GX Legacy: Twelve Stars

by The Azure Guardian

Making his way into Duel Academia, a young but talented hacker befriends Yuki Judai, Manjoume Jun, Tenjoin Asuka, and others as they try to make the grade and save the world. Challenge issued by Storylover213. Rated T to be safe, may contain some swearing and mild suggestive content. (on hiatus)

10. Turn 9

A/N: Hey everyone, welcome to Turn 9 of GX Legacy: Twelve Stars! Little by little we're getting closer to the second arc of the first season! Now, something I would like to say here about this chapter is one reason why I chose to use the Japanese version of GX over the English version (aside from the fact 4Kids did a horrific job) and that would be how Manjoume/Chazz is portrayed. In the English version, they kinda make Chazz out to be a dick, specifically in the episode used for this chapter in which he bad-mouths the school and everyone in it as he leaves. But in the Japanese version, Manjoume just says "farewell" like he really doesn't want to leave but feels like he has no choice. In my opinion, Manjoume is a better and more likeable character in the Japanese version (I also do like Manjoume/Chazz and think he's one of the best characters in all of GX). So for this chapter, I had help for the first duel from my good friend Master of the Wild Card while the second duel was done entirely by myself. While the deck used by Zastin in the first duel was planned (as well as a certain card I created for SAL/Wheeler just to give him a good ace for his deck), it unintentionally took a turn towards The Journey to the West. If anyone knows the story of The Monkey King, hopefully it'll be obvious. As for the second duel... I'm just gonna say this right now, I absolutely despise Sword Art Online. I feel like it stole too many plot elements from the .hack franchise and most of the characters are pretty crap (Kirito is one of the worst protagonists I've seen and Asuna, while she starts off great in the first episode, eventually gets put in the role of damsel-in-distress). The only reason I made a deck based of Sword Art Online is because it was pretty easy to turn it into a bit of a clone deck of the Digital HERO deck I've already made and I needed an opponent for Kaito. With those out of the way, let's get on with the chapter!

Disclaimer: I do NOT own the Yu-Gi-Oh! franchise! I DO, however, own my OCs Kagemochi Kaito, Hayami Akira, Kururugi Michiru, and Ikeda Kenji along with the Digital HERO, Agarest Soul, Sengoku, and Sword Art archetypes while Zastin Crawford belongs to Storylover213!

---

-Turn 9-

Two days had passed since Misawa's duel against Manjoume, and since then the Obelisk student had stopped showing up in class. While most of the students either didn't notice or didn't care, Judai, Sho, Misawa, Kaito, Zastin, Akira, and even Asuka did find his lack of presence strange.

"Kagemochi Kaito-kun, please see Principal Samejima in his office. Kagemochi Kaito-kun, see Principal Samejima in his office."

"Eh? Why would the Principal want to see you?" Judai asked.

"You didn't do anything to get in trouble, did you?" Sho questioned out of worry.

"N-No, I haven't done anything, I swear!" Kaito answered while raising his hands defensively. 'I hope they haven't caught AIKA…'

"Kagemochi Kaito-kun!" Professor Daitokuji called out from his desk to get the Data-HERO duelist's attention. "It would be best to not keep Principal Samejima waiting-nya!"

"R-Right!" Kaito stuttered as he stood up from his seat, bowed to the Professor and then made his way out of the classroom towards Samejima's office.

Once at the doors to the Principal's office, Kaito raised a hand and knocked.

"You may come in," Samejima's voice invited from within the office.

The doors then opened and Kaito cautiously walked in, seeing Professor Chronos and Marufuji Ryo were present as well, "You wanted to see me, sir?"

Samejima chuckled, "Don't worry, it's nothing serious, Kaito-kun."

"I see…" Kaito replied, his body relaxing a little. 'So this isn't about AIKA. That's good.'

"You see, Kaito-kun, every year we hold a good-will duel against our North Campus in an Interschool Match," Samejima explained. "For this year, the Principal of our North Campus had made a request to include a Tag Duel as well, more as a build-up to the duel between the strongest duelists of both Campus's. I would like you to be part of the Tag Duel."

"Principal, you can't be serious!" Professor Chronos said in shock.

"But why me?" Kaito queried.

"I've noticed that, with a clear mind, you can make very rational, mature decisions," Samejima answered. "This caught my attention after your duel with Kazumi and how you chose to handle the situation." Kaito couldn't help but turn his gaze to the ground.

"I still think we should have someone other than a first-year take that task," Professor Chronos said. "The Interschool Match is a prestigious event for Duel Academia."

"We have already asked Ikeda Kenji-kun, being the second-strongest duelist at the Academia, but he had declined," Samejima directed to Professor Chronos before returning his attention to Kaito. "It was actually his recommendation to approach you."

"Kenji-san?" Kaito repeated with a hint of surprise in his voice. "Why would he recommend me?"

"Kenji is a trustworthy friend and an insightful duelist," Ryo spoke up. "If he believes you're capable of the task, we will heed him. It's also why he's personally tutoring and training Kururugi Michiru."

"Kururugi… Michiru?" Kaito repeated slowly, then recalled what his sister had told him during match against Kazumi… or rather, against Tri-Edge, the entity that had possessed Kazumi. 'Is he the one onee-sama was talking about?'

"I still believe his skills should be properly tested," Chronos objected. "As we learned, this Kazumi is someone close to Signore Kagemochi. So it is possible he threw the match and that the whole exchange between them was staged."

Kaito couldn't help but clench his fists as Samejima turned his attention to the Obelisk dorm leader, "Do you have someone in mind for this?"

"I believe I do, but I would like a little bit of time to be certain," Chronos answered.

"Hm… Then you have until tomorrow afternoon," Samejima permitted. "The duel will be held after tomorrow's classes. Agreed?"

"Yes, Principal," Kaito and Professor Chronos agreed with a slight bow.

"Very well. Kaito-kun, you may return to your class," Samejima said.

"Thank you, sir," Kaito said with another bow before leaving the office.

Upon returning to class and taking his seat, Kaito soon found Judai and Sho asking the Data-HERO duelist what happened.

"So what did the Principal want to see you about?" Judai asked.

"It wasn't for anything bad, was it?" Sho questioned.

"No, not at all," Kaito assured. "Actually, he asked me to take part in the Interschool Match against the North Campus."

"EH?!" Sho and Judai said in shocked, but Kaito quickly covered their mouths.

"Not so loud, you guys!" Kaito whispered to the two. "I don't need any more negative attention than I already have. I'll explain later tonight, okay?"

Kaito pulled his hands back and Judai was the first to speak, "Sounds good. At least you're not in trouble."

"Judai-kun! Kaito-kun! Sho-kun!" Daitokuji raised his voice, causing the three Osiris students to jump a little in their seats. "I would like for the three of you to stay after class-nya!"

"Kaito may not have gotten in trouble with the Principal, but now all three of us are in trouble with Daitokuji-sensei," Sho said, to which the three boys sighed in unison.

---

That night, in a facility deep in the island's forest, there was a sound of glass breaking followed by someone shouted.

"I saw it! It's over there!" the person called out.

An alarm then sounded throughout the building as scientists searched throughout the facility along with groups of security guards carrying rifles.

"Capture it! No matter what, don't let it escape!" one of the scientists ordered before checking his rifle to ensure it was loaded with a tranquilizer.

Running through the building, and away from the guards and scientists, was a monkey wearing a strange device around his chest and over his head while a Duel Disk with Duel Monsters cards was attached to its left arm. The monkey ran towards the elevator just as its doors opened up to reveal a guard carrying a rifle. Before the guard could even aim the weapon, the monkey leapt at he guard's face and jumped up, escaping through the elevator's emergency hatch. Once the elevator reached the top floor, the monkey climbed up the elevator cable and jumped through one of the glass windows, breaking the glass as it landed on the roof before jumping off of the building and heading into the forest.

---

After serving their detention, Kaito joined Judai and Sho in their dorm room, as the latter two wanted the Data-HERO duelist to tell them about his meeting with Principal Samejima.

"Eh?! Kaito-san was asked to be part of the Interschool Match against the North Campus?!" Hayato asked in shock. "There's no way they'd allow an Osiris for something like that, much less a first-year."

"Well, I'm not exactly in yet," Kaito explained. "Professor Chronos wants to have me duel someone tomorrow as some kind of test first."

"Do you know who it is?" Sho queried.

Kaito shook his head, "No, even Professor Chronos didn't seem entirely sure about his choice, which is probably why he asked for a little time, just to be sure he had the proper opponent for me."

"Well judging by how your duels have been since the Punishment Duels, I don't see why you shouldn't be accepted," Judai said excitedly.

"But Professor Samejima said it was for the Tag Duel, which was proposed by the principal from the North Campus, right?" Sho asked, to which Kaito nodded. "And we haven't seen you in a Tag Duel before."

"Which makes it even weirder why Kaito-san was chosen," Hayato said. "Why not just pick two students who are known to work well together in a Tag Duel?"

"I… actually agree with you, Hayato," Kaito said. "But according to Principal Samejima and Kaiser Ryo, it was Ikeda Kenji who brought my name to their attention."

"Eh?! Ikeda Kenji-san did?!" Hayato nearly freaked out.

"He was that other guy that showed up to watch Misawa duel Manjoume, right?" Judai asked. "Is he strong or something?"

"Not just strong. He's the second best duelist after Marufuji Ryo, the Kaiser," Hayato answered. "But the way he duels… He completely dominates his opponents and shows no emotion. The only person who's been able to beat him is the Kaiser."

The three younger Osiris students then looked at each other for a moment.

"Hm… I think that just may be his dueling style," Kaito said before turning his attention to Sho. "Your brother said he was a trusted friend of his, so I don't think there'd be anything bad about him."

The Osiris boys spent a bit more of the night conversing about Kaito's duel tomorrow until the Data-HERO duelist took his leave to return to his own room for the night.

---

The following morning, Manjoume was walking away from Duel Academia's main building with a travel bag slung over his shoulder. The former Obelisk student stopped for a moment and turned around to look back at the school he was leaving behind.

"Farewell, Duel Academia," Manjoume said with a heavy heart before turning his back towards the school once more and continued to walk away.

A little later, as everyone was waiting for classes to start, the doors opened with Sho running into the room, panting heavily, "Big Bro! Big Bro! Big Bro!"

