking reacting during a duel. At least they all managed to get a bit of an understanding of what was going on.

"Why is my hand glowing?!" Rin asked, alarmed. "Why is my hand glowing?!"

Shinji was concerned about Rin's freak out. "Should we call it a draw?" he asked, ready to take his deck out of his Duel Disk.

"No!" Rin blurted out. "I-I Synchro Summon Windwitch - Winter Bell!"

Winter Bell appeared on Rin's side of the field while the apple green-haired girl was still alarmed by the current situation. Her ace has two effects that either can be used once per turn. By targeting one of her Windwitches from her Graveyard, she can inflict damage to her opponent equal to the target's level x 200. She can also target a Windwitch she controls to special summon a monster with a Level less than or equal to the target's Level, but it isn't allowed to attack during that turn. Desperately trying to find a way to get rid of the glowing marking, Rin chose Winter Bell's first effect.

"I activate Winter Bell's special ability!" Rin announced. "By targeting one of my two Ice Bells, you lose 600 life points!"

Winter Bell took out 600 of Shinji's LP thanks to her first ability; Rin checked her marking, only to find it still glowing. She would declare an attack, but she figured he endured enough damage for this turn. Besides, it would only prolong the glow if she doesn't figure out a way to stop it. For now, she stated she'll end her turn, which caused the light green luminosity to fade away. She was slightly confused as to why ending her turn was the solution to this dilemma, but mostly glad that it was over as she let out a sigh of relief. Shinji and Crow had to ask what that was all about.

"I don't know!" Rin admitted, looking at her marking. "But it seemed to happen when I Synchro Summoned Winter Bell!"

"Wait... I think I know what's going on!" Yugo asked.

"Really?" Rin happily asked.

Yugo proceeded to run over to Rin and tightly hug her. "You must be growing out your hair!"

"What?!" Rin asked, surprised at Yugo's suddenly statement.

"Don't play dumb with me!" Yugo said, separating from the hug. "Last time I checked, your hair was a half inch shorter. You're already cute with short hair, but you'll probably look extra cuter with long hair!"

Where the heck did that idea come from? And how did Yugo spot Rin's slightly longer hair? Regardless, it had nothing to do with her marking, but Crow and Shinji also remembered seeing her hair shorter. They never noticed until now although their reactions were slightly delayed than Yugo's. Rin was pleased that her friends were thrilled with her growing hair, but she needed to figure out why her marking glowed when she Synchro Summoned.

After calming down, she looked at her marking on her left hand, deducing the cause of what happened less than a minute ago. She knows she's one of Ray's four reincarnations, specifically her Synchro reincarnation, "created" by the En Winds Natural Energy Card. A theorization quickly struck her; when Ray was split a second time, she was given her respective Natural Energy marking, with the same applying to her counterparts, on a certain body part to help symbolize their main personality trait. Maybe that's what the reason behind the light green glow during her turn.

Rin clenched her left fist. "That's why my marking is on my hand," she realized.

"What?" Shinji asked as he drew a card to indicate he was starting his turn.

"I'll explain later!" Rin said.

With that said, everyone focused back to the duel as Shinji began his turn. Although he lost Life Points thanks to Rin's Windwitches' effects, she didn't attack him. This was perfect for him to swarm his side of the field with his Battlewasps to Synchro Summon his ace, decrease Winter Bell's ATK/DEF, and use his burn strategy. Looking at his cards, he made his move.

"I'll activate the Spell card Revival Swarm to recover Azura the Spirit Bow from your attack!" Shinji said. "Beat your wings, bring your sting, unite and fight! I Synchro Summon Battlewasp - Hama the Conquering Bow!"

Hama has an effect where it can attack a second time during each Battle Phase, which can be determined if Shinji activates its other two effects: if battle damage was inflicted, he can target one of his opponent's monster to make it lose ATK equal to the battle damage until the end of the Battle Phase; however, if no battle damage was inflicted, he can deal damage for every Battlewasp in his Graveyard x 300 to his opponent. He knew what he will do for this turn.

Shinji used Hama to attack Winter Bell, causing Rin to use her ace's second ability. Since Hama was Synchro Summoned, she can target Winter Bell to special summon a monster from her hand with a Level less than or equal to the target's Level, but the summoned monster can't attack; in other words, she special summoned Windwitch - Glass Bell. Shinji knew she would do that; after Winter Bell was destroyed and Rin lost 400 LP, he activated one of Hama's effects, resulting in Glass Bell to decrease her ATK from 1500 to 1100. Now he can attack a second time as his ace sent his target to the Graveyard, making Rin lose 1700 LP.

