A/N: Yes, I'm still alive. No, I have not forgotten this story. This one has been a little crazy trying to finish up and gave me a few issues but I finally reached a point that I feel okay with posting. Sorry that it took so long to get this out to you guys, and hope you enjoy.

HunterHQ: Thanks for the input. Your reviews mean a lot to me, and always willing to let others know about your own stories.

Martyn: I gotta say, I like the idea. Couldn't see a way for him to do it with the misfits, but I definitely want to find a way to incorporate that idea later on. Maybe have him be influenced by one of the Trinity at some point. Thanks for the review, and hope to hear more from you.

In the spirit world, Blade Burner could only look in understanding at the situation him and the other spirits were in.

After Ki was released from his own punishment, his siblings gave similar punishments to those who teased him. Roughly half of the spirits there, including Burner himself, were frozen up to their heads by Ao's ice, and the other half were sweating under cages of fire, courtesy of Aka. Apparently, since they were all so amused at what Ki was going through, it was decided that they should all be punished accordingly.

Burner himself could only agree with the ordeal, seeing as he never approved of the ideal in the first place… Even if he didn't really try and stop it.

He then glanced over to the side and spied on Zerofyne, lying on her back under the flames with a proud look that declared "I regret nothing.", which everyone knew to be true since she said so moments after she was placed in the cage.

That said, neither of the two minded the positions they were placed in, and even the rest of the spirits decided to accept their temporary confinement. That said, there was one thing that they wished the Trinity would have done when they distributed the punishments…

"LET ME OUT OF HEREEEEEEEE!"

That they had moved Red-Eyes to the other side of the domain.

While Everyone else received bindings of ice and cages of flame, RE got a slightly stricter punishment as the ringleader. Namely, the jar shaped like a dragon's head that now had his glowing red eyes.

As Red-Eyes started another bout of complaining and demanding release from within the Dragon Capture Jar, the rest of the spirits (with exception to Burner and Zerofyne) just let out exasperated sighs and groans. Being stuck in one place for extended periods of time is one thing, but listening to someone complaining constantly and not having the ability to make them shut up was something that they didn't think would be so annoying until it happened to them.

Burner glanced at the Jar just a few meters away from him, then closed his eyes with a sigh. "Nothing has changed at all since you were placed inside there, and no amount of complaining will get you out any earlier."

The light in the Jar's eyes seemed to glow even more. "Shut it! You at least have the ability to SEE YOUR SURROUNDINGS! Do you have any idea what it's like being stuck in a jar?! Not only am I unable to move, BUT I CAN'T SEE ANYTHING! Seriously, it's nothing but black I here! I can't even let out a tiny flare to see MY OWN SNOUT! I can't even tell where your voice is coming from BECAUSE IT'S COMING FROM EVERYWHERE AT ONCE IN HERE! THIS IS HOW SPIRITS GO MAD!"

Burner simply shook his head. "Very well, but the rest of us DO hear you. Every word, and every complaint. So if you won't stop for your own sake, perhaps you can at least quiet down for the rest of them?"

"…" The Jar was silent for a few moments, making many watch in silent hope that part of their punishment was finally over.

"… As soon as someone tells me why they even HAVE A DRAGON CAPTURE JAR IN THE FIRST PLACE!" Just about every spirit hoping for peace and quiet hung their heads in misery at the response while Burner let out another sigh, before an unexpected voice caught their attention.

"It's a bit of a long story."

Silence reigned as the spirits all looked up at Aka's arrival, flying down to land in between Burner and Zerofyne, and facing the Jar. "The easiest way is to say that there are a few Dragons that we didn't necessarily get along with, so we looked into ways of protecting ourselves from them. The Jars may be old, but it seems they are still quite effective."

The Jar seemed to blink at the new arrivals words. "Wait, Aka? What are you doing here? Is my punishment- I mean, our punishments, over already?!"

Aka smirked at the Red-Eyed jar. "Well, seeing as your keeper is about to engage an opponent, I thought it would be best if you were allowed to stand beside him instead of being stuck in a Jar. Therefore, we will be letting you out early." Aka then walked up to the Jar and rested a few of his Ruby feathers against the side, letting a little energy flow into it.

After a moment, the Jar's eyes dimmed and a burst of red energy shot out of the top. The energy soon began to take shape, and burst apart to reveal Red-Eyes, giving a roar of delight. He then shook his head from side to side to orient himself. "Urgh, thank you Lord Aka. Those things are absolutely the WORST for a dragon."

"I believe it. Now then, I believe you have somewhere to be."

RE nodded to him. "Of course. Thank you." The black dragon then flapped his wings and took off for Ryuuji's side.

"Hmm. I do wonder how he'll get along with his new friends." Aka smiled, then turned to the Jar. "As for these, if they can hold down someone like him, then they might come in handy after all. Though just to be sure…"

Ryuuji, now wearing a black suit with crimson highlights, was down on the track with Seishi waiting nearby. "So, going by your codename, I assume you'll be something ghost or zombie related?"

"Haha, wow. Is it really that easy to guess?"

Ryuuji just smirked at him. "Certainly, since you just confirmed it."

"Oh, I like you. Shame you have to lose to me."

"Please. I was top of my class at Academia, a school that polished our dueling skills to be able to crush any opponent, and sent as an advance agent to other worlds. You don't stand a chance against me."

"Oh really? Well, I may not be trained to fight, but I learned how to survive, and there is no better teacher than experience. You've been on the run for, what, a little under a week? Me and my friends have been at this for YEARS now."

This went on for a few moments before Kiki used the speakers in the room to blare out "GET ON WITH IT ALREADY!", prompting them to shut up and get into positions, slight amounts of fear in their expressions.

Ryuuji then spared another glance at Seishi and whispered to him. "She always like that?"

Seishi paled slightly and glanced back at him. "You do realize she PROGRAMMED every aspect of this place and our equipment? Including the Mic in your helmet?"

Ryuuji widened his eyes and looked at his display, just as an image of an irked Kiki popped up in front of him. "Uh, sorry about that."