"What up, Sho?" Judai asked once his roommate was standing next to him, wondering why the younger Marufuji was in such a panic.

"Bad news! I heard Manjoume-kun's gone missing!" Sho said.

"He's what?!" Kaito questioned in surprise.

Everyone else in the class had heard what Sho had said and either had surprised reactions or quietly discussed it with the person next to them. Among those who were surprised were Asuka, Momoe, Junko, and Zastin.

"They say he rushed to get his things this morning and ran away," said Taiyou, one of Manjoume's former "friends".

"And all because he lost to Misawa, I'm bettin'," said Raizou, Manjoume's other former "friend".

"What a loser!" Taiyou said.

"How disappointing," Raizou added.

"It feels like a losing dog's left!" Taiyou insulted, causing the two to laugh.

"What's with them?" Judai questioned.

"Those bastards," Kaito said as he clenched his fists. "Wasn't Manjoume their friend? That doesn't give them the right to talk about him like that!"

"Yeah, until recently, they were following Manjoume around like droppings on a goldfish," Judai added.

"Hey, Big Bro…" Sho said, getting the E-HERO duelist's attention. "You don't think he's completely hiding from everyone just because he lost that duel, do you?"

"That jackass!" Judai raised his voice suddenly as he got up from his seat. "There's no way that's the case, is there?"

"You're right," Kaito said, also rising from his seat. "For someone like Manjoume, I doubt he would just leave for a reason like that. There has to be something else."

Before the professor of the current class arrived, the three Osiris students left with Zastin tagging along with them, feeling that he may have had a hand in Manjoume's leaving due to the duel the two of them had prior to Misawa's duel with the former Obelisk. The group of four managed to find a secret passage via a hole in the school's wall and crawled their way out.

"Okay, now!" Judai called to the other three in a lowered voice as he crawled out of the hole with Sho, Kaito and Zastin right behind him.

As the group of four dusted themselves off, however…

"I wonder where you're planning to go by cutting class…" a familiar voice said, to which the group of four turned around to see Asuka, Junko and Momoe standing not too far from them, Asuka having her arms folded under her breasts.

"We're going to look for Manjoume," Zastin replied.

"We can't just sit around, right?" Judai added. "Just please, don't tell the Professor."

"All right, but there's one condition," Asuka said.

"Condition?" Kaito repeated, tilting his head slightly in confusion.

"We're going with you," Asuka said with a hint of a smirk.

"Huh? Why?" Judai questioned.

"You said it yourself, didn't you? We can't just sit around," Asuka answered.

"The more the merrier, I say," Zastin said. "More people means a better chance to spot him in case the rest of us overlook something."

The rest of the group nodded in agreement before walking off to begin their search for Manjoume.

"Hey! Manjoume!" Judai called out as the group walked through the island's forest.

"Manjoume-kun!" Sho called out.

"Manjoume! Come on out!" Kaito joined in.

The group then came to a stop as Judai cupped his hands next to his mouth to amplify his voice, "Manjoume!"

Eventually, Asuka started to get frustrated as the Obelisk Queen placed her hands on her waist and sighed, "Honestly…" Asuka then cupped her hands next to her mouth to amplify her own voice, much like Judai did. "Get out here! I can't believe you'd hide over losing a duel! That's just pitiful!"

As Asuka yelled, the sound of her voice caused several birds in the area to take flight.

"You're as forceful as ever…" Kaito said under his breath.

"But it's only natural. Really, he's just a weak boy," Asuka's brunette friend, Junko, scoffed.

"You know, you really shouldn't talk like that about someone you don't even personally know," Zastin chided the brunette Obelisk. "For all we know, Manjoume's leaving could have something to do with his family."

Junko merely folded her arms and turned her gaze away from the Ra student, her eyes narrowed.

"Still, I'm sure Manjoume-san's different!" Asuka's dark-haired friend, Momoe, said as she placed her hands on her cheeks and started blushing. "I mean, he's such a cool guy!"

"What's the mean?" Sho questioned.

"I thought you said Misawa was dreamy the other day?" Junko asked her friend. "You're fine with anyone that's good-looking." In response, Momoe just put one hand on her head and laughed in embarrassment.

Kaito then noticed that Asuka had been glaring down the forest's path, "What's wrong, Asuka?"

"Over there!" Asuka said as she pointed towards a large bush a few feet in front of the group. "Something moved just now!"

Everyone turned their attention towards the bush, noticing it was being disturbed by movement.

"It's Manjoume-kun," Sho assumed.

"Hey, is that you, Manjoume?" Judai called out as the group walked towards the bush. "It's me, Yuki Judai! Don't put up a front, just come out! Hey!"

Just as the group neared the bush, a monkey wearing a strange device on its head and back jumped out, causing the group to freak out. The monkey then ran towards the group of students and got into a scuffle. When the dust settled, the monkey had left and the students were now sitting on the floor in confusion.

"W-What was…" Asuka trailed off.

"I think it was a monkey…" Sho guessed.

"Definitely a monkey…" Zastin confirmed.

The sound of movement through the bush caused the group to freak out again, thinking something else was going to just out at them as the students rose to their feet and braced themselves.

"Ah crap, what now?!" Kaito wondered.

Stepping out into the open were three men in what looked like business suits; a short, older man with scruffy hair and an equally scruffy beard and a pair of glasses, a taller man with neatly-done hair and a pair of large framed glasses, and the third man wore a pair of dark shades and carried a rifle.

"Did it escape?" the older man questioned.

Suddenly, a scream rang through the air, one familiar to Asuka and Junko, to which the group of students realized they were missing someone.

"Junko?" Asuka wondered.

"Help me!" the scream all but confirmed it was Junko who was missing.

"Come on, Junko-san… Since when were you over there?" Momoe asked.

"Since that monkey carried her off just a little while ago," Asuka figured.

"Help me!" Junko cried out again.

"It's over there!" said the man with the rifle.

"Hey, go and catch it!" the short, older man ordered, to which the three men gave chase to the monkey.

"Wait a minute, what the heck's going on?" Kaito asked in confusion.

"No idea, but it doesn't matter. We have to rescue Junko-san," Zastin said firmly.

The other students nodded in agreement before the group of six ran after the suited men.

"What's this about?!" Junko questioned as the monkey held onto her while swinging through the trees, then eventually the monkey held her above its head while jumping across rocks in a river. "Please, let me go!" Once out of forest, the monkey continued to carry the Obelisk girl above its head. "Let me go!" The monkey then ran towards a lone tree that had grown on the edge of a cliff and set Junko down on its trunk. "Let me go!" After noticing she was layed down on the tree, Junko looked down to see a long drop into the ocean, prompting her to grab onto the monkey out of fear. "No! Don't let me go! I'm scared!"

"It can't escape anymore!" the taller man pointed out after the three suited men stepped out of the forest, the man with the rifle taking aim at the monkey. "If you don't want to be shot by the tranquilizer, come back to us quietly!"

The group of students then stepped out of the forest behind the suited men.

"H-Help me, Asuka-san!" Junko cried out after spotting her friends.

"Tch… I can't believe it took a hostage so brazenly like that…" the taller man said.

"Better yet, just who are you guys?" Judai asked the group of men.

"Hm?" Kaito turned his attention towards the monkey. "Hey guys, look!"

"Big Bro, that monkey's wearing a Duel Disk!" Sho pointed out.

"That isn't just a mere monkey!" the shorter man said as he and his taller companion turned to face the students. "This is a dueling monkey that we've been putting a lot of effort into training!"

"Dueling monkey?" Zastin repeated, a hint of interest in his voice.

"Right, and its name stands for "Super Animal Learning", or SAL for short," the shorter man explained.

"Looks weak," Sho said blatantly.

"Doctor!" the taller man directed towards the shorter man.

"Seems it was a slip of the tongue," the shorter man said as an apology before the two men returned their attention to the monkey.

"Hey, hold it!" Zastin spoke up, taking a few steps forward and earning the attention of the two older men. "I'd like to request you let me handle this!"

"To you? And what, pray tell, are you saying you can do?" the shorter man questioned.

"My name is Zastin Crawford, son of Pegasus J Crawford," Zastin introduced himself, the mention of his father's name getting the full attention of the two men. "I'm certain the prospect of animals capable of dueling would be of interest to my father. But I would first like to see what SAL here has learned by dueling him myself."

"Wait, you're actually going to duel that monkey?" Asuka asked in surprise.

"Of course," Zastin said, turning back to the group with a smirk on his face. "As my father taught me, you can learn many things from someone by dueling them. Not sure if it hold true for monkeys, but this'll be a great chance to find out." 'And maybe I can find out why it took Junko-san.' Zastin then carefully walked towards the monkey, making sure not to provoke it with any sudden movements. "Hey, SAL! If you've really been trained as a duelist, then why don't you show me what you're capable of?"

SAL let out a noise as he pulled Junko closer to him.

"Amazing… Zastin-san is having a conversation with it!" Sho said in awe.

"Wish I could've dueled it…" Judai grumbled.

"Does this mean Zastin-kun is part-monkey?" Momoe questioned.

"Maybe that device it's wearing acts like some kind of translator?" Kaito guessed as he folded his arms.

"If it's been trained to duel, that would be most likely," Asuka figured.

"If I win, you have to let Junko-san go!" Zastin offered.

"A-And if you lose?" Junko questioned in worry.

"Hm… Right, I guess I can't be the only one who can benefit from this…" Zastin figured, then snapped his finger after thinking for a moment. "Got it! If I lose, you can do whatever you want, SAL!"

"No way! What's the point in that?!" Junko complained as tears began to well up in her eyes.

"Don't worry, Junko-san! I promise you, I'll win this!" Zastin assured the Obelisk girl with a grin on his face, to which Junko's eyes widened a little in surprise and a light blush appeared on her face.

After a moment, SAL nodded and then set Junko down on the tree trunk before moving towards Zastin and jumping onto a rock opposite the Ra duelist. In response, the shorter man produced a Duel Disk and gave it to Zastin, the two duelists turning on their Duel Disks once Zastin prepared his deck of choice.

"Looks like it accepted," Kaito figured.

"It released the hostage!" the man with the rifle noted as he raised the gun and took aim at SAL.

"Wait," the shorter man interjected. "We may just get interesting data, so let them do this."