"Hopefully that shouldn't case too much of a problem," Shinji said as he concluded his turn.

"It won't," Rin said. "During the end of your turn, I activate the Trap card Miracle's Wake to bring back Winter Bell!"

A portal opened up from the Graveyard as Winter Bell flew out of it and landed on Rin's side of the field. She then drew a card to indicate the start of her turn.

"And since I have my Winter Bell back, now I can unleash the full power of my icy spells!" Rin continued. "So I'll start things off with Polymerization, fusing Winter Bell with my Glass Bell! Maiden of snow and ice, become one with the magic of crystals and shed your ragged disguise to reveal the princess within! I Fusion Summon Windwitch - Crystal Bell!"

But the Fusion Summoning was different than the last time Yugo remembered. Instead of emerging from a block of ice, Glass Bell sprinkled Winter Bell with magic, causing her to transform into Crystal Bell in a sparkly display. "RinRin..." the banana-banged Duelist said, completely in awe.

Rin looked what was in her hand while reading Crystal Bell's effects, in which each can be used once per turn. Her Fusion ace can target a monster in either her Graveyard or Shinji's, resulting in her gaining the target's name and effects until her End Phase. If she was destroyed, Rin can special summon Winter Bell and a Level 4 or less Windwitch. After some strategizing, she figured out how to turn the duel in her favor.

Rin raised her left fist. "Now, with the power of the great Northern winds, I will strengthen my Crystal Bell!" she announced.

With a strong wind appearing on Rin's field, her marking began to glow light green once again as the En Winds symbol appeared on Crystal Bell's forehead, giving her a 500 ATK boost. Shinji, Crow, and Yugo were left confused on what Rin did and how it even worked on her first try. With the power boost granted, she proceeded to carry out the rest of her strategy for this turn.

"I activate Crystal Bell's special ability!" Rin said. "With Winter Bell lending her power from the Graveyard, you lose 800 more life points thanks to Glass Bell!"

Crystal Bell, now under the name Winter Bell, dealt 800 points of damage to Shinji. She them initiated her Battle Phase; normally, both her monster and Battlewasp - Hama the Conquering Bow would both be destroyed, but with the ATK boost, Hama gets sent to the Graveyard as Shinji loses 500 more Life Points.

Shinji was baffled. "How did you even do that?!" he asked.

"Through the power of my marking," Rin answered, showing Shinji the glowing marking on her left fist. "I figured the previous time it glowed meant it has some kind of special power that only triggers when I first Synchro Summon. And since the glowing stopped at the end of my previous turn, it probably works during only my turns."

A couple minutes after ending her turn, Rin ended up winning the duel. The plans of having a couple duels were dimmed down to one because of her marking, so with their break nearing its end, the Synchro crew discussed about its abilities. They were determining if what happened to her also happens to Zuzu, Lulu, and Celina. Yugo interrupted because he was wondering if his Clear Wing eye color also has a unique special power and if it's similar to Yuya, Yuto, and Yuri.

"Excuse me?" Rin asked.

"That has to be it!" Yugo insisted. "After Zarc separated, me and the guys had our eye colors changed. And since you and the other girls have special powers connected to the Natural Energy Cards, I probably have a cool power connected to my dragon!" He proceeded to activate his Duel Disk.

"What do you think you're doing?" Crow asked.

"Just unleashing my cool new dragon powers!" Yugo answered. He proceeded to summon the needed Speedroids for the Synchro Summon. "Beat your wings to whip up a whirlwind of destruction! I Synchro Summon Clear Wing Synchro Dragon!"

Clear Wing flew into the field, bellowing out her roar. Once the Synchro Summon was complete, Yugo suddenly fell to the ground, passing out in the process. A startled Rin, Crow, and Shinji ran over to him; Rin shook his body to help him regain consciousness, but there was no response. She resorted to CPR to revive him; with each failed attempt, the Synchro crew grew more concerned, especially Rin. She didn't want to end up suddenly losing him…until something else unexpected surprisingly happened.

"Uh... Guys?" Crow asked. "Is it me, or did Clear Wing become more sluggish?"

