Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc-V: Pendulum of Connections

by Imagine97

(Remake of the Arc-V series starting from the beginning.) What would happen if Yuya was more confident and skilled as a duelist? What if he had an older brother? What if Yuya had slightly different beliefs in dueling but the same intentions? Conflict never ends. Everyone is tied by bonds they don't know that exists which lead to two choices: Peace or Destruction.

26. A New Boundary - Steadfast Friendship

Thank you to everyone who read the last chapter. Also, thank you to SliferskydragonXxXx and GUIPA for commenting on the last chapter. Here's some of my responses:

SliferskydragonXxXx - Honestly, yes! I did take inspiration from that battle in Beyblade! I'm kinda happy someone noticed that. Regardless, glad you like the chapter :)

GUIPA - Glad you enjoyed it. It is nice to see fellow Beyblade fans :)

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Chapter 26 - A New Boundary - Steadfast Friendship

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MAIAMI CITY - SAKAKI RESIDENCE

During the morning, Yuya woke up and was out of his bed. After he showered, he got dressed and took a look out the window with his deck out. He recalled how Nico was ecstatic over the "amazing skills he's displayed" as Nico put it. He wouldn't go that far but they were not easy to win. He also recalled how Nico exceeded his expectations and further clarified that his next win will guarantee his qualification in the Maiami Championship.

Yuya narrowed his eyes while looking down at his deck, "Today, it will be an important duel for me. One last win." He only needed to win one more match. And no matter who it is, he'll duel the way he believes in. He looked at the window once more, "And also, Reiji…" Originally, he'd intended on meeting Reiji again one way or another by using the Maiami Championship as a way to see him but now it is more important than ever, by helping Yuto and Lucine.

Yuya smiiled before he placed his deck back inside and ran outside. He then grabbed and slid down the pipe down towards the living room. He smiled as he landed on the floor, "Alright, I could go for a good breakfast…" He said that excitedly before he quickly noticed there was no food on the table nor was there anyone here in the house. He narrowed his eyes in confusion, "Huh? Mom?" He looked around the house while calling out, "Mom? Sora?" He couldn't find either one of them and it appeared that their pets weren't around also for some strange reason.

Yuya soon sat on the couch with a hand under his chin, "What the…? Where is everybody?" This is really odd in his opinion. Usually, either one of them would be here in the morning. Was there an emergency and they had to leave for some reason?

"You're wasting your time, Yuya." Yuya turned to see Mikleo near the door with a brown coat around him. "They've gone somewhere. Probably won't be back for awhile."

Although confused as to why his brother was the only one here, Yuya looked at him questionly, "So, then where did they go?"

Mikleo shrugged his shoulders, "I have no idea. But I wouldn't worry about it too much." He then turned to open the door.

"Wait. Aren't you going to come watch my duel?" wondered Yuya as he figured his brother would want to see his last qualifying match.

Mikleo turned back to Yuya with a small smile on his face, "I've got somewhere I need to be. I'll be sure to come by when I'm done. See ya." He waved goodbye as he had nothing else to say and left the house, leaving Yuya all alone.

Yuya sighed as he felt a little irritated at his brother's secrecy, "Well, I've got no choice." He was supposed to meet Nico at You Show today before heading off to where his final opponent was. Whatever happened to his mother and Sora will have to wait as he decided to leave the house and go to You Show to think about it later.

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MAIAMI CITY - YOU SHOW DUEL SCHOOL

A little while later, Yuya was inside the elevator, eating a sandwich he had bought from a store close by. As he ate his snack, he sighed in thought, "I would think Mom would at least greet me with breakfast today." He's still not sure where she and Sora could be as the elevator was moving up.

Soon after, the elevator door opened and to Yuya's surprise, there was no one in You Show either. He raised an eyebrow as he looked around, "Huh? Even the principal isn't here?" He looked across every single room while calling out to them, "Yuzu! Ruri! Rin! Principal! Ayu! Futoshi! Tatsuya! Anyone?"

He frowned as he moved his hands on his hips, "This is weird. Why is everybody but Mikleo nowhere to be found? What is going on?" He figured at least Ruri, Ayu, Futoshi and Tatsuya would be here to cheer him on. And he knows at least Sora and Rin won their last qualifying match yesterday so he figured, since they probably had nothing else left to do, they would come to watch him along with Yuzu. He wondered if something happened to them.

However, he then heard a voice as a door opened, "Indeed! Just what could have happened?" Yuya turned to see Nico at the door with a smile on his face, "Nico."

Nico bowed at Yuya, "At your service! Good morning, Yuya!" He raised his head towards Yuya, "Did you get enough rest last night?"

Yuya had his hands on his waist, "Yes, but more importantly, where is everyone?" Nico looked back at Yuya, "Does it bother you?" Yuya narrowed his eyes, "Of course it does. Now, where is everyone?"

Nico ignored his question, however, and looked down at his watch with a smile on his face, "Oh, look at the time! You should hurry or you'll be late!" He grabbed Yuya's left wrist, "Now then, let's go!" He dragged Yuya into the elevator.

Yuya sighed as Nico dragged him, having a feeling he was purposely dodging his question. He had a feeling he wouldn't get an answer unless he follows him to wherever his last opponent is.

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MAIAMI CITY - GONGENZAKA DOJO

Next to Maiami City in a forest-like area, Nico and Yuya were walking up stairs that led towards a dojo. There was a sign at the entrance titled "Gongenzaka Dojo". Once they had stopped, Yuya saw the sign and turned to Nico as he pointed at the sign, "My fourth opponent is here? Don't tell me it's…" There would be one person Yuya would face if he came here and he had a feeling it was the case after seeing Nico's smile.

Nico looked back at Yuya, "You can confirm that yourself." Nico then entered through the gateway with Yuya following behind him.

Soon after, Gongenzaka was at the dojo entrance with a serious expression on his face, "I was tired of waiting for you, Yuya!" He stared down at Yuya, who he and Nico were away by a few feet, as he looked somewhat impatient.

Yuya sighed in exasperation before he frowned at Nico, "Why did you go out of the way to make me fight Gongenzaka? We've already dueled tons of times…" He had lost track of how many duels he's had with his best friend but it was a lot when he was little.

Nico nodded his head as he turned to Yuya, "It's true that the two of you have dueled each other plenty of times in the past. But you haven't had a serious duel with him yet." Yuya pondered what Nico said for a second before he looked surprised and wondered how Nico knew something like that.

"I am also aware of the fact that he is your best friend." Nico had his hands holding his chest while smiling sadly, "Especially after your father, Yusho Sakaki, disappeared during his championship match, your friend Gongenzaka put his body on the line to protect you from the cruel public!" Tears were flowing out of Nico's eyes as he felt moved by this recollection. He used a handkerchief to dry his eyes, "I was moved by such beautiful friendship!" Nico then placed his hands on Yuya's shoulders, "But even if you are best friends, a real match is a different matter entirely."

"He's exactly right, Yuya!" Yuya turned to see Gongenzaka who had his arms crossed together, "You and I fought countless times before. But there was no seriousness in those matches!" Gongenzaka closed his eyes for a moment before his expression got intense and he held out his hand, "I couldn't fault you for what you did in the past because of your father's disappearance. But I soon realized that feeling pity for you only served to make me weaker!"

Yuya lowered his eyes in confusion, "Make you weaker?"

Gongenzaka nodded as he had a serious look in his eyes, "In the third match of You Show Duel School vs. LDS, I wasn't able to win even though we were tied 1-1!"

Yuya walked towards Gongenzaka and stopped in front of him, "But you managed to make it a draw. You gave us another chance to win." He could understand Gongenzaka's frustration over tying that match but it couldn't be helped.

"I couldn't win because of the weakness in my heart!" Gongenzaka argued as he shook his head, "Being unable to break free from my own softness was the reason I didn't win that duel! I must push myself further if I am to purge myself of that weakness!"

Nico then walked over so that he stood next to Yuya, "And with that in mind, Gongenzaka shockingly went as far as betting his entry into the Maiami Championship in this duel." As Yuya turned to Nico in confusion, Nico held up a hand while holding one finger on his other one, "He won matches until he was just one away from the 60% win requirement." He waved his finger around in a dramatic fashion as he continued, "While also refusing any further duel challenges and waited until you had won enough matches!" Yuya's eyes widened in shock from hearing what that meant as Nico pointed his finger at Yuya, "Just one more win! He waited until you were under the same conditions! To put it simply, he set it up so that only the one who wins this very duel can enter the tournament."

Yuya was surprised as he didn't know what to make of this, "Say what? Why go that far?" He questioned why would Gongenzaka risk his entry into the Maiami Championship just for this duel.

Gongenzaka spoke which made Yuya turn to him, "Because I thought that if I didn't do this much, I wouldn't be able to get a serious match from you." He then smiled as he closed his eyes, "Eventually, I will inherit this dojo, so this duel is also a test for honing my Steadfast Dueling." Gongenzaka opened his eyes after that and pointed at Yuya in determination, "I'll set aside all of my pity and defeat you with all I've got because you're my best friend! Prepare yourself, Yuya!"

Yuya processed what Gongenzaka proclaimed to him before he looked down at the ground with a frown on his face. He had mixed feelings about this, especially considering the times he remembers what Gongenzaka has done for him.

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SOMEWHERE IN MAIAMI CITY

Flashback (5 years ago)

An 11 year-old Yuya was walking through the streets, that had other kids nearby, while having his goggles covering his eyes and a bothered frown on his face.

As he was walking, he could hear some of the kids talking, "Look, that coward's kid is walking over here." "Yeah, he's the son of Yusho Sakaki, the guy who ran away!" Yuya gritted his teeth as the kids had mocking expressions on their faces, "He was at the stadium, wasn't he?" "He was saying things like "I'll duel you in place of my father!"" Yuya was having a hard time ignoring what they were saying but didn't believe his father was a coward. He must've had a reason why he didn't show up but everyone is just assuming he is a coward which upsets Yuya so much.

Then, the next moment, Yuya was so distracted that he didn't notice somebody in front of him before he walked into that person and fell on the ground. He didn't move for a moment, feeling sad before he felt someone pulling his goggles up. He looked up and gasped in shock when he saw a large boy with thulian pink hair in front of him who was wearing a gray jacket, heavy sandals, and white t-shirt with an image of Strong Ishijima on it.

The boy looked at Yuya with a smirk on his face, "If you're going to fight in place of your father, then I'll be fighting for Strong Ishijima! So, let's duel!" Yuya stared in shock as the boy held out a hand towards him.

The boy's smirk grew bigger, "What? You don't want to fight? Are you going to run away like your dad did? Jeez, you really are a helpless weakling, aren't you?" Yuya frowned and stood back up as he glared back at the large boy.

However, they soon heard a voice call out to them, "Stop it!" Both of them turned to see the source of the voice and it was a young Gongenzaka running towards them. The large boy gritted his teeth in irritation when he saw who it was.

Gongenzaka stood in front of Yuya and stepped in so that he was face-to-face with the boy that was as large as him. Gongenzaka had his arms in a protective manner for Yuya, "I, the man Gongenzaka, won't forgive bullying the weak! Have you forgotten the Iron Rules of our Gongenzaka Dojo?!" Gongenzaka held up a fist as he questioned the boy in front of him.

The boy simply smiled in response, "I wasn't bullying him. I just asked him for a duel, that's all. We were going to prove who's stronger between Yusho Sakaki and Strong Ishijima in their stead!"

Gongenzaka narrowed his eyes and walked closer to the boy so that their foreheads were almost touching, "Our dojo did not teach you our Steadfast Dueling for things like this!" Gongenzaka moved away a bit as he looked serious, "Those who take part in meaningless fights are excommunicated at once! Whether you may be a senior disciple to me or not! I won't let it slide!"

Yuya looked at Gongenzaka, "Gongenzaka…" A part of him couldn't believe that Gongenzaka would defend him and his father's honor.

