New chapter! Enjoy

The next day of the tournament, Yuzu had her duel against idol duelist Naname Mikiyo, and managed to remind Yuya about what dueling meant to him. Afterwards, Yuya was the same as he always was. Now, it was time for Takumi's match.

He was standing in the entrance to the arena going over his deck, the spirits of the Trinity floating around him. Takumi looked to Aka. "Looks like you were right. Yuya seems a lot better."

"Indeed. Now then, I believe we should turn our attention to your next match."

"We'll be with you every step of the way!" "Let's show them a performance they will never forget!"

"You got it guys!" He loaded his deck and shuffled it, then waited for his cue.

"Takumi." "Huh?" Takumi turned around and was surprised to see Shun walking up behind him. "Shun? What are you doing here?"

Shun walked up to him and remained silent for a few seconds. "… Do you truly mean what you've been saying?" Takumi nodded without hesitation. "I see…" He then reached into his back pocket and pulled out a card. He then looked at it for a few seconds, then at Takumi, holding out the card to him.

Takumi was surprised by the action and took the card, shocked at what it turned out to be. "This is-!"

"Prove to me that you mean those words. If not, I expect to get that back." He then turned around and left Takumi in the hall, stunned at what just happened.

"Oooh!" Takumi turned to the sound of Ao's voice, to see her admiring the card Shun gave him. "This card… I can feel the determination within it to bring justice to those who cause suffering, and to show them the same pain they deliver to others… This may become a powerful ally in the battles to come."

"Really?" Takumi looked back at the card, and smiled softly at Shun's gesture. "Guess I'm starting to get through to the guy." He then put the card where it belonged, already forming tactics he could use with the new card, and heard the announcer start the intro.

{"And now it is time for our next match! Give a warm welcome to You Show's very own Unbound Avian, TAKUMI SHOU!"} Takumi ran out onto the field, sweat-dropping at the title. 'Unbound Avian? Who came up with that!?' The Trinity flew right behind him chuckling at the look on his face. {"After defeating the powers of fate, he will now attempt to gain entry into the 3rd round! Now to introduce his opponent, RYUUJI KUROBE!"

Takumi looked at who his opponent was going to be, and saw a boy with short black hair and crimson eyes. He had a red shirt under a black hoodie, with black jeans and shoes to match. His disk was black with red highlights. {"He doesn't belong to a duel school, but he managed to enter the tournament with a six-win streak, and in his first match defeated a member of the Knight of Duels on his second turn! I think we can expect quite the match between these 2 duelists!"}

Takumi smiled at his opponent. "Yo! Gotta admit, I never saw your duel. But if the announcer is being honest then I gotta say, you seem like a fun opponent to go up against!"

Ryuuji smiled back. "Why thank you. I do hope you give me a good fight. My last opponent was too sure of himself to really give me a challenge."

"Well, I don't like to underestimate my opponents. Confidence is a double-edged sword after all."

"Good point. Now I should tell you, I don't like going for Action cards."

Takumi was surprised at that. "Really? Why?"

Ryuuji shrugged. "No reason. Just doesn't feel right. I work hard to make my deck strong, and don't think I need to rely on something outside of my control to win."

Takumi thought over his words for a few moments, then smiled back at him. "Okay then. I won't use them either."

This time Ryuuji was surprised. "Really? You'd be giving up an advantage."

Takumi shrugged. "That's fine. I don't like having too big an advantage, and Action cards are real game-changers. Besides, I wanna see how my deck compares to your own."

Ryuuji studied him for a few moments, before he smirked at him. "Alright then. Hope you don't regret that decision later!" He then activated his disk, revealing a red blade.

"No problem!" He then activated his own as the announcer began selecting an Action Field.

{"The Action Field this time is… Dragon Ravine!"} Takumi and Ryuuji were then standing on top of a large stone pillar above a dense forest. Several other pillars could be seen around the area, but they paid them no mind as they started.

Duelists locked in battle!

