Chapter 29: Crystal Song

{Maiami City Stadium: July 15th, 2014, 12:04pm}

The day had been somewhat crazy after the opening ceremony had concluded. Frederic had won his duel with little trouble; however, Allie had been defeated by a boy named Riley Akaba, whom, judging by the last name, meant that he was more than likely Reiji's younger brother. Yuya was currently sitting on the ground near the water eating a quick lunch that his mother had made for him and the others as they took their break before the next rounds in the tournament would begin. While Allie was a bit put out about not winning her duel when she had been doing so well at the start, she was determined to look at it from a bright perspective that would grant her something to take from it to further herself. She was rambling on and on about what she would do to be better next time and make sure she didn't let her Monsters down, while Frederic and Tate were giving her ideas and pointers as Yuzu sat beside him and Gongenzaka dealt with Sora's antics.

"Nervous?" he asked as Yuzu looked down at her sandwich with faint dismay.

"Terrified…" Yuya smiled as he reached towards her and placed a hand upon her own.

"You'll do fine. Just put your heart into your deck, and trust it to come through for you. None of your fairies will let you down if you believe in them," he assured her.

"That's easy for you to say… your Performapals, Dragons, and Magicians are really hard to beat…" the scarlet-eyed boy nodded.

"Maybe so… but you did beat my deck after all. Or did you forget the trouncing you gave me after I beat Strong Ishijima?" Yuya questioned. Yuzu stared at him for a moment before glancing down.

"I guess your right…" he nudged her with his shoulder, a smile on his face.

"Of course, I'm right! I've known you since before we were crawling. So, come on, don't start to think you're gonna lose… not with the training Sora gave you, and the good luck charms I gave you. Between those, and your faith in your deck, you'll mop the floor with Julia Crystal," he pointed out as Yuzu smiled.

"We're so different… but similar… like mirrors facing one another or the reflections in water. I see him, and he sees me… and we're close… but there's something that keeps us from truly touching one another… is it because he's a witch and I'm just… a mortal? Or is it because I'm afraid of what he'll say if I tell him I love him?"

"Yuzu?" the pink-haired girl looked to Yuya who gave her a small smile.

"Hmm?" he laughed just a bit, the sound feeling like the warmth of the sun that beat down on them, and the breeze off the ocean.

"Just smile… and trust me when I tell you that there's nothing for you to be scared of. You're brave and strong, so take a chance and just believe you can do it, alright?"

Yuzu stared at him, seeing the person she'd always known right beside her where he had always been. His eyes seeming to glow in the bright sun that radiated the warmth of his smile, the gentle touch of his hand upon hers that felt like the cool ocean breeze that had always surrounded their town and the soft tone of his voice that reminded her of the waters that sparkled in the brightness of day. It was always him, the one person who seemed to help her when she least expected it, who just appeared when she needed him most.

When she couldn't find him, and needed him there, if she called, Yuya came to her as if summoned by a whisper and his assurance was there with him, the radiating warmth and light that accompanied this strange boy no matter where he was. It was something Yuzu always could count on, and as she sat next to him, on the little knoll just outside of the duel stadium, the ocean crashing and the wind lightly blowing, she felt her anxiety vanish in the blink of an eye.

"Thank you, Yuya…" he nodded.

"Anytime, don't worry… I'm always here, just give a call and I'll be there, alright?" Yuzu nodded.

"Okay…"

The rest of their lunch was peaceful; however, as Yuzu stood in the arena preparing to begin her duel, all her panic started to resurface as she glanced towards Yuya who had taken a seat in the stands, and the moment she looked to him he sent her a beaming smile, giving her a thumbs-up as he did so. Yuzu nodded to him, returning the gesture before facing towards the field where she would soon enter, knowing that she had to show everyone what she was capable of not only as a Duelist who had learned to Fusion Summon, but as a member of the You Show Duel School, and as a practitioner of Entertainment Duels.

