Chapter 28: Opening Ceremony

{Main Building: July 15th, 2014, 10:55am}

"Seems Yuya Sakaki turned tail and ran. No one's seen hide nor hair of him," stated a girl.

"Eh? He's just like his dad then… and here I thought he had more of a backbone." Yuzu shot the brown-haired boy who spoke a death glare.

"Say it to my face why don't you?" she growled as Sora sighed.

"Calm down, we'll think of something," he stated.

"Big Sis Yuzu? What are we gonna do?" Yuzu glanced down.

"I wish I knew… Yuya… where are you?" she whispered the last part, almost as if it was a desperate prayer.

"Ah! There you are!" Yuzu felt her eyes widen as she looked up and to the right of here where low and behold, Yuya was rushing up towards them.

"Y-Yuya?!" asked the children as Sora looked to Yuzu.

"Whoa, did you summon him or something? You say his name and poof, here he is…" Yuzu gaped as the boy waved to them and finally was just within touching distance of her.

"Sorry I kept you guys waiting! I had to –" Yuzu took his hands in hers, preparing to chew him out as he smiled to her in a sheepish manner and she held onto his hands tighter.

"Yuya, where were you? We were all worried," she said.

"I'm sorry… there were some things I had to take care of before coming here." Yuzu stared at him.

"He's not making me feel as uneasy… he must have drawn in his magic, so people wouldn't notice it as much… but that means..." Yuzu thought this bitterly as the boy smiled to her, scarlet eyes warm with a trace of humor.

"We should go before we're late," he stated, dropping her hand and walking away as the pink-haired girl felt a small ache develop in her chest.

"Aura was right… she knew about what he was doing more than I did… the only thing that crossed my mind was that he was nervous… not that he was trying to reign in his magic, so it wouldn't lose control or draw to much attention to him…" she sighed.

"You're the reason we're almost late! Next time try and be on time, okay?" she scolded.

"Alright, I said I was sorry now let's – "just as Yuya started walking, he went face first into someone and winced before looking up. The others gaped in surprise as Yuya flinched, all of them noticing that this person was as big as Gongenzaka, perhaps even a tad taller as Yuya looked up into all too familiar eyes.

"Long time no see, freak show. How have ya been?" the tall, tanned teenager growled out as Yuya felt his magical energy curl about his skin, invisible but quivering in anticipation as he looked at the person before him.

"Y-You're…" the other laughed.

"Since this is a major event, I thought you woulda run away before it started. Just like your old man. Or maybe you want to be gawked at… put on as a spectacle like the little side-show attraction you're supposed to be," he stated sharply as Yuya glared.

"I'm not a coward, or did you forget that I beat your so-called hero?" the tan teenager narrowed his eyes and looked down at the petite boy before him.

"I refuse to accept that a twilight-zone outcast like yourself could beat Strong Ishijima! Come on, I saw what you did… some sort of devil-workings that made you win," he snarled.

"It's actually got a name: witchcraft. But no, I didn't need anything like that to pummel him into the ground." The teenager smirked.

"You've got quite the mouth on you, maybe someone will come along to teach you how to put it to good use one of these days," he stated as Yuya bared his teeth a fraction.

"Who's that?" Sora muttered to Tate.

"No idea… but I don't like how he makes me feel…" Yuzu looked to the tall teenager.

"Hey! Back off!" she stated, stepping forward as the teenager looked to her.

"Oh-ho! You've gotta little tramp all to yourself now, do you? How'd you land a fox like that? Huh? Did she feel sorry for you? Or maybe you did something to her that made her stay with you? Pulled some kind of side-show spellcraft that made her want to be around some little demon like you," he said as he pointed a finger towards Yuya who hissed under his breath.

"You better remove your finger from my face before I bite it off, got it Ankokuji?" the other rose an eyebrow.

"Hahaha! Oh! Look everyone, the little vampire wants to act tough!" he shoved Yuya back a bit with one finger planted firmly in the center of his chest.

"Yuya…" Yuzu came to him and placed a hand to his shoulder as Yuya settled a rather unnerving look upon Ankokuji's form.

