Yu-Gi-Oh! GSTART

by Vile.EXE

Follow the story of Kohaku Yudin, an ace Game Card collector in the bustling metropolis, Sigma City. When he receives an odd silver card from another boy, it starts him on a path that will challenge his will, strength, and determination as he realizes his true destiny. My own unique YGO series!

21. Level 021

RK777: Man, the weeks seem to fly by, don't they?

Vile: You're not kidding. It barely feels like I started this batch of chapters, and now we're at the last one of Day 2.

RK777: It doesn't have to be. You sure you don't have Day 3 ready yet?

Vile: *sighs* Sadly, no. Still a lot of script conversion to get through, so that's gonna take a while. Hopefully I can at least get it done before the year ends. I have another story on the backburner that I need to get farther in order to even write, which will actually be my 100th story on the site.

Kohaku: 100th?

Yuma: For real?

Vile: Yup. It's been a hell of a road for me, and a milestone is incoming. I have a story in mind for #100, though IDK how special it'll be, but in order to even write it, I have to get further in GSTART, so without further ado, let's get back into this story. Enjoy, folks!

---

Yu-Gi-Oh! GSTART

Level 021: A Day Closer to the Truth

"Magic Card, Crank and Pop, hatsudo! I target either Bickuri-chan or a "Jack-in-the" monster, and I can boost its Attack Points by 200 times another Jack-in-the monster's Level!" Jack-in-the-Portal flew over to Bickuribox again, but this time pulled a handcrank out of its pocket and jammed it into the bigger jack's box, cranking his gears. The more he cranked, the more Bickuribox began to grow muscles on its thin arms and torso, growing bit by bit until he was really bulked out, the crank actually snapping off when he couldn't bulk up any more.

Bickuribox ATK:3100

"Yosh! Bickuri-chan, attack that Cub again!" Still carrying his exaggerated murderface, Bickuribox pointed his machine gun and fired a storm of bullets while roaring like a madman. The bullets closed in on Slumber Cub… only for them to just bounce right off it with cartoonish "BONK" sounds. Letting out a shocked "Huh?!", Bickuribox checked his gun to see if there was anything wrong with it, but the problem quickly became apparent: Hanging from the grip was a $0.99 price tag on the useless piece of garbage. Facepalming, Bickuribox merely tossed the gun at Cub… which somehow caused an explosion upon impact that did actually destroy the monster, making the jack-in-the-box sweatdrop as his black hair (yet another wig) slowly slipped before falling off his head. "Now, let's do something about your mystery card. Jack-in-the-Portal, attack!" Jack-in-the-Portal ducked back into his portal for a moment before re-emerging with a laser pistol, firing it at the face-down monster, which flipped up to reveal a small calico kitten that was also snoozing away.

Slumber Kitty: Lv.2 EARTH Beast ATK:0/DEF:900 (Defense Mode)

Due to not enough points to handle it, the laser struck the small beast and disintegrated it, but Yoru merely reacted with a yawn. "Slumber Kitty no kouka hatsudo. Since you destroyed it by battle, I can add another Slumber monster from my Deck to my hand." He said tiredly as a card slid out of his Deck, which he grabbed.

However, Hako looked a little concerned. "Are you ok? You sound reeeeeeeeally tired."

Yoru took a moment to register her words. "Huh? No, I'm OK. I just think my narcolepsy might kick in. I hope not, though."

Hako blinked. "Narca-wha? Do you do drugs? You know those aren't good for you, right?"

Yoru let out a bigger sweatdrop then before. "Just keep the Duel going and I'll explain later."

"Okey-dokey-lokey." Hako chirped with a nod. "Good thing I drew this this time. Continuous Magic, Slowly Cranking, hatsudo! Whenever a Jack-in-the monster changes its battle position because of a card effect, I can draw one card for each monster than changed its position. And now… turn end, meaning because of Labyrinth of Nightmare, Jack-in-the-Portal and Bickuri-chan switch to Defense Position." Bickuribox let out a loud sigh as his fake muscles finally deflated, retreating into his box and pulling the lid shut as the other Jack hid inside his portal. "Then, like I said, I get to draw 1 more card thanks to Slowly Cranking. Bickuri-chan can't give me one, though." She drew her card.

"Boku no turn. Draw." Yoru drew his card. "Slumber Dragonling, Shoukan." His snoozing baby green dragon monster emerged, its nose blowing a large bubble, wobbling before plopping down on the ground thanks to Stumbling.

Slumber Dragonling: Lv.1 EARTH Dragon ATK:0/DEF:1000 (Defense Mode)

"Magic Card, Shield Crush, hatsudo. This card destroys any monster on the field that's in Defense Mode." Hearing that sentence caused the box holding Bickuribox to begin to shake and actually sweat, as if praying it wasn't the target. Yoru saw that, but he merely gave it a thumbs-down. "Gomen, Bickuribox." With that, a green laser beam shot out from the card, enveloping the larger Jack-in-the-box and causing its box to crack. However, the lid suddenly shot open, giving Bickuribox just enough time to stick out a sign that said "That's all, folks!" before the laser overwhelmed and obliterated him.

"Awww, and I was hoping to have more fun with him." Hako pouted.

"Oh, you'll see him again. Kinda." Yoru said, making Hako "Eh?" in response. "Trap, hatsudo. Rude Awakening." At that moment, the Trap let out a loud ringing noise. Slumber Dragonling's nose bubble popped from the noise, and its eyes shot open in a very pissed-off look.

"Looks like someone's cranky." Hako mused.

"And he's looking at you. If a monster you control in Defense Position is destroyed while I control a Slumber monster, you automatically take damage equal to your monster's Attack Points." Growling, Dragonling let out a cranky roar before unleashing a large fireball from its mouth, the fireball actually taking the shape of a laughing Bickuribox.

Hako let out an "Eep!" at the sight. "That's not Bickuri-chan!"

Yoru shrugged. "I did say 'Kinda'." The fiery facsimile punched right through Hako-chan, knocking her back onto her butt from the force.

"Owie!"

Hako LP:1400

"That should do for now. Kaado ichi mai settei. Turn end." Yoru's face-down appeared, but as it did, Labyrinth of Nightmare activated, causing Slumber Dragonling, who had already fallen back asleep, to be rattled by the card's energy and forced back to its feet, beginning to look like it was sleepwalking.

Slumber Dragonling ATK:0

"GAME CARD INTERMISSION."

Hako got back to her feet, dusting off her skirt as she pulled out her Game Cards. "You play rough for a sleepyhead."

"They say not to poke a sleeping bear. I guess I'm that kind of bear, even when not asleep." Yoru mused, loading his Game Cards.

The roulette cycled through the loaded games, slowing to a stop on one game. "DREAM DUO COURSE." The image of a strange fantastical world set among rainbow clouds with various constructs set up across an abyss. Yoru and Hako's D-Vatars wandered into frame in their usual outfits, but then a second D-Vatar walked up to each of them. "MOVE WITH CONTROL STICK, JUMP WITH A BUTTON, AND MANEUVER OBSTACLES WITH ON-SCREEN BUTTON PROMPTS. FIRST TEAM TO REACH THE GOAL WINS, BUT BOTH MEMBERS OF THE TEAM MUST REACH THE GOAL TO WIN. WINNING TEAM'S PLAYER CAN SHUFFLE 3 CARDS FROM THEIR GRAVEYARD INTO THEIR DECK." The two teams' members nodded at each other before taking positions next to each other on their own set of obstacles, the obstacles moving far enough to prevent interference.

GO!

Pressing to move forward, Yoru and Hako's D-Vatars ran from the starting points, jumping across a few platforms before reaching a ladder. Upon reaching it, a button prompt appeared: Mash the A Button. "Ooh, button mashing! I can do that!" Hako chirped as she hammered her button, making her D-Vatar the ladder with ease. Yoru tried his best, but he just couldn't keep up with her presses, so her D-Vatar scaled the ladder first, then Yoru's partner, then Hako's partner, and lastly Yoru's. As Yoru's D-Vatar was still climbing, Hako's D-Vatar slid down the slide at the top, and when another A Button prompt came up, she hit it perfectly for a perfect dismount jump and a bit more distance, letting her run to a mechanism that resembled two platforms on a central axis. She hopped onto one of the platforms, waving at her partner as they caught up (Yoru and his partner not far behind) and began using a terminal nearby, a Y Button prompt showing up as it made the platforms spin around. Hako's platform got near the other side, but she impatiently attempted to make the jump, just barely making it. "Yosh, I made it!" She started to keep running ahead, but then her partner started squeaking at her, having jumped onto the other platform. "Oopsies! I forgot my teammate!" Hurriedly running back, Hako used a terminal on the other side just as Yoru's partner leapt onto her side, hammering the Y Button to move her teammate to her end, Yoru not far behind. The two teams were relatively even as they came to what seemed like the final challenge: Extending a bridge to the goal. As they took positions by air pumps, one more prompt showed up: Hit L and R alternatively. "I can do this, I can do this!" Hako said as she and Yoru hammered the buttons, pressing the pump up and down, slowly causing the bridges to extend. Yoru was actually surprised at how intensely she was taking this. The button presses seemed to blur together until finally, the sound of a bridge being completed was heard.

FINISH!

The two of them snapped their heads back into gear, realizing what had happened: Hako's bridge had completed first, and her and her partner D-Vatars had already ran across it to the goal at the end, Hako's D-Vatar bouncing around like she normally did. "Yatta! I won!" Hako cried. Yoru let out a breath as his D-Vatar merely shrugged, sat down, and fell asleep.

"You really like playing Game Cards, don't you?" Yoru asked almost absent-mindedly.

The pink-haired girl let out a breath, laughing nervously. "Yeah... I don't get to play with Game Cards that much. It's so much fun!"

"SASARA SASAKI HAS WON AND MAY SHUFFLE 3 CARDS FROM HER GRAVEYARD INTO HER DECK."

"Oh yeah, that's right! Let's see, let's see..." As Hako scanned her Graveyard for new cards, Yoru just watched her with an amused smile. She definitely seemed like a handful at times, but he couldn't deny that her positivity was infectious. Well, somewhat infectious to him, at least. "Done!" The two of them ejected their Game Cards as the AR screen disappeared. "And it's my turn, too! Atashi no turn! Draw!" Hako-chan drew her card, and when she saw it, her smile got even wider. "Whoo-hoo! I got it! Magic Card, Repackaging, hatsudo!" A strange box appeared on her field. Even though it seemed like a plain boring box, something felt… off about it. "With this, I can release a Jack-in-the monster on my field to Special Summon a non-Effect Fusion Monster in my Graveyard! And when I do. it gains that effect of the Tributed monster, if it had one." Seeing the new box, Jack-in-the-Portal smiled brightly and flew into the odd box, which then slammed shut on top of it, breaking off its spring. The box was then covered in wrapped paper and a bow before bouncing around like a moron. "Welcome back, Bickuri-chan!" The box's wrapping paper was torn off to reveal Bickuribox's box, which the delightful fiend burst out of covered in party favors.

Bickuribox: Lv.7 DARK Fiend/Fusion ATK:2300/DEF:2000

"Thanks to Stumbling, Bickuri-chan goes into Defense Mode again, but what you didn't know is Jack-in-the-Portal's effect, which he now has, makes him untouchabibal." Bickuribox glanced at her weirdly when she said that last word, but shrugged and ducked inside his box again anyway.

Yoru echoed Bickuribox's light confusion, tilting his head a bit. "Don't you mean 'untouchable'?"

