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

Arc League Championship — Chapter 37: Strangest Perplexities

The second day for the Arc League Championship ends for Yasuko and Yuya advancing to the third round except for Sora.

The last duel of the day was Sora going up against Shun Obsidian, and it did not turn out too well for the boy. After displaying his sick psychotic personality trait, he lost his way and ended up getting into a hospital bed.

As for Yasuko, she is currently taking a bite at a family restaurant, having some omelet rice. While eating, she is thinking about the duel between Sora and Shun. She knew that Shun was a better duelist than Sora, but she never anticipated anything like what he did back in the duel.

The rise falcon flashes back to her head, and then comes two more monsters: revolution and blaze falcon. The idea of Rank-Up-Magic is the most curious one of all for Yasuko. She didn't even know that you can use a Spell card to Xyz Summon another monster into another level. Not even she can do that on her own. "Rank-Up-Magic, huh?" Yasuko inquired.

As she was lost in with an endless trail of thoughts, the door slides open with a ring, and then Yuya came shortly after. "Yasuko," he called.

The girl jerks her head out of daze to the boy. "Yuya," she responded. "What's down?"

Yuya has a stony expression before he takes a seat across from Yasuko. "Yasuko…" he paused, letting the words he wants to say starts to form before declaring them. "I want you to teach me how to Xyz Summon," he said.

Yasuko is surprised. "What?" she questioned.

"Yasuko, I beseech you," Yuya begged. "Please…please teach me how to Xyz Summon."

Yasuko narrows her eyes, sensing it may have to do with the match between Sora and Shun. She turns her head away from his gaze. "Is this about Sora and Shun?" she asked. "Well, forget it." She turns her head away to avoid the shocked Yuya.

"What?!" Yuya questioned.

"I'm not going to teach you how to Xyz Summon just so you can get back at Shun for what that prick did to Sora," Yasuko declined. "Sora's a complete psychopath. I don't want anything to do with him." Yasuko admits everything she feels about Sora.

Yuya was taken back by Yasuko's statement. He was surprised to hear that she is disowning Sora is something he needs to know. He got into her face after she made rube comments about Sora. "Yasuko!" he exclaimed. "How could you say something like that to Sora?!"

"Sora's been lying to us, and I hate being lied to," Yasuko replied, the same flat tone emitting from her tongue. "That kid's been hiding something for too long. Sora said that he is on a transfer, but he never specifies where he comes from. He just made up those random locations on a map. It's like he's avoiding the real question."

Yasuko ate some more of her omelet rice and said, "I don't even want to talk about him." She then looks out at the window. "I warned him that Shun was trouble, and now look at him. He's cozying himself at a hospital bed."

Yuya felt angry from Yasuko's comment about Sora. How could Yasuko disown Sora like he's an abomination? It was true that Sora wasn't himself at the moment, but then, he was disturbed by how Sora had this nasty smile after being pushed too far. There is still no reason why Yasuko shouldn't cut ties with Sora because of that one duel.

"But Sora's our friend, he's still a student of the You-Show," Yuya stated firmly.

"Not anymore," Yasuko replied. "Not to me, anyways. You people just couldn't see it."

"See what?" Yuya inquired.

Yasuko takes it as a consideration and tries to explain some details after putting them together. "Shun spoke of Sora as being his enemy because he and his people attacked his hometown," she deciphered.

Yuya never forgets the story that Shun was talking about. The boy was telling an account of his hometown being attacked by an enemy that is too powerful. "What was Shun talking about back there?" Yuya asked.

"I think he's talking about how his home was destroyed by the enemy," Yasuko described. "He was talking about how dueling in his hometown was a paradise for duelists like you and the You-Show, but something bad must've happened to him or his hometown, and my guess is Sora has something to do that."

All the anger that Yuya felt toward Yasuko diminished. He felt a conflict inside his heart when Yasuko starts to explain the story behind Shun. He still doesn't understand what Shun was talking about, but maybe hearing Yasuko may help something.

He was listening to her with full attention. "Are you saying that Sora is some kind of enemy that Shun's been talking about?"

Yasuko shrugged. "I'm guessing it could be true," she said.

"No!" Yuya protested. "Sora's our friend! He would never do something like that to anyone!"

Yasuko narrows her eyes. "Sometimes, you just have to look beneath the underneath to see this through," she responded. "From what I can tell, Sora did something bad to Shun Obsidian, and Shun was royally pissed after seeing that Fusion Summon. I still can't get the idea, but I think…" she paused. "I think Shun lived somewhere similar to that Action Field Spell that we saw today."