"Watch it!" he warned.

"Please, little demon-spawn like you don't scare me. If you want, I can show everyone right here and now what you really are, how's about that? let even your little girlfriend see what kind of beast in human skin she and those kids have been following around, how about that?" Ankokuji suggested as he leaned down a fraction.

"You sure do talk a lot for someone who wants to make a point. If you want to do something, then fucking do it! Don't stand around chatting about it!" the other smirked at Yuya's retort.

"Fine then, let's show everyone what you really are… what you really look like when you lose all sense of recognition… show them the real you…" Yuya narrowed his gaze, pupils retracting into fine slits just a fraction as he bared his teeth at him.

"That's enough, Gen Ankokuji!" came the strong voice of a familiar face as Yuya felt his tense form relax as Gongenzaka placed a firm hand upon Ankokuji's shoulder.

"Gongenzaka!" Yuzu stated in relief.

"Heh, addressing an older disciple without an honorific? You're pretty awful, Noburou. Then again, I see what kind of netherworld trash your hanging out with and I get why you are." Yuya hissed, sounding greatly like a cat as Gongenzaka sent Ankokuji a narrowed glower.

"You're no older disciple of mine anymore. And I would appreciate it if you would step away from Yuya," Gongenzaka stated.

"Ha! I knew it! You're still defending that little beast, even after what he did?" Ankokuji turned to Gongenzaka who narrowed his gaze once more.

"The two of you were children, eleven and twelve years old. That was almost four years ago, and it is long-since time to let the past go, Ankokuji," he said as Yuya watched, somewhat tensed and prepared to retaliate if needs be.

"This is gonna be a clash of the titans if these two start a brawl right here." Sora's thought lasted on a second as the announcers turned the speakers on.

"Attention all contestants! the opening ceremony will commence in three minutes, please head to the entrance ways under the stadium in an orderly fashion. Thank you."

"Hmph. If you want to stand up for that deceptive demon who you call a friend just because you think it's the right thing, be my guest. Just don't say I didn't warn you when he sinks those teeth into you. He won't be so alluring once he shows you what he really looks like…" he started to walk off, the others looking after him.

"Bastard…" Ankokuji looked to Yuya.

"And I hope you and Noburou put in a little effort, so I can crush one or both of you into oblivion later!" with that he left and Yuya visibly relaxed as Gongenzaka looked to him.

"Are you alright?" he asked while the others moved closer.

"I'm fine… I just didn't expect to see him here of all places." Yuzu frowned.

"What was he talking about?" she questioned.

"We need to start walking down, come on…" Yuya started moving and the others followed, Sora holding the sign in front of him.

The group remained silent for the time being, knowing that the subject was sensitive; however, they were also deeply confused by Ankokuji's statements towards Yuya. Yuzu frowned as she thought of the conversation that had just occurred before her eyes, the tone Ankokuji had towards her long-time friend, and the things that he declared him as. He had called Yuya a demon, a beast in human flesh, a vampire, and seemed to have a severe grudge against him that she couldn't quite understand. Gongenzaka glanced towards Yuya, the look within his eyes reading as concern as the red-green-haired boy kept his gaze down while they headed further into the underground area of the stadium.

Yuzu wanted an explanation, because she found her memory hazy as she tried to think of a point when she and Yuya were eleven and something had happened that would warrant Ankokuji's wrath upon her friend. It was a confusing thing, something that made little to no sense, and yet, she somehow had the feeling that it made perfect sense all at once. It was as they grew further back from those who were lining up at the entrance, that Gongenzaka took in a steady breath and looked towards the others who seemed as though they could no longer remain silent.

"Care to explain?" asked Sora.

"When Yuya was eleven, about three months after his father disappeared… Ankokuji dragged him off into an alleyway and beat him up… daring him to fight back. I'm not sure what happened… but according to him, Yuya suddenly attacked him, and he emerged from the alleyway covered in bites, gashes, and bruises… some of the cuts looked like claw-marks, and he still swears that Yuya went wild and tried to kill him." Tate, Allie, and Frederic looked at Gongenzaka in confusion.