Kicking the earth and dancing in the air alongside their monsters.

They storm through this field!

Behold!

This is the latest and greatest evolution of dueling!

Action… DUEL!

Ryuuji: 4000

Takumi: 4000

"May I go first?"

Takumi bowed. "If you wish."

"Thanks. I summon my Blazewing Butterfly!" A large orange butterfly then appeared on Ryuuji's field. "I now activate the spell card, Cards of the Red Stone! I can activate this card by sending 1 "Red-Eyes" monster from my hand to the graveyard!"

Takumi perked up a little at that. "Red-Eyes!?"

Ryuuji smirked at Takumi. "I see you recognize the Ace of my deck. But let's see exactly how much you know. I discard my Red-Eyes Black Flare Dragon to draw 2 cards. Then, I'll use the second effect of my spell to send 1 Red-Eyes Black Dragon from my deck to the graveyard." As Ryuuji drew and sent the cards mentioned to the grave, Takumi reviewed what he knew of the Red-Eyes cards.

'Okay… Akihiro mentioned that while Blue-eyes was the stronger of the two, Red-Eyes was known to make that up by being craftier. I can't underestimate a single thing Ryuuji does.'

Ryuuji smirked at seeing the look on his opponent's face. "I see you're taking this seriously. Good. My last opponent underestimated me and lost pretty badly for it. I now equip my Butterfly with the Supervise spell card, unsealing its Gemini effect!" As he said that, the wings of the selected monster burst into flames. As Takumi prepared for what was to come, the You Show crew were surprised at the unheard of term.

Ayu and Futoshi turned to Tatsuya. "What did he mean by 'Gemini effect?'" "I've never heard of it."

Tatsuya shook his head. "I've heard a little about them. Gemini monsters are a rare breed of cards." As Tatsuya spoke, he caught the attention of the others. "Gemini monsters are known to have powerful or even unique effects. The only downside is that they start off unable to use them."

Shuzo quickly caught on to what was happening. "So that butterfly is a Gemini card, and the Equip spell is able to unseal its powers. I wonder what it can do…"

Ryuuji then smirked at Takumi. "I'll now use the unsealed power of my Butterfly! Phoenixian Chrysalis!" The monster then spun rapidly, as silky orange threads and glittering orange scales spun around it. Takumi and the crowd watched as Ryuuji's monster turned into a large orange cocoon.

Takumi whistled at the display. "Wow. That sure is pretty. So, what happens now?"

"Simple. Due to the effect of my Butterfly, I can sacrifice it in order to revive 1 Gemini monster in my graveyard. And thanks to my earlier spell, I have just the one. Emerge, Red-Eyes Black Flare Dragon!" Flames then began to break out from the cocoon, before the whole thing burst apart, revealing a black dragon with red wings. "The monster summoned by the effect of Blazewing automatically gains its effects. Also, Since the Supervise spell card was just sent to the graveyard, I can Special Summon a normal monster in my graveyard. So now I can revive my Red-Eyes Black Dragon as well!" As the wings of the first dragon burst into flames, a second dragon that was completely black burst forth, with both of them giving a mighty roar!

{"Incredible! Ryuuji has not only summoned his ace monster on the first turn, but brought out its Gemini counterpart as well! How will Takumi respond to this!"}

Said duelist could only grin. "So that's what your deck is about. Akihiro was right it seems."

Ryuuji raised an eyebrow. "Akihiro? Who are you talking about?"

"He was one of the people that taught me dueling, and he told me all about the craftiness of the Red-Eyes. Seeing how your first turn went, I would have to agree."

Ryuuji smiled at that. "Oh, so you're aware. That's already much better than my last opponent. Maybe you'll actually give me a challenge. I end my turn with a face-down."

"Alright, my turn! Draw!" Takumi looked through his hand and smiled. "Alright!" Takumi then turned to the crowd, and said the words that no one expected from him. "Ladies and Gentlemen!" At the familiar words, the entire audience gave him their full attention while Yuya sweat-dropped at his antics. "I will now show you a scene you have only seen a few times before!"

