Chapter 55: Crossing Wires

Yuzu walked down the corridors of the duel school, eyes scanning the area in search of Yuya. He had been acting strange the last few days, and his behavior today had bothered her the most. During school, he had been distracted, not really paying attention or taking notes on anything, and often staring blankly at the wall or out the window, and when they were in classes at the duel school, Yuya had never said a word, only staring towards the front of the class in a way that spooked her to a vast degree. It wasn't like him to act the way he was, and that gave her a good enough reason to want to look for him, due to him having vanished right after class ended.

The pink-haired girl looked into the spare rooms, checking everywhere she could think before sighing in defeat as she glanced towards the bathroom. It was possible that he was there and wasn't feeling well. Shaking her head, the girl walked to the door and heard water from the sink running from behind the door, at which point she decided she would open the door and call for him, if he answered she'd tell him she'd wait for him, and if he didn't she'd go in and ask again. Nodding, Yuzu opened the door, and looked to where Yuya was standing at the sink, his hands moving in a strangely tight manner as he grabbed several paper towels and bunched them up.

"Yuya? What are you –"

That was when she saw the blood. It was everywhere on the counters, dripping down to the floor. The second she saw it, her heart froze in her chest, and she rushed forward, startling him as she grabbed his hands, looking at the gashes on his wrists.

"Y-Yuzu?" fear began to seep into her system as she looked at the cuts and all the blood before she looked around, seeing the cabinet to her right, which she rushed to, tracking blood as she went, and jerked it open, pulling out two towels before she returned to the boy, and wrapped both his wrists in them, holding them tightly

"Yuya, look at me! Listen to my voice," she said urgently as she pushed him back against the wall, her clothes becoming specked with blood as she sunk to the floor with him, holding his wrists tightly.

"You're… here…" Yuzu stared at him, tears threatening to overcome her as she stared into his eyes. They were dark, his skin was paling, and she could tell by the cooling feel of his fingertips that he was losing too much blood.

"Hold on, God… I can't make it stop," she said as she pushed the boy's wrists together, and pulled her arm around him, pressing their bodies together with his arms pinned between their chests as she grabbed her phone out of her pocket and pressed the number for her father and waited.

"Can you… stay… please?" periwinkle eyes widened in fear as she heard her father pick up on the other side.

"Dad! Please! Hurry! I'm in the bathroom with Yuya! He's…. oh, God, dad!" she heard him telling her that he and Gongenzaka were on their way and he hung up. She dropped the phone to the ground and clutched both his wrists wrapped in slowly darkening towels in her hands.

"Yuzu…" the girl looked to him shaking her head.

"Don't you dare give up! You're not leaving me, got it?" she stated, her body shaking with repressed tears.

"S-Sorry…" she once more shook her head, tears welling up in her eyes as she looked into his own.

"Yuzu! Yuya!" periwinkle eyes looked to the voices that called for them, and stared as they froze at the sight.

"God! Yuya!"

The next thing Yuzu knew, Gongenzaka had taken Yuya up into his arms while her father had called the hospital, telling them that they had a patient on the way that had suffered substantial blood loss. They had gotten into his car, lying in the back as Gongenzaka held onto the boy, his skin turning pale, broken out in an icy sweat as his breathing came out in faint, struggling pants. Yuzu grabbed his hand, holding onto his finger tips and feeling the coolness of them. When they had arrived in the hospital, it had been a whirlwind of events that scared her as she watched the people take Yuya away and in that moment, she buckled.

Yuzu hit the floor hard, crying as she looked at her bloodied hands, her body shaking to the point that she couldn't even breathe properly. It felt like someone was strangling her, causing her heart to race frantically against her ribs while she sobbed uncontrollably, her father going to her and pulling his arms around her as Gongenzaka stood silently nearby, not able to voice his own pained thoughts. The pink-haired girl had been approached by one of the nurses, offering to give her something to calm her down, but her father had refused, because he knew she didn't want it.