"Let's go, then!" Zastin said as he and SAL drew their opening hands. "Duel!"

The red lenses on SAL's helmet then lit up, "Duel!"

The students were surprised by the voice coming from SAL.

"It spoke!" Sho pointed out.

"No, I don't think so," Kaito said as he looked at the device SAL was wearing. "It's probably the helmet."

"You're quite perceptive," the shorter man directed towards Kaito, earning the attention of the students. "All of the dueling terminology has been programmed into it."

Zastin: 4000
SAL: 4000

"Ore no tān! Draw!" Zastin called out as he took the first turn, drawing his sixth card. "I summon Arms Seahunter!"

As Zastin played his card, the Monster that appeared looked like some kind of humanoid seahorse but with the lower body of some sea creature as it carried a bow and arrow. (4/1800/400)

"Next, I'll play the Magic card, Moray of Greed!" Zastin continued as he revealed his next card, which showed the Pot of Greed underwater and a green eel with a face resembling the Pot of Greed swimming out of it. "With this, I'll return two Mizu Monsters from my hand to my deck, then draw three cards!" Zastin then grabbed his two chosen cards and pulled out his deck, shuffling the pair of cards in before putting his deck back and drawing three new cards, then he pushed a card into his Duel Disk causing a single reversed card to appear in front of the Ra duelist. "Then I'll set two cards face-down! Tān endo!"

Zastin's hand: 4

"I'm begging you! Hurry and save me!" Junko cried out, not wanting to try and move from the tree for fear of slipping.

"Don't worry!" Sho called out to the Obelisk girl. "I'm sure Zastin's doing the best he can!"

"That's only if he does, though…" Momoe said worriedly.

"Watashi no tān! Draw!" SAL said as he drew his sixth card and then stared at it, possibly letting the helmet scan the card. "I summon Berserk Gorilla!"

As SAL played the card, the Monster that appeared was a large, muscular gorilla with red eyes. (4/2000/1000)

"What?! A Monster with 2000 ATK already?!" Judai noticed in surprise.

" Next, I activate the Magic card, Dual Summon!" SAL continued as he played his card. "I summon Acrobat Monkey!"

Appearing next on SAL's field next to the Berserk Gorilla was a small robotic monkey. (3/1000/1800)

"With Berserk Gorilla, I attack Arms Seahunter!" SAL declared, to which the large ape charged across the field.

"Activate Trap, Poseidon Wave!" Zastin countered as one of his set cards rose. "When my opponent declares an attack, this card will negate that attack and inflict 800 damage for every Fish, Sea Dragon, and Water Monster I control!"

After Zastin's explanation, a surge of water was released from the Trap and struck Berserk Gorilla, pushing it back to SAL's side of the field as the water nearly knocked the dueling monkey from its rock.

Zastin: 4000
SAL: 3200

After regaining his balance, SAL looked at the remaining cards in his hand before grabbing two to put into his Duel Disk, "I set two reversed cards! Tān endo!"

SAL's hand: 1

"Ore no tān! Draw!" Zastin said as he drew his next card. "I summon Heavy Infantry of the Sea Emperor in Defense mode!"

As Zastin played his card, the Monster that appeared was a bizarre-looking fish-man carrying two halves a shield that it held in front of itself to defend with. (2/0/1600)

"Heavy Infantry's Monster Effect allows me to Normal Summon again this turn as long as the Monster I summon is a Level-4 or lower Sea Dragon!" Zastin explained as he grabbed another card from his hand. "I summon Assault Soldier of the Sea Emperor!"

Appearing next on Zastin's field was another bizarre-looking fish-man; only this time it carried a shield in its left hand and a cutlass sword in its right hand. (3/1400/0)

"Assault Soldier's Monster Effect! It gains 800 ATK if I control another Fish, Sea Dragon, or Water Monster other than itself!" Zastin explained as his newest Monster grew stronger. (3/1400-2200/0) "Assault Soldier, attack Berserk Gorilla!"

The armed fish-man then swam through the air, almost as if it were water, and slashed its sword at the large ape, causing it to explode into pixels.

Zastin: 4000
SAL: 3000

"Tān endo!" Zastin concluded as his Assault Soldier returned to his side of the field.

Zastin's hand: 3

"If Zastin summons something strong enough next turn, he could win after destroying the Acrobat Monkey," Asuka pointed out.

"Just surrender and release Junko-san!" Sho said to SAL.

The shorter man couldn't help but chuckle at Sho, "To think you're underestimating it because it's a monkey… I think your friend will be in for some pain."

"What do you mean?" Judai questioned.

"Did you know that a monkey's ability to hear the voices of spirits is higher than that of humans?" the man queried. "To that end, we used monkeys for our dueling animal experiments."

"Animal experiment?" Kaito repeated as the students had worried looks on their faces.

"Doctor!" the taller man chided his shorter companion.

"Oh, it seems my mouth opened up again…" the shorter man apologized.

'I see, so that's how it is…' Zastin thought to himself, having overheard what the shorter doctor had said. 'But still, saving Junko-san comes first.'

"Watashi no tān! Draw!" SAL said as the monkey drew his next card. "I activate the Magic card, Pot of Greed to draw two cards!" As SAL pushed the card into his Cemetery slot, he drew two more cards from his deck. "Next, I open my reversed card!" At this declaration, SAL's remaining set card rose. "I activate the Trap card, DNA Remodeling Surgery!"

"What?! DNA Remodeling Surgery?!" Zastin repeated, then looked at his field. 'This is bad. My Monsters are going to be weakened by the change of Type…'

"Beast-type!" SAL declared, causing his Acrobat Monkey to change and look more like a feral monkey wearing robotic armor while Zastin's Monsters grew fur on their bodies and gained bestial appearances, weakening Assault Soldier of the Sea Emperor. (3/2200-1400/0) "I then change Acrobat Monkey to Attack mode!" As SAL changed the card's position, Acrobat Monkey stood on its hind legs and beat its chest. (3/1000/1800) "Next, the Magic card, Wild Nature's Release!"

"Wild Nature's Release…" Asuka repeated the card's name. "If I remember correctly, that card raises the ATK of one face-up Beast-type or Beast-Warrior-type Monster on the field by an amount equal to that Monster's DEF."

"And SAL just used DNA Remodeling Surgery to change Acrobat Monkey to a Beast-type!" Judai realized.

"Acrobat Monkey!" SAL declared his target, to which Acrobat Monkey's eyes turned yellow and flexed its body, causing its robotic armor to crack until it broke off.

"Acrobat Monkey's DEF is currently 1800, which means its ATK will be 2800!" Kaito pointed out. (3/1000-2800/1800)

"I open my next reversed card!" SAL continued as his second face-down rose. "I activate the Trap card, Roaring Earth!"

"That's bad! Roaring Earth allows Beast-type Monsters to dealing piercing damage!" Judai explained.

"Not only that, but if deals damage with that effect, SAL can weaken one of Zastin's Monsters by 500 ATK and DEF," Asuka added.

"Acrobat Monkey, attack Heavy Infantry of the Sea Emperor! Acrobat Ooki!" SAL commanded, to which his Monster beat its chest before curling into a ball and speeding across the field, smashing right into Zastin's defending Monster and destroying it.

Zastin: 2800
SAL: 3000

"Roaring Earth's effect! Assault Soldier of the Sea Emperor loses 500 ATK and DEF!" SAL declared, to which Zastin's Monster was weakened further. (3/1400-900/0) "I set two reversed cards! Tān endo!"

SAL's hand: 0

At the end of SAL's turn, Acrobat Monkey clutched its head in pain before exploding into pixels.

"The attacking Monster got destroyed, too!" Sho said in surprise.

"The Monster affected by Wild Nature's Release is destroyed that same turn," Asuka explained.

"Ore no tān! Draw!" Zastin called out as he drew his next card. "I summon True Sea Emperor Tridon!"

As Zastin played his card, the Monster that appeared was a serpentine dragon covered in blue scales and an ornament on the end of its tail. (3/1600/800)

"Next, I activate the Magic card, Blessing of the Sea Emperor!" Zastin continued as he played his next card, which depicted a much larger version of Tridon surrounded by several schools of fish, either being worshipped by them or bestowing a blessing. "With this card, I can target a Mizu Monster I control and treat it as a Sea Dragon! So I'll choose my Arms Seahunter!"

After playing his card, Zastin's chosen Monster returned to its original appearance, granting Assault Soldier of the Sea Emperor a buff. (3/900-1700/0)

"All right! If he attacks now, he'll win the duel!" Sho cheered.

"I activate Tridon's Monster Effect!" Zastin continued. "I release Tridon and my Arms Seahunter…" The two named Monsters disappeared from the field as Zastin grabbed a card from his deck. "to Special Summon Poseidra, the Sea Emperor Dragon!"

Appearing now on Zastin's side of the field was a large serpentine dragon covered in blue scales, the same Monster that was depicted on Blessing of the Sea Emperor, as it gave a mighty roar. (7/2800/1600)

"Is that Zastin's best card?" Judai wondered as he looked at the Sea Dragon in awe. "It's so cool!"

However, due to the effect of DNA Remodeling Surgery, Poseidra's type was changed to Beast, forcing Assault Soldier of the Sea Emperor to lose its ATK again. (3/1700-900/0)

"Poseidra, attack SAL directly!" Zastin commanded, to which his mighty creature charged across the field as though it were swimming freely in the ocean.

"Reversed card, open!" SAL countered as one of his set cards rose. "Attack Nullification! Your attack is negated and your Battle Phase ends!"

A barrier appeared around SAL just as Poseidra was about to connect, causing the Sea Dragon to crash headfirst into the barrier. After recovering, the larger Monster returned to Zastin's side of the field.

"Tān endo!" Zastin concluded, having nothing else to do this turn.

Zastin's hand: 2

"Watashi no tān! Draw!" SAL called out as he drew his next card. "I activate the Magic card, Treasure Cards from the Heavens! We both draw until we have six cards!" While Zastin only drew four cards, SAL drew a full six. "I open my reversed card!" At SAL's command, his final set card rose. "I activate the Trap card, Call of the Living Dead! I Special Summon Acrobat Monkey!"