"That doesn't sound like Big Bro Yuya… he wouldn't do that to someone! Ankokuji was asking for it when he struck first! If Yuya defended himself, he shouldn't have made a big deal out of it!" Allie stated.

"Yea, seems to me that he got what he deserved. And making up a big story like that doesn't help him." Yuzu glanced to Yuya who had stilled, his back oddly tense as she looked to him.

"Yuya, it wasn't wrong for you to defend yourself. And him making up that story shouldn't –" the boy shook his head.

"He didn't make it up though…" the others looked to him in surprise.

"Wait, you mean that you actually attacked him?" Tate asked as Gongenzaka watched his friend.

"He attacked me first… but… I began to panic… and I lost control of my magic. That was the first time I was told that my magic was different than most witches… and I understood one basic thing about it…" Yuzu looked to him in concern.

"What did you learn?" Yuya glanced her way.

"When I feel threatened, my magic becomes highly aggressive… and I hurt the people who make me feel like I'm in danger. Ankokuji saw what happened, saw how it caused me to behave because I was losing control of it… and he thinks that I'm some kind of demon or something…" Gongenzaka stepped forward, looking to his friend.

"Don't think for even an instant that you are even one-half of what he says you are. The way I view it, your magic aided you in defending your life… that is nothing to be ashamed of, Yuya! Be proud, hold your head high with honor and dignity as a witch for it is part of who you are," he stated as Yuya gave him a slight look.

"I'm grateful for all of my crazy friends who seem to be able to cheer me up even when I feel like beating myself up over these kinds of things." Yuzu smiled as she came and took his hand.

"We're always going to be here to back you up! One-hundred percent," she said.

"Yea!" Frederic jumped a bit.

"Being your friend gives me the goosebumps!" he stated cheerfully.

"Besides, you've always helped us when we needed it too!" Tate nodded.

"So, we're all gonna stick together," he said matter-of-factly as Sora grinned.

"Now, let's go kick some ass out there!" Yuya thumped him on the back of his head.

"There are kids present! No swearing!" he scolded as the others laughed.

"Fine, let's go kick some butt then, how's that sound?" the group nodded collectively and stood in line as Nico Smiley came to stand upon a podium, microphone in hand as he rose an arm into the air.

"EVERYONE! THANK YOU FOR WAITING SO LONG!" the crowds erupted into cheers, the noise so loud that it felt as though the ground was shaking.

"Whoa! This is like an earthquake!" Sora stated, balancing himself a bit.

"Just wait… it gets louder…"

"THE FESTIVAL OF DUELISTS THAT ONLY HAPPENS ONCE A YEAR!" the roaring cheers became even louder, starting to make the opening everyone was in feel like a drum with how thunderous it had become.

"Here we go!" Yuya thought.

"IT'S THE OFFICIAL START OF THE MAIAMI CITY'S ARC LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP!" the earsplitting cheers caused Yuya and surprisingly Yuto who was watching from the roof to cover their ears to help block out the sound.

"Wow! And I thought that the tournaments at heartland were loud during the opening ceremony!" Yuto thought of this as he heard the crowds cheers slowly die down.

"I, NICO SMILEY, WILL GLADYING PRESIDE OVER THE OPENING CEREMONIES! SO, WITHOUT FURTHER ADEIU! THE CONTESTANTS WILL ENTER ONTO THE FIELD!" once more the crowds erupted, sounding more like a fierce storm than the voices of thousands of people as everyone grinned, anxiety pumping through their veins as they prepared for the entire ordeal to kick off. Fireworks went off, as smiling fairy duel monsters began to fly about wildly within the shower of sparks, the banner of the Arc League Championship appearing in a flourish of color as Nico prepared for the first of the competitors to enter while Yuya and the others watched on the small screen upon the wall for who would be in the tournament.

"The entrance march is now beginning! First up! is the winner of every Championship Class last year, the Leo Duel School. They have once more sent in the largest number of contestants, and is one of the most prestigious schools in the world next to Duel Academy, created by President and CEO of Kaiba Corp; Seto Kaiba," stated one of the female announcers. As the LDS students were lead into the arena Yuya looked to the young man present with blue-hair and tawny-eyes.

