Responses to Reviews

Thank you to HunterHQ, Crow38, RoyalTwinFangs, SolanaLeonhart, FlameFireZero X, kival737101, neostardustdragon101, savagemaster1999, D3lph0xL0v3r, Divadix999, SakushiRyu, Lind. , yuman28, Dinomane, Katy Perry, ThePLOThand, helios darkus, Ethan Kironus, king, Dyna-mate, InfiniteStarz, Malicious hero, LazinessRules, key-chan, and Guests for reviewing Chapter 18.

helios darkus: Nothing is set in stone yet, but if Yuji gets new Code Talkers, he'll only get one or two. He's not getting a full set of them. And I've decided that there will be no legacy characters from the original series in this fic. There's just too many of them and I have enough to work with as it is.

Malicious hero: Flower Cardians were used by Chojiro Tokumatsu. And he already lost.

Now please enjoy Chapter 19 of Fifth Circuit!


Chapter 19: Hatred and Apathy

The ocean was filled with starlight.

As far as Yuji's eyes could see, the ocean glowed with a soft ever-changing blue light. It was like looking at a galaxy being born right in front of him.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?"

He turned to look at his brother Ryoken, who was standing next to him, a hand on his shoulder.

"What is it?" There was a hint of awe in his voice, a sign that this powerful sight had an effect on even his damaged heart.

"It is called the Stardust Road," Ryoken answered, smiling as he looked over the ocean. "Luminous plankton gather right beneath the surface. And on certain nights, they light up. And they make the ocean look like this." His smile widened. "This is the reason father built our house out here, away from the rest of Den City. So we could have this view to ourselves."

"That's rather selfish of dad."

Ryoken's lip twitched. "Being selfish isn't a bad thing. Wanting to keep the ones we love close to us is selfish. Wanting to protect them so we don't see them hurt is selfish. Being selfish is human nature."

He looked from his younger brother to the ocean. "Remember this Yuji; if you are ever lost or confused, the Stardust Road will guide you."

Yuji blinked and looked up. "The Stardust Road will guide me?"

"Yes. This path is the road to the future. No matter where you go, no matter what obstacles you face, the Stardust Road will lead you to the path you seek."

The younger boy frowned. "I… don't understand."

"It's alright if you don't right now," Ryoken assured him. "One day, you will." His smile turned bittersweet. "One day, the Stardust Road will guide you as it has our father and I."


Yuji opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling. That was… different, he thought as he pushed himself up and rubbed his eyes. I'm used to nightmares of fire and screams. That wasn't… expected.

He remembered that moment like it was yesterday. The first time he had seen the Stardust Road, the luminous path in the ocean that his father's house overlooked. To this day, it was still the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. Though he still didn't know what Ryoken had meant when he said that the Stardust Road would guide him. How could luminous plankton lead him anywhere? And why was he even dreaming about that in the first place?

Yuji paused and then turned to look out the window and stared at the ocean. It was early morning and the early sunlight was reflected in the water. Nowhere near as majestic as the Stardust Road. The teen sighed. It seems it's second nature to me to analyze everything that happens, he thought with annoyance. But dreams, by nature, aren't logical. There's no point in thinking on it too much.

He stood and stretched, then headed to the bathroom and took a shower. When he was done, he found breakfast had been delivered. And shortly after he finished eating, the television turned on.

"The City is one! We are all friends!" Melissa said as the audience cheered. "It's the last day of the first round of the Friendship Cup, and we have four exciting duels for you today! The first of these grand duels is… Yuji Kogami vs. Divine!"

Go narrowed his eyes. "So it's finally Yuji's turn. And Divine…"

"So now Yuji gets to duel," Yuya said.

Yuji closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Focus on the duel, he thought. Cast all other thoughts aside. Focus on only your opponent. Nothing else matters.

He heard his door unlock and opened his eyes in time to see it opened. A young boy in a brown-and-black suit entered. "It's time," he said. "I'm to lead you to the Duel Palace."

Yuji nodded, stood up, and followed the boy to an elevator. The elevator took them underground, where Yuji boarded a capsule that took him in the direction of the Duel Palace. When he got there, he was given his own riding suit and Duel Runner.

"And now, our duelists make their entrances! First off is a surprising guest… Divine!" The red-haired man entered on his dark red Duel Runner to the audience's cheers and surprised gasping.

"Everybody!" Divine shouted, raising his right fist. "I have returned! And I will regain the glory I lost!"

Go scowled. "So it is him. And he still hasn't learned to look forward. Be careful Yuji. This guy is tricky."

"Oh, it's the guy Go dueled in the underground," Dennis said excitedly. "How did he get here?"

"Some of you might remember Divine as the man who won the right to face Jack Atlas two years ago," Melissa continued. "Well, how he's back and raring for a second go at the King!"

Yuya gasped. "He lost? So he came from the underground?" He frowned to himself. "That means it is possible to get out…"

"Next up is Divine's challenger! Give it up for Yuji Kogami!" The boy shot out on his own Duel Runner – a blue and silver variation of the one Yuya had rode before. His riding outfit was likewise blue and silver but also had black pieces to it, and he also wore a blue helmet. He'd refused to change out of his fingerless gloves however, and he wore the pendant Hanako had given him underneath his suit.

Yuzu gasped as her eyes widened. "Another boy who looks like Yuya? And Melissa said his name was Yuji…"

"Hey, that Kingmaker dude is here!" Yugo shouted, his eyes wide. "So his real name is Yuji, huh? But why didn't he give it to me before?" He gasped. "Is he a spy? Was that Kingmaker thing a code name? Oh, I can't believe I met a spy!"

Kiryu smiled softly to himself. "So it's your turn now, Yuji. Will you find your answer here?"

Yuji rode up to the starting line. I've been on one of these before with Crow, but this is my first time driving one, he thought.

Divine looked at him and sneered. "I'm going to win this one, kid," he said. "Once I beat you, I'll get my revenge on Onizuka and then Jack Atlas."

Yuji raised an eyebrow but said nothing. Go? They must have encountered each other in the underground arena. But if Go beat him back then, I shouldn't have too much trouble from him.

"Our participants are ready! Action Field, on! Field Spell: Crossover Acceleration!"

"Duel mode, on. Auto-pilot, standby."

"Now, I have a special announcement to make!" Melissa continued. "This duel, like with Go's duel with Gongenzaka, will have different Master Rules!"

The crowd gasped in surprise and excitement. Out of the corner of his eye, Yuji noticed that Divine didn't react to the announcement. So he likely already knew. Yuji's eyes narrowed. He'll have prepared for this then. This might be trickier than I thought.

Yuzu's eyes widened at the announcement. "Different Master Rules? So that means Yuji uses Link Monsters too?"

"And now, let's start!" The countdown appeared in front of them. "Turbo Duel! Acceleration!" The countdown hit 0 and the Duel Runners shot forward.

"Duel!"

Divine: 4000 LP

Yuji Kogami: 4000 LP

The two started out even, but at the corner Divine managed to take the lead. "I'm going first!" the man declared. "I summon Psychic Commander!" A man in a green uniform riding a floating tank appeared.

Psychic Commander ATK 1400 DEF 800 LVL: 3

"As I control a Level 3 monster, I can Special Summon Psychic Tracker!" A small white and green machine with yoyos attached to it appeared in Defense Position.

Psychic Tracker ATK 1600 DEF 600 LVL: 3

"I tune Level 3 Psychic Commander to Level 3 Psychic Tracker! My rage at injustice, fester and take the form of black flames! Synchro Summon! Come, Level 6! Hyper Psychic Riser!" A humanoid monster in white armor with massive wheels for feet emerged from the light at the right Extra Monster Zone in Attack Position.

