Disclaimer: I do not own the properties of the Yu-Gi-Oh franchise or the work of the cards; I only own the OCs that could or may be involved in this series. I own nothing of the real OCG cards, just the formal OC character.

Arc League Championship: Chapter 30: The Arc League Inauguration

The Arc League Championship has finally arrived. With so many people coming to the Maiami Stadium to see the hottest event in the world, everyone seems very excited to see which of the best duelists, who have made it to the deadline, will reign supreme over one another and be the first to become a pro-duelist.

The You-Show Duel School has all seven members participating in the tournament, but they have only one problem. Yuya Sakaki is missing. He ditches them right before they were about to go, and they cannot waste any minute as they search for him.

Zuzu is starting to get exhausted from running all morning trying to find her friend. Yuya is nowhere at the Maiami Stadium. She tried calling his mother, but Yoko told her she hadn't seen him. Zuzu is worried. With Yuya missing, it's only a matter of time before the inauguration ceremony starts, and what's making the situation worse is Yasuko Yukihana not being at the stadium before it starts.

Yesterday, Yasuko told everyone from the You-Show that she will meet everyone at the Maiami Stadium before the inauguration ceremony, and she hasn't made her appearance all morning.

Zuzu can only hope that Yasuko will come; otherwise, she'll miss out too. After an hour of a tireless search for Yuya, Zuzu links up with the three little kids; Tate, Frederick, and Allie as they converge around Sora, who was holding a sign that said, 'Yuya Sakaki.'

"Sora!" Zuzu called. "Have you seen him?" Zuzu was panting with exhaustion after running around all morning.

Sora shrugs. "Not a lick of him," he answered.

Allie turns to the others. "So, what now?"

Zuzu had to think of how dire their situation is and takes out her duel disk to call Yasuko about their circumstances. After waiting for Yasuko to call back, the line picks up.

"Hello," Yasuko called at the end of the line.

"Yasuko!" Zuzu nearly shouted in her ear, panicking. "It's Zuzu! We're in trouble! Yuya's missing!"

"Yuya?" Yasuko inquired, her deadpanning tone echoes from the other line. "Isn't he with you guys?"

Zuzu notices how calm Yasuko's tone is right now despite their worse situation with Yuya. "He was supposed to be, but he just vanished!" she exclaimed.

"How should I know where that slacker is?" Yasuko questioned. "Yesterday, I told you guys that Diana is going to take me to meet you at the Maiami Stadium, so how is this my problem?"

"But Yasuko!" Zuzu retorted, highly irritated by Yasuko's lack of awareness in their situation. "The inauguration is about to start in an hour!"

"That's plenty of time before then, and if you count the time between the driving distance, not to mention the traffic, and eating," said Yasuko flatly. "Which is also a factor that takes about twenty minutes."

Zuzu lets a low growl. She is getting very annoyed with Yasuko and her nonchalant attitude. She would've expected Yasuko to be just as worried as she and the other You-Show people are, but as always, Yasuko is still responding with her usual relaxed self. She never was the one to be panicking unless something else happens. "You don't understand," she said. "We searched everywhere, and we cannot find him! He's not at the Maiami Stadium! He's not at home! And he wasn't even at the You-Show when he was with us!"

After a few pausing moments, Zuzu heard Yasuko makes a heavy sigh at the end of the line. "That's because he's in my house, sitting on the couch, eating my sandwich," she informed with a hint of anger.

"Hey, Yasuko!" Yuya called at the other end of the line, probably full of food in his mouth.

"Yuya Sakaki!" Yasuko shouted from Zuzu's phone. "I made that sandwich for myself! Do you know how hard it was to make something that simple!"

"Sorry!" Yuya apologized. "I had no idea this was yours!"

"You're lucky enough to keep your head because I have a spare!" Yasuko exclaimed.

To Zuzu's shock, Yasuko was undisturbed because she already found Yuya and at her place. "Wait, what?!" she gasped. "How the hell did he get to your house that quickly without us knowing?!"

Everyone is more alerted when they heard that Yuya is at Yasuko's house while they were at the Maiami Stadium.

Zuzu can practically feel how annoyed Yasuko must be from the other end of the line. "I don't know," Yasuko stated. "Probably because somebody's writing a stupid no-good reason to have him be here without obeying the laws of physics."

Her words confuse Zuzu. "Huh?"

Zuzu waits for another second as Yasuko makes another sigh. "Just calm down girl, everything's fine; Yuya is with me for now," she informed Zuzu. "We'll be there before the inauguration ceremony starts."

"But it starts in an hour!" Zuzu reminded.

"And that's plenty of time," Yasuko replied with the same deadpanning voice. "Look, don't worry, we'll make it." Zuzu can hear how tired Yasuko is from arguing with her. "Just get everyone ready and tell them that everything's fine."