Flashback End.

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Yuya stood next to Gongenzaka inside his family's dojo, in front of Nico and Gongenzaka's father with a frown on his face. There were other members of the dojo, sitting across from them while wearing their white karate uniforms.

Nico looked at Yuya, "Have you not steeled your resolve yet, Yuya? Well that's understandable. You have to cut down the man who's had your back for all of these years. Otherwise, you won't be able to participate in the Maiami Championship."

Yuya looked around at the other disciples of the dojo, silently sighing to himself, "I wonder where everyone is." He's trying not to be too bothered by it but it would've been nice to see them supporting both him and Gongenzaka.

Nico seemed to realize what Yuya was thinking as he then said, "And of course, in order to become a pro, you need the strength to fight alone." As Yuya wondered what he meant, Nico continued, "Up until now, you've been protected by not only Gongenzaka, but plenty of others." He was referring to his brother, his mother, Yuzu and many of his other friends. "Always being cheered on and encouraged has given you strength." Nico adjusted his glasses, "However, being a pro being able to display your own skills as the away team, even if everyone around you is cheering for the enemy. That is exactly why I had your cheer crew take a leave of absence this time."

Yuya narrowed his eyes as he processed what Nico said before he began to understand it more. The more he thought about it, when he was younger, he always had the support of his friends whenever he was too afraid to fight back. He's so used to having his friends cheer for him that he didn't think about how it could possibly affect himself in the future. With that in mind, he quickly understood why his friends are missing and surmised that he'll just fight alone, thinking his friends will be supporting him regardless if they're here or not.

However, unknown to Yuya, his mother, Yuzu, Ruri, Rin, Sora, Shuzo, and the kids were in a room up above the dojo and were watching this through a computer. Ayu, Futoshi, and Tatsuya looked anxious as they wondered how this duel will go. Sora had an intrigued smile on his face as he held up a lollipop. Shuzo narrowed his eyes slightly, "This will be their first serious match together. Good luck!"

Yuzu frowned in worry, "Yuya…" She wondered how Yuya would be able to handle this. Ruri and Rin were thinking the same thing as Ruri frowned too, "I wonder how this is going to go." Again, they don't know everything about their past but they are aware that Gongenzaka supported Yuya when he was younger.

Back in the main room, Nico turned to Mr. Gongenzaka, "Now then, shall we begin, Master Gongenzaka?"

Mr. Gongenzaka nodded and stood up, showing he was about the same height as Nico. He looked at his son and Yuya, "Dueling is polish one's soul! Diligently cultivating each other's character while possessing an immovable spirit no matter the circumstances. That is the path our Gongenzaka Dojo travels upon! The two of you shall clash with each other fair and square in this fight. And I wish for you to polish each other's souls." As Yuya and Gongenzaka both looked determined, Mr. Gongenzaka held out his hand, "Now! Action Field, on! Field Magic: Sword's Graveyard activate!" The Solid Vision system in the dojo activated before it created a familiar scenery. The dojo morphed into a barren wasteland with broken swords sticking out of the ground, leaving Yuya and Gongenzaka the only ones present in this area. Yuya recognized this field; it was the one where Gongenzaka fought against Yaiba during their match against LDS.

Yuya looked around the field in both surprise and confusion, "This is…"

"That's right!" Yuya turned to Gongenzaka who continued, "This is the same field that I fought LDS on!"

Yuya frowned a little, "Why pick this one? Did you choose it?" He doesn't have a real problem with this field but he wonders why Gongenzaka would pick this one of all fields.

Gongenzaka smirked as he had his eyes closed, "Yeah, you'll soon understand why." He then held out his arm, "Let's go!" Gongenzaka activated his duel disk while Yuya responded back by activating his duel disk with a determined expression on their face. Both duelists stared at each other as they were ready to begin before they both shouted out.

[DUEL!]

YUYA LP: 4000
GONGENZAKA LP: 4000

Gongenzaka started as he placed his fingers on his deck, "I'll make the first move! Draw!" He drew a card before he grabbed a different one from his hand, "I Normal Summon Superheavy Samurai Kagebo-C (ATK: 500, DEF: 1000, LV: 3) from my hand!" He summoned a purple mechanical samurai that had golden pipes connected to the joints of the body while holding a wooden flute in its hands.

Gongenzaka held out his hand, "With Kagebo-C's effect, I can release this card in order to Special Summon a "Superheavy Samurai" from my hand!" As Kagebo-C vanished from the field and Gongenzaka sent it to the Graveyard, he placed a certain monster on the field, "I summon Superheavy Samurai Pendulum Ben-K (ATK: 1000, DEF: 3500, LV: 8, PS: 4) in Defense Position!" Pendulum Ben-K appeared on the field as it spun its staff before guarding into a defensive stance.

Gongenzaka then looked at Yuya, "I end my turn with this."

The kids looked shocked when they saw Pendulum Ben-K on the field as Tatsuya commented, "He summoned a Level 8 monster right on the first turn?"

Sora, who licked his lollipop a little, smiled with interest in his eyes, "Gon-chan's going all out right from the beginning. He's really serious!"

Ruri lowered her eyes as she seemed deep in thought, "I can imagine. With him wanting to defeat Yuya."

Shuzo had a troubled expression on his face, "Both of their entries into the Maiami Championship are riding on this duel. I want Gongenzaka to win since he's been a huge help, but…" He closed his eyes, "as the President of You Show Duel School, I should cheer for Yuya!" Shuzo then looked conflicted as he raised his head and yelled, "What should I do?!"

Suddenly, he got smacked in the backside of the head by Yuzu's fan which made him go quiet. After swinging her fan, Yuzu glared at her dad, "Keep it down! Don't yell like that! What will you do if Yuya hears us?"

Ayu nodded as she had a stern expression on her face, "That's right! Nico told us to quietly watch here today!"

"Sorry." Shuzo apologized.

Sora looked towards Yuya with an excited smile on his face, "Now, let's see how Yuya responds to Gon-chan's fighting spirit." He licked his lollipop, "This is gonna be fun!"

Rin sweatdropped for a moment before she smiled, "I'm sure he will be fine." She is certain that Yuya can handle Gongenzaka.

Yuya stared at Gongenzaka for a few seconds before he looked down at the ground in deep thought, "Right now, I'm facing Gongenzaka in order to qualify for the Maiami Championship. I know I have to win but...am I worthy of fighting Gongenzaka after all of this time?" He wondered if he deserved to have a serious match with Gongenzaka considering what he did before with his duels as a child.

Suddenly, Yuya heard Gongenzaka yell out, "Pitying your opponent is the same as disrespecting them!" Yuya was snapped out of his thoughts and turned to Gongenzaka who was pointing at him, "I'll say this again, Yuya! It's because you're my best friend that I will defeat you with all of my strength!" Gongenzaka narrowed his eyes, "So, if you truly want to make up for our duels in the past, then stop with the self-satisfaction and duel me like a true man!" He doesn't need Yuya to decide to hold back whether he wants to or not. To him, when he heard that fact from both him and Mikleo, it not only disrespected him and other duelists but it also disrespected Yuya himself.

Yuya, knowing what Gongenzaka was referring to, frowned in response before he looked down at the ground again, "...I won't make any excuses." There was a deep pause for a moment before Yuya, whose expression was shadowed and couldn't be seen, spoke again, "Back then, when I decided to hold back on my duels, I thought I was doing the right thing for both myself and others. But over the years, I realized that guy was right. I was a coward." Gongenzaka lowered his eyes before his expression softened a little from hearing Yuya's perspective. The others, excluding Sora who just narrowed his eyes in response, watched in concern for Yuya.

Over the years, Yuya has come to realize some things as he gotten older. First, the reason he chose to hold back on his duels was for two things. He didn't really care about winning all the time at first and just wanted to have fun with dueling. Now, he softened his opinion on trying to be the best while also enjoying dueling all the same. However, the real main reason he did what he did was because, during his childhood, since he was the son of Yusho Sakaki, many people including some adults and his friends all had high expectations of him mainly because of how great an entertainer and duelist his father was. Adding on to the fact of how he was also treated when his father went missing, he got so tired of all of these things that he decided to do his own way of dueling instead of dueling what others expect of him. As he got older and smarter, he noticed that maybe it wasn't the right move to make. He didn't stand up for himself when he needed to; his friends and older brother mostly had to step in to protect him while he didn't say anything. In his opinion, he took the easy way out for his own self satisfaction which is the same as the way a coward would take. He realized it fully after his duel with Mikleo.

"But…" Yuya raised his head back towards Gongenzaka, showing that he had a determined look in his eyes, "I am not that coward anymore." Thanks to the training and support of his brother, along with his friends and family, he's no longer afraid to stand up for himself and he intends to prove it.

As the others smiled in relief, Gongenzaka also smiled and then held up a fist, "Then, fight me with everything you've got!"

Yuya nodded and smirked back at him, "Right! I'll fight you man-to-man from now on!" He then placed his fingers on his deck, "I draw!" He held out one of his other cards, "First, I summon the Tuner monster, Entermate Odd-Eyes Sylph (ATK: 700, DEF: 800, LV: 2, PS: 5) from my hand!" Yuya summoned the blonde, dichromatic fairy as she winked to the audience in response.

Nico looked surprised when he heard and saw what Yuya summoned, "Oh my!" Gongenzaka's father was surprised for a moment before he looked intrigued, "Oh?"

Yuya then showed another monster in his hand, "When I successfully Normal or Special Summon an "Entermate" monster, I can Special Summon Entermate Helpprincess (ATK: 1200, DEF: 1200, LV: 4) from my hand!" A purple, pig-tailed princess wearing a royal purple outfit appeared on Yuya's side of the field. She had a pink telephone in her right hand while in the other she carried a scepter with a white glove attached to the end of it.

Tatsuya watched what happened with interest in his eyes, "Big Bro Yuya already summoned two monsters without Pendulum Summoning." Ayu also commented, "And since one of them is a Tuner…"

"Yes. Synchro Summon." nodded Rin with an excited smile on her face.

Yuya pointed at his monster, "I now tune my Level 2 Odd-Eyes Sylph with the Level 4 Helpprincess (2 + 4 = 6)!" Both Sylph and Helpprincess flew into the air before Sylph morphed into two green energy rings that surrounded Helpprincess. The princess's body disappeared as the four stars it left behind gathered inside the force of the rings.

"Guardian swordsman with dichromatic eyes, be born into this world with a blade that cuts all who stands against you! Synchro Summon! Appear, Level 6! Entermate Odd-Eyes Plasma Blader (ATK: 2600, DEF: 1800, LV: 6)!" Plasma Blader appeared next to Yuya's side as the swordsman held his energy sword out.

"Amazing!" Nico was more excited than ever before as he witnessed Yuya Synchro Summoning. That meant that he knows to utilize all of the summoning methods including the newly discovered Pendulum.

Mr. Gongenzaka even seemed impressed as he showed a small smile, "It seems that the boy's true spirit is finally showing."

Futoshi was confused after he got excited a bit, "But...Plasma Blader only has 2600 ATK." It's not enough to defeat Pendulum Ben-K who had 3500 DEF.

Yuzu frowned as she agreed, "I do hope that Yuya has a plan."

Yuya, meanwhile, was looking at Gongenzaka's ace with caution in his eyes, "Pendulum Ben-K..." From what he remembers, this was one of the cards that changed into Pendulum Cards and it was Gongenzaka's ace no less. He knows Gongenzaka won't be an easy opponent to defeat but he wonders how much stronger he's gotten now that he's obtained Pendulum like himself. He did teach him along with Yuzu, Rin and Ruri how to utilize Pendulum so he'll have to be careful.

Yuya decided to worry about that later as he's choosing to go on the offensive. He showed a card in his hand and activated it, "I activate the Magic Card: Back-Up Rider. I target a monster on the field and it gains 1500 ATK until the end of this turn." Blue flames surrounded Yuya's Plasma Blader as it got stronger.