Ryuuji just looked at him skeptically. "What are you on about?"

Takumi just turned to him and smiled. "What? I am from a Duel School where the idea is to amaze the crowds with our dueling! And what better way to do that, than with the very method that originated there!?" He then pulled 2 cards from his hand. "With the scale 1 Shaman of the Trinity and the Scale 7 Scout of the Trinity, I set the Pendulum Scale!"

The You Show kids jumped up in excitement at those words. "It's here!" "Taku-nii's Pendulum!" "SHIVERS!"

As the crowd was abuzz with shock and surprise, 2 pillars of light then appeared beside Takumi, with his monsters rising up. The pillar on his left held Scout, and the one on his right held a similar birdman dressed in a robe and holding a light blue staff decorated with feathers.

Shaman of the Trinity: Winged Beast-Type/Water/lvl3/Sc1

ATK:1200 DEF:1600

{"WHAT IS THIS!? On top of Xyz, Synchro and even Fusion, Takumi also has PENDULUM SUMMONING!?"}

"With this, I can simultaneously summon monsters of level 2 through 6! Wings that carry me to the unknown future! Awaken the infinite potential within, and guide me down the path to success! Pendulum Summon! Flock to me, my avian allies!" From the portal, 2 beams of energy shot out onto his field. "First, Vanguard of the Trinity! Also, Mist Valley Falcon!"

Ryuuji widened his eyes in surprise as Takumi's monsters appeared. "So this is Pendulum…"

Takumi was grinning massively at the applause he was getting. "Now then, neither of my monsters have the strength to overcome that of my opponent's dragons. That is, if they were fighting separately! But I can use the power of Vanguard in order to counteract this! Falcon! Lend him your strength!" Vanguard then held out its staff for Falcon to take hold of. As it did, energy flowed between the them through the spear. "Falcon now gives half of his ATK points to Vanguard!"

2000 – 1000

1800 – 2800

"You said Flare was a Gemini monster, right? Then I really don't want to know what its effect is. Battle! Vanguard, attack Black Flare Dragon!" The spear wielder then flew up and charged at the blazing dragon, who tried to fight it off by spewing fireballs at it. Vanguard dodged every one, and struck Flare Dragon in the chest, causing it to explode.

Ryuuji: 4000 – 3600

Ryuuji then smiled at Takumi. "Not bad. You were right, my Flare Dragon has quite the effect. Which is why I have to disappoint you. I activate my face-down, Red-Eyes Spirit!" After Ryuuji played his face-down, Flare Dragon burst free from the ground this time. "This allows me to special summon any Red-Eyes card in the graveyard!"

Takumi grinned at that. "Of course. Nothing is easy when it comes to a rival of Blue-Eyes. I end my turn with a face-down of my own, returning my monsters' ATKs to normal!"

2800 – 1800

1000 – 2000

"That's weird…" Everyone looked at Tatsuya confused.

Shuzo was the one to ask him. "What is it Tatsuya?"

"Well, with the cards he has, he could have summoned his Ao-Yuki by using his monsters in an Xyz summon, or he could even have swapped out Vanguard and Scout for a power boost and a chance to summon Ki-Rai. Either monster would have given him a major advantage. So why didn't he play them?"

As the others contemplated Tatsuya's words, trying to come up with an answer, Aka appeared next to Takumi in spirit form. "Are you sure about this tactic Takumi? What you're planning is very risky…"

Takumi whispered back so no one would notice. "I know, but I need to do this. If I can't pull this off, then he may never trust me."

Aka thought for a moment, then nodded. "Alright then. Do what you must." As Takumi nodded back, Aka withdrew to let Takumi focus.