"Yasuko—" Zuzu didn't get a chance to reply as Yasuko hung up immediately. After searching for Yuya all morning, Zuzu had just found out that he's at Yasuko's place, and he didn't even tell either of them. She was looking at the duel disk as it trembles in her hand with her eyebrows twitching while making a small angry, growling noise. "Seriously…" Zuzu growled. "She hung up on me? What is wrong with her?"

"So wait a minute," said Allie. "Yuya's at Yasuko's place?"

Zuzu can't help but to sigh and turns down to Allie "Seems like it," she said. "I'm pretty sure she knows that she'll be here along with Yuya." She smiles, reassuringly. "Don't worry; they'll make it."

Tate had a curious questionable look. "Seems like Yuya's been hanging with Yasuko a lot more recently," he informed. "Ever since she joined You-Show, Yuya's been with her a lot more than ever."

"I wonder why?" Frederick inquired. "Do you think it's because Yasuko's been teaching Yuya the Extra Deck summons?"

Sora leans back on the wall. "Probably," he assumed. "I mean, that girl's been jogging his head with loads of stuff."

Tate and Frederick exchange look with each other.

"Normally, she would be annoyed to do something like that, but Yuya's been patient with her, and she doesn't seem bothered by it," said Frederick.

Tate crosses his arms. "Maybe it's because of their first duel," he presumed. "I guess Yuya's been eager to learn how to do the Pendulum Extra Deck summon since Yasuko can do Pendulum Summon and use all three of the Extra Deck methods."

Allie looks at the boys. "And Yasuko's been acting little nicer too; though she is still the same Yasuko we all know," she said. She inclines her head to the right, thinking of many different reasons why Yuya is with Yasuko. "Do you think…Yuya's been hanging out with her because maybe he has a crush on her?"

Tate gives a scoff. "Yuya, crushing on Yasuko? Yeah, right," he derided. "If I know Yasuko, she'll barf her breakfast out if she heard that from us."

"But still, what would Yuya be thinking of when he's around Yasuko?" Frederick asked.

Little did that know that the more they talk about Yasuko and Yuya, the more embarrassed Zuzu gets. Her cheeks were growing hotter and a little bit red. Her low growl was seeping out of her mouth. She cannot hold the thought of Yuya being with Yasuko any longer that she screamed out her lungs, "Yuya! Get your lazy butt over here!"

Back at Yasuko's household, the forest-green haired girl opens the fridge and grabs herself a box of freshly packed sandwiches.

"Yuya, you son of a bitch," Yasuko murmured while searching the fridge for something to eat since Yuya ate her first sandwich. "I told him, last night, I would meet up with him at the Maiami Stadium before the ceremony; I didn't ask him to come here on short notice and eat my sandwich." She turns to the person behind her. "It's annoying sometimes, Rina."

From the tables, an older woman named Rina is probably in her early sixties with gray wavy hair and wrinkles on her cheeks was helping Yasuko pack her gym bag with something to eat.

"He's probably waiting for you, dearly," said Rina.

Yasuko makes another sign. "He worries too much," she replied. She holds other sandwiches and snacks in both her arms and uses her foot to close the fridge. "He worries too much," Yasuko repeated as she starts opening up a pack of the sandwiches.

"I know," Rina replied. The older woman looks at the living room where her husband is in with Yuya. "To be honest…" she began. "When you came to this city, I don't know much about this Yuya boy other than him being the son of Yusho Sakaki, but as I look back and think about how you joined the You-Show…" she paused. "I was convinced that he chooses to be here because you needed someone to be there for you."

Yasuko swallows her bit of food and looks at her grandmother with a questionable face. "What?"

Rina had a smile. "I think it's rather a blessing to have him as your friend."

Once Yasuko got everything, she and Rina head back to the living room where her grandfather, Okajima, is chatting with Yuya. They seem to be on good terms, especially with her grandfather telling Yuya of the times about Yusho before Action Duels. Like Rina, he is in his mid-sixties with a bald head and wrinkles in his face and heavy, baggy eyes. They seem to notice that the ladies.

Yuya stands up from the couch. "Hey," said Yuya, waving at Yasuko. "How are you?"

"Like something about me going to be in a white room," Yasuko replied with a bit of sarcasm.

Yuya has been wondering about something. It's been nagging the back of his head. "Hey, Yasuko, can I ask you something."

"What is it?" Yasuko asked without looking back at him as she starts packing the food in her gym bag.

Yuya thought back to their first duel and the moment when Yasuko did her first Pendulum Summon. In all the duels that Yasuko did, she never even once did a Pendulum Summon. "Are you thinking of using your Pendulum cards?" he asked. "I mean, I don't want to pressure you or anything, but it was just out of curiosity."

Yasuko turns to the boy after he mentioned her using Pendulum cards. Yasuko did think of her Pendulum cards. After her conversation with Henrietta yesterday, she comes to the terms that Pendulum Cards are going to be mainstream, and, inevitably, she cannot keep it all to herself.

"I have been thinking about that," said Yasuko. "I wasn't going to leave Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon in the den, so I did some major modifications to my deck."