Around her, the crowds roared, buzzing with conversation as Julia stood on the other side, looking confident as she always had while her sharp pink-ruby eyes looked her over, unimpressed as she appeared to constantly be while Yuzu sent her a sharp glare. The last time they'd dueled, Julia had overwhelmed her with Fusion Summoning, costing You Show a victory that at the time they had desperately needed. Now, Yuzu was fighting for herself, to prove that she wasn't weak, and she could more than hold her own against Julia, and stand beside Yuya who had always stood by her. Nodding to herself the announcer began his introduction.

"THE MAIAMI CITY ARC LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP! A FESTIVAL FOR DUELISTS ACTING AS A GATEWAY TO THE PROS! RIGHT HERE, PASSONATE HEATED FEELINGS WILL CLASH! LET'S BLAST IT!" the doors opened, and Yuzu stepped out into the arena while Julia just before her, a coy smirk upon her features as Yuzu scowled, unwilling to relent to anything Julia threw at her.

"Go for it, Big Sis Yuzu!" called the children.

"I'm expecting a shiver-worthy Duel!" stated Frederic.

"Keep calm and get on out there! Show her what you're made of! Yuzu!" Yuya called to her, his voice somehow reaching her with the most clarity as she looked at him once more before facing Julia on the battlefield.

"No matter what happens, I refuse to let her win! Right here and now, I'm going to prove myself!" Yuzu thought as Julia smirked.

"There isn't an ounce of light in your eyes," she stated snidely. Yuzu tensed before shaking her head furiously.

"No, no, no, no! I lost last time because I was thinking to hard about Yuya and Yuto! I'm not going to let my eyes get clouded again! Julia! I'll use this Duel to show you how much I've changed since then!" the half-Indian girl hummed.

"Sounds good! This is our long-awaited tournament, after all. So, it wouldn't be a good feast if you couldn't add some flavor!" she said.

"Did you skip lunch or something? You should a little hungry." Julia rolled her eyes.

"Oh please, the only thing that can sate my appetite is your defeat, fairy-girl," she said as Yuzu glared.

"Then bring it on!" Nico Smiley appeared upon the jumbotron and grinned brightly.

"So sorry to keep you all waiting, dearies! Starting off, we have Yuzu Hiiragi, a student of You Show Duel School and practitioner of Entertainment Dueling! She's pitted against Julia Crystal, who hails from Leo Duel School which, as usual, sent the most participants to the tournament!" As Nico went about his task of introducing the two duelists, Sora glanced to the side to see Shay and Yuto standing off to the side, unknowing who the second, shorter person was as he frowned, noting that the person favored Yuya somewhat.

"So that's the person who was mistaken for Yuya? They do seem to favor quite a bit. His hair's wrong though, and his eyes are a different color too. I guess they're accomplices. Okay, then this should be good to see how they react to my incredible student and teaching style!" he thought.

"We now begin by setting the Action Field! The Field Spell Card is picked at random by the machine… I wonder what will it be?" the card was selected, appearing as a spell card with the image of thousands of bridges and posts all around it.

"I know that field spell… Yuzu's going to have to rely on her Monsters to win this one," Yuya considered as Nico swung into action.

"ACTION FIELD ON! THE STAGE FOR THIS GRAND SHOW WILL BE: INFINITE BRIDGES! NOW ACTIVATE!" The field generated, the series of dizzying bridges forming as Yuzu braced herself for the insane stunts she was going to have to pull and counted her blessings that she had been smart and worn shorts today.

"One wrong step and either of these lovely girls will take a nose dive straight to the bottom! Which is a terrifying six stories down. Inside this field filled with nothing but tension, which of these two beauties from the Junior Youth Class will capture the spotlight and bloom into a dazzling flower? Now, the action cards will scatter, and the match shall begin. DUEL!" The orb of light above them shattered, dispelling the Action Cards around the area as Julia stepped forward.

"I'll be taking the first turn! I activate the spell card Gem-Knight Fusion! This allows me to Fusion Summon using Gem-Knights from my hand!" Julia played the card, revealing a dazzling art of gems and two figures, one of red, the other blue swirling around together.