Appearing on SAL's field from his Trap card was the robotic monkey. But due to DNA Remodeling Surgery, it quickly transformed into a monkey wearing robotic armor. (3/1000/1800)

"Next, the Magic card, Reckless Summon of Hell!" SAL continued as he played his next card. "Because I Special Summoned a Monster with less than 1500 ATK, I Special Summon two more of the same Monster from my deck!"

In response, two more Acrobat Monkey's appeared on the field. (3/1000/1800) x2

"And I'll get two Monsters as well!" Zastin pointed out as two more copies of Assault Soldier of the Sea Emperor appeared. (3/1400/0) x2

"I release my three Beast-type Monsters!" SAL declared as his three Monster disappeared from the field.

"What, three Monsters?!" Sho said in shock.

"Whatever he summons has to be powerful if it needs three releases," Kaito pointed out. "Be careful, Zastin!"

"I Advance Summon Sun Wukong, the Monkey King!" SAL continued as he played his card.

Appearing next on SAL's side of the field was a large, muscular monkey standing on its hind legs wearing a golden chain mail shirt, a pair of ceremonial pants and a pair of armored greaves around his shins with a mane of white fur framing its face while wielding a golden staff as tall as this new Monster. (10/3000/2600)

"SAL had something like that?!" Sho questioned in shock.

"Aw, man! Now I really wish I was the one dueling!" Judai sulked a bit.

"Sun Wukong's Monster Effect! I increase his ATK by 500 for every other Beast-type Monster on the field!" SAL declared.

"And all of Zastin's Monster are treated as Beast-type because of DNA Remodeling Surgery, so that means…" Asuka trailed off as Sun Wukong seemed to pull energy right out of Zastin's Monster to power himself up. (10/3000-5000/2600)

"No way, 5000 ATK?!" Kaito said in shock as Zastin grit his teeth while glancing at his remaining set card.

"Sun Wukong, attack Poseidra, the Sea Emperor Dragon!" SAL commanded, to which the Monkey King planted its feet firmly into the ground before dashing across the field.

"Reversed card, open!" Zastin called out, but then noticed his card wasn't activating. "What?!"

"Sun Wukong's Monster Effect! When it attacks, the opponent cannot activate cards or effects until after the Damage Step!" SAL explained, causing the students to gasp in surprise as Sun Wukong jumped up at Poseidra and slugged the giant Sea Dragon in the jaw before swinging his golden staff, which doubled in length and thickness, and struck Poseidra with all his strength, sending the Sea Dragon crashing to the ground before exploding into pixels.

Zastin: 600
SAL: 3000

"Sun Wukong's Monster Effect! When he destroys a Monster in battle, I can Special Summon a Beast-type Monster from my hand, deck, or Cemetery!" SAL stated as the Monkey King returned to his side of the field and grabbed a card from his deck. (10/5000-3000/2600) "I Special Summon Nipped-Tabby Cat!" Appearing next on SAL's field was a blue-furred cat that looked like it had just taken a hit of catnip. (2/0/500) "While I control another Beast-type Monster, Nipped-Tabby Cat cannot be attacked! Tān endo!"

SAL's hand: 4

"That Sun Wukong… It's definitely a powerful card. Certainly useful in any deck focusing on Beast-types," Asuka pointed out.

"Is there any way he can beat it, though?" Sho questioned. "It can get stronger with every Beast-type Monster on the field, and every time it destroys a Monster it can Special Summon another Beast-type!"

"And then it also prevents the opponent from activating cards whenever it attacks," Kaito added. "If Zastin doesn't get a good draw, it's over."

'This SAL… He's definitely good. But if I can't get passed Sun Wukong, I won't be able to save Junko-san,' Zastin thought to himself as he checked the remaining cards in his hand. 'But I don't have anything that can do that right now.'

"What are you doing?!" Junko shouted to Zastin, earning the Ra's attention as tears welled up in her eyes again. "You promised you'd win this duel and save me, right?!"

'That's right, I did… And I don't go back on a promise,' Zastin said in his head as he firmly grabbed the next card of his deck. "Ore no tān! Draw!" Zastin pulled the card and looked at it. 'Okay, this'll give me another shot.' "I activate the Magic card, Moray of Greed! I'll return two Mizu Monsters to my deck to draw three more cards!" After adding two cards from his hand back to his deck, Zastin drew his next three cards and looked at them, his eyes widening a little. 'Here it is!'

But before Zastin could continue his turn, nearby sounds caught the attention of the students and they turned to see a group of monkeys peeking from behind rocks and bushes.

"Huh? There's a lot of monkeys!" Sho pointed out the obvious.

"Are we going to be attacked?!" Momoe asked worriedly.

"What's this?" the taller suited man questioned as he and his two companions were surprised at the arrival of the monkeys.

"Zastin-kun," a bubbly voice spoke up as the spirit of Deep Sea Diva appeared next to the Ra duelist. "I believe that group is this one's family."

"Huh? Is that so?" Zastin asked his partner in a low voice as the spirit of Horus's Black-Flame Dragon LV4 appeared, perched on Zastin's shoulder and growled. "I see, so that's what it is…" Zastin then returned his attention to his opponent. "You escaped from their facility because you wanted to go back home, is that right?"

SAL let out a screech in response.

"So, it wants to go back to its friends…" Momoe said.

"You can't help but feel sorry for it…" Sho said sadly.

"I know, but we can't just leave Junko there," Asuka said.

"Asuka has a point," Kaito agreed. "Even if Zastin lets SAL win, I doubt any of us are nimble enough to get her back to safety."

"But if Zastin wins, it'll go back to the research lab…" Judai pointed out.

"Sorry SAL, but dueling is a pretty serious game. Once a duel begins, we can't hold back for any reason," Zastin said as the Field Magic slot of his Duel Disk opened up. "I activate the Field Magic, Legendary Capital Atlantis!"

Zastin placed the card into the Field Magic slot and the field was soon submerged in water with the sunken kingdom of Atlantis surrounding the duelists and spectators.

"As long as this card is on the field, all of my Mizu Monsters on the field and in my hand have their Levels reduced by 1 and gain 200 ATK and DEF!" Zastin declared as his three Assault Soldier of the Sea Emperor's grew stronger. (3-2/900-1100/0-200) (3-2/1400-1600/0-200) x2

"But his Monsters still aren't strong enough to beat Sun Wukong!" Sho pointed out.

"Next, I'll release one of my Assault Soldier's…" Zastion trailed off as his weakest of the three Monsters vanished into bubbles. "to Advance Summon Levia-Dragon Daedalus!"

Emerging from the castle of Atlantis was yet another serpentine dragon covered in blue scales, but with a smoother-looking body and red fins traveling down its back to its tail. (7-6/2600-2800/1500-1700)

The taller man merely scoffed at Zastin's Monster, "That card may be strong, but it's still not strong enough to defeat Sun Wukong in battle."

"Who said I was going to have Daedalus fight Sun Wukong?" Zastin questioned with a smirk. "I activate Daedalus's Monster Effect! By sending a card I control that treats the field as Sea to the Cemetery, I can destroy all other cards on the field! And since Legendary Capital Atlantis is treated as Sea, it's a viable target!"

Levia-Dragon Daedalus let out a roar that caused the oceanic field to ripple. The water then receded toward Zastin's side of the field only to come surging back towards SAL's side as a tidal wave, pulling in every card and Monster except for Daedalus into it before crashing on top of SAL, causing the monkey to be sprawled out on the rock he had been standing on as the only thing left on the field was Levia-Dragon Daedalus. (6-7/2800-2600/1700-1500)

"But SAL still has 3000 Life Points left. Levia-Dragon Daedalus isn't strong enough to finish it," Asuka noted.

"Next, I play the Magic card, Aqua Jet! This will increase the ATK of one Fish, Sea Dragon, or Water Monster by 1000! So I'll target Daedalus!" Zastin continued as he played his card, a pair of turbines attaching themselves on Daedalus's back. (7/2600-3600/1500) "Daedalus, attack SAL directly! Levia Jet Stream!"

Levia-Dragon Daedalus opened its mouth and the twin turbines on its back began to spin until the Monster launched a blast of water from its mouth, the pair of turbines also firing streams of water that combined into Daedalus's attack, making it larger and more powerful as the attack hit SAL and depleted his Life Points.

Zastin: 600 (WIN)
SAL: 0000

"Zastin won!" Sho cheered as the other students smiled at the Ra's victory and Levia-Dragon Daedalus faded from the field due to the Solid Vision turning off.

"Okay SAL, we had a promise! Please let my friend go!" Zastin said once SAL got back to its feet.

The monkey just seemed to stare at Zastin before nodding, then climbed down from the rock and walked up to Junko, making the Obelisk girl yelp a little in surprise as the monkey picked her up and carried her from the tree before gently setting her on the ground. Once the monkey had let go of her, Junko stood up and ran towards her fellow students.

"Junko!" Asuka called out as she and the other students ran up to be reunited with the brunette girl.

"Asuka-san! Momoe!" Junko called out to her two Obelisk friends.

"Are you all right, Junko-san?" Zastin asked.

Junko turned to face Zastin, a light blush appearing on her face as she slowly nodded, "Y-Yeah."

"That's good," Zastin smiled in relief, causing Junko to look away from the Ra as her blush intensified slightly, but then the blush faded as she turned her attention back to Zastin.

"Thank you for saving me, but…" Junko trailed off as she turned her attention towards SAL, prompting the other students to do the same. "That monkey's going back to the research lab, isn't it?"

SAL sat on the ground with a saddened look on its face as the three suited men walked towards the monkey.

"Well done. Leave the rest to us!" the taller man directed to the students, but then Zastin stepped between them and SAL.

"Sorry, but I'm not going to let you do that," Zastin said to the suited men. "The terms were that SAL would give Junko back if I won, I didn't say anything about him going back with you!" The three men had surprised looks on their faces. "I overheard what you guys had said, and I can't condone your actions! While I did say my father would be interested in the prospect of animals being able to duel, I can say with certainty he would be against such mistreatment! That's why SAL is going to go back with his family!"

SAL then looked up towards Zastin with what seemed to be a surprised expression.

"All right, way to go, Zastin!" Sho cheered.

Asuka couldn't help but chuckle a bit, "I figured that'd be the kind of ending Judai would come up with."

"Eh? Really?" the E-HERO duelist questioned.

"It seems you and Zastin are quite a bit alike," Kaito said to his friend.

"You know, he has a good point," Momoe noted.

