Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc V: Pendulum's Fifth Swing

by Starlight's Poet

One day, Yuya and Yuzu discover a boy, unconscious in the park. Strangely, the boy has the same face as Yuya. When he awakens, he reveals he remembers nothing. Only his name: "Zarc."

2. Scale 02

Previously, on Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc V: Pendulum's Fifth Swing!

Yuya Sakaki, the creator of the Pendulum Summon, and Yuzu Hiiragi discover a young man unconscious in the park. Upon awakening, the young man reveals that he only remembers two things: his name is Zarc, and that he is a Duelist. Believing that his memory can be restored, Yuya duels Zarc.

However, in the midst of the Duel, Zarc reveals that he is also a practitioner of the Pendulum Summoning technique. With his Supreme King Deck, he demonstrates a fierce offense and defense against Yuya, not giving an inch. In addition to Pendulum, Zarc reveals the power of Xyz with his "Supreme King Servant Dragon Dark Rebellion."

In the final clash between Yuya's "Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon" and Zarc's "Supreme King Servant Dragon Odd-Eyes," the latter claims victory and defeats Yuya.

Afterwards, Zarc is approached by the students and Principal of You Show Duel School. Taken by Yuya's duel style - to bring smiles to both the audience and even his own opponent - the young amnesiac enrolls and studies the arts of Pendulum alongside Yuya.

And thus, the Pendulum swings once more.

---

A Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc V Story:

"Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc V: Pendulum's Fifth Swing"

---

Scale 02: Dance of the Dragons

Leo Duel School.

There was not a single person who did not know that name.

Founded by the Leo Corporation, it is one of the most influential duel schools in the entire country. Offering advanced courses for all types of summonings - Fusion, Synchro, Xyz - any who wish to learn such methods are allowed to participate. Even now, LDS is advancing and progressing, establishing facilities across the globe. There was hardly any doubt that it would soon become the number one duel school in the entire world.

Of course...there was also something lurking backstage in this grand scheme of things.

In one of the many rooms located inside the main building of Leo Corp. HQ, a young man was found sitting before a wide selection of monitors with several individuals in suits rushing about and performing different tasks. He had dark gray hair, which was bizarre given his age, and sharp yet cold purple eyes. He wore a simple blue shirt with pristine white dress slacks with white sneakers. Wrapped around his neck was a long, flowing red scarf. A pair of red-framed spectacles sat atop the bridge of his nose.

From his posture, one could easily tell that he was not someone one wished to trifle with. The looks of respect he received from his subordinates only seemed to reinforce this.

From behind, one of the men came up behind him, handing the young man a set of documents. "As you requested, we gathered information on the energy readings from the duel at You Show Duel School." the man said as his employer gratefully accepted the documents, giving them a thorough lookover. "As you suspected, there are two energy signatures that match that of the Pendulum Summoning method that Yuya Sakaki demonstrated in his Duel against Strong Ishijima. However, one energy reading is higher than the other."

"...and this is accurate?" the young man asked the agent, eyes never leaving the parchment in his hands. "What of the duelist in question?"

On cue, one of the monitors revealed a recording of the duel that took place at You Show Duel School.

All Duel Disks are equipped with a series of protocol systems that record and analyze all duels commenced by their owners. If signs of illegal activity within the Duel are detected, they are immediately transferred and looked over by those of the Leo Corporation in order to confirm this. However, for these individuals, the recordings were meant to be used for another purpose entirely.

The recording showed two males engaged in a fierce Duel set within the Action Field called "Broadway." One Duelist was Yuya Sakaki, the creator of the fabled Pendulum Summoning. The other was a teen, a few years older than his opponent, and bore a striking resemblance to Yuya. The young man's eyes were locked unto the two as he watched them battle against each other, striking blow for blow.

Two things caught his interest:

First - the young man's cards. "Supreme King," while registered in the Duel System, was unfamiliar to him. Despite it being recognized by the system, the DS Archives had no information about these cards whatsoever, save for what data was gleamed from the teen's deck.

Second - his access to both the Pendulum and Xyz Summon methods. Most of the monsters he summoned were Pendulum Cards, with the exception of Supreme King Servant Dragons Darkwurm and Dark Rebellion. The latter of which was an Xyz Monster. A powerful one at that.

Of course, if the information the DS Archives was able to obtain from his deck was of any indication, then the unknown teen before him was most certainly a figure of interest.

"His Pendulum Summoning Readings are higher than even that of Yuya Sakaki." the agent reaffirmed. "Unfortunately, we've hit a snag in our investigation. There's almost no information on this "Zarc" character whatsoever."

The young man was unperturbed these results. If anything, his interest was piqued. As he watched the duel at its climax - a ferocious bout between Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon and Supreme King Servant Dragon Odd-Eyes - he watched with a curious gleam in his eyes before he set the documents down and turned towards the agent.

"Keep an eye on this one." he told him. "Inform me of any updates."

The agent bowed his head. "At once, sir."

---

"...I attack you with Supreme King Servant Dragon Darkwurm directly! Ferocious Torment!"

The lesser dragon released a cry as it took to the sky, dive-bombing towards the stalwart man before it who stared it down, feet firmly planted with a glare of the utmost defiance. A dark aura cloaked Darkwurm's being, consuming its form before its speed increased, creating a loud 'boom' before it fell upon the stalwart man. The ground quaked as dust and debris were kicked up into the air, followed by a shockwave that sent nearby Action Cards flowing up into the air.

Noboru Gongenzaka: 1200 → 0 LP

WINNER: Zarc!

Zarc let out a soft sigh as the Action Field dispersed and the cloud of dust parted, revealing the battered yet proud form of Gongenzaka.

Noboru Gonenzaka had a huge frame, easily equivalent in height to some adults despite being in his teenage years. While he has a fairly round face, he had a stockily built and rather muscular. He had a black hair styled into a large pompadour, restrained by a red band, and his nose somewhat redder than the rest of his face. There was a constant blush on his cheeks. He wore a red and gold vest over a buttoned white coat that had a golden trim, as well as white pants.

"Not bad!" Gongenzaka's voice boomed as his head bowed in approval. "I, the manly Gongenzaka, am truly impressed! Yuya was not exaggerating your skills as a Duelist!"

Zarc could only smile wryly as he scratched the back of his head. "Well, I'd say he may have exaggerated a few details." he said humbly. "Your dueling is not bad, either. Memories or not, I've never encountered a Deck comprised of only Effect Monsters. The Steadfast Dueling style is something to behold."

"Thank you!" Gon said pleasantly as he dusted off the bits of dust from his attire.

It had been a few days since Zarc had officially become apart of You Show Duel School, and since then, he's become well-acquainted with everyone. As everyone expected, Zarc and Yuya got along like actual brothers. True to their word, they dueled one another repeatedly both for Zarc to become more accustomed to Action Dueling. At the same time, they were discovering what sort of possibilities Pendulum Summoning had.

So far, they learned that certain Pendulum Effects could affect the scale, allowing either a boon or a restriction to summon their monsters. Additionally, since Pendulum Monsters, when placed in the Pendulum Zones, were treated as Spell Cards, they could easily be affected by certain card effects. There was also the possibility of using the Pendulum Effects to create Fusion Summons. The sheer idea of such a possibility - hybrid summoning methods - was enough to excite both parties as they dueled when given the opportunity. Each time, though, Zarc would note how Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon was stare at him, though for the life of him he couldn't figure out why the dragon would have any reason.

Of course, he had also yet to discover the reason as to why it and his Supreme King Servant Dragon Odd-Eyes seemed to glare at one another distastefully. He made a mental note to investigate the matter further.

He met Gon yesterday, and so far, his impressions of the man were positive. According to Shuzo, Gon had been Yuya and Yuzu's childhood friend. Despite being from another school, he did his best to help them whatever the reason, demonstrating a fierce sense of camaraderie between the three of them. Speaking honestly, Zarc was perhaps a bit envious. Other than that, though, he was very interested in this "Steadfast" Dueling technique he partook in. From what he saw in the Duel, it was certainly a most impressive way of dueling. One is left stationary, standing forward like a powerful guard, taking every attack in stride while the only weapons at hand were monsters with effects that pertained to the condition of having no Trap or Spell Cards in the Graveyard.

The three children, Ayu, Futoshi and Tatsuya, Zarc felt a bit uncomfortable around. Now, don't get him wrong, he didn't hate them. He was simply unsure how to deal with them, especially since they apparently treated him the same way they did Yuya, even adding the affectionate name of "Zarc-niichan." It was endearing, sickeningly sweet so, but for the life of him he was unsure how to act around them. Especially with the way they pestered him, asking to see his deck. He was nervous at first, but the ankle biter trio's "Puppy Dog" technique had more or less left him defenseless and unable to deny them of their wishes. It was bad enough to have Yuzu and Yuya laughing at him afterwards. He'd like to see how they dealt with them!

With Yuzu, he more or less had a friendly relationship. Clearly the oldest female member of You Show Duel School was the "big sister" of the group whenever Gongenzaka was nowhere to be found. She helped looked after the trio of children while also dealing with the antics of Yuya and Shuzo. She helped him greatly by getting accustomed to You Show Duel School. She was even kind enough to lend him a place in her house. Shuzo was a bit reluctant on the idea of a boy staying in the same house as his beloved daughter, though Zarc had promised that he wouldn't go anywhere near her room and remain on the couch.

Sadly, it seemed that the Hiiragi family disapproved of this decision and all but shoved him into their spare guest bedroom. He insisted he was fine with the previous arrangement, but they had put their foots down.

Unfortunately, as Zarc was quick to learn, there was a troubling fact that he discovered within his first day at You Show Duel School.

It barely had any students whatsoever.

"It's odd why You Show has only a handful of students." Zarc commented as he entered the lobby with Gon, taking a swift drink of his water bottle. "I figured that, since Yuya created Pendulum Summoning, there would be a lot of students wanting to learn it also."

Gon sighed, shaking his head. "There were, originally." he told the teen. "However, they were more interested in learning Pendulum Summoning than what the You Show Duel School teached. Initially, Yuya hadn't learned how to perform Pendulum after he created it in his duel against the Maiami Champion Strong Ishijima, so they believed he cheated and left." There was a look of distaste on the man's face as he huffed. "Quite disrespectful, if you ask me. Nowadays, the youth today wishes to learn summoning techniques rather than the art of Entertainment Dueling!"

He paused briefly, then gave another sigh. This one particularly more heavy than the first. "Then again...perhaps it also has to do with Yusho Sakaki's disappearance as well."

"Yusho...Sakaki?" Zarc asked, curious. "Is he related to Yuya, by any chance?"

"His father, actually. He vanished several years ago." Gon told him, looking particularly uncomfortable. "As to why, I...cannot say. That is perhaps something Yuya is better off telling you himself."

Zarc wanted to press the issue, but relented. It was obviously a touchy subject, one of which he would drop unless presented the opportunity. Speaking of such things had actually made Zarc realized that there was much he didn't know about everyone at You Show. He knew that Yuya aspired to be an incredible Dueltainer, though he did not know the exact reason why he aspired to be such a thing. It was perhaps a bit disheartening, but he didn't want to risk the new bonds he forged with everyone by looking into their personal lives. If they didn't wish to speak about their lives, he would not press further on the matter. That didn't mean he wasn't curious, however.

Speaking of Yuya and Yuzu...

"Where are the others?" Zarc asked curiously, noticing the absence of the eccentric duelist and Yuzu. "Are they sick?"

Gon chuckled. "No! They're at school. Tatsuya, Futoshi and Ayu are on a field trip to Leo Duel School as well." Zarc blinked. School? They actually still attend a public education center? "Speaking of which, Zarc...I know you do not have any memories, but have you given thought of attending school yourself? Granted, it would be a bit difficult since you don't have any memories, but it is doable."

"Hiiragi-sensei suggested the idea, but to be honest, I'm still a bit unsure." he answered with a shrug. He drained the last contents of his bottle before tossing it into the recycling bin. "By the way. I understand that there are multiple duel schools across the world, but what kind of school is Leo Duel School?"

"A very large one." came the earnest response. "It's founded by the Leo Corporation - the same company responsible for creating the Solid Vision system. It has multiple branches and has been continuously expanding, especially overseas. They also tend to buy out other Duel Schools, adding them to their own numbers. Since they're backed by a successful corporation, they have access to high-end equipment and the latest technology." Gon paused as he scratched his chin, deep in thought. "If I were to guess their strong point, it would be that, compared to most schools, they offer course for all three Summoning Methods." A pause. "Barring Pendulum, of course."

Zarc's eyes widened. "A-all three?!" he asked in shock. "That...that's impressive."

It served as a reminder that there was so much Zarc had forgotten about the world because of his amnesia. In a way, however, it would be rather exciting. It would give him the opportunity to discover new things he had missed. From the sounds of it, Leo Duel School sounded to be the best in all of Maiami. After all, he doubted there were any schools who could offer courses on all three Summoning Methods. Then again, as Gon said, they were founded and backed by the same group who made Action Duels possible. Now that he thought about it, more, though, he was beginning to grow more and more curious. He knew he was a Duelist, despite his "Supreme King" archtype being completely unknown if the research he did in his spare time was any indication...but where could he have learned how to duel?

With that in mind, Zarc turned to Gon. "Gongenzaka, out of curiosity...where is LDS?"

---

Sora Shiunin had to admit, the Standard Dimension was certainly impressive.

He had arrived from the Fusion Dimension about two days ago, taking his time to explore Maiami City for what it had to offer. So far, he learned that it was very much like that of the Synchro Dimension and the Xyz Dimension...prior to its invasion, of course. It was prosperous and the perfect vision of a utopia with rather amusing duels to boot. Having trained in dueling, he found it quite hilarious that people put on these Action Duels for the sake of entertainment, but he supposed they had merits. He was surprised to learn that Standard also had the Summoning Methods of the other Dimensions. It was curious to learn the reason for that, but he had to put it on the back burner. There was more to learn.

As part of a reconnaissance unit, the Professor tasked Sora with investigating the Dimension. Testing its defenses. Learning their methods. Looking for possible refugees from the Xyz Dimension. He was still performing the first task while sampling the local sweet shops.

He couldn't investigate properly if he didn't have any sugar in his system, after all~!

