Hey guys, I'm finally back, no I haven't abandoned this one don't worry, thanks for all the comments you guys left, and really, I can't answer all of them since basically all of you write as guests to the point that I have no idea how many of you there really are.
Anyway, the reason it took this long to write a new chapter is because I have a job now, yeah, and it's taking away from my time, so along with my classes, my studies and my job I don't have all that time to write. Also I actually started to write a Heartland chapter before deciding that a duel between Yuzu and Yuya would be far more fun to write so I did, and here we are, as well as already writing another duel in the next chapter, so yeah, there's a good reason this took so long.
hope enjoy
Shuzo led Pegasus and his bodyguard into a seat in order to let him watch the duel, before calling Mana and Joey to bring some of the kids in to watch as well. Shuzo was very nervous, though. Yuya had always made great performances but he had never dueled seriously before battling Strong Ishijima, and he really wanted the president of Industrial Illusions to be impressed and not feel offended. After all, he did have a point about Yuya's new cards; no one had any idea where they came from or what they could do. In time if Yuya was the only one who has these new cards, then he would be accused of cheating and his reputation would be ruined. Yuya had no choice but to accept the deal.
As soon as everyone arrived, Mana had hugged her uncle, making him laugh and pat her head as Joey ushered the children to their seats. Joey himself couldn't wait to see what Yuya's Pendulum Cards could do (and probably go challenge him later on after he had a bit more skill on his new Red-Eye cards)
"Do your best!" Gongenzaka yelled.
"Show us what you guys got!" Mana cupped her hands over her mouth and shouted.
The children all cheered, waving their hands together, they couldn't wait to see what Yuya and Yuzu had installed for them this time.
Pegasus watched in glee as the two duelists walked in. Yuya looked a little worried before putting on a show-stopping smile and raising his hands. The two of them seemed to have changed their outfits, Yuzu now stood wearing a white blouse, black breeches with knee-high boots, a red coat that seemed to belong to a ring leader as its back reached down to Yuzu's legs and split, it had golden buttons and epaulets over her shoulders, with a tophat decorated with red ribbon, and over her eyes, she wore a white mask.
Yuya on the other hand wore
"Ladies and Gentlemen!" The red-eyed boy shouted cheerfully.
"For the first time today, we will give you a very special show!" Yuzu continued.
"An entertaining duel for your eyes full of color and smiles, brought to you by the miracle of Action Dueling," the two of them said, extending their hands forwards. "Action Field on!" Yuya and Yuzu said snapping their fingers before everything went dark, and the crowd gasped, waiting with bated breath.
Two spotlights started moving around, showing glimpses at the action field before settling on both duelists standing across from each other, and the crowds cheered higher before more lights shone around the Action Field showing the blue tent decorated with golden stars and sparkling all around them, with the two standing on a stage. In the middle of it was a poll with several robes dangling from it, above the two of them was a tight robe with two planks across each other above the crowd itself.
"Duel! Duel! Duel! Duel!" Everyone inside the tent shouted.
"You must love this uncle," Mana cheered, wishing she brought popcorn.
"Pretty little fairies versus fun loving circus animals and magicians, it simply sounds like so much fun!" Pegasus said with glee. He couldn't wait to see what these two could do.
Mana giggled and set her eyes back at the stage with her own glee clear in her eyes.
(Yuzu: 8000)... (Yuya:8000)
"I'll start!" Yuzu yelled and drew a card with a smile, "And I'll begin with this," Yuzu said, choosing a card and placing it on her Duel Desk "I summon Opera the Melodious Diva into the field!" Yuzu yelled.
And with a shower of stars, the monster rose to the field, she had pink hair, a golden headpiece, and wings, she wore a purple dress with see-through short sleeves, the blue fabric around her chest, and the bottom of her flurry dress was blue music notes decorating it. Opera waved to the audience with a smile and a giggle and the children waved back. (2300 ATK).
"And I'm not done yet!" Yuzu said. "Since I have a Melodious Monster on the field I can Special Summon Canon the Melodious Diva from my hand!"
From a circle of light rose another Melodious monster, she had short blue hair that stood spiked over her head, with a golden mask that showed her eyes, she wore a short blue dress, with a matching blue cravat around her neck and purple bodice and blue and black checkered skirt, along with long sleeves with pink poofy frills over her shoulder. (1400 ATK)
"Now Ladies and Gentlemen! Are you ready for a treat?" Yuzu asked, making the crowd cheer high. "Since I have two level four monsters on my field I can open the Overlay Network!"
Yuzu declared as a portal opened, a pitch-black galaxy filled with golden and blue stars swirling around. The crowd gasped and Yuya's eyes widened before grinning widely.
"Oh, gods! Oh, gods!" Mana shouted, jumping up and down.
"Yuzu… Yuzu's Xyz summoning?!" Shuzu asked, his jaw hit the ground.
The two Melodious Monsters grind and turned into pink streams of energy and flew around before going into the swirling vortex, their giggles filling the field.
"Let the sweet sound of your songs be heard by your sisters, sweet crescendo that spreads through the worlds. Xyz Summon, Rank 4 Ballad the Melodious Songstress."
The Melodious Monster had long black hair raised up, styled into curly locks, she wore a dark blue long dress, with music notes embroidered on the chest in white fabric, with white sheer fabric that descended from the waist, along with a slit on the right side. (2400 ATK)
The cheers rang louder than ever as the new monster arrived giving a small curtsey and waving at the crowd.
"Next I activate Ballad's effect, I can remove one overlay unit from her and Special Summon a Level 4 or lower Melodious Monster from my deck!"
"Wow, seriously!" Yuya said before his eyes widened, "Wait are you summoning-"
Yuzu grinned as she Special Summoned her next Melodious Monster "Come to the field, Aria the Melodious Diva!"
"Oh oh…" Joey said.
"Whoo boy, and on her first turn too," Mana said. "I hope Yuya can actually showcase his monsters."
"Oh? Why is that?" Pegasus asked.
"Aria is pretty strong, if she's Special Summoned then Melodious Monsters can't be destroyed in battle or targeted by card effects."
"My, that's powerful," Pegasus said, and Mana nodded.
"Yuzu, you could just go a little easy on Yuya," Shuzo whispered to himself, even though he was very proud of Yuzu for that powerful move.
"I place one card face down, and end my turn," she declared, placing a card in the slot and ending her turn.
"Now let's see what you got Yuya," Yuzu thought, hoping Yuya truly did get stronger with his Pendulum cards. She couldn't afford to go easy on him, even in a duel like this, not with what she knew was coming, she needed to push him forward, push him to win, push him to Zarc, it was the only way that they would be safe, that they would survive.
"Big sister Yuzu is going all out," Ayu said with a big smile. "Do you think Yuya could match her?" she asked her friends who sat beside her.
"This is all giving me the shivers," Futoshi said.
"We really don't know what big brother Yuya is capable of yet," Tatsuya replied "I think he has things we don't know about yet.". Ayu nodded, watching with a big smile.
…
…
...
"My turn!" Yuya said, looking at the cards in his hands, his heart quicking a bit as he looked at Yuzu's monsters, then at Yuzu herself, with the audience's noise in the background. He took a deep breath before giving a smile. He had spent all of last night reading his monsters' effects and trying to see how they worked, he had figured most of the rules out and picked cards that would help his strategies a lot
"Ladies and Gentlemen, the fun has just begun! And for my first move, I will set the Pendulum scale!" Yuya declared showing the two monsters to Yuzu. "And for this, I'm using Scale Two Preformpal Drummerilla and Scale Five Performapal Coin Dragon." Yuya placing the two cards on either side of the Duel Desk.
The audience looked in alarm, expecting the two magicians that Yuya used against Strong. Instead, there was now a gorilla and a dragon floating in the air, a '2' and a '5' beneath their feet.
"Now," Yuya said, talking to the audience as well as Yuzu. "The point of the scales is to be able to Special Summon Monsters with levels between the two scales," Yuya explained. "So usually with these scales, I'd be able to Special Summon monsters with Levels three or four!
"But, that's not the only way to use these Pendulum Cards," Yuya added. "For you see, when these cards are placed on the Pendulum Scale, they have completely different effects to be used."
"Ooh that's right," Pegasus said, "His magicians did something completely unexpected that duel! I wonder what these ones could do."
"First as my dear opponent has shown you a Special Summoning method as shall I!" Yuya said, showing a spell card in his hand. "I shall Fusion Summon a new Monster to the field." The red-eyed boy placed the spell card in the slot, "So I activate the spell card Polymerization!"
Several jaws also hit the floor, with Mana squeeing happily beside her uncle. "He's doing it! He's doing it!" Mana said, almost bouncing around like a pinball.