Hako headtilted back. "Didn't I say that? Words are hard, ya know?" Yoru merely scratched his head, and Hako just shrugged. "Anyway, Bickuri-chan isn't a Jack-in-the, technically, so I can't draw, but I think I'm all good for now. Turn end." At that moment, though, Labyrinth of Nightmare triggered, forcing Bickuribox back out of his box, making Yoru snicker as the monster was in the middle of reading... a rather interesting sort of magazine. Glancing over at Yoru, Bickuribox realized he was out of the box, yelping and hiding his magazine behind his back with a blush. "Huh?" Hako wondered, only to look at her own field. "Oops, I forgot about Labyrinth of Nightmare."

Yoru rolled his eyes, not really annoyed but more out of reflex. "Can't you keep an eye on your own monsters?" Hako merely gave a nervous laugh, gaining a rather large sweatdrop on her head that she actually wiped off. "Oh well. Boku no turn. Draw." Yoru drew his card. "Let me help you with that, though. Magic Card, Slumber Party, hatsudo. This card Summons a monster from both our Graveyards in Defense Mode, but in doing so, all monsters on the field switch to Defense Mode." Another wave of the rainbow bubbles appeared, one of them depositing Slumber Kitty back onto Yoru's field, while one popped in Dragonling's face and made it return to a sitting position. Another bubble popped in Bickuribox's face, making him let out a loud yawn before slumping over the side of his box, fast asleep. While this was going on, a swirling mass of energy formed on Hako-chan's field among the bubbles, and a strange clown girl with an outfit resembling a witch, including a pointed hat, peeked her head out of it, even though another bubble made her fall asleep too.

Slumber Kitty: Lv.2 EARTH Beast ATK:0/DEF:900 (Defense Mode)

Jack-in-the-Vortex: Lv.4 DARK Spellcaster ATK:1200/DEF:900 (Defense Mode)

"That said, however... I don't think either of them are gonna be sleeping too well." Yoru said, making Hako "Eh?" in response. "Trap, hatsudo. Bad Nightmare." At that moment, Bickuribox and Jack-in-the-Vortex started looking like they were having a bad dream, a black aura covering them.

"Hey, what are you doing to them?" Hako asked.

"Just ending this Duel. Bad Nightmare inflicts 800 points of damage to you for each face-up Defense Mode monster you control."

"Oh, come on! We were having so much fun!" Hako griped with a pout, but Yoru just shrugged. The dark auras came together to form a shadowy creature, which charged forward and passed through Hako-chan with a punch, causing her to fall to her knees and slump forward as the holograms faded away.

Hako LP:0 – ELIMINATED

"Well, that was kinda fun." Yoru said with a yawn as he turned off his Duel Disk.

"Kinda fun? That was GREAT!"

A brief moment passed before Yoru noticed that Hako-chan's voice was louder than normal, and upon looking back at her, he saw that she was right in his face again with her giant smile. "Nyeh!" He yelped, jumping back a bit.

"I mean, you were a little slow at the start, but MAN, did you turn my deck against me." The girl said, clearly impressed.

Yoru gave a small smile. "That's kinda how I work. Don't try to stall me, 'cause it won't work."

That remark made Hako look confused. "Stall? Who was stalling?" Yoru merely sweatdropped, but Hako clearly lost interest. "By the way, do you know that guy over there?" She asked, pointing behind him.

"What guy?" Yoru asked, turning around and seeing nothing but a wall behind them… that he didn't remember being there.

"That one, trying to sneak up on us." The girl thrusted her finger at that wall again for emphasis.

Yoru just blinked. "Uh... there's no one there, you know that, right?"

"You sure?" Hako walked over to the spot she was pointing to and reached out her hand. Yoru's eyes widened as her hand went seamlessly through the wall, only to pull out a familiar blue-haired young man by the wrist. "Then who's this?"

"H-Hydro!" Yoru cried, recognizing the man.

"Hey, what the?!" Realization hit Hydro was well, making him wrench his arm out of Hako's grip before pointing his arm-mounted cannon at her and blasting her with a jet of water.

Despite being drenched, Hako quickly grabbed his wrist again, tighter than before, and actually pulled Hydro's arm behind him, locking him in place. "That wasn't very nice." She said, her voice gaining a surprising amount of malice, making Yoru gulp, especially when he saw the dark look in her eyes. "Say you're sorry."

Hydro sweatdropped, but turned his head to look at her. "I'm sorry... that I didn't turn it up!" Managing to point his free arm at her, his cannon launched a greater volume of water from it that actually managed to knock her away from him. Yoru rushed over to see if she was all right, and when she clearly showed she was, they both looked to him and saw that he actually looked spooked. "How did you even see me?!"

"It wasn't hard." Hako told him as she sprang back up and shook a bit, causing her to become surprisingly dry again. "You were standing right in the middle of the road. Just because an illusionary wall is there, it doesn't make you invisible. What if a car hit you?"

Hydro's eye started to twitch a bit. 'That wasn't even an answer!' He thought to himself, but in the end, he merely scoffed. "Whatever." He then looked at Yoru. "Since my cover got blown, sleepyhead, I got a message for Yudin: 'I'm still waiting for that rematch for the Duel at your school. I've got a little friend that'll get you right where I want you, so watch your back!'" Crossing his arms with the cannons pointed up, Hydro fired two jets that somehow fell down in order to cover him in a giant water bubble.

"Ooh, bubble!" Hako shouted, running over to it with her grin back in place. "I wanna pop it!" As she got close to it, though, the bubble didn't pop, but rather exploded, knocking her back AGAIN. Once all the water was gone, they noticed that Hydro was gone as well "Huh, where'd he go?"

"Guys like him always have a habit of vanishing like that." Yoru groaned. Hako picked herself up again and, for the second time, shook herself until she was completely dry, her hair popping back into its frizzy state. "How did you do that?"

"Ehehe! Mama always said I was a bouncy little puppy!" Hako chirped with closed eyes.

"More than that, how did you really know he was there?" Yoru touched the wall that Hydro was behind and actually felt something there this time. "I mean, this feels solid."

"Nnnnnn..." Hako went into thought for a moment, eyes darting back and forth across the sky. "…I dunno. I just kinda knew."

Yet another sweatdrop on Yoru's face. 'What's with this girl?'

*Meanwhile*

The childish giggle that Doc, Dizzy, and Sumiko had heard got their attention, and after turning around, they found the source: A rather short (easily a head shorter than Doc), petite girl with cream-colored hair done up in poofy pigtails, pink eyes, and a school uniform that had a Gamma crest on the front. She didn't look much older than 13, and she was still giggling at them. "That was funny what you did to that burger, hehe!" She said before holding up a small blue mouse plush and cuddling it a little. "Chu-chan thought so too, didn't you, Chu-chan?" The plushie seemed to let out two small squeaks in response, but the squeaks actually came from the girl herself.

The trio just looked at the strage girl with uncertainty, wondering why she was even out here. Sumiko coughed something that sounded suspiciously like "Loli", but the girl didn't even notice. "Uh... I'll admit, that was kinda funny. Even if it was also kinda scary." Dizzy said.

The girl giggled again, but then acted like she was listening to her plush. "You think so?" She asked it, making a squeak in response to her own question before turning to the trio. "Excuse me, but are you guys Duelists?"

Doc nodded. "Yeah. Most people out around this time are."

This respond made the girl beam. "You were right, Chu-chan. I may finally get to Duel! Yay!" She cried, hugging her plushie.

"Nani? Duel?" Dizzy asked.

"Hai! I'm a Duelist, too!" The girl chirped with a nod. "Hmm?" She started "listening" to her doll again.

"What a weird kid." Sumiko muttered under her breath.

"Uh..." Doc struggled for words, but instead held up his Gamepad. "What's your name again?"

"Momoe! Gushiken Momoe desu!" The girl chirped.

"'Gushiken... Momoe.'" Doc parroted slowly as he typed her name before showing it to her. "Did I spell it right?" The girl nodded, so he hit "Search". After a moment, something popped up that just made him blink incredulously. "...You have got to be kidding me."

"What is it?" Sumiko asked. Doc slowly turned his Gamepad toward her and Dizzy, and their eyes slowly showed the same level of incredulence, as on-screen was a virtual card with Momoe's picture:

Gamma Flats High School ID

Momoe Gushiken

Gender: Female

Age: 18

The rest of the details were lost to Dizzy and Sumiko. "Eh…? 18 years old?" Dizzy could barely make out.

"She's technically my senpai?" Sumiko asked, dumbfounded.

Momoe smiled wide with closed eyes. "Uh-huh! I'll be graduating at the end of this year!"

Sumiko glanced back at the pigtailed girl. "…But she's acting like an elementary student."

"Well, you look like one." Momoe replied, playfully sticking out her tongue.

She could practically see the tic mark on Sumiko's head as she shot up. "You're one to talk, you-!" Her rant was cut off by Doc slapping his hand over her mouth.

"Please, let's not start this kind of thing this late." He told her with a sigh. Glancing at Doc, Sumiko merely huffed and slumped back in her chair.

Momoe then looked at her plush. "Who should we duel, Chu-chan?" She "listened" to it to a moment, her eyes widening a bit as she looked toward Dizzy. "Really? That's the guy from the internet?"

Dizzy blinked, giving a mutual look to Doc. "Who's she talkin' about?"

"You're the one with the website here." Doc replied.

Uncertain, Dizzy looked back to the girl. "Uh... Yeah, that's me?"

Momoe spoke to her plush again, but loud enough that they could hear it. "You're right. It would be too easy to beat him since we've seen his duels online."

Hearing that made Dizzy give a dumbfounded, cross-eyed look. "...Excuse me?" Sumiko couldn't help but laugh.

Momoe listened to her plush again, nodding. "You're right. The girl's too mean. We shouldn't Duel her if she can't be nice."

Sumiko's laughter immediately stopped as her eyes widened. "Whaa?!"

'This girl is a little monster!' She and Dizzy thought at the same time.

"So, I guess that leaves… you." Momoe pointed at Doc. "Will you Duel me? Please?" Her eyes almost seemed to naturally lend themselves to the puppy dog stare.

Her disarming stare, intentional or not, was getting to Doc, flustering him. "Ummm... Well, I guess I don't see much of a problem with it."

Without a single missed beat, Momoe began jumping up and down. "YAY! I get to Duel, Chu-chan!" She cried while spinning around happily, swinging her plush around, making the trio sweatdrop.

Momoe took her position in the Duel, setting her plush on the ground. "Stay there, Chu-chan. I'll be done before you know it!" She turned around to face Doc, who was already in position. "Onii-chan, what's your name?"

"Jason. Most people call me Doc, though." Doc replied.

"Doc-nii-chan, do you want to have Game Mode on?"

"Hmm. I don't see why not."

"Yay! Doc-nii-chan, let's have a good Duel." Momoe replied, bowing.

Doc gave a slight smile. "Well, you're a polite one. Yes, let's keep this clean." The two Duelists activated their D-Controllers, Gamepads attached to the top, and their D-Gazers flashed as the AR field formed.

"DUEL!"

Doc LP:4000

Momoe LP:4000

"You take the first move, Momoe-chan."

The girl was surprised to hear that, but bounced right back. "Ah! Arigatou! Momoe no turn! Draw!" She drew her card. "Kidnae Pegas, Shoukan!" Her monster emerged as what appeared to be an elegant, yet rather chubby white horse with a brown mane, lanky legs, and two large wings coming out its back.

Kidnae Pegas: Lv.4 EARTH Beast/Gemini ATK:1400/DEF:1300

"Kaado ichi mai settei! Turn end, desu!" A facedown appeared on Momoe's field.

"Watashi no turn. Draw!" Doc drew his card. "Surger-ssistant, Shoukan!" The monster emerged as a young man dressed in surgery scrubs, having very "shounen" brown hair, but the typical hospital face mask was replaced by a long white scarf.

Surger-ssistant: Lv.4 LIGHT Fairy ATK:1500/DEF:600

"Ike! Surger-ssistant, attack Kidnae Pegas!" With a flash of his eyes, Surger-ssistant charged forward.