"Alright then, my turn. I draw." Ryuuji looked at the card he drew and smirked. "Well now, I do think this is over. First, I'll normal summon my Flare Dragon to unseal its Gemini effect!" The Gemini dragon once again set its wings ablaze. "This is the normal method for unsealing a Gemini monster's power. But I'm not through yet. I now activate the card I just drew, Polymerization!"

From one of the halls leading to the arena, Shun watched with narrowed and hateful eyes. "Fusion…"

"With this, I'll fuse together the Red-Eyes Black Dragon on my field and the Summoned Skull in my hand." As the demonic skeleton appeared next to the black dragon, they both moved up into a vortex. "Legendary dragon with eyes of red, join together with the demon of the underworld! Unleash the potential within you, and forge a power of absolute dread! Fusion Summon! Arise, Archfiend Black Skull Dragon!"

Emerging from the vortex was a large demonic dragon that let loose a massive roar! Everyone at You Show was frightened by the monstrosity before them, while Shun looked at it with disgust and fury.

{"IT'S HERE! The monstrosity that brought Ryuuji's last opponent to their knees!"}

Takumi meanwhile could only grin in anticipation of what he was up against, which seemed to confuse Ryuuji. "Hey, you alright? Most of my opponents are quaking in their boots when I bring out this guy."

"Oh, I am more than alright! I can't wait to see the full extent of what this thing is capable of!" Takumi's declaration surprised Ryuuji, but he collected himself quickly.

"I see. Well then, I shouldn't disappoint now, should I? I attack Falcon with Archfiend! Go, Infernal Hellfire Blast!" Ryuuji's Fusion monster then charged a large red fireball in its mouth, then fired it at Falcon, instantly vaporizing it as Takumi braced himself!

Takumi: 4000 – 3400.

Ryuuji was surprised again. "Wait, you should have taken more damage than that. What gives?"

Takumi smirked at Ryuuji. "Sorry, but thanks to the pendulum effect of my Shaman, all damage I take is halved!"

Ryuuji blinked in surprise. "Wow. That's a pretty nice effect. But…" This time Ryuuji smirked at Takumi. "My Archfiend has a pretty nice effect himself. When he is involved in battle damage, I can return 1 normal "Red-Eyes" monster in my graveyard to my deck, then deal damage to you equal to that monster's ATK!" He then slid his Red-Eyes Black Dragon out from his graveyard. "So now, you take 2400 points of damage!"

The spirit of Ryuuji's dragon then appeared, before it became energy that focused itself into a dark red sphere in the claws of Archfiend, who then threw it at Takumi. About halfway there, Shaman aimed their staff at the sphere and fired a beam of energy at it. "Due to Shaman' effect, the damage is halved!" The sphere was then reduced to a size about half of what it was before it continued towards Takumi. "AARRGH!"

Takumi: 3400 – 2200

Ryuuji continued to smirk. "So that even works on card effects. Interesting. In that case, Flare Dragon will attack Vanguard! Blazing Fire Blast!"

As Flare Dragon charged an orange fireball in its mouth, Vanguard set its spear defensively as Shaman set some energy at it. Takumi grinned at Ryuuji. "Once again, Shaman will halve the damage!" Flare then released the blast, creating a large explosion that pushed Takumi back some. "Urgh!"

Takumi: 2200 – 1900

"Maybe, but I wonder if you're still curious about the Gemini effect of my Flare Dragon? Because once per turn, when it is involved in damage calculation, I get to deal damage to you equal to its original ATK!" Flare Dragon then charged another fireball just like the last, and sent it straight at Takumi. Shaman waved their staff, releasing a wave of energy that intercepted the attack and washed away half of its power. What was left however was enough to send Takumi to the edge of the platform they were on.

"GAAAUGGHH!"

1900 – 700

As Takumi recovered from the blast, Ryuuji advanced and cornered him, like Gen had done to Gongenzaka. The You Show crew watched uneasily at the familiar scene, while Shun looked at the scene with his own kind of déjà vu, remembering how often people he knew were cornered by overwhelming power.