"Neo Heartland City," Yuya stated. "Does it have some resemblance to him?"

Yasuko shrugged. "Maybe," she answered. "I don't know, but I do know that it struck a nerve into him. The first time that I saw a reaction from Shun without his mask was surprised and then rage. He seemed to hate that Action Field like he wanted to destroy it."

Yuya can't say anything about what they were discussing. He lets the information processed even further, letting himself get something about Sora.

As the sun sets to nighttime, Yasuko and Yuya both walk back to the LDS tower. Yasuko didn't want to go to the hospital because Sora is a psychopath. Yuya was persistent in having her come and talk with Gongenzaka and Zuzu about the recent events in the city.

They spot Zuzu and Gongenzaka at the entrance of the hospital. "Where's Mrs. Sakaki and Principal Shuzo?" he asked.

"Shuzo and Yoko are taking the kids back home, so we're here to wait and take care of Sora," Zuzu replied. Then, her expression has some disappointment. "I'd take it you went out to eat just because?" she assumed.

"It was dinner time," said Yasuko. "Any luck?"

Zuzu shakes her head. "Sora's still unconscious," she reported. "But the doctors and nurses said that he should be okay by tomorrow morning."

Yasuko isn't like she's going to stay and wait for the little psychopath to wake anytime soon. "Don't expect him to make a fast recovery," she said. "That kid just got squashed by a building."

"But still…Shun was going all out against him," Zuzu remembered. "The way Sora talked about Shun being prey is something that I don't get."

Yasuko turns to the night sky. "I think I have a probable cause for this," she stated.

Yuya, Zuzu, Gongenzaka turn to her Yasuko didn't look at the three as she describes what had occurred since she first transferred to the city.

"I know this may sound crazy to all of you, but I believe that this guy had something to do with whatever the hell's going on in this city," Yasuko started. "Shun Obsidian is a lone wolf; he never works well with others unless he's being asked or forced to."

Zuzu flinches in shock. "Forced to? By who?" she asked.

Yasuko's eyes narrow. "I don't know," she said. "But I think maybe the LDS has something to do with this."

"LDS?" Gongenzaka inquired. "What does it have to do with the Leo Institute?"

Yasuko faces toward the three to start giving a short brief. "Remember the incident with Sylvio; the attacks that's been going around, and how Declan was the second to Pendulum Summon?" she recalled.

The three of them nodded. "Well," Yasuko confided. "I'm pretty sure he's got something to do with Shun Obsidian." The three gasped in shock.

"Wait a minute!" Zuzu called. "Are you saying that Declan may be involved with all of this?"

Yasuko shrugs. "Possibly," she stated. "It's just a theory, though. Declan's shrouded with mysteries that I cannot see." She turns up to the girl in front of her. "What about you? What's your stick?"

Zuzu responds with a story of her own. "Well," she began. "It all started when Yuya was accused of being the culprit who attacked Sawatari." Zuzu starts to reminisce about everything that happened to her. "Julia encountered Shun before, and they were enemies, but yesterday, when I came to ask her why Shun is siding with them." She told them what Julia said before continuing. "And then, she told me that Shun's been at the LDS for a year."

Yasuko narrows her eyes. "That's obviously a lie," she said. "Julia doesn't even recall anything about Shun being the attacker or enrolled in the Leo Institute. That's complete BS."

Gongenzaka steps forward. "She was calling her enemy a teammate?" he inquired.

"I know I'm not crazy, but this guy told me that Shun attacked the LDS in order to save his friends," Zuzu stated.

Yasuko's eyebrows are raised, looking surprised that Zuzu had encounters with the boy who looks like Yuya. She wonders about it. "Do you know this guy's name?" Yasuko asked.

"He told me…his name was…" Zuzu addressed.

After considering her thoughts together, Yasuko makes a guess. "Yuto Abiko?"

Zuzu gasped, staring up to Yasuko in shock. "How'd you know that?" she asked, step forward. "How'd you know it was Yuto?"

Gongenzaka and Yuya are looking between the girls with curiosity. "Yuto?" Yuya repeated.

Yasuko turned to Yuya and said, "Your unknown, yet somewhat, identical twin brother."

His eyes turned comedian white with steam popping up from his head. "I told you I don't have a twin brother!" Yuya exclaimed in annoyance.

Yasuko turns her head away from him. "It's only temporary until I can find out more about this Yuto guy," she responded. She turns back to Zuzu. "Zuzu, who is this Yuto?"

