#i think similar thought may have went into the wig also cuz hey they got smaller guys to play misto and poof | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

real-life-pine-tree · 7 years

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Rehabilitation: Knight or Beast (5/?)

Side effects may include a loss of self-identity and individuality, frequent nightmares, questioning your own existence, severe mental trauma, constant panic attacks, spontaneous crying at random moments, and a strong desire to stay with loved ones at all cost. Co-written with @violetganache42. Takes place between Chapters 6 and 7 of Arc-V Aftermath.

The next morning, back at the Sakaki residence, Yuya and Yuto were both on the second floor getting ready for the weekend. After the fireworks show last night, the family decided their recently-discovered relative can have a sleepover with his cousin. Right now, Yuto was showering to freshen up and get rid of his bed head while Yuya had a bit of an empty stomach and hoped this wouldn't be similar to the day he dueled against Reed Pepper.

"Hey Yuya, can you hand me another bottle of shampoo?" Yuto asked.

"Shouldn't one bottle be enough?" Yuya asked as he washed his face and neck.

"No," Yuto answered. Then he proceeded to toss an empty bottle of shampoo out of the shower.

Yuya was surprised. "There was a third of shampoo left in there!" he pointed out.

"And I need a bit more," Yuto explained. "My hair is longer and thicker than yours, so I need more shampoo than what you normally use."

It was practically a never-ending shampoo issue for him. On the day of the LID dance, he had to use Yuya's shampoo brand because there wasn't any Spike and Curl; now that there were some for him, he uses the bottles up faster and uses a larger amount for his eggplant-shaped hair.

"Fine," Yuya said. He took out a bottle of Spike and Curl from the bathroom cabinet and tossed it to Yuto. "But this is the last bottle! Mom only bought two."

Using the last bottle, Yuto added a bit more of his shampoo to wash his hair and proceed with the rest of his shower. He usually showers in the morning and follows it up with brushing and blow-drying his naturally spiky hair so that it will look nice for the day. Yuya's routine was different in which he showers at night and combs his hair in the morning to untangle any knots that may have formed when he was sleeping.

When Yuya was done washing up, he proceeded to comb his hair. While that was going on, Yuto had finished with his shower. He wrapped a towel around his waist and stepped out of the shower. He then plugged in a hairdryer and proceeded to brush/blow-dry his hair.

"Geez Yuto, doesn't that seem a little too much?" Yuya asked.

"Not for me," Yuto clarified. "My hair is much thicker than yours, so I need to properly maintain it on a constant basis."

Yuya always preferred combing because he felt like hairdryers make his hair…flatter and straighter. Of course, it wasn't as thick and spiky as Yuto's, but it sure is soft and fluffy. Heck, their contrasting textures and colors pretty much gave them their different physical appearances yet so many people couldn't tell the two apart for a while…that is until Alex noticed Yuya's hairstyle and mistook it for a wig, marking the end of the color blind situation among the Yu-Salad.

Yuya chuckled at the memory, which Yuto quickly noted. "What's so funny?" the XYZ Duelist asked.

"I was thinking about when I first met Alex," Yuya said. "He thought my hair was a wig."

"That's not surprising," Yuto said. He turned off the hairdryer and brushed his now-dry hair into place. "Alex is one of my close friends. He can easily recognize my hair in an instant. He even calls me 'eggplant head'."

"Kinda like how Sora calls me 'tomato head'?" Yuya asked, placing his comb on the bathroom counter and finger-combing his hair to help emphasize the fluffiness.

"I guess," Yuto answered.

Now that he thought about it, his other two counterparts may have also been given nicknames based on their food-like hairstyles. He knows Yugo often gets called a moron, but how often does he get called "banana bangs"? What about Yuri? He was bound to be referred to as "cabbage head" by someone, but they only recently met after Yuya's revival; Yuto wasn't counting the duel prior to Zarc's return because he was fully corrupted by the darkness and it caused him to assist his Fusion and Synchro counterparts in convincing Yuya to reuniting as one again. Regardless, he wasn't entirely sure if Yuri has been called "cabbage head" at all since he and Celina are practically rivals at this point.

"By the way, mom got some new clothes for you," Yuya said.

Yuto was surprised to hear that. "When?" he asked, finishing with brushing his hair.

"After she found out you're her nephew," Yuya answered as he ruffled his own hair a bit. "I hope you don't mind wearing some Pendulum Dimension-native outfits."

"Of course not," Yuto said. "I could use a change in style."

Yuya's new clothes consist of a white t-shirt containing an orange diamond overlapping a light blue square and a pair of dark greenish pants with a lighter chartreuse stripe around the waist that contain medium greenish strings that tie and help give support to the pants. Yuto's were incorporated of a light gray tanktop, a dark gray, short-sleeved, button-up shirt, and dark jeans with a black belt.

When the cousins got dressed in Yuya's room, Yuto was satisfied with his new look. "Not bad," he said, looking at his reflection in the mirror as he adjusted his glasses. "I could get used to Pendulum Dimension fashion."

"That's the spirit!" Yuya cheerfully said. "Now come on, mom made fresh pancakes and I don't want Sora eating all of it."

The two cousins left Yuya's room. "Why does Sora live here now?" Yuto asked. "And why is he your adopted brother?"

"Funny story," Yuya replied. "After the whole Zarc thing, everyone returned to their home dimensions, but Sora admitted that he doesn't have any memories of his birth family. So mom got Leo to sign some adoption papers and now Sora is part of the Sakaki family."

Yuto never knew about this information; Celina and Yuri didn't have memories of their families, but that was because they became existent after Ray and Zarc split. How come Sora doesn't have memories of the Perse family if he wasn't a reincarnation?

"What happened to his memories?" Yuto asked.

"I'm not really sure," Yuya admitted. "He said his first memory was waking up in a lab. He doesn't have any memories prior to joining Duel Academy. Apparently that was part of the previous student registration program before Leo changed it."

Leo initially wanted to have all the new students' memories erased because he wanted to mold them into loyal—albeit ruthless for a selected few—soldiers capable of assisting him in bringing back the Original Dimension by carding people to fuel ARC-V. The last thing anyone needed was to think of their loved ones.

"That would explain why Sora apparently became attached to your m- I-I mean, Aunt Yoko," Yuto said. "He probably doesn't even remember what his mom looks like."

"Probably," Yuya agreed as he approached the pole he normally uses to get downstairs.

Yuto noticed the pole as well. "Couldn't we take the stairs?" he asked.

"Yeah, but this way is more fun," Yuya answered. He grabbed onto the pole and placed both hands on it before wrapping his legs around it and sliding down with Yuto watching on.

"You want me to go down that pole?" Yuto asked.

"Yep!" Yuya happily replied.

Yuto has never went down a pole in his life; heck, it was rather a bit peculiar that a house like this would even have one. "Alright..." he said, carefully grabbing onto the pole.

Yuto's hands got a firm grip, but his legs wouldn't move. He looked down to see Yuya had already made it to the first floor; although his worry of landing on top of him was the least of his problem, he couldn't quite figure out how to wrap his legs around without losing his balance or fumbling.

"Come on, Yuto!" Yuya encouraged. "Take a step forward and jump!"

Yuto took a deep breath, then he wrapped his legs around the pole and closed his eyes. He felt a slight gust coming from below him, causing him to open one of his eyes. He took a look at his surroundings to see that he was in the living room. Stunned by what had just happened, both eyes opened wide, realizing he has successfully slid down a pole.

"Alright, you did it!" Yuya happily said, patting his cousin on the back.

Yuto couldn't help but chuckle at Yuya's enthusiasm. "Thank you," he said.

"Aw, you're welcome," Yuya said. "Now let's get some breakfast."

The two put on their usual sneakers and headed to the kitchen where they saw Sora had gotten a head start on breakfast; fortunately, Yoko was at the stove cooking up some more of her homemade pancakes.

"There you two are!" Sora said, drizzling some chocolate syrup on his plate of pancakes. "I thought I was gonna have to eat all these pancake all by myself."

Yuya noticed the kitchen was lacking a certain someone. "Where's dad?" he asked.

"He went to Heartland Duel School," Yoko answered. "They were some technical problems with the Action Duel lab, so they needed him to do some repairs."

"That's no surprise," Yuto said. "He did found the school."

"By the way, Yuto, Kameron Obsidian called me," Yoko added. "He wants to know when you'll be ready to move in."

Move in? Why? Why does Kameron want him to move in with the Obsidians? Was this about the job offer that he was accepted into? But then Yuto remembered that Shay and Lulu wanted him to move in with them during the LID dance. However, that was currently going to be a bit of a problem...

"Yuto?" Yuya asked, noticing his tensed expression. "You feeling alright?"