Kiki just narrowed her eyes and shut off the video feed. Shaking the thoughts from his head, Ryuuji made the final checks over his equipment and his deck. 'Okay then, I should just focus on the duel. That said,' He then glanced over at Seishi, who didn't look like he had a care in the world at the moment. 'I don't think this will be TOO difficult. Granted, they do have experience, and each side has one win and one loss. But I'm confident in my ability to outmaneuver and overpower anything he throws at me, especially with how carefree he looks. My only losses since becoming an advance agent have been from Takumi, someone from Standard with every one of the summoning techniques thus making him a wildcard in what he will do next. But these guys only have Synchro in their arsenal, so once I get a feel for it, I should be able to beat them.'

After a few more moments, Ryuuji gave the all clear that he was ready and prepared to ride, while Seishi only smirked from his own ready position. The countdown than began, as Kiki started calling it out. "Riding duel; ACCELERATION!"

As soon as the green light was out, Ryuuji set the Wheel to max acceleration, shooting ahead with Seishi right by his side. They quickly moved to the first turn where Ryuuji was able to get the inside of, putting him just ahead with the first turn!

"I'll start things off! You've seen Takumi's Synchro, and Ruri's Xyz. Now get ready to see what Fusion can do! I activate the spell card Red-Eyes Fusion! I now get to Fusion Summon a monster that uses a "Red-Eyes" card as material, by sending the required materials from my hand, field, or even my deck to the graveyard!" 2 cards then ejected from his deck, and he pulled them out and revealed them. "I'll use Red-Eyes Black Dragon and Summoned Skull from my deck as the materials!"

The 2 monsters then appeared besides him and gave out a cry, before flying up into a fusion portal. "Legendary dragon with eyes of red, join together with the demon of the underworld! Unleash the potential with you, and forge a power of absolute dread! Fusion Summon! Arise, Archfiend Black Skull Dragon!"

As the demonic dragon made its appearance, it gave out a menacing roar that had everyone save for Takumi recoiling from the power behind it. As for Takumi, he gave a slight chuckle. "Ah, I remember that thing. It isn't pretty in appearance or ability, and believe me, I've had to take that thing down before. Hope Seishi can handle it."

Meanwhile, Seishi was looking up at the monster in question. "Well now, this is interesting. I may have spirits from the beyond, but you seem to have demons of the underworld at your beck and call."

Ryuuji turned back at him. "They aren't that scary when you know how to deal with them. I now set 1 card facedown and end my turn."

Seishi smirked at him. "Why thank you. I draw." Seishi then looked through his hand, then pulled out a card. "I'll start by playing my Gold Sarcophagus." On activation, a large golden box appeared behind him. "I now get to take any card in my deck and banish it face-up. Then, on my second Standby Phase after playing this, I get to add the banished card to my hand. From my deck, I banish my Shiranui Spiritmaster!" A priestly looking figure with eyes closed and hands together in prayer appeared above the sarcophagus, as the lid of said sarcophagus began to open and tendrils of light then began to reach out and grab onto the monster.

Seishi then pointed out a finger. "At this moment, the effect of my Spiritmaster activates! Wen banished, he allows me to destroy 1 card controlled by my opponent! So now," He then aimed his finger at Black Skull. "I'll have him destroy that demonic dragon of yours!" Spiritmaster then moved one of his hands and held it out, the other hand still in place and eyes still closed. Blue fire then began to gather in the open palm, before it shot towards Ryuuji's dragon like a flamethrower!

In response, Ryuuji held out a hand of his own. "I activate my face-down, De-Fusion! With it, I split my Dragon into its component monsters!" Black Skull then glowed, before dissipating, causing the blue flames to surge past where it was prior. The energy then gathered in 2 points, coalescing into Red-Eyes and Summoned Skull.

Seishi smiled at his move as Spiritmaster went into the sarcophagus. "Nice! Fusion does seem to have a few tricks up their sleeves. That said, we Synchro users aren't exactly pushovers either! Now then, I activate the continuous card Everliving Underworld Cannon!" At that, light began to gather at the back of Seishi's D-Wheel, coalescing into a sort of cannon made of bones from all sorts of different creatures, and held together by chains. "Next, I play the field spell Shiranui Synthesis!" A blue aura then pulsed out across the track, filling the entire chamber with a light blue glow. "Finally, I activate the continuous spell Card of Safe Return."

Ryuuji looked about at the area in question, as Seishi continued. "Like what you see so far? If not, then try this! I now activate the effect of my field spell and send 1 card from my hand to the graveyard, then select 1 of 2 effects. I choose to Special Summon 1 Zombie-type monster in my graveyard with 0 DEF."

Ryuuji turned his head to look at him in question. "What? But you shouldn't have any monsters in your graveyard."

Seishi just smirked at him. "Oh? Then tell me, what did I just discard?" At Ryuuji's look of realization, he raised his hand above his head. "I now revive the Shiranui Solitaire I just discarded!" Appearing in a flurry of blue flames was a long-haired man dressed like a monk, wielding a Khakkhara in his right hand. "Now the effects of my spell cards activate! First, because a Zombie-type monster was just Special Summoned, once per turn, my Cannon can hit you for 800 points of damage! Also, since a monster was just summoned from the graveyard, my Card of Safe return allows me to draw 3 new cards!"

Ryuuji's eyes widened in surprise at the effects Seishi was using, and watched as he drew his new cards and the cannon on the back of his D-Wheel began to gather energy. A moment later, it fired a shot in the shape of a laughing skull! As it approached, Ryuuji swerved his D-Wheel enough for it to land just at his side, changing it to a glancing blow, even if the damage remains the same.

Ryuuji: 4000 – 3200

Seishi then looks through his new cards, and pulls one out. "I now normal summon my Shiranui Smith!" Out came a monster wielding a blacksmith's hammer and garbed in white cloth. "I now activate Solitaire's effect and tribute him to summon a Zombie-type tuner with 0 DEF! Goodbye for now Solitaire, and say hello to Shiranui Spectralsword!" The latest arrival took the form of a floating katana. After a few moments, bright blue flames flowed off the blade and coalesced into a regally dressed figure.