Zuzu flinches before she tries to explain her story. "Yuto…is the guy who attacked Sawatari," she clarified.

"Yuto attacked Sawatari?!" Gongenzaka gasped. Zuzu nodded to confirm his assumption. "Why didn't you say anything earlier? If you hadn't told the truth, then Yuya wouldn't have been framed—"

Yasuko turns her head to the big boy. "Gong, if she said it was some guy who is probably Yuya's twin brother," she confirmed. "She would've told us otherwise."

Again, Yuya gets annoyed. "I'm an only child, Yasuko!"

"But this still doesn't add up," Yasuko interjected, ignoring Yuya's protest. Turning away from the group, she looks up in the full moon. "First Yuto, then Shun, and finally Sora being all mentally insane. It doesn't make any sense."

Yuya lets the information processed through his head. He is thinking of how the month has changed. "So then…Yuto is someone who looks like me," he presumed.

"Exactly," Yasuko confirmed. "I thought it was you too because I know where I can spot your sharp pointy chin and those chubby cheeks."

Yuya is very irritated with Yasuko. "Chubby cheeks?" He paused when Yasuko starts walking inside to leave the other three confused.

"Where are you going now?" Zuzu asked, calling to the girl.

"To find Sora," said Yasuko. "I have questions, and I want him to help me answer them." Without looking back, she makes a wave. "And don't worry, I won't be hard on him, I just have a few questions I want to ask."

"But Sora needs to sleep," Yuya pointed out. "Visiting hours are about to close."

"I'll be out before then," Yasuko responded flatly. And with that, the girl enters the hallways without looking back at the three of them.

After the girl disappears behind the corner, Yuya and Zuzu have inquisitive feelings inside of their chest.

"What's Yasuko going to do now?" Zuzu asked.

"I don't know…" As Yuya replied, he had a short flashback of when Sora was dueling Shun. The way his smile turns a bit horrid even for him. He wasn't sure if he is right, but Yuya can assume that maybe it was Sora's nasty side that got her attention.

In the dark hallways, Yasuko walks alone with her gym bag strapped to her side. Her eyes adjusted themselves to the darkness around her. The short heels from her brown ankle boots clap the ground as she takes every step in the dark, quiet hallways.

As Yasuko walks alone, she stops at the room where Sora is resting in by following the registration patient number. She pulls the door to hiss open automatically. Slowly, Yasuko closes the door and proceeds to come to Sora's bed. He had a bandage on his cheek and the side of his mouth. She won't be sure if Sora is half-awake or completely asleep. She finds out herself.

"Sora…" Yasuko called softy.

The boy seems to regain consciousness and flutters his eyes open. His eyelid slowly prowls itself to be fully open until the sight of Yasuko is in his vision.

"Y…Yasuko…Yukihana?" Sora inquired, almost frailly. "What? Where am I?"

"In LDS Hospital," Yasuko stated. "Doc said that you are going to be immobile for a while because a two hundred thousand-pound building dropped on you. Welcome back to the land of the living, you little psychopath?"

Sora blinks once in confusion. "What? Psychopath? Me?" He let a small smile. "Oh, very funny, Yasuko."

Yasuko's eyes narrow slightly. "Don't try to change the subject or pry yourself away, Sora Perse," she responded with a stony expression. "You can't be seriously happy all the time, can you?" Sora flinches in surprise as Yasuko continued, "Your duel with Shun Obsidian really ticked you. I saw that sadistic smile you had after Shun ranked up his monster." For sure, Sora knows that Yasuko is already onto him, but she didn't seem to know what else he has. "And I know that you've been lying to me and everyone else you've met," she added.

Sora is bewildered while the girl makes a statement. "What?" he inquired. "What are you talking about?"

Yasuko's narrowed eyes never wavered. "Don't play stupid with me, Sora," she responded harder. "I saw what you are. You're a little psychopath. You were talking to Shun like you wanted to kill him."

Sora's eyes grew wide in shock. Seeing how the girl is getting thoughtful about the situation, Sora knows that he cannot play innocent with her anymore. She is decrypting in his cover. Perhaps he underestimates how the girl's intellect was able to decipher his secret, and it won't be long before she finds out the real truth.

Slowly, Sora gets up from the bed. A painful sharp sensation comes to his chest. "OW! Damn!" he grunted.

"Lie down," Yasuko stated quietly. "You'll break your back if you think you can still stand after your duel."