"I'm not sure," Yuto admitted. "Before the separation, I was looking forward to living with the Obsidians as I worked at their company." He glanced down at his new outfit. "But after spending time with this family, I'm not sure if that kind of environment is right for me."

"Come on, cuz," Yuya said. "You're already close with Shay and Lulu. You'll fit in just nicely."

"That's what you think," Yuto said. "Before the Invasion, it was hard to believe that Shay and Lulu come from a wealthy family. They're very down-to-earth and don't flaunt their wealth a lot. But what if that's how they act among non-wealthy people like myself?"

He has kept those thoughts hidden for quite some time now. Before Shay and Lulu transferred to Heartland Duel School, they attended an expensive private school called Heart Prep. What if the Obsidians boast about their wealth among the elite citizens and only act reasonable towards the middle class because they pity them about how they're not as rich as them?

Sora let out a laugh. "It's not funny!" Yuto exclaimed, his fists clenched tightly.

"No, but your overreaction is," Sora said once he calmed down. "There's gotta be a reason why Lulu fell in love with you."

"But I fell in love with her first," Yuto pointed out. "When I found out she and Shay are wealthy, I secretly doubted their motives. I don't call her a princess just because of her radiant beauty. It’s also because of her status. If we were in the medieval era, she would have been an actual princess."

"No wonder you snapped when we found out about the Fusion Parasites," Yuya said. "You kinda take this whole knight thing seriously."

Yuya was right; his cousin does take being knightly very seriously. Yuto was absolutely livid when he learned the Doktor implanted Fusion Parasites in Celina and especially Lulu and he wouldn't forgive Duel Academy for taking away his girlfriend's sweet smile and forced her into fusing with her counterparts against her free will. He was molded into who he was because he joined the dueling club and Shay instructed him to envision himself to be as brave, noble, and chivalrous as the Phantom Knights. Because of the Obsidians' high class lifestyle, he always felt like he was Lulu's knight in shining armor who will do anything to rescue and protect her.

"I'm not a big history fan, but don't knights ultimately marry princesses?" Yuya asked.

"Not quite," Yuto answered. "Only men who were originally born into nobility could marry royalty. Take Mary Tudor for example. She initially planned to marry a duke, but the marriage was done in secret and it wasn't until her first husband died of old age."

"Oh, Yuto..." Yoko said, having finished cooking this morning's batch of pancakes. "You don't think you deserve to marry Lulu?"

"Never," Yuto admitted as he and Yuya sat at the kitchen table.

Yuya helped himself to some pancakes. "You said you officially hooked up with her when you asked her to the Heartland Duel School dance," he recalled with his mouth full of pancake. He swallowed his mouthful. "And why else would her parents set up an arranged marriage for you two?"

"I honestly don't know," Yuto replied, putting a few pancakes on his plate. "But for all I know, I'm only a poor orphan to the Obsidians. They probably took pity on me when they found out my mom died during the Invasion." He took a bite of his pancakes.

For the next couple minutes, Yuya pondered about something. Something medieval. He may not be into history, but he has been finding the parallels on how Yuto was a knight and Lulu was a princess. Does that make Shay, Kameron, and Astra the prince, king, and queen respectively? Definitely. Just then, an idea popped into his head on how to cheer Yuto up again; he remembered hearing stuff about these Renaissance Faires that occur every year in America, but he wasn't sure if Japan has their own Faires too. They must have something similar because medieval history still plays an important role in today's society.

"Hey mom, do you know if there's a Renaissance Faire going on today?" Yuya asked.

"I think so," Yoko answered. "But it's in another town."

"That's all I needed to hear," Yuya said. "Yuto Osaku, we're having a family fun day at the Renaissance Faire!"

Yuto nearly choked on his mouthful of pancake. "What?" he asked once he swallowed.

"You heard me," Yuya said. "If you're gonna keep comparing yourself to a knight and Lulu to a princess, you might as well get a taste of what that bond is really like."

Once they were all done with their pancakes, they all headed out to the car so that Yoko can drive her sons and nephew to the Faire. She may not duel as much as she used to, but she always kept her Duel Disk around for other usages, one of them being using it as a GPS. She opened up the Maps app and typed down the location of where it was taking place in order to get directions.

The event was occurring in Hiroo, a town located in the second largest island in Japan called Hokkaido. The Tsugaru separates it from Honshu, Japan's largest and most populous island, but they are connected by a railway called the Seikan Tunnel, the second deepest and second longest railway tunnel. Her plan was to park the car at the Aomori Station—named after the capital of Honshu's Aomori region—and take a train that runs through the Seikan Tunnel and stops at Hakodate Station, then take another train from there to Hiroo to check out the Faire.

The name of this Faire the family was going to see was part of the West Kingdom, the founding kingdom of the Society of Creative Anachronism (SCA) that was established in 1966 in Berkeley, California. The people who founded it were big fans of history and science fiction and held outdoor parties with food, drinks, revelries, and tournaments. In 1969, when words of the SCA were spreading after multiple events were planned one after another, the East Kingdom was founded; soon enough, the non-profit education society developed a total of nineteen kingdoms with over 30,000 members. The West Kingdom had areas formed in the United States and Asia, which can be found in northern and southern regions of California, northern Nevada, Alaska, Guam, South Korea, Thailand, and Japan.

When the family arrived at the Faire's entrance, they were greeted by one of the employees. "Greetings!" he said. "Welcome the West Kingdom! But before you can continue, you must state your statuses so we may provide the appropriate attire for you."

Yuto was deeply confused. "Uh..."

"We're from the royal Sakaki family in Paradise City," Yoko explained, giving the employee an ID card. "The boy with magical corrective lenses is our knight."

The employee checked the ID card. "My apologies, Lady Sakaki," he said, giving the ID card back to Yoko. "It has been a long time since you came. Please come with me for your attire."

"You were here before?" Yuto asked.

"Only once," Yoko answered. "It was a anniversary celebration."

"I think I remember coming here several years ago," Yuya recalled. "But the memories are a bit blurry."

He was only six, maybe even younger, when he went to the West Kingdom's Faire for his parents anniversary, so it was going to be his and Yoko's second time attending this event. Sora and Yuto have never been to something like this before for different reasons. Their first order of business was to change into the proper clothes for a medieval atmosphere.

"My goodness, young lord," the employee told Yuya. "You have grown so much since we last saw you, so you are due for new measurements."

"I thought so," Yuya said.

The employee then looked at Yuto. "So this boy with the eggplant-like hair is your knight?" he asked.

"I am a knight," Yuto explained. "But my actual allegiance is to another royal family."

"And what about this young blue-haired boy?" the employee asked.

"I was adopted into the Sakaki family," Sora answered.

"I see," the employee said. "Then it seems you two might need to get your measurements recorded as well."

The three boys followed the employee to a separate room where he measured each of them. He noticed how similar Yuya and Yuto looked and caught on to how slightly buffer the young Osaku's physique was. As for Sora, he was the shortest out of them all, so he was going to need some smaller clothes that will fit him.

Yuya noticed the employee's confused expression. "Is somethin' wrong?" he asked.

"Aside from the different hairstyles, your looks and voices are eerily similar," the employee remarked. "Are you two related?"

"We're cousins," Yuto answered. "Our moms are sisters."

"Of course!" the employee said. "That would explain the similarities."

After the measurement were recorded, he handed the pad of medievalesque paper to another employee to give the boys the best fitting prince and knight outfits for them to try on. He then instructed Yuya, Yuto, and Sora to head on over to the nearby fitting room to try on their respective clothes.

"Young lord, let us know when you are properly dressed," the employee told Yuya.

"How come?" Yuya asked.

"It's your hair, sire," the employee explained, moving Yuya's bangs away from his forehead. "It is not suited for a young prince such as yourself."

"Uh... Okay..." Yuya said, baffled by the sudden request. "I'll think about it..." Those fears were unexpectedly returning to him. The fears of getting a haircut. He didn't mind his hair getting sprayed with water to make it easier to comb through and preferred to have it air-dried than blow-dried, but there was one thing that he couldn't stand about haircuts: scissors. He had that issue for as long as he could remember, hence why his hair always looks so fluffy and longish. He doesn't want his hair getting cut too close to his scalp.

Pretty soon, the family got dressed into their proper outfits for today's Faire. Yoko's was that of a regal queen whereas her sons wore matching attires that distinguished them as princes with obvious differences. Yuya's had warm and bright colors consisting of a red top, green pants, a white cape with yellowish-gold linings, magenta shoes with dark gray decals, and had his sash on his right shoulder; on the other hand, Sora's was cooler and darker with a moderate blue top, gray pants, a black cape, brown shoes, and had his sash on his left shoulder. Yuto's dawned a knight's uniform with dark purple shoulder pads that held his black, knee-length cape in place and a small broach that depicted a bird to represent he was from another kingdom.