Shinji and Rin turned around to see that Crow was right. Clear Wing seemed to have gained a sluggish posture; she also rose her head up and looked at her surrounding to get an understanding of what happened. Rin was about to ask the dragon if something was wrong when she stopped moving, almost as if she heard something. With a slight glance over her shoulder, her became happy to see her and flew over to nuzzle her as she growled softly. This left Rin a bit speechless and Crow and Shinji stunned about what Clear Wing was doing.

Rin's eyes widened. "Did you hear that?" she asked.

"Hear what?" Shinji asked.

"It sounded like Clear Wing said 'RinRin'," the mint green-haired girl said. She looked at the dragon. "Yugo?!"

Clear Wing nodded her head, confirming that she was indeed Yugo. Rin, Shinji, and Crow were stupefied at what their Speedroid user did. She placed her hand on her forehead in order to try and comprehend everything. How on earth can a simple Synchro Summon result in something bizarre like that?! Was it due to him having his ace dragon's eye colors? Was Yugo also given a special power too?

So many questions were flying into Rin's head that she may needed a moment. Shinji and Crow tried to ask their companion how he ended up in Clear Wing the moment he passed out, but their answer was in growls. Apparently, he can't speak like a human and can only respond with dragon sounds.

"Hold on," Crow said. "We can't understand what you're saying." He proceeded to remove Yugo's deck from the Duel Disk, causing the dragon to disappear as Yugo bolted awake.

"What the heck was that?!" Yugo asked. "How did I end up in Clear Wing's body?!"

"We're not sure," Crow replied. "But apparently you and the other guys can somehow become one with your dragons."

Yugo became dumbstruck at this revelation. He was having difficulty finding the right words to express how ecstatic he is about having an ability of his own. Rin had to remind him to relax with a smack at the back of his head. He quickly apologized as he rubbed his head, but he knew what he was going to say. He said he's enthusiastic about discovering his ability, which soon turned into another thought and question. Does Yugo being able to become one with Clear Wing have something to do with Zarc?

"Wait a minute..." Yugo said. "Since Zarc was able to become one with his dragons..." He smiled wide. "Does that mean my new power is the same way?!"

"Probably," Rin answered.

"This is so cool!" Yugo exclaimed. "I have to tell the others! They're gonna be so happy!"

It was clear that the powers of both dragon-colored eyes and the Natural Energy markings were becoming the main focus for the Synchro crew. Right as Yugo was about to find his counterparts, he quickly realized their break was over and that they needed to continue with Duel Runner construction. He yelled out a "Dang it" before heading back in the apartment/garage to help out.

Several hours later, the gang decided they were done for today and will continue tomorrow. Crow asked what time is was and Rin answered, after taking a glimpse at the clock, that it was 5:40 PM. It was evening already? Yugo looked outside the window to see the sun was starting to set. He remarked on how time can move so fast when they were busy working. Just then, the sound of a microphone was heard across the city; an important announcement was about to be made.

"Attention all Duelists. There will be a festival tonight at Heartland Park to promote the upcoming Team Duel Tournament. All Duelists are welcomed to attend and the festival will allow teams to register."

Rin's eyes lit up in utter delight. "A festival?"

"Sweet!" Yugo exclaimed. "We can register our team!"

Yugo and Rin were both excited about the Heartland Park festival tonight. From the sounds of things, it was going to be a more casual event than a formal one, so it makes picking out clothes easier. Crow asked Yugo what he'll be wearing, with the latter replying he's fine with what he has on right now…right after mentioning that he needs to wash up. He does have a point; after all the hard work everyone did, they needed to get clean for the festival. As for Rin, she said she'll shower once she finds nice and comfortable clothes to wear at the city's local donation center.

"Aww, you don't have to dress fancy, RinRin," Yugo said, hugging her from behind. "You're already adorable."

"I appreciate the compliment, but I smell like Duel Runner oil," Rin insisted, but Yugo proceeded to give her multiple cheek kisses.

As Yugo's kisses made Rin giggle, Crow and Shinji were surprised at her behavior. From what they have seen, she is always tough, hangs out with boys, and typically does stuff guys do. This was the first time they saw her act rather girly. They also could have sworn Yugo said something about shopping and her being a fashionista, but they weren't sure that was what they heard. They wondered if she really was a tomboy, but they also don't want to be rude about it; besides, they recently met her. Maybe her boyfriend may know if she's a tomboy or not.

Shinji cleared his throat, causing the two lovebirds to look at him and Crow. "What?" Rin asked. "Can't a girl have a moment with her boyfriend?"