Hyper Psychic Riser ATK 2000 DEF 600 LVL: 6

"Since I used Psychic Tracker to Synchro Summon Hyper Psychic Riser, it gains 600 attack points!"

Hyper Psychic Riser ATK 2000→2600

"Hyper Psychic Riser's effect! Monsters with less attack points than it cannot attack, and monsters on the field with more attack points than it cannot activate their effects!" Yuji narrowed his eyes. "I Set two cards. I end my turn."

"A strong opener from Divine!" Melissa cheered. "Divine Synchro Summoned and placed a lockdown on Yuji!"

Hyper Psychic Riser has 2600 attack points, Yuji thought. I'll need a monster with more attack points to destroy it. But if any of my monsters go over 2600 attack points, I can't activate their effects. His eyes narrowed further as he placed his hand on his Deck. That said, this will only slow me down a little!

"My turn! Draw! By discarding the Level 1 Dotscaper, I can Special Summon Bitrooper!" A mechanical humanoid wielding a lance and energy shield appeared in Attack Position.

Bitrooper ATK 1500 DEF 2000 LVL: 4

"Since I sent Dotscaper to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon it!" The green and white monster made of blocks materialized in Defense Position.

Dotscaper ATK 0 DEF 2100 LVL: 1

"As I control a Cyberse monster, I can Special Summon Backup Secretary!" A purple-haired woman wearing black and purple clothes appeared in Attack Position.

Backup Secretary ATK 1200 DEF 800 LVL: 3

"I summon Flame Bufferlo!" A black mechanical bison with horns and a tail made of blue flames appeared.

Flame Bufferlo ATK 1400 DEF 200 LVL: 3

"Amazing! Yuji brought four monsters nearly instantly!" While Melissa cheered Yuji's skill, many in the crowd paid attention to another detail.

"Cyberse?" "That's what he said, isn't it?" "A new Type on top of a new summoning method?" "This Friendship Cup is the best one yet!"

Divine looked over his shoulder and frowned. "So what the director said was true," he muttered. "This kid does have a unique Deck."

Yuji raised his right hand. "Appear, the circuit that leads to the future!" The crowd gasped in excitement as the Link portal appeared above him. "The summoning condition is one Level 1 monster. I set Dotscaper in the Link Marker!" His monster entered the bottom arrow. "Link Summon! Appear! Link-1! Linkuriboh!" A small blue monster emerged from the portal at the Extra Monster Zone and started cooing.

Linkuriboh ATK 300 LINK-1

"It's here!" Melissa said happily as the audience, or rather the audience's younger members, cheered loudly. "Yuji performed a Link Summon! And what a cutie!"

"Heh," Divine sneered. "So you use that same summoning method Onizuka used. But you used it to summon a monster with 300 attack points. How pathetic!"

"I activate Backup Operator's effect in my hand!" Yuji declared. "Since Linkuriboh is linked to Flame Bufferlo, I can return Flame Bufferlo to my hand and Special Summon Backup Operator!" The metal bison disappeared and was replaced by a woman with long pink hair wearing a skin-tight white and black jumpsuit sitting in a chair in Attack Position.

Backup Operator ATK 1200 DEF 800 LVL: 3

"Since Flame Bufferlo left the field, its effect activates! By discarding a Cyberse monster, I draw two cards!" Yuji discarded Flame Bufferlo itself, then drew and pointed upwards. "Appear, the circuit that leads to the future! The summoning conditions are two monsters. I set Backup Secretary and Linkuriboh in the Link Markers!" His monsters entered the bottom and right arrows. "Link Summon! Appear! Link-2! Backup Supervisor!" A blue-haired woman in a white-and-black jumpsuit with two mechanical arms attached to her back emerged from the portal at the Extra Monster Zone.

Backup Supervisor ATK 1200 LINK-2 ↓→

"Appear again, the circuit that leads to the future! The summoning conditions are two non-Token monsters. I set Backup Operator and Bitrooper in the Link Markers!" His monsters entered the left and right Link Markers. "Link Summon! Appear! Link-2! Binary Sorceress!" A white humanoid machine emerged from the portal at Backup Supervisor's bottom Link Marker.

Binary Sorceress ATK 1600 LINK-2 ←→

"I activate the effect of Code Exporter in my hand!" Yuji continued. "If I would Link Summon a 'Code Talker' monster, I can use it in my hand as material!"

Divine gasped. "What's this?" Melissa screamed in shock. "He's using monsters in the hand to Link Summon?!"

"Appear, the circuit that leads to the future! The summoning conditions are two or more Effect Monsters. I set Code Exporter and Link-2 Binary Sorceress in the Link Markers!" A green and gold mechanical griffin with holographic wings appeared and roared before it and Binary Sorceress entered the top, bottom, and right arrows of the Link portal. "Link Summon! Appear! Link-3! Transcode Talker!" An armored orange and white humanoid machine emerged from the portal at Backup Supervisor's bottom Link Marker.

Transcode Talker ATK 2300 LINK-3 ↑↓→

"Amazing!" Melissa cheered along with the audience. "Four monsters from the Extra Deck in one turn!"

Go smirked. "That's just how Yuji's Deck works."

"As Code Exporter was used to Link Summon a 'Code Talker' monster," Yuji said, "I can add a Level 4 or lower Cyberse monster from my Graveyard to my hand." He took Flame Bufferlo from his Graveyard. "Transcode Talker's effect! While it is co-linked, itself and monsters co-linked with it gain 500 attack points and cannot be targeted by your card effects!"

Backup Supervisor ATK 1200→1700

Transcode Talker ATK 2300→2800

Yuji narrowed his eyes. Normally I would use Transcode Talker's effect to bring back Binary Sorceress, but thanks to Hyper Psychic Riser's effect, I can't.

Out loud, he said, "I activate the Spell Card: Cyberse Cache! As I control a Cyberse monster whose current attack points are different from its original attack points, I can draw two cards!" Yuji drew, then gestured to his field. "Battle! Transcode Talker attacks Hyper Psychic Riser! Trans Fault!" Transcode Talker popped a rifle out of its shoulder, which it aimed and then fired at Divine's Synchro Monster. The blast struck, destroying it in an explosion and making its master wince.

Divine: 4000→3800 LP

Divine smirked. "Hyper Psychic Riser's effect activates! When it is destroyed by your card and sent to the Graveyard, I can add a Tuner and non-Tuner monsters from my Graveyard to my hand, so long as they have the same Type and Attribute. I add the Earth Psychic Commander and Psychic Tracker to my hand."

Yuji's eyes narrowed. He got his monsters back. He must be planning to Synchro Summon again next turn. But he isn't the only one with options.

"Backup Supervisor's effect activates! Since it was Link Summoned using Backup Secretary, and the linked Transcode Talker battled your monster, I can Special Summon a Cyberse monster from my hand!"

Divine gasped. "You're summoning during the Battle Phase?!"

"Come, Balancer Lord!" An armored humanoid knight armed with a sword and shield appeared in Attack Position.

Balancer Lord ATK 1700 DEF 1200 LVL: 4

"Balancer Lord attacks you directly!" The knight brought its sword down on Divine and his Duel Runner, making the man cry out in pain.

Divine: 3800→2100 LP

"And now Backup Supervisor attacks you directly!" The woman's combat arms blasted Divine with white energy, making the man's Duel Runner spin out before he got it under control.

Divine: 2100→400 LP

"Amazing!" Melissa cheered. "In a single turn, Yuji reduced Divine to 400 Life Points!"