"A Ra Yellow, huh?" Junko said, mostly to herself, a slight blush appearing on her face as she looked at Zastin. 'He actually was kinda cool…'

"He's interfering! Out of the way!" the taller man said as he and the man with the rifle pushed Zastin out of their way, the taller man now carrying a net.

SAL screeched in surprise and the students gasped a little as Zastin was knocked to the ground and the taller man proceeded to throw the net over SAL.

"No, SAL!" Zastin called out as he scrambled back to his feet, only to have the man with the rifle aim the gun at the Ra student. "Damn it…"

"If you want it back with its friends so much, we could do that…" the shorter man said cryptically as he walked past Zastin, stopping next to his two companions and the captured SAL. "However, they will be in my research lab!"

"What?! You can't do that!" Zastin challenged, but then took a step back after remembering he had a gun trained on him.

"Catch all the other monkeys!" the shorter man ordered, to which the man with the rifle changed his aim towards the group of monkeys. "We are short on animals to experiment on, after all."

But then suddenly, a fat brown cat jumped at the man with the rifle, causing him to drop the gun as the cat landed back on the ground.

"Great work, Pharaoh," Daitokuji said as he walked into view, bending down to pick up the obese cat once it had walked up to its owner. "You're my pet, after all-nya!"

"Professor Daitokuji!" the students all said in surprise at the same time as the Osiris dorm leader walked up towards the three suited men while carrying Pharaoh.

"Who are you?" the shorter man questioned.

"If this goes public, you would be the embarrassed ones, wouldn't you-nya?" Daitokuji asked the three men before using his foot to kick the gun up into his hand. "You'll be charged with animal cruelty, you know."

The shorter man grit his teeth and, knowing he wouldn't be safe from the law, ordered the taller man to release SAL and then proceeded to remove the dueling device from the monkey, leaving SAL with only the Duel Disk. Happy that he was freed, SAL screeched cheerfully before running to the group of monkeys as they all started screeching cheerfully.

"They all look so happy," Sho pointed out.

"That's good," Kaito said with a smile on his face.

"SAL! Let's duel again sometime!" Zastin called out to the monkey.

SAL's response was to screech happily while giving a thumbs-up.

Junko chuckled a bit, "Looks like you made a new friend."

"Don't get caught again!" Judai said to the group of monkeys, but mostly directed towards SAL.

SAL nodded a couple times before he and the rest of the monkeys made their way back to the forest.

"At any rate, I wonder what would've happened to us if Professor Daitokuji didn't show up right then," Momoe said, turning her attention towards the Osiris dorm leader, prompting the other students to look to the Professor as well.

"Thank you very much," Asuka said to the Professor.

"No, I didn't do anything," Daitokuji said. "Please, say that to Pharaoh instead of me-nya." Pharaoh let out a tired meow in response.

"Still, why did you come here, Professor?" Judai wondered.

"Oh, that's right. I found Manjoume-kun-nya," Daitokuji answered.

"Huh? Really?" Judai asked excitedly.

"Thank goodness!" Sho said with relief.

"Where is he?" Kaito questioned.

"But he's no longer on this island-nya…" Daitokuji gave the bad news.

Daitokuji then motioned for the students to follow him, and so they did until the group reached the pier.

"To tell you the truth, I noticed it earlier, too," the Professor said. "And so, I went to find Manjoume-kun-nya." The Professor then explained how he had arrived too late and Manjoume was already on a boat leaving the island.

"So, that's it, huh?" Judai said.

"Manjoume-kun left the island…" Sho said sadly.

"Manjoume-san…" Momoe said.

"But why? We still don't know his reason for leaving," Kaito pointed out.

"Don't worry!" Judai said, turning around to face everyone with a knowing grin on his face. "I know he'll come back!"

"Yeah, he will!" Sho nodded in agreement with Zastin and Asuka nodding as well.

Judai then turned back around to look out at the ocean, "I know Manjoume's looking at this same sky, too!"

"Big Bro, you're showing off too much," Sho deadpanned.

"Huh? Really?" Judai wondered, but then everyone started to laugh.

It was Daitokuji who was the first to stop, "Oh, that reminds me. Kaito-kun, you have your duel later today."

"Oh, right! I almost forgot!" Kaito almost panicked.

"We should probably hurry back so you can prepare yourself," Zastin suggested.

"Right," Kaito agreed with a nod.

---

Later that day, after Daitokuji and the students returned to class, everyone had gathered in the dueling arena as Kaito stood opposite a second-year Obelisk student with short, well-combed black hair, both of them wearing their Duel Disks as Professor Chronos stood in the center of the arena holding a microphone.

"The following duel will determine which of these two duelists will participate in a special Tag Duel for the Interschool Match against our North Campus which will be in three months!" Chronos said into the microphone, intriguing the spectators and getting them talking among themselves. "From Obelisk Blue, Kirigaya Kazuto!" Kaito's opponent, Kazuto, raised his free arm as the majority of Obelisk students cheered along with a number of Ra students. "From Osiris Red, Kagemochi Kaito!" All of the Osiris students as well as a number of Ra students cheered, including Misawa, Akira and Zastin, and even Asuka's friends cheered for Kaito as Asuka herself, along with Ryo, Kenji and Michiru just watched. "This duel will proceed as any other, so if both duelists are ready, the first turn will go to Signore Kagemochi!"

"Duel!" Kaito and Kazuto called out as they drew their starting hands and Chronos jumped off the field.

Kaito: 4000
Kazuto: 4000

"Boku no tān! Draw!" Kaito called out, drawing his sixth card as he took the first turn. "I'll start by summoning Digital HERO – Subaru!"

As Kaito played his card, the Monster that appeared was a petite, blue-haired woman wearing a light blue dress. She had small, feathery wings sprouting from her back and a red tattoo on her forehead as she wielded a regal-looking axe, holding it like a scepter. (4/1500/1300)

"I'll end my turn with that!" Kaito concluded.

Kaito's hand: 5

"Ore no tān! Draw!" Kazuto called out as he drew his sixth card. "I summon Sword Art Rogue!"

Appearing on Kazuto's side of the field was a young man with spiked brown hair wearing a thick red headband and dressed in red robes and black armor as though to resemble a samurai. In his right hand he held a katana. (4/1600/1000)

In his seat, Ikeda Kenji narrowed his eyes with a look of disgust, "That's being disrespectful, Professor Chronos."

"Hm? Ikeda-senpai?" Michiru questioned, but returned his attention to the duel when Kenji didn't respond.

"Sword Art?" Kaito murmured to himself.

"Sword Art Rogue, attack his Monster!" Kazuto commanded, to which his Monster dashed across the field, brandishing his sword and slashing at Subaru once he was within range, destroying the female Monster.

Kaito: 3900
Kazuto: 4000

"And I'll set a card face-down!" Kazuto continued as Sword Art Rogue returned to his side of the field, a reversed card appearing behind the Monster. "Tān endo!"

Kazuto's hand: 4

"Boku no tān! Draw!" Kaito called out as he drew his next card. "I play the Permanent Magic, Different Dimension Hangar! When this card is played, I can remove up to three Level-4 or lower Union Monsters in my deck from play!" After playing his card, Kaito pulled out his deck and searched through it before grabbing his three chosen cards. "I choose Digital HERO – Elk, Digital HERO – Piros, and Digital HERO – Ouka of the Divine Fist!" Kaito then put his chosen cards into his pocket before grabbing another card from his hand. "I play the Magic card, Rip Maen! This card will let me Special Summon a Digital HERO from my Cemetery!"

Being the only viable target, Digital HERO – Subaru appeared back onto Kaito's side of the field. (4/1500/1300)

"And now my Different Dimension Hangar activates! Since I summoned a compatible Monster, I can Special Summon my removed Union Monsters!" Kaito explained as he pulled his three cards from his pocket and played them. "Come forth! Digital HERO – Elk! Digital HERO – Piros! Digital HERO – Ouka of the Divine Fist!"

Appearing first on Kaito's side of the field was a young, blue-haired boy wearing dark blue robes and green tattoos on his cheeks, a rather gloomy expression on his face as he tightly held onto a staff. (3/900/1500)

Next to appear was a man wearing light green heavy armor, with the exception of his left shoulder which was red with spikes. The most unique thing about this Monster was his bowl-cut hairstyle. His weapon of choice was a large axe. (4/1800/2000)

Lastly was a young woman wearing little more than a purple bikini with a fluffy white shawl around her shoulders. She also had a tuft of white fur around her neck and wore a pair of knee-high boots and elbow length gloves designed like wolf paws while her most distinct feature was her wolf-like ears. (4/1800/1300)

"He just summoned four Monsters in one turn!" Sho pointed out in surprise.

"Considering his deck is so Union-focused, he'd need to rely on summoning as many Monsters as he can at once," Zastin noted. "But even so, those were all just Special Summons. He still has a Normal Summon left, if he has no other way to Special Summon for the turn."

"Next, I release Digital HERO – Subaru…" Kaito continued as the female axe-wielder disappeared from the field. "…to Advance Summon Digital HERO – Gardenia!"

Appearing in Subaru's place was a beautiful young woman with golden, bushy long hair wearing white, green, and gold armor over a matching battle dress. Her red eyes held a cold gaze while her face held an emotionless expression. Her weapon of choice was a large halberd. (5/2100/1700)

"And now I'll activate the Monster Effects of Piros and Ouka to equip them onto Gardenia! Party Up! Double Union!" Kaito called out, to which Piros and Ouka partnered up with Gardenia. (5/2100-3100/1700) "When Ouka is equipped to a Digital HERO Monster, that Monster gains 1000 ATK! Gardenia, attack Sword Art Rogue! And that'll activate Piros's Union Effect! When the equipped Monster attacks, my opponent can't activate Trap cards!"

Gardenia gripped her weapons as Piros charged ahead, then dashed towards Sword Art Rogue with Ouka joining her. Piros leapt forward and jumped on top of Kazuto's face-down card to prevent it from activating. Sword Art Rogue brought up his katana to block Gardenia's halberd, but was blind-sided by Ouka slugging him across the face, breaking his guard and allowing Gardenia to cut him down.

Kaito: 3900
Kazuto: 2500

"Reversed card, open!" Kazuto countered once Kaito's Monster had returned to the Data-HERO duelist's field. "Call of the Living Dead! With this card, I can Special Summon a Monster from my Cemetery in Attack mode!"