Sora starts to narrow his eyes, looking at the girl with annoyance. "What do you want?" he grunted.

"Answers," Yasuko stated boldly. "Ever since I came to this city, I've been haggled with endless questions and bizarre events that came before me." Her eyebrows form together to turn into a scowl. "It's been getting into my head now, and I need you to help me put them out."

In her eyes, Sora's face looks different than it was before when he dueled against Shun. It was all too calm for him to take her lightly.

"Now out with it, Sora," Yasuko demanded. "Where do you live? And what do you and Shun mean about hunting and prey?"

Sora is getting serious with the girl. "What makes you think you can ask me?"

Just before Yasuko was about to snap at him, the door hisses open. The two of them turn around to find someone else. Upon looking closer, Yasuko and Sora suddenly flinch with bewilderment to see who it was.

"You!" Yasuko and Sora called together.

Sora turns to her in surprise. "Wait, you know this guy?" he asked, surprised that Yasuko had some knowledge with the person at the door

Yasuko shakes her head. "It's Yuya's unknown twin brother slash clone, Yuto Abiko," she addressed.

Yasuko would never guess that Yuto Abiko would show up in the LDS hospital in front of the doorway. His response is a glare of annoyance at Yasuko. "I told you; I am not a clone, and I don't have a twin brother."

Sora gives Yasuko a raised eyebrow of question. "What?" he inquired. "Twin brother?"

Without looking at Sora, Yasuko replied, "It's only a temporary assumption for someone who looks identical to Yuya."

Yuto narrows his eyes at Yasuko. "I warned you. You don't want to get involved with this," he warned. "This is none of your concern."

Yasuko narrows her own eyes at him. "Uh? And what is it that I'm not aware of?" she asked.

Sora shrugs. "Looks like you are even more clueless than I thought," he commented, earning a low glare from Yasuko.

"What was that?" the girl responded harshly.

Yuto comes straight to the point and glances at Sora. "You. Where is she?"

Yasuko's ears perked up, staring at Yuto questionably. "She?" she muttered.

"Who's she?" Sora asked.

Yuto's eyes narrow, focusing on the boy. "Ruri," he answered.

Yasuko's eyebrows are raised. It was getting into her head too much. "Ruri?" she repeated. "Who's she?"

Yuto turns to Yasuko briefly. "Shun Obsidian's younger sister," he informed before turning back to Sora. "We know that you have her."

The more they talk, the less she understood. Yasuko is getting a headache when Yuto and Sora exchange words that don't make any sense. She doesn't know what to do but to listen to their story.

"Sora, talk to us," Yasuko demanded. Sora and Yuto turn to her. "What the hell's going on?" She glances over to Yuto. "Yuto, you said that your enemy is Fusion, but what kind? A school? A person? Something? And since Sora is a Fusion summoner, did it have to do with him or these teammates he talked about?"

As always, Yuto didn't answer her question. He just stood at the doorway like a statue. Knowing that Yuto isn't going to talk anything, Yasuko turns to Sora with a scowl. "Sora, don't lie to me, who's Ruri?" she asked.

"How should I know?" Sora inquired. "I don't know anyone named Ruri."

Yasuko takes it that Sora is telling the truth, but she insists on knowing a little bit more. "Okay, then, tell me why are you hunting Shun's friends?"

Sora is taken back. Even Yuto was also stunned. He only met her for one day, and already she is siding with him. He wonders why. "You spoke of Shun and his friends being all prey and stuff like that," she clarified. "And in the middle of the duel, you snapped and ended up talking stuff that is very disturbing."

Sora is sure that Yasuko is coming closer to the secret. "Yasuko," he said. "I don't know who Ruri is and I am not a psycho, I just snapped in the pressure of the duel. And speaking of…" He throws his blanket off. "I have a score to settle."

Yasuko reacts fast and quickly snatches the disk off the desk counter before taking five steps back against the wall away from Sora and Yuto. "Hey!" Sora shouted. "What the—?! Give that back!"

Yasuko let out a hand in front of her to make sure that Sora doesn't come to her. "Not yet," she retorted. "Not until you tell me what the hell's going on between you and Shun."

"What do you mean what's going on between me and Shun?" Sora questioned, repulsed by how Yasuko is acting hostile toward him. "I have to duel him again!"

Yuto narrows his eyes at the candy boy. "It's already been settled," he affirmed. "You lost."