Yuya let out a whistle. "You look good, Yuto," he said, his tomato hair already gelled down thanks to one of the employees. "Like a true knight."

However, instead of smirking like he normally did whenever someone complimented his looks, Yuto got on one knee and knelt before Yuya. "Your highness," he said.

Yuya was taken back by what his cousin had done. "You can get back up," he said.

"My apologies," Yuto said, still kneeling. "But knights live to serve royalty, not get treated as equals."

"No, Yuya is right," Yoko said. "You are still family."

"Yeah," Sora agreed. "Now get back up and snap out of this stupid funk."

It wasn't much of a funk; it was more of a force of habit, but can you blame him? For Yuto Osaku, being knightly is one of the biggest—if not, the biggest—changes of his life. He was no longer the shy, timid loner outcasted by a cheerful and colorful city and it surprised everyone, but they have gotten used to his sudden change and he became a part of their society. It paid off immensely because he has his own circle of friends, a long-lost extension of his family, and is currently dating his first friend's younger sister. Of course, he was hoping his personality has truly captivated the Obsidian family.

Yuto stood back on his feet. "My apologies," he said, bowing slightly. "But I'm only getting into character."

"Alright," Yoko said. "It was Yuya's idea for us to come here."

"Yeah!" Yuya happily said. "Now let's make this the best family fun day ever!"

Once the family stepped outside, trumpets blared. "Presenting the royal Sakaki family and their accompanied knight!" an employee announced.

The people attending the Faire turned their attentions towards the newly-arrived guests, who were walking down a long carpet from the castle to the entrance where all the festivities were. Everyone gave a massive round of applause for the family as a welcoming greeting to their annual event. But while Yuya was smiling and waving, Yuto covered his face with his hand.

"No one said there would be this much attention," Yuto muttered.

"It's alright," Yoko told her nephew. "They do this to the guests who want to dress up like royalty. We're not a special exception."

Yuto isn't much of a big fan of attention unlike Yuya who was basking in the applause from the people applauding for them. Eventually, the family entered the Faire where a vast variety of festivities were provided: sampling medieval food, drinks, and entertainment, SCA members teaching visiting college students about a pre-seventeenth century world subject called "Current Middle Age", guilds and other groups holding meetings including dancing, cooking, making armor, needlework, and music, and the ever popular tournaments. Their tournaments were rather unique because the members host Magical Duels instead of jousting due to the popularity of Duel Monsters.

"Come one, come all!" a Faire employee announced. "Don't miss this noon's tournament of Magic and Wizards!"

"Heh... I haven't heard that name in years."

Yuya and Yuto's eyes widened in surprise. "Was that you?" Yuya asked.

"No, it wasn't," Yuto answered. "But that means...?"

"That's right, my reincarnations. The great Zarc Nightstone is still here."

Yuya and Yuto immediately grew concerned at the sound of hearing Zarc's voice. How is that even possible? Was he not completely gone? Are there any lingering traces of his darkness lurking within the Yu-Salad? If so, then will it grow stronger like the last time and manipulate them into fusing back into one again?

"What are you still doing in our heads?" Yuto angrily asked.

"Geez, calm down. When Leo used that machine to separate Ray and I back into you eight, we technically didn't cross over. Our spirits still reside in each of you. I have no desire to reemerge in all my wonderful glory. Just think of me as your guardian angel."

"Then why did you show up now?" Yuya asked.

"Because I remember when Duel Monsters was originally called Magic and Wizards, so I figured I might pop in and give you two newbies some old-school pointers."

"Wait, that's what Magic and Wizards is?" Yuya asked. "An older version of Duel Monsters?"

"Indeed, my tomato-haired self. Back before Seto Kaiba changed things up to make things fairer for everyone who enjoys the card game."

"So what are these rules like?" Yuya asked.

"The whole premise of Magic and Wizards is that you and your opponent are wizards with the cards allowing you to cast spells or summon monsters. The gameplay style is the same as what you youngsters are familiar with, yet there are a few exceptions."

"What exceptions?" Yuto asked.

"The levels mean absolutely nothing. You can summon any monster at any moment, with some people even summoning Fusion monsters without needing to fuse the required monsters. Oh, and you can pretty much make up special card rules as you go. In other words, whoever manages to wipe out their opponent's 2000 starting life points with the strongest imagination is the winner."

"But that would mean Dark Rebellion would be completely powerless," Yuto realized, knowing his trusted dragon wouldn't have any Overlay Units.

"Yeah, about that... Synchro and XYZ monsters weren't created until after Kaiba changed the rules, but I'm sure Dark Rebellion will adapt to those rules. He's a pretty chill guy."

Yuto heard Dark Rebellion growl from the Extra Deck, reassuring his owner about how he didn't mind the rules to Magic and Wizards. Yuya and Zarc also heard the growls since the three do share the same ability to communicate with Duel Monsters. It didn't change the fact on how the two cousins were developing some worries regarding said rules.

"But what about Odd-Eyes?" Yuya asked, taking out his trusted dragon from his deck. "Do I have to revert him back into a regular monster?"

"Nah, you'll be fine. Odd-Eyes is a good boy. He loves a good performance. These things are right up his ally."

"You sure?" Yuya asked.

"Just be glad the other two aren't here. Starving Venom can't stand friendly performances. They kinda restricts his full power. But the worst of it is Clear Wing. She simply wouldn't like being summoned the old-fashioned way. For her, it's go synch or go home."

Yuya and Yuto's eyes widened in shocked realization at what Zarc just said. Did he just refer to Clear Wing as a "she"? That could mean...

"Clear Wing Synchro Dragon is actually a girl?!" Yuya asked.

"Of course she's a girl. I remember hearing her snarl at Yugo whenever he called her a guy-"

"Come on, you two!" Sora called out. "You gotta try this barbecued pig on a stick!"

"And that would be my cue to leave. Just remember what I said about the Magic and Wizards rules."

"We'll try," Yuto said as Yuya put Odd-Eyes back in his deck.

The two caught up with Sora, who was sampling the barbecued pig on a stick that he got from a nearby stand. Although it smelled delicious, they weren't sure if what he was eating was the entire pig or just a portion because people often roast the whole animal on a stick and it was honestly a bit creepy seeing its lifeless face.

"Uh... Sora?" Yuya asked. "What exactly are you eating?"

"Oh, relax," Sora said, showing his treat to the cousins. "It's just a slice of ham coated in barbecue sauce on a stick."

"Then what was with your choice of wording?" Yuto asked.

"Just wanted to mess with ya," Sora answered with a cheeky grin.

Ever since the Interdimensional War was over, Sora has grown into quite a troll not long after Yoko adopted him. Yuya sometimes forgets about it and easily falls for his younger brother's tricks.

"But seriously, try it out," Sora said, gesturing to the samples on display. "It's delicious."

Yuya and Yuto looked over at the stand that was displayed and walked towards it. They saw a couple employees slicing up some ham, cooking them up, poking sticks through them, drizzling barbecue sauce on them, and placing them on the display box.

"Good day, young prince," an employee told Yuya. "Care to try the West Kingdom's famous barbecued ham? You'll never find ham tastier than this!"

Yuya picked up one of the samples. "I never saw ham served on a stick like this before," he remarked.

"Well of course, sire," the employee said. "Our ham is far more worthy than being served in a simple sandwich."

Yuya didn't mind having ham sandwiches every now and then, but he was right about never seeing it served on a stick, let alone eating it, especially when it's covered in barbecue sauce. Curious about the taste, he took a bite out of the ham. His eyes widened in amazement.

"This is absolutely delicious!" Yuya exclaimed. "Yuto, you've gotta try this!"

He handed his cousin another ham on a stick for him to sample. Yuto usually had ham for dinner during Easter or whenever he felt like he wasn't sure what to have for lunch. The barbecue sauce does smell good though; it seemed to help boost the smell of the deli, but did it also make the flavor more edible? He bit into the ham, and much like his cousin, the Phantom Knights user was amazed with the taste.

"I never tasted ham like this before," Yuto remarked.

The two cousins delightfully ate the rest of their ham samples as they embraced the combined flavor of a thin, rolled-up sheet of meat moistened in a thick layer of flavorful and savory sauce.

"So what else does this Faire provide?" Yuto asked.

"You never attended any Faires back in the XYZ Dimension?" Yuya asked.

"Not like this," Yuto answered. "Heartland always had numerous festivals each year, but none of them had a special period theme."

"Then how about we watch the chess game?" Yoko suggested.

That baffled Yuto. "What's exciting about watching a chess game?" he asked, imagining a crowd of people watching two old men play chess.

"I think I saw one on TooYube," Sora recalled. "It's when a group of people get together to act out a mock battle as characters from Robin Hood lore."

