Different Dimension Network
Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc V. I am not making any revenue from this story.
Sara watched the duel between LDS Academy's Akaba Reiji and You Show School's Sakaki Yuya, the boy rumored to be capable of a new summoning method. She caught her breath as Reiji backed Sakaki Yuya into a corner with his monsters. She was impressed; it seemed the rumors about Akaba Reiji were true. He was clearly an accomplished duelist, especially with a deck that had access to multiple methods of summoning.
"Using the scales of my Pendulum Monsters, I call forth my monsters! Pendulum Summon!" Yuya shouted out.
Looks like I made it in time to witness the new summoning technique! Sara watched in awe as Yuya special summoned three monsters all at once, including his ace, Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon. Through a combination of his monster effects and Action Cards, Yuya managed to power up his dragon and wipe out Reiji's field of monsters.
"You're really something else! I'm glad my opponent was you!" Yuya said with a smile.
"The same to you. You've allowed me to see the nature of Pendulum Summoning," Reiji replied, pushing his glasses up. "Now it's your turn. I'll have you confirm whether or not Pendulum Summoning is unique to you with your own eyes! My turn! Draw!"
What happened next shocked everyone watching the duel.
"Using the Scale 1 D/D Philosopher of Prophecy, Galilei, and the Scale 10 D/D Philosopher of Prophecy Kepler, I set the Pendulum Scale! I can now summon monsters from Level 2 to 9. Grand power which shakes my spirit! Arise within me and give birth to a new light that rends the darkness! Pendulum Summon! Come before me, my monsters!" With that, Reiji summoned three D/D/D CEO Hell Armageddons. Using their powerful 3000 ATK stat, he destroyed Yuya's monsters in battle. Yuya snapped out of his stupor to grab an Action Card and activate it, saving him from an immediate loss. However, with only 350 Life Points left, he would lose on his next turn if he couldn't make a comeback. "I end my turn."
Yuya continued to stare in shock at Reiji's Pendulum Cards. He stood frozen in the middle of the battle arena.
"Yuya! The match isn't over yet!" A voice announced over the speaker system. "Keep burning and burning! Be hot-blooded!"
"That's right! This duel has been really fun so far! Don't give up!" Sara yelled from the sidelines, finally drawing attention to herself.
"Who is she?" Hiiragi Yuzu asked Shiunin Sora, a short blue haired boy who had latched onto Yuya recently.
"No clue," he shrugged, focused on the duel instead.
"Pendulum was something given only to me – No! Don't think about it," Yuya said out loud, mostly to himself. "I've got to win this match!" Yuya drew his card.
"It came! Let's do this again! Timegazer, Stargazer! Sway, Pendulum of the Soul! Draw an arc of light across the ether! Come, my monsters! Pendulum Summon!"
"What? He only had one card in his hand! How did he summon three monsters?" Sara gasped. This new summoning method seemed more powerful than she thought initially.
"Pendulum Monsters don't go to the Graveyard when they're destroyed," Yuzu responded, taking an interest in the new girl. She was very pretty. Her hair was black with her long bang framing the left side of her face colored green and it was held up in a ponytail. She was wearing a black tank top with a pleated blue skirt. She wore black stockings marked and brown loafers. The new girl also had on a maroon hoodie with six zippers on the front and one on the back. "They go face-up in the Extra Deck instead."
"They go to the Extra Deck? Thanks for letting me know! I'm Sara." She extended a hand out to Yuzu, appraising the girl and her outfit. She was certainly cute with her school sleeveless blouse and pink skirt and her adorable two tone pink hair.
"Hiiragi Yuzu! Nice to meet you too," she greeted back. After their introduction, they both turned their attention back on the duel. Yuya destroyed one of the Hell Armageddons in battle. He tried to activate Entermate Firemufflion's effect to attack again with his dragon but Reiji stopped him in his tracks by raising his monster's attack to 6000 until the end of the turn. Unable to surmount that much ATK, Yuya ended his turn.
Reiji began his turn but something wrong happened with his cards. The Pendulum Scales besides him began to flicker and shimmer before his remaining two monsters destroyed themselves.
"I have seen the possibilities of Pendulum Summoning," Reiji announced. "That is enough for me. I forfeit this duel." With that, Reiji walked off the dueling arena. He gave Yuya his name before leaving You Show School with his subordinates.