Sora turns to Yuto to start glaring at him. "I didn't lose!" he protested. "There is no way in hell that I would lose against an Xyz!" Turning back to Yasuko, he starts to get frustrated. "Give me back my duel disk! I have to find him!"

Yasuko's scowl never left her. She can see how defiant Sora is and how he's making things more personal now. "You lost, Sora," she reasoned. "You lost against Shun and his Xyz monster, just accept it."

For the first time, Sora is getting very angry with Yasuko. Yasuko is more opposition to him even though he and she are from You-Show. Well, it didn't matter to Yasuko anyway. He realized right then that Yasuko won't go easy on him.

As for Yasuko, apparently, it didn't bother her to be turning hostile. For some reason, she doesn't hesitate to think twice to reconsider Sora as a student of You-Show anymore. After he displayed psychotic behavior in the duel, it made her choose to turn against him and side with Yuto because she knows of his pacifist nature and that she may understand him. It was two choices: the guy who attacked LDS but is a pacifist, or the sadistic little candy boy, and she chose the pacifist. She didn't care about what their problem is, though, as long as she can get the questions that have been sticking in her brain.

Sora starts to tighten his jaw. His eyebrows begin to twitch in anger. "Yasuko…" he hissed. "You are a complete idiot, you know that?"

Seeing how Sora is now making offenses to her, Yasuko makes the same tone of the response to him. "And you're a complete ass," she insulted. "You better tell me what is happening right now, or I'll break this thing into pieces unless you talk."

Sora isn't taking her threat lightly. Seeing how his hands are clenching tighter, he looks like he's ready to fight Yasuko. However, a demanding shout exclaims from the hallway.

"What's that ruckus?!" A man shouted. "Visiting hours are over!" From the doorway, two security officers enter and find it surprising to see two people to be sneaking behind them.

"Wait a minute, who are you two?" the man asked.

Yuto's cover is blown, and as fast as lightning, the boy makes a swift dash past between them and runs away. Yasuko was stunned for a moment to let herself be distracted.

Sora then makes a dash over, and roundhouse kicks reverse to knock Yasuko's on the ground. She grunts in pain as Sora takes his duel disk from the ground. "Wait!" he shouted. "Get out of my way!"

As Yasuko recovers, she saw Sora making two swift punches at the necks to send the guard flying back. She is surprised at how strong Sora is despite being shorter than her. She gets up and runs out of the room past the knocked out security guards. Since the commotion would attract unwanted attention, Yasuko takes the emergency exit stairs.

"Stairs…" Yasuko panted after traveling several flights of stairs to get down. "Why does it have to be stairs?" After getting to ground level, Yasuko opens the emergency backdoor and runs out into the cold night.

She starts running away from the LDS hospital and runs off somewhere to get away from the incoming security that is probably looking for Sora right about now.

"Damn it," Yasuko cursed, panting with every step she takes. "This is not how I want my day to go."

In an unknown specific time, after fleeing from the scene, Yasuko had run away from the LDS building and makes a quick turn around a building to catch her breath. Soon after, her duel disk starts vibrating, and she answers. "Hello?" she called.

"Yasuko!" The sound of Yuya's voice booms in her duel disk. "Where are you? Sora's gone missing!"

"I know," Yasuko informed. "That little psycho attacked me and just run off with your twin brother."

"What? Attacked you? Twin brother?" Yuya then realized at the other end who Yasuko was referring to. "Wait, you mean this Yuto Abiko guy?"

"Yep," Yasuko confirmed. "I'm in pursue, but I have no idea where he or Sora's gone to. Where are you?"

"Gongenzaka's taking the docks, Zuzu's moving in at the west side, and I'm covering the east," Yuya informed. "Where are you?"

"Uh…" Yasuko picks herself up and looks at the street where she is at. Based on the address, she had to assume that she's on the south side. "Uh…I'm at the south," she reported. "Can you take the northeast side while I cover the southeast?"

"Roger," Yuya complied before cutting his line. Yasuko puts her duel disk away in her holster and starts running again.

It was a very exhausting jog, but Yasuko had to be somewhere in the central park of Maiami City. The night is still young, and already, she is starting to get worn out from running around looking for Sora.

As she starts running along the sidewalk, Yasuko heard a loud crash from across the street. Her head jerks to the central park sector. If there is one thing about Yuto is that she needs to find the sound of destruction along the way. She wants to turn around because if what Yuto said about something that doesn't concern her, then she would listen, but because of Sora and his sadistic behavior, she can't ignore it any longer. Her gut is telling her that something is going on in the central park, so she does what she can.