Ryuuji looked at the monster in recognition. "A tuner. That means…"

"You got that right! I now tune my level 4 Smith with my level 2 Spectralsword!" The spirit of the sword then raised its arms and disappeared as the sword shot straight up, letting 2 Synchro Rings descend above Smith. "With the sacred blade that carries the ancient spirits, unleash the fire within and invoke the will of the honored warrior! Synchro Summon! Turn up the heat, level 6! Shiranui Samuraisaga!"

From the beam of Synchro light, a burst of blue fire shot out, revealing a man in orange and black clothing bearing and flame-styled blade on his hip along with the same katana from before in his hand, with the spirit of that sword ghosting behind him.

Ryuuji narrowed his eyes at the Synchro monster. "It has more attack points than my dragon…"

"That's right, and it will use each and every one to take it down! Samuraisaga! Slay his dragon!" Seishi's Synchro monster then leapt at Red-Eyes. He then slashed the katana along it's flank, eliciting a pain-filled roar as the dragon was destroyed.

Ryuuji: 3200 – 3100

"Huh, not bad. But not good enough either. I activate the effect of the Red-Eyes Retro Dragon in my hand! When a level 7 or lower "Red-Eyes" monster I control is destroyed, I can summon this card from my hand and revive the destroyed monster. Return, Red-Eyes Black Dragon!" As his signature dragon reappeared, a new smaller dragon appeared with rust-red highlights across its form.

Seishi just smirked. "Actually, this works out for me too. My Card of Safe Return works when you revive a monster as well, so now I'll be taking 3 more cards!"

Ryuuji looked in surprise as Seishi increased his hand yet again. 'Seriously? That effect lets him draw no matter who revives a monster!? This can become an issue.'

Seishi looks through the cards he has to work with, and pulls out 2. "I think I'll end my turn with a pair of face-downs. You're up Ryuuji."

Ryuuji glances back at Seishi's Synchro monster, then looks ahead again. "My move. I draw." Looking at the card, he immediately plays it. "I activate the spell card Dragon's Gunfire. Since I control a Dragon-type monster, I can now choose between 1 of 2 effects. I choose to destroy one monster with 800 or less DEF. Red-Eyes Black Dragon! Take out Samuraisaga!"

Red-Eyes then began to charge a fireball in its mouth, before discharging it at the Synchro monster, only for it to be blocked by blue flames surging around the monster as Seishi smirked. "I'll admit, that is an interesting card effect. But how about instead of just losing my monster, I get to make him useful? I activate my face-down, Spiritual Fire Art – Kurenai to tribute a FIRE monster, namely my Samuraisaga, in order to deal damage equal to his original ATK!"

Ryuuji's eyes widened in shock. "What!?" He then watched as the blue flames around the Synchro monster intensified, as it raised its sword and brought it down, sending a wave of blue fire to strike him. "GAH!"

Ryuuji: 3100 – 700

Ryuuji looked back at Seishi. "Impressive counter, but the results remain the same. You now have no monsters protecting your life points, and I still have 3 monsters waiting to attack! I now switch Retro Dragon to attack mode!" The smaller dragon let out a shrill cry at that as it moved into a more offensive position. "Red-Eyes Black Dragon! Start the assault with Inferno Fire Blast!" His dragon then prepared a more powerful fireball and released it at Seishi.

"Haha, did you really think I would leave myself defenseless? I activate my Synchro Zone trap card!" As the trap activated, a pulse of energy was released and snuffed out Red-Eyes' attack. "While active, all attacks from a non-Synchro monster are negated!"

Ryuuji clenched his teeth at the defensive card, reminded of Academia's Fusion Trench. 'This guy is better than I thought. I need to be more careful around his cards. So maybe I should get rid of a few of them.' He then pulled a card from his hand. "I now activate the spell card A Wingbeat of Giant Dragon. This will return my Red-Eyes to my hand, then destroy every spell and trap in play! Come on back partner!" Red-Eyes then roared as he flapped his wings, creating a gust of wind that destroyed all of Seishi's activate Spells and Traps, removing the blue aura in the room and destroying the cannon perched on his D-Wheel.

"Ah shoot. All it would have taken was a single special summon on my part and you would have been toast. Ah well, guess I just need to use a different card to finish this. Got anything else for me?"

Ryuuji glared at Seishi from ahead and turned back to the front. "I set 1 card face-down and end my turn."

Up above, Takumi was watching interest at how many of Ryuuji's moves were being countered. "Wow. After hearing the bit about him and the codenames, I figured he might be the most easygoing of the group, but I didn't think he'd be able to hold Ryuuji back as well as he's been doing so far!"

Kiki smiled from her seat. "He may be the most childish of us, but he is also quite tenacious. Shiranui cards may be offensively based, but they have plenty of defensive uses as well. Moral of the story, do not take Phantoms lightly."

Seishi grinned at Ryuuji. "Alright then, my draw!" Looking at the card he drew, he placed it in his hand before going through his graveyard. "I now activate the effect of my Spectralsword in the graveyard! I now banish him along with the Samuraisaga in my graveyard to summon a Zombie-type Synchro monster from my Extra deck whose level is equal to the combined levels of both monsters, so I get to summon a level 8 monster!"

Ryuuji's eyes widened in shock as twin bursts of fire appeared and released the spirits of both monsters, before Spectralsword shot up and released 2 Synchro Rings. "Sacred sword that harbors ancient spirits, unleash the inferno within and uphold the authority of the great general! Turn up the heat, Shiranui Shogunsaga!"

The monster that appeared looked more like Spiritmaster, but was wielding the Katana of Spectralsword in one hand and the flame-styled blade that Samuraisaga had in the other hand. Ryuuji looked at the monster apprehensively. "Okay, this is a strong monster."

"Haha, well yeah level 8 monsters tend to be strong. Oh, also, Samuraisaga's effect now activates! When banished, I can reduce the ATK of 1 monster my opponent controls by 500." The spirit of his earlier Synchro then appeared and brandished his katana. "Time to cut Retro Dragon down to size!" The spirit then shot by Ryuuji's monster and slashed at its flank before disappearing, leaving Retro to give off a painful roar.

Retro: 1700 – 1200

Ryuuji turned back to look at his dragon, before turning to Seishi. "Why would you use that effect on Retro? Skull has more ATK than him."