Momoe clapped her hands in response. "Trap, hatsudo! Kidnae Decoy!" At that moment, the DNA-like band wrapped around Pegas's waist began to brightly glow. "If a Kidnae monster that's a Normal Monster is attacked, the attack is negated!" Pegas became engulfed in a bright light that caused the attacker to screech to a stop, shielding his eyes from the light as he stumbled back to Doc's field again.

"Good start." Doc mentioned.

"Decoy does something else, too! Even when it's not my turn, I can Gemini Summon Pegas right now!"

"Nani?" Within the light, the silhouette of Pegas could be seen as it actually shifted its body to stand on its hind legs... and then its bottom legs bulked up, its hooves growing to look almost like shoes. A more defined torso came about its midsection, even if it still kept some of its rotundness, its front legs bulking up and almost looking like arms with pincer-like hooves. Its hair grew longer before the light faded, revealing Pegas in a much more fighting-fit appearance, the DNA band on its waist having spread somewhat across its torso. Doc's Japanese momentarily failed him, causing him to slip into English. "Good Grief!"

"Eh?" Momoe looked back at her plushie, listening to it for a moment. "No, I didn't forget, Chu-chan! Pegas gets to bring out a friend!"

"'Friend'?" Doc asked, his language skills returning.

"Hai! But that's next turn!"

"Uhhh… Are we gonna address the fact that her monster just had a form change?!" Sumiko cried, standing up out of her chair.

"It's because she's using Geminis." Dizzy told her, getting Sumiko's attention.

"Gemini?"

"You don't see those too often. Gemini Monsters are a weird sort that act as Normal Monsters at first, but they can be Normal Summoned while on the field to become Effect Monsters with some actually pretty good effects." Dizzy told her as she slowly sat back down. "Even rarer is seeing an archetype dedicated to them." He propped his head up on his elbow. "Definitely fits with her routine. She acts cute and childlike, but there's something hidden underneath."

Sumiko snorted. "You're tellin' me!"

"Kaado ni mai settei! Turn end!" Two facedowns appeared on Doc's field.

"GAME CARD INTERMISSION."

"Hai, hai. Let's play!" Momoe chirped, loading only three Game Cards into her Gamepad while Doc loaded a full five.

The roulette cycled through the eight games, slowing to a stop to highlight one of them. "LIFELINE SURFING." The AR screen showed the image of what appeared to be the front of a normal heart monitor working as always, but then it went split-screen and zoomed in on the leet side, showing Doc and Momoe's D-Vatars waving to the camera with surfboards in their other hands. "JUMP WITH A BUTTON OFF OF WAVES TO GET AIR TIME AND ANGLE WITH CONTROL STICK. WELL-PLACED ANGLES GIVE A SPEED BOOST. FIRST PLAYER TO REACH THE GOAL WINS AND ADDS ONE NORMAL SPELL CARD FROM THEIR DECK TO THEIR HAND." Seeing the heart rate as surging waves, the two D-Vatars placed their boards in the "water" and paddled out, picking up speed before getting into surfing positions.

GO!

"Ikuyo!" Doc and Momoe cried as the heart rate waves began to come toward them. They started off easy, with both players either jumping off or just going right over them, but Doc was taking a slight lead already due to jumping and getting a good landing on another wave. Eventually, however, more frequent patterns of waves began to come in, as if the heart was really getting worked up. Doc had barely any trouble at all keeping up with the waves, angling himself as best he could to get speed boosts, even if he did take one or two penalties. Momoe, though, was clearly struggling to keep up, as evidenced by her D-Vatar constantly slamming face-first into the water and having to get back up. It didn't take long for Doc, riding a speed boost from a large wave, to approach the checkered flag in the water and cross to the other side, hopping onto the platform on the other side.

FINISH!

Jason Wins!

"Yosh. Good game." Doc said as his D-Vatar dusted off its hands before giving a simple thumbs-up, Momoe's D-Vatar finally riding in on its own surfboard with a pouty look on its face that clearly matched that of its owner. Sumiko couldn't help but snicker at the girl.

"JASON ROBINSON HAS WON AND MAY ADD ONE NORMAL SPELL CARD FROM HIS DECK TO HIS HAND."

"I know just the one." Doc said, adding his card as the game visual cut out, the players' Game Cards being ejected.

Momoe didn't keep her pout on for long, snatching her Game Cards out and quickly going for her Deck. "Momoe no turn! Draw!" She drew her card. "Okay, now Pegas's friend can come out! Kidnae Pegas no kouka hatsudo! I can Special Summon a Beast-Type Kidnae monster from my hand! Koi, Kidnae Unikor!" Pegas let out a loud whinny that almost sounded human, and from another portal next to it, another small horse-like creature emerged, having darker gray fur, a blonde mane, a skinnier body with fatter legs, and the same DNA band on its waist.

Kidnae Unikor: Lv.4 EARTH Beast/Gemini ATK:1300/DEF:1400

"Unikor no kouka hatsudo! If he's Special Summoned by another Kidnae monster, I can Gemini Summon him right now!"

"Again?!" Doc cried. The DNA band around Unikor's waist glowed and surrounded it in light as it too stood up, its legs becoming rounder and almost looking like tower bases. Its torso began to became angled like armor, as did its front legs, forming anvil-like hooves as its hair seemed to tie itself into a ponytail. The light faded to reveal Unikor in its new form, its head now looking like a helmet with its horn attached to the front and its hair coming out the back. Looking between the two evolved horses, Doc started to think. 'I shouldn't have to worry too much. Surger-ssistant is still stronger than both of them.'

"Chu-chan says there's more! When Unikor is an Effect Monster, it becomes Level 5, and if I didn't have to use my Normal Summon for the turn to make it one, which I didn't, Pegas becomes Level 5, too!" The two horse Kidnaes' eyes began to glow before slowly changing to the same shade of yellow.

Pegas & Unikor: Level 5

"Yosh! Momoe wa Reberu Go no Kidnae Pegas to Kidnae Unikor de, Obarei!" Both her monsters turned fully orange before shooting into the air.

"Overlay?" Sumiko cried.

"An Xyz Summon!" Dizzy realized.

"Ni tai no monsuta de, Obarei Netwaaku kochiku, desu!" Momoe cried as a red spiral portal opened up, both her monsters sailing inside. "Ekushiizu Shoukan! Arawareyo, Kidnae Alikor!" From out of the portal, a new Kidnae emerged, already in a similarly mutated state as its Materials, having brown fur, long red hair, and the same DNA band around its waist. Its lower hooves had spikes on the bottom, while its front hooves had grown into a lance and a shield. Its hair practically formed a cape between its large wings, and its horn broke into three near the tip, two Overlay Units orbiting the beast.

Kidnae Alikor: Rank 5 EARTH Beast/Xyz ATK:2300/DEF:2400 2 Overlay Units

'Spoke too soon.' Doc mentally cursed himself.

"Kidnae Alikor no kouka hatsudo!" Momoe cried. "By using two Overlay Units, I can Special Summon 2 Level 4 or lower Kidnae monsters from my Graveyard!" Alikor absorbed both Overlay Units into its wings.

Alikor: 0 Overlay Units

"Eh? But she doesn't have any more monsters!" Dizzy cried. Momoe, however, just giggled as Alikor flapped its wings, generating two more portals, and from them, Unikor and Pegas returned to the field, back in their unmutated forms.

Kidnae Unikor ATK:1400

Kidnae Pegas ATK:1300

Dizzy blinked at what just happened, uncertain of what she had just pulled… then his brain finally had a lightbulb. "Oh, I get it."

"Get what?" Sumiko asked.

"Effects like that can re-Summon Overlay Units, since they're in the Graveyard before the monster can even Summon anything! Genius!"

"You got it! Ikuze! Kidnae Alikor, attack Surger-ssistant!" Momoe cried. Taking flight with its wings, Alikor dove toward the opponent with its lance-like hoof at the ready. Zig-zagging across the sky, the lance pierced right through Surger-ssistant, destroying him instantly.

Doc LP:3200

Doc straightened his collar before hitting a button on his Disk. "Trap Card, open! Numinous Healer! When I take damage to my Life Points, I can activate this and gain 1000 Life Points." A beacon of light shown from the Trap, showering him with sparkles.

Doc LP:4200

"Mou... That was a good play! It worked every time before!" Momoe groaned.

"Sorry to disappoint, but my whole Deck is built around my Life Points." Doc mused, dusting off his collar. "So, I'm not about to let you run them down easily."

Momoe gave a small pout, but shook it off. "Pegas, Unikor, direct attack!" Both of the other horses charged forward, Pegas in a divebomb and Unikor with its horn outstretched.

"Trap, hatsudo! Transfusion A!" Doc's facedown flipped up, generating an IV stand with what appeated to be two bags of blood attached to it. "This card lets me re-Summon Surger-ssistant in Defense Mode, and Transfusion A gains Transfusion Counters!" Surger-ssistant returned from a purple portal as he said this. "In addition, if the monster would be destroyed by battle, I can use a Transfusion Counter to prevent the destruction."

"Mou! No fair!" Momoe griped, stomping her foot.

Doc shrugged. "Hey, you wanted to Duel me. You never told me to go easy, did you?"

Rather than answer, Momoe actually looked back at her plush, as if listening to it, before sighing. "No, you're right, Chu-chan. I should have expected a tough fight." Her smile came back. "Even so, I believe in the cuties in my Deck, and I'm going to win!" Her plush "squeaked" (actually her again), and she seemed to "listen". "Thanks for the pep talk, Chu-chan." She turned back to the Duel. "Kaado ichi mai settei. Turn end!"

Doc smiled at her. As childish as she was, she certainly had enough resolve to be a Duelist. "Watashi no turn. Draw!" He drew his card. "Neural Control Brain no kouka hatsudo. I can discard one card from my hand to Special Summon it." Appearing on Doc's field was a large mechanical apparatus, including several limbs with what looked like jack-in tools on the end, all connected to a simple brain in a jar.

Neural Control Brain: Lv.6 EARTH Psychic ATK:0/DEF:1850

"Whoa, creepy." Momoe said.

"It may not look like much, but while it's on my field, I can give one of my monsters a boost of 200 Attack Points for each card in my hand."

Hearing that, Momoe began counting up Doc's hand. "4 cards... 200 times 4 is 800. Your only other monster has 1500… that only makes 2300 Attack Points."

"That's true, however… Magic Card, Prep for Procedure, hatsudo!" Doc's card appeared on the field, showing the image of the Doctor and nurses from DNA Surgery getting their tools ready. "This card lets me draw 2 cards for each "patient" my opponent has for me." He began drawing cards. "3 monsters, 6 cards, bringing my hand size to 9. That's a much better boost for Neural Control Brain to give." Neural Control Brain rose one of its limbs and plugged its ends into Surger-ssistant's head, but the warrior felt his mind grow even stronger.

Surger-ssistant ATK:3300

"First patient, Kidnae Alikor." Doc mused, pointing forward. "Surger-ssistant, begin the operation." Surger-ssistant tightened his gloves before pulling out a large bonesaw, which suddenly revved like a chainsaw before he charged forward.

"Trap, hatsudo! Kidnae Instinct!" Momoe's facedown flipped up. "Unikor takes the attack instead!" The unicorn's eye flashed, as did its DNA band, as it suddenly shot itself into Surger-ssistant's path as he swung his weapon, being sliced in half and destroyed.

Momoe LP:2100

"Kaado ni mai settei! Turn End!" Two facedowns appeared on Doc's field as he discarded his one extra card due to hand size. "And for the record, Surger-ssistant's power boost is until your End Phase."

"GAME CARD INTERMISSION." Doc picked five new cards as Momoe simply reloaded her three, causing the eight cards to be cycled through again, landing on a new one. "STRUT YOUR MUTT."