Yuya seems surprised. He didn't expect the girl to rearrange her deck so quickly when they were partying at the You-Show. "Since when did you have time to arrange your deck?" he asked.

"Right before I go to bed." Yasuko's eyes gaze down to focus on the duel disk in her holster. It never occurred to her until now that she feels more confident with her deck since it has some changes. "I need to make some upgrades to my deck to withstand anything that people would throw at me, and this one's going to be a lot different than the one that you saw back at my matches." She turns back up to Yuya. "Plus, I'll probably be looking forward to seeing how much you've improved in the Arc League."

Yuya gives the girl a bright beam; he was excited that Yasuko is ready to use her Pendulum cards in the open. "Well then, what are we waiting for?" He wheels around to start running. "Let's go!"

"Hang on," Yasuko cuts right in, interrupting Yuya's moment and making him fall over in shock. "I need to go get something, ok?"

"Can you make it quick?" Yuya stares up with an annoyed face. "The Arc League opening ceremony is about to start in half an hour!"

"I won't be long…" said Yasuko, already walking back upstairs.

The girl makes her way back to her room to get something that is important. Upon entering her room, it was a total mess. There were cards everywhere from the bed to the table; in fact, Yasuko never slept on the bed. She uses the floor with a pillo.w. There were some of the cards stacked on top of each other. Yasuko took a long night figuring out which cards bring out the most consistency. Indeed, she does admire the dragon monsters and the dragon deck that she used to make after the Frontier Games. However, after a week of six consecutive duels with different opponents, she comes to realize that her original deck would suit her perfectly in any dueling situations.

The metal box that contains some cards that she owned in her lifetime and the smaller container that has Yasuko's original deck were opened. Cards like Mythical Beast Cerberus, Frequency Magician, and Rogue Endymion were still inside the smaller box.

Yasuko cleans up fast, putting all the cards inside her metal box before she reaches out to get her most important item: her crystal keychain.

She returns to the living room. "There, that didn't take long," she said. Yasuko grabs her gym bag. "Let's go." And so, the two duelists leave the house to the front where Diana was talking with Yoko.

Diana notices them coming and turns to face Yuya and Yasuko. "Hey, are you kids ready?" she asked.

Yasuko and Yuya nodded.

"All set for the day and probably the rest of the week," said Yasuko.

"We're all good," Yuya replied.

"Sorry, I cannot take you today, Yasuko," Diana stated. "Something came up, and I have to help out with my co-workers." She gestures to Yoko. "Hope you don't mind about having Mrs. Sakaki be the one to take you."

Yasuko shrugs as if she doesn't care. "I don't mind," she said. "I just hope we're there before the time is up."

Diana smiles at her and pats her hand on Yasuko's head. "Then I wish you good luck with this tournament, Yasuko."

Yasuko had a small blush after she was patted in the head like she was a pet. "Stop that," she said bluntly. "I don't like to be petted." She hurries away from Diana's hand and moves to the van. "I call shotgun." Diana and Yoko find it amusing to see how agitated Yasuko is to get underway despite not showing any signs of excitement.

Yoko drives Yasuko and Yuya to the Miami Stadium. While Yasuko looks out at the window to view the ocean horizon, Yuya was looking at the pendant in his hand, thinking long about how far he's come for his father.

"Well, dad," Yuya thought. "This is it. You knew this day was coming, and you were doing your best to prepare me. The tournament where I can finally get closer to you." He had a short flashback to the time when his father, Yusho Sakaki, was about to duel Strong Ishijima, aka, the Sledgehammer, and how he talked to him about dueling in his uniqueness.

"Preserve your uniqueness," Yuya recalled what his father said to him.

"You certainly have your way of turning everyone's life upside down, mister," his mother, Yoko, called to him. Yuya's head turns up to her. "While you were busy trying to catch up with Yasuko, your friends were frantically looking for you."

"Zuzu called me, and I told her everything," Yasuko responded without looking away from the window.

Yoko makes a smile. "And she called me too; I just told her everything's fine."

"That's what I said to her," Yasuko replied.

Yoko looks back at the rearview mirror to face Yuya. "Is something a matter, Yuya?" she asked her son what the reason is to be at Yasuko's place while everyone else was at the stadium.

Yuya had some thought to it and turned to the window to face the ocean. "It's just…I wasn't sure if I was going to wait for Yasuko because I didn't want her to miss out on a special event that I hope she will enjoy. And neither was I going to let anyone get the best of her," he stated. "If Yasuko's not there for the Arc League, then what is it that I can do?"

Yasuko's ears perked after hearing his reason. Her eyes rove away from the window and glances at the woman at the driver seat.

"Yuya…" Yoko called. "I know how much you are concern about Yasuko, but you should know something…" Her eyes briefly glance at the girl sitting on the passenger seat before facing forward. "Your new friend here is very capable of handling any situations herself. And even if she doesn't want to be there at the stadium, you should let her decide for herself."