"That was pretty incredible. To think that he could use Pendulums..." Sora noted. Just then, Yuya walked out of the arena into the spectator room.
"Yuya-oniichan!" The kids yelled as they sprinted towards him. Two young boys, one with wavy blue hair and another chubbier one with green hair, and a little girl around the age of 8 with spiky red hair held back by a headband. "What's wrong?" they asked as Yuya slumped to the floor. Yuzu, Sora, and another boy also ran over. Sara closely followed.
"How could he also Pendulum...Pendulum Summoning should be...unique to me!" Yuya muttered, although everyone could hear him.
"Well...at least it's good for us!" A tall man with spiky orange hair dressed in an obscenely garish red and orange jumpsuit walked out of the operating booth for the Solid Vision Projector.
"Good for us?" Yuzu asked.
"Yeah. LDS left. We managed to protect our school thanks to everyone's efforts." \
Protect their school? Seems there was something big on the line here, Sara thought as she watched quietly.
"Even if you say 'everyone,' the only one who actually won was Yuya," Sora pointed out loud tactlessly. Yuzu and Gongenzaka, the boy dressed in white with a strong face, glared at him momentarily.
"You didn't even fight for us! How can you complain?" The blue haired child exclaimed, pointing at Sora.
"Yeah! You weakling! You Show School doesn't want people like you!" The chubby boy backed his friend up.
"Yeah, yeah. Sorry, my bad!" Sora apologized, although he didn't sound the least bit apologetic.'
"Where are you going, Sora?" the man, Hiiragi Shuzo, asked. The blue haired boy didn't reply as he walked out of the room. "And you guys! You shouldn't say things like that!" He scolded the children.
"What's the big deal? We don't need weaklings anyway!" The chubby boy continued to argue.
"If LDS attacks us again, I'll protect us next time!" The blue haired boy vowed.
"Me too!" The red haired girl agreed.
"So train us again, Yuya-oniichan! With your Pendulum Summoning!"
"Pendulum Summoning isn't just mine!" Yuya snapped. He brushed past the child and made to head for the door but Sara stood in his way. "Move out of my way!"
"What will you gain from running away?" Sara asked him, folding her arms across her chest.
"What?"
"Pendulum Summoning isn't unique to you anymore. Are you that surprised?" Sara watched the emotions cross Yuya's face. "Did you honestly think no one else would ever find a way to Pendulum Summon? Did you think you were destined for greatness or something like that?" All eyes in the room were on her. "I can't say I know much about Pendulum Monsters. A few days ago, I didn't even know they existed. I can understand the shock of having something exclusively yours be torn away but that doesn't mean you just give up!"
"So what do I do then!? I would have lost that duel if it wasn't for that malfunction! I lost! I almost lost us You Show School!"
"Think things through! Now that we've seen Pendulum Monsters in the hands of someone like Akaba Reiji, there's a high probability that some day, the world will be overflowing with Pendulum Cards."
"What does she mean by that?" Yuzu asked.
"Akaba Reiji is the head of Leo Corporation. They're at the top of their field in terms of new dueling technology," Shuzo informed her.
"Exactly," Sara continued. "I bet those monsters Akaba Reiji used were cards his company developed and that they malfunctioned because they haven't perfected them yet. But you saw that they did work, for a while at least. Once they get them right, Pendulum Summoning will be unleashed on the world."
"So now more people will know how to Pendulum Summon? That's just great!" Yuya moaned, slumping down to his knees again.
"As you are now, you're not even worthy of your cards. You're pathetic! Duel me right now, Sakaki Yuya! Let's see if I can beat that attitude of yours into shape!"
"Hey, what are you even saying, Sara?" Yuzu interrupted but her father, Shuzo, placed his hand on her shoulder.
"I think it's a good idea," Shuzo said. "Yuya needs to break out of this mindset before he deteriorates as a duelist."
"I agree. Whoever this person is, she's challenging him seriously. You can tell by looking into her eyes," Gongenzaka added.
"I'll prepare the dueling field for you, miss..."
"Sara. And thank you, mister!"
"I still haven't agreed to anything!" Yuya cried out as Gongenzaka dragged him into the dueling arena.