The girl finally had gotten herself to a chair, and not a moment later, Yoko had arrived, and she had thrown herself at the woman, sobbing even harder as they both found themselves on the floor, the blonde-haired woman cradling her as she cried, and Yoko didn't attempt to repress her own tears. They sat there for two hours, all of them in shock over what had happened as Yuzu looked to Yoko, seeing her with her hands clasped together, pressed to her lips with her eyes closed as she held a yellow beaded chain in her hands with some kind of gold-toned medallion. Yoko was praying, something Yuzu had never seen her do, and it surprised her, but didn't alleviate her tears, until at long last a doctor approached them with news that Yuya was stable and they had managed to suture the gashes on his wrists and were giving him a transfusion.

They were brought back and Yuya had looked to them, causing Yuzu to still. He was so pale, his eyes weak, and his lips colorless as she felt tears fall again and rushed into the room, startling the group as the girl came to him, pulling him gently into her arms as Yuya let her hug him, holding him close to her as though she was terrified that if she let go, he would disappear. The pink-haired girl sobbed, to the point that her throat felt raw and her face cold and stiff as she slumped down to the point that her face was buried in his chest, her body having curled up next to him in the bed, the doctor not having the heart to tell her not to do it as Yoko and the others spoke with the man. Yuzu had heard him explain that Yuya had tried to commit suicide, and had been fortunate that she had found him when she had, or he wouldn't have made it. The words only made her cry harder.

"Yuzu…" she shook her head.

"Don't you ever try to leave me again! Do you hear me? You're not allowed to not be here! Promise me, that you won't give up… that you'll stay with me… please…" she pleaded with him, sobbing into his chest as she did so. A heavily bandaged hand and wrist was laid atop her head, and Yuya let out a small breath.

"Okay… I'll stay with you… I promise…" The thought of living in a world where he didn't exist, where he wasn't by her side, wasn't something she'd ever thought of, until that day, and now, it scared her to no end.

{Synchro Dimension: Hugo's Apartment: July 29th, 2014: 8:01am}

Yuzu opened her eyes, blinking as she felt tears slide down her face while she sat up, wiping the tears away as Hugo looked to her, sighing as he sat down a cup in front of her, and she thanked him softly before taking in a small sip of what turned out to be hot chocolate. She rubbed her eyes, tears still falling as Hugo sat down quietly next to her, giving her time and space until she was ready to talk to him. It had been four days since she'd arrived in the Synchro Dimension, and they had stayed in this apartment, small but big enough for two people, to stay out of sight from security while they also thought of a plan to stop Academia.

"I'm sorry…" Hugo shook his head.

"Ever since you came here, you've been crying a lot… is something wrong?" he asked her.

"N-No, I just… was dreaming about something…" the other looked to her.

"Can I ask what it was?" he inquired.

"It was about Yuya… he… I'm not even sure I should be telling you this…" Hugo shook his head.

"Don't tell me if you're not okay with it… no one's forcing you, and it's clear that this is a painful topic," he said.

"Hmm… I want to… talk about it, though… it's just… more personal for Yuya than me…" Hugo nodded.

"Something told me it had to do with him. The two of you share a close bond, like Rin and I do… so, not being together leaves this void inside you that can't be fixed until the two of you are reunited," he stated.

"You're right… but… I wasn't really dreaming… I was remembering something that happened earlier this year… reliving it." Hugo looked to her.

"What was it?" Yuzu took a sip of her drink and then wiped her eyes again.

"The day that I nearly lost Yuya…" the other gave her a long look.

"Lost him? Was he in an accident?" Yuzu gave a weak laugh.

"That's what we call it… but that's not what it was. Two weeks before he turned fourteen, Yuya… tried to commit suicide… and I was the one who… found him. It's been haunting me ever since… there was just… so much blood and I couldn't stop the bleeding… if I hadn't called my dad and our friend Gongenzaka to come to the bathroom I was in right then with him… he would have died," she admitted.