"Yeah, but..." Shinji started to say. "Who are you and what have you done with Rin?"

"I've known Rin my whole life," Yugo said, snuggling close to her from behind. "Sure she's tough, but she's the cutest and most adorable girl I know."

Rin let out a small laugh as she pulled away from Yugo. "Okay, that's enough," she said, turning to face her boyfriend. "We need to get ready for tonight, so you should go shower."

"Sure thing, RinRin," Yugo said. He gave Rin one last kiss before he headed for the bathroom.

While Yugo was taking his shower, Rin visited the donation center. Even after the Original Dimension returned, it was still there. She always went there to get a variety of clothes because she didn't had a lot of money when she was growing up as an orphan. She and her boyfriend were also saving up to purchase parts for their first Duel Runner. As she was browsing the clothes that were either in boxes or on hangers, she stumbled across a blue-pink strapless sundress. She instantly knew this was perfect to wear for tonight's festival, but a good outfit isn't complete without shoes. She headed over to the shoe section to see which goes well with the dress until she spotted a pair of pale pink sandals. Her attire for the Heartland Park festival was found.

"Rin? Is that you?"

Rin knew that voice anywhere. She turned around to see Akiza Izinski, the owner of the donation center. She always loved the days when the Windwitch user stopped by to shop. This was the first time seeing her since the night Yuri abducted her.

"Akiza!" Rin happily exclaimed. "It's so good to see you again!"

"Where have you been?" Akiza asked. "I haven't seen you in months."

"I'll explain another time when I'm not busy," Rin said. "Right now I'm getting ready for tonight's festival."

"The one at Heartland Park?" Akiza asked. "Say no more. I already have the right accessories for you."

"Really?" Rin asked.

"Sure," Akiza answered, bringing her over to the jewelry section. "I got these in this morning and I had a feeling you would like them."

Rin stared at a pair of light blue rose earrings and a pink rose necklace that were in Akiza's hand. These were perfect to wear for the festival; she had a little feeling she was forgetting something, so it was a good thing Akiza was there to help.

"Thank you so much, Akiza," Rin said.

"You're quite welcome," Akiza replied. "So why did you chose such a lovely dress?"

"Well, I'm meeting Yugo and-" Rin began.

"Hold on, did you say Yugo?" Akiza asked. "Did you two finally hooked up."

Rin simply grinned in response, happily nodding. "Then you're going to need some help," Akiza said. "Since you're a great customer, how about I help you with hair and makeup?"

"You would?" Rin happily asked.

"Of course," Akiza answered. "Anything for a friend."

As Akiza was preparing to do Rin's hair and makeup, Crow, Shinji, and Yugo arrived at Heartland Park where the festival was taking place. Booths were all set up—games, food, shopping stands, you name it. The park was also decorated with lights, streamers, balloons, and banners. Yugo commented on how amazing everything looked and how it was going to be a fun night. Crow reminded his Clear Wing-eyed friend that their first order of business was to register for the Team Duel Tournament. Yugo reassured the Blackwing user that he still remembers what they have to do. As they waited, he spotted his counterparts and ran up to tell them about his newfound ability.

"Hey guys!" Yugo exclaimed, running over to his other-dimensional twins. "Glad you could make it. Although..." He paused to muffle a laugh. "Nice monkey suit, Yoot."

Yuto simply glared at Yugo. "I finished my work at ObsidianCorp before coming here," the eggplant-haired teen said, explaining why he was wearing his dark grey business suit. "I work there now. Remember?"

"Oh..." Yugo realized. "Right..."

"So what did you want to tell us?" Yuya asked.

"I figured out why our eyes match the eye colors of our dragons," Yugo explained. "Turns out we can transfer our minds into their bodies, allowing us to actually fight in duels!"

Yuri was intrigued. "Are you saying we become our dragons?" he asked.

"Yep," Yugo answered.

"So...we can't speak when we're in our dragons' bodies," Yuri realized.

"Guess not," Yugo said.

A familiar yet oddly creepy face appeared on Yuri's face. His eyes went wide and he made an eerily big grin, complete with a rather amusing chuckle. Yuya looked at his Fusion counterpart to see what was so funny when he was stunned silent at his face. It was the exact same face the tomato-haired teen made when his initial plan to register for the Arc League Championship was to duel Zuzu, Frederick, Allie, and Tate. No doubt Yuri was scheming something…

"Alright, what's going on?" Yuya asked.

