And just like that, it's time for Chapter 7! Here's where everything starts going to the next level. And a little bit of a reminder. This fanfic does indeed take place ten years before the actual start of Yu-Gi-Oh Arc V, and is pretty much all about my OCs. The characters from the series WILL appear during the time frame(As such, Yuya and Zuzu would be 4 years old), but it will happen near the end. Which will be quite a while.

Also, I'm using a 'Red Spiral' to describe Overlay Networks, because I feel that the galaxy Overlay Network should've remained exclusive to Number Cards from ZEXAL. As for Pendulum Summoning? You'll just have to wait and see, because I have something planned.

Lucas looked at the other boy in fright, pondering a few questions. "How did the ring appear, what did he mean by 'Duel for Souls' and what is up with his freaky bug Duel Disk?" Unfortunately nothing escaped his mouth. He attached his own disk to his arm and loaded his deck into it.

"Good." Benjamin said. "Now let's duel!" He said. "I draw!" With a swipe of his arm, he placed one of the six cards on the Monster Zone wing of his Beetle Disk. With a shriek, a huge four-armed vaguely humanoid insect appeared. Level 4/WIND/Insect/Effect/1400atk/900def.

"I set one card and end my turn."

"I draw..." Lucas began shakily. "I hope this works..." He set a card onto the energy panel of his disk sideways, and face down. A projection of the card appeared in front of him. "Turn end."

"No face-downs?" His foe asked, drawing. "Too bad. I'll enhance my Flying Kamakiri #1 with my Insect Armor with Laser Cannon Equip Spell!" A laser cannon appeared on the giant dragonfly's back. "This grants him a seven-hundred attack point bonus. Attack!" The cannon took aim and blasted Lucas's face-down monster. A quadripedal red monster appeared, before being burnt to ashes.

"Keh-heh! Was that a Griffore!?" Benjamin cackled. "Pl-ease don't tell me your whole deck's like that! I think I'll toy with you and end my turn!"

Lucas frowned. "I draw..." 'Hey, this one's stronger...but I better use this first.' He thought. "I activate Mystical Space Typhoon!" A wind storm whipped up and ripped apart Benjamin's Laser Cannon card.

"It'll take more than that to stop me."

"But this might! Jerry Beans Man in attack mode!" A small knight made of jelly beans appeared. Level 3/EARTH/Plant/1750atk/0def. "Attack!" It slashed Flying Kamakiri in two, causing it to shatter.

Benjamin-3750 Lp.

"You fell right for it." Benjamin taunted. A card ejected from his deck. "Thanks to my dragonfly's effect, I can special summon a WIND-attribute monster from my deck with 1500 or fewer attack points!" A large egg sag appeared on his field, before a sizeable grub appeared from it. Level 1/WIND/Insect/Effect/0atk/0def.

"That is Ultimate Insect Level 1." He continued.

This made the blond boy grimace. He heard about Lv monsters in the past, but he never really faced any of them. They were rare these days. "That's it for my turn..."

"Thank you. I draw. And now my creature evolves to it's Level 3 stage!" The grub glowed with green light before morphing to look similar to a giant red and purple centipede. Level 3/WIND/Insect/Effect/1400ATK/900DEF. "And as an added bonus, my new creature's ability lowers the attack points of all your monsters by 300, so long as he remains on the field!

"I'll set one more card face down and end my turn."

"My turn! Draw!" Lucas announced. He looked through his hand before examining the field. Jerry Beans Man, even with it's power drop was still fifty attack points stronger than the insect. "Okay! Now I'll summon Beaver Warrior!" The small rodent wielding sword and shield appeared. Level 4/EARTH/Beast-Warrior/1200-900ATK/1500DEF. "This should work! Jerry Beans Man attack that big bug!"

As the Plant-knight charged, Benjamin waved his hand. A whirlwind creating a barrier appeared, causing the sword of Jerry Beans Man to bounce off. "Your soldier couldn't take the winds of my Negate Attack Trap!"

Lucas grimaced, before he slipped a card into his Spell&Trap Zone. 'Now that thing's just gonna get stronger...and uglier!'

"I take that means it's my turn." Benjamin added, making another draw. He took another card from his deck. "And you know what that means. Ultimate Insect goes from Level 3 to Level 5!" The centipede creature's exoskeleton hardened almost like a giant pupa with legs. Level 5/WIND/Insect/Effect/2300ATK/900DEF. "This also increases the amount of force your monsters lose by 500! Now I'll pile on Armored Bee!" As the name suggested, a large armored bee with blade-like wings appeared. Level 4/WIND/Insect/Effect/1600ATK/1200DEF.

