Chapter 8: A New Hunt Begins

To be honest, I'm surprised I'm back so soon. Had a few free hours to myself and I got writer's fever, so I started typing up the latest chapter. If you guys recall from the Synchro Dimension Arc when Sora's explaining to Yuya what he was doing following his return to Academia, he said that he returned to the Standard Dimension to try and find Serena, only to learn of the Lancers and follow them to the Synchro DImension. This chapter basically covers that, except now Yuri is with him, and we'll see what happens now. This chapter will be partially in Standard and partially in Synchro. I hope you enjoy!

(Fusion Dimension: Academia)

"Please Professor; allow me to accompany Shiunin Sora back to Standard so that we may complete our mission." Yuri begged the man sitting in front of him.

"What makes you think I'll need your help?" The shorter blue haired boy standing next to him asked while he munched on a lollipop.

"I don't know, maybe because you were forced to retreat thanks to the people there, and you've been crushed by Xyz filth. Odds are Serena may be in custody or under the protection of Reiji Akaba, so I'd say you'll need backup." Yuri snapped right back at him.

"Both of you enough." The Professor stated in a deep voice, causing the two to stop bickering. "Yuri is right, you may not be able to find and bring Serena back alone. Both of you shall leave for Standard. I need you both to get intelligence on the situation and report to me if you feel you can't take her back."

"Speaking of our intel, where's Dennis?" Yuri asked the Professor.

"I do not know, but I'd say that he is likely still in Standard and just hasn't had a chance to report back to us. See if you two can meet up with him while you scout out Standard."

Sora then turned to Yuya's fusion lookalike, "Alright, then should we leave soon?"

Yuri laughed, "Why wait? I already packed up for the trip. Let's get moving!"

"In that case, I wish you both good luck. I have every confidence that the two of you shall succeed."

Both Yuri and Sora bowed to the Professor before activating their duel disks and teleporting to Standard.

(Standard Dimension: Maiami City)

After arriving in Maiami City, Yuri quickly put on his cloak to conceal his identity as they quietly searched the city for any sign of the Lancers. Their first stop was his Standard counterpart's house. Sora quietly snuck in and then came out a minute later.

"So wait, you lived in his house?" Yuri asked Sora as they continued their scavenging.

"Pretty much, I faked wanting to be his pupil so I could get in. I also charmed his mom, she likes cute boys." Sora snickered.

Yuri kept himself from laughing as he replied, "Well it's a good thing for the both of you that I wasn't there. Otherwise I would've stolen all the attention…So what's his home life like."

Sora seemed a bit confused by his question and replied, "I guess it's normal for a regular family. Well, other than the fact that his dad disappeared."

Yuri raised an eyebrow, "Why is his dad gone?"

"No one really knows. Just that he was the pioneer of Action Duels and used to be the main Duel Champion here. However, he vanished the day he was supposed to duel a rival and was scorned as a coward. No one knows where he is or why he left. Why did you ask?" Sora stared at the cloaked man in front of him.

Yuri sighed, "Just trying to pass the time, I suppose. Let's head to the LDS main building. They may have something there." In hindsight, the two really should have gone there from the beginning. On a screen on the tower showed the images of Yuya, Gongenzaka, Serena, Dennis, Reiji, a young boy, a ninja, Shingo Sawatari, and Kurosaki Shun. "Well we found them." Yuri said in a dry voice.

"Yeah, but it turns out that they're not here. They must've gone to another dimension. Where do you think that they went?" Sora asked with a concerned look.

Yuri thought to himself and muttered, "Well, I doubt that they would go straight to Academia. They're too weak to attack us directly. It's possible that they left for the Xyz Dimension. Hold on, let me send a message to the Professor."

The two went to an alley while Yuri activated the communications function on his duel disk, until finally the familiar image of their boss appeared on the screen. "Yuri, did you and Shiunin Sora discover anything?"

"Yes Professor, it seems that Reiji Akaba has formed a group of duelists known as the Lancers as a means of fighting Academia. Dennis and Serena are members of this association. I don't know about Serena, but I'd say Dennis has just joined to collect more information on the group. The Lancers have already left for another dimension. Where they've gone remains to be seen." Yuri told the Professor.