"Oh, nothing," Yuri answered. "I just figured out a loophole in Sora's ridiculous training methods."

"What training methods?" Yuto asked.

"He has been taking Dennis and I to someone named Ricardo Soprano for training," Yuri explained. "Unfortunately part of this training involves me taking part in 'Opera Duels' in which I am forced to sing all of my moves. Dennis doesn't seem to mind, but as for me... Well..." He cleared his throat, clearly embarrassed.

Yugo grew curious about why Yuri was embarrassed, which made him slightly annoyed in the process. Yuya and Yuto looked at each other, then back at each other to see their Fusion counterpart increasing in annoyance and embarrassment, and asked if it had anything to do with his voice. Letting out a sigh, he responded "Yes"; he explained that he has a high, "flamboyant" voice, so him trying to sing results in it cracking.

Yugo laughed hysterically. "It's not funny!" Yuri exclaimed.

Yuto let out a deep chuckle. "It kind of is," he replied. "If you want, I can give you some vocal lessons."

"No way!" Yuya exclaimed. "You can sing?"

"Sort of," Yuto answered. "I often sing to Lulu in private."

The eggplant-haired blushed a little after finishing that sentence. Whenever he and Lulu were alone at the Obsidian residence, he would sing softly in her ears during cuddles, with a majority of songs being sweet and romantic.

"You sing love ballads to Lulu?" Yuya asked.

"Of course," Yuto answered, smiling as he adjusted his glasses. "She's my girl. I'm proud to have fallen in love with her."

As if on cue, Lulu had showed up and surprised Yuto with a hug from behind. "Guess who?" she playfully asked.

Yuto chuckled as his girlfriend moved to face him, his hands on her waist. "Hey there, beautiful," he said. He gave her a quick yet loving kiss on the lips.

Yugo scoffed. "So what?" he asked. "I would never act like that with RinRin. She's cute, but there's no way I would-"

His sentence was cut off when he saw Rin entering the festival. She wore the sundress and sandals she got at the donation store along with the necklace and earrings Akiza got her. She even had her apple green hair brushed nicely with her mint green side tails clipped back, as well as mascara on her eyelashes and nude lipstick on her lips. In Yugo's eyes, she looked absolutely adorable.

Feeling a burst of adrenaline, Yugo rushed over to Rin and placed his hand on her hip. "Hey everyone!" he called out, pulling her close. "I'm proud to say this lovely lady is my girlfriend!"

Yugo wasn't exactly the romantic type, but when he's in love, he just has to announce it to the whole world, which he just did. After all, he was, how you say, impulsive about his actions; he goes right for it without any thought whatsoever. Everyone looked over at him after he made the announcement, much to Rin's embarrassment.

Crow and Shinji were both surprised. "Rin?" Shinji asked. "You look different."

"'Course she's different," Yugo said. "This is the real Rin. Just an adorable girl with pretty hair and a cute face."

Rin blushed heavily. "That's great..." she said. "But we should really sign up for the tournament."

"Oh, right," Yugo said. "Oopsie..."

The Yu-Salad, Lulu, Rin, Crow, and Shinji walked around the festival to find out where the registrations were. They were given directions about its location, and pretty soon, they managed to arrive at the Team Duel Tournament registration booth. They also found their other companions, whom some of them already signed up. Zuzu, Gong, Shay, Sora, and Dennis were waiting for Yuya, Yuto, Lulu, and Yuri respectively so that they can sign their teams up.

"There you guys are," Shay told Yuto and Lulu. "Did you sneak off somewhere?"

Yuto froze up, but Lulu rolled her eyes. "He's joking," she explained.

"'Bout time you got here!" Sora said. "I hope you're ready for tomorrow's training."

"Of course I am," Yuri said, smiling wide.

"Great!" Dennis said. "Because I finished working on the costumes."

"What took ya so long, Yuya?" Gong asked.

"Well let's just say Yugo helped me figure out how to improve my performances," Yuya replied.

"That's good to here," Zuzu said. "Hopefully what he said also helped improve your self-esteem."

With all that said and done, everyone else began signing up for the tournament. They soon realized that Celina wasn't here; Zuzu asked where she was until her Fusion counterpart showed up with Sylvio and Aura. Talk about an example of "speak of the devil". The pink-haired girl wasn't thrilled to see Aura, mostly because she also had feelings for Yuya ever since her defeat during the Arc League Championship qualifications.