"You'll see. But first, I activate my Burial from a Different Dimension to return 3 banished monsters to the graveyard. I select my Spectralsword, my Samuraisaga, and the Spiritmaster in my Sarcophagus!"

"What?!" Ryuuji then turned to the gold box that had been flying behind him all suddenly burst apart, allowing the monster within to shoot into the graveyard. "What are you up to? In one more turn it would have been added to your hand, so why send it to the graveyard?"

Seishi just continued to smirk at him. "Well that is an easy question to answer. I now activate the effect of my Shogunsaga, and banish Spiritmaster again, allowing me to use Spiritmaster's effect to once again destroy one of your cards. So now your Skull will be destroyed this time, and as a bonus, I get to increase Shogunsaga's ATK by that of Spiritmaster with his own effect!"

The new Synchro monster then raised its Katana up and made the spirit of Spiritmaster appear shrouded in blue flames. After Shogunsaga siphoned off most of the flames into its sword, Spiritmaster then flew towards Summoned Skull, who tried to fight it off with lightning, but to no avail as it was quickly destroyed.

Shogunsaga: 3000 – 4500

Ryuuji looked at where his fiend was, then back at Seishi's powered up Synchro. "So that's what you had in mind."

"Yup. Why weaken a monster I'm gonna destroy with an effect? Now for the finisher. Shogunsaga! Attack Retro Dragon!" His monster then brandished both blades and unleashed a flurry of slashes and strikes against the dragon, resulting in a large explosion that hid both duelists. After a second, Seishi emerged from the smoke, with Ryuuji a couple seconds behind him.

Ryuuji looked ahead at Seishi. "In response to your monster's attack, I activated the Defense Draw trap card, reducing the damage to 0 and allowing me to draw a card."

Seishi looked back at him. "Not bad. But you'll be hard pressed to defeat the dead. I set 2 cards and end my turn, returning my Shogunsaga's ATK to normal."

Shogunsaga: 4500 – 3000

"My turn. Draw!" He looked at the card he drew, then set it. "I place 1 card face-down and activate Card of Demise. With it, I draw until I have 5 in my hand, so long as I discard my entire hand in 5 turns." Ryuuji then drew 4 new cards, looking through his options. "First, I activate Cards of the Red Stone, and discard a Red-Eyes Black Flare Dragon to draw 2 new cards, then send a level 7 "Red-Eyes" from my deck to the Graveyard. I'll be sending a second Flare Dragon to keep them company."

Looking through his new set of 5 cards, and grew a small smile. "I'll now activate the Polymerization spell card, and send the Red-Eyes still in my hand to the graveyard along with the Chthonian Emperor Dragon in my hand for a Fusion Summon." His signature dragon then reappeared along a hellish black and green dragon with light brown armor, just before both flew into a fusion vortex.

"Legendary Dragon with eyes of red, join with the ruler of the Underworld and descend before us in a fiery blaze! Fusion Summon! Come forth, Meteor Black Comet Dragon!"

As Ryuuji's new dragon arrived with a powerful roar, Ryuuji ejected a card from his deck. "I now use the effect of my dragon to send a Red-Eyes monster of my choosing to the graveyard and deal damage to you equal to half of their ATK. So now my Archfiend of Lightning will join the rest in my graveyard and hit you for 1250 points of damage!"

As the soul of the red-eyed demon emerged, Meteor swiped its claw through it and turned its essence into a black and red ball of fire, before hurling it at Seishi, who merely smirked at the attack. "I now activate my face-down Shiranui Style Samsara! With it, I'll sacrifice my Shogunsaga and protect my life points for the rest of this turn!" His Synchro then leapt in the way of the blast and burst into blue fire that created a barrier around Seishi, causing the ball to dissipate on contact.

Ryuuji narrowed his eyes at Seishi, then looked at the last 2 cards in his hand before reaching for them. "I place 2 cards face-down to end my turn."

"My turn. I draw." Looking at his card, he gained a massive grin on his face. "Oh yeah, this will be fun. I activate the spell card Soul Release! With it, I can now banish any 5 monsters in either of our graveyards. I choose the Solitaire and Spectralsword in my graveyard, and from your graveyard I'll take the Chthonian Emperor, the Red-Eyes Black Dragon, and the Red-Eyes Archfiend. Say goodbye to your Ace!" The individual spirits of each monster then shot out of the deck, with Solitaire floating by Seishi. "And now I'll make use of Solitaire's effect. When banished, I can select any 1 of my banished "Shiranui" monsters and Special Summon them. And if I have Shiranui Style Synthesis in play, then I get to pick 2."

"Too bad I got rid of it earlier."

"Maybe, but my Samsara card can be treated as Synthesis while on the field! So let's welcome back my Shogunsaga and Spectralsword!" Solitaire then twirled its Khakkhara above its head, causing blue flames to shoot out into 2 points. After a few moments, they burst apart and became his Synchro and Tuner. "And now to take this to the next level. I now tune my level 8 Shogunsaga to my level 2 Spectralsword!"

Takumi's eyes widened from above in shock. "You're kidding me. This guy is bringing out a level 10 Synchro!"

Ryuuji watched intently as Seishi performed his 3rd Synchro summon of the duel. "Sacred blade that bears the passion of ancient souls, let the flames surge forth and become the light that purifies all! Synchro Summon! Blaze, level 10! Shiranui Sunsaga!"

Emerging from the light was the spirit of the blade in physical form, holding said blade which had blue flames coating it, while riding atop a horse seemingly made of red and orange fire. As it raised its sword and gave off a war cry, the spirits of Samuraisaga and Shogunsaga appeared beside him. "I now use his effect, returning each of my zombie-type Synchro monsters that are banished or in my graveyard to my Extra Deck, then destroy 1 card you control for each card returned! I think I'll slay your Meteor Dragon and the middle set card!"