Leo Akaba stroked his chin before responding, "I doubt that they would come to us directly. I'll send images of them to General Ryo Marufuji and have him scan Heartland for them."

Yuri shook his head, "I don't know if they'd go to Heartland either with it under Academia occupation, but that does leave us with one more option…"

Leo Akaba stared at Yuri, "Do you believe that they went to the Synchro Dimension?"

"It's a possibility, Synchro is not their enemy. Perhaps Reiji is hoping to find allies there in order to fight us directly." Yuri told the Professor.

"In any case, continue trying to find information in Standard as to what their current situation was. Understood." Once again the Professor gave not a question, but an order.

"Yes Professor, Yuri out." With that he turned to Sora and said, "Let's keep searching, kid."

They continued to monitor the area until hours later, Yuri felt the communications signal go off as he examined it and saw he was getting called by someone in Synchro, of all places. Curious, Yuri answered and the familiar face of Dennis Macfield filled the screen on his duel disk.

"Yuri, thank god, I finally got a chance to message you!" Dennis blabbered.

"Slow down Dennis, where are you and what's going on? Why are you in the Synchro Dimension?" Yuri spat at him.

Looking over his shoulders before returning to the screen, Dennis replied "Sorry, one thing led to another. I hung around in Standard after you disappeared, thinking you had left, and I planned on taking Serena back to Academia. Then I got roped into Reiji Akaba's Lancer association. Having nothing else to do, I decided to play along. We left for the Synchro Dimension so Reiji could find allies for his cause; I joined in hopes of gaining information on them so that we can complete our mission." Dennis stared at Yuri and Yuri got the silent message of his failure to capture Yuzu Hiragi.

Yuri nodded, "I knew you hadn't betrayed us Dennis, so do you have any news on the Lancers. What's your current situation?"

Dennis choked down a laugh before stating, "Reiji Akaba's dimension transportation technology seems to be in need of a tune up. We all got separated after we teleported to Synchro. I ended up with Gongenzaka and we've been trying to find the rest of the group. I've managed to convince most of them that I was a student at LDS, but I think that Kurosaki and Reiji Akaba are suspicious of me. Serena's with us as well. I'd hate to break it to the Professor, but it seems that Serena may have truly betrayed us. She seems to have pledged her allegiance to the Lancers."

Biting back some strange hate that rose within him, Yuri replied, "It makes no difference, either way she'll be back at Academia whether she likes it or not. Thanks for this information Dennis; we'll let the Professor know." With that he cut off communications from Dennis as Sora sent a message to the Professor to deliver the news.

The Professor smiled at what he heard, "Well I guess this just confirms our suspicions. I know that this is rather rude of me to ask but would the two of you mind traveling to Synchro and find the Lancers?"

"Don't worry Professor, we'd be glad to go, but the problem is our duel disks aren't set for the Synchro Dimension."

"Mine is, I've already went there once on another mission." Yuri showed his duel disk while he remembered his assignment to kidnap Rin.

"Then it's settled, you two will go to the Synchro Dimension and regroup with Dennis Macfield, then acquire our targets. If you require any assistance, notify me and I will send Barrett and the Obelisk Force for support."

"Understood Professor, we'll leave immediately." With that Sora shut off his signal to the Professor before facing Yuri. "Well shall we get going?"

Yuri snickered as the boy held his arm before pulling out one of his favorite spells and placing it on his duel disk. "Magic Card, Violet Flash, activate!" With that they vanished in a flash of violet energy.

(Synchro Dimension: City)

The next thing Sora knew while he looked around the area they were in was that it was a park where it seemed a few wealthy families were laughing and speaking with one another. The next thing he knew was that he was being dragged from the area with his arm being pull by Yuri, before they made it into an alley way.

Yuri looked at Sora before reprimanding him with a whisper. "First thing you want to do when visiting the Synchro Dimension for the first time is to stay out of sight. I learned that lesson the hard way a while." Yuri thought back to his first time in the City where he'd nearly been arrested by Security. He had carded the people chasing him and disappeared before resuming his search for Rin.

