Everyone has a variety of dreams they wish to achieve in the future. Yuya and Zuzu want to be Dueltainers, Yugo and Rin aim to be professional Turbo Duelists, and Yuri and Celina plan on improving Duel Academy with Leo. Some dreams seemed impossible to fulfill—as seen with Téa, who attended Duel Academy after dance school was a flop for her—or even challenging to figure out, but setting them on the right path is a stepping stone to their independent journeys, such as Yuto, who is recently working at ObsidianCorp to determine what his future will be. But it seems like someone is missing… That's right. Lulu Obsidian. Back at the LID dance, she mentioned how she wanted to be an actress.
Ah, yes. Acting. It is a really busy but also popular career choice among people. It is one of the leading occupations that have spawn celebrities, aside from the music industry. They can either work in movies, TV shows, and plays, but for Lulu, she always wanted to be a movie actress. When she was a young kid, she loved watching movies all the time; in fact, they were the reasons why she got interested in Duel Monsters because they were featured in a lot of popular movies. She also initially wanted to grow out her hair because the more well-known actresses have long hair. Although she now keeps her dark purple hair long to cover the scar she received during the Invasion, it didn't crush her desires for her future.
At Heartland Duel School, Lulu has been taking acting classes. That's right. Acting classes. In a duel school. They were incorporated in so many different duel schools, obviously except Duel Academy, because of how well Duel Monsters and the movie industry worked together. Because of her reason for becoming a Duelist and her dream for the future, she often tends to practice her acting skills in her duels, both before and after the Interdimensional War. Dueling and acting have some kind of intertwining connection with each other, so she is always making sure when it is best to display what she has learned so far.
Right now Lulu was working on a group project, in which groups of four were assigned to act out a skit using their monsters. And so far, things were going well for the Obsidian heiress.
"I overlay my five Lyrilusc- AHH!" Lulu had to pause, rubbing her back in pain.
"Ms. Obsidian, are you alright?" the acting professor asked.
"Yes, Professor Marson," Lulu answered. "I just have to- AHH!"
Of course, Lulu has been dealing with a serious roadblock recently. Ever since receiving the metal plates on her spine after an Ancient Gear Hunting Hound nearly paralyzed her, she rarely duels because of the sharp pain that it sends to her back. In a nutshell, her injury was interfering with her dream for a while now. She has to be careful because one false move means she will never walk again. Although she knows the potential consequence if she inadvertently does make a life-changing mistake, her determination prevents her from giving up.
"Ms. Obsidian, if your injury is getting worse, we can take you to the nurse's-" Professor Marson started to say.
"No!" Lulu insisted, her eyes brimming with tears due to the pain. "I can continue! I'm not going to let a back injury stop me!"
Just then, the pain was starting to become too much for her to handle as she nearly collapsed on the floor, worrying her group, her classmates, and Professor Marson. "Lulu!" Sarah exclaimed, rushing over to her side.
"Ms. Obsidian, I'm going to have to ask you to sit down," Professor Marson instructed. "I already told you that the increased weight of Duel Disks will cause back problems for you."
Lulu had no choice but to sit down with Sarah escorting her to her seat. As she sat and watch the rest of the group projects unfold, she couldn't but think about something. The last few times she dueled after the Invasion, her back was fine, despite the weight of her regular and Duel Academy Duel Disks, so why was it hurting now? Whatever's going on, she may have to talk to her friends, her family, and maybe even the school nurse about this.
During her lunch break, she and Sarah explained everything that happened in acting class to Yuto, Kite, and Alex. The spectacled-girl was afraid of her friend becoming paralyzed and never achieving her dream; she knows how much it means to Lulu and it would be devastating to hear news about the possible tragedy, let alone think about it.
"This isn't fair!" Lulu exclaimed, tears coming from her eyes. "I spent my whole life wanting to be an actress!"
Yuto pulled his girlfriend in for a one-armed hug, shushing her. "It's okay," he said, kissing her tears. "You'll get through this."