Gongenzaka's eyes widened. Yuya was taking the duel seriously, he wasn't fooling around at all, he wasn't summoning his Hippos or making jokes. Gongenzaka didn't think that he'd seen Yuya actively dueling seriously at all, always busy making jokes. He was proud of his friends but he had to wonder why all this change had happened, and what had triggered it?
"Now, I'll fuse my Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon with Stargazer Magician!"
The familiar Odd-Eyes Dragon and magician clad all in white rose up in the air as a fusion portal opened up behind Yuya as he brought his hand together and started his own chant.
"Wielder of mysterious powers, become the bright light in the eyes of the dragon! Fusion Summon! Come forth! Arcane dragon wielder of ancient magic!Level 8, Rune-Eyes Pendulum Dragon!"
A giant dragon with runes placed over his eyes instead of the usual green and red that belonged to red eyes appeared, with giant blue round crystals in his chest (3000 ATK)
"3000 attack?" Yuzu asked, that was one big powerful dragon.
"Yep, now we can have some real fun. I activate Coin Dragon's effect Once per turn I can give one of my dragon monsters the ability to banish any monster it goes to battle with oh and Yuzu… It absolutely does not target. and I also activate Drumdurilla's Pendulum effect, I can target one of my monsters and have their attack be raised by 600 ATK points. I can't target your monsters Yuzu, but mine are fair game.
The coin on Coin Dragon's forehead glowed and Drummirilla started drumming on the drums that are his chest, the sound waves washing over Rune-eyes Pendulum Dragon
(3000 -) 3600 ATK)
"Rune-Eyes Pendulum Dragon attack Bellad the Melodious Diva!"
"Uh-oh," Yuzu gulped; Aria's biggest weakness was effects that didn't target it.
Rune-Eyes gave a roar as he ran towards Ballad. Yuzu looked around for an action card that could save her monster, she might be able to stop Rune-Eyes, maybe negate his attack and save her monster… but why wasn't he going for Aria first? Her Trap Card could have been useful but she can't target her monsters thanks to Aria's effect, even her own cards. Maybe that was what Yuya was anticipating? He didn't know her extra deck, but he knew her main deck all too well, was he anticipating something?
Yuzu saw a card that was over at the side and she went running towards it, jumping up on a giant yellow ball with a red star on it, she caught the card and activated it.
"I activate the action card Evasion, and negate Rune-Eyes' attack," Yuzu yelled.
"You negated one attack," Yuya said with a smirk. "But since Rune Eyes was Fusion Summoned by a level five or higher Spellcaster he can attack monsters three times."
Yuzu's eyes widened as Rune-Eyes attacked Ballad, making the Xyz Melodious scream.
"No!" Yuzu yelled.
(Yuzu: 6800 )... (Yuya:8000)
Ballad turned into the light as she left the stage and was banished.
"And another attack, go Rune-Eyes!"
Rune-Eyes roared once more and attacked Aria, making the Melodious Monster look in fear before she was hit with the dragon's head
(Yuzu: 4800 )... (Yuya:8000)
Aria gasped as she started to disappear and got banished as she turned into light and left the field.
"Woho Yuya!"Joey cheered.
"Way to go Yuya, that was so smart!" Mana yelled.
"I don't get it," a student said. "What did it mean by banish?"
"Yeah, can't Yuzu just bring those monsters back with a spell or a trap card?" Another one said.
"Banish and graveyard are two very different things," Joey said. "Banishing is kinda like going to another dimension while being destroyed is like being sent to the backyard, some monsters can be used from there, but if they were banished then they can't be used except in the rarest of occasions. There aren't a lot of decks that can work well with it though and there's usually a high price to pay to bring your banished cards back. For example, the Return from a Different Dimension Card allows you to bring back your banished monsters but you gotta sacrifice half ya life points to do so."
"In comparison to a monster in the graveyard through Monster Reborn, Call of the Haunted, Return to the Front. As well as monster effects that come from the graveyard, or even some monster effects that can summon from the graveyard," Mana continued.
"And Banishing is not destruction, so any card that has an effect that was triggered by being destroyed, does not get triggered at all if the monster was banished," Shuzo added.
"Wow…." some of the kids whispered, eyes bright at how their teachers accurately explained the terms so nicely. And seeing a live duel made them understand things far better, it was amazing how Yuzu and Yuya were using all these summoning methods and making a show out of it, not just banking on the summoning itself to hold the audience' attention.
"I place one card face down and end my turn," Yuya said with a wide grin.
Yuzu looked at the field stunned. Her two monsters, one of her best monsters even, was disposed of so easily, it was amazing and yet kind of infuriating. She looked up at the two Pendulum monsters hanging in the air, and it dawned on her that Yuya's entire deck had gone through a significant change. It didn't simply have a few new cards in it, it was completely different, and she had no idea how to deal with them, or how they work anymore.
She had to get her defense up... she had to destroy that dragon. Yuzu thought as she looked at her deck… there was a way to get rid of that dragon in her deck… and she knew exactly how.
"My turn!" Yuzu said drawing a card and grinning. "Since you have a monster on your field and I have none I can special Summon Solo the Melodious Songstress from my hand!"
The monster looked like a ballerina, with a red dress with a yellow fabric over her chest and she also wore red ballerina shoes as she stood balancing on one leg. On top of her head was a little helmet with two yellow Treble Clefs to resemble wings. (1600 ATK)
"Next I activate the spell card Photon Lead! This allows me to Special Summon any Level 4 or lower monster from my hand and I choose Tamtam the Melodious Diva. Say hello!"
The next Spell Card showed two well-known LIGHT monsters - Shining Angel and Nova Summoner - against a dark stormy background. Then, with a flash of light, Yuzu's monster emerged. Tamtam looked adorable, she had blue hair with a golden headdress, she had on a one-piece outfit with poofy green short shorts with melodic notes over them and equally green long sleeves. Her weapon was a red gong with a mallet to strike it with. (1000 ATK)
"And since Tamtam was Special Summoned while I have a Melodious Monster on the field I get to add a polymerization Spell from my deck or graveyard to my hand!"
Tamtam brought her fingers together and a ball of light shined between them as Yuzu got a polymerization card to her hand.
"Is she gonna fusion summon too?" Joey asked.
"These two are doing amazing! Keep it up!" Mana yelled.
"So much fire in them!" Shuzo shouted as if he would burn with the flames of their determination.
"I open the Overlay Network!" Yuzu declared and everyone gasped.
"Again?!" Mana asked excitedly. "She must be planning something really big!"
"Then why did she get the polymerization card to her hand if she wasn't gonna use it?" Ayu questioned.
"Maybe she's just holding on to it until she can use it?" Futoshi questioned.
Mana was practically vibrating on her seat. This was the hardest she had seen Yuya duel, and Yuzu was not holding back one bit, she had no idea what the two were capable of but she couldn't wait to see, and she knew that her uncle was the same way. He loved childish and adorable things, but he also loved seeing a good duel, and new strategies and these Pendulum monsters seemed nothing less than inventive.
From the way Mana was on the edge of her seat, it looked like a series of fireworks would blow off at any second. As a matter of fact…
Black and pink sparks of magic flew into the air as Mana's focus were on the duel and suddenly the magic exploded like fireworks, causing the children to look in awe. Sometimes she'd be so excited about something that her magic would get a little...haywire. Joey had to shake her a bit just to get her to put her magic under control. Mana looked sheepish as she realized what she was doing, though everyone thought that it was part of the show.
Yuzu's two monsters turned to pink lights as they flew into the newly opened Overlay Network, getting sucked into the starry galaxy before a blinding light shot from it.
"Beautiful sounding angel leading singers and players into an enchanting song of wonder, rise to the stage and show yourself to your audience! Xyz Summon Rank 4 Ballata the Melodious Maestra!"
The Monster had red short hair and a sweet porcelain face, she had on a short black strapless dress with gold and white sparkles on like stars, with a long sleeve jacket that comes to her midriff with shoulder pads, a golden headpiece on her head and a golden opera mask on her face along with black fingerless gloves and red music notes over her skirt, ending with thigh-high black socks, and black dancing shoes. (2100 ATK)
Yuya whistled; he knew that Yuzu that was working hard but he wasn't expecting an Xyz Monster from her so soon!
"Yuzu, you're doing so amazing! Let that fire burn through both of you!" Shuzo yelled, cheering them both on being swept in the excitement of the duel.
"But we're not done yet!" Yuzu continued, extending her hand with a confident grin. "Now I activate Ballata's effect! Once per turn, I can detach one overlay unit from her and get to draw a card. And if the card was a :evel 4 or lower 'Melodious' Monster, I get to Special Summon her.".
Ballata grabbed one of her orbs and kissed it before it popped into golden sparkles as Yuzu drew her card. The smile on her lips was evident that she liked what she drew.
"And for my next show stopper, I will activate the Spell Card Polymerization! So I Fusion Summon Mozarta the Melodious Maestra and Elegy the Melodious Diva together!"