"Not bad Takumi. Usually, if Archfiend and Flare are out at once, my opponents don't typically survive. You're one of the few to make it through the turn in which I use them. Although… I'm not too sure you'll be able to make it through this. I won't blame you for looking for Action cards now."

Takumi grinned at him. "I'm good. This is pretty tough after all. Besides, I won't know I can't win until I try right? Red-Eyes may be crafty, but I've got a few tricks myself!"

"Haha, true. Well then, I end my turn. So go ahead, show me that you can change this."

"With pleasure. I draw! Not that I need to." At Ryuuji's confused look, Takumi could only smile. "After all, I have everything I need right here. First, with the previously set Pendulum Scale, I can summon monsters of level 2 through 6 simultaneously! Wings that carry me to the unknown future! Awaken the infinite potential within, and guide me down the path to success! Pendulum Summon! Flock to me, my avian allies! Revive from my Extra Deck, Vanguard of the Trinity!"

As Takumi's monster reappeared in front of him, Ryuuji could only smirk. "So what? That monster's effect only works with another monster on the field."

"Maybe. But Shaman just so happens to have another effect I can use. Once per turn, I can special summon a Winged Beast-type monster in my graveyard by paying life points equal to 100x their level or Rank. So, I'll pay 400 to revive the Falcon in my graveyard!" Shaman then aimed its staff at Takumi and pulled some light particles from him. It then took those particles and sent them into the ground in front of him, causing Falcon to burst free from the ground.

Takumi: 700 – 300

Ryuuji lifted an eyebrow in light surprise. "Not bad, but with this you can only take down my Flare Dragon. Even then, I'll be able to finish you on my next turn with Archfiend."

"Sure, if it survives this turn. After all, everything is finally set. Time to reveal the latest addition to my flock. I now take my level 4 Falcon and Vanguard, and build the overlay network!"

As Takumi's monsters went into the portal, the You Show crew was confused. "What did he mean by, "new addition?" Does he have a new card?" Yuya was the one to voice what everyone was thinking, while Shun looked on, noticing the conditions that Takumi spoke of. 'So… He did plan on using it here…"

Ryuuji simply watched in curiousity, wondering what Takumi was up to, as Takumi brought out his newest monster. "Blaze with crimson light! Set aflame your thirsting wings to light my very soul! Xyz Summon! Come forth, Rank 4! Raidraptor – Blade Burner Falcon!"

As Takumi called the name of the new monster, his friends watched in shock. "RAIDRAPTOR!?" They then watched as a monster similar to the ones Shun has been using emerged, possessing bladed wings that extended behind its back then spread out, orbited by 2 purple overlay units. But what drew their attention the most was the massive blade that went along the belly of the bird. As it flew around the field, Takumi ran to the very edge of the platform and leaped, just in time for Blade Burner to fly underneath him so he could land on the wings.

Ryuuji simply laughed. "Hahaha! Impressive looking monster, but it has even less ATK than either monster you used to summon it! How do you plan on taking down my monsters with a measly 1000 ATK?"

Takumi just smirked at him. "If you've seen any of Shun's monsters, you'd know that the less ATK a monster has, the greater its potential is! After all, when this fella is summoned, and my life points are at least 3000 less than yours, Blade Burner gains 3000 ATK!" At Takumi's declaration, Blade Burner gave a loud shriek and set every blade on its body on fire!

1000 – 4000

"4000 ATK POINTS!?" Ryuuji couldn't believe his eyes, and neither could any of the spectators.

{"Incredible! Not only does Takumi possess a Raidraptor card like Shun Kurosaki, but it now has 4000 ATK points! This is the strongest card we've seen Takumi play so far!"}

Takumi just smirked back at Ryuuji. "Your monsters may have some pretty cool effects, but they aren't invincible! In fact, it's when things look most dire, that things begin to turn in the favor of those who won't give up!" He then guided Blade Burner to hover above the platform. "Battle! Blade Burner Falcon! Attack Archfiend Black Skull Dragon with Fire Bomb!" Blade Burner then charged a massive fireball, bigger than anything that Ryuuji's monsters had made, and launched it! Archfiend held up its arms and caught the fireball, trying to hold it back. The fireball continued to push back the struggling dragon, until it finally overcame its strength, destroying it and causing a massive explosion!