"I figured she'd use Hand Fusion on her first turn just like she did before. Sora said that's always the easiest and safest way to Fusion summon without losing your materials. Not to mention Fusion Summoning is the only method that allows you to summon from your hand other than Advance Summoning," Yuzu thought as Julia continued her turn.

"I'm fusing together the three Gem-Knights from my hand: Sapphire, Garnet, and Crystal! O Firm Blue Will! O Crimson Truth! O Vision of Clarity! Swirl together in the light to become one and form a new radiance! Fusion Summon! Come Forth! The supreme radiance that illuminates all that exists! Gem-Knight Master Diamond!" the towering monster made of silver and golden armor with touches of the stone he was titled after appeared, his cloak of black and red with blue trim flowing behind him as the broadsword he wielded shined in the light around them, the rainbow fuse of crystals embedded into it sparkling.

"So, you played yoru Ace right off the bat?" Yuzu asked.

"Master Diamond gains one-hundred Attack Points for each Gem Monster in my graveyard!" Yuya tensed in his seat.

"Her opponent has three Gem-Knights in her Graveyard. That means that twenty-nine-hundred attack point Monster is going to go up to thirty-two-hundred," he muttered.

"I set one card and end my turn! Now it's your turn. Give me a good look at your supposed changed self! Or are you still going to prove to be the weakling I know from my last duel with you?" Yuzu took in a steady breath, preparing to begin her turn by placing the tips of her fingers on her cards.

"My turn! Draw! You wanted a look at my new self! Well so be it! I activate the spell card Polymerization, from my hand!" Yuzu declared as Julia felt her eyes grow wide.

"P-Polymerization?!" the girl held the card out, Julia staring in disbelief as Sora smiled in a proud manner.

"WHAT A TURN! HIIRAGI USES FUSIONS!" Nico's remark was left hanging in the air as Yuzu took in a steady breath.

"I fuse together from my hand Sonata and Aria the Melodious Divas! Oh, sweet song of the world, guided by the maestro's hand, resonate with a new melody! Fusion Summon! Come forth! The prodigy that guides wistful hearts! Shuberta the Melodious Maestra!" the orange-haired, blue-skinned fairy creature in her lavish black, gold, red, and white gown appeared, her gloved hands brandishing her baton elegantly as she appeared upon Yuzu's field. The monster stood at twenty-four-hundred attack points, and was a level six monster. Julia looked it over, humming a bit.

"Big Sis Yuzu did it! She brought out her Fusion Monster!" the children cheered as Shuzo stood to his feet, tears welling in his eyes.

"Nice one, my little fairy! You're shining bright today!" he said

"Okay, come on Yuzu, show her how you shine…" Yuya thought as he smiled, relieved to see the Maestra on the field.

"Once per turn, Shuberta the Melodious Maestra can banish each card used to Summon one Fusion Monster from the Graveyard! I chose Master Diamond's Fusion Summon Materials! Therefore, I banish Sapphire, Garnet, Crystal, and the spell card Gem-Knight Fusion, from my opponent's graveyard! Chorus Break!"

"With all three of Master Diamond's materials banished, his attack points go back to twenty-nine-hundred," Tate mentioned as the others cheered Yuzu on while she nodded to herself.

"So, what? Your Shuberta is still to weak to defeat my Master Diamond!" Yuzu looked to Julia.

"During this turn, for each banished card, my Maestra's attack points go up by two-hundred!" the Gem-Knight Duelist stared at the sight of the pink-haired girl's monster's attack points going up.

"That's an eight-hundred raise…" Yuzu nodded.

"Meaning my Maestra has thirty-two-hundred attack points to your twenty-nine-hundred," she stated while up in the stands the others were watching in excitement as the children considered the situation.

"Not only did she lower the opponent's attack points, she even raised her points by eight-hundred!" Sora nibbled on his lollipop for a moment.

"And that isn't all. Gem-Knight Fusion, even while in the Graveyard, after being used for a Fusion Summon, is a card that can be added back to your hand by banishing a Monster in the Graveyard. What Yuzu did there was her way of stopping that from happening," the candy addict explained as he glanced towards Yuto and Shay.