Hugo remained silent for a moment, allowing the words to sink in as his mind thought of how horrible that situation must have been for her. Yuya was special to her, in a way that made life without him painful and caused her heart to grieve because that person who was so dear to her that with him not at her side, it was debilitating to the point that she suffered, and that was why she cried so much. Without question, he could tell Yuzu was a strong girl, much like Rin, but even the strongest of people had their weaknesses, and that didn't make them any less brave when they showed it. Sighing, the half-undine took a sip of his drink and then looked to the pink-haired girl.

"Then you shouldn't see that memory as a bad thing… because of you, the person you love the most, is alive! He's still here, in this world, because a person named Yuzu Hiiragi was there to save him, and if anything, that memory should serve as a reminder that the two of you are there when things hurt the most… and that if you reach out for him, you'll find him. The two of you are connected, by all your trials, and good moments… it proves that what you feel… isn't fake… it's real." Yuzu looked down.

"Thank you… you're pretty good at… making people feel better…" she told him.

"It's an Undine thing… all of us, whether we're half-blooded or not, are like that. But, Yuzu? If you think about it, I'm sure Yuya misses you just as much as you do him… so, don't cry… for his sake, be brave…" Yuzu's eyes widened.

"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?" Yuya's voice echoed in her mind, a flash of his brilliant smile and warm scarlet eyes that caused her tense body to relax.

"Your right… he wouldn't want me to be scared and sad… Yuya's always believed that I'm brave and strong, that I can do anything so long as I try… guess I shouldn't give up now, huh?" Hugo nodded.

"That's the spirit! Hey, I've got an idea!" Yuzu gave him a long look.

"The last idea you had to was for two people to storm Academia alone," she pointed out.

"Okay, I'll admit I wasn't thinking it full through! But this one we can do! I'll help you and Yuya find a way back to each other! He's gonna come looking for you, and when he does, we'll be able to find him!" Yuzu raised an eyebrow.

"How? Are you a hunting dog or something?" she asked.

"No, but you have a guardian's incandescence on you still! That means the two of you will be able to sense one another, once he comes here, you should get some kind of indicator that he's here, and we'll go out and search for him!" Yuzu smiled.

"I guess it couldn't hurt, huh?" Hugo nodded.

"Bingo! Now chin up, a pretty girl like you shouldn't cry all the time… oh, and by the way…" Yuzu raised an eyebrow.

"What?" Hugo pointed to the room down the hall.

"You can borrow Rin's clothes if you want so you can get a bath," he stated.

"Why?" he gave her a pointed look.

"If you wear the same clothes too many days in a row without them being washed and you bathing, you'll start to stink." Within seconds, Hugo was subjected to the hammer space fan slamming down upon his cranium.

{Leo Corp Tower: 10:03am}

Yuya closed his eyes, holding his hands with his palms facing downwards a bit out to his sides, fingers stretched out but relaxed as he focused on the pulse of magic that ebbed from his heart. While he knew just two days more of trying to control his magic wouldn't do much, trying to get at least a bare-bones grasp upon his magic's pulse would be better than nothing. The problem with Waking Magic was that it was as wild as the forces of nature, and no one controlled Mother Nature; however, learning to work with her was very possible, and he applied that here, as he felt his magic glide across his skin, the prickle of his Waking Magic alerting his senses as he felt it jab at him to attempt possession, and he gave it just a bit of leeway, just as he had during his duel with Reiji, and took in a steady breath while the others focused on their training.

"Good job, now just take it easy and focus on a basic elemental spell. How about one of your fire ones?" Yuya nodded to Yuto's suggestion and took in a steady breath.

Opening his eyes, the fourteen-year-old slowly focused his magic into his right palm, and was greeted with distinct bright red flames, causing him to smile just a fraction as he let the flames dance across his skin, his magic keeping it from hurting him as he closed his hand, extinguishing the flames before he took in a steady breath, preparing to try another spell when a randomized one sailed in his direction, his magic growing scalding as he crossed his arms in front of him, and a shield formed, the spell activating upon its own accord, causing the others to be startled as he was tossed back a bit and landed in a crouch with a few deep breaths.