"Okay then, is there anything else I should know about the Synchro Dimension?" Sora asked a bit annoyed.

Yuri then took him to a pier overlooking the slums beneath them. "After visiting this place on my first mission, I learned that it was rather Darwinian in its policies and ethics. Up here live the top 1% of the City; filled with aristocrats, politicians, and all those rich snobs. Accordingly, they're called the Tops." Yuri then looked beneath them before continuing, "The other 99%, The Commons, can be described as the reject pile. As the name would suggest that area is mostly occupied by the peasants and the poor. They feed on whatever scraps are left over from the Tops."

Sora looked confused, "If there are so many of them, why don't they just start a riot?"

Yuri shook his head, "From what I had learned, they would. But it seems like the Synchro Dimension possesses Real Solid Vision as well. The Security here uses it to keep the Commons in line."

"Yuri, can I ask? What was your mission her last time?"

"Can't tell you, that's classified information." Yuri replied. The two of them continued to stealthily roam about the City when Yuri had a thought. 'I bet that Yugo and Yuzu are also here as well. What do you say Venom?'

Yuri felt the card roar in response before continuing, 'When Yugo came near me while I was Dueling Yuzu, her bracelet lit up and teleported me back to Academia. You told me before then that both Yuya and Yugo were coming towards me, assuming Yuya had both Odd-Eyes and Dark Rebellion. What if after meeting Yugo, Yuya showed up and it caused her bracelet to teleport them both here.'

"How does that explain her being here?" Starve Venom questioned in his mind.

'She was probably within such close proximity to him that it accidently teleported her as well.' Yuri replied within his mind.

Starve Venom yawned in response, "I suppose that makes sense."

'Be honest with me Starve Venom, do you have any idea why Yuzu's bracelet lit up as it did?' Yuri asked the dragon.

"…yes."

'But you're not going to tell me, are you?' Yuri thought back in a rather deadpan tone.

"No."

Yuri sighed; deciding that he'd just have to make sure Yuzu was out of the way while he confronted his doppelgangers when the time came.

Later on that day the two hid between two buildings and Sora bitterly remarked. "This sucks. They could be anywhere here. How are we going to find them in a City as big as this one?"

Yuri then smiled when he saw what was on a screen attached to the side of a building and gave a dry laugh, "I think I have an idea."

Sora then turned to see what Yuri was looking at and listened to the announcement of an auburn haired woman with a Cowboy hat. "Greetings, both Tops and Commons, the Friendship Cup is about to begin. The winner of the tournament will get the chance to duel against the pride of the City, and become an honorary member of the Tops of the highest order just as said pride did. The King, JACK ATLAS!"

The woman then waved her arms to reveal 16 duelists in Riding Duel uniforms, a good deal of them being very familiar faces. Yuri suppressed a laugh before stating in an ever dryer tone, "I think I found them." He looked at the faces of both Yuya and Yugo and smiled of how he was close to his prey again.

"I guess we got lucky then." Sora agreed in a relieved voice.

"Both Tops and Commons, come to the Riding Duel stadium to see our Exhibition match between challenger Sakaki Yuya and Jack Atlas, as well as the rest of the Friendship Cup. Remember, the City is one, we are all friends here! Bye bye!" With that the screen changed to something else and Yuri along with Sora rushed to the Duel Stadium.

'So, I get to see both my counterparts, along with this City's best duelists have to offer. I'm alright with that. Time to see if there's anyone worth hunting.' Yuri grinned as he made his way to the Duel Stadium.

That wraps up this chapter. Now both Yuri and Sora are in the Synchro Dimension, and are going to be watching the Friendship Cup take course. Trust me, with Yuri now in the mix of things, you can expect that things will not go the same way they did in canon. I'll have the next few chapters out during Thanksgiving so I hope this will satisfy you guys and I'll see you then. Oh, and anyone who accepted my challenge from before, let me know what predictions you drew from the song concerning my fanfiction. You can leave a review on what your response is:)