"They should understand that much, at least." Yuzu steadied herself as Sora turned his attention back to the duel.

"I battle! I use Shuberta the Melodious Maestra to attack Master Diamond! Wave of the Great!" the fairy's hair seemed to turn into flames as the scores on her dress lit up and she raised her hands into the air, her baton at the ready to unleash the attack which struck in a matter of moments as Julia leapt down to a lower bridge as her Life Points dropped from four-thousand to thirty-seven-hundred.

"She knocked her life points down by three hundred, but Yuzu needs to keep blocking her otherwise Julia will use this as a reason to attack with far more powerful Monsters," Yuya thought as he bit the corner of his lip, knowing that the Duel was about to get harder.

"I set two cards face-down and end my turn! At this point, Shuberta's attack points return to normal," Yuzu stated as she followed through with the action and Julia frowned.

"Whoa man, You Show Duel School's not doing half bad!" Yaiba pointed out as Hokuto nodded a bit.

"Julia's hand is at zero… so turning this around will be tricky."

"My turn! Draw! You know, I was surprised to see that you use Fusions. But you're still not even close to me in terms of skill," Julia stated as Yuzu frowned.

"You're bluffing! You only have one card in your hand! You won't be able to use Fusion like that!" the girl laughed.

"You sure about that? I activate the continuous spell, Brilliant Fusion, from my hand! This card lets me Fusion Summon one Gem-Knight by using the Monsters in my deck as the Fusion Materials!" she explained.

"From your deck?!" Sora whistled a bit.

"Seems she's deciding to be tricky… good thing I prepared Yuzu for this kind of thing… and with Yuya giving her an extra hand, she just needs to rely on her deck to pull through for her," he pondered as Julia continued with her turn.

"From my deck, I'll perform a Fusion, selecting the Gem-Knights Alexandrite, Emerald, and Obsidian!" Yuya, observing this sight started to feel a tad anxious.

"She's doing a Fusion by selecting three Monsters from her deck and not even Summoning?!" he asked as Sora chewed on another lollipop.

"Uhuh, she's pretty crafty." Scarlet eyes glanced to the blue-haired boy.

"You knew this would happen, didn't you?" he questioned as Sora looked to him.

"Maybe you can read minds or something, because yea, I did and Yuzu's prepared to do what I've taught her."

"O magical stone with the visages of night and day! O green radiance bringing good fortune! O sharp jet-black darkness! Become one in the light and bring forth a new radiance! Fusion Summon! This is my true Ace! The woman of radiance, Gem-Knight Lady Brilliant Diamond!" the monster that sprang forth was in cream and silver armor with a red cloak and diamonds upon her knees, hips, chest, and head while she wielded a traditional templar sword. Gem-Knight Lady Brilliant Diamond was a level ten earth attribute monster with a terrifying thirty-four-hundred attack points. Yuzu tensed, knowing that Julia was about to run her over with the monster she'd just summoned.

"Yeah! Show 'em what LDS' Fusions are all about!" Yaiba called while those who were supporting Yuzu knew things were getting more and more intense.

"And monster I special summon using Brilliant Fusion, has its attack and defense reduced to zero. However, if I send a spell card from my hand to the graveyard, its attack points return to normal until my next turn!" Julia began to move, and Yuzu followed her, knowing what her intentions were.

Up in the stands Yuya found himself explaining to the children what Julia's scheme was, and that by sending an action card to the graveyard, Brilliant Diamond's attack would return to it's original thirty-four-hundred, leaving Yuzu to receive a rather nasty hit to her life points; however, he had a firm belief that Yuzu had a plan in mind that would let her bounce back from this if Julia were to succeed. As of this moment though, all he could do was sit there and hope Yuzu had foreseen this and had something that could combat it.