"Hai, hai! That one's mine!" Momoe chirped.

An image was generated in the AR field, which appeared to be some kind of large show stage, with an audience to the sides and what appeared to be four judge D-Vatars and a computer screen above them in the background, and Doc and Momoe's D-Vatars walked into view dressed in a tuxedo and dress, looking around. Then, barking was heard as four different dogs ran up to them, each wearing collars with a number between 1 and 4, which the D-Vatars couldn't help but pet. "EACH PLAYER CHOOSES A DOG TO CHOOSE A MONSTER LEVEL. THEN, FOLLOW ON-SCREEN PROMPTS TO INCREASE YOUR SCORE. THE PLAYER WITH THE HIGHER SCORE WINS AND MAY SPECIAL SUMMON A MONSTER WITH THE CHOSEN LEVEL FROM THEIR DECK." An arrow appeared overhead and began to rapidly flash between them, slowing to a stop over Doc.

"You pick first, Doc-nii-chan!" Momoe told him.

"Okay then. Let's see..." Doc looked back and forth among the four dogs, who were all panting and wagging their tails, waiting to be chosen. "I'll go with you." He moved his cursor over to a corgi with a "4" on his collar and selected it, the dog running to his D-Vatar.

Now it was Momoe's turn, and she carefully concentrated on each dog. "Hmmmmmmmm..." Her eyes originally seemed to be focusing on either a poodle with the "1" or a Pomeranian with the "2" on its collar, but the sight of the last one, a pug with the "3" on its collar, just made her make a noise that instantly conveyed how cute she thought it was. "Oooooh, I have to pick you!" She selected the pug, which ran to her D-Vatar. Two more D-Vatars came into view and took the other two dogs with them. All four dogs were then taken onto the show floor with their individual users, and each of them held up a hand as if giving a signal to the dogs, who waited.

GO!

Then, button prompts started appearing, and as Doc and Momoe hit them, the D-Vatars began to make the dogs do tricks, impressing the audience. Momoe's foot began tapping restlessly as she hit each prompt nearly perfectly, making her little pug run, spin, and jump with amazing grace; grace that Doc was managing to keep up with quite well. The CPU D-Vatars were... not doing quite as well, however. After a while, however, the timer in the background finally hit zero.

FINISH!

The dogs then returned to where they originally were while being selected, and the judge D-Vatars each held up a card with a corresponding number on the background. One by one, each of them flipped their cards around to show their score, which was added to an overall tally on the computer screen:

CPU 1: 6.7

CPU 2: 7.1

Momoe: 9.6

Doc: 9.1

Momoe Wins!

Despite the announcement, though, the cream-haired girl actually stared at the screen for a moment, almost in disbelief. "I... I won?" Her D-Vatar and the dog she chose jumped around happily before the D-Vatar knelt down and hugged the dog, which licked her face in return. A smile came back over her face as she started laughing. "I won! I actually won, Chu-chan!" Doc's D-Vatar merely shrugged and petted its own dog for its good effort.

"MOMOE GUSHIKEN HAS WON AND MAY SPECIAL SUMMON 1 LEVEL 3 MONSTER FROM HER DECK."

Momoe brought herself back to reality when hearing that. "Ooh, that's good! I know who to bring out!" Momoe chirped, looking through her Deck. Her pink eyes scanned over all the cards before finding one. "Kidnae Ptyrra, Tokushu Shoukan!" The monster she Summoned was a small purple pterodactyl, which spread its small wings and let out a squeak, its DNA band along its waist like normal.

Kidnae Ptyrra: Lv.3 EARTH Dinosaur/Gemini ATK:1200/DEF:1300

"Oh, boy. I wonder what it changes into." Sumiko wondered, sipping her soda.

The game visual cut out as the players' Game Cards were ejected, and Momoe wasted no time. "Momoe no turn! Draw!" She drew her card and smiled wide when she saw it. "Yosh! Magic Card, Kidnae Pact, hatsudo! I return Pegas to my Deck and Special Summon a different Kidnae monster!" Pegas let out a whinny as its DNA band glowed brightly, vanishing from the field and leaving behind a beacon. "Koi, Kidnae Fenrar!" From out of the beacon left behind by Pegas, a new monster descended, resembling a cutesy blue-furred wolf with a puffy tail, the same DNA band visible on its waist.

Kidnae Fenrar: Lv.3 EARTH Beast/Gemini ATK:1100/DEF:1600

"Kidnae Fenrar, Gemini Summon!" The DNA band on the wolf glowed brightly as it began to change, growing larger but keeping its quadrupedal stance, its mane becoming longer, its claws growing, and its tail becoming spiky. The light deemed to show a fiercer, yet rather noble-looking wolf in its place, eyes glowing red, its tail looking almost like a flail. "When Fenrar is an Effect Monster and I have another Kidnae monster, all Kidnaes gain 600 Attack Points!" Fenrar howled, the sound giving power to all of her monsters.

Kidnae Fenrar ATK:1700

Kidane Ptyrra ATK:1600

Kidnae Alikor ATK:2900

"And then, Magic Card, Kidnae Morph, hatsudo! This card makes Ptyrra an Effect Monster right now without a Summon, and gives it 800 Attack Points this turn!" Ptyrra's own mutation was triggered, causing its arms and wings to separate, forming clawed hands and cape-like wings, a helmet-like head, and sharp teeth visible in its mouth.

Kidnae Ptyrra ATK:2400

'She is definitely not one to take lightly.' Doc thought, looking at the much stronger field Momoe had managed. 'Hopefully she other monsters don't have piercing, or I might take a lot of damage this turn.'

"Battle Phase! Kidnae Ptyrra, time to attack!" Momoe cried. Ptyrra cawed before taking to the skies, but fire actually seemed to come out from under its wings, creating a makeshift booster that propelled it even faster. Doc got ready to activate one of his facedowns, but Momoe cut him off. "Kidnae Ptyrra no kouka hatsudo! While it's an Effect Monster, it can attack directly!"

"Nani?" Doc cried. Launching itself forward, Ptyrra screeched loudly before darting right past Surger-ssistant and practically sideswiping Doc with one wing, turning back up and looping back around to Momoe's field.

Doc LP:1800

"Alikor, attack his Brain!" The winged unicorn charged forward before its lance pierced the machinery, creating a violent explosion that wiped out the brain and actually knocked Doc back a bit.

"You OK, Doc-kun?" Dizzy asked.

Doc shook his head briefly. "Hai." He said, brushing off his shoulder. "This is just a rather impressive Duel. I didn't expect this kind of skill."

"What's wrong, Doc-nii-chan? Can't handle a girl like me?" Momoe asked, sticking out her tongue.

"A Duel's not over until one of our Life Points reach zero, and like I told you, I don't plan on letting you run them out so quick." Doc replied with a smile.

Momoe nodded. "That's good! I don't want this to be over so fast." She hopped once before pointing her hand forward. "Momoe wa Reberu San no Kidnae Ptyrra to Kidnae Fenrar de Obarei!" Her wolf and pterodactyl turned fully orange before shooting into the air, spiraling around each other. "Ni tai no monsuta de, Obarei Netwaaku kochiku!" A red spiral portal opened up in the ground, and both her monsters sailed inside. "Ekushiizu Shoukan! Arawareyo, Kidnae Anumka!" From out of the portal came a strange bipedal, almost dinosauric creature with anomalocaris-esque claws and odd wing-like appendages sticking out of its neck, the DNA band around its waist. It turned around, pointing a heavily plated back in Doc's direction.

Kidnae Anumka: Rank 3 EARTH Dinosaur/Xyz ATK:1700/DEF:2500 2 Overlay Units

"Turn end!" At that moment, Surger-ssistant lose his power-up, snapping back to normal.

Surger-ssistant ATK:1500

Dizzy and Sumiko had resumed eating their food at this point in the Duel, Sumiko having her mouth full of burger. "Watashi no turn." Doc drew his card and looked at his hand. 'I need to think about this. What can I even do at this point?' He thought. Looking at one of his facedowns, he got an idea. 'Well, if she wants to play Xyz, I think I can match her.' "Trap, hatsudo! Digest Worm!" One of Doc's facedowns flipped up to reveal the Trap, but then a long and gruesome-looking green worm that almost looked like an entrail burst out of the card. Its body bulged along its length before what appeared to be a mouth opened, puking up a strange acid at Alikor.

"Blegh! Gross!" Momoe cried, the acid causing some burning to Alikor's body.

Sumiko swallowed hard, trying not to immediately throw up her food. "She ain't kidding! Where do you find these cards?"

Doc shook his head. "It came with the batch of cards I got last week. When I activate Digest Worm, its Gastro Acid negates your monster's effect while it's on the field." The acid injured Alikor's wings enough that it was forced to land, panting. "Then, Digest Worm Special Summons itself as a monster." The worm slowly slithered onto the correct Zone.

Digest Worm: Lv.4 DARK Insect ATK:1100/DEF:750

Momoe looked at one of her facedowns, scrunching her face a bit. "Tsk, he read my move."

"Next, Continuous Magic, Monster Pharmacy, hatsudo!" The Magic Card spawned what looked like a large bottle filled with various multicolored vitamin pills. "This card can let me Special Summon a Vitamin monster from my hand or Deck each turn. Vitamin K-Night, Tokushu Shoukan!" A pair of floating white hands took hold of the bottle and unscrewed the cork, one hand reaching inside and pulling out a single pill. It then tossed the pill onto the field, causing it to morph into a suit of armor with floating hands, feet, and a helmet with eyes in it, holding a small sword and shield.

Vitamin K-night: Lv.4 EARTH Warrior ATK:1000/DEF:1600

"Since you like Xyz Summoning so much, I figured I'd show you how I do it." Doc straightened his collar. "Watashi wa Reberu Yon no Vitamin K-Night, Digest Worm to Surger-sisstant de Obarei!" His monsters turned fully orange, purple, and yellow (in the listed order) before shooting into the sky, spiraling around each other. "San tai no monsuta de, Obarei Netwaaku kochiku!" A red spiral portal opened up, and all three monsters sailed inside. "Ekushiizu Shoukan! Arawareyo, Amphista Caduceus!" The portal gave off a burst of light to unleash a long, golden-scaled snake-like creature, but rather than a tail, there was a second head on the opposite end of its body as its other head, its yellow Overlay Units making long orbits around it. The front head stared at Momoe's monster with a look that was unidentifiable but definitely negative, but the back head then had its neck bulge before it coughed up something into the air and caught it in its mouth: A golden staff with two gold snakes wrapped around it.

Amphista Caduceus: Rank 4 LIGHT Reptile/Xyz ATK:2000/DEF:2000 3 Overlay Units

"Now, it's interesting. This is actually one of maybe a small few cards in my Deck that aren't actually medically themed." Doc explained without any provocation, rubbing his chin with a smile and closed eyes.

Dizzy blinked, crossing his eyes briefly. "Yeah, I don't exactly know how a snake relates to medicine."

"Actually, Dizzy, there's a lot of mythological reasons and theories for that, but my point is more about the references this monster makes." Doc started, various images appearing behind him as he explained. "Caduceus is actually a staff carried by the Greek God Hermes and has two snakes entwined around it. Because of that, it's often confused with the Rod of Asclepius, the more proper and actual symbol associated with healing and medicine. Amphista also refers to the Amphisbaena of Greek myth, which has its own connections to folk medicine." He looked over at Dizzy, but saw that he looked completely lost, a dial tone seemingly coming from his brain. Shrugging, he turned back to Momoe. "That said, it still works quite well for me. Amphista Caduceus no kouka hatsudo! By using an Overlay Unit, so long as I'll still have some after this effect resolves, I can increase my Life Points by using the highest ATK or DEF on the field."