"Ah…" his sudden intake of breath caught the other's attention as they eyed him.

"What's wrong?" asked Sora.

"That person in the dark purple coat…" Yuzu eyed him.

"The guy with the blue hair?" she questioned as he nodded.

"Yea…" Tate frowned.

"What about him?" he probed as Yuya narrowed his gaze a fraction.

"He's a witch…" Gongenzaka looked to his friend.

"You can tell from here?" he interrogated incredulously.

"Yea, I can. Judging from his demeanor, I'd say he's a Risulian witch…" Yuzu frowned.

"Risulian? Wait a second… why are there all these different kinds of witches?" she asked.

"They're based upon magic that the person is skilled with… this is also referred to as the skill of the witch. It's what they've honed over the years or had a natural affinity towards. Aura and my mother are Fortuna Witches, ones who use divination and fortunetelling in their magic…" Tate looked to Yuya.

"So, what's a Risulian Witch like?" he questioned.

"They're a type of warrior-witch… Risulian's are commonly associated by personality rather than just their own magical basis. They're fiercely loyal, protective and true to themselves. They have a keen eye for their own kind or those who may possess inhuman blood just by looking them in the eyes… their magic is highly combative and ranges from weaponry, summons, elemental, and energy manipulation skills. Their magic also leaves a trace on them," he explained.

"A trace?" Yuya held a single finger up to his eye.

"They have three distinct eye colors: yellow, pale green, or greenish-blue. They're very athletic in build and are always on the taller side. So judging by his appearance and the way he carries himself, I'm confident in saying his a Risulian Witch," he stated.

"Sounds like they'd be a blast to fight…" Yuya shook his head.

"Not if they feel as though your trying to harm others. They're ferocious and lethal when that happens. Personally, you better hope none of you get paired up with him for a match… it'll be like war otherwise," he said.

"G-Great… glad I'm younger than the rest of you!" Allie stated nervously as everyone turned their attention back to the screen.

"Next up is the central school of Martial Arts Duelists, Ryouzanpaku Duel School! Their ace duelist, is Isao Kachidoki, who was second place in last year's junior youth tournament." The camera zoomed in to show a youth with tanned skin, slightly scuffed up clothes with long, and while violet hair, and fiercely cold blue eyes.

"Yea… I am not liking the vibes off that guy," Yuto thought as he continued to watch.

"Our next team comes from overseas in England! They are the Knights of Duels!" the armored trio was led out of the tunnel and into the open while Reiji watched from above, thus far liking the selection he was seeing.

"It appears we have quite the splendid crop of duelists to choose from, right Reiji?" his motherstated. He nodded to her.

"Yes, it does. However, I highly doubt any of them save for a handful will surpass the few I have already chosen as Lancers." The woman smiled.

"And now! The school that specializes in Trick Duels, Surprise Duel School! This school's ace, Yuuzou Tanegashima, uses an ever-changing phantasmagoric Deck. A tricky slight of hand archetype known for turning the opponent's cards against them."

"You mean Yuya Sakaki? Why are you so interested in that boy?" she probed, half-listening to the announcer bringing in the contestants.

"He's a rather fascinating youth… and I see his potential and wish to see it flourish." She sighed.

"Very well, let's see how he fairs here."

"Arriving with a ton of cheers are the Idols who learned how to Duel, Duelkko Club! Most notable, is the natural Idol Duelist, Miss Mikiyo Naname!" crowds erupted and finally the You Show Duel School was up, the group clustering together as they came into the arena with the girl holding their school's sign just ahead of them. The audience began to cheer and murmur, voices speaking about who was within the line-up.

"Alright Yuya, this is where you have a spotlight on you, so I suggest you thrill our guests with your Pendulum Summoning today," Reiji thought with a small smile, looking forward to seeing what would happen during this tournament.

"Next up is the You Show Duel School, which carries on the legacy of Entertainment Duelists!"

"YUYA! HAVE FUN AND SHOW THEM WHAT YOU'VE GOT!' Yoko cheered from the stands.