"Trust me, Yuya. This is for your own good," his friend whispered before walking back into the spectator room.
"Are you ready? Activating Field Magic: Magical Broadway!" Shuzo announced over the speakers. The field sprang to life as the Solid Vision Projector created a sparkling city of glamour and lights in the night. Sara smiled at Yuya from across the street.
"This is! Dad's favorite field!" Yuya stuttered.
"That's right, Yuya! This is the field your father held as his forte!"
"You have a connection to this card? Good! Maybe it'll remind you of what a real duelist is again!" Sara declared.
"Are you calling me a fake?" Yuya growled.
"I've watched tapes of your father's duels, Yuya. When I saw him duel, I witnessed his strength and his courage but above all else, I saw his determination. You'll never catch up to him if you keep thinking this way so Sara's gonna kick your butt into gear!" She said cheerfully, equipping the duel disk her brother, Largo, left her.
"Oh yeah? I'll show you!" Yuya activated his duel disk, a low hum emitted from the device when it projected the blade part.
"That's more like it!" Sara also activated her own duel disk, causing a commotion among the spectators. Unlike the standard duel disk with its blade modeled after the Battle City duel disks, her duel disk emitted three separate blades. The first two curved to the left and could hold one monster slot. The last one was the biggest and it curved in the opposite direction, holding three monster zones. The neon trim blazed in a pulsating red.
"What is that? I've never seen a duel disk like that before!" Yuzu said.
"I've never seen one like it either," Gongenzaka confirmed.
"Maybe it's a newer model that just came out?" Shuzo suggested.
"You've got a strange duel disk!" Yuya commented.
"Thanks! It was a gift from my brother. Now let's get this started!" Sara yelled back.
"Duelists locked in battle!" Yuya started the chant.
"Kicking against the earth and dancing in the air alongside their monsters!"
Together, they finished the chant. "Storming through this field! This is the newest and greatest evolution of Dueling! Action Duel!" At the end, the Action Cards scattered throughout the field.
"I'll take the first move! I discard 1 WATER monster to special summon Swap Frog in attack mode! I activate its special ability that allows me to send one Level 2 or lower Aqua-type WATER monster from my Deck or field to the grave. I send Ronintoadin to the Graveyard! Next, I activate its second effect to return Swap Frog to my hand. I special summon Swap Frog again and this time, I'll send Dupe Frog to the Graveyard. I set one monster on the field and I end my turn."
"She sent a lot of cards to the Graveyard that turn. What is she planning?" Gongenzaka wondered.
"My turn. I draw!" Yuya stared in shock at the card he drew.
"What's with that silly look on your face, Yuya?"
"This card...this card is..."
"This card?"
"I can't use this card anymore..."
"Hey! You better not hold back on me, Yuya! I won't forgive you if you do! Come at me with everything you've got, Pendulums and all!"
"Tch! You want me to not hold back? Fine! Using my Scale 1 Stargazer Magician and my Scale 8 Timegazer Magician, I set the Pendulum Scale! Now I can special summon monsters from Level 2 to 7. Sway, Pendulum of the Soul! Draw an arc of light across the ether! Come forth, my monsters! Entermate Friendonkey! Entermate Whipviper! Entermate Bowhopper!"
"See? Now this is a duel!"
"Not for long! Whipviper, attack Swap Frog!" The attack reduced Sara's Life Points by 700 to 3300. "Bowhopper, attack her facedown monster!"
"Ha! I'm glad you did that! When Nimble Sunfish is destroyed by battle and sent to the Graveyard, I can send one Fish-type monster from my Deck to the Graveyard and special summon another Nimble Sunfish from my Deck. The card I send to the Graveyard is Fishborg Planter."
"It's still no match for my Friendonkey! Go! Destroy her second sunfish!"
"I activate my sunfish's effect once more. This time I send Nimble Angler to the Graveyard. Angler's effect chains to my monster's effect, special summoning two Nimble Mantas to my field. Now I special summon my third Nimble Sunfish!"
"Wow! She has even more monsters out on Yuya's turn than she did on her own!" The blue haired boy observed, entranced in their duel.
"Don't just focus on the field, Tatsuya."
"Ms. Sakaki!" Yuzu greeted. Then she frowned. "What did you mean by that? What you just said?"