As Sunsaga lowered his sword at Ryuuji's monster and the spirits charged, Ryuuji activated the target face-down. "I activate the trap card Burst Breath! With it, I sacrifice my dragon and destroy every monster on the field whose DEF is less than my dragon's ATK. And this isn't even a contest seeing as your Sunsaga doesn't even have any DEF points. Meteor! Show these phantoms what REAL fire is!" His Fusion monster then took a deep breath, and roared out a massive flood of fire, easily washing away the 2 Synchro spirits and washing over Sunsaga. After a minute, there was nothing but smoke throughout the room.

Arashi turned to Kiki. "Mind venting the room? No one can see anything down there."

"Way ahead of you." Some vents then popped out along the walls near the ceiling and began to suck up the smoke, making it easier for everyone to see the duel.

Needless to say, they were shocked to see that Sunsaga was still there! "Not bad Ryuuji, you just pulled the same move I did earlier with my Spiritual Fire Art trap. Unfortunately, Sunsaga can prevent the destruction of any zombies I control by instead banishing a single "Shiranui" card in my graveyard, like the Smith I've had there since my first turn. Oh, and thanks to Smith's effect, all my zombies can't be destroyed in battle this turn. Not that it matters at the moment."

"Oh well, I can still make use of Meteor's effect. When sent from the monster zone to the graveyard, I get to Special Summon any Normal monster in my graveyard, and I choose to revive one of my Black Flare Dragons!" The black and red dragon emerged with a roar, before curling its wings in front of it signifying defense mode. "And I'll follow it up with my Return of the Red-Eyes trap, so as long as I control a Red-Eyes monster, I get to revive another Normal monster in my graveyard once per turn, so say hello to my second Flare Dragon, also in Defense mode!" And with that, a second dragon mirrored the actions of the first.

Seishi grinned. "Oh, so you traded 1 big dragon for 2 smaller dragons. Not bad, but not good enough. If I can't get to your life points with this, then I'll just focus on thinning your forces! Sunsaga, attack one of the Flare Dragons!" Sunsaga reared its horse and charged at one of the dragons, cleaving straight through and destroying it in a burst of blue flames.

Ryuuji grimaced as his dragon was destroyed, before looking back at Seishi as his trap began to glow. "I now activate the second effect of Samsara. I now take 2 banished zombies with 0 DEF and return them to my deck, then draw 2 cards. I select Shiranui Solitaire and Smith." As the spirits of his monsters appeared, they then surged towards his deck in blue flames. After his deck shuffled, he drew a card, looked at it, then set it with a smile. "Alright, I set this card face-down and end my turn. Your move Ryuuji. Think you can turn this around now?"

Seishi's friends smirked at how things were going, while Takumi and Ruri watched the duel in caution. Mei then turned to the bird-users. "You guys still think Ryuuji has a chance? Seishi rarely loses when he gets to the point of using Sunsaga."

"Of course." Everyone looked at Takumi as his expression shifted into one of slight eagerness. "Sure, Seishi is pretty good. He hasn't lost a single point since this all started. But even if he keeps blocking Ryuuji's attempts to burn him, he still has a good number of tricks up his sleeves. After all, Red-Eyes is the dragon of craftiness and fury, with limitless potential."

"It's my turn, I draw!" He looked at the card he had to work with, before placing it in his hand "I now activate the effect of my Return of the Red-Eyes to bring back a normal monster in my graveyard. Revive, Red-Eyes Black Flare Dragon!" The monster then reemerged from the flames, once more in defense mode. "But he won't be staying for long, because I tribute him to activate my trap card, Dark Spirit Art – Greed. I now get to draw 2 more cards." His dragon then gave a roar before become dark red particles that illuminated the top 2 cards of his deck. "Normally, you'd be able to negate this effect by revealing a spell in your hand. But since your hand is empty, I am free to do as I like. I now draw!"

He then took his new cards and looked at them, eyes widening in shock. He then looked down, a shadow covering his eyes. "I gotta admit Seishi, you are a tough opponent. I probably don't have the power to take you down on my own."

Seishi looked back at him with a smile. "Does that mean I win?" He then threw up an arm in triumph. "Alright!"

"What are you talking about?" Seishi looked back at Ryuuji, now seeing a slight smirk on his face.

"What? But you just said you couldn't beat me?"

"On my own. If we had met a few weeks ago, I probably wouldn't have a chance against you. However," The shadow over his eyes then cleared away showing a confidant expression. "I'm not alone anymore. I am finally able to allow others to give me strength. And that is exactly what I'll do!" He then took the 2 cards he just got and revealed them. "I, using the scale 1 Devil with Eyes of Red, and the scale 8 Drake with Eyes of Red, set the Pendulum Scale!"

Seishi did a double take as he heard him. "Wait, Pendulum?!" He then watched as the two Pendulum monsters rose up. On Ryuuji's right there was a monster that looked like Red-Eyes Archfiend, but lacking its legs, leaving a tail-like appendage, possessing thinner limbs and sharper claws, horns curling upwards and a small flame floating in between them. On Ryuuji's other side was a black dragon with a serpentine form and wings just above its arms, having no back legs. The tip of its tail had a sharp red crystal, and its head looked like a much narrower and sleeker version of Red-Eyes Black Dragon's.

Devil with Eyes of Red; Pendulum/Fiend-type/Gemini/DARK/level6/Sc1

ATK 2500 DEF 1200

Drake with Eyes of Red; Pendulum/Dragon-type/Gemini/DARK/level6/Sc8

ATK 1800 DEF 2000

While Takumi watched with a grin, everyone else, even Ruri, were shocked at the development. "Ryuuji has Pendulum cards? When did that happen?!"

"A few days ago." They all turned to Takumi in surprise as he continued. "While we were working on a way to leave the Fusion dimension, a pair of blank cards I had begun to glow, and turned into those cards there. After a quick talk with Ryuuji, I managed to convince him to keep the cards, thinking that it would not only show my trust in him, but his decision to stop fighting every battle on his own. And now, you guys get to see exactly what these cards can do!"

Down below, Ryuuji looked at the cards entrusted with him in contemplation, before smiling genuinely. Turning back to Seishi, he challenged him. "Alright Seishi, this time, I WILL destroy your monster. And make a dent on your life points at the same time!"

Seishi blinked away the shock and smiled at Ryuuji. "Alright then! Show me what these cards can do!"