"GO GET'EM KIDS! FIGHT! FIGHT!" Shuzo shouted as the kids gave them a wave while the announcer looked to her cue card.

"Of note is Yuya Sakaki, a member of the You Show Duel School, and inventor of the new Pendulum Summoning method that will be showcased here at this tournament."

Yuya glanced to Reiji who nodded towards him and he slightly returned it, a swift response between two people who would now be business partners before Yuya turned his gaze forward, focusing on what was at hand. Ten minutes later, everyone was assembled for the rest of the opening ceremony, listening to the chairman of the board of directors over the Arc League Championship give his speech on the tournament at hand while the teenagers present watched with half-attention.

"A-hem, those of you here are the elite who rose from the sea of Duelists around you. And as such, I expect you to duel with fair play in mind…" everyone politely clapped, all knowing how vital fair-play was considered in tournaments.

"This guy has some serious lungs, he's been talking for at least ten minutes without a single breath… he puts Mrs. Kashiwagi to shame…" Yuto thought as he recalled a red-haired, amber-eyed teacher he had his first year at Heartland Academy. She had been a beautiful woman with a sweet demeanor, but by lord did she have a set of lungs on her when she wanted to. Yuto frowned, wondering why she had retired after that year before Nico stepped up to the stage.

"Next up, the Contestant Pledge. This years Contestant Representative, is You Show Duel School's Yuya Sakaki!" he stated, all eyes going to Yuya who instantly felt the bottom of his stomach drop out.

"W-What?!" Yuzu looked at her friend in concern and confusion.

"Yuya is the representative?" the scarlet-eyed boy resisted the urge to use a spell to turn invisible, and had to put quite the mental reign on his magic to keep it from doing it for him.

"W-Wait a second! I think I heard that wrong!" he stated as he started to back away.

"Yuya Sakaki, please come to the stage." For the first time in quite a while, Yuya felt stage-fright appear as his most present emotion.

"U-Um maybe someone else should Ah! – "before he could say another word, two people came over who worked for the commissioners and grabbed him, dragging him over to the stage.

"Yuya, if you're a man, you'll score a hole-in-one!" Sora pulled a sucker out of his jacket before looking to the giant next to him.

"I don't think that advice is going to help him, Gongenzaka," he said.

Yuya was shoved onto the stage, panic lacing through him as Nico came forward, pushing him further towards the microphone as he swallowed around the knot that had formed in his throat while Nico leaned close to whisper to him so not to disrupt the attention of the audience.

"My boy, this is another step as both an entertainer and a pro duelist. Yugi Muto even had to make a speech similar to this like during the KC Grand Championships. Now get, up there and show them how wonderful of an entertainer you are," Nico stated as he pushed Yuya towards the Microphone.

"Yea, and you failed to mention that he was caught off guard too! What is this? Some kind of joke with you announcers?" he asked just before he turned to face the entire audience and his body froze up.

"Well… this ought to be entertaining at least," Yuto thought as he sat down on the roof, propping one arm up on his knee while resting his head in his palm.

"U-Um… I… I… t-to the b-battleground… um…" everyone nearly fell over.

"Big Bro Yuya…" Tate said in defeat.

"Oh no… he's got stage fright…" Yuzu took in a deep breath.

"Yuya! Get a grip! Everyone's watching!" she called to him and he jolted, taking in a look at the audience, some who were snickering, others looking at him in understanding before he closed his eyes, grasping his pendulum crystal as Shay and Yuto watched in curiosity.

"Is he going to cast a spell?" they thought.

"Is Yuya okay?" Shuzo asked.

"He's fine. You don't need to worry." With Yoko's assurance, Shuzo watched, hoping that she was right. Yuya opened his eyes, taking in a steady breath and raised his arms up in a flourish.

"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!" he spoke loud and clear, somewhat startling the others.

"Yuya?" Yuzu asked in questioning.

"I deeply beg your pardon for earlier. The honor of being the Contestant Representative was sprung upon me unexpectedly, and I found myself taken aback by the situation." The group stared at him.