Entermate Odd-Eyes Plasma Blader (ATK: 2600→4100)

The kids looked excited when they saw the monster getting stronger with Tatsuya saying, "It is higher than Pendulum Ben-K's DEF now!" Ayu also commented with a nod, "Yeah! Now, he has an easier chance to win!" Futoshi rubbed his cheeks in excitement, "Shivers all around!"

Yuya pointed at Gongenzaka, "Here I go, Gongenzaka! Battle! Plasma Blader attacks Pendulum Ben-K!" Blader sheathed his sword, sparking it with plasma energy, before the swordsman jumped up and flew straight towards Pendulum Ben-K.

Gongenzaka, however, didn't look worried as Plasma Blader was a lot closer to Pendulum Ben-K as he prepared to swing his blade. Gongenzaka then held up a card in his hand, "I activate the effect of Superheavy Samurai Soul Fire Armor in my hand by sending this card to the Graveyard!" A silhouette of a red shield that had fire bursting from the top and bottom appeared in front of Ben-K temporarily. The shield blocked the sword as it was protecting Ben-K, "With this card, Pendulum Ben-K loses 800 DEF this turn but it can't be destroyed by battle or card effects!"

Superheavy Samurai Pendulum Ben-K (DEF: 3500→2700)

"But the attack still goes on," commented Yuya. "Also, when Plasma Blader attacks a monster in Defense Position, it can inflict piercing damage to you!" As Yuya said that while the attack was still happening, a small vacuum wave went past Ben-K and hit Gongenzaka in the shoulder, who didn't flinch much other than a small movement. The attack soon stopped altogether as Plasma Blader returned to Yuya's side.

GONGENZAKA LP: 4000→2600

Yuya narrowed his eyes in disappointment, knowing that it wouldn't be easy to take down Gongenzaka's ace. Regardless, the duel has just started and there's no way he's fighting him with half-hearted feelings. Thinking with that in mind, Yuya placed a card in his duel disk, "I set a card and end my turn." A set card appeared in front of Yuya. Since it is the end of the turn, both effects of Fire Armor and Back-Up Rider are over.

Entermate Odd-Eyes Plasma Blader (ATK: 4100→2600)
Superheavy Samurai Pendulum Ben-K (DEF: 2700→3500)

Nico smiled with interest in his eyes, "Attacking Yuya, Defending Gongenzaka. The opening act went as expected."

Mr. Gongenzaka nodded his head before he turned to Nico, "Indeed. No matter how the opponent may move around, one must always hold a steadfast stance. This is the fundamental style of our Gongenzaka Dojo." He then turned towards his son, "Well done, Noboru! As expected of the successor of my dojo! Pierce through the Maiami Championship with your Steadfast Dueling!"

Gongenzaka had his eyes closed as a smirk was on his face, "You're getting ahead of yourself, father. This match has just begun, and I haven't exerted my full strength yet!" Yuya narrowed his eyes as he wondered what exactly he meant by that.

Gongenzaka placed his fingers on his deck, "Here we go! My turn! Draw!" Gongenzaka drew the card with determination and created a shockwave. Gongenzaka turned the card over and looked at it, "It's here!" He then held the card in front of him and looked at it, "I, the man Gongenzaka, have cast off the shell and steeled my heart in order to defeat my friend! With my new strength, I've caught up to you!" Yuya looked confused as he didn't know what Gongenzaka was going to try.

Gongenzaka grew a large smirk on his face, "Watch this, father! This is the new Steadfast Dueling I aspire to create!" He held up the card he drew, "When there are no Magic or Traps in my Graveyard, I can Special Summon the Tuner Monster, Superheavy Samurai Horaga-E (ATK: 300, DEF: 600, LV: 2) from my hand!" A small, gray mechanical samurai in red armor and metal cap appeared on the field as it held a conch shell instrument in its hands. Mr. Gongenzaka looked shocked when he heard what Gongenzaka had said while Yuya was surprised by this.

Everyone else looked surprised as Yuzu commented, "A Tuner Monster?" Sora held the lollipop as he looked at the screen in shock, "Is Gon-chan really going to-?!"

"Do a Synchro Summon?" Shuzo finished that sentence as the kids were shocked as well, "No way!" Rin's eyes were widened as she knew what was about to happen, "Seriously?" Ruri watched with surprise in her expression.

Gongenzaka held up his fist, "I tune my Level 2 Superheavy Samurai Horaga-E with my Level 8 Superheavy Samurai Pendulum Ben-K (2 + 8 = 10)!" Horaga-E flew into the air before it blew into its conch shell, creating a trumpet noise before it turned into two energy rings in which Pendulum Ben-K flew into them. It turned into eight stars as it gathered into the force of the rings.

"Raging deity, in unison with the soul of a thousand blades, come forth in a spiralling wave! Synchro Summon! Now come before us, Level 10! Superheavy Samurai Warlord Susano-O (ATK: 2400, DEF: 3800, LV: 10)!" An imposing mechanical warrior in blue-green armor holding a naginata and sitting cross-legged appeared on Gongenzaka's field as it thrusted its naginata into the ground.

Yuya's eyes were widened as he was surprised, "Gongenzaka Synchro Summoned…"

Mr. Gongenzaka stared in absolute shock when he saw the Synchro Monster while Nico simply smiled, "My goodness!" Nico then adjusted his glasses, "Now then, how will you respond, Yuya?" Whether it would be using Pendulum, Fusion, or Synchro Summoning, Nico can't wait to see what happens.

Yuzu looked at Gongenzaka with a shocked expression on her face, "He really did it." Just like when she learned Fusion and Ritual, she now realized Gongenzaka had the same idea she did and learned Synchro Summoning.

There appeared to be a gleam in Rin's eyes as she looked more excited than ever, "That's impressive." She didn't know Gongenzaka could fully utilize Synchro Summoning as well.

Shuzo narrowed his eyes, "Was the reason he went out of his way to pick this field was for this?" Tatsuya, Ayu and Futoshi had their mouths wide open in shock from the sudden realization.

Yoko didn't say anything and just looked at her son on the screen, "Yuya…"

Gongenzaka had a serious expression as he held out his right fist, "Here I come, Yuya! From here on out, the real match begins! Prepare yourself!" Yuya narrowed his eyes, not expecting Gongenzaka to Synchro Summon at all during this duel. He wondered how to counter something like that right now.

However, Mr. Gongenzaka got up on one knee and held out his hand in stop motion, "That's enough! My son, Noboru, has lost this match!" Everyone around him was shocked when he said that, wondering what he was talking about.

He then stood up and looked at Gongenzaka with a stern expression on his face, "Steadfast Dueling means that having an immovable spirit is crucial." He pointed at his son, "From the moment you stole techniques from another school in order to win, you have lost this duel!"

Gongenzaka didn't seem fazed as he turned towards his father, "I did not steal them, I requested instruction!" His father's eyes widened and he made a sound as he was surprised when he heard that.

Yuya looked at Gongenzaka with lowered eyes, "Instruction? Wait, do you mean…?"

Gongenzaka nodded back at Yuya, "Of course, Yaiba Todo." Yuya raised an eyebrow, "From LDS? You willingly learned from him?" He is a little surprised he didn't try to learn from his brother or even Rin to a certain extent.

Gongenzaka had a neutral expression on his face, "If there is a need to learn, I will graciously request instruction from even my enemies." He turned back to his father in seriousness, "It's only normal. I didn't learn Synchro Summoning in order to just win, but to also bring forth a new horizon to Steadfast Dueling!"

His father narrowed his eyes as he looked at his son confused, "In order to bring forth a new Steadfast Dueling…?"

Gongenzaka held up his right arm and clenched his fist tightly, "I realized it as I watched Yuya duel many times. Dueling evolves every day!" He then held his fist to his chest, "It is a necessity for even the stationary Steadfast Dueling in order to not let get left behind along with an era!" Yuya narrowed his eyes as he listened to all of this.

Gongenzaka turned back towards Yuya, "Save your judgments on my decision until after you witness this match!" He waved his arms so that he was in a defensive stance while clenching his fists, "Superheavy Samurai Warlord Susano-O can attack while in Defense Position using its DEF during calculation!" Susano-O started lifting his arm while also raising his naginata.

Yuya stared at Susano-O for a few seconds before he smirked in excitement, "This is getting interesting."

Gongenzaka held out his hand toward Yuya's monster, "Battle! Go, Susano-O! Attack Entermate Odd-Eyes Plasma Blader! Kusanagi Sword Slash!" Susano-O raised his blade, which glowed orange for a second, and then swung it, sending a slash of energy towards Plasma Blader.

Yuya stood his ground as he retaliated, "I activate the Trap Card: Entermate Signal! I draw a card and then send it to the Graveyard!" He drew a card and flip it over to reveal it, "The card I drew is Entermate Gunhopper. Since it is a monster, the attack is negated!" After Yuya sent the monster to the Graveyard, a train signal appeared before it blinked a red light, making the energy slash disappear entirely.

Gongenzaka frowned before he crossed his arms together, "I end my turn with that."

Ayu sighed in relief as she held a hand to her chest, "At least Big Bro Yuya blocked Gongenzaka's attack." Tatsuya had a look of doubt on his face, "But with 3800 DEF, it will be difficult to take out Susano-O."

"True. But no matter what defenses a person has, someone will always find a way to break through. Yuya will find a way." said Ruri as she didn't look concerned while Sora narrowed his eyes from hearing that.

Yuya drew his card, "It's my turn, draw!" He then looked at his entire hand for a second, "It's true that it is stronger than Ben-K but I've got an idea that might work."

Yuya picked up a card and held it out, "I set the Scale 8 Shield Magician in my Pendulum Zone!" Yuya placed the card in his Pendulum Zone in which a blue haired magician that wore a silver robe and hat, while having two iron shields orbiting around him, appeared in the blue pillar of light.

"Since I control an "Entermate" monster, I can Special Summon Fruit Magician (ATK: 1800, DEF: 2000, LV: 7, PS: 6) from my hand!" Fruit Magician appeared on his side of the field. "And when I summon her this way, I can draw a card."

After Yuya drew his card, he then placed another in his duel disk, "I activate the Magic Card: Polymerization!" Gongenzaka narrowed his eyes when he heard what card it was as Yuya pointed at his monster, "With this card, I use Entermate Odd-Eyes Plasma Blader and Fruit Magician in order to Fusion Summon!" Both monsters flew up in the air and evaporated into the colorful vortex.

"Guardian swordsman of entertainment, colorful magician of the ancients!" Yuya chanted. "When the magic reaches its climax, a new beginning arises in a brand new show! Fusion Summon! Appear, Level 7! Entertainment Magician (ATK: 2600, DEF: 2200, LV: 7)!" Yuya summoned a new magician that was a brown hair male wearing a purple jacket with blue lining over a red waistcoat, black pants, purple top hat and it carried a short green cane in its hands.

Futoshi had an excited look on his face, "Alright! Big Bro Yuya is fighting back with Fusion Summoning as well!"

"But that monster doesn't have enough ATK," commented Ruri. "I wonder what Yuya has in mind."

Yuya moved his arm around as he said, "I activate Entertainment Magician's monster effect! When this card is Fusion Summoned, I can target a face-up card on the field and negate its effects this turn." He then pointed at Gongenzaka's only monster, "So, I'll choose to negate your Susano-O's effects!" Entertainment Magician spun his staff before he pointed it in Gongenzaka's direction and sent a bolt of lightning from it towards Susano-O.

Gongenzaka kept a neutral stance as he gestured his duel disk, "I activate the effect of Kagebo-C in my Graveyard!" He grabbed the card and held it out, "When this card is in the Graveyard, I can banish this card to negate a card or effect that targets my "Superheavy Samurai" monster and destroy it!" A silhouette of Kagebo-C absorbed the lightning before it redirected it back towards Yuya's monster.