"With pleasure. But first, a quick explanation of my Devil's powers." Said monster then let out a demonic howl, shifting both Pendulum Pillars from a bluish-white color to a blackish-red. "When I perform a Pendulum Summon, he allows me to summon any "Red-Eyes", "Archfiend", or Gemini monsters in my graveyard who fit between the scales!"

Seishi's eyes widened in shock at that. "Pendulum from the graveyard?!"

"That's right. Now for a demonstration! Chaotic power born of eternity! Resonate throughout the underworld, and call forth destructive might! Pendulum Revival! Be reborn, my loyal monsters!" 2 lights then shot out from the portal that formed, releasing 2 different monsters. "First up, Red-Eyes Retro Dragon. And next, Summoned Skull!" The 2 monsters then appeared beside his dragon, getting into defensive positions.

Seishi looked at him in confusion. "Wait, you could have summoned one or two more, couldn't you? What are you up to?"

"Well first of all, a monster I revive like this can't attack or use any effects until the end of the turn. And secondly, my second Flare Dragon is right where I want them."

Seishi blinked at this, but shrugged. "Oh well, I can still muck things up. I activate my trap, Bottomless Trap Hole! Since you just summoned monsters with 1500 or more attack, I can now destroy and banish them! So say goodnight to Retro and Skull!" The trap then shot red energy that struck the 2 monsters and created clouds of dust, much to Seishi's satisfaction, until the dust cleared away and the 2 monsters left unscathed, a red barrier around them. "What?!"

Ryuuji just smirked as he indicated the other card in his Pendulum Zone, the crystal on its tail glowing slightly. "So long as my Drake is in the Pendulum Zone, each of my "Archifiend", "Red-Eyes", and Gemini monsters can avoid destruction once per turn!"

"You gotta be kidding me…"

"Nope. And now to really kick things off, I activate the second Pendulum effect of my devil, allowing me to perform a Fusion summon for a card that lists a "Red-Eyes" or Gemini monster as material by sending appropriate materials from my field or graveyard back into my deck!" His Devil then let out another howl, creating a red and black fusion vortex behind him. "I fuse together my Summoned Skull with my Red-Eyes Flare Dragon!" The 2 monsters then leaped into the vortex.

Seishi looked at the display in shock. "Fusion from a Pendulum card?!"

"Blazing Dragon with eyes of red, join with the demon of the Underworld! Unleash the potential within you, and forge a power of absolute dread! Fusion Summon! Return with a vengeance, Archfiend Black Skull Dragon!" Once more his demonic dragon took to the field, giving out a monstrous roar that shook the room.

Seishi looked at the beast he now had to deal with. "So the beast I stopped before I could fight it, huh? Still, it doesn't have the strength to overcome my Sunsaga!"

"Not yet. But I have just the card to change that equation! I activate the equip spell Megamorph and attach it to Archfiend, so as long as my life points are lower than yours, this card will double his ATK!"

"What!?" Seishi watched as the dragon bean to grow in size, nearly being as tall as the room itself.

Archfiend: 3200 – 6400

"Go! Archfiend Black Skull Dragon! Attack his Sunsaga!" The massive dragon then began to charge up a massive fireball in its mouth.

Seishi looked at the size of the attack in worry. "I don't think so! I activate my second Face-down, Slip of Fortune! With it, I banish the attack target and negate your attack!" Sunsaga then began to glow.

Ryuuji smirked as black and red spirits formed and grabbed the trap, forcing it down as well as surrounding Samsara, much to Seishi's shock. "When Archfiend attacks, you cannot activate any spells or traps in response! So Archfiend is free to take down your Synchro and you can't do a thing about it! GO! Infernal Hellfire Blast!" The massive dragon then released the fireball, easily consuming the form of Sunsaga, who had no zombies left to banish to maintain its own life, dealing massive damage to Seishi.

Seishi: 4000 – 1100

As Seishi got himself under control, he looked at Ryuuji with a grin. "Not bad man, but I'm not done yet! On my next turn, be sure that I'll turn this around and win it!"

"Then it's a good thing I'm not giving you another turn!" At Seishi's confused look, Ryuuji looked back at his dragon. "At the end of the Battle Phase, if Archfiend was involved in damage calculation, then I can return 1 "Red-Eyes" monster from my graveyard to my deck, then hit you for damage equal to its attack. And what do you know, I left a Black Flare Dragon in there."

Seishi's eyes widened at that, as he connected the dots. "But with no monsters on my field to use Samsara…"

"You lose. Alright Archfiend, gather the power of the fallen and end this!" As Ryuuji ejected the monster from his graveyard, the spirit of Flare appeared and gathered into a sphere of flames in the hands of archfiend, which it then tossed at Seishi, striking him and removing the last of his life points!

"ARGH!"

Seishi: 1100 – 0

Winner: Ryuuji!

As Seishi's runner hit the brakes, Ryuuji and his dragon shot ahead, the beast giving a massive roar of triumph before fading away with the rest of the remaining cards. Meanwhile, up in the observation area, Takumi was cheering while the rest looked on in shock at how he turned it around.

As Ryuuji stopped the D-wheel near the lifts, Seishi quickly came from behind and jumped off just as it was stopped and ran up to Ryuuji, a massive grin on his face. "That. Was. AWESOME! I had no idea that was coming! No one mentioned that there were Pendulum cards in your deck as well!"

Ryuuji just smirked at him. "Well, to be honest, I'm still getting used to them. You can't say you can use something reliably if you only just acquired it."

"I hear that. Still, to think the first monster you summoned in the duel wound up being the death of me."

"You're telling me. I almost thought I was going to lose, especially since you made me get rid of Archfiend on your first turn. And all those monsters of yours that kept triggering effects when banished? It was hard just to land a hit on you. Not to mention those Synchros you used."

"Thanks, I like to make my opponents work to hurt me. Now then, how about we celebrate your win up with the others?" He then pointed a finger up as he said this, getting Ryuuji to nod with him before they each brought their D-wheels up the lift.

Takumi greeted Ryuuji with a fist bump as they made it up. "Nice work man! I knew you'd be able to figure out those cards!"