"This girl may be filling up her field with monsters, but she's also piling cards up in her Graveyard. I think you'll see what I mean in a while."
"But, Ms. Sakaki! Even if she has a bunch of monsters, they're all really weak! They have barely any attack power," the chubby greenhaired child said.
"It's true that her monsters are weak individually. But sometimes things are more than they appear to be," Shuzo finished, winking at Sakaki Yoko, Yuya's mother.
"My turn. Draw! I activate the spell card, Salvage! With this card, I can add two WATER monsters with 1500 or less ATK in my Graveyard to my hand. I add Swap Frog and Nimble Angler. Now I discard Angler to special summon Swap Frog and I activate both of their effects! I special summon a third Nimble Manta and I send Poison Draw Frog to the Graveyard. I activate Swap Frog's second effect to return it to my hand and use its effect to normal summon one 'Frog' monster in addition to my regular normal summon this turn. I summon Dupe Frog!"
"She has a full field of monsters!" Gongenzaka stammered.
"What is she planning?" Yuzu wondered.
"You've shown me your strength, Yuya, or at least a part of it. I will return that favor. Using two of my Nimble Mantas, I construct the Overlay Network! XYZ summon! Gachi Gachi Gantetsu!"
"She's an XYZ user!?" everyone spectating yelled in surprise.
"Gachi Gachi Gantetsu grants my monsters 200 ATK and DEF for every XYZ Material it has attached. That's why with my Nimble Sunfish and my third Nimble Manta I'll XYZ summon another Gachi Gachi Gantetsu! Now my monsters will gain 800 ATK and DEF!"
"Ha! Her monsters still aren't strong enough to take down Yuya-oniichan's monsters!" Tatsuya cheered.
"I don't think she's done just yet," Gongenzaka warned.
"I activate the effect of the Fishborg Planter in my Graveyard. Once, while it's in my Graveyard, I can send the top card of my deck to the Graveyard, and if it's a WATER monster, I special summon Fishbog Planter to my field." Her smile grew even wider when the card she milled was Poseidra, the Atlantean Dragoon. "Since Poseidra is WATER, I special summon Fishborg Planter! Now I overlay Dupe Frog and Fishborg Planter! XYZ Summon! Daigusto Phoenix! I detach Dupe Frog from Daigusto Phoenix to activate its ability, allowing it to ATK twice this turn!"
"Three XYZ summons in one turn? This duel is crazy!" Yuzu gasped.
"You've got three XYZ monsters! How did you -" Yuya muttered in shock.
"It's because my Deck answers to me. Do you know what the most important thing in dueling is, Yuya? It's not having the strongest monsters or the best spell cards. It's not about have the most XYZ, Synchro, or Fusion monsters. It's not luck, either. No...the most important thing towards succeeding in Duel Monsters is your will! That's what my brother taught me! To believe in your own power and from there, your cards will answer!"
"To believe in myself? My cards? The answers of my cards?" Yuya repeated. "What do you mean by that?"
"I could summon Poseidra in my Graveyard easily, Yuya. I have everything set up to do so, in fact."
"What does that have to do with anything? Why are you telling me this?" Yuya growled, thinking she was just playing with him.
"Because I want you to see. Even though I can special summon Poseidra to attack your monsters, there's also another path I can take."
"What are you trying to say?"
"That there is more than one way to power! When one door closes, another one opens and if it doesn't, make your own door! There are so many ways to get stronger! You just need the will and determination to follow through. Now, Yuya! I'll show you mine! I banish Dupe Frog from my Graveyard to special summon Ronintoadin. I normal summon Swap Frog and send a second copy of Ronintoadin from my Deck to the Graveyard. With these two monsters, I construct the Overlay Network! XYZ Summon! Cat Shark! I activate its monster effect! I detach 1 XYZ Material to target 1 Rank 4 or lower XYZ Monster I control and double its original ATK and DEF until the end of this turn. The monster I target is Daigusto Phoenix!"
"No way! Now that thing has 3800 ATK points!" Ayu Ayukawa, the red haired girl, said, her eyes glued on the duel.
"I can't believe I just saw someone XYZ summon four times in one turn!" Yuzu replied, staring wide eyed at Sara.