Yasuko didn't want to interrupt Yoko as she was listening to their conversation. Yoko is sure that Yasuko was probably listening to her talk. "Only she can choose whether or not to let herself be at the stadium. If Yasuko wants to be there, then let her, but if she doesn't, then that's okay, you don't always have to be there," she suggested. "You know…your father Yusho had a situation like this one time."

Yasuko and Yuya perked up to Yoko. "What?" they inquired.

"When Yusho is still the champ, he met one little girl named Mina, and she felt like she doesn't belong in the dueling world, but soon after seeing him duel, …she found something after seeing his duel," Yoko tells a story. "And soon after that, Mina chooses to train her dueling and go for the pros."

Yasuko had no idea that Yusho had it in him to make something exclusive even to the little kids. "Really?" she asked.

"Why, of course," said Yoko. "I cannot tell you exactly what you want out of this Arc League, Yukihana, but what I can tell you is…if you choose to take it, then maybe one day…you'll like it."

Yasuko takes Yoko's words for keeps. She mentally had to admit it; Yusho is undoubtedly a very generous person.

"Alright, we're here," said Yoko, cheerfully.

Yasuko and Yuya looked out of the window to see the Maiami Stadium. It was huge compared to Ajinomoto Stadium in Tokyo. The stadium stands in the middle of the bay connected by two highways or by a bridge on foot. There were even four smaller stadiums around the big arena.

"So, this is Maiami City's stadium?" Yasuko queried. "I thought I might've been a little bigger."

Yuya turns up and faces Yasuko. "You should see the stadium," he said. "I bet it's bigger than the one in Tokyo, huh?"

"Actually, all stadiums are big, in my opinion," Yasuko replied.

The parking was a drag because of so many cars in the parking lot. It was then that Yoko decided to drop off Yasuko and Yuya while she goes somewhere who knows where to get inside.

Compared to the Tokyo Regional Frontier Games, Yasuko thinks that both the Frontier Games and the Arc League Championship are equal in terms of popularity. So many people, tourists, and families were all converging in one spot to see the best of the best duelists. There are even booths and small shops around the stadium sponsored by the Leo Corporations.

Yasuko and Yuya walk together to the front entrance as the girl check the time on her watch. "Huh? Only 12 minutes before the ceremony begins, that means we've made it," she commented.

"Yeah," said Yuya. "Close call."

Yasuko's duel disk starts to vibrate, which indicates that Zuzu is probably calling her. She answers it. "Hello?" she called.

"Yasuko!" Zuzu's voice blares into her eardrum, making her cringe from the loudness. "Where are you!? You said you have Yuya, and the Arc League ceremony is about to start in 12 minutes!" Zuzu is making a desperate phone call that would require a lot of yelling and shouting from the end of the line, and Yasuko isn't going to have it today.

Yasuko adjusts the volume down and talks back to her in her same calm tone. "For the love of God, girl, we're here," she said, annoyed.

"So where are you?!" Zuzu panicked.

Yasuko stops, and Yuya did the same as the girl looks over the crowd of people in the entrance. There were a lot of students from different schools than Yasuko can count. Her eyes scan the area to look for the girl with dark pink hair. As she turns to a corner, she then spots the sign that a kid with bright blue hair was holding a sign that said, "Yuya Sakaki."

"Wait, I see you..." Yasuko responded and cut off the line. She turns to Yuya. "I found them."

"You did?" Yuya inquired.

Yasuko nodded her head in the other direction. "Come on," she said. Yuya follows Yasuko behind until the sight of the You-Show comes to their full view. All of the You-Show students are present. Tate, Frederick, Allie, Sora, and Zuzu are all waiting for the last two people.

"Hey, you guys!" Yuya called, waving from behind.

"Yuya! Yasuko!" The three kids and Sora called to him.

Yasuko and Yuya then come up to them but only for Zuzu to grab Yasuko's hand with both of hers. "What took you two so long!?" she exclaimed. "You nearly drive us crazy all morning waiting for you two to show up! Do you know what time it is?!"

Yasuko had a raised eyebrow and questionable look. "I told you I was coming, and I did," she said, looking the other way with a deadpan expression. "Sheeesh, you're like my mom sometimes." She then looks down at her hand. "By the way, I didn't know you swing that way."

Zuzu was confused until she looked at her hands holding Yasuko's. She realized that Yasuko meant and finches in shock as she retreats her hand away from Yasuko's with embarrassment. She crosses her arms on her chest. "Well, the point is…you're here. Yuya's here. Everyone's here," she said, trying hard to stop her blush from rising in her cheeks. "That's good."

Yasuko wipes her hand on her jeans. "Now then, let's get going," she said as Yasuko starts walking off to the hallway.

Yuya held a smile on his face. "Let's," he beamed. The two of them started to walk to the entrance of the arena.

Zuzu had a look, staring at the two of them with exasperation. "You know…Yuya's one thing, but you two…you can be so annoying sometimes," she said scornfully.

Yuya has a playful smile. "Me? Annoying?" he chuckled. "No way!"