"He's right," Alex agreed. "You survived an Invasion. Back problems shouldn't be a problem."
"Except she doesn't have typical back problems," Kite pointed out. "Her spine was damaged from the Hunting Hound that attacked her."
Kite was right; the injury was critically severe that she had to get spinal plates. Alex took back what he said about back problems being no big deal.
"It still doesn't explain why this is happening," Alex said. "You only dueled once when you fought Yuri, so how could that give you problems?"
Yuto's eyes widened behind his glasses. "Because she didn't," he explained, horrified.
"What?!" Sarah asked. "When?"
Yuto explained that it happened during the War when she was brainwashed by the Doktor using Fusion Parasites, a Duel Monster with an advanced form of Solid Vision that requires its card form in its host's deck to properly function. They basically warp the host's strategy into using Fusion Summon, which explains Lyrilusc - Independent Nightingale—and initially Windwitch - Crystal Bell before Rin started to use it for good instead of evil. Leo and the Doktor were both unaware of the spinal plates, so they basically made Lulu duel against her free will. Yuto knew about the spine problems, but this realization made him deeply concerned about how severe they might get.
The Clover Branch dueling club members were shocked. "Oh, Lulu…" Sarah said.
"But I can't let this interfere with my dreams," Lulu insisted. "I'm an Obsidian, and Obsidians won't let anyone or anything stop them!"
"That's the spirit!" Alex cheered. "Don't let those problems stop you from becoming an actress!"
"But you might need to go to an actual doctor just in case," Kite suggested.
He does have a point; besides, seeing a doctor can help bring Lulu one step closer to stopping the spinal problem from interfering with her dream. She and Yuto may have to talk to Shay and her parents about this issue to see what they can do. Fortunately, with Shay working at ObsidianCorp, Yuto said he can fill them in when he heads to work later in the afternoon. Lulu thanked him for helping her out as the two hugged each other.
For the rest of the day, Lulu didn't take part in any duels. It was kind of a shame because she enjoyed playing Duel Monsters, but at the same time, her dream was on the line and she doesn't want her back to grow more painful. The best she could do was watch her classmates' duels until further notice. She was a little upset about how her current health status was affecting her life.
Later that day, club activities began with Lulu and her Clover Branch friends attending the dueling club as usual. While she wondered about how her brother and parents might react to this, Yuto was already in Kameron's car and the two were off to work. As the eggplant-haired teen got changed into his business suit, Kameron noticed that something was on his mind.
"Are you alright?" Kameron asked.
"Not exactly," Yuto explained as he buttoned up his dress shirt. "It's Lulu. She nearly collapsed during class today."
He explained to a concerned Kameron about how the Duel Disk was making her back hurt when doing her group project and his realization of the Fusion Parasites brainwashing her and forcing her to duel under the Doktor's command while he and Leo were both unaware of her spinal plates.
"Leo Akaba did what?!" Kameron asked.
Yuto realized Kameron and Astra were unaware of the whole Fusion Parasite disaster. "Lulu doesn't have it in her head anymore," he clarified, having finished getting dressed for work. "She even ripped up Independent Nightingale after the War."
Kameron sighed out of relief knowing his daughter isn't brainwashed anymore, but Yuto was wondering how they'll tell Astra and Shay about this. Lulu was very determined to not let her injury prevent her from reaching her dream, which led to her nearly collapsing and having to sit out for the rest of the school day. Her determination is one of her best qualities that Yuto likes, but he was worried her desire to pursue an acting career may soon result in her getting paralyzed for her entire life.
"But the collapsing is a concern," Kameron said. "I'll have to inform my wife about this information. Hopefully we can get the best doctor in the city to check Lulu's spine."
"Thank you, sir," Yuto said. "I'll inform Shay as soon as I see him."
After arriving at ObsidianCorp and checking in, Yuto carried out with his job as usual. He continued giving out more advanced tips on custom deck construction, in which he seemed to be doing a better job doing ever since the night of Lono's funeral. He was also informed about any updates in regards to President Sanders' funds for the American division of ObsidianCorp. About halfway into the meeting, it was time for everyone's break; as they started heading to the break room, Yuto separated himself from the crowd because his main priority was to find Shay and tell him about what happened to Lulu.