"Battle! Daigusto Phoenix! Attack his Bowhopper! Feather Flurry!"
"Bowhopper!" Yuya screamed as his Life Points were reduced to 1700.
"Oh no! Daigusto Phoenix can attack once more this turn! If Yuya takes this next attack, it's all over!"
"How did you get so strong?" Yuya asked in amazement.
"I'm strong because I push my limits! I'm strong because I believe in my cards! Finish him off! Attack Friendonkey! Feather Flurry!" Sara commanded, putting her fingers right at Yuya. The boy scrambled for an Action Card.
"I activate this Action Card! Evasion! It negates your monster's attack!"
"You're not the only one capable of using Action Cards! I activate the Action Spell Card: Wonder Chance. It allows Daigusto Phoenix to attack once more this turn."
"What? A third attack!?"
"Feather Flurry!"
"ARHHHHHHHHH!" Yuya yelled as he was tossed back, his Life Points reduced to 0. Around them, the city projection sparkled into nothingness as the Projector turned itself off. Yuya rolled onto his back, staring up at nothing in particular as he went through the duel in his head.
"Yuya!" The group yelled as they entered the dueling arena. Sara watched on as they fretted over him, turning off her duel disk. She walked over to Yuya's prone body.
"You said I could become stronger...but I have no idea what to do," Yuya lamented, covering his eyes with his goggles.
"You don't have to come up with an answer right away. These sort of things usually take time. My brother always told me that putting in the effort is better than nothing so I'll tell you the same. Don't give up, Yuya. Pendulum Summoning might not be exclusively yours anymore but you shouldn't be upset that others will now be using your summoning method. Instead, maybe you should aspire to become the best Pendulum user in the world!" Yuya's eyes grew wide as he took in her advice.
"The best Pendulum user? Me?"
"Yeah, why not? Rise up and show the world the brilliance of your entertainment dueling!"
"You...think I can...do that?"
"You're not at your best right now but even so, I felt the emotion you have for your dueling. Don't give up, Yuya! You have pretty eyes; you shouldn't hide them behind those goggles."
"Ehhhhh!?" the group said at that last line.
"Pretty eyes?" Yuya, Yuzu, and Gongenzaka repeated with blushes on their face.
"Sara! W-w-w-what did you mean by that last line?" Yuzu stuttered
"Sara? That name sounds familiar," Yoko said as she watched on amused.
"Now that you mention it..." Shuzo continued. "Wait! It can't be!"
"What is it?" Ayu asked, confused.
"Sara, was it? Can you tell us your full name?"
"Oh! Where are my manners! My name is Sara Taylor! Nice to meet you!" The girl gave off a warm smile.
"Sara Taylor? Starfall Academy's Battle Princess?" Shuzo was shocked.
"Ugh, I hate that nickname!" Sara told them, sticking her tongue out.
"I don't get it. Who is she?" Tatsuya asked.
"I've heard of that name before! She's an elite student from Starfall Academy! She's been placing top in various tournaments recently! The little sister of the man known as 'the Ace,' Largo Taylor!" Gongenzaka shouted.
"What?"
"Really?
"No wonder she's so strong!"
"The Ace had a sister? I had no clue!"
"Are you really the Battle Princess?" Yoko asked.
"Yeah, I am," Sara answered, flipping out her Duel Pass ID. "Please don't call me that, though. It's a dumb nickname my teammates gave me that unfortunately stuck. I'm just Sara Taylor."
"Drolen City isn't exactly close. What are you doing in Maiami City?" Shuzo asked with genuine wonder. Even though he had absolute pride in his school, he knew that this girl was most likely beyond the scope of what his school had to offer.
"I'm participating in the Youth Championship this year. I've never been in Maiami City before and when I heard rumors of a new summoning method through the grapevine, I just had to come and see for myself. I'm really glad I did too."
"It's an honor to have someone like you visit our little school," Shuzo said.
"Yeah. Thank you for helping our with our resident knucklehead," Gongenzaka laughed.
"Gongenzaka!" Yuya groaned in friendly irritation.
"You were incredible in that duel!" Yuzu praised Sara. The kids huddled around her as they looked up in amazement.
"Yeah! The way you summoned all those monsters!" Ayu clamored.