Momoe looked over all the monsters on the field. "The highest stat on the field is..." She looked at all the stats before finding one that was above the rest, widening her eyes. "Anumka's Defense Points!"

Doc gave a finger point of affirmation. "Exactly. So I gain 2500 Life Points." The left head of Amphista ate one of the Overlay Units before rearing its head back before unleashing a burst of green fire, which struck Anumka's back but seemed to do almost nothing to its hard scales. However, the back head then pointed its staff forward, which actually drew the flames away from Anumka and absorbed them, giving off a flash of green light that transferred energy to Doc's Duel Disk.

Doc LP:4300

Amphista Caduceus: 2 Overlay Units

"Trap, hatsudo! Transfusion B!" The Trap Card produced some sort of conductor that plugged one side into one of Transfusion A's blood bags and the other side into the middle of Amphista's body. "I target Amphista Caduceus on my field, and the Surger-ssistant in my Graveyard. Now, as long as this Transfusion as Counters, Caduceus had Surger-ssistant's Attack added to his own." The conductor began pumping blood from the bag into Caduceus's body.

Amphista Cadeceus ATK:3500

Sumiko whistled. "Gotta love that Ph.D. in Duel strategies!"

Doc smiled at that. "Amphista Caduceus, attack Kidnae Alikor!" Caduceus charged forward with its frontal head ready to strike, but the back head suddenly pointed its staff forward, which gave off a purple glow before firing off two serpentine magic beams that surrounded Alikor, squeezing it tightly to restrain it long enough for the front head to bite down on its back, destroying it instantly.

Momoe LP:1000

"Mou… How did he get all that done?" Momoe groaned.

"With that done, I now Normal Summon Vitamin E-lectric during my Main Phase 2." Doc's new monster emerged as a living, sparking light bulb, also having floating hands and feet like the others.

Vitamin E-lectric: Lv.3 LIGHT Thunder ATK:900/DEF:1250

"Vitamin E-lectric no kouka hatsudo. I equip it to Caduceus." E-lectric pulled out a glass of water and offered it to Caduceus, but quickly realized it would be hard for the snake to hold it without arms (and because it was so big). The rear head gestured as if to say "Go ahead, it's fine", and E-lectric shrugged before tossing the glass away, frontflipping into the air, and morphing into a yellow-and-black medicine pill, with the front head swallowed without any issue, causing electricity to begin sparking across its body. "While he's equipped to a monster, E-lectric makes Caduceus immune to your Trap Cards. Turn End."

"GAME CARD INTERMISSION." Both players loaded all the Game Cards they could (Momoe was down to 2 now), creating a wheel of 7 games that were cycled through. The roulette slowed down and landed on one. "CHANGE OF FATE."

"Change of Fate? That's an old one! One of the first Game Cards ever!" Dizzy realized.

The AR screen projected the image of an area mostly shrouded in darkness... then spotlights turned on and began sweeping across the room before illuminating Doc and Momoe's D-Vatars, the lights turning on to reveal an area that looked like some kind of game show set, complete with a cheering audience that the D-Vatars waved to. Between them was a prop in various colors, most prominently showing three question marks (going from blue, purple, and red from left to right) above two cards, each one with an arrow pointing a different direction, all overtop an orange starburst decoration. "PRESS A BUTTON TO ROLL DIE OR TOSS COIN. THE OUTCOME OF BOTH WILL DETERMINE WHICH PLAYER ADDS A CARD TO THEIR HAND AND FROM WHERE. SELECT PLAYER TO ROLL DIE." An arrow began to rapidly flash over both of their heads before slowing down and eventually stopping on Doc. Then, a six-sided die and a coin on Heads (marked by Kuriboh) appeared over both players' heads in puffs of smoke and began spinning rapidly.

Doc and Momoe didn't hit any buttons just yet. They appeared to be waiting for something. "Uh, Doc-nii-chan? Is it broken? I didn't hear a 'Go'."

Doc was about to answer, but Dizzy cut him off. "This one doesn't say 'Go'. Just go ahead and hit the button."

"Oh, really? Arigatou, Dizzy-kun." Doc said.

"Hai!" Momoe added, both players hitting their buttons, and when they did, both D-Vatars jumped up and punched the underside of their respective trinkets. The die and coin actually bounced upward before seeming to bounce in thin air right above their heads, eventually stopping with a face pointed forward: 5 on the die and the blank side of the coin. Then, the trinkets disappeared in puffs of smoke, leaving behind not just images of the D-Vatar's faces, but also a downward-pointing arrow.

FINISH!

Both D-Vatars had spotlights shown on them as cards floated down in front of them, and both of them did their respective victory poses as the crowd cheered for them. "BOTH PLAYERS CAN ADD 1 CARD FROM THE BOTTOM OF THEIR DECK TO THEIR HAND."

Doc pulled the card from his Deck and looked at it. 'Typical place for this, but at least I'm set for it.' He thought to himself, adding it to his hand.

Momoe, however, had a much more positive reaction to the card she took. "I can use this!"

Sumiko noticed a particular glint in Momoe's eyes. "Oh, boy."

"What's up?" Dizzy asked as the AR visual shut off, the Duelists' Game Cards being ejected.

"I've seen that look in her eyes before… I think a comeback's about to happen."

"Momoe no turn! Draw!" Momoe drew her card. "I switch Kidnae Anumka to Attack Mode!" Her anomalocaris monster turned itself around, holding up its claws. "Kidnae Anumka no kouka hatsudo!" Anumka's DNA band glowed as it absorbed one Overlay Unit into its claw, slamming it into the ground. "By using an Overlay Unit, I can Special Summon a Kidnae monster from my hand! Koi, Kidnae Maymof!" From out of the cracking ground, a trumpet was heard before a small, tan-furred mammoth Kidnae emerged, its tusks being made out of rock.

Kidnae Maymof: Lv.5 EARTH Rock/Gemini ATK:2100/DEF:1700

Kidnae Anumka: 1 Overlay Unit

"Then, I can add a Kidnae monster of the same Level from my Deck to my hand!" A card slid out of her Deck, which she grabbed. "Kidnae Maymof, Gemini Summon!" The DNA band for the mammoth glowed and mutated it, turning it bipedal and VERY large, its tusks becoming powerful weapons and its trunk practically becoming a large horn.

"The more I see these monsters, the more I have to wonder what the designers were using at the time." Sumiko mused, sipping her soda.

"With how many cards are in this game, the weird ones are bound to show up." Dizzy added.

"Kidnae Gorlym no kouka hatsudo! Since I Normal Summoned a Kidnae monster to make it an Effect Monster, I can Normal Summon it without releasing a monster!" A new Kidnae emerged from Momoe's card, this one seemingly being already mutated, being an average-height yet stocky creature made out of rock, wearing a bandanna and having a large nose. The creature crossed its bulky arms in front of it.

Kidnae Gorlym: Lv.5 EARTH Rock ATK:0/DEF:2800

"She has 2 more Level 5 monsters. This can't be good." Doc realized.

Momoe gave a small hop and a spin. "Momoe wa, Reberu Go no Kidnae Maymof to Kidnae Gorlym de Obarei!" Her two monsters turned fully orange before shooting into the air. Another red spiral portal opened up, and both her monsters sailed inside, creating a burst of light. "Ekushiizu Shoukan! Arawareyo, Kidnae Tairaan!" From out of the light, two muscular arms emerged and clashed their claws together, a spiky tail slamming the ground. A muscled leg stomped the ground as the creature's form was panned up, showing its yellow and red scales and passing by the signature DNA band, to come to the head of a T-rex with a Mohawk of fiery red hair. The dinosaur opened its yellow eyes before letting out a loud roar, its DNA band glowing as its Overlay Units orbited it.

Kidnae Tairaan: Rank 5 EARTH Dinosaur/Xyz ATK:2600/DEF:1400 2 Overlay Units

Doc lidded his eyes, scrutinizing the giant dinosaur. 'I get the funny feeling that that thing has a way to boost its own Attack Power.' He then looked at Trap Card. 'Luckily, like Transfusion A, B can save my monster by spending a Counter, but if it does, it loses half of its boost. I just hope I can set up a win for me soon.'

"Kidnae Tairaan no kouka hatsudo! By using an Overlay Unit, I can cut Amphista Caduceus's ATK in half!" Momoe cried. Another brief glow came from Tairaan's DNA band before it took a deep breath, its mouth also glowing, and unleashed a powerful sonic wave from a roar that battered Amphista's body, nearly making the back head drop its staff.

Amphista Caduceus ATK:1750

Doc smirked. "There it is."

"Ikuze! Kidnae Tairaan, attack Caduceus!" Stomping its foot, Tairaan charged toward the snake with bared claws.

"Transfusion B no kouka hatsudo! I remove 1 Transfusion Counter to keep Caduceus from being destroyed by battle!" The Transfusion apparatus pumped more blood into Caduceus's body as Tairaan chomped down on it. Able to get itself back into shape, Caduceus began jerking and swinging around, throwing the dinosaur off of it. "Half of its current boost is now lost."

Doc LP:950

Amphista Caduceus ATK:1375

"Wait, 1375?" Doc wondered, checking his cards. "That doesn't sound right."

"Yeah, how did-" Momoe immediately cut herself off before knocking lightly on her own head. "Oh, duh! Tairaan's effect not only cuts your monster's Attack Points in half, but any changes to its Attack Points this turn are cut in half, too!" Doc gave a "Huh." In response to that, understanding what she said. Momoe didn't dwell on it, though. "Alikor, your turn!" Anumka swiped both claws before suddenly charging forward at incredible speed.

"Transfusion B no kouka hatsudo!" More blood was pumped from the blood bags into Caduceus's body as Anumka's claws struck its golden scales. The blood bag went empty just as the claws went from a failed attempt at a pierce to a successful slash, backing off, but the force of the slash washed across the field and actually knocked Doc off his feet, causing him to yell before landing on the ground again.

Doc LP:625

Amphista Caduceus ATK:1000

"Yatta! I'm almost there!" Momoe chirped, spinning around. She looked at her plush happily. "I'm almost about to win, Chu-chan!" She made her plush "talk" back to her.

Sumiko was watching with incredible surprise on her face, Dizzy looking just as stunned. "This isn't good. She's got Robinson on the ropes. She really isn't one to be taken lightly." A whole bunch of smaller sweatdrops appeared on her forehead. "And I thought I could have handled her."

"That was one hell of an upset." Dizzy mused, only to move something on the table and reveal his video camera with the light on. "Good thing I set up my camera. I can only imagine the viewer spike!"

The green-haired girl slowly turned to him. "Is that really all you're worried about?"

Dizzy looked back, confused. "What, I can't have a little fun?" Another sweatdrop, a larger one, appeared on Sumiko's head with her exasperated sigh.

"Kaado ichi mai settei! Turn end!" A facedown appeared on Momoe's field, and after it did, the after-effects of Tairaan's roar finally wore off, causing Caduceus to hiss angrily at Momoe.

Amphista Caduceus ATK:2000

Doc slowly got back to his feet, dusting off his clothes briefly before doing little more than give a stern look, but also a small smile. "Watashi no turn. Draw." He drew his card. "First, Caduceus no kouka hatsudo. The highest stat on the field, Tairaan's Attack Points, are added to mine as Life Points." Caduceus fired another blast of green flame at the dinosaur, only for the rod to absorb it later and turn it into green sparkles.

Doc LP:3225

Doc started looking at his hand. "So much of what I could do with my hand would take to long to set up." He shrugged. "I've likely already won, anyway, but it's nice to have options. Monster Pharmacy no kouka hatsudo! Koi, Vitamin D-ark!" Another vitamin pill popped out of the giant bottle, turning into a small boat made of blackish-purple wood decorated with a shark face, still having two floating hands and feet.