Yuzu brought her hands together as the blue and purple fusion portal opened behind her, with her two monsters appearing together before spinning into it. A brilliant light surrounded with pink and purple flower petals showered the field.
"Angel's song! Supreme genius! With the guidance of the baton, gather your power! Fusion Summon! Now come here to the stage! Sing the song of victory! Bloom Diva the Melodious Choir!"
The monster looked beautiful with her fairy like face, purple dress and wings standing over a flower with many petals (1000 ATK)
"It's a combination of an angel and a flower!" Shuzo exclaimed.
"Go Yuzu!" Mana yelled, happily raising her hands in a cheer.
"She's doing amazing," Gongenzaka remarked with a proud smile. "They both are."
"Man when did these two get this good?" Joey asked excitedly. He had no idea that these two were up to anything like updating their deck, and doing it so well.
The audience gasped at the beautiful monster that appeared spreading light and particles of shining sparks as well as pink petals flying around.
Yuzu smiled proudly, "Now Bloom Diva might look weak, but her effect is strong!" she said, raising her arm showcasing her monster. "She can't be destroyed by battle or by a card effect, and any battle she has with a monster Special Summoned from the Extra Deck I don't get the damage, but my opponent does, the damage of the difference between the original attack of the monster! And if that happens, the monster Bloom Diva goes to battle with, gets destroyed!"
Yuya's eyes widened, and he swallowed. What should he do? Yuzu had two monsters on the field, with one of them having a very powerful effect, and the other would be able to attack him directly after Bloom Diva destroyed his Rune-Eyes. Yuya looked around, there must be some card that could help him and get him out of this… he looked around for an action card.
"Go, Bloom Diva! Attack his dragon!" Yuzu commanded.
Bloom Diva smiled benevolently, making Yuya shiver as she flew closer towards Rune-Eyes. She opened her mouth, singing a solid note with a ring of soundwaves ready to shatter the dragon into pieces.
Rune-Eyes roared as Yuya saw an action card up on one of the tiles, the boy looked around before getting an idea and grinning as he ran and got on Rune-Eyes' tail and let his dragon, with the dragon launching him up, Yuya grabbed one of the robes, swinging around catching the Action Card.
"I activate the Action Card, Candy Shower! I can target one of your monsters and switch them to defense position instead and I choose Bloom Diva!" Yuya declared.
"I activate the Trap Card, Melodious Illusion!" Yuzu shouted, activating her set card. "I can target one Melodious Monster on the field, and she doesn't get affected by card effects, and she gets to attack twice this turn! So I also target Bloom Diva!"
"Oh no…" Yuya said as the chain effect happened, making his action card useless. He jumped back down with a flip backward, landing on the ground just as Bloom Diva hit his dragon. Bloom Diva's effect activated and lilac flower petals were sent towards Yuya, letting him lose the life point difference between the two monsters.
(Yuzu: 4800)... (Yuya:6000)
Rune-Eyes was soon destroyed, shattering into the light.
"One more attack, Bloom Diva!" Yuzu said and her monster smiled once more, opening her lips and letting her song send soundwaves towards Yuya, making him take a step back from the attack.
(Yuzu: 4800)... (Yuya:5000)
"They're neck and neck," Gongenzaka said.
"Way to go big sister Yuzu, keep it up! You too big brother Yuya!" Ayu shouted as the crowd cheered more.
"And I still have one more monster on the field, go Ballata attack Yuya directly!" Yuzu ordered her second monster.
"I activate the Trap Card Performapal Call! If an opponent monster declares an attack I can target it and stop that attack, then I can add two performapals to my hand as long as the total DEF is less than or equal to the ATK of the targeted monster," Yuya explained as the trap card glowed, stopping Ballata in her tracks and making her pout, then started looking threw his deck for the monsters that he wanted.
"So I add to my hand Performapal Pendulum Sorcerer, and Performapal Seal Eel," Yuya said. then showed the two cards that he got from the trap to Yuzu.
"I end my turn," Yuzu said with a nod and Yuya let out a sigh of relief.
"Now unless he can get another dragon in he can't banish any of her monsters, Yuzu's brilliant," Mana said.
"Oh indeed, this is quite the exciting duel we have, I could not tell who would win," Pegasus said with a big grin, duels like this always made him excited and brought such joy to him.
"Yuzu has the stronger monsters though right?" Ayu asked.
"Yeah, but we really don't know what Yuya's deck is capable of anymore, none of us saw what's in it," Joey said.
"But all Yuya can summon are Level 3 or 4 monsters, they can't possibly beat Yuzu's big ones," Tatsuya argued.
"Hey now, my magician girls are technically weak but they can fly circles around the strongest of monsters when used right," Mana reminded the kids. "It's not just about having powerful cards, it's knowing how to balance your deck well, and know how to use these cards to their full effects. And while Yuya is usually focused on making others laugh, I know he could handle monsters as strange and colorful as the Performpals so I wouldn't count him out yet."
Pegasus chuckled. "Indeed Mana, I quite agree, so let's see what Yuya boy's next move would be."
"My turn, I draw!" Yuya said, drawing his card and grinning. "So let's use my Pendulum cards then shall we? Swing, the pendulum of souls! Draw an arc of light across the ether! Pendulum Summon! Appear now Come! My monsters! Level 4 Pendulum Magician!"
The new monster was a man clad all in red with gray pants with purple hair. He wore a red top hat with gray tips and a gray piece in the middle that had a yellow star embedded in it and red gloves, a gray collar with a blue sash that hid his face with gray sleeve ends. On the chest were four blue crystals impeded in golden holders, with a smaller crystal on each side of his chest, along with a giant pendulum in his hand (1500 ATK)
"And Level 4 Performpal Fireflux!"
It was a giant lightning bug, with its behind lighting up, wearing an orange vest with a red collar and a green bow tie, along with a star on his chest and a white undershirt. On each leg, he wore four white gloves. (1200 ATK)
"Two-level 4 monsters? Is Yuya gonna Xyz summon too?" Joey asked.
"Maybe, we have no idea what's up the kid's sleeves," Shuzu said, not sure what Yuya's next move would be.
"And one of these monsters is not the one that he added to his hand, I wonder why," Pegasus pointed out.
"Now Yuzu's monsters are quite powerful, but they're not impossible to beat, though it would take just a little ingenuity," Yuya said. "So first, I start with this; I activate my Pendulum Magician's effect, if he was special summoned, I can destroy up to two cards that are on my field, and add to my hand as many performapals to my hand, so Pendulum Magician will destroy my two Pendulum cards!"
"What?!" Yuzu yells and her eyes widen.
"Ohh, he can do that?" Pegasus asked.
"But...why?" Shuzo asked.
"Wait… can you Pendulum Summon again if you change your cards?" Yuzu asked.
"No, I can't," Yuya said, making Yuzu blink. Then what was the point of destroying them in the first place?
"Now, one more thing, Pendulum Cards have special features about them, you see when they're destroyed, or used as a fusion material while they're on the field, they don't go to the graveyard. Instead, they go face up to the Extra Deck!"
"Haaah?!" The crowd's jaws fell to the ground at the new information, and Pegasus' eyes widened at that. Pendulums were truly a whole new summoning mechanic, it was quite interesting what they could do with something like that.
However, adding the Extra Deck into this summoning method would make him drag Reiji into this scheme as well. He would have to speak with the young CEO later.
Yuya showed the two Pendulum Monsters that he had in his hands to Yuzu. "Now I set another Pendulum Scale. So I place Scale 3 Performapal Seal Eel and Scale 6 Guitartle!"
The two Performpals rose in the air with a number 2 and number 6 under them.
"Next I sacrifice Performpal Pendulum Sorcerer and Summon Performapal Clay Breaker!"
The monster was white and made of clay, wearing a pink hat with a yellow star on it, and wore a set of pink, yellow and red stitched clothes. (2000 ATK)
Yuzu blinked in surprise. She hadn't expected Yuya to Tribute Summon at all when Pendulum Cards were involved, she wondered what the point of that was. As far as she learned Tribute summoning was unnecessary any more.
"Next I activate Seal Eel's effect, I can target one monster on the field and negate its effect, and without Aria around, I can target Bloom Diva!"
Seal Eel grinned, and from his top hat, pink ribbons descended down and wrapped themselves around Bloom Diva. Bloom Diva looked around in confusion and tried to get out of them but couldn't.
"And with Bloom Diva's effects negated, then she can be easily destroyed by either of my monsters."
"Wow!"
"But that's not all, you see, Clay Breaker has his own effects, once per turn, during damage calculations for every face-up pendulum monster in my Extra Deck, the monster loses 500 ATK points." Yuzu's eyes widened at that.
"Oh so that's how he knew about the face-up Extra Deck thing," Mana said. "He really must have studied his cards well."