Yasuko turns her head over her shoulder. "Well, you are a pain sometimes, Yuya." While she was distracted, she wasn't sure who was in front of her because she bumped into someone from the back. She turns to face the person in front of her. "Hey! Watch where you're standing, jackass!" she yelled.

What Yasuko didn't expect is to face the back of a tall, muscular young man who is as build as Gongenzaka wearing a pair of blue pants and a red sash on his abdomen that goes with a purple shirt and a blue jacket. Notably, Yasuko notices that he also wears a pair of steel bracers and sandals like Gongenzaka. He turns around slowly with an inflamed vein popping on his temple. "Huh?" he growled ominously. "Who said that?" His heavy voice gives a low growl in the end. His teeth grit so hard that he looks like he's ready to pound someone.

Yasuko jabs a thumb at Yuya. "He did," she blurted out.

"Yasuko!" Yuya exclaimed, shocked.

The young man towers over Yasuko and Yuya. She thought it's maybe because of the metal sandals that he is wearing or that he's an adult trying to be a kid. She cannot tell. The young man in front of her and Yuya look like a grown wrestler because of his size. The young man turns around to face Yasuko and Yuya with his massive bulky arms and his scowl.

Yuya seems to recognize the young man in front of him. "It's you!" Yuya gasped.

"Who's he?" Yasuko asked.

Yuya narrows his eyes at the young man, unable to shake away the angry feeling rising from his veins. "His name is Gen Ankokuji, and he's the toughest guy in the block, but everyone calls him 'Grizzlepike,'" he explained without removing his gaze from the bully who tormented him.

Gen Ankokuji, or as everyone calls him, Grizzlepike, grows a smug look on his face. He was looking at Yuya with as if he's ready to torment the boy all over again. "Well, well, well," he sneered, amused. "So, you're in this big tournament too? I'm shocked that you didn't decide to hightail and run out of the championship just like your wimpy old man once did."

Yuya's face turns sour, making him furious after seeing his bully. His fingers clenched together into fists. "What'd you say?!" Yuya snapped.

From the moment Grizzlepike made an insult to Yuya, Yasuko can quickly dislike the young man after seeing how the guy in front of her is rude to Yuya. "Who said he was running," she retorted.

Grizzlepike turns to her. "And who are you supposed to be? His girlfriend," he sneered.

Yasuko glares her eyes at Grizzlepike, showing complete hatred toward the latter. "No, but this girl's going to kick your ass if you don't get out of the way, you prick." She can tell how ticked Grizzlepike got after she throws an insult back at him. She can see how he is clenching his teeth very hard as if he has the urge to take a pound at her.

"What was that?" Grizzlepike growled, leaning forward while bending one knee to look at Yasuko from her height.

Yuya saw how easily provoked Grizzlepike is right now. He looks dead serious at the girl. He didn't want anyone to harm Yasuko, so Yuya stands in front of Yasuko while holding her behind him to keep Grizzlepike away. "Back off, Grizzlepike!" he exclaimed.

The bully turns back to Yuya. "Oh, so now you're protecting some weakling now?" Grizzlepike stands straight while looking down at Yuya. "I still can't believe the son of a despicable coward beat someone like Strong Ishijima," he rebuked. "There's no way someone like you could ever beat a champion like him."

"Well, he did," Yasuko admitted. "Get used to it."

Grizzlepike turns to her. "You think you know anything about Yusho Sakaki? I can tell you, that man's a coward," he stated. "He chickened out on the biggest duel against Strong Ishjima."

"He's not dead, you asshole," Yasuko replied, "Now, if you don't mind, we outta get going, so do us a favor and beat it."

The more Yasuko talked strong to the boy; the angrier Grizzlepike gets from her offense. "Oh yeah? Who's gonna stop me? You? Or this chicken here?" he dared.

Yasuko is starting to get infuriated inside. She is feeling the urge to smack him in the appendix for his attitude. "You better get out of the way," she threatened, "or I'll make you get out of my way."

"Oh really? You think you know Sakaki here well? No Sakaki or some snot-nose brat is worthy to be dueling in this stadium," Grizzlepike taunted. "Now, how about you step back or why not I showed you and your lousy cards where the exit is."

"How 'bout I do that for you," Yasuko growled. She is so having the urge to smack his face right about now if not for someone to be spotting them.

"Hey!" A female's voice calls off from the end of the hall. Everyone turns to the blond teenage girl with a bun on her left side of her head. "What the hell is this?!" she exclaimed. "This is a place of dueling, not a fighting ring!" She then points at Grizzlepike. "You there, get lost before I report you in for harassment."

Grizzlepike seems a little intimidated by her appearance. He half turns around and makes a small smug. "We were just having a little chat," he stated.

Yasuko raises an eyebrow. "Melania?" When Yasuko mentions the name, the three kids gasped in shock. They were looking at Melania with awe from their eyes. They were surprised, so surprised that their jaws might drop.

"Wait a minute!? Is that Melania Herman?" Tate addressed.