"Well, that was fun," he said as he shook his head, trying to get his senses back.

"You alright?" Yuya nodded, standing as he did so.

"I'll be okay… that spell kinda shocked me, though. Who did that?" he questioned.

"Sawatari…" scarlet met mauve, and the blonde-brunette tensed.

"Sorry, I kind of got excited," he said as Yuya shrugged.

"Eh, it happens. I've been practicing for eleven years now, and I still get excited about learning something new and lose my grip on it… most of us have that problem with new spells at times, even when we're well on into our late teens and early twenties sometimes. You guys aren't used to using magic, so don't worry about messing up the first few times," he said.

"Just make sure that it works when it counts." Sawatari nodded as he looked to his hands.

It was a strange feeling, the buzz that was coursing through his body after he'd taken that pill yesterday. By now, all the mortals had taken a second one, but the faint hum in his body just felt odd, and it made him wonder if this kind of energy flow was what the witches felt the entire time, or just when their magic was induced. Mauve eyes glanced towards Yuya, who was forming a small ball of light in his hand, which he tossed back and forth a few times before it vanished, and he maneuvered through a few different elemental base spells, Shay giving him a few pointers on an electrical-based spell.

"I gotta ask a question," he said.

"What is it?" Sylvio took in a deep breath.

"Um… when you guys use your magic, do you feel this kind of faint vibrating in your body? Or am I just weird?" he inquired. Shay hummed for a moment, thinking of the question.

"Witches who are inclined to electrical based attacks feel that, which is what I'm able to do… hey? Sakaki? Do those notes say anything about the capsules having that kind of side effect of maybe inclining someone to an element or something like that?" Yuya went over to a small table in the corner of the room and grabbed the papers, looking through them before nodding.

"There's a brief note on one of the pages saying that a mortal's personality, zodiac sign, or exposure to magical energies can cause them to be inclined to certain types of magic and… well shit… that explains it I guess, they've been exposed to my magic a whole bunch, even before they knew I was a witch," he stated.

"Obviously, that is the answer, then. I suspect all of us will have to see if we develop any skills that would incline us to certain magics." Reiji's statement was finished as he adjusted his glasses, and Yuya nodded.

"I guess… Shay? Can you take Sawatari? He's probably gonna be an electrical type," Yuya mentioned.

"W-What? Electrical type?! I am not a Pikachu!" Shay grabbed the half-Italian and dragged him off.

"Come on Pika-Pii, let's get started," he said as Sawatari groaned in defeat. Dennis laughed a bit at that while Yuya shook his head.

"Gongenzaka? Do you have anything showing up?" the giant of a teenager looked to Yuya and nodded.

"I believe the earth and I have formed a connection…" he stated.

"This guy's so freakin' cryptic sometimes! Argh!" Yuya repressed a laugh as he was given the mental image of Yuto rolling around on the ground beneath him within his mind in frustration.

"Hang in there, Yuto…" he thought to him.

"Well… earth… I'm not that good at physical earth magic… Dennis? How about you?" Yuya asked.

"I'm fairly decent at it if you must know, what do you say, big guy? Wanna partner up?" Gongenzaka nodded.

"Whatever you have to teach, I will be glad to learn," he said before walking away with Dennis, leaving Riley and Reiji present.

"And you? Reiji?" the seventeen-year-old hummed.

"Wind seems to be a good friend of mine as of the last twenty-four hours, so I suspect Sky or Serena would be a good fit… Riley here is a bit jumbled; however," he stated. Yuya sighed and came over to the lavender-haired boy, crouching down to his eye level with a gentle smile.

"Hey, Riley? You wanna come with me and learn some spells? I can even help you find out what you're best at," he said as Riley stared at the boy.