"Yeah! Go Yuya!" Joey cheered.
"You can beat him Yuzu!" a child cheered
"This is such an amazing duel!"
"Go Clay Breaker attack Bellata!" Yuya ordered. The monster grinned as his giant hands came together and rose up in the air growing larger before bringing them down on Yuzu's monster.
Yuzu started to run to get a card to help her.
"It won't work!" Yuya said. "Fireflux's effect doesn't let you activate a Spell or a Trap card while one of my performapal monsters is attacking!
"What?! But that means..."
"No Action Cards for you, Yuzu!" Yuya said with a wink just as Clay Breaker destroyed her first Melodious Monster.
(Yuzu: 3400) ... (Yuya:5000)
"Fireflux, your turn! Attack Bloom Diva!" Yuya yelled, and the grasshopper looking monsters jumped in the air landing on Bloom Diva's face, making her scream before getting destroyed and shattering into light.
(Yuzu: 3200) ... (Yuya:5000)
"Oh that's gotta hurt," Mana winced.
"That monster was near invulnerable too!" said Shuzo.
"So were Yuzu's other two Melodious Monsters," Joey said.
"Yes it seems Yuya-boy is quite the creative spirit," Pegasus commented with a big grin, this has been a great duel so far, with the Melodious Monsters having several protections and yet Yuya finding weak points and new angles to exploit yet still keeping the audience at the edge of their seats. Who would have thought of using such strategies, especially with such a colorful deck like his? And the adorable animals made everything even better!
"... You've gotta be kidding me…" Yuzu whispered with wide eyes. She could actually hear Ray laughing in amusement at the duel.
"Oh, he's adorable."
"These cards are really strong,"
"Zarc really knew what he was doing giving these cards to this one. Bravo, my love. Though he has to find another alternative to Odd-Eyes if he is the main fusion component in that deck."
"Well, there are Fusion Substitute monsters…"
"Name one that lets you be a substitute for Dragon Fusions, especially one that substitutes the Specified Fusion Material."
"Uh...Dragon's Mirror?" Yuzu asked, remember that Joey once used it for his deck.
"That's not a substitution honey, that's a Fusion Card, and it banishes the materials."
"There were Fusion Substitute monsters like Goddess with the Third Eye."
"And how far is that gonna throw the balance of a deck?"
Yuzu groaned. "Do I look like I'm a walking encyclopedia of Duel Monsters?!"
Ray chuckled. Don't take it seriously. Even I don't know everything there is to know about dueling. These are all things people should take into account Yuzu; one card out of place and the whole deck goes in shambles. Besides, I'd let Zarc deal with it, he made these ruling for these decks, and if Odd-Eyes was apparently on the field when Fused then he goes back to the extra deck, meaning… it can probably be summoned again, and not have to be in the graveyard..." It dawned on Ray what that meant exactly. "That… brilliant bastard!"
"W...what?" Yuzu asked blinking in confusion
Ray laughed. "Oh I'll tell you girls, later," she said and Yuzu could feel the grin on Ray's face.
Yuzu looked at the field, knowing that she had to find something to defend herself. There had to be a way to beat these monsters. She knew her monsters were stubborn and were hardly ever vulnerable to anything, so there must be a way to work around Yuya's cards. Her hand was empty, and there wasn't much that she could do that wouldn't cost her more life points. She had to figure something out. And fast.
Ray stayed quiet for a bit. It seemed to her Yuzu still operated on trying to not lose a single life point when sacrificing some of them would at times be a necessary evil. But she didn't need to say anything yet and just let the duel continue to see what would happen.
"My turn, I draw!" Yuzu said and let out a breath of relief. "I activate the spell card, Card of Sanctity, which allows us both to draw until we have six cards in our hands," the pink-haired girl declared placing the card in the Duel Desk slot to activate its effect. Coins rained from the sky as Yuya and Yuzu quickly refilled their hands.
Yuzu saw that one of the cards in her hands was Mystical Space Typhoon, which lets her destroy one spell or trap card on the field. She wished that that card could help her but…Yuzu paused, remembering something that the other girls have said… and smiled.
"I activate the spell card, Mystical Space typhoon!" Yuzu shouted, placing the card in the spell and trap slot.
"Hah?!" Joey yelled.
"What?" Mana questioned blinking a few times.
"What would that even do?! Yuya doesn't have any set cards!" Shuzo said.
Yuya's eyes widened, understanding what Yuzu was about to do.
"When your pendulum Monsters are set on the pendulum scale they're not treated like monsters, correct? They can't be destroyed by being attacked… they're treated like Continuous Spell Cards!"
"They… they do?" asked Shuzo.
Yuya grinned. "Correct," he said.
Yuzu huffed a smile "So I'm gonna destroy your Seal Eel!" she declared, placing the spell card in the slot, and a great wind wailed hitting Yuya's field and destroying Seal Eel in its wake.
"Aww," some children pouted, sad to see the cute Seal Eel get destroyed.
"Now that Seal can't negate the effects of my monsters, I can begin! Since I don't have any monsters on my side of the field and you do, I can special Summon Solo the Melodious Songstress!" She said summoning her monster
Another copy of the pretty ballerina danced into the field with a smile. (1600 ATK)
And since I have a Melodious Monster on the field I can special Summon Canon the melodious Diva!"
And from the light, a second Melodious rose up with a sweet smile as the audience' applause welcomed her. She had spiky blue hair and wore a purple blouse with puffed sleeves along with a purple and black diamond skirt. (1400 ATK)
"And now I normal Summon Serenade the Melodious Diva."
The last Melodious Diva wore a brilliant yellow and orange dress and she had lavender hair and magenta hair with a matching magenta wing on her back. (400 ATK)
"Daww, so pretty," some of the girl students kept cooing at Yuzu's monsters.
"Three Level 4 monsters, huh…" Mana thought. "Wait a
"Big sister Yuzu must be summoning a new Xyz monster!" Ayu cheered.
"That's correct!" Yuzu yelled, with a wink "Now once more I open the Overlay network!" she declared.
"Do you think it's a new monster?" One of the students questioned.
"Could be~" Mana said, vibrating with excitement.
"With that Performapal Monster around it's hard to go to battle against so she needs something that can destroy him by effect," Joey said.
"Don't monsters only activate their effects on the user's turn?" asked Futoshi.
"Yes, usually but there are always exceptions, such as Quick Effects that work on both opponent's turns and during the Battle Phase," Mana explained.
"Then there are cards that say 'Each time this monster battles' or 'Battles involving this monster' activate the effect during either opponent's Battle Phase," Joey brought up. "Knowing what the effects do and when are key to defeating your opponent."
"A symphony of sounds melds together, as the notes of the song become higher, oh beautiful choir of music, rise and fill the stage with your song! Xyz Summon! Rank 4 Bloom Donna the Melodious Choir!"
The Melodious Monster had magenta eyes and dark lilac locks with black roses placed in her hair like a crown, and descending down her back. She wore a long flowing dress with a deep purple bodice with two pieces of fabrics holding the dress up and tied behind her neck, and a flowy colorful skirt with its colors becoming lighter as it descends down, with music notes on it (2800 ATK)
"Holy - !" Yuya exclaimed with wide eyes.
"An Xyz summon requiring three materials; this one must be strong," Mana exclaimed.
"Haaa she's sooooooo pretty!" Ayu yelled, smiling, with a lot of children gasping at the new Xyz monster Yuzu just summoned. Bloom Donna smiled at the children and waved back.
"Next I Equip Bloom Donna with the Spell Card called Xyz Unit, now my monster gets an extra 200 ATK points for every Rank it has. And since it has four, then that's an extra 800 life points!"
Bloom Dona smiled as another Overlay unit joined the three that she already had and her (2800 -) 3600 ATK)
"Wow that's a lot!" Fotoshi said.
"I activate Bloom Donna's effect! Once per turn, I can choose one of two effects: either remove one overlay unit and change a monster's battle position, which is a Quick Effect, or I can remove two Overlay Units from her and target one card on the field and destroy it." Yuzu explained.
"Oh… that's not good," Yuya muttered. No matter what effect she chose, he'd suffer.
"Wow, she really is strong!" One of the children exclaimed.
"Big sister Yuzu might win this one!" Ayu exclaimed.
Yuzu grinned. "I remove two overlay units and I destroy Performapal Clay Breaker!" she exclaimed.
"Oh no...no no…" What could Yuya even do against monster effects?
Yuzu's monster grabbed two of her overlay units and released them both exploding, into golden sparks around her before Bloom Donna let out a Melodious sound as if an angelic choir lifted their voices to the heavens and a sound wave hit Clay Breaker destroying him.
"And don't forget, Bloom Donna hasn't attacked yet! Go Bloom Donna attack Performpal Fireflux!"