"No way!" Allie gasped. "It is Melania Herman!"

"I can't believe that Melania Herman is here at the Arc League!" Frederick breathed, inhaling so much air to his lungs with overwhelming excitement.

Grizzlepike takes a step back away from Yasuko and Yuya and faces the girl with defiance. "Look, just because you were the winner of the Tokyo Regional Frontier Games three years ago doesn't mean that you can just come here and be the judge of everyone," he said.

Melania narrows her eyes. "I am the judge, jury, and executioner of dueling," she proclaimed. "Everyone has the right to duel, and seeing how disrespectful you are to your opponents is a red line I wouldn't cross."

Out of the blue, a big hand grabs hold of Grizzlepike's shoulder. "The girl's right, Grizzlepike." Yasuko knows the gruff voice from anywhere and jerks her head along with Yuya to see who the person was. To their surprise, it was Gongenzaka Strong, who was glaring at Grizzlepike with a hardened scowl. It's been a week since Yasuko last saw Gongenzaka. She thought that he wouldn't be able to make it in the Arc League Championship, but instead, he is here in person.

"Gongenzaka!" Yuya gasped.

Gongenzaka's eyes never left from looking at Grizzlepike. "I'd listen if I were you, now back off," he warned. "I'd be careful about what you say about my best friend."

Grizzlepike makes a scoff after seeing his former underclassman from his dojo. "Ha. You should learn to respect your senior," he mocked. "You must be thinking so big, Gongenzaka."

Yasuko can see the growing tensions that are coming in the area around her. It feels like the water was steaming out of everyone after getting worked up to see their rivals face to face. She can practically see sparks flying between Gongenzaka and Grizzlepike. When Yasuko looked back at Melania, she felt a sudden jolt of lighting piercing right out of her eyes and hits directly at Melania's forehead, indicating that the rivalry has skyrocketed.

Just before things can get intense, the loudspeakers have announced to the participants of the Arc League Championship. "The opening ceremony will kick off shortly! All duelists, please form a line behind your team's placard!"

The tension dies as soon as the inauguration starts. Gongenzaka lets go of Grizzlepike's shoulder while the senior glances at him. "Tough talk means squat to me," said Grizzlepike, breaking off from the group to head over to his team place. "Just don't lose until I can crush you."

And with that, Grizzlepike walks away, leaving Yuya and Gongenzaka to stare back at him.

"That guy gives skunks a bad name..." Gongenzaka grunted.

After the brief confrontation with Grizzlepike, Yuya turns to Gongenzaka with excitement to see his long friend after a week of watching Yasuko's duel.

"Glad to see you, Gongenzaka! I was worried you wouldn't make the cut!" Yuya admitted with his smile, showing how relieved he was to see his big friend.

"Heh! You can't keep a good Duelist down! Just before the registration deadline, I, the man Gongenzaka got just enough wins to make it!" Gong exclaimed.

"You should talk," said Yasuko. "I had to get my sixth match yesterday."

Gongenzaka was surprised that Yasuko is at the Maiami Stadium in person. "Yasuko," he said. "When did you get here?" he asked.

Yasuko gives Gongenzaka a look. "Like ten minutes ago," she stated. "And yes, Gong, I'm in this Arc League Championship too."

Gongenzaka makes a small gap in his mouth, surprised that Yasuko managed to get in the Arc League Championship. "So, I guess this means the whole gang is here then." Gongenzaka's mouth turns to form a very determined smile. "Looks like we're going to be making it to the finals."

"All right! Put 'er there, buddy!" Yuya exclaimed as he raised a hand, causing Gongenzaka to take the hand as the two best friends smirked at each other.

Yasuko and Melania's eyes connect after seeing after a week when they met. The two duelists are feeling the fire that is burning inside of their hearts. Yasuko turns back to find the others talking with Gongenzaka about his participation. She uses the time to take a step forward in front of Melania and speak with her in private.

"So, you've made it?" Melania asked, crossing her arms.

"I guess you could say that," Yasuko replied. "It looks like fate has come for us to a rematch."

Melania makes a smirk. "I impressed that you managed to get in this dueling tournament," she stated. "I thought you hate going into these kinds of events."

Yasuko narrows her eyes. "After quitting my dueling club and experiencing the Tokyo Regional Frontier Games, I have gained a lot since the last time you backstabbed me for climbing in rank," she hissed. "So, I'm going to make this match between the two of us an ugly one."

Melania makes a small 'hmph' out of her mouth. "I'd be looking forward to it." She about-faces and walks away. "Until we meet in the semi-finals, you better not lose to anyone," Melania concluded before walking to be with her team.

Yasuko is feeling the fire coming from Melania and the atmosphere in the Arc League Championship. "Oh, don't worry, I won't lose," she avowed. "Not this time…"

With the start of the Arc League inauguration ceremony starting, the Maiami Stadium is going alive as ever with thousands of people watching the biggest duel tournament of the year. Every participant from different teams and organizations are waiting at the louche sector to hear their names being called.