"Oh, quit pouting," Aura told Zuzu. "Did you think I wouldn't find out about the truth behind this world? You and Yuya are obviously fated for each other, so that prediction I made must have been a little hiccup."

Zuzu was surprised to hear that. "What?"

"Declan told me everything that happened," Aura explained. "If your past selves were destined to meet again in another life, who am I to argue with that kind of fate?"

"She's not wrong," Lulu agreed, snuggling close to Yuto. "If it wasn't for the tiny bit of Zarc and Ray who were in love with each other, I wouldn't have found true love."

Was this Aura's way of accepting Zuzu and Yuya's relationship with each other? It sure sounded that way; besides, what she and Lulu said about Zarc and Ray was true. Zarc was a huge Ray fanboy and even developed feelings for her, resulting in those feelings being passed down to Yuya, Yuto, and Yugo. There was also an emotion deep down within Ray's small ego that was in love with the former champion, leading to Zuzu, Lulu, and Rin sharing that same trait. The pink-haired girl learned about this information the Ritual user was telling her and how right she and Declan were. With a nod of her head, it officially meant the two girls were now on good terms with each other.

Rin suddenly remembered the duel she had earlier and how Yugo told his counterparts about their new abilities. She asked Zuzu, Lulu, and Celina if their markings ended up glowing during their duels, with all of them saying "Yes". The Bracelet Girls mentioned how they ended up glowing whenever they perform a Synchro, Pendulum, XYZ, and Fusion Summon with their archetypes accordingly, but Rin indicated that there's more. She discovered during her duel with Shinji that she can give her monsters an ATK boost through her En Winds marking during her turns, which fascinated the other three girls.

"That sounds pretty cool!" Zuzu said.

"I'm not sure..." Celina admitted. "That sounds a bit like cheating."

A newly-discovered power and Celina may have pointed out its biggest flaw. The other girls wondered if they'll get accused of cheating for making their monsters stronger like when Yuya was initially called a cheater for using his Pendulum cards. Rin glanced over at Yugo, who was with the others, and thought about his ability. If the Yu-Salad Boys merged their minds with their dragons, would they be accused of cheating too? She then recalled the discussion she had with the Synchro boys and how Crow pieced together what her marking can do. From the sound of things, he described it as her "Skill". They never heard of a Skill before, but Rin said that it was basically an ability that can either be used once per turn. If that's the case, then could the boys' mind merges with their dragons be their Skill too? Regardless, they may have to tell Declan about it to see what he thinks.

Speaking of Declan, he overheard the girls' conversation. "What's this about Skills?" he asked.

"I think that's what this is," Rin guessed as she and the other Bracelet Girls showed Declan their markings. "We got them when Ray separated a second time."

Declan looked at Rin's marking. "The symbol for En Winds," he recalled. "And it seems you got them in place of your bracelets."

The four girls all agreed that this was their bracelets' replacement. At the same time, they wondered if Declan has seen and heard of Skills before, so they explained to him what their markings can do. They even mentioned the Yu-Salad's ability to become one with their summoned dragons if they concentrated hard enough. These bits of information intrigued the gray-haired teen.

"Fascinating..." Declan said. "So it seems that when Zarc and Ray left this world, they gave each of you a special power. Perhaps these powers are to serve as reminders for who you once were and how you are connected to one another."

"But is it cheating?" Celina asked.

"It isn't as long as you use your powers as basic Skills," Declan explained. "A lot of Duelists have started to use Skills of their own, so you should be able to fit in."

They were relieved to hear that. From the power boosts to the mind merges, the eight boys and girls now had the opportunity to practice their skills starting tomorrow. With the signs up complete, the Yu-Salad, the now called Energy Girls, and their friends spent the rest of the night enjoying the festival. Declan asked the person at the registration booth how the sign up went, with him responding that it went well and a total of 36 Duelists and a stand-in have signed up to participate. That means there will be 12 teams competing, 7 of which are known: Team Smiles (Yuya, Zuzu, and Gong), Team Noble (Yuto, Lulu, and Shay), Team Turbo (Yugo, Rin, and Crow with Shinji as the stand-in), Team Obelisk (Yuri, Sora, and Dennis), Team Lancer (Celina, Sylvio, and Aura), Team You Show (Frederick, Allie, and Tate), and Team Ace (Dipper, Julia, and Kit). Even though the tournament is in a few weeks, each day brings everyone one step closer to the big event, so they'll have to practice their strategies and learn how the Team Duel rules work in order to prepare themselves for the grand day.

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