However, Yuya pointed at his other monster next to him, "When a "Magician" monster I control would be destroyed by a card effect, I can destroy Shield Magician in my Pendulum Zone instead!" Shield Magician waved his magic around so that the lightning changed direction towards himself and was destroyed as a result.

Yuya then held out his hand towards Gongenzaka, "Battle! Entertainment Magician, attack Superheavy Samurai Warlord Susano-O!" Entertainment Magician flew towards Susano-O with his arm pulled back, ready to strike with his staff. Gongenzaka kept a straight face but wondered what Yuya was up to.

The kids were shocked by this as Futoshi cried out, "Why is he attacking?!" Tatsuya looked confused, "Entertainment Magician only has 2600 ATK." It wouldn't be enough to defeat Susano-O.

"Entertainment Magician's other effect!" declared Yuya. "When this card attacks, it can switch the ATK and DEF of the monster it is attacking until the end of the Battle Phase!" Right after Yuya said that, Susano-O's strength and defense were swapped as the warrior struggled to keep its balance.

Superheavy Samurai Warlord Susano-O (ATK: 2400→3800, DEF: 3800→2400)

Gongenzaka looked at Yuya, "I won't let you! While I control Superheavy Samurai Warlord Susano-O and there are no Magic or Traps in my Graveyard, I can pay 500 LP to activate a Magic or Trap from my opponent's Graveyard!" Gongenzaka waved his arms around so that he was in a defensive stance before a red aura surrounded him.

GONGENZAKA LP: 2600→2100

"The card I choose to activate is the Trap Card: Entermate Signal!" Yuya's eyes widened as the same train signal appeared on Gongenzaka's field.

Yuzu had a concerned look on her face, "It can use Magic or Trap Cards in Yuya's Graveyard?"

"If I remember right, Gongenzaka draws a card and then sends it to the Graveyard," commented Tatsuya.

Sora had his eyes narrowed, "And since Gon-chan's deck consists of just monsters, that means…"

Gongenzaka drew a card and then showed it, "Since the card I drew is Superheavy Samurai Kabu-10, your attack is negated." Yuya gritted his teeth as Gongenzaka sent the monster to the Graveyard, making Entertainment Magician retreat back to Yuya's side.

Yuya looked at Gongenzaka for a moment before he commented, "Since it is the end of the Battle Phase, Susano-O's ATK and DEF are swapped back to normal."

Superheavy Samurai Warlord Susano-O (ATK: 3800→2400, DEF: 2400→3800)

Yuya then suddenly smiled at Gongenzaka, "This is awesome, Gongenzaka. To think you'd got this stronger just by learning Synchro Summoning. But even so, I won't back down that easily!" Gongenzaka narrowed his eyes as Yuya placed the last card from his hand into his duel disk, "I set a card and end my turn."

"My turn, draw!" Gongenzaka drew again which created another shockwave for a moment. Gongenzaka turned to Yuya, "Yuya!" Yuya looked back at him curiously as Gongenzaka continued, "As I've been instructed on Synchro Summoning, allow me to show you another new horizon of Steadfast Dueling!" At first, Yuya wondered what that meant before he soon had an idea in mind as his eyes widened in realization, "Is he talking about…?"

Gongenzaka held up and showed two cards in his hand, "I set the Pendulum Scale with Scale 1 Superheavy Samurai General Hisu-E and Scale 9 Superheavy Samurai General Gamo-O!" Gamo-O appeared in the Pendulum Zones along with a new mechanical samurai that wore green armor with pipes sticking out in different directions and as well as carrying a bo staff in its hands.

Nico was shocked by what he was seeing, "Oh my!" From what he was seeing, Gongenzaka can also use Pendulum Monsters just like Yuya and Yuzu. This duel has just gotten more excited. Mr. Gongenzaka gasped in shock as he had never seen his son perform this either.

Gongenzaka looked at his field, "With this, I can summon monsters with Levels 2 and 8 at the same time!" There was no pendulum but a portal opened up as Gongenzaka chanted, "Immovable as the mountains, swinging a very still soul! From new warriors of resolve, awaken to a new power! Pendulum Summon!" Gongenzaka held out his hand into the air, "Appear, my monster!" One light appeared from the portal and morphed into a monster, "From the Extra Deck, Superheavy Samurai Pendulum Ben-K (DEF: 3500)!" Ben-K appeared back on the field after spinning his staff.

The others watched in awe as they witnessed a new Pendulum Summon from Gongenzaka. Sora was getting excited, "Hoh? So, this is Gon-chan's Pendulum Summoning? This duel is getting more exciting!"

Rin looked like she was impressed, "Can't say we shouldn't be surprised. Yuya did us a favor by teaching us how to Pendulum Summon." To her knowledge, her and Ruri never had to Pendulum Summon before so she wonders when she'll actually get to use them.

Ruri nodded in agreement, "Yeah. He can freely use it to his advantage just like Synchro Summoning."

Tatsuya started to look concerned, "But now, Gongenzaka has Pendulum Ben-K back on the field. Big Bro Yuya has to deal with both Ben-K and Susano-O!" It would not be an easy task and it looked like Ayu and Futoshi agreed as they looked concerned as well.

"Well, this is interesting." Everyone in the other turned to Mikleo behind them, walking into the room with his hands in his pockets.

Yoko looked at her son, "Mikleo. Where were you at?" She wondered why her son didn't join them right away since he was told the same information they were told about this duel.

Mikleo stopped so that he was next to his mother before he shrugged his shoulders, "Oh, I just had to take care of some stuff back home. That's all." While the others wondered what that meant, Mikleo quickly turned his eyes to Rin for a second and winked at her before turning back to the duel out there. Rin, having an idea what Mikleo was doing, then had a look of realization before she quickly smiled, trying to hide her understanding.

Mikleo gave off a small smile as he looked at the current field, "Still, to think Gongenzaka learned how to Synchro Summon." By learning a new method and new techniques, he sees that Gongenzaka has gotten a little stronger.

Ruri narrowed her eyes before she turned back to the duel, "Mikleo, do you want your brother to win?" She wondered if he had any bias towards Yuya or Gongenzaka since he was close with both of them but imagined that he would want his younger brother to win.

Mikleo, however, gave off a neutral expression before he shrugged his shoulders, "Sure. But that's not up to me to decide the victor." He then narrowed his eyes, "Let's just see what happens." In his opinion, this duel has just gotten more interesting.

"Superheavy Samurai General Gamo-O's Pendulum Effect," declared Gongenzaka. "When this card is my Pendulum Zone, all "Superheavy Samurai" monsters I control gain 500 DEF!" Gamo-O glowed for a second as it granted more defensive power to both Ben-K and Susano-O.

Superheavy Samurai Warlord Susano-O (DEF: 3800→4300)
Superheavy Samurai Pendulum Ben-K (DEF: 3500→4000)

Gongenzaka closed his eyes for a second, "I am grateful for you teaching me how to Pendulum Summon, Yuya. But it would be disrespectful if I didn't use those same teachings to take you down!" He said that resolve in his voice as he doesn't have any hard feelings, just determination to win against his best friend. He needs to go all out if he's planning to win this.

Yuya, however, smirked in response as he held up a fist, "That's fine with me, Gongenzaka. After all, it's how a duel between men should be."

Gongenzaka smiled and nodded in response before his expression turned serious again as he held out his hand, "Battle! Go, Susano-O! Attack Entertainment Magician! Kusanagi Sword Slash!" Susano-O raised his blade and then swung it which sent a slash of energy that cut through Entertainment Magician and destroyed it. Yuya was pushed back a bit as he gritted his teeth.

YUYA LP: 4000→2300

"This is the end for you, Yuya! Pendulum Ben-K attacks you directly!" declared Gongenzaka as Ben-K then used its fist to punch the ground, creating a fissure that was heading towards Yuya.

The kids looked really worried as Ben-K was attacking, "If he takes an attack from Ben-K…!" Futoshi cried out, "He'll take the 4000 damage and…!" Ayu closed her eyes as she couldn't watch, "Big Bro Yuya, with just 2300 LP, will…!" Yuya will lose if he takes the full damage from the attack.

Yuya retaliated by pressing a button, "I'm still in this! I activate the Trap Card: Half Performance!" A trap flipped face-up as Yuya continued, "This card halves the damage I take from this attack!" Yuya yelled as the fissure made him launch into the air and made him land on his back in minor pain.

YUYA LP: 2300→300

Yuya slowly got back to his feet before he held out his hand while feeling a little sweaty, "...Half Performance also lets me Special Summon an "Entermate" monster from my Deck with ATK equal or less than the damage I just took." He took a card from his deck and showed it, "So, I summon Entermate Pendulum Sorcerer (ATK: 1500, DEF: 800, LV: 4, PS: 2)!" Pendulum Sorcerer appeared onto the field from a portal.

"I activate Pendulum Sorcerer's monster effect!" said Yuya as he held up Sorcerer's card. "When this card is Special Summoned, I can target up to 2 cards on my field, destroy them, then add "Entermate" monsters with different names from my Deck for every card destroyed." He held out his hand towards Pendulum Sorcerer, "I destroy Pendulum Sorcerer itself!" Pendulum Sorcerer swung his pendant around before he blew up and left the field which allowed Yuya to add Entermate Rakudown to his hand after he showed it momentarily.

"I end my turn," stated Gongenzaka.

Nico clapped his hands as he smiled excitedly, "Bravo! Using his knowledge of Synchro Monsters, Pendulum Monsters, and Trap Cards in a beautiful collaboration!" He turned to Mr. Gongenzaka in curiosity, "Wouldn't you say that this is truly the birth of a new Steadfast Dueling?" Mr. Gongenzaka didn't say anything as he closed his eyes, still unsure if he were to accept and approve of his son's decision.

Meanwhile, Yuya was looking at the only card in his hand which was Rakudown. He narrowed his eyes, "I'll have to go with a different approach." He needs to gather the pieces necessary in order to win this duel. With that mind, Yuya drew his card, "It's my turn, draw!"

After Yuya looked at the card he drew, he immediately placed in his duel disk, "I activate the Magic Card: Pendulum Halt! Since I have three or more Pendulum Monsters face-up in my Extra Deck, I can draw two cards!" Yuya drew two more cards before he activated another one, "I activate the Magic Card: Pot of Riches! By shuffling Odd-Eyes Sylph, Fruit Magician and Shield Magician from my Extra Deck back into the deck, I draw two more cards!" Yuya shuffled all three monsters into his deck before he drew two more cards with a lot of determination in that draw.

"I set a card." After placing a face-down, Yuya held up two cards in his hand, "Then, I set the Pendulum Scale with Scale 2 Entermate Rakudown and Scale 8 Entermate Card Gardna!" In the first Pendulum Zone, there was a yellow camel monster that wore a bowtie, a tall bowler hat, and had stars painted on its cheeks. Card Gardna appeared in the second Pendulum Zone.

"With this, I can summon monsters with Levels 3 to 7 at the same time!" The giant pendulum was swinging as Yuya chanted, "Swing, my soul's Pendulum! Draw an arc of light across the ether! Pendulum Summon! Come forth, my monster!" Yuya raised his hand into the sky as one light appeared from the portal and morphed into a monster. "From the Extra Deck, Entermate Pendulum Sorcerer (ATK: 1500)!" Pendulum Sorcerer appeared as the only monster from the giant portal.

Shuzo smiled as he had his fist raised in excitement, "There it is, Pendulum Summon!" Futoshi did a little dance on the spot in happiness, "Shivers!"

Tatsuya, however, looked at the field in uncertainty, "But he only summoned Pendulum Sorcerer and it is in Attack Position…" Ayu wondered what the reason would be to do that.

Yuya then did something the kids weren't expecting as he held out his hand, "I activate Pendulum Sorcerer's monster effect! Since it was Special Summoned, I destroy both itself and the set card on my field!" Pendulum Sorcerer bowed a little before both it and the face-down card were destroyed, leaving Yuya's field empty again not counting the Pendulum Zones.