He didn't want to waste his break time searching for his friend; this was an urgent situation. After spending approximately 5 minutes of trying to find him, Yuto decided to stop by at the water fountain to get a drink. He soon approached the fountain, and just as he was about take a sip of water, Shay appeared from behind.
"There you are, Yuto," Shay said. "I wanted to talk to you about the upcoming tournament."
"There are more important things to worry about," Yuto informed. "Lulu collapsed during school today."
"What?!" Shay asked. "Is she alright?!"
"She had to sit out of the rest of her classes," Yuto continued. "Being forced to duel because of the Fusion Parasite might have increased the pain of her spinal injury."
Yuto then mentioned how Kameron was going to talk to Astra about this so that they can try to find the best doctor in the city to see what they can do about it. However, Shay was deeply concerned.
"This isn't good," the Raidraptor Duelist said. "Lulu has dreamed of becoming an actress. She'll end up heartbroken if her injury gets worse."
"I know," Yuto agreed. "I love her too much to see upset. I just hope your parents find a good doctor."
"They will," Shay reassured. "Mother and father love Lulu too much to let her give up on her dreams."
Yuto breathed out a little in order to calm down a little and thanked Shay for the reassurance, with the Raidraptor user responding with a "No problem." Since he just mentioned his parents, he wondered if they were able to find the time to address the serious issue. As it turns out, they did found the right time because at the main office, Kameron and Astra were also discussing about their daughter's injury, how her brainwashing worsened it, and figuring out the best doctor they could find. Astra was afraid when she heard Lulu was brainwashed after her abduction, but relieved that she was no longer under the Doktor's control. It still doesn't change the fact that her future is slowly hanging in the balance.
"I'm deeply concerned about our daughter," Astra said, looking through a list of doctors on the computer.
"Me too," Kameron said. "Leo Akaba shouldn't have interfere with her life."
"I never thought he would hurt her like that," Astra said. "I'm not even sure if there are doctors who can completely heal her."
Kameron gave Astra's hand a gentle squeeze. "We'll fine one, dear," he reassured. "I know we can."
For the next several minutes, Astra kept searching for the perfect doctor to treat her daughter's injury, thinking about the current matter in hand. If Lulu wasn't abducted by Yuri and brainwashed with a Fusion Parasite, then the spinal pain wouldn't be too much of a problem and it would at least be decent enough to fix, one that would most likely heal her. But since Leo and the Doktor unintentionally worsened it, the issue had a dramatically increased severity level that could be described as urgent. As she kept doing her best not to stress too much about it, she applied filters to the list of doctors, making sure they specialize in back pain and are the best at what they do. After a few more minutes later of scrolling through the filtered list, she stopped scrolling to see someone in particular on the list.
"What's this?" Astra mused. "Dr. Fonda Fontaine."
"You found someone?" Kameron asked.
"According to Dr. Fontaine's bio, she specializes in various types of surgical procedures," Astra read. "Do you think she can help Lulu?"
"I hope so," Kameron replied.
Astra scrolled down through her bio to see a list of contacts below, consisting of her phone number, her email and mailing addresses, and her social media accounts. Opening up her mail app on her computer, she typed down an email, asking to schedule an important appointment with Lulu to see what she can do about her back, spine, and the metal plates. Shortly thereafter, she clicked "Send." Now all they have to do is wait for a response.
Back with Yuto, he had just finished his meeting with the employees. During that time, he still couldn't stop worrying about his girlfriend all day and tried to maintain his composure. As he walked down the halls, he wondered if there was a phone nearby in order to try and call her. He hasn't been this worried since the night of her kidnapping. While looking for a phone, he walked by Kameron and Astra's office, who wanted to see him and their son.
"Yuto, can we speak to you?" Kameron asked.
"Sure," Yuto answered as he entered the office. Shay was also present.
