Over the next few days, the group did what they could in order to try and get Yuya to Pendulum Summon again. After the 246th failed attempt to do a Pendulum Summon, Yuya was still looking to try and get Pendulum Summoning to work, even though most of the group, except for him, Luna, Yugi, and Gong had gone home at this point.

"Come on everybody! We can still get a Pendulum Summon out before the night is over! We can do this!" Yuya tried to encourage.

"Look, Yuya, can we please get some sleep first? I don't think we'll figure it out tonight, as disappointing as that is," Luna pointed out.

"I hate to agree with Luna, but I agree that maybe we should take a bit of a break," Yugi said. "Maybe after a quick rest we'll figure this Pendulum Summoning thing out."

"Don't worry, Yuya! Gong believes that you will be able to get this Pendulum Summoning thing down soon enough," Gong encouraged.

"Thanks, Gong! We'll get this thing down in a jiffy! So, who wants to duel me next?" Yuya asked.

Everyone looked at him in surprise. While they were still willing to figure out Pendulum Summoning, they all wanted to take a break from dueling. After a minute of silence, Luna finally decided, "Well, fine. I haven't dueled at all during all of your attempts. I guess I can give it a try. Be warned, though. I'm a pretty tough Duelist."

"Well, don't worry. Win or lose, as long as we have fun and get closer to understanding Pendulum Summoning, we should do fine. Hey, seeing as how Rua hasn't dueled yet, maybe we should make this an Action Duel! What do you say, Rua?" Yuya asked the green haired woman. After a moment of thinking, Luna nodded her head, much to Yuya's excitement, as a tabletop Action Field formed in the Duel School's Duel Arena, courtesy of Gong.

"Now then, let's duel! I'll go first. I summon out Morphtronic Boomboxen to the field in Attack Mode (1200)!" Rua summoned.

"Whoa. I've never seen that monster before. Where do you think that Rua got that card from?" Yugi asked Gong.

"Gong doesn't know, but what Gong does know is that Yuya could be in trouble if he can't figure out a way to beat her monster," Gong said.

"I play two facedowns and end my turn," Luna played.

Yuya began to look around at the field some more. "So, where do you think that the Action Cards are at? Do you think that there is one underneath this giant pencil?" Yuya asked curiously. "Oh, never mind. I draw! I summon out Performapal Silver Claw in Attack Mode (1800)!" Yuya followed up by getting onto the wolf's back as he rode across the field."Now, let's get this battle going! Silver Claw, strike at Boomboxen with style!"

"I'm afraid that won't happen. I play the trap card Morphtronic Mega Map! With it, every time a monster on my field changes its battle mode, I get to place a Morph Counter on my trap. For each counter that is on it, all my Morphtronic monsters will gain 300 attack points. But I won't stop there. I also play Morphtransition! With it, I can block your attack and switch my Boomboxen to Defense Mode," Luna stopped the attack. "And, thanks to my trap, my monster will gain 300 attack points (1500 Attack)."

"Gong's getting worried. Yuya, come next turn, will have to deal with a monster that has the same number of attack points as Silver Claw! It gets worse if she is able to summon out a stronger monster next turn. Yuya! Now would be a great time to dish out a Pendulum Summon!" Gong encouraged Yuya.

"But… I still don't quite get how it works," Yuya said.

"I know. But maybe we can make it work by thinking things through. Let's see… Pendulum Cards have these things called scales on them. You said that you could summon monsters from level 2 through 7 based on the scales that said 1 and 8. Which means…," Yugi said, starting to think about how it worked.

"Wait! I got it! Yuya Sakaki, the up and coming dueltainer has his work cut out for him, but hopefully I can turn this duel around and win the duel and the crowd! Now, I'll use Stargazer Magician (1) and Timegazer Magician (8) to set the Pendulum Scale! I'm taking control of this duel starting now! I'm allowed to summon monsters from level 2 through 7 all at the same time!" Yuya yelled out as a red light flew out of a blue portal. "Turn up the heat Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon!" At this, Yuya started to smile. " I did it! I performed a Pendulum Summon again! Now, I'll end my turn. Your move, Rua!"

"You did it, Yuya!" Yugi praised.

"Yuya! Gong's impressed that you were able to pull it off again! Congratulations!" Gong said with tears in his eyes.

"Hm. Very well, it's my turn again. I summon the Tuner Monster Morphtronic Scopen (800 to 1100 Attack)! Next, I switch my Boomboxen to attack mode, which will gain me another Morph Counter. Not only that, but both of my monsters will gain another 300 attack points (1400 Attack-Scopen) (1800 Attack-Boomboxen)!" Rua played.

"Whoa! Rua wasn't kidding around when she said that she was a great duelist! Looks like Yuya may be in trouble," Yugi said, concerned for Yuya and amazed by Luna's skills.

"Gong knows! She really knows how to make use of her Morphtronic cards," Gong agreed.

"So, Yuya, are you sure about challenging me yet? I wasn't kidding when I said I was a great duelist," Rua said.

"Are you kidding? This duel has been very fun! I really can't wait to see what you have planned next!" Yuya exclaimed.

"Really? Well I better not disappoint then. I activate Scopen's ability to special summon a Morphtronic monster from my hand. In exchange, it will be destroyed at the end of my turn. So, ladies and gentlemen, allow me to show you what I'm made of. I special summon Morphtronic Videon (1000 to 1600 Attack)! I tune my Scopen with my Videon in order to Synchro Summon one of my best cards! Come on out, Morphing Power Tool Dragon (2300 Attack)!" Summoned to Rua's field was a monster that looked a lot like Power Tool Dragon. The only difference being that it had some black orbs with red lights on them surrounding the machine dragon.

"Wait. A Synchro Summon?! Where did Rua learn that?!" Yugi was shocked.

"Gong doesn't know, but what Gong can say is that Yuya may be in trouble now," Gong was wary.

"Whoa! Where did you learn how to Synchro Summon from, Rua? I thought only the Leo Institute was teaching that form of summoning," Yuya was amazed yet confused.

"From where I'm from, it is a very common technique. I'd be more worried if I were you. I activate my Morphing Power Tool Dragon's special ability! With it, I can select one equip spell card from my deck and add it to my hand. Now, I'll activate the card I added. Double Tool C&D! With it, I can equip this card to either a Morphtronic Monster or Power Tool Dragon. Since my Morphing Power Tool Dragon is treated as regular old Power Tool Dragon, I'll equip it onto Morphing Power Tool Dragon, which will give my monster an extra 1000 attack points (3300 Attack)!" Rua played.

"Aw man! Now Rua has a monster that is stronger than Yuya's Silver Claw!" Yugi was worried.

"Don't think that this turn is over yet. I activate Morphing Power Tool Dragon's other ability. Now I can place a Morph Counter on a card on the field that has an effect related to it. Now, with a third Morph Counter on the field, my Boomboxen will get a power boost (2100 Attack)!" Rua yelled out.
"Geez! These Morphtronic cards really are powerful!" Yuya was impressed, but worried.

"Well, if you are impressed now, well then you'll be even more so once I play the spell card Junk Box! With it, I can revive a Morphtronic in my graveyard! In exchange, it will be destroyed at the end of my turn. So, I think I'll use it to revive my Morphtronic Videon (1000 to 1900 Attack)! Now, let's battle! I'll attack your Odd-Eyes with my Morphing Power Tool Dragon!" The two monsters clashed, only for Morphing Power Tool Dragon to come out on top (Yuya-3200 LP).

"Odd-Eyes! No!" Yuya was greatly saddened by the attack destroying his best and favorite monster. In response, Yuya put his goggles over his eyes.

"Hey, are you okay?" Luna asked Yuya, concerned for Yuya's emotional state.

"I-I'm fine," Yuya responded, not doing a great job at hiding the sadness of losing his soul monster.

"Well, then, let's finish up this duel. I'll attack your Silver Claw with my Boomboxen! (Yuya-2900 LP) Then, I'll attack you directly with my Boomboxen, seeing as how he can attack a second time this turn! (Yuya-800 LP) Finally, I'll have Videon attack you directly!" Yuya's Life Points were reduced to zero by the attack as the duel came to a close and the Action Field disappeared. "Sorry I hurt you Yuya. That wasn't my intention. Why were you upset, anyways?"

"Because… Odd-Eyes was destroyed," Yuya answered sadly.

"I get it. You're sad because you have a special bond with Odd-Eyes and you feel bad that he got destroyed on your watch," Yugi realized. "Still, on the bright side, you were able to pull off a Pendulum Summon again. That's good, right?"

"You know what…? Yeah. You're right! After all this time, I've finally pulled it off again!" Yuya was excited, starting to feel a bit better. "Thanks for the help everybody! Now that I can Pendulum Summon again I know that I can make a great show for everybody!"
"No problem, Yuya. Both of our schools weren't doing that great, but now we can hopefully draw more people to our schools. Either way, though, we can have fun and enjoy the experience," Yugi said.

"Well, Gong thinks we should get going. After all, we all have to go to university tomorrow," Gong reminded the group.

"Oh, you're right! See you guys later!" Yuya yelled as he ran out of the duel school, with the others following after.

The next evening…

Yugi, his friends, and his grandpa were sitting down watching television, seeing the finals of a recent tournament. The two finalists were two young adults around their age named Rex Raptor and Weevil Underwood.

Rex Raptor

2200

Weevil Underwood

1000

"Time to win this duel! Red Eyes(2400 Attack), attack his Gokibore(1200 Attack) with Inferno Fire Blast!" Rex commanded.

"You fell for my trap! I play the trap card Insect Crusher. If you attack an Insect monster on my field and the difference between their attack points is at least 1000, I can destroy your monster and deal you damage equal to your monster's attack points!" At this, a giant boot crushed Red Eyes Black Dragon, reducing Rex's Life Points to zero.

"And we have our winner! Weevil Underwood is our champion! With it, he wins the prestigious Regional Championship Cup! So, Weevil, you've heard that there is to be a new tournament that is to be held in Paradise City being held by the Leo Institute and Industrial Illusions. What do you have to say about those that wish to challenge your title as a regional champ?" Maximilion Pegasus asked Weevil.

"I wouldn't worry too much about the competition. I'll find a way for me and my insects to tear them down one way or another!" Weevil responded.

"Wow! This Weevil guy is pretty good, isn't he?" Joey was amazed at the young man's power.

"I know, right? He'd be tough competition for anyone to take on. I pity whoever goes up against him," Tristan said as he shook his head.

"I wouldn't worry too much about winning or losing. So long as you do your very best and enjoy the duel, that's all that matters in the end. Still, that Weevil was a very tough duelist," Grandpa Muto said.

"So, Yugi, what do you think about what happened? After all, you were thinking about entering the Regionals before you decided not to due to Kaiba not being there," Tea said.

"It was pretty interesting. I kinda had a feeling that Weevil would win, though," Yugi answered. "Still, what do you think Pegasus meant when he said there was another tournament going to be held in Paradise City?"

"What's this about a tournament?" Zuzu asked as she and Yuya entered the room.

"Oh, you guys made it after all! Sorry that you missed the final duel. It was a very intense one too," Yugi apologized.

"It's okay. Besides, I don't know if I'd personally trust that Weevil guy anyway," Yuya said.

"So, once again, what was all that about a tournament?" Zuzu asked once again.

"We don't know, though apparently it's going to take place in Paradise City," Tea explained.

"Aw man! If only I could participate in it!" Joey was frustrated.

"Why? Are you expecting to win?" Tristan asked teasingly.

At this, Joey got angry and was ready to yell at Tristan before Zuzu interrupted, "By the way, there was a strange package right outside your door when we got here, Yugi. What do you think it is?"

"I don't know. Who is it from?" Yugi asked.

"It comes from Maximillion Pegasus all the way in North America," Yuya said, shocked at the package's sender.

"Whoa! Looks like someone has taken an interest in you, Yugi. Why do you think Pegasus sent you a package?" Tristan asked, amazed.

"I don't know. Maybe he heard about my victory over Seto Kaiba and wants to congratulate me?" Yugi suggested.

"Well, Yugi, there is only one way for us to find out," Grandpa Muto said as he opened the box. Inside was a few strange gauntlets with ten holes in it that were star shaped along with a few cards, six golden stars, and a video tape. "Huh. I wonder what all of this stuff is for."

"Maybe it's for the tournament that Pegasus mentioned earlier," Tea suggested.

"Well, let's find out. Play the tape, Yugi," Zuzu said.

"Alright then," Yugi said as he popped in the video tape and pressed play. Immediately, Maximilion Pegasus appeared on-screen.

"Greetings, young Yugi. First off, I'd like to congratulate you for your victory against Kaiba boy. There aren't very many Duelists out there that can defeat him, you know. Anyways, the reason I sent you this tape wasn't to say congrats for winning. I sent you this message for a few reasons. I'm here to invite you and your new friends Yuya Sakaki and Zuzu Boyle into the new tournament coming up in a few days. The Arc League Championship known also as Duelist Kingdom. The tournament will last for a few weeks and the winner gets millions of yen," Pegasus explained.

"Wow! That's a great prize! I wish I could take part in this tournament," Joey said.

"I also wish to have the chance to Duel you Yugi boy. I wish to see you perform a Pendulum Summon that I've heard so much about. I'd rather not wait, though, so I'll Duel against you immediately. We'll each have 4000 Life Points and the Duel will last for 15 minutes. The one with the most Life Points by the end of that time wins. Ready, Yugi boy?" Pegasus asked.

"Uh, I guess so, but I really don't understand how we can Duel right now. After all, I can't exactly Duel a video tape," Yugi was confused.

"Oh, don't worry about that, Yugi boy. I have my ways," Pegasus responded to Yugi's comment, much to everyone's shock. In an instant, Pegasus's covered eye glowed and Yugi and the others were dragged into a strange dark space.

"Hey, is everyone okay?!" Yugi called out to his friends behind him. However, to his shock, everyone but Zuzu and Yuya was frozen like statues.

"Where are we? And why is everyone frozen?" Zuzu questioned.

"I remember Pegasus's eye glowing after he responded to one of Yugi's comments, and then we ended up here. Did his eye do something or is this just a bad dream?" Yuya commented, confused.

"I don't know. But for some reason it feels hard to breathe," Yugi said as he switched to being taller than before. "Pegasus, I know you did something to us. Show yourself!" The taller Yugi demanded.

"Wait, did something just happen to Yugi? He seems taller than before," Zuzu said.

"I think so, but why? Is it some sort of magic trick or something?" Yuya asked, also confused.

"Very well then, Yugi boy. I'll come out," Pegasus said as he appeared across from Yugi, wearing a duel disk on his arm. "I must say, I'm impressed both with you and your green-haired friend. You both pulled off impressive victories against tough opponents. As for Zuzu, I'll say that you've also impressed me. Not many would avoid being stopped by my Millenium Eye."

"Millenium Eye? You mean like my Millenium Puzzle? Is that why all this strange stuff has happened?" Yami Yugi demanded.

"Ding, ding, ding. Don't worry, though. I've only frozen your friends for a short time. I'll return them to normal after the Duel. Now, let's begin!" Pegasus proclaimed as a timer started. "I'll go first. I play one monster facedown in defense mode and play one card facedown. It's your turn, Yugi boy."

"Very well then. I draw!" Yami Yugi called out. Yugi looked at his hand and noticed that he was holding Dark Magician, Kuriboh, and Komouri Dragon in his hand among a few other cards. Just as Yugi was about to play Komouri Dragon, Yugi was interrupted.

"Oh, Yugi boy. You're unlikely to win our Duel if you play that dragon card," Pegasus said, much to the shock of Yugi, Zuzu, and Yuya.

"How did you know I had that card?!" Yami Yugi demanded.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Pegasus cryptically said. "I play the trap card Dragon Stealing Jar! With it, I can take a dragon monster either on the field or in your hand and trap it in the jar. Don't worry, Yugi boy. You can still perform a normal summon, but now you have to summon a weaker monster and, in addition, you can't attack this turn."

"Do you think it's more of that dark magic, Zuzu?" Yuya asked his friend.
"I don't know. All I know is that Yugi may be in trouble if Pegasus really can see his cards," Zuzu was worried.

"I summon out Queen's Knight in attack mode (1500 Attack)! I end my turn," Yami Yugi ended his move.

"Very good. Now it's my turn again! You know, you three, there is more to this situation than meets the eye," Pegasus said.

"What do you mean?" Yami Yugi asked.

"It's simple. We are currently in the middle of a Shadow Game. Said games used magic artifacts, just as magical as those cards we are currently holding. You see, I didn't create Duel Monsters. Duel Monsters is based off of magic spirits that were used to fight against each other using said magical artifacts. It's believed that the magical Shadow Games nearly destroyed the world. That is, until a magical Pharaoh sealed the magic away in seven Millenium Items, including your Millenium Puzzle and my Millenium Eye!" Pegasus explained.

"Impossible! Duel Monsters is just a card game, not a fight between magic spirits!" Zuzu protested.

"Yeah! Dueling is about having fun and entertaining the crowd, not about destroying the world!" Yuya agreed with his friend.

"That's a nice story you've told us, Pegasus, but what your saying isn't true!" Yami Yugi yelled out.

"Keep telling yourselves that. But, either way, your chances of winning this Duel are slim with me using my power! And, after I win, you'll have to participate in the Duelist Kingdom Tournament whether you like it or not! I Flip Summon Dragon Piper(200 Attack)! With its ability, I can destroy a Dragon Capture Jar I control!" Pegasus played.

"I don't think so! The only trap you control is Dragon Stealing Jar!" Zuzu appointed out.

"Perhaps, but said card is also treated as Dragon Capture Jar while on the field! So, I'll destroy my Dragon Stealing Jar. And, thanks to my trap's effect, when Dragon Piper destroys Dragon Stealing Jar I can summon any absorbed dragon monster onto my field. Next, I summon Dark Rabbit (1100 Attack)! Now, I'll have my Komouri Dragon(1700 Attack) attack and destroy your Queen's Knight! (Yugi 3800 LP)! But, things are not over yet. Now, I'll have my Dragon Piper and Dark Rabbit attack you directly! (Yugi 2500 LP). Well, that will do for now. I'll end my turn. So, giving up yet, Yugi boy?" Pegasus asked his opponent.

"Not even close! I draw!" "Somehow he knew that I had Komouri Dragon. What if he can tell what else is in my hand. With my current hand, I could Pendulum Summon, but should I?" Yugi wondered to himself, before realizing that either way, he needed to do something to defeat Pegasus. "I use Scale (1) Buster Blader and Scale (8) Kuriboh to set the Pendulum Scale! With it, I can summon monsters from Levels 2 through 7 all at the same time! Come forth Dark Magician(2500 Attack) and Obnoxious Celtic Guardian (1400 Attack)! Next, I'll have my Dark Magician attack and destroy your Komouri Dragon and have my Celtic Guardian attack Dragon Piper! (Pegasus 2000 LP)! With that, I end my turn."

"Nice work, Yugi! Way to turn the duel back in your favor!" Zuzu cheered.

"Not a bad play, young Yugi. Though I have to wonder why you didn't use your Kuriboh's Pendulum ability? You could have beaten me if you did," Pegasus questioned.

"Maybe, but Kuriboh's ability can only effect an effect spellcaster, not a normal spellcaster like Dark Magician. Besides, I wanted to be able to get back my Komouri Dragon," Yami Yugi explained.

"Well, you'll see that that was a poor move soon. I tribute my Dark Rabbit in order to summon Illusionist Faceless Mage (1200 Attack)! Next, I equip him with Eye of Illusion! Now, I'll have my Mage attack your Dark Magician!" Pegasus yelled out.

"Don't forget that my Dark Magician is stronger than your monster! Unless your equip spell can change things," Yami Yugi realized.

"Correct, Yugi boy! I activate Eye of Illusion's effect! It will change to being equipped to your Dark Magician. And, thanks to Eye of Illusion, I now gain control of your Dark Magician! Now, attack Obnoxious Celtic Guardian with Dark Magic Attack (Yugi 1400 LP)! It may not be destroyed, but the damage you take is still very real. And with that, I end my turn. The duel is almost over, Yugi boy. We only have one minute left before the duel ends and I'm in the lead."

"Maybe you are, but Yugi can still win!" Zuzu yelled out.

"Yeah! It all comes down to his next draw!" Yuya agreed.

"I can do this. I draw!" Yami Yugi yelled out as he drew Summoned Skull. "Perfect! I Pendulum Summon once again, this time bringing out Summoned Skull (2500 Attack)! Now. attack and destroy Illusionist Faceless Mage!" Summoned Skull prepared to strike. However, before the attack could go through, the timer went to zero and all the monsters on the field disappeared.

"Well, times up! If only your attack went through, you would have won! Still, it was nice to see you perform a Pendulum Summon. Either way, I think it's time we wrap this up. I'll see you all in the tournament in a few days. And, just to make sure that you show up, Yugi boy, I'll leave this duel with a prize," Pegasus said as he stole the soul of Grandpa Muto. In an instant, everything returned to normal, Yugi's friends were no longer frozen, but he grandpa didn't move. In fact, he fell over as he appeared trapped on the T.V.

"Yugi!" Yugi's Grandpa yelled out.

At this, Yugi returned to normal, shocked and horrified at what had just occurred. "Grandpa! No!"