Yasuko watches the big screen broadcasting live from the stadium where she saw various duelists from all both at home and overseas. She saw the students from the LDS marching down the stadium, including Sylvio, Julia, Hokuto, and Yabia, but what's most shocking is the duelist who is walking five students from behind the three LDS students she encountered from the You-Show Duel School.

Yasuko's mouth makes a small gape when she saw the duelist; Yuya and Zuzu gasped in shock when they saw the duelist with a purple torn trench coat too.

"What the hell?" Yasuko inquired. "Is that…"

"That guy?!" Yuya asked.

"He's working for Leo now!?" Zuzu exclaimed before she exchanged look at Yuya in confusion.

Yasuko is more curious to see the same teenage boy who attacked her a few weeks ago at the Maiami Stadium. She recalled something from last week. When she saw him the last time, she was confronting Yuto who was carrying a body that had the same purple trench coat on him. "His name is Shun." Yuto's words ring back to her ears after seeing the same boy she encountered on tv.

"Shun…?" Yasuko wondered.

On-screen, more duelists from different schools were announced and walked forward in the opening. Up next was Mikisugi Dakoda, her bully. The next one was the one person that she is itching to take on. Upon seeing Melania Herman on screen, her eyes hardened after seeing the girl who beat her at the Tokyo Regional Frontier Games.

"Yasuko…" With her name being called, Yasuko turns her head to Zuzu and Yuya who were concern about something that was bothering them. "Is it true that you dueled that guy? Was he the one who attacked you?" Zuzu asked.

Yasuko blinks once when they refer to Shun. She assumes that Zuzu heard the attack from Yuya. "I'm pretty sure that it's him," she said. She looks forward at the entrance to the stadium. "That guy's name is Shun, and he's trouble."

Zuzu's eyes widened in shock. Yasuko had some prior meetings with the boy and didn't tell any of them. "Shun?" she repeated.

With the three little kids at the front, Yasuko is walking between Yuya and Zuzu as they approach the opening in the stadium. The view of thousands of people blares into her eardrums. Confetti sprinkles around them.

As Yasuko walks forward to join the other duelists at the center, she takes a glance over to the LDS VIP sector of the stadium. It was no surprise that she can see Henrietta and Declan Akaba sitting at the small sector that is reserved for someone like them. She could've sworn that the Akabas are all staring at the You-Show, specifically at her. Yasuko happens to spots another person sitting beside Declan at the LDS VIP sector. Yasuko cannot see who it was because the person was too small to see from her spot. She can only make out by the turquoise hoodie sweatshirt with a black-blue club underneath the hood. She wonders who that little person was.

The You-Show students line up between the other schools as they listen for the man announces to the participant and the audience.

"Ahem. Greetings, duelists. You have battled hard to get here. The fact that you stand before me is proof that you are the elite. And knowing in the coming days, you will face the challenges ahead with distinction and dignity. I hope you fuel fair and square with all your strength." The audience gives loud applause to the man as the speaking time goes to Nico Smiley.

"Now, one of our competitors will recite the duelist's oath," Nico announced, "and this year's honor goes to the representative of You-Show Duel School! Yuya Sakaki!"

From the moment Yuya hears his name, he panics in shock. "Eh?! Me?! What do you mean me?!" he gasped, pointing at himself.

"Recite the duelist's oath?" Zuzu repeated.

Yasuko raised an eyebrow. "Oh boy…" she said bluntly. "This isn't going to end well."

Yuya was caught off guard. It was out of the blue for the boy. He was so focused on his duels and watching Yasuko's duel that he didn't even know what the duelist's oath is. Not that he knows what it is. "Wait a second! This is a mistake! Nobody told me about this!" he said, only to be taken away from his group by two marshals.

He was thrown on stage, and the crowd thorns a series of giggles and laughs at him.

Yasuko closes her eyes and shakes her head. "This is gonna suck," she murmured.

Yuya gets back up and stands straighter. "Uh, and now for the oath," he stated, earning applause from the crowd. Yuya gets in front of the microphone and raises an arm. "Uh. Th-th-the d-duelist's oath of pair flay!" His outburst makes pretty much everyone except Yasuko and Shun fall in shock.

The girl is so annoyed that she slapped her face in huge disappointment as she shakes her head. "How…annoying…" Yasuko muttered under her breath, hoping to shield the gazes from everyone at the crowd over Yuya's mistake.

Yuya is spinning from his head to the eyes, rambling words that are trying to process the oath. "Uh…I…uh…" he stammered, sweating like crazy as the nervous feeling swells inside of him.

Zuzu calls to her friend to support him. "Stop freaking out, Yuya!" she yelled. "Pull yourself together! Everyone's watching!"

Yuya's eyes glance over to Zuzu who is calling out to him. He half-turns to everyone at You-Show until he stops at the last person. Yasuko. He was reminded of what would his father think right now and turns back to everyone at the stands. "Everyone…" he thought. "Make everyone smile." He thinks of his promise to make Yasuko smile and holds his pendant. After a pause, he breathes deeply before he begins with an oath of his own by spreading his arms wide to the audience.

"Ladies and Gentlemen!" Yuya announced proudly. "I apologize for that just now. I was asked to come up here and recite the duelist's oath, but since most of us know it by heart, I've decided to tell you something you don't know. The story of why I'm here instead.

"You probably know by now I'm the son of the duelist Yusho Sakaki. He's the world's greatest Entertainment Duelist. But as everyone knows, he suddenly vanished three years ago right before a duel started. Some kids used to tease me by saying I was a coward just like my father. I didn't want to let that defeat me, so I worked hard at Entertainment Dueling.

"But I still couldn't face my problems, and somewhere inside, I think I was running away from dueling. Until one day, I learned how to Pendulum Summon, and battled against powerful duelists, and gradually enjoyed dueling again. I still have a lot to learn and have a long journey ahead of me, but I'll never forget how to have fun along the way.

"I wanted to love dueling even more! And that's what we all love about dueling, and that's why we're all here! And someday, I'm going to become a great Dueltainer like my father was! I want to become a duelist that will make me, and everyone loves dueling! And I will do everything I can to not only make everyone love dueling, but I will make everyone smile!"

Yuya's speech shifts in the crowd and the first person to clap was Yasuko. After her comes Declan Akaba. Soon, everyone was starting to give a big round of applause for Yuya's oath.

"Excellent!" Nico announced. "Yuya's duelist's oath represents their determination! Take a bow, kiddo, you're a hit!" Yuya bows once before walking back got the group. "Now, I'll announce the first matchup! Duelists, please insert your registration cards into your duel disk!"

Yasuko picks in her back pocket and takes out a small identification card. "What are we supposed to do with this?" she asked.

"They'll keep track of us and see how we're doing," Zuzu replied, explaining the use of the ID cards.

Yasuko listened to Nico as he explained what the purposes of the ID cards. She starts to understand that the ID cards sent a signal to the computer system to randomly select the opponents for each participant and when one loses, another takes their place until it is only two of them.

"Okay then, let's get going." Yasuko inserts her card into her duel disk and waits to see who her opponent will be. She waits until the screen pops up, and it was decided that her first opponent is none other than Mikisugi Dakoda. Yasuko's eyes narrow at her opponent. "Well, this sucks," she stated. "And it's not until the next morning."

"Who's your opponent, Yasuko?" Yuya asked. Yasuko turns her screen over to show Yuya that her first opponent. He was shocked. "Mikisugi Dakoda!?" he gasped.

"If fate serves well, then this was bound to happen," said Yasuko.

"You too, huh?" Gongenzaka called from the left. Apparently, his opponent for tomorrow's duel is Gen 'Grizzlepike' Ankokugi and right before her match.

"Looks like it's our destiny to confront our past then," said Yasuko. She realizes that Yuya's opponent is Sylvio Sawatari the next day after her duel. Surprisingly, Zuzu's opponent is Julia Kotsu and today in the afternoon. Half of the You-Show students are dueling on the first day of the Arc League. Frederick has his opponent right after the ceremony. Allie is behind Frederick.

Tate faces to Sora. "What about you, Sora?" he asked.

"Tomorrow," Sora answered. "I'm dueling someone from the Leo Institute."

"A Leo duelist? Which one?" Yuya asked.

Sora reads over the name of the duelist that he is going to duel. "Shun…Obsidian." The three older students are surprised after hearing the name of Sora's opponent. "See for yourself." He turns his duel disk to show them that it was Shun.

Yasuko narrows her eyes at the face of Shun. "Well, you're officially screwed," she commented.

"Hey!" Sora protested. "Who said I was down for the count!"

Yasuko turns her head away. "You better prepare for the inevitable, Sora," she warned. Yasuko's eyes glance over to the duelist at the far right. She knows that Mikisugi is already eyeing on her the moment they were chosen to duel. Her eyes were focused at Shun as she said, "Seems like this is going to be a long week."

Author's note:

Alright readers, so here is the second arc of the story for this book. Now I did say I will tell you what you're going to be expecting of the protagonist's new deck, but the deck is called Odd-Eyes Spell Power Deck.

The Odd-Eyes Spell Power Deck contains Odd-Eyes variants that goes for firepower and independent Spellcasters and Spellcasters that support Spell Counters for control.

If you have already figured it out, then you'll probably know what you're expecting. The reason why I've chosen to make this deck is that while I do tend to keep the protagonist a rival to the other deuteragonist who uses an ace dragon monster, I felt that this would fit in the storyline perfectly with being a polar opposite. More cards will come soon later on, so you won't be seeing everything from this book. In case of custom OC cards, I will post it here in this section.

Anyways, I hoped you'd all enjoyed your day so far, this story is going to get more interesting along the way, and I'm excited to see how this will go out. If you like what you have read so far, don't forget to make a comment on what you love, like, or hate, or a mixture of both, on this story, and don't forget to smile on your day.