"I won't let you! I activate the Trap, Melodious Melody of Divine Punishment! This card deals eight-hundred damage for each Melodious Monster I control on my field!" the aurora borealis formed in the sky above and not a second later, bright green and blue lightening came tumbling down and struck right where Julia was, sending her flying as her Life Points dropped to twenty-nine-hundred. However, the girl used the pole nearby and swung herself around, catching the Action Card and turned to Yuzu.

"That was a truly impressive recovery! She is indeed one of LDS' elite! With a beautiful performance, she got her hands on an Action Card!" Yuzu bit her lip as Julia prepared to do what she had hoped to prevent.

"I send one Action Spell to my graveyard to return Brilliant Diamond's attack points to normal until my next turn!" she stated as the monster's attack went up to thirty-four-hundred again.

"This isn't good…"

"Battle! I attack your Shuberta with my Brilliant Diamond!" the Maestra attempted to withstand the Gem-Knight's onslaught, but ultimately, it was of no use and she was cut down while Yuzu was thrown backwards.

"YUZU!" periwinkle eyes opened to see that Yuya was on his feet, worry clear in his expression as she took in a deep breath and turned mid-air, catching the railing and preventing herself from falling.

"OH MY! THAT WAS A CLOSE CALL! HIIRAGI BARELY DODGED A FALL BY GRABBING THE HANDRAIL!" Yuzu took in a deep breath as she started to pull herself up and back onto the bridge while her life points dropped to three thousand.

"I was worried for a bit, but now things are back to normal," Hokuto stated as Yuzu stood up and got her bearings again.

"Do you understand now? This is the difference between me and you, Yuzu Hiiragi. You'll never be able to beat me, but I'll save the trash talking for after I grind you into the ground. So, on that note, I'll end my turn." Yuzu glowered at Julia.

"I know I can do this… all I have to do is put my faith in my deck and it'll pull through for him… just like what Yuya told me," she thought.

"My turn! Draw! I set one Monster in face-down defense position," Yuzu stated as Julia gave her a uninterested look.

"Looks like that's all you can do." The pink-haired girl looked at the card in her hand.

"If Julia is the kind of Duelist I think she is, she'll definitely do what I think she will." Yuzu nodded to herself.

"I set one card face-down and end my turn!" she said.

"Eh? That's all she's doing?" asked Frederic as Sora smiled.

"Like I've been saying, there's no need to worry about any of this. When I was training her to Fusion Summon, I expected her to handle this much in an actual duel. She'll be fine… I made sure to teach her how to deal with fighting Fusion users." Yuya tensed.

"I hope your right," he muttered. Julia started moving again, Yuzu's heart hammering in her chest as she followed her opponent.

"My turn! Draw! Now, Brilliant Fusion's effect returns Brilliant Diamond's attack points to zero." Julia continued to move, and Yuzu kept pace.

"I won't let you get an Action Card!" she stated.

"And I won't let you stop me! I summon Crystal Rose!" the rose cut from crystal emerged onto the field, glittering in the sunlight as it hovered near Julia.

"Five hundred attack points?" Yuzu questioned as Julia kept running.

"While on the field, Crystal Rose can serve as a material for a Fusion Summon! So, I'll have Crystal Rose count as Gem-Knight Tourmaline! Next, I activate the effect of Brilliant Diamond! I can perform a Fusion Summon by sending one of the materials on the field needed for a Fusion Summon to the Graveyard…" Brilliant Diamond held her hands to the stone in her chest and it floated outwards, followed by two more, the three diamonds glittering.

"A Fusion Summon using only one material?" Julia smirked.

"You don't know as much as you think you do. Whoever taught you is a hack!" she said as Sora fumed.

"Hey! I resent that!" he snapped as Yuya sent him a slightly concerned look before looking back to the duel.

"This is the power of my Brilliant Diamond! I Fusion Summon Gem-Knight Zirconia using the Crystal Rose that currently counts as Gem-Knight Tourmaline! Grind Fusion! Come forth, Dazzling Radiance! Gem-Knight Zirconia!" the giant of a monster with glittering gems for fists adorned in silver and copper armor appeared, it's gray cloak billowing behind it as the creature landed in front of Yuzu and Julia snagged another Action Card.