"Yeah," Yuya agreed. "The stage is set like a giant chess board. It's pretty cool to watch."

Yuto asked himself some curious questions about this Robin Hood-themed chess match. Are the competitors acting out as the characters and the chess pieces are their armies? Is it some kind of reenactment of a scene from the legend? Whatever was going on, it admittedly piqued his interests about this game.

"My only piece of Robin Hood knowledge comes from a single movie," Yuto admitted.

"Which one?" Sora asked. "'Cause the Disney version is a bit inaccurate. None of the characters are actually animals."

"Men in Tights," Yuto answered.

Yuya and Sora chuckled out of amusement after hearing their cousin's response. Out of all the Robin Hood movies, he saw Men in Tights? That Mel Brooks film produced in America back in 1993?

"What's so funny?" Yuto asked.

"That's...not exactly true to Robin Hood lore," Yuya explained. "It's more like a parody."

"Wait, so women in the lore didn't wear iron underwear?" Yuto asked, sounding genuinely confused.

"Nope," Sora answered.

After a long discussion about the true story of Robin Hood and the many differences in its modern adaptations, the four went to see the chess match. Yuya and Sora were right about how this was no ordinary game of chess. There was an outdoor stage set up that stood in front of a large, grassy chess board where the people playing as the King and Queen give orders to their army, who are their "chess pieces". Their opponents also have "chess pieces" of their own and commands them to retaliate against the King and Queen's army.

"Thank you for coming to today's chess game!" the King announced. "And it seems we have special visitors among the crowd."

"Indeed," the Queen agreed. "Let us give a grand West Kingdom welcome to the royal Sakaki family and their accompanied knight!"

The audience applauded for the Sakaki-Osaku family once again since it's been less than a decade since Yoko and her son attended the Faire. As usual, Yuya smiled and waved at everyone while Yuto blushed slightly and tried to divert himself from the attention.

"Now then, shall we begin this year's wondrous chess game?" the Queen asked.

"Indeed, my wife," the King replied. He looked back at the crowd. "And don't forget about this afternoon's Magic and Wizards tournament, where the winning knight shall receive the greatest treasure in all the land!"

Yuya, Yuto, and Sora raised their eyebrows in astonishment and started to ponder on what the "greatest treasure" even is. "Oh man, I bet it's a lifetime supply of candy!" Sora gushed.

"It's not candy," Yuto said. "It's probably gold or-"

"My goodness, I almost forgot!" the King said, unknowingly interrupting Yuto's statement. "Come on out, my dearest daughter!"

Coming out from backstage was a young woman with long, silky, blonde hair and teal eyes. She was, without a doubt, the King and Queen's daughter, meaning she was a princess; her appearance made Yuto love-struck, mostly because she reminded him of Rapunzel, his favorite fairytale.

"...or the princess' hand in marriage," the eggplant-haired teen muttered.

"Snap out of it, cuz!" Yuya said. "You have a girlfriend, remember? I don't think she would like seeing you get all lovey-dovey towards other long-haired girls."

Yuto did end up snapping out of his love-struck gaze, but it had different results. He suddenly remembered he was arranged to get married with Lulu in the future and he was going to move in with the Obsidians as soon as possible so that he could be able to work at his job at the family company. Before he knew it, the dilemma and worries he was focused on earlier this morning soon crept back up to him. But despite those worries about not being worthy enough to have Lulu's hand in marriage, there was another issue he had ever since the Zarc thing was resolved.

"Yuya..." Yuto said. "How do you really feel about Zuzu?"

"I already told you," Yuya replied. "She's a good friend, but I don't see her as a girlfriend."

"So I'm the only one who feels desire and ache whenever I think about my girlfriend?" Yuto asked.

Yuya was baffled by Yuto's choice of words. "What are you talking about?" Yuya asked.

"Desire to hold her close all the time..." Yuto clarified. "And ache when she's not in your sight."

"Uh... I don't think so?" Yuya replied, not sure how to properly respond.

"It's why I had to help Shay find Lulu," Yuto said. "When I'm by her side or gently touching her, I feel calmer. I always assumed it was because of how much I love her, but after what happened..." He looked at his hand. "I'm not even sure anymore." He clenched his hand into a fist. "Could it be because she's the only one who can tame the beast within myself? Or is there something more to that?"

Yuto could feel something that was…indescribable. With everything that had happened, especially at Duel Academy, this burning darkness grew within him and had gotten stronger overtime. Lulu's agonizing scream made him give into it because he wanted to protect her, but there was more to it than meets the eye; his strength to resist was weakening, making him more vulnerable for corruption until…it consumed him. With Yuya and Yuri dueling each other, resistance was futile. The Four Dimension Dragons were brought out, Smile World was sent to the Graveyard via the face-down Break Away, ARC-V was activated, and all four dimensions were starting to fuse back into one. He didn't want to merge back with his counterparts, but the growing darkness became too much for most of them to withstand, and before anyone knew it, Zarc was back and ready to continue his onslaught that was interrupted by Ray.

Slight trembles travelled all over Yuto's body because he felt it was virtually impossible to try to tackle Zarc's manipulative control on his reincarnations and rescue the Bracelet Girls from being transferred into ARC-V, especially Lulu. She was one of the few people that meant everything to him and they demonstrate it through genuine feelings and love for each other. However, after everything they went through, he wasn't sure why he needed to be with her in the first place. Having her sweet smile forcibly taken away or seeing her in pain made him furious and awakened this hidden beast that made itself known to the world. Why does he need to be with her? Was it to remind him on how danger won't do any harm to them from now on? Was it out of protection? Reassurance? Compassion? Concern? Love? Was it to make sure something like that won't happen again?

Was it to prevent him from becoming part of…a single monster again?

He didn't want history to repeat itself, but after what they endured, it became too confusing for him to comprehend or handle. Trembles increased to subtle yet noticeable shakes as he had difficulty trying to not focus on the personal conflict he mentioned this morning.

"Yuto..." Yuya said out of concern. "Is that why you feel unsure about your new life?"

"Part of me feels unworthy to be the commoner-born husband of a beautiful princess," Yuto continued, small tears dripping from his eyes. "Yet this other part, a beastly side, wants to be comforted and tamed by her and her alone." He looked up at his cousin. "But which side is more dominant? The knight or the beast?"

But before Yuya could reply, trumpets blared, indicating the chess game was about to begin and the 'pieces' were finally set up. "Sorry for the delay, everyone," the King said. "Let the chess game commence!"

Throughout the next half hour, the King and Queen commanded their army members to attack their opponents while following the rules of chess: the pawns generally move one with a couple exceptions, the rooks move forward, backward, left or right from one to seven as long as the other "pieces" don't obstruct their paths, the knights move two spaces in one direction and one space in a perpendicular direction and can skip over other pieces, inhabit spaces not taken by their team's "pieces", and can move up to eight of the board's pieces, the bishops move diagonally as long as its path isn't obstructed by another piece—in which it can't move past said piece—and can take any other piece within its movements, the queens can move in all eight directions and can capture the opponent's "pieces", but it can't "jump" over them, and the kings help declare the winner by moving one space in any direction. What makes this entertaining is that each member of both armies engage in mock combat to represent one chess piece capturing the other and they all continue to do so until one team declares "checkmate", making this one really unique chess match to watch.

During the show, Yuto suddenly looked angry. "Are you alright?" Yuya asked.

"Look at the King and Queen's army," Yuto explained. "Do you recognize one of the knights?"

Yuya turned his head back to face the King and Queen's army to see which knight Yuto was referring to. Sure enough, he recognized him alright from the short green hair, dark eyes, and green cape; it was Ashley from the Knights of the Duel Disk who was carded by the Obelisk Force alongside Bram and Carl.

"How dare he show his face and pass off as a knight," Yuto said, glaring at said knight. Suddenly, he stood up. "He has no right to be here!"

That outburst caused the show to get interrupted. "I beg your pardon?" the King asked.

"You heard me," Yuto said, stepping onto the field. "The man dressed in green is a false knight!"

Ashley noticed Yuto and approached him. "And who are you to make such an accusation?" he demanded.

"I am Sir Yuto Osaku of the Obsidians," Yuto answered, showing no fear. "I serve the family's beloved princess, but today I chose to accompany the Sakakis to protect them from harm."

Yuto knew Ashley didn't deserve such a cruel fate like getting carded as ordered by Leo, but he was certain as hell that Ashley, Bram, Carl, and Chalac were part of a duel school that makes its students come off as such dishonorable knights. And as a true knight, Yuto couldn't tolerate that kind of false nobility.

"You imposter knights make me sick," Yuto continued. "A true knight is noble and kind at heart, but all you do mercilessly beat up innocent people. How dare you tarnish the knight's image!"