Riley honestly didn't know what to make of Yuya Sakaki. Upon inspection, he noticed that Yuya looked different from most people, but instead of having a scary air to him, he felt gentle and inviting, giving him the sense that this person was warm and safe. Slowly, he nodded, and Yuya held out his hand, the boy taking it slowly in his own as Persian blue eyes looked him over, and then spotted the scar on Yuya's wrist, causing him to still. The boy tightened his grip on the boy's hand, pulling him forward as he looked at the baseball cap and hood that he had up on his head. Yuya was wearing his goggles today, and smiled as he looked to the boy, Reiji watching the interaction.

"Hey, I'm gonna guess that you're not really fond of people, huh?" he asked.

"N-No…" Yuya nodded.

"I figured… so, I'm going to let you in on a secret… I'm not either, most of the time," he said, somewhat surprising the people in the room who were listening.

"R-Really?" the boy smiled.

"Yea, people can be pretty mean, huh? You've been through some stuff like that, haven't you?" Riley nodded slowly.

"How… did you…" Yuya winked.

"Because I have, too… see these scars on my arms? This was something I did to myself because people hurt me, and I didn't want to hurt anymore… but… you want to know something?" he inquired as he took Riley's hand and placed it upon the scar on his left wrist.

"What?" Though nervous, Riley didn't pull away, and he kept his gaze on Yuya's rich scarlet eyes as the boy smiled to him.

"I regret it every day, because I didn't think about the people I would be hurting. See, Riley, everyone is someone's everything… for me, that's Yuzu, and knowing that, gives me strength to fight… do you have someone you really care about?" he asked. Riley nodded, glancing towards Reiji who gave him a small smile.

"You know, I'm gonna say it's your big brother. You really look up to him, don't you?" the boy smiled in a small manner.

"Mhmm…" Yuya returned his smile.

"See, what I'm trying to say is that everyone here is fighting for someone they love… and if we have that, the pain we feel can dissipate if we think of them… you love your big brother, I can see that… it comes from your heart, and that is where the magic of a witch lies, within our hearts and souls… so, do you want to learn some magic so you can help your big brother?" Yuya questioned as Riley slowly nodded and kept hold of Yuya's hand as the boy followed him to a corner of the room, Reiji, Serena, and Sky watching the two.

"He's something else, I'll admit that." Sky grinned.

"Yuya's great with kids… don't really know what it is, but he's got the kind of personality that makes them feel safe," he mentioned.

"That's because the Pillars exemplify peace and shelter. They're supposed to protect us when times of crisis arise… that is why children flock to Yuya, because he is our Pillar, and though they may not know that, children have better instincts than most adults and know he's a point of refuge. No matter how horrible his experiences may become, or how battle-hardened he becomes… Yuya will always be that source of safety," Reiji thought as he watched Riley smile a bit more as the scarlet-eyed boy showed him a few basic spells, starting with a wind spell, which Riley seemed to be taking to quickly.

"So, shall we begin?" asked Serena as she crackled her knuckles.

"Very well, Sky? I suspect you'll handle Tsukikage?" the blue-haired Dyren Witch nodded.

"Fine by me, come on Ninjago, we got work to do," Sky said as Tsukikage followed him.

"Please don't compare me to a Lego toy."

{Sakaki Household: 1:15pm}

Yoko sat down a cup of coffee in front of Shuzo as he sighed, thanking her quietly as she took her own seat, watching the man before her in silence. She could see him grieving; even though he had kept a strong front before the children, she could also see that there was a great deal of pain in his eyes. Yoko understood how he felt, having lost his wife Sakura when Yuzu was only a toddler, and now, his daughter had been kidnapped, leaving him alone in his home, and she knew that pain as well. It had been three years since Yusho had left, fourteen years since they'd lost Yaya and Ira, and now, Yuya was about to leave her and head off to fight a war that she truly felt he had no business fighting. They were children, and they didn't need to be caught in the cross-hairs, but all the same, nothing could be done to change it now.

"Shuzo, I know why you came to me," Yoko stated.

"You do? I guess I shouldn't be so surprised. You're a witch, after all." she sighed.

"Listen, you know very well that if you ask for me to do a reading, it may not be something you like, are you still willing to do it? Even with that potential?" she inquired.