"Ultimate Insect! Send his Jerry Beans Man back to the candy store!" The giant bug shrieked before sinking one of it's mandibles into it's target, shattering him. Lucas Life Points took a hit and lowered to 2900.

"Now Armored Bee, stab his antique rat, with Stinger Shot!" The bee launched in at Beaver Warrior and impaled him in the chest. Lucas's Life lowered down even further to 2000.

"Not even five minutes into the game and you're almost dead." Benjamin taunted. "This isn't even entertainment! Your like a pathetic fly caught in my spider web! Turn end!"

Lucas wiped some sweat from his brow. Something was off, as his knees felt weak. His body felt heavier, and his breath intensified. 'This...this isn't an Action Duel...none of those attacks even hit me head on. So why do I feel so...weak?'

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the now fog-obscured forest, Emili shuddered in her tent, wrapped in the embrace of a nightmare.

She found herself back in the field she dueled Fang in. Only now he looked totally malicious. And now he had both Black Ray Lancer back on his field, as well as Hammer Shark, Spear Shark, and Double Shark.

"Looks like the games over for you!" The thug snarled. "I overlay these three Level 4 monsters to build the overlay network! Roar, fanged beast from the depths! Xyz Summon! Appear, Number 32: Shark Drake!"

Much to her horror, the three monsters morphed into a galaxy spiral, which disgorged a triangular shape that unfolded into an enormous draconian shark with red skin.

"No..." She began. Fearing the beast's dreaded attack.

"Attack her life points directly with Deep Sea Destruction!"

"Ah!"

Emili opened her eyes to see herself sitting up in the tent she set up with assistance from the boys. No Fang. No monster.

'Phew. It was just a dream. Come to think of it, it HAD to have just been a dream. That...Shark Drake. Only a guy called Reginald Kastle used it, and it disappeared not too long after it's first use...' She thought. 'Why is it so cold?"

Unzipping the tent, she poked her head out. "Where'd all this fog come from?" She asked herself. Seeing no point in staying in the tent, she left to find Takashi sleeping on the ground in his personal sleeping bag, and also found an empty one a few feet away. "Huh!? Lucas! Where'd he go? Takashi, wake up!"

He stirred but simply rolled over. Emili ran up and shook him. "Wake up, you lunk-head!" Takashi's eyes popped open.

"Ow...my ears." He said, sitting up. "What is it?"

"Your friend's not in his sleeping bag!"

"What? I told him not to wander off!" Takashi growled. "Come on and help me find him."

"It's going to be difficult with the fog..." Emili added. "I hope he didn't get lost."

Back at the duel, Lucas struggled to draw his next card. "This isn't right... Why do I feel so weak?"

Benjamin snickered. "Probably because you are weak. From what I've seen, your deck is nothing but a bunch of weakling Normal Monsters, some from the very beginning of dueling! You should've really collected, instead of relying on cheap hand-me down fossils!"

Lucas frowned as he placed the next card into his Spell/Trap zone, and numerous golden swords of light appeared flew at Benjamin's field! Benjamin flinched, only to see that they crashed down in front of him.

"This card should protect me for a while..."

"Keh! Swords of Revealing Light?" Benjamin scoffed. "Fine, you'll have your three turns."

"Now I'll set a monster, one more face-down, and end my turn." Lucas said as a reversed sideways card appeared in front of him.

"Draw!" Benjamin announced. "Now my big bug get's even bigger! No longer Level 5, but Level 7!" The shell of his insect shattered away, as a larger creature emerged. It was an enormous cross between insects, but mostly resembled a beetle with elements of moth and mosquito. Level 7/WIND/Insect/Effect/2600atk/1200def.

"Now each of your monsters loses a total of 700atk!" He continued. "You've lost! There's nothing in that deck of pathetic scraps to save you! These swords will fade away, and then you're nothing but bug food!"

Lucas grimaced and sobbed. "No way...I-I'm going to lose..." 'It's over...' He thought. 'This sucks! Am I going to be kicked off the island? Are they going to lock me up somewhere? No...I wanna become a better duelist. I will become a better duelist!'

'It's my turn! I draw!" Lucas shouted. After swiping the card from the top of his deck, he looked at it. "...this one..."

"Did you draw something worth my time?" Benjamin asked. "Or just another piece of trash?"

"No cards are trash, ya little punk!"

The two boys looked to see Takashi and Emili, the former with a pissed-off scowl. "Lucas' deck may not be the best one around, but it can get him out of this situation!"

Benjamin looked at him in interest, before taking a computer tablet from his belt. A screen appeared, showing him. "Ah...Takashi Enji! The famous 'Black Flare.'" He beamed. "I was hoping to meet you."