"You challenge me, young lad?" Ashley asked, aiming his sword at Yuto.

"If it will get through to you, yes," Yuto said.

"Good," Ashley said. "I haven't had a good duel in a whi-"

"That's quite enough!" the Queen interrupted. "If you wish to settle a dispute, save it for the Magic and Wizards tournament."

Yuto sighed, sounding like a mix of obedience with a tiny hint of reluctance. He really wanted to show Ashley the true meaning of being a knight, and if he has to do it during the Magic and Wizards tournament, then so be it. He angrily glared at his soon-to-be opponent before sitting back down to let the chess match continue.

"Uh... Yuto?" Yuya asked. "The Magic and Wizards tournament only allows professional actors to participate."

"So what?" Yuto asked. "I'm sure they will make an exception for me."

"Well good luck with that. Combining Magic and Wizards with the current Solid Vision technology can kinda make things pretty aggressive, even moreso than my four dragons."

Yuya and Yuto heard Zarc's voice again and wondered what he meant by that. Implementing mass into Solid Vision is what caused the end of the world for those that lived in the Original Dimension prior to the split. How on earth could using Solid Vision in Magic and Wizards be worse than that?

"What are you talking about?" Yuya asked.

"There was a reason why Kaiba changed the rules. If someone were to summon something like...let's say...a Blue-Eyes White Dragon, that could cause some mass uproar and the duels would have been over pretty darn quickly if the opponent didn't have the right cards. Can you imagine what that would have been like?"

"I don't know what a Blue-Eyes White Dragon is, but I'll take your word for it," Yuto replied.

He and Yuya began to wonder what would happen if Kaiba hadn't changed the rules and Duel Monsters was still Magic and Wizards. Zarc did say that that people can summon monsters without performing a tribute or even a Fusion Summon and can make up card rules as the duel progressed. ATK and DEF were important to the game and the person has to use their monster's strong stats and their imagination to eliminate their opponent's 2000 LP. Would that mean people would get too creative with making up rules? Maybe; after all, with so many effects that people can come up with out of the blue, it would get somewhat convoluted just from trying to keep track of them by itself.

Yuya muffled a laugh as Yuto smirked, thinking about the endless made-up card rules. However, Sora was fed up with all the talking. "We can chat later," he said. "I'm trying to watch the chess game."

"Sorry Sora," Yuto said.

Later on in the afternoon, after the chess match had ended, Yoko, Yuya, Yuto, and Sora headed on over to a medieval arena where the Magic and Wizards tournament was going to be held. Since it required only professional actors to participate, there needs to be some way for them to make an exception so that the Phantom Knights user can show Ashley what it means to be a true knight, but how are they going to do that?

But as Yuto was searching through his deck, he look surprised. "Are you alright?" Yoko asked.

Yuto took out a card. "What is this Tuner doing in my deck?" he asked. "This is supposed to be a pure XYZ deck."

"Yeah, about that... My dragons may or may not have modified each of your decks while you were all fused together. But look on the bright side: now Yuya has access to updated versions of all my Magician cards."

Yuya took his deck out and skimmed through it to see a huge number of Magicians he never had before prior to Zarc's return. This would really come in handy with his strategies; maybe when he's at You Show Duel School, he can show them to Zuzu, Allie, Frederick, and Tate to see what kind of tactics he can come up with that he can use in the future. As for Yuto, he simply stared at Lady of the Lake. He was a pure XYZ user, so including this Tuner may seem meaningless because there aren't any Phantom Knight Synchro monsters…but were there Synchro monsters that are similar and work well with his archetype?

"So your dragon put a useless card in my deck?" Yuto asked, getting irked at Zarc.

"Not exactly. I had a feeling you would get mad at the change Clear Wing made, so I snuck a new Synchro card into your Extra Deck. I hope it fits with your whole knight theme."

Yuto took out his Extra Deck to see where this card was and found it next to Dark Rebellion. He grabbed it to analyze its stats; it was Gaia Knight, the Force of Earth, a Level 6 EARTH Warrior-Type Synchro monster with 2600 ATK and 800 DEF. It doesn't have any effects, but like most Synchros, it requires one Tuner and one or more non-Tuners in order to Synchro Summon it.

"But why this Tuner?" Yuto asked. "She doesn't seem to fit with any of my Phantom Knights."

"Well a Duelist's deck reflects his or her personality, kinda like my Frightfur Fusions," Sora said. "And that Tuner could reflect how you see your girlfriend."

He was right; the Phantom Knights reflect on how chivalrous, noble, and gentlemanly Yuto had become over the years. With Lady of the Lake still in his hand, he analyzed her stats to see how it reminds him of Lulu. She was a Level 1 LIGHT Aqua-Type Tuner monster with 200 ATK and 1800 DEF. She can't be used as Synchro Material unless the Synchro monster is a Warrior-Type; in this case, she gets banished. If she was normal summoned, she can target a Noble Knight monster in the Graveyard and special summoned it to the field. If she was in the Graveyard, she can target a Level 5 Noble Knight monster, decrease its Level by 1, and special summon it to the field.

Seeing all of the card's information and image, there was something about her made drew parallels to Lulu. They both possess natural beauty from their long, luscious hair to the clothes they wear. Their personalities also weren't so different; they may be sweethearts, but they are quite strong. Lady of the Lake's Level, ATK, and effects reflect on Lulu's usage of the Lyriluscs where they rely on powerful effects and how Duelists shouldn't judge the low Levels and low ATK. Yuto blushed due to the realization, making Zarc chuckle.

"That's Clear Wing for you. She's fierce and pretty powerful, but she's a huge romantic at heart."

"So do you think you can figure out a new strategy?" Yuya asked Yuto.

"I think so," Yuto answered. "But for now, we need to figure out how I can participate in the Magic and Wizards tournament."

"Maybe we could talk to some of the employees," Yoko suggested. "Someone here could register you as an official participant."

The Sakaki-Osaku family searched for any employees that were in charge of managing the tournament to see if Yuto is capable of qualifying. Luckily for them, they found a women dressed in black and silver.

"I see," the employee said. "So you wish to join this year's Magic and Wizards tournament."

"Of course," Yuto replied.

"Normally we don't let guests take part in these tournaments due to the possibility of serious injury," the employee said. "But if the Queen gave you permission, I suppose we can make an exception. We did only manage to find three participants this year, so including you should even things out."

"Thank you," Yuto said with a slight bow. The Queen did mention about how him and Ashley can save their dispute for the tournament, so he was glad to know exceptions can be made.

"So may I please see your magic caster?" the employee asked. "I must make it tournament-legal."

"Huh?" Yuya asked.

"I think she means she wants to program the Magic and Wizards guidelines into my Duel Disk," Yuto explained, taking out his Duel Disk and giving it to the employee.

Since it was programmed to follow the rules to Duel Monsters, it would lead to a high probability of him receiving alerts of him "breaking the rules". For example, using Fusion, Synchro, and XYZ monsters like regular normal/effect monsters would cause the ERROR notification to appear on his Duel Disk, much like how Yuya couldn't Pendulum Summon during his duel against Zuzu.

"Thank you for your corporation," the employee said, returning the Duel Disk to Yuto. "I will register your wizard ID code into my magic mirror. The tournament will begin in a few hours, so I would suggest you to prepare your wizardry skills."

Yuto nodded as he put his Duel Disk away; with only a few hours left, he needed to figure out strategies he can use that revolve around the Magic and Wizards rules. To pass the time, he accompanied his aunt and cousins and saw various performances.

During a show featuring two jugglers who use fire, Yuto thought about what Zarc said about Magic and Wizards. He could normal summon any monster he wants and make up special abilities during duels. But what could he say? And what about his dueling code of honor? He still wants to show mercy to his opponent and finish them off as only a last resort, but how could he do that if there's still corrupting darkness inside him?

"Uh... Yuto?" Yuya asked. "Earth to Yuto?"

"Hmm?" Yuto mused, snapping out of his thoughts.

"You alright?" Yuya asked.

"Sort of," Yuto admitted. "I feel a bit unsure about these new rules."

"You got this, Yuto. You have all of my kindness and compassion. I know you'll show that jerk of a knight the true code of nobility."

"Zarc's right," Yuya agreed. "You can defeat this Knight of the Duel Disk."

"But what if I lose control?" Yuto asked. He clutched his chest near his heart, much like when Odd-Eyes and Dark Rebellion spoke to each other for the first time. "I can't stand that fake knight, but I can't let my rage control me."

Even though Zarc redeemed himself by bringing back the Original Dimension and splitting into his reincarnations again, there could be potential side effects to the amount of trauma Yuto had to endure, with rage being one of them. He was worried it could occur in random bursts like when he and the dueling club discussed with Declan about the effects of someone being merged with their counterparts or a gradually increasing darkness similar to the Awakened state.