The kids gasped in shock as Yuya basically made his own field empty with Ayu frowning, "Why?"

Sora looked at the field, "The DEF of Gon-chan's Susano-O is 4300 while Ben-K is 4000. Right now, Yuya doesn't have a monster powerful enough to challenge them."

Yuzu turned to Sora in understanding, "And with Pendulum Sorcerer's effect…"

"He's trying to buy more time while also gathering more resources from his Deck," said Ruri as she finished what Yuzu was about to say. Rin held a hand to her chin as she had a thoughtful look on her face, "Yuya doesn't have a lot of cards to work with now so it would make sense to get more options in his hand."

"So it would seem." replied Sora.

Yoko had a serious expression on her face, "But he can't win with just that. Sooner or later, he has to find a way to take down Gongenzaka's defensive wall." Mikleo didn't say anything as he narrowed his eyes in observation.

However, Yuya had a calm expression on his face as he looked at Gongenzaka, "With very little options, I'll need to find a way to take out Susano-O first." He then turned to his deck, "I just hope this works."

Yuya raised his head back to Gongenzaka, "Due to Pendulum Sorcerer's effect, I'm allowed to add "Entermate" monsters with different names from my Deck for every card I just destroyed." He took two monsters out from his deck and revealed them, "I add Entermate Silver Claw and Secondonkey to my hand." Yuya then suddenly looked down at his duel disk, "Also, since the set card I destroyed was Iron Will, due to its effect, I'm allowed to draw a card." A silhouette of a trap shined for a second before Yuya had his fingers on his deck.

As soon Yuya drew another card, he held out one of the monsters he revealed, "I Normal Summon Entermate Secondonkey (ATK: 1000, DEF: 2000, LV: 4)!" Secondonkey appeared in a guarded position as Yuya continued, "When Secondonkey is successfully summoned, I can send an "Entermate" monster from my Deck to the Graveyard. But since I have two cards in my Pendulum Zones, I can add it to my hand instead." Yuya showed that he added Entermate Lizardraw to his hand due to Secondonkey's effect.

"I set two cards and end my turn," stated Yuya as he set two cards on his field.

Tatsuya had a worried expression on his face, "In the end, he only tightened up his defenses." Yuzu frowned in worry but had faith in Yuya that he could somehow come back from this.

Gongenzaka looked at Yuya with a serious expression on his face, "Yuya! Even if you build up your defenses, your time is up!" Yuya frowned in response.

Gongenzaka placed his fingers on his deck, "My turn, draw!" He created another shockwave as he drew the next card with Yuya shielding himself from it.

He held out a hand from his hand, "I Normal Summon Superheavy Samurai Shuta-O (ATK: 400, DEF: 2000→2500, LV: 4)!" Gongenzaka summoned a mechanical warrior that wore green armor with reddish-brown guards underneath it. It also carried a metal spear in its hands.

Gongenzaka clenched his fist, "When Shuta-O attacks a monster in Defense Position, it can inflict piercing damage!" Yuya gritted his teeth when he heard the effect as Gongenzaka continued, "And because of Pendulum Ben-K, Shuta-O can attack while in Defense Position!" He held out his hand, "Battle, Shuta-O! Attack Entermate Secondonkey!" Shuta-O spun his spear around before it launched its own body straight towards Yuya's monster.

Tatsuya looked worried, "This is bad! Secondonkey's DEF is only 2000!" If Yuya takes the attack, he'll take 500 damage which is more than enough to finish him. Futoshi and Ayu were concerned by this as well.

Yuya had his eyes narrowed as he held out his hand, "I activate the Trap Card: Pendulum Baton! By destroying a card in my Pendulum Zone, Shuta-O's attack is negated! I destroy Card Gardna!" Card Gardna waved to the audience goodbye before it blew up and left the field, forcing Shuta-O to stop its charge and return to its original position.

"You may have stopped that, Yuya, but I have plenty more attacks left!" exclaimed Gongenzaka as he punched the air. "Pendulum Ben-K attacks Secondonkey!" Ben-K charged straight towards Secondonkey and stopped a few feet in front of it. It lunged at its staff and knocked Secondonkey away from the field, causing it to leave the field in an explosion.

Yuya then suddenly gestured towards his duel disk, "I activate the effect of Plasma Blader in my Graveyard. When an "Entermate'' monster I control is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard, I can shuffle this card back into my Extra Deck, then add an "Entermate" monster from my Deck to my hand." Plasma Blader was returned back into Yuya's Extra Deck and, through its effect, Yuya added Entermate Extra Shooter to his hand.

"Susano-O! Attack Yuya directly!" Susano-O raised his blade and then swung it, sending a slash of energy towards Yuya. The others looked on in worry as Rin cried out, "Watch out!"

Yuya didn't hear her but he clenched his fist, "I activate the effect of the Trap Card: Iron Will in my Graveyard." A blue aura surrounded Yuya before he had a look of determination on his face, "By banishing this card and halving my LP, damage dealt to me becomes 0 and the Battle Phase ends!" The energy slash disappeared as Yuya gave up half of his life to end the attack.

YUYA LP: 300→150

Gongenzaka frowned but still had a look of resolve on his face as he held out his fist, "It was an impressive save, Yuya, but this will end soon enough!" He then showed a monster in his hand, "I equip Susano-O with Superheavy Samurai Soul Chusai from my hand!" Brown metal shoulder guards with four arms attached itself onto Susano-O. "With Chusai equipped, Susano-O is the only monster you're allowed to attack! I end my turn!"

Shuzo sighed in relief, "He managed to survive by halving his life." Tatsuya looked troubled, "But Big Bro Yuya only has 150 life left. Also, he can only attack Susano-O right now." With everything that has happened in this duel, Yuya needs to defeat Susano-O one way or another.

Yuya soon stood back up and stared at Gongenzaka for a second before he smirked, "You really have gotten stronger, Gongenzaka." He is honestly impressed with how much better his best friend has gotten with all of the training he took.

Gongenzaka looked back at Yuya in seriousness, "Are you admitting your defeat? Do you plan to surrender?" He doesn't think Yuya will do that but it didn't hurt to ask.

Yuya's smirk grew bigger in response, "Nah. You should know me by now, Gongenzaka. That's not my style. Besides, if I was going to lose, I would let you deal the finishing blow. But..." Yuya then placed his fingers on his deck, "That's only if I don't have any life left in me! My turn!"

Yuya flipped over the card he drew and immediately placed it in his duel disk, "I activate the Magic Card: Spellbook Inside the Pot which allows both of us to draw three cards!" Yuya and Gongenzaka both added three more cards to their hand as a result.

Yuya took a look at his entire hand and smiled at what he saw, "Alright, the pieces are almost here." Gongenzaka noticed Yuya was smiling for some reason and was confused, wondering what plan Yuya had.

Yuya held up a card from his hand, "I set the Scale 6 Entermate Lizardraw into my Pendulum Zone!" Lizardraw appeared in the other pillar of light next to Rakudown.

Yuya looked up at his field, "With the Scale 2 Entermate Rakudown and the Scale 6 Entermate Lizardraw, I can now summon monsters with Levels 3 to 5 at the same time!" The giant pendulum was swinging as Yuya chanted, "Swing, my soul's Pendulum! Draw an arc of light across the ether! Pendulum Summon! Come forth, my monsters!" Yuya raised his hand into the sky as five lights appeared from the portal and morphed into monsters. "From the Extra Deck, Entermate Pendulum Sorcerer (ATK: 1500) and Entermate Card Gardna (ATK: 1000, DEF: 1000, LV: 3, PS: 8)! And from my hand, Entermate Silver Claw (ATK: 1800, DEF: 700, LV: 4, PS: 5), Entermate Extra Shooter (ATK: 800, DEF: 1100, LV: 3, PS: 6), and Stargazer Magician (ATK: 1200, DEF: 2400, LV: 5, PS: 1)!" Sorcerer, Gardna, Silver and Stargazer all appeared on the field including a new one that was a little kid wearing a colorful outfit of red, orange and green while having goggles on his head and holding a blue slingshot in his hands as well.

Shuzo raised his fist as a fiery aura surrounded him, "There it is! A full field Pendulum Summon!" It is always amazing how Yuya managed to summon five monsters at once to his entire field. The others sweatdropped a little from seeing Shuzo's excitement.

Yuya held up the card that contained Sorcerer, "Pendulum Sorcerer's monster effect! I destroy Sorcerer himself in order to add an "Entermate" monster to my hand!" Pendulum Sorcerer bowed in response before he left the field in a fiery explosion. Thanks to its effect, Yuya added a monster to his hand and smiled when he saw it, "Here it is." It was a card called Entermate Trump Witch.

Now, he wagered that there's one last thing to do as Yuya pointed at one of his monsters, "I activate Entermate Extra Shooter's effect! Once per turn, by banishing a card in my Extra Deck, I can target a card in a Pendulum Zone and destroy it! And when it does, you take 300 points of damage!" Gongenzaka's eyes widened in surprise as Yuya showed an Xyz Monster in his hand, "I banish Entermate Archer Hawk from my Extra Deck in order to destroy Superheavy Samurai General Gamo-O!" A silhouette of Archer Hawk appeared next to Shooter as he aimed his slingshot right at Gamo-O. Extra Shooter smiled before he launched a small ball of energy that immediately connected with Gamo-O and destroyed it, making Gongenzaka raise his arm in defense as he grunted.

GONGENZAKA LP: 2100→1800

"Since Gamo-O is no longer on the field, your "Superheavy Samurai" monsters return to their original DEF," stated Yuya as Gamo-O's defense boost was no longer applied to Gongenzaka's monsters.

Superheavy Samurai Warlord Susano-O (DEF: 4300→3800)
Superheavy Samurai Pendulum Ben-K (DEF: 4000→3500)
Superheavy Samurai Shuta-O (DEF: 2500→2000)

"Even if their DEF is returned to normal, you don't have a monster strong enough to take on Susano-O," Gongenzaka retorted with narrowed eyes, questioning what Yuya is planning right now.

Yuya suddenly smirked in response, "I wonder about that." He then threw out his arm, "But first, I release Entermate Card Gardna and Extra Shooter in order to Tribute Summon…" As Gardna and Extra Shooter disappeared from the field, Yuya held up a monster card in the air, "Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon (ATK: 2500, DEF: 2000, LV: 7, PS: 4) from my hand!" Odd-Eyes appeared on the field as it spun around and roared proudly.

Tatsuya had an excited look on his face, "There it is!" Ayu clapped her hands together, "Big Bro Yuya's ace monster!"

Sora looked doubtful as he held his lollipop up, "But he can't defeat Susano-O's 3800 DEF with the 2500 ATK Odd-Eyes."

"What are you planning to do, Yuya?" wondered Yuzu as she held her hands together.

Yuya had a determined expression on his face, "Alright, one last thing to do." He looked up at Gongenzaka while holding his hand out, "I activate Entermate Lizardraw's Pendulum Effect!" Gongenzaka was taken aback for a second before he looked back at Yuya who placed his fingers on his deck, "When I have another "Entermate" card in my Pendulum Zone, I destroy this card and then draw one card from my Deck!" Lizardraw waved his staff around before he was destroyed, leaving Yuya to draw one more card from his deck.

Yuya suddenly smiled as he picked up a card in his hand, "I set the Scale 4 Entermate Trump Witch in the Pendulum Zone!" A small witch with blond hair braided in pigtails appeared in the other pillar of light. She had a black mask over her eyes while wearing a blue dress with red at the bottom, and carried a wand with a skull on the end of it.

"You're wasting your time!" said Gongenzaka as he threw out his arm in retaliation. "Even if you do that, you can only Pendulum Summon once per turn!"

Yuya didn't pay him any mind as he held out his hand, "I activate Entermate Trump Witch's Pendulum Effect! Once per turn, I can use monsters on my field as materials to perform a Fusion Summon!" Trump Witch held out her wand which produced a beam of spades, hearts and diamonds that hit the ground below, creating a colorful vortex swirling from it.

