After a very dramatic and intense Duel, Kaiba has emerged victorious over Ryo! What will happen now? And how will everyone proceed with their escape? From here on out, things will get even more difficult! P.S. It has been EXACTLY one year now since I started this thing! Hard to believe, isn't it?

Yugioh: The Power of Four

Chapter 33: ARC-V — PART 19

Leo Akaba stared at the monitor in total disbelief. He refused to believe what had just transpired. "Impossible! Ryo Marufuji, the Kaiser of Academia… defeated?! No! This cannot be!" He cried out in rage. Leo did not want it to be true. He could not see how this had happened. Ryo was unbeatable! No one had ever defeated him in a Duel! Not a single person was capable, even Ryo's former best friend was unable to pull it off. And yet, somehow, that bastard Kaiba actually took him down?!

Roget and Sanders were also stunned by the outcome, while Battle Beast was simply amazed by how intense the Duel itself was. However, none were were more shocked by the result than the Tyler Sisters. "Ryo lost to that guy?! I can't believe it! I never would've thought there was someone out there who could beat him! Seto Kaiba is something else!" Grace said in astonishment. Gloria was completely speechless.

'Ryo…' She never thought she'd see the day the man she loved would fall to another Duelist in battle. It just seemed inconceivable that anyone could have the power and skill to bring down the Kaiser. Yet, that's exactly what she witnessed. She hated to see her old boyfriend beaten after fighting so hard to do what he was forced to do.

Gloria's thoughts then turned to her sister as she stared at her. With Ryo defeated, she worried for Grace even more. Surely the Professor would make good on his threat to seal her sister. She imagined he would do so if he ultimately failed to capture Yuzu Hiragi. She then remembered she had received a message earlier, but had not read it yet. While everyone was glued to the image of Ryo laying on the ground, Gloria quickly peaked at her Duel Disk and read the contents… before smiling with hope.

"I know this is most unfortunate Professor, but all is not lost yet. My Gauntlet program still has one trick left we can use to our advantage." Roget revealed. Leo and the others turned to him.

"Explain." Leo ordered. Once the former Synchro infiltrator explained his backup plan, the Professor seemed less angry and more agitated. "Why haven't you informed us about this in the first place?" He demanded. Roget remained calm.

"I didn't believe there would be any need for it until now. This will not only insure our enemies won't escape, but they will be unable to communicate with other possible allies outside Standard." Leo nodded in approval.

"Very well. Do it, Roget." As the Professor's second-in-command proceeded to activate the Gauntlet's backup program, the screen showing the inside of the building had cut out. "What happened now?! Is your program malfunctioning agin?!" Leo asked angrily.

"No Professor, it wasn't me! We've just lost the signal to our drone observing them! Something must have happened to it!" Roget guessed.

"Damn! Hurry up and get your backup up and running before things get worse!" Leo ordered.

As this was happening, Gloria sent a quick warning to the very people Leo wanted to contain. All the while, she hoped the plan she just learned will help protect Grace…


/\/\/\/\/\/\


Meanwhile, Ryo felt his whole body ache as he lay there, defeated, eyes closed. He also couldn't believe this had happened to him. No one, not even Yusuke, had ever managed to gain a victory against him in the past. 'I never imagined that I would ever come across a Duelist like Seto Kaiba. His confidence, skill, and power were unlike anything I had ever seen. If he was this strong, I can't even fathom how much stronger Yugi Muto and his three allies must be…' When he finally managed to open his eyes, Ryo's first sight was Kaiba standing over him. He lamented that he had failed to take this man down. 'Gloria, I'm sorry. I couldn't protect your sister. I just wasn't… strong enough.'

"If you're done napping, I suggest you back on your feet." Kaiba told him bluntly. Ryo looked away.

"I've lost. I have nothing left to fight with." He replied, sounding like he no longer had the will to live. Kaiba grunted.

"How about someone to fight for?" Ryo looked back at his adversary, confused. "While you've been laying there, I was filled in about your girlfriend and her sister. I know your old boss had threatened Grace's life unless you complied with his demands." The fallen Kaiser stared up at Kaiba, startled. "If you're worried about being overheard, don't be. Look behind you." Ryo did so as he sat up and was surprised to see a downed drone nearby.

"A drone? What happened?" He asked.

"Right after I proved to be your superior in our Duel, I used a new mini computer installed in my Duel Disk to hack into that drone and forced it to shut down. I noticed it during our match. Now our conversations will be much more private." Kaiba explained. Ryo gasped as he looked back at him.

"You can hack?" He questioned. Kaiba chuckled.

"Just another one of my skills." He then got more serious. "So, ready to get up now?" Ryo looked down, feeling ashamed.

"I couldn't do it. I failed to protect her sister. I can never face Gloria again…" He said, sounding dejected. Without warning, Kaiba punched Ryo hard right in the face, surprising everyone present. The blow shocked Ryo the most as he faced Kaiba again, who appeared pissed.

"Shut up! That's the talk of a quitter! If you care so much about them, then stand up and fight your real enemy! It's what I would do!" Ryo rubbed the spot where Kaiba had hit him and thought over his words. Kaiba may have been harsh, but he was right. His real goal was to grow stronger and strike back at Leo Akaba to avenge Yusuke. Now he had to fight to save Grace, who Gloria wanted to protect more than anyone. 'I may have failed Yusuke… but I haven't failed Grace, or Gloria.' Ryo clinched his fists as became filled with renewed strength and determination. 'Leo Akaba… you will pay for your sins! I swear it!' Ryo then at last stood up again. Kaiba smiled.

"Took you long enough." He replied. Ryo nodded at him before turning to the rest of the group.

"I'm sorry… for everything." He told them.

"Look man. It wasn't really your fault. You were forced to card Barrett, a man you looked up to and respected. We don't blame you at all." Judai assured him.

"He's right, Ryo. Our real enemy is Leo Akaba. We should focus on stopping him." Yugi suggested.