As the only viable target in Kazuto's Cemetery, Sword Art Rogue reappeared onto the field. (4/1600/1000)

Kaito looked through the rest of his hand but found nothing else to play at the time, "At my End Phase, Elk's Monster Effect will increase my Life Points by 200 for every Monster I control!"

Elk then raised his staff and waved it around as Kaito's Life Points increased.

Kaito: 4300
Kazuto: 2500

Kaito's hand: 3

"Ore no tān! Draw!" Kazuto called out as he drew his next card, smirking when he looked at it. "I play the Magic card, Shattered Bonds!"

"What? Shattered Bonds?" Kaito repeated in confusion.

"When this card is played, all Monster currently equipped are Special Summoned to the field in Defense mode and cannot change their positions as long as they remain on the field!" Kazuto explained, causing Kaito to gasp as Piros and Ouka were forced away from Gardenia and into defensive stances, weakening Gardenia in the process. (4/1800/2000) (4/1800/1300) (5/3100-2100/1700) "Next, I'll play the Equipment Magic, Axe of Fools, onto your Digital HERO – Elk!" As Kazuto played his next card, Elk's staff was replaced with a large axe that had a goofy face etched onto it. "With this, the equipped Monster will gain 1000 ATK, but its effects are negated and during each of my Standby Phases, the controller of the equipped Monster will take 500 damage!"

Kaito grit his teeth as Elk grew stronger in one aspect, but weaker in another. (3/900-1900/1500)

"Then I'll release Sword Art Rogue…" Kazuto continued as his revived Monster vanished, causing the color of his Trap card to fade. "…to Advance Summon Sword Art Commander!"

Appearing next on Kazuto's field was an older man with a tall, muscular build wearing a set of red plate armor with a white cape. His weapon of choice was a silver longsword and a white shield emblazoned with a red cross. (6/2300/2600)

"Commander, attack his Gardenia!" Kazuto commanded, to which his newest Monster gripped his sword and, despite the appearance of his age, sped across the field. Gardenia barely had time to react before the older man slashed his sword, cutting the female Warrior down as Kaito braced himself.

Kaito: 4100
Kazuto: 2500

"I'll set a card face-down," Kazuto said as his Monster returned to his side of the field, a reversed card appearing next to the older man. "Tān endo!"

Kazuto's hand: 2

"Boku no tān! Draw!" Kaito called out as he drew his next card.

"Reversed card, open!" Kazuto quickly countered as his set card rose. "Drop Off! When my opponent draws during their Draw Phase, this card forces you to send that card to the Cemetery!"

Kaito's body froze for a moment as he glanced at the card he had drawn, seeing it to be Digital Hero – Orca of the Azure Sea before closing his eyes and pushing it into his Cemetery slot.

"I'll set one card face-down!" Kaito said as he pushed a card into his Duel Disk, causing a reversed card to appear on his field. "Tān endo!"

Kaito's hand: 2

"Did you see the look on Kaito's face?" Judai asked. "He must've been forced to get rid of a good card."

'Come on, Kaito… Pull it together…' Akira said in her head.

"Ore no tān!" Kazuto said as he drew his next card. "At my Standby Phase, Axe of Fools will inflict 500 damage to you!"

Kaito grit his teeth once more as his Life Points dropped.

Kaito: 3600
Kazuto: 2500

"I play the Equipment Magic, Big Bang Shoot, onto Sword Art Commander!" Kazuto said as he played the card, a mechanical device appearing around the older man's right hand and on the hilt of his sword. (6/2300-2700/2600) "While equipped, the Monster will gain 400 ATK and can inflict piercing damage! Commander, attack Ouka of the Divine Fist!"

Once again, Sword Art Commander charged across the field, an aura of power emanating from the device around his hand and the hilt of his weapon.

"Reverse card, open!" Kaito countered as his set card rose. "Ap Vorv! This card will increase the DEF of all face-up Digital HERO Monsters I control!"

An aura briefly appeared around Kaito's three Monsters as a shield icon appeared above their heads. (4/1800/1300-2300) (4/1800/2000-3000) (3/1900/1500-2500)

"It's not enough to save your Monster!" Kazuto pointed out as Sword Art Commander swung his sword, cleaving through Ouka. "And you'll still take my piercing damage!" The device worn by Sword Art Commander released a forward blast, knocking Kaito back a bit to translate damage.

Kaito: 3200
Kazuto: 2500

"I'll end my turn there!" Kazuto concluded as his Monster returned to his side of the field, also ending the effects of Kaito's Ap Vorv card. (4/1800/3000-2000) (3/1900/2500-1500)

Kazuto's hand: 2

After regaining himself, Kaito drew the next card of his deck, "Boku no tān!" Kaito then looked at the card as well as the two other cards in his hand before pushing two cards into his Duel Disk, causing a pair of face-down cards to appear on his field. "I'll set two card, and that'll end my turn!"

Kaito's hand: 1

"Kagemochi-san isn't doing so well, is he?" Michiru questioned.

"Keep watching," Kenji instructed. "He hasn't given up yet."

"Ore no tān! Draw!" Kazuto called out as he drew his next card. "Once again, you'll take 500 damage from Axe of Fools!"

Kaito: 2700
Kazuto: 2500

Kazuto then looked at the card he had drawn and smirked, "I activate the effect of Sword Art Commander, allowing me to equip him with Sword Art Princess from my hand!"

As Kazuto played his next card, the Monster that appeared was a young woman with long, orange-brownish chestnut hair and hazel eyes wearing a uniform of red and white, similar in style to the armor worn by Sword Art Commander, while wielding a white rapier, its red sheath at her side. (5/2100/1700) As soon as she appeared on the field, however, Sword Art Commander grabbed the girl by her arm and pulled her to his side.

"Sword Art Princess's Union Effect! A Monster equipped with her gains an additional attack during the Battle Phase!" Kazuto announced.

"What?! No way!" Kaito gasped as he looked at his two remaining Monsters.

"Commander, attack Piros!" Kazuto ordered, to which his pair of Monsters dashed across the field. Piros managed to defend against Commander's attack, but Princess was able to find a weak spot in his armor and, with her more precise weapon, thrust her sword through the armored Warrior, destroying him instantly. "Once more you'll suffer from piercing damage!"

Kaito: 2000
Kazuto: 2500

"Commander, attack again!" Kazuto continued, prompting his two Monsters to turn towards Elk, Kaito's remaining Monster, and proceeded to cut him down as Kaito once again took piercing damage from the attack.

Kaito: 800
Kazuto: 2500

"Activate Trap card!" Kaito countered once Kazuto's Monsters returned to their respective side of the field, surprising the second-year Obelisk as one of the set cards rose. "Flash Mail! When one of my Monsters is destroyed, I can Special Summon any Digital HERO from my deck, but its ATK and DEF are halved and its effects are negated until the End Phase!" Kaito then pulled out his deck and searched through it, grabbing his card of choice and playing it. "I summon Digital HERO – Kite of the Azure Flame!"

Appearing on Kaito's field was the red-garbed Warrior that helped him in defeating Kazumi during the Punishment Duels. (8/2500-1250/2000-1000)

"Need a little help, Kaito?" Kite asked.

"More than a little," Kaito said under his breath with a chuckle.

"Then I'll do what I can to help," Kite assured, earning a nod of appreciation from Kaito.

"So you've brought out your best card…" Kazuto figured before pushing a card into his Duel Disk. "I'll set a card face-down and end my turn here! Let's see what you've got!" (8/1250-2500/1000-2000)

Kazuto's hand: 1

"You got it! Boku no tān!" Kaito called out as he drew his next card. "Reversed card, open! Call of the Living Dead!" As Kaito called out his move as his other face-down rose. "With this I'll Special Summon a Monster from my Cemetery! Come forth, Digital HERO – Orca of the Azure Sea!"

Appearing from the Trap card was the bare-chested, barbarian-looking swordsman that aided Kaito in his first duel against Kazumi in the Abandoned Dorm. (6/2400/1600)

"Orca!" Kite greeted his companion happily.

Orca couldn't help but chuckle, "Hey there, Kite. Been a while since we've partnered up, hasn't it?"

Kite nodded in affirmation, "Sure has."

"Next, I'll play the Magic card, Descendants of Fianna!" Kaito continued as he played his next card. "Since I control Digital HERO – Orca of the Azure Sea, I can Special Summon Digital HERO – Lord Balmung of the Azure Sky from my deck!" Kaito then proceeded to pull out his deck, grab the proper card and play it, summoning forth the winged swordsman that also aided in Kaito's duel at the Abandoned Dorm. (6/2200/1800)

With Balmung's appearance, many of the female students fell head-over-heels for the attractive, angelic-looking man, the exceptions being Asuka and Akira.

Orca couldn't help but laugh a bit, "Looks like you've got yourself some admirers, Balmung."

"They can do what they want," Balmung said dismissively, turning his gaze towards the opposing field. "We have other business to attend to."

"Either way, it's great to have you here as well, Balmung," Kite said.

Balmung merely nodded and looked between his two companions, "With this, the Azure Knights have assembled."

"Then I'll play the Magic card, Duel! This card lets us both draw until we have six cards!" Kaito continued as he played the last card in his hand, then drew a full six cards from his deck while Kazuto drew five. "Now I'll activate the Monster Effects of Orca and Balmung, equipping them to Kite! Party Up! Double Union!" At Kaito's commanded, the two swordsman positioned themselves to either side of Kite, all three of the drawing their weapons and taking a group battle stance. "Next, I'll play the Instant Magic, Ap Corv! This will increase the ATK of all Warrior-type and Beast-Warrior-type Digital HERO Monsters I control by 1000 until the End Phase!"

As Kaito played his card, a red, empowering aura briefly appeared around the group of three Monsters before a sword icon appeared above their heads. (8/2500-3500/2000)

"Okay guys, attack Sword Art Commander!" Kaito called, to which the three Monsters gripped their weapons and all charged across the field.

"Activate Trap card!" Kazuto quickly countered as his set card rose. "Attack Nullification! This will negate your attack and end the Battle Phase!"

Just as the trio of Kite, Orca and Balmung were within striking distance of their opponents, a barrier rose up to deflect their weapons. Realizing they couldn't get through, the group of three returned to Kaito's side of the field as the Data-HERO duelist grabbed another card from his hand.