Gongenzaka was taken aback by this, "What?"

Sora had a shocked expression on his face when he heard that, "Using a Pendulum Monster's effect to…"

"Do a Fusion Summon?!" Yuzu finished Sora's sentence as she looked just as surprised as him. Ruri and Rin had their eyes widened in shock as well.

"The monsters I choose to fuse are Stargazer Magician and Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon!" Yuya said as Odd-Eyes turned to Stargazer, "You ready?" Stargazer nodded in acknowledgment. Yuya held out his arms as Odd-Eyes and Stargazer were absorbed into the colorful vortex.

"Wielder of mysterious powers!" chanted Yuya. "Become a bright light in the eye of the dragon! Fusion Summon! Come forth, arcane dragon wielder of ancient magic! Rune-Eyes Pendulum Dragon (ATK: 3000, DEF: 2000, LV: 8)!" A giant ring appeared as a dragon's body morphed around it, making Rune-Eyes appear on the field while roaring.

Gongenzaka was surprised by this, "Yuya has a new Fusion Monster?" He had seen Yuya Fusion Summon before but this is a new dragon he hadn't seen.

Tatsuya had a happy smile on his face while his arms were raised, "Yeah! He did it!" Ayu nodded as she had a happy smile on her face as well, "A Fusion Summon without a Fusion Card!" Futoshi did a little dance in happiness, "Too many shivers!"

Shuzo looked surprised, "That's Yuya's new Fusion monster?" The kids and everyone else had told him about Rune-Eyes, but he hadn't actually seen it until now.

Sora smiled as he held up his lollipop, "Amazing! He's managed to surprise me yet again." He then licked his lollipop while Yoko smiled at her son and Mikleo just gave off a small smile in response.

Ruri, however, had a sad smile on her face from watching that for obvious reasons. She felt a hand on her shoulder which made her turn to see Rin looking at her with a reassuring smile. Seeing how Rin understands, Ruri nodded and turned back to the duel, trying to keep her spirits up for Yuya.

Yuzu had a happy smile on her face as she nodded, "Yuya…"

Soon after, Yuya jumped on top of Rune-Eyes' back and put on his goggles. Through his goggles, Yuya turned his attention to Gongenzaka, "Battle! Rune-Eyes Pendulum Dragon, attack Susano-O!" The ring on Rune-Eyes' back as well as the orb on its stomach began to glow as Yuya continued, "At this moment, I activate Entermate Rakudown's Pendulum Effect! By targeting Rune-Eyes that's attacking, it lowers Susano-O's DEF by 800 and lets Rune-Eyes deal piercing battle damage!" Rakudown, from the Pendulum Zone, produced a bubble from its mouth that flew towards and splashed onto Susano-O, making Gongenzaka shield himself from the splash as it weakened his monster's defense.

Superheavy Samurai Warlord Susano-O (DEF: 3800→3000)

Yuya narrowed his eyes, "Now fire! Shining Burst!" The three orbs on Rune-Eyes' back ring attached to themselves as they formed an energy triangle inside the ring. Rune-Eyes roared as it fired a beam of energy from his left orb that connected with Susano-O, though it was unaffected by it due to equal strength.

Gongenzaka had his eyes narrowed while looking back at Yuya, "It's pointless! Even if you lower Susano-O's DEF to 3000, it won't budge to your 3000 ATK!"

"I wonder about that!" Yuya retorted, making Gongenzaka feel confused for a second.

"Rune-Eyes Pendulum Dragon can attack a number of times based on the Level of the Spellcaster-type monster used as its Fusion Material!" Yuya explained the effect of Rune-Eyes before he held up three fingers, "Since Stargazer Magician was Level 5 when it is used as Fusion Material, it can attack three times!"

As Gongenzaka gasped in shock from hearing that, Yuya continued, "Along with each of those attacks, Susano-O's DEF decreases by 800 from Rakudown's effect!" Rakudown produced another bubble from its mouth that flew towards and splashed onto Susano-O, making Gongenzaka shield himself again from the splash.

Superheavy Samurai Warlord Susano-O (DEF: 3000→2200)

Yuya held out his hand toward Susano-O, "Alright! Here's the second attack! Unending Shining Burst!" Rune-Eyes now fired a beam from the right orb on its back ring.

Gongenzaka was in a defensive stance as he clenched his fists, "I pay 500 LP to activate the Trap Card: Pendulum Baton from your Graveyard using Susano-O's effect!"

GONGENZAKA LP: 1800→1300

After Gongenzaka punched the air, Hisu-E was destroyed in the Pendulum Zone as Susano-O's blade glowed while it prepared to swing it. "By destroying Hisu-E in the Pendulum Zone and targeting Rune-Eyes, I negate your attack!" Susano-O proceeded to slash away at the energy beam, trying to block the attack.

"That's not going to work!" retorted Yuya which confused Gongenzaka for a moment before he clarified, "When Rune-Eyes is Fusion Summoned using a monster that was Pendulum Summoned on the field, it is unaffected by my opponent's card effects this turn!" Since Stargazer was Pendulum Summoned this turn, the effect of Yuya's trap activating on Gongenzaka's field had no effect which means Rune-Eyes continues his attack.

Gongenzaka was shocked as Susano-O's slash failed and the beam soon connected with Susano-O. After quickly regaining his composure, Gongenzaka knew he had to act fast as Susano-O was slowly getting destroyed while being engulfed by the energy beam. He picked up a card and revealed it, "I activate the effect of Superheavy Samurai Soul Kakute from my hand!" A giant brown metal ring with black spikes on the side appeared between Susano-O and Rune-Eyes' attack. Despite its small size, the ring was blocking Rune-Eyes' attack by absorbing the blast into itself as Gongenzaka called out, "With this card, Susano-O isn't destroyed by this battle and I take no damage from this attack! Also, after the end of the battle, Susano-O gains 1000 DEF until the end of the Battle Phase!" The energy beam soon stopped altogether with Susano-O still surviving with the defense boost it gained from the vanished ring.

Superheavy Samurai Warlord Susano-O (DEF: 2200→3200)

Mr. Gongenzaka finally started to get excited as he held up his right fist, "Brilliant tactics! Well done, Noboru!"

Yuya had a smirk on his face, "Nice move, Gongenzaka, but it is not over yet!" He held out his hand, "By Rakudown's effect, its DEF drops by another 800!" Rakudown unleashed another bubble towards Susano-O and Gongenzaka gritted his teeth when it bursted in front of him.

Superheavy Samurai Warlord Susano-O (DEF: 3200→2400)

Yuya held up his hand again, "Time for the third attack! Rune-Eyes, Unending Shining Burst!" Rune-Eyes roared as it unleashed a third energy beam from the top orb which made Gongenzaka shield his face as it hit Susano-O and destroyed the monster.

GONGENZAKA LP: 1300→700

Ayu had a happy smile on her face, "Alright!" Tatsuya had his fists out in excitement, "He finally…" Futoshi finished his sentence in happiness, "...took out Susano-O!"

Gongenzaka gritted his teeth, "This is nothing!" He grabbed a card in his hand and revealed it, "I send Superheavy Samurai Soul Makarugaeshi from my hand to the Graveyard and activate its monster effect! I can Special Summon the destroyed Susano-O (ATK: 2400) back in Attack Position!" A small mechanical chain with pearls attached to it appeared on the field before a hand reached out and grabbed it. Susano-O appeared from the ground and back on the field with the chain in hand.

Mr. Gongenzaka jumped up to his feet as he was excited, "Brilliant tactics again! Nice recovery, Noboru!"

As Yuya gave Gongenzaka a neutral look, the others looked a little troubled when they saw Susano-O reappear on the field. Ayu frowned in sadness, "And he just managed to take it out too…" Futoshi commented, "Gongenzaka really is a tough opponent."

"Yuya needs to finish it this turn since his life is only at 150." replied Sora with narrowed eyes.

Shuzo scratched his head in deep thought, "That'll be really difficult though. Especially since Rune-Eyes doesn't have any more attacks left." Even though there is still Shuta-O and Ben-K on the field as well, Susano-O is the one who's the biggest threat against Yuya.

Futoshi turned to Tatsuya and Ayu with a serious expression on his face, "I can't just sit around anymore!" Ayu nodded her head in agreement as Tatsuya added, "Let's get closer to cheer for him!" They felt the same thing Futoshi was feeling.

Yuzu frowned as she turned to them, "But, you guys…" She honestly wanted to go out there and support Yuya herself, but this is supposed to be a test to see if Yuya can handle a duel without any visible support from his friends.

Yoko stepped up to Yuzu with a smile, "It'll be fine." Yuzu turned to her in confusion while Yoko continued, "He's completely focused on his duel. He's already overcome the wall of being the away team."

"That's right. Besides…" Yuzu turned to see Ruri with a sweet smile on her face, "I'm sure Yuya knows that where we are, we'll be cheering him on. And Gongenzaka too." Even if they are not physically with them right now, they will still give out support to both Yuya and Gongenzaka. Rin nodded in agreement with a reassuring smile on her face, making Yuzu smile in response as well.

Meanwhile, Yuya was staring at Gongenzaka for a moment before he smirked as he took off his goggles, "Very impressive, Gongenzaka. You've gotten stronger not just in strength but as a defensive wall too." He then narrowed his eyes before he looked down at a certain card in his hand: Entermate Cast Change. As he thought about his options for a few seconds, he moved his head back up to Gongenzaka with eyes full of determination, "That means if I want to pass through that wall, I have to take this risk!"

At this moment, Yuzu and the others arrived in the duel arena just in time to see what Yuya would do next. Yuya revealed a card in his hand, "I send the Magic Card: Entermate Cast Change in order to activate the Trap Card: Dangerous Draw!" He sent the magic card to the Graveyard which caused a trap to reveal itself.

Yuya, who soon jumped off Rune-Eyes, suddenly placed his fingers on his deck as he looked at Gongenzaka with narrowed eyes, "By Dangerous Draw's effect, I am able to draw a card but if the card I draw is a monster, then I take damage equal to its ATK!" Basically, he stated that it was an all or nothing draw.

Gongenzaka processed what Yuya said before he was completely shocked, "Wh-What?!"

Sora's eyes widened in surprise, "If a monster with 150 ATK or more comes up…!" He was shocked and confused as to why Yuya would take such a risk that could end up making him lose.

Tatsuya looked troubled, "Big Bro Yuya will lose right then and there!" Ayu and Futoshi gasped as they felt really worried.

Yuzu looked at Yuya in worry, "Yuya!" Ruri and Rin's eyes were widened as well as they felt worried too.

Yoko walked over to them with Shuzo and Mikleo following behind, "He's gambling on it. Whether he moves on from here or if it's game over. He's betting it all on this next draw."

Mikleo looked at the field with a neutral expression on his face, "If you're too afraid to take risks just because you don't want to lose, then you shouldn't be dueling in the first place." He said that with his opinion in mind and hearing that made Sora narrow his eyes in confusion.

Meanwhile, Gongenzaka looked back at Yuya with shock in his eyes, "What are you thinking, Yuya?! Do you realize you could lose by doing this?!" He is shocked to see how Yuya is taking a bold move by doing this.

Yuya still had his fingers on his deck before he suddenly smirked, "Maybe so. But I'll lose regardless if I don't do anything." His smirk then grew bigger, "So, if I lose, then at least I tried and took a step forward with courage." It was something his father told him once and he stands by it.

Gongenzaka's eyes widened from hearing that before he saw a vision of a younger Yuya back when he first defended him from bullies. He remembers how scared Yuya was back then to do anything. But now, the Yuya in front of him has completely changed. Yuya is now willing to take a risk that he might have back off from years ago. His words from earlier rang in Gongenzaka's mind, "But I am not that coward anymore." From seeing all of this, a small smile grew on Gongenzaka's face, "Yuya…" He really has become more of a man than when he first met him.