"Interesting… his entire energy just changed from fear to joy in the blink of an eye," Shay thought as he watched the boy.

"From this moment on, I'll be pulling myself together for this speech. At the very least, that is what I am supposed to be saying; however, if you would indulge me, please listen to my story…" the others watched him somewhat surprised by his statement.

"Yuya… what are you up to?" Yuzu questioned.

"As I am sure you know, my father was one of the pioneers of Entertainment Duels, and as his son, I hope to walk in his footsteps and make something of the legacy my father left the world. During my time preparing for this remarkable tournament, I encountered some amazing and unique people, and it started when I created Pendulum Summoning by a chance of being able to believe my capabilities as a Duelist." Yuto smirked a bit.

"He's being pretty bold using a personal twist on a fair-play speech," he muttered.

"In this journey here, I learned something important. That when we duel, we're speaking with our hearts, not with our minds or thoughts, but with what we feel deep within. Tournaments such as this are designed to aid us in learning from one another, whether we lose or win, whether we are the best or lucked out getting here. It doesn't matter what school we study at, what walks of life we come from, or even where we've come from in this amazing world we live in." the entire stadium was giving him their undivided attention as Yuya steadied himself, staying focused on his train of thought.

"I can do this… just keep yourself calm."

"The job we've all been given here today isn't to outclass or out show people because we have better cards, or went to a school that's considered the best out of the lot. Our job, is to make someone smile, to make a single person happy and excited to see what will happen next. Here today, in this stadium, we're all going to embark on an adventure, to become better Duelists, to make someone happy if they're hurt or feel alone, and most of all we're here to inspire those who are watching us. So, all I ask from each of you here today, is to think of those watching you, and the example you're setting for the next generation of Duelists who will come after us… and remember that today, is your chance to shine as an inspiration to them all."

The stadium remained silent, and Reiji smirked just a fraction, clapping as the audience began to cheer. Gongenzaka tearing up while Aura laughed as Yuya looked around at the people present, a faint blush coming to his features as he bowed a bit and walked off the stage, rejoining his friends who clamored to hug him as he laughed while up in the stands Shuzo started crying, cheering as loud as he could while Yoko looked down at the boy who was talking with Sora who seemed to be hopping about in excitement.

"Well said Yuya! Yoko! Yuya will definitely become a great Duelist! He had so much heart in what he just said… he would have made his father so proud! He's certainly worthy of following in his footsteps!" Shuzo exclaimed.

"You're joking, right?" the man looked to her in confusion.

"Eh?" Yoko smiled in a knowing manner.

"Yuya won't follow my husband, he'll surpass him. If he doesn't have the will to do that, he won't be able to win here. But I'm not worried about that one bit, he's strong and gets stronger every day… his speech showed me that much," she said.

"Yoko…" the woman watched the boy as he looked towards her with a smile, and she returned it.

"I wish you could see him Yaya, he's becoming someone you and Ira would be proud of."

"NOW THEN! AFTER THAT WONDERFUL, HEART-FELT SPEECH. WE SHALL ANNOUNCE THE PAIRINGS FOR THE FIRST ROUND!" Nico stated, gaining the attention of everyone present.

"This is where things will start to get interesting. We've selected each person in just the right way to push the limits of the Duelists whom you believe will become your prime choices for Lancers," Henrietta stated as Reiji nodded.

"Then let the games begin…"

"ALL PARTICIPATING PLAYERS, PLEASE INSERT YOUR REGISTARTION CARDS INTO YOUR DUEL DISKS!" Nico's voice boomed over the crowds and Yuya pulled the card out of his pocket that Shuzo had managed to give him when he'd arrived with his mother earlier.

"These are our registration cards, right?" he asked as Yuzu held her own up and nodded.

"We got them when we entered the stadium and registered." Yuya nodded, sliding his card into his duel disk at which point his information came up.

"As for how they work: your registration cards receive radio signals from the tournament management computer, and will guide you and your opponents. Of course, it will track others wins and loses to be able to update the pairings." Once the female announce informed them on how the cards worked, the system started up, splitting Yuya's information to the side as he looked at the screen of his Duel Disk.