"Thanks. I wasn't too sure of it myself, but no better chance to practice than when in a safe place I guess."

"That really was incredible." Ruri walked up to them at this point. "I admit, I'm still not used to seeing Fusion in a good light, but that was still an amazing match you just had."

"No kidding." They all turned to Arashi and the others as they got closer as well. "You all have some pretty good skills. If there are more like you lot, I'd love to have you all as comrades."

Takumi smiled at them. "Does that mean what I think it means?"

Arashi smiled as he held out a hand to them. "We can't speak for our entire dimension, but you at least have the four of us as allies in the coming fight." The rest of them smiled with their leader, as Takumi quickly gripped his hand in Arashi's.

"Good to know!"

"By the way," They all looked at Kiki as she was fiddling with the controls. "I finally figured something out about this feeling I was having."

Mei raised a curious eyebrow. "What are you talking about."

"Back when Takumi was dueling, I got this strange feeling when he used his Pendulum cards. And when Ryuuji used his own, the feeling came back. I finally figured it out. There was a recording of an unusual duel the other day." She then brought up a video feed showing a pair of duelists that had Takumi looking at it in shock.

"No way… That's Gongenzaka!"

Mei looked at him neutrally. "You know them?"

"Yeah, the big guy is Gongenzaka, a friend of mine from Standard. The guy with the orange hair though… I can see that he's using Pendulum cards, but I don't recognize him."

"I do." They all turned to Ryuuji, who did not look happy. "His name is Dennis, and he's like me."

Takumi's eyes widened at that. "You mean…"

"Yeah. He's an advance agent of Academia. A spy like I was. Not only that, but before he was sent to Standard, he was sent somewhere else first." He then turned and everyone followed his gaze to Ruri, slowly realizing what he meant.

Ruri looked back at the image of Dennis in fear, and slight realization. "Wait, I recognize him. He performed on the streets of Heartland occasionally! We even had a duel within just a week before the invasion!"

"Not surprising. He was the one that greenlit the invasion."

"WHAT?!" Takumi then took another look at the screen, staring at the one responsible for starting the attack on Heartland.

"Yeah, his job was to lay in wait until the main objective of the Professor was located, then to keep an eye on it until someone could extract it once the invasion began."

Everyone looked at him cautiously, as Takumi looked furious and Ruri scared. Seishi gulped for a moment before speaking. "What… What was their objective?"

Ryuuji looked down angrily. "I don't know the specifics myself, but throughout the dimensions, there are apparently a pair of individuals in each of the 4 worlds who share a face with one another. The Professor, for some reason… was after the female counterparts."

The Misfits widened their eyes in realization, before turning to look at Ruri, who was beginning to hug herself while looking at the image of Dennis. Kiki then looked over to Takumi. "So, when you said you took a detour…"

Takumi nodded. "I wound up in Academia on accident, but I took the opportunity to gather information and break Ruri out. I had previously run into her brother and learned that she was kidnapped, so I promised him that I would help him get her out as soon as I could." He then shrugged. "Turned out it would be sooner than I thought." He then moved to place a comforting hand on Ruri's shoulder.

Seishi looked back at Ryuuji. "What in the heck is this Professor after? Why does he want Ruri and these other girls?"

"No idea. He merely gave out the missions and everyone followed them out. No one thought to question or refuse him on this."

"Well we will." They all looked to Arashi, who had a determined look on his face. "We may have only just joined the game, but there is no way I'm letting this guy ruin more lives due to his own whims. What do you guys say?"

Mei cracked her knuckles. "I say, we make him hurt for what he's done."

Seishi grinned. "Seconded."

Kiki flashed her own smile. "I guess the vote is unanimous."

Arashi nodded before turning back to Kiki. "Okay, first step, track down these two. Gongenzaka and Dennis. Kiki, find out where these two went after this. Check security databanks if you have to."

"Aye, aye, captain." She then got up and rushed to where the main computer setup was.

Arashi then turned to Mei and Seishi. "We are still in need of resources. You 2 go take inventory while Kiki works. There should be a chart of what costs what, so go put together the list then go to Kiki to move the funds. Then get your good clothes and go out. Keep an ear and eye out for any information or move from Security."

They both nodded and ran off, leaving Arashi to turn to the dumbfounded trio of guests. "As for us, I'll start by giving you a quick tour, then get you places to rest. You've all been through a lot, you deserve some rest. I'll be joining the others afterwards."

Takumi blinked at how fast things were going, before slowly nodding. "Uh, okay. Did not think you guys would jump to do things so quickly."

"With what we do on a day to day basis, being quick kept us going. Anyway, come on. I'll show you the important things before sending you all off to bed." The trio got changed back into their previous outfits and followed him at that as he showed them where to find things they might need to make use of, before eventually taking them to a long hallway lined with doors every so often.

"This was apparently a staff living quarters, each one holding 2 beds. Feel free to divvy them up however you like. If you need anything, the hall leads right into the main room where Kiki works. I'll leave you guys to it."

"Thanks again for letting us stay man." Takumi thanked him as he shook his hand, Ruri giving a grateful smile and Ryuuji nodded to him.

"Not a problem. We've harbored others who needed a place to hide before, though typically they don't know the way in or out due to blindfolds. Then again, something tells me we won't need them. Alright, get some rest. I'll start leading the search for your friends from Standard."

They gave him an acknowledging nod as he walked away, before looking at the rooms. Takumi then scratched the side of his head in thought. "So, what now? Two to a room with one on their own, or each of us with our own?"

Ruri, looked into one of the rooms, seeing it look rather plain with two beds on either side and a pair of desks on the wall between them and confirming a lock on the inside rather than out, much to the relief of her paranoia. Still, the idea of a room to herself unnerved her, and she looked at the other 2 nervously. "Umm… Could I maybe… Stay in a room with someone?"

Ryuuji smirked, and pushed Takumi towards Ruri. "You heard her Hero Boy. Make sure the princess feels safe!"

The 2 of them got red in the face as Takumi rounded on him. "Will you quit it already?!"

"Hahaha. Anyway, see you 2 in the morning." He then walked into a room and closed the door, leaving the pair alone.