Vitamin D-ark: Lv.5 DARK Plant/Base ATK:1000/DEF:1000

"It's time to operate!" Vitamin D-ark snapped its fingers, and from three purple portals, the remaining three monsters in his Graveyard emerged, D-ark forming a square formation with them. "Watashi wa Vitamin K-night, Vitamin E-lectric, Surger-ssistant to, Reberu Go no Vitamin D-ark de Shinajaizu!" All four monsters fired energy into their center, forming a ball of orange, yellow, and purple energy. The four of them then became Soul Towers that fired yellow lightning at the sphere. "Kono yon-tai no tamashī o ketsugō shite, yori kyōryokuna atarashī no tamashī ga umareru! Kōzu Shoukan!" From out of the energy ball came a beast with a bright orange body that formed a short yet fat serpentine dragon head, bone markings on the chest, bones lining its wings, a tail that split into a claw made of four bones, sharp-clawed hands, and pearly white bones for horns.

Vitamin D-ragon: Quality 5 LIGHT Dragon/Composition ATK:1500/DEF:1500 4 Active Soul Towers

"Vitamin D-ragon no kouka hatsudo! I deactivate one of its Soul Towers to equip it to Caduceus and give it its Attack Points!" As one of its Soul Towers shut off, D-ragon morphed into an orange-and-tan pill, which Caduceus swallowed without issue, gaining a helmet that resembled D-ragon's head.

Amphista Caduceus ATK:3500

"Unfortunately for you, Momoe, you shouldn't have risked putting Anumka into Attack Mode." Doc mused, pointing forward. "Amphista, attack Kidnae Anumka!" The back head of the snake fired two serpentine beams of energy, squeezing Anumka with them as it reared back, its mouth catching ablaze with orange flames.

Momoe narrowed her eyes. "Trap, hatsudo! Kidnae Survival!" He facedown flipped up. "By negating Anumka's effects, I can prevent it from being destroyed and negate the battle damage!" The band around Anumka's waist glowed brightly, causing its body to start bulking up, its claws getting sharper before it managed to force off the beams and slash them into nothing. When Caduceus unleashed a breath of fire, Anumka crossed its claws in front of it, deflecting the flames and keeping them off it. "Whew! I'm safe!"

"By battle, perhaps." Doc mused. "But since you used your protection, I don't have to hold back." Momoe gave an "Eh?" in response. "Once per Duel, while its still has Xyz Materials, Caduceus can take the difference in our Life Points… and either increase my Life Points by that amount, or inflict it on your Life Points as damage.

Momoe quickly looked at the difference between their Life Points. She was at 1100, Doc was at 3225… a difference of 2125, which was more than she had left. "Ehhhhhh?!" She cried, eyes wide as plates.

"Time to turn off your life support. Ike! Life Force Stream!" Caduceus's back head rose its rod and began gathering green energy, which made Momoe realize that she and Doc had green auras that some of the energy was coming from. When the rod gave off a flash, the energy was fired into the sky... which caused it to rain down as multiple green beams of energy that struck and destroyed everything Momoe had on her field.

The impact from all the beams knocked Momoe back, making her stumble until she was trying to balance on one foot. "Whoa-oa-oa-oa...!" Eventually, her balance faltered, making her fall back on her butt. "Oof!"

Momoe LP:0 – ELIMINATED

The buzzer blared as the Armistice Field began to dissipate, everyone taking off their D-Gazers. Sumiko actually let out a breath. "What a turn around."

Dizzy, however, was laughing, his Gamepad held out. "That was awesome! He had her locked right at the end!"

"How so?"

"Either the battle damage took her out, or that effect did the trick! She didn't have a chance!" He turned his Gamepad around, having already turned off the camera. "The viewers loved it, too!" Sumiko looked at all the views and comments, including remarks such as "she smart for a kid", "FLAWLESS VICTORY", and "Never seen that kind of Deck before".

Doc noticed that Momoe wasn't getting up, her head down, and as he walked over, he listened and actually heard a light sob from her. Concerned, he held out a hand to her, making her look up. "You OK?"

Sniffling, Momoe wiped a tear from her eye. "Y-Yeah. Arigatou." She took his hand and was helped to her feet, then she picked up her plushie with a sad smile. "I finally got to Duel, Chu-chan." She listened to the plush for a moment, and her smile started to falter. "Yeah... it was fun..." Tears started to well up in her eyes again. "…but I lost!" She cried, hugging her plush while sobbing. Doc actually started to feel bad for beating her so thoroughly. He even began to wonder if he should've let her win. However, as he was about to say something, Momoe looked surprised, listening to her plush intently. "Eh? It... It's OK that I lost?"

"He's right." Doc said without even thinking, making Momoe look at him, confused. He smiled at her. "Even if you lost, you put up a good challenge. You did your best, and that is what truly counts. And honestly, I'd like to Duel you again someday."

"Me too!" Sumiko chirped, running down with a wide smile. "Your Deck was awesome!"

Momoe couldn't find her words for a moment, looking back and forth between them. Eventually, though, she gave a teary smile and nodded to them. "Hai! I'll be sure to get even stronger for then!"

"Good to hear." Doc said, pulling a handkerchief out of his pocket and handing it to her.

Momoe took the handkerchief and began wiping her tears, but they kept falling at a slower rate as she sniffled. "G-Gomen. Papa tells me I shouldn't cry... but I can't help it when I get so happy or sad."

Doc gave her a soft smile. "It's OK." Momoe laughed a bit.

*Meanwhile*

Yoru was trying to find his way through the maze of illusory walls. It was around 4:00 at the time, so he decided now was as good a time as ever to just head home for the day. However, while he didn't seem bothered, he did keep a cautious eye on the curly pink-haired girl who was skipping along ahead of him, still smiling widely. "You know, you don't have to lead me home, Hako-chan." Yoru told her.

"Oh, I don't mind." Hako replied, not even turning her head. "I mean, a sleepyhead like you might get lost easy in whatever's making the streets all crazy."

Yoru blinked, understanding what she meant. '...For once, she has a point.' He thought before speaking out loud, not looking at her. "Uh... I guess so. Thanks, I guess."

"No prob, Bob." Not long after she said that, though, Yoru looked ahead to realize that Hako was no longer in front of him, confusing him.

Looking back behind him, he saw Hako fully stopped with one foot still off the ground mid-stride, looking at the ground intently. "What's up?"

"That water guy's here. Look." The girl told him, pointing at the ground.

Yoru looked down and saw what she meant: There was a small trail of water on the ground that actually led to a wall, seemingly vanishing behind it. "...Good eye. Let's see what's going on. Just keep your voice down."

"Okie Dokie Lokie." Hako chirped with a zipping-lip motion before the two snuck closer to the wall. Hako stuck her head through the obvious illusion first, but when she did, she quickly went fully through before reaching back and pulling Yoru along. She pulled him behind a corner and pointed, as not only was Hydro there, but so was his brother… as well as a video screen with a man they couldn't recognize in front of them.

Hydro looked incredibly annoyed as he talked to Cryo. "How the heck did that ditzy girl see me through the wall?"

"Heck if I know! Halluci's illusions are supposed to be foolproof!" Cryo replied. Yoru and Hako glanced at each other, Hako shrugging before they went back to listening.

"I'll tell you what it is. It's that kid. He's gotta be having an effect on everyone." Hydro stated, crossing his arms.

"It's the only thing I can think of." The man in the call said, fingers to his chin. "My illusions should affect all the senses. Seeing through them should be impossible."

"Oh, don't feed his delusions, Halluci." Cryo replied. "If Hydro gets his theories going, he's not gonna focus."

"No, he has a point, Cryo. Yudin's been capable of shrugging off everything we throw at him, even when the rest of the city is affected."

"Yudin?" Yoru said quietly to himself, making Hako briefly glance at him.

"And let's not just ignore the fact that that Dizzy kid turned an otherwise normal card into a Base! Geo even thought he had said Yudin's name!" Hydro griped, tapping his foot. "The boss may want us to take him out, but it feels like we're just helping him become Alphomega even faster."

Hako blinked. "'Alphomega'? Is that some kind of TV hero name?" Yoru quickly slapped his hand over her mouth to keep her quiet, thankfully noting that the Sykonetyks didn't even hear her.

Cryo held up his hands. "Just take it easy, Hydro. He's only just getting started. Besides, we have a plan ready to put him at a disadvantage tomorrow, remember?"

Hydro sighed to calm himself down. "Yeah, you're right." The aquamancer gained his usual grin. "I can't wait to see the look on his face when we spring it on him."

"You two want me to drop the illusions now? Psycho told me to go off of your call since you're the last two standing." Halluci asked.

Cryo checked the time on his Gamepad. "We still got about two hours until Day 2 ends..."

"Then I say we cut the crap." Hydro said, swiping his arms. "Halluci, crank up the smoke and mirrors. We're turning this game into a sniper battle."

Cryo nodded. "We're gonna clean the streets until Yudin and his band of friends are all that's left, then we'll finish him off in one shot with this foolproof plan."

"Just say the word when you need a maze." Halluci said with a thumbs-up. "I love getting to channel my inner structural engineer, hmhmhmhm."

"We'll call again when we're ready." Cryo said, hanging up before looking at his brother. "Did you send her the details?"

Hydro nodded. "Eeyup. She knows exactly where Yudin will be, and knowing her, she'll be in position."

"Perfect. Now I say we try to finish things off around her, and then finish Yudin in the morning before Pyro does. This could give you the respect you've been looking for."

"I am gonna love seeing the look on his face, hahahahahaha!" Hydro's laugh echoed before firing water from his jets to cover them in a giant bubble, which froze over before shattering to make them vanish.

The two eavesdroppers finally came out of their hiding spots, Yoru taking his hand off Hako's mouth with a worried look. "This isn't good." Yoru breathed.

"Are they planning a surprise for someone?" Hako asked.

"Yeah, it's for a friend of mine… and I can clearly tell that it won't be fun." Yoru started to think hard, his hand ruffling his own lavender hair as he wracked his brain. "I gotta find him, or maybe I should call him. No, if they have something like this planned, they could be monitoring calls. But how am I gonna find him?"

"Why not call him just to ask where he is?" Hako stated the simple solution.

Yoru just looked at her. "I just said they could be listening in on calls. I don't want them to know what I'm doing."

"You could just say you want to regroup and plan for tomorrow." Hako said without missing a beat, making Yoru blink. "It's almost curfew time, so the fighting will stop."

Thinking it over for a moment, Yoru nodded and pointed at her. "That's it. We need a safe zone." Yoru pulled out his Gamepad and quickly began typing up a text message.

Meet at your house. Urgent. Gameplan for tomorrow to make the District win. Forward to the others. –Yoru

Hitting the Send button, Yoru watched his D-Vatar fold the message into an envelope and put it into a virtual mailbox, giving a thumbs-up to indicate that the message was sent. Yoru then looked at the girl, showing her his Gamepad. "Hako-chan, can you find this address? You might be able to help."

Hako looked over the Gamepad, taking note of Kohaku's address and absent-mindedly copying it into her own Gamepad. Once she was done, she saluted. "Roger dodger!" Yoru nodded.

*Meanwhile*

Nazoko stared at her Gamepad with a look of suspicion and disgust as she read the on-screen instructions. "The fact that someone found my account is bad enough... but they think I need their assistance to defeat Yudin?" She murmured to herself, glancing at the attachment on the message. "What even is this software they attached? Running virus scan." Her Gamepad quickly pulled up an image of Debugger X as the attached file was scanned. Debugger passed the time by tapping its foot before it fistpumped with a chime, indicating that nothing malicious was in the file. "...Hmph. If you're going to just hand this to me, I'll see if I can use it." She opened the file with a tap of her finger, causing data bits to be carried across the screen by tiny multicolored creatures. However, the creatures actually seemed to be building something with the data: A large key, which made Nazoko raise an eyebrow. Once the key was complete, the creatures ran away before a lock actually came into view, the key being inserted and turning, causing the lock to click open. As text flashed on the screen, an unexpected thing happened: Nazoko actually found herself gaining a dark smile...