The Melodious Monster opened her lips singing her song and sending Fireflux flying backward before being destroyed.
(Yuzu: 3200)... (Yuya:2700)
"I place one card face down and end my turn," Yuzu said, heart hammering in her chest, she wasn't sure if what she was feeling was excitement or fear, even if her opponent was Yuya. She would admit to herself, she had really thought that dueling Yuya would have been easy, that she could win over him without trouble, she had dueled against Ruri, Rin, and Serena time and again, and had tried to hone her skills as best as she could with all her new cards, while Yuya in her mind had always been a goofball. A sweet fun-loving goofball, but a goofball nonetheless. Even when he had fought Strong Ishijima, he had started with small silly acts.
But Yuya was a good duelist and quite dangerous once he put his mind to it, this duel proved it, he only had one night to get to know his cards and yet he played them perfectly. But if she wasn't ready to fight Yuya of all people, was she even ready for the Obelisk Force to come?
"Yuzu seems really distracted," Mana pointed out.
"What do you think is wrong?" Shuzo asked. "She's in the lead."
"Yeah but she just gave Yuya even more cards. Card of Sanctity is good for a new hand but it could give your opponent the same advantage, it's why duelists don't use it as much as Pot of Greed or its variance." Mana explained.
"She could be off because of how well Yuya is dueling," Gongenzaka said. "I believe that this is one of the few times that Yuya is fighting seriously, and she is not used to that at all, especially when he fights her."
"But Yuya fighting seriously is a good thing," Joey said.
"Indeed, something else seems to be on her mind," Gongenzaka added. Yuzu had been acting strangely lately as if she was talking to herself at strange times, and it worried the Superheavy Samurai duelist, he truly wished that his friend was alright, but he couldn't do anything without her telling them what was wrong.
"My turn, I draw!" Yuya said, drawing his card. Upon seeing it, he couldn't help but smile, "Ladies and Gentlemen! We hope that you all have enjoyed this magnificent duel of ours but now it will have to come to an end, so I present to you the great big finally!"
The audience gasped and cheered.
"You're being far too confident Yuya, you shouldn't call a finally so soon!" Yuzu said, panting slightly. She could see that she and Yuya have been giving it their all, and all this excitement from the duel and cheers from the audience were making their adrenaline rush even faster.
"Yeah, but I know, this is where I beat you Yuzu," Yuya said with a wink.
"Ohh, Yuya boy is highly confident in himself, but so far he did not disappoint, let us see this finally then shall we?"
"I place Performapal Ballad on the Pendulum scale!"
"Now everyone, there is a reason Pendulum Monsters are sent to the Extra Deck and not the graveyard, you see if my pendulum Monsters from my hand or the Extra Deck are between the two scales, then I get to summon them to the field right back!"
"Haa?!" Yuzu yelled and everyone's jaw fell to the ground at the new revelations. "So the monsters that were destroyed and tributed that went to the Extra Deck…"
"Can come right back!" Yuya exclaimed, spreading his hands. "Swing, pendulum of souls! Draw an arc of light across the ether! Pendulum Summon! Appear now Come! My monsters! Level 4 Pendulum Magician"
From the few bolts of lightning, the magician appeared back on the field tipping his hat to Yuzu and the audience. (1500 ATK)
"Level 4 Fireflux." The Performpal appeared once more with a determined look on his face. (1200 ATK)
"Level 3 Seal Eel" The cute Seal Eel barked wiggling around happily as he came to the field as well.(100 ATK)
"Level 5 Drummerilla!" Drummerilla roared and drummed on its chest as it emerged to have some fun.(1600 ATK)
"That's amazing but they still couldn't hold a candle to Yuzu's monster," Shuzo said.
"I think by now we should learn to not underestimate Yuya," Mana said, grinning. She couldn't wait to see what Yuya was about to do...and possibly duel against them. Oh, the possibilities were endless!
"Now since I special Summoned two or more monsters at the same time I get to take Clay breaker from the graveyard to my hand!" Yuya said, taking the card from his graveyard and showing it to Yuzu.
"Damn it no…"
"Now I use Pendulum Magician's effect to destroy my two Pendulum Monsters up on the Pendulum Scale!"
The magician raised his hands up and the Pendulum in his hands began to glow before the two monsters that were on the pendulum scale were shattered and went to the extra deck.
"Now that that's done, I sacrifice my Pendulum Magician once more to Normal Summon Performapal Clay breaker!"
The magician was gone in sparkling lights as the familiar monster returned to the field to the cheers of the crowd… and Pegasus' applause. (2000 ATK)
"It's okay Yuzu you still have a way out," Yuzu thought to herself thinking of her monster's other effect.
"And I'm not done yet," Yuya said, bringing Yuzu's attention back to him. "Considering your monsters have such good protection, I can't afford to make mistakes so I play the spell card Pendulum Transfer!" Yuya said activating the spell card with a small pendulum on it and in the yellow and purple background was the back of two cards.
"This card allows me to target up to two Pendulum monsters on my field and place them in the Pendulum Zone! But I think I only need one so I place Seal Eel back on the Pendulum scale!" The seal barked happily as it began to rise up in the air and take his place back at the newly empty Pendulum Scale.
"So I activate Seal Eel's effect and target your Melodious Monster!" Yuya exclaimed and with a bark the Perfrompal sent pink ribbons tying up Bloom Donna and not letting her move or escape.
"Now Clay Breaker attacks Bloom Donna!" The red-eyed boy commanded. Clay Breaker's hands tangled together and grew giant size as they swept down to attack Yuzu's monster. "And since there are 4 Pendulum monsters face-up in my Extra Deck, your Monster loses 2000 ATK points! While mine 600 thanks to my Drummirilla!"
Bloom Donna glowed pink getting weaker (3600-)1500)
Clay breaker glowed white as his attack points grew larger(2000-)2600
"And thanks to Fireflux no spell or trap cards can be activated while my Performpals attack!"
Bloom Donna was destroyed into shards of light!
(Yuzu: 2100)... (Yuya:2700)
"Now Drumerilla and Fireflux attack you directly!"
The two Perfompal Monsters ran towards Yuzu, with Firelflux jumping on Yuzu's shoulder, then Drummirilla grabbed Yuzu and held her up before throwing her into the air before Yuya jumped into the middle of the arena catching Yuzu in his arms.
(Yuzu: 0)... (Yuya:2700)
"I win," Yuya said with a brilliant smile.
"You won...You won!" Yuzu exclaimed before kissing Yuya on the cheek.
"HOW LOVELY!" Mana squealed as more fireworks lit up the sky. Joey was too engrossed with the ending to even stop her.
"We...I…" Shuzo was both confused at the fireworks and his reaction to the two kids kissing in the arena.
Yuya and Yuzu smiled at each other as Yuya placed Yuzu down, and the two of them held hands and bowed to the audience as they applauded the two of them.
Pegasus stood up clapping as well with a huge smile on his face. "Pravo! Pravo both of you! That was quite the duel indeed!" He said as the Action Field disappeared.
"You really liked it?" Yuya asked.
"Oh indeed, the Pendulum Cards and the Performapal monsters have far exceeded my expectations, my boy, truly you have impressed me greatly!"
"So the offer is still on?" Shozu asked.
"Well, yes it is, although there would be a few slight tweaks I'm afraid."
"Tweaks?" Yuya asked.
"Indeed, since new information about these Pendulum Cards have come to light, after all, I had no idea that they use the Extra Deck."
"Is that gonna be a problem?" Yuzu asked.
"Not at all, but I think that I would have to bring in Reiji-boy to the deal as well since his company handles the Extra Deck Monsters, and technically, your monsters are both."
"Reiji Akaba, huh? Do you think that he'd be willing to agree to such offers?" Shuzo asked, worried for Yuya.
"Reiji is a smart boy, I'm sure he'll agree to work something out… when Yuya-boy agrees to my offer."
"I… I think I will," Yuya said.
"Really?!" Pegasus said enthusiastically like a kid about to go to a candy store.
"Are you sure Yuya?" Yuzu asked. "These are your cards after all. You created them."
"In a way…" Yuya said, after all, he had no idea what kind of magic that he possessed that made these cards. "But if only I had these cards, then it wouldn't be fair to anyone. These cards can bring joy to people, show how amazing Dueltaining can be, give more people the chance to win, and have fun with creative new strategies. And besides… it would really help me and mom out. I don't need to be the creator of Pendulums, and this might save me a lot of headaches and expectations."
"I guess that's true…" Yuzu conceded.
"Wonderful!" Pegasus cheered. "I will be talking with Reiji-boy soon then and we will call you and your mother to forge a contract."
"Way to go, Yuya!" Joey said before Mana jumped down, gathering both Yuya and Yuzu in a bone-crushing hug.
"You both were amazing!" Mana exclaimed. "Especially for using such new cards for the first time and putting on such an amazing show."