"Man, is it bad that I find him more annoying now than when he was an enemy?" Takumi then shook his head as he and Ruri walked into the next room, each claiming a bed somewhat nervously.

After a few moments, Ruri looked over at Takumi. "Uh, Takumi…"

"Hm? What's up?"

"Um… Thank you…"

Takumi stopped and looked over at her. "For what?"

"Just… Everything. Getting me out of Academia, keeping me safe, comforting me… Just, thank you, for everything you've done so far."

Silence reigned for a few moments, before Takumi smiled at her. "Of course. I hate the thought of others going through the kinds of things you have." He then turned back to his bed and continued getting ready as Ruri watched. "Being separated from the people you care about, seeing your home torn apart, being kept by strange people that scare you to no end… Merely hearing about what you went through from your brother made me determined to help the both of you." He then finished setting up his bed and looked at her with determination. "Just you wait. You'll see your brother again soon, and then we'll end this war. Even if I have to take down the Professor myself."

Ruri simply looked at him, speechless for a few seconds, before a bright smile that warmed Takumi's heart lit her face. "Okay."

Blushing, the two of them crawled under the covers of their respective beds after Takumi lowered the lights to something comfortable, but not pitch-black, then began to fall asleep.

"Good night Takumi."

"Good night Ruri."

Meanwhile, in the spirit world, Red-Eyes was returning from the duel with Devil and Drake by his side and praising the both of them. "Seriously, where in the HELL have you two been all my life!? The two of you are freaking amazing!"

Devil smirked at the dragon that was their master. "Gihee, does it really matter? Now we can lend you our strength and power, and destroy even more enemies!"

Drake lifted his own head proudly. "Of course. We may be young, but we will now show all the true power of the Red-Eyed clan."

"Hehehehe. I love the sound of that!" Red-Eyes then flew even faster, soon spotting Aka and Ao in the clearing with all of his "accomplices" from before as they were starting to be released. "Hey guys! I gotta say, I love these new guys you introduced me to!"

Aka smirked at the dragon's enthusiasm. "I take it they were helpful?"

"Helpful? They were beyond just helpful! THEY KICKED BUTT!"

Ao chuckled a little after releasing one of the spirits from an ice block. "I see. Well, it seemed only right to give you a chance to prove your honest desire to fight beside us."

"Are you kidding? If you guys had told me about giving me this kind of support, I would have joined up sooner!"

"Good to know." RE then turned to Aka's smiling face. "Then, you wouldn't mind if we mentioned something you might disagree with?"

The dragon's face dropped at that. "What are you talking about?"

At that moment, he heard an impact behind him, then felt an all too familiar pull as the ice and fire birds looked at him in amusement. "After all, you never did finish your 'time out' as it were."

RE's eyes widened in horror, and before he could say anything, he was pulled into another Dragon Capture Jar that Ki and flown in behind him, looking very smug at having gotten his revenge. "Ah, now THIS feels good."

"… I hate you all."

A/N: Finally done! Man, this chapter took the longest for me to write yet. I truly apologize for that, seeing as I ran into several different problems trying to write this duel and figure out how I was going to end it. That said, I feel good about how I ended it. And yes, a few of the cards used are using anime effects. Thoughts?

Anyway, I have an idea for how I want the next chapter will go, so the next update will mostly depend on my schedule and how many distractions that arise. That said, I have no plans to give up on this story, seeing how many people seem to be following it.

In other news, I have been considering putting up a new story that would be a Fairy Tail fic. A friend of mine helped me work on a few ideas for it, and is encouraging me to post it. If I do go through with it, it would updated along the same time as this story, but planning would be simpler because there aren't any duels and such to think about To anyone who thinks I should give it a shot, let me know in either a review or PM.

Other than that, please let me know your thoughts on my story in any way you see fit. Please leave a review on what you like or don't like, and if you want to see more of this story then please follow and/or favorite. Thanks again for reading, and see you all later.

OC cards

Devil with Eyes of Red; Pendulum/Fiend-type/Gemini/DARK/level6/Sc1

ATK 2500 DEF 1200

(This card is always treated as an "Archfiend" and a "Red-Eyes" card)

This card is treated as a normal monster while face-up on the field or in the graveyard. While this card is a normal monster on the field, you can Normal Summon it to have it be an effect monster with this effect:

-Once per turn, you can target 1 "Red-Eyes" or Gemini monster in your graveyard or in your hand; Special Summon the target, then deal damage to your opponent equal to half of its ATK plus 100x its level. Gemini monsters summoned this way gain their effects.

P.E.- While this card is in your Pendulum Zone, you can Pendulum Summon Gemini, "Archfiend", or "Red-Eyes" monsters in your graveyard, but they cannot attack and their effects (if any) are negated for the rest of the turn. Gemini monsters you control that are treated as normal monsters can be treated as "archfiend" cards. Once per turn, you can Fusion Summon a monster that lists a "Red-Eyes" card as a Fusion Material by returning material monsters from your field or in the graveyard to the deck. The summoned monster is treated as "Red-Eyes Black Dragon", and you cannot summon other monsters from the Extra Deck for the rest of the turn.

Drake with Eyes of Red; Pendulum/Dragon-type/Gemini/DARK/level6/Sc8

ATK 1800 DEF 2000

(This card is always treated as a "Red-Eyes" card.)

This card is treated as a normal monster while face-up on the field or in the graveyard. While this card is a normal monster on the field, you can Normal Summon it to have it be an effect monster with this effect:

-Once while this face-up card is on the field; you can add 1 Gemini or "Red-Eyes" card from your deck to your hand. At the end of the Battle Phase, if a Gemini or "Red-Eyes" monster you control destroyed a monster in battle; You can Special Summon 1 Gemini or "Red-Eyes" monster in your hand and deal damage to your opponent equal to its original ATK. Gemini monsters summoned this way gain their effects.

P.E.- Each "Red-Eyes", Gemini, and "Archfiend" monster you control or that lists one of those cards as a material monster cannot be destroyed in battle or by card effects once per turn. When a Gemini or "Red-eyes" monster you control or that lists one of those cards as a material monster attacks; Negate the effects of the attack target.