Yuya lowered his eyes towards his deck as his pendant was swinging a little, "I believe in myself and my cards." Yuya then drew his next card, "Draw!" He looked at the card and saw that it was Big Return. After that, Yuya heard a roar before a vision of a large dragon with both a green and yellow eye appeared in his eyes before it quickly went away. He was taken aback for a second by what that was before he smiled, having an idea of what to do now.

Mikleo, seeing Yuya's expression, closed his eyes and gave off a small smile, "It is over."

Yuya showed the card he just drew, "I activate the Quick-Play Magic: Big Return! This allows me to reuse a "once per turn" card effect currently on my field!" As soon as Yuya placed the card in and activated it, he pointed up at the sky, "I'll reuse Entermate Trump Witch's Pendulum Effect!" Trump Witch held out her wand, creating a beam that formed a colorful vortex in the ground once again.

Yuya pointed at his monsters with determination in his eyes, "I select Entermate Silver Claw and Rune-Eyes Pendulum Dragon to Fusion Summon!" As Yuya said that, both Silver Claw and Rune-Eyes glowed and floated into the air.

Gongenzaka was shocked when he heard that, "What?!"

Sora then looked surprised, "Another…" Yuzu finished his sentence in surprise as well, "Fusion?!"

As Rune-Eyes and Silver Claw were absorbed into the colorful vortex, Yuya held out his hands as he chanted, "Prideful silver wolf, become one with the arcane dragon and give birth to a new power! Fusion Summon! Come forth, ferocious dragon with luminous feral eyes! Beast-Eyes Pendulum Dragon (ATK: 3000, DEF: 2000, LV: 8)!" A dragon appeared that had a similar body structure to other Odd-Eyes. However, differences were that it had light green body armor that almost appeared to be like bones, crimson red under armour that covered blue fur around its body, there was fur around his horn, neck and throat, he had spikes sticking out of his back with white claws at the end of them, fangs at his jaw, and he also had both a green and yellow eye respectively as well as a big orange orb at the forehead.

Gongenzaka took a step backwards in shock when he saw the dragon summoned. Mr. Gongenzaka gasped in shock while Nico chuckled in excitement and was clapping his hands. Yuzu, Ruri, Rin and the kids gasped in shock as well from seeing this.

Yuya had a smirk on his face as he jumped up to where he was on top of Beast-Eyes' back. Yuya grabbed hold of his horns before the dragon jumped in the sky as it roared. Gongenzaka gasped in shock as he saw Beast-Eyes gathering fire in its mouth while Yuya shouted, "Beast-Eyes Pendulum Dragon, attack Superheavy Samurai Warlord Susano-O! Hell Dive Burst!" Beast-Eyes launched a stream of fire that took the shape of its own head as it roared, flying towards Susano-O. Gongenzaka covered his face with his arm as the fire blasted Susano-O and destroyed it. The blast caused Gongenzaka to stumble backwards from the shockwaves of the attack.

GONGENZAKA LP: 700→100

After Beast-Eyes landed on the ground, both the dragon and Yuya turned to Gongenzaka, "Furthermore, I activate Beast-Eyes Pendulum Dragon's effect! When it destroys an opponent's monster in battle, it can inflict damage equal to the ATK of its Beast-Type Fusion Material!" His expression then grew a smirk on his face, "Silver Claw's ATK is 1800! This will end it, Gongenzaka!" Beast-Eyes unleashed another stream of fire that hit Gongenzaka in the chest, taking him aback as it sent him lying on the ground.

GONGENZAKA LP: 100→0

YUYA: WIN
GONGENZAKA: LOSE

Yuya sighed in satisfaction as the action field disappeared along his dragon. The disciples of the dojo nearby Yuya appeared to be disappointed that their senior disciple lost the match. Then, he heard some people cry out to him, "Big Bro Yuya!" Yuya turned to see the kids running towards him with happy smiles on their faces.

Ayu, Futoshi and Tatsuya surrounded Yuya as they all looked happy for him with Ayu hugging his arm. Tatsuya held out a fist, "You won!" Ayu commented, "It was amazing!" Futoshi also commented, "It gave me shivers!"

Yuya looked at each of them with a knowing smile on his face, "So, you guys were watching." He had a feeling that this was the case as he hadn't seen them all day.

Ayu nodded her head as she let go of his arm, "Yeah! Nico told us we couldn't cheer you on in person, so…" Tatsuya finished her sentence with a smile, "We were watching in secret!"

Yoko walked over to them with a smile as her arms were crossed together, "If you're aiming to be a pro, then you have to be able to win when you're the away team after all." Sora was beside her with a lollipop in his mouth.

Yuya looked back at her, "Mom."

Shuzo quicked appeared next to Yuya with an excited smile on his face, "And you pulled off a splendid victory! You were on fire, Yuya! Hot-blooded!" As he said the last part, he held out his fists as a fiery aura surrounded him.

Sora placed his hands behind his head as the lollipop was still in his mouth, "No kidding, even I got excited watching that! I never would've thought you'd use a Pendulum Effect to do a Fusion Summon!"

Yuzu walked up to Yuya with a happy smile on her face, "Yuya, congratulations!" Rin and Ruri were next to her as Rin smiled in excitement, "Now, you're in the Maiami Championship!" Ruri nodded in agreement before she looked happy for Yuya.

Yuya was slapped in the back of the head for a second which took him by surprise. He turned to see Mikleo behind him with a small smile, "Good job, Yuya."

As Yuya then smiled from the support he was given, he noticed Gongenzaka walking up to him, "Gongenzaka…" He then frowned a little, "Sorry about your entry in the Maiami Championship…"

"Don't worry about it." Yuya raised his head to see Gongenzaka was smiling, "There's still a few days until the tournament. I still have a chance. I'm glad I was finally able to have a real man-to-man match with you." Even though he didn't win, Gongenzaka got what he wanted by having a serious match with his best friend, while neither of them were holding back. That's all he could ask for. He reached out his hand towards Yuya who accepted it with a smile as they shook hands with each other.

Shuzo was crying tears of happiness while yelling out, "So moving! This is truly friendship between men!" However, the next moment, Yuzu slapped the back of his head with her fan while having a stern smile on her face, "Dad! Tone it down!"

Mr. Gongenzaka was also crying, feeling moved by the scene as well, "Noboru, you fought well! You both are splendid duelists!" He then dried his tears with his sleeve.

Nico looked towards Yuya with a smile as he adjusted his glasses, "Well done, Yuya. I knew I had chosen the right duelist. You have what it takes to become a pro as great as Yusho Sakaki, if not more." Nico felt satisfied watching Yuya duel as he then watched Gongenzaka hugging Yuya with crying in happiness and Yuya felt a little uncomfortable but smiled anyway.

After a few minutes with everyone calming down, Yuya, Ruri and Gongenzaka were away from the others by a few feet. As the others were talking, Yuya checked to see if Sora wasn't looking, which he was occupied with talking to Yuzu and the others. Yuya turned to Ruri who nodded in acknowledgment.

As Gongenzaka looked like he wondered what Yuya and Ruri wanted to talk about, Yuya turned to Gongenzaka with narrowed eyes, "Gongenzaka, we need to talk." It was time they would tell Gongenzaka what exactly has been going on these past few days.

---

UNKNOWN

At an unknown corporation building in a town far from Maiami City, there was a computer room with several people performing some tests on the computer while having large visors over their eyes.

In another room nearby, there was an office as someone spoke, "So, Yuya Sakaki has officially made it into the Maiami Championship?" The voice was revealed to be Albel who was sitting at his desk with a hand under his chin.

There was a male in front of his desk. He appeared to be a short, slim young man with pale blue eyes and light green hair with bangs hiding his right eye. He was wearing an outfit that appeared to be a combination of a blue school jacket and a suit with light green clothing underneath. The boy lowered his head as he bowed, "Yes. He has recently won his last match and is qualified for the tournament."

Albel smirked as he looked at the boy curiously, "And you got the data I assume?"

The boy smiled as he nodded his head, "Of course. We've acquired all of the recent data of Yuya Sakaki's duels. Finding his weaknesses shouldn't be a problem in no time."

Albel's smirk grew bigger as he seemed satisfied, "Excellent work, Falin." Albel got up from his chair and walked a few feet to the side, "With all of the data acquired, this one objective will be finished in no time." He turned to the boy named Falin, "I want you to see if you can find anything else about this tournament while you're at it."

Falin bowed his head in response, "Yes, Albel-sama." However, as soon as he stopped bowing, the door nearby opened which revealed a teenage girl with long, black hair tied in a ponytail carrying a tablet in her hands. She has blue eyes, a slender build and tannish skin. She was wearing a red jacket along with a suit underneath, similar to Falin's outfit but with a different color.

"Ah, Iris." Albel smiled as he turned to the girl that was approaching them, "Have you gotten any updates on the training program for that boy?"

Iris looked down at the tablet she was holding and scrolled down information, "Kylian Orman is currently at Stage 23 of the training regime. In over three days, he has made significant progress going to Stage 1 all the way to Stage 23." She said that with a neutral expression on her face.

Albel grew a smirk on his face as he held a hand under his chin, "Seven days ahead of schedule, huh. That boy is making significant progress." He then walked past Falin and Iris while they looked back at him, "Perhaps it is time for the next phase of the experiment." Falin and Iris nodded in silence while slowly following behind him.

In another room that looked like a training area with computers and machinery on one side while a small dueling field was on the other, separated by a glass wall. Kylian was in the field that was glowing blue, staring down at his opponents that were being blown away by Kelvar's storm as they yelled in distress. The duel was over as his fallen opponents groaned while he narrowed his eyes.

KYLIAN: WIN

The words shown up on the computers as the field stopped glowing blue entirely. Kylian heard clapping and turned to see Albel on the other side of the room with a cold smile on his face. Albel stopped clapping and walked towards Kylian, "Well done, my boy. You've progressed much further than I expected."

Kylian narrowed his eyes at Albel, "Of course I could do it. These tests are not that difficult." He held out a fist, "How long are you going to make me do these pointless exercises?" He doesn't see the point of these tests. He might have gotten a little better but he doesn't feel any different.

"Not to worry. We had to be sure you had the skill and drive to continue forward." Albel said that he still smiled. He then turned around and gestured to Kylian, "Follow me for a moment." Albel slowly walked away with Kylian, albeit hesitating for a moment, following behind him with a skeptical look on his face.

Soon after, they were in a hallway nearby as Albel stopped for some reason with his back facing Kylian.

Kylian growled at him, "Enough of this nonsense! Take me to where Yuya is now!" He was running out of patience as this whole thing felt pointless in his opinion.

Albel was silent for a moment before he spoke, "...What do you plan on doing when you find him?"

Kylian took another step forward while holding out a fist, "Defeat him of course!" He thought that would be obvious by now.

Then, Albel chuckled in response, "Do you not understand, young man?" He turned to Kylian with a smile on his face, "In your current state, you would lose against him."

Kylian's eyes widened before he growled, "What? What are you talking about?"

"Granted, Kylian." Albel spoke as he crossed his arms together, "You did complete our training regime with amazing speed and accuracy. As a result, your reaction timing and planning in duels have increased significantly as well as learning new combos for your deck." Albel then frowned, "As a duelist, with the training you've received, you're probably at a new level." They had him do various military training exercises as well as duel quizzes to develop his skills as a duelist even further, maybe more so than a "normal duelist" would say.

"Well, why then?" wondered Kylian with a frown.

"Because even so, you wouldn't be able to completely defeat Yuya Sakaki." Albel continued which confused Kylian when he said that. "Even if you overwhelm him with traps, even if you fight him head on, and even if you have certainty of winning, he is the kind of person that throws all of that back at you." From the information he has gathered, he is able to tell what kind of person this Yuya is by looking over the data of his past duels and what he has accomplished. Albel's memory flashes back to Yuya's duels with Mieru, Bryan, Yuto and Gongenzaka even as he was saying all of this.