Emili surveyed the area, to see a white circle of light surrounding the two duelists. "What's that light?"

"Probably just some little bit of wierd stage magic. And don't change the subject, kid!" Takashi demanded. "This isn't about me!"

"I'm no kid!" The auburn haired boy protested. "My name is Benjamin, and I'm a Player Killer in this tournament!"

"A Player Killer? You?" Emili asked. "I don't see it."

Benjamin glared at her. "You two are next."

Takashi scoffed. "Next? How about I get in on this little game? That way it saves you some time."

"Well why not? Go ahead, but I don't do Battle-Royale style! Join in if you want, but your little buddy here will lose!"

"What do you mean?"

"There's a 2000 Life Point penalty for interrupting a game in progress!"

Lucas gasped. "Activate Trap!"

"What?" Benjamin asked as the purple bordered card rose up. It had a picture of Horn Imp suffering from some affliction.

"I activate Side Effects!" Lucas said. "First, you can draw anywhere from one to three cards."

His opponent scoffed. "Dumbest effect ever! But I'll be happy to oblige! Thanks, stupid!" He picked up three cards from his deck.

"And now," Lucas smiled. "I gain 2000 Life Points for each card you drew!" His Life Points rose from 2000 to 8000!

"What!?"

"Now I can jump in after your next turn!" Takashi taunted. "Thanks, stupid!"

"And here's my Normal Summon! Bean Soldier!" A humanoid bean with arms, legs, and a sword appeared. Level 4/EARTH/Plant/1200atk/1400def.

"Your move."

Benjamin growled as he drew again, placing a a card into his Monster Zone. Flying Kamakiri #1 appeared. "I play three face downs and end my turn. Now, Takashi, I believe you wanted to enter the game?" The ring of light faded. The Red-Eyes user walked cautiously next to Lucas, as their combined Life Points lowered to 6000. The ring of light reappeared around them.

"Alright, my move." Takashi said, drawing his own hand of six. "And I'll play Foolish Burial!" A card stuck out from his deck and he placed it in his graveyard. "And now comes Silent Doom!" The Spell with the image of the hand reaching out with a rope of energy appeared. "This will let me summon the monster I just sent to the grave!" With a roar, Red-Eyes Black Flare Dragon appeared in flame, with it's head lowered in defense. Level 7/DARK/Dragon/Gemini/Effect/2400atk/2000def.

"Keh-keh!" Benjamin cackled. "Bringing out the big boys already are we?"

"I still haven't normal summoned yet. And my dragon is a Gemini. So now I'll just give I'll summon him again, so he has his effects!" The dragon glowed with golden light for a brief moment.

"I'll toss two face downs and end my turn."

Benjamin drew his next card. "Now I'll rid the field of these pesky swords! Mystical Space Typhoon!" The cyclone ripped apart the Swords of Revealing Light. "I know I could'a just waited, but where's the fun in that? Now my Ultimate Insect is let loose! Kill that Bean Soldier!"

Takashi glanced at Lucas as the huge bug flew at the Plant. "I got it!" Lucas said. "I activate...Justi-Break!" The Trap flipped up. "This destroys every monster except Face-up Normal ones!"

"And I'll activate Trap Jammer!" Benjamin retorted. "This negates your Justi-Break!"

"Sorry to spoil the fun, but now it's time to add more links to this chain!" Takashi added. "I activate Seven Tools of the Bandit!" The third trap bearing an image of a tricked out Swiss army knife lifted up. "By paying a thousand Life Points, I negate Trap Jammer!" Their combined Life Points fell to 5000 as the other purple framed card was electrocuted and shattered.

"So that means bye-bye Ultimate Insect and Flying Kamakiri #1!" Lucas continued as his own trap released three bolts of lighting that struck and obliterated Benjamin's bugs and Takashi's dragon. "Sorry, Takashi."

"No worries. I still got two more." He said. 'Plus I still got ways to bring him back.'

"Grr! Fine! Take your turn!" Benjamin demanded.

"Hold on!" Takashi said. "I'll use another Trap Card! Go, Oasis of Dragon Souls!"

"What is that!?"

The trap lifted up and a spectral version of his Red-Eyes Black Flare Dragon appeared, also holding it's head down and it's wings crossed. "This summons a monster from my graveyard as a Wrym-type monster in defense mode."

"And now it's my turn!" Lucas added, making a draw. "Here it comes! You wanted something worthwhile? Well here it comes! I tribute Bean Soldier and my face-down monster to Tribute Summon my ace!" He removed the monsters from his disk, and replaced them with another. "Come on out...