"Indeed, I the man, Gongenzaka was quite surprised that the two of you have improved so well. And I believe that I should do the same as well."
"Really?" Yuzu asked. She and Yuya both had big grins on their faces.
Gongenzaka nodded. "Indeed, I shall walk in your footsteps and I will not be left behind, I shall attempt to learn Synchro Summoning."
"Why Synchro?"
"You both have learned Fusion and Yuzu knows Xyz. Synchro will balance it out. Not to mention that with how I follow the Superheavy Strong Style of dueling, my deck must be empty of Spell and Trap Cards. Since Synchro Summoning only needs monsters, then it fits my deck quite well."
Yuya turned back to Pegasus "Thanks for everything Mr. Pegasus," Yuya said, shaking the man's hand. "It was quite an honor to have you here."
"Oh, the honor was all mine Yuya boy. And I haven't had such fun watching a duel in so long, it really does warm my heart, these Performapals of yours have such a place in my heart, they are so much like old cartoons, they wish to bring smiles to everyone's faces."
"Yes, they do!" Yuya said with a huge grin, he was practically beaming.
Pegasus nodded. "Take care Yuya boy, Miss Yuzu as well, you were simply magnificent as well."
Yuzu smiled, blushing at the compliment. "Th-thank you sir!" she said with a bow.
"Now I shall leave you all to your devices. Good luck everyone! I wish you all a good day."
"Goodbye Mister Pegasus!" the children said waving at the silver-haired man, and Pegasus smiled and waved right back.
"Bye uncle, see ya later!" Mana said, waving energetically.
Pegasus laughed, with Croquet just rolling his eyes behind his shades. "See you soon, my dear."
…
…
…
"Yuzu, you doing okay?" Yuya asked as the two of them along with Gongenzaka walked together, they had decided to get some ice cream, they thought that the two had earned it after such a big duel. Yuzu however seemed a little bit distracted.
"Oh I'm...I'm fine, Yuya. I just wasn't expecting you to go all out like that. It's like the first time that you actually dueled me seriously for years."
"I had to; this was something big and I had to impress Pegasus."
"That's true," Yuzu said with a small smile.
"You were amazing too, Yuzu; you didn't go easy on me at all. You were Xyz summoning and Fusion Summoning perfectly!"
Yuzu smiled at the compliment. "Thanks. I'm proud of you, you know."
"Huh?" Yuya asked looking back at Yuzu.
"For dueling like that, for winning against me. I'm proud of you, you were really amazing Yuya. When you put your focus on something, you shine! Shine brighter than any star I've seen. And I know you can do more, much much more."
Yuya blushed looking away and scratching his cheek in embarrassment. "Well, you're right about that. There has to be more ways to advance Pendulum Summoning. Fusion Summoning was just the start, but I think I should learn Xyz Summoning too!"
"Really?!" Gongenzaka and Yuzu asked. Gongenzaka in confusion and Yuzu with absolute delight.
"Yeah. If you're allowed to Special Summon monsters between a certain level on the Pendulum Scale, then what's stopping you from bringing out monsters with the same level? I did it, and I'm pretty sure some of the kids thought that I would Xyz Summon at that moment. I just have to find the right cards."
"That's great, Yuya!" Yuzu said, giving Yuya a big hug and kissing his cheek, making the boy blush and grin brightly.
"I truly do need to catch up then. The two of you are sprinting so far ahead, I, the man, Gongenzaka. do not wish to be left in the dust," Gongenzaka said, smiling at his two friends.
"It's okay Gongenzaka, you won't. Besides I'm going to have to find my own balance in these cards since they have their own scales and effects. I need to be thinking of which effects I'll need as well as which scales I can use," Yuya explained. "It might take a while for me to perfect Xyz and Pendulum Summoning together."
"You also need either a Spellcaster or Dragon Xyz monster, those seem to be the best themes suited to your deck and Pendulum effects," Yuzu said.
"Spellcasters and Dragons huh? Yeah, something that could work well with my Pendulums.
"It is kinda strange that Odd-Eyes, Timegazer Magician, and Stargazer Magician stick out in comparison to your Performapals," Gongenzaka observed.
"How so?" Yuya asked.
"One, none of them have 'Performapal' in their name. And two, none of them look like they're part of a circus."
"Yeah, you do have a point, though the Magicians do belong in the circus…" Yuzu thought.
Yuya shrugged. "I've had Odd-Eyes since I was a kid, I don't really remember where I got him from. And sometimes, I can sense him. Sense him guiding me to victory."
"A bond with your cards," Yuzu said.
"Yeah I know it sounds weird, but I know it's true," Yuya insisted.
"I do believe you, Yuya. I have seen the way Odd-Eyes acts in Action Duels, he seems to have a will of his own, and is very protective of you."
"Mhm," Yuzu said nodding. "Whatever magic that transformed your cards Yuya, I know that they're looking out for you, so that's why you have to be your best self and try to keep improving and perfecting your strategies."
"Yeah, you're right," Yuya agreed with a nod. "And I promise you both, I will.I just hope my mom takes the news all right."
…
…
…
"Are… are you SERIOUS?!" Yoko Sakaki screamed.
"Yeah mom, President Pegasus came to You Show himself and made the offer. He said that he was gonna call after he has a talk with Reiji Akaba so that they can start making new Pendulums."
"This is… oh this is a lot," Yoko said, sitting down. "I mean, it was one thing that you of all people decided to duel Strong Ishijima, but then you somehow got a new summoning method from out of nowhere and now the freaking guy whose job is to make Duel Monster cards for a living wants to work with you!"
"I know it's a lot, mom, but this could really help us, don't you think?" Yuya said as one of his mother's adopted kittens jumped on his lap and he started to pet them absentmindedly. "I don't want the fame of being the only duelist with a brand new summoning method, and President Pegasus raised a good point. I could be accused of cheating, and this could get that stigma off my back and give us enough money so that you don't have to work as hard! And I can focus on honing my Dueltaining." Yuya explained.
Yoko sighed before looking down at her feet to see En with a ball in its mouth. She smiled softly at the dog, took the ball into her hands, and gently tossed it down the hallway. The corgi barked and chased after it.
"I might have to hire a lawyer then," Yoko said. "Mister Pegasus is a nice man to the public, but I'm not sure if I can handle reading a contract that would be as intricate as what these high-grade businessmen get."
Yuya looked down. Then he heard his mother laugh.
"But yeah… you're right, this might be our best option," Yoko said with a small smile, before ruffling Yuya's hair. "Look at you kiddo, you're growing up, Shuzo told me that you and Yuzu dueled today and that you put on an amazing show. I'm so proud of you. And I know your dad would be proud of you too."
Yuya smiled. "Thanks, mom," he said, giving his mother a big hug.
So am I. I'm very proud of what you accomplished.
Yuya froze at the voice, eyes wide.
"Something wrong?" Yoko asked, noticing that Yuya looked unsure.
"Oh n… nothing," the red-eyed boy said shaking his head. "I just thought I was hearing things…"
"Alright, you seem really tired kiddo, I'll make something light for dinner then you can go get some rest yeah?"
"Sure…" Yuya said with a small smile. "When's Joey coming home anyway?"
"In half an hour," Yoko answered and went to the kitchen to start making dinner. Yuya got up and began getting some food for the pets, taking the pet food and choosing which bowls to pour it in, letting the small pets eat.
A part of Yuya wondered if adopting the pets was his mother's way of coping with his dad's disappearance. En and Core had been around since he was small, but it was during the first year that Yusho was gone when Kilo and Watt were added (the two kittens Yoko adopted months ago went unnamed). Things so far... seemed to be looking up for them, Yuya thought with a smile.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0
A day after Yuya had voiced his agreement to Pegasus' offer the silver-haired man had called Reiji Akaba to make an appointment and speak about the Pendulum Monsters. Yuya's show had been far more informing than even Pegasus had hoped, and the use of the Extra Deck as well as Monster Cards as Spell Cards made for some interesting ideas and potentials. It was just a matter of convincing Reiji to a beneficial deal between all three of them.
Pegasus and his bodyguard were escorted to Reiji's office, where the silver-haired boy was sitting behind his desk before standing up as Pegasus walked closer.
The two of them shook hands with polite smiles on their lips.
"Mr. Pegasus, welcome," Reiji greeted the older man before offering him a seat and sitting back down himself.
"Reiji boy, how nice to see you again, I see your schools and flourished. And so has the Extra Deck sellings. "
"Yes indeed, many people are realizing how much Extra Deck Monsters are worth and are driven to experimenting, and joining schools."
"Yes, I've noticed. The tournaments have become such entertaining events. The monsters you create are indeed powerful."
"I'm glad that you approve. Now Mr. Pegasus, what is this deal we're talking about."