As Kylian was still confused, a glint shined in Albel's eyes as he smiled, "In order to win against that kind of person, you need to have something more." His grin then turned into a smirk, "...You need to have a drive. An instinct."

Kylian raised an eyebrow, "Instinct?"

Albel held out his hand as he explained, "Listen well, Kylian, with our help, you will obtain a certain drive in your chest. With that drive, as you face tough opponents, you'll grow hungrier and hungrier." He then pointed at Kylian to where his chest was, "Once you find that feeling, let it take over your whole dueling. You'll become more than just a duelist. You'll become a true soldier!" He said that last part with a smile, almost maniacal for a brief moment.

Kylian took a step back in surprise, "What are you...talking about?" Kylian wondered what kind of nonsense Albel was talking about.

Albel moved his hands behind his back, "You'll find out soon enough." He then raised his hand and snapped his fingers. After that, a bunch of men in suits arrived and surrounded Kylian along with two people that were wearing white hazmat suits. Kylian was caught off guard before many of the men grabbed hold of him from each angle, stopping him in place.

Kylian struggled to move as he thrashed around, "Hey! What are you doing?!" Whatever these guys were doing, he didn't want any part of it as he struggled to get out of their grip but there were too many men holding him down even with his own strength.

Just then, Kylian was completely held still by these men, the two people in hazmat suits walked over with one of them holding a needle in hand. As Kylian was distracted, one of the scientists held him by the shoulders as the other quickly stabbed him in the neck with the needle, quickly injecting some kind of red liquid inside him as he yelled in pain. He felt a burning feeling in his neck right now that he couldn't contain.

As soon as the scientist finished, the guards let go of Kylian as he slowly stopped yelling in pain. He quickly fell to his knees while holding his neck with his left hand. He was breathing heavily as he raised his head up and glared at Albel, "What...did you just do?!" He was having a little trouble speaking as he still felt pain in his neck.

Albel calmly replied while looking back at him, "Oh, let's just say it is something that will help you in the next phase of this operation." His smile then turned a little cold as he said that part.

Kylian was about to yell back before he felt a pain in his chest and his heart was pounding, making him fall on his arms as his breathing got worse. Kylian's vision got blurry as he could barely hear Albel's next words, "Don't worry, Kylian. It will be all over soon. For now, you should take a nap." As soon as Albel finished, it felt like someone did a chop in the back of his neck as Kylian felt the wind knocked out of him before he fell to the floor and lost consciousness. Falin was behind Kylian, being the one who chopped the back of his neck as his hand was out but he didn't see him.

---

Moments later, there appeared to be a room with chairs similar to how hospital beds are used and various dim lighting. On one of these beds was Kylian who had various machinery nearby him and on him. There were ECG and EEG wires attached to his body, almost monitoring his body's activity, while there was a white helmet-like device on his head that covered enough just below his eyes. There were other machines attached to the device which made it seem more complicated than usual.

Soon, there was yelling heard in the room as Kylian was struggling his whole body with a pained expression on his face, but he was confined to the bed so he couldn't move much. Also, he wasn't conscious as he wasn't talking and appeared to be experiencing something very unusual. He's just struggling while sleeping. Then, various scientists in white coats gathered around him to monitor his progress.

However, the scene shifts to where it showed they were not the only ones in the room. There were other people, both male and females, ranged from teenage or older, strapped to these operating machines, struggling and looking a lot similar to what Kylian was doing as they were in pain. A lot of collective crying was heard as so many people were going through the same thing.

At the same time, a monitor is showing the exact room and what everyone is going through. It is shown to be Albel's office with the monitor strapped to the wall.

Albel watched all of this with a cold smile on his face, "Soon, all will be proceeding according to our goal." He is counting on these scientists to do their job as well as something else in mind for these people. Falin was standing next to him, watching the whole thing with a neutral expression on his face.

Albel turned his chair to the computer on his desk, "Now, all that's left to do for now is check on the Professor's son." He soon began typing away at his computer, trying to contact his other employees in the building.

However, he heard someone speak, "Excuse me, Albel-sama." Albel raised his head to see Iris with a tablet in hand. "It appears you have a guest. She wishes to meet with you."

Albel, knowing who Iris was referring to, smiled and clasped his hands together, "Send her in." He had been expecting her for some time now.

Moments after, the doors shifted open and it was revealed to be Kyo walking into his office with a stern expression on her face. As Kyo walked towards him, Albel smiled calmly while Falin and Iris watched from a few feet.

After Kyo stopped at his desk, they stared at each other for a moment before Albel held out a hand to her while smiling, "Welcome, Miss Kaiserin. I see you accepted my invitation." He then held out his other hand, "Welcome to my company."

Kyo didn't say anything for a moment before she reached into her pocket and pulled out a paper card that had various information written on it. Kyo held out the paper in front of her, "I would prefer if you cut the theatrics." She then swiftly tossed the paper at Albel who reacted fast and caught it in his hands in a calm manner.

A few days ago, Kyo caught Albel walking around the pier for some reason and wondered why he was here. He didn't answer as he just casually tossed her that card which had a name and address which she figured she could talk to him here. So, here she is now.

Kyo leaned down and had her hand on the desk, "I'll get to the point. Why are you here, Albel?" Albel didn't answer right as he just smiled calmly.

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MAIAMI CITY - LEO CORPORATION

Meanwhile, back in Reiji's office, Nakajima was in front of Reiji's desk as he was informing him what happened, "It appears Yuya Sakaki's entry into the Maiami Championship has been decided."

Reiji nodded as he was looking to the side, "I see. Then, that means all of the duelists I've had my eye on are accounted for."

"Yes, sir." replied Nakajima. "Also, concerning Masumi Kotsu, Yaiba Todo, and Hokuto Shijima…"

Reiji turned to Nakajim in curiosity, "How are they?" He hasn't heard about how they've behaved since that one duel with Masumi.

Nakajima frowned as he looked at the floor in hesitation, "...Yaiba and Hokuto are cooperating and haven't done any resistance. Masumi, however, has calmed down but it appears that she still holds a grudge towards Kurosaki. I do believe she is cooperating at the moment but for how long, I am not sure." From what he has read and seen, Yaiba and Hokuto are at least giving this a chance to see what happens and haven't been very vocal against it. Masumi didn't do much in classes other than looking like she's been in deep thought. It does appear she is still bitter towards the whole thing but she's being quiet about it nonetheless.

Reiji nodded his head in acknowledgment, "Well, that's fine. I do believe she won't do anything rash from now on." He doesn't expect her to immediately accept this decision but at least she's being cooperative for now. "At the very least, a suitable environment for Kurosaki's entry has been prepared. All that's left is seeing how much power he will display." Reiji looked down towards a tablet on his desk before he pressed a button which changed the screen. There was then an image of a knight on a horse with a lance in hand on the screen. The words Lancers Selection was next to the knight.

He narrowed his eyes as images of various duelists appeared on the screen, "The same question applies to them as well." He swiped the screen with his finger, causing the image to shift to Sora, then Yuzu, Rin, Gongenzaka, and finally Yuya where it stopped. "From among these few, how many of these duelists will become lances to fight for our world?"

"Another thing, President…" Reiji raised his head to see Nakajima holding another tablet in his hand, "We've received an email from your mother. It is regarding information on Mikleo Sakaki."

Reiji narrowed his eyes in confusion, "My mother? What exactly did she do?" This was the first he had heard of this and wondered why his mother never mentioned it to her. Also, what exactly about Mikleo Sakaki did she want to discuss?

Nakajima frowned as he looked at the tablet, "Yes, well, she insisted that she could find information on this man and…" Nakajima didn't say anything as it was almost like he was hesitating to say what was on the tablet. He soon walked up to Reiji and held out the tablet, "It might be better if you read this yourself."

Reiji raised an eyebrow before he took the tablet to see what was on it. His eyes glossed over the page for a moment before his eyes widened, "This is…"

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Fanfiction OC Memo:

Entertainment Magician
(LV: 7, Spellcaster, DARK, Fusion, ATK: 2600, DEF: 2200)
(1 "Magician" monster + 1 "Entermate" monster)
Monster Effect: When this card is Fusion Summoned: You can target 1 face-up card on the field; negate its effects until the end of this turn. If this card attacks an opponent's monster: You can switch the ATK and DEF of the monster battling this card, until the end of the Battle Phase.

Shield Magician
(LV: 3, Spellcaster, EARTH, ATK: 700, DEF: 1400, PS: 8)
Pendulum Effect: If a "Magician" or "Odd-Eyes" monster or 1 Pendulum Monster you control would be destroyed by a card effect: You can destroy this card in the Pendulum Zone instead.
Monster Effect: The first time this card would be destroyed by battle or card effect each turn, it is not destroyed.

Half Performance (Trap Card) - Activate only when an opponent's monster declares an attack. Halve any battle damage you would take from that attack. Then, you can Special Summon 1 "Entermate" monster from your Deck whose ATK are equal or less than the damage you just took.

Pendulum Baton (Trap Card) - When an opponent's monster declares an attack: Destroy 1 card in your Pendulum Zone to target the attacking monster; negate the attack. Then, you can add 1 Pendulum Monster from your GY to your hand with an equal or lower Pendulum Scale than the destroyed monster's.

Iron Will (Trap Card) - If this set card on the field is destroyed: Draw 1 card. When a monster declares an attack and this card is your GY: You can banish this card from your GY; Pay half your Life Points. During this turn, Battle Damage done to you from battle is reduced to 0. Then, end the Battle Phase.

Superheavy Samurai Shuta-O
(LV: 4, Machine, EARTH, ATK: 400, DEF: 2000)
Monster Effect: When this card is Normal or Special Summoned: You can change this card's battle position. If this card attacks a monster in Defense Position, inflict piercing damage. If this card is destroyed by battle: The monster that destroyed it loses 500 ATK.

Superheavy Samurai Soul Kakute
(LV: 2, Machine, EARTH, ATK: 0, DEF: 600)
Monster Effect: You can target 1 "Superheavy Samurai" monster you control; equip this monster from your hand or your side of the field to that target. Each turn, the first time the equipped monster would be destroyed by battle, it is not destroyed. During either players' turn, when an attack is declared involving a "Superheavy Samurai" monster you control: During damage calculation, you can discard this card; that battling monster cannot be destroyed by that battle, also you take no battle damage involving it. Then, that monster gains 1000 DEF until the end of the Battle Phase.

Some OCG, TCG, Anime and/or Manga effects are changed for the sake of convenience

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Changes to Actual Cards

Superheavy Samurai Warlord Susano-O
(LV: 10, Machine, EARTH, Synchro, ATK: 2400, DEF: 3800)
(1 Tuner + 1 or more non-Tuner "Superheavy Samurai" monsters)
Monster Effect: This card can attack while in face-up Defense Position. If it does, apply its DEF for damage calculation. Once per turn, during either player's turn, if you have no Magic/Trap Cards in your Graveyard: You can pay 500 LP, then target 1 Magic/Trap Card in your opponent's Graveyard; activate it on your side of the field, but banish it when it leaves the field.

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Having grown a lot of resolve during his childhood years, Yuya confronted his inner turmoils as he faced Gongenzaka and defeated him in both respect and pride as duelists.

And with that, we're finally heading into the Maiami Championship next chapter. I hope I made the duel a little more enjoyable than it was in the anime.

So anyway, since I moved away from using Action Cards, I figured it might be a little more tricky for Gongenzaka to use Susano-O's effect so I upgraded it to where it can activate Traps as well. I sorta combined the two effects together (official OCG/TCG and anime effects).

Anyway, I hope y'all like the chapter and I'll see you in the next one.

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NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW:

Welcome to the Maiami Championship - As the first day of the Maiami Championship begins, surprises await as everyone is set with their first opponent with some unexpected duelists participating along the way...

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Like or please review ~