"My father has caused suffering for many innocent people. You and I are no exceptions. We should take him down together." Reiji added strongly. Ryo nodded in agreement, but still seemed uncertain for one matter.

"By the way. We know what Yusuke was trying to tell you the night he was taken." Edo told a very surprised Ryo.

"You do?! Please, tell me!" He asked eagerly. Edo explained what Dennis discovered regarding the Arc Area Project, and why Yuzu and those other girls were so important. Ryo was horrorstruck by every detail. He now hated Leo Akaba more than ever. "I can't believe this. Yusuke was right about questioning Leo's plans. That sick, heartless bastard! He had Yusuke murdered so that he couldn't tell me or anyone else!"

"I promise you that Yusuke will be avenged." Yusei said to him. Ryo appreciated that. He now turned his thoughts to a more immediate problem.

"I want to help Gloria and Grace. I just don't know how." He said.

"Well lucky for you, we got that covered." Dennis said before explaining Edo's plan to do just that. When he was done, Ryo couldn't believe it.

"You have a spy of your own among Leo's subordinates?! Who?!"

"Can't say yet. Let's just say it's someone we can count on. Plus, that someone also knows the truth about the Arc Area Project. So, you down with that?" Dennis asked. Ryo smiled back and nodded again, showing he indeed approved of the plan. Just then, Dennis got a ding from his Duel Disk, indicating he got a message. What he read made him gasp. "Uh oh."

"What's wrong Dennis?" Edo asked. Dennis turned to him looking worried.

"We've got a new problem. Our insider just told me..."

"Guys, look outside!" Yuya called out, pointing out the open doors. Everyone gathered to see what the boy was talking about. A giant dark yellow dome had appeared and was covering all of Maiami City.

"What is it?" Yuzu asked.

"That's what I was about to tell you guys." Dennis said, getting the group's attention once more. "Our friend just informed me that Roget had activated a giant energy field to prevent us from leaving the city. It's also cut off any communications to the other Dimensions. Basically, we're isolated."

"This is a problem." Astral said. "With that shield up, we can't fly the Airship out of here. We probably cannot even use the Dimension Move on our new allies' Duel Disks."

"Then we just gotta take that shield down!" Yuma said earnestly.

"Yes we must! How do we disable it?" Gongenzaka asked.

"According to our spy, the Professor was just given the energy matrix to the shield program. If we can destroy it, the shield should be gone just like that." Dennis said as he snapped his fingers.

"Then we have to confront Leo himself for a chance to escape." Yusho said.

"But isn't he waiting to trap us on the roof?" Yoko reminded the group. Reiji thought a moment before he spoke.

"I think a slight alteration of our original plan is in order…"


/\/\/\/\/\/\


"Professor, I'm pleased to say that the Gauntlet Shield is up and perfectly operational." Roget told Leo as the enormous energy field covered the entire city. "No one should be able to escape now." The Professor nodded approvingly.

"Excellent, Roget. Now Reiji, Yugi, and all those with him have no choice but to come to me." He said with a smile.

"Um, Professor, about that…" Grace piped in as she pointed at one of the Gauntlet monitors. Leo and the others looked and saw that four groups had run off in separate directions.

Judai Yuki and Edo Phoenix were heading West. Yusei Fudo and Jack Atlas ran to the East. Yuma Tsukumo and Kaito Tenjo were running South. Moving towards the North were Kaiba, Sora, and Dennis. They seem to be trying to join up with the four teams his son sent out earlier. There was no sign of anyone else, not Reiji or even Yugi Muto. Ryo could not be seen either. However, Leo noticed a far more surprising thing. Each of the running groups had something in common: Yuzu Hiragi.

"What's this? That girl is in four places at once?!" Sanders asked, utterly stumped by this sight. Leo narrowed his eyes.

"Obviously, our enemies are using decoys to try to fool us. The fact that Yugi's group isn't seen running must be because the real Yuzu is still with them." Gloria didn't quite agree with that. Plus, she saw an opportunity to take action.

"Professor, if they are using decoys, then isn't it possible, even remotely, that the real Yuzu could be with one of the enemy groups? I don't think we should take the chance of losing her. Remember sir, you told us yourself that we shouldn't underestimate them "in the slightest." She told him, quoting his exact words.

Leo pondered this. It was true. Yugi and his allies had been one step ahead of him so far. Perhaps Gloria had a point. Although he was certain that the real Yuzu was still with Yugi, who he strongly felt would face him very soon, there was also a small chance that she really could be among one of the fleeing groups. Besides, certain individuals here had scores to settle, and they have patiently waited for their chances…

"Very well. In this case, we will divide and conquer. Gloria, you and Grace go after Yuma Tsukumo." The Tyler Sisters nodded while smiling, both looking forward to taking on one of the Four. "Sanders and Battle Beast, Judai Yuki is your target."

"Finally! Carding that brat will bring me my greatest pleasure!" The old man replied, sounding very eager to get his revenge. Battle Beast growled and felt it in his gut. The time to fight for his freedom had come, and he had no intention of losing to his prey.

"Roget… Yusei Fudo is all yours." Leo told him. Roget bowed respectfully.

"Thank you, Professor. I will not fail you." He also smiled viciously. 'At long last, my vengeance is at hand! Your death will be mine to enjoy, Yusei Fudo!'

"What about Kaiba's group?" Grace asked.

"I'll order our forces engaged in that area to handle them. As for me, I will remain here to deal with my son and Yugi Muto. I'm sure they will come here in an attempt to bring the Gauntlet Shield down. When they do, I shall strike them down personally!" He then looked at all his subordinates and gave them a last message. "This is it! Time to claim what is meant to be ours! Remember, it is not just Yuzu Hiragi! We must also learn where Serena, Rin, and Ruri are and take them so that we can at last complete the Arc Area Project! Go, all of you! Do not fail me! More importantly… do not fail Academia!"