"Okay, now I know what she's playing at…" Yuzu thought as Julia raised the action spell miracle in the air.

"I send one Action Spell to the graveyard! Returning Brilliant Diamond's attack points to their original value!" Yuya bit his bottom lip at the sight.

"And with that, Brilliant Diamond's attack points are back to their original value until the opponent's next turn comes. Julia keeps blocking Yuzu at every turn, I just hope Yuzu has a plan," he stated, never once taking his eyes off the field.

"Battle! First, my Zirconia attacks your face-down defense monster!" the giant knight smashed the card, revealed to be Canon the Melodious Diva. Yuzu went tumbling down the bridge, only stopping a moment later as Julia came to stand near her.

"Ouch…" Yuzu muttered.

"Now, with this you have no Monsters to protect yourself with. This ends it! My Brilliant Diamond attacks you directly!" Julia stated sharply as Yuzu remained on the ground as the monster's blade started to head towards her.

"Not this time! Trap, activate! Fusion Cycle! I can special summon, in attack position one Monster from my opponent's graveyard, that was used in a Fusion Summon this turn to my side of the field!" Julia felt her eyes grow a bit wide.

"From my graveyard?!" she asked as Yuzu got to her feet.

"Yes, and I choose to summon Crystal Rose! The Monster Special Summoned by this effect cannot be destroyed by battle this turn!" Julia looked at the girl.

"But you still take the damage!" the attack struck the area between Julia and Yuzu as the pink-haired girl was sent flying, skidding across the ground as she came to a halt upon the ground.

"With this, I end my turn. If I hadn't Fusion Summoned this turn, you wouldn't have been able to use Fusion Cycle. Be grateful that you're so lucky," Julia stated as Yuzu started to stand.

"That wasn't luck… just now. Julia, you have the pride of being a Fusion user. If I was you, I'd definitely finish me off by using a Fusion Monster. And knowing that, was what gave me the hope I needed to save my remaining life points!" Julia scoft.

"Don't let it go to your head just because you managed to survive defeat by the skin of your teeth. I mean, be serious, you only have a hundred life points left," she stated.

"I'll show you otherwise!" the other sighed.

"Fine, let's see if you can do more than struggle in vain on your next turn," Julia said.

"I hope I can do this…" Yuzu placed her finger tips to her deck, preparing to draw. Her hand shook, fear of her deck failing her and not being able to prove how far she'd come starting to weigh upon her. As she stood there, panic starting to rear it's head, Yuya's voice broke into her mind, somewhat startling her.

"Just smile… and trust me when I tell you that there's nothing for you to be scared of. You're brave and strong, so take a chance and just believe you can do it, alright?"

"Okay, Yuya… here I go… draw!" Yuzu held her card up, looking to it as she realized now was her chance to prove what she had been trying to the entire duel.

"I'll show you just how much I can shine! I summon Soprano the Melodious Songstress!" the red-haired armor-clad Duel monster with pale green skin adorned in a white dress with a bandage covering her eyes appeared on Yuzu's field.

"Fourteen-hundred attack points? Please!" Yuya smirked just a fraction, knowing what she was going for.

"You won't doubt me anymore! If Soprano is on my field, and I would use it as a Material for a Fusion Summon, I can perform that Fusion Summon without using a Fusion Spell!" Julia looked at the other girl's field.

"Do you intend to use my Crystal Rose?" Yuzu gave her a stern look.
"Yes! Crystal Rose, while on my field, can be substituted for one necessary Fusion Material Monster for a Fusion Summon, I substitute Mozarta the Melodious Maestra with Crystal Rose!" the rock-type monster glowed, showing the silhouette of Mozarta on the field.

"You can do this, come on!" Yuzu nodded to herself once more.

"Using Soprano, the Melodious Songstress' effect, I fuse Soprano herself and Crystal Rose together!" Julia took a step back.

"You can summon a monster if you want, I'll find a way to beat it," she stated sharply as Yuzu took in a steady breath.