"Then don't use Dark Rebellion in the tournament," Yuya suggested. "Besides, don't you have any other Rank 4 cards you could use?"

"Just one," Yuto answered. "Cairngorgon, Antiluminescent Knight, but I don't use it a lot."

"Perfect!" Yuya said. "As long as you use that card, you won't have to worry about losing control."

With their dragons' strong connections with each other still intact, Yuya figured this would cause a repeat of their Awakened states whenever he and his counterparts brought them out. The lingering spirit of Zarc overheard this decision and he couldn't help but feel guilty about what his Pendulum reincarnation settled on. He even heard remorseful sounds coming from Odd-Eyes and Dark Rebellion. He knew Dark Rebellion would love to take part in a Magic and Wizards duel, but it didn't seem like that would happen after all.

A few hours later, the annual Magic and Wizards tournament was about to begin as the Faire attendees walked inside the arena to get themselves concessions and claim their seats. Due to Yuto taking part in the tournament, the Sakakis (and Sora) were given special seating arrangements.

"I hope Yuto knows what he's doing," Sora said.

"He's going to be alright," Yuya replied. "Yuto's not only noble. He's calm. He would never panic during things like this."

Ironically, Yuto was pacing around backstage, panicking at what was about to happen shortly. He would normally remain calm in most situations, but in this one, he was taking part in a tournament that involves Duel Monsters' predecessor—a card game that he has never played before, mind you—and plans to face off against a formerly carded disgrace of a knight.

"I don't think listening to Yuya's advice is a good idea. I heard Dark Rebel-"

"Will you shut up?!" Yuto snapped, his eyes briefly glowing periwinkle. "How am I supposed to keep up with a card game where everyone makes up rules?!"

"Look, I told you that the person with the biggest imagination wins. Just say your monsters are completely invincible to your opponent's cards and you should be fine."

Invincible? Wasn't that a little overpowered? Well, "little" is an understatement because the Phantom Knights would become as strong as—if not, stronger than—a rumored "forbidden" monster, one that supposedly required five cards needed for an automatic win. Yuto wondered what else his Phantom Knights can be used for with his imagination. He then pictured each monster and took note on how a lot of them resembled an article of clothing, mainly armor. A realization popped into his head; with a selected few taking form of different body parts such as Break Sword and Cloven Helm, was it possible for them to become a single Phantom Knight? Was it possible for them to combine or even equip to each other? With Magic and Wizards, the Duelist's imagination was limitless, so it may seem Yuto may have an idea on how to beat Ashley and demonstrate to him on what it means to be a true knight.

"First up is Sir Kingsley of Heathen vs. Sir Yuto of Obsidian!"

"Wait, I'm not dueling the imposter first?" Yuto asked aloud.

"Looks like it. But don't worry. If you win this round, you can face off against him in the finals."

Yuto wasn't sure who this Kingsley person is, but he was certain he has to make it through the tournament and reach the finals. He knew Ashley was strong enough to make into the Junior Youth division's Battle Royale finales in the Arc League Championship, landing in the Top 16 position, so this would surely be one tough duel he was going to face. With that in mind, he decided to save his Phantom Knights equip tactic for when he does face off against the disgraceful, dishonorable jerk of a knight.

Upon stepping onto the arena, Yuto was greeted by the knight who was apparently Kingsley. "So you're Sir Yuto of Obsidian," he said. "I suppose the Obsidian family is whom you swore allegiance to."

"It is," Yuto replied. "Especially the family's princess."

"Well that princess must be lucky to have you," Kingsley said. "With that face, you could woo any girl of choice."

Did…that sound like a compliment? If it was, then at least Yuto might have found a worthy opponent to kick off the tournament. "Thank you," he said, adjusting his glasses as he smirked. "I do have such handsome features."

Once again, Yuto's habit of letting a single comment about how nice his appearance was feeding his ego was making itself known. The last time he did that was when he realized Yuya was right about how wearing glasses with a suit makes him look like a sharp businessman. Needless to say, Yuya ended up face-palming.

"Was Yuto always this egotistical?" Sora asked.

"Yes," Yuya explained. "I'm not sure why, but he likes being praised for his looks."

Sora let out a small laugh. "Kinda sounds like he knows he's the handsome one compared to you, Yugo, and Yuri."

But before Yuya could respond, the tournament was about to begin. "Are the knights ready?" the Queen asked.

Yuto and Kingsley got in position on opposite sides of the arena. "Yes, your majesty," Kingsley replied, bowing slightly as he activated his Duel Disk and prompting Yuto to do the same.

"Then let the West Kingdom's annual Magic and Wizards tournament commence!" the Queen announced.

The two knights drew their five starting cards, started out with 2000 LP, and shouted, "Let's duel!" to signal the beginning of the tournament. Yuto glanced at his hand. He was starting off with The Phantom Knights of Lost Vambrace, The Phantom Knights of Wrong Magnetring, Call of the Haunted, The Phantom Knights of Ancient Cloak, and Lady of the Lake. Since he was going first, he decided to go with his signature opening move, then try out his new Synchro technique.

"I set three cards face down and end my turn," Yuto announced, setting his three traps face down. "Your move."

Kingsley was rather puzzled on why Yuto would play three face downs on the first turn. Doesn't he know that leaves him vulnerable for a direct attack? What was he planning?

"Very well, young knight," Kingsley said. He drew a card to start his turn. "For my first turn, I shall bring forth Sacred Noble Knight of King Artorigus! And with the support of Gwenhwyfar, Queen of Noble Arm, she shall grant her strength to her beloved king!"

A flash of light appeared from the ground that looked similar to the Overlay Network yet was far different from it. King Artorigus and Gwenhwyfar both flew out from it and onto the field; they were respectively a Rank 5 LIGHT Warrior-Type XYZ monster with 2200 ATK and DEF and a Level 2 LIGHT Spellcaster-Type monster with 300 ATK and DEF. Normally, they would use their given effects, but that was not the case in Magic and Wizards; in turn, this gave Yuto a better understanding of the card game now that he was witnessing and playing it. It was something similar to an RPG game where you can summon creatures, cast spells, and initiate traps while also declaring attacks. Well, technically speaking, it's basically an RPG in the form of a card game.

"So you're treating Gwenhwyfar as a Spell card," Yuto observed.

"Precisely," Kingsley replied. "As you can see, she is chanting a spell on King Artorigus so her attack points are transferred to him. Isn't it quite a lovely sight?"

Yuto glanced at his new Tuner. "I have seen prettier maidens," he answered, thinking about Lulu. After thinking about the realization a few hours ago, he was admittedly glad that Zarc gave him this Tuner. Sure Gwenhwyfar looks cute, but Lady of the Lake was absolutely beautiful. The Phantom Knights user knew that even though his new Tuner was part of the Noble Knight archetype, he was going to make her shine bright among his Phantom Knights.

"Now King Artorigus, attack Yuto directly!" Kingsley commanded.

"I don't think so," Yuto said. "I activate the Trap card Phantom Knights of Wrong Magnetring to shield myself from your king's attack!"

Wrong Magnetring is a Normal Trap card that becomes a Level 2 DARK Warrior-Type monster with 0 ATK and DEF when activated; it is special summoned in attack position as the declared attack is negated, which is exactly what it did.

"I see," Kingsley said. "Then I suppose that will end my turn."

"Very well," Yuto said. "My turn." He drew a card, which was The Phantom Knights of Mist Claws. "And I'll start things off with The Phantom Knights of Ancient Cloak in defense position."

Kingsley was confused. "A monster with only 800 attack points?" he asked. "Is that the best you could do?"

"Not quite," Yuto said. He revealed the Tuner in his hand. "I call upon the Lady of the Lake! Arise from the loveliest of waters, fairest maiden!"

As the light illuminated in response to the card being played, water bubbled on the floor and gushed out and up into the air as the Lady of the Lake soared out from it and landed in her monster zone.

Kingsley was surprised. "The Lady of the Lake?!" he asked. "How did you obtain such a card?!"

"Just a little something from a friend," Yuto answered. "But I didn't call upon her because of her radiant beauty. Lady of the Lake, use your lovely song to revive Ancient Cloak back into its original glory!"

Lady of the Lake placed Noble Arm - Excaliburn into the ground to clap her hands together and sing her melody. The harmonic tune of her song caused a wave to materialize and head towards Ancient Cloak; at the same time, gusts of wind encircled around it and sucked the surrounding water, creating a waterspout that encased the monster in it to help transform back to its original appearance.

"Now return to the realm of the living, Gaia Knight, the Force of Earth!" Yuto exclaimed.