"Did you find a good doctor?" Shay asked.
"We have," Astra answered. "Her name is Dr. Fonda Fontaine. She specializes in surgical procedures. We sent her an email hoping she could help Lulu."
Yuto and Shay were surprised to hear the news. They were glad that Lulu's parents were able to find a doctor to help treat their daughter's injury, but the only questions left are how serious her back pains are and if any surgery will be required for her spine, along with seeing how the metal plates have been holding up since after the Invasion struck.
"What if the procedure fails?" Yuto asked.
"I'm sorry?" Astra asked.
"You said you contacted a surgical doctor," Yuto clarified. "That means she's going to have surgery. What if it fails?"
Accidentally getting paralyzed is one thing, but a failed surgical procedure was another. Whatever the case is, Lulu's future was hanging by a thread and Yuto was worried that one mistake during surgery will risk her dream of being an actress.
"Don't you dare let that beautiful smile leave your face."
All of a sudden, Yuto started remembering Lono's last words to him. Why would this memory triggering in his mind at a moment like this? How can he smile knowing Lulu could never walk again… Or worse, die? He almost lost her because of ARC-V and he doesn't want to lose her again.
"I-I can't lose her again," Yuto said, his voice cracking with sadness. "I can't! I love her too much to let her die!"
He felt small tears forming in his eyes out of fear. He wouldn't know what he would do if she died with the both knowing she never got a chance to fulfil her dream for the future. It was basically life or death at this point; no one has ever smiled at an issue this life-threatening, so what was the point of preventing his smile from abandoning him in this dire situation?
"Lulu isn't going to die," Shay reassured. "We both know she's too stubborn to let something like this stop her."
"Shay is right, Yuto," Kameron agreed. "We can only hope her stubbornness helps her survive the procedure."
Stubbornness? Is that one of Lulu's personality traits? Yuto always knew she was very determined, but he didn't want to say anything about her determination and accidentally upset her. However, what her parents said could explain why she nearly collapsed earlier today. He guessed they were right; the best they can do was hope she pulls through on the day of her surgery.
A week later, Yuto and the Obsidians were at the hospital, meeting up with Fonda so that Lulu can prepare for her surgery. On the day when she had her appointment, Dr. Fontaine ran some X-rays to see what was causing her back to ache so badly; as it turns out, her metal plates have been slowly coming loose. When the Lyrilusc user first got them, they were supposed to be temporary, so it was a good time to say she needed surgery done.
"Ms. Obsidian, were you aware that the spinal plates were temporary?" Dr. Fontaine asked.
"Of course," Lulu answered. "But some complications happened before I could get them removed, so I had to endure for as long as I could."
With that said and done, it was time for Lulu to get changed and head to the operating room. She said goodbye to her family and her boyfriend, giving each of them a tight hug, especially Yuto due to his fear of her dying. After the hug fest, she departed with Fonda as they walked through the double doors. Now all the others have to do is sit in the waiting room and hope for the best.
A few hours later, Yuto was already nervous. His mother's final words echoed in his head, but he couldn't smile. He was worried about losing the love of his life. He hoped that she would be able to pull through.
Ultimate Dr. Fontaine entered the waiting room. "Was it a success?" Kameron asked.
"It was," Dr. Fontaine answered. "The spinal plates were successfully removed, but…"
"But what?" Shay asked, fearing the worst-case scenario.
"We found this coming out of her ear during the procedure," Dr. Fontaine continued, revealing a small glass jar containing a tiny insect.
Yuto and Shay gasped at the sight of the insect. It was a Fusion Parasite! You would think they found the time to escape the Energy Girls' bodies through their ears after the Doktor was carded, but oh boy, were we all wrong. The Phantom Knight and Raidraptor users explained everything to Fonda, from what the insect is to how it works in regards to brainwashing its host to how it was linked to the "complications" Lulu had.
"Oh dear," Dr. Fontaine said, looking at the insect. "Then it's a good thing this was removed."
"But what about Lulu?" Astra asked. "Is she alright?"