Following her instincts, Yasuko makes a run to central park. Panting along the way, she happens to get into a clear opening after journeying herself through the trees and bushes. She sees Sora and Yuto dueling each other.

DUEL:

Sora Perse (LP 3800)

VS

Yuto Abiko (LP 3200)

So far, Yuto has The Phantom Knights of Sword Break (ATK 2000/DEF 3000) (Xyz) and two Set cards on his field.

Sora, on the other hand, has just Fusion Summoned his Frightfur Bear (ATK 2200/DEF 1800) (Fusion).

Turn: Sora (1x card)

And in the middle of the duel, Yasuko is surprised to see Yuya approaching the central park from the opposite side. "Yuya!" she called.

Yuya heard his name and comes over to the stage set. "Yasuko!" Yuya replied.

"Yuya! It's Yuto! Your twin brother is here!" Yasuko shouted, pointing at the direction where Yuto is on her left at the stage. "He's right over there!"

In Yuya's point of view, he turns to the right. His eyes grew as wide as teacups, gasped in surprise. He was utterly shocked to see the boy. Yuto Abiko stands on top of the stage with every single detail of his face looking exactly like him. "What the—?" he thought. "This guy…he looks exactly like me? Is he Yuto Abiko? The one that Yasuko and Zuzu were talking about?"

Sora didn't care if Yasuko or Yuya just came to the central park as he makes his move. "Let's battle!" Sora declared. "Frightfur Bear attacks Break Sword!" The scissor bear throws its paw over to spring out like fishhooks and smacks the ghost horseman, destroying the monster to deal damage to Yuto.

(Yuto: LP 3200 → 3000)

Yuto flinches but is still standing. "Break Sword's special effect activates!" he declared. "When this monster leaves the field, I can Special Summon the monsters that were used to summon it as Level 4!" Since his ghost horseman was destroyed, Yuto was able to Special Summon The Phantom Knights of Silent Boots (ATK 200/DEF 1200), and The Phantom Knights of Ancient Cloak (ATK 800/DEF 1000). On his field is the blue ghost wearing a brown shirt, pants, and boots as it was covered in a cloak on top of its head and a second blue ghost wearing a purple and red cloak with each level increased by one.

(The Phantom Knights of Ancient Cloak: Level 3 → 4)

(The Phantom Knights of Silent Boots: Level 3 → 4)

"Do you get it now, Sora?" Yuto asked. "The Phantom Knights will never fall! Strike them down, and they will rise, just like how the Resistance will rise over you and your Fusion enemy punks!"

Yuya is curious about what Yuto was talking about. "Resistance?" he inquired.

Yasuko, however, isn't too concern. She understands that Yuto was referring to the resistance that Shun mentioned in his declaration, but she has yet to wonder what is about Fusion being the enemy. "Fusion and Xyz are enemies?" she asked herself.

"Frightfur Bear's special effect activates!" Sora informed. "When it destroys a monster in battle, once per turn, it can equip itself with the monster that was just destroyed!" A dark portal opens up from the seats, and the ghost horseman reappears, only to be gobbled down by the scissor bear. "It's ATK points are added to Frightfur Bear's ATK points!" The scissor bear grows three times than its normal size due to its power boost.

(Frightfur Bear: ATK 2200 → 4200)

"Your Xyz Summon monster will be nothing more than nutrients for my Frightfur Bear," said Sora. "Go ahead and use your resurrected monsters to Xyz Summon! I'll swallow it up too!"

Sora takes one more card from his hand and Sets it. "I Set a card face-down and end my turn!"

Turn: Yuto (2x cards)

Yuto narrows his eyes at the monster that was too powerful for even his own. "My turn!" he draws a card from his deck.

"I overlay my Phantom Knights of Silent Boots and Ancient Cloak to rebuild the Overlay Network!" Yuto declared as the cloaked ghost, and the boot ghost transforms into purple and violet lights, shooting themselves up in the air before falling down at the galaxy portal below. Then, a single bright light shoots up to summon Yuto's top monster.

"From the pitch black of darkness! The fangs of rebellion will fight all of those who are foolish enough to oppose its stupidity powers! Descend now! I Xyz Summon! Appear! Rank 4! Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon!" Yuto Xyz Summons Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon (ATK 2500/DEF 2000).

It has been a while since Yasuko had last seen Dark Rebellion. The slim black dragon mixed with purple and turquoise scales, which goes along with its grey back blades and two pink glowing orbs with its sharp chin bone as its bright gold eyes glows with two purple Overlay Units floating around it.

"Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon," said Yasuko.

Yuya is surprised that Yuto summoned a different kind of dragon. "An Xyz Dragon? This is just getting real," he said.

Sora didn't find it impressive. "What's the point of summoning a monster with only 2500 ATK points?" he questioned. "My Frightfur Bear has 4200 ATK points."

Yasuko narrows her eyes at Sora. "Believe me, Sora," she thought. "You'll see why Dark Rebellion is terrifying for all high leveled monsters."

Yuto raises his hand forward. "I activate Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon's special effect!" he exclaimed. "By using one Overlay Unit, until the end of the turn…" One of the glowing purple lights burst from the dragon. "Your level 5-or-above monster's ATK points is halved, and Dark Rebellion gains that amount!"

(Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon: OU 2 → 1)

Dark Rebellion opens its wings wide and emits pink electricity all over to shock the scissor bear. It grunts and groans after getting shocked to lose half of its points to Dark Rebellion as it screeches loudly to increases it's own. "Treason Discharge!"

(Frightfur Bear: ATK 4200 → 2100)

(Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon: ATK 2500 → 4600)

Sora is shocked that Dark Rebellion is now much stronger than his scissor bear. Even Yuya knows what it can happen if Yuto uses his Dark Rebellion's effect again.

Unlike the other two, however, Yasuko narrows her eyes. After her experience with Yuto and Dark Rebellion, she had a second thought about Yuto's real intent. "If Yuto is the pacifist that I know of from our last match, then it's perfectly clear what he's going to do next," she mentally thought. She can only assume; she'll just have to wait and see what will Yuto does next.

"Now, let's battle!" Yuto declared, much to Sora and Yuya's surprise.

"What?!" Sora gasped.

"Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon attacks Frightfur Bear!" The wings on Dark Rebellion emit a bright blue burst of natural energy before it starts to static pink electricity. Dark Rebellion flaps once before flying fast ahead to use its chin bone. The bone glows as well, charged with electricity. "Lightning Disobey of Rebellion!" In one savage strike, Dark Rebellion pierced its chin bone right through the scissor bear, creating a huge explosion that rocks the area in central park.

Sora was sent flying back after the shockwaves push him to hit the ground to take the damage.

(Sora: LP 3800 → 1300)

The smoke covers the area around Yasuko and Yuya, forcing them both to cover their heads until it subsides.

"What the hell?" Yasuko inquired. "It wasn't Solid Field Image, it was all real?" She feels the bangs on her forehead sway from the wind currents after the explosion. Dark Rebellion retreats back to Yuto's side.

"I end my turn, and now Dark Rebellion's ATK points return to normal," Yuto concluded as Dark Rebellion's attack power decreases after using its orbs.

(Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon: ATK 4600 → 2500)

Yuya hurries on over to Sora's side. "Sora!" he called, running over to tend to the little boy.

Seeing how Yuya is oblivious to see that Sora has a major split personality disorder, Yasuko makes her entrance and comes out of the trees to stand in front of Yuto, but behind Dark Rebellion. "Yuto, what are you doing?" she asked. "I need Sora unharmed to answer my questions."

Yuto heard her and jerks his head to her direction. "What are you doing here?" he asked.

"I came because I'm looking for him," Yasuko answered, pointing at Sora, who is being helped by Yuya. "Sora still didn't answer my questions, and I need to know."

Yuto's narrowed eyes match Yasuko's, staring at each other like it was a contest. "You need to stand down now," she reasoned. "This duel is going to attract unwanted attention, and I'm not going to jail for this."

While Yuto and Yasuko are talking, Yuya helps tend with Sora. "Are you okay, Sora?" As he bends over to help, Sora rebukes against him, pushing Yuya aside.

"Go away! This is none of your business!" he shouted.

"What are you talking about?" Yuya inquired. "You're so hurt that you need to stay at the hospital, so why would you escape and duel?"

Sora ignores anything that Yuya talks to him and glares at the Xyz duelist on the stage. If Yuto isn't an annoyance to him, now Yasuko appears in front of him. "First Shun, and now him?" he growled. "How dare he! That punk could've beaten me, but he didn't! He's taking it too easy on me!" Sora tries to get up, but he felt a painful stab in his chest, making him cringe. "Damn it! He's insulting me!" He gets back up on his feet. "I won't forgive him!"