"The voice of angels, the notes of life that form an endless spring of radiant blooms! Come together as one, calling forth the birth of wildflowers inside the soul! Fusion Summon! Step onto the stage to perform the song of victory! Bloom Diva the Melodious Choir!"

A pink flower appeared upon the field, the petals unfurling as the fairy Fusion monster appeared on the field from the bloom. Upon a golden pedestal, adorned with pink petals stood a slight fairy in a shimmering blue gown while a long ribbon carrying a music score upon it behind her like wings. Yellow flowers were adorned upon her shoulders and into her upward curled blue hair and in her ears, hanging as earrings. Her lace-blue eyes shining with a radiance as she sung a few bars before coming to rest beside Yuzu.

"Look Yuya! She summoned the monster you gave her!" said Sora.

"Yea, I had a feeling that was the one she was aiming for." Tate frowned.

"But it only has a thousand attack points," he pointed out as Yuya shook his head.

"It's not her attack that matters… you'll see soon enough." Yuzu prepared to attack.

"I attack Gem-Knight Zirconia with Bloom Diva!" she declared as Julia gawked at her.

"Even though my Knight is stronger?" Yuzu kept a stern look upon her face.

"Bloom Diva! Attack with Petal Sonnet!" everyone watched as the tiny fairy stood up against the rebounding of Zirconia and the Monster started to struggle against her.

"What?!" Yuzu looked to Julia.

"Bloom Diva cannot be destroyed by battle with special summoned Monsters, and any damage taken by me is inflicted on my opponent instead, and the Monster is destroyed!" she announced as a torrent of golden petals ripped through Zirconia and hit Julia directly dropping her Life Points to one-thousand.

"How dare you do this to me… but that's fine… that move just cost you your life! I activate my Trap, Brilliant Spark! When a Gem-Knight is destroyed on my side of the field. I can inflict damage to my opponent equal to it's attack points!" Gongenzaka found himself startled by the rebound.

"The destroyed Zirconia's attack points are twenty-nine-hundred!" he stated.

"If this connects, Yuzu will lose… but… she has a facedown still." Sora looked to Yuya.

"He keeps confusing me with how easy he can read Yuzu when she could never quite pinpoint him. Yuya already knows what she's planning with that facedown, but it seems like all the others haven't figured it out yet… must be a witch thing," he considered as the attack headed towards Yuzu.

"You're going to lose here!" Julia stated as Yuzu braced herself.

"No, you are! Trap, activate! Melodious Illusion! During my turn's battle phase, it negates the effect of a Trap my opponent activated, and then enables one of my Melodious Monsters to attack once again!" just as the group thought that Yuzu had blocked the attack, Julia started moving again.

"I activate Brilliant Spark's other effect! By sending a spell card to the Graveyard, it lets me negate an effect that would negate this trap card!" Julia began to reach for an Action Card; however, just as she was about to reach it, Yuzu came flying by, snagging the card as she continued to plummet only to be caught by Bloom Diva.

"H-HOW DARING! HIIRAGI GOT THE ACTION CARD WITH A DIVING CATCH!" Nico announced, stunned as the girl was placed upon a bridge by her monster. Yuzu looked towards her opponent.

"You Show Duel School will never lose when it comes to action!" she stated while Julia only could stare in disbelief.

"Absurd! She jumped down from three stories above us?" Yuzu nodded.

"The techniques we're taught at You Show teaches us to rely on becoming one with our Monsters! By trusting them, they always have our backs," she said.

"YEAH! YOU TELL HER MY LITTLE FAIRY!" Shuzo was punched in the side by Yoko.

"Pipe down!" she told him as Yuzu smiled.

"Due to Melodious Illusion's effect, Bloom Diva can attack once more! This is the end! I attack Brilliant Diamond with Bloom Diva! Reflecting Shout!" the fairy lit up bright pink as Julia's Gem-Knight prepared to fight back only to be blasted to pieces by the tiny flower fairy, dropping Julia's Life points to zero.