*Kohaku's house*

Kinoko flipped through the channels, but couldn't really find anything happening on any channel. "Dang it, I think all the Duels are stopping."

Sokudo looked at the clock on the wall. "Well, doesn't it end at 6:00?"

"Yes, it is getting late." Tamago said, getting up off the couch. "Speaking of late, kids... don't you two have homework to finish?"

The two kids were startled. "Crud! We forgot!" Sokudo cried.

"It's OK. You did most of it already." Their father said. "Go finish it, and if you can do it quick enough, we can go see a movie. How does that sound?"

Wide smiles graced both kids' faces as they hopped up to their feet. "Hai!" They both cried before rushing upstairs to their room.

Tamago smiled for a bit, then looked at the message on his cell phone. It was from Kohaku, stating that he and his friends had something to talk about for the School War. He sighed. "Be smart about this, Kohaku."

*Some time later*

Night had fallen outside and the family car was gone from the Yudin house, and Kohaku was currently standing up in his living room. "Tou-san and Kaa-san took the younger kids to the movies, so we've got a little privacy." He said, walking around while Dizzy, Doc, Plata, Yoru, Cleo, Kire, Ginju, Kowa, Sumiko, and Hako (who managed to find her way there) stood or sat around. Looking around, he glanced at Sumiko and Hako. "If there are any objections to our guests being here..."

Doc shook his head negatively. "None here. They've been helpful to us. I feel we can trust them." Dizzy gave a thumbs-up in response.

"It's good by me, too." Plata added. The others all gave their own positive responses, making Sumiko and Hako smile.

Kohaku nodded. "OK, Yoru-kun. What did you want to talk about? Since we all agreed this war was bogus, I figured you wanting to talk strategy was code for something."

Yoru stood up from the couch. "Hako-chan and I found Hydro and Cryo and overheard their conversation. They have some kind of plan in place, and they're trying to defeat you, Koha-kun."

"Me? Why? Just because I beat Hydro?"

"I think it might be more than that. He said something about you becoming something called the... 'Alphomega'."

Sumiko looked confused. "That heck's an 'Alphomega'?"

"Alphomega, not much known, rumored to be a savior of the world or some super-strong being." Hako immediately added.

Yoru immediately looked straight at her. "How'd you know that?"

"I looked online on the way over here. Didn't get a lot of good results, though." Hako shrugged. "Search engine thought I meant 'Alpha' and 'Omega' and just forgot a space."

"Still, the fact that apparently something like that exists..." Cleo started to say, then she snapped her fingers. "Maybe Konazuyo-sensei knows something about it."

"Ah, good plan." Ginju piped up. "With all the places he's been and cultures he's studied, he's gotta have some info on this!"

"It's a little late to talk to him now, though. I say we wait until after the War and ask him." Doc said.

"Why?" Dizzy asked.

"Get the Sykonetyks off our backs first, then we can focus without must interruption." Doc replied.

Kohaku nodded. "He's right." He then smirked. "I don't know what they're trying to do, but it'll take more than some little plan to outplay us." Despite his tough words, however, one of his hands was tightening into a fist. No one seemed to notice… except Plata, who looked concerned but didn't say anything.

"They said they've also set up some kind of trap, so we better watch your back for you tomorrow, Koha-kun." Yoru added.

"Heh! I'll be ready for anything they throw at me." Kohaku chirped.

"Darn right!" Dizzy cried, jumping out of his seat. "You beat Hydro before, and you can handle him this time!"

Kohaku's smirk grew. "If he thinks he can bring the fight to me, then it is ON!"

The group decided to hang out a little bit longer, with everyone getting to know the two newcomers. Hako and Sumiko were starting to fit in quite well, albeit with the former's hyperactive nature annoying some of them at times and the latter quickly asking for friendly Duels with the others, winning most of the time. As 7:00 came around, the group began to leave one by one, as Kohaku informed them that his family was on their way home. As they did, though, Sumiko spoke up. "Oi, Yudin-san."

"Eh?" Kohaku wondered, turning to the source and seeing Sumiko looking at him. "Oh, you're the girl that Dizzy-kun and Doc-kun teamed up with."

"Hai. My name's Sumiko, and I have a favor to ask you." The girl replied, pointing at him.

Kohaku blinked. "OK?"

"As much as I enjoyed hanging out with Robinson and Naginata, we've kinda been putting off the inevitable. But having seen how they both duel these past couple of days, I just know I'd probably be kicking myself if I lost to them even though I know their Deck." Sumiko said, pacing back and forth. "However, you have the reputation of being one of the best in this District." She stopped and turned back to him. "So, before I take on my new friends, I want to take on a real challenge tomorrow since the odds are good it's going to be the last day of this School War." She smirked. "So, what do you say we duel first thing tomorrow and set the right kind of mood for either of us to end this?"

Dizzy and Doc, who were still there, glanced at her briefly while Kohaku just stared at her, formulating a response. Sumiko crossed her arms, impatience showing on her face, but then Kohaku smiled and nodded. "Alright, Sumiko-chan, first thing tomorrow it is."

Excitement gleamed on Sumiko's face. "Yosha!" She held out a hand, which Kohaku took and shook firmly.

"Well, he agreed to that pretty quickly!" Dizzy mused.

"Why wouldn't I? Out of all the Duels I had to take part of, only one really got me going to my fullest back on Day 1." Kohaku explained. "Just looking at Sumiko, and seeing how she's giving me the time to actually prepare for it, I know this one's going to do the same thing."

A wide grin split Sumiko's face, making her clench her fists excitedly. "Ooh, I'm already itching to get this Duel started! Ja ne, Yudin! I'll meet you then!" She quickly ran out of Kohaku's house, waving through the window so Kohaku could wave back.

The rest started leaving until eventually, the only one left in the house along with Kohaku was Plata, who wasn't so quick to leave, confusing Kohaku. "So, you wanna talk about how you really feel?"

Kohaku headtilted at her. "Whaddya mean, Plata-chan?"

"I know you were just putting on an act for everyone else here." Plata told him, leaning against a wall. "The idea that you're being singled out scares you, doesn't it?"

Kohaku went dead silent, the beginning of sweat forming on his forehead. He quickly cursed under his breath. "...What made you figure it out?"

"I saw you clench your hand while you were talking tough. I've known you long enough to notice when you're just trying to make us not worry about you."

The Yudin boy crossed his arms, a light pout of his face. "Well, maybe you shouldn't. I know how to handle myself when I need to."

Plata wasn't convinced. "Even against superpowered psychos like these… well, Sykos?"

"Like Dizzy-kun said, I've done it before." Kohaku said defiantly. "Dizzy and Doc did it, too!"

"Dizzy was somehow able to change a regular card into a Base monster; not a Lightwave Tuning method, but actually made it a Base." Plata told him. "If he hadn't have done that, he would've been done for."

Kohaku's eyes widened. "That's how that happened? It just straight-up became one?"

Plata nodded. "That's what he told me, and he had the video proof of it. He even had to disable the comments of his stream for a time because people thought he cheated. The thing of it is… he swears he heard you talking to him right before it happened."

Kohaku was about to reply, but then his face changed. He was clearly remembering something. "Wait... I coulda sworn..." Plata gave an "Eh?" in response. "Earlier today, I felt something out of nowhere... it was this really bad feeling. And... And I saw Dizzy-kun. He was in trouble. I told him not to give up…" He looked at Plata. "…and that's when it happened?"

Plata nodded slowly. "Madre de Dios. Koha-kun, it couldn't have been just a coincidence. Something's up here."

"I know... but I don't know exactly WHAT'S going on." Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out the Silver Game Card, which was currently in a dormant state. "I can only guess that it's related to this."

Plata walked over and placed a hand on his shoulder, getting his attention. "And that's why you need to lean on us sometimes. We WANT to help you. You don't have to act tough for our sake."

Kohaku went silent again, looking back and forth between Plata and the silver card, trying to come to some conclusion. Eventually, he nodded at her. "Hai. You guys would probably bail me out even if I kept it up, wouldn't ya? That tends to happen with friends I make."

"Of course, you goof." Plata said with a smile, lightly punching his chin. "But friends should still be open with each other regardless. That way we know when to step up all the better."

Kohaku nodded again. "You're right. Every hero needs his party, right?" He held out his fist, which Plata fistbumped back.

Looking outside, the two saw the car holding Kohaku's family pull into the driveway, so Plata headed for the door. "Well, I'm off. Later, Koha-kun." Kohaku gave her a sign-off gesture before she left, waving to the car before disappearing down the street.

Kohaku, meanwhile, walked back into the living room, looking down the street through that room's window. He wasn't really looking for anything… he was just staring. Kinoko and Sokudo walked over to him once inside, but didn't say anything when they noticed the serious look on his face. Kohaku tightened one hand around the silver card as his other hand clenched into a fist. 'Bring it on, Sykonetyks...' He thought to himself, as if expecting to see one in the distance. 'You won't beat me that easily.'

---

*7 second music*

I will not lie down, roll over
*3 second music*
I will not just let it by
*3 second music*

I will fight for what is right, yes I will not just let it go-oh
You may think you got this won but I still got till the clock's zero

I will not let this end here there's too much riding on this now
With my friends here by my side I will not let you tear me down
Give me one more quarter now 'cuz now's not when I take my bow
There's still time, I still got breath, so here's where I continue now

10…
9…
8…
7…
6…
5…
4…
3…
2… (An image of Ichika Konazuyo closing a book is seen, Ichika giving a stern nod, then he joins Kohaku's group.)
1…
0…

---

*Preview*

Kohaku: The last day... It's almost over!

Nazoko: Sooner than you realize, Yudin.

Hydro: Hyahahahahaha! You knew I'd come for a fight, and there's no escaping me!

Kohaku: You think your little tricks will beat me?

Hydro: Tricks are what I'm best at... now step up to get drenched!

Kohaku: Next time on Yu-Gi-Oh! GSTART: "The Tide Comes Back In! Hydro's Revenge!" It is ON!

---

Author-Made Cards

Slumber Kitty
Level 2 EARTH Beast
ATK:0/DEF:900
This card cannot attack. If this card is destroyed by battle: You can add 1 "Slumber" monster from your Deck to your hand.

Slumber Dragonling
Level 1 EARTH Dragon
ATK:0/DEF:1000
This card cannot attack. If this card battles an opponent's monster: The Battle Damage that would result from that battle is reduced by 1000. If the result of this reduction is a negative number: Gain Life Points equal to the result as if it was not a negative number.

Jack-in-the-Vortex
Level 4 DARK Spellcaster
ATK:1200/DEF:900
If this card is used as a Fusion Material Monster: You can destroy 1 Spell or Trap Card on the field. Rest of Effects Unconfirmed

Kidnae Pegas
Level 4 EARTH Beast/Gemini
ATK:1400/DEF:1300
This card is treated as a Normal Monster while face-up on the field or in the Graveyard. While this card is face-up on the field, you can Normal Summon it to have it be treated as an Effect Monster with this effect:
● Once, while this card is face-up on the field: You can Special Summon 1 Beast-Type "Kidnae" monster from your hand.

Surger-ssistant
Level 4 LIGHT Fairy
ATK:1500/DEF:600
If your Life Points are 2000 or less: You can pay any multiple of 400 Life Points; draw 1 card for every 400 Life Points you paid.