"I just wanna know if my daughter is safe… and… if Yuya can help her… what kind of future awaits these kids Reiji Akaba has collected…" Yoko sighed, nodding as she reached over to the end of the table where a box was located, and a moment later, she produced a thick deck of long, somewhat slender cards with green backing on them. She put the deck in front of him and nodded.

"Cut the deck, if you would," she said as Shuzo did as asked and shuffled it before placing it back on the table, at which point she laid out the first five cards in a four-point position like that of a compass before placing one in the center.

"I've never had this done before…" Yoko nodded.

"Yes, I know. Now, choose a card and I will flip it over," she explained as Shuzo pointed to the eastern card.

"When will Yuya be home?" Yoko shook her head.

"Not until six… this is the Magician, choose the next one, please" she stated as he pointed to the northern card.

"Is he okay?" Yoko nodded to him.

"This is the High Priestess, choose the next one," she stated.

"Alright…" Shuzo pointed to the western one and she flipped it over.

"The Hermit, next…" Shuzo indicated to the southern card and she flipped it.

"Death…" the man went white, and Yoko shook her head as she turned over the final card at the center, revealing it to be the devil card.

"T-The Devil?!" he asked as Yoko looked at the cards.

"The Magician represents courage, the High Priestess is awareness, the Hermit symbolizes understanding, Death is the representation of change, and the Devil is a representation of negativity, of destruction and darkness… so it's not a terrible reading, but not good either." Shuzo swallowed nervously.

"What does it mean, then?" he questioned as Yoko looked to the cards.

"Let's look at the Hermit first, it's a good card, always indicating meditation, consciousness, and understanding. It means we have to understand circumstances that may arise, instead of acting irrationally… then let's take a look at the High Priestess, this represents Yuzu, it's a card meaning inaction, going within, subconscious understanding, awareness, and compassion… meaning that we have to be aware of these circumstances, understanding them for what they are, and be compassionate in situations that would normally call for us not to be." Shuzo swallowed.

"So… the High Priestess represents… Yuzu?" he inquired as Yoko nodded.

"Right, now, Death is a representation of change, the passing of one thing and the beginning of something new. This means that in addition to understanding and awareness, we have to be willing to accept the changes that come, because they'll lead to new things." Shuzo looked to the next card.

"Awareness of a situation, understanding of the changes that will come? What about the other two?" he asked.

"The Magician represents Yuya. This card is symbolized by action, the power to manifest, willfulness, courage, power, and comfort. This is the courage to face those changes, it's a very good card." Shuzo took in a shaky breath at that.

"Yuya suits that card…" he stated as Yoko nodded.

"I know, that's why when it's drawn, I always know Yuya is going to be involved in this… the Devil card is a problem, however. It represents darkness and destruction… this means the situations can be disastrous if things aren't done carefully. Shuzo, this is a time where normally I tell people that ultimately the choices of whether this is a good or bad omen is up to them; however, in this situation, I'm going to draw a sixth card, and that will tell us an ending and whether or not it could be potentially bad or good," she told him.

"Okay, let's do it…" Yoko picked up the card and smiled as she looked at it.

"The Lovers, passion, choice, and uniting. It's face up as well, so that means there is great potential for things to have a good ending… so long as we choose to believe it will be so," she stated with a smile. Shuzo took in a deep breath, and nodded his head.

"Thank you, Yoko… I –" the door clicked open and the duo looked to see Yuya standing just at the door, looking at them in questioning as he took his shoes off, and started into the kitchen.

"Hi… um… should I leave?" Shuzo looked at the boy, having not seen him for a few days.

Yuya looked tired, dark circles were visible ever so slightly under his eyes, his skin a bit sallow, and his body still covered in gauze and bruises. Shuzo looked him over once more, noticing that he was missing his wrist warmers, and his clothes consisted of dark wash jeans, black sneakers, and a faded red t-shirt with his pendulum crystal hanging loosely around his neck and his goggles settled around his neck as well, resting just below his collar bone.