Ryuuji: 3600 – 2800

"Urgh, not bad, but I still have life points!"

"Maybe, but you don't have any monsters left. After all, when Blade Burner destroys a monster in battle, I can then detach any number of overlay units to destroy that many monsters! Fire Tornado!" One of the overlay units was then absorbed by the massive blade causing it to emit even stronger flames. It then shot a powerful flamethrower like attack at Flare dragon who attempted to fight back with its own flames, only to be quickly overpowered and destroyed in a massive tornado of flames!

"What!?" Ryuuji was shocked at how Takumi had just destroyed some of his best monsters with a single move! "… Haha, alright, I'm impressed. Now then, can that thing do anything else, or do I get a chance to turn this around on my turn?"

"Hmmm… No and no." Ryuuji just looked at him confused. "While Blade Burner may be out of tricks, I just so happen to have one last trick up my own sleeve! I activate my face-down, High-Five the Sky!" As Takumi activated his trap, Falcon let its flames burn even bigger and brighter, then immediately shot up even higher in the sky! "I can only activate this card if I control an Xyz monster that has already attacked this turn. That monster then gains the power to attack once again!"

"Oi, oi, you gotta be kidding me! That thing gets another attack!?" Ryuuji then started backing up nervously, as Blade Burner stopped its ascent and charged yet another massive fireball.

"Let's end this! Blade Burner Falcon! Attack directly! FIRE BOMB!" Ryuuji could only watch, frozen, as the fireball was sent straight his way, creating an explosion that sent him over to the far side of the platform!

"AAAAARRRRGGHH!"

Ryuuji: 2800 – 0

Winner: Takumi

As Blade Burner landed to let Takumi off on the ground, he then ran up to Ryuuji as the field began to deactivate, all to the applause of the audience. {"Unbelievable! Takumi has managed to overcome his opponent's powerful Fusion monsters using an unbelievable Xyz monster of his own! Takumi seems to be an expert in turning a bad situation into an advantage!"}

Ryuuji was just starting to sit up when Takumi got to him with a hand held up. "That was awesome! I knew Red-Eyes was tough, but that was beyond what I was expecting!"

Ryuuji looked at the offered hand, then at its owner. Smiling, he took the hand as Takumi helped him up. "You weren't bad yourself. Maybe we can get a rematch sometime."

"I'd like that."

The two shook, then waved to the audience. Takumi then heard a beep from his disk, and saw that there was a message from Shun saying he wanted to talk. He then said goodbye to Ryuuji and walked off the field to meet up with the others first.

They apparently had a few questions, because the kids practically jumped him when they saw him. "Taku-nii, why do you have a card like Shun's?!"

He blinked from the question all three asked him. "I got it from him. What's the problem?"

"But Taku-nii! He hurt Sora!" "And he's probably the reason that Sora's missing!" "Why would you trust him!?"

Takumi raised an eyebrow at them. "Okay, I get you guys don't have a good opinion of him, but I can promise you that Shun didn't cause Sora's disappearance. I actually ran into him that night. As for his match with Sora…" Takumi looked at Yuya and Yuzu briefly. "… Yeah I admit that was bad. Been talking to Shun about toning things down a notch. Heck, the card was his way of giving me a chance."

There was silence from the others, until Gongenzaka asked Takumi something. "You held back in that duel. Why?"

"It was something of a gamble, and I'm about to go see how well it worked. I'll catch up with you guys later, okay?" As he bid the group farewell, they went off excitedly talking about the tournament in the direction of You Show, while Takumi made his way to where Shun asked to meet him.