"I activate the Instant Magic, Poison of the Old Man!" Kaito announced as he played his card. "With this, I can gain 1200 Life Points or inflict 800 damage! And I'll choose the former!"

With his choice, Kaito's Life Points increased.

Kaito: 2000
Kazuto: 2500

"I'll end my turn with that!" Kaito concluded as the effects of his Ap Corv card ended. (8/3500-2500/2000)

Kaito's hand: 5

"Ore no tān! Draw!" Kazuto called out as he drew his next card, then chuckled to himself. "First I'll activate the Union Effect of Sword Art Princess to Special Summon her back to the field!" At Kazuto's command, the swordswoman broke away from Sword Art Commander. (5/2100/1700) "Next, I'll release both of my Monsters…" As Kazuto trailed off, his two Monsters disappeared from the field. "…to Advance Summon Sword Art Beater!"

Appearing next on Kazuto's side of the field was a young man with short, well-combed black hair, similar to Kazuto himself, wearing black pants with a black belt that had a large silver buckle, a black V-neck shirt that was worn underneath a black trench-coat with gray lining going down the sleeves, and black boots with silver plates to protect his shins. He had a silver plate worn on the left side of his coat, and a pair of black fingerless gloves as well as a strap that went over his right shoulder and under it to wrap around his left side. In his right hand he wielded a thin, blade longsword and an aqua-colored longsword in his left hand. (8/2500/2000)

"A Level-8 with 2500 ATK? I bet ya that's his best card," Orca noted.

"What makes you say that?" Kite questioned his friend.

"Probably because he's comparing him to you," Balmung said. "You both have the same Level, ATK and DEF."

"Oh," Kite said in realization.

"Next, I'll play the Magic card, Resurrection of the Dead, to Special Summon Sword Art Princess from my Cemetery!" Kazuto continued, playing his card and causing Sword Art Princess to return to the field. (5/2100/1700) "And then I'll use her Monster Effect and equip her to Sword Art Beater!" In response, Sword Art Princess walked up to her companion and the two of them took a battle stance, but then the Field Magic slot of Kazuto's Duel Disk opened up. "Now I play the Field Magic, Floating Castle – Aincrad!"

As Kazuto played his card, the field began to change. Both duelists and their Monsters found themselves standing in an open field under a clear sky. Hovering above the field was a large floating castle, and if either duelist looked around, they would notice the field itself was also floating in the sky.

"With this card, all Sword Art Monsters I control with a Union Monster equipped to them gain 500 ATK and DEF!" Kazuto explained as Sword Art Beater grew stronger. (8/2500-3000/2000-2500) "Beater, attack Kite of the Azure Flame!"

[Play His Name is 9 from .hack/Versus OST]

At the command, Sword Art Beater gripped the hilts of his swords and charged across the field towards Kite. Kite charged towards his opponent in response, but jumped over the black-clad swordsman at the last second to avoid the on-coming attack. Beater then whipped around, swinging his swords in the process, but Kite also managed to turn around mid-air and deflected the swords with his own pair of blades. Being pushed back by the force of the attack, Kite managed to land on the ground and the two swordsmen charged at each other again, swinging their blades and matching each other blow-for-blow.

Orca whistled impressively at the fight, "Look at those two go. They're pretty evenly matched, aren't they?"

Balmung didn't respond, keeping his eyes on the field until his eye caught movement from elsewhere. Gripping his sword, Balmung spread his wings and flew across the field towards Kite and Beater.

"Hey, Balmung! Where are you going?" Orca questioned his friend, but then noticed Sword Art Princess was in the air directly above Kite. "Damn it!"

"Balmung's Union Effect! Once per turn, if the equipped Monster would be destroyed by battle, I can negate its destruction!" Kaito countered just as Orca ran towards the battle.

"But you'll still take damage since my Monster is stronger!" Kazuto stated.

Kaito: 1500
Kazuto: 2500

At the last second, just as Sword Art Princess was about to fall on top of Kite, Balmung came skidding to a halt right behind his partner and raised his sword to block the woman's attack.

"Balmung!" Kite said in surprise while still exchanging blows with Beater.

"Stay focused on your own fight! We'll cover your back!" Balmung said, and at that moment, Orca had leapt towards the blocked Princess with his sword raised.

However, Princess managed to notice the oncoming attack and pushed herself away from Balmung, avoiding Orca's attack as Balmung turned his body to the side in order to avoid getting hit as well while Beater had jumped back from Kite at the same time.

"Beater's Monster Effect! He can attack twice every Battle Phase!" Kazuto pointed out, causing Kaito to gasp in surprise.

"Here they come again!" Orca pointed out as Beater and Princess charged towards the group of three in a pincer attack.

"Don't worry, they're no match for the three of us," Balmung stated, the three Warriors gripping their weapons.

As Beater and Princess drew closer, Balmung spread his wings and took flight while Kite charged at Beater, holding his twin daggers in front of himself and managed to dash past the black swordsman while blocking the latter's attack. Orca managed to swing his sword in time to clash with Princess, the two of them trying to over-power each other, but Orca had a slight advantage due to being larger and possessing more physical strength than his female opponent. With an opening available to him, Balmung gripped his sword and dove down towards Princess, ready to strike. As Kite and Beater continued their own battle, Kite showing his dexterity in dodging his opponent's attacks while also exchanging blows, Beater spotted Balmung about to strike Princess and so backed away from his fight with Kite and made his way toward the other combatants while Kite gave chase. Just as Balmung was about to strike, Beater had jumped at the winged knight and used his own swords to catch Balmung's weapon and proceeded to throw the Warrior aside.

"Balmung!" Orca called out. "Gah!"

However, that moment of distraction had cost Orca dearly as Princess took the moment to pull her sword back only to thrust the blade straight into Orca's chest.

"Orca!" Kite called out, seeing the tip of Princess's blade sticking out of his partner's back.

Once he regained himself, Balmung watched as Princess withdrew her sword and Orca's body collapsed, "No, Orca!"

"Orca's Union Effect! If the equipped Monster would be destroyed, I can destroy him instead!" Kaito reluctantly stated as his Life Points dropped.

Kaito: 1000
Kazuto: 2500

"Orca…" Kite murmured to himself, disbelieving his friend had been slain.

"You bastards!" Balmung shouted in a rage as he gripped his sword and charged towards Beater and Princess on his own.

"Princess's Union Effect allows the equipped Monster an extra attack during the Battle Phase!" Kazuto explained.

Seeing the winged knight approaching, Princess dashed towards Balmung with her sword ready. At the same time, Beater had noticed Kite's distraught state and charged towards his opponent. Hearing approaching footsteps, Kite regained his focus and saw Beater charging right at him. Shaking his head to clear his mind, Kite raised his blades and proceeded to block against Beater's attacks. Meanwhile, Balmung was swinging his sword with more ferocity than he ever had before, intent on landing a strike, or to at least shatter his opponent's weapon. Princess, however, rarely raised her sword in this fight and instead opted to evade Balmung's attacks during his rage. Balmung then raised his sword, aiming to drive his blade through the woman and swung downward, but Princess took the opening to step to the side at the last second, escaping the attack and moving behind the winged knight as his sword struck the ground with enough force to get stuck. As Balmung tried to pry his weapon out of the ground, Princess took the opening to thrust her sword through Balmung's back, effectively bringing him down. Kite looked up from his fight with Beater and watched as Princess pulled her sword out of Balmung and the winged knight slumped over.

"Balmung!" Kite called out.

Beater took this moment to spin around and strike the distracted Kite with a roundhouse, sending the red-garbed Digital HERO skidding across the ground towards his fallen comrade. Princess then stepped over Balmung's body and, once Kite was close enough, proceeded to give Kite another kick, sending him tumbling across the field until he stopped right in front of Kaito.

"Balmung's Union Effect… If the equipped Monster would be destroyed, I can destroy him instead," Kaito said, the damage transferring to his Life Points as Kite slowly rose to his feet.

[End song]

Kaito: 500
Kazuto: 2500

Kazuto scoffed as his two Monsters returned to his side of the field and the bodies of Orca and Balmung shattered into pixels, "If that was your best, I'm disappointed! But then, what can you expect from an Osiris Red dropout? Tān endo!"

Kazuto's hand: 4

"Hey, Kaito…" Kite said, earning the attention of his duelist. "You've got something, right?"

Kaito took a look through the cards in his hand before responding in a low voice, "Not anything that would finish this, but I still have a draw left."

"Heh. Let's hope it's what we need, then," Kite said, to which Kaito nodded.

"Boku no tān! Draw!" Kaito called out as he drew his next card, a smirk appearing on his face as he looked at what he had drawn. "I activate the Magic card, Rip Maen, to Special Summon a Digital HERO from my Cemetery! And I choose Digital HERO – Ouka of the Divine Fist!"

As Kaito played his card, the bikini-clad wolfgirl appeared on the field. (4/1800/1300)

"Next, I'll play the Permanent Magic, Frontline Base! With this, I can Special Summon a Level-4 or lower Union Monster from my hand once per turn!" Kaito explained as he played his card, then grabbed another card from his hand. "I choose Digital HERO – Mia!"

Appearing next on Kaito's field was the feline swordswoman that had helped him in his duel against Asuka. (4/1800/1200)

"Now… I'll release both of my Monsters…" Kaito trailed off as Ouka and Mia disappeared from the field. "…to Advance Summon Digital HERO – BlackRose!"

Appearing next on Kaito's field and standing beside Kite was the dark-skinned, bright-haired female swordswoman that helped Kaito win his entrance exam. (7/2500/1200)

BlackRose raised her arms as she stretched, "Been a while since you've called me out, Kaito. I was beginning to think you didn't like me anymore."

"Well we're having a bit of trouble right now," Kaito responded in a low voice.

"Yeah, I know. I heard everything from the deck," BlackRose said as she turned to face the two Sword Art Monsters. "So they took down Orca and Balmung, huh? That's pretty impressive, all things considered."

"That's why we need your help, BlackRose," Kite spoke up.

BlackRose turned her gaze towards her companion and smirked, "Don't worry. Now that I'm here, we're all set."

"Okay, because we're going to be using that," Kaito said firmly.