Kidnae Unikor
Level 4 EARTH Beast
ATK:1300/DEF:1400
This card is treated as a Normal Monster while face-up on the field or in the Graveyard. While this card is face-up on the field, you can Normal Summon it to have it be treated as an Effect Monster. If this card is Special Summoned by the effect of a "Kidnae" monster: You can Normal Summon this card to have it be treated as an Effect Monster in addition to your Normal Summon or Set this turn. While this card is treated as an Effect Monster, it has this effect:
● This card's Level becomes 5. If this card was made to be treated as an Effect Monster by the effect of a "Kidnae" card (except by this card's effect that uses your Normal Summon for the turn): Target 1 other "Kidnae" monster you control; its Level becomes 5.

Neural Control Brain
Level 6 EARTH Psychic
ATK:0/DEF:1850
You can discard 1 card from your hand: Special Summon this card (from your hand). This card gains the following effects depending on who controls it:
* Its owner: You can target 1 other monster you control: It gains 200 ATK for each card in your hand.
* Its owner's opponent: If you would activate a face-down card you control or flip a face-down card you control face-up: Your opponent can discard 1 card from their hand; negate that card's effects and return it to its original position.
You can only use each effect of "Neural Control Brain" once per turn.

Kidnae Ptyrra
Level 3 EARTH Dinosaur/Gemini
ATK:1200/DEF:1300
This card is treated as a Normal Monster while face-up on the field or in the Graveyard. While this card is face-up on the field, you can Normal Summon it to have it be treated as an Effect Monster with this effect:
● This card can attack your opponent directly.

Kidnae Fenrar
Level 3 EARTH Beast/Gemini
ATK:1100/DEF:1600
This card is treated as a Normal Monster while face-up on the field or in the Graveyard. While this card is face-up on the field, you can Normal Summon it to have it be treated as an Effect Monster with this effect:
● While you control another "Kidnae" monster: All "Kidnae" monsters you control gain 600 ATK.

Vitamin K-night
Level 4 EARTH Warrior
ATK:1000/DEF:1600
During your Main Phase 2: You can equip this card to a monster you control as an Equip Spell Card. You take no battle damage from battles involving the equipped monster. During your opponent's next End Phase after this card was equipped to a monster: Send this card to the Graveyard.

Vitamin E-lectric
Level 3 LIGHT Thunder
ATK:900/DEF:1250
During your Main Phase 2: You can equip this card to a monster you control as an Equip Spell Card. The equipped monster is unaffected by your opponent's Trap Cards. During your opponent's next End Phase after this card was equipped to a monster: Send this card to the Graveyard.

Kidnae Maymof
Level 5 EARTH Beast/Gemini
ATK:2100/DEF:1700
This card is treated as a Normal Monster while face-up on the field or in the Graveyard. While this card is face-up on the field, you can Normal Summon it to have it be treated as an Effect Monster with this effect:
● While you control another "Kidnae" monster, you can negate 1 Spell or Trap Card that targets at least 1 "Kidnae" monster you control once per turn.

Kidnae Gorlym
Level 5 EARTH Rock
ATK:0/DEF:2800
If you have Normal Summoned a "Kidnae" Gemini Monster that was on your field and made it be treated as an Effect Monster this turn, yet you have not used your main Normal Summon for this turn: You can Normal Summon this card (from your hand) without Tributing.

Vitamin D-ark
Level 5 DARK Plant/Base
ATK:1000/DEF:1000
During your Main Phase 1: You can equip this card to a monster you control as an Equip Spell Card. A monster equipped with this card is treated as a Base Monster. During the End Phase that this card was equipped to a monster: Send this card to the Graveyard.

Kidnae Alikor
Rank 5 EARTH Beast/Xyz
2 Level 5 "Kidnae" monsters
While this card has Xyz Material, neither player can Xyz Summon. You can detach 2 Xyz Materials from this card; Special Summon 2 Level 4 or below "Kidnae" monsters from your Graveyard, but they cannot be used for an Xyz Summon.

Kidnae Anumka
Rank 3 EARTH Dinosaur/Xyz
ATK:1700/DEF:2500
2 Level 3 "Kidnae" monsters
Once per turn: You can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card; Special Summon 1 "Kidnae" monster from your hand, and if you do, add 1 "Kidnae" monster with the same Level from your Deck to your hand.

Amphista Caduceus
Rank 4 LIGHT Reptile/Xyz
ATK:2000/DEF:2000
3 Level 4 monsters
Once per turn: You can detach 1 material from this card; gain LP equal to the highest face-up monster's ATK or DEF (whichever is higher). At the end of the Damage Step, if this card with Xyz Material battled an opponent's monster: You can apply 1 of the following effects.
* Inflict damage to your opponent equal to the current difference between both players' LP.
* Gain LP equal to the current difference between both players' LP.
You can only use this effect of "Amphista Caduceus" once per Duel.

Kidnae Tairaan
Rank 5 EARTH Dinosaur/Xyz
ATK:2600/DEF:1400
2 Level 5 EARTH monsters
Once per turn (Quick Effect): You can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card, then target 1 monster your opponent controls; halve its ATK, and until the End Phase, any increases and decreases to that monster's ATK are halved. If this card is destroyed by a card effect and sent to the Graveyard: Special Summon 1 "Kidnae" monster with a Level from your Graveyard.

Vitamin D-ragon
Quality 5 LIGHT Dragon/Composition
ATK:1500/DEF:1500
1 Level 5 Base + 3 Level 4 or below monsters in your Graveyard
Once per turn, during your Main Phase: You can deactivate 1 of this card's Composition Materials; equip this card to a Level 4 or below monster you control. The equipped monster gains ATK equal to this card's ATK or DEF at the time this card's effect was activated, whichever was higher. This card's Composition Materials are not sent to the Graveyard as long as this card is still on the field. If the equipped monster would be destroyed by battle: You can Special Summon this card.

Crank and Pop
Normal Spell Card
Target 1 "Bickuribox" or "Jack-in-the-" monster you control: It gains ATK equal to its Level x 200. Rest of Effects Unconfirmed

Slowly Cranking
Continuous Spell Card
Once per turn, during the End Phase: Draw 1 card for each "Bickuribox" or "Jack-in-the-" monster that changed its battle position this turn.

Repackaging
Normal Spell Card
Tribute 1 "Jack-in-the-" monster you control; Special Summon 1 Level 7 or below non-Effect Fusion Monster from your Graveyard, and if you do, its name is treated that monster's original name in addition to its original name, and it gains that monster's original effects.

Slumber Party
Quick-Play Spell Card
Each player Special Summons 1 monster from their Graveyard in Defense Position, then all face-up monsters on the field are changed to Defense Position.

Prep for Procedure
Quick-Play Spell Card
Draw and reveal 2 card for each monster your opponent controls (TCG/OCG: only 1 card per monster), but you cannot Summon or activate cards, nor the effects of cards with those revealed cards' names for the rest of this turn (but you can Set). During the End Phase, if you activated this card and your LP is lower than your opponent's, discard your entire hand. You can only activate 1 "Prep for Procedure" per turn.

Kidnae Pact
Normal Spell Card
Shuffle 1 "Kidnae" monster you control into your Main Deck; Special Summon 1 "Kidnae" monster from your Deck.

Kidnae Morph
Normal Spell Card
Target 1 "Kidnae" Gemini monster you control: It is treated as an Effect Monster, and it gains its effects, while it is face-up on the field, also it gains 800 ATK until the End Phase.

Monster Pharmacy
Continuous Spell Card
Once per turn: You can Special Summon 1 "Vitamin" monster that can be Normal Summoned from your hand or Deck. Rest of Effects Unconfirmed

Rude Awakening
Normal Trap Card
If a Defense Position monster your opponent controls is destroyed while you control a "Slumber" monster: Inflict damage to your opponent equal to that monster's ATK.

Bad Nightmare
Normal Trap Card
Inflict 800 damage to your opponent for each face-up Defense Position monster they control.

Kidnae Decoy
Normal Trap Card
If a "Kidnae" Gemini monster you control that is currently treated as a Normal Monster is attacked: Negate that attack. Immediately after this effect resolves, Normal Summon that "Kidnae" Gemini monster to have it become an Effect Monster and gain its effects (in addition to your Normal Summon/Set this turn).

Transfusion A
Continuous Trap Card
Activate this card by placing 2 Transfusion Counters on it (max. 2), then target 1 Level 4 or below monster in your Graveyard: Special Summon it. If the target would be destroyed by battle: You can remove 1 Transfusion Counter from this card instead

Kidnae Instinct
Normal Trap Card
If a "Kidnae" monster you control is attacked: Target 1 other "Kidnae" monster you control; change the attack target to it. If that monster is not destroyed by battle this turn: Normal Summon that "Kidnae" Gemini monster to have it become an Effect Monster and gain its effects (in addition to your Normal Summon/Set this turn).

Transfusion B
Continuous Trap Card
Activate this card by placing 2 Transfusion Counters on it (max. 2), then target 1 face-up monster you control and 1 monster in your GY; the first target gains ATK equal to half of the second target's ATK for each Transfusion Counter on this card. If that monster you control would be destroyed by battle or card effect, you can remove 1 Transfusion Counter from this card instead.

Digest Worm
Normal Trap Card
Activate this card by targeting 1 face-up monster your opponent controls; negate that target's effects, then Special Summon this card as a Normal Monster (Insect/DARK/Level 4/ATK 1100/DEF 450). (This card is NOT treated as a Trap Card.) This card in your GY can be used as a material for a Composition Summon as a Level 4 DARK Insect monster.

Kidnae Survival
Counter Trap Card
Target 1 "Kidnae" monster you control; this turn, it cannot be destroyed by battle or card effects and you take no battle damage from battles involving it, but its effects are negated.

Dream Duo Course
4-Player 2-VS-2 Game Card
Move Control Stick to move, press A Button to jump, and overcome obstacles with on-screen prompts. Obstacles change in each playthrough, but each playthrough uses 3 obstacles. The first team to cross the goal wins, but both players on a team must cross the goal to count. The winning players may shuffle up to 3 cards from their Graveyard into their Deck.

Lifeline Surfing
2-Player VS Game Card
Both players move forward automatically. Press A Button to jump. Jumping off waves allows the layer to angle forward and back with the Control Stick. Landing on waves with a good angle gives a speed boost, but bad landings cost speed. The player to reach the goal first wins and may add 1 Normal Spell Card from their Deck to their hand.

Strut Your Mutt
4-Player VS Game Card
Choose a dog with a number between 1 and 4 with A, then follow all on-screen prompts. The closer the prompts are followed, the higher the player's score will be. The player with the highest score at the end of the time limit wins and can Special Summon 1 monster from their Deck with the same Level as the chosen dog's number.

Change of Fate
2-Player Bonus Game Card
The selected player rolls a six-sided die, and the other player tosses a coin. Both actions are done with the A Button. The results of the die roll and coin toss determine which player adds 1 card to their hand and from what location:
* 1-2: The selected player
* 3-4: The selected player's opponent
* 5-6: Both players
* Heads: Top of the Deck
* Tails: Bottom of the Deck

---

RK777: And here we see the main plot revealed. Right?

Vile: Yup, the first drop of a key term. But more knowledge will come in later chapters.

RK777: Which, with some help, might be in the next sets of chapters that closes this arc and starts the next one. Say in, fingers crossed, two...three months time? Boss?

Vile: That's my hope. I've had so many long gaps in my work flow that being back in action makes me realize how slow I've gotten.

RK777: Well, *knocks twice on the hollow metal "Life" weight* this hasn't helped much.

Vile: Yeah, no kidding. Well, until that day comes. If you guys liked this chapter, leave a review for me! I'll do my best to get the next chapters out soon enough, so please don't shove me into the forgotten bin. ...Ah, who am I kidding, you guys stuck with me anyway. You're all awesome! Ja ne for now!

Computer Voice: Vile, logging out.