"ODD-EYES DRAGON!" The two creatures vanished and were replaced by a rust-red dragon with metallic body, and heterochromatic eyes. It had no wings, but it had a strange orb composing most of it's torso. Level 7/DARK/Dragon/Effect/2500atk/2000def.

"Go, Odd-Eyes! Attack with Spiral Flame!" The beast reared it's head back and spat a stream of fire at Benjamin. He screamed as it blasted his Lp down to 1250.

"Yahoo!" Emili cheered.

"Yeah!" Takashi pumped his fist. When the fires subsided, Benjamin coughed as his body was burned roughly.

"Holy- kid what the hell happened!?"

"I said...I'm...not...a kid!" He scowled. "I activate the Trap Card Level Return!" His next face down lifted up, revealing one with an image of a duelist standing behind Armed Dragon Lv 10, who appears to be unleashing an attack.

"This will let me banish monsters in my graveyard to special summon a Level monster in my graveyard equal to their combined Levels. I banish Flying Kamakiri #1 and Ultimate Insect Lv 3!" The two smaller insects appeared before vanishing again, being replaced by Ultimate Insect Lv 7!

"Oh no!" Lucas said.

"Don't worry." Takashi reassured him. "It's effect isn't valid anymore because it wasn't summoned by Lv 5. And I know for a fact they never made an Ultimate Insect Lv 10 or anything like that!"

"Who says I need...anything like that?" Benjamin spat. "This duel's still over! Is it my turn?" Lucas nodded, so he proceeded.

And then he smiled wickedly. "Like I said. It's over. Polymerization!"

"P-polymerization!?" Emili cried.

"That's right. It lets me merge monsters together! So I'll combine Ultimate Insect Lv 7 with two Insects from my hand!"

Insect Soldiers from the Sky and Girochin Kuwagata appeared before swirling together in a vortex.

"Supreme pestilence, combine with the airborne soldiers and the beetle warrior! Insastiable hunger that haunts the skies and forests, come forth and devour all that exists!" Benjamin chanted. "Fusion Summon! Appear, Goliath Insect, The Supreme Bug King!"

Emili almost had a heart attack when she saw the enormous beast. No, enormous was an understatement. It was roughly the size of a house, with five-foot mandibles lined with teeth, six sets of wings, enormous legs the size of tree trunks, and angry red-eyes. Level 10/WIND/Insect/Fusion/Effect/4000atk/4000def.

"That thing...is the ugliest bug...I have ever...seen!" Emili panicked, almost wanting to scream and run away. "Did anybody pack any bug spray?"

Benjamin broke into a laugh. "Ahahaha! Bug spray! Like that would do anything to this new creature. Did I forget to mention that when Goliath Insect is Fusion Summoned, he cuts 1000 attack points off every other monster?"

Red-Eyes and Odd-Eyes drew away from Goliath as it shrieked again. Their attack points scores fell to 1400 and 1500 respectively.

Benjamin cackled again. "Takashi...you said this wasn't about you, right?"

"Yeah. As far as I know, you're just some butterfly collecting little nerd who wanted to try being on the giving side of bullying." Takashi replied. "I'm just sticking up for Lucas."

"Oh no. I've never been bullied in my whole life." The Insect-using kid replied."I was...well, you could say home schooled by Father. The same father who will give me the title of 'Number-One' when I bring you to him." He rubbed his hands together like a fly. "Oh yeah. I'm going to enjoy taking you down. And he'll reward me richly."

"What are you talking about?" Takashi scoffed. "I never met you, or your dad."

"You don't know him? He's on this island...He can see through the fog. He sees through homes...He sees through the trees, and can see us right now." Benjamin continued. "This island is his domain. And he is the supreme master here. And you are his target!"

"Yeah...you're a crazy kid. Now are you gonna finish your turn?"

"My Goliath Insect can't attack the turn he's summoned, so it's your turn."

"Good. Now Ben, it's my turn-"

"NO!" Benjamin yelled.

Takashi paused. "What?

"You know what you did."

Takashi raised an eyebrow as he drew again. "Let's see how you handle this. You like Fusions? Well here's mine! I use Red-Eyes Fusion!" He slipped a card into his disk, one bearing a stylized Polymerization image. "This card works a lot like Polymerization, but with the added perk of being able to use monsters from my deck for the summon!"

"Fusion...from your deck!?" Benjamin asked.

"That's right. So I fuse the Red-Eyes Black Flare Dragon from my field..." He took a card from his deck and a tall, muscular, green-skinned fiend with pointed ears, bearing scimitars. "With Beast of Talwar from my deck!" The two monsters turned into orbs of light that swirled into a red and blue vortex.