"We won't fail Professor!" They all said before using their Duel Disks to disappear to their own destinations. Leo closed his eyes and smiled. "It won't be long now… Ray."


/\/\/\/\/\/\


"Shark and the others shouldn't be far now! Maybe a few blocks from here!" Yuma said while he, Kaito, and "Yuzu" ran.

"They should be fine if Edo's troops are helping them out! I just hope Reiji's plan works!" Kaito replied. Yuma and Astral (who was floating along with them) shared that thought too. Just as they turned a corner at the next block, they skidded to a halt as two young woman suddenly appeared before them. Kaito immediately recognized them. He had witnessed these very women attacking the Clover Branch of the Resistance… Kaito's branch. "Yuma! It's them, the Tyler Sisters!" The girls smiled at them.

"Hello boys. Going somewhere?" Grace said slyly to Yuma and Kaito

"We can't let you proceed any further." Gloria added, sounding more serious.

"It would seem Reiji's plan is indeed working, and to our advantage I might add." Astral said. Yuma nodded. Gloria and Grace then turned to the pink haired girl with them.

"Yuzu Hiragi, if you value your friends' lives, I strongly suggest you come with us." Gloria ordered. "Yuzu" then smiled… before flickering out of sight, like a hologram. "What the hell?" The sisters saw that in the girl's place was a small hovering projector of some kind. It then flew away, out of their reach.

"So it was a decoy, just like the Professor said." Grace said, sighing with disappointment. "Well, I suppose we should scratch that one off our "Yuzu possibility list".

"Clever trick." Gloria admitted. "But we're not giving up that easily! Tell us where the real Yuzu is, along with the other girls that were taken!" Yuma and Kaito responded by slipping on and activating their Duel Disks.

"Try and make us!" Yuma declared.

"We have no intention of handing anyone over to you! Especially not after your last attack in my home!" Kaito said angrily. Even though his own family was spared from being carded due to Reiji's intervention, there were still other casualties from that assault. Kaito was definitely not in a forgiving mood to the women for the damage and suffering they caused.

"You definitely seem to mean business. Then let's settle it with a true Tag-Team Duel! In this Duel, both partners share Life Points, Fields, and Graveyards! Also, card effects that target cards in a player's hand may target their partner's hand! Do you agree to our terms?" Gloria challenged.

Yuma and Kaito nodded at one another. "Agreed!" They both confirmed.

"Good!" As they too put on and activated their own Duel Disks, Gloria and Grace couldn't help thinking something odd regarding Kaito. 'I've noticed this earlier, and I know Grace has too. When we saw the Xyz Team in action earlier, we definitely saw Kaito fighting among those other Xyz Duelists. This Kaito seems to be the one from the Xyz Dimension if he saw us there at that time. Could that first Kaito be some kind of imposter?' she questioned in her mind. "You ready, sister?" Gloria asked aloud.

'It is kind of weird that two versions of Kaito are here. Oh, we may figure that out later. Right now, I just want to see how strong they are.' Grace thought, excited to fight one of the "Four Devils". Grace nodded when her older sister asked her. "I'm more than ready, sis! Let's start the fun!" The Tag Team Duel between these immediately began.

"DUEL!"

(Yuma and Kaito: 4000) (Gloria and Grace: 4000)

"Ladies first!" Gloria said before making the first move. "My turn! Since I control no Monsters, I can activate Slow Life! This Magic card prevents all players from Special Summoning on the same turn they Normal Summon or Set, and vice versa! Next I Summon Amazoness Princess!" (EARTH; Level 3; ATK: 1200; DEF: 900) A young dark skinned girl in tribal clothing appeared before her master. "Now her Monster Effect activates! Once per turn, when Amazoness Princess is Normal or Special Summoned, I can add a "Amazoness" Magic or Trap card from my Deck to my hand! I choose Amazoness Heirloom!" She said as she showed her chosen card. "Then I Set two cards facedown and end my turn!"

"Limiting us to either Normal or Special Summing each turn will make this difficult, but not impossible." Astral told Yuma.

"Yeah, we can handle this. My turn! Draw!" Yuma saw a way to protect himself, and maybe Kaito too. "I Summon Ganbara Knight!" (LIGHT; Level 4; ATK: 0; DEF: 1800) An armored warrior wielding a big shield on each arm materialized to protect it's controller. "I then Set two cards facedown and end my turn!"

"Summoning a Monster with no Attack Points? Hmph, I'm so scared.. not. My turn! Draw!" Grace declared as she went next. "I'll start with this cute fella. I Summon Amazoness Pet Tiger!" (EARTH; Level 4; ATK: 1100; DEF: 1500) A light orange tiger with a scar over it's right eye now stood next to it's fellow Monster. "Now the Effect of Pet Tiger activates! It gains 400 Attack Points for each "Amazoness" I control. Since Gloria and share the Field, her Amazoness Princess is also mine… which means my Tiger gets stronger! Then I Set two cards facedown and end my turn! Now try to impress us, boys! My sister and I prefer fighting strong Duelists!" She told them with a cocky grin.

(Amazoness Pet Tiger's ATK: 1100 + 400 = 1500)

'That's one of the Monsters Dennis told us about.' Yuma thought. He then remembered that he and Kaito were facing the girls Ryo wanted to protect. Even though they were enemies, Yuma hoped after the Duel, he could convince the sisters that they don't have to be on opposing sides. However, judging by Kaito's current attitude, convincing him the same may be even more difficult. Yuma also wanted to tell Gloria that there was a plan to protect her sister, but he didn't think she'd believe him. She probably wouldn't even believe there was a spy among the Professor's ranks anyway. Still, he should try when he could. His thoughts were interrupted when Kaito (who looked rather scary to Yuma at the moment) went next.

"You think just because I can't Normal and Special Summon on the same turn that you have the advantage? Think again! My turn! Draw!" Kaito was going to prove to the sisters that he should not be taken lightly. "I play Pot of Greed, which lets me draw two more cards!" He saw that there was a way to bring "it" out without needing to Normal Summon. "Next, I activate Foolish Burial to send Cipher Wing from my Deck to the Graveyard! Then I activate Monster Reborn to Special Summon that Cipher Wing from the Graveyard!" (LIGHT; Level 4; ATK: 1400; DEF: 1200) A small green cube attached to two pairs of three energy like wings appeared before Kaito.

"He's not holding back at all in this Duel." Astral noted. Yuma silently agreed. Gloria smiled.

"I was hoping one of you would do that! Continuous Trap open, Amazoness Hall! When Grace and I control an "Amazoness" Monster when our opponent Special Summons a Monster or Monsters, our Life Points increase by the total Attack Points of those Special Summoned Monsters!"

(Gloria and Grace: 4000 + 1400 = 5400)

"That isn't going to stop me! I activate the Effect of Cipher Wing! Since I now control Cipher Wing, I can Special Summon another Cipher Wing from my hand!" A copy of his first Monster appeared beside it. "Then use my second Cipher Wing's Effect to Special Summon the third one in my hand!" Three copies of Cipher Wing were now on the Field.

"That's more Life Points for us!" Grace cheered as her and Gloria's Life Points went up again.

(Gloria and Grace: 5400 + 2800 = 8200)

"Now for Cipher Wing's other Effect! I can Sacrifice it to increase the Levels of all "Cipher" Monsters I control by 4!" Kaito's first Cipher Wing vanished to make the other two become Level 8 Monsters.

'Here it comes!' Yuma said in his mind. Gloria and Grace could feel it too, and they were pleased about it.

"I Overlay my now two Level 8 Cipher Wings! Galaxy shining in the darkness, dwell in the demonic god of revenge and become my very servant! Xyz Summon! Descend, Rank 8! Galaxy-Eyes Cipher Dragon!" (LIGHT; Rank 8; ATK: 3000; DEF: 2500) Kaito's Ace was very similar to the dragon that Yuma's Kaito used. The difference, besides Cipher Dragon being an Xyz Monster while Photon Dragon was just an Effect Monster, was that this dragon had armored shoulder pads and it's wings were larger and more colorful.

"Now that's more like it!" Grace shouted in joy, finally seeing a powerful Monster in play.

"Indeed sister. And with another Special Summon, our Life Points grow even further!" Gloria stated.

(Gloria and Grace: 8200 + 3000 = 11,200)

"Kaito, we can't let their Life Points get any higher or we'll never beat them!" Yuma called out. Kaito didn't seemed that concerned about it.

"If you're as strong as I've heard Yuma, and if we work together, we will be fine. I Set 2 cards facedown and end my turn."

"Maybe now this Duel will get more exciting!" Grace hoped. Gloria nodded back at her sister before returning her gaze to the two boys.

'If what that message said was accurate, those two are my only chance in protecting my sister from the Professor. We're lucky he sent us after them to begin with. All Grace and I have to do is duel Yuma Tsukumo and Kaito Tenjo like we mean it. That won't be a problem for my sister, since she doesn't know what's going on anyway. I'm the one that needs to do the acting. For now… it's time to go on the attack!' "The warm up is over! My turn! Draw!"

"Be ready Yuma." Astral advised.

"I am." He replied softly.

"I Equip Amazoness Princess with Amazoness Heirloom!" A small totem attached itself to the young female warrior. "The "Amazoness" Monster Equipped with it can't be destroyed by battle once per turn, which leads me to this! Battle! Amazoness Princess, attack Galaxy-Eyes Cipher Dragon! Training Spear!" This surprised the two teen boys. "Now for the other Effect of my Princess! When it attacks, by discarding one card from my hand to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon an "Amazoness" Monster from my Deck in Defense Mode except "Amazoness Princess"! I Special Summon Amazoness Swords Woman!" (EARTH; Level 4; ATK: 1500; DEF: 1600) An older, battle hardened woman holding a sword appeared in Defense Mode.

"Don't forget! With another "Amazoness" Monster in play, my Pet Tiger gets another 400 Attack Points!" Grace reminded her opponents as her Monster's Attack Power went up to 1900.

"Why attack with that? Your Monster is much weaker than mine! Even if your Monster won't be destroyed in battle, you will still take heavy damage!" Kaito said as the little girl ran toward the dragon that towered over her.

"Gloria and I can handle a little damage after all the Life Points you "generously" provided on your first turn." Grace said sarcastically.

"As for my Monster, the Heirloom she's Equipped with has another Effect that is more dangerous for you! After damage calculation, the Monster my Equipped Princess attacks… gets destroyed!" Gloria revealed to Kaito's shock. "Your dragon is done for!"

"Oh no you don't! Trap card open, Shift! If my opponent targets a Monster on my Field by battle or card effect, I can switch that target to another one! Your new target is my Ganbara Knight!" Yuma said, diverting Gloria's attack to his Monster instead of Kaito's.

"Grr, fine! I'll attack Ganbara Knight instead!" Gloria said reluctantly. "Either way, I still get to destroy one of your Monsters!" Yuma smiled.

"I wouldn't say that! First of all, when Ganbara Knight is being attacked while in Attack Mode, I can switch it to Defense Mode!" Yuma's Monster then kneeled and set both it's shields in position to protect itself. "Then I have this! Trap card open, Attack Invulnerability! During the Battle Phase, I can choose either to not take any battle damage, or protect a Monster on the Field from being destroyed in battle or by card effects! Since I'm not taking any battle damage anyway, I'm picking the latter! Now your Heirloom's Effect can't destroy Ganbara Knight!" Yuma declared, stopping Gloria in her tracks.

"Dammit!" Gloria shouted. 'It didn't matter which Monster I attacked! Yuma would've protected them both either way!' She thought as she and her sister took damage from attacking a Monster with Defense Points higher than their Monster's Attack Points.

(1800 - 1200 = 600)

(Gloria and Grace: 11,200 - 600 = 10,600)

"Thanks Yuma." Kaito said to him.

"I've got your back!" The younger boy told him, who nodded in return.

"I'm not done just yet! I next play Pot of Greed to draw two more cards!" The older Tyler Sister then smiled. "Now… I activate Polymerization to Fuse my Amazoness Princess, renamed "Amazoness Queen" while on the Field or Graveyard, to my Amazoness Swords Woman! Queen of the jungle! Receive the power of the valiant swords-woman, and build an empire that rules over everything! Fusion Summon! Appear! Level 8! Amazoness Empress!" (EARTH; Level 8; ATK: 2800; DEF: 2400) An older and more mature version of Gloria's first Monster appeared in the place of it and Swords Woman. It wore an animal skull on it's head like a crown and had a purple cloak with a very deadly looking sword.

"So that's the other Monster Dennis mentioned." Astral said to himself.

"Of course, with one less "Amazoness" on our Field, my Pet Tiger gets slightly weaker, but's no problem." Grace said as her Tiger's Attack Points drop back down to 1500.

"With our Fusion Monster in play, all "Amazoness" Monsters we control cannot be destroyed by battle or card effects! Now I end my turn." Gloria declared.

"Just one more thing. Continuous Trap open, Amazoness Curse Mirror! This can be activated during the End Phase of the turn we took battle damage! Once per turn, any battle damage we take is reduced to zero! Try to touch us now, boys!" Grace added with glee.

"Oh, we'll do more than try! My turn! Draw! First I play Graceful Charity, letting me draw three more cards, then discarding two." He quickly gave Kaito a glimpse of the discarded cards just in case. "Then I play Mystical Space Typhoon, which lets me destroy a Magic or Trap card on the Field! I'm getting rid of Amazoness Hall! Now your Life Points won't increase anymore!" Yuma proudly told them.

"Doesn't matter. We've got plenty of Life Points so we should be good." Grace replied confidently.

"We'll see about that! Next I activate another Magic card, Gagagarevenge! Now I can Special Summon a "Gagaga" Monster in my Graveyard and Equip this card to it! I Special Summon Gagaga Magician!" The 1500 Attack Point Monster he used against Dennis now appeared alongside Ganbara Knight.

"Two Level 4 Monsters…" Gloria said to herself. 'No doubt that Magician was one of the cards he discarded. I wonder what the other one was…' Regardless of what that second card was, the elder Tyler Sister knew what her opponent was going for.

"I Overlay my Level 4 Gagaga Magician and Ganbara Knight! Appear, Number 39! My battle starts here! I entrust my wishes upon your white wings! Xyz Summon! Messenger of Light, King of Wishes - Hope!" Yuma's 2500 Attack Point Ace arrived at last.

"So that's Yuma's Ace." Kaito said to himself.

"Oh neat!" Grace couldn't help saying. "It definitely looks strong!"

"It's about to get stronger! Since one of the Monsters I used for my Xyz Summon was Equipped with Gagagarevenge, that Xyz Monster gains 300 Attack Points!" Yuma said as Hope's Attack Power increased.

(Hope – King of Wishes' ATK: 2500 + 300 = 2800)

'Now Hope is as strong as my Empress.' Gloria thought before smiling. 'Even so, those two still can't touch it…'

"Battle! Hope – King of Wishes, attack Amazoness Empress!" Yuma knew that being a "Number" Monster, Hope wouldn't be destroyed in battle against a non-Number. Plus, he and Kaito won't receive battle damage due to both Monsters having the same attack points. He could take down Gloria's Fusion Monster without any drawbacks. However, that attack wasn't meant to be.

"Not so fast, little guy! The Effect of my Amazoness Pet Tiger won't let you attack any face-up "Amazoness" Monsters besides itself! You'll have to take down my kitty first!" Grace informed the younger boy. Yuma grunted.

"Fine! Hope, attack Amazoness Pet Tiger instead! Hope Sword Slash!" Hope unsheathed it's twin swords and slashed at Grace's Tiger.

"Due to the Effect of Empress, all "Amazoness" Monsters excluding itself can't be destroyed by battle or card effects!" Gloria revealed as Yuma's attack failed to destroy Pet Tiger.

"And remember my Amazoness Curse Mirror? We take no any damage from your attack!" Grace said as her Trap reduced the battle damage to zero.

"I know that! That card only protects you from battle damage once per turn!" Yuma turned to Kaito, who nodded in approval. Yuma nodded back before refocusing on the Sisters. "We still have one other Monster! Galaxy-Eyes Cipher Dragon, attack Amazoness Pet Tiger!" Kaito's dragon fired a large, powerful blast from it's mouth streaking towards Grace's Monster. Gloria nodded at her sister, silently telling her to use "it". The younger Tyler got the message.

"I won't let you! If an "Amazoness" Monster is being targeted for an attack by an opponent's Monster, I can banish Amazoness Blockade from our Graveyard to end your Battle Phase!" Grace revealed, saving her Monster from destruction.

"That must've been the card you sent to the Graveyard with your Amazoness Princess' Effect." Kaito guessed.

"It was indeed. Have any other moves?" Gloria dared. Yuma groaned and cursed that both attacks failed to reach their opponents.

"I Set two cards facedown and end my turn." The Tyler Sisters giggled.

"Nice try, but you will have to try much harder than that." Gloria said.

"I'll show you an attack! My turn! Draw!" Grace felt she could now get serious. "I activate Polymerization to Fuse Amazoness Pet Tiger with the Amazoness Spy in my hand! Wild beast of the jungle with vicious fangs, obtain the eyes of the warrior who hunts down her prey! Become a new savage beast and appear! Fusion Summon! Come before us! Level 7! Amazoness Pet Liger!" (EARTH; Level 7; ATK: 2500; DEF: 2400) Grace's new Monster resembled an armored, savage lion with the black stripes of a tiger. Like Pet Tiger, it also had a scarred right eye.

"That's a mean looking cat." Yuma said nervously to himself.

"Next I activate my facedown Quick-Play Magic card, Amazoness Call! I can take an "Amazoness" card from my Deck and add it to my hand, except "Amazon Call"! I think I'll take "Amazoness Substitution" and hold on to it!" Grace stated. "Then I play two Continuous Magic cards! First is Amazoness Magic Mirror! You'll see what it does later. My second is Amazoness Fighting Spirit! When an "Amazoness" Monster attacks a Monster with more Attack Points, that "Amazoness" Monster gains 1000 Attack Points during damage calculation, and speaking of attacking…" Grace grinned. "Battle! Amazoness Pet Liger, attack Number 39: Hope – King of Wishes! Jungle Fury!" Yuma then saw that Pet Liger's Attack Points did go up by 1000, making it 3500. "One more thing, Yuma! When Pet Liger attacks, it gains another 500 Attack Points during the Damage Step!"

"Meaning her Monster's Attack Points are now at 4000!" Kaito said in alarm.

(Amazoness Pet Liger's ATK: 2500 + 1500 = 4000)

"Let's see you survive this!" Grace challenged. Yuma was ready.

"I activate Hope's Monster Effect! When a Monster attacks, by detaching an Overlay Unit, I can negate that attack! Moon Barrier!" Pet Liger's jaws and claws just stopped short of tearing into Yuma's armored Monster, thanks to it's closed wings. "I got you now! Trap card open, Counterforce! When a Monster's attack on a face-up Monster in Attack Mode was negated, I can inflict damage to you equal to the difference between the Attack Points of both Monsters! Also, since the damage you're taking isn't battle damage, your Curse Mirror can't protect you!" He was surprised when Grace still smiled.

"No, but my Magic Mirror can! If I take effect damage during either of our turns, that damage gets redirected at you instead!" Grace revealed to Yuma's shock.

"What?!" He shouted just before he and Kaito took the damage meant for the Tyler Sisters.

(4000 - 2800 = 1200)

(Yuma and Kaito: 4000 - 1200 = 2800)

"That was a nice counter. Too bad it didn't work. I Set one card facedown and end my turn. At this time, my Pet Liger's Attack Points return to normal." Grace told him, her Monster's Attack Power dropping back down to 2500. Yuma turned to Kaito.

"Sorry about that. I thought I could damage them this time." Kaito's sounded calm when he replied.

"It was a good move. The problem was that they were prepared for it." Kaito frowned and narrowed his eyes. 'Those two are definitely a strong team. All those Magic and Trap cards they have are causing us a lot of problems. They need to go!' Kaito hoped he would draw the card needed to eliminate their disadvantage. "My turn! Draw!" 'It's here!' He thought, his eyes widening slightly.

"Try anything. You'll never bring us down!" Gloria gloated. Kaito smiled.

"I don't agree with that last part. I play Harpie's Feather Duster! This lets me destroy all my opponent's Magic and Trap cards on the Field!"

"What? No!" Grace yelled in dismay as most of her and her sister's cards were destroyed.

"Way to go Kaito!" Yuma cheered.

"Excellent move." Astral commented.

"Now the battlefield is even! You can't save yourselves anymore, especially from this! I activate the Effect of Galaxy-Eyes Cipher Dragon! Once per turn, by detaching an Overlay Unit, I can take control of an opponent's Monster until the End Phase! While under my control, that Monster's name becomes "Galaxy-Eyes Cipher Dragon", it's Attack Points are also 3000, it cannot attack directly, and it's Effects are negated! I will take your Amazoness Empress! Cipher Projection!"

"Not our Empress!" Gloria shouted. One energy burst from Cipher Dragon and Gloria's Fusion Monster vanished and reappeared on Kaito's Field, now a perfect copy of the dragon that snatched it. Kaito's face was then filled with fury.

"Now you know how it feels to have something stolen from you. The fear, the anger, the helplessness… those are the emotions of all the people of Heartland that you and your Academia have taken! Those people had lives and you just took them without a second thought! It's excruciating, isn't it? You hate it, the fact that knowing there was nothing you could've done to stop it from happening!" Kaito then shook his fists. "Do you know what is happening now? Do you and your sister know what this is?! THIS… IS… RETRIBUTION!" He shouted at the top of his lungs.

'Kaito… even though his family was saved, he still has strong hatred towards Academia.' Yuma thought, saddened by his rival's counterpart's suffering. Astral had similar thoughts.

Grace grimaced from Kaito's rage, but Gloria… she was hit hard the most by the young man's words. Losing her Monster was bad, but she knew how much worse she would feel if she lost her sister just like those people in the Xyz Dimension. 'What Kaito is feeling… it's exactly how I would feel if I was in his place. Seeing my own sister carded would… probably break me. The very reason I'm fighting now is so that Grace wouldn't suffer that fate at the hands of the Professor, the very man that threatened her life.' Gloria decided she should let Kaito do what he feels he needs to do. She also hoped that he and Yuma would stick to the plan…

"So you're whining about your ruined home? Boo hoo! Like we care! Everything we do is to create a utopia where all the Dimensions can live in peace and harmony! You and your pathetic Resistance are just making that goal harder to reach! Why can't all of you just roll over and accept the inevitable?!" Gloria shouted, goading him to attack. Thankfully, it had worked.

"The only thing that is inevitable is your defeat! With your Empress' Effects negated, your other Monster is no longer protected from destruction! Now then, since my copy of Cipher Dragon can't attack directly, I'll have it strike first! Battle! My Galaxy-Eyes Cipher Dragon copy, attack Amazoness Pet Liger!" The Amazoness turned enemy dragon fired it's replicated attack, completely vaporizing Grace's Monster.

(3000 - 2500 = 500)

(Gloria and Grace: 10,600 - 500 = 10,100)

"My Liger! It's gone!" Grace lamented her Monster's demise.

"Since my Monster destroyed my opponent's Monster in battle, I can activate my facedown card, Bownty! This Quick-Play Magic card allows me to take a card from my Graveyard and add it to my hand! However, for the rest of the turn I can't use cards or the effects of cards with the same name as the added card!"

"What card did he take back?" Gloria asked herself. Yuma and Astral had a pretty good idea. Kaito then moved to what he really wanted to do.

"Now for the REAL strike! This is the accumulation of all the hatred and sadness your damn armies instilled in everyone! Galaxy-Eyes Cipher Dragon… DIRECT ATTACK! CIPHER STREAM OF ANNIHILATION!" As if it felt the amount of rage from it's master, the true Cipher Dragon attacked with a beam that seemed much stronger than the copy had. Gloria and Grace were actually knocked off their feet from the impact and slammed back down hard.

(Gloria and Grace: 10,100 - 3000 = 7100)

"Okay, I think I felt that one." Grace muttered while groaning.

"You think?" Gloria asked incredulously.

"It is very unfortunate for you that this Duel is still not over. I promise that it will soon, with your downfall! I Set one card facedown and end my turn!"

"With your turn over, Amazoness Empress returns to me!" Gloria declared as her Monster reappeared on her Field (and as itself). Now she and her sister were the ones in trouble. Still, she had to keep up her end and fight as hard as she could. After standing firmly again, she got ready for her next turn. "You may have hit us hard, but we won't back down! My turn! Draw!" Gloria saw how she could give a good fight. "I Summon my second Amazoness Swords Woman! Then, during my Main Phase, I can banish Amazoness Call from our Graveyard to use it's more potent Effect! This turn, an "Amazoness" Monster I control can attack all my opponent's Monsters once each, but no other Monsters I control can attack! I choose my Swords Woman!"

"Why would she choose her weaker Monster to attack with?" Astral wondered.

"Next I play Amazoness Spellcaster! Until the end of the turn, I can switch the Attack Points of an "Amazoness" Monster I control with the Attack Points of one of my opponent's Monsters! My choices: Amazoness Swords Woman and Galaxy-Eyes Cipher Dragon!" Kaito felt a little annoyed as his dragon had Gloria's Monster's 1500 Attack Points while said Monster had Cipher Dragon's 3000 Attack Points. "Battle! Amazoness Swords Woman, attack Galaxy-Eyes Cipher Dragon! Head-Chopping Sword!" The female warrior raised it's deadly weapon and leaped at Kaito's Monster.

"That will not work! I play another Quick-Play Magic card, Reversal Attack! This switches the Attack Points of one of my Monsters with one of yours until the end of the Battle Phase! Now my Cipher Dragon and your Swords Woman have their original Attack Points back!" Kaito countered. Gloria, on the other hand, wasn't dismayed by the reversed power switch.

"So I can't destroy your dragon, it makes no difference! Thanks to the Effect of Swords Woman, you will still take the damage that I would've taken otherwise! Not only that, but my Monster won't be destroyed thanks to the restored Effect of Amazoness Empress!" She declared.

"Not happening! I detach Hope's last Overlay Unit to negate your attack! Moon Barrier!" Once again, the wings of Yuma's Number Monster intercepted the enemy Monster's attack. Gloria smirked.

"I hoped you would do that, Yuma! Now I'll have my Swords Woman attack your Monster, which can no longer stop my attacks!" Swords Woman then swung her sword at Hope, which used it's own blade to take the strike.

"Now Yuma!" Astral called out.

"Got it! Trap card open, Bye Bye Damage! When a Monster I control is being attacked, I can not only prevent that Monster's destruction (which can't be destroyed regardless), but you will take twice the battle damage that I just took!"

"Twice the damage?!" Both Tyler Sisters yelled. Like Gloria previously said, Yuma and Kaito took the damage that should've been hers due to Swords Woman's Effect.

(2800 - 1500 = 1300)

(Yuma and Kaito: 2800 - 1300 = 1500)

After that, Gloria and Grace took the double hit to their own Life Points because of Yuma's Trap.

(1300 x 2 = 2600)

(Gloria and Grace: 7100 - 2600 = 4500)

"Nice one, Yuma!" Kaito told him. Yuma grinned and gave a thumbs up his way.

"Dammit. I wasn't expecting that one. I end my turn." Gloria said. She and Grace were starting to see that Yuma was indeed a formidable opponent… as well as Kaito.

"Yuma, we must end the Duel now." Astral advised. Yuma agreed.

'Yeah. We need to finish this and meet up with the others! We just need the right card…' The boy hoped he would as he prepared for his next turn. "Here I go! My turn! DRAW!" Yuma grinned widely when he saw the card he drew. "Yes! We got it!" Kaito and the Tyler Sisters wondered what he meant. They didn't have to wait long. "I activate Rank-Up-Magic, Numeron Force! This card will Rank up my Xyz Monster… and Special Summon a Chaos Xyz Monster!"

"Chaos Xyz?!" Kaito, Gloria, and Grace asked in complete bewilderment.

"I rebuild the Overlay Network with my Rank 4 King of Wishes, Hope! CHAOS XYZ CHANGE!" Everyone watched as Hope was bathed in a golden light that exploded above them. "Appear, Chaos Number 39! Seize the victory shining in the future! Overlapping thoughts and connected hearts shall change the world! King of Wishes - Hope Ray Victory!" (LIGHT; Rank 5; ATK: 2800; DEF: 2500) Descending now was an upgraded version of Yuma's Ace, wearing white armor with bigger wings and wore a helmet of blue and gold.

"Woah!" Grace could only stare in astonishment, marveling the new Monster.

"Yuma had something like that the whole time?!" Kaito asked himself, stunned.

"It is definitely something to look at, but…" Gloria quickly recorded from her surprise. "It's Attack Points are still the same as the old Hope, plus our own Monsters will still keep us safe! What can it do to beat us?" Yuma still smiled.

"First of all, during the turn Numeron Force was activated, all other cards on the Field have their Effects negated! Which means your Empress can't protect your Swords Woman anymore, nor can Swords Woman inflict damage to us that is meant for you!" He said, shocking the young women.

"What?! Seriously?!" Grace said in shock.

"If that was just from his Rank Up Magic card, then what about his Monster?" Gloria asked aloud.

"Kaito, do you mind if I attacked with your Monster first?" Yuma asked.

"By all means." Kaito said with a smile.

"Thanks! Alright, here we go! Battle! Galaxy-Eyes Cipher Dragon, attack Amazoness Swords Woman! Cipher Stream of Annihilation!" Once again, Kaito's vengeful dragon attacked, and destroyed it's target.

(3000 - 1500 = 1500)

(Gloria and Grace: 4500 - 1500 = 3000)

"Now only our Empress is left." Grace said, sounding afraid.

"Exactly! Hope Ray Victory, attack Amazoness Empress!"

"But their Attack Points are the same! They'll just destroy each other!" Gloria said.

"Wrong! I now activate Hope Ray Victory's Monster Effect! During the Battle Phase, by detaching an Overlay Unit, my Monster can add your Monster's Attack Points to it's own! Victory Charge!"

"WHAT?!" The Tyler Sisters shouted in disbelief as Hope Ray Victory grew two additional arms with swords and became stronger.

(Hope Ray Victory's ATK: 2800 + 2800 = 5600)

"Even if that's the case, it's still not enough! My sister and I will still have 200 Life Points left! We'll survive to beat you and your partner on our next turn!" Grace declared confidently.

"I disagree!" Kaito told her. "I activate the facedown card I recovered with Bownty's Effect! I play the Quick-Play Magic card that originally was Yuma's: Giant Shadow of Egoism! When a Monster attacks, that Monster gains 1000 Attack Points until the end of the Battle Phase!"

(Hope Ray Victory's ATK: 5600 + 1000 = 6600)

The sister gasped in horror, knowing what this meant. Gloria instantly took her sister's hand, which gripped hers back. "It's over! HOPE SWORD DOUBLE VICTORY SLASH!" With a swing from each of the mighty warrior's four swords, Amazoness Empress was obliterated and it's sibling masters fell back in defeat.

(Gloria and Grace: 0)

As they lay on the ground, the sisters looked at one another. They knew they just lost to one of the Four Devils, and the Professor was not going to be happy about it.

"Grace… I'm sorry." Gloria said to her younger sister.

"Don't be, sis. We both screwed up." Grace replied, giving her older sibling a weak smile. Normally, she would not be so discouraged from losing to such strong opponents. This time, though, she knew there was going to be hell to pay from this failure. The sisters then looked up to see Yuma and Kaito walk until they stood above them. They then saw that Kaito, who remained looking as mad as hell, was still holding his Duel Disk. "Um… What are you doing?" The younger sister nervously asked.

"I'm about to give you Tyler Sisters a dose of your own medicine. My Duel Disk was recently outfitted with a certain function that your own Disks have." Grace gasped again. She knew what he was talking about.

"Wait! You're going to… card us?!" Grace questioned, now sounding downright terrified.

"It's what you two deserve. Now good riddance!" Kaito shouted as he reached for the button. However…

"No Kaito! Don't do it! This is what they would do! We are not like that! Don't be like them!" Yuma pleaded as he grabbed Kaito by the shoulder. Grace stared dumbstruck at Yuma. He was trying to protect them, their enemy?!

"Back off Yuma!" Kaito then forced the younger boy away from him, knocking him to the ground. "I appreciated you helping me win our Duel, but I was never going to let those two off the hook! After all, they almost got my family!"

Yuma looked up at him great shock. "Kaito! Please, they wouldn't want you to…!"

"Enough! I'm not letting anyone's sentimentality get in my way! They must pay for the lives they did take!" He told the stunned boy. Gloria believed now was as good as time as any.

"Please, spare my sister! Just card me! Let her go!" She begged.

"Gloria! Don't!" Grace said, not wanting to lose her only family. Gloria gave her a near death glare.

"This is not a debate, Grace! As your older sister, it is my job to protect you! You don't get to have a say in the matter!"

"Gloria…" Grace tried to argue, but couldn't find the words. Kaito wouldn't hear of it though.

"It won't matter! You're both getting what you deserve… RIGHT NOW!" Kaito yelled as he pushed the button.

"Kaito! NO!" Yuma yelled, but he was too late. The dark purple light that came out of Kaito's Duel Disk consumed the Tyler Sisters… before revealing two cards on the ground with their scared looking images on them. Astral said nothing, as did both boys for a long moment. Kaito then turned to Yuma and walked over to him… before he smiled down at him.

"Sorry about being rough on you there. How do you think I did?" He asked as he held out a hand to Yuma, who smiled back as he grabbed it.

"You definitely seemed convincing." He replied as he was helped out on his feet. "They'll both be okay now." Kaito nodded.

"I just hope we don't regret helping people that saw us as enemies. Come on, we need to get moving." Yuma nodded as the two resumed their run to meet up with the Xyz Team.


/\/\/\/\/\/\/\


Once the light had faded, Gloria and Grace Tyler found themselves in a very familiar place. They recognized where they were. The destroyed buildings and cloudy skies were a dead giveaway. "Gloria… Are we… in the Xyz Dimension?!" She asked incredulously.

Her older sister nodded, now smiling big time. "Yes, sis! We are!" She was happy! The plan had worked! 'I can't believe it actually worked! Now Grace is safe from the Professor… and so am I!' Ryo will be extremely relieved when he gets word. Grace was completely stumped.

"Gloria, how the hell did we end up in the Xyz Dimension?! I thought Roget's energy shield was supposed to prevent anyone from leaving the Standard Dimension?! I also thought Kaito was going to card us both?! What's going on?!" Gloria knew it was time to come clean with her sister… about everything.

"Grace… there's a few things I think you should know."

To be continued.