The waterspout grew bigger and stronger until it exploded, unleashing water and wind across the field that engulfed and "vaporized" Level 1 Lady of the Lake and Level 2 Wrong Magnetring; standing in Level 3 Ancient Cloak's place was the Level 6 Synchro monster: Gaia Knight, the Force of Earth.

"My god..." Kingsley said, alarmed. "You really are quite a powerful knight. He's stronger than my comrade!"

"There's more," Yuto continued. "When Gaia Knight is brought out onto the field, he can equip a sword from my deck. And I think I'll have him wield Phantom Knights' Sword to increase his strength by 800."

The Continuous Trap card was ejected from the deck and Yuto took it out to activate it. Phantom Knights' Sword appeared from the enlarged rendition of said card and dashed over to Gaia Knight's free hand, who grabbed it and raised his ATK from 2600 to 3400.

"Now Gaia Knight, attack King Artorigus!" Yuto declared. "Specter Strike Slash!"

The Synchro knight used his horse to gallop towards the XYZ king, firmly grasping onto Phantom Knights' Sword and slashing through him, destroying the monster and bringing Kingsley LP down to a shocking 900.

"Such power..." Kingsley remarked. "I have never seen a boy this young be at the same dueling level as a professional Duelist!"

"I have left you with enough life points to survive this turn," Yuto said, standing tall and showing no fear. "If you surrender now, I may show mercy."

"Not a chance," Kingsley replied. "I must see more of your power!"

"Very well," Yuto said. "I chain Gaia Knight's attack with Call of the Haunted, allowing me to retrieve The Phantom Knights of Ancient Cloak from my Graveyard. And by equipping The Phantom Knights of Mist Claws to Ancient Cloak, it can inflict an additional 400 points worth of damage."

"So it seems you have won this round," Kingsley said. "I applaud you for the performance."

"Thank you, fellow knight," Yuto replied with a satisfied smile. "Now go, Phantom Knights of Ancient Cloak! Ensure my victory with a direct attack!"

Ancient Cloak charged towards Kingsley and unleashed its signature attack, dwindling his remaining Life Points down to 0 and ensuring Yuto an easy victory.

"And there you have it!" the tournament hostess announced. "The winner of the first round is Sir Yuto of Obsidian! Young knight, please head backstage to prepare for the finals."

Yuto gave out his chivalrous comments to Kingsley about how he enjoyed their duel and how he wishes to see each other again for another match with someone as noble as him before heading backstage. During that time, he watched the next rounds of the tournament to see who will be advancing; as he expected, Ashley was there and he was doing surprisingly well…for an unkinghtly knight, that is.

"Well someone hasn't changed their dueling style."

"I know," Yuto agreed. "He's still using the same Assault Knight card he used on Yuya and Shay." He tightly clenched his fists. "But those tactics go against everything a true knight is."

"Then how about you teach that guy a lesson? Maybe with a certain purple-scaled dragon?"

"But using Dark Rebellion is too risky," Yuto disagreed. "I want to defeat him with true honor."

"But I keep telling you that won't work. A bully like him deserves to be punished-"

"I don't care!" Yuto interrupted. "Let me defeat him my way."

From the moment he first "saw" him during the Junior Youth Battle Royale finals, he could tell their was a huge difference between the two archetypes. The Phantom Knights may have the word "knight" in their archetype, but they weren't part of the Knight archetype. They visually represented flaming ghosts, armor, and weapons while named that relate to disrepair, disuse, emptiness, darkness, death, and mistake; however, through Graveyard manipulation, banishment, Spell/Trap card searches, and the support from their XYZ companions, their playing style reflect on what knights truly represent. Slash the Assault Knight was part of the massive Knight archetype, a group of monsters that share the same gallant, heroic, and courageous personality as Yuto and his Phantom Knights, but what makes Slash different from all of them lies within its name and effect. It assaults its opponents with direct attacks and reduces any receiving battle damage to 0; this shows how Ashley, Bram, Carl, and Chalac neglect this important conduct as the Knights of the Duel Disk.

"A true knight is never that reckless," Yuto said. "Shay and Yuya nearly got hurt because of that same recklessness. Those false knights aren't knights at all. They're nothing more than bullies."

"That's exactly what I said! You should punish him for being reckless!"

"And give in to the same violent tactics?" Yuto asked in response. "That would go against everything I believe in."

This act was the epitome of Yuto's personality for the past several years and this dilemma he was currently facing was basically challenging it. How can he punish Ashley for his recklessness while still cherishing his beliefs without facing the risk of Awakening again?

"And the winner is Sir Ashley of the Duel Disk!"

"Okay Yuto. If you feel that strongly about not wanting to use Dark Rebellion, I won't interfere."

"Thank you," Yuto said, using his Duel Disk to give his deck a quick shuffle.

"Now will Sir Yuto of Obsidian join Sir Ashley of the Duel Disk for the tournament finals?"

Yuto let out an exhale once his deck was done shuffling. He got up from where he was sitting and headed towards the doorway that leads to the backstage. Opening the door, he walked out and trailed himself back towards the arena, where he saw Ashley still standing where he was from his previous duel.

"You look rather familiar," Ashley remarked. "Have we met?"

"No," Yuto answered. "But you met my cousin."

"Cousins...?" Ashley said. Then he noticed the resemblance. "You're related to Yuya Sakaki."

"Correct," Yuto responded as he activated his Duel Disk, not bowing like he did in his previous duel. "But I saw what you did to him. I won't forgive you from hurting him!"

"Hurting him?" Ashley repeated. "I did no such thing. I was merely sparring with my fellow comrades. He only got in the way."

"Liar!" Yuto exclaimed. He winced as he clutched his chest, feeling a stabbing feeling in his heart. "You and your friends purposely 'sparred' next to him! You thought that by injuring him with your monsters' blades would leave him in no condition to continue the Battle Royale! I...ugh... I refuse to let you leave unpunished!"

Deep within the recesses of Yuto's mind, Zarc could see something was off about him. He hasn't seen him this mad in all of his life; could this be a random burst of rage or something worse? He wished he could help his XYZ reincarnation out and warn him about what may happen if this boiling rage becomes too strong for him to bear, but because he states how he wasn't going to interfere, he had no choice but to watch this train wreck unfold. He honestly wasn't sure how he should feel about this situation once it blows over, but he was clearly concerned about everything that was leading up to this unfortunate turn of events.

"Now then, are the knights ready?" the Queen asked.

"Of course, your majesty," Ashley replied, bowing as he activated his Duel Disk.

"S-Sure..." Yuto muttered, his Duel Disk already activated. Why was his vision getting worse even with his glasses on?

"Then let the tournament finale commence!" the Queen declared.

The two knights drew their five cards and shouted "Let's duel!" to signal the start of the finals, with each of them beginning with 2000 LP. Ashley declared that he will be making the first move.

"I shall start things off with Slash the Assault Knight!" Ashley announced. "And because he was summoned on the first turn, he's allowed to inflict effect damage to your life points equal to his strength!"

At the time of the Arc League Championship, Slash's ATK, DEF, Attribute, Type, and Level was unknown; however, as it raised its sword and slashed out a luminescent purple blast, it took out a huge chunk of Yuto's Life Points, leaving him with only 500 left. The direct attack was strong enough to knock his light gray glasses off, worsening his already-blurry vision.

"I will have to end my turn," Ashley informed Yuto. "But know this: it doesn't matter which monster you summon. My Assault Knight will still attack you directly, allowing me to win this duel."

"We'll see about that," Yuto said, feeling even more angry at the imposter knight. He drew a card. He was holding The Phantom Knights of Ragged Gloves, The Phantom Knights of Silent Boots, Phantom Knights' Fog Blade, The Phantom Knights' Rank-Up-Magic Launch, and Phantom Knights' Spear. If he could time his cards just right, he should be able to bring out his Antiluminescent Knight before the end of his turn. He smiled confidently, ignoring the already-worsening pain inside him.

"I told you, there is nothing you can do!" Ashley taunted. "Even if you get rid of Slash, I still have plenty of Assault Knights in my deck! I'll simply bring out another one to finish you off during my next turn!"

Yuto winced in pain. "Laugh all you want, imposter knight," he said. "But I am a true knight."

"So what?" Ashley asked. "It's not like anyone cares. All they want is a good show, and a good show is what they shall have!"

"It's not like anyone cares..."

Those five words that spilled out of Ashley's mouth echoed in Yuto's head, except instead of subsiding into silence like most echoes do, it kept ringing and repeating over and over, increasing in speed and volume until it hit a certain point where it all came crashing down. Where a nerve has been struck. Where the rage became too much to control.

His opponent had unleashed the beast from its cage.

"GAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!"

The Sakakis were alarmed to see Yuto in such pain as he dropped his Duel Disk and the cards in his hand. "Yuto!" Yuya called out. "You have to control it!"