"Oh, I'm quite glad that you've asked. You see, I have recently thought of a brand new method of summoning, and I am here to… renegotiate the terms of our deal. I believe that you have seen these cards in action correct? As Yuya boy defeated Strong Ishijima with such a flare and show. Industrial Illusions have created these cards you see, and Yuya was tasked to test them and show them to the world in that duel, and I say that he had done a magnificent job showcasing them hasn't he?"
Reiji had a strained polite smile on his lips before taking a deep breath through his nose and releasing it. "Do you take me for a fool, Mr. Pegasus?"
"I'm...sorry?" Pegasus asked, not quite sure how to feel about Reiji's response.
"Mr. Pegasus, you didn't create these Pendulum Cards," Reiji said.
"Oh? Are you calling me a liar, Reiji boy?"
"Indeed I am," Reiji answered. "Aside from the fact that you would have contacted me sooner for such a new invention, the very fact that the boy chosen to test them was Yuya Sakaki is very suspect as knowing you, you would have had your niece Mana or nephew Atem test them."
Pegasus was silent for a moment. Reiji was smart and for some reason, he reminded the older man of someone else with that type of logic and cold stare.
"And even if Mana and Atem wouldn't have been your usual choice, Yuya didn't have these cards before halfway through the duel with Ishijimac," Reiji added.. So, no Mr. Pegasus I don't believe that you're the one who created them,"
"If I didn't then who did?" Pegasus asked.
"I believe Yuya did, somehow, in some way, perhaps not so conventional means he created those cards in that duel itself, and thanks to their nature, they were not considered counterfeit or illegal, and a new Summoning method was born. Therefore, you are trying to either take the credit or spare the Yuya any future trouble, as well as benefiting from this new method. Do stop me if I'm wrong, of course."
Pegasus chuckled, "And knowing these facts Reiji-boy, what do you intend to do? Reject the Pendulum Cards and announce Yuya boy as a cheater?"
"Mr. Pegasus, even if I was not a businessman, I would never have simply ignored the Pendulum Cards. Quite the contrary I see the potential that they could serve," Reiji answered, looking at Pegasus with a neutral expression. "I am willing to keep the lie going, and have it be our secret, as long as I get a hand in creating the archetypes."
Pegasus smiled "I can agree to that, and we may discuss further details later. But I do need to inform you of a few details."
"Oh?" Reiji questioned.
"Indeed, you see two days ago I was treated to a truly spectacular duel between Yuya-boy and his lovely girlfriend, Yuzu. The young girl used a mix of Fusion and Xyz summoning while Yuya-boy used Pendulum cards and Fusion."
"Really? The two upgraded their decks? That is good to hear. The two of them have always had such potential hidden beneath Yusho's philosophy to duel for furn."
"Indeed, and we have discovered a few things during that duel," Pegasus said holding a finger up. "First, the Pendulum Cards work as both Monster Cards and Spell Cards. When placed on the Pendulum Scale they become the equivalent of continuous Spell Cards, and aside from summoning Monsters once per turn, they each have their own individual effects."
"Interesting," Reiji took in the information, happy to know what other secrets these cards hold.
"Yes. Second, when Pendulum Cards are destroyed, they are not sent to the graveyard, they are instead placed Face Up on the Extra Deck," That made Reiji's eyebrows rise up. "Which of course that technically makes them-"
"Extra Deck Monsters," Reiji surmised with an amused grin. "So that's the reason that you came to renegotiate one of our contracts."
"Correct," Pegasus answered with a smile. "Oh, and third, the monsters placed on the Extra Deck, can be summoned right back using Pendulum Summon, as long as their levels are between the two scales on each card."
"How unique," Reiji said.
"I know. So many things could be done with cards like that, so many decks could be ungraded, made anew."
"Made stronger and craftier," Reiji finished.
"Oh yes… But do tell me Reiji boy," Pegasus began, and Reiji's attention was back on the older man. "If you had easily been able to tell that the Pendulum Cards were not my idea, then what was your guess?"
"...Magic," Reiji answered without hesitation.
"Ma-really?" Pegasus asked, bewildered. He was not expecting that answer from the younger man. After all, not a lot of people believe in magic to jump into that conclusion readily. In fact, they'd be adamant that there is some trick to the entire thing.
"Well I don't exactly have all the details myself of course," Reiji supplied. "But technology is out of the question, Yuya has no money, and has no actual way to counterfeit cards. And even if had any, Yuya does not have the technical know-how to hack a Duel Desk, and even if he did so, and somehow no one knew, the Duel Desk Security system at Leo Corp would have detected it and deactivated his Duel Desk. Simple as that," the silver haired boy explained his thought process. "Now with all these options debunked and with Yuya gaining these cards mid duel with absolutely no trouble in using them, the only explanation I have is magic, either Yuya has some, or a certain force is looking out for him."
Pegasus smirked. "Perhaps I should give you more credit, Reiji boy. I did not expect you to come to that conclusion easily. Most people would find the very idea… ridiculous."
"I'm a very open-minded person Mr. Pegasus," Reiji replied. "I do not deny what's right in front of me, and I happen to think that what some people would find ridiculous is completely plausible. After all, your own research into Duel Monsters have shown that their origins are magical."
"You have read my research Reiji-boy?" Pegasus wondered with a hint of joy.
"I have. I don't let an opportunity slip by to get stronger, and understanding the origin of things gives us certain knowledge."
"And knowledge is power."
"Pardon the cliché, but yes," Reji replied with a smirk.
"I see. Then tell me Reiji boy, why the search for such power?"
Reiji regarded Pegasus with a look.
"You are already the CEO of one of the largest corporations in the world after all. You are already powerful. And you certainly don't strike me as someone too ambitious. Yet you seem to seek power and more opportunities to become stronger."
Reiji seemed to think about it for a while before looking at Pegasus."You're a very open-minded person, isn't that right Mr. Pegasus?"
"Yes, I'd like to believe so."
"And as this conversation has revealed we both believe in magic, and perhaps… unconventional answers."
"Indeed," Pegasus answered slowly.
"What if I told you that we… aren't the only people around. If I said that there are… other dimensions. And that I've been in a few of them."
"...why would you be telling me this?" Pegasus questioned.
"You're a good man Mr. Pegasus. I know for a fact that you would not use this for your own gain," Reiji took a deep breath and let out a sigh. "I've known for a while that a war is coming. An invasion from a different dimension, a dimension named Fusion."
"Fusion?" Pegasus asked, tilting his head.
"Yes. You see, several years ago after my father disappeared I found some of his research. There used to be a world that split into four other dimensions, each of these dimensions is labeled for the Summoning Method it uses. Ours which is Standard, Fusion, Synchro, and Xyz."
"Why would your father know about any of this?"
"I'm not sure, his notes were vague, only referring to the splitting of the dimension as "The Event." Six years ago he traveled into the Fusion Dimension and has somehow taken over it. He plans to invade the other dimensions one by one, and destroy them."
"But… why?" Pegasus asked horrified at the revelations.
Reiji shook his head. "I don't know, maybe madness, or maybe there is a hidden reason that we don't know about. Whatever his motivations are, we can not afford to turn a blind eye to this, especially since he will probably invade this dimension soon. This is why I keep searching for power Mr. Pegasus, this is what I'm secretly preparing my students for. A war is coming, and we can't stop it alone."
"Reiji boy, I don't understand if your Father truly is out to invade the other dimensions then why not invade here first? Aren't we the weakest dimension before you brought the other Summoning Methods?"
"Perhaps," Reiji replied. "However...I don't know."
"Then maybe there is another reason other than simple control and invasion."
"Yes, that is a possibility," Reiji said remembering the photos of the two people on his Father's computer. "Despite the motivation, it does not change what he is doing."
"I agree. Does anyone else know about any of this?"
"Currently only my mother and my little sister Reira. People might not easily believe my story, especially considering my father was very respected here. But I do plan to handpick the best students from all the schools in Standard to help me."
"Do you have a plan, Reiji boy?"
Reiji nodded. "I plan to take a handful of students with me to the Synchro dimension, once the technology has been perfected. That way, with all three dimensions banding together there could be a greater chance to win. With duelists staying to protect standard or alert me to an invasion, and another to give the Xyz dimension help."
"And I'm guessing the tournament that we're gonna be hosting will be the way that you pick these students," Pegasus surmised.
"Yes, that is true."
Pegasus nodded. "Very well then. I'll look forward to us working together on this Reiji boy," Pegasus said, extending his hand.
Reiji smiled. "As am I," he answered, taking Pegasus' hand and shaking it, happy that things were truly looking up, and Reiji knew that they had a chance to win for sure, and he truly couldn't have been more grateful.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Once the announcement about Pendulum Cards had been spread through all news stations and online, a lot of people rejoiced, it was the talk of the city. They all saw what Yuya could do with these cards and they wanted to try them out. Some people wondered who would start teaching the use of these cards to others and couldn't wait to buy them. The forums were analyzing Yuya's use of the cards and wondering what type of archetypes would heavily benefit from these types of monsters, or how they could be used as compo pieces, even though no archetypes were announced yet.