"I end my Battle Phase," Yuji said. "Transcode Talker's effect activates! Once per turn, I can Special Summon a Link-3 or lower Cyberse Link Monster to its Link Marker. Resurrect, Binary Sorceress!" The white humanoid reappeared at Transcode Talker's right Link Marker, now co-linked with the monster.

Binary Sorceress ATK 1600→2100 LINK-2 ←→

"I Set one card. I end my turn."

"A strong turn from Yuji. Will Divine be able to recoup his loses?"

Divine grit his teeth. "I'm not going to lose here! Not after everything I've been through! Not after getting another chance! My turn! Draw!" He looked at his card, then noticed something ahead. Smirking, he leaned over and grabbed the Action Card. He looked at it, then played it. "I activate the Action Spell Card: Sacred Gem and increase my Life Points by 600!"

Divine: 400→1000 LP

"I summon Psychic Commander!" The uniformed man in a hover tank reappeared.

Psychic Commander ATK 1400 DEF 800 LVL: 3

"And since I control the Level 3 Psychic Commander, I can Special Summon Psychic Tracker!" The small machine reappeared in Defense Position.

Psychic Tracker ATK 1600 DEF 600 LVL: 3

"I tune Level 3 Psychic Commander to Level 3 Psychic Tracker! Black flames of hatred, rise anew in the shape of nightmares! Synchro Summon! Appear, Level 6! Psychic Nightmare!" A winged dark blue fiend with a mane of green hair and horns emerged from the light and howled from the Extra Monster Zone in Attack Position.

Psychic Nightmare ATK 2400 DEF 1800 LVL: 6

"Since I used Psychic Tracker to Synchro Summon Psychic Nightmare, it gains 600 attack points!"

Psychic Nightmare ATK 2400→3000

"Psychic Nightmare's effect activates! Once per turn, I can pick a card in your hand and guess what type of card it is. If I guess right, then Psychic Nightmare gains 1000 attack points until your next End Phase!"

Yuji's eyes narrowed. "You have two cards in your hand, so I'll guess the left one is a Monster Card!" Yuji revealed the card, showing that it was Flame Bufferlo. "Ha ha! It's a monster, so Psychic Nightmare gains 1000 attack points!"

Psychic Nightmare ATK 3000→4000

"Battle! Psychic Nightmare attacks Transcode Talker!" The fiend lobbed a ball of blue lightning at the Link Monster, destroying it and making Yuji wince.

Yuji Kogami: 4000→2800 LP

Yuji frowned. "Since Transcode Talker left the field, Backup Supervisor's and Binary Sorceress's attack points return to normal."

Backup Supervisor ATK 1700→1200

Binary Sorceress ATK 2100→1600

"In addition, Backup Supervisor's effect activates! Since the linked Transcode Talker battled your monster, I can Special Summon Flame Bufferlo!" The metallic bison reappeared in Defense Position.

Flame Bufferlo ATK 1400 DEF 200 LVL: 3

"Yuji is managing to keep a steady supply of monsters on his field," Serena noted. "As expected, his Deck works really well."

"So you can use that effect even during my turn," Divine muttered before smirking. He then rode his Duel Runner up the side wall and leapt off, grabbing an Action Card on his way down. "Yes! I activate the Action Spell Card: Wonder Chance! This lets Psychic Nightmare attack again!" Yuji's eyes widened. "Psychic Nightmare attacks Backup Supervisor!" The demon launched another bolt at Backup Supervisor, but Yuji drove his Duel Runner inwards and reached down, grabbing his own Action Card.

"I activate the Action Spell Card: Miracle!" he declared. "Battle damage is halved, and Backup Supervisor isn't destroyed by this battle!" A barrier appeared around Backup Supervisor and deflected the lightning, but Yuji winced as a stray bolt hit him.

Yuji Kogami: 2800→1400 LP

Divine scowled. "So you survived. That will change next turn. In the meantime… Trap activate! Psychic Trigger! Since my Life Points are lower than yours, I can banish two Psychic monsters from my Graveyard to draw two cards. I banish Psychic Commander Hyper Psychic Riser."

Divine drew, then said, "I end my turn. And during my End Phase, I activate the Trap Card: Supernatural Regeneration! I now gain 1000 Life Points for each Psychic monster that was sent to the Graveyard this turn. Two were sent there, so I gain 2000 Life Points!"

Divine: 1000→3000 LP

"And now Divine has regained the lead and his momentum! Now it's up to Yuji to overcome this hurdle!"

Yuji's eyes narrowed. "My turn! Draw! Trap activate! Recoded Alive! By banishing a Link-3 Cyberse Link Monster from my field or Graveyard, I can Special Summon a 'Code Talker' monster from my Extra Deck."

What?" Divine gasped. "Another 'Code Talker?'"

"I banish Transcode Talker to bring out Excode Talker!" A massive green-armored warrior appeared and posed at Backup Supervisor's bottom Link Marker.

Excode Talker ATK 2300 LINK-3 ←↑→

"Monsters linked to Excode Talker gain 500 attack points and cannot be destroyed by card effects."

Backup Supervisor ATK 1200→1700

Balancer Lord ATK 1700→2200

Binary Sorceress: 1600→2100

"Appear, the circuit that leads to the future! The summoning conditions are two or more Cyberse monsters. I set Flame Bufferlo and Link-2 Backup Supervisor in the Link Markers!" Yuji's monsters entered the top, bottom, and bottom-right arrows. "Link Summon! Appear! Link-3! Encode Talker!" A warrior in white armor armed with a shield emerged from the portal at the Extra Monster Zone.

Encode Talker ATK 2300 LINK-3 ↑↓↘

"Since Flame Bufferlo left the field, I can discard Dual Assembwurm to draw two cards! And then, by banishing Dotscaper and Flame Bufferlo from my Graveyard and halving its attack points, I can Special Summon Dual Assembwurm!" A large mechanical dragon, with one half colored red and the other blue, appeared and roared in Attack Position.

Dual Assembwurm ATK 2800→1400 DEF 1000 LVL: 8

"Dotscaper's effect activates! Since it was banished, I can Special Summon it!" The small green and white monster reappeared in Defense Position.

Dotscaper ATK 0 DEF 2100 LVL: 1

"Appear again, the circuit that leads to the future! The summoning conditions are three monsters. I set Balancer Lord, Dotscaper, and Dual Assembwurm in the Link Markers!" Yuji's monsters entered the left, right, and bottom-left arrows. "Link Summon! Appear! Link-3! Powercode Talker!" A large red-armored warrior emerged from the portal at Excode Talker's left Link Marker.

Powercode Talker ATK 2300 LINK-3 ←↙→

"Yuji's brought out four Link Monsters now!"

"Powercode Talker's effect activates! Once per turn, I can target a monster and negate its effects until the end of the turn!"

"What?" Divine gasped.

"Go! Wire Restruction!" A grapnel popped out of Powercode Talker's gauntlet, which it launched at Psychic Nightmare. "Since Psychic Nightmare's effects are negated, it loses its attack boost!"

Psychic Nightmare ATK 4000→3000

Divine growled. "Even with 1000 less attack points, Psychic Nightmare is still stronger than all of your monsters!"

"At the moment, yes," Yuji agreed before gesturing to his field. "Battle! Binary Sorceress attacks Psychic Nightmare!"

"Eh?!" Melissa gasped as the monster lobbed a ball of energy at Divine's Synchro Monster. "What is Yuji thinking?! Binary Sorceress has less attack points than Psychic Nightmare!"

"Are you trying to self-destruct, brat?" Divine asked incredulously.

"Encode Talker's effect activates!" Yuji declared. "When my monster linked to Encode Talker battles your monster with higher attack points, that monster isn't destroyed and the battle damage becomes 0!"