"I can't!" Yuto exclaimed, slowly losing consciousness as dark purple scales appeared on his body. "I- GAAAAHHHH!"

As he screamed out with all the energy left in his conscious, the dark purple scales completely covered his body, which was gaining some new and monstrous features in his werewolf-esque transformation. Wings pierced through and ruined his armor and sprouted from his back, his hands and feet became claw-like, the color of his eggplant hair turned darker, and once the transformation was complete, his eyes flashed open and glowed yellow. This unexpected form's appearance was parallel to Zarc's revived look, but it was more of an XYZ variant of it. Much like how his incarnation became Supreme King Dragon Z-ARC through Astrograph Sorcerer's effect, the intense struggle of maintaining his heated anger turned Yuto into a creature who looked like he fused with Dark Requiem XYZ Dragon.

Everyone was surprised, especially the Sakakis. "Yuto...?" Yuya muttered.

"I tried to warn him. Repressing all that built-up rage can lead to some disastrous results."

"Wait, that was his doing?" Yuya asked.

"Dark Rebellion was getting anxious to fight that poor excuse of a knight. So when Yuto refused to use him, he kinda...came out on his own."

But, if this was Dark Rebellion's doing, then why does Yuto bear Dark Requiem's physical traits? Did his heated fury cause his ace to…Rank-Up? Just as Yuya was processing what happened, he witnessed his cousin activating Dark Requiem's first of two effects since Dark Rebellion used himself as an Overlay Unit. By detaching himself, he reduces the opposing monster's ATK to 0 as he gains ATK equal to the target's. With Slash the Assault Knight having 1500 ATK, it will increase the dragon's strength up to 4500, giving Yuto an OTK win.

"Do you really think your little costume change can scare me?" Ashley asked.

The Dark Requiem-Yuto hybrid looked like he was charging towards Slash, but he skyrocketed up in the air instead before stopping and extending his wings. Light illuminated from them and revealed what resembled stained glass windows on each wing; he slowly opened his mouth to let out a growl as his chin started to glow. Within mere seconds, he bolted towards Ashley's monster to finish his signature attack: Dark Destruction.

When the dust cleared, Ashley was laying down on the ground and his Duel Disk appeared to have been pierced. But despite this victory, everyone in the audience was stunned.

"The winner is...Sir Yuto of Obsidian?" the tournament hostess announced, confused with what just happened.

With the duel now over, the hybrid's Dark Requiem features began to disappear. The stained-glass "feathers" withered away as the wings shrunk back into his back, the claws transformed back into human nails on his hands and feet, and the darker dual-colored hair lightened up its tint, immediately followed by the light purple bangs falling down and covering his forehead and eyes—which have faded from yellow back to golden-yellow—due to being covered in sweat from trying to restrain himself from his anger. Yuto was back to normal, but as he was trying to remember what had happened, silence continued to fill the arena.

Realization sunk in as Yuto saw Ashley laying on the ground. "What have I done...?" he asked aloud. He fell to his knees, his hand covering his face as tears started to fall from his eyes. "WHAT HAVE I DONE?!"

After a few minutes of silence, the King stood from his throne. "I'm not quite sure what had happened, but I wish for Sir Yuto to stand before me."

"Wait, your highness!" Yuya exclaimed, standing up from his seat. "My cousin had every right to be angry at Ashley." He activated a holographic projection from his Duel Disk. "Everything he said was true. The Knights of the Duel Disk are more like bullies than real knights."

The holographic projection displayed a moment from the Arc League Championship. As Yuya was explaining Shay about what happened, Ashley, Bram, and Carl deliberately interrupted them with their duel. They figured they would surround Shay and have the three Slashs' attacks and effects hit him as a way to not get penalized; with Yuya also caught in the fray, he felt the physical harm of them by getting blown away from one of the attack's force. The two didn't want to duel these "knights" because doing so would result in an intrusion penalty and would lead them to lose 2000 LP. Even so, the three purposefully unleashing attacks with 0 damage just to injure Shay and Yuya wasn't part of being knightly, which was why Yuto despises them.

"You see?" Yuya asked. "The Knights of the Duel Disk are nothing more than Duelists who use cheap tactics to win. So if you're gonna punish anyone, punish the false knight, not Yuto. He's noble, loyal, and has a big heart, making him a true knight."

"I know, young prince," the King said. "I suspected Sir Ashley was some kind of trickster, so I wish to award Sir Yuto with the greatest treasure in all the land for not only winning the tournament, but for also punishing a wicked person."

However, Yuto was too broken to even stand up. "I'm not a knight..." he muttered under his breath, sobbing hard. "I'm nothing more than a mere beast..."

Yuya turned off the holographic image. "Come on, cuz!" he encouraged. "Stand up and accept your reward!"

"I can't!" Yuto snapped, his eyes glowing periwinkle. "I don't even deserve to call myself a knight!"

"That's not true, Sir Yuto," the King said. "I have witnessed a lot of knights take part in this tournament, but I have never encountered a soul as brave as yours. You have the heart of a true champion and a soul that is courageous and true. In another time, you could have been a great king such as myself."

Yuto removed his hand from his face. "Me...? A king...?" he asked, looking up as his eyes stopped glowing.

Yuya approached Yuto and knelt next to him, picking up his glasses. "So whaddya say?" the tomato-haired teen asked, moving his cousin's bangs away from his eyes and putting his glasses back on him. "Ready to accept this great treasure?"

Yuto simply stared back at Yuya, with a much clearer vision now that his glasses were on and his bangs weren't covering his eyes. Was it really true that he could have been a king? A brave, powerful, genuine, and tenacious king? Despite transforming into whatever he had become? If that was the case, then he could be a king…to Lulu's queen.

Yuto picked up his cards and Duel Disk, strapping it to his left wrist as he stood up. "Very well," he said. He smiled softly at his cousin. "Thanks Yuya."

Yuya pulled Yuto in for a one-armed hug. "Don't mention it," he said. "Now go get that treasure."

Yuto adjusted his glasses and walked over to where the King and Queen were sitting; behind them was a chest, which housed the greatest treasure in all the land.

"Behold, the greatest treasure in all the land!" the King announced, prompting a Faire employee to open the chest on his behalf.

The treasure was none other than a golden sword with a thick, sky blue lining along the blade and a sky blue gem encrusted on said blade.

"The greatest treasure is a sword?" Yuto asked.

"Not just any sword," the King explained. "This is the Sword of Nobles. Only knights with the purest of hearts can wield it."

"And you're...giving it to me?" Yuto asked.

"Of course," the King answered. "It's yours to keep. Think of it as a reminder of how worthy you truly are."

"Now why don't you pick it up and accept your destiny as a noble knight?" the Queen asked. "I'm certain that the family you are loyal to would be proud to see what you have accomplished."

Family he's loyal to? Was she mentioning…the Obsidians? With his eyes lock onto the sword, it was starting to become clear for Yuto. This sword was being given to him because he inherits the qualities of a true knight: nobility, loyalty, chivalry, purity, bravery, heroism, and courage. These were all part of his gentlemanly personality, which was why Lulu probably fell in love with him in the first place. As a result, it led to Kameron and Astra arranging their future marriage, giving him a job offer, and letting him live with them until he has an official plan for his future. They knew from the moment their daughter talked about how she met him that he was a perfect fit for her; their discussion must have occurred after the school day had ended.

This quickly led to the realization that the Obsidians were actually a really nice family, whether they were out in public or staying at their house. He had let his fears and worries about not being able to fit into an elite environment cloud his mind, but his core personality generally remained unaffected. Perhaps he can find living with Lulu and Shay to be quite the learning experience; it never hurts to pick up some tips about being in a high class society. He may need them when he sets off on his own journey, after all. If there was one thing clear about this journey, it was still under construction, but him marrying his girlfriend was definitely going to be something to look forward to.

With newfound confidence in his eyes, Yuto picked up the sword. "I, Sir Yuto Osaku of the Obsidians, accept this gift," he told the King and Queen. He felt the urge to kneel, but he refused. If he was going to start blending in with the rich and elite, he had to stop belittling himself.

"Yeah, but next time Dark Rebellion is anxious to fight someone, please use him in a duel. He seems to have developed the same code of honor you have."

"Ladies and gentlemen, presenting the winner of this year's Magic and Wizards tournament: Sir Yuto Osaku of the Obsidians!" the King announced.

Yuto presented himself to the crowd and raised his newly-gifted sword in the air, leading to everyone—now having an understanding as to why he transformed thanks to Zarc—cheered for their new champion. With his newfound confidence and self-esteem, he knew he was finally ready to begin his new life among the rich and elite.

#Arc V Aftermath #yugioh arc v #Yuya Sakaki #Yuto (arc v)#Sora Perse #Sora Shiunin #Rehabilitation

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