"Sora!" Yuya protested. "That's enough! Stop! If you keep dueling, your body will—"

"Shut up!" Sora snapped. "I haven't used my full strength just yet! If I get serious, he'll find out that I'm the stronger one!"

Yuya can't believe what he is hearing. "You can do that any other time," he convinced. "You can do it in the next tournament!"

"There is no 'next' time in a real battle!" Sora exclaimed.

"Yuya," Yasuko called. Yuya turns to her, surprised that she is standing at the bottom steps of the stage. "Sora's a complete psychopath. He thinks that dueling is a real-life battlefield." Her eyes narrow at Sora. "Yuto's a pacifist in nature. He doesn't want to hurt anyone, but only because he has to."

"Exactly," Yuto pointed out. "You may be my enemy, but I am merciful. I cannot bring myself to hurt you any further than it is," he confessed. "So, if Sora surrenders, this can be settled without any further suffering." His eyes narrow at the boy. "Now lay down your duel disk and tell me what I want to know, or I'll be force make this the last duel that you'll ever have!"

Yasuko turns to Sora and Yuya. "Sora, Yuya, just stop," she called to them. "You should know how serious Yuto is right now."

Yuya flinches back in shock. He wonders why Yasuko is taking a side with Yuto even though it's the first time he's seen him. "Yasuko, what is he going to do with him?" he asked.

"I don't know," Yasuko responded. "But it won't come to that."

"What do you mean? You said that you won't be too hard on him," Yuya accused.

"I was," Yasuko replied. "But he—" she jabs her thumb behind her back, "—came along, and now it's becoming more complicated." She took a deep breath and sighed. "Look, if Shun wanted to do something to Sora after he has beaten him, he could've done so without pity or mercy, but he didn't. He was too exposed in the public place."

Yasuko's talk with Yuya is infuriating him instead of convincing the boy. "What are you saying?! How can you be sure to trust this guy?"

Yasuko is sure her words aren't going to convince him, but she keeps on trying. "C'mon, Yuya, I know I met him once, but I saw that he's a pacifist in nature, he doesn't have any choice, but to fight," she convinced.

Yuto is taken by surprise of what reason does Yasuko has to try and talk to Yuya out of the duel. Either way goes, it didn't convince Yuya anymore.

"No, I can't!" Yuya argued. "I won't let him hurt our friend!"

"What do you mean, 'our' friend?" Yasuko questioned. "I don't consider Sora as a friend because he's a delusional psychopath."

Yuya is shocked. Yasuko is rebuking everything that he and the others thought of Sora. "Are you saying that Sora's not your friend because of what happened with Shun and that duel?" he questioned.

Yasuko narrows her eyes. "No, it's because of what he is," she clarified.

Yuya is increasingly angry at Yasuko. "Yasuko, please!" he begged. "I know Sora's not right in his mind now, but still, he's a friend, he wouldn't want to hurt anyone! I can't let Yuto hurt him!" he exclaimed, "and I won't take a no for an answer!"

Yasuko seems to know what Yuya's intentions are going to be next. "Don't even think about it, Yuya," she snapped. "We are not supposed to be doing this!" No matter how many times that Yasuko tries to convince Yuya, there was no way of getting him to back off.

Yuya takes his red duel disk from his cargo pocket and latches it onto his left wrist. "Yasuko, I made a promise that I will make you smile," he stated, "but I cannot let someone like Yuto hurt Sora," he avowed. "But if you really want to stop, then I have to stop this.

Yasuko is going to regret it after the fiasco, but she pulls out her duel disk from her holster and throws it in the air before letting it attach itself to the wrist. "Don't make me do this, Yuya," she said, "but I will not let this duel continue on any further."

Yuya's red duel disk glows a yellow blade while Yasuko's emit a blue disk blade. With two more duelists joining, it became a Battle Royal.

Here you go, readers. The latest chapter. Now we're going to be getting into the interesting part of the story, but no spoilers on this one just yet. And this part is essentially important in this story because it will act as a subplot for later on in the series, and no, it's not Zarc, but something else. I'm trying to make that one as a subplot from the original. Now, I am working on a rough draft of many upcoming duels in this series and it will take time to get them all down right, so have patience, and I will make these duels as excited as the other stories with duels.

HunterHQ, Ghost of Magic, and guest, thank you for those reviews and fellow readers, I thank you for taking the time to read this chapter. It's not much, but it will start to build up my plot of this story. If you like what you are reading so far in this story, don't forget to leave down a comment, tip, perception, or your thoughts on this story and will help me become a better writer.