Back to the matter at hand, he was also performing his third task by investigating what was probably the biggest concern for Academia: the Leo Corporation. They were the ones behind the conception of Action Duels - improving upon the Solid Vision system by implementing "mass" into it - so who was to say that they not weaponize it when the invasion begins? It would be quite problematic. Of course, the same can be said about the "Action Cards" that were produced as well. Sora was curious about the possibilities of such a thing. When he returns to the Fusion Dimension, he would have to report such a curious find to the Professor.

Before that, though...he needed to scope out the enemy.

It hadn't taken him long to find Leo Duel School. It was pretty much noticeable, given that it was also where the Leo Corporation's main building was. It was also pretty easy to infiltrate it under the guise of being a test student. From the information he gathered, "test students" were more or less probationary students that undergo a test by taking on a low-level instructor from LDS. The instructor grades them based on their performance, and depending on whether or not they lose is solely dependent on how well they performed. Winning certainly helped their score, but it was still possible to enter if they lost. Of course, Sora had to hack into the data terminal and fudge a few things around with his false records. Since he needed a cover, one of his allies established a false identity for him in Standard.

As far as anyone else was concerned, Sora Shiunin was just another test student undertaking a duel to see if he was worthy of their teachings.

Oh, if only they knew.

As he scoped out the building, commonly making the excuse that he was looking for the test sight and his instructor to begin his exam, he came across a few passing students. One of them had caught his eye, given his striking resemblance. The moment he saw him, Sora nearly let his lollipop fall out of his mouth out of shock.

"Yuri...?"

Upon closer inspection, the young boy he found wasn't his comrade. They shared the same dark eyes, except his were of a red shade. Furthermore, his hair was a mix of green and red with a pair of goggles around his neck and a white jacket sitting atop his shoulders. His face also had no trace of the coldness that could be found on his comrade's face nearly every time one encounters him. Sora's heart calmed when he realized this fact and breathed a heavy sigh of relief. For a moment, he had worried he would find himself in yet another world of horrid pain. If there was anything to know about Yuri, it was his sadistic streak.

Sora watched the boy, who examined the course LDS offered with a look of surprise, before he was pulled away by other students. Shrugging, he headed back to the main lobby. This visit was more or less to get a good feel for it. Come time for the real infiltration portion of his mission to begin, he would explore this place more. When he reached it, he found a Duelist at the front desk. He was able to identify him by the Duel Disk that sat on his wrist.

"You sure?" he asked, scratching the back of his head in disappointment. "There's nothing."

The woman at the reception desk shook her head. "I'm sorry, young man. But I'm afraid there's no mention of you anywhere in our records. If you want, I can call one of our Instructors and look into it. Believe it or not, this is not the first time it has happened."

"No no, it's fine." the Duelist assured her before he stepped back, shaking his head and sighing. As he turned, Sora was once again reeling. There was yet another person who bore a striking resemblance to Yuri, though unlike before, he was more easily able to tell the difference given their age. "Well, scratch that idea."

'I swear, this Dimension is trying to give me a heart attack.' Sora solemnly swore in his mind. 'I just hope neither of these guys is like Yuri, otherwise we're going to be in trouble. Just to be safe, I better keep an eye on them.' He thought back to the first boy, the one headed to the Duel Courts with his friends. 'Hm...if they're going to be Dueling, this could be a good way to scope out what the Duelists here at LDS are capable of.'

With that in mind, Sora headed to the Duel courts.

---

Zarc had been disappointed when he had asked the lady at the reception desk if they had any students by the name of "Zarc" listed in their curriculum. The reason behind this visit was because he believed it may be possible that he may have been a student at LDS, given its rather large size. Sadly, that idea turned out to be a bust. As he stepped away and turned back towards the entrance, he couldn't help but sigh. "Well, scratch that idea." he muttered. He stopped in mid-walk when he saw the courses LDS offered.

True to Gon's word, they really did teach all three Summoning Methods. There were also other courses for some of the more traditional duelists, relying on Tribute, Special and Advanced Summoning. Zarc had to admit, these people were truly serious in what they were teaching. Then again, what else was there to expect from a school that was founded and backed by a company that helped develop Action Duels? He was about to return to You Show when he saw something that caught his interest.

Among the facilities listed on the map was something called "Deck Studies." Zarc had previously looked up anything relating to his Supreme King deck, yet for some reason he was unable to find any mention of it. There was the possibility that of LDS perhaps having some mention of it somewhere.

"Well, here's hoping." Zarc said to himself as he set on his way to find the mentioned facility. He then remembered what Zarc had told him. "Tatsuya and the other two should be here too. Maybe I'll run into them here?"

---

Yuya knew something was off about Shingo Sawatari, but he had absolutely no idea what it could have been. He seemed quite friendly, even admitting he was a fan of his. That seemed rather pleasing for him to hear, given that most tended to believe that he cheated in his duel against Ishijima. He didn't understand this unease until only after he found Sawatari with his three friends, all of whom he claimed were friends of his. The looks on their faces, and the gleam in Sawatari's eyes, which seemed to linger on his pouch containing his deck for several seconds, was definitely anything but pleasant. He knew something was wrong here, but he wasn't sure how he could place it. He had been taken in by the idea of Dueling in one of LDS Duel Courts, which were leagues ahead of what You Show had, but he should have been more insistent.

This feeling of unease finally reached its climax when Sawatari asked to see his cards.

Yuya knew he shouldn't have. He knew it. Yet he was stupid. He foolishly did as Sawatari asked, and the moment he held them out, they were swiped. Some part of him found it sickening how they fawned over the cards like starving men at a banquet.

Then, of course, there was what Sawatari said when he requested to hand the cards back, glaring back at the young Dueltainer with a horrid leer.

"These are...my Pendulum Cards now."

Those six words make Yuya's heart sink. Yuzu looked utterly enraged, face contorted. "What was that?!" she gave a shrill cry. "No they're not! Those cards don't belong to you!" she made a lung to grab Stagazer and Timegazer Magician, but Sawatari was quick to move out of the way. "Give them back to Yuya this instant!"

"Oh, please!" Sawatari rolled his eyes. "Don't you think its unfair how Yuya Sakaki should be the only one to wield Pendulum? I certainly think so!" His eyes developed a greedy glare, lips curling into a sneer. "Able to summon any monster of any level, so long as they're within the set scale...do you have any idea how easy that makes Duels?! I, for one, find ridiculous that someone like you should have such a marvelous technique!"

Yuzu's glare burned ever fiercer. "And what's that supposed to mean?!"

"Well, what else do you expect from the son of a coward?"

Sawatari's words caused something to snap inside of Yuya, rage boiling in his heart in seconds. For a brief moment, his eyes burned with absolute fury as his voice grew deeper with malice. "Don't you ever call my father a coward!" he roared, causing the three stooges behind Sawatari to recoil in fear. Sawatari, himself, was severely caught off guard by the aggressive nature Yuya had demonstrated, even paling. "I don't care what you say about me, but don't you insult my family or my friends! I won't say it again! Give me back my cards dammit!"

Sawatari's bravado returned, albeit weaker than before. "Like I care what a nobody like you sa-"

Suddenly, a hand lashed out, grabbing Sawatari by the wrist. Everyone whipped their hands to find its owner. To the surprise of Yuya and Yuzu, it was Zarc, face set into a glare. "He wasn't asking." he said coldly, applying pressure to Sawatari's wrist, causing the teen's face to contort in pain. "And if Yuya is supposed to be some kind of coward, what does that make you?"

"W-what?!" Sawatari winced, trying to pry Zarc's fingers off of him as he felt his wrist being crushed. "W-who the hell are you!"

With a shrug, he threw Sawatari's wrist, causing the blonde to stumble back and nearly fall flat on his butt. "A friend of Yuya's." Zarc answered, standing before his friend protectively. "And I'll ask this only once. Give Yuya his cards back...or I make you." The threat hung in the air with certainty that the amnesiac would make good on his promise, leveling a stare that matched the ferocity that Yuya himself showed. Sawatari felt himself shrink under it. He was confused all to hell. Who the heck was this guy? Where did he come from?!

Wait, why was he even scared of this loser? He was Shingo Sawatari, son of Mayor Sawatari! He was the Perfect Duelist! Why should he even allow himself to be intimidated by such worthless trash?! Regaining his bravado, he scoffed, straightening out his cuff. The idiot must have absolutely no idea who he was. It was time to fix that.

"Do you know who I am?" Sawatari asked arrogantly, adjusting his jacket. Given Zarc's questioning frown, his assumptions proved correct. It served to increase the smugness he gave as he flipped his hair. "My father is the Mayor of Maiami City. If I wanted to, all I have to do is ask him and I could easily have Yuya Sakaki give up every Pendulum Card! Better yet, I could easily have him force you to-"

"...are you really that pathetic?"

Sawatari stuttered, nearly biting his tongue as he looked incredulously at Zarc, who looked to be utterly disinterested in his words. "W-what?!"

"Your father achieved that position with his own power." Zarc stated. "It had nothing to do with you. As far as I'm concerned, you're just some Duelist who got his way by hiding behind daddy's dearest back." He gave a sigh, palming his face. "Unbelievable...and you honestly think you can call yourself a Duelist?" Disgust formed across his face as he put a hand to his hip. "Let me guess, you have to ask daddy to handle everything for you - from threatening someone you don't like to asking for the best cards possible. I can't even imagine a more pathetic excuse for a Duelist."

Like Yuya before him, Sawatari felt something snap inside him as his eyes hardened. "What did you say, you son of a bitch?!" he growled. He put his hands on Yuya's cards. Immediately, the two You Show students panicked, realizing what he threatened to do. "You want me to rip apart these cards?!"

"You won't." Zarc said as if it were a fact. "Like you said earlier, it is unfair how Yuya has Pendulum Summoning all to himself. But you want to know something interesting?" There was a smirk on Zarc's face as he opened up his pouch, taking out a few of his cards and showing them to Sawatari. Immediately, the blonde's eyes widened, recognizing the design of the cards simply by their dual-colored nature. "He isn't the only one with Pendulum Cards."

Hook...

"H-how the-?!"

"How about a wager?" His words brought forth a look of curiosity between all those present. "A tag team duel between me and Yuya against you and one of your stooges. If we win, you hand Yuya his cards back. If you win, I'll gladly give you my deck."

Line...

Zarc then smirked. "How about it, Daddy's Boy? Or maybe...you're just scared? I can understand. After all, you have to ask daddy to do everything for you like the third-rate duelist you are."

And sinker!

Sawatari let out a growl, hands balling into fists. He looked like he was restraining himself from striking out at Zarc. Yuzu, however, applauded him for pushing the arrogant rich boy so far. He knew how to hit each and every button to make him utterly lose his cool. "Y-you..." he snarled before turning towards one of his followers. "Oi, Kakimoto!" The named stooge, wearing the same uniform as Sawatari with messy brown hair and light brown eyes, blinked in shock as he walked up. "Come on! We're putting this loser in his place!"

"O-oi!" Yuya cried, looking at his friend as if he were insane. "What are you thinking?!" Zarc turned to him, confused. "Y-you can't just bet your cards like that!" His eyes curled in concern. "L-look, I care about my cards. They're my treasure, b-but...risking them for your deck is no reason to bet on it like that! What if we lose?" He bit his lip in frustration. "I...I don't want to think about..."

Zarc smirked. "Then we can't lose." he said, confident. "Besides..." He craned his head, giving Sawatari a cold look. "I don't know why...but I hate duelists like him. Hiding behind other people."

Yuya still seemed reluctant, but gave a sigh. Zarc had seemed determined in his choice. On one hand, he was happy that someone he met barely a few days ago was willing to risk his deck for his cards, but at the same time he wasn't happy about this. He didn't doubt Zarc's dueling abilities, but what if they lost? It was one thing for Yuya to lose his precious cards, but it was another thing entirely for someone else to lose their entire DECK. Worse, that deck might be one of the few things that could give them a clue about Zarc's past! If they lost it, they wouldn't be able to learn anything!

But...the way Zarc spoke, like he seemed so sure they would win...he was tempted to believe in it. Sighing, he scratched his head before activating his Duel Disk, creating a hard-light board. Yuzu, seeing his decision, stepped back outside the arena. The two stooges that followed Sawatari followed her example, leaving Sawatari, Kakimoto, Yuya and Zarc in the court.

The blonde huffed. "I'll make you eat your words, you no-named Duelist!" Sawatari declared before he activated an input on his Duel Disk. "Action Field, set!"

Soon, the court became filled with light, solidifying into a cityscape. Compared to Broadway, the Action Field Yuya and Zarc dueled in, it held a much more dark and dreary feeling. The buildings weren't as extravagant or as charming, but were rather bleak and plain. A river was found close by with a large bridge stretching over it, right where a towering structure stood atop it like a horrifying reminder. Above the four Duelists, a collection of cards began to gather, spinning around in a orb wildly.

"Vile Tower of Darkville, huh..." Yuya muttered. "Never really did like this Action Field." He then slammed his deck into his Duel Disk, reciting the chant. "Duelists locked in battle!"

"Kicking the earth and dancing in the air alongside their monsters!"

"They storm through this field!"

"Behold! This is the newest and greatest evolution of Dueling! Action...!"

Together, the four Duelists cried as one:

DUEL!

Yuya Sakaki & Zarc: 8000 LP
Shingo Sawatari & Kakimoto: 8000 LP

"I start first!" Sawatari snarled, ripping a card out from his deck. "Draw! I summon Lightning Board from my hand to the field!" True to form, Sawatari viciously slammed a card in his hand to the Duel Disk's board. In response, the monster that appeared resembled a large skateboard with lightning designs marked across it. A skull could be found at the very top of the board.

[Lightning Board / LIGHT / Level 4 / Thunder / Effect / ATK 1400/DEF 1200]

As it descended into the streets of the Action Field, he hopped atop the board, all the while glaring at Yuya and Zarc with disdain. "I then set 1 card face down, and end my turn."

"Oi, Boss!" Kakimoto cried, running across the building as he tried to catch up to his partner. "Wait for me!"

Yuya/Zarc's Hand: 5/5
Sawatari/Kakimoto's Hand: 4/5

"Start your turn!" Sawatari called with a smirk, glaring condescendingly at the two. "If you don't, those brats just might be staying up there for quite a long time!"

The two You Show students frowned. "Brats?" Zarc questioned, confused. "What does that-"

"ZARC-NIICHAN! YUYA-NIICHAN!"

The boys looked up. To their horror, the little ones - Tatsuya, Ayu and Futoshi - were stranded atop the tower on the bridge, huddled close as to not fall off. Tears were running down their faces, looking at the from atop their prison while crying out. Yuya's eyes widened, soon turning into a heated glower of animosity as he turned his attention back to Sawatari. "You...!" he growled. "How could you?!"

"I figured they would be an excellent motivation for you to duel me, in case you were too much of a coward!" Sawatari snickered. "After all, I want to beat you using this wonderful Pendulum Summoning of mine!"

"Don't let him get to you, Yuya!" Zarc cautioned, lest his friend do something irrational. "Let's beat him and save them!"

Yuya nodded. "Right!" he said, eyes blazing with stronger determination as he immediately took off, already seeking out an Action Card. "My turn! Draw!" A card popped out from the deck, allowing Yuya to take it. He gave a quick look at his hand and frowned slightly. 'Most of these are all Pendulum Monsters, but their Scales are too low.' he thought before taking one card. 'I can play this one for now! I'm sure Zarc has something that can give us an edge!'

He jumped across the roof, leaping to another building before placing the card in his hand to the board. "I summon Entermate Whip Viper!" he called as the monster emerged. Like most of his monsters, it had a cartoonish-like appearance with a smug grin across its face, fangs poking out while a tophat sat atop its wrist. However, unlike most monsters, it chose to wrap its body around his wrist.

[Entermate Whip Viper / EARTH / Level 4 / Reptile / Effect / ATK 1700/DEF 1900]

"Here we go!" Yuya shouted as he leaped into the street, Whip Viper's body extending forward and wrapping its body around a street lamp, allowing him to go after Sawatari. "I activate Whip Viper's Effect! Once per turn, I can switch a monster's ATK and DEF points! I switch your Lightning Board's ATK with its DEF!" At this, Whip Viper's eyes glowed menacingly, piercing into Sawatari's monster. A dark glow then encompassed the being, causing it to awkwardly jerk a bit, nearly throwing Sawatari off of it.

[Lightning Board / ATK 1400→1200 / DEF 1200→1400]

"Battle! I attack Lightning Board with Entermate Whip Viper!" In mid-air, Yuya swung his arm. Whip Viper, fangs beared, shot forward at Sawatari, intending to bite him.

However, the blonde grinned with glee. "Afraid not, half-wit!" he jeered, revealing the card he had set. It flipped upwards to reveal a purple border with a dark stuck straight in the center of a dart board. "I activate my Trap: Black-Eye Shot! When this card is activated, I can add 1 "Dart" monster to my hand and reveal it! Afterwards, your monster loses 200 ATK points for every Level it has!" With an impressive turn, Sawatari evaded Whip Viper's first strike, leaving Yuya to hit the road and ease into with a somersault. He then drew a card from his deck. Seeing it, he smirked and revealed it to Yuya. "The monster I drawed was my Ultimate Dart Shooter! Level 7! Meaning your Whip Viper loses 1400 ATK points!"

Black-Eye Shot glowed, blasting an arrow of light that looked similar to a dart and struck Whip Viper, causing Yuya to wince in pain since it was wrapped around his arm.

[Entermate Whip Viper / ATK 1700→300]

"And since you declared an attack, you can't cancel it! Say goodbye to your pretty snake!"

Yuya panicked, immediately rushing while he looked for an Action Card. Whip Viper, however, was already moving, once again bearing its fangs in a useless attempt to destroy Lightning Board. Smirking, Sawatari spun around, creating electric sparks that danced around his monster and slammed it into Whip Viper, causing it to be electrocuted. For a moment, a skeleton of the monster could be seen before it broke apart.

Yuya Sakaki & Zarc: 8000 - 900 = 7100 LP

"Yuya!" Zarc cried in worry. "You okay?!"

The red-and-green-haired boy nodded, ignoring the stinging sensation in his wrist as he rubbed it. He felt his skin being zapped by Sawatari's attack against his monster. He felt irritated, knowing that his attack was in vain. Worse, he could play no cards at the moment, leaving him to scowl. "I...end my turn."

Yuya/Zarc's Hand: 5/5
Sawatari/Kakimoto's Hand: 5/5

"Hmph." Sawatari scoffed. "Not much fun, are you?" Yuya scowled, much to his pleasure. It was quite fun, seeing a worthless duelist like him squirm about like a bug. He then turned to his partner. "Kakimoto. Your turn." He gave a warning glare to his lackey, causing him to freeze. "And don't screw it up!"

The lackey, nervous, nodded as he took the card popping out of his deck. "My turn, draw!" He gave a quick look at his hand before making his move, placing a card on the board. "I summon Red Sparrow Summoner from my hand to the field!" In a burst of light, the monster emerged. To the two You Show students, it was two figures - one a female with red hair wearing a regal black sleeveless robe with golden markings. Behind her was red-clad fairy - evident by the insect-like wings across its back, bearing fierce red eyes. "Because Red Sparrow is a "Spellcaster-type Monster, I can Special Summon my Inari Fire from my hand!"

In swift succession, he placed another card on the board. This time, it was a fox-like creature with orange-and-white fur with dark red markings etched into it, bearing a fearsome set of fangs - bared at its opponents - while a flame flicked about behind its backside as if it were a tail.

[Red Sparrow Summoner / FIRE / Level 4 / Spellcaster / Effect / ATK 1600/ DEF 1300]
[Inari Fire / FIRE / Level 4 / Pyro / Effect / ATK 1500 / DEF 200]

Zarc's eyes narrowed. "Two FIRE monsters...a Pyro-type deck?" he questioned, though he immediately shook his head.

He hopped down to the street, joining Yuya as he searched for an Action Card for him to find. Since they had no monsters, there was only one course of action for Kakimoto to follow. Something the teen seemed to have already had in mind, if his next declaration was of any indication. "Battle! I attack you both with my Red Sparrow Summoner and my Inari Fire directly!" Zarc cursed as Red Sparrow Summoner twirled around, aiming her finger at the two while her fairy companion dashed forward, wings cloaked in fire and dive-bombing straight for Yuya. Meanwhile, Inari Fire let out a howl as it leaped up, curling into a ball while its tail wrapped around its body, becoming a spinning fireball aimed right at the amnesiac teen.

Yuya ducked underneath Red Sparrow's first attack, eyes looking around for an Action Card. He then found one, trapped in between the trash can and the lid. Quickly, he ran forward and snatched it...only to pale at the card. "A crap! An Action Trap?!"

"Ooh, tough luck for you!" Sawatari said mockingly, seeing the card Yuya drew. "Cue Ball Scratch forces you to destroy 1 Spell or Trap you have on the field. Of course, since you didn't set any cards, you take 1000 points of damage!"

As if on cue, the card glowed and broke apart into motes of light. Suddenly, giant cue balls came flying forward. Yuya and Zarc, left in a panicked tizzy, tried to evade them as best they could. Unfortunately, one ball struck Yuya dead center, knocking him on his back. Another slammed into Zarc, throwing him into the street, though he was quick to get back on his feet.

Yuya Sasaki and Zarc: 7100 - 1000 = 6100 LP

Kakimoto smirked. "And don't forget about Red Sparrow or Inari!" he reminded.

Just as Yuya got up, Red Sparrow Summoner slammed straight into him, flame-cloaked wings cutting straight into him, causing him to cry out in pain as he felt the scorching flames brush up against his body, turning his skin red in irritation. Zarc brought up his Duel Disk, using its board as a means of defense against Inari Fire. His feet struggled to maintain their place on the street while embers sparked up against him, though he managed to throw the Monster off of him.

Yuya Sasaki and Zarc: 6100 - 3100 = 3000 LP

"Dammit...!" Zarc growled, dusting himself off. "They're practically tearing us apart! Worse, they still have one more monster to hit us with!"

Yuya scowled, shaking off the damage as he took off running. As he did, Sawatari chased off after him, electricity sparking across his Lightning Board. "And now we attack you directly with my monster!" he jeered with a vicious smile on his face. "Go down with my marvelous Bolt Slide!" The Dueltainer ignored him, frantically searching for a card. Thankfully, he found another one stuck to a street lamp. Without further ado, he leaped to grab it, avoiding Sawatari's first run. Unfortunately, however, Yuya discovered he traded one hell for another and cursed his bad luck.

It was another Action Trap: "Push Shot Fail." The unfortunate soul who picked this up had to discard 1 card in their hand at random if they had five or more cards. His Duel Disk selected the card that would be sent to the Graveyard. Reluctantly, he threw the card into the slot, watching it vanish. He then turned his attention back to Sawatari, only to find him heading straight for him.

Bracing himself, Yuya brought up his Duel Disk, hoping to stave off some damage. Sawatari, practically brimming with glee, smirked as he grinded against the street of the Action Field, electricity erupting in his wake before he slammed it straight into Yuya and sent him flying.

3000 - 1400 = 1600 LP

The little ones cried out in worry as they watched Yuya being thrown aside like a rag doll. "Yuya-niichan!" Ayu shouted in worry before she balled her hands into fists, mustering the best glare she could pull off. "You big dummies! Quit picking on Yuya-niichan!"

"Che." Sawatari huffed. "Annoying brats. Kakimoto, you done?"

The lackey nodded as he plucked two cards from his hand. "I set two cards face down, and end my turn." As he placed the cards on his board, he gave a small smirk. "Man, this is so easy...did that guy really beat Ishijima? Or was that just a fluke?"

Yuya/Zarc's Hand: 4/5
Sawatari/Kakimoto's Hand: 5/2

On the sidelines, the other two lackies laughed while Yuzu scowled, balling her hands into fists. "He clearly rigged this whole thing!" she snarled. She was beginning to see a pattern to this duel: first, Sawatari's monsters had "Darts" in their name. Second, the Action Traps Yuya pulled were involved in pool table: both of which were common games adults played in bars if the old action movies she watched with her father were of any indication. "He knows every Action Card on the whole field! He clearly has the advantage!"

Zarc cursed. "He really is the worst." he said, growing more and more disgusted with Sawatari's cruelness before tending to Yuya, helping him up. "You okay, Yuya?"

"I-I'm fine..." he assured, wincing. "But damn...he's not holding anything back." He closed his eyes, unwilling to look at Zarc. He felt so ashamed. He wasn't even able to find a decent card that could turn this whole thing around. If anything, he just made it worse. "I'm sorry I couldn't do more."

"It's fine, Yuya." Zarc assured him before glaring at Sawatari and his lackey. "It's my Turn. Draw!" Pulling the card from his deck, Zarc narrowed his eyes at his opponents, deciding that now was as any a good time for payback. "Time for some retribution!" he declared, taking two monsters from his hand and slamming them on the edges of his Duel Disk, thus creating the rainbow-colored word "PENDULUM" across the board. On either side, two ephemeral pillars of light rose as the world shimmered, becoming a transcendent color of blue with a cracked pendulum swinging above them. "I set the Scale 0 Supreme King Gate Zero and the Scale 13 Supreme King Gate Infinity in the Pendulum Zone!"

At this, the bizarre geometric forms of the Supreme King Gate monsters emerged in the columns, shining brilliantly as the pendulum continued to swing.

"With this, I can now summon any monster between Level 1 and 12 simultaneously!" Zarc revealed, causing Sawatari's eyes to widen and Kakimoto to pale, recognizing the threat of such a scale. Zarc's eyes burned with fury as he spread his arms, a portal of light forming as a result of the cracked Pendulum's swing. "Swing, Pendulum of Eternity! Back and forth, towards the unseen future! PENDULUM SUMMONING! Come forth, my Monster Servants!"

Two bursts of light shot down to the field, revealing two dragons. One was the familiar beast known as Supreme King Servant Dragon Darkdrago, its scarred and battle-torn form glowering at Sawatari and Kakimoto for harming its master and his dearest friend. However, at its side was a new dragon - this one more skeletal with a serpentine-like body. Its scales were pitch black with the green markings - the mark of the Supreme King Servant Dragons - lined across its body while glowing red eyes stared back at the two fools before it, releasing a baneful roar.

[Supreme King Servant Dragon Darkdrago / DARK / Level 5 / Dragon / Pendulum/ Effect / Scale 8 / ATK 1600 / DEF 900]
[Supreme King Servant Dragon Darkwyrm / DARK / Level 5 / Dragon / Pendulum / Effect / Scale 3 / ATK 2000 / DEF 1600]

Kakimoto, sweating, gritted his teeth and began his counter early. "I activate my Trap: Eruption of Fire!" One of his face-downs flipped up, revealing the familiar purple border with flames spiraling forward into the center. "This activates if my opponent Special Summons a Monster! When this fiery little number is triggered, I can activate a "Molten Destruction" card from my deck!"

"From the Deck?!" Yuya gawked. "That's possible?!"

"From my Deck, I activate the Field Spell: Molten Destruction!" From Kakimoto's deck, a red light burned as a card materialized on his field, showing a volcano in the midst of erupting. "From now on, any Fire Monster on the field gains 500 ATK points and lose 400 DEF points!"

The card glowed a fiery red aura, releasing a wave that swept through the area. Red Sparrow Summoner, alongside Inari Fire, became cloaked in a similar aura as the card as its power burned, the two releasing a cry.

[Red Sparrow Summoner / ATK 1600 + 500 = 2100/ DEF 1300 - 400 = 900]
[Inari Fire /ATK 1500 + 500 = 2000/ DEF 200 - 400 = 0]

Zarc, however, remained unfazed at such odds as he instead hopped atop Darkwyrm. The dragon batted its wings, taking off into the air. Yuya soon followed, flying with Dardrago, soaring through the cold air while Sawatari chased after them on his Lightning Board. Kakidota accompanied him atop his Inari Fire. 'Unless we find a decent Action Card, we're done for.' he thought, searching the area. 'Though its obvious that Sawatari knows this field like the back of his hand. Meaning he knows the location of Action Traps as well.' Shrugging off any negative thoughts, he looked down to find a card floating atop the water surface. "There!"

With a beat, Darkwyrm dived, soon bringing itself up to fly over the body of water while Zarc leaned over, snatching the Action Card. To his pleasure, it had a blue border. "This looks useful." he said before placing it on his Duel Disk. "I activate the Action Magic: Power Crystal! This boots 1 of my monster's ATK points by 800! I grant its effect to my Supreme King Servant Dragon Darkwyrm!" The card shattered, flowing into the serpentine beast who let out another roar, its green markings glowing fiercely.

[Supreme King Servant Dragon Darkwyrm / ATK 2000 + 800 = 2800]

Another beat and Zarc was now flying straight up the tower, holding himself steady lest he fall off. "Battle! I attack Lightning Board with Supreme King Servant Dragon Darkwyrm!" A dark aura burned across its body, becoming a shadowy-like snake that tore its way up the tower before curling off, dive-bombing straight for Sawatari.

The blonde panicked, flying through the river before he hastily grabbed a nearby Action Card from beneath the bridge. "I activate the Action Magic: Great Escape! This ends the Battle Phase!"

"You're not getting away that easily, Sawatari!" Zarc growled in tandem with his monster, pursuing him like a hound straight from hell. Darkwyrm's advance was blowing apart the water, charging forward and catching up to its target. He then revealed another Action Card in his grasp - found right before he tore off the tower. "I activate another Action Magic: No Action! This destroys the effect of an Action Spell!" His yellow eyes glowed fiercely as the dark aura around Darkwyrm grew ever fiercer, releasing a roar from its maw and pouncing into the air. "Thus, Darkwyrm's attack continues! Vile Decimation!"

Just as the attack was about to connect, Zarc leaped off, rolling unto the bridge while leaving Sawatari to swim. The blonde's eyes widened in fright, seeing the monstrous beast coming at him. However, he could find no Action Card in time for Darkwyrm reached him, engufling him in its maw and releasing a black explosion that sent him flying, screaming before he smacked into the water with Lightning Board nowhere to be found. Darkwyrm released a cry of triumph before returning its master's side.

Shingo Sawatari & Kakimoto: 8000 - 1400 → 6600 LP

"Yes!" Tayuya cheered, bouncing with joy alongside Ayu! "They got a hit in!"

Futoshi laughed, shaking his hips while clasping his hands. "That was giving me the shivers!"

Yuya snapped his fingers, grinning as he landed next to his partner. "Nice hit!" he praised his partner, exchanging a high-five. "That was awesome!"

"B-Boss Sawatari!" Kakimoto cried, looking at the blonde duelist in concern as he emerged from the water, looking utterly livid. "You okay?!"

Okay...OKAY?! How dare he think this was okay?! He just got humiliated by that no-named Duelist! How dare he strike at him?! The great Sawatari?! Oh, that was it! He was going to make this bastard pay! "Just get me out of here, you idiot!" Sawatari shouted at Kakimoto. "And while you're at it, help me find an Action Card!"

"Sorry, but I'm not giving you the chance!" Zarc continued on with his attack, reminding the two that he still had a Monster that could attack. "Darkdrago, take down Inari Fire!" Kakimoto's eyes widened in panic when he saw Supreme King Servant Dragon Darkdrago howling as it shot after him, wings cloaked in a brilliant blue light. "I'm also activating Darkdrago's Effect! During the Battle Phase if a "Supreme King Servant Dragon" monster I control is declaring an attack, I can lower my opponent's monster's ATK points by 1000, increasing my monster's ATK by that same amount!"

[Inari Fire / ATK 2000 - 1000 = 1000]
[Supreme King Servant Dragon Darkdrago / ATK 1600 + 1000 = 2600]

"Now go, Darkdrago! War Light Blade!"

Acting quickly, Kakimoto revealed another trap. "I-I activate the Trap: Extreme Pressure Power! If I control a monster, I can destroy it and draw 1 card!" He hastily jumped off of Inari Fire as it broke apart into flames as he drew a card from his deck, letting out a fearful cry as he ducked to evade Darkdrago's charge. The dragon spun around, turning back around and aiming itself at the only remaining monster he controlled. However, his panic grew when he saw Darkdrago's ATK still empowered. "W-what gives?! I got rid of Inari Fire?!"

"Darkdrago's Effect lasts until the end of the Turn!" Zarc told him. "Now say goodbye to your Red Sparrow Summoner!"

The twin monsters tried to defend themselves, creating a runic barrier, but it was easily destroyed in Darkdrago's attack. Its wings cut through them both, reducing them to gold shards that scattered about while leaving behind an explosion that nearly sent Kakimoto off of his feet.

Shingo Sawatari & Kakimoto: 6600 - 500 = 6100 LP

Yuzu's face brightened as she pumped a fist. "Yes!" she cheered, noticing that they were finally making a comeback while Sawatari's flunkies worried over them. Things were looking grim at first, but now the boys were managing to get back on their feet. Of course, it was still to early to tell. For now, she hoped they would be okay and rescue the kids. Afterwards, she swore she was DEFINITELY going to pummel that Sawatari bastard to a bloody pulp! Taking children hostage - who did he think he was?! He was an utter disgrace as a Duelist!

Kakimoto coughed, waving away some of the smoke before glaring at Zarc. "Red Sparrow Summoner's Effect now activates. When destroyed in Battle by a Monster, I can Special Summon 1 Warrior-type Monster with 1500 ATK points or less from my Deck to the field!" As a burst of flame danced inside his Duel Disk, a card popped out, allowing him to take it and slam it down to the board. "I Special Summon my Level 3 Fire Trooper!"

A burst of flames emerged from the Duel Disk, dancing unto the bridge and forming into a new monster. It resembled some form of imp by stature alone, dressed in imposing dark armor with a tattered cape. However, both is hands and head were encased in flames while its face could vaguely be seen within the fire, revealing a cold and harsh facade.

[Fire Trooper / FIRE / Level 3 / Warrior / Effect / ATK 1000 / DEF 1000]

"Now I activate Fire Trooper's Effect!" the brown-haired teen continued on with his move, a small smirk forming on his face. "By sending it to the Graveyard, I can inflict 1000 points of damage to you!" Fire Trooper released a terrifying howl as its whole body became engrossed in an inferno, launching itself at the two. Yuya looked like he was about to panic, but noticed that Zarc looked completely calm. In fact, a smile was beginning to form on his face. Then he noticed the shimmering glow between Supreme King Gates Zero and Infinity. Just as the flames would have touched them, they blew apart, as if obliterated by a mighty wind capable of extinguishing it. Kakimoto 's eyes widened. "What?!"

Zarc, surprisingly, laughed as he wagged a finger at him. "Sorry, but I'm afraid that isn't going to happen." he said, as if admonishing a child. "Supreme King Gate Zero's Pendulum Effect: If I control a "Supreme King" Monster, I don't take any damage. Then we have Supreme King Gate Infinity's Pendulum Effect! I gain Life Points equal to the battle or effect damage that was negated!"

Yuya Sakaki & Zarc: 1600 + 1000 = 2600

Kakimoto's eyes widened before his face became contorted with anger. "Say what?! Isn't that overpowered?!" he cried. "That's such bullshit!"

"Oi!" Yuzu shouted from the spectator's side. "Language! There are children present!"

Sawatari, however, was staring at the cards hungrily as he pulled himself up to the bridge, managing to find a ladder to get his way up here. Able to negate damage so long as you controlled 1 of those Supreme King Monsters? That sounded like the perfect defense! That was it. He wanted those cards. No...he wanted that no-named schmo's DECK. He wanted every card he had on him! Those cards sounded so wonderful! How dare someone like that hog them all to himself?! Oh well...it didn't matter. Even if Kakimto was going to screw up, their LP was so horribly low. All they needed to do now was utterly humiliate these losers!

With his monsters having already finished their attack, Zarc took two cards from his hand, placing them on the board. "I set two cards face down, and end my turn."

Yuya/Zarc's Hand: 4/0
Sawatari/Kakimoto's Hand: 4/3

"Hmph!" Sawatari huffed. "Its my turn now! Draw!"

---

Unknown to any of the Duelists, the mysterious young man from earlier was watching the Duel progress with intense curiosity. The same could not be said for the agent next to him, however, as he looked positively disgusted. "I don't care if he's the Mayor's son, this is utterly disrespectful." he voiced his disagreement with his superior's decisions. They decided that they required someone to obtain Yuya Sakaki's Pendulum Cards in order to gleam further data, thus they contacted Shingo Sawatari. He was stated to have a greed for rare cards, thus the Pendulum cards would have interested him greatly. Of course, the deal was made even sweeter when the unknown Zarc had offered his Deck and participated in a Tag Team duel. "Such behavior is unbecoming of a Duelist!"

"Perhaps." the young man agreed. Truth be told, even he was a bit uncomfortable with Sawatari's method of doing things. However, he was not picky. They needed to use everything at their disposal. "What were the readings for Zarc's Pendulum Summoning?"

"The same as before." the agent answered. "The readings were higher than that of Yuya Sakaki's own Pendulum Summoning." The man pushed up his sunglasses, looking at the young teen in question with a look of curiosity. "How strange...how is it that he obtained a Deck full of Pendulum monsters, when we have yet to successfully create Pendulum cards of our own?"

The young man was also curious as well, wondering the same thing. However, his attention remained on the duel. When the console showed what card Sawatari drawed, he decided it was time to intervene, tapping the device on his ear. "Sawatari. Use the Stargazer and Timegazer Magicians." he ordered. "Use Pendulum Summoning."

---

"E-eh?" Sawatari frowned in confusion. "Why?"

"To see the full extent of its power. I trust you know how it works?"

The blonde shrugged his shoulders. Far be it from him to question someone like that. But first, he needed to set a few things up. "Since it was destroyed by an Effect, I can Special Summon Inari Fire from the Graveyard!" On cue, Inari Fire returned, releasing a howl and standing next to Sawatari, bearing its fangs while its flaming tail flicked about. Meanwhile, Sawatari gave a small smirk as he produced two familiar cards. As soon as he saw them, Yuya's heart began to beat harshly, and his breath hitched. "And now, it is time for the great Sawatari to perform this wonderful new method summoning by setting my Timegazer Magician and Stargazer Magician in the Pendulum Zones!"

Slamming the cards into the ends of his Duel Disk's board, it lit up with the rainbow colored word of "PENDULUM." Two pillars of light danced beside him. Within were the white and blacked robed sorcerers. Zarc noticed their mournful expressions, looking at Yuya as if saddened that they were being used by someone with ill-intent. He didn't blame him. So far, Sawatari had done nothing but aggravated them without end. First chance he got, he was going to take back Yuya's cards from that bastard and return them to their rightful place. Zarc also noticed the lack of any pendulum swinging about. Instead, a trail of light danced about above him, forming into a circle.

"Hahahahahaha! Wonderful!" Sawatari cheered, spreading his arms wide. "Pendulum Summoning...is truly the greatest! Now, COME TO ME! PENDULUM SUMMONING! Come, MY MONSTERS!"

Three bursts of light dashed down to the bridge before Sawatari. All three resembled machine-like humans with some sort of weapon armed on their limb, vaguely resembling a dart. One was dark violet with a visor over where the eyes would be, bearing a fin atop its head with thrusters on its back. Another had bright yellow armor with a single visor over the left side of its face, the dart-like weapon on the left arm with a cape draped over the right shoulder. The third was dark blue with a dart-like weapon on its right arm, orange eyes and sharp fin-like wings.

[Sonic Darts Shooter / EARTH / Level 5 / Machine / Effect / ATK 1600 / DEF 500]
[Missile Darts Shooter / EARTH / Level 6 / Machine / Effect / ATK 1700 / DEF 0]
[Ultimate Dart Shooter / EARTH / Level 7 / Machine / Effect / ATK 2400 / Def 300]

"What do you think, Yuya Sakaki?!" Sawatari screamed, a warped smile of demented joy across his face. Frankly, it was starting to creep Sawatari out. "This...is MY Pendulum Summoning! Hahahahahahahahaha!"

Yuya could not respond. He was too shellshocked by what had just happened. He could only stare at his monsters, who stared back at him with shameful looks. He couldn't believe this was happening...the summoning he created...the summoning only he and Zarc should have...it was being used right now. It was being used against him by that horrible Sawatari...how could this have happened? "W-why?" he questioned, his voice barely above a whisper. "I...I thought only me and Zarc could..."

"And now comes the fun! I tribute my Sonic Darts Shooter and my Missile Darts Shooter to activate their effects with my Ultimate Dart Shooter!" Sawatari shouted, swiping his arm. "And let me show you what I mean! Battle!" The two brightly colored machines became pieces of light as they dived into the dart weaponry on the blue-colored monster. "Ultimate Dart Shooter, destroy Supreme King Servant Dragon Darkdrago!"

Zarc cursed, acting quickly. "I activate Darkdrago's Effect and reduce Ultimate Dart Shooter's ATK by 1000, and add 1000 ATK points to Darkdrago!"

"Ooh, I'm so sorry, no-name!" Sawatari smirked viciously, revealing his sharp molars. "But my Sonic Dart Shooter's Effect won't let you! When I tribute it to a monster that's declaring an attack, I can negate the effects of any Monster, Trap or Spell! Also, this effect lasts until the Damage Step!" His smirk became deeper as his eyes glowered sinisterly. "That also goes for your Supreme King Gates too!"

Zarc's eyes widened, and braced himself as Ultimate Dart Shooter leaped into the air, taking aim and letting off a round - a bolt of light that came straight down on the scarred dragon that could do nothing but wait for its end. The blow cracked apart the ground beneath it while kicking up a cloud of debris and dust, shards flying that symbolized the destruction of the monster.

Yuya Sakaki & Zarc: 2600 - 800 = 1800 LP

"Nrgh...!" Zarc grunted, nearly thrown off his feet. "Damn...now that he has Pendulum, this is going to get a lot worse." However, just then, a gentle breeze blew by, embracing his already heated skin. His eyes widened as another image - much like the one from his duel with Yuya - came into his mind. A beautiful beast with glowing wings, roaring as it soared high into the sky. "Could...that have been...?"

"And now I activate Ultimate Dart Shooter's second Effect, courtesy of tributing my Missile Dart Shooter!" Sawatari continued. "I can destroy 1 card you control for every "Dart" monster in my Graveyard that is Level 5 or higher! The only "Dart" monsters in my Graveyard are the monsters I tributed to give my Ultimate Dart Shooter the edge it needs - Sonic Dart Shooter and Missile Dart Shooter! I choose to destroy your Supreme King Gate Zero and your Supreme King Servant Dragon Darkwyrm! Missile Shot!"

With a jump, Ultimate Dart Shooter fired off two more bolts. The first struck Supreme King Gate Zero, shattering the pillar and the monster inside of it. Zarc cursed as he saw the card being sent to his Extra Deck. However, a smirk formed on his face when the second bolt obliterated Darkwyrm. Sawatari was unaware of it, but he had just given Zarc the moment he needed to bring an end to this duel.

"Nice job, Boss Sawatari!" Kakimoto praised, kissing up to the blonde duelist. "They're wide open!"

"Was there any doubt?" Sawatari huffed before smirking. "Its over! Battle! I attack the both of you losers directly with Inari Fire!"

As Inari Fire readied an attack, Zarc couldn't help but laugh, catching both Yuya and Yuzu off guard. Sawatari quirked an eyebrow, wondering if he had finally gone mad from the prospect of defeat. However, the smirk that crossed his face was full of confidence. It served to unnerve him, especially as Zarc brought his hand down, having covered his face earlier in the middle of his laugh. "Over? Oh, far from it, Sawatari..."

A wide grin spread across his face, his next words surprising the You Show Duel School students.

"The fun...has yet to begin! When destroyed, I can activate Supreme King Servant Dragon Darkwyrm's Effect! I can Special Summon 2 "Supreme King" Monsters from my Hand, Deck, Graveyard or Extra Deck!" A black, serpentine phantom emerged out from his Duel Disk, separating into two parts and forming into two dragon-like beings. "I Special Summon Supreme King Servant Dragon Darkwurm and Supreme King Servant Dragon Darkwhelp from my Deck!"

As the dark apparitions ripped apart, Darkwurm made its debut for the first time in the Tag Team Duel, releasing a triumphant roar. However, the creature that appeared beside it earned nothing but love-stricken looks from Ayu and Yuzu, gushing over it. Like all SKSD monsters, it had green markings, though compared to its companions it was little more than a baby dragon with black scales and a dark blue underbelly. Its eyes shined beautiful white, blowing a puff of multi-colored flames as it did a small spin.

[Supreme King Servant Dragon Darkwurm / DARK / Level 4 / Dragon / Pendulum / Effect / Scale 5 / ATK 1800 / DEF 1200]
[Supreme King Servant Dragon Darkwhelp / DARK / Level 4 / Dragon / Pendulum / Tuner / Effect / Scale 6/ ATK 400 / DEF 400]

"SO CUUUUUTE!" Ayu and Yuzu gushed, hearts in their eyes. In response, Darkwhelp let out a cheer, doing another spin from the attention it received from the girls.

Sawatari looked unimpressed. "So you got two new monsters." he huffed. "You're just delaying the inevitable! Both can't even defend against Inari Fire!"

"Who said I was going to use them to beat you?" Zarc countered with a smirk. "I can activate Supreme King Servant Dragon Darkwhelp's Effects, even during my opponent's Turn! I can Special Summon a Fusion, Synchro or Xyz Monster from my Extra Deck, using Darkwhelp and one other monster I control as the materials!" He gave a small wink, grinning. "Oh, and just so you know...Darkwhelp is also a Tuner monster!"

"Tuner?!" Kakimoto gasped. "Wait, don't tell me...!"

Yuzu's eyes widened. "A Synchro Summoning?!" she gasped. "Zarc can do Pendulum, Xyz AND Synchro?!"

Unknown to her, one other spectator looked over in curiosity, hearing this information and smirking in intrigue, looking on.

"And without further ado, I Tune my Level 4 Supreme King Servant Dragon Darkwurm with Supreme King Servant Dragon Darkwhelp!"

Darkwurm released a proud cry as it dived high into the air. Darkwhelp, meanwhile, released a cry as its body glowed, becoming a series of green geometrical rings that encircled Darkwurm while its body faded, becoming four beautiful white lights. The lights exploded, becoming a column of light. From within that column, a new being was emerging unto the field. Primed and ready to soar across the skies and bring an end to this foolish farce, resonating with Zarc's will into bringing down the ones who brought him and Yuya pain.

"Beautiful luminous wings, that which soars at the speed of light! Spread them, and wipe away your foes!" The pillar of light broke apart, allowing for the monster to emerge. As one might expect, green markings were found across its body, contrasting with its rather bright and beautiful form. Its main body was black with shining yellow eyes, covered in pure white and blue armor. Spreading across its back were transparent, glass-like dark green wings. At its hips were a pair of smaller wings. It lacked any legs, instead having only a lashing tail with a sharp tip. "SYNCHRO SUMMONING! Level 8! Supreme King Servant Dragon Clear Wing!"

[Supreme King Servant Dragon Clear Wing / DARK / Level 8 / Dragon / Synchro / Effect / ATK 2500 / DEF 2000]

Clear Wing released a powerful roar, ripped from its throat as it soared across the Action Field. Everyone present stared in awe at its proud, beautiful form as it circled around the tower, eventually coming to a stop between Yuya and Zarc.

"Wow...!" Ayu whispered, starstruck as she and her friends stared in wonder. "So pretty...!"

Zarc smirked, flicking his nose. "And that's not all! I'm activating Clear Wing's Effect! When Synchro Summoned, I can destroy all face-up monsters my opponent controls and negate their effects!"

"EH?!"

"Go, Clear Wing! Dichroic Mirror!"

Clear Wing growled as its wings shined, resonating with the markings on its body as it spread them, rising into the air. However, just as it was ready to send its Effect flying at them, Sawatari rushed to the side, flinging himself to the ground and snatching an Action Card on the railing of the bridge. quickly slamming it on his board. "I activate the Action Magic: Mirror Barrier! I can negate the destruction of a monster I control from a Card Effect! I protect my Ultimate Dart Shooter!"

"But you still lose your Inari Fire!" Zarc reminded.

With a beat of the wing, bright green crescent waves of wind were ripped off the wing, sent straight at the monsters on Sawatari's side. A blue wall of light emerged in front of Ultimate Dart Shooter, defending it against the powerful winds. However, Inari Fire was not as lucky as it found itself struck by the onslaught of wind, destroying it and reducing it to shards. As the winds calmed, Sawatari growled in slight anger, though he quickly backpedaled in fear when Clear Wing roared at him, eyes blistering in utter rage. The message was clear.

By the end of this, it was going to rip him to shreds.

"I..." Sawatari scowled as he looked at his hand in defeat, realizing that his move was now officially over. "I end my turn."

Yuya/Zarc's Hand: 4/0
Sawatari/Kakimoto's Hand: 0/3

It was now Yuya's turn to Draw. However, strangely, he hesitated.

'Zarc's practically been doing this entire duel by himself...' he thought defeatedly, looking at SKSD Clear Wing, who hovered before him and his partner. A testament to Zarc's superior skill and abilities. All Yuya had done so far was just screw things up. Grabbing 2 Action Traps and getting a monster destroyed. This was horrible. Was this...really he was capable of? As he stared down at his hand, he felt a hand touch his shoulder. Surprised, he turned to find Zarc smiling. "Hey now, chin up." he said. "You can't get all depressed."

"B-but..." Yuya said miserably, looking at the sorrowful expression of his Pendulum Monsters. "Sawatari managed to Pendulum Summon...worse, all I've done is screw things up."

"Maybe...but the duel is far from over." Zarc told him. "A duel isn't decided until the fated card is played. Besides, now is hardly the time to be worried about your own abilities. Don't forget..." He directed his gaze up to the trio tucked away in the tower. To Yuya's surprise, Tatsuya, Futoshi and Ayu were still cheering for him. "These kids are counting on you. So then, partner...its time to resume the show!"

Yuya's eyes widened, soon followed by a wide grin spreading across his face. "Right! My Turn! DRAW!" With a swipe, the card was pulled from the deck. To his pleasure, it was another Pendulum Card with a perfect Scale! His determination rising, Yuya twirled the card about in his hand. "Ladies and gentlemen! The Sakaki Circus' next act is about to begin! Please, put your hands together for yet another splendid Pendulum Summoning!"

At this, the ankle biter trio grew excited, chanting along with Yuzu and the onlooker while Sawatari frowned. "What are you talking about? You only have 1 monster set in the Pendulum Zone!"

"Funny you should say that, Sawatari!" Yuya said, revealing the card. "With the already set Scale 13 Supreme King Gate Infinity, I complete the Scales of the Pendulum with the Scale 3 Entermate Partnaga!"

Slamming the card on the board, the rainbow-colored word of "PENDULUM" lit up once again. On cue, the left pillar of light returned. Inside was a long snake, most of its body coiled up. Its scales were colored red-and-yellow, patterned into stripes with a gloved hand swishing about at the end of its tail. Like many of Yuya's Entermate monsters, it had a hat sitting atop its head with a star marking over its left eye.

"With this, I can now summon any monster between Level 4 and 12 simultaneously!" Yuya announced with fervor, spreading his arms wide as his pendulum swung about in tandem with Zarc's own cracked pendulum. "Swing, Pendulum of my Soul! Draw an arc of light, across the ether! PENDULUM SUMMONING! Come forth, my Monster Friends!"

A portal opened up, allowing four streams of light to fall down to the field - two on either side of Clear Wing. One was, as bizarre as it was, a mole wearing a cheerleader uniform complete with pom-poms, which it shook excitedly with its red ponytail swaying about excitedly. Another resembled some sort of balloon animal shaped like an elephant, a tophat atop its back with a star on its side. It let out a whoop, jumping up excitedly in the air. The third was a lion-like beast with golden fur, shackles around the feet of its front legs wearing a vest and a blue bowtie. Sharp blue eyes glared at Sawatari and Kakimoto, showing off dazzling golden fangs.

The last was none other than Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon, who roared proudly as its dual-colored eyes burned, howling alongside SKSD Clear Wing.

"On stage with our main attraction Supreme King Servant Dragon Clear Wing are Entermates Cheermole, Barrier Balloon Tapir, Gold Fang, and our co-star! Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon!"

[Entermate Cheermole / EARTH / Level 2 / Beast / Pendulum / Effect / Scale 5 / ATK 600 / DEF 1000]
[Entermate Barrier Balloon Tapir / WIND / Level 6 / Beast / Effect / ATK 1000 / DEF 2000]
[Entermate Gold Fang / EARTH / Level 4 / Beast / Pendulum / Effect / Scale 3 / ATK 1800 / DEF 700]
[Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon / DARK / Level 7 / Dragon / Pendulum / Effect / Scale 4 / ATK 2500 / DEF 2000]

"U-um...Boss Sawatari?" Kakimoto gulped as both Clear Wing and Odd-Eyes glared at them, their intense gazes one of utter wrath and promise of pain upon the two. "I-isn't this kind of bad?!"

"I now activate Entermate Partnaga's Pendulum Effect!" the Dueltainer continued on as the colored snake cheered, tipping its hat to the monsters. "All of my monsters gain 300 ATK points for every "Entermate" monster I control! I have three Entermate Monsters - Gold Fang, Barrier Balloon Tapir, and Cheermole! Therefore, they all gain 900 ATK Points until the end of my Turn! Additionally, I activate Gold Fang's Effect! When summoned to the field, all my "Entermate" monsters gain 200 ATK points until the end of the turn as well!"

The blue shine from Partnaga spread out to the five monsters, who became cloaked in sparkling power. In tandem, Gold Fang released a howl as a powerful gold aura spread out from its body, wrapping around the circus-themed monsters apart of Yuya's arsenal.

[Entermate Cheermole / ATK 600 + 900 + 200 = 1700]
[Entermate Barrier Balloon Tapir / ATK 1000 + 900 + 200 = 2100]
[Entermate Gold Fang / ATK 1800 + 900 + 200 = 2900]
[Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon / ATK 2500 + 900 = 3400]
[Supreme King Servant Dragon Clear Wing / ATK 2500 + 900 = 3400]

"And to top it off, I activate Cheermole's Effect!" Yuya continued on with a grin, enjoying watching Sawatari and Kakimoto's faces turn white. "If the monster I target's ATK points is higher than its original value, it gains 1000 ATK points! I choose Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon!"

Cheermole blushed heavily as it began to dance around, swishing about its pom-poms while sparkles began to dance around Odd-Eyes, who let out a triumphant roar, power washing over it.

[Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon / ATK 3400 + 1000 = 4400]

"And now, Battle! I attack Ultimate Dart Shooter with Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon!" Yuya shouted. In response, Odd-Eyes released a roar, its powerful aura rampaging as energy began to gather in its maw. Slamming a foot down, it aimed its mouth at Ultimate Dart Shooter, and let the power loose. "With those dual-colored eyes of yours, lay waste to all you see! Spiral Strike Burst!"

Red-and-black flames erupted forward, spiraling around and heading straight forward and heading right at Ultimate Dart Shooter. Sawatari clearly looked around for an Action Card, but it was no use. The flames came right at the dart-weaponry wielding monster raised its weapon to defend against the raging flames, managing to stand its ground.

"As of this moment, Odd-Eyes' Effect activates! When battling a monster that's Level 5 or higher, the battle damage is doubled!"

Odd-Eyes' dual-colored eyes glowed, shining brilliantly as black and red lightning sparked over its body. The flames grew more intense, and became even larger. Eventually, it consumed Ultimate Dart Shooter and destroyed it completely. The blast knocked Sawatari right off his feet, screaming as he flung through the air and hit the ground right on his back, letting out a pained cry.

Shingo Sawatari & Kakimoto: 6100 - 4000 = 2100

"Ow...!" Sawatari groaned, rubbing his sore backside before mustering a glare at Yuya. "Y-you little shit!" He paused, however as he looked down, noticing a card beneath his hand. It was an Action Card, much to his delight.

Yuya did not notice this, however, as he grinned and looked at Clear Wing. "Alright, buddy. Its your turn now!" The dragon let out a cry of approval as Yuya hopped atop its back, bouncing high into the air with its wings shining brilliantly. "And now, I attack you directly with Supreme King Servant Dragon Clear Wing!" As circuits along the dragon's wings began to glow, so too did the green markings on its body, wind gathering around its form. "Hell Dive Whirlwind Slasher!"

"With this...!" the You Show children said, grinning as they knew what happened next.

Yuzu finished their words, smirking. "Yuya and Zarc will win!"

"Like hell you will!" Sawatari called out as he slammed down his Action Card on his duel disk. "I activate the Action Magic: Twinkle Comet! I can target one monster you control and decrease its ATK by 1000! Furthermore, you lose 500 Life Points!"

Zarc blinked. "Wait, what?" he questioned, disturbed by this action. "Clear Wing has 3400 ATK points. Even if he brings it down, they only have 2100 Life Points left! He'll lose either way!"

Unperturbed, Yuya continued forward was the winds around SKSD Clear Wing continued to gather. Before long, they would form into a powerful twister that would wipe out Sawatari and his flunkie. The Action Card manifested on the field, soon bursting into light and becoming a comet wreathed in sparkling lights and flames. As it flew, it brushed up against Clear Wing, causing it to shudder but otherwise continue its charge.

Yuya Sakaki & Zarc: 1800 - 500 = 1300

[Supreme King Servant Dragon Clear Wing / ATK 3400 - 1000 = 2400]

The comet, however, continued to fly through the air. Zarc then realized what Sawatari had planned with this action, and his eyes went wide with fright, whirling around to Yuya. "YUYA! TURN AROUND! QUICK!"

"E-eh?!" Yuya looked over his shoulder, and soon adopted the same expression, face falling into horror as he watched the comet slam right into the tower that held Tatsuya, Ayu and Futoshi. The three children let out a cry as the tower began to wobble, crumbling apart with pieces of debris falling around. "TATSUYA! FUTOSHI! AYU!" His panic resonated with Clear Wing, who's wings and markings lost their bright shine. The winds around it ceased to be as it whipped around, speeding back towards the tower. It began to lean, causing the children to slide down the platform. Tatsuya gripped the edge as it began to slant further while Futoshi tried to hold onto Ayu. However, soon the children were sent downwards.

Just before they hit the water, which would have hurt severely given the height from which they fell - on top of the severe danger they would have been in with the crumbling tower right above them - Clear Wing snatched them up in its giant hands, dashing through the river and returning back to the bridge, gently setting the kids down.

"T-that was scary..." Tatsuya whimpered on the brink of tears. Ayu was already wailing, clinging to Futoshi as Yuya hopped down from the white dragon, checking to see if they were okay. He then looked up at Yuya, bowing his head. "T-thank you, Yuya-niichan!"

"Oh thank god!" Yuya breathed in relief. "I thought I didn't make it in time!"

Zarc and Yuzu let out a sigh, the tension in their bodies fading. That was close. It was nerve-wracking enough to have them so high up at the risk of falling. However, that said, they soon directed a glare at Sawatari, who seemed particularly smug about himself. The girl growled, balling her hands into fists. "That sleezeball!" she snarled. "I can't believe he did that!"

The two stooges, plus Kakimoto, looked at one another in uncertainty as they looked back at Sawatari. Had he seriously stooped that low?

[[TIME OVER. TURN END.]]

The announcement rung from the Duel Disk, flashing an indicator to let them know that Yuya's turn had now passed the allotted time one was allowed to act in a Turn. The children then looked at Sawatari, glaring. "You cheater!" Ayu accused, stomping her foot childishly. "You hit the tower on purpose so Yuya-niichan would go over his Turn!"

"I don't have any idea what you're talking about." Sawatari retorted, his smug look still present. Something about it seemed to set off something inside of Zarc, as his eyes burned with rage and his hand curled into a fist, shaking uncontrollably. If the sudden rage that burned inside of SKSD Clear Wing's eyes were of any indication, it too felt its master's wrath. "I meant to hit his dragon with my Action Magic. Besides, its his own fault for going over the time limit. He took a lot of time drawing his card and wasted his attack to save you brats."

"You..." Zarc seethed. Inside, rage was building. And it was building fast. "You scum...you're going to pay for that!"

Sawatari scoffed. "Whatever." he said before he turned to Kakimoto. "Oi, Kakimoto. You're Turn now."

Yuya/Zarc's Hand: 0/0
Sawatari/Kakimoto's Hand: 0/3

"R-right!" the teen stuttered, still shaken about Sawatari's actions before drawing his card. "Draw! Since Inari Fire was destroyed by a Card Effect, I can Special Summon it back to my field!" Another burst of flame emerged from his Duel Disk, revealing Inari Fire in its full glory, back once more to defeat its foes. Stargazer Magician and Timegazer Magician's pillars shined as a trail of light began to circle around again, forming into the portal. "I then use the set Pendulum Scales to Pendulum Summon! C'mon! PENDULUM SUMMONING!"

A single stream of light fell down from the portal, slamming down to the bridge before forming into the monster card that was summoned. Before them was a being made entirely of flames, eyes made of crimson while holding two spiraling disks of a raging inferno.

[King Pyron / FIRE / Level 5 / Pyro / Gemini / ATK 1500 / DEF 500]

"Another fire monster..." Tatsuya frowned. "But its weaker than Clear Wing or Odd-Eyes!

"That's because he isn't staying for long." Kakimoto said, swiping a hand. "I tribute both my King Pyro and Inari Fire!"

The two monsters became encased in flames, bouncing high into the air before falling back to the ground as a singular flame. When it came crashing back down to the bridge, a giant pillar of flame rose up, sending it immense waves of heat coupled with shockwaves that shook the bridge. The children were nearly thrown off their feet given their small size, but were protected by Clear Wing wrapping its wings. Yuya brought up his arms over his face, feeling the overwhelming heat the monster was giving off. Zarc, however, remained unfazed by it all as he glared at whatever laid inside.

"Ruler of flames, tyrant of the inferno! With the raging blaze as your sword, pillage these foolish plebeians!" Emerging out from the pillar of flames was yet another monster composed of nothing but raging fire. It was gigantic in size, with a humanoid upper-body and a burly body. One hand was clenched in a fist while the other held up a giant red-hot ball of fire. Its head and lower half, however, were that of a beast. The head was like that of a lion, mouth open to reveal fangs composed naught but blazing fire while its lower half had four legs, tail wishing out. From behind its back were a pair of flaming pinions. "Come! Level 9! Infernal Flame Emperor!"

[Infernal Flame Emperor / FIRE / Level 9 / Pyro / Effect / ATK 2700 / DEF 1600]

"Tribute Summoning, huh...?" the onlooker remarked, popping another lollipop into their mouth. "And its Level 9. Must be his ace, then." He then looked at Zarc, his expression cringing for a moment. "Yeesh...he looks ready to murder him. Can't say I blame him."

"Due to Molten Destruction, Infernal Flame Emperor gains 500 ATK points and loses 400 DEF points!"

[Infernal Flame Emperor / ATK 2700 + 500 = 3200 / DEF 1600 - 400 = 1200]

"I then activate Infernal Flame Emperor's Effect!" Kakimoto continued as the blazing beast before him held up the burning orb in its hand, which began to shake violently as if ready to explode. "I can destroy 1 set Spell or Trap Card you have set on the field for every FIRE monster in my Graveyard, in exchange for banishing them! I banish Inari Fire, Red Sparrow Summoner, Flame Trooper and King Pyron to destroy your face-downs and your Pendulum Zone! Infernal Commandment!"

As the ball of flame continued to shake, Infernal Flame Emperor crushed it in its hand. Dark red flames burned in its grasp before opening its hand, sending four balls of flame right at the group. Each struck the cards Kakimoto specified - Entermate Partnaga and Supreme King Gate Infinity were destroyed in the blaze, their pillars dispersing in light while the two cards Zarc had set on the field were consumed in fire. However, none of this even seemed to faze Zarc. He continued to look on, eyes smoldering.

"What? Is that it?" he sneered. "If this is supposed to be your ace, I'm not impressed!"

Kakimoto's eyebrow twitched. Above it, a vein pulsed in anger. "What was that?!" he growled. "You want me to demolish you?!"

"Go ahead and try!" Zarc shot back. "Clear Wing will obliterate both you and that pompous ass you suck-up to!"

Yuzu's eyes widened. "What's he thinking?!" she cried. Since Yuya's Turn ended, Clear Wing's ATK points had reverted back to its original value. Infernal Flame Emperor, however, had higher offensive power. If it attacked, Clear Wing would be destroyed. Kakimoto didn't seem to have any other monster on him, but she was sure that he and Sawatari had something planned. Zarc should have realized this. So why was he being so foolish?! It then struck her as to why he was purposely goading Kakimoto into attacking. He still had one more ace on his field. "Could it be...?!"

"Fine then!" Kakimoto snarled. "Battle! I attack Supreme King Servant Dragon with Infernal Flame Emperor! Blaze Wrath Invocation!"

SKSD Clear Wing released a howl, challenging its opponent with equal force to its own rampaging flames. The flaming giant released a piercing cry of its own before it created a giant ball of flame, sending it flying straight at Clear Wing.

Unfortunately for Kakimoto, this was exactly as Zarc had hoped as a vicious smile formed on his face, eyes burning red with glee as he revealed their fates to them. "I activate Clear Wing's Effect! When battling a monster my opponent controls, it can automatically destroy that monster!" The brilliant wings on Clear Wing shined brightly, encompassed by a green glow before it proceeded to swing them forward, creating a giant gust of wind that crashed against the hurling fireball. "Additionally, when that monster is destroyed, you take damage equal to its ATK points!"

The blowing winds consumed the fireball, snuffing the inferno away before charging forward at Infernal Flame Emperor. The flaming beast could do nothing to stop its advance, soon finding itself consumed and becoming apart of the blistering whirlwinds. What was once a spiraling force of ferocious winds was now a fiery tornado, heading straight for Sawatari and Kakimoto. The spectators' eyes widened in fright, realizing that if the attack struck, they would definitely be walking away with a few scratches.

Zarc saw no reason to stop it.

"YOU'RE FINISHED!"

Sawatari and Kakimoto could only watch in horror as the spiraling blaze continued, intending to engulf them and reduce them to mere ashes.

However-!

"I activate the Action Magic: Flame Guard! If you take any Effect damage, that damage is automatically negated!"

At the very least second, a shield made of gold stood between the two LDS students and the hurricane of flames. The oncoming inferno was not stopped in the least, but the two were at least spared. They raised their arms to their faces, avoiding any sparks that would hit them in the face and to shield themselves from the overwhelming heat. Once it passed, the golden shield shattered apart into fragments, which then dissolved into light. Around them, black scorch marks lined the bridge - a testament to how powerful the flurry of fire truly was. They realized seconds later that someone had saved them with an Action Card. It was neither of them, as they had been paralyzed by the prospect of being reduced to ashes. It did not not take them long to find their apparent savior, however.

Standing atop the railing, with an Action Card set on his board, was Yuya Sakaki.

"Y-Yuya?!" Yuzu shouted. Out of all the people she expected to save someone like Sawatari, she did not expect it to be him. "He saved them?"

Zarc looked equally as shaken, staring at Yuya incredulously. He didn't understand this action. Why was Yuya interfering? They would have won. He would have gotten his Pendulum cards back. Moreover, Sawatari and his stooge would pay for what they just did to the little ones! Why did he bother saving trash like that?! Seeing this expression, Yuya closed his eyes. "...I may not like the idea of Sawatari taking my friends hostage." he said slowly, shoulders trembling. "And I definitely didn't like how he played dirty. But...!"

He opened his eyes, and Zarc was taken aback, seeing nothing but a fiery passion reflected in those red orbs - the same passion he saw in their duel.

"If I'm going to win a Duel, it'll be with my Entertainment Dueling! Especially not if it means my opponent gets hurt, or worse! That isn't dueling, its just bullying and outright murder!"

Though he had said so unintentionally, it caused yet another reaction from Zarc, who slowly looked at the scorch marks around Kakimoto and Sawatari. The implications and realization of his actions were beginning to sink in. When it did, he found his hands shaking uncontrollably, threatening to drop his cards.

"Kakimoto!" Yuya called. "It's still your Turn!"

"E-eh?" Kakimoto blinked, snapping out of it. "I...I set 1 card face down, and end my turn."

Yuya/Zarc's Hand: 0/0
Sawatari/Kakimoto's Hand: 0/1

"M-my Turn." Zarc said, his fierce gaze having long since disappeared. The children noticed how he seemed to be averting his gaze away from Sawatari and Kakimoto - no, he was looking away from the results of his own action. He had been so absorbed in his rage that he had discarded the possibility that he might have actually killed them. Worse...a part of him wished for this to happen. It wanted him to hurt them - or worse, kill them. It would have enjoyed it greatly as well. The fact alone made Zarc take everything he could do to try and continue the duel, in spite of the fact that his hands were still trembling madly. "Draw. I activate the Spell Card: Mystical Space Typhoon. I can target 1 Trap or Spell on the field, and destroy it. I target the card you have on the field."

Kakimoto, already recovered properly compared to him, was quick to respond. "I activate the Trap Card: Threatening Roar! This prevents you from declaring an attack with any monster you control!"

The two cards flipped up at the same time. The blue card released a whirlwind - significantly less intensive than Clear Wing's own attack - and destroyed the Trap. Before it had, however, it had released a shockwave that echoed across the field. As it did, all the monsters on the field let out a small whine, feeling something oppressive pressing down against them.

With no further moves to play, Zarc closed his eyes - whether out of frustration or guilt of what he had nearly done was up for debate. "I...end my Turn."

Yuya/Zarc's Hand: 0/0
Sawatari/Kakimoto's Hand: 0/1

"My turn!" Sawatari called. "Draw!" As he swiped the card from his deck, the blonde duelist leveled a small glare at Yuya. In truth, while he was grateful that the Dueltainer had saved him, he felt as though his pride had taken a significant blow. "If you expect me to go easy since you saved me, you have another thing coming, Yuya Sakaki!"

Yuya smirked. "Then don't hold back on my account!"

Sawatari huffed, and proceeded with his turn. "Using the already set Scales of the Pendulum, I Pendulum Summon once more!" Once more, a trail of light spun into a portal. And out from it, yet another stream of light, forming into a monster that already looked familiar in terms of design - robotic. It had jet black armor with violet highlights, a dart-like weapon attached to its right arm with a pair of thrusters on its back, coupled with a pair of wings. "PENDULUM SUMMONING!" Sawatari shouted at the very top of his lungs. "C'mon down! Level 7! Superior Darts Shooter!"

[Superior Darts Shooter / EARTH / Level 7 / Machine / Effect / ATK 2000 / DEF 0]

"I activate Superior Darts Shooter's Effect! When summoned, I can target up to 2 Level 6 or lower "Darts" Monsters in my Graveyard and Special Summon them to the field! For each I Special Summon, Superior Darts Shooter gains 500 ATK points!"

Superior Darts Shooter, with almost robotic-like movements, aimed its arm up above and fired two bolts of light. These bolts then became two familiar monsters - Sonic Darts Shooter and Missile Darts Shooter. When they landed on either side of Superior Darts Shooter, the three machines brought up their weapons: tips touching and allowing a cobalt blue aura to dance around them.

[Superior Darts Shooter / ATK 2000 + 1000 = 3000]

"He brought back Missile Darts and Sonic Darts." the onlooker commented. "That means his next move is..."

"I now activate Missile Darts Shooter and Sonic Darts Shooter's Effects!" Sawatari continued on. The aforementioned monsters glowed, becoming forms of light that became absorbed into Superior Darts Shooter's form. As a result, the circuits along its dart-like weapon began to glow brilliantly. "Sonic Darts renders the Effects of Monsters, Traps and Spells useless until the Damage Step! Missile Darts allows me to destroy 1 card you control for every "Darts" monster in my Graveyard! Since Missile and Sonic Darts' Effects can only be activated when Tributed, they alongside Ultimate Darts Shooter are the only monsters in my Graveyard!" As Superior Darts Shooter took aim, intending to deliver three attacks all at once, the circuits on its weapon continued to glow. "With Missile Darts' Effect, I destroy Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon, Entermate Balloon Barrier Tapir and Supreme King Servant Dragon Clear Wing! While I'm at it, my Superior Darts Shooter will destroy Entermate Gold Fang! Now, Battle!"

With that, Superior Darts Shooter launched four bolts of energy. Each struck the four named monsters dead on without delay, creating a giant explosion of clouds. The bridge shook from the force of the impact, swaying somewhat. As the cloud cleared, it showed the You Show students standing together. The three children were shielded from the blast by Yuya and Zarc, thus leaving the two to take the brunt of the damage. Their clothes were damaged somewhat - Yuya's coat had been sent flying off his shoulders, left to hang on a cable keeping the bridge suspended to the remains of the tower. Zarc's clothes were partially burnt - black marks and tears caused by flying debris could be seen somewhat.

Yuya Sakaki & Zarc: 1300 - 1200 = 100

"YUYA!" Yuzu cried in fright. "ZARC!"

The two teens groaned, reeling from the force while they removed themselves from the children. "You kids..." Zarc said, wincing while trying to manage a smile. "O-okay...?" Shakily, they nodded. Tears were forming in their eyes, worried for their elder brother figures. Zarc couldn't help but feel as if karma had just come around and bit him in the ass. That attack would have been severely bad had he and Yuya not protected the little ones from it - just like what would have happened to Sawatari and Kakimoto had Yuya not used that Action Card. He bit his lip, feeling as if this situation had happened because of him. All because of that one moment of hate.

Days ago, he wished to achieve the Dueling Yuya Sakaki and those at You Show Duel School practiced - dueling to make both the crowd and the opponent smile with impressive theatrics. Such a dueling was beautiful and incredible. Yet, he couldn't help but feel as if it were out of his reach. His actions earlier proved as such.

'Do I...really want to hurt people?'

Yuya/Zarc's Hand: 0/0
Sawatari/Kakimoto's Hand: 0/1

"I end my Turn." Sawatari said, slipping a hand into his pants pocket since he no longer had any cards to hold. "You should forfeit right now and save me the trouble, Yuya Sakaki. Your Life Points are practically already at zero. The only monster you have left is a measly balloon animal. Face facts - you lost. There isn't any shame in admitting defeat. It simply means that I'm clearly the superior duelist, as is expected of a student from LDS!"

Yuzu grounded her teeth, wishing she could march onto the field and give that blonde bastard a rightful punch to the face. Gods, how arrogant could he be?! When this Duel was over, she was DEFINITELY going to pummel him into next week! She then looked at Yuya in worry. As much as she hated to say it, Yuzu knew that Sawatari was not wrong. Things were definitely not looking good for Yuya. Zarc had helped him stay on track, but at the rate things were going...she couldn't help but fear the worse. All Yuzu could hope to do was cheer him on.

It seemed unnecessary, however, as she soon learned. "What're you talking about?" Yuya asked, a wide smile forming across his face as he raised his head. Zarc and Yuzu's eyes widened, seeing the fierce resolve and determination still present in his eyes. "Zarc said it before, didn't he? The fun..."

He placed a hand on his deck. 'Yeah...our backs are against the wall, but...' the young Dueltainer thought. 'A duel isn't over...not until the last card is played! I can't back down now!'

"...has only just begun! It's my Turn!"

'This is it. I can only bet on this last chance! This is...my Destiny-!'

"-DRAW!"

Yuya tore the top card from his deck. For a moment, Zarc could have sworn he saw sparkles dance from the motion. Faintly, Yuya's Pendulum began to glow. His eyes held onto the card, and soon his heart leaped. A wide grin spread across his face as he slammed it down on the board of his Duel Disk, allowing the Solid System to manifest it. It flipped up, revealing it to be a Spell Card with two magicians, surrounded by a familiar ephemeral light.

"I activate the Spell Card: Pendulum Call!" Yuya announced the name of the card as it shined. "By sending 1 card to the Graveyard, I can add 2 "Magician" Pendulum monsters with different names from my Deck to my hand!"

Sawatari frowned. "But the only card you have is your Cheermole." he said before realizing what Yuya was after once the boy set off in a run, heading straight towards the railing that was lopsided due to the cables being severed from the blast Superior Darts Shooter set off earlier. He snarled and immediately began running as well. "You...! You determined brat! You're planning on using an Action Card! But I won't let you!"

"Go, Yuya-niichan!" Futoshi shouted at the top of his lungs. The other two children joined him. "Go! Go! Go!"

The Dueltainer and the blonde were neck and neck. Despite Yuya having the lead, Sawatari was quickly pulling ahead. A grin touched his lips, stretching out his hand as he leaped. "It's mine-!"

He was promptly cut off when Cheermole leaped up and headbutted him in the stomach, causing him to veer off and comically face-plant right into the railing. Kakimoto cried, rushing to see if he was alright while the Entermate monster fumed. It was completely fed-up with this pathetic and arrogant duelist from causing further harm and pain to its duelist. As one of the monsters under Yuya's care, it too shared his drive to make everyone smile and damned if it was about to let this Sawatari ruin it any further!

Yuya smiled gratefully at Cheermole, who blushed under his look and tried to hide behind its pom-poms. Zarc blinked at this, even noting how he could feel its feelings. He was even more stunned by the faith it had in Yuya as well. Did it have that much trust in him? Even though the situation looked so bleak?

"Hey!" one of Sawatari's lackies shouted in anger out on the sidelines. "That's cheating dammit!"

Yuzu huffed, smirking as she crossed her arms. "You idiots really don't know anything, do you?" she said, causing them to look at her. "It's natural for monsters to run interference when a duelist is going for an Action Card! That's practically Action Dueling 101!"

Yuya snickered, seeing his childhood friend admonish the idiots for such a simple mistake before he took the Action Card from the railing. He then smiled even more, as it was an Action Magic. "I send the Action Magic: Extreme Sword to the Graveyard to activate Pendulum Call's Effect!" The card developed the same ephemeral light that shone whenever a Pendulum Summoning took place, spreading out and releasing a beautiful light. The Action Card in Yuya's hand became enveloped in this light as he placed it in the slot on his Duel Disk, sending it to the grave. With that done, two cards popped out from the deck for Yuya to take. The Dueltainer graciously took them. "And now, ladies and gentlemen! It's time for the grand finale! Once more, put your hands together for a spectacular Pendulum Summoning, courtesy of the Sakaki Circus!"

As he recovered from his face-plant into the railing, rubbing his now red face, Sawatari's eyes widened, now realizing that Yuya had in his arsenal to once again Pendulum Summon, despite his Scales already being destroyed. "No way...!"

Meanwhile, the You Show Students were utterly enthralled. For some odd reason, a pair of stagelights seemed to dance across Yuya, complete with different-colored lights. "Pendulum!" the children chanted excitedly alongside Yuzu and the onlooker, who now became utterly excited. Something wonderful was about to happen. He could feel it. "Pendulum! Pendulum! Pendulum!"

"Yuya..." Zarc breathed, utterly left in awe. Yuya...he was actually trying to turn things around. "You..."

Yuya's smile grew ever wider, proceeding to reveal the cards in his hand. "And now, I set the Scale 2 Entermate Pendulum Magician and the Scale 8 Entermate Odd-Eyes Unicorn in the Pendulum Zones!"

Like many times before after placing the cards at the edge of the board, pillars of light danced on either side of the duelists. On the left side was the Entermate Pendulum Magician - a male garbed in a red robe with the front opened to reveal a black bodysuit and red boots marked with gray accents. Metal wrapped around the undersides of the robe's arms and cuffs - blue orbs decorating the front while a tophat sat atop its head, obscuring the mop of blue hair it possessed. In hand was a swinging medal, bearing a familiar blue crystal in its grasp. On the right side was a green-colored unicorn. Striped along its back was a fluffy-pink mane while bearing dark blue hooves. Like the rest of the Entermate monsters, it wore a jacket with a red-and-yellow polka-dot bowtie. True to its name, one eye was colored green and the other red. In between the eyes, a proud horn stood sharply.

"With this, I can now summon any monster between Levels 3 and 7 simultaneously!" Yuya spread his arms out as the pendulum swung once again. Unlike before, Zarc's cracked pendulum was nowhere to be found. "Swing, Pendulum of my Soul! Draw an arc of light, across the ether! PENDULUM SUMMONING!" Out from the portal came more streaks of light. To the surprise of Sawatari, standing before him was Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon and Entermate Gold Fang - the former of which roared out proudly upon its return. From its roar, Zarc felt his own heart soar even higher, realizing that the dragon, too, held complete faith in Yuya. It knew he could win. And that was all the assurance he needed to believe in Yuya. Something, he realized shortly, that he should have believed in since the start of this Duel. "Together from the Extra Deck, I Pendulum Summon Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon and Entermate Gold Fang!"

"W-what?!" Kakimoto shouted, eyes wide. "But those cards were destroyed! C-can Pendulum Summoning revive monsters from the Graveyard too?!"

Ayu giggled, wagging a finger at the teen. "Nope!" she teased, giving him a wink while sticking out her tongue. "When Pendulum monsters are destroyed, they're sent to the Extra Deck instead of the Graveyard! Yuya-niichan found this out with his duel against Zarc-niichan!"

"EH?!"

"Before the show begins, let's give our stars time to prepare! First, I activate Gold Fang's Effect! All Entermate monsters on my field gain 200 ATK points when summoned! Then I activate Entermate Pendulum Magician's Effect! When an "Entermate" monster is Pendulum Summoned, all Entermate monsters I control gain 1000 ATK points!"

Gold Fang growled, releasing a powerful howl that brought forth another golden aura, washing over it and Cheermole. At the same time, Pendulum Magician spun the medal in its hands, creating a brilliant blue circle as the pillar it resided in shined, releasing a small wave of light that covered the Entermate monsters.

[Entermate Cheermole / ATK 600 + 1000 + 200 = 1800]
[Entermate Gold Fang / ATK 1800 + 1000+ 200 = 3000]

Sawatari gulped, realizing how bad this was. If he used Gold Fang to attack Superior Darts Shooter, he'd be left wide open. With how low their Life Points were...Cheermole alone could end them! Kakimoto also realized this, and turned to Sawatari in a panic. "B-Boss Sawatari?! What do we do?!"

"Time to raise the curtain!" Yuya grinned, hopping atop Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon, thus earning confused looks from everyone. "Battle! I attack Superior Darts Shooter with Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon!"

"What?!" Yuzu shouted. "What is he doing?! He could end this if he used Gold Fang! Why is he using Odd-Eyes?!"

Zarc was the first to realize what Yuya had planned, especially when he noticed the light shining from Entermate Odd-Eyes Unicorn, who gave a snort as its horn began to glow beautifully.

"I activate our supporting cast - Entermate Odd-Eyes Unicorn's Pendulum Effect! When an "Odd-Eyes" monster I control battles, I can target 1 "Entermate" monster I control! The monster I control that battles then gains ATK points equal to that Entermate's! I target Entermate Gold Fang, and give Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon 3000 ATK points!" With a neigh, Odd-Eyes Unicorn bucked upward, letting its horn shine in tandem with its pillar as Gold Fang released a howl, letting a light blue aura dance from its body and become apart of Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon. The beast' dual colored eyes shined brilliantly, sparkling lights dancing across its body. "And the coup de grace! I activate Entermate Cheermole's Effect! If a monster I control's ATK points are higher than its original value, Cheermole can give them an extra 1000 ATK points!" At this, Cheermole began to dance about exitedly, swinging its pom-poms around while Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon's light began to grow even brighter.

[Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon / ATK 2500 + 3000 + 1000 = 6500]

At this point, all four LDS Duelists felt their hearts sink in despair. "Impossible?!" Sawatari shouted, sweating profusely as he now actively realized that he was completely and utterly screwed in every sense of the word. "6500 ATK points!" He looked around wildly, trying to find an Action Card that would save his life. He soon found one - right at the very end of the bridge, just hanging over the edge. He grit his teeth, and ran as fast as he possibly could while Kakimoto looked at Sawatari in worry, confused and unsure what he was supposed to do. Was he supposed to help?! Was he supposed to stop 'em?! What was he supposed to do?! "No way I'm letting things end here!"

"Here we go, Odd-Eyes!" Yuya cheered for his monster, who let out a cry of approval as the built-up energy began to gather into his maw, ready to be released and finish this duel. "Let's give these people their money's worth with our marvelous Entertainment Dueling!"

"YES!" Sawatari cried as he slid, grabbing the Action Card. Comically, however, he found himself hanging off the edge of the bridge, clinging for dear life. A victorious look was across his face, however, as he held up the Action Card in his grasp. "Sorry, Yuya Sakaki! But victory belongs to me, the great Shingo Sawatari! I activate the Action Magic: Ev-"

"I activate the Action Magic: Crush Action!" Suddenly, all lies fell on Zarc, who was now atop the crumbling remains of the tower atop the bridge. Beside him, the holographic image of an Action Card could be found. "Until the end of this Turn, any Action Cards you gain are immediately destroyed!"

To Sawatari's horror, the card in his hand shattered apart. With it, his hopes of winning.

The Duel was over.

"Now, Odd-Eyes! With those dual-colored eyes of yours, lay waste to all you see! SPIRAL STRIKE BURST!" At the height of Yuya's cry, Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon released the gathered energy, sending it straight at Superior Darts Shooter who remained defiant to the last. Unlike the previous times it attacked, where its flames were black-and-red, the spiraling blaze that would incinerate was brightly colored - a mixture of red, blue, gold and green with stars dancing around it. Kakimoto could only watch in horror and brace himself for the inevitable, especially when Yuya pleasantly reminded them of yet another horrifying fact: Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon's effect. "Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon's Effect activates! When battling a monster that's Level 5 or higher, the battle damage is doubled!"

At this, the flames grew even greater. Without further interruption, the attack slammed straight into Superior Darts Shooter at full force, creating a giant explosion with stars flying out high into the sky and exploding into brightly-colored fireworks - each resembling the monsters Yuya and Zarc controlled: Whip Viper, Darkwurm, Darkwhelp, Clear Wing, etc. "Wow...!" Ayu and the children cooed, utterly enthralled. "Look at the pretty fireworks!"

"Talk about shivers...!" Futoshi shook excitedly.

Zarc looked on, utterly awed and amazed. The sight was surreal. Wonderful. Beautiful even. Of course, what else was there to expect, given that this was the result of the dueling of the one person Zarc admired and respected with all of his heart, aspiring to be exactly like him.

Of course, they all failed to notice that, because of the explosion, Kakimoto was sent flying and fell right into the water. The explosion also caused the bridge to shake, causing Sawatari to fall with his partner. He had just resurfaced when a small piece of debris smacked him on the head, knocking him out instantly upon impact.

Shingo Sawatari & Kakimoto: 2100 - 9000 = 0

WINNER: Yuya Sakaki & Zarc!

At this, the entirety of the court dissolved into light, returning to normal. Yuya, Zarc and the children found themselves falling a bit - Zarc moreso because of his position atop the tower earlier, though he managed to roll into it in order to ease the damage. They then turned to find Kakimoto rubbing his back, groaning in pain while Sawatari himself laid flat on his stomach, arms and legs sprawled with his deck spread across the floor. Two cards in particular were face-up. Seeing them, Zarc frowned and walked over, picking up "Stargazer Magician" and "Timegazer Magician" from the floor. Giving a huff and a lasting glare at the unconscious blonde, he turned away to let his flunkies tend after him as they ran out from the observation court, tending to him and Kakimoto.

"Here you go, Yuya." he said, handing the two cards back to his friend. "One Stargazer and Timegazer, as promised."

Yuya's eyes sparked as he graciously accepted them back. "I'm sorry, you guys!" he apologized to his cards, much to the amusement of the children and Yuzu, who walked up with a wry smile on her face. "I knew I should have known something was up! I'm never letting you guys out of my sight again!"

Zarc was probably the only one who saw it, but he could have sworn he saw the faint apparitions of Stargazer and Timegazer Magician standing before their retainer, smiling beneath the masks. 'It isn't just Cheermole or Odd-Eyes...' Zarc released, developing a faint smile. 'All of his monsters believe in him. Like Yuya, they want to make everyone smile.' He held his hand over his heart, feeling a paced, rhythmic beat. 'Smiles... Dueling to make people smile. That kind of dueling...really is beautiful.'

"Nice job, you guys." Yuzu congratulated, bringing him out of his thoughts. "You definitely gave that third-rate Sawatari a good butt-kicking!"

"And you got your cards back!" Tatsuya cheered, jumping up. "Those fireworks at the end were so cool! Yuya-niichan's Entertainment Dueling is really awesome!" In response, the other two bobbed their heads up and down fiercely in agreement.

And they were right. Yuya's dueling was far greater than anything he had ever seen. Even still...it only made the guilt in his heart all the more worse. "...I'm sorry, you guys." Zarc apologized with shame, causing the five to look at him. "I lost my cool back there. Maybe if I hadn't tried and roast Sawatari..." he sighed, scratching the back of his neck. "I-I don't know. Maybe things wouldn't have gotten so bad when he brought out Superior Darts Shooters. Again, I..."

"Oh, quit apologizing!" Yuzu snapped at him, folding her arms with a serious look. "You did nothing wrong. Granted, you went a bit overboard with your Clear Wing, but...I think that reaction was completely normal!" She then gave the still-unconscious Sawatari a stink-eye. "Especially against someone as rotten as that!"

Yuya nodded. "Got that right. Besides!" The Dueltainer grinned, putting his hands behind his back. "If you ask me, your Entertainment Dueling was pretty amazing too!"

Unknowingly, Yuya's words caused Zarc's heart to skip a beat, cheeks dusted with pink. "E-eh?"

"That's right." Yuzu agreed with her friend, as did the little ones. "The way you dueled was just as amazing as Yuya." She then developed a more teasing look as she wagged a finger at the red-and-green haired boy. "Of course, you would look way better if you attacked with Clear Wing instead of Yuya. He really couldn't pull off that dragon-rider look well."

"Oi! I take offense to that!"

As the two bickered, Zarc was still left speechless by what Yuya had told him. His dueling was...amazing? His Entertainment Dueling? Surely, he was kidding. It was nowhere compared to his. It wasn't as grand or as eye-catching and dramatic as Yuya's whatsoever. Even so, the words continued to make it as if his heart was racing a thousand miles.

"Still, you gotta admit..." Yuya remarked, putting his hands behind his head with a small smile on his face. "Sawatari kind of had the right idea: the gallant heroes taking on the villains to save children trapped inside a tower." A pause, then a disapproving frown formed on his face. "Good idea, but bad execution. It's all fun and games until you get a splinter. In this case, falling down into a river six feet high with a tower coming down right above you!"

Sagely, the other You Show Duel School students nodded in agreement.

"Y-you...you bastards...!" They turned and frowned. Sawatari staggered to his feet, looking positively outraged. "Fine then...if I can't win 'em, then I'll just take those Pendulum cards by for-URK!"

"TYAH!"

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a blue blur came forward and struck Sawatari in the side of the head, causing a loud crack to echo in the air before the blonde pompous fool was sent flying, landing back on the field and tumbling before coming to a stop, legs dangling in the air before falling back down, flat on his stomach. "BOSS SAWATARI!" his flunkies cried, rushing over to their boss and fawning over him.

The group blinked, and turned to find a short, young boy with light cyan hair, tied up and spiked out at the end. He wore a blue jacket with a yellow and orange trim over a black t-shirt. He wore a pair of light gray cargo shorts over long white socks and brown shoes. His eyes were green, which only seemed to further compliment his hair. In his mouth was what appeared to be a pink lollipop.

"Seriously, how pathetic are you?" the boy inquired with a frown, looking at Sawatari, who was once again unconscious. "You're a Duelist for pete's sake. At least try and accept your defeat with some dignity!" Sighing, he shook his head and then turned to Yuya and Zarc with a wide smile. "Ohayo."

"Uh..." Yuya blinked again, uncertain. The rest were just as confused. Where did he come from? "Hi... Who are you, exactly?"

"My name is Sora Shiunin." the boy introduced himself with a bow. "I originally wanted to attend Leo Duel School, but after seeing you two..." A wide grin spread across his face. "I think I want to go with you guys instead!"

'Oh boy...' Yuzu sweatdropped. 'Dad'll be happy to hear about this.'

Sora bowed his head again. "I look forward to our time together, Yuya-sensei! Zarc-sensei!"

"Er, sure..." Zarc said before his brain registered what Sora said, his eyes widening in shock while Sora just continued to grin. "Wait, sensei?!"

---

"...impressive." the young man remarked as he watched the Duel reached its end, courtesy of a flashy overkill at the hands of Yuya Sakaki in his trademark Entertainment Dueling. While such overwhelming force was rather unnecesary, he understood the need for such a powerful finishing blow. Sawatari had most certainly displayed behavior unworthy of the Lancers. While his skill was passable, his attitude was definitely going to need work. "Please record this information to our Lancer Archives," he kindly asked his subordinates. "Also, register Zarc as an official Duelist in Maiami City." The various people working at the consoles bowed their heads, following his instructions while the agent came up behind him. The young turned, narrowing his eyes. "How goes the process?"

"Very well." the agent answered. "With two users of this Pendulum Summoning, we should be able to develop the Prototype Cards sooner than expected." The gray-haired teen nodded, pleased to know this. It was only natural that he would be using these two's duels to gather data necessary to mass-produce these Pendulum Cards of theirs. If they were to succeed in the battles ahead, such a powerful weapon was most definitely required. The agent, however, made his displeasure known when he found Sawatari's duel info displayed on a nearby monitor. "I understand we require every capable Duelist available...but must we rely on someone like that?"

The young man shrugged his shoulders. "You should understand this already, Nakajima." he chided. "We require every able-bodied Duelist who can duel well enough, regardless of morals." He paused briefly. "Then again, I understand your concerns. Shingo Sawatari's attitude leaves much to be desired." The young man then noticed one other person in the room, staring at Zarc's profile with a foreign look in her eyes. "Do you find that person interesting?"

"...Zarc." the person - revealed to be a young woman around the same age as the mentioned amnesiac Duelist - spoke with a soft tenderness. She had long maroon and dark-red hair, tied into two pigtails on either side of her head with blue eyes. She wore a pale blue-and-purple shirt with white sleeves, along with white pants with dark pink strips around her calves and thighs. Strapped to her left thigh was a pouch, containing a deck. Along with the dark blue device located on her wrist, both signified her status as a duelist. Hanging around her neck were white goggles with light pink-lenses. "That name...I know it."

The young man's eyes widened slightly. "You do?"

The girl nodded, bringing a hand to her chest. "Yes...this person...is the one I want to save."

"...I see." Slowly, the young man pushed up his glasses. He didn't know what to make of her words initially when they first met - mentioning that she wanted to save someone, but now that he knew the person in question, it made sense. The pure rage and ferocity that made itself known during the duel had made it clear.

Of course, it only brought forth the same question he had been asking for years now. Ever since the day his mother found her as a child with no memories of anything.

'Who exactly are you...Ray Akaba?'

-Chapter: END-

---

Zarc: Tell you what - let's have a Duel. Beat me, and I'll give you some of my cards. Lose, and you stop bothering me and Yuya. Deal?

Yuya: He's been bothering me nonstop! He even won over my mother for crying out loud!

?: First Xyz, then Synchro...and now Fusion. There is more to Zarc than I had initially thought.

Sora: T-that dragon...it can't be! Y-Yuri?!

Zarc: Servant of the almighty Supreme Dragon, descend together with the warring dragon and create a new dragon of devastation! FUSION SUMMONING!

Next Scale: Poisonous Encounter

---

Card Information

"Black-Eye Shot" / Trap / Normal / If an opponent's monster declares an attack: You can add 1 "Dart" monster from your Deck to your hand and reveal it; reduce the ATK of the attacking monster by the Level of the revealed card X 200, also, if the attacking monster's ATK is reduced to 0, destroy it and inflict damage to your opponent's LP equal to the original ATK of the destroyed monster.

"Cue Ball Scratch" / Action Trap / Destroy 1 other Spell/Trap Card you control. If you control no Spell/Trap Cards: Take 1000 damage.

"Push Shot Foul" / Action Trap / If you have 5 or more card in your hand: Discard 1 random card.

"Supreme King Servant Dragon Darkwyrm" / DARK / Level 5 / Dragon / Pendulum / Effect / ATK 2000 / DEF 1600 / Scale 3 / Pendulum Effect / You can Tribute this card to target 1 "Supreme King" monster you control: This turn, it can make one additional attack per Battle Phase. / Monster Effect / If this card is destroyed: You can activate 1 of the following effects: ● Set up to 2 "Supreme King" cards from your hand, Deck, GY, or face-up from your Extra Deck. ● Activate up to 2 "Supreme King" Pendulum Cards in your Pendulum Zones from your hand, Deck, GY, or face-up from your Extra Deck. ● Special Summon up to 2 "Supreme King" monsters from your hand, Deck, GY, or face-up from your Extra Deck.

"Supreme King Servant Dragon Darkdrago" / DARK / Level 4 / Dragon / Pendulum / Effect / ATK 1600 / DEF 1600 / Scale 5 / Pendulum Effect / Once per turn, if a "Supreme King" monster you control battles: You can make that monster gain 500 ATK for each "Supreme King" card you control, until the end of the Damage Step. / Monster Effect / Once per turn, during either player's turn, if a "Supreme King" monster you control battles: You can make that monster gain 1000 ATK; also, the monster it is battling loses 1000 ATK and DEF. These changes last until the end of the Battle Phase.

"Supreme King Servant Dragon Darkwhelp / DARK / Level 4 / Dragon / Pendulum / Tuner / Effect / ATK 400 / DEF 400 / Scale 6 / Pendulum Effect / If a card on the field or in the hand is destroyed: You can Special Summon 1 "Supreme King" monster from your hand, GY, face-up in your Pendulum Zone, or face-up from your Extra Deck. (You can only use this effect of "Supreme King Servant Dragon Darkwhelp" once per turn). / Monster Effect / During either player's turn, you can activate 1 of the following effects: ● Fusion Summon 1 "Supreme King" monster from your Extra Deck using monsters you control, including this card. ● Synchro Summon 1 "Supreme King" monster from your Extra Deck using monsters you control, including this card. ● Xyz Summon 1 "Supreme King" monster from your Extra Deck using monsters you control, including this card.

"Sonic Darts Shooter" / EARTH / Level 5 / Machine / Effect / ATK 1600 / DEF 500 / You can target 1 "Darts" monster you control: Tribute this card, and if you do, if it attacks this turn, your opponent cannot activate cards or effects; also, the effects of all face-up Spell/Trap Cards your opponent controls are negated. These changes last until the end of the Damage Step.

"Missile Darts Shooter" / EARTH / Level 6 / Machine / Effect / ATK 1700 / DEF 0 / You can target 1 "Darts" monster you control: Tribute this card, and if you do, if it attacks a monster this turn, you can activate this effect at the end of the Damage Step: Destroy cards your opponent controls, up to the number of Level 5 or higher "Darts" monsters in your GY.

"Superior Darts Shooter" / EARTH / Level 7 / Machine / Effect / ATK 2000 / DEF 0 / If this card is Summoned: You can target up to 2 Level 6 or Lower "Darts" monsters in your GY; Special Summon them, and if you do, this card gains 500 ATK for each monster Summoned with this effect.

A/N: Once again, this chapter is the result of BEAUTIFUL work by not only Shimmering-Sky, but also by Donjustica! These two beautiful bastards (much to my own inner shame due to my lack of experience) helped make the outine of the duel. There were a few bumps, especially near the end, but we improvised! All credits go to them for the duel. My job was to write the dialogue, and I hope I portrayed Zarc well enough. Personally speaking, I felt I made him maybe a bit TOO aggressive when he goaded Sawatari into accepting a duel.

Special thanks go to Donjustica for pretty much every card you see here. I initially attempted to write out every card that made an appearance this chapter, including actual canon cards, but...yeah. I found myself lacking the will because the damn thing is LONG ENOUGH AS IS.

Once again, special thanks to Shimmering-Sky and Donjustica for their contribution in making this chapter - and duel - a reality! I highly recommend them both!