He found him leaning against one of the walls that led to the stands for the arena. As he approached, Shun looked at him appraisingly. "You could have taken control of that duel at any time, and you waited until you could play Blade Burner at its best. You passed up numerous chances at winning to play a card you only just acquired. Why?"

Takumi smirked at him. "Well, you were willing to give me a chance to earn your trust. I thought that the best way to show you that you had mine would be to use the card you gave me over any of my others. That I would rely only on the strength you gave me to prove it to you."

Shun looked at him for a few minutes, then closed his eyes, a ghost of a smile tugging at his face. "Hmph. I suppose that would do it." He then got off the wall and looked at Takumi. "I guess you can keep that card." He then held out a hand to Takumi.

Who then wasted no time in griping it with his own. "Thanks. Now then, mind if we took the time to get to know each other better?"

"How so?"

Takumi raised his arms behind his head. "Hmmm… How about we explain our histories to each other? I tell you what I've gone through, you tell me what things were like before Fusion arrived?"

Shun thought it over for a bit, then nodded. "I guess I can agree with that."

[some time later]

"Seriously, your Ruri sounds much less scary than our Yuzu!" Takumi couldn't believe how different Ruri sounded compared to Yuzu from Shun's stories about her. "Still, she seems like she'd be a nice person to know."

"Yeah… She was always good at making friends..." Shun looked down in thought.

"IS good." Shun looked up at Takumi's serious face. "She IS good at making friends. And I promise you, that she will be able to make more."

Shun smirked for a moment. "Right."

The two of them had gotten a message from Reiji and were now heading to his office to see what he wanted. On the way, they had continued their conversation, with Takumi telling Shun what life was like back at the orphanage and Shun telling him about how Heartland used to be.

They then reached the door and Takumi knocked before they walked inside. Takumi saw that not only was Reiji and Nakajima there, but a woman with purple hair and a red dress was as well, confusing him. Takumi then looked at Reiji and pointed to the woman. "Who's this?"

Reiji didn't even look up from the data he was going through. "Himika Akaba, my mother and chairwoman of the board of directors."

Takumi's eyes widened a little before he looked her over. After a few seconds, he nodded. "Okay, definitely feels like your mother."

She then smiled at him. "Now what do you mean by that?"

"Eh. You just give the same feeling. Confident and calculating. Like you won't make a move until you've thought everything through."

"I'll take that as a compliment."

"Enough of this." Everyone turned to Shun. "Why did you call us here?"

Reiji didn't respond and simply turned on the main screen, revealing what looked like a security feed. Everyone watched as they saw two hooded figures, one of which Takumi recognized from the previous day. "A few hours ago, individuals aligned with Fusion attempted to card a student of LDS who used Xyz. This however was a trap arranged by myself in order to meet them." Takumi and Shun watched the video in shock as the shorter one threw off their cloak and possessed a face just like Yuzu's. "Before you ask, the name of this girl is Serena, the Fusion counterpart of Yuzu and Ruri."

"You're kidding me… That's who I ran into yesterday?!"

"I learned that she wasn't here with permission, trying to prove her worth against orders. I attempted to make her see things our way, but she wouldn't listen. In fact, her friend, Barrett, used his own disk to send a signal to the main forces of Fusion after he lost a duel. It is likely that they will send a squad tomorrow."

Shun and Takumi looked at Reiji in even further shock than before. "WAIT WHAT!?"

Reiji nodded to them, a serious look on his face. "Exactly. However, it would seem that their main goal will be to get Serena to return to Academia. It is unclear as to why, but she is significant to Leo for some reason. And for those reasons, I have decided to make some adjustments to the tournament."

Takumi raised an eyebrow. "Such as?"

Reiji adjusted his glasses and hit a few buttons, changing the screen to show a map of the city divided into 4 sections. "The next round will now be a city-wide Battle Royale."

Shun narrowed his eyes at that. "Battle Royale?"