"She survived the procedure, but I'm afraid the spinal plates left permanent scars on her bones," Dr. Fontaine answered. "There's a high chance that she might not be able to walk again."
Just like that, everyone's worlds started to crumble, as if the bad news nuked the living crap out of them. The inevitable did happen after all, no matter what they did; Lulu may never get the future she always wanted when she was just a kid. Shay was left in anguish while Kameron, Astra, and Yuto were showing signs of breaking down from hearing those words.
"Would you like to see her?" Dr. Fontaine asked.
"Yes," Shay answered.
Shay, his parents, and Yuto followed Fonda to one of the rooms, where they saw Lulu recovering from her surgery. She was still tired because the anesthesia was slowly wearing off. "Hi…" she said groggily.
Yuto walked over to Lulu. "Are you feeling alright?" he asked.
"Yeah," Lulu answered. "Dr. Fontaine explained everything to me."
Yuto gave Lulu's hand a gentle squeeze. "I know," he said sadly. "I'm sorry this happened to you, Lulu. I know you want to be an actress, but-"
"Stop crying, my sweet knight," Lulu said. "Dr. Fontaine told me she'll ask Declan to build my Duel Disk into a custom wheelchair. I might not be able to walk again, but I can still duel."
Yuto looked up at with a speechless look and lingering tears in his eyes, with Lulu's family following suit. This was really great to hear; she can now duel more often and practice her acting skills again. When they were about ask how it'll affect her being an actress, she said she'll act without having to use her legs. Regardless, they were happy that she was heading down a road to recovery and her dream of being an actress was saved. Because of how happy and relieved he is about the good news, Yuto ended up kissing her.
The kiss was brief, but it showed a lot of emotion. Yuto gently touched foreheads with Lulu. "Marry me," he breathed.
"Hmm?" Lulu asked.
"Marry me," Yuto repeated. "I love you too much and I don't want to spend another minute without you in my life."
Lulu had trouble finding the right words to respond to what Yuto said; however, she was definitely overjoyed. They were still 14, but her surgery was one of the crucial moments in their lives and she was his happiness and true love… His everything.
The Lyrilusc princess let out a small laugh. "I love you too much as well," she said, reaching up to ruffle her boyfriend's hair. "But we only met months ago."
Yuto slightly blushed at what she said, but she was right. Even though her parents were planning out their wedding, she doesn't want to rush their relationship and it will take him years to properly propose to her. Shay couldn't help but chuckle a little at their exchange.
Yuto kissed Lulu once more. "Very well," he said. "I keep forgetting we were the only counterparts to meet at a later age."
It was true. The two met after the tournament at their school when they were still naïve teenagers whereas their counterparts have known each other since they were little kids. Yuya and Zuzu knew each other because their parents were friends, Yugo and Rin met at an orphanage in the Synchro Dimension, and Yuri and Celina were aware of each other's existence thanks to Leo.
"Yes, we are," Lulu agreed. "But my love for you grows stronger every day. I love everything about you. Your hair, your eyes, your smile… Even your gentle kisses."
But before Yuto could give Lulu another kiss, Shay interfered. "Okay, that's enough," he said. "I was worried about her too."
Yuto quickly realized that and stepped aside to let Lulu spend some time with her family. "Oh Lulu, don't you dare scare us like that again!" Astra said.
"I'm okay, mother," Lulu reassured. "But I suspect the doctors must have done something to my head. It feels much clearer."
"It was the Fusion Parasite," Shay explained. "It was still in your brain. Dr. Fontaine said it fell out of your ear during your surgery."
Lulu's face became somewhat shocked to hear that. She asked to herself, So that's why my head still felt…clogged? The Fusion Parasite was still in my head all this time? But that's impossible. They should've been destroyed after the Doktor was carded, right? Regardless, that means the remaining three must still be in my counterparts. They need to be informed about this discovery ASAP.
"Thanks for informing me," Lulu said. "I should inform the other girls about it." She was about to sit up, but she couldn't.