Yuya had spent three days at Pegasus' laboratories as he dueled several times letting the president of industrial illusions - and secretly Reiji- to study these cards and how they worked. The silver-haired man had praised Yuya and thanked him for all the help before sending him on his way.
"So when are you gonna talk to Yuya boy then?" Pegasus asked Reiji who was reviewing the footage of the duels.
"Soon enough. Yuya is a powerful duelist using these cards, it would be great to get his help in this. After the exhibition matches, I hope that I'm able to tell him and Yuzu."
Pegasus nodded at Reiji's plans and went back to his own work. They had so much to do and so little time to get it done, he could only hope that it would be enough.
…
…
…
The next day Yuya was heading down to Yu-show, it was the weekend, and has spent the last few days helping in studying the Pendulum Cards each day after school, he hasn't had the time to go to Yusho at all. He agreed to meet Yuzu there, he technically would see her in school, but they hadn't really hung out for days and that was something that Yuya wasn't very happy about.
The two of them were… dating now, he probably should take Yuzu on a prober date soon. Yuya was broken out of his thoughts by a familiar voice.
"Well, well, well, what do we have here? Yuya Sakaki"
Yuya turned around to look at the owner of that voice "Gen Ankouji," he snarled, recalling the bully from three years ago mocking him about how Yuya wanted to fight Strong Ishijima. He knew from Gongenzaka that Gen was once a prominent student of the Superheavy dueling style, but then he left because he thought himself too proud and arrogant to fight under that style. Last Yuya heard Gen was a devoted follower of Strong.
Now the older boy towered over Yuya along with three other lackeys of his own who seemed ready to start harassing Yuya again.
"What do you want?" Yuya asked, taking a step back, but noticing that he was surrounded by the four of them.
"See Yuya, we here don't like the fact that a wimp like you actually managed to beat the champion," Gen grinned. "So now, we're gonna teach you a lesson not to step up to your betters!"
"You're just mad at me because I actually was able to defeat him," Yuya growled.
"You mean you cheated," Gen said.
"Yeah, no way scrawny wimp like you could step up to Strong," one of Gen's lackeys spoke up.
"I didn't cheat! I-"
"Enough talk, you're done for now!" Gen said, raising his fist up and aiming it at Yuya's face.
Before Yuya could move out of the way or be hit, something small and too fast to see hit Gen's cheek, making him off balance.
"What the…" Yuya watched in confusion as a candy cane fell to the ground a few feet away.
The next moment there was a whirlwind of kicks and punches as Yuya watched four more bodies drop to the ground and two more people stand up. One of them had cyan colored hair put in a small ponytail while the other had a hood on obscuring their face.
"Honestly," the person in the hood, a girl said. "It takes four of you to try and take on one boy, How pathetic are you?"
"Why you!" Gen said before the mysterious girl did a spin kick, hitting his arm and making him yell in pain.
"Scram," the cyan haired boy told them, making the four of them shuffle to stand up and run away.
"This ain't over, coward!" Gen screamed as they retreated to lick their wounds.
"You okay?" the girl asked as the two of them turned around to look at Yuya.
"Oh yeah th-" Yuya froze as he looked at the girl's face under the hood "Y...Yuzu?!" he yelled. The cyan haired boy blinked at the outburst.
The girl put her hood down showing her purple hair and cyan locks along with her light green eyes, along with the orange sash tied around her ponytail. "No, my name's Serena."
Yuya blinked in surprise. Seeing Yuzu's face on another girl was disorienting, especially after he almost got attacked in an empty street."Oh so- sorry you just look like…"
"Look like what?" Serena asked, raising her eyebrow, her voice seemed commanding, standing with a frow on her face, yet she didn't seem angry.
"M...my girlfriend. Your face is identical to my girlfriend Yuzu."
"Yuzu?"
"Yeah, Yuzu Hiragi. Oh and...I'm Yuya, Yuya Sakaki, thanks for the save."
"I didn't do it to save you; I just don't like it when it's an unfair advantage. People should fight with honor. These idiots seemed in need of a lesson."
"Ah, still thanks anyway. I don't think I've seen you guys before, I'd remember someone with the same face as my childhood friend."
"Nah we're new here, transferred yesterday," the boy with the cyan hair said, licking a lollipop. "I'm Sora, by the way, Sora Shun'in."
"Hi," Yuya said with a bright smile.
'Wow, he couldn't be more different than him.' Both Serena and Sora thought, seeing how much different Yuya seemed than Yuri despite having the same face. Even Sora didn't feel the need to run from the boy's gaze.
"Say can you do us a favor?" Sora asked.
"A favor?" Yuya questioned, tilting his head.
"Yeah," Sora said with a grin. "Like we said we're new, and we're duelists, we heard Miami city had the best of the best Duelists around and great schools, and that they created a new summoning method. We wondered if you could lead us to one of these schools so we can check it out."
"Duelists huh? Well sure, what do you guys use? Most schools only teach Tribute Summoning, though some also have advanced classes."
"We use Fusion," Serena stated proudly.
"Yeah, we're pretty good at it," Sora continued, placing his hands behind his head and giving Yuya a grin.
"And we were interested in checking out the new summoning methods, so can you help us?" Serena asked.
"Sure, as far as I know only You Show will have classes about Pendulum Summoning until LDS starts them too, which is probably not for a while."
"What's the difference in schools?" Sora asked.
"You Show concentrates more on Dueltaining while Leo Duel School takes itself more seriously. Leo Duel School also teaches Synchro Summoning while You Show has Fusion and Xyz only."
Sora raised his eyebrow, having a strange look on his face. "Xyz Summoning huh?"
"Yeah," Yuya said.
"Oh come on, who would waste their time Xyz Summoning? It's a pathetic summoning method. Fusion is all anyone would need," the cyan haired boy said with a chuckle, prompting Serena to nudge him with an elbow to shut up.
Yuya raised his eyebrow. "I think Xyz summoning could be neet, I haven't done it yet, but Yuzu's getting great at it."
"Your girlfriend's an Xyz user? She- Ow!" Serena nudged him to shut up again.
"I'm sorry about him, he really doesn't like Xyz. Back where we come from we had a rivalry with a school that uses Xyz summoning."
"Yeah and we kept beating them," Sora said with a smirk.
"We'd like to visit You Show if it's okay. Could you tell us where it is?" Serena continued as if Sora hadn't interpreted her.
"I'll do you one better, why don't I take you there?" Yuya said.
"Really?" Serena asked with a small smile.
"Yeah, consider it a thank you for earlier. Besides I can show you everything. My dad built that school," Yuya replied.
"Cool!" Sora said with a grin, placing the lollipop back in his mouth.
"This way," Yuya said, leading the two.
Serena grabbed Sora's arm and whispered heatedly. "Keep your ego in check Sora. We want their trust, not their spite, and insulting Xyz will not help."
"...Right," Sora conceded. "So what are the odds that there is a person who looks exactly like Yuri, with a girlfriend who looks exactly like you?"
"...Slim I'd imagine. He's so different from Yuri." Serena replied, knowing the bodyguard was trailing them, probably bored out of his mind at the moment. The three of them have been in this dimension for two days gathering information and staying out of sight. They found out about the Pendulum Summoning and needed to get more info, and who was better than the only person currently owning these cards (As far as Sora knew of course.) They were trailing Yuya to try and figure out how to approach him themselves and knew that if he was harmed because of some muscle heads they wouldn't gain what they were here for, so all in all, a happy coincidence.
Sora and Serena silently followed Yuya heading to this… You Show School.
…
…
…
Well then, what do you think of your Other Self? The familiar voice purred in Yuri's ear as he watched Yuya, Serena, and Sora leave from the rooftops. Zarc's presence and voice had become a source of comfort for Yuri through the past few weeks that he never knew he wanted or even needed before. It both scared and excited him to have this new thing.
"I'm not too sure yet," Yuri answered. "When I first arrived here, he seemed annoying and childish, with such a ridiculous philosophy."
And now?
"I guess he seems strong. Certiny interesting when he takes things seriously," Yuri answered. He had watched Yuya's duel as it trended on the web and the promotional materials for the upcoming Pendulum Cards. "And… I suppose I feel a pull to him now. Is that your doing?"
It is. Inside you all, you wish to become one once more, to be me again, return me to what I once was. There is a hidden connection between all of you. I promised you, Yuri, you'll never be alone again.
Yuri nodded, his eyes never leaving Yuya as he kept moving further away. "I wanna see more of what he can do," Yuri said, a smirk appearing on his lips. "Who knows… this might be fun after all."