"Huh? Wait a minute, you sure we need to resort to that?" BlackRose questioned, but then noticed the determined look in Kaito's eyes.

"Those two are a good team, there's no doubt about it," Kite pointed out. "So how about we show them what the best team can do?"

BlackRose looked at Kite in amazement before smirking and nodding in agreement, "Right."

"I activate BlackRose's Monster Effect and equip her to Kite! Party Up!" Kaito called out as BlackRose gripped the hilt of her giant broadsword and stood next to Kite. "When BlackRose is equipped to a Digital HERO, that Monster gains 500 ATK and DEF!"

Kite and BlackRose glanced at each other and smirked. (8/2500-3000/2000-2500)

"So you've made your Monster as strong as mine," Kazuto noted. "But if you're thinking of suiciding into Beater, it'll only result in our Union Monsters getting destroyed!"

"Wasn't planning on it!" Kaito said, much to Kazuto's confusion. "Instead, I'm going to activate Kite's Monster Effect! Once per turn, I can reduce the ATK and DEF of a Monster you control to 0!"

Kazuto flinched and took an involuntary step back as Kite gripped his weapons and crouched down slightly before rushing across the field.

"Ap Do!" Kite called out, an aura briefly appearing around his body while the image of a stopwatch appeared above his head, resulting in a sudden burst of speed allowing him to instantly appear in front of Sword Art Princess and Sword Art Beater, spooking the both of them. "Saber Dance!"

With his additional speed, it was impossible to tell whether or not Kite had even moved for his attack until Beater's body looked like it had just been struck by four attacks.

"Tiger Claws!" Kite called out as he backed slightly only to leap at Beater, turning on his side and spinning as he brought his blades down upon Beater, then Kite firmly planted his feet on the ground. "Staccato!"

Kite then twisted his body a little before allowing himself to spin like a top, holding his weapons outwards so his blades would strike Beater, stunning the black-clad swordsman with each hit. Once his attack was finished, Kite leapt back to Kaito's side of the field as a green barrier appeared around Sword Art Beater with the words "PROTECT BREAK" flashing until they changed to a solid "OK!" and the barrier shattered. In response, Kite put away his weapons and held out his right arm, a familiar crystallized bracelet appearing around his wrist as the young man grabbed hold of his right arm with his left hand to steady himself.

"Data Drain!" Kite called out, streams of data firing from the bracelet and speeding across the field until they struck Sword Art Beater and passed through him, causing the young man's body to flicker. (8/3000-0 /2500-0)

"But wait, now your Monster can't attack because of its effect!" Kazuto pointed out, recalling how Kaito explained Kite's effect against Kazumi. "And you already equipped a Monster to him, so you can't access your Battle Phase!"

"You're right, Kite can't attack!" Kaito admitted, but then grinned slightly. "But that would be if he was alone or had anyone else equipped with him! BlackRose's Union Effect! When equipped to Kite of the Azure Flame, she negates any effects that would prevent the equipped Monster from attacking!"

"What?! No way!" Kazuto shouted in shock.

"Now it's my turn!" BlackRose said as Kite turned around and dropped to one knee, lowering both hands with the backs against the ground.

BlackRose then planted one foot in Kite's hands and pushed her other foot off the ground, signaling Kite to toss her into the air with all his strength. Once BlackRose reached the height of the throw, she managed to flip herself upside down as a few data panels appeared under her feet. With her feet planted on a flat surface, BlackRose pushed herself off with all her strength, readying her sword and she gripped the handle during her fall towards Sword Art Beater and Sword Art Princess.

"Meteor Strike!" BlackRose shouted as she neared the two opposing Monsters and gave her sword a swing, connecting the blade against Sword Art Beater's body as she crashed into the ground, cleaving the young man in half with ease.

When the smoke from the attack cleared, only BlackRose was left standing in the center of a crater.

Kaito: 500 (WIN)
Kazuto: 0000

As the spectators cheered at the fantastic duel, Kazuto was completely stunned by his loss as the holograms faded and the field returned to normal, "No way… I lost? To a first-year Osiris?"

Kaito let out a deep breath to relax himself as Kite and BlackRose walked up to him in their spirit form, "That was a close one, wasn't it?"

"Sure was! We haven't been in a pinch like that in some time!" BlackRose said, talking about when the deck was in Saika's possession.

"You two really over-reacted," Orca said as he and Balmung also appeared in their spirit forms. "It's not like we can actually die in these duels."

"I guess we just got caught up in the moment," Balmung said with his eyes closed, almost as though he didn't want to admit it.

Kite just laughed, "Yeah, I guess we did. But it was still a fun match."

"Congratulations, Kaito-kun," Principal Samejima said as he and Professor Chronos walked up towards the field, earning Kaito's attention. "With this, your place in representing Duel Academia for the Interschool Match is set. Is there anyone you have in mind to be your partner?"

"Uh, well…" Kaito trailed off for a second. "Would it be all right if I had some time to think about it? I'm not really sure who to pick at the moment."

"Of course, of course," Samejima said with a smile and a nod. "Take as much time as you need, just be sure to let me know in the next three months."

Kaito nodded in agreement, "Right."

As Samejima and Professor Chronos walked away, Judai, Sho, Zastin, Misawa, and Akira ran up to the Data-HERO duelist.

"That duel was amazing!" Judai said excitedly.

"Congrats on the victory, Kaito-boy," Zastin said.

"Thanks," Kaito said with a nod.

"So a Tag Duel, huh? You ever had one before?" Akira questioned, to which Kaito shook his head. "Hm… I wonder who you'd pick then. Of the five of us, we know Judai and Sho have experience."

"While I'm not against Kaito choosing one of us as his partner, he can pick someone else," Misawa pointed out.

"I know that! I was only mentioning it in case he wanted a partner who had been in a Tag Duel before!" Akira shot at her fellow Ra.

"Well Principal Samejima said he had three months," Sho pointed out. "That should be more than enough time for Kaito to figure it out."

"That's true," Kaito said, but then his face flushed red with embarrassment as his stomach growled. "Uh… Guess I should get something to eat…"

"I know what you mean! A good duel always makes me hungry!" Judai said with a cheeky grin.

"But you weren't even the one who dueled," Zastin pointed out.

"That's Big Bro for you, he gets excited whether he's in a duel or watching a duel," Sho sighed.

Kaito then jumped down from the arena, "Well then, let's all go get something together!"

"Yeah!" Judai said energetically as Sho, Misawa, Akira, and Zastin couldn't help but laugh and agree.

---

Blessing of the Sea Emperor
Magic
Effect: Target 1 Mizu Monster you control: its Type is treated as Sea Dragon until the End Phase
(This card was created by me)

Sun Wukong, the Monkey King
Chi
Level-10
Beast/Effect
ATK: 3000
DEF: 2600
Effect: Requires 3 Beast-type releases to be Normal Summoned (cannot be Normal Set). This card's Normal Summon cannot be negated. This card cannot be targeted by card effects your opponent controls. If this card attacks or is attacked, your opponent cannot activate cards or effects until the end of the Damage Step. Once per turn, during your Main Phase, you can increase the ATK of this card by 500 for each Beast-type Monster on the field (except this card) until the End Phase. During the turn this effect is activated, no other Monsters can attack, except this card. If this card destroys an opponent's Monster by battle, you can Special Summon 1 Beast-type Monster from your hand, deck or Graveyard. Cards summoned by this effect cannot attack.
(This card was created by me and is based off the character of The Monkey King, Sun Wukong from The Journey to the West)

Sword Art Beater
Chi
Level-8
Warrior/Effect
ATK: 2500
DEF: 2000
Effect: You can only control 1 face-up Sword Art Beater. This card can attack twice each Battle Phase.

Sword Art Commander
Chi
Level-6
Warrior/Effect
ATK: 2300
DEF: 2600
Effect: You can only control 1 face-up Sword Art Commander. Once per turn, if this card is selected as an attack target; you can negate the attack. Once per turn, you can equip 1 Sword Art Princess to this card from your hand or field.

Sword Art Princess
Chi
Level-5
Warrior/Union
ATK: 2100
DEF: 1700
Effect: You can only control 1 face-up Sword Art Princess. Once per turn, during your Main Phase, if you control this card on the field, you can equip it to a Sword Art Beater Monster you control as an Equip Spell Card, OR unequip the Union equipment and Special Summon this card in face-up Attack Position. While equipped to a Monster, the equipped Monster gains 1 extra attack each Battle Phase. (1 Monster can only be equipped with 1 Union at a time. If the equipped Monster would be destroyed as a result of battle, destroy this card instead.)

Sword Art Rogue
Chi
Level-4
Warrior/Union
ATK: 1600
DEF: 1000
Effect: You can only control 1 face-up Sword Art Rogue. Once per turn, during your Main Phase, if you control this card on the field, you can equip it to a Sword Art Beater Monster you control as an Equip Spell Card, OR unequip the Union equipment and Special Summon this card in face-up Attack Position. While equipped to a Monster, increase the ATK of the equipped Monster by 500. (1 Monster can only be equipped with 1 Union at a time. If the equipped Monster would be destroyed as a result of battle, destroy this card instead.)

Floating Castle - Aincrad
Magic
Effect: Increase the ATK and DEF of all face-up Sword Art Monsters you control that have a Union Monster equipped.
(The above cards were created by me and are based off Sword Art Online)

Digital HERO - Gardenia
Level-5
Chi
Warrior/Union
ATK: 2100
DEF: 1700
Effect: Once per turn, during your Main Phase, if you control this card on the field, you can equip it to a Digital HERO Monster you control as an Equip Spell Card, OR unequip the Union equipment and Special Summon this card in face-up Attack Position. While equipped to a Monster by this card's effect, increase the ATK/DEF of the equipped Monster by 800. This card can be equipped with 2 Union Monsters at a time. (If the equipped Monster would be destroyed, destroy this card instead.)
(This card was created by me and is based off the character Gardenia from the .hack/Conglomerate)

Shattered Bonds
Magic
Effect: Special Summon all Union Monsters from both player's Magic and Trap Zones in face-up Defense mode. Monsters Special Summoned by this effect cannot change their battle positions.
(The above card was created by me)

Duel
Magic
Effect: Both players increase their hands to six.
(The above card was played by Jaden Yuki in the Special One-Shot of the Yu-Gi-Oh! GX manga against Koyo Hibiki)