However, as this happened, the wind caused Julia to be thrown off the bridge and be sent falling through the bridges, six stories down. Yuzu worked fast, pointing towards the girl as Bloom Diva dove down and in a sweep of petals, caught Julia mid-air, saving her from a potentially fatal fall. The moment the Monster caught her, Julia opened her eyes, staring at the beautiful fairy that had her as she looked to it and then to Yuzu who nodded to her, smiling in relief that Bloom Diva had made it in time while up in the stands Yaiba and Hokuto sighed in respite, being happy that their friend was safe as she was sat down next to Yuzu.

"You… saved me?" she asked.

"Of course, I did. I wasn't going to let you fall to your death just because you lost. That's not how Duelists do things… remember what Yuya said in the opening ceremony? We have to work together, win or lose so we can show the next generation how a real Duelist duels." Yuzu held out her hand and Julia took in a deep breath.

"How could I forget your boyfriend's speech… it was pretty cool, and thanks… for saving me, Hiiragi," she said, taking her hand while Yuzu decided not to correct her.

"Just Yuzu is fine." The field dispersed and the winner was declared as being Yuzu, and the two girls parted ways.

The moment Yuzu was in the stands, Yuya and the others were right there with her, congratulating her as they stood together celebrating her victory over the person who had once given her such a difficult time. As she found herself surrounded by her friends and family, Yuzu looked to Yuya who had a small smile on his face, his eyes softened and warm as she came over to him and pulled him into a hug which he returned, the conversation between the two of them being unspoken, but clear as she thanked him for his help while Sora fussed about someone – or two someones – having left and hoping that they at least stayed long enough for the good part.

It was later that afternoon as everyone was leaving for the day that Julia had come up to Yuzu in the parking lot and handed her the Crystal Rose card, telling her that she needed to always shine like she had today, and to continue winning otherwise she'd be angry at her. Yuzu took the card gratefully, telling Julia that she would remember her words, and cherish the card as a gift from a new friend who helped her become stronger. Julia had smiled and told her goodbye, casting once glance towards her and Yuya before walking away to meet up with Yaiba and Hokuto as they all departed, returning home to prepare for the events that would unfurl themselves tomorrow.

{…..}

I'm tired of listenin' I'm warning you, don't try to get up…

{…}

Author's Note: Well, Yuzu's duel with Julia is officially over, and up next, we have more fun duels, but in the middle of these duels, we have some serious conversations going on, and a bit of back story work. Well, let me know what you guys think, and I'll look forward to your reviews.

Trivia:

There are several types of Fusion Summoning: Field, Hand, Deck, Graveyard, Effect, and Non-Poly.

Field Fusion is when all materials for Fusion Summoning is present on your field.

Hand Fusion is what Julia did as well as Yuzu, meaning you have your monsters and the Polymerization card in your hand. It is generally the best way to go seeing as it doesn't allow your opponent to blast your monsters or the polymerization card.

Deck Fusion is what Julia did by using a spell or trap card effect to fusion summon. Interestingly enough, it's almost identical to Effect and non-poly Fusion Summoning.

Fusion Summoning is the only Summoning Mechanic in the game that lets you summon a Monster from your Extra deck from your hand: Rituals, are the second closest thing, allowing you to use materials in your hand or on the field to Ritual Summon; however, less than half of Ritual Monsters can actually be summoned this way.

Bloom Diva the Melodious Choir's effect is actually a little different in the anime. The actual card states: Cannot be destroyed by battle or card effects, also you take no battle damage from attacks involving this card. If this card battles a special summoned monster, after damage calculation: you can inflict damage to your opponent equal to the difference between the original ATK of that opponent's monster and this card, and if you do, destroy that opponent's monster.

Bloom Diva can be destroyed by cards that do not target her though, and she can also be stopped effect wise by Odd-Eyes Meteorburst Dragon once per turn negates the effect of your opponent's monsters during the battle phase.

Gem-Knights are one of the few archetypes to include both Fusion, Xyz, and Link for itself. The next one is the Odd-Eyes archetype which has a dragon for every single summoning format and card type save for Link.