"All those XYZ monsters! I heard those kinds of monsters are tough to handle!" Tatsuya said.
"Your duel left me s-s-shivering!" Futoshi cheered.
"Thanks!" Sara soaked in the praise, twirling a strand of hair around her finger.
"As ferocious a duelist as your older brother," Yoko smiled at the girl. Her amusement grew when she saw the girl's eyes light up.
"Oh, no, no, no! My brother is a true genius when it comes to Duel Monsters. He put this deck together when he was just starting out of cards he found thrown out."
"He put that powerful deck together out of cards in the garbage?" Yuya asked, standing up from the floor.
"Well, kinda. This deck has gone through a lot of changes over the years; my brother's heart and will are embedded deeply into it. I always thought it incredible: the way my brother turned a bunch of weak cards into something spectacular. I want to do the same and surpass my brother some day!"
"That's a great dream, Sara. I'll be rooting for you," Yoko cheered.
Suddenly, Sara's duel disk started vibrating Sara pressed a button to answer the video call.
"Hey, Sara. Are you done with your little excursion? Weren't we going out to some seafood restaurant tonight?"
"Yeah, I'm just about done. Wait up for me; I'll be there soon."
"Well, hurry up. I'm starving to death here!"
"Yeah, yeah, I'm on my way." She ended the call before turning back to everyone else. "That was my impatient teammate, Emma. She'll be really cranky if I keep her waiting for a long time. It was really nice meeting all of you!" Sara began to walk away.
"Wait!" Yuya yelled out, reaching his arm forward. "Sara! You were right about me. I won't get anywhere by running away so...I'll get stronger and when I do, I want to duel you again and show you my resolve!"
"Yuya?" Yoko and Yuzu both said.
Sara turned around and gave him a dazzling smile. "Are you participating in the Youth Championship?"
"Yeah, I just need to get six wins to qualify."
"I'm sure you'll qualify. Hey, since you showed me part of your deck, I'll let you off with this piece of information. The deck I''m using for the tournament is XYZ oriented and it's full of mostly light and dark monsters."
"Why are you telling us?" Gongenzaka asked.
"I got to see a little bit of Yuya's deck and dueling style without revealing much of my own in return. In addition, since I won't be using this deck in the tournament, Yuya hasn't learned a single card I'll be playing in my tournament deck. I just want to make it fair since you can bet that I'll be thinking of a way around your famed Pendulum cards. See you around, Yuya." With that, the girl left You Show School.
Yoko snickered as her son continued to stare at the door where the girl left. Yuzu raged internally. How dare some girl from another city come in and flirt with Yuya like that? Even if she was a top tier duelist?
"That Sara is going to be a real contender in this tournament, Yuya. You're going to have to train real hard to duel against her."
"She's an amazing duelist," Yuya praised. "She's strong."
"That's right and she's fair. She didn't have to tell us anything about her deck," Shuzo added on.
"Come on, Yuya. You've had quite a day. I'll cheer you up with your favorite dinner," Yoko said. "Thanks for taking care of my son again today, Shuzo."
"Anytime."
Outside of You Show School, as they walked home together under the darkening skies, Yoko nudged Yuya's shoulder with a knowing look on her face. "So what did you think of that Sara girl today?"
"She was super strong! I can't wait to duel her again!" Yuya said cheerfully. It warmed Yoko's heart to see that her son had snapped out of his funk.
"Yes, she was," Yoko agreed.
"I'm going to train hard. I'll give it my all next time!"
"Oh, my little Yuya is growing up! Now you've caught the attention of a pretty young lady." Yoko's smile grew when she saw Yuya blush and wave his hands around.
"I-it's not like that!" Yuya floundered.
Heading in the opposite direction, Sara headed for the hotel where she and her teammate from Starfall Academy, Emma Takahada, were staying. She ran up to her friend when she spotted her waiting in the hotel lobby.
"Took you long enough to get here," Emma grumbled, fidgeting with the latches on her satchel.
"Sorry, Emma, I didn't mean to keep you waiting."
"It's fine, I guess. So what were you up to?"
"I was just investigating that Pendulum Summon thingy we heard about. It's pretty interesting so far and it seems like things are just getting started."
"What do you mean?"
"I'll tell you over dinner."
A/N: Thanks for reading. Have a good one.