"We have been able to create a Solid Vision system that will span across Maiami, and plan to have the Junior Youth class run about for 24 hours. We will also scatter LDS-made Pendulum cards for them to track down. This will give them a chance to gain an understanding of how it works and gain a better chance of fighting back should worst come to worst."

Takumi thought about how things were set up and was impressed. "I see… Not only do you get to see how strong your potential soldiers are with Pendulum at their disposal, but you also have a means of covering up the appearance of the invaders when they show up. But do you really think that will be enough to help them survive?"

"Not entirely. Which is why I have put together a response team that will intercept the enemy while the Junior Youth class gains an understanding of Pendulum. I also want you two to help narrow down the candidates for the Lancers. Find out which ones have the best chance at fighting back against Academia."

Takumi sighed. "And let me guess, we can't tell anyone anything that they already aren't aware of? We don't want anyone acting crazy or paranoid after all."

"Exactly."

"Okay then. Anything else we should be aware of?"

Himika walked up to Takumi at that. "Of sorts." She then held out a microchip that looked familiar.

Takumi picked it up and looked at it for a few moments, then looked back at Himika and her son. "Let me guess. New upgrade?"

Reiji nodded. "It now also includes a possible means of accessing Academia systems, and recognizing Duel Disk software from the separate dimensions. I recommend you set it up before the Royale and become familiar with how it runs."

Takumi nodded and started messing with his disk at the table in the middle of the room. "Guess so. Especially if you got that tracer working right. I don't want to be caught by surprise if Academia soldiers try to sneak up on me, or if they're ganging up on one of us."

Himika then held up a similar chip to Shun. "Your disk already has most of the systems we do, but maybe you'd like the tracer so that you'll know allies from enemies?" Shun looked at her, then the chip, before he took it and made his way to where Takumi was messing with his own.

[Meanwhile…]

Late at night, a lone figure walked between some warehouses at the docks and looked around. Seeing no observers, they ducked into an abandoned building and searched through some boxes, pulling out an unusual duel disk. They then pushed a few buttons, and a voice came through the disk. "Report."

"I have been removed from the local tournament. The duelists in standard appear to be more… capable, than first determined. Recommending caution in tomorrow's operation."

"Acknowledged. We will take the necessary measures to prepare. Standby for further orders."

"Roger that. Agent Kurobe, standing by." As Ryuuji set down the disk, he thought back to his duel with Takumi with a grin. "Better hope we don't get that rematch Takumi. Because next time, I won't hold back!"

And we end with a new adversary! Honestly Red-Eyes is one of my favorite classic monsters, and I couldn't wait to find a way to implement it. Especially since I've seen other stories where Red-Eyes was the ace of the OC as opposed to an enemy. I also wanted a chance to give Takumi the Blade Burner Falcon, seeing as Shun only used it in the manga and that it would be a useful card for turning a bad situation into an advantage. Lastly, I couldn't quite figure out how to do this duel with Action cards involved, so I just made Ryuuji someone who didn't rely on them in order to get around that. How was it?

Anyway, I'm not sure how long the next chapter will take to write, but I do have an idea for how I want things to go. So, let me know how this story is going and if you have any ideas I could use in the future, because I don't plan on stopping this story anytime soon. See you guys later and please fav, follow, or review!

OC cards

Shaman of the Trinity: Winged Beast-Type/Water/tuner/lvl3/Sc1

ATK:1200 DEF:1600

Once per turn, you can banish the top card of your deck to special summon 1 Winged Beast-type monster from your hand, graveyard, or face-up from your Extra Deck, then gain life points equal to 300x its level/Rank.

P.E.- This card is unaffected by monster effects. You can only Pendulum Summon Winged Beast-type monsters, and this effect cannot be negated. While there is another "Trinity" card in your other Pendulum Zone, halve all damage you take. Once per turn, you may Special Summon 1 Winged Beast-type monster from your hand, graveyard, or face-up from your Extra Deck by paying life points equal to their level/Rank x100.