"What?" Binary Sorceress's orb of energy splashed against Psychic Nightmare, but it did nothing.

"And then, until the end of the turn, either Encode Talker or a monster linked to it gains attack points equal to your monster's attack points!"

Melissa and the audience gasped. "This… this is just like the move Go Onizuka used to defeat Gongenzaka!"

Go smirked proudly as he leaned back in his chair. "Where do you think I learned that move from?"

"I give Psychic Nightmare's attack points to Excode Talker!" The green-armored warrior roared in response.

Excode Talker ATK 2300→5300

Serena blinked. "Excode Talker? Not Encode Talker?"

"Encode Talker has more attack points than Excode Talker," Crow noticed.

"If he had selected Encode Talker itself instead, an attack would inflict more damage," Dennis said. "What are you planning, Yuji?"

"Excode Talker attacks Psychic Nightmare! Excode Close!" A green holographic claw emerged from Excode Talker's right gauntlet. The Link Monster charged and pierced Psychic Nightmare in the chest, making it explode and making Divine cry out.

Divine: 3000→700 LP

"Binary Sorceress's effect activates!" Yuji continued. "When a monster co-linked with it battles your monster and inflicts battle damage, I gain Life Points equal to that damage!" The monster turned around and emitted a light down on Yuji.

Yuji Kogami: 1400→3700 LP

"So that's why he used Excode Talker instead of Encode Talker," Kurosaki realized, his arms crossed. "He knew his attack wouldn't defeat Divine, so he took the opportunity to regain his Life Points."

"In a single attack, Yuji Kogami turned the tables, and now there's a 3000-point difference between him and Divine!" Melissa commentated.

Divine growled. "You're one clever kid." Then he smirked. "But a little too clever for your own good! Trap activate! Telepathic Power!"

Go's eyes widened in recognition. "That card!"

"Since my Psychic monster was destroyed by battle, I can destroy the monster that attacked it!" Divine declared. Yuji's eyes widened in surprise as Excode Talker exploded. "And then, I gain Life Points equal to the attack points of that monster on the field!"

Divine: 700→6000 LP

Yuji's eyes narrowed. "Since Excode Talker left the field, Encode Talker's, Powercode Talker's, and Binary Sorceress's attack points return to normal."

Binary Sorceress ATK 2100→1600

Encode Talker ATK 2800→2300

Powercode Talker ATK 2800→2300

The teen grit his teeth. Excode Talker prevents destruction by card effects, but only for the monsters linked to it and not itself, he thought. He wouldn't have been able to use his Trap Card if Encode Talker had attacked instead. I chose to plan for the long game, and that meant I won't win this turn. Even so…

"My Battle Phase isn't over! Encode Talker attacks you directly! Final Encode!" A sword extended from Encode Talker's shield as it charged Divine. The sword struck Divine's back, making the Duel Runner swerve.

Divine: 6000→3700 LP

As Divine's Duel Runner wobbled, the man reached down and grabbed an Action Card. "Powercode Talker now attacks directly! Power Termination Smash!" The grapnel formed a claw in Powercode Talker's own hand as it charged Divine, gale-force winds gathered around its fist. The monster struck Divine, generating a massive explosion that created a smokescreen. Yuji passed through the smoke first, with Divine following after him, having fallen behind from the blow.

Divine: 3700→1400 LP

"I activate the Action Spell Card: Damage Draw!" Divine declared, playing said card. "Since I took 2000 or more points of damage, I draw two cards!"

Yuji frowned as he looked back. "I Set one card. I end my turn."

"Divine set himself up for a major lead, but Yuji's unrelenting assault has left Divine with far fewer Life Points! What is the man planning to do next?"

"That Yuji boy is quite something." "He's dealt a great deal of damage in this duel." "If Divine didn't increase his Life Points so high, he would have won about twice over now."

The comments from the Tops trickled down into the Commons, who despite their animosity for the City's wealthier residents, couldn't help but agree with their assessment of Yuji.

Go smiled as he overheard the compliments. Yuji's style is similar to mine, but also different, he thought. We both place a focus on empowering our monsters, but whereas I build up a single strong monster for overwhelming blows, Yuji prefers to empower numerous monsters for weaker but multiple attacks. Since many pro duelists use a strategy similar to mine, Yuji's tactics are harder to overcome.

Divine looked ahead at the kid who had passed him and sneered. "I have to admit, you are impressive kid. But you aren't a worthy opponent for me. You're just another obstacle on my way back to the top!"

Yuji frowned. "Why are you so insistent on going back?" he asked. "Why are you so focused on the past? Shouldn't you be more concerned about the future?"

"The future?" Divine scoffed. "What future? If you aren't successful in this city, you fall straight into hell! The only way forward for me is to reclaim my past glory! I'll overcome you, then Go Onizuka, and then Jack Atlas! And everyone who looked down on me will pay the price!"

Yuji frowned at that. Reclaiming his past…

"My turn! Draw!" Divine looked at his card and his sneer widened. "I activate the Quick-Play Spell Card: Emergency Teleport! This lets me Special Summon a Level 3 or lower Psychic monster from my hand or Deck. But during my End Phase, that monster will be banished. Come, Hushed Psychic Cleric!" A dark-skinned man in white and purple robes armed with a staff appeared in Defense Position.

Hushed Psychic Cleric ATK 0 DEF 2100 LVL: 3

"Hushed Psychic Cleric's effect activates! Once per turn, I can discard a card, and then banish a Psychic monster from my Graveyard. I'll banish Psychic Nightmare. And since I control a Level 3 monster, I can Special Summon the Tuner monster Psychic Wheeleder!" A white robot enclosed in a wheel appeared in Defense Position.

Psychic Wheeleder ATK 600 DEF 0 LVL: 3

"I summon the Tuner monster Krebons!" A purple and orange jester appeared on Divine's field.

Krebons ATK 1200 DEF 400 LVL: 2

Go narrowed his eyes. "Two Tuners, and three monsters whose combined Levels equal 8." His eyes widened. "Divine is-!"

"I tune Level 2 Krebons to Level 3 Hushed Psychic Cleric! My flames of hatred, blazing within the abyss of my heart, become the black raging waves that will overrun this world! Synchro Summon! Appear now, Level 5! Magical Android!" A woman in blue, white, and yellow robes appeared on Divine's field, summoned to Encode Talker's top Link Marker in Attack Position.

Magical Android ATK 2400 DEF 1700 LVL: 5

"Since Hushed Psychic Cleric was sent to the Graveyard, its additional effect activates, and I can Special Summon a monster that was banished by its effect. Return to me, Psychic Nightmare!" The blue and purple fiend reappeared in Attack position and roared.

Psychic Nightmare ATK 2400 DEF 1800 LVL: 6

"And now, I'll tune Level 3 Psychic Wheeleder to Level 5 Magical Android! Surge, my black flames of vengeance! Synchro Summon! Come forth, Level 8! Thought Ruler Archfiend!" A massive green and orange fiend with white spines all over its body emerged from the light and roared from Encode Talker's top Link Marker in Attack Position.

Thought Ruler Archfiend ATK 2700 DEF 2300 LVL: 8

"It's here! Divine's ace monster has arrived!" Melissa cheered alongside the audience.

"Psychic Wheeleder's effect activates!" Divine declared. "When it's used as Synchro Material, one monster on the field with fewer attack points than Thought Ruler Archfiend is destroyed!" Yuji's eyes widened. "Say goodbye to your Powercode Talker!" Wheeleder reappeared on Divine's field before ramming into Powercode Talker, destroying it in an explosion and making Yuji grimace.

Dennis frowned. "Why bring out Thought Ruler Archfiend? If he had tuned Psychic Wheeleder to Psychic Nightmare, he could have brought out Hyper Psychic Blaster instead. It has 3000 attack points, more than Thought Ruler Archfiend. So why…?" He thought for a few seconds before it hit him. "Oh! Hyper Psychic Blaster's effects only really work against Defense Position monsters. But Thought Ruler Archfiend can negate effects that target his Psychic monsters and lets him gain Life Points equal to a destroyed monster's attack points. While it has less attack points, it has more useful effects." Dennis couldn't help but smile ruefully. "Well, that and Psychic Nightmare's effect is more useful than Magical Android's at the moment."

"Psychic Nightmare's effect activates! I pick a random card in your hand and guess its type, and if I guess right, Psychic Nightmare gains 1000 attack points." Divine sneered. "You have two cards in your hand. I'll choose… the left one, and I choose a Monster Card!"

Yuji frowned and revealed the card. It was a monster called Cyberse Gardna. Divine laughed. "Since your card is a monster, Psychic Nightmare gains 1000 attack points!" The fiend started to glow with power.

"Don't be so sure." Divine gasped as Yuji gestured to his field. "Trap activate! Cyberse Shatter! Since I control a Cyberse monster and an effect was activated that would increase the attack points of a single monster, that effect is negated!" Divine grit his teeth as the glow faded from Psychic Nightmare. "In addition, I then draw a card."

Divine's grimace turned into a sneer. "Fine then. I'll just have to resort to other methods. Let me show you my new power!" Divine took one of the two cards left in his hand and played it. "I activate the Spell Card: Miracle Synchro Fusion!"

"What!?" Yuji gasped. In their own rooms, Go, Serena, Kurosaki, Yuya, and Yuzu all gasped.

"Fusion!?" "How does he have that!?" "Is he working with Academia!?"

"Miracle Synchro Fusion's effect lets me banish Fusion Materials from my field or Graveyard for the Fusion Summon of a monster that lists a Synchro Monster as Fusion Material," Divine explained. "I banish Magical Android and Krebons from my Graveyard to Fusion Summon!" The two monsters reappeared on Divine's field before swirling together in the Fusion vortex that appeared behind Divine.

"The woman who wears the priestly robes and the telekinetic jester, be reborn through my black flames and become anew! Fusion Summon! Come, Level 10! The psychic demon who inherits my rage! Ultimate Axon Kicker!" The monster that emerged from the vortex was a massive green-skinned fiend with orange and white spines all over its body, with two sets of wings and a long tail trailing behind it. Green lightning crackled under its skin as it roared from the Extra Monster Zone in Attack Position.

Ultimate Axon Kicker ATK 2900 DEF 1700 LVL: 10

"T-This is a surprise!" Melissa commentated. "Divine has performed a Fusion Summon!"

Yuji's eyes narrowed. "Where did you learn how to do this?"

Divine sneered. "Wouldn't you like to know? All you need to know is that Ultimate Axon Kicker will be the one to defeat you! But before that, I'll activate the Continuous Spell Card: Solidarity! Since I have only Psychic monsters in my Graveyard, all of my Psychic monsters on the field gain 800 attack points!"

Psychic Nightmare ATK 2400→3200

Thought Ruler Archfiend ATK 2700→3500

Ultimate Axon Kicker ATK 2900→3700

"All of Divine's monsters have over 3000 attack points! Yuji is in a serious pinch!" The boy in question only narrowed his eyes.

"Battle! Thought Ruler Archfiend attacks Encode Talker!" The demon brought its claws down on the white-armored warrior. Encode Talker tried to block with its shield but Thought Ruler Archfiend's claws pierced it and destroyed it, making Yuji wince as his Duel Runner wobbled.

Yuji Kogami: 3700→2500 LP

"Thought Ruler Archfiend's effect activates! When it destroys your monster by battle and sends it to the Graveyard, I gain Life Points equal to your monster's attack points!" Divine sighed as his Life Points increased.

Divine: 1400→3700 LP

"With a single attack, Divine has reversed Yuji's lead!"

"And now, Ultimate Axon Kicker attacks Binary Sorceress!" The larger fiend gathered green lightning in its hands and then fired that lightning at Yuji's Link Monster, destroying it in an explosion and making the teenage boy scream in pain.

Yuji: 2500→400 LP

"Yuji!" Go cried out in concern.

"Ultimate Axon Kicker's effect activates! When it destroys your monster by battle and sends it to the Graveyard, I gain Life Points equal to your monster's attack points!"

Divine: 3700→5300 LP

Roger smiled to himself. "Divine is making good use of the cards I gave him. One more attack, and this duel will be over."

Divine laughed. "This is too easy! With this power I've been given, I'll defeat you, then Go Onizuka, and finally Jack Atlas!" He sneered as he gestured to his field. "End this, Psychic Nightmare! Attack Yuji Kogami directly!" Psychic Nightmare gathered lightning in its claws and launched it at Yuji, who remained expressionless as the lightning struck.

KA-BOOM.

The crowd watched in near silence as a massive cloud of smoke covered the field.

"Yuji…" Yuya said worriedly.

They didn't have long to wait however, with Yuji breaking free of the smoke, his Life Points untouched. Divine followed him shortly after, a look of stunned surprise on his face.

"What?" the older man said in disbelief. "How did you survive that?!"

Yuji held up a card for him. "If I would take damage from a direct attack, I can discard Cyberse Gardna to reduce the damage to 0!"

Sawatari laughed to himself. "That's the same trick he used on me and Serena!"

Serena breathed a sigh of relief. "Honestly. You're cutting it far too closely, Yuji."

Divine growled before sneering. "No matter. I'll just finish you off next turn. I end my turn."

"Divine inflicted heavy damage this turn! Yuji is hanging on by barely a thread! How will this duel come to a close?"

"The result of this duel is obvious," Divine said dismissively. "I'll defeat you, then I'll be one step closer to reclaiming my past glory! All my suffering will finally be repaid!"

"…Do you expect me to care?"

Divine blinked at Yuji's indifferent question. "You talk on and on about how you're going to rise up, about how you're going to get revenge for your loses. Why should I care about any of that?"

Divine growled. "Watch your mouth kid. You have no idea what I've been forced to deal with. What I've lost on the road here."

"No, I don't," Yuji agreed. "But you don't know what I lost. And what I do know is how many of the Commons suffer in the system this City runs on. You go on and on about how you've been mistreated and how you'll get revenge, but how is what you've been through worse than what has happened to the Commons?"

"They don't matter," Divine sneered. "They deserve their lot in life for being as weak as they are. But I am strong. I know I deserve better!"

Yuji's eyes narrowed in disgust. "I see. You are truly blind. You claim the world spit on you, but you spit on the Commons. You are someone who cares only for yourself."

And yet, he thought, I can understand that. I can understand wanting to reclaim your past. And the thought that I might be similar to a man like this… is sickening.

"If you insist on looking back at the past and being unable to look towards the future, then perhaps you need someone like me to give you a kick in the teeth!" Yuji declared, placing his hand on his Deck. His Life Points are 5300, and he has three powerful Synchro Monsters. There's only one monster in my Deck with enough firepower to defeat him. But for that, I'll need-!

"My turn! Draw!" Yuji drew, then turned his card over and looked at it. A satisfied smile spread across his face. Perfect.

"I activate the effect of Recoded Alive in my Graveyard! Since I have no monsters in the Extra Monster Zone, I can banish it to Special Summon a banished 'Code Talker' monster. Come, Transcode Talker!" The orange-armored warrior armed with a rifle reappeared.