"You can't," Kameron said. "You're still recovering from your surgery. You need to rest."
"I appreciate your concern, father, but this is important," Lulu insisted.
Shay put his hand on Lulu's shoulder. "I'll tell Declan about it," he said. "I'm sure he'll tell your counterparts."
"Thanks Shay," Lulu said, smiling softly.
For the next several minutes, she and her family chatted with each other, with her mentioning that she may be more restricted in terms of dueling due to the wheelchair, but she will still take part in the Team Duel Tournament. This topic made Shay realize that he wanted to tell Yuto about it last week. He asked his parents permission to talk to his friend out in the hall while they conversed with Lulu and telling them why. They both allowed the two to speak in private; whatever their Shay wanted to talk about regarding the tournament, it must be important.
"So what did you want to tell me about the tournament?" Yuto asked.
"I might have to drop out," Shay explained. "My prosthetic leg is starting to malfunction. I don't think it can handle a lot of rapid movement."
Just when he was feeling better about Lulu's surgery, a surprised Yuto couldn't believe what he heard. This was almost becoming one giant domino effect: just a looping cycle of one solved problem with another one arising. He wondered if there was anyone who specializes in technology to try and fix Shay's prosthetic leg; heck, he was curious if Fonda can see what she could do. A bigger question then popped into his head: if the Raidraptor user has to sit out for the tournament, then who was going to be his stand-in? He can't ask Shinji because he's a backup member for Team Turbo. Yuto groaned in frustrated stress; Team Noble was in quite a pickle.
But then Yuto had an idea. "Why don't you ask Yugo?" he suggested. "He's a good mechanic. Maybe he can figure out what's wrong with your leg."
That sounded like a great suggestion. Yugo grew up developing the hands-on skills in mechanics, so no doubt he can determine the cause of the malfunction. He even has Rin to help out with inspecting the leg since she too knows how mechanical construction works. During the time it's getting repaired, Yuto and Lulu can attempt to find a stand-in member just in case. Shay thanked the eggplant-haired teen for the suggestion, with the latter telling him it was no problem before they headed back into the room.
He broke the news to his family about the leg starting to break down and how he'll go see Yugo to help fix it. He also recommended his sister that she and her boyfriend look for someone who can be backup for their team in case either of the Obsidian siblings had to sit out.
"Oh no, I'm not sitting out," Lulu insisted. "I want to take part in this tournament."
"But you can't," Yuto said, giving Lulu's hand a gentle squeeze. "You might not recover in time."
"But I have to represent my family," Lulu explained. "I agreed to form Team Noble to help recover my family's wealth."
She wasn't wrong; even though ObsidianCorp was fully restored along with various components from Heartland City when the Original Dimension returned, the family wealth wasn't so fortunate. Since their company was sponsoring the tournament, especially because a lot of people will be watching the biggest change in Duel Monsters history known as Team Duels, this may be her chance to help restore their wealthy position, even if it was only a few weeks away.
"Alright," Yuto decided, knowing he wasn't going to get passed his girlfriend's stubborn mindset. "But if you're still healing by the day of the tournament, you'll have to sit out."
"Deal," Lulu agreed.
At that point, Yuto and the Obsidians' were told that visiting time was over as Fonda indicated that Lulu needed to continue resting before she starts using her wheelchair. He gave his girlfriend a kiss before everyone else said they'll see her as much as they can—most likely everyday—throughout out her recovery period. She was content to hear that and was looking forward to seeing them again tomorrow.
As they headed outside to Kameron's car, Yuto was and wasn't looking forward to this big change. It's nice to know Lulu's dream of being an actress wasn't ruined and she'll find ways to act without using her legs, but he was still concerned about her healing time even though the two made a deal. The best he can do for now is to search for a potential fill-in if she does sit out, help Shay warn Zuzu, Celina, and Rin about the lingering Fusion Parasites, and bring him to Yugo and Rin to see what they can do to repair the prosthetic leg. Only time will tell as each member of Team Noble endure their respective challenges for the weeks to come…