"No, I was just about to leave, but… Yuya?" Shuzo started, meeting the boy's tired scarlet eyes.

"Yes, sir?" the man bowed his head a bit to the boy.

"I'm sorry, for how I acted at the announcement of the Lancers… I wish I had been more rational about it. There's no excuse for me to expect you to be able to do everything just because you're a witch… you're the same age as Yuzu… so please, accept my apology?" he asked as Yuya smiled to him slowly.

"I'm going to bring Yuzu home, you can be certain of that. I'm not going to make her wait much longer… soon… I'm going to leave the Pendulum Zone, and once this is over, Yuzu and I will come home, and she'll be safe, I promise." Shuzo looked to the boy nodding as tears welled in his eyes and he reached forward, hugging the boy, who jolted in surprise.

"Bring her home, and you and all the other Lancers better make it back in once pieces as well, do you hear me? All of you better come home to us," he said as Yuya relaxed, nodding.

"We will, don't worry. You know me, I can't stand to break my promises to anyone…" Shuzo nodded, placing a hand atop the boy's head.

"Thank you, Yuya." With that, he walked out the door and Yoko came towards the boy, placing a hand on his head gently as he looked up to her.

"Keep your promises, and just smile, alright? Try your hardest no matter what happens, don't lose sight of who you are," she told him as he nodded.

"I will…"

{Academia: 1:15pm}

A man adorned in a purple military robe hummed as he reviewed the footage taken from one of the Obelisk Force Soldier's duel disk. There had been a few that had returned stating that Sora Shuinin had turned traitor, having used both an Xyz Monster and a Synchro Monster to attack them as well as a new method known as Pendulum Summoning. The dark skinned, bald man with a mechanical gear-like object attached to his head sighed, watching the video of that match before he paused it, seeing another person alongside Sora Shuinin in the duel. Red-green haired with scarlet eyes, wearing a pendulum crystal and using Odd-Eyes Dragon. Narrowing his eyes, the Professor, or Leo Akaba, leaned forward in his seat, zooming in on the picture with a press of a button before he stilled the video.

"Ah! Professor! I see you've found something of interest on the recovered footage?" asked a man with a vicious grin.

"Indeed, I have… it would seem our most recent turncoat has allied himself with one of our targets…" the man looked at the image.

"What a beautiful creature… is that the boy that the Obelisk Force was supposed to retrieve alongside Lady Serena?" the Professor nodded.

"Yes, he's the one…" the man, known as the Doktor glanced to the side.

"I could send in our little puppet to retrieve him, it wouldn't be difficult… after all, he is a vital part of the plans we have, correct?" the Professor shook his head.

"No, there's no need at this point. People within that city and across Millennium may be on high alert and awaiting us… at this point, sending someone in would be far too high a risk… even though he is a Pillar of Millennium, and he's one of if not our most vital piece alongside those final two girls… alerting too many people with the other Pillars still present within our world is far too great of a risk, and if they stand, Academia will not succeed in our venture," he stated.

"Then we best be careful… all the same, though… that boy… may be more of a challenge than we're prepared for… I mean, you know what he is." Leo Akaba nodded slowly.

"Indeed, I do… and I also know that for now, all we can do is wait and see what happens."

{…..}

And now all your love will be exorcised…

{….}

Author's Note: And with that, we are down to four chapters before we reach the beginning of the Synchro Arc. These chapters are mostly filler, but there are a lot of little strings being connected before the real start of the battle against Academia begins, and it's in these moments that you need to pay attention, because those tiny details you didn't think much of may become essential later on. Anyways, tell me what you guys think!

Sincerely,

ShadowDragon94.

Trivia:

This is the first time that we've seen what actually happened in the events before Chapter 1 of this story.

Hugo, the Therapist.

Pikachu was referenced in this chapter.

Hugo is represented by the No.9 Hermit Tarot card, his behavior is best represented by it.

Yuzu, as stated, is represented by the No.2 card, The High Priestess.

Yoko and Yuya's closing lines, are massive foreshadowing and hints, remember them.