"Let's see… my opponent is… what?!" Yuya looked at the screen in surprise as did Yuzu, Sora, and Gongenzaka.

"What's wrong guys?" asked Allie.

"My opponent is Sawatari," Yuya stated showing them the screen.

"Then I guess you guys won't have to wait till the finale to duke it out…" Yuzu sighed.

"What about yours Big Sis Yuzu?" questioned Frederic.

"I've got Julia…" they looked to Gongenzaka.

"And you?" Yuya inquired.

"It seems fate has played a hand in these events… Ankokuji will be my opponent." The others nodded and turned their attention to Sora.

"Who did you get Sora?" asked Tate as the blue-haired candy addict looked grimly at the screen.

"Him…" he turned the duel disk over and showed them the image of the blue-haired tawny-eyed Risulian Witch Yuya had pointed out prior to the start of the opening ceremony.

"Who is he?" Yuya interrogated.

"Says his name is Shay Obsidian… he's listed as an Xyzs user… but according to the records, there isn't much on him… you don't suppose…." Yuzu glanced towards Yuya while Gongenzaka and Sora looked to them.

"That he's the one who was attack the LDS a couple weeks ago," Yuzu stated.

"It doesn't surprise me if that's the case. Risulian Witches are known for being brutal… but they don't just attack people… their warriors… the ones that a long time ago, the councils called upon to fight in wars and battles to aid in victory… they're noble and refined soldiers who wield combative magic… something must have happened to cause him to feel the need to attack the LDS." Yuya's statement had the group somewhat concerned.

"Great, so Sora's gonna fight a warrior-witch who's out for blood against Fusion users. This outta be a blast," stated Tate.

"Don't worry, I can handle myself just fine…"

"Are you sure?" asked Allie.

"He did beat all his opponents in three turns or less…" a moment of silence overcame the group before Sora sighed.

"Anyways, my duel is tomorrow." Yuya nodded.

"Mine is too… what about you Gongenzaka?" he asked.

"Same, Yuzu?" the girl shook her head.

"Mine's today," she stated.

"What about you guys?" the children looked at their Duel Disks.

"Mine's today," said Allie.

"And mine starts right after this." Tate shook his head.

"At four-thirty today," he explained.

"Then we'll cheer for Yuzu and the kids today, and it'll be our turns to battle it out tomorrow," Yuya stated.

"Sounds like a good plan…" Sora smiled.

"I'm totally gonna mop the floor with this guy!" Yuya took in a deep breath, hoping that Sora understood what he was getting himself involved in when it came to going toe-to-toe with a Risulian Witch.

{….}

This is a warning, like it or not…

{…..}

Author's Note: And, so it begins! We're officially in the third arc of this story, and the start of the Arc League Championships. This is indeed where things become interesting and life is about to become all kinds of crazy. Needless to say, you guys should probably buckle up, things are gonna become more and more intense from here, and there may be a trigger warning or two. I'm not certain, but just in case. Now, I look forward to seeing what you guys have to say about some of our new cast additions, and how everything is going. Let me know and I'll be looking forward to your reviews.

Sincerely,

ShadowDragon94.

Trivia:

Ankokuji Gen is known as Grizzlepike Jones in the Arc-V English Dub.

Yuya and him have a not so pleasant history, as you can see. To me, he reads as an old-fashioned prideful bully who think's he's better than everyone else because he's never been put in his place.

Yuya's contestant speech was changed to the one in here, because I felt that in the anime, it was a little more self-serving, which didn't quite fit with Yuya's attitude about it being important for others to be happy as well as ones self.

Risulian is the type of Witch Shay is, the word is a made up one from a language I actually created.

Risulian translates into: Lion-Like. Meaning the witches with this type of skill-naming are considered noble, fierce, powerful, and skillful combative magic users.

Yuto's teacher Mrs. Kashiwagi, is a reference to the anime Miira no Kaikata or How to Raise a Mummy. The last name of his teacher is also the last name of the protagonist: Sora Kashiwagi. If you haven't seen it yet, I recommend it as the anime and manga are adorable and very sweet.