Transcode Talker ATK 2300 LINK-3 ↑↓→

"Transcode Talker's effect activates! I Special Summon the Link-3 Excode Talker from my Graveyard to its Link Marker!" The green-armored warrior reappeared at Transcode Talker's right Link Marker.

Excode Talker ATK 2300 LINK-3 ←↑→

"While Transcode Talker is co-linked, itself and monsters co-linked with it gain 500 attack points and cannot be targeted by card effects. In addition, monsters linked to Excode Talker gain 500 attack points and cannot be destroyed by card effects."

Excode Talker ATK 2300→2800

Transcode Talker ATK 2300→2800→3300

"Ha!" Divine sneered. "Your Transcode Talker might be stronger than Psychic Nightmare, but that's not enough for you to win this! Victory is mine!"

"Are you sure about that?"

Divine gasped as Yuji took a card from his hand. "I activate the Spell Card: Cynet Fusion!"

"Eh?!" Melissa gasped. "Fusion, too?!"

"Fusion?!" Go gasped.

"What?" Roger blinked.

"With this card, I send monsters from my hand or field to the Graveyard to Fusion Summon a Cyberse Fusion Monster!" Yuji declared. "And when I control no monsters in the Extra Monster Zone, I can also banish a Cyberse Link Monster from my Graveyard as Fusion Material!" He raised his right hand. "I fuse the Clock Wyvern in my hand with Excode Talker and Transcode Talker on my field, and banish Powercode Talker from my Graveyard!" The red-armored warrior appeared on Yuji's field, alongside a blue and purple mechanical dragon. Said dragon and warrior turned into red and blue particles, while Excode Talker and Transcode Talker turned into green and orange particles respectively. The particles swirled together into a vortex before shooting upwards as twisters that merged, forming a single violet tornado.

"The strong ones gather before its grand wings!" Yuji chanted. "Become a new legend! Fusion Summon! Come out! Level 7! Cyberse Clock Dragon!" The winds of the tornado parted to reveal a massive violet-skinned dragon with pink lines running across its body. White and black armor covered its legs, arm, and back, while its gold and silver segmented wings spread outwards. The dragon's four blue eyes all gleamed as it roared from the Extra Monster Zone in Attack Position.

Cyberse Clock Dragon ATK 2500 DEF 2000 LVL: 7

"N-No way," Divine said, stunned and sweating in shock. "Y-You have a Fusion Monster, too?!"

"Amazing!" Melissa cried out. "Yuji followed in Divine's footsteps and Fusion Summoned!"

"Fusion Summon…" Go muttered. He recalled what Kurosaki had asked him back at the underground arena; that if Yuji had ever Fusion Summoned. But he never had. So… "Where did you get this monster, Yuji?"

Roger narrowed his eyes. "This boy is capable of Fusion Summoning. How is this possible?"

"Cyberse Clock Dragon's effect activates!" Yuji declared. "When it is Fusion Summoned, I send a card from the top of my Deck to the Graveyard for every Fusion Material monsters' Link Marker. And then, for every card sent, Clock Dragon gains 1000 attack points!"

Divine's eyes widened. "What?!"

"I send nine cards to the Graveyard. So Clock Dragon gains 9000 attack points! Cyberse Clockup!" The dragon roared even loader than before, buffeting the audience with the gale from its wings.

Cyberse Clock Dragon ATK 2500→11500

"I-Impossible!" Melissa shouted. "Yuji's Fusion Monster has reached 11500 attack points! That's even more than Go managed!"

Divine's breath hitched in his throat. "11500?! I can't survive that!"

"Battle!" Yuji declared. "Cyberse Clock Dragon attacks Ultimate Axon Kicker!" The dragon turned around as it rose into the air, until it was high in the sky above the stadium. Pink lightning crackled across the dragon's skin before gathering into its mouth, forming a massive ball of energy. "Go! Pulse Pressure!" The dragon released the energy in a beam of pure power aimed right at Ultimate Axon Kicker. The beam hit the Psychic monster, which cried out in pain as it disintegrated. The beam went on to strike Divine, who screamed in equal parts pain and disbelief as the world whited out.

BOOM!

The audience cried out as a massive explosion of smoke filled the air. And when the smoke cleared, Divine was lying on the ground, covered in bruises and groaning in pain, his crashed Duel Runner a few meters away from him.

Divine: 5300→0 LP

"T-The duel is over!" Melissa cheered with the audience. "In a come from behind victory, we have Yuji Kogami as the winner!"

Serena harrumphed. "As if any other outcome was expected."

Yuya sighed in relief. "Thank goodness. Yuji won't be sent underground. But that other man…"

Yugo whistled. "Damn that guy was good." He frowned to himself. "He used Fusion Summoning. Could he have been…? No, Yuzu said it was a guy named Yuri, not Yuji. Still, might be a good idea to keep an eye on the guy."

Go smiled. "Well done, Yuji. I didn't expect anything less." Then he frowned. "But where did he get a Fusion card? Did he make a deal with Academia or…?" The Charisma Duelist shook his head. "No, Yuji wouldn't do that. Not if they're after Hanako." He sighed. "It's a mystery, but it's one I won't be able to solve right now."

Roger frowned to himself as he knocked over a pawn piece on his chessboard. "It seems both Link Dimension duelists are very skilled. And for this boy to have Fusion Summoning…" He narrowed his eyes. "I must watch him closely."

"Another victory for the Link Dimension," Gael said.

"Yuji Kogami and Go Onizuka have both shown great skill," Gray noted.

"The boy in particular," Azul said. "His skills exceed many professionals I've seen before."

"And yet he performed Fusion Summoning," Bordeaux pointed out. "That is a concern. Isn't that right, Chairman?"

"Yes," White Taki agreed with a smile. "Do you know where he acquired Fusion Summoning, Reiji Akaba?"

"He acquired the cards necessary for it in the Standard Dimension," Reiji answered. "He is proficient in their use, and I do not question his loyalty."

Yuji drove his Duel Runner back to the pits and took his helmet off. He frowned to himself and then watched as Divine was carried out on a stretcher.

"No," Divine groaned. "I… can't lose… Not… again…"

Yuji's frown increased. First Duel Chaser 227 Fusion Summoned, and now Divine, he thought. Considering Divine was supposed to be arrested from the underground arena like Go, Gongenzaka, Dennis, and Kurosaki, someone must have set him free so he could duel here. Add that to Duel Chaser 227's performance…

The teen's eyes narrowed. Director Roger. He's the most likely person to be the Fusion Dimension's spy. But if so, why hasn't he acted beyond these duels? What is he waiting for?

As these thoughts coursed through his mind, his body stiffened as he felt someone's gaze settle on him. He turned around and looked up at the balcony above. It was some distance, but he could clearly see Jack Atlas glaring at him. With disapproval.

He couldn't hear the man from here. But when his lips moved, he could swear he knew what he was saying.

"Your dueling is empty. You lack passion."

Yuji's frown deepened. "I know that," he muttered, glaring back at Jack. "I've known that for a while. But you are not one of the people I need to prove myself to." He turned his back on the King and walked towards the pits.


Yuji Kogami vs. Divine

This Duel is conducted as a Master Duel. At the start of the Duel, the Field Spell Card Crossover Acceleration is activated, as per the rules of an Action Duel and a Turbo Duel. It will allow the players to use Action Cards, but they may only have one in their hand at a time.

Turn 1: Divine

Divine Normal Summons Psychic Commander (1400/800/3). As he controls a Level 3 monster, Divine Special Summons Psychic Tracker (1600/600/3) from his hand in Defense Position. Divine tunes Level 3 Psychic Commander to Level 3 Psychic Tracker to Synchro Summon Hyper Psychic Riser (2000/600/6) to the right Extra Monster Zone in Attack Position. As Psychic Tracker was used as Synchro Material, Hyper Psychic Riser gains 600 ATK (Hyper Psychic Riser: 2000→2600). While Hyper Psychic Riser is on the field, monsters with less ATK than it cannot attack and monsters with more ATK than it cannot activate their effects. Divine Sets 2 cards. He ends his turn.

Turn 2: Yuji

Yuji draws. He activates the effect of Bitrooper in his hand, discarding the Level 1 Dotscaper to Special Summon it (1500/2000/4) in Attack Position. As Dotscaper was sent to the GY, its effect activates, Special Summoning itself (0/2100/1) in Defense Position. As he controls a Cyberse monster, Yuji Special Summons Backup Secretary (1200/800/3) in Attack Position. Yuji Normal Summons Flame Bufferlo (1400/200/3). Yuji uses Dotscaper to Link Summon Linkuriboh (300/1/↓) to the Extra Monster Zone. Yuji activates the effect of Backup Operator in his hand, targeting the Flame Bufferlo linked to Linkuriboh. Flame Bufferlo returns to Yuji's hand, and he Special Summons Backup Operator (1200/800/3) in Attack Position. As Flame Bufferlo left the field, Yuji activates its effect, discarding Flame Bufferlo to draw 2 cards. Yuji uses Backup Secretary and Linkuriboh to Link Summon Backup Supervisor (1200/2/↓→) to the Extra Monster Zone. He uses Backup Operator and Bitrooper to Link Summon Binary Sorceress (1600/2/←→) to Backup Supervisor's bottom Link Marker. If Yuji would Link Summon a "Code Talker" monster using a Cyberse monster, he can also use Code Exporter in his hand as material. Yuji uses Code Exporter in his hand and Link-2 Binary Sorceress to Link Summon Transcode Talker (2300/3/↑↓→) to Backup Supervisor's bottom Link Marker. As Code Exporter was used to Link Summon a "Code Talker" monster, Yuji can add 1 Level 4 or lower Cyberse monster from his GY to his hand. He adds Flame Bufferlo to his hand. While Transcode Talker is co-linked, itself and monsters co-linked with it gain 500 ATK and cannot be targeted by Divine's card effects (Backup Supervisor: 1200→1700) (Transcode Talker: 2300→2800). As he controls a Cyberse monster who's current ATK is different than its original ATK, Yuji activates the Spell Card Cyberse Cache to draw 2 cards.

Transcode Talker attacks and destroys Hyper Psychic Riser (Divine: 4000→3800 LP). As Hyper Psychic Riser was destroyed by Yuji's card and sent to the GY, its effect activates, and Divine can add 1 Tuner and 1 non-Tuner monster with the same Type and Attribute from his GY to his hand. He adds Psychic Commander and Psychic Tracker from his GY to his hand. As Backup Supervisor was Link Summoned using Backup Secretary and the linked Transcode Talker battled Divine's monster, its effect activates, letting Yuji Special Summon 1 Cyberse monster from his hand. He Special Summons Balancer Lord (1700/1200/4) in Attack Position. Balancer Lord attacks Divine directly (Divine: 3800→2100 LP). Backup Supervisor attacks Divine directly (Divine: 2100→400 LP). Yuji activates Transcode Talker's effect to Special Summon 1 Link-3 or lower Cyberse Link Monster from his GY to its Link Marker. He Special Summons Binary Sorceress (1600→2100/2/←→) to Transcode Talker's right Link Marker. Yuji Sets 1 card. He ends his turn.

Turn 3: Divine

Divine draws. He finds and activates the Action Spell Card Sacred Gem, increasing his LP by 600 (Divine: 400→1000 LP). Divine Normal Summons Psychic Commander (1400/800/3). As Divine controls a Level 3 monster, he Special Summons Psychic Tracker (1600/600/3) in Defense Position. Divine tunes Level 3 Psychic Commander to Level 3 Psychic Tracker to Synchro Summon Psychic Nightmare (2400/1800/6) to the Extra Monster Zone in Attack Position. Psychic Tracker's effect activates (Psychic Nightmare: 2400→3000). Divine activates Psychic Nightmare's effect, which lets him pick 1 random card in Yuji's hand and call its type. If he guesses right, Psychic Nightmare gains 1000 ATK until Yuji's End Phase. He picks a guard and guesses Monster Card. The card is Flame Bufferlo (Psychic Nightmare: 3000→4000).

Psychic Nightmare attacks and destroys Transcode Talker (Yuji: 4000→2800 LP) (Backup Supervisor: 1700→1200) (Binary Sorceress: 2100→1600). Binary Supervisor's effect activates, and Yuji Special Summons Flame Bufferlo (1400/200/3) in Defense Position. Divine finds and activates the Action Spell Card Wonder Chance, which lets Psychic Nightmare attack again. Psychic Nightmare attacks Backup Supervisor. Yuji finds and activates the Action Spell Card Miracle, which halves the battle damage end prevents Backup Supervisor from being destroyed by this battle. The attack continues (Yuji: 2800→1400 LP). As his LP are lower than Yuji's, Divine activates his Set Trap Card Psychic Trigger, which lets him banish 2 Psychic monsters from his GY to draw 2 cards. He banishes Psychic Commander and Hyper Psychic Riser. He Sets 1 card. Divine ends his turn. During his End Phase, Divine activates his Set Trap Card Supernatural Regeneration, which lets him gain 1000 LP for each Psychic monster sent to the GY this turn (Divine: 1000→3000 LP).

Turn 4: Yuji

Yuji draws. He activates his Set Trap Card Recoded Alive, which lets him banish 1 Link-3 Cyberse Link Monster from his field or GY, then Special Summon 1 "Code Talker" monster from his Extra Deck. He banishes Transcode Talker and Special Summons Excode Talker (2300/3/←↑→) to Backup Supervisor's bottom Link Marker. Monsters linked to Excode Talker gain 500 ATK and cannot be destroyed by card effects (Backup Supervisor: 1200→1700) (Balancer Lord: 1700→2200) (Binary Sorceress: 1600→2100). Yuji uses Flame Bufferlo and Link-2 Backup Supervisor to Link Summon Encode Talker (2300→2800/3/↑↓↘) to the Extra Monster Zone. As Flame Bufferlo left the field, its effect activates, and Yuji discards Dual Assembwurm to draw 2 cards. Yuji activates the effect of Dual Assembwurm in his GY, banishing Dotscaper and Flame Bufferlo from his GY to Special Summon Dual Assembwurm with its ATK halved (2800→1400/1000/8) in Attack Position. As Dotscaper was banished, its effect activates and Special Summons itself (0/2100/1) in Defense Position. Yuji uses Balancer Lord, Dotscaper, and Dual Assembwurm to Link Summon Powercode Talker (2300→2800/3/←↙→) to Excode Talker's left Link Marker. Yuji activates Powercode Talker's effect, targeting Psychic Nightmare and negating its effects until the end of the turn (Psychic Nightmare: 4000→3000).

Binary Sorceress attacks Psychic Nightmare. As a monster linked to it is battling a monster with higher ATK, Encode Talker's effect activates, preventing Binary Sorceress's destruction by battle and reducing the battle damage to 0. After damage calculation, Yuji can then increase the ATK of Encode Talker or a monster linked to it by Psychic Nightmare's ATK. The attack continues, but Binary Sorceress isn't destroyed, and Yuji takes no damage. Yuji targets Excode Talker for Encode Talker's effect (Excode Talker: 2300→5300). Excode Talker attacks and destroys Psychic Nightmare (Divine: 3000→700 LP). As a monster co-linked with Binary Sorceress battled Divine's monster and inflicted battle damage, Yuji gains LP equal to the battle damage (Yuji: 1400→3700 LP). As Divine's Psychic monster was destroyed by battle, Divine activates his Set Trap Card Telepathic Power, which destroys Excode Talker and increases his LP by Excode Talker's ATK (Divine: 700→6000 LP) (Binary Sorceress: 2100→1600) (Encode Talker: 2800→2300) (Powercode Talker: 2800→2300). Encode Talker attacks Divine directly (Divine: 6000→3700 LP). Divine finds an Action Card. Powercode Talker attacks Divine directly (Divine: 3700→1400 LP). As he took 2000 or more damage, Divine activates the Action Spell Card Damage Draw, which lets him draw 2 cards. Yuji Sets 1 card. He ends his turn.

Turn 5: Divine

Divine draws. He activates the Quick-Play Spell Card Emergency Teleport, which lets him Special Summon 1 Level 3 or lower Psychic monster from his hand or Deck, but that monster will be banished during the End Phase. He Special Summons Hushed Psychic Cleric (0/2100/3) from his Deck in Defense Position. Divine activates Hushed Psychic Cleric's effect, discarding 1 card to banish Psychic Nightmare from his GY. As he controls a Level 3 monster, Divine Special Summons Psychic Wheeleder (600/0/3) in Defense Position. Divine Normal Summons Krebons (1200/400/2). Divine tunes Level 2 Krebons to Level 3 Hushed Psychic Cleric to Synchro Summon Magical Android (2400/1700/5) to Encode Talker's top Link Marker in Attack Position. Since Hushed Psychic Cleric was sent from the field to the GY, Divine can Special Summon 1 monster that was banished by its effect. He Special Summons Psychic Nightmare (2400/1800/6) in Attack Position. Divine tunes Level 3 Psychic Wheeleder to Level 5 Magical Android to Synchro Summon Thought Ruler Archfiend (2700/2300/8) to Encode Talker's top Link Marker in Attack Position. As Psychic Wheelder was used as Synchro Material, Divine can destroy 1 monster on the field with less ATK than Thought Ruler Archfiend. He destroys Powercode Talker. Divine activates Psychic Nightmare's effect, selecting a card in Yuji's hand and declaring Monster Card. Yuji reveals Cyberse Gardna, but as an effect was activated that would change the ATK of exactly 1 monster while he controls a Cyberse monster, Yuji activates his Set Trap Card Cyberse Shatter, negating the activation of Psychic Nightmare's effect and drawing 1 card.

Divine activates the Spell Card Miracle Synchro Fusion, which lets him banish Fusion Material Monsters from his field or GY that are listed on a Fusion Monster that lists a Synchro Monster as Fusion Material, then Special Summon that Fusion Monster and treat it as a Fusion Summon. Divine banishes Magical Android and Krebons from his GY to Fusion Summon Ultimate Axon Kicker (2900/1700/10) to the Extra Monster Zone in Attack Position. Divine activates the Continuous Spell Card Solidarity. As he only has 1 original Type of monster in his GY, all monsters with that Type gain 800 ATK (Psychic Nightmare: 2400→3200) (Thought Ruler Archfiend: 2700→3500 (Ultimate Axon Kicker: 2900→3700).

Thought Ruler Archfiend attacks and destroys Encode Talker (Yuji: 3700→2500 LP). As Thought Ruler Archfiend destroyed a monster by battle and sent it to the GY, Divine gains LP equal to that monster's original ATK (Divine: 1400→3700 LP). Ultimate Axon Kicker attacks and destroys Binary Sorceress (Yuji: 2500→400 LP). As Ultimate Axon Kicker destroyed Yuji's monster by battle and sent it to the GY, Divine gains LP equal to that monster's ATK (Divine: 3700→5300 LP). Psychic Nightmare attacks Yuji directly. As Yuji would take damage from a direct attack, he activates the effect of Cyberse Gardna in his hand, discarding it to reduce the battle damage to 0. Divine ends his turn.

Turn 6: Yuji

Yuji draws. He activates the effect of Recoded Alive in his GY, banishing it to Special Summon 1 banished "Code Talker" monster. He Special Summons Transcode Talker (2300/3/↑↓→). Yuji activates Transcode Talker's effect to Special Summon Excode Talker (2300/3/←↑→) from his GY to Transcode Talker's right Link Marker. While Transcode Talker is co-linked, itself and monsters co-linked with it gain 500 ATK and cannot be targeted by Divine's card effects (Excode Talker: 2300→2800) (Transcode Talker: 2300→2800). Monsters linked to Excode Talker gain 500 ATK and cannot be destroyed by card effects (Transcode Talker: 2800→3300). Yuji activates the Spell Card Cynet Fusion, which lets him Fusion Summon 1 Cyberse Fusion Monster from his Extra Deck using monsters from his hand and field as material. Since Yuji controls no monsters in the Extra Monster Zone, he can also banish 1 Cyberse Link Monster from his GY as material. Yuji fuses Clock Wyvern in his hand, Excode Talker, and Transcode Talker on his field, and banishes Powercode Talker from his GY to Fusion Summon Cyberse Clock Dragon (2500/2000/7) to the Extra Monster Zone in Attack Position. As Clock Dragon was Fusion Summoned, Yuji can send a number of cards from the top of his Deck to the GY equal to the Link Markers of its Fusion Materials, and for each sent card, Clock Dragon gains 1000 ATK until the end of the turn. Yuji sends 9 cards from his Deck to the GY (Clock Dragon: 2500→11500).

Clock Dragon attacks and destroys Ultimate Axon Kicker (Divine: 5300→0 LP). Yuji wins.


Chapter Preview

Next time on Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V: The Fifth Circuit. Chapter 20 – Knights of Scrap


Question of the Chapter

The next chapter will have the last 5D's legacy characters appearing. Who are you hoping to see?


Author's Notes

A guest review by key-chan made certain suggestions, and because they related to the chapter, I decided to wait to address them here. You are right; Yuji does not seek to entertain the crowd. He does, however, seek to win the duel efficiently. So if his opponent's Life Points are high enough, he will use Clock Dragon for the simple fact that none of his other monsters can match its raw attack power.

This is a shorter chapter than most, and I'll admit it's not my best, but I wanted to get this done now, because I'm getting my wisdom teeth taken out tomorrow, and I'm unsure how lucid I'll be after. The duel itself is pretty clean, with Divine and Yuji going back and forth until Yuji's victory. I felt like Divine was a good opponent for Yuji, because his Deck can deal a lot of damage, so someone who frequently heals is more of a challenge for him. I also used Miracle Synchro Fusion instead of Polymerization, mostly because it worked better here and because I thought that it would help Divine stand out more compared to other duelists who use Fusion.

One of the other points of this chapter is the contrast between Divine and Yuji; both of them seek the past for their own benefit. But what separates them is that Divine, much like Duel Chaser 227, has no sympathy for the Commons or other people who lost. His only concern is himself and the belief that he was wronged. Yuji, on the other hand, does sympathize with others, even if he has difficulty showing it. And it is because of that sympathy for others that he doesn't care too much about Divine's goal and feels sickened in comparing each other.

Lastly, the opening scene. Yuji's first time seeing the Stardust Road. Since Yuji is Ryoken's brother in this story, the Stardust Road has more meaning to him than it did to Yusaku. What that meaning is, he doesn't know yet. But it will appear again. Both for him, and Ryoken.

Thank you for reading Chapter 19 of Fifth Circuit. Wish me luck with my surgery, please!