"Fiery dragon! Fiend of the twin swords! Become one and invoke a new force!" Takashi balled his fist before thrusting his hand forward. "Fusion Summon! Be born! Archfiend Black Skull Dragon!"

From the vortex emerged a large, bulky, upright dragon with devilish horns, clawed arms and fangs. It gave a guttural growl as it set it's sights on Benjamin's insect. Level 9/DARK/Dragon/Fusion/Effect/3200atk/2500def.

"Scary." The child said. "But he's eight-hundred points too weak!"

"Not for long...Attack!"

"What?!" His enemy and two friends gasped.

The demonic dragon opened it's jaws as lightning channeled from it's horns.

"You idiot!" Benjamin laughed. "There's no way that will work."

Takashi held up a card from his hand. "From my hand, I activate the effect of Abandoned Lost Soul!" He placed it into the box at his waist, and the pale female spellcaster with huge bat wings appeared behind Archfiend Black Skull Dragon. "And now she works her magic. My dragon and your bug's attack point scores will be cut in half, and that sum total is added to my monster!" She smiled before raising her hands. Goliath Insect shrank and it's atk fell to 2000, while the dragon grew and radiated dark power, it's own atk rising to 5200.

"No. No. No!"

"Archfiend Black Skull Dragon! Blast away!" The lightning Takashi's dragon channeled into it's jaws was joined by a molten fire ball. With a roar, it blasted Goliath Insect.

The creature gave a hellish shriek as it's exoskeleton imploded, and it's body melted away. "AAAH!" Benjamin screamed as the fires engulfed him too. "This isn't over! You have no idea...what we're capable of! My brothers...and my sisters will come for you! Ahaha!"

The entire area was engulfed in light, blinding the three duelists.

And then, it was gone.

Takashi opened his eyes, still made sensitive from the flash. Lucas and Emili did the same.

It was all gone. No fog. No ring of light. No Benjamin.

"Wh...where did he go?" Emili asked.

Takashi looked at his hand. "I didn't...kill him...did I?"

The girl looked at him. "What does that mean?! It was just a duel, wasn't it!?"

Lucas gasped. "Back then...when it started...He said...a duel for souls...Maybe that had something to do with it?"

"But what did you mean, 'Kill him?'" Emili asked Takashi. "What did you mean?"

"I...I don't know! Ever since I could remember, things happen when I get mad in duels!" He replied. "Things happen...and people get hurt! I didn't think I got that mad, though..."

"You didn't..." A voice called. "He escaped."

The three of them looked to see the source of the voice, sitting in a tree. It was an old man, wearing a black robe with the hood down. He had gray hair traveling down his back, and glared at them with heterochromatic eyes-one red and one green. "I saw the little match. Let's have a chat."

In a dark room, a figure appears in a burst of light. It was Benjamin, sporting burns from head to toe, covered in ashes. He gasped and panted, as he clutched a strange stone. It radiated a purple glow, but soon, it crumbled in his hand. "That...was close."

"You're back." Another voice called. "Excellent..."

Benjamin looked down the hallway to see another figure emerge from a bright hallway. "B...big brother..."

"Now we can discuss your punishment for not only losing, but also for revealing Father's existence to the enemy." The figure attached a Duel Disk to his arm.

So how was this chapter? I know, I know, "What the hell!? Lucas can't use Odd-Eyes! That's Yuya's card! Only he can use it!" Well allow me to explain myself. As stated, this story takes place ten years before the start of Arc-V. While it is true that only one copy of Odd-Eyes Dragon likely exists, due to it's status as one of the Four Dimensions Dragons, (When it becomes Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon) as of yet, NO information has been given of where Yuya got it, or the Pendulum Pendant(Okay, likely he got them from his dad, Yusho, but we don't know where he got them either.) So I'm making it out to be that Lucas is using Odd-Eyes Dragon before Yuya got it. Hell, we don't even know what happened to any other potential copies of Stargazer Magician and Timegazer Magician, which were generic effect monsters before the pendant turned them into Pendulum Monsters.

But then again, with so many characters using one of a kind, unique cards, it's hard to make Yu-Gi-Oh fanon these days, unless you use canon characters, or OCs that also have unique cards or archetypes.

I understand that I'm probably making a BIG mistake, as most respectable fans despise canon-destruction in fanon, but it's not the worst mistake. Some people actually enjoy it when fan characters use cards they shouldn't have, like some John Doe OC using Kaiba's Blue-Eyes White Dragons, or the Egyptian Gods.

In any case